Chapter 1
You asked for
Info on Ulenor - Ulenor Desai (aka The Collector) is oft cited as the most powerful warlock on the Sword Coast. Little is known of his youth. Assumed to be an orphan. Assumed to have ascended to warlockdom sometime in his 20s. The source of his power is unknown. Current owner of the building colloquially known as Collector’s Mansion. Built roughly 700 years ago by unspecified dwarves. Marital status: unknown. Next of kin: unknown. Age: unknown, though given typical lifespan of Tieflings he could be estimated to be anywhere from 50-70.
The ring - (Glennie) "Have you performed an arcana check? Hmm. You don’t see that every day. Fascinating. You say he disintegrated? It took more than his life. Did you know there’s a soul inside this?" -She Shivers- "that’s evil magic. I can’t imagine who would want to use such a thing or why. . . You say belonged to Ulenor? Perhaps it was a desparate attempt to escape a pact with an otherworldly patron?" she muses.
Ulenor's patron, the creature beyond our concept of space and time. (Glennie speaking in a thick Irish accent) "Based on your description, it sounds like the warlock bound himself to a powerful creature from the abyss. It wouldn’t have a name in any meaningful (or pronounceable) sense to us. Hopefully when the warlock’s body died, the creature retreated to its home plane. They’re usually restrained by a single arcane circle. Entities like that… their goals are unfathomable and alien. Suffice to say that the outcome of those goals are usually death on an unimaginable scale. Think… on a continental scale. To begin with. Personally, I’d rather deal with a hangry tarrasque." she cackles.
(Additional info was available, but not requested. The players will regret not having asked for clarification when the world suddenly comes to a horrifying end.)
Abbathor - Abbathor (AB-bah-thor) the Avaricious is the dwarven god of greed, venerated by most evil dwarves and nearly all evil dwarven thieves. He represents the worst aspect and major weakness of dwarven character. Many dwarves and even nondwarves consumed with treasure lust and greed, or those who seek to steal valuables, make offerings to him.
The Great Master of Greed was once interested purely in the natural beauty of gems and metals, but became embittered when Moradin appointed Dumathoin the protector of mountain dwarves - a position Abbathor felt should be his. From that day onward, Abbathor has become ever more devious and self-serving, continually trying to wreak revenge on the other dwarven gods by establishing greed, especially evil greed, as the driving force in the lives of all dwarves.
In the words of Aster O'id's mammy, "Woe be to ya if you’ve something ’e wants."
Axeholm is a dwarven fortress carved into the base of a mountain fifteen miles south of Phandalin. The original occupants were corrupted by Abbathor who took note after the discovery of riches deep in the ground. What those riches were isn’t clear, but it was enough to warrant the notice of a god. Axeholm has 6 and a half levels. The 7th and final level was never completed for reasons unspecified in the text.
The site was later abandoned and sealed up long years ago after being haunted by a banshee — the restless spirit of a moon elf ambassador named Vyldara who tried and failed to aid the dwarves in breaking the curse of Abbathor. The dwarves imprisoned the elf and sent messages to her people, demanding ransom. Before envoys could be sent, Vyldara attempted escape, killing two guards, only to be cut down by dwarven axes before she could succeed. When the elf’s spirit started filling Axeholm’s halls with deathly wails, the dwarves abandoned their stronghold, but not before several dwarves were slain by the banshee and arose as ghouls to feed on their kin. Ghouls and other creatures now prowl Axeholm, while the banshee continues to haunt the fortress’s upper halls. In its twisted spectral mind, all who enter Axeholm are invaders who must be destroyed for their trespass. There's no mention of her recent defeat at the hands of 5 hapless adventurers.
Ravens of a suspicious nature, it looks as though you have a new friend.
Talos, also known as The Storm Lord and long ago as Kozah, was the Faerûnian greater deity of storms and destruction. His dogma was self-serving, demanding utter obedience from his priests and instructing them to spread destruction where they might. His followers were known as Talassans. After the Spellplague, many came to believe that Talos was, in fact, an aspect of the orcish god Gruumsh,[11] but after the Second Sundering the two deities seemed more distinct.[12] Among the Bedine of Anauroch, who descended from the citizens of Netheril, Talos was still known as Kozah by the 14th century DR.[7] In Calimshan, he was worshiped as Bhaelros and in that aspect he almost utterly destroyed Calimport. In the Underdark, he had an aspect with a small following as Malyk, a god of wild magic.[citation needed]
Gorthok, aka the Thunderboar, is a primal nature spirit that takes the form of a boar as big as an elephant, with lightning that dances along its tusks. Gorthok serves the will of Talos, god of storms, and can be summoned during stormy weather to do the bidding of Talos’s evil followers. Like its patron deity, Gorthok revels in destruction. See also Talos, and Anchorites of Talos.
Anchorites of Talos - These religious recluses are granted spellcasting power by Talos, the god of storms. Their human ancestors bred with orcs, and now all anchorites of Talos are half-orcs. While their lineage does not determine their alignment, their dedication to Talos makes them, invariably, hostile to all non followers. They seek to convert or destroy all others. Basically, they're bad news and sane people avoid them.
Tamara (O’Dun) Desai - You find no mention of any Tamara Desai. Perhaps her maiden name would give more results, but you’ve no idea what her name would’ve been and no easy way to find out.
