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#Post#: 1374--------------------------------------------------
The Untold Story of Rage
DIR By: Dungeon Master
Date: August 10, 2026, 12:09 pm
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Warning from the start. This is the darkest of all the beginning
tales, save perhaps Karnea, Wydara, or Talidaar. This will begin
one way, and by the end, it will be something else; there is no
happy ending here.
You have been warned-
[center]The principal question before us is: who was Lord Rage
before, and how did he become a Death Knight of the Black
Rose?[/center]
[center]The Untold Story of Rage
Chapter One: The Black Robe and Knight of the Divine Hammer
-Squire to Knighthood-
Rage created by JS[/center]
[center]Est Sularis oth Mithas[/center]
[center]
My honor is my life[/center]
The period from 97 PC to 48 PC is known in Istarian history as
the “Long Reign,” a golden age characterized by relative peace,
internal prosperity, and the ruthless systematic purging of
ogres and goblins from within the empire's borders.
In the wake of the Third Dragon War, the Solamnic Knighthood
held the largest military presence on Ansalon, but the nation of
Istar was the dominant power. Through trade and religion, Istar
spread until it covered all of eastern Ansalon save for the
forest of Silvanesti. Solamnia came to depend on Istar’s trade
and currency, while Istar relied on the Knights of Solamnia's
military might in many situations. The two “good” nations became
fast allies, and Solamnia supported the rule of the Kingpriest
and the spread of Good throughout the world.
47 PC (Prae Cataclius) 916 IA (Istaran Age) Aidan Redmayne is
born to Lady Emma and Lord Ivo Redmayne of Castle Redmayne
located within the Solamnic Heartland.
40 PC 923 IA Beldinas Pilofiro ascends to the throne as
Kingpriest and marks the ascent of the radical, fanatical shift
of the Istar Empire into a militant theocracy.
-Aidan Redmayne grows up in Redmayne Castle until he is sent to
become a page for Lord Randal Ellington at Ellington Keep.
Raised among his sons and daughters and the other children of
the keep.
The Holy Empire of Istar ruled most of Ansalon, and its
Kingpriest held supreme political and moral authority. The
Kingpriest was actively decreeing what counted as "good" or
"evil," slowly outlawing independent magic and imposing strict,
total control over mortal society in this era of intense
self-righteousness and the push to eradicate all perceived
flaws.
36 PC 927 IA A young Aidan Redmayne recently graduated as a page
at Ellington Keep for his sponsor, Lord Knight of the Rose
Randel Ellington. The Keeper of Roses takes Aidan as his squire
at fourteen, and Aidan becomes his assistant and shield carrier.
Aidan learns lessons of honor, circumspection, and integrity. He
learns all aspects of being a squire and being a knight. He
learned to wrestle against his peers, the other boys, and train
with sword experts that Lord Randel Ellington keeps on staff.
How to joust- that is, the jousting rules and the particulars of
how and why things happen. He learns a lot with squiring for the
Keeper of the Roses, Lord Ellington, while he is practicing
riding the lists.
On a grey day, Aidan Redmayne is called to attend Ser Gerald
Tarinin’s horses and see that they are watered and fed.
Ser Gerald Tarinin is a Knight of the Divine Hammer, the
military arm of the Holy Empire of Istar. He is a veteran
soldier and has come to enlist my lord’s assistance in hunting
down and killing a nefarious, black-hearted Magic-User named
Pelos after a debacle in the east in Dravinaar, in the capital
of Qim Sudri, the City of Stone.
Ser Gerald is dogmatic, acerbic, sharp, laconic in speech, and
bitter in tone.
The Keeper of Roses, Lord Randel Ellington, is a paragon Knight
of the Rose. He is keen and equanimous. He looks over the maps
and consults regional maps; his eyes look over a map of what is
effectively his surrounding holdings and the Heartland. His eyes
scan the nearby vital River Crossings, and he looks for obvious
ambush points and potential camp sites from memory, due to
environmental factors along the way. He concurs; this will be a
deadly quest.
After a night of thought, he is galvanized into action to embark
on a perilous hunt for a malevolent black-robed figure seen in
the area as it moves through the Heartland province. Rumored to
be heading to a chantry in the area.
The squire, Aidan Redmayne, is told to prepare their horses with
the stable boys and pack the gear and armor up. He is told to
pack food and water, and oats for the horses. He measures out
rations for man and horse, calculates water usage for everyone,
and packs the water skins and water shins for the horses,
drained into buckets for them to get a drink on the road.
The Horses are saddled and loaded up with supplies, distributed
as evenly as possible, while still putting more on the Rouncey
pack Horses.
The Horses
-The Keeper of Roses, Lord Knight of the Rose, Randel Ellington
·Baiard- Solamnic Warhorse, black-brown. Black is the
predominant pigment, but the muzzle and the flanks are brown.
