Ul Tannek (Part 2)

The tension was palpable as I left. No one was bold enough to draw steel within the city, but as defenders and attackers declared their sides, tempers began to flare. I slipped out quietly an hour early hoping to escape the worst of the inevitable conflict.


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

Ul Tannek (Part 1)

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.

Dubious Recruiters and Wanderlust

I'd walked south for a change of scenery and to visit some nostalgic places. The half sunken Nithron towers were still poking out of the swamps. The sarlids and the spiders swarmed around the base of Hildershall's mountain, just as they had in my greener days. But, in Hildershall itself, I saw something quite new.




There were two men in the city talking together. I watched as they began sneaking up behind a person working the city forge. I stood on the rooftops, not wanting to get caught up in what was to happen.



Together they cast spells on the crafter and launched him backwards into a wall. I looked up at the guard towers, but they remained silent. No lightning came down to smite the two men. Puzzling. Their victim was equally surprised it seemed. He stared at his assailants, and they simply stood there and smiled back at him. There was nothing left for him to do but try to get back to his work. As he approached the forge, the men once again hit him with spells, and this time he shot a fireball back at them. Immediately the guard towers awoke.

Blue blasts of energy forked down from the towers, frying the craftsman where he stood. The two men laughed and looted his body with a quickness. Then they saw me.

"Hoy, you there! I recognize you from around Sandbrook, Signus yeah?" The man was wearing very little, and only had the most basic magical staff, but his intelligent eyes seemed menacing. "Would you care to join us? We could always use another hand, we run a very lucrative business." His partner chuckled at that.

"What exactly do you do?" Once again, despite knowing it'd be best just to leave, I was too curious to let it alone.

Very bluntly, he gave me his pitch. "Well, my friends and I go around from village to village and uh, weed out the foolish ones. We like to provoke folks a bit and if we find a particularly thickheaded one, we find a loophole in the laws and get them to attack us, then reap the rewards. Very simple!" He must have seen the look on my face; he appealed to me. "Now come on, they deserve it for being so careless. Asides, we do it to everyone, not just the new recruits, hell we don't even stick to just humans. We're a very liberal clan!" He tried to give a winning smile.

Truthfully, I considered it. I'd left most of my friends behind, I couldn't really accomplish anything on my own, and I wasn't doing anything of worth. I had no direction. Maybe this clan is what I needed? I could limit myself to just raiding the Alfar or some scum down south even, if my conscience plagued me too much.



"I'll consider it" I told the man. "Let me go back to Sandbrook and settle some affairs first. I'll be in touch." The man nodded and walked off. I had no business left in Sandbrook but I needed some time to think, and I feared what these people would do if I refused them. They left out the front gates ahead of me and began to harass another traveler. I took the long way home while I thought about my future in Agon.




I got to Sandbrook and paused at my vault, not sure what to do next. I looked around. The bright light sparkling against the water looked inviting, so I grabbed my fishing rod and ran to the shore. I sat for a long while just relaxing in the sun, counting my catches.



Before long I found myself wishing for a boat, which reminded me of Piratejim, and the crew of our last vessel. My mood was ruined, so after I dragged my haul back to town, I set out again to wander.

I walked along the shores of the south sea until I came upon a lighthouse. It was an ancient building, but man made. It lacked the freakish height of the Nithron ruins. Perhaps it was built by the Chal d Eans before the Plague and Flood? The fire at its top still burned, but nobody manned the tower, no buildings surrounded it. Agon still held many mysteries.



I sat on the shore until the sun started setting, then began to move north. I walked with the lighthouse still on my mind, and as light faded entirely from the sky, I made up my mind. There was still too much to see in Agon to mope around familiar hunting grounds. I would travel again, as I hadn't done since first landing here. I was already walking north and decided to keep that course. I'd never been very far that way, since my brief run in with the Fire Dragon, and for fear of Ork patrols. But now, I was ready. With the stars in the sky and a new moon rising, I started again.