recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Angazhan

Angazhan is one of the Demon Lords of the Abyss. Depicted as a great, demonic ape, Angazhan is the Lord of savagery and destruction - and a patron to ancient, long-forgotten ape-men that roamed Noxerra in lost, forgotten ages. He is a rare presence in the present day, where is primarily worshiped only by intelligent bestial creatures in wildernesses like the forests of Golgotha, or by actual demonic cults deep in the Hellmouth. While now a completely arid desert, there is evidence that Sethulhmet - once a more lush landscape with jungles of it's own - may have also had smaller temples and shrines dedicated to the Demon Lord, and some ruins may yet remain buried within the Dunelands.
Briars

Briars is the halfling proprietor and barkeep of the *Rusted Vein Rooom & Board*, in Durkheim. Located on the Ground Level of the city, the Rusted Vein is one of the busier taverns and inns in the city, frequented by contracted miners and visiting traders. Thus, Briars himself is quite a wealthy - if haggard, overworked, and brash individual with little patience. He does have a strong worth ethic however, and is regarded a fair if hard employer and a shrewd businessman in a city full of them.
Dispater

King of Iron

Asmodeus's Eye

Dispater is one of the nine Archdevils and the ruler of the second circle of the Nine Hells. One of the cruelest and most cunning of the Nine, he is a staunch ally of Asmodeus's rule and one of his most loyal and oldest lieutenants. Supposedly a fallen angel that became a champion of the God-Fiend, Dispater presides over the spheres of ruling and leadership, as well as prisons and in a twisted sense - courtly love and romance, given his own series of romantic dalliances with various lesser goddesses in the infernal mythos.
Osmand Stoneward

The Betrayed

King Osmand Stoneward, known in legend as the Knight of Iron, was a member of the Betrayed and a member of the royal Stoneward Family of Mordenheim. A noble and honorable dwarf, when the Mage-Emperor set about searching for allies during the Sol Rebellion, Osmand - a royal commander and Prince - requested leave from his father, King Ormond, to travel with the mage and aid in his quest. Osmand fought valiantly during the Rebellion, and readily joined the Betrayed when the Mage-Emperor's madness consumed him. When King Ormond died, Osmand took up his father's role as King of Mordenheim. Among the Knights, Osmand was often considered one the most incorruptible and honorable.

Thus, when he fashioned his Apotheon Artifact - the Forge - during the War of the Nine Knights, Osmand only ever relied on it as a last resort, not wishing to fall victim to the corruption that had plagued his former comrades. According to history, the only thing Osmand himself ever made with the Forge was his personal hammer, *the Warden's Arm*. During the war, Osmand was allied with Sartorius, the Knight of Storms - representing Halestrom. Together, they defended eastern Noxerra against the invading undead and demonic armies of Valtoria. Osmand met his end during a duel with Lucian, the Knight of Shadows. He was buried in secret on the Broken Isle, in the Iron Tomb - his Blood Rune buried with him to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands that would dare to use the Forge's power.

Osmand was later avenged by Bram Havelock, who destroyed the Knight of Shadows's own Blood Rune and drove his armies out of Mordenheim. Havelock and other noble families in service to the dissolved and obsolete royal family went on to settle and found the city-state of Dreadmont. Osmand's story now - like most of the Knights - is only a legend. His legacy prevails in his descendant, Osric Stoneward, who had an integral role in the plot of the Forgeborn during their attempted conquest on the eastern wasteland in 237 A.C.
Ivar

Ivar is a former Havsbladen Shipmaster, and the now the proprietor of the *Wild Maiden*, a boarding house and tavern in Nightport. Ivar was the captain of the ship the *Wild Maiden*. Ivar was a loyal member of Ragnar's fleet that sailed west and was shipwrecked by storm on Krakengard. As one of the most experienced Shipmasters among the survivors, Ivar was integral in building Nightport into the prosperous township it is in the present, most notably effectively transforming the wreckage of his own beloved ship the *Wild Maiden* into the tavern of the same name. He is a popular member of Nightport's community, and a kindly host to his guests and boarders - though he is like many in the town suspicious of Nightport's many dangerous neighbors, and is a member of Virün's conspiracy to uncover any truth to rumors of an alliance between the Stronghold and the Drowned.
Kartov

Lieutenant Kartov is a half-orc Blood Hunter. Originally a War Rider, Kartov left the tribe some time after being forced to execute his sacred mount, a worg, by Rathos, as a price for some unknown personal failure. Kartov traveled to Dreadmont where he was inspired by the ideals of the Blood Hunters' creed to protect the wasteland and joined up, developing the distrust and caution towards the arcane and supernatural associated with the organization. During the Forgeborn Threat, Kartov was assigned by High Commander Aloysius O'Dare to serve as a "handler" for the party while they were in his capture, overseeing their progress towards completing his strategy. Kartov was captured by the Forgeborn during the party's travels, and later rescued by them during the Battle of Mordenheim. Inspired by the party's good nature, despite them being "Darkbloods," Kartov took up arms against Aloysius during his duel with Jorg-Hammer. When the High Commander was exposed as an elf and arrested, Viceroy Tyrithia Halstein appointed Kartov as acting High Commander until the matter could be fully resolved back in Dreadmont proper.
Baalzebul

