Time Jump Writeup 2022-23 (draft 1 - 10/22/2022)

153 Year Jump! 16,375

Table of Contents:

- Introduction:
- Non-Divine Zones Broken Up:
- Forgotten Faith Neutrality:
- Death Effects Have Changed:
- Divine Effects Weaken:
- Divine vs Non-Divine Wars:
- Extra Islands of the Meinenlore:
- Infernal Rising Star:
- Angelic Rising Star:
- Darkhold Dragonsworn:
- The Plague Zone Wall:
- Aristocratic Vampires Hidden Everywhere:
- Athenmenon Deparia Invasion:
- Rising Star Factions and Pirates:
- Elementals Leave Rising Star:
- The Return of Odilathen:
- Dagdeoth Shifts Its Goals:
- Reedman’s New Mage School:
- New Magical Item Designs:
- Conclusions:
- Playlist:
- New Troops and Encounter Types:

Introduction: One of the longest periods of time ever advanced has taken place over this last time jump and it has shifted many things that were merely in development far past where they were headed and into new and completely separate places. The world is vastly different in these times, which not only sees new players taking up their roles as contenders for the heart of the world, but also shifting goals among those that remain. Nations which previously warred with each other, now have lasting peace, and many that historically were allies, under new governance, now take issue with each other. It is a varied and drastically shifted world, no longer concerned with the invasion of the Starless Night, which is ancient history, but much more focused on the remnants of a second war, that between Divine and Non-Divine forces, which lasted over eighty years and then broke into smaller conflicts which are only now beginning to be let go of. The issues that were the focus for so many last season are a distant memory only to dwarves and elves, and most people now are squarely focussed on the new powerful threats to Roekron security and how all these factions may fight among themselves, or, as many fear, band together to overthrow Roekron entirely. Groups such as SWORD and CROWN still remain as guiding forces in the world, and continue to help security and diplomacy where-ever they can, but each has shifted its focus. SWORD now operates as an elite military branch of the CROWN government which stands as a bastion of the durable and steady development of this now powerful entity. The Silver Service, once reserved for Dsesnor Royalty, now works for CROWN, as do members of elite forces from all across Roekron, some in SWORD and others on their own orders. But all who protect the CROWN members must swear oaths before the council and the world, assuring their loyalty and dedication to oppose forces that now attempt to wrest Roekron from it’s people; powerful groups such as the Infernal Factions and Angelic Factions of the Rising Star, Dagdeoth Purists, Undead of the Plague Zone Wall, the hidden and elusive Aristocratic Vampires, and most feared, The Darkhold Dragonsworn and Athemenon Deparia.

Non-Divine Zones Broken Up: Previously the remnants of the war with the Starless Night had large stable areas that were considered Non-Divine, and abilities powered by deities could not function in these areas. While no longer marked on the map, Non-Divine zones still exist but they are now unmoored from their previous locations, and they drift and collide with each other and other elements in the world. This is due to the war for the Rising Star and the factions of Starless Night that remained in the Non-Divine zones. As the war continued on, Rising Star disrupted more and more of these areas until they became completely mobile and now can be anywhere and of any size. Some are just small areas of an encounter, even areas only near the ground or only while someone is soaring, but others are miles in length and engulf entire provinces at times. This has caused a lot of problems for shrines which usually are a constant source of power for their deity but instead now are intermittent as the zones occasionally impact them. New skills have developed in many as they learn to search for signs of these Non-Divine zones movements and timing of changes. They do not seem to be affected by weather, or any physical effects, but do seem sometimes to stop, spin, and rapidly change direction for no reason anyone has been able to determine yet. The best theory so far is that they are somehow affected by the use of divine powers in areas, and that this somehow pushes or pulls on them and causes them to shift, but no one has solid proof of this yet. They are a daily nuisance in the lives of everyone in Roekron these days, but many have become accustomed to losing divine connection and having to go without until the zone moves on. Most consider this a minor problem in their daily life unless it occurs while battling undead, in which case, it spells doom in most cases.

Forgotten Faith: An interesting development over these many years has been the transformation of the Forgotten Faith from a major adversary to something of a neutral independent military style organization. They still retain the power to generate a Non-Divine zone around their encounters, and also retain the power to create effects that extend out into several encounters from their location nullifying certain effects or changing effects around them in various ways, but they do so in a more generalized way and seem to oppose groups that they find to be at odds with their principles. Many of these groups still exist but they are nomadic, and seek out various organizations or locations where someone or something has flouted the principles they have chosen to stand for. Some directly oppose groups like Shagaoath as they have chosen the freedom of magic as their core principle, and others oppose The Elder Goddess as they oppose any kind of organized religion. As such, you may run into them in any setting, anywhere, on both sides of many conflicts. Ohtarello, the leaders of these armies, still exists, but are almost never undead at this point, and do not use Morganti or other rare metal weapons as they once did. Instead, they often have an effect in their encounter that traps or otherwise causes a somewhat permanent effect on those they hunt down. Many nations are divided on how to deal with the Forgotten Faith but most have decided to try to work with them whenever possible and let them be when they can. Most friendly to this group is the Gray Isles, which remains a Non-Divine Zone and seems to have a great sympathy for these people. Rebuilding their culture and cities of the decades, the Gray Isles now appears as it once did thousands of years ago, a real nation, dominating the oceans of the southern parts of Roekron and effectively cutting off most trade to Temnor without agreements from them. Several Forgotten Faith battalions call the Gray Isles home and aid in the advancement of all the goals the Gray Isles attempt within their borders.

Death Effects Have Changed: About one hundred years into this period of time deaths began to change in the way they were experienced by people. Instead of gaining Agantine Deaths whenever you pull a black stone, deaths returned to the way they used to be, not accumulating at all until after someone gets Divine Intervention. Once the gods take this action upon a soul, it is believed that this then comes with a cost gaining Agantine deaths for each black stone pulled, but with the added benefit of being able prevent these Agantine deaths from being taken if the person chooses instead to lose a level and forget. These changes are attributed to two key interactions with Death and the realm of Death, first by Elien Nonas, and later by the previous Wildwood Orphan Dash, who both, it appears parlayed with death and assist in some way to repair or recover something that has gone awry in the realms of the dead. Most of the attempts to discover that this was exactly have been without result, but Elien Nonas appears to be something of an avatar of Death, wielding a scythe and often taking actions which seem to affect or otherwise relate to death or the deaths around him. Strangely aging backwards, Elien vanished from the world for a long period of time only to return as a child. Many distrust this strange being they are not certain is the person who disappeared so long ago, and as Menonass has lost its faith in a strict royal line, preferring to instead rely on a more democratic structure of governance, Elien now operates as the Regent, assisting in keeping the peace, though wielding no specific legal powers. Some say this was a cost the king had to pay to solve things in the world beyond, and others say it is merely a symptom of a changing people. Some say that the spirit of the Wildwood archer known as Dash haunts this king, and is sent out to punish those that attempt to disrespect the cycles of life and death. Many tell stories of arrows which seem to come from nowhere and strike down those who take more deaths from the world than is there share, or so the stories go. Whatever the role these two played, death is now a much more tolerable situation for most, and feared less though perhaps respected more. For whatever reason children and those level five and under do not gain Agantine Deaths even after they get Divine Intervention, and most consider this to be something the divine forces have interceded on to help protect those most vulnerable in the world. Some see this as connected to the strange question they describe being asked by Death when they get their Divine Intervention which requires them to choose between Life, Love, or Memories. Whichever of these they choose seems to be somehow lost in some way, and most attribute this to a cost that was paid, but by whom and for what is still unknown. There are stories of a sword carried by another Wildwood Orphan and somehow returned to death by a friend, but what this did is not clear, and these individuals are either long dead now, or unknown in their whereabouts. Regardless, the days of rapid loss of friends and allies to the afterlife seem to be behind us, and once again, death shifts its shadow from over adventurers for a time.

