Rise of the Seithran

The Rise of the Seithran can be played as part of the Bone King adventure path or as a stand-alone, but before we get started, here are a couple things from the Bone King campaign that ended up being pretty important for our playgroup.

The Bone King's Ruby Eyes and Iron Ring (see description in the Bone King)

The Cup: Discovered in what seems like years ago, this silver cup was borne out of the shadow keep of a once powerful noble. Since found, it has already changed two of our number that dared to drink from it. Once in the Material World, the cup changes into a gold goblet encrusted with sapphires and emeralds. Our two adventurers that drunk from the cup were brought closer to the Shadow Realm. They now see in the dark and figments of their companions thoughts and fleeting images of their dreams. On this leg of the adventure, the cup has new surprises. You might end up in the Aether, where the cup can take on any number of shapes depending on the realm it's brought into. In the Halls of the Dead, it manifests into a blaze of white fire. Of course one of our foolhardy adventurers decided to fill it with wine and drink from it. What would ever cause a sane person to put a ball of fire to their lips, who knows (not their GM!), but it happened and she was consumed with incredible burning pain. After a few moments of pain that felt much, much longer, she was changed. Her spirit fused to her body, erasing her previous self and making her a planar creature. This has made innumerable changes to her not the least of which allows her to use the reflection in the cup to see images of things she concentrates on.

Magdalena Zwierzchowska

The sea spray greets you like an old friend as the prow of the ship dips down the chop and back up again. At the top of the next wave, the city of Torvald crests the horizon and almost at the same time the sun peaks out of the east. Suddenly it feels two degrees warmer.

Then out of the coastal waves, a ship and then another and another. Three rectangular sails, red striped and decorated with a black ring across the the center, the ships quickly close the distance between you. "Who is that?" You shout to the old captain over the surf. "They are the Seggring," replies Ask, "Leaving for the raids."

Soon the ships are passing and Ask shouts something in Skald at them while raising a shield from the railing and you gawk at the ships full of tall muscular women working the ropes.

The Setting: Torvald is huge for a town in Nord Fyel. In fact, the Vann consider it a city. The streets aren't paved and most buildings are single story long houses that shelter multiple families. There is little else as far as structures, but the docks are something to behold with many dozens of ships at rest on the beach and each at the base of a 50 ft. tall wooden sculpture carved with many faces, some like animals or monsters and painted with blacks, reds, greens, and sometimes blues. There's another such wooden pillar or totem at the center of town, but it stands well over a 100 ft. with a base at least ten feet wide at the bottom.

Making your way through Torvald you'll find many people toiling about but little in way of a market- or really any place to sell goods. In fact, it seems most residents are very self-sufficient (at least in the view of an outsider) and what they can't get they buy from their neighbors. It seems local knowledge will be necessary for navigating the ins and outs of Torvald, especially for acquiring food and hawking goods. Just the same, the subtle wealth of the Vann is apparent in the well-fed populace. There is plenty of drying fish, kelp, and squid hanging on racks outside, also fine fishing nets, dyed furs, and steelwork.

At the center of Torvald is the largest of the longhouses. It is incredibly large for a single story wooden structure. Its walls are lined with doors, now open to the elements, and its roof reaches at least sixty feet tall. From a long way off you see a crowd assembled inside.

The Scene: Once near the structure, you see a short black haired woman dressed in travel-wear, fur, and a woven cedar cape, addressing a much taller women clothed in many furs dyed red and black. The woman, named Hilde is recounting the story of her search for her lost son, only to return to her home to find the rest of the family had disappeared. After searching frantically for some hours, she found only these unusual spheres. Then she holds out one of the four transparent globes. The woman in furs, named Torunn is the Jarl of Torvald. She takes one sphere. It seems like glass, but extremely light and durable. She passes the globe to a strange looking man covered in tattoos and wearing antlers on his head. This is Leif, the town Verndari or druid. He sets the globe down and asks how many she found. She procures 3 others and postulates there is one for each of her children and husband. Next to him another strange looking man, he is thin and short and dressed in only a cedar skirt and an elk-skin cape. This is Knut, an excentric but good-natured witch.

