Backstory Part II

Synopsis of The Ruination of Hais and the Vengeance of Tamzei

The Munchking upon the Munchthrone

(also known as The Triumph of Hughseph & Euphemily)

               So it came to pass that on the night of the Tournament of Cathedrae—a ritual mandated for betrothed kings in the land—a great abduction took place.  Archiduchess Euphemily, Lady LeeAnn, and Maid Cortney—fooled into partaking of honeymead mingled with poppy juice—were set upon by the minions of Chief Tamzei and locked in the tower of his stronghold.  With these hostages as leverage, Tamzei challenged Hughseph to enter alone into the Shadow Realm and storm its Onddamian keep, ostensibly the prison to which the ladies had been taken.  Sensing the treachery of Tamzei, Hughseph assembled a band of his most trusted vassals and set off on an adventure.  Little did he know that his quarry—and Tamzei’s hostages—were as brave and cunning as any hero known to Påmidgard.

               Met at the threshold of adventure by a strange man, Lord Hughseph, Lord David of Perinia, Brother Albert (Prince-Bishop of Bellowgna), and Sir Daniel (son of Søren) discovered the entrance to the Shadow Realm, although not before Sir Daniel mortally wounded the stranger!  The company came upon a Toll Troll, but found it best to pay and be on their way.  From him they discovered that Tamzei was indeed not alone, as horsemen had entered the Shadow Realm ahead of him.  With this, the intrepid Party of the Bridle made its ascent.

***

               Meanwhile, the ladies had made progress in escaping Tamzei’s snare.  Capitalizing on the torn allegiance of their guard Dennis who freed them from the tower, they set about plotting an escape plan.  Discovering the absence of Tamzei (and that his room was locked), they stealthily looted the servant quarters.  Dressed now as chambermaids, they sought the key to Tamzei’s room, confident that some clue as to his purpose remained therein.

***

Lady LeeAnn engaging in some trickery

               The steep ascent was doubly treacherous, as the terrible winter that befell the Munchkingdom in the wake of the meteor’s descent had yet to thaw.  More than once, members of the Party of the Bridle had to catch one another from sliding downhill upon the ice.  They were slowed also by a troop of Gnomes whose Beehive Sentry post enchanted the land about it. 

               Upon approaching the gnomes, the boots of the adventurers transfigured into stone.  Within reach sat a pair of potion-bearing goblets, with instructions that one was poison, the other a potion to undo the stone-spell.  Also visible were instructions that the two sentry Gnomes would answer but a single question, and the warning that one sentry could only speak truthfully while the other would only tell falsehoods.  Puzzling over this for some time (much to the Gnomes’ bemusement), Hughseph at last devised the appropriate query: “Which goblet would the other Gnome tell me to drink?”  Freed from their bonds, the Munchking relented in raining fury upon the sentries only when the sound of cocked bowstrings presented themselves in the trees above.  Recognizing that brute force would not fetch him his quarry, the Munchking sheathed his sword and bid his party to continue.

***

               Wresting the key from its chest had been no simple task.  Maid Cortney, making use of her previous work as a Sniggler, at last wrenched open the drawer with her knife.  Upon entering Chief Tamzei’s chamber, they discovered a Tamzei shaped scorch mark upon the ground and Euphemily’s engagement ring—the fabled Ring of 52 Weeks.  Clearly, some dirty work was afoot, and the magic that had been sealed away eons ago was stirring!  Having stumbled upon plans for a new siege weapon, and the mention of the dragon Hais, it now was apparent that a timely escape would be all the more important, as Tamzei’s disappearance would surely not go unnoticed for much longer.

***

               In an uncharacteristically kind gesture, Lord Hughseph took pity upon the mute hermit that had followed his party a ways up the mountain.  In thanks for receiving food, the man reached into his leather overcoat and presented a wooden flute to the Munchking.  Unsure of its purpose, Lord David attempted playing a tune—to no effect.  However, this was not the time for music as a horde of 200 Orcs stomped their way downhill to do battle with the Party of the Bridle.

