Adventure Background
Adventure Background
This thread will provide the necessary information to orient you about the adventure and its circumstances before play begins.
Re: Adventure Background
This all could have been avoided, you know.
When Mangore the Druid first came to the southern forest and moors, he made a point of visiting with the dwarves of the Great Mountain to discuss his thoughts about the land and its needs. He saw a number of species endangered by the activities of the dwarves and the goblinoids who traveled the region and wished to preserve them.
The dwarves, of course, had a presence in the region for two reasons: first, because the Kings of Old had made a point of burying family members there, in order to establish the need for a pilgrimage to demonstrate filial piety and obeisance to tradition and the rule of the king. Second, because they had since located gold and iron deposits within the earth there.
As a result, the conversations between Mangore and the dwarf lords did not go well--his cozy relations with the Elves of Eisenloch didn't help matters, either, and soon Mangore was actively sabotaging operations of the dwarves in the south, sometimes with elven aid, to protect the species of that land. Though he was powerful, he was just a man, however, and over the years the stubborn persistence and ingenuity of the dwarves seemed to be making a difference in the outcome of the struggle.
During that unusual half-century of struggle, The elves of Eisenloch were in a period of steady and rapid decline, and Mangore found himself not only outmatched but also increasingly without allies. Then something unexpected happened: the creatures of the land, usually passive observers of the conflict, began to get involved, always on Mangore's side.
Wolves, badgers, birds, and insect swarms would appear unexpectedly to thwart and harass the dwarves, and over time even the trees and bushes began to participate.
Then, they all began to change. Animals, plants, landscapes became more dangerous, more violent, somehow darker. Mangore himself was seen less frequently, but his appearances were more devastating. For almost thirty years, this has been the state of affairs. Nearly a decade ago, the last dwarves were driven out of the moorland, and have not returned since.
During that time, the dwarves have not been idle. They have waged successful wars against the Fire Tribe goblins to the north and west, expanded their holdings to the mountains in the east in the absence of elven interference, and generally prospered. But their honored dead from these efforts lie ill at ease, in temporary homes until the ancient tombs can be liberated and their bodies moved.
Circumstances are complicated somewhat by the witch's curse. Ten years ago, the King led an expedition to drive out a settlement of goblins he deemed too close to dwarven interests, and in so doing razed a number of villages and put their inhabitants to the sword. In the last of these encounters, an old goblin matron, a witch according to the reports gathered later, called down the vengeance of the goblins' dark masters on the King's head, leaving him unable to conceive an heir and (as some say) establishing a taint of madness in his blood.
Whatever the truth of the curse, in the past decade the king has brought forth four more daughters and still has no sons. What is worse (for some), he has been less and less tolerant of those who question his decisions or oppose strict new security measures he has put in place, throwing many into his dungeons and exiling others.
This winter, the king's advisor and doctor notified him that the advancement of long-suffered illness gives him perhaps two years of life remaining: it is imperative that he sire an heir before that time, in order to secure the continuation of the Firedeep dynasty, now in its sixth generation. In desperation, he has gathered together the wrongly (and justly) imprisoned, the children of families loyal to his rule and those who believe the end of the curse will bring a happier and more peaceful era to the dwarves of the Great Mountain, and tasked them with bringing death to Mangore the Black Druid before the first day of spring, just short of three months hence.
When Mangore the Druid first came to the southern forest and moors, he made a point of visiting with the dwarves of the Great Mountain to discuss his thoughts about the land and its needs. He saw a number of species endangered by the activities of the dwarves and the goblinoids who traveled the region and wished to preserve them.
The dwarves, of course, had a presence in the region for two reasons: first, because the Kings of Old had made a point of burying family members there, in order to establish the need for a pilgrimage to demonstrate filial piety and obeisance to tradition and the rule of the king. Second, because they had since located gold and iron deposits within the earth there.
As a result, the conversations between Mangore and the dwarf lords did not go well--his cozy relations with the Elves of Eisenloch didn't help matters, either, and soon Mangore was actively sabotaging operations of the dwarves in the south, sometimes with elven aid, to protect the species of that land. Though he was powerful, he was just a man, however, and over the years the stubborn persistence and ingenuity of the dwarves seemed to be making a difference in the outcome of the struggle.
