Asshole in Aran: the Conquest of Aran Campaign Log

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Akula
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Asshole in Aran: the Conquest of Aran Campaign Log

Post by Akula »

So, Avoraciopoctules is running a MTP heavy game about building nations/acquiring territory and power set in a game world that uses the Aran map from Dominions 3/4 as it's strategic layer. Most provinces have a couple of things in them that would be of interest to the PCs. Right now we have two active players flare22 and myself. The PCs are not necessarily encouraged to be on the same team or to work towards the same thing so there are some minor to moderate PvP elements as well.

The premise of the campaign was that all of the PCs were sealed away or imprisoned until very recently and have now broken free to bring ruin bring hugs to the world of Aran (I don't think it has a name yet). The PCs are relatively powerful in comparison to the world around them and can mostly expect to stack up on a CR range with the leaders of nations and other important individuals. We have been running this for the last month or so but at the last session Avor expressed an interest in a campaign log so this is my attempt to reconstruct the events leading up to the present. Here is his take on the campaign:
Avoraciopoctules wrote: This game started as an experiment in simultaneously empowering players and being really personally lazy. I print out a Dominions map, scribble down a half a sentence of setting elements or plot hooks in each province, and then plop the players down in a centralized location and let them do as they please, with a vague directive from a planar power encouraging them to amass personal and political power.

Lots of inspiration was taken from fantasy 4X games in general, though I expect that my anticipation for the release of Age of Wonders 3 played a substantial part. Though my group is generally pretty permissive when it comes to character concepts and allowed sourcebooks, this was on the high end even for that, and absolutely anything approximately CR 10 was allowed as a PC. Since people might actually end up marching hundreds of tiny men at each other, I'm generally MTPing stuff that doesn't involve the PCs personally crawling through dungeons or dueling named officers. Though if you have useful utility powers, those certainly help out when a lot of time is handled in monthly “strategic turns.”

All in all, I'm fairly happy that it turned out to be pretty engaging for everyone involved even though I cringe looking at some of the material I ended up making up on the spot and then sticking to. Thanks to Akula for actually bothering to keep track of what was going on, though I love campaign logs it's basically impossible for me to keep notes and MC at the same time.
And some setting background if you really like that stuff:
Over a thousand years ago the land of Aran was at the beginning of a period of time that would later become known as the “Golden Age”, in the lush forests and fertile plains of the south a kingdom has risen to become an empire under the iron fisted rule of a tyrant named Saul, the first of his line. His son David (can you tell that flare has an obsession with the boring parts of the old testament?) rises up with an army of bound outsiders when his father completes his transformation into a lich. Instead of destroying him, David traps Saul’s soul and rips pieces from it in order to fuel some of his greatest works. He then casts what remains of Saul into the sky in a large prison complex, which has since been lost to the dusts of history.

David is killed when a powerful presence on the plane of shadow erupts into the center of his empire, spewing forth twisted mockeries of life and slowly drawing the world into the shadow plane. David’s son and the Order of the Light join forces to oppose the corruption, and after a long and costly campaign they are successful. They appealed to both the fiendish and celestial powers to protect their world, who agree to seal away the power of the All-Devourer and then scour the region of life to ensure it doesn’t return. This finally broke the power of the empire established by Saul, and his grandson is killed at the hand of the Order of the Light. The Order establishes their own cities to the north, well away from the wastes, with the plunder of their conquests and the power of bound angels. Those cities expand their religion and their empire over successive generations until they control a large swath of Aran. Eventually they too find themselves on the downslope of empire. The north of Aran has never been united under a single empire, and has as such always found itself in the grip of numerous strongmen building on the bones of strongmen that had come before them. [More to come maybe]
The next two posts will have the log itself, it is rather long.
Akula
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Post by Akula »

This post is everything that happened before my PC shows up.

The first session (Which I was not present at) involved the escape of the Lich King Saul (Lich Sorcerer 8 [Green Dragon Bloodline]) from a prison plane called the fugue dimension. Saul broke out with a crazy Urgathoa murderpriest who promptly got shoved into limbo, as the player didn't manage to make future sessions (this is a friend of flare22's who still attends the college that flare recently graduated from). Upon making his escape Saul was given the task to reconstruct his ancient empire within one year's time, he is currently sitting at about 9 months of that.

Saul finds himself in the middle of a barren desert (extreme southern end of the Aran map for those of you familiar with it) near some massive stone pillars, not having anything better to do he sets out walking in a random direction. In his trek he happens to find a ruined city, which is now inhabited solely by some Naga oracles sitting in a big tower and smoking. Saul persuades them to aid him and, armed with an actual destination and some Nagaji soldiers, he sets off for one of the few real cities in the wastes; a place called Pyretown and described by the GM as, "Basically fantasy Mos Eisley". Here he finds an undead Magus of some sort who is willing to team up with him to take control of the town back from some asshole explosion worshiping priests. The Magus has an in with some mercenaries, and some soldiers of his own, while Saul has his snake people warriors. They lure the explosion cult into a trap and manage to wipe them out with an acceptable number of casualties.

At this point things get murky for me, I still hadn't shown up for a session and with Pyretown now paying him tribute in exchange for protection and the freedom to be left alone Saul goes to do "stuff". Up till how he had moved closer to the coast and away from the vast wastes, but now he turns around and fights some of the civilization hating, marauding, demon worshiping wasteland nomads and eventually fights a Hezrou that he manages to make run away. This was enough that a group of the wasteland marauders join his forces.

Saul now hears about a Kyton monastery in the mountains and decides that that must be his next target, mostly because he figures that the monks will have shiny things for him to steal. He marches his army over to the monastery and then glowers at it while realizing that he doesn't have any way to affect a siege. So he heads over to a Kobold mining operation that is "protected" by the local ogre warlord but might want to change that relationship (again I am somewhat unclear exactly what the situation was). He wants the Kobolds to provide him with some siege engineers and manpower in exchange for the building when the monastery falls or something like that. The Kobolds aren’t exactly interested, so it looks like this trip was a waste. But at this point he makes a major slip up, he indicates to the boss of the operation that he might be a rival for the favor of the powerful dragon in the south-western forests so the Kobold drops Saul into a pit; this results in a mini dungeon that mostly fails to deal magical bludgeoning damage, resulting in Saul walking through the traps while his time is wasted.

