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Rand's
Travelogue
More
Old Empires and Sembia!
By
Rand Sharpsword
Rand
Sharpsword, collector of bits of travel and geographical information,
brings you further details about the Old Empires and Sembia regions. Rand
provides these to supplement the information found in the Forgotten
Realms Campaign Setting.
Chessenta
Locations
Mordulkin (Metropolis,
35,000): Ruled by the most powerful mage of the Jedea family, Mordulkin
is a haven for wizards and sorcerers and the enemy of Luthcheq. Guilds
run the city's districts, and all guilds report to the king. Mercenary
and adventuring groups have their own district and must register with
the mercenary guild or be imprisoned. King Hercubes (N male human Wiz14)
is not interested in uniting Chessenta, and his constituents have been
calling for a war to eradicate Luthcheq.
Mulhorand
Locations
Azulduth:
In past hot seasons, large portions of this extremely salty and shallow
lake have dried up to form salt flats for months at a time. Strong rains
this spring have allowed water to seep into lower portions of the salt
bed, where magically preserved eggs of wyverns and dragons have finally
hatched, crawling and flying north, eating whatever they can find. Enterprising
wizards in Mulhorand are trying to catch these creatures while young,
hoping to train them as guardians or to aid the war against Unther.
The Giant's
Belt: This band of high mountains has only two passes; both of them
treacherous, so most travelers go around despite the added distance.
The locals, a nation of civilized stone giants, call the northern part
of the range Fuirgar.
Sembia
Locations
Ordulin's Rot
Grubs: Unlike most Sembian cities, Ordulin also possesses a thieves'
guild, of sorts. The "Rot Grubs" are would-be revolutionaries
who want to turn Sembia into a theocratic monarchy. The accession of
the Selkirk family has given the Rot Grubs pause -- although the Silver
Raven looks like he might make a fine king, he shows no signs of wanting
or needing the Rot Grubs' help, which is a fact that spoils the expected
rewards of instituting a monarchy.
Plots and
Rumors
Dark Rituals:
The occupied city of Unthalass was largely destroyed by the battle between
Gilgeam and Tiamat. Although most of it was rebuilt before the attack
by Mulhorand, strange and temporary effects from the battle occasionally
manifest in the city, transforming people into reptilian forms with
temperaments like evil dragons, imbuing others with phenomenal strength
and aggressive personalities, or causing mundane objects to take flight
and crash to the ground hundreds of miles away. Rumors abound that the
church of Tiamat has found a way to siphon this latent power and store
it for dark rituals to their deity, with which they plan to permanently
alter her worshipers into powerful new forms.
Corruption Spreads:
The church of Tiamat in Unther is led by Tiglath (LN female human Ftr3/Clr14
of Tiamat). Though not evil, Tiglath is finding that her deity is slowly
corrupting her, using her to promote the power of the church. Tiglath
can call upon the green dragon Skuthosiin, although their relationship
is not friendly. She is allied with Furifax and coordinates the activities
of her followers with his bandits to harass the Mulhorandi army.
Silver Raven:
Some say that Kendrick's son, Miklos the Silver Raven, has another plan
that follows on the heels of his father's. If the drow prove difficult
and betray the Sembians along the road, Sembia could protect its interests
in the name of the Dales and possibly gain a greater hold along the
road than the Dalelands are otherwise willing to allow.
The Startouched:
The new fad in Sembia is wearing a small blue star tattooed in the center
of one's forehead. The temporary tattoos wash off if the wearer concentrates
hard enough. Some of those who are so tattooed have gained limited spellcasting
abilities, usually nothing greater than a cantrip or two, but there
are exceptions. Then nobles with blue tattoos on their foreheads begin
exploding at public functions. Most people who had blue star tattoos
quickly washed them off and denied that they ever had them, leaving
the PCs to figure out who is responsible for the tattoo that apparently
killed their merchant contact in Sembia. Or is the blue tattoo a red
herring that conveniently distracts witnesses from the true culprits?
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