Character Backgrounds

In Order of Appearance:

Thalestris (Heather), Oeridian Female "Woman-at-Arms." A mercenary of amazonian stature, she is seeking glory and riches. She took pity on Barracus, and bought his contract from Balabar Smenk, in return for service.

Veraxian Los (Little J), Suloise Male Executioner. An assassin, currently being hired by the clans of the Iron Hills to assist Ulfgar in the apprehension and sentencing.

Barracus (Big J), Touv Male Weapon Master (Twin Bastard Swords). A giant by Touv standards (6') , he was captured as a young child from his home in Hepmonaland. A master of fighting with two giant-sized bastard swords, Barracus won his freedom from the slave pits through gladiatorial combat. Afterwards, he sought work as a bodyguard. However, purchasing his equipment proved difficult, due to their size and construction. Some problems with a moneylender ended with him working the mines for Balabar Smenk as an indentured servant.

Allsaran Telrün (Dan), Gray Elven (Sindolven) Male Arcanist. A scholar and specialist in the magics of ice and wind, he is in Diamond Lake to visit his friend and colleague, Allustan. His curiosity draws him into the mysteries surrounding Diamond Lake.

Rogar (Jeff), Flan Male Archer. A local ranger and outdoorsman, Rogar seeks to escape the tedium of Diamond Lake. Little does he know the consequences of his decision...

Ulfgar Bandobrass (Danner), Dwarven (Dwur) Male Thief. The scion of a noble house, Ulfgar is a spy and agent of the clans of the Iron Hills. He is currently on a mission to find Drogar Ironthane, who has been missing for 50 years. He has been sentenced to death in absentia for collapsing his family's mine in return for a substantial bribe from a Suloise mining consortium. Ulfgar is to find out as much information as he can, then carry out the sentence.

Barwin Syleece (Tony), Wood Elven (Tarolven) Male Hunter.

Important NPCs

Diamond Lake:

Allustan - male Oeridian "wizard"; he is known as "the smartest man in Diamond Lake". A spellcaster of unknown power, he is also a sage with an interest in the Cairns and the Wind Dukes. He is a friend and colleague to Allsaran Telrün, whom he is helping to uncover the mystery of the strange Vaati glyphs found in the Whispering Cairn, by acquiring the Chronicles of Chan (an ancient text describing the Battle of Pesh, an epic conflict between the Wind Dukes of Aaqa and Miska the Wolf Spider in which the Rod of Law was broken into seven parts) from the Great Library of Greyhawk. He is also the brother of Lanod Neff, the Governor-Mayor of Diamond Lake.

Auric - male Suloise gladiator from the Free City of Greyhawk and Champion of the Arena; Barracus recalls his patron cheating to assure his victories. He is one of the three adventurers who were investigating another cairn.

Balabar Smenk - male Flan; richest mine-owner in town; not the nicest man in Diamond Lake. A fat pig comes to mind.

Khellek - male Baklunish Arcanist. He is one of the three adventurers who were investigating another cairn.

Lanod Neff, the Governor-Mayor - male Oeridian; Allustan's brother; not the nicest man in Diamond Lake

Kullen - male albino Half-Orc enforcer; a bully usually to be found at the Feral Dog tavern. Has a small gang, and works for Balabar Smenk as muscle.

Taggin - male Oeridian; runs the General Store. A kind man who doesn't want to get involved in adventures, but is willing to sell you equipment.

Tirra - female High Elven (Noldolven) archer. She beat both Rogar and Thalestris in a high stakes knife-throwing competition in the Feral Dog tavern. She is one of the three adventurers who were investigating another cairn.

Fighting For Air

• Thalestris (Heather), an Oeridian "Woman-at-Arms"
• Barracus (Big J), a Touv Weapons Master
• Allsaran Telrün (Dan), a Gray Elven (Sindolven) Arcanist

Date: Earthday, The Twentieth Day of Planting (Low Summer) and the Full Moon of Luna, known to the Sindolve as Blossom, and to the Nomads as the Month of the Frog, in the Common Year (CY) 581, which is also 1225 OR (Oeridian Record), 6096 SD (Suloise Dating), 5043 OC (Olven Calendar), 3240 BH (Baklunish Hegira), and 2731 FT (Flan Tracking) .

