A Short Synopsis & Minor Treatise On the History & Nature of Creation (Part 3 – The Ancient Era)

This synopsis focuses on the Heartlands of Avalon as it has been the focus of the campaign game, with very short excursions elsewhere, for essentially it’s entirely since the early 1980’s.

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A Short Note

For all intents and purposes the recorded history of humanity starts about 6000 years ago with founding of the White Empire in the ruins of what had been the Second City. Before this the details are murky at best regarding the Diaspora and records of the Invoked Detestation, the War Without End, and the Second City, are derived almost entirely from Elven and Dwarven sources and there is very little detail that even the educated have. The Druid’s Isle is said to have some of the oldest records, as is the Great Library of Irem, while some others say that the Oracles of Sylentia have the most complete records. The Society of Light maintains excellent records of membership, tithes, and family lineage that go back to Enoch.

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The Diaspora of Humankind (-4700 to -3700 R.A.)

In the wake of the Invoked Devastation there is the great Diaspora of the survivors of humankind throughout the now unmoored Mortal Realms, and even into the Shadowlands and even the Great Waste. Desperately seeking safety, over the next thousand years humanity colonizes the continents of Thule and Avalon, Khem and Khitain, few finding themselves in the shattered remnants of the lands that surrounded the Second City, Atlan. It is out of this Diaspora that the modern human peoples can trace their ancestry, with many rich cultural groups – the Northmen, the Avalonians, the Kistathians, the Khitainese, even the Atlanteans who are the root stock of all peoples.

The White Empire (-3700 to -2600 R.A.)

Out of the Diaspora, in Atlan, an individual rises up who slowly forms what becomes known as the White Empire. A highly skilled and powerful mage whose abilities are said to rival those of dread Ilhiedrin, he does not age with the passage of time and becomes known as the Immortal Emperor. Within the safety of the White Empire and the High Law life flourishes for many, and the reach of the White Empire grows far with colonies and embassies far and wide, keeping the humanity in contact with each other. The Immortal Emperor rules wisely and justly for over a thousand years, and then disappears, revealing the rot hidden in the heart of the empire.

The Chaos Wars and the Age of the Black Empire (-2700 to -2500 R.A.)

While the White Empire survives for a time through sheer inertia, soon the Chaos Wars break out as the inheritors of the Immortal King’s power, the Lords of the Seven Darks, face rebellion and revolt to their goetic perversions. It is a horrible war that lasts only a hundred years, and was primarily a human one, terrible in its own way but it is only a minor skirmish in the War Without End. This time period is known as the Black Empire, and the Empire dissolves in fire and blood, the last of the great human empires to rule over or have significant control across more than a single continent.

Enoch the Patriarch (-2531 R.A.)

What speeds the end of the Black Empire was nothing as simple and as complex as the faith of single man. Enoch. Bloodied under the lash, bent under the labors of a slave, Enoch was a man of such compassion that the Sarim Themselves looked down with mercy at the suffering of his people when he prayed for help. The first Lightbringer, Enoch is the Patriarch of the Church of the Lords of Light and the First of the Elect in the Eternal City – and his service was the rock the Society of Light was built upon.

Dawn of the Society of Light (-2500 to -500 R.A.)

Taking his people out of bondage, Enoch led the members of the Society of Light away from the ruins of the Black Empire and fled into the wilderness of Khem. Here they founded the settlements that would eventually become known Kistath, a grand series of kingdoms and empires built for the most part on the bedrock that is the Church of Lords of Light.

The Trinitarian Heresy

An early, but significant, threat to the soundness of the Society of Light was a resurgence of an old issue. The lessons and offspring the Grigori still plagued the Celestials of the Eternal City, and within the Society of Light there began to come desire to be more than servants, more than helpmeets, of the Celestials and join them in a more perfect union both spiritual and physical. While the High Men are often considered among the greatest of the hero’s of the War Without End, they can often prove to be the most despicable of villains as well. As result, the mating of human and Celestial remained forbidden, and all such lines of worship and philosophy were declared heresy. Despite this, the flames of the heresy rekindle every few generations and must be ruthlessly stamped out.

