High in the shadow mountains the dark ruins of the once proud keep haunt the pass below
1. Crumbling Gatehouse
2d6 stirges roost among the crumbling pillars. 1+1 HD, AC 7, Attack as 3 HD, blood drain 1d4 hp/round
2. Courtyard
Fallen stones wedged into the sodden ground. A search may reveal a very large humanoid footprint
3. Chapel
Old bones litter the flagstone floor. Usable holy water can be found in a font below a cracked altar.
Late Summer - 11th - 28th day in the month of Marissa 1371
The campaign in the Dunlands has been costly.
Logak, Nandor, and henchmen Ga’el, Gloron and Fosat are dead. Visefrin, bishop of Tandis has been terribly weakened by the shade of Hrothgar.
A piece of the bishop's very soul has been severed.
Much of the chaos in Cragcoil Forest, no doubt the work of Vortigen, has been thwarted. Still, a host of orcs is dug into the cliffs below Dunmorg - though their line of supply has been cut and their leader slain.
Duncrag is now ruled by Egilrik, an ambitious young chieftain eager to avenge himself upon the Black Talons.
Can the heroes of Tandis muster yet more heroics in these hinterlands? Will they throw back Voritgen’s forces and end the Black Talon offensive? Will they return home in time for the star-crossed birth of Sabira’s child?
People of note
Treasure of note
Visefrin was not the first cleric of the new gods to come to Tandis Hill as a crusader, but he quickly proved to be truly favored by the deities of law
He began under the tutelage of Mother Woosa, an abbess of sorts whose fane was a rude stone tower with an earthen floor and holes in the walls through which wind, rain, and refuse would enter unbidden. The lowly nun showed Visefrin how to consecrate holy water and offered him sage advice to overcome the many trials that arose to test the faith and virtue of the holy crusader.
Visefrin first proved himself in the second deep of the dungeon, a warren of the walking dead who lingered in those foul pagan tombs. There his divine rebuke sent scores of these minions of chaos crawling back into their niches to await again the darkness.
In another episode, Visefrin and his band found a series of old rooms and discerned that they were a test for the faithful. They called this place the pilgrim's path and pieced together the way to proceed. They found the final room occupied by a wicked cleric of chaos, whom they slew. In this final chamber, Visefrin claimed the pilgrim’s cap, a humble piece of headwear imbued with the protection of the gods.
Later the heroes delved into the fifth deep and encountered the court of chaos, a foul confederation of evil that ruled over dozens of bugbears and entertained themselves with blood sports played on the sands of a terrible arena. This court was presided over by a wicked sorceress called Lelak. What a cruel perversion of humanity she was! As the heroes of Harrowhoff battled with the sorceress and her minions, Visefrin was turned into a rat, but even in this lowly form, the fires of justice burned bright. The rat crawled up the pant leg of one of Lelak’s minions and its teeth found purchase beneath mail and jerkin. Eventually, the court was slain and Visefrin was restored to his natural form.
A year or so later and after many adventures, Visefrin had grown in power, and the gods smiled on him above any other in the hinterlands. Woosa, who had the gift of prophecy, told him that he would be the bishop of Tandis (an office heretofore unheard of) if he could find the ruins of the Temple of Ten and claim the staff ensconced within. This he did. He and his band traveled far to the east to the ancient fane and within defeated many foul blue-eyed wights. Visefrin claimed the Healing Staff and Woosa’s words indeed came to pass.
Lord Fillip declared it was time for Tandis to have its own bishop and installed Visefrin as such. With help from the Western church, construction began on the cathedral of Tandis. With the growth of the bishop’s power, so grew the prestige of the once small barony on the edge of Arimur.
Visefrin wears proudly the humble cap of the pilgrim. He wields the Healing Staff and a magic mace. He is wise and strong and well-loved by all in Tandis and beyond.
Logak was a dwarven orphan raised among men. He came of age with a little-known band called the Wandering Foot. This group raised orphans as warriors and seekers of justice. Logak sometimes fell short of these ideals but nevertheless would prove himself to be a mighty hero.
