D&D Dynasty: 3rd Path of King Alzar the Mighty - FINISHED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

Get ready


Path the First, Thorasia: The D&D Dynasty: The Path of Alzar the Mighty - Front Office Football Central

Path the Second, Hamedh: The D&D Dynasty: The New Path of Alzar the Mighty - Front Office Football Central

woohoo!

It''s going to be very....out there....but in a way a huge homecoming...

But basically, Alzar is about to head a very familiar plane. An actual, TSR approved plane...

After being sealed inside of a different plane, one where his combined states and skills won't be as much of an issue, by the Demon Princes Jubilex and Zuggtmoy, Alzar is in a new place.

There are no rules for what happened. There is no curse, spell, magical ability or item that represents what punishment was meted on to Alzar. And even less on what to do when it ends.

There are a few ways I can handle this. I could give him all of the levels on gained on Hamedh, or just merely the XP and give him about one level. What I’m actually going to do is to give Alzar half of the levels he got on Hamedh to the original Thorasia version, then adding a level to represent the Libram he read.

Alzar was level 14 as a mage, so he will be level 19 now. (He gained 8 mages levels through adventuring +1 for the book).

Here was Alzar before he was flung to Hamedh and cursed:

The Alzar of Christmas Past

8th level Fighter (Myrmidon), 14th level Path Mage (Fivefold Mage)

Lawful Evil
Human

Str: 17
Dex: 12
Con: 10
Wis: 15
Int: 21
Cha: 17

Hit Points: 68
THACO: 13
AC: -3 (Bracers, Helm, Cloak, Boots, Ioun Stone) Gets +2 when fighting with one handed weapon
Total XP: 1,515,000
Age 53, Body - 19

Race Abilities:

None Taken

Class Abilities (Cannot use as Necromancer without losing XP gain):

Specialization
Leadership (Alzar can command the tactics, strategy, logistics and more that a large force requires)
3 attacks every 2 rounds with melee weapons


Non-Weapon Proficiencies:

Myrmidon Bonus:

Tactical History 14
Fire-Building 16

Riding 11
Swimming 12
Reading/Writing 13
Survival 14
Blind Fighting
Etiquette 13
Endurance
Heraldry 13
Hunting 10
Fishing 14
Weather Knowledge 10
Orienteering 15

As a Necromancer/Fivefold Mage

Necrology 17
Netherworld Knowledge 14
Herbalism 14
Alchemy 15
Poison Use 11
Ancient Languages 10
Spellcraft 12
Ancient History – 14
Bookbinding – 16
Papermaking - 16
Sage Knowledge: Outer Planes, Inner Planes - 13

Languages – Typic, Sis’sharr, UnderTypic, Kuo-Toa,


Traits:

Empathy
Fast Healer
Precise Memory
Obscure Knowledge


Weapon Proficiencies:

Bonus Kit Specialization:

Battle Axe

Battle Axe
One Handed Weapon Style x2 (-2 AC when using one weapon in combat)
Crossbow
Battle Axe Weapon Mastery
Spear
Dagger

Total with normal battle axe - +3 to hit, +3 to damage, -2 to AC. Extra attack every other round. An additional +1 with the axe and +1 damage for strength


Staff – Can only use this as a Necromancer, +1


Class Ability:

1). Alzar can control undead as an evil Priest of the same level, and this ability extends to extra planar beings which are considered undead with the same hit dice for this purpose.
2). One Extra Spell/Level is Gained, must be Path.
3). Fivefold Mages reduce the spell level by one when researching spells in The Path.
4). Chance to Learn spell in The Path increased by +15%
5). Saving Throw of Targets when targeted by spells from The Path at -1.
6). No more than one spell per level can be from the group: Abjuration, Alteration, Alchemy and Geometry barring a highly unusual and temporary circumstance.
7). Fivefold Mage must invest a focus item as the method through which magic is cast. (Alzar’s Father’s Ring)
8). Must have a lab and library and workbench with 1,000 gp value per level, and an upkeep of 50 gp/level/month
9). They can store spells like an Artificer, but cannot begin to do so until level 6
10). Fivefold Mages have a chance to identify a magical item by spending a turn peering at it closely and examining it - chance is their level times 5.
11). Fivefold Mages never suffer from a negative reaction penalty due to controlling or animating undead.


Stalked by a Death Servant, who merges with his shadow. If he ever is about to take a fatal blow, the Death Servant will jump out, take the blow instead, and Alzar will be fully healed.

Immune to starvation

Can cast ESP once/week

A Wish Resulted in - An interdimensional Pocket which only he can access by reaching out his hand, or concentrating to send himself there. It’s sort of like a giant Bag of Holding. It can hold up to 500,000 coins of items, and it’s the size of a large room. Due to the size and volume, it cannot be accessed as readily as his items in a Bag of Holding can be, and therefore, he cannot find items during combat from it. He also can’t step into it during combat, it takes a minute of meditation to translocate his form there.

Alzar may move and survive in the following planes at will: Tarterus, Acheron, The Abyss, Elysium, Arcadia, and the Astral Plane and Positive Energy.

Alzar was unable to use some of these abilities on Hamedh, and they will kick back in, like his extra- dimensional pocket, He adds in proficiencies gained and more on Hamedh. Here is Alzar today, on his new plane.


Alzzar, Post Hamedh
8th level Fighter (Myrmidon), 19th level Path Mage (Fivefold Mage)

Lawful Evil
Human

Str: 17
Dex: 13
Con: 10
Wis: 16
Int: 21
Cha: 17

Hit Points: 73
THACO: 13
AC: -2 (Bracers AC2, Helm, Cloak -2 AC, Ioun Stone -1 AC:-3 more for Bright Barrier or -2 when fighting with one handed weapon)
Total XP: 3,500,000(Level 20 at 3,750,000
Age 59, Body - 25

Race Abilities:

None Taken

Class Abilities (Cannot use as Necromancer without losing XP gain):

Specialization
Leadership (Alzar can command the tactics, strategy, logistics and more that a large force requires)
3 attacks every 2 rounds


Non-Weapon Proficiencies:

Myrmidon Bonus:

Tactical History 14
Fire-Building 16

Riding 11
Swimming 12
Reading/Writing 13
Survival 14
Blind Fighting
Etiquette 13
Endurance
Heraldry 13
Hunting 10
Fishing 14
Weather Knowledge 10
Orienteering 15

As a Necromancer/Fivefold Mage

Necrology 17
Netherworld Knowledge 14
Herbalism 14
Alchemy 15
Poison Use 11
Ancient Languages 10
Spellcraft 12
Ancient History – 14
Bookbinding – 16
Papermaking - 16
Sage Knowledge: Outer Planes, Inner Planes – 13
Divining: 15
Genie Lore: 16
Riding, Specialization: 10
Research: 13
First Lore – Aleph I: 8

Languages – Thorasian - Typic, Sis’sharr, UnderTypic, Kuo-Toa; Hamedhi – Arjuni, Sand Mire Common,


Traits:

Empathy
Fast Healer
Precise Memory
Obscure Knowledge


Weapon Proficiencies:

Bonus Kit Specialization:

Battle Axe

Battle Axe
One Handed Weapon Style x2 (-2 AC when using one weapon in combat)
Crossbow
Battle Axe Weapon Mastery
Spear
Dagger

Total with normal battle axe - +3 to hit, +3 to damage, -2 to AC. An additional +1 with the axe and +1 damage for strength


Staff – Can only use this as a Necromancer, +1


Class Ability:

1). Alzar can control undead as an evil Priest of the same level, and this ability extends to extra planar beings which are considered undead with the same hit dice for this purpose.
2). One Extra Spell/Level is Gained, must be Path.
3). Fivefold Mages reduce the spell level by one when researching spells in The Path.
4). Chance to Learn spell in The Path increased by +15%
5). Saving Throw of Targets when targeted by spells from The Path at -1.
6). No more than one spell per level can be from the group: Abjuration, Alteration, Alchemy and Geometry barring a highly unusual and temporary circumstance.
7). Fivefold Mage must invest a focus item as the method through which magic is cast. (Alzar’s Father’s Ring)
8). Must have a lab and library and workbench with 1,000 gp value per level, and an upkeep of 50 gp/level/month
9). They can store spells like an Artificer, but cannot begin to do so until level 6
10). Fivefold Mages have a chance to identify a magical item by spending a turn peering at it closely and examining it - chance is their level times 5.
11). Fivefold Mages never suffer from a negative reaction penalty due to controlling or animating undead.


Immune to starvation

Can cast ESP once/week

A Wish Resulted in - An interdimensional Pocket which only he can access by reaching out his hand, or concentrating to send himself there. It’s sort of like a giant Bag of Holding. It can hold up to 500,000 coins of items, and it’s the size of a large room. Due to the size and volume, it cannot be accessed as readily as his items in a Bag of Holding can be, and therefore, he cannot find items during combat from it. He also can’t step into it during combat, it takes a minute of meditation to translocate his form there.

Alzar may move and survive in the following planes at will: Tarterus, Acheron, The Abyss, Elysium, Arcadia, and the Astral Plane and Positive Energy.

+2 to all saves against fear/awe effects

This is the Alzar of Christmas Present. Abilities bolded cannot be used here on the new plane (due to the nature of the plane itself or due to the fact he has been sealed in).

Like Hamedh, there will be some minor changes to plants, animals, and such. Proficiencies in bold simply won’t be able to work at all. Italicized items represent skills that still work for old places or languages known, but won’t work for things from the new plane, at least not at first.

The items that Alzar has on this list come from two places. The first are those he brought over from Hamedh. Those were on him (or held by him) as he arrived. The second set of items he has is in his extradimensional space. His "home" away from home, so to speak. The items he had on him when the Portal/accident happened are long since gone, and things like his Belt of Flying, or the lost gems from the artifact he destroyed, and many others are now gone. They were procured. That includes the items he had in his Bag of Holding, such as one copy of his personal spellbooks (he had spare sets in several locations) . Items from Thorasia that he acquired, but had in his home, or several treasuries, were not able to be procured by him in his short stint back on the home plane for a moment before Jubilex arrived and yanked him off again. So all he has is the stuff he could carry, and the stuff he could store in his personal OtherSpace.

Many of the best items aren’t in the OtherSpace, that was meant to be a place to store and hold up as well as a mobile lab/library and place to sleep. For example, Whelm, Wave, and Blackrazor are not stored there. Neither are a lot of other unique items. He lost the Sword of Lyons that he adored so much. You’ll see what stuff he had.

Following, sir!

Tell

Awesome possum! I actually say that in real life too!

What items does Alzar have?

Stuff:

5055 pp


Gems: 22,300 in gems from a volume with a hollow center;

Jewelry: 75,000 gp in generic jewelry


Objet d’arts:


Books:

20000 GP Spell and Use Library
3 books on golems and repair – 500 gold.
Manual of Summoning Familiars – When read in its entirety just before casting Find Familiar or a similar spell, three possible familiars will arrive and spellcasters can choose which one they want.
The Anatomy of the Harginn (The Fire Elemental Grue) worth 500 gp and tell how to summon, and what they do, etc.
Four texts on Elemental Water, Evil – 250 gp each
Seven Tomes on Secret Rituals of Water Evil of various sorts.
Two Books of Magic
Three Books on Spell Research into Commanding Undead
5 books on summoning and binding of demons
Book on the Soul Gem
Lament for Lost Tharizdun – 33,000 gp
Book of the Gate -
The Fivefold Path to Power
One bookshelf of tomes on becoming a lich, controlling undead, diseases and curing
Diary of Helthrax
Treasures of Thorasia
3 Rows of Bigby’s Bookshelves: Magical Theory, Spellmaking, Enchanting, Science, Astrology.
Illustrated Hamedh Bestiary (250 gp)
Creation of the Shade
Surrisk’s notes on undead, necromancy, and a spell Undead Familiar
Book of the Coming
Neconilis’s Book of Horrors
Tome of Vile Darkness; Manual of Bodily Health; Manual of Gainful Exercise; Manual of Quickness of Action; Tome of Clear Thoughtx2; Tome of Leadership and Influence; Tome of Understanding; Grim Grimoire; Libram of Gainful Conjuration;


Laboratory:

20000 gp lab generally

Artifacts:


Face of Xenous - Summon one of each elemental, 16 hd, no control, once/week; Cone of Cold, Telekinetic Gaze, 1000 coins, 2/day; Flesh to Stone, Web 1/day; Color Spray, Darkness, 15’, 3/day; Comprehend Languages at will - Fires in 60’ extinguished and temperature drops 20 degrees when power used. When non-evil touches it take 4d4 damage and ages 1d4 years. INT 25, EGO 25, turn to CE if dominated.

Bright Barrier of the God-King Dargeshaad

Alignment – Lawful

Large circular shield

Major Power: Purge – Drain 2 levels of HD from all non-lawful who can see it 3/day
Minor Power: +2 Shield, wielder can hold shield and cast spells simultaneously. Deliver Shield Punch attack for 1d8+2 damage.
Cast Command at will; Detect Lie 3/day
Dangers: Wielder ages 1d10 months any time activating major power is used. Major power also pushes user more and more towards and stricter and stricter alignment. Chance Dargeshaad will inhabit user if major power used.


Magic Items:

Potions - of Sweet Waterx2, Diminutionx3, Gaseous Formx2, Poisonx3, Telekinesis, Extra-Healingx5, Healingx10, Levitationx1, Spider Climbingsx2, ESPx2 Animal Control – Horses, Clairvoyancex3, Clairaudience, Fire Resistancex2, Philter of Lovex2, Control Plantsx3, Neutralize Poisonx2, Speedx4, Cure Disease, Water Breathingx4, Invisibilityx4; Invulnerabilityx48, Undead Controlx5 (Wight, Vampire, Ghoul), Heroismx3, Flyingx3, White, Silverx2, Red, Black, Greenx2 Dragon Control; Oil of Etherealnessx2, Strength, Treasure Findingx2, Human Controx3, Growthx2, Animal Control, Philter of Persuasivenessx2, Super-Heroismx2, Polymorph Selfx3, Titan Strengthx3, Agilityx2, Seeing, Fire Giant Controlx2, Freedom, Mammal Control, Fire Breathx3, Storm Giant Strengthx2, Oil of Slipperiness; Hill Giant Strengthx2; Plant Controlx2; Vitality; Tonguesx2; Pursuit, Nutritionx3, Fish Control, Levitation; Cold Resistancex2; Lycanthrope Control; Infravisionx2, Fire Giant Strength, Devil Control, Shielding, Clear Thought, Oil of Acid Resist; Oil of Disenchantment; 2 Jars Keoghtom's Ointment – 6 applications left


Weapons and Armor -


+3 Daggerx2, +4 Battle Axe; +1 Battle Axe;

+2 Dagger, Longtooth; Cold Sword; +3 Frostbrand Sword; Scimitar of Defending +4; Vorpal Yataghan; Pickaxe of Piercing; Hammer of Luck +2; Ptah’s Royal Flail - +3 Flail, acts as Mace of Disruption; Dagger of Venom;

+2 Trombash of Returning; +2 Crossbow of Speed, +2 Heavy Crossbow of Speed
Arrow of Giant Slaying; Arrow of Thief Slaying; 4 Javelin of Lightning; Javelin of Piercing; 11 Darts of Wounding; 22 Bolts of Ice, +1 Bolt, deal 1d6 extra damage, 2x damage vs fire; 12 Stun Bolts;

Shield of Fear (Like Plate Mail of Fear); +1 Elven Chainmail;

Rings - Ring of Water Walking, Ring of Depetrification – 12 charges; Ring of Protection +1x2; +2, +3; Ring of Warmth; Ring of Windwarding; Ring of Quick Action; Ring of Invisibility; Ring of Human Control; Ring of Fire Resistance; Ring of Telekinesis, 50 lbs; Ring of Feather Falling; Ring of Mammal Control; Ring of Anti-Venom -20 charges; Ring of Mirror Images – 19 charges; Ring of Free Action; Ring of Sustenance; Anything; Regeneration; Spell Turning; Chameleon Nature; Cantrips; Shooting Stars (12 charges)
Ring of Water Command; Ring of Three Wishes (3 charges)
Ring of Djinni Summoning – Can only open a gate to a random Prime Material Plane once/month, and nothing else.
Ring of Spell Storing – Haste, Lightning Bolt;

Wands, Staves, Rods -

Wand of Paralyzation 17 charges; Wand of Magic Missiles – 20 charges; Wand of Wonder – 45 charges; Wand of Force – 90 charges; Wand of Negation – 5 charges; Wand of Opening – 10 charges; Wand of Frost – 15 charges; Wand of Ice Storms – 42 charges; Wand of Lightning – 12 charges; Wand of Viscid Globs – 79 charges; Wand of Metal Command – 19 charges; Wand of Fire – 68 charges; Spider Wand – 64 charges; Wand of Fear – 22 charges; Wand of Rust – 27 charges; Wand of Secret Door and Trap Det – 7 charges; Wand of Salt – 21 charges;

Buckler Wand; Rod of Terror – 8 charges; Rod of Electrification – 17 charges; Rod of Smiting – 19 charges; Rod of Rulership; Rod of Cancellation

Staff of Striking – 48 charges; Staff of the Serpent, adder; Staff of Spell Focusing – 23 charges;
Amun-Re’s Staff of Rulership


Scrolls –

Wizard Scrolls -, Tongues; Invisibility, 10’ Radius; Push; Haste; Fly; Gust of Wind; Minor Globe of Invulnerability; Invisibilityx2; Mass Invisibility, Illusionary Script, Shield, Light, Mirror Image, Spectral Hand, Continual Darkness, Shadow Door, Dig, Feign Death, Strength, Hold Person, Emotion, Dispel Magicx3, Monster Summoning III, Disintegrate, Death Spell, Maze, Death Spell, Symbol of Discord. Disintegrate, Polymorph Self, Remove Curse, Airy Water, Limited Wishx2, Mislead, Summon Swarm, Control Weather, Crystalbrittle, Energy Drain, Gate, Charm Plants, Knock, Pyrotechnics, Globe of Invulnerabilityx2, Stone to Fleshx4, Symbol, Write, Invisible Stalker, Passwall, Fire Trap, Push, ESP, Wizard Lock, Vocalize, Shape Change, Solid Fog, Guards and Wards, Water to Poison, Vampiric Touch, Ghoul Touch, Monster Summoning VI, Power Word Blind, Summon Shadow, Erase, Dispel Magicx3; Binding; Fire Shield, Dimension Door, Elonia’s Glamer, Dazzle, Transmute Mud to Rockx4; Time Stop; Teleport Without Error; Abjure;

Scroll of Spell Catching 1-6`

Cleric scroll –

Protection from Acid, Cold, Demonsx2, Undeadx3, Magicx2, Elementalsx3, Lycanthropesx3, Felines, Traps, Devils, Possessionx2, Nonmagical Weapons, Shapechangers; Dragons;


Items Worn

Gauntlets of Ogre Power; Gauntlets of Dexterity;
Rock Jellaba; Robe of Useful Items;
Necklace of Missiles –5;
Bracelet of Swimming;
Bracers of Defense, AC6, AC4, AC 2; Bracers of Protection vs Normal Missiles; Bracers of Cleaning
Periapt of Proof Against Poison +2; Periapt of Health
Amulet of Proof against Scrying and Detectionx2; Amulet of the Planes; Talisman of the Golem; Medallion of ESP 30’; Scarab of Death; Scarab of Protection – 12 charges; Talisman of Memorization; Medallion of Defense; Amulet of Neconilis; Amulet vs Undead (5th Level); Amulet of Finding x4; Medallion of Proof Against Detection;
Girdle of Ogre Strength; Zoster of Zeal
Sandals of Speedx2; Elven Boots, Boots of Striding and Springing; Slippers of Spider Climbing; Boots of Varied Tracks; Boots of Levitation;
Cloak of Displacement; Cloak of the Manta Ray; Cloak of Protection +2, Elven Cloak; White Dragon Skin Cloak - +3 save vs cold, 50% less damage from cold sources; Cassock of Precaution; Set – 1 Black Cloak, Black Boots -75% to move silently/be invisible in dungeons.
Crown of Leadership; Mask of Disguise; Helmet of Underwater Action; Helmet of Reading Languages and Magic;
Ioun Stone - Incandescent Blue Sphere (+1 spell level), Dusty Rose - +1 AC; Deep Black Sphere (See in Non & Magic Dark);
Eyes of Humanoid and Monster Charming
Scarab of Venom
Death Mask of Ptah

Weightless Chest; Flatbox; Zagyg’s Spell Component Case (12000 gp of components); Heward’s Handy Haversack;

Crystal Ball with Clairaudiencex2
Carpet of Flying (4 Passengers); Broom of Flying; Folding Boat;
Star of Mo-Pilar (Gem of Seeing),
Rope of Entanglement; Rope of Climbing;
Warp Marble; Iron Flask; Prison of Zazig; Iron Bands of Bilarro;
Dust of Appearance x5; Dust of Disappearancex15
Magic Jelly Beans – 1 Grey, 2 Green, 2 Orange, 2 Yellow (G Cube), 2 White (Crystal Ooze), 2 Black
5 Beads of Force
Stone of Diminution, when held acts as potion until dropped. Pair of Glowstones;
Crucible of Melting ; Lens of Speed Reading ; Honing Stone 6 charges; Quill of Forgery; 4 Jars of Preserving;
Incense of Enlightenment; 3 Blocks of Incense of Meditation; Phylactery of Faithfulness
Whistle of Golem Control; 2x Collar of Animal Control;
Banner of Renown; Pillow of Regeneration;
Pearl of Power, 2nd level;
Shovel of Digging
House of Zebulon ; Cube of Force;

Horn of Blasting; Horn of Fog; Bronze Horn of Valhalla, summons 2d4 Neutral Evil, level 2 fighters, AC4, 15 hp, spear or sword. Can only be blown by N, NE, LE, or CE Priest or Warrior.

Decanter of Endless Water; Metal Platter (Beef, Lamb, Turkey, Pheasant) for four people once/day; Mug (Beer, Ale, Mead) six/day; Pitcher (Water, Tea, Wine), three/day.;

Ebony Fly, Serpentine Owl Figurine
Brazier of Controlling Fire Elementals; Stone of Controlling Earth Elementalsx2; Censer of Controlling Air Elementals
The Whistle, “Nightcaller” – Blow once/week at night to raise Zombie from grave to follow you
Multiform Graegzim Gingwatzim, amulet an turn into Fremlin.

Bladestar - +2 dagger, CN, I 15, E 11, Detect Invisible, Charm Person on contact 3/day, strength 1/day, 19 or 20 does max damage when used in backstab. Slay Lawful Creature, 1/month – save vs death or dies instantly.

Wyrmcleaver - +2 two handed sword, becomes +4 vorpal sword against dragons

Helm of Selnor – Can only be worn by warrior with CHA of 15+, +1 AC and cast Charm once/day on group – save vs spells and cannot be broken normally, charmed become barbarians in culture and alignment, as well as friends.

Bloodfear - A +3 longsword that absorbs blood during combat = for every 20 points of damage vs a flesh entity with blood, the sword gets +1 in damage to a total of +7, after which is drops back to just +3 because it’s satiated and has to be built back up again.

Unifex - +2 Dagger made from unicorn horn, AC2 given and can teleport once/day

The Eye of Myr Div - Unique other-planar gem - 25,000 gp.


