Cosmology

The universe where Solan exists is arranged in what scholars call the Great Wheel, an assortment of planes suspended in the Astral Sea, forming a circle that surrounds the Outlands, its central point (note that unlike in other settings, the Outlands in Solan’s universe does not contain Sigil). However, while the Outlands may be the converging point of the Great Wheel in the Astral, there is another dimension located at its center. The Elemental Chaos exists surrounded by the Astral Sea and yet separate, the two only connected via what we know as the Material Plane, and even then, only through some specific pathways.

The Material Plane acts as a buffer between the Astral Sea and the Elemental Chaos, with the Shadowfell (a planar mirror of the Material that tends towards more negative energies) connecting with the Astral Sea and the Feywild (a planar mirror of the Material that tends towards more positive energies) connecting with the Elemental Chaos. The Ethereal plane acts as a protective membrane, easing the transition of souls both to and from the Material, though scholars theorize it has more purposes and properties that are yet to be discovered.

## **The Gods of Solan**

### **Overview**

There are many deities and pantheons within Solan, as varied as the mortals who worship them. The vast majority are known as Lesser Deities, with a single common avatar and smaller regions of influence. Though less powerful, they still maintain the ability to grant mortals power in their service, and are leagues ahead of other types of beings. In many cases they receive more devotion in a local region than other, more powerful deities, because they are a better fit to a particular culture’s values. Others, such as the leaders of Pantheons or those who created mortal races such as Moradin, Corellon, or Gruumsh, are Intermediate Deities, with strong followings and vast power at their disposal, yet still narrow in focus in some fashion. The most powerful among the gods and goddesses of Solan are the Greater Deities, those few who are the most renowned and influential within their respective divine domains.

The majority of the Greater Deities originate from a group known as the Prime Pantheon, those deities who participated in and survived The Defining. Bolstered by power stolen from the Titans, their faiths are the most prevalent across the world of Solan. However, not all Greater Deities originated from this Prime Pantheon. Some few, such as Ilmater and the Raven Queen, have grown in prominence and authority after the Defining, becoming Greater Deities independent of the Prime Pantheon, named the Arisen.

#### **The Prime Pantheon**

Although they once worked together in ambition and desperation to shape the world of Solan, over the years many of the members of the Prime Pantheon have fallen out. Betrayals of trust, conflicts of interest, and the slow, grinding march of time have changed the Prime Pantheon from a group allied in purpose to one connected only by origin. Some, such as Lathander and Gond, still hold each other as friends and allies, while others such as Tyr and Leira battle incessantly. Most have a complicated relationship with their fellows, from the once lovers Kelemvor and Midnight to the estranged sisters Selune and Shar.

#### **Members**

**Arcane** - Midnight “The Lady of Mysteries”: One of the founding trio of the Prime Pantheon, Midnight has become isolated and paranoid over time. Among those who she was once close with only Selune and Ioun can be said to still hold her trust at all. Midnight has appeared as a scholarly human mage with ebony skin and eyes which shift in color from moment to moment, a violet haired gnome woman whose voice crackles with energy as she interviews beings of legends and myths, and an onyx dragonborn with an insatiable curiosity and wild appetites.

**Chaos** - Cyric “The Dark Sun”: One of the founding trio of the Prime Pantheon, Cyric’s descent into cruelty and treachery shook the foundation of their confederation. Once his closest friends, now Kelemvor and Midnight are Cyric’s most bitter foes, and even his daughter Leira can only be said to have a playful enmity with him. Cyric’s forms are a lean human with a sallow face and a crooked grin, a cheerfully malicious tabaxi with striped fur, and a sharp featured goblin defined by guile and deceit.

**Cold** - Auril “The Frostmaiden”: Having originally joined the Prime Pantheon on a whim, Auril takes great pride in her status among them, and regardless of her many complaints about her fellows she refuses to allow insults towards them from mortals or “inferior” deities. Taking care to expand her following among the fey as much as mortals, Auril has not let time dull her ambitions or calm her nature. Auril has appeared as a proud and capricious fey woman with pale blue skin and hair, a cold and avaricious aarakocra with blinding white plumage, and a wrathful triton woman with hair as dark as the abyssal depths.

**Death** - Kelemvor “The Judge of the Damned”: One of the founding trio of the Prime Pantheon, Kelemvor has gathered nearly as many regrets as spirits to tend. Even after all he has lost and gained, Kelemvor’s calm vigil is an eternal constant. Kelemvor’s forms are a contemplative and patient human with a mutton chop beard and hidden temper, a gray feathered aarakocra whose tranquility and wisdom are a balm to the grieving, and a silent tortle seeking out the lost and untended dead for burial.

