Saturday, July 11, 2020
Friday, July 10, 2020
Floivin Province Adventure Sites
Vernal Valley Map
Anwyl's Tomb: The resting place of Anwyl Bellowbroth, who many centuries past wielded the Axe of Dwarven Lords against the death titan Ulan Vhor. For many years, his extended family was also interred at this location in the Skunk Ridge, in a subterranean henge-like structure. Since that time, several adventurers have picked through the Tomb, but none have thorough explored it or the many connected, and trapped sepulchers and barrows that might also have belonged to important dwarves before the Dwarf Lords' Rest was built in the Vernal Wall to the South. There may also remain some hints as to what happened to the Axe once it parted ways with its valorous champion.
Cheeky's Hollow: The caverns known as Cheeky's Hollow lie partially obscured in a hillock set against the wetlands of the Tooth Marsh. It was so named for a criminal who once built a hideout here, and had connections with The Score, the organization of former Sothos Karr slaves who set into motion many of the turbulent events of 868ID. In truth, the place has changed hands many times, from bands of humanoids and lizard men to Last Eidolorn operatives, criminals, drug smugglers, and orc refugees from Sothos Karr on more than one occasion. While it's not the largest or most complex of dungeons, it's almost guaranteed you will find something exciting or unexpected there.
Crowslode: Located in the Southern face of the Vernal Wall, far north of Floivin Keep, is a walled off mining shaft where a substantial operation was once thriving. In the year 764 I.D., a band of over 40 human and dwarven prospectors were killed by what rumors insist was the poisonous gas vents and various natural deathtraps. Few of the remains were recovered, but those that were seemed to show not only signs of asphyxiation or burns, but other evidence of struggle. Regent Goosearm, the 4th to hold the title in the Province of Floivin, sent a team of seasoned adventurers from across the Empire into the mine to see if it was salvageable. When the team never returned, it was decided that the mine be sealed off. The last group of adventurers to risk the place did so 20 years ago, and some did survive, although they did not explore deep into the caverns. The only individuals to venture here today are foolish prospectors with no sense for self preservation, and an occasional foot patrol from Cedarway, checking on the area.
Dwarf Lords' Rest: The entrance to this vast mountainside tomb in the southeast corner of the Crown Pasture is flanked by a pair of great dwarven statutes, carved nearly a thousand years ago. It's a landmark so impressive that the Eidolorn Empire has ordered the team sealed off since they took over the Valley. Legend has it that the entire lineage of the Gnarlbottom clan, as well as their predecessors, are buried deep within the tomb, along with several dwarven shrines. While the 'official' word is that the vaults are guarded out of respect and the site's historical value, some speculate that the Last Eidolorn guard has long since plundered the graves of the kings. Of course, such speculations tend to arrive on the lips of the Gnarlbottom's bitter descendants who remain in the Valley today. The only thing for sure is that a patrol of 4-6 Eidolorn soldiers is found camped about the tomb at all hours of the day.
Floivin Keep Sewers: The sewers serve a vital purpose to Floivin Keep, channeling the waters of the Dimnesse down into what has become Udders Well, and then on out of the Province via Midge Creek and the Pinewater. For many years they were carefully maintained by dwarven engineers until they fell into a state of disrepair, in which monsters and criminals took residence among the various 'districts' of the Sewers. The Stride, a major thieves' guild in the area, once occupied a series of chambers connecting them to numerous businesses and residences in the city above. A clan of kobolds known as the Cleft Eye is also known to thrive therein. There was also a Flood Watch at one point which was both patrolling the underside of the city and guarding some hideous secret, a secret which was removed from the city when the army of undead attacked the Keep just to get it. Most of the Flood Watch were slaughtered, but there are rumors that Regent Luciot has put together a new unit to guard other potential secrets, old and new, that have been tucked away.
Haunted Horrn: High in the Vernal Wall, towards the West of the Valley, and beyond the sheltered community of Hud Horrn, lies a ruined dwarf stronghold which was razed by predators from the depths of the Underdark, 50 years before the Empire arrived to claim the region. This site is very popular with adventurers, who come far and wide from all the Seven Provinces to test their hand in its dark chambers. Through the years, several of the upper levels of the Horrn have been 'cleared', only to restock themselves as more powerful creatures move up to replace the weaker. Though it has been assaulted several times by adventuring groups, it is still considered one of the most dangerous places in the Vale. The Last Eidolorn keeps a constant vigil that the denizens, which now include a potent warband of bugbears known as the Blooded Lash, do not expand their territory beyond the ruins.
Krar's Claim: Krar the Crooked, a grizzled prospector, was the last claimant to these silver mines a few decades back, and to him it is still named. Although the creatures inhabiting the lode were at that time cleared out, the prospector, who was quite old at the time, was unable to drum up much interest due to the conflicts in the nearby Hud Horrn, Haunted Horrn, and Shark Dunes. So he dug up what he could, retired comfortably and passed about a decade later. By that point, new residents had already taken up residence within the caverns. The few eyewitness reports drifting into the neighboring towns and Floivin Keep claim that eerie, slender pitch-black beings have been spied in the areas near the caves, and on more than one occasion within them. There was also Krar's other claim, the one he made on his deathbed...that the mines have false walls and naturally hidden passages and might be larger than originally thought.
Mimresh: A tower of obsidian and steel, which was once the property of the Gnarlbottom dwarves who used it as a defense against orc invaders from the Fyreklaw barrens beyond. When the Gnarlbottom Clan attempted to stave off the Eidolorn Empire's advance, they drew forces from the tower, leaving it relatively weakened, and it was then that the orcs would strike in vast numbers, under the guidance of then-warlord Fharkkas the Gnawer. Realizing too late their mistake, the Gnarlbottom Clan surrendered to the Empire that they might drive out the orcs and spare the dwarf families a life of harsh slavery. But while able to free the Valley of the Gnawer's invasion force, the foul creatures had successfully captured and defended the tower, now known as the Mimresh, and they hold it to this day, though they serve a new master, Dror Gheel, the Slavemaster of Sothos Karr. The tower is 60' feet of fortified stone and steel, with twisted, barbed coils of mesh that lie strewn about the pass before it, and over 100 orc troops that will defend for fear of failure. After some unrest with the Sothos Karri some decades ago, a large encampment of at least 100 Imperial soldiers called Reedrustle is found a couple miles to the north of the Mimresh, should the brutes decide one day to again attempt a violent expansion.
Murklyre's Maw: A known Skull Collar stronghold, in the west of the Tooth Marsh, beneath the Vernal Wall. This serves as both a plotting point for the goblins and bugbears to stage their raids, and a hatchery where they breed and feed some of their hydra pets. The area has been raided several times, and with the losses the Skull Collars suffered in the War for Floivin Province in 868ID, it was thought to have been abandoned, but the humanoid tribe has sprung back and now occupies the caves in numbers much greater than before. Some even whisper that the Skull Collars' mysterious new leader, who has begun to organize and escalate the goblinoids' threat level, is hiding out here. the Last Eidolorn patrols from Reedrustle regularly scope out the place, but a direct confrontation seems too risky for the time being. Perhaps a smaller, independent group of mercenaries or adventurers might be better suited to taking action.
Old Pager's Farm: The site of a large battle between Last Eidolorn operatives and the Skull Collars back in 868 ID, there were prisoners being stored away on the property for torture or ransom. Since that time, the Farm has remained abandoned, the crop around it grown out of control, and many rumors started that the place was haunted. Whether this is by the spirits of the goblins or their victims, a bunch of living Skull Collars who are just spooking away interlopers, or some other supernatural force is unknown, but it's gotten to the point that even the neighboring farmers have pulled up roots and moved further away when possible.
Anwyl's Tomb: The resting place of Anwyl Bellowbroth, who many centuries past wielded the Axe of Dwarven Lords against the death titan Ulan Vhor. For many years, his extended family was also interred at this location in the Skunk Ridge, in a subterranean henge-like structure. Since that time, several adventurers have picked through the Tomb, but none have thorough explored it or the many connected, and trapped sepulchers and barrows that might also have belonged to important dwarves before the Dwarf Lords' Rest was built in the Vernal Wall to the South. There may also remain some hints as to what happened to the Axe once it parted ways with its valorous champion.
Cheeky's Hollow: The caverns known as Cheeky's Hollow lie partially obscured in a hillock set against the wetlands of the Tooth Marsh. It was so named for a criminal who once built a hideout here, and had connections with The Score, the organization of former Sothos Karr slaves who set into motion many of the turbulent events of 868ID. In truth, the place has changed hands many times, from bands of humanoids and lizard men to Last Eidolorn operatives, criminals, drug smugglers, and orc refugees from Sothos Karr on more than one occasion. While it's not the largest or most complex of dungeons, it's almost guaranteed you will find something exciting or unexpected there.
Crowslode: Located in the Southern face of the Vernal Wall, far north of Floivin Keep, is a walled off mining shaft where a substantial operation was once thriving. In the year 764 I.D., a band of over 40 human and dwarven prospectors were killed by what rumors insist was the poisonous gas vents and various natural deathtraps. Few of the remains were recovered, but those that were seemed to show not only signs of asphyxiation or burns, but other evidence of struggle. Regent Goosearm, the 4th to hold the title in the Province of Floivin, sent a team of seasoned adventurers from across the Empire into the mine to see if it was salvageable. When the team never returned, it was decided that the mine be sealed off. The last group of adventurers to risk the place did so 20 years ago, and some did survive, although they did not explore deep into the caverns. The only individuals to venture here today are foolish prospectors with no sense for self preservation, and an occasional foot patrol from Cedarway, checking on the area.
Dwarf Lords' Rest: The entrance to this vast mountainside tomb in the southeast corner of the Crown Pasture is flanked by a pair of great dwarven statutes, carved nearly a thousand years ago. It's a landmark so impressive that the Eidolorn Empire has ordered the team sealed off since they took over the Valley. Legend has it that the entire lineage of the Gnarlbottom clan, as well as their predecessors, are buried deep within the tomb, along with several dwarven shrines. While the 'official' word is that the vaults are guarded out of respect and the site's historical value, some speculate that the Last Eidolorn guard has long since plundered the graves of the kings. Of course, such speculations tend to arrive on the lips of the Gnarlbottom's bitter descendants who remain in the Valley today. The only thing for sure is that a patrol of 4-6 Eidolorn soldiers is found camped about the tomb at all hours of the day.
Floivin Keep Sewers: The sewers serve a vital purpose to Floivin Keep, channeling the waters of the Dimnesse down into what has become Udders Well, and then on out of the Province via Midge Creek and the Pinewater. For many years they were carefully maintained by dwarven engineers until they fell into a state of disrepair, in which monsters and criminals took residence among the various 'districts' of the Sewers. The Stride, a major thieves' guild in the area, once occupied a series of chambers connecting them to numerous businesses and residences in the city above. A clan of kobolds known as the Cleft Eye is also known to thrive therein. There was also a Flood Watch at one point which was both patrolling the underside of the city and guarding some hideous secret, a secret which was removed from the city when the army of undead attacked the Keep just to get it. Most of the Flood Watch were slaughtered, but there are rumors that Regent Luciot has put together a new unit to guard other potential secrets, old and new, that have been tucked away.
Haunted Horrn: High in the Vernal Wall, towards the West of the Valley, and beyond the sheltered community of Hud Horrn, lies a ruined dwarf stronghold which was razed by predators from the depths of the Underdark, 50 years before the Empire arrived to claim the region. This site is very popular with adventurers, who come far and wide from all the Seven Provinces to test their hand in its dark chambers. Through the years, several of the upper levels of the Horrn have been 'cleared', only to restock themselves as more powerful creatures move up to replace the weaker. Though it has been assaulted several times by adventuring groups, it is still considered one of the most dangerous places in the Vale. The Last Eidolorn keeps a constant vigil that the denizens, which now include a potent warband of bugbears known as the Blooded Lash, do not expand their territory beyond the ruins.
Krar's Claim: Krar the Crooked, a grizzled prospector, was the last claimant to these silver mines a few decades back, and to him it is still named. Although the creatures inhabiting the lode were at that time cleared out, the prospector, who was quite old at the time, was unable to drum up much interest due to the conflicts in the nearby Hud Horrn, Haunted Horrn, and Shark Dunes. So he dug up what he could, retired comfortably and passed about a decade later. By that point, new residents had already taken up residence within the caverns. The few eyewitness reports drifting into the neighboring towns and Floivin Keep claim that eerie, slender pitch-black beings have been spied in the areas near the caves, and on more than one occasion within them. There was also Krar's other claim, the one he made on his deathbed...that the mines have false walls and naturally hidden passages and might be larger than originally thought.
Mimresh: A tower of obsidian and steel, which was once the property of the Gnarlbottom dwarves who used it as a defense against orc invaders from the Fyreklaw barrens beyond. When the Gnarlbottom Clan attempted to stave off the Eidolorn Empire's advance, they drew forces from the tower, leaving it relatively weakened, and it was then that the orcs would strike in vast numbers, under the guidance of then-warlord Fharkkas the Gnawer. Realizing too late their mistake, the Gnarlbottom Clan surrendered to the Empire that they might drive out the orcs and spare the dwarf families a life of harsh slavery. But while able to free the Valley of the Gnawer's invasion force, the foul creatures had successfully captured and defended the tower, now known as the Mimresh, and they hold it to this day, though they serve a new master, Dror Gheel, the Slavemaster of Sothos Karr. The tower is 60' feet of fortified stone and steel, with twisted, barbed coils of mesh that lie strewn about the pass before it, and over 100 orc troops that will defend for fear of failure. After some unrest with the Sothos Karri some decades ago, a large encampment of at least 100 Imperial soldiers called Reedrustle is found a couple miles to the north of the Mimresh, should the brutes decide one day to again attempt a violent expansion.
Murklyre's Maw: A known Skull Collar stronghold, in the west of the Tooth Marsh, beneath the Vernal Wall. This serves as both a plotting point for the goblins and bugbears to stage their raids, and a hatchery where they breed and feed some of their hydra pets. The area has been raided several times, and with the losses the Skull Collars suffered in the War for Floivin Province in 868ID, it was thought to have been abandoned, but the humanoid tribe has sprung back and now occupies the caves in numbers much greater than before. Some even whisper that the Skull Collars' mysterious new leader, who has begun to organize and escalate the goblinoids' threat level, is hiding out here. the Last Eidolorn patrols from Reedrustle regularly scope out the place, but a direct confrontation seems too risky for the time being. Perhaps a smaller, independent group of mercenaries or adventurers might be better suited to taking action.
Old Pager's Farm: The site of a large battle between Last Eidolorn operatives and the Skull Collars back in 868 ID, there were prisoners being stored away on the property for torture or ransom. Since that time, the Farm has remained abandoned, the crop around it grown out of control, and many rumors started that the place was haunted. Whether this is by the spirits of the goblins or their victims, a bunch of living Skull Collars who are just spooking away interlopers, or some other supernatural force is unknown, but it's gotten to the point that even the neighboring farmers have pulled up roots and moved further away when possible.
Thursday, July 9, 2020
Monday, July 6, 2020
Floivin Province Factions
Arkana Arkiva: The finest (and only) magic users' guild and academy in Floivin Province, the Arkana Arkiva bases itself out of the wondrous Flabbergast Manor, a magical stronghold with the ability to shift itself to numerous places within, without, and below the Vernal Valley. It can also alter its appearance depending on the location in which it is moored; sometimes it will appear in its full, stone glory, other times only the front entrance might be visible, or some other front to the Manor which allows entry. There are rumored to be magical markings within the Keep that help direct the inquiring parties to the Manor's location, but few know how to read them. For a few years after the events of 868ID, the Manor remained moored to its lakefront locale near Halehusk, but once some time had passed, and any immediate dangers receded, the Headmaster deemed it safe to 'go mobile' once more. Most mages taking up residence within the region will be expected to register themselves with the Arkiva, or be forever harassed by both its members and the Last Eidolorn. Those who are the most experienced at particular schools or styles of magic are given the rank of 'Deans'. The Manor can provide a wealth of training options and information within its substantial studies, and the mages and specialists within have many uses for adventurers.
Membership: 20-30
Leader: Headmaster Schnoo the Sorcerous (human male), in his second Tenure
Banner: Two hands in various hand symbols, burst forth from the pages of an open tome.
Bounders: The Bounders are well regarded in the Empire and beyond as a loosely knit organization of heroes and do-gooders that volunteer themselves to tackle problems, usually those which creep into the edges of civilization. Individuals of many races belong to the organization, some unusual to see. They are generally ranked by seniority, in so much as how long they have been involved, how many goals they have accomplished, etc. Even freshly minted initiates have undergone at least three substantial missions to attain their membership, so it's generally considered a bad idea to mess around with such accomplished adventurers. Bounders are gifted with a few magical trinkets and supplies that can help them on their voyages, and generally can be identified by the fine quality cloaks they wear, which bear the Bounders' icon and status patches (copper for initiate, silver for journeyman, gold for veteran), should the need arise to seek them out for help (or to offer some in return). At present there are only a handful of Bounders who have recently set up in Floivin Province, many of which are helping deal with the threats of the humanoid tribes at the Haunted Horrn. They also maintain a campground at Cedarway, the easiest means to contact them.
Membership: 10-15 (in Floivin Province)
Leader: Nazlareth Moontemper (centaur female)
Banner: Leaping hare with spear.
Cathedral of Blades: While the physical Cathedral of Blades is the central church to Eleste, saint and goddess of the Eidolorn Empire, located in Floivin Keep, the phrase 'Cathedral of Blades' has also become synonymous with the actual clergy of the Province, which consists of Favored Blade priests, paladins, clerics, and other devotees. The Cathedral performs marriages, funeral rites, exorcisms, baptisms, healing, and consecrations for the population at large, in addition to the regular weekly religious services they host at their physical locations. Tithes of 5% are expected from the church's following and regular attendees. The highest ranking member of the Cathedral is the current Regent of Floivin Province, a stern Archprelate from Carbadi who was sent to replace the Imperial Architect Velvedine. The Cathedral often has adventurers within their ranks, or those who they would gladly loan out on Imperial-approved missions of mercy and exploration.
