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DMs Only: Ust Delmah
Contents
Recent Modules for Ust Delmah
Ust Delmah Module 2010 Jan: Weaving Somnolence by Jason
Details of It'lal
Language: Note since It’lal is mostly Surface drow the language spoken is under-common and/or the drow language. Only fewer than 20% can speak common.
Location of It'lal
Yellow X is It'lal in the Mountains to the east of the Crying Woods. Red X is the Float Blue X is a Reptilian village near overgrown ruins
The CryingWoods are located in the lower right hand side of known lands of Yrth (see below).
It’lal Magic Portals
There are five fixed archways in the gateway plaza of It’lal. Each gateway has a matched set of magic items which form the other end of the gateway. All are currently not active. The two parts of the gateway items consist of a Key stone (or cap stone) and a key (the first one found was in the shape of an ornamental dagger and was called the dagger-key). To activate the gateway requires an intricate magic circle drawn on wall which defines the gateway then placing the keystone at the top position and inserting the dagger-key. A magical portal will form between the new magic circle and the matching archway in gateway Plaza of It’lal. If the dagger-key or keystone is removed from the magic circle pattern the magic portal will close.
Known locations of the gateway stone and key set sets: 1)Atrea has captured the capstone and dagger-key of the gateway the Shadow Guardians had found. With the gateway closed It’lal was cut off from the rest of the civilized Wold and the Catacombs shops. (The CC hasn’t yet opened their own shop/portal to It’lal) 2) One was to the drow embassy in Al-Mathir before the war. 3) Another was used deep in the caves below It’lal it was used to evacuate It’lal at the end of the war 4 &5) The location of the other two are unknown.
Internal politics of It’lal
There are currently three official drow houses in It’lal 1) House Bralfah is the largest of all the houses with 500 members. The Matriarch is Larvanya she is very intelligent and wise and is truly trying to establish a better way of life for the drow and her house. Even though her older sister Atrea has tried to kill her she doesn’t want her sister harmed. 2) House Bancurpi has about 100 members. The Matriarch is Lady Athena. A PC Larien Bancurpi is her niece. Lady Athena is open to the new ways of Bralfah, but wants her house to grow in power. 3) House Mylyl is a small house of less than two dozen. Lady Yasume is the Matriarch. All of the members of House Mylyl are young drow from before war. They were placed in suppsed animation by their parents before the war and revived by the Shadow Guardians. Lady Yasume is smart, but due to her youth is trying to keep her house safe until they can grownup. The Shadow Guardians function as advisors.
It'lal Council:
It’lal is ruled by a council made up of all the house Matriarch. Currently there are three members and Lady Larvanya Bralfah is the head of the Council as the most powerful house. For the most part they are in agreement and work for the common good of It’lal. Usually Bralfah’s Matriarch gets her way, but occasionally Lady Yasume and Athena vote against her.
Shadow Guardian: The order of the Shadow Guardian was setup by the Council to protect all the houses in It’lal from all extern and internal threats. The PCs are the founding members of this order. Members answer to the Council not their individual Houses. Benefit all members are trained in speaking common or under-common as a free language.
Background Info on Reptilian Storyline
Links to Al Mathir Info
Note that this is DM ONLY info! Do NOT give these links to players. If you must give links to players, there is a version of the Al Mathir pages intended for them. Ask Cayzle if you need help.
History of the Crying Woods drawn from Woldian sources ONLY:
A1 - A2??? - Forest was imbued with sentience. Remained mostly dormant.
A2 - 174 - Empire of Reptilians formed
??? - Unknown event that turned the Crying Woods into a dangerous land for non-plant creatures unaligned with the forest.
??? - Drow from It'lal allied with reptilian kingdom of Al-Mathir located within the Crying Woods. At this time the drow and reptilians were wearing amulets to protect them from the woods already.
??? - Possible arrival of Green Dragon to the Crying Woods???
A2 - 963 - War broke out between the Drow and the Reptilians who allied with the power of the Crying Woods. (What caused this war?)
A2 - 963 - Drow were driven back to their mountain, then the reptilians were attacked by the Crying Woods.