Hell's Angel

Lord of the Multitudes

Baalzebul is one of the nine Archdevils, and the ruler of the seventh layer of the Nine Hells. Called the Lord of the Flies, Baalzebul is a patron of disease, pestilence, and other natural calamities, as well as arrogance and lies. Once an ancient angelic being that betrayed the heavens to service Asmodeus's rebellion, and was his foremost servant in their conquering of the hells. However, being a vain and arrogant creature, when he demanded a realm equal to Asmodeus's - infuriated by the distribution of the layers to the other Archdevils - Asmodeus cursed him so that his angelic body would be dispersed into millions of infernal flies, so that he would - as he wished - become "Lord of the Multitudes." Now a spiteful, but loyal, ruler of his fraction of Hell, Baalzebul appears as an armored shade whose body is composed of the flies, and a patron to those arrogant and desperate souls who - like him - long for power and revenge.
Klavus

> *"You're mad. You've always been mad."*
>
>

> *"Heheheh...maybe you're right. But my great work is finished! It cannot be undone. All those I've sent to the grave. Their purpose and mine - now fulfilled."*
>
>

> - Klavus, to the Priestess
>
>

**Klavus, *"the Cruel,"* i**s a member of the Queensguard, the elite order of drow that are fanatically dedicated to serving Queen Zyara, the Knight of Pain. The most fiendish and sadistic of the guard, Klavus served as the master torturer and warden of Zventhos's prison systems. Possessing a gleeful fascination with weaponizing the Underhive, Klavus's demented curiosity has no limit.

According to the Priestess, Klavus was once a member of a noble family, before being ousted and exiled by his own family for his demented obsessions. In his exile, he stumbled onto a discovery within the volcano Draxzys-Vyz-Aeryn - revealed to be a manifestation of the Underhive. He would later deliver this information to Zyara during her rise to power, which led to a "bargain" with an entity within the volcano, and the eventual rise of the Underhive infection proper.

Years later, during the Queensguard's return and reoccupation of the underdark, Klavus set about continuing the work he started long ago - trying to establish control over the Underhive as a proper bioweapon. This manifested in something he referred to as the "Matriarchal Strain," which required the blood of Syztra Volanys, who was captured and delivered to him by Xaegaroth. The party would pursue this lead to Klavus's prison city of Nzzerys.

   As they were subjected to various "tests" against captured underhive specimens, Klavus explained to the party that the entity he communed with was the Demon Lord Jubilex - known to the drow as one of their gods, Ghaunadaur. Allegedly, the Demon Lord's consciousness flows throughout the entire underhive, but requires a "Matriarch" or "Queen" to truly control them beyond their pure instincts - and that a physical version of this Queen exists within the volcano, but requires a more humanoid host to fully manifest. For years he had been trying to decode a formula from visions he had that could create this "Queen," and claimed to have finally perfected it using Syztra's blood.

When the party finally confronted him face to face, Klavus laughed them off - stating that the Strain had already made it's way to Zyara in Rahzad-Nul. He released Syztra, seemingly having no further use for her, and moved to escape by releasing a toxic gas within the laboratory to kill the party. Syztra quickly attacked Klavus herself, however, injecting him with a vial of the Strain that he had in fact been carrying. Klavus then transformed into a horrific insectoid, underhive abomination - managing to activate the toxic gas and a detonation system within the lab before fully succumbing to the Strain - also stating that his being a male and "no longer noble" were causations as to it's negative effect on his body. The party were then forced to try and make their escape from the lab and it's toxins, all while battling the infected Klavus.
K'lyara

K'lyara was a sea-elf member of Sartorius's Honor Guard. She was one of the survivors of the shipwreck caused by Syn-Sogoth during the invasion of Krakengärd by Valtoria's forces. Along with Celtius and the remaining honor guard, she accompanied the Knight of Storms across the island to their tower fortress atop Mount Stormfall to secure the Tempest Armillary. Once there, she and the other members of the Guard attempted to defuse an ensuing duel between Celtius and Sartorius over whether or not to use the artifact without the Knight's Blood Rune. During the conflict, the dragon Syn-Sogoth appeared once more to attack, and froze K'lyara solid while she had the Armillary in hand, killing her. Her fellow Guards perished not long after, unable to prevent Sartorius from activating the Armillary. Her experience was relived by Esther when Xaal-Tuogurrath allowed the party to experience a vision of that day's events to aid the party in finding the Armillary themsleves.
Kethis

Kethis is a ruined city nestled near the border of the Halestrom and Mordenheim regions of eastern Noxerra. Before the war Kethis was one of the few proper cities erected in the fledgling Halestrom frontier, but after the war it garnered a legend as a haunted or cursed city. Some years before 237 A.C. a few settlers attempted to turn the ruin into a trading town but were set upon by a Cult to the Demon Lord Orcus, who subtly infected the town with a zombie plague using necromancy learned from the *Necros Arcanos*. In time, the town again became a desolate ruin, with the Cult remaining and plotting to release the plague into the rest of Noxerra before they were stopped by a loose-knit band of adventurers searching the city for certain artifacts.
Nestor Crenshaw

Nestor Crenshaw was the pirate captain of the *Black Gull*, a ship that Esther served on for a time after abandoning the raider group she had formed in the remote deserts of Sethulhmet. Crenshaw was a respected member of the Court of Colours, but the *Gull* was accosted by a small fleet of Fortunato Privateers, and was sunk in battle some time ago. Esther escaped the wreckage and returned to the desert mainland, but the fate of Crenshaw himself and the rest of the crew is unknown - though they are presumed to have been killed or imprisoned for their crimes.
Kaleen Cersei

Kaleen Cersei is an assassin and member of the 40 Lashes.