He eventually wanders into the light of day and finds himself in a swamp that is inhabited by Boggards; Saul was allowed to choose a magic item at one point, and choose the immensely expensive staff of life, so he wins over the swamp-dwellers by bringing a kindly elven druid back to life. This earns him the right to ride on a rocket frog, the rocket frog is the best thing: it flies, and it leaps, and generally returns him to the kobold mine quickly so he can get revenge! The kobolds are confused by what he is doing here so angry when he left in peace days ago, and Saul begins to put two and two together but still must have REVENGE! so he fights some underwhelming kobold resistance that cannot pierce his DR and does not have high level magic.

Inside the mine Saul encounters a vampire wizard who he initially fights but then comes to an agreement with. Horrible undead monstrosities must stick together y'know. However, the overseer that Saul was actually looking for is nowhere to be found. They take some Kobolds as snacks/hostages/slave labor and head for the monastery to find Saul's army. Unsurprisingly, the kobolds are in bad shape from the confrontation (and the blood draining) and cannot keep pace with the tireless undead; so when one drops from exhaustion Saul picks two more up and flies over to where his army was waiting for him. They aren't there. Saul then drops the kobolds to their deaths because…? Now for reference Saul's old allies the Magus and the Nagas have had a big effect on his campaign thus far. The Magus has been doing things on his own and settling old scores (for instance, when Saul attacked the demon lords of the wasteland, the Magus took out one and thoroughly looted her palace while he defeated the hezrou), which has made Saul completely paranoid about him and his intentions. Saul actually still thinks that the Magus is somehow impersonating him and he actually considered marching this army on the Magus's forces before he settled on the monastery. The Naga on the other hand have basically his complete trust, and have provided him with an elite warrior to guard him (a level 7 fighting man of some stripe), a mage to aid him, and his most loyal soldiers. Without the stalwart support of the oracles he would not have been able to get very far.

Saul is now hunting for his runaway army, which has returned to the lands of the ogres. Before too long he comes across a battle and in an effort to get intel he uses the staff of life again on what is randomly determined to be his personal bodyguard. Saul is told that he returned from the Kobold mine and decided to abandon the monastery plan in favor of conquering the ogres. Saul and his small band press on to find his now much reduced army fighting the ogre leader and some warriors with a figure that looks a lot like him leading them. Morale seems to be low all around so when Saul slips in and manages to get a paralyzing touch to stick on the ogre king it inspires the rest of his forces to drive the ogres from the field while some of his men round on the false Saul. In what was a surprise to no one but Saul himself, the Kobold leader impersonated him and now incinerates himself in an explosion rather than face capture.
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Post by Akula »

And this is everything after.

Saul has little to show for his march so he takes his army and heads for home before worse happens, perhaps rightly thinking that he is no match for the kytons. At this point some asshole Urgathoa herald shows up with a magic lamp that causes a foul miasma to begin spreading as he does some ominous chanting about how this new plane will be hers to defile. Saul and some of his men manage to take down the agent of the god of fatness and the lamp cracks, releasing my character (as I finally managed to make a session). My character is named Elesh Norn (yes after the MTG character) and is a Succubus with the Dread Mummy template. Elesh is glad to be free of her long imprisonment, but the people killed by the negative level miasma are coming back as dread zombies and asserting her control is more important than conversation for the moment. With them under her control she doesn't feel like being the second fiddle to anyone. Saul wants her help storming the monastery; he reasons correctly that she could be a powerful ally, but doesn't want to let her charm and turn the inhabitants as she lays out in her plan, and demands 100% of any valuables inside. Elesh isn't exactly jumping at this deal and honestly finds the fact that he is holding her responsible for the actions of the Urgathoa assholes really annoying (The comparison made was, “So if I picked you up and used you as a club to kill your men you would expect them to say, ‘Oh king Saul, why have you betrayed us?!’”). So when his barbarians start to have a secret meeting in a little huddle she flies on over to talk to someone else.

The barbarians ask her if she is stronger than Saul and she confidently asserts that she is. Saul takes umbrage at that and remarks that these are his troops, Elesh uses her gaze to scare his army and things quickly deteriorate to the PCs dicing off for initiative. Elesh wins, and after confirming that they are basically right next to each other, disarms Saul of the staff of life (now depleted and with no hope of ever being recharged) and grapples him. Saul sprays her with acid, and his bodyguard is now running in to help him, so when her turn comes up Elesh dominates the bodygaurd and orders him to act normally but fail to hurt her. Saul makes the concentration check to cast and throws an aqueous orb on top of the grapple but both characters make their saves so it mostly just makes them wet. Elesh then pins him and then carries them both up into the air so that Saul's army will throw less mediocre evocation at them. At this point the battle ends with a bit more talking, but working together is now out of the question, Saul was humiliated and lost a lot of men (the barbarian cavalry switches to following her, just like when Saul beat their last boss) and Elesh still thinks his terms are unreasonable. So the PCs go their separate ways, but not before Elesh tells him about the Dominate SLA she used to stop his bodyguard when he interfered in their duel, including when it wears off. Saul promptly paralyzes, blindfolds, and plugs the ears of his most loyal servant out of worry that he could spy on the Lich King’s business. Saul gathers another army from the barbarians (this time, a different tribe working for the Magus), the naga, and some druids that he got on his side by promising to fight their mortal enemies and heads out to fight those mortal enemies, the salt druids of a petrified forest rife with undead.

At this point Elesh takes her first real actions on the strategic map. She asks the barbarians where a profitable raiding target is and they suggest some bug herders to the north; so she dispatches them to keep up pretenses while entertaining them. She then heads to the Ogre kingdom and finds it in the middle of a succession crisis. She takes on the form of a earnest and kind young wise man and figures out that there are two groups involved, one led by a rare ogre magi that avoided being kidnapped by the Kytons and the other by the king's son. She goes to the magi and figures out that bringing back the old king would likely stabilize things, so proposes that she turn him into a dread mummy to free him from the Lich's curse and also to make him less of an ignorant thug. The Ogre Magi and Elesh team up to frame Elesh as a minor miracle worker and helpful healer, and eventually people are happy let her do the mummy rot thing with the king, who comes back meaner than ever. Elesh helps them set things up and return to a working relationship with the Kobolds but is mostly content to let the Ogres go on more or less as they always had with the farmers farming and the warriors getting ready to protect them in new, state of the art, forts. With things looking good in the ogre kingdom Elesh contemplates her larger ambitions.

