Red Hand of Doom

The Red Hand of Doom, Sigil of Takhisis

For over a century, since the Spellplague of 1385 DR and subsequent fall of the Old Kingdom of Rhestilor, the Southlands of the Elsir Vale have been a peaceful backwater.
That is about to change.

Summer, 1491 DR - Evil Rises in the Southlands.

The Wyrmsmoke Mountains shook with the thunder of ten thousand screaming hobgoblin soldiers. From the phalanx emerged a single champion. One by one the tribes fell silent as the warlord rose up, blue scales gleaming along his shoulders, horns swept back from his head. A hundred bright yellow banners stood beneath him, each marked with a great red hand. He stood upon a precipice and raised his arms. 
“I am Azarr Kul, Son of the Dragon!” the warlord bellowed.
“Hear me! Tomorrow we march to war!”

The PCs

The Dark Queen Takhisis, Goddess of Dragons, Patron of Azar Kul.

The PCs are adventuring heroes of Brindol, in the central Elsir Vale, charged by Lord Jarmaath and Captain Ulverth with investigating rumours of goblin and hobgoblin tribes of the Wyrmsmoke mountains have banded together under a charismatic warlord. The heroes are dispatched from Brindol to Drellin's Ferry, with instructions to take whatever action seems appropriate - including removal of the threat.

Campaign Themes
War, High Fantasy, Heroic Fantasy. I'll be playing up the Dragonlance influence as you can see...

Campaign Schedule
Sundays  August 2019-Spring 2020; usually 2.30pm-6.30pm. Approximately 20 sessions, covering roughly Levels 5-13.

The Heroes of Elsir Vale - in order of appearance
Session 1
1. Sir Egg, Commander of the Brindol Irregulars (m) (was Dexter) of Brindol, scruffy half-Drow Rogue/Fighter (m) - Matt
2. Lady Tessele (f), priestess of Umberlee & Tymora, former pirate of the Sea of Stars, Human Cleric (f) - Sylvia 
3. Lady Uaah, the Mascot of Brindol (Session 1+) (f), Copper Dragonborn Druid(ess) of the Wyrmsmoke mountains, Circle of Dragons, usually in dragon form (f) - consort Manny the manticore (m)  - Bill
Session 2
4. Motter (m) the Brewer, Dwarf Fighter (m) - Kermit - fell at Battle of Brindol to the red dragon Abithriax
Session 3
5. Bear (m), Human Druid of the Witchwood (m) - Rich - fell to a horned devil in the Temple of Takhisis
Session 4
6. Lady Cailyenna (f), a Crinti half-Drow Bard (f), with her husband Malfurion - Angelique

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TEMPORARY & OCCASIONAL PCs
Judge Jarmaath (Sessions 1 & 2) (m), younger brother of Lord Kerden Jarmaath, a Lion of Brindol, noble Human Fighter (m) - departed for Brindol, where he later fell in battle.
Malfurion (Session 4+) (m), a Wood Elf Monk of the Tiri Kitor (m), now in exile - Joe
Shar-Teel (Session 4) (f) the Ranger, a Human Shaaran Lion of Brindol (f) - Jelly

Rich PC - Bear the Druid
Bear (originally called Klovis) was born in a small hamlet on the borders of The Witchwood. His father felled trees and his mother foraged and kept the home. Sickness took both when Bear was a teenaged boy and bear soon learned to fend for himself. During his formative years he soon became competent in recognising different forest plants and animals. As he grew older he formed a close friendship with Briget the daughter of the headman, Darvis. They spent hours wandering the forest paths and Bear taught her forest lore. Darvis was an ambitious man and wished to marry his daughter into nobility, wealth or both! He saw the growing relationship between the pair and conspired to put a stop to it. Whilst clearing a track in the forest, Bear was shot by “bandits” with a crossbow and left for dead. As far as the hamlet were concerned, Bear was dead and Briget was married off to a wealthy merchant in Dennovar.
That was not the end of Bear, however. He had managed to crawl into a nearby tree hollow where he was found by Vortan, one of the Druid caretakers of the Witchwood. When found he was curled up together with an orphan bear cub. Vortan took both and brought them back to health.
Bear grew up with the orphan bear, Grizzle, as his constant companion. The closeness of man and bear led to his Druid name of Brother Bear being bestowed on him.
Eventually nature took its course and Vortan and Grizzle succumbed to illness and age.
Bear was by this stage a Druid protector of the Witchwood and spent much of his time fighting incursions from goblinoids and other such creatures. He had been left the scimitar, Greenfang, to assist him in this role.
With the encroaching threat from outside, Bear now seeks allies in his fight......