**Forge** - Gond “The Wonderbringer”: Among the most optimistic of the Prime Pantheon, Gond has seen the many changes of the world as mere inspiration for new creations. Delighted by the wealth of creativity and invention even in these early days of the Age of Wings, Gond is now beginning to rouse from his despondency over strife with Midnight. Gond’s forms are that of an industrious red-bearded dwarf covered in soot from the forge, a hulking and silver haired minotaur mentoring young inventors, and a gnome whose hair is singed from his latest wild invention.

**Knowledge** - Ioun “The Knowing Mistress”: The keeper of secrets and legends, only Ioun knows the truth of all that has passed within the Pantheon since their founding, yet even she will not name their fallen members. Ioun rarely speaks with her fellow pantheon members now, yet she will always answer if they call. Ioun appears as a solemn elf woman with eyes that reflect thoughts unspoken, a rodentfolk with auburn fur whose weavings seem to be memories not yet gained, and a centaur bard whose belled braids seem to whisper secrets when stirred by the wind.

**Light** - Selune “Our Lady of Silver”: Once the mother figure of the Prime Pantheon, Selune feels sharply the loss of their fallen companions and broken relationships, yet still takes joy in those who remain. Bitterly opposed to her sister’s ambitions, Selune now only rarely takes an interest in fledgling deities, though she has an alliance with the elven pantheon. Selune’s forms are an ancient elf with silver hair and eyes gleaming with starlight while she tends to a mother giving birth, a vivacious young shifter woman dancing with a lover in the moonlight, and a serene orc matron with silver rather than gray skin and a peculiar knowledge of navigation, her tusks radiant in the reflection from the waves as she sets sail.

**Life** - Lathander “The Morninglord”: The most hopeful among the Prime Pantheon, Lathander views his lapsed friendships with the other gods with regret except for Cyric and Shar, whose betrayals he cannot fathom. Accepting the changing times, Lathander has enthusiastically greeted the new Arisen and seeks to build bonds with them as well as repair old relationships. Lathander has been known to appear as an athletic young human man with bronze skin and fair hair, an enthusiastic dragonborn with scales of resplendent gold and grand ambitions, and an optimistic lizardfolk striving for liberty and change.

**???** - Tharizdun “The Chained God”: Once the heart and soul of the Prime Pantheon, Tharizdun was corrupted by beings from beyond the void between worlds and inspired to create the Abyss. Imprisoned by those who once loved him, unable to slay him, Tharizdun has languished in a divine prison since, yet the whispers of the mad god have still escaped and wrought havoc among mortals. Tharizdun was described in legends as a skeletal gnoll whose skin writhes with the rhythm of his ceaseless laughter, a good humored and idiosyncratic gnome with hair of a thousand colors, and a scheming kobold whispering of doom and despair.

**Nature** - Silvanus “The Forest Father”: A guardian and mentor to other deities as much as the wilds themselves, Silvanus has the most ties to lesser deities among the Prime Pantheon. Patient and watchful, Silvanus oversees the balance of the natural world, often content to let others act before him. Silvanus appears as a silva with a great mossy beard tending to the soil’s new growth, a pale green-gray vegepygmy whose skin is sprawling with the life of small creatures and insects as he tends to abandoned young beasts, and a yellow-spotted grung hunting the despoilers of the wilds.

**Night** - Shar “The Mistress of the Night”: Once her sister’s loving shadow, Shar’s growing ambitions and perceived betrayal from the one she cared most for have led her far from her origin. Shar now prowls the Shadowfell and Underdark in search of revenge, her loneliness only abated by brief and tenuous alliances with Leira, Vecna, or Talona. She has been described as a lean drow woman with a crescent scar under her left eye, a powerfully built duergar woman with jet black eyes and , and a lithe tabaxi with black fur and two daggers which trail shadows in their wake.

**Order** - Asmodeus “The Prince of Evil”: The last to join the Prime Pantheon, Asmodeus has always honored the compact by which he joined, careful to protect the status his membership grants him. Ever willing to compromise and aid his once allies in their endeavors for an ounce of advantage, Asmodeus’ betrayals are still so subtle as to claim utter loyalty. Though his true form remains a secret, Asmodeus has publicly appeared as a red skinned humanoid with a perfectly coiffed beard and a charming smile beneath his horns, an eloquent gith with perfect manners, and a valiant hobgoblin seemingly unconcerned with the grievous wounds wracking his body.

