Warlords of Lingusia XI: Covarte, the Young Kingdom

Covarte

Capitol City: Eskarda

King: Bothin Drekarad, King of the Water Serpent

Allies: Andanir, at times, and the Amechians

Enemies: no real enemies, save the orcs of Angharak

Racial Mix: Covarte is dominated by humans, but has a large number of elves, dwarves, Halflings and gnomes in the region as well as some oddities like ogres. The southern Angharak ranges are rife with trolls, and a regional phenomenon called trollborn is not uncommon. Such trollborn are commonly mistaken for half-ogres. Due to an old alliance with the orcs of the Angharak Mountains during the plague years, a much larger than normal number of orcs can be found trading and interacting freely with the region than is normal for other lands.

   Covarte was never an important kingdom, sandwiched in between Hyrkania and the North, Amech and the east. It was a small region of riverine kingdoms that relied on modest trade and went about their business for centuries prior to the time of the Deluge, which changed everything for the lowlander riverfolk. The entire region in which Covarte was centered was located along the main stretch of water-level marshlands and riverlands that stretched for hundreds of miles, all the way to the great Amech Basin, which itself was a vast expanse actually located below sea level.

   Within a matter of two to three centuries the entire region turned at first from a wetland in to a region of constant flooding. The entire region was eventually underwater, and the Covartans, ever the pragmatic lot, moved to what used to be the highlands along the north mountains and settled in new homes along the flooded region. In the interim, the entire Amech basin had once more flooded, as some believe it had long ago, before much fo the world’s water had become trapped in glacial ice at the edges of the world.

   Covarte’s people survived during the Plague of Unarak by taking to the highlands as a place of refuge. Curiously, they made brief but meaningful alliances with the orcs and other monstrous humanoids of the Angharak Mountains to aid one another, insuring that everyone survived the plague of undead that swept through the land. Other Covartans survived in boat villages and on islands as the then still-flooding waters had not yet flooded the whole region. Enough Covartans lived to tell many an interesting tale of those dark times. They are also mindful of the fact that virtually all of the eastern kingdoms in the Great Plains that they once were allied to were wiped out during this dark time.

   Covarte remains a relatively uneventful place. They worship remnants of the old spirit gods of Amech, as do many, mixed with a healthy dose of new gods from abroad, including the Eastern Kingdoms and the Middle Kingdoms. Their new position along a major waterway for eas-west travel has accidentally taken the reclusive culture of the locals and forced them to become more worldly.

   Covarte benefits from being situated along a major trade route these days, though it has little to offer in the way of exports outside of grains and other foodstuffs. The Covartan merchants seek many ways to exploit possible exports, and on occasion a Covartan king will try to force merchants to use his kingdom’s ports for trade rather than sailing on past to Yllmar. This usually leads to brief military exchanges with the much more robust Enarrion, followed by a new truce and agreement in which Enarrion merchants agree to funnel more trade past Covarte.

   Covarte is dominated by dozens of small towns and villages along the Vurilek Coast. It has a handful of major cities, including Trebios, Isontir, Chamadas and the capitol, Eskarda where Bothin Drekarad rules from. He is the self styled “King of the Water Serpent” after an ancient spirit-god of the land that is a part of almost all the old lore and decorations of the capitol, but whom no one today worships.

Recent History

Recently, Covarte found itself embroiled in a brutal naval war with fleets from the south, forces of Kadantania which claim to sail in the name of the dark god Orcus, a malevolent demon god who's name has not been spoken of in fear or worship since before the rise of Unarak. The bulk of the Covarte fleet was destroyed in a series of brutal attacks and most of Covarte's coastal ports have been under siege, raided, or even burnt and pillaged in the course of several months. King Drekarad has proven too noble for his own good, as he has only begun to accept that he may need to petition neighbors such as Andanir and Enarrion for aid in this fight, chiefly due to the imminent threat that the next major assault from the Kadantanian fleet will be on the capitol Eskarda itself!

Warlords of Lingusia IX: Andanir and Enarrion

Andanir  and Enarrion

Capitol City: Yllmar (Enarrion) and Yvisk (Andanir)

King: Malin Tarmas III rules Enarrion, and he has appointed Arimas Gonn Darspad as the regent of Andanir.

Allies: Hyrkania, Sendral, Octzel, Naminthia, Belladas

Enemies: Hettanar, Golmadras, Naminthia, Crytea, Covarte

Racial Mix: Enarrion and Andanir are predominantly human, but there are almost as many orcs dwelling in the mountains and underworld. The second largest populations can be found among the sylvan elves of the central mountains and the silver dwarves of Angharak. Other notable nonhuman populations include the Terkithyi lizardmen, the Winterbite goblins, several halfling communities, a small but steady population of gnomes and several minor races including satyrs, centaurs and an underworld city of ashtarth dark elves dedicated to the demon god Lamashtu.

   Enarrion and Andanir are linked sister nations, ruled by a feudal monarchy with a council of land owners and merchants as a presiding advisory council. The kingdom is divided in to eight duchies and forty counties. Power is divided between the king and his chosen regent in Andanir (once old Drai’in), as per ancient accords after the time of the Plague of Unarak.

    Throughout Enarrion the chief deity of veneration is Naril, and many lesser gods of the Middle Kingdoms are revered, as well. Worship of Unarak is forbidden and punishable by execution. There is also a strong and ancient druid cult in both lands, dedicated to Zingar, Wolfon and Poltrietie. Throughout the land, ancient stone henges can be found where mysterious druidic rites are practiced. This cult is especially popular with the commoners, the lower class peasants who tend to believe in old Drai’inic and Hettanari ways.