Membership: 150 clergy
Leader: Arch-prelate and Regent Luciot Halfarne (Riven human male)
Banner: Long sword, blade down, imposed over stone tower.
Circle of the Crow: Serving as both the clergy of Crake, the Warden of Roads, and as the local druidic order, the Circle of the Crows is a gathering of druids, clerics, rangers, and Gadabout priests which meets once at the turn of each season to feast and discuss their travels and various wards throughout the Province. These meetings are held at one of the shrines to Crake, in Hobfast or Littlewolf. Generally there are only a handful of the Circle active in each of the Crown Pasture, Frail Forest, Skunk Ridge, Tooth Marsh, and Vernal Valley, with a couple outliers who keep tabs on the Keep, or scout the roadways to neighboring areas like Sothos Karr, Wintersbreath, Toul Tabor, and the Fox Knoll. Circle members are welcome among halfling, elven, and a few human communities where they are free to seek shelter with locals who share their faith. Unlike some stricter druidic hierarchies, Circle members do not battle with one another for station, there are too few and they are too focused sharing the task of watching their lands. There is no strict leadership, but usually a public 'representative' is chosen, and those seeking the Circle will be referred to that person. Currently she lives among her folk in Littlewolf. Due to their small numbers, the Circle often seeks aid from adventurers and explorers to deal with problems that crop up.
Membership: 20-30
Representative: Shayla the Swineherd (elf female)
Banner: Crows circling a central raven (Crake) with herbs in its beak.
Gnarlbottom Clan: The most populous of the dwarven clans in Floivin Province, in fact a large percentage of the other local dwarven lines stem off this one, which has many a hero and legend in its own history. The Gnarlbottoms have remained fairly affluent even after the annexation of their land to the Empire, and they can be found in most walks of life and/or communities throughout the Vernal Valley, the second highest population in the Province beyond the Riven humans of the Empire that took over. They are quite territorial over their sacred sites and ruins such as the Dwarf Lords' Rest, the Hall of Mercies (formerly the Sunken Forge), and the many barrows and family tombs that lie in the Skunk Ridge. In fact, some are extremely protective of the Keep itself, an amazing work of dwarven craftsmanship to which everyone else is merely an 'occupier'. There has also been a rebirth of interest in old dwarven religions, manifest in the newly finished Hall of Mercies, which has drawn a new host of dwarven kin from surrounding lands, and irked the Cathedral of Blades. Regardless, most dwarves have consigned themselves to their plight, and get along with the other races. They generally flock to the guidance of their elders, one in particular.
Membership: 1500, give or take (in Floivin Province)
Leader: Monch Gnarlbottom (hill dwarf male)
Banner: Hammer, lake and crown.
Gravers' Guild: Though they've only recently established a small presence in Floivin Keep, the Gravers' Guild is an organization known far and wide across the continent of Thault and other lands far beyond that. Rumor even has it that on some far off, unexplored continent they've even built an entire city. The focus of the Gravers' Guild is on exploration, archaeology, and acquisition of relics from great and mysterious civilizations of the past, and their wealthy elite members are known to sponsor and fund entire expeditions to distant territories, dungeons and ruins. Their offices and clerks document all finds as well as lists of able bodied adventurers and freelancers who can be hired on to these expeditions, and once you've gotten a couple under your belt you are permitted to apply for full-time membership and the ability to rise through the ranks. Their imprint thus far on the Province has been minimal, a few groups have trekked out to the Haunted Horrn and Crowslode, though they are also trying to get permission to document the Dwarf Lords' Rest, which the Gnarlbottoms have thus far hesitated to grant them. Inquire with their office at Floivin Keep if interested.
Membership: 20 (in Floivin Province)
Leader:
Banner: Lantern and golden spade.
Hosspotch Holdings: The predominant halfling clan of Floivin Province, the Hosspotch have their small hands in quite a number of local businesses, not the least of which is their Hosspotch Holdings chain of supply stores, with branches in many of the local Vernal Valley communities and even a couple beyond. The family is headquartered at Hobfast, where you will find the largest population, and some years ago has fallen under new leadership after its secretive matriarch Grandmother had passed away. The current Grandfather is far more social and public, and puts a better face on the Hosspotch, who have long been distrusted for their alleged dabbling in theft, fraud, charlatanry, smuggling, forgery and extortion. A large percentage of halflings in the region all share the same last name, so they've got their ears and eyes everywhere, working in tandem with as many other local organizations as they can to boost profits. The Hosspotch often have a need for adventuring types and enforcers to take on problems both open and secret.
Membership: 1200 (in Floivin Province)
Leader: Grandfather Jordyn Hosspotch (hairfoot halfling male)
Banner: Kicking pony with coins for eyes.
Last Eidolorn Guard: The Imperial military of Floivin Province, they have been put through quite the ringer in the last few decades, having their ranks decimated through numerous conflicts that have come to claim the Vernal Valley. Thankfully, the Empire has realized their struggles to some degree and has sent many reinforcements from Nobbish, Toul Tabor and Carbadi to replenish them. Though the main body of Last Eidolorn Guard is found at Armory Square in Floivin Keep, there are soldiers assigned to all of the other local communities, even Littlewolf, and in recent years, they've built some new bulwarks against neighboring threats, such as Fort Gurd, Fort Hoary, and Camp Reedrustle. The ruins of Ettenhead have also been converted to a military village where soldiers and their families eke out lives between assignments. Last Eidolorn soldiers are generally divided into four types: infantry, cavalry, archers and conscripts, with officers hailing from each, and holding rank over all. There are also attachments from the Cathedral of Blades and Arkana Arkiva which will accompany the Guard on missions or conflicts which require their particular skills and magics. They also are known to put together smaller Ops teams, for various official purposes, which often involve deputized mercenaries and adventurers rather than the soldiery proper.
Membership: 1200 (soldiers, officers, and conscripts)
Leader: General Scott Morrow (human male)
Banner: Leaping bass over crossed hammers, indigo/silver colors
Reddenbalm Family: One of the two major high elven clans who control the hamlet of Littlewolf in the Frail Forest, considered to be largely outside the jurisdiction of the Empire despite its physical presence within their borders. The Reddenbalms are highly skilled musicians, fortune tellers, dancers and dramatists who pride themselves on entertaining the Floivin populace, and can often be found out and about the various other communities performing at taverns or traveling shows. They have a long term feud with their close neighbors and kin, the Roodeyes, and whilst the conflicts between them are rarely ever violent in nature beyond some drunken stupidity, the patriarchs are often trying to one up each other, while their families are content to prank and sabotage the others. Every 20 years, the day to day mayorship of Littlewolf is transferred to the opposing family, and the Reddenbalms had to recently pass that on. The Reddenbalms often employ outsiders for various reasons, not the least of which would be to tamper with the Roodeyes and their own hirelings.
Membership: 150 (in Floivin Province)
Leader: Herr Jaeger Reddenbalm (high elf male)
Banner: Flute, leaf and crystal on tarot cards.
Roodeye Family: The other of the two major high elven clans who control the hamlet of Littlewolf in the Frail Forest, considered to be largely outside the jurisdiction of the Empire despite its physical presence within their borders. The Roodeyes are highly respected artisans and artists, with a lot of painters, jewel crafters, woodcarvers and weaponsmiths among their population, whose works are prized across the entire Eidolorn Empire, and are commonly sold by Roodeye merchants that wander Floivin Province and beyond. They have a long term feud with their close neighbors and kin, the Reddenbalms, and whilst the conflicts between them are rarely ever violent in nature beyond some drunken stupidity, the patriarchs are often trying to one up each other, while their families are content to prank and sabotage the others. Every 20 years, the day to day mayorship of Littlewolf is transferred to the opposing family, and the Roodeyes recently acquired the charge. Whilst slightly more pragmatic than their kin, they can prove just as petty, and are also known to take on hireling adventurers to further their own ends against their rivals.
Membership: 130 (in Floivin Province)
Leader: Silas Roodeye (high elf male)
Banner: Beautiful wood-carved female face on oak tree.
Skirkwhistle Mining Co.: A large enterprise in its homeland of the Sixth Province, Melesthesz, the Skirkwhistle Mining Company is a guild of prospectors, laborers, engineers, jewelers, and merchants who focus their collective prowess on great undertakings that can enrich themselves, their families, their Province, and in some cases, the Empire at large. One of their latest projects is the Underway, a projected subterranean roadway that is to be burrowed below the Vernal Wall and help strengthen commerce between Floivin Province and its Melesthesian neighbors. The Skirkwhistles are known to employ and promote all manner of procedural ingenuity and ingenious equipment; for example they are using a hydraulic process with water pressure cannons to help clear the Underway faster than it would take with pick-axes alone, and like their esteemed Regent Shann-hai Riggings, they like to use balloons to ferry themselves about the Empire. They are often interested in employing adventurers and mercenaries to assist in projects that involve some danger, and are aggressive in recruiting those craftsmen, inventors, foremen and others who can further their scope and profitability.
Membership: 250 (in Floivin Province)
Leader: Abus Wigglebrick (rock gnome male), Deeds-man & Director of Floivin Operations
Banner: Squirrel with a hammer and pick in twin tails.
The Stride: The Stride was the local thieves' guild of Floivin Province, at one point holding sway over most organized criminal activities in the region, although sharp enough not to confront the Last Eidolorn whenever possible. This all seemed to change in 868ID, when the majority of the guild was slaughtered by The Score, a band of nefarious former slaves of some ability who didn't want the local scoundrels to catch on to and/or interfere with their designs. A handful of members escaped, like Slab Squatbottom, Luz, Triff, and Banghorn, but all were either slain or retired shortly after. Somehow, nearly 20 years later, the Stride has returned, under some hidden and resourceful new Guild Master, and with a new symbol. The membership is still rather small, but they've got their ears and eyes out to recruit outsiders who show some promise and know how to turn off their morals for some fun and profit. Another local band of humanoid cutthroats, the Thorns of Arjaunt, offer them stiff and deadly competition. The Stride no longer occupies the 'Belowtown' district of the Floivin Sewers, however, so if you want their services, you'll have to find them.
Membership: 25-30 (estimated)
Leader: Unknown
Banner: Boot with knife-blade.
Membership: 20-30
Leader: Headmaster Schnoo the Sorcerous (human male), in his second Tenure
Banner: Two hands in various hand symbols, burst forth from the pages of an open tome.
Bounders: The Bounders are well regarded in the Empire and beyond as a loosely knit organization of heroes and do-gooders that volunteer themselves to tackle problems, usually those which creep into the edges of civilization. Individuals of many races belong to the organization, some unusual to see. They are generally ranked by seniority, in so much as how long they have been involved, how many goals they have accomplished, etc. Even freshly minted initiates have undergone at least three substantial missions to attain their membership, so it's generally considered a bad idea to mess around with such accomplished adventurers. Bounders are gifted with a few magical trinkets and supplies that can help them on their voyages, and generally can be identified by the fine quality cloaks they wear, which bear the Bounders' icon and status patches (copper for initiate, silver for journeyman, gold for veteran), should the need arise to seek them out for help (or to offer some in return). At present there are only a handful of Bounders who have recently set up in Floivin Province, many of which are helping deal with the threats of the humanoid tribes at the Haunted Horrn. They also maintain a campground at Cedarway, the easiest means to contact them.
Membership: 10-15 (in Floivin Province)
Leader: Nazlareth Moontemper (centaur female)
Banner: Leaping hare with spear.
Cathedral of Blades: While the physical Cathedral of Blades is the central church to Eleste, saint and goddess of the Eidolorn Empire, located in Floivin Keep, the phrase 'Cathedral of Blades' has also become synonymous with the actual clergy of the Province, which consists of Favored Blade priests, paladins, clerics, and other devotees. The Cathedral performs marriages, funeral rites, exorcisms, baptisms, healing, and consecrations for the population at large, in addition to the regular weekly religious services they host at their physical locations. Tithes of 5% are expected from the church's following and regular attendees. The highest ranking member of the Cathedral is the current Regent of Floivin Province, a stern Archprelate from Carbadi who was sent to replace the Imperial Architect Velvedine. The Cathedral often has adventurers within their ranks, or those who they would gladly loan out on Imperial-approved missions of mercy and exploration.
Membership: 150 clergy
Leader: Arch-prelate and Regent Luciot Halfarne (Riven human male)
Banner: Long sword, blade down, imposed over stone tower.
Circle of the Crow: Serving as both the clergy of Crake, the Warden of Roads, and as the local druidic order, the Circle of the Crows is a gathering of druids, clerics, rangers, and Gadabout priests which meets once at the turn of each season to feast and discuss their travels and various wards throughout the Province. These meetings are held at one of the shrines to Crake, in Hobfast or Littlewolf. Generally there are only a handful of the Circle active in each of the Crown Pasture, Frail Forest, Skunk Ridge, Tooth Marsh, and Vernal Valley, with a couple outliers who keep tabs on the Keep, or scout the roadways to neighboring areas like Sothos Karr, Wintersbreath, Toul Tabor, and the Fox Knoll. Circle members are welcome among halfling, elven, and a few human communities where they are free to seek shelter with locals who share their faith. Unlike some stricter druidic hierarchies, Circle members do not battle with one another for station, there are too few and they are too focused sharing the task of watching their lands. There is no strict leadership, but usually a public 'representative' is chosen, and those seeking the Circle will be referred to that person. Currently she lives among her folk in Littlewolf. Due to their small numbers, the Circle often seeks aid from adventurers and explorers to deal with problems that crop up.
Membership: 20-30
Representative: Shayla the Swineherd (elf female)
Banner: Crows circling a central raven (Crake) with herbs in its beak.
Gnarlbottom Clan: The most populous of the dwarven clans in Floivin Province, in fact a large percentage of the other local dwarven lines stem off this one, which has many a hero and legend in its own history. The Gnarlbottoms have remained fairly affluent even after the annexation of their land to the Empire, and they can be found in most walks of life and/or communities throughout the Vernal Valley, the second highest population in the Province beyond the Riven humans of the Empire that took over. They are quite territorial over their sacred sites and ruins such as the Dwarf Lords' Rest, the Hall of Mercies (formerly the Sunken Forge), and the many barrows and family tombs that lie in the Skunk Ridge. In fact, some are extremely protective of the Keep itself, an amazing work of dwarven craftsmanship to which everyone else is merely an 'occupier'. There has also been a rebirth of interest in old dwarven religions, manifest in the newly finished Hall of Mercies, which has drawn a new host of dwarven kin from surrounding lands, and irked the Cathedral of Blades. Regardless, most dwarves have consigned themselves to their plight, and get along with the other races. They generally flock to the guidance of their elders, one in particular.
Membership: 1500, give or take (in Floivin Province)
Leader: Monch Gnarlbottom (hill dwarf male)
Banner: Hammer, lake and crown.
Gravers' Guild: Though they've only recently established a small presence in Floivin Keep, the Gravers' Guild is an organization known far and wide across the continent of Thault and other lands far beyond that. Rumor even has it that on some far off, unexplored continent they've even built an entire city. The focus of the Gravers' Guild is on exploration, archaeology, and acquisition of relics from great and mysterious civilizations of the past, and their wealthy elite members are known to sponsor and fund entire expeditions to distant territories, dungeons and ruins. Their offices and clerks document all finds as well as lists of able bodied adventurers and freelancers who can be hired on to these expeditions, and once you've gotten a couple under your belt you are permitted to apply for full-time membership and the ability to rise through the ranks. Their imprint thus far on the Province has been minimal, a few groups have trekked out to the Haunted Horrn and Crowslode, though they are also trying to get permission to document the Dwarf Lords' Rest, which the Gnarlbottoms have thus far hesitated to grant them. Inquire with their office at Floivin Keep if interested.
Membership: 20 (in Floivin Province)
Leader:
Banner: Lantern and golden spade.
Hosspotch Holdings: The predominant halfling clan of Floivin Province, the Hosspotch have their small hands in quite a number of local businesses, not the least of which is their Hosspotch Holdings chain of supply stores, with branches in many of the local Vernal Valley communities and even a couple beyond. The family is headquartered at Hobfast, where you will find the largest population, and some years ago has fallen under new leadership after its secretive matriarch Grandmother had passed away. The current Grandfather is far more social and public, and puts a better face on the Hosspotch, who have long been distrusted for their alleged dabbling in theft, fraud, charlatanry, smuggling, forgery and extortion. A large percentage of halflings in the region all share the same last name, so they've got their ears and eyes everywhere, working in tandem with as many other local organizations as they can to boost profits. The Hosspotch often have a need for adventuring types and enforcers to take on problems both open and secret.
Membership: 1200 (in Floivin Province)
Leader: Grandfather Jordyn Hosspotch (hairfoot halfling male)
Banner: Kicking pony with coins for eyes.
Last Eidolorn Guard: The Imperial military of Floivin Province, they have been put through quite the ringer in the last few decades, having their ranks decimated through numerous conflicts that have come to claim the Vernal Valley. Thankfully, the Empire has realized their struggles to some degree and has sent many reinforcements from Nobbish, Toul Tabor and Carbadi to replenish them. Though the main body of Last Eidolorn Guard is found at Armory Square in Floivin Keep, there are soldiers assigned to all of the other local communities, even Littlewolf, and in recent years, they've built some new bulwarks against neighboring threats, such as Fort Gurd, Fort Hoary, and Camp Reedrustle. The ruins of Ettenhead have also been converted to a military village where soldiers and their families eke out lives between assignments. Last Eidolorn soldiers are generally divided into four types: infantry, cavalry, archers and conscripts, with officers hailing from each, and holding rank over all. There are also attachments from the Cathedral of Blades and Arkana Arkiva which will accompany the Guard on missions or conflicts which require their particular skills and magics. They also are known to put together smaller Ops teams, for various official purposes, which often involve deputized mercenaries and adventurers rather than the soldiery proper.