The Spheres: Each sphere is indeed the remains of Hilde's husband, two children, and Hilde as well. In fact, the woman claiming her name is Hilde, is actually a woman named Gudrun- but we'll return to that later. Leif and Knut are unable to discern the spheres' nature, but while experimenting Knut may accidentally open a portal to the Halls of the Dead as that is where they come from. Each sphere once held the spirit of a living being, but they are spent. They were created by the warrior spirits named Valkyrja, but without exploring the other side of the portal it is impossible to discern anything except that they were formed from the chaos of the Aether.

Halls of the Dead: The Halls are immense, mindbendingly so. You can walk for what seems like miles and still be standing at its center. The hall is flanked by statues of women warriors, seemingly made from marble and silver, and standing miles upon miles tall. Adding to the strangeness of the place, the hall has no windows, but it is filled light, so much so that you have absolutely no shadow.

Heading in the direction of the statues will eventually lead to what you thought was a hall but is in fact, an endless number of passageways stretching away from the main hall. Going down any one of them will lead you to an identical great hall, except this one is filled with innumerable rows of men and women in maille and furs drinking and eating. They are being served by lithe silver clad women identical to the statued pillars of the hall. They stand well over ten feet tall and seem to serve no function other than refilling cups of wine and carrying trays of food, despite their full armor and many worn weapons. Scanning the room, your eye is drawn to the "end" of the hall, which when you concentrate seems to actually be the center of the hall. An even taller woman, also clad in silver sits on a throne, her black hair sticks out from under her helm and she sits at the center of the only dark part of the room, an immense black blot on the cobbled floor.

The hall is filled with the raucous of a million warriors. You may approach unhindered. All the silver-clad warrior women ignore you as long as you are unthreatening and the undecipherable buzz of voices continues for as long as you stand in the room. Once you sit at any of the tables, the talking turns from white noise to coherent chatter. The warriors are warm company. They will regale you with stories, including the story of each of their deaths. They know why they are there, though none seem to know to what end (though they have stories for that too). The woman at the center of the hall is Alfhildr, goddess of war.

The Plot: Alfhildr is an oft revered deity that serves as the protagonist in many tales. She is also described as a ruthless slaver that wears the gilded teeth of the previous Alfhildr around her neck. Regardless, she like most beings in the Aether are far removed from materiality. Why they would be involved in this mystery is befuddling to say the least, so bear with me. A once-prominent and now persecuted political faction named the Seithren is making a gambit for the seat at Torvald, attempting to overthrow centuries of democratic tradition to establish an oligarchy and also push out the Verndari (druids) as the spiritual leaders of the Vann.

To achieve their ends, this small but powerful group of wilders has enlisted the help of Magnhildr, sister and rival of Alfhildr. In exchange for the sacrifice of four of her sister slaves, the Valkyrja, she will aid them. A difficult task to be sure, but now organized the seithran are resourceful. They summoned four Valkyrja and with the souls of Hilde and her family they dispelled the enchantments that force the Valkyrja to obey, knowing they would attempt to kill Alfhildr and take her place on the throne. Now, the Seithren need only wait for the freed Valkyrjas' likely deaths.

When the adventurers play through Torvald to the Hall, they are likely to discover the spheres once housed the souls of Hilde and her family, but they were spent. It is possible to discover the identity associated with each sphere. Likewise, it is possible to use the spheres to return home (but a word of warning, each time a portal is created, a sphere is destroyed) They are also likely to witness the four Valkyrja attack Alfhildr and die in the process. Their blood will be added to the ever-growing dark blot on the floor.

Arthur Rackham

When you return to Torvald, a startled Knut is in the middle of making stew when you spring from his cooking pot. Once the confusion passes you'll realize you've been gone for weeks (or at least much longer than you suppose). Immediately you make your way to Torunn to tell her what you discovered.

You learn from Torunn that Leif left for a village called Kimbr to better study Hilde's home, but he has not returned. Torunn introduces you to a man covered from head to toe in tattoos. Despite the chill of fall, he is almost naked. His name is Hakon, a painted warrior and tracker. He is as blunt as he is skilled. She was just about to send him to Kimbr to track down some thieves stealing sheep from the counties around Torvald. She seems unconcerned about Leif's absence because apparently the Verndari are outside her control and frequently gather for meetings, but since the trouble with Kimbr and the apparent thievery in the same area, she would like you to accompany Hakon on the two-day trek to find him.

