recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Dragonborn

Dragonborn is the name for several ancestries in the world of Orden. They were humanoid with features that made them resemble the dragons for which they are named. No known ancestry of dragonborn are natural species, all having been created through powerful rituals.

## Types of Dragonborn

There are several known varieties of dragonborn throughout Orden that are as of modern times unknown to be relate.

### The Dragon Phalanx

These dragonborn most resemble the chromatic and metallic dragon found throughout the world. They were created in the region known as Vasloria by the wizard Vitae through sorcery. They are commonly strong of both mind and body, and have the ability to use breath weapons corresponding to the color of dragon they resemble.

Though artificially created, they are capable of reproduction, and it has been observed that second- or third-generation dragonborn begin to exhibit atypical phenotypes, such as feathers in place of scales.

### Gemstone Dragonborn

Not much is known about these dragonborn, as they are far rarer even than the Dragon Phalanx. Smaller than those of the Dragon Phalanx, they have more inquisitive minds as well as intuitive access to psionic powers like the gemstone dragons they resemble.

### The Blue Redoubt

Stationed at a stronghold in the World Below, a company of blue dragonborn named the Blue Redoubt defend the Stronghold. Though once on the surface, it has sunk into the world below and the Blue Redoubt defend it from Drow and Derro alike.

The Blue Redoubt have been here for hundreds of years, sustained by a magical spores that cursed them with immortality. The spores feed on their oath to defend the Blue Redoubt. "The Oath is the Oath."

It is unknown if this dragonflight is a part of those created by Vitae.

## Notable Dragonborn

* Mandrake, the Betrayer
* Ox
* Sir Razalaxx

## References

1. ↑ http://squaremans.com/Campaigns.pdf
2. ↑ Stronghold and Followers, *MCDM Productions*, page 224 (2018).
3. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bi8GHRieSHw&feature=youtu.be&t=4189
Jerod Bennett

**This article is about a real person.** Please respect their privacy by only posting information that they have voluntarily shared about themselves and that is relevant to the purpose of this wiki.**Jerod Bennett** (@JohnnyFlash71), also known as **Jerry**, is Head of Technology at MCDM Productions. He is responsible for streaming The Chain live and editing videos that are uploaded to YouTube.

## Player Characters

Matt Colville ran a one-shot for Jerry (alongside Fryda Wolff, Matt Mercer, Liam O'Brien, and Marisha Ray) as a way to test out his new world. However, little information is given about this adventure and it is not confirmed who Jerry played as.

## Trivia

* Jerry contributes to the MCDM Wiki as User:JohnnyFlash71.
The Commonwealth of Phaedros

Phaedros, or The Commonwealth of Phaedros, is a region of Orden situated on a peninsula south of Rioja. The climate is warm and temperate year-round and the land is rich with resources. Because only a narrow land-bridge connects the peninsula with the rest of the continent, the Commonwealth is easily defended and enjoyed hundreds of years of freedom from wars and foreign invaders.

Phaedrans are typically swarthy, with dark brown skin and thick black hair. They dress in sandals and simple white robes, often decorated with gold, in the style of the Moon Elves who once called the area home. The buildings and culture of the Moon Elves, though largely ruined, is in some places still well-preserved and the men of the Commonwealth actively seek to adopt the manners and culture of the Lunar Celestials, who they believe to be superior in learning and society to Men.

## The Caelian Empire

   The Caelian Empire, which ruled Orden for 1,300 years, was founded in Phaedros. The 5th Emperor instituted a decades-long program of repatriation, stealing an entire generation's children from their parents and resettling them with new parents in different parts of the world.

His goal was to break the individual cultures of each region and create a Caelian culture with one language and one way of life. It was a bloody and violent program.

Now, 500 years after the fall of that great empire, each region has once again developed its own culture; but almost everyone, everywhere, speaks the Caelian language, and there's no way to tell where someone was born from the colour of their skin or facial features.

Since the fall of the empire, the men of the Commonwealth have known peace and prosperity which they attribute to a new form of government still a secret outside their lands.

## Philosophy

Philosophies are scientific models and personal belief systems. Peasants eschew philosophy, but most city dwellers and educated folk adhere to one of the Six Schools.

* Stoicism - Virtue through strength of will.
* Cynicism - Balance with Nature, Self-sufficiency.
* Materialism - Only this world is real. Death is the end of the body and the soul.
* Idealism - This world is a shadow of the world of ideals.
* Scepticism - Knowledge is illusory, nothing is ultimately knowable.
* Mysticism - Reality can only be known by participating in its contradictions.
Scorpius

**Scorpius, the Sword of Lies** is one of the Teeth of the Dragon, a legendary elven blade crafted of bloodmetal.

## History

The Sword of Lies is one of the two forgotten Teeth of the Dragon, along with Uriel, the Sword of Dawn. Forged long ago for the elven bard Cullwch, for most of the last 10,000 years, it was hidden in the World Below in the possession of the Rock Elves, until it was recovered by the Riojan bard Alejandro de Modesto. Alejandro wielded it for a brief time before giving it to Lady Sariel the vampire queen. Lady Sariel attempted to use Scorpius in an assassination attempt on Ajax, but she was vaporized when Ajax destroyed Orion. Its current location is unknown.

## In-Game Abilities

In the game, Scorpius is a magical longsword with the *finesse* property. It grants a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with it. If wielded by a bard, they may expend a single use of Bardic Inspiration to re-roll an attack or saving throw or force an enemy to do the same. Once per day, they may force a wizard to make a Wisdom saving throw or forget one of their prepared spells.

