Dispatches from Ardin, Pt I
Ardin, TU - 9/3/918
In Rakka several years ago, a team of greedy and self-centered adventurers with no attachment to the kingdom they worked for nearly plunged the nation into chaos by squandering state resources and cavorting with fiends seeking to corrupt the kingdom from within. After a near-fatal standoff at a tavern in Rel-Avery it appeared that the adventuring guild would collapse into chaos, but a change in leadership and a tighter rein on party affairs ensured that Rakka's Heroes saved their kingdom from descending into a costly civil war.
A new band of adventurers has crossed the mountains into the Treeleaf Union, and much like Rakka’s Heroes they lack a basic attachment towards the country they’re fighting for. In an era when adventurers are being consolidated as defenders of various realms and kingdoms, the so-called ‘Fantastic Fellows’ of Bahamut's Gilded Hecat Guild maintain the old tradition of staring into the abyss for mercenary interests. Smaller practices have managed to exist in such a manner (a team of adventurers has made some noise in the villages bordering the Southwest Passage in Thorvald for their heroic exploits in the name of fine liquor), but no guild as well-financed as the FF has pursued such an ambitious agenda in such a short window of time.
The group first came on the scene in Silvio at the end of August, overshadowed by a spate of high-profile murders in the area that were eventually resolved by the local Avventuri. They claimed the bounty on a local hedge wizard, apprehending him from the seedy Sporco neighborhood of Silvio and ensuring his prompt execution for unethical magic experiments. With these earnings they quickly ventured towards Ardin and the heartland of the Imperial Marshes, eliminating specters in town before deciding to tackle larger bounties. The group vanished for more than a week, returning with the remains of a massive sahuagin and enough vials of spectral dust to nearly clear out Ardin’s treasury collecting on the bounty.
Adventurers have come and gone through the Imperial Marshes, most notably when Adam Divisav went on a drunken bender in 907 and killed an entire camp of sahuagin east of Ardin. But none have made as lasting an impression as the FF, taking every sun-bleached bounty poster and squeezing it for as much gold as they can muster. Tasks deemed impossible by the local government are now being collected on, leading to some of these contracts being paid out by foreign actors like the Sardivelian nobleman Mario Mario who paid for clearing out Ivasar Acres. Such an intense demand for gold and metal for weaponry has squeezed the Treeleaf Union’s economy in the marshes, worsening a harvest season already dampened by weeks of constant flooding. But the FF are shooting for a long-term gambit in their exploits: defeat the source of the hauntings and ensure years of prosperity in the region.
That source? The ancient aqueducts east of Ardin, stretching out from the ruins of Kassædeia like a ghostly web. Some evil force appears to be corrupting the region, taking the form of the late Bianca Avon of the former Elflands Empire. As an imperialist known for her controversial and brutal tactics during the Characters Revolution of 896, it comes as little surprise to some that this spectral entity would take the form of such a cruel oppressor.
Despite the costs inflicted by this season of bounties, there’s a mood of cautious optimism in Ardin. ‘Every day I see the rains and see the ghosts, but there’s something at the end of the day that keeps me going’ says Gilbert Pigkicker, a local sewage worker. ‘If these guys can keep going and fighting all these ghosts, then I can spend twelve hours waist-deep in shit every day’.
Indeed, these Fortunate Fellows have made an impression on the community more so than other adventuring guilds. Argus (the lover) spends his days consulting with the community elders to glean some insight into the spirits haunting the region, and Phaedra the bard can be seen every morning jogging through town before work (perhaps the health benefits of daily exercise are true, she appears younger day by day). Zan’kiri the magi patronizes the local foundries for supplies to forge weapons in the fights against these restless spirits, and the fellow bard Ysmyrelda has been known to put on performances at the Sandbox tavern at the end of a long day of work. Even Windred the healer finds ways to give back to the community, meeting with local officials like Ulmo Anklebiter (MP - New Merchant’s Union) to ensure fair working standards at the farms and local businesses in the region. Despite their strictly pecuniary interests in the region, the FF have taken the time to familiarize themselves with the community’s needs and what can be done to improve their quality of life.
And their work isn’t complete yet. After their latest return to Ardin flush with funds, this band of adventurers is already making their final preparations for an all-out assault on the evil forces in the aqueducts. As disappearances are on the rise this call to action could not come sooner, but it also carries with it the ominous echoes of previous failed campaigns. The mere mention of the Flying Feather will make any adventurer’s skin crawl, the fate of a total massacre just a few bad decisions away. These adventurers have survived hordes of sahuagadiles and specters alike, but can they stare death in the face and come out the other side as victors?
Only time will tell. Without any updates from the Redscale Rumblers (their last sighting was near the Desperan border town of Rochelle two weeks ago), I will remain in the Treeleaf Union to see how this party’s fate turns out. There is plenty of space for cemeteries in these marshes, and hopefully these adventurers will not require one by the end of the month. Either I will update you, dear readers, on this group’s success or I will venture south to imbibe these fine liquors that adventurers are risking life and limb for. - R.K.
