The Shadowend Campaign Setting

Aithelighin

The Rainbowed Pavilions, The Many-Colored Field
Symbol: A green pennant on a white field
Ruler: Princess Eira Quileannithal (Ef F6/W6)
Major Settlements: Aithelighin*
Population: Elven, gnome (rare), half-elf (rare), human (rare)
Resources: Horses, cloth, mercenaries (cavalry)
Aithelighin is the closest large fair elf settlement to the Woodmarch in the Shadowend Forest. It is set in an area of open woodland, where the great trees form vast, vaulted halls of wood and leaf. The elves have set their tents throughout the halls, each tent festooned with banners, flags, and pennants identifying the tent’s owner, occupants, guests, or nearly anything else one is inclined to display. All of the civilized races are welcome here, and free to participate in any of the tournaments, jousts, and competitions that occur daily. The Many-Colored Field is also the chief stronghold of elven cavalry, and combat from horseback is one of the most tested and valued skills here.


Adventures & Encounters

• Travellers near Aithelighin occasionally encounter elven knights looking for adventure. Most knights travel with a small retinue that includes a minor wizard, a healer or cleric, and several squires and pages. Many knights consider a joust or duel with any worthy opponents they come across a requirement of their honor.
• Aethelighin’s greatest threat comes from Asavar and the Glimmering Plain. Goblinkin from the plain frequently raid into the Shadowend. The goblins are considered a relatively mundane threats, but several tribes include worg riders or hobgoblins with giants boars, and others have dangerous allies, including ogres, hill giants, and athach. The fractious powers of Asavar are less aggressive but make travel near their dominions troublesome at best, endangering the Rainbow Pavilions’ link to the Shadowend region.

Tefplanz - Overview

Tefplanz: This fertile floodplain is the exclusive domain of Innergild. Canals and dikes crisscross the landscape, controlling flooding and turning the marshy land into arable fields. The border between the Tefplanz and the Middurplanz is heavily fortified and humanoid threats are rare, but ankheg attacks are increasing.

Law and order in the Tefplanz is ostensibly under the control of the Council of Innergild, but in truth the council has ceded control to the local rulers of each settlement, with no central oversight. The Doredain heritage of the natives make them basically law-abiding and peaceful (if somewhat xenophobic), but there are many opportunities for graft and low-level corruption. The Tefplanzers consider themselves bound by a common culture and against a common foe (everything east and north of the Middurplanz), but each town and village manages its own affairs. The Rytteren patrol the roads under the badge of Innergild, but their mercenary status and foreign origins have prevent them from establishing effective relations with local authorities.

Tefplanz - The Sign of the Three Pigs

Sign of the Three Pigs: This massive, sprawling hostel lies on the Cilnoc-Narnigar road a short distance from the Middurplanz border, and is well known as a place of rest, refuge, and information. The owner, Odlef der Groot, brews his own ale, and has won numerous brewing competitions.

Unbeknownst to anyone in the Tefplanz, Odlef had a relatively successful (he didn't die) first career as a sellsword, looting and pillaging his way across foreign lands for coin before opting for anonymity and the quiet life back in his homeland. One result of this earlier profession, however, were several half-orc children. Their mother, also a mercenary, died several years ago, but the children have grown up big, strong, brutal, and nasty. At least two of them can pass for human, and they have located Odlef and hatched a plan to blackmail him at best, or rob and kill him at worse. Odlef's new (human) family will die in either case. The half-orcs don't really have deep personal grudges against Odlef, but they feel like they should make the motions of avenging their mother ( they're not sure for what exactly, but it sounds good and humanish); they have enough evidence to make things hard for Odlef; and it seems like a easy way to make some coin.

