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Perilous
Gateways
Racial Portals of Faerûn
By
Ramon Arjona
Thayan
Portal
The Red
Wizards of Thay have been responsible for many atrocities throughout the
course of their existence. Many of them show no restraint or remorse in
their dealings with the foulest of extraplanar beings. Their only goal
is the accrual of magical knowledge and the commensurate power, both political
and economic, that will one day allow them to dominate the whole of Faerûn.
They are unscrupulous and relentless in this pursuit, and they often sacrifice
the lives of other sentient creatures without hesitation to gain the smallest
advantage in their endless struggle for dominance.
 Numerous
portals are hidden throughout Thay, and some are known only to
members of a particular magical school or to a certain cadre of allied
mages. Several of these portals lead to other locations in Faerûn,
while others reach outward to the farthest and foulest planes. These latter
are often used by the Red Wizards as a ready means of commerce. The Red
Wizards barter with demons, devils, and evil gods for greater knowledge
and power. No price is too high, if the reward offered is great enough.
Nevron, zulkir of Conjuration, is particularly interested in establishing
and maintaining relationships with these evil beings. He invests much
of his time in the study of demonology, and many suspect that he counts
more than one powerful demon lord amongst his allies. The other zulkir
would do well to watch Nevron carefully, because his study of the Outer
Planes may one day lead him to the limitless power he seeks.
Using
one such portal to the Outer Planes, the Red Wizards, under direction
of the zulkir Nevron, conducted one of the most perverse and demented
rites ever seen in the human lands of Toril. With powerful magic, they
coaxed a demon lord through the portal -- though which demon lord
this was, none can say. Then, sacrificing the blood of no less than twelve
innocent victims, the Red Wizards proceeded to extract a portion of this
demon's life essence and bind it into human flesh. From this unholy union
resulted the tiefling twins, Oroleth and Udalamath.
Signs
of their infernal parentage were already evident on their infant bodies
at the time of their creation. Oroleth had unnaturally red skin. Udalamath
had cloven hooves where his feet ought to have been, and he stank faintly
of sulfur no matter how frequently his nurses bathed him. Both boys had
small, goatlike horns above their eyebrows.
It was
Nevron's intention that these twins would grow into the perfect assassins,
loyal only to him, that he could use as twin blades in the darkness to
eliminate his more stubborn opponents. With this goal in mind, the boys
were given over to cruel tutors who instructed them in the arts of stealth
and poison. Udalamath took to this gladly, and by the age of five he had
murdered half a dozen of his nurses along with one careless instructor.
Oroleth,
on the other hand, did not show the same enthusiasm. Perhaps it was some
indomitable remnant of the mortal souls sacrificed in his creation. Perhaps
it was because his demonic progenitor had not been a wholly willing participant
in the ceremony that gave Oroleth birth. Whatever the cause, the young
tiefling learned his lessons with as much aptitude, but with far less
joy than his brother. His imagination was captured not by the prospect
of slaughter from the shadows, but by the sight of the forests of the
Thayan countryside visible outside his bedroom window.
Oroleth,
using the training imparted to him by his tutors, slipped away under cover
of darkness on a moonlit night. Pledging his devotion to the gods of nature,
he sought to leave the way of the assassin and the lands of Thay far behind
him. He fled into the far North, hoping to lose himself in the vast expanse
of snow and ice. His flight, however, has been in vain -- for the Red
Wizards have dispatched his brother with orders to hunt Oroleth down and
destroy him. Nevron considers the boy a failure, and like most powerful
wizards, the zulkir of Conjuration hates to leave a record of his failure.
Meanwhile,
the portal that the Red Wizards used to create the twins remains
somewhere on the island tharch of Alaor, and its exact location is known
to Nevron himself and a handful of other conjurers. The portal
is keyed, requiring the blood of at least a dozen sentient, lawful good
creatures be emptied into a reservoir at its base before it will open.
The portal opens into the Abyss near the stronghold of a particularly
powerful demon lord. As such, only the most powerful or the most ignorant
would risk opening it. Even with the proper blood sacrifice, the portal
opens only once a month. Outsiders can pass through it freely, but only
arcane spellcasters can use the portal to pass into the Abyss.