Divine Feels Weaker: Some believe that these major changes in the effects of death have caused a shift in the power of Divine Interventions as well. Many now notice that when they do receive a second chance from their gods, the powers they are able to obtain feel stunted, as if the amount of energy they are able to channel from their gods is somehow blocked or broken. Most attribute this to the previously mentioned Non-Divine zones still drifting across the world and disrupting much of the power of the deities themselves who also seem somewhat less effective than in years past. While this change does not seem change whether an individual is saved from passing on, it does drastically limit the kinds of effects one can be given, and this has many worried that combined with the sudden addition of Agantine deaths after their Divine Intervention they will be unable to survive long past the point the deities save them. Some retire at this point, rather than risk adventuring after this point, and some see it as their divine duty to continue on as combatants in a war they see as being directed and overseen by their gods. Whatever your belief, the divine world is certainly suffering in some way, and many scholars are attempting to figure out what that means for the world.

Divine vs Non-Divine Wars: The dominant factor in the first eighty years of this time period, the Wars of Divine as they became known cost many their lives, and shifted the balance of power in numerous regions across Roekron. Many predict that this war would have been much worse if the Society of the Rising Star as a whole had not broken up just before the wars really took off. Their divided allegiances and goals blunted the force of this attack and allowed for many who were “Marked for Destruction” to escape unscathed. Most believe this is why the Forgotten Faith still exists and some see this as a good thing, while others consider it a major failing of the war. Whatever the actual cause, The Society of the Rising Star as it was once known, a powerhouse of the most influential and connected forces, not is more of a renegade government adrift at sea. Most of the powerful entities and organizations within the Rising Star have gone their own way and formed their own governments and legions. Along with this disbanding of the legions, information about the actual nature of these beings has come to light. While most believed that the the Terrasalind were in fact angels, as were their angelic commanders, over these many years it has become more clear that these beings are in fact lost Outsiders, as are most of the Infernal Minor Devils and Demons assisting the Rising Star, having found there way into this world through a door opened into another Dimension they say they encountered years ago when many passages opened into many dimensions. What caused this is not clear, but thousands of these peoples migrated into Roekron during those months, and then, when Astengrad fell and transformed into a dragon/city they found themselves trapped in this world with no way home. At first they were confused and attempted to seek help from other organizations, but then, at some point, realized that due to their unique forms, they were viewed as demigods upon this plane. Many chose to take advantage of this good fortune and played into this role, while others were made to believe that they truly were the beings these mortals believed they to be. It seems that some of the most powerful among them realized that as the divine forces in this world became weaker and weaker, that they could step into the empty space left by the roles the gods used to play, and that by controlling magic, they would control the world completely. This still seems to be the aim of some groups like the Angelic Factions of the Rising Star which appear to be seeking a return to the days of an organized group like Astengrad overseeing all magic and its use. Others have abandoned this completely, like the Infernal Factions who now simply use their powers of evil and dominance however they see fit, corrupting and reshaping the world around them to their aims. It appears that the Wurduin Beyoni are also not of this world, having traveled here around the same time the doorways opened from other dimensions. This explains their strange powers even though they are human, as it appears that in their dimension, all humans have these powers. The Chaoath appear to be the only new group encountered among these individuals that is not from another dimension, though many wish that they were. They appear to have some deep connection with Dragons that reaches back into the ancient days of the lands to the west. There is an antagonistic relationship between these two groups, though one of measured respect as well. Chaoath appear to be immune to almost everything, and this makes them ideal bounty hunters, something they seem to have built into their culture. Now a freelance organization, the Chaoath hunt as they will, where they will, and many seem to have left to return back into the west now that the war is over. Most consider this a blessing and are happy to see them go, while others wish they would stay and help deal with the increased dangers posed by the Darkhold Dragonsworn. So many new and dangerous groups have risen out of the ashes of the old world that the Chaoath seem like a much more manageable foe than powers with Dragons leading them and strange pale humans with countless Morganti weapons on them at all times. It is indeed a different world, though not necessarily a better one for all by any stretch. Most view the arrival of the Athemenon Deparia as the true sign that the Wars of Divine had truly ended. This new and deadly group seemed to sweep in from the south with ease and quickly destroyed what remained of the Wizard Trade Order in the south of Roekron approximately one hundred and ten years into this period. It is well known now that they do not fear magic or spellcasters and seem to seek them out to destroy them in particular. In those early days, hundreds of elder sorcery casters were killed, many by their own spells fumbling as soon as they attempted to cast them. Some believe this is a power from an item these people posses, as seek to find and either destroy or obtain it. Others believe that the Athemenon Deparia are a version of the Forgotten Faith from a distant land that has found its way to Roekron as such has effects that trigger in entire encounters the way that Otharelos do. Whatever the true nature of these beings, few have has any luck really defeating them in any large scale way. Most of the Athemenon Depaira armies are simply undead, though of unknown design and form, which has taken some getting used to. But the white haired, white skinned humans that lead their armies are the more feared by far, as they seem to have little interest in keeping anything alive that does not serve a purpose to them, and have been extremely effective at invading previously powerful areas almost without seeming to even try. Sorikonia, of all places, seems to pose some kind of a problem for them at least initially as their emphasis on pacifism and monk skills appears to have given the armies pause. Over the years a few groups invaded the island a bit but were pushed back through simple direct combats using no magic whatsoever, which seemed to work at first. Recently Sorikonia has encountered groups they cannot defeat this way, and are now on the verge of some major losses. They are meeting with CROWN to discuss what steps can be taken to save their island before it is too late.

Expansion of the Wildwood: While many were aware that the Wildwood was expanding rapidly already, some were not sure of exactly how much it was growing, and how much it was changing on the inside. Ever since the great migration of item spirits into the forest, and the subsequent quests that led the spirits home, the forest has become a new entity. Seeming to draw in wanderers and lost folk, the forest at first was considered dangerous, until many seem to realize that it was instead protecting these lost children and people by changing them into something new. Why the forest decided to take this action and why it seems to have focused on these groups is still unknown, though many of the adventurers who parlay with the Wildwood Elves say that it is due to a ritual of protection released by a legendary fae power, and the forest has is now very different than many of these small, often invisible elves can recall. At first it gave powerful abilities and protections to the children it found lost within its groves, and changed their forms so that those who perhaps were hunting them would not recognize them. But then it became clear that much more than simple mortals were seeking to destroy these orphans, but rather, Nightmare creatures of an unknown source and form. These children, henceforth known as the Nightmare Hunters, did not age, and seemed to be the only group capable of destroying these Nightmares completely, rather than just banishing them for a time. But as the forest has continued to grow, many are now unsure of the role the woods now play in this conflict. Expanding far beyond its traditional borders, the forest has generated new islands at sea, Mienen Isorinin, and Sea Peak Island, and new massive woods as far north as Blackspire. Many are very suspicious of this new growth and seek to find a way to open in the dangerous trees, having many bad memories of the northern Dark Wilds and its massive expansion all the way to the ocean. Currently, most leave these woods alone, and some very brave individuals, venture within to see what new worlds they find. As many now realize, these woods appear to be all connected in some way, and many who become lost within find themselves emerging from a wood far from where they entered, sometimes even across ocean channels or massive mountain ranges, with no experience of ever leaving the wood. While this might seem helpful to those wishing to travel long distances quickly, many who attempt these trips often arrive years after then enter, making the trip not as time saving as many might think. Many new creatures now inhabit these woods, and many new villages as nations seem to reside inside, unknown and uncharted. For the elves who now guard the forest, they are as silent on the issue as ever, and if seen at all, seem to be satisfied with maintaining their role as guardians of the woods, which is now a daily interaction in many countries, not just Einion.

