Zithiruun's Plot Reveiled

The githyanki are known to be very militaristic and aggresive. They are constantly working to expand their influence & control over others (who become slaves on some level). Regardless of their current focus, the ability to rapidly move troops around the world & between planes is a huge military advantage.

Elsir Vale has an abundance of portals, natural and man-made, to this world & other planes. The entire vale is abnormally conducive to portals. You've encountered at least 4 natural crossover points. Any other region of the world might have 1. Additionally, man-made portals are faster, easier & cheaper to create here. This is the resource the Githyanki have been after.

Zithiruun has been the puppetmaster behind many of the troubles in Elsir Vale lately; many of the issues the party has come across. Amyria shares the following info...

General Zithiruun was a great hero — one of the most respected military leaders of a militant race. From the great city of Tu’narath, he led armies of the githyanki on raids across the Astral Sea, and into a dozen different regions and kingdoms of the mortal realm. From the deck of the astral galleon Siun’kara or the back of Rathoraiax, his great red dragon steed, Zithiruun proved an unstoppable force — a champion among a race of champions. Even Vlaakith, the fearsome githyanki lich queen, acknowledged his greatness, heaped great praise upon him.

It’s said that he was crippled and his mount slain in a battle against a mighty dragon or fiend. Rumors disagree on whether he still lives and what position he might hold (if any) among the weakness-intolerant githyanki.

Mountainroot Temple

A subterranean structure built by the same order that would later go on to construct the Monastery of the Sundered Chain, the Mountainroot Temple stands deep beneath the Stonehome Mountains. Built when the dwarves were still celebrating their freedom from the giants, it was not a dwarven structure, but a temple built for anyone who wanted to pay tribute to Moradin, of any race. It held great reliquaries of holy icons, enormous cathedrals where hundreds could worship at once, and even a doorway to the Astral Plane whence angels and exarchs of Moradin would appear to discourse with the god’s most favored priests and champions.

To facilitate a grand community of Moradin worshipers, the Mountainroot Temple had, in addition to its astral doors and its main entryway into the mountains, four mystical doorways constructed. Each linked to another temple of Moradin elsewhere in the world, so the faithful could come and go with ease.

And for decades, even centuries, the temple thrived. Slowly, however, relations between Moradin’s faithful grew strained. Priests assigned to other, “lesser” temples grew envious of those at Mountainroot. Many of the dwarf faithful grew haughty, considering themselves Moradin’s “true” children, and sought to oust all others, or at least put them in lesser places, denying them access to the temple’s wonders.

Was it Moradin’s wrath? A curse brought upon them by the giants they’d so long ago escaped? Or simply a natural catastrophe without greater meaning? None can say. Whatever the case, some centuries ago, the mountain was struck by an earthquake. Portions of the inner tunnels collapsed, damaging several chambers of the Mountainroot Temple, destroying others entirely. Panicked, the priests and the faithful grabbed up their treasures and holy icons—at least most of them—and fled using the surviving magical portals.

Once they’d settled elsewhere, the bulk of Moradin’s priests decided that this way was better. By scattering from the temple, they would allow the dwarves to build their own shrines, without feeling constrained by the other races, and the jealousy that marred the priesthood would fade. Although they mourned the loss of the great cathedral, and those few treasures they’d been unable to save, they declared the quake to have been Moradin’s will and left the temple abandoned. In time, most faithful, even most priests save those most thoroughly learned in their history, forgot it had ever been.

Blades of Legend

Luna - A silver longsword encrusted with rubies. Nina Delavega (Nina Quicksilver, The Wisp of Westdeep) used this blade 1000 years ago. The silver lady had zero tolerance for trespassers in the elven woods.

Lightbringer – A silver greatsword ornamented with red opals. Wielded 900 years ago by Parlin Ironfell (Guardian of Karak, Scion of Ironfell). Parlin was a great dwarven warrior of clan Ironfell at the peak of their power. In his later years, Parlin held the Karak Lode mines safe from intruders, thieves and the ravages of the desert. Parlin was the last scion of the legendary diamond mines before they disappeared into history.

Xaran - A platinum longsword with rubies. This was the favored weapon of Kenji Sonbai (The Silver Dragon, Kenji the Righteous) 700 years ago. Kenji was a dragonborn paladin of Bahamut who traveled the vale vanquishing evil, defending the weak and promoting the tenets of the Platinum Dragon.

Angel - A mithril bastard sword with a single star ruby. Christine Yatkina (Maiden of Vrath, Scourge of Wyrmsmoke) devoted her life to fending off the goblinoid hordes from the Wyrmsmoke mountains 500 years ago. Drellin’s Ferry was established during her time and still maintains a small shrine to their protector of old.