Kimbr: A small village with friendly people. When you arrive, Hakon leaves to track the stolen sheep. The villagers point you to Hilde's home at the edge of town and also confirm that Hilde had three children, not two (exactly as she claimed but curious if you discovered the identities of the orbs). Also strange, the villagers are unable to talk about the youngest of the children. Whenever a villager mentions the child they begin to contradict themselves. Curiously the villagers seem to be aware that what they are saying doesn't make sense, but they can't help it. In fact, once they start contradicting themselves about the child they start contradicting themselves about the whole family, eventually resulting in a splitting migraine and confused mumbling. Something else, they become confused about the whereabouts of Leif. Not only that, but the whereabouts of any Verndari. There should be at least one in each county and all the villagers should know the identity of the local Verndari.

Each of the villagers is marked, though they don't know it. The Seithran have enchanted all the townsfolk to obey their commands and avoid certain topics, all without them ever knowing the Seithran were ever there, despite the fact that the Seithran's main gathering point is the vale only ten miles up the forest path.

One thing the villagers do know is a woman named Gudrun. Gudrun was ostracized from Kimbr as a child (for being a Seithren or wilder). She was long thought dead, but some of the local farmers recognized a woman in the forest that resembled her (now a woman in her late teens).

The Vale: Having found only a dead farmer, and tracks of sheep leading into the forest, Hakon comes to find you. Hakon, blunt as he is, wants to track them into the forest but with night falling seems to want some backup. The mood of the town and the wanton nature of the farmer's death has him a little spooked. Making your way through the forest, you come to a point where there is a light flickering through the cedars ahead. After a mile or more, you come upon an incredible scene.

An inferno casts long shadows across the cliffs. There are more than twenty women sitting around a huge bonfire. Behind them are the men. An equal amount of men are split into two groups and between them is a group of children. From the protection of boulders, you can make out provisions, wagons, and two squatted forms beside what looks like bears. One of the women stand up and come near the fire, so close that it should burn her. Suddenly she thrusts a hand into the flames and opens it. The fire erupts to the heights of the cliffs and morphs into the shape of a tall bird, perhaps an egret or crane, and then into the shape of a woman- a familiar silver clad warrior woman. Staring down at the woman now clutching her burnt arm, a voice fills the camp, "You have done well," spoke the fire woman, "Your reward." And she holds out a hand. Quickly, each of the women stand up and one at a time approach the proffered hand. It's difficult to see, but each returns with a gold ring and a blackened hand. When the twentieth ring is given, the fire dies to mere embers, and the short woman that first thrust her hand in the fire turns to her followers and presents her ringed finger, "Our labor," she says,"Sleep well tonight my brothers and sisters. Tomorrow the Eldring recaptures Torvald."

What Comes After: Hakon recognizes the seithren for what they are and is eager to make for Torvald tonight. He will want to warn Torunn and muster all the warriors in Torvald. If you wish to head back (Hakon may elect to leave you immediately so as to get the word to Torunn faster), you will find the city abuzz. Palisades are being erected around Torvald. It seems the whole city has answered the muster.

The Seithren and their Plan: Twice a seithran warrior raised an army and conquered Nord Fyel. The seithran, Alfarr the Great ruled Nord Fyel as king for nearly 80 years. In this short time, seithren were accepted members of society. At the height of Alfarr’s reign, the council of seithren, called the Eldring, rose to power. In only a short time the Eldring displaced the Verndari as the spiritual leaders of the Vann. But once Alfarr passed, the Eldring became corrupt and fraught with infighting. Not long after, the jarls returned to power. A decade later, Hjalmar the Fierce seized control of the Eldring and led the surviving seithren once again to power and glory, reconquering Nord Fyel in a bloody war, and after many years, Hjalmar claimed the throne at Torvald. The night of his coronation, he was poisoned and the Eldring that remained were slaughtered in their sleep. Since his fall, the seithren were branded anathema. In most places, the seithren are now reviled and feared. They are known as forath or monsters, and once discovered many are ostracized or killed. In some places the seithren are pitied. They are hidden, shunned, or left to die. There are, however, a few remote villages where the seithren are respected and honored. The seithren are born with an innate ability to spellcraft. They are gifted or tainted with this power at birth. Roughly one in ten thousand Vann folk are born seithren (the seithren are wilders).