Date: Freeday, The Twenty-First Day of Planting (Low Summer) and the Full Moon of Luna, known to the Sindolve as Blossom, and to the Nomads as the Month of the Frog, in the Common Year (CY) 581, which is also 1225 OR (Oeridian Record), 6096 SD (Suloise Dating), 5043 OC (Olven Calendar), 3240 BH (Baklunish Hegira), and 2731 FT (Flan Tracking) .

The Morning After

• Thalestris (Heather), an Oeridian "Woman-at-Arms"
• Barracus (Big J), a Touv Weapons Master
• Allsaran Telrün (Dan), a Gray Elven (Sindolven) Arcanist

Date: Earthday, The Twentieth Day of Planting (Low Summer) and the Full Moon of Luna, known to the Sindolve as Blossom, and to the Nomads as the Month of the Frog, in the Common Year (CY) 581, which is also 1225 OR (Oeridian Record), 6096 SD (Suloise Dating), 5043 OC (Olven Calendar), 3240 BH (Baklunish Hegira), and 2731 FT (Flan Tracking) .

Extermination & Discovery

Characters:

• Thalestris (Heather), an Oeridian "Woman-at-Arms"
• Barracus (Big J), a Touv Weapons Master
• Allsaran Telrün (Dan), a Gray Elven (Sindolven) Arcanist
• Ulfgar Bandobrass (Danner), a Dwarven (Dwur) Thief

Date: Moonday, The Seventeenth Day of Planting (Low Summer), known to the Sindolve as Blossom, and to the Nomads as the Month of the Frog, in the Common Year (CY) 581, which is also 1225 OR (Oeridian Record), 6096 SD (Suloise Dating), 5043 OC (Olven Calendar), 3240 BH (Baklunish Hegira), and 2731 FT (Flan Tracking) .

Allsaran Telrün and Allustan, in their quest for the Chronicles of Chan, had spent most of a day travelling towards the Free City of Greyhawk. As fortune would have it, they happened upon a courier on the road, who agreed to bring the book they desired back to Diamond Lake within a week. The two wizards then decided to retire back to Allustan's abode. After a brief rest, Allsaran decided to seek out his companions. Alas, they were nowhere to be found. Following a flash of intuition, he decided to head to the Whispering Cairn, thinking perhaps that his companions had foolishly attempted to explore further without his assistance. As he neared the location of the cairn, he saw a pale-skinned figure running through the woods in the opposite direction. Fearing the worst, he began to run towards the cairn.

Meanwhile, just outside the cairn, Thalestris and Barracus realized that Ulfgar was going to be overtaken by the mad slasher before he could reach the entrance. Without a second thought, Barracus charged in, slashing with his mighty bastard sword. Thalestris followed, engaging the foul aberration as well. Ulfgar immediately ceased his retreat and stood fast with his companions, in spite of his wounds. The slasher then went into a crazed frenzy, spinning wildly with all its legs flailing about. A telling blow from Barracus crushed its body, and none too soon, for the other slasher was upon them. Suddenly, a lance of ice raced down the hall and struck the aberration. Taking advantage of the distraction, the group surrounded it and crushed it in a hail of blows.

The fortuitous return of Allsaran could not have come sooner, because the swarms of beetles, fresh from devouring the wolf corpses, were rushing down the hall. At the last moment, Allsaran calmly stepped forward and whispered an incantation. Instantly, the ground on which the insects skittered was frozen in ice, the beetles frozen with it. Another few words and the ice thickened, freezing the swarm. After a few words were exchanged (and wounds dressed), the group decided to press on.

