Campaign Alphabet - C

Eberron (Defendersverse)

Captain Aundair

This Extranormal being was, in many historian's minds, the only reason Aundair survived past the final days of the Last War.

Art by pursuer-of-darkness

Shortly after the plans by Lord Marlex were intercepted and acted against with brutal efficiency by the Thranes in late 925 YK, and another crushing setback in 927, Aundair was put on their back foot in the war and were struggling to hold their lines against an empowered Thrane and keep a stalling presence upon the Karnnathi front. This was not to be for long.

Thrane pushed forward and held much of southern Aundair, cowing the citizens there and denying them food to break their wills. The Karnns, however, were conducting even viler practices. Though known to have employed undead in their armies, a new commander on the western front, known as Kron, was reviled, even among his allies for corpse-harvesting battlefields to bolster his armies. 

Aundair could not stand by any longer. The Knights Arcane had collected the only survivor from the field of a Karnnathi victory, a body clinging to life after the awful enervating touch of an undead had nearly claimed him. He was taken to the towers of Arcanix and powerful magics and alchemies were concocted and forced into this soldier's body. 

On the brink of death as he was, his physical shell could not fight off any of the effects forced into him, and all involved feared that this soldier would give his life for his country on the slap of an arcane lab. It was not to be, however, as his will to fight and live held the magics tight to his frame, shaping him into the peak of human perfection. 

Aundair had the first of what they hoped was a series of enhanced soldiers, and by keeping him unnamed, save for the nomme de guerre of Captain Aundair, had a powerful tool to rebolster patriotism and, in theory, also aid the failing recruitment seen in the nation. 

Captain Aundair was dispatched to the Eastern Front to battle Karnnath, where he met in battle with Kron and soundly defeated him, leading Kaius II to dismiss the general in the face of defeat and overwhelming political pressure over Kron's battlefield atrocities. Kron was a blessing in comparison to his replacement, however, a diabolical soldier - matched in many ways to Captain Aundair - and being called the Red Skull.

Captain Aundair served diligently and courageously for the crown of Aundair for sixty-six years in the Last War, never seeming to age a day in his service. He ended up missing in action, and feared dead, after the Day of Mourning, as he was in Metrol around that time.

Sabotage brought about the end of the program which birthed the Captain, and though heralded as the first Extranormal early on, evidence that others had come before leaves many to believe that he is simply the first in the modern era.

Golarion

The Catacombs (of Wrath)

Discovered by Vic, Walt, and Rissi after pursuing Tsuto Kaijutsu through the Glassworks in Sandpoint, the heroes did multiple excursions into these vaults, even once taking the sage, Brodert Quink, with them to help determine the age and purpose behind the structure, as well as determine who built it.

Quink was certain (and correct) that the catacombs were constructed during the days of ancient Thassilon, and the party discovered cells and chambers that made it apparent that it had served as a prison during that time. 

Deep in the bowels of this structure, the heroes encountered twisted rage-driven abominations and even a weaker form of demon known as a quasit, both of which gave the group more trouble than they bargained for.

Khardtha

The Council

Alternately known as the Council, the Council of Wyrms, the Dragon Knights, or the Dragon Council, this odd body is rumored to be composed of some of the oldest and most powerful of each type of dragon on Khardtha.

Little else is known about the Council, save that it was presumably founded by Clughfelyliam, a great wyrm green - who is also rumored to be the first dragon to ever step foot on Khardtha - after supposedly delcaring that he would gather his kind in grand council. For what reasons then or now the dragons band together is unknown, though it is said by those claiming to have seen them that they never travel in their true forms, instead traipsing the countryside disguised as knights (thus the alternate name for the group), resplendent in fantastic armors, and carrying equally magnificent weapons.

Each, in their knightly forms, sits astride a mount unique to the rider and reflecting their supposed demeanor. Among these beasts are enormous hell hounds, nightmares, pegasi, and more. Others have reported seeing the members of this group riding horses that match their own draconic hues, leading some to speculate that the 'horses' were dragons, as well, using shaping magic to assume the form of stallions.

