recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Pongo buying a Cloak of Protection

Pongo decided to augment his equipment with a Cloak of Protection, a rare magical item. Since he is a master-smith not a tailor, he could not hope to craft it himself, so he decided to venture out to Stoneharbor and try to find someone who would be willing to sell one.

A Cloak of Protection is a rare, but not extremely rare item, so it should possible to find it in Stoneharbor, but one would have to look and possibly use some of contacts to find someone selling it. So first: Where should Pongo look for it? Should he try his noble contacts to see the stock of an elite auction house? Or maybe try his luck with one of the trading companies? Maybe ask Shady? Or even visit the Brass Embassy?

In the end Pongo decided to reach out to his contacts among the nobility and he was given the time and location of an exclusive auction. He dressed up in his ceremonial garb and headed out there. Unfortunately he did not have an invitation and could not convince the guards to let him in, so he had to resort to bribery.

Once inside Pongo realizes that his information was somewhat unreliable, the bidding was already underway, but (thanks to Moradin!) the Cloak had not been sold yet. When its time came the auctioneer announced the starting bid at 3000 gp, somewhat below what Pongo thought would have been the market price. So our dwarf immediately bid on it, only to find that he had two competitors: a fat merchant dressed in rich clothes and a young noblewoman. Soon the bid went up to 3500 gp, which was too much for the merchant, so he folded. Since this would have been the fair price for such an item, Pongo remarked to himself that the merchant was either not serious, or did not understand the true value of the item.

Unfortunately for Pongo the young noblewoman kept matching his bids while wearing the self-satisfied smile of people for whom money is no object. So Pongo decided to remove his cloak to reveal his richly decorated, elaborate armor and raised the bid even further. Soon the noblewoman realized that she met her match and the dwarf would likely keep outbidding her. Not wanting to lose all the money her papa gave her to spend that night, she folded.

In the end Pongo purchased the Cloak of Protection for 5000 gp, at almost one and a half times the market price. but these things happen in the volatile market of magical artifacts.
Shadow Gate

The Shadow Gates are permanent portals that lead to the Plane of Shadows, Since the Plane of Shadows (to some extent) mirrors the Material Plane but also allows vastly faster travel, the Imperium constructed a network of Shadow Gates between the major cities of the empire to allow goods to flow at a vastly higher speed. Note that teleportation would be even faster (e.g. using an Arcana Projector) but that is prohibitively expensive.

On the Plane of Shadows the Imperium constructed a set of guarded outposts to guide travelers between the various Shadow Gates. Since the fall of the Imperium these outposts have all been abandoned or destroyed.

When the demonic horde invaded the Imperial City in A.I. 400 the demon lords sent the bulk of their army into the Shadow Gates in order to carry out surprise attacks on the major cities of Aegeron and prevent the inhabitants of the Old Continent from mounting a defense against the demonic invasion. It was due to the heroic sacrifices of the soldiers of the Imperial Legion manning the outposts on the Plane of Shadows, who managed to destroy most of the gates, trapping themselves and the demons in the Shadows.
Imperial Calendar

The Great Imperial Calendar was created by Marius the Great, *Emperor of Minthras, Bane of Dragons, the Vanquisher of Elves and the Protector of Men*. Years are counted from the foundation of the Minthras Imperium, and are referred to as "*Anno Imperii*" (A.I.). Events before it are referred to as "*Pre Imperium*" (P.I.).

After the Unification of Aegeron it became the official calendar on the whole continent. Even though the Imperium is long gone now, not even the traditionalists in the Dwarven Dominion tried to bring back the calendars of old.

**The current year is A.I. 487.**

## Dates of Important and Recent Events

A.I. 0: Conquest of Londar by the Kingdom of Minthras, Marius the Great founds the Minthras Imperium

A.I. 0-108: The Century of Conquest, either by words or force the Imperium conquers all realms of Aegeron. By A.I. 108 all forms of resistance are crushed, the Emperor announces the Unification of Aegeron.

A.I. 120: Through unknown means the rulers of the Imperium ascend to divinity and become the God-Emperor and the Archmistress of Magic.

A.I. 120-400: The Age of the Imperium, a time of peace and prosperity (at least according to the Encyclopedia Imperium )

A.I. 400: Fall of the Imperial City, the Demons of the Abyss invade Aegeron.

A.I. 401-429: The Succession Wars

A.I. 407: After seven years of bloody civil war Thorin Ironfist unites the kingdoms of Dorahl and Btharmaz, creating the Dwarven Dominion.

A.I. 408: The realms of Aegeron sign the Brass Concordat

A.I. 417: The demon hordes are pushed back to the ruins of the Imperial City, construction of the Demonfence begins.

A.I. 422: The Dragon Princes occupy the Dragon Tail Islands and begin enslaving nearby human settlements. The inhabitants of the nearby Wild Coast unite to resist the dragons.