Protective Amulets allow a save made if they fail one and are destroyed

Level 1 – Charm Person
Level 2 – Forget
Level 3 - Suggestion
Level 4 – Polymorph Other
Level 5 – Domination
Level 6 – Flesh to Stone
Level 7 – Finger of Death
Level 8 – Maze
Level 9 - Power Word, Kill


Stored Spells:

Level 1 - Spoil Holy Water
Level 2 – Vocalize
Level 3 – Vampiric Touch
Level 4 - Minor Globe of Invulnerability
Level 5 – Magic Jar
Level 6 – Døkkálfar Teleport
Level 7 – Teleport without Error
Level 8 – Maze
Level 9 - Lauthdryn’s Cleaving

Alzar can cast: 6/6/6/6/6/4/4/4/2

Spellbooks

Castanamir’s Evil Books:

1st Level: Charm Person, Hypnotism, Friends, Magic Missile, Nystul’s Magical Aura, Protection from Good, Sleep, Spook, Corpselight, Dance Macabre, Reflected Image, Spoil Holy Water, Wandbane

2nd Level: Darkness, 15’ Radius, Deafness, ESP, Fools’ Gold, Irritation, Ray of Enfeeblement, Stinking Cloud, Tasha’s Uncontrollable Hideous Laughter, Choke, Dark Mirror, Empathic Control, Ghost Pipes,
Castanamir’s Magic Missile Reflection, Undead Mount, Wall of Gloom

3rd Level: Feign Death, Haste, Improved Magic Missile, Protection from Good, 10’ Radius, Suggestion, Vampiric Touch, Curse Tablet, Dire Charm, Minor Malison, Mummy Touch, Skulltrap, Watery Double,
Whip of Pain

4th Level: Contagion, Enervation, Fear, Phantasmal Killer, Bestow Curse, Delayed Magic Missile, Putrefaction, Ray of Oblivion, Rain of Terror, Greater Malison, Merald’s Murderous Mist, Disfigure

5th Level: Animate Dead, Avoidance, Cloudkill, Domination, Magic Jar, Deathmaster’s Vial, Eyefire, Fiendform, Nystul’s Enveloping Darkness, Persona of Death, Vile Venom, Xult’s Magical Doom

6th Level: Death Fog, Ensnarement, Geas, Mislead, Programmed Illusion, Flesh to Stone, Curse of Lycanthropy, Gauntlet of Teeth, Otiluke’s Excruciating Screen, Seizure, Spell Mirror

7th Level: Acid Storm, Amorphous Blob, Blood link, Consume Knowledge, Create Crypt Thing, Finger of Death, Otiluke’s Death Screen, Spell Turning, Torment, Vanish, Wandweird

8th Level: Abi-Dalzim’s Horrid Wilting, Bone Blade, Brain Spider, Demand, Heart of Stone, Mass Charm, Maze, Otto’s Irresistible Dance, Trap the Soul, X-Ray Vision

9th Level: Absorption, Blade in the Soul, Energy Drain, Estate Transference, Imprisonment, Mass Domination, Mordenkainen’s Disjunction, Programmed Amnesia, Weird


Castanamir’s Enchantment Books:

Book 1 – Basics – Permanency 8th, Enchant an Item 6th, Analyze Dweomer 8th, Enchanted Weapon 4th, Recharge 6th, Steal Enchantment 7th

Book 2 – Advanced Item Making – Obar’s Lesser Purification (4th), Merald’s Meld (4th), Eternal Flame, (5th), Veladar’s Vambrace (5th), Crown Meld (6th), Wondrous Web (6th), Awakening (7th)

College of Wizardry Levels 8 & 9

Demonomicon of Iggwilv:

Banishment 7th, Binding 8th, Dismissal 5th, Dolor 5th, Ensnarement 6th, Torment 7th, Gate 9th, Cacofiend, 7th; Power Word, Banishment 9th, Spiritwrack 6th

Xaene’s Spellbook

1st – Affect Normal Fires, Charm Person, Comprehend Languages, Find Familiar, Grease, Identify, Magic Missile, Read Magic, Write
2nd – Continual Light, Darkness 15’, ESP, Invisibility, Levitate, Melf’s Acid Arrow, Shatter, Vocalize, Web
3rd – Clairvoyance, Dispel Magic, Explosive Runes, Flame Arrow, Hold Person, Material, Melf’s Minute Meteors, Phantasmal Force, Wind Wall
4th – Dimension Door, Fear, Fire Shield, Ice Storm, Magic Mirror, Polymorph Other, Wall of Ice, Wizard Eye
5th – Animate Dead, Conjure Fire Elemental, Dismissal, Dolor, Hold Monster, Sending, Teleport, Wall of Force
6th – Bigby’s Forceful Hand, Control Weather, Enchant an Item, Glassee, Globe of Invulnerability, Guards and Wards, Legend Lore, Repulsion
7th – Banishment, Drawmij’s Instant Summons, Limited Wish, Mass Invisibility, Phase Door, Reverse Gravity, Torment, Vanish
8th – Bigby’s Clenched Fist, Binding, Glassteel, Incendiary Cloud, Mind Blank, Permanency, Polymorph Any Object, Symbol, Xaene’s Mighty Chilblains


The Tome of the Unusual:

Aganazzar’s Scorcher, Odeen’s Magic Cloud, Vipergout, Ray of Fatigue, Paralyzation, Dispel Illusion, Acid Bolt, Gullship, Andrui’s Baneful Backfire


Bigby’s Great Tome

Bigby’s Bookworm Bane, Bigby’s Feeling Fingers, Bigby’s Dextrous Digits, Bigby’s Silencing Hand, Bigby’s Pugnacious Pugilist, Bigby’s Battering Gauntlet, Bigby’s Construction Crew, Bigby’s Force Sculpture, Bigby’s Fantastic Forces, Bigby’s Interposing Hand, Bigby’s Strangling Grip, Bigby’s Superior Force Sculpture, Bigby’s Besieging Bolt, Bigby’s Forceful Hand, Bigby’s Grasping Hand, Bigby’s Clenched Fist, Bigby’s Most Excellent Force Structure, Bigby’s Crushing Hand



Alzar’s Combined Spellbook, 6/6/6/6/6/4/4/4/2:

First Level:

Alarm
Alzar’s Undead Porter
Armor
Animate Dead Animals *
Cantrip
Charm Person *
Chill Touch
Comprehend Languages
Conjure Spell Component
Create Divining Rod (D229)
Detect Magic *
Emrikol’s Question
Enlarge *
Friends
Identify
Hypnotism *
Locate Remains
Mount
Protection from Good
Protective Amulet
Read Magic
Sleep *
Spoil Holy Water
Talon’s Waterproof
Unseen Servant
Wizard Mark


Second Level:

Alzar’s Axethrow
Alzar’s Bookcopy
Alzar’s Bookmend
Alzar’s Familiar
Attract Ghoul
Baltar’s Lightening
Blastbones *
Choke
Continual Light *
Continual Wind
Death Armor
Embalm
Empathic Control
ESP
Forget
Ghoul Touch *
Hold Person (Hamedhi) *
Knock
Leomund’s Trap
Locate Object
Ray of Enfeeblement
Ray of Ondovir *
Skeletal Hands
Spectral Hand
Speak with Dead
Tasha’s Uncontrollable Hideous Laughter *
Tenser’s Hunting Hawk
Undead Mount
Unpickable Lock
Vocalize
Wall of Gloom
Wizard Lock


Third Level:

Alamir’s Fundamental Breakdown
Bands of Sirellyn
Bewilder
Bone Knit
Curse Tablet
Dire Charm *
Dispel Magic *
ESP Barricade (College)
Explosive Runes
Fly
Genie Contract
Haste
Hold Undead
Leomund’s Tiny Hut
Lesser Rhabdomancy (D229)
Lightning Rod (Volo)
Proof Against Teleportation
Protection from Good 10’ Radius
Searing Serpent *
Sepia Snake Sigil
Slumber *
Skulltrap *
Suggestion
Teleport Object (Volo)
Tongues
Undead Summoning I
Vampiric Touch *
Watery Double


Fourth Level:

Alzar’s Quest
Alzar’s Scrollmend
Alzar’s Undead Expertise
Backlash
Bestow Curse
Charm Monster *
Confusion *
Contagion
Detect Ensorcellment (D229)
Detect Scrying
Dig
Dimension Door
Disfigure
Dweomerflow (Volo)
Enchanted Weapon
Evard’s Black Tentacles *
Fire Trap
Greater Malison
Itemmeld
Magic Mirror
Merald’s Meld (Volo)
Minor Globe of Invulnerability
Mordenkainen’s Faithful Phantom Shield-Maidens *
Obar’s Lesser Purification (Volo)
Otto’s Tin Soldiers *
Polymorph Other *
Putrefaction
Ray of Oblivion
Rary’s Mnemonic Enhancer
Remove Curse
Ritual of Renewal
Special Effects
Summon Lycanthrope
Swordshun
Unburn
Vorthala’s Undead Turning Immunity
Wall of Evil



Fifth Level:


Alzar’s Far Summons
Andrui’s Baneful Backfire
Animate Dead *
Chaos *
Conjure Earth Elemental *
Conjure Water Elemental
Contact Other Plane
Deathmaster’s Vial
Dismissal
Dolor
Domination *
Eternal Flame (Volo)
Feeblemind
Focal Stone (Volo)
Greater Rhabdomancy (D229)
Hold Monster *
Magic Jar
Mnemonic Negation
Mordenkainen’s Faithful Hound
Passwall
Presper’s Moonbow
Prying Eyes
Spell Trigger (Magister)
Stealweb
Summon Shadow
Teleport
Transmute Rock to Mud *
Veladar’s Vambrace (Volo)
Vile Venom
Xult’s Magical Doom


Sixth Level:

Alzar’s Backtrace Teleport
Alzar’s Golem Heal
Alzar’s Spellbookmend
Anti-Magic Shell
Crown Meld (Volo)
Curse of Lycanthropy
Death Spell *
Døkkálfar Teleport
Dwoemer Divest (D229)
Enchant an Item
Ensnarement
Flameproof
Geas *
Globe of Invulnerability
Invisible Stalker *
Legend Lore
Recharge
Seizure
Spell Mirror
Spiritwrack
Stone to Flesh *
Summon Soul Eater
Summon Least Yugoloth
Teleport Other
Transmute Bone to Steel
True Seeing
Wondrous Web (Volo)


Seventh Level:

Amorphous Blob
Awakening (Volo)
Azundel’s Purification (Volo)
Banishment
Bind Tabi
Blood Link (Volo)
Cacofiend
Consume Knowledge
Create Crypt Thing
Descry (College)
Finger of Death *
Mass Teleport (Volo) *
Negative Plane Protection
Power Word, Stun *
Semi-Permanency
Steal Enchantment (Volo)
Teleport without Error *
Torment
Wardmist (Volo)


Eighth Level:

Abi-Dalzim’s Horrid Wilting
Analyze Dweomer
Binding *
Create Spectral Wizard
Demand *
Hornung’s Random Dispatcher
Mass Charm *
Maze *
Monster Summoning VI
Otto’s Irresistible Dance
Permanency
Symbol
Trap the Soul


Ninth Level:


Blade in the Soul
Energy Drain
Estate Transference
Gate
Imprisonment
Lauthdryn’s Cleaving (Magister)
Mass Domination
Mordenkainen’s Disjunction
Power Word, Banishment
Power Word, Kill *
Strip Resistance (College)
Terminate Scrying (College)
Time Stop *


Key to Spell Locations:

Volo – Volo’s Guide to All Things Magical
Magister – Secrets of the Magister
College – College of Wizardry
D229 – Dragon Magazine #229


Special Books Already Used – Tome of Clear Thought; Tome of Leadership and Influence; Libram of Ineffable Damnation; Tome of Understanding; Tome of Quickness of Action

After the flash is over, and Alzar is sealed within his new plane, his new home, his new jail. It seems like a normal enough plane. Nothing too special about it. He can access all of his stuff, he walks into his OtherSpace and reviews his things, and begins to add the books and items from Hamedh into the large room he has made for himself here.

He is without his familiar, Gilded Ears. Much like the arrival on Hamedh and subsequent curse/seal ended the link between him and his familiar Dryshik, he has lost the link with Gilded Ears. His jackal familiar is gone. He can try spells out to get a new one. He has Aegis, in its Warp Marble and the Tabi in the Iron Flask to bind later. He can bring those out. He didn’t get back any of his created or allies from

Alzar doesn’t have any spell components for 8th or 9th level spells. He’ll need to collect them in order to use those spells (save for the Power Word spells, they don’t need any spell components, neither does Time Stop. We’ll use Power Word Kill and Time Stop for his 9th level spells for now. The same is true of Maze and Mass Charm. Again, he’ll memorize those for now.)



He has a Spartan bed with some minor things. He spends the night memorizing spells from the spellbooks he brought over in the 8th and 9th level of ability as well as a scroll he was hanging onto.


8th

Create Spectral Wizard

9th

Strip Resistance (College)
Terminate Scrying (College)


The Strip works to pull off magic resistance on an given target. It will attack the Magic Resistance on a creature each round until it penetrates the MR. Then it permanently reduces the 5 x 1d20% of its magic resistance.

Terminate? The next scrying attempt against the user will be known by the user and can be terminated. It’ll do shock damage to the caster of the scrying spell or the item being used.


What do some of these other unusual spells do? The Cleaving cuts through all magical barriers of 8th level or lower. It shears the lasting breaches all protections and destroys them.

Alzar's new plane is going basically be Mystara. This is the home plane of the D&D universe. It won't be the exact plane obviously. I have used a bunch of modules set in Mystara in various places that fleshed things out (such as various entries from the B and X series. We used X1 (The Isle of Dread), X2 Castle Amber, X3 Curse of Xanathon, X4 and X5 in the Desert Nomads duology; X7 War Rafts of Kron; X8 Drums on Fire Mountain; and X12 Skarda's Mirror. That's all in addition to the B series of modules we ran as well.)

But we'll be running an iteration of Mystara. (We’ll be calling it Pandius, named after a city populated by immortals on a hidden moon of Patera.)

Special Rules for Pandius:

1) Like Hamedh, Pandius has magic-users unable to double up on their spells memorized
2) On Pandius, native artifacts work differently than on other planes
3) Pandius is more of a Law/Chaos than Good/Evil place
4) Rings of Spell Storing work as they did on Hamedh
5) Because Alzar is not from Pandius, he can’t control other –planar folks

So let’s talk about alignment. The original D&D game released in the early 70s only had a Law/Neutral/Chaos trifecta of alignment, from works like Michael Moorcock’s Elric series or Poul Anderson’s Three Hearts and Three Heroes, this concept of law vs chaos was the bedrock foundation of the mage’s alignment.

After the initial books in Greyhawk and Blackmoor, Gygax went and published AD&D and introduced the evil vs good dynamic of Tolkien and such. He laced this good vs evil dynamic over the law vs chaos one, and created the nine possible alignments.

However, for marketing and sales purposes, the old D&D stuff was still getting made at the same time as the AD&D brand, and the D&D began to get a bit of an “introduction” style to it. Fewer spells, races as classes (there’s just the “elf” class for example, not elves that do something else). The D&D modules and releases slowly but steadily built a world around the intro called Mystara. The X modules really fleshed it out – particularly Isle of Dread, each module claimed a new section of the world to explore and flesh out.

Because Mystara is the D&D campaign world, not the AD&D one, things have a law/chaos dynamic. This has some problems, there’s little room for nuance. So, lawful characters and creatures and concepts are usually lawful good, neutral is true neutral, and chaotic is chaotic evil. You don’t have chaotic protagonists or lawful antagonists. The world isn’t really built that way.

You might recall some of these still in various modules we’ve seen. For example, in the very first dungeon, the castle Alzar explores, there is a statute that will give all of the details about the castle to lawful people. This has happened in lots of the B and X series of modules.


What this means for the next campaign is that Alzar lawfulness will outweigh his evil-ness to most things. Therefore he’ll be on the side of the angels barring truly evil actions that prevent people from welcoming him. This is going to be extremely important very soon. You could not do the next campaign as Chaotic Good, just as one example.

Doing high level campaigns are difficult. Alzar is level 19, and although hell be soloing for a while, and I did pull away his most powerful items (Orb of Golden Death, Demon Staves; the artifact the Lanthorn; Whelm, Wave, Blackrazor; and more) we still have a lot of strength. There just aren’t that many AD&D modules out there than I feel Alzar can comfortably do at this point. There are a few here and there that will work, we can sprinkle them into this campaign.

What works is that D&D sets have Companion Rules that follow characters from levels 15 – 25 those rules came out in 1984. We have a line of modules in the CM range that we’ll using, that are designed to push and test folks at a higher level. The Companion Rules include things for resolving military battles, running nations, participating in tournaments, traveling the planes and more. As we even have Master rules for your character from levels 26-36 (the max level a human can be). So we have plenty of opportunity to stretch this out there, with those modules and adventures and such.


Alzar takes a mental assessment of the powers and additional potential he gained in Hamedh. He can now make a shade or a nasnas. Both of those are useful creature – one extremely powerful and the other extremely loyal. He can create a special wizard, a powerful undead/wizard that will bring a lot of heat. He can bind a tabi if he can find more than what he already had or summon a Soul Eater, not the friendliest creature running, but a solid choice for a specific purpose of killing somebody if needed.

Now add in things like Animate Dead Animals again.

A few things about his new home:

Pandius is not a world with the traditional four elements of fire, water, air, and earth. Sure, those inner planes still exist, and they are still linked to the Prime Material Plane of Pandius. But that’s not traditionally where the powers that be are in Pandius.

Here there are five spheres that make up the world – Matter, Time, Energy, Entropy and Thought. These five spheres create and influence the plane. In fact, they vie for power and influence in the world. There are no gods on Pandius, and instead there are immortals, and each one is part of one of the five spheres.

Sometimes worshipped as gods by the locals, they do not grant spells, and are not as powerful as deities on other planes. On Pandius, clerics get their spells from the sphere they serve itself, rather than their actual immortal they serve. There are a bunch of immortals, and every one of them was once a mortal on Pandius who achieved immortality. The Immortals here scheme, plot, and battle with each other on a level that often makes mortals look bad.





Because the plane has a rich history, (it’s like putting Alzar on a version of Krynn (Dragonlance) or Athas (Dark Sun)) there are a lot of options for future stories, of a very epic nature by the time Alzar gets to this level.


We are going to begin in the farflung area called Norwold. From there, who knows?

My personal affection for Mystara is two fold. One, its Pulp World. I don’t think branding ever noticed, or else they would have sold it that way, but it’s the world of pulp. A lost island of dinosaurs and jungle? (Isle of Dread)? Pure pulp. Flying airships that scout, fight and explore? Pure pulp. The planet is hollow and inside is another civilization? Pure pulp. Long lost science fiction/fantasy elements on the plane that can be explored and harnessed? Pure pulp. A major empire that’s actually lost Atlantis? Pure pulp. Castle Amber is actually set in the pulp world of Clark Ashton Smith. Modules like The Lost City, The X4/X5 combination, and Drums on Fire Mountain all have an evocative pulp-like feel to them. That has always been something that appealed to me.

Secondly, I like the world because it’s a minor one in the TSR world base, since save for a handful of supplements late, it was never a world for AD&D, so it’s never been massively known to people who just played AD&D, but for those of us who played it, places like Threshold and Karameikos, the Isle of Dread and more just have a certain timelessness to the in D&D space. There have been a variety of supplements designed to flesh out the world.

So let me tell you of Pandius and its people. There are two major empires that vie for power against each other, Thyatis and Alphatia.

Alphatia:

The following historical synopsis is given in the traditional Alphatian Calendar of AY (Alphatian Year) counted from the Alphatian Landfall on Mystara. The earlier dates are only approximations to the roundest number.
To find the equivalent Thyatian Year, simply subtract 1000 years, with a negative number indicating BC and a positive number giving a year in AC. Therefore, the current year, AC 1014, is the year AY 2014 in the Alphatian calendar. Also because the Alphatian year and the Thyatian year do not use the same month as start of their respective years, the difference is in fact 1000 years minus two months.
(The interesting thing about this research, however, is the fact that we have learned that the Alphatians seem to have come from another world. If they are indeed "space invaders," does that not mean there could not be others? Have we not therefore answered our own question as to whether or not there is life off of Mystara asked in Joshuan's Almanac? I always find it amusing to note that the answers to present and future questions can often be found by researching the past. B.F.)
AY -3000: On the homeworld of the Alphatians, the Alphatians defeat the Cypris civilisation and begin to be assimilated by it.
AY -2500: The Alphatian/Cypris civilisation uses its magical knowledge to begin colonisation and conquest of the nearby planets and exploration of the elemental planes.
AY -2000: Alphatian aggression has gradually been supplanted by Cypric self-absorption; other planetary conquests and colonies are left to fend for themselves as Alphatian study of magic turns inward.
AY -500: The Alphatian civilisation has achieved total mastery of its environment; the great universities are at the peak of their powers and are just beginning to indulge in serious scholastic competitions and squabbles.
AY -90: The Followers of Flame begin their serious rivalry with the Followers of Air.
AY -27: Sporadic violence breaks out between the Followers of Flame and the Followers of Air.
AY -10: A temporary peace results from one academian's proposal of the Flame vs. Air essay debate.
AY -9: Emperor Alphaks I arbitrarily declares the Flames to have won the debate. Outrage, protest, rebellion and revolt result. The Followers of Flame war with the Followers of Air.
AY 0: The war between the Followers of Flame and the Followers of Air reaches it zenith. Emperor Alphaks I is banished. The homeworld of the Alphatians is destroyed. The Followers of Air settle on what was formerly the Alphatian Continent on the world of Mystara. They begin to conquer and assimilate the various primitive tribes in the area.
AY 20: The Alphatians establish a peaceful contact with the Thothians and adopt their calendar for Mystara as their own after changing the name of the months.
AY 250: Disgruntled non-mage Alphatians colonise the island known as Ochalea where they intend to build a place where non- mages will not be looked down upon.
AY 300: The Alphatians displace various other conquered cultures which do not adapt well to their society to Ochalea, including a culture that enjoys honour and slanted-roof architecture. This culture begins to dominate over all the others in Ochalea.
AY 808: The Alphatians decide to bring Thyatis into the Empire.
AY 810: The Alphatians finally finish subduing the Thyatian barbarians.
AY 998: Governor Lucinius Trenzantenbium of Kerendas assassinates Alphatian wizards and declares himself King of Thyatis. The first Great War between Thyatis and Alphatia begins.
AY 1000: The First Thyatian/Alphatian War is at a standstill. The economies of both nations are wrecked. King Lucinius and Emperor Alphas VI conclude a peace treaty in the neutral city of Edairo on the Isle of Dawn. Also liberated are the nations of Ochalea and the Pearl Islands, which then join into the new Empire of Thyatis.
AY 1012: The Thyatians violate the Treaty of Edairo and build a trading station called Cape Alpha in the lands of Norwold.
AY 1015: Cape Alpha is destroyed by reavers from the Northern Reaches (speculated to have been paid by the Alphatians).
AY 1500: Alphatian and Thyatian colonies in Alasiyan coastal areas begin to clash. This starts the famous Three Hundred Year War (actually skirmishes, but called a war by historians to make it sound more grand and important).
AY 1728: Alphatian colonies get the upper hand and destroy several Thyatian colonies entirely.
AY 1786: An Alphatian lord named Halzunthram arrives in Flaemish lands and defeats the Flaems, effectively assuming control of the area.
AY 1788: Halzunthram takes control of the region's ruling council and declares the area a protectorate of Alphatia. The natives unite and rebel against Halzunthram.
AY 1828: Forces of Suleiman al-Kalim drive the Alphatians out of Alasiya.
AY 1830: Lord Alexander Glantri captures Halzunthram, confirms the region's independence, and disperses Alphatian presence there. Braejr is renamed Glantri City in his honour.
AY 1959: Angered by another Thyatian broken treaty, the Alphatian Emperor commits his military to a sudden assault on Thyatis. Alphatia completely conquers the Isle of Dawn.
AY 1960: The Alphatian assault reaches Thyatis City and Emperor Gabrionus V is killed. The Gladiator Thincol the Brave rescues the dead Emperor's daughter, drives the Alphatians out, and becomes the new Emperor of Thyatis.
AY 1962: Princess Eriadna becomes the next Empress of Alphatia as her father, Emperor Tylion IV, retires.
AY 1985: Empress Eriadna decides to colonise in the west and has a new fortress city built atop the ruins of the station at Cape Alpha destroyed nine and a half centuries before.
AY 1992: Empress Eriadna accedes to her son Ericall's demands for a kingdom of his own. She gives him the city of Alpha in Norwold, the empty title of king of that nation, and a great degree of autonomy.

Thyatis:

BC 600: Under the pressure of Milenian expansion three related Davanian tribes migrate to Brun, in the region around present-day Thyatis, displacing the Toralai Neathar, subjects of the Nithians.
BC 500: Nithia is destroyed by the Immortals. The Thyatians, Kerendans, and Hattians have conquered and absorbed the natives of the area which will one day become Thyatis.
Alphatia enters its first decline. Seafaring Thyatians encounter the Alphatians as they expand into the vacuum left by the vanished Nithians.
Thyatians begin raids against Alphatians, who do not reach Brun.
BC 200: Alphatians discover that the Altan Tepes Mountains held by the Tribes are rich in gold, and decide to conquer them.
BC 192: Alphatian armies invade Brun to conquer the Thyatians, Kerendans, and Hattians. The Tribes put up a stiff resistance, slaying many
Alphatian soldiers and a few Wizards.
BC 190: The Tribes prove no match for Alphatia's magic. Alphatia succeeds in conquering the Thyatian region. For two centuries the Tribes will be subjugated by Alphatia, working in mining conditions similar to that of AC 1000 Esterhold.
BC 2: Lucinius Trenzantenbium, a Thyatian trained in the Alphatian's magical arts, plots to overthrow the occupiers. Alphatian Wizards in Thyatis are slain and Lucinius declares himself King of Thyatis. War breaks out between Thyatis and Alphatia, eventually spreading to a general revolt against Alphatian rule throughout their despotate.
AC 0: Alphatia, ruined by war and bad government, deposes the last Kerothar Emperor and sues for peace. Treaty of Edairo signed on Isle of Dawn ends the war. The treaty liberates Thyatis, Ochalea, the Pearl Islands, and the western half of the Isle of Dawn from the Alphatians. Alphatia then turns to crush the other rebellions wracking their Empire.
General Zendrolion Tatriokanitas assassinates Lucinius and the Kings of Ochalea and the Pearl Islands and has himself crowned Emperor of Thyatis.
AC 1: Thyatis and Alphatia begin to rebuild from the war. Thyatis, under the leadership of Zendrolion and later Valentia, recovers much more quickly and prospers much sooner than Alphatia, which takes 250 years to recover.
AC 12: As a barrier to future Alphatian expansionism Thyatis founds a trading port in Norwold on the site of present-day Alpha.
AC 15: Alphatian northmen mercenaries attack and destroy the trading port of Cape Alpha.
AC 20: Emperor Zendrolion dies and is succeeded by his wife, Valentia. Zendrolion's empire was controlled by force and seems likely to collapse now that he is dead.
Empress Valentia makes her Citizens' Proclamation. She also liberates Ochalea and the Pearl Islands, then invites them to re-join the Empire under the terms of her Proclamation. They accept. Valentia is known as "the Justiciar" from this point forward.
AC 20-313: The Bright Age of Thyatis. In the centuries after Valentia the Empire expanded and worked to make reality of her promises. Arts and learning flourished, Thyatis City became a cosmopolitan mercantile centre, and the security of the Empire was assured. Thyatian rulers support theological and philosophical inquiry, resulting strong clerical orders which help defend the Empire from Alphatian expansionism.
AC 150: Thyatis colonises south eastern Ylaruam.
AC 250: Alphatia conquers northeastern Ylaruam.
AC 313: Civil War in Thyatis as the Hattians revolt against Thyatis. Emperor Alexian II repels their assault on The City, then subdues Hattias, tearing down its walls in punishment.
AC 500: Thyatian and Alphatian colonies in Alaysia begin to clash. These battles go on intermittently for over three centuries.
AC 571: Thyatis builds prisons on the Islands of Ierendi and initiates several penal colonies for hardened criminals.
In need of funds and resources to face the Alphatian menace, Thyatis conquers the Ierendi Islands and seizes the shipbuilding facilities there.
Halflings resort to piracy in response, find they enjoy rapine and looting, and continue their tradition of reaving down to the present day.
AC 600: Penal colonists in Ierendi revolt and drives Thyatis from the isles.
AC 650: The Storm Soldiers hate society takes root in Hattias and starts growing. The sect forms autonomous clans hiding in the hills of Hattias, in the south at first and gradually further north. The group is manipulated by Thanatos to hate all non-Thyatians.
AC 700: Warfare between Thyatis and Alphatia intensifies in the region of Ylaruam.
AC 728: Alphatia launches its "Final Offensive" against the Thyatian colonies in Ylaruam. Though this assault is repulsed with heavy casualties, later Alphatian revisionists and propagandists will attempt to portray this as a victory that drove Thyatis from Ylaruam. In fact, the skirmishing goes on for another century.
AC 788: The Alphatian wizard Halzunthram conquers the Flaems on behalf of Alphatia.
AC 827: Suleiman al-Kalim's forces drive the Alphatians out of Ylaruam.
AC 828: Forces of the desert brigand Suleiman al-Kalim drives the Thyatians out of Ctesiphon and Cubia.
A Thyatian, Lord Alexander Glantri, captures Halzunthram and liberates the Flaems from Alphatia. The population names the land Glantri in his honour.
Ylari forces take Tameronikas from Thyatis. The Alasyians of Tel Akbir remain loyal to the Empire and reject al-Kalim's cult of personality.
AC 900: Thyatis absorbs Traladara, garrisoning the main town which is re-named Specularum, but leaves the Traladarans and their traditional leaders to run their own day to day affairs.
The city of Oceansend is founded in Norwold by Thyatians, and Emperor Gabronius IV initiates a wave of colonisation to the western shores of the Gulf of Hule. Most of the colonists are derived from the Ispan ethnic group of Kerendas. Their colonies become known as the Savage Baronies because of their fractious nature.
AC 948: The Emperor grants approval to the plan of several priests of Vanya to emigrate from Hattias with their followers and conquer a region of their own.
AC 950: Priests of Vanya leave Hattias and land in the Heldann Freeholds, south of Haldisvall. The ruling Haldis clan is defeated and the knights capture their capital city and its vicinity.
AC 959: A trade dispute causes Tylion IV, Emperor of Alphatia, to declare war on Thyatis, launching a "spike assault" against the Empire. Thyatian Decline becomes evident.
AC 960: The Alphatian Spike Assault reaches Thyatis City. An Alphatian strike force enters the city, reaching the palace to kill Emperor Gabrionus V. They murder most of his family with the exception of his young daughter, Gabriela. Thincol the Brave, a famous gladiator, leads a counter attack which rescues Gabriela and drives the Alphatians from the city. Gabriela marries Thincol, who is crowned Emperor.
Oceansend decides to become independent. The Emperor does not oppose this.
AC 962: Alphatian occupation forces driven from Thyatian areas of the Isle of Dawn. With the 2nd Alphatian Decline now evident, Tylion IV is deposed and replaced by his daughter Edriana.
AC 970: Stefan Karameikos trades his birthright, the Duchy of Machetos to Thincol in exchange for the dominion of Traladara which he will rule as an autonomous Grand Duchy of the Empire. Stefan immediately renames Traladara for himself and replaces native rulers with his own cronies and distant relatives, precipitating a revolt against him almost immediately. That revolt is crushed, and Stefan assumes control over the area.
AC 985: Savage Baronies assume roughly their current borders, with 9 fairly stable but disputatious states in existence.

