Something evil stirs beneath the island of Chillhame. Dark forces are gathering and the eyes of the children of the Host turn towards the surface, hungry for victory and vengeance. Soon, the drums of war will beat to the footsteps of the advancing soldiers and the ancient war between the Host and the Starborn will begin once again.
The Drow War is coming.
This is the first book in the Drow War trilogy, a set of three adventure arcs covering the epic tale of the conflict between the Host and the Starborn. The Gathering Storm will take Player Characters from 1st to 10th level as they struggle against the drow and their allies, taking the role of the Starborn - the incarnations of the stars themselves, pitted against the evil and darkness of the Host. They will need to seek the truth of their own natures, travel through ancient ruins and corrupt cities, deal with treachery and trickery and take part in immense battles with the foe.
And this is only the beginning.
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Chapter 1 - Chillhame
Where Are We?
28th day of The Flail
Arrival at The Stones of Heakun
At first, it feels as if you must be dreaming. The sense of dislocation, the giddiness, the feeling of flying rapidly through space, all add to the unreality. Where are you? What were you doing a moment ago? These thoughts arise in your mind, as if you were half-awake, on the borderlands of consciousness. Perhaps you have been knocked senseless, or poisoned with some hallucinogenic drug. One thing is certain; you are in a strange place and you do not remember how you came here.
What you can see before you is as clouded and vague as the contents of your mind. There seems to be nothing but mist, swirling in eddies around you, with a suggestion of huge shapes briefly glimpsed through it. The mist is cold on your face and with a start you realise that this is no dream. You are here, physically here in your body, fully dressed and carrying your equipment. There is wet grass beneath your feet. You feel no pain, so it stands to reason that you were not knocked out and dragged here. How, then, did you come to be here?
Alone in the mist, you wonder why you do not feel more afraid. There is a presence here, something old and comforting, like a childhood memory.
The mist begins to clear. In the faint light of a new day, you see the huge forms that you glimpsed before. They are megaliths – standing stones that tower over you, set into the form of a circle. This place is achingly familiar to you, yet you have never been here before.
Through the thinning mists, you see that you are not alone. There are others here, and by the look of them, they are as surprised to find themselves here as you are.
Seven people, very different from one another, stand in the mist, looking at each other. It is hard not to since they are standing in a circle of stones, either facing or adjacent to one another. The stones are huge, megaliths, 12 of them arranged quite neatly. It is peacefully quiet, but some of the people there are not.
The megaliths are arranged in a circle about 30 ft. across. A tall thin elf, a crazed looking human with black and white streaked hair and what appears to be a monk all immediately move to behind the megalith they are standing next to.
There are twelve megaliths forming the circle and the various people are next to them as follows: at 12 o'clock are Marcus Ironwill and Aldanon; at 2 o'clock is Anna Theresa Trudy Allene Caitlyn Karinda; at 5 o'clock is Zajori Argentiel, at 11 o'clock are Kihashi and Deb'Ah and right between the stones at 9 o'clock and 10 o'clock is Ba Holder. They stare at one another, wondering who all these other people are. They are all widely dressed, but each seems to be fully prepared as if they were going out adventuring.
Marcus decides to advance to the center of the circle and look around. The mist is still thick and they can not see more than 20 ft. beyond the circle.
Voice of the Goddess
Out of nowhere, a voice speaks to you. It is faint but perfectly clear. As it speaks, the stones thrum with a strange vibration, as if they were amplifying the voice somehow.
'The time of the Equinox is come. My children… I am sorry. I have done what must be done. You deserve answers. I am far… too far from you. You must learn who you are. The land is yours. The people are yours.'
The speaker seems to be under great strain, as if speaking to you was exhausting her.
'This place is sacred to you. Sacred to the stars that you are. There are other places like this. From the time when people remembered. Heed me now. If any of you should fall, then bear him to the stones, and the soul will be able to enter the flesh… once again. But make haste, for flesh that is spoiled can never be made whole.'
There is silence again and you wonder if that is all. Then the voice speaks once more, faint as a dying echo:
'Know this. There is a force against you. Already it gathers, already it senses your return. Seek the sword of Starkweather John… it lies near, waiting to be claimed… when that is found, you may begin to understand, to remember.'
Shadow Goblins Attack (EL 1)
The voice is gone and the mists are starting to part, but slowly. As the distance they can see creeps every onward, they can clearly now see beyond the stone circle. Several goblins appear past the boundaries of the cirlce, appearing by seething up from the ground, like smoke. There are seven of them and once they finish materializing, they all step backwards into the retreating mists.
