From the grassy Knoll to Springdale
The clouds in the sky had just started to clear as, on the 20th Cloudburst 858 Years after the Devine War, a young man called Tarkus arrived in the Valley of Avalon. The view from the grassy knoll in the centre of the large city of Mercinae greeted him with open arms.
His eyes feasted on the hussle and the bustle of busy town life. The smell of freshly cooked sausages, the large piles of strange sweet smelling herbs, and the clanking armour of the city guards was all too much for a simple country lad to take in.
Out of the crouds stepped a sage, it was he that took Tarkus to the Mercinaen Acadamy, where he was to learn the skills needed to prepare himself for his future in this valley.
Within the Acadamy, sat Sevenius who considered him carefuly before giving Tarkus a task to prove himself. But as a young man, wet behind the ears, Tarkus was confident and eagerly looking forward to all the challenges that city life could give him. Luckily at that point a deshevled adventurer stepped forward and helped him.
Eight times Tarkus was to venture, with the help and guidance of the adventurer, until at last, he could hold his head up high as a graduate of the Acadamy of Mercinae. This certainly wasnt the end of his epic journey, but only the beginning.
Chaos, the Prophet of Mercinae, took Tarkus under his wing, and it was he who showed Tarkus many of the ways of life of Mercinae. The friendship continued until doubt settled in Tarkus's mind, was Mercinae for me? Talk was in the wind of a neighbouring city called Parrius. Cardodius, the Guildmaster of the Artisans nurtutred his desire for excitement and the choice of the Artisans and Parrius was a natural next step.
The seaport of Parrius became Tarkus's home, and the guild of the Artisans his life. Cardodius, and the guild creator and Elder Procyon, spent many hours teaching their new novice the ways of magic. Alchemy was his first subject, the power to control the lorestave and lorerobes awarded to me, his only aim in life. The secrets of the magic entrusted to him, blocked out all other influences in Avalon. He only ventured out to buy food, and to occasionaly talk to his fellow citizens until his skills where such that the power of flight could take him far and wide in the land, and the power of the lorestave gave him a name to be feared amongst the orc and uruks of Goblin Town.
Procyon, working hard aiding Marie to make Kristanisti the premier market village in Avalon, spent less and less time within the Artisan guild. Cardodius , and Tarkus's closest Artisan friend Rhandel Tigers Friend, tought the young Artisan many things. Until, when chatting to Cardodius, a change was noted in the Guildmaster. Cardodius had walked the land for many years, and seen many wonderous sights in the land. So much so, that he tired of his life. In one last ditch effort to live his life to the full, he upt and left Parrius, taking with him a few gold for his trouble. Well 1 million gold to be more accurate, stolen from the Parrian Chancellory. He then felt the wrath of the God of Fate, Orthwein, and was reduced to the status of a newborn in the land, with no skills and no health. But with him many other people joined a long procession choosing the city of evil, Thakria which had grown in stature in the land due to the actions of Shaitan and his patron.
This left the Artisans guild without a master, until Orthwein, Patron of Parrius acted installing Allanon as Guildmaster of the Artisans. Tarkus and Allanon then took about the rebuilding of the Artisans, aided at all times by Silo. Tarkus rose quickly within the guild, becomming the second elder in the guild, proudly sitting next to Procyon the guild founder.
Strange events then started to overtake Tarkus, his most treasured possession his lorerobes vanished! And more strangley where not returned the following day by the elders of the guild. Until, Andromeda the Goddess of dreams looked down on him with pitty in her eyes. For this help, Tarkus joined the growing order of Andromeda and pledge everlasting devotion to her.
Tarkus quickly achieved the mastery of Alchemy, and later of Elixirs becomming the most sort after master of the loremaster profession. This increased dramaticaly when, due to the upsurge of dictatorial actions within Parrius (then outwardly claiming to be the city of damorcracy), Tarkus left Parrius to join Imazdi in rebuilding the Town of Springdale, under its new Patron Andromeda the Goddess of dreams. Tarkus had finaly found his home.
Springtown was beginning to recover from the occupation of Thakria and had managed to increase its worth from nil to 60,000 gold pieces when he joined the City. With two citizens who where present in the land, Imazdi and Tarkus struggled to make Springtown into the dream of their Patron. A city.