Infernal Rising Star: Breaking away the earliest and becoming a dominant force for evil and evil deities, the Infernal Rising Star has become a home for the thousands of demon related beings that once sided with the Rising Star. Most of these beings are the minions or agents of various evil deities who fought on the side of the Rising Star not because they saw the Starless Night as evil, but because they are somewhat divinely powered as well, and without divine powers, their powers would fade. They are in no way good or helpful, but seem to have been siding with the Rising Star simply to bide their time until a moment like this arrives. They now are something of the new Dagdeoth, venerating demons and demonic worship and encouraging a “might make right” attitude within their country. Constantly at war with itself, the Infernal Rising Star opposes only neutral and good deities, and seems to encourage and fund any and all evil deities across Roekron. This is a decidedly different approach than Dagdeoth who asserted that there was only one true divinity. Instead, this group seems to take the more chaotic and evil approach of advancing anything that causes harm, and then reaping the rewards of that harm once it is done. They seem to hope that people will lose faith in this world and turn to them as guilds. The group has three main leaders. Uberor Ton Due, a greater demon considered to be approximately rank nine if one does not count his innate ranks which appear to be numerous and all alternative mage types, which are unknown. Serikarver Di Mave, another greater demon that mostly takes the form of various trolls and giants in full battle gear, and who is commonly believed to be immune to attacks, believed to be rank 7 and primarily a warrior of some kind. Lastly Epicrari Von Squi, of whom little is known, other than that they have a means of travel that defies most people's understanding, shifting and traveling rapidly from place to place within a single encounter in ways that often leave most in the area insane. The Infernals lead armies of normal folk, but often the most evil of them, all with many blessings and spells cast upon them by their patron deities. Taking any and all routes to success, these armies can be merciless and cruel. A few of their troops and strategies can be found at the end of this document for reference.

Angelic Rising Star: The polar opposite of the Infernals, the Angelic Rising Star Factions is the home of all of those beings who previously were agents of messengers of lawful and good deities and gods. While not all strictly divine beings, all had strong connections to deities who needed a strong power source and thus opposed the Starless Night. Now that the Society of the Rising Star has broken up, this group seeks to be an anchor to the original intent of order in the chaos and of divine over primal magic. While not considered a major enemy to most, this group is hated and feared by most Shamans, Medicine Men, and those with a strong connection to nature. The Angelics view primal magic as a dangerous conduit to evil and infernal magic, and most agree that it cannot be trusted. This leads to major conflicts with Blackspire, The Dark Wilds, and many elven groups. Advancing the goals of all good and lawful deities, this group often funds the construction of shrines and temples, though few risk asking them for help since they always seem to gain a foothold in any region where these shrines and temples are completed. Seeking to be the new Astengrad, the Angelics often seem to attempt to control and influence the use of magic everywhere, and are in some ways quite good at this. Many of them will claim to have thwarted some of the most dangerous actions of the Infernals and of the Darkhold Dragonsworn and attempt to convince nations that without their aid the world will soon fall. While many find them irritating, it has been verified by many mage schools that the Angelics have indeed stopped many major moves by these evil forces and may have in fact continued to keep these other groups in check for a while longer if the Athemenon Deparia had not shown up and disrupted everything. The main leaders of the Angelic Rising Star are a duo. The Angel Hafelindar, a renowned and charismatic valkyrie like figure considered to be in the rank nine range excluding her innate ranks which appear to be in some kind of spirit and afterlife control and Kells Sealin, an Arch-Angel somewhere in the rank eight range who is widely considered to be capable of complete command of any and all warriors within his encounter, transforming wars in ways impossible to predict. The Angelics lead groups of diplomats and magical accountants into most nations seeking recruits, and occasionally will lead armies as well, but they mostly seek to win over the hearts and minds of Roekron to their cause, and try to not dominate through military force. Mostly on the defensive at this time, a list of their common troops and groups can be found at the end of this document.

Darkhold Dragonsworn: The most active and dangerous group of any at this time, the Darkhold Dragonsworn has gone through a long and dangerous evolution. They began as the Armies of the Starless Night, but when the invasion began to fall apart, they formed a new order made up of pieces of all the rest, and called in The Darkhold Bloodsworn. This group was very successful and dangerous until a group of adventurers succeeded in undermining and destabilizing the organization from their base in Passmans Tower. But instead of crumbling, this group seemed to rebound in an even more terrible and dangerous way. The rebels had discovered that the Darkhold Bloodsworn had a captive vampire they were using for some kind of power source. The rebels stole the captive and exorcized him, but instead of crippling the organization's leader, Hugred Thundredson, something changed about him rapidly, and he became three times as powerful as before, commanding whole new armies. Hugred still lives, long past his lifespan now, and continues to lead a major faction of the Darkhold Dragonsworn as they are now called, having made new alliances with various dragons to come to their aid, something rarely ever seen in history. Most scholars will hold to the understanding that dragons do not involve themselves in political wars and battles, and a good thing too, for if dragons were to unleash their full power on nations, most mortals would be erased in no time. Many who study dragons believe that they have some kind of truce that they have agreed upon, a deep pact with this world perhaps, that keeps them from taking these sorts of actions against nations and political groups or face retribution from dragon kind at large. But recently, this rule seems to not apply to the Darkhold Dragonsworn who openly ally with dragons and who have been known to ride into battle on dragons, and with dragons guiding their armies. How they get away with this without becoming the target of numerous other dragons isn’t clear. Certainly some dragons do oppose this group directly, and there have been some notable clashes over these main years leaving huge swaths of area uninhabitable for years at a time for fear of stepping in old magic gone bad after these terrible fights. Whatever the reason that this group functions as they do, they are by far the most busy, constantly attacking in all directions and fearing no one as they do so. Their armies are made up of all kinds of troops but seem to favor Kobolds, Saurages, and lizard people of all kinds, as well as many Drakes and Drakespawn which they seem to breed and develop for war. Their usual tactics are to have powerful spells cast on them that benefit their troop design while hindering their enemies. Rather than a flag bearer, one of their troops is often marked with a scar of a claw, usually around the neck or back, which gives them a Drake Breath of one type or another. The fact that this individual could be any of the troops, often makes many fear to confront even their footmen. The leaders of this organization are said to be Hugrid Thundrenson, a Greater Flame Giant Ranger, Samurai, Veteran believed to be rank eight who is a corner Black Crescent Command Giant and who now seems to also be a Necromancer and Storm Mage. Ghosain Whinot, a Shadow Phantom believed to be an Assassin Thief who is former Empty Cowell. Yullania Coris - a Wisp Guard who seems to hunt down and recruit Dark Heroes from the group and is former Bloodied Seeker, and Iledrope Tentreke, a human knight believed to be in the rank ten range, with some kind of elite knight training, a descendant of a long line of Towering Thousand human knights. There are also five prominent dragons that make appearances within this organization, Winterdark, a Black Dragon believed to be ancient, and known for deadly and powerful storm spells, Coroneesi, a White dragon fond of granting powers to various troops that enhance their already effective abilities but that sometimes do things unexpected, Eyestitch, a Needle Dragon that blinds those that oppose it and it’s minions, Umbral - a Black or Shadow Dragon that keeps a low profile but seems to be active through the actions of others more and who is known for consuming those that serve them once they are done with them, and Volcamdion, an ancient Red Dragon said to have attacked Pinnale on many occasions and who seems to have a particular hatred of hobbits and mages in general, usually causing most conjure spells cast to mana drain the caster to death and ignite them when they are in the area. A list of troops and general info can be found at the bottom of this document.

