A revamping of a group I played with in high school. Reworked to exist in my current world of Orea...Kind of a "shout out"/"tip of the hat" to the old gang.
The stats are purely bare bones for simple reference and a visual idea. (I have done a picture of them but it's still getting inked.) If anyone would like to tranfer them into more complete 3e or 4e playable versions, have at it.
Thought they might some fun NPCs.
--SD
------------------------------------------------
The Knights of Norloknyr
Also known (in common lore around Grinlia) as the "Defenders of Demongate" and, alternatively (or "officially") as the adventuring company of "Sunderfiend, Thornbane, Elf & Co.", Orea's foremost "hunters of demons, devils and other extradimensional nasties."
Of the 20 hearty warriors, powerful mages and road-hardened adventurers invited to this "final interview and briefing session"...5 individuals (some not even selected) showed up. Well, actually 6 counting the invisible Shi'Daeiri thief who was nearly run threw with steel and spell at her sudden "appearance." Were it not for the intercession of her mate and a paladin in attendance (asserting with his irreproachable abilities and character that the Shi'Daeiri elf was, in fact, NOT evil...?!?), it is doubtful their employer would have ever accepted her (or the warrior, Dice) into their group...which ultimately would have prevented the "knights" from achieving much of their fame and fortune.
Following their initial quest for/with Zavor, the band took on other profitable endeavors involving the solving of mysteries, removing of curses, the defeat of many unknown horrors of the lower planes (and the evils of this one). Their travels began throughout the Duchy of Denil, but they forayed as far as the barren Aeiri Kros and even traversed the dread swamps of Dunsmoor (daring to face the wicked witch-queen therein).
In their travels the company gained and lost members. They crossed paths and joined forces with other heroes at various times, including the Steel Dragon Lela Eth Mitar, the ranger-priestess Aline Whitebow and a certain gnome magician whom Zavor maintains a bounty on to this day.
Their most noted adventure, however, involves a commission by the lords of the town of Dunhas (at the edge of the Kiari Hills) to deal with the plaguing curse and rising evil in the forgotten castle of Norloknyr. The company's success in this endeavor (turned lengthy and dire quest) brought them to the notice of the theocratic aristocracy of Sanctum and the royal court in Aberol, itself. In the end, the band prevented a powerful sect of the elder demon god, Karos, from unleashing an unending horde from the nether realms through an ancient gate of immensely dark magic, long hidden in the forgotten keep.
The company was (jointly) awarded with a "knighthood" by the high-queen. Proclaimed defenders of the realm, they were given the castle of Norloknyr and surrounding lands (now called "Demongate" by the locals) as their own. To this day the company resides in Norloknyr (after some refurbishment) keeping watch on the "demongate" within and questing forth from time to time to investigate rumors of other "gates" or demonic happenings as well as other challenges.
The members of the Demongate Defenders are:
Pallendyr lived through the ages when demons and Shi'Daeiri ravaged the realms before their banishment (he still does not fully trust Cassadine). He fought across the continent in the Scourge Wars against the demon godson Aishapra. He has lost track of the number of demon-related prophecies, legends, items and curses to pass before his eyes during his centuries of study. All of this has brought to bare Pallendyr's obssession with the lower planes. He has spent (and continues to spend) much time researching various demons, demon lords, demonic realms, demonic creatures, legends of demonic items and the magics that can control and/or (his primary focus) destroy them. This was what brought him west to the city of Brightmoon, seeking any knowledge in the much vaunted libraries that he had not already found in R'Hath. He saw one of Zavor's posters and the dwarf was thrilled to accept an applicant who was a powerful mage (and elf and another priest, to boot!) with extensive demonic knowledge.
Turns out the mortal warrior was Dice. Also turns out, after a few days of shadowing and observing her "prey", Cassadine found herself with unfamliar and (at first) uncomfortable feelings for this sad, pale, weak mortal...A few days more to observe this carefree...happy...affable companion...He's not going anywhere. A few more days to experience these utterly bizarre realms beneath the stars couldn't hurt. This would probably be the only time in her long lifespan that she would have permission to travel to the surface. He was a capable swordsman (for a mongrel human). He had an infectious and completely sincere smile ..this gentle giant of a man, protective but tender...brutal in battle when he had to be...but how could this buffoon possibly cause the downfall of such a powerful evil? Maybe the matron was mistaken...What were these things...these "feelings"? Damnable hellsfont! She fell in love...with a human?!..and her prey!!
