Yuri's Story
Yuri was born in Sandas in 1306.
He was from a minor noble family, and had a privileged upbringing.
He seemed predestined to lead a life of comparative leisure, until The
Week of the Dead. This black event in the history of Sandas resulted
when an evil magic user working with a like minded cleric then living
in the city accidently released a horde of undead to ravage the
streets. His parents were slain, as were hundreds of others. Soon
thereafter, Yuri had a vision. In it, Odin was commanding him to take
up the battle against Evil. He began training as a Paladin immediately
thereafter.
The young Paladin was an immediate success. Unlike most of his
contemporaries, Yuri preferred to adventure alone, and - also unlike
most those who did this - he survived. It was not until 1341 that he
met up with a group of adventurers whom he would share his travels
with, occasionally. That event happened in the ruined town of Traton, on the banks of the Mississippi River. He was clearing the place of evil, when a party led by Stiff, a Prestidigitator from Hork, and McTavish, son of Mraan the Steel Fisted of the Dwarf Kingdom of Kludur, came riding hard down from Su El,
the Mountain of Arrival, where they had been exploring the vast
underground ruins there. They were pursuing an assassin who had joined
them recently, and just murdered a party member and made off with a
fair chunk of their loot. Yuri accompanied them south, and they caught
up with the offender just inside the border of Amlad, where the assassin was dispatched quickly.
He continued his exploits alone for a time, after that, gaining in
powers and abilities quickly. Dragons came to fear his name, as maidens
were being rescued from them by Yuri left, right and centre. It was on
one of these rescue missions that he acquired the first of the several
Holy Avengers in his collection. It was also around this time, on one
of his return visits to Sandas, that he first met Ray Jay the Arch Mage.
In March of 1342 he met up again with the party led by Stiff and now Rockchin the Preserver,
a cleric of Thor. They asked him to accompany them on a mission to wipe
out an outbreak of Giants which were threatening the kingdom of Happy Valley, to the North. In the Free City of Omaha they met Yuri's friend Jo-Owrn, a Ranger, and he agreed to accompany them. Also accompanying them were an Elf Lord, Valdar, and a prince of the Dwarves, Gimlet Son of Groin.
For the next 11 months they battled giants, first in the Steading of the Hill Giant Chief, then in the Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl, and finally in the Hall Of The Fire Giant King. Finally, in the dungeons beneath the Hall, Yuri was slain for the first time by Eclavdra,
an evil Drow Elf, and the real motivating force behind the giants.
Rockchin raised him from the dead, but at this point the party felt
that they had done all that they could do here, and opted to head
North. Yuri did not accompany them, but instead returned to Sandas to
great acclaim. The Baron appointed him member of the landed nobility,
and he began construction of Castle Yuri,
to the south of the City. While back in Sandas, he met up with another
group of young adventurers, led by a bright young Paladin named Omegeron.
These people benefitted greatly by his wise guidance, and he ultimately
joined them up with Stiff's group, when they returned to battle the
Drow in early 1346.
It was a strong party which descended into the depths of the Earth
to battle the Drow, but also a party torn by internal dissention.
Finally, Stiff used his influence to evict Rockchin the Preserver and
his close friend Godfrey Goodbody
from the group, and the two returned to the surface, vowing vengeance.
The remaining party continued on, even though they were weakened by the
loss of the powerful cleric and his fighter friend. They successfully
cleared out the evil Shrine of the Kuo-Toa, and were closing in on the Vault of the Drow, before they decided to return to the surface to find more adventurers to join them.
Yuri did not accompany this group on their next sojourn into the
bowels of the Earth, as he was becoming preoccupied by the growing
threat on Nlad and Amlad posed by the evil High Priest who ruled from
the Tower of Golgar.
However, he - like every sentient being on the planet - was aware of
the fact when they succeeded in slaying Lolth, the Goddess of Spiders,
whom the Drow worshipped. The party made it back to Earth, but many
worlds were sundered by this event.
In early 1351, Golgar invaded Amlad, and Nlad was threatened. Yuri
led a party of adventurers who managed to make it into the ruined city
of Golgar, and thence to the Tower. They cleared the Tower and defeated
the evil cleric, though he did manage to escape. The invasion collapsed.