Elesh then turns to the north where a local rebellion is fighting against the "mad sultan" who is massacring his people and generally being a big enough asshole that people would likely welcome a change in leadership. With the help of the Magus Elesh finds a nobleman with an army and a desire for power. Elesh firms up the loyalty of his army and gets the rebels to expect a savior to arrive. Engineering it so he can be that saviour. With the rebellion gaining momentum she seeks out some promising adventurers and gives them profane gifts (while the adventurers are asleep) and a vision that they should go and take the fight to the Sultan in his palace, the seat of his power. These adventurers manage to break into the palace and kill most of the sultan’s elite guard before they are forced to retreat, however they rescue a Ghaele with a huge number of negative levels who they fix up to fight. The PCs return the next day and bombard the castle from the air, after which they descend to deal with the Sultan himself. They manage to deal with the Sultan and a powerful evil artifact that he was using for more personal power. Thus putting a regime friendly to Elesh in power in the north. The ogres are quick to open trade, providing food to the war-torn and starving nation. Saul meanwhile is on the warpath.

While this is happening Saul has marched his army across the dessert to one of the old ruined cities of his lost empire, they find it infested with minor demons and takes some time to clear out the hostile forces on the surface. After accomplishing his bug hunt, Saul debates who out of his forces he should leave to guard the ruins. He doesn’t want to leave the reliable and loyal Nagaji behind, but the wasteland druids are emotionally invested in this fight and plead with him to allow them to take the fight to their hated enemy, and the barbarians that he has with him would probably just wander off after they started to find the ruins boring. Saul reluctantly concludes that the Nagaji are the only choice, and leaves them behind. This is a really shitty assignment, what with the demons that mess with them, the otherwise crushing boredom, and the lack of food that isn’t ancient pickled rations. Elesh decides to pop in in order to make some friends with an offer of real food in exchange for allowing some ogres to set up a camp with the goal of attracting adventurers to the underground dungeon complexes in the city.

Saul continues his march on the salt druids, who have formed an alliance with some elementalists to oppose his conquest of the wastes. Then suddenly he changes his mind about the whole thing and decides that what this war party needs is for him to do a dungeon crawl. So he marches back toward the west and his holdings to find and dungeon to spelunk. When he enters the crawl he finds a Glabrezu who chases him down and kills him. Leaving Saul in a bad situation, because his phylactery is the crown that he always carries around with him. He regenerates 1d10 days later and the demon offers him a deal: if he wishes it free then he can continue on his way, which Saul accepts. Apparently the manner is which the demon was bound made negative levels from enervation permanent. Saul later finds a statue of himself in chains and promptly breaks them, letting the Ice Devil that the complex was built to contain go free (it had broadcast illusions over the magical chains keeping it bound). The Ice Devil makes a deal with Saul to fight the undead armies of the salt druid alongside the forces that Saul already has, the devil brings a bunch of terracotta warriors to the fight as well as an intelligent soul/ghost-eating sword. This tips things pretty heavily in Saul's favor.

Against this new alliance the salt druids lose most of their undead armies and surrender to Saul. Right now Saul is thinking of going on another dungeon crawl that was prophesized to provide him with great power according to the Naga oracles. During this military campaign Saul has been trying to manage his image with the world outside the wasteland, the Caliphate to the north has been displeased by the raiding barbarians who are pouring out of the waste killing, pillaging, and kidnapping. Initially they blamed Saul, who attempted to deflect to the Magus, saying that he would not interfere if the Caliph sent armies to Pyretown to kill the Magus in retribution. The Magus negotiates with the emissaries of the Caliph and attempts to make a show of good faith by sending some adventurers to mess with the barbarians who are now revealed to worship something called the All-Devourer (Which is stolen from age of wonders I guess). That mission is currently ongoing as a side story.

More below the spoiler tag. Note: Flare22 the following are spoilers for things that from your character's perspective haven't really happened yet, maybe wait on reading it.
The Magus passes this information about the Barbarians to Elesh, who goes and tries to ferret out the All-Devourer cultists in the ranks of what she had thought were her cultists. She finds that they have even gone so far as to usurp control of some of her undead, which crosses the line from possible future issue to active liability, so she goes around subtly marking the loyal members of her force and then embarking on a bloody purge of the others. She kills a lot, but others escape and her barbarians are no longer a fearsome raiding force. Elesh decides that she needs to get the actually loyal and not attempting to end the world ogres involved in the wastes, which unfortunately leads to the compromising of the dual identity she has going as the demon patron of the wasteland raiders and the healer and advisor to the ogre king. This costs her some standing among the ogres, but with how much she was beloved before it isn’t a cause for grave concern.

Elesh then decides that things are going so well that she might as well do something dumb, and sends emissaries to the Kyton monastery. The kytons, being crazy evil sadistic bastards kidnap one of her emissaries and Elesh decides that she needs to get personally involved. She arrives and the Kytons are more than willing to reach out on the condition that she gives them “blue baby kidnap fort alpha” in the lands of the ogres, something that Elesh is not willing to do. Going back and forth between her ogre confidants and the kytons eventually reveals that the Kytons kidnap Ogre Magi in order to teach them “discipline” and “help” them restrain their destructive urges. Elesh eventually gets the Kytons to agree to make smaller missions into the ogre territory with a promise that their purpose will be education, and that their students must be willing.

This maneuver sinks Elesh into a morass of constant conflict resolution and eats up massive amounts of her time resolving constant disputes between a group of people that is, well, evil and crazy and their former victims that hate them because of the evil and the crazy. The ogres are not exactly comfortable with the plan but at least there is the possibility that their warriors can smash the kytons if they get out of line and that serves as a paper-thin security blanket. Their faith in Elesh’s leadership is shaken and so Elesh looks for a way that she can satisfy those that are most displeased without throwing away the fragile outcome of her hard work.

