Legacy

of Nerath
Drive Back the Darkness
with the Flame Imperishable

By Jeff Morgenroth
Illustration by Sam Burley

The worlds humans are scattered and divided, engaged in

a losing battle against the darkening world and their own
ignorance.
It wasnt always so. Once, the splendor of Nerath lit the
world with its culture and accomplishments. It united races
and governed prosperously. Nerathi architects raised marvels
of engineering; its artists composed works capturing the
imagination; and its philosophy formed the foundation of
humanitys ideologies. Yet none of these feats could save
Nerath from destruction.
Humans today are the inheritors of this legacy, though
few of them realize what their ancestors lost with the
empires fall. Although Nerath now means little more than
ancient legends in the shadows of crumbling ruins, every
person of every race alive in the world today shares this
common thread to their historythat once, Nerath ruled,
and the world was a better a place.
There are those who would see it so again.

TM & 2010 Wizards of the Coast LLC. All rights reserved.

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Using Nerath
Nerath forms the historical background for the world
in many D&D campaigns. Beyond the legends and
rare traditions which survived the fall, it is a mystery.
In spite of thisor perhaps because of itNerathi heri-
tage makes an excellent addition to any characters
background, especially human characters. Incor-
porating elements of the empire will broaden the
cultural and esthetic scope of your campaign as well
as your characters connection to it.
Consider how you want Nerath to fit into your
characters story. It can be a background element that
inspires you to undertake quests or pursue ideals
related to the empires legacy. These characters are
sometimes called the Nerathi faithful, and they
look upon the fallen empire with reverence. Alterna-
tively, you might choose to fight against the empires
legacy; after all, in some eyes, Nerath succeeded only
through conquest and dictatorship. You might resent
ancient Neraths subjugation of your people and view
its hallowed virtues as failed arrogance. Either way,
the empires mark on your characters past is inescap-
able. Will you live up to its shining example or step
out of its shadow to something even greater?
A n Age of L egends
Neraths history stretches back to the dark ages which
followed the destruction of Bael Turath and Arkhosia.
It dominates world history from then until its fall
one hundred years ago. The triumphs and follies of
its 500-year-rule are well-told legends throughout
the world today, though many details have been lost
to the toll of unkind years. What characters know
about Nerath has been colored by their homeland
and upbringing, and only the most dedicated scholars
know anything beyond common folkloreanything
true, that is.
It is well known that Nerath enjoyed a meteoric
rise to power by filling the cultural and economic
void after the wars that destroyed the old empires.
Out of simple clans of farmers arose an incomparably
vast empire forged through conquest and ingenu-
ity by the legendary leader Magroth, first emperor
of Nerath. At fifteen years of age, Magroth founded
the imperial capital, lit the legendary Flame Imper-
ishable, and led the growing Nerathi legions on
decades-long marches of expansion which would
claim most of the known world within his lifetime.
The empire met its finish beneath the rending
claws of a seemingly endless horde of gnolls and
demons led by the mysterious Ruler of Ruin. With
the central government destroyed, provincial kings
banded together to defend what remained of the
empire. One of them, the just King Elidyr, took up
the imperial crown and rallied a valiant defense
of Nerath, but it was not enough. When Elidyr was
slain, the Ruler of Ruin simply returned to the abyss,
apparently content to leave the world in chaos. The
remaining lords of the empirefragmented, fearful,
and desperatefell upon one another for survival.
Commerce ground to a halt. Famine spread. Hope
withered, and the Flame Imperishable became a
funeral pyre for the worlds greatest empire.
To this day, the core realm of the empire is a
scorched wasteland littered with the crumbling shells
of cities and noble villas which once gleamed like
pearls beneath a hopeful sun. Swarms of flies obscure
the day and the land is infested with savage gnolls,
first among the Ruler of Ruins servants in the world.
The capital city still stands, though it has been trans-
formed by the gnolls into a nightmare of its former
Legacy of Nerath
glory. The soot-blackened walls are festooned with
the flayed skins of defeated armies, and the sacred
Flame Imperishable is clogged with the charred
bones of the gnolls victims.
T he I mperial L egacy
Your character has grown up feeling the influence of
Nerath in their homeland, though in most cases it is
difficult to tell fact and legend apart. The following
topics and myths might explain that influence. Rare