The Eldring is long gone but the seithren are not. Left for dead, Gudrun, the black-haired young woman posing as Hilde, wandered the forests around Kimbr surviving two frigid winters before meeting Astrid, the short woman that thrust her hand in the fire to summon Magnhildr. Astrid is five years her elder and had been wandering the forests for a decade before meeting Gudrun. Astrid, ambitious and embittered by the trials she was forced to overcome, gathered other ostracized children. Astrid delved deep into the Shadow Realm to learn the intricacies of demon magic and mentored Gudrun. Upon meeting a demon named Turel, Astrid learned about the realms within Aether and a way to contact the "gods" for aid. With Magnhildr's gift, the seithran plan to catch Torvald at unawares. Gudrun's visit to the city set the plans in motion, setting the orbs as a trigger for the Valkyrja to attack and starting a countdown for the infiltrators that have taken up residence in the city. Now that all the Verndari in the counties are dead, there is no one skilled in casting spells to stand against them, but they are trusting in more than just brute strength. Their attack will take two forms, within the city and at its flanks. The plan has many risks. They are vastly outnumbered, but Astrid has put all bets on the table. It's all or nothing.

The Gold Rings: It says a lot about the character of a wilder that manages to survive past childhood, but adulthood does not signal the end of danger. Pouring even a moderate amount of power into casting spells creates unpredictable and sometimes lethal side effects for wilders. Magnhildr's gift prevents this (negating the identical dice effect). It also ramps up the amplitude of the spell (always roll 4 dice when casting spells and resisting them). Each of the seithren women was gifted a ring. The ring is tied to the seithrans' will. With time, each seithran with a ring will be utterly destroyed- another sacrifice to Magnhildr.

Arthur Rackham

The Gods!

The Northern Realm started as a spinoff of D&D 3.5e. The first rendition departed somewhat from its roots but never made it too far beyond what Pathfinder did with D&D, except for some notable differences. I never liked the D&D concept of gods. I think if I were going to have gods in the way that D&D does gods, I would make them more direct actors in the world, somewhat in the way the Greek Pantheon is always messing with mortals. Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking D&D, it's just not how I'd do it.

Instead, I opted for 'Gods' whose existence is less than certain. Some gods are misconstrued, some are appropriated, while others are gods only in fairy tales and stories, powerful beasts, old heroes or tyrants or benevolent monarchs, or creatures of other dimensions. Generally, the older the story of the being is the more likely they are considered a god (at least by the local populace). 

Creatures or beings that are not all powerful gods can't see if you are sleeping or if you've been bad or good for goodness sake, so they also can't grant you spells or powers. I've opted for learned cantrips and orisons, a ritual-like spell that clerics and dhampirs have learned from the cult of their deity. I fully intend on making this customizable. A cult of the masters from Blackburn may learn a different ritual (orison) and cantrip from one in Keth. Players can even make up their own using the deity's description and example of an orison as a guide. Ultimately I may need to shirk the 'Deity' title, but for the sake of simplicity it will stay as a placeholder.

The following are deities you may find in the Northern Realm:

The Masters

The Masters were once the great leaders of the Noble Dominion. Kamose, as known by his peers, or Valak the Tyrant, as known by his subjects, was their chief. He reigned from his seat in Gorhithe, which would later be called the Free City. After the slaughter of the Ancients, Valak ruled unchallenged for a hundred years. Only by the ambitions of the other Masters was his kingdom torn asunder and the people he ruled as thralls rose up to depose him. The Masters are a forgotten force in the kingdoms of man. Only the oldest of records remember their deeds. And yet secret cults persist. They worship the Masters and pass their secret knowledge down through the generations. In the great houses of the old realm their memory survives.

 

All powers granted by the Masters require an offering of blood.

The Masters are not known by their true names. The following names are listed in order of their true names, but in the histories and even the secret blood cults they are known by the name as given in the description. For example, Kamose is known as Valak.  

