| King Titus Harper | |||
| (Tim Lanning) | |||
 |
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| About: | |||
| Alias(es): | The Blazing Hand The Tempest | ||
| Race: | Human | ||
| Class: | Storm Sorcerer | ||
| Status: | Dead | ||
| Cause of Death: | Blown up by Longcryer, having fallen into a trap[1] | ||
| Affiliations: | Ätlän-tã Fælcons Pelor's Hope | ||
| Appearances: | |||
| First Episode: | Last Episode: | ||
| Episode 32 - I HATE GNOLLS | Episode 284 - Goodbye, My Son | ||
| MISC Info: | |||
| Had Celiac Disease, (which helped to explain why he was so grumpy all the time) and had migraines[2]
Was uncircumcised[3], although the size was debatable[4] Was allergic to cats (and cat people)[5], but that didn't stop him from trying to fuck a cat-lady that one time Knew how to play the guitar, but never did it[6] |
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King Titus Harper, The Blazing Hand, The Tempest, was a sorcerer, a long-running member of the Ätlän-tã Fælcons, and the ruler of Pelor's Hope. He was wife to Queen Ashayara Dayne, father to Prince Thom Harper, and brother-in-law to Rowan Grey.
Appearance and Personality[]
Harper was really handsome. He would melt your panties right off (either with fire or handsomeness). He initially started out as being toned, but after leveling up, he put some points in his Strength stat, granting him dick abs. After the Five Year Gap, it was revealed that he developed a bit of a dad bod, though still occasionally referenced his dick abs. He was covered with tattoo-like burns that lit up when he did magic. He was often described as looking like a Crucible-era Daniel Day-Lewis.
He was a tortured and dark individual, moody, egotistical, but ultimately, a good man. He would go to great lengths for those he considered his friends. Growing up as a noble of the House Harper, he had a skewed view of the world, considering those of lower classes (and many non human races) as "beneath him", though as his time traveling with the Ätlän-tã Fælcons grew, he became more accepting and open-minded. He was often troubled by his dark past that he didn't want to talk about (actually his experiences with Longcryer, as detailed below).
Biography[]
Early Life[]
Young Titus with Camille Fordane
Young Titus Harper grew up in Pelor's Hope with all the amenities granted to a young lord of a powerful and ancient house. His father, Anthony Harper, was one of the members of the Council of Nine, the ruling seats of Pelor's Hope[7]. He had several family members, including Jarlton, Phase, and Adira. Once, when Titus was four or five year old, his sister Adira accidentally destroyed a priceless piece of art, and was attempting to place the blame on the family servant, Camille Fordane. Titus, having witnessed the event, told the truth of the event to his parents, resulting in Adira being punished, and Camille was not sent away.
Interested in magic from a young age, Titus joined the White Spire, but, at eleven and a half years, found he was doing less well than he'd hoped. He returned home on holiday, and was questioned by his friend/playmate/tutor, Camille Fordane. Titus grew irritated, and struck out at Camille with a bolt of lightning magic, permanently scarring her face. She would eventually forgive him, but word of the event traveled, eventually reaching the ears of Longcryer an exiled wizard. After Titus failled out of the White Spire, and with no where else to turn, Lord Anthony Harper accepted Longcryer's request to take on Titus as a ward at his tower, a sort of evil Hogwarts[8].
Training with Longcryer[]
Young Titus Harper experienced horrors he could never had imagined at Longcryer's hands. He ws tortured, fed a foul poison that is meant to unlock his powers, and abused by the Longcryer and his assistants, notably the Dwarf Askur Thunderbeard. He was made to sit in a chamber as thousands of gallons of water poured onto him for hours at a time. He was locked in a room with no food or water for days, being told he would only be released if he could light a glass candle. The only solace he had was in his roommate, Feslan Wolfblood, but even he served as a warning to Titus, of the life that was in store for him if he did not escape. Having grown exasperated, Titus wrote home, begging to be brought back to Pelor's Hope. His parents believed him to be homesick and exaggerating, so they sent Camille Fordane to him instead, to keep him company.
After more torture, and at the insistence of Fes, Titus and Camille agreed that they needed to escape. Titus was taken for another round of "training", and when he returned/woke up, he found that Fes had gone. He assumed that he escaped, but Camille had heard rumors that he was taken upstairs. After his most recent round of training, Titus discovered that his ability to control his magic powers had developed. The two sneaked upstairs and found Fes, though he appeared to be mind controlled and submissive to Longcryer. They attempted to wake him up, but were caught by Longcryer, who forced the two apprentices to fight each other. Titus blasted out in an explosion of magic and passed out. Feslan's fate remains unknown.
