Overview
A new adventure begins in the lands of
Ansalon. Three men, bound not by blood, not by nation, but by friendship with the land's last great
hero, will embark on a quest that may shake the foundations of the World Below for the first time since the Cataclysm.
A Strange New World
Struck with rare wanderlust, the
koradi youngster,
Fëandil, ventured out of the familiar swamps of Nightlund. Intrigued by conversations with the odd outsider, Fëandil wished to see life beyond his ancestral home. However, his people were seldom known to
leave their insular communities, so it should be unsurprising how poorly Fëandil's first interaction with outsiders went.
Horrified, the koradi watched axe-wielding soldiers wage war on centuries-old trees. He tried in vain to calm them, but neither group spoke the other's language, and he fled when they moved to surround him. Safe but shaking in the foliage, Fëandil met an unlikely ally and the man who would become his friend and mentor for the next hundred years. Ipsin Greenshield, speaking in
Koradi, asked, "What's your name, friend?"
Accompanying Ipsin's adventuring party as a noncombatant, Fëandil learned far more about Ansalon and the lands beyond than he would have traveling alone. He witnessed great battles and learned new languages. Fëandil bonded with Ipsin, from learning practical jokes to comforting him when his friend
Deirdre Uth Viharin was killed by a mighty beast.
Greatly affected by that last loss, Ipsin sent Fëandil to live in a quiet farming town. The two friends said their farewells, although neither expected that they would see each other again.
Brothers-in-Arms
Determined to overcome stereotypes against
pachova, Dimitri set his mind to becoming loyal, honorable, well-trained soldier. However, the horrors endured during war should never be understated, and Dimitri, too, experienced these atrocities firsthand.
Petrified, he and fellow recruits watched
cyclopians cleave through rank-and-file soldiers with ease. Commanded to hold their position, none of them could fathom how they could stop the oncoming tide of enemy soldiers. In this moment of panic, Dimitri met the man who would teach him what it meant to be a leader. Ipsin Greenshield, blocking an enemy's greatclub with his signature shield, spurred the recruits into action. Shouting commands, he directed Dimitri, who felled a cyclopian with one spear and held off enemies with another. Now known as "Two-Spear," Dimitri earned his squad's respect and Ipsin's interest.
As Dimitri earned promotions, he still endured discrimination for being pachova. However, Ipsin always treated him with respect; even when other officers ignored him, Ipsin would sit and eat with Dimitri, making him feel welcome. In turn, Dimitri invited Ipsin to meet his large family (and endure the customary meal at every home, a dinner dozens of courses long).
Scarred by years at war, Dimitri often suffered dreams of black mist engulfing those he loved and infecting them with horrible illnesses. After days of fitful sleep, Dimitri was sentenced to evaluations and placed in a locked room. Inexplicably, while he again dreamt of black mist, strange sickness swept through the barracks, killing all the soldiers, except Dimitri.
Speaking on Dimitri's behalf, Ipsin compensated the soldiers' families from his own pockets and argued for a dishonorable discharge. Worried about his friend, Ipsin wished him well and begged him not to pursue the dreams that plagued him.
You shouldn't be known as a disease-carrier. You've worked too hard to be more than that. You are more than that.— Ipsin Greenshield
Father and Son
The enthusiastic
Neidar, Hari, grew up in a small farming town with his doting mother
Veronica. Feeling suffocated by her motherly protectiveness, Hari was awestruck by tales of brave
knights and fabled heroes; he desperately wanted to mark his name with battles and inspire others with legendary exploits of his own. Thus, the excited young lad found an idol and father figure in a man who had achieved all of this and more. Ipsin Greenshield, always kind to Hari and Veronica, readily took the boy under his wing.
Ipsin taught Hari patience and the value of making friends instead of foes. As Hari grew from a boy into a young man, Ipsin gave him guidance and even sparked his friendship with the alien but endearing Fëandil. One day, the three of them enjoyed a beautiful sunrise, learned the art of fly fishing, and told stories over ale Ipsin had been saving for a special occasion. At dinner, Ipsin was thoughtful; although Fëandil could see in his eyes that he meant to retire, Hari only looked forward to more days as great as the one he just had.