    Enarrion and Andanir are at the epicenter of a cultural clash-zone. The Middle North is where the cultures of the Middle Kingdoms and the cultures of the Northlands have long intersected, as well as those of the plainslanders (such as Covarte) and beyond. In the present era, Enarrion is strongly influenced by the cultural moors and beliefs of the Middle Kingdoms, most notably northern Hyrkania, and it even shares the language. There is still a strong, old influence from the days when the Nordamans and Hettanar conquered the region, however, and this shows most strongly amongst the commoners. There are entire villages and communities in the remote lands of Enarrion and Andanir that only speak the Northron Tongue, for example. Moreover, the older central culture of old Drai’in, the small kingdom of the old era that was annihilated in the Dark Ages when Unarak rose to power and created his vast army of undead, still persists amongst these rural countrymen, including the Drai’inic superstitions and fears. The druid cults of the region are all derived from this adherence to old Drai’in’s beliefs, for example.

   The law in Enarrion is fairly strict when it comes to crime and punishment; theft of valuables from a nobleman can be punished by imprisonment or maiming, and murder is punishable by death. Weapons are not generally restricted in the land, as the persistent threat of orcs and other dangers, along with the legacy of Unarak’s Plague give every man cause to carry some weapon in defense.

   Because of the unique problems posed by the rise of Unarak as a demiurge and the Plague of Undeath that was wrought upon the land eight hundred years ago, burial rites are rigidly enforced, and all bodies must be interred with “rituals of passage” to insure the dead pass peacefully in to the afterlife. Because of the cultural influence of the northerners, it is not generally accepted to use the Hyrkanian custom of cremation to remove the dead, and the northern burial customs are instead adhered to. That said, most tombs are carefully sealed and locked, and when possible (such as with Yllmar’s island necropolis) the dead are placed in areas where, even if they should rise again, it would be difficult for them to get out. 

A Short History

   Yllmar was once an independent city state, founded long ago as a center of trade between the Middle Kingdoms and the North. Over many centuries it grew and expanded and at last became a province of the old Hyrkanian Empire. Amidst its expansion there could be found several emergent cultures, including the Covartans, the Silver Dwarves of Angharak, the Drai’inics and the Hettanar of the north, who were the southern tribelanders of Zarn. The Silver Dwarves warred with the orcs, who after a long war were united by the chaos lord Angharak. The silver dwarves were driven from their mountain homes and scattered in a diaspora across the world.

   Prior to the era of the Long Night and the Dark Ages, Yllmar’s history was one of periodic invasion and succession. Drai’in became its own kingdom, the Hettanar were part of the Nordaman Empire for a time after being conquered during a period when the Nordaman even sacked and pillaged the Emerald City of Hyrkania’s capitol itself. Throughout all this Yllmar prospered.

  During the Long Night a powerful necromancer arose named Unarak. His forces rose up in the east from the cruel kingdom of Starthias and swept across the continent. The conflict brutalized the Middle North, and Drai’in as a kingdom fell in to disarray. Hyrkania was no longer a united empire by this time, and no help was forthcoming. It was thanks to the brothers Enarrius and Andan that a reisstance was mounted, and the various tribes and cities were united under their banner. Yllmar, though sacked and pillaged by the undead horde, was eventually freed. When all was over with, Unarak was imprisoned, though his closest allies later sacrificed themselves to grant him a spiritual ascencion to godhood. His armies, however, fell after his physical form did, and the undead plague was driven from the land. The brothers united the western and eastern peoples and began to rebuild.

   Over several centuries it became evident that the world was warming, and the polar ice caps of the world broke asunder and flooded the coastlands and low-lying regions of Lingusia. This was especially noticeable in Yllmar, where much of the land stretching from west to east to the great Amechain Basin was dikeland, below sea level.  In a matter of years this land was engulfed in rising flood waters that eventually turned in to a never ending torrent, an expanding river delta that turned in to a greta lake and then a small sea. Amech, beneath the sea level, was flooded, creating the new Great Sea of Amech. In turn, land-locked cities such as Yllmar became beachfront property, and the old dike and swamp lands of the region were no more.

   After this long period of renewal, the city itself and its lands were revitalized by the new trade opportunities opened up. Yllmar became a sea port, and it’s old lower city, now engulfed in water, became the bay over which the new city grew up around. Trade became brisk with the scattered islands and the surviving cultures in the Amechian region, and the eastern kingdoms, of which Naminthia had become most prominent. The two founding heroes of the new land had since passed away, and the realm was now known in their honor, as Enarrion and Andanir. It became a tradition that the king would reside in Yllmar and rule western Enarrion, and his most trusted ally would be granted regency of the east, in the darker lands of Andanir.

Recent Events

   Over the last five centuries, a few major events have happened of note:

·         Several major orcish invasions have been mounted from the Angharak Mountains, which had been seized and retained under Andan’s reign in the east, along with the founding of the city of Tamilias. The orcs, unable to unite under a strong leader as of yet, have failed in these attempts to expel men and the returning dwarves to their lands.

·         Covarte has developed as a sea kingdom as well, and now competes fiercely and sometimes with the use of military force against Enarrion.

·         The Hettanar tribes have reunited on two occasions, and posed a threat as an invading force as recently as a decade ago. So far Enarrion and Andanir have repelled any concerted invasion attempts, although Hettanar raiders are a constant threat.

·         Very recently, roaming groups of undead have appeared out of nowhere, and rumors of the rise of the cult of Unarak, now revered as a true god, have begun to emerge. This has led to a paranoid crackdown on any strange cults, and a fierce determination to destroy any undead in the land. The Silver Blades and the Walkers of Final Night have been looking for old barrows and ancient burial lands from the past, to unearth and excavate them that any undead within may be put down.

