I’d like to take a minute to acknowledge those unsung heroes who often become but a bloody footnote to the main narrative. Dan Abnett became notorious for his swathes of bodies and it amused me to give a nod to a few people through the chapters.
Chapter 8: Mahk’doh is named after one of Jerry Snook’s old characters. The drow cleric initially enlists the help of the party then has second thoughts on his diminished share of the reward and offloads them on Ruat Acalay in the Marketplace. Mahk’doh’s blood smeared holy symbol is found near a pile of unidentifiable burnt corpses. Was the drow cleric among the remains?
Chapter 9: Sigfried Trent makes an appearance as a bard in The Red Devils. The focus of his attention in the robes of House Cannith turns out to be Anne Trent who makes a much more prominent appearance as Channa d’Cannith’s colleague in Birth of the Bladeforged.
Chapter 16: Talcus on Ghallanda doesn’t even make an appearance before his demise. But as a crossed out name on a letter of introduction to the Necropolis he did a fine job.
Chapter 19: Krumper on Ghallanda puts in a fine performance as a disembowled corpse on the beaches of the Sorrowdusk Isle. So much so that when people have asked about their part in the narrative, I’ve been able to reply with “At least you’re not Krumper”.
Chapter 22: Atroxes, an alt of one of the Monday Marauders, and now promoted to Platoon Leader with House Deneith offers the party some advice while on our way to Stormcleave Outpost.
Chapter 34: Sestra gets an honourable mention as purveyor of rancid gnoll meat to the inhabitants of Zawabi’s Refuge. When I thought of a name for someone who would sell the equivalent of road kill, for some reason Sestra came to mind.
Chapter 36: Irown, one of my guildmates on Ghallanda, becomes the unfortunate leader of the Silver Flame patrol captured by Brother Maldetto in The Black Prophecy.
Chapter 37: Chelena Armstrong is one of Geoff Hanna’s characters and one of the Halfling Commandos on Sarlona. When I was looking for named members of House Jorasco’s Council it seemed like a natural fit.
Chapter 40: Patrick Sherman from DDOCast makes an appearance as the wizard Shamgar, one of the Stormreach defenders facing the initial onslaught of the Droaam forces. Shamgar explains to Captain Markus that the Droaam forces are warded by unknown protections and that the battle will have to be fought on conventional terms.
Chapter 40: Amorrya was unfortunate enough to be in group with me when I needed the name for a bright-eyed, enthusiastic, youthfully naivelly sincere runner to take a message to the Coin Lords from the invasion front in the Summerfield District.
Chapter 55: A bit of a bloodbath this one. Furiyen, a former guildmate, is the first to be lost to a trapped lever. I’m sure his last words will have been “Who needs spot when you have evasion”.
Chapter 55: Samius and Lessah from DDO Cocktail Hour make a guest apperance in the party. We’re spared the grizzly details of how Lessah was slaughtered while Samius disarms one of the devils by getting it’s halberd embedded in his ribcage.
Chapter 55: Rifken and Ryggard from Ghallanda are long time quest mates on Ghallanda. Ryggard does manage to make it out of the Demon Den for a final battle while Rifken never sees daylight again.
Chapter 55: Valyho is another former guildmate who is one of the last standing while Furiyen was the first to fall. It couldn’t be any other way really. Ryggard and Valyho sacrifice themselves to allow Uriel a chance to escape to the city to raise the alarm and the party then venture on to Shavarath to seek Inquisitor Lightbringer to inform her that her sister Valyho has fallen.
Some were lost bravely, some were lost stupidly and others survived for tales still to be told. So raise a tankard of Dirty Kobold and spare a thought for those plucky redshirts.
The Stormreach Campaign 