The companions made their way to the chamber with the sarcophagus, and decided to take a more careful look around. Ulfgar noticed something strage about the tunnel with the blue lantern, and called Thalestris over. It appeared that the ceiling was about ten feet higher than in the other tunnels. Closer scrutiny revealed a tunnel leading off up towards the top. Also, a skeleton was lying in a heap on the floor. Thalestris was able to determine that it had several crushed bones, as if the person had died in a fall. Making note of these things, they returned to the collapsed pit, careful to avoid the trails of yellow, acidic slime left by the beetles.

Ulfgar peered down, and could see that the drop was considerable: sixty feet by his estimation. Fortunately, the sides were pitted and rough due to years of deterioration from the insects' secretions. It was decided that the Dwur, with his exceptional sight, should go down first to scout the area. In the event he needed to get up in a hurry, Barracus lowered a rope. Unfortunately, it came far short of the bottom. Without complaint, Ulfgar made his way down into the pit with a lantern. He found himself in a small chamber filled with stone debris and the metal cylinder that once was the wondrous lift. The walls were lined with dozens of bas relief figures similar to the one on the sarcophagus above, all bearing stern expressions. Many of them were eroded by acid, some nearly beyond recognition. A stylized arrow on the floor pointed down a short corridor to the north that led to a four-way intersection. He began to make his way down the corridor leading out of the place. As he came to a four way intersection and peeked around the corner to the right, he saw something that froze his blood.

In a huge chamber sat a wide basin flowing with a orange, pasty substance. Thousands of bright blue beetles were skittering and tunneling through the substance. In the center of them was a huge, Dwur-sized beetle. Immediately, a keening insect chorus filled his ears as the colony rushed forth to devour him. He ran back to the chamber and began to scramble up the wall, yelling. Barracus, seeing the jerking lantern below and hearing Ulfgar's cries, grabbed the bitter end of the rope and hit the floor, stretching his arms as far as they would go. Thalestris grabbed his legs. Ulfgar was barely able to jump off the wall and grab the rope as the insects came scrambling up. As Barracus and Thalestris pulled with all their might, and Ulfgar climbed for dear life, Allsaran began another incantation. Just as the pair pulled the Dwur to safety, Allsaran spread his hands and encased the vermin in ice. Unfortuantely, he miscalculated, and a small swarm flowed up the tunnel and over his body. He screamed, backing up and trying to get his bearings as the insects bit and burned him. Desperately, he finished another spell and was able to freeze the beetles in place. After checking to make sure no more surprises were scaling the walls of the pit, the group retreated to the abandoned mine overseer's office to dress their wounds and get some much needed rest.

Ingenuity & Peril

Characters:

• Thalestris (Heather), an Oeridian "Woman-at-Arms"
• Barracus (Big J), a Touv Weapons Master
• Veraxian Los (Little J), a Suloise Executioner
• Ulfgar Bandobrass (Danner), a Dwarven (Dwur) Thief

Date: Moonday, The Seventeenth Day of Planting (Low Summer), known to the Sindolve as Blossom, and to the Nomads as the Month of the Frog, in the Common Year (CY) 581, which is also 1225 OR (Oeridian Record), 6096 SD (Suloise Dating), 5043 OC (Olven Calendar), 3240 BH (Baklunish Hegira), and 2731 FT (Flan Tracking) .

While resting at the mine overseer's office, Allsaran decided it would be a good idea to return to town and show his friend Allustan the charcoal rubbing he had made of the Vaati glyph, as well and the strange, cold glass he had recovered, in the hopes that the sage might have reference materials that would shed some light on the mystery of the cairn. The group agreed. Rogar had business to attend to at the Bronzewood Lodge, and soon left. Allsaran and Allustan soon left as well, hoping to borrow a copy of The Chronicles of Chan from the great library of the Free City of Greyhawk, only 3 days away. Barracus and Thalestris elected to stay in town.

After spending a few bored hours in town, the pair decided to look for a tanner to clean and process the warg hide Barracus had recovered from the beast in the cairn. After a surprisingly fruitless search, they came upon a hunchback named Begbie, who offered to tan the hide in exchange for some information. With Begbie was Veraxian Los, whom Barracus immediately recognized from the debacle at Nyrstran. Some discussion ensued, and eventually Begbie revealed himself as the Dwur noble Ulfgar Bandobrass, an agent of the Iron Hills, who was looking for the criminal Drogar Ironthane, a task for which Veraxian was also hired. Their mission, as stated, was to bring the miscreant to justice. Thalestris and Barracus also decided to make a revelation: their expedition to the Whispering Cairn.