Angelique PC - Cailyenna.
The half-drow Crinti rulers of Dambrath that are my ancestors, were overthrown a century ago, and I was born to embittered wandering exiles in the great Forest of Amtarr. As they were lamenting their lost glory, and praying unheeded to Shar, great goddess of Loss and Sorrow, I was severely unimpressed by my kin. 
Seeking to make something of myself, I left my folk and wandered north-west into the human lands of the Elsir Vale. I was following the trail of an elder sister, rumoured to have gone the same route years before, but succeeded only in finding her grave. Apparently she had died shortly after giving birth. 
Eventually I met a wood elven Monk of the Kiri Tor. He had adopted his niece Cirila, after his brother was killed by a black dragon. This went well until I came along and we married, as wood elves did not trust my dark half drow complexion. We tried running away with his niece but were caught, our daughter taken from us, and we were exiled in punishment. Being separated from Cirila nearly broke us. 
Since the exile, now years ago, we wandered the western Elsir Vale south of the Tiri Kitor lands, where I plied my trade as a bard and found a welcoming audience in the local human and halfling folk. They grew accepting and even fond of me over the years. When finding out they were about to be enslaved by hobgoblins we wanted to help. To keep the Vale in which our daughter lived safe. And hoping to find a way to reunite with her in meantime, somehow...

Judith PC - Kythri Stormshadow.  

She was born during a terrible one-in-a-century storm - hence the name.  Her family are well regarded members of the tribe,  her father the second son of the tribal leader Sellyria Starsinger.  During Kythri's rite of adulthood alone in the wilderness, while fleeing an owlbear, she stumbled through a portal into the Feywild...  and into an eladrin encampment.  Once it was apparent the portal was one way, one of the Eladrin, a wizard named Suryanna, effectively adopted the (to her) hopelessly rustic wood elf.  From them over the next three decades she learned the ancient art of the Way of Blade and Bow from Suryanna's cousin Andhradin Elaruin, one of its most renowned exponents.  When Suryanna, who had become almost an elder sister to Kythri, told her she had discovered a way to get her back home she was caught in a quandary between remaining in the Feywild she had grown to love and returning to the home she had left behind.  In the end family won out and she opted to return.  As parting gifts Andhradin gave her an eladrin-crafted bow, while Suryanna gifted her a silvery elven longsword named "Dragonfang".  
Kythri's return to the Tiri Kitor was initially met with deep suspicion - after all, they had mourned her death thirty years ago - but after asking Corellon for guidance, Sellyria Starsinger was able to confirm that it was really Kythri, and after that the village celebrated.  In the five years since Kythri's return she has spent time with Illian Snowmantle, working to merge the techniques of the eladrin Way of Blade and Bow with the Tiri Kitor's own martial disciplines.

Kerden Jarmath, the Lord of Brindol

The High Wyrmlord Azar Kul, the Chosen of Takhisis

The Elsir Vale

Norro Wiston, Speaker of Drellin's Ferry

Soranna Anita (Ftr-5), militia captain of Drellin's Ferry

Teyani Sura, a Lion of Brindol - fell at Brindol

Ftr-5/Bbn-1 AC 17 (half plate) HP 53 ST 16 (+3) DE 14 (+2) CO 14 (+2) IN 8 (-1) WI 12 (+1) CH 10 (+0)

Saves STR +6 CON +5

skills: Athletics, Insight, Intimidate, Perception, Survival

Feats: Sharpshooter, Greatweapon Master

Fighting Style: archery

Second Wind (d10+5) 1/SR

Action Surge 1/SR

Champion - critical hit 19-20

Extra Attack

Unarmoured Defence (AC 14)

Rage 2/Long Rest - +2 melee damage & resistance to B/P/S; advantage on STR saves & checks

+1 Great Axe Att +7 dam 1d12+4 (Rage 1d12+6); Greatweapon Attack +2 dam 1d12+14 (rage 1d12+16)

critical hit 19-20. Bonus action attack on crit or kill

Longbow Att +7 dam 1d8+2; Sharpshooter Attack +2 dam 1d8+12

Teyani Sura is a hard-riding Lion of Brindol, a member of the elite order of warrior knights defending Brindol & the Elsir Vale. Formerly a Knight Serjeant, she was demoted back to the lowest rank after breaking her Knight Captain's nose with a punch - it's rumoured they were having an affair and she caught him with another woman (or man) 😀
In any case her punishment was relatively mild, but since then she has been assigned to the most dangerous missions such as long-range patrol of the borders of the Vale; recently encountering a band of ogres & hobgoblins on the old Rhest Trail, she personally killed an ogre with her enchanted great axe. Her commander sent her west through the Vale to warn the local towns, she eventually arrived at Drellin's Ferry in the western Vale...

