Who’s Who in the Wyrmsteeth part 3
Humans, Demihumans, Humanoids and others!
by
Francesco Defferrari (Sturm)1
In the shadows of dragons we live well and prosper. We are much more secure than many other folk of Mystara. Contrary to common rumours, we do not have to sacrifice our children, not even cows. Why should a race as ancient and powerful in magic as the dragons need others to provide them food? They are much better than humans and demihumans in growing and breeding food. So we never suffer hunger, and we also have much less injustice and crime than any other society in the world. Contrary to common rumours, we do not work as slaves for our draconic masters. Why should dragons need humanoids to do things for them? There is very little they cannot do better with their own skills. As dragons do not bother much with day to day activities of the humanoid races, we are also much more free than those who have to serve human barons and kings. But we, and the dragons, prefer to let the rumours run wild. If all the world knew how good our life is here, the Wyrmsteeth would get much too crowded very fast.
Jacob Aloysius, in a private letter to a friend in Glantri.
As explained in issue #7 of Threshold magazine, page 189-191, several different races2 inhabit the Wyrmsteeth Dragon Kingdom. Some representatives of these races will be described in the following article, but there are many other important figures in the kingdom not described here, so each DM should feel free to create more Wyrmsteeth characters.
Dragons,
Scions, Wyrmsingers and Vassals
Almost
all the Wyrmsteeth population lives under the Shadow of a Great
Dragon. The Great Dragons of the
Wyrmsteeth Kingdom, like those described in issue #8 of Threshold
magazine, rule over several other dragons and over humanoid
communities as feudal lords. The relation between a Great Dragon and
his or her vassals however only seems similar to a feudal relation.
The relations between the dragons are better explained in Threshold
issue #8, page 145. The Great Dragons, who number around 40 in
the Kingdom, are those who rule over a Domain which can vary from a
10 miles to a 50 miles radius. The most powerful of these Great
Dragons3
are Verslen, Pradapukran, Eruptaar, Xanesh, Jherdar, Medyanka,
Hk’rhal, Klaki, Marthaen, Tugar and Ferrimyx, and the other
remaining 30 or so Great Dragons are vassals to one of them. In their
Domain, all the 40 or so Great Dragons have several more Lesser
Dragon vassals, normally from 20 to 200 (including cubs and
youngsters), and from 5’000 to 50’000 vassals of other
races. Around 1% of these vassals are normally Scions,
Dragonborn who have been sired directly by a dragon or descend from a
dragon. Traditionally a dragonborn receives a special gift (a magical
object) from his or her dragon parent, grandfather or ancestor.
Another 1% are the Wyrmsingers4,
creatures of any race who received special objects and powers from
their Dragon Lord, usually to perform some duty. There are also three
specialized orders of Wyrmsingers in the Wyrmsteeth (see below).
Dragonborn can be Wyrmsingers too. Only the Great Dragons have
Wyrmsingers, but Lesser Dragons too may sire Dragonborn. As the Great
Dragon Lords normally do not concern themselves with the daily
administration of a Domain, such duties normally are performed by the
Lesser Dragon or, much more frequently, by Dragonborn and
Wyrmsingers. The latter are normally the effective rulers of the
large and small communities in the Wyrmsteeth Kingdom.
Almost all
the inhabitants of the Wyrmsteeth Kingdom are vassals to some Dragon,
a fact not widely known outside the Kingdom. Every vassal of
the Dragon Lords normally has a tattoo that bestows a special power
or a minor resistance, usually related to the Dragon. A Red dragon’s
vassal could have, for example, resistance to fire or create fire as
a special power. Such a tattoo is usually made when the person comes
of age, a year which may vary depending on the race and the
community.
Great Dragons commonly divide their Domain among their
dragon vassals, who have the right to hunt in their assigned
territory. Hunting for Wyrmsteeth dragons is less usual than commonly
believed by outsiders. Many dragons hunt only if there is an
overpopulation of some animals, and normally eat domesticated animals
and cultivated plants like all the other intelligent races. Dragons
also create or cultivate food by magical means, so famine is unknown
in the Kingdom.
