by Stephen "Laika" Sanford
Where to start on this epic weekend long event? I guess a little background on the plot from the past two events will help, which started 3 years ago (though the plot has been ongoing for decades):
Divine Intervention 1: https://viewfromvalehaven.blogspot.com/2019/03/what-you-missed-divine-intervention-i_27.html
Storytellers VII/ Divine Intervention: https://viewfromvalehaven.blogspot.com/2019/09/what-you-missed-storytellers-vii.html
At Black and White of 2019, I held a God’s Moot to decide what to do with Garm’s declaration. The churches that attended declared war on Rexan. Rexan’s area of influence was Darkvale, a nation taken from Chimeron for the past 2 decades and this was a perfect solution to both problems.
After planning the war for literal years with some of my closest allies, some coming back from a decade of Realms retirement just for this war, Friday was finally upon us. The Red Knight, Justari’s Avatar, had met with us at a war camp at the border of Chimeron and Darkvale. Here we were to gather resources and build fortifications to aid us in the war. While people worked on the war camp, The Red Knight gifted Kovaks a bar of Shining Steel to reforge the shattered blade of Arius. Kovaks had two options; the first was to directly assault Darkvale to get to the forge we needed - but we would not have access to our gods. The safer route was to take a side path in Chimeron. The Red Knight warned us that if we should encounter a Champion of Rexan that we should run as we could not put up the fight.
The Church of Aurora heads up the vanguard for the first night quest of the weekend. We go down several paths slaying Aspis and reach a fork in the road where the forge is. Here we must find several pieces of equipment from a long lost blacksmith and reforge the blade. After a while the group found all the items and with Kovaks and the group. While the forging was done, everyone had to chant an incantation to Arius, the god of Truth, while reforging the blade with the shining steel. The blade was reforged as Redemption, our ace to take down Rexan’s Avatar, the Disciple.
After the blade was forged, one of Rexan’s Champion’s attacked and routed the group back to the tavern where we gathered ourselves. Several people gathered information while we were still in Chimeron for in the morning we would push into Darkvale where Rexan had full control of the area. Building for the war camp went late into the night (or perhaps early intro the morning) for some people but what they did definitely helped a lot for the day to come.
Saturday Day
We all awoke, some more refreshed than others. Chimeron’s Warlord, Saka, broke the army into smaller groups and we ventured into Darkvale. Our first task was to invade a large field where we would control points. For the first battle of a day this was probably the hardest; the Aspis just kept coming and the smaller groups would eventually get overwhelmed when one would overextend. After about an hour straight of fighting, we finally pushed the final flag and took a hard fought win. We returned with word that now was not the time to rest, we were to go to the boathouse.
From here we found a strange jar where several people had to sacrifice permanent soul points in order to interact with it. The battering ram squad tried to hit every wall in the boathouse like it would open a hidden path. After 4 people expended their soul points into the jar, Aspis came from all directions of the boathouse, even the dreaded rafter snake. One of Rexan’s Champions had shown up to wipe us out but Sir Tao of Blackwood stood up and took on the Champion of Poison in a hard and long fought fight. I saw Sir Tao fall and I readied myself to take on the Champion next but to our luck Sir Tao was victorious but rendered soulless by the end of the fight.
After the fight was over, Sir Chan Ottokar, the former lord of Darkvale, Treaty Boss, and Paladin of Justari, told me that the place we just were in was a temple to Justari which was desecrated. Chan seanced the Just god and we found out that Rexan’s influence was too strong to return the temple to its former glory. Chan and I vowed to return when Rexan was defeated to bring this temple back.
When we returned from the Temple, the King of Chimeron ordered us to take out a heavily fortified bridge. At this point many of us were exhausted but we kept pushing forward as the sun began to set. Aurora called out to me and told me that there was an abomination on the other side of the bridge and we needed to cross it before night fell. I took up His Majesty’s reach and with the help of the militia we fought a long and exhausting battle that would strain my arms so much I had a case of “Polearm”.
We were still not allowed to rest, for we found the abomination at the end of the field - a twisted undead. We took it out but it kept coming back leading us to the source of the corruption. Around a tree was the skull of necromancy and one of Rexan’s Champions. Surrounding the tree were several undead who were ghosts of their former selves. After much debate on who to render soulless, Aurora “took the wheel” and obliterated people to allow a host for the undead so they may pass on. With all the undead freed all that was left was to challenge Rexan’s Champion.