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PC Creation
Characters should have a vested interest in defending the Elsir Vale from the armies of the Red Hand of Doom, and should typically be of Good or Neutral alignment. There will be a lot of wilderness travel and adventuring, so classes like Ranger and Druid should work well.
PCs begin at 5th level, and may progress to around level 10 during the campaign. Use the standard 5e  D&D rules point buy or default array, 15 14 13 12 10 8 in any order. WoTC level 5 pregenerated PCs are available for use.
Sources: PHB and XGTE are permitted.
Gear: Newly created characters begin with normal PHB starting equipment plus 500gp plus 1d10x25gp (or +125gp), and may spend starting cash on items from this list:

Common items
Cloak of Billowing: 200gp
Moon-touched Blade (magic +0 weapon, sheds light on command): 200gp
Perfume of Bewitchment (gives advantage on Persuasion checks for 1 hour): 50gp/dose
Potion of Climbing 50gp/potion
Potion of Healing 50gp/potion
Spell Scroll, 3 cantrips: 50gp
Spell Scroll, 1 1st level spell: 50gp
Uncommon items
+1 weapon (any) - 500gp
+1 shield - 500gp
+1 wand of the war mage - 500gp
Potion of Greater Healing (4d4+4 hp) - 125gp
Potion of hill giant strength (STR 21) - 125gp
Potion of water breathing - 125gp

PCs with the Noble background may begin with standard full plate armour in addition to the above.

Patron: Choose a Patron NPC to suit your chosen Background. The Patron may be a friend, relative, mentor or liege.

PC Background: Recommended Brindol Patron
Acolyte: Tredora Goldenbrow (Clr-8), High Priestess of Lathander Morninglord and rumoured paramour of Lord Kerden Jarmaath (she has 4th level Cleric spells)
Charlatan: Lady Verrasa Kaal, dubious merchant & noble
Criminal: Rillor Paln, Master of the Black Knives thieves' guild of Brindol
Entertainer: Lord Kerden Jarmaath  ruler of Brindol for court types, or Rillor Paln for dubious sorts
Folk Hero: Captain Lars Ulverth, commander of the Lion Guard of Brindol
Guild Artisan: Eldremma Axenhaft, dwarf merchant
Noble: Lord Kerden Jarmaath
Outlander: Captain Lars Ulverth
Sage: Immerstal the Red, the Wizard of Brindol (Wiz-9) (he has 5th level Wizard spells) - fell at Brindol
Sailor (Bargee): Eldremma Axenshaft
Soldier (Lion Guard): Captain Lars Ulverth
Urchin: Lady Verrasa Kaal

Tredora Goldenbrow, High Priestess of Lathander Morninglord

Captain Lars Ulverth of Brindol

Lady Verrasa Kal of Brindol

HOUSE RULES

Resting
Short Rest: Max 3/day.
Overnight Rest: Recovers 1 hp/level camped in wilderness, 2 hp/level at inn/temple/castle; and 1 or 2 levels of exhaustion. Casters may also swap out one or two memorised spells.
Long Rest: 7 full days in wilderness, 3 days at a sanctuary, recovers all abilities & all hit dice.
Swimming & Sinking: characters in metal armour sink 1 foot per round per lb weight of armour. They may swim upwards against this drag normally, so a character with speed 40' may (just) remain afloat in 40 lb of armour.

Armour  Sink Speed
Viable Armour
studded leather 13'
chain shirt  20'
breastplate 20'
Drowning Armour
half plate 40'
ring mail 40'
scale mail   45'
chain mail 55'
splint 60'
plate 65'

XP
PCs normally begin at level 5. Party level up every 20 XP 5-10, 30 XP level 11-16, 40 XP level 17-20 (level 17+ is unlikely to be reached). A moderate encounter or achievement gains 1 XP, as does a written session account for the blog. PCs at below the highest party level (due to late start, missed sessions, or replacement for dead PC) level up at end of each session played, +1 per party level-up, until they hit the party level.