Ishtarian Schism (-1694 R.A.)

In -1394 R.A. a group of conservative members of the Church of the Lords of Light fled Kistath, sailing across the sea to the rich northern Heartlands of Avalon to found Istar, the “Star of Heaven”. Successful though almost immediately in conflict with the native cultures which followed the Old Faith as well as several other cults, the Istarian Oligarchy lasts over a thousand years before ultimately falling to rebellion and conquest, creating a culture of sophistication and education. Existing in an uneasy relationship with the Council of Deva’s, the “western church” appointed one and then another “High Archon” to oversee their affairs and rarely seek guidance from the authorities in Kistath.

Rise of the Third Cities (-1000 to -100 R.A.)

After the end of the Chaos Wars and the Black Empire there came the rise of the Lesser Kingdoms and the High Men. This was the time of the Third Cities, built across continents and realms – Silverveil, the City of Radiance, built by the Tudarin and an alliance of other races; El-Obeid, the Cynosure, built in a crossroads of time and space where it still exists today; Chorazin, the City of the Darkness, eventually damned by the Sarim; Harrow, Gate to the Shadowlands, home to the Black Watch and the Vault of Tears; Dolmen, the Necropolis, now lost to the Lords of Dearth; Ys, the City by the Sea, decadent in its trades and appetites; Ebionstark, the Citadel of Shadows, the stronghold of the Witch-King; Irem, the City of a Thousand Pillars, lofty in ideals and knowledge; Ringhold; the Clockwork City, stronghold of alchemists and science; Carcosa, the City of Seven Essences, now fallen to the King in Yellow; and Ryl Shantor, the City of Kinship, built by the Pendragon. There was a insularity to this time period of nine hundred years that had never quite existed before, a flowering of various cultures and races marred little by major war or other conflict other than small border conflicts as various countries established themselves.

The Wars of Binding (-200 to 100 R.A.)

The Wars of Binding were a three-hundred year long series of conflicts on the continent of Avalon and were marked relentless warfare against the dreaded Witch-King and his lieutenants, the Lords of the Seven Darks, also known as the Dark Apostles, who served him in the mistaken belief that he was the reincarnation of the Thrice-Cursed, Ilhiedrin. Fought primarily in Avalon, the conflict reached as far as Thule and Khem, even south into Ith, with the Witch King winning until Tobin I of Albion formed the Grand Alliance of humans, elves, dwarves, and gnomes and carrying the fight to the Witch King himself in the Shadowlands. The Wars ended with the siege of Ebionstark, the Witch-Kings citadel, and the raising of the Veil between the Shadowlands and the Mortal Lands. The Witch-King was slain by an avatar of the Godling Tyrmic, the Silver Fist, in the final battle within Ebionstark itself.

The Circle

Formed in response to the threat of the Witch-King as well as the hostility of the Church of the Lords of Light, the Circle was a organization devoted to preserving the natural order, thwarting the Lords of Dearth, and providing inspiration to all those inclined by way of both words and deeds. A select organization, it’s members were originally all members of the Old Faith, though it gradually came to encompass many cults and even select members of the Society of Light if they deemed worthy. Comprised of mostly of humans, half-elves, elves, and gnomes, it was based out of Silverveil and it’s members were often rangers, bards, druids, and mages. It was instrumental in the Wars of Binding and throughout the history of Albion it was an important, though secretive, force for good in the world.

Tobin I, Darktreader and Dragonlord, Founder of Gwynarch and Albion

The son of a clan-chieftain of Oss, Tobin was trained as a ranger of the Old Faith and pursued this career across the Heartands for years in the early parts of the Wars of Binding as a member of the Circle. It was not until he visited Lady of the Singing Fountain in the Great Realm of Faerie, and trained to be a mage that he grew to see his true calling though over the years he also studied as a druid as well. Gathering companions around him of many races, he founded Albion, formed the Great Alliance with the help of his friends, and fought the trolls of Black Hills, the giants of the Wall of the World, and united the kingdoms of Brittit and Lorewood with his own realm of Gwynarch to create Albion – ultimately standing against the Witch-King and prevailing.