Whatever the truth behind the Council, even if they are these great dragons, indeed, when and if they decide to act upon or against any idea or individual or group, they will present what may be the most powerful force ever gathered on Khardtha.

The Wilderlands

The City-State of the Invincible Overlord

The Great Enemy. The City State of the Invincible Overlord - known as Ryan's Ruin to sages, Rhamsandron to wizards, and Normoot to the native barbarian Altanians - or simply, the City State, lies to the east of Viridistan and has been a constant needle in the side of the World Emperor.

Though defeated decisively in almost every engagement, the City State is seen as a necessary pest, the bug that shall not be permanently smashed, as its tributes keep a steady flow of gold into Viridistan's coffers. The periodic incursions and the contested borders that are a hotbed of military and civil action are of little distraction, though the tension grows and may someday soon pop, making Viridistan finally conquer their neighbor to the east.

Travel and commerce between the city-states is sometimes necessary, but no true Viridistani would stay long in a city occupied by those would would regularly traffic with the monstrous races of orcs, trolls, and goblins.

Likewise, the heretical beliefs practiced in the City State no doubt breeds the poor dispositions that most denizens of that tyranny display. Might be all the mammals they eat, too.

At least, that's what the World Emperor's own Guard Sergeant Trisful says...

Campaign Alphabet - B

Khardtha

Sir Balthasar of Moorhulden

Balthasar could very well be the last of his kind, self-identified as a Firbolg, this powerful warrior looks like a giant of a man made into a giant, standing fully 11 feet tall, with broad shoulders and arms and legs the size of tree trunks. Though ponderously massive, Balthasar showed grace in battle and was accepted as a companion of the High Lord Denain when he set forth to reclaim Makalus and restore it to its former glory.

Though showing clever wit and intelligence, Balthasar conducted himself primarily as a bodyguard to the Ogre, Denain, and their Halfling companion, Serafina, eventually earning his knighthood from the High Lord after years of service. An honor which he cherishes as a true act of friendship and trust by his Ogrish friend, and enacts to the best of his ability, serving as the General of the Reaches, a position giving him control over all military personnel and engagements beyond the borders of his liege's realm.

However, the giant-kin's loyalty and friendship may stem from the fact that no other firbolg has been seen in centuries, perhaps hinting to the fact that Balthasar is the sole survivor of some tragedy or natural decline of his kind. Balthasar says little of his past or of his people, and though he has mentioned it a few times, he has never been known to use the natural illusions his people can manifest.

These days, the wizened knight serves in the capacity of his duties to the realm, but has become exceedingly more distant, and even the High Lord is lucky to be in his General's presence, but forgives the warrior's eccentricities out of friendship.

Wilderlands

Bugbear Falls

On the Eastern Reaches of the territory held by the World Emperor of Viridistan, amid near-constant skirmishes and contests to claim the region by Viridistan and the City-State (of the Invincible Overlord), sits an ancient, moderately-sized keep that houses some of the most resilient people the Wilderlands know.

Reclaimed a couple of centuries ago after years of fierce engagements between men and goblinoid, Dunkiel was founded by the warlord Efilon on his press to claim more territory for the City-State. He and his army succeeded, executing the bugbear chieftain that had held the keep, and his retinue, by sending them over the cliffs. This act would stick fast in the minds of subsequent generations and earn the keep its current popular name, "Dunkiel" all but forgotten as time wears on.

Seventy seven years ago, however, the forces of the World Emperor took the ill-defended keep and began to garrison it, tenuously holding it for the first few decades, then asserting more control on the outpost in more recent years. A decade ago, the old Vuzughar (landed noble, like a duke) was recalled to the city of Viridistan, and appointed Dal Lago, a trusted officer under his command, as his replacement.

Since Dal Lago took over, banditry, plague, famine, and a number of other maladies have struck the region, as well as increased hostility from the City-State and a number of other disasters and threats have cropped up. The Vuzughar has called for the aid of adventurers in the past, but recently stopped directly recruiting them after a failed coup a year and a half ago. Drastic social changes such as the adoption of the faith of The Black Rider as the city's patron, as well as recent changes in politics and law with Lago's marriage to another noble has only added to some of the unrest that has begun to slowly boil.