Like many people in the land Imazdi was persecuted by those who hated him, so much so that Imzadi is a name no longer whispered in the Land. Tarkus was left alone with a handfull of citizens, including Dankworth the Animist with whome he has become strong friends.
Springtown became Springdale, a city. Although lacking in most of the facilities that the three other cities have, an Institute, a Bank, and the birth of new borns to the land, Springdale quickly was seen as a fresh place to live. Many established residents of other cities followed the call of Andromeda and joined the new city swelling its ranks, and coffers. These included the Warrior Hyde, and the Alchemist Occam.
Tarkus, now Chancellor of Springdale was rewarded by Andromeda by being made Cardinal of the city, and later becomming one of her two Junior priests along with Sirrus. The path of neutrality is a hard one within Avalon, and should not be judged lightly, even so Tarkus took the ultimate step in loyalty to his Patron by choosing the alignment of Neutrality.
Eventualy, even Lancelot, Andromeda's high Priest joined the city, Springdale was becomming a real contender in the land of Avalon. Today, the home of Tarkus has grown ten fold in numbers and one hundred fold in wealth. New shops and stall have opened and Tarkus spends much of his time teaching the new aides how to run a new city. He can often be found within his home for many years The Silver Oyster Tavern which was used for many years as a temporay council chamber until the construction work within the Springdale tower was complete.
More recently, Tarkus has left the Artisans, until then his only guild, to join the Mercinaen order of the Alchemists as a novice. Perhaps the presure of running both city life and guild life was too much of a tole, or perhaps the more active stance the Artisans took in the fight against evil and his neutral position in the land was a point of conflict, only time will tell.
Even though a outward speaker of Neutrality Tarkus is still a target within the land of Avalon, and the attack of Satan an example of this. Whilst standing within the council chambers of Springdale with Sirrus, Satan mounted a supprise attack on Tarkus. With no defences, and no room to manouever Tarkus was killed, and rekilled until he could no longer resurrect himself from certain death. Eight times Tarkus died, and the gasps could be heared around the land. Satan didnt account though for the many friends Tarkus had made in the land, and was killed in return eight times, by Haplo, Polgara, Tallon and Dankworth who for being attacked with the confines of his forrest decomposed Satan, a skill which he had not used since the attack on Shaitan many years before.
Modern day events have firmed within Tarkus's mind that the profession of a loremaster is an honourable and good one. The recent war between Parrius and the combined efforts of Mercinae and Thakria showed this clearly to him. Due to the unprovoked invasion/annexing of Coriona by Parrius, the combined armies firstly liberated Coriona and then proceeded to attack Parrius. The citizens of Parrius fought the might of the 'liberating' armies, but to Tarkus, and other Springdale residents, this was just too much.
Although, by its nature, Springdale being Neutral was unable to act as a city as this would have been against its function in the land. But as people with strong connections to Parrius, Tarkus, Lancelot, Haplo and Moradin all helped Parrius on a more personal level.
Although Parrius does have its own loremaster guild, The Artisans, many of the main members of the guild have recently left Parrius due to various Baronial upsets within the city. Marie's arguments with Allanon forced him to leave the city, and Silo with him. We have already talked of the move of Tarkus to join Springdale, and how the name of Procyon and Cardodius are no longer spoken in the land. This leaves true Parrian Artisans as a very small minority.
While the more able Springdale fighters Lancelot, Haplo and Moradin fought at the Rock Pinacle, the installation of hundreds of runes within the city walls was the task Tarkus was asked to perform by Orthwein, the God of Fate. Pyramid rune after Pyramid rune was fashioned, and then the more deadly task of installing the loremasters greatest weapon was undertaken.
With the guidance of Silo, who's skills have been serverely denimissed by an Eternal Disfavour from Lazarus, the God of Pain, Tarkus firstly made, and then erected many rune staves across strategic points in Parrius. The battlement at Amber Street was targetted most of all as Orthwein saw this as a major point of weakness. Indeed, Mercinae could not support the battlement as the runes killed any none Parrian on sight and Ithakus withdrew his armies from the battle. Thus ending the war.
Thereby, ends the current tale of Tarkus, Quaffer of Ales, the neutral Alchemist from the city of dreams, Springdale.
Written by Tarkus