Orders and Groups of Enarrion and Andanir:               

The Esoteric Order of Warenos

   The venerable order of knowledge and magical teachings has stretched as far north as Enarrion, with a small estate and institute of learning on the outskirts of Yllmar. The Esoteric Order serves as both an institute of teaching for wizardry and a temple to the demiurge or magical lore. The elder magian of the order is Lord Quarios, a man of Naminthian descent, who has resided here for two decades. He is a member of the Order of Twelve, as well.

Knights of the Northern King

   The venerable knights of the Northern King are a long-standing militant order that swears direct fealty to the standing king of Enarrion, a servitude that goes back to the founding of the kingdom after the Plague of Unarak eight centuries ago. The knights were one of several orders that grew out of that time, a band of men who stood fast against the tide of undead that overwhelmed the land.  The knights are about one hundred strong, and spread through the forty counties of Enarrion. Their main headquarters in the Hall of the Northern King in Yllmar, and they have a private fortress located in Skymantle, where Darton Gonn Severus, highest member of the order presides over his men and protects the city in his duchy.

Templars of the Sun

   The principle temple of the sun is located on the island of Sol’Dranir in the city of Atarios, which rests beneath the spire of the Star Mount. At the high peak of the Star Mount is the fabled ancient Tomb of the Sun Lord Naril, the ancient solar god that was once the patron of the old Empire. The Templars revere Naril, and seek to defend the lands of Enarrion and Andanir from evil. They are a sworn military order of paladins and clerics who carry on a variation of the Hyrkanian Solarian Knights from the era of the Empire, and both protect and maintain the Temple of the Sun on Star Mount as well as battling the forces of evil and chaos wherever they may find it. Their leader of the high lord Dalan Gonn Stromerik, ruler of the duchy of Sol’Dranir.

The Hand of Set

   Working a three-way secret war between the rival Servants of the Shroud and the extremely secret and profane Servants of Unarak, the Hand of Set conspires to gain power through the dedication of the land’s highest agents. Unbeknownst to most, the Regent Armias Gonn Darspad of Andanir has been swayed to the belief that his aiding the Hand of Set will grant him the rulership and power he desires. His interest in the cult has let the port city of Yvisk where he rules turn in to a breeding ground of cult activity, and serpent men are rife in the region. The high priestess of the order in Yvisk is the half-serpent woman Ytharra Thane, a witch of the highest order. Her chief enforcer is the dreadful Tarnak Bloodfang, a setite vampire.

Servants of the Shroud

   The mysterious cult of the umbral goddess Phaedra, the Servants of the Shroud work secretively to secure a strong following in Yllmar, and to undermine the throne. They are backed by the traitorous nobleman Kaligos Gonn Trestor, who seeks the throne for himself. The high priestess of the cult is the gorgon Silaernas.

Nightfire Thieve’s Guild

   The oldest and largest thieve’s guild in Yllmar, named after the “nightfire” affect of the Northern Lights. Managed by the notorious thief Tarn Danaros and his gnome enforcer Trignaspar. The best thief in the city is the half elven woman lady Shar Trineste, the chief enforcer for the guild.

Silver Blades

   This is a society of rangers who specialize in hunting down the Orcs of Angharak. The leader of the Silver Blades is the silver elf Sydiratta Thyndalien, and her right-hand man is the reformist ashtarth Enarythen Mandyrkaz. The principle center of operation for the Silver Blades lies in the heart of the Shadowsfar Mountains, in Castle Remargas. The Silver Blades answer directly to the Regent of Andanir.

Walkers of Final Night

   This is the cult of Death, a handful of members who are dedicated to hunting down the last undead from the Plague of Unarak. The High priest of the cult in Enarrion is the old templar Galtos Zern, who manages the Temple of the Nameless One at the southern end of the Greyfire Mountains.

Warlords of Lingusia X: The City Port of Yllmar

City Site: Yllmar

Population: approximately 152, 000 urban residents; another 100,000 rural population

Demographics:     Humans                    133,760

                                Elves                        8,208

                                Dwarves                  5,803

                                Halflings                 1,820

                                Half elves               910

                                Gnomes                  728

                                Half orcs                 268

                                Orcs                         139

                                Naga                       182

                                Other                      200

Rulership: King Malin Tarmas III, queen Sirtes Arinir-Tarmas

Coinage: standard coinage of the Middle Kingdoms

Religion: Chief god of the city is Naril, followed by temples to Phonatas, Khovaris, Warenos, Hodon, and Zingar. There are local secret cults to Set, Belphegor and Unarak. Shandrigar has a shrine along the waterfront. The mysterious temple of Etah can be found near the city gates. There are two dozen minor cults in the city, neither recognized nor approved by the state religion of Naril or the king. There is also a Temple of Death in the Old City Necropolis.

Standing Militia: 32,000 troops can be mustered from local and county forces as needed; standing garrison of 2,400 men in the city, with 1,000 men assigned to city watch.

Areas of Yllmar:

The Gorgon’s Respite

   This is a famous adventurer’s tavern and inn, run by Stados the Dwarf. The tavern is reviled by the Servants of the Shroud, who have tried to burn it down on two occasions, but Strados keeps four guards on staff at all times. He runs the tavern because he can, as he made a killing a decade ago while pillaging the Caverns of Chaos, and has no need of further wealth. Beneath the Respite is a small dungeon he has been working on as a side project for several years, including a secret passage in to the sewer region. Strados has a gorgon’s head in his private collection in this dungeon, that of the lady Graethys, who was sister to the high priestess of Phaedra (and the reason the Servants of the Shroud despise him so). Strados himself is curiously immune to petrification, although he has a stone hand to show how it almost got him after he slew Graethys. Strados also often employs local adventurers for curiosity quests, sending them out to retrieve ancient trophies for his dungeon of curiosities.

