The most important people in the world (my players stay out)

[Schmoe]

Urden of Ten Thousand Rings (Treant with Druid levels, AL NG). The oldest sentient creature on earth, whose memory reaches back ten millennia. Urden appears as a gargantuan treant with gnarled skin showing the scars of many battles. He is the supreme sentinel of the living world, caring not only for trees but for all living creatures. He is the leader of the Green Council, a body of powerful druids of many races who meet in the secluded valley of Farglade, Urden's ancient home to learn from Urden and to respond to threats to the health of the world's plants and creatures.

Awesome! Consider this one yoinked for my own campaign.

Here are some from my campaign:

Sir Grevin Urlak

Sir Grevin is a powerfully built, middle-aged knight who leads the Order of Silver Light (I had this before Eberron, I swear!). The Order watches over The Boneyard, a blasted graveyard at the site of an ancient, cataclysmic battle and rumored to be the seat of the Throne of Bone. The Boneyard is home to a triumvirate of Death Knights who seek to raise an army of undead to purge the lands of the living. Most of the world has forgotten about The Boneyard, and the Order of Silver Light are unknown in civilized lands. The Order travels anonymously to recruit those without hope for their bleak mission, for those who join the Order know that they will die alone and forgotten in a thankless task.

"The world is full of ignorance and greed, and do not forget it, for it will be your undoing. I have chosen the manner of my life and death, and that is enough."

Entourage: Sir Grevin is alone. It is a sign of just how important this meeting is that he left the Order's keeps along the border of the Boneyard, but the Order can spare no more.

Naivoryn

Naivoryn is an erinyes who has been outcast from the Nine Hells. She is a member of a group of devils on the Prime known as the Flesheaters. This group seeks to sever all ties between the Prime and the outer planes, so that they can have free reign on the prime to do as they will with the mortals. Naivoryn is not the leader of the Flesheaters, but she is the primary infiltrator (Spymaster levels), diplomat, and mole for the group. She has a knack for getting involved wherever the Flesheaters might have an interest, and is always on the lookout for a way to turn a situation to their advantage.

When acting in a diplomatic role (such as this one), Naivoryn often claims to represent an extra-planar consortium who seek to protect the Prime from corruption of the Archdevils, which is pretty close to the truth. She leaves out the Flesheaters' plans for the Prime once that protection has been achieved.

Naivoryn typically takes the appearance of a stunning woman with coppery-red hair, ruby lips, and flashing green eyes.

Entourage: Naivoryn is accompanied by a group of 4 strong, "pretty" eunuchs, each well trained in killing (Fighter 12/Rogue 3/Assassin 3). These eunuchs are her personal playthings when she is in the privacy of her quarters.


Serya Newmoon

Serya is a legend among the common folk of the world. She is a half-elf who was born to inconsequential parents. Although she began training as a priestess, she found the calling of healing and altruism deep within her soul and became a Healer. For many years she has wandered to the far corners of the world, healing all those who come before her and bestowing kindness to any in need. Because of her wanderings and her intimate contact with the common folk, Serya is one of the best sources of unbiased knowledge about the difficulties that face the world, whether the difficulties are outbreaks of disease, oppressive rulers, widespread uprisings of humanoids, or strange nightmares afflicting the people.

When Serya arrives in a town, crowds throng around her for a touch from "the Lifebringer."

Entourage: Serya is accompanied by Whitewind, her pegasus mount. She shuns other company. It is a deep irony that one who is so giving to others is at the same time so closed, private, and lonely.


Edit: Forgot to add entourages!

 

[Schmoe]

And another...

Gygja, the Crone of Icetongue

Gygja is a Frost Giant crone, older than memory, and legends say the daughter of Thrym. Her eyes are milky white and blind, and she is stooped and gnarled with age. She is a spiritual leader and ancestral lorekeeper for the Frost Giant race, and has been for many generations. She is said to have the gift of foresight, and she wields powerful magic. It is said that Gygja personally slew the champion of Heironeous (or another god of honor) several centuries ago with a divine pillar of flame. Her motives are obscure, and she rarely takes interest in events beyond the realm of the Frost Giants. Few can surmise why she has traveled from her frozen halls in the Icetongue glacier.