This new information piqued Ulfgar's curiosity, and the group decided to do some exploring, rather than wait for the wizards' return from Greyhawk. Veraxian purchased sufficient supplies for the task from Taggin's General Store, and the party set out. The cairn was much the same as when they left it, and Ulfgar was quickly able to figure out much of the history of the place, as his people had trained him much in the lore of the ages.

They soon approached the chamber with the strange, web-covered, green-lit archway. Immediately, Ulfgar's powerful Dwur vision was able to pick out a dais and a faded fresco in the western wing. From the dais, it appeared as if he was standing within a massive room with seven short hallways radiating outward from a central point. The fresco showed a chain dangling from the ceiling at the end of each hallway, each bearing a gleaming colored lantern. Clockwise, the colors were red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. In the meantime, Barracus burned a hole through the web-choked archway, avoiding the many small spiders that crawled upon it. A wide stairway was revealed, leading downwards.

The stairway led to an immense domed chamber which looked very much like the room depicted by the fresco in the room above. Seven short tunnels branched from the room in all directions, extending some thirty feet before ending in rounded walls. At the terminus of each passage, a thick chain dangled from an unseen high ceiling. Five of the chains bore colorful lanterns: orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet, but two held nothing at all. Opposite the entry stairs, a the green lantern cast a weird, murky light about the room. Countless chips of glass and shiny metal inset into the chamber's domed ceiling reflected this light, giving the impression of an eerie starlight and a sickly falling green snow. The dome started about ten feet off the ground and reached an apex of thrity feet over the center of the room. Below the dome's peak, a long dais held what appeared to be a marble sarcophagus. A milky white bas-relief figure rested passively on the lid. Unlike the rest of the tomb, this room was completely silent.

The figure on the sarcophagus appeared somewhat human, but was about seven feet tall, completely hairless, and of indeterminate sex. It wore a simple garment of flowing cloth, and a scarab-like amulet around its neck, the latter containing another Vaati glyph, which Ulfgar determined was the personal name of someone important. The left hand was clenched into a fist, but the right was palm up, the thumb turned in and the index finger broken off. Ulfgar began a thorough inspection, and soon determined that all was not as it appeared. He first discovered that the sarcophagus was resting upon a small raised platform shaped like a stylized arrow, the tip aligned with the head of the figure. He then noticed a short shaft extending beneath the sarcopahgus, leading into the floor. The whole assembly appeared to be mobile!

While Ulfgar was busy with the sarcophagus, Barracus took down the green lantern. It was warm to the touch, made of a strange green metal, inset with green glass panes. He opened the lantern, and discovered, instead of oil, a small, fist-sized ball of solid flame sitting in the oil chamber. He excitedly showed this to the rest of the group, who did not really know what to make of it, then set it aside. Ulfgar then called the rest of the party over to test his theory about the sarcophagus. The arrow was pointing to the orange lantern. Everyone pushed against the sides of the sarcophagus, and it reluctantly turned clockwise until it clicked into place, pointing at the yellow lantern. A great rumbling could be heard as a circular stone at the end of the tunnel began to rise. It rose eight feet in the air, pushed up by a five foot diameter metal cylinder that seemed to come from the ground itself. Seconds later, it came to rest with a hiss, and two thin doors slid into the sides of the cylinder, revealing a small, empty chamber. Once again, they turned the sarcophagus clockwise, and pointed the arrow at the tunnel where the green lantern once was.

