| Category | Heroes | ||||||||||
| Type | Adventuring Group | ||||||||||
| Members |
| ||||||||||
| Established | 4 Witchrite 1454 | ||||||||||
| Disbanded | 14 Bloom 1464 |
Black Banner was formed in Paradomea City. The first deed of the group was a raid on Alluvium Deep. In 1454, they plundered the catacombs of this prison and freed a few slaves. One of the slaves was Garn.
In 1457, the group went to the war-torn world Tintibulus where they raided a mage's bastion named Bana-Zîr. In this place they captured a death ship named Godheads Revenge and took on a new party member named Lenassu Dras'ee. Oddly enough, at the time of her joining, she was a student of the Archmage Razzir, owner of Bana-Zîr and the ship they made-off with.
One of the most important items in the possession of this group was The Black Banner. With each use, this item grew more fell in power and at some point became an artifact.
The central religious figure of the group was Katrana. She wasted no time in converted key members of the group to the ways of Thasmudyan.
In 1461, Black Banner began forming an army in the Cormindar Mountains. This army, the Kambar-Ghul, was comprised of hill giants, Graagvrii, goblins, and Tragaran mercenaries. Oddly enough, Cormindar's orcs, long-time residents of these mountains, refused to fight alongside them, yet would use their forges to supply all the iron armor and weapons they needed.
In 1462, they began a crusade to remove the religious influence of Hades across Hells Womb. This started as murders and political maneuvering in towns and villages. They then desecrated areas of Hades worship and when possible turned them into mindless undead, with priests reserved for becoming something special like a wraith, spectre, or other sentient undead. This war against the followers of Hades came to be called the Grim Harvest Crusade (1462 - 1464) . By the end of this war, the forces of what would become the Black Tide of Thasmudyan numbered close to 5,000. More than half of this number were undead, with Pinth aptly putting it:
Necromancy is a powerful component of war. Our living soldiers fight twice, first as a mortal, and then as undead.
- Pinth, excerpt from his book - "An Army of Living Dead"
In 1464, Black Banner was disbanded. Some of its power-hungry leaders became the First Dead Council, government of the Black Tide of Thasmudyan.
Exerpt from Jairall's Diaries, Chapter 1: Black Banner - The Fallen
This information is part of an autobiography penned by Jairall Bloodtusk. This book is called Jairall's Diaries. The information here is a summary of what is in chapter one Black Banner - The Fallen. It begins with a discussion of early members and how they fell in battle. The information in this first chapter and the book cannot be considered completely accurate, since the author was chaotic, vain, and beginning a descent into evil.
Jairall was the leader of Black Banner. This information sheds some light on the criminal minds of this adventuring group. Members listed later in the book would become the leaders of the Black Tide of Thasmudyan, while others perished on adventurers or were murdered by stronger and more cunning members of the group.
Early members of the group and some of their background:
Jairall
| Race | elderaunt |
| Class | gladiator |
| Age | 23 |
| Alignment | evil |
I was the leader of Black Banner. Through my leadership, charisma, and battle prowess, Black Banner rose from a band of misfits to the mighty Black Tide of Thasmudyan. My father was Maeyaill, Palace Weapons Trainer, 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 18 brothers and sisters of Maeyaill's herd. One brother died in the Tusk-Horn Campaign, another died of an intra-family conflict, which was settled in the Gore Pits. A third died of 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 Black Banner. Like a young rabbit in the wild, he succumbed to death early in our adventurers. His mother was Mryleel, Priestess of Rioch Tetrax. She disappeared after his birth. It is said she made a pact with the demons, sacrificed her soul in exchange for 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:
- Aggressors
- Tearberon
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 gallantly for a time with Black Banner. He proved his might in many pitched battles, but in the end, he lacked the wits to survive my Black Banner.
His father was a captain of the Githlarâk, his mother the head of House Vrankalli, and high priestess of the Church of the Seventh Pillar in Paradomea City. In 1444, his dad was quested to the Lands of Purity to recover the Onyx Talisman of Hoaoijul. I think his father failed on his mission, since Ryglaglanis never again spoke of him.
Other family members:
- 4 brothers - 1 died in the War of Uokotenn-(Githzerai-Githyanki)
- 2 sisters - 1 was lost on an exploration mission in the Sands of Hell, (Year 1450)
Memberships:
- Cerulean Fangs
- Azure Wing
- Church of the Seventh Pillar (Church of Asmodeus), in Paradomea City
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:
- Alii-Nestona, githyanki of Vith Niigol
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 party treasure and executed by my goblin slave. He appeared much older than his age due to 14 years of slavery in Undercity and exposure to the deep rocks of Gandûm-Thûr. I should have never wasted the five gold pieces to buy his freedom. His mother, Siganbar of Clan Khazûr-Kûn was a Mîmêk priest/assassin and notable whore of Undercity's dirtier parts. She was a member of the Outer Ring Rebellious, a faction that seeks to end Mîmêk slavery in 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 decided to leave the Black Banner after we sacked Gravestone Gates (c.f. Siege of Gravestone Gates). We could not let him leave with the secrets of our workings in his head and loose mouth, so we imprisoned him in the dungeons, and let him live out his days in a cold dark cell.
Azack spent his early years as a mercenary in the armies of Naggor Stormhand. Azack lost his father and most of his clan in one of Naggor's great raids. Adopted into the Tribe of Thunder Axes, Azack lived in the Gathol Hills battling dwarves, bugbears, goblins, and claims to have slain a wyvern with his longbow.
In the Year of Sundered Hearts, Azack was captured on a scouting mission for the Council of Bile. He was then sold into slavery to the orcs of the Blood Wraith Legion and taken to the ancient monastery of the Eastern Shar.
At the Eastern Shar, the githzerai were experimenting with a mystical Astral Mirror. The alien humanoids sought to test the device, so they threw Azack into it, where he drifted for some time until I found him.
As mentioned, the father of Azack is Naggor Stormhand of Tribe Thunder Axes, and 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 unfortunate death at Gravestone Gates led to his reincarnation. He came back as a half hill giant ogre. Dax was behind this mischief, and the party enjoyed the humor of the situation for many nights. Uri had knowledge of his former life and it pained him greatly to be this brutish creature, brooding and sorrow filled much of his time.
This beastly body of Uri was perhaps to much for him, for not long after the change he took his own life. A cowardly act all would agree. So, Katrana fed his corpse to her hyena pups, Thasmudyan would be pleased. He could have been a great front-line warrior for the armies of Thasmudyan.