Raised on a farm in Yarmouth, she abandoned that life in search of a higher purpose, spending some time as a blacksmith's apprentice, honing her skill both with making and using blades - becoming a talented duelist. She eventually found a higher calling with the Lashes, where she would come to meet and eventually marry Nastalia Einar. While the two are often separated, dispatched on different missions - they have a committed and loving marriage, something of a rarity among their Calistrian brethren.

In 237 A.C. Kaleen was accosted by the demon Mendaxos while guarding the goat Tanngrisnir, kept under the Lashes protection as per a bargain Jorg-Hammer had struck with Kastille while the party were dispatched to the underdark in search of the Priestess. Mendaxos - having been secretly sent by Pezzack as a result of a wish - attacked Kaleen, cursing her with a magical blindness - and spirited the goat away. While this would release Pezzack from any dues he may have owed the Lashes as intended, it earned the demon the ire of Kaleen and her wife - now impaired and looking to hone a new fighting style to compensate, if the curse could not be lifted.
Crimson Queen

The *Crimson Queen* is the flagship of the Red Captain, ruling captain of the Court of Colours. The *Queen* is infamous across Raider's Run because of it's blood-red sails, often attracting attention but managing to outmaneuver and outpace almost any other ship that dares engage with it and it's crew. Because of the Captain and crew's reputation as expert sailors and fighters, many trading vessels will surrender just at the sight of the ship's sails and flag. The ship's flag depicts a caricature of the Red Captain and a skeleton - symbolizing death - holding a scale together. When not docked at Port Sestyra, the vessel is often traversing the Run and the surrounding seas, prowling for plunder.
Ivan Havelock

Ivan Havelock is the younger brother of Illyan Havelock, and the uncle of Lady Illyana Havelock. He is currently the oldest living member of the Havelock Family. He was the heir apparent to the family's seat on the Council of Dreadmont until Lady Illyana came of age, which she had by the time of her father's death. As such, Ivan's duties to the family are mostly ceremonial. Ivan demonstrates a certain lack of respect for the pomp and circumstance of life in the nobility, and has a reputation for being blunt and dismissive.
Goldtooth Glover

"Goldtooth" Glover (so named for a singular gold tooth he possesses) is a goblin member of the Mariners, and was one of Captain Z'yarthox's loyal first mates. Like the Captain, Glover had grown weary of serving the dragon Thaedraxus, and desired a greater share of the dragon's horde and a return to life on the seas. While smarter than most goblins, Glover is still rather dimwitted and prone to being distracted by shiny objects and trinkets - doubly so, given the Mariners religious-like fervor towards piracy.

Glover would fight alongside the party during their attempt to put down the mutiny of Drith and the release of the *Blood Diamond's* resident drowning devil - Sythaneryx. After his friend, Kysora, was killed in the battle Esther convinced Glover that Z'yarthox's leadership was poor enough to warrant yet another mutiny. Glover, in drunken mourning, would agree to support Kzzartha's bid for captain on the condition that he be named First Mate, given plenty of gold, as well as a nice hat. Kzzartha agreed, and Glover rallied the other Mariners to support her in killing the wereshark.

Glover would go on to fight against the Drowned in the final assault against the Sunken Temple, and would continue to serve as Kzzartha's first mate in the aftermath, finally seeing the rest of Noxerra and becoming a true pirate.
Khuul

Justiciar Khuul, a pure-blooded orc, is one of the members of the Tribunal of Kaath. Prior to joining the Tribunal, Khuul was in fact captured by slavers himself - though he managed to kill half of his captors and terrify the other half into serving him. He slowly amassed an army of followers made of both slavers and slaves that he forced into fighting for him. Khuul's army laid siege to the city of Kaath for a week before the Tribunal offered him a seat to quench his bloodlust. Surprisingly, the orc took the offer, and has resided on the Tribunal since as a quiet and menacing presence with one of the bloodiest pasts among them.
Holden II Seward

**Holden II** was the third King of Valtoria, succeeding his father Holden I. Becoming King earlier than expected, Holden II was woefully unprepared for the true responsibilities of ruling. Unlike his father, Holden II had been born and raised during peacetime, and was not the hardened battle-proven warrior that his father had been during the Shattered War. As the Crown Prince, Holden II was a beloved patron of the arts and the developing culture of Valtoria, turning his attention to poetry, songs, and other bardic pursuits. This romantic nature however would prove to make him unsuited to truly rule the kingdom.

History is unclear as to the true account of events, but Holden II either abducted or took willingly Princess Rhylyria of the elven Kingdom of Sol during a diplomatic visit. Accounts differ as to whether their relationship was a mutual one of star-crossed lovers, or if Holden was a vicious kidnapper and rapist. Either way - the elves declared war on Valtoria, and in the end King Holden and the elven Princess were both killed when the King's flagship was sunk off the northwestern coast of Solerra. The conflict would come to be called the *"Lovers' War."* After his defeat, Holden's uncle, Esmard, ascended to the throne and negotiated peace talks with Sol, ending the conflict.

