The Ballad of Kazavon (many spoilers)

[Tiger Lily]

I'm getting ready to start CotCT, and I wanted to do something a little different from this AP. The others I've experienced, both as a player and a DM, all have this great indepth backstory.... that only the DM really appreciates because only the DM pours over it enough to really understand it all. Players hear it once or twice and mainly just remember the big stuff. I wanted to try something different with this game's backstory.

Given that I have a couple of bards in the group, I thought about what songs might be sung in the area over the last two centuries having to do with the orc invasion, coming of Kazavon, etc. So I made up The Ballad of Kazavon and am giving it to the bards ahead of time so that when all of this DOES become pertinent, they're not hearing it for the first time.

Wanted to share it in case anyone else likes the idea. Mind you, this wasn't written to be a great epic, merely to get the big plot points across:

The Ballad of Kazavon

In golden times,
In yesteryear,
Back when the plains were free.
The wheat grew tall,
The birds sang clear,
Fruit laden were the trees.

But all that changed
One dark, cold night,
When orcs ran quick and low.
Crawled from their holes,
To eat men’s bones,
No mercy did they show.

Now chased away,
The humans were,
Their homes no longer safe.
“A Champion!”
Their cries rang out,
“To save us from this fate!”

And Kazavon,
The Conqueror,
Did hear their desperate call.
“Bend knee, swear oath,”
the Knight did say,
“And I will save you all!”

And army gifted unto him,
A standard at his back.
A silken banner
With blue fanged skull,
They marched to the attack.

With bravery,
No fear did show,
He laughed and made much sport.
And Kazavon, the Conqueror
Cried challenge to the orcs.

The orcs did crawl
out from their holes,
and roar and gnash their teeth.
But Kazavon, the Conqueror,
He slew them all with ease.

The people danced
And laughed with joy,
The fighting now could cease!
Sent dignitaries, delegates,
Made overtures of peace.

He looked at them,
His eyes gone cold,
Their cheers did hush with fright.
And Kazavon, the Conqueror,
Just laughed as they all died.

Now kingdoms fell,
The undead swelled,
Against him none could stand.
And Kazavon, the Conqueror,
Was master of this land.

Until one day the heroes came,
Mandraivus at their head.
A warrior, a champion,
His gleaming weapon red.

“We cannot fail, he has to fall!”
They marched into the night.
And challenged fearsome Kazavon,
who laughed at their small might.

For Kazavon, the Conqueror
Was no mere man, but beast.
The man’s skin fell, the Dragon roared,
“Your bones shall be my feast!”

Mandraivus, the Warrior,
His weapon gleaming red.
It rose and fell, as fury swelled,
And left the Dragon dead.

Mandraivus, the Warrior,
And Serithial still wait.
To guard us all, it is their doom,
Eternal Champions of fate!

[Charles Evans 25]

You seem to have put in quite a bit of work there, Tiger Lily! :)

As a further piece of foreshadowing, I will mention a suggestion I made on another thread which is that before Gaedren Lamm ended up as a two bit crime lord in Korvosa, maybe he had a career as an adventurer which ended badly in Scarwall. The only survivor, he fled back to Korvosa afterwards, and ever since nightmares have haunted him; he tosses and turns and mumbles at times in his sleep, and beats anyone who mentions the subject ruthlessly.
And when Gaedren is dispatched by the PCs, Mithrodar sends the spirits of Gaedren's former comrades to collect him (ignoring the PCs) and drag his soul back to Scarwall in chains (perhaps Gaedren left a part of his soul there that day he fled?)...
And that in turn puts Gaedren, in ghostly form, in Scarwall to be encountered again later in the path.

Edit:
The sword seems to be named 'Serithtial' in Pathfinder #11, not 'Serithial' as you have used. Was that a piece of 'bardic license' to make it fit the meter of the composition? ;)

[Elorebaen]

Great ideas, both.

[Tiger Lily]

Charles Evans 25 wrote:

The sword seems to be named 'Serithtial' in Pathfinder #11, not 'Serithial' as you have used. Was that a piece of 'bardic license' to make it fit the meter of the composition? ;)

Yes, it was an intentional change on my part because it rolls off my tounge easier without the extra t. I actually made two changes, I just forgot to change the sword's name back when I copied it for the board. The other change I made was to make the hero's name "Mandravius", so that it pronounces with 4 syllables instead of 3.

BTW... if anybody can come up with something better for the two stanzas that don't rhyme, I'll happily steal back! :)

I gave up trying to fix them.

[Moonbeam]

I think this is a really good idea!

[Skade]

This is very cool, Tiger Lilly. I will have to find a way to get this into my campaign. Thanks for offering it up for the peanut gallery.

[walter mcwilliams]

Superb!!
Bravo

[Greg A. Vaughan]

How about...

With bravery,
No fear revealed,
He laughed and made much show.
And Kazavon, the Conqueror
Cried challenge to the foe.

The orcs did crawl
out from their holes,
and roar and gnash their teeth.
But the iron boots of Kazavon,
He crushed them all beneath.

P.S. the whole thing is really cool, as is the Lam idea. :)

[Tiger Lily]

Greg A. Vaughan wrote:

How about...

Perfect! Thank you! :)