**Protection** - Helm “The Vigilant One”: Stoic, brooding, and loyal, Helm has watched with quiet fury as one after another, by word or deed, his companions have broken their word and betrayed the pact over the years. Though he still respects Kelemvor for his duty, knowing well the price of a lonely vigil, Helm waits even now for he and Torm, his old friend, to betray him like the rest. The known forms of Helm are a grim man with a close trimmed beard and a face as battered as his armor, a dour and determined triton clad in the hide of fallen monsters, and an austere loxodon whose tattered ears are constantly alert for approaching foes.

**Tempest** - Kord “The Stormlord”: An irrepressible force of personality, Kord’s exploits have shaken Solan time and time again, and he has dealt with the estrangement of his fellows largely by ignoring it. Reveling in the defiant courage of the new age, Kord has briefly granted explorers a reprieve from his storms in an effort to encourage the adventurous spirit of mortals in its rebirth. Kord has been a scarlet dragonborn with a tongue as fiery as his breath, a lean dwarf with scarred knuckles and a bellowing laugh, and a blonde, exuberant orc with gleaming tusks and tattoos.

**Trickery** - Leira “The Mistmaiden”: The youngest among the Prime Pantheon, Leira survived by guile and cunning at the cost of many of her so called “allies”, causing resentment even before they truly began to fracture. Though even her father Cyric now attempts to slay her, Leira still plays the dance of power with an amused grace and scornful aplomb. Leira has incarnated as a slim and sweet human woman with seemingly endless knives hidden on her, a deceptively innocent halfling with a cherubic face and wide blue eyes, and a graceful yuan-ti whose alluring seduction is always deadly.

**War** - Tyr "The Maimed One": Still bearing the wounds of the Defining in his empty eye sockets and the stump where his right hand once was, Tyr has always taken an active hand in mortal civilization and its protection. Were it not for old oaths, Tyr would have abandoned the Prime Pantheon long ago, instead favoring the warmth and unity of purpose of his partnership with Ilmater and Torm. Tyr has been a grave muscular human with a long white beard, a sternly judging bugbear with gray fur and a piercing gaze, and a colossal and honorable goliath with a chilling smile.

#### **The Arisen**

Although the Arisen are relatively new to their status as Greater Deities, they still carry a great deal of experience from their tenures as lesser and then intermediate deities. Adapting swiftly and with aplomb to their new power, the Arisen are forces to be reckoned with, and their numbers are still growing. Although only a few are known now, many domains are surging in popularity and power to the point where they may cross the threshold necessary for a Greater Deity to develop. Many suspect some new Greater Deities have already risen, and are merely biding their time before revealing themselves.

#### **Members**

**Blood** - Ilmater “The One Who Endures”. The journey from minor deity to greater deity has been long for Ilmater, yet in his eyes the length has not been nearly so long as the suffering of his followers. Humble and compassionate, Ilmater seeks to use his newfound status and power to increase the recognition of those whose suffering has been ignored for so long. Ilmater’s avatars are a crippled human with a face made more of scar than skin and a back still bleeding from a flogging, an elderly goblin covered in weeping sores whose stubborn grin sometimes drowns in the blood from his cough, and a blind kenku gathering orphans under his drooping wings. In each incarnation his wrists and ankles bear the scars of manacles and chains.

**Grave** - The Raven Queen ”The Matron of Ravens”. Secretive and utterly independent, the Raven Queen interacts with other deities only when absolutely necessary, and perhaps only Ioun knows her true name. Opposing all those who would meddle with the weave of fate or avoid the inevitability of death, The Raven Queen’s influence on Solan is defined more by her foes than her allies. The Raven Queen has appeared as a pale human woman with sable hair and a lattice of scars across her hands, a kenku lady with ash trailing from her feathers, and a shadar-kai with violet eyes and a skeletal frame.

**Heart** - Sune “The Lady of Love”.  A goddess captivated by beauty, Sune’s influence spread throughout mortal perceptions of love until beauty was considered an integral part of “true love”. Her affection for sensual pleasure first popularized her worship among artists, hedonists, and courtesans, but over time her clergy has campaigned to share such pleasures with the common folk as well. Often praised for bringing luxuries such as theater to the masses, Sune has expanded her influence into a wide variety of passions. Similarly, Sune has recently begun to expand her conceptions of beauty to find the allure of much which had previously escaped her grasp, from mortals who are outside society's normal definitions of beauty to harsh and rugged landscapes. In rumors and myths Sune has appeared as a gorgeous genasi woman whose flaming hair captivated the hearts of all who caught her gaze, a beguiling pixie who inspired the greatest of heroes to compete for her affections, and an exquisitely graceful eladrin whose shifting passions made her the muse of a continent.

