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WHAT
HAS COME BEFORE
Thanks to the efforts
of the Blackrazor Guild, Obsidian Bay’s demonic invaders have been
banished. [Read the "Obsidian Bay
Triumphant" saga]
The Army of Obsidian Bay has re-occupied the city, and over the
last three months its citizens have been slowly returning to the city.
Repairs to the war-ravaged city -- conquered twice in as many years -- are
underway and a sense of triumphant optimism is in the air. The War of Exile
is over and to celebrate the city has planned a week long party known as the
Festival of Liberation. In future years, the Festival will be celebrated on
the actual day of liberation -- this year it began three months later to
give its citizens a chance to recover.
It is now the 19th of Ready'reat.
THE
FESTIVAL OF LIBERATION
“I can’t believe
it!” Gnarth Binderstone
said, excitement accenting every word. “I mean, a year ago I
was living back in Mogelsville
with my brothers, digging mines… ok, accidentally
collapsing mines, but still, you know, working at home, and now, look at
this! Look at us!”
The pride of the
Obsidian Bay -- the veterans of the War of Exile -- stood on the fields
outside the city. There were more than a thousand members of the city’s
adventuring guilds, Citizens Guard, City Guard, militia and army and they
were slowly assembling for the opening ceremony of the Festival of
Liberation.
“And we’re at the
front of the line!” Gnarth said. The gnome’s smile stretched from ear to
ear as he fidgeted. “We’re leading the parade! We’re the big
heroes!”
The Blackrazors had
been placed at the front of the Parade of Heroes, an honor that some in the
city weren’t thrilled about. Hadn’t the Blackrazors’ traitorous
leader, Damaculas
Everton, helped overthrow the city in the first place?
However even these critics had to admit that the Blackrazors had helped set
things right, first by awakening the sleeping hero-god Krovis to lead the
Obsidian Army, and then by closing the demonic portal into the city.
They were heroic. Chaotic,
impulsive, and often destructive, but in the end, they were ultimately
heroic.
“Gosh darn, my dad
should see me now!” Gnarth said. The rest of the Blackrazors ignored him,
as they had all morning, as they had ever since they’d learned of their
honored positions a month earlier.
The gnomish illusionist
didn’t care. “We’re heroes!” he said gleefully.
*
* *
The formation started
into the city an hour later. Lady General Illandra Mooresend headed up the
parade, with Lord Mayor Gabriel Longriver on her right, and General Stefan
Warrick -- the commander at the Battle of
Blue -- on her left.
Behind them were the
Blackrazors, followed by the Orcslayers, the
Rallymen, the
Invicibles, and
the Griffins
Guild. All of these guilds distinguished themselves in the
war, especially during the Fall of Obsidian Bay and the
Battle of Blue. The
guilds were followed by the veteran members of the City Guard, the Citizens
Guard and the militia.
The city’s population
cheered and roared as the parade entered the Mudsitters District and
continued on to the Strange Quarter.
As it headed into the Wharf District
though, the tone of the crowd changed. Although most still cheered and
applauded, a few -- about four dozen -- jeered as the Blackrazors came into
sight. The Blackrazors were confused until a hail of rotten food splattered
into Falgar and the crowd began screaming accusations of “murderer” and
“Weri-spawn.”
The Blackrazors instantly realized the hecklers must be
the relatives of the men who Falgar accidentally slaughtered during the
Battle of Blue. The guild knew that it had been the cursed staff of Weri
that had forced Falgar to go momentarily mad, but it was clear that some
people didn’t believe the explanation.
Fortunately Falgar had
suspected that something like this might happen, and had cast protection
from normal missiles before the parade began. As a result the barrage
missed him entirely, but did splash some of the closer Blackrazors.
The parade continued
without incident, passing through the rest of the Wharf District and moving
into the High Quarter. It passed once again through the Mudsitters District
and ended at the Temple of Kord’s massive arena.
The crowd roared as the adventuring guilds and the heroes of the war
entered the arena and intensified as Lord Mayor Gabriel Longriver took the
wooden stage at the arena’s far end.