There was a rumbling once again, but this time it swiftly turned into a cacophonous grating of stone against stone. The ground rumbled, and the ground at the end of the tunnel began to buckle. A metal cylinder forced its way up through the stone floor, then fell clattering to depths below. A moment later, the entire end of the tunnel had collapsed. Soon, a new sound cut through the silence of the tomb: the chittering of countless insects. In seconds, a veritable geyser of beetles burst forth from the hole in the tunnel, carrying with them an acrid smell. The living carpet quickly flowed towards the stunned party. Everyone who could scampered up on the sarcophagus and prepared their weapons. Along with the beetles, a horrible aberration climbed out of the collapse. Its spiderlike body consisted of six legs, each bearing razor-sharp ridges, radiating from a spherical body that was little more than a malevolent eye. It immediately charged Barracus. Soon, the beetles flowed like an angry river over the sarcophagus, and the surprised party members, seemingly unimpeded. They immediately were overcome with nausea and a burning sensation, as the acid these insects secreted burned their flesh and the fumes invaded their lungs. The mad, slashing creature met Barracus in a rush, receiving a solid blow, but cutting deep into the great Touv in return. Shaking off the effects of the acid, Veraxian Los immediately broke and ran. Thalestris attempted to use her torch to fend off the beetles, but swiftly saw this was no use. The remaining party attempted a retreat, Barracus grievously wounded by the slashing legs of his foe. To make matters worse, another foul aberration crawled from the hole and moved to join the other in attacking Barracus. Soon, the remainder of the beleagered group was up the stairs and running down the hall, with two mad slashers in hot pursuit. The acid beetles had swarmed out of the sarcophagus chamber, and were busily devouring the remains of the wolves and warg the party had previously slain. Barracus and Thalestris were able to outdistance the slashers and get outside, but Ulfgar, even at a full run, looked like he was going to be overtaken before he could reach the entrance...

Diamond Lake & The Whispering Cairn

Characters:

• Thalestris (Heather), an Oeridian "Woman-at-Arms"
• Barracus (Big J), a Touv Weapons Master
• Allsaran Telrün (Dan), a Gray Elven (Sindolven) Arcanist
• Rogar (Jeff), a Flan Archer

Date: Starday, The Fifteenth Day of Planting (Low Summer), known to the Sindolve as Blossom, and to the Nomads as the Month of the Frog, in the Common Year (CY) 581, which is also 1225 OR (Oeridian Record), 6096 SD (Suloise Dating), 5043 OC (Olven Calendar), 3240 BH (Baklunish Hegira), and 2731 FT (Flan Tracking) .

After her visit with Selena, Thalestris made her way to Diamond Lake, to follow up on the rumors that there were ancient Cairns in the area containing riches beyond her imaginings. There she met Rogar, a local ranger and scout from the Bronzewood Lodge who was looking for some excitement.

At the same time, another visitor appeared in town: Allsaran Telrün, a Sindolven Arcanist from Enstad, the Capital City of the Faerie Kingdom of Celene. He had come to visit with his old friend Allustan, with whom he had exchanged many letters over the years on scholarly topics, particularly the Elemental Planes, the nature of magic, linguistics, and the various histories of the Flanaess. They spent the day chatting and drinking wine, until the evening, when Allsaran decided to take his leave and visit one of the "quaint" local drinking establishments.

Barracus, in the meantime, had found himself working the mines of Balabar Smenk nearly every waking hour for mere copper commons worth of scrip, and sleeping on the floor of Jalek's Flophouse at night. It seems that the moneylender he had originally borrowed from was short on patience, and had sold him to Smenk as an indentured servant. In the nearly two weeks he had worked there, he had not even begun to pay for the pick and shovel he had been forced to buy on company credit, let alone the food he was eating. There seemed no end in sight. That changed when he spotted Thalestris walking with Rogar down the Vein, and called out to her. He quickly explained that he had attacked the dock rat in Nyrstran, and had "dealt him a mighty blow which surely snuffed out his life." Even though Thalestris did not fully believe his story, she felt sympathy for him, and decided to buy Barracus out of bondage, in exchange for his services as a bodyguard and porter.

The trio headed to Balabar Smenk's mansion, a run-down, shoddy place. After intimidating the small pack of thugs guarding the front, they made their way to the door. Although Smenk was clearly irritated by their presence, he allowed them to purchase Barracus' contract and sent them on their way. The decided to go to the Feral Dog, a local dive, to celebrate.

