If we lose the light of Hestia, we lose everything. A world without forgiveness is a world not worth saving. He must not have her. I will not allow it.
- Hecate, 4 Hallowroot of the year 4728
Excerpt from A Brief History of Il Umbral
The people of Il Umbral will not soon forget the treachery of the Tidesage Khadgim Lath, who sought to summon an avatar of the Keeper and bring about the downfall of the gods, nor his defeat by the impossible cooperation of benevolent Hestia and unknowable Hecate, goddess of secrets. The Mistmaw swelled from the south, plunging the island into Hecate’s domain, thereby allowing the goddess Hestia to step from Mount Celestia into the beleaguered city, severed as it was from the Material Plane by Hecate’s intercession. Accounts vary of the events that led to the defeat of Khadgim Lath and the servants of the Dark 6, but all agree that Hecate, who until this time, had never taken interest in the affairs or welfare of mortals, struck the final blow in defense of Hestia, whom he sought to corrupt as he had the city. When the deed was done, the Mistmaw receded, though many feared Hecate would claim the city forever as recompense for her aid, freeing Il Umbral and its people. Thus, it is to her and to Hestia both, that the Temple of Redemption is dedicated, that both goddesses might retain some small domain here, and cast their combined gaze favorably upon us.
So the party might have thwarted my evil plans in the absolute best way possible...and reconciled two goddesses in the process. Hoo boy! Can’t wait to see what comes of all this!
My player party of four contains three (3!) book nerds, so I made some lore to explain why they can’t just buy All the Magic Books.
The printing press has been invented, and was perfected some eighty years ago by gnomish artisans in the Assembly of Free Nations, a sprawling region of loosely allied states. Only a few years after its invention, printing came to the empire of Tarask, where our characters reside. It was imported at the behest of Claudia Cicero, an entrepreneurial, if rather elderly, teacher. In her native city of Catilina she is known as the Matron of Books, and she founded the printing company Scholastic Publications out of a sense of, so it is said, community spirit. The original company printed mostly school books and research projects, next to the occasional vanity project for one of her wealthy patrons. However, she always did keep the technology used closely guarded and it wasn't until after her death, when the blueprints for the printing press were found, that the industry really boomed.
A wealth of printing companies rose up like mushrooms after rain and started competing with each other over dime novels, news leaflets, advertisement posters and more. Soon, they started competing with bottom prices and… other means. For a period of five years, the district around the original location of Scholastic Publications descended into what is now called the Printing Wars. It was a violent time, in which printing companies blew up, people found themselves stabbed on the way to work and many a writer would discover that their mail was poisoned the day after they chose a publishing house. It eventually got so bad that the government stepped in.
The head of the empire's administration, took possession of Scholastic Publications and renamed the company Capital Printing. He then forced all of its competitors to fuse into a single business. The talks that would eventually lead to Cuomo Publishing took a few weeks, in which a surprisingly large amount of entrepreneurs drowned in their bathtub.
That was sixty years ago, and the situation hasn't changed much since. Every now and then a small printing company will start up, either in the capital, or in a provincial town farther away, and within weeks they will come upon some kind of misfortune, be it a fire, a malfunctioning printer or - in one particularly tragic case - an accident involving a kitchen knife and a decapitation. No foul play is ever proven, but the whole thing does mean that there are, in essence, two printing companies in Tarask. Larger regional towns might have a small press, but it will always be an affiliate of one of these two.
Capital Printing is the publisher of the empire and prints mostly books drafted by its many research institutes, such as the Archaeological Society, the Geographical Society, the Scholastic Society (which provides all educational resources for schools), the Military Academy and more. Any edicts written by the emperor or his government, and any laws and instructions that have to be sent throughout the land, can also be provided by this company. Capital Printing has recently started a news publication, The Statesman, that focuses on the many great deeds of Tarask citizens, and the wise decisions of its government.