She finds that the cave dwelling ascetic mystics are extremely unhappy and are talking about how Elesh is a double agent working to take over ogre society and supplant their traditions with kytons or something. Elesh decides to solve the problem by throwing money at it. Part of the mystics’ grievances is that they are not getting the chance to pass on their philosophy to the ogres as they had in the past because the organized system of monasteries will draw their potential pupils away. So Elesh decides to erect a grand academy, for ogres, I am well aware this idea sounds like a flying brick. So she undertakes a construction project, getting buy in from the mystics by promising then that no one else will be as successful at providing education for ogres. Doubling down on what might just be her craziest gamble, Elesh invites foreigners of all kinds to get involved and make the Grand Academy of the Ogres the foremost center of thought and discussion in the known (to her) world. For certain there is a temple to the “Lord of Light” a multifaceted neutral deity amalgam that is worshiped in the Caliphate. And hey, Ogres don’t have a WIS penalty. Because of her social engineering schemes in the ogre kingdom, Elesh hasn’t had much time to advance her other agendas, like keeping the world safe from the All-Devourer.

To prevent it from rising again it is imperative that life not return to the blighted wastes. Unfortunately, bringing life back to the wastes is a goal of several of the factions currently in or around the area. Including the Lich King Saul. She learned of a massive damn known as “Hatred Fortress” that holds back water from the region and is secured by angels, but she also knows that some of the angels have lost sight of their goal in the millennia following the construction of the massive dam, and that the defenses are not as they once were. To that end she has contracted some adventurers to reconnoiter Hatred Fortress so it can be secured before anyone else makes a move. And that is where Elesh is now, a few strategic turns ahead of where Saul is sitting.
Last edited by Akula on Sat Mar 29, 2014 11:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Ikeren
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Post by Ikeren »

Do you guys play separate solo games, online or in person? Do you take turns, or just do time really carefully? I'm curious as to how this game is running --- cause it sounds totally awesome from my perspective.
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Post by Akula »

Ikeren wrote:Do you guys play separate solo games, online or in person? Do you take turns, or just do time really carefully? I'm curious as to how this game is running --- cause it sounds totally awesome from my perspective.
Well, we mostly run the games in 2-3 turn chunks and then halt when we end up with someone a few in game months ahead of the other. Most of the stuff my character has done has happened after flare has left on a couple of days where we ran the game or a side story. We haven't run into huge problems with having the players do things separately yet; neither player is really looking to interfere directly with the other, but that is possibly going to change soon. So I guess we mostly just do time somewhat carefully.
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flare22
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Post by flare22 »

very good summery, also I just finished taking my turns so do you want me to write up what happened or do you want Avoraciopoctules to give you the rundown and write it yourself?
Last edited by flare22 on Mon Mar 31, 2014 2:15 am, edited 2 times in total.
"Those who fail to learn history
are doomed to repeat it;
those who fail to learn history correctly--
why they are simply doomed."
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Avoraciopoctules
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Post by Avoraciopoctules »

Anyone can summarize the game if they want. More people just means more perspectives, and possibly less individual work. Here's my distillation of today's game, 3/30/14, where Lich-King Saul advances time several months, catching up with Elesh.

After great deliberation, Saul decides to personally oversee the integration of the conquered necromancer-druids of the petrified forest into his empire. Though both druidic leaders are politically moderate, the ongoing blood-feud doesn't fade so easily among the rank and file. (alternatively, politicians need to be wishy-washy). It takes about a month, but the unified druids now keep each other's wildest impulses in check, and rampant terraforming of the desert is no longer likely. A town is beginning to form around the artificial oasis that used to be the center of water-druid territory.

flare22 elected to take Teleport instead of Magic Jar as his 5th-level spell, which improves his strategic mobility dramatically and allows him to conduct some international diplomacy when he has a break from herding cats and averting ethnic cleansing pogroms through threat of acid breath. He approaches the Magus to ask for forgiveness for trying to use the Caliphate's armies against Pyretown. In exchange for heartfelt apologies, promises to be more transparent and diplomatic, and (most importantly) several of Saul's most powerful magical items, the Magus agrees to drop his vendetta. He even gives the lich a wand of See Invisibility and several pieces of useful information.
1. The whole lowdown on the All-Devourer, which apparently sprouted from a glowing seed that fell from the sky and is a cross between bad-guys from Age of Wonders (Shadow Demons), Starcraft (Zerg), and Chrono Trigger (Lavos)
2. The Caliph is actually more of a figurehead. He called his angels in to secure his place on the throne, and they hold true power in the Caliphate. They'll do what he says, but only so long as it was something they'd do already. Also, the Caliph cannot afford the loss of public faith that would ensue if his armies lost a real battle, which means that Saul is probably safe from full war if he stays in the wasteland of the Accursed Kingdom.
3. The angels guarding the dam-complex known as Hatred Fortress are from a different sphere than the ones "serving" the Caliph. If Saul is very diplomatic, he might be able to take out Hatred Fortress
4. After robbing from Tiamat's lair, there are some dragon-cultists who are trying to make trouble for Saul. He should be cautious near those the church of Tiamat has influence over. The Magus refuses to have anything to do with the ring of telekinesis Saul took, in spite of the lich's attempt to give it away (even if it was the second most valuable item after the staff of life).

Saul discovers that the crafter-efreet he hired to create a shield guardian has completed the stone golem and the amulet, but laughingly leaves it to him to enchant them as it escapes its binding.

Once the assimilation of the salt druids is completed and Saul's town (which he names Aman-Ka) looks like it will progress independently, Saul begins to explore the two remaining dungeons in King David's old capital. It looks like some kobold adventurers came through recently, and they left a modest tribute to Saul with his garrison. The lich wants to clear the dungeons quickly, before the kobolds take everything.

The first is an ancient alchemical laboratory prophesized by the naga oracles to hold a key to dramatic boosts in Saul's personal power. Inside, old scrolls indicate that the alchemists had captured a green dragon who might have been one of Saul's ancestors, and were using pieces of its body in their experiments. The kobolds have disarmed many of the traps, but Saul has to deal with many more, as well as horrifying ooze monsters and giant mutated cockroaches. The dungeon contains an active shrine to Juiblex and a defiled shrine to Minderhal, who had been worshiped during Saul's empire. When the lich-king offers a sacrifice at Minderhal's altar, he is given the god's blessing and an urge to destroy the holy place of Juiblex. He succeeds, though the various ooze-demons provide a bit of a challenge, and Minderhal grants Saul an infusion of power that translates to some Inherent bonuses to attributes. Now Saul has a Strength score of 10.

When Saul catches up to the kobolds, he bluffs them by assuming the form of their rogue, whose body he found dead to traps earlier. The deceit is difficult, but he is plausible enough to tag along with them long enough for the kobolds to lead him the dragon corpse everyone is seeking. Conversation reveals that the kobolds are indeed working for the Green Wyrm of the South, hoping to snatch up the dead dragon's power-infused heart before Saul finds out about it. Saul reveals himself and surprise-fireballs the adventurers. He kills one and forces the other 2 to retreat, telling them to relay to their mistress that she shouldn't so drastically underestimate him.

