I picked a random road and started to head East, knowing I should at least make towards Rubaiyat. I was lightly armed, hoping to avoid any fights on the way. But mere minutes of travel convinced me that that wasn't going to be possible. The countryside looked like a kicked anthill. Small groups of warriors were swarming in every direction. Some waved at one another, others clashed. There were people in robes, riding horses, riding bears, drakes; there were Mahirim, Alfar, Dwarves, every type of person imaginable. And none of them knew exactly where to go.
I left the road and took the wooded paths towards the beach. The few people that spotted me were too busy trying to figure out what to do to bother with me. Eventually I reached the coast, where I paused to wonder how I'd get across the water. Perhaps there'd be a raft to nab a ride from? Before I could make any decision, another human trotted out of the woods and onto the beach. Seeing me, he gave a smile and wandered closer.
"Glad to see another human all the way out here. What are you doing standing out on the beach by yourself? Not very safe." There was no threat in his tone.
I shrugged and said, "I have nothing worth taking. I was here to enlist for the caravan, but.. I'm not sure how to find it."
The man gave me a strange look. "Well half the folks around here are convinced it's leaving from the Great Pyramid across the sea." He paused, considering me. "But of course, they're headed to the wrong place."
I perked up. "You know where to find the caravan? How?"
The man smiled. "There are rumors going around everywhere. A clan called Dune currently holds position on top of the Pyramid. They're fighting off hundreds of other soldiers, all of them hell bent on looting the caravan when it emerges. Someone let slip that a powerful artifact from the Knights of Malregard is on board. Even more armies are marching home, believing the false tale that Dune has already destroyed and looted the caravan." He touched his nose and winked. "But I have a man named Ninogan on the with the caravan even now, sending me updates on its location. The Ul Tannek's are clever, probably planted a few rumors themselves. They sneaked by the carnage and are already on a ship bound for this very coast. Care to join us?"
I quickly agreed, this was my best shot to get close to the Ul Tanneks and figure out what they were up to. The man provided me with a drake and told me to follow close. We galloped off north along the course, racing to meet the caravan as it docked and continued on its way. It was tough going, and there were some dodgy parts where we ran into local beasts, but we made it to the beach just as the ship docked and the caravan was disembarking with its defenders.
The Ul Tanneks themselves waved as we joined the group. They were dressed differently from anyone else I'd seen on Agon, they wore dark bronze armor and had striped cloth draped over their heads, worn in the style of the old Pharaohs. I had expected a wooden wagon train, but instead the caravan was in the form of a massive steel hovering battle platform, a warhulk. This particular one was called The Battle Ark.
The Family announced that they'd be traveling northeast, towards the center of Agon. They'd be meeting some wealthy Ork merchants there, and the warriors that made sure they got there safely would get a grand reward. "An eternal reward", one of the Ul Tanneks sniggered.
The traveling was not quick going, the Ark was slow and ponderous, getting stuck on fences and rocks from time to time. The craft was loaded with defenders and more trailed behind on mounts. The surroundings remained quiet as we marched through the forests, but we were all alert and waiting for the first sign of attack. We had outriders scouting the perimeter, but so far there was nothing to find.
Our first skirmishes were small scale, local wildlife and that ilk. They fell swiftly to our numbers. The victories served to dull our paranoia, and boost our confidence.
Before long, many of the defenders had become relaxed. They openly chatted with the Family as if on a pleasant ride through the gardens. The Ul Tanneks were friendly enough, but something appeared to be bothering them. Now and again they'd stare out at the hills and then frown at one another. I tried to keep in mind why I was here, tried to remind myself that the Ul Tanneks were in league with an evil cult. The longer I stayed defending the caravan though, the more I lost sight of that.
Before long we received a report that the conflict at the Pyramid had concluded. Dune had realized the caravan was gone, and they were not pleased with the deception. They were making their way towards us with fury. This put everybody's hackles back up, and we tried to hurry the caravan along. But instead, the Ark seemed to slow down, weaving around and crashing into trees. I rode closer to the warhulk and saw that the driver was getting drunk with a few dwarves! I was about to dismount and storm into the Ark when the first enemies appeared.
Our outriders had warned us about some enemies spotted to the east. Most of our force charged off immediately in that direction, leaving the caravan exposed. The defenders were lost with blood lust. I couldn't even see the enemy supposedly attacking us, but there must have been someone. The man who recruited me back on the beach rode by and gave me some bone covered armor. "Here, wear this. You're going to get yourself killed if you stay in that chain. Be careful and stay sharp!" He rode off towards the hills where all the fireballs and spells were flying.
When he rode back there was some blood on him and he proudly declared the threat was dealt with.
More messages arrived, Dune was catching up. The caravan moved slower and slower. My worry grew. "Well never even make it out of this damn forest at this rate, much less make it across Agon!" one man shouted. Others grumbled and agreed. Other riders were putting their heads together trying to figure out which clans were in Dune and who to watch out for. It was difficult keeping track of who was a defender and attacker when most of us were just clustered together from various other clans. Suddenly, fire erupted from within the Ark. Someone screamed. "They're assassinating the Ul Tanneks!"