Logak was not the first dwarf warrior to come to Tandis Hill. In fact, a group of dwarves had come before seeking an old relic of theirs long hidden in the crypts of men. Logak was not present for this adventure, but he did claim the magic axe of one dwarf who was. This dwarf, whose name the chronicler cannot recall, had been killed alongside many warriors of his race in a foul goblin lair.
Logak distinguished himself as a fearless warrior and a few such instances of valor stand out to this humble chronicler.
Once when the band was exploring a caved-in series of crypts, Logak held off a dozen or more ghouls until they could be rebuked by the mighty Visefrin.
In another episode, the group had tamed the wicked ruins of Sesgroth and killed the sorcerer who had taken up residence there. As they were leaving, they looked down the cliffside and to their horror saw a giant and his ogre minions beginning to climb the ancient stairs that led to the tower. Logak took to the stairs and held these foes off bravely as the rest hurled spell and arrow down upon them. The dwarf squared off against the giant and with mighty swings of his magic axe, he smote its ruin across the cliff side.
Logak is the wielder of the magic battle axe and the dark shield. He is jovial but prone to drunkenness.
Heironymous came to Tandis a fledgling magic user with singed eyebrows from failed experiments with unstable concoctions. He rose to become the most powerful magician yet to reside on the demesne of lord Fillip.
As an adventurer his interest in alchemy and herbalism continued and he began to show a talent for linguistics. In his early delves, he encountered the ancient runes of the Red Kings and eventually mastered the dialect.
It was in the tombs of the second deep that Heironymous claimed the dagger of Vorkulis after making a pact with Vorkulis himself, an eternal sentinel in the darkness. The dagger (coveted by Morcarat herself) was later devoured by an insectoid horror that fed on iron, but I digress
Heironymous and the rest were eventually acquainted with Brieberus the green wizard of the Verdenleaf and many times visited him in his woodland tower. It was he who told them of Vortigen, the wizard of the swamp of skulls, Voritgen who commands a legion of black talon orcs and wields power beyond any other mortal sorcerer. Brieberus and Voritgen had long been foes but dared not face each other lest they both be destroyed in an otherworldly display of spellfire. So they waged their wars through other means - wars slow and terrible fought by others on their behalf over long years. But make no mistake reader, this struggle was no trifle. Its outcome would decide if the darkness or the light was to rule over all of Arimur and beyond.
Once while exploring the dungeons beneath Tandis, Heironymous and his band found themselves in a location between worlds. You see reader, keepers of the golden passing do sometimes dwell in dark places and admit the worthy into the Room of Seven Doors and the Old Pheonix Inn beyond, but that is another matter.
Heironymous had shown great skill in conjuring illusions. Once when his band encountered a great host of Balmorgun orcs in the Demon Hand Wastes, he drove them all off by conjuring a red dragon spouting great plumes of fire. Oh, how the orcs went screaming for their holes that night!
In another episode, Heironymous treated with the goblin king in the pits and mines dug deep within a cave leading into the dungeon. He tricked this foul sovereign and managed to obtain a lute stolen from a silver dragon who lived nearby. The dragon, who preferred the form of a comely youth, rewarded the group for their guile, much to the chagrin of his wives. You see, it was the jewelry of one of these nymphs that became the prize given to the heroes by this dragon.
Heironymous wears a golden ring of warding and wields the dreadful wand of paralysis. He has claimed several powerful grimoires from vanquished magic users, yet he has proven his wits and cunning to be as effective as his mighty spells.
Nandor came to Harrowhoff as a middle-aged warrior and a lesser landholder from the kingdom of Arimur. Two of his children had been slain in the realms of chaos beneath Tandis Hill, and a third, Nathan, retired and had been working as a laborer on the freehold. The line of Nandor had been all but severed - aside from the cowardly Nathan.
