A Tusky Farewell from Mudagog

[matheusgraef]

Hey. Time has come for Mud's departure from Arelith. It came abruptly, but recent events have led the half-orc to decide it was best he quit the island. Mudagog arrived in his twenties and left at around fifty years of age. He was part of memorable events like the Wharftown War and the fall of Benwick, but undoubtfully the most memorable moments of this character lied in the last in-game decade, as one of the founders and eventually an Elder of the Horde.

A brief backstory, to those who never got to hear it:

Mudagog hails from the clan of Kotruk - an orcish/half-orc tribe that followed Tempus. Once full of honor and renowned for their Ways of Battle - the Kotruks were saught by knights and warriors from many realms for their wisdom in war and combat. However, by the time Mudagog came to the world, the tribe had long fallen to a corrupted Chief, and lost their traditions to a life of aimless raiding, where they traded honor for glory. Mudagog and his brother, Brutuklak, were the greater warriors of the tribe. Hearing the stories of the golden days from his father, Mudagog felt betrayed by his clan and decided to leave in search of high adventure, and with a lingering promise to bring back honor to the name of Kotruk. At his twenties, he sailed to Arelith with his brother.

There's many people I must cite who contributed to his story. All of you listed were important to his arc, and I can only wish to have made a lasting impact on your characters as much as you have on mine.

Angela Amana, Jacob Swift, Thulk, Poe, Elwood, Buppi, Paddy, Jadoth and the rest of the Tower Crew: First time Mudagog really visited the Tower, he saught simply a table to eat. Armored to the brim and always wielding his greataxe, the wizards were suspicious of him, and could barely understand his common. So Elwood decided to buff his INT to try and understand him, and that was the first time Mudagog properly spoke the common language. The years forward he would often venture with certain wizards of the Tower and I made an effort to always carry around potions (and eventually scrolls and wands) of Fox Cunning so Mudagog was able to speak common properly. The trip to the Weatherstone will never ever be forgotten, for maybe I'm one of the few who actually got to see the Weatherstone in action. That day sparked Mudagog's interest on the arcane. These characters were all extremely special, and I'll miss our interactions. Some were silly, specially with young Mud, and some of the later ones were very powerful and full of meaning. But now I look back and see all the small interactions actually had a lot of narrative power. Because of one event, Mudagog eventually got a great grip in the common tongue, without having to resort to wards. He also studied the arcane, which would eventually lead not only to him being able to use wands and scrolls, but delve into deeper researches of his own... also Argalium, I'll never forget the island-wide pubcrawl and how they got banned from the first bar in the list. What a great start! Sorry for breaking all your tables, Nilfa.

Sarina Dragonsong: Before she was evil, she was another surfacer who probably smells good. You too were one of the first characters Mud met in the island, and perhaps you're one of the few characters who got to meet his brother, Brutuklak! The two half-orcs were pretty mesmerized with your displays of magic and your summoning of dragons - this was the first time Mud truly understood what divine and arcane magic meant. They would frequently offer gifts to the "Dragon Priestess" in return for healing and buffs. Later, Mudagog got to meet the evil Sarina and that was also memorable. Good times!

Brutuklak: By the way, did you know Mudagog had a brother? Some people from the Horde and Mudagog's few friends may know this. Brutuklak is a rl friend. We started playing on Arelith because our D&D table kept failing everytime we started playing, so I told him of an alternative which was Neverwinter Nights. He agreed to join and he decided to make his character from our home game of D&D... a half-orc barbarian named "Mudagog Brutuklak". But I also wanted to play a half-orc, so we split his character's name in two and created "Mudagog" and "Brutuklak" and came up with a backstory for their clan: the Kotruks. Brutuklak would eventually stop playing, and it's generally known that Brutuklak once ventured into the Underdark never to be heard from again.

Ingeborg Herzmesser: WINGYBURGERS was her name, according to a young Mudagog. Mudagog will NEVER forget her work in the Wharftown war, because she could've prevented many things from happening the way they did. She was a woman of war, and he loved it. I kept forgetting when speaking to the player behind Ingeborg why she was so important for Mudagog, but now as I look back on his backstory, I understand. She was one of the first followers of Tempus Mudagog came in contact with, and she got Mud into the early Temple of Tempus in Cordor.

