I return you now to the North of Faerun, to the land known as The Savage Frontier. Our party was now known as the "Heroes of Ascore," after their triumph in the city of the same name. It had been a short time since that great battle, only two tendays, as time is measured in the Realms.
Steve Nash, one of the party's clerical warriors, had decided to retire. He felt the calling of the priesthood, and decided to travel to the great city of Waterdeep. There, he planned to enter the priesthood of his patron Tymora, and find a quieter life as a temple healer.
The Heroes had taken to patrols around the wilds of the city of Yartar, where they now resided, they were typically rather boring; encountering at most a wild boar or a few goblins. On one of these days, they were approached by a physically imposing man, with long curly locks, and a scruffy beard. He was shirtless, holding a farm implement as if he had just been tilling his fields. "Hail, I am Marcus, Marcus Heartshield. My lady, Chauntea The Great Mother, has spoken to me in a vision. It is time my sword returned to the world, I am to help you."
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| It didn't take too many re-rolls to get these wild stats! I needed high Str, Int, and Wis as I plan to dual him to a cleric later. |
"Well...," said Augustar, "We could use a replacement for Steve."
Marcus invited them into his humble farmstead for a meal. A goat was slaughtered in their honer, right in front of them, which took Aria a bit by surprise. The meat was cooked and seasoned to perfection, however. They talked with Marcus into the evening, and in the end, Augustar gave him a hearty handshake, and welcomed him to the team.
They barely had time to acclimate Marcus before there was a shake-up. It was the next day, the Heroes were making their rounds, and had decided to take a well deserved break in the shade of a tree on the hillside above Yartar.
Their thoughts were not quiet for long, though. The green hillside melted before their eyes into cold stone walls. The fair blue sky was soon covered by a dark ceiling of stone. The tree itself had morphed into a peculiar looking man, one that Augustar soon recognized. "Amanitas!" he exclaimed, "By the Gods, what has happened?"
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| He hasn't changed in the intervening weeks. |
Before answering, Amelior embraced them each in turn. He paused for a moment at Marcus, adjusting his spectacles, "Hmm, I don't remember you. Oh well, my memory isn't what it used to be," he said.
Marcus's eyes went wide as Amelior hugged him tight. "My dear friends," he continued, "I am very sorry to have to pull you away from your well deserved rest. However, I have summoned you here as I believe these lands are again facing a great threat; one that can perhaps only be culled by the famed Heroes of Ascore."
He went on to explain that they were in the city of Llork, where the oppressed dwarves were now rebelling against the Zhentarim Lord, Geildarr. After the Heroes' victory, the orcs returned to their mountain kingdoms, the trolls faded back in to the moors, and the Zhentarim soldiers began the long trip south along the edge of the Great Desert. They came in droves, refugees, to the one city the Zhents still controlled, Llorkh, bringing the tale of their defeat by a horde of monsters.
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| "Heil...", no that can't be right. |
Word quickly spread of the Zhentarim defeat amongst the dwarves, and they decided it was their time to strike. Both sides had taken heavy losses. The dwarves sent word to Amelior for help. He immediately thought of the Heroes, and summoned them there. After thanking them for agreeing to help, although he had not asked, he told them to see him at Secomber when their work here was done, then disappeared in a puff of sparkling, blue smoke.
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5 Gil to Raifield for explaining the demise of AOL's Neverwinter Nights!
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