Membership: 1200 (soldiers, officers, and conscripts)
Leader: General Scott Morrow (human male)
Banner: Leaping bass over crossed hammers, indigo/silver colors
Reddenbalm Family: One of the two major high elven clans who control the hamlet of Littlewolf in the Frail Forest, considered to be largely outside the jurisdiction of the Empire despite its physical presence within their borders. The Reddenbalms are highly skilled musicians, fortune tellers, dancers and dramatists who pride themselves on entertaining the Floivin populace, and can often be found out and about the various other communities performing at taverns or traveling shows. They have a long term feud with their close neighbors and kin, the Roodeyes, and whilst the conflicts between them are rarely ever violent in nature beyond some drunken stupidity, the patriarchs are often trying to one up each other, while their families are content to prank and sabotage the others. Every 20 years, the day to day mayorship of Littlewolf is transferred to the opposing family, and the Reddenbalms had to recently pass that on. The Reddenbalms often employ outsiders for various reasons, not the least of which would be to tamper with the Roodeyes and their own hirelings.
Membership: 150 (in Floivin Province)
Leader: Herr Jaeger Reddenbalm (high elf male)
Banner: Flute, leaf and crystal on tarot cards.
Roodeye Family: The other of the two major high elven clans who control the hamlet of Littlewolf in the Frail Forest, considered to be largely outside the jurisdiction of the Empire despite its physical presence within their borders. The Roodeyes are highly respected artisans and artists, with a lot of painters, jewel crafters, woodcarvers and weaponsmiths among their population, whose works are prized across the entire Eidolorn Empire, and are commonly sold by Roodeye merchants that wander Floivin Province and beyond. They have a long term feud with their close neighbors and kin, the Reddenbalms, and whilst the conflicts between them are rarely ever violent in nature beyond some drunken stupidity, the patriarchs are often trying to one up each other, while their families are content to prank and sabotage the others. Every 20 years, the day to day mayorship of Littlewolf is transferred to the opposing family, and the Roodeyes recently acquired the charge. Whilst slightly more pragmatic than their kin, they can prove just as petty, and are also known to take on hireling adventurers to further their own ends against their rivals.
Membership: 130 (in Floivin Province)
Leader: Silas Roodeye (high elf male)
Banner: Beautiful wood-carved female face on oak tree.
Skirkwhistle Mining Co.: A large enterprise in its homeland of the Sixth Province, Melesthesz, the Skirkwhistle Mining Company is a guild of prospectors, laborers, engineers, jewelers, and merchants who focus their collective prowess on great undertakings that can enrich themselves, their families, their Province, and in some cases, the Empire at large. One of their latest projects is the Underway, a projected subterranean roadway that is to be burrowed below the Vernal Wall and help strengthen commerce between Floivin Province and its Melesthesian neighbors. The Skirkwhistles are known to employ and promote all manner of procedural ingenuity and ingenious equipment; for example they are using a hydraulic process with water pressure cannons to help clear the Underway faster than it would take with pick-axes alone, and like their esteemed Regent Shann-hai Riggings, they like to use balloons to ferry themselves about the Empire. They are often interested in employing adventurers and mercenaries to assist in projects that involve some danger, and are aggressive in recruiting those craftsmen, inventors, foremen and others who can further their scope and profitability.
Membership: 250 (in Floivin Province)
Leader: Abus Wigglebrick (rock gnome male), Deeds-man & Director of Floivin Operations
Banner: Squirrel with a hammer and pick in twin tails.
The Stride: The Stride was the local thieves' guild of Floivin Province, at one point holding sway over most organized criminal activities in the region, although sharp enough not to confront the Last Eidolorn whenever possible. This all seemed to change in 868ID, when the majority of the guild was slaughtered by The Score, a band of nefarious former slaves of some ability who didn't want the local scoundrels to catch on to and/or interfere with their designs. A handful of members escaped, like Slab Squatbottom, Luz, Triff, and Banghorn, but all were either slain or retired shortly after. Somehow, nearly 20 years later, the Stride has returned, under some hidden and resourceful new Guild Master, and with a new symbol. The membership is still rather small, but they've got their ears and eyes out to recruit outsiders who show some promise and know how to turn off their morals for some fun and profit. Another local band of humanoid cutthroats, the Thorns of Arjaunt, offer them stiff and deadly competition. The Stride no longer occupies the 'Belowtown' district of the Floivin Sewers, however, so if you want their services, you'll have to find them.
Membership: 25-30 (estimated)
Leader: Unknown
Banner: Boot with knife-blade.
Friday, July 3, 2020
Imperial Calendar
1 Year = 365 days
Flance (New-winter) 31 days
Longlax (Midwinter) 29 days
Esparne (Late-winter) 30 days
Sarrard (New-spring) 31 days
Embis (Mid-spring) 31 days
Flicours (Late-spring) 30 days
Clairis (New-summer) 31 days
Malarous (Midsummer) 30 days
Martenin (Late-summer) 31 days
Verget (New-autumn) 30 days
Vorlasp (Mid-autumn) 30 days
Mod (Late-autumn) 31 days
1 Week = 7 days
Aric (1st)
Tault (2nd)
Varony (3rd)
Verne (4th)
Essel (5th)
Ivric (6th)
Evalais, Saints' Day (7th)
Holidays
Flance (New-winter) 31 days
Longlax (Midwinter) 29 days
Esparne (Late-winter) 30 days
Sarrard (New-spring) 31 days
Embis (Mid-spring) 31 days
Flicours (Late-spring) 30 days
Clairis (New-summer) 31 days
Malarous (Midsummer) 30 days
Martenin (Late-summer) 31 days
Verget (New-autumn) 30 days
Vorlasp (Mid-autumn) 30 days
Mod (Late-autumn) 31 days
1 Week = 7 days
Aric (1st)
Tault (2nd)
Varony (3rd)
Verne (4th)
Essel (5th)
Ivric (6th)
Evalais, Saints' Day (7th)
Holidays
Floivin Province Timeline
This includes a concise overview of the formation and expansion of the Eidolorn Empire, as well as the history of Floivin Province since its annexation. Earlier chunks of local history, or the history of neighboring regions, might become unlocked throughout the campaign and added here. The I.D. in the roll of years is short for 'Imperium Domine'.
Imperial History
-3 ID. Lord-Admiral Bedry Coventavon is crowned King of Carbadi. His first act is to launch a series of assaults by sea against the Raiders of Rothe, which slowly weaken their defenses.
-2 ID. Coventavon's fleet defeats the Raiders and lays claim to the Isles of Rothe east of Carbadi in the Sea of Chimes.
-1 ID. Coventavon swiftly conquers the pastoral land of Nobbish to the south of Carbadi, but is later slain through a terrible curse by the Nob Witches. On his deathbed, he gifts the lands of Carbadi, Rothe and Nobbish to his beloved (and most trusted general) Eleste Eidolorn.
0 ID. Eleste begins a unification and expansion that would topple much of the Western Lands, dubbing her holds the Eidolorn Empire and naming herself the first Empress. She swears by her fallen love that she will conquer lands far and wide in his memory.
48 ID. The First War of Expansion begins, as the Empire marches west into the vast kingdom of Toul Tabor, for a long and bloody war against the Sorcerer Kings.
49 ID. Eleste is slain by the Sorcerer King Scythe. Her nephew Yeobrid Gallogar is named 2nd Emperor of Eidolorn, and continues the Expansion War. Eleste is named the Warrior-Saint of the Empire.
58 ID. Toul Tabor finally falls to the tireless Imperial onslaught, and is annexed and named the Fourth Province of the Eidolorn Empire, after Carbadi (1st), Rothe (2nd) and Nobbish (3rd).
67 ID. Geri Gallogar, daughter of Yeobrid, is named 3rd Empress of Eidolorn.
80 ID. Geri Gallogar dies in childbirth, along with her twins. Her husband Brayl Barthe is named 4th Emperor of Eidolorn.
114 ID. Fearing the Empire's expansion, the White Dragon Woe commands her horde of frost giants, snow goblins and winter wolves, along with her own brood, to assault Toul Tabor to the southeast, slaying tens of thousands of Toul civilians and Imperial troops.
115 ID. Emperor Brayl Barthe decrees vengeance against the White Dragon Woe, and the Second Expansion War begins.
118 ID. Brayl Barthe is slain by the frost giant champion Fowlfjr. His 2nd wife, Aroya Barthe is named 5th Empress of Eidolorn.
121 ID. The White Dragon Woe is finally slain, and the Second Expansion War begins. The Empire mounts expeditions deep into Woe's territories to drive away the remnant horde of frost giants and snow goblins.
151 ID. The former territories of the White Dragon are at last cleansed, and the Empire begins to settle the cold lands, welcomed by the elves and dwarves that were formerly held captive by the horde of Woe. The region becomes Wintersbreath, the Fifth Province of the Empire.
155 ID. Aroya Barthe dies due to aging, and no heir is named. General Cadys Crowl is nominated as Regent Emperor of Eidolorn until a next of kin can be found.
160 ID. A bastard child of Aroya Barthe is uncovered living in the slums of the Toul Tabor city, Delvesh, a criminal and sorcerer. Nonetheless, he is the true heir to Eidolorn, and thus Tando Varr is named 6th Emperor, or the 'Bastard Emperor'. Due to life prolonging magics, he will rule for over five full centuries, in which the Empire endures a lasting age of peace and prosperity, with few conflicts outside humanoid hordes and rover fleets from deep in the Sea of Chimes.
672 ID. Emperor Varr had been disappearing from the Throne at Carbadi on and off for years, with the Eidolorn military ruling and his counsel ruling in his wake, but he returns to announce his official abdication in 672, choosing his 22nd-generation grandchild Vylon Varr as his successor.
680 ID. Vylon Varr begins a new campaign of Expansion, the first in centuries, towards the south and west beyond Toul Tabor. His first target is the nation of Melethesz to the south, a land of riches and renaissance. At first the Emperor's offer is peaceful, but when the Melethesians refuse to turn over their lands and join the Empire, Varr is quick to anger and order his forces across the border.
681 ID. After a year of intense border fighting, the Melethesians unleash an ancient artifact known as the Scepter of Plagues against the Empire. Pestilence and decay spread throughout the Imperial forces and beyond, to the Toul Tabor and as far as Carbadi and Nobbish. Many thousands of innocents are slain, until the Scepter is finally shattered. The Melethesians immediately surrender, but Vylon Varr seeks blood and revenge, ordering the murder of all the Noble Houses of Melethesz.
683 ID. Varr's genocide continues as he orders all Melethesians to convert from their faith of Radol Thidhe to follow the Warrior-Saint Eleste, who by this time has a massive clergy spanning all the Empire. Those who refuse are forced into hard labor, tortured or executed. Seeing and disliking this dark turn in Emperor Varr's behavior, a young Eidolorn Captain Dascomb plots to assassinate him to cease the atrocities.
685 ID. Dascomb's plot succeeds, and Emperor Vylon Varr is assassinated en route to his throne at Carbadi. A tribunal is held for the traitor, but he is exonerated by the Generals of the Eidolorn army. So impressed are the counsel of the Empire with the young captain that Vylon Varr's own daughter Esriele is denied her right to succession. Instead, Dascomb Darl is named the 7th Emperor of Eidolorn.
716 ID. A wise and fair ruler, Dascomb decides he will peacefully attempt to annex the small Vernal Valley to the west of Toul Tabor, which currently belongs to the dwarves of the Gnarlbottom Clan. A simple conquest, void of the tragic complexity which placed him on the throne.
753 ID. Dascomb Darl passes away. His daughter, Monada Darl, is named 8th Empress of Eidolorn.
782 ID. Monada Darl passes away. Her son, Klenn Darl (the Drunkard) is named the 9th Emperor of Eidolorn.
829 ID. Klenn Darl (the Drunkard) is assassinated. His wife (a former whore) is offered the throne, but refuses, instead passing the honor to her own, young son, Hahill Whitestoke, who she claims is the blood heir of Klenn Darl.
850 ID. Hahill Whitestoke, the 10th 'Emperor' of Eidolorn, is forcibly removed from the throne when it is discovered he was not in fact the son of Klenn Darl the Drunkard. Tando Varr returns to Eidolorn, now 700 years old and barely human, and convinces the Empire to hold an election for their new ruler. Many enter the campaign, but Varr sets up a series of strict tests of both mental aptitude and character that whittle away to just one man, a Nobbish cobbler named Freth Borth. Freth Borth is named the 11th Emperor of Eidolorn.
Local History
675 ID. The stronghold of Hale Horrn (now known as Haunted Horrn) is lost to invaders from the depths of the Vernal Wall. Hud Horrn is build lower in the heights to keep a vigil on the area.
718 ID. The Eidolorn army marches along the Great Westermarch road to the shore of Udders Well, where the village of Halehusk is established as a base of operations. King Kleeth calls up his limited forces to defend Floivin Keep, including a regiment from the fortified tower of Zevrak to the southwest (now Mimresh). For the winter of 719 ID, the humans and dwarves remain at a standstill, unengaged.
719 ID. Orc warbands mount a massive assault against the tower of Zevrak, capturing and claiming it in the name of Fharkkas the Gnawer. In order to save their land, the Gnarlbottom clan surrenders to the Eidolorn Empire, who turn their attentions towards mopping up the invasion force.
721 ID. The last of the Gnawer's forces are removed from the Vernal Valley, but the orcs maintain control over Mimresh, as Emperor Dascomb Darl wishes to push no further at the current time.
722 ID. After a begrudging, final agreement with the Gnarlbottom clan, the Vernal Valley is named Floivin, the Seventh Province of Eidolorn. Lord Brimm Bartlebuck is appointed the 1st Regent of the Province.
725 ID. The Band of the Oak, a famous group of seven adventurers hailing from the Imperial Capital of Carbadi arrive to explore and clear the Haunted Horrn. Their expedition seem successful at first, after killing a few score bugbear squatters and other beasts in the upper levels of the stronghold, but within a week they have all disappeared.
730 ID. Livenoak is established as a trade village along the Great Westermarch road.
743 ID. Tarndim is established as a fishing community on the shores of Udders Well.
758 ID. An ailing Regent Bartlebuck makes a final journey to his home province of Carbadi, where he passes away. His counselor Mopp Strudel is named 2nd Regent of Floivin Province.
759 ID. Cedarway established to hasten trade with the Province of Wintersbreath.
760 ID. Bolgrab the Marauder, a ruthless barbarian of Wintersbreath who has gone 'legit' as an adventurer and blade for hire, arrives to test his luck against the depths of the Haunted Horrn. He assembles a group of brave guides and swordsmen from the Valley to accompany him. After three days in the ruins, they are never heard from again.
764 ID. The tragedy at Crowslode. Over 40 human and dwarven miners killed by an unknown source.
788 ID. The local army is named the Last Eidolorn Legion, as it's the 'newest'.
804 ID. After nearly 50 years as Regent of Floivin Province, Mopp Strudel dies of natural causes. His successor is Marlene Meledegne, a troublesome Rothe merchant noble who is accused of an illicit affair with Emperor Klenn Darl the Drunkard. To shut her up, Darl sends her to replace Regent Strudel. Her rule lasts six months before she is murdered by a masked killer known as The Ferryman, who leaves a broken oar on the corpse of his victims. Meledegne is replaced by a young Last Eidolorn Captain, Glaive Goosearm.
809 ID. First assault on the ruined keep at Ettenhead meets with no success.
812 ID. The Order of Brightblood, a sect of paladins who serve Eleste, arrive to explore the ruins at Haunted Horrn. For a week or so, they seem successful, once again clearing the upper levels of bugbear raiders and other threats. Then they are all slain, but one, Breilor the Bold, who is taken with a great madness and retreats to eke out a solitary life in Skunk Ridge.
823 ID. Second assault on the ruined keep at Ettenhead also fails.
834 ID. This year, three adventuring companies are lost to the Haunted Horrn: the Flat Daggers of Rothe, ex-pirates with a hunger for the unclaimed riches of the Empire; the Hobfast Four, a team of enterprising burglars and fighters who worked for the Hosspotch House; and the Grash Harn, a band of dangerous orc blades for hire who were under the employ of the Arkanum Arkiva. Three wizards of Floivin were also lost in this expedition, though several of the Grash Harn soldiers were not sent into the ruins, and remain in Hud Horrn to this day.
840 ID. Third assault on the ruined keep at Ettendhead also fails. This time, Regent Goosearm has led the Last Eidolorn forces directly, and is killed by a pair of ogre spears lodged through his chest. A successful statesman and former soldier named Reginald Bauerkroft is named the 5th Regent of Floivin Province.
842 ID. The first reports arrive of Dror Gheel, the Slavemaster of Sothos Karr, rising to power in the Fyreklaw barrens south of the Vernal Valley.
859 ID. For the second time in history, the Ferryman strikes in the hamlet of Livenoak, slaying six wealthy merchant representatives traveling in from Toul Tabor. By this time, his murders have also been reported in Carbadi, Rothe, and Melethesz.
868 ID. Regent Bauerkroft is assassinated, and replaced by the General Gurd Gnarlbottom until a new Regent can arrive from Carbadi. There are stirrings of war to the north in Wintersbreath, a Vandrakki incursion. The General leads an army of about half the Province's Eidolorn regiment to meet with Toul Tabor and Wintersbreath forces. An enigmatic group of former Sothos Karr slaves known as 'The Score' has set into motion a series of suspicious events. The villages of Hud Horrn, Tarndim, and Cedarway fall to various native humanoid tribes who have been organized by these villains. A group of heroes stands between their nefarious plot and the fall of the entire Province, helping to fend off not only the humanoid threats, but an army of the dead from the far north province of Vhorinyr, an incursion of extradimensional beings known as 'githyanki', and a strange verbal plague that transforms its victims into a zombie-like state. These same heroes seal off the ruins of Ettenhead and begin their restoration, but soon after they are summoned to a challenge against the Champions of Sothos Karr, who seek satisfaction after several incursions which have strained the uneasy truce between the orcs and the Empire. They are all slain or captured. Velvedine, Royal Architect of Carbadi, has assumed the Regency of the Province. She is targeted by an assassination attempt which ends up killing a doppelganger that had been left in her place; several weeks later the genuine article reappears and resumes her position.
(This was the year of the original Udders Well campaign.)
870 ID. Wintersbreath has all but fallen to the Vandrakki barbarians, including the capital city of Vettlar. Only small, unorganized pockets of resistance remain, cut off from the rest of the Empire. Raiders begin to force their way South down the Pinewater into Floivin, but are driven back by Commander Hoary and a small remnant force of Last Eidolorn Soldiers. Hoary is slain in the attack. Velvedine and her neighboring Regent Dharmark decide, with permission from the Emperor, to built fortifications that will defend Floivin and Toul Tabor from the inevitable Vandrakki expansion. Construction of Forts Gurd and Hoary begins at the Shark Dunes and Pinewater pass.