Harper undergoes a gauntlet
After passing out again, Titus woke again in the fighting chamber. A figure appeared in the room, appearing to be Askur, and Titus lashed out and killed him, but it turned out to be Camille, whom Longcryer had disguised as Askur. She died after forgiving him, and telling him to leave. The real Askur arrived and told him that he passed his final test[9].
Meeting the Fælcons[]
Not much is known about the time between Longryer's Tower and Harper's adventures with the Ätlän-tã Fælcons. All we know for sure is that at some point, he was recruited by Fennekin to steal The Brazier of Worlds from the Fælcons, as he deemed they were taking too long to procure it[10]. He kidnapped the rest of the Harpers and used them as leverage; Steal the Brazier or his family dies. This was Harper's in to join the party, and he kept his intentions secret from the rest of them. He installed himself as a potential hire (along with Winston) aboard the Chum Guzzler, after the losses of both Tum "Darkblade" Thumble and Junpei Iori. Fortunately, Aludra the Dwarf and the rest chose both to come along, and Harper quickly revealed himself to be a powerful sorcerer. Together, the party met and adopted Bucky[11], reached the Forbidden Temple, and got their hands on The Whip of Binding[12].
Harper and the rest of the party helped Niles Blackwater find and apprehend Bercy Hamhands for the Darkblades[13][14]. They then rescued Ros, the ship captain, from the clutches of Rugul Thumble[15]. After fooling around for a while, a gnome named Clinker appeared in a flying house and flew them to The Crypt of Sinu the Red, where they knew The Orb of Endless Power to be. There, they found the Orb, and an ancient Dwarven helmet with a riddle carved on. Aludra put on the helm and attempted to solve the riddle, but was killed[16]. Clinker brought her back using the Orb, and took them all to Caer[17].
Harper helped Aludra bury the body of her brother in a small town around Caer. He may or may not have thrown an apple core into the grave. Probably not. He also claimed to be a feminist[18].
During the Winter Solstice of 1699, Harper and Bucky both began to feel sick. Soon, they succumbed to their illness and passed out. The rest of the party determined that magic from all over Drunkeros was being siphoned away by Julemanden, and were able to stop him, saving Harper and Bucky[19][20].
While searching for The Ruins of House Vidalis, the party found themselves having accidentally travelled back in time, to the year 1380[21]. There, they met a group of clones of Thom Vidalis, and Thom was able to trick Harper into approaching them with his dick out. He didn't do this, instead used a sausage as a fake dick and bluffed his way out of the situation. He was able to determine that clones could not tell each other apart[22]. After Thom killed the past version of himself[23], the party found the Brazier of Worlds, and Fennekin activated it from the future, allowing the party to travel Back to the Future[24]. Harper was the last to go through, and the portal sent everyone through at exaggerated intervals, resulting in everyone waiting on Harper to return from the portal. He did so in the dead of night, stealing the Brazier and attempting to escape to Fennekin[25]. However, the party caught up with him, forcing him to reluctantly reveal everything. Despite his betrayal, they agreed to help him get his family back[26].
Death and Resurrection[]
Harper and the rest of the then un-named Ätlän-tã Fælcons took the Brazier of Worlds back to Caer, to deliver to Fennekin[27]. They ended up outside of the Temple of Erathis, with little to know plan of what to do, besides this: Harper went in, while the other two waited outside, as backup. That was it. See, the title of this subsection. Anyway, Harper demanded that Fennekin release his family before he would hand over the Brazier. Fennekin showed Harper that they were still alive, for now, and had the doors thrown open, causing Thom and Aludra to fall into the room. Fennekin revealed what his plan was for the three artifacts, to combine them together to create a portal to The Abyss, that will cause hordes of demons to pour into Drunkeros. He then detonated the Brain Bombs inside Thom and Aludra's heads, killing them instantly. A stunned Harper attempted to smash the Brazier against the ground, but, despite rolling an 18, the railroad tracks proved too strong, and the Brazier remained intact. Harper heard a voice from behind him, the voice of Ros, saying "I'm so sorry, Harper". He is then stabbed through the heart and dies.
Yeah. It's pretty fucked up[28].
Harper and the others met up with Erathis in the afterlife, who told them that Fennekin created a sort of Demon Apocalypse down on Drunkeros, and that, as it was partly their fault, it was their responsibility to stop. Harper learned that Fennekin had his entire family killed anyway, except for Adira, who escaped. Erathis told them to find her Adherent, Jaela, and revived them, giving them badass chest tattoos that would help ward off demons and evil creatures[29]. Back home in Pelor's Hope, they met Jaela (and Old Man Weck)[30], and then Harper was visited by a Darkblade named Cutpurse Esk, who claimed to be in a relationship with Adira learned that, following the death of the Harpers, the Council of Nine had become the Council of Eight[31]. The Council appoints Zird the Arcane to accompany the party on their mission[32], which was to find the Demonomicon. That book, it was said, contained the information necessary to putting a stop to the Demon Apocalypse[33].