While at the time, Holden II became extremely unpopular for plunging the country into war, history would come to view him through a more sympathetic lens, labeling him one of the "*Great Romantics*" of the Great Romance Era. His ambiguous and tragic love affair with Rhylyria became the subject of several poems and songs, and even plays. He is now remembered moreso as a short-lived, dashing and tragic romantic hero, rather than perhaps the more ineffectual, selfish King he actually was.
Reckoning Era

***The Reckoning*** was an era or age in Noxerra's history. Following the relative peace and cultural thriving of the Great Romance, the Reckoning was kicked off by the political assassination of Valtoria's crown princess, which kickstarted what came to be known as the Reckoning War - called as such because it was truly a reckoning of the supposed stability that had been generated following the Shattered Kingdoms era. The war - which lasted a little over thirty years - saw the status quo upset once more, with no real victor emerging from the conflict, but the various kingdoms of Solerra once again losing trust in one another. A tense peace was achieved - and it would be up to the next generation to maintain it in the following era - appropriately called the Holding, a period of cold war, espionage, and the inevitable ticking clock that would signal the next great conflict.
Eilistraee

The Dark Dancer

The Moon Maiden

Lady Silverhair

Eilistraee is the drow goddess of beauty, song and dance, freedom, the moon, and swordwork. While she is counted as a member of the Dark Seldarine, she is an outlier among the drow and their pantheon - viewed as a traitorous deity that forewent the typically dark and malevolent nature of her twisted family. Widely considered - at least by those still aware of her existence - as one of the few truly good goddesses worshiped on Noxerra, Eilistraee is a patron to artists and swordsmen. In elven myth, she is the daughter of Lloth and Corellon when the two were still united as members of the original Seldarine. To a select few drow, Eilistraee represented a return to the light of the surface world, but in the slavish and brutal society cultivated by the dark elves, her priesthood was a small and insignificant bunch that were more or less exiles among their own people.

Her divine status after the Collapse is unknown, but those few aware of her legends and mythology look to her as an idealized free spirit representing a fighting chance in ultimate darkness.
Orcus

The Ramskull

Orcus is one of the major Demon Lords of the Abyss, commonly called the ***"Prince of Undeath."*** He is typically depicted as a large winged demon with a ram's skull for a head. In the world of Noxerra Orcus is a common patron for necromancers and other practitioners of dark magic. In the general absence of cosmic forces of good, Orcus is widely considered one of the more powerful entities worshiped across Noxerra. Most notably, he has a dedicated Cult to him that rules the city state of Ramsgate, in the Hellmouth.
Queensguard

The Queensguard - Clockwise: Triz'ztari, Xaegaroth, Jaxza, & Klavus

The Queensguard are an elite order of drow warriors, mages, and assassins who served as the right hands and inner circle of Zyara, the Knight of Pain when she ascended to the position of Queen of the drow collective of Zventhos. Infamous during the uprising against House Nulyra and the deposition of Queen Yezura, their reputation only increased during the War of the Nine Knights. Along with most of the drow of Zventhos, they disappeared into the underdark towards the end of the war, and were presumed to have died.

In reality, they were somehow kept in stasis for centuries, only to return to power, scheming to rescue their Queen from her own Apotheon Artifact, the Black Maiden - in which she was sealed against her will by the vampire Lucian de Lamperouge. They managed to lure an Orrukov expedition (including the party) to the Maiden's location, where Adrio Keist - an agent of the Illuvari - foolishly activated the Maiden to claim it's power, kill Zyara, and escape with it. Underestimating the Queen, he was quickly killed upon her release. With the Queensguard reunited with their Queen, they began openly focusing their efforts on once again conquering the Underdark - with their sights set further on the surface world.

**The order includes:**

* **Triz'ztari the Magniloquent****:** The order's leader.
* **Jaxza the Devout**: A high priestess of Lloth and the Queen's chief assassin. She was eventually slain by the party in her temple lair of Baz-Morun.
* **Xaegaroth the Merciless**: A grand general of Zventhos's armies
* **Klavus the Cruel**: A master torturer and arcane scientist
Malar

The Beastlord

The Howling King

Malar is a minor god, primarily worshiped by savage druid tribes or barbarian clans on Noxerra. Called the *Black-Blooded One* and *Lord of the Hunt*, Malar is a patron to lycanthropes, as well as hunters and general savagery and bloodlust. He appears as a great wolf himself, with demonic horns signifying his deific status. Primarily considered a patron deity to many of the werewolf clans of the Howling Scar mountain range of Golgotha, Malar encourages his worshipers to partake in wanton slaughter, to enjoy their killing, and expresses pride in acts of slow, predatory sadism - the act of toying with one's prey. The wolf clans and other worshipers occasionally form "hunting parties" to enact rituals to Malar, sometimes called a "High Hunt," in which a victim would be captured then released to be hunted by the parties as a ritual sacrifice, with the victor receiving a blessing from Malar himself. It was rumored that this practice was carried out even before the War, in ancient kingdoms by corrupt nobles who secretly counted themselves among Malar's faithful. While still a minor deity whose worshipers are primarily only found in the dense wilderness, Malar has become more powerful as the influence of greater, more pure gods has waned.
Melora

Melora is an elven deity, presiding over the spheres of the wilderness, the sea, and nature as a whole. A popular goddess at the height of the Empire's power, in the aftermath of the War she has fallen into obscurity save for light worship amidst surviving druid tribes in the wilds of Golgotha and other stray sects across the wasteland.