The Plague Zone Wall: Definitely the least mysterious of the two known vampire factions in Roekron currently, the Plague Zone wall is the consolidation of all the previous plague zones into one continuous zone. This is not necessarily by design, as SWORD and many other powerful groups opposed to the vampires, including the Angelic Factions of the Rising Star, and even the Darkhold Dragonsworn set out to destroy and remove the zones early on. The result is a somewhat weakened, but situationally adapted new zone that has managed to survive all these forces. The zone itself uses haunts to power its walls, which allows certain groups with the ability to interact with haunts to open doors into this place. All others who attempt entry seem to be mana drained to death and absorbed by the wall, becoming undead under the wall's control. Attempts at Elder Sorcery also tend to just grow the wall, and thus, most now are content to simply keep it in place. Within resides hundreds of thousands of lost souls, constantly being recycled from Zombie form to skeleton, to specter, all to further the aims of the noble vampires that call this place home. These vampires appear to have a vision of world dominance that promotes necromancy over other means and attempts to expand ever further into living lands, transforming them into havens for undead while leaving the living in a haze of darkness and confusion. This sort of Dark City effect is commonly considered to be the traditional form of coercion and control most Elder Vampires use. It stands in great contrast to the tactics the Aristocratic Vampires now use, and leads to many conflicts and sabotage of each other's aims. The Plague Zone Wall Vampires appear to be led by a vampire known as Wormwood, a notorious villain who famously masterminded the plague zone doubling of Forgen. Known for his skill with using plague zone elements to create convincing illusions, many begin to be wary of anyone and anything they encounter when approaching areas near the Plague Zone Wall, for fear of walking inside without realizing it, never to return. The most striking development of this group currently is the way the wall distorts even the air above it, making it extremely ill advised to fly over, and how it seems to be able to redirect teleports to within the zone that attempt to cross it. There are many accounts of people trying to teleport who are now gone, and a small few who attest to arriving and spending months believing they were continuing their lives, only to eventually be rescued from within the zone. Needless to say, this area is not well traveled, and most expect the zone to make some kind of advance this year. Rather than run into random bunches of zombies wandering the world as in the past, Zombie Hordes from the Plague Zone Wall are not very organized, and seem to use Zombies as a sort of body armor. A group might appear to be all Zombies but when dropped, instantly transform into skeletons, specters, and ghouls, returning back to Zombie forms when dropped again! This allows these undead to recycle themselves very efficiently, and many can even transform without being dropped. Much more of a mind game with these troops now, Zombie Lords no longer grant Revenant abilities, though Revenants still grant an ability they have to Zombies within their groups. No one can be certain what lurks inside the Zombie stumbling towards you, and thus, most steer clear.

Aristocratic Vampires Hidden Everywhere: The most elusive and highly developed group in the area, the Aristocratic Vampires, also known as Our Ladies Faithful, have successfully pulled off an elaborate vanishing trick that has left many in Roekron stumped. Several groups were tracking this splinter group as they emerged from the Plague Zones and at first were able to keep tabs on them, if not actually stop them, and recorded a very concerning evolution in their behavior and traits. This faction seems to have lost the trait that makes them seem undead, and all of them are indistinguishable from their living counterparts with few exceptions. Because of this, they have been ever harder to follow and understand. Rather than use illusions the way the Plague Zone Wall does, this group seems more to simply coexist alongside living folk in any city, anywhere, and slowly gain influence and power through more traditional means, before ever taking over living people to turn into more vampires. The Aristocratic Vampires don’t seem to need a dark city or shroud, and seem unaffected by sunlight, which makes them even more pervasive. Since there is no specific source to target, finding a way to hunt down and defeat this new threat is often considered one of the hardest, and Pinnacle has its most skilled counter vampire groups working on tracking this menace. It is believed that they do have some kind of primary figure that is sometimes referred to as The Apostle, and this name has become something of a curse, when things go awry and no one can account for why, The Apostle is often blamed and people begin to turn on one another quickly. How they grew so quickly, and why now instead of earlier, is not commonly understood, but many feel that something that perhaps had been keeping these vampires at bay is no longer a threat to them, and that now, the door is open, and someone has invited them into their house. The little that was discovered of this group and the common strategies they employ can be found at the end of this document.

Athemenon Deparia Invasion: This group is perhaps the most concerning to all of Roekron, even the evil groups. Up until the arrival of the Athemenon Deparia there appeared to be a decided chance that the Rising Star Factions, with the aid of the Chaoath Bounty Hunters, might gain control of Roekron in general and establish a new Wizards Trade Order of sorts. But with the sudden invasion of this new powerful enemy, many wars ground to a halt for a while. The Athemenon Deparia used mostly undead troops, which was not uncommon for Roekron to deal with. What was uncommon was the vast amounts of Morganti this group deployed. The strange white haired, white skinned humans that led these armies seemed to use these weapons in every battle they were in, even detonating huge balistate-like weapons that shot Morganti blades in random directions. Why they seem so careless isn’t commonly known, but as more and more battles with these humans were fought, it soon became clear that they have some kind of powerful protections on them, the likes of which Roekron does not understand, and they quickly destroyed all of the Wizards Trade Order that remained in Roekron. At first people thought they were another kind of Chaoath from the south, but the Chaoath themselves seemed to quickly disavow themselves of this group. Unafraid of even these most feared killers, the Deparia humans famously faced down several Chaoath unphased, and both groups seemed to be incapable of harming the other, though a few Chaoath are said to have died somehow in these conflicts. Thankfully, the Deparia humans are extremely few in number, similar to the Chaoath. Many believe that there are less than one thousand total individuals of this type within the ranks of the Athemenon Deparia and that the rest are standard undead or other beings assisting these powerful leaders. The goal of the Athemenon Deparia seems to be some kind of cleansing journey. Rather than seek to destroy the world, as Dagdeoth has in the past, this group appears to be seeking out elements of the world they find offensive or wrong, and to destroy these elements completely and forever, or to bind them to their service. These elements most commonly seem to be those which are the most magical and divine. In some ways, this has given groups like the Angelic Rising Star and the Darkhold Dragonsworn common cause against this new foe, but neither group seems to be able to actually affect much damage against the actual organization. Destroying the thousands of undead troops the Athemenon Deparia send out to “gather resources' ' every month or so is something many nations excel at. But stopping the inevitable slow creep of land control is another problem entirely. The main leaders of this group appear to be a man called Authmenon Dakramenon believed to be of some kind of royal house of his people, who is almost never seen other than being well known for wearing Morganti Full Plate, something many consider suicide, but seems to suit him just fine. He is believed to be Rank twelve or so, though none have tested this and survived. His second in command seems to be a woman called Sharlie Gwythdawn, seeming to be in her thirties, with long hair, purple robes, and jeweled bracers. Believed to have been in the initial attack, she is assumed to be immortal and an Archmage of some kind. Also of note is a person of indeterminate gender who most refer to as Hithil, who is known for wearing grey clothing most of the time and wears two chains across their chest when in formal settings. This individual appears to be something of an intelligence gatherer, and operates an organization of more secretive members. Each of these individuals has never been confirmed to have been killed, though many have tried, and most oracles on the subject usually draw a blank, leaving us to speculate on what this means.