Party Level & XP
TIER II
+20 XP/Level
5          0
6         20
7         40
8         60
9         80
10       100
11       120
12       140
13       160
14     180
15     200
+1    +20

City of Brindol

OVERVIEW OF ELSIR VALE
The setting of the adventure is a thinly populated human
frontier known as Elsir Vale and the surrounding wilderlands.
The vale stretches almost 250 miles east to west and averages
about 70 miles north to south. Several small mountain ranges
and dense forests form the vale’s borders.
Elsir Vale lies in the region between the Misty Vale (known in Elsir as the Westdeep)
and the Forest of Amtar to the east.

CLIMATE AND TERRAIN
Elsir Vale lies in the subtropical latitudes. Summers are hot
and dry (although punctuated by the occasional intense thunderstorm),
and winters are warm and rainy. Large stretches of
the area are quite arid, and the vale is fl anked by vast savannahs
stretching for mile after dusty mile. The forests that stretch
across most of the vale’s northern reaches are stifling and
swelteringly hot in the summertime, with not a breath of wind
to relieve the oppressive heat.

Weather
M7 1491 DR is the middle of a hot, dry summer.
The default temperature for the season is hot (85° to 110° F)
during the day and warm (60° to 85° F) at night.
This is the dry season in Elsir Vale, so rainfall is infrequent—
but when it comes down, it really comes down. Thunderstorms
and tornados are fairly common.

Clear Terrain
In general, areas on the map that don’t clearly possess a terrain
type consist of a mix of grasslands, hills, light woods, and brushland.
d% Terrain
01–15 Forest (sparse)
16–20 Forest (medium)
21–30 Plains (farm fields)
31–60 Plains (grassland)
61–80 Brushland (treat as sparse forest, with a 30%
occurrence of heavy undergrowth)
81–100 Hills (gentle)

Settled Lands
One of the terrain types indicated on Map 1 is “settled lands.”
This is simply cleared farmland in the vicinity of a village or
town. Scattered homesteads and farmhouses lie amid broad
fi elds, with the occasional hillock or copse of woodland. The
closer to the village, the closer together the outlying farms and
homesteads. Settled lands count as plains (farm fields).

HISTORY OF THE VALE
The scattered human towns and villages of the area grew up
along the Dawn Way, an important east-west trade road linking
the heavily settled lands that lie northwest across the Endless
Plains with the exotic kingdoms and goods of the coastal lands
of Dambrath to the southeast. Much of the Dawn Way was built by an
ancient dwarf-kingdom that spanned the Wyrmsmoke and
Giantshield Mountains more than a thousand years ago. While
the dwarves are long gone, their roads, bridges, and cisterns
remain in use to this day. After the dwarf-realm passed, the
presence of various monsters and raiders kept traffic along
the Dawn Way light for many years; few caravans dared the
long and dangerous trek. Few humans lived in Elsir Vale
during those years—only scattered settlements of druidic
folk who left behind little more than grassy barrows and stone
circles on the hilltops.
About five hundred years ago, the nearby city of Rhest
came to control the vale and a large swath of land north of the
Giantshields as well. Soldiers from Rhest secured the roads
all the way to Dennovar and beyond, creating a safe passage
for trade. More and more traders traveled the Dawn Way, and
the kingdom of Rhestilor grew wealthy on the tariffs exacted
from the passing merchants. Under the kingdom’s shield, the
towns along the Dawn Way—Brindol, Talar, Terrelton, and
the rest—grew up from tiny hamlets or lonely soldiers’ posts
to flourishing human settlements.
The kingdom of Rhestilor eventually collapsed under civil
strife, monstrous incursions, and magical blights. One
hundred years ago the city of Rhest was burned by a savage
horde out of the Wyrmsmoke Mountains. Although the warriors
of Rhestilor killed many of the goblins and their kind, the city
was abandoned and the already weakened kingdom broken. The
locks and canals surrounding Rhest fell into disrepair, and the
Blackfens swallowed the ruined city.
In the years since the kingdom’s fall, the towns of Elsir Vale
have come to look after themselves. Most of the local lords,
such as Jarmaath of Brindol, still hold titles derived from the
old kingdom of Rhestilor. While everybody knows that the
kings of Rhestilor are long dead, no new realm has arisen in
the vale.