·Broiefort- Rouncey Horse for supplies, Brown. The coat is a
mixture of black and brown hair.
-Squire Aidan Redmayne
·Veillantif- “Wide Awake” Solamnic Courser Warhorse, Sorrel. A
chestnut red-brown coloring of bright bay. The mane and tail are
both white and reddish in color
·Jak- Rouncey Horse for supplies for this Grey. It is a varied
mixture of black and white hairs on black skin.
-Ser Gerald Tarinin, a Knight of the Divine Hammer
·Thunder- Destrier Istar, pinnacle of stallion. The Black
pigment is present in the skin and hair
·Blanchart- Courser Warhorse Albino: An all-white animal; an
albino is the result of a complete absence of pigmentation in
both the skin and hair. These horses are always pink-eyed.
·Gramimund "Grassface"- Rouncey Horse for Supplies. Its color is
Cream: This color is a result of unpigmented skin. The eyes of
these horses are always pink or blue in color.
They leave Ellington Keep and set out with the dawn the next day
under partly cloudy skies and ride through the morning when the
clouds clear out and become a sunny day. The trio stops at
midday to eat and rest the animals at a lazy stream.
All three of us had studied the map intently in the Keep’s
library; we located likely paths and hideouts along the way and
planned to check out each of the locations. Cairngorn Keep is
located southeast of the town of Tresvka in Solamnia.
The Keep is a dark, isolated fortress in the Heartlund region of
Solamnia on Krynn. Built by the sorceress Asvoria. Cairngorn
Keep stands alone on a wooded hillside, surrounded by
evergreens.
After miles traveled, they travel northwest and head for
Cairngorn Keep.
Time passes over the day of travel.
Soon, before they all know it, the sun is starting to go down.
-They stop to camp for Night One
The Red and White Moons loom overhead, bathing the world in
reflected moonlight…
Aidan is perspicacious, quick to understand things, determined
in support of his sponsor, Lord Knight of the Rose Randel
Ellington, setting up camp and caring for the horses. No fires
this night.
No revery, all business, and sleep on a bedroll, wrapped in
blankets
The next morning, it is a picturesque azure day on the fertile
plains; a gentle breeze blows over the riders from the
northwest, as they ride into the Heartland (Riverlands)
Journey to the crossing of the breathtaking expanse of territory
of the heartland of Solamnia.
They camp Night Two as it begins to mist up and moisture rises
as fog comes advancing over the Riverlands.
This night, the Red and White Moons seem larger this night, as a
dark shadow transits the other moons.
People set up their tents and set out to eat cold food and
sleep. They set a guard to take turns over the night. Knowing
they are close to their target, they agree they will arrive
tomorrow.
Aidan takes care of all of the animals.
The misty night seems unusually calm, with trees fading into
pale silhouettes. Aidan is just finishing feeding and watering
the animals when he feels rubatosis, the unsettling awareness of
his own heartbeat.
The fog is dense ... shapes begin emerging out of the mist,
without warning; undead skeletons and zombies walk into the
perimeter of the camp.
The Knights draw their swords in a flash of steel. Fighting
breaks out. But, with overwhelming odds, the undead hands reach
from every direction, everywhere around them, completely
enveloping them...
A Man comes from nowhere; a man of faith. He lowers his head and
prays, holding out his necklace, presenting his Platinum Dragon
Medallion of Faith, and an aura of silver light pushes the
undead to turn away and return to their master.
His soft blue robes have a platinum triangle symbol on them.
Once the threat has passed, the priest explained that “I am
Isarn, a Prefect of Paladine. I rode out from the Temple of the
Holy Orders of the Stars, roughly thirty miles north of Tresvka,
to be of aid to the cause against the Black Robe known as Pelos.
They finally get some sleep this night.
The Morning after the harrowing night of the undead. Serein
skies above, a fine light rain or fine mist falling from a
clear, cloudless sky, but as the day goes on, it gets more grey
and gloomy.
It is more foreboding the closer they get.
Camp Night Three
Large Red and White Moons transit the sky, with a dark shadow
stalking them, crossing their light.
Pelos, the Dark Wizard, is making it appear he is eluding us
when, really, he uses celerity and blows sleeping powder in
their faces, watching them fall with their animals unconscious
for a time.
-Lord Knight of the Rose Ellington
-Squire Aidan Redmayne
-Ser Gerald Tarinin, a Knight of the Divine Hammer
-Revered Prefect Isarn, Priest of Paladine, God of the Platinum
Dragon
Camp Night Five
Large Red and White Moons transit the sky.
One time, he disables Knight of the Rose Ellington’s knee by
smashing it with a mace. The priest Isarn heals Lord Ellington.
Camp Night Six
Large Red and White Moons transit the sky.
Another time, anticipating where the next attack will come from,
he positions himself in a way that Aidan steals the mace from
the Black Robe.