Cuomo Publishing, then, is a more profit-oriented company. It will occasionally print on-demand, if a wealthy patron wants to distribute their own book and is willing to pay the full printing costs. Mostly, however, it specializes in the kind of literature that can be sold to large audiences. They will publish many saucy romance novels, intriguing mysteries and shocking horror stories, as well as compilations of classic popular plays, Gnomish limericks, or well known Elven poetry. Cuomo Publishing is the company behind the highly lauded Cuomo Almanac, a tear-off calender with jokes, factoids and small prayers on the back of each page. This company also recently started a news publication, The Informant, which seems to focus mostly on horrific crime stories, tales of dragon invasions and the sordid affairs of the wealthy inhabitants of Catilina.
This means that a book nerd looking for affordable literature will mostly find either popular novels, or state-sponsored research. For more niche information, especially pertaining magic books, they will be limited to hand written books or imported goods, both of which are discouragingly expensive, and hard to find outside of speciality shops.
An interplanar traveling caravan that specializes in transporting goods and people across the world and planes of existence faster than anyone else. Distinguished by their red and black fanciful tights they use as the caravan uniform. The caravan is represented by a black dragon that is painted or embroidered on their wagons and banners.
Founded by Skaris Amakos nearly 100 years ago the caravan was created as a way for Skaris to get his homebrewed alcohol from one city to another on the southern continent of Shira. Shira is known to be a place of dangerous beasts and outlaws, to combat this Skaris made it his mission for the caravan to be as swift as possible in hoping to avoid most dangers it would face as well as train its members in magic and self defence. With this plan the Caravan soon became more than just a way for him to transport liquor, and many different individuals and businesses of Shira came to use the Caravan.
The Crimson Caravan became world wide when Skaris’ Grandson Sharut Amakos returned from sea to lead the family business. With his contacts made from traveling the world the Caravan grew to increase its capacity and reach. Now they run jobs across the world and even to some interplanar dimensions such as the Feywild and the Hells.
This needs be covered first as it is the core of any DnD campaign (even more so here).
In my DnD campaigns Players and Player Characters are 2 different entities (obviously). Players in my campaigns are what some nerds would call Outer Gods, incredibly powerful beings that are not able to contact the physical realms at all. That is where the Player Characters come in, they are vessels chosen and created by the Players influence but are their own people. This does not mean a Player Character can over rule a Players decision, they have no free will whilst they are vessels. This allows the Players to interact with the physical realms.
As of current there are 4 Players (thus 4 Outer Gods)
Johnny: Represented as a right hand holding a gold bar, enveloped in a red and black light. He is the oldest Outer God (been in the most campaigns) and also the most problematic Outer God. Player Characters made by Johnny are often very power hungry and often end up as very important in most worlds they inhabit, due to this they also tend to be the physical backbone of the party.
Liam: Represented as a left hand holding a brain, enveloped in a blue and purple light. He is the most faithful to his vessels (plays very in character) and a natural leader. Player Characters made by Liam are often very calculated with their decisions and very perceptive to patterns or themes in campaigns, due to this he tends to be the brains of the party.
Jake: Represented as an open eye surrounded by several different gems and crystals, enveloped in a pink and blue light. He is the smartest of the Outer Gods and the most susceptible to making a deal or signing a contract. Player Characters made by Jake are often very naïve and are more likely to be the emotional backbone of the party.
Ashlin: Represented as a closed eye wrapped in chains, enveloped in a yellow and purple light. He is the lax when it comes to his vessels choices (often clocks out an allows the Player Character to make their own choices) and also the youngest of the Outer Gods (new to DnD and is still learning). Player Characters made by Ashlin are often very quiet and tend to stay out of negotiations.
I will note that while the Player Characters aren't able to make their own decisions whilst being a vessel, it is possible for a Player Character to break the connection between them and the Player. This can occur if a Player makes decisions that are to out of Character.
It is also important to note that the players have no clue that this is the situation they are in. So all the notes that I have about them is just how they are as DnD players. I found it very fascinating to watch them play and cannot wait for them to figure it out.
Doug settled wearily into his coffin. What. A. Day. If the spirit was a muscle, his felt like it had been stuck in a charlie horse for hours. Was it possible for your soul to cramp?
He reached over to his Notestrider and inserted a cassette of soothing banshee lullabies.