LIBERIUS KERNER: Mudagog found an unusual friend in you, and I still don't know why. Perhaps this is why I liked our interactions so much - the fact that your character's a warlock helps push this even further. This warlock hid this true identity from people really, really well. The two became such great friends they ended up making a blood pact and sworn to protect one another. One day, time will come that they will venture together once more in Faerun, when the blood pact calls. This dude was responsible for the creation of Mud's helm that would 'dissipated in a cloud of red, misty aura' (which, according to Jadoth, looked like Mud's head was exploding). I'll never forget the day the dwarves forged your sword in Benwick, and we held off the infernal armies. They still don't know why you chose to forge the sword in Benwick, but Mud knows. Anyway, I love you.

Lucien Zealsworn: Mudagog was, before his forties, a straight up mercenary. For coin, he advised for Lucien various times during Cordor's infernalist hunt, and also did spying work. But as a blunt, chaotic mercenary he saved the skin of those close to him. The warlock I mentioned up there? Mudagog actually told Lucien he was not an infernalist. Sorry Lucien! Although many others in the list were correct. This was cool because it reminded me of the Wharftown war, where Mudagog did some spy work along with various dirty tasks for coin - interrogating and spying mostly. Getting letters and meeting in alleys at night to whisper about the rumors. The mercenary eventually ended up creating a friendly bond with his boss, Lucien, who eventually commited suicide with a scroll of destruction - it was tough for Mud.

Tornius: He was cool.

The dwarves Falgrim and Gorudan: Mudagog met many dwarves in his life. It may be no secret that Mudagog wasn't exactly keen on dwarves. He projected back the hatred many dwarves had against him, and picked many fights in his time just because someone looked at him funny. Because of Liberius, however, I started interacting with Falgrim, and decided to give dwarves a chance. Turns out Falgrim was very respectable, perhaps because of Mud's diety, or perhaps because he was in a good mood. Falgrim crafted a M.D. Greataxe named K'a K'athk'ah - The Thirster, with the bones of a fallen dwarf, for Mudagog. The weapon was not something the orcblood took for granted. Mudagog still carries the weapon up to this day, even away from Arelith. The description and meaning behind it were way too meaningful for Mud to simply trade the axe for a 'better one'. There was great meaning behind that weapon, even to me. That was a big lesson on honor that Mudagog will never forget. A dwarf set all of his grudges aside and trusted the bones of his kin on a weapon for a half-orc. These two brothers, Falgrim and Gorudan, would remain important to Mudagog into the Horde decade, as they spoke highly of him to...

...The bloody thane: Ghestladt. Do you know how many times I messed up your name when trying to reach you via messengers? It's easier to send a player character to talk than to try to spell your name out. Anyway, I loved our interactions. They were SO. POWERFUL. Our characters really hated eachother but deep inside, in a little corner they did not want to admit, they found credit in one another. For around four-five years they stopped talking, the reason being the thane remark I will NEVER forget: "That's orcblood culture fer yer". I was smiling on my seat at how memorable that sentence was, even if Mudagog was really pissed. How striking of a political antagonist you were to my character. Our last meeting happened four years after that (this week), and it was perhaps the best yet. The silence between each one of our sentences, and how each one was crafted with subtle, indirect powerplay. Love your char, dude. Even if you're a filthy slaver. I never got to cut your beard off and have a goblin wear it as loincloth, though. Perhaps someone else will do that for me!

Anuia: You FILTHY TRAITOR! Why did you stop being a witch! You helped me and Kraashh so bad with that build, lmao. Regardless, I will never forget their talks in the Nine Hells, and how Mudagog was emphatic towards the struggles of a witch. That was cool.

Harvey: You're (or were?) another fun warlock, for various reasons. The bear story.

Igogh: ZUFFOO ZUFFOO ZUFFO ZUFFOO. We shared a lot, I felt. You helped orc-kin because you saw the struggle we went through. Mudagog never forgot that for a single second of his life. In trade, you earned his friendship, and it's safe to say you were one of the very few people he considered a friend. This, you all know, and I wish the common tongue was more like the orcish tongue, so I could put the rest of my thoughts onto words. You're no doubt one of the most memorable people in his life. A daughter to him, an apprentice who bested his master. You made him proud so many times. Your character has an amazing story, and Mudagog and I won't ever forget a single one of their moments. You will be missed by the old orc, as much as he misses Ohan. Thanks for everything.

Eirik: O bródi. Conta pra ninguém não mas to quase chorando. Assim como a Igogh, também não consigo colocar em palavras. Eu admiro seu personagem em off mesmo, e queria muito ter interagido mais com ele... isso que me dói um pouco. Principalmente agora, que o NOBLE BARBARIAN tá junto com a guria chifruda que o Mudagog enxergava nela uma filha. PORRA mano. Que bom que você estava lá pro dia que ele partiu. Você é CUNNING, tem uma mente pra guerra, e uma coragem que o Mudagog pagava um PAU! Eu e o Mudagog esperamos o melhor pro seu personagem e pra Igogh. Vocês são fodas. Amo vocês dois.