## Behind the Scenes

The name Scorpius is an homage to the Scorpion Clan from Legend of the Five Rings. Its abilities were not determined until Matt decided it would be found by Alejandro de Modesto, a bard character played by Anna at the time, and he chose abilities that would suit the character.

## References

1. ↑ https://twitter.com/LilTrashPanda/status/847644889135235072
2. ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/mattcolville/comments/62mmld/scorpius\_the\_sword\_of\_lies\_how\_i\_invent\_an\_item/
Cyrvis

Cyrvis is the enemy of fate. He is the god of men who believe they have been wronged by life, and seek revenge. He is the god of the deformed and lame who hate the blow “fate” has dealt upon them. Cyrvis is a god of magic, because through magic a man can gain power to exert his will over man. He is brother to Nikros and together they are called “The Black Brothers.”

A person bullied, a criminal arrested, a servant dismissed, all who harbor secret hate whisper Cyrvis’ name, and that whisper is a prayer. A man rejected by a woman who loves another finds himself walking in Cyrvis’ shadow. He is the god of assassins, conspirators, and the bitterly frail.

It is dangerous to worship Cyrvis in public, but those who have, through his worship, gained power, often parade this fact gladly and teach Cyrvis’ hatred as virtue. Many is the Black Knight who rides with Cyrvis’s screaming skull talisman on his shield, teaching men to **take** what they want, the law be damned. The law is a coward. The law is a system designed by cowards to keep men from seeking real power.

His churches are often underground, dungeons, cellars. His priests worship in secret, often plotting against those with power, or even those who are merely popular. To be liked and loved is reason enough for a man of Cyrvis to hate you.

His Paladins are blackguards and hexblades and teach that sorcery and steel are the paths to power. Few common people worship Cyrvis, but many find his name on their lips when dealt a cruel blow by fate, a harvest spoiled, a house plagued with termites, a daughter stillborn. For this reason, the blackguard is sometimes secretly admired even while found disgusting.

## Saints of Cyrvis

* Saint Eseld of the Eye
* Saint Kalos the Immolate
* Saint Nesta the Pestilent
* Saint Pallas the Black
* Saint Tallad the Cursed
Strongholds & Followers

Lady Avelina, Knight of the Coals, returns to Castle Dalrath to deliver her report to the Baron. Art by Conceptopolis.

### Publisher

MCDM Productions

“*There is more to the game than fighting monsters... Build a stronghold, and influence the world.*”

**Strongholds & Followers** is the first book by MCDM. It was produced after a successful Kickstarter campaign raised over $2 million.

## Summary

Strongholds & Followers, as the name implies, is about how characters can raise strongholds and attract followers. The book also contains an adventure used as an example as to how this can be run, and many new items and monsters. Everything within this book is compatible with fifth-edition Dungeons & Dragons.

### Strongholds

This section is about the rules of strongholds; how a player could obtain one, differences between classes, additional abilities, and so on.

### Followers

This section is about the rules of followers; including many examples, retainers and how a player would manage them.

### The Siege of Castle Rend

*This article is about the adventure within Strongholds & Followers. For the fight and campaign diary, see The Siege of Castle Rend.*

This section is an adventure outlined by Matt and written by James Haeck. Set in the world of Orden, the players can obtain the Castle Rend and defend it against the forces of Lord Saxton.

This adventure is largely based upon events in the As Above, So Below campaign.

### Appendices

This section includes many new monsters, courts, and magical items. (not limited to the powerful Codices) The appendix also includes a simplified version of warfare rules so that the consumer can run battles and create units before Kingdoms, Organizations & Warfare is released.
Lady of Brass

The **Lady of Brass**, also known as Xavixia the Fire Queen, is an adventurer who was formerly the ruler of Alloy, the largest city on the plane of Quintessence. She employed the Chain of Acheron as her private army for three years. She now resides in the Ruby Desert in Vasloria.

## History

When the Lady of Brass was ruler of Alloy, her general, Xorn, betrayed her and turned her armies against her. The Lady turned to famed mercenary company the Chain of Acheron for assistance. The Chain defeated Xorn and his rebels in the Battle at the Doors of Morning, returning Alloy to the Lady's control.

The Lady of Brass continued to employ the Chain as her private army for the next three years, taking them on her varied adventures throughout the timescape. The Chain's senior command cautioned her about leaving Alloy unattended so often, but she ignored the warnings. So it came to pass that while she was with the Chain in the World Below, aiding the deep gnomes of Xanxarite in the defense of their city, a fire dwarf called Yxmic conquered Alloy, most of whose residents fled or were killed in the aftermath.

Blaming the Chain for the loss of the city, the Lady of Brass dismissed the mercenary company and returned to her impregnable fortress at the heart of Alloy, raising it up and departing with it for the Mundane World. Once there, she travelled to Vasloria, where she battled Ajax to a standstill and landed her fortress in the barony of Oll. Raising a mountain range for her protection, she slowly transformed the once-lush barony into the Ruby Desert.

Years later, the Lady of Brass sent her appointed knight, Mardun, to recruit soldiers so that she can battle Ajax again.

## Behind the Scenes

Although the Lady of Brass is a non-player character created by Matt Colville, she is voiced by Fryda Wolff when King called upon his patron and inadvertently heard from the Lady of Brass. An audio clip of her dialogue can be found here.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/59b345e82994caee6bd4c397/t/5c4d762888251b8420a8554f/1548580392519/TheChain.pdf
2. ↑ http://www.squaremans.com/AgeOfChaos.pdf
Matt Mercer

**This article is about a real person.** Please respect their privacy by only posting information that they have voluntarily shared about themselves and that is relevant to the purpose of this wiki.**Matthew Mercer** (@matthewmercer) is a voice actor and a friend of Matt Colville. He is well known for being the Dungeon Master for his own Dungeons & Dragons show, Critical Role.

