Archive for the Lands of the East Category
Dao Tyr – A Political Primer
Posted in Ancient Lands, Dinnae, Elves, Gavin Wel, Innien, Lands of the East, Niskantel, The Shadow Road on June 7, 2013 by coyoteandthunder
Click above to enlarge.
1164, in the seventh aepoch of the raelfaen.
Dinnae – Shadow city on the edge of the Fay Dark. The Court of the Black Orchid at the behest of the Queen of Shadow rules with grim and gothic solemnity from the Palace of Blood and Stars. The city population has grown to nearly half a million living souls in the past few years, and has become a major trade stop on the Lilthen Sea. One of the City’s many secrets is the use of undead labor in its industry, driving its economic growth.
Edorinn – The Sylvan nations of the Southern Sun. The City of Edorinn is an ancient metropolis of many thousand elves and eladrin, built on colossal, building like mushrooms. Swarming armies of elf-mounted, green drakes spring from roost to roost, ever vigilant of threats from the north.
Ethilistyr – The Dreamwater. Built on the ruins of the most fabulous of the first cities of DaoTyr, Khepathia, this land of men and fay exists as a rural sovereignty; wealthy from the plunder recovered from the deep and infinite ruins beneath its fertile farms, the Dreamwater also owns considerable arcane wealth from the real opening of the Shadow Road (a powerful vein of multiplanar magic) one hundred years ago.
Eyrolia – The Stone kingdoms of the North. Argon Meavoi, the King of Eyrolia, one of the stonekin, rules as a benevolent king over a vast, frozen land where strong men hunt caribou with the wolf and the raven.
Gavin Wel – If there is a cultural hub of Dao Tyr, it is Gavin Wel. Gavin Wel, governed by the so-called Council of Eagles, a cabal of druids, has prospered in recent years after many years of war and strife. Gavin Wel has marketed itself as a center of freedom and expression and because of it, has become an international magnet for all manner of artists, adventures and con men.
Gildensong – The lands of Wine. The great valleys of Gildensong are protected by ancient dragons who jealously protect those who have tended to these endless vineyards since the beginning of the fifth age, so many thousands of years ago.
Hyth Anir – The DragonKin empire of Lord Arnithol. The destruction of the city of Hyth Anir fifty years ago left a whole race of people angry, strife-ridden and homeless. The chronicles of Valenta Quoul records the recent history of this ruthless army on the move.
Mortileux – The land of the Dead. Ruled over by the dark king of the Blightlords, Volukai, holds grim court in a land of gray sand and black water.
Niskantel – The Copper City. The trademeet of the North. The Scarlet Sorceress, Ariathia, from the Tower of the Eye, permits a free market to all manner of economic activity on the streets, populated by almost a million people, so far under her stone tower.
Norwylnn – The Fay North. Wild Raelfaen, hunter and gather communities guard ancient libraries across tundra landscapes.
Purdjion – The wound in the world. The realm of Angels and Demons. From the bottom of the black crater, where a mortal to stand there, they would witness a font of heavenly angels cascading from a hole in the sky to then tirelessly meet a infinite well of demons bubbling up from a crack in the blistered earth. An ancient hold keeps this war from spilling out over the great geoscape.
Puriol – The first city of men. Mostly a hallowed ruin, only about ten thousand noble souls still call this ancient place home. The Navy of Puriol is still a potent armada, administering trade all the way to its namesake, Theriol, on the other side of the continent.
Sword Call – The seat of power in Eyrolia. The home of Meavoi. The ritual of EO, 75 years ago, occurred here, and marked the end of the six age of the world.
Tem Salaam – The most-ancient Raelfaen observatory. A place of fay magic that has remained in this place for over 50,000. The oldest power in the world, by far.
The Lilthen Sea – really a massive, freshwater lake.
The Red Tower – Seat of power in the Dragonkin kingdom of Hurthyric. After 100 years of war with the Kingdom of Theriol, the dragonborn people of Hurthyric are in a dire situation. Their goddess, Tiamat, has been vanquished and their emperor is missing.