Here's this really long one, you aren't expected to read, but the context is nice.

III. Age of Empires:



BC 125-33: Prince Alinor, a very powerful wizard, younger son of the King of Haven, being destined not to inherit the father's throne, decide to build a personal realm in the wilderness lands of Norwold. With the money coming from his properties and with his father's aid - this way the king hopes to gain a new colony for his kingdom -, he assembles a numerous flock of followers: simple settlers, well-armed mercenaries, bodyguards and mages, adventurers and experts of logistics, building and every branch of knowledge he requires. Alinor trusts mostly in his vast arcane knowledge and in a wonderful rod of victory he possesses to assure the success of his expedition.

Alinor's armies land on the Alpha peninsula, where Cape Alpha is founded, a harbour where the ships loaded with food, provisions, materials can dock and to use as bridgehead. Within a few years, thanks to Alinor's powerful magics, his armies open their way between the barbarian tribes of neighbouring areas, conquering large domains along the coasts of the Great Bay, both south-west and north of the Alpha peninsula, and along the course of the modern Sabre River. Alinor names this new kingdom "Alphia" and he have a great port-city built at the neck of the Alpha peninsula, including a large palace of him that overlooks the whole city and from which he hopes to rule for long time; many other settlements are built and many Alphatian nobles migrate in this region to grasp new lands (the southernmost of these aristocrat palaces is found at the spring of the Sabre River).

Alphia's expansionist and aggressive policy - and its need of slaves to put into practice the building projects Alinor has in mind - bring continuously new enemies in conflict against the realm: the local human tribes, the humanoids, and eventually even the dragons of the Wyrmsteeth Range. Thanks to his powerful magics, Alinor manages to preserve the upper hand, but the dragons attack often in swift and destructive way, and the prince can't be everywhere at the right time. The mean rivalries which oppose Haven to the Alphatian throne, where the foolish Emperor Kerothar IV dissipates huge amount of moneys in the preparation of his empire's millennium, hamper the regular and useful sending of imperial funds to Alinor.

The situation grows truly serious around BC 40, when the dragons carry their first attack against Alphia's capital itself. Alinor decide to close definitely the war against the dragons: after diligent researches in the Alphatian libraries and in the outer plane of Old Alphatia, he begin to create an epic spell which will destroy a whole area of the Wyrmsteeth Range where the majority of the dragons lives. After years of lost clashes against the fierce dragons, he discover the spell he researched for and begins the long ritual to cast it. Unfortunately for him, the dragons someway learn his intentions and carry out the most violent attack against Alphia that was remembered in living memory: Alinor, taken unawares in his palace, can't complete the spell correctly and the released arcane energies work in a way opposed to what he thought, raising from the earth a harsh mountain range under the soil of the capital. The harbour is buried under the rocks, most of the city sinks under the earth or is overrun and destroyed, while the prince's palace is covered by the mountain slope and is left buried under there; the mountain range known as "Alinor's Ridge" is born. Alinor himself is crushed by the debris while trying to catch desperately his rod of victory, symbol of his past successes.

Without the protection of their powerful ruler, the kingdom's population is helpless in front not only of the dragons, but also of the barbarian tribes and the local humanoids which, hearing the new of the destruction of the capital, seek revenge against those who have driven them out of their lands and enslaved them. Within three decades (BC 33-0) most of the Alphian settlements is destroyed and razed to the ground, or conquered by barbarians and humanoids; also those who survive, in the better case are reduced to tiny villages. To the Alphatian population that couldn't escape in right time is reserved the same treatment that she reserved for the barbarians: slavery and scattering.

Only a settlement, that of Cape Alpha, manage to survive as a city, and is saved by the dragon's rage. The city is totally shaken by the earthquakes caused by the failure of Alinor's spell and most of its fortifications and buildings crumbles, but the raising of the new mountain range nevertheless wards it from barbarian raids. In the years following the fall of Alphia, the city resumes loose contacts with the Alphatian Empire, which however is not interested in the poor Cape Alpha and uses the city only once at a time as border site for the fur trade.

AC 5-14: Following the fastening of good relationships and alliances during the Thyatian Struggle for Freedom (BC 2-0) and thanks to the friendship of many jarls with Thyatian Emperor Zendrolion I, Ostlanders begin together with the Thyatians a series of colonization campaigns aimed to the founding of trade and strategic settlements along the coast of Norwold - usually small towns or strongholds, where in the middle of the Northman majority lives a small but influent political and trading Thyatian enclave. These colonies are branches of this or that Ostlander clan, ruled by sons or relatives of the single warrior-chiefs; thus, after a generation or two, they become utterly independent, with an own ruling clan and without any subjection to the clan of their founders.

On some of these fortress-towns the Thyatian Empire preserves a more strict control (usually they're the more strategic ones), sending there a Thyatian representative. One of these settlements is built by the Thyatians on the site of Cape Alpha - the old Alphatian settlement in full decline is conquered by the Thyatians - and provided with fortifications and a good harbour (AC 12). The Alphatian Emperor Alphas VI protests against this violation of the Treaty of Edairo, but receives from Zendrolion I a mocking answer: the breakers of the treaty are the Alphatians, because the settlement of Cape Alpha was already in existence when the treaty was signed (and that, according to Zendrolion I, makes it useless) and in whatever way before the Thyatians' arrival.



AC 14-16: Unpleasant misunderstandings - perhaps spurred by Alphatian influence - are born between many Ostlander chiefs and Thyatis; the situation degenerates and many jarls even appeal to the Alphatian Empire against the ally of some year before, beginning war actions against the Thyatian Empire. The swift Ostlander ships hit mostly the Norwold coasts, destroying Thyatian hold there (Cape Alpha is destroyed in AC 15); the Alphatian money is behind those raids. Thyatis' counterattack is swift and thoroughly: the Ostlander fleet is quickly destroyed, the rebel jarls captured and replaced with puppet rulers favourable to Thyatis - in short time Thyatis establishes a sort of indirect protectorate over Ostland isles (AC 16). The Thyatian Empire re-establishes its hold of the settlements founded years before on the Norwold coast, but this control doesn't extend anymore north of Walrus Island, given the difficulty to protect these bases from Alphatians and local barbarians; Thyatis wishes to have bases there mostly to overlook the entrance of the Western Sea of Dawn and keep the Alphatians out of it.



AC 50-300: At this time, thanks to the demographic recovery, the Nordurish peoples begin a slow expansion toward north; within two centuries, their settlers have reached the Oceansend Bay, trade with Thyatians and Northmen and their clan build farms, keeps and villages in this whole region. At the same time, many halflings coming from the south (they're the last clans left in the Northern Reaches and in Nordurland) settle in Norwold, living in the human communities or going to increase Leeha's population.



AC 112: A young Vatski priestess of Marzanna (the Immortal Hel) who have from birth arcane powers, named Akra, is cast out of her tribe after being accused to have charmed the tribe's chief. During here exile, she stumbles upon the ruins of an Alphian settlement by the times of Alinor; while exploring it, she finds a hoard of ancient arcane tomes belonged to some great wizard of that age - perhaps to Alinor himself. With the aid of her patron Immortal, she perfects and augments her magical powers, becoming very powerful in the mastering of the magics regarding cold energies.

AC 136: After years past gathering followers and studying frost magics, Akra assembles around herself a secret fraternity of witches, all followers of Marzanna and skilled in the use of cold energies. She gets also the aid of an huge white dragon named Quesa. This "Sisterhood of the Ice Witches" begins to expand its influence on many Vatski and Norsenian tribes, and to enlist to its service humanoid, ice creatures, giants and white dragons in order to come to rule the whole Norwold. Akra sets her residence in the Ice Cavern, in the depths of the modern Quesa's Massif.



AC 164-336: Joining the influence of her Sisterhood to her great magical powers and to the strength of her armies, Akra imposes her domination to a large part of north-central Norwold and proclaims herself "Witch-Queen of Norwold". Clans of frost giants and flocks of white dragons subdue to Akra's will the Viaskoda and Jääkansa tribes, other Norsenian and Vatski tribes fall under the control of her witches and more and more Akra comes to rule most of Norwold. Only the southern Vatski tribes, the eastern Norsenians tribes and the dragon clans of the Wyrmsteeth Range oppose her rule.

Akra uses her powerful magics to transform Norwold in a land of ice to honour her patron Marzanna; snowstorms and blizzards run for months even in areas of central Norwold, while on mountain peaks glaciers are formed which become the shelter of creatures like yetis, frost giants and white dragons. The presence of such hostile force in Norwold poses a strong limit to Thyatian expansion, which is limited to the coasts. With the passing of time, groups of shamans and priests belonging to the tribes who oppose Akra's rule assemble their force to repel the evil Witch-Queen.

After years of battles at the borders of her domain, a group of three ambitious witches belonging to the entourage of Akra rebel against her and, with the help of priests and warriors coming from the tribes who fight Akra, trap the Witch-Queen and finally kill her; the white dragon Quesa is entrapped in the Ice Cave by a powerful sorcery of the three rebel witches. The domain of Akra crumbles swiftly, the human and humanoid tribes recover their freedom while a counterattack begins against the ice creatures that were followers of Akra. The witches who were part of the Sisterhood are hunted and killed everywhere; some of them survive and take the bush, losing contact with their fellows.

The three witches that helped the fall of Akra go to live on Mount Crystykk, north of the infamous Ice Cave from where the Witch-Queen ruled. They become a sort of protectors of Akra's secrets, which stay closed together with Quesa in the Ice Cave, and ward the human tribes of Norwold against the resurgence of similar threats. After some time, the three takes the role of protector of Norwold and become known ad the "Crones of Crystykk".

The fierce white dragon Quesa is bound to the Ice Cave by the spells of the Crones of Crystykk; with time he manage to force these dweomers so that he can leave for a short time the Ice Cavern to which his soul stay mysteriously linked. In following centuries Quesa builds a small reign of terror around the Ice Cave: the mountain where he now lives becomes known as "Quesa's Massif" and many Viaskoda tribes of the White Banner are subdued by this fierce being, sending him tributes and sacrifices and serving him in the hope he spares them from his rage.



AC 200: Thyatian influence over Ostlander jarls declines and many of them begin to approach Alphatia to seek her protection against the rival empire. Thanks to these developments the Alphatian influence in the Western Sea of Dawn increases, enough to allow to the Alphatians the building of colonies in Alasiya much close to the ones of the rival (AC 250).



AC 200-500: Some dwarven settlers coming from Rockhome explore the mountains of Norwold and discover that they host rich deposits of minerals and metals. Many of them lead there their families and build after some time their own clans, which settle in various points of the mountain ranges of Norwold, mostly in the central part of the Final Range. Usually these dwarves are in good terms with the civilised human population, while they keep at bay the barbarians.



AC 316-328: Civil war breaks out in the Thyatian Empire (AC 313); while generals and politicians fight among themselves for the control of the throne, Alphatia seize the opportunity to launch an offensive against the rival (AC 316-328). In the course of the long war which follows, Thyatis loses its Norwold colonies, sacked and destroyed by the Alphatians or conquered by local barbarians. At the end of the war the Thyatian presence in southern Norwold has disappeared and the Western Sea of Dawn is finally opened to Alphatian penetration.



AC 450-510: Alphatian Emperor Volospin III begins the first attempt at colonizing Norwold after Alphia's fall, five centuries ago; his goal is to build a colony that will provide the mainland of raw materials (precious metals, timber) and, if successful, could eventually function in following decades as a base for the conquest of Norwold and as a pincer to crush the Known World from the north. Taking advantage of the relative calm in relationships with Thyatis, the expedition is prepared with care; it's decided to found an Alphatian bridgehead in the Great Bay, at the mouth of Sabre River. Alphatian planning and the weakness of local clans and tribes favour the success of the enterprise, which in the turn of few years leads to the building of some Alphatian settlements on the south-eastern coasts of the Great Bay and on the Alpha peninsula. The main Alphatian colony is founded at the mouth of the Sabre River and becomes soon a town of good size, provided with magical defences and starting point for imperial forces going to ensure the Sabre's valley.

Wishing to augment the fame and power of his dynasty with this conquest, Volospin III have large sums of imperial money transferred in the new Norwold colony; some ancient ruins dating to the age of Alinor are recovered and converted into treasure deposits.

Alter the consolidation of the coastal domains, a vast military campaign is planned, with the goal of expanding the Alphatian control to the Sabre River's valley. The campaign, entrusted to a skilled general, goes on well, with the conquest of numerous local barbarian outposts and the scattering of hostile tribes. In these clashes the Alphatian estranges the elves of the nearby Foresthomes and most of all their protectors, the Wyrmsteeth dragons, which remember Alinor's attempt of five centuries ago.

At home the opponents of the imperial dynasty don't like her strengthening, mostly when it's discovered that Volospin III has brought part of the imperial treasury in his Norwold fortresses without the permission of the Great Council - a happening which exposes him to charges of theft against the imperial treasury.

While in Alphatia the scandal rages on and any fund dedicated to the continuation of the Norwold campaign is blocked, the barbarian tribes march in a desperate counterattack against the Alphatian army, lacking provisions and scattered in a large area. The imperial armies, abandoned to themselves because of the veto imposed by the Great Council on the campaign's prosecution, are repelled on the banks of the Sabre River where, in a great battle, the Alphatian army is slaughtered and its general himself curses the river's course, where he falls with his magical sword in hand (AC 507). The dragons continue the attack, raiding the Alphatian city at the mouth of the Sabre River and forcing the imperial personnel, the Alphatian troops and the inhabitants to escape from the region (AC 509).

Volospin III manages to persuade the Great Council to send the imperial fleet in Norwold to recover the colony before all funds expended are lost; the great fleet is however intercepted and destroyed by the dragons in the waters of the Great Bay. After this failure, the responsibility of which is charged to the emperor, the Norwold campaign is abandoned and the project to create a new kingdom there swiftly fails. Within half century (AC 510-560) the Alphatian settlements are mostly abandoned, destroyed by the dragons or conquered by the barbarians, so that the Alphatian are even forced to leave there part of the imperial treasury (which, according to the legends, still lays in some abandoned keep of the region).

AC 846-874: One of the last descendants of the Ice Witches of Akra, a Norsenian by the name of Frota, manages to break beyond the spells of the Crones of Crystykk and to discover the secrets leaved by Akra in the Ice Cave. Under the suggestions of the white dragon Quesa, Frota awakens the spirit of Akra and is possessed by her. The Witch-Queen, returned to life, begins to gather around her a great number of ice creatures in Ljallenvals Mountains, in the hope to resume her dream to rule Norwold where she war forced to leave it centuries ago. Under the seeming of Frota, she enlist the aid of a large white dragon named Nievous. Thanks to her powerful magics and to the labour of the local humanoid tribes, she raises a powerful ice castle in the Ljallenvals Mountains, which she names the Ice Tomb.

In the following years she manages to expand her influence, gathering frost giants, yetis and white dragons and subduing the peoples of northern Norwold, the Viaskoda and the Jääkansa. Freezing the Great Bay with her spells, Frota manages to expand her reign of terror also south of the Great Bay, enslaving the Norsenian tribes, the villages and the lonelier domains.

At the end her rule crumbles when the uprising of the peoples she submitted defeats her armies, freeing northern Norwold and forcing the witch to retreat in her Ice Tomb. In the final battle, faced with powerful magics, the spirit of Akra is forced to leave Frota's body and at last destroyed; her "host" Frota however survives and manage to flee the insurrection of Norwold peoples; from her hiding in the Ice Tomb, she continues to meditate revenge against Norwold and its inhabitant, trying to work out new plans of domination.



IV. The Tenth Century:



AC 895-904: Alphatian imperial prince Tylion is given by his mother, Empress Tylari III (busy in the search for Immortality), the duty to expand Alphatian influence on Norwold. Tylion, instead of starting a costly and risky military campaign, sends his agents and diplomats to meet the local clanheads, winning consent to settle small groups of Alphatian in their communities, helping the more trusted chiefs against the more rebel or ambitious ones, and generally presenting the Alphatian Empire as a great benevolent protector of Norwold from dangers. The success of this policy is enough that to some Alphatian nobles are awarded lands in reward for the help they gave to local clanheads; there they establish the first Alphatian dominions of Norwold in this century. They're in all regards formally independent, even if they preserve close informal links with the motherland.



AC 900: The Thyatian Emperor Gabrionius IV begins a new age of expansion; he's mostly worried by the first signs of Alphatian expansionism toward Norwold, and fears that the Alphatian may manage to dominate both sides of the Strait of Helskir (they already control Helskir itself). The Emperor wishes to strengthen Thyatian presence in south-central Norwold before this happens, first of all working for a reapproach to the Kingdom of Ostland and then alluring its king with promises of conquests in Norwold and on the Isle of Dawn if he'll help the Thyatians in this enterprise. After that, Gabrionius IV gives to the heroine Aline Sigbertsdatter - who have supported the emperor's father, Gabrionius III, during the time of civil disorders that have upset the Thyatian Empire in the last years - the duty to found a Thyatian bridgehead in Norwold.

Aline had been given by Gabrionius III the promise of a region where to build her own dominion. With the full support of imperial officers and armies, and also with that of the Ostlander fleet, Aline chooses as location to build her colony the sheltered bay facing the Walrus and Dogs islands; thanks to the friendship developed during her youth and during her years as adventurer, she manages to peacefully win the support of the local clanheads, and finally she founds the city of Oceansend, which Aline has immediately provided with powerful fortifications and which becomes an important trade site between Thyatis and local peoples.



AC 900-904: The energetic policy of Gabrionius IV regarding Norwold warns Alphatia, and a diplomatic meeting is summoned in Newkirk to fix once and for all to whom Norwold - over which both empires assert their right - will belong; these talks, that are recorded in history as the "Trial of Norwold", eventually become an introduction of ancient documents in support of one or the other argument instead of a true conference aimed at preventing the war, in which accuses of treason, bad faith and trickery hail.



AC 904-912: The Trial of Norwold degenerates in the Bog War between Thyatis and Alphatia; the recently founded Oceansend, under the rule of Aline, soon demonstrates its firmness, repelling an Alphatian attack aimed to conquer it. The war, fought mostly on the northern Isle of Dawn, brings forth the decline of the Confederacy of Dunadale. At the end of the war, Thyatis preserves the north-western Isle of Dawn (Helskir included); the two empires agree to halt further expansionism beyond own areas of influence in Norwold (the Thyatian one from Oceansend to the south, the Alphatian one from Oceansend to the north).



AC 919: After the definitive disappearance of his mother, Tylion IV becomes Emperor of Alphatia. His first interests are direct toward Norwold, where he continues the work of penetration and influence over local clanheads begun during his regency years before, and halted by the burst of the war with Thyatis. Assured of Thyatian goodwill thanks to a series of treaties with his rival, the peaceful Gabrionius V, regarding expansion, spheres of influence and trade, he proceeds with the awarding of a series of dominions in the area of the Great Bay (one of these is awarded to Baron Meredoth, an Alphatian necromancer), answering directly to the Alphatian crown.

However this policy must stand against a strong opposition within the Great Council, because many think it's aimed to form a new base for imperial power; given the restraint imposed over the funds allowed for this project, many dominions recently founded are abandoned, other have a difficult life, other utterly fail (as the one of Meredoth, in AC 921). The settlement of noblemen in Norwold slows until it becomes a sort of exile reserved to the ones who have been charged of some failure or that have fallen out of some powerful man's favour.



AC 920: After twenty years of wise and cunning rulership and after having been awarded the title of Archduchess, Aline start her journey in search of Immortality, leaving to her grandson the rule of the city founded by her. During these years Oceansend has become an important trade centre of the north, and the pivot of Thyatian defences in the Western Sea of Dawn; the city's territory has been expanded to include the Walrus and Dogs islands, while new Thyatian settlements or dominions allied with Thyatis or Ostland have been formed along the Norwold coast south of the city.



AC 930: Thanks to the strengthening of the trade route that from Ghyr goes to the Bay of Kammin, some small Heldanner coastal settlements located near the crossing of this trail with that going from Haldisvall (modern Freiburg) to Oceansend enlarge and develop themselves.

The most exceptional of those is that village which grows until it becomes the city of Landfall, drawing colonists from the Heldann Freeholds, from Westrourke and even from Thyatian and Alphatian dominions in Norwold. The city soon frees herself from her Heldanner lord, but her chaotic grow favours the arrival of many not-so-desirable elements (outcasts, smugglers, pirates, and so on), which win her the unpleasant fame the city has still today.



AC 959: A new great war bursts out between Thyatis and Alphatia. While on the Alphatians' part every remaining interest for Norwold is lost, because the war drains every energy of the imperial court, on the Thyatians' part the autonomous Grand Duchy of Oceansend appeals to its alliances with the neighbouring clanheads to attack the scattered Alphatian dominions, some of whom are in fact conquered or abandoned.



AC 960: During the war between the two rival empires, an Alphatian offensive aimed against Oceansend seizes the islands in front of the city and threatens to assault the city itself. After diplomatic talks with Alphatian commanders, Oceansend declares her independence from the Thyatian Empire, this way preventing Alphatian attacks while Thyatis is busy in a difficult war against the rival (and likely wouldn't be able to reinforce the city). The son of the Thyatian governor - with the support of his father, which steps aside thinking this is the only way to save the city from Alphatia -, named Yarrvik, signs a peace treaty with Alphatia and is crowned king of the city.



AC 962: After the signing of the peace between Thyatis and Alphatia, the Thyatian Emperor Thincol recognises the independence of Oceansend - his old homeland - both as part of the peace treaty and to restore the bases for an eventual future alliance with the city. Still following the peace treaty, Alphatians leave the isles in front of the city of Oceansend.



AC 985: Alphatian Empress Eriadna restarts the expansion in Norwold, halted now by decades; she is firmly convinced of the strategic and economic importance of Norwold and of the need to widen the Alphatian expansion in order to have Thyatis dividing her resources on many fronts. Eriadna continues both the policy of her father, favouring Alphatian penetration with alliances and concessions, and, where this is not possible or useful, using the force of arms to subdue the lords, the clanheads and the local peoples to Alphatian will. On the peninsula where in ancient times was located Cape Alpha, Eriadna commands the construction of the port-city of Alpha, which becomes the centre of Alphatian expansion in Norwold and the seat of a governor with the duty of overlooking the operations in this new protectorate.

The Thyatian Emperor Thincol answers to this renewal of Alphatian expansionism suddenly declaring war to Alphatia; the war will las for nearly twenty years among truces and armistices (AC 985-1002), will be waged mostly by provinces and vassals of the two empires, and fought mostly on the Isle of Dawn and in the eastern sea routes (first phase, AC 995-992) and then in Norwold (second phase, AC 1001-1002).



AC 990: At this time the vast majority of the coastal communities from Landfall to Alpha has subdued, at least formally, to Alphatian rulership over the region; only the city of Oceansend stubbornly preserves her independence but Alphatians, being in war with Thyatis, can't afford to besiege the city - also because this would cause a reapproach of the city to Thyatis. Meanwhile in Alpha the building of the grand Royal Castle begins.



AC 992: Empress Eriadna, after a relative halt in the war against Thyatis, awards the Protectorate of Norwold to her son Ericall with the title of king; he chooses Alpha as his capital. The Empress hopes that, with the right level of autonomy, Norwold not only could develop and progress, but also provide to its own defence - this way saving the resources of the empire for the war on other fronts. Annexed to the Kingdom of Norwold, the city of Helskir on the Isle of Dawn is granted to Ericall - a great offence for its governor Eruul Zaar, who has not been consulted at all before the decision.

Again, that's just history of the planes two powers and their vying back and forth over the area of Norwold. Cut and pasted from elsewhere/

Alzar emerges from his OtherSpace and the sun is bright over mountains, forests, plains, rivers, with a strong bite of cold and lingering snow in the air.

CM1 Test of the Warlords



Most modules have one of two formulas. The first is an exploration of a dungeon of some sort – caves, sewers, castles, towers, etc. Something indoors. The other is exploration of new outdoor territory. Many will have at least some element of both. The Isle of Dread is a classic outdoor exploration, but there’s still an underground temple complex in the center of the Island. On the other hand a module that’s just a dungeon delve still usually has some element of set up- finding it, reaching it, or such. Most adventures include one of those two types of modules.

There are a handful of official modules that sort of set that formula aside. They may have a bit of a dungeon or wilderness exploration as a token of the traditional module so it won’t be too out there, but they are a different sort of module. That’s CM1.

We will be using CM1 precisely as it is intended, to jumpstart a different sort of campaign, but even the creators would grow tired of this concept, and soon enough modules set in the area would devolve into dungeon delves or wilderness crawls once again. But for a bright shining moment, this is an incredible way to go with the storyline. It gives an epic feel to higher level campaigns that makes perfect sense.

Let’s begin…


Norwold

Alzar grabs his Carpet of Flying and unfurls it and begins to use it to fly around to inspect the area he has arrived in. There’s not a city or village for some distance. After a hour of circling ever wider circles, Alzar can make out some civilization to the east and he heads over, and half hour later lands in the western most border of Leeha

Leeha is a large hilly area of land, with the step-hills of nearby mountains the dominant feature. Leeha is the central meeting place and government for halflings in this part of the world, and the Shire of Leeha is one of the handful of current governments in the Kingdom of Norwold. There are seven clanholds around Leeha that are controlled by seven different Halfling clans, and Leeha has the central defenses, infrastructure, port, government, and more.

