| Home | FRP Gaming | Plague Devastation |
Campaign Journal
Dramatis Personae
The Spoken Word of Shaepiro
I was born to a noble Trierzi house. Trierzon is a kingdom in Lythia and my father was a lord of some esteem. I was raised as a devout Laranian and knight. Music, heraldry, reading and script were taught to me as well as the craft of war. When I was 18, war raged across the lands and rival forces attacked my father's keep. My family was slain and my keep sacked. I fought my way out with some troops and my brother. My brother soon died thereafter of an infection and I sought counsel among friends. I escaped on a galley to Harn where my great grandfather had once lived long ago. After a long journey, I reached Meldryn. I wandered for a while, gathering fame as a strong warrior and a religious man, and my life fell into place as I wandered near Thay. In a fierce battle I proved myself as a courageous and valiant knight and so lucky was I that I was granted the hand of a fine woman. I lived for many years in my new home and estate. I had a vision as I once hunted in the woods using a bow that I had bought in Meldryn: Larani, or some avatar of hers, appeared to me. She cut the claws off an eagle and I drank it's blood out of a gilded cup. Luck was with me; I was blessed with two strong sons when I was but seven and twenty years old. Then there was horror. An old hag, who was a different version of the beautiful avatar who had appeared years ago came to my lands. She said she was pregnant with my child. My wife, my people were horrified. In an agonizing birth, she spewed forth what she claimed was my child. It had an angelic face, but it had the twisted and broken body of some horrible monster. Then, my wife cut her own throat, but not before strangling my two sons. I was too slow, too late. There was an uprising and I flew on my steed into the forest. Somewhere, my steed threw me, and I lay by a forest pond for some time. An old man came by in the woods and I told him my woes. He laughed and ran off into the forest. I wandered for days without number. Later, I met a man with juggling balls. He took me to a place called Buir Dom. Here I sat and thought and grieved. Had the old hag been Larani or some foul demon? Was I being tested? Punished? I performed sacrifice. I hunted, but nothing came to me so I wandered. Some time I met up with the Merry RiffRaff and for no reason other than not having a reason not to, decided to travel with them to Araka-Kalai. On the way, a creature, an Eater of Eyes, took half my sight. Another Curse? Bad luck? Nothing at all? I am not happy, but I forget my pain and I feel peace in the blood, the stupidity, the carnage, and beauty of battle.
The Ballad of Shaepiro
Fortune, Empress of the world. (Carl Orf - Carmina Burana)
O Fortune variable as the moon, always dost thou wax and wane. Detestable life, First dost thou mistreat us, and then, whimsically, Thou heedest our desires, As the sun melts the ice, So dost thou dissolve both poverty and power
Monstrous and empty fate, Thou, turning wheel, art mean, voiding good health at thy will. Veiled in obscurity, thou dost attack me also. To thy cruel pleasure I bare my back.
Thou dost withdraw my health and virtue; thou dost threaten my emotion and weakness with torture. At this hour, therefore, let us pluck the strings without delay, Let us mourn together For fate crushes the brave.
I lament fortune's blows with weeping eyes, for she extorts from me her gifts, now pregnant and prodigal, now lean and sear.
Once I was seated on fortune's throne, crowned with a garland of prosperity. In the bloom of my felicity I was struck down and robbed of my glory.
At the turn of fortune's wheel, one is deposed, another is lifted high to enjoy a brief felicity. Uneasy sits the king- let him beware his ruin, for beneath the axle of the wheel we read the name Hecuba.