Almost immediately after revealing herself to Dice the two began a love affair that continues, almost unabated, to this day.
Cassadine's attendance at Zavor's meeting was simply to hear the deal and make sure Dice got the job. They needed, as always, some money and Dice was pretty adamant about her not "stealing (as he called it) from nice people." After hearing the proposed quest, Cassadine decided to make herself known and offer her "services" as a "demon expert" (besides, she wasn't about to let that Staliiri mage get all of the credit. She may have been several generations removed from the first dark elves who were banished to the underworld, but she'd not been in the Overlands long enough to eshew those ages old racial divides). After Arrox averred she was not evil, followed by scores of divinations and other spells from Zavor and Pallendyr, answering to their satisfaction that she REALLY was not evil, Zavor assented (against some other voices) to let Cass join his band...after all, how often does a dark elf demon expert show up when you need one?
Over the years since then, Cassadine has proven herself time and again to be a valuable, valiant, and truly amicable companion. She has employed her stealth, skills and swords to the party's benefit, turning the tide of many battles and saving the lives of several company members, some more than once. She has come to be accepted not only as a valued (and extremely capable) adventuring companion but as a friend by most of the company...and in Dice's case, as adored lover and partner as well. In turn, Cassadine has come to think of the Defenders of Demongate as her adopted clan and is very pleased with the love and life (including a fortress and lands) she has eked out for herself and Dice.
Initially distraught at her apparent failure, Arathrista has grown strong as the oak over her few years with the "DG" Defenders. She is secure and assured in her skills at arms, her nature magics and her mastery of various animal forms. And though she remains true to her druidic teachings, she is not ashamed for the recognition her abilities have gotten her versus hiding in the dark glades and secret sacred places of the Ancient Order.
The stats are purely bare bones for simple reference and a visual idea. (I have done a picture of them but it's still getting inked.) If anyone would like to tranfer them into more complete 3e or 4e playable versions, have at it.
Thought they might some fun NPCs.
--SD
------------------------------------------------
The Knights of Norloknyr
Also known (in common lore around Grinlia) as the "Defenders of Demongate" and, alternatively (or "officially") as the adventuring company of "Sunderfiend, Thornbane, Elf & Co.", Orea's foremost "hunters of demons, devils and other extradimensional nasties."
HEROES WANTED: Adventurous adventurers of all races and professions needed to assist in a quest of valor and peril.
Road expenses covered. Room & Board (where possible) covered.
Additional wages of 5% of the acquired proceeds (following tithes, taxes, travel & other acceptable incidentals)
to be split among surviving returning members.
Funerary expenses respectably covered (within reason), as necessary.
Knowledge of and/or experience combating demons HIGHLY preferred and recommended.
Contact Zavor Sunderfiend
between supper and mooncrest, care of the Gilded Horn Inn,
2212 Dunseny Street, Tavernsquare
Leaside, Brightmoon.
This was the posting scribbled out on parchments that hung all around Brightmoon for a fortnight before a certain dwarven employer finally called a meeting of his "approved" applicants.Road expenses covered. Room & Board (where possible) covered.
Additional wages of 5% of the acquired proceeds (following tithes, taxes, travel & other acceptable incidentals)
to be split among surviving returning members.
Funerary expenses respectably covered (within reason), as necessary.
Knowledge of and/or experience combating demons HIGHLY preferred and recommended.
Contact Zavor Sunderfiend
between supper and mooncrest, care of the Gilded Horn Inn,
2212 Dunseny Street, Tavernsquare
Leaside, Brightmoon.