Neither the Great Dragons nor the Lesser Dragons
demand tribute from their vassals, but they do receive a part of the
Kingdom’s taxation, which is probably one of the lowest in
Mystara (around 10% of the income, which however increases for larger
incomes). The Dragons also own all the mines of the Kingdom. Taxes
are used to maintain basic public services, mostly healing and
schools. The defense of the Kingdom and the maintenance of order
inside it, however, is handled by the Lesser Dragons directly, and by
the Wyrmsingers who command the different branches of the army. All
vassals must participate in the defense of the Kingdom if called by
the dragons.
The Army is divided into seven different
corps:
The First Legion, with blue, grey and white
uniforms, has the task to defend the Kingdom’s cities and
towns, and maintain the order inside them.
The Second Legion,
with red and gold uniforms, is tasked to fight in hills and
mountains, maintain the aerial force (mounted on dragons and wyverns)
and defend the borders.
The Third Legion, with green and
jade uniforms, is tasked to patrol the forests and hunt dangerous
creatures.
The Fourth Legion, with black uniforms, has the
task of surveying swamps and waterways and also to infiltrate foreign
nations.
The Order of the Holy Sword is composed of
priests and paladins of the dragon immortals and it may have
different functions, from aiding dragons to diplomacy, schooling and
healing.
The Legion of the Moon is the elite force of the
Order, formed exclusively by werecreatures. It is normally employed
only against very powerful foes on particularly dangerous missions.
The Red Hammer is an elite force composed mostly of
dwarves and clerics, usually tasked with the hunting of traitors,
dangerous criminals, renegade werecreatures and undead.
Image: Wyrmsteeth Map
Caption:
This map is an updated version of the one published in Threshold
8
http://pandius.com/Wyrmsteeth_kingdom2.png
Dwarves,
Gnomes, Halfling
Dragonkin
and Dragonborns
Terslaen,
Red Dragonborn Cleric 11
A Scion of
Verslen and famous adventurer, Terslaen leads a company called
“The Sparks” composed of two other red dragonborn, two
human followers of Pearl and a werebear. He is in direct competition
with Keamptar and her group. He has lead The Sparks several times
against Denagothians6,
Alphatian wizards and werecreature hunters. He and his group have
also hunted down spies of Vitriol and Dominagon7
among the dragonborn, a fact which worries Verslen very much.
Terslaen is an authority among many dragonborn, but in the past he
has fought (although not to death) against scions of Ferrymix,
Xanesh, Medyanka and their vassals.
Keamptar,
Gold Dragonborn Sorceress 12
Scion of
Eruptaar, Keamptar is also the leader of a band of
adventurers, “The Gems”, composed of another gold
dragonborn, scion of Tugar and her betrothed, a gold
dragonkin, a human, a halfling, a gnome and a werefox. They are in
(almost) friendly competition with “The Sparks”. Keamptar
is respected by all the gold dragonborn. She has always avoided
engaging in petty scuffles with other dragonborn, even if scions of
Ferrymix and Medyanka have tried to provoke her into
duels in the past. The Gems have fought often against Denagothians
and Heldannic Knights.
Shivaar,
White Dragonkin Wizard 30
She is the
informal leader of the dragonkin, being a powerful and old wizardess.
She has almost absolute authority over the whites, although dragonkin
of other lineages (colors) are inclined to hear her advice, but not
so quick to obey her. She is a vassal of Klaki. Almost all the
Greater Dragons and many Lesser Dragons have a community of dragonkin
in their lairs. Shivaar is also secretly a member of the Fourth
Legion, with the task to find traitors among the dragonkin.
Sephyl,
Blue Dragonkin Bard 25
Sephyl is
the leader of the Order of the Draconic Voice8,
the oldest of the Wyrmsinger orders. Its members are all trained by a
blue dragon known as Marasaphyl, and are his vassals. The
dragon is in turn a vassal of Xanesh. The college is located
in a small valley in the southern Wyrm’s Head Mountains. It is
the centre of a small community. Members of the order are normally,
but not always, bards. They actively search the land for future
members, and bring them to the college for training at a very young
age.
Alaa
Claenra, Dragonkin Thief 33
Alaa is the
shaman of this mysterious and unique clan of dragonkin with
shapeshifting abilities.9
The clan is an important part of the Fourth Legion spying service.
Alaa suspects there is something wrong with her human Overlord, Fang
(see below) but she doesn’t know yet what it is. For now, she
just thinks he could have betrayed the Kingdom to Vitriol and is
looking for evidence. She is a vassal of Hk’rhal.