Eshe

Orison:  Invade the dreams of living creatures. Perform the blood ritual, spend 1 Power each, and enter a sleep-like trance. You must have an object of emotional value, a piece of the targets, or know their names. Once in a dream you may aid the target against incursions, attempt to wake it, or impose your will on it by leaving subtle suggestions or disturbing its sleep. To aid a target, roll yours and its Will resistance check whenever necessary and take the higher result. To disturb its sleep or implant a Suggestion, successfully roll an opposing Will resistance check. You may only occupy one dream at a time. This is a mind-affecting ability.

Cantrip: Deep Slumber.

Eshe is known as the matron noble, also Mara the Black. She is perhaps the only noble besides Arahn that is said to rival Valak in power. She alone of the 7 Masters ruled apart from the Noble Dominion. Her realm was at the northern edge of the Great Fen, near the upland basin that feed into Lake Mél. She is remembered as a master of dreams and visions. Few cults worship her. She is usually depicted on a throne or symbolically as a black rose or simply by her personal rune. Strangely she appears to have some connection to Mororíganís, queen of the fae. The reasons for this are unknown, but she is unmistakably depicted with Mororíganís in a number of engraved murals.

Kamose

Orison: Touch the mind of a living creature, leaving behind your subtle influence. Perform the blood ritual, indicate your targets, and spend 1 Power each. You must either know of the targets in detail, encountered them, or be able to name them. Affected targets are allowed a Will resistance check. On a failure the targets roll a detriment on any actions taken against you (and only you) until night turns to day or vice versa. This is a mind-affecting ability.

Cantrip: Dominate.

Kamose, the Magnificent, known as Valak the Tyrant Lord, is the chief of the 7 Masters. Valak ruled from his throne in Gorhithe. His power reached from the southern forests of Greywood to the plains of the Hereg. At its pinnacle, his power was such that the Grey retreated deep within their own kingdom and did not return, even after one hundred years of the Master’s waning power, until Valak himself was destroyed. Valak is sometimes referred to as the Lord of Death and Master of Unlife. He represents not only death, but dread and despair, despotism, and temptation. For generations of man, Valak was synonymous with the concept of evil, though that was not so for the servants that profited under him. He was known for rewarding loyalty, and though his gifts could be fickle, his vassals lived well. Valak is the most revered amongst the Masters and many cults are dedicated to him. He is depicted as a figure armored in black mail, a man upon a throne, or an armored figure with a skull for a head. Symbols that represent him are a clenched gauntlet, pointed crown, white chrysanthemum, and his personal rune.

Kashta

Orison: Confound the minds of living creatures. Perform the blood ritual, indicate your targets, and spend 1 Power each. You must either know of the targets in detail, encountered them, or be able to name them. Affected targets are allowed a Will resistance check. If it fails they do not recognize you until night turns to day or vice versa. They do not forget you or your past actions, they simply do not recognize you. If you act in a manner that the target or targets would be familiar with, they are allowed a second resistance check. This is a mind-affecting ability.

Cantrip: Living Story.

Kashta, or Evroul the Deceiver, claimed the north demesne near modern day Evleen Lake. He of all the Masters is considered the most benevolent. His denizens lived in relative peace for as long as they abided by his law. Despite the amity within the realm, those closest to Evroul are best described as mad or otherwise not living. Evroul is a master of illusion, and extraordinarily possessive. Evroul prized status quo above all other things, and coveted his possessions, which included all within his demesne. The littlest changes, including ones that could not be helped, such as a mine drying up, were not only unacceptable but against the law. Those who broke the law were dealt with swiftly. Evroul used illusions to maintain the appearance of unchange. It was once rumored that all the occupants of his castle were illusions. The libraries of Evroul though secret, are rumored to still exist. He is depicted in numerous engraved murals scattered about Evleen Lake. The murals depict a man in aristocratic garb. His symbols are a smiling mask (or face covered by a smiling mask), poppy, and his personal rune.

Keket

Orison: Choose a spell you know or have been the target of, once you complete the blood ritual you may cast the chosen spell as a cantrip. You retain the ability to cast this spell as a cantrip until night turns to day or vice versa.

Cantrip: Fugue.