It turns out that the undead, still-beating heart of the green dragon has been sitting at the center of a magical power-focusing array for hundreds of years. Saul places it in his own ribcage, and after many spellcraft rolls and successful saves against Horrible Things happening, he manages to dramatically boost his sorcerous power at the cost of a giant pulsing weak point and the destruction of several more of his magical treasures. (lots of items melted from the vented power. His dagger actually improved, to a +2 Corrosive Burst Returning weapon).

In the last unvisited dungeon, it looks like the kobolds got to the bottom of the secret to "returning life to the desert". Unfortunately, this means that as Saul enters he sees the screaming survivors running from All-Devourer spawn as skin grows over the wall and teeth grow inexplicably from the architecture. He manages to shut off the portal allowing the monster's power to bleed into this reality, and even saves some kobolds from being sacrificed by demon cultists. Then Saul books it in a hurry when he spots angels coming in to clear the whole complex with holy fire.

As a result of the various reports funneling in from her servants, the Green Wyrm of the South decides to extend an offer of recognition to Saul's fledgling empire. The ranting from the church of Tiamat actually serves to bolster Saul's image now that he has displayed real power to back up his position, and peace looks profitable enough when his empire is currently advancing her own goals. Her elves and kobolds now have embassies at the tower of the Naga Oracles and at the town of Aman-Ka. He has an embassy in her forest. He also receives a letter from the Caliph, which offers a little further legitimacy even if it's also full of sabre-rattling and bluster. If Saul's empire stays within the bounds of the Accursed Kingdom wastelands and he keeps the All-Devourer in check, the Caliph will recognize it as a legitimate state.
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Post by Avoraciopoctules »

Major Gods of Aran:
There are many lesser or localized religions, but these are the ones important to the PCs right now.

All-Devourer (CN):

Long ago, a seed fell from the stars, landing in the middle of what is now the Accursed Kingdom. From it sprouted a monstrous corruption that spread across the land, leeching essence from all life within range and pulling in souls. Strange monsters grew in the depths of the earth, animals and plants mutated into terrifying new forms, and the very stone nearest the All-Devourer’s point of arrival began to grow skin, eyes and teeth.

The All-devourer lacks the intelligence and malevolence of some of the greatest existential threats to the world. It’s hostile terrain that spawns hungry aberrations and Vermin. But it is also basically impossible to kill, and the corruption its influence engenders prevents souls from passing to a regular afterlife. That means it’s getting up in the grill of basically every race of Outsiders that build new members using petitioner souls, as well as all the mortals who’d rather not get terraformed by Zerg Creep.

A great war was waged, culminating in the scouring of most life from the Accursed Kingdom and the appointment of celestials who would watch for resurging All-Devourer influence and fiends that would continue to cleanse the wastes of life as it sprouted up. Colossal magical binding stakes were driven deep into the corrupted earth, to shunt the All-Devourer’s influence away from the surface and partially into the Shadow and Etheareal planes.

But with time, vigilance has slackened and the demons have gotten bored. It is possible to adapt to the All-Devourer, even gain power plus influence over its creatures by worshipping and feeding it. A little life exists in the Accursed Kingdom, and a great demonic city in the Shadow mirror of the Accursed Kingdom tosses daily sacrifices into fanged pits in the ground. The All-Devourer is gaining strength once more, and this time it has more evolved spawn and some demon worshippers.


Lord of Light (varies):

A powerful god who possesses 4 faces, each with their own personality. It was created artificially by the great alliance of the Archons, Angels, Baatezu, and Tanar’ri to lead the fight against the All-Devourer. Afterwards, worship of the Lord of Light spread to the mortal races. Though this god wields great power, it is constantly debating with itself how to use it. Each face has its own church, and they fight over more than just conflicting doctrine now that their common enemy has been out of the picture for a while. Periodically, the Lord of Light empowers a prophet to rally its followers toward a purpose, but these individuals have their work cut out for them nowadays.

The faces of the Lord of Light are as follows
Avenger (LG)
Dedicated to striking down existential threats and forces of evil that cross the line, the Avenger is worshipped by archons and paladins. Servants of the Avenger are eager to meddle in mortal affairs if they can get someone they regard as a legitimate authority to grant them leave. The Caliphate is an example of a state where the Avenger’s followers wield true power, both visibly deputized by the ruler and in disguise. They seek to build strong subject states that can project the Lord of Light’s power efficiently.

Redeemer (NG)
Forgiveness, healing, and charity are the domains of the Redeemer. The angels see it as an ideal to strive for, and the followers of other faces see it as good PR. Most of the Redeemer’s followers seek to do good for the world around them and reign in the other faces, though particularly benevolent adventurers tend to gravitate toward the Redeemer as well. Most of the temples where people can get magical healing are run by Redeemer priests, and since the Redeemer is the only face to include “Don’t be a jerk” as a prime value they are prized as mediators.

Judicator (LN)
Sometimes called the Enforcer, this god is little-loved but enthusiastically worshipped by devils and paid at least lip service by most nations. The inevitables are created and maintained by worshippers of the Judicator, most often by Devils who can direct the constructs forth in a way that serves their own interests. In addition to compelling others to respect fundamental laws and make/keep contracts, the Judicator gives all four faces some professional integrity, exerting pressure in an attempt to make sure even the Avenger and Destroyer keep to their agreements.

Destroyer (CE)
Master of conflict and destruction, who sends demons to scour the Lord of Light’s enemies from the world. The Destroyer revels in unmaking the works of others, and its followers are mercenary and fickle. Then again, the Destroyer’s willingness both to do horrible things and enjoy doing them has smoothed out many of the obstacles that presented themselves during the Lord of Light’s rise to preeminence in Aran.


Edhenism (TN):

When the All-Devourer’s corruption began seeping into the land and life around it, the local elven population was divided on what to do. Some felt that to protect the world from getting terraformed by a monstrous alien influence, they should cull the life the All-Devourer fed upon and cut it off. The other side was a mixture of sentimental extremists who wanted to preserve the forests they had lived among so long, the local fey, and ambitious survivalists confident that this was just another evolution that the elven people could adapt along with and become stronger. The matter escalated to civil war, which soon ended when the followers of the Lord of Light entered the fray.