Taelina Blackthorn: Fun in orcish. The human wizard who married a half-orc barbarian. Isn't that a book anyone would pick up and read? Their times together I'll never forget. Mudagog was all about learning with the world around him, and Taelina helped him understand emotions he wouldn't ever have gotten to. I take it as an understanding of his nature as a halfblood, all thanks to you - you helped shape Mudagog into a more complete person. It's extremely hard to me to choose one of their best moments. Thank you for the blast of a ride.

Meriam Fuzzypaw: Remember the day you were covered in blood and guts? I do.

HOT RHAK - The Red Man: Dude. Lmao. You're such a creep, I love you so much. Mudagog left a message for you, and it's true. You defended the camp selflessly and saw orcs around you as brothers. You were careless at times, and sometimes some of the phunrohs got quite mad at you. But... bah. The days in the old camp, to the day our characters drank rum in captain's quarter of your vessel and talked about life and the future they'd have. There are way too many memorable moments to pick one. We didn't get to talk much after Qasi became chancellor, and now Mudagog has left the island for good. But if he can write, he will. To him, you're one of the few people, non-orc, that he considered a 'friend'. Farewell, Henrik. Mudagog will miss you.

Father Getrauw: You know who you are, and you know how to make memorable, insane characters. I never knew what to expect with this old loon. Damn. Anyway, yeah. Go have fun with the dryads, and don't forget to write back. P.S.: Praise him...................

Rann McClow: Our talks during the Amn crisis this year. Need I say more?

Melisenda: There's certain characters that go beyond what I can type here, you're one of them. You came across to Mudagog and me, quite honestly, as the most intriguing of all wizards. The talks about lichdom, the talks about increasing lifespan, the day you showed the illusions, your SUDDEN APPEARANCES. You rock, dude. Definitely one of the best roleplayers out there. There's plenty of people here who deserve 30 RPR and you're no doubt one of them. Also thank you for the magical items with funky names. I never got an elf gf because of your ring, praise Gruumsh.

Sheng Zhao: Dude. You ROCK. Our raids together, you blowing that flute of yours in the ship. The stories of your people. Then... the day you came to visit our camp, and learned of the Way. That day, you shared a story. And that goes to show how good of a roleplayer you were, specially because the story made sense with the location your character hailed from. The story of the gray orcs. I even remember it wasn't even the bitter coast camp, it was our makeshift camp during the time Amn was kicking us off the coast of Wharftown. Anyway dude, major major major kudos. You're a great player. Also: hehehehehehehe.

Wylaana: It's a shame we didn't get to interact more.

Derristan: You're cool my dude. I remember talking to you in your lowbies, and I remember our tensions when you spoke of nobility.

Geralt: Remember when Mudagog spoiled your picnic with your date over the Minmir lake by slaying 30 giants next to you? I sure do.

Talar Stormwalker aka the Bartender: *unbuttons his bag of holding* *turns it upside down onto the counter* *coins begin pouring out like an open faucet, eventually forming a hefty pile onto the counter* *turns his bag of holding upright* *buttons it* I want coffee.

Rhaeg: Heh. They fought opposite sides in the Wharftown war. Rhaeg actually stood for something, while Mudagog fought for Cordor as a brutish mercenary. Mudagog would later regret the side he picked, and eventually met with Rhaeg when both sported glorious gray hair. Rhaeg showed the four books he had written to Mudagog, and I must tell you, they're great books. Time went on by, and this literature was certainly passed on to other people, including Ohan, and it eventually made its way into the founding of the Horde. One of our last interactions during the Amn crisis this year was quite memorable. Regardless, your character is a legend.

Zaravella: I think your name deserves to be here. Fun interactions, specially in your lowbies.

Okay... now for the Horde people.