The Tale of Shaepiro the Many-Cursed Shaepiro was born the eldest son of a Tierzi baron. As a strong boy with flaming red hair and aquiline features, he was raised as a devout soldier of Larani. He was taught to tone his body through climbing, swimming and riding. He was schooled in melee combat and was taught archery from his father's forester. He learned to read and write and play the flute. All was well until war rocked Tierzon. His father was murdered and the keep besieged. Shaepiro donned his father's ancient armor, took up his father's blade, Seticor and led an army to escape the burning keep. All his brothers were slain in the battle, and his sister was captured by mercenaries, raped then killed. Heart-stricken and forlorn, Shaepiro managed to escape Tierzon on a ship bound for the dark island of Harn where his uncle had once dwelt. He arrived in Meldryn a sad figure, sticking out like a sore thumb in his strange armor and mannerisms. He used the last of his wealth to take a ship to Thay. In wandering northern Meldryn, he came upon a keep besieged by tribesmen led by some "civilized" scum. In a pitched battle, a local lord and Shaepiro fought side by side and the lord was so impressed by his actions, that he offered Shaepiro the hand of his lovely daughter Elinore. Thus Shaepiro had a wife and though an exile, a home to call his own, and a place among the nobility of Meldryn.
One day, while riding in the forest, Shaepiro had a vision. It was of the cutting of the talons of an eagle and a prophesy. He thought little of it and years passed. He came to the age of twenty five and had begotten two young boys on Elinore. Then one dark day, an old hag came to the gates of the keep, claiming she was pregnant with Shaepiro's child. She had a horribly malformed child and in madness and horror, Elinore strangled his two children and then killed herself with a dirk. Shaepiro fled the keep perused by his own men and rode into the forest. He floundered and lost his steed. He lay hurt in the forest but none would help him. Even an old hermit spat on him. Shaepiro became, bitter, half-mad, his hair matted with weeds, his armor rusting. Much time later, a strange man led him to Buir Dom, an old Jarin ruin. There he stayed, quietly meditating, performing sacrifice, foraging for food, and fletching arrows to hint. He continued his wanderings and chanced upon the Company. He traveled with them because of their seeming desire to meet with violent and glorious ends. He learned some of harn, learned to read Lakise and played chess with Lady Shylocke. These pastimes did little to give him meaning and for a while he was heartless and godless. Traveling south to Araka Kalai, the group was attacked by Ivasu and his left eye was torn from his face. Shaepiro laughed and cried and for a while contemplated falling on his own sword.
The Company reached Tharda and Shaepiro rode to Coranan to serve as a sword-for-hire. He and Brodan, Lord of Menekai worked on his armor and Seticor, and fashioned an eye patch, and thus, on the outside, Shaepiro looked formidable indeed. In Coranan, Shaepiro went to serve the Lord Kronas in order to give his life purpose. Kronas used assassins and deceit, which was not the way of a true knight, so Shaepiro betrayed Kronas' plans and fled back to Coranan.
In Coranan, he sought out Nicander, a rival of Kronas and senator who claimed to speak for the people of Coranan.Shaepiro became friend and bodyguard to Nicander and the Pentacles. He and a few spear wielding scribes held off many would-be assassins and many months of intrigue and loyal service to those he believed were good men ensued. His life was at stake many times, because Kronas had many more resources to draw from than Nicander. Shaepiro had earlier on helped Brodan the Brandisher seize power in Menekai and when winter ended and armies marched, Shaepiro bid Nicander farewell and with many hired mercenaries came to Menekai. In a great battle with the Rethmi, Shaepiro fought hard, slaying many. Agrikan fought Agrikan, and a lone Larani fought on the walls. Shaepiro, with a pendant found in the keep's treasury, and Cravensword, his new steed, returned to Coranan as the remainder of the Company headed north.
Shaepiro had been to a Laranian temple and paid penance and had a vision which he interpreted as a civil war on the horizon. Grim and determined, Shaepiro reentered Coranan to become a paladin of the Spear of the Shattered Sorrow. Shaepiro had been cursed in abundance, but in Tharda, a war was to be fought, and Shaepiro hoped to find the right side, if there was one, and die in a glorious battle. But within, he doubted, and anger consumed. Perhaps there were no just causes. Or perhaps in prayer none will be found.
Elvish song of Aftermath
Drink blood ye growing things the falling rain is red. Drink blood ye grasses ye bushes ye growing things the falling rain is red. Warriors lives are pouring from their veins. Warriors pain is falling as red rain. Warriors toil pours life into soil. All death brings life to earth.
Their widows are crying. Death in the morning or evening of day. Brings sorrow or yearning. But there's no returning of life to the loved one that's taken away.
|