Alzar grabs lunch and talks with local halflings about the area and where they are. He gets some of the basic information about the local area. Norwold has been a bone of contention between the two major empires, Thyatis and Alphatia for centuries. There were parts, like Oceansend that, were colonized by Thyatis., and others in contention by Alphatia.

A couple of years ago, the Empress decided to get rid of one of her court embarrassments by appointing her second son, Ericall, King of Norwold, a new title over lands that were not previously under one rule. King Ericall is a strong fighter, but could not magic his way out of a glowing room. Because of the colonial nature of Norwold, Ericall has been granted a strong amount of leeway and this is one of the few places in Alphatia where non-magic users can flourish.

He took over a recently built city called Alpha to the east of here. It’s a city of roughly 30,000 with another 10,000 in local farms and villages outside the city proper. It’s the largest city in Norwold, and Norwold itself is quite big, and quite wild and quite unclaimed.

The town of Landsfall and nearby territory was granted to the King’s younger brother Lernall, who has done nothing with it. The town is notorious for being a haven for pirates, thieves, bandits, and thugs. Because they have been paying some taxes and they don’t raid Alphatian vessels and merchants, they have been given a blank check for now.

Meanwhile there is the Kingdom of Oceansend. Around 40 years ago, the colony was declared independent when it was about to be captured by Alphatia in a war with Thyatis in order to prevent being taken by its enemy. The King Jarvik the Just plays the two empires off and is very proud of his freedom and nation (which is basically just a city state – they own the city, and the immediate surroundings).

Take Alphatia. This ancient empire was founded thousands of years ago, and magic use here is rife in the people. The ruling council is 1000 wizards of level 36, and there are still many level 36 mages not on the council, because of the size limitation. There is also an Emperor/Empress to rule as well. Magic duels as a common way to settle disagreements. Magic users in Alphatia are automatically aristocrats.

Alzar spends some time getting acclimated to his new home plane, Pandius.

After a few hours, he heads back out. Alpha is about 425 miles to the east. It’ll take a few days by Flying Carpet to reach it. It’s mid-February right now, and there is a large festival in March, Alzar can use Alpha as a temporary base of operations. Norwold is huge compared to a lot of places Alzar has been before. Although they are just lines on a map, from Landfall in the far south to the northern boundary is roughly 1250 miles. It’s about 1000 miles from westernmost to the east coast where the Alphatian Sea lies. In that sea are a variety of Alphatian holdings, such as islands, and then across is the mainland of the empire.

There are small lakes, rivers, and woods everywhere that Alzar can see. The landscape is heavily forested with pines and a mixture of some oak, hickory, ash, elm, and maples here near Alpha, Leeha and the Great Bay that connects them.

A few days later, Alzar arrives in Alpha. The capital of Norwold was built on the old ruins of a colonized city that was destroyed long ago, and the buildings are all new, but there is the bones and infrastructure and layout from the older city here. They used a lot of the rocks/stone work and iron from the first city to build the second. The Great Bay is here, and the water is particularly deep and fresh.

Alzar arrives at the city and enters it after landing outside, and then paying his way in. It’s about three weeks before spring arrives on the calendar.

He gets his bearings, rents a room at a local inn, and begins to check out the local city. The King has announced a two week long spring festival that welcomes the end of winter. The festivities will include a tournament, feasting, games, performers, and other entertainment.

He has also announced that the campaign to claim the wilderness will begin, and he will listen to suitors who want to establish their own dominion in Norwold, in order to bring civilization to the countryside.

The festival will be the time of planning the assignment of land to those deemed worthy. Alzar spends the next few weeks getting ready, buying supplies, renting an apartment, getting the lay of the land and more. Suspecting he can apply for a dominion, he has pored over maps, flown around with his Flying Carpet, teleported around, scouting with hiss crystal balls, and such – considering he is wearing that Ring of Sustenance, he has a lot more hours to do research on the area, and he has selected a few places that he suspects have value, wealth, or growth potential.

There are a lot of small farming or timbering villages that aren’t on the map.

Other suitors begin to arrive. One after another they roll off ships from the Great Bay. More and more suitors arrive, entertainers are coming, and soldiers and mercenaries are also arriving to add to the security of the upcoming festival and the large gathering of potential leaders.

As the day arrives for the opening of the festival, Alzar steps into the castle and meets with the local Chamberlain, who arranges for those people that are requesting a dominion to enter.

Alzar meets with the Chamberlain for a half hour or so to determine if he is qualified. Since he is a magic-user, they require him to cast at least 8th level magic. “How about Maze?” The Chamberlain agrees, and he casts Maze on one of the guards who disappears, and re-appears about 6 minutes later from the magical labyrinth. He confirms that it was probably a Maze spell, it meets the information that he has of it (but has never been put in one before) and Alzar meets the power-level they are expecting from people to run a dominion here.

Alzar is moved to a small secondary throne room where King Ericall is meeting with other potentials. He is almost 30 years old, and is young and relatively inexperienced in matters political and administrative, after all, he was not groomed for the Kingship nor the Emperor-ship from his mother due to his class as a fighter. He is extremely charismatic and handsome, with a winning style and manner of speech. There is an elite bodyguard of knights in the room and after he finishes speaking with a female cleric, she leaves and the Chamberlain introduces Alzar to him.

The King discusses the need for quickly expanding in Alphatian Norwold, in order to keep the expected Thyatian response off guard. There is a degree of speed. And besides Pandius has never lacked for heroes and people of experience and power that can carve out a fiefdom in the Norwold wilderness. In order to be given a dominion, Alzar must swear to four things:

Norwold Oath of Fealty:

1 – Swear fealty to King Ericall
2 – Must Pledge to abide and protect the law
3 – Must pledge to pay the standard rate of taxation to the crown after two years of building up the land
4 – Must swear that Alzar is not a spy or agent for Thyatis, and will report on any Thyatian spies, ambassadors, or emissaries in Norwold that he encounters.


The Oath of Fealty won’t be administered until the end of the festival. Over the course of the next few days, King Ericall will meet with each applicant for determining who will get what territory. Anyone who has chosen different lands will need to fight it out in the upcoming tournament.

Alzar decides to go ahead and tell Ericall about his experience, and he father as a mayor of a city of larger than 20000 people and the various things he learned about administration, politics, diplomacy and more. The King agrees to allow Alzar to be one of the applicants, and there is a banquet tonight to meet everyone.


A few hours later, the feast begins, and there are a variety of applicants that passed the first stages:

1. Alak Dool, 19th level Magic User
2. Sir Ernest Day, 16th level fighter
3. Rutgar Dag, 15th level fighter
4. Sandralane of Glantri, 16th level cleric
5. Max the First, 15th level fighter
6. Allisa Patrician, 15th level fighter
7. Longtooth, 20th level thief
8. Maltus Fharo, 21st level fighter
9. Fergus the Justifier, 15th level fighter
10. Geoffrey of Heldann, 15th level cleric
11. Weston the Tall, 16th level thief
12. Quillan Elm-Grower, 10th level elven fighter/mage
13. Brogahn of the Steppes, 15th level fighter
14. Claransa the Seer, 15th level Magaic User
15. Alzar the Mighty, 19th level Magic User
16. James Essex, 25th level fighter
17. Niles Douglass, 22nd level fighter
18. Mark Acres, 17th level fighter

The only other fiefdom right now is the Landfall by Duke Lernal. Demihuman groups, such as the Shire of Leeha or the dwarvish realm of Stonehaven are more isolationist and aren’t likely to embrace a human ruler just arriving on a boat and declaring himself their king. There are some unknown Elvish villages out there as well.

At the feast is King Ericall, Duke Lernal, and some advisors like Madeira, a Counselor (25th level magic user), Tarn Oakleaf (24th level druid), and such. The King is not married, nor is he currently betrothed, although his family is in discussion with a friend from back home in Alphatia.

Tonight is a night of introductions and the beginning of a political game that Alzar knows better than a lot of these folks, which included many ex-adventurers who are more comfortable in the camp than in a feasthall of a King planning their future as a potential noble.

Alzar is initially drawn to the fellow wizards to check in with them. Alak Dool is not someone who impressed, but Claransa the Seer has a very interesting work-based conversation with Alzar and spoke of her desire to build a laboratory and library as soon as she settled down. They shared a love of books and knowledge that Alak Dool didn’t really have he was all about power. Meanwhile Madeira is very ambitious and seeking to be on the Alphatian Ruling Council and doing what it takes to get there, and sees advising King Ericall as the route to do so. She’s more of a politico than a traditional wizard. Sandraline is from Glantri, a realm that loves wizards so much that clerics are despised there. She has chosen to relocate here to Norwold and try to make her mark outside of the auspices of the discrimination she gets back in Glantri. She’s a bit one-note for Alzar’s taste.

He doesn’t really connect with any of the fighters yet, but maybe in a different context he might later.

The night fades, and the next day, Alzar is called in to select his choice for his dominion. He speaks with King Ericall and discusses the place he’d be interested in first choice. Due to its strategic importance, Alzar would like the small bit of land on the far side of the Ljallenvals Mountains, a small chain on the east coast of the Great Bay, on the northern end. Ideally, Alzar would like to expand to the small mountainous islands in the center (Bergholm Isle) and from there south to the small strip on the coast by the northeastern edge, past the mountains Eagles’ Barrier.

This is a strategically vital part of Norwold, because a holding and fortress here could make it very difficult for anyone from entering the Great Bay from the Alphatian Sea. The lands are currently wilderness and Alzar suspects there are some valuable, untapped resources in the hex beside the Ljallenvals Mtns. The area in the north-eastern part is forested. The Ljallenvals are supposedly inhabited by many frost creatures and evil humanoids of the nasty persuasion.

Unfortunately, the next day the King mentions that three places that people wanted are up for contention, and Alzar chose the same place as Fergus. Alzar and Fergus will need to joust to solve this issue.

Two days later, the first of the competitions between people is up in the morning, and Alzar vs Fergus is the afternoon. In the morning, a special guest arrives, King Yarvik the Just, ruler of Oceansend to join th local festivities and a huge Court of Honor is held and then the jousting begins.

We use the rules for jousting in the battle:

Enemy and Alzar each use non-magical lance, plate armor, shield that are given by local troops, and therefore made sure are non-magical and not able to be used to cheat.

Alzar gets -2 to attack because he can’t use a lance. Here are the numbers needed –

Alzar, level 8 fighter, needs a 10 to hit AC 2.
Fergus, level 15 fighter, needs a 4 to hit AC2.

Here we go…

Alzar and Fergus both mount up. They gallop at each other and…Alzar rolls and 13 and Fergus a 6, both hit. When both hit, rather than just one, you save vs wands to see if someone is knocked off.

Alzar needs a 5 or higher as a wizard to make his, and Fergus need s a 7 or higher to make his. Here we go…. 12 and 8, both make it. If both fail, or both make it, then roll saves again, until someone fails, and the other doesn’t… 7 and 19 – 5 and 4. Alzar wins the first pass.

The second pass sees Fergus roll a 14 and Alzar a 4. Alzar is unseated and each one is won one pass.

Final pass, here we go.

Alzar rolls…13 and Fergus…13 as well. Alzar and Fergus both hit…saves? Both fail 4 and 3. Then…9 and 9, both make it and…18 v 9; 19 v 16; 15 v 13; 14 v 7; 9 vs 20; 14 v 13; 17 v 5 -Alzar wins the final push.

Alzar has won 2-1, and he gets his first choice.

Just before the evening feast the final joust is held is and everyone has the final choices in.

The next day, Alzar meets with King Ericall and the Chamberlain to finalize his selection officially.

Alzar begins with…


Hex #1 – south-central hex, forest hex, directly next to mountains, coastal. (Take a look at the map of Norwold. Go three hexes up from the capital of Alpha, and then over 11). This hex is the first one chosen, and we roll 1d10 to see how many resources there are in the Hex. Alzar rolls a 8 on the d10, and that’s….3 resources.

According to CM1, you keep adding in hexes until you’ve added in at least 7 resources. Alzar also adds in the the Hex directly north above it (2 resources), and then to the northeast – 4 resources. That’s 9 resources total.

Alzar has a three hex large Barony. Now let’s roll for information on those hexes.

Hex #1 – 38 families; resources are….animal, animal, mineral – Fishing; Sheep; Tin - 7 resource gp.

Hex #2 – 89 families, animal, vegetable – Grapes, Sheep. 3 resource gp

Hex #3 – 54 families, mineral, animal, vegetable, vegetable. Fishing; grapes; grain; Lead – 7 resource gp.

Alzar is using the first Hex as the central one for his Barony.



We'll be using Maps from this link, check it out to make out Norwold

Norwold Region

The Barony of the Mighty

Hex #1 – Villages – Evenarrow - 25 families – On the southern coast of the little jutting peninsula, this village fishes south in the Great Bay and the entrance there brings in some nice saltwater fish. With a small set of docks, Alzar will be expanding Evenarrow into the capital of his Barony. It’s in the perfect place. The rest of the Hex is really small villages here and there or individual shepherds and there is large area, near the mountains on the western part of the hex that has Cassiterite deposits that can be opened to mine.

Details – 38 families
7 resource gp

Monthly Income – Standard Income - 380 gp/month
Tax Income – 38 gp/month
Resource Income – 266/month
Total – 684/month

Hex #2 – North of Evenarrow is this highly populated hex, southeast of the mountains, and with some amount on the Alphatian Sea. Forest and some hills.

Villages – Storn – 50 families, inland, center of the hex, they grow grapes on the hills here.
Riverton – 39 families, On a small river from the mountains to the sea, shepherds

Monthly Income - Standard Income - 890 gp/month
Tax Income – 89 gp/month
Resource Income – 267/month
Total – 1246/month

Alzar will be building up Storn here as well, later on.

Hex #3 – East of Evenarrow and Storn, and flanked by the coast, this hex is the last full hex in the area in the waters. Lead has been mined before just south of Farhome and there’s open mines there ready to be used, if they are cleaned out and reinforced.

Villages - Augustia – 30 families, on the northern coast, fish the Alphatian Sea
Farhome – 15 families, grapes, on hills by western edge of hex
Asantia – 9 families, farmers in southern coast of hex.



Monthly Income - Standard Income - 540 gp/month
Tax Income – 54 gp/month
Resource Income – 378/month
Total – 972/month

EXPENSES –

20% taxes to King Ericall (Not paid for first two years)
10% Tithe to local temple (Not paid for three months)
Military – 1260
Barony Staff - 720
Specialist Staff – 0
Stronghold Staff - 0
Taxes to Ericall -

Barony Staff –

Magistrate – 200 gp
2 Sheriff – 200 gp
10 Provost – 200 gp
6 Warden – 120 gp

Specialist Staff:

None hired right now as Alzar gets things together

Stronghold Staff:

None needed, no stronghold exists just yet


Barony Military –

Light Foot Soldiers – 150 troops, 5 leaders – 300 gp – AC6, longsword + dagger
Heavy Foot Soldiers – 40 troops, 1 leader – 120 gp, AC4, longsword, spear, dagger
Light Horse Soldiers – 30 troops, 1 leader – 300 gp, AC6, longsword, lance
Crossbow Troops – 50, 2 leaders – 200 gp, AC 5, heavy crossbow, shortsword
9 Officers – 90 gp, AC 2 better than troop they lead
2 Armorer – 200 gp
2 Smiths – 50 gp

Total monthly cost for the military Alzar is putting together is 1260

He gets income and expenses each month, and then rolls for population changes, and events. It will take 2 months before they will start getting taxes in. He also gets XP on an even level with his taxes, so he makes 2902 XP the first month, and then it heads up from there.


Current Confidence of Barony – 335 (91 + 150 + total of stats for leader) – Healthy

As an effect – Healthy gives 10% more income and 25% chance per spy of them being outed by locals. They are pretty happy about a new government and investment as Norwold seeks to turn their area from a wilderness to a civilized realm.


Basically what happens is every month we’ll roll for events, for confidence, and for population changes in the three hexes, which we’ll call Evenarrow, Storn, and Augustia after the three major villages in each space.

Alzar heads to the feast and meets with King Jarvik of Oceansend, and gets in some nice time with him. Alzar has more respect for Jarvik, but Jarvik is older, and has been a leader for a lot longer.

As the feasts winds up, and entertainers shift and the tournaments end, there are a lot of fun things happening here and there.

All 18 candidates were given Baronies around the kingdoms.

As the feast comes to an end, Alzar begins to hire local soldiers, some boats, and supplies to take over. He has been teleporting there and back every day to set up various outlets. There are no major buildings in any of these areas, no forts, towers, fortresses, keeps, castles, and so forth. A few of the villages have simple palisades, and that’s about it. This is true wilderness. These people have had large amounts of emigration over the years due to a lack of protection and defenses. Now the death rate will hopefully subside, and this is a nice place, along the coast, to relocate. In fact, the place Alzar has chosen as his capital in on the trade route into the Great Bay, and is one of the points of defense there. It’s a good location for future trade and expansion, and he’s already had people working on expanding the docks there and building an inn.

The feast ends, and the first month has ended. Oaths are sworn. Before he heads out and picks up castle building supplies, he gets some advisers and engineers form the King that helped with Alpha, because he needs to make his hoard a lot more defensive in nature than the other Barons and their first buildings, due to the strategic and military importance of the project.

Alzar is using his innate ESP ability, and his spells (such as Detect Lie from the Bright Barrier) and such, to ensure loyalty among the people he hires.

(We’re going to slip over from rules from the Companion Set to the Castle Guide for a bit to plan the central defensive and administrative structure of the Barony in upper Evenarrow.)


The first thing we need to do is to assess the suitability of the area for building a castle and fortifications:


Climate – Temperate – 1.25
Geography – Rolling Hills – 1.00
Ground Cover – Light Forest – 1.50
Resource Availability – Near and Poor – 1.25
Work Force – Agricultural 1.00
Worker Skill – Average – 1.00 (Increase by the engineers from poor)
Worker Morale – High -0.75 (The people here really want a fortress and defenses from the local baddies)

Total modifier – Multiply these all together – 1.75 That’s the PM modifier

Now the design. Eventually we want:

Walls, towers, and a gatekeep to protect the wharf from a naval invasion
Walls around the entire town, with towers, defenses, and moat, and gatekeep
A central keep to rule the area, with good defense, to be a fall back position and center of authority

We’ll begin constructing just the keep first. But I’ll go ahead and add in the costs for the other areas.

I want the Keep to be three stories high, with four medium round towers at each corner. The keep should be 100x100 in size. That will require:

6 medium round tower sections
200 wooden wall sections for floors and ceiling
40 stone wall sections
20 stone wall sections with machicolation
1 large barbican
24 tunnel sections for dungeon
30 moat sections
1 drawbridge

This is for a keep only. The keep would cost:

Towers – 90,000 gp, 5400 man weeks
Wooden Walls – 1000 gp, 200 man weeks
Stone Walls – 20,000 gp, 1200 man weeks
Stone Walls with machicolation and glacis – 17720 gp, 1060 man weeks
Large Barbican – 49500 gp, 2880 man weeks
Tunnels – 2400 gp, 600 man weeks
Moat – 900 gp, 180 man weeks
Drawbridge – 550 gp, 40 man weeks

Total base cost is: 182,070 GP; 11560 man weeks.

Before I begin to change those costs, let’s go ahead and plan the others later:

Wall, moat, defensive towers, and such for the village:

2 level tall stone walls around perimeter:

88 stone walls – 44000 gp; 2640 man weeks
88 stone walls with machicolation – 76032 gp; 4664 man weeks
1 greater gatekeep – 40620 gp; 4625 man weeks
88 moat – 2424 gp; 828 man weeks
1 drawbridge – 550 gp; 40 man weeks
8 large round towers; 168000 gp; 10080 man weeks

This is a total of 331,616 gp and 22877 man weeks

And what about defenses around the future wharf?

2 walls high:

36 stone walls 18000 gp; 1080 man weeks
36 stone walls with machicolation 31104 gp; 1908 man weeks
1 greater gatekeep – 40620 gp; 4625 man weeks
4 large round towers – 84000 gp; 5040 man weeks

For a total of – 174104 gp; 12653 man weeks

Now those are the base costs.

Let’s look again at the keep:


Total base cost is: 182,070 GP; 11560 man weeks

Now, there is overhead involved for things like furnishings, doors, and other things not included. That’s an additional 10% to both cost and man weeks:

GP 200277
Man Weeks – 12716

Now, multiply the GP cost by the PM determined above for the final cost:

Total Cost – 350485 GP
Man Weeks - 22253

Now the work force:

There are 52 weeks in a year. It will take 428 men 52 weeks to construct this keep.

Now we make some changes:

Alzar, as a 19 level mage, counts as base level (27 levels) plus each spell level (211 people!) By himself, Alzar basically can half the work force required!


There are several items that Alzar has which will be of use in creating this big place:

Ring of Telekinesis - 3
Gauntlets of Ogre Power - 1
Girdle of Ogre Strength - 1
Crown of Leadership - 2
Carpet of Flying (4 Passengers); 10
Broom of Flying - 2
Rope of Climbing; 1
Pickaxe of Piercing - 2
Crucible of Melting - 1
Shovel of Digging 6
Horn of Blasting; 5
Bronze Horn of Valhalla, summons 2d4 Neutral Evil, level 2 fighters, AC4, 15 hp, spear or sword. Can only be blown by N, NE, LE, or CE Priest or Warrior.1
Slippers of Spider Climbing 1
Boots of Levitation 2
Decanter of Endless Water 1
Metal Platter (Beef, Lamb, Turkey, Pheasant) for four people once/day; Mug (Beer, Ale, Mead) six/day; Pitcher (Water, Tea, Wine), three/day.; 1
Ebony Fly, Serpentine Owl Figurine 2
Brazier of Controlling Fire Elementals; Stone of Controlling Earth Elementalsx2; Censer of Controlling Air Elementals 6
Ring of Water Command 1

He can summon creatures or make them via his figurines of wondrous power to create allies to make helpers. He can make food and water for workers to reduce those costs, he can use the Horn of Blasting to open holes and the Gauntlets can turn a worker into a super worker, etc. Meanwhile flying or levitating above the project to work from above will help speed things up as well.

The best is the Shovel, it digs by itself, and doesn’t have to be used for anything else. Everything counts for either 1% or 5% of the XP cost of the item in men. I’m giving just the Shovel the base 5% and the others are just 1% of their XP value in discount.

Total Men the magical items can replace – 49 more people

So Alzar only needs to hire 168 laborers for 52 man hours of work. That reduces the cost of the project considerably, since the cost to hire men is included in the overall cost of the project. Thus: 26000 Gp is pulled off the total cost. Or, instead, Alzar can pay the gold, and double the work force needed with his own aid (and his magical items) and then, on the flip side, he can double his work force, and reduce the time needed to complete the project by 75%.

Now work seasons

This is not a 52-work week area. There’s only 29 work weeks each year.


It will take 1 year of 29 work weeks, plus another 23 the next year to get it done. Therefore, it should take about 2 years to build. Alzar decides to double the work force, ignore the 26000 gp discount he would get, and reduce the build time is 39 work weeks, and thus should take, roughly, 15 months to build.

What we’ll do is roll each month during construction of the keep for special events, and then each month for Barony Stuff on top of all of that.

In order for afford it, Alzar:

Uses his PP, gems, and jewels and converts those to cash in Alpha, and gets the cost down to 228,185

Then he:

Moves a few books:

Tome of Vile Darkness; Tome of Clear Thought; Tome of Leadership and Influence; Manual of Quickness of Action; Tome of Understanding;

Those are super-valuable books and he easily gets their GP value for each one. He gets 215000 gp for the quad. Then he sells a few lesser items such as spell scrolls or letting wizard copy spells from his spellbook to make up the difference.

Norwold Region

Cool start, Abe. Keep up the good times!

Tell

Sure thing!

Let’s begin to fast forward:

Month 1: (April)

Keep Building – No unusual Event – 4 weeks done, 35 weeks left

Alzar talks to a local faith in Alpha to an Immortal of a Sphere of Matter. They will build a temple in Evenarrow and a shrine in the other major villages.

Dominion Rolls - +15% families in each hex…Storn lost 3 families to an attack

No major events


Month 2: (May)

Keep comes along fine – 4 weeks completed, 31 weeks left

Dominion Rolls - +20% families in each hex…2 families gained in Asantia

Events? A spy was revealed in the workers and replaced. He was working for Landfall.

Next month we’ll begin to bring in money

A lot of soldiers and workers are moving in full stop, so we are getting a few families into our borders from them. Plus some people who had left over the years are coming back as well, and that‘ll continue for a while.


Month 3: (June)

Work is fine – 27 left

Dominion - Another 15% gain of families, no other changes in population


Alzar hires a few more staff for the growing population.

Steward – 1000 gp
Marshall – 80 gp

Next month he’ll have to start tithing to help build the temples/shrines.

Month 4: (July)

Work is fine – 24 weeks left

Dominion – Capital gains +20%, others +5%; lost 4 families in Farhome to monster attacks - hell hounds and a pair of fire giants raided at night.

Alzar decides to head over and check things out.

After searching for a while, Alzar uncovers a hidden cave about 6 or 7 miles from Farhome, in the foothills. A very large exit from the cave is pretty big, and is too hard to hide, and no one has been taking chances at being stealthy. The exit is big enough for giants or dragons or anything else.

Alzar sits down and concentrates and uses a Crystal Ball to scout a bit ahead – The cave entrance bends into a large tunnel that goes right and left, and there is a door to the front as well. Alzar can see some smoke coming from the right side of the passage.

Alzar conjures an Invisible Stalker to explore and return to him. After it heads out, he conjures an Earth Elemental and then pulls out his golem, Aegis from the Warp Marble. He secures his items for combat, and then the Stalker returns.

The Stalker reports that it saw a red dragon in the large cave, and there were also a cavern of trolls to the left, and some other doors, with fire giants and hellhounds to the rear and a Beholder in a chamber in the far corner. There were three doors he couldn’t open.

Hmmm…

Red dragon, beholder, trolls, and giants/hell hounds.

He swaps his items around a bit. He is now wearing a Ring of Free Action and another of Fire Resistance. He decides to head out to the dragon first. It could be the most difficult.

The Invisible Stalker is leading the group, and Alzar has the golem and elemental flanked out along the cave, about 24 feet from each other. The dragon is snoring peacefully. Alzar grabs the Potion of Red Dragon Control he has and quaffs it. They run into the chamber to get close enough, the dragon hears and rears up, and Alzar tries to control it…

It gets a save, but it has a -2 for the potion’s effect. Let’s see….It rolls a 14 and makes the save, and then it breathes, and deals out 31 damage (save for 16)

Alzar – 64/73 (Fire Resistance ring)

Alzar tires to control it again and this time it works. It rolled a 2.

Alzar orders it to move to the front and it’s charmed and happy to do so. The dragon flies into the chamber with the trolls and one breath and a few rounds later it has killed the 8 trolls.

Alzar has the dragon return and move down to face the Beholder. His team moves behind, ready to support or attack.

