Black Banner

Category Heroes
Type Adventuring Group
Members
Carni Tir Katrana
Crick Lazarus
Dax Dras'ee
Garn Pinth
Jairall Ryglaglanis
Established 4 Witchrite 1454
Disbanded 14 Bloom 1464

The Black Banner group was established in the city of Paradomea. Their inaugural act was a raid on the Alluvium Deep. In the year 1454, they plundered the catacombs of this prison and liberated several slaves, one of whom was Garn.

In 1457, the group journeyed to the war-ravaged world of Tintibulus, where they infiltrated a mage's fortified stronghold known as Bana-Zîr. During this raid, they captured a formidable death ship named Godhead's Revenge and gained a new party member, Lenassu Dras'ee. Intriguingly, at the time of her recruitment, Lenassu was a student of the Archmage Razzir, the very owner of Bana-Zîr and the vessel they had seized.

One of the most vital possessions of this assembly was The Black Banner. With every employment, this item escalated in malevolent power and at a certain juncture transformed into an artifact.

The central religious figure of the group was Katrana. She promptly converted pivotal members of the organization to the practices of Thasmudyan.

In the year 1461, the warlord known as Black Banner commenced the formation of an army in the rugged Cormindar Mountains. This formidable force, designated the Kambar-Ghul, was composed of towering hill giants, cunning Graagvrii, savage goblins, and skilled Tragaran mercenaries. Curiously, the indigenous orcs of Cormindar, long-standing inhabitants of these peaks, refused to fight alongside the Kambar-Ghul, yet they continued to utilize their forge-crafts to supply the army with all the iron armor and armaments it required.

In the year 1462, they commenced a crusade to eradicate the religious sway of Hades across Hells Womb. This campaign began with murders and political machinations in towns and villages. They then desecrated sites of Hades worship and, when feasible, transformed them into mindless undead, with priests reserved for becoming more sentient undead, such as wraiths or spectres. This war against the followers of Hades came to be known as the Grim Harvest Crusade, spanning from 1462 to 1464. By the conclusion of this conflict, the forces that would become the Black Tide of Thasmudyan numbered close to 5,000, more than half of which were undead.

In the year 1464, the Black Banner organization was disbanded. Some of its power-driven leaders subsequently established the First Dead Council, which governed the Black Tide of Thasmudyan.

Exerpt from Jairall's Diaries, Chapter 1: Black Banner - The Fallen

This information is part of an autobiography authored by Jairall Bloodtusk. The work is titled Jairall's Diaries. The content here summarizes what is presented in the inaugural chapter, "Black Banner - The Fallen." It commences with a discourse regarding early affiliates and how they perished in combat. The information contained within this initial chapter, as well as the book itself, cannot be deemed wholly accurate, as the writer was erratic, egotistical, and embarking upon a descent into malevolence.

Jairall commanded the Black Banner mercenary group. This detail illuminates the criminal dispositions of this adventuring ensemble. Members documented later in the text would ascend to leadership roles within the Black Tide of Thasmudyan, while others met their demise on quests or were slain by more shrewd and capable comrades.

Early group members and their background: The collective formed around a core of passionate individuals from diverse backgrounds. Andrea, a recent college graduate with a degree in computer science, had grown disillusioned with the tech industry's ethical failings and yearned to apply her skills to more altruistic pursuits. Joining her were Leo and Mei, two activists in their late 20s who had spent years organizing for social justice causes. Rounding out the founding members were Tanya, a former non-profit administrator, and Omar, an artist and musician drawn to the group's mission of positive social change.

Jairall
Race elderaunt
Class gladiator
Age 23
Alignment evil

I was the commander of the Black Banner. Through my skillful leadership, captivating charisma, and formidable martial abilities, the Black Banner evolved from a ragtag band into the formidable Black Tide of Thasmudyan. My father was Maeyaill, the Palace Weapons Trainer and former head of the Militant Institute of Siege Warfare. My father's herd:

  • Motoiene the Farmer
  • Yioness the Jeweler
  • Wate'o Uris the Glass Maker

I had eighteen siblings as part of Maeyaill's herd. Regrettably, one brother perished during the Tusk-Horn Campaign, while another succumbed to an internal family dispute, which was ultimately resolved in the Gore Pits. Tragically, a third sibling fell victim to trunk rot.

Memberships:

Contacts:

  • Xiom, Mîmêk weapons maker of the Flesh Render Arsenal
  • Daskobys, a crafty Tragaran armor maker of Monster Plate Battery
Dotmax Jagg
Status killed in action
Race Cambion
Class fighter
Age 23
Alignment chaotic evil

Dotmax was an early member of the Black Banner. Like a tender fawn in the wilderness, he succumbed to an untimely demise during our adventurers' exploits. His mother was Mryleel, the revered Priestess of Rioch Tetrax. She vanished following his birth, rumored to have forged a pact with the demons, sacrificing her soul in exchange for mastery of the dark arts. Mryleel was last seen in Ghar-Lakh. The father of Dotmax is Dvr'jiss Jagg.