Rising Star Factions and Pirates: As the Society of the Rising Star broke up, three main elements peeled off and became independent. First was the Chaoath, who seemed to sense the impending destruction of the organization and began taking matters into their own hands. THe Chaoath now operate as their own band of hunters, seeking out whatever they choose and destroying it, the more dangerous the better. They seem to have no particular care for the divine, allying themselves with the Society only because it gave them power. Now they are renegades, working for whomever they choose. Similarly, the Lightchaser City Ship which began the rebellion, has become something of a legend in the western seas and across the world. At first a loner, and then gather other city ships and entire fleets of smaller vessels, this group appears to be pirating the Society of the Rising Star, stealing back the riches that were stolen from people across the globe and repurposing it for their own aims. Many groups with similar opinions have joined these Pirates, now known as the Lightchaser Rebels, who have undercover operatives and implanted allies all across the nations. A small group for sure, they must constantly stay on the run to stay ahead of the powerful groups that seek to punish them, but skilled and with a tremendous amount of luck, this group seems to always survive against the worst odds. Believed to be hiding out somewhere now, they were instrumental in getting the Elementals of the Society to rise up against the Infernals and Angelics, and thus fractured the Society. Many think of these pirates as a thorn in the side of the most powerful groups attempting to take over Roekron and so often give them aide when they can. They are believed to be led by a group of undead, several elusive and unknown elementals, and a few Terrasalinds and Inferendoth who seem to flaunt their previous roles in the Society and dare the previous powers to come and get them.

Elementals Leave Rising Star: When the Society of the Rising Star broke up, a large swath of their allies, the elementals joined the rebellion first. This group appears to be the true locals to Roekron, and has continuously pushed to the inferior roles within the organization. Eventually, the elementals grew tired of this kind of background role, and realized that they were simply a tool for the Society, not a true ally. As they broke away, they did not, as some thought they would, join with the pirates and continue to attack the remaining Society groups. Instead, the elementals set out on their own and took counsel with each other only. For a time they were seen to be searching for various items and relics, but eventually broke off into smaller and smaller groups, until no one ran into them much anymore. Where they all went and why isn’t commonly known, but most assume they have returned to the places in the world where they alone can exist, or found passages back to their home planes of existence, at least for those that are not from other dimensions. Alternate Dimension elementals, like all beings from other dimensions, are stuck in this world, and as such, have begun to find new roles for themselves here. Some believe that the elementals remain an alliance of underground agents, working more secretively to thwart their old enemies, and some encounters with oddly allied pairs of elementals does suggest this, but what their actual goal is now, and how they will go about it remains a mystery to those observing from the outside. It does seem that this group in particular has an interest in protecting primal magic, and in keeping item spirits whom they see as their kin, from being misused or enslaved again. Fair warning to all who would attempt to item craft, do so at your own risk.

The Return of Odilathen: Surprising to many is the return of Odilathen as a country on the map. At the beginning of this long period of time, Odilathen was abandoned and the rebels that were attempting to regain it instead became nomads, traveling the lands in search of those who needed their help overthrow tyrants. This worked very well for them in the end, and descendants of these nomads can be found all across Roekron living alongside all kinds of peoples of every social status and giving advice and aid. As the years passed, eventually groups began to spring up in Blackspire seeking to regain the lost province and homeland of their people. At first, this was considered a aspirational goal, but as the Society of the Rising Star fully broke apart, as the Angelics attempted to consolidate on Mount Wizaste, nomads moved back in and with the help of several Blackspire tribes, regained the city of Odilwatch. Rather than fight this new group, the Angelics appear to have decided they had other more important uses for their resources, and they let Odilathen rebuild so long as they did not advance up the Mountain. Thus emerged a tentative truce between these two groups, one which now will be tested as the world again contests with a struggle at its core.

Dagdeoth Shifts Its Goals: The long forgotten villain in this land, Dagdeoth seems to be struggling to make a return to relevance and power. While still a far cry from the juggernaut of doom they once were, Dagdeoth has recently taken a few steps towards expanding into different areas and pressing their interests again. At the heart of their struggle seems to be a divided culture. They no longer have a figurehead which dictates to them what the Dagdemar wants or is, and instead have been left to figure this out on their own. Groups like Shagoaoth and the Bonemarks seem to have solved this by asserting themselves as the mouth of the Dagdemar and driving their people to action this way. But others, like the Dagedrask and Dagedmain seem to have many different versions of what worship looks like, and many different views on what sacrificing the world looks like, either metaphorically or literally. While it might seem to be a good thing to have the dangerous religion so divided, it has led to some desperate actions by splinter groups that seek to assert themselves as the new figurehead. The Legions of K’Gall having fallen and the whereabouts of K’Gall being unknown, many see themselves as the likely next target. Each now sets about to assert dominance and this sometimes means not attacking each other but those around them to show how dangerous they can be. Some suspect they are already making alliances with groups such as the Infernal Rising Star Factions and the Darkhold Dragonsworn. Many fear that these countries might soon find common cause in attacking all their neighbors and as such, many groups now attempt to weaken them before they can re-emerge as the sleeping giant they may be. The current leaders of these groups appears to be a council of demon worshippers known as the Eight Hands which rules Dagedrask, a group of Liches and Wraiths that are believed to be descended from the Bone Machine which calls itself The Shadow Forge, Shagoaoth herself, still ruling though not very often seen in person, and a council of human nobles called The Council of Abenganin, believed to have ties to many Dagdeoth royal families that rules in Dagdemain.