The Demon Apocalypse[]
Harper
One night, Jaela had a flashback to her previous life, as Rhavar, traveling with some friends at the beginning of the Demon Apocalypse (this would be a couple weeks, maybe a month ago). Everyone in the party inhabits the mind of one of the adventurers, and Harper enters the mind of Telir, a monk of the land with a penchant for punching and hyperbole. This party is visited by Mordenkainen herself, who bestows upon them the Demonomicon, and tells them to take it to Fennekin. They board the Chum Guzzler, which is there in Yanghar inexplicably. Along the way, the CG gets attacked by some demons, and one of the party members, Steve Meloncamp, takes the Demonomicon and jumps through a portal to safety (which is actually the bottom of the ocean floor, where Steve promptly dies).
They all woke up in their own bodies in Drunkeros, with a new mission to head to the ocean floor where they knew Steve to have died[34]. Harper realized that the amulet that pointed toward Adira had begun pointing toward the east, toward the Demonomicon. They wondered why it changed, if it was possible that it never pointed to Adira. They didn't figure this out, so Harper sent a message to Adira, learning that she was to the north. They had a choice to make: Go after Adira, or the Demonomicon. Zird told them that the needs of the many outway the needs of the few, and that getting the Demonomicon would be the best way to end the Demon Apocalypse, which would save everyone, Adira included. He also revealed that he could create a magical submarine if they brought him Hellwasp Honey, a shark fin, and the soul of an air elemental. This may have been the moment that Harper grew an unmitigated loathing for Zird, a hatred that would define their relationship forever. Harper argued, understandably, to go after Adira, believing Zird to be a crazy old wizard who wouldn't even be able to create the submarine. They put it to a vote, and it was decided that they would go after the Demonomicon, to Harper's increasing anger[35].
They easily found and killed an air elemental[36], then collected the Hellwasp Honey, and brought it back to Zird. He immediately sat on a bladder full of the air and put the honey in his tea and began drinking. This angered everyone, including Harper, who asked why he needed the shark fin. He didn't, and made the submarine, the Belefonte[37]. They headed toward the Demonomicon, guided by Harper's amulet[38]. Eventually, they made it to Steve's corpse. Thom volunteered to go get the Demonomicon, and when he got back, they found that Steve's soul had been trapped within the book, and was transferred into Thom's mind when he grabbed the book[39]!
After surfacing, the party found their boat, the Chum Guzzler right above them. Also arriving at the same moment were Clinker, Watari, Wren, and most notably, Ros[40]. Harper and Ros yelled at each other[41], and eventually came to a sort of understanding, that they were both victims of circumstance. It seemed that Ros also had family captured and threatened by Fennekin. Harper forgave Ros, but didn't forget. Zird told them to get the Demonomicon deciphered by Avery T'léas in Fairmire, whom Harper had heard of[42].
After getting the Demonomicon, Harper really chilled on the whole, missing sister thing. He pressed the issue a lot less often, and just kind of... went with the flow. After partying with the cat and dog people of Drunkeros Madagascar[43], Harper nearly seduced a married cat lady, but did not. He and Zird shared a moment of clarity, bonding over the two of them knowing the fiend Longcryer. Zird offered to convince the White Spire to hunt him down after the Demon Apocalypse was over. They all set out to Fairmire[44].
After getting to the White Dome in Fairmire, and accidentally, breaking the warding sphere around it, the party found that they would need to fix it in order to not be constantly attacked by demons. Harper, Zird, and Avery teamed up to fix it. Afterward, Avery told them that the Hammer of Sundering would destroy the device keeping the portal to the Abyss open. However, the user of the Hammer would be killed[45]. She gave them the Hammer and Harper messaged Ros, who was attempting to rescue Bucky from gnolls, but was in trouble. They went off in the direction of Riekert Svenson, a necromancer who had more information on the Hammer of Sundering[46]. Once they got there[47], they learned that there are a lot of ways around the death thing[48] (but these aren't super important, the party never utilizes any of them).
Harper by KainSteakFries
Harper sent another message to Ros, who told them they were captured by the gnolls near Caer, so they headed that way and found Yeenoghu's Moving City[49]. Harper messaged Bucky, who told them he was in the central fortress of the city[50]. Harper suggested that they disguise themselves as gnolls and sneak in[51], which they did[52]. After some shenanigans[53], they entered the fortress and found Bucky, corrupted and evil, along with Ros and Daisy[54]! They fought, and Aludra was able to save Bucky, restoring everything to normal for the most part[55].
