Editing The Wilderlands of Absalom (section)

=Setting=
After a century the forces of Chaos have begun to subside and weaken and the Realm of Man has begun to expand again, to retake territory lost in the past hundred years and even expand past its original borders. The Five Princes of the Inner Kingdoms have called for all able-bodied adventurers to venture into the outlands, to drive the barbarians and humanoids and abominations out and establish new domains for Law and Order. The adventurers have a charter from the Scarlet Prince, granting them ten year monopolies on any trade routes opened with friendly territories and the ability to draw upon the population of the Inner Principalities for labor, for skilled craftfolk, for soldiers and for settlers. Of course, the adventurers could also do it on their own and attempt to establish their own domains without owing fealty to anyone. They also have a map, a century out of date and likely inaccurate; the incursion of Chaos has warped the landscape in strange ways in addition to the more mundane monsters wreaking havoc on the towns and villages beyond the River Sarn.

The seasons are like Philly, approximately three months long each, but the winters are much colder. There may very well be a supernatural reason for this -- perhaps even connected with the presence of Chaos.

==Lore and History==
*[http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?765089-IC-ACKS-The-Wilderlands-of-Absalom&p=19753848#post19753848 The Crocodile Kings]
*[http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?765089-IC-ACKS-The-Wilderlands-of-Absalom&p=19757714#post19757714 The Fall of Zizdul]
*[https://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?780003-IC-II-ACKS-The-Wilderlands-of-Absalom&p=20068056#post20068056 She Who Hunts the Weak]
*[https://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?780003-IC-II-ACKS-The-Wilderlands-of-Absalom&p=20219981#post20219981 Zamekkamen and the Faerie Realm]
*[https://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?806873-IC-IV-ACKS-The-Wilderlands-of-Absalom&p=21478207#post21478207 History of the Swamplands]

===General Setting Information===
*Hob - Urban population of 240, Class VI market

===Infodumps from IC posts===
*[[Infodumps from IC posts]]

==Tribes of Absalom and Other Domains==

===Cerves===

*The Risen Moon - tribe of roughly 40 cerves that travels mainly east to west and back.  Their leader is Hafafah.  Hosfai and Mayaz are from this tribe.
*Soaring Eagles - tribe of approximately 32 cerves, traveling east to west, but in the plains, not the hills.  They are a tribe known for soothsaying and spirit gazing.  Encountered [https://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?765089-IC-ACKS-The-Wilderlands-of-Absalom&p=19683121#post19683121 here].
*Dancing Eagles - mentioned briefly in IC II, post 1213.  Not much contact with the other tribes, ranging even further north than the Soaring Eagles.

===Caballi===

===Morza Naus===

[https://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?801538-IC-III-ACKS-The-Wilderlands-of-Absalom&p=21178137#post21178137 Morza Fanhuskel Naus], Lord of the Conjoined Serpent and Magician extraordinaire is an ogre mage with a palace in Hex 41.23.

[https://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?801538-IC-III-ACKS-The-Wilderlands-of-Absalom&p=21183584#post21183584 The Tripartite Demense] is a kingdom of Faery located in the general area. It is inaccessible to those who do not know the way. The Lady Magrit of the House of the Tripartite Demense and daughter of the Gloaming was a guest of Morza Naus.

===Hive of Cxa-tru===

[https://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?806873-IC-IV-The-Wilderlands-of-Absalom&p=21503125#post21503125 Link]

Located in 12.40. The hex's land value is 9.
In subhex 306: an organic structure, resembling a termite mound, but much, much larger. It towers perhaps two hundred feet above the ground and, from where they stand on the hillside above the valley in which it stands, looks to be maybe 75 feet in diameter.
Mel'ar'Quinthai is their Queen
M'ellgotharx'o, fifth Furusiyya of the Serriterae is their ambassador to Wolf Keep.