She was also the prime deity worshiped by the sea-elf tribes of Halestrom, and the chosen goddess of Sartorius the Knight of Storms and his army that made their final stand on the island of Krakengärd. When Celtiar abandoned the aboleth Cthar-R'yatha and led a faction of the Drowned away to establish Sel-Duarmia, the elves there returned to worshiping Melora over their old faith for the Sunken God.

Melora was occasionally revered by the other human, dwarven, and orcish tribes of Halestrom as well. Though her name was lost to time among the Northern Tribes - many of the tribal folk still revere some aspect of her unknowingly - with the Havsbladen Shipmasters for example praying to an amorphous sea goddess, or the War Riders leaving tributes in the mountains in hope for successful hunts.
Ramada Thorne

Ramada Thorne is the current leader of the Aspis Circle. A tiefling, many view his status as the leader of Sethulhmet's largest slaving guild hypocritical given the high enslavement rate of the race. Nevertheless, Ramada has a reputation as a ruthless and shrewd tactician and businessman, as well as being a fine warrior. Cold and practical in his dealings, Ramada Thorne is also well known not to tolerate excessive abuse of slaves under his charge, lest they lower in value. His past before joining and leading the Circle is unknown.
Illyan Havelock

Lord Illyan Havelock was the head of the Havelock Family and ruling governor of the Witching District up until his death by suicide, upon which his daughter Illyana inherited his position. While alive, he was considered one of the most powerful and influential mages that the District had known, though he was rumored to have dabbled in very dark magics to keep a tighter hold on his family's power. In truth, Illyan was a deeply troubled man whose grip on his family's safety was weakened by his son Rennen's affliction with the family's generational blood disease, caused by a curse placed on the family by the Knight of Shadows centuries ago. Illyan paid the necessary tribute to the Knight by allowing Rennen to become a thrall to save his life, the guilt of which drove Illyan to murdering his wife, Helena. Rennen died of the disease not long after his wife Eona gave birth to their daughter Reya, and Illyan killed himself out of grief for his son.
Saint Helia

Saint Helia the Bright was a great spiritual leader of the Shattered Kingdoms era, and a founder of the Church of Pelor that was active in Noxerra before the War of the Nine Knights. The Church of Pelor would be succeeded by the Church of the Lost Dawn in the post-war wasteland - who still recognize Helia's sainthood and historical importance.

Helia's origins were shrouded in mystery, but she is thought to have immigrated to the northwestern continent from the desert of Sethulhmet, carrying with her the Peloran faith and veneration of the sun - a common belief system in the warm lands of the desert, but virtually forgotten in the more northern regions. Many believed her to be an escaped slave, a fleeing princess of one of the desert kingdoms untouched by the Empire, or possess some other fantastical background - but Helia's only truth was that she was merely a woman with a mission to carry her faith and fight against the Empire's tyranny.

Her arrival and movement coincided with the Shattered War. Helia found a foothold in the largely human region of Yarmouth, who along with the mountain-dwelling dwarf clans to the east and the orc tribes to the south formed the Southron Hordes - bitter enemies of the elven armies of the Cathyrion Imperium and the Larethian Crusade. Helia found herself becoming one of the Hordes' great heroes - a champion of Pelor and human faith much the same way that Prospyr Atrius was "chosen by Corellon," as far as the Crusade was concerned. As the war raged on, the Hordes as a whole largely took to Pelor as their primary god.

Sadly, Helia would perish in battle herself against the forces of the Imperium, dying a martyr whose memory would be venerated for centuries to come. The Church of Pelor became the state religion of Yarmouth, and Helia would be canonized as a Saint in the next century - known as "the Bright," for the message of hope and freedom that she had brought to the southern regions.

Even in the modern, apocalyptic wasteland, the Church of the Lost Dawn revere the memory of Saint Helia and her valor during the long-forgotten war - aspiring to her ideals of courage in the face of darkness, and widespread aid to those seemingly beyond one's reach. It is her memory that the missionaries of the Church honor by travelling far beyond their homes, to the darkest corners of the world to spread Pelor's light once more.
Nocticula

The Abyssal Mistress

Nocticula is one of the Demon Lords of the Abyss. Like Graz'zt, she is a patron of lust and debauchery, being one of the Demon Lords to which several succubi and incubi answer. Nocticula regularly manifests as a seductive, demonic woman herself, though she is known to shapeshift into whatever form is most pleasing to whoever she is speaking with. She is widely feared and respected even by the other Demon Lords, who are otherwise in constant tempestuous competition with one another for dominance - as few of them can even resist Nocticula's charms. She is even said to have seduced, slain, and laid claim to another Demon Lord's throne in ancient legend. She is also great rival to Calistria - who also presides over the sphere of pleasure - with both of them also being patrons to assassins and seductresses - though Nocticula's faithful are obviously rooted in much baser and crueler desires than those of the Savored Sting.
Vaslav I Orrukov