During that unusual half-century of struggle, The elves of Eisenloch were in a period of steady and rapid decline, and Mangore found himself not only outmatched but also increasingly without allies. Then something unexpected happened: the creatures of the land, usually passive observers of the conflict, began to get involved, always on Mangore's side.
Wolves, badgers, birds, and insect swarms would appear unexpectedly to thwart and harass the dwarves, and over time even the trees and bushes began to participate.
Then, they all began to change. Animals, plants, landscapes became more dangerous, more violent, somehow darker. Mangore himself was seen less frequently, but his appearances were more devastating. For almost thirty years, this has been the state of affairs. Nearly a decade ago, the last dwarves were driven out of the moorland, and have not returned since.
During that time, the dwarves have not been idle. They have waged successful wars against the Fire Tribe goblins to the north and west, expanded their holdings to the mountains in the east in the absence of elven interference, and generally prospered. But their honored dead from these efforts lie ill at ease, in temporary homes until the ancient tombs can be liberated and their bodies moved.
Circumstances are complicated somewhat by the witch's curse. Ten years ago, the King led an expedition to drive out a settlement of goblins he deemed too close to dwarven interests, and in so doing razed a number of villages and put their inhabitants to the sword. In the last of these encounters, an old goblin matron, a witch according to the reports gathered later, called down the vengeance of the goblins' dark masters on the King's head, leaving him unable to conceive an heir and (as some say) establishing a taint of madness in his blood.
Whatever the truth of the curse, in the past decade the king has brought forth four more daughters and still has no sons. What is worse (for some), he has been less and less tolerant of those who question his decisions or oppose strict new security measures he has put in place, throwing many into his dungeons and exiling others.
This winter, the king's advisor and doctor notified him that the advancement of long-suffered illness gives him perhaps two years of life remaining: it is imperative that he sire an heir before that time, in order to secure the continuation of the Firedeep dynasty, now in its sixth generation. In desperation, he has gathered together the wrongly (and justly) imprisoned, the children of families loyal to his rule and those who believe the end of the curse will bring a happier and more peaceful era to the dwarves of the Great Mountain, and tasked them with bringing death to Mangore the Black Druid before the first day of spring, just short of three months hence.
Re: Adventure Background
Mangore
Mangore is a human druid of exceptional power. He is very old for a human (at least ninety, and still very healthy), and has demonstrated abilities that suggest he is at least 11th level. He has shaped the plants and animals of his domain to be extremely dangerous and hostile to outsiders, is very clever, and most certainly insane.
He is called The Black Druid by the dwarves because of his cold and vicious demeanor, lack of compunction about killing, and suspicious nature. He has a shock of short black hair that is wild on top, a clean-shaven face and an athletic build.
Historically, Mangore was a close ally of the Elves of Eisenloch, also called the Elves of the East, but in recent years the decline of those elves has led Mangore to create his own allies or to look elsewhere. It is believed that he has a small selection of lesser human druids operating as allies in his territory, but they may be illusions, disguises, or other humans uninvolved with Mangore's activities.
In the past several decades, Mangore has rarely been seen, but when he does appear he is often accompanied by sudden storms, impenetrable darkness, and devastating lightning strikes that create confusion among his targets.
He will be a wily and dangerous adversary for the dwarves who set out after him, with many resources amassed over decades of struggle.
Mangore is a human druid of exceptional power. He is very old for a human (at least ninety, and still very healthy), and has demonstrated abilities that suggest he is at least 11th level. He has shaped the plants and animals of his domain to be extremely dangerous and hostile to outsiders, is very clever, and most certainly insane.
He is called The Black Druid by the dwarves because of his cold and vicious demeanor, lack of compunction about killing, and suspicious nature. He has a shock of short black hair that is wild on top, a clean-shaven face and an athletic build.
Historically, Mangore was a close ally of the Elves of Eisenloch, also called the Elves of the East, but in recent years the decline of those elves has led Mangore to create his own allies or to look elsewhere. It is believed that he has a small selection of lesser human druids operating as allies in his territory, but they may be illusions, disguises, or other humans uninvolved with Mangore's activities.
In the past several decades, Mangore has rarely been seen, but when he does appear he is often accompanied by sudden storms, impenetrable darkness, and devastating lightning strikes that create confusion among his targets.