Trolls – 5050 XP

Dragon – 7200 XP

There are a pair of villagers, still alive in this chamber, but the final fire breath of the dragon kills them and the Beholder focuses beams on it. They exchange some battle, and Alzar and his axe and shield move in to try and nip some damage from the Beholder but misses twice, and hits just once for 16 damage. The beholder disintegrates the dragon and it dies. Alzar carves it twice or 14 and 20 and it dies.

Beholder 14000 Xp

Alzar carves off some eyes and other items from the Beholder for his lab and potential parts.

The only other major foe here are the fire giants and hellhounds so his army moves over.

There are 7 of each. Alzar uses Maze to drop one into another place for a while. The rest move to the Invisible Stalker, which they can apparently sense (high level creatures can sometimes sense invisibility). , and they carve into, and kill, the Invisible Stalker and badly damage the Earth Elemental. Alzar casts Domination on a Fire Giant and it makes its save. Alzar heals the golem with Transmute Mud to Rock and is casting spells from behind the line.


Just before the Earth Elemental dies, Alzar casts Time Stop and moves over and carves the giants and kills two, and then gets ready and casts Death Spell as soon as the Stop lifts and kills most of the hounds.

The two fire giants and one hell hound left begin to flee and the fire giant kills the Earth Elemental as they do, and the golem punches and kills the hound. Alzar casts Polymorph Other at one and it fails its save and turns into a small turtle, and the other can’t get out, so they finish it off, but not before it hits the golem for some damage.

Aegis – 51/70 HP

39550 XP

They head back and check out the locked doors. Two open into an oddly dark chamber, littered with bones, dust, and dirt. Alzar’s Gem/Star reveals that there is an skull-shaped creature here that is moving towards them. Alzar casts Continual Light at it, then activates his Zoster. it makes it save but is still lit up.

The skull druj, suddenly illuminated moves to attack Alzar. It tries to bite him and splits into four skulls. It misses. The golem does too. This is an undead creature but not one Alzar has heard of before. (No need to check Necrology, it’s a Pandius-only creature)

After winning init, Alzar’s axe tries to bite into it twice with his axe and once with the shield. The creature has a -4 AC. He needs a 13, +4 for AC, -3 for Zoster, -3 for strength, -3 for weapon mastery, -4 for battle axe –

He needs a 4. He rolls an 11 and 5 and then for the shield a 2. When he hits he deals 1d8+6+4+3. 14-21. 16 and 16. 31 total damage. It has 37/68 left. The golem misses. The druj bites Alzar twice for 14 damage and a save vs poison that he makes (Periapt of Proof vs Poison helped there)


2 vs 6. Alzar cracks it three times for 42 damage and it’s down. Dead druj.

10000 XP

There s nothing of value in this room.

The final door opens into an old office. Apparently this dungeon was fleshed out by a cleric named Kwyll, who served Alinor a long time ago. Very little is still left.

In the dungeon, he found:

Ear Ring
Ointment of Blessing, of Poison
2x Quarrels of Flying
Potion of Sustenance, Bug Repellant, Elemental Form, Blending, Agility, Luck
Bastard Sword +2
Short Sword +2
Chalice of Identification


20000 sp
10850 gp
6000 pp

2025 gems worth 172000 gp


The Chalice works simply enough. Just pour a potion into the Chalice, and magical runes will reveal what the potion does, if it’s poisoned or bad, and even if it’s a cursed potion. Then you can just pour it back in.


He heads back and returns a few times for more coins and such to get it all out.

Month 5: (August)

There are some bad storms and only 2 weeks of work is done this month. 25 weeks of construction left.


Dominion – There was a small meteor shower that sprayed rocks all over. It causes a confidence check for the month and now the dominion is at 312 Confidence (still the same place)

+15% growth across dominion

Alzar hires some more staff:

Equerry
Engineer

He also heads to Alpha and hires some more soldiers and sails them over after checking them out. We bring in 20 heavy cavalry.

Three major holidays in the year:

Month 8 - Mid-Summer Convocation – 10% of income that month
Month 10 - Harvest Festival - 15% of income that month
Month 1 - Year’s End Divine Liturgy – 5% of income that month


Its costs have been reduced from the income this month.

Alzar also finds the last components that he needs and he casts Bind Tabi on the one that he captured:



Ak’Kabar, Tabi

HD – 5; HP 26
THAC0 – 15; 2 Attacks, 1d4 each;
Intelligence – 9
Speaks – Own Language, Common Tongues
AL – Chaotic Neutral

Each hit by a claw must save vs poison or be deluded for 2d6 turns. Tabis can pick pockets, hide silently, and move in shadows with a 40% chance of success, and they can backstab when doing do. A tabi looks like a cross between a monkey, a bat, and a cat. They are about 15 pounds, and roughly 2 feet tall. After being bound I is extremely loyal, will do anything commanded, will be loyal for life, can go far outside the boundary normally had, and most importantly, the tabi is not a familiar. He can have a familiar, and if it dies nothing bad happens

Tabi can be found here on Pandius as well, so it was easier for Alzar to find the specialized incenses that were needed to bind it (2000 gp).

Alzar has already begun to send the tabi out exploring and scouting the area.


After finding some ruins, and rebuilding them into a town quickly, Baron James Essex has been promoted to Count. (Did you know that I usually use the name James Essex for my character in most dynasties and video games? Did you know that it came from this source, a minor reference in the back of the Companion Set DM Guide?)

Alzar teleports to Alpha for a daylong meeting with the King and a few of his advisors to give a report on the full goings-on in his realm.

Month 6: (September)

Starting in the second week, there are some bandits that have arrived to hit the supply lines of rock from the adjacent un-claimed territory. Work is halved until they are stopped. Alzar heads out, and over the course of two weeks, finds and takes down the two bandit groups, and then work resumes. 3 weeks of work were done this month – 22 weeks of construction left.


Dominion – Growth in capital by 20% only. Lose 2 families in Riverton to a small flood from the river.

There are numbers of barbarian tribes in Norwold. They are nomadic and fared well as hunters and nomads in the northern parts of the area. They are mainly fighters, with some clerics and a few thieves. For most of the year, they travel in groups of less than 1000. During the Fall Equinox, the barbarians gather at three points in around 15,000 at each point.

The barbarians have never had any trouble with King Ericall because major portions of Norwold have been left uncivilized, and most of the 18 Barons chose territory in the southern and central parts of the realm, south of the Great Bay. In fact, only one Barony, The Barony of Moonland with Sandralane of Glantri is close. She’s on the coast on the Sea of Alphatia, about 7 hexes south of Evenarrow.

One of the gathering places for the nomads is on the other side of the Ljallenvals, about 6 hexes away. As long as dominion leaders don’t impede their access, everything works out fine. They don’t normally cross the mountains to enter the land Alzar is building up. He’s currently working on roads, a bridge, some small barracks and fortifications in the other two hexes while building that keep in Evenarrow.

As Alzar is travelling through his dominion, he hears word that there is a potential showdown occurring over in Alak Dool’s Barony of Morkheim, in the western part of Norwold and around 620 miles away. Alzar decides to scry it out, and then teleports over to take a look-see.

The barbarians are currently camped on the borders of Dool’s dominion. There have been no battles yet. They would prefer to hunt animals than people. Dool has apparently been taunting them constantly. Alzar is flying around and there is an earth elemental attacking one of the central camps, and a large barbarian chief is fleeing, leading it away from camp. Alzar flies down to help out.

He can see Dool, invisible and flying above the fray, controlling the elemental (Alzar sees through Invisibility). He flies down, pretending he can’t see Dool, and then begins to cast a spell, as if targeting the Elemental, and…

He Maze’s Alak Dool. Dool will be gone for 4 rounds.

That should be enough time.

Alzar lands (uses Zoster) with Axe out and moves to battle the Elemental:

3 vs 5. Alzar hits twice for 28 damage from axe and shield (one miss) and the Elemental punches Alzar for 14 damage back.

Alzar 59/73

7 vs 2. The Elemental punches and misses, clanging heavily off the Bright Barrier. Alzar rolls 8, 8, and 18 which is…3 hits for 43 damage. Boom! 8 vs 4. The Elemental punches for 13 damage and Alzar carves it dead.

Alzar 46/73

Alzar flies up to where Alak Dool was and gets ready for him to reappear.

Alak Dool comes back from the Maze, Alzar is 5 feet away.

Initiative. 3 vs 1. Alak Dool casts Teleport and gets away. Ah well.

Alzar lands and checks to make sure the red haired one is okay. He introduces himself as Barkal the Red, and the Chief of one of the local tribes, and about 900 barbarians are in his tribe. Alzar flies him back to the camp on his Flying Carpet, and Barkal orders an impromptu feast.

Remember that Alzar is wearing Selnor’s Helm. Why is this important? It gives bonuses and such to fellow barbarians. It’s a barbarian-friendly item from his home plane of Thorasia. It goes well here too. Alzar’s high charisma and bonuses from his Helm are helping him out.

After the feast, a lot of barbarians begin to wrestle as part of feast and events. One big brawny warrior challenges Alzar who accepts. After announcing that his Girdle magically enhances his strength, and taking it off, Alzar heads into the fire-lit area and begins to wrestle with his normal 17 Str.

After five rounds, he loses, but he fought well.

After the fight, Barkal the Red offers an Oath of Allegiance with Alzar who accepts. Alzar asks Barkal to give testimony against Alak Dool. The next day, Alzar teleports them both to Alpha to submit a formal complaint against Alak Dool, and then Telport Other Barkal back, and Alzar teleports back to his Barony to continue.

Alliance with Barkal Gained

Next month there will be a special tournament to celebrate the elevation of James Essex to Count.

Month 7: (October)

Work is fine on the keep and 4 more weeks are knocked off – 18 left

Dominion – Growth 10% across board, gain 4 families in Asantia

Alzar hires a few more military:

10 more light and heavy cavalry, 2 more armorers; 30 more crossbowmen


This month we have the Harvest Festival, and spend 15% of our income on it

(The following event is not in CM1, but instead in the back of the Companion DM Guide)

Over in the County of Garette, southwest of Alpha, is a tournament held in the honor of Count Essex’s new title. Not a lot of nobles attend, just Alzar (who teleports over) and two others –

Baron Niles Douglass – 3 knights, 3 squires, 20 men-at-arms
Baron Mark Acres – 2 knights, 2 squires, 10 men-at-arms
Count James Essex – 5 knights, 5 squires, 30 men-at-arms
Baron Alzar the Mighty – None others

Additionally, 6 other knights attend

There are three days of the tournament, that include a holiday for the peasants, and feasts. He spends 4000 gp for the feast and such for three days.

Tournaments:

Archery – Top Prize: +2 Silver Arrow of Returning
Wrestling – Top Prize: Potion of Giant Strength
Sword and Shield – Top Prize: +2 Shortsword

Jousting – Prizes:

3rd Place – 1000 gp Jeweled Scabbard
2nd Place – 1250 gp jeweled helmet
Top Prize – The Golden Dagger (+4, and makes a gently ting sound when it taps against a magical item)

Those are some really nice prizes and his Dominion will get a bonus to its confidence from the holiday and tournament.

Alzar competes in the Archery with his crossbow skill, but doesn’t do that well. He makes it out of the first round of sword and shield, and then defeat a knight from Baron Acres, before losing in the 3rd round to a traveling Paladin in the 3rd round (one of the 6 other knights).

Finally, he participates in the Joust, but is defeated when a random draw puts him against Baron Acres, who defeats him in the first round easily.

On the third day, the winners take their prizes and head home, and everyone is really happy with the tournament, especially since the only major crime was caught by local authorities before it really began.

Alzar teleports back

Currently, in the court, the order of nobility is:

Duke Lernal
Count Essex
Three Barons
Baron Alzar at #6.

(Order is by rank, and then when tied by number of hexes, and then when tied by population)

No other major events occur.

Month 8: (November)

Work progresses fine – 14 weeks left

Dominion – 10% growth, no other population changes.

Snow sets in at the end of the month and the work will end now, and there won’t be any done until the end of Winter. It gets cold fast, and already places are freezing up.

With the slowing down of various activities, Alzar begins to dedicate more time in research and getting things done on the mage-side of life.

One of the things Alzar has had to do these last 8 months is set up the administration needed to run the Barony, such as a legal system and courts and opportunities for legal redress.

The rapid early expansion has been continued by other families relocating as Alzar continues to bring in more soldiers and officials, who often bring their family with them to settle in the Barony somewhere.

Month 9: (December)

Dominion – 10% growth in capital, 5% elsewhere; lost 3 families due to cold in Augustia.


Alzar hires a few more soldiers

40 more heavy soldiers and an officer for them

Here is the Barony at the end of Year One:


The Barony of the Mighty

Ruler – Baron Alzar

Hex #1 – Villages – Evenarrow - 92 families – On the southern coast of the little jutting peninsula, this village fishes south in the Great Bay and the entrance there brings in some nice saltwater fish. With a small set of docks, Alzar will be expanding Evenarrow into the capital of his Barony. It’s in the perfect place. The rest of the Hex is really small villages here and there or individual shepherds and there is large area, near the mountains on the western part of the hex that has Cassiterite deposits that can be opened to mine.

Details – 133 families
7 resource gp

Monthly Income – Standard Income - 720 gp/month
Tax Income – 72 gp/month
Resource Income – 504/month
Total – 2394/month (x18 multiplier)

Hex #2 – North of Evenarrow is this highly populated hex, southeast of the mountains, and with some amount on the Alphatian Sea. Forest and some hills.

Villages – Storn – 128 families, inland, center of the hex, they grow grapes on the hills here.
Riverton – 84 families, On a small river from the mountains to the sea, shepherds

Details – 230 families

Monthly Income - Standard Income - 890 gp/month
Tax Income – 89 gp/month
Resource Income – 267/month
Total – 3220/month (x14 multiplier)

Alzar will be building up Storn here as well, later on.

Hex #3 – East of Evenarrow and Storn, and flanked by the coast, this hex is the last full hex in the area in the waters. Lead has been mined before just south of Farhome and there’s open mines there ready to be used, if they are cleaned out and reinforced.

Villages - Augustia – 75 families, on the northern coast, fish the Alphatian Sea
Farhome – 29 families, grapes, on hills by western edge of hex
Asantia – 34 families, farmers in southern coast of hex.

Details – 137 families


Monthly Income - Standard Income - 540 gp/month
Tax Income – 54 gp/month
Resource Income – 378/month
Total –2466/month (x18 multiplier)

EXPENSES –

20% taxes to King Ericall (Not paid for first two years)
10% Tithe to local temple (Not paid for three months)
Military – 2570
Barony Staff - 720
Specialist Staff – 1750
Stronghold Staff - 80
Taxes to Ericall -
Tithe to Matter Temple - 808

Treasury - 13,205

Holidays:

Month 8 - Mid-Summer Convocation – 10% of income that month
Month 10 - Harvest Festival - 15% of income that month
Month 1 - Year’s End Divine Liturgy – 5% of income that month

Barony Staff –

Magistrate – 200 gp
2 Sheriff – 200 gp
10 Provost – 200 gp
6 Warden – 120 gp

Specialist Staff:

Steward – 1000 gp
Engineer – 750 gp

Stronghold Staff:

Marshall - 80 gp


Barony Military –

Light Foot Soldiers – 150 troops, 5 leaders – 300 gp – AC6, longsword + dagger
Heavy Foot Soldiers – 80 troops, 2 leaders – 240 gp, AC4, longsword, spear, dagger
Light Horse Soldiers – 40 troops, 1 leader – 400 gp, AC6, longsword, lance
Heavy Horse Soldiers – 30 troops, 1 leader – 600 gp, AC 2, longsword lance
Crossbow Troops – 80, 2 leaders – 320 gp, AC 5, heavy crossbow, shortsword
11 Officers – 110 gp, AC 2 better than troop they lead
5 Armorer – 500 gp
2 Smiths – 50 gp
1 Equerry – 50 gp

Total monthly cost for the military Alzar is putting together is 2570

He gets income and expenses each month, and then rolls for population changes, and events. It will take 2 months before they will start getting taxes in. He also gets XP on an even level with his taxes, so he makes 2902 XP the first month, and then it heads up from there.


Current Confidence of Barony – 312 – Healthy

As an effect – Healthy gives 10% more income and 25% chance per spy of them being outed by locals. They are pretty happy about a new government and investment as Norwold seeks to turn their area from a wilderness to a civilized realm.

As the winter gets very cold very quickly, a large ice bridges forms in the north. There is a giant island up north, Frosthaven, and that’s the home of thousands of frost giants.

2000 Frost Giants move across the ice to the mainland. They break into 20 raiding parties of 100 giants each, with about half moving south towards the halfling holds and the other half moving south east towards the edge of the Norwold territory, in a line for Alzar’s Barony.

They move 6 hexes every 7 days, so every week they move six hexes.

They began moving out from their island on the last few days of the end of fall. They crossed the hundreds of miles of ice, and then arrived at the mainland on the 10th day of this month. After 8 days of moving, an elf hold noticed them

On the 19th day of the month, Alzar receives a guest in his court – Claransa the Seer teleports into his hold at Evenarrow and lets him know about the oncoming frost giant onslaught. But they have some time. Alzar teleports to Barkal the Red to give his barbarians a warning a few weeks ahead of schedule.

The next day, Alzar decides to hit one band early, to slow them down. He scrys the front band moving southeast in his general direction and he teleports over to a spot a few miles away and he prepares a surprise.

Over the next few minutes he creates a nice sized army from the surrounding rock, ice, and air:

3 Earth Elementals (From 2x stones, and one spell)
2 Water Elemental (Ring, Spell)
1 Air Elemental (Censer)
1 Earth, Air, Water – all 16 HD double size (From Face of Xenous)
Invisible Stalker
Ebony Fly, Serpentine Owl
5 berserkers (from Horn of Valhalla)
2 Mordenkainen’s Faithful Shield-Maidens

He also has Aegis, the golem available pulled out of the Warp Marble, as a final bodyguard.

The frost giants enter range, and a few begin to grab nearby boulders to toss and others charge.

Battle has begun. Alzar will cast Time Stop, Polymorph Other, Domination, Animate Dead on the first dead Frost Giant to give him another ally, Power Word Kill, Power Word Stun, Hold Monster, Finger of Death. Meanwhile, his army will be below, moving in to smash and kill the first flank of troops moving in.

Random.org.

Alzar has slayed 34 of the frost giants, his army is destroyed, and covering his retreat with a Skull Trap that takes out 4 more giants and clears a path, Alzar and his golem move to retreat.

He cannot use the elemental summoning items, Horn, or figurines again for a week.

Alzar gains 76k

62 giants left in this band

Alzar levels up, but he’s in the middle of a campaign, so we’ll wait until later.

The next day, Alzar hits the band again, and again leads with the summoned creatures (Elementalsx2, Stalker, Shield-Maidens), uses Evard’s Black Tentacles to slow them down, and then drops Skulltrap from above on a flying carpet, and again launches the auto kill stuff, animated a dead one back to life to harass the team and more. He takes out 16 more giants.

The 46 giants left begin to pull back, and the next day, another 19 die, and they flee and they will run all the way back home. 100 giants removed from the raids.

It’s now the 22nd.

An elf hold in the far east was smashed by a giant group, Alzar teleports to the barbarians and will help them for a bit. The closest group is 150 miles away, and Alzar Mass Teleports a strike team over, himself at the head. Again, he launches the attack, and 13 giants die, and two barbarians do as well.

Alzar and the team will harass the group for two more days, taking out giants from the air with spells (Flying Carpet) or from the ground with summoned creatures, delaying spells like Tentacles, and Blastbones or Skulltrap, with the occasional Vampiric Touch regaining Alzar damage he takes from the occasional hit by a boulder or somesuch.

They have reduced this unit down to 31 giants, and they flee as well, and then Mass Teleports back and Barkar the Red reports to the rest of the group what they did.

Over the next week, Alzar is the only major force getting in the way of the giants, this team heading back to take out a second strike force coming in his general direction. On the 26th, he launches another full on assault with his items back making a larger army, and then again finishes it off and forces them to flee.

On the 30th of this month, 9 strike teams on the west and 8 on the east have passed the marshes by the Landsplit River and those two lakes and are moving south into more civilized land.

Barkal the Red and Alzar agree to pull back and let the giants hit the first major Barony in their path on that flank – Morkheim, the one controlled by Alak Dool. Meanwhile, Sandralane moves some of her forces into Alzar’s Barony to support against an assault that crosses the Ljallenvals.

Month 1, Year Two: (January)

(We’ll do the dominion stuff later, post giants)

On the 3rd, Alzar’s strike team again uses his full items and hits the front giant group, and forewarned, they turn back more quickly.

On the 5th, a third group has routed.

The remaining 7 groups on the eastern flank hold up a few days and gather their forces, and then head out as one big force, 700 strong.

By the10th, two raiding parties on the western flank have arrived at the two hexes of Morkheim. Alak Dool didn’t emerge from his dominion to face them, but he won’t let them in, and himself a pair of apprentice wizards, and a variety of charmed creatures begin to attack, supplemented by his armed forces, and in a few days, both raiding parties are routed, turning the west flank into 7 groups as well.

On the 15th, the first giant party arrives at the northmost Halfling freehold – Port Hinly, and they begin assaulting it. The Great Bay is almost completely frozen.

By the 20th, Alzar hits the large 700 strong group and takes out 18 giants with his forces.

On the 23rd, the forces Alzar are fighting turn south about 30 miles from the Ljallenvals, apparently not really wanting to cross and then run into Alzar and his forces. By now they are down to 651 giants.

25th – The eastern army begins to cross the Great Bay

The 26th – the barony of Lalmetaure, in the forests south of Morkheim, the elf Baron Quillan has turned back and routed another of the giant raiding parties.

The 29th – The groups on the western flank move to create one army as well, and 425 giants are left in this one.

By the end of the month, the troop count is:

West Army – 425
East Army – 617

Month 2, Year 2:

2nd, the East Army arrives near Alpha. Alzar meets with King Ericall about defenses, and suggests against sallying out. This is a raid, not an invasion force. You just need to outlast them. When the ice starts melting, they’ll likely pull away.

Alzar uses his items and spells to assemble a large defensive sally, and Madeira and Claransa both help by raining down spells like Meteor Swarm, Fireball, Lightning Bolt, while Alzar kills a few here and there with stuff like Finger of Death and Power Word Kill. At the end of their barrage, they have killed 88 giants.

The giants begin to throw stones at the battlements.

3rd:

The Western Army is met by combined forces from County of Garette, Baronies of Westria, Hopeland, and the Free Plains, and they begin to push back the giant attack there.

Meanwhile, another assault by the wizards drops another 61 giants, and then King Ericall orders a counter attack and more than a thousand of soldiers pour forth. After a few hours of fierce fighting, they push through and win the day, and the giants retreat back to Frosthaven.

4th

The western flank is falling. Alzar teleports over and kills a few giants on their rear to turn them away from their force. The giants have to fight on two fronts. Soon enough, Sandralane and Madeira also teleport to the other two flanks and begin to drop spells of mass destruction or the occasional elemental ally. By the end of the day, the western flank is cleared and the giants here have fled.

The giant raids have ended on the 4th.


Alzar at level 20 –

He has gained a 6th and 9th level spell.

Back to the Barony Stuff:


Dominion Rolls for Month 1 and 2:

-5% for winter in Month 1, +15% in capital in month 2. Gain 2 families in Storn

For the new year we make a confidence check and…new confidence is 344. Same level.

We had the Holy Liturgy Holiday.

Alzar hires, in Month 2:

20 more heavy cavalry

1 Sheriff
1 Chaplain


The King assesses the performance of his various servants, and determines that Alzar and Claransa were particularly useful, and are to be given more domains.

Alzar has recently found out that there is an elf village in the wooded hex south-west and north-west of his territory, and the last hex unclaimed before you hit the Ljallenvals. So instead, Alzar asks for the island of Bergholm, and is given it:


Bergholm Island –

Although it spreads across via two hexes, it’s really the size of one full hex, and we’ll treat it as such. Heavily mountainous and with very few places to do stuff.

29 Families; 2 resources, 1 mineral, 1 vegetable – Copper mines and berries.

Just one village: Bergholm Villa – 26 families, they are on a river where it meets the Great Bay, and the place is elevated too. Form here they can reach both some copper mine and harvest the numerous berry bushes that grow all over.


We get a message late in Month 2 that King Ericall will be getting married, his bride-to-be will be arriving from Alphatia soon.

Month 3, Year 2:

We can use one week of labor in the end of the month as spring begins. But the snow is still around and we can’t work that week.

Dominion News – Bergholm is +20% growth, and the others just +5% each as Spring begins, -6 families in Storn as Frost Giants raid a few people.

A band of Frost Giants were left behind as the winter thawed, and a few made it into the Ljallenfals. They have begun to raid folks.

The most recent raids have them coming from nearby Storn. Alzar teleports over and begins to search. His tabi, Ak’Kadar finds some tracks, and Alzar follows them to the trail along a mountain and some rock hills. The terrain here climbs steeply, and there appear to be no signs of human habitation. Suddenly, the heavy footfalls shake the ground and gasping breathes come from rocks to the east. They draw closer. Alzar conjures an Elemental.

The4 giants round the bend with mouths hanging open in desperate gasps for breath, looks of crazed fear on their faces, and they look behind them furtively. The Earth Elemental is in their path.

Alzar’s axe is out too, uses his Zoster, and he flies down to challenge the fleeing giants.

Init – 3 vs 9. Alzar clashes and needs just a 2 to hit these dorks with axe and a 3 with his shield. He smashes the first one dead. But it was already wounded. The Elemental misses. The other three pause, and then lash out at Alzar. They miss. (Cloak of Displacement, as a reminder, is a cloak he now wears)

6 vs 3. They smash him once for 4d8 damage and roll and get…19 damage. He carves one three times for 16, 16, and 12 damage – 44 total damage 13 left. The Elemental punches and slays it. Two left.

Alzar 55/74

The remaining two giants begin to flee. Alzar casts Polymorph Other and turns one into a turtle. Then he casts Power Word Kill and drops the other (no save on that one)

6k XP

Alzar and his unharmed Elemental follow the giants and there is a rocky trail winding north-west to the mouth of a cave, the orange light of a fire flickers warmly and the smell of roasting venison is strong. Laying motionless around the fire are the bodies of 6 more frost giants and more than 10 large wolves they had as pets and guards. Their faces are full of fear, and their weapons clenched They were killed by very powerful bashing attacks.

These attack could not have occurred less than 30 minutes ago, the fire is fresh, the venison perfectly cooked, and the wounds oozing blood, not fully frozen. There are a few sacks here with dishes, utensils, and then some with low amounts of coins (coppers, silvers, etc). Alzar will turn all of those over to Storn after this ends.