Reedman’s New Mage School: In the midst of all of these developments, a new mage school was built with a new philosophy of magic and teaching. The Reedman Interdisciplinary Magicians University sprung up and with excellent funding and a secure location positioned between Stonehammer and Illionass, the school has become a new bastion of magical theory, law, and advancements in magical technologies. Unlike other schools which utilize the towers as the main source of their overlay, Reedman Interdisciplinary Magicians University (or RIMU for short) uses much smaller independently controlled minor overlay fields operated by each student. These interconnected fields work together to act as one larger one, and allow the school to be much more nimble and responsive to threats and actions towards it. Proving a useful ally, many of the main mage schools in the area have come to rely on RIMU to counteract incoming Elder Sorcery attacks and attempts to sabotage their overlay. Several times of this period, Pinnacles overlay has faltered and RIMU was able to maintain spellcasting for the majority of its students and mount counter offensives during that period of time. By no means as powerful as a school like Pinnacle or Stormwatcher, RIMU punches above its weight, and seems to have taken on the role of the unexpected underdog that when things fall apart, rises up to be a shield while its allies recover. Some are fearful of becoming too dependent on this school, and prefer to focus on the older, more standard ways of using magical effects. But RIMU’s popularity and democratic system of vetting and advancing teachers has many flocking to its doors. Unlike other schools, RIMU requires students to study in Semi-martial classes in addition to their chosen mage types. These specializations create varied and interesting results which produce students more able to cope when spells fail, and more creative with the spells they do design, often thinking of ways to not just make a spell work but to make it help others. Unfortunately, RIMU has had a difficult time with its political teacher structure. At first the system worked well, as teachers advanced their way up the chain, but eventually, rules began to be shifted and changed, and large sums of money were revealed to be being exchanged for positions in various roles in the school. While still an influential player on the scene, RIMU’s recent bout with corruption and internal conflicts has left some less than assured. One notable element that RIMU students seem to have advanced that has affected large areas of Roekron is their ability to communicate over vast distances. Long considered too difficult to master well, the school does seem to have some kind of ability to communicate using some kind of code, with all it’s students at once, which has given rise to many students being taken on as messengers and scribes in armies, passing on information through the school and back out to another scribe in the capital. While not exactly instant, it is still faster than messenger hawk, and this has changed the way many countries do business.

New Magical Item Designs: One of the most obvious changes to the way people operate in Roekron is the shifts and changes to magical items during this period of time. The construction and evolution of modular magical items that can be fitted to any type of weapon has revolutionized both the military and everyday life for most people across the lands. Instead of crafting a single sword as in the past, magic item crafters now make items in pieces, like a blade, hilt, and pommel. Each of these three items can be fitted to a mundane sword to grant it magical powers, or fitted together as a complete set. They can even be combined with other modular pieces to create unexpected combos and items with just the right set of abilities someone is seeking. This kind of mix and match approach now drives much of the Roekron magical items economy. Almost all the items being made these days have this type of ability to be deconstructed and rebuilt into something new. These types of items are now quite common across Roekron and represent an advancement in magic item technology that most people now consider to be modern magical items, viewing older more traditional designs as “static” items and somewhat quaint. This evolution began in Pinnacle, as these shifts often do, and then was copied out to various other regions. Many of these items are not spirit enchanted but instead made through a process of Elder Sorcery charges, and mana flow and materials. Most assume that these items, unlike their older counterparts, likely require more energy to maintain, and will need to be recharged at times, though each likely lasts many years before needing to be refurbished. Most consider this a small price to pay for the complexity and variability these new items offer. So common are these items that it has now become a common joke for old timers like elves and dwarves to relay the story of lending their human friend one of their items for the day, with disastrous results… Such is the way of advancements in any culture.

Conclusions: Many new and varied enemies now roam the lands of Roekron. Along with them, a new assortment of heroes with abilities unlike any generation before them rises to meet the moment. There are many ways to victory, and no one path leads out of the darkness. As always, more important than knowing which direction to go is the understanding that taking a step in any direction leads to new understanding and discovery. We are not all fighters, nor are we all philosophers. We are the collected breadth of a humanity held close and seen clearly. As the world moves in, so do we move out, pressing against all that threatens to crush this beauty, while holding ourselves in check such that our own frantic motions do not crush the new blooming flowers we are trying to protect. If you are looking for a compass, be a light in the sky. If you are searching for a villain, look behind you when all seems bright. A sword is only as useful as the arms that wield it, and arms are not just meant for war but for holding each other when the world seems to shake. Find each other in the spaces. Seek the eyes of those that have known you before and will know you again. We are never as broken as we are when we refuse to take another's hand. There is no one way forward, only a million ways beyond.

Playlist: Bonus music for this moment.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0XC1NKqV2eod2w169G1ouu?si=jVF3EmNaSW-ePirjxEhLDA&pt=0fadab47465ce0710a7e038e313881d2

New Troops and Encounter Types

(added onto continuously throughout the season as more is learned).

Darkhold Dragonsworn Troop Details:

Darkhold Dragonsworn Siege Force:

1 Rank 3 Dark Troll with Charm (medicine ball causes the burned effect to them), 2 R2 Stone Giants with Triumph: Lose “named” standard ability (only one ability per enc.), 3 R2 Skeletons that take Medicine Ball as Animate dead and they pay the cumulative cost, 4 Rank 1 War Trolls that each are Immune to a chosen source of fire, and the rest Journeymen Urukai with Battle Training for a Rank 1 Skill. (One of them randomly has White Drake breath).

Darkhold Dragonsworn Harrier Cutters

1 R1 Veteran Dark Troll with Temp.Charm [no mana cost, only Tier Limited- Triumph to gain an additional use immediately], 2 R1 (Amazon/Necro) Skeletons, 3 R1 (Barbarian/Life) Crypt Hulks, 2 R1 (Veteran/Paladin) Hobgoblins and the rest Journeymen Bone Goblins with ES field of Undead Reanimation.(One of them randomly has Black Drake breath).

Darkhold Dragonsworn Raze Guard

1 R2 Veteran Stone Giant, 2 R2 Flame/Necro & Barbarian/Samurai War Trolls, 3 R1 Specters, the rest lvl 4 Kobolds. Raze Guard has passive ES which makes fire and burns resistant to removal and putting out. (One of them randomly has Red Drake breath).

Darkhold Dragonsworn Stonefist Hulks Division

1 Rank 2 Stone Golem (plus innate Ranks) with Limited Shatter (with hands only).

2 Rank 2 Cave Trolls with linked INT (operate with combined INT as long as they are both alive - effective AVE INT).

3 Rank 1 Greater Giants with Partner Awaken for each other (only)

The Rest Ogres with ES of “Our AV is Spellturning.” (One of them randomly has Blue Drake breath).

Darkhold Dragonsworn Sky Heralds

1 Rank 3 Size 8 (Mage) Phoenix!

2 Rank 2 (Warrior) Griffins

3 Rank 2 (Semi) Harpies

4 Drakes

The rest Sky Beasts with ES spell of Vine Damage and Missile Magic Resistance.(One of them randomly has Green Drake breath).

Athemenon Deparia Troops and Undead Units (added onto as more become common knowledge)

Roekron Daparkrula Encounters Ruling

(Encounters with a Daparkrula in them follow these basic guidelines. Opponents magic items are dampened, spells fail within 10 of the Daparkrula, as does all magic damage.

Athemenon Deparia Minor Battle Band

All lvl 3-6 Specters, Moriplates, And Skeletons

2 Rank 2 Semi Plague Ghouls

2 Rank 2 Warrior Death Knights

2 Rank 2 Mage Apparitions

Athemenon Deparia Minor Assault Force

All lvl 5-6 battle bones!

2 Rank 3 Warrior Death Knights

2 Rank 3 Semi Ravenous Ghouls (see below)

2 Rank 3 Mage Wraiths

Athemenon Deparia Full Strike Detail

All lvl 4-5 Crypt Hulks

2 Rank 3 Crypt Sentinels

2 Rank 3 Death Guards

2 Rank 3 Iron Maw

2 R4 Dapar Krula with Magical Items.

Ravenous Ghouls (Ω) Greater Undead

Hp: 5, Size: 2, AV: 2, Int: Average

Abilities: MA w/ Weapon Mastery, Bite AV0 Poison, Improved Devour (fully heals them), Shimmering, Spiritbury, Hunter: PC Species.

