My Journey

Ordinary World
Arlakt is a hermit. He lives in a beat-down shack in the center of a crater on the edge of the Great Waste. No one from any of the neighboring settlements knows much about him. They know that he is old, predating the Great Ascension, and the preceding War of Culling. They also know that, in the twenty years  since the Ascension, no breathing thing that even smelled like a bandit set foot within the confines of that crater without getting some rather large holes in some uncomfortable areas. Arlakt lives alone, and despite his missing arm, still survives quite well on his own.

Call to Adventure
Arlakt's lonely solitude is broken by the arrival of Jarlah- a fifteen year old girl from one of the settlements, whose older brother was kidnapped by a bandit clan and taken across the Wastes. Jarlah is distraught, and seeking Arlakt's help- no one from her village will help her, and rumor has it that Arlakt is the only person to cross bandit territory and return to this side of the Wastes. Jarlah needs the old man to strap on his armor once more, and help her free her brother.

Refusal of the Call
At first Arlakt refuses her outright, shoving her out of his crater, saying that the Wastes are no place for a little girl, and that her brother is already dead. Bandits never take prisoners, he says.  

Meeting the Mentor
Jarlah responds by pulling out her twelve gauge sawed-off, which she has nicknamed 'Obi-Wan', and telling Arlakt that 'No' is an answer she's not prepared to take. She also says that the only reason the bandits didn't kill both her and her brother was the strange birthmark, in the shape of a perfect triangle, that they share on the palms of their left hands.

Crossing the Threshold
Arlakt grudgingly agrees to help Jarlah, and so they set out, making their way across the barren wastes. Arlakt hasn't entered bandit territory in years. He is very twitchy,  paranoid, and constantly checking over his shoulder.

Tests, Allies, Enemies
After Arlakt and Jarlah enter the Wasteland, they quickly find that it is far more dangerous than either of them were expecting, and bandits are the least of their worries. Aside from the roving packs of Woltherun, which are like mutant wolves, they also encounter mysterious robots, remnants of technology from before the Ascension.

Approach to the Inmost Cave
After many months of travel, Arlakt and Jarlah finally near the other side of the wastes. They also find signs that the bandit clan who kidnapped her brother is near. The duo prepares for their greatest challenge yet: taking on an entire bandit clan at once.

The Ordeal
In the dead of night, Arlakt and Jarlah approach the bandit clan's camp. Jarlah comes into her own, stealthily taking down a tentful of her brother's captors before one of them cries out, awakening the rest of the group. Arlakt then demonstrates his years of experience in battle, methodically hacking and shooting his way through dozens of bandits, until those still alive flee the battle.

Reward
After the battle, Jarlah is finally reunited with her brother.