*
* *
“My friends and fellow citizens, we have suffered long these
last two years. We have lost much -- our homes, our friends, our love ones.
But now, we are triumphant!” Longriver said in a loud, magically enhanced
voice.
The arena shook as
citizens inside and out of it roared their approval.
“Many have criticized
Obsidian Bay for giving too much power to its citizens, for allowing its
guilds to much of a voice. But I say that this long War of Exile has proved
the wisdom of our ways. For it is our citizens who kept the memory of
Obsidian Bay alive during the long battles, and it is our guilds who saved
us! We must not downplay the contributions of our noble army and our guards
-- without them, Blue would be in ruins, and we would not be here today. But
it was our guilds -- one guild in particular -- that made our return
possible.”
A hush fell over the
stadium.
“This guild was the
laughing stock of the city until a band of adventurers arrived in our fair
town, and took it to greater highest -- and darker depths -- than any other
guild in the city.”
The crowd was uneasy.
They knew what was coming next, and they didn’t want to hear it.
“I speak of the
Blackrazor Guild.”
The crowd leapt to its
feet, booing and cheering the Blackrazors.
“Yes, they have
suffered terrible losses and great reversals. They have been responsible --
or at the very least, played a part in -- some of most dire catastrophes
over the last two years. But who among us has not made mistakes? Has anyone?
Terrible things were done to the Blackrazors. They were betrayed by their
own guildmaster! One of their trusted allies was abducted by the vile
Scarlet Brotherhood! And their friends were taken over by the most evil of
mages -- the
ancient Suel.
“But they did not
give up. They struggled onward, attaining heights other guilds have only
dreamed off. It is the Blackrazors who won the Battle of Blue, slaying the
archmage Weri and his draconian mount before he could unleash his evil
against our armies -- and losing one of their own in the process. It is the
Blackrazors who woke Krovis, who in turn led us to into battle after
triumphant battle against the humanoids. And when Obsidian Bay was overrun
by demons, it was the Blackrazors who succeeded where all others failed,
closing the portal from the Abyss to the city.
“Now yes, it was a
Blackrazor portal that led the demons to this plain in the first place, but
let us not forget that the demons forced the brotherhood to leave our fair
city! Even in failure, the Blackrazors helped the city!
“And for this, we
thank and praise them!”
Wild cheers went up at
this, and even the guild's detractors clapped politely.
“We present them with
the following awards,” the lord mayor said, and motioned to the
Blackrazors to take the stage.
“I
award the following Blackrazors the Tear
of Krovis for their actions in awakening Krovis
and combating evil on
the Pomarj:
Tanevir Calywyn, the Blackrazor’s
guildmaster
Kalib Ironfist
Gaiseric
Demetry Hawkins
Luc
Sven Kildare
Calvin Cloudmore
Malaclypse
Aesop
We award the Tear post-humously
to the noble Blackrazors Giaus -- who died in the attempt -- and
Karaan, who fell sometime later.
In addition, for
destroying the portal from the Plains of Chaos to Obsidian Bay, freeing the
way for us to come home, I award the Golden
Griffin to the following individuals
Tanevir
Calywyn
Kalib Ironfist
Gaiseric
Malaclypse
Aesop
Yogesh
Gnarth Binderstone
Longriver paused long
enough for the applause to die down, and for the clean up crews to remove
the few errant tomatoes from the stage.
And for their efforts
during the Battle of Blue, I present the following Blackrazors with the Silver
Griffin:
Tanevir
Calywyn
Ragnar Blackmane
Kannett
Greggor
Luc
Calvin Cloudmore
Aesop
Boos went up when
Falgar’s name was read, but a lethal glance from the Lord Mayor shut up
the hecklers. “I also award to Aaron
Windstalker, who died sometime after
the battle.
Our highest honor --
the Platinum Griffin -- is given
to Killian “The Red” O’Brian, who died while slaying the pyromancer
Weri during the Battle of the Flame.
And finally, he awarded
a new honor -- the Scepter of Excellence -- to the guild for their efforts
with the demons and Krovis. He told them to proudly display the scepter in
their guild hall until next year’s festival, when it would be awarded
anew, and possibly transferred to another guild.
