Unapproachable East.pdf - The Forgotten Realms

hungry overlords in Telflamm. In turn, the presence of Shadowmasters
in nearby cities allows these minor guilds to quickly
dispose of dangerous merchandise and offers ready safehouses
to members in trouble with local authorities.
Shadowmaster agents seek out news of mercantile transactions
or the discovery of unexpected wealth, such as the recovery
of a long-lost hoard by a band of adventurers. They
inform the organization’s leaders, who decide on the appropriate
course of action (often an operation to seize the wealth they
view as rightfully theirs). The Shadowmasters also serve as information
brokers for those who aren’t picky about the source,
although their services are not cheap. Those who once do business
with the Shadowmasters find that the thieves can make it
difficult, even dangerous, not to do business with them again.
d Shadowmaster Enforcer: Human Rog2/Ftr2; CR 4; Mediumsize
humanoid (human); HD 2d6+2d10+4; hp 25; Init +7; Spd
30 ft.; AC 18 (touch 13, flat-footed 15); Atk +5 melee (1d6+2/
19–20, masterwork short sword) and +5 melee (1d6+1/19–20,
masterwork short sword), or +6 ranged (1d6+2/×3, mighty composite
shortbow [+2 Str bonus]); SA Sneak attack +1d6; SQ Evasion,
search for traps; AL CE; SV Fort +4, Ref +6, Will –1;
Str 14, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 13, Wis 8, Cha 10.
Skills and Feats: Appraise +7, Balance +8, Climb +9, Gather
Information +5, Hide +8, Intimidate +5, Jump +8, Move
Silently +8, Open Lock +8, Spot +4, Tumble +8; Dodge, Improved
Initiative, Mobility, Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon
Focus (short sword).
Possessions: +1 mithral shirt, 2 masterwork short swords,
mighty composite shortbow (+2 Str bonus), 20 arrows, potion
of hiding.
The Simbulmyn
The Simbulmyn, or Simbul’s Guard, is a small company of elite
palace guards who do much more than simply protect Aglarond’s
queen. They are also expert spies, engaging in secret missions
in lands all around the Inner Sea. The primary concern
of the Simbulmyn is the safety of the Simbul, but the general
security and good order of Aglarond is a very close second, and
they maintain a vigilant eye on all potential enemies.
The Simbulmyn devote most of their efforts to watching the
armies of Thay and spying out the plans of the zulkirs, tasks
that call for lengthy undercover journeys into the heartland of
Aglarond’s forbidding neighbor. The Guard also work assiduously
to identify and neutralize Thayan spies in Aglarondan territory.
Of late, the rise of the Sons of Hoar (see below) has
attracted their attention, although the Simbulmyn are hesitant
to suppress the movement for fear of throwing fuel on the fire.
The Simbul’s Guard is under the command of High Captain
Hovor Seawind (CG male half-elf fighter 4/rogue 6/Aglarondan
griffonrider 8), a former adventurer who is fanatically devoted
to his queen and would give his life for her in a heartbeat.
Only experienced combatants who have demonstrated their
loyalty to Aglarond are invited to join the Simbulmyn; the typical
member is a human or half-elf Ftr4/Rog2, although many
wizards and sorcerers may also be found among their ranks.
ADVENTURING IN THE EAST
85
The Sons of Hoar
Not all Aglarondans are content to be ruled by an immortal
sorcerer-queen. Some among the wealthy old families of Velprintalar
and Furthinghome believe the Simbul’s rule is a
hopeless despotism with no end in sight. The Sons of Hoar are
a secret society of nobles, well-to-do merchants, and landowners
who long to shape events in Aglarond as in other lands—
with the power of coin and the rule of law.
Many of the Sons of Hoar hope for opportunities to enrich
themselves at the expense of others, but the organization also
includes idealists and populists who argue that the Simbul
cannot truly understand the concerns of common folk. The
cynical hardcore of the society are happy to let the idealists’
stirring words and impassioned pleas mask their own plots.
Thus, the Sons consist of a secret leadership of nobles and
merchants (many of lawful evil alignment) who lurk behind
a much larger group of younger men who romanticize revolution
and dream of winning over the hearts of the Aglarondan
people.
The Sons of Hoar are bound by a common veneration for the
Doombringer, as one might expect. In Aglarond, Hoar’s old Untheric
aspects of law, justice, and noble war overshadow the
deity’s portfolio of vengeance. The High Fatemaster Nomyr
Dedriech (LN male human Clr12 of Hoar) is the current First
Son, although the true power in the organization is the wealthy
Duke Varran Gloskil (LE male human Ari8/Ftr7). Gloskil
dreams of reshaping Aglarond as a land free of “witches” and
elves, under the rule of merchant oligarchs such as himself.
The Sons of Hoar are growing more restive and daring.
Their agents seek to cultivate foreign support for the Simbul’s
overthrow, intimidate the sorcerer-queen’s supporters through
kidnapping and sabotage, and infiltrate the army and palace
guards of Aglarond.
The Wychlaran
The Witches of Rashemen, or wychlaran as they call themselves,
are discussed at length in Chapter 10: Rashemen, but
like the Red Wizards of Thay, their actions and influence
ripple throughout the lands of the East. For centuries, the
wychlaran defended their homeland against Thay, but now
that the Red Wizards have set aside their dreams of conquering
their neighbors in favor of aggressive and forthright
trade, the Witches are unsure how to proceed.
Without the constant threat of Thayan raids, spies, or
armies, the wychlaran have turned to strengthening their land
against the war they know must follow Thay’s commercial
overtures. Witches roam the nearby lands of Thesk, Ashanath,
and the Great Dale, keeping a wary eye on all Thayan activities
and building up a network of foreign informants to provide
key insights into Thayan plans. Since Thayan spies are no
longer creeping into Rashemen in numbers, the wychlaran
seek them out in foreign lands and find other problems to
worry about in the process—the blightlords of the Rawlinswood,
the Shadowmasters of Telflamm, even the Nine Golden
Swords of Thesk.