Death Guard (=) Full Undead

Hp: 3, Size: 3, AV: 3, Int: Average

Abilities: Unbreachability, Can make AV0 Mana drain attacks (hands) Eye hack as Slay, Innate Rank 1 Mage and Veteran

Iron Maw (Ω) Greater Undead

HP: 5 Size: 3 AV: 3-4 Int: Average

Abilities: Resist all skills & silence opponent for 20c when hit with a skill, Devour, Bite 5AV0 Infect, Battle Cry, Brace, Swimming & Diving.

Innately rank 2 in a Warrior class

Description: Suits of armor with animal head shaped helmet with elongated mouths.

Tide Walker (=) Full Undead

HP: 3 Size: V AV: 0 Int: Low

Abilities: Water Native, Climbing, Crown of Sapping (Slow for a 20c), Martial Arts, Can make Mana drain attacks (hands)

Description: Corpse of different waterlogged partially decomposed humanoids covered in barnacles.

Bone Beast (=) Full Undead

HP: 15 Size: 7 AV: 0 Int: Animal

Abilities: Monstrous Strength, Bite AV0, Shimmering Elite (reflect immobilizations), Martial Arts, Resist all called abilities on limbs, Water Native.

Description: Massive muscled bipedal best with bat ears and one central glowing white eye

Last Known Aristocratic Vampire Abilities:

Aristocratic Revenants (Greater Undead)

HP: as species Size: as species AV: as species Int: High

Abilities: Prevent the effect of a Conjure that strikes them: 1 mana (this sends them Ethereal Instantly), Charm, Don’t look undead, Effects Resistance, Healing deals no damage to them unless they are in Sunlight.

Description: As species.

Aristocratic Beasts: Full Undead.

HP: as species +15 Size: as species, AV: as species. INT: Average with Animal tendencies.

Abilities: Don’t look undead. Have some portion of then that is actually animal formed (legs of a horse, or wolf arms, or hawk head, etc.). Allure Touch for Animal INT beings (lasts the encounter only), gains 3 common animal abilities from the chart each encounter. Animal Form: retains its stat block but mimics an animals form and mobility until they revert. Healing deals no damage to them unless they are in Sunlight.

Description: as species but can appear as an animal and have all its mobility abilities and retains Aristocratic Beast stats and abilities in that form.

Aristocratic Sired By’s: Minor Undead

HP: as species Size: as species AV: as species Int: as species.

Illusionary Not Undead (Function as alive until disbelieved - Greater Illusion). Cap Damage at 1 while an illusion (this drops you, though you aren’t dead). You may pay 1 mana to get up Instantly if down this way. Temp Charm: no mana cost or Tier limit. Being Disbelieved Charms the one who Disbelieves you. Healing deals no damage to them unless they are in Sunlight.

Description: as species.

Plague Zone Wall Troop Details:

Zombie Morph Undead Horde

Zombies in these encounters have Zombify.

Appears all as Zombies at first, but each has another undead inside the Zombie which breaks out in two ways. (1) Whenever the Zombie Shell is dropped, call “Instant Morph: (undead type)!” And pop up as the undead that was set inside the Zombie form. You remain this undead for a 20 count before collapsing back into a down Zombie. Zombify restores both the Zombie and the inner form. You may also (2) pay 1 mana and call “Morphic Shift” and at the end of the 20 count call “Instant Morph: (Undead Type)!” You remain this undead for a 20 count before instantly transforming back but stay up if you were up when you ended the 20 count.

Infernal Rising Star Factions Troop Details:

Corruption legion

1. Behowl: Description: a Demonic owl with a ring of nine eyes around its head and horns coming out of its head. Abilities HP: 5: INT: High Size: 2: Greater Undead, One of each ray (including web, disable, wind shuriken), Purple Ray: Charm (9 uses). Winged Flight, Martial Arts, Scouting, Carrying, Bite, Night Vision, Outsider Regenerating. When you hit an up player with a ray you can trigger a displace (ray doesn't need to work on them), Battle Cry
2. 2 Minor Devil - Inferendoth (hp1, mana 2, av 0, int ave, size 3, Minor Undead, gliding (on tiny wings), horned person with choice of either Greater Undead or Outsider Regenerating. They also choose ONE of the following abilities: 5 Mana, Flying, Giant Strength, Martial Arts with Weapon Mastery, Shattering Armor, Slay, Hack & Staff Touch with melee weapons
3. 4 Imps (they have Fireball/Terrorball Multicast, are size 1/2 , and minor undead, have Winged Flight, and have Zombify and Animate Dead).
4. Bone Warriors

Angelic Rising Star Troop Details

Chosen Breachers

- 1 Sunknight (HP 3, Mana 2, AV 4, INT High, Size 3: Looks: Like a suit of armor with nothing but bright light bursting forth from it! Looking at this being is difficult and causes temporary blindness- see below. Abilities: Only takes magic damage, Life Rotator Rouge, Immune to Unconsciousness, Immune to Mental Effects, UB Sleep Touch (Mental Effect), Innate Rank 2 Life, Rank 1 Paladin, winged flight. If you make eye contact with this being you are Blinded and Lighted for a 20 count- look straight down).
- 2 Terrasalind (a divine spirit like being) (hp 1, mana 5, av 0, int: ave (High in Divine), size, 3, winged humanoid with Immune to Unconsciousness, only takes magic damage, Immune to Mental Effects, Soul Drain and Spirit Bury)
- 4 Spirit Messenger (HP 1, Mana 2, AV 0, Size 3, INT Average, Looks: Like a winged humanoid with a faint light about them and glowing hands. Abilities: Winged Flight, All AV is Spellturning, Medicine Ball, Jumpstart Heal, Minor Blessing (Effect Just two other allies- as Party Blessing). [Charts for Rising Star are Law, Knowledge, and Celestial]
- Guardian Spirits

Forgotten Faith Troop Details

Phalanx Guard: Groups of paired units with equipment sets with shields or spears. Each can awaken their partner (as Partner Awaken) but can do so with their weapon. The spear users have Improved Strength and the Shield Users have Spellturning Shields. All of these units have Battle Training for Snare, Impale, Hack, Crit, or Knockback.

Giant Brigade- 4 Stone Giants per wave (total of 12), all Rank 1. The rest level 5 Ogres. Ogres in this Brigade gain Boulder Throwing and all Giants gain Reflexes. All units in the Giant Brigade can deal 1 damage to themselves to boost an attack! All units in this Brigade take Terror if they are dropped.

Fletchers Brigaders: Groups of paired units with equipment sets with bows, throwing weapons, or Armor Piercing Sets. Each can awaken their partner (as Partner Awaken) but can do so with their weapon (yes arrows too!). The players with Armor Piercing sets have Shatter, and the players with bows and Throwing Weapons have Combat Shimmering. All these units have Battle Training for Scouting, Spirit Guide, Throwing Training, Healing Touch, or Brace.