Albion (0 to 1377 R.A.)

Founded by Tobin I towards the end of the Wars of Binding in the Heartlands of Avalon Albion and was a multi-racial center of learning and civilization. While not having the size or the breadth of the White Empire, most agree that Albion had all the depth of that great civilization and perhaps more. Home to the fabled University of Art in Dinas Fforan, Albion was a haven of tolerance and scholarship in lands that had become known for suspicion and close-mindedness during the trials of the Wars of Binding. While the ruling family and much of it’s nobles were of the Old Faith, they not only tolerated but welcomed all other faiths. Over time these both resulted in stronger ties and better trade with Kistathians, Northmen, and even the Ithians and Sh’dai. Similarly, while tensions rose with their main rivals, the Iron Court of Tierna, Albion ruled over a period of magical and technological expansion that remains unrivaled for the most part.

Dulain the Archimage and the Veil: (42 R.A.)

Born the son of a minor noble, Dulain the Archimage grew in power during the crucible of the Wars of Binding. A genius, his skill came not from the Mouth-to-Ear teachings of the Elder Races, not through careful study over time, but because his innate understanding of the arcane arts was perhaps the greatest there ever was and he ruthlessly pursued every potential advance he could find to expand his skill and power. The Veil was his creation and it is the greatest magic ever cast by mortal mages and it casting was at the sacrifice of a generation of mages and the aid of the Celestials, Archfey, Fiends, and Elementals alike. The Veil is a marvel, a living enchantment that spread across the Mortal Realms and the even into the Shadowlands and it bound and limited Undead, Fiends, Elementals, Abberations, and Creatures of the Dearth among other things.

The Cult Wars (152 to 277 R.A.)

After the Wars of Binding there was a time period of relative peace and prosperity. The hero’s of the Wars slowly died off  and the there peace – until the Cult Wars. The dread Arch-Lich, Shator, He whose name should only be whispered, manipulated the Society of Light and the Druidic Order into open conflict and it was only the sacrifice of King Tobin I of Albion in slaying the Arch-Lich and the creation of Crown Peak that brought the Cult Wars to an end. The Cult Wars wreaked an incredible amount of havoc as a result of the use of horrific weapons left over from the Wars of Binding. The city of Ryl Shantor was lost during the Cult Wars and legend has the people scattered to the four winds and the seven realms in sorrow and shame.

The Compact and the Hall of Tears (300 R.A.)

Following the Cults Wars the University of Art gathered mages from across the Heartlands together and in the 300th  year in the Roll of Albion singed the Compact and laid the foundation for the Hall of Tears. The Compact bars the teaching of certain magic and the creation of a host of magical artifacts. The Hall of Tears is a repository for magic that is deemed too dangerous to be allowed to wander around loose, guarded by the organization known as the Black Watch which had been set guard the borders to the Shadowlands.

The Great Horde (450 to 600 R.A.)

The nomads and barbarians of the Tawill Plains began incursions raiding more and more frequently in the Heartlands and over about one hundred years these grew in intensity until the Horde invasion. The Horde swept up through the Petty Kingdoms and into the southern realms of the Heartlands (then known as Cathalia). There the Horde was stopped by the mixed forces of the southern realms, the navies of Albion (both air and sea) along with the various armies stopped the Horde in it’s tracks in 747 R.A. and the next 50 or so years saw the gradual end of that threat for the time being.

Flight of Dragons (521 to 603 R.A.)