Ohan Hhar (and Mar Radah!): You are a bloody god, and I'm not sure if you still play in Arelith. Our times together were the best. To those reading this, Ohan was one of the founders of the Horde, and one of the original Elders, along with Mud. I will NEVER FORGET their adventures and talks prior to the Horde ever existing! The prototype we had of the Horde was so broken, lmao. "Oh, what will we do when the Elders come to a tie? Let's just have them punch eachother until one wins, and the winner decides for the Horde". But some things didn't change, and I'm glad you were there. An extremely important Elder for the Horde, and one who taught a lot to Mud, who would carry on being an Elder until his last day on the isle. You were a beacon of wisdom to everyone around you, and your character is missed dearly by all of us. It hurts me that Ohan never got to witness the new Horde camp - the area we got after almost a decade in game of hard work. Know that our priest Groboht often calls forth a golem based on your likeness, the living statue of Ohan, for he will always fight besides the camp and the Horde. You will always live in our hearts. And oh. Mar? I really, really hope you're reading this. Because I loved your character, and I hoped to do so much more with Mar. Perhaps teach him how to count to 10? WOOOOOOOOHHHH!!!

KRUG DAS MASHA: Your character is a legend. Your outfit was badass, you looked liked a 90's action figure. Not only that, but Krug was a silent orcblood who always made the best remarks, and you never knew what was going on inside his head. Maybe he was just an airhead, or maybe he was actually having a very complex thought about it all. Yus.

ZUGZUG: The Zug was, no doubt, a troublemaker. After all, The Horde's first meeting was "do we keep the Zug?". After a long time without the Zug, the Zug returned. The Zug began learning about the Old Way, and Mud got to venture with the Zug. Mudagog was proud of the Zug for the days he held onto his temper. That day with Tree. That day the woman asked if she was going to die if she peeked at the stall we were both looking at. Mudagog wished that there were more interactions, but eh. You bloody aussie! Anyway, major kudos. ALSOOOOOOOO don't think I forgot Ox. I know you were not feeling the character, but he was a CLASSY Orog. The Gruumsh tattoo on the neck is something I look forward to using in one of my own NPCs in D&D hah. Also, he made for an interesting character with interesting interactions, another one of those characters I wish I got to interact more with.

Groboht: Funny thing is, this is the third time I mention you in this list, you bloody fool. Groboht is a character with a lot of personality, and once more you bring something new to the table and added a lot to the Horde. The very first day you interacted with the Horde, you made an impression. Then, you continued a fun character with a very clear goal, with interesting quirks and the occasional gimmick one-liner. "The false priestess!" "Praise Ilneval!". The day you sculpted a golem based on Ohan was touching. I -or Fun[ing] love you, man. Thank you for all the times we had together, you provided me with such a variety of interesting RP so many times.

Tree: The best description out there goes to you. Your character is so bloody memorable. I won't forget our times together either, you have a very striking personality for a half-orc. I just think somehow the fact that Tree is almost always encumbered is hilarious; it's as if he moves as slowly as a Tree. His patience is that of a Tree... except that one day with Zug. The recent event with your character was very interesting, and the day you became tiny was hilarious.

Kraashh: You're a suave tusky fella, and one of Mud's best friends. He truly saw you as a brother. Kraashh adding a plural to everything is the best, and I was legit super happy for him becoming captain. Our raids in the Hells I will never forget, and you calling Mel "Beautys". Regardless, it's amazing to see how far Kraashh has come as a character. He is serious and smart, and he has a charming personality about him, eventhough he's a fearsome fella. You're the best, dude. And I enjoyed every single one of our times roleplaying together. ALL FEAR THE STANDING TRIAD!

Zed'Tarin Ravok and Sarkuth Irontower: Honor to House Ravok. It should go without saying you two were essential for the Horde. These guys were responsible for the "Old Way" that Mud loves to preach and everybody talks so much about. You brought honor to Orog, and you were just amazing roleplayers. I remember sending you all a bunch of tells complimenting your actions. Sarkuth standing guard behind Zed was badass. In the beginning, there was a very powerful, dense vibe about your toons, it felt like they carried a strong condensed piece of the Underdark everywhere they went. Your characters to me represent the best Orogs I've come across so far, they had a space marine vibe and to me, just seeing you two interact I almost didn't need to hear the story about Fort Skullplenty. No -wonder- the Old Way came from that place. Super memorable folk that I will never forget. If someone's reading this - they're the ones who made Mud start to say "slay well". Great people OOC.

Hannibal and his crew: You guys are beasts. You were very much responsible for revitalizing the Horde after a long hiatus, and there's much that your characters can accomplish IC, yet. I hope the message Mudagog left for Hannibal gets delivered. The real kudos behind your character lies yet to be found in game. Honor and blood, brother.

Kurz: It was such a surprise to come across Kurz after a long hiatus from the game, to find out that he had started a Horde of his own below. Mudagog was extremely proud of Kurz. The recent developments are far too recent for me to comment here in public in detail, but they were super interesting for sure. You too, were very much responsible for helping revitalize the Horde, and I owe you major kudos for that.

