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Beowulf
Learned Scribe
Canada
322 Posts |
 Posted - 09 Jul 2004 : 16:55:27
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Well met!
It is told that in the year 1350 DR the Brothers of Doom (Stradidar and the Reacher) came to the Vilhonian realm of Arabar from the south. There they en listed in the army of First Lord Hadrian of Arabar and quickly rose through the ranks in skirmishes against rebellious Iljack and Hlath.
Fearing their growing prestige, Hadrian sent them on a fools errand into the ruins of Orbech, and had his men trap them in a mazelike dungeon from which none have ever returned. Nevertheless, the Brothers of Doom slaughtered all adversity and eventually emerged to see the light of day once more.
Making their way back to civilization, Stradidar and the Reacher immediately sought an audience with Hadrians' chief rival, Eles Wianar. Together, the trio plotted and achieved the murdered of First Lord Hadrian. With that, Eles assumed the Lordship of land, while the BoD continued northward on their journey.
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"Ill tempered the wretch, who laughs at everyone. He cannot recognize, as he should, that he is not without faults." the High One, Poetic Edda |
Edited by - Beowulf on 16 Sep 2004 23:27:40
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Beowulf
Learned Scribe
Canada
322 Posts |
Posted - 16 Sep 2004 : 23:34:19
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According to the tales of the bards of Moray, the lad who would grow into Stradidar was born to the fierce Morayan clan MacFinnian, which suffered the ill fate of an exceptionally bloodthirsty Northman raid when Stradidar was still but 14 winters. While the MacFinnian's were slaughtered to a man, young Stradidar survived by virtue of having been away receiving the hospitality of the mighty clan Mac Art.
Now, the Mac Arts were perhaps the most powerful and warlike clan on all of Moray, and were greatly renowned amongst their fellow Morayans for their legendary "reavers"; the seafaring bands of raiders they sent forth to harry the yellowbeards. Thus, when the slaughter of the MacFinnians was discovered it took little for young Stradidar to inspire them to vengeance and slaughter.
And so it was that the last of the MacFinnians led a band of wild Morayan reavers on the trail of what turned out to be an outlaw band of Northman. The folk of Oman's Island suffered gravely that spring, but in the end this band of "vikings" was found and slaughtered to a man.
For the next two years Stradidar lived amongst the Mac Arts as one of them, learning well each of the heroes skills they taught. It was during this time that he formed his great friendship with the short, stocky powerhouse called only the Reacher amongst foreigners, but in the end, he is known to have ventured forth on his own.
Some bards say that Stradidar went forth into Myrloch Vale during this time, there to die and find his way to the halls of his ancestors. Here it is said he came face to face with the Shee, but rather than dying, as is the fate of all who behold the fabled rider, she is said to have lain with him, to have taught him the art of swordsmanship, and to have at last awarded him the fabled blade Deathrise.
Other bards say that he ventured to Waterdeep during this time, where he hooked up with a band of deceitful adventurers who betrayed him and left him for dead at a ruin some days east of the City of Splendours. They go on to tell of how Stradidar was found, nursed back to health, and taught the art of swordsmanship by a mysterious hermit known only as the Prince of Swords. Before his departure, this hermit gifted him with the blade Deathrise.
Either way, it eventually came to pass that in the year 1345 DR Stradidar returned to the Moonshaes, where he became a scout in the army of King Brian Kendrick of Corwell. Over the next two years, the man who would become renowned as the Swordwielder met up with his old friend the Reacher, and together aided the young Tristan Kendrick in defeating Kazgoroth and establishing his rule as High-King of the Ffolk.
In the year 1347 DR, or the 1st year of the reign of High-King Tristan Kendrick, Stradidar and the Reacher departed the Moonshaes. They soon came to rest in Tethyr and found employment in the service of Baron Draknoth of the Purple Marches. After saving the Baron from an attempted assassination, and consequently undertaking a couple of missions on his behalf, the Morayans earned the contempt of a certain Count Albreks of Vintor. Albreks subsequently arranged the death of Baron Draknoth's wife and children, and then had the Morays framed for it.