Healing spells were being poured into the driver's area of the Ark, fires were being put out, steel sang from within. In seconds, a name came out. "ANG tried to kill the driver!"
No one waited to see if the words were true. Every ANG member was culled immediately. It was a manhunt. Some tried to flee on mounts only to have them peppered with arrows and blasted out from under them. It was over in seconds, no living member of ANG remained with the caravan. The driver shakily thanked us for saving him, the other Ul Tanneks shared a worried look. Back then I assumed they were worried about possible traitors in the ranks, but I realize now what that shared look meant.
This process repeated a second time. Attackers in the hills were devastated by hundreds of spells almost as soon as they were spotted, and another assassination attempt was put down. This time members of Black Company screamed "They BEGGED us to stab them!" as they were being cut down. Dune got closer. The Ark got caught on another tree. People were shouting now "let me drive, come on!". More nervous looks between the Ul Tanneks.
Finally the driver stopped and the Family shouted for everyone to leave the Ark. They evacuated all the defenders and then stepped out themselves.
"Defenders, gather around me." The Ul Tannek family leader stood tall, surrounded by hundreds of warriors. "I think it's past time that you all find out what you've been guarding." He held up a sheathed greatsword, and slowly, unveiled it.
I was shocked, the sword they held was Lightbringer! This must have been the artifact stolen from the Knights of Malregard, their ancestral treasure. Someone was going to pay dearly for taking this. There was no other blade of its kind in all of Agon, and here it was, mere feet away from me.
OOC:Lightbringer behind held by a dwarf
I lost myself in fantasies of prising the sword from a lifeless hand, using it to cut my way to freedom, winning glory with that blade..the booming voice of the Ul Tannek patriarch cut my daydream short.
"You defended us well friends, too well I fear! The God, the Red Pharaoh demanded BLOOD! You prevented battle at every turn! But no more, our god will be appeased! And now, for your prize. THE REWARD IS ON OUR BODIES! WE WILL SACRIFICE OUR LIVES TO THE PHARAO! THE STRONGEST MAY GET THEM! ATTACK!"
The world went mad. The cluster of soldiers surrounding the Family erupted into fire and chaos. Bodies, whole and in pieces, flew through the air as walls of fire erupted from the Ul Tanneks. The Family was screaming and laughing as men and women crisped and burned before their eyes. The shaky alliance of the defenders was shattered, blades and staves came out. Horses and drakes sprinted in different directions, swords cut into backs, spells sapped life energy, everywhere people died. I booted my drake and tore off for the woods.
It made sense now. All the stalling, all the worried glances, the "assassinations". The Ul Tanneks never wanted to reach the Orks. Chaos was everywhere, and I needed to escape, to warn someone about the Ul Tanneks as soon as I could. An arrow caught my mount behind the head and it went down in a heap. I kept sprinting and hopped onto a riderless horse, getting a bit closer to the woods. I chopped awkwardly down on an Ork as I rode by, clearing a path for myself. I didn't make it far, a barrage of fireballs made my mount rear, sending me tumbling down to the earth. I rolled and came down next to a body. I paused to grab the expensive looking sword from the dead mahirim, spinning to defend myself. I turned only in time to see an axe come down on my face.
Darkness took me.
OOC: This has been, to date, my favorite Darkfall event. The week long buildup, with the vague in character posts by liaisons, the in game quests and GMs playing as NPCs and roleplaying with the players really pulled me into the fun. I kept up with the rumors flying around the forums all week. Some players made in character posts about their interactions with the GMs, and the quests that they were sent out on (one of which was the theft of Lightbringer from the Knights of Malregard). What's more, these quests were reflected in the game world, albeit in a small way. The theft of the sword is referenced in a few quest texts in specific cities for various factions in Darkfall even to this day.
The day of the event though, was endless drama, which is good, and bad. Not everyone shared my enthusiasm for the dynamic event. It was unpredictable and vague, and largely changed based on what the players did, as a dynamic event should. The devs thought that the caravan would die within minutes, but the defenders, shockingly managed to fight off the small attack groups, while the main attack group was left wandering confused in Rubaiyat, having fallen for one of the false rumors. Some people never found the event, others complained that all the gear they lost wasn't worth the PvP. (those particular people who are more concerned with min maxing than having fun, I just do not understand.)
There was roleplaying around the Ark, people getting along without slaughtering one another for once, cooperation between enemy clans, some decent PvP, and a fantastic FFA bloodbath with high stakes loot. I loved the lore, the mystery, and the GM interaction. AV has, sadly, largely dropped the Ul Tannek plot line. Whether they're waiting for 2.0 to continue it, or if the "end of the world" event they hinted at will tie into it, I don't know. I just wish we'd get more events like this. It's far too easy to make a quick little "Meet here at x for a chance to win y". That's not memorable. While that's certainly not bad, I hope they continue with some of the more elaborate dynamic events, like this one. It's fine if not everyone knows what's going on, it's part of the fun!
For anyone interested in reading more about the first Darkfall event, there's the following links:
The forum thread that people posted in while the event happened. The Dune propagated rumor that the caravan was already down starts on page 18ish. Link
Here is a fan video from Ninogan depicting the adventure.(finally, a video set to good music too) Link
And lastly, the official Aventurine video for the event. And here