The West Island – Ancient lands of the Silver Fay, druids of thunder and wilderness.
Thessany – The largest wilderness area in all of Northern Dao Tyr.
Theriol – The Eastern kingdom of Men, Ruled by the noble and young King Brogan VIII. A wealthy kingdom, protected by the strong Clockwork knights.
Unon – The Ancient Lands of the Raelfaen, defined as the area from Gavin Wel to Tem Salaam.
The Illmata Moon
Posted in Innien, Lands of the East, The Hunt of Tiamat on May 8, 2013 by coyoteandthunder
“We know she is here, in Dao Tyr. I have called you, warriors from across the world, to strike against the most evil thing to have ever existed. With every Illmata Moon she must come and uphold the covenant with her prince, Hurthyric, the Dragon King. The ritual takes place in a different place every month – in three days time, we know where it will happen. Make no doubt: this is a conspiracy to do away with a goddess, and certainly your life, but perhaps your very soul hangs in the balance. With this one chance we may end this war-without-end. Theriol have never been offered an end game possibility such as this. We implore you, vanquish this bitch and free my people.” King Brogan VIII.
Playlist:
Aela the Harvester
Posted in Dragons, Innien, Lands of the East, The Hunt of Tiamat on April 20, 2013 by coyoteandthunder
Aela served for thousands of years in the five levels of heaven. She served the Demigod, Alablyss, Lord of Redemption. Aela’s purpose was to seek out those souls in the material plane who had turned from the darkness and lead lives of goodness and piety. She would observe from the heavens and travel to the world of the mortals and shuffle the souls of the worthy up to their heavenly home at the point of death, wrapping their souls in a golden cloak and delivering them like newborn babes into the heavenly pleasures that awaited.
However over time, she grew disdainful of her position and of the many heavens themselves. Though she worked tirelessly she never saw respite. She was never allowed to take part in the pleasures that were bestowed upon the souls she delivered. For all her hard work she could never rise to the highest planes of heaven where the greatest pleasures awaited. She was condemned to serve the rest of eternity in the second level of heaven.
The demon lord Chathivus, lord of Corruption, learned of Aela’s dissatisfaction and paid a visit to her as she traveled to the plane of mortals. He offered her a place with his cohort in hell. Of course her initial reaction was revulsion, but Chathivus’ words were like sugar. Sweet and tempting. He continued to visit Aela, and she continued to turn him down but each time she listened longer and considered more. Eventually Chathivus asked her why she would not join him in hell. She was clearly unhappy, and could never become anything more than she was already in heaven. But in hell she could be so much more. She would start in the first levels of hell, but hard work and persistence was rewarded, unlike in the heavens. She could move to the deeper and deeper levels of hell, gaining more power and prestige. She could have her own cohort and rule over them and the souls they gathered. But she refused. She would never turn away from goodness to join evil, to which Chathivus laughed.
“Do you really think us evil!? What do you think it is we do in hell?”
“You sow hate and death and darkness across the many planes of existence. Yours are the ways of pure evil and I could never be a part of that.”
“How blinded you are from living so long in the light.” Chathivus told her, “There are no evil demons any more than there are any good angels. We simply are. The difference is that heaven accepts only the pure and pious. They are treated like kings and you are their servants. But in hell we gather the wicked, the murderous and truly black hearted scum of the worlds. And it’s not because we want to serve them and offer them rewards. We punish them for their misdeeds. We flay the rapists. Burn the murderers. They are our play things and we do with them as we please. We do not bow to them. They bow to us.”
After that Aela was convinced. She joined Chathivus, though he was not entirely sincere. Hell is well and truly a dark and evil place, and while the demons do not serve the souls they harvest, they serve other powers, and their torture of the damned is not for any sense of justice, but rather to fulfill the dark desires of the dark gods and demons that fester in the seven layers of hell.