During their time in prison, they met a former pirate captain named Harguth the Black. He spoke often of a map hidden in a design tattooed to the back of the daughter of a powerful Amnian merchant. This map was whispered to lead to an unimaginable horde of gold and treasure.
It soon came to pass that the Morayans and a host of other prisoners were released during the Alemandrian Interrugum, when the folk of Tethyr rose up to slay and drive out their decadent nobility. Escaping with Harguth, the two eventually found themselves as members of the pirate-captains crew, plundering the coasts of Tethyr and Amn. In time, the pirates managed a bold kidnapping of the aforementioned merchant's daughter, who turned out to be a beautiful lass by the name of Cassalandra. No sooner had she been brought on board however, then Harguth attempt to rape the lass, only to be discovered and slain by Stradidar.
Having been wise to the fact that Harguth had been withholding loot from the rest of the crew, the Swordwielder used this as a justification for his killing of pirate captain when questioned by the ruthless crew. Then, with the backing of the Reacher (and, yeah, okay, a few others I suppose), the Swordwielder assumed command of the ship.
While following the map, en route to the jungles of Chult, the pirate vessel was intercepted by a trio of Amnian warships. Cassalandra was rescued, and, despite her pleas (having muchly warmed to the handsome Stradidar), the ship was destroyed off the coast of Calimshan.
As fate would have it, the Morayans washed up upon the shores of Calimshan, where they were found by Schaminder, the daughter of the Pasha Siddhartha of Calimshan. Taking pity on the barbarians, especially the dashing one, the princess had her servants take them back to the palace and nurse them back to health. Her father however, did not take well to the foreigners, and immediately sent them forth to break a curse that had brought an endless drought to the eastern reaches of his realm. When the Morayans returned successful, the Pasha and his would-be son-in-law, Brahanu of Schamedar, feigned glee and ordered a great victory feast for the heroes. Their food and drink however was drugged. When next they awoke, they were in chains and en route to the mines of Sa'Hallum in the Wormbone Hills of the Western Shaar.
They did not linger there very long before staging a general escape in the year 1350 DR, and making there way northward. While being chased through the lands of the Balithzarites, the duo took refuge in an old ruin into which their pursuers would not follow. Within they encountered a hideous demon, managed to slay it, and in the process brought the ruin down. When the Morayans emerged, they found themselves surrounded by Balithzarites. Rather than attacking them however, they bowed deeply and brought them back to their camp to meet their chieftain. It was here that they were first called the "dra'uk omerdras" or "Brothers of Doom".
Making their way up through the Border Kingdoms and through the Vilhon Reach, and into Sembia and the Moonsea South, the legend of the Brothers of Doom began to grow. In Chondath, the First Lord Hadrian of Arrabar was toppled and Eles Wianar put in his stead by the Morayans, while they placed the severed head of an intermediate member of the Sembian Cult of the Dragon upon a pike atop the tallest hill in sight of Urmlaspyr; the rune of warning cut into it's forehead.
With the eruption of civil war in Yulash the Brothers of Doom moved north from Urmlaspyr to enlist in the army of Lord Melvuth Greystone of the House of Greystone. Over the course of the next year they completed a number of missions and scored many fine military victories for House Greystone; soon finding themselves ranking officers and confidants of Lord Greystone himself.
As the war heated up, the Zhents began to back certain factions in the war, sending their troops in under the aegis of "peace-keepers". Hillsfar responded in kind, offering Melvuth (amongst others) its aid. The Brothers of Doom strongly discouraged Melvuth from accepting an outside alliance, and he followed their counsels. Unfortunately, within the month Melvuth was assassinated and the Brothers of Doom captured and thrown into the arena at Hillsfar.
The duo soon won the favour of the crowd, and so it came to pass that Maalthiir publically offered them their freedom if they could complete his "nine trials"; which involved nie very vicious combats against powerful creatures and/or human combatants. And while the Brothers were successful in this endeavour, Maalthiir nevertheless sought to keep the Morayans imprisoned in the darkest dungeons of Hillsfar. For all of his attempts to keep the matter a secret however, the Morayans were aided in escaping by a sympathetic (and well informed/positioned) Red Plume named Braccio of Ordulin.
