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[Across the Anauroch]

#1

Art & Stories / Across the Anauroch

Last post by Xanarkan - Today at 09:12 PM

Across the Anauroch

  Flexing his chilled fingers and toes against stiffness, Caradoc watched the muted flicker of a dying campfire. It was his turn for watch and imperative he remain alert. From his uncomfortable seat against the weathered wagon, he was sure to find splinters in his backside if he moved too much, so instead his mind wandered. The wagon at least sheltered them against the wind carried off the Anauroch Desert, surprisingly cold as it was. Almost reminded him of home, it did.

  Leaning back against a board, shaggy brown hair fell away from green eyes. The stars shone fiercely against this arid darkness. With a calloused hand, he scratched his beard and wondered if his family back home was watching those same stars this night. Unwelcome memories came to mind: a father disappointed that he had not yet taken a wife, a mother fussing over an endless list of tasks around the home, and an unforgiving open road between the Ten-Towns where he had begun his young adult life as a mercenary some years ago.

  Gramr, his old mentor, had been right at least. Having inherited wanderlust from both sides of the family, the young man was destined to wander afar himself one day, and what better place to wander than to the Dalelands where his mother and father first met? Caradoc took a moment to notice gratitude in his heart, thankful for the guidance of his parents and the cantankerous dwarf, the harsh lessons of the North, and the ordeals of survival he lived to learn from early in his life. He was uncertain if he would have made it this far otherwise.

  Boarding that ship for the Sword Coast had been a breath of fresh sea air he couldn't regret, but he still wondered how his family was getting on without him. With a frown, he pushed the thought from his mind. No point dwelling on it right now. His scruff was due another trim tomorrow, he noted.

  He must have grown tense, lost in his thoughts. The other mercenary on watch shifted beside him.

  Caradoc looked down to the crimson locks of hair spilling over his shoulder and the delicate features they wreathed. She was too youthful, too soft to be a sellsword by all appearances, especially as a young woman on her own. But looks could be deceiving. A small bead of drool pooled at the side of her open mouth while she snored softly against his shoulder. He thought to wake her, to scold her for not fulfilling her responsibility to remain on watch as well, a near-sacred role in his experience, but the truth was they were all tired.

  The road from Waterdeep to Yulash was long and not altogether well-traveled. Bandits, orcish raiding parties, beasts, and rough terrain ensured the mercenaries would work for their pay. Their employer had hired a guide across this sea of sand and stone at least, a native calling himself Bedine, but even so the caravan had lost one man to an ankheg, a camel to a sinkhole, and a mule to exhaustion. The going was slow, and they needed to keep their strength up if they would make it through. Reflecting on this, Caradoc wondered just how many corners this merchant had tried to cut taking them through Anauroch rather than farther south and around by way of Trader's Road. Was it purely for profit, or had he taken a job with a smuggler? Mercenaries weren't paid to ask questions.

  Needles walked across his leg suddenly and he exhaled sharply through his nose. Time for a stretch.

  With his free hand he unclasped his mother's old cloak, then draped it around the sleeping girl. Asclepia, she'd said her name was. Like the flower? Unsure if he believed it was her real name, he wouldn't fault her for adopting a pseudonym or moniker in this line of work. Maybe it was time for him to do the same. He muttered a small prayer to the Green Goddess, asking to let this girl rest, and gave thanks for sufficient water on their journey. Then he stood, propping his rucksack against the girl in his place, and limped off to the edge of the campsite for a piss.

  When the frigid wind cut to skin without his cloak, he shivered and grit his teeth. The breastplate and coat he still wore from Bryn Shander helped retain a bit of warmth, but only barely. Nearly cursing the cold, he quickly swallowed the words. Then, amid the pain of his leg waking from numbness, he took a deep breath and whispered another prayer. To the Cold Goddess, he welcomed the bitterness of her touch that aroused in him the will to survive, piercing the haze of fatigue and sharpening his senses. For a moment, he thought his breath crystalized in the air as he shuddered.

