The 222

Gimâlthâr of The 222, Wizard Governor

The 222 were a group of mage initiates from the Khirêl Tâmândêth, better known to outsiders as the Arcanums. Each year at the Arcanums, the professors cull the freshmen class. They evict those lacking the skill to progress beyond a Prestidigitator. Those that had the state paying their tuition, are required to serve in the military until they pay them back. This is a very old practice dating as far back as Volgad and an honored tradition. It gives many the choice of not going on even if they have the aptitude for some may want to pursue other interests like becoming a merchant, farmer, or whatever.

In 868, two hundred and twenty two freshmen were blocked from continued learning at the Arcanums. They were sent off to basic training at fort Bânârmôn. They never reached the place, instead being waylaid at what became known as the Battle of Ahi Nute. This battle came about from a sever in the Elemantum Boundry Ward. This gap in the rift allowed a force of fire giants and their hell hound packs to break out into the Indûrbathuk valley. They snuck across the valley, sleeping by day, traveling by night, bypassing all Giruk strong points and utterly wiping out any patrols they came across.

It had been over a decade since the last opening in the ward, so the long period of peace led to some commanders and personal letting their guard down and thinking that the Throne's minions were as good as dead.

    - Îbelkazgôn, from Vol 2 of Giruk Battle Manuals - "Battle of Ahi Nute"

When the giants attacked Ahi Nute in the early hours of 16 War March, the 222 former students of Khirêl Tâmândêth were asleep or awake and preparing for the last leg of their journey to fort Bânârmôn. In the ensuing battle, what they lacked in basic training and arcane skill, they made up in numbers. The battle reports said they concentrated their magic missiles on anything that seemed to be a sergeant or better or showed toughness beyond the normal. Even with their numbers, they could not beat all the attackers with their small allotment of spells. Some of the 222 died from counter spells from enemy casters and tactical uses of the physical mirror spell which sent their magic missiles back upon them.

 In basic academy, you learn of the military tactics of the Artaxerteans and the Flaemeans. This includes things like their prevalent use of magic and battle mages and priests that accompany every Flaemis platoon and shamans and anti-paladins that accompany every Artaxertus one. You also learn that they follow the Thrones and will never yield except to betray you at first chance. The Thrones are what drives them, and they instill an appreciation of and use of magic that is found nowhere else among their kind across Midrêth and perhaps all of Bal-Kriav.

    - Zenîr-Kardas, of The 222 - "Battle Learning"

The 222 saved Ahi Nute from falling. Over the next two days, Giruk forces moved up the valley and reinforcements came to their aid from Izennâte. The fire giants and their hounds were wiped out and Ahi Nute relieved. The only ones left in the garrison were wounded soldiers and those defending them, 42 Arcanum freshmen of what had been 222. They were showered with such praise, honor and respect that they became something of a legend. Of the 22, half went back to the Arcanums to continue their studies and of these two went on to become wizard governors of Tamlêrran.

Progeny of Baltalas

Progeny of Baltalas

It is fortunate for the realms that the Progeny of Baltalas are few in number. In the Dawn War, they numbered in the hundreds, and all spawn of the primordial lord Baltalas. Those that got out of Muspelheim wrecked untold havoc with their streams of lava spittle and a strength that could matched an adolescent Atlas. A dozen of them together could form a bond whereby they had the heat output of a similar number of volcanoes. They could unleash so much ash, smoke and lava as to cook a world. For the primordials of the Dawn War, the main problem with these fiery monstrosities was their dim-wit and short memory. They would turn on their own side in the midst of combat, either out of choice, enemy convincing, or that it being an easier route to somewhere they suddenly thought of going. This made them unreliable except as something to drop off in enemy territory and let it run amok.

After the Dawn War, only two of these creatures have made it to Bal-Kriav. One was trapped in the Demon Spawn War when it was buried under tons of rubble. Geb and Bahamut worked together to bring down this terror which at the time had no name, so Geb named it Kerath after a crazy son of Thyrm. Because of this gesture, it is said that Thyrm became a forever friend of Geb. Kerath became trapped in rubble, and was then chained to the stone. These Kerath Anchors are one of the marvels of Adunamar and in some areas form the basis of passages from around the volcano Kerath that descend into the Underdark.