Zird realized that Fennekin was much more powerful than they thought, and there was only one way to defeat him: to use the Hammer of Sundering to destroy a spell he created called the Twist'-ar, sacrificing himself. Harper forgives Zird all of his shenanigans, and kissed him full on the lips. Zird died, bruining about the Fifth Edition of Magic[56]. After this point, Harper became a Storm Sorcerer[57].
Flying off to Stockley to find their ship, the party met a demon named Artixus, who asked them politely to accompany him back to the Barony of New Stigia. When they refused, he Suggested that Harper follow him, and convince the others to do the same[58]. They again refused, and Artixus revealed that he had Adira's finger in a box, prompting Harper, and the rest of them, to fight. They defeated him (though he escaped), and Harper broke down, yelling that it was all the fault of the rest of them for not going after Adira sooner[59]. Ros said that they should go back to Avery T'léas, who could teleport them to Stockley. They agreed, and went there[60], and then decided to actually go after the Army of Bahamut and were teleported to Mastwick. Harper messaged Adira, who was in the Barony of New Stigia, and they decided that someone in New Newfoundland Land, where the Army was, would know about it[61]. But first, they were made by Pyre, the dragon ruler of Mastwick, to get four crystals from the heads of Slaadi[62]. They went and got them[63], and Harper decided to free one of the Slaadi, named Slaad the Slaad[64]. He would go on to follow the party for a couple days.
After escaping Mastwick, the party decided to once and for all go after Adira in the Barony of New Stigia[65]. Once they got there, however, they found that Adira was not a captive at all, but was leading the devils there[66]! Also, the Barony of New Stigia was actually Shadowspar Keep, where the original members of the Ätlän-tã woke up on slabs. Adira wanted to help them help her end the Demon Apocalypse. She told them her terms, that she would give them an army of devils to take on Fennekin, if they first got rid of the Army of Bahamut. All they really needed to do was take out Gruemar the Silver, the leader of the Army. They decided to sleep on it, and that night, Aludra and Thom found out that they had gotten pregnant during their battle with the Slaadi, and they gave birth. Violently. In fact, they died[67].
Harper did not react very well to the deaths of his friends. He entered a state of shock, behaving as if nothing was wrong, but still not acting like himself. His mind breaking, he killed the Slaad tadpole that killed Thom. Jaela left the room and found re-enforcements in Adira's demons, and they brought Thom and Aludra's bodies into a secret room. Harper met up with Jaela, who told Harper that their two friends were dead, and he merely replied, "Huh. Okay." and curled up into a ball under a table. After getting slapped by Adira, Harper snapped back into it, though he seemed to not remember what was going on. Adira informed them that she had Thom and Aldura brought back to life, and Thom was distressed to learn that Harper killed his "son". After all the hubbub died down, they all departed for their beds, though Harper was the one to immediately head to the door that Adira had warned them not to go into. Inside they found a bunch of things that could have helped them during the early years of their travels, including a label for a seemingly missing machine that read, "Brain Device Removal Station."
Thom and Aludra discovered that Adira had secretly placed brain bombs back in their heads, to force them into taking out the Army of Bahamut. In the morning, Harper, too, discovered that Adira had secretly given him something: the remote detonator for Aludra and Thom's brain bombs! He kept this a secret from them. Adira also gifted them with 12 devils to take out the Army of Bahamut, and Harper named them after dead members of his family (Thom killed one of them, named for his mother, as retaliation for his Slaadpole's death). Together, they all headed out to New Newfoundland Land.
Along the way, Harper convinced everyone to come up with code names, suggesting for himself, Tum Darkblade[68]. Aludra told their devils to wait for three days and cause a ruckus to distract everyone, while they infiltrated the ranks of the Army, with the assistance of Ballard. After three days of hard work, where Harper played Three-Dragon Ante to learn about the slaves in the camp and make friends[69], the party snuck into the tent of Gruemar the Silver, and met a small mouse that Aludra adopted and named Wiggins. Upon attacking the leader of the Army of Bahamut, it was Harper who figured out that Gruemar was lighting the lanterns in the room to stay safe in his magical armor[70]. After defeating Gruemar, the party left to find that Luccan and his team had killed the remaining members of the Army, and all of the devils were dead[71].
Luccan accompanied them back to Shadowspar Keep, and along the way, Harper told the others about Adira's briain bomb blower-upper. They were surprisingly forgiving! The party got back to Adira[72], and began to, finally, formulate their plan to take down Fennekin. Adira gave them their thousand devils, as well as four worms to place in their ear which allowed them to communicate with each other over long distances, as well as a one-time use teleport function if of them removed their worm, whereupon the others would teleport to that person. They did not yet know who would sacrifice themselves, though they did know that that was a thing[73].
