Pathfinder Regional Deepdive: Molthune and Nirmathas

[Music] foreign [Music] the central augustinian nations of near Mathis and malthune are among the youngest nations in the Inner Sea and have among the shortest recorded histories the reason for this are partly Geographic these nations are bordered by The Matador mountains in the South the mines spin mountains in the West and the vast Lake and carthan in the east north of the turandel river which forms the northern border of near Mathis lies the hold of Belk Zen the bloody war-ravaged home of the Orcs these treacherous geographic features isolated this region for many Millennia these were the lands of Khalid barbarians who held the land from ancient times until the year 4305 when Emperor haliad III of chelyacks began the ever War expansion see my video on Chely acts for more details prior to this only two other significant events changed the demographics and cultural influences in the region the first was far back in the age of Legend when elves settled in the fangwood there they discovered numerous fake creatures and breaches to the First World The Elves and Fae coexisted peacefully for thousands of years though the elves fled in large numbers during the Earth fall cataclysm the second was in the age of darkness when the Dwarven leader kragadan LED his clan to the surface following King Target's successful quest for the sky less than 50 years prior the sky Citadel of kragodan was founded in -4944 later kragadani dwarves established the dam to retain the giren river above the profitable strip mine of Korum guern establishing the wealthy Dwarven city of the glimmerhold much much later after the rending of droskar's Crag devastated Dwarven culture see my video on the dwarves of galerion for more details on this the kragadani dwarves established diplomatic ties with a fake Court of the mysterious fangwood their alliance with a fake Kingdom of acresciel and its glasted Queen genderwin established in 3981 gave them a good deal of self-reliance and insulated them from some of the worst civil Strife that would affect woven culture in the following years unfortunately the krakadani dwarves face challenges of their own when in 4062 the Covetous and corrupted dryad arelantia unleashed the dark blight in the central fangwood toppling the existing Faye Kingdom and imprisoning queen genduen after failing to turn the tide of the dark blight in the fangwood the dwarves of kragodan erected a series Stone monoliths prevent its spread the dwarves maintained these monoliths almost to this day this brings us to 4305 the everwar expansion and the conquest of central augustinian lands by Emperor haliad III for chelyx after this chalish colonists began to arrive on mass to begin taming the newly conquered lands west of lake and carthan as happened elsewhere the native khalids became an oppressed underclass or fled to untamed lands in the wake of aridan's death in 4606 Emperor gaspedar had to send helmites into the region to put down riots and panic that had spread across the land this civil strife and ongoing battle with the helmites ultimately paved the way for malthuni Independence in 4632 malthune declared independence and claimed all of the fangwood to the border with last wall multhune seceded from Chely axed a little Fanfare its new Lords implemented tight economic policies that greatly benefited the southern lands the less developed Northern reaches which saw a little benefit resented this control bitterly eventually seeing this new leadership as a pale imitation of Chely ax's own prior tyranny a splinter group of independent Fighters rebelled another civil war called the freedom war or the northern Rebellion depending on the speaker ensued in 4648 a new leader Rose Among the northern Rebels the half elf ilgar near moth who commanded the band called irgal's acts United the rebels wreaked havoc on malthuni forces in 4655 the border between the two Nations stabilized and nirmath declared independence only hours before he was felled by an assassin to honor him the rebels named their new country near Mathis the boundaries of the two nations are now well established but peace has never come unless some outside force affects the Power Balance it seems likely that multhune will keep trying to reclaim its lost territory and near Mathis will keep trying to drive it back with little change in borders but a high price in blood the most recent change to the region came in the year 4717 and these events are played out in the iron Fang Invasion Adventure path the first of these significant events is that General azursi the leader of the iron Fang Legion carved out a new nation for her people that she now rules the nation of Opera concurrent with these events the Fey Queen genduin of the fangwood was released from bondage and the dark blight was finally eliminated in The fangwood the nation of malthune when Chely ax began at Civil War it was because their Patron deity aradon had died the winning faction in the Civil War the house of Throne worshiped the dark God as modius but in the north the newly independent nation of malthune instead adopted the common worship of other deities chiefly abedar erastil and ayamide yet in spite of this distinction much of Imperial cheliak's cultural norms can be seen in full display in malthune today it remains focused on building itself into a mighty military-led State and it seeks in particular to reclaim the lands in the north that separated during the malthuni Civil War malthuni people take enormous pride in the regimented and capable leaders their society's pristine order and their City's amenities and efficiency indeed many aspects of malthune run like clockwork it is a thriving and ravenously growing Nation with an increasing ability for expansion however beneath these immaculately oiled gears there is a much more complex story much of their progress has been built on the backs of a vast class of indentured servants who are essentially slaves malthuni Society encourages these laborers to take pride in their work and recognize their importance and many do until recently however there were few ways for members of the underclass to significantly benefit from