Suggestions for new Lost Tales

[Thomas]

[moved from Chapters:Canon:#1202]

Okay, I may regret this (haha) but...hit me with your ideas for future Lost Tales.  I'm listening.

[Mikalus]

Long-time reader.  First found these stories when I was in college, the Pangea arc had ended, the most recent story was Belphanior and Sketek going through spellbooks and accidently burning the tavern floor due to a trapped spellbook. Checking release dates, that makes it September 2001.  I had to read from the beginning to catch up fast as the new stories for the Fortress of the Nine battle were being released and the stories were captivating.  It has been incredible for you to continue to write these stories for as long and as extensively as you have.

As to loose end suggestions for Lost Tales?  I can think of, maybe just a few…  In no particular order:

Kronos: (several came to mind)
1) His path to becoming a “lich” – Kronos said it was not the usual method.  Also, the teardrop item he wanted from Mesoloth’s lair was to help with tremendous pain. Sounds like a few story ideas already in your head.
2) His search and discovery of the Throne of the Gods and then deciding to build his fortress in the mountains around it as the Throne cannot be moved.
3) Kronos after his awakening during Belpanior’s fight with Torin in the tomb. After the part we saw in Jenna’s recall spell from Istus.  Kronos likely returning to his fortress, and dealing with interlopers.  Or perhaps the two white dragons were guarding it all along?  Possible hatchlings of a parent also in Kronos service from way back? Either way, Kronos using the Throne of the Gods to catch up on the world much as he did post center of time.  Maybe he was waiting for Parekh to contact him all along.

Rob (and perhaps Halbarad and or Peyote):
Whatever quest or adventure led to Rob getting the Suit of Shadows.  This one is less a “loose end” and more a hook to tell a Rob story if you have one half-formed you never finished.

These next three could be separate or rolled into one (Friday 10/30/2026 for Halloween?)
Judhon:  A backstory of his original party’s doomed fight with Marek
Paige: A backstory of her original party’s doomed encounter with the zombie plague
Arusha: If you think there’s more to her backstory about learning magic without instruction in Marek’s domain that you didn’t already tell.  Otherwise, the other two may be plenty material and adding hers may lessen the story.

Nigel Bloodstone: His return to Perrenland with a single soldier after the Battle of Hellgate and what he told the ruler and military forces of Perrenland given their desire to control the mountain pass.  Perhaps Nigel is telling this tale to Lord Marcus when Nigel leads his troops into the Bright Lands after being hired in 1198.  Or perhaps it’s from the perspective of that lone soldier if he survived the Greyhawk Wars and is still in Nigel’s forces and he tells it to the other troops when someone mentions the name “Belphanior” when those troops are preparing to journey to the Bright Lands for their new contract. 

Neko:  After the Battle of Hellgate. Not that she needs a story, but perhaps tying off a loose thread is better.  Who knows? Maybe she stops in an inn further along in the mountains, mutters the name “Belphanior” or “Helgate” and the bartender tells Neko to retire while she’s still alive.  Seeing as she did the same… and now runs the inn with her name on it: Arlanni’s.

Whisper:  He was paid by Belphanior (in Ep 993, 5/3/581) to get all the info on the Crimson Blades.  I don’t recall him reporting back prior to the Crimson Blades being eliminated at the Center of Time (7/17/581).  I don't believe Whisper has shown up since Belphanior and all returned post-Greyhawk Wars.  Maybe Whisper casually shows up in the Bright Lands after he knows Belphanior is alive.  Maybe he got paid by Peldor in the meantime, maybe he just wants to follow up since his quarry all vanished at the same time as Belphanior.  Less so that Whisper wants paid and more that he is always intrigued by Belphanior’s unusual and interesting job offers.  Just checking in so to speak.

Alindyar (and others) questioning the Crimson Blade Monk captured at the Center of Time.  He had suspected ties to the Scarlett Brotherhood.  Maybe that’s a main story chapter.

Anyone that escaped the Lost Island – Leila and Eyer had their fates told as did Peyote, Daffodil, Halbarad, Rillen, Songa and Relmar.  Maybe you tell it from the perspective of Rillen and Songa and Halbarad as they “question” the backers of the Odyssey and why they didn’t mount a rescue.  Rillen had idle thoughts of Songa beating up politicians.  Maybe it happened after all.  Could have involved Leila and Eyer trying to get questions answered as well, or maybe not.

Leila:
Following on from that last story, Leila is a fairly accomplished sailor and likely ship captain at the very least by now.  Perhaps her story through the Greyhawk Wars and perhaps getting approached to start a Navy for the Bright Lands.  That could still be a ways off, but having someone in mind that has contacts with shipbuilders and naval personnel alike isn't a bad thing.

Various vengeful vampires:
Master Vampire and Vampiric Sorceress from Xusia’s final lair.  Ulruk and Sadira from Skava-Ra.  Victoria isn’t vengeful per se, but she’s out there somewhere as well.  Whether these are separate vignettes in one Lost Tale or separate tales depends on how many distinct vampire tales you feel inspired or willing to write.  Skava-Ra is rather hard to top.

