A founding member of the Adventurer's Guild, Dume was once a powerful wizard. His party battled
Mesogog and his
Morlocks until they found a scroll of Imprisonment and used it to seal
Mesogog deep within the earth. Wounded fatally in the battle, Dume used the last of his power to transfer his soul into his construct companion at the cost of his magic. In the many years that followed, Dume trained his new body in the fighting style of a paladin and began to mentor new adventurers. Dume was one of the guild's more serious members, taking care of much of the day-to-day groundwork. In the final battle against
Mesogog, the Undead Prince dueled Dume one-on-one and successfully managed to destroy Dume, sending his soul to the Weave despite the wizard/paladin's years of preparation.
Table of Contents
History
Life (and Death) as a Wizard
Early in his life, Dume was an accomplished wizard who had many adventures with a group of likeminded companions. He was especially close with the group's druid and the pair developed a romantic relationship. Their lives were good until Mesogog began his first reign of terror and the adventurers began their battle against the Morlocks. After their first battle against Mesogog, Dume and his friends realized the son of Orcus was beyond their ability to kill. Seeking another solution, and unaware that Mesogog's claim that he was the Destroyer was a falsehood, they found one of the weapons the gods created to stop Urthemiel, a scroll of Imprisonment.
When the battle was renewed, Mesogog could tell Dume was up to something and targeted him directly. While Dume's companions were able to buy enough time for him to use the scroll, he was dealt a mortal wound before the casting could be completed. Using the last of his power, he moved his spirit into the body of the construct he'd created to help defeat Mesogog. This action coupled with his use of the scroll meant his arcane magic was gone, but a new power surged within him as he vowed to stop Mesogog once again should he ever escape.
An Old Threat in Modern Times
Generations passed while Dume stayed the same, working for years to build up the strength of the Adventurer's Guild and, once it was founded, the nation of Lothal. His descendant, Nergalee, had become a powerful druid like her ancestor, Dume's deceased comrade, before her and risen to be the Guild's current leader. Standing by her side, Dume provided much of the groundwork needed to keep the guild running while she dealt with the administrative aspect.
When the Headhunters began to fight the Morlocks, they were completely unaware of Dume's history with the group. Worse, Mira's sabotage of their after-action reports meant Dume and the rest of the guild leadership spent a great deal of time unaware of what was happening. He did not meet the Headhunters properly until the Great Ant Invasion.
When reports of the giant ants started to come in, Dume led a collection of adventurers tasked with putting an end to their threat. They fought hard with assistance from the Wyvern Knights but their forces were stretched thin; it seemed as if two new ants showed up for every one killed. When the Headhunters managed to close off the portal the ants were coming through, they reported their success to Dume. He congratulated them on a job well done and made a mental note to monitor the group's progress while arranging an extra reward for them.
Fighting the Morlocks (Again)
During the Battle of Inkhear, Dume led a small group of adventurers who initially responded to the invading swamp monsters. When smoke began to rise from the city and the adventurers realized the swamp monsters had been a diversion, Dume used his tireless construct body to run back to the city. He cut his way through duergar, Molders, and Shadow Skulls as he made his way through the city to the guildhall, hoping his worst fears would not be realized. Sadly, they were. The Morlocks succeeded in freeing Mesogog before he could arrive, though the villains were forced to retreat after a heroic sacrifice from Artie.
After the battle, Dume gave the Headhunters unofficial permission to head out before getting wrapped up in the investigation of the incident. Once the details of their adventures were given to him, it was clear that Chigiri's swords had an important part to play in what was to come. Commander Truestrike agreed with this assessment and the pair looked the other way while the Headhunters continued their quest.
Dume was later present at the guildhall when Gentleman Jack's familiar brought word of the Gravecannon. Heading out with the rest of the guild, Dume led a small band of adventurers away from the main battle to scale the mountain cliffs and flank the enemy. It was on this cliffslide that he once again found himself face-to-face with Mesogog, who was eager for a rematch. The demonic cambion taunted Dume, saying that this time he was alone and there was no scroll to save him. Dume fought valiantly, his sword lit with holy light against the necromantic magic of Mesogog's corrupting blade. Unfortunately, fortune was not on Dume's side this day.
Though the Headhunters tried to assist Dume, they could not get past the Shadow Skulls and Void Beasts assisting Mesogog in time to help. Mesogog channeled the strength of a Gravestone into his blade and cleaved the former wizard in two. The remains of Dume's construct body fell from the cliffside and his soul began to drift, floating away slowly enough that he witnessed his sacrifice giving Chigiri an opening to strike a deadly blow against Mesogog. After witnessing the rest of the battle and Mesogog's destruction, his soul found peace as it ascended to the Weave and became one with the magic of the multiverse.
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