The Drow War Book Two. The Dying Of - RoseRed

The Drow War Book Two. The Dying Of - RoseRed The Drow War Book Two. The Dying Of - RoseRed

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their alliance will support a land claim by the Kahoori after the war is won. If the coalition forces all support Kahoor’s claim, then there will not be much that the people of Jehannum can do about it. Kahoor is extremely strong militarily and can supply 40,000 troops, along with ships to transport them, so the Player Characters may consider the Kahoori invaluable allies. Their demand of land is, however, blatant colonialism and will cause problems for the Player Characters if they accede to it. Some of the more fairminded nations such as Murduk Râm and Chillhame may not be willing to stay in an alliance with such a land-hungry nation. Murduk Râm: King Kallimon sincerely believes that he can do more good as a politically neutral force than he could by involving his fighting monks in the war. To change his mind, the Player Characters must engage him in debate and win, which will mean travelling to Murduk Râm somehow and seeking audience. King Kallimon is a 20 th level monk with 23 skill ranks in Diplomacy and a Charisma score of 17. Just making rolls is not enough. The Player Characters must argue their case properly. The Games Master should definitely reward good roleplaying and clever argument on the Player Characters’ part with a circumstance bonus of +2 to +4 to the check. If the Player Characters fail to persuade King Kallimon to become involved by their Diplomacy skills but still persist with requests for help, he changes tack. The mind of man does not decide everything by reason alone. Perhaps these Starborn are destined to oppose the drow and it is the will of the Universe that Murduk Râm should stand by them. King Kallimon puts one of the Player Characters through a rigorous test, as described in the ancient scrolls, to find out if his spirit is truly that of a hero of fate. This involves three steps, each one involving a saving throw: drinking poison and surviving (Fortitude DC 20, initial damage 1d6 Con, secondary damage 2d6 Con); walking from one end of a hall to another while drops of acidic dew fall from the ceiling, without sustaining a wound (Reflex DC 20, failure deals 2d6 points of acid damage); and looking into the eyes of a magical statue of Aghoora, the Kandang demon of fear, and not flinching (Will DC 20, failure results in panic for 2d6 hours). Attempting to use any magical or alchemical assistance is deemed cheating and disqualifies the character immediately. Immunities gained from class features, such as a paladin’s immunity to fear or a monk’s immunity to poison, are not considered cheating. If the Player Character passes the test, Murduk Râm can muster thousands of disciplined monks in a day. King Kallimon allocates three thousand monks to one of the Player Characters to command. These monks count for four times their number when calculating how many troops the Player Characters have available, because of their special training. Shumil: Shumil looks to Kahoor for guidance. Unless Kahoor has already joined the coalition, Shumil will not do so under any circumstances. As Shumil is itself a dependency of Kahoor, it supports Kahoor’s demand for more land. Bringing Shumil on board requires increasing Kahoor’s land claim to two-fifths of Jehannum, including the cities of Dun Brondel and Esveltarn. Shumil can supply 10,000 troops, with ships to transport them. Valjinn: Valjinn is opting out of the war because it believes the conflict can be contained. To bring the country into an alliance, the Player Characters must demonstrate that Valjinn is involved whether it wants to be or not. The best way to do this is by proving that Kandang has made a deal with the drow in order to gain support for an invasion of Valjinn. The Player Characters can do this by spying on Fangthane Barbiculus or raiding Brexel’s den. If they can show that Valjinn is the next target after Jehannum, Valjinn abandons its neutrality and sides with the allies. Valjinn can supply up to 20,000 troops without leaving itself exposed, though it cannot transport them quickly. Vella: The gnome island wants one thing above all else: protection. If it joins an allied force, then it is exposing its beautiful cities, museums and galleries filled with priceless works of art to the chaos of war. The Player Characters must swear to come to Vella’s defence when the gnomes call. If the Player Characters do not attempt to enlist Vella’s help, the gnomes side with the drow, purely in order to preserve their beloved island intact. They believe that it would be better to live under foreign rule than have their cities torn down and their works destroyed. Vella has only a tiny standing army but it has plenty of ships; assume that for game purposes, there are enough to transport a force of any size. Xoth Sarandi: To bring the elves onto their side, the Player Characters must shame the High Council and expose its hypocrisy. See ‘Shaming the Council’ below. The elves can supply 40,000 warriors and the ships to transport them. These will be sent from Shallenoi via Xoth Sarandi. Ibon Presno Gonzalez (order #73006) 8 113