In 1353 his friend Omegeron was killed by will-o-wisps. Yuri
travelled north to visit his friend Jo-Owrn. Early one morning while
encamped by the Northern Road alone, he was attacked by a large band of
orcs. He killed every one of them before breakfast. While he was
enjoying this repast, he was approached by Angelica,
a young Paladin, in search for her first warhorse. After giving her a
few (dozen) pointers, she continued on her way, and he continued on his.
For the next few years Yuri adventured with Jo-Owrn in the North,
for there was much Evil there, even after the defeat of the giants.
Then, he travelled South and West, to help his friend Valdar battle the
evil which was threatening his lands. In June of 1358, while staying at
Greyhall, who should show up but a group led by Stiff, Orlon: a cleric of Idun, and Neemar the 12th of Stone Forge, travelling up the Elven Coast Road from the South. Yuri joined them, and soon after they found themselves deep in the labyrinth beneath Castle Koozle. While they were there they were joined by Valdar, Jo-Owrn, and Gimlet. It was like old times again.
Jo-Owrn had heard of a monastery west of the Kingdom of Campney
that was being threatened by hordes of undead and humanoids, and had
requested aid, so the party set out that way. It was a long journey
through the mountains, and it was not until a year later that they
finally reached Almar Monastery. Soon
they found themselves deep in a dungeon created by one of the ancient
race of Wizards, now occupied by a Lich. Yuri later discovered that
this lich had formerly been the magic user responsible for the death of
his parents, decades ago, so when the party finally slew him, he
rejoiced. Stiff, meanwhile, had become an arch-mage in his own right.
It was August of 1363.
Yuri now retired to his castle, but it was a brief respite. Events were occurring elsewhere that would require his services.
Stiff's party were in Atlantia, the capital of the decayed empire of Saltar.
There, they found a vast underground complex filled with varying evil
factions, all bent on the destruction of the teetering Empire. The
group was successful in destroying them, but in the process brought
themselves to the attention of several powerful parties, including the
mad god, Set. It was also at this time that Neemar had his mind
imprisoned through a deck of many things. The party retired to the
planet Greyhawk, minus Yuri, until the heat died down.
It was the fall of 1369 before they returned. Things started
happening immediately. Yuri was summoned to Sandas, where Ray Jay used
powerful magics to reduce his age to his fighting prime. Then, he was
teleported to Atlantia, where he met Stiff's party. Neemar's mindless
body had been taken over by some force, and it was guiding them. To the
south they went, where they found a temple of Set in a swamp. After
destroying it, they were gated to the Nine Hells. With Neemar as a
guide, they came through many perils, before arriving at a door. Upon
touching it, they were transported again, and again; a total of six
times: each time to a different world or plane. Even Yuri was impressed
by the power of their adversary, whoever that was. Finally, they
returned to the door, this time with the command words to open it. Upon
entering it, they found themselves in a large room, filled with cages.
In each cage was a person who had once adventured with them and been
killed...including Omegeron, and Neemar's imprisoned mind. Stiff
suddenly realized that these people were bait, to try to entice him
into this place.
Then, their adversary revealed himself. It was Rockchin, ex-cleric
of Thor, ex-cleric of Set, now a high ranking arch-devil in the service
of that god, still intending to get revenge. A mighty battle was
fought, and once again, Yuri's party was victorious, though many died.
Then when they thought it was all over, Set appeared...and thanked
them! Now, they discovered that instead of following the wishes of
their own good gods, as they thought, they had actually been
manipulated by this one. Rockchin apparently had also been plotting to
overthrow Set and take his place. Set had used Stiff and Yuri as his
tools to dispatch with his traitorous henchman, and also to gauge the
mettle of these other god's followers.
He then freed them to return home with the news to their gods...about how easily the tables had been turned.
"All this evil fighting evil, good and evil getting together to
battle other evil, gods turning the tables on each other while getting
the tables turned on them by other gods...and us poor mortals stuck in
the middle..." Yuri sighed, "It's hard to know who you're working for!"
He had arrived home on February 9, 1370, and returned to Castle
Yuri the next day. Very late on the 10th he had received a summons by
Ray Jay, to be at his tower the next morning.
The rest you know.