# New Wine, Old Wineskins -- A DM's Campaign Log -- Forgotten Realms, Post-Spellplague



## firesnakearies (Dec 10, 2008)

Here I will post my ongoing campaign notes and the basic storyline of my new 4th Edition Forgotten Realms campaign, called _*New Wine, Old Wineskins*_.  

Let's start with some exposition...





*New Wine, Old Wineskins – Setting the Stage*



*Sir Brianthalantyrael Emberdance* -- Noble Tulani of Summer, Seventy-Third Consort of High Queen Tiandra, Questsworn Knight-Errant of the Court of Stars, and Warding-Agent of the Order of Mystra’s Presage…

   …or, as he’s most commonly known on this side of the Veil, just a guy named _Brian_…

   …has finally made contact with his adopted brother and daughter, the Warlock whose Pact Oath he holds, and the other three essential figures whose lives he has watched since they were born, waiting patiently for the proper time to gather them together and reveal to them the fate in store for plague-torn Abeir-Toril, and their potential parts to play in it…




**  Al’Trek Ethers, Male Half-Elf Bravura Warlord, Unaligned Worshipper of Tempus*


   -----  The corrupt, greed-ridden, and intrigue-laden nation of Amn is ruled by a “Council of Five” consisting of the five High Houses who hold all of the wealth and power in the land.  But a mere twenty years ago, and for many generations before that, it was a “Council of Six” that controlled the fate of the Amnian people.  The sixth and now defunct High House was House Ethers, hereditary rulers of the city of Esmeltaran, was eliminated by a sinister rival in a terrible plot of betrayal and honorless murder.  It is widely believed in Amn that no living member of House Ethers remains, and now, House Nashivaar (formerly calling itself House North to disguise its old familial ties to the Church of Cyric) holds sway in Esmeltaran, and no sixth High House has appeared to claim the traditional seat of power left in the vacuum of House Ethers’ destruction.  But unbeknownst to all but a select few, one noble scion of House Ethers lives still, secreted away on the very night of the great battle that sealed House Ethers’ fate, his life saved by the lovingly dedicated heroics of his older brother and close mentor, _Firstson Brian_.  *Al’Trek* Ethers, only a boy of twelve when his family and home were forever obliterated, was to be carried safely off to take refuge with friends of his father in the faraway nation of Estagund.  His ship was pursued by House Nashivaar assassins and pirates, but managed to elude them all, only to succumb to a terrible storm that left young Al’Trek washed ashore in the forbidding wasteland called in this age by the uncomplimentary name of Elfharrow.  There, he was adopted by the Dawn Tribe, one of the largest and fiercest of the Wild Elf clans who roam that shattered land.  Raised for the next twenty years in this harsh crucible, Al’Trek grew into a hardened and dauntless man, a warrior in spirit, and a natural leader by birth and by talent.  Personal tragedy and the raving half-baked prophecies of a tribal shaman eventually drove him from his adopted home in the Elfharrow waste, and he finally began to work his way north, back toward the “civilized” lands that bred him.  He came seeking his place in this world, answers which had been long denied him, a suppressed but never fully extinguished smoldering urge for vengeance, and perhaps the barest glimmer of hope that he may yet find some small vestige of his family miraculously left alive after all of these years…




**  Valenae, Female Eladrin Wand Wizard, Good-Aligned Worshipper of Silvanus*


   -----  From the remote and secluded mystical Eladrin retreat-city of Jenn-Tourach, so deep within the Feywild’s magical womb that it only touches upon the Natural World once per year, at the height of Midsummer, appearing for one glorious day upon the peak of a mythical mountain whose summit few mortal eyes have ever seen, comes *Valenae *of House Emberdance, youngest daughter of one of the ruling families of Jenn-Tourach, and a talented student of the Arcane arts.  Kept sequestered here in this hidden enclave of Fey enchantment for all of her short life for reasons unknown to her, but surrounded by comfort, mentorship, warmth, and adoration, she was the favorite of her well-renowned father, the powerful Tulani Eladrin who is called, more often than not, simply _Sir Brian_.  She studied the intricacies of magic and the life-affirming tenets of the God of Nature, Oak Father Silvanus, with equal enthusiasm, and showed exceptional prowess at any field of endeavor to which she put her mind.  It was a happy, idyllic life for Valenae there in Jenn-Tourach, and she was loved by all who knew her.  But when her mysterious father stopped returning home from his frequent journeys away from Jenn-Tourach, and the absence grew to an alarming length of time, the now-adult Valenae decided that she would remain tucked away in obscurity and fear no longer.  Leaving behind her remarkable yet often stifling home, she took the lengthy and eye-opening voyage to the Natural World, seeking knowledge of her father’s whereabouts in the fabled libraries of Myth Drannor, the reclaimed capitol of the ancient Elven Nation of Cormanthyr…




