Megrlof

Megrlof

Megrlof is a half-submerged giant built ruin. It rests in the waters of Allof Stond, yet this was not always so. Before the Allof Stond War, it was a lake of molten lava and Megrlof was a seemingly impregnable bastion with fire giants patrolling its great walls.

In the First Epoch, fire giants built Megrlof as a base to help guard and spread the lava of Ofli Hrolmir, and indirectly the expansion of Surtur's Artery. They did this in such a way as not to be too upsetting to the locals. For a time they had good trade relations with the Underdark city-state Hlothrabatta and the surface empire Melephaeusan.

Megrlof was abandoned at the end of the Allof Stond War. As terms of the surrender, the city was abandoned; this was not a bitter pill to swallow since the fire giants were none to happy with the cooling of the area from the lava lake Allof Stond being cut-off from its source of lava. On leaving the city, the people headed south to Trelshum and Thrammaer where they split up as refugees among the various holds of those areas.

Bullywug

Bullywug skirmishers

The Bullywug race is an ancient one dating to the Dawn Era. They were created in the Dawn War as amphibian soldiers to dominate wetlands, rivers, and other freshwater bodies. They were considered one of the weaker elements of the primordial armies. Many leaders of bullywug units viewed them as untrustworthy, sometimes unreliable, and at least 10% of them were insensitive to the deaths of those around them. These traits got worse over time, such that by the end of the Dawn War most of them had changed alignment entirely from chaotic neutral to neutral evil.

In some areas of the realm, bullywug will play the role of paying homage to the slaadi or possibly even a nearby dragon. Sociologist that have studied these groups say that they do this only out of their own selfish interests and will eliminate what they one idolized if given the chance. They were so widely used that after the primordials were defeated, bullywugs found themselves scattered all over the multi-verse. Since they were considered a minor threat and possibly even an ally in the Demon Spawn War, the Quaratun Covenant saw fit to allow them to permanent status on the Prime.

Bullywug are limited in their movements and habitats. This comes from the fact that they have to be immersed in water once per day or suffer dehydration. In severe conditions, they have been known to dig underground and enter a state of hibernation. This can last months or even centuries, ending only when a favorable environment exists. When the Nermanis Sea receded and then disappeared, thousands upon thousands of Kazrâ's bullywug dug holes and went into hibernation. Kazrâ became a hot and arid desert - possibly entombing the area's bullywug for all eternity. In the Cinazan Front, one Athirbêni general came up with a plan for digging them up and transporting them to Gimirkazân where they would come out of their sleep and then be pressed into military service. This never came to fruition with the rapid advance of the Horde of Chaos which put Kazrâ far behind enemy lines.

Bullywug are scattered all over Bal-Kriav, with most either where they were left after the Dawn War or several hundred miles away along the path of some waterway.

Crulock Globes

Crulock Globe

Crulock Globes are gelatinous globules of Nature Energy. They were created by the primordial lord Mephirouth solely for the purpose of accelerating the fungi growth around Crulock. The energy of one of these globes covers a 100' diameter, providing sustenance to plant-life and plant-based creatures. Plants in the area of a Crulock Globe grow five times faster, two to four times larger, and provide three times the bounty of any fruit, toxin, or substance they produce. Handling a Crulock Globe is dangerous to any creature but the myconids. This is because Mephirouth made these globes as vessels of disease. Fortunately, for those in the vicinity of them, only touching them exposes one to a virulent disease that can wipe out a community in weeks.

Late in the God Era, myconids collected hundreds of Crulock Globes from the Crulock ruins. Up until that time, no other creature had survived exploration of the disease infested ruin. They carried them to Wyzbrack and over a few decades turned a dark and barren swamp into an oasis of life. The myconid population rapidly expanded under an umbrella of nature energy. This ended with the arrival of the kuo-toa who wiped them out, yet they did not touch the Crulock Globes. It is said that priests of Blibdoolpoolp warned them of agonizing deaths to any that touch Mephirouth's creations. A few fools touched them, resulting in death by diseases that each time were different and nearly impossible to cure.

Patient 1 is drying out. There can be no other fate worse for a kuo-toa. Copius amounts of water and even submersion do not help. Two attendants have also contracted Mephirouth Touch and are only a week behind Patient 1. They are to be netted down in the marsh and left to perish by disease or any predator foolish enough to make meal of them.

- Gragadpon, kuo-toa medic of Dilkuglapgon - "Mephirouth Touch"

Khunwrak

Urd

The Khunwrak hills are in southwestern Nabarzud. Many of the tops of the area's hills hold the ruins, piles of rubble, an obelisk or ancient tower that has been rebuilt or added to. In the Dawn War, a general serving under Clangeddin fortified Khunwrak with columns of rock and towers. These were then joined by chains and netting creating defense against air attacks. This defensive grid was a costly and time-consuming effort, because by the time it was completed, three decades later, sector Narbuzad was securely in the hands of the Nawirrûs Covenant.

Khunwrak's ancient fortifications, in the God Era derisively referred to as Nûl's Folly, were successful in breaking up urd and other air attackers serving primordial masters, yet as previously mentioned, were enormously costly. When Covenant forces moved on to other sectors, General Nûl, son of Clangeddin, and architect of Khunwrak's defenses, was censured for his waste and sent to the rear; far behind the angelic advance. This was done because Bal-Kriav, supreme commander of the Nawirrûs Covenant, was none too pleased with Nûl's wastefulness; even recommending that he be busted down to the rank of mere captain. Since General Nûl was Clangeddin's son, there was an obvious problem with him carrying out Bal-Kriav's recommendation. So Clangeddin allowed his son to keep his rank, but assigned him to the rear for the remainder of the war.

Some of the obelisks and towers of Khunwrak are still around. These places have outlasted others because they are made of concrete with reinforcing bars (re-bar). General Nûl is credited with inventing this construction technique that though costly, makes fortifications and structures very durable and very strong. Perhaps from stories past down over many generations, Nathol's urds still fear Khunwrak and will not pursue anyone that passes into these hills.

Guirfeint

Guirfeint Water Elemental Warden

In the Second Epoch, the course of the river Guirfeint was changed from a southerly route through Kizan to a southeasterly one taking it away from the valley. This new course took it east of the Gakhs and down to Lethiel. The river's course change did not come about naturally. The Rúmil Nénharma changed the course of the river to cut off Rumaktharga's main water supply. The dwarves of this city also worked while the elves undertook the monumental feat of building a canal to re-route a river. While the elves were cutting a canal across the south of their city Idril Séregon, Rumaktharga was digging wells deep beneath the city and redirecting streams and making canals to re-route mountain streams in the direction of their valley redoubt.

Rúmil's workers used the flow of the river to help blast out the canal that would become its riverbed. They also employed earth elementals which were supplied by Geb's Chosen. Initially, the Angrods were against their neighbor's massive military project (as part of the First Kizan War). They seemed to have been convinced of its value after seeing that it stood a good chance of driving Rumaktharga's dwarves back to the Clans and that it would become the new territorial boundary (in their favor) with Rúmil. Construction of the canal through the hard rock of the Gakhs was aided by both magic like Dig and Move Earth spells and with the elementals supplied by Geb's proselytizers. The re-routing of a river and use of earth elementals to tear apart the earth and stone did not go over well with one of Silvanus's cults. After some intelligence gathering Cheldremn's spies learned of an enemy and potential ally in Karnegmoth. Cheldremn turned to the Greenland Alliance for help. The aid they got was a supply of water elementals and water weirds to ward the river once it joined with lake Lethiel. These watery creatures were assigned the task of hunting down any earth elementals or Geb's Chosen that remained in the area after the canal was built. Since Geb's Chosen still has a presence in Taurelin, these water elementals and water weirds still carry out their assignment. Some of them are also employed in guarding the pearl halls of Anglor Hellion. This place serves as the church of Lokestant, built while Geb's Chosen were helping the Rúmil re-route Guirfeint.

Ahnuthall

Ahnuthal

Ahnuthall rose to the status of demon prince from successes in the Abyssal Release. In this war, he never lost a battle with the primordials. His military genius faltered in the Demon Spawn War after being cornered by superior forces under the leadership of a rival demon prince named Orcus. This capture happened in the Abyss during the Demon Spawn War which was enveloping realms of the Prime Material Plane. After Ahnuthall's defeat, Orcus was generous enough to allow him to keep his title as Demon Prince, but must pay fealty to him for 666 years. It is said that Orcus kept Ahnuthall in check by threat of giving out his true name to the angels.

One's true name is a bind to their psyche and essence. If a conjurer gets hold of this then they can draw the creature across planes and multi-verses by various summoning spells. For the conjured this will result in torture by spiritwrack and possibly death by goodly summoners, long imprisonment, used as a bargaining chip for ransom, or as a tool to wreck havoc on one's foes.

 - Sammaster, from his conjuration tome Wisp Summonix - "True Names"

In the Demon Spawn War, Orcus assigned Ahnuthall with the task of establishing a base in Ohtarion. In this sector of the High Wood Country and others he battled the forces of the archangel Clangeddin. After four decades of war, Ahnuthall was driven out of the region. He next appeared in the highlands of Grashakh. He was sent to this area by Orcus to counter the threat of Demogorgon who had the objective of taking it. The opposing demon armies spent more time and resources fighting each other than combating those of the Quara'tun Covenant.

In the Bowkrak hills Ahnuthall tried to bring a demon city of the Abyssal plane Azu'tzor through a rift. This ended in disaster, with weave spiders sealing the rift as it came through. The city broke apart as the rift shrunk in size, obliterating tens of thousands of demons and slaves. Ahnuthall was the only person able to muster the inner power to open so large a rift so he paid the price of testing his meddle against the Web's guardians. There are scant records of the God Era, yet there is enough to conclude that Ahnuthall tried to bring a city, packed with demon soldiers, to Bowkrak out of desperation. He sought to retake the hills from the goblin mercenary general Maglubiyet and himself defeat the demon armies converging on the area. These allied armies where those serving under Demogorgon and Baphomet. As it turns out, the rock raining down from the shattered city weakened Maglubiyet's army so that it was also destroyed. The fall of armies did not end there, because the victors soon turned to fighting each other over the goblin's rich supply train. The badly battered foes did not get rest, because aerial units of Bahamut came in and strafed the area for days afterwards leading to the annihilation of both demon armies. These series of events and conflicts became known as the Battle of Ahnuthall Fall. For the Quara'tun Covenant it was a major victory where they had to do practically nothing but watch as four enemy armies destroyed each other with the loss of well over 100,000 enemy combatants.

Amras Calafalas

Calafalas Beserker

Amras Calafalas is a wood elf tribe in Lerundil. In the High Down War, the Angrods living in this forest suffered exposure to an Entropic Eddy. This made them more chaotic and barbaric - giving rise to some taking the path of frenzied berserkers, wild mages and wilders. They added a darker path to this in the long and brutal High Down War with Eldalweril. The Amras Calafalas became more cold and wicked in their ways until all of them eventually became chaotic evil. Senior seers of Idril Séregon claim that the chaotic emanations of the Entropic Eddy accelerated their descent into evil.

Amras Calafalas is a hostile tribe with foreign relations only when it suits them. They have been known to ally with Rumaktharga against the Angrods and serve others when their employers does not want to get their hands dirty.