Lizardkin, Troglodytes, Saurials, Frogfolk
Gsharr10
is Hk'rhal's second in command in Th'hral, and the effective ruler of
the city in day to day affairs. He is a Wyrmsinger and a vassal of
Hk’rhal and some say a Scion too, as the Black Lord
would have sired him in his favorite lizardman form. Gsharr’s
mother has not confirmed nor denied this rumor and, strangely enough
for a lizardman, he has no brothers or sisters. He hates Vitriol and
his followers, and is always looking for potential spies in his city.
Tumkars,
Troglodyte Shaman 20
Tumkars is the
informal leader of the troglodytes in the Wyrmsteeth. Most of them
live in caves and villages all around the mountains. He is a priest
of Ka and a vassal of Nithramor. Ferrymix and her clan
control many troglodyte communities in the Wyrmsteeth, a fact that
Hk’rhal resents much. The two great dragons are in
constant competition for more control of the local troglodytes.
Ataroiw,
Saurial Wizard 22
Ataroiw is the most
important saurial in the Wyrmsteeth, a learned scholar and a vassal
of Marthaen. Most of his people live north west of Windreach
and are vassals to gold dragons. They are an ancient race and are
rumored to have connections with other communities of their kind in
Davania and the Hollow World11.
Khu’vaan,
Varkha Lizardwoman Shaman 25
Khu’vaan
is the Queen of the varkha12,
the shadowdeep breed of lizardmen. She is a vassal of Hk’rhal
and lives under Th’hral with a relevant number of her people.
All of them are vassals of Hk’rhal or other blacks, but
the great dragon is now worried that Vitriol and his followers may
have succeeded in infiltrating his people.
Roglop,
Frogfolk Shaman 21
Roglop is the most
important shaman of the ice frogfolk and a vassal of Hekhekh. Many
frogfolk live in the humid valley between the Bloody Scythe and the
Wyrm’s Head Mountains, the so called Northern Valley or Four
Titan’s Valley. They are normally vassals of the blacks but
Medyanka and other greens have some frogfolk vassals too, much
to the annoyance of Hk’rhal, who desire domain over the
reptilian (and amphibian) people of the Kingdom.
Eldar,
Elves, Fairies
Giants,
Brutemen, Humanoids and Others
Mokro,
Stone Giant shaman 15
Mokro is the old
and respected leader of the stone giants who live in the Ironfoot
mountains. Hill, Mountain and Storm giants who inhabit nearby regions
respect his wisdom too, if not his authority. He is a vassal of
Syrek, a male red dragon who is in turn a vassal of Jherdar.
Hill, Mountain, Stone and Storm giants are more common in the
Ironfoot mountains, and most of them are vassals to Jherdar,
Pradapukran, Eruptaar or Lithiar.
Werecreatures, Lupins and Rakastas
Philippe is the grandson of Sire Philippe de Suveire15, who became a cleric of Pearl in 859 AC, began recruiting other werewolves in 871 AC and founded the Legion of the Moon in 876 AC. Philippe is very old and acts as a sort of grandfather for all the members of the legion. He also has a daughter in the Second Legion, Camille, while his son Gerard is a wizard and a Wyrmsinger in the service of the Dragonking, and three grandchildren who are entering the army too. Philippe is a personal friend of Malachie de Morlay. Philippe is a Wyrmsinger and a vassal of the Dragonking Verslen, like all his family.
Born in 959 AC in Thyatis, last son of Cornelius Penhaligon, younger brother of Arturus Penhaligon16, he became cleric of the Order in 977 AC, and wandered the Old World for several years. Julius was captured in Glantri and suffered experiments at the hands of prince Volospin Aendyr, and was turned into a werewolf. After escaping Glantri, he returned to Wyrmsteeth, where he became a Red Defender. He was never defeated and became first a Regent in 988 AC, then the Moon General in 993 AC. Julius is a Wyrmsinger and a vassal of Verslen, the current Dragonking, but has cordial relations with Eruptaar and Marthaen too.
Harald18 is the son of the former Moon General Harald Hardrade, who in 981 AC signed the treaty of alliance with Malachie du Marais. He is a Wyrmdanner and was born in 963 AC. He is a vassal of Jherdar and a Wyrmsinger. His father was killed in Glantri, around 990 AC, by werewolf hunters, and he is a close friend of Malachie.