## Player Characters

Matt Colville ran a one-shot for Matt Mercer (alongside Fryda Wolff, Jerry Bennett, Liam O'Brien, and Marisha Ray) as a way to test out his new world. He played Mardun, a tiefling paladin.

The Shield of Gravesford will later meet Mardum and the other characters in the one-shot as non-player characters run by Matt Colville.

## References

1. ↑ https://youtu.be/2Yx8kzrklIA?t=2002
2. ↑ https://youtu.be/jbcgVNCNlRk
Club

“*Club, club!*”
— Club
**Club** was an ogre in service of Ajax and a member of Ground Commander Vordokov's crew.

## Biography

Club joined Ajax's forces prior to the stream. Presumably because of his choice of weapon, the ogre was given the nickname Club by his comrades.

Under Ground Commander Vordokov's orders, Club was present aboard the *Rosso Cielo* when heading to the Infinite Desert. However, the Chain of Acheron boarded the ship to escape Blackbottom, and a battle took place. Club's life was taken from him when Judge lopped his head off.
The Permanent Transient

**The Permanent Transient** is a private club dealing in magical items for its members. It is curated by three Treants who are collectively Sumat Pol, each from a different timeline or dimension in the Timescape.

The address is 314 Iter Borsa

It's in Blue Hill (The Blues). In the Neighbourood of the Theater

314 is a reference to the number pi, and 'iter borsa' is Latin for "Bag Process". In reference to the Mathematical consideration of the pocket dimensions in Matt's diegesis (Manifolds).

## Behind the Scenes

Both the name of the establishment and the Treants, are a reference to Matthew Mercer's popular creations. The Invulnerable Vagrant, and the Firbolg NPC who has several clones of himself as well, Pumat Sol.

1. ↑ https://youtu.be/l1zUBrYpedQ?&t=9340
Hell

### The Cities of Hell

* Gehennom, ruled by Belial, the City of Darkness, origin of The WHEEL of Gehennom
* Naraka, ruled by Astaroth, the City of Secrets, origin of The GATE of Naraka
* Sheol, ruled by Moloch, the City of Death, origin of The CHARIOT of Sheol
* Kasyrgan, ruled by Baal, the City of Pain, origin of The WALL of Kasyrgan.
* Styx, ruled by Moloch, the City of Blood, origin of The RIVER of Styx.
* Acheron, ruled by Asmodeus aka ozzie, the City of Fear, origin of The CHAIN of Acheron.
* Dis, ruled by Dispater, the City of War, origin of The TOWER of Dis.

### Behind the Scenes

The cities originally had different names, but Matt changed them during the development of *Kingdoms & Warfare* to represent more cultures' ideas of hell. Sheol and Gehennom are both from Jewish tradtion. Styx and Acheron are Greek. Naraka is from religions such as Sikhism, Hinduism and Jainism. Kasyrgan is from Mongolian shamanism. Dis is from Dante's Inferno.

After originally talking about some of the cities on Twitch and Twitter, Matt later changed his mind and made Acheron the City of Fear rather than the city of whispers, to better reflect Anna's ideas about Asmodeus.

### References

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/488585646?t=37m05s
Caelian Empire

The **Caelian Empire** was a civilization that originated in Phaedros and extended to conquer almost all of Orden. They built many great temples and cities, most of which are now nothing but ruins. The city of Capital was once the center of the Empire and is now part of Rioja and one of the most important ports in Orden.

## Diaspora

When the Caelians conquered a region, they would send part of its population to other regions of the Empire, while repatriating the area with people from elsewhere. This diaspora was intended to break down barriers and create a more mono-cultural empire by removing the cultural ties between genetic groups and regions.

How successful this process was is unknown, but it did result in the dramatic genetic diversity in the modern peoples of Orden. This is also the reason why Common is spoken across most of Orden. Common was the language of the Empire and was the only language shared by the relocated people, so it became the lingua franca of the whole Empire.

## Emperors

**This section contains planned content**. Content in this section has been discussed in worldbuilding streams or other venues outside the game, but might play out differently, and may contain spoilers for future campaign plot points.
* Vincianus - founder of the law school at the Imperial University.
* Gaius VIII - 27th Empire of Caelia, Third of the "Five Crusading Emperors". Waged wars in Khoursir, Khemhara, and Vasloria and received the Scepter of Count Rhodar von Glauer from The Chain of Acheron.
* Octavius Maximus - the last Emperor prior to the fall of the Empire.

## Behind the Scenes

Matt has heavily drawn on the Roman Empire to create the Caelian Empire. He has said many times that all D&D is predicated on the idea that there is some kind of ancient empire that was more technologically advanced than the current civilization. In Orden, this is the most recent of those empires.

## References

1. ↑ https://youtube.com/watch?v=D34DaE7CGLM#t=2200 “**Idle Hands**” (Episode 23) at 2200
2. ↑ https://youtube.com/watch?v=greMW5KLzI8#t=8363 “**Angel's Report**” (Episode 14) at 8363
3. ↑ http://squaremans.com/Campaigns.pdf
Suleerin

“*Oh, don't be ridiculous, I haven't eaten anyone's brain in... hours.*”
— Suleerin
**Suleerin** was a mind flayer prisoner aboard the *Somnium Tenebris*.