               Sensing the danger, the party scampered up into the trees.  Fortunately, the Orcs had neglected to bring ranged weapons, and had settled on bashing the tree trunks with their helmeted heads.  From atop the trees, Lord David sniped one Orc, then another, and another with his bow, while Brother Albert—having discovered that the Shadow Realm had endowed him with magical powers—began reciting ancient incantations to send balls of fire upon the horrid host.  Still, the party’s situation was dire, for there would be no way to hold off the onslaught indefinitely.

Brother Albert at the Abbey of the Articulate Lion

               Suddenly, Sir Daniel spotted the hermit from before gesturing wildly.  Realizing that the man was encouraging Hughseph to use the flute, he called out to his lord.  At first playing a ditty—which caused a few Orcs to stop and listen—he then threw the flute to the ground.  At once, a flash of light emitted from the instrument, and the Orc host was no more.  Again, the party returned to its ascent.

***

               True, it had been the intent of Euphemily’s party to begin a fire in Tamzei’s stronghold in order to conduct their escape.  It however had not been their intention for a dreaded Hais to be the fire’s cause!  Quickly, they gathered up what they could and set about operating the elaborate mechanism to open the castle’s door.

               Escaping at the last possible moment before the keep became engulfed in flames, they went about searching the grounds, realizing that pieces of the siege engine had been brought to the castle, just not assembled.  Spotting the stable and hawkery, they set about their work.  First, a messenger hawk was dispatched to Hughseph, alerting him in code of their condition.  Then, enough horses were gathered to transport the weapon pieces and the ladies to safety.  Finally, the newly-formed caravan of escaped captives and siege equipment went storming out the gate, leaving naught but the embers of the former stronghold and a host of horse archers confusedly hurrying away in self-preservation.
***
             It was roughly at this point that the Party of the Bridle trudged through the snow to the summit of East Peak.  Receiving the aid of an enchanted tree to direct them to the castle, Hughseph and company found their nemesis Tamzei hoisted by his own petard.  Trapped in the ancient elven keep, Tamzei revealed that he had been doublecrossed by his co-conspiritor--none other than the infamous fire-drake Hais.  Realizing his folly in plotting against the Munchking, the chieftan resigned himself to his fate, but was dispatched not by Hughseph's blade, but the tail of a monstrous scorpion!

             Working quickly, the men formed an offensive circle, taking advantage of their numbers and nimbleness.  Admidst the fight, Brother Albert once again discovered his aptitude for magic as he delivered the lethal spell that incinerated the beast.  Swooning, Brother Albert was overcome with a mystical message, which was revealed to be a warning from the long-sleeping-giant Hobbomock, that the dragon was headed for the Well of Lemilech.  Receiving the messenger hawk, the company scrambled down the mountain to their waiting steeds in pursuit of the fearsome wyrm.
***
             At last reunited by the Well of Lemilech, it came to pass that Euphemily and her enterage were successful in assembling Tamzei's weapon: a newly-devised variant of a Trebuchet.  Not but a moment later, Hais arrived, swooping down upon the well, attempting to break through its barrier and feast upon the magic held within.

             Once again, a great battle ensued.  Under the combined assault of Hughseph & Euphemily's forces, the dragon was subdued, crashing into the frozen lake.  In its place, however, came an ethereal figure, who gave thanks for being freed from the watery prison.  It was none other than the twisted Onddami Elf Lemilech, who set about bewitching Sir Daniel, forcing him to attack his lord.  Just as Lemilech was to have Daniel deliver the final blow, the ladies succeeded in implementing a sealing spell, drawing the essense of Lemilech into the Ring of 52 Weeks.

Sir Daniel--doing what he does best!

             At the behest of yet another strange traveler, who himself paradoxically claimed to be the man Sir Daniel had sworded, Euphemily cast her ring into the waters, upon which moment the perpetual winter lifted.  Lemilech was at last fully vanquished, and the magic that had been sealed away had now returned to the land.  Indeed, the times ahead looked to be promising indeed.            And so it came to pass that Lord Hughseph and Princess Euphemily were wedded, reuniting the final feudal realms into the great Munch-Empire.

While only 78 years have passed since the Triumph of Hughseph & Euphemily, and the Reawakening of Magic, these heroes and events have passed on into legend throughout all Påmidgard.  It is in these latter days that a new menace has risen, and a new company of heroes must be forged...