the progress that they themselves had shaped nor many viable options for them to work towards the privileged Lifestyles that their labor supported the difference between malthuni citizens who can participate in local governance and move about the country freely and indentured laborers was vast indeed despite the class divide between malthune's Elite and its laborers overall the nation's standard of living was high malthuni in general enjoyed security and comfort and this helped them appreciate the laws and regulations that structured their society core malthuni values involve respecting the military upholding Law and Order acknowledging the importance of cooperation maintaining personal honor and investing in education despite these Collective values in this national pride the nation remains deeply flawed malthune's brand of indentured servitude is an integral part of the economy this system which the malthuni call writs of service lay out the terms of indentured servitude the protections that the state guarantees all laborers and the legal processes laborers can follow to become citizens malthunian indentured servitude hinges on the contracts or writs that govern each laborer many of whom must labor for life or follow illegal citizenship process to fulfill their terms to Outsiders malthuni writs of service are simply a fancy veneer for slavery the most malthuni protest this characterization vehemently General Lord jarek's outspoken opposition to indentured servitude and slavery of all kinds is also beginning to sway minds and it's likely the general Lords will have to decide in the near future whether to silence jarek or join his cause feeding into this nascent societal undercurrent is the upper class resentment of Imperial Governor teldus's proclamation to allow laborers a more direct path to citizenship and provide immigrants with land in exchange for service the moves are strategically clever but the stubbornness of the elite combined with their immense political sway mean that the next few years will be vital for malthune's long-term future the government of malthune is a military oligarchy nine General Lords each having risen from the ranks of the malthuni army make up the nation's ruling group the nine General Lords include malthune's Imperial governor who is the nation's highest ranked official the general Lords promote the Imperial Governor from within their own ranks and the position is held for life or until abdication in addition to their military duties each of the generals is also governor of one of malthune's nine provinces each General Lord executes the required duties from a territorial seat the nation is divided neatly along geographic features with the exception of kanerit the nation's capital the seat of its national government and a territory in its own right the general Lords are as follows at the top sits Imperial governor marquinteldus an unparalleled strategist and a brilliant Economist marquin told us has Grand ideas as well as the intelligence and drive to make his ideas reality he juggles his duties as Imperial Governor territorial governor of canorate and high commander of the malthuni army with ease and in recent years he has implemented a number of calculated proclamations few like the turson aggressive Imperial Governor but his leadership and governing skills are unquestioned by telus's decree laborers can now obtain citizenship by serving in the Army for five years similarly immigrants are promised land in exchange for military service or State labor teldus has also earmarked money for the general Lords distribute to families who produce more than two children although it may outwardly seem like teldus is working towards a more egalitarian malthune the truth is much colder teldus has realized that malthune has vast resources in a prime strategic location but that the nation simply lacks the population to make proper use of these gifts he intends to swell malthin's population with his initial until it reaches a point where the nation can finally seize near Mathis and then move on to bigger prizes the remaining eight General Lords oversee territorial governorship of the eight provinces the province of bakar a decorated veteran who fought in the world wound for a time before returning home General Lord garan jarek is known for his mercy and fairness the other General Lords are wary of jarek though as the Paladin is strongly against slavery and Hartley disapproves of the Reliance on indentured servitude in malthune jarek operates from his seat in tripolny and while he acknowledges the comfortable lives of the laborers there he still works to change the laws towards his ultimate goal of eliminating all shades of slavery the Border province of all our colleagues General Lord rasper cerno has had the longest military career and the most battle experience though she does not lead troops herself she conducts a random inspection of battalions along the border to evaluate the Army's Readiness she has a reputation as a cold often cruel leader with an unmatched tactical mind though Cyrano spends little time there she is officially based in Fort ramgate the territory seat the province of dusk shroud from the walled city of Aaron Mass rules General Lord Walder rescat who also commands malthun's powerful navy resket is a consummate sailor and maintains a private fleet in addition to performing his official duties he is careful to keep Naval actions directed only at near Martha's lest other nations on lake and carthan think themselves under attack the province of menador from her seat in katigny marthoon's relatively newly acquired city-state General Lord Irina Klim strives to keep imperialist Rule and the settlement's traditional leaders coexisting peacefully while balancing the whole territory's needs it's a tall order and as the youngest General Lord ever appointed claim wonders whether her impossible Duties are a test for something more so far Klem has passed the trial handily though she is almost at her Wit's End in dealing with katigny's rebellious citizens province of mindspin General Lord Katra Sabine maintains her seat in Braganza though she Pines for a more important post than the Hard