## Abilities

As a prisoner, Suleerin is equipped with a collar that negates his *Mind Blast* and *Spellcasting* abilities but is still capable of eating brains using his tentacles.

## Biography

Suleerin was a member of the *Seventh Wave That Crushes Rock to Powder*, a mind flayer faction that runs the *Somnium Tenebris*.

### Captivity

When the *Somnium Tenebris* attacked a passenger ship and captured Aslaug, Suleerin wanted to keep her alive so he could torture the genasi. The other mind flayers opposed to this decision, Suleerin then calls the shipmaster a fool and shortly become a prisoner. Not only was he kept in a cell, but the mind flayers installed a collar on Suleerin to negate his spellcasting abilities.

Later, Ajax's wizard Mortum appears to the gith slaves and offers them the power to rebel against the mind flayers and take over the illthid ship. They agree and kill every mind flayer except Suleerin, as the prisoner was not considered a threat.

### The Chain Boarding Party

Now following the orders of Ajax, the *Somnium Tenebris* seeks out the Chain of Acheron, a mercenary company that attempted to assassinate Mortum. The gith were able to find the Chain aboard the *Rosso Cielo*, but the Chain of Acheron lead a boarded party onto the ship.

The Chain learns from Nails that there are prisoners (including Suleerin) on the ship, but because of the gith and Nails himself, they couldn't check up on them.

#### “**The God Factor**” (Episode 5)

When the Chain of Acheron have successfully removed any threat aboard the *Somnium Tenebris* (sans the Faceless Guard), Judge says that he wants to check up on the prisoners. The first prisoner they meet is Suleerin, who is hunched over and explains his backstory to the senior officers.

“*The master of the ship wanted to kill her, but I wanted to torture her slowly and harvest her organs.*”

Commander King does not want to deal with the mind flayer, but Judge seems interested in Suleerin and even suggests recruiting him. Suleerin taunts the senior officers and underestimates their abilities to even open the cell doors. The Chain leaves the mind flayer and moves on to the other two prisoners.

## Behind the Scenes

Like Blue, Suleerin was created on the spot as Matt Colville thought it would be neat for the players to interact with some prisoners. In “**The HRP Broad Sword**” (Episode 7), Matt revealed in the campaign diary that he was disappointed in the player's decision to kill Suleerin, as he thought they agreed to keep him alive.

## References

1. ↑ https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D9DyN1tUcAEX-Du.png:large
List of Retainers

This page lists the retainers to the senior officers of the Chain of Acheron. Most are also junior officers.

At the time of King's speech, there were about 12 members of the Chain who were neither senior officers nor retainers. This includes rankers and perhaps some junior officers.

## Retainers

Retainers are the second-in-command of their respective senior officer and often promoted to the rank of senior officer if their officer is killed or has left the Chain. When the players first make their characters, they obtain a number of retainers equal to their Charisma modifier. The rules of retainers match the ones found in Strongholds & Followers.

### Retainers of King

Red had only one retainer in the Chain, King. After his death, King was promoted but did not receive any retainers of his own.

### Retainers of Judge

Having the highest charisma in the senior officer ranks, Judge has five retainers.

* Two-Shoes is a Phaedran human justicar and the Treasurer of the Chain.
* Flea is a Gol human skinwalker.
* Buts is a half-elven conjurer and the Staff Sorcerer of the Chain.
* Cook is a halfling cutpurse.
* Toad is an Ixian human beast lord.

### Retainers of Boots

Nails had four retainers in the Chain, the three listed below as well as Boots. After his death, Boots was promoted and Nails' retainers are now his.

* Ox is a dragonborn knight-sorcerer.
* Roach is a half-elven exorcist.
* Worm is a halfling troubador-warrior.

### Retainers of Slim

Sweet had only one retainer in the Chain, Angel. After his death, Angel was not promoted as the new senior officer but was instead made the retainer of Slim.

* Angel is a halfling executioner.

### Retainers of Copper

Copper doesn't have any charisma bonus, so he doesn't have any retainers.

## References

1. ↑ In the fifth Chronicle entry, King states there are less than 30 members of the Chain after Episode 6. Since then two more have died from Shadows. 28 minus the five senior officers and the nine retainers equals 12.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://www.mcdmproductions.com/the-chain
Phil Robb

**This article is about a real person.** Please respect their privacy by only posting information that they have voluntarily shared about themselves and that is relevant to the purpose of this wiki.**Phil Robb** (@FilRobb) is the Co-Founder and Creative Director at Turtle Rock Studios, as well as a player on The Chain. He plays Slim, the fighter, and played the second commander before the character's death.

## Player Characters

### The Chain of Acheron

* Sweet, human pugilist
* Slim, githyanki fighter

### As Above, So Below

* Skoros, human wizard
* Graves, human warlock
Corporal Mud

**Corporal Mud** is a human wizard and a junior officer of the Chain of Acheron. She also leads a scouting company known as the Advancers.

## Description

She has short hair and wears the Chain's red-black livery, along with green boots. The boots are a common feature among members of the scouting company she leads, the Advancers.

## Biography

Mud was in Blackbottom with the Advancers at the time of Ajax's attack. In the ensuing chaos, she lost contact with the senior officers and the companies were separated. She was aware of the previous commander's death but did not know of Sweet and Nails sharing his fate.