He will be a wily and dangerous adversary for the dwarves who set out after him, with many resources amassed over decades of struggle.
Re: Adventure Background
The Elves of Eisenloch
The Elves of the East, once close allies and then bitter enemies of the dwarves of the Great Mountain. The elves are in the midst of a precipitous decline that is not well understood by the dwarves, but it is clear that they are dying. Once, they ruled the southern forest and the lands around the Eisenloch (called the Mirrorlake), a vast body of water among whose islands the elves built towering spires and vaulted domes as testament to their majesty. Now, they have difficulty holding their outlying settlements against minor incursions by the Fire Tribe out of the north.
The Eisenloch elves have been known to cultivate fantastically powerful creatures to use as servitors and tools--griffons, wyverns and even young dragons served them as mounts, while elementals and creatures of arcane origin held the foundations of their cities together and allowed the greatest of their architectural fancies to take form.
The elves were once staunch allies of the human druids, but their weakness allows them no opportunity to maintain friendships that were once essential to their presence in these lands.
The Elves of the East, once close allies and then bitter enemies of the dwarves of the Great Mountain. The elves are in the midst of a precipitous decline that is not well understood by the dwarves, but it is clear that they are dying. Once, they ruled the southern forest and the lands around the Eisenloch (called the Mirrorlake), a vast body of water among whose islands the elves built towering spires and vaulted domes as testament to their majesty. Now, they have difficulty holding their outlying settlements against minor incursions by the Fire Tribe out of the north.
The Eisenloch elves have been known to cultivate fantastically powerful creatures to use as servitors and tools--griffons, wyverns and even young dragons served them as mounts, while elementals and creatures of arcane origin held the foundations of their cities together and allowed the greatest of their architectural fancies to take form.
The elves were once staunch allies of the human druids, but their weakness allows them no opportunity to maintain friendships that were once essential to their presence in these lands.
Re: Adventure Background
The Fire Tribe
This motley gang of goblins, orcs, hobgoblins and ogres organizes under the banner of the mysterious Lord of Flames, a greater goblinoid or giant who serves as a warchief to channel their violent ambitions and instincts. The Tribe has existed for centuries, since the red dragon Niff took up residence in the Valley of Snakes in the north and subjugated the goblins who lived there. King Judarr, the second of the current dynasty, slew Niff as he lay upon his ill-gotten hoard in the upper cave of the Valley, but the goblins and other lesser races were unbroken. Niff ascended from demigod to deity and rules the Tribe from the celestial sphere, his essence reincarnating as a new Lord of Flames after each previous one passes on.
The Fire Tribe has grown strong and numerous over the generations, taking in the most vicious and untameable exemplars of the various races, including gnolls and bugbears, and putting them to work to build their apparatus of war. The dwarves have had some success against the Tribe, but they remain an imminent threat and a staunch foe of the Great Mountain.
This motley gang of goblins, orcs, hobgoblins and ogres organizes under the banner of the mysterious Lord of Flames, a greater goblinoid or giant who serves as a warchief to channel their violent ambitions and instincts. The Tribe has existed for centuries, since the red dragon Niff took up residence in the Valley of Snakes in the north and subjugated the goblins who lived there. King Judarr, the second of the current dynasty, slew Niff as he lay upon his ill-gotten hoard in the upper cave of the Valley, but the goblins and other lesser races were unbroken. Niff ascended from demigod to deity and rules the Tribe from the celestial sphere, his essence reincarnating as a new Lord of Flames after each previous one passes on.
The Fire Tribe has grown strong and numerous over the generations, taking in the most vicious and untameable exemplars of the various races, including gnolls and bugbears, and putting them to work to build their apparatus of war. The dwarves have had some success against the Tribe, but they remain an imminent threat and a staunch foe of the Great Mountain.
Re: Adventure Background
Rune Casters
The Rune Casters of the dwarves serve three main functions in their society, the importance of each of which can vary wildly based on the individual clan. Utilitarian magic-users, historians or sages, and crafters of items of power based on their clan's traditions.
