Thardferr Rumors

[Nyrhtlyk the Dark]

Greetings,

    Well, it's obvious that the new a-terra boards are not the old board, but one area that doesn't seem quite the same is the rumors board. I've seen quite a few instances where the DM's insist that rumors and information leaked out to the PC's about prior events that somehow managed to slip completely beneath the radar. There's no doubt, lots of reasons for that, but this thread is NOT the place to discuss that. Rather, the whole purpose of this thread is to organize and present rumors in Thardferr.

NOTE: Any non-rumor posts can and should be deleted by the admins to keep this thread focused upon rumors, with the sole exception of this introduction.

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Suggested Rumor Post Format:

Thardferr IC Date:
*This can include two timestamps, for when the rumor first starts getting passed around and another for when it becomes widespread knowledge. The difference in the two might be something that various DM's would allow observant PC's to notice.

Thardferr IC Location:
*This is a way of placing the city, region, or area where the rumor first begins to gain prominence.

Rumor:
*Just the rumor itself, presented as a general fact or an IC statement by an NPC.

**Examples using actual rumors to follow.**

[Nyrhtlyk the Dark]

Thardferr IC Date:
*2/1/734?? (Date provided by DM Endel)
Thardferr Location:
*Coopersville, Major Cities in Thardferr, Khardfee
Posted by:
*Feff on 12-5-2003

Rumor:
A traveler enters quickly into Coopersville, his whispers can heard on street corners and in all taverns throughout the town, "We lost communication with the tower a short while back. Messengers have even been sent into the mountains but none return and no others come out. I even hear tell that the Inconnu is shutting down their safe houses and ignoring their members even. I tell ya, something big will be happenin. I also hear that the leader, Mephiston is out on the loose, traveling all over, to each of the guilds fer some reason. I thinks that the IMG finally got sick of em and decided to wipe them all out. I tell ya it isn't good, the tower should still be communicatin with us!"

Rumors like this can be heard all over the major cities of Thardferr, especially those towns in Khardfee.

[Nyrhtlyk the Dark]

Thardferr IC Date:
*1/19/734
Thardferr Location:
*??????????
Posted by:
*Kluu on 12-15-2003

Rumor:
"I tell ya I seen at least 60 warriors, a week ago, moving across the road along the Rainbow foreest. They headed south into the mountains there. I suppose they ae making a raid on some other clan. ME and me mates just stayed low and hid while they passed. Can't say what clan they was only that they was orcs and looked ready for war. I'm surprised we seen them at all considering the way them orcs can move unseen like in the wilds, but we just happened to be there when they had to cross that road clear, and well, it was a frightening sight for these old eyes."

Note: Bold sections where added to provide clarification of the original statement as provided by DM Kluu.

[Nyrhtlyk the Dark]

Thardferr IC Date:
*1/19/734
Thardferr Location:
*??????????
Posted by:
*Kluu on 12-16-2003

Rumor:
Word of of raids by orcs comes from the area just north of the Durlock Mountains.

[Nyrhtlyk the Dark]

Thardferr IC Date:
*1/25/734
Thardferr Location:
*Khardfee, Alderd, Tuth, Lithar?
Posted by:
*Kluu on 12-22-2003

Rumor:
It is feared that the orcs are starting up the old dwarven/orcish wars once more.

More rumors of orc raids on central Khardfee. Mines and small villages are destroyed. The orcs move in large groups, form 40 to 200 plus warrior and raiders. Appearing on the outskirts of the places they attack with quick and vicious raids, killing and pillaging then disappearing again, no one has been able to find out where they are coming from or go once they are finished. It is only guessed they are hiding in the Durlock Mountains.

The attacks seem to last for two or three days then nothing is heard for a number of days. Though no clan names have been stated, the rumor is that there is more than one clan or tribe, perhaps as many as half a dozen involved.

By 10\25\733, there has been at least two, maybe three different raids by orcs out of the Durlock Mountains. The rumor goes on to state that Dwarven soldiers out of Sorrowtown have been sent to deal with the orcs at the time the rumor reaches Alderd and nearby Tuth and Lithar.