MAJOR SETTLEMENTS
In addition to the settlements described in this section, a fair
number of isolated homesteads (more than a few of them long
abandoned) are scattered throughout this terrain.

Brindol: One of the largest settlements in the vale, Brindol is
a prosperous farming community and caravan stopover located
along the Dawn Way on the south bank of the Elsir River.
Orchards of apple and pear trees follow the river’s winding
shores, while broad grain fields and farmlands surround the
town for miles in all directions. Brindol is the home of Lord
Kerden Jarmaath, and his small keep and the city walls are the
only fortifications of note this side of Dennovar.
Brindol (Small City): Conventional, nonstandard;
15,000 gp limit; Assets 6,300,000 gp; Population 8,400; Mixed (81%
human, 8% halfl ing, 5% dwarf, 3% half-orc, 2% gnome, 1% elf).
Authority Figures: Lord Kerden Jarmaath (male human
fi ghter 8), Lord of Brindol; Lady Verrasa Kaal (female human
rogue 9), leader of mercantile House Kaal, to whom everyone
seems to owe money or favors.
Important Characters: Captain Lars Ulverth (male human
fighter 7), leader of the Lion Guard; Immerstal the Red (male
human wizard 9), foremost wizard of the town; Rillor Paln (
male human rogue 11), master of the Black Knives, a gang of
highwaymen and cutthroats based in Brindol; Eldremma Axenhaft
 (female dwarf fighter 4/rogue 3), a merchant and provisioner who hires mercenaries
out as caravan guards; Shining Servant Tredora Goldenbrow
(female aasimar cleric 8 of Lathander), most prominent cleric
in town.
The Lion Guard: The 200 100 strong Lion Guard is Lord Jarmaath’s army. They
keep order in the town, garrison the keep, and patrol the lands
nearby.
The Lions of Brindol: The most skilled and experienced
members of the Lion Guard are rewarded with the title “Lion of
Brindol.” The Lions of Brindol, who lead the Lion Guard when
not undertaking special missions for Lord Jarmaath, currently
number 17 3.
House Kaal Guard: Lady Verrasa’s personal army
House Kaal Elite Guard: Lady Verrasa’s answer to the Lions of
Brindol, these skilled retainers of proven loyalty serve as her
personal bodyguards or trusted emissaries. A small group, it
includes 5 elite guards.
Militia: Brindol’s militia strength is about eight hundred.

Dauth: A sleepy little hamlet about halfway between the
Hammer fi st Holds and Brindol, Dauth is home to about two
hundred people. It is noted for The Tired Giant, an inn and taphouse
under the proprietorship of Galadan Ryethresher (male
halfling). The Rhestorilan nobles who once ruled here
died out two generations ago, and Dauth Keep—their ancestral
home—is only a burned-out shell overlooking the settlement.
A council of elders now governs the village.

Dennovar: A trade-city located on the shores of Lake Ern,
Dennovar is the largest community in Elsir Vale. It’s the eastern
gateway to the vale, the fi rst bit of civilization a weary traveler
encounters after crossing the Golden Plains. Lady Yisel Bristeir
is the titular ruler here, but in practice the city is governed by the
Merchants Council—powerful oligarchs primarily concerned
with keeping the city a good place to do business. Dennovar
is also noteworthy for the dozens of temples, both minor and
major, that dot its streets. The activities of these places are overseen
by the Temple Council, made up of the highest-ranking
clerics devoted to each of the deities the temples serve.
Dennovar (Small City): Conventional, magical; 15,000
gp limit; Assets 8,700,000 gp; Population 11,600; Mixed (81%
human, 10% halfl ing, 4% dwarf, 2% half-orc, 2% gnome, 1% elf).
Authority Figures: High Councilor Nindel Thorn (male
human expert 8), leader of the Merchants Council and de facto
ruler of the city; Prelate Barila Harrask (female human cleric
9 of Torm), high priestess of Torm in the vale and
head of the Temple Council.
Important Characters: Shining Servant Derth Trinn (male
half-elf cleric 8 of Lathander), member of the Temple Council; Farstrider
Terise Whellin (N female human cleric 6 of Mielikki),
member of the Temple Council; Lady Yisel Bristeir (female
human aristocrat 4), titled ruler of Dennovar with little actual
power in the city due to the strength of the Merchants Council;
Aragathos (male human sorcerer 10), most powerful arcane spellcaster in the city, paid a fortune to
safeguard the city from magical attack; Blade Captain Yelsharra
(female half-elf fighter 9), leader of the Dennovar Blades.
The Dennovar Blades: The army of Dennovar answers to the
Merchants Council.
Militia: Dennovar’s militia strength is about one thousand.