"Scree-EEEE-eee AI-AIIIIA ooOOo..."
While Scarlet Moonblood's dulcet screeches played in the background, Doug shifted to find the most comfortable position with his egg. With Halikath. His darling gargoyle daughter. His precious little nightmare-
{cringe}
It was a sensation more than a thought. The sudden unassailable knowledge that... Halikath was embarrassed. Embarrassed in that way unique to a parent-child relationship.
"Good," he said. "That's as it should be."
Doug shifted Halikath's egg to the end of the coffin. He rested his head on it like a pillow, but immediately felt an unpleasant buzzing at the base of his skull. Psychic feedback?
"...waaaaa-HHAAA yee SCREEE-AAaaaah..."
He tried curling around the egg like he had earlier, but something about it felt...
{smothering}
... smothering.
"...KAU-KA-KAUUUUA yeeee-ee-ee-ee..."
"Yeeee-ee-ee-ee," hummed Doug.
Finally he settled Halikath behind his knees, and - feeling no complaint from her - he settled down for a little rest. A catnap, Kendry would call it.
To his surprise, Doug could swear he felt a weight on his hip. It was just as though a young gargoyle were resting her head there, but when he turned he only saw the familiar blue and silver egg. With a sigh he lay back down. The phantom weight returned, and just as he drifted off to sleep he felt-
An account of the Liberation of Kalmar from the invaders of 258
This is an in-world historical document from the campaign I’m designing.
There are many tales of heroes in the realm of Lomedor, some little more than fables, forgotten in a generation or two, some as old as dragons but still sung by bards the continent over. It is not known where this story will fall, as this is still a recent happening – the heroes, having lived, are likely to be around for a while – but it has been deemed wise to set these events down as part of the history of Kalmar.
Copies of this are to be in: The House Archives of Kalmar, The Temple of Nehima (Aederlat), the Ilfresnemin Archives, the Library of Lore (Illfresnemin), the Sashin Palace Library, and others by request.
This document details the liberation of the country of Kalmar, and in particular, its capital of Aederlat. For the edification of readers in a future time where what to us may seem common knowledge has been lost to the mists of time, the following background shall be provided.
That the events here detailed took place between the years of 258 and 259 Standard, two years before the writing of this chronicle.
That the capital of Aederlat had been attacked by legions of fiendish creatures emerging from a planar rift originating in the hills northwest of the city. The army reached the city on the 29th of Tienwill.
That the capital had been ransacked, the royal family brutally executed and eaten by monsters, the realm in disarray, people fleeing in droves but hunted down and slaughtered as they ran etcetera.
That the army valiantly attempted to hold the line, employing many mercenary bands, free fighters, and other sellswords in order to keep the ravening hordes at bay, but were no match for the multitudes of hellish creatures the commanders of the assault were able to call forth.
The heroes of this tale are a small mercenary band known first as the G.A.N.G, upon the humorous pretext that the surnames of the various members spelt out GANG, which was then later modified to Ilryn & GANG, with the addition of the druid Illryn Marenion to the group. The members of this group, now disbanded, are: Tern Garamar; a human from the village of Muich (on the Forest Road, at the borders of the Galadhriel Forest south of Lakeside), the Lady Grace Galahan of Ysnch (on the Forest Road, opposite side of the Elforn Pass as Drustanev), the dungeoneer Maris “Spider” Nord; a halfling from Malen, and the bard Samenel Ashryder whose origins are; to quote the man himself: “shrouded in mystery so mysterious not even I know” “lost to the depths of time” and “a mysterious land far to the north where the mountains are made of potatoes”. Research and the Bardic Collegium admission records indicate that he is from the small coastal village of Daerth, twenty miles west of Aederlat. The final permanent member of the group is perhaps the most enigmatic. Rising above their blood drenched cultural history, the dark elf, or drow, druid Ilryn Marenion. It is not known to the chronicler from whence they came, or how they managed to claw their way out of the nightmarish Underdark where the drow have their cities, and members of the party available for interviewing (which did not include Illryn themself) were not forthcoming about what they knew, but they are, to all accounts, a functioning member of non-murderous and/or evil spider worshipping societies. The same cannot be said of any other drow, and drow individuals are to reported to the local guard, and questioned under the Zone of Truth spell by clerics of Nehima, Erathis, Sehanis, Bahamat, Corellon Larethian, Pelor, or Dele.