A.I. 426: On the verge of utter defeat, the Wild Coast Confederacy invites the Order of the Golden Lance to combat the dragon threat. Within a year the dragons are pushed back to their islands.

A.I. 429: The Treaty of Ylsalon is signed, recognizing the current borders and ending the Succession Wars, ushering in a new era of peace on Aegeron.

A.I. 486: Start of the Eternal Winter. The awakening of the Great Old One. Also, the future members of the Avalanche meet on a caravan heading to Stoneharbor.

A.I. 487: Start of the Silkstone War.
Professor Shomjam

Professor of Plantology at the Roxfort Academy of Magic, this gnome is an expert on matters related to plants. He recently encountered the party several times and has a (justifiably) bad opinion of them. After learning that the party brought the Arpenian Plague to the city he decided to inform the Academy of the epidemic then take a sabbatical abroad. Months later the party encountered him in the Eldran Valley where they saved him from the druids he angered with his careless plant collecting (but not before chiding him for his behavior).
Airships

Airships are objects of great beauty, and are quite rare in The Continent of Aegeron. They are exclusively made by inventors and artificers, and are considered a full life's work to invent and build one.

## Difficulties of construction

Most commoners have only heard of airships from tales of adventurers, and even more educated people (merchants, nobles, or even wizards and sorcerers) can only guess how airships are constructed.

The greatest difficulty in constructing an airship is neither the materials, nor the knowledge required to understand the plans and build according to them, but rather the fact that no such plans exist as part of the common and available knowledge. Inventors are known to be secretive, to the point where if one succeeds with a remarkable invention, they will consider it their prized possession and theirs alone, including plans and all related designs.

Therefore, every airship, when built, is reinvented anew, and each follows a different design and has largely different properties.

## Airships known to the Avalanche

It is hard to estimate the number of airships in existence on Aegeron, their numbers likely don't exceed two dozens. The Avalanche Adventuring Company was fortunate enough to encounter two already: Jubilost Zottenropple's "The Majesty", and Andromeda Fierra's "The Angel's Flight".

Already on these two ships the party has seen the variety of differences airships can exhibit. "The Majesty" was a gigantic, stunning piece of wonder, capable of lifting tonnes of cargo even in the terrible storm of the Eternal Winter. Meanwhile, Andromeda was ready to point out to the party that the light, two-ballooned "The Angel's Flight" surpasses Jubilost's creation in maneuverability and elegance.

It quickly became evident to the Avalanche that even if inventors are not familiar with others' plans, they most definitely know *of* their creations.
Arcana Projector

An ingenious invention that allows the teleportation of objects and even group of people between locations (similar to the Teleport spell). The device can send its payload to an arbitrary destination, but its targeting is notoriously unreliable as the smallest magical interference can throw it off target. Because of this these devices are often used in pairs, which allows a strong connection that can only be broken by extremely strong magical interference (e.g. the Eternal Winter). Furthermore, two linked machines allow instantaneous communication between their users, which is often used by the various arcane institutions as a fast (albeit expensive) way of communication.

The device requires significant magical power to work, which are expensive to make or acquire (e.g. abyssal crystals, fire seeds, soul cores ....).
Short History of Aegeron

Aegeron, commonly known as the Old Continent, is over 2000 miles across, making it one of the largest landmasses of the Prime Material Plane, home of all mortals. It has been settled eons ago and saw the rise and fall of many great civilizations.

The last great empire was the Minthras Imperium. It was founded almost five centuries ago when the human kingdom of Minthras discovered long forgotten arcane knowledge to create spells of immense power. With their newfound might, fueled by the insatiable ambition of their rulers, the Imperium waged a century long campaign to conquer the continent. In the end all resistance was crushed either by words or force. Although the wars were long and bloody but the unification of the continent ushered in a golden age of peace and prosperity. The Imperium built mighty cities and vast highways that connected all parts of the Continent. Imperial Law was adopted by all, leading to a more just and fair world.

Sometime after the unification of the continent the ruler of the Imperium ascended to divinity, becoming the God-Emperor. Later he allowed his most loyal servant to also ascend, she became the Archmistress of Magic. From their high palaces in the Imperial City the two Living Gods watched over all mortals of the continent for three centuries.

The order imposed by the Imperium created an imbalance in the eternal struggle between Order and Chaos. In time the gods of Chaos realized the need to intervene. They plotted for decades, first sowing the seeds of discontent in the farthest provinces. Unrest and revolts became more and more common, and soon the Imperial Legion was stretched thin across the continent. The final blow was struck on the eve of the Imperium’s 4th centennial, when agents of Chaos infiltrated the jubilant Imperial City and (through unknown means) opened a hellgate to the Abyss. Soon armies of demons poured out of the gate and devoured the city, including the God-Emperor himself and the entire ruling class of the Imperium. With no central leadership the vast Imperium broke up almost overnight, sparking the bloody Succession Wars that lasted for three decades.