Entourage: Gygja is attended by 6 powerful Frost Giant berserkers, each an elite champion from a separate clan. The position is one of honor, and they serve as protection to the old crone. She is also attended by her handmaiden, a young Frost Giantess in training to return to serve as seer and lorekeeper for her tribe.

 

[Nareau]

The Oracle
The Oracle is a human woman in her late twenties. An unnatural quiet surrounds her carriage, and the chains which bind her make no sound.

What she says is always true. Upon realizing her power, she went into seclusion for many years. Those who sought her out frequently disappeared; the few who returned were always changed by the experience.

The great scholars who congregate in the Ruins of Owlnest have long debated as to whether she is omniscient or omnipotent. Does she know everything, or do her words change reality? Most have decided this to be an unanswerable question.

No one knows who captured her, or how. They all know why she is there: she could tell them why the world is dying. But if she says it cannot be stopped, then this too will become true.

Through the iron mask which covers her face, she peers out with sad, angry eyes. She is attended by four skeletons dressed in simple burlap robes. They carry her iron cage in silence.

Nareau

 

[BlackMoria]

Xerboriand "The Keeper of Secrets"

A reclusive middle-age human that looks far older, principally to his dependence upon a narcotic. He is unkempt and his clothes are frequently soiled and stained.

A magical experiment gone awry has inflicted Xerboriand with an very unusual ability - when any sentient creature comes within 15 feet of him, voices (that only Xerboriand can hear)start relaying information about that creature's significant deeds, regardless of how unknown those deeds are. Within a short period of time with a individual, Xerboriand knows nearly everything about said individual.

Spells meant to foil divinations foil this mysterious ability as long as the effect is running when in Xerboriand's presence. Being invisible, out of phase or ethereal within 15ft is not proof against the effect and the voices relay information about said creatures.

The voices increase in number and volume when more creatures are present and Xerboriand can hear and follow each voice, despite the number.

Years of being cursed with this ability has drove "The Keeper of Secrets" to virtual insanity and he avoids any and all contact with sentient beings as much as possible. When required to interact or travel among sentient beings, Xerboriand takes a powerful narcotic substance to remain lucid and functional and the drug dulls the din of the voices so while he still can hear them, he can now choose to ignore what they are saying if he so desires. However the drug has taken a toll on his physical well-being and his manner and deportment is like a 'coked out', while still high drug addict and he must constantly struggle to remain lucid and attentive to what is going on around him.

Xerboriand knows many secrets and through this unusual ability, he can learn the secrets of any being not warded against divination affects by just being within 15 ft of them (he doesn't need to interact with them). He is the perfect tool to find out information but his addiction and years of near insanity makes is a chore to communicate with him (he is like a 'coked out', attention deficit, hopped up on sugar and caffeine, drug addict for a real world analog of what he would be like to deal with.

Xerboriand is addicted to the power knowing everyone's secrets brings to him but at the same time he loaths this power and seeks normality but all attempts to strip him of this 'gift' have failed. He seeks a better narcotic that will allow him be more normal and not have such physical and mental side effects, so he is always experimenting with developing new and more potent drugs.

 

[Piratecat]

His Divine Holiness, The Lawmaker of Keln

The Lawmaker is the position of the high priest of Deifos, God of Law. Dogma indicates that it is his prayers which cause the world to turn, the sun to rise and set, babies to be born and ancients to die and pass on. The position of Lawmaker is a position for Life. When it is assumed the mendicant gives up their past name and life, as they symbolically become the entire church.