In Rakka several years ago, a team of greedy and self-centered adventurers with no attachment to the kingdom they worked for nearly plunged the nation into chaos by squandering state resources and cavorting with fiends seeking to corrupt the kingdom from within. After a near-fatal standoff at a tavern in Rel-Avery it appeared that the adventuring guild would collapse into chaos, but a change in leadership and a tighter rein on party affairs ensured that Rakka's Heroes saved their kingdom from descending into a costly civil war.
A new band of adventurers has crossed the mountains into the Treeleaf Union, and much like Rakka’s Heroes they lack a basic attachment towards the country they’re fighting for. In an era when adventurers are being consolidated as defenders of various realms and kingdoms, the so-called ‘Fantastic Fellows’ of Bahamut's Gilded Hecat Guild maintain the old tradition of staring into the abyss for mercenary interests. Smaller practices have managed to exist in such a manner (a team of adventurers has made some noise in the villages bordering the Southwest Passage in Thorvald for their heroic exploits in the name of fine liquor), but no guild as well-financed as the FF has pursued such an ambitious agenda in such a short window of time.
The group first came on the scene in Silvio at the end of August, overshadowed by a spate of high-profile murders in the area that were eventually resolved by the local Avventuri. They claimed the bounty on a local hedge wizard, apprehending him from the seedy Sporco neighborhood of Silvio and ensuring his prompt execution for unethical magic experiments. With these earnings they quickly ventured towards Ardin and the heartland of the Imperial Marshes, eliminating specters in town before deciding to tackle larger bounties. The group vanished for more than a week, returning with the remains of a massive sahuagin and enough vials of spectral dust to nearly clear out Ardin’s treasury collecting on the bounty.
Adventurers have come and gone through the Imperial Marshes, most notably when Adam Divisav went on a drunken bender in 907 and killed an entire camp of sahuagin east of Ardin. But none have made as lasting an impression as the FF, taking every sun-bleached bounty poster and squeezing it for as much gold as they can muster. Tasks deemed impossible by the local government are now being collected on, leading to some of these contracts being paid out by foreign actors like the Sardivelian nobleman Mario Mario who paid for clearing out Ivasar Acres. Such an intense demand for gold and metal for weaponry has squeezed the Treeleaf Union’s economy in the marshes, worsening a harvest season already dampened by weeks of constant flooding. But the FF are shooting for a long-term gambit in their exploits: defeat the source of the hauntings and ensure years of prosperity in the region.
That source? The ancient aqueducts east of Ardin, stretching out from the ruins of Kassædeia like a ghostly web. Some evil force appears to be corrupting the region, taking the form of the late Bianca Avon of the former Elflands Empire. As an imperialist known for her controversial and brutal tactics during the Characters Revolution of 896, it comes as little surprise to some that this spectral entity would take the form of such a cruel oppressor.
Despite the costs inflicted by this season of bounties, there’s a mood of cautious optimism in Ardin. ‘Every day I see the rains and see the ghosts, but there’s something at the end of the day that keeps me going’ says Gilbert Pigkicker, a local sewage worker. ‘If these guys can keep going and fighting all these ghosts, then I can spend twelve hours waist-deep in shit every day’.
Indeed, these Fortunate Fellows have made an impression on the community more so than other adventuring guilds. Argus (the lover) spends his days consulting with the community elders to glean some insight into the spirits haunting the region, and Phaedra the bard can be seen every morning jogging through town before work (perhaps the health benefits of daily exercise are true, she appears younger day by day). Zan’kiri the magi patronizes the local foundries for supplies to forge weapons in the fights against these restless spirits, and the fellow bard Ysmyrelda has been known to put on performances at the Sandbox tavern at the end of a long day of work. Even Windred the healer finds ways to give back to the community, meeting with local officials like Ulmo Anklebiter (MP - New Merchant’s Union) to ensure fair working standards at the farms and local businesses in the region. Despite their strictly pecuniary interests in the region, the FF have taken the time to familiarize themselves with the community’s needs and what can be done to improve their quality of life.
And their work isn’t complete yet. After their latest return to Ardin flush with funds, this band of adventurers is already making their final preparations for an all-out assault on the evil forces in the aqueducts. As disappearances are on the rise this call to action could not come sooner, but it also carries with it the ominous echoes of previous failed campaigns. The mere mention of the Flying Feather will make any adventurer’s skin crawl, the fate of a total massacre just a few bad decisions away. These adventurers have survived hordes of sahuagadiles and specters alike, but can they stare death in the face and come out the other side as victors?
Only time will tell. Without any updates from the Redscale Rumblers (their last sighting was near the Desperan border town of Rochelle two weeks ago), I will remain in the Treeleaf Union to see how this party’s fate turns out. There is plenty of space for cemeteries in these marshes, and hopefully these adventurers will not require one by the end of the month. Either I will update you, dear readers, on this group’s success or I will venture south to imbibe these fine liquors that adventurers are risking life and limb for. - R.K.
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