Nandor decided to stay at Harrowhoff leaving his beloved wife, Nissy, to manage his holdings in the west. He quickly proved himself as a capable warrior and stalwart companion
In time, Nandor claimed the sword Engryn by slaying the terrible wraiths that warded it. This mighty blade was known as a dragonslayer and had the power to detect magical auras.
Anon, Nandor retained the services of a lovely young magic user called Taran. She soon became a good friend of the aging warrior - perhaps she reminded him of his own slain daughter. Taran grew in power and became a fixture of Nandor’s many adventures.
Once, on the way back to Tandis from a far-flung adventure, the band spied a cave high in the Demon Hand Hills. The cave was soon discovered to be littered with wyvern scales - no doubt a lair of the foul creatures.
The group pressed forward, Engryn vibrating with anticipation. They met the mated pair of wyverns and Nandor and his flashing blade were victorious. The group claimed the eggs of these beasts and after consulting with Brieberus, the green wizard, they learned of a clan of eagle riders who might train flying beasts as mounts.
In time, Nandor and his band set off east to seek the eagle riders in the mountains north of the Red Steppe. They eventually found these flyers, or rather the flyers found them. Rilla, a beautiful eagle rider agreed to bring the group to their fortress high in the mountains to meet her father the king. This fortress, called Breakness Aerie sat upon a high peak too steep for any mortal to climb. There they met the sky-born king and a deal was struck to offer eggs to the Eagle riders so they might train the beasts as future mounts.
These eagle riders considered themselves kings and had ruled over their domain for a thousand years. They shunned the petty matters of the men below and took what they wanted from the fields and paddocks of nearby settlements, thus drawing much ire from the Astoradian settlers of the eastern borderlands.
Nandor is a warrior of skill and a stout-hearted companion. He wields the sword Engryn and a magic bronze shield.
The hobbit, Fidlthid was one of the first adventurers to come to Tandis and was among the first to delve the winding halls of the dungeon below. It was in the dungeon he found the two halves of the broken sword, left to molder in an old goblin horde.
What a strange twist of fate that the rune blade should come to a hobbit, of all creatures.
Initially, Fidlthid favored stealth, using his diminutive size to his advantage. He proved himself a great slayer equal to any of his fellows and lived through many successful delves.
One day, a group of Hobbits arrived at Harrowhoff. They heard tell of a warrior-hobbit of skill and bravery. They told Fidlthid that they came from a village called Hal's Hill, and that they had long been plagued by a three-headed ogre called Ebrigog. They pleaded with the small but mighty warrior to travel to their settlement and rid them of this scourge. Fidlthid and some of his companions agreed.
They traveled northeast and found Hal's Hill, a ring of handsome burrows in the rolling hills north of the Shadow Mountains. There they met Hal, the mayor, who told them of their sorrowful plight. Long had the ogre taken sheep, ale, and even hobbits for his foul table. It had been discovered that his lair was a reeking cave in the foothills.
A hero of Hal's Hill named Talo Goldentwine set off months before to slay the ogre. With him, he took his famous weapon, the golden sling. All in Hal's Hill were hopeful that he would slay the beast, but he had not returned and was feared lost.
In another episode, Fidlthid journeyed to the icy peak of Rilm high in the shadow mountains. There he sought the method by which to reforge the broken rune blade. Brieberus the green wizard told him that only Morcarat, the ice maiden, knew of such lore, and Rilm was her home.
On the icy ridge the party was met by hairy white beasts with glowing eyes and behind them, appearing in a flurry of snow was Morcarat, beautiful and terrible. She told the hobbit that she knew the way to reforge the blade, but her aid would cost.
Somehow, before any others, she knew that Sabira was with child, moreover, she had somehow divined that it would be a girl child. She would give over the lore only if the child was promised to her. After much deliberation, the sire (the then master of Harrowhoff) agreed, being covetous of power and lore.
Morcarat told them that the blade was forged in ages past by the giant, Bolverk in his forge on the mountain Snarfell, a place of eternal cold. She gave to them a silver ring to clasp around the giant's ankle and thereby compel him to reforge the blade.