**Strength** - Torm “The Loyal Fury”. A beacon of light amidst the storms of corruption, Torm has always stood beside his fellow deities who seek to protect the weak and defy the encroaching darkness. Ever willing to offer a hand to another, the Loyal Fury’s efforts have laid the foundation for many fast alliances between deities, even those who were once rivals or enemies. Despite his newfound position as an Arisen, Torm has retained his humility and compassion for mortals, often raising impromptu paladins and clerics in beleaguered lands just as they would have been overwhelmed. Torm has appeared as a mahogany furred bugbear whose courage inspired a generation of heroes, a paternal gnoll carefully guarding a community of those who fled Yeehongu’s influence, and a colossal sahuagin whose resolve and compassion encouraged those who sought to deny the bloodlust in their bones.

**Renewal** - Chauntea “The Great Mother”. Watching over the fields and herds which sustain most of mortal life, Chauntea’s blessing has allowed many a civilization to thrive, and its lack has doomed just as many. Her role and nature has evolved alongside mortal civilizations, and some say she was worshiped even by the great giants and dragons of old. Chauntea’s touch is at the heart of most modern mortal life, and her ascension to the ranks of the Arisen has only been an acknowledgement of that reach, changing little of her actual work. Even as an intermediate deity Chauntea cultivated the crops of new godlings as carefully as she reaped each harvest of barley and wheat. Chauntea has appeared as a plump halfling grandmother tending a thriving orchard even amidst a drought, a serene firbolg matron watching over herds of elk in the frozen wastes, and an awakened blight tenderly nursing fields her sleeping kin had ravaged.

## **The Ice Sovereigns**

Though these are the main Ice Sovereigns known in Solan, it is theorised a couple others might be hidden away, unwilling to form pacts with warlocks unless they absolutely must, and some others might be dwelling in the Plane of Ice, a region within the Elemental Chaos.

#### **The Ice Queen**

The first Ice Queen was a Frost Giant named Urya, who grew weary of the Leviathan War, the bygone conflict between giantkind and dragonkind during the first Age of the world. In those ancient times, there were few but precious neutral grounds, and the centre of the frozen continent of Auroria in the far north was one of them. It was protected by the sphinxes, which had the power to keep both giants and dragons at bay but had no interest in intervening in the war.

Urya spent centuries in deep meditation, attempting to tune out the din of the war, the sounds of thunderous explosions carried by the wind all the way to the far north. As the years went by, other giants trickled by, and even some of the early humanoids that sought to escape the devastation of the war. Even a silver dragon defector joined her in her tower of pure ice. Urya preached the rejection of senseless violence, and eschewed the harsher ways of her frost giant kin, focusing instead on introspective meditation and arcane study. Her communion with ice granted her great longevity, as well as a slow accretion of arcane power, and eventually she became able to monitor the lands around her, gaining ample warning of any visitors that neared her realm.

When death grew near, her most devoted disciple offered Urya a path into eternity: if her spirit passed on into the ice that made up her domain, it could then pass on to her body, allowing the Ice Queen to remain in the Material Realm so long as she had willing followers. And so she welcomed newcomers warmly, fostering among her warlocks a culture of cooperation, encouraging them to see each other as part of one big family, and to look out for each other no matter where they were.

Each incarnation of the Ice Queen receives the spirits of some of the previous ones, as most have chosen to move on into the afterlife instead. Urya always remains, the voice of calm and wisdom among the chorus. In the throne room of the Frost Tower, the walls are deliberately carved irregularly, the ice showing myriad facets. While the Ice Queen is there, each incarnation that remains can be seen reflected on a different facet of the ice, with Urya barely visible in the large slab of perfectly smooth ice behind the throne.

Ice Queen warlocks are gregarious and friendly folk, quick to make friends and gather companions. They tend to be somewhat knowledgeable compared to other warlocks, and are often on missions related to the acquisition of lore, particularly bringing news to the Frost Tower about the advances and discoveries happening in the world.

