Author's Note: I began writing this while the campaign was in progress, so there may be more character development to come. However, my fanfiction will be assuming that the campaign was completed successfully and that there was no further loss of life within the party. Furthermore, the assumption will be that Malark has gained power since progressing through the campaign. Malark's power level in the story arcs is high but not overwhelmingly so, therefore he may progress and gather more aptitude and experience as the story continues. Remember this is an extremely abbreviated summarization of tens of hours of gameplay, focused primarily on Malark's actions with an emphasis on some of the characters mentioned in the first story and those who will be mentioned in the sequel.
Malark Background- Campaign
After being cast out from his home, Malark joined a party of adventurers and subsequently worked alongside that party to guard a caravan heading to Greenest. The adventuring party started out ten people strong and they worked for a Sergeant Celesta while guarding the caravan. The party included two druids, a paladin, a cleric, three rangers, a bard, and a rogue.
Upon arrival in Greenest, Malark and the party found that it was under attack by a Blue Dragon. The party immediately charged in to assist the survivors and found that villagers were being assaulted by Kobolds and Cultist who worshipped the five headed Dragon God Tiamat.
The blue dragon did not attack them directly, and instead focused on damaging the town. After moving through sets of cultists and saving villagers they saw under duress the party came to a temple under assault by multiple parties of cultists. The party snuck in the back door in order to rescue the remaining villagers and then clashed with the cultists in the town square. When reinforcements came, Malark released a cloud of fog in order to cover the party and the villagers' retreat into the village.
Sergeant Celesta joined the party after riding through the town square on the keep. She informed them of some personal business she had in the town involving seeing and protecting her daughter. Unfortunately, the girl had been taken by the general leading the cultist army. That general was named Langdragosa. He was a half-dragon and he struck down Sergeant Celesta in single combat before leading his successful troops back to their camp.
The party then intervened in an attack on the grain storage for Greenest up north, with the hope of gaining more information about the camp's whereabouts and layout. Failing to find any more information, they journey south, tracking the progress of the wagons that were used to haul away loot from their raids.
The party managed to infiltrate the camp posed as mercenaries. Before leaving Greenest they had been informed that an individual townsperson with information and research on the cult itself had been taken by the camp's leaders. Upon investigation, they learned the prisoner was being kept inside a walled structure within the camp. The party decided to go with a multi-tiered distraction in order to get out of the camp. Some members incited a riot between the kobolds and the human cultists and others started a small blaze in the hope of drawing away more personnel.
The plan was mostly successful as the monk was rescued and the only conflict the majority of the party encountered was a skirmish with the gate guards as they left camp. However, they did lose one of their party members as the ranger Balek-Rah, driven by an inebriated state and separated from the group during the infiltration, charged deep into the camp and fell at the claws of guard drakes.
After the party made its way back to Greenest, they were rewarded and praised for rescuing Liosin, the monk who was an expert on the cult's activities. Liosin indicated he needed to leave to do additional research however he requested another task from the adventurers. The monk, along with Governor Nighthill of Greenest, asked them to return to the camp after the main army's departure to infiltrate the caves that contained multiple dragon eggs in a nursery. Before departing, the party returned to full strength by adding Thad Brannigan to their midst. He is a half-orc fighter famous for his arena combat, if not a bit rash with the propensity for making snap decisions.
The party returned to the now empty camp and discovered the severed head of their fallen comrade Balek-Rah, displayed on a pike. After a quick burial, the party headed down into the cave, and discovered a dungeon of obstacles waiting for them. After passing through this dungeon and dispatching the waves of guards meant to deter trespassers, the group made its way to a temple like room, with a statue depiction of Tiamat's rebirth. Here the party once again encountered Langdragosa.
The party faced off against these large numbers with some difficulty. One notable party member in the fight was the Tiefling Bard Mataman. Mataman's unusual tactic's and numerous risky actions led to a mix of successful attacks and large returns of damage. He would have to be revived many times, yet he was also responsible for charming a powerful spellcaster. Thad was a good inclusion in the group as he fought valiantly as well. The Tiefling Rogue Daesenrial also made an unusual but effective maneuver by launching herself up onto a candelabra and firing projectiles from the air.
The battle raged and Malark Os Mys Shari struck the final blow on Langdragosa with the thunder spell Scatter. While this spell successfully ended the half dragon, Malark was put his body on the line for an immediate counterattack from one of the enemy's guards who knocked him unconscious and moved in for the kill before being dealt with by Ridley. The remaining battle passed uneventfully but it was followed by a secondary conflict after the party destroyed the eggs they had been tasked with breaking. Despite searching, no new information on the cult was found, so they had to take their spoils and return to the town of Greenest, mission accomplished.
Upon arrival, Governor Nighthill met with the party and thanked Malark for completing the remainder of their quest and for returning some of the town's treasure that had been discovered deep within the depths of the dungeon. He then handed the party a letter from the Monk Liosin, encouraging them to go to Elturel and noting the cult may be on its way north to attack some of the coastal towns.
By that time Malark agreed to go after and stop the cult due to his distaste for their black magic and it's practices. Most of the party agreed with him and they were given horses and sent with a map that included a shortcut through the Forest of Long Knives.
However, the whole party did not make the journey into to Elturel. Rhevenil, a wood-elf druid, Ridley Greenscale a dragonborn paladin, Amber Frostbeard, a dwarven cleric all left the party as they departed from Greenest. Rhevenil returned to the woods after her non-violent tendencies had kept her out of the second infiltration. Ridley and Amber departed on a secondary quest, potentially in pursuit of lost family members for Amber. Eravan, a wood elf ranger, subsequently was shifted through an astral plane during the journey and did not return.