Known only in lore there was one Flight of the Dragons in the Ancient Era, when the great Wyrms flew forth from their hidden lairs and caused much calamity and sorrow. This lasted for around 100 years overall, rising, peaking, and then falling off. The great Dragon of Mithril Hall took up residence there at this time and the dwarves have desired to return there ever since. The Green Wyrm of Halstor’s Tower also appeared at this time and no-one has managed to slay either one.

The Nightfall War (627 R.A.)

In a foolish attack, Tierna attempted to take capture the Hall of Tears in what has become known as the Nightfall War. The Masters of the Black Watch, faced with an armada of Wind-ships, were forced to open the Vaults of the Hall and use the items there in it’s defense. Not one ship survived and the Masters were reminded of the old adage “Call not up what you cannot put down again.” The City itself was almost destroyed in the process and spent years in recovery, trying to regain the trust of the lands around it.

Seven-Day War (652 R.A.)

After a series of provocations on both sides, Albion and Tierna clashed for seven days and six nights in the air above Oss and the Bay of Iasrod. The navies of both countries were savaged by the magical fury that both unleashed in an effort to win what was ultimately a draw. Tierna and Albion both withdrew, neither having gained more than a slow and expensive process of rebuilding shattered windship navies and equally damaged wet navies.

Rebellion and Reformation in Albion (659 to 705 R.A.)

Attempting to take advantage of the aftermath of the Seven-Day War, the Duchy of Bria tried to rebel and separate from Albion. While unsuccessful, this marked the beginning of bad relations between the nobles of Bria and the Crown of Albion. Many families have blamed their current status on actions that date back to this time and while the now Grand-Duchy of Bria is almost a separate state in many respects there is great deal of animosity. The separate nature of the Grand-Duchy of Loren (formally Lorewood) also dates back to this time. The commonly held reason that Bria has not rebelled again is the magical might of the Crown of Albion and the continued vigilance of the Wardens.

Zymora and the T’zarr Border States (689 to 822 R.A.)

In 1689 R.A. the realm of Zymora was found out of the old realm of Prythain. Well-regarded, Zymora was often counted as an ally of Albion and the two nations are good trading partners. The T’zar Border States were formed at this time as an answer to possible northern expansion of Zymora. In fact, the Border States became an excellent trading partner of Zymora and while not allied in any military sense there were numerous intermarriages between Zymora and the various Buffer States. This time period included worsened relations with the Ossian Clans of the Tanglehills with both Albion and Tierna. Factions within the Society of Light within Cathalia resurrected the Inquisition and the cities and towns of that country and various of the Petty Kingdoms and other small nations were gripped with fear as a result.

Alkenzamier the Dark and the Lords of Dearth

Though the Wars of Binding were past, evil remained in the world – much of older than any would wish. When Ilhiedrin brought forth the Five Demon Emperors into Creation again, he was far from their only servant. The Lords of Dearth are the most powerful among those, and they have sacrificed morality for power, life for unlife, doing their utmost to subvert all that Creation is. Alkenzamier the Dark was foremost amongst the Lords of Dearth and chose his moment to strike most carefully.

The Tearing of the Veil (1042 to 1043 R.A.)

As the years grew long, the wonder and magic that was the Veil grew strained, tattered, and it was at this moment that the Dearth chose to strike. Divining that a living enchantment needed a living anchor Alkenzamier abducted that anchor, the direct descendant and incarnation of Dulain, and slowly tortured her to death, ripping apart the Veil beginning the deconstruction of Creation as well. It fell to a group of heroes, old and new, to save the Multiverse, some at the cost of their lives. Ancient of days and mere saplings with their greatest deeds still to come, they sought out Alkenzamier in the depths of Abyss, on the edge of Creation itself, and Called the Gods Themselves to heal the Veil, awakening Old Powers that had long slumbered.

So who does my character worship..?

So, ckutalik over at Hill Cantons has a nice post about religion and gaming. Now, what many folks don’t know about me is that at one time I seriously considered a career as a minister, though my Calling found another expression eventually. With that piece of information in place, you can imagine that religion and spirituality play an important place in my game worlds.