I fought him myself, feeling confident. I took him down pretty close to final death but could not finish the job. After I had lost I called out to Raynor to finish what I started, he too fell. After him Axel thought throwing 5 fireballs in honorable combat would finish it but it did not. At this point everyone was looking at each other with fear because if you challenge a Champion, win or lose you will lose soul points based on the number of attacks you make. In that moment of unsureness a voice shouted from the crowd “Well F- it, I might as well do it, In the name of Aurora, I challenge you to honorable combat!” This voice was from Margaret August, a new adventurer, a true underdog but filled with courage, hope, and faith for Aurora. Margaret fought a valiant fight but was felled by the champion. However, the heavens spoke to her and she rose again. She fell once more, the voice told it was not her time yet, she rose once more ever so close to completion. She fell one last time and the heavens called out to her and got her up one final time. This time she finally killed her Golliathian foe, the Champion of Death and earned my eternal respect for her.
The crowd went into an uproar shouting Margaret's name, for she was the hero. In the moment of celebration, King Cecil claimed the Skull of Necromancy and activated it allowing us to fight against the Disciple which killed several people around Cecil. Once everyone was up the King demanded we march upon the Disciple.
We marched back to the field where we were met with tunnels where the Aspis were hiding. Our task was to route them in this maze filled with Aspis. It was well into dusk but we marched on pushing past our exhaustion. At the front of the maze was an altar to Vandor with directions to make some sort of device. Within the maze were pieces to build this structure. We ventured and fought hard in this labyrinth until we hit a literal wall. The battering ram squad tried to take out the wall to no avail even with Owen, King of the Fae at the helm. From here people figured out what Vandor had us build was a giant battering ram. A large crew piled through the labyrinth and destroyed the wall.
On the other side of the wall was one of Rexan’s Champions and the Disciple. Aurora told me I should challenge him and knowing I might not be a match for the Disciple I rushed in, and challenged the Champion. I took the Main Gauche of St. Daniel in my left hand and Shadowfang in my right hand. I had 3 points of armor and a bunch of other immunities ready to take on the Champion of Snakes. It was a long hard fight, I was told later he had 25 points of armor but I finally took him down. I found out that I lost 85 soul points from that fight and 34 from the first one, which put me past 0 - which will be a problem we will need to solve at a later date. For now I will have to be very careful.
While I was dead from the fight, I was told a new militia person named Tony, took up Redemption and severed the Disciple’s connection to Rexan. I do not know how hard that fight was but I believe it turned him into a mortal and they took him out. Finally with Rexan’s 3 Champions and his Avatar down we finally got a moment of respite with a dinner break.
Saturday Night
We found out that Aurora had gifted the adventurers a surprise in the form of the annoying seizure inducing glorious balls of light that sing the hymns of Aurora. I noticed some patterns on the bowl with the balls in it matched the Vandor symbol on the battering ram and another bowl to Justari in the tavern. I assembled them and made them into… well a holy hand grenade. The Good Gods, Aurora, Justari and Vandor, had plotted a way to kill off Rexan that would break the rules of the world. We needed to transport the distracting vibrating beautiful balls of light into the darkest corners of the site and place them at seven altars. We formed small groups and had reconnaissance missions to find all the altars. After all seven altars were lit we were ready to go into the final battle with Rexan.
From here Chan, who has been one of my most loyal friends, had promised to give me a tear of Aurora so we may battle Rexan. However we decided we would save it since we had the bomb of the gods as a plan to kill Rexan and would only rely on the tear if we had to. Many people pepped themselves up, said what goodbyes they needed to, for going into this room could mean one's final death was upon us.
I charged in first to the front and began attacking the head of the beast which had many tendrils which swung poison and the heads with swing armor piercing poison and occasionally boulder. Throughout the day I had gathered so many enchantments making me immune to poisons and diseases that the fight was less of a battle for our lives and more of a slug fest. I picked up a pike and had some of my greatest moments swinging the sword of light over and over vs. the head non stop attacking. I will forever remember how powerful that fight will be with me, that pike was an extension of me as I slayed rexan with a thousand cuts. As we progressed, Rexan’s innards started to pour out and eventually there was a gaping hole in his gut. I looked for Meerkat who was holding the bomb but instead Chan took it out of his hands. I shielded Chan as best as I could but he fell to one of the heads and dropped the bomb inside.