Ruach - A golden scimitar encrusted with rubies. The tried and true blade of Ishtar Flagens (Lion of the North, the Horse King) 400 years ago. Ishtar roamed the great plains in the northwestern vale with his riders. His kingdom had no great cities or defensible geographical features. His elite riders descended on any trouble & resolved the issue with great efficiency.

Corvin - The holy (silver & opal) longsword of a fallen Paladin 200 years ago. Juttsin Telvar (The Crimson Knight) fell out of grace with High Priestess Zamora of Pelor when he refused to obey some long forgotten command. The rogue knight left the church and roamed the countryside for another decade aiding the poor and the sick before dying at the hands of orcs.

Karak Lode Mines

The great dwarven empire that ruled Elsir Vale fizzled out nearly 900 years ago. Overlook is virtually all that remains. At the peak of the empire, a lesser clan made it's mark on vale history. Clan Ironfell ventured far and wide in search of mineral wealth. And to many's surprise, they found their treasure in the middle of the desert, far south of Overlook.

The mine established was named the Karak Lode, after the first dwarf of Clan Ironfell to fall in its defense. Over long years, Karak became a legendary source of diamonds (think King Solomon). A supply depot was established at the desert's edge to service the caravans traveling between the mine and Overlook. The location of the Karak Lode was kept a closely guarded secret though. Only oath-sworn members of Clan Ironfell ever made the final leg of the journey across the sands.

Dwarves hold their secrets close, and their grip is doubly tight where wealth is concerned. So it was that Karak's secrecy eventually became its downfall. Under the pressure of monstrous maurauders, famine, and migrant human tribes, the dwarf kingdom of Elsir Vale declined. As its resources were taxed past the breaking point, the kingdom's borders began to contract. In time, sandstorms struck the southern wastes and the Karak supply depot was abandoned. Soon, all contact with the mine was lost, and the Karak Lode was consigned to history.

During the decades of wealth, Clan Ironfell established themselves as merchants and jewelcrafters. They grew in power and influence and virtually became nobility in Overlook. Even after the loss of the mine, the clan has managed to maintained much of that power.

Bram Ironfell now heads the clan. His uncle, Varthag, was the clan historian the party made contact with. Bram is a prominent member of the Elsir Consortium (largest merchant group in vale). Clan Ironfell boasts some of the finest jewelcrafters as well. All dealings concerning the Karak Lode will be handled personally by Bram.

Civilization in the Vale

Several civilizations have come and gone over the last 1000 years in the vale. The dwarves built most of the roadways, Overlook and the fortress in the pass. Rhest re-established trade and safe travel with neighboring regions about 500 years later. Both empires built to a peak; made advances in metalwork, stonework, agriculture and magic; then fell apart for some reason. Erathis (god of civilization) remains a significant diety in the vale, but the region is ruled by numerous city/states with no common leadership. Nobles and merchants (the wealthy) keep things like security, trade and farming at acceptable levels, for their own benefit. No doubt some of the advances those great empires made have been lost.

There is an organization known as the Vanguard (of Erathis) spread throughout the vale. This group operates independently of the church, though often with common goals, and many members are members of both. They are not very large or influential as a whole. They exist much like the Masons; visible to all, but subtle in their actions. Most people consider them benevolent and harmless. The organization is composed of numerous independent cells throughout the region.

Paleus has contacts within the Vanguard. Much of his information about the Shadowfell and creatures from there comes from the Vanguard. The Dark Ones and Shadar-kai often work to tear down civilization or steal it’s advancements. This has made them enemies of the Vanguard. Know thy enemy. Anything Paleus doesn’t know about the Shadowfell, the Vanguard can probably illuminate.

The Lost Ones

The thieves’ guild of Overlook is known as the Lost Ones. On the surface, the guild appears to be one collective group in charge of all criminal activity in the city. A little digging reveals that this group too is just a collection of smaller cell groups. At any given time there are roughly 10 guild leaders in power. These lordlings each govern some part of town or specialize in some activity, but they all manage to work together somewhat peacefully. It’s common practice for one group to send “business” to another if they lack the resources for a job.

The guild has informants and contacts throughout the city and boasts the best information network in the region. The leaders have found this cooperation most beneficial for all. They have numerous agents in the government and the Hammers. The Lost Ones have existed in this fashion for over 200 years. The majority of members are dwarves simply because most of the citizens are. There are members of other races, but they have a harder time operating in Overlook as the Hammers aren’t so amicable towards them.