Vaslav I was the second Tsar of the Orrukov Regime, succeeding his father Vaerald I. Vaslav was perhaps the most responsible for laying the groundwork for Durkheim as a proper city-state. He spent most of his rule consolidating the Regime's power, bringing surviving noble families into the hold, and rebuilding the drow ruins of Zventhos in the style of the duergar. While Vaslav I enjoyed a long and effective rule, he died without having married or having children, and the throne passed to Vaerald III - son of his late brother, Vaerald II. Vaslav is the namesake of current Tsar Ulrich's brother and Durkheim's Grand General, Vaslav II.
Kyber Cathyrion

Kyber Cathyrion was the tenth ruler of the Cathyrion Empire, succeeding his brother, Syrlucio, who he had assassinated and usurped. Rumored to have been the half-drow son of Oriadan and his drow mistress (the relationship that had given rise to Oriadan becoming known as the "*Demonweb Emperor*"), Kyber was plagued by scrutiny and suspicion his entire life, save only by his older brother who trusted him implicitly. The two were raised and trained together, and even fought in foreign wars alongside one another. Kyber's scheming and conspiracy to steal the throne came as a shock to many, most of all Syrlucio himself. With his small faction of conspirators (rumored to be a drow-backed conspiracy to steal the throne going back decades), Kyber could not bring himself to kill Syrlucio's young son, Fyrello, and had him imprisoned.

This proved to be a crucial mistake, as armies were raised to avenge Syrlucio's death and seat his son on the throne. Kyber was eventually captured by this rebellion and executed himself. The nobles then placed Fyrello on the throne, but by this point the good will of the Empire's citizens had been lost thanks to Kyber's tyrannical rule and the many wars fought previously within the Cathyrion dynasty for power - with the many vassal kingdoms rebelling for independence and the religious uprising of the Larethian Crusade capturing and executing the young Fyrello himself.

During the Shattered War that happened afterwards however, Kyber's own son Kyberion would lead the remnants of the Empire under the banner of the Cathyrion Imperium to reclaim the Empire's lost kingdoms and assert the Empire's rule once again. This effort failed, and the Imperium was among one of the only factions to truly be completely destroyed during the war - with Kyber and his legacy being immortalized as the Cathyrions that had gotten the Empire through ill means, then lost it forever.
Greymarsh

Greymarsh is a large swamp along the eastern seaboard of Yarmouth, sitting North of Carver Farms and just south of Penrose Asylum. While not having as supernatural a presence as the Wyrdwood, it is still regarded as a dangerous region of Yarmouth, with it being difficult to travel through given it's terrain, as well as it's proximity to other dangerous locations. Still, there are some traders who dare to brave the swamps, and consider the flooded ruins there worth scavenging for lost valuables and treasures.
Dorumarr

Dorumarr was the Chieftain of the Drakemunde until his death in 237 A.C. He was a militant and strategic warrior, with a keen mind for tactics, practically ruling the Tribal North with an iron fist - keeping the other tribes in line due to the strength of the Drakemunde's dragons. While a beloved ruler to his people, the other tribes vilified him for his cruel battle tactics. His black dragon mount, Drak-Vo-Ruul was known to poison rivers and lakes to cut off the water sources of the other tribes, and Dorumarr regularly raided rival territory with little opposition. He and Drak-Vo-Ruul were killed by the Forgeborn when caught in a dogfight with the airship the *Dauntless.* Drak-Vo-Ruul was impaled by the ship's grappling cannon, and Dorumarr was killed during the fall, his body and personal effects later collected by Jorg-Hammer and delivered to his wife, Dovah, who succeeded him as Chieftain.
Baz-Morun

*Baz-Morun* - "Hallowed Passage" in common - is an ancient drow temple in the region of Zventhos in the underdark. A massive structure consisting of multiple buildings and bridges, the passage travels through a thick underground mountain range through the center of Zventhos - overlooking the magma lake formed around the volcano - Draxys-Vyz-Aeryn. It is a sacred site dedicated to the drow gods of the Dark Seldarine - particularly the drows' primary goddess, Lloth. The temple was managed by a devoted priesthood, led by the high priestess Jaxza the Devout, though it was also manned by a resolute military guard as well.

## Layout

The temple has several different chambers devoted to various kinds of worship, as well as other sordid activities conducted by it's inhabitants, being host to demonic entities allied to the Dark Seldarine. Many of these activities were performed at the expense of prisoners, slaves, and heretics kept there as well.

The passage includes a residential area for the military guard, as well as cells for prisoners and slaves. There is a "pleasure chamber" in the form of a pool and sauna, powered by demonic magic and overseen by a host of alu-demons spawned from the temple's Priestesses. There is also a ritualistic sacrificial chamber laid out as a kind of arena, with an altar that gives way to a great pit overlooking the hungry mouth of a great subterranean horror, eager to devour prisoners fed to it by a drider executioner and slave-priest. Klavus the Cruel also kept a laboratory within the halls of the passage, where he evidently performed numerous experiments with the Underhive. There was also a room that served as a death trap that prisoners would be executed in, as entertainment for onlookers who would watch from nearby towers. The main feature of the great structure was a cathedral devoted to the Seldarine, where various sacrificial rites and other dark rituals would be performed by the priestesses of the temple.