Fenris: He’s retired and the details Whisper gave are plenty to end his direct story.  But he does have one of your swords of Myth.  I couldn’t find the link to those, but I think the one Fenris had causes an HP loss each year.  Odds are he kept it when he retired.  Perhaps some thieves trace it to Zeif and steal it?

Vinnie with Eduardo and Felicia: Peldor’s “man on the street” and the pair of thieves in the Bright Lands.  Perhaps as a means to flesh out and develop the Capital of the Bright Lands with them interacting with the residents of the new city. Maybe this is a main story chapter and not a “lost tale”.  I guess I see these three in particular as your equivalent Marvel “street-level” heroes who only appear on TV versus the MCU “main” heroes who appear in movies. 

Leonardo the Chef and all the various staff of Peldor:  Effectively all the people that worked at the Green Dragon who were either or both staff and followers of Peldor. From the bard to the magician to all the various thieves that were bartenders, serving wenches and housekeeping staff. Or Hobbes, Peldor's page that knew Ged's page Calvin. Perhaps some of them deliberately stayed behind to keep tabs in Greyhawk for Peldor?  If you need a quiet loyal assistant who keeps to the background and makes things happen, perhaps that character has the initials of DPM? He did get that cool portrait on the main page commissioned after all.  (I think I contributed to that in fact?)

Peldor:  Belpanior had quite a bit of land and business to sell to Greyhawk.  Peldor may not have had Belphanior’s multiple adventure treasure hoards to invest, but he likely had longer time – compound interest for the win! – so he likely had quite a bit to divest when he left Greyhawk. Maybe he sold things to Nenya and Deryck instead of Greyhawk.  If nothing else, just to spite Glodreddi.  Odds are, land that Peldor owned and that Belphanior owned would have been adjacent plots or businesses as that would make it easier for Peldor to keep track of things. Could tie into the other tale suggest above with any of Peldor’s followers keeping tabs on events in Greyhawk.  Plus, Peldor likely had to empty out his hidden vault seen in 502 after he rebuilt the Green Dragon Inn above it and then likely restocked it. 

Peldor's business connections:  Greyhawk is packed with refugees.  Peldor as Guildmaster probably had thieves keeping tabs on both the ones with money, the ones who used to have money but were broke, and the various and sundry people needing work.  Taking any of those people on to work in the Bright Lands comes with a bigger risk of infiltration by spies, but it's another source of immigrant workforce and people to build out the city and nation.  In another way of looking at it, the various refugeess from Tenh, from Sterich and Geoff and the former residents of Skava-Ra are mainly workers and farmers and laborers.  They'll build things, but that's what Belphanior and the Bright Lands are paying to be done.  Peldor likely knows quite a few business people who may jump at the opportunity to start fresh and get out of Greyhawk.  Again, maybe it's a main story and not a Lost Tale.  But odds are, since Peldor up and left, other people may talk and think he's not wrong about Greyhawk, he runs a good business, and maybe they want to start a new business away from Greyhawk. It's not just from Greyhawk either.  Peldor has contacts in Dyvers and elsewhere to supply the Green Dragon.  Plus all those businesses he bought into for himself and for Belphanior.  This wouldn't be a story so much to tell "how the economy works" but to explain why it doesn't all have to be directly managed by the Bright Alliance.  If a bunch of middle class shopkeepers, merchants and others come to run businesses of their own, that means you don't have to write the Bright Lands making it happen.

A bard or some other loremaster coming to the Bright Lands with the intent of writing a chronicle of what they see as a Kingdom that will have stories to write about.  Could get hired by the Bright Alliance, could do it on his own.  Maybe he’s named Thomas?  Or named after one of your own player characters from way back.

Tenser: After the battle with Rary and getting “summoned” by the Circle of Eight.  Whether they try to get information from him on the Bright Alliance or not – he likely tells them to “shove off” and to never contact him again as he sees their inaction.  Tenser may not agree with all of Belphanior’s methods or motivations, but he’s doing more to balance the scales of the world than the Circle of Eight by far. Maybe this just sets Tenser up as a potential ally in the future, but it could also show whether or not you wish your Circle of Eight to be positioned moving forward.  Granted, the Circle sent Jallazari and Warnes Starcoat who talked Alindyar, Lyra and Parekh, but this could be after that meeting to get Tenser's perspective - even if he declines to give it.

[QuinnyWA]

What a great post Mikalus!

I would like to see a lost tale on what happened to Cynder, if anything.

I forgot about all that Kronos stuff. I second that one for a Lost Tale. I think it's Kronos who had a debt to settle with Al-Arakara or whatever that Mummy's name is too (before the final battle).

I would also like to know if Neko did anything after the battle or just disappeared.

I also like the idea of the vampires.

I would like to see the Crimson Blades beat Lloth. I think that would be an epic battle!