872 ID. With the assistance of hundreds of dwarves from surrounding lands, the Gnarlbottom Clan completes a construction of its own, transforming the Sunken Forge on Greataxe Isle into the Hall of Mercies, a great temple and library devoted to the dwarven Gods whose shrines once occupied the Forge. Many remained on as acolytes and workers at this new place of worship, which features both an above ground structure and the sprawling underground Forge. If rumor is to be believed, a living avatar of a goddess known as Sharindlar resides within the Hall. Grandmother Hosspotch of Hobfast passes away, leaving a temporary hole in the halfling leadership.
875 ID. With the new Forts now complete, Regent Velvedine seeks to reinforce the ranks of Last Eidolorn soldiers, and with the help of Emperor's coffers. A thousand conscripts and their families emigrate from the provinces of Nobbish, Carbadi and Toul Tabor to swell the Floivin ranks. While most can be housed in existing communities, the reconstruction of the keep at Ettenhead is also finished, and transformed into a defensible military village. Memorials are raised for the heroes that once reclaimed the place but met their demise in Sothos Karr.
877 ID. Velvedine reaches an agreement with nearby Melethesz to create a 'highway' beneath the southeastern Vernal Wall, which will connect the two provinces directly. Two large crews of gnome engineers and dwarven miners establish sizable work camps on either side of the projected cavern road, and digging slowly commences. The Floivin camp is known as Skachalo, and the Last Eidolorn clears a new branch of the Great Westermarch across the Crown Pasture to reach them. Additionally, a marked path known as the Skunkwalk is started to connect the various Skunk Ridge communities and inevitably wind up to Fort Gurd. A Floivin businessman named Odd Jon Stuckle sells off the Fiery Rat tavern and establishes the 'Stuckle Downs' walled hamlet in the Ridge, meant as a rest and commerce stop for those crossing the region. He is financially backed by the Hosspotch family, now under the leadership of 'Grandfather' Jordyn, a transplant from Toul Tabor.
880 ID. Angered by rumors of construction under the Vernal Wall, and the possibility of its two flanking Imperial Provinces joining more directly, Sothos Karr sends envoys to threaten the truce with Regent Velvedine if progress continues. Shaken by the confrontation, she decides to abdicate the Regency, but not before ordering the establishment of a military camp just north of Mimresh in the Tooth Marsh. Dubbed Reedrustle, the camp consists of a few dozen tents and shanties, with five score Last Eidolorn soldiers that rotate the defenses and patrols. Scott Morrow is temporarily promoted to Regent-General while Carbadi decides on Velvedine's official replacement.
881 ID. Reports begin to filter in from Last Eidolon scouts, hunters and mountaineers that the ranks of numerous, once-defunct humanoid tribes have once again begun to swell due to flights of ogre, bugbear, and goblin refugees from the Wintersbreath wildlands. It seems the Vandrakki raiders have begun to expand the purge of their new territories. Morrow reaches out to establish a local chapter of the Bounders, a loose organization of do-gooders spanning several continents, who will trace and curb the newfound threat to the best of its ability. Another foreign syndicate known as the Gravers' Guild, from far-off Euristaz, sets up a local office in Floivin Keep. Rumor has it that their interests lie in the strange goings-on in the North of Thault, and the relics and history of the Shann humans who have long made the continent their home.
882 ID. Luciot, Archprelate of the Favored Blades of Eleste, arrives to assume the Regency of Floivin Province, as well as the direct oversight at the Cathedral of Blades. Far more iron-fisted than most of his predecessors, Luciot imposes stricter tithes, a Keep-wide curfew, and a laundry list of added duties for the Last Eidolorn guard. The Regent has an obvious disdain for both the shady dealings of the Hosspotch Holdings, and the newfound worship of the dwarven pantheon due to the Gnarlbottoms' Hall of Mercies. Rumors spread that he may clamp down and take action against both. Assassins and saboteurs, purportedly from Sothos Karr, attack the Melethesz side of the new tunnel being built beneath the Vernal Wall, Skachalo hires on extra mercenaries.
884 ID. Lone Vandrakki scouts and hunters have been spotted infrequently in the Frail Forest and Skunk Ridge. Morrow believes they must have crossed the mountains from the North, and aren't likely to represent an attacking force, but the they've appeared often enough that locals fear they might have found another way into the Province. Refugees have begun to trickle into the Empire from the distant kingdom of Alkinarre, south of Carbadi. Several have even come to Floivin Province. If rumors are true, their homeland is under attack from external undead forces as well as a strange plague, and the God-Bard Adrastos has lost several cities already despite a strong defense by the colossi and stone servitors that populate his lands.
886 ID. Children of numerous races begin to disappear in unusual numbers across the Province. First from the Keep itself, where many orphans initially go unnoticed; then from families in nearby towns like Hobfast and Halehusk; and eventually, from most of the Floivin communities. An exact pattern has been difficult to nail, but it is suspected that over 60 have been taken. The only evidence has been the torn pages from some ancient, unreadable tome left behind at numerous scenes. A massive force of humanoids has once again occupied the ruins at Haunted Horrn, harassing the mountainfolk at nearby Hud Horrn in what seems like an endless cycle. A task force consisting of a hundred Last Eidolorn soldiers, and numerous Bounders, move to reinforce the town.
Imperial History
-3 ID. Lord-Admiral Bedry Coventavon is crowned King of Carbadi. His first act is to launch a series of assaults by sea against the Raiders of Rothe, which slowly weaken their defenses.
-2 ID. Coventavon's fleet defeats the Raiders and lays claim to the Isles of Rothe east of Carbadi in the Sea of Chimes.
-1 ID. Coventavon swiftly conquers the pastoral land of Nobbish to the south of Carbadi, but is later slain through a terrible curse by the Nob Witches. On his deathbed, he gifts the lands of Carbadi, Rothe and Nobbish to his beloved (and most trusted general) Eleste Eidolorn.
0 ID. Eleste begins a unification and expansion that would topple much of the Western Lands, dubbing her holds the Eidolorn Empire and naming herself the first Empress. She swears by her fallen love that she will conquer lands far and wide in his memory.
48 ID. The First War of Expansion begins, as the Empire marches west into the vast kingdom of Toul Tabor, for a long and bloody war against the Sorcerer Kings.
49 ID. Eleste is slain by the Sorcerer King Scythe. Her nephew Yeobrid Gallogar is named 2nd Emperor of Eidolorn, and continues the Expansion War. Eleste is named the Warrior-Saint of the Empire.
58 ID. Toul Tabor finally falls to the tireless Imperial onslaught, and is annexed and named the Fourth Province of the Eidolorn Empire, after Carbadi (1st), Rothe (2nd) and Nobbish (3rd).
67 ID. Geri Gallogar, daughter of Yeobrid, is named 3rd Empress of Eidolorn.
80 ID. Geri Gallogar dies in childbirth, along with her twins. Her husband Brayl Barthe is named 4th Emperor of Eidolorn.
114 ID. Fearing the Empire's expansion, the White Dragon Woe commands her horde of frost giants, snow goblins and winter wolves, along with her own brood, to assault Toul Tabor to the southeast, slaying tens of thousands of Toul civilians and Imperial troops.
115 ID. Emperor Brayl Barthe decrees vengeance against the White Dragon Woe, and the Second Expansion War begins.
118 ID. Brayl Barthe is slain by the frost giant champion Fowlfjr. His 2nd wife, Aroya Barthe is named 5th Empress of Eidolorn.
121 ID. The White Dragon Woe is finally slain, and the Second Expansion War begins. The Empire mounts expeditions deep into Woe's territories to drive away the remnant horde of frost giants and snow goblins.
151 ID. The former territories of the White Dragon are at last cleansed, and the Empire begins to settle the cold lands, welcomed by the elves and dwarves that were formerly held captive by the horde of Woe. The region becomes Wintersbreath, the Fifth Province of the Empire.
155 ID. Aroya Barthe dies due to aging, and no heir is named. General Cadys Crowl is nominated as Regent Emperor of Eidolorn until a next of kin can be found.
160 ID. A bastard child of Aroya Barthe is uncovered living in the slums of the Toul Tabor city, Delvesh, a criminal and sorcerer. Nonetheless, he is the true heir to Eidolorn, and thus Tando Varr is named 6th Emperor, or the 'Bastard Emperor'. Due to life prolonging magics, he will rule for over five full centuries, in which the Empire endures a lasting age of peace and prosperity, with few conflicts outside humanoid hordes and rover fleets from deep in the Sea of Chimes.
672 ID. Emperor Varr had been disappearing from the Throne at Carbadi on and off for years, with the Eidolorn military ruling and his counsel ruling in his wake, but he returns to announce his official abdication in 672, choosing his 22nd-generation grandchild Vylon Varr as his successor.
680 ID. Vylon Varr begins a new campaign of Expansion, the first in centuries, towards the south and west beyond Toul Tabor. His first target is the nation of Melethesz to the south, a land of riches and renaissance. At first the Emperor's offer is peaceful, but when the Melethesians refuse to turn over their lands and join the Empire, Varr is quick to anger and order his forces across the border.
681 ID. After a year of intense border fighting, the Melethesians unleash an ancient artifact known as the Scepter of Plagues against the Empire. Pestilence and decay spread throughout the Imperial forces and beyond, to the Toul Tabor and as far as Carbadi and Nobbish. Many thousands of innocents are slain, until the Scepter is finally shattered. The Melethesians immediately surrender, but Vylon Varr seeks blood and revenge, ordering the murder of all the Noble Houses of Melethesz.
683 ID. Varr's genocide continues as he orders all Melethesians to convert from their faith of Radol Thidhe to follow the Warrior-Saint Eleste, who by this time has a massive clergy spanning all the Empire. Those who refuse are forced into hard labor, tortured or executed. Seeing and disliking this dark turn in Emperor Varr's behavior, a young Eidolorn Captain Dascomb plots to assassinate him to cease the atrocities.
685 ID. Dascomb's plot succeeds, and Emperor Vylon Varr is assassinated en route to his throne at Carbadi. A tribunal is held for the traitor, but he is exonerated by the Generals of the Eidolorn army. So impressed are the counsel of the Empire with the young captain that Vylon Varr's own daughter Esriele is denied her right to succession. Instead, Dascomb Darl is named the 7th Emperor of Eidolorn.
716 ID. A wise and fair ruler, Dascomb decides he will peacefully attempt to annex the small Vernal Valley to the west of Toul Tabor, which currently belongs to the dwarves of the Gnarlbottom Clan. A simple conquest, void of the tragic complexity which placed him on the throne.
753 ID. Dascomb Darl passes away. His daughter, Monada Darl, is named 8th Empress of Eidolorn.
782 ID. Monada Darl passes away. Her son, Klenn Darl (the Drunkard) is named the 9th Emperor of Eidolorn.
829 ID. Klenn Darl (the Drunkard) is assassinated. His wife (a former whore) is offered the throne, but refuses, instead passing the honor to her own, young son, Hahill Whitestoke, who she claims is the blood heir of Klenn Darl.
850 ID. Hahill Whitestoke, the 10th 'Emperor' of Eidolorn, is forcibly removed from the throne when it is discovered he was not in fact the son of Klenn Darl the Drunkard. Tando Varr returns to Eidolorn, now 700 years old and barely human, and convinces the Empire to hold an election for their new ruler. Many enter the campaign, but Varr sets up a series of strict tests of both mental aptitude and character that whittle away to just one man, a Nobbish cobbler named Freth Borth. Freth Borth is named the 11th Emperor of Eidolorn.
Local History
675 ID. The stronghold of Hale Horrn (now known as Haunted Horrn) is lost to invaders from the depths of the Vernal Wall. Hud Horrn is build lower in the heights to keep a vigil on the area.
718 ID. The Eidolorn army marches along the Great Westermarch road to the shore of Udders Well, where the village of Halehusk is established as a base of operations. King Kleeth calls up his limited forces to defend Floivin Keep, including a regiment from the fortified tower of Zevrak to the southwest (now Mimresh). For the winter of 719 ID, the humans and dwarves remain at a standstill, unengaged.
719 ID. Orc warbands mount a massive assault against the tower of Zevrak, capturing and claiming it in the name of Fharkkas the Gnawer. In order to save their land, the Gnarlbottom clan surrenders to the Eidolorn Empire, who turn their attentions towards mopping up the invasion force.
721 ID. The last of the Gnawer's forces are removed from the Vernal Valley, but the orcs maintain control over Mimresh, as Emperor Dascomb Darl wishes to push no further at the current time.
722 ID. After a begrudging, final agreement with the Gnarlbottom clan, the Vernal Valley is named Floivin, the Seventh Province of Eidolorn. Lord Brimm Bartlebuck is appointed the 1st Regent of the Province.
725 ID. The Band of the Oak, a famous group of seven adventurers hailing from the Imperial Capital of Carbadi arrive to explore and clear the Haunted Horrn. Their expedition seem successful at first, after killing a few score bugbear squatters and other beasts in the upper levels of the stronghold, but within a week they have all disappeared.
730 ID. Livenoak is established as a trade village along the Great Westermarch road.
743 ID. Tarndim is established as a fishing community on the shores of Udders Well.
758 ID. An ailing Regent Bartlebuck makes a final journey to his home province of Carbadi, where he passes away. His counselor Mopp Strudel is named 2nd Regent of Floivin Province.
759 ID. Cedarway established to hasten trade with the Province of Wintersbreath.
760 ID. Bolgrab the Marauder, a ruthless barbarian of Wintersbreath who has gone 'legit' as an adventurer and blade for hire, arrives to test his luck against the depths of the Haunted Horrn. He assembles a group of brave guides and swordsmen from the Valley to accompany him. After three days in the ruins, they are never heard from again.
764 ID. The tragedy at Crowslode. Over 40 human and dwarven miners killed by an unknown source.
788 ID. The local army is named the Last Eidolorn Legion, as it's the 'newest'.
804 ID. After nearly 50 years as Regent of Floivin Province, Mopp Strudel dies of natural causes. His successor is Marlene Meledegne, a troublesome Rothe merchant noble who is accused of an illicit affair with Emperor Klenn Darl the Drunkard. To shut her up, Darl sends her to replace Regent Strudel. Her rule lasts six months before she is murdered by a masked killer known as The Ferryman, who leaves a broken oar on the corpse of his victims. Meledegne is replaced by a young Last Eidolorn Captain, Glaive Goosearm.
809 ID. First assault on the ruined keep at Ettenhead meets with no success.
812 ID. The Order of Brightblood, a sect of paladins who serve Eleste, arrive to explore the ruins at Haunted Horrn. For a week or so, they seem successful, once again clearing the upper levels of bugbear raiders and other threats. Then they are all slain, but one, Breilor the Bold, who is taken with a great madness and retreats to eke out a solitary life in Skunk Ridge.
823 ID. Second assault on the ruined keep at Ettenhead also fails.
834 ID. This year, three adventuring companies are lost to the Haunted Horrn: the Flat Daggers of Rothe, ex-pirates with a hunger for the unclaimed riches of the Empire; the Hobfast Four, a team of enterprising burglars and fighters who worked for the Hosspotch House; and the Grash Harn, a band of dangerous orc blades for hire who were under the employ of the Arkanum Arkiva. Three wizards of Floivin were also lost in this expedition, though several of the Grash Harn soldiers were not sent into the ruins, and remain in Hud Horrn to this day.
840 ID. Third assault on the ruined keep at Ettendhead also fails. This time, Regent Goosearm has led the Last Eidolorn forces directly, and is killed by a pair of ogre spears lodged through his chest. A successful statesman and former soldier named Reginald Bauerkroft is named the 5th Regent of Floivin Province.
842 ID. The first reports arrive of Dror Gheel, the Slavemaster of Sothos Karr, rising to power in the Fyreklaw barrens south of the Vernal Valley.
859 ID. For the second time in history, the Ferryman strikes in the hamlet of Livenoak, slaying six wealthy merchant representatives traveling in from Toul Tabor. By this time, his murders have also been reported in Carbadi, Rothe, and Melethesz.
868 ID. Regent Bauerkroft is assassinated, and replaced by the General Gurd Gnarlbottom until a new Regent can arrive from Carbadi. There are stirrings of war to the north in Wintersbreath, a Vandrakki incursion. The General leads an army of about half the Province's Eidolorn regiment to meet with Toul Tabor and Wintersbreath forces. An enigmatic group of former Sothos Karr slaves known as 'The Score' has set into motion a series of suspicious events. The villages of Hud Horrn, Tarndim, and Cedarway fall to various native humanoid tribes who have been organized by these villains. A group of heroes stands between their nefarious plot and the fall of the entire Province, helping to fend off not only the humanoid threats, but an army of the dead from the far north province of Vhorinyr, an incursion of extradimensional beings known as 'githyanki', and a strange verbal plague that transforms its victims into a zombie-like state. These same heroes seal off the ruins of Ettenhead and begin their restoration, but soon after they are summoned to a challenge against the Champions of Sothos Karr, who seek satisfaction after several incursions which have strained the uneasy truce between the orcs and the Empire. They are all slain or captured. Velvedine, Royal Architect of Carbadi, has assumed the Regency of the Province. She is targeted by an assassination attempt which ends up killing a doppelganger that had been left in her place; several weeks later the genuine article reappears and resumes her position.
(This was the year of the original Udders Well campaign.)
870 ID. Wintersbreath has all but fallen to the Vandrakki barbarians, including the capital city of Vettlar. Only small, unorganized pockets of resistance remain, cut off from the rest of the Empire. Raiders begin to force their way South down the Pinewater into Floivin, but are driven back by Commander Hoary and a small remnant force of Last Eidolorn Soldiers. Hoary is slain in the attack. Velvedine and her neighboring Regent Dharmark decide, with permission from the Emperor, to built fortifications that will defend Floivin and Toul Tabor from the inevitable Vandrakki expansion. Construction of Forts Gurd and Hoary begins at the Shark Dunes and Pinewater pass.