The Feral Dog was filled with smoke, poor miners, and the screams of those betting on the bloody dogfight going on in the central pit of the place. Standing out from the crowd were the hulking albino Half-Euroz Kullen and his gang of scum, who were given a wide berth by the patrons, and the sleek, self-assured Noldolve, Tirra, who was attracting quite a bit of attention with both her exotic looks and her talent for throwing knives. From the corner, Allsaran watched with interest. Boasting of her prowess, she soon engaged both Rogar and Thalestris in a wager. Although they both showed real talent, they were no match for the Noldolve' s nearly-perfect throws, and soon lost all they had wagered. During the game, however, Tirra revealed that she and her esteemed companions, the wizard Khellek and the gladiator champion Auric, were going to "strike it rich" by exploring the Stirgenest Cairn across Diamond Lake. After the group left the ale hall, Allsaran approached Tirra and spoke briefly to her in elven, then followed.

Rogar, being local, knew that the Stirgenest Cairn had already been fully explored and cleared out long ago. As the trio left the ale hall, he explained that there was another cairn, known as the Whispering Cairn, that was believed to be haunted, and the location of which was not common knowledge. At this point, Allsaran approached the group and offered his services as a sage and wizard, expressing his interest in assisting with the proposed exploration. The group accepted, and decided to set off the next morning.

Date: Sunday, The Sixteenth Day of Planting (Low Summer), known to the Sindolve as Blossom, and to the Nomads as the Month of the Frog, in the Common Year (CY) 581, which is also 1225 OR (Oeridian Record), 6096 SD (Suloise Dating), 5043 OC (Olven Calendar), 3240 BH (Baklunish Hegira), and 2731 FT (Flan Tracking) .

That morning, the four adventurers, Thalestris, Barracus, Rogar, and Allsaran, set out for the Whispering Cairn. After a little over an hour, Rogar brought them to an abandoned mine overseer's office to rest. He explained that this place was occasionally used by local rangers as a rest stop, and that their destination was not far. The cairn was located about ten minutes off the beaten path, obscured by brush and assorted debris. A yawning, monolith-lined portal led to a long hallway, dimly lit by the morning's light. A faint breeze brought with it a sound reminiscent of sighing breath. The hallway was covered in dust, and the walls bore horizontal bands of what once were likely beautifully painted geometric patterns, but now were hacked and eroded, the paint faded and flaked. Lighting a torch, Thalestris proceeded in, followed by the rest. As they slowly walked the hall, the wind picked up outside and the hallway was filled with what sounded like a chorus of whispering human voices. Eventually, it was discovered that there were small holes lining patterns in the walls, and the wind blowing through them created the semblance of voices.

Further down the sides of the hall were a two pairs of alcoves. The first pair were about 25 feet deep, and were empty save for a pile of old, rotten rags. One of the second pair was covered by a collapse, but the other, 40' deep, contained what looked like a shattered ovular mirror frame made of a strange type of stone, set on a platform that had been carved with a large arcane glyph. Allsaran quickly moved forward to investigate. He recognized the sigil as a name in Vaati, an ancient glyph language believed by some to be the original written form of Auran. Vaati is the Auran word meaning "Wind Duke," which refers to the Wind Dukes of Aaqa, who forged the Rod of Law. This Rod was used to strike down the Queen of Chaos, Miska the Wolf Spider, at the ancient Battle of Pesh. Legend says that when Miska's lifeblood touched the rod, it was shattered into seven parts and scattered across the land. Allsaran recalled that a book, The Chronicles of Chan, had more details on this battle and the Rod of Seven Parts, as it is now called. Scattered around the platform base were shattered pieces of a substance that appeared to be black glass, but were as cold as ice to the touch. Further inspection revealed runes carved into the slot on the inside of the frame, and Allsaran was able to determine that this had once been some sort of planar gate, a magic so powerful that it is unlikely that any mortal would be able to reproduce it. He quickly gathered the shards and made a charcoal rubbing of the glyph.