They learn the mace is indeed Magical
The next morning, Revered Son Isarn makes an offering and
welcomes the dawn and praises their success for Paladine’s
glory.
They come across the telltale signs of travel and see they are
near their destination. They are ever watchful for traps, and
soon are attacked by trained wolves. As they get closer, death
spiders crafted by foul black magic begin attacking, and the
priest repels them with Paladine’s mystical light. The priest
reports he was helped by someone else as well…
A female wild elf reveals herself; she is marked by tattoos,
painted lines, and spirals. She speaks in old Solamnic: “She is
Rinn; she wants to end the blight in this land; she fears the
cycle will continue, but she will do her part in riding this
blight on the heartland and return it to the forest of life.”
Aidan’s Master calls her a Druid of the Nature Goddess.
Isarn the priest and Ser Gerald Tarinin, the Knight of the
Divine Hammer, look to each other, and the priest prays and
finds out how to approach this “Druid of Nature”
The grounds surrounding the keep are dangerous and filled with
many different traps and beasts. Without an invitation from the
present owner, it was almost suicide to enter the paths to
Cairngorn.
Rinn shows them how to get through the traps, past the wolves,
past the spiders, and to the keep itself.
Located southeast of the town of Tresvka in Solamnia, Cairngorn
Keep is a dark, isolated fortress in the Heartlund region of
Solamnia on Krynn. Cairngorn stands surrounded by a large forest
with certain paths leading to the gray towers. Built by the
sorceress Asvoria, Cairngorn Keep stands alone on a wooded
hillside, with its base obscured from sight by thick evergreens.
Camp Night Seven in the Forest.
The Red and White Moons are ebbing as they cross the sky.
Twenty-four-foot grey walls surround the whole keep. Inside the
gates, many small buildings made of grey and black stones spread
away from the center of the keep.
In the center of the keep, a central tower juts above the
foliage, and a vast gate blocks the primary entrance into the
keep.
Within the Keep itself is a special chamber.
The Hidden Wizard Chantry is an opulent chamber. A mosaic tile
ceiling depicting the Moons of Magic. There is an altar. A burnt
offering is still smoking, along with burning incense, halfway
finished. A map leading to Hartford, with other circled
locations appearing on the map.
They leave the Rinn, the druid wild elf, behind, but she left a
huge impact on Aidan’s memories.
The Company makes for Hartford across the Heartland.
A small town called Hartford; in this town, merchants dedicated
to Shinare, Aesthetics of Gilean, are present, and dwarves
trading from Kayolin. They find the Hartford Inn and ask anyone,
“Did somebody see something?”
They stay at the Inn, eat, and sleep. Night Eight
The Red and White Moons are ebbing as they cross the sky.
Early in the morning, the knights find out the Dark Wizard has
reached the Town of Tresvka.
The Woods are known to have a diverse list of occupations. There
is a large presence of druids of Chislev within the forest, and
Centaurs as well. They are protected by treaties going way back
to Delgaard.
Just within is a small woodland town, Tresvka, located in the
Heartlund province of Solamnia along the Vingaard River. It
features at the intersection of several rich trade routes.
Merchants dedicated to Shinare line Bramble Street, the main
dirt road lined with market stalls and tents, and simple wooden
architecture situated west of Hartford and near Delgaard and
Patina.
The Blind Goose Tavern appears to be one of many drinking
establishments on Bramble Street. Inside the Tavern, the tables
and chairs were comprised of dark-stained wood, and the floor
was a thick layer of packed dirt. The tavern was kept in
relative darkness, and the patrons preferred it that way, as
most of the clientele were the type who did not want to be seen.
The Knight’s House is a house for the traveling Knight of
Solamnia. It well upkept embassy house at the cost of two silver
to donate to the upkeep: single beds and two beds.
Camp Night Nine
The Red and White Moons are ebbing as they cross the sky.
The Squire sleeps in a second bed, where his sponsor takes the
other bed. Ser Gerald Tarinin, a Knight of the Divine Hammer,
and Revered Son Isarn, Priest of Paladine, God of the Platinum
Dragon, take separate beds also.
The Priest and Ser Gerald Tarinin, the Knight of the Divine
Hammer, give an offering, burn incense, and pray for forgiveness
for their wrongs and slights to the Platinum Dragon Draco
Paladine.
We listen from our room and say our own prayers to Draco
Paladine.
Nearby, in an amphitheater, a nomadic Player Troupe of Gilean is
putting on a show.
Soon,
A vagros gypsy tells what they have seen; the knights learn he
has made for Underfell: A sunken, goblin-infested subterranean
city located about twenty miles north.
They go back to ask the Aesthetics in Heartford about the Sunken
City to the north.
“It is with woe”, the Aesthetic relates the tale of “A great
battle in the Time of Huma in the Third Dragon War, A thousand
years ago….”
