The First Scroll of BajditArkanBajditThe Bandit GodèÒ)   «ÌÐU!ùýThe First Scrolls of Bajditù What follows is a translation of the first fragment from aseries of vellum scrolls found in 3 Alabaster jars sealed ina cave. The discoverer was a nomad wanderer somewhere on theshores of Lake Vread in the Province of Elswyer. I can neithervouch for nor deny its authenticity or veracity - only thatthe scrolls, as such, DO exist. Read and judge for yourself: Bajdit, The Legend... Thief, Warlock, ShadowMaster,Ruthless Assassin, Undying Avenger, Dark God, Robber Baron,MasterMind of Nefarious Plots. All these things and more arethe Legendary Bajdit, he who is called The Bandit God. But whatis the Truth? Bajdit, The Man is a much more simple andcomplex being. I pen this tale as I slowly die of old age andöa mortifying arrow wound. I cannot decide if the truth willadd to or subtract from the legend that is Bajdit, nor if theoriginal Bajdit would want the truth to be known. Therefore,I will leave this tale hidden when I am done and gone, and letFate (which was ever Bajdit's true master and motivator)decide. I was a child of 12 Seasons when I first metBajdit. Orphan of a Slaver raid during one of the manyinter-provincial border wars. Living by my quick wits,nimble fingers, and the grace of Lady Luck in the back alleysand byways of my birth city. I had just "liberated" a loafof bread and a few small apples from a local street vendor inthe Bazaar on the edge of the city near the tumbled outerwall, and had withdrawn down an ill-lit alley to feast on mybounty when I was beset by an older band of my ilk. The olderand lazier variety which were want to engage in the easier andless dangerous art of stealing from the stealers. Therewere 5 of the bully boys who had decided they were moredeserving of my booty than I, and they were beating me halfto death with staves in between bites and laughter at the time.Lying on the ground curled up into as tight a ball as I couldmanage, trying to protect my head and groin, I heard a quietövoice ask if they were not "more suited to go down to the wharfand take food from your brother rats, or would you care totry your tricks on game a bit more your size and number?" Since my "companions" had become otherwise engaged with thenewcomer and had for the nonce ceased thumping, kicking andcuffing at me, I looked up to see a dark shadow of boots,cloak, and chainmail hood leaning against the wall at the end of thealleyway. The others, being what they were, took this as achallenge to their manhood - and easy prey to their superiornumber with a promise of coin of the realm as added reward(else the first part would have been overlooked). The leaderof my band of playmates suggested that the stranger take aleap off the mentioned wharf unless he wished to join me therewhen they were done with their evening meal. Havingdrawn chuckles and courage from his underlings, he then proceededforward with staff at high port. I'm not quite sure exactlywhat followed, but within a short space of time, Lead Bullywas lying in the dirt with a thrown dagger in his chest, numbertwo bully had lost three teeth to a boot (I still carry themin a leather pouch as a keepsake), and number three bully wasbrought short by his own staff applied forcefully up betweenöhis toes (the two big ones!). Bullies four and five thoughtbetter of the entertainment and departed rapidly for partsunknown. Bajdit picked me up, dusted me off, anddragged me round to a near tavern where we shared a meal and a mug. I attempted to thank himfor saving my life. How can I ever repay this favor, I asked?His reply was short, to the point, and has driven my actionsin life ever since...ý"THE PROPER WAY TO REPAY A FAVOR, IS NOT TO - PASS IT ONINSTEAD." Things having not progressed well along the lines ofhealth, wealth and welfare for me until that point in my life came upon a sudden change that night. I later learned (along with MANYother things) that Bajdit had decided to take a direct andimmediate interest in me because my situation reminded himvery much of the bad start his own life had taken, and the odds he had faced to survive it. On that night he took me under hiswing as a kind of apprentice. He saw to it that I learnedweaponcraft and stealth, that I learned to read and write!He took me along when he traveled for the next year. I servedas messenger, valet, packmule, lookout, cook - many things. Iösaw other towns, cities, races, provinces, and broadened myview and knowledge of the world far beyond belief. He taughtme both morals and coldhearted ruthlessness - and when and howto apply each as the ethics of the situation required. At the end of the year, he gave me good dagger, and decent horse, the 3 teeth, and leave (nay,Command) to make my own way in the world from that dayforward - but to remember all I had been given, and toattempt to pass such a gift to another when and where I shouldfind need and opportunity. That I have done, severaltimes... as I assume he has also, and as I hope my various charges have after me (and theytheirs). Thus has the Legendary Bajdit been seen time andagain in various lands of our world at numerous and the sametimes in days of need. Thus also is the description so veryhard to obtain and track - for in truth, there have been, andcontinue to be, many Bajdits in the world. The most valuablelesson he ever taught me was that "for Evil to triumphrequired not so much that many bad men to do wrong, as for One good man to fail to do what was right." We only hopethat our combined and concatenated efforts have produced enough single men and women that will not fail to dothe right thing, regardless of current local, morals, laws, religion, creed, or lure of coin of the realm. The Legend grows still. Of the Dark Avenging Blade on theWings of Night that make no sound. The Patron Saint of theLone Wolf. The Thousand Eyes and Ears, the Hundred Arms direspectful of Time or Distance. Undying, Master of Disguise, Man of a Thousand Faces, Shapes and Sizes, Gentle, Rough-Edged, Gay, Stern.All the Mystery of the "Man Unknown and Undying"... not asingle man nor God at all, but a string of seeds sown uponthe land and left to grow into a forest. How to reconcilethis truth with the tales of cruelty and the gangs of "Bajdits" or "Bandits"? Some are jealous Thieves who takethe name only for the cloak of mystery and hope of hiding in it's Shadow. Others are tales twisted toreverse by those justly served by Bajdit's unfettered bytechnicalities of law and custom. Some are backslidersdrawn of the true path by temptation and returning to theirold ways. Many are the things that any one Bajdit cannotanswer for, as others did the deeds in the same name. Some are tales of fishwives, made up to scare the child intodoing what is wanted. Some are left as part of the "Mystery"that is both cloak and shield to the hidden purposes - a casewhere the fear of the tale serves to save the need of arms oröaction. But, by and large, the true Bajdit is a stringof beings taught to act upon what they believe in, and standto take the yoke of needed action upon their own shoulders. Don't fight if you can avoid blood or war, But if you mustmake War, do so with all your Heart and Might.ûLeave it at Threats if Threats be enough - but never makethreats you are unwilling to carry to conclusion ifrequired.ûUse all the arts at hand.ûBut ever keep the true purpose in mind.ûStand Tall, but never forget how to bend your knee to helpanother. Note:ûThe rest of the scrolls are tales and tellings of variousparts of the Legend, some as passed from Bard to Bard, some asthe true tales underlying the Ballads. These fragments arestill to be translated and debated. This fragment, however,contains the kernel of the Revelation and the true source of the questions surrounding the BajditLegend. What Say You, Reader? For myself, I do not know...but God or unrelated string of linked souls as laid outhere... I do know that Bajdit IS a force in our Land andLives, and one that gives Hope to many that need it, and pauseöto many I despise.ý-- Arkan, Scribe of Daggerfall in the year 2E24 ö