Swords of the South I

Swords of the South I follows the inception and adventures of the legendary adventuring band known as the Swords of the South. The adventure continues in Swords of the South II.

Prelude
During the early 5th era, the Havish and Jotun Clans were united in Nordhaven after jointly destroying a radical group who sought the death of all Jotun. Shortly after, Jarl Ragnar of Clan Vulskar received an omen from the Mektigslange, the Havish serpent god that protects the world from distant threats. This omen led Ragnar to beseech his fellow Jarls into conquering the lands South of Nordhaven to establish a true kingdom for the Havish people. With the support of Konge Hersker, Clan Vulskar began a campaign against the Kingdoms of Soril.

At this time, the lands known as Soril were divided up into three kingdoms. The Kingdom of Andera, which stretched from the west coast of Vehn'ahn to the edges of the Lithean Forest, was ruled by the cautious and pious King Amadeus Mordaine. The Kingdom of Valden in the South comprised of the fertile Golden Plains, the lush Forest of Valden, and the resource rich Iron Hills. Valden was ruled by King Deston Baldean, a portly and overzealous leader. To the East, encompassing the Callister Valley, the foothills of the Orwynn Mountains, and the great highlands of Ilex was the Kingdom of Satheeris, ruled over by the wise Queen Elemia Reign.

The Havish tactfully took lands from both Andera and Satheeris, conquering all of the Callister Valley. The cities of Falcon's Roost and Elandar were captured, with the latter being razed by Jarl Helgrun, a cruel Havish General who led a horde of berserkers. A young Edward Haddon witnessed the fall of his noble house, and fled South to seek aid in retaking his lands.

In Andera, a coup orchestrated by Amadeus Mordaine's daughter, Cassandra Mordaine, ended in the Night of Knives, where ten assassins were thwarted in their attempts to murder the King. Instrumental in stopping this plot was the Wark of Ballast Green. The Wark was soon after contacted by Gideon Marko, a member of the secret society known as Black Scepter, whose goal it was to re-establish the unity of the old Arterian Empire under a new Arterian ruler: Jonos Arterian I.

The Crown of Phileas Arterian
South of Soril's borders sat the Kingdom of Blackwood, a bastion of peace and civility in the Lawless South. Ruling from the City of Blackwood was King Jonos Arterian I, a young man with high aspirations. Ruling at his side were a panel of advisors led by the Elven mage Elauthen Miaden. This panel of advisors sought to strengthen the foreign relations of Blackwood with the Sorilan Kingdoms of Valden and Satheeris. However, operating clandestinely and separate from the King's Council was Black Scepter.

Black Scepter sought to place Jonos Arterian in charge of a budding Empire, one that would reunify the lands of Vehn'ahn under a single ruler. To do so, they sought to legitimize Jonos and establish him as a champion of change. Black Scepter dispatched a handful of field agents consisting of the former Lord of Elandar, Edward Haddon, a member of the King's Council known only as the Wark of Ballast Green, and a former smuggler turned ally called Nyana of Red Reef. These agents were tasked with locating the Tomb of Phileas Arterian and retrieving his Imperial crown.

They trudged through the Valden countryside with only a rickety wagon to ease their journey, eventually reaching the Emperor's tomb. In years past, the tomb would have been guarded by a handful of honorary soldiers, but with the war with the Havish, the tomb's defenses were left to deter robbers and brigands. Upon approaching the tomb, the agents were set upon by a pair of enchanted gargoyles in the form of Arterian's pet Griffins. They dispatched these stonework monsters and gained entry to the tomb itself.

In the center of the tomb's rotunda stood a statue of Emperor Arterian taking a pious pose. Surrounding the base of the statue were sarcophagi, each labeled with the names of Arterian's Imperial Guard. The walls of this tomb were painted with the histories of Arterian's reign. The Wark discovered quickly that the paintings were out of order, and that the braziers at the base of the paintings needed to be lit in chronological order to progress further into the tomb. After doing so, the statue rose and rotated, revealing a set of stairs descending below the tomb and into the earth.