After the Blackrazors
received their awards, the Lord Mayor gave out the rest of the honors.
[Check out the special
properites of these medals]
The Orcslayers and the
Rallymen are also given Silver
Griffins for their efforts during the Battle of Blue. The Orcslayers and
the Band of Pholtus are also awarded Bronze
Griffins for continuing the fight into the Drachensgrabs and the
underdark after the city’s initial fall to the Scarlet Brotherhood
* * *
The Festival of Liberation roared on for a week, with all of the
city’s guilds putting on impressive displays of their abilities in the
hopes of attracting new recruits. The common folk, who had been hoarding
their coins for months, splurged on various exotic foods, drinks and crafts.
The Blackrazors partook
in the festivities, with Ragnar Blackmane competing in tests of strength at
the Temple of Kord, Gnarth Binderstone exploring the city’s pubs and games
of chance, and the guild’s redshirts drinking themselves silly in the
guild hall.
But while the others
played, some of the Blackrazors undertook more serious endeavors:
Tanevir
Calywyn expressed an interest in
the new order of city protectors known as the Knights of the Shield -- the
leader of the group advised him that he was a welcome candidate and would be
contacted later. After talking with the knights, Tanevir turned his
attention to his role as guildmaster. The guild’s manor house, built
during the Scarlet Brotherhood’s occupation, had been trashed. But it
wasn’t just the guild hall that needed fixing -- the entire Blackrazor
compounded needed to expand. He went and talked to the guild’s immediate
neighbors about purchasing their property. The Mudsitters, impressed by the
Blackrazors but more impressed by the fact that the city was building a new
city wall -- and thus new districts -- agreed to sell their land for 15,000
gp.
Kannett
inquired about Black Gulch, the large crater created by the Blackrazor Sven
Kildare during the Fall of Obsidian Bay. He learned that the city’s
engineers had shored up the Gulch, and humanoid raids from the Gulch have
been frequent. A permanent city guard barracks has been established at the
Gulch’s lip, and expeditions are being mounted to explore the tunnels
leading out from the Gulch.
Malaclypse
shopped a round, and bought a two-story stone house with a cellar in the
Strange Quarter for 4,000.
Greggor
bought a house in the Wharf District, with a stone first floor, wood on the
second district, and a simple dirt cellar.
Falgar,
himself an orphan, has guilt pains over the suffering he caused while
wielding Weri’s cursed Staff of Burning Glory. After doing some research
he learned that 50 men were killed outright and 30 were seriously wounded in
the mishap. Thirty children were orphaned by his actions and 30 women were
wounded. He immediately tried to make amends. He put up the orphans at the
Caring Cudgel, and offered to give the widows and the surviving men homes
out at the Blackrazor’s brewery and farmstead.
They
accepted this, but only after Falgar agreed to take care of them for the
rest of their days, or until they were able to make a living themselves. In
the process he met an annoying child named “Blane” who refused all of
his attempts at reconciliation. Instead he screamed “Murderer! You killed
my father” whenever Falgar came near.
Demetry Hawkins,
the new commander of the Knights of the Fist, negotiated an exclusive deal with one of the
town’s metalworkers to provide much needed equipment. He also began asking
around town for anyone interested in selling a pair of strength-enhancing
gauntlets, to replace the pair he lost on the Abyss. He met a freelance
adventurer named Boomer who balked at the idea of selling the gauntlets, but
was interested in a trade for an equally powerful magic item.
After
his failed negotiation, he
headed over to the High Quarter and purchased a two-story stone house on the
shore of Drake’s Lake for 11,000. The house included a dock and a stone
basement. He also hired a butler for 20 gp a month, and paid him in advance
for the year.
Scrappy (aka
Gaiseric) sought
to by a store front to start up his own business, but finds that its too
expensive -- 15,000 to 20,000 for a building. Instead he decides to rent a
small store for 75 gold a month on the edge of the Strange Quarter and the
Wharf District. He begins his trade by selling fine tools.
Kalib Ironfist
always dreamed of building his own cathedral.