Historians of the Free Realm often come across references of Keket, usually in reference to the night, which she represents. Without a particularly discerning eye, it is easy to confuse Keket with the Ancient Common word for night. Keket is rarely represented as humanoid. Unfortunately, her story is buried in obscure text. Few if any worship Keket, though discoveries in the west of the Great Fen have revealed a number of ruins with clearer references to her. From these ruins it is clear that she depicts not only the night, but mourning or sadness. She is shown with her face covered with a hand or as a crying woman, for that she is named the Weeper. Her symbols are a circle or a curious personal rune that resembles the rune of Valak.

The following is information unknown to the cults of the Masters, humanity, and most others: 

Keket was the once lover of Valak. Her land was once a rich forest, before the Great Fen swallowed it whole. Some time following Valak’s rise to power, Keket seemingly betrayed Valak. Valak responded with the destruction of her demesne. His retribution was not fully realized until all its inhabitants were slain and all built things thrown down. Valak left her land in desolation and her children murdered, but left Keket alive to observe the consequence of treason.

Maibe

Orison: Living creatures are inexplicably drawn to you. Perform the blood ritual, indicate your targets, and spend 1 Power each. You may roll twice and take the higher of two rolls on any Intuition based check concerning one of the targets. You must have an object of emotional value, a piece of each target, or know their names. This is a mind-affecting ability.

Cantrip: Mark of the Slave.

Maibe, the White Lady of Meren (sometimes shortened to Meren or the White Lady) was famous for her strange masquerades. The residents of her demesne lived in perpetual fear, perhaps greater than in any other place within the Noble Dominion. Meren was famous for mysterious disappearances and stories of creatures that would lure the hapless into the forest, never to return. Meren is located near present day Blackburn Lake. Maibe is depicted as a beautiful woman unclad or barefoot and garbed in a wispy dress. Her symbol is a budding red rose.

Menkare

Orison: Living creatures naturally adore you. Perform the blood ritual, indicate your targets, and spend 1 Power each. Your targets view you as a friend as if affected by a Charm spell the next time you meet. The effect lasts until night turns to day or vice versa. You must have an object of emotional value, a piece of each target, or know their names. This is a mind-affecting ability.

Cantrip: Choose one telepathy power from the Demon Magic power list.

Menkare, known as Arahn the Cruel was Valak’s most trusted advisor. His sudden disappearance emboldened his enemies, which may have led to Valak’s downfall. The Havren, however, tell a different tale and provide insight into Arahn’s elaborate manipulations and mental prowess. And though the Havren do not share this information, the cults of Arahn know something of his machinations. As Valak’s right hand, Arahn committed countless atrocities. He represents both cruelty and intellect. He is depicted at Valak’ side in most representations of the Masters. But when depicted alone, he is shown sitting upon a throne. Members of Arahn’s cult loyal to all the Masters would say this depiction shows Arahn as a steward in Valak’s absence, but those loyal to Arahn alone, would say it shows Arahn in his rightful place. His symbols include a longsword gripped with a bare hand, a spiral, and his personal rune.

Saa

Orison: Break the will of living creatures. Perform the blood ritual, indicate your targets, and spend 1 Power per target. You must either know of the targets in detail, encountered them, or be able to name them. Affected targets are allowed a Will resistance check. On a failure resistance check, one ability score (choose which) is rolled at a detriment until night turns to day or vice versa. This is a mind-affecting ability.

Cantrip: Bestial Strength.

 
Saa, known as Vedast the Savage, and (in secret) Vedast the Feral, was earl of the Noble Dominion’s southern territories. His vast demesne stretched from the Great Fen to Greywood and the whole north of the Hereg Plains. Vedast is associated with nature deities, representing the cruelty of nature and its unforgivingness. He is also associated with the hunt, and strangely, fairness. He like the other Masters, is surrounded with fantastic rumors, including one that he hunted his subjects, but also ones that claimed he stood against the other Masters at times, including against Valak, his liege lord. One of the tenants of the Vedast cults is the respect of strength. Still, Vedast is one of the most feared of the Nobles, famous for his unpredictable nature and ferocity. He is depicted as a hunter on horseback or a figure chasing prey on foot, sometimes armed, sometimes not, or as a huge wolf. His symbols are a wolf (sometimes with two heads), a wolf’s head, and his personal rune.