Months later, the heroes undertook the expedition to Snarfell, and there upon the grim and icy slope, they slew a frost wyrm. Once inside the mountain, the group found the giant and his forge, and through sorcery and guile clasped the ring upon him and made their demand. The giant begged them to free him from the clasp after the deed was done - for if they did not he could be easily bent to the will of Morcarat. They agreed.
The sword was repaired with a single blinding blow of the giant's hammer, and Elderstyg, the hero's glaive was reborn. The giant warned them that the sword was thirsty for blood and that whenever it was unsheathed, blood would flow. He told them too of the breaking of the blade. This was done by the mighty dragon Falgr who had been sleeping for many long years. The dragon, he said, hated this blade above all else and legend said that if the blade was remade, the mighty fire-breather would awaken and seek the ruin of Elderstyg's wielder.
The first would-be heroes arrived at the borderland barony of Tandis in the early spring of the year 1370.
Many have come and gone. Many have died - some ignominiously and others in grand fashion. I will concern this accounting with those yet alive and perhaps some more recently deceased.
The heroes of Tandis are tenants of the freehold of Harrowhoff, a handsome manor not far from Tandis Hill. This was granted to them by lord Fillip for returning to him a golden eye. The retrieval of this was during their first foray into the labyrinthine dungeons beneath the castle, but I digress.
The master of Harrowhoff is the esquire Welborn, a magic user of no little power. We will begin this accounting with him.
Welborn came from a privileged upbringing and first came to Tandis to retrieve the belongings of his brother who died adventuring in the dungeons below. It wasn’t long before the budding magic user fell in with the band and began his own career of exploration and plunder.
While exploring a barrow, Welborn was petrified by a horrifying creature. His form stood there in the darkness for many months, and Harrowhoff was thereby inherited by one of his relatives from the West. The chronicler at the time of writing cannot remember this warrior’s name, though no doubt his deeds were valourous.
In time a woman from the south lands came to Harrowhoff having heard of fighters of stout heart in residence there. This woman, Sabira needed sanctuary you see, for she was pursued by assassins from her wicked homeland of Zagra. The woman boasted of her many talents including song, dance, and horse lore. The master of Harrowhoff agreed to take her in, thus Sabira became the warrior’s consort and in due course, she was with child.
In time the warrior promised the yet unborn child to the sorceress Morcarat. The details of this arrangement and how it came to be will be recounted in the tale of another one of Tandis’ heroes.
In time this warrior, master of Harrowhoff, met his own grisly end in the bowels of the dungeon, but as luck would have it, Welborn was made free of his stony form. This was due to the intervention of a water nymph found in a cave, but that is another story altogether.
Welborn, once more a man of flesh and bone resumed his mastery of Harrowhoff. Sabira, ever cunning, seduced him and became his own consort. Welborn believed himself to be the sire of the unborn child, the pregnancy thus far kept secret (or so she thought.)
Little did Welborn know that the former landlord had promised the unborn child to Morcarat.
Some months later, lord Fillip got wind of this pregnancy and decreed that Welborn was to wed the woman. Lord Fillip was rumored to have said, "We shall not have bastards sprouting up like cabbages at Harrowhoff." The wedding took place at the Green Wizard's hall, Verdengard, and was by all accounts a gay affair.
In another event, Welborn visited the grim castle Lichgate and there met a necromancer of great power. Ever since he has been enamored with the darker arts. Once, using a powerful potion, he ensorcelled a gaggle of ghouls to his side and with them assaulted the earthworks at Duncrag.
Welborn wears the serpent’s ring taken from the sorcerer of Sesgroth from whom he also claimed The Black Book of the Worm King. He wields the powerful iron rod of fear and is a fearsome thaumaturgist.
Welborn is rather patrician in his dealings with others and believes he naturally deserves all the honors he has achieved. He is no coward on the battlefield and his flashing missiles have struck down many a foe.