With the city retaken, he finally got his chance.
He lined up a loan with the city’s Moneylenders Guild, but it was
only enough to cover a portion of the cathedral’s construction. To
complete the financing he was able to raise a small amount of money from his
followers and few like-minded Blackrazors, and agreed to host a contingent
of the city’s vengeful Knights of the Fist.
With
the financing arranged, he hired Sven Kildare and Luc to help build the
cathedral. He also convinced Aesop, Tanevir and Falgar to help in the
teleporting of raw materials from Keoland. Finally he contracted the dwarven
stone masons Delven and Sons to supervise the actual construction.
With
those plans initiated, he began
planning for a smaller temple in
the city. With all of his money tied up in the cathedral however, the best
he could do was to rent a small building where he could train the city’s
newly-inspired vigilante groups.
He
also tried to arrange a meeting with the leader of the Thieves
Guild, Jasper
Silverbreak. He couldn’t get the meeting however, and instead ended up
talking with his second in command, the drow Zilaznes.
They chatted for about 15 minutes, exchanging their limited information
about the mysterious Dark Circle organization, and agreeing not to get in
each others way. Kalib promised not to interfere with the Thieves Guild, as
long as it did nothing to draw the attention of his church.
Janus Pendragon,
a native of a small village on the Great Southern Plain, joined the
Blackrazor Guild. He promptly lost his training bout with Gef Ironhold,
dropping in a single round.
*
* *
Meanwhile, Gaiseric
and two of Malacypse’s
followers petitioned to join the Thieves Guild.
The guild -- one of the
only public-known Thieves Guilds in the Flanaess -- was located in one of
the Wharf District’s warehouses.
Scrappy
went down to the warehouse first, were he was interviewed by assistant
guildmaster Zilaznes. The
drow was clearly pleased to see him, and explained “we’ve been expecting
you -- you’ve done some very impressive things. Now if you’ll just take
the test -- a formality for one such as yourself I’m sure -- we can be
moving right along.”
The test turned out to
be a series of obstacles that required Scrappy’s thief skills to bypass.
The obstacles were set up on the floor of the warehouse and consisted of a
“street” intersection, a long corridor and a door at that corridor’s
end. His mission was to get past the door undetected by the thief
“guards” walking the streets.
He failed.
He tried to hide in
shadows, but was blatantly visible to the guards, and when he finally
reached the door, he failed to locate the trap hidden on its knob. “Ah,
well,” Zilaznes said. “We can’t all succeed on the first try. You’ll
need to complete a month of remedial training, just to polish up those rusty
skills, and you’ll be allowed to try the test again.”
Next up was one of
Malaclypse’s followers, Ran Argent.
Argent was a native of Obsidian Bay but his home-field advantage didn’t
help him. He too failed the test, alerting several “guards” and falling
victim to one of their poison daggers. Eight hours later the thief awoke to
find one of the guild’s members -- a human named Manteran -- in the room
with him. When he saw Argent had come around, the thief taunted him for
failing the test.
Argent didn’t take
the criticism well and pummeled Manteran unconscious. Argent, following his
mentor’s lead, looted the body and placed two gold coins over his eyes. At
that moment there was a knock on the door. Two thieves were out there,
apparently waiting to take him to the start of his “remedial” training.
“What -- what happened in there?” they said as they looked in on
Manteran’s comatose form.
“He annoyed me.”
Minutes later his two
escorts had him before Zilaznes. The drow looked dismayed when he heard of
Argent’s actions. “Manteran was, no doubt, an annoyance, however
fighting of this kind is simply not allowed within the guild hall. Since you
pummeled him unconscious, I believe its only fair that he gets the same
opportunity.”
Argent was led away to
a crude stockade, where Manteran was allowed to beat him repeatedly.
The other of
Malaclypse’s followers, Grasston
Elsworth from Highport, was able
to pass the test easily, and glided into full guild membership.
*
* *
The
Festival of Liberation roared on. Great battles awaited the folks of
Obsidian Bay in the future, but for now, they were content to revel in their
newly regained freedom.
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