In 1421, a Progeny of Baltalas came through the Glothreth Rift and wrecked havoc in Glothreth. It then travelled west into the glacial wastes of Igas. This fiery humanoid, towering the height of three titans, required an entire Artaxertean army to bring it down.

Telek Cage

Telek Stalker

The first Telek Cage was built at the XI Institute. It was conceived from theories that a psionic researcher gleaned from Lith-Crillion data. This data consisted of scrolls and tattered books that eluded to the properties of brain fluid drawn from psionic creatures. For those with a backing in psionic lore, the Lith-Crillion were very knowledgeable when it came to weaponizing psionics and penned detailed catalogs of psionic creatures with much of this specialized knowledge coming from The Pure. One of the most well-known items they created with brain fluid is the Sakamân's Kiss. In the Second Epoch, Fihrhirr - master psionicist, researcher and tinker of XI Institute, used concentrated brain ichor from a telek stalker in the making of the first Telek Cage. This device is defensive in nature like a telek stalker, designed to wear opponents down before making a surgical kill.

A Telek Cage looks like a large bird cage. They are uniform in size and composition - all 7' tall and weighting 487 lbs. The cage's bars are made of high alloy blutium wrapped in deep crystal. These bars are mounted to a Nandistike base. The device has no doors or other way to physically step inside of it. To get inside of the Telek Cage and use its powers, one must use teleportation, gaseous form, diminution or similar powers. The device can only be operated by standing inside of it, and by only one mind. If somehow two creatures find themselves in it - then it is a test of minds to determine who takes control and casts the others mind into oblivion. This is three rounds of mental combat that happens almost instantaneously with the loser's mind shunted off into a realm of madness.

see Powers

Rafthurgar

Quickling

Rafthurgar is an oasis of green surrounded by smoking mountains, lava flows, and high geothermal activity. The oldest wood of this forest are Firebrands. This has come about because this type of wood is impervious to fire, allowing it to survive the volcanic eruptions that are all too common across Anubeth. Over the centuries, the firebrands of Rafthurgar have afforded some protecting to the area within it. This has resulted in a lot of vegetation, anchoring of streams and a river, and accumulation of a rich top soil.

The Flaemeans and other peoples make great use of Rafthurgar's timber and other bounties. Collection of the forest's resources is often under the watchful eye of druids and rangers serving merchant houses in Glothreth. They have managed the forest for a little over six centuries. This followed a period of over-use and nearly seeing the verdant area turned into a desert.

Rafthurgar is home to quicklings, nightshades, korred, needlemen, and other fey leaning more to the dark side than the light. The high number of evil foes in this forest is like the land around it, an entire region under the sinister influence of the Pumice Throne. The Throne is not all bad though, since Rafthurgar is said to be a product of it. The forest would not have become a verdant basin without its Firebrands forming a anchor for life in an otherwise inhospitable landscape.

Maenedhel Shattering

Set

 In 9450 GE, a recently ascended Set used (others would say abused) the artifact Moradin's Surveyor to create a race beholden to him. This race was followed by two more, which collectively became known as the Khazarkar. Set made these people in secret, and then sequestered them in the deeps of Maenedhel. This secrecy was necessary because he was using a stolen artifact to invoke the powers of creation while acting as a god seeking followers. This was a clear violation of the growing protocols being established by the higher powers - at least to the law abiding ones. He knew that he was violating the The Khazakars were helped advance in civilization by Furrouth educators. The Furrouth were under the watchful eye of Set's minions and these in turn were overseen by another group to make sure that nobody messed things up for the Khazarkars. If Moradin, Io or some other higher power learned too soon of his people then there was a good chance that they would work together to undo what he had done, but if his people were around long enough they would probably show some compassion and perhaps even see value in having another sentient human race on Bal-Kriav. Later, after word got out of the Maenedhel Shattering, Corellon quipped:

    Another variation of the human stock? Is this gonna be fair to the elves, other races of Bal-Kriav?