**  Daniel, Male Tiefling Fey Pact Warlock, Unaligned Worshipper of Kelemvor* 


   -----  Tucked away almost invisibly in a long-forgotten canyon deep within the Maerthwatch Mountains on the edge of the chaotic, tempestuous nation now called Akanul, a small cult of Kelemvorite monks have founded a tiny and virtually unknown cloister, carving for themselves a crude temple from the magically-altered rock of the mountains which were impacted irreversibly by the return of a piece of lost Abeir which created the elementally-charged land of Akanul.  Only a handful of the Genasi who inhabit this vitriolic and yet awe-inspiring corner of altered Faerun know of the Kelemvorite monastery’s existence, and beyond a few minor trading partners, no one cares to know of it.  It was here that the orphaned Tiefling child, given the simple and pious name *Daniel* by the monks, was raised and educated, brought up in the strict faith of Kelemvor, the Lord of the Dead.  His fiery, fiend-touched blood never took a great interest in the dry teachings and endless contemplative practices of the placid monks, however, and when a vibrant, incredibly unusual visitor came and spent some time at the monastery, Daniel was drawn in by his otherworldly and unconventional ways.  He learned that this bizarre stranger was no less a personage than a noble Eladrin, one of the potent Tulanis of Summer, and through many hours of conversation, negotiation, and wheedling, Daniel was finally able to convince this extraplanar being, one _Elder Brianthalantyrael _by name, to take him under The Fey Pact, and teach him the secret arts of wielding true Feywild magic.  For his part of the deal, Daniel swore to dedicate his life to being a champion and protector of the Fey and their concerns in the Natural World.  He remained with the monks for a while longer, but already the young budding warlock planned his departure, eager to discover the endless possibilities of his new destiny outside of the grim, gray walls that had been his cocoon since infancy, and perhaps discover his own origin in the process…




**  Sol, Male Half-Elf Assault Swordmage, Good-Aligned Worshipper of Corellon*


   -----  In the heart of Sarifal, the shining land of ancient Fey which covers the island of Gwynneth in the Moonshae Isles, a kingdom of proud and noble Eladrin and Elves holds itself aloof from the crude doings of its Human neighbors.  One influential Lord, an Elven duke named Aldin, broke the mold somewhat as he spent a great deal of time travelling outside of Gwynneth’s shores, interacting with the other races, both in the Moonshaes and on the mainland.  During his many journeys, he met and fell in love with a Human woman of the Ffolk, a beautiful and charming minor noble daughter who was distantly related to the ruling Kendrick dynasty of Caer Callidyrr.  Despite all custom and advice to the contrary, Aldin married the Human girl, and she bore him a son, whom they named *Sol*.  At the time of Sol’s birth, Aldin was visited in his dreams by a potent vision of the god Corellon, in which he saw that his half-breed son would one day grow up to become a great hero, an important figure in the history of Faerun.  Using his wealth and connections, Aldin arranged for one of the most renowned warrior-mages of the Myrloch Vale Eladrin, a feared and enigmatic ex-adventurer named Achilles, to become his son’s mentor and train him in the arts of Arcana and swordplay.  Facing prejudice at home for his choice to intermarry with a Human, Aldin and his family moved to the city of Waterdeep when Sol was merely a small boy.  Sol grew up in the City of Splendors, studying at Blackstaff Tower, a pupil of the Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors, and receiving constant personal instruction from his private tutor, Achilles, in between his more common lessons.  The boy adored his mentor, and even came to fall in love with him.  For his part, Achilles was a harsh, demanding, and often even cruel master, but he held deep feelings for the young man whom he was raising to be a hero.  They shared a sexual relationship that was rarely tender, but deliberately extreme, as Achilles pushed his charge to become inured to pain and to find within himself an ironclad discipline that would not break under the stresses of his future challenges.  As Sol grew into adulthood, and his training came to completion, the young Half-Elf’s master departed from Waterdeep suddenly, leaving behind a promise to find his young lover and student again, and an instruction – to seek out the man who was Achilles’ own instructor so long ago – a noble Eladrin by the name of _Lord Brian_…