The Causeway
The Town of Bronce
Bronce
Entering The Mines
Reunion
Found written on a scroll in the bottom of the mine:
Master Overseer, ensure that the following are in place:
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All special weapons crates from the smithy, laid out according to division and commander
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Chisel assembly zone markings into floor to indicate mustering points (remember, each enclosure to hold at least five hundred of our warriors)
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General Ulsnurr’s personal throne (fetch from his chambers)
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Complete access tunnel to surface
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Prepare holding cells for important human prisoners
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Make ambassadorial suite ready for the Most Honoured Allies
Attend to this with all haste. We have only ten days to prepare until the Legions of the Chthonic Alliance are destined to march on the upper world.
Justice At The Windmill
Chapter 2 - Raising The Alarm
And Away We Go
Going Nowhere Fast
Getting Somewhere, Mostly
Hockton Barrow And The Mysterious Stranger
Letter found on the stranger, Oachim Hazai
Greetings of Night and Fire!
Since you clearly hanker to visit the upper world before the rest of us, my nephew, then by all means do so. You have my blessing to visit the human settlements and ensure that none is forewarned of our little friends’ arrival. Deal with rumours in the usual way – laughter is much more effective than a slit throat.
Be especially sure to pass any pertinent information along to our agents in Saragost. Be diplomatic about it, damn you – they have been in service longer than yourself and are not likely to appreciate a smarmy brat parading his expertise about. We are all of House Arakh, remember, from the highest to the lowest and respect is our watchword.
Most importantly, ensure that the Circle has not been interfered with, if you can. I have had dreams – troubling dreams, which cannot be dismissed as so many dust-visions. There is nothing in that part of the world but rocks, fish and inbred peasants, so our course should be clear. Yet I wonder. I wonder.
Send word to me often. Fail, and I disown you. It is only what you would expect.
Your affectionate Uncle,
A.
Final Leg Of The Journey
Chapter 3 - Saragost
Arrival In Saragost
Entry of Deb'Ah, Kihashi and Marcus
Getting In
Ambush!
Interlude
Entry of Aldanon, Anna, Ba Holder and Zajori
Getting In
Deja Vu
From the mind of Zajori -- Wretched, deceitful humans! Are there no humans that are not involved in some nefarious, evil plot?! Why must I waste my time saving these manipulative creatures? Give me a fine tavern and a fine glass of wine over these creatures! How many times will we be deceived on this journey. And damn the luck with my poor constitution! I cannot take even the slightest his without falling! Arosi, how can I serve you when you give me strength to drink but not to fight!?
I am going to have to avoid a close conflict, unless it serves my purpose and I can sway the advantage my way. It is Arosi's will that I now have to further depend upon these humans for my safety.
Now I must find out what has happened to my 'firends' and seek out a clue that will lead us in the right direction. Can any of these humans be trusted?
Finding Information
After five hours of mingling around, Zajori comes up with the following information:
- There are three power bases in town – the Council, the group of mages called the Order of the Prism and a group of crime lords.
- The law is strict. Condemned criminals are executed by being manacled to the wharf wall at low tide; the incoming tide drowns them.
- The Grand Baronial Hotel has a dancing mermaid act.
- There is believed to be some kind of corruption in the Council but nobody knows quite what is going on.
- Sometimes, an up-and-coming criminal will be fished out of the harbour, dead from a massive wound to the backside, as if someone had impaled him on a sword blade.
- There is a powerful magical item in the Tower of Undying Light.
- A ghost pirate called Captain Whisper haunts the streets of Saragost.
- The crime lords are called the Midnight Enclave.
- Several major burglaries have taken place recently, in which guards have fallen unconscious after being wounded by poisoned weapons.
- Stone golems are used to open and close the sea-gates.
- Some people on the council have been seen talking to mysterious strangers in hoods and cloaks.
- The object in the Tower of Undying Light controls the weather.
- This city used to be an elven stronghold but was burned down centuries ago, so practically none of the original buildings are still standing; the elven sewer system is still intact, however and many houses have elf-built cellars, though the occupants do not know it.
- There is a new faction in town that has infiltrated the Midnight Enclave and the city council. Its members use poisoned weapons and only go out after dark. They use magic to disguise themselves. Several people on the city watch are secretly in their service. Anyone in service to this faction has to carry a secret token that cannot be forged, as proof of his identity.
- The drow have already been seen in Saragost. They are preparing for the invasion. Their allies use haematite disks as signs of their identity. They have to present these disks at the door when they meet with their masters in secret.
- Someone is constructing a powerful explosive device in a warehouse in the docks.