Drellin’s Ferry: If Dennovar is the eastern gateway to Elsir
Vale, then the small town of Drellin’s Ferry is the western. Once
a dwarf-made bridge spanned the Elsir River here, but it was
destroyed during an epic flood during the fall of Rhest a hundred years ago.
Since that time, travelers on the Dawn Way have crossed by means of
a ferry, from which the town gets its name.

Elsircross: A small town at a ford of the Elsir River, Elsircross
is known for woodcutting and papermaking. The self-styled
“Baron” Hargil Trask (male human fighter 7) and the rest of
the no-good Trask clan govern the town by the Baron’s fiat. Lord
Jarmaath of Brindol has no use for Baron Trask and would like
to see him and his lot driven out of Elsircross. The towns of Elsir
Vale haven’t fought among themselves in many years, however,
and Jarmaath is loath to intervene in another town’s business,
even if that business is getting rid of a 'jumped-up brigand' like
Hargil Trask. For his own part, Trask is smart enough to keep his
men from running amok in his own lands, so his subjects (and
neighbors) tolerate him and his swaggering sons for now—but
Trask has ideas about adding Marthton or Red Rock to his
“barony,” and maybe even Brindol someday.

Hammerfist Holds: In the high foothills of the Wyvernwatch
Mountains lie the Hammerfi st Holds, a half-dozen dwarf
clanholds that sometimes trade with the humans of the vale.
Each of the holds is a hamlet or village, home to a hundred or
more dwarves. If you feel like expanding the adventure, you
can have the PCs head into these mountains to try to recruit
the dwarves to their cause. Taken together, the Holds have the
following characteristics.
Hammerfist Holds (Large Town): Conventional;
3,000 gp limit (12,000 gp for arms and armor); Assets 870,000
gp; Population 2,900; Isolated (96% dwarf, 2% gnome, 1% human,
1% halfling).
Authority Figure: Othrek Hammerfist (male dwarf fighter
8), clanlord of the Hammerfist clan.
Important Characters: Thaardin Ironhand (male dwarf
cleric 7 of Moradin), ranking cleric among the clanholds;
Uldrina Flamehair (female dwarf bard 8), stonesinger of
the clan; Guildmaster Derra Copperfist (male dwarf rogue
5), wealthiest merchant of the holds).
Hammer Guards: Othrek’s elite guards are known as the
Hammer Guards.
The Clan Muster: The dwarves of the Hammerfist holds can
muster a large militia several hundred strong.

Hillwatch: A dusty flyspeck of a hamlet located in the
northern part of the Brown Hills, Hillwatch is primarily
populated by shepherds and cattleherds. The town has no inn
or tavern; travelers often stay at the home of Jerossil Indo, a
well-off rancher who takes a few coins to board strangers for a
night or two.

Marthton: Located in the shadow of the Marth forest, this
small town thrives on woodcutting and catering to traders on
the Dawn Way. In the hills nearby lie a number of the ancient
barrows and stone circles of the long-vanished druidic folk who
once dwelled in these lands. Marthton is governed by Lord
Erethal Rethrew (male human aristocrat 5), an old and miserly
man who lays heavy taxes on the folk of his small domain.

Nimon Gap: A tiny hamlet located at the place where the
Dawn Way descends out of the Nimon Hills, Nimon Gap grew
up around a large walled inn known as the Cross-Eyed Beholder.
The folk of Nimon Gap grow apples, pears, and chestnuts
in orchards sheltered below the hills, while shepherds and
goatherds keep their livestock in the heights.

Prosser: A village located about halfway between Brindol and
Hillwatch, Prosser is a quiet little place where the adventuring
band known as the Six Blades retired some years ago. The former
adventurers cleared a number of troublesome monsters from the
woods to the west and brought a new prosperity to the town.
The wizard Sardith (male human abjurer 9) is recognized as
the leader of the band, but he usually leaves most affairs in the
hands of Deillyr Starcloak (female half-elf rogue 2/fighter
5). Deillyr runs the town’s taphouse and serves as the chief
constable, judge, and troubleshooter.

