Kambold

(RAW NOTES - POSSIBLE EDITS FORTHCOMING)

A humble knight near the easterly seaboard, at the castle of Lasterak. A great epic is sung about Kambold, sung by the high bards of the Order of Kambold.

Kambold was the son of Rendon, a man beloved of Kalantor, but had been slain by the red dragoness Markanta, but Kalantor’s avatar Ralden struck out her eye in vengeance. Rendon had been a great hero, and had made himself a knight by his own hand. Kalantor thus served as Kambold’s patron after his father’s death, for he had promised Rendon that his son would become a great hero, and would shine in history with gold and glory.

Trained by Ralden the man-at-arms, a hidden avatar of Kalantor, Kambold grew into a mighty man at Lasterak. Unfortunately, the knights of the Arden Plateau were unkind to Kambold and his surrounding villages by the coast, and no longer gave serious support to such lands as they once had with Rendon and his friends. As a result, the coast people suffered, and they received losses from orcs and monsters of the sea. However, with Ralden’s help, and the help of his father Rendon’s surviving old friends, Kambold took his father’s weapons and armor and drove back orcs, and then aided the coastal men (the Orekon, the Orekon Rocks), driving back monsters from the sea. With few men, and a wizard’s magic, Kambold eventually slew the sea dragon that plotted woes against them, slaying it with great enchanted harpoons enchanted by a priest of Maernost. For this, Kambold was made a knight of Orekon, but his castle at Lasterak was threatened again by orcs. Realizing the orcs were coming from the Arden Mountains, and that Markantana had returned with a new brood of youth, he appealed to the knights of Arden, but already weakened, cut off, and somewhat cowed, they did not heed his calls to help. Kambold decided to rally together the Knights of Arden.

Seeking succor and motivated by Ralden, Kambold sought adventure in the high plateau of the Nargad Mountains. Orcs harried much of the plateau at that time, and many keeps had been destroyed. Kambold attempted fighting one of their war bands directly, but bugbears, ogres, trolls and hill giants reinforced the orcs, and Kambold himself was nearly killed by the fires of Markantana, who hated the son of Rendon. Ralden used his divinity to let Kambold escape while his force was scattered, and led Kambold through secret ways to one of the high bards of the mountains named Namrikon, who as a friend of Rendon enchanted for Kambold new steel armor and a two-handed sword made for him by the sea dwarves, which Namrikon also enchanted, and was also enchanted by Denron, a great war priest of Kalantor, which he blasted with the power of thunder and lightning.

So armed and equipped, Kambold began raiding orc fortresses from the hills, buoyed by the enchanted songs of Namrikon, the might of Ralden, the heroism of the sea dwarves Urikro and Nalzhar, and other heroes. Many poems are sung of these raids, and his entering into dungeons and warrens. From his adventures he claimed a ring of earth elemental command, and gauntlets offering him great dexterity. With each knight, he was compelled to test his powers in order to sue for the right of leadership, and so one by one they submitted. One great knight was harassed by the new kingdom of the duergar dwarves from Mount Arkalak, and the dwarves now served Markantana and her young brood. Against these he assembled an army once more, but the organized duergar defeated him, when many of his knights refused his command. Kambold sought the advice of Ralden, who advised Kambold to sacrifice to Vandadon for guidance. So doing, Vandadon appeared in the form of Namrikon, and took him to Mount Arkalak through a misty staircase. Complaining the dwarves were too powerful, Vandadon caused a great quake and ruined the dwarven citadel, causing chaos. Kambold was then told to elect himself War King, and Namrikon gave him a girdle of hill giant strength to triumph in the tournament of election. Kambold struck down many knights in the tournament, but one named Galradon, the King of Gramdalen, refused to submit, and was possessed of supernatural strength given to him by his priest. Only when Kambold propitiated to the god Gramdol, and to protect his sacred grove and give special heed to the Forest King, was Galradon at last defeated.

Now elected War King, Kambold left Galradon as his lieutenant in the mountains, and defeated the duergar in three battles, chasing their king to Neskor, the new duergar city, and defeating the duergar general Albenok, taking his ring of spells and boots of speed. In doing this, he gained the aid of some knights of the Erlokt, who had hated the duergar dwarves. Kambold then forced the king of duergar to yield and to swear to keep the peace between them, and no longer help Markantana.

Meanwhile, Markantana and her army had destroyed several keeps and villages in the Arden Plateau. Enraged, for Kambold’s sister Kalena had been killed in this siege, Kambold turned to why the gods had failed to protect his kin, and was told that the gods of the duergar had demanded vengeance, and that powers of evil favoed Markantana and her orcs. Kambold thus held great sacrifices to Kalantor, conducted by Denron, who was named Priest-King of the ceremonies. Denron was also commanded to craft a new sword for Kambold, fitting for his final war. Made from star metal from Vandadon, it was forged by the sea dwarves, prayed over by Denron, and enchanted by the great wizard-friend of Rendon named Otanlas, with special gems and components gathered by heroic knights. The fires of sacrifice pleased Kalantor, and so he sent divine horses, and so the knights and champions of Kambold rode upon them, entering into mists, out of which they came into the defended camp and fortress of the stone giants and monsters serving Markantana. There was much blood and death, and many died, including Ralden, Urikro and Namrikon, smashed by the mighty giants, and burned by Markantana, who came to their aid. Nonetheless, Kambold and his new sword destroyed all the giants, and with Galradon and other young heroes they rallied to fight on. Otanlas, burned by fire, crafted a spell to send Kambold to the dragon’s mountain so he may fight her while the battle with the orcs was led by Galradon. Kambold propitiated all the gods for success, and he and his remaining companions entered the dragon’s citadel. After defeating her many allies, they slew Markantana, with the death of Denron, and with their magic horses returned to close the battle with the massive army of orcs.

Hailed triumphant, Kambold was declared by common cry the High King of Arden. He made armor from the dragon, and gave it to his finest and most loyal young knights, the Red Knights, but for himself it was enchanted by Otanlas. He married the daughter of Galradon, named Galia, and begat one son and seven daughters. Defeater of the orcs, he was also made king of Orekon.

Kambold had other great adventures, but his kingdom never expanded beyond the initial bounds of his realm. He became known for his wisdom, and became the supporter of druids and bards, sent to rally Dwarden to the defeat of its evils. As he aged, his blood descendants called themselves kings and queens of their castles, but paid homage to him as high king, ruling from his castle at Marlkantor.

Upon reaching extreme old age, Kambold reinvigorated his relationship with Nalzhar the sea dwarf, and traveled to the coast, where he learned of sailing, and built a temple-palace to Maernost. There he learned of sailing, and is said to have founded Dwarden settlements on islands, even as far as Dania, where he built a temple to Vandadon, and died there on an island just off the coast named Rancoria.

Kambold’s regalia of magical items went to his son Kalmad, but who quickly thereafter himself died, with it going to his son.