Post by Judas D'arc on Apr 30, 2020 16:21:00 GMT -5
Summary: An important relic belonging to a long-dead hero of Trinsic is unearthed. Its later disappearance, as well as with bizarre behavior of the paladins sent to retrieve it, foreshadows a dangerous threat to the City of Honor, and at a time when it is without dedicated protectors.
12/7/2016:
At the Keg & Anchor in Trinsic, Bishop, Deraj, "John" (Chanticleer), Faeryl, Lyra Darkstar, Mittens, Piper, Rotep, and Stevie were visited by Lord Alfred de Hugh, a nobleman of Trinsic, and Lord Elias Carver, a merchant of Trinsic, who requested their assistance. Recently, a relic belonging to Crawworth, the long dead captain of the Trinsic guard. Known for his opposition to the Zog Cabal and exposing the treachery of the fallen paladin Juo'nar, he lost his life as part of the first expedition into the Lost Lands, which is where the relic, a piece of Crawworth's armor, was unearthed.
Lord Carver and the Merchant's Guild arranged to bring the relic to Trinsic, and a number of the city's finest paladins were assigned to protect it. But disaster struck when their ship was wrecked, and although the paladins returned unharmed, they claimed it had been lost. In the following weeks, these once-honorable warriors began displaying strange behavior, questioning orders, speaking crudely, and eventually abandoning their duties altogether. Because of this, the head of their order requested that de Hugh and Carver recruit assistance in investigating the truth of what had transpired.
The group agreed to help and were told their first order of business was to locate the shipwreck. After speaking to a local shipwright who possessed information about a rash of recent shipwrecks, they were joined by Avalynn and commenced their search.
12/8/2016:
Continuing their investigation into the missing armor of Crawworth and the paladins assigned to guard it, a group consisting of Avalynn, Bishop, Deraj, "John", Lyra, Piper, Rotep, and Stevie gathered the equipment necessary to uncover the wreck of the ship that held the missing relic.
12/14/2016:
Bishop, Deraj, Faeryl, "John", Lyra, Rotep, and Stevie continued their search for the missing shipwreck. This led them to an underwater cavern beneath Gravewater Lake in Malas. Within this place, they found the ruins of a ship called the Ararat, as well as the journal belonging of one of the missing paladins by the name of F--. According to his journal, the ship escorting Crawworth's relic was swallowed by a whirlpool and completely destroyed, although the paladins all survived. They soon fell under the presence of something evil that caused them to question their order's interpretation of the virtues and justify the actions of the evil Juo'nar.
After exploring the Ararat for further evidence about the missing relic, the searchers encountered Faulinei, the Shadowlord of Falsehood. With great difficulty, they were able to destroy the creature. Their search turned up no other clues about the missing relic or paladins, so they departed the Ararat and returned to Trinsic. In the aftermath, the group concluded that the proximity of the Shadowlord must have influenced the minds of the paladins, causing them to behave as they did.
12/21/2016:
After the Paladins of Trinsic were advised by the Britannian Outpost in Underworld that their missing members had recently passed through there, Lords Carver and de Hugh sent the same group of Trinsic residents who had been investigating the missing relic to find out why.
Inside Underworld, they learned from one of the guards there that these five paladins had traveled there looking for information and directions to the Primeval Lich. When the paladins never returned, the Outpost alerted Trinsic.
The group then descended into Abyss and searched for the Primeval Lich, eventually battling it and its minions. Following the battle, they discovered another journal entry from F--, indicating an interest in learning to gather and control an undead army, as Juo'nar once did.
12/29/2016:
At the Keg & Anchor, a gathering of Aedon, Erollisi, Faeryl, Lyra, Piper, and Rotep was interrupted by a paladin initiate named Matt, who told them how Paladin Isle had been attacked by three of the missing paladins who had been sent to recover the gauntlets of Crawworth. They ritualistically killed one paladin upon the isle's shrine, and then kidnapped another by the name of Trevor. Rigmore, one of the three, was gravely wounded and left behind. Before taking his dying breath, Rigmore indicated that it was too late, and Trevor was on his way to be given as a sacrifice to Juo'nar.