The devils were divided amongst the party, and Harper was given the devils that served as Ranged attackers. Their massive army marched toward Caer, where Fennekin's Fortress was. Along the way, Harper wanted to stop by the White Dome in Fairmire to check on Avery T'léas, whom they had heard was dead. They found the Dome destroyed, but Harper was unable to find T'léas' body. Soon afterward, the army reached Fennekin's Fortress, and found Caer even more destroyed than the Dome[74].
The Battle Above the Abyss[]
Harper and co. preparing to march on Fennekin's Fortress
The Battle Above the Abyss lasted a long time, and began with a rousing Braveheart-like speech by Lord Titus Harper. During the battle, Harper flew into the sky and used his storm wind powers to reenforce his archers' attacks. Thom made it into the Fortress[75] and removed his worm teleport, bringing everyone into the Fortress with him, though Harper hurt himself during entry. Inside, there was more of a battle, and the party had to fight the re-animated corpse of Tum "Darkblade" Thumble[76]. The corpse seemed to single out Harper specifically, really having a singular interest in making him drown. Harper was rendered unconscious, but awoke after Thom slew their former ally[77].
Before they faced off against Fennekin, once and for all, Harper pulled Jaela aside, and they both agreed that it was likely that Aludra would want to be the one to sacrifice herself. They also agreed that they wouldn't let this happen, as they both cared for her too much. They both acknowledged their respect for one another, and then, the party entered Fennekin's chambers.
As soon as they entered, Harper appeared to change sides. He fell to his knees and apologized, claiming that Fennekin is still his master. Harper offered the Hammer of Sundering to Fennekin in exchange for the party leaving alive. Fennekin accepted... but then realized that the Hammer Harper offered was a fake. Harper stood, said that it was worth a shot, and then attacked Fennekin. The battle began.
Fennekin began by creating a wall of spinning blades between Harper and the rest of the party. Harper, in turn, summoned an air elemental to fight Fennekin. It threw the Brazier of Worlds back across the wall to the party, where Aludra nearly used the Hammer of Sundering to destroy it, but hesitated. She also discovered the Hammer was missing. Harper's elemental threw Fennekin through the wall, destroying it, and he transformed into a monster, with evil wings and shit. Thom attacked, and Fennekin changed form again, into a giant, terrifying visage of Orcus himself!
Thom revealed himself to have the Hammer of Sundering, and used it to kill Fennekin and destroy the portal. Fennekin died along with Thom, and the party, including Harper, watched as Thom gave his very prolonged last words. And with that, the Demon Apocalypse was over[78].
The Five Year Gap[]
After successfully saving the world, Harper suggested to his friends that they all moved back to his hometown of Pelor's Hope. They refused, deciding to go their own way. The time between the members of the party leaving each other and their eventual reunion is referred to as the Five Year Gap. Harper returned to his family's home to began to mend the damage done by Fennekin. He was re-instated back into the Council of Eight, now the Council of Nine once again, although the council was dissolved soon afterward[79]. Harper realized that, in order to rebuild his city, he would need money, and a lot of it. One year passed, and on the one year anniversary of Fennekin's defeat, the Raw Fury Games were held! The grand prize was 10,000 gold pieces, more than enough for a kingdom or two to be founded. Harper enrolled, and enlisted the help of a new friend he had discovered, Marendithas Bearcharger, a minutaur bodyguard who was dumb as a box of bricks, but loyal and kind. He also called on a bard named Rudolph Reindeer, a sarcastic tiefling with few redeeming qualities, save for his skills with a ukulele.
During the Games, Harper and his team faced their first challenge, a large white dragon. It imbued Harper with great fear causing him to run in the opposite direction while his allies fought the great beast. As he ran, like a coward, he looked into the crowd and saw the face of a beautiful High Elf lady, that of the Princess Ashayara Dayne. He was immediately stricken with her, and she gave him the courage necessary to return to the fray and... get eaten by the dragon. His friends defeated it, and Harper emerged, gross, but victorious[80]! Later that night, Harper inquired about the Lady, learning that she is the eldest daughter of King Theonjon Dayne. During a victory feast that night, Ashayara Dayne approached Harper, and the two hit it off, agreeing to meet with each other later.
The next morning, during the second task (an obstacle course), the demon Artixus returned and kidnapped Ashayara Dayne, and her father. Harper and co. made short work of the foe, though he escaped once again before being killed or apprehended. Ashayara Dayne, grateful and impressed, began kissing Harper passionately. This marked the beginning of their relationship, but the end of the 1703 Raw Fury Games, which the Pelor's Hope team won. Harper was able to use the prize to rebuild Pelor's Hope[81].