I’ve really run the gamut. In the old days, the very early days, I took a page from Katherine Kurtz and ran with a direct analog of the Catholic Church – which was also rather nice because I used the Deryni in my game world as well. The “Old Faith” was an amalgam of Celtic myth and modern NeoPaganism, and pretty much all real world religion existed in one form or another – there was the “Church of the Divine Couple” for the Egyptian mythology, and the Northmen worshipped the Norse and Finnish Deities. Pretty much if it was in Deities and Demigods I was willing to include it. I also ran with the Greyhawk deities as they came out, the Forgotten Realms deities when they came out, and I have always used the Cthulhu Mythos as well as the Moorcockian Courts of Chaos. For the nonhumans I pretty much ran with whatever the “flavor of the day” was, though it was always somewhat oddly incorporated at times to try to make sense of the multiple different, “hard polytheistic”, pantheons.

But currently, religions and spirituality have gone through a handful of more recent evolutions as I’ve tried to get away from “ripped from reality” and more “inspired by reality” combined with “entirely fabricated”…

To start with big bag guys, the ones that pretty much everyone agrees are worth banding together to fight against are the Five Demon Emperors and the servants of the Dearth as worshipped by what is commonly known as the Cult of Shator under the auspices of the King in Yellow. These are combination of the Great Old Ones or the Outer Gods of the Cthulhu Mythos. Their very existence, even as a thought, brings corruption and destruction to multiverse. More than unbridled Chaos, more than simply Entropy, they are literally Nothingness made manifest. (Evil)

One of the oldest human religions is known as the Heptarchy by sages, a pantheon of seven deities made up of the Lady Night and her children, and the Twin Brothers of the Perihelion (and their dark triplet) and the Three Sisters of the Perilune. Found in both urban and rural settings, the Heptarchy is quite popular, though each deity maintains it’s own religious hierarchy. Relationships between the deities and their cults vary, but are generally neutral or good as none of the deities are in active conflict or direct opposition – save perhaps the relationship between the Midnight Sun and his two brothers.

There is the Old Faith – a pantheistic worship of nature, it’s cycles and its elements, the manifest spirits of which are often referred to as “the Old Powers” by both humans and the gnomes. The Old Faith is highly organized, with twin orders of male and female druids, along with the a variety of warrior societies (most famously the Rangers) organized into lodges. (Generally Neutral)

Then there is the Society of the Light – a religion originally inspired by Augustine’s notion of the “City of God” and then mixed in with healthy doses of early Jewish, Christian, and Islamic custom and belief along with a good dash of Sikhism. It is marked by a hierarchical relationship of mortals and the Sarim (the ruling angels), overseen in the Mortal Realms by the Council of Devas in Kistath. It has a multiple Rules, and one significant heresy (the Trinitarians) based on the actual spiritual and physical union of mortal and angels. (Mostly Lawful Good and some other Goods and Neutrals)

In opposition to the Society of Light there is what is often termed “the Horned Society” – the cults and organizations devoted to the Fallen (Angels) in what is in many ways a mirror image of the SOL. The War in Heaven and the Fall was fundamentally one of philosophical difference in how to pursue the War Without End against the Dearth. (Mostly LE, some other Evils and Neutrals)

In Thule, the worship of the Freyja the All-Mother is most popular. The pantheon, the Æsir, is greater than just the All-Mother, but after the Ragnarök there were few survivors and Freyja was the greatest among them and took the high seat of Hliðskjálf. Her servants, the Valkyrja, continue to choose the worthy among the slain to serve her as einherjar in Valhalla. (Generally Good and Neutral)

The Khemeti are also known as the Church of the Divine Couple, the Khemeti are among the eldest of the organized religions – perhaps not even originally of humankind. It is said that the Khemeti arose out of the Great Chaos at the beginning of Creation when Ptah and Ma’at created a sense of Order and Logic in the random Chaos. Currently they are worshipped primarily in Kistath, they have a very small Cult in the Heartlands and are essentially nonexistent in Thule. (Lawful)