“A whole city was swallowed under the earth. Since then, it did
not take long for goblins, mercenaries, and vagabonds of the
area to discover this new kingdom. The entrance was reshaped and
fashioned into a hill, the door just big enough for an ogre if
he crawled. The door was locked, covered with camouflaging
thorns, as it's been reported.”
A rider is sent off to the Temple of the Holy Orders of the
Stars, found roughly thirty miles north of the town, and ten
miles from the Temple of the Holy Orders.
They ride for Underfell…
The Ruin of Underfell is a sunken city located about twenty
miles north of the city of Tresvka. The ancient city was lost
under the ground, and the entrance was armed with a spike trap.
This lost city became a refuge for unsavory characters and
looters.
Light or torches were not needed in this cavern because of an
insect called a Glitter-Beetle.
Male vagabonds, looters, and rapists; their clothes were all in
states of tatterdemalion and disrepair.
Male and Female Thieves hiding out
Male Mercenaries
Goblin Iron Fang Tribe consisting of forty or so goblins and an
ogre named Gorath Grimtooth, that inhabit part of the
subterranean city.
The Sunken City hangs on the precipice of the Crypt of a
Thousand Voices.
A hidden chamber, known only to Wizards of the Black Robes,
rests the Infamous Black Robe Pelos -Death Master, a Summoner.
Underfell
The Crypt of a Thousand Voices was a large cavern located in
Underfell. The cavern was pitch black, and the acoustics of the
cave amplified even the slightest sound to a booming cacophony.
Many a person lost their mind when stuck in the dark cavern.
We face the Back Robe,
The Black Robe almost kills the Priest, but underestimates him
substantially.
The Priest stops other killing shots by the black robe; one
ricochet or rebound spell struck Ser Gerald Tarinin.
The Black Robe is ultimately killed by a crossbow bolt in the
end by Ser Gerald Tarinin, a Knight of the Divine Hammer, with
his dying breath. The Black Robe and Knight of the Divine Hammer
both die.
The Solamnic pair do not burn the black robe but send the body
on to Palanthas.
Temple of the Holy Orders of the Stars: Many Priests are there
to heal us and do honors for Ser Gerald Tarinin.
Redmayne feels desidolia about the Knights of the Divine Hammer
and disenchanted with the idea of Istar and Paladine wanting
this outcome.
In the years ahead,
Redmayne serves as squire for Lord Randel Ellington for many
more adventures, including these,
-As Squire, Aidan distinguished himself with Lord Ellington
helping Kender in the Hylo
-As Squire, Aidan distinguished himself with Lord Ellington
serving in the defense of Elmwood
-As Squire, Aidan distinguished himself by defending the Throtl
Gap from the Stormshire Hobgoblins
At eighteen, Lord Randel Ellington sponsors Aidan's admission to
the Knighthood; his peers agree.
The Knights bring him before the council at the Whitestone;
Aidan takes the oath and is inducted into the solemn ranks of
the hollowed Order of Knighthood of Solamnia.
[center]The End of Chapter One: The Black Robe and Knight of the
Divine Hammer
Squire to Knighthood[/center]
#Post#: 1375--------------------------------------------------
The Untold Story of Rage Epilogue for Chapter One
DIR By: Dungeon Master
Date: August 10, 2026, 2:29 pm
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[center]Epilogue
for Chapter One[/center]
29 PC 934 IA
The Knights of the Divine Hammer continued to destroy neutral
churches and shrines along with evil. The Kingpriest declared
all followers of Sirrion heretics.
At eighteen, Aidan Redmayne served as a Knight of the Crown as a
stoic knight-errant. He is gifted with a Solamnic Warhorse he
names Valor from his father, Lord Ivo Redmayne
Within four years,
-Aidan Redmayne distinguished himself against river pirates near
Vingaard Keep.
-Aidan Redmayne fights at a Tournament at Vingaard Keep, joins
the lists, does very well, survives the Melee to win.
-Aidan Redmayne played a part in finding lost children that had
been taken from a small town in the Heartland by a black-hearted
villain.
-Aidan Redmayne distinguished himself as a Novice of Swords.
Aidan opted to pilgrimage to the Holy City of Istar, attended
mass, and learned about the church and the power of Paladine.
Left the city; while on the way back, Redmayne put down a
rebellion, with other Knights on the path home. They all left
with glory and honor that day.
-Aidan Redmayne is inducted into the Order of the Knight of the
Rose, having proved himself, as has the breeding to be welcomed
among our ranks….
At twenty-five, Knight-errant Knight of the Rose Sir Aidan rises
in rank and is made Knight of Tears of the Rose Order.
-Aidan Redmayne fights at a Tournament at Maelgoth, joins the
lists and does well enough in the showings, but wins the Melee
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