OOC: Some context. This was Darkfall's very first live event. It had been built up all week with mini events: GMs handing out little quests in the game world if you happened upon them. In one of these GM quests, a few players stole a powerful artifact from the NPC faction The Knights of Malregard The only screenshots that exist are from my xfire, which have the UI, something I think you can all live with for the sake of recounting this historic time. It was, in my opinion, the most confusing, and best event Aventurine has ever done. In fact, the confusion and misinformation directly led to a lot of the fun. What's more, the result of the event impacted the game world in a few subtle ways. The folks stealing the artifact are mentioned in a few quest lines in the game. And now, we start.
I'd ventured far afield exploring Agon's north. It was far more ruthless than I was used to. The further I traveled the more I began to feel that the summer lands of Mercia had been coddling me. In the north, entire cities were in ruins. The dead walked in every graveyard, in every temple. Strange demons patrolled cities that were once thriving. Volcanoes and acidic pits dotted the landscape.
I pushed farther forward, and reached Morak, the land of the Orks.
I knew no lore for these places. I had no context. The only knowledge I had was that a goblin revolution occurred. They threw off the shackles of their Ork master and and became burdens for everyone in Agon. After seeing some of the landscapes, it became clear why Orks were such fearsome warriors. The world they knew was fire rock and blood, and it shaped them thus.
Eventually I reached the cold Northlands. With little to look forward to but deep snow drifts and frozen landscapes, I decided to turn back south east. I was edging closer to the center of Agon, where the great Pall was.
I stopped in towns that weren't overrun by monsters, picking up bits and pieces of world gossip. It was in a human settlement that I heard some folks mention a familiar name.
"They stole it right out of their vault. The Knights of Malregard are wroth, it was their most powerful relic."
Another voice answered "And does anyone know who is behind it?"
"Some merchant family, the Ul Tanneks, that's the name on everyone's lips."
I remembered the Knights. They'd conquered the native Imric tribes when the Mercians came from across the sea. They were the strongest warrior guild in all of Agon. Who would be powerful enough to steal from them?
I followed the trail, asking from town to town, and story became clearer. The Ul Tanneks were a wealthy family based in Rubiyat. They had some kind of connection to the cult that worshiped the Red Pharaoh. That cult had many times tried to find ways to open doors to the great Pyramid and bring their sleeping Demi-God, Ur-Khamset, back into the world. This was clearly not a family to be trusted, and the knowledge that they were stealing powerful weapons didn't settle well for me.
As days passed the family was spoken of more and more frequently. There was a different story in almost every town, but one fact was always the same. The Ul Tanneks were seeking warriors to escort their caravan sometime in the near future. I knew I needed to get to Rubiyat, though it was almost an entire world away.
I rode every day, staying off the roads as much as time allowed, only pausing to rest and to bind in new cities along the way. Hard riding had rubbed the skin on my legs raw and made every muscle ache, but I at least made it to the western shores of Agon, ready to head to Rubiyat.
In one of the free Elven cities on the coast there was a great gathering of people, trading all information they knew about the Ul Tanneks. Many were swayed by the promise of gold and favor, and determined to find and protect the caravan. Another large group swore that they'd destroy this caravan before it even had a chance to set out. Nobody was entirely sure where the caravan would leave from. It seems the Ul Tanneks had wisely planted a few rumors to get their enemies headed in the wrong direction. But their protectors didn't know where to go either.
I was still uneasy about the whole situation. The cult that the Ul Tannek's belonged to could not be anything but evil. I decided it was within my best interest to get close to this family and try to discern their true agenda. I signed on with the defenders and when the awaited day came, I set off to try to find the caravan.
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