Scrabble Frontier stopover indeed she Harbors strong Ambitions to One Day become malthune's next Imperial Governor as a result Sabine travels to other territory seats more frequently than her colleagues under the guise of offering detailed status reports and procuring supplies or territory needs in reality she is quietly looking for ways to boost her own power the planes the brashest of her colleagues General Lord Harwin Perrin made a name for herself constructing alchemical devices in the Army her explosive devices have taken many near-mathy lives earning her great military Prestige but she prefers her station as general Lord ruling from Wester she finds it far more agreeable and less morally ambiguous to advise the rotating cast of troops heading to their mouthy front lines than to create explosions that often result in a great many casualties sometimes on both sides the province of shrike wood an outspoken advocate of malthuni traditionalism General Lord Vernis leukakinis enjoys great respect from the marthuni elite who often refer to him by his unofficial title of the first general Lord Leo carcinas is known for his elaborate displays of power in his home and seat of core home such as the enormous contingent of attending guard that march with him to the hall of governance every morning perhaps most impressive though is the secret that his loyal bodyguard spravelvost is a bronze dragon in disguise the province of the umbral Basin peerlessly subtle and cunning General Lord Francine Maga operates from her seat in doommark where she conducts a host of spy campaigns domestically and abroad she keeps a careful eye on shadowy Nadal to the west and is indeed the only General Lord widely acknowledged to be up to the tricky task though they consider her talents invaluable the other General Lords fear Maga a fair bit as they can never be certain of the exact nature of her campaigns despite the fact that her office's paperwork is always Flawless important locations in malthune include the capital city of kanerit the Jewel and capital of malthune kanerit is a shining City filled with breathtaking architecture public artworks Lush garden promenads and a population draped in the latest fashions even the laborers live in Comfort here though their residences Are Walled off from those of the rest of the populace and the Splendor of the wealthiest citizens in the pristine sweet Orchard district is astonishing the dazzling spiers elegant manor houses and tiled Fountains of Canada make it the most beautiful and impressive City in the nation Travelers passing through marthoon often detour here just to take in the urban Beauty in Canada the best Architects enjoy a measure of celebrity and guided tours from the capital's most esteemed Architects are an outrageously expensive luxury one particularly in-demand architect izoria spurnoff an eccentric excitable and Brilliant halfling woman who uses her Arcane magic to bring her Visions to life as the capital of malthune kanrit exemplifies the nation's ideals and underscores the regimented social structure that Reigns in the region at large the city's Southeastern portion euphemistically called trades folks Abode contains the laborers housing public parks and utilitarian shops and is accessible to all nearest the Western gate the glittering Plaza contains more high-end shops and a wide Boulevard leads to the Central High Market those who want to venture deeper into the city must present a permit issued either from their lord governor or from the Imperial governor's office visitors often apply for permission to travel the Promenade of petals a beautiful walkway that leads to The Artisans district and a verdant public park and then opens into the unity Shipyard some areas including sweet Orchard the military-minded Eastern Shipyard the renowned Imperial Academy and the Imperial Castle are heavily guarded day and night permits are rarely issued to visit these areas and when they are they are usually reserved for foreign dignitaries or important guests of the aristocracy this is particularly true at the castle where Imperial castle and Volos is notoriously picky about whom he allows to enter the vaunted government building Aaron Mass the shipyard capital of malthune Aaron mass is home to the finest vessels in the fleet the flagship might of the nation leads most of the naval campaigns against near marthas as it's a frigate that can outrun any warship on the lake when General Lord resket accompanies the Navy a rare occasion mostly reserved for political stunts he usually captains the seasoned Battleship hammer and Blade the rescue is by law the authority over all aspects of malthune's Navy he delegates many low-level tasks to Admiral Kagan fry a sycophantic but capable officer who Harbors an intense desire to rise in political prominence the second largest city in malthune Aaron Mass boasts massive wooden walls that isolate each of the city's districts and Tall watchtowers made of dusk shroud Lumber stand against the outer wall the outer wall is an engineering Marvel crafted of huge stone blocks that were quarried in the menador mountains shipped in barges along the hungry ma River pull down the nawson river to corehome and then ferried along the coastline to iranmas General Lord resket is always cautious and how and where he deploys the malthuni fleet the other nations that border Lake and carthan view the nation's Navy with suspicion worried that if marthoon grows prosperous and secure enough it may turn its attention to its neighbor's lands corehole kanrit may be the capital of malthune and its most beautiful city but korholm runs a close second the famous Green Gate a 20-foot tall double Arch made of brick and famed in bronze affords entry into the city near the center of the city stands the Hall of governance a grand marble Hall among a complex of glittering buildings and topped with a Hundred-Foot Spire upon which stands a working clock and a gilded statue of the Imperial governor on the city's West Side malthuni soldiers and officers train in the Arsenal District before their assignments most are sent to the new mathi border to wage the never-ending war against the rebels although it's not as