scholars recognize, however, that by clinging to the
most appealing legends and myths, humanity risks
The Flame
Imperishable
The most important symbol of Nerath is the
Flame Imperishable, a brilliant white fire set
within the highest ramparts of the imperial
palace. It burns even today. Legends say that
Magroth took the flame after slaying the ancient
gold dragon Ayunken-vanzen, who laired in the
land which would become Neraths capital city.
The flame was a symbol of Neraths manifest
destinybrilliant, pure, and undying.
Though the empire fell, the Flame Imperish-
able is eternal. Legends say that it will burn until
the very breaking of the world. Today the flame
is a symbol of hope amongst Nerathi faithful.
Noble families incorporate its iconography in
their heraldry and knightly orders dedicate
themselves to its preservation. The masses of
apathetic or ignorant commoners, however,
think nothing of the flames tarnished image
as it flashes meaninglessly on the ancient coins
trading between their grubby hands.
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losing its memory and understanding of Neraths
reality, which is worth far more than its traditions.
Ruins: Nerathi architecture soared to
unmatched functional and esthetic heights, thanks
to use of innovative building materials, keen under-
standing of engineering, and implementation of
ritual magic. Although their greatest works were
ravaged during the fall, intact ruins are prized by
heroes and treasure hunters, who are irresistibly
drawn by the lure of undiscovered cities and com-
plexes and the priceless treasures they conceal. For
the Nerathi faithful, these ruins are much more
than tombs to be plundered; they are places of deep
reverence which often become sites of organized
pilgrimages and intellectual preservation.
The Gates of Destiny
Greatest of all Neraths engineering accomplishments
are the Gates of Destiny which formed the main
entrance to the capital city. Immense beyond
reckoning, these gates soared into azure skies and
gleamed white in the sunlight with their flanking,
twin marble colossi sculpted in the likeness of
angels. Legends say that milk and honey flowed
from the angels ewers, providing a never-ending
bounty for the Nerathi. Some bards even sing of
upstart armies that threw themselves down in
weeping surrender at the Gates majesty.
The angels were pulled down by the gnolls so that
their wreckage was dashed across the causeway
leading through the gate, which now bears blasphe-
mous markings dedicated to the Ruler of Ruin.
Architecture: Many elements of Neraths great
civic works, such as its roads, aqueducts, public
buildings, and even fortresses, survived in provin-
cial regions. All are still used by people today, who
are accustomed to walking in the literal shadows of
their ancestors. Few, however, have the knowledge
to maintain these structures. Their architectural
secrets are jealously sought by todays kings, who are
eager to erect monuments of their own to rival the
ancient empires.
This reverence for Nerathi construction is not
universal; some Nerathi sites are shunned as places
of ill omen.
The Eladrin Empress
In addition to the Flame Imperishable, a common
image seen in surviving Nerathi art is that of the
Empress Amphaesia. Legends say that Magroth
claimed her for his bride after his conquest over
her father, the King of Blooms, during a campaign
in the Feywild. A figure of mythic beauty, Am-
phaesia guided the empire through the turbulent
years following Magroths sudden death. She
herself disappeared after helping cure the horrific
Ashen Plague. Adventurers returning from Nerathi
ruins are accustomed to bearing objects graced
with the likenesses of her otherworldly beauty,
and such images are frequently worked into
talismans carried for good luck and protection by
treasure seekers.
Social Structure and Politics: Countless cus-
toms practiced today began with the Nerathi, though
most of them are now no more than simple traditions
or festival days. Nerathi ideals have succumbed to
the evils of greed and fear. Ambitious monarchs have
trumpeted tradition in their efforts to scoop ever
more power into their own hands. Such kings prop
Legacy of Nerath
up their authority by claiming a hereditary connec-
tion to former emperors or governors. Some cultures
go so far as to defame Nerath as an example of hubris
and as a challenge to existing authority. In these
places, anything related to the empires legacy may
be outlawed rather than revered. Restoring the lost
egalitarian social structure of Nerath may be a chal-
lenge too daunting for societies to overcome, but its
undertaken by many Nerathi faithful.
The Lost Heir
Some Nerathi descendants cling to hope, praying
that an imperial heir will one day emerge to lead
the faithful back to their homeland. Elaborate
hero-cults are common, but many feel that the
line of emperors died with Elidyr. A few claim
to be that heir and wage bloody wars against
rivals over rightful inheritance of