Evils of the World

There are many documented threats to the world of Xesteria. Below is a list of threats that are known to many in some cases, but deeper familiarity is often limited only to those who pursue the entities.

## Deities

### Gruumsh

Gruumsh is an orc god and a lesser deity. He is envisioned with one eye by all who named him a god and was a deity mainly worshiped by the orcs of Kurjaztar. Gruumsh is the unblinking god of destruction who unleashed the savage multitudes against outposts of civilization. He was worshipped by orcs and half-orcs and came to dominate some of the other savage humanoids as well.

### Tiamat

Tiamat is the lawful evil dragon goddess of greed, queen of evil dragons. Tiamat is also the eternal rival of her brother Bahamut, ruler of the good metallic dragons. Her ultimate goal is to rid Xesteria of all forms of life other than chromatic dragons, wishing to reshape it into her own personal realm.

### Vecna

Vecna was once a powerful wizard from Albion who became a lich. He was eventually destroyed over one thousand years ago, and his left hand and left eye were the only parts of his body to survive. Still too stubborn to fade away, Vecna then went on to become a demi-god and, briefly, a fully fledged god. He is currently banished to a blank plane of existence.

## Humanoids

### Torsten Dhumed

A former general of Southern Albion under the former rule of Duke Fargo Albion VII. After the Duke's assassination and fall of the Albion Slave Trade, Torsten Dhumed formed the Albion Resistance Army with the intention of overthrowing the interim rulers of Albion and reinstating the slave trade. A veteran of several wars, Torsten is a highly capable and skilled fighter, leader, and tactician.

### Tarok Grimfang

Tarok Grimfang is the war chief of the orcish mountain tribes of Kurjaztar. He is responsible for rallying all orcs under one banner and waging war against the dragonborn. After the devastating Kurjaztar plague of 274 AP, Grimfang has moved his tribes out of the mountains and into the former cities of the dragonborn people.

### Athena Norrington

Athena Norrington is the Pirate Queen and leader of the Free Men of the Southern Kaspian Sea. Her pirate empire encompasses all waters south of Kaspia, making sea travel along the southern tip of the continent extremely difficult.

### Tylandra Zaurahel

Tylandra Zaurahel is the current High Priestess of the Heralds of Lolth in addition to being Queen of the Drow Elven Empire of Nor'ethril. Few from the surface have ever glimpsed Tylandra, or know much about her, but she is said to be an excellent speaker and highly persuasive manipulator. In terms of martial prowess, she is rumoured to be as skilled as Xesteria's finest swordsmen and on the level of the magicians of Baranos in terms of spellcasting ability.

## Undead

### Kharloch the Eternal

A relatively "young" lich, Kharloch is a former wizard who ascended to lichdom some few hundred years ago. He is the figurehead of Samedi's followers throughout Xesteria. His actions and location are unknown. Even though he has never been linked to any truly heinous events, the Churches of Xesteria consider him to be a powerful threat.

## Dragons

### Dahaka

Dahaka is an ancient green dragon that resides in Artalia and possesses power so immense that the humans of the kingdom go out of their way to not anger the dragon. He considers all of Artalia's green dragons to be his children and is fiercely protective of them and their territories. His lair is said to be at the highest peak of the Sunderfury Mountains in Eastern Artalia.

### Velyreia Ebonheart

Velyreia Ebonheart, the current Hand of Tiamat, is an ancient black dragon who is believed to be one of the most intelligent beings in all of Xesteria. Her activities and whereabouts are so shrouded in mystery that even the archmages of Baranos are unable to locate her.

## Monstrosities

### Kraken

A destructive force of nature that inhabits the Southern Seas, it is said that nobody has ever survived a direct confrontation with Kraken and lived to tell the tale. Because of Kraken's sheer power and fearful reputation, very few explorers and/or hopeful fishermen ever venture into the Southern Seas.

### Tarrasque

The tarrasque is the most terrible creature known to inhabit the Material Plane. A full fifty feet tall and seventy feet long quadruped with a long tail, reflective carapace, and two large horns on its head. Although the tarrasque is indisputably a force of pure destruction, it is not truly evil or even chaotic by nature, lacking the consciousness necessary for it to take a moral stance. As a result, it was merely neutral in alignment and exists with a one-track mind that simply commands it to destroy, eat, and protect itself.

## Fiends

### Orilon

Orilon is a lesser demon prince and general in the armies of Malacore and greatly resembles a balrog. He is known for his repeated attacks on Eastern Stromgarde throughout history. Orilon is documented to have powers beyond the scope of normal mortals who, in most circumstances, cannot even harm the demon. Even though he is not nearly as destructive or powerful as major demon princes, or the Demon Lords themselves, he is a considerable threat to the inhabitants of Xesteria due to his supreme resistance towards almost all forms of damage.

### Raum

Raum is responsible for the slaughter of Winterhold, the hometown of the Ashcroft family, and Isley Ashcroft. Raum acted on his masters orders in carrying out the annihilation of the Ashcrofts, a famous family, reknown for their history of demon slaying and the occult. Though considered a low ranking lesser demon prince, Raum is still immensely powerful and is believed to exude an aura of death around himself.

## Organizations

### Chromatic Order

A covenant of evil-aligned sorcerers who appear to both exploit the power of chromatic dragons while simultaneously working with them. The motives of the Chromatic Order are unknown, but metallic dragon-affiliated group The Watchers believes that they may be affiliated with the Cult of Tiamat in some form.

### Umbral Covenant

The Umbral Covenant is a secret society of anarchists who work behind the scenes to try and overthrow rulers on towns, cities, and kingdoms through manipulation. The Umbral Covenant is believed to have a "nest" in every major kingdom in the world. Who leads the Umbral Covenant, and what their goal may be once they overthrow all forms of government in the world, is unknown.