Baz-Morun sits essentially on the border between two halves of Zventhos, and in the time before the War it was often a rite of passage to make a pilgrimage through it's halls - and indeed, travelers were regularly forced to pass through and pay their respects to the priestesses there lest they brave the more perilous cave networks and the beasts within them.

## Notable Inhabitants

* Jaxza the Devout, the temple's High Priestess of Lloth
* Mendaxos, a glabrezu demon imprisoned and used to power the magic of the pleasure chamber
* Voth'zgan, a drider slave-priest and executioner guarding the ritual pit
Mariners

Mariners Flag, depicting Thaedraxus coiled around an anchor

The Mariners are a faction native to the island of Krakengärd. Descended from the shipwrecked crew of the *Blood Diamond*, the Mariners developed a culture based on piracy - despite a vast majority of the current members of the crew having never sailed or raided beyond the magical island, with the centuries having diluted their devotion to "piracy" to being more akin to a pseudo-religious lifestyle.

At some point, the Mariners found a leader in the brine dragon, Thaedraxus, who had crossed over into Krakengard's pocket dimension from another realm. Thaedraxus had amounted a horde of treasures from the various shipwrecks surrounding the island, and given the Mariners' piratical obsession with gold and treasure, they were more than willing to serve the dragon in exchange for a share. The Mariners are more directly led by a Captain (an archaic title they consider to be associated with that of a spiritual leader) appointed by the crew, with the most recent Captain being a wereshark named Z'yarthox. As tribal raiders, the Mariners were enemies with every other faction on the island - and attack indiscriminately.

Their ship, the *Blood Diamond*, was enchanted by the drowning devil Sythaneryx at some point to resist the power of the magical storms, enabling it to mostly survive the worst of the storms. The party, aided by the mutinous Z'yarthox, managed to slay Thaedraxus. Afterwards, the *Blood Diamond* fell under the captainship of Kzzartha during the party's time on the island, effectively making her the crew's new leader after a successful mutiny against Z'yarthox.

### Notable Members:

* Thaedraxus
* Captain Z'yarthox
* Goldtooth Glover
* Kysora
* Jeremy
* Tommen
* Sythaneryx
Caligan Cathyrion

Caligan Cathyrion, better known as *Caligan the Mad*, was the sixth ruler of the Cathyrion Empire. The son of Vysteria, Caligan lacked the tact and grace of his mother and lived a spoiled existence for much of his youth. His mother's death drove him to madness, and his ascension to the throne marked the beginning of one of the darkest periods of the Empire's history.

Caligan was an infamous hedonist and warmonger - breaking the trade agreements and peaceful expansions his mother had fostered in favor of needlessly aggressive military actions. It was under Caligan that the Empire first attempted the colonization of territory in the far east reaches of what would become Halestrom, warring with the sea elves and human barbarians that lived there. He also kept a harem of slaves - both male and female - that he regularly sexually abused for his own pleasure. Caligan was also rumored to have secretly married his sister, Cruscilla. At the very least, he was rumored to have his slaves dress and appear as his sister while he abused them.

Caligan's increasing instability and brash decisions led to a lack of faith in the Empire's longevity should his rule continue, and he was eventually assassinated by one of his slaves - in a plot organized by some of the nobles within his court. This plot led to the succession of Cruscilla, who proved to possess a different - and perhaps even more dangerous - brand of insanity than her brother did.
Galahad Cathyrion

Galahad Cathyrion, also known as "*Galahad the Beloved*," was the first Emperor of the Cathyrion Empire, and it's founder. A charismatic and ruthless elven war hero, Galahad led the world out of the Time of Swords and into the Old Empire era, conquering much of the known world - mostly northwestern Noxerra. A keen military commander and politician, Galahad was unrivaled in many aspects, and entered history as an ideal model for many rulers that came after him. Beloved by his people and feared by his enemies, Galahad is considered one of the great heroes of Noxerra's history, with a rare few scholars still remembering him even in the post-war age.

He was succeeded by his eldest son, Urias, whose reign was short-lived and gave rise to the infamous "*Year of Three Emperors,*" - a war for the throne fought between Urias and Galahad's other children, Syrlua and Shaddar.
Forgeborn Threat

The Forgeborn Threat is the name given to the short campaign of terror of the Forgeborn across the eastern wasteland in the year 237 A.C. The Threat technically began months before as the Forgeborn began manufacturing automatons and augmenting themselves and wasteland recruits using the Forge's magical technology. The first open act of aggression however was the Forgeborn's invasion and extortion of the village of Marbury, enslaving many of the villagers and harvesting the town's crops for their own stores. At some point, the Forgeborn also invaded and razed the community of the Crater, capturing many of its denizens as slaves.

They Forgeborn Threat was not a fully open declaration of conquest however until they invaded the territory of the Drakemunde Tribe to eliminate the greatest natural threat to their cause, the dragon Drak-Vo-Ruul. With their superior technology of the airship, the *Dauntless*, the Forgeborn slew the dragon and its rider, Dorumarr, and issued a warning to the rest of the Wasteland that the remaining communities and tribes had a month to surrender lest they be forcibly conquered. This event would lead to the mass exodus of the Northern Tribes west, over the Bridge.

The Forgeborn later attempted a minor invasion of Kaylen Farm that was thwarted by the party who had stopped there in the evening. There was also a covert assassination attempt on the Council of Dreadmont that the party also had a hand in preventing.