There is a large cave mouth that heads deeper into the cavern. Alzar casts Invisible Stalker and has it do a little scouting, with the tabi following behind. There are three hallways. One ends in a around 5 giant scorpions, one is empty, and the third has a large golem of brass guarding it and more behind it.

Forewarned, Alzar enters his OtherSpace and switches some items around.

His summoned creatures wipe out the scorpions without any problem, and there’s nothing in these back two rooms.

Alzar moves to a rough hallway, with a dull roar coming off the walls. Cool, moist breezes blow softly through the tunnel, and an echoing roar grows into a pounding thunder as Alzar approaches. The tunnel opens into a bubbling stream of water that runs 50 feet along the south wall of the tunnel, and then drops over the lip of a precipice. The tunnel opens into a large cavern, and the silhouette of a large, artificial figure made of bronze blocks the eerie light of the cavern and prevents anyone from going down to the cavern beyond.



Bronze Golem – AC 0, HD 20, HP 97, THAC0 – 2, 1 attack fist 3d10 damage +1d10 heat damage;

Deals 1d10 heat damage from its scaling hot “blood” inside the being. That fiery liquid spurts out when it takes damage to whoever hit it, or when it punches because it makes contact. Immune to heat, and requires a +2 magical weapon to hit.

Alzar pulls up the Talisman of the Golem. This will give him one chance to permanently control the golem. As long as he has the Talisman, he can control the golem for free. If it fails, it can’t be used again on that particular golem. If the golem dies, you can control another, you can also release the golem it has.

The golem just needs a 8 to make its save. Here we go….it rolls a 16. It begins to move forward, and the Elemental/Stalker move to block it and attack it.

Initiative. 7 vs 2. The Golem punches and smashes the Elemental for 14 damage and 5 more fire. Alzar’s Whistle of Golem Control is next. And….It rolls a 7 and is controlled for a while. Combat ends.

Alzar moves the Bronze Golem ahead and the chamber opens. The eerie glow of green phosphorescence lights this cavern. The mist from the plunging falls drifts through the cave and settles on the damages walls. On the back is the beginnings of some old, ruined structure, very old, with a door at the back. In a large pool at the bottom is a coalescing mixture of water and the oil and slime from various fungi.

There is a large, dragon looking creature here but it moves mechanically. This is a drolem, a golem designed to look like a dragon. Usually it uses dragon bones, much like a Bone Golem uses humanoid bones, and then layers on top with other, more defensive structures like iron or stone. But usally, it’s dragon scales themselves that are hardened to put overtop of the skeleton.

It takes almost a year to make a drolem, requires a wizard of at least 18th level of ability and at least 90,000 gp in materials. The materials are found only on Pandius.



This drolem – AC -3, HD 20, HP, 112, flies, ThACo 2, 2 claws, 1 bite for 2d6, 2d6, 1d20+10. 23000 XP if killed. Can also breathe – small poisonous cloud, save vs poison or die. Can only be hit by +2 weapons, immune to cold, acid, heat, and levels up to 4, and detects invisible.

Alzar has the Bronze Golem in front, and then the Stalker and Elemental behind by about 30 feet, and he’s behind those. He tries the Talisman of the Golem again. Maybe it will work this time on a more powerful golem…It rolls a….14. Ah well. Worth the try!

The Bronze Golem moves in, and the drolem moves to fight it. These aren’t smart and intelligent fighters, and the Stalker/Elemental is a tough duo to battle, plus the bronze golem too. (Random.org) the drolem finishes the golem, but is taken down by summoned creatures.

After it dies, Alzar grabs a few of the items left behind in case he wants to learn how to animate it later. He even takes a vial of the bronze golem’s liquid to look at later.

They head into the back and open a pair of doors. This is an old palace of some repute. This was apparently the home of Alinor, prince of Alphia.

There is an old tomb and library back her. Alzar casts Detect Magic, uses his Gem/Star and more to figure out what they have:

Rod of Victory
Scroll of Creation, Truth

Massive golden carved door, weight 20,000 coins, worth 20000 gp

Diary - Alinor, Prince of Alphia

Hundreds of books that are moldy, and unreadable line many shelves.

It seems that the Ljallenvals aren’t natural mountains, but were raised by Alinor with magic. He used ships and skycastles as attacking vessels in the air to conquer this area for Alphatia long ago.

Rod of Victory makes the user lucky in war. Gives the unit +25 bonus to War Machine or Battlesystem wargaming

Alzar spends some time loading up the moldy and faded books. He can’t read them now, but after using his Bookmend, he certainly can. He uses his OtherSpace to move them slowly, and carefully, and then after he loads them all, he then gathers the items he found.

Since Alzar now normally memorizes Enlarge, he reverses it to cast reduce on the door and drops it to a very small size, uses the Weightless Chest to store it, and heads back out afterwards. He will have the door used in his keep as they finish things up and put in doors in the next few months.


He heads back and hires some more folks for Bergholm:

1 Sherriff
2 Provost
2 Warden
Herald

Month 4, Year 2:

Keep - We roll a 62 and everything is fine (There is a 2 in three chance nothing happens each month). 4 more work weeks roll off and…just 10 more weeks left!

Dominion – Same as before - Bergholm is +20% growth, and the others just +5% each as Spring continues

Alzar has begun communication with the small elf-hold next to his land, and then, a small group of dwarves from an unknown dwarf-hold in the Ljallenvals arrive with a problem. A few weeks ago, some extremely large versions of creatures (called Gargantuas) broke into their lair, and then were unable to be forced back out again, due to the lack of many magical weapons among the dwarves. They have come to Alzar for aid, since he cleaned out the giants a few months ago.

They offer one of two payments – 100,000 gp in verite ingots for cleaning out their small home, or a “pledge of call” that would require them to assemble their forces, one time, to fight whomever Alzar tells them to, for 3 months. (Verite is a greenish metal, slighter harder than the alloy steel, and more malleable).

This dwarfhold, named Hammerhelm, is apparently the only dwarfhold in the mountain range, and it’s actually right next door to Evenarrow.

In particular, these creatures have taken the forge of power that is sacred to their clan, so Alzar needs to head in, and take them out, and free their stuff. Alzar decides to go with the “pledge of call” in case he wins.

This underground mining operation apparently holds slightly more than 2000 dwarves, and he didn’t even know!

Two days later, Alzar and his dwarven escort arrive at the dwarfhold and they enter. They escort him past some homes and such, and to the Forgeroom. He has the dozen dwarves wait, and then begins to scout the room with his various supplies, such as the Ear Ring. Instead of light to inform people that he’s there, he’s using his Ioun Stone.

There is a large cavern here, but not large enough for the three gargantuan gargoyles at the end to come down. This is the first of the rooms in the Forgeroom area.

Gargantuan Gargoyle – 32 HD, AC1, THAC0 – 1, Hp 160, 137, 128, 4 attacks for 4d3, 4d3, 4d6, and 4d4, All of the normal defenses. (Immune to magical weapons, for one)

Dang. Those things are hugely nasty in size. Alzar steps back and conjures some elemental aid – 3 Earth Elementals from his spell and two stones. He also brings forth an Invisible Stalker to help aid them. This is not going to be easy. Alzar quaffs his potion of Invulnerably (he has 4.) He is immune ot physical attacks now.

He leads the front, with the elementals and Stalker flanked behind, keeping anybody from leaving, the foes move to attack him.

After a few rounds, the gargoyles have lost a member, realize they can’t hurt Alzar, and moved to attacking an elemental instead, and soon kill it, but a second gargoyle falls. Then the third dies. Alzar orders his group to move on. There is a collapsed wall on the eastern side the gargantuan came in through.

As he approaches, a gargantuan carrion crawler emerges and he destroys it easily enough, then orders his group into the recently dug tunnel (it looks like it was dug with spells like Dig and such, and quite recently.)

Next is a pair of gargantuan basilisks. This is a bit different, so Alzar backs up a bit and lets them fight the creatures that can be petrified. All they have is a weak bite, and while they kill the Stalker, they are both handled easily enough.

There is a large passage that opens in a big chamber, with what appears to be 12 gargantaun trolls, but there;’s just one with an odd mirror image effect, which Alzar sees through. A few rounds later that giant troll is taken out. The Forge of Power was brought here by the troll for guarding. There are no other items or anything else here, even after inspection by the Gem/Star.

The dwarves thank him, (He gains 62000 XP) and heads back out.

He needs about 75k before he levels up again.

He shakes the dwarves’ hands, they have their forge back, and he teleports back home.

Month 5, Year 2:

Keep – 44 rolled, 6 more man weeks left!

Dominion – There is a plague that hits the capital for -10% people. +10% in Bergholm Isle, and +5% in the other two hexes. The plague is cured by the chaplain.

There is a confidence check and the confidence drops to 321.

Nothing else happens.


Month 6, Year 2:

Keep? 36 rolled – 2 weeks left…

Dominion - +5% everywhere.



Alzar heads to Alpha to attend the wedding of King Ericall and Christina Marie Alanira, a 12th level wizard.

The Summer Solstice was chosen as the date for the wedding, and Alzar arrives 8 days prior. Feasting will begin tomorrow. The bride is 19 years old and trained under the auspices of the best colleges in Alphatia.

The other lords of Norwold are arriving as well. Since Alzar was increased to 3rd in the court order (after Duke Lernal and Count Essex), he will be third at the table for the opening feast. The King wants to make a good impression, and this should be the best of the feasts and holidays and celebrations that the young kingdom has yet had.

All of the visiting nobles are put up in fine quarters in the royal palace. They are all quartered near each other too, so Alzar can head out and visit any of the others here.

At the first banquet, Duke Lernal is visibly rude and vulgar towards his brother and Norwold. Not a good sign. Alak Dool is pretty quiet, almost tamed. Alzar thinks he should have been stripped of his title, but he wasn’t. King Ericall is a bit weak in making decisions that matter. Alzar found him trying to assassinate the leader of a barbarian tribe outside of his realm, and for some reason, he’s still a Baron. That’s the wrong call, barring something like a Geas spell to ensure loyalty.


Already one failed plot by Thyatian spies was uncovered when a local servant in the Royal palace tried to put poison in the dessert.

On night two of the feast, an immense assortment of culinary delights is spread out on the tables, and dozens of lords and ladies are eating, sitting, and mingling. Suddenly the massive bronze doors are flung open. Four imposing figures, clad head to foot in black plate mail, stride into the room.

A stillness falls over the room and the sounds of eight heavy boots rings against the walls. As the figures approach the King, several royal guards leap for their weapons, and the King holds up his hands to stop them. He stands and calmly faces the intruders and demands to know why they are here. One advances and exclaims that they are here to honor the wedding of a king to a common tramp. They insult everyone else a few times, and demand battle at trial the next morning to prove them wrong. They leave.

The King asks for four champions to meet them in the morning. He gets many volunteers, and chooses:

Count Essex
Baron Alzar
Baron Acres
Baron Fharo

For this battle, layers may use any magical items they possess.

Alzar will be going in full bad-ass mode as a full on fighter:

AC -5 with Axe and Shield

Can’t cast magic.

He gets three attacks a turn with the Axe, Axe, Shield

His foe will get 5 attacks every two turns, two, then three, then two, then three.

They meet in the morning. Count Essex throttles his enemy.

Alzar’s turn:


Alzar 74 HP, AC -5, THAC0 14, activated Zoster, +13 to hit with Axe, +13 damage with Axe.; +8 to hit and +11 to damage with Shield.

His foe:

Black Avenger - +3 long sword, specialization, 17 STR, AC -3 16 HP, THAC0 5.

Black Avenger needs to hit: 4 or more on a d20. He will hit for 1d8+6 damage.

Alzar needs to hit: 4 or more on a d20 for axe, 8 or more for shield. He will hit for 1d8+13 or 1d8+8 when he hits.

Here we go!

9 vs 4. The foe goes first and attacks twice 16 and 13. Hits for 23 damage. Alzar rolls and gets…13, 16, 6. Hits twice for…33 damage.


Alzar – 53/74
Black Avenger – 29/62

Initiative. 9 vs 2. The Black Avenger gets three attacks and rolls….7, 15, 17. Alzar takes 7, 5, 3 for…33 damage. Meanwhile Alzar attacks back and rolls….3, 9, 17. He hits twice for…30 damage. The Black Avenger falls (is knocked unconscious, this battle used attacks to subdue with the flat of the blade).

Two Avengers down. Alzar gains 4000 XP>

The 3rd Black Avenger is taken down by the 17th level fighter Acres and Fharo just blasts his opponent.

They win 4-0.

During the feast that night, Christina is brought out from wedding prep to meet the nobility. Alzar introduces himself and they talk shop for a while. After seeing them together, the King asks Alzar to escort her to the town that evening, and he agrees to.

After the banquet, and once King Ericall leaves to do some further wedding preparations, Christina wants to head out to the dock district, with a lower reputation. Alzar asks Sandralane and Claransa to join him, but Claransa is already busy. The cleric joins him though.

They head out, and Christina wants to use potions of polymorphing she has to turn into old guys to check out the taverns. They agree, and turn head out to check out taverns and move. After a few minutes, a group of thieves, fighters, and a wizard move out to kidnap the queen-to-be.

Their wizard casts Power Word Stun on their target and she’s stunned. Their soldiers move in. Alzar casts Power Word Kill on their mage and she dies. Sandralane moves in front of Christina to body-block her, and keep away the 12 thieves/fighters as they move in and begin to attack,

Initiative. Alzar uses his Ring of Quick Action to ensure init winning. 3 vs 6, would have won anyway.
He casts Mass Domination. This will gain control of 2 HD per casting level – so up to 40 HD. His foes are all 9th level, so he can Dominate 4. They get saves, but at -4 for the spell (and -1 for his class). HE dominates….3 fighters and they turn and attack their allies. Sandralane maces a 4th for some damage. Some attack Sandralane or Alzar, and some attack the ones attacking them. Alzar takes 11 damage .

Alzar 63/74

2 vs 9. Alzar casts Mass Charm, with the same rules (can charm up to 40 HD, can charm monsters and persons, save gets -2 penalty, and no Wis bonus vs charm stuff either). 2 of 4 fighters fail their saves. They stop attacking. The other fighters, and Sandralane kill a figher. 4 thieves and 2 fighters are still attacking. They fail their morale and begin to break. As they flee, Alzar casts Time Stop and gets 2 free rounds.

He casts Black Tentacles at the legs of the thieves and fighters and then moves next to them. Time Stop ends, and the Tentacles grab at the folks, and then Alzar casts Finger of Death at a thief and he dies.

Init. 3 vs 1. They attack a few tentacles and Alzar, the only person in melee range, it hit once for 7 damage. Meanwhile Alzar Vampiric Touch and kills an adjunct thief. The others and the tentacles kill two more folks, and the last is dead next turn.

The party is killed or handled. The charmed ones surrender happily, and the dominated ones have no choice at all.

They find on the mage:

Ring of Regeneration
Wand of Fireballs – 12 charges
+1 dagger

Alzar gives the wand to Sandralane as payment for her assistance, and secures the other two for himself.

Sandralane dispels the Stun on Christina, and they return with their captured folks for the guards to interrogate.

The next days pass quickly.

Naturally the day of the ceremony is a sunny day. Banners, candles, and other royal decoration bedeck the great hall of alpha. A collection of bards play music that sings of high celebrations and sober responsibility. A huge mirror at the end of the hall reflects an atmosphere of elegance. The 10 foot wide mirror towers 30 high over the hall. The king stands proudly at the altar and fidgets in nervousness. A smile begins to dance across his face as the bride is exotic silks from far flung places emerges, and takes the king’s arm as she arrives.

The ceremony is short, and now Queen Christina and the King embrace in a broad hug.

Suddenly, a shadow falls over the room, thunder can be felt in the distance, the great mirror fogs up, and then the face of an aged hag or crone can be seen. Her wrinkled visage breaks into a grin, and he wishes everyone a good afternoon.

“Enjoy your celebration while you can, my king! Storm clouds are gathering on the horizon, darker than any you’ve known. If you and yours are alive after the passing of another summer, then you may be happy. Until then, sleep lightly.”

Her face fades, and the image, darkness, and thunder lift.

The following day, Alzar sends some folks he hired during this week back to the Barony for the Stronghold:


4 Bailiffs – 80 gp
Chamberlain – 200 gp
Senechal – 200 gp

He begins to lay out the walls and defensive formations around the village. We can start that project next month, if everything goes well.

Month 7, Year 2:

Work is done. The keep opens, and Alzar has a one-day feast to celebrate it!

Alzar wants to begin with the normal defensive fortifications, but he can’t. We don’t have the money.

So instead:

For a total of – 174104 gp; 12653 man weeks base costs.

335150 Gp, and 24357 man weeks:

468 workers need to be hired. Once again, Alzar’s work will drop the time to build it by 75%.

Alzar sells a few more magic items, and converts the gems to gold (and loses a bit of money doing so.)

He pays the gold to begin the project to build the walls, defenses, and such around the wharf and docks.

37 weeks left on wharf project.


Dominion Rolls: +10% in Bergholm, +10% in capital, +5% elsewhere, -5 families in capital though as some leave and head home post-project.


A pair of Thyatian spies were outed by loyal locals.


Alzar casts a spell to give himself a familiar again and uses Alzar’s Familiar and gets…


Azzil, Imp

AC 2, HP 14, Save As: Level 7
THAC0 – 19; 1d4 + poison or die
Lawful Evil, INT Average
Flight class A, 18
25% Magic Resistance
Can only be hit by silver or magical items

Can polymorph at will into a raven or giant rat. Can turn invisible, detect good, magic, at will. Has infravision. Regenerate one hp/rnd. If within 1 mile, master gains infravision, regeneration and 25% magic resistance. User’s caster level increased by one. If not in 1 mile, caster level decreased by one. Immune to cold, fire, electricity. Can communicate telepathically with Alzar. Once/day can cast Suggestion. Now, if Azzil dies, Alzar is drained of two levels like an Energy Drain.

Azzil wants to be the leader of this relationship, and views Alzar as the tool and him as the master, but in reality, Azzil knows that it’s not nearly as powerful as Alzar can be. The devils allowed Alzar to take one of their Imps as a recognition of the work he’s done against demons.

Imps are the Ferrari of familiars. There is virtually no familiar that is as useful as an imp. Auto kills no matter the level with poison, they grant MR 25%, regen, and infravison and +1 caster level. They can invisible, polymorph, detect at will. They are the best and most agile of flyers. Now sure, Azzil is a bit independent, and will collect its own treasure and hide it away from bad guys. But it’s good.

Alzar is at the level where he can get really strong familiars. Azzil will be used to turn invisible and into a raven to hide itself as an imp when that’s not the diplomatic play.



Post Imp, Alzar meets with the local delegates from the Elf-hold next to him and comes to a variety of agreements with them. If he takes their area as part of his barony, they will not stop him, or oust him or anything like that. But they owe him no fealty. They won’t pay him taxes or production, and he won’t build up their area either. They have around 120 elves or so in the trees of a forest in the central north section of the hex.

Month 8, Year 2;

Weather delays only allow 2 weeks of work to get done. 35 weeks left.

We have a holiday for the Mid-Summer Convocation – 10% of income that month

Dominion - +10% Island, +5% elsewhere;

It’s all quiet.


Month 9, Year 2;

31 Weeks left (Rolled an 08)

Dominion – After apparently working the island, we get both a large +20% population boom in the island and +3 families there too. +5% elsewhere.

We get another spy revealed (There are none left, btw)

Alzar hires:

Level 8 fighter to be Castellan, 2000 gp

The Castellan is in charge of the defenses in the stronghold, particularly when Alzar is not around.

In the last few days of the month, Alzar receives an odd dream about a black stone on top of a large hill, far away, where power and destiny await


Month 10, Year 2:

27 Weeks left (rolls a 51)

Dominion - +10% everywhere. Nice bonus!


Twice more Alzar receives similar dreams. He does some investigating and finds that there is a similar rock and hill about 300 miles to the north-north-west. There are no civilizations anywhere nearby. Alzar decides to head up to the rock, flying on his Carpet, and heading over to investigate.


Two days later he arrives at the black rock on the hill. His new familiar, Azzil, spends some time invisibly scouting around. There is a tunnel here at the base of the rock, and it’s pretty big. Alzar scouts around, lands, and then conjures an Earth and Stalker before moving in.

Alzar suddenly is gently captured and drops down to the ground in a large central chamber. He can’t move. Lights ignite and reveal five thrones equidistant around the chamber, with five different aged women, crones, on them.

They announce that normally, all five of them would attack a large group to ensure that the person chosen is strong enough for the task. And also because its fun! However, since there is just one person there, they decide to send out one crone. Each crone serves one of the five spheres.

The sphere of Thought, who represents good and rogues generally, is ready. The crone, a high level cleric steps forward, and battle commences, Alzar is released.

Initiative!

9 vs 6. The Crone uses Anti-Magic shell from a Ring of Spell Storing. Alzar orders the Imp, Stalker and Elemental in to engage in melee instead. It won’t matter too much, summoned creatures can’t cross the Shell. It also can’t be dispelled via a simple Dispel Magic. Instead Alzar drops the Warp Marble and releases the golem, which can punch and moves to melee range.

Init – 6 vs 8. Alzar grabs the axe and shield and strikes. The axe will count as a non-magical axe, but the Bright Barrier is immune (it’s an artifact). Alzar swings and hits three times for…(No magical bonuses against it, but I rolled 15, 14, and 10). 3, 4, 3 for 7, 8 and 6 damage – 21 total. (Effects such as magical girdle, and such are turned off when attacking across the threshold). The golem punches and…rolls a 5 and misses. Alzar takes a war club to the side for 11 damage.


Alzar 63/74

Init 4 vs 5. Alzar hits once for 8 damage and the golem smashes it for 14. That drops her to 10% of her hp and she concedes.

The crones concede defeat to him.

Alzar gains 8k

(We only need 7k more to level up to level 21)

The crones offer important information that they have gained from their mirror. The balance in Norwold is getting out of alignment between the five spheres, and they want to bring it back. There is too much entropy right now. They have a unique mirror that allows them to see and scry anywhere, but also to appear and communicate in mirrors.

There is an invasion planned for Norwold. And…it’s coming soon. They bring Alzar to a mirror and reveal a pair of fleets sailing from Thyatis. Several of the baronies that supported King Ericall are switching sides…

Actually…

The first fleet has landed and it drops off The Thyatis Advance Force has arrived at Landfall to support it. Landfall has joined the side of the Thyatians. Two other baronies join them, with Alak Dool’s being no surprise. A Thyatian Expedionary force moves in and lands about 150 miles south of the Barony of Moonland, Sandralane’s holding, and then begins to attack the adjacent Barony of Havkulle, run by Baron Rutger Dag.

Meanwhile, Longtooth’s domain, the Barony of Latela, is attacking out of nowhere Barony of Ublaat-nor, run by Broghan of the Steppes. Alak Dool is attacking the elven domain of Lalmetaure, and Max’s Barony of Solvhavne is attacking Glumicagora (Barony of). Ruler: Claransa the Seer. They are trying to hit all of the free baronies between Ocansend up the coast. Everybody but the inland and small Two Lakes Vale and Moonland aren’t in the immediate line of fire, but Moonland certainly will be, and then Alzar’s land probably next.

Alzar pulls away from the mirror, ready to give news about the coming invasion, but he is confused. He was not watching what will be, but what was happening. The vision took too long to participate, and it’s month 2, year 3 already.

Alzar teleports back to his dominion to find his army has already been assembled, and he moves out.

Armies:


Alphatian Forces –

Royal Army of Norwold – 4000 troops, 92 Battle Rating (BR)
Queen’s Guard – 500 troops, all cavalry, BR 135
King’s Militia – 5000 peasants, BR 32
Regent Pass Garrison – 500, all archers, BR117

Sir Ernest’s Force – 500 troops, 79 BR
Rutgar Dag’s Force – 500, 85 BR
Allisa – 800, 92
Essex – 600, 87 BR
Quillan – 200 elves, 122 BR
The other 8 Baronies have 500, and between 70 and 85 BR

Thyatian –

Thyatian Advance Force – 3000 troops, 77 BR
Thyatian Expeditionary Force – 10000 troops, includes 500 mages, 85 BR
Alak Dool’s Misions – 2000 orcs, bugbears, trolls, 74 BR
Longtooth’s Legion – 500, 76 BR
Army of Max I – 800, 113 BR
Landfall Lernal – 2000, 48 BR


Others -


Alzar – 400 troops, 129 BR (Base 84, Troop Class – Good, gives a 9 BFR and we add it it back in as few times for a 129 rating)

Barbarians – 3000 troops, 68 br
Dwarves of the Mountain Clan – 1000 troops, 115 BR

We will not be bringing in the dwarves right now, that’s a useful deus ex machina or emergency reserve in case we need it later


Fharo has not assembled his men over at the Barony of Two Lakes Vale for either side.


That gives us these early numbers:

Alphatia – 16,100 troops
Thyatis – 18300 troops

Plus, the Alphatian forces include the 5000 weak peasants. Almost all of the Thyatian forces are on the coast. So they have the ease of attacking a weakened defense.

Alzar teleports other a diplomat to summon the Red to attack the Barony of Markheim while Alak Dool is not there, in order to relieve that flank.



Alzar teleports over to Alpha, and the King and Queen and their forces have assembled. Alzar advises him to move east via his navy, since they are not in the Great Bay, , his people control the entrance, and The King begins to load up and move his force east to assist in the battle.


Day 19 – Alzar’s army crosses that little straight and arrives on the north-most end. After checking things around, Alzar begins to march south to support Sandralane’s Baronial Forces.

Day 22 -Quillins elves have lost, and their Barony has been captured by Alak Dool

Day 24 – The combined Thyatian/Landfall army has arrived at Geoffrey of Heldann’s dominion and begun to fight for it.

Day 26 – Alzar has arrived and combined his forces with Sandralane.

Day 27 – The barbarians arrive at Markheim, and their garrison just has 200 people (10% of the normal force) and is overwhelmed and will fall in two days. Haukville falls. The Thyatian Expeditionary force of 10000 begins to march north

MONTH 3

Day 1 – The King has landed at Sandralane’s Barony and will combine with Alzar and her forces and move south.

Day 2 - Geoffrey of Heldann falls.

On Day 3 of the 3rd month of the 3rd year, the following forces entered battle:


Alzar’s Force –
Sandralane’s Force
King Ericall’s Force

Vs

The Thyatian Expeditionary Force –

The Thyatians must break up their army into smaller units, and they break into 1500, 1500 and 7000.

The highest BR selects their opponent first. Alzar takes a 1500 large army.

The next highest is the King. He takes the 7000 strong one

Sandralane gets the 1500 strong one

Results of the day”

Sandralane has a 77 BR and 500 troops

Her foe has 1500 troops and a BR of 85

Here are the rules:

Troop ratio 3:1 for Thyatis gives them +45
Morale - +10 to Sandralane for in dominion of their liege
Environment – None
Terrain - +10 for defending to Sandralane, +20 for defending in hills
Immunities – None
Fatigue – None

Total changes to numbers – Thyatis – 130, Sandralane – 117

Now, you just roll d100 for each player. Thyatis adds 13 to their result. Compare them. Who won and by how much?

