While we're all waiting to set foot in Terminus, I thought I'd share a story that marked my online experience as I was taking my first steps in a new game and with little experience in group play, instances, or group roles.
Hope you enjoy, and feel free to share your own!
Noob In, Tank Out
Dîngurth eyed the ominous entrance. 'A cave. Dark. Dangerous.' he thought, his mind still foggy, his head throbbing from the previous night's exploration of nearby Davon's Watch. Perhaps "exploration" wasn't the most appropriate term, considering he'd never made it past The Fish Stink, a tavern frequented by roudy patrons from all walks of life.
One group in particular had caught his attention. Undaunted, they called themselves. Adventurers who reveled in chasing danger into the monst unwholesome corners of the land. Whether out of bravery or drunken disregard for keeping their heads attached to their bodies was unclear, since they drank almost as much as they bragged about their exploits. They had gladly obliged when Dîngurth had approached them inquisitively, and surprisingly extended an invitation to join their ranks. There was only the small matter of proving his worth. The leader suggested that if Dîngurth were to survive the beasts lurking in the Fungal Grotto, he would be welcome to join the Undaunted.
So here he was, standing outside the cavern, sweating in his ill-fitting plate armour. 'I must find a group of like-minded adventurers.', he thought. Inexperienced as he was, he at least knew better than to try to brave this labyrinth alone. He also seemed to recall, as if memories from past lives, that this sort of endeavor usually required that each member of the party perform a given role, whether it be drawing attention from the deadly beasts, unleashing a furious series of attacks to cut them down, or tending to the wounded. 'I suppose I could tank it. I am wearing heavy armour after all. Curious word, "tank"... Whoever did come up with it, and why?' Certain that he had found his role, Dîngurth soon met three strangers who were short a tank for an expedition into the bowels of Fungal Grotto. Greetings were hastily exchanged and the party crossed the entrance of the shadowy cavern, eager to make quick work of the fiends infesting it.
It didn't take long for them to spot the first pack of unfriendly beasts. Spiders, as large as wolves and far more frightening, blocking the passage with their massive bodies, unaware of the would-be heroes but ready to attack the second the explorers made their presence known. 'Your pull.', one of his companions said matter-of-factly. Raising his mighty two-handed sword high above his head, Dîngurth raced towards the closest of the spiders and brought the weapon down with all his might. The spider hissed but otherwise didn't seem greatly affected. Meanwhile the other spiders sprang into action, apparently fixated on the healer, who was frantically avoiding the beasts' knife-like fangs. Dîngurth tried in earnest to do his part, striking each enemy in turn in a vain attempt to draw their ire away from the rest of the party. One of the adventurers was bleeding heavily and barely hanging on to life as two arachnids stabbed him repeatedly. Dîngurth threw one into the air and away from the injured fighter with a swing of his blade, and fell on the second one with a succession of blows thrown haphazardly in desperation. Alas, it was too late. Despite his effort and the healer's attempts to keep life from draining out of their ally, the fighter succumbed to his wounds. He was soon followed by the healer, who had been crowded by two other monsters. 'It's a wipe.' Dîngurth barely managed to catch the dying words of his remaining companion before death's silence engulfed him as well.
Dîngurth opened his eyes. He was in the chamber just past the entrance to Fungal Grotto. Angry eyes were set upon him, amplifying his feelings of guilt. 'Have you ever tanked before?' was the inevitable question that followed the awkward silence. The distraught man confessed his inexperience, timidly explaining that he didn't know why the creatures had seemed to ignore him despite his frantic efforts to grab their attention. 'You need to taunt them. And you'll need a sword and a shield for that. That two-handed sword simply won't do.' Though only one voice had sounded in the cave, three faces wearing the same accusatory expression seemed to echo the apparently obvious statement. Dîngurth recalled his knowledge of sword and shield combat and confirmed that he could in fact taunt his enemies by using a particular type of attack. After another moment's pause he said, blushing: 'There's just a small snag. I seem to have picked up a sword somewhere on my way here, but I have no shield on me.' By then his companions seemed willing to forfeit the whole expedition altogether, but one of the fighters took pity on the aspiring tank and from his backpack produced a shield that was clearly too large to have fit inside it. 'Here, take mine and let's give it another go, shall we?'
His spirit lifted by the patience and kindness of his comrades-in-arms, Dîngurth led the group to the site of their recent demise and after briefly checking everyone's readiness charged into combat again, this time taking care to taunt each enemy. His sword felt small in his hands and he missed the gratifying feeling of his gargantuan two-handed sword crushing spider legs and carapaces, but a new thrill was growing in him as he noticed the heinous beasts followed his every move whilst ignoring the rest of the party, and his new shield allowed him to withstand whatever amount of punishment the spiders were intent on dealing him. He also discovered he could now position the spiders so as to maximize his fellow adventurers' ability to bring them down, and even land a few blows himself in between taunting and blocking.
Slowly but steadily, since their opponents were many and hardy, the group killed every last spider. Dîngurth felt an overpowering rush as the last fiend fell to the ground, and as soon as he could speak after catching his breath thanked his companions profusely for their invaluable advice. They in turn praised his eagerness to learn and his willingness to take counsel. All were keen to proceed into the depths of Fungal Grotto, and that they did. Several times they encountered monstrous creatures that made their blood freeze, but by taking the time to share the more experienced members' knowledge of these behemoths prior to each battle, the group at long last cleared the wretched den.
As fate would have it, Dîngurth never again met the three adventurers. But neither did he ever forget these patrons of his new-found calling. He knew who he was. He was Undaunted. He was a tank.