Escaping to Braccio's Ordulin estate with Maalthiir prized possession, the priceless gem known as the Emerald Tear, it was not long before assassins came for the lot of them. The assassins died as they came. Eventually, a frustrated Maalthiir hired the feared assassin Thistlork of Thay, but like the others, both the assassin and his minions were set upon and slain by the Morayan savages. The Brothers then took Thistlork's severed head, cut the rune of warning into its forehead, and sent it to Maalthiir in a box.
In the year 1356 DR, the Brothers signed on as mercenaries in Sembia's war against Lashan of Scardale. Meeting up with a fellow islander, a northman by the name of Illyass Vandervin, the duo next spent some time exploring the ruins of Myth Drannor.
In the year 1357 DR, it came to pass that the Brothers of Doom were hired by a mysterious employer to slay an evil witch named Midnight. When Stradidar first came face to face with the witch however, he found himself smitten with her beauty. The great womanizer submitted his sword to her service, and much time was spent fighting off a string of Zhentarim assassins, until at length, the lot of them found themselves embroiled in the Avatar Wars.
During the course of this legendary adventure, the love between Stradidar and Midnight grew to heights every bit as great as the depths of contempt that the Brothers came to hold Cyric in. That shifty eyed knave was often the subject of ridicule and abuse from the Morayans, who gave him all of the worst trail jobs.
As is well known, the Tablets of Fate were restored to Ao in the end, and Midnight, Cyric, and Kelemvor ascended to godhood. What is less known however is that Stradidar and the Reacher were also offered godhood by Ao. Their reply was plain and simple, "as Morayans it would be redundant."
As Midnights first act of godhood, Ao allowed her to grant the Brothers of Doom a gift ... complete immunity to all scrying, such that Cyric could never locate them in search of vengeance.
Returning to the Moonshae's in the year 1358 DR, the Brothers of Doom arrived to find High-King Tristan recently murdered, the lands of the Ffolk in chaos, and the Beast roaming the isles once more. So it was that the legendary brothers helped install Tristan's young daughter Alicia upon the throne of Callidyr, reunited the Ffolk under her rule, and beat the less sensible of the northman into submission.
Finally, in the year 1360 DR, Stradidar went forth alone into Myrloch Vale. He was armed with the legendary Sword of Cymrych Hugh, and within the Bosom of the Earthmother fought a vicious duel with Kazgoroth.
For a long time the bards of the Moonshaes sang of how each destroyed the other in this final battle.
The truth of the matter however, was that the worshippers of the dead god Bhaal had followed the Brothers of Doom to the Moonshaes, and sought vengeance on them for the death of their god. Thus, they ambushed a muchly weakened Stradidar as he made his why out of Myrloch Vale. They encased the hero in a block of amber and subsequently buried him deep beneath an ancient ruin in the eastern reaches of Corwell.
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"Ill tempered the wretch, who laughs at everyone. He cannot recognize, as he should, that he is not without faults." the High One, Poetic Edda |
Edited by - Beowulf on 03 Dec 2004 19:06:43 |
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Lord Rad
Great Reader
United Kingdom
2080 Posts |
Posted - 17 Sep 2004 : 08:54:41
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Excellent, Beowulf 
This is beautiful, and contains a place close to my heart - the Moonshae's  Keep it coming. |
Lord Rad
"What? No, I wasn't reading your module. I was just looking at the pictures"
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Alaundo
Head Moderator
United Kingdom
5695 Posts |
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Beowulf
Learned Scribe
Canada
322 Posts |
Posted - 17 Sep 2004 : 16:30:44
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Many thanks for your kind words, both of you!!
I included the above lore in Stradidar's history when I submitted him to the Hall of Heroes. I also submitted the Reachers stats, while the "Of Tyros" scrolls, in which the tale of Stradidar picks up again (to a point), were submitted to the Campaign Journals section under the title "And Dragons Shall Rule".
Thanks once again!
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"Ill tempered the wretch, who laughs at everyone. He cannot recognize, as he should, that he is not without faults." the High One, Poetic Edda |
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Of the Brothers of Doom...
