The Drow War Book Two. The Dying Of - RoseRed

people say that they have been at war with Jehannum
since their settlements were destroyed, so Kandang
regards their occupation as part of the progress of that
war, not an unprovoked assault. The length of time
between the massacre of the drow non-combatants and
the invasion of Crom Calamar is irrelevant. No treaties
were ever signed, so the war is still in effect.
The private reason is less high-minded. Brexel has met
with Fangthane Barbiculus in private and proposed a
deal. The drow are willing to help Kandang invade
Valjinn and Qual at some future date in exchange for
support against Jehannum now. If successful, this
would re-establish almost all of the old territory of the
Dragon-Kings of Kandang. Brexel has also provided
a ‘sweetener’ – a dozen caskets of drow poison for the
nobles of Kandang to use against their enemies, with
the promise of more to come. Impressed by this gesture
and pleased to have a possible edge against Valjinn at
last, the monarchs of Kandang have agreed to a private
alliance.
Murduk Râm
Delegate: Master Zu (Ftr 2/Mnk 10) is a half-orc who
looks rather like a mahogany wardrobe crammed into a
yellow tunic. He is fearsome to look at (favouring his
orcish side in features) but speaks in clear, gentle tones.
Originally from Visk, he made the journey to Murduk
Râm after a vision he had during a hangover warned
him to turn from savage ways and seek enlightenment.
Political Leanings: King Kallimon is deeply saddened
by the loss of life in Jehannum. He does not believe
that any good can come from this war. The enemy is
not the drow or the humans, but discord and senseless
destruction. To stand against this, he offers two
proposals.
Firstly, Murduk Râm will give sanctuary and political
asylum to anyone who comes to seek it, no matter
which side they fight on. Secondly, the monks intend
to establish field hospitals and soup kitchens so that
the refugees will have at least a little humanitarian aid.
There are already refugees from the cities of Jehannum
massing on the fringes of the Desert of Sharn, trapped
between murderous drow on one side and merciless
heat on the other. Has nobody thought of them?
Shumil
Delegate: Muftah Freyne (Rog 3/Wiz 2) is a grave
man with olive skin, a thick moustache and heavy
white garments. He interprets everything in terms
of profit and loss. Widely considered the archetypal
boring politician, he is nonetheless a great benefit to his
country, because he always takes the trouble to prepare
the most comprehensive treaties and trade agreements.
He is completely out of his depth now that war has
broken out and yearns to get back to haggling over the
price of barley.
Political Leanings: Shumil uses the excuse of being
‘nowhere near the events in Jehannum’ to bow out of
the side-taking. Muftah Freyne reminds everybody that
the Halls of Concord were originally supposed to be
for trade discussions, not for taking sides in a global
game of war. Shumil declares itself neutral and expects
others to respect that neutrality.
Svarth
Delegate: Tammas Brandobast (Ftr 15/ Ddf 5) is still a
dwarf, just about. He has a steel plate covering half of his
head, one eye, one arm and no legs. Metal replacements
clank in place of his missing limbs. Constant fighting
as a mercenary against monstrous humanoids in the
Eagle Nations made him into a steel-nerved warrior,
but when vengeful trolls captured and butchered him,
his days in the field were over. The craftsmen of Vella
were able to build prosthetic limbs for him; they are far
inferior to his original arm and legs, but they allow him
to move about.
Tammas is hard as adamantine, utterly stubborn and
totally inflexible. When he speaks (which is infrequent),
people listen. The High Council respect him, and even
Warwolf Visk is secretly scared of him.
Political Leanings: The dwarves of Svarth do not
abandon their friends in a time of need. They will not
rest until every drow in Jehannum is driven back under
the ground; and even then they had better keep running,
because the dwarves will pursue them into the deepest
crevasses of the earth. To force the humans to fight in
darkness was a cowardly trick. Dwarves who took their
first breath in darkness, grew up in darkness and fought
throughout their lives in darkness will not be daunted
by it.
The Topaz Dominions
Delegate: The delegate for this country is Ata Huara
(Exp 11), an immensely fat gentleman with an aquiline
nose. He wears robes of brilliant rainbow-coloured silk
and an amber necklace of authority worth some 4,500
gold pieces. He likes to embroider his speeches with
rhetoric, even when he is saying something simple; in
this he is the very opposite of Lembi Tapel, the delegate
for Kahoor.
Ibon Presno Gonzalez (order #73006) 8
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