Artists' rendition of Ashayara Dayne
Titus and Ashayara Dayne's oldest child, Prince Thom Harper
During the next several months, Harper focused on reconstruction, not just on the infrastructure of PH, but on its inhabitants. He built up alliances, gained favor with powerful people, united clans, and amassed quite a bit of influence in the town. His relationship with Ashayara Dayne progresses to the point that King Theonjon Dayne decrees that they are to wed. One particularly prominent issue that he wanted solved was that of Duke Byron Thorne, a vampire living in the abandoned Buttswell Manor. To do this, at the suggestion of Old Man Weck, who Harper hired, Harper sought the assistance of the Night Cloaks, a mercenary group working for the Raven Queen. They sent Denton Glenchester to help, as well as Rowan Grey, Ashayara Dayne's bastard half-sister. Rowan went at the behest of Ashayara Dayne, who asked that Rowan see for herself what sort of man Harper was, as they were to be married. At this time, Jaela also showed up to visit, and Harper asked for her assistance as well. She accepted, despite going through a bit of a magical rough-patch. Together they go and meet with Duke Byron Thorne, who is an amiable, if macabre man. After refusing to leave (unless Harper agrees to sacrifice people for him to eat), Rowan grew disgusted with the vampire, and initiated a fight. The crew was able to make short work of the undead threat[82].
Harper and Ashayara Dayne were married, and during the time between their marriage and the start of Season 7 - Short Engagements, they had 6 children together. The eldest was Prince Thom Harper, named for the party's fallen ally. After Thom, there was Jarlton, Anthony, Adira, Phase, and Zird, while Ashayara Dayne grew pregnant with their seventh child. Zird was named for the senile old wizard who sacrificed himself to bring about the Fifth Edition of Magic, while the rest were named for deceased members of Harper's family. It was also revealed that, at some point during the Five Year Gap, Adira Harper has gone missing. Harper appointed his bodyguard and friend Marendithas Bearcharger to find Adira. Instead, the minotaur would grab anyone of the female persuasion and bring her to Harper inquisitorially, much to the king's frustration. Oh, yeah! Harper became King after marrying Ashayara Dayne. It is unclear what Theonjon Dayne's status is, as he is presumed to still be alive[83].
Also, during the Gap, he appointed Ros as his Master of Whispers, though her public identity is that of Master of Coin. He appointed her to find the fiend Longcryer, who tortured him and gave him his abilities[84]. He also gained ownership of the Chum Guzzler, appointing Winston as captain[85]. Old Man Weck held his court for him[86], which contained a Gnome squire named Timpleton, a fake Master of Whispers named Crow, a catfolk from Drunkeros Madagascar, and Nyx, another bodyguard, fond of punching[87].
Reunion and Mysteries[]
Jaela and Aludra broke up during the Five Year Gap (they had begun a relationship during their adventures), and Aludra returned to her ancestral home of Deephome with Bucky. Her family decreed that she was to be married to a lord of another powerful Dwarven family, Baldur Oakback. Lord Baldur was a kind man, but Aludra did not love him. King Harper was invited to the wedding. Jaela, however, was not. Having broken favor with her god, Erathis, and joined up with the Raven Queen, Jaela came to Pelor's Hope to ask Harper to take her to the wedding. Harper reluctantly agreed, but only on the condition that Jaela promise not to cause any trouble. At this time, it is revealed that the affection Harper and Ashayara Dayne once felt for each other had dissipated, and at this point, they hated each other. Harper left them behind in Pelor's Hope while he, Bearcharger, Jaela, Nyx, and a Dwarven envoy name Slab Spittlechunk boarded the Chum Guzzler and set out for Deephome[88].
During the voyage, they were attacked by a beholder[89], which killed Bearcharger. Jaela attempted to revivify him, but accidentaly resurrected a demon that was possesing him, resulting in his low intelligence[90]. The demon escaped, and the crew followed it to an island full of apelings. This is where the party met... Bananas Foster!
Foster was an ancient apeling, who claimed to be over 500 years old. He assisted the party in slaying the demon[91], and then made repeated attempts to insinuate himself into their lives. He requested to be accompanied to the wedding, much to Harper's growing frustration, and impersonated members of the crew, some of them deceased, in an attempt to stowaway on the ship. Eventually, his insane age proved to much for the old monkey, and he died when he fell off a ladder, carrying a crate of bananas. Good friggin riddance (i miss him so much)[92].