  So the dale had taught him, all things come at a cost. So the Red Knight reminded him, in times of peace prepare for war. For a moment of comfort given from Eldath to the girl, he would bear Auril's suffering. A veritably smug gust whipped at his snarling visage.

*   *   *

  Asclepia rested, but did she dream? What pervaded the young firebrand's mind was known only to her, yet the slow-burning coals maintained vigil. They pulsed as if hanging on her every breath for a story not yet told.

*   *   *

  Readjusting his trousers, Caradoc turned back to camp just in time to catch a moving shadow behind the ember glow. His shield, bow, and quiver lay beside the girl, but his sword remained at his side, as did his hatchet and boot knife.

  "Come here to me, or I'll burst ye! Show yourself!" shouted Caradoc.

  Asclepia's eyes snapped open and she began to stir. Too slow. A clatter of steel struck against stone as someone kicked her weapon away. Caradoc lurched forward, beginning to draw his own sword when a glint of starlight stopped him short. A blade held his throat by the hand of a dark figure at his left, steel still faintly humming. Two more figures loomed over the girl, and a rustle of movement to his right signaled a fourth.

  "Hold on right there, friend," said the apparent woman to his left, "or we'll be lashin' yer blood all o'er the sand." She tapped his neck as if to implicate what she meant. He nearly flinched at the icy metal, but her point was unmistakable. What's more, he recognized her voice. She was among four additional mercenaries they took on in Loudwater. For cheap too. Now it was clear why.

  "We don' want to hurt yous, but we'll be takin' the caravan from here, see?" she continued. More rustling to his right, and he thought he spied a crossbow's stirrup caught in a glimmer of starlight.

  "And the redhead," barked a man by the wagon. "We'll take good care of her."

  "I wouldnae recommend that," Caradoc called over.

  "Shut it!" The blade pressed against his neck, and a faint trickle of warmth bled against the metal's chill. "And like hell ye will," the woman continued, now shouting in the wagon's direction, teeth bared. "We's gettin' paid fer the goods 'n' nothin' else. She's dead weight."

  Caradoc couldn't see Asclepia well at this distance, but her silhouette still suggested his cloak remained draped over her. Please spare the cloak, he thought.

  "Just for a bit o' fun, aye?" retorted the second man at the wagon. "Not like you'd show us a good time, ya dusty."

  "The Zhents take slaves, right?" followed the first man. "Pass her over with the goods, and we score ourselves a few more points with 'em for a job well done, or drop her in a ditch if they don't want her."

  The woman's voice burned with ire, "Bloody gobshites and eejits, I said no--!"

  Bright light and screams burst from the wagon, as expected. Caradoc knocked the blade away from his throat and ducked around the woman to his left. A bolt screamed past his ear from the right, and he gave the woman a hard shove towards the crossbowman. A glance toward the wagon captured Asclepia standing, eyes ablaze, hands spread wide as the mouth of a river of fire. Her two would-be assailants writhed in the sand as their flesh boiled and charred beneath her unrelenting spell.

  "Nine Hells, leg it!" called the crossbowman as he dragged the woman after him. Caradoc paused with his sword half-drawn. He watched the two surviving mercenary-bandits retreat into the growing darkness, arcane flame receding. For a moment, he thought the woman looked back. Then they were gone, as one with the shapeless black across the desert.

  He reflected on the mercy she'd tried to offer when she could have simply slit his throat. Killing him and the girl quietly would have been wiser perhaps. From what he knew of the Zhentarim, such mercy would not last long. He hushed his blade back within its sheath and turned to Asclepia. The screaming and thrashing had stopped.

  "You alright, lass?"

  Bright eyes glittered back at him with a shrug and wordless, "Hmhmm." She poked one of the charred remains with her boot. "I don't want to sleep here anymore."

  Caradoc nodded and lifted his mother's cloak from the ground. Asclepia had mercifully cast it off before unleashing her magic. With a sigh of relief, he returned it to its rightful place around his shoulders.