Upon investigating further, the group learned that Juo'nar had somehow been restored and frequented Minax's fortress of Shadowguard in Eodon. Journeying there, they encountered two more of the tainted paladins: Lexington and Winthrop. Before attacking, they stated Trevor had already been sacrificed to Juo'nar and Trinsic would pay for its shame. After slaying them, the group found an note from F--, presumably their comrade Franklin, indicating the necromantic Order of Lithos in Umbra might be able to aid the tainted paladins' plans.
At the arena near Umbra, the group questioned two of these necromancers, and learned that the tainted paladins were looking to learn two things: 1) how to corrupt the gauntlets of Crawworth, a relic of importance to Trinsic, into something that stands for the opposite, and 2) how a non-mage could transform into a powerful lich like Juo'nar. However, the Order of Lithos refused to assist the tainted paladins, explaining that their purpose is to preserve the life-death cycle, rather than experiment with the darker arts for such purposes.
With Franklin and Dergin still at-large, it was unknown what these dark paladins would attempt next.
12/29/2016:
At the Keg & Anchor, a meeting was held to discuss the threat of the two fugitive tainted paladins, Dergin and Franklin, and their ill-intentions for the city of Trinsic and the missing gauntlets of Crawworth. In attendance were a number of Trinsic locals, as well as allies from Britain, Moonglow, and Yew. Shortly after the meeting began, a horde of undead appeared outside of the tavern.
Once these were defeated, it became obvious that these creatures were coming from Paladin Isle. The defenders battled their way through the horde, corpses of slain paladins along the way.
Finally, they were attacked by all five of the tainted paladins -- Dergin, Franklin, Lexington, Rigmore, and Winthrop -- who seemed to be leading the small undead army. The appearance of the latter three was strange, given that they had been slain only a week prior, but somehow all five had transformed themselves into twisted, undead versions of their prior selves. Eventually, all five were slain, and the gauntlets of Crawworth recovered from their corpses, to be returned to the City of Trinsic.
Questions remained regarding how the paladins were able to become undead, but given that the source of their corruption, the Shadowlord Fauleini, was already dealt with, the matter was considered resolved.\
The whole affair also exposed Trinsic's need for a bew dedicated group of defenders aligned with the city's authorities, similar to the role that a more active Paladins of Trinsic and Purple Guardians of Honor once played.
********
12/7/2016:
At the Keg & Anchor in Trinsic, Bishop, Deraj, "John" (Chanticleer), Faeryl, Lyra Darkstar, Mittens, Piper, Rotep, and Stevie were visited by Lord Alfred de Hugh, a nobleman of Trinsic, and Lord Elias Carver, a merchant of Trinsic, who requested their assistance. Recently, a relic belonging to Crawworth, the long dead captain of the Trinsic guard. Known for his opposition to the Zog Cabal and exposing the treachery of the fallen paladin Juo'nar, he lost his life as part of the first expedition into the Lost Lands, which is where the relic, a piece of Crawworth's armor, was unearthed.
Lord Carver and the Merchant's Guild arranged to bring the relic to Trinsic, and a number of the city's finest paladins were assigned to protect it. But disaster struck when their ship was wrecked, and although the paladins returned unharmed, they claimed it had been lost. In the following weeks, these once-honorable warriors began displaying strange behavior, questioning orders, speaking crudely, and eventually abandoning their duties altogether. Because of this, the head of their order requested that de Hugh and Carver recruit assistance in investigating the truth of what had transpired.
The group agreed to help and were told their first order of business was to locate the shipwreck. After speaking to a local shipwright who possessed information about a rash of recent shipwrecks, they were joined by Avalynn and commenced their search.
12/8/2016:
Continuing their investigation into the missing armor of Crawworth and the paladins assigned to guard it, a group consisting of Avalynn, Bishop, Deraj, "John", Lyra, Piper, Rotep, and Stevie gathered the equipment necessary to uncover the wreck of the ship that held the missing relic.
12/14/2016:
Bishop, Deraj, Faeryl, "John", Lyra, Rotep, and Stevie continued their search for the missing shipwreck. This led them to an underwater cavern beneath Gravewater Lake in Malas. Within this place, they found the ruins of a ship called the Ararat, as well as the journal belonging of one of the missing paladins by the name of F--. According to his journal, the ship escorting Crawworth's relic was swallowed by a whirlpool and completely destroyed, although the paladins all survived. They soon fell under the presence of something evil that caused them to question their order's interpretation of the virtues and justify the actions of the evil Juo'nar.