Those unwilling to go along with the Scouring of the Accursed Kingdom were named Dark Elves and driven underground along with the All-Devourer. All they had was what they brought with them and whatever they could extract from an alien new environment that seemed to get more interested in killing them with each new binding cutting it off from the surface world. Most of the dark elves starved to death or were simply eaten by monsters but a few managed to band together, adapt, and survive. Calling themselves Edhenists, the dark elves grew new forests to replace the ones they had been driven from and internalized magic to match their new home. Fleshwarping was an art mastered early on, a way of using the All-Devourer’s own vile fecundity against it. It was a perfect complement to their divine magic, which mutated along with the forests they had come to worship outright.

When the demonic servants of the Destroyer abandoned their god to hurl sacrifices into the All-Devourer’s maws on the Shadow Plane, many of the victims ended up near the realm of the Edhenists. Though by this time the dark elves were beginning to attain a measure of stability, the influx of fresh, easy prey shook things up all over again. The All-Devourer began to spawn deadlier, more adaptable, and worst of all smarter spawn, and their own magic and fleshwarped servants were no guarantee of safety. Further, after saving some of the sacrifices and integrating them into Edhenist society people were exposed to tales of the surface all over again.

Now, for the first time, a large band of Edhenists has climbed out the belly of the All-Devourer into the Shadow Plane, and then escaped the demonic city feeding/worshipping it. Their ambitions for the future are likely going to make an impact on Aran, if only for the fact that it is fairly likely some of the nastiest All-Devourer spawn might now know the way out.


World Serpent (TN):

A primordial deity worshipped by serpentine monsters, especially nagas and the nagaji they rule. The cult of the World Serpent believe that it permeates the world, and that they can learn secrets through communing with their god using blessed hallucinogens. Naga oracles are often treated as prized advisors by rulers, so if you’re at court and you see a giant snake smoking from a hookah being respectful is generally a good idea.

In ancient times, the naga of Aran ruled a large empire, but they lost several wars and basically all their territory. They have since attempted to stay neutral in most political conflicts, scattering their population around Aran, only a few strongholds consisting of more than a family or 2. Even the great fortress-towers of the oracles rarely project power far, and they offer the wisdom of their masters to any supplicant who comes with gifts regardless of creed. In recent times however, the situation has changed with Lich King Saul’s fledgling empire. The water nagas and nagaji who make up the core of his subjects continue to practice their religion, and a few followers of other races have converted as well. At present, the priests of the World Serpent are the major religious power in Saul’s empire.


Transcendent One (LN):

Said to be one of the first gods, a former mortal who attained enlightenment and transcended. Less popular now than in ages past, primarily worshipped in isolated monasteries and places the Lord of Light’s missionaries never attained much influence. The Transcendent One rarely offers souls an eternity of afterlife in its divine realm, instead sending them forth to experience more of life. However, though the Transcendent one’s focus on spiritual growth gives it a relatively limited court of servants it has a number of philosophical allies.

Many kytons honor the Transcendent One in their search for contentment. They tend to be more interested in sharing their “faith” with others than mortal worshippers. The hedonistic rakshasa also pay homage to the Transcendent One, though their version of its dogma are far removed from what most kytons and mortals practice.
Last edited by Avoraciopoctules on Thu May 29, 2014 7:40 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Avoraciopoctules »

10 Secret Agendas for Saul's Swamp Saboteurs (spoilers)
Note: PCs should preferably be Nagaji, Water Nagas, Drow, Duergar, or Water/Salt Druids
1. Bonus: 8 CL 5 potions of Touch of the Sea, 2 scrolls of Water Breathing, and a Folding Boat
Task: The Edhenist liason Olaf Trustworthington had to appoint somebody as master of the Battle Barge taking you to your destination. Unfortunately, he picked Captain Slithers (Nagaji Inquisitor 7), a respected member of your clan who has never seen a boat in his life. Try to make Captain Slithers look less inept if you can, but absolutely do not let him get killed on this mission.

2. Bonus: 50 +2 arrows, each pre-tipped with a poison that can allegedly render froghemoths unconscious, 3 potions of Neutralize Poison
Task: The deadly froghemoths of the blighted swamp have caught the interest of the High Nagas. These monsters could be a powerful secret weapon if they can be tamed. Your mission is to capture a live specimen of one of the earlier stages in the froghemoth life cycle. There is a room on the Battle Barge that should be able to hold a tadhemoth or woghemoth if you knock it out before bringing the monster aboard.

3. Bonus: +2 Profane bonus to an ability score of your choice, 2 potions of Owl’s Wisdom, 3 Scrolls of Hide from Undead
Task: Several members of your clan have prestigious scholarships at the Grand Academy in the Ogre Mountains. They’ve heard some strange things about the cultists of this swamp, and want to do some in-depth research. You are likely to run into several large and fancy idols if you move through cultist territory. Either haul them back to the Battle Barge as spoils or take detailed sketches that can be mailed back to the Grand Academy.

4. Bonus: Torq of the Sailor's Friend, Minor Ring of Acid Resistance, 5 scrolls of Make Whole
Task: Olaf Trustworthington believes strongly in the military power of Botes, but for King Saul, this is where the Battle Barge proves its worth. Olaf has used his finest Duergar craftsmanship to equip you with tools that will prevent the Battle Barge from failing this test. Do not allow your vessel to sink, and be sure to emphasize how important the Battle Barge was to victory if you are asked to report on your mission.

5. Bonus: 2 Scrolls of Treasure Stitching, 5 scrolls of Shrink Item, 1 set of Treasure Hunter’s Goggles
Task: It’s embezzlement time! Your clan got some divinations from the Oracles indicating that there’s a decent chance you’ll run into one or two piles of bullion and coins on your expedition. Get them, hide the loot, and tell your superior officers you didn’t find anything. Once your clan has the treasure, they’ll add half to the clan treasury and use the rest to outfit you better for next mission. They are confident they can buy you a better rank, as well.

6. Bonus: 4 Elixirs of Dragon Breath (Green), Sipping Jacket, CL 10 Potion of Haste
Task: A kobold alchemist offered you this set of potions in exchange for a promise. There is a strong chance you will run into one or more red-scaled kobolds wielding fire magic somewhere in the corrupted swamp. There’s also a chance they have infiltrated the crew of the Battle Barge. They are hostile to King Saul, but they also have information that “the rest of the kobold people” would like suppressed. You have been asked to take out any hostile red-scaled kobolds quickly, accepting no surrenders.