To make matters worse, the Emperor and his advisors have instituted an initiative where they send petty criminals and vagrants to the outer holdings of the "Empire" and encourage them to claim the wild territories and the disputed borderlands between the holdings of Viridistan and its neighbors. This initiative has brought many to the region, either in hopes of striking it rich as bandits or adventurers, or to provide services or goods to those who have come to make their own lives. This has made crime rise in the area, but has, conveniently, given Viridistan a buffer zone of rough peoples for which the City-State must contend before they can gain footholds into the Empire proper.

Bihye the Bull

In the cave system to the east of Bugbear Falls, in one of the harder-to-access caverns, resides a mystic and shaman that holds unparalleled knowledge of and power over life.

The minotaur known as Bihye has lived in the region since before Dal Lago began his reign as Vuzughar, and some say before Lago's predecessor, and has weathered every malady and mishap that has plagued the region, all the while fending off raids by other monstrous creatures as well as adventurers, though he has been rumored to give aid and advice to the latter to as many groups as he has ended the careers of.

The Bull, as he sometimes introduces himself as (variably Bihye or Bihye the Bull), while being as fearsome as the others of his race, may well be the greatest treasure of the lands surrounding Bugbear Falls, as some say that he actually knows the rites and spells required to bring someone back from the dead, an art that has been lost for generations.

If Bihye can or will perform these rites is unknown for certain, but it is known that if one should seek his council on any matters, especially topics as dire as death, then they should be prepared to bring a king's ransom worth of gems and jewelry, as its the only thing the minotaur will trade his services for.

Golarion

The Brotherhood of the Seven

This mysterious organization has been in operation for hundreds of years, and has something to do with the slaying of Aldern Foxglove and his subsequent transformation into a ghast, as well as the killings he perpetrated. Aldern's mysterious references to "the pack" could point to this group.

The Brotherhood is known to own Seven's Sawmill on , and due to their financing of Foxglove Manor, seem to have considerable, if not vast, stores of wealth. In addition, the Brotherhood may have ties to/be the patron(s) of cults, one of which was discovered operating at the sawmill, under the direction of a known High Justice of Magnimar.

A letter referencing "Xanesha, Mistress of the Brotherhood" was found amongst Lord Foxglove's belongings, but who, exactly, she is and, perhaps more importantly, what exactly the Brotherhood is, is anyone's guess at this moment, but a search for this shadowy matron has been mounted.

A is for Golarion!

So, this was supposed to be part of the other Campaign Alphabet post, but I did the most awesome thing and X'd the tab the post was on and lost the whole thing, then posted the entries for Khardtha and Wilderlands separately, and now will present you with two(!) entries for Golarion, Paizo's in-house setting and the backdrop of my Rise of the Runelords campaign.

Golarion

Aldern Foxglove

A young up-and-coming noble, Aldern Foxglove was on track to becoming an important figure in Varisian politics. Lord Foxglove had forseen the importance of Sandpoint and had made trips to visit, networking among the locals and procuring hands to help restore his familial holdings close to the small coastal town. His charisma and easy attitude, as well as his generosity helped gain him aid in restoring his home as well as helping make friends of a local adventuring band, who were also becoming somewhat important in the area.

Delving into his family's history and his ambitions to bring his goals to fruition brought many boons, like his lovely wife, Iesha, but also brought the attentions of an organization called The Brotherhood of the Seven, as well as the corrupting influence of necromantic energies coursing through Foxglove Manor - the holdings he was hoping to restore as his familial home.

Through unknown events, Aldern was changed. Warped into an undead monster who became obsessed with his former friends, especially Vic Alvaraz, and their demise at his hands to appease "the Master's" will and bring them "into the pack". During the time after his transformation, he claimed many lives and raised around him a small army of undead fiends to help carry out his twisted plans and to sow horror and death in the surrounding area.