### “**Chain's King to Dragon Three**” (Episode 17)

Around two weeks after Blackbottom, Mud and the Advancers arrived in Capital, having gotten a ride with a merchant ship. The Vice Admiral Marquise Corso Demasco, an agent of House Vorona, had expedited their arrival to the city and directed them to the Pellet where they were needed.

## Behind the Scenes

This character was originally going to be a man, a guest character played by one of Matt's friends. In the end, this player couldn't make it, so the character became a blend of this male character and Dael Kingsmill's Chainsona.
Adamantine

**Adamantine**, **Rovion**, or the **Starmetal**, is an ore found in the Mundane World imbued with special properties. The starmetal is typically used to destroy inorganic matter, such as rock.

## History

### “**The Underdark Job**” (Episode 10)

When the Chain of Acheron agreed to the Underdark Job, Reginald Orpheo gave the mercenary company some equipment to help upon their adventure to the World Below. One of these is an adamantine greatsword that was an heirloom of House Valetta.

## Properties

Like *kollar*, adamantine has different properties depending on how the ore is forged.

As a weapon, the metal will perform a critical hit if the weapon hits an object or a construct. These follow the same rules as the adamantine weapons found in Xanathar's Guide to Everything.

As an armor, the metal will negate any critical hits dealt to the wearer. While this has yet to be confirmed, these follow the same rules as the *adamantine armor* found in the Dungeon Master's Guide.

## Behind the Scenes

Adamantine is an official metal throughout the Dungeons & Dragons world. The cast of the Chain will occasionally refer to it as **adamantium**, but this only refers to the popular metal found in Marvel Comics, whereas adamantine is a more broad term.
Fryda Wolff

**This article is about a real person.** Please respect their privacy by only posting information that they have voluntarily shared about themselves and that is relevant to the purpose of this wiki.**Fryda Wolff** is a voice actor and a friend of Matt Colville. Although she hasn't appeared in *The Chain*, she voices the Lady of Brass in “**"Ballisantirax dreams...."**” (Episode 21).

## Player Characters

Matt Colville ran a one-shot for Fryda (alongside Jerry Bennett, Matt Mercer, Liam O'Brien, and Marisha Ray) as a way to test out his new world. She played Tessilfans, a drow warlock.

The Shield of Gravesford will later meet Tessilfans and the other characters in the one-shot as non-player characters run by Matt Colville.

## References

1. ↑ https://youtube.com/watch?v=2Yx8kzrklIA&t=2002
2. ↑ https://youtube.com/watch?v=jbcgVNCNlRk
Running the Game

“*I want to turn you from someone who wants to play D&D into somebody who wants to run D&D.*”

**Running the Game** is a YouTube series encouraging more people to become Dungeon Masters. Matt Colville began the series in 2016.

## Episodes

*Main article: List of Episodes (Running the Game)*
Here's a link to the entire playlist on YouTube.

## Subtopics

Over the course of the series, Matt delved deeply into several sub-topics. These included building a campaign setting live, recapping D&D games he was running at the time, and waxing poetic on the history of the game itself.

### Collabris

In May of 2016, Matt began live streaming on Twitch with the goal of creating a D&D campaign setting live. This would show new game masters how to create worlds for their own personal games. During the stream, Matt would solicit input from the audience. This setting, known as Collabris, became a shared campaign world for many of his viewers.

Here's a link to the Collabris playlist on YouTube.

### Campaign Diaries

*Main article: Campaign Diaries*
Prior to forming MCDM Matt ran several D&D campaigns for his coworkers. These games became a shared history for the events leading up The Chain. These games were streamed and Matt also created Campaign Diaries recapping the events from his point of view.

Here's a link to the Campaign Diaries playlist on YouTube.

### History of D&D: One Fighter at a Time!

In order to show how the game of Dungeons and Dragons had changed over time, Matt created a series showcasing how a very common class, the Fighter, had changed in each edition of the game.

Here's a link to the History of D&D playlist on YouTube.
Blackbottom

Blackbottom is the city where episode one of The Chain, Red Sky at Morning, begins. The Chain of Acheron spent several days in the city, recovering from their previous contract.

While a port city, it is still a relatively minor urban area. It is an eclectic city, and many who have no trade with Vasloria will find opportunity to ply their wares in Blackbottom.

It previously contained church to Saint Clement the Journeyman which was one of the last free standing churches in Vasloria. It, and a great portion of the city, was destroyed by Ajax's Hawklords and demonic allies in response to the Chain's failed assassination of Mortum.
Mortum

Mortum is a human wizard who serves as Archwizard to Saint Ajax the Invincible. He is described as a human prone to wearing fine vestments and a signature silver skull cap.[*Citation needed*]

## Biography

Mortum is said to have unlocked the magical knowledge necessary to raise a sky-elf city back to the sky. From this lofty position Ajax and his Hawk Lords have conquered most of Vasloria.

The Archwizard is the target of The Chain of Acheron's final contract. The Chain was hired by Duke Kenway of Dalrath to kill Mortum.

### “**Red Sky at Morning**” (Episode 1)

Upon boarding the Rosso Cielo in an attempt to escape Blackbottom the chain encounters Mortum flying 1000 feet away that bombards an unnamed galleon with fire based battle magic, causing the ship to sink. Another ship attempting to flee Blackbottom, The Sparrow, was soon after destroyed by a mass of giant tentacles though it is unclear if this was the work of Mortum or another entity.
Lady Sariel

Lady Sariel, art by Conceptopolis

**Lady Sariel** is a powerful PC turned NPC spanning several campaigns.

## Biography

### Early History

Sariel became a fervent foe to Saint Ajax the Invincible when her father, the elven king of the Orchid Court, swore fealty to Ajax. During a battle with the Scion of Orcus, she was killed and turned into a vampire spawn. When the Scion was killed, she regained her free will and became Lady Sariel the Vampire Queen.

