Onderduiker: Added introductory content from Thaddeus page

2017-02-19T21:59:10Z

Added introductory content from Thaddeus page

Onderduiker: Onderduiker moved page Thaddeus (Chapter 1) to Thaddeus (Act I) without leaving a redirect: Merging all Act I chapter pages

2017-02-12T17:08:47Z

Onderduiker moved page Thaddeus (Chapter 1) to Thaddeus (Act I) without leaving a redirect: Merging all Act I chapter pages

Onderduiker: Added Chapters 2-7 (Act I)

2017-02-12T17:08:09Z

Added Chapters 2-7 (Act I)

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Onderduiker: Created page with "{{Thaddeus nav}} It has been told to you, in the beginning, Light shone upon the darkness And the foundations of earth were lain. The herald of good tidings rose above ston..."

2012-09-02T14:52:06Z

Created page with "{{Thaddeus nav}} It has been told to you, in the beginning, Light shone upon the darkness And the foundations of earth were lain. The herald of good tidings rose above ston..."

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{{Thaddeus nav}}
It has been told to you, in the beginning,

Light shone upon the darkness

And the foundations of earth were lain.

The herald of good tidings rose above stone and fire,

Who declared it from the beginning, and before.

-- Visions of Akarat, c. 1, v. 17-21

The plains of Khanduras are home to many people, and many churches of Zakarum to serve them and protect them from darkness. When Paladins first came to the west, they were known as "Protectors of the Word", but as the western lands were blessed by the Light and teachings of Zakarum, the priests no longer needed armed guardians, and the Protectors happily faded from view. When Paladins were heard from again, they were called by a new name: the Hand of Zakarum. These guardians came not to protect their gentler brethren, but to seek out evil and wrest it from the world, by force as was necessary.

As the Paladins and priests of Zakarum advanced their inquisition into the corruption caused by demonkind over the whole world, a schism developed behind the facade of unity the church sought to project. Priests rebelled, and warriors of the light cast down their swords. The council in Kurast condemned their insubordinate members, saying they were deceived by demoniacal influences. For their part, the smaller contingent of protesters said the Church of the Light had lost its way; their fanatical persecution of free peoples had distracted them from the true teaching. But their numbers were few, and they could not hope to sway the inquisition from its determination.

Speaking could accomplish nothing, so the dissidents left quietly, going out into the less-civilized parts of the west to keep their vision of the Light alive. In the east, the Hand of Zakarum had polluted the name of Paladin in the minds of many. The older name was invoked again in the west, and the Protectors of the Word are now known again by those whom they serve. There are not many, and they have scattered to the many churches, monasteries, and small farming towns of the plains of Khanduras and Westmarch. There, they serve the Light and administer to the needs of the people... often working against the Kurastite bishops and priests sent from the east for the same purpose.

When demons began to roam the land, the dead rose from their graves, and dark clouds obscured the sun from view, Paladins began to be heard from again. Many died as darkness suddenly erupted in new places, and as the few survivors fled, word spread swiftly, and fresh acolytes abandoned their studies to take up their swords. They went where they might be needed, any settlement, village, or outpost which might be in danger. The most experienced warriors searched for the source of the demonic outbreak; it had to be one of The Three Brothers, probably Diablo, the Lord of Terror. He was rumored to have been imprisoned in this part of the world by the Horadrim, somewhere, centuries ago.

When called, Thaddeus went to the Monastery of the Sightless Eye, a well-established stronghold across a high mountain pass. The Rogues of the Sightless Eye are a martial order, no passive monks or nuns who need complete protection. But Ahlus, the paladin who watched over the monastery with the Rogues, had not been heard from since the troubles began. She was strong with the light, but always punctual with her letters. It was unlikely that such a strong monastery had fallen, so an acolyte was sent to seek her out and inquire after her tardiness. Thaddeus went to the monastery, and with him, carried holy relics for safe-keeping: the scepter Knell Striker, and the Umbral Disk, a disk of pure light encased in a shell of black iron.

When Thaddeus arrived at the base of the mountains, he found the land fouled with demons and corrupted beasts. The birds of the air, even the squealing rats who normally hid in the fields dove at him, biting and clawing. Terrible things were stalking Khanduras, and they became more numerous as he got closer to the mountains. As he reached the outer ring of farmlands which supported the Rogues with their food and fealty, Thaddeus found a crude fortress, bound together from logs and rope. The walls were manned by women archers; they must be the sisters of the Sightless Eye. What had become of the monastery?