The Council
Finding Lost Comrades and The Node
An Alchemist in Trouble
Rats, More Rats and Little Vampires?!
Domination and Destruction
Vampiric Endings, Burning Sacred Groves and Escaping From Jail
The Alchemist Debacle
Chapter 4 - The Lost Villages
Meeting The Hunter in Chalksmere
Breaking the Curse and Where is Astercote?
Who is Insect Man?
Don't Break Kihashi, We Have Too Many Heads to Deal With!
The Undead Patrol the Halls
Poor Little Doggies
Dancing the Hookah
How to Really Piss Off a Wizard
Interlude - The Return To Saragost
Drow Assassination
More Drow Fun - Poisoning the Wells
Enough Drow Fun - Stealing the Storm Summoner Stone
The Drow Don't Quit - Stopping the Corruption of the Node
Chapter 5 - The Battle of Hoxley Fields
Disaster!
Interlude - The Escape and Epilogue
Escape and Harassment
Chapter 6 - Crescent City
How to Find the Ragged Man
Interlude - The Old Valjean Plantation
These Doggies Have Big Teeth
Flying Heads
Closing Down the Chaos Vortex
We Have To Save Ophis and Get Back On Track
Interlude II - The Search for the Temple of Kharad
Swamp Creatures
More Swamp Creatures and a Ghost
Chapter 7 - The Ragged Man
Entering the Temple
Half The Place is Under Water
The First Bride
The Second Bride
The Managerie
The Third Bride and The Ragged Man
Chapter 8 - Rogue's Business
Back To Crescent City and Getting Into The Thieve's Maze
The Thieve's Maze - Part I
The Thieve's Maze - Part II - Signature Weapons Found!
Chapter 9 - Corruption In Caldraza
The Dream and Heading Out to Beacon City
19th day of The Spectre - What To Do Next
Getting Out of the Testing Maze
After basking in the "glow" of finding all the remaining long lost signature items (which include a greataxe, a lajatang and several sets of bracers), the members of the group each take a medallion out of the treasure chest next to the thrones. Remembering the impression on the door on the way into the maze, Ophis performs a successful test, insuring that the medallions will give them direct access back into the Throne Room, without having to go through the maze again. Now, it is time to leave.
Roy utilizes a stone shaping spell to remove the pedestal and thick stone slab that covers the entrance way to the maze in the bottom of the Hospice and once everyone is out, uses a second spell to reshape the slab and pedestral back into position. Listening carefully, the group hears no one else in the basement and discusses how to proceed next.
Information - Where is the Node in the City
After getting out of the testing maze, the node in the city is triangulated on and found to be somewhere in a tower of city hall. Pondering on how to get into the tower, the group first decides to gather a bit of information about the City Hall and the mass of bureaucracy that occurs within its walls. Upong finding out about Lord Malthus, they decide that rest is in order before they figure out what to do next.
Lord Malthus
Lord Malthus governs the city from The Town Hall, with his extensive entourage of clerks and secretaries. The governor of Crescent City, who is appointed by the Church but is not himself a cleric, is a charming man with an elegantly trimmed beard and a habit of talking to anyone, princes or peasants, as if they were sat in a tavern together and not in a huge office. He lives his life on the knife-edge between the reality of Crescent City as it is, with all its crime, vice and corruption, and the vision of order that the Archbishop has for it. The Archbishop loathes Malthus but cannot do without him.
Malthus is the third governor of Crescent City to be appointed this year. The first was assassinated and the second fled the city with a vast amount of embezzled funds. So far, after six months in office, Malthus is doing an acceptable job in the eyes of the Church. According to the official statistics, he has kept the crime rate down.
The Dream on the Elensil
While the group is sleeping on the Elensil, they all have the same vivid dream:
You feel as if you are falling down an endless tunnel, with walls of rough rock. Bats whirr through the darkness and strange, vast fungal growths bulge from the damp stone. You suddenly realise that you are dreaming but the realisation does not wake you. You are being whirled through the air at tremendous speed, down and down and yet further down.
Then there is a dizzying moment of plummeting through pitch darkness; and then you are hovering in a chamber that seems horribly familiar, as if you had seen it before, though you know you have not. A mass of black stone fills the centre of the room, so dark in hue that it seems to devour the light and to exude darkness like smoke, though its edges are perfectly distinct. You know instinctively that this is the heart of a power as vast and cold as space, a power that despises you simply because you dare to exist. Were you truly here, you feel, it would leech the life out of you.
The stone has been chipped in many places, as if flakes have been chiselled off and taken away as relics.