By the time the last of the Succession Wars ended and peace finally returned, the face of the Old Continent had been changed forever. The mighty Imperium was no more, its once glorious capital had been reduced to demon-infested ruins, while its territory had been divided up between newly formed kingdoms and republics.

It is the year A.I. 488, it has been more than fifty years since the end of the Succession Wars and until recently people have been living in relative peace and prosperity. But this fragile peace is threatened by the growing ambition of the various factions of Aegeron, all with a different vision for the future. The first match to ignite this powder keg has already been struck in the East with the onset of the Silkstone War. Grave news for the common folk, but a sign of great opportunities for aspiring adventurers…
List of House Rules

In our games we follow the D&D 5 Player's Handbook with some modifications. The aim of most of them is to make the experience more fluid and the DM can always overrule these.

Our house rules so far are the following:

1. To speed up combat every player who plan to attack on his/her round should roll for attack before his/her turn.
2. Food/water consumption of characters is not tracked (unless DM specifies)
3. Encumbrance is not tracked as long as the load is not unrealistic (e.g. halfling carrying a smith's hammer and anvil in his backpack).
4. Equipment HP and hardness are not tracked unless DM specifies or there is an action directly affecting them (e.g. sundering).
5. Camping/survival equipment and food is by default assumed to be carried by the party's horses or in bags of holding (if available).
6. In conversations that are role played the character might be better at gathering information than the player IRL. That's why with an Investigate skill check the player can ask the DM for hints on what to ask.
7. Arrows/bolts that miss their target can be recovered after battle (if terrain allows it, e.g. not a swamp or they don’t hit something hard and break) with a Perception check. By default rolling 10, 15, 20, 25 allows one to recover 25, 50, 75, 100% of these (only the shooter can roll). Note that only arrows/bolts that **missed** can be recovered.
8. If a character can attack several times per round, only the first attack counts for critical hit/failure. On subsequent attacks a roll of 1 means an automatic miss and ends the character's turn.
9. For critical hits: a natural 20 is a proper critical hit whose effect is to be rolled from our critical hit table. Any other critical hit only applies the critical damage multiplier of the weapon.
10. The cost of magical items is set by the Sane Magical Prices document.
11. Items are sold at 50% of their market value. For especially valuable objects (.e.g high level magical gear) selling them is non-trivial and has to be discussed with the DM. +1 magical items (or ones that cost less than 2k according to Sane Magical Prices) can be bought and sold freely in large cities (e.g. Stoneharbor).
12. When crafting items the player needs to pay a reduced amount of the market price listed in the book/wiki. There is a 50% reduction for crafting yourself but it takes a significant amount of time and may require tools and ingredients. Always discuss crafting it with your DM and refer to the DM guide for details.
13. When facing a (previously unmet) monster in combat, players can roll a knowledge check to determine whether they recognize the monster. If the check succeeds, players are allowed to look up the monster’s stats in the monster manual. The DM should tailor the accepted knowledge skill and the DC to the monster. He/she should also comment if the monster faced in combat is larger or younger compared to the average stats.
14. At level 5 and every 5 levels afterwards (e.g. 10, 15, 20) every character develops ONE new quirk, see the Quirks page for more info.
Wuxion Khaganate

Stretching over the vast Plains of Ao, the Wuxion Khaganate is a realm of nomadic tribes united under the iron fist of **Khagan Wuxion**.

## History

These lands had been nominally under imperial rule for centuries but in reality the empire had little interest in ruling over the nomads so they were left alone as long as they strayed clear of the major trading routes.

With the fall of the Imperium, **Wuxion** of the Dark Stallion Tribe waged a series of wars to unify the tribes. Now he is the undisputed Lord of the Plains, none passes through his realm without paying tribute. The merchant cities in the plains are still autonomous, but they pay tribute to Wuxion. So far the khagan has not waged war against his neighbors who try to keep him placated by frequently sending him lavish gifts.

## Life

Contrary to the colorful descriptions of the barbarity and cruelty of Wuxion, the khagan cares little for how his subjects conduct their life as long as they pay their tribute in either gold or troops. Settlements under the khagan's protection experience little-to-no bandit activity as anyone who dares break Wuxion's Peace is immediately dealt with (and exclusively with lethal force).
Thane Lorbear Hillbreaker

Thane Lorbear is the leader of the Hillbreaker Clan. The Avalanche encountered him as the dwarves were besieging their ancestral home of Bhem Darahl, which was taken by the Lady of Hours decades ago during the Succession Wars. He tasked the party with finding a way into the castle through the ancient catacombs, which his troops later used to take the castle. In exchange for their services he gave the Avalanche a share of the loot and a bill of passage that allowed them to travel freely in the Dwarven Dominion.
Kingdom of Rubia

A feudal human kingdom on the western shores of Aegeron.