Thus, heading into the Forest, the party contained Malark the wizard, Thad Brannigan the fighter, Mataman O'Krungle the bard, Dolan'er the Ranger, Daesenriel Blackstorm the rogue, and Selenite the druid. As they charged through the forest, they were beset by weretigers and then attacked mentally by a local necromancer. The party investigated a cursed mansion in the middle of the forest, where spirits walked and needed to be repelled, yet dark mental magic still attacked. It was reported that the Fighter Thad felled a troll in the backyard with a single blow. Yet no member of the party witnessed it firsthand, the evidence was there but some refused to believe it. Upon further exploration of the house, it turned out the dark magic was the work of a coven of Hags. While the first night led to the death of one of three hag sisters, the party had to retire back to camp to lick its wounds.
On the second night of the assault the party was joined by a human hybrid cleric of Thor named Zuriel. Zuriel aided in the battle of the remaining two hags; a battle which was fought next to a sacrificial alter used to increase the hags' powers using sacrificial cannibalism. They had eaten their fallen sister as well as several prisoners within the mansion.
For this battle, Malark had put aside his initial distaste for fire magic. The second assault was intended to be a final push, with the goal either to destroy the magic within or burn the house down around the coven and escape. Malark had a Fireball ready to do the honors if necessary. As the final blow was struck the house collapsed in on itself in an implosion of dark magic. The party was separated with Malark leading Selenite and Thad up a side staircase and finding a chest filled with a few treasures in a back room.
However, upon return to the house, the party had found that the ranger Dolan'er had departed prematurely, leaving a note back at camp saying, "Getting more crossbow bolts, be back soon." During the conflict tensions had been rising within the party as well, especially between the bard Mataman and the fighter Thad. The bard had appeared pleased when hearing of the news of Thad's apparent fall when the party was separated.
The party put the battle and the conflict behind them and completed the journey to Elturel without major incident. One event of note involved a powerful Halfling sorcerer ferrying them across the river near the city. While appearing amoral and a bit drunk, the Halfling took a shine to Malark, who helped him pilot his ferry as if he had never left the sea. The mage remained unnamed throughout the journey but had made Malark an offer to continue travelling with him. While Malark didn't accept, they did leave on friendly terms, not helped by the fact that some of his comrades had hoped to pickpocket the powerful Halfling.
Malark's return to the water had brought forth a sense of happiness and optimism that had been lacking since the party had faced the Haunted Mansion and had been repulsed during their initial assault. While he had been helpful during the battle, his lack of dark magic research had led to them leaving with more questions than they had answers to. While there was the overlying positive of destroying such a dark place, it took the return to his sea legs to pull Malark out of an initial funk.
Travel within Elturel was mixed yet eventful while they searched for Liosin and more information on the Cult of Tiamot. The cult had not yet made its way to any major coastal cities and appeared to be moving slowly but steadily in the direction of a different town. Liosin's note had indicated that they should contact the Order of the Gauntlet once arriving, but direct inquiry seemed to go nowhere. Unbeknownst to the party, the Order had heard the rumors of an adventuring party looking for them and had come to meet them.
Upon entry into the stronghold of the Order of the Gauntlet, the party was met and tested by its leader Uroath. After passing the tests, the party met with both Uroath and the monk Liosin in order to join up with their corresponding factions. While some of his party joined the covert Harpers, Malark and two others joined with the Order of the Gauntlet. During the meeting, Liosin relayed the movements of the Cult of the Dragon who seemed to be headed towards Baldur's Gate.
The travel to Baldur's gate was unique for the party as it consisted primarily of sailing. Malark managed to assist the captain and cover the night shift for the party's travels; this expedited their journey and would have carved their trip down substantially. Malark once again felt revitalized and spent the journey at peace and humming sea shanties, relishing in the return to his roots and reveling in propelling his team to glory.
Unfortunately, a quick trip to Baldur's gate was not meant to be as the party encountered a Hydra and three giant crocodiles. During the battle, Malark attempted to preserve the boat but it ends up sinking anyway. Malark has the presence of mind to save the map the captain had brought with him. They continue the journey to Baldur's Gate by following the river…
(This is the stop gap where the campaign is currently at. However, because the story takes place after the end of the campaign, I'm going to assume a post-campaign scenario that would properly set up the next story)
The Party defeats the Cult of Tiamat at the Well of the Dragon without Tiamat being summoned. There are sufficient reinforcements from an allied force which includes the Order of the Gauntlet to dispatch and scatter the remaining cultist and mercenary armies. Upon returning to Elturel, the party is celebrated alongside their allies in the Order of the Gauntlet and the Harpers. Each party member is given a substantial amount of riches retrieved from the hoard within the cult's stronghold, though the majority is returned to the towns it was plundered from and some were passed on to previous party members or their families.
The party separates and moves off to complete their various goals, while some continue to take jobs from the Order of the Gauntlet and the Harper's respectively. Malark has been adamant throughout the entire campaign about looking to purchase a boat and assemble a crew, and the offer is made to many members of the party to join him. However, they all decide that they have business to handle before even considering joining a sailing crew, and many would be against the lifestyle as a permanent one. Malark departs for one of the major ports on Emerald, the horse he was given at the keep in Greenest but is plagued with indecision.
As he departs, Malark realizes he also has unfinished business with the Lords of the Tempest and he had not resolved the issue of their sacrificial plans. While that was clearly not the most pressing threat facing the world while the cult was in power, the power vacuum left is one that the Lords could easily exploit. This indecision plagues Malark throughout his ride and he pulls off the road into a nearby village in order to have a night in a comfortable inn and ponder his future more easily.
And so my story begins.