But it was too late. Aela was corrupted. She turned her back on Alablyss and never returned to heaven. Nor could she once she had joined the forces of hell. She was tainted and could never return. But by then she did not care. Her new position was very similar to her last, but now she sought the souls of those who had wickedness and sin in their hearts. Her golden cloak was reforged into a cythe, with which she carved the souls out of the wicked. Her pure white wings and golden hair turned to black. Her golden eyes burned red with the flames of hell.
Aela gave herself completely to her new position and moved up the ranks of Chathivus’ cohort quickly. She experienced all that the many levels of hell had to offer. She wore masks of flesh at the masquerade ball of Galbinus, the demon lord of Debauchery and Butchery. She learned from Heshkinah, demoness lady of sadism, how to wield hellfire so that it could both burn and simultaneously heal, creating a nonlethal flame of eternal torture. She bathed in the molten crystalline sea of shattered souls.
After tens of thousands of years in hell, Aela could barely remember her life in Heaven. She had given herself completely to the corruption. Only her stark white skin remained as an unchangable reminder of her true origin. As the new rising dark star of hell Aela was choosen by Belial in a wager against the Archangel Raziel. The two had wagered that their champion could collect a million souls before the other. Rules were set in place. Aela could only gather the souls of those already corrupted by darkness: Murderers, rapists, thieves and all those who had already brought the darkness into their souls. While Neru, Aela’s replacement in the Heaven’s, could only gather the souls of the pious and good. With all the wars raging, it seemed a simple task for Aela, but at the start of the wager a new era of peace and prosperity was ushered in. Religious zealotry have Neru a quick lead and caused Aela to struggle early on. But for hundreds of years they gathered souls where they could until it became clear that Neru would win.
Battles between Theriol and Hurthiric provided Aela with a great source of souls, but not nearly enough. Belial had promised her that if she won this wager for him that a lordship would be granted to her. She would be the Lady of Death and free of Chathivus’ cohort and free to form her own. But unbeknownst to her is the winnings wagered between Belial and Raziell. The loser’s layer of respective heaven or hell is annexed to the other. So angels and demons watch with bated breath to see where their allegiance and realms may fall to.
The turning point for Aela is in sight. It is well documented that one soul is not worth the same as the next. The soul of a king is worth that of 500 farmers. A warrior is worth a dozen miners. But the soul of a Dragon God is worth a billion common souls. With one swift stroke, Aela can end this wager and return to hell a champion. But along the way she must continue to harvest the souls of every killer and criminal she encounters, for if she were to fail (and somehow live) the wager will not end and the time she spent pursuing Tiamat cannot have been in vain.
Lords of The Red Tower
Posted in Dragons, Innien, Lands of the East, The Dragongods on April 18, 2013 by coyoteandthunder
The lord emperor of the Dragonkin empire is Hurthyric of the Red Tower. Over a century ago, he ascended the throne – delivering, as he proclaimed, the righteousness of Tiamat from the Far Realm – where he had been held in stasis for the past thousand years. Since that time he has rained endless fire and war upon the humans armies of the South. The Front, long entrenched, deep and blanketed in the blood of the fallen, will soon break. So says the prophecies of the Red Court, in fact, it has all unfolded exactly by his plan.
There are five main, noble houses, or Voltain, from the Red Tower of Hurthyric. These five predate the coming of the Tiamat Revelation. Corinthyric is the oldest of the Voltain. Master Onok is the Lord of the Howling Wind and is the only Venerable Fang on the Court. Ablithox is the Lord of The Ferrunok, House of Sword Tooth, and the venerable, maned-dragon, Aergressin is a constant objector to lord Hurthyric’s plans to expand the empire. Babrinilox is lord of the Othymot, House of Obsidian, and is the commander of a large cabal of elementalists – dark and wise, who in turn, command a large army of earth and fire elementals. Malphareneth is the lord of Uthrot, the House of the Fire Heart and the General of the Red Ring – those responsible for training all the soldier gladiators in Tiamat’s Army. HaelRenMeh is lord of ThanMa, the House of the Spearhead and slaving is their purview – with Fire Giants as slaves, this house is responsible for arming the legion with the products of the great forges in their charge.