Of the 20 hearty warriors, powerful mages and road-hardened adventurers invited to this "final interview and briefing session"...5 individuals (some not even selected) showed up. Well, actually 6 counting the invisible Shi'Daeiri thief who was nearly run threw with steel and spell at her sudden "appearance." Were it not for the intercession of her mate and a paladin in attendance (asserting with his irreproachable abilities and character that the Shi'Daeiri elf was, in fact, NOT evil...?!?), it is doubtful their employer would have ever accepted her (or the warrior, Dice) into their group...which ultimately would have prevented the "knights" from achieving much of their fame and fortune.
Following their initial quest for/with Zavor, the band took on other profitable endeavors involving the solving of mysteries, removing of curses, the defeat of many unknown horrors of the lower planes (and the evils of this one). Their travels began throughout the Duchy of Denil, but they forayed as far as the barren Aeiri Kros and even traversed the dread swamps of Dunsmoor (daring to face the wicked witch-queen therein).
In their travels the company gained and lost members. They crossed paths and joined forces with other heroes at various times, including the Steel Dragon Lela Eth Mitar, the ranger-priestess Aline Whitebow and a certain gnome magician whom Zavor maintains a bounty on to this day.
Their most noted adventure, however, involves a commission by the lords of the town of Dunhas (at the edge of the Kiari Hills) to deal with the plaguing curse and rising evil in the forgotten castle of Norloknyr. The company's success in this endeavor (turned lengthy and dire quest) brought them to the notice of the theocratic aristocracy of Sanctum and the royal court in Aberol, itself. In the end, the band prevented a powerful sect of the elder demon god, Karos, from unleashing an unending horde from the nether realms through an ancient gate of immensely dark magic, long hidden in the forgotten keep.
The company was (jointly) awarded with a "knighthood" by the high-queen. Proclaimed defenders of the realm, they were given the castle of Norloknyr and surrounding lands (now called "Demongate" by the locals) as their own. To this day the company resides in Norloknyr (after some refurbishment) keeping watch on the "demongate" within and questing forth from time to time to investigate rumors of other "gates" or demonic happenings as well as other challenges.
The members of the Demongate Defenders are:
- Zavor Sunderfiend: dwarf/male, Fighter/Cleric (of Tolaron Kor) 8/6. Lawful Good. Armor: Chain +3. Weapons: battle axes (+4 and +2 frostbrand, respectively), mithral dagger +2, spell use. Zavor Sunderfiend, "of the Daegun Sunderfiends", began the company to ferret out a demonic evil that was harrowing a dwarf colony in the lower Dragonreach range. Never expecting to achieve the wealth and prosperity he has, nor to befriend such a diverse array of creatures (particularly the dark elf!), Zavor is very happy with his life and the ("his") company. Perfectly content to pass his time in retirement "on watch" in Norloknyr, these days Zavor mostly administrates the knights' realm of Demongate and oversees the acquisition and/or undertaking of new adventuring opportunities.
- Arrox Thornbane: human/male, Paladin (of Astar) 13. Lawful Good. Armor: Plate ("Barbed Devil Plate" +2, +3 vs. demons, devils, et. al.). Weapons: two-handed sword +4 ("Titan's Fury", a +4 vorpal blade with "holy" powers/attributes), dagger +3, spell use. Arrox and his half-brother chanced upon Zavor's post in the city of Brightmoon in their own quest for knowledge of/to hunt down and destroy the demon that slayed their mother. His is a massive figure in terms of height (6'5"), muscle and spirit. Arrox's general good-nature, strength of character and holy fortitude shines from beneath his spiked helm, capable of inspiring and empowering all that behold his visage.
- Shiir "Thornbane": half-elf/male, Ranger/Thief 8/4. Chaotic Good. Armor: Leather +2. Weapons: Short swords (both +1, one cold iron, one mithral), short bow/arrows (15, +2 3x, blessed +5 2x), dagger +3, daggers (non-magical, 2x). While not a Thornbane by birth, Shiir took the name, with Arrox's approval and blessing, following the death of their mother when the two began their quest to destroy the fell beast that killed her. They found Zavor's advertisement in Brightmoon and the rest is history. Shiir is much shorter than Arrox (and most elves, for that matter, standing just around 5'3") with dark brown hair and grey-green eyes. He is dressed in leathers and cloaked in dark shades of greys and greens. Shiir is generally the cynical and contemplative shadow to Arrox's shining countenance.
