When your foe appears, you are surprised at the sight of the darkly beautiful one-eyed woman in the black cloak. Somehow she can move through the walls as if they are made of mist. She steadies herself and advances with calculated movement, her mastery of combat evident in every motion. As she nears, her lips curl into a cruel smile.
— Grand Master encounters Teakkro[1]
Teakkro is a assassin and member of both the Heldajdok-taagim and Cult of Vashna. She was one of the first to wield the Dagger of Vashna after it was recovered after Vashna's fall in the Maakengorge, using it to slay many foes before giving it to Barraka the Doomslayer. Later, she became one of the Heldajdok-taagim, gaining the favour of Vashna's spirit, and becoming a fearsome assassin. Such is her power, she is believed to be behind the death of Kai Grand Master Firestone.
Appearance[]
- An illustration of Teakkro is available at Dead in the Deep: §44.
Teakkro wears an eye-patch, and is described as a slender, darkly-beautiful young woman, although she is older than she looks.[2][1]
Biography[]
Teakkro was a member of the Cult of Vashna during the time of Barraka the Doomslayer. After the Dagger of Vashna was lost after Vashna's fall, it was recovered by the Cult, and Teakkro wielded the dagger to slay many foes. She later gave the Dagger to Barraka,[3] who attempted to use the Dagger to revive Vashna during the events of The Chasm of Doom. Barraka's attempt failed, and the Dagger fell into the hands of Lone Wolf; Teakkro presumably fled and laid low. During the events of The Legacy of Vashna, the Dagger was lost in the Plane of Darkness, despite the Cult of Vashna searching the realms of Shamath and Avarvae.[4]
After Barraka's fall, Teakkro gained the favour of Vashna's spirit, and became one of the Heldajdok-taagim — a sect of fearsome assassins, specifically designed to counter the Kai, with Vashna having had millennia to watch over the Kai and learn about their strengths and weaknesses. However, Vashna did not teach the Heldajdok-taagim the magic of the Brotherhood of the Crystal Star (of which the Kai interpretation is Kai-alchemy) nor Old Kingdom magic (Magi-magic). Teakkro served under Luthos Vorgada, the second Doomslayer, and under his command, in MS 5102, she and fellow Heldajdok-taag[Inf.] Quazandra assassinated King Ulnar V, Crown Prince Imelda, Princess Madelon and Kai Grand Master Firestone, who was protecting them. Teakkro is believed to have killed Firestone, whilst Quazandra killed the royal family.[1]
Teakkro spent many years spying within Holmgard, looking for a descendant of King Ulnar I, a prerequisite sacrifice for the ritual to revive Vashna. She discovered that one daughter of King Fars II had many children, of which one survived, and was inducted into the Order of the Kai: Steel Hand. By sheer coincidence, prior to the events of Dead in the Deep, Steel Hand had been assigned a quest to investigate and thwart the very same plans of the Cult of Vashna in Zekgazad, but had been captured — meaning that as long as the Dagger of Vashna could be recovered (the Cult's plan was to bargain with the Chaos-master, who could retrieve the Dagger), Vashna could be revived.[2]
After Steel Hand was captured, Lone Wolf sent Grand Master out to complete Steel Hand's quest, but also rescue Steel Hand, as the Order had lost multiple Kai Grand Masters in recent months, and could not afford to lose more. Grand Master discovered this plot, and Steel Hand's heritage. The Cult of Vashna were planning on speaking with the Chaos-master, who was being reconstituted around a Shadow Gate to the Daziarn, to bargain for the Dagger of Vashna. Depending on the actions of the player:
- If Grand Master arrives before the Cult of Vashna, Grand Master will slay the Chaos-master, and the Chaos-master's dying action is to give the Dagger to the Cult of Vashna
- If Grand Master arrives at the same time as the Cult of Vashna, Grand Master will receive the Dagger of Vashna after the Chaos-master realises he is surplus to their plans
Afterwards, Grand Master destroyed the power crystals protecting the Shadow Gate, causing the Nengud-kor-Adez to flood the chamber. Grand Master escaped from the chamber and rescued Steel Hand. However, Teakkro and Quazandra ambushed the two Kai Grand Masters as they escaped. If Grand Master possessed the Dagger of Vashna, Teakkro stole it back from them. Quazandra then fought Steel Hand in combat, whilst Teakkro taunted Grand Master with the death of Firestone, before engaging in combat. Both Heldajdok-taagim displayed their potency against Kai teachings in the fight. However, Grand Master overpowered Teakkro, forcing her to retreat to the shadows, and handing the Dagger of Vashna to Luthos Vorgada (if she has it); Quazandra, however, was slain by Steel Hand.[5]
In the gamebooks[]
Teakkro is one of the final foes in Dead in the Deep. As one of the Heldajdok-taagim, she is capable of partly-countering many Kai disciplines, making her a dangerous foe; in fact, she even counters Sixth Sense: Grand Master will face a test where if they follow their Sixth Sense, it is actually the worse option. However, as Vashna did not study the magic of the Brotherhood of the Crystal Star (Kai-alchemy) nor Old Kingdom magic (Magi-magic), these disciplines prove to be quite effective.
The fight can be avoided altogether should Grand Master possess both Grand Huntmastery (with the rank Sun Knight) and Magi-magic (with the rank Grand Crown): Grand Master can see her through walls (infrared vision) and then cast Hold Enemy, forcing Vashna to break the spell. Grand Master eventually uses Power Glyph on themselves, badly injuring Teakkro (at the cost of losing 2 Endurance) who flees. If Grand Master possesses Kai-alchemy as well, this route may require the use of a house rule where Grand Master is allowed to choose not to use it, as Kai-alchemy is the first option listed, and this has a lesser effect (see table below).
If not, she can instead be weakened with the relevant skills and ranks:
|
Enemy |
CS |
EP |
Section |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heldajdok-taagim Teakkro (weakened) | 48 | 22 | 95 | If Grand Master possesses Kai-alchemy |
| Heldajdok-taagim Teakkro (weakened) | 49 | 20 | 306 | If Grand Master possesses Grand Huntmastery and Magi-magic, is Sun Lord or higher, but not Grand Crown |
| Heldajdok-taagim Teakkro | 54 | 29 | 210, 291 | All other cases |
Because Steel Hand is fighting Quazandra separately at the same time, Grand Master cannot apply the bonus Combat Skill and reduced Endurance loss bonuses associated with fighting alongside him. Teakkro is immune to Mindblast and Kai-surge, but not Kai-blast. She reduces Grand Weaponmastery bonuses to +2 Combat Skill, and nullifies the effects of Deliverance. She is vulnerable to the effects of Kai Weapons Kaistar and Illuminatus. The fight ends without her death, when Teakkro is reduced to 5 Endurance or lower, where she escapes into the shadows.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Dead in the Deep: §44
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Dead in the Deep: §121
- ↑ Dead in the Deep: §128
- ↑ Dead in the Deep: §300
- ↑ Dead in the Deep: §105