Lords of the Cruth Lowlands - Vaults of Pandius

Masters & Marauders
Mages and Adventurers
Aristaios (Actaeon 11 HD/Wokan 8, N) is
the true ruler of the western Achelos
woods. This ancient being was created by
Zirchev soon after his ascension to
Immortality to lead the Treants of the
Achelos Woods and protect the Turnwood
high magic point. Aristaios was trained by
Zirchev himself in the use of wizardly
magic, so his repertoire of spells is actually
wider than that of a typical Wokan.
Aristaios is a tireless guardian of the
woods, but his guardianship is very lighthanded.
He rarely takes action, usually
working indirectly to preserve the balance
of power among the various movers and
shakers of the forest -- the wereboar
wizard, the dragons Krolovaash and
Vulomar, and the werewolf clans.
He is also an ally of the fey of the eastern
forest, though he rarely crosses the river
himself.
Artho, Sergey (Magic User 9/Wereboar
10, N), locally known as the “Hermit of the
Woods” is an old magic user who has been
studying the magic of the Turnwood for
decades -- he is well over the age of one
hundred years, but his life has been
extended beyond the limits of normal
humans by a combination of his magic and
the unnatural vitality conferred by
lycanthropy. Sergey is a powerful
Wereboar -- he contracted lycanthropy
early during his investigation of the
Turnwood. He is also a member of the
Artho family that once ruled the Riverfork
area, though he has lost contact with his
family before the Thyatian invasion.
Sergey wishes to protect the Turnwood,
but also desires its magic, so he could be
tempted into dangerous deals that would
earn him more knowledge or a greater
control of the high magic point. He hates
the werewolves and distrusts both
dragons, but remains on relatively friendly
terms with Aristaios and the Turnwood
Treants.
Sergey appears as a boisterous, rubycheeked
Traladaran, with short, bristly
brown hair and a large girth. He dresses in
practical but overly large hunting clothes
when in human or boar-man form.
Exoter, Anna (Magic User
10/Necromancer of the Second Circle, C) is
the “Grand Darker” of the Sons of Night
fraternity active in the Cruth Lowlands.
She is the “primus inter pares” of her
fraternity, which is composed of former
Darkers from the Black Eagle Barony, Luln,
and other parts of Western Karameikos.
This places her at the top of the
organization in the area -- there are other
Grand Darkers, in Eastern Karameikos,
Specularum, and Darokin, as well as a
“third level” fraternity of Grand Darkers
hidden somewhere, but as far as Western
Karameikos is concerned, Anna is the
mastermind of the Sons of Night. Her
name is the anagram of Nox Aeterna
(“eternal night”), a key concept of Nyx
theology. While Chaotic, Anna is not
especially evil, and is concerned more with
prolonging her life beyond death and
extending her magical knowledge than
with any nefarious plan for world
domination. She and her fellow Darkers
seek to understand the artifact they have
recovered in the ruins of Koskatep, under
the Kosti Kopec.
Anna is a middle-aged Traladaran woman,
with long, straight gray hair and a pale
complexion. She dresses in
uncharacteristic dark clothing, with a
preference for long gowns. She is a
graduate of the Great School of Magic in
Glantri, and an affiliate of the Secret Craft
of Necromancy.
Gudenov, Vassili (Cleric 6 of Alphaks, C),
Fire cultist. An evil cultist of Alphaks in
Riverfork Keep, Vassili has no contact with
the other dark cults -- he is essentially a
lone madman who could be dangerous
enough, with his magic. However, he is
the son of Boris, the miller, a well-to-do
man and a community leader in Riverfork,
which gives him greater means to pursue
his mad goals (see Riverfork Keep for
more details).
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