  "Say, where are the others?"

  A brief investigation found the merchant, the Bedine guide, and the two other remaining mercenaries bound and gagged. A situation easily remedied, but quickly followed by regret.

  "What do I pay any of you for?!" shouted the emancipated merchant. "First they betray me, then you two fail to keep watch? Was one of you asleep?! I ought not pay you more than a pittance for this!" Caradoc frowned. Asclepia blew a lock of hair out of her face and pretended to look somewhere else.

  "I ken your words, but fact is we're still alive, you need us much as we be needin' you, and lo!" Caradoc gestured towards the wagon, "Nae a hair hurt on your head, nor one bit o' damage to your merchandise thanks to L'il Ascly here. We'll be gettin' you tae Yulash together, or none of us will be gettin' much farther alone."

  "You've already half the men left you need to pay when we get there too," chimed one of the other mercenaries in an effort to be helpful. The merchant wheeled on the haggard fellow, looking fit to burst with rage and heaving several wordless breaths while they held each other's gaze. Then he stood upright, tidied his blemished clothes and hat, and nodded to himself.

  "Well we'd best get a move on before the sun is up. Sooner we get there, sooner you get paid," said the indignant merchant, nose held aloft. "Gold is all you care about. Isn't that right, mercenaries?"

  Caradoc passed a pained smile and shrug to Asclepia, as if to say some things can't be helped. She smirked and rolled her eyes.

#2

Suggestions & Ideas / Re: Zhentilkeep

Last post by aliceofthevoid - Sep 09, 2026, 10:58 PM

I don't think it should. Given the gate fee its supposed to have in lore, its not the kind of place you should be freely coming and going from and I think is best kept to an area only accessible in Events

#3

Suggestions & Ideas / Zhentilkeep

Last post by Calohar - Sep 08, 2026, 10:09 PM

was hoping to find the City of zhentillkeep. mayhaps you can have a caravan to take your thee. ill love to be able see that and be part of that city, thank you

#4

Suggestions & Ideas / Moonphase Tracker

Last post by LasagnaCat - Aug 28, 2026, 03:11 AM

Hi, just had a simple thought and wanted to bring up the idea for a Moonphase tracker in-game. Obviously, there are PRCs, deities, and other setting-related content involving the moon; however, as I am aware, there aren't really any guides or suggestions for when these lunar changes take place on Cormyr. It would also be good flavor text to encourage more lunar-related role-play, though this is by no means a must more so just a flavorful suggestion.

[HELLRIDERS IN EXILE]

#5

General Discussion / Seeking retainers for a noble ...

Last post by Chadyo - Aug 25, 2026, 02:51 PM

HELLRIDERS IN EXILE
Seeking Retainers for an Approved Noble Character

I am looking for retainers for my approved noble character. Below I'll explain exactly what I'm looking for and, more importantly, what sort of characters would fit.

A noble character especially a foreign noble can feel somewhat empty without people around them who share their history, loyalties, and burdens. So I am looking for as many people as I can find who are interested in roleplaying fellow Hellriders, much like Verso himself.

What does being a Hellrider entail?

It means that your character spent a significant portion of their life training and serving as part of one of the most renowned cavalry forces in the Forgotten Realms.

The Hellriders have possessed an almost legendary reputation for generations. Their name does not come from any allegiance to the Hells, but from the tale of their forebears riding bodily into Hell itself—and, according to the legends, refusing to abandon those who had gone before them.

Duty, loyalty, discipline and sacrifice are therefore not merely ideals to a Hellrider. They are part of their identity.

At some point during this life, your character met Verso and became closely associated with him.

The relationship is an unusual mixture of lord and retainer, officer and soldier, and—perhaps most importantly—friendship.

Other Hellriders would still address and treat Verso with the respect owed to a lord and commander, particularly in public.

But make no mistake:

You are comrades, friends, and brothers or sisters in arms.

You were also present for—or became involved in—the events that eventually forced Verso to leave Elturel and travel east towards Cormyr.