There are eight figures here, conducting a ceremony of some kind. The figures have manes of white hair and ink-black skin. They wear robes of translucent fabric and move with the slow, patient grace of spinning spiders, placing ritual items in their places – a platinum skull that steams with blue mist, a chalice carved from a single gigantic ruby, a crystal disc engraved with a complicated web. As to what the purpose of this ritual may be, you cannot guess.
There are voices speaking from somewhere nearby – a female and a male. The male speaks: ‘You are watching them?’
‘I am,’ the female responds.
‘It is confirmed, then? The one they call the Terror has begun her campaign?’
‘She has. Already she has taken one circle. I confess, I am a little impressed.’
‘A Node, corrupted? Without access to the Altar? How?’
‘It seems House Arakh retained fragments from the end of the last war. With those, she broke the hold of the star-bitch over the stones. There is no doubt that she is of us, of the Host. Her followers have grown strong. Even the grey ones bend the knee to her. None of us foresaw it, but House Arakh is indeed favoured of the Dark. Perhaps it is the will of the Dark that we admit them back to the Ennead.’
‘It could be an aberration. House Arakh lost the last war for us. Why should we ever forget that?’
‘I do not intend to forget any details of the last war, brother. Unlike you, I was there. I think we shall watch this Terror that Arakh has bred for a while longer. She has not called for our help yet, and for that I respect her, if for nothing else. Let us see how she fares. Let her prove what she is so desperate to prove.’
‘Where is she now?’
‘Let us find out. I see her… in council with her generals. They are speaking of Caldraza, of some subterfuge. Curious. What is the creature plotting? Let me listen… Ah! Cunning indeed! Even now, while her diplomats are awaiting audience with the King of Caldraza, speaking of treaties and compromise, the subtle knives of her other agents gleam in the shadows! Oh, she will have her treaty, right enough, whether King Titus wishes itor not… and by the time anyone detects her, the damage will be done… hold! There are other eyes here! Who observes us?’
With that, you awaken suddenly, with a lingering cold in your bones.
Information - Crescent City
The Morning After
The Crescent City town criers are calling out the news. The whole city is abuzz with speculation. The news has just gone out from Beacon City that King Titus has signed a full alliance with the drow forces who have completely occupied Chillhame after the disasterous Battle of Hoxley Fields and the loss of the city of Saragost.
The drow are going to help the Caldrazans win their long-standing war with Ghael, in exchange for the right to live above-ground in Caldrazan land, move their troops across Caldraza freely and have their religious rights protected by law. There is even talk of handing Chillhame over to Caldraza and making it formally a part of that kingdom once again.
The citizens’ reaction is either delight or dismay, with little middle ground. Those who are celebrating are those who hate Ghael the most and are glad to have new allies after so long. The dwarves of Underdell have never lifted a finger to help with the war, so maybe it is time to join up with a less popular but more useful race. After all, the elves were not exactly humanity’s friends in the past and the drow are opposed to the elves, so perhaps humans and drow should have joined forces a long time ago.
Those who are horrified by the news are those who know most about the drow and about history. They cannot believe that King Titus, old and senile though he may be, would ally the Caldrazan people to a force of darkness and evil. No good can come of this, they say. The official religion of Caldraza is Marianism – how can the Church of Marius approve of an allegiance with a race that is known to worship dark gods and rumoured to sacrifice intelligent beings to them?
Many of the elves that live in Caldraza are silently gathering their belongings and boarding boats in the harbour. They are leaving for their island of Xoth Sarandi, where they can live unmolested, far away from a people that allies itself to their worst enemies.
Asking around the city for a good portion of the day, the group gathers more information on King Titus, his family and the countries current political situation.
King Titus
The King of Caldraza is a haggard man of 70, dressed in heaps of purple velvet. He stinks abominably, as he never bathes any more. None of his courtiers dares to suggest that he do so. His life is consumed with bitterness since the death of Rufus. He wants to see Ghael punished but in his heart of hearts, he has no real spirit to continue this war. It will not bring his son back.
Prince Rufus
King Titus’ son, Prince Rufus, was so popular and well-beloved that people secretly believed he would not live to an old age. Those whom the Gods love die young, as it is said. Titus adored Rufus and was confident that when his time came to pass on, the throne would be in good hands. Rufus married a noblewoman, Anastasia, who bore him one pale son, Caspar. To the dismay of his grandfather, Caspar suffered from a blood disorder, which caused even small wounds to bleed freely. He had to have a cleric on hand at all times, to heal the cuts and grazes he suffered while playing. Nonetheless, Anastasia was healthy and would no doubt bear more sturdy heirs in time.