## History

For hundreds of years there was a human kingdom in this land, ruled by long line of kings descended from the earliest settlers. But that line was broken when the Imperium unleashed a curse of unimaginable power in the year 64. The curse summoned a firestorm that engulfed the capital Oringrad and the countryside around it. The curse was tied to the ruling family, as long as the line of kings was unbroken the firestorm would spread. In the end the line of kings was broken not by the Imperium, but by the people of Rubia who murdered their last queen to stop the curse from consuming the entire kingdom.

After the fall of the Imperium a new kingdom rose bearing the same name, but the memory of the curse survived and became a part of the tales and legends. Because of this the people of Rubia are wary of hereditary rule, so the kings of this new kingdom are elected by the estates and rule until death. Despite history, the nobility of Rubia thrives, the fact that they elect the king gives them enormous power as future kings hand out generous gifts and promises to any noble willing to vote for them when the time comes.

## Life

For the common folk life is similar to other feudal kingdoms, with one difference being that the kings and queens of Rubia very rarely intervene into the matters of nobles, giving the local lords free reign to treat their subjects as they wish. Some rule with honor, some do not...
Orchaven

A realm formed by most peculiar circumstances. When the Imperium conquered the lands of the Cleaver orcs in the year 63, Lagash, high priestess of Gruumsh, united the tribes fleeing from the imperial onslaught and led them into the mountains. There she achieved something remarkable: she changed the nature of orcs. They built villages and towns, stopped raiding their neighbors and started growing crops. Orc society was reorganized, instead of being ruled by bloodthirsty warchiefs the orcs of this realm followed the wise guidance of priestesses. Later they joined the Imperium willingly for which they were granted a great deal of autonomy. After the fall of the Imperium they mostly kept to themselves, in general Orchaven enjoys good relationship with their neighbors. The orcs of this realm rarely go abroad as they are often mistaken for their barbaric brethren from the Land of Cleavers, leading to misunderstandings or even violence.

Unlike the usual orc tribes, there are no chiefs in Orchaven, the state is run by the priestesses of Gruumsh. The current ruler in 488 is High Priestess Mazoga. While the amount of brutality declined drastically among the orcs of Orchaven, their religious rituals remained the same as Gruumsh demands blood and violence. This often leads to a double culture shock for visitors, as they are fist surprised by the perfectly civilized society the orcs have built only to be completely shocked when these civilized, gentle folk tear each other's throats out during the weekly Trials of Gruumsh.

The orcs of Orchaven take great pride in the orcish civilization they had built and great efforts are made to educate most of their people. Few know it, but Orchaven has one of the highest level of literacy in Aegeron, well-ahead of the feudal human kingdoms.
Children of Light

The Children of Light are a small cult lead by the Bright Lord. It is unclear what their exact beliefs are, but prevent the awakening of the Great Old One was clearly one of their goals (which they failed due to the party's interference). t

Their members are fanatically devoted, possibly even brainwashed, as they were willing to sacrifice themselves for the cults goals.
Reaton Republic

Often referred to as "*Peasants' Paradise*" this realm formed out of a peasant revolt and its inhabitants are determined to bring an end to feudalism on the entire continent.

## History

The nobles of this harsh land had always been cruel and they had not realized that the centuries of resentment would one day spill over and take them down. The spark that lighted the fires of revolution was a local baron who demanded to exercise the right of Prima Nocta (right to bed the wife of a peasant on her wedding night, a completely made up law, nothing similar existed in the Imperial Law). When the newlywed Reatons protested they were hanged. As the news spread more and more villages and even towns rose up against their lords and soon they were the ones hanging from the tress. The people even hanged the imperial officials who allowed these abuses. Once the initial fervor died down, the people realized that when the Imperium finds out what happened their retaliation would be terrible. But as time passed no armies arrived, just the news of the Imperial City's fall. So the people banded together to form a country where peasants are lords who choose their own leaders. (Note that the Reaton Republic originally started out somewhat democratic but now it is actually ruled by a First Citizen who is elected by a committee. The First Citizen wields absolute power and rules until death.)

The Republic's economy is in a dire state, still they spend a significant amount of resources to promote their values in neighboring kingdoms, hoping for a worldwide peasant uprising. The Eternal Winter ravaged the already weak economy of the Republic. They were so desperate for aid that the Reaton leadership struck a bargain with the other realms of Aegeron: those who send aid to the Republic will see a dramatic decrease in Reaton propaganda in their lands.

The Eternal Winter also lead to great political turmoil, a large fraction of the Reaton leadership was purged in A.I. 487, most of them were accused of either corruption or coordinating with counterrevolutionary elements. Even the First Citizen had to resign allowing the newly chosen **First Citizen Steele** to take power.