Tefplanz - The Spectre of Ylg Bridge

The Spectre of Ylg Bridge: The road from the Tefplanz to Narnigar is one of the most heavily traveled routes in the Near North, and the bridge here undergoes regular repairs to the damage from winter ice and spring floods. A death or two is not unknown during these repairs (victims lost to the river are referred to as Ylg's Toll), and this last year was no exception. Two laborers were dragged into the river and lost when a load of stone came loose. Rites were said, and work continued as usual and without disturbance.

Oda Floriswif was widow of one of the workers. A naturally spiteful and angry woman, she grew bitter, vile, and vengeful after the death of her husband, and followed him into death only a few months later. The cause of her passing is likely natural (she was well into middle age), but those who knew her attribute it to a personality overflowing with bile and venom. Ironically, her husband, whose corpse is entombed in mud at the bottom of the Ylg, beneath the stone block that swept him off the bridge to his death, rests peacefully. Oda, laid with full rites in sanctified ground, has just returned as a spectre.

Oda's haunting ground extends slightly beyond the bridge on either side. She killed both of the bridge keepers on the first night of her return, and several more since then. The bridge has become slippery and treacherous even during daylight hours, and animals refuse to cross it. Traffic has shriveled as a result, and tolls have declined. The only way to appease Oda is to exhume Floris's corpse from the river and inter it beside her, along with a payment of at least several hundred gold pieces (Oda thinks the weregild she received after Floris's death was woefully, insultingly insufficient, and her opinion of what is "rightfully hers" has only risen over time.) The money must be publicly acknowledged as hers, and laid in her grave, in common coinage (no jewels, fancy figurines, or other object d'art; Oda was a simple, albeit greedy, woman, and retains that simplicity in undeath). The public acknowledgement is as important to Oda as the payment itself.

Several factors make the matter even more complicated:

• The ferrymen who operate near the bridge are not exactly upset about the dramatic increase in their business. They won't openly admit to supporting the spectre, but they're not above a little sabotage to keep the bridge closed, and adventurers venturing underwater are obvious targets.
• Scrags, nixies, and a number of other aquatic monsters frequently travel along the Ylg.
• Oda's gravebound weregild will be a rich and easy target for thieves. Oda, in her typically perverse and misanthropic manner, will announce the loss of her weregild by haunting and killing on the bridge, leaving the thief to make his escape.
• And finally, there might be some real truth to the mention of Ylg's Toll. It's considered nothing more than an idle saying, and no one gives it much thought, but the consequences of taking Floris's body back from the river could be far worse than a single spectre, and far broader in scope.

The Dalerain Overview

The Dalerain are the children of the Elder Host and members of the mortal races. Dalerain can create avatars between of between 20th and 30th level in power (1e-3e). They range in power from demi- to intermediate powers. There is a roughly 1% chance that they will intervene in a life-or-death situation for one of their priests. The Knowledge (Religion) check to recognize the symbol or symbols of a Dalerain is 10.

The Dalerain are far more numerous than the Elder Host, but not so numerous as the Typhos or the Envidier. Some Dalerain limit their activities to specific regions.

• Adosil, Lady of Vengeance (Humiliation, Revenge, Spite)
• Aghdo, Lord of the Depths (Oceans & Tides)
• Ashara, Oathtaker (Honor, Oaths, Pacts, Dawn)
• Brigit, The Bright Lady (Light, Summer)
• Catil, God of Hammers (Smithcraft, Strength, Endurance)
• Cheneitha, Lady of Ice (Cold, Ice, Winter)
• Cyriana, the Proclaimer (Victory, Nobility, Heraldry)
• Kajalla, the Crone (Despair, Nightmares, Weakness)
• Linon, Lord of the Fields (Farming, Autumn, Fields)
• Maebd, Lady of the Vine (Wine, Impulsiveness)
• Palanar, Coinlord (Merchants, Trade, Wealth)
• Ragavar, the Mad God (Madness, Corruption)
• Samaan, Lord of the Green (Forests)
• Sif, Lady of Swords (Fighters, Battlecraft)
• Talabas, The Slaughterer (Brutality, Warfare, Berserkers)
• Teleri, Maiden of Songs (Beauty, Affection, Music)
• Tuar, Lord of the Dark Below (Darkness, Mines, Caverns)
• Uller, Foreststrider (Hunting, Archery, Wolves)
• Uriu, the God Between (Gates, Doors, Law)
• Urjin, The Rotted God ( Disease, Swamps)

