The Drow War Book Two. The Dying Of - RoseRed

*When Maskin makes a sneak attack, the sword of
subtlety confers a +4 bonus to attack and damage rolls
instead of a +1 bonus.
Location: Arosi’s Dancers
On a green hill at the very heart of the inner city stand
nine stones in a circle, each one white as sea foam, in
graceful curved forms that suggest dancing figures.
This is the node of Xoth Sarandi, the most sacred of all
the elven stone circles outside of Shallenoi.
Location: The Ambassadorial Docks
This is a portion of the harbour set aside for the exclusive
use of representatives from the Halls of Concord and
members of the High Council. A stone wall 20 feet
high divides it from the rest of the city and members of
the Shining Host keep a constant watch for trouble.
Currently, all the ambassadors’ ships are docked here.
The Player Characters may want to investigate them; the
only interesting ship is the Medusa, which is Honoured
Fangthane Barbiculus’ private vessel.
Characters who sneak aboard find that the ship seems
to be unguarded, though a Listen skill check (DC 20)
detects heavy slithering noises in the hold. The little
present that Brexel gave Barbiculus (12 caskets of drow
poison, each casket containing 50 doses) is sitting in
the hold, along with a pair of guardians to keep it safe.
These are abyssal greater basilisks, gifts from dark
powers who assist Kandang’s ruling monarchy. As
each ambassador’s vessel counts as an embassy and
thus as sovereign territory, Barbiculus is allowed to
have dangerous creatures on board, so long as they do
not leave the ship…
Abyssal Greater Basilisks (2): CR 12; Large outsider
(augmented magical beast, extraplanar); HD 18d10+90;
hp 189; Init –1; Spd 20 ft.; AC 17, touch 8, flat-footed
17; Base Atk +18; Grp +29; Atk +25 melee (2d8+10,
bite); Full Atk +25 melee (2d8+10, bite); Space/Reach
10 ft./5 ft; SA petrifying gaze, smite good; SQ damage
reduction 10/magic, darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision,
resistance to cold 10 and fire 10, spell resistance 23; AL
CE; SV Fort +18, Ref +12, Will +8; Str 24, Dex 8, Con
21, Int 3, Wis 10, Cha 15.
Skills & Feats: Hide +0*, Listen +10, Spot +10;
Alertness, Blind-Fight, Great Fortitude, Improved
Natural Attack (bite), Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes,
Weapon Focus (bite).
Location: The Halls of Concord
The Halls are a set of conference rooms inside a building
of green marble. On the domed roof, a statue of Kyros
Threadcutter, the elven god of reason and precision,
stands with his hand raised in peaceful greeting. The
Halls have an ornamental garden at the rear, intended
for meditation and quiet conversation.
Background: In Xoth Sarandi, there has always been
a clear divide between the elves who run the place and
everyone else who pays to use it. This has led to friction,
as the non-elven traders bickered and fought amongst
themselves over who had the right to monopolise which
commodity, whose ships should be given priority in the
queue to use the portals, which nations should refuse to
trade with which and whether or not a general boycott
to force the elves to lower their rates was a good idea.
The non-elven population of Xoth Sarandi originally
founded the Halls of Concord as an assembly place
where they could discuss business matters. The elves,
with their elitist approach to diplomacy, were quite
happy to set aside a building for the other nations to use.
They assigned them a disused magical academy in the
Avenue of Silver Sounds and, in brief, let them get on
with it. Their empire was in retreat and they no longer
owned most of the world. They were tired of governing
and did not want to bother trying to manage fractious
humans any more. It was better to throw them all into
one box and let them argue amongst themselves.
The rule was simple. The elves insisted on peaceful
discussion, even if one country was at war with another.
The Halls of Concord would never know the sound of
battle. So far, that rule has been adhered to.
Several centuries after their original founding, the
Halls have far outshone their original purpose. Under
the elves’ aegis, representatives from all the civilised
countries of Ashfar meet here to talk through their
business in peace. To some countries, the Halls are a
joke, a mere talking shop where everything is discussed
and nothing is ever resolved. To others, the Halls are
the key to a future in which world powers can work
together, trading knowledge and produce alike.
The Halls have been stagnant over the last 50 years
or so. The representatives have had little to do here.
However, reports of the invasion of Chillhame stirred
the place up and now, with the far more successful
invasion of Jehannum underway, the Halls are frantic
with activity.
Ibon Presno Gonzalez (order #73006) 8
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