The base of these stairs led to a vaulted walkway within a large, underground lake. Nyana spotted a camp set up on a small island, though the make of the tents was foreign to the party. They journeyed across the walkway to a set of huge bronze doors. The doors remained sealed, but the edges of the door frame had been carved through with tools. Surmising that they weren't alone, the party drew their weapons and made their way through the hole.

After exploring some of the crypt proper, the party happened upon an injured Dark Elf. After managing to negotiate with him in stilted undercommon, he revealed that his name was Vandon, a scout from the city of Deepglow. They also learned that a crew of Duergar had captured Vandon, who told them of the crypt to appease their lust for riches. They were the ones to burrow into the tomb and injure Vandon. The party continued their journey with Vandon in tow, discovering an intricate, Dwarf-made, bronze door that held the sarcophagus of Arterian. The door required a key, and the Duergar managed to collapse part of the roof in an attempt to circumvent the door. Pressing forward, the party discovered that the door's key was guarded by an animate statue of an Imperial Guardsmen, who had slain the invading Duergar. With Haddon's martial prowess, Nyana's shapeshifting abilities, and the Wark's knowledge of the arcane, they were able to defeat the guardian and claim the key.

Opening the door to the crypt, the party found it occupied by empty pottery and a large, golden sarcophagus. Embedded in the lid of the sarcophagus was an emerald colored jewel with swirling black smoke within it. As they pried the lid of the tomb off, they found it to be empty save for a neatly folded set of clothes, a golden chain with a mooring spot for the emerald, and a golden circlet emblazoned with the sigil of House Arterian. After inspecting the emerald further, a voice could be heard in the heads of the party. The voice claimed to be Emperor Phileas Arterian who said:"'I have been imprisoned by foul magic since the day of my death. I seek my soul's freedom. Bring me to the land where the sun never sets and all the riches of Arteria will be yours'"With the crown in their possession, they exited the tomb. The Wark journeyed back to Blackwood to deliver the crown while Edward and Nyana journeyed to the city of Primrose to await their next assignment.

The Cruelty of General Zhell
Along the way to Primrose, Nyana and Edward met a band of refugees from the southern settlement of Agria. They were escorted by a traveling sellsword named Adra, who explained that the village had been attacked by Havish raiders. Edward noted that this sounded suspicious as the Havish armies hadn't ranged south of Pilgrim's Crossing. After safely escorting the refugees to Primrose, Adra, Edward, and Nyana decided to investigate Agria to uncover what had truly happened.

They journeyed across Sorilan borders into the Kingdom of Blackwood. Near the border lay the small farming settlement of Agria. The village had been put to the torch, with only the smoking husks of homes and businesses remaining. After warding off a pack of flesh-hungry ghouls, the party began their search of the village. Nyana discovered a pile of burnt clothing that Edward knew to be Havish garb. They then surmised that somebody had used Havish gear to implicate them in the attack on Agria.

They ranged north, following hoof tracks until they lost them in the vast Golden Plains. Nyana used her shapeshifting abilities to pick up a scent, ultimately leading them to a small military camp bearing the banners of the Kingdom of Valden. Upon approaching the camp, they were met with Valden soldiers who led them to their commander, Maro. While Haddon and Adra spoke with Maro, Nyana snuck through the camp, ultimately finding a chest filled with Havish raider gear. She then rejoined the party, who were insistently offered an escort to the nearby town of Orkney. They agreed, and were accompanied by the soldiers Leofric of Primrose and Edmund of Culemstein.

When they were a decent ways away from the camp, the party jumped their escort and bound them. Leofric was less than cooperative, but Edmund, who felt remorse for the actions of his cohorts, confessed what they had been doing. By the orders of Valden General Orys Zhell, Commander Maro had instructed his soldiers to wear Havish uniforms to burn southern villages and slaughter their population. Using this as evidence, King Deston Baldean could negotiate an alliance with the kingdoms of the South to bolster his forces against the invading Havish. When this information was revealed, the soldiers were asked if they agreed with their commanders. Leofric agreed wholeheartedly, citing love for his nation and respect for his commanders, while Edmund claimed he never wanted to be there in the first place, that he was a cooper from a small village drawn into this war by force. The party executed Leofric and took Edmund as their hostage.