They call themselves serriterms, and Harn gets the impression that their Hive has been in existence for centuries, at least. "We learned to write in the Common tongue from the human traders that used to ply these routes," she -- for Harn discovers that M'ell is female, at least as far as human genders are concerned -- writes, "and the memories of my people run deep. We have not forgotten, though it has been many broods since we last saw Man in our valley. Every once in a while the folk you call 'beastmen' would stray into our Hive, either to trade or raid." They seem to know little of the outside world, and Harn gets the impression that most of their civilization is underground. He cannot get an accurate picture of their numbers -- M'ell is constantly referring to both herself and her kin in the second person. The adventurers would guess they are cultivating some 600 or so acres of vegetables -- of what variety he is not sure -- but again, many of her references seem to imply an underground source of food, as well.

The serriterms, as Harn learns, are divided into several rigid castes. M'ell belongs to the warrior caste, while the three smaller termite-men accompanying her are what she refers to "drones". There are others she refers to as "alchemist", but Harn gets the impression that they may be closer to shamans than the chemists he is familiar with. There is also, of course, the Queen, of whom M'ell refers to often but doesn't actually describe that much.

===Jacaar and Jadlierbron the All-Seeing===

Located in [https://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?806873-IC-IV-The-Wilderlands-of-Absalom&p=21516872#post21516872 18.42].

First encounter between the Company and Jadlierbron [https://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?806873-IC-IV-The-Wilderlands-of-Absalom&p=21387896#post21387896 here].

Jadlierbron is a massive beast, some fifty feet from snout to tail, with scales the color of dull flames. She is terrifying to behold.

The following details learned [https://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?780003-IC-II-ACKS-The-Wilderlands-of-Absalom&p=20499465#post20499465 here]: The great wyrm lairs in an ancient temple, half collapsed with age and destruction. Her hoard is vast; Isenda guesses it is worth no less than fifty thousand gold, many times than if you consider the value of the many magical items she no doubt possesses. Isenda believes that Jadlierbron has within her hoard the key she seeks that will allow entry into the starship, and safe passage through its wards, but none of us could see it. Of course, it is likely we only saw a small portion of her treasure.

Jhadlierbron is served by a score or more skeletal constructs, for she is old and has grown fat and lazy and rarely ventures forth from her lair. I suspect her to be at least six hundred years old, for she mentioned speaking to Ser Furecus in passing, and he ruled the Free Folk two Cycles ago. Zamed claims the skeletons are animated through divine magic, although there is no evidence that Jacaar is inhabited by any other than herself and her silent skeletal servitors. I do know she has some means of divining what is happening within the boundaries of the city, because she knew we had been digging through the rubble of on the outskirts in search of our quarry.

The dragon can use magic, of that we are now certain, for she read our thoughts and intentions as if they were scribed on our foreheads. Our lives were only spared by our immediate supplication and the gift of Isenda's staff of power, a sacrifice she was loathe to make. Our first thought, upon our escape, is to find or craft devices that will prevent the readings of our thoughts.

She may be more active than we have been led to believe. The spies we stationed to the east have seen her fly thrice in the past week, once to rain fire and destruction down upon the gnolls to the east for some inscrutable reason, the other times to sail upon the thermals.

There are rather detailed, but theoretical, notes about the dragon's strengths, weaknesses and habits, as well as speculation as to the contents of her lair and her motivations.

==Languages==
*Faery (elves, pixies, dryads, etc.) ''Rabanus (+2 CHA), Hira''
*Undertongue (dwarves, gnomes, kobolds) ''Xallijk, Ishka, Tlilith, Ysval''
*Bestial (ogre, orc, gnoll) ''Harn, Masere''
*Goblin (goblin, hobgoblin, bugbear) ''Harn, Pantera (+1 Cha), Tlilith''
*Grog (common language of most primitive races) ''Hanston''
*Swampspeak (frogling, lizardman, troglodyte, etc.) ''Karag''
*Giant ''Masere''
*Draconic ''Xallijk, P'zev, Jabri (+2 Cha)''
*Spider-Tongue  Jabri (+2 Cha)
*Law (must be selected through Proficiency)  Jabri (+2 Cha)
*Chaos (must be selected through Proficiency)