A2 - 963 - Caught unready for the betrayal the reptilians were nearly wiped out.
A2 - 1013 - Karkas, the reptilian god, sacrificed himself to send the capital city of Al-Mathir into the sky.
Current (for 1900 years) - Green Dragons lord over a portion of the Crying Woods, keeping the lizardfolk as slaves and commanding the awakened animals.
Possible storyline: Evil Karkasan was obsessed with experimenting on reptilian races in an effort to build powerful servant races. Other Karkasan disapproved of his work after a few gruesome experiments got loose. Vowing to continue his work the Karkasan in power were at an impass. They could not bear to let him continue his work but he had not committed an offense that would be punishable by death. Coming to an agreement that he was unsafe they decided to banish him. Finding that the very forest they lived had been imbued with power from a distant age, they used their magic to bind the evil Karkasan in the land beneath this forest that would be his keeper for all time.
It was not long from this time when the forest began to reach out to attack the sentient species within it's borders. As the reptilians and drow investigated the truth of the Karkasan was kept from them. A solution was found by the drow enchanting crystals that would keep the forest at bay. An alliance was established based on this trade. The drow crafted these crystals that adorned many reptilians and surrounded their cities, and the reptilians supplied them with food and goods taken from the forest. This alliance lasted for many years as both drow and reptilian empires flourished.
This is where the Green Dragon enters the situation. Finding the Crying Woods to be a prime place to lay her eggs, she settles into a valley near the south eastern portion of the forest. After several attacks by the plants, the Dragon investigates the peculiar habits of this place. Finding the 'heart of the forest' the Dragon communes with the Crying Woods and finds the cause of her pain... the bound Karkasan. Instead of simply freeing the bound Karkasan the Dragon convinces the forest that the Drow are keeping it from killing the reptilians. With the Dragon as it's spokesperson, the forest should ally with the reptilians to drive the Drow away, then turn on the reptilians and slaughter them... only then will it be able to rest. Using the 'heart of the forest' as a focus, the forest makes a pact with the Dragon... the forest will empower her and her offspring until the last reptilian is removed from her borders.
The dragon instigates the war between the drow and reptilians, then turns to fight the reptilians once the Drow are removed. When the city of Al-Mathir floated into the air, the Dragon saved the remaining lizardfolk from the wrath of the forest, and placed them in 'safe areas' to serve as slaves. By keeping a few lizardfolk alive the Dragon prolonged the pact with the Crying Woods.
***Resolution***
The Crying Woods as we know it today was birthed in that dark ritual. The pain of having such an evil creature inserted into the most sensitive aspect of it's sentience is the motivation behind the forests actions. Should the iron cage of the Karkasan's prison have been removed early on there would have been a chance that the Crying Woods would have reverted to it's natural state of calm awareness. The excruciating pain built up over thousands of years has permanently altered the forests outlook.
Though destroying the 'Heart of the Forest' would break it's pact with the Dragons, allowing the Crying Woods to have it's revenge on their line, this would also free the Evil Karkasan. The Crying Woods would still be a hateful place for creatures like the reptilians and Drow but the rule of the Green Dragons would be broken. There is also an opportunity for the lizardfolk within the Crying Woods to gain the status of 'forest creature' should they be able to convince the Crying Woods of their good intentions.
The freed Karkasan will be a mastermind behind many of the events surrounding future campaign events. He will have motivations that directly oppose the PC's, though in an indirect fashion. For instance, the PCs are looking for friendly neighbors to engage in trade. The Karkasan will be looking for nearby civilizations to bend to his will as experiments of servitor slaves. Dealing with this threat will be the main focus of the Drow's adventures outside of their own civilization. (We're planning on plenty of internal conflict to break-up the storyline a bit.)
The Karkasan will father many races of reptilians (possibly already has started to do so from within his prison within the Crying Woods) to serve his purposes. He will be considered one with the Crying Woods and his creatures also may be immune from the forests touch. He'll use the Crying Woods as a safe base of operations while he reaches out to influence surrounding societies. One of his goals is to take his vengence on the other Karkasan and the society that they spawned, most notably the flying city of Al-Mathir.