Anyway, the party was called by Bucky, who asked them to bring to the wedding a bard he was a fan off named Jett Razor. They stopped by the city of Calsten to pick him up[93], saved his life[94], and brought him along. During the journey, the anachronistic Jett would frequently make reference to "birds", a vocabulary quirk that intrigued and frustrated Harper[95]. At one point, Harper brings a team of people that he deems important into his cabin, consisting of Jaela, Nyx, Jett, Winston, and Timpleton. There, he disguised Jaela as his wife Ashayara Dayne, who elected not to come to the wedding, viewing it beneath her.
They eventually made it to Deephome, and Harper made a point of grabbing Jaela arm once they saw Aludra again[96]. Almost immediately, he asks to find a private place to speak, and he reveals Jaela as Jaela, not Ashayara Dayne. The two argued, but were kind of happy to see each other, but it really wasn't a good time, and they were both feeling a lot of things right now, okay? Jaela and Harper left the room to give Aludra some space, and then the two friends created a secret handshake that only they knew. During the night, Baldur Oakback, Aludra's betrothed, is murdered[97].
After the Wedding[]
Harper
The party spent some time trying to figure out who killed him[98], eventually being led into the Underdark[99]. There, they learned that Jett was not human, but was, in fact, a changeling[100]!
During their underground adventure, they met up, once again, with their old pal Luccan! He had with him Wiggins the mouse, and Nyx decided to leave Harper and join Luccan. Harper was weirdly completely fine with this[101]. They left and were all promptly eaten by a giant purple worm. Kipper, a Kua-Toa traveling with them, found himself in a series of precarious situations, during which Harper tried his very best to keep the creature alive[102].
Harper used his noble personability to make nice with the locals inside the purple worm, those of the mushroom people. They also ran into Old Man Weck, who claimed to have gotten caught in the worm on his way to the now-defunct wedding[103]. He told Harper that he was actually here to deliver a message from Ashayara Dayne. She said that Galanthis, her magical home town, was somehow shrinking, magic being siphoned from it. She wanted Harper to return to Pelor's Hope to help deal with this. After consulting with the others, they all agreed to follow him to PH, and he used a spellbook he had found with the mushroom people to Teleport them home, but not before instructing Old Man Weck draft a letter swearing, under Harper's name, that Jaela was innocent. As they were jumping away, three mind flayers arrived and began killing the mushroom people. The party was temporarily debateful, of if they should stay and help, or leave. They settled on leaving, but Harper decided to take as many mushroom folk with him, two young children, Ralphie and Edgar. They remembered that they left Bucky back in Deephome, and learned that a war as about to break out there, as the Oakbacks were angry at the Wyrmsbanes at the death of Baldur[104].
Speaking with Ashayara Dayne, Harper was told to go to the White Spire to see what they know. They then made love for hours before Harper met up with his again, sporting a black eye, broken lip, and a limp. At the bar Booze 'N Koozies, Harper revealed that he would play guitar here once per month with other adventurers, including the late Marendithas Bearcharger. They all collectively decided to go to Galanthis and investigate, but at that moment, they were told that The War of Wyrmsbane Keep had started, and Bucky was taken hostage. With no time to lose, they quickly went to the White Spire to speak with Watson Copperfield, the leader. He said that Galanthis could probably wait, and gave them a gift of Erynn Colleen and Marlamin Windlore. Harper spent a day or two with his family (the last time he ever saw them...) and then the party teleported to Deephome, right into the heart of the war.
Immediately, Colleen and Windlore were killed by crossbow bolts[105]. The party fought the first wave of foes[106], and Harper intimidated the final enemy into surrendering. Jett Razor polymorphed one of the dwarves into a toad and wanted to let it suffocate in the Bag of Holding, but Harper wasn't having it. During their argument, a pendant he was wearing suddenly flared, and Ros appeared from it. She told Harper that she found Longcryer, a task he had set her on years before. She then collapsed. In a rage, Harper interrogated the surviving Dwarf about their forces, while Jett healed Ros (Jaela refused to)[107].
One of the earliest known interpretations of the Storm Lord
After getting more information from Ros, Harper asked Jaela to Revivify Erynn Colleen and Marlamin Windlore, which she did, reluctantly. The battle continued, and Harper grabbed Aludra, flying the two of them into the air for ranged attacks. They were struck down and knocked unconscious by a hail of arrows, but were saved by Jett and Jaela. After taking out another wave of Oakback foes, many armies of various houses appeared[108], and all declared Aludra to be their Queen, if she could stop the Oakback threat. Harper, along with Jaela, made her armor appear glowing and sparkly while this happened. She accepted, but decreed that she would negotiate a peace with the Oakbacks, rather than kill them all. Harper suggested that they hold the peace talks at Oakback Keep, but surround them with their armies as a show of force.
