Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Electric Wizard" data-source="post: 6061301" data-attributes="member: 83982">Birlwood Hold (21.14)Connected to (29.14)Birlwood Hold is a modest keep presided over by the Knights of the Cudgel, an ascetic order that keeps peace along Thring's border. The Cudgels are few in number and almost unrecognizable as knights. The Witch Queen and the clans frustrate or outright destroy questing knights who charge into their lands with mount and blade. So for generations, the Cudgels have cast aside weapons, armor and mounts to study esoteric magic traditions. Many can barely swing a sword or walk in chain mail, but are formidable in whatever arcane discipline they devote themselves too. All initiated knights carry an enchanted cudgel that signifies their rank. When the border is quiet, many brothers venture into Thring and elsewhere to battle evil and seek arcane knowledge.The leader of their order is known as the Spellknight. He alone can conjure the dreaded Phantom Steed. The Phantom Steed, by some accounts, is made of thundercloud, has hooves of fire, and charges through the sky like a meteor. It has not been seen for at least a decade. The current Spellknight, Sir Codwise the Old, is an elusive character unpopular among his brothers. He spends most of his time compiling a personal library via contacts in the Necromantic Office. The Cudgels have traditionally frowned on necromancy and are loathe to deal with Shuttered, and they hope to replace him soon.Before the band of landless knights that would become the Cudgels seized this forest, it was home to the Birls. The Birls were a witch clan that breathed life to their grotesque wooden carvings. Sir Eclan the Lame, the first Spellknight, discovered that although the gargoyle's hides turned their steel weapons, they were vulnerable to wood. His knights fashioned cudgels from the tree branches and destroyed the gargoyles. The Birls who were not slain scattered to the corners of the Shrouded Lands and made a living as artisans and artificers. Jossetta Birl is one of the most prominent descendants. She creates wooden gargoyles for Iraine, the Doge and others. Burglars and assassins fear her gargoyles because long, aggravating splinters linger in the wounds they inflict.Hooks-Who are some prominent Knights of the Cudgel? What are their deeds?-What properties do their enchanted cudgels hold?-Is the Phantom Steed a demon, or something else?-What is Sir Codwise the Old up to in his dealings with the Necromantic Office? Who are some pretenders to his leadership?-Who are some other Birls?-Who else uses wooden gargoyles?</blockquote>

Verification