Wyrmsteethian descendant of Glantrian refugees, Julian19 was born in 967 AC. He is werewolf, a Wyrmsinger and a vassal of Medyanka. He was recently nominated ruler of the city of Seel. He is doing his best to establish more cordial relationship between werecreatures, elves, fairies and druids, as all are quite numerous in the forest around the city.
Arvea,
Priest 20, Werefox 10
Arvea comes from
the west, but she has not spoken much of her homeland. She is a
vassal of Eruptaar and a priestess of Zirchev, well respected
in the werecreature community of the Wyrmsteeth. The church of Pearl
and Verlsen forged the strongest connections with
werecreatures in the last centuries, so Eruptaar has recently
established an alliance with the church of Zirchev to counter the
Dragonking’s power.
Hekara,
Rakasta Sorcerer 20
Hekara, a mountain
rakasta, is the leader of the Order of Tooth and Claw20,
the newest Wyrmsinger order, formed by the red dragon Vermylaxis.
The order is structured like a guild, and although it has no central
base of operations, it does maintain a local headquarters in each of
the major cities in the Wyrmsteeth Range. Members of this order are
mainly rogues, although other classes are also trained. For the most
part, these Wyrmsingers are fairly mercenary, and will never perform
a service without some type of compensation being offered. Members
must also pay out yearly dues, and tithe a percentage of their
earnings directly to the guild. The order is in reality a spy network
which Vermylaxis controls from his lair in the north of the
Kingdom. Rumors that Vermylaxis is a vassal to Pradapukran may
or may not be true. Sure enough, Pradapukran and Ferrimyx’s
family have been competing for control of the rakasta communities of
the Wyrmsteeth for centuries.
Humans
A Glantrian from Klantyre and a member of the Followers of Claymore, Geoffrey23 was born in 949 AC and came to the Wyrmsteeth in 979 AC. Since then, he distinguished himself enough to become a Wyrmsinger, vassal of Eruptaar and ruler of Tua'than.
Sylvie24 is of Averoignian origin, but was born in the Wyrmsteeth in 976 AC. She is the ruler of Wheine, a Wyrmsinger and a vassal of Sherain, a female green dragon who is in turn vassal to Medyanka.
Apparently
a mysterious human, "Fang" is in fact an Outer Being
cultist25
who long ago lost his human attributes. His powerful magics have
prevented his treachery from being discovered. He is a vassal of
Verslen and the head of Wyrmsteeth spies in foreign nations,
and he has done an impeccable job so far. It’s hard to say what
his true plans are.
Fredek26 is the last heir of the Haldis dynasty which ruled the Heldann Freeholds before the arrival of the Hattian knights of Vanya. His grandfather, the last Haldis king, was killed in the fall of Freiburg in 950 AC. His father was captured and killed after a failed attempt to retake Freiburg in 993 AC. Fredek was born in 991 AC and, after his mother’s death in 994 AC, he was brought to the Wyrmsteeth by Haldis partisans. He is just 9 years old now (in 1000 AC), under the direct protection of the Great Gold Dragon Eruptaar. His loyal huskarl (knight) Bjorn Siegsson is the unofficial ambassador of the occupied Heldannic Kingdom in the Wyrmsteeth.
Vassals
of the Wyrmsteeth dragons do not live inside the Dragon Kingdom only.
As several dragons all around Norwold are loyal to the Dragonking, as
explained in Threshold issue #8, many humans and humanoids in the
various Norwold communities serve the dragons.
Several important
figures in Norwold are (normally in secret) close allies of the
Dragon Kingdom, such as Quentin Jax32,
Beriak Alanira33,
Avel Vankomirovich34,
or Nazariy Zhucharnov35,
who is influenced by the green dragon Zilant, an ally of the
Wyrmsteeth. All the Vatski lands west of the Wyrmsteeth kingdom are
somehow influenced by the dragons, as Tugar protects Vyolstagrad and
Svartbak the black and the Church of Idris are trying to manipulate
Stamtral and Gunvolod. Likewise, probably many others agents of the
Wyrmsteeth Kingdom or its enemy, mainly Vitriol and the Church of
Idris, may be present in the courts of Alpha and Oceansend, and in
any other Norwold community.