Dalerain III - Lady of Vengeance

Adosil
Lady of Vengeance, The Feuding Goddess, the Viper Who Bites Twice
Demi-power of the Dalerain
Major AoC: Humiliation, Revenge, Spite
Minor AoC: Plotting, Ironic Justice
Symbol: A black banner, a snake consuming it's own tail, a twisted arrow or crossbow bolt
Allies: Kajalla, Talabas
Enemies: Madate
Avatar: Rogue 16 / Sorcerer 8

Adosil takes the shape of either a woman or a man, with curly black hair and green eyes. She carries a crossbow in any form, and can bestow it as a gift upon anyone who has won her favor with a particularly appropriate or long-held revenge (it is a hand or small crossbow +3, and creates its own missiles when cocked). Her own crossbow is known as Blessings Returned.

Adosil is one of the younger Dalerain, and nurses many grudges for real and imagined slights from the other powers. Her only allies among the powers are Kajalla, who is doubtlessly friendly with the Lady of Vengeance for her own reasons, and Talabas, who enjoys the opportunities for destruction Adosil brings him.

She is sought out by those who feel they have been wronged and long for vengeance, and appeased by cautious people who seek to avoid offending others. Her priests and followers never forget a slight, whether real or imagined, and will nurse a grudge for years, plotting revenge. They are dangerous in their tenacity and unforgiveness -- the followers of the Feuding Goddess neither forgive nor forget.

Dalerain IV - Queen of Celebration

MAEBD
Lady of the Grape and Bottle, the Whimful Goddess, Queen of Celebration
Power of the Dalerain
Major AoC: Wine, Impulsiveness, Acting, Drama
Minor AoC: Vineyards, Drunks, Fools, Actors
Symbol: A flagon overflowing with grapes, an upside-down rabbit.
Allies: Gwydion, Linon, Tlazis
Enemies:
Avatar: Bard 25

Maebd appears as a small woman, with long, dark, curled hair, flashing green eyes, and rosy cheeks. She favors low-cut gowns that threaten an explosion of bosom with every move she makes, and always carries a flagon, tankard, flask, cup, stein, or goblet. She also carries a small knife, usually concealed beneath her skirts. The goblet is known as Solesus, or One too Many, and the knife is Jolinfil, or Joypricker. Maebd does not dally in faint emotions; she is overwhelming in her joy, towering in her anger, drowning in her tears, and exhausting in her passion.

The Queen of Celebration is the daughter or Linon, the Lord of the Fields, and half-sister to Noluan, the Lord of Sails. She is on good terms with her father, but relations between her and Jaerana, the goddess of the hearth, are restricted to the proper preparation of brewing ingredients. Reunions with her half-brother are boisterous revels. She is likewise on good terms with the Temptress, Tlazis, and is fervently, flagrantly, in love with Uller…except when she’s not. Few of the gods find her worthy offensive or dangerous enough to consider an enemy.

The Whimful Goddess is worshipped by vinters, bartenders, drunks, enchanters, actors, thrill-seekers, daredevils, and party-goers. Her priests are flamboyant and outgoing (and even more so after a few morning drinks to get the day started). Evil priests may be malicious in their actions, selling fouled or tainted bottles of wine, but most clerics are innocent of any true darkness (though, to be warned…the darkest of her priests are the best at hiding in the light).

Winelady
Domains: Charm, Chaos, Luck, Madness, Plant.
Skills: Bluff, Profession (farmer, winemaker).
Favored Weapon: Club
Bonuses: +2 class bonus to saves vs nonmagical poisons.