Icespire Hold is a stone fortress perched on the icy northeast spur of Icespire Peak. A warlord named Delsendra Amzarr built the stronghold, and dwelled there for many years while she and her soldiers kept the orcs of the Sword Mountains in check. When supply lines were cut off by heavy snow and blizzards during a brutal winter, Delsendra and her followers are presumed to have starved to death. Orcs later took over the fortress, which was damaged by an earthquake ten years ago and never repaired. There’s no information beyond this point and thus no mention of Cryovain.
Phandelver - After 30 minutes, an avowed approaches you with a few scrolls. One is a badly damaged map. There’s no context or coordinates, so it’s most likely useless. More than five hundred years ago, clans of dwarves and gnomes made an agreement known as the Phandelver’s Pact, by which they would share a rich mine in a wondrous cavern known as Wave Echo Cave. In addition to its mineral wealth, the mine contained great magical power. Human spell casters allied themselves with the dwarves and gnomes to channel and bind that energy into a great forge (called the Forge of Spells), where magic items could be crafted. Times were good, and the nearby human town of Phandalin (pronounced fan-duh-lin) prospered as well. But then disaster struck when orcs swept through the North and laid waste to all in their path. A powerful force of orcs reinforced by evil mercenary wizards attacked Wave Echo Cave to seize its riches and magic treasures. Human wizards fought alongside their dwarf and gnome allies to defend the Forge of Spells, and the ensuing spell battle destroyed the cavern. Few survived the cave-ins and tremors, and the location of Wave Echo Cave was lost. For centuries, rumors of buried riches have attracted treasure seekers and opportunists to the area around Phandalin, but no one has ever succeeded in locating the lost mine. In recent years, people have resettled the area. Phandalin is now a rough-and-tumble frontier town. There’s also a map of Phandalin available. You now have two maps. Both are probably useless...
Spells for Clerics - She plops down a tome in front of you. It looks suspiciously like the spells from the PHB. You recognize all of the spells. Your DM really let the wind out of your sails today.
The Ultimate Guide to Pranking Friends and Enemies by R. Majere. This book gives you proficiency in Performance while reducing your Charisma by 3.
Red Wizards of Thay, in the Eastern Heartlands, were the notorious and nefarious magocratic ruling class of the inhospitable but well-inhabited country of Thay. Historically they owed their power to being cruel slavers, demonologists, and arcane experimenters, before most of their numbers wholly dedicated themselves into creating a nation of undeath.
For centuries, the leaders of the Red Wizards and in fact all of Thay was the Council of Zulkirs. The ruling body comprised eight of the most powerful Red Wizards, each of whom represented one of the schools of magic. Each of the zulkirs and their subordinates fomented intense rivalries with one another, leading to great feuds and near-crippling internal strife. In the years following the War of the Zulkirs, the Red Wizards of Thay were led by the feared lich and supreme regent, Szass Tam. Since Szass Tam’s takeover, the exiled Red Wizards have transformed enormously, becoming a loosely organized chain of merchant enclaves who specialized in procuring magical items.
When traveling across the realms, Red Wizards were always well protected. They were often accompanied either by the fearsome gladiators of Thay, clerics of Kossuth, or even Thayan knights, who dedicated their lives to the role as their protectors. In the years following the Second Sundering, the Thayan Red Wizards were once again relegated to serving as agents the zulkirs or even Regent Szass Tam himself. They were often directed to travel the Realms to acquire powerful magical items in order for the zulkirs to further consolidate their power. There’s more, but it gets a little esoteric and would require considerable time mapping out factions and subfactions, schools of magic, etc.
Hamun Kost, you find no mention of Hamun, but based on your research of the Thayan wizards and your own experience, you’re pretty sure that he is of the school of necromancy. His origins and motives are unknown. Obviously he’s interested in something to do with Old Owl Well. And the name Arthandol.
Arthandol - The avowed take a very long time to return with this information. You watch the light of the sun track across the floor while you lounge about reading from a stack of meaningless books. There are only a few clearly ancient, tattered scraps of carefully preserved paper. You aren’t allowed to handle these directly. The avowed does his best to translate the badly damaged pages from archaic common. Arthandol was the most powerful wizard of the age nearly three thousand years prior. Or... maybe four thousand years prior (it contradicts itself). The page clearly states that Arthandol was immortal, but this doesn’t really make sense because it later contradicts itself when discussing his death. So, the avowed mused aloud, he must have really sucked at immortality. The pages refer to Arthandol in reverent tones. As if he were a holy figure. The avowed clearly feels as if you’ve wasted her time.
Cryovain, you find no mention of Cryovain in the library, but find plenty of info on white dragons in general. Perhaps you wish to submit a detailed chronicle of your own experience?
Ancient Green Dragons - Green dragons are uncommon along the the sword coast. You find some vague mention of green dragon territory being somewhere near the PLAGUELANDS and Chondalwood, but the exact details are contradictory and unclear. Perhaps you can file a formal request with the avowed for more information.
Redbrands and more. The avowed are unable to find a great deal of into on the Redbrands. Nothing in their tomes, however, they did find several mentions in random news clippings stating that a group of loosely organized brigands had been harassing the roads between leilon and phandalin. Another news item states that after repeated requests for aid, the Lords’ Alliance had dispatched aid to the town of Phandlin to help deal with the growing problem of the redbrands. There is no mention of who was sent by the Alliance, nor any mention of the Redbrand leader, the Glass Staff.