**  Balreth “Talon” Tael’talon, Male Elf Archery Ranger, Unaligned Worshipper of Sune* 


   -----  Far removed from the machinations of nobility and the Arcane dealings of magical society, the dark and primeval woodland called the High Forest remains a shadowy place of danger and mystery.  The Wood Elves who make this sylvan wilderness their home deal only sparingly with outsiders, and speak little of the strange and monstrous things that are said to exist with the grim wood.  One boy, born to these elves, but of no great heritage or importance to anyone, grew up in the lands surrounding this primal forest, an area known as the Gray Vale.  His name, if anyone had cared to know it, was *Balreth*, and he was a loner for most of his childhood, with little in the way of family connections, or close friendships to call his own.  He survived largely by his keen senses and quick wits, avoiding the ever-present dangers which would claim the lives of less wary travelers.  His life took a turn for the positive when he became acquainted with an older, Human man named Seth, a rugged wanderer of the wild whose woodcraft and survival skills were most impressive to the young Balreth, and over time, a casual sort of mentorship was formed.  Seth eventually passed on a great deal of knowledge, craft, and disciplined training to his dour Elven protégé.  No young man when they met, Seth departed from this life as every old and tired traveler wishes to – in his sleep.  After a quick burial and little wasted time in mourning, the pragmatic Balreth moved on, secure in the knowledge that he could take care of himself, and that it was his lot in life to be self-sufficient, living simply, in harmony with the land but with a firm eye to his own safety and self-interest, as Seth had demonstrated to him.  Once, he met a man named _Brian_ under some odd circumstances, but the event meant little to him in the greater scheme of things.  Since Seth’s death, the fledgling ranger has roamed and hunted the lands around the Gray Vale, mostly alone, mostly preferring it that way, and has had little contact with the settled folk of the towns in the area, nor even with the Elves to whom he is nominally related.  But perhaps this is not the deepest well to be found hiding within the lone wanderer called Balreth.  Perhaps something more lurks within his heart, simply waiting, unseen and unbidden, for the right catalyst to draw it to the surface of his otherwise still waters…




**  Revok Ken’rilyn’ett, Male Drow Assault Swordmage, Unaligned Worshipper of the Dead Goddess Mystra* 


   -----  Before the death of Mystra, goddess of magic, at the hands of the evil deities Cyric and Shar, many Chosen and sworn champions of the powerful goddess existed across the breadth of Faerun, combating the dark forces that conspired to disrupt or entirely destroy the Weave that governed magical power as it interacted with the Natural World.  One such servant of Mystra was an escaped Drow Elf named Tarlyn, who was wed to a wealthy Eladrin Lady from the reclaimed ancient city of Myth Drannor.  The couple adventured together, battling in the name of Mystra throughout the Heartlands of the Realms, and living mostly in and around Shadowdale.  It was there that their son, *Revok*, was born.  A half-breed cursed with the mixed heritage of the hated Drow, the boy was destined never to be fully accepted in the Elven and Eladrin society of his mother, despite the fact that his coloration was subtle, leaving him with an appearance that the untrained eye would be more likely to mistake for an Eladrin than a Drow.  After Mystra’s death, and the terrible events of the Spellplague, Revok’s family drifted apart, leaving him to be raised by the teachers of Elven magic and swordplay in the city of Myth Drannor.  He was tolerated, due to his mother’s social position, and his own remarkable talents, but never liked or welcomed by many in the Drow-hating land of his childhood.  Regardless of the inherent stereotypes and related challenges which Revok was forced to struggle against as he grew up, he managed to finish a full course of training at the Academy for Swordmages in Myth Drannor, and even graduate with distinction.  Recently, Revok has received a sealed scroll with some long-hidden truths about his parents’ background and his own origins, as well as an old heirloom belonging to his mother, a teardrop-shaped crystal apparently called the Tear of Mystra.  These items were sent to him, from what he has been able to gather, by a man he had never heard of before, but who is allegedly his mother’s old friend, a Tulani Eladrin named _Sir Brianthalantyrael_.  It will not be long before young Revok finds himself taking up the fight that his father’s life was dedicated to, as the cause of the slain goddess Mystra is still in as great a need of champions as it ever was…




*****




    As the campaign begins, each of the five protagonists awakens one morning, wherever in the Realms they are, to find a sealed letter on fine, expensive paper, with elegant golden writing in each of their native tongues, respectively, placed surreptitiously in an obvious place atop their belongings.  The letters each contain a wealth of private, personal information about the recipients’ pasts, as well as the promise that an inheritance of exceeding value awaits them at the First Lord’s Bank in Waterdeep, and are signed by the High Exchequer of the Lords of Waterdeep.  The letters pass every test of authenticity that the heroes can muster, and so, after some cursory research or initial reluctance, each of them sets off to find their answers, and their destiny, in the fabled City of Splendors…



_(More to come!)



_*$*


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