The current incarnation of the Ice Queen is a dark-skinned, middle-aged human woman named Sharai, wrapped in navy-blue robes and cloaks, her kind features gleaming with a peaceful beauty. She journeyed all the way from the Khara desert of the Indorian Empire to the continent of Auroria, seeking counsel from the sphinxes. Instead, she found what she had lost over the years: a family. Sharai, with her dark eyes full of warmth and ageless wisdom, has been the Ice Queen for decades, and thanks to the longevity of the title, is likely to reign for at least a couple more centuries yet.

#### **The Winter Warrior**

The Archfey that bears the title of Winter Warrior calls himself Vondre Vinlan among those of his court. Though none can confirm his tale, the Winter Warrior claims to be the son of Kord and the Queen of Air and Darkness (who some believe to be a fey aspect of Auril). He tells that their dalliance was tempestuous and brief, shortly after the Defining and lasting but a single night, but it was enough to sire him, an heir to both worlds. It’s easy to see why so many believe him: with the long ears and icy-blue eyes of a Winter fey, and the powerful muscular form and long, storm-swept blond hair reminiscent of Kord’s avatar, it’s difficult to think of a better story to explain his existence.

Vondre dwells on a flying castle he claims to have raised himself, borne on storm clouds that bring blizzards, sleet or rain wherever they go. The castle is made of polished marble of gray, white and blue tones, with inner gardens and courtyards adding streaks of green or red all throughout, depending on the season. The Winter Warrior rearranges the layout of the castle and the current weather and season as his whims dictate (like he does most things), so the place is rarely the same from one year to the next. Entire wings are reshaped or moved, and the gardens are resculpted from vibrant, blooming spring to autumnal red and gold and everything in between.

The Winter Warrior combines a charismatic, spontaneous personality with breathtaking handsomeness, and that puts most of his guests off guard. That, combined with his more restrained nature while he’s entertaining the public, means only his inner circle can see the way his moods shift from anger to joy to sorrow to love, all within the span of a few hours. The fact that he’s fond of carousing and drinking only worsens these drastic shifts. Vondre, however, loves to put on an act, and can easily disguise his emotions for the audience while he’s hosting one of his famous feasts.

The Winter Warrior’s annual feasts, over thousands and thousands of years, have always been different. Whether divine heritage or playing up to the legend, Vondre never fails to organise some sort of athletic competition or friendly sparring match to honour Kord, lasting the better part of a day. This is usually the first major activity after a “light” lunch, while everyone is energetic and sober, and is inevitably followed by a major, hours-long dinner with courses after courses of exotic cuisine from all throughout the planes. The rest of the following night (and day, often) are spent as the Winter Warrior’s servants and followers put on theatre plays and displays of entertainment magic, and music fills every room and hallway in the Stormborne Castle. Many hopeful and desperate do all they can to attend the exclusive Winter Feast, for tales persist of people finding their fortune, destiny, true love or even their doom year after year.

Warlocks of the Winter Warrior tend to be socially talented; those who can’t adapt to the chaos of the Feywild and their master’s fey moods rarely last long in his service. Vondre might be mercurial, but he is also generous to those he’s fond of, and his most powerful warlocks tend to be those who manage to both stoke his vanity while also remaining interesting in their own right. To most, it seems the only thing the brave Winter Warrior is afraid of is boredom.

Vondre is one of the most discerning among the known Ice Sovereigns, making a whole spectacle out of each petitioner, and asking that they prove themselves in front of his court why they deserve a measure of his power. However, most who have done their research know he’s terribly weak to flattery, and like most fey he admires wit, so a sufficiently clever compliment often does the trick, particularly if it’s one he’s never heard before.

#### **The Priestess of Snows**

Iyraclea, the human cleric of Auril that would later become the Priestess of Snows was born to a humble tribe of Volskad during the Age of Power. She apprenticed under the local shaman, who taught her divine magic and how to perform the rituals and sacrifices to appease the Frost Maiden so that she would spare them a harsh winter.

As Iyraclea entered adulthood and established a proper divine connection with Auril, she gained a power she had never felt before, and with it, her ambition grew immeasurably. Iyraclea had always loathed the poverty of the tribe, having to scrape by every winter and supplicate for aid to the gods and spirits. She wanted more. She wanted luxury, excess, power over all things. Everything she thought she deserved, and had been denied. Iyraclea took control of her tribe and turned them into fierce raiders, calling on the Frost Maiden’s magic to subdue other tribes and force them to bow to her rule or perish.