Thyatis rolls…99 +13. Dang. 42 for Sandralane. Thyatis won by a difference for 70.

Thyatis loses 30% of their troops, Sandralane 60%, Thyatis is moderately fatigued, Sandralane seriously, and retreats considerably.

Meanwhile, The King and Emperor forces fight.

7000 vs 4000 is just a +15 to Thyatis. +30 to Norwold for defending, but not for fighting in their dominion. So total is… Norwold – 122 and Thyatis is 100. Roll…84 +22 vs….73. So, the result is +33 for Norwold…

The King wins, Norwold loses 20%, Thyatis 40% and moderate vs seriously fatigued as well. Both forces retreated from the field and neither holds it.

Alzar has 400 vs 1500, so +45 to Thyatis. Alzar gets +35 for magic items (banner and Rod of Victory) and +30 for defending. Thyatis has 130 and Alzar has 194. So Alzar adds 64 to his number. He rolls 51. He foes roll…24. Alzar wins by 92. Results. 0% loses for Alzar and not fatigued and hold the field. The enemy lost 30% and is routed and flees. The force is gone.

Alzar and Thyatis both had flanks that won, and held their ground, now they have to fight,


Alzar has no fatigue, there is no defender bonus this time. Alzar has 164 BR. His foe has lost 30% of 1500 troops, or 450 troops, and drops their ratio down to +30 bonus. They are moderately fatigued and get -10. Result is 105. Alzar gets +59. Alzar rolls 49, and his foe rolls. 54. Result is +55 for Alzar…

Alzar’s force loses 20%, the foe 50%, and Alzar holds the field, is moderately fatigued, and they lost 50% and are seriously fatigued.

Results:

They lost 1500 army to Alzar’s force, then are down to 525 in the army that broke Sandralane. Meanwhile they are down to 4200 in the other army, so post battle, Thyatis loses and has to retreat, and their force dropped from 10k to 4,725

Meanwhile Alzar is down to 320
Sandralane down to 200
King Ericall down to 3200

Now, because they won, half of the losses are recoverable and heal-able. So after a week of healing, Alzar gets 40 back, Sandralane gets 150 back and the King 400 back.

Alzar tells the King to push forward now. We need to take them down now while they are reeling. The plan is to eave Sandralane behind to get her 150, the Kings 400, and Alzar’s 40 back to help with defending. Meanwhile, their forces, fresh from wins, will march towards the retreating TEF.



Day 4 – With the same speed, the only way to catch them would be to force march, but with good troops that would have a 1 in 6 chance of failure, a 2 in 6 chance of working and a 3 in 6 chance of working and tiring their people.

Alzar decides to try something else. Alzar memorizes a special set of spells for use against his foes en masse. He teleports in front of his enemies and drops some spells to slow them down, like Skulltrap and Blastbones on the flanks, then summons every creature, uses his Stones, Censor, Ring, Mask, Horn of Valhalla, and more, and then sends the force against them. Their surviving mages use some low level magic like Magic Missile to hit some creatures at range.

Meanwhile, Alzar begins to cast some nasty spells, like Mass Charm, Chaos, Mass Domination, and such. He is forcing the front lines to deal with his force, and he begins to take some damage from mages and others. He animates a bunch of corpses to keep the fight and pressure going and then drops Black Tentacles. Eventually he flies away, but he killed and slowed down their force considerably. Seeing the army getting closer and closer they stop fleeing, and accept the inevitable, and close ranks and set up.


The Thyatian split their force into 1000 and 3750

Alzar chooses the smaller, and King Ericall gest the larger:


New Numbers –

Alzar gets his 154 (-10 for fatigue) and then adds 20 for heroic actions on this day. 174 total
His foe gets 3-1 odds, and is the defender on a road. +10 for that. And it seriously fatigued, so -20. 105 total. Alzar gets 69 diff.

30 vs 49. Alzar wins by 50

0% loss to 30% for Thyatians they are fatigued, he is not further fatigued. He holds the field.


Meanwhile….King Ericall has 3200 vs 3750 for them . They get -20 for fatigue, he gets -10 for fatigue, they get +10 for defending. Ericall also gets +10 for having beaten these guys. 103 vs 75. Here we go…60 vs 38. 49 result. Ericall wins the same as Alzar did – 0 to 30%, no additional fatigue, hold ground.

Today, Thyatis lost another 30% of their forces and are down to 3,200

And they didn’t lose any other than a few wounded they immediately patch up.

In two days, this war has completely changed in character. It went from bad numbers to pretty good ones. Thyatis is bringing the Landfall/Initial Force up the coast to link up with others and this force. King Ericall and Alzar will head back and set up in Sandralane’s defending territory again. They can make this the major battlefield again. The Queen’s guard is sailing over.

Day 6 – Markheim has fallen to the barbarians. Alzar teleports over and discusses battle plans with them. They will defend against the expected counterattack from Alak Dool, who still has 1500 troops of his

Day 8 – Alak Dool arrives back in Markheim. Alzar and Alak have a bit of a mage’s duel that results in little to either, but Alak Dool lost 60 or so of his troops in the exchange.

Day 9 – The wounded forces from the battle in Sandralane are now mostly healed.

Day 10 – Battle has begun in Markheim.

Let’s roll:

Alak Dool is outnumbered 1.5-1 - +15 for barbarians
Barbarians are defenders and defending a city +30 for barbarians
Alak is in his dominion - +10 for Alak Dool
Unknown to them, Alzar is there with his magic items, the Banner and Rod and will pop out and help = #5 more.

Barbarians are normally 68 and get to 113. Alak Dool gets to 84. Roll some dice!

24 for barbarians vs 43 for Alak Dool for….+45 diff, victory to barbarians.

0% for winner, -30% for losers, no tired on barbarians but tired for Alak Dool

Alak Dool’s forces are down to 950. Alzar teleports back.

Day 12 – Forces from the Count Essex arrive and begin to recapture Quillan’s territory.

Day 15 – Two more armies join the Norwold forces in Sandralane’s Barony.

Day 18 – The final gasp of this attack, the combined forces of the Expeditionary Force, Advance Force, and Landfall meet up with two other two baronies here after they secure their targets, and move to Sandralane’s Barony. They will arrive in 5 days.

Day 23 – battle begins

Armies:


Thyatian Advance Force – 3000 troops, 77 BR
Thyatian Expeditionary Force – 3200 troops, includes some mages, 85 BR
Longtooth’s Legion – 420, 76 BR
Army of Max I – 650, 113 BR
Landfall Lernal – 2000, 48 BR

Vs

Royal Army of Norwold – 3600 troops, 92 Battle Rating (BR)
Queen’s Guard – 500 troops, all cavalry, BR 135
Alzar – 360 troops, 129 BR
Sandralane – 77 BR, 350 troops
Douglass, 81 BR, 500 Troops
Acres, 78 BR, 500 troops


They split the TEF in order to make 6 armies.

He first army chooses

Queen’s Guard selections Army of Max I
Alzar decides to take a different tactic and grab the 2000 strong Landfall army, Not what you would normally expect, ceding 7:1 odds, but there’s a method to his madness. He wants to give them a huge numerical loss.
Royal Army takes on the TAF.
1st TEF, 1600 big, takes on Douglass
2nd TEF, 1600 big takes on Acres
Longtooth vs Sandralane

Bonuses – all defenders get +30, Sandralane gets an additional +10 for their dominion.

In addition, nobody is fatigued anymore.

Let’s make some rolls…

Queen’s Guard took on the best army on the other side, and…37 vs 62. Win by 27. 10% to 30% losses, not fatigued to moderately fatigued, you hold the field.

Alzar is next. He cedes +80 to his foe. He gets +35, +30, and 10 for troop class differential. Total? 204 vs 128. Here we go….93 vs 68. Total victory by 102. Result? Alzar lost 20% of his forces, they lost 70%, and are routed too. Boom!

Royal Army vs TAF – 122 vs 77…23 vs 76. Uh oh…..lost by 8. Result? 0% to 10%. TAF holds, Royal Army loses 10% and retreats, no one is tired.

1st TEF vs Douglass – 3:1 odds gives +45 and then +30 to defender and then 130 vs 111….94 vs 53. Result….win by 22 for Douglass. 10% vs 20% losses and moderate fatigue on Thyatian.

2nd TEF gets +45 vs +30 and then 130 to 108…..31 vs 02. 51 win by Thyatians – 20% to 50% losses and moderate vs seriously fatigue.

Longtooth vs Sandralane. 117 for Sandra. 76 for Longtooth….77 vs 54. 64 victory so….30% to 60%. Longtooh flees badly. Moderate vs serious fatigue

Who held the field?

Alzar, Queen s Guard, Sandralane, Douglass

Vs

2nd TEF
TAF

Next time to choose. They have to spilt off two more armies, and TAF splits and TEF splits into 670 in each half.

Q Guard selects TEF
Alzar selects TEF
TAF vs Douglass
TAF vs Sandralane

Reverse order!


No defense bonuses. Sandralane is tired, TAF is not. Sandralane gets +10. 87 vs 77. 66 vs…62. Sandralaine wins by 6.

Result – 0 to 10%, no changes in fatigure, TAF retreats

Douglass vs TAF – No fatigure, no defender, 77 vs 81. Here we go…..69 vs…94. Lost by 20. 10% to %20. Douglass now moderately tired. TAF keep the battlefield.

Alzar gets +10 for beating TEF before, +10 for routing some today, no outnumbered, they are moderately fatigued

184 Alzar vs 75. 36 vs 53. Win by 92. Result? 0% for Alzar, 30% and routed for Thyatis. No tired.

Meanwhile, Q Guard has 135 foe is moderately fatigued. Vs 75….32 vs 60. Win by 32. 20% to 40% and moderate tired for Q Guard.

Result…

Alzar, Q Guard, Sandralane, all still there.

TAF not.

Alzar orders Sandralaine to hold back. The TAF is forced to split into two units as Alzar and the Q Guard move in and both rout their foes.

The result?

TAF is routed and has just 750 which were not routed in losses.
Longtooth lost 60% of its force
Landfall routed and lost 70%
TEF is partially routed, and has 732 forces left retreating
Max I – 30% losses


The massive losses meted out today have ended the war, and peace is sued for soon thereafter.

Dominion while Alzar was away:


Alzar gets 100k in XP for battles and tax income.

We did 2 more weeks of work – 25 weeks left

Paid for some vacations. Lost some folks to cold. Wartime caused the growths to slow down.

Post War of the Crown, immigration to Norwold is going to take off. People all over see it as the place to forge their destiny. Soon there will be more people arriving to set up baronies and such.

Meanwhile, Alzar is promoted to Count, and given another hex as a thanks for his routing of three armies and helping to win the battle, and for bringing in the barbarians that took Alak Dool’s Barony from it.

Alzar takes the forested hex with the elf-hold to his west next to Storn and Evenarrow.


Hex #4 – 56 families, 1 good – Stone, this heavy forested hex is next to the Ljallenvals and has an elf-hold of 122 elves living here too.

Village – Rostock – 49 families, they have a small quarry here they use to harvest stone and rocks of quality and send them elsewhere. 3 resource GP

Monthly Income – Standard Income - 560 gp/month
Tax Income – 56 gp/month
Resource Income – 168/month
Total – 784/month (x14 multiplier)


Alzar hires:

1 Sherriff
1 Warden
2 Provost
1 Magistrate
1 Reeve

The Reeve collects taxes and keeps records or populations and stuff – like a censor and tax collector.


Alzar at level 21:

He gets an extra level 7 and 8 magic spells and an extra HP

Total XP: 4,218,085 (Level 22 at 4,500,000)

By the end of March, year 3, here is the Barony:


The County of the Mighty

Ruler – Count Alzar

Hex #1 – Villages – Evenarrow - 211 families – On the southern coast of the little jutting peninsula, this village fishes south in the Great Bay and the entrance there brings in some nice saltwater fish. With a small set of docks, Alzar will be expanding Evenarrow into the capital of his County. It’s in the perfect place. The rest of the Hex is really small villages here and there or individual shepherds and there is large area, near the mountains on the western part of the hex that has Cassiterite deposits that can be opened to mine.

Details – 242 families
7 resource gp

Monthly Income – Standard Income - 720 gp/month
Tax Income – 72 gp/month
Resource Income – 504/month
Total – 4363/month (x18 multiplier)

Hex #2 – North of Evenarrow is this highly populated hex, southeast of the mountains, and with some amount on the Alphatian Sea. Forest and some hills.

Villages – Storn – 167 families, inland, center of the hex, they grow grapes on the hills here.
Riverton – 114 families, On a small river from the mountains to the sea, shepherds

Details – 407 families

Monthly Income - Standard Income - 890 gp/month
Tax Income – 89 gp/month
Resource Income – 267/month
Total – 5698/month (x14 multiplier)

Alzar will be building up Storn here as well, later on.

Hex #3 – East of Evenarrow and Storn, and flanked by the coast, this hex is the last full hex in the area in the waters. Lead has been mined before just south of Farhome and there’s open mines there ready to be used, if they are cleaned out and reinforced.

Villages - Augustia – 114 families, on the northern coast, fish the Alphatian Sea
Farhome – 42 families, grapes, on hills by western edge of hex
Asantia – 64 families, farmers in southern coast of hex.

Details – 241 families


Monthly Income - Standard Income - 540 gp/month
Tax Income – 54 gp/month
Resource Income – 378/month
Total –4336/month (x18 multiplier)



Hex #4 – 56 families, 1 good – Stone, this heavy forested hex is next to the Ljallenvals and has an elf-hold of 122 elves living here too.

Village – Rostock – 49 families, they have a small quarry here they use to harvest stone and rocks of quality and send them elsewhere. 3 resource GP

Monthly Income – Standard Income - 560 gp/month
Tax Income – 56 gp/month
Resource Income – 168/month
Total – 784/month (x14 multiplier)
Bergholm Island –

Although it spreads across via two hexes, it’s really the size of one full hex, and we’ll treat it as such. Heavily mountainous and with very few places to do stuff.

108 Families; 2 resources, 1 mineral, 1 vegetable – Copper mines and berries.

Just one village: Bergholm Villa – 90 families, they are on a river where it meets the Great Bay, and the place is elevated too. Form here they can reach both some copper mine and harvest the numerous berry bushes that grow all over.

Monthly Income - Standard Income - 290 gp/month
Tax Income – 29 gp/month
Resource Income – 116/month
Total –1620/month (x15 multiplier)



EXPENSES – 9760 + Tithe, Taxes

20% taxes to King Ericall (Not paid for first two years)
10% Tithe to local temple (Not paid for three months)
Military – 2790
County Staff - 2360
Specialist Staff – 2050
Stronghold Staff - 2560
Taxes to Ericall – 20%
Tithe to Matter Temple – 10%

Treasury - 61,145

Holidays:

Month 8 - Mid-Summer Convocation – 10% of income that month
Month 10 - Harvest Festival - 15% of income that month
Month 1 - Year’s End Divine Liturgy – 5% of income that month

County Staff –

Chaplain – 500 gp
2 Magistrate – 400 gp
5 Sheriff – 500 gp
14 Provost – 280 gp
9 Warden – 180 gp
Reeve – 500 gp

Specialist Staff:

Steward – 1000 gp
Engineer – 750 gp
Herald – 300 gp

Stronghold Staff:

Marshall - 80 gp
4 Bailiffs – 80 gp
Chamberlain – 200 gp
Senechal – 200 gp
Castellan (Lvl 8), 2000 gp


County Military –

Light Foot Soldiers – 150 troops, 5 leaders – 300 gp – AC6, longsword + dagger
Heavy Foot Soldiers – 80 troops, 3 leaders – 240 gp, AC4, longsword, spear, dagger
Light Horse Soldiers – 40 troops, 1 leader – 400 gp, AC6, longsword, lance
Heavy Horse Soldiers – 50 troops, 2 leader – 800 gp, AC 2, longsword lance
Crossbow Troops – 80, 2 leaders – 320 gp, AC 5, heavy crossbow, shortsword
13 Officers – 120 gp, AC 2 better than troop they lead
5 Armorer – 500 gp
2 Smiths – 50 gp
1 Equerry – 50 gp

Total monthly cost for the military Alzar is putting together is 2790

He gets income and expenses each month, and then rolls for population changes, and events. It will take 2 months before they will start getting taxes in. He also gets XP on an even level with his taxes, so he makes 2902 XP the first month, and then it heads up from there.


Current Confidence of County – 321 – Healthy


With his large dominion and Count title, Alzar is now 2nd in order of the nobility. A new family member is heading up the Duchy of Landfall, and the rebelling baronies are handed to others.

End of CM 1. Test of the Warlords

Man I love that module! There’s just a lot smashed into it once you begin to run it. For example, the War of the Crown is just 2 pages in the book, but it takes hours to run and figure out troop movements and such We have the frost giant incursion, an actual, proper, war, betrayal, alliances, some dwarves and barbarians to help, and so forth. The combination of the Castle Guide and the Companion Rules also give this high level campaign some fun and interesting spins on stuff.

Plus you can see how epic this campaign is really getting with the high-level stuff.

(I made a few changes. For example, I made five crones instead of three, and I pulled the references to Alphatia being lost Atlantis that warred with Cypris (sic) and lost.)

Yes, he gained 2 levels in this module, but they covered two years of time. Plus Alzar requires 375k to level up each level. That happens quickly. Imagine this – right now I think he’s getting 13k a month in XP. Suppose that Alzar could get 200k in a year with the expected growth we are considering.

Now that Alzar’s in an interesting place, we are going to flesh things out. Now a few things to discuss –

1). None of the other modules that take place in Norwold are this dense, and this fun. This had political intrigue, war, combat, dungeon delving, a tournament, a challenge, building up, and so forth. It’s an intriguing combination. You could make future modules like this one, but it’d be extremely hard to follow. Imagine this, this 36 page module, which includes pictures, maps, and a table of contents and a hex grid, is 32 pages long. My dynasty talking about this is 54 pages long. Single spaced. Dang! You aren’t getting that.
2). Some of the other modules are a bit one-note, by the book, retrogrades
3). But when we get to the M Line? Holy crap we have some sausome!

So, in the meantime, let’s have some fun!

Here we go!

CM2. Death’s Ride



This isn’t anything like the first one. However, I took some of the storyline of this module and moved it into the first one in a few, small, ways to enable us to use it easily enough.

Just wanted to post that this has been my favorite FOFC dynasty to follow over the past few years. Thrilled to have it back and looking forward to seeing where it might end, if not the idea that it will end.

Thanks thanks!

What happened to Two-Lakes Vale? Why did Baron Maltus Fharo not assemble his troops at all? He’s been very loyal, from helping to defeat a Black Avenger to aiding in other ways. What happened?


When Alzar teleports back to Alpha to have a post-war chat with the King, King Ericall asks Alzar to check it out and see what he can uncover in the Barony.

It’s a rich, one-hex Barony in the foothills of the Wyrmsteeth Range generally and Eagles’ Barrier specially. It’s seven hexes inland southeast from out Bergholm Isle and four east of the farthest border of Sandralane’s Barony of Moonland.

There have been no messages or people coming out, and rumors of a black cloud that can be seen over the Barony are a bit dark. It’s only 7 hexes from here in Alpha as well (its 155 miles away), so Alzar grabs his Flying Carpet and sets out.


(You can see Twolakes Vale on the maps I linked to earlier: http://pandius.com/nrwldreg.html)

As he flies over the Wyrmsteeth Range he sees a few dragons swirling around, but none come near. He also notices that rumors of a large black cloud are true. There is one swirling above the barony. It covers the whole land, can’t be breathed, and can’t be seen through. Alzar’s Ioun Stone will see through it though (As will the Gem/Star). Alzar needs a way to breathe in the cloud as well. He wishes he still had his old Necklace of Adaptation, one of his most reliable items.

Anyway, the deathcloud detects as magical, which is interesting. He arrives at the Barony and tries a few things. The deathcloud is magically poisonous and you take damage each turn you are there. But a Protection from Good/Evil spell seems to keep things at bay. After experimenting with some of his items, and taking some damage in the process, it seems like the Ring of Windwarding will work to keep the deathcloud away from him. It’ll replace his Ring of Quick Action. (He normally wears the two Action rings)

Alzar 54/75

The obvious place to begin looking is Skullheim Castle, the main stronghold of the Barony. It’s smaller than Alzar’s keep – just 40x40 yards (compared to Alzar’s 100x100 keep) and 2 floors to Alzar’s three. So they added walls, eight towers, a gatekeep, and a handful of stone buildings and built them all at once, and finished a few months ago. Took them about 2 years to do the whole thing. They built it on an island in the river, and used almost the entire island. Alzar simply flies over the river and lands at the castle gatekeep.

The gatehouse is open, and in the courtyard between the castle and the walls are a few creatures. There appear to be a quartet of hill giants, and a ten-tet of manscorpions.



Alzar lands just outside of the gate, and conjures an earth elemental, then an Invisible Stalker, and then pulls Aegis out of the marble to give him a nice strike team . With the summoned creatures in front, and Aegis behind, they move in.

A boulder collides with an Elemental for 13 damage. One of the manscorpions in the back is a cleric and casts Silence, 15’ Radius on Alzar and he is silenced. Well, the, we’ll do this melee way. Alzar has the invisible Imp fly over to the cleric manscorpion and melees the others.

Init…4 vs 3/ The mans attack and miss Alzar or his minions. They hit the Elemental twice actually, but can’t damage it. They’ll move to attacking Alzar exclusively next turn. Meanwhile, a Hill Giant punches the Earth for 9 more damage. Alzar’s axe and shield try to hit a man. They have an AC1 with their hard chitin, so he needs a 4 to hit them. He rolls. 5, 11 and 18. He hits the first one for 17 damage and then 21 damage and it falls, and then bashes the next for 11. The golem punches and….rolls a 10 which…is a hit (just needs a 6) and clocks it for 3d8…3, 1, 7 for 11 more damage. 22 so far. The Elemental rolls a 2 and misses, and the Stalker a 20 and kills the wounded manscorpion. The Imp stabs out and…hits the cleric for….3 damage and…is a Manscorpion immune to poison? Nope, save vs poison or die…it rolls an 11. Is that a save made? Hold on, gotta grab my book…They need a 10, so its fine.

Next turn:

1 vs 3. The Imp hits for 2 damage and….it rolls a 8 and its fine. Alzar hits once, twice, just twice for 33 damage. The Golem adds 9 and kills the 3rd manscorpion. The Elemental punches for 15 and the Stalker finally hits for 11 26 to wound a 4th ms. They attack back, and Alzar is hit twice for 7 damage and he has to roll vs poison…even with a high save (he just needs a 8) and he gets a bonus from his Periapt of Proof vs Poison (+2) he still fails after he rolls a 3. He will die in 2d4 rounds. (4 rounds). The giants smash for 14 on the elemental, and it’s about to fall. The cleric casts Hold Person at Alzar and fails (Ring of Free Action).


Alzar 47/75

Next turn: 2 vs 5. Alzar’s team smashes the damaged man, and then savages a 5th. Meanwhile, Alzar drops the shield and carves twice with his axe and hits, kills the 5th on one hit, and damages a 6th. The Imp stabs the cleric and misses. Alzar grabs a potion of Neutralize Poison with his free hand and quaffs it. While it’s in his system for a bit, he’ll be immune to further poison. He takes 13 damage and the Earth Elemental is killed by giants. The cleric swings and misses the Imp a few times.

Alzar – 34/75

8 vs 2. The Imp takes 4. Alzar takes another 9 from scorpion loving, and the Stalker is the target of the giants now, and they hit for 18 damage. Alzar’s axe kills the wounded manscropion, and then misses (stupid 1 on a d20). The golem smashes for 13 and the Stalker misses. Meanwhile, the Imp stings for 3, and then the cleric fails and dies. Left? 4 hill giants, 3 manscorpions, one damaged.

Alzar - 25/75

They roll for morale and keep fighting. The Imp flies back.

1 vs 7. Alzar kills the wounded one and wounds the next. Everybody else misses (including the imp). The hills hit twice, including a critical, and the Stalker falls. Alzar is missed by the 2 remaining mans. They wrest initiative back and Alzar is attacked by the hills who miss (Cloak) and then it hit with a claw for 5 damage. His axe clashes a wounded manscorpion, hacks into another, and then he grabs and throws the Warp Marble at a Hill Giant with the other hand and…it fails its save (rolled a 7) and is captured. Golem hits for 7 and the imp misses. 3 hill giants, 1 gently wounded manscorpion left. Alzar has just golem and himself and Imp left.

6 vs 4. They attack and hit Alzar once with a club for 8. Then Alzar carves into, and slays, the last manscorpion and hits a 18, then uses his Boots of Striding and Springing to pull out from combat and then get behind the Golem, who hits for 11. The Imp hits for 4 but save made.

Alzar – 12/75

Alzar is out of melee range now. 3 vs 6. The golem punches for another 10, and the Imp misses. Alzar uses the Scarab of Death to coat his Trombash with poison. The golem takes 10 after one tried to attack the Imp but it had flown up out of range. They win init back - 4 vs 2. The golem takes one more hit of 13 damage. The Imp misses, and the golem adds 14 more and slays the hill giant. Alzar uses the Trombash of Returning and…rolls a 19 and…hits for 9 damage and….it rolls a 10 for its save and… it needed an 8 so its fine. The next round, the Silence Spell drops, and Alzar laps in and casts Vampiric Touch and hits for a lot of damage. He drains 6d6 and rolls 21 damage, and there is no save for V Touch. Then it takes a hit from a golem and dies. Alzar orders the Imp up and invisible against the final giant, which misses. Then it wins init and stabs the golem for another 9 damage. Alzar and the golem finish it. Then Alzar releases the final HG far way from himself next to the golem and a few rounds later, the giant dies. Alzar heals the golem with Transmute Mud to Rock.

Alzar 35/75
Imp – 10/14

They regenerate one hp/round, as a reminder. The Imp is healed by the end of combat, and Alzar will heal very quickly as well.

There is a camp here with 30000 gp in some bags that he takes. Alzar makes 39000 XP from the battle.

Alzar checks out some of the buildings in the exterior courtyard, and they are abandoned, and as expected – blacksmith, stables, storehouses, stuff like that. After making his Necrology proficiency check, It looks like the place was taken by undead, and there are old necrotic marks that appear here and there from things like ghouls.

He enters the main keep, with its simple four towers, two floors, and a small dungeon below. They enter into a great hall, with banners, wall candles, hangings, and expensive carpets adorning it. There was a huge battle here, and skeletons and corpses line the area.