The end of the central hallway opened into a large chamber with wings leading to the east and west. Directly across the chamber was a twenty foot archway covered in cobwebs. An eerie green light flickered behind the webs. As the party entered the room, Allsaran began to notice Auran words being spoken and whispered in the air: "hopeless, sacrilege, enemies, pain, death." The room smelled of wet fur and excrement, and the group soon discovered why. The eastern wing, which appeared collapsed, actually had a gap large enough to crawl through. From this gap came a Warg and two hungry-looking wolves. A melee ensued. After the beasts were slain and all wounds were bound, Rogar elected to search the lair. He discovered an old backpack half-buried in humanoid bones, which contained a beautiful hanging lamp made of some strange indigo metal, and set with indigo glass. He also found an silver and gold armband, intricately carved in a leaf pattern, which Allsaran identified as Noldolven in origin. Weakened by the battle, everyone decided it was best to leave and rest up at the abandoned mine overseer's office.

Nyrstran (Prelude)

Players/Characters:

• Thalestris (Heather), an Oeridian "Woman-at-Arms"
• Barracus (Big J), a Touv Weapons Master
• Veraxian Los (Little J), a Suloise Executioner

Date: Starday, The First Day of Planting (Low Summer), known to the Sindolve as Blossom, and to the Nomads as the Month of the Frog, in the Common Year (CY) 581, which is also 1225 OR (Oeridian Record), 6096 SD (Suloise Dating), 5043 OC (Olven Calendar), 3240 BH (Baklunish Hegira), and 2731 FT (Flan Tracking) .

In the port city of Nyrstran, three strangers arrived: Thalestris, an Oeridian mercenary, Barracus, a Touv, former slave and gladiator, and Veraxian Los, a mysterious Suel. Circumstances conspired to bring them together. Thalestris was heading through the waterfront, to meet up with her old friend, Selena, an acolyte of Saint Cuthbert. A surly Half-Orc dock rat, hoping for an easy mark, tried to charge her a toll for travelling down "his" street. She fixed him with an icy stare, which caused him to recant his words, and back up a few steps. Not satisfied, she drew her throwing axe. He then produced his weapon, a mighty battle axe, and charged, catching her axe on the way in. Little did either of them know that Veraxian Los, who had been waiting in town for the arrival of his contact, Ulfgar Bandobrass, was watching from the shadows of a nearby alley. As the melee ensued, Veraxian elected to intervene. Sizing up his opponent, he let a dagger slip into his hand, and let fly. Meanwhile, a lucky blow from the Half-Orc threw Thalestris to the ground, her consciouness fading. The Half-Orc's sudden movement caused the dagger thrown by Veraxian to go wide, and soon the dock rat was upon the surprised Suel. Seeing an opportunity to test his new blades, Barracus strode down the middle of the suddenly clear street. Barracus, having recently won his freedom from slavery by fighting in the arenas, had only two possessions of any value, and he had paid for them dearly. Dressed only in a loincloth, without even a pair of sandals, he hefted two mighty bastard swords off his shoulders, swords which were of a size intended for giants, swords for which he was forced to borrow from an unscrupulous moneylender. After mere moments, Veraxian had caught an axe to the ribs, driving him to his knees. As the Half -Orc returned to the fallen Thalestris, intending to finish the job, Barracus shouted a challenge. The dock rat shouted in return, charging the gargantuan Touv. The Half-Orc received a chop to the hip, staggering him, but just as Barracus came down for a finishing blow, the dock rat swung wildly and hit the gladiator in the head. All faded into darkness.

Some time later, Thalestris awoke in the care of Selena. She was told that the dock rat ran off wounded after Selena and two acolytes confronted him. The acolytes were able to use their healing arts to save the lives of the Touv and the Suel, as well. Barracus was "collected" while still in the infirmary, and sent to work the mines of Diamond Lake to pay off his considerable debt. Veraxian sneaked out some time during the night. Little did any of them know that it would not be long before these strangers would meet again...