872 ID. With the assistance of hundreds of dwarves from surrounding lands, the Gnarlbottom Clan completes a construction of its own, transforming the Sunken Forge on Greataxe Isle into the Hall of Mercies, a great temple and library devoted to the dwarven Gods whose shrines once occupied the Forge. Many remained on as acolytes and workers at this new place of worship, which features both an above ground structure and the sprawling underground Forge. If rumor is to be believed, a living avatar of a goddess known as Sharindlar resides within the Hall. Grandmother Hosspotch of Hobfast passes away, leaving a temporary hole in the halfling leadership.
875 ID. With the new Forts now complete, Regent Velvedine seeks to reinforce the ranks of Last Eidolorn soldiers, and with the help of Emperor's coffers. A thousand conscripts and their families emigrate from the provinces of Nobbish, Carbadi and Toul Tabor to swell the Floivin ranks. While most can be housed in existing communities, the reconstruction of the keep at Ettenhead is also finished, and transformed into a defensible military village. Memorials are raised for the heroes that once reclaimed the place but met their demise in Sothos Karr.
877 ID. Velvedine reaches an agreement with nearby Melethesz to create a 'highway' beneath the southeastern Vernal Wall, which will connect the two provinces directly. Two large crews of gnome engineers and dwarven miners establish sizable work camps on either side of the projected cavern road, and digging slowly commences. The Floivin camp is known as Skachalo, and the Last Eidolorn clears a new branch of the Great Westermarch across the Crown Pasture to reach them. Additionally, a marked path known as the Skunkwalk is started to connect the various Skunk Ridge communities and inevitably wind up to Fort Gurd. A Floivin businessman named Odd Jon Stuckle sells off the Fiery Rat tavern and establishes the 'Stuckle Downs' walled hamlet in the Ridge, meant as a rest and commerce stop for those crossing the region. He is financially backed by the Hosspotch family, now under the leadership of 'Grandfather' Jordyn, a transplant from Toul Tabor.
880 ID. Angered by rumors of construction under the Vernal Wall, and the possibility of its two flanking Imperial Provinces joining more directly, Sothos Karr sends envoys to threaten the truce with Regent Velvedine if progress continues. Shaken by the confrontation, she decides to abdicate the Regency, but not before ordering the establishment of a military camp just north of Mimresh in the Tooth Marsh. Dubbed Reedrustle, the camp consists of a few dozen tents and shanties, with five score Last Eidolorn soldiers that rotate the defenses and patrols. Scott Morrow is temporarily promoted to Regent-General while Carbadi decides on Velvedine's official replacement.
881 ID. Reports begin to filter in from Last Eidolon scouts, hunters and mountaineers that the ranks of numerous, once-defunct humanoid tribes have once again begun to swell due to flights of ogre, bugbear, and goblin refugees from the Wintersbreath wildlands. It seems the Vandrakki raiders have begun to expand the purge of their new territories. Morrow reaches out to establish a local chapter of the Bounders, a loose organization of do-gooders spanning several continents, who will trace and curb the newfound threat to the best of its ability. Another foreign syndicate known as the Gravers' Guild, from far-off Euristaz, sets up a local office in Floivin Keep. Rumor has it that their interests lie in the strange goings-on in the North of Thault, and the relics and history of the Shann humans who have long made the continent their home.
882 ID. Luciot, Archprelate of the Favored Blades of Eleste, arrives to assume the Regency of Floivin Province, as well as the direct oversight at the Cathedral of Blades. Far more iron-fisted than most of his predecessors, Luciot imposes stricter tithes, a Keep-wide curfew, and a laundry list of added duties for the Last Eidolorn guard. The Regent has an obvious disdain for both the shady dealings of the Hosspotch Holdings, and the newfound worship of the dwarven pantheon due to the Gnarlbottoms' Hall of Mercies. Rumors spread that he may clamp down and take action against both. Assassins and saboteurs, purportedly from Sothos Karr, attack the Melethesz side of the new tunnel being built beneath the Vernal Wall, Skachalo hires on extra mercenaries.
884 ID. Lone Vandrakki scouts and hunters have been spotted infrequently in the Frail Forest and Skunk Ridge. Morrow believes they must have crossed the mountains from the North, and aren't likely to represent an attacking force, but the they've appeared often enough that locals fear they might have found another way into the Province. Refugees have begun to trickle into the Empire from the distant kingdom of Alkinarre, south of Carbadi. Several have even come to Floivin Province. If rumors are true, their homeland is under attack from external undead forces as well as a strange plague, and the God-Bard Adrastos has lost several cities already despite a strong defense by the colossi and stone servitors that populate his lands.
886 ID. Children of numerous races begin to disappear in unusual numbers across the Province. First from the Keep itself, where many orphans initially go unnoticed; then from families in nearby towns like Hobfast and Halehusk; and eventually, from most of the Floivin communities. An exact pattern has been difficult to nail, but it is suspected that over 60 have been taken. The only evidence has been the torn pages from some ancient, unreadable tome left behind at numerous scenes. A massive force of humanoids has once again occupied the ruins at Haunted Horrn, harassing the mountainfolk at nearby Hud Horrn in what seems like an endless cycle. A task force consisting of a hundred Last Eidolorn soldiers, and numerous Bounders, move to reinforce the town.
888 ID. The current year.
Floivin Province Humanoids
Blood Eagles
Of the three major goblinoid tribes in Floivin Province, the Blood Eagles are the smallest, with the highest concentration of bugbears. In fact, other races within the tribe are generally slaves or non-combatants. The tribe is named for its preferred method of torture and execution, a painful procedure in which the victim's ribs are cut and broken to resemble wings, the lungs are pulled out, and the salt is poured on the open wounds. The Blood Eagles are the only local goblinoid tribe in which the females fight alongside the males. Though their activities are generally limited to the north Vernal Wall and the Sharks' Dunes through the gap north of Skunk Ridge, they often have a vested interest in claiming unprotected mines throughout Floivin Province. The Blood Eagles despise the other tribes, but several expatriates have been known to defect due to the strength and size of their rivals. They took some severe hits to their population and leadership during the vents of 868ID, but have slowly begun to recover and recruit in the decades since.
Leadership: Unknown
Population: 300 (96% bugbear, 2% goblin, 1% hobgoblin, 1% ogre)
Allies: Unknown
Enemies: Blooded Lash, Last Eidolorn, Marrow Suckers, Skull Collars, Vandrakki
Standard: Crude, crimson eagle engraved into chest
Blooded Lash
The Blooded Lash were originally refugees of Sothos Karr, named for the central plains region of that realm, who long ago forced a rebellion and escaped into mountains east of the Dimnesse. Through the decades, they have worked their way further north through the western Vernal Wall and gradually laid claim to the upper levels of the Haunted Horrn, in which they remain, despite having been driven out or assaulted their on numerous occasions, by both adventuring companies and the Last Eidolorn Guard. Heavy recruitment practices, as well as a steady stream of humanoid refugees from the region of Wintersbreath, have ensured that the tribe remains strong. As a symbol of their past, the Blooded Lash are ritually whipped by their superiors to ensure loyalty and discipline, and in battle, they rarely back down unless ordered, fighting to the death for the tribe's interests. They have since learned to train hippogriffs as mounts and combatants, and maintain a strict hierarchy of leadership.
Leadership: Geddok the Breaker (bugbear)
Population: 500 (37% goblin, 20% bugbear, 18% hobgoblin, 10% ogre, 7% hippogriff, 5% half-ogre, 3% troll)
Allies: Unknown
Enemies: Blood Eagles, Bounders, Last Eidolorn, Skull Collars, Vandrakki
Standard: Crossed scourges
Cleft Eye
The Cleft Eye is a small clan of kobolds living beneath Floivin Keep in the 'Vermin Vaults' area of the Sewers that channel the Udders through the city. Unlike most of the humanoid tribes in the region, the kobolds are tolerated by the Eidolorn Guard. Occasional clashes are inevitable, with the Flood Watch guard giving more than they get, but the former Regent Bauerkroft decreed that the clan should not be massacred, as their presence helps prevent intruders from poking their noses around in areas they shouldn't be. The Eidolorn apparently has its secrets. In the end, this works out for the kobolds, though they suffer occasional incursions from thieves and explorers who manage to find their way below the Keep, they have a high turnover rate and well defined parameters in which to plot their defenses, as well as access to foodstuffs and muscle from the dire rats they breed. They have on occasion been known to parlay with adventurers, though they suffered some serious losses back in 868ID when the Sewers were raided by a contingent of undead during the latest War for Floivin Province. Fortunately, their high breeding rate has helped them bounce back.
Leadership: Chief Chuff (kobold)
Population: 100 (96% kobold, 3% dire rat, 1% wererat)
Allies: Thorns of Arjaunt
Enemies: Flood Watch, Last Eidolorn, The Stride
Standard: Eye shorn in two by blade
Ettenhead Giants
The precise organization and current location of the Ettenhead giants is unknown, as they were exiled deep under the Northeastern Vernal Wall once the ruins of the stronghold were occupied and their underground access point was sealed off in 868ID. A few raids and rovers have been encountered in the decades since, but they've turned into more of a bother for Toul Tabor than a major threat to Floivin Province. They are rumored to lair in a massive subterranean passage which leads to a hidden realm beneath the northeast Vernal Wall, but no one in recent memory has ever seen it. It is unknown whether or not they're an actual tribe or a loose grouping of giant-kin families, but the average strength and size of the members ensure that few would bother to try learning more. Their leader is known simply as 'The Titan of the Glen', but he (or she) has never been seen by the Last Eidolorn Guard who have since transformed Ettenhead into a community for military families.
Leadership: The Titan of the Glen
Population: Unknown (Presumably 79% ogre, 9% hill giant, 5% troll, 3% half-ogre, 2% half-giant, 1% athach, 1% ettin)
Allies: Unknown
Enemies: Fourth Eidolorn, Last Eidolorn
Standard: None
Marrow Suckers
According to the late sorcerer Fisslakk, one of the unsung heroes of 868ID, the Marrow Suckers clan were all slain after consuming poisonous liquors they found in a dwarven tomb in Skunk Ridge. But considering the relatively small numbers of dead that were actually observed, and a few later run-ins through the years, it's not clear whether he was referring to his own family within the greater tribe, or the entire troglodyte clan. In either case, it can only serve as a benefit to the Floivin Province residents in the long run, because the creatures were notorious for vandalizing dwarven ruins, and abducting, torturing and even devouring slaves. A lair was purported to exist somewhere within the treacherous death trap known as the Crowslode, and if a remnant of the Marrow Suckers still exists, which is likely due to numerous reported encounters in the last twenty years, it should be there.
Leadership: Unknown
Population: Unknown (96% troglodytes, 2% rust monsters, 1% dwarves, 1% humans)
Allies: None
Enemies: Blood Eagles, Gnarlbottom Clan, Last Eidolorn
Standard: Bone with forked serpent tongue wrapped about it
Pinewater Maulers
More of a loosely organized gang than an actual tribe, the Pinewater Maulers are what the kobolds of the Frail Forest have dubbed themselves. They are rarely encountered in groups of more than a dozen, but they've been known to waylay and trouble travelers in the Forest, and to take up small fishing and hunting encampments along the east bank of the Pinewater (thus their name). It is unknown whether they have any relation to the Cleft Eye clan living beneath Floivin Keep, but on occasion there will be humans and elves in their midst. These are generally rogue or brigand elements trying to make some headway in the Province, or Roodeyes and Reddenbalms trying to harass one another, but only rarely would the major elven families of Littlewolf go to such an extreme. Supposedly there is a central figure, a 'Mouse the Murderous' who organizes the Pinewater Maulers into raids, but his or her level of direct interaction is unknown. Still, for being such a minor threat to the Floivin population, centuries of attempts by the elves and the Last Eidolorn have been unable to completely stamp them out, and in recent years their ranks have swelled even further as a population of their winged kin, 'urds' have inhabited the nearby Skunk Ridge.
Leadership: Mouse the Murderous
Population: Unknown (Presumably 79% kobolds, 9% urds, 5% humans, 3% elves, 2% half-elves, 1% halflings, 1% dwarves)
Allies: Thorns of Arjaunt
Enemies: Last Eidolorn, Reddenbalms, Roodeyes
Standard: None
Skull Collars
The largest and most mercenary of the three goblinoid tribes inhabiting the Province, the Skull Collars are also the most diverse, with their fingers in a number of interests. They maintain a hydra hatchery in the Tooth Marsh, a number of hideouts in the east Vernal Wall, and bands can often be found in the employ of various factions, or simply terrorizing farms and locals in the Crown Pasture or Frail Forest. They derive their name from the practice of affixing the skulls of their fallen opponents to a necklace or harness, the more the better. The Skull Collars are known to sell themselves to the highest biddest, regardless of the race of that bidder, and look past their inbred racial enmities to the betterment of their tribe. Thus, they can strangely be found in the occasional employ of dwarves and men. They've had at least one major stronghold located in the eastern Vernal Valley, overlooking the Great Westermarch pass through the mountains to Toul Tabor belong, and many other scattered shelters. Despite taking massive losses during the War for Floivin Province in 868ID, and having various of their operations disrupted, the Skull Collars' wide portfolio of terror and their ability to recruit evenly across a number of humanoid races has kept them afloat. These days, they also benefit from an enigmatic, canny new leader who remains Floivin Public Enemy #1
Leadership: Unknown
Population: 1000 (37% goblin, 20% hobgoblin, 18% bugbear, 10% worg, 7% ogre, 5% half-ogre, 3% half-giant)
Allies: The Score (presumed to be disbanded)
Enemies: Blood Eagles, Blooded Lash, Last Eidolorn
Standard: Necklace of skulls
Thorns of Arjaunt
The Thorns are perhaps the most wretched of the criminal organizations found in Floivin Province, with their ranks drawn exclusively from local humanoid tribes. Although many of them hail from the Cleft Eye or Pinewater Maulers, and share an affinity with those groups, members must swear their allegiance to the Thorns above all, and have to prove themselves with the acts of vandalism, drug trafficking, theft and assassination that the guild excels at. The Thorns are also known for their ability to 'hide in plain sight', preferring to operate among the larger populations of Floivin Keep, Hobfast and Halehusk, where they can compete heavily against other local guilds like The Stride, or the suspected shady dealings of the Hosspotch halflings. Whether they accomplish this through magical ability or pure stealth is unknown, but few in the know would ever want the Thorns of Arjaunt dogging them. Even fewer know what 'Arjaunt' refers to.
Leadership: The 'Magnificent' Wraith (unknown)
Population: 50 (79% kobolds, 9% wererats, 5% goblins, 3% urds, 2% hobgoblins, 1% orcs, 1% half-orcs)
Allies: Cleft Eye, Pinewater Maulers
Enemies: Hosspotch, Last Eidolorn, The Stride
Standard: Various tattooed glyphs penetrated by (or wearing) thorns.
Winterfurs
Not so much a proper tribe, rather an accumulation of humanoids, giants, and other creatures which have fled southward from their homelands in Wintersbreath due to the Vandrakki marauders. While there are likely a bunch of scattered groups hiding out in the Skunk Ridge, Frail Forest and northern Vernal Wall, there is at least one larger gathering with well over 100 of them, and some sort of leadership guiding them. A handful of encounters and skirmishes with Eidolorn soldiers, hunters, trappers, and prospectors have transpired in the last decade or so, but thus far no major conflicts have broken out. Still, considering the threat some of these creatures might pose, the Last Eidolorn, not to mention the other humanoid tribes of the Province, are worried about the balance shifting if too many of these creatures are able to unify themselves.
Leadership: Unknown
Population: Unknown, hundreds estimated (37% snow goblin, 20% yeti, 18% frost folk, 10% ogre, 7% ice troll, 5% half-ogre, 3% frost giant)
Allies: Unknown
Enemies: Last Eidolorn, Vandrakki
Standard: None
Of the three major goblinoid tribes in Floivin Province, the Blood Eagles are the smallest, with the highest concentration of bugbears. In fact, other races within the tribe are generally slaves or non-combatants. The tribe is named for its preferred method of torture and execution, a painful procedure in which the victim's ribs are cut and broken to resemble wings, the lungs are pulled out, and the salt is poured on the open wounds. The Blood Eagles are the only local goblinoid tribe in which the females fight alongside the males. Though their activities are generally limited to the north Vernal Wall and the Sharks' Dunes through the gap north of Skunk Ridge, they often have a vested interest in claiming unprotected mines throughout Floivin Province. The Blood Eagles despise the other tribes, but several expatriates have been known to defect due to the strength and size of their rivals. They took some severe hits to their population and leadership during the vents of 868ID, but have slowly begun to recover and recruit in the decades since.
Leadership: Unknown
Population: 300 (96% bugbear, 2% goblin, 1% hobgoblin, 1% ogre)
Allies: Unknown
Enemies: Blooded Lash, Last Eidolorn, Marrow Suckers, Skull Collars, Vandrakki
Standard: Crude, crimson eagle engraved into chest
Blooded Lash
The Blooded Lash were originally refugees of Sothos Karr, named for the central plains region of that realm, who long ago forced a rebellion and escaped into mountains east of the Dimnesse. Through the decades, they have worked their way further north through the western Vernal Wall and gradually laid claim to the upper levels of the Haunted Horrn, in which they remain, despite having been driven out or assaulted their on numerous occasions, by both adventuring companies and the Last Eidolorn Guard. Heavy recruitment practices, as well as a steady stream of humanoid refugees from the region of Wintersbreath, have ensured that the tribe remains strong. As a symbol of their past, the Blooded Lash are ritually whipped by their superiors to ensure loyalty and discipline, and in battle, they rarely back down unless ordered, fighting to the death for the tribe's interests. They have since learned to train hippogriffs as mounts and combatants, and maintain a strict hierarchy of leadership.
