6. Kel’tarath - The Island of Midnight

## Description

Kel'tarath, more commonly known as the Island of Midnight, lies at the heart of what was once known as the heart of the Elven Empire; now it is a ruined landscape plunged into an eternal night full of dangers.

### History

Thousands of years ago the Elven Empire stretched far and wide across the world, with the very heart and soul of this empire residing within the island nation of Kel'tarath which is where the empire got its name. The majority of their history has been lost to the ages as part of the punishment dolled out to the high elves by the goddess Estelle. What is known is that the Kel'tarath empire spanned almost the entirety of Naluri, and lasted for several centuries under the rule of Emperor Elletan Kel'tarath. Elletan was a powerful high elf skilled in military tactics and war magic and used that cunning and skill to subjugate many civilizations and pull their lands into his empire. Eventually no longer satisfied with his dominion over the mortal races and near immortal elves, he wished to extend his reach into godhood. He attempted to unseat the elven goddess Estelle, The Morning Light; and while his skill with magic and sword were impressive, he could not overpower the all knowing sun. As punishment for this attempted coup, the elven settlements were burned to ash by the righteous fires of the Morning Light, and the beloved seat of this empire was never again to feel the touch of the sun's warmth. Many high elves throughout Naluri assimilated into the nearby lands, while others fled to the Everdark Jungle out of rage at the diety that destroyed their great civilization. Many elves stayed behind in the ruins of their capital, twisted by their arrogance into the Drow, or other manner of eldritch creaturs. Ancient history does not make mention of the fate of Elletan Kel'tarath himself, and many historians debate that to this day.

## Geography and Ecology

   The most prominent feature of the island is that the sun never rises; the sky is perpetually dark devoid of even starlight. As a result, the plant-life that used to grow on the island died off, and now the ruins are covered in fungal

forests and wide-leafed waxy plants. The wildlife here consist of many nocturnal beasts that have been mutated by the strange magic cascading throughout the ruins that pepper the landscape. Monstrous spiders, corrupted dire bats, and umber hulks are just a few of the manner of monster that make the eternal midnight their home.

The ruins of the Elven empire are scattered throughout the island are home to countless Drow that refuse to leave their ancestral homes. Their societies lay in the basements and dungeons below that have managed to mostly survive the ravages of time. They obsess over returning to power as the primary ruling force of Naluri, and do whatever they can to see this occur.

### Drow Society

The Elves that stayed behind after the fall of the empire began to resent the sun for what it took from them and over time, that hatred and arrogance changed the high elves into the the grey-skinned dark elves known as Drow. Drow society evolved over the centuries since the collapse into a civilization based on a desire for conquest. While not a true Matriarchy, more often than not women are found in positions of power within the Drow ranks, which lead the theocratic society. The Drow faith is a mix of druidic rites and worship of the planeseer Kri’zakth the All-Seeing, a dark spider god that is a perfect fit for their new landscape. The Druidic Circle leaders and clerics of Kri’zakth are all comprised of women, as are other divine magic users in Drow society. In contrast, arcane casters are typically made up of the Drow men, in honor of Elletan Kel'tarath who is treated like a god despite his failure to ascend.

The primary goal for the Drow is to regain their former empire and move their rites of conquest to other planes. They wish to spread their dark rule beyond the prime material plane and conquer all aspects of the multiverse, believing to be the true lords of all life. This drive comes from their intense worship of Kri’zakth and the desire to spread their theocratic rule beyond their island.

### Important NPCs

The current leaders of the theocracy are a pair of twin sisters, Lilluran and Alurell, who rule the Kri’zakth church and Druidic Circles respectively.

#### Lilluran "The Broodmother" Kazrah

The high priestess of the Kri’zakth faith goes by the nickname Broodmother as every Drow child has been personally blessed by her divine will upon birth. Lilluran keeps the church in line, and ensures that Kri’zakth's teachings are upheld to the letter. She is an imposing figure, standing well over 6 feet tall, her blood red hair tied in intricate braids adorned with spider webs. Around her neck is an intricate platinum whistle that is carved with symbols related to the inner and outer planes, which she uses for blessings and rituals. She is a cruel but fair leader and makes sure that the will of her god comes before all else.

#### Alurell "The Wolf Spider" Kazrah

The leader of the Druidic circles of Kel'Tarath, Alurell ensures that the ever changing landscape of the island is understood and controlled. In contrast to her twin, Alurell is much more mellow of an individual, calm and collected, and uses that to her advantage. She keeps her hair loose, but is also adorned with spider webs as a sign of her commitments. Alurell and her druids patrol the island to keep their Drow brothers and sisters safe, and are the primary guards force for the island.

## Glimmerheart

Elletan Kel'tarath ruled his empire from a massive golden palace that was known as Glimmerheart The palace has fallen into ruin over the years since the fall of the empire, and its massive monuments to the goddess Estelle have crumbled and been desecrated by the residents of the island. The monsters and other denizens of the island avoid the castle at all costs as the area surrounding the grounds forces trespassers to be overwhelmed with feelings of fear and dread. The Drow that live in the ruins state that the castle is inhabited by the ghosts of their ancestors that demand the castle be left alone to preserve their great history.

In actuality the castle has been claimed by a commune of mind flayers who have been using the magical treasures inside the ruin to further their own desires.

*-Plot Hook-*

Inside the throne room of Glimmerheart lay a massive elder brain colony that rules over the mind flayer colony within the castle walls. This elder brain has actually grown into the throne itself, and has extended fleshy tendrils throughout the rooms in the castle, and feeds off the magic that once powered this ruined building. In actuality, this brain is the corrupted and mutated form of Emperor Kel'tarath himself who has taken over the mind flayer colony in an attempt to reattempt his former rise to godhood.