Wherever Laranians go, Agrikans are sure to follow and, a few years after Fardir arrived at Thay, followers of the Warlord of Balgashang began to spread their faith on Harn. Fardir had seen this in a vision from the blessed goddess, and was prepared for the Agrikans' arrival.
Because of his pious obedience, Fardir was blessed by Larani with a holy spear named "Protector". This silver spear had been given to him by Valamin himself, who had engraved holy runes on the spearhead and staff. After the Agrikans came to Harn, Fardir had many occasions to use Protector. Each time he used it he fought more skillfully and bravely than before.
Soon the Agrikans came to know of his holy spear and tried to engage him in combat when the spear was not with him. This, however, proved fruitless since Fardir never let his most prized possession out of his sight. As Fardir's love for his weapon grew, his love for battle grew also. Before each battle, Fardir would lift his spear before the men and women who fought at his side, and they would utter a mighty roar. They would enter the battle uplifted and strong. Fardir enjoyed these moments of praise, and came to live for them.
As the years went by, Fardir's hatred for Agrikans grew, for the Agrikans slew and maimed many of those he loved. The mercy in his soul diminshed until, finally he came to be known for the same brutality and ruthlessness with which the Agrikians fought him. Finally, just prior to a battle he was commanding, he declared to the enemy:
"Greetings, worshippers of Agrik. This valley you pollute with your filth and dishonour can be cleansed only with blood. Surrender, for I and I alone have been blessed by Larani with Protector, this holy spear. With it, have I plotted your doom, I have seen your plans even as you laid them, and I have countered each of your moves yea e'en before you have made them. With this spear, am I invincible. Each now, gaze now upon thy doom, for I am thy poison. Surrender that you may be granted a quick and merciful death."Now, the Agrikans were evil men, but they were not cowards, and their faith in their god was as great as Fardir's in the goddess. Thus, they entered battle certain that Agrik would save them if they were worthy. But the Lord of Doom did not intervene and all but one of the Agrikian knights were slain by Fardir's knights. This one fought his way through the line, and began to fight with Fardir himself. As his sword and Protector fought, sparks and flashes of light issued from the weapons, for that weapon too was one of power. And when the evil knight struck with all his might, Protector was split in two.
The army uttered a gasp of dismay and thunder was heard as that mighty spear was broken, but Fardir was also skilled in the use of the club and knife as well as the use of spear, and he used the two parts of Protector to dispatch the suddenly overconfident Agrikan knight. As he drove Protector's still razor-sharp point deep into the Agrikan's throat, Fardir's eyes widened in dismay; for, when he looked into his enemy's dying eyes, it was his own face that he saw.
Thus did Larani teach the knight the warrior's ultimate seduction, that it profits a man nothing to defeat an enemy only to become that enemy. Even though Fardir had won every battle, victory had eluded hem. Fardir stood up, looked upon the battlefield, and wept, but not with the tears of a boy. No, these were the tears of a man. A man who had realized that his blindness had caused great suffering, much of which could have been prevented. Now he understood why Agrik had never intervened against him. Three quarters of his men were lost in this battle that he now realized had been unnecessary, as many of his battles had been unnecessary.
Fardir mourned, and through the tears, came a vision. He ceased his weeping, and used his spear to heal what knights he could. Then he confessed to his companions that he had sinned, and that he must leave them. They protested, but Fardir now saw the path that he must take and their arguments were met with silence as, slowly, the great warrior walked away. None know what happened after this, for neither Fardir nor the shattered spear were ever seen again.
There are many ideas about what Fardir did next, but the most common is that, because of the vision sent him by the Lady of Paladins, he went into the wilderness. There he dwelt for three years (?) among the "horse people", then moved into a cave and spend several years meditating on the nature of virtue. He built a tomb within his cave, and when it was completed, he went inside, sealed it, and died there.
Legend has it that Fardir knew that the spear would eventually be needed again to combat evil, but that if the weapon were to fall into the wrong hands, his order and perhaps the whole church would fall. Thus, he hid the spear inside his tomb, placed traps within cave, and hid the entrance with great care. But, he also insured that a virtuous warrior who needed the spear to save the church would have a chance to find it. No one has ever found any of these clues.
Now Fardir's spirit guards Protector, chanting softly, it is said, to ward off the remembrances that in turn haunt the old warrior. Only when the worthy crusader comes at last to take the spear and use it to save the order and do great good, will Fardir's ghost at last find rest.
Interestingly, a similar story is told by Agrikians. They, however, view the lone Agrikan who fought on at the end as a martyr, and see the destruction of the "unholy silver spear" as a cause for rejoicing. And even though their story is similar, the Agrikians conclude that the point was to prove bravery and might could triumph even against superior odds and divine intervention by the good gods.
Most scholars estimate that Saint Fardir lived around 300 TR to 400 TR. The clerical order of the Spear of the Shattered Sorrow was founded in 465 TR and was (probably) named after Protector.
Fardir's ghost guards the shattered spear. He will not give the spear to someone unless he is convinced that the spear is needed to stop a great wrong and that the person who asks for the spear is worthy of it. If he gives that person the spear, he will then "pass on" to the afterlife. If the spear is stolen from Fardir, or its powers are abused, he will take action. Fardir can attack by using his ritual invocations, and by possession (see Harnmaster for more information).
Ghost of Fardir of Tenil
Priest of Larani, 5th CircleINT 08
AUR 06
WIL 09
INI 35Awe, Blessing, Courage, Cure, Endurance, Summoning, Truthsense, Weapon Charm: 50
Sensitivity, Telepathy: 30Armour: immune except to enchanted weapons
Flyer: 60 hexes per turn
(2) The time of evil Fardir foresaw has arrived: this evil is the unnecessary destruction of the Solori tribe by the Order of the Lady of Paladins, the Laranian fighting order sponsored by the Order of the Spear of Shattered Sorrow. Backlash from the "crusade" seriously threatens the Order. A Laranian priest (perhaps one of the characters) might be given a vision of the spear, and must find it to stop the slaughter. The vision could warn of many dangers, traps, and puzzles, and perhaps of the final trap inside the tomb itself. It would probably take time (and probably divination) to locate the tomb. Then the hard part begins: convincing the Paladins to stop.