The current Lawmaker is 97, senile, and close to death. He is dressed in a bright white robe each morning by his servants, but his head bobs under the weight of the heavy hat. Always accompanying The Lawmaker is his assistant and his likely successor, Boniface. Boniface is in his fifties and is a genius when it comes to remembering law, religious dogma, and legal precedent. He always answers for the Lawmaker -- but all questions must be addressed to the semi-conscious Lawmaker himself, as anything else would be disrespectful.

The Church of Deifos has a vast holy army of cleric-warriors. Moved to a holy mission, they are a force to be reckoned with.

 

[The_Warlock]

His Divine Holiness, The Lawmaker of Keln

The Lawmaker is the position of the high priest of Deifos, God of Law. Dogma indicates that it is his prayers which cause the world to turn, the sun to rise and set, babies to be born and ancients to die and pass on. The position of Lawmaker is a position for Life. When it is assumed the mendicant gives up their past name and life, as they symbolically become the entire church.

The current Lawmaker is 97, senile, and close to death. He is dressed in a bright white robe each morning by his servants, but his head bobs under the weight of the heavy hat. Always accompanying The Lawmaker is his assistant and his likely successor, Boniface. Boniface is in his fifties and is a genius when it comes to remembering law, religious dogma, and legal precedent. He always answers for the Lawmaker -- but all questions must be addressed to the semi-conscious Lawmaker himself, as anything else would be disrespectful.

The Church of Deifos has a vast holy army of cleric-warriors. Moved to a holy mission, they are a force to be reckoned with.

So wait...the holiness that makes the world function correctly is senile?? No WONDER the world of the DoD is going down the pot. Easy way to save the world, kill the current Lawmaker so one who remembers his own name and knows that drool is not a blessing to be shared, can take over and get things back on track. And you should have someone at the conference suggest it...that'd be a hoot.

 

[Piratecat]

Is this regarding the worms that were trapped by "chains of light" that recently escaped in your white kingdom storyhour?

Here is what the PCs know (or will soon know) for anyone playing along at home. Feel free to skip this if you aren't concerned with plot. Obviously, my players shouldn't read this, but they aren't in the thread anyways!
[sblock]
1. Two hideously powerful undead worms still exist in the world, which is named Spira. The worms pre-date humanity, and they're the only ones left after the Gods tricked their brethren into banishment on Carceri.

2. The Goddess Trea wasn't always the Goddess of treachery, patricide, deceit and seduction; she was the one who originally tricked the worms, and doing so broke her mind and warped her. The PCs have learned that She didn't actually kill her father, the patriarch of the Gods, as everyone assumes; instead, She stole His ability to speak and think in words, which has left Him trapped for eons in a semi-divine body. The PCs know this but no one else (man or God) does, and they have promised to keep the secret that this God isn't actually dead. They are keeping this fact as a hole-card, just in case.

3. As far as anyone can tell, the worms have fled or disappeared. There are indications that they have retreated into the "proto-world" that the Gods first created, the perfect space that served as the model for the world that grew out of it. (It's a Platonic ideal, a little bit like the top-level pattern in the Amber series by Zelazny. What happens there has repercussions in the outer world.) No divine magic can detect the worms, or anything about them.

4. The worms were originally bred as a weapon by a mindflayer overmind in an attempt to wipe out certain prime material planes.

5. This proto-world "inside" Spira is actually alive, and vaguely sentient at a deep level.

6. Children of all races are being birthed still-born. No one knows why; some people might suspect that something is sapping the world's life force, if such a thing exists. Likewise, raise dead spells are starting to fail. Other omens are occurring; in particular, fruit is rotting and filled with worms that eat it from within.

7. Very soon, clouds ("the breath of Spira") will fall out of the sky.

8. A cult known as "The Beloved" has risen. They all wear white robes, and believe that they are preparing the world for the end that will come. They look forward to something called Feasting Day, although no one seems to know what that is. They are generally peaceful, spreading their words of the upcoming end of the world to anyone who will listen. They don't seem to care about their previous lives. No divine magic can detect the Beloved, or anything about them.