During his last meeting with Hari, Ipsin gifted him the sword he once carried. Crafted by the
minotaurs that so fascinated him, Ipsin advised that "swords are the only weapons that speak" and "perhaps it will tell [Hari] its name some day." Finally, the aged warrior handed Hari a letter of recommendation to join the Knights of Solamnia; overjoyed, Hari thanked his teacher and hoped to see him for their usual morning training. Ipsin smiled and, both Fëandil's and Hari's lives shaped by his friendship, left for the next step of his own journey.
In the years that followed, Hari committed himself wholeheartedly to training. Fëandil assisted, crafting weapons from wood, and Hari pushed himself further and further, dedicated to become a knight. After four years, he finally felt ready. Accompanied by Fëandil, Hari hugged his mother and began the long trek to join the dwindling order of knights.
Paths Diverge
Along their travels, Fëandil and Hari heard the cries of a young man calling for help. They rushed into the forest and found an injured youth, barely able to describe his attackers. The duo followed his directions and found an upturned caravan and the mangled corpses of knights. As Hari reeled from his first time seeing death, Fëandil surveyed the surroundings and determined this had been an organized ambush. Urging Hari to be quiet, he backed away from the clearing... and into the massive shadow of a cloaked figure.
Even hunched over, it stood well over eight feet tall and carried an unconscious knight like a plaything. Fëandil begged for the knight's life, saying there was no need for more bloodshed. Flashing a wicked yellow-toothed smile, the figure rasped in
Draconic, which doesn't allow speaking a direct lie, before snapping the knight's neck.
The Queen has decreed that blood should be spilled.— Draconic Soldier
It spat acid rain over Fëandil, who, skin sizzling, fell unconscious; his eyes closing, the koradi watched as Hari's veins began glowing bright. When he awoke, nothing was left of the hulking figure or the knight, save for scorched bloody smears on the earth. Concerned for his friend, Fëandil helped a shell-shocked Hari to his feet and tried his best to keep him calm. However, the philosopher's
pratyaksha allowed him to sense three invisible creatures, whom he asked to "show themselves." Sure enough, three
Mages of High Sorcery became visible and asked who was responsible for the sudden surge of magic.
Thinking quickly (and remembering that the Knights of Solamnia and the Mages of High Sorcery are exclusive), Fëandil stepped forward and pointed to himself. Needing to test him, the mages magically transported the duo to their sanctum. They allowed a brief conversation between Fëandil and Hari. Afterward, they
teleported Hari back to his mother and guided Fëandil to a central meeting chamber for initial testing.
Fëandil was astounded by the knowledge and secrets, magical and mundane, hidden within the sanctum's corridors. After feigning magical prowess to enter the meeting chamber, Fëandil was asked to demonstrate his powers; when all he could muster was a simple
druidcraft, the representative of the Black Robes summoned a demon to force Fëandil to harness his powers. Needless to say, he went unconscious before the representative of the White Robes interjected and saved his life.
Waking up in the same room he had arrived in, Fëandil had a short but impactful conversation with the koradi representative of the Red Robes, who preserve balance. The archmage stressed how dangerous sorcerors could be if left unwatched, and he urged Fëandil to be honest with him; if not, the Black Robes, and even the Red Robes, would be justified in taking punitive actions against all involved in hiding the real sorceror. Undeterred, Fëandil stuck to his deception and was allowed to leave this time.
Three's Company
After reuniting at their old home, the duo were informed that the knights' outpost they had been seeking was recently destroyed. Distressed, and giving in to Veronica's worrying, the two men decided to stay in the village for some time, when a letter arrived that changed their plans entirely.
Signed by
Becklin Uth Viharin, a Knight of Solamnia and Deirdre's granddaughter, the letter invited Fëandil and Hari to the town of
Vogler, where there would be a memorial held for Ipsin, who had recently passed away peacefully. Overcome with emotion, Hari immediately ran away from home, fearing that he may harm his mother. Fëandil said farewell to Veronica before sprinting after his friend.
During their travels, the duo saw a
thanoi arguing with a small robed figure. When the large man tossed the other in the back of his cart, Fëandil intervened and, failing to get a response in
Solamnic, had a shaky conversation in butchered
Elvish. The thanoi, who had been scammed by
Vulpin merchants, said he was merely picking up his new slave, but he was willing to accept Hari's fishing rod in trade. As the thanoi left, the duo introduced themselves to Dimitri, who, sadly, was largely unfazed by his brush with slavery. All of them being invited to Ipsin's memorial, the three men began traveling to Vogler together. Hari was immediately drawn to Dimitri's military experience and pressed him for war stories.