The attacks by his brood and the murders Aldern personally committed, however, ultimately brought his friends to his doorstep after having dealt major blows to his ghoul packs roaming the farmlands around Sandpoint. There, in the bowels of the earth, beneath Foxglove Manor, the band put an end to the creature that used to be their ally and ended his reign of slaughter and terror for good.

This was not the final chapter, though, as the party has begun to follow leads to end the masterminds behind Aldern's threat, making Sandpoint safer, and perhaps exacting a little revenge in the fallen noble's name.

Alaznist

Though not much is known by the adventuring band about this woman, they have seen her likeness in ruins below Sandpoint, and know her to have been one of the seven Runelords to have ruled during the times of ancient Thassilon.

Since they have also seen ruined likenesses of the Runelord Karzoug, it has been posited by the local sage, Brodert Quink, that Sandpoint lay very near or directly on the boundary between the territories of Karzoug and Alaznist, and he in fact believes that the Old Light was a weapon tower, not a lighthouse, that the ancient queen may have commanded.

A is for Actually Starting My Campaign Alphabets!

Khardtha

The Aeries

On many continents, towers and battlements are sometimes kept suspended for decades or centuries past when the main bodies of their structures have fallen, be this due to ancient conservatory magics still upheld, or phenomena such as powerful hauntings, suspension of time, or things of even weirder nature like the tower 'forgetting' to fall when the castle did, for instance.

At first, the Aeries may be mistaken for such things, and indeed, some of the smaller Aeries are of similar shape and size, but few make the mistake of failed recognition more than once, for these are the home of a winged race called the Lahim (LAH-hïm).

These 'bird-men', as many call them, live and raid and make war from their Aeries, with each such flying fortress only beholden to itself and the clans that live within the soaring spires. The lahim that leads any particular Aerie lives on the highest spire on the place, with the order of ascension decreasing as importance decreases. 

The Aeries, themselves, are constructed of varying materials, depending on the clans that build them. Part magical construct and part technological marvel, some Aeries resemble mountaintops that have been ripped from the world and hollowed out, while others seem to be made from various flying machines, dirigibles, and what have you. All, however, bristle with weaponry, ranging from arcane cannons that rain down spellbombs to energy weapons that sear flesh and bone alike. Some are even rumored to be able to fire great lightning cannons or energy weapons from their undersides that could devastate entire villages and towns.

No Aerie has ever been recognized as captured, or even explored, and it seems the lahim, though known for their raiding and war-like tendencies, treat the sacking of another Aerie as a breech of the rules of engagement. Just what exactly goes on in those ominous flying cities (and what powers them) may never be known to the outside world.

Wilderlands of High Fantasy

Atavik's Hammer

+2 Holy Evil Outsider Bane Warhammer

Found by chance as the Unbreakable adventuring company headed south from Bugbear Falls to Modron,  the hammer lay entwined in mutated vines that were being dug at by an ettercap, who sprung to attack the party when approached, for fear of losing its prize. The hammer was claimed after the battle by Jadazh, who knew as much lore about the thing as one could possibly hope.

Atavik's Hammer, for any name Atavik may have given it is certainly lost to time, was forged for that warrior during the Demon Siege of 3227 BCCC by forces loyal to the Overlord to help combat the demon hosts of the World Emperor, though the fate of its wielder was ultimately lost to time.

The warrior Atavik would, himself, be lost to time, if not for the hammer's unique design. Though seemingly carved from a block of white marble, the grip is fairly plain and obviously crafted for function, the rest of the handle and the head are crafted to look like angels, back to back, with their wings in mid-beat, wrapping around the heads of both sides. A serene look on the faces of the angels of both sides affirms that this weapon is a tool of Good, and indeed, Atavik's hammer functions as a Holy weapon. In addition, the hammer functions as a Bane weapon against evil beasts from other planes of existence.

With the rarity of magical weaponry, an item like Atavik's Hammer has the tendency to draw eyes, and Jadazh's ownership is now known, due to flaunting it at his hip and on his tavern table in Modron, and there is no telling what kind of trouble that might eventually lead to, if any.