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Hidden Shrine to Orlanth Victorious

Posted on June 9, 2022

Around 1619, Garrath Sharpsword aka Argrath Whitebull set up hidden shrine to Orlanth Victorious in the Big Rubble. From this shrine, Argrath and his friends and students regularly explore the Hero Plane seeking Orlanth’s magic and boons. It was from here that on Orlanth’s High Holy Day in 1620 Argrath began his quest for the Drinking Giant’s Cauldron, which some speculate resulted in the first Giant’s Cradle coming down the Zola Fel in some seven centuries.

One of the mysteries that often troubled scholars and commentators on the early years of Argrath was that the Lunars and other adventurers never found this shrine, and some truly bizarre explanations have been given. The truth is much simpler – it had no fixed point. Instead, Argrath used the topography of the Big Rubble as a microcosm and each time sanctified the shrine anew in a magical appropriate location! He and his companions brought regalia and statues, sanctified the magic circle, summoned spirits and gods, and from there entered the Hero Plane.

For as we all know, Garrath Sharpsword was a famous instructor who lives in Oldtown. He is known to worship Orlanth Adventurous, and has spent time among both the nomads of Prax and the wolf pirates of the Rozgali Ocean.

F-53 Training. Garrath Sharpsword: both shield and sword.

This adventurer teacher often disappears with friends and students on expeditions into the Rubble. He takes only students who can work a full day with him, cramming the lessons together. A former Sartarite, he fled after the Lunars invaded that land. He teaches broadsword, ride, medium shield, one-handed spear, dagger, and thrown dagger. Garrath Sharpsword is a regular at Gimpy’s.

One of the difficulties Gim Gim the Grim had is that the Air Temple had too many friends to shut down (at least as prior to the Cradle fiasco) and Sor-eel found unofficially tolerating the Orlanth cult a useful way to get adventurers to explore the Rubble and its treasures instead of causing trouble for the Empire. And Gim Gim had his own agenda and network that was focused on things other than the Orlanth cult.

And so Gim Gim never did unravel the mystery of the hidden Orlanth shrine (admittedly it was not a high priority) nor realize that the instructor Garrath Sharpsword would become an existential threat to the Empire. At least not until it was too late.

But Gim Gim did manage to exercise surprising amount of control over the city of New Pavis with his Moon Masks, make contacts and connections with the Black Fang cult and some even more unseemly groups, and make himself very wealthy in the process. Not bad for a guy wearing a Red Moon Mask!

Which I figure was actually pretty intimidating!

Jeff Richard

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1619 ST, 1620 ST, Argrath, Big Rubble Map, Drinking Giant’s Cauldron, Orlanth Victorious, Pavis (Big Rubble)

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