“Ohtarleo”: Order of the Forgotten Faith Commanders

This group is what the Army of the Starless Night used as their Paladins, though they are unlike any Paladins we would recognize and as such, should be thought of distinctly differently. They are much more of a class all their own, with abilities that feel like they were once Paladin, but are now quite different and strange. They seem to focus on bringing people into the fold of the Forgotten Faith, through reason, or through conquest, and if not that, than through death.

Abilities: Duel and Bow Out, Immune to Called abilities, immune to missile attacks, and immune to attacks with more than one modifier (AV0 works, and Magic works, but not AV0 Magic). Those that attack them take Silence for a 20 count. This effect is considered spiritual but not magic or divine, like duel. They are never affected by Divine Effects no matter where they travel. Immune to anyone who uses a Paladin ability they observe. Any Paladin killed by one of these beings loses a level in addition to any effects they would normally have from their pull. This is per death they gain, not per pull from the death bag. Custom Fields: They have 1 entire field effect per Rank they are, which is a unique custom ability. These custom abilities are trained like a class so that the leader might have five but someone they trained would have just the first two (not two completely new abilities). For example-

If the Commander “Ohtarleo” has:

R1: Holy is off.

R2: Magic damage is deboosted.

R3: Spells you cast are reflected.

R4: Being dropped displaces you away from where you entered the field.

R5: Opponents leaving the encounter fails.

Then, a Rank 2 Ohtarleo under that commanders control would have-

R1: Holy is off.

R2: Magic damage is deboosted.

Notes: These people are almost always humans, Most hunt down and destroy groups their chosen principles conflict with. Duel is used usually only when they are being swarmed or otherwise double teamed. These people seem to have a haunt like property where they fade away along with all their gear if they are dropped or killed, only sometimes remaining, following some unknown system of when they remain and when they fade.

Dagdeoth Bonemark Troop Details

Bonemark Darkguard Patrol

1 Rank 1 Death Knight

1 Rank 1 Doom Guard

1 Rank 2 Wraith (Mage)

3 Wisp Guards

2 Stone Giant Plague Ghouls

The Rest level 4-5 Skeletons.

Shagaoath Troop Details

Shagaoath Elite Advanced Guard

5 Rank 3 Priests of Shagaoath (one of each mage type) with “Dispel Magic: you die!” For 1 mana per use, 4 Rank 2 War Trolls (Warriors and Semi) with Reflect Magic, 3 Rank 1 Specters with Called Magic Resistance, 2 Rank 1 Stone Giants with Missile Magic Resistance, and the rest Humans with Battle Training (option of 3 choices of 5 ranks of abilities- 2/1/2)

Dagedrask Troop Details

Dagedrask Possession Detail

1 Rank 2 Beast Demon

1 Rank 1 Wraith

1 Rank 4 Human with Outsider Regenerating, Greater Undead, Mage Lore and Staff Touch with all items, and Charm.

2 Rank 3 Banshee with one use of Voice Range Mind Control (as Charm- but at a distance).

3 Rank 2 War Trolls

The Rest level 4-5 Specters.

New Common Wildwood Developments Encountered Across Roekron:

Soldier Groves

HP 5, Size varies, AV 0, INT Average/Plant/Animal

Description: Soldier Groves appear like a collection of soldiers of various types and forms all frozen into shapes as if in mid battle. They are entirely made of plants and wood, and as such don’t take skills or spells and deboost all damage, are are Immune to all attacks and effects while in their stationary mode. The Soldier Grove takes one action every 5 count, which is usually some kind of strike or attack towards anything that is not a part of the soldier grove attempting to pass through. Each person playing the Soldier Grove is not timed together, but has their own independent 5 count which causes the grove to have a rhythm which can be learned at moved through if timed correctly.

Drift Haunts

HP as species, Size, as species, AV as species, INT Low

Description: These encounter are like an entire battle between two armies suddenly phasing in around you. Everything in the battle is actual a haunt, and only exists for a 20 count before phasing out again, only to reappear a few feet away in a GM determined direction another 20 count later. Any part of the Drift that is killed will vanish for that encounter, but will return in the next time the Drift is encountered and seems to remember those that have attacked it before, drifting in their direction more and more often.

Tanglevine Snares

HP 5, size ¼, AV 0, INT Plant.

Description: Within the Wildwood the plants have a tendency to grab people who move through the area without paying attention to their feet. Usually this is played by having players have to stay on the grassy areas of the field, or visa versa, depending on what the terrain is like. If a player steps on a patch of dirt, they take Lasting Snare and Earthbind of that leg which does not release unless the person does 5 individual damage to the Tanglevine Snare to get it to let go. Beings with Speak to Plants can explain their reasons for entering the Wildwood and after a 20 count, the Snare might let go depending on their reason. Speaking to vines holding others legs sometimes works, but often takes a full minute.

Insect Troops

HP 1, Size 2 (but varies), AV 2-4, INT Dense-Average.

Description: These beings have been showing up in the Wildwood on both sides of a war with Morgoth. They seem to be some kind of anthropomorphic version of angelic and demonic forces. Ladybugs seem to have the traits of a Divine Spirit Messenger, while Potato Bugs seem to be Unbreachable fighters that drain mana from those that touch them. There appear to be many types of these beings, from Cave Troll like Rhinoceros Beetles, to Ghoul like Locusts.

Metallic Beasts

HP varies, Size, varies, AV 2-4, INT Animal/High?

Description: These beings seem to take on the form of various animals from insects to mammals and birds but they are somewhat deconstructed and all metal. They seem to eat metal objects and magical items and have a variety of abilities. Only a few have been encountered and thus their abilities have not been tracked well yet.

Creek Hulks

HP 10, Size 5, AV 1, INT Dense.

Description: Like an aquatic plantlike ogre or troll, they often collect things and seem to use the beaver strategy of making an island to “hide” their treasures on.

Abilities: Water Native, Regenerating.

Googlicubes

HP 1, Size 1, AV 0, INT Animal/Low

Description: These creatures look like odd tiny trolls with no obvious face, just two huge stocks on the top of their heads with big eyes on the ends. They have colored gemstones in their foreheads and have a corresponding ray of that type as well. These beings have Regenerating, and also seem to be able to Treeform the entire encounter on a 20 count cool down (one player, usually the GM calls this, and only this player). They do so usually to protect themselves if being attacked a great deal. They have Martial Arts but can also use weapons. If dropped and a mana is put into them, they become an odd cube with the gemstone on top of it. If the person who spent the mana then touches the gemstone, the gemstone is absorbed into the person and grows on their forehead and remains for the day. The Googlicube remains a cube for the day as well. Those who receive these gemstones gain the corresponding ray but also can be turned into cubes in the same way as was done to the Googlicubes at which point the person who takes them gains an ability that person has, not the ray. At the end of the day, the Googlicube becomes a tree that cannot be reverted by others, and then eventually reverts at some point of it’s choosing.

Googlicats: as above, but add all the Big Cat stats to them as well and their rays are Warded!

Glade Stalker (Full Undead)

HP 25, Size 7, AV 4, INT Animal/Average.

Description: Like a tree-ent that has become undead and hunts for living things outside of the Wildwood.

Abilities: Slow, Swift Sleep Aura (1 mana or free on a 1 minute cool down), Charm for unconscious players only, weapons for hands (or Martial Arts), Immune to Spells and Skill on their limbs, deboost damage on limbs, Immune to spells on armored zones.