Leadership: Geddok the Breaker (bugbear)
Population: 500 (37% goblin, 20% bugbear, 18% hobgoblin, 10% ogre, 7% hippogriff, 5% half-ogre, 3% troll)
Allies: Unknown
Enemies: Blood Eagles, Bounders, Last Eidolorn, Skull Collars, Vandrakki
Standard: Crossed scourges
Cleft Eye
The Cleft Eye is a small clan of kobolds living beneath Floivin Keep in the 'Vermin Vaults' area of the Sewers that channel the Udders through the city. Unlike most of the humanoid tribes in the region, the kobolds are tolerated by the Eidolorn Guard. Occasional clashes are inevitable, with the Flood Watch guard giving more than they get, but the former Regent Bauerkroft decreed that the clan should not be massacred, as their presence helps prevent intruders from poking their noses around in areas they shouldn't be. The Eidolorn apparently has its secrets. In the end, this works out for the kobolds, though they suffer occasional incursions from thieves and explorers who manage to find their way below the Keep, they have a high turnover rate and well defined parameters in which to plot their defenses, as well as access to foodstuffs and muscle from the dire rats they breed. They have on occasion been known to parlay with adventurers, though they suffered some serious losses back in 868ID when the Sewers were raided by a contingent of undead during the latest War for Floivin Province. Fortunately, their high breeding rate has helped them bounce back.
Leadership: Chief Chuff (kobold)
Population: 100 (96% kobold, 3% dire rat, 1% wererat)
Allies: Thorns of Arjaunt
Enemies: Flood Watch, Last Eidolorn, The Stride
Standard: Eye shorn in two by blade
Ettenhead Giants
The precise organization and current location of the Ettenhead giants is unknown, as they were exiled deep under the Northeastern Vernal Wall once the ruins of the stronghold were occupied and their underground access point was sealed off in 868ID. A few raids and rovers have been encountered in the decades since, but they've turned into more of a bother for Toul Tabor than a major threat to Floivin Province. They are rumored to lair in a massive subterranean passage which leads to a hidden realm beneath the northeast Vernal Wall, but no one in recent memory has ever seen it. It is unknown whether or not they're an actual tribe or a loose grouping of giant-kin families, but the average strength and size of the members ensure that few would bother to try learning more. Their leader is known simply as 'The Titan of the Glen', but he (or she) has never been seen by the Last Eidolorn Guard who have since transformed Ettenhead into a community for military families.
Leadership: The Titan of the Glen
Population: Unknown (Presumably 79% ogre, 9% hill giant, 5% troll, 3% half-ogre, 2% half-giant, 1% athach, 1% ettin)
Allies: Unknown
Enemies: Fourth Eidolorn, Last Eidolorn
Standard: None
Marrow Suckers
According to the late sorcerer Fisslakk, one of the unsung heroes of 868ID, the Marrow Suckers clan were all slain after consuming poisonous liquors they found in a dwarven tomb in Skunk Ridge. But considering the relatively small numbers of dead that were actually observed, and a few later run-ins through the years, it's not clear whether he was referring to his own family within the greater tribe, or the entire troglodyte clan. In either case, it can only serve as a benefit to the Floivin Province residents in the long run, because the creatures were notorious for vandalizing dwarven ruins, and abducting, torturing and even devouring slaves. A lair was purported to exist somewhere within the treacherous death trap known as the Crowslode, and if a remnant of the Marrow Suckers still exists, which is likely due to numerous reported encounters in the last twenty years, it should be there.
Leadership: Unknown
Population: Unknown (96% troglodytes, 2% rust monsters, 1% dwarves, 1% humans)
Allies: None
Enemies: Blood Eagles, Gnarlbottom Clan, Last Eidolorn
Standard: Bone with forked serpent tongue wrapped about it
Pinewater Maulers
More of a loosely organized gang than an actual tribe, the Pinewater Maulers are what the kobolds of the Frail Forest have dubbed themselves. They are rarely encountered in groups of more than a dozen, but they've been known to waylay and trouble travelers in the Forest, and to take up small fishing and hunting encampments along the east bank of the Pinewater (thus their name). It is unknown whether they have any relation to the Cleft Eye clan living beneath Floivin Keep, but on occasion there will be humans and elves in their midst. These are generally rogue or brigand elements trying to make some headway in the Province, or Roodeyes and Reddenbalms trying to harass one another, but only rarely would the major elven families of Littlewolf go to such an extreme. Supposedly there is a central figure, a 'Mouse the Murderous' who organizes the Pinewater Maulers into raids, but his or her level of direct interaction is unknown. Still, for being such a minor threat to the Floivin population, centuries of attempts by the elves and the Last Eidolorn have been unable to completely stamp them out, and in recent years their ranks have swelled even further as a population of their winged kin, 'urds' have inhabited the nearby Skunk Ridge.
Leadership: Mouse the Murderous
Population: Unknown (Presumably 79% kobolds, 9% urds, 5% humans, 3% elves, 2% half-elves, 1% halflings, 1% dwarves)
Allies: Thorns of Arjaunt
Enemies: Last Eidolorn, Reddenbalms, Roodeyes
Standard: None
Skull Collars
The largest and most mercenary of the three goblinoid tribes inhabiting the Province, the Skull Collars are also the most diverse, with their fingers in a number of interests. They maintain a hydra hatchery in the Tooth Marsh, a number of hideouts in the east Vernal Wall, and bands can often be found in the employ of various factions, or simply terrorizing farms and locals in the Crown Pasture or Frail Forest. They derive their name from the practice of affixing the skulls of their fallen opponents to a necklace or harness, the more the better. The Skull Collars are known to sell themselves to the highest biddest, regardless of the race of that bidder, and look past their inbred racial enmities to the betterment of their tribe. Thus, they can strangely be found in the occasional employ of dwarves and men. They've had at least one major stronghold located in the eastern Vernal Valley, overlooking the Great Westermarch pass through the mountains to Toul Tabor belong, and many other scattered shelters. Despite taking massive losses during the War for Floivin Province in 868ID, and having various of their operations disrupted, the Skull Collars' wide portfolio of terror and their ability to recruit evenly across a number of humanoid races has kept them afloat. These days, they also benefit from an enigmatic, canny new leader who remains Floivin Public Enemy #1
Leadership: Unknown
Population: 1000 (37% goblin, 20% hobgoblin, 18% bugbear, 10% worg, 7% ogre, 5% half-ogre, 3% half-giant)
Allies: The Score (presumed to be disbanded)
Enemies: Blood Eagles, Blooded Lash, Last Eidolorn
Standard: Necklace of skulls
Thorns of Arjaunt
The Thorns are perhaps the most wretched of the criminal organizations found in Floivin Province, with their ranks drawn exclusively from local humanoid tribes. Although many of them hail from the Cleft Eye or Pinewater Maulers, and share an affinity with those groups, members must swear their allegiance to the Thorns above all, and have to prove themselves with the acts of vandalism, drug trafficking, theft and assassination that the guild excels at. The Thorns are also known for their ability to 'hide in plain sight', preferring to operate among the larger populations of Floivin Keep, Hobfast and Halehusk, where they can compete heavily against other local guilds like The Stride, or the suspected shady dealings of the Hosspotch halflings. Whether they accomplish this through magical ability or pure stealth is unknown, but few in the know would ever want the Thorns of Arjaunt dogging them. Even fewer know what 'Arjaunt' refers to.
Leadership: The 'Magnificent' Wraith (unknown)
Population: 50 (79% kobolds, 9% wererats, 5% goblins, 3% urds, 2% hobgoblins, 1% orcs, 1% half-orcs)
Allies: Cleft Eye, Pinewater Maulers
Enemies: Hosspotch, Last Eidolorn, The Stride
Standard: Various tattooed glyphs penetrated by (or wearing) thorns.
Winterfurs
Not so much a proper tribe, rather an accumulation of humanoids, giants, and other creatures which have fled southward from their homelands in Wintersbreath due to the Vandrakki marauders. While there are likely a bunch of scattered groups hiding out in the Skunk Ridge, Frail Forest and northern Vernal Wall, there is at least one larger gathering with well over 100 of them, and some sort of leadership guiding them. A handful of encounters and skirmishes with Eidolorn soldiers, hunters, trappers, and prospectors have transpired in the last decade or so, but thus far no major conflicts have broken out. Still, considering the threat some of these creatures might pose, the Last Eidolorn, not to mention the other humanoid tribes of the Province, are worried about the balance shifting if too many of these creatures are able to unify themselves.
Leadership: Unknown
Population: Unknown, hundreds estimated (37% snow goblin, 20% yeti, 18% frost folk, 10% ogre, 7% ice troll, 5% half-ogre, 3% frost giant)
Allies: Unknown
Enemies: Last Eidolorn, Vandrakki
Standard: None
Floivin Province Geography
Vernal Valley Map
Crown Pasture: Occupying the southeast corner of the Vernal Valley, the Crown Pasture is the primary farming land used by the citizens of Floivin Province. Much of the land is broken off into farmsteads, who trade among themselves and also bring their goods to Halehusk and Livenoak where they barter them for clothing and other necessities. Several of the farmsteads serve as local distilleries or breweries, and several are overseen directly by the Eidolorn government. The rest of the farmsteads pay an annual tithe to the Empire, but are allowed to buy and sell their produce as desired. While it's not an extremely dangerous area of the Valley, farmers are often beset upon by ankhegs, giant ants, giant weasels, vipers and goblin marauders who creep into the Valley through the Great Westermarch road. Not long ago, the gnomes of the Skirkwhistle Mining Co. from Melethesz established the small village of Skachalo where they are working on an underground tunnel to connect Floivin and their home province beneath the Vernal Wall.
Frail Forest: The Frail Forest is home to both bands of elves native to the Vernal Valley: the Roodeyes and Reddenbalms. Both are nomadic families who wander about the forest seasonally, occasionally crossing over to the Crown Pasture or Skunk Ridge to set up their camps. Otherwise, the Forest is a great source for woodland game, and the primary source of lumber in Floivin Province, so camps of woodcutters are quite common on the outskirts. In the center of the Forest lies the beautiful Eastnesse with its crystal waters, so clear that one can often see close to the bottom of its 30 foot depths during a bright summer day. It's the primary source of fresh water for the game in the area, so hunters will often set up around its shores. The villages of Livenoak and Littlewolf are also found here, and the ruined dwarf keep known as Ettencap, which is dangerous and off limits save for the Last Eidolorn soldiers who maintain a vigil upon it. The Forest has been cleared of most of its most deadly game by now, but some predators still exist, including black bears, dire wolves and giant owls. Several small clans of kobolds are also believed to exist in the region, though they are known more as pests who steal supplies from hunting and logging camps than an outright threat.
Skunk Ridge: Skunk Ridge is so named for the plethora of bizarre skunkweed plants that dominate its otherwise rocky, rolling hills. The region comprises the entire area between the Pinewater and Midge Creek rivers, stretching south over the Udders Well and north through Oldbone Pass which eventually arrives in the Province of Wintersbreath. Tarndim is a fishing community on a small bridge of rock over the Well, and Cedarway is a small shipping stop located on the west ban of the Pinewater, where goods are checked and organized for trade to the neighboring Province. The skunkweed and other herbs are noted for their medicinal or olfactory traits, but the Ridge is also home to a number of dangers. Giant beetles, dire wolves, troglodytes and even mating bulettes are known to frequent the area, and citizens are advised to stay far away from them. In addition, there are a great many small, abandoned mines dotting the region, and many a hollow hill which might house a dwarf barrow from times predating Imperial rule. In recent years, the new communities of Stuckle Downs and Fort Gurd have sprung up in the region, and some crude roads have been laid out to better guide travelers.
Tooth Marsh: Perhaps the most diverse terrain of the Vernal Valley, the Tooth Marsh is full of swamp groves to the north, peters off into flat wetlands in its center, and becomes slightly more solid and rocky to the south, where a valley pass leads through the Mimresh to the Fyreklaw barrens beyond. A great range of herbs and wildlife can be found within, as the Marsh has a more diverse ecology than any other area of the Valley. Hobfast is the one settlement here, on the western bank of Udders Well, but scavengers, hunters and pickers can often be found scattered through the Marsh. Though the war against Fharkkas the Gnawer catalyzed the cleansing of most of the more dangerous creatures in the Marsh by the Last Eidolon guard, there remain a number of hostile enemies: lizardfolk, stirges, chokers and hydras have been spotted here through the years, and there is always the threat of an invasion via the Mimresh.
Udders Well: One of the largest freshwater lakes in all of the Eidolorn Empire, the Udders Well is fed by the 'Udders', an ancient damn that controls the flow of the higher Dimnesse waters into the lake and out through the Pinewater and Midge Creek to lands beyond the Vernal Wall. The Well is a major resource for fishing, drinking water and recreation, and probably the real lifesblood of both the Empire living here and the previous Gnarlbottom clan. Small fishing craft are common on its waters, and occasionally a river barge from Wintersbreath, but the Last Eidolon guard maintain no naval force in Floivin Province. The Well is suspected to be close to 200 feet deep in its center, and there are a number of dangerous denizens which fishermen must do their best to avoid: scrags and merrow raiders that come upriver through the Midge Creek are not unheard of, dire bass are a deadly prize, and more than one species of giant predatory fish is known to lurk beneath its waters.
Vernal Wall: The massive mountainous enclosure surrounding the Vernal Valley is both a blessing and curse. It provides great protection from both the elements and invasion, provided you can defend the various river and land passes which offer access. But it's also home to some of the more dangerous monsters of the region, and its vast walls are dotted with old mines, burial sites and former dwarven holds: Haunted Horrn, Crowslode and the Dwarf Lords' Rest are all found upon its cliffs and slopes. There is only one community in the Wall, the Hud Horrn which lies below its overrun neighbor on the Haunted Path in the western mountains, but mountaineers, miners and even the more daring birdwatchers of the Empire are often found in the heights, which rise above 2,000 feet in some areas. It's suspected that deep below the Wall, various old dwarf fortresses and cities may lie, that predate Floivin Keep itself. The more common denizens of its heights include mountain lions, cave bears, giant eagles, gargoyles and bugbear tribes that ascend to the peaks from the subterranean depths, and who knows what else lies below the roots of the Vernal Wall's many, many caverns.
Crown Pasture: Occupying the southeast corner of the Vernal Valley, the Crown Pasture is the primary farming land used by the citizens of Floivin Province. Much of the land is broken off into farmsteads, who trade among themselves and also bring their goods to Halehusk and Livenoak where they barter them for clothing and other necessities. Several of the farmsteads serve as local distilleries or breweries, and several are overseen directly by the Eidolorn government. The rest of the farmsteads pay an annual tithe to the Empire, but are allowed to buy and sell their produce as desired. While it's not an extremely dangerous area of the Valley, farmers are often beset upon by ankhegs, giant ants, giant weasels, vipers and goblin marauders who creep into the Valley through the Great Westermarch road. Not long ago, the gnomes of the Skirkwhistle Mining Co. from Melethesz established the small village of Skachalo where they are working on an underground tunnel to connect Floivin and their home province beneath the Vernal Wall.
Frail Forest: The Frail Forest is home to both bands of elves native to the Vernal Valley: the Roodeyes and Reddenbalms. Both are nomadic families who wander about the forest seasonally, occasionally crossing over to the Crown Pasture or Skunk Ridge to set up their camps. Otherwise, the Forest is a great source for woodland game, and the primary source of lumber in Floivin Province, so camps of woodcutters are quite common on the outskirts. In the center of the Forest lies the beautiful Eastnesse with its crystal waters, so clear that one can often see close to the bottom of its 30 foot depths during a bright summer day. It's the primary source of fresh water for the game in the area, so hunters will often set up around its shores. The villages of Livenoak and Littlewolf are also found here, and the ruined dwarf keep known as Ettencap, which is dangerous and off limits save for the Last Eidolorn soldiers who maintain a vigil upon it. The Forest has been cleared of most of its most deadly game by now, but some predators still exist, including black bears, dire wolves and giant owls. Several small clans of kobolds are also believed to exist in the region, though they are known more as pests who steal supplies from hunting and logging camps than an outright threat.
Skunk Ridge: Skunk Ridge is so named for the plethora of bizarre skunkweed plants that dominate its otherwise rocky, rolling hills. The region comprises the entire area between the Pinewater and Midge Creek rivers, stretching south over the Udders Well and north through Oldbone Pass which eventually arrives in the Province of Wintersbreath. Tarndim is a fishing community on a small bridge of rock over the Well, and Cedarway is a small shipping stop located on the west ban of the Pinewater, where goods are checked and organized for trade to the neighboring Province. The skunkweed and other herbs are noted for their medicinal or olfactory traits, but the Ridge is also home to a number of dangers. Giant beetles, dire wolves, troglodytes and even mating bulettes are known to frequent the area, and citizens are advised to stay far away from them. In addition, there are a great many small, abandoned mines dotting the region, and many a hollow hill which might house a dwarf barrow from times predating Imperial rule. In recent years, the new communities of Stuckle Downs and Fort Gurd have sprung up in the region, and some crude roads have been laid out to better guide travelers.
Tooth Marsh: Perhaps the most diverse terrain of the Vernal Valley, the Tooth Marsh is full of swamp groves to the north, peters off into flat wetlands in its center, and becomes slightly more solid and rocky to the south, where a valley pass leads through the Mimresh to the Fyreklaw barrens beyond. A great range of herbs and wildlife can be found within, as the Marsh has a more diverse ecology than any other area of the Valley. Hobfast is the one settlement here, on the western bank of Udders Well, but scavengers, hunters and pickers can often be found scattered through the Marsh. Though the war against Fharkkas the Gnawer catalyzed the cleansing of most of the more dangerous creatures in the Marsh by the Last Eidolon guard, there remain a number of hostile enemies: lizardfolk, stirges, chokers and hydras have been spotted here through the years, and there is always the threat of an invasion via the Mimresh.
Udders Well: One of the largest freshwater lakes in all of the Eidolorn Empire, the Udders Well is fed by the 'Udders', an ancient damn that controls the flow of the higher Dimnesse waters into the lake and out through the Pinewater and Midge Creek to lands beyond the Vernal Wall. The Well is a major resource for fishing, drinking water and recreation, and probably the real lifesblood of both the Empire living here and the previous Gnarlbottom clan. Small fishing craft are common on its waters, and occasionally a river barge from Wintersbreath, but the Last Eidolon guard maintain no naval force in Floivin Province. The Well is suspected to be close to 200 feet deep in its center, and there are a number of dangerous denizens which fishermen must do their best to avoid: scrags and merrow raiders that come upriver through the Midge Creek are not unheard of, dire bass are a deadly prize, and more than one species of giant predatory fish is known to lurk beneath its waters.