- Pallendyr: elf (see below)/male, Mage/Cleric 9/7. Neutral Good. Armor: bracer's of defense (AC 4), cloak of energy protection +3, brooch of shielding. Weapons: the Bell of Argentine (staff with multiple detection and defensive magics specifically against/with demons), wand of the storm, wand of disruption, ring of mental dominance, spell use. Pallendyr is actually one of the last remaining Shi'Staliiri traveling in the open realms (i.e. outside of Shi'Staliir). Though his centuries away from the star elves mingling in the mortal realms has greatly diminished his "otherworldly" luminance, Pallendyr's true lineage can still be seen at times, particularly during twilight or while working some paticularly powerful spell. This is generally taken by most observers as part and parcel of some magic-y wizard-ness who simply believe Pallendyr to be one of the Miralostae, which he affirms. This is technically true though he has not resided in Miralosta for any length of time since its inception. Pallendyr left Shi'Staliir with the houses of Nirastrelyn 1,000 years ago in "The Parting" to use his (even then) formidable magical talents to battle the forces of the evil scourge, Aishapra. Though his height might lead a particularly elf-knowledgeable person to think him Shi'Cynallae, other elves and all fayekind immediately note his high blood. Pallendyr is, despite his lingering in mortal realms for the past 1,000 years, still born of Shi'Staliir and as such immortal.
Pallendyr lived through the ages when demons and Shi'Daeiri ravaged the realms before their banishment (he still does not fully trust Cassadine). He fought across the continent in the Scourge Wars against the demon godson Aishapra. He has lost track of the number of demon-related prophecies, legends, items and curses to pass before his eyes during his centuries of study. All of this has brought to bare Pallendyr's obssession with the lower planes. He has spent (and continues to spend) much time researching various demons, demon lords, demonic realms, demonic creatures, legends of demonic items and the magics that can control and/or (his primary focus) destroy them. This was what brought him west to the city of Brightmoon, seeking any knowledge in the much vaunted libraries that he had not already found in R'Hath. He saw one of Zavor's posters and the dwarf was thrilled to accept an applicant who was a powerful mage (and elf and another priest, to boot!) with extensive demonic knowledge.
- Dice: human/male, Fighter 14. Neutral Good. Armor: Chain and shield +2. Weapons: Long sword +2 (Dulcimer), long sword +1 (flame tongue), dagger. Not as tall as Arrox but more broad, Dice is another monster of a man. Never the brightest torch or terribly quick on the uptake, Dice's impressive physique and exceptional strength meant he never wanted for work as a sword-for-hire. And work he did. Dice has no qualms about jumping into a fray, blade first, nary flinching from any type of foe. He is always happy-go-lucky, usually found with a "no worries" smile on his handsome face. Even Dice's occasional childlike ignorance (or is it outright stupidity?) makes him more endeared to his companions. Though none so endeared as his beloved Cassadine. Dice (and Cass) responded to Zavor's advertisement shortly after arriving in Brightmoon, simply for a job that would pay and let him (them) use of his (their) sword(s)...little did they know what they were getting themselves into.
- Cassadine Althain: Shi'Daeiri (dark elf)/female, Thief 15. Chaotic Good. Armor: Leather +2 (immune to fire), Cloak of invisibility. Weapons: falchion +3, dagger +2, racial spell abilities, boots of flying. Cassadine Althain is one of the (if not THE) only Shi'Daeiri elves known to exist in the surface realms of Orea...and thankfully, she is not known by most. In almost all public settings "Cass", as she's called by her few friends, keeps herself invisible to escape notice and avoid causing fear or panic among the masses. Most of the surface realms think "dark elves" a matter of horrific fiction and what few times Cass tried to interact with locals turned...well, we'll just say "bad". So in time, it came to be believed that the company of demon-hunters was so powerful they even had a demon who fought for them against other demons, a shadow spirit that could appear with cold slashing blades. Between her cloak and boots of flying, this ruse was relatively simple to pull off. In fact, it wasn't until their audience with Queen Baradith that Zavor insisted the Shi'Daeiri come forward and be recognized for her role in the company's success.