The Forgeborn Threat was finally ended during the Battle of Mordenheim, when an alliance helmed by Dreadmont managed to confront the Forgeborn's army while the party defeated Scourge and destroyed the Forge, the source of the army's power and killing them in their entirety.
Mad Marge

> *"I don't care if they murdered me brother, screwed me mother, and castrated me father. If they got coin to spend, and they want a beer to drink and a whore to screw, then I'm gonna give 'em a bloody drink and one of you to boot."* - Mad Marge to Nymue
>
>

**"Mad" Marge** is the dwarven madame and proprietor of *"the Black Butterfly"* brothel and tavern (which is in fact, a desecrated former temple to the goddess Desna) in Redbrook, in western Yarmouth. A crude and harsh mistress, Marge is an ancient and demanding dwarf with a scathing attitude towards the prostitutes and waitresses that work the tavern - always eager to please her customers and skim as much gold off of them as possible. Despite her harsh demeanor, the consistent work she provides her girls ensures a kind of reliable loyalty among them, as Marge does indeed pay decently - and offers shelter and food from the harsh wasteland - let alone, the crime-ridden slums of Redbrook itself. She is notable for having employed Nymue for a time, after her self-imposed exile from Sunvale drove her into desperate circumstances.
Chinese room

The **Chinese room argument** holds that a program cannot give a computer a "mind", "understanding" or "consciousness", regardless of how intelligently or human-like the program may make the computer behave. The argument was first presented by philosopher John Searle in 1980.

> "*Imagine you are in a room. In this room you are passed Chinese sentences through a slot in the wall. Inside the room is an instruction book written in English. This instruction book tells you which Chinese words to pass back through the slot in the wall as a response. By doing so you have a conversation in Chinese. In the Chinese room, because the responses you pass back through the door are the correct responses, the person on the other side of the door is convinced you are a native Chinese speaker.*"
> ― T.O.M.
>
>
Dawn Empress

The Dawn Empress (often simply called the Empress) is the "god-queen" of the Dawn Imperium. Seemingly a human woman, the people of the Imperium worship her as a literal physical goddess, and have cultivated a religion around her that all citizens must adhere to. Her exact origins before the Imperium truly gained a foothold in the region of Morninguard are unknown. The Empress rarely makes public appearances, but is known to reside in the holy city of Seraph, and representatives of hers occasionally make ambassadorial missions to Durkheim, the Barons of Yarmouth, and the slaver states of Sethulhmet. Her actual godhood is widely debated outside of the Imperium, but given the organized, militant nature of the state - most foreign powers do not question or broach the subject.
Sunvale

Sunvale is one the major standing cities in Yarmouth. It is ruled by Baroness Valerie Gregovitch, and is also the main center of the Church of the Lost Dawn - the worship of Pelor being where the city derives it's name. The despondent worshipers were the original founders of the city after the war, and other survivors flocked to the ruined city and began to rebuild it's structures and carve out a living for themselves in the wasteland. Today, it is one of the most civilized and stable cities in Noxerra.
Heinrich Jaeger

Lord Commandant Heinrich Jaeger is the current commander of the Hellfort in the year 237 A.C. Famous across the northwest wasteland of Noxerra, Jaeger is widely regarded a living legend and hero - being the veteran of many battles against the chaotic forces of the Hellmouth. He is a hardened tactician and strategist, and a practiced warrior. He has acted as Lord Commandant since his youth and has held the position unchallenged since. Many citizens of the wasteland - mostly those in Yarmouth - credit Jaeger's experience and efforts at the Hellfort to be instrumental in maintaining the relative safety of the regions south of the fortress.
Dauntless

The *Dauntless* was the airship used by the Forgeborn during their attempted conquest of the eastern wasteland in 237 A.C. An incredibly advanced marvel of magitech, it was captained by Scourge, and first appeared during an assault on the Drakemunde in the Tribal North - where one of it's grappling cannons managed to slay the dragon Drak-Vo-Ruul.

It's origins are precisely unknown, as it is unclear if the Forgeborn created the great machine themselves or if the ship was already in possession of the Illuvari research expedition that made up the original members of the Forgeborn.

During the Battle of Mordenheim, the *Dauntless* was hijacked by the slaver band led by the dragonborn Trask. Despite a last ditch effort by the party to stop them from escaping, the ship proved to be too fast and too far away, escaping the city as the Temple of Steel collapsed after the destruction of the Forge. The full extent of the ship's capabilities - as well as the fate of the ship itself and it's new crew - remain unknown.
Aspis Circle

The Aspis Circle is an order of slavers that operate in the deserts of Sethulhmet. They are the most prolific slaving guild in the region, being highly efficient, ruthless, organized, and indiscriminate in their practices. They are well known for being reliable and professional in their dealings - in both buying, selling, and recapturing slaves. A borderline militant organization, the Aspis Circle are so named for their iconic tattoo that identifies one as a member of the order for life - a golden ouroboros, as well as the circular route they often travel between the four major slaver states in Sethulhmet (Jadus, Kaath, Scarab, and Ruby Point). It is expected of members of the order to stay with the Circle for life, the tattoo being a symbolic bond to service - and it is a difficult life to escape from, as a result. In the year 237 A.C. the Aspis Circle is led by the famously ruthless tiefling Ramada Thorne.