## Life

Life in this self-proclaimed "Peasants' Paradise" is hardly utopian, the land is cold and harsh, the rations provided by the state are meager, but at least there isn't an obviously well-off upper class that fattens itself while the People starve. Here misery is distributed evenly between all.

A common misconception among foreigners that the Reatons abolished money. In reality commerce is very much a part of everyday life, but the prices of most goods are controlled by the state (making basic goods more affordable and preventing merchants from making more than a sliver of profit). The misconception about abolishing trade comes from the Reaton practice of collectivized farming, which means that the state "buys" all the food the peasants produce and redistribute it as rations among the population (one of the Reaton tenets is: "*None shall ever starve in the Peasnats' Paradise*").
Consul of Stoneharbor

Stoneharbor is a merchant republic, where the power is in the hands of the City Estates (merchants, clergy, nobility). The highest officer of the city is the consul who is elected for a 10 year term. Recently a new consul took office in Stoneharbor who

The city is currently run by **Consul Federico Irovetti**, who was a barely known nobleman prior to his election and belongs to none of the powerful families of the city. It is unclear how he managed such a feat, but it likely involved shrewd political maneuvering or even foul play.
Azure Federation

The city states of Azure are often called the "jewels of the East", renowned for their breathtaking architecture and pristine environments, perfected by the high elves over millennia.

## History

These lands were the original home of the high elves of the continent many millennia ago. For a long time the elven city states were completely independent an often fought wars with each other, but as the humans of Aegeron started forming larger realms, it became apparent that the high elves needed to unite, thus the ancient Azure Federation was born, a realm that united the elves of present day's Federation, Iregion and part of Eldhil.

The ancient Azure Federation was perhaps the most prosperous realm on the Continent for centuries, until the newly formed Imperium started coveting its wealth. Unlike the other kingdoms and principalities the Imperium conquered before, the Federation represented a foe massive in size and comparable in strength, on that could not be subdued easily with either military force or magic. Instead the Imperium chose to adopt a long-term strategy of usng their agents to sow distrust and discontent among the various city states of the elves. It took them almost twenty years, but in the end they managed to incite a civil war within the federation after which they easily conquered the divided elves.

High elves live a very long time, and although they have been living under imperial rule for three centuries, the elders still remembered the time before. So when the Imperium fell in A.I. 400, the elven city states quickly declared their independence and returned to their old ways.

But the strife of the Succession Wars drew close. First the remnants of the imperial mages subjugated the elven cities of Iregion, then a former general of the Imperial Legion carved out his own realm from the land of elves. The high elves could no longer ignore the threat of humans so they reforged the ancient alliances, and the new Azure Federation was born.

## Life

Life and culture in Azure is dictated by the millennia old customs of the high elves. While there was a large influx of humand, dwarves and other races during the time of the Imperium, non-elves still often feel unwelcome by the strange stares the high elves give them.

The various city states have different social structure (some ruled by kings, some by elected officials, others run by noble families), but they all share a common high-elf culture going back many millennia that binds them together.

With the exception of the Imperial City no human city in the history of Man could match the splendor and grace of Azure's elven architecture. It is rumored that the Imperium chose rather to give the city states autonomy within the empire than risk destroying them in war. These cities produce some of the finest wares in the entire continent, merchants come from all corners of the world to buy various elven luxuries, making Azure the wealthiest realm in the Continent.
Kingdom of Londar

The Great Forest Kingdom of the wood elves of Aegeron, a place of magic, harmony and beauty.

## History

For millennia there have always been a wood-elf kingdom in the forests of Londar, where people and Nature lived together in perfect harmony. This harmony was disrupted when the neighboring Kingdom of Minthras waged a bloody war to subjugate the elves and created the Imperium, an event that marks the start date of the Imperial Calendar.

After the fall of the Imperium the elves quickly realized the danger the Abyssal Gate posed to all mortals and united under Calarel Leowynn, a general of the Imperial Legion. She led the elves against the demonic hordes, and held back their onslaught while the humans and dwarves bickered over what piece of land belonged to whom. She opposed the Brass Concordat, but in the end, she relented. Once the Demonfence was erected and the demonic threat was suppressed, she returned home where she was crowned Queen Calarel of Londar. Since then, she has ruled from the city of Ylsalon. Her deeds as a general and her just rule make her one of the most respected monarchs of the continent, which allowed her to bring all the rulers of Aegeron to the table in A.I. 429 and broker the Treaty of Ylsalon and thus ending the Succession War.

## Life

The elves of Londar had a closed society for eons, but the Imperium forced them to open up, and after four centuries of imperial rule their cities are now also home to other races, although their smaller forest dwellings are still inhabited by elves with very few exceptions. Most elves have got used to the strange faces, but the very old ones are still nostalgic of the good old days when seeing a half-orc was newsworthy.

Due to the high quality of elven craftsmanship Londar is a prosperous kingdom that has several major trading routes going through it.