7. Bonus: Waters of Transfiguration, 5 potions of Heroism, 4 potions of Lesser Restoration
Task: Lithrasir, one of the elite drow rangers scouting the swamp (Drow Noble Ranger 6), has gone missing. Basic divinations seem to indicate that she has been taken prisoner by cultists and will be sacrificed tomorrow if not rescued. Save her and return her to the Battle Barge. Just as importantly, it is likely that her magical symbionts have been taken. She should have something like a magical compass that will point toward where they are and you need to either recover or destroy all three. Once you find the symbionts, you are allowed to use them if you have the stomach for it, but the drow will want all 3 back after the mission.

8. Bonus: Wand of Holy Sword with 8 charges, scroll of Resurrection with the necessary diamonds, 3 scrolls of Restoration
Task: You have been given a large angelic seal, pulsing with magical power. If you find an open All-Devourer maw leading down into darkness, hurl the seal in and get clear of the blast radius fast. Otherwise, you should place it on the entrance of the dungeon the corrupted Hezrou lord used to guard, and make sure to get out of the swamp entirely in no more than a day.

9. Bonus: Rod of Ruin, a magical ointment that will bring 1 recently-dead person back as a free-willed juju zombie in 1d4 minutes.
Task: There is a squad of water druid soldiers on board the Battle Barge. They are guilty of genocide against the Salt Druids and your mission is to get them killed in turn. But be subtle about it, and don’t compromise the overall mission. Get the druids to take dangerous duties, use them as cover in attacks, that sort of thing.

10. Bonus: Vampiric Gloves, 5 Scrolls of False Life, 2 scrolls of Vampiric Touch
Task: The Magus has asked you to locate the site of the Adventurer’s Guild branch formerly located in the boom town outside the swamp’s dungeon entrance. Take a basic inventory of the building’s condition. If you find a small, magically warded safe then you should bring it back with you unopened, otherwise just destroy all the guild-related papers you find. Most should be written in cipher, but it’s the principle of the matter.
Last edited by Avoraciopoctules on Fri May 30, 2014 4:21 am, edited 4 times in total.
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Post by Ikeren »

I really wish I was playing in your game. This continually sounds totally awesome, and I'm loving the campaign log.
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Post by Avoraciopoctules »

Ikeren wrote:I really wish I was playing in your game. This continually sounds totally awesome, and I'm loving the campaign log.
Thanks! I'm having a lot of fun with the game too, it's a lot easier than the ways I've tried running sandbox games before. At the moment, we've actually done a timeskip and switch of MC after both of the PC nations stabilized. Akula's running right now, and he's working on another update to post. I'm just writing supplementary material like the agenda tables for now.

In the meantime, I've actually gotten pretty interested in trying a TGD forum game again. I'm going to be trying a few things differently this time around.

Here: http://tgdmb.com/viewtopic.php?p=391953
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Post by Avoraciopoctules »

Looks like we have a new major religion!

Minderhal (LN)

Ages past, Lich King Saul sponsored the church of Minderhal as his state religion. Minderhal is an earth god, lawgiver, and possess a duality as creator/destroyer. His portfolio includes Creation, Justice, Giants, and Strength. The numerous slaves within his old empire worshiped Minderhal in the hopes that the Lawgiver's justice would save them from being brutalized by their masters or getting dissolved by Saul on a whim.

Saul decided to impose a new state religion upon his empire one day, but he had some trouble at first. See, his nagakin were guaranteed freedom of religion, and the Water Druids made up most of his public and secret police force. All 70 of his new Minderhali subjects were opportunistic social climbers, spies, or both. He needed some way to give his pet church a shot in the arm, so its growth rate at least approached that of the World Serpent or wasteland druidism. And then his high priest found some gnoll slavers who preyed upon outlying Pyretown farms, and Saul had a Brilliant Idea.

All of the slaving scum who would be murdered in the streets of Pyretown, the Ogre Mountains, or indeed the Caliphate (where slaves have more rights than poor citizens, and are generally a status symbol of the very wealthy. Plus the Janissaries.) need not huddle in dungeons away from the light to ply their trade. They can come to Saul. They have a friend in him. He'll do some vague background checks to make sure that no ambassadors from his neighbors demand someone's return, and levy some taxes, but other than that they are free to buy and sell. Slaves have no rights, even if they are barbarian tribes a few miles off of Saul's nebulous wasteland borders who got kidnapped 2 days ago. This is just what he needed to make the Church of Minderhal great.

See, nobody can be born a slave. Instead, when the children of slaves are born the church is required by Saul to say "your children are ours now", and tear them away from the screaming parents to indoctrinate as new Minderhali. Plus, the church of Minderhal gets 10% of all slaving tax revenue. Now the ambitious backstabbers and spies have had a huge amount of money and people to brainwash dumped in their laps by Saul for nebulous, praise-Minderhal! reasons. Lots of people want in on the church now because of the money and maybe a chance to rein in the worst of the flesh markets that have caused all Saul's neighbors to drop closer to outright hostility.

Well, except for the All-Devourer cultists. They love Saul. He has allowed them to escalate human sacrifice to an industry. Unfortunately, Saul has declared that he Must oppose the All-Devourer on dozens of occasions, so the demons offering him fealty and singing his praises as they perform atrocities are a total embarrassment. Most of the independent tribes that don't now fly Saul's flag have been raided to a point approaching genocide. Many have grudgingly joined with the Caliphate, and now worship the Lord of Light instead of their ancestral small faiths.

Slowly, Minderhal's presence begins to seep into the people who offer him praise every day, as well as the children who have been taught that Minderhal's way is the only way (these children come in 3 flavors. Spoiled rotten, traumatized and terrified, or fanatical and close-minded. One of the 3, or a mix). The now expanded church begins to consider leveraging its wealth and power for more than decadence and embezzlement. And dozens of different factions begin to argue over what the true Way of Minderhal is. Each of the new factions has a covetous eye for the seat of High Priest. Saul may have appointed a high priest, but now the position matters and he will have to struggle hard to retain it in the face of the constant challenges he'll face when he returns from adventuring.

