User:Bill/Magocracy of Dholavira/NPCs/Apep
Contents
History[edit]
Founding Dholavira[edit]
The golden dragon Apep has been a resident of Dholavira for 150 years. When Apep arrived it was a small trading outpost on a hilltop with nothing more than a palisade and a couple dozen hardened fighters to protect the town from gnoll raiders, brigands, and the many monsters that prowl the salt marsh annually. The dragon saw potential in the tiny, isolated outpost and its commander; Siduri. Apep used his magical abilities to assist Siduri in repelling one of the annual gnoll assaults, making the commander appear to be a great hero in the process. Wearing the guise of a priest of Pelor, he approached the triumphant commander and claimed that the victory was ordained by the gods and that Siduri would be king in this place. Drunk with power and the adulation of his men, Siduri proclaimed himself lord and master of Dholavira.
This situation could have very quickly spun out of control and the new fledged city-state would very likely have been crushed by the trade guilds that had formerly controlled the outpost. Apep moved quickly though and negotiated a treaty with the traders in the guise of a man called Ziasudra. The dragon had been cultivating his identity as Ziasudra the merchant for some time and was respected by his peers. Under the terms of the bargain the maintenance of the outpost and garrison would be taken over by Siduri and the merchant houses would be able to continue business as usual. Independent tradespeople could be taxed as could any revenues generated by any inns or temples constructed in the new town.
Over the course of the next several decades Ziasudra and other aliases of Apep sponsored an enormous wave of construction and fortification of the newly founded Dholavira. Traders came and went, spreading word that the outpost was growing. Siduri, never a real hero, was content to continue his role as lord defender of the settlement. His sons however, acquired ideas of royalty.
Growth of Dholavira and Creation of the Eldrich College[edit]
In the reign of Shamash, Siduri's son and heir, the citadel and bailey were constructed. Shamash saw himself as a would-be conqueror, but due to the isolation of Dholavira and its small size there were no neighbors close enough to subjugate. Shamash contented himself by attempting to exterminate the gnoll tribes. Apep, in the guise of Shamash's adviser Hasis, convinced the young king to hire several mages to support the crusade. One of whom was Apep himself in the guise of Enuma the Evoker.
Over the course of a year the gnoll tribes were driven away from the growing city. Their bloody shrines were wiped away from the land and hundreds of the beasts' corpses were burned on pyres. For more than a century, the gnoll tribes were seldom seen near the city.
Once the bloody work was done, Enuma bargained with his fellow mages and Shamash to create a college of sorcery in Dholavira. Apep made a couple deals with the mages privately to gain their acquiescence, and as Hasis he convinced Shamash to support the idea. Publicly, it appeared as if the mystical heroes of the great crusade against the gnolls were rewarded by the king with a charter to create a school of magic. Continuing to work behind the scenes Apep continued to gather faculty for the newly founded Eldrich College and drafted its charter to support a democratic ideal.
With the foundation of the Eldrich college, Apep was forced to back away from directing the course of Dholavira's growth. He had no desire to actually rule the city or to come into direct conflict with the powerful magi that would soon dominate her political landscape. Their ability to see through his disguises necessitated that he begin working through intermediaries. Only a very select number of magi in the city are completely aware of their draconic benefactor's existence. For most, Enuma is a historical figure that was important to the creation of the city as they know it and nothing more.
The End of the Gibil Dynasty[edit]
Shamash's heirs and descendants continued to act as lords and ladies. Dholavira prospered as a major trading center and the college of sorcery expanded. Apep, hidden in his lair watched the city grow and continued to influence her development through his pawns. The dragon most frequently chose these men and women from the wretches of the newly constructed lower town. Using his wealth to elevate them in status and his magic to grant them the necessary persuasive abilities, Apep dipped his scaled hands into every aspect of the city's existence without risking exposure.
Apep was as surprised as anyone when Quingu, who had barely any magical aptitude or interest in sorcery, bequeathed his kingdom to the stewardship of the Eldrich College. The dragon is certain that someone had forced the ruler to make this decision. He turned much of his resources to uncovering this mystery. Who, or what, created this situation covered its tracks especially well though and few leads have panned out since Quingu's death.
Invasion by Mohenjo-daro[edit]
The Yuan-ti empire of Mohenjo-daro to the north had been a trading partner with Dholavira for most of a century when its emperor began in a campaign of expansion that would have brought the city into his empire. Legions of half-bloods and humans that worship the snake-people as the chosen of Merrshaulk invested the city just after the salt marsh receded for the year.
Several small battles took place on the Rann of Kutch, the soggy clay plain surrounding the city at this time of year. Several minor nobles of the Gibil dynasty led troops on these sorties to limited success. Ultimately the enemy would not be turned back and the armies of Dholavira were forced to retreat within her walls.
The Eldrich Council sealed the city and commenced a sorcerous assault on the Mohenjese once they had drawn up their lines. Fire, lightning, and all manner of monster summoned from across the planar boundaries wrought death upon the snake-folk and their allies, but the foe was not without its own powers. Due to the mental influence of the Yuan-ti, even the city's staunchest defenders could not be trusted. The outlook was bleak.
Apep had no choice but to come to the city's aid. Twenty years ago the people of Dholavira and the invading armies of Mohenjo-daro witnessed the awesome might of an adult golden dragon. Assaulting the serpent-men and their human allies from above, Apep slew thousands that day.
Broken and routed, the forces of the Yuan-ti invaders fled north. It was midwinter by this time and the sick and injured soldiers of Mohenjo-daro proved easy prey for the gnoll tribes native to the area. Their monstrous gods blessed them for the gift of slaughter and many scholars attribute the resurgence in gnoll numbers to the Yuan-ti retreat.
Today[edit]
Since the Night of the Dragon, as Apep's assault on the Yuan-ti invaders has been called by bards and historians, Apep has retreated further from the city's affairs. Dholavira's community of magic users and clerics has become too wary of his manipulations and he fears that taking too direct a hand in the city would undermine the independence of her citizens. The dragon continues to use agents to run his trade empire though and counts several masters of the Eldrich College among his allies. Apep seldom visits the city himself, preferring to sequester himself in a secret lair hidden deeper in the Rann. When he does, the dragon typically stays within the lower town in an effort to avoid being exposed.
Apep's most pressing concerns at this time remain the sudden transformation of the city into a magocracy and the return of the gnoll clans. While the city's defenses are more than adequate to hold the gnolls at bay for the month that they lay siege to the city every year, Apep suspects a larger design to be at work. He likewise suspects that there are greater forces behind the decline of the Gibil dynasty. The freedom of Dholavira's populace to choose their own leaders appeals to Apep's sense of justice; but at the same time, he fears that the lack of true leadership could result in disaster. Mohenjo-daro or another ambitious empire could attempt another assault on the city. One that not even a dragon's might could repel.
Player Options[edit]
If you've read this far, you clearly don't care about spoilers. That's fine by me. I think a role-playing game is more about the story the group is creating than any back story I've assembled. That said, Apep and characters like him can be powerful adversaries and allies. Consider writing an encounter with the dragon's agents or perhaps himself in a human guise into your own character's back story.
Beware though, nothing in a game that I run is free. If you choose to use Apep as a patron you will be asked to do things that you won't necessarily want to do. You may also find that the dragon has enemies that are far more aggressive and powerful than you might enjoy dealing with. If you choose to oppose Apep's agenda, be prepared to face powerful foes as well.