Dalerain V - Frost Maiden

CHENEITHA
Winter Queen, Lady of Ice, Frost Maiden
Power of the Dalerain
Major AoC: Cold, Frost, Ice, Winter
Minor AoC: Frost, Death by Cold, Stagnation, or Being Trapped.
Symbol: A snowflake, a snowy owl.
Allies: None
Enemies: Brigit, Umoth
Avatar: Cleric 12 / Fighter 11 / Wizard 12

Cheneitha appears as a young woman of medium height, with silver-white hair and pale, almost colorless, blue eyes, clad in a robe of white fur and a gown of white silk. In combat she wears crystalline scale mail and helm and carries a spear of ice called Frausein, or Littlefrost. She is somewhat vain, and often wears pale or colorless jewels, and enjoys these as gifts.

In a few rare myths, Cheneitha is represented as as a sister to Brigit, or Alaron and Eial, but tempted away from them and into Kajalla's influence. At one point she was part of a trinity of goddess, including Kajalla the Crone and Malis the False; her place in recent centuries has been overtaken by Yilwyn, the Bleak Maiden. She rarely deals with the Crone anymore, but any rumors of her desire to reconcile with her sister(s) are swiftly extinguished by her priesthood and probably untrue.

Cheneitha is worshiped by ice elementalists and those seeking to keep things as they are; she is appeased by nearly everyone. She is generous with those who please her, but fickle in her attentions; those who are not vigilant find her whims have turned against them. Her priests are solitary between themselves, preferring to surround themselves with minions and cohorts rather than rivals. They hope to win their goddess’s favor by eliminating warmth and the heat of change from the world, and bring unchanging cold. They often use undead in these tasks, and some see undeath as the ultimate existence, stagnant and cold.

Cheneitha is rare among the Dalerain in her rulership of a material realm, the High Ice. This desolate, glacial land has slowly expanded its reach over the centuries, and now covers almost everything beyond the Kameurhorns. Her interest in the High Ice has waned as its influence has grown, and the goals of the High Ice, whatever they may be, are increasingly determined by a shadowy power or powers embedded in the deepest ice.

Winterlady /Winterlord (3e)
Domains: Battle, Cold, Summoning, Water
Skills: Intuit Direction, Wilderness Lore
Favored Weapon: Spear.
Bonuses: +2 class bonus to Intuit Direction and Wilderness Lore checks in winter or arctic conditions.

Typhos I: The Leveller​

Enyo​

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The Leveller, Scatterer of Stones
Typhos​

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AoC: Destruction of Cities & Civilization
Symbol: A foot crushing a building
Allies: Tamati, Talabas, Samaan
Enemies: Ados, Kaduv, Madate, Palanar
Avatar: Barbarian 20/Fighter 10
Enyo takes the form of a heavily armored woman of near-giantish height, or a thick-plated monstrosity large enough to topple towers and city walls. In humanoid form she uses her powerful fists to smash opponents. In ancient days she sometimes appeared as a woman carved of stone bearing a two-handed greatmace called Nem, or Breaker, but that avatar has not been seen in many centuries.

The Leveller is a great and ancient Typhosian power, strong enough to surpass most Envidier and rival many of the Dalerain. She is the child of Tamati and Samaan, and serves both of them when they wish it, destroying cities and towns, scattering people, and erasing their works. She is capable of subtlety and patience, particularly when serving the Forestlord, whose plans tend to grow slowly but steadily, like trees, but better known for the devastation and destruction she brings in the Bloody Queen’s service.
Enyo’s own goals are hard to discern. Unlike most Typhos, she serves her parents willingly when called and otherwise keeps to herself. In keeping with her nature she has no dwelling or court but simply travels the wild places of the world, sleeping under the trees and stars like the force of nature that she is.