Turns out the mortal warrior was Dice. Also turns out, after a few days of shadowing and observing her "prey", Cassadine found herself with unfamliar and (at first) uncomfortable feelings for this sad, pale, weak mortal...A few days more to observe this carefree...happy...affable companion...He's not going anywhere. A few more days to experience these utterly bizarre realms beneath the stars couldn't hurt. This would probably be the only time in her long lifespan that she would have permission to travel to the surface. He was a capable swordsman (for a mongrel human). He had an infectious and completely sincere smile ..this gentle giant of a man, protective but tender...brutal in battle when he had to be...but how could this buffoon possibly cause the downfall of such a powerful evil? Maybe the matron was mistaken...What were these things...these "feelings"? Damnable hellsfont! She fell in love...with a human?!..and her prey!!
Almost immediately after revealing herself to Dice the two began a love affair that continues, almost unabated, to this day.
Cassadine's attendance at Zavor's meeting was simply to hear the deal and make sure Dice got the job. They needed, as always, some money and Dice was pretty adamant about her not "stealing (as he called it) from nice people." After hearing the proposed quest, Cassadine decided to make herself known and offer her "services" as a "demon expert" (besides, she wasn't about to let that Staliiri mage get all of the credit. She may have been several generations removed from the first dark elves who were banished to the underworld, but she'd not been in the Overlands long enough to eshew those ages old racial divides). After Arrox averred she was not evil, followed by scores of divinations and other spells from Zavor and Pallendyr, answering to their satisfaction that she REALLY was not evil, Zavor assented (against some other voices) to let Cass join his band...after all, how often does a dark elf demon expert show up when you need one?
Over the years since then, Cassadine has proven herself time and again to be a valuable, valiant, and truly amicable companion. She has employed her stealth, skills and swords to the party's benefit, turning the tide of many battles and saving the lives of several company members, some more than once. She has come to be accepted not only as a valued (and extremely capable) adventuring companion but as a friend by most of the company...and in Dice's case, as adored lover and partner as well. In turn, Cassadine has come to think of the Defenders of Demongate as her adopted clan and is very pleased with the love and life (including a fortress and lands) she has eked out for herself and Dice.
- Gilbert Whistlehoot: halfling/male, Thief 10. Chaotic Neutral. Armor: Leather. Weapons: Dagger +3, short bow +1 (17 normal arrows, 3 silver-tipped, other assorted minor magic items). Noone's entirely sure how Gilbert ended up in the group. He was at the Gilded Horn when Zavor met with the group for the first time...but they were 3 days out from Brightmoon before anyone really noticing he was still with them. Most of the party members assumed he was Zavor's valet. Zavor presumed he was Pallendyr's lackey or the half-elf's cook or the paladin's sword polisher...since he seemed to do just about anything for anyone. When Zavor had decided to send the enthusiastic young hairfoot on his way at the next town, the halfling saved the dwarf during a surprise encounter in the wild. That was good enough for Zavor, the halfling was IN from that point forward.
- Arathrista: human/female, Druid 12. True Neutral. Armor: Leather, druid cloak. Weapons: "warbird" cudgel +1, druid spear (+3), dagger, spell use. Arathrista is a druid of the Ancient Order from the realms of Mostrial. She was trained in the great oaken ways of Mistwood, itself. She was assigned as "Keeper" of a wood in Denil that contained a sacred mound which imprisoned a demon. The demon broke its bonds and escaped to ravage her forest and the surrounding natural lands.
Initially distraught at her apparent failure, Arathrista has grown strong as the oak over her few years with the "DG" Defenders. She is secure and assured in her skills at arms, her nature magics and her mastery of various animal forms. And though she remains true to her druidic teachings, she is not ashamed for the recognition her abilities have gotten her versus hiding in the dark glades and secret sacred places of the Ancient Order.