prestigious as the Imperial Academy in kanerit the coreholm academy often attracts retired officers who train the new recruits overseeing the military school is Battalion trainer fania Aaron who served in the Army for over a decade before an arrow from a near Matthew bow took out her left eye though she recovered her sight was too damaged for her to continue the fight instead she accepted a position as trainer here at the recommendation of General Lord lucarkanis though the Battalion trainer is a lukewarm supporter of Luke harkiness's politics she frequently works with him to arrange public displays and Troop marches in the parade grounds north of the academy viewing such demonstrations is a popular Pastime for citizens who watch from the stands as the soldiers and Shining Armor and crisp tabards engage in mock battles the nation of near Mathis near Mathis is a realm whose people value personal freedom more than anything perhaps even more than life itself though it's populist grudgingly and sporadically unites to work towards a vital cause as it did to achieve independence from malthune near Mathis is a single nation in name only far from simple obstructionists the near mathiara frontier people with no taste for anything that remotely resembles authoritarianism this philosophy manifests in many forms from towns that require the vote of every citizens for even the most mundane of tasks to apprentices who shirk more than half their assigned duties which their masters often view with pride the neuromath they see this attitude not as an exercise in inefficiency but as a celebration of the freedom they fought so hard to secure more than 60 years ago from a history of occupation and foreign domination the nuremathy have built themselves a land where all citizens are masters of their individual kingdoms freedom is the ideal all near Matthew Embrace and they each value their independence too highly to ever return to another prison no matter how attractive it might seem the dangers of such an exaggerated love of Freedom though are immense never was this more clear than on the night the new nation achieved Independence no sooner had ergal nirmath the rebels leader delivered his rousing victory speech that an assassin's blade took his life whether this was the bloody work of a malthuni assassin as most of the near Marathi insist or a rival Rebel will likely never be known but the moment nearmath fell the rebels fell into chaos and to this day every person thinks and acts as an independent sovereignty luckily for the near mathi the nation's natural resources facilitate this freedom-loving lifestyle the Fang would provide the nurmathy with the resources they need for day-to-day survival and are to force protection against their predatory neighbors for the West stretches of plain leading up to the forbidding mindspin mountains divide the country from shadowy Nadal to the east the Waters of lake and cartham stretch across central avaston though the near marthi desire for Independence allowed the people to shake free of marthoon's rule this same Fierce Spirit holds the country back from further growth each near Matthew Homestead is a castle into itself and organizing the nation's people to work towards any common goal is an almost impossible task only when no other option remains will in your mouthy grudgingly take orders from another and sometimes not even then the most commonly worshiped deities in their Mathis are erastal and ayamide both of whom value Law and Order erastal though is a god of hunting and farming and many near Matthew see him as a god of self-sufficiency in living off the land near Mathis is home to many archers and Rangers who take old Dead Eye as their Patron ayomide on the other hand is the goddess of rulership and Valor aspects that are more commonly worshiped in last wall to the north the people of near Mathis see her as a goddess of justice and self-rule who assist them in fighting against unjust conquerors residents of last wall who Moved South to new Mathis are often retired soldiers and they have brought their worship of ayomade with them over the years some of near mathis's most martial minded citizens particularly those in hard-pressed Border towns Revere Gorham the god of strength battle and weapons these residents look to the God for strength in the virtually unending incursions and invasions they suffer other nirmathi residents Revere Milani though she is less prominently worshiped those citizens believe that the everbloom Blessed the nation's Uprising and eventual freedom and that she supports it still in its struggle against oppressive malthune Travelers near Mathis find that its people are friendly but only to a limited degree most small communities are willing to speak or trade with visitors but homesteaders are more likely to order strangers away all near-malthy value their right to protect their home and if they suspect that a traveler might bring trouble or works for malthune they won't hesitate to use Force visitors to near Mathis do best sticking to the main roads and the nation's larger towns near mathis's government is best described as a lack thereof because defense of its hard-won National freedom is by far the most urgent issue facing the nation it's sole overarching Authority is its Forest Marshal who coordinates the overall armed effort against malthuni incursions however actual governance is left to each individual Homestead Hamlet town or on the rare occasion when a Confederacy is required to decide Regional issues relevant Collective how each individual family or settlement is governed is left largely to its citizens true democracies are common as are large councils and elected officials who are typically Village Elders exiled malthuni Nobles wise men and women or other charismatic individuals that people trust as a result there is no codified National Law And even local laws are constantly in flux to see the populace's immediate needs no court systems exist as dealing with criminality is entirely a local matter statutes and punishments are so varied that it's impossible to know the penalties for anything from stealing bread to violent crimes despite this chaos the near-mathi people