The Royal Crown Inn

   This venerable establishment is managed by the merchant lord Arados, who took the name from an ancient franchise that functioned long ago in the era of the Hyrkanian Empire. Arados charges steep prices and his customers expect it. He offers consorts and has a clean private bath house. He also runs a service of hired blades on the side for those needing protection on the fly. The Royal Crown Inn is popular among foreign merchants and locals looking for a treat. There is a dress code, and anyone underdressed is evicted or required to pay for proper garb.

 The Northern Star

   This is a famous rowdy tavern and inn, run by lady Terimishka Thay (a sylvan elf) and serves as a front for the Nightfire Thieve’s Guild. Beneath the Northern Star is one of the chief hideouts for the guild, providing a safe house for thieves on the lam. Terimishka Thay collects monthly dues as well, and serves as the chief book keeper for the guild.

 Port District

   Yllmar has the largest port in the Middle North, with foreign quarters for Belladas, Autrengard and the Middle Kingdoms alongside a large shipyard, an extensive warehouse district and an impressive indoor bazaar. Although the region is fairly temperate, the fierce winter storms make the indoor nature of the bazaar appealing to foreign merchants from the warmer southern climes. The Port Master is Yom Scaddor, an older man of pure Yllmarian descent who is professed to be immune to bribes, although he is on the take from the nightfire Thieve’s Guild and several smuggling rings.

 The Sea Palace

   The Sea Palace is an immense and ancient fortress on top of King’s Hill, overlooking the entire bay and city. This is a two-thousand year old castle, and is said to contain dungeons seven levels deep in to the earth. The king lives here, surrounded by his garrisons and attendants. A private road leaves the northern section of the fortress and goes straight to the Royal Hunting Grounds.

Thrane’s Bath and Smokes

   Tjis opium den and and bath house is run by the half-troll Thrane. The complex is a place of meeting for many unscrupulous souls, but is higher end and often used by nobles and merchant lords as well.

The Ember District

   This is the shanty town of the east quarter, stretching from the docks to the perimeter of the city. Ember is called such for the many times it has burned to the ground, leaving only charred embers. This is a maze of buildings used for thievery and shady deals, and also contains the bulk of the poor populace’s housing as well as being the center of the kobold plague.

The Temple District

   Centered around and radiating out from the Temple of Naril, over two dozen lesser temples and shrines can be found here, dedicated to a myriad variety of gods.

The Sewers

   Emptying out in to the bay, the sewers are an ancient construct of Yllmar from its oldest days. A special group commissioned by the king called the “City Drainage and Waterworks Engineering Guild” is in charge of the sewers. They are partially handymen and custodians, mixed with dedicated professional soldiers, since the sewers are so notoriously deadly. That said, they take pride in their job, since Yllmar’s sewer system dramatically reduces disease and contaminated water issues in the city proper.The sewers are partially flooded, but some key details can be found, as follows:

• The Temple of Unarak can be found in the sewers
• Several entrances to the sewers connect to both the Underworld and to the dungeons beneath the Sea Palace
• A massive warren of kobolds led by the kobold known as the “Fisher King” is located here
• A key passage to the dark elf city of Goz’hadra leads from the sewers

Old City Necropolis

   Most of the Necropolis is located on the Island of Old Yllmar, nestled about a quarter mile out in the bay, where the ruins of the old lower city can be found, where they were long ago engulfed in the deluge. The island has turned in to a popular burial ground, and the many abandoned buildings and structures have been refurbished in to catacombs and tombs. There is still a small village on the island, although most who dwell there make a living on the necropolis, or stand watch against any undead incursions.

Chateau Dumarin

   This coastal keep, located a mile west of Yllmar is managed by the mysterious Lady Silaernas, the gorgon who is the high priestess of Phaedra and second in command of the Servants of the Shroud. Few know much of her; she is believed by most to be a reclusive, aging widow with a fondness for statuary.

Warlords of Lingusia VIII: The Fire Knives

The Fire Knives are one of the oldest and most persistent villain organizations in my campaign. As such much of their history has translated from one era to the next, but the core conceit: an elite order of dedicated assassins who revere a god of killers with utter dedication remains consistent throughout the ages.

The Fire Knives

   The Fire Knives (also known as Flame Knives) have long served as the secret assassins and cultists of Haro, the ancient betrayer god, and have remained so to this date. Their cult is indomitable and persevering, and even the grand purge of 1110, during which the king Edelaird of Hyrkania sought to destroy the cult was unsuccessful, for the Fire Knives simply disappeared for a time, only to resurface when once again their dark deeds would prove most nefarious and profitable.

   Among the sundry cults and guilds of assassins spread throughout the world, the Fire Knives have remained the most secretive and formidable. Steeped in an ancient tradition of lawless honor, entropic sorcery, and an unyielding dedication to the dreadful mercenary god Haro, the Flame Knives have existed for at least as long Hyrkania has been known by such a name. The origins of the cult are shrouded in mystery and only the eldest, most vile members of the cult are privy to the unwritten tales of their sordid past. To be a Flame Knife is to embrace evil, and to take sides only with your self. Even one’s own allies are considered fodder for the ultimate goal of seeking the divine favor and ascension promised by Haro.