Enyo occasionally creates monstrous beings or races devoted to destruction; certainly the bulette is hers, but also the rust monster and disenchanter. She may empower ogres and giants; those touched by her wrap themselves in armor or chains and set out to destroy. She is a scholar of siege machines and siege warfare, and sought for that information (although those seeking it try not to draw her attention to their own castles and cities). She is equally often called upon by nihilists, vengeance-seekers, and zealots of nature.

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Cult Servitors: Servitors of Enyo summoned by her cultists appear as heavily armored monstrosities (see Bulette, Monstrosities pg.54; CL varies*) or statuesque women of bronze or stone (see Chalkeion, Monstrosities, pg.64; CL 5, 6,7, or 11; or Caryatid Column, Tome of Horrors pg.83; CL 7) and can have the following special abilities: Extra Attack (+1 CL), Improved Armor Class (+1 CL), Improved Damage (+1 CL), Magic Resistance 25% (+1 CL).
*The bulette’s Challenge Level is increased by one for purposes of summoning as a servitor.

Emr, The Broken Domain​

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Emr is a land of rubble and ruin, of shattered cities and tumbled walls. Scrape the ground anywhere in Emr and you’ll uncover a road, or patio, or foundation. Carvings and writings are worn to indecipherability; paintings and murals little more than scaps of color hinting at what they might have been. Springs flow from broken fountains, forming streams and rivers that course through canyons of worked stone. Trees break through cobbled streets, and vines pull inexorably at the remaining walls.

Enyo seemingly takes little notice of who lives in Emr, and it is relatively safe by most standards. Its principal inhabitants are scavengers, hunter/gatherers, and beasts of all sorts. These live by their nature, ignoring visitors unless hungry, or tempted by something they’ve brought from outside. Building and constructing is the only taboo in Emr; erecting any sort of permanent structure immediately draws the attention and wrath of all nearby natives, who will attack and destroy any such attempts.

Artificial and worked materials more complex than leather, pottery, or simple knits degrade quickly in Emr. Even iron, if worked, rusts to uselessness within a decade. Spells and magic items that create or preserve physical items (including structures) do not operate, and may lose puissance and become wholly powerless if they remain in Emr too long.

Entering Emr is achieved from within a ruined structure, where the appropriate spell must be cast. Each person seeking entrance must destroy an object of value. There is little traditional treasure in Emr, but it is believed that every ruin there is the mirror of one in the Wyrld, and searching one can give clues to the other. Also, no few people have found Emr a useful place of exile or seclusion. It is believed that more valuable sacrifices increase the chance of arriving in Emr near one’s destination. The One Tree, Gray Road, and Wyrldflow also touch upon Emr.

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Encounters in Emr
Emr can be considered a stereotypical wilderness, except fey and undead are very rare and there are no organized societies beyond small tribes.

• Orbin Scalmon (hm F7)is the scion of a deposed noble family who entered Emr to find the mirror of his family’s ancestral holding (slighted almost a century ago) and search for clues to the rumored treasure-laden subterranean vaults. He’s been here a month without success, and has lost all of his retinue except two guardsmen, their serjeant, and Ren, a cleric of Adosil (hm C5) and secretly Orbin's half-brother. Their supplies are gone, clothing in tatters, and desperately want to get out. They are being followed by a pair of ogres who are anticipating a good meal or two.
• The Vermilion Locket, a cog-type ship that travels the myriad branches of Wyrldflow, has gone aground in Emr. Ships travelling the Wyrldflow are typically immune to Emr's deleterious effects, but the Vermilion Locket is aground and Emr has begun to shift the channel of the Wyrldflow away from the stranded ship. The characters are dispatched to locate the ship and its Very Important Passenger (which might be a royal bride; an evil cleric; a powerful magic item being sent as a bribe or payment...). They're not the only party searching: the owners are looking for the ship, and a faction opposed to the characters' is also closing in (who is looking to rescue the passenger, and who is looking to stymie any rescue, is left up to the GM.