Following an "interesting" conversation with the close-talker
Glima, who mentioned Ipsin's friendship with the
okorakami that guards the waters of Vogler from zombies, the party finally stood before the front gates.
It Hasn't Blown Up... Yet
The party first spoke with toothless
Old Tom, who pointed out notable locations in town, especially where they might get some good "meab pieb" (meat pies). The old-timer also advised against Fëandil and Dimitri openly carrying their glaive and spears into town; swords mark knights, but other weapons can draw suspicion.
As the party wandered through the streets, they saw a group of kids, led by
Backaris the Younger and the vulpin
Asher, tormenting an oblivious
kender child named
Tasslehoff Burrfoot. Fëandil caught the Tasslehoff, who had been dared to "fly" by leaping out of a tree, and Hari traded harsh words with the spoiled Backaris. With a smirk on his face, the other teenager hollered that he had been attacked and went running for his father's cyclopian bodyguard. The party promptly vanished.
In the middle of town square, Dimitri helped some tipsy fisherman move a small boat for the
Kingfisher Festival. Despite the nearby shopkeep's distrust of him, Dimitri kept his composure and was greeted by the friendly
Mayor Thorne. As part of the festival, the mayor gave Dimitri a seashell necklace for his act of kindness.
Finally arriving at the
Brass Crab, the party began checking into rooms with the innkeeper
Yalme, who said Becklin already took care of it. While Hari inquired about Backaris the Younger (and learned,
like, so much hot gossip) from Yalme's daughter
Treiss, Fëandil and Dimitri learned about how unpopular his father,
Lord Backaris the Elder, was in Vogler.
With the memorial scheduled for the evening, the party wandered the coastline shops, looking for meat pies. They crossed a group of fishermen straining to pull their catch ashore; suddenly, the rope jolted, and one of them tumbled into the deep waters. The enthusiastic squire
Darret Highwater dove after him in his heavy knight's armor; Fëandil, who felt at home in the water, dove after him and helped pull the squire, the fisherman, and the squire's armor ashore. The grateful squire thanked the party in the traditional vernacular of the knights, which made some of the townsfolk roll their eyes. He invited the party to meet Becklin at the weathered keep in town.
Becklin, an experienced Knight of the Rose, was happy to meet more of Ipsin's friends. Joking that her superiors sent her to Vogler as an early retirement, Becklin explained that she, and Tasslehoff's father
Than, were excavating the keep in search of secrets and forgotten history. Before attending to some of her own business, she reminded the party that the memorial would take place on a dock overlooking the
Vingaard River.
On their way back to the tavern, the party met with some of Dimitri's family, a delightful pachova and her grandchildren. After fattening them up on meat pies and about seven other courses, she was kind enough to stitch nicer clothes for the party, all while silently asking Dimitri if he needed anything in the subtle language of
Pachovan.
A Hero's Memorial
Ipsin's memorial was a silent affair. Aside from the party and Becklin, many townsfolk gathered on the small dock; it was clear that he was well-loved in Vogler. Fëandil recognized a mutual friend,
Ridomir "Cudgel" Ironsmile, who seemed especially devastated by Ipsin's death. Although Ipsin wanted his funeral to involve merrymaking and storytelling, it only felt right that the mood was somber on the docks, at least out of respect for a great man's passing. One by one, people said what words they could muster and filtered into the Brass Crab for the celebration Ipsin wanted. All that were left were the party, Becklin, and Cudgel.
Unknowingly and knowingly, respectively, Hari and Fëandil told their last words for Ipsin to the okorakami, which spoke to them telepathically. While Hari tearfully promised to be just like Ipsin, Fëandil promised he would do keep Hari safe, "as expected of an adventuring party." After all left, only Dimitri stood on the dock. He broke down and wept for Ipsin, before composing himself and also heading to the Brass Crab.
Stories and strong drink flowed easily in the tavern. Cudgel spoke about how she earned an iron smile because Ipsin was directly or indirectly responsible for each of her teeth being knocked out. Dimitri shared funny moments about Ipsin's embarrassment about his old age. Finally, Hari began recounting his story about the best day of his life: the day Ipsin took him and Fëandil fly fishing.