### Seeking the Teeth

Lady Sariel decided to begin collecting the Teeth of the Dragon, believing that by collecting all of them, she could "raise the Dragon" and use its power to destroy Ajax. Upon realizing that Nekodemus possessed Arcturus, she began sending minions after him to retrieve the Sword of Stars, but his ability to teleport the sword back to his hand continually thwarted her attempts. She did, however, succeed in locating and obtaining Orion, the Master Sword. She also gained control of the Oracle during this period.

### The Siege of Castle Rend

Disguising herself as Sir John, a minstrel of the Baron of Tor, she secured an invitation into Castle Rend. Once inside, she revealed herself to Nekodemus and demanded that he hand over Arcturus and Scorpius so that she could raise the Dragon and destroy Ajax. Upon learning that Sariel had attained Orion, Nekodemus attempted to attack Sariel with his enchanted greataxe Wound. The attack, which should have been devastating, was ineffectual as Wound refused to harm the wielder of the Master Sword. Sariel had one of her retainers, a death knight, bring in a captured Lord Saxton as a prisoner, offering him in exchange for the swords. As proof of her power, she summoned Bhaltair from the ground, now a vampire spawn under her control. The residents of Castle Rend finally accepted her bargain and handed Arcturus and Scorpius over to Lady Sariel.

### The Final Contract

The night before the battle in Blackbottom, Lady Sariel, Baron Nekodemus of Bedegar, and Duke Kenway of Dalrath hire The Chain of Acheron to assassinate Ajax's Archwizard, Mortum.

In what appears to have been her final confrontation with Ajax, Lady Sariel struck at him with the sword named Orion. Ajax countered her attack with the Jade Hand and in doing so destroyed Orion. The ensuing blast disintegrated Lady Sariel. Her current fate remains unknown.

## Behind the Scenes

Sariel was a player character in one of Matt's previous campaigns, played by his friend Jess. After Sariel was killed and made undead while fighting the Scion of Orcus, Matt reused her as an antagonist and ally of the player characters in future campaigns.

## References

1. ↑ Handout: “The Night Before”
2. ↑ “**Red Sky at Morning**” (Episode 1)
As Above, So Below

*This article is about the campaign run at Turtle Rock Studios. For the campaign diary, see As Above, So Below (Campaign Diary).*

**As Above, So Below** is the name of the Dungeons & Dragons game Matt Colville ran at Turtle Rock Studios as part of the campaign diaries. The campaign started in 2015 with the adventures of the Revenant Vow, then afterward ran again in 2016 with the adventures of the Shield of Gravesford, then later that year, the two groups were amalgamated into one campaign.

## Cast

### Main Cast

* Matt Colville as the Dungeon Master
* Lars as Salar Bearmantle, formerly Sigurd
* Anna as Alejandro de Modesto, formerly Hnossa
* Tom as Diriinka, formerly Bhaltair
* Gertz as Sir Lanavar, formerly Vorrikus
* EJ as Nekodemus
* TJ as Kek
* Phil as Graves, formerly Skoros
Canaith Mandolin

This magical instrument, found in the Somnium Tenebris, it's used by Boots.

### Properties

You can use an action to play the instrument an cast one of it's spells. Each spell can only be cast once per day. Spells use your casting ability and spell save DC.

Cure wounds / Dispel magic / Protection from Energy

When you use this instrument to cast a spell that causes targets to become charmed on a failed save, the targets have disadvantage in the saving throw. This effect applies whether the instrument is the source of the spell or the spellcasting focus.

## References

1. ↑ https://static1.squarespace.com/static/59b345e82994caee6bd4c397/t/5ce8354aec212d7eabd94a98/1558721869577/BTB\_characterSheet\_1.jpg
Anna Coulter

**This article is about a real person.** Please respect their privacy by only posting information that they have voluntarily shared about themselves and that is relevant to the purpose of this wiki.**Anna** **Coulter** was CEO of MCDM Productions, as well as a player on The Chain. She plays Judge, the illrigger.

## Player Characters

### As Above, So Below

* Hnossa, human barbarian
	+ Sassafrass, Hnossa's horse
* Alejandro de Modesto, human bard
Malus

Malus is the Craftsman and teaches that knowledge is power, to be treasured, even hoarded, and diligently passed down from Master to Apprentice, Father to Son, Mother to Daughter.

Malus is also known as “The Secret,” but his is a secret willingly kept. The blacksmith has his secrets, the tricks of his trade, few men in town would ever seek to violate this secrecy. Rather, they respect it. Malus believes that all knowledge is a form of truth, and keeping it secret protects it. Giving knowledge away, followers of Malus believes, dilutes it. If enough people knew the secret of the Mason’s craft, Vaslorians believe *it would cease to work*. It’s not unusual for a Vaslorian to see a crumbling ruin and blame it’s state on a craftsman with a loose tongue. Likewise ancient structures well-preserved are a sign that their people kept to the secrets and so their buildings do not erode.

Because his is the Secret Faith, any carpenter’s shop, blacksmith’s forge, or scribe’s library may be a temple to Malus. His followers do not openly display their faith. But they recognize each other.

His priests are smiths, masons, carpenters, tanners. They tend to the health of the craft and form a network very like a Riojan guild. They want to see this knowledge put to use helping the people, and believe in charity. A blacksmith who does not contribute some of his time to the betterment of his town is **not** a follower of Malus.

