Fennec Zerka, of the Skull Crags Rangers

[Barkoneus]

Foreword: This is dedicated to every single member of the Skull Crags Rangers who has played over the last couple of years. You have all been awesome.

Seeing the title "A Farewell Moot" and thinking about several rangers rolling or shelving their characters has got me feeling strangely emotional about this silly 20 year old game. While as of late Fennec has mostly been reduced to a cookie/bear meme due to my extremely limited play time, he was once Frandor's trusty sidekick and I like to think a valuable member of the Skull Crags Rangers and Citizen of Westcliff (even though he's never actually officially been a citizen of anywhere).

After a 15 year hiatus I got back into NWN in April of 2020 - laid off in the middle of a pandemic what else was I going to do? My first character on Skal was a mechanical disaster. I had a lot of fun with my second character but the transition to the mainland never clicked for him. I don't know exactly when I started Fennec, but the earliest records I have are of August 2020 - just over two RL years ago.

I (briefly) started keeping track of PCs Fennec came across, and that file now mostly contains an unfamiliar list of names with one clear exception. The very first entry, with absolutely no description whatsoever, simply reads "Frandor". It's probably fitting because Fennec's relationship with Frandor would really come to define him, and Fennec (and I) absolutely had a blast traveling with Frandor across land and sea in search of Certain Death(TM).

It's actually hard to describe how serendipitous the relationship between Frandor and Fennec was. We met one day just walking around - I think maybe near Cordor, but it's been so long I can't remember. Everything to follow happened organically - we were just in sync. Every day Fennec would run into Frandor - first maybe in Bendir, then on the road to Westcliff, then later on in Westcliff itself - and we never had to send a single tell to organize. Even though we often adventured separately our leveling stayed in lock step with each other - something extremely important back during the time of level-locked writs. It wasn't until the late epics that Fennec started to lag a couple levels behind, and by then it didn't matter. Together the two of them traveled to virtually every corner of the mainland, all across the open seas and even a few places down below.

But the best times were the silly times. Getting into trouble in Westcliff for yelling loudly about "LARGE DRAGONS". Devising the cookie method for detecting evil. Coming up with the code word "crumpets" to warn of Rakshashas. Running like crazy out of the upper crags with a unique ice manticore hot on our heels. Falling asleep in the bar after an adventure and Fennec perfectly roleplaying being drunk out of his mind. Falling asleep in the Underdark, well you've all heard that story. Cald cheating at drinking games and sending Fennec to the Fugue. Frandor and Fennec accused of being a couple. Fennec lying down on the ground and convincing Frandor (and others) to join him. The many many times we tried - and failed - to conquer the Manor of Mourn just the two of us. There was Mini-Frandor. There was the time we sailed to Skal without using the proper sailing option so we actually sailed to Skal twice in one evening. Apologies to the poor low-level character we did a bang-up job of escorting!

I remember one time returning from adventure with Frandor to find the northern gate into Westcliff blocked by a deer or a summoned dire wolf or something. We tried for several minutes to clear the thing out of the way, eventually resorting to punching it with the predictable hostile response. Thinking back now I don't even know why it was so funny, but at the time I was laughing to the point of tears at these little toons swinging their fists at a poor innocent animal. My wife thought I had completely lost my mind.

Of course it wasn't just Frandor. There was Olissa, who Fennec first met sneaking around the Bridge of Thieves. There was Viktor, a fixture in Westcliff with a pinecone always at the ready. Veisha, the vicious distributor of boops. Cald, Lazy Leena, Aliana, Reivan, Brynnja, Verna, Diana, Alria, Dermia, Avalri, Derristan and more. I can't possibly remember or name everyone, but you will all always have a special place in Fennec's heart.

For the last few months I've wondered what to do about Fennec. I love Fennec. He is fun to play, and I love his friends, but there's only so much you can do in an hour a couple of times a week. So I figured I would just pop in from time to time, lurk around Westcliff eating cookies and wait. I thought to myself "If Frandor rolls, Fennec rolls." And while it may be a shelving, not a rolling, it appears that time is here.

I really thought I was going to make the Farewell Moot. For once everything was lining up, and I was excited to make one last appearance before Fennec followed Frandor out to sea in search of even grander adventures. But once again real life happened and it's not to be. Please be assured that in character Fennec is there at the moot. He's lying on the ground, eating cookies and drinking beer, occasionally making a loud outburst and completely failing to grasp the gravity of the situation. It's one last moot, one last time to meet with friends, to eat and to drink before he and Frandor head off together across the open seas.

To Certain Death!

PS: There are many more pictures, but if I had to choose just one this one seems the most appropriate. Fennec and Frandor lying on the ground in Westcliff with Cald, Alria and Diana looking on. Taken on July 9th you can see Frandor saying "One last time, eh, Fen?", to which Fennec responds "One last time!" At the time I think this was in reference to the Rangers leaving Westcliff, but in retrospect this may well be the last time the two of them lay on the ground in the middle of Westcliff together.



https://imgur.com/a/UwiTHMn