take pride in their culture of personal accountability and responsibility they believe citizens know best how to live their own lives and that they should be free to do so as long as they're not infringing on the rights freedoms and safety of others when it comes to the war effort the nirmathy somewhat reluctantly agree that a measure of unified leadership is needed though the near Matthew worked together to protect their lands from Invaders their militia is a loose organization made up of volunteers the nirmathi valued their freedom so highly that almost every citizen has served at least some time in a militia making the nation's martial resources robust but its leadership thin to mitigate this lack of leadership a congregation gathers in Tamarin every four years formed by anyone who carries a letter signed by about a dozen citizens or more stating the person's leadership over a group of homesteaders a settlement or a militia platoon this disparate group then elects a forest Marshal to lead the nation's National Defense effort for the past several terms near mathis's leaders have agreed that Forest Marshall weslin gaverk a brilliant tactician and a Fair leader with an eye for the big picture is the best person for the job the forest Marshal oversees the deployment of the nation's militias to the front lines and prepares for malthunian incursions as a civil leader though the forest Marshall is merely a figurehead the people of near Mathis don't pay taxes and won't respond to proclamations leaving the forest Marshall's role largely symbolic though Forest Marshall weslin aspires to more fully unite near Mathis solely towards the end of a more secure Independence he holds no illusions that his office might wield any significant political power although near Mathis is nothing that resembles organized local state or national government a few organizations perform key leadership roles or serve functions relevant to the National interest these include the chernosado ranges in the southern portion of the fangwood the most devoted of pneumathis's Defenders live within the region known as chernosado these Hunter survivalist trackers and Trappers see themselves as an independent Force but nonetheless risked their lives to defend the nation's sovereignty from malthuni incursions the Region's Rangers in particular are consummate Woodland Fighters the malthuni historically underestimate them there are 10 times as many genocido Rangers as anyone outside the forest thinks and they'll stop at nothing to defend near marthas from imperialist Furs ergal's acts the band of skilled fighters who supported irigal nirmath proudly wear the name irgal's acts and its numbers have swells as the nation moved towards eventual Independence the group disbanded shortly after achieving its goal and ergo's ax no longer exists as it once did in recent years though a new band of Fighters has United under the name these Rebels orchestrate sustained guerrilla warfare against marthoon conducting raids and sabotage charging supply lines and then disappearing afterwards without a trace this group clandestinely recruits the most promising Guerrilla fighters from homesteads and small settlements although no one quite knows where the group is even based let alone who makes up the rosters the fox claws the fox claws are another organization that bans Warriors of near Mathis together they operate in the far south disrupting Caravans from malthune and seizing their supplies these supplies are then sent up the Meredith River to supply near-mouthy forces malthune is becoming weary of these raids and has begun seeding Caravans with sabotage supplies important locations in near Mathis include the capital city of Tamarin the ramshackle appearance of near mathis's Capital reflects the rugged nation's political structure and ideology the city is a mishmash of wooden buildings scattered atop piers and wharves divided by a murky Marshland connected by Bridges coracles and Skiffs High wooden walls once surrounded Tamarind but the near mathi tore them down during the freedom war since the malthuni Army could easily overpower the city's defenses with their Superior arms the walls trap citizens within Tamarin and made them easy targets dismantling the walls allowed the near Matthew to flee into the fangwood and the marshlands during the attacks where they lived well through their survival skills and prepared their retaliations as a result malthunis captured Tamarind five times but has never been able to hold the Open City on the final occasion of marthin's occupation the Army burned Tamarind to the ground in frustration the near mathie rebuilt their City within a year and residents take great pride in their small defined city which they see as a testament to their people's cunning and tenacity although Forest Marshall Westland gevirk is based in Tamarin he has little to do with the city's government instead like much of the rest of near Mathis Tamron has minimal formal oversight a loose council is all that serves to unite tamron's interests and handle stickier matters typically issues of land use or squabbles between rival merchants and Artisans three speakers as the people call them sit on this Council which meets irregularly according to need although all three are military veterans they each have vastly different perspectives yet their conciliatory natures and good faith attitudes ensure that most disputes are resolved without larger consequence in the years since Tamron was last rebuilt the people have constructed some buildings that are designed to be more permanent than the flimsy Shacks the residents built during the freedom war the forest Bounty for example is a feast Hall where citizens gather to celebrate successes against marthoon as well as holding weddings and holy days a druidic shrine stands near the forest Bounty maintained by an enigmatic half-elf who gives her name only as the Emerald bow she came to Tamarind several years ago and constructed the shrine an impressive structure of living trees coaxed to intertwine and form the main hall the emerald bow provides healing services and has a wealth of knowledge on the fangwood in the natural world though she is