   Those who have investigated this cult know some facts, and most successful entry level members of the Fire Knives also know such facts. It is known that the Fire Knives have hidden guilds within five major cities of the Middle Kingdoms (Capitol Octzel, Eastonia, Hyraphon, Saddikar and Hyrendan) as well as open recognition and acceptance in Golmadras. It is known that the Flame Knives are affiliated, at least peripherally, with similar Eastern cults from as far away as Al’jhira, based on the similarities of their prayers, rituals, and mantras to such other groups. The Flame Knives revere Haro with a fanaticism that precludes meaning in their own existence, but among the fodder a select few seem to be granted visions, in which it is made clear that their true purpose is mercenary, self-serving, and that they are to be the true guiding minions of Haro's will.

   What, however, Haro wishes is often confusing. For example, while he was long believed by the forces of order to be a chaotic deity prior to the Reckoning, it was in fact Haro who betrayed his own brothers of Chaos and caused the collapse of the eons-old conflict between the primordial forces. He did so, however, because of the obvious power gap that was created in the wake of the Reckoning, and his cult grew ever stronger as a result. Today, many greater Devonin (demonic beings) and demiurges are now subservient to him, and so therefore are at the beck and call of his mortal cult.

   Flame Knives are all about the conquest and subjugation of the world through fear, murder, and capitalism (raw, unchecked capitalism). Many Fire Knives are mercenaries, merchants, and con men of a wide variety. A smaller number are mages, professional assassins, and some even rank among nobility. All believe unerringly in the cause of their illuminated assault on the world, and the secret propagation of fear and chaos as the true means of control in society. All of them selfishly believe that they and they alone, will ultimately be granted favor from Haro and elevated to the rank of spiritual soldier or even avatar at his side. This is a cult of evil, and should be exterminated by all who oppose such malevolence.

   Some of the most famous Fire Knives include Cassius Augustus, the undead warrior summoned back from the days of yore to serve Haro as an assassin among assassins, and Lord Celiobantes Astiriate, considered one of the elite Elders, and high lord of the guilds of  Northern Hyrkania. A few suspect he is one of the Ten Who Rule. The House Astiriate has several well known younger agents in the ranks of the order, who are feared by all.

   The Fire Knives have an ancient symbol, which varies only slightly from one region to the next. It is always of a shield, upon which is depicted a starscape showing the chief constellations of the Huntsman and the Wolf in highlights. Crossing the shield are a flaming bow and dagger with jagged edges. If the symbol is to be seen as a warning or threat, then the weapons are placed in front of the shield. If it is used as a secret sign or reflects safety, then they are placed behind the shield. All Fire Knives learn a kind of Thieve's Cant, which is comprised of sign language and a sort of colloquial half-speak intermixed with a clever use of odd kennings to communicate with one another.

   Fire Knives come from all wakes of life. Disciples of the cultic guilds are necessarily drawn from all strata of life, but only practiced, skilled professionals with a cunning and will to use it are granted entry into the inner sanctum. A Fire Knife can be granted such status from a patron of the guild, but it is also possible for a Fire Knife to prove himself so resolutely that he is granted divine inspiration from Haro, and asserts himself over time and often against the will of competitors. Once in the Inner Circle, rivals who seek his status, or wish to take control of the schemes and plans of another will eventually challenge the Fire Knife. The infighting is constant, and only he who surrounds himself with the best lackeys and defenses is likely to make it to the top. No one knows who the ten members of the Elders are, called the Ten Who Rule, and the leader of the Flame Knives remains a whispered mystery to this day.

   Player characters who seek to join this order often do so at the risk of earning the ire of their compatriots should they be discovered, and areoften sworn to secrecy from revealing such membership by the order, even to those allies.

Warlords of Lingusia VII: The Order of Kazdenar

The Order of Kazdenar

   It is said that Kazdenar was an ancient avatar of the war god Hargameth. Chosen by the god of war to wield the Twin Axes of Battle called Caeron and Caelos, Kazdenar was the one who stood strong against the tide of the undead during the Plague Years and united the survivors of the world against Unarak. His followers take their title from the legends of the ancient Emerald Knights of the lost empire of Hyrkania.

   The Emerald Order is spiritually dedicated to the pursuit of justice and the reuinification of the Old Empire. They take their name from the ancient knighthood which once stood as the royal soldiers before the Emerald Dome of the lost city Hyrkan’ien. The order attempts to live up to this ideal, and the ideal of the lost Solarian Knights, who they also resemble.

   The Emerald Order’s knights are founded in Nordaman and Sendral, but they can be found across the Middle Kingdoms. The dictates of Kazdenar are such that they believe they are divinely appointed to act on their god’s behalf in all lands of men, regardless of political demarcation. The order is most at risk when operating in Golmadras, for the sorcerer-king of that realm is especially hateful of their kind (and their god) but outside of that region they are usually at least viewed from a neutral perspective, if not outright welcomed.

   The Emerald Knights are believed to be about a thousand strong, and of that thousand there are several hundred who wander the land as knights errant at any given moment. Most of these knights will at least seek out the permission of local authorities to act against perceived evils or chaos in a given region before doing so (unless such chaos or evil is manifest in the local powers that be!) and they try to respect those whom they seek to serve at all turns. That said, they are more than capable of raising sword and shield in the name of Kazdenar when it is clear they must act.

   Most of the Emerald Knights are warriors of different creeds (be it fighters, paladins, or any other such class). A few members of the order belong to other walks of life, and the core of the order is backed by the Temple of Kazdenar, headquartered in Hyraphon. The Temple of Kazdenar is a much larger organization with more priests on duty than the entire Emerald Order has knights, but those priests show a distinct respect to their martial kin.