Many a business owner pays “protection” fees to the guild. The fees aren’t high, but most business participate. So, this income is sizable. Black market sales are another source of income. Goods include stolen property, drugs, poisons, prohibited magics and exotic creatures and materials. Similar to the Hammers, the Lost Ones usually target non-dwarves and non-natives.

Modra might have been considered a guild leader had he been born an Overlook Dwarf. He provided cheap arms and armor to the underworld, so he was allowed to operate in Overlook for years, but he was never considered a full member. He disappeared two weeks ago. Rumor has it, he’s crossed someone in the Shadowfell and has gone into hiding. Arms dealing has virtually ground to a halt.

The Hammers of Overlook

The Hammers are the military, city guard and police force of Overlook. They handle all martial actions required to defend the city, from within & without. The Hammers are a long-standing organization dating back to the building of the city hundreds of years ago. There is a lot of tradition and a rigid organizational structure. The Hammers all wear dark gray tunics with a white/silver hammer (of Moradin) on the chest.

The Hammers aren’t the high and noble force they once were. Centuries of big city life have taken their toll. Membership is still limited to male dwarves born and raised in the city, but the character of those members is sometimes questionable. The Hammers have a “good old boy” network and mentality. Dwarves are favored; minor crimes overlooked; information shared; favors exchanged. “Outsiders” (anyone else) are handled with a different standard.

The Silver Sentinels

The civilized folk of Elsir Vale had no clue what was coming their way. The goblinoid army sent well trained scouts ahead to silence any that might alert the vale to their approach. But the vale was not without it's own skilled warriors. A band of adventurers hailing from Brindol was exploring ruins at the base of the Wyrmsmoke Mountains, Vraath Keep. These adventurers, who would later be known as the Silver Sentinels, were no match for the army they soon discovered. They were however enough to slow the army & buy their homeland some time to prepare. The small band of men & women destroyed the ancient dwarven bridge at Skull Gorge and set off to warn Drellin's Ferry and the vale.

In the weeks to come, not much stood a chance against the thousands of goblinoid troops with their warpriests and dragons. A few brave souls managed to slow the army at a river or mountain pass, but often at the cost of their lives. During this time, the Silver Sentinels proved themselves valiant defenders of the people. They led raids on the Red Hand supply lines, garnered allies from neighboring elven and dwarven settlements, and ruined more than a few of Azarr Kul's war plans.

As time went on though, it was evident that not even the Silver Sentinels could stop the advancing army. It spread through the eastern plains of the vale, right to the gates of Brindol. The little walled city was the first real obstacle the army had faced. They laid seige to the town and wore down it's defenses day after day.

Then something amazing happened. The leaders of the army reverted to fighting amongst themselves. Battalion commanders began vying for control of the army. The leadership tore itself apart. The great army split apart with many heading back to the Wyrmsmoke Mountains. The Lion Guard of Brindol, Tiri Kitor Hunters, Hammer Guard, and others quickly shifted to the offensive. The goblinoid tribes were at war now with foes on several fronts. The Red Hand was crushed.

Shortly thereafter, the Silver Sentinels reappeared, hauling fabulous loot and prominently displaying the body of Azarr Kul. They had skirted around the main army and ventured all the way to the Fane of Tiamat in the heart of the Wyrmsmoke Mountains. There they laid waste to the clergy & warpriests and packed all the valuables they could carry. By some miracle, they even stumbled upon Azarr Kul on their way back. It was an epic battle as the two groups crossed blades & magic flew. Two of the heroes lost their lives, and several others were seriously wounded, but in the end they won through & the dragon-king fell.

Stories of these brave heroes spread like wildfire, spurring the good people of the vale to further action. The military forces, as meager as they were, went on the hunt and killed hundreds upon hundreds of goblinoids. The Silver Sentinels even brought down Tyrgarun the blue dragon, their third dragon kill in as many months.

The war came to a halt. People returned home & rebuilt. Life in the vale would eventually return to normal.

And what of the Silver Sentinels? They worked alongside their neighbors and friends, restoring what they could. Until finally, there was nothing left for them to do in the vale. They were wealthy heroes, retired adventurers, middle aged now, some with families. Several of them settled down in the vale and lived out their years in peace. Others would never settle down, and so they moved on in search of some new adventure in far off lands, never to return to their humble birthplace in Elsir Vale.

The Silver Sentinels included seven members:
-Omar Tobias (male halfelf ranger)
-Jamie Baldack (male human paladin)
-Slade Gunter (male dwarf fighter)
-Breya Fariza (female halfelf wizard)
-Rece Ahlgul (male tiefling warlock)
-Damon Marvis (male human warlord)
-Cerian Eldon (female human rogue)
A few others spent short stints with the group, but these were the core members.