[Nyrhtlyk the Dark]

Thardferr IC Date:
*2/20/733
Thardferr Location:
*Cobbersoninatown
Posted by:
*Prophet on 2-24-2004

Rumor:
The lone figure of a female elf makes her way, exhausted and near frozen to cobberingstoninatown . "They're here... The Syth! They've returned.... an army...monsters....giants...airships....dragons! " She passes out in middle of the street..

[Nyrhtlyk the Dark]

Thardferr IC Date:
*?????
Thardferr Location:
*Khardfee????????
Posted by:
*Kluu on 2-25-2004

Rumor:
Many orc clans have been attacking from the northeastern side of the Durlock mountans throughout the winter. The Dwarven forces sent to deal with then have had a hard time dealing with the hit and run raids. The orcs disappear in to the mountains and any that go in after them have so far not returned to give any word of what is happening or how the orcs got there.

Dwarven villages have been destroyed and Heartlytown has not been heard from in a number of weeks.

[Nyrhtlyk the Dark]

Moderator Fixes:

Posts can't be editted on this board by their creator, so I'd please ask that the following be corrected and then this post deleted.

Errata:
*Please add in the bolding on the 3rd post down.
*On the 6th post down, Prophet's Rumor, the date should be 2/20/734   if you could change the 733 to 734 that would be appreciated.

[Nyrhtlyk the Dark]

Thardferr IC Date:
*Early to Midwinter???
Thardferr Location:
* ??????? (See Post)
Posted by:
*Kluu on 3-11-2004

Rumor:
The winter storms are heavy this year. The snows to the north seem to fall for days at at time piling three and four times the height of a tall orc. The northern winds bring in a cold known only during the height of winter but it came during the first days. Most everyone is huddled in their places of safety though it is feared many more remote villages may be lost because of the thought of a lengthy winter and little having been done to prepare for it. By the third month of the year of 734, the trading way is becoming frozen as far south as Trader's Ferries.

Besides this, the rumor of many orc clans on the move has trickled into Tuth. There is also word of Proudtown being in revolt, orcs taking over the streets from long time goblin houses patrols and protection. Many goblins and even orcs not friendly with those that are said to have made their move on the snowbound city, have gone underground. Food is scarce and those now under the thumb of the marauding orcs are likely to have a long hungry winter ahead of them.

But travel is nearly impossible during the heavy storms of early mid winter and so nothing is known for sure.

[Nyrhtlyk the Dark]

Thardferr IC Date:
*3/16/734
Thardferr Location:
*Braunhouse Town
Posted by:
*DM Cleobourne on 3-30-2004

Rumor:
After a very long, cold and dangerous trek from Proudtown to Braunhouse Town, Seasha has finally managed to drag her body forward over the final snow covered steps to Braunhouse. Each step she takes is bonejarring and seems to sap her energy. Her once straight posture and upbeat gait now hunched and slowed. Orionseye the ferret curled in a ball next to her skin trying to keep warm as well. Someone noticing her goes to lend a hand and help her limp to an Inn and does some ordering for the girl. A heavy quilt blanket is rapidly fetched as well as more wood placed on the fire. Once able to talk Seasha trys to talk but only a little comes before she passes out from fatigue.
 
"Help,you must send help. They need you in Proudtown. Please, aid is in dire need! Th---th-the evil!" Not able to keep vertical any longer the human passes out from her *two week* trek.

[kluu]

3-21 through 23- 734

During the three days of the triple full moon, in Edilar the elves hold the mid-winter celebration marking the passing of one year and the coming of a new one. This is a time of great celebration and thankfulness. Even in this time of war, with most nervous of the coming thaw and the likelyhood of renewed attacks by the Sythains, the celebration is a time of peaceful revelry in the midst of the cold and snow of this uncommonly ferocious winter.

