Greetings Greyhawk readers! If you've been following my blog or the weekly chats on our show Legends & Lore, you'll know I've been nostalgically going through my old 2E campaign material and posting it to showcase all the wars that I've waged on the Flanaess. In the middle of this "Silver Age" of D&D, my gaming group created many fun things and one that has stood the test of time is the power group known as the Night Shadows. Created by my best friend Jayson, the original Night Shadow was his fighter character in our 1E AD&D campaign, that was transitioned in our 2E reboot to become an order of barbarian heroes devoted to the Norse Pantheon. Of course back then we used Odin, Thor, Loki, Sif, etc. Not only was I a huge fan of Norse myth and Mighty Thor comics, but the Thillonrian culture was obviously based on vikings. The Suel pantheon besides Kord never screamed barbarian to us so we injected the gods we knew since we were kids to Greyhawk. By the time Carl Sargent brought Vatun, the Blades of Corusk and the Greyhawk Wars to the game, we were already deep into this campaign. Jayson in fact had two characters become Night Shadows, most notably his favorite fighter, Valkaun Dain who would go on to become the greatest of his order.
All of this preface is to explain that for the purposes of this article I am reverting the story of the Night Shadows back to solely Greyhawk mythos so it can be easily incorporated into your own campaign. Naturally, switching between Vatun and Odin shouldn't be hard, so go with whichever works best for your own game. Now onto the story. Enjoy!
Legend of the Night Shadows
As legends tell, many centuries ago a shadowy demon lord and
his mindless hordlings were loosed upon the Thillonria Peninsula. In their
path of destruction, they razed an untold number of small villages until they
ascended the heights of the Corusk Mountains, where the demon lord conjured the
Night Shadow Keep, an area perpetually shrouded in gloom. Kings of the three great
barbarian tribes united against this common enemy and sent their armies to break
the foul keep and slay the demon within. The demon-keep was near unassailable however,
and as each barbarian assault failed, the fiendish defenders seemed to grow in
strength. Just when the siege looked hopeless and the enemy was set to deliver
a final crushing blow, a great barbarian warrior on an eight-legged horse
charged down out of the clouds, and challenged the demon lord to face him in
single combat.
Seeing this impossible hero’s arrival, the demon lord was
enraged. Undaunted, the fiend finally came forth from his keep, his body
shrouded in shadows, except two glowing eyes burning with hate. As the two
figures clashed, the weary Thillonrians suddenly realized that their savior was
Vatun, the Great God of the North. The barbarians fell to their knees in awe as
the demon lord was easily vanquished and his minions faded into nothingness. Vatun
then lifted the fallen demon overhead, transforming the beast into a black
jewel the size of a man’s fist.
The God of the North then gave this stone to his priests
upon the battlefield. Before he departed upon his steed, Vatun instructed that
once every five years, the tribes should hold a ceremony in remembrance of what
he did for them all, and at this ceremony they should gather their finest young
warriors for a holy competition. The priests of Vatun then took the keep as
their temple, to be shared equally among the three great kingdoms. On the day
of the ceremony, the Night Shadow Stone mysteriously disappears from the temple
and is hidden within the vastness of the Corusk Mountains. Fledgling heroes summoned
from all corners of the peninsula, compete to find the stone and bring it back
to the Night Shadow Keep. Over several days, this hazardous trial often takes the
lives of some, but ultimately the one who is worthy returns with the demon-stone.
The priesthood then sanctifies the victor, who then joins the ranks of the
Night Shadows serving Vatun from this temple-keep. Each new member is bestowed a
ceremonial sword indicating that the hero is a chosen of Vatun and guaranteed a
seat at his table in the afterlife.
This tradition has continued unabated for several hundred
years, even long after Vatun’s imprisonment by the evil winter god Telchur sent
the priesthood into a steady decline. It is speculated by cynic sages from the “civilized
Flanaess”, that Vatun’s faithful have always conducted the Night Shadow trial by
their own devices, modifying it as needed to pick the best candidate. Nonetheless,
the presence of a chosen of Vatun has often been a unifying force among the
Suel barbarians in times of crisis. Always of the adventurous sort and few in
number, the Night Shadows are the closest the north has to a knighthood or paladin
order. Like the priests they serve, their highest goal is to free Vatun and
unite the barbarian kingdoms. Indeed, it is said that in the past more than one
hero who has wielded one of the five famous Blades of Corusk has been a Night
Shadow.
Ranks of the Night Shadows (540-595 CY)
Year Chosen Age Name Homeland Class/Level Status
540 CY 67 Tyrvald Brötby Schnai Fgt 15 N.S. Keep
545 CY 60 Rennek Aelfrieson Fruztii Fgt 11 Deceased
550 CY 55 Skaldvik Vatuneye Schnai Fgt 18 Missing
555 CY 58 Skarblod the Powerful Fruztii Fgt
18 N.S. Keep
560 CY 55 Skellmark the Lost Cruskii Rng 13 Missing
565 CY 50 Bjarni the Ugly Fruztii Fgt 14 N.S.
Keep
570 CY 42 Haenir the Bold Schnai Fgt 12 N.S.
Keep
575 CY 40 Borist the Beggar Cruskii Fgt 8 Deceased
580 CY 30 Thorarin König Schnai Fgt 11 Adventuring
585 CY 22 Halfgrim the Keen Fruztii Fgt 8 Adventuring
590 CY 25 Harald Husavik Schnai Brd 8 Adventuring
595 CY 16 Valkaun Dain Cruskii Fgt 1 Adventuring
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