Londar is on good terms with its neighbors (especially Lycea which is essentially a vassal state) with the exception of the Cleaver Orcs who occasionally raid elven villages along the border.
Duchy of Davalon

A small land located along the major trade routes that connect the center of the continent to the great ports of the Golden League.

## History

Due to its strategic location the lands of Davalon are desired by all of its neighbors: the elves of Londar, the gnomes of Gnomehearth, the merchants of the Golden League, the free people of the Tamorian Republic and the Cleaver orcs as well. This has been like that over the ages, Davalon changed hands many times, but no one could hold it for more than a century.

The cycle of war over this land restarted once the Imperium fell and was only stopped by when the Duke of Dawnhold managed to turn these territorial claims into an advantage: he signed various treaties with his neighbors with the end result that if any tried to wage war on his realm the others would come to his defense to prevent their rivals from gaining more territory. This allowed him to declare his independence and rule in peace under the guarantees from all of his neighbors.

Davalon is currently ruled by **Duke Eckbert,** who is rumored to be just as shrewd a negotiator as his grandfather was.

## Life

The Duchy of Dawnhold is a fairly typical feudal realm with nobles holding most of the power, but there is a prosperous merchant class in the cities whose voice can not be ignored.

Due to its tumultuous history Davalon has been settled by many races: humans, elves, dwarves, gnomes. When the future Imperium conquered the elves of Londar and Davalon with it, they gave these lands to many of their retired legionaries, tilting the racial balance of the population towards human majority.
Arpenian Plague

The Arpenian Plague is one of the deadliest diseases of Aegeron. It gained its fearsome reputation during the **Great Plague** of P.I. 57 when a ship from merchant ship with goods from the Forest of Arpenia arrived to the city of Gormouth. It was only discovered after they were allowed to come ashore that half the crew were sick with an unknown disease that made them develop puss-filled buboes and led to paralysis and death within a week. Within months the disease spread all over the western coast of the Old Continent and soon started spreading inland, killing hundreds of thousands.

### Symptoms and spread

Without treatment the Arpenian Plague is a death sentence, but fortunately it can be cured by various potions and the divine power of clerics and paladins. While most cities have too few of such professionals to contain an outbreak, since the Great Plague most neighboring realms are quick to offer help to contain an outbreak and prevent it from ever reaching their lands.

The Plague is extremely infectious, it can be transmitted through contact with any bodily fluid of the infected. The disease can survive without a host for a significant amount of time, there is anecdotal evidence of people contracting it by touching the possessions of victims who died years before. After an outbreak it is customary to burn the homes and possessions of the victims.

A known quirk of the Arpenian Plague is that young children have a good chance of surviving it without treatment, while it is almost universally fatal to adults. Many attribute this to some sort of divine intervention, but so far it is unclear which deity (if any) are responsible. Those who survive the infection become immune to it, but will carry its marks on their bodies for the rest of their life.

### Quarantine Laws

After the Great Plague most realms adopted some form of quarantine laws to handle outbreaks, which was later standardized by the Imperium. They remain in effect in all civilized lands.

According to law and custom, whenever a city or village is struck by the Arpenian Plague they must seal their gates and prevent anyone from leaving. Neighboring settlements are duty bound to send healers and provide guards to ensure that none can escape quarantine. Anyone attempting to leave does so under penalty of death, while their family will be stripped of all possessions and titles, a threat that makes even the nobility wary of trying to escape. Quarantine lasts for two weeks after the last death.

During the Great Plague the mortality in most afflicted settlements was close to 80%, but thanks to the quarantine laws and the help from neighboring settlements present day outbreaks have a mortality of roughly 30%.
Ragruz

Ragruz is one of the highest ranking devils of the Brass Embassy in Stoneharbor. So far the party had little interaction with him, but (indirectly) he has significantly affected the Avalanche's life:

* The Avalanche learned that, similar to Rhelora, Ragruz often makes contracts with mortals where they provide some form of service for him and may keep their souls if they fulfill their obligations (e.g. barkeep Henry in the Brass Embassy). Note that it is likely that he tries to trap them in their contracts, similar to Rhelora).
* Ragruz appears to be of either equal or higher rank than Rhelora.
* He was the one who revealed the Avalanche's role to Lucca Alvari in the stealing of the Edict from the Library of Eternal Fire. It is unclear whether he did so in order to advance some long term infernal plan, or whether it was part of a contract he made with Alvari, or perhaps he just wanted to sabotage Rhelora.
* Rhelora mentioned several times that in case of her demise Ragruz would inherit her contracts, including the one with the Avalanche.
Utastrodand Wiki

## Welcome to the UT Austin Astronomy Dungeons & Dragons Wiki

This page is dedicated to the adventures of the D&D group at the Astronomy Department of UT Austin.