On the cold nights during the mid winter celebration in Magmaville, normally held at this time at the fullness of the three moons of Kyranath, the late damage to the earth by the fighting a few months earlier sprouts an unexpected but greatly welcome sight. Within the western most end of the gorge created by the earthquake during the Sythian assualt on Magmaville, the ground breaks open within the gorge and begins to heap up as something emerges from the torn ground in the deep crevasse. Over the three days of the full moons, a long slender shaft of glowing green wood comes branching outward. Some forty feet in three days it climbs upward from the cresting earth at the bottom of the gorge. Breaking into seven short branches near its peak, the tree, even in this cold mid winter weather, sprouts luminous leaves to soak up the shining moonlight. The new spread of Lunar leaves glows just above the gorge's rim. The celebration becomes more than the normal jubilation and becomes filled with awe, inspiraton and revelation, and renewed hope of a new day dawning for the elves. Thanks to creation for a new year becomes affirmation to the wonder of the gods for this blesing of a new Lunar Tree.

[Nyrhtlyk the Dark]

Thardferr IC Date:
*???????
Thardferr Location:
*???????
Posted by:
*DM Kluu on OOC Chat Originally on June 1, 2004


WE DMs decided that time is not fluid at this time. There will be plenty of opportunities to interact with the Sythian renewal of war inThardferr.

Officially it is well into summer in Thardferr but we have not progressed more than a month past mid winter revels when the Lunar tree appeared in Magmaville. A few groups are in advance of this but they are hopefully in slow acting adventures so that the rest of the world will be able to catch up but they are not greatly interacting with the Sythian events. At least as far as I have been able to accertain.

If anyone out there is interacting with the Sythians or knowns something that they have not posted onthe DM boards please do so.

At this time, only a few rumors have travelled very far. Heartville is known to have been attacked but the first news of it was much worse than it truely was, though the College of Illusion was all but disentigrated in the attack. As for forces, there was a great deal of organized Sythian troops, as well as giants, ogres hobgoblins and perhaps a dragon.

Magmaville was hit hard but through the interferrence of some of the greater free agent spell casters of Thardferr, was saved more or less. This was attacked by a greatly varied group of attackers, amongst them were known PBR members, red orcs, giants, troglydytes and others I am forgetting now.

Navelorn was attacked and was able to push back the attackers but not before they were able to infiltrate the haven and burn down the Academy library, the Temple of Aranthis and Kaldinsky and the IMG office located there. This was seemingly attacked by joint hordelander humans and hobgoblins with a few giants and ogres and a contingent of bugbears. but it was discovered they were lead by Sythian agents, some military trained soldiers and battle mages and clerics.

Word should have leaked out by now of orcs using some sythian mages as help raiding into the valley between the Durlock mountains and the Thorn Wood. These are intermittent and seem to be varied orc clans who are known to be found norht of the Lost Mountains. They seem to disappear into the Durlock mountains and those following have yet to return with any word of how they got there or where they go.

Proudtown seems to be in Sythian hands. As far as has been rumored, the city surrendered to them when a great force, perhaps tens of thousands of Sythians arrived just before winter. Agents of the Sythians have been speaking with, hiring, and making treaty with many of the orc clans of Ruch. The sythians seem to have a number of their flying ships and are also riding either dragon mounts or trained Wyvern or both. they also may have a dragon with them though this may only be a polymorphed mage.

Much of north central Ruch is either allied with or neutral to the Sythian presence by late winter though some clans are fighting others though so far no organized orc army on either side has been formed.

It is known the Sythians are traveling int he Horde lands recruiting the barbarian and humanoid peoples there to their cause but a block of area is allied with Edilar in the central far east around the southern area of the Impassable Mountains. This keeps easy travel for any recruits from passing into greater populated areas. The rumors state that another dragon that lives in those mountains has gathered allies of the creatures around him to fight off Sythian domination.

That is all I believe I can mention at this time and even some of this may be too much, but rumors travel and once trade starts at end of winter, (remember it is a long hard winter this year) this is what would be heard.

((One Addition.   On 3-5-734 a report was made to a Major Church of Sembral in Hilltownforge, Lithar about the Sythian Encampment in the Southern Khardfee Plains. This same report was delivered to the IMG in Coops on 2-21-734?. On 2-14-734? word of the attacks in Heartville and Magmaville as well as the Southern Sythian Army's suspected location was sent to Looky Lou (NPC) a leader in the halfling Black Wheat Movement in Ruch. A similar report to what Looky Lou received was sent to underground thieve's guilds in Windtown at the same time.