Harper freed Kipper while Aludra made Queenly plans. The next morning, they all marched on Oakback Keep, where they encountered the Oakbacks were holding Bucky hostage[109]. After some tense negotiations, the leading Oackback, Thorack, had Bucky hanged, but Harper used a well aimed Scorching Ray to burn the rope, freeing the boy. After being defeated, Thorack surrendered[110]. The party then entered into negotiations with him, inside a Zone of Truth. Once inside, Thorack revealed himself to be attracted to Titus Harper. On an unrelated note, Harper suggested that Aludra create a Council of Six Hammers, which would include members of all the important houses, including Thorack of Oakback. She agreed. Harper also recommended that a representative of his own Pelor's Hope sit on the council, and, after Thorack rejected his first offer of Thoregg Ironfist, accepted Thoregg's brother, Storag. Harper also set up a portal between Deephome and Pelor's Hope, promising to help them rebuild after the war.
After the business with Deephome is all wrapped up, Harper gathered together all his allies, and asked them to accompany him on his search for Longcryer, whom he had been hunting most of his life. They agreed, and all went off, led by Ros[111].
Longcryer and Death[]
Along the road to Longcryer's Tower, Harper would frequently make comments about Longcryer, that were somehow both reverent and loathsome. He hated the man, but there was also a certain respect and admiration that he felt. It's fucked up. This prompted Ros to consult with Aludra, together deciding to keep their eyes on him. They met on the road a caravan that had been attacked by orcs. They had been traveling to Glaine, and they had with them a pouch of Crescent Moon shaped coins, which Harper recognized as the assassin from Deephome having.[112].
Harper and Jaela share a moment
One night during their travels, Jaela and Harper had a deep conversation about their individual purposes. Harper shocked her by telling her that, if he had the choice, he would give up his powers if it meant that he could have had a normal life, one where he hadn't been taken from his family and tortured[113]. The next day, the party found the orc party that had attacked the caravan, and, after interrogating them to ensure they didn't have higher orders, decided to kill them. As it was in cold blood, they were a little nervous as to who would do it, but eventually, it was Harper who electrocuted the last orc[114].
After traveling for a while, the party eventually made it to Longcryer's Tower, where they met with three other apprentices of Longcryer[115]. The fight didn't last long, though it did nearly kill Bucky. Harper entered the Tower first, and immediately fainted[116], during which time his memories returned to him[117]. While he was unconscious, he channeled the voice of the ghost of Camille Fordane, giving the others a cryptic warning about a trap "designed to instantly kill you." He woke up, and the party began searching the castle for Longcryer. Harper noticed that there was a strange gas in the air, that tasted just like the potion he used to drink. In the training room, they found Askur Thunderbeard[118]. In the ensuing fight, Harper was charmed, and made to fight against his allies. Jett, to stop him, turned him into a hippo, which woke him up. Aludra knocked Askur unconscious, and Harper acted like he was going to check his pulse, secretly killing the dwarf with a small electric shock. After a short rest, the party entered Feslan Wolfblood's room, which appeared to be recently lived in. They found a box of Camille's with two syringes in it. They didn't know what to do with them, so Aludra held onto one, and Jaela held onto the other, just in case[119].
They needed to lure Longcryer out of his room, so they re-animated Askur's corpse, and had Jett ventriloquist him, using him as a puppet to go and speak to Longcryer up in his study. They had the dwarf tell Longcryer that he had been successful in killing Harper and his friends, and that Longcryer should come down and look. Weirdly, this worked. Jett polymorphed into a wardrobe, which the rest of the party hid in, and when the time was right, made Askur's body attack LC. He then threw his cabinet drawer open to attack LC himself, revealing the party inside. Upon seeing Harper, Longcryer acted with surprise, but satisfaction. He reminded the sorcerer that he had warned him never to return, prompting Harper to respond, "And I told you to eat my ass." At this, Longcryer reached up to his own neck and touched a crystal hanging there. Every one of Harper's tattoos lit up... and he exploded. He was dead[120].
And thus, King Titus Harper was no more.
Beyond Death[]
A heartfelt goobye
Not much is known about Harper's afterlife. He served Erathis for a time, though reluctantly, during the Demon Apocalypse. It seems that the afterlife just has all the gods in it, and you can have favor with many of them. Harper was allowed to return to the Prime Material Plane in ghostly form just once, to visit Jaela on hers and Aludra's Bachelorette party. He met Jaela and told her that his death was not her fault, something that she had blamed herself for for all these years. He also revealed that she made him stronger, that all of his bravado and charisma was because of her. He told her that everything is better off now that he is dead. He is in a better place, and Ashayara Dayne is better at ruling than he was. Speaking of which, he had to leave to go and see Ashayara Dayne and their many children, but left Jaela with the after-image of himself flipping her off, before disappearing forever...[121]
Episodes[]
- Most episodes until...