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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Wicht" data-source="post: 711805" data-attributes="member: 221">Heart of Corruption -entry 2Present Overview: The evil in the caves, goblinoids and other subterranean monsters, did not spread far.  But other evils entered the region.  A small army of orcs took the castle first, led by a powerful ogre.  The temple stood silent for many years, until at least it was desecrated and an evil devil was summoned to inhabit it.  The entity summoning the devil was perhaps an unlikely summoner.  Embittered at being left behind, saddened by the loss of his master, Angel the cat, already versed in the arts of wizardry, took to the study of necromancy and demonology.  The study of some of the darker books in his former master’s library tainted his thoughts and hatred grew.  Consumed with a desire for revenge, Angel summoned a devil in the temple of Naemae, choosing that site as a sign of his perverse and blasphemous desires.  The devil Angel summoned, and for a time bound, was an osyluth in service to the Queen of Inequity.  Angel bound the devil  to aid him through the use of strong oaths and then set him loose.  Soon, through the further corrupting influence of the devil, Angel entered into the service of the Harvester of Souls.    Through the influence of Angel and the Osyluth, undead filled the area in greater numbers and even in Geanavue the small region started to develop a very bad reputation.  Several young adventurers died trying to discover the source of the evil over the years and the patrols from Geanavue seldom went that far north if they could help it.    Meanwhile the devil, whose name was Heartrot, made some other plans.  He contacted an evil cult, one led by a charismatic druid bent on spreading the doctrine of death and decay.  The druid, Nelo, needed money, the devil wanted to spread more corruption.  Between the two of them they hatched a scheme to export certain exotic ingredients needed for some less than savory rituals.  For some reason the devil had easy access to zombie flesh, ghoul spittle and even the dread ‘worms of  Xiznoom.’  Furthermore, Heartrot arranged for the inhabitants of the caves, who had learned to fear him, to gather stirge wings, giant spider eggs and other strange unmentionables.  The demand for such things was never high, but over the course of about five years, the cult, led by the druid, has become one of the foremost suppliers of spell ingredients in the world.  They carry the ingredients to the coast, then go by barge to Loona and from there to ports all across Tellene.  Through his business endeavor, Heartrot has gathered the names and locations of several evil cults and has subtly spread ideas which further his nefarious cause (the spread of evil and corruption).      Lately however, a fourth power has entered into the area.  The devil, content in his temple, had never given much thought to the castle on the hill overlooking the area.  Like the adventurers who first settled the region, the devil felt it was too inaccessible for his needs.  The castle had changed hands about three times over the course of the fifteen years, the owners never greatly affecting Heartrot or Angel.  But then, only about four months ago, a vampire took control of the castle.  This vampire, named Risk, is originally from Giilia and has dreams of operating his own small kingdom.  The castle was easy for him to take, but the areas below the castle are proving less easy.  He has entered into a sort of impasse with Heartrot, knowing that a devil that can teleport at will could prove a danger to him as a foe and would serve better as an ally.  The vampire has found taking Tamil’s tower to be very difficult due to its many permanent daylight spells and is looking for some covert way to kill the owner.  He does not however suspect that a mere cat operates the entire tower, much less that this cat controls the many undead that roam the immediate area.  For his part, Angel knows full well about the vampire, but also sees no immediate way to get rid of this crimp in his plans.  Angel sees Risk, who honors no god, as a slight to the Harvester of Souls, and furthermore, as a dangerous nuisance.  The cat would be glad to see Risk destroyed.      Just recently, Risk has gained an advantage in the form of a new vampire.  A young adept named Tarl, a member of Nelo’s cult, had always been envious of the cult leader.  He offered himself willingly to Risk and promised to help Risk take control of the valley.  Tarl, as a new formed vampire, has taken control of Elias’s old fort and even now seeks to find out the truth about the inhabitants (and the secrets) of the Tower.  Tarl has managed to gain entry into the tower once (stealing a scroll in the process) but a sudden daylight spell caused him to leap out a window and flee.  He is now much more leery of entering the tower at any time.  Summary of LocationsA. Elias’ MillA vampire, Tarl, dwells in the Fort on the north side of the stream.  Several vampire spawn, creations of Tarl, also inhabit the area.  A pack of ghouls has inhabited the mill house for many years and zombies and skeletons wander through the area in great numbers.B. Angel’s TowerUnfortunately for the vampires, the tower that once belonged to Tamil Demon-slayer, was sometimes called the Tower of the Sun due to Tamil’s love of the Daylight spell to light his rooms.  The tower is now occupied by undead in service to Angel, Tamil’s former familiar, a Cat who is now an unlikely priest in service to the Harvester of Souls.  Skeletons and zombies, of all forms wander the area in large numbers as do many cats.  The undead have learned not to harm the felines and the cats have grown used to the smell of death.    C. The Fallen TempleAn Osyluth, Heartrot, dwells in the desecrated temple of Naemae.  Undead roam the area and Heartrot has allowed a group of Spawn of Xiznoom to inhabit the house.  The huge zombie of some fiendish beast dwells just east of the temple and inside the temple many shadows make their home.D. Fleet’s RanchAn evil druid has rebuilt Fleet’s home and with his cult, operates a thriving enterprise out of the area.  The ranch is home to many cult members and is guarded by corrupted animals in service to the druid and his followers.  In addition to carting out evil spell supplies, the cult has also been useful in procurring bodies and victims for both Angel and Heartrot.E. The Babbling Castle Built just above a tall waterfall (fed by two swift streams) the babbling castle is so named for the continuos muttering of the water around it.  Currently the castle is inhabited by Risk, a half-elf vampire.  Risk has populated the castle with his servants, which includes wolves, vampire spawn and ghouls.  The lone problem with the castle is its remoteness and the lack of nearby food, which forced Risk to fly some distance each night to feed.  However, he has plans for making a deal with some ogres to the west for a regular supply of food (captured from raiding parties).  F. The pondThis large pond was once an idealic fishing spot.  However, Heartrot and angel arranged for a huge zombie to dwell in the waters, a twin to that zombie guarding the temple</blockquote>

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