All this was done by the Daggers of Edilar and can be verified on their boards, etc.))

[DarkRayden]

Thardferr IC Date:
3/21-22/734 TF date

Thardferr Location:
Walnuttown

Posted by:
DarkOne (based on a played out TT post on Angel's)
Rumor:

Somewhere noon time,  the streets of Walnuttown become overcrowded with a procession of some local villagers. Those carrying the least of their possessions on them, along with the children in their arms, seem to have been traveling for a long while afoot. Misery and concern is in their eyes.
The long caravan of farmers continues forth, looking about for the help of the city officials, carrying hints of panic in their voices when they shout all over the town's streets.
"He said he was sent from the town!! Our houses....our crops!! It is all lost in fire... He said is was for the best!! He lied to us... our children... He told we were all cursed... "
The women weep, the children cry and the men are angry , looking for the guard house to report the most unacceptible crime against them.
Later, after the questioning of the folks it became a general knowledge about what happened to the village. It appeared that a man showed up on the southern road of the village during that morning, dressed in dark and accompanied by an ugly black mutt. He listened to the villagers complain of some troubles in the barns they had lately, when the wild guesses pointed on some undead activity in the village. The man, introducing himself as Selebrion and an official from Walnuttown, suggested the farmers to burn their houses as it was 'touched by a great evil'. The gullible, ignorant folks ran in panic as the first barn caught fire and the wind quickly spreading the flames to other buildings, leaving only a few charred huts behind...
Officials from the town were sent to investigate the events in the nameless village.

Later, closing to the late evening of the forementioned day, two panting villagers can be seen running thru the streets of Walnuttown, shouting in loud choral that the man claiming to be Selebrion was found in the company of another human and a gnome. The latest news were the foul party attacked the OOS and the clerics sent to the village, with only the two villagers escaping...

[DarkRayden]

Thardferr IC Date:
4/1-2/734 TF date

Thardferr Location:
Hilltownforge

Posted by:
DarkOne (based on a played out TT post on Angel's)
Rumor:

A small patrol unit of OOS enters a tavern in Hilltownforge, looking tired and dirty from a long day of duty. The captain slowly rests in one of the chairs and nods to the bartender for his usual beverage. The rest of his companions place them selves around the same table and exchange some private jokes, setting a loud laugther around the place, much to the surprise of the local patrons.
The bartender fetching the drinks nods in the direction of the laughing soldiers and asks the captain of the commotion the started, to which he replies:
"Dont mind them... these youngsters would laugh at anything until they meet a real danger face to face... " He shifts uneasily in his seat and adds "It is just... we met some folks heading to our city today. They informed us of a pack of werewolves venturing the southern forest, about the Rounding River, which is why the rookies feel so amused " - he sighs and shakes his head "... However, I am still not sure how to regard such a word, Gods know there are enough crazed folks visiting our town lately..."
The captains drains the contents of his mug while a wave of quick whispering arises as the commoners overhear their conversation...

[Scionist]

Thardferr IC Date:
4/7-8/734?

Thardferr Location:
The town of Bohrss, in the Free Hills of Ruch

Posted by:
Gul-Shad

Rumor:
In the only tavern in that town a halfling speaks to others at a table.

"I heard tha big un talkin ta the priest.  Was outside doin some 'business' an I saw im go in there with tha servin girl.  Course me curisity gets tha best o me so I go's n spy what they's talkin.  They was makin a big fuss about the Eye goin dim and some shade in a tunnel.  I tells ya it's summit ta do wit dat tower up'n that there hill.  That Marcus been goin up there messin round and he'll bring summit nasty down on us.  What da ya think bout that "Eye" goin dark?  Think they's talkin bout the Eye of Kreaon?"

With that the other halflings around him burst out laughing and begin to make fun of him.  Most of them echoing the same sentiment:  "The Eye of Kreaon never goes dark it's always shinin!  Yer drunk agin!"