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Oroleth:
Male tiefling Rog 5/Drd 10; CR 16; Medium-size outsider; HD 5d6+10
plus 10d8+20; hp 92; Init +8; Spd 30 ft.; AC 17, touch 17, flat-footed
17; Atk +14/+9 melee (1d6+5, +2 frost quarterstaff); SA darkness,
sneak attack +3d6; SQ animal companion, cold resistance 5, electricity
resistance 5, evasion, fire resistance 5, nature sense, outsider
traits, resist nature's lure, trackless step, traps, uncanny dodge
(Dex bonus to AC), venom immunity, wild shape (Small, Medium-size,
or Large animal 4/day), woodland stride; AL N; SV Fort +10, Ref
+11, Will +11; Str 14, Dex 19, Con 14, Int 18, Wis 16, Cha 10.
Skills
and Feats: Animal Empathy +15, Balance +12, Bluff +10, Climb
+10, Concentration +20, Decipher Script +12, Diplomacy +2, Disable
Device +12, Disguise +8, Escape Artist +12, Hide +26, Intimidate
+10, Intuit Direction +21, Knowledge (nature) +22, Listen +11, Move
Silently +12, Use Magic Device +8, Wilderness Lore +16; Empower
Spell, Enlarge Spell, Extend Spell, Improved Initiative, Skill Focus
(Animal Empathy), Skill Focus (Hide).
Darkenss (Sp): Oroleth can use can use darkness once
per day (caster level 15th).
Animal
Companion: Oroleth may have one or more animal companions. This
animal is one that he has befriended with the spell animal friendship.
The total Hit Dice of all animal companions at a time may not exceed
10.
Evasion
(Ex): If exposed to any effect that normally allows a character
to attempt a Reflex saving throw for half damage, Oroleth takes
no damage with a successful saving throw.
Nature
Sense: Oroleth can identify plants and animals (their species
and special traits) with perfect accuracy. He can determine whether
water is safe to drink or dangerous.
Outsider
Traits: Oroleth has darkvision (60-foot range). He cannot be
raised or resurrected (though a wish or miracle spell
can restore life).
Resist
Nature's Lure: Oroleth gains a +4 bonus on saving throws against
the spell-like abilities of fey (such as dryads, nymphs, and sprites).
Trackless
Step: Oroleth leaves no trail in natural surroundings and cannot
be tracked.
Venom
Immunity: Oroleth is immune to all organic poisons, including
monster poisons but not mineral poisons or poison gas.
Wild Shape (Sp): Oroleth can change into a Small, Medium-size,
or Large animal and back again four times per day as per the polymorph
self spell. Unlike the standard use of the spell, however, he
may adopt only one form per use of the ability. Oroleth regains
hit points as if he had rested for a day. He does not risk the standard
penalty for being disoriented while in his wild shape. He
gains all the creature's special abilities when he does so.
Woodland
Stride: Oroleth may move through natural thorns, briars, overgrown
areas, and similar terrain at his normal speed and without suffering
damage or other impairment. However, thorns, briars, and overgrown
areas that are enchanted or magically manipulated to impede motion
still affect him.
Druid
Spells Prepared (6/5/5/4/3/2; save DC 13 + spell level): 0 --
create water, cure minor wounds (2), detect magic, light,
read magic; 1st -- animal friendship, cure light wounds
(2), faerie fire, goodberry; 2nd -- delay poison, heat
metal, hold animal, speak with animals, summon nature's ally II;
3rd -- contagion, cure moderate wounds, protection from elements,
summon nature's ally III; 4th -- reincarnate, repel vermin,
summon nature's ally IV; 5th -- cure critical wounds, wall
of thorns.
Possessions:
+2 frost quarterstaff, cloak of elvenkind, murlynd's
spoon, +3 ring of protection, portable hole, 20 feet
of rope, water.
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How
to Incorporate the Thayan Portal Into Your Campaign
- Udalamath, his
demonic appearance disguised by magical and mundane means, attempts
to enlist the PCs in the hunt for an evil druid who is plaguing the
northlands. The druid, of course, is Oroleth, Udalamath's twin. The
tiefling druid may try to expose his brother's lies but, being primarily
interested in solitude and self-preservation, he does not hesitate to
strike back against the PCs should they appear to be a credible threat
to his life.
- Oroleth emerges
from the High Ice, having learned that Nevron plans once again to employ
the portal to create another pair of twin assassins. Fearing
that this will give his evil progenitor an insurmountable advantage,
Oroleth enlists the PCs in an attempt to thwart Nevron's plans and,
if at all possible, destroy the portal.
- The PCs learn that
the zulkir of Conjuration intends to use a portal to contact
a powerful demon lord, with the goal of forging a military alliance
and bringing a demonic army into Faerûn. To avoid this catastrophe,
the PCs must first find the location of the portal. To learn
the location of the portal, they must find Oroleth in the Northlands
and persuade him that it is in his interest, and the interest of the
natural world, to thwart Nevron's plan.
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