The elves have, at their heart, a spirituality that is governed by “Li’vicor” or the idea of “Ruling Passion” or “True Will” – while at the same time having an appreciation for the universe that is similar to the pantheistic view of the Old Faith combined with a respect for the “E’lin” (the “Elect”) who seem to have a special relationship with what the Old Faith would call the Old Powers. (Good)

The dwarves don’t speak of their spirituality or religion, but seem concerned with “forging their souls” and “anvil of the world” by those outsiders that they trust enough to speak about such things with. They also have a great venerance for the living stone and their ancestors, how this all fits together is unknown. (Lawful)

There is also the En Khoda Theos Kirk – the Dragonborn’s Kirk (Church) with its worship of the four “Great Dragons” that are generally thought to encompass various aspects of the natural world and the elements. A complex religion, there is no higher authority than each kirk’s Dorje (priest), and it is a deeply contemplative religion that focuses on meditative practice, often in a monastic or other secluded setting. Primarily followed by the Dragonborn it is also followed a surprising number of members of other races and small Kirks can be found in most major cities. (All Alignments)

The Teotl is the pantheon of the Old Gods of Ith. A bloody state religion marked by human sacrifice and the veneration of the Ithian Serpent Folk. Of all the major human religions, it is the one that is closest in some ways to the philosophies of the non-human races and has it’s roots in the mysticism of the Serpathians.  (Neutral and Evil)

The goblins, ogres, and trolls worship the Formorians, a collection of beings known as “the Goblin Court”. Generally hateful and destructive, the Goblin Court is still opposed to Dearth and Arras-Kol, the Great Goblin, is ever vigilant for the seeds of corruption in his children. (Evil)

The Lords of Chaos – The greatest of the powers of Chaos, sometimes known as the Wyld, often accept worship and service in exchange for favor. With some of their members being corrupted by the Dearth (known as the Forsaken, Tiamat and Typhon), they are quick (perhaps overly quick) to act against the Five Demon Emperors. (Chaotic)

Then there are the Godlings, sometimes known as the Disparate Names, a mixture of demigods, quasi-deities, and lesser deities that work alone, in conjunction with, and in opposition to themselves and the other pantheons. They are commonly described and organized in what is called the Lords Tarot, though this may be a purely human invention rather than a true reflection of the Godlings actual relationships (All Alignments).

Finally, opposing and at the same time including the Dearth are the Bel En Khoda – the Thirteen Great Gods. These are almost like reified Platonic Forms. Though, truthfully, this isn’t worship (save in the Shadowlands where the Unborn are revered above all), but their presence is always acknowledged, by everyone with any level of mystical or magical knowledge, and many mystical or spiritual organizations are essentially organized around a philosophical allegiance to one of them even if it doesn’t exactly qualify as “worship”. (All Alignments)

I’ll probably detail those out more in future posts.

TTFN!

D.

A Giant Among Elves… (4 Sessions so far)

And yes, Tier is – a seven foot tall, five inch (or so) tall Grey Elf.

There is a story behind that actually. Way back in Session #6 there was an Obelisk, and it ended up sending three characters off. Tier ended up in the Shadowlands, what somebody inventing the Shadowfell must have plundered from my brain while I slept – except mine is far, far cooler. In that session he gained a point of Constitution, but also four inches (taking him to a solid 6’6″) in the process.

In any case, Tier ended up captured by slavers, and after being run through his paces at the local ludus and earning the sobriquet “Cries for Blood” he was purchased by the master sh’dai swordsman known as Darkness at Noon, the Dueling Hawk of the mysterious lilim called Gyrmawlkyn, the Lord of Hali, Master of Carcosa, and Bearer of the Dread Sword of the Hyades. Taken back to Carcosa, he trained for a short period of time with both Darkness at Noon and the albino mage called Ice and after ten successive (and obviously successful) bouts was granted an audience with the odd creature who owned him.