Red Rock: Rich copper veins in the high foothills of the
Giantshield Mountains eventually gave rise to the rough-andtumble
mining town of Red Rock. In addition to the copper
mines, Red Rock also serves as a trading post for trappers, hunters,
and prospectors who wander all over the southern fl ank of
the mountains. A number of dwarves and half-orcs live here,
with no small amount of bad blood between them.

Talar: A small town west of Brindol, Talar is governed by
Lady Celiira Nesten (female human ranger 5), a highspirited
young woman who lately returned home to take up her
father’s title on old Lord Nesten’s death. Her impulsive ideas
are tempered by an old and conservative town council, whose
members grew accustomed to running things during the old
lord’s long decline.

Terrelton: The western end of Elsir Vale is drier and more
sparsely settled than the eastern end. Terrelton is a dusty town
that gets by on the livestock and leather trades; several large,
foul-smelling tanneries sit in the hills east of the town. The
town is governed by a Merchants Council shot through with
connections to various gangs of brigands and highwaymen, but
a crusading cleric named Leille (female human cleric 6 of
Torm) is working to clean up the council by exposing
the misdeeds of the criminal members.

Witchcross: A large village located at the ford of the Witchstream,
Witchcross is ostensibly governed by a council of elders.
However, the elders make no decisions without consulting
a circle of Witchwood druids known as the Keepers of Eth.
Adranna the Young (female human druid 8) is the Eth
Speaker, or leader, of the circle.

SITES OF INTEREST
Ruined keeps, burned-out watchtowers, and occasional abandoned
farmsteads dot the backlands of Elsir Vale and the area
around Lake Rhestin, reminders of the fallen kingdom of
Rhestilor. Even older ruins can be found here and there, dating
back to the old dwarf-realm or the druidic human folk.

The Blackfens: Lake Rhestin’s eastern shore is hard to defi ne,
because the lake gradually gives way to a vast wetland known
as the Blackfens. The Blackfens tend to be marsh, rather than
swamp—that is, most of the landscape is a treeless maze of
open water, reeds, and wet, grassy flats that shelter countless
waterfowl. Isolated hummocks or islets in the marsh are covered
with dense brush or forest. In the days of Rhestilor the marsh
was much smaller, its spread controlled through locks and
canals, but it has grown steadily since the kingdom’s dissolution.
Half-drowned farmhouses, dilapidated barns and sheds,
and sinking fieldstone fences tell the tale of settled lands slowly
inundated and abandoned.
The population of monstrous denizens is slowly on the rise
in the Blackfens, but their growth is stunted by the constant
vigilance of several small groups of wild elves known collectively
as the Tiri Kitor.  The elves patrol the Blackfens with the aid of giant owls, using lanterns
flickering with pale green continual flame at night. They keep
a wary distance from the humans who occasionally fish in the
marshland borders. Taken together, their encampments have
the following characteristics.

Tiri Kitor Encampments (Small Town): Conventional;
800 gp limit; Assets 68,000 gp; Population 1,700; Isolated
(97% elf, 3% half-elf).
Authority Figures: Speaker Sellyria Starsinger (female elf
druid 7), leader of the Tiri Kitor tribe).
Important Characters: High Singer Trellara Nightshadow (
female elf bard 4), tribe historian; Battlehunter Killiar Arrowswift
(male elf ranger 4), leader of the tribe’s hunters; Illian
Snowmantle (male elf cleric 6 of Corellon Larethian).
The Tiri Kitor Hunters: The Tiri Kitor elves can muster a force
of two hundred sixty.

The Dwarfroad: About 20 miles north of Skull Gorge, the
Dawn Way splits into the Old North Road, which leads up
along the western shores of Lake Rhestin to the Endless Plains
and the cities to the north, and the Dwarfroad, which climbs
through the Wyrmsmoke Mountains to the lands of the west.
Once this road was the preferred route for caravans traveling
east–west, but the growing presence of savage tribes and hungry
monsters in the Wyrmsmokes led to the Dwarfroad being all
but abandoned. Most travelers follow a battered cart-track that
parallels it 30 miles farther north or take their chances on a
track skirting the Thornwaste to the south, steering clear of
the goblin-infested mountains.

Elsir River: The major river of the region is the Elsir, a broad
but slow-moving stream fed by a number of tributaries. For
most of its length, the Elsir averages 200 to 400 yards in width,
reaching depths of 20 to 40 feet in the middle of its channel. The
small town of Elsircross, about 150 miles upstream of Brindol,
is the fi rst place where it can be forded, although a wooden
bridge spans the river at Brindol and ferries cross it at Talar and
Drellin’s Ferry.