The Red Hand of Doom

For centuries, the dry and dusty Wyrmsmoke Mountains were home to dozens of goblinoid tribes. Travelers skirted the goblin-infested hills by a generous margin, but the Wyrmsmoke tribes posed no significant threat to the nearby human townlands and settlements, other than the occasional bloody raid. Yet deep within the mountains lay hidden something that would spell doom - an ancient temple dedicated to Tiamat, the Queen of Evil Dragons.

Built hundreds of years ago to serve as the hidden redoubt of a despicable cult of dragon worshippers, the temple was eventually cleansed by a band of heroes from the human city of Rhest. For several centuries the complex lay empty. Then, eighty years ago, the young half-dragon hobgoblin warrior Azarr Kul discovered the abandoned temple and was awed by the teachings of Tiamat he read on the walls therein. He abandoned Maglubiyet, the traditional deity of his people, and dedicated himself to leading the rest of his nation to Tiamat's worship.

Over the next twenty years, Azarr Kul grew into a powerful warlord and a mighty priest of Tiamat. Early in his rise to power he struck up an alliance with the blue dragon Tyrgarun, his own sire. Aided by this powerful ally, Azarr Kul converted his entire tribe into fanatical worshipers of Tiamat. He renamed the tribes that had fallen under his wing the Kulkor Zhul and began to lay his plans for conquest of Elsir Vale.

Dedicating themselves to the Queen of Evil Dragons with the fanaticism of the recently converted, the members of the Kulkor Zhul grew strong, stronger than any Wyrmsmoke tribe before them. Adopting the standard of the Red Hand, an ancient symbol of Tiamat's cult, Azarr Kul created an elite caste of warpriests, monks, and dragon-favored champions to lead the Kulkor Zhul.

Eventually, Azarr Kul and his dragon-worshipping zealots destroyed the last opposition to his supremacy over the Wyrmsmoke tribes, slaughtering the Black Knife Goblins and the tribes allied to them in a ferocious onslaught. The survivors accepted his sovereignty and were absorbed into his realm. Azarr Kul named his new kingdom Harg Kulkor, or "Land of the Dragon."

After a long season of rebuilding his strength, offering bribes to many of the intelligent monsters in the region, and reinforcing the power of his Red Hand warpriests over the disparate tribes he ruled, Azarr Kul finally turned his attention to the lands beyond the Wyrmsmoke Mountains. What he saw whetted his ambition for power; no city or state within hundreds of miles could field an army as strong as his. The High Wyrmlord dreamed of carving out a hobgoblin empire stretching from the Sunset Sea to the Golden Plains - and the first step was to crush the human towns in Elsir Vale.

History of the Vale

The scattered human towns and villages of the area grew up along the Dawn Way, an important east-west trade road linking the heavily settled lands that lie northwest across the Endless Plains with the exotic kingdoms and goods of the coastal lands lying to the southeast. Much of the Dawn Way was built by an ancient dwarven kingdom that spanned the Wyrmsmoke and Giantshield Mountains more than a thousand years ago. While the dwarven kingdom is long gone, their roads, bridges, and cisterns remain in use to this day. After the kingdom passed, the presence of various monsters and raiders kept traffic along the Dawn Way light for many years; few caravans dared the long and dangerous trek. Few humans lived in Elsir Vale during those years - only scattered settlements of druidic folk who left behind little more than grassy barrows and stone circles on the hilltops.

About five hundred years ago, the nearby city of Rhest came to control the vale and a large swath of land north of the Giantshields as well. Soldiers from Rhest secured the roads all the way to Dennovar and beyond, creating a safe passage for trade. More and more traders traveled the Dawn Way, and the kingdom of Rhestilor grew wealthy on the tariffs exacted from the passing merchants. Under the kingdom's shield, the towns along the Dawn Way - Brindol, Talar, Terrelton, and the rest - grew up from tiny hamlets or lonely soldiers' posts to flourishing human settlements.

The kingdom of Rhestilor eventually collapsed under civil strife, monstrous incursions, and magical blights. Almost two hundred years ago, the city of Rhest was burned by savage horde out of the Wyrmsmoke Mountains. Although the warriors of Rhestilor killed many of the goblins and their kind, the city was abandoned and the already weakened kingdom broken. The locks and canals surrounding Rhest fell into disrepair, and the Blackfens (swamp) swallowed the ruined city.

In the years after the kingdom's fall, the towns of Elsir Vale came to look after themselves. Most of the local lords still held titles derived from the old kingdom of Rhestilor. While everyone knew that the kings of Rhestilor were long dead, no new realm arose in the vale.