    - Corellon, to Set, "Maenedhel Trial"

In 255 LC, three centuries after his artifact was stolen, Moradin tracked down Set and learned of his doings. As punishment, he reversed Set's environmental changes to Maenedhel, leaving an area supercharged with life energy. This resulted in a region where things grow faster, reaching adult hood in a matter of days, but dying a few days later. Before this came about, Moradin and Set told the people of the region what was to happen and they must leave and eke out am existence on their own without divine help.

Perge'khas

Obyrith Deceiver

 Perge'khas is a vast broken plane of un-melting black ice. This unnatural ice is a remnant of a glacier that long ago, rapidly advanced across Gorejun. This came about in the Dawn War when the god Moradin and the primordial Cari'phis battled it out here. Cari'phis unleashed the black ice on Bal-Kriav, where it came to look like a snaky, fast moving glacier. It served as a bridge between the Elemental Chaos and Bal-Kriav with the interior having fortresses and icy tunnels linking them up. The glacial flow was under mental control of Cari'phis, allowing her to guide it across the land at a pace that could see it cross the continent in a few years. Moradin employed a number of measures to stop the advance, the most notable being the Flaming Belt and the Moradin Jetties. These were only defensive measures, for the halting and then shrinking of the blackness only came about when the Golden Seven captured its controller.

 Upon Cari'phis's capture, she lost control of the glacial flow causing it to rapidly melt and shrink in size with the end coming when it bound itself up like a cat.

 It was Athena's decision, much to Moradin's consternation, to imprison her in Denerra, rather than dispatch her like she had done to so many.

 - Ditherra, of the Golden Seven, from the Golden Tablets, "Subdual of Cari'phis"

Today, the part that lies in central Gorejun is locked in place and no longer moves or grows in size. It is bitterly cold to the touch, yet things live on it and within it. Many of those that live here are descendants of Cari'phis's invasion force - ice mephits, frost trolls, frost giants, and ancient bestial creatures that would be classified as demons by most, but are in fact Obyriths.

Perge'khas radiates chaos and evil. This because it is composed of elemental ice infused with evil energies. The elemental ice is stuff of the Elemental Chaos, while the evil energies came from what is termed Threads of Damnation. These "threads" were tendrils of chaotic energy that worked their way outward from the Step of Foundation and then across the 666 planes that make up the Abyss.

Inside Perge'khas are snaky lines of tunnels that circle around towards the center. Along these are ruins and some intact fortresses that were made during the Dawn War and after. The residents of these places and those that prowl the tunnels or raid the lands around are generally evil to the core.

Kezgihr

Kezgihr

In the Demon Spawn War, Kezgihr was a throne archon serving in the Zephyr Talon. This unit was under the command of Silvanus, but since he had many duties in the war, it was often left in the command of his five top commanders. One of these commanders was Kezgihr. The commanders of the Zephyr Talon worked to defeat the demons of Graz'zt invading Ma'Ohari. The battles with the demons were brutal with lopsided fights, assassinations and clandestine operations. These operations were not only to gather intelligence but also to demoralize the enemy. Demon morale-breaking often took the form of mutilation of those captured and consumption of those killed. The demons also had numbers on their side. These factors caused some in the Zephyr Talon to look for an edge. Kezgihr was one of the ringleaders that led to him and one other commander, and four captains becoming known as the Forsaken Six. When a rumor spread that an investigation was going to happen into the group's blood rituals, Kezgihr got paranoid. His fear of being discovered and suffering the wrath of Silvanus was such that he murdered one of his fellow commanders. This was done so that he could use his victim's blood in a powerful spell called Sight of the Dead Walker. The spell proved the rumor false and Kezgihr's actions turned him evil. He quickly fled the company of Zephyr Talon but not so far that Silvanus could not punish him. Silvanus pronounced a curse on him that to live he must drink blood or seek redemption by dying and letting Hades decide his fate. Kezgihr decided to live.

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