suspiciously silent about her past Tamron is also a central location in the Standalone first edition adventure module masks of the Living God kassin though this community is small it often sees visitors traveling along the river and so it maintains a large Inn called the seven Silvers kasson's main industry is logging and most of the townsfolk live on small Holdings in the woods rather than within the community's walls under the guidance of their mayor jornick up tall the people of Kasson make a comfortable living selling Lumber and wooden Goods cassin appears as a central location in both the Standalone Adventure modules Crypt of the everflame and masks the Living God fendar this small town situated in lesbian Plains is one of the largest settlements in southern near Mathis nearly all of its residents around 400 null are talented leather workers Weavers or wood Carvers and most near-mathy homes from Tamarind to skelt eventually feature a few sturdy Furnishings born in a findari workshop like many similar communities Across the Nation fendar runs with little codified oversight the town is still known for its strong personalities however including its foul-mouthed Priestess aubrin the green skelt the city of skelt on The Shining river is a Wanderer of Dwarven engineering the city is built into a bluff making it inaccessible saved by wooden ramps fitted strategically with drawbridges or by lifts powered by enormous water wheels Travelers looking across the river at skelt can see the lifts trundling up and down carrying loads of workers and supplies while lines of citizens Scurry along the ramps skelt's primary industry is Mining and the city's water wheels allow it to run Advanced mining equipment and or crushing machines kragodan is by far skelt's biggest trading partner purchasing the bulk of its Stone in ore skelt also conducts trade with smaller settlements towards the fangwood as well but only when necessary as the amount of business these Partners generates is barely enough to make trade worthwhile the people of skelt have a serious interest in reclaiming the blood sworn Veil as the city would profit greatly if it could begin trading with corvosa and other large varician cities skelt Council of Dwarven Elders including the charismatic High forger Brom Helm splitter is preparing to take advantage of that potential eventuality the nation of operak one of avastin's newest Nations operax nationhood was hard won by the iron Fang Legion a knob Goblin Army that scourged northern malthune and southern near Mathis throughout 4717. its leader General azercy first rose to prominence as the commander of one of malthune's non-human mercenary companies she patiently attracted op goblins and other monstrous mercenaries to her side ultimately swelling her troop into an army azerces Legion rapidly conquered much of Southwestern near Mathis and she would have extended her domain further if a group of Heroes had not raised a militia to halter Advance the militia commanders eventually confronted azercy at her home base in the Onyx Citadel and convinced her that her Relentless warmongering would bring nothing but destruction to her people exhausted by the toll the war had taken on her Army her friendships and herself azercy elected to withdraw her troops into the mountains and use the Onyx Citadel to establish oprak as a Homeland for abgoblins and other creatures seen as monsters azercy carved her lands on gallerian from a sparsely inhabited section of the mindspin mountains between near Mathis and Nadal the general and her advisors The Enclave Council were careful when drawing their borders to exclude the Dwarven free city of kragodan representatives from the umbral court of Nadal were the first to meet with the Cersei and acknowledge the obgoblin general sovereignty agreeing to a three-year non-aggression pact shortly thereafter first Marshal dardina yalas of nirmathis approached the Cersei under a heavy guard to discuss diplomatic relations and agreed to peace for four years yalas hoped that because the obgoblins were scheduled to end their peace with Nadal first they would look West rather than East for military conquests although operak is little more than 300 miles across and consists primarily of forbidding mountains the orb goblins have substantially more resources than they have revealed to the rest of the world the Onyx Citadel rests in a large verdant Cavern that the obgoblins called the Onyx vault which is even larger than the territory azercy claims on galarian created Long Ago by a powerful species of terraformers called the zeomorns the Onyx Vault has a variety of terrain its own day and night cycle and even clouds and Rain the obgoblins are industriously taming the Strange Land negotiating with powerful Elemental Natives and Mining the profusion of gems and oars in this wondrous place other unaligned factions in the region include The Druids of crystalhurst there is a secret independent druidic city-state that exists in the fangwood although it sits within the borders of near Mathis it is not technically affiliated with the near Matthew Kingdom the Druid Council that runs Crystal Hearst takes care to keep the settlement's existence a secret as they believe Outsiders disrupt the Natural Balance of the place occasionally Travelers accidentally stumble into crystalhurst but unless such trespassers quickly prove themselves worthy The Druids firmly turned them away The Druids of Crystal Hurst support near Mathis in its war against malthune mainly because they fear what malthuni armies would do to the fangwood should the Invaders prove Victorious The Druids envisioned huge swaths of the forest raised for lumber to build ships and fortresses and they are determined to prevent that future from coming to pass following a long tradition a council of the town's eldest and wisest Druids governed crystalhurst head of the council is Arc Druid aspenzora a young human woman born and raised in crystalhurst Zora radiates an inner Serenity intricate sky blue tattoos cover her face and hands her voice resonates with an otherworldly calm and she exhibits practical wisdom and Leadership skills that far exceed her years hallkeeper kareneth a