1This article follows the In the Name of the Dragon adventure published in issue #7 of Threshold and the Who’s Who in the Wyrmsteeth” part 1 and part 2 articles published in issue #8 and #9 of Threshold magazine, which described the dragons of the Wyrmsteeth kingdom and Norwold and the dragons of the Outer and Hollow worlds. All these articles were inspired by and partially borrowed from the Wyrmsteeth writings by Giulio Caroletti and John Calvin and the Dragonlord trilogy by Thorarinn Gunnarsson, who however bear no responsibility for any gratuitous changes I made to their original material.
2Some of them, as lizardkin, dragonkin, werecreatures, dwarves and humans, were already detailed in the Wyrmsteeth Gazetteer by Giulio Caroletti. The notes will indicate when a character comes from an existing source.
3The following dragons were described in Who’s Who in the Wyrmsteeth part I, in Threshold issue #8. Dragons’ names will be in italic in the text to make them easily recognizable.
5For maps of the Wyrmsteeth Kingdom, see Threshold issue #7, page 89 (Zendrolion’s Guide to Norwold) and Threshold issue #8, page 146. The map of page 146 is also here in the Vault of Pandius.
6See previous installments of “Who’s Who in the Wyrmsteeth in Threshold issue #8 and #9 about the “cold war” between the Wyrmsteeth Kingdom and the black dragon Vitriol of Denagoth (and the Church of Idris).
7Dominagon’s treachery is explained in Threshold issue #7, in the adventure In the Name of the Dragon, page 196 and in Threshold issue #8, page 156.
8Created by Chimpman (John Calvin) and stored here at The Vaults of Pandius.
9The Claenra were detailed here in the original Wyrmsteeth Gazetteer. If the DM wants to give a darker twist to the Wyrmsteeth Kingdom, he could use the idea of the human cattle as detailed in the original link.
11See Threshold issue #5 and issue #9 for more about the saurials.
13He and the Eldars appear in the Dragonlord trilogy by Thorarinn Gunnarsson. Eldars may be a mystara version of D&D 4th edition Eladrins. Multiple fan theories exists in the Vaults of Pandius, in Simone Neri’s History of Dragonkind and also here, here, and here.
14Created by Chimpman (John Calvin) and stored here at The Vaults of Pandius.
16Originally created by Giulio Caroletti here. For more informations on the Penhaligon family, also check Threshold issue #5, page 200, in the Thyatian Senators article by Giulio Caroletti.
20Created by Chimpman (John Calvin) and stored here at The Vaults of Pandius.
22The term “Wyrmdanner” was created by Giulio Caroletti in the original Wyrmsteeth Gazetteer to indicate Heldann refugees, escaped from the south after the invasion of their homeland by the Knights of Vanya. In Threshold issue 7, page 190, I however used the word to indicate the antalian natives of the Wyrmsteeth kingdom, using instead simply the term “Heldanner” for any refugee from the south, as Simone Neri did in his Traveller’s Guide to Norwold in the same issue.
25Originally created by Giulio Caroletti here, I’ve expanded a bit his background. About the Outer Beings, check this article in the Vaults of Pandius by Geoff Gander.
26Fredek was originally created by Bruce Heard here and here in the Vaults of Pandius. He could participate in the assault on Freiburg of 1015 AC, also imagined by Bruce Heard here. Or he could have another chance to defeat the Knights in 1019 AC, when the Fan almanacs imagined the Heldannic Order engulfed in civil war. See also the timeline in Threshold issue #7, page 188-189.
27He appeared already in Threshold issue #7, in the adventure In the Name of the Dragon, page 196.
28The Vrodniki are described in Threshold issue #7, in Simone Neri’s “A Traveller’s Guide to Norwold”, in Giampaolo Agosta’s “The Skaufskogr and beyond” and in my adventure “In the Name of the Dragon”, as noted above.
29The Dahran are my creation, I imagine them as descendant of the Dunharians “celtic-like” people who roamed the area around 2000 BC, according to Simone Neri’s A Traveller’s Guide to Norwold in Threshold issue #7.
31A war between dragons and alphatians is described in the Dragonlord trilogy.
32See Rogues, Barons and Pretenders by Simone Neri, in Threshold issue #8, page 106
33See The Great Land Rush of Norwold part 2 by Simone Neri, in Threshold issue #8, page 15
34See The Great Land Rush of Norwold part 2 by Simone Neri, in Threshold issue #8, page 34
35See The Great Land Rush of Norwold part 2 by Simone Neri, in Threshold issue #8, page 44