Castle Theriol
Posted in Innien, Lands of the East, Men on April 17, 2013 by coyoteandthunder
After the Assault of the Star Spawn nearly a year ago, Castle Theriol has been rebuilt. Now, Young King Brogan VIII has realized his vision of a fortress that stands ready for anything that this realm, or the next, might throw at it. The Castle home of the Clockwork knights spins slowly, on a heavy cog, always oriented to face the dawning sun.
The Tablets of Fate
Posted in Innien, Lands of the East on April 1, 2013 by coyoteandthunder
The Tablets of Fate were being transported North from Theriol to the front of Tiamanthus – escorted by the veteran knights of Theriol when they were sacked by the wannabe Blightlord, Ythrot. Although Ythrotkai was able to use the Tablets to become YthrotKai, she was quickly killed and the Tablet made it to the Front. Ilja rolled a natural 20/double 00 on the finishing blow!
YthrotKai
The Fellkin and the Blighted Goblins
The Veteran Knights of Theriol
Posted in Innien, Lands of the East, Men on March 25, 2013 by coyoteandthunder
The adventure is called “Ambush at Thunder Stone” and takes place in the Innien campaign setting of Dao Tyr. The party is a made up of a collection of soldiers – Clockwork Knights, veterans of war. Having served their time, you all have moved into civilian life. That was before the Assault of the Star Spawn. Now, with a new king on the throne and resources spread perilously thin across the kingdom, you are being called back into duty.
“Sir Sciros Kal, Brigadier Captain” (Level 11 elite soldier, male human knight) & “Yrna, Battle Wyrm” (Level 4 artillery, small dragon)
Two scars run down the cheeks of Sir Sciros’ face. At 34, Sciros never thought he would have to face combat again. Aeclyn, his magic sword, was retired as a wall piece above the hearth. Leaving his wife and his one living son, the other was recently killed in the alien assault, Sciros returns to lead a company of Clockwork knights.
“Sir Tolen Massera, Field Sargent” (Level 10 elite artillery, male human knight)
The brilliant armorer and artificer, and Scrios’ best friend, Tolen is a widower – his wife died of natural causes, three years ago – leaving him to father three girls. Tolen designed his own, top-loading crossbow and wields it with astounding efficacy. A man troubled, Tolen has a secret substance abuse problem with the eldritch drug, cathoid.
“Ilja, Scout Lieutinent” (Level 9 elite skirmisher, female elven knight)
Ilja served under Sir Sciors at the Front of Tiamantha 15 years ago and returns as his scout now. She tried being a politician for a few years after her tour of duty – but that did not sit well with her – preferring the forest to the court. She still works temporarily as a diplomat between the strongly allied kingdoms of Theriol and Amis Ali, elfhome.
“Red Stone of the Kodi” (Level 10 elite brute, male half-goliath barbarian) & “Mulmo, Dragon bred War Hound” (Level 4 skirmisher)
The wild card. Red Stone is not a man of Theriol – his home is the Mountains north of the capital. The Kodi were destroyed and Red Stone finds himself without family. He has sworn an oath to the King, but works as a free-agent, not a knight.
Assault of the Star Spawn
Posted in Innien, Lands of the East, Men on March 19, 2013 by coyoteandthunder
They came with out warning. Eight, there were; massive horrors that swept in from the sky…from the stars. Moving with lightning and thunderous energy, the alien horrors swept across the plains of Theriol in the Fall of 1174, a season that will forever be known as the Year of the Star Spawn.
GrahlDevin Mountain Range
Posted in Innien, Lands of the East on February 3, 2013 by coyoteandthunder
click to enlarge
Approaching Druidholm from the North
The South Face of Black Peak
Chronicles of the World of DaoTyr 