Other family members:

  • cambion brother: Dax Jagg
  • cambion sister: upstart mage dwelling in Yastorogg
  • uncle of Mryleel: Qiinist, Officer in the Primary Undercity Intelligence
  • cousin through Qiinist: Bartocrost, a renegade living at Alreirsoar

Memberships:

Contacts:

  • Blasburn, half-ogre owner of Putrid Tavern and well-known fence.
  • Hosjet of the Blade, female Drow fighter/wizard of the adventuring company "The Blades"
Ryglaglanis
Status abandoned the cause
Race Githyanki
Class illrigger
Age 26
Alignment lawful evil

Ryglaglanis of House Vrankalli served with distinction for a period alongside the Black Banner. He demonstrated his formidable prowess in numerous intense engagements, yet ultimately lacked the strategic acumen to endure within the Black Banner's ranks.

His father was a captain of the Githlarâk, while his mother served as the esteemed head of House Vrankalli and high priestess of the Church of the Seventh Pillar in Paradomea City. In the year 1444, his father embarked on a quest to the Lands of Purity, tasked with recovering the revered Onyx Talisman of Hoaoijul. Regrettably, it appears the mission ended in failure, as Ryglaglanis never again mentioned his father's exploits.

Other family members:

Memberships:

Contacts:

  • Iogo Swifthammer, dwarf iron smith on Soot Street. Superior weapons, good prices are given to the House of Vrankalli
  • Lady Ospill, Tragaran knight of the Entropic Guard. She was a training partner in his youth. Good for political knowledge. Rumored that one of the Council of Nine members is her ancient grandfather.
  • Pitdas, Elf merchant, House Qualinost

Minions:

  • Asp-Ash, imp
  • Nausteria, succubus
  • Grulluk, a pit fiend serving Asmoedus

Notable Enemies:

Tithias
Status murdered
Race mutant
Class fighter/psionicist
Age 17
Alignment neutral evil

Tithias was a coward and a thief. He was caught stealing from the party's treasure and executed by my goblin slave. He appeared far older than his true age due to 14 years of servitude in Undercity and exposure to the deep rocks of Gandûm-Thûr. I should never have wasted the five gold pieces required to buy his freedom. His mother, Siganbar of Clan Khazûr-Kûn, was a Mîmêk priest/assassin and a notorious prostitute in Undercity's seedier quarters. She was a member of the Outer Ring Rebellious, a faction dedicated to ending Mîmêk slavery within Undercity.

His father is a mighty figure named Lasestrov.

Contacts:

  • Glaobos, Tragaran psionicist of the Arc Conceptunal
  • Osp'diljin, member of House Qualinost
  • Maskus - father figure; rescued Tithias from Undercity, member of the Thinker Reich, School of Sagecraft
Azack Stormhand
Status natural death
Race firbolg
Class fighter/priest
Age 18
Alignment evil

Azack resolved to depart the Black Banner following our plunder of Gravestone Gates (cf. Siege of Gravestone Gates ). Unwilling to permit him to escape with the confidential details of our operations and his propensity for loose talk, we confined him within the dungeons, where he would reside out his remaining days in a chilly, unilluminated cell.

Azack spent his formative years as a mercenary in the legions of Naggor Stormhand. Tragically, Azack's father and the majority of his clan perished during one of Naggor's notorious raids. Adopted into the illustrious Tribe of Thunder Axes, Azack took up residence in the Gathol Hills, where he engaged in combat against dwarves, bugbears, and goblins. Azack further claims to have felled a wyvern with his mighty longbow.

In the Year of Sundered Hearts, Azack was apprehended during a reconnaissance operation for the Council of Bile. He was subsequently sold into servitude to the orcs of the Blood Wraith Legion and transported to the venerable monastery of the Eastern Shar.

At the Eastern Shar, the githzerai were conducting experiments with a mystical Astral Mirror. The alien humanoids aimed to test the device, and thus they cast Azack into it, where he languished for a period until I discovered him.

As discussed, Azack's father is Naggor Stormhand of Tribe Thunder Axes, while his mother is Kilananee Quickblade of Tribe LongArrow.

Uri Simberyl
Status killed in action
Race wood elf
Class fighter/priest
Age 18
Alignment evil

Uri Simberyl was born in Isaril. His untimely demise at Gravestone Gates resulted in his reincarnation. He was reborn as a half hill giant ogre. Dax orchestrated this mischievous act, and the party found amusement in the situation for numerous occasions. Uri retained memories of his previous life, which deeply troubled him, leading to frequent brooding and sorrow.

This ill-fated form of Uri proved too burdensome for him, as shortly after the transformation, he took his own life. An act of cowardice, by all accounts. Consequently, Katrana fed his remains to her hyena pups, knowing it would please Thasmudyan. He could have been a formidable front-line warrior for Thasmudyan's armies.

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