Whatever happened, you chose to follow him.

Perhaps out of loyalty.

Perhaps because you were equally responsible.

Perhaps because you know the truth and cannot allow him to bear it alone.

Perhaps because leaving him to face exile alone was simply never an option.

The exact circumstances surrounding Verso's departure, and the secret shared between these characters, will be explained during the character creation process.

TL;DR

This concept will probably appeal to you if:

• You enjoy playing characters from a highly militaristic culture, built around discipline, service, duty and an almost indoctrinated loyalty to Elturel.
• You are comfortable playing someone who is almost unreasonably Lawful. The intended alignment is roughly Lawful Neutral, although the one-step alignment rule leaves plenty of room for variation.
• You enjoy characters devoted to good-aligned gods such as Helm, Torm, Tyr, Lathander or Ilmater.
• You like the idea of belonging to a legendary military order, complete with an excellent colour scheme, centuries of history, traditions, rituals and enough undefined lore for us to create some of our own.
• You like the idea of having fierce loyalty towards your lord, friend and commander, Verso, as well as towards your fellow Hellriders, whom you consider brothers and sisters in arms.
• You enjoy playing a character who understands hierarchy and discipline without becoming a mindless servant.
• You enjoy making fun of people from Baldur's Gate, the ever-present shadow just down the road from our glorious and obviously superior city.
• You really hate the Zhentarim.
• You enjoy opposing tyrants, cultists and followers of evil gods such as Bane.
• You enjoy characters who might disagree, argue, insult one another or even come to blows—but who will immediately close ranks when an outsider threatens one of their own.

The Relationship with Verso

One thing I want to make particularly clear is that I am not looking for characters who simply worship the ground Verso walks upon.

Your loyalty may be extraordinary, but you are not mindless servants.

You have fought beside this man.

You have bled beside him.

Some of you may have known him for years.

That means certain Hellriders have earned liberties with their lord that would be completely unacceptable from an ordinary retainer.

You may question him.

You may argue with him.

You may tell him when he is being an idiot.

A veteran Hellrider might quite comfortably say:

"My lord, with the greatest respect, that is the stupidest order you have given me in twenty years."

...and then immediately mount their horse and carry it out anyway.

Rank matters. Respect matters. Discipline matters.

But so do years of shared hardship, battles, victories, losses and friendship.

That is the dynamic I am aiming for.

Not a collection of servants following a nobleman around, but something closer to a military family in exile.

You may quarrel among yourselves relentlessly.

But when someone outside the company threatens one of you, suddenly they have threatened all of you.

Character Hooks & Inspiration

These are only suggestions. You absolutely do not have to choose one of these roles.

The Veteran

An older and experienced Hellrider who has served for decades.

They have become Verso's thoroughly unrequested parental figure and have absolutely no intention of stopping now.

Verso may technically outrank them, but everyone knows who gets the look when he's doing something stupid.

They are respected as the elder of the company and frequently serve as its voice of experience.

---

The Company Medic

A battlefield healer, surgeon, priest or combat medic responsible for keeping everyone alive despite their best efforts to prevent that.

They may be compassionate and gentle—or frighteningly practical about battlefield medicine.

---

The Sapper / Demolitions Expert

Walls, gates, barricades and infernal fortifications are merely problems awaiting sufficient quantities of explosives.

A military engineer trained in siegecraft, breaching and destroying whatever happens to stand between the Hellriders and their objective.

After all, if Hell itself has gates, someone has to know how to open them.

---

The Horsemaster

The Hellriders are cavalry first and foremost.

This character is responsible for horses, mounts, their training and their welfare. They might be a breeder, veterinarian, stablemaster or simply someone who understands horses considerably better than they understand people.

---

The Company Mage

A battlefield mage whose talents are used for reconnaissance, communication, protection and war.

They may also be an essential participant in some of the old rituals and traditions practised by the Hellriders.

---

The Standard-Bearer

The person entrusted with carrying the company's colours.

Losing the banner would be considered an almost unimaginable disgrace.