Vernal Wall: The massive mountainous enclosure surrounding the Vernal Valley is both a blessing and curse. It provides great protection from both the elements and invasion, provided you can defend the various river and land passes which offer access. But it's also home to some of the more dangerous monsters of the region, and its vast walls are dotted with old mines, burial sites and former dwarven holds: Haunted Horrn, Crowslode and the Dwarf Lords' Rest are all found upon its cliffs and slopes. There is only one community in the Wall, the Hud Horrn which lies below its overrun neighbor on the Haunted Path in the western mountains, but mountaineers, miners and even the more daring birdwatchers of the Empire are often found in the heights, which rise above 2,000 feet in some areas. It's suspected that deep below the Wall, various old dwarf fortresses and cities may lie, that predate Floivin Keep itself. The more common denizens of its heights include mountain lions, cave bears, giant eagles, gargoyles and bugbear tribes that ascend to the peaks from the subterranean depths, and who knows what else lies below the roots of the Vernal Wall's many, many caverns.
Floivin Province Encounters
This page will soon be updated for Pathfinder 2nd edition.
Crown Pasture
Skunk Ridge
Daytime: 2 in 10/3 hours; 1d8+1d12
Nighttime: 2 in 10/2 hours; 1d8+1d12
02. Special encounter**
03. Two-headed troll (1d3) MM.349
04. Hill giant (1d12) MM.141
05. Urd (3d10) MM.212
06. Giant weasel (1d8) MCA2.83
07. Troll (1d12) MM.349
08. Wolf (2d6) MM.362
09. Hill dwarf (4d10) MM.94
10. Troglodyte (1d10) MC.348
11. NPC Party*
12. Wolverine (1) MM.241
13. Giant bombardier beetle (3d4) MM.18
14. Lesser basilisk (1d4) MM.14
15. Giant wasp (1d20) MM.204
16. Dire wolf (3d4) MM.362
17. Behir (1d2) MM.20
18. Bulette (1d2) MM.33
19. Ettin (1d4) MM.135
20. Aurumvorax (1) MM.10
Daytime: 1 in 10/3 hours; 1d8+1d12
Nighttime: 1 in 10/2 hours; 1d8+1d12
02. Special encounter**
03. Cyclops (1d4) MM.133
04. Ettin (1d4) MM.135
05. Cyclopskin (1d8) MM.133
06. Werebear (1d4) MM.234
07. Gargoyle (2d8) MM.125
08. Bugbear (2d4) MM.32
09. Wild eagle (1d6+6) MM.27
10. Mountain dwarf (4d10) MM.94
11. NPC Party*
12. Goat (5d4) MM.241
13. Mountain lion (1d2) MM.36
14. Cave bear (1d2) MM.17
15. Troll (1d12) MM.349
16. Giant eagle (1d20) MM.27
17. Stone giant (1d10) MM.145
18. Displacer beast (1d4+1) MM.56
19. Two-headed troll (1d3) MM.349
20. Mountain giant (1d4) MM.143
* The DM keeps private NPC encounter tables for each region.
** Each region also has a number of unique special random encounters.
Crown Pasture
Daytime: 1 in 10/3 hours; 1d8+1d12
Nighttime: 1 in 10/2 hours; 1d8+1d12
Nighttime: 1 in 10/2 hours; 1d8+1d12
02. Special encounter**
03. Velvet ant swarm (1d100x1000) MM.206
04. Gyerian (2d4) Myst.57
05. Ankheg (1d6, 1d6+2 HD) MM.7
06. Blink dog (4d4) MM.57
07. Giant poisonous snake (1d6) MM.320
08. Firefriend (1d4) MM.204
09. Giant ant (1d100, 25% warriors) MM.204
10. Wild dog (4d4) MM.57
11. NPC Party*
12. Poisonous snake (1d6) MM.320
13. Giant bee (1d10, 20% soldiers) MM.204
14. Giant wasp (1d20) MM.204
15. Goblin (4d6) MM.163
16. Giant weasel (1d8) MCA2.83
17. Brownie (4d4) MM.31
18. Amphisbaena (1d3) MM.320
19. Blue dragonfly (3d6) Myst.32
20. Wemic (2d8) MM.357
03. Velvet ant swarm (1d100x1000) MM.206
04. Gyerian (2d4) Myst.57
05. Ankheg (1d6, 1d6+2 HD) MM.7
06. Blink dog (4d4) MM.57
07. Giant poisonous snake (1d6) MM.320
08. Firefriend (1d4) MM.204
09. Giant ant (1d100, 25% warriors) MM.204
10. Wild dog (4d4) MM.57
11. NPC Party*
12. Poisonous snake (1d6) MM.320
13. Giant bee (1d10, 20% soldiers) MM.204
14. Giant wasp (1d20) MM.204
15. Goblin (4d6) MM.163
16. Giant weasel (1d8) MCA2.83
17. Brownie (4d4) MM.31
18. Amphisbaena (1d3) MM.320
19. Blue dragonfly (3d6) Myst.32
20. Wemic (2d8) MM.357
Frail Forest
Daytime: 1 in 10/2 hours; 1d8+1d12
Nighttime: 1 in 10/1 hour: 1d8+1d12
02. Special encounter**
03. Firbolg (1d4) MM.136
04. Hangman tree (1) MM.293
05. Owlbear (1d8) MM.284
06. Dire wolf (3d4) MM.362
07. Giant owl (1d4+1) MM.27
08. Kobold (5d4) MM.214
09. Giant stag beetle (2d6) MM.18
10. Black bear (1d3) MM.17
11. NPC Party*
12. Wild boar (1d12) MM.241
13. Giant boring beetle (3d6) MM.18
14. Elf (2d10) MM.108
15. Wolf (2d6) MM.362
16. Unicorn (1d6) MM.353
17. Wolfwere (1d3) MM.363
18. Dryad (1d6) MM.93
19. Ettin (1d4) MM.135
20. Wood giant (1d4) MM.148
Nighttime: 1 in 10/1 hour: 1d8+1d12
02. Special encounter**
03. Firbolg (1d4) MM.136
04. Hangman tree (1) MM.293
05. Owlbear (1d8) MM.284
06. Dire wolf (3d4) MM.362
07. Giant owl (1d4+1) MM.27
08. Kobold (5d4) MM.214
09. Giant stag beetle (2d6) MM.18
10. Black bear (1d3) MM.17
11. NPC Party*
12. Wild boar (1d12) MM.241
13. Giant boring beetle (3d6) MM.18
14. Elf (2d10) MM.108
15. Wolf (2d6) MM.362
16. Unicorn (1d6) MM.353
17. Wolfwere (1d3) MM.363
18. Dryad (1d6) MM.93
19. Ettin (1d4) MM.135
20. Wood giant (1d4) MM.148
Skunk Ridge
Daytime: 2 in 10/3 hours; 1d8+1d12
Nighttime: 2 in 10/2 hours; 1d8+1d12
02. Special encounter**
03. Two-headed troll (1d3) MM.349
04. Hill giant (1d12) MM.141
05. Urd (3d10) MM.212
06. Giant weasel (1d8) MCA2.83
07. Troll (1d12) MM.349
08. Wolf (2d6) MM.362
09. Hill dwarf (4d10) MM.94
10. Troglodyte (1d10) MC.348
11. NPC Party*
12. Wolverine (1) MM.241
13. Giant bombardier beetle (3d4) MM.18
14. Lesser basilisk (1d4) MM.14
15. Giant wasp (1d20) MM.204
16. Dire wolf (3d4) MM.362
17. Behir (1d2) MM.20
18. Bulette (1d2) MM.33
19. Ettin (1d4) MM.135
20. Aurumvorax (1) MM.10
Tooth Marsh
Daytime: 2 in 10/2 hours; 1d8+1d12
Nighttime: 2 in 10/1 hour; 1d8+1d12
02. Special encounter**
03. Giant crocodile (1d12) MM.49
04. Killer frog (3d6) MM.119
05. Choker (1d6) Myst.19
06. Hydra (1; 1d8+4 heads); MM.200
07. Manticore (1d4) MM.246
08. Stirge (3d10) MM.332
09. Orc (3d10) MM.281
10. Giant hornet (1) MM.204
11. NPC Party*
12. Poisonous snake (1d6) MM.320
13. Crocodile (3d8) MM.49
14. Giant frog (5d8) MM.119
15. Orog (2d4) MM.281
16. Lizard man (1d8+7) MM.227
17. Will o'wisp (1d3) MM.361
18. Bullywug (10d8) MM.34
19. Amphisbaena (1d3) MM.320
20. Lernaean hydra (1; 1d8+4 heads); MM.200
Daytime: 2 in 10/2 hours; 1d8+1d12
Nighttime: 2 in 10/1 hour; 1d8+1d12
02. Special encounter**
03. Giant crocodile (1d12) MM.49
04. Killer frog (3d6) MM.119
05. Choker (1d6) Myst.19
06. Hydra (1; 1d8+4 heads); MM.200
07. Manticore (1d4) MM.246
08. Stirge (3d10) MM.332
09. Orc (3d10) MM.281
10. Giant hornet (1) MM.204
11. NPC Party*
12. Poisonous snake (1d6) MM.320
13. Crocodile (3d8) MM.49
14. Giant frog (5d8) MM.119
15. Orog (2d4) MM.281
16. Lizard man (1d8+7) MM.227
17. Will o'wisp (1d3) MM.361
18. Bullywug (10d8) MM.34
19. Amphisbaena (1d3) MM.320
20. Lernaean hydra (1; 1d8+4 heads); MM.200
Udders Well,
Rivers/Lakes
Daytime: 1 in 10/2 hours; 1d8+1d12
Nighttime: 1 in 10/1 hour; 1d8+1d12
02. Special encounter**
03. Giant catfish (1, 1d6+4 HD) MM.117
04. Nixie (2d8) MC1.100
07. Water naga (1d4) MM.266
08. Giant frog (5d8) MM.119
09. Crocodile (3d8) MM.49
10. Merrow (2d12) MM.272
11. NPC Party*
12.Weed eel (10d6) MM.117
13. Giant pike (1d8) MM.117
14. Giant crayfish (1d4) MM.50
15. Giant dragonfly (1d6) MM.204
16. Scrag (1d6) MM.349
17. Vodyanoi (1d3) MM.352
18. Killer frog (3d6) MM.119
19. Swanmay (1, 2d6 HD), MM.334
20. Giant crocodile (1d12) MM.49
Daytime: 1 in 10/2 hours; 1d8+1d12
Nighttime: 1 in 10/1 hour; 1d8+1d12
02. Special encounter**
03. Giant catfish (1, 1d6+4 HD) MM.117
04. Nixie (2d8) MC1.100
05. Giant gar (1d6) MM.117
06. Lizard man (1d8+7) MM.22707. Water naga (1d4) MM.266
08. Giant frog (5d8) MM.119
09. Crocodile (3d8) MM.49
10. Merrow (2d12) MM.272
11. NPC Party*
12.Weed eel (10d6) MM.117
13. Giant pike (1d8) MM.117
14. Giant crayfish (1d4) MM.50
15. Giant dragonfly (1d6) MM.204
16. Scrag (1d6) MM.349
17. Vodyanoi (1d3) MM.352
18. Killer frog (3d6) MM.119
19. Swanmay (1, 2d6 HD), MM.334
20. Giant crocodile (1d12) MM.49
Vernal Wall
Daytime: 1 in 10/3 hours; 1d8+1d12
Nighttime: 1 in 10/2 hours; 1d8+1d12
02. Special encounter**
03. Cyclops (1d4) MM.133
04. Ettin (1d4) MM.135
05. Cyclopskin (1d8) MM.133
06. Werebear (1d4) MM.234
07. Gargoyle (2d8) MM.125
08. Bugbear (2d4) MM.32
09. Wild eagle (1d6+6) MM.27
10. Mountain dwarf (4d10) MM.94
11. NPC Party*
12. Goat (5d4) MM.241
13. Mountain lion (1d2) MM.36
14. Cave bear (1d2) MM.17
15. Troll (1d12) MM.349
16. Giant eagle (1d20) MM.27
17. Stone giant (1d10) MM.145
18. Displacer beast (1d4+1) MM.56
19. Two-headed troll (1d3) MM.349
20. Mountain giant (1d4) MM.143
* The DM keeps private NPC encounter tables for each region.
** Each region also has a number of unique special random encounters.
House Rules & Variants
This page will soon be updated for Pathfinder 2nd edition.
Attendance: This is a game, and thus supposed to be for fun. People are likely to miss a game from time to time. Skipping a session earns no experience points. However, since it doesn't always make sense to have characters zipping in and out of existence during the story, the DM reserves the right to use an absent player's PC in as limited a role as possible if necessary. If a character falls too far behind he or she might have to be retired and/or replaced. Since the campaign will often involve a number of alternates or satellite players, there will be an XP accrual system in place so that they're not left behind statistically. I will always attempt to set up game dates that all players can attend, but in some cases we might have to run with a partial group (with or without alternates). If there are last minute changes (usually within a week of a session) where one or more players have to cancel, we will still run, provided we have a minimum of three PCs.
Conduct: All the basic stuff. Please show up on time, or if not give us a good estimate of when you'll be able to arrive. Try not to speak over others, give everyone a chance at the table, even the DM for all his dialogue, description, and rulings. Pay attention as best possible, please keep the use of cell-phones (or web browsers) to a minimum outside emergencies or nerdy photo ops. Leave any hot topic discussions involving religion, politics, science or other contentious issues to the social media, I'd like to promote a friendly environment for escapism! Check in with the blog from time to time, a few minutes of reading to catch up with whatever you missed, or new information I've made available.
Death & Retirement: It's going to happen. When possible, make your deaths count, and make them magnificent! New characters will begin play at one level below the party average, so that they can remain in sight of the others in terms of power. If you wish to 'retire' a character instead, you'll be able to begin another at the beginning of the same level as the retiree. That said, in order to prevent a rotating door of retired characters, a player will only be able to exercise this option once/year IRL.
Floivin Province Communities
Vernal Valley Map
Cedarway (hamlet, pop. 100)
The tiny Cedarway was essentially a shipping stop where river craft were once laden with supplies to and from the Province of Wintersbreath. Now that all trade to that fallen province has ceased, it's grown into more of a fishing community, campground, and a stop off between the newly built Fort Hoary and the Keep. A small detachment of Last Eidolorn soldiers operates out of the Skunkside Tower, from which they send out patrols to the eastern Ridge. There aren't a great deal of permanent structures beyond the Tower, and old warehouse, a single shop, and a recently opened tavern. Much of the area around the river is populated with tents and camps, some in use and others left behind in pretty good shape for travelers. The Bounders use one group of tents east of the Pinewater as their local headquarters, and at least a few of them can be find here if one needed to get in touch with that particular organization.
Ettenhead (village, pop. 500)
Once a rather large fortress, the Ettenhead was later sacked by giants from beneath the Vernal Wall, and occupied for some time before a group of heroes reconquered it in 868ID. The place was to be rebuilt by dwarven smiths as another keep, but several years after the loss of those same heroes, the Last Eidolorn decided to re-purpose it into a military community which could help house the influx of new fighting men emigrating over from other provinces. Most of the stone shops and dwellings were made from the crumbling fortress walls and towers, and Ettenhead has really been cleaned up and neatly laid out, like an elaborate barracks. There are a decent number of local businesses which tend to the soldiers' families when they're out on assignment, and the inn, the Heroes' Last, features a shrine to those adventures which liberated the keep.
Floivin Keep (small city, pop. 6500)
A massive, fortified keep that sits atop the ancient, dwarven-crafted dam known as the 'Udders'. This is both the capital and cultural center for the Floivin Province of the Eidolorn Empire, and houses the current appointed ruler, Regent and Archprelate Luciot, his administrative cabinet, and over 300 soldiers of the Last Eidolorn Guard. Other noteworthy institutions within the city walls include the Arkana Arkiva (wizards' guild), the Cathedral of Blades, House Hosspotch, and the Well's Edge Market, a large, open-air bazaar which serves both the local community and the wealth of merchants and travelers who visit the city during the spring and summer seasons. Famous drinking holes here include the Dirty Dagger Alehouse, Seven Flood Inn, Twin Lizard Tap and the Fiery Rat. The Keep is accessed through two massive iron gates flanking the city, east and west, along the Udders on the Great Westermarch road, and the structure is extremely difficult to assault, due to its location upon the damn and the various anti-siege armaments the Last Eidolorn can employ when needed. Floivin Keep was built over 300 years ago by the Gnarlbottom clan, before they were assimilated into the expanding Empire. A few decades back, during the tumultuous events of 868ID, the Keep survived assaults from both an undead army and a githyanki incursion. A decade later it's as good as new, with most of the walls, businesses and properties rebuilt.
Fort Gurd (hamlet, pop. 200)
Named for the former General and temporary Regent of Floivin Province, Gurd Gnarlbottom, who was lost trying to liberate Wintersbreath from the Vandrakki raiders, today Fort Gurd is a fortified village blocking off the Vernal Valley from that same menace. Built fairly recent, in the mountain pass between Skunk Ridge and the Shark Dunes, Fort Gurd make a rather ingenious use of strong, high walls, ballista-mounted watch-towers and natural rock formations which should prove worthy to slow most approaching forces. The overwhelming majority of inhabitants are Last Eidolorn soldiers, with a few businesses to support them, like The Left Flank tavern and a branch of Hosspotch Holdings. There is also a Church of Eleste present on the Fort's rainwater runoff pond/drinking supply. A nearby mine called the Spiderfang has been boarded up ever since the Fort was established.
Fort Hoary (hamlet, pop. 100)
Another defensive settlement built to stave off potential threats from the Vandrakki that trampled Wintersbreath, this river community was named for the late General Hoary, a lifetime soldier who rose up through the ranks of the Last Eidolorn during the events of 868ID. Land was shored up from the Pinewater on its eastern bank, and then a thick, strong wall to stretch across the waters, with enough room only for small river craft to pass below, and a small keep from which the Eidolorn soldiers can watch. Just to the north is the newly constructed Blazebow tower with its burn-ready ballistae, meant to decimate threats on land or water, and to the south of the wall is the community of Fort Hoary proper: a small, walled military base, a good number of barracks, docks, and the Right Flank, the 'sister inn' to the Left Flank of Fort Gurd.