The promise of a future dynasty was cruelly dashed last year when Rufus and Anastasia were killed during a visit to Ghael, where a clan chieftain, Gregor MacHallish, had invited them. When Rufus and Anastasia arrived, several members of Gregor’s clan decided that it would be better to hold them to ransom than to go through with their chief’s plans.
In his misery following the death of his beloved son, King Titus abandoned the faith of his ancestors and turned to Marianism for solace. He declared the Church of Marius the official state religion, saying that the old pagan days were over and should be left to barbaric nations like Ghael.
This was too much for his daughter, Romilly. She had already rejected numerous arranged marriages, disdaining all men as pathetic and had a reputation as a firebrand. Now, she rejected her father’s imposition of state religion.
Princess Romilly
The Princess is a devotee of Firinna, the chaos-loving warrior goddess. She would not surrender her faith. For this, she was sent to the borders of Ghael, where she could command an outpost and defend the land against the insurgent barbarians. Some of the citizens of Caldraza believe that Romilly would make a better ruler than Titus but they refrain from saying so too loudly. The clansmen of Ghael respect Romilly more than any other Caldrazan noble, as she has a strong fighting spirit.
Prince Casper
The heir to the throne of Caldraza is now eight years old. He is a pallid, weak-looking boy with straw-coloured hair and watery eyes. Whenever he is wounded, he continues to suffer one hit point per round from bleeding until he receives magical healing. He is kept locked in his rooms in the castle.
Underdell
The mining community of Underdell is situated beneath the mountains of Maurn in the north of Caldraza. Unusually for a dwarven town, it is not a series of chambers and corridors dug out of the rock. Instead, it is an orderly array of stone houses across the base of an immense cavern, in the centre of which is a rock pillar.
Underdell is, like many dwarven towns, reclusive. Its inhabitants do not care for Caldraza much. The nearest dwarven settlements are hundreds of miles away in northern Ghael, so the townsfolk here do not even get to see many visitors of their own kind. The yield from the mining here is mostly gemstones, sufficient to keep the community going but not so rich that it will ever attract many immigrants. Underdell is a little pocket of dwarf culture in the middle of a human kingdom. The settlement has been here for less than a thousand years.
Heading out to Beacon City
The group can not make up its collective mind on whether to go to the Meere Forest or Beacon City, but since the city is somewhat on the way, they will start out towards it and finally decide once they get there. Some are very concerned over running into huge numbers of drow in the city and would prefer to seek out Princess Romilly first, while the rest think that checking out the city first might provide some information.
After purchasing some horses and supplies, they head out and spend the night in the town of Hazfane, where they hear that a horse-voiced woman was asking if anyone had seem people matching their descriptions. This has put the group on alert, but nothing happens that night. They continue their ride and as they near the city, they learn a bit of information.
Information - Beacon City
- Caldraza declared war on Ghael last year, after Prince Rufus and his wife were killed during a visit there.
- King Titus has sent his own daughter to the border fort at Pengallin, near the forest of Meere.
- The heir to the throne, Prince Caspar, has some king of sickness.
- King Titus converted to Marianism after his son’s death and rejected the old pagan ways on behalf of the whole kingdom.
- There was a strange comet in the sky two weeks ago.
- The drow have said that they will help with the war against Ghael. Thousands of troops are being sent to the border, ready for an invasion. The big push into Ghael is coming any day now.
- Princess Romilly is out of favour with her father because she has refused numerous marriages. She is a dedicated fighter and is respected by the men of Ghael. She is stationed near the forest of Meere, which is so full of monsters that neither the Ghaels nor the Caldrazans will enter it.
- Prince Caspar is kept locked in a special room in the castle, so that he does not injure himself. If he starts bleeding, it does not stop.
- King Titus has refused to meet his council but has addressed the people of Beacon City from his palace balcony. The drow ambassadors are still in the palace.
- Princess Romilly refused to convert to Marianism when the rest of the court did. She worships Firinna, the goddess of battles. She has expressed contempt for all men and has said that she will never marry, no matter what her father wants.
- It is said that she used to sneak out of the palace at night to a secret pagan chapel, though nobody knows how she did so without being detected, or where this chapel was located.
- King Titus has ghastly body odour. It is said that he never bathes, as an act of mourning for his dead son.
Saving Pricess Romilly
Sneaking Into the Castle
The Drow Camp
Menagerie of Beasts
Chapter 10 - The Fate of Underdell
Rescuing Prince Caspar and Saving Underdell
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