## Main pages

Our partyAdventures of our partyPeopleEvents and historyLands and placesIndependent realmsOrganizationsMagic and TechnologyStoriesHouse rules
	+ New Player Guide
	+ Short History of Aegeron
* Lands:
	+ Aegeron, the Old Continent
	+ Stoneharbor
* Realms:
	+ Imperium
	+ Dwarven Dominion
* People:
	+ Queen Calarel
	+ Thorin Ironfist
* Events:
	+ Brass Concordat
	+ Succession Wars
	+ Imperial Calendar
* Organizations:
	+ Reaton Reds
	+ Devils of the Nine Hells
* House rules and other useful stuff
	+ List of House Rules
	+ Quirks
	+ Useful stuff for DMs

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List of all pages here.
Stoneharbor Magistratum

The magistrates run the city of Stoneharbor, they collect the taxes, they relay the orders of the consul and the city council and they are also the judges in legal matters (nobles can appeal to have their trial in front of the city council instead of a magistrate). These responsibilities make most magistrates stressed and overworked, but many of these bureaucrats do enjoy having power.
Rivellan Union

A most unlikely union between humans and halflings, a realm of two very different people working together.

## History

After the Imperial City fell it was only a matter of time until the demon horde reached Rivellan. The country is fairly easy to defend due to the natural borders the rivers form, but the local humans still had no hope of holding the demons back, so they turned to the usually inward-looking halflings. The halflings joined forces with them and together they managed to keep the demons at bay. This alliance was formalized as the Rivellan Union.

## Life

The Union has no central government, the hobbits and the various human cities and noble estates govern themselves and only unite against outside dangers. Most humans live under feudal rule (under barons and counts with no king above them to hold them accountable), while hobbits mostly live in small bucolic settlements where they live out their life without ever going farther than a few dozen miles.
Dragon Princes

These lands are ruled by powerful dragons who are constantly warring with their neighbors, seeking to extend their realms.

## History

Dragons roamed the lands of Aegeron before men, dwarves or elves even came to these shores. But they were always solitary creatures who bothered little with the trivialities of humans and elves. Their might allowed them to be independent and free for ages, but even they could not contend with the might of the Imperium. In the end all dragons had to make a choice: serve or flee into exile. The vast majority chose the latter, and spent centuries hiding in their remote mountain lairs, trying to outlast the Imperium.

Once the Imperium fell most returned to their original domains as if the past four centuries never happened. But a group of dragons chose a different path. They realized that the mortal races will always pose a threat to them through united force so they decided to join forces and form an empire of their own where each dragon is granted dominion over a land and their inhabitants. These Dragon Princes descended upon the Dragon Tail Islands and installed themselves as rulers over the "lesser species". Since then they have been waging a war against their neighbors trying to expand their realms.

For the past decades the Dragon Princes have been fighting for the Wild Coast. At first the locals stood no chance against the draconic onslaught, but they managed to halt their advance with the arrival of the Golden Lance and massive aid from other realms. Now the war is at a stalemate with both sides waiting for a weakness to exploit.

## Life

The Dragon Princes modeled their realm after the feudal kingdoms of humans with each individual dragon ruling over their own land and serving as vassals of the more powerful dragons. But there is no king at the top of this hierarchy, instead there are the Dragon Princes, a ruling council made up form the most powerful dragons.

Contrary to the horrific tales spread all over Aegeron, the common people live a very similar life they would live in any other feudal society. Most settlements are left to take care of themselves, the dragons only demand taxes and (in time of war) levied troops, who make up the ground troops of the princes' army.
God-Emperor

Once the mortal ruler of the Imperium, he ascended to divinity in A.I. 120 and ruled over the Imperium the for next three centuries. Most scholars characterize the God-Emperor's rule as an enlightened and benevolent autocracy, where the ruler he used his divine powers to ensure that Justice and Order reigned throughout the empire (it should be noted that most of these sources were imperial scholars).

The God-Emperor ruled the Imperium together with the Archmistress of Magic, he focused mostly on the running of the empire while the other Living God focused on the advancement of Magic and Science and how to harness them for the betterment of their subjects.

Although the Imperium was ruled by the Living Gods, their worship was not mandatory within the Imperium. Most scholars theorized that the freedom to worship any deity was part of the contract the Living Gods struck with the Gods to allow their ascension to divinity.

When the demon hordes invaded the Imperial City in A.I. 400 the God-Emperor faced the Demon Lords and their armies. The few surviving witnesses described an epic fight between the Lords of the Abyss and the God-Emperor, which ultimately ended with the Demon Lords devouring the Living God.

### The Man Behind the God

Although the Imperium used all available resources to remove all mentions of the mortal lives of the Living Gods (since it is far easier to worship an all-knowing divine being than a fallible mortal), there are still quite a few elves around who lived before they attained divinity. Still, only those well-versed in history would know the original identity of the Living Gods.