Halehusk (small town, pop. 1200)
This pastoral settlement town sits along the eastern bank of Udders Well, and serves as both a sizable fishing community and a farmer's market. It was the first settlement established when the Eidolorn Empire arrived in the Valley through the Great Westermarch road in 718 I.D. Today the population consists largely of cooks, fishermen, shippers and receivers who transport crops and livestock along the road to Floivin Keep and across the Well to other shoreline communities like Hobfast and Tarndim. The town is governed by the gruff Captain Caiman of the Last Eidolorn, the first member of his species (lizard man) to ever have enlisted, and defended by a consignment of 30 soldiers. Travelers may rest their feet at the Lone Wheel House or take their spirits at the Blind Vixen.
Hobfast (village, pop. 800)
Hobfast is a small community located on the western bank of the Udders Well, home to the local chapter of the Anglers' Guild. It's location in the Tooth Marsh makes it a popular haven for herbalists and hunters, and all manner of interesting crafts and items are made from resources found in the swamp. There's also a sizable presence of the Hosspotch family here, which runs the Crimson Harpy, i.e. the sole barroom that doubles as an inn (and gambling den). Grandfather Jordyn Hosspotch himself resides here, patriarch of the family, and a far more public figure than his predecessor. There are around 20 Last Eidolorn troops stationed in Hobfast, less than there used to be before the establishment of Camp Reedrustle to the south, but the current Regent's distrust of the halflings might see that number doubled again in the near future.
Hud Horrn (village, pop. 400)
The Hud Horrn is a former dwarven outpost upon which numerous human structures have been built. It's a popular location for prospectors as well as adventurers, for further along the Vernal Wall, on the Haunted Path lies a nearly identical stronghold known as Haunted Horrn. Rumors persist that the place is swarming with dangerous beasts from the depths of the mountains, and perhaps even the spirits of dwarf soldiers who were slaughtered there some 200 years past by an unknown force. The Hud Horrn itself is a tightly knit group of fortified buildings to protect against dire weather and other hazards of the heights, and a few abandoned mines lie beneath it. There's an inn here known as the Laughing Hand Lodge, and the Floivin Dungeoneer's Guild, which focuses on both exploration and mining for profit. Two score of the Last Eidolorn are permanently stationed in the Twin Hammer towers, but a number of other folks dwelling here are pretty handy in a fight. They need to be.
Littlewolf (hamlet, pop. 200)
Littlewolf is a small community which technically lies outside the jurisdiction of Floivin Province, as it is largely a gathering place for those of the Roodeye and Reddenbalm bands. However, the Empire does maintain a presence of 10 soldiers here by permission of Herr Jaeger Reddenbalm, the eldest and wisest elf in all of the Vernal Valley, over 800 years old! The elven bands take turns governing the hamlet, each 20 years. There are no drinking establishments in Littlewolf, but spirits and entertainment can be had by all, as the elves love to entertain for a fee or a favor. It is also the one place in all Floivin province where the Circle of the Crow maintains an 'official' presence. You can contact their representative Shayla the Swineherd, who is constantly toiling about with her stable of wild boars. In more recent times the Starbust Hourse has been established, a house for worship of Corellon Larethian, and a fencing school founded by an elf known as Grail 'the Whistleblade'.
Livenoak (village, pop. 700)
The hearty folk of Livenoak live on the border of the Frail Forest and Crown Pasture, and see a large amount of foot and mounted traffic through the year along the Great Westermarch road. Many foresters and trappers bring wooden craftable items, skins and furs to Livenoak to trade with merchants passing through, and the village is known for the beautiful sounds made by hundreds of wooden wind-chimes that hang from the tree-limbs and ramshackle tent houses. There's a large tent-hostel here known as Leaping Knuckle Lodge, where one can also purchase some cheap ale. Some 50 Last Eidolorn troops are stationed at Livenoak, although less than half are likely to be present at any time since they're patrolling a large swath of the Frail Forest, Crown Pasture and the Westermarch itself as it winds into Toul Tabor to the East.
Reedrustle (hamlet, pop. 100)
Once the tensions of 868ID arose with Sothos Karr, potentially threatening the 'truce' that had been struck between the orcs and Floivin Province, the leadership realized it was time to build some more permanent station for the Last Eidolorn soldiers who kept vigil over the Mimresh and also patrolled the Tooth Marsh. Reedrustle is the humble result, a gated stockade containing wooden barracks and some tents which belong to traders and travelers passing through. It has its own stables and lies directly on the Great Westermarch as it winds down towards the orc fortress. Four score Eidolorn troops reside there, half of which are present at any given time.
Skachalo (hamlet, pop. 200)
Skachalo is community established by the Skirkwhistle Mining Co. for the purpose of supporting the engineers and laborers in charge of building the Floivin side of the Underway, a new underground road which will ultimately connect Floivin Province and Melethesz, and boost the commerce and defense capabilities of both. The Skirkwhistle gnomes and Smeltbelly dwarves make up the bulk of the population, and there are structures here for processing ore, a giant rockfill to contain the unused rock, and a reservoir pond built to help power some of their modern, hydraulic digging. As part of the agreement, a new Last Eidolorn tower called The Crowneye was built, and a detachment of 10 troops helps guard and oversee Skachalo. The Skirkwhistles have also constructed a balloon launch which can take high paying customers or dignitaries above the mountains to the neighboring province, or perhaps even travel farther.
Stuckle Downs (village, pop 300)
Built atop the Stuckle family barrows in Skunk Ridge, Stuckle Downs is the home of one Odd Jon Stuckle, a local hero and unorthodox chef of some repute. With his success in business running the Fiery Rat at Floivin Keep, and several inheritances (from family an fallen friends), he decided to reinvest in a new community where his fortunes began. One of the youngest settlements in the Valley, it's a hilltop village protected by strong walls, with architecture not unlike that found in the Keep. There are several gatehouses for protection, an artificial fishing pond and canal system to keep the residents refreshed, a shrine built for one of Odd Jon's former companions, a fine inn called The Rusty Cudgel which the mayor himself oversees, and at the center of the village, a well-maintained park upon which the original entrance to the barrow lies. 20 Last Eidolorn soldiers are either manning the Barrow-watch tower or patrolling the nearby hills, and there's another popular attraction in the Weasel Tracks, where giant weasels from the Ridge are raced against one another and gambled on. The rumor that the losers are later prepared at the Cudgel, and their hides stuffed, might or might not be true...
Tarndim (hamlet, pop. 400)
The Dimtarn is a purely fishing community that lies on a small peninsula of land projecting into the Udders Well from the Skunk Ridge area. It's so deep in the Valley that there are only 10 soldiers assigned to its protection, and one of the few communities governed by a non-military personnel, Blake Bauerkroft, nephew of a previous Regent, who has been in charge for decades, and a good friend of mayor of Stuckle Downs. Most of its business is conducted by trades in other shoreline communities, so there is no real market here, unless you need a swift water craft or fine fishing gear. There is one cheap inn called the Steady Oar.
Cedarway (hamlet, pop. 100)
The tiny Cedarway was essentially a shipping stop where river craft were once laden with supplies to and from the Province of Wintersbreath. Now that all trade to that fallen province has ceased, it's grown into more of a fishing community, campground, and a stop off between the newly built Fort Hoary and the Keep. A small detachment of Last Eidolorn soldiers operates out of the Skunkside Tower, from which they send out patrols to the eastern Ridge. There aren't a great deal of permanent structures beyond the Tower, and old warehouse, a single shop, and a recently opened tavern. Much of the area around the river is populated with tents and camps, some in use and others left behind in pretty good shape for travelers. The Bounders use one group of tents east of the Pinewater as their local headquarters, and at least a few of them can be find here if one needed to get in touch with that particular organization.
Ettenhead (village, pop. 500)
Once a rather large fortress, the Ettenhead was later sacked by giants from beneath the Vernal Wall, and occupied for some time before a group of heroes reconquered it in 868ID. The place was to be rebuilt by dwarven smiths as another keep, but several years after the loss of those same heroes, the Last Eidolorn decided to re-purpose it into a military community which could help house the influx of new fighting men emigrating over from other provinces. Most of the stone shops and dwellings were made from the crumbling fortress walls and towers, and Ettenhead has really been cleaned up and neatly laid out, like an elaborate barracks. There are a decent number of local businesses which tend to the soldiers' families when they're out on assignment, and the inn, the Heroes' Last, features a shrine to those adventures which liberated the keep.
Floivin Keep (small city, pop. 6500)
A massive, fortified keep that sits atop the ancient, dwarven-crafted dam known as the 'Udders'. This is both the capital and cultural center for the Floivin Province of the Eidolorn Empire, and houses the current appointed ruler, Regent and Archprelate Luciot, his administrative cabinet, and over 300 soldiers of the Last Eidolorn Guard. Other noteworthy institutions within the city walls include the Arkana Arkiva (wizards' guild), the Cathedral of Blades, House Hosspotch, and the Well's Edge Market, a large, open-air bazaar which serves both the local community and the wealth of merchants and travelers who visit the city during the spring and summer seasons. Famous drinking holes here include the Dirty Dagger Alehouse, Seven Flood Inn, Twin Lizard Tap and the Fiery Rat. The Keep is accessed through two massive iron gates flanking the city, east and west, along the Udders on the Great Westermarch road, and the structure is extremely difficult to assault, due to its location upon the damn and the various anti-siege armaments the Last Eidolorn can employ when needed. Floivin Keep was built over 300 years ago by the Gnarlbottom clan, before they were assimilated into the expanding Empire. A few decades back, during the tumultuous events of 868ID, the Keep survived assaults from both an undead army and a githyanki incursion. A decade later it's as good as new, with most of the walls, businesses and properties rebuilt.
Fort Gurd (hamlet, pop. 200)
Named for the former General and temporary Regent of Floivin Province, Gurd Gnarlbottom, who was lost trying to liberate Wintersbreath from the Vandrakki raiders, today Fort Gurd is a fortified village blocking off the Vernal Valley from that same menace. Built fairly recent, in the mountain pass between Skunk Ridge and the Shark Dunes, Fort Gurd make a rather ingenious use of strong, high walls, ballista-mounted watch-towers and natural rock formations which should prove worthy to slow most approaching forces. The overwhelming majority of inhabitants are Last Eidolorn soldiers, with a few businesses to support them, like The Left Flank tavern and a branch of Hosspotch Holdings. There is also a Church of Eleste present on the Fort's rainwater runoff pond/drinking supply. A nearby mine called the Spiderfang has been boarded up ever since the Fort was established.
Fort Hoary (hamlet, pop. 100)
Another defensive settlement built to stave off potential threats from the Vandrakki that trampled Wintersbreath, this river community was named for the late General Hoary, a lifetime soldier who rose up through the ranks of the Last Eidolorn during the events of 868ID. Land was shored up from the Pinewater on its eastern bank, and then a thick, strong wall to stretch across the waters, with enough room only for small river craft to pass below, and a small keep from which the Eidolorn soldiers can watch. Just to the north is the newly constructed Blazebow tower with its burn-ready ballistae, meant to decimate threats on land or water, and to the south of the wall is the community of Fort Hoary proper: a small, walled military base, a good number of barracks, docks, and the Right Flank, the 'sister inn' to the Left Flank of Fort Gurd.
Halehusk (small town, pop. 1200)
This pastoral settlement town sits along the eastern bank of Udders Well, and serves as both a sizable fishing community and a farmer's market. It was the first settlement established when the Eidolorn Empire arrived in the Valley through the Great Westermarch road in 718 I.D. Today the population consists largely of cooks, fishermen, shippers and receivers who transport crops and livestock along the road to Floivin Keep and across the Well to other shoreline communities like Hobfast and Tarndim. The town is governed by the gruff Captain Caiman of the Last Eidolorn, the first member of his species (lizard man) to ever have enlisted, and defended by a consignment of 30 soldiers. Travelers may rest their feet at the Lone Wheel House or take their spirits at the Blind Vixen.
Hobfast (village, pop. 800)
Hobfast is a small community located on the western bank of the Udders Well, home to the local chapter of the Anglers' Guild. It's location in the Tooth Marsh makes it a popular haven for herbalists and hunters, and all manner of interesting crafts and items are made from resources found in the swamp. There's also a sizable presence of the Hosspotch family here, which runs the Crimson Harpy, i.e. the sole barroom that doubles as an inn (and gambling den). Grandfather Jordyn Hosspotch himself resides here, patriarch of the family, and a far more public figure than his predecessor. There are around 20 Last Eidolorn troops stationed in Hobfast, less than there used to be before the establishment of Camp Reedrustle to the south, but the current Regent's distrust of the halflings might see that number doubled again in the near future.
Hud Horrn (village, pop. 400)
The Hud Horrn is a former dwarven outpost upon which numerous human structures have been built. It's a popular location for prospectors as well as adventurers, for further along the Vernal Wall, on the Haunted Path lies a nearly identical stronghold known as Haunted Horrn. Rumors persist that the place is swarming with dangerous beasts from the depths of the mountains, and perhaps even the spirits of dwarf soldiers who were slaughtered there some 200 years past by an unknown force. The Hud Horrn itself is a tightly knit group of fortified buildings to protect against dire weather and other hazards of the heights, and a few abandoned mines lie beneath it. There's an inn here known as the Laughing Hand Lodge, and the Floivin Dungeoneer's Guild, which focuses on both exploration and mining for profit. Two score of the Last Eidolorn are permanently stationed in the Twin Hammer towers, but a number of other folks dwelling here are pretty handy in a fight. They need to be.
Littlewolf (hamlet, pop. 200)
Littlewolf is a small community which technically lies outside the jurisdiction of Floivin Province, as it is largely a gathering place for those of the Roodeye and Reddenbalm bands. However, the Empire does maintain a presence of 10 soldiers here by permission of Herr Jaeger Reddenbalm, the eldest and wisest elf in all of the Vernal Valley, over 800 years old! The elven bands take turns governing the hamlet, each 20 years. There are no drinking establishments in Littlewolf, but spirits and entertainment can be had by all, as the elves love to entertain for a fee or a favor. It is also the one place in all Floivin province where the Circle of the Crow maintains an 'official' presence. You can contact their representative Shayla the Swineherd, who is constantly toiling about with her stable of wild boars. In more recent times the Starbust Hourse has been established, a house for worship of Corellon Larethian, and a fencing school founded by an elf known as Grail 'the Whistleblade'.
Livenoak (village, pop. 700)
The hearty folk of Livenoak live on the border of the Frail Forest and Crown Pasture, and see a large amount of foot and mounted traffic through the year along the Great Westermarch road. Many foresters and trappers bring wooden craftable items, skins and furs to Livenoak to trade with merchants passing through, and the village is known for the beautiful sounds made by hundreds of wooden wind-chimes that hang from the tree-limbs and ramshackle tent houses. There's a large tent-hostel here known as Leaping Knuckle Lodge, where one can also purchase some cheap ale. Some 50 Last Eidolorn troops are stationed at Livenoak, although less than half are likely to be present at any time since they're patrolling a large swath of the Frail Forest, Crown Pasture and the Westermarch itself as it winds into Toul Tabor to the East.
Reedrustle (hamlet, pop. 100)
Once the tensions of 868ID arose with Sothos Karr, potentially threatening the 'truce' that had been struck between the orcs and Floivin Province, the leadership realized it was time to build some more permanent station for the Last Eidolorn soldiers who kept vigil over the Mimresh and also patrolled the Tooth Marsh. Reedrustle is the humble result, a gated stockade containing wooden barracks and some tents which belong to traders and travelers passing through. It has its own stables and lies directly on the Great Westermarch as it winds down towards the orc fortress. Four score Eidolorn troops reside there, half of which are present at any given time.
Skachalo (hamlet, pop. 200)
Skachalo is community established by the Skirkwhistle Mining Co. for the purpose of supporting the engineers and laborers in charge of building the Floivin side of the Underway, a new underground road which will ultimately connect Floivin Province and Melethesz, and boost the commerce and defense capabilities of both. The Skirkwhistle gnomes and Smeltbelly dwarves make up the bulk of the population, and there are structures here for processing ore, a giant rockfill to contain the unused rock, and a reservoir pond built to help power some of their modern, hydraulic digging. As part of the agreement, a new Last Eidolorn tower called The Crowneye was built, and a detachment of 10 troops helps guard and oversee Skachalo. The Skirkwhistles have also constructed a balloon launch which can take high paying customers or dignitaries above the mountains to the neighboring province, or perhaps even travel farther.
Stuckle Downs (village, pop 300)
Built atop the Stuckle family barrows in Skunk Ridge, Stuckle Downs is the home of one Odd Jon Stuckle, a local hero and unorthodox chef of some repute. With his success in business running the Fiery Rat at Floivin Keep, and several inheritances (from family an fallen friends), he decided to reinvest in a new community where his fortunes began. One of the youngest settlements in the Valley, it's a hilltop village protected by strong walls, with architecture not unlike that found in the Keep. There are several gatehouses for protection, an artificial fishing pond and canal system to keep the residents refreshed, a shrine built for one of Odd Jon's former companions, a fine inn called The Rusty Cudgel which the mayor himself oversees, and at the center of the village, a well-maintained park upon which the original entrance to the barrow lies. 20 Last Eidolorn soldiers are either manning the Barrow-watch tower or patrolling the nearby hills, and there's another popular attraction in the Weasel Tracks, where giant weasels from the Ridge are raced against one another and gambled on. The rumor that the losers are later prepared at the Cudgel, and their hides stuffed, might or might not be true...
Tarndim (hamlet, pop. 400)
The Dimtarn is a purely fishing community that lies on a small peninsula of land projecting into the Udders Well from the Skunk Ridge area. It's so deep in the Valley that there are only 10 soldiers assigned to its protection, and one of the few communities governed by a non-military personnel, Blake Bauerkroft, nephew of a previous Regent, who has been in charge for decades, and a good friend of mayor of Stuckle Downs. Most of its business is conducted by trades in other shoreline communities, so there is no real market here, unless you need a swift water craft or fine fishing gear. There is one cheap inn called the Steady Oar.
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