Order of the Aster

I have heard it first hand from an unreliable source, the child of Maluradek is a vampire.

The creature of black robes and shadow which appears after the strong undead which animate themselves is called Asbaron. He is a of Anauria, last patriarch or Nemirn, Last Keeper of the Caul..

He seeks the "dust of the child" - the child of Maluradek, a woman, who he said feasts on the blood of the living, and is of the Old Night.

I have little more to offer beyond superstition, he also offered to prove Amaunator was alive and that Lathanders birthplace was within my grasp.

Many promises easy promises to make, all one need do is find a few thousand year old vampire and best it.

Please add whatever information we have of Maluradek here, including their children.. If we can find that information.

-Dawnknight Nicholas Alwin Appleberry

Children of Lathander,

I come to you with tidings. A creature of pure darkness exposed itself to myself and Dawnsquire Tiatus today. It spoke strange words. It said we were not following the True Way, and that a child of Maluradek, whose "bones are dust, who was taken by the Old Night and sups on the blood of the living" must be found. I believe this vampire it speaks of is the same one that Nanthleenee the Great Druid warned me about in Deadwell. We will proceed with caution, and endeavor to illuminate the riddle further.

It claimed to be a child of Anauria, Asbaron Emderald Eyes of Nemirn, Last Keeper of the Caul.

Do we have any information on this "Thing" which always supersedes a horde of strange and powerful undead?

-Dawnknight Nicholas Alwin Appleberry

Orzu Urziym arrived at the Palace today with a note in hand. He said he found it while ransacking a secret room, and it mentioned Kerym Tshurr wanted by a Gorum Lucjaw for 8,000 coins.

Orzu was seen several days ago by Osco doing some manner of suspicious activity, and so he was invited into the Council of Twelve chambers to speak.

Orzu accepted, and spoke of animating dead Kobolds as punishment. He also spoke at length of ways he abused such foul creatures, such as harvesting eyes and so forth.

Orzu was an admitted priest of a gnomish pantheon, though was unspecific on this when pressed.

I asked if he would be able to complete these spells without one of his hands, he admitted he would not. It is important to consider here that Orzu was very erratic, raging as we spoke whenever kobolds were mentioned. He struggled to contain himself, bled from his nose often, and his speech patterns changed too.

Orzu stated he was unable to count the amount of times he had animated the dead. More than fifteen, more than ten. More than Kobolds, all manners of monstrous creatures and animals alike.

I stated the fine, 5,000 to 15,000 coins, and forfeiture of all held public offices, and a tendays worth of labor determined by the council.

I did not believe this fine would deter his further involvement in necromantic activites, nor could we confirm it would be a legitimate observance as a punishment since we could not calculate the extent of his crimes. Therefore I offered on behalf of the council to Orzu to remove his temptation and forfeit his fine and other punishments, if he would agree to allowing me to chop of his hand.

Orzu agreed, and the hand was removed.

Osco made a point in mentioning it would be encased in bronze as a warning to other would-be Necromancers.

-Dawnknight Nicholas Alwin Appleberry

[The Dawnsquire sits at a candlelit table from a hard days work with an obvious sense of boredom before he begins doing his obligated reports]

I am Tiatus Thornwind, Dawnsquire of the Order of Aster. I write this, reporting my first day as one of the order...

We ventured out of Eveningstar, in the direction to the mountains. I was always told as a boy not to go this way and today.. Today I found out why. The cursed lands are filled with unrested souls and wicked undead.. At first it was but one, I was confused why it was so angry. It caught me off foot and afterwards I of course quickly destroyed it. And then there were many... Slow but fortuitous in number. I was the first to engage and quickly recognized I made a decision for the worse.. Luckily with the skill of my blade and the support of both Nicholas and the Luckbringer, I was able to dismantle them to the very last.

Later that day... I ventured to Arabel with the company of the Luckbringer. The roads were safe outside of stray cats, I'd even dare say pleasant until arrival.. Upon arriving there were these posters, calling to support a dark and evil god. It wasn't just there I found them but through various parts of the city, I destroyed all of the papers that I could find that advocated for such.... Twisted evil. I understand we are to find the light in others but I can't help wonder what would make them choose such a path.

To get ease of mind, I helped where I could. The poorer residents of Arabel had various concerns involving vermin, thugs and more.. The most memorable experiences came from the job well done and their concerns put to rest.

In this document we will consider what values a true Knight of Aster holds dear. We will speak of the road one must walk as a member of the order, and the path from squire to knight. As it stands to my knowledge, there are two kinds of knight. The one who is born, and the one who is made. In Cormyr, any lord with the proper training will be considered a captain of soldiers, and Knighted after roughly five years of training usually on their twenty-first birthday barring acceleration from infamous deeds. Another popular means of becoming a knight, and the one the knights of Aster have founded themselves on, is the path of righteousness. Great deeds, upholding of sworn oaths, and standing with honor against insurmountable odds. Proving to your brothers you have what it takes. Though it is important to remember one of our oldest lessons, that Lathander does not suffer foolish paladins. One must know when to stand, and when to fight another day.

To know this, to understand what it means to be a Knight of Aster, it takes courage, loyalty, virtue, and faith.

Only when a man embodies these qualities can they become a proper Knight.

Find these qualities within thine self, prove to your superiors you hold these values above all else, and answer the great fabled question put to all Knights of Aster: "What is the greatest sacrifice?"

Then, you are ready to be a Knight of the Aster Order.

Dawnsquire,

Detail below your great deeds. Let nothing go unsaid. Chronicle your achievements so that you may be judged in the eyes of Lathander. Illuminate your failures and successes alike so that your brothers might watch your ascension.

-Dawnknight Nicholas Alwin Appleberry

@Ruler

Fellow Councilors, my friends;

This was delivered to the Palace today.

It seems a new evil is upon the land, one that is bold enough to confront us directly.

https://nodebb.cityofarabel.com/topic/52937/letter-council-of-twelve/2

Perhaps this is "The Necromancer" which has been plaguing the land in recent days? This, "Reaper?"

We ought to gather what information we can on this cult before we respond to the letter.

-Dawnknight Appleberry

Name: Taitus Thornwind
Rank: Dawnsquire
Login: Rabblerouser

Isn't a domain of Amaunator, "Time?"

I'm just making more questions for us to ask ourselves.. but maybe she's in some way from the past?

We need to think on this development. Kingsley reported weeks ago that the Witch was a war wizard. Maybe she is, and discovered some old form of divine magic?

-Dawnknight Nicholas Alwin Appleberry