Well... that was a lot of people. If I forgot someone, do let me know. I'll be sure to write something up, because these characters and these years in Arelith as Mudagog meant a lot to me. Some of the characters here have become NPCs in my D&D home game, some stories we lived together have become quests and adventures my players have lived through. The Horde is an inspiring story to me, and has served as a field research for developing things in the fantasy setting I am working on.

Finally, a big thank you to all the DMs and developers who helped make this crazy journey possible. To Irongron who crafted the Horde camp, and to DM Titania who was the last DM to host Mudagog's departure event. I can't wait to make my next character and immerse myself, once again, into this world you and these players have created, and perhaps bump into some of these characters or their players again, under very different circumstances.

Slay well.

[TimeAdept]

Y'all a cool af dude and I'm glad I got to hang out with the Horde and everything we did. Slay well.

[BegoneThoth]

Slay well brother.

[Atlantahammy]

Glad I got to meet him, Sad I didn't ever get the history book of how the Half-orc camp was founded~

[Zaravella]

Ill be forever salty that he is gone, but I look forward to meeting your next creation. Foehammer's Might.

[Dragonovith]

As I've told you earlier, Mudagog is a Half-homão da porra! Also, seeing him sailing away on that ship was like seeing a real friend going away. But as sad as that scene was, I'm sure we'll have many new cool and fun moments with your new character when you create them in the future, looking forward to that!

[BegoneThoth]

I will never forget the times we shared

[BegoneThoth]

Some other good Horde moments.

https://imgur.com/a/aQqgAnQ

[Richørd]

What a shame that Mudagog departed before I could talk to him IC about the children's rhyme he came up with. The Cordorian archives hold a lot of surprises.

[Rockstar1984]

Don't leave us, horc daddy

[matheusgraef]

I will never forget the times we shared

i remember that we were moving camp stuff around locations when you did that. when i returned to camp, i was greeted by that splendorous sight and a greentexted 'u like'. i should've -delete_character right there.

[BegoneThoth]

I will never forget the times we shared

i remember that we were moving camp stuff around locations when you did that. when i returned to camp, i was greeted by that splendorous sight and a greentexted 'u like'. i should've -delete_character right there.

[good man of god]

Hey. Time has come for Mud's departure from Arelith. It came abruptly, but recent events have led the half-orc to decide it was best he quit the island. Mudagog arrived in his twenties and left at around fifty years of age. He was part of memorable events like the Wharftown War and the fall of Benwick, but undoubtfully the most memorable moments of this character lied in the last in-game decade, as one of the founders and eventually an Elder of the Horde.


Tornius: He was cool.

Thanks man! Tornius thought Mudagog was too big for his boots, but wasn't gonna tempt that huge axe into his chest to do anything about it.


Mudagog was also hilarious at times, love it.

Kudos to you man for playing a half-orc so well.

I look forward to whatever you play next.

[matheusgraef]

What a shame that Mudagog departed before I could talk to him IC about the children's rhyme he came up with. The Cordorian archives hold a lot of surprises.

hahahaha - the original manuscript was sold for 20k to a character in an auction.

[dominantdrowess]

I am the sad. Though Saslae only knew of him some -- what? Ten years? We trafficked in a lot of the same people. <3

[PeterRasta]

Mudagog is legend. Awesome character. I look forward to seeing what you come up with next.

[Hannibal]

wrong hannibal

[CharlesK]

I will greatly miss Mudagog, as much as I miss Ohan.

Both of these characters gone... it feels like I have taken a serious wound and no healing potions left to repair this hole left in my RP and characters friendships.

Thank YOU for some wonderful in-game memories.

I certainly wish we meet and RP again on new characters one day.

[CaptainGuy]

Einkill will be sad to hear that Mudagog is going. Though their interactions where few and pretty fare between, especially after the Horde got their true settlement, they did have a substantial impact on Einkill based on how well spoken and clearly honorable Mudagog was. It gave him the impression that the Horde was a group that could be trusted and reasoned with.

[WanderingPoet]

Yeto didn't get much chance to interact with Mudagog but I did get to watch the orc grow. From our first interaction of "Do you know where to buy miffril dust" (or something of similar broken common) to watching him hack apart Abazzur (and Raise/Greater Restoring him!), to diplomacy. He certainly grew and grew well. It's a shame to see the great leader of the Horde go.

[Black Wendigo]

I wa just starting to enjoy Mudagog's rp and he rolls. Oh well had a great time anyways, for the brief time Guideon knew him. I am looking forward to more great Horde rp,