The Silver Standard: Issue#237
Heroes or Hooligans? The Truth Behind the Starborn Strangers
By Edwind Thorne, Lead Editor of The Dwendalian Inquisitor
A Tale of Two Stories
There is something undeniably entertaining about Calliope Virelli’s first broadcast of The Song of Stars and Steel. One might even call it compelling. A traveling bard, spinning grand stories of wandering adventurers, casting them as paragons of heroism—what’s not to enjoy?
But while Miss Virelli weaves a tale fit for a theater stage, let us set aside the dramatics and ask a simple question: What actually happened?
Her account of the events in Hupperdook, where this so-called Starborn Strangers first gained notoriety, is a perfect example of why adventurers should not be mistaken for heroes.
Ruffians, Pagan Mages, and a Paladin Without a Cause
According to Miss Virelli’s broadcast, our protagonists—a bard, a paladin, a sorcerer, and a druid—were just passing through when they selflessly chose to help a town in need.
How noble.
What Calliope omits, however, is that this same group had already attracted unwanted attention upon their arrival. Witnesses recall that their druid companion, a halfling named Ketatur, was caught selling hallucinogenic herbs in broad daylight, while their lizardfolk necromancer—yes, necromancer—seemed entirely unfazed by the Empire’s laws on the practice of death magic.
Their paladin, Vrakrin Daardendrien, once a soldier of the Righteous Brand, was dishonorably discharged after a disastrous military failure—one Miss Virelli conveniently forgets to mention.
And their bard? Alelor Arundel? Well, his reputation is already growing as a talented storyteller and an even more talented liar.
So, with that context in mind, we return to the events in question. Calliope tells us these rogue adventurers discovered a conspiracy within Hupperdook and heroically fought off a plot against the city.
What she fails to mention is how much collateral damage was caused in the process—or who benefited from the chaos.
The Battle with the Kobolds: A Convenient Distraction?
Miss Virelli paints a dramatic picture of this band of mercenaries springing into action when a kobold raiding party launched an attack. She speaks of their bravery, their quick thinking, their effortless coordination. She casts them as defenders of the innocent, standing against a sudden, monstrous assault.
But let us step back and ask: Did this battle happen the way she claims?
By all accounts, there was indeed an attack by a band of kobolds, and yes, the mercenaries engaged them in combat. But witness statements reveal a far less glorious picture than the one Miss Virelli so enthusiastically broadcasts.
She makes it seem like these adventurers fought because it was the right thing to do. But what if they merely fought because they were already there? What if they simply saw an opportunity to show off?
The battle was far from clean. Civilians, forced to flee for cover, were caught in the chaos. One smith’s apprentice nearly lost a hand when an errant spell shattered a workbench near him. Another worker was knocked unconscious—not by the kobolds, but by debris sent flying in the battle itself.
And then there is the matter of the kobolds themselves. Miss Virelli describes them as little more than raiders, their attack framed as an unprovoked act of aggression.
What she fails to mention is that these vermin—filthy, wretched creatures that they are—should never have made it into Hupperdook’s streets in the first place. If anything, their ability to infiltrate the town at all is far more alarming than the fact that a group of wandering sellswords cut them down.
But perhaps most convenient of all is what Miss Virelli neglects to highlight—the one prisoner who escaped in the chaos.
Sken Zabriss: The Escaped Dynasty Warrior
Among the noise, the destruction, and the convenient heroics of these so-called adventurers, one fact remains irrefutable: Sken Zabriss is gone.
For those unfamiliar, Sken Zabriss is not just any escaped prisoner—she is a goliath warrior of the Kryn Dynasty, a well-known veteran of their warbands, and a sworn enemy of the Empire. She had been held in Hupperdook for crimes against the Crown, and yet, under the cover of a perfectly timed skirmish, she slipped away.
Miss Virelli barely acknowledges this fact, as though it were merely an unfortunate footnote in an otherwise triumphant tale.
So I ask—what is more likely?
That the battle against these kobold raiders was a random act of heroism by a band of mercenaries with no stake in the city’s wellbeing?
Or that it was a smokescreen, a distraction—one that conveniently allowed one of the Dynasty’s most dangerous warriors to vanish without a trace?
Miss Virelli does not ask this question.
I do.
Was this coincidence? Or was it something else?
We do not yet have the answer. But I assure you, dear readers, I will find it.
The Start of a Pattern
This, dear readers, is only the first of Miss Virelli’s tales. Her voice will continue to echo across the Empire, shaping the perception of those willing to listen.
I do not doubt that these ruffians are capable combatants. Nor do I doubt that their actions will continue to be noticed.
What I do doubt is the story being told about them.
Miss Virelli is quick to place laurels upon their brows, but I will continue to ask:
At what cost?
The Silver Standard is committed to scrutinizing public narratives and providing alternative perspectives on widely circulated stories. All claims are based on available reports, witness accounts, and independent analysis. Readers are encouraged to question everything—and decide for themselves.
Have information to share? Spotted a story that deserves a second look? Submit leads and testimonies to The Silver Standard. Because the truth doesn’t fear scrutiny.