His Paladins seek to stop dangerous knowledge falling into unwary hands. The dwarves who delve too deep, the Wizard who seeks knowledge Man was not Meant to Know, they must be stopped. Because Wizard Orders also serve to keep dangerous knowledge secret, many Paladins of Malus are servants of a Wizard or a Wizards’ order. And most Wizards follow, respect, if not openly revere Malus.

## Saints of Malus

* Saint Cail the Sorcerer
* Saint Calinda the Seer
* Saint Clement the Journeyman
* Saint Elemein the Arcanist
* Saint Elgar the Engineer
Red Arrows

A ***red arrow*** is a magical arrow used in the Chain of Acheron.

## History

Lady Sariel gave the Chain of Acheron five arrows to use in the Final Contract to assassinate Mortum.

### Red Sky at Morning

Copper fired one of the *red arrows* at Mortum but was set up by Mandrake and proven unsuccessful. The Chain was able to save the four remaining arrows as they escape Blackbottom.

### The God Factor

Sweet uses the second *red arrow* to destroy Omega Nails, but in the progress Nails and Sweet explode and the *red arrow* is consumed. Presumably, the three remaining *red arrows* were not kept by Sweet and remain with the Chain.

## Properties

A *red arrow* is made from a red metal called **zodiakol** which are said to be able to pierce any magical ward.
House Valetta

**This section contains planned content**. Content in this section has been discussed in worldbuilding streams or other venues outside the game, but might play out differently, and may contain spoilers for future campaign plot points.
“*Do you believe in destiny? That even the law of time could be broken for a single terrible purpose?*”
— Duchess Lenore Valetta
**House Valetta** is a major noble house and political faction in Capital, the capital city of Rioja. House Valetta was until recently (within the last 10 years) led by Duke Maximo. When the Duke died, his wife, Duchess Lenore, performed a ritual of desecration in an attempt to resurrect him using this Codex Mortis. This failed, and the resulting blast of necrotic energy turned her and an entire section of the city into undead.

## Agents and Assets of House Valetta

* The Undead Order - Officers of the law, referred to by Matt as the "Death Knight FBI"
* The Revenant Men - Capital's tax collectors
* The Treasury
Capital

**This section contains planned content**. Content in this section has been discussed in worldbuilding streams or other venues outside the game, but might play out differently, and may contain spoilers for future campaign plot points.
**Capital**, The Greatest City In This Or Any Age, The City of the Great Game, is the largest city in Rioja.

## Parts of the City

* The Stays - An island South-East of the main city that is home to the Imperial Bank and serves as the docks of the city.
* The Pellet - An island South-West of the city, mainly featuring civic buildings and residential areas.

## Factions

There are several powerful factions vying for control of Capital. Each is presented along with its color on the map.

### Noble Houses

The Navy (Azure) - Run by House Vorona and led by Duke Marco Vorona.

Imperial University (Ivy) - Run by House Alvaro and led by Duke Prospero Alvaro. Made up of many different colleges.

The Church (Cardinal) - The Church of Saint Ysabella, the Pitiless. Run by Duke Orsino of House Navarr.

The Dead Lady (Gold) - Formerly the Treasury, House Valetta, Run by Duchess Lenore.

### Guilds

Assayer's Guild (*Pomp and Power*) AKA The Fulcrum - Run by Shirome. Controls goods coming into and out of Capital.

Broadsheet Guild (*Parchment*) AKA The Font - Run by Inan. Writes and controls the broadsheets, as well as the technology used to print them.

Farrier's Guild (*Safety Orange*) AKA The Rasp - Controls the Tapestries, magic carpets used for fast transport around the city. Run by Lord Kashmir.

### The Prince's Demesne (Silver)

These are the wards the late Prince of Capital controlled directly. They are as yet unclaimed by other factions.

## Behind the Scenes

The wards and districts of Capital are designed to be topologically identical to a common starting position in the board game *Diplomacy*, with the idea that other players might take the roles of these factions operating on the large scale.

The points of interest on the map correspond to power centers, places like the Library or the Citadel that different factions may fight over using their various agents.
Justice Arman

**This article is about a real person.** Please respect their privacy by only posting information that they have voluntarily shared about themselves and that is relevant to the purpose of this wiki.

Justice Arman is an Iranian American game designer based in Central Texas. He plays Koh in the Dusk campaign.

## Trivia

* Has a knack for puns.
* Often plays character abilities according to "use it or lose it" in combat.
Castle Rend

**Castle Rend**, formerly known as **Broken Spire Keep**, is the stronghold of the Baron of Rend, Nekodemus.

## History

Broken Spire Keep was a castle in ruin taken over by Bonebreaker Dorokor and the Broken Skull Orcs. A temple to Saint Ajax was consecrated within the castle. Broken Spire Keep also has a path that leads to the World Below inside of a bedroom.

After a battle between the Broken Skull Orcs and the Shield of Gravesford, the orc tribe was defeated and ones that weren't killed in the battle escaped the castle. The Shield of Gravesford finds a prisoner named Edmund Bedegar, the deceased Baron of Bedegar's second son, whom they release and learn of his heritage. During a confrontation between the party and Lady Avelina regarding the whether the Shield of Aendrim stays with the party or is sent to Kenway, the baron of Dalrath, Edmund announced Nekodemus as the Count of Rend, hence renaming the ruins of Broken Spire Keep to Castle Rend.
Somnium Tenebris

The Somnium Tenebris across the Sea of Stars

“*The Somnium Tenebris is a heavy dreadnaught, psionic-propelled ship. It requires protein to maintain vital systems.*”
— The Navigator
The ***Somnium Tenebris***, also known as the **Dark Dream**, is the sailing vessel of the Chain of Acheron. With Slim as its pilot, the Chain uses the Somnium to cross the Sea of Stars and continue their journey to Capital.