Thaddeus approached the Rogues openly, calling out to announce himself. He was not fired upon; whatever they feared, it did not look like a man. The fortress walls circled a motley collection of tents and wagons; it looked like a caravan was sheltering here. A couple of dozen Rogues guarded the walls, or listlessly stood about near the tents. Some merchants were there too, but they looked less despondent; merely impatient and frustrated with their present predicament. A stocky, bearded man in the middle of camp stepped forward to greet Thaddeus, clapping him on the shoulders.

"Well met, noble Paladin! I am Warriv, master of this merchant caravan. It has been a long time since I have seen any of your kind here in the west! Many times, Paladins have guarded my caravan from danger, and you will always be a welcome sight for me."

"Thank you," Thaddeus replied. "I am Thaddeus, an acolyte of Zakarum. Has something happened to the monastery?"

"It is a terrible tale. A few weeks ago, a dark wanderer came through here, traveling from the southwest. I don't know who he was, but terror seems to have followed in his wake. Since he went through the pass, the Rogues have been ejected from their monastery, the gates are closed, and the land is plagued with demons and the walking dead."

"What do you know of this... wanderer?"

"Very little, I am afraid. I arrived after he was gone, and found the Rogues here. You should speak to the head of their order, Akara. She'll be able to tell you more."

"I would be able to tell him as much," a tall, red-haired woman in armor said, "if I thought it would do any good. I am Kashya. Akara may be the head of our order, but know that I lead the Rogues in battle. And I'm not easily impressed by swords and promises."

Though he had a sword, Thaddeus could not remember making any promises. Perhaps his presence was enough of one; clearly, here were people in need. "While I cannot make any promises, my sword is yours. My purpose for journeying here was to safeguard some holy relics, but instead of finding a haven, it seems to me that I have stumbled into the center of a demonic invasion. Forgive me, but I must go and speak with the head of your order now."

Near a corner of the encampment, a scrap of canvas supported by one pole protected a pile of potion bottles, staves, scrolls, and books, both religious and secular. Outside of this miserable shelter, the priestess Akara stood, slowly pacing to and fro. Her cloak and hood were soaked with rain; she had obviously not sought shelter from the downpour. Such a picture of dejection could only provoke pity, which was made worse when Thaddeus saw how her hood had been pulled far down over her face. She was clearly blind.

"Abbess Akara, I bring you greetings."

"Come closer, and be recognized, noble warrior. Ah, I see you bring artifacts of great power with you."

Thaddeus was amazed. The relics he carried were carefully packed away, where the eyes of thieves could not find them. "Yes, lady. I came here to bring them to a place of safety, which I see this is no longer."

"Indeed, it is not. Is there any place of safety in the world anymore, I wonder? The Eye sees none. Our monastery was lost a short while ago, and I have led my sisters out into the wilderness, where I can offer you but poor shelter within these rickety walls. Our sisterhood has been struck by a strange, corrupting plague: many have been suddenly turned to evil by a clearly demonic influence. How this came to be, I do not know, but they attack us daily, and none may move about outside in safety."

"Members of your own order?" Both amazed and alarmed, Thaddeus asked, "How could this be? You could not have abandoned the worship of the Light."

"I cannot explain it, but it has torn our hearts out, all of us. Those who weeks ago were peaceful, friendly comrades in arms, are now mindless things driven by bloodlust. They consort with demons, and have been raising the dead from the local villages, possibly even from our own blessed graveyards. The power of this evil seems limitless."

"The shadow is always limited where light is present, milady. Please, since safety there is none, we must take up arms and strike out against the enemy. Tell me how I may assist you, what I must do to drive back the darkness."

"Some great evil has taken our monastery from us. It came very suddenly, as poison and blood came welling up from beneath our own cathedral! Soon the whole monastery was full of choking clouds, hideous demons, and the undead. To our horror, many of our sisters joined them in joyful slaughter. What is left of our order is here. A few stragglers come in from time to time, but too many others have been found dead by Kashya's scouts. We need to find out what evil has taken our monastery and our order from us, and destroy it."

Thaddeus knelt before her. "It will be my only thought until I have succeeded, or perished. My suspicion is that such an evil can only be one of The Three Brothers, the Greater Evils."

"That has crossed my mind as well," Akara said, "and while your words are comforting, I fear we are lost. We have reports that a cotillion of demons, led by a fierce zombie lord, are gathering a force in a nearby cave, to crush our encampment upon the morrow. Their numbers are great, too great for us to fight. To insure the survival of the order, we must abandon this camp, and flee far away from harm."

