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03/23/04 |
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Green Regent 2004 - Stories A FELLOWSHIP RISES Loudwater, the City of Grottos The day after Shieldmeet everyone in Loudwater watched for the return of the Scions of the Green Regent. Shortly before noon they appeared. At their lead was Otar, the young orc leader. As he drew closer, the people could see that he was the one who bore the marks of the Green Regent glowing upon his gray skin. Outrage in the City of Loudwater was immediate. The old elven noble families openly rejected the choice, accusing the Circle of the Stag of trickery and blasphemy. Halitan Phelaniityr, the patriarch of the city’s sun elf house promised to personally rectify the situation before the vale became a “cesspool of bestial orcish scum.” Before violence broke out, the druids, along with Otar and his orcs retreated back to the High Forest, leaving some angry, some frightened for the future, and the new Scions without a leader. In these trying times few Scions of the Green Regent are waiting. The lack of access to the Green Regent has created worry, but not lethargy. In the tenday after Shieldmeet, many have gone forth to do good in the region as their predecessors have done for generations. Now they are not the only organization dedicated to the defense of Loudwater and the region. Another group was born from the wake of Otar’s coronation. A more militant and focused group with an active, present, and charismatic leader named Stedd Rein—a group called the Red Fellowship. Nine days after the choosing of Otar as the Green Regent, Stedd Rein, the hero of the Night of the Blood Moon and the favored wager to take the Green Regent mantle, defiant of Mielikki’s choice tacked his manifesto upon the message pillar of the Red Boar Inn. The Manifesto The common room of the Red Boar Tavern is supported by a large plain pillar, the remains of an ancient oak that stood on the site before the Rein family moved to Loudwater from Waterdeep almost 60 winters ago. That pillar is covered with decades of parchment and paper postings and bills. Almost since the tavern’s raising, the pillar has been the place where many humans post news and events. The elves and many half-elves of the community tend to avoid its use, since the felling of the great oak by the Reins is still considered a great tragedy. Almost a tenday after Shieldmeet, Stedd Rein, the youngest and almost the best known of Deldron Rein’s children, nailed a parchment on the pillar. It detailed what he saw as the problems of Loudwater and what he was going to do to solve them. In that action he created the Red Fellowship as an organization devoted to the betterment of the City of Grottos, and communicated the group’s manifesto. The following are the manifesto’s main points:
Stedd's father is his greatest supporter, and has supplied his son with the financial backing of his Red Boar Trading Coster. And while the elven families worry that Deldron’s money will only bring a murder of human mercenaries to the region, Stedd’s accomplishments, integrity, and sincerity have made him an idol to many young humans and even half-elves in the City of Grottos. Blood Moon on the Delimbyr Much of Stedd's reputation arose from his heroism on the Night of the Blood Moon. On a warn autumn night in the Year of the Gauntlet (three years ago), savagery struck the City of Grottos. Malar-worshiping werebeasts took the appearance of a blood moon as their call to ravage hated Loudwater. The timing could not be worse. The beloved High Lord Nanathlar Greysword was on his deathbed, the brave warrior finally giving in to old age. Both gauntlets were away from the city, and even Deldron Rein was away to Daggerford on business and to greet the return of his dear son from Amn. The Green Regent at the time was Galaer Grasswave, a kind, gentle, and studious elf wizard, kin to the Bentillail family. Galaer was no warrior-mage, but rather was a philosopher from Loudwater’s famous Velti’Enorethal, and more importantly a student (and some would say prodigy) of the powerful elven high magic wards and mythal. His short reign was spent pursuing repairs on the wards that nourish the cities flora, and protect the city from the ravages of disease and infection, as well as invasion. Scions of magical talent (especially those elves who studied at the Velti’Enorethal, of which there were many during Galaer’s reign) aided Galaer in the arcane repairs, while the others searched out rare components and lore to aid in the wards’ mending. Galaer and his Scions were in the midst of important rituals at Standing Stone Hill when the lycanthropes attacked. Not able to pause the ritual, Galaer was forced to split the Scions between defending the hill and protecting the people of Loudwater. The Scions were decimated in the ensuing battle. After two nights of fighting, fewer than a quarter of those defenders still drew breath. But they found death bravely. The ritual had not been interrupted, and many citizens had been defended against the Malarite ravages. Help came in the return of Gauntlets Kalahar Twohhands and Harazos Thelbrimm, as well as half of the Red Boar Trading Coster’s guard lead by Stedd Rein. Stedd was returning home from Athkatla where he had spent the last eight years being educated at that city’s famous College of War. When his father received a magical message telling of the attack, he sent his son ahead with his guard to Loudwater. The gauntlets regrouped the Scions, charging them to defend Standing Stone Hill, while their men, Rein’s private army, and the elven houses split the city into quadrants of defense in preparations for more assaults by the children of the Thicket. Opening his father’s stores, Stedd supplied almost two score of his warriors with alchemical silver weapons. That night the lycanthropes attacked again in a more organized, but intensely savage, strike against the ritual on Standing Stone Hill. The hill stands in the elven quadrant of the city. While some of the elven house guards fought valiantly, others delayed, leaving their main forces to defend their own estates. When Stedd heard that the hill was in danger, he gathered his men. Stedd lead the warriors toward Standing Stone Hill rippling through the Malarite lycanthropes with silver and spell, in a mad rush to Galaer Grasswave and his Scions' aid. But in the long, valiant assault toward the edge of the city, the initiative was lost. Stedd’s group found only a handful of Scion survivors, and poor brave Galaer’s head displayed on the earthen ramparts of the city's northeast edge. Still, Stedd’s valor and leadership saved the lives of many that night, including Ovendal, the new matriarch of the Beutaleen’dal family. Most of the ritual had been completed before the Green Regent’s fall. Exactly what parts, the sages, priests, and wizards of Velti’Enorethal are still trying to definitely determine. When Deldron returned to the City of Grottos he was greeted by the pungent smell of the fallen defender’s funeral pyres, and words of praise for the Rein name on the lips of survivors. A sound Deldron no doubt welcomed, as almost everyone thought the name was irreparably damaged by the treachery of his daughter, but that story will have to wait until later. If you want to be a Scion of the Green Regent, let me know. You should include a brief background on your character sheet explaining why you feel that you would make a good choice for Mielikki. If you want to play an Orc of the High Forest, let me know. I will give you a little more background that will help to explain why the orcs are acting the way they are. You should include a brief background on your character sheet explaining you feel that you would make a good choice for Mielikki and how you can rationalize maybe helping humans and elves in the process, or if you are not concerned with Mielikki, a brief description of how you feel you can fit in with the humans and elves and possibly even dwarves. If you want to be an Agent of the Red Fellowship, let me know. You should include a brief background on your character sheet explaining how your beliefs align with those of the Red Fellowship led by Stedd Rein. |
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