Before she was even thirty years old, Iyraclea had unified and militarised the human and Ondonti tribes of almost half her continent. By this point, Auril had finally decided that Iyraclea was worthy of being her Chosen. The Frost Maiden guided her on a journey to the southernmost point of the world, where blizzards howled endlessly, and showed her where to build a castle worthy of a queen. Iyraclea raised a fortified citadel made of pure ice, with entire wings dedicated to each of her fancies. Summoning icy fiends, frozen wraiths, elementals, dragons and the shamans from the tribes she had conquered, she crowned herself the Priestess of Snows, and Auril’s grasp on the land tightened further.

Iyraclea withdrew into the area of a Hallow spell within her citadel, where she no longer aged and would remain immortal and young forever. That forced the Priestess to rely on her generals and warlocks to enact her will, enforcing her rule even as she assailed the now fallen city of Myth Ondath. Not satisfied with that, Iyraclea has spent the last several centuries researching true immortality, a spell, ritual or elixir that makes her eternally young without turning her undead, binding her to other powers or altering her in any way. As such, she has coerced and bribed many warlocks, sending them off as agents so that they bring her the lore and ingredients she needed to reach her goal.

Iyraclea is a tall, pale woman, clad in heavy white robes and gold jewelry, with gray and white symbols of Auril in each arm and over her sternum. Though her hair remains a golden-blond hue, her eyes have gone unfathomably cold, resembling the colour of moonlit snow, and hold no trace of pity or mercy. Her beauty is austere and severe, her touch ice-cold.

Warlocks of the Priestess of Snows are a very diverse bunch. A lot of them are hateful of their situation, yet powerless to change it. Others, however, are ruthless, eager to show their devotion or exploit their advantages for their own ends. In the end, it’s uncertain what may happen to Iyraclea in the future, but the pacts she has made with warlocks have been on her title, not on her name. Should anything befall her, another being would have to take up her mantle.

#### **The Justicar of Cold**

No creature remains that remembers the true name or identity of the Justicar of Cold. Some even speculate the Justicar themselves has long forgotten who they used to be. Bound in ghostly chains and strips of ancient leather, they are clad in wraith-like tatters, a ragged cowl obscuring their face. They have a powerful, authoritative voice, that carries across the entire Shadowfrost Palace and its rooms of cold, eerie mist. Attended by hundreds of warlocks and undead, and visited by important beings from across the planes, the Justicar is always busy.

It’s uncertain when the Justicar first appeared, though most agree they rose to fame towards the end of the Age of Storms. Some say they were the first attempt at lichdom, while others claim the Justicar to be the first ghost or wraith or spectre. The Justicar themselves don’t speak of personal matters at all, so there is no way of knowing which speculation has a grain of truth, if any. It seems, instead, that the Justicar’s only concern is finding the correct answer to a complex problem, and doing so eternally.

Many lost souls of the Shadowfell flock to the Shadowfrost Palace in search of purpose. For their own reasons, they are reluctant to move on to the afterlife, but it’s too late for them to linger in the Ethereal or Material planes. Instead, they wander the Shadowfell, trying to find a place to belong. Many are drawn to the cold peace of the Palace, and the aloof, unemotional demeanour of the Justicar.

Warlocks of the Justicar tend to seek the deliverance of justice or punishment, or they enjoy puzzling out difficult problems. Much can be learnt from the difficult moral and legal conundrums the Justicar is endlessly judging. Since the Justicar needs no sustenance or rest, they are always on the move, wandering the hallways and promenades of their Palace with a host of assistants, dispensing orders and receiving the information they bring. When a judgment is reached, the pronouncement is a highly formal affair, taking place at the grand amphitheatre in the Palace, which is called the Court of Coldest Night, a place where the silence is so deep and ancient it seems to suppress all sound but the Justicar’s voice.

The Justicar takes special care to explain their reasoning thoroughly, citing facts, laws and obscure lore, a good amount of which is fetched by their warlocks on the Justicar’s behest. Always living up to the legend, the Justicar’s judgment is utterly emotionless and unbiased, and while their most popular cases are always those where the life or death of a person or group hangs in the balance, most of the Justicar’s cases are interesting and complicated, though not quite so dramatic.

The Justicar has such a warlock following, since it tends to form pacts swiftly and cares not for who the pact is with, that some groups have begun to form among them. Some warlocks are bringers of punishment and execution, and identify themselves with a pair of crossed axes. Others are focused on providing legal and moral counsel, and identify themselves with a pair of scales. And another group seek to right wrongs and enact fair justice, tempering their judgment with mercy, and choose an open hand as their symbol.