half elf who has lived in crystalhurst for decades maintains records of important natural events and historical moments here he also maintains the Gathering Hall a large wooden structure used for festivals meetings and rituals although well past middle age karenath retains the appearance and vigor of a much younger person he attributes his unusual longevity to the pure natural energies of the settle the Fang would Fey in many ways the Fang wood is the heart of near Mathis the forest provides shelter and resources as well as cover for fighters who keep near Mathis free however the denizens of the woods include various fake creatures trians and even a clan of werebears these denizens do not owe fealty to the nation of dear Mathis but rather to their own Fey Queen which rules over them fairly as mentioned in the History Section Queen genduin secured alliances for her and her subjects with the dwarves of kragodan and with the near-mathy humans forming strong alliances that lasted for thousands of years yet treachery lurked among our own kind and one of ganduan's handmaidens arlantia had secretly devoted herself to Sith visag the Demon Lord of fungus and parasites in 4062 over 200 years after the end of The Shining Crusade orlantia overthrew an imprisoned ganduan before releasing a terrible plague throughout the northern fangwood a supernatural infection called the dark blight this plague spread quickly among the FAE warping their features and twisting their souls the dark blight's expansion was slowed by near Matthew Scouts in the fangwood who fought to protect their forest homes from the infection and finally ended in 4717 when heroes from near Mathis slew our lantia and freed genduen from her imprisonment today ganduan rules from her acrescial Palace in the heart of the fangwood but her rule is far from secure pockets of the dark people I do remain and the dense Northern section of the fangwood is home to Orcs dragons and other threats that murder Fey on site keenly aware of her need for allies genduen has established relations with the nirmathi and the Jews of crystalhurst particularly the scouts and Freedom Fighters called the chernosado Rangers still relations between fractious humans and fickle Faye are strained even at the best of times and both sides welcome intermediaries skilled with negotiation or Primal Magic another interesting detail is that the fangwood stretches across the river Meredith which at earlier times represented the northern border of malthune the Meredith River Valley has always been a key strategic location in the war between malthune and near Mathis both sides Vie for power in this region since a strong foothold in the Borderland often means the difference between Victory and defeat for dozens of nearby skirmishes there is in fact a large malthuni Citadel called the Fang would keep that is located along the river but since it is currently near mathi land the keep was never claimed by the Rangers and it fell into disrepair eventually malthuni deserters and brigands occupied the keep the details of this are played out in the Standalone Pathfinder module the Fang would keep kragodan the sky Citadel of kragodan stands Atop The peaks of the Southern mindspin mountains one of only 10 such marvels of Dwarven Engineering in existence kragodan also Bears the mantle of being one of but five sky citadels that still rest in Dwarven hands The Soaring architecture wrought by kragodan's Masons is visible from across the Southern Hills of near Mathis and well into the plains of Northern marthoon stern visages of long dead Dwarven monarchs stare out across the land a mere sampling of kragodan's unmatched Dwarven engineering which has only grown more impressive since the initial completion of the sky Citadel Millennia ago kragodan exists as a Bastion of Dwarven culture and Society separate from The Strife prone Dwarven holds in the five King mountains the sky Citadel is often remembered for its contribution to The Shining Crusade when its soldiers took up arms beside the armies of aviston's humans to defy the depredations of the whispering tyrant today kragodan has borne the brunt of ongoing sieges by morethune in the South and the iron Fang Legion which conquered the near mathi territory immediately to its East the conflicts have consisted of numerous forays in which the marthuni or apraki forces March into the upper peaks of kragadan only to break apart when the dwarves retaliate and then Retreat back into their Mountain Home kragadan's stubborn citizens show no sign of acquiescing in the aftermath of every attack it takes only days before the dwarves once again return to their upper fastness and reopen their closed markets built both atop and within the peak of the mindspin mountains kragodan consists of two major sections the external upper fastness exposed to the sun and stars and the mountain hold secure within the Mountain's living Stone the upper fastness is equal parts market and Military Fortress large mechanical lifts connect the depths of the mountain hole to the upper fastness ceaselessly moving in times of peace and locked in place in times of War checkpoints and small forts outside the few bottleneck entry ways into the interior Caverns are built into the Rock of the mountain these military holdouts stand as bulwarks against Invaders as well as temporary lodgings for the merchants who populate Mercantile stalls in times of Peace the mountain hole stands in a large open Cavern of iron-rich stone that rises impossibly from a roiling lake of lava hundreds of feet below the city both metal and stone are prominent in the architecture of kragodan's interior city with the two materials often interwoven in unique displays that highlight the Dwarven Acumen for such craftsmanship immense bronze brazers hang from the cavern ceiling on great iron chains burning with bright but Warm Glow this light reflects off a multitude of grain-sized quartz gems embedded in the stone above providing the cavern with the same illumination as a distant Sun the constant illumination is more of a concession to Dwarven vanity than it is for Outsiders as the light allows a populist to Marvel at the Myriad architectural Feats