Perhaps surprisingly, the currently-leading aspirant high priest is a reformer and a pacifist. They claim to be a prophet, gifted with insight by Minderhal to lead the church into a new age. This "prophet" has planar ogre and ethnically Salt Druid followers who can heal without spellcasting, and he has performed quite well in the ceremonial carnival games where Minderhali test their might. In addition, he shows enough political savvy to keep the merely decadent as opposed to fanatical Minderhali clergy appeased. Though the new prophet honors King Saul, he condemns the flesh markets that have made both church and nation rich. Perhaps reform looms on the horizon. And it will be difficult to suppress with mere violence.
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Post by Avoraciopoctules »

Archmage Noelle's Edhenists find themselves in a strange new world, their only knowledge of Aran coming from generations-old records. It is fortunate indeed that some of their capabilities can be adapted for survival in this new environment. Drow, Duergar, Grimlocks, and Mongrelfolk have all managed to find a place for themselves in spite of the alien sun that sears their eyes and burns their skin.

Since their escape from the bowels of the All-Devourer, the Edhenists have scattered throughout Aran, integrating into states that value the knowledge their fleshwarpers bring and settling in All-Devourer tainted areas where they have enough security to grow flesh-trees, symbiotes, and even new people in their most advanced fleshwarping tanks. By inducing controlled All-Devourer mutation a person can become enough like the Great Enemy to avoid assimilation or uncontrolled mutation. There are risks, and also crazies who go too far in the hopes of more personal power and command over actual All-Devourer spawn, but quarantine and exile have been enough to keep them from dragging down the Edhenists so far. Presently, a loose confederation links 6 groups, and there are a few others that have spun off into other groups and broken contact.

Reclaimer's Tooth:
The heart of the Edhenist movement, where the survivors of the great exodus broke out of the demonic flesh markets in the Shadow Plane and sealed the portal behind them. They found themselves in the remnants of a demon lord’s mountain fortress, stormed by the Caliph’s Janissaries a couple decades ago and now populated mainly by scavengers. After clearing out the hazards and taking stock of their situation, the Edhenists decided to restore the citadel, making it a bastion where they could retreat to if necessary or use to store their greatest treasures.

The high priest Chaz-Argahl commands the mountain citadel, seconded by a clerical Drider named Johysis. Most of the hundred-odd denizens are drow and grimlocks, who care for the flesh-trees the Edhenists brought with them and replanted, maintain administrative records and libraries, and keep in a state of military readiness in case demons attempt to breach the wards they have placed on the 3 dimensional portals within and under Reclaimer’s Tooth.

Frogwatch:
These Edhenists have fully integrated with the boggard tribes of the marshes and forests east of the Accursed Kingdom. They defer to the grand chief of the boggards and a surface elf who has healed the sick for generations as leaders, and practice worship of the Frog Lords along with maintaining sacred Edhenist groves. The duergar and mongrelfolk are easily outnumbered by boggards, but even including the amphibian humanoids Frogwatch’s population barely exceeds a thousand.

Fort Eclipse:
Lich King Saul has twice now driven a hezrou Demon Lord from the vast corrupted swamp within his kingdom. The second time, drow offered to help him drive out the demons in exchange for a little gold and the right to establish a fortress within the swamp where they would keep the taint of the all-devourer from spreading out of control. Fort Eclipse is a heavily defended settlement where fleshwarpers practice their art at full potency. Though they maintain military readiness, overtures are being made to some of the hezrou's abandoned followers to convert from outright worship of the All-Devourer to the Edhenist path.

Most of the next generation of drow and duergar is being grown in heavily protected tanks deep within Fort Eclipse. Grand Fleshwarper Arcavato is the unquestioned master of Eclipse, and has long experience bringing new generations to life to fill the shoes of those lost to attacks by demons or All-Devourer spawn. Arcavato spends most of his time focused on fleshwarper experiments, however, and day-to-day command duties are commonly left to the wizard drider Mirrendier.

Wasteland Reclamation Initiative: Fleshwarper Division:
When Archmage Noelle paid a diplomatic visit to Phosginatorax, the Green Wyrm of the South, the drow made a very tempting offer. Phosginatorax had assembled a whole nation-state around the idea of bringing back the old forests of the Accursed Kingdom before she realized that the taint of the All-Devourer made the idea foolish at best. Now she had to find a new great mission to occupy her people before a crisis of faith eroded her powerbase. Noelle promised a chance at making the old dream practical again.

Edhenist fleshwarpers had spent hundreds of years learning how to engineer life in directions that avoided severe corruption or assimilation by the All-Devourer. They could share that knowledge, in exchange for Phosginatorax’s sanction and protection. The green dragon has accepted several dozen fleshwarpers and their assistants as subjects, though she and her own elven druid lieutenants both keep a careful eye on their pet Edhenist enclave. Phosginatorax has the patience to be very thorough with her safety checks. The closest thing the Fleshwarper Division has to a local Edhenist leader is the sorcerer drider Tyvorhan.

Ogre Kingdom University: Edhenist Program:
The philosophers of the Ogre Mountains Grand University actually approached the Edhenists first about the possibility of adding Edhenist perspective to their multidenominational Pantheon of religious study. The majority of Edhenist mongrelfolk eagerly accepted the offer, along with a handful of other races. The Edhenist reserve in the Ogre Kingdom is open and unmilitarized, but still holds onto distinctly Edhenist traditions and culture. The Ogre Mage Ushitora is very popular with those Edhenists who teach or study at the university, but the majority of the population defers to Ulumbralya, a powerful drow noble.

Archmage Noelle:
Having fulfilled her duties as transitional leader by ushering in an era of apparent peace and prosperity, Archmage Noelle retired from her position as Premier of the Edhenist Confederation. Building pressure from other drow nobles would have eroded away her power if she stayed, but a formal resignation left her in a position of honor and influence. Now she is free to pursue the ambitions that she always restrained because of her responsibilities as Premier.

With her own personal followers, the outsiders she can call in as a Davidean Fiend Binder, and a promise of support from the Twin Cities conditional on her disrupting their enemies, she has all the power she needs to make a fair attempt at toppling a despot in some far-off province of the Barbarian Coalition. She's planning to live the adventurer-conqueror-king dream, with the added bonus of a fallback network established in her talky-talky-compromisey phase in case things go awry.
Last edited by Avoraciopoctules on Wed Jun 25, 2014 2:09 am, edited 1 time in total.
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