They might also serve as the unofficial keeper of the company's traditions, battle honours and the names of those who have fallen.

---

The Scout / Outrider

A ranger, rogue or lightly equipped cavalryman who rides ahead of the company.

They find safe routes, watch enemy movements, gather intelligence and ensure the heavier riders don't enthusiastically charge into an obvious ambush.

---

The Quartermaster

Someone has to make sure the Hellriders actually have food, armour, horseshoes, weapons and money.

Probably the only person in the company capable of terrifying Verso by opening a ledger.

---

The Chaplain

A priest or deeply religious warrior responsible for the spiritual wellbeing of the company.

They perform funerary rites, bless riders before battle, counsel the troubled and remind everyone what the Hellriders are supposed to represent.

---

The Shield

Verso's closest bodyguard.

Not necessarily because Verso wants one, but because at some point someone decided that keeping the idiot noble alive was now their sacred duty.

Verso's opinion on the matter may be considered optional.

---

The Chronicler

A scholar, bard or educated soldier who records the deeds of the company, maintains its rolls and remembers those who died.

They may also be painfully aware of the difference between the legend of the Hellriders and the considerably messier truth.

---

The Penitent

Someone who followed Verso into exile not merely out of friendship, but because they believe they share responsibility for whatever happened.

Of everyone in the company, they may be the most determined that the truth never comes to light—or the one most tormented by keeping it secret.

Other concepts are absolutely welcome.

The roles above are intended as inspiration rather than positions that need to be filled.

If you have an idea for a Hellrider that fits the company, its culture and the shared history surrounding Verso, I would love to hear it.

Ride together. Fight together. Return together.

#6

Admin Announcements / Re: Transparency - Player Bans

Last post by Nokteronoth - Aug 24, 2026, 12:50 AM

New bans O The Week:

Sabatra (Transphobia)
Platinum01 (Transphobia)
turtle (Transphobia, see Platinum01)
ItsMalloney (Dropping slurs on The Dragon's Neck and in VC chats with some of our DMs here.)
Razgrizz (Harassment, though they've quit the server a while back.)
Vronsky, 1 month minimum, privacy violations by recording several hours straight of private RP to share in Discord chats. It's not one message, or a single screenshot, it was pages upon pages of them.)
WhisperingVespers, 1 month, same privacy violations.

~BR

#7

Suggestions & Ideas / More temples as respawn points

Last post by mochakimono - Aug 23, 2026, 09:11 PM

I have discovered that neither of these areas are mechanically viable as respawn / reset points:

- The Monastery / Temple to Chauntea in Huthduth
- The Temple to Tempus / Valkur / Stronmaus / Red Knight / Uthgar in Swordhaven

The error messages tell me that only tended shrines are eligible for respawn points, which these both are.

The monastery would be quite nice to have for reset as well, since I've been RPing my priestess of Chauntea as residing and volunteering there, but sadly I have to teleport there fresh with each reset. There is a kitchen, dining area, and public sleeping area, so it seems it should be eligible.

If I discover any other shrines / temples that are mechanically nonviable but seem they should be viable, I'll add them below.

#8

Ask the Staff Anything / Re: Favored Soul questions

Last post by Moongleam - Aug 18, 2026, 10:22 PM

Thank you, this answers all my questions, I appreciate it.

#9

Suggestions & Ideas / Re: Epic Dragon Disciple - RP ...

Last post by SpacePope - Aug 18, 2026, 06:25 PM

Alas no, sorry! If anything, the current amount of features DD can end up with is perceived as being too much.

#10

Suggestions & Ideas / Epic Dragon Disciple - RP extr...

Last post by Glaucozilla - Aug 18, 2026, 09:10 AM

Hello! It's been said and confirmed that DD is ot getting any mechanical upgrade -but-

Can Epic DD get the choice to get the extra option that is denied at level ten? (Like, getting horns if you take the tail or vicversa) it's jut a little rp extra to show the dedication. Nothing mechanical, just flavour^^