Bloodfell Spire

Hidden deep in the Wildwood, a single mountaintop breaks through the canopy. First occupied by the tyrannical vampire lord Gulithas, it is now the abode of Sir Morrow, the corrupted paladin of yore.

#### **Discovery**

The spire was first mapped by the Wood Elves in 25 A.F., though many knew it existed long before that. The lonesome mountain was always an ill place. The abundant shadow, in and nearby the mountain, made it an appropriate hiding place for evil things in the forest. The Wood Elves took measures to enchant the place with protective magics. As defenders of sentient beings, they made ti their duty to not allow this evil to spread.

Gulithas first arrived at Bloodfell Spire in 48 A.F. How old he was before this is uncertain, but he was certainly weaker than he would become. In any case, he was strong enough to circumvent the Wood Elves magical barriers. Once inside, he killed, dominated, and turned his way to master of the mountain. Whatever beasts of darkness that would not turn to his dominion (there were few) were slain or ejected. It is from this mountain that Gulithas launched his grievous wars against the Wood Elves.

#### **The Wars of Hatred**

A conflict between the Woodland Realm and Bloodfell Spire, this war lasted for centuries. At first, the Elves proved more than a match for Gulithas. However, his use of undead beasts that could never truly die made him a problematic threat to snuff out. Any attempts to breach the mountain were met with death. The vampire lord has fortified his keep to be impregnable.

Gulithas, with the aid of unidentified mercenaries (Orogs in black full plate armor), finally destroyed the Woodland Realm in 380 A.F.

#### **Retribution against Gulithas**

The Wood Elf refugees spread far and wide, many running to Trickletown. Some made the journey north to Isilsolar. Upon arriving there, they spoke of their plight and the King listened. He dispatched his favorite paladin, Sir Morrow, to root out the evil. Accompanied by 200 Shining Knights, there was no doubt that the warrior of legend could defeat the monster.

Little record exists of the march to Bloodfell Spire other than word of mouth. Stories say that Morrow changed during the ride. Indeed, he had begun to act strangely at home. Out on the road, he became obsessed with the mountain. Once they could see it they were not allowed to rest until they arrived. Camped at the seat of the mountain, Sir Morrow vanished. The knights, brave as they were, now were leaderless, tired, and in a foreign land.

Before the company left, they witnessed a knight in shining white armor toss a bleeding filthy, screaming creature from the highest floor. Once the mess hit the ground many stories below, they recognized the dying wretch as Gulithas. A wooden stake plunged into his heart, he broke down into a soup of black goo and expired there. They looked back up to see Sir Morrow, his armor covered in webbing, dirt, and blood, gazing down. When the knights attempted to draw their lord out from the fortress, they found his mind had been broken. He was obsessed with the fallen Lord Vampire. Though he had defeated him, he wanted to ensure that the monster would never rise again. He refused to leave his self-proclaimed stewardship of Bloodfell Spire.

#### **The Long Repose**

Bloodfell Spire stands grand and terrible above the shadowed woods below. The once tidy fortifications now have fallen to ruin. Creatures of the wood make their homes in side the dark passages. Relics of Gulithas' tenure as master can still be found scattered in the dust and web. Some of his most valued artifacts have been left behind to be forgotten.

Sir Morrow keeps the watch. Now well beyond natural life, his obsession with a resurgent Gulithas pulled him into undeath to ensure his quest continues. A wight named Malithik handles matters too small for his master, Sir Morrow.

Evil things come and go to torment the Wildwood and its inhabitants. Many speak of a wealth left behind by Gulithas inside, but great danger protects it.

#### **The Bullywug Incursion of 602 A.F.**

A group of heroes (Chadrok of the Fratelli Clan, Solomon Daggard, Thallion Dravose, and Lunarpaw) traveled to Croakhollow, not too far away, with a mission. They had a favor to call in of King Yublit, leader of the Bullywugs. They wanted to kill the vampire lord Gulithas for good. However, this would mean breaching his old fortress of Bloodfell Spire to learn his secrets and possibly his weaknesses. After some negotiation, Yublit agreed to lead an army of two-hundred Bullywugs to the fortress.

The armed host marched through the woods and swamps, a strange sight that caught the attention of every pixie, dryad, and weird throughout the strange woods. They traveled to Bloodfell Spire, long abandoned, and entered. The Bullywugs sat guard at the front door, raising defenses and digging in. Three days they sat in front of the castle, repelling minor trespassers.

At the end of those three days, the heroes emerged with a guest. The mysterious, long dead paladin Sir Morrow. Having unknowingly turned into a Death Knight for abandoning his Lady's cause, his madness drove him to stay at Bloodfell Spire, awaiting his immortal enemy's return. After hearing news of Gulithas' return, he joined the cause in destroying the monster once and for all.

At the same time the heroes delved through the fortress, another army was on the move. Word from these pixies and dryads and reached far and wide, alerting many individuals that the toads were on the march to war. Their cousins, the Lizardfolk of the Noxmarsh, heard of this cause. Their own clan had been driven out of the Wildwood by Gulithas years ago. Taking this opportunity, Chieftain Krog of the Poisonscale Clan led an army of five-hundred Lizardfolk to war, aiming to meet the Bullywugs at Bloodfell Spire. They met the heroes there and pledged their aid in the battle to come.

#### **Aftermath of the Bullywug Incursion**

After the Second Battle of the Woodland Realm, Gulithas' essence was scattered for good. There are still whispers of sickly twists that grow here and there that whisper into farmers ears and speak of treachery. These are rumors though, rumors that the remaining Servants of Night cling to.

The Woodland Realm was finally cleared off the the evil that hung about it, inviting it to be resettled. However, the question of who rules the Woodland Realm is now a hotly contested issue. The Poisonscale Clan was more than an army, it was a conquering force. In the wake of the battle, Chieftain Krog assumed control of the Woodland Realm and Bloodfell Spire as a new Lizardfolk territory. The Bullywugs, the King Yublit sure to say this as far away from Krog as possible, asserted control over Bloodfell Spire and the surrounding territories. Days after the battle, an armed scouting party of Wood Elves, under the leadership of Fenmarel Mestarin, came to claim the Woodland Realm, their ancestral home.

King Yublit and his army moved quickly to fortify Bloodfell Spire, having a days march advantage on the Lizardfolk by leaving in the dead of night. More Bullywugs came by the northern roads to augment their king's defenses. Krog's armies came and demanded the Bullywugs leave.