After exploring the Ararat for further evidence about the missing relic, the searchers encountered Faulinei, the Shadowlord of Falsehood. With great difficulty, they were able to destroy the creature. Their search turned up no other clues about the missing relic or paladins, so they departed the Ararat and returned to Trinsic. In the aftermath, the group concluded that the proximity of the Shadowlord must have influenced the minds of the paladins, causing them to behave as they did.
12/21/2016:
After the Paladins of Trinsic were advised by the Britannian Outpost in Underworld that their missing members had recently passed through there, Lords Carver and de Hugh sent the same group of Trinsic residents who had been investigating the missing relic to find out why.
Inside Underworld, they learned from one of the guards there that these five paladins had traveled there looking for information and directions to the Primeval Lich. When the paladins never returned, the Outpost alerted Trinsic.
The group then descended into Abyss and searched for the Primeval Lich, eventually battling it and its minions. Following the battle, they discovered another journal entry from F--, indicating an interest in learning to gather and control an undead army, as Juo'nar once did.
12/29/2016:
At the Keg & Anchor, a gathering of Aedon, Erollisi, Faeryl, Lyra, Piper, and Rotep was interrupted by a paladin initiate named Matt, who told them how Paladin Isle had been attacked by three of the missing paladins who had been sent to recover the gauntlets of Crawworth. They ritualistically killed one paladin upon the isle's shrine, and then kidnapped another by the name of Trevor. Rigmore, one of the three, was gravely wounded and left behind. Before taking his dying breath, Rigmore indicated that it was too late, and Trevor was on his way to be given as a sacrifice to Juo'nar.
Upon investigating further, the group learned that Juo'nar had somehow been restored and frequented Minax's fortress of Shadowguard in Eodon. Journeying there, they encountered two more of the tainted paladins: Lexington and Winthrop. Before attacking, they stated Trevor had already been sacrificed to Juo'nar and Trinsic would pay for its shame. After slaying them, the group found an note from F--, presumably their comrade Franklin, indicating the necromantic Order of Lithos in Umbra might be able to aid the tainted paladins' plans.
At the arena near Umbra, the group questioned two of these necromancers, and learned that the tainted paladins were looking to learn two things: 1) how to corrupt the gauntlets of Crawworth, a relic of importance to Trinsic, into something that stands for the opposite, and 2) how a non-mage could transform into a powerful lich like Juo'nar. However, the Order of Lithos refused to assist the tainted paladins, explaining that their purpose is to preserve the life-death cycle, rather than experiment with the darker arts for such purposes.
With Franklin and Dergin still at-large, it was unknown what these dark paladins would attempt next.
12/29/2016:
At the Keg & Anchor, a meeting was held to discuss the threat of the two fugitive tainted paladins, Dergin and Franklin, and their ill-intentions for the city of Trinsic and the missing gauntlets of Crawworth. In attendance were a number of Trinsic locals, as well as allies from Britain, Moonglow, and Yew. Shortly after the meeting began, a horde of undead appeared outside of the tavern.
Once these were defeated, it became obvious that these creatures were coming from Paladin Isle. The defenders battled their way through the horde, corpses of slain paladins along the way.
Finally, they were attacked by all five of the tainted paladins -- Dergin, Franklin, Lexington, Rigmore, and Winthrop -- who seemed to be leading the small undead army. The appearance of the latter three was strange, given that they had been slain only a week prior, but somehow all five had transformed themselves into twisted, undead versions of their prior selves. Eventually, all five were slain, and the gauntlets of Crawworth recovered from their corpses, to be returned to the City of Trinsic.
Questions remained regarding how the paladins were able to become undead, but given that the source of their corruption, the Shadowlord Fauleini, was already dealt with, the matter was considered resolved.\
The whole affair also exposed Trinsic's need for a bew dedicated group of defenders aligned with the city's authorities, similar to the role that a more active Paladins of Trinsic and Purple Guardians of Honor once played.