From here all I could hear was 5, 4, - clearly a count down. I immediately lifted Chan up from the floor with his boot and belt. I used all my physical energy to try to push him out of the room but when 1 was called, so did a call of God Strike. Myself, Chan, and 5 other people were caught in the blast. Chan looked around and knew what had to be done. He pulled out the Tear of Aurora, offered himself in service to Dalindana and took the brunt of the blast for all of us. There are few times where I could not control my emotions, even writing this has me welling up as one of my oldest friends had sacrificed himself for everyone. He redeemed himself from his tortured past and got the end a true hero deserves.
When I was alive I had one of the most personal moments of my life dealing with the IC grief of my lost friend and being consoled by those around me. This victory did not feel as such, we all put ourselves on the line and say we are ready for our final deaths but when those you care about are taken from you it hurts more than getting your own ending. It was a somber end to the night where many people said their piece with the end of Rexan and Sir Chan Ottokar.
Sunday
With Chan’s final death still in the air, there was an awkward feeling that we still had more to do. Cecil started to speak of a scouting report of Darkvale when all of us were suddenly transported to a God’s Moot. All of the gods in the Pantheon of the Greater Gods were in attendance. Garm presided over them and there was bickering between Justari and Garm over how Garm’s balance is not truly Just. Aurora asked why someone was missing in front of the meeting and it appeared Dionin was missing. Before much longer however, King Cecil stepped forward and the voice of Dionin issued from his mouth. During this meeting Garm asked for one to stand up to bind themselves to the lands of Darkvale. Kovaks stood up and officially became lord of Darkvale.
Then Garm asked Vandor why he still had the Sword of Kings which must be in mortals’ hands. Vandor replied that it is far too dangerous for it to be in mortal hands and Garm commanded he give it up. From there Vandor called upon myself, Laika, who was known to be a defender of the innocent. He asked for me to take up the mantle to take the sword. I graciously accepted. From here the gods argued about who should be in the pantheon. Garm mentioned there could be a time to rebalance the pantheon and that no one’s position was safe in the pantheon.
Aeston showed up and presented a problem that there were two Goblin Kings Gobbo and Gobbi who would not settle a debate through compromise. There would be a war to decide who was the true Goblin King and whoever won Darkvale's heraldry would either be white with black stripes or black with white stripes. The White team had a strategy of using long range pikes in a field that did not work too well with the Black team’s strike force and team black won 3-0 on the war tourneys for the day.
Finally from here the King called the militia to bring his throne for there would be court in the field. Sir Chan was seanced for the king said he would not hold court without all members of his family present. I cannot fully list all the awards and accolades but here are a few that I remember: Chan Ottokar and Kovaks were knighted Mortal Avatars of Chimeron, many people received the king’s commendations for their work throughout the weekend and the preparation of war efforts. Mayumi was named Lady of Chimeron. Ser Kovacks took Fern as their squire. Tony was made the King’s Page and also gifted Redemption, the dagger he used to help felled the Disciple. Margaret August, for her bravery against the Champion of Death became my own personal Page for the Knights of the Crown. Chan Ottokar posthumously squired Tirvanel to the Knights of the Crown but to the order as a whole because he must be part of Dalindana’s Silver Legion. Finally I passed off ownership of the Main Gauche of Saint Daniel to Garen Elesgar.
To end off the weekend, I went back to that very same Temple to Justari that Chan and I promised to return, except without my friend. I consecrated it back to the Just god and named it in Chan’s honor The Shrine of Justari's Benevolence. Shall it ever remain strong just like Chan’s conviction.
I’m sure there’s a bunch of things I’ve missed but I’ve already written so much about this event and I look forward to the next chapters of this plot and seeing what the Realms brings to the table in the next year. These events are rare as they should be, they require so much effort on both the event staff and the players and so many players will have such high expectations for the future.
Thank you to the event staff and players who came out to Divine Intervention II making memories with everyone. It was an amazing time!