Tier had been informed previously that the Lord of Hali had a habit of training gladiators and then sending them to the great Arena at Khazan where they would have the opportunity to fight for their freedom. His reasons for this are unknown, but it seems to play into his political machinations in the Halls of the Ebon Council and his rivalry with the dread Leo’trahh, Grand Maestra of Death, and Demi-Empress of Khazan and it’s environs. Upon his audience, Tier was granted the choice to stay in the service of the Lord of Hali or the opportunity to travel to the blood-stained city of Khazan and fight there for his freedom. Tier chose to travel to Khazan, and was told that in the event that he won his freedom he was welcome to return as he wished to take service or merely to guest for a time. Taking both his leave and a selection of advice from Darkness at Noon, Tier then traveled to Khazan and entered the Arena.

Now, understand that I have essentially a direct AD&D analog to the T&T module, rolling the same tables and having the same events and odd possibilities for non-combat resolution of various of the rolled encounters. It also gives the ability to purchase enchantments and spells for his weapons at a high cost – as well as needing to pay for healing. This certainly proved incredibly valuable for Tier, because his first two encounters were possibly the two worst in the game. All he has to do is win three battles and he’s free – and at that point gets the chance to sign up for seven more in order to try to win an audience with Leo’trahh.

The first battle was with the with a shoggoth. Yes, a Shoggoth. In T&T, this is a crazy gawd-awful creature – in AD&D it’s darn near as bad (I happen to have the good edition of Deities and Demigods) and when I combine some of the elements from Call of Cthulhu it’s certainly one of the nastiest things you can run into. But the module give the player a small chance to win the fight without even having to engage in combat, a successful Intelligence check and Luck check grant the player not only the knowledge that shoggoth’s enjoy piccolo music but the presence of a piccolo on hand! So there is one shoggoth dancing ponderously on the sands of the arena to the great amusement of the crowd – and Tier winds his first fight.

Needless to say, the odds were far against Tier this fight and he got a roll on the “Special Magical Weapon” table instead of getting a monetary award. It is worth saying that Arena of Khazan was kind of notorious for having some incredibly overpowered magical weapons as potential rewards off of this table – and when I say overpowered I mean that these would likely be considered very unbalanced artifacts in many settings. T&T was far more four-color than most games though, and I’ve always liked them. Heck, I recognize a couple of them from SD’s world – so I know how some people managed get ahold of them!

In any case, Tier was granted a “Great Kris” for his valor and luck – it is a +3 Elven Shortsword that grants the wielder immunity to 1st- through 3rd-level spells. Powerful, but not massively so compared to some of the things I could have rolled up…

So then we are on to round number two, and what does my son roll up?

A Balrog.

It’s kind of a toss-up if a shoggoth or a balrog is worse in T&T, but imagine a cross between a Type VI and a Fire Giant and you pretty much have it in a nutshell. Now, in the module, the Balrog is so sure of itself that it just stands there and lets the character strike first – actually challenges them to. Tier is no idiot, he takes his chance and runs up to the damn thing and lashes out with sword and dagger (being a two-weapon fighter). This thing has 90HP, and through a combination of pre-bought spells boosting his weapons and two fantastic rolls (I swear, his dice are blessed at times) he nails the thing for 66HP of damage – and then in the following round beat the things initiative and do the 24HP of damage needed to drop it.

If I had false teeth I would have dropped them in my lap, he’s a 4/4 Fighter/Mage with 32 HP and he just killed a roughly 20HD creature.

The crowd goes wild, and off he trots up to claim his reward – which is another roll on the Special Magic Item table. This is where I really had to sort of adapt something, so the “Bottle of Warrior Juice” (which doubles the characters Strength and Constitution in T&T) became the “Elixir of Ares” and there a 50/50 chance that it will give the player 1-3 levels in a Fighter class or grant them a +1 to Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution. Tier, of course, rolls the attribute bonus and given his already existing stats now has a Strength of 19, a Dexterity of 18, and a Constitution of 19.