Endless Plains of the Shaar: North of the mountains at the edge of
Elsir Vale lies a great windblown sea of dry grass, stretching
for hundreds of miles east, north, and west. The planes aren’t
truly featureless; the land has a fair amount of rise and fall, and
low-lying creek beds choked with undergrowth and briars cut
deep gullies through the grassland. Lonely stands of tall, hardy
trees dot the savannah-land. Nomadic human barbarians, tribes
of gnolls, and bands of wild centaurs roam the Endless Plains.

Giantshield Mountains: Sheltering Elsir Vale from the
harsh weather of the Endless Plains, the Giantshield Mountains
are a low range of arid, well-weathered peaks. The northern
slopes are barren, dry, and rocky, home to a variety of dangerous
monsters. The southern slopes are a little more hospitable,
covered in light pine forest and cut by the gorges of many small
seasonal streams. A smattering of isolated farms and steadings
hidden throughout the southwest portion of the range represent
the last remnants of the druidic folk who once lived throughout
the vale.

Golden Plains: East of Elsir Vale lies a vast, arid steppeland
that quickly gives way to rocky desert. In the vicinity of Dennovar
the Golden Plains are dry, flat grassland, but within a
few dozen miles the grass gives way to a rock-littered badland
of fl ats and mesas—a waterless and inhospitable wilderness
posing a formidable trial for the trade caravans following the
Dawn Way.

Lake Rhestin: This shallow, marshy lake stretches almost
100 miles from north to south. Once its shores were dotted
with the villages and manors of Rhestilor, but in the centuries
since the kingdom’s fall, humans have largely abandoned the
old heartland of the realm.

Marth Forest: Climbing the southern foothills of the
Giantshield Mountains, Marth Forest is a rugged, wild woodland
rarely trodden by human feet except in its southwestern
fringes. In its lower reaches, the forest is dotted with the old
barrows and stone circles of the ancient druidic folk who once
dominated the vale. The higher parts are home to human barbarian
tribes—disorganized clutches of feral berserkers rarely
encountered outside the woods.

Rhest: Once a prosperous city and center of the kingdom
of Rhestilor, Rhest is now a half-drowned ruin slowly sinking
into the Blackfens.

The Thornwaste: South of the Wyrmsmoke Mountains lies
a vast barren land known as the Thornwaste. A maze of broken
hills, briar-choked ravines, and dry, dusty scrubland, these
badlands give way to larger and larger stretches of true desert
as one goes farther south and west. The Thornwaste has long
been the haunt of lions, griffons, and other hungry
monsters. The ruins of a lost serpent-empire thousands of years
old still lie hidden in this wasteland.

Vraath Keep: Formerly a fortress held and manned by a
powerful family of soldiers known as the Vraaths, this keep
survived the fall of Rhestilor but later succumbed to a senseless
feud with local forest giants. For many years the keep has
stood in ruins.

The Westdeep: Several xenophobic tribes of wild elves dwell
in the depths of this dense forest, avoiding contact with most
other folk. The elves of the Blackfens once counted themselves
among these folk, but two centuries ago they broke ties with the
Westdeep elves and struck out to the east, eventually settling
in the Blackfens.

The Witchwood: Generally held to be haunted by the restless
spirits of the ancient human druidic folk who once dwelled
here, the Witchwood is a lush, wet woodland interspersed with
swampy stretches in the vicinity of the larger rivers.

Wyrmsmoke Mountains: Several volcanic peaks gave this
rugged range of hills and low mountains its name; travelers
who observed the plumes of ash and smoke that sometimes
arose from the inner hills believed that a great red dragon
was responsible for the fuming hills. The Wyrmsmokes are
home to a number of goblin, hobgoblin, and bugbear tribes,
now united under the banner of Azarr Kul, Warlord of the
Kulkor Zhul.

Wyvernwatch Mountains: South of Elsir Vale lie the
Wyvernwatch Mountains, a forbidding range of high, steep
mountains with few passes leading to the other side. The
Wyvernwatches divide Elsir Vale from the wastes of fallen Halruua to the south.
Only the most determined trekkers cross the range; most go hundreds of miles
out of their way by circling east or west around the mountains
before turning south.

Plains Barbarians of the Shaar's Golden Plains 

Regiarix, a Black Dragon of Takhisis

Dinner for Takhisis