There is a large wooden throne at the end of the great hall, and seated on it is as man dressed in plate armor and ten men in leather arrayed around it. They begin to march stiffly, towards Alzar. The man at the end is Baron Fharo. Alzar backs up, flanked by his golem, and begins to cast another spell. He isn’t feeling anything necrotic from the ten dead looking individuals, but he is from the live looking Baron. So he casts Time Stop.

The first turn he uses the Star/Gem to figure out what is what. The Baron is possessed by a ghost, and the ten men are actually form-shifting creatures from another plane of existence he is unfamiliar with (he failed his Sage Knowledge proficiency - they are called Death Leeches).

The next round he smiles. You see, he ran out of good spells to memorize when he hit level 21, so he chose a spell that banishes creatures back to their home plane – called Banishment, 7th level spell. It has no save, will work on all summoned creatures in a 60’ foot radius, and will work on 2xspell level HD of creatures. Now, with the Imp, his spell level is 22, for 44 hd of creatures are affected. That’s…5 of them (They are 8 HD each). Now that spell won’t trigger, (since it’s against someone else) until the Time Stop ends. And….that’s it, he just got two free rounds.

Banishment hits, and half of the Death Leeches are gone. Roll for initiative…

2 vs 5. Alzar casts Black Tentacles and drops 25 tentacles in the mass of creatures coming his way. They are stopped, every one is grabbed by a lot of tentacles. They begin to try shifting their form and such, but little will happen. The possessed ghost, sensing trouble, frees the Baron, and fades away.

Over the next few turns, the tentacles will kill the Death Leeches (they take damage every turn they are captured).

Alzar gains 12000 XP from the leeches

He heads over to the Baron, now freed from the possession. Apparently, the Baron was possessed by an evil magic user using magic jar, and then gave orders to open their defenses, and once that happened, a large number of undead came in, led by a high level cleric. Many were killed, most left, and a ghost took possession of his body instead. The only other info he overheard was that the cloud comes from a Deathstone which is somewhere nearby.

Alzar heads out to explore the rest of the keep while the Baron waits and begins to recover.

Alzar finds a ot of dead people, and he comes across an odd mirror, that when the Imp uses Detect magic against instead reveals the image of a person. Alzar casts Dispel Magic, and the image disappears, the person’s body reforms from the bones in front, and the guard captain is restored back to life.

There is a polymorphed cockatrice that Alzar detects with his Star/Gem and uses Polymorph Other on to restore to her form - he restored the Steward too, but she can’t tell him much else, other than a Hammer of Life can destroy the deathstone and it was broken up by a wizard and given to manscorpions to guard. The wizard rides a big blue dragon, and the dragon was given the deathstone. Alzar heads back to double check the corpses and camp of the ones killed here, but nothing else was to be found.

He doesn’t raid any of the items or places he finds in his final tour of the castle. There are no other undead or defenders here, and Alzar heads back out. He grabs the Steward, Guard Captain, King and they Mass Teleport to the King in Alpha, and Alzar drops them off to get healed and interrogated, then Alzar spends the night and relearns his spells and he teleports back in the morning. If he encounters more death leeches, he’d like to have Banishment again, and makes a few changes to his normal spell rotation. He now has Power Word, Banish at 9th level instead of Mass Domination, as one example. He also has some water friendly spells, and expecting a battle with a blue dragon, he has memorized a special answer to it.

He gets the layout of the land in safety from the Baron. About a mile from Skullheim to the northwest is Alicor and about four miles to the northeast is the small mining town of Gollim. Alzar flies over to Alicor to check things out. It’s on the south coast of Westlake.

Blocks of yellow clay pave parts of the road and the ground in Alicor, and a large island sits out on the middle of Westlake, and Alzar can make it out with the Ioun Stone. He landed and the peasants meet with him. They tell him of a great blue dragon that appears from the deathcloud and attacks (there’s about 10 yards of empty space between the deathcloud and the ground here in the Barony). Alzar decides to fly out and check up on the island. He casts one of his new selection of spells for the day, Conjure Water Elemental, and they head on over - the island is just 3 miles away, and the elemental is here for 4 hours, plenty of time to get go, and inspect the small island.

The island is roughly 350 feet square, and that’s not that big, obviously. Dirt and rock have been piled into a mound that rises from the center of the island. All but the south side rise up around 100 feet above the water.

The land on the southside they approach is gently sloping and open, and there are six trees that stand before a beautiful marble staircase, There are three pairs of statues that flank the stairs, made of jade, gold and marble. Suspecting something might be animating from the statues, Alzar scouts the area from his Flying Carpet above and uses the Gem/Star. As expected, the statues are not statues, but in fact are living statues, minor constructs. However, there is something else here he didn’t expect. The Trees are massmorphed Hydras – there are six hydras there, that can turn back into hydras at any time.

Alzar lands by the coast and the Water Elemental arrives. He then conjures and earth elemental and summons his Invisible Stalker., and pulls out Aegis. He will leads with the elementals and stalker, then golem and mage, with the invisible flying Imp around as well.

As they approach the six trees melt into 6 6-headed hydrae.

Battle begins.

The Hydrae spend the first turn moving towards the elementals/Stalker. Alzar uses Hold Monster on just one Hydra, and it works. Frozen Monster. Battle begins.

8 vs 7. The Hydrae each have 6 attacks, and there are 5 left so they get a lot of chomping opportunities. However, as they are just natural creatures, they cannot damage the elementals. So after some misses, they shift targets to the Stalker, and a bunch of hits later and the Stalker is dead. The elementals smash a Hydra, and the Golem arrives at battle. Alzar is keeping the Imp out of this combat, and he casts Finger of Death and kills an unwounded Hydra.

2 vs 4. Alzar’s party slays the wounded Hydra – 3 left. They can’t hurt his stuff, and he stops casting spells. They figure it out and begin to retreat. They fall back, the as they get hammered, they hit the activation range of the six living statues, who move forward and begin to attack.

A few rounds pass, and the hydras and statues are all dead, and no damage was dealt, 5470 XP

Alzar uses his Crystal Ball to scout ahead, and finds out the basic layout of the area. He wants to find the ideal place to cast his defensive spell.

There is an archway at the top of the stairs, with a large glowing Symbol. Alzar swaps helms to the Reading one, and it’s a Symbol of Discord, placed here by a high level priest. A Dispel Magic spell banishes it, and then they enter.


Beyond the archway is a large chamber rising 70 feet above to a rough ceiling. Jumped piles of statues, draperies, silks, utensils, silverware ,and more are here, but none look that valuable (total value is 5000 gp). (Afterwards, Alzar will teleport it home to his Keep to add to make some things a little pimpier.)

Off to the right is a small chamber, and there is a large group of undead here, and they have begun to move out. Here are:

10 Death Leeches,
10 ghouls
20 skeletons
20 zombies

They cannot be turned or controlled – the deathcloud prevents it. Alzar spins and casts Banishment, and 5 Death Leeches are gone, and his Elementals and golem move to keep him from being disturbed. Battle is about to begin and Alzar casts Hold Undead. Several ghouls are held, but the Death Leeches aren’t undead, so they are unaffected. Battle begins.

9 vs 3. The death leeches hit an earth elemental a few times for 11 damage with their tentacles (after they resume their true form) The others can’t penetrate the magical defenses of the golem/elementals. Alzar orders them o focus on the death leeches, and two turns later, they are all killed. The rest are smashed shortly thereafter. 12500 XP for Alzar.

They head left and a arrive at a large rock, weighing 50 pounds in the center of the room, looking like a massive chunk of coal. The Gem/Star reveals this is not the deathstone, and there is a secret door, and opens into a room with an identical looking piece of stone and an evil aura from it. The elementals clean up a few undead in here as well. They head back and go right at the corridor.

Alzar finds the right spot and drops the metal pole is has been carrying with him and jams it into the dirt. Then he casts his special 3rd level spell. Lightning Rod. For the next 48 hours, any lightning attacks will hit he rod. If the Rod were loose, it would destroy the metal object, but when grounded, it survives.

After hundreds of feet have passed, they find a room with great wall hangings, and luxury. Blue scales from a dragon’s hide are glistening as she has already set up its defenses. It heard the battle with the undead, and then began to cast some spells.

Alzar can see through a few illusions it brought up. One covers a back door exit, in case damage is coming

Korbundar - -2 AC, 12d8+6 breath weapon (Lightning Bolt); 16 HD; THAC0 of 6; hp 89; 25% Magic Resistance. Immune to electricity, and the deathcloud, and has cast haste on herself, and read Anti-Magic Shell from a scroll.


The only other exist is the back one, covered by an illusion. Battle begins.

7 vs 6. Kobundar rises flies near, and lines up the water elemental and Alzar in one line and breathes. Her damage flies to the lightning rod and dissipates. (Earth’s are immune to lightning damage). The Earth, Golem, and Water advance and get to melee range, and Alzar, who cannot target the dragon with spells (stupid Anti-Magic Shell) instead uses his stored spell Lauthdryn’s Cleaving. It cancels every protection magic a person has on them, so it tears through the Shell. (It is still hasted)

The Imp is staying back, way up. 5vs3. Denuded of its precious breathe weapon, the Dragon instead flies over to melee. It attacks Alzar, misses (with the Cloak) and then instead chomps on an earth elemental and carves it for 22 damage in its many hasted hits. Alzar uses his stored Dispel Magic on the Haste and… It punctures the MR and pulls it down. The dragon takes just 9 damage from his minions.

5 vs 7. The minions hit the dragon twice for 11 and 15 damage. 26 total. Alzar casts Power Word, Kill to try and finish it off quickly. Here’s how PWK works…

The Power Word slays one creature, up to 60 feet away, with up to 60 HP. it’s not good on something that has a lot of hp, so you need to have whittled it down, or it needs to be something like a mage that starts out low. (There is a mode against multiple creatures, that does not apply). Alzar doesn’t know how many HP the dragon has left. There is no save against the spell. It just works, or it doesn’t. How many HP does it have? 89-26 and- 9, So it’s under 60. 54 to be precise. Now, there is a 1 in 4 chance the spell will hit the Magic Resistance and not work at all.

And?

It rolls a 6. It needed a 1-5 to work. The dragon has died.

Alzar strips down the skins, scales, etc.

Here there is:

120,000 gp worth of jewelry, gems, and coins of various types

4 potions – Healing, Polymorph Self, ESP, Sustenance
Slate of Identification
Luck Charm (+1 to saves)
Chainmail of Presence (+3 and CHA 18 when worn)
+2 Sword
Wizard Scroll – Gate, Astral Spell


The Slate writes in magical chalk lettering what any magical item placed on it is.

He loads the items up (with the help of a golem and Elementals) and move s it into his OtherSpace, then he releases the Elementals, has his golem “not resist” the Warp Marble to capture him, and then unfurls the Flying Carpet and heads up and out.

As he looks around, he spots a mire to the west where the lake and a small river meet. There is something moving down there. The Westlake Road curves around that side of the lake, so Alzar flits over to check things out,

Strange vines and plants are creeping forth from the swamp, and Alzar notices an unnatural feel, like the deathcloud is influencing the land as well. The mire isn’t that big. Its roughly 6 miles by 4 miles at its widest, and more of a line than a square or circle shaped. He slides his Carpet down.

The movement is a group of 10 more Manscorpions. He has Azzil check them out invisibly and reports back that one appears to be a cleric, and the party appears to be identical to the group encountered before. Remembering the clue that the Hammer parts were likely hidden by manscorpions, he plans a method of attacking them. He drops down and swings into spell range, wanting to hit the cleric before it can hit him. Init. 4 vs 5

Alzar casts Power Word, Stun. It’s stunned. No return.

Next turn, still flying above them, Alzar casts Evard’s Black Tentacles as the Imp heads over to finish the paralyzed cleric. A few spears are thrown at Alzar to little effect, and then they start taking some damage from the 23 tentacles grabbing them. While concentrating on the tentacles, Alzar grabs the empty skull from his belt, casts Skulltrap, and drops it into the center of their party. It deals 20d4 damage (it’s actually 2d4 + 1d4/spell level, no max, so technically, its 24d4, but I’m going to cap it at 20d4, just like local Mystaran spells without a cap). 48 damage, save for half, and it will destroy the remaining tentacles but only two manscoprions are still alive. Alzar lands and finishes them easily.

10000 XP

The cleric has a wand case with a long metal haft inside of it that is probably the haft of the Hammer of Life. Alzar flies up and can’t see any more manscorpions here, but there are some other creatures. There are a pair of gorgons about a mile away. Gorgons can only hit with melee attacks and can breathe, small clouds of petrifying gas that can’t get more than about 20 feet or so from them. Alzar can easily just fly above them, out of range, and use his Trombash of Returning to kill them. The Carpet is faster than they are running in a swamp. After killing them, Alzar finds a collar on one with the pommel of the Hammer of Life on it.

He flies back and notices frost crackling a short distance to the north. Alzar follows and the air gets increasingly colder as he approached. There is a sting to the air, and pools have been frozen in the swamp. There is a block of ice with the hammer head frozen inside. Guarding it is an oddly shaped creature


A Hydrax



It’s the one that looks like an ice crab

Alzar makes his Sage Knowledge check and…

Here we go - -2 AC, 12 HD and 60 HP, 2 attacks for 1d0 each and can detect, dispel magic, use Ice Storm, Wall of Ice, and Web three times a day each, and then is immune to lower level magic. It is from the Water Elemental Plane


Roll for init as Alzar closes… It wins and casts Web (Free Action) nothing. Alzar names the plane, and casts Power Word Banish, which works automatically and it is gone. Alzar’s axe hews into the block and grabs the head of the hammer, and when he brings the pieces together they snap together.

Alzar has reassembled the Hammer of Life.

He grabs the Hammer and flies back to the stone on the island. After an hour or so he arrives. He lands, heads in, and them hammers the stone. A resounding crack can be heard, and the stone is destroyed. On the ground is:

Deathstone Fragment - User will be cursed and lose 10 max HP; can control up to 50 HD of undead, with half level of ability. Curse is transferred if given away.

After destroying the deathstone, the curse has not lifted, and the deathcloud is still there. There’s a gate that has to be closed. Alzar grabs the Carpet and heads out. It’s nearing dinner time so he does some scouting. As he does, he notices that a pass in the back of Twolakes Vale, guarded by a tower, looks like it has been taken over by something or someone else. The cleric? The wizard? Allies or monsters? Alzar teleports back to home, spends the night early, rises early, and then memorizes a slightly different version of spells, such as taking the 9th level Cleaver spell (if he doesn’t cast it, he can store it) and other anti-wizard or anti-cleric spells. This includes – Anti-Magic Shell, Vocalize, Feeblemind, Passwall – stuff like that. He also keeps his Power Word, Banish and the anti-undead and anti-summoning creatures, but he swaps out Lightning Rod, Conjure Water Elemental, and such.

He teleports back over (after unloading things from OtherSpace too) and then moves near the Tower. His imp slips near to begin scouting and he pulls out the Golem early, and he rides on the Carpet (he takes up the space of two people)

Highpass Tower is six levels high, the bottom three medium sized, and the top three smaller. It was just created to have an outpost in the militarily valuable pass, not to run a large home from. Wazor knows company is coming. Just not when. There is movement on the ground level (giants), two Efreet on top of the tower guarding it, and there are no windows in the center of the Tower. What Alzar wants to do is attack in a direction the wizard doesn’t expect. Most wizards expect and build up defenses from magical angles (such as from the Ethereal Plane) or will have Symbols, Glyphs, golems, massmorphed creatures, Wizard Locked doors, and that sort of thing on the various entrances.

But what they often forget is that a mage can penetrate their defense with a simple Passwall spell aimed at the middle of their home. It’s like tunneling into a mage’s complex with Dig and Passwall after you’ve passed the traps and monsters

According to the Baron, this tower’s third floor is a storeroom, the 2nd was barracks, and then 4th quarters, and the 5th offices. Alzar decides to hit the 4th floor, which you can tell, because the tower gets smaller.

He flies in and casts Passwall at the wall, and then flies into the tower with the Golem, who then unloads.

4th floor is now akennel with a quartet of hell hounds that begin barking. They are caged up. Alzar hears nose from upstairs, and the room here is the entire floor, there are stairs up and down to the sides of where he entered. This is a lab and study and a bit of a sleep chamber all in one and Wazor is here, arming himself. He sees Alzar come up and casts the 8th level Major Globe of Invulnerability and is immune to all 7th and lower level spells. It’s a pretty good opening. Alzar orders his imp and golem to move in and attack physically, and rolls for init.

5 vs 6. Alzar casts Power Word Kill and…no protection, he dies. He has very low HP actually. He was level 24. Most high level magic users are glass cannons.

More advice from the module we are skipping (“Make sure that the characters do not kill or capture Wazor in this encounter!”) Not for any plot based reason, but just to strengthen the final battle.

Anyway, Wazor has perished and Alzar checks and finds:

Ring of Protection +2
Cleric Ring of Spell Storing – Word of Recall
Potion – Blue Dragon Control, Elemental Form, Human Control, Undead Control (Ghoul)
Scroll – Protection from All Elementals; MU Scroll - Close Gate (reverse of Gate Spell)

Staff of Power 16 charges

Wazor’s Spellbook

To be revealed later after decoding.

In the room are a bunch of random items taken from the barony (gold, gems, jewelries, cushions, furniture, art, etc) worth around 100,000 Alzar won’t touch.

He takes about a hour to load up the various lab equipment into his own mobile laboratory he has in his OtherSpace.

The Passwall is gone, so he heads to the roof, where there are two efreeti, but when Wazor was killed, they were freed and they fled back to the Fire Plane.

He grabs the Carpet, puts his golem in the Warp Marble, and then heads out. Wazor’s notes mentioned that there was a gate at the Temple of the Stars to the east, so Alzar heads out, scanning for the Temple.

It’s about 7 miles to the south and east. The temple was built by hermit-clerics and then abandoned when the Baron claimed and began to settle Twolake Vale a little more than two years ago. The three that be felt it was an ideal place to open a gate to another plane from which the deathcloud poured out and which the connection to the deathstone was harnessed. As long as the deathstone existed, the gate could not be closed. But now…

The temple lies just beyond a sharp bend in the road and Alzar can spy the cleric from some distance, standing on a rocky platform about 30 feet up the cliff wall from the temple, (made of white marble). Alzar summons the golem from the Warp Marble. The Temple is just a simple one level deal, a dome, about 120 feet in diameter.

As Alzar approaches, a dragon emerges from the temple, and the cleric mounts it, and moves out. It looks identical to the one he slew two days before. Hmmm….

Alzar doesn’t want to fly and fight something that’s better in the air than him, so he lands, and forces the golem to lands as well, he’s about two rounds from the cleric and dragon to be in spell range of most spells He grabs some dirt from the ground and Conjures an Earth Elemental. Then Alzar casts Anti-Magic Shell to give himself a good defensive shell to use, grabs his axe and Bright Barrier and moves.

The dragon does not breathe lightning, but instead breathes a gas identical to the one breathes by that drolem earlier that Alzar encountered a few months ago. This is likely a drolem, not a dragon. The cleric casts Sticks to Snakes to turn some of the nearby foliage into an enemy, and these move in. Alzar orders his elemental and golem to smash these and Azzil moves in for a surprise attack later when ordered.

Init – 7 vs 1. The Drolem lands and moves to melee range with Alzar, the cleric dismounts and does so as well. Alzar prepares, smashing a few snakes, and his guards do as well.

Init 3 vs 2. The drolem snaps at Alzar and hits for 12. It’s too bad Alzar didn’t grab his Golem of Whistle Control or Talisman of the Golem from storage in OtherSpace, but it’s too late to get it now. Alzar’s axe snakes out and hits the cleric once for 7 damage (no magical bonuses) and the Barrier smashes for 11. The rest of the snakes are killed.

Init – 3 vs 9. Alzar orders his group to focus on the drolem. He can’t hit it (weapon is non-magical) so he focuses on the cleric. Alzar hits for 14 damage and the drolem takes 11. Then the priest casts Heal and fully heals himself and Alzar takes 14 from the drolem’s hits.

Alzar 50/75

Init 4 vs 3. They miss Alzar a lot (he gets bonuses for the Bright Barrier still. Alzar’s group hits the drolem for 15. Alzar adds 5 to the cleric and misses. Alzar takes one hit for 6 from the drolem and a mace-punch for 3 from the cleric. Then they smash for a little more damage.

42/75

Initiative. 5 vs 3. Alzar takes more damage, and his group finally clocks the drolem for some major damage and it has around 20 hp left. But Alzar misses twice and his with the Bright Barrier for 8 damage. 3 vs 7. The golem rolls a 16 and hits for…12 damage, and the Earth rolls….4 and misses. Alzar uses his axe twice against the cleric and hits once for 1d8 plus 4 damage (for 17 STR and weapon mastery) or…7 more damage. Then he turns and attacks with the Shield on the drolem instead and….hits for….9 and the drolem falls dead. The priest heals its wounds.


Alzar – 31/75

With the drolem dead their foe is going to look for a way to get out of the battle. 4 vs 5. The Earth rolls a 10 and hits for…13. The golem needing a 5, rolls a 7 and cracks for…9 more. Alzar hits once for 5. The priest casts Abjure and banishes the Earth Elemental. That’s a bad long-term play. That was his final level 6 spell. (He cast three)

4 vs 6. Alzar and his golem hit for 31 damage combined. The cleric heals most of it with Cure Critical Wounds. 7 vs 2. The cleric casts Striking on his mace. Odd choice. Alzar and golem add 15 to him. 8 vs 7. The cleric swings and connects with the golem for 14 damage (magical mace plus striking effect). So he’s switching targets to drop Alzar’s golem while he can’t cast spells and heal. That’s a smart choice.

1 vs 8. It’s time. Alzar orders the Imp to attack the cleric unknown from invisibility. That gives him +4 to hit on this first attack. He needs a 13 or higher to hit. He rolls a 19 (didn’t even need to ambush!). 2 damage and…the cleric makes his save on a 17 rolled, but it clearly scares him. Alzar smiles as his group carves into him for 19 more damage.

9 vs 7 The priest has to cure, but he still has some damage against him. Alzar orders the imp to attack and then go invisible and fly out of range in an odd direction, down. The Imp…rolls an 11 and misses. Alzar rolls. 20, 19, and 6. That’s 2 hits for 16 damage. Then the golem rolls….8 and hits and then rolls off 13 damage – 29 total damage.

Next turn. This would be when Alzar would use the Ring of Quick Action, if he was wearing it, and not under an Anti-Magic Shell. 9 vs…9. Yay reroll! 4 vs 6. Whew! The cleric is down to 24 hp. Alzar attacks and rolls….12, 4 and 15. That’s an axe hit for….3 + 4, 7 damage and 9 from the Barrier. 16 damage from Alzar. The golem attacks and rolls….6. Now, it has a THAC0 of 7 and the cleric an AC of 2, so he needs a 5 or better, that works. Now, the golem hits for…3d8 damage and the cleric has left 9 hp. The first die rumbles and lands on a 5. If the next die is at least a 3, then the priest dies (because the last one could be a one). … another 5. Dead priest. A 4 for the last one, 14 damage was dealt.


Dead priest.

Alzar finds on the body:

+3 mace
Rod of the Wyrm (Chaotic)
Scroll of Portals
Missile Deflector Shield (+1, +4 vs missiles, 20% chance Magic Missile negated)

The Rod is a powerful magical item, no idea why it wasn’t used unless the cleric wasn’t chaotic. A chaotic user can turn the rod once/day into a small 30 hp, black dragon, that can breathe acid and everything. If slain, it returns to rod form.

Scroll is awesome. Twice/day it can be used as a Passwall, when unfurled and pressed against a wall, and the scroll disappears until half hour later when the Passwall ends, or when canceled by the user


There is nothing else here.

Alzar doesn’t want to cast Close Gate from the scroll and lose that, so he stores the Dispel Magic and Carver spells, and then rests the night, learns the reverse of Gate, and then casts it. The Gate closes. Alzar then teleports back to the King to report his victory.

King Ericall offers him 50000 gp or another section of territory added to his County. Alzar chooses the latter and expands his influence again. He takes Raider’s Point, the hex on the other side of the entrance to the Great Bay.

We’ll look at that in a bit. Meanwhile, Alzar has freed the barony just seven days after starting!

End of CM2. Death’s Ride

This is not exactly a major module, and it has some issues. Basically the module wants your high-level characters to quest all over the small Barony of Twolakes Vale in order to figure out that the evil is coming from a Doomstone that has to be hit by a Hammer that has to be assembled. So you are heading to find that out, find the pieces, and the locations. The major problem is that all of these locations are known. For example, there is a trail from the main one to the Temple of the Stars, which is one of the final dungeons. Here’s what CM2 says about this “Make sure the characters don’t stumble onto the trail that leads to the Temple of the Stars when they are in Fraggi. They can only learn of the trail while in Gollim.” Gollim, of course, being the second o final place in the rotation, despite being just TWO MILES from the castle you start the adventure at. (You are expected to head north and west of the castle along the Westlake road. That’s bad adventure writing! Where is the opportunity for the player to do their own thing and, you know, actually role-play? Also, when in a module with sort of high-level players, you never known when a player with Polymorph Self into a bird or cast Fly or something, and then head up. In fact, the first castle has, as you’ll recall, bad guys a quartet of hill giants. If you charm them, you can find out everything right there. The carefully doling out of clues one step at a time is done. Here’s what the adventure says about that:

“Don’t allow the characters to learn the location of Korbundar’s Lair or the Temple of the Stars while they are adventuring in this stronghold.” This is bolded it’s so important to the adventure. Again, that is a poorly designed adventure. We are simply running it because it flows right along from the first CM.

Here’s another one for you. Why is the Hammer of Life here? In the module, it reads that only the Hammer of Life can destroy the deathstone, not even a wish can. The bad guys know that the Hammer of Life can destroy their stone, that’s why they break it into three pieces and hide them.

Now, why would you use the deathstone against the only place where there is a measure that can defeat it? And if you didn’t know, or if the Hammer of Life was discovered later, then why keep the three pieces within a couple of miles of each other, easily findable, and just a few miles from the stone? Surely your 24th level wizard can teleport, fly, Plane Shift, or otherwise move somewhere else and place the pieces thousands of miles away, and thousands of miles from each other, At the very least, have your dragon spend half a day flying, secure one piece about a hundred miles away, and then repeat twice more, choosing three far flung places and three different methods of security. One guarded perhaps, one in an impossible to open chest in the bottom of an ocean or something, etc.

At very least, give it a hand wave. Mention that the powers that be brought the Hammer of Life in to help out the locals when the deathstone was used, but they found out and stopped the hammer and killed the party with it before it could reach the deathstone, and then they broke it into three pieces. But before they could remove it, the powers magically tethered the Hammer to the Vale, so it could not be removed, teleported, flown out, etc. And neither could it’s parts either. But nope, we couldn’t even get that.

Nice job, Abe. Too bad the writing sucked so back in that module. Looking forward to more!

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Thanks!