The townsfolk were enraptured, and Hari's confidence grew as the story progressed. Abruptly, Backaris the Younger rudely interrupted and began spreading old lies about Hari and Veronica, as told to him by a boy from the same village. Tears welled up in Hari's eyes, everyone in the tavern was silent, when Backaris went too far and insulted Veronica; a young fisherman,
Garret, decked the lordling before being tossed aside by Backaris's bodyguard. Hari refused to apologize, and the bodyguard carried the sniveling Backaris home. Garret, who once bullied Hari before learning to respect him, encouraged him to continue his story, and spirits in the tavern grew and grew.
During the night, Fëandil, who had nothing to drink, noticed an
elven woman walking out of the tavern. He followed and listened as she stood on the docks and sung mournfully in Koradi. As he spoke to her, she was focused on a single point in the distance. The woman lamented "the rise of the four horsemen and the fall of the only hero who may have been able to stop them." Curiously, she wore a strange amulet, just like Dimitri did. When she faded away, only then did Fëandil realize he may have been speaking to a ghost.
The next morning, Hari, waking up more than a little hungover, couldn't find his longsword. He was overcome with emotion and surged with magic again, this time summong a blade of blood and rioting the emotion in Fëandil and Dimitri as they tried to calm him down. As the lad was recovering, Fëandil investigated Hari's window and found convincing evidence that Asher may have snuck in and pilfered the sword. After explaining the situation to Dimitri, both agreed that the Kingfisher Festival would serve as a decent distraction for Hari; they would try to recover the sword later.
Fun and Games
Dubbed the "Silver Spears" by Mayor Thorne, the party and Garret competed in a raft race against the Green Berets, swooning teenagers, crude crab fishers, Tasslehoff and his pet pig, and Old Tom. One by one, they overtook all of them, except Old Tom, who floated far ahead in his trusty chair. Eventually, their raft split down the center, and Fëandil and Hari leapt to one side, trying to race across the finish line before gleeful Old Tom. Auspiciously, the okorakami opened its massive eye below the water and summoned a massive tidal wave below their rickety half-raft. As the winners, the Silver Spears were given an honorary place in the battle re-enactment to end the festival.
The party also participated in the fishing competition out in Vogler's bay. An ornery carp, known as Linebreaker, started yanking their entire boat across the waters. Fëandil again leapt into the waters and untangled the lines; the boat and Linebreaker crashed ashore, humiliating Lord Backaris and sending up raucous applause from the fishermen. Crowned as the Kingfishers, the party were paraded through the streets and enjoyed the festival for the rest of the day.
On the hills outside of town, Volger's militia gathered as the "Knights of Solamnia," while Cudgel's mercenaries, the
Ironclad Regiment, played the parts of the "Istari army." As both sides took their positions, Fëandil noticed something odd: the mercenaries'
pointed weapons glinted in the sunlight. Realizing they held real weapons, not dulled stage props, the koradi tried in vain to warn the militia, but spirits were high, and they charged the mercenaries without a care in the world.
Disaster Strikes
Peacetime turned to war. Blood soaked the hills, roaring flames drowned out any and all cries for help.
As unprepared townsfolk fought for their lives, Dimitri immediately began shouting orders to keep the few near him alive. Garret choked on his blood as a gruff mercenary buried his axe in the youth's chest. Once again, Hari fought against the tempest of magic within him.
Magic won.
He screamed as all the blood around him turned to acid, instantly killing Garret and two of the attacking mercenaries. Finally, like a missile of light, Hari's stolen sword flew across the battlefield and into his outstretched hand. With nearby mercenaries dead, he charged the cyclopian leader who shouted commands of his own and dueled Darret.
As the cyclopian crumpled Darret and Hari with his maul, Dimitri snuck up on the archers and loosed both spears at him, earning an arrow through the thigh for his troubles. Fëandil snuck through foliage and cracked the cyclopian across the back of the head with his quarterstaff. As the leader smiled, Dimitri calmly
inflicted wounds on him; the cylcopian howled as gangrene withered the flesh of his thigh, before toppling to the ground, dead.
The party, Becklin, Cudgel, and the surviving townsfolk fled the battlefield to Vogler. Many were dead, many were in shock.
RIP Ipsin, gone too soon.