Based on their recollections most scholars believe that the God-Emperor was originally **Emperor Octavius Augustus**, who took power around in the late 70s during the Century of Conquest. He oversaw the end of the Unification of Aegeron, while somehow acquiring the knowledge to first prolong his life and then to ascend to divinity.
Shady

Proprietor of Shady’s Tavern in the slums of Stoneharbor, this man is somehow extremely well connected to both high society and the criminal underworld. He also acts as a sort of mercenary contract broker and he seems to be willing to relay jobs to the party in exchange for a hefty commission.

It is unclear how high up Shady is in the criminal hierarchy of Stoneharbor. He has but a few men directly working for him, but his status as a broker of goods and information makes him someone most gang bosses rather have as a friend than an enemy.

Shady is also well connected to the nobility of the city, he is likely the person the nobles turn to when they need to pay off a mistress or acquire illegal wares.
Demonfence

After the Brass Concordat was signed the Infernal Legions joined the forces of Aegeron to push back the demonic invaders. Even with the help of the devils it took years and required great sacrifices to push the forces of the Abyss back. But when their forces reached the outskirts of the Imperial City, the devils proclaimed that it is not possible to close the Abyssal Gate. So, they proposed the construction of the **Demonfence**, a magically reinforced fortifications meant to contain the demon threat. Scholars are divided on whether the devils really lack the ability to close the Abyssal Gate or just chose to leave it open as part of some long term plot.

At first the Demonfence looks like an extremely tall, robust wall that stretched over the horizon, it is over 500 miles long, it surrounds the Minthras Hellscape. But the wall itself is but a fail-safe in case the magical force field that keeps the demons at bay fails.

There are several installations on both sides of the wall. On the outer side are the fortresses of the remnants of the Imperial Legion (now just a pale shadow of its former glory), while the inside houses several installations that the devils use to bring in reinforcements and for other unknown purposes.
The Sword

The Sword is a powerful magical artifact that our heroes found in the Maze of Isdalf's Paradise. It binds to one or more masters who can summon it a will in any shape they wish (e.g. replace their current weapon). The summoned weapon is of extraordinary power, it cuts through any armor and defense, anything killed by it turns into black smoke. The Sword is a sentient weapon, and it sometimes lets its masters know its opinion through telepathic messages. The Sword seems to be driven by an overwhelming desire to destroy evil and it continually requests the party to draw it and do so. By conversing with the Sword, our heroes have found that it remembers little of its history although it claims to have been more powerful before and regrets that it got "dulled" by millennia of neglect.  Still, the Sword is a weapon of extreme power in its current form, the party learned it destroys its victims soul, permanently and utterly destroying them. Later our heroes learned that even the Gods can not undo the destruction brought on by the Sword.

Due to its extraordinary power, drawing the sword comes at great cost. When the Sword is summoned the wielder hears a powerful and painful sound as if a thousand people screamed in terror. The shadows around the wielder get distorted and all bend towards the weapon, while the world around gradually loses all color and turns grey. The usually chirpy voice of the Sword takes on a deep, powerful tone, demanding the wielder to kill. Once the weapon forms in the wielder's hand, a black liquid-like substance starts slowly flowing out of it, binding the wielder's hand to the weapon. The fluid slowly crawls up the wielder's arms causing increasingly powerful pain as an invisible force shears away at the wielder's soul. Should it overpower the wielder, the party has no doubt that it would destroy the soul. Sheathing the Sword requires extraordinary mental powers, however the party found that it is easier to do so right after a kill. Even if the wielder fails to sheathe the Sword, it allows other masters to summon it and take over from the wielder (although the black liquid starts from the same point the previous wielder had it at).

By conversing with Dathas, the silver dragon tasked with guarding the Sword, our heroes also learned that the Sword can disrupt portals, and it was used by its previous owner (the paladin Sir Balian) to kill a Demon Lord and close a portal to the Abyss many millennia ago. Now a similar threat looms of the continent but with the Sword it has finally become possible to close the Abyssal Gate and end the demonic invasion of Aegeron.
Winter Court

The Winter Court is the kingdom of the unseelie fey in the plane of Feywild (a.k.a Plane of Fearie), which exists parallel to the Material Plane. While the vast majority of their domain lies in the Feywild, their reach extends into the Material Plane in certain "enchanted" regions. One such region is the Duskwood, on the north-western side of Aegeron. It is ruled by the twisted unseelie fey of the Winter Court, while the neighboring Dawnwood belongs to the Summer Court ruled by their friendlier brethren the seelie fey.

The fey are immortal creatures of Nature, their goals and desires are mostly alien to mortals; many scholars have tried and failed to make sense of their actions. Still, it is often true that the Winter Court acts as an agent of Death and Decay, so mortals often regard their actions as evil. But their role is just as important in the Great Cycle of Life as Rebirth and Peace (domains of the "good" seelie fey).