In the Firedeep Clan, Rune Casters take on all three of these roles almost equally. They are sages and scribes who carry knowledge of the clan's history with them, memorized as part of the oral tradition and also in the form of scrolls. Certain aspects of that history and the philosophical bases of the clan's tradition and culture are represented by the Runes most closely tied to the clan's activities and ancestors, who help to mediate etheric power through suitably-made engravings that call upon the strength of language.
These Rune Casters use the engravings as a medium for their spell casting, much like a holy symbol for clerics. Additionally, they use those runes to aid in shaping artifacts and armaments of importance. The runes also encapsulate certain key concepts from the culture and the Rune casters are expected to use their understanding of the deeper meanings of the runes to guide rituals and the activities of rulers alongside the clerics.
The Rune Casters of the dwarves serve three main functions in their society, the importance of each of which can vary wildly based on the individual clan. Utilitarian magic-users, historians or sages, and crafters of items of power based on their clan's traditions.
In the Firedeep Clan, Rune Casters take on all three of these roles almost equally. They are sages and scribes who carry knowledge of the clan's history with them, memorized as part of the oral tradition and also in the form of scrolls. Certain aspects of that history and the philosophical bases of the clan's tradition and culture are represented by the Runes most closely tied to the clan's activities and ancestors, who help to mediate etheric power through suitably-made engravings that call upon the strength of language.
These Rune Casters use the engravings as a medium for their spell casting, much like a holy symbol for clerics. Additionally, they use those runes to aid in shaping artifacts and armaments of importance. The runes also encapsulate certain key concepts from the culture and the Rune casters are expected to use their understanding of the deeper meanings of the runes to guide rituals and the activities of rulers alongside the clerics.
Re: Adventure Background
Map of the region in question:
Eisenloch in the east is a massive lake, in the middle of which rests the main home of the elves in this area. To the south of that is Eanir's Landing, an elven outpost that was once a hub of trade.
East of the Great Mountain is Gnometon, a hill settlement of gnomes friendly to the dwarves of the mountain and allies in the fight against the Fire Tribe.
Vosterfold Forest is largely settled by dwarves but also subject to incursions by the Fire Tribe.
In the plains to the south are the Low Tomb and a variety of other places such as watchtowers and secondary tombs (the other tombs are much smaller and not marked, but can be found all over). Additionally, there is the Druids Altar, where Mangore's ancestors once worshiped their primitive deities, now in ruins--the Mine of Karrok, which Mangore overran near the beginning of the conflict with the dwarves and caused to flood with foul-smelling stagnant water, and the Cave of Screams, a hole in the ground so deep and black that some assume that Mangore has made his home there, but the only reports of those who have returned are half-mad with fear and inane ramblings of what they saw there.
Caernsorrow Wood was the first burial place of the dwarves, but was taken by force by the elves of Eisenloch generations ago in order for them to cultivate it as their own. It remains in their hands, but the fortress of Caernsorrow itself, built to overlook the first handful of tombs and monuments, remains atop a bluff that rises out of the surrounding forest, though it has long been uninhabited.
Eisenloch in the east is a massive lake, in the middle of which rests the main home of the elves in this area. To the south of that is Eanir's Landing, an elven outpost that was once a hub of trade.
East of the Great Mountain is Gnometon, a hill settlement of gnomes friendly to the dwarves of the mountain and allies in the fight against the Fire Tribe.
Vosterfold Forest is largely settled by dwarves but also subject to incursions by the Fire Tribe.
In the plains to the south are the Low Tomb and a variety of other places such as watchtowers and secondary tombs (the other tombs are much smaller and not marked, but can be found all over). Additionally, there is the Druids Altar, where Mangore's ancestors once worshiped their primitive deities, now in ruins--the Mine of Karrok, which Mangore overran near the beginning of the conflict with the dwarves and caused to flood with foul-smelling stagnant water, and the Cave of Screams, a hole in the ground so deep and black that some assume that Mangore has made his home there, but the only reports of those who have returned are half-mad with fear and inane ramblings of what they saw there.
Caernsorrow Wood was the first burial place of the dwarves, but was taken by force by the elves of Eisenloch generations ago in order for them to cultivate it as their own. It remains in their hands, but the fortress of Caernsorrow itself, built to overlook the first handful of tombs and monuments, remains atop a bluff that rises out of the surrounding forest, though it has long been uninhabited.