Edmund explained that Zhell was holed up in an old Arterian border fort which he had renamed Castle Zhell, and that it was manned by twenty men at the minimum. The party discussed their odds against twenty men and decided to return to Primrose to recruit more swords. Within the Burning Chains tavern, they met a pair of mercenaries: a Dwarven Priest of Wulken by the name of Bertranus Steelsong and an over-sized Pennoccian called Brottor. After discussing the circumstances and what they aimed to do, Bertranus and Brottor happily agreed to lend their blades to the cause... in exchange for loot from the castle.

The party returned south, bound for Castle Zhell. After scouting the exterior of the castle, the party led a two pronged assault, taking advantage of the crumbling architecture to get within the walls. They made their way into the fort proper where Edward defeated Maro while the rest of the party took on his soldiers. They ascended to the top of the keep where they met General Zhell. They questioned Zhell about his actions, to which he admitted to his cruel tactics. Finding no remorse in the General, they decided to imprison him within the fort's jail. They sent word to Blackwood of the General's capture, who then decided to send Gideon Marko to retrieve him and take him back to Blackwood for questioning.

In the jail, the Valden soldiers had taken custody of the Havish Jarl Orgnar of Clan Brunvaud. Orgnar and his huskarl Hjoromir, were journeying south to meet with the Kingdom of Blackwood in the hopes to bring allies to their cause against the Jarls invading Soril, as they believed the Havish had no place waging war against the South. They struck a deal to send Jarl Orgnar south with Marko and Zhell.

Before long, the envoy of Blackwood arrived at the castle. Gideon explained that the King had decided to annex Castle Zhell and Agria into Blackwood territories, and the envoy set about re-fortifying the ruined structure.

The Elder of Valden
While scouting the nearby edge of the Forest of Valden, Adra met a pair of Satyrs who implored her for aid from the outside world. Near ten miles into the forest lay the Satyr village of Caelos, where a vicious plague had begun cropping up across the population. Adra brought this news back to Castle Zhell, and the party agreed that they needed to lend their aid to Caelos.

They journeyed to the village to find that they had sequestered the sick to live outside the wooden walls. The party met with the village chieftain, Perid Grum, who claimed the sickness had come from the waters flowing from the ruins of the Gaulun city of Proddnach. He told the party that he thought the Elder of Valden was angry with them, and that this sickness was his wrath upon their village. Nyana and Edward took time to use their magic to heal those with the illness.

A Satyr scout led the party through Valden along clear streams and up cascades of short waterfalls to the top of a high hill. Before them were scattered ruins of cobblestone buildings leading up to the hill's summit. A temple, surrounding the canopy of a huge tree, was built atop. The Satyr bid the party good luck as they entered the ruins.

They discovered that the hill was artificial and hollow, descending down to the base of an enormous tree. The ruins had been overgrown with centuries of neglect. Vines cascaded across the floors and ceilings, and shrubbery closed off doorways. As the party ventured through the ruins, the vines began to come to life, lashing out against them and even animating skeletons left behind by looters and unlucky travelers. They made their way towards the bottom of the basin where they were met with vicious Wood Woads. After defeating the Woads, they reached the base of the great tree.

To their surprise, the tree had a face growing from the trunk. It appeared to be stuck in a state of constant pain. Adra's keen eye spotted a wicked dagger stabbed into the tree's base, oozing green liquid around the insertion point. Upon removing the dagger, the tree came to life, groaning in surprise and pain. Nyana's nature magic soothed the tree, who spoke to them. He introduced himself as the Elder of Valden, and thanked the party for curing it of its ailment. He explained that the sickness on Caelos was caused inadvertently through the poison. He claimed an individual dressed in black, leather, robed armor had stabbed the blade into his trunk.

As a reward for saving him, the Elder offered the party a magic item: a staff that would summon a Wood Woad to aid them in combat, whose strength would be greater the closer to a forest they are. Additionally, he offered to answer a single question about the world that his generations of knowledge and wisdom could answer. Edward asked the tree about Arterian's riddle: "Where is the land where the sun does not set", to which the Elder replied: "Seek Qurohg, for he is the only one who knows".