9. The PCs know that the Beloved each have a small, black, necromantic worm inside of them. The worms can be spread through food or contact, and being infested by a worm causes you to join the cult. [I'm adapting the Liber Mortis rules for necrotic cysts for these.) Some members of the Beloved are more powerful, and can actually command other members of the cult - or kill them.

10. The Beloved seem to have sprung up all over the continent, in multiple races. The PCs have learned that for some unknown reason evil fey (quicklings) were helping organize and spread the "seed worms" for the cult, but an adjunct member of the heroes (Tao) has helped put a stop to that. Another adjunct member (Shara) has developed an arcane spell that detects the presence of the necromantic worms.

11. Several countries have rounded up the Beloved, and despite the fact that they appear human (or whatever) are either keeping them prisoner or are exterminating them en masse. This is highly controversial.

12. A powerful human prince, a changeling (in the traditional sense, kidnapped as a baby by fey), has reappeared and is apparently prophesied to play a part in the upcoming struggle. He believes that he'll be able to do something that no other person can do. No one is sure exactly what that means.

13. The PCs know of a way to kill the worms, but it requires a God to take his or her own life. Thus, it's not a great solution.

[sblock=What is actually happening.]Attacking PCs is unhealthy, so the worms chose a different tactic. Both worms went down into the perfect proto-world and tried something new; they bred. Even now, their eggs are hatching and thousands of wormlets are devouring both their parents and the core of the world. The young need necromantic-infused flesh to survive and grow; the ancient, powerful worms are giving their unlife so that their young (each about CR 25) can survive and devour the world. That's the real reason the Beloved cult exists. They aren't directly a threat, despite what the PCs think; they're just being created as a preemptive food source for the wormlets!

When the clouds fall out of the sky, the world has just died.

The PCs haven't yet figured out that the worms have bred. They still think the original two worms are the threat; just before this giant conference, they'll learn that at least one of them is dead. Heh - problem solved! Until they travel to the proto-world to see, and get a bit of a surprise...[/sblock][/sblock]So, this conference is everyone getting together to discuss what is happening and reach a solution. It's bound to be interesting.

 

[Piratecat]

So wait...the holiness that makes the world function correctly is senile?? No WONDER the world of the DoD is going down the pot. Easy way to save the world, kill the current Lawmaker so one who remembers his own name and knows that drool is not a blessing to be shared, can take over and get things back on track. And you should have someone at the conference suggest it...that'd be a hoot.

Done!

I don't mean to hijack the thread, incidentally; a few more NPCs would be fantastic, if anyone has more to offer.

 

[The_Warlock]

As much an NPC as a staged event,

Matron Parsis Hearthheart, High Priestess of whatever god or goddess exists of Home, Hearth, Family, and children/birth. A tall, handsome woman despite her advancing age (early 50's), she is not the typical image one gets of a "Hearthwife", but gave up on the vanities that could have been hers for a life of warmth, love and contentment serving her goddess and others. She is normally a compassionate, kind, giving woman who leads the faith like an extended family, with a knack for never forgetting the names of any child she has delivered.

When she arrives at the conference, she seems wan and stooped, her eyes sunken and red from hours crying at the loss of hope and faith she and her sistren are experiencing with the (SPOILER EVENTS). She will be an unrelenting voice that action should be taken, whatever that action is, and soon. She has no supernatural insight into what is happening or how to stop it, but will support any action which seems to provide even an inkling of hope of restoring the creation of life, even if it means taking life in droves.

At some point, during a heated exchange, demanding action, she chokes, cough blood upon the conference table or floor, and fall forward, dead. Inspection will find that despite her age, she was a true follower of her goddess, and was in the early stages of another pregnancy (her 6th), and the child already dead in her womb has poisoned her and caused her death...

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

From the information on what is happening, I would like to make an observation:
[sblock]Eating things as a means to evil power seems to be a recurring theme in this world. I suspect that Piratecat was forced to clean his plate as a child and therefore harbors dark feelings about eating that are being expressed in his game. [/sblock]