Library: Dodge is a Many-Splendored Skill.

One beautiful autumn day on Batmud, a drow mage, satyr cleric and giant ranger happened upon one another in one of the many FINE BatMUD drinking establishments. The drow and satyr, mismatched though they were, were actually friends, and were looking for an adventuring companion. When they spotted the young giant entering the pub, they watched as he sidled up to the bar, and immediately joined him. The drow mage bought the giant several of the house specials, and went to work on convincing the youngster to join them in their adventures. After a mere 6 or 7 brews, the giant finally agreed. The drow quickly ordered 3 full pots of coffee to sober up the giant as quickly as possible, and the three of them left the bar in Shadowkeep together, anxious to get their adventures started. Shortly after leaving Shadowkeep, the three of them stumbled upon what looked like an abandoned monastery. Upon entering it, they discovered several tinmen there studying how things work. This is where the bloodbath ensued. Our three adventurers did not bother to talk to any of these tinmen or find out more about why they were in this monastery. All they did was commence wreckless bloodshed; tinman after tinman, death after death, until the monastery was completely silent. Amid all of this chaos, the satyr cleric noticed something. During combat, their young giant friend did not seem to attempt to get out of the way of the blows that were being delt to him. Instead, he would simply stand there, the knucklehead, and take every punch right in the stomach. For now, the satyr kept his mouth shut, as he was too busy doing his cleric duties and attempting to keep the poor giant alive. The three adventurers remained in the monastery to gloat their prowess for a short while after the bloodshed ended, and slowly but surely they noticed the silence around them ceasing. Clanging of pots in the kitchen started again, metallic clucking coming from the tree in the garden. The tinmen seemed to come back to life around them! Not one to shy away from combat, the drow mage led his friends around monastery and waged battle on all of the tinmen. Again. Finally satisfied that the tinmen were indeed dead, our three adventurers left the monastery and headed down the east coast of the continent. They happened upon the port city of Donaru. Upon first entering the gates to the city, the giant, satyr and drow encountered a group of about five or six guards. Untrue to his cleric beliefs, the satyr shouted 'KILL!!!' The mage cast an area effect spell, severely hurting the guards, but it was not enough. The 6 guards attacked with such a vengeance, that the young giant ranger died almost instantaneously once the guards jumped into the fray. The mage and cleric left the scene, finding somewhere safe for the cleric to rescue their giant friend from eternal damnation and hell. The satyr prayed to Tarmalen and resurrected the giant from hell. As the mage and cleric set out to cast every protective spell they had upon the ranger, he asked 'So, what skills should I be training with all of this experience I am making?' The mage asked, 'What have you trained dodge to?' The ranger replied, 'Dodge? Is that an important skill?' The satyr cleric looked on in alarm. The mage looked incredulous. The mage went on to explain to the young ranger exactly what the word 'dodge' meant. Learning how to do it would mean that he wouldnt stand in combat and get repeatedly punched in the face, as the satyr had noticed earlier. The giant filed all of this great information away, and when it came time to visit his guild, he became MUCH wiser in the ways of dodging attacks. Eventually, after visiting many other lands, and having many other experiences, these three adventurers split up and went their separate ways. Possibly to rest and prepare for more adventurers. Possibly just to get drunk or find women. We will never know for sure. Two days later, the giant and the satyr ran into each other in the Shadowkeep marketplace. They greeted one another and the giant thanked the satyr for the advice from nights previous. The giant shared, 'Learning how to dodge has meant that I die a lot less! I'm so glad I've trained it, now!' The moral of this story: Always, ALWAYS max dodge!

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Library: Dodge is a Many-Splendored Skill.