At the time of the invasion, the group had been, for several years, making a steadily growing name for themselves as competent, reliable, and thorough mercenaries dedicated to doing jobs of legal and morally commendable nature.
Notable deeds of the party include:
Killing the Hydra of Heart’s Ease; a monstrous creature that had been bottlenecking the water supply for months on end, greatly delaying trade along both the Sashin Road and the Bruingren Byway.
Liberating Underbridge (a town half a day’s cart ride southeast of Malen) from a family of vampires that had murdered the aristocracy and charmed the town into not noticing.
Slaying Earmverael, the Shadowed Deceit, a green dragon that had been terrorising a swathe of land from Eram to Esserin and Builma (small Aritat towns in between Lakeside and Sashin)
The heroes, when the fighting broke out, were taking out bands of sahaguin raiders in Suhail, far north in the Scattered Isles (or, Debris Field to use the common name). The news reached them as fast as news reaches anyone in the Scattered Isles, which is to say, three months. It was already Ente of the year 259 when word reached the ears of Maris Nord. The party were on a long journey, and would otherwise not have stopped at shore for another seven weeks, had they not stopped off at Mercartor at Maris’ insistence to get a souvenir. She returned to the ship, the Kraken’s Fury, and the group promptly cut their trip short and returned to the mainland to start the long trip south. They made it to Seefrei within six weeks, where they managed to find a wizard capable of teleporting them to the outskirts of Aederlat, from where they intended to find and take out the leader of the invading horde, and then proceed to hunt down all the other entities. The wizard enlisted, the mage Silvena Darren, agreed to aid the party in their assault, deeming them on the side of good. She then teleported them one mile outside of Aederlat, from where they snuck into the city under the cover of darkness. The group made it all the way to the headquarters of the commander of the host, who has been posthumously described as “big, red, poisonous, evil, and scary.” The party was sneaking across the roof, when they accidentally triggered a trap, and the paladin Grace Galahan fell off the roof, in the centre of a ring of sentries. From there on, it descended into a bloodbath as the six ran through into the main chamber, formerly the palace ballroom, where they confronted and fought the leaders of the army, smashing the roof and destroying about half the palace in the process, but the druid Illryn, with the aid of the Lady Grace, struck the final blow on the leader of the horde. The group then proceeded to enlist the aid of the clerics of Nehima that had been hiding in the Temple, which was protected by myriad ancient divine wardings. Liberated from the fiends at the gates, the staff present were able to use their scrying abilities to help the party find the front lines of the battle and heal them so that they were able to effectively hunt the entities back to the rift that they came out of and diminish the rift so that it was untraversable. Then, with the aid of researchers from the Isle of Elar, a guardian was constructed over the site of the breach to guard and warn of further attacks.
A notable and noticeable presence during the battle was that of Immare’eshalin the Wave Cleaver, a bronze dragon of great might and wisdom.
After the events detailed here, there was no surviving member of the previous monarchy left to rule, and the Lady Grace and Mr Ashryder had been organising the bulk of the rebuilding, and had shown capability and charisma in doing so, so by default the leadership of the country of Kalmar fell to them. Of the druid Illryn, the ranger Tern, and the rogue Maris, it is not known to where they disappeared after the rift was barred. The dragon Immare’eshalin presumably returned to her lair.
Thus, this document is concluded.
Narratives on the exact legal proceedings of the Lady Grace Galahan and Samenel Ashryder’s ascension as co-rulers, speculation on the thought process behind the intervention of the metallic dragons in the affairs of the world, the nature and history of the drow of the Underdark, the exact nature and origin of the fiendish planar invaders, and the positions and stratagems trialled by the army in defending the towns of Malen and Walding are available the in the House Archives of Kalmar and the Ilfresnemin Library of Lore.
Compiled through interviews with Samenel Ashryder and Silvena Darren.