of the mountain hold without being subjected to the aesthetic limitations of dark vision a monarchy based around ruling Clans has traditionally ruled kragadan ascendant Clans made up the first rulers of the sky Citadel providing a king or queen to manage governance the succession of these Clans has been tumultuous in the past with some dying off finding themselves evicted from their ruling position in the aftermath of a scandal or simply Desiring to move away from governance in the past 300 years kragadan had one of its deadliest changes in leadership when Clan greathammer deposed Clan darain following the shocking Discovery the clan Dar Ain had Allied themselves with the druskarens from the five King's mountains the more recent and unexpected loss of King Borum great Hammer's first son has modeled kragadan's line of succession by right borum's second child through Mira great hammer should be in line to become Queen of the sky Citadel she has refused the position as part of her Paladin's oath to trude whose local church and sizable are militia she leads with the title of Exemplar gorm great hammer borum's third child also refused to take the title believing that his father would one day return from his self posed isolation to once again rule his people in light of this the leaders of kragodan formed the even-handed Synod a temporary governing body made up of several prominent political military and religious leaders within kragodan the Synod keeps order and protects the sky Citadel with its well-trained and well-equipped army for the dwarves there is no difference between the role of a battlefield veteran and a seasoned Keeper of the peace to kragadan Citizens the Army is the city guard Warriors bedecked an iron breastplates Patrol the streets with rigid efficiency while those encased in intricate sets of stone plate are summoned only to deal with a few threats arising from within the mountain hold the churches of drangavit and Coles are routinely summoned when subtler means are necessary to keep the peace inquisitors of both churches are dispatched Often by direct order from the even-handed Synod to prevent the escalation of tensions between kragodan's many Clans Servants of calls call upon the noble aspirations of Clans helping them see the error of their ways before matters of internal strife escalate to the point of violence the grim-faced interrogators of drangavit are far less forgiving and their appearance is often sufficient to curtail growing tensions between families the glimmer hold the other major Dwarven seat of power in the region is the glimmerhold the glimmer hold emerges a major dwarf settlement after a coalition of Dwarven mining Villages came together to damn the river gern at the site of the enormous Dam they built a fast keep a pillar Dwarven City with entire communities living and working in each of the levels in time it would become one of the preeminent Dwarven cities one of the few cities built long after the Quest for the sky in the age of Darkness came to an end but yet managed to rival the might of the sky citadels of old for wealth and influence or so it was recently the glimmer hold has fallen out to hard times more than a century ago Prince eselgar of the glimmerhold heir to the throne faced a grave Peril Dwarven tradition compelled him to challenge angramora a vicious black dragon and thief of the prized woven heirloom known as the blood flame ring in order to assume his new role as king inexperienced and alone esalgar was doomed but instead of death he was offered a bargain a group of dwarves known as the Mist breather Clan exiled from the glimmerhold 3 Generations ago for turning to the worship of lamashtu found ezelgar near the Dragon's Lair and offered to defeat angramora in exchange for the right to live within the halls of the glimmerhold once more the prince accepted and the dragon was slain but ezelgar suffered Grievous wounds mad with pain and on the verge of death he was brought to the nearby Monastery of sigria's pledge there Forge Priestess hel roon who loved the prince as much as she loved her faith tended his injuries but was aghast at The Pact he struck with those she recognized as Heretics and outcasts her concerns proved true without eslgar's knowledge the Myster Clan planned to raise the monastery when they struck the prince found himself caught between the lines fearing death at the hands of the outcasts he joined in the Clan's atrocities as they murdered all the monks of the monastery unwilling to take helroon's life but afraid of her oath of Vengeance eslgar used a stone-shaped spell to imprison her within the building's walls returning to the glimmerhold with a treasure horde and a dragon's head esulgar spun a tale of a mighty battle against angry Mora of the monster's attack on sigria's pledge and of how the outcasts of the Mist breather Clan redeemed themselves by helping him defend the monastery now many years later King esalgar rules a kingdom that is home to sadistic Aristocrats and Rich Traders all descendants of the Mist breather Clan slavery and oppression Fester Beyond a veil of prosperity but great change is about to come despite years of being sealed into a wall hell roon has survived on the power of her faith and through prayer and utter devotion she has reached out to her God for help torag Father of all dwarves has been shamed and humiliated by the sinful Deeds of his people in disgust the God turned his back on glimmerhold and decided to grant faithful helroon her Grim Revenge the details of her revenge and these events are played out in the Standalone module clash of the kingslayers with my own group we played through clash of the king Slayers in the middle of our Giant Slayer campaign and my own character a dwarf skull named gang near fafnir son came from the glimmerhold and had in fact been exiled from there by King eselgar in the events of this adventure gangnir's own son hugin became the new Lord of the glimmerhold although how these events play out for your group may be very different [Music]

Channel: MythKeeper

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Id: zIwXBffZdM8

Length: 45min 50sec (2750 seconds)

Published: Thu Jan 19 2023