## Description

The ship is a galleon-sized, massive living creature with all the amenities of a first-rate ship. It is directed by the Mindwitness, known as the navigator or Ship Intelligence. It is piloted via direct interface with the brain, and it requires the pilot to possess telepathy in order to access the direct interface.

## History

### Agents of Ajax

The *Somnium Tenebris* was a mind flayer vessel, crewed by enslaved Duergar and Githyanki. Though recently, a mutiny occurred. Mortum appeared to the slaves on the ship and offered them the power to overthrow their masters if they agreed to serve Ajax. Most of the slaves agreed and overthrew the mind flayers.

When first spotted on the Sea of Stars, the Somnium appears to operate as an agent of Ajax, bearing his livery upon their sails. According to Captain Massingham, this was a recent change.

The Somnium was controlled by the Githyanki and Duergar when the Chain boarded and captured the ship.

### The battle with the *Rosso Cielo*

The *Somnium Tenebris*, in service of Ajax, crossed paths with the *Rosso Cielo* while she transported the Chain from Blackbottom to Capital, after the events of the Battle of Blackbottom.

The ship attacked the Rosso Cielo with large tentacles, ensnaring it, and then boarded with Duergar. The Chain, along with the crew of the Rosso Cielo, defeated the boarding units and the senior officers ordered a boarding action of their own. The Chain was able to defeat the crew of the Somnium and claim it as their own.

## Behind the Scenes

The ship is modelled after a Moon Class Mind Flayer Dreadnaught from the Spelljammer D&D setting. A floor plan of that ship can be found here.
MYMNOS

*MYMNOS* (mim-noss), *Movies You Might Not Otherwise See*, is a show Matt streams on Twitch. Matt shows some scenes from his favourite films and explains why he enjoys or respects them, and explains some of their cultural significance.

Matt explains the title as not necessarily meaning "good movies" or "movies you will like" or "movies you haven't seen". It means "movies that, if not for this show, you might not have seen".

## List of movies

### Episode 1

* A Man for All Seasons (1966)
* Jaws (1974)
* Henry V (1989)
* Charlie Wilson's War (2007)
* Lethal Weapon (1987)
* Inherit the Wind (1960)
* The Caine Mutiny (1954)
* Lincoln (2012)
* The Third Man (1949)

### Episode 2

* Night of the Hunter (1955)
* Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
* Guys & Dolls (1955)
* The Magnificent Seven (1960)
* All The President’s Men (1976)
* The Sweet Smell of Success (1957)
* Altered States (1980)
* Manhunter (1986)
* Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

### Episode 3: Character Without Dialog

* Star Wars (1977)
* The Hidden Fortress (1958)
* Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
* Rio Bravo (1959)
* Thief (1981)
* Breaking Away (1979)
* The Day of the Jackal (1973)
* The Black Stallion (1979)
* Fantastic Planet (1973)
* 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
* Koyaanisqatsi (1982)
* Witness (1985)
* The Right Stuff (1983)

### Episode 4: Blah Blah

* Network (1976)
* My Dinner with Andre (1981)
* Equus (1977)
* Brazil (1985)
* Dark Star (1974)

### Mentions

Below list is part of Matt's *MYMNOS* from work that were not already mentioned above.

* The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
* Deathtrap (1982)
* Three Days of the Condor (1975)
* Forbidden Planet (1956)
* Gallipoli (1981)
* The Warriors (1979)
* Time After Time (1979)
* The Andromeda Strain (1971)
* Superman (1978)
* Singin' in the Rain (1952)
* Repo Man (1984)
* Planet of the Apes (1968)
* 1776 (1972)
* Desk Set (1957)
* Scanners (1981)
* The Thin Man (1934)
* The Green Knight (2021)
* Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
* Quatermass and the Pit (1967)
* An American Werewolf in London (1981)
* Poltergeist (1982)
* The Thing (1982)
* Dune (2021)
* Alien (1979)
* The Maltese Falcon (1941)
* Jodorowsky's Dune (2013)
* The Making of 'Tron' (2002)
* Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
* Starman (1984)
* Them! (1954)
* The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)
Collabris

**Collabris** is a world Matt Colville created on Twitch with chat to show viewers how easy it is to create a world. Matt uses a program called **Hexographer** to generate a random map and asks the chat to name locations, explain the lore of the world, etc. While originally filmed on Twitch, the stream was uploaded to his Youtube Channel in a series of videos.

The design process for this started with finding an inspiring map, touching the map up overnight, and then focusing on notable landmarks. The Twitch Chat was asked questions about the name of each major landmark; things like who lived there, what set them apart from any stereotypes, and relationships with other landmarks and people in the area. Matt then curated the chat's suggestions, using his judgement as an experienced world builder and author to pick choices that were dramatically appropriate.The design choices were made to generate tension between factions, with potentially ideal solutions being explicitly averted by adding additional complications which were later fleshed out.

## External Links

Link to Youtube Playlist - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6o7jfinhYmA&list=PLlUk42GiU2gsp2flNkmqZaGu\_ZDeTZSGZ

Notes on the world - http://www.squaremans.com/StreamWorld.pdf

Map of the world - http://www.squaremans.com/StreamWorld2.png