Warlords of Lingusia VI: The Etrurian Cartographical Society

This particular agency was briefly inspired by the concept of the Pathfinder Society, and works in much the same way, ultimately: as a vessel by which to transport player characters to where the action is. It's distinct to the Warlords Era:

The Etrurian Cartographical Society

   This Etrurian order was founded by the Regent Allimartos a century ago, with the job of mapping the known world, something which has not been attempted since the time of the ancients. As of the current date, the known world, cartographically speaking, is only known with any accuracy in the Middle Kingdoms.

   The Cartographical Society also caters to antiquarians looking for ancient secrets. They ply the old tomes, looking for references to lost magic, artifacts, or fabulous treasure, then send out explorers and agents to find it. These agents often run afoul of the Esoteric Order and the agents of the Silver Hand, who regard the Catrographic Society as nothing but a bunch of looting antiquarians out for their own good.

   Despite its founding as a mapping agency, the society is in fact a political vessel and very powerful force for mercantilism. The Etrurian Cartographical Socity is mainly sponsored by the merchant’s guilds of Etrurias proper, located along the western shores of the Inner Sea, but it has agency branches in all major port cities. The society has a fairly open membership, as almost any merchant which wishes to take advantage of the order can join for a modest annual fee and gain many privileges which include features as basic as access to the society’s various port resources like their maps, charts and log books, as well as their famous exclusive club restaurants.  Where there is a major port, there is a Society Club branch. Where there is a club branch, there is an Etrurian cuisine restaurant of the finest quality!

   Behind the scenes of the society is a small cabal of merchant princes, most of whom are from either Etrurias, Golmadras or the coastal city states of Galvonar who seek to dominate the international trade lanes of the Middle Kingdoms and beyond. They regard highly successful rival ports, such as in Yllmar, as key competition. Indeed, within Yllmar there is no club house for the society, and membership or sponsorship by the society has been banned by royal decree.

   Because of this bitter rivalry with Yllmar and other key ports, the society has been known on occasion to fund what they call privateering to protect their member ships, and which rivals call piracy. The number of pirate vessels on payroll to the society is unknown but suspected to be quite large.

   The society does have one huge edge over its competition: an almost exclusive trade agreement with distant Tai’Kong of Takkai. Most of the trade with that ancient empire in the east is routed entirely through Society-member merchant fleets, for the Emperor of Tai’Kong long ago took a liking to the Etrurian merchant prince Caranasas, and in fact married his daughter Sitiri. Sitiri is the first westerner to hold a position of power in the east, and her marriage to the emperor of Tai’Kong actually started a civil war a decade ago that has not ceased. Ironically, war profiteers from the Etrurian Cartographical Society have benefited greatly from this, importing arms and armor to both sides of the conflict.

Warlords of Lingusia V: The Esoteric Order of Warenos

The Esoteric Order has taken on different guises....I entertained a version of it in my reboot "Empire Era" campaign which never saw the light of day, but the one which actually manifested (and the original) is scribed below. Back in the day the original version was a faction of priest-mages known as the Order of the White Robes, dedicated to the god of knowledge, Nistur, and Hodon Systalien was the faction's most dedicated servant. In the post-timeshift, post-reboot era of the Warlords, the White Robes have been lost to history, but their mission is continued by the mages and priests inspired by the once-champion of order: Warenos, now ascended to divinity as a demiurge. Warenos himself is an immortal but living figurehead, who dwells deep in the Weirding, the plane of the fey. 

The Esoteric Order of Warenos

   This esteemed but reclusive order is comprised entirely of scholars and priests who revere the demiurge Warenos, once a great servant of the gods in the old era, now successor to the lost Lord of Knowledge. The Esoteric Order of Warenos continued where the old Esoteric Order failed long ago, and it is thanks to them that such fabulous ancient texts as the Idean Codices and the tomes of the Grand Library in old Hyrkan’ien remain intact today for scholars to study.

   The Esoteric Order has three major bases of operation, including the Temple of Warenos in Hyraphon (in Hyrkania), an ancient Monastery outside the walls of Octzel’s Capitol city, and a prominent temple in the port city of Yllmar.

   The Esoteric Order has a long legacy to live up to. Over the millennia each of its chosen spiritual figures has succeeded the one before. As Nistur was the great god of the old Empire era, there was his mortal champion and successor Hodon Systalien. And as Hodon found his immortality taking him to the realms of the divine, next then was the Champion of Order called Warenos, who reluctantly turned over his duties to the mortal scholar and wizard Taramis Vorsain, a half-elf who dwells in Hyraphon today and serves as the leader for the order.

   Every member of this order spends a great deal of time trying to gather lost lore, and to  uncover ancient mysteries. They are very concerned with the manifestation of chaos in all its forms. Because of this, the order is known to employ dedicated and trustworthy mercenaries and adventurers, sending them out to regions where Chaos seems to manifest, in an effort to purge the region of whatever is causing the outbreak.

   Adventurers who become affiliated with the Esoteric Order will usually gain a sponsor, who will seek to establish their level of skill and send them out on tasks suited to their abilities. If the group consists primarily of noncombatants he will send them off to engage in the pursuit of lore and lost history. If they appear to be competent or martially inclined, he will be more likely to send them to seek out locations where outbreaks of Chaos are rumored. Such adventurers are expected to find the beast(s), temple(s) or artifact(s) that are causing the wellspring of Chaos and destroy or subdue them as necessary.  

   Many wizards study under one of the temples or halls of study dedicated to Warenos, and receive tutelage from the order. The cost of membership is steep, but the order will make concessions to young entrants who display a keen talent for sorcery.