But… I rule that this also increases his height by 1d12 inches – and he rolls a 11.

So now we have a 7’5″ tall elf.

I wish I could say that his third fight was as exciting. There was a beautiful elvish mage of some sort in a silver robe with a silvery-grey staff, after spurning the opportunity to either spare her or throw himself at her mercy – she let loose three salvos of five Magic Missiles apiece and Tier was done for (somebody forgot about his Great Kris)…

Luckily he had reserved some cash for this event and he was saved from being monster-chow, but having lost that fight, he still had to win one more before he was free.

It was a kobold.

Really.

So, with his hard-won equipment and prizes, plus a paltry 100sp tossed to him for winning his “fight” with the kobold, Tier has been released into freedom in the great city of Khazan, on the borders of the Shadowlands and Great Realm of the Dead. He’s not exactly sure how to get home, or what would happen to him when he managed to get there, but he has his freedom and a rather high level of notoriety!

We’ll see what he does next – this was kind of perfect set of crazy events for a 14-year old. Hopefully he can maintain his run of luck!

D.

Two other campaigns at the moment…

My son is sick today, and he’s been asking why I’m not posting about his other character Tier – who disappeared along with Kyril and Roland after he touched the Obelisk with the Candlestaff. So while I’m not going to say much about that character at the moment, I am going to mention that I have essentially two other campaigns running in my game right now – both of them solo-games.

The first is the “Hali” game – this is the game with Tier. He ended up in the Shadowlands, a… well… I guess I need to do a post on the cosmology of my game universe. Let’s just say it is kind of the opposite of the Faerie (yeah, very 4E – and no, I didn’t steal it from there…). That has, at the moment, a single character:

Tier, NG Grey Elf, Fighter/Mage, 3/3, Minor Psychic.

Tier has been enslaved and is currently owned by the Lord of Hali, one of the many Sh’dai nobles that owe fealty to the Witch-King and sit on the Ebon Council. He’s owned by said Lord because he did really amazingly well in his gladiatorial trials and is potentially a good investment. This campaign may very add a few people as we run into days where not everyone can show up – it’s kind of easy to drop in and out of…

The other campaign is another solo campaign, this one with my spouse – and it essentially picks up where I left off with my house rules (just switched over to AD&D). This one is down south in the Heartlands, where the Blight just occurred in the middle of the Petty Kingdoms. Converting over those characters wasn’t that hard really, but also includes folks who are movers and shakers (or potential movers and shakers) in the game world. My spouse is playing one of her favorite characters (Karin has gone though a handful of incarnations) and a couple of older PC’s that she has never had a chance to play – plus a couple of henchmen she’s picked up over time.

Karin – TN Sh’dai, Duelist/Witch/Tantric-Assassin, 4/4/4, Psychic.
(H)Lise – TN Human, Tantric, 3
(H)Byrne – LE Sh’dai, Cavalier-Champion, 3, Minor Psychic
Bjarte – NG Human, Archer-Ranger, 1
Khemais – LG Human, Healer (Duelist), 1 (1)

NPC’s
Ash – LE N’Dai, Duelist/Diabolist/Bloodmoon Adept, 5/5/5, Psychic
Lynn – LE N’Dai, Cavalier/Diabolist/Templar, 5/5/5, Psychic
Kyril – TN Human, Mage (Witch), 4 (1), Psychic

Yes, this is where Kyril ended up just to make things interesting. I’m sure he’ll make his way back up to the Barrow-Downs campaign at some point, but at the moment he’ll provide some much-needed magical support as an actual mage for the group and give him some seasoning I suppose (if he doesn’t die). This group has been hired by the Guild of Art in Albion to try and get to Vaile, one of the bigger cities that is deeper inside the Blight to see if they can figure out what happened or if there are any survivors there that aren’t utterly crazed. This game also lets me get a nit more used to running higher level encounters again before the Barrow-Downs party gets to those levels.

TTFN,

D.