"If I could move against this force, the risk to my life would mean little. But I must ask you, if I do not return, to look to the safety of the relics I carry now. They are precious things, and will be great aids to the cause of light, in worthier hands than my own."

This made Akara smile, faintly. "After all that has happened, it is difficult for me to find hope in anything. But your words comfort me, acolyte. You do not need to do this."

That surprised Thaddeus. "My lady... I do."

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:59, 19 February 2017
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	{{Tale nav}}		{{Tale nav}}
		+	{{Intro}}
		+	''This is the third part of Stony's Grand Tour, written between 10 May 2002 and 22 August 2002, and originally posted in the Diabloii.net [https://www.diabloii.net/forums/forums/single-player-forum.3/ Single Player Forum]. While almost all original posts are long gone, Vesper, one of our Community Members, contacted him and was given the original documents, and permission to reproduce them at the Amazon Basin.''
		+	----
		+	The Paladin is probably my favorite character. The breadth of skills he has really make him the best generalist -- he can change his tactics to fit almost any situation, recover quickly, and play the game in a great variety of ways. While he's never overwhelmingly powerful, he's never helpless; I consider that a good balance in a character. To my way of thinking, a character who makes the game too easy is as unsatisfying as one for whom it's too hard.
		+
		+	I've played martyrs and zealots, chargers and rangers, smiters and missionaries, but one variant I never got around to trying was the hammerdin, a specialist in Blessed Hammer. Not sure why, it sounded intriguing, but I never did it. This seems like a good time to make one, especially since Mizor found and muled a fairly nice hammerdin scepter.
		+	\|}
		+
		+	So... what goes into a good hammer man?
		+
		+	#Blessed Hammer is hard to aim, difficult to use in tight spaces, and not much good for dealing with single tough targets like bosses. Fortunately, I am a believer in back-up skills, and the Paladin is excellent for that. Charge for the lightning enchanted, Zeal for leaching, and Vengeance for the physical immunes should do. Forget about Fist of the Heavens and Conversion, as tempting as it might be to turn Lister's buddies against him.
		+	#The only aura that enhances Blessed Hammer is Concentrate, and only at half effect, so Concentrate will be my aura of choice. Concentrate gives no attack rating bonus, so I will need dexterity. I will also need some energy, unlike most Paladins, so he won't be as strong or tough as my usual. My only other choice of offensive aura is Holy Freeze; it's just too useful not to take. For defensive auras, Meditation and Redemption should do nicely.
		+	#Blessed Hammer is a broad-area attack, and should work best if the monsters are all close to the Paladin in a bunch. This will take some herding, which is harder if there's a mercenary distracting some of the beasties. Our holy warrior shall go mercless.
		+	#Equipment-wise, I've got that war scepter, an "Ancient's Pledge" pally shield, a ring with loads of mana, Frostburns, some socketed stuff and the necessary runes. All I'll need is a good weapon switch, a war hammer or a big ol' maul. It's a hammer, right?
		+
		+	What kind of man should this Paladin be? Some background: the Paladins are from a western group who split from the traditional church during a great and bloody crusade. The western rebels felt their duty was the protection of rights, not punishment of wrongs, a defensive role. The skill Blessed Hammer also has a defensive, protective origin; a group of nuns sacrificed themselves to protect the Hammer of Ghrab Thaar from an undead invasion.
		+
		+	Our Paladin should think of himself first and foremost as a defender. Other people's needs should weigh more heavily on him than his own, and his use of the hammers means he'll rely less on the strength of his arm than the power of his faith. Devotion to others and to the light, self-sacrifice, and calm concentration. He sure won't be much fun at parties, but being more mature and less profane than Xanthippe isn't a bad thing. My weapons of choice will be hammers (even the war scepter looks like a hammer on the game sprite) so his name ought to evoke that... Maxwell? M.C.? No, something with a little more dignity. Thaddeus. Sounds vaguely like thud.

	==Chapter 1==		==Chapter 1==

← Older revision	Revision as of 17:08, 12 February 2017
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Thaddeus (Act I) - Revision history

Onderduiker: Added introductory content from Thaddeus page

Onderduiker: Onderduiker moved page Thaddeus (Chapter 1) to Thaddeus (Act I) without leaving a redirect: Merging all Act I chapter pages

Onderduiker: Added Chapters 2-7 (Act I)

Onderduiker: Created page with "{{Thaddeus nav}} It has been told to you, in the beginning, Light shone upon the darkness And the foundations of earth were lain. The herald of good tidings rose above ston..."