Warlords of Lingusia IV: Some History from the Dark Ages to the Present

Continuing my Warlords of Lingusia....an ongoing project, really. I found a couple annoying issues I needed to correct after posting, which is sort of the point of this exercise....to force me to focus more on this work. It's tough having to periodically update and revise a world setting due to dramatic in-game changes perpetrated by players, but ultimately well worth it, some of the best games I've ever run. So if you read this and hear tales about time-traveling agents of Huuarl, some tale of the old timeline involving the Cataclysm, or the era of the Reckoning....know that each of these, and many more, were the direct focus, result or byproduct of prior campaigns and the actions of the player characters!

The Dark Ages and the Warlords Era

    The time after the Plague Years was one of struggle and rebuilding as so many people had perished that entire civilizations lay crumbled and forgotten. Eventually humanity and its kin pulled themselves back up, though every culture was left scarred by the experience, wary of the terrible threat the undead represented toward the living.

   By 3,500 a.w. the world has at last risen from the era of the Long Night and the dark ages following the Plague Years. In this new modern era, the present-day kingdoms of Lingusia are in strife as the old power structures have been shaken to the core. Old empires are long gone, new young empires rise to power, warlords seek to consolidate or expand their power base and no one knows who will come out on top.

   In the present, most men are largely ignorant of the ancient history of the world, as the traumatic events of the Long Night followed by the Plague Years did much to erase man’s knowledge of his long history in the world. It is only through the efforts of groups such as the Esoteric Order of Warenos that the lore of the world has been retained.

   As such, most men and women of LIngusia are driven by a sense of personal empowerment and a desire to forge their own destinies. Most of the current kingdoms of the world are forged by the might of muscle and sword, and the elite aristocracies of old are a dim memory. The greatest forces in the world today are warlords who have seized power, now kings who have inherited it.

A Note About the Lost Histories

   The chronomancers of Huuarl know that the world was once destined for a different future, one in which the entire planet and then the cosmos was consumed by 4,000 a.w., the apocalyptic date of no return. In 3,500 a.w. Huuarl dispatched his relic of time to be used by a handful of brave adventurers, to return to the ancient past in a veritable thanatos gambit, to stop the one action that set all of the events in motion toward the apocalypse.

   The scholar Andrithar had studied much ancient lore, and was readily seduced by the discovery of profane tomes in the name of Slithotep. He had become a student and priest of the dark god, and in time grew to crave more knowledge. Slithotep was eager to strengthen the forces of Chaos and to ultimately become supreme rule of the chaos pantheon, but could not act directly. He bade his scholar to journey abroad, and for Andrithar to seek the means of the world’s end.

   Andrithar stumbled across the slumbering mind of the Kraken, the greatest of the twelve Skaeddrath. There he made contact, and the Kraken was able to send him visions in dream. The Kraken gave Andrithar the necessary clues to find the ancient entrance to his subterranean prison, and Andrithar followed. Once there, the bond was sufficiently strong that the Kraken began to weave a terrifying ritual spell, feeding it to the eager scholar in the form of a spoken prophecy. That spell, once completed, would have filled the enire tome, called the Somes Malificus Oraculum, the Book of Evil Prophecy. With this tome Andrithar would go on to cast the most potent, destructive spell ever known, burning himself out in the process, but creating a series of seven linked prophectic events that would, like cosmic keys, unlock the seven events necessary to lead to the destruction of the prison gates to the Skaeddrath and their terrifying freedom.

   Thanks to the agents of Huuarl, this never happened. Unfortunately, the schemes of Huuarl did not go unnoticed; the vestige of Unarak, lurking in the domain of shadow since his sundering that ended his plague, was waiting for this opportunity, and stole away with the heroes chosen by the god of time to stop the ritual of prophecy. Unarak’s vestige lacked divinity and was but a shadow of itself, but like all undead was nigh unkillable. This vestige  in time, made its way to its mortal self in this era, the young but aspiring wizard and conqueror known in this time as Anharak, freshly victorious from seizing power in the Silver Mountains. There, it proceeded to bond with it’s younger, living self, to at last set in motion plans of a more certain victory…or so it thought.

   One of Unarak’s first tasks was to find the very ancestors of his most hated enemy, the one who struck the blow which sundered him: Thalion, the avatar of the Sun in this alternate future. Unarak’s agents quickly hunted down and killed all of the distant relatives of Thalion’s line, ending the avatar’s lineage prematurely. It is considered a certainty by the chronomancers that much that happened during the Long Night was due to Unarak’s own schemes in this time. Many such actions have gone undocumented, but there are moments where the distinct absence of key figures in history suggest that Unarak has been at work.

   Some of the chronomancers of Huuarl note that it is clear that time has a certain resilience; the loss of Thalion changed things, certainly, but in his place arose the avatar Kazdenar, a bearish warrior who served Hargameth. In the end, it was Hargameth’s blows that sundered Unarak.

   Aside from Unarak’s schemes affecting the timeline, the erasure of the creation and use of the Book of Evil Prophecy led to the expurgation of many legendary events historically. The following is a catalog of those events which occurred in the original timeline, but which are now either absent or happened in distinctly different fashion:

The War of Strife

   This war may have transpired, though the specific details of how and why it came about are uncertain. It is believed, for example, that Xarion was not revived in 2,068, for indeed he may not have perished in a manner consistent with the original tales of the Dark War. Likewise, the events surrounding the restoration of Corrigan the witch-queen unfolded much sooner than in this era, due to the manipulation of the time line; she is believed to have manifested (and lived) much longer, during the Dark War era, as an ally to either Unarak or Xarion.

   There are records suggesting that Bellasko Strallikus, the lead figure in the War of Strife, still rose to power and did indeed lead a fanatical jihad against the Hyrkanian Empire. It is believed by many that this was the first major blow against the Empire, leading to its decline and eventual collapse.

The Fate of the Last Prehunates

   Unarak apparently learned of these three and took advantage of that knowledge to gain his own spark of divinity. Though the events by which he achieved this are unknown, Unarak managed to somehow find and awaken, then capture Eskandar, Diannysos and Zelkarod. Many event surrounding these three happened differently in this new timeline; Diannysos, for example, arose from her remote realm in Chigros to journey the world and eventually discover Nekro’Zahn, the fabled Well of Creation, giving her the necessary lore to formulate a plan by which she and the surviving prehunates could at last destroy the gods in revenge. In the new timeline, this never came to pass; the exact details remain unknown, but Dianyssos is said to have been absent from the scene until sometime in late 2,400 when she appeared as one of the undead shadow gods in thrall to Unarak,along with Eskandar and Zelkarod.

   The prehunates being caught and changed by Unarak in to his divine thralls, perhaps even willingly if Unarak convinced them his plan would allow them a final revenge against the gods they so desired, caused a series of events to disappear from the timeline. Specifically:

Eskandar’s release from the amulet in which is soul was trapped was performed, ultimately, by Unarak and he was not released in the region of Thylanalien as a weapon by the ashtarth of Modra.

Diannysos did not discover Nekro’Zahn, nor did she later concoct the scheme to destroy it (the Cataclysm).

Zelkarod did not unite his companions in an effort to hasten the departure of the gods from the mortal plane in the events of the Reckoning.

As the Reckoning never occurred, the war of order and chaos never ceased; likewise, the gods never departed to the Outer Realms of the Celestial Kingdoms, and thus were not severed from all contact by the Cataclysm.

The Absence of the Reckoning and the Cataclysm, and the Greater Significance of the Shadow Conflict and the Plague of Unarak

   The legendary event of the Reckoning was a time when the war between chaos and order was exposed as a done deal; this may not have been so (for the elemental chaos was all pervading) but the implication was that the essence of Malakor, the first chaos entity, had dissipated and was no more. Centuries later it was told that the Red Dragon Comet would return (around 2,470) and unleash his essence once more, but before that time it seemed as if the lords of Order had at last won. With the Skaeddrath seen as safely locked away, the Orbs of the Cosmos united in power, and the war over, the lords of Order retreated to higher dimensions of existence, far beyond the mortal realm and the planes of reality, to dimensions undreamed of by ordinary minds.

   When the Cataclysm struck in 2,476 it was due to the manipulations of the prehunates at last attaining their ultimate revenge; the Orbs of Existence had been hidden for centuries, and when at last they were found the potent Orb of Oblivion was used to destroy the Well of Creation, which destroyed the power source linked to the planar realms, severing Lingusia from the planes and simultaneously shattered the barriers of the Skaeddrath prisons. The twelve chaos titans could at last awaken.

   In the new timeline, none of this happened. The prehunates were detoured by Unarak from their intended goals, which were themselves only a manifestation of the Book of Evil Prophecy and its dire ritual. Without the ritual spell to prompt the actions of the world to lead to these two great periods of change, they did not happen.

   The net result was that the gods have remained more vigilant in insuring the mortal plane remains intact, to prevent their prisoners, the Skaeddrath, from ever awakening. The cults of the Skaeddrath still exist, but they are few and far between; the world has countless millennia before it before a new crisis could lead to the destruction of the world at the hands of these chaos titans.

In spite of the chronomantic intervention which led to the dramatic alteration of the timeline, one commonality between this timeline and the prior one was the eventual rise of the sea waters caused by the mass melting of the polar ice along the edges of the world. This period, called the Deluge, took place over a century and wreaked havoc on the coastlands of the world, as well as the Island kingdoms of Karaktu, reducing the landmass of that region and forcing the exodus that led to the founding of Golmadras. The exact reason for this transition, once believed to have been caused by the Cataclysm by those few agents of Huuarl who still recall the history of the old timeline, remains unknown.

The Red Dragon Comet of ,2470-2,476

   One major event did transpire much as it did in the original timeline: the Red Dragon is a comet of terrible import, and it has always existed. The comet did pass through the solar system from 2,470 to 2,476, and is foretold that it will do so again in another twelve centuries, as it always has. When it passes by chaos-meteors rain down upon the world, and the forces of chaos find themselves again on the rise. Each appearance of the comet predicts a great disaster; as it turns out, the very seeds of Unarak’s grand Plague came from this comet, and so Unarak, already risen to power as part of his Shadow Pantheon, was waiting for its arrival, to hasten his own dark shadow upon the world.

   The red dragon comet has previously appeared in 1,268-1,274, and before that in -3 to 3 a.w. during the War of the Gods. It will appear again in 3,672. There is already a rumor among some prophets that Unarak, once defeated, will rise again as a new plague sweeps the world at that time.

The Rise of New Empires

   Agasar, Golmadras, Nordamar, Enarrion…all are new kingdoms and empires in their own right. The kings and emprerors of old are largely forgotten, though nearly legendary in their own rights; tales of the Emperor Usyllyses and his successor Gilrad and Phyxillus are legendary to this day. No one knows what happened to these heroes of old, but many tales are told of their fantastic deeds.

The Fall of the Thargonid Empire

   The Thargonids were a potent force of trolls united under the powerful queen Invidia. The Thargonids eventually threatened all of old Hyrkania during the original timeline, but less so in the current timeline. The trollish empire was demolished during unrecorded events of the Long Night, though it is certain that the legendary emperor and empress Gilrad and Phyxillus were responsible. The Thargonid Mountains, though doomed to be eternally monster-haunted, are now the location of the new capitol Hyraphon, of the northern kingdom Nordaman. Here, the Nordaman king rules. This kingdom is a much smaller domain, and consists of the loose city-states of the north, who all still remember their lost heritage as the greatest empire of man.