Teekhum Descends Into Darkness

This is a GM storyline that took place in the Platinum instance in 2011 and later on in Prime, though events varied between the two instances. The official title is "Teekhum Descends Into Darkness".

Teekhum Descends Into Darkness

9/12/11

Discord Message Link: [1]
Author: Wyrom
Date: 9/16/2022

Okay, going to paste it all here. Couple things with this summary. This ran in both Prime and Platinum, but in Platinum first. There were differences because it was mostly a player driven storyline. I'm going to paste the Prime version. This was over a year of RP driven mini events before it gets named Teekhum Descends Into Darkness. I'll keep one part of Platinum's version because it likely played a role in advancing how I did Prime's stuff.

Discord Message Link: [2]
Author: Wyrom
Date: 9/16/2022

Teekhum Descends Into Darkness

Teekhum is the transcriber from Grawood who decided to sell his wagon and see the world. After leaving Grawood Farmstead, Teekhum ran into Khlat, a local treasure hunter. Khlat hired Teekhum for some various jobs, which were largely based on some merchant services the two were offering, and eventually, the two went on an adventurer after the Spitfire.

After the Spitfire ended, Klhat and Teekhum found themselves in a cavern southeast of River's Rest, filled with ruins. Khlat discovered some ancient writings, and wanted Teekhum to decipher them. Once deciphered, it caused a magical explosion, separating Khlat and Teekhim in the ruins. Khlat managed to escape, and started a search party for Teekhum, while Teekhum found a way out from the ruins. Teekhum found a tome, that when read, filled him with knowledge, the knowledge quickly led to Teekhum being able to escape, but once he left the ruins, the knowledge was gone, and the tome was destroyed.

Teekhum made it back to the Landing, where he met with several adventurers (players) letting them know he was safe and to let Khlat know. Teekhum expressed a deep desire to learn more and ran off to the Wizard's Guild. Khlat got news that Teekhum was alright, but had some concerns due to his hunger for power. Khlat found that Teekhum was heading toward some points of interest around the Landing, and scheduled a search party for him. Khlat explained that Teekhum and two other Wizard Guild members (players) were off to find something of power, but no one knew what.

Khlat and a group of adventurers (players) discovered Teekhum on the trail heading toward the Brokenlands, but Teekhum's caravan was ransacked by bandits, and the guild members (NPCs and players) were slain. Teekhum was found, but he was injured and weak. (This was largely an item distributing method for players, with a neat concept.)

The Next Chapter

(From this point, Teekhum will start his descent toward darkness. Players will be able to interact with him the next time he comes out, and he'll explain that he just wishes to become a wizard, taking his experiences as a transcriber with him. He will continue to offer services that I have approval for, throughout the year. Each time Teekhum comes around, he will become a little more wizard-like, until he starts dabbling into sorcery and necromancy.)

Teekhum studied in Shadow Valley, The Brokenlands, Temporal Rifts, and the Rift/Scatter. He provided merchant services in these areas. (Interactions with players were all through merchanting over months).

Discord Message Link: [3]
Author: Wyrom
Date: 9/16/2022

Rising of Lornon Involvement (Platinum only)

Teekhum is visited by the Sheruvian Avatar in nightmares. This is what has been causing him to seek the Brokenlands. Once Teekhum goes the route of necromancy.

The Finale

Teekhum becomes a powerful sorcerer (The series of events leading up until this point will be largely based on player's drive). Khlat tries to stop Teekhum, but is killed (*1) and animated. Teekhum talks about the tome he found and it instilled the process of becoming a powerful necromancer. Khlat's soul is used to fuel Teekhum's power in a stone. Teekhum's flesh starts to fall off and he slowly transforms into a lich (this took weeks). Rawgur (lesser known NPC of mine) will have forged a permablessed weapon to help destroy Teekhum, but Teekhum will kill him as well. Teekhum flees to the Brokenlands in the Dark Tower where vruul gather. The tome he read now over a year ago imprinted the memories of a former sorcerer and Skryn is born from Teekhum as he has made the full transformation. Teekhum was just a vessel to cause Skryn to be reborn. It is rumored that Skryn's phylactery is Khlat's soulstone.

(There were two possible endings at this point, players could kill Skryn or they could let him live. What I didn't expect is players wanted to find Skryn's former grave, this caused a little more planning and world building.) Skryn and adventurers (players) seek out the ruins which are mostly collapsed now, and they find the remains of Skryn's old form. Those there felt that maybe Skryn can be released from Luukosian torture and hold onto his former humanity. They communed and Skryn was able to remain, but the evil that permeated seemed to subside. Skryn wanted to see the world and try to live among everyone. He wanted to atone for using Teekhum. (Platinum's ending was a little different, but we used Lich's Landing for this. Another player got trapped there.)

• Footnote 1: Khlat wasn't meant to perish in the storyline, but as he was killed by players, Wyrom retired that NPC from his rotation entirely.

Credits

GM Wyrom