114 Non-Player Character Group: The High Council of Xoth Sarandi The High Council is a group of nine elders, led by a silver-haired spokesman garbed in a white robe with blue silk edging and wearing a golden laurel crown of authority. This is Ashellus of the Tree. All the Council members are titled after images from ancient, almost forgotten elven tales. Other members are Vandil of the Seven Stars, Maradith of the Pool, Luceni of the Scroll, Tamberlin of the High Peak, Scarulan of the First Flint, Jaspel of the Lute, Haveranti of the Laughing Sun and Corcoram of the Ashes. The meeting place of the Council is in the centre of the dome, on simple wooden benches under the shade of a single silver tree. Plot Event: Meet the Council Nimian Archimandrus urges the Player Characters to meet with the Council as soon as they have had a chance to rest from their journey. It is up to them when they choose to do this. So long as they are in his company or Azbeth’s, the sentries in the Inner City allow them to pass and enter the Council dome. The Games Master should read or paraphrase the following when the Player Characters encounter the Council: The air within the dome is still and silent. The nine figures seated before you, beneath the shade of a tree that seems to be wrought from fine silver, do not move at all. Their gaze is fixed upon you as you approach. Although you have never been here before, the place feels weirdly familiar, as if you had seen it in a dream or when you were very young. ‘We bid you welcome, Starborn,’ says the aged elf at the centre. ‘Sit and rest in this place of sanctuary. No doubt you have many questions.’ The Player Characters are now free to ask the Council any questions they see fit. The following are their responses to likely subjects: Who are the Starborn? Why were they created? The events you see unfolding before you now, the conflict men are calling the Drow War, is no mere bid for power. It is the most recent stage in a cycle many thousands of years old. There is a power that we call the Dark, a terrible, devouring force that has been excluded from the balanced universe since the Creation. It works through agents… it favours the drow and their hideous goddess, and her sorcerous counsellor. The machinery of the cosmos tilts the balance now to this side, now to that. At certain times, which we call the Equinoxes, the forces of life and the forces of the Dark come into conflict. The Dark becomes able to manifest itself within the world. At these times, it sets about destroying all variety, all semblance of liberty… everything that is different from itself. We do not truly understand what it wants, but our greatest sages believe that we cause it agony simply by being alive. Our existence disrupts the continuity of the Dark, like stars in the night. The first time when we were able to prepare for the rising Dark was three thousand years ago, as men reckon time. The Dark had champions, avatars infused with its power, who could not be slain by ordinary means. We petitioned the goddess Nuith, Our Lady of the Stars, to aid us in creating champions of our own, who would lead the fight against the Dark and its agents. The souls of the stars were channelled into mortal bodies. Thus were the Starborn created. That is who you are. Are we reincarnations of former heroes? Yes and no. Your hearts and minds are as lanterns, within which an undying flame burns. The flame is continual. The lantern breaks and is replaced. Do we have no choice in this? Why should we fight this war? What about free will? You have a choice. You will always have a choice. Remember this: although you have powers that others do not and they were given to you for a reason, we cannot make you use them. You are champions, not mere tools in the hands of the gods. It is not for the powers above to write your lives for you. To you alone belongs the responsibility – and the glory. What help can you give us? We are no longer a part of this war. Our influence is gone from the world. We cannot involve ourselves in the battles of younger races. It is enough that we caused you to be created, as champions against the Dark. We forged unique artefacts of power, which you bear now and which your predecessors bore before you. And you ask more of us than this? If Nimian Archimandrus is with the Player Characters at this point, a Sense Motive check (DC 15) reveals that he is furious but doing his best to keep it from showing. So long as the Player Characters remain courteous, they can continue to talk to the High Council. If they lose their tempers, the Council glares, makes comments about the folly of youth and has them thrown out of the Council chamber. Ibon Presno Gonzalez (order #73006) 8

their alliance will support a land claim by the Kahoori<br />

after the war is won. If the coalition forces all support<br />

Kahoor’s claim, then there will not be much that the<br />

people of Jehannum can do about it.<br />

Kahoor is extremely strong militarily and can supply<br />

40,000 troops, along with ships to transport them, so the<br />

Player Characters may consider the Kahoori invaluable<br />

allies. <strong>The</strong>ir demand of land is, however, blatant<br />

colonialism and will cause problems for the Player<br />

Characters if they accede to it. Some of the more fairminded<br />

nations such as Murduk Râm and Chillhame<br />

may not be willing to stay in an alliance with such a<br />

land-hungry nation.<br />

Murduk Râm: King Kallimon sincerely believes that<br />

he can do more good as a politically neutral force than<br />

he could by involving his fighting monks in the war.<br />

To change his mind, the Player Characters must engage<br />

him in debate and win, which will mean travelling to<br />

Murduk Râm somehow and seeking audience. King<br />

Kallimon is a 20 th level monk with 23 skill ranks in<br />

Diplomacy and a Charisma score of 17. Just making<br />

rolls is not enough. <strong>The</strong> Player Characters must argue<br />

their case properly. <strong>The</strong> Games Master should definitely<br />

reward good roleplaying and clever argument on the<br />

Player Characters’ part with a circumstance bonus of +2<br />

to +4 to the check.<br />

If the Player Characters fail to persuade King Kallimon<br />

to become involved by their Diplomacy skills but still<br />

persist with requests for help, he changes tack. <strong>The</strong><br />

mind of man does not decide everything by reason<br />

alone. Perhaps these Starborn are destined to oppose<br />

the drow and it is the will of the Universe that Murduk<br />

Râm should stand by them.<br />

King Kallimon puts one of the Player Characters through<br />

a rigorous test, as described in the ancient scrolls, to<br />

find out if his spirit is truly that of a hero of fate. This<br />

involves three steps, each one involving a saving throw:<br />

drinking poison and surviving (Fortitude DC 20, initial<br />

damage 1d6 Con, secondary damage 2d6 Con); walking<br />

from one end of a hall to another while drops of acidic<br />

dew fall from the ceiling, without sustaining a wound<br />

(Reflex DC 20, failure deals 2d6 points of acid damage);<br />

and looking into the eyes of a magical statue of Aghoora,<br />

the Kandang demon of fear, and not flinching (Will DC<br />

20, failure results in panic for 2d6 hours). Attempting<br />

to use any magical or alchemical assistance is deemed<br />

cheating and disqualifies the character immediately.<br />

Immunities gained from class features, such as a<br />

paladin’s immunity to fear or a monk’s immunity to<br />

poison, are not considered cheating.<br />

If the Player Character passes the test, Murduk Râm can<br />

muster thousands of disciplined monks in a day. King<br />

Kallimon allocates three thousand monks to one of the<br />

Player Characters to command. <strong>The</strong>se monks count for<br />

four times their number when calculating how many<br />

troops the Player Characters have available, because of<br />

their special training.<br />

Shumil: Shumil looks to Kahoor for guidance. Unless<br />

Kahoor has already joined the coalition, Shumil will<br />

not do so under any circumstances. As Shumil is<br />

itself a dependency of Kahoor, it supports Kahoor’s<br />

demand for more land. Bringing Shumil on board<br />

requires increasing Kahoor’s land claim to two-fifths<br />

of Jehannum, including the cities of Dun Brondel and<br />

Esveltarn. Shumil can supply 10,000 troops, with ships<br />

to transport them.<br />

Valjinn: Valjinn is opting out of the war because<br />

it believes the conflict can be contained. To bring<br />

the country into an alliance, the Player Characters<br />

must demonstrate that Valjinn is involved whether<br />

it wants to be or not. <strong>The</strong> best way to do this is by<br />

proving that Kandang has made a deal with the drow<br />

in order to gain support for an invasion of Valjinn. <strong>The</strong><br />

Player Characters can do this by spying on Fangthane<br />

Barbiculus or raiding Brexel’s den. If they can show<br />

that Valjinn is the next target after Jehannum, Valjinn<br />

abandons its neutrality and sides with the allies. Valjinn<br />

can supply up to 20,000 troops without leaving itself<br />

exposed, though it cannot transport them quickly.<br />

Vella: <strong>The</strong> gnome island wants one thing above all else:<br />

protection. If it joins an allied force, then it is exposing<br />

its beautiful cities, museums and galleries filled with<br />

priceless works of art to the chaos of war. <strong>The</strong> Player<br />

Characters must swear to come to Vella’s defence when<br />

the gnomes call. If the Player Characters do not attempt<br />

to enlist Vella’s help, the gnomes side with the drow,<br />

purely in order to preserve their beloved island intact.<br />

<strong>The</strong>y believe that it would be better to live under foreign<br />

rule than have their cities torn down and their works<br />

destroyed. Vella has only a tiny standing army but it has<br />

plenty of ships; assume that for game purposes, there<br />

are enough to transport a force of any size.<br />

Xoth Sarandi: To bring the elves onto their side, the<br />

Player Characters must shame the High Council and<br />

expose its hypocrisy. See ‘Shaming the Council’ below.<br />

<strong>The</strong> elves can supply 40,000 warriors and the ships to<br />

transport them. <strong>The</strong>se will be sent from Shallenoi via<br />

Xoth Sarandi.<br />

Ibon Presno Gonzalez (order #73006) 8<br />

113

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