Special | The World of Telvar

The cleansing of Hotton

Adventure synopsis: The Stompers were returning from their latest adventure of destroying an Orcus-worshipping band of ogres when they stumbled across a running man “Tom” who had escaped indoctrination into the cult. He told them about the smiling cult in Hotton and was thoroughly scared of it and the town guards chasing him. The Stompers believed him and let him go after hearing his story. The Stompers tried to avoid interaction with the town, though Tove was seen during his excursion to explore, which netted valuable information. The Stompers explored the geyser vent just outside town because “Tom” had mentioned heat in the vile ritual, and Sabine the dwarf found in the geyser channel a secret door leading to a secret old pirate lair.

Backstory: In Ages past, some empires were mentally run by Kopru, which are chaotic-evil hot-water creatures chosen of Demogorgon, demon lord of madness. In the last century, there were stories that the pirates who inhabitated the area now known as the town of Hotton were lead by a cleric of Demogorgon. In current times, followers of Farnaz, demon lord of cooperation between demons, arranged for a devious [ironic word] scheme by which three kopru were brought to the small town of Hotton in the Northlands as the launching point of a wider control of land. A message was sent to a ship of the Hand of Hendus to entice them to pick up some interesting cargo, but the cargo was actually three kopru, who took mental control of the captain and crew. With three prepared Wilbar’s Fish & Critters’ hot-boxes, the ship transported the three kopru to to the town of Hotton, where this new little cult quickly took over the town, nine people each night. This scheme was all timed while the local high priestess of Thim was away from Hotton. Only two people were known to have escaped: one is an aquatic elf who was first mate on the ship; and the other being a seeming human “Tom” who was a separate member of the Hand of Hendus with a mental defense spell that protected him from the indoctrination magic ritual.
(Warning: Backstory admittedly includes some little assumptions.)

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Special Alumni Profile of Our Friend Mark Wagoner (1971-2003)

“You cannot stay on the summit forever; you have to come down…so why bother in the first place? Just this: What is above knows what is below, but what is below does not know what is above. In climbing take careful note of the difficulties along the way; for as you go up you can observe them. Coming down you will no longer see them, but you will know they are there if you have observed them well. There is an art of finding one’s direction in the lower regions by the memory of what one saw higher up. When one can no longer see, one can at least still know.”
– Rene Daumal, Mount Analogue

This page is borrowed from the NC State Caldwell Fellows Alumni Profile of Mark Wagoner. It was once found through the NCSU Caldwell Fellows Program here. I can’t seem to find it online anymore, so I decided to post it here. You may also want to look at his obituary. We miss you, Mark! –Kyle=
Mark Wagoner’s passion for adventure and service was boundless. His zest for life profoundly impacted those around him. He loved to share his excitement for the outdoors with others.
Mark graduated in 1989 from the NC School of Math and Science in Durham. Mark scored 1580 on the SAT and was accepted at NC State University, where he was a National Merit Scholar, a Caldwell Scholar, a member of the NC Fellows Program, and a Rhodes Scholar Nominee. He graduated Summa Cum Laude with B.S. Degrees in Electrical Engineering and Physics in 1994. After graduating, Mark worked at Proctor & Gamble in Browns Summit, NC, from 1994 to 2001. He then went on to earn a master’s degree in business administration from Duke University in May, 2003.
Mark first became interested in mountaineering at an outdoor leadership development course to the Rockies with The Caldwell Fellows Program in 1990. Some of his major accomplishments in this area include National Outdoor Leadership School training in Alaska, certified Wilderness First Responder, and Instructor with Colorado Outward Bound. He also led technical climbs on Mt. Rainer in Washington, Mt. Hood in Oregon, and in Ecuador. He remained active in The Caldwell Programs, co-leading several wilderness experiences for Caldwell Fellows each spring.

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Special Mark Alan Wagoner (1971-2003)

Mark was born in Alamance County on September 23, 1971. In the short span of his life, Mark’s passion for adventure and indelible zest for life profoundly impacted those around him. He loved to share his excitement of the outdoors with others.

MARK ALAN WAGONER, 31, died instantly on May 28, 2003 in Denali National Park, Alaska as a result of a tragic plane crash.
Mark was born in Alamance County on September 23, 1971. In the short span of his life, Mark’s passion for adventure and indelible zest for life profoundly impacted those around him. He loved to share his excitement of the outdoors with others.
Mark attended Alamance County Schools from kindergarten through the tenth grade. After leaving Southern Alamance High school in 1987, he attended and graduated from the NC School of Math and Science in Durham in 1989. While in high school, Mark attended the NC Governor’s School-East in mathematics and earned the rank of Eagle Scout. Mark scored 1580 on the SAT and was accepted at NC State University where he was a National Merit Scholar, a Caldwell Scholar, a member of the NCSU Fellows Program, and a Rhodes Scholar nominee. Mark graduated Summa Cum Laude with B.S. Degrees in Electrical Engineering and Physics from NC State in 1994. Following graduation, he was employed by Proctor & Gamble in Browns Summit, NC from 1994 to 2001. Mark returned to college in the fall of 2001 and recently graduated on May 10, 2003 with a Masters in Business Administration from Duke University.

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