Gwaelergoth Circle

soldiers of the Gwaelergoth Circle

 In the Maenedhel Shattering, the Khazarkars were forced to abandon Maenedhel. When they reached the surface, they came under immediate attack by large swarms of insects. These were not tiny gnats and mosquitoes, but giant bugs, giant ants, giant wasps, and a host of other insects that in some cases were bigger than a troll. The predatory types harried the refugees for fifty miles. When they got to Gwaelergoth the bugs became less of a problem. The passage took weeks as more than 30,000 Khazarkars left the deteriorating conditions of Maenedhel. Thousands were lost from bug attacks and disease. The Khazarkars built up their defenses in Gwaelergoth, turning it into a defensive zone that became their southern border. The area was managed by druids that had once tended the fields of their old homeland in Maenedhel. Since they were always under some kind of bug attack, they became militaristic with focused teachings on how to use their druidic art for combat purposes. Over time, these druids became more reclusive, often blaming explorers and seekers of Auhtai ruins for stirring up the bugs and turning them into Hive Swarms.

The Gwaelergoth Circle was established to guard against the bug problem of Hive. Originally its members were only Khazarkars, but over time they came to focus on what is best for them rather than the interests of other political groups.

By the end of the Horgon Era, they had become an independent force of Gulimbor-Hive, neutral to the growing conflicts between the Tragarans, Khazarkars, and the minotaurs. In the Gulimbor Cataclysm, they allowed passage through the jungle to the coasts but allowed no refuge for the people of the Great Exodus.

Studying with the Gwaelergoth Circle gives access to a feat that enhances druidic spells that deal specifically with vermin. This causes spells like Repel Vermin, Insect Plague, Creeping Doom, Summon Nature's Ally (if an insect), and others to be more difficult to resist, the caster is able to better concentrate and more alert to their surroundings.

Khalân's Embrace

Indal'pox, cambion double agent

In the Demon Spawn War, an angelic secret agent named Khalân, serving under Clangeddin, fell to the natural charms of a cunning cambion agent. This half-demon was a double agent, one that remained as such for the rest of the war and was responsible for Khalân's downfall. The cambion Indal'pox seduced Khalân and gathered such intelligence that led to the loss of a battle between one of Clangeddin's armies and those under the whip of the demon prince Ahnuthall. When found out, the damning info passed on by Indal'pox, Clangeddin sent his former agent in chains before the judiciary branch of the Quara'tun Covenant. Khalân got off easy, with Moradin urging leniency (probably because she was a Turkûn-Khâl). She was banished from service under the Quara'tun Covenant. Additionally, all those serving the pact could not render service to her unless it was life-saving. With this sentence, Khalân was in a bad state for she was now trapped between battlefields of demons and angels that were sprinkled across vast areas of Bal-Kriav.

Khalân, dejected from being kicked out of the angelic pact, grew vengeful. Out of necessity, mainly survival, she decided to join a mortal mercenary force that was unknowingly serving the demons. This group ended up being rooted out with Khalân again falling into the hands of Clangeddin's forces. This time her sentence was much worse. Khalân was stripped of her material form for the duration of the war. The records of Khalân state were lost when the bastion Dul-Kiz fell to the demons. The place was ravaged and anything not destroyed in the demon rampage was carried off as booty.

In the Horgon Era, an incorporeal Khalân was found by the gnoll shaman Sadî. The self-proclaimed "spirit talker" used her witchery to detect lost spirits and found Khalân. The spell Trap the Soul was then used to bind Khalân's to a receptacle. This receptacle was then used in the creation of a sentient trident. The magical powers of this weapon named Khalân's Embrace are based largely on Time. This is because they were supplied to Sadî by the then planetar Chronos. This was done by Chronos to spread his gospel among the gnolls that revered Sadî and to crush their enemies with the weapon's powers. The first group of followers to come under the sway of Chronos were the gnoll tribes of the Canines. Khalân's Embrace and Sadî headed up the conversion of these godless heathens and were instrumental in Chronos's elevation to godhood.

Khalân's Embrace is a +5 three-tined iron trident. It is inscribed with distorted images of things suffering the effects of time displacement and aging. It radiates a dull gray aura with ghostly trails of smoke endlessly rising from the tines. The air around the weapon is sometimes distorted, which can sometimes result in a displacing effect on the wielder and anyone within 10'.

see weapon properties

Kizan

covering Orphan Maker Pass

Kizan is a rugged valley in the southwestern tracts the High Wood Country. It has low vegetation with any vantage point give by trees non-existent. The woods on the valley's fringes are spare and often burnt-out. This is done for defensive reasons by Rumaktharga civil defense. They keep the vegetation in the valley sparse, so as to better defend against their bothersome Angrod neighbor. The people of Rumaktharga are by no means short on timber though, when they need it, they head to the Taurquion Tendril southwest of the valley. They cut down large swathes, giving no worry to the environment, because they know that the Taurquion regenerates much more rapidly than any normal forest.

Kizan is a heavily defended valley with dozens of forts and castles. Most of the forts and castles are within cannon and mortar range of a nearby bastion, thereby allowing a fallen fort to receive fire from another. When a fort of Rumaktharga falls, the dwarves set-off demolitions and spike their artillery. They then do a fighting retreat through tunnels to another defensive area, which is not the nearest fort. In this way, a captured fort can receive fire from a nearby fort, and not be taken from the tunnels. The heavy defenses of the area are called the Rumaktharga Defense Matrix. They are perhaps one of the strongest in the realm, and have proved so costly to the Angrods that they have nicknamed the gullies, passes, forts, and other defensive areas with elven names that mean "Suicide Alley", "The End", "Last Charge", "Orphan Maker", and so on.

Synapses

Synapses

Synapses is a very old weapon, forged in the Horgon Era by a martial illithid of Penumbra. It was an illegal fabrication of the time, one using pure psionic energy shaped into the likeness of a sword and giving sentience from a bound and trapped soul. Pure psionic weaponry were feared by the illithid non-warrior types, particularly since these were the types that have long held the power in Suellk's government. After it was made, its maker T'gauld had it smuggled out of the city and sent off-world. The ship carrying the contraband was never seen or heard of again by the illithids.

Synapses ended up in the hold of alien ship beneath the void fortress Citho-Cûr. Beneath this keep, and in the heart of the asteroid was an ancient craft of alien origin. This craft was never discovered by those that built a fortress above it. In the Third Epoch, Crimson Eye came to Citho-Cûr and cleared the place of a danger that had come up from the alien craft and wiped out the entire hold. Crimson Eye plundered the treasures of the craft, looted munitions and void ships from Citho-Cûr and made off with the weapon Synapses. Having gone insane over countless centuries of imprisonment, the sentient weapon was initially useless to its owner. Niras F'veer used psychic surgery to return sanity to the item and took command of a weapon that had never seen combat.

Synapses is composed entirely of psionic energy and treated as a psionic entity. It can be attacked psionically, though with a Will of 25 it is a mentally strong defender. Since it has no material form it is immune to most magical and physical attacks. The enchantment of the item is the wielder's full PSP pool divided by 20 to a maximum of +6.

see weapon properties

Maidens of Poseidon

The Maidens of Poseidon are magical constructs forged by Poseidon in a war where gods battled primordials for the power of Creation. In what became known as the Dawn War, the Maidens of Poseidon guided or acted as captains for ships serving the armies of the primordials. These ships were needed to move supplies and ferry troops over vast oceans, taking them to whatever objective their Primordial Lords dictated. These Maidens of Poseidon saw service again in the Demon Spawn War. When one was found by the demons, it was typically put to use in the same way the primordials used them in navigating the oceans and adjacent coasts. When one was found by forces serving the Quara'tun Covenant (the armies of the angels), it was secured and taken to some vault.

This was done out of seeing that the benefits of using it were outweighed by potentially losing one to the demons - for a Maiden of Poseidon with "her" sea knowledge and navigation skills is such that one of these constructs can save a fleet from foundering in uncharted waters.

  - Snaketongue, from his book the History of Zhut and Crew - "Maiden of the Sea Strider"

Maidens of Poseidon are spread all over the realm, with some active in the navies of empires, or in possession of some pirate leader, lost in the deeps of some ocean, in the treasure hoard of a monster or vault of some well-to-do noble. Each of these constructs has knowledge of one ocean. They know the safe navigation routes, most efficient times of travel, and other things that would require a lifetime of sailing a particular sea - and even then probably only know a chunk of it well, whereas a Maiden of Poseidon knows it all well. Poseidon made 56 of these constructs, with 27 of them still around and functional. Each of the Maidens of Poseidon are different in appearance, but all have one thing in common - they are made of coral and each were made to resemble a female merfolk that had once been part of Poseidon's harem. Some even believe that the spirit that powers the construct came from these slave concubines.

A Maiden of Poseidon is not a free-willed creature. It was built to serve as a navigator for a ship traveling around one particular ocean. It serves who ever takes control of it. As the need arises, such as signaling dangerous shoals, currents, or other seamanship the construct communicates telepathically to all on-board the ship. They have the battle skills of a stone golem, yet are no larger than a female merfolk and light and lithe of move.

- further information on this magic item

Deadspawn

Garn and Deadspawn

Deadspawn was enchanted by Katrana Dumu'loc. When it was finished it was given to one of the top generals of the Black Tide. This general was Garn, former party member of Black Banner and close adventuring friend of Katrana. When the Black Tide War started, she sought to make sure that Garn would be loyal to her over other members of the First Dead Council. She made sure of this by putting a curse on the blade Deadspawn. This curse took effect when Garn fell in the Bone Arrow Campaign. His sword Deadspawn then raised him as an lich and the curse activated making him 100% obedient to the commands of Katrana. When Squad X7E slew Garn at Ebonstar they took his fell blade, yet fearing its baleful emanations, sold it for a pittance, getting 75,000 gold pieces and much thanks from the Relics Department of Outpost Prime.

Deadspawn still carries the curse laid upon it by Katrana. If the wielder dies with blade in hand, they rise as a lich and become an obedient ally of Katrana. Since it is unlikely that Katrana would show herself on Brucrumus, unless backed by a army, new owners of the blade have little worry of becoming her minion.

The blade of the weapon is made of bonebrack with a black silver hilt encrusted with three 5,000 gold piece Lich Tears. One gem is in the pommel and the other two are in Deadspawn's quillons. The tang is inset with a ring of bloodstones and the hilt is wrapped in the hide of a shator demodand.

Deadspawn is a +5 over-sized ghost strike strength sapping bastard sword. Even though it is an over-sized weapon, the wielder suffers no hindrances.

see  weapon properties

Onk'ar Decath

Onk'ar Decath opening on Phlegethos

The Onk'ar Decath rift was created in secret by Asmodeus's most loyal confidants. It was built as a line of retreat if he had a falling out with the angels. He had reason to suspect he would because of his methods in dealing with the demons. In the Demon Spawn War, Asmodeus was for a time the supreme leader of all forces of the Quara'tun Covenant. Even though he was their supreme leader, his war practices on planes like Avernus and those of the Abyss were coming to attention of the more goodly angels and gods. These practices included torture, utter soul destruction, genocide against the demons, and putting non-demon allies in labor camps with often inhumane conditions. Spies had also learned that he was diverting souls destined to the Abyss and redirecting them to Baator where they were drawn into an illegally modified Well of Afterlife. The demon souls that were drawn here were changed in alignment to lawful neutral or driven insane in the process. The insane ones were still chaotic evil, and now in their maddened state too dangerous to keep around, so they were terminated. The sane lawful neutral ones were pressed into service and sent back to the battlefields of Avernus and other battle areas outside of the Prime.

At the time, the plane Baator was lawful aligned and not a Soul Gathering Plane. When Asmodeus became a Fallen Angel, Baator became better known as the Nine Hells, and became the soul gathering plane for lawful evil souls. It replaced Gehenna which had originally been set by Io as the plane for such souls. Io helped Asmodeus in this undertaking since not even Asmodeus and all the magical might of his followers could move the Well of Afterlife to Baator. Io's helping Asmodeus was done out of practicality since the angels and gods alone were not enough to counter the vast demon population of the 666 planes that made up the Abyss. When the work was done of making the Nine Hells the destination for the lawful evil souls, Asmodeus completed the deal by handing over the modified Well of Afterlife that he used in the Demon Spawn War.

 - Melek Taus, contract historian for Asmodeus - "Baator Deal"

When Asmodeus was cast out, the rift Onk'ar Decath was hidden with powerful magic. It was kept a secret by Asmodeus with him eliminating all those that had a hand in building it. Asmodeus used this rift to send agents to Bal-Kriav where they spread his influence surreptitiously. In the Horgon Era, he sent the tieflings through the rift where they built the settlement Kathodrarg. They built a temple to Asmodeus with the mouth of the rift as the altar. This transplanting of outsiders did not go unnoticed by the gods. Athena worked out a deal with Loki whereupon they sent agents into the temple who then planted a Null Mine inside the rift. When the mine detonated it permanently closed the rift.

In the Nine Hells, the rift is on Phlegethos. This side of the rift is still open, but goes nowhere. The rift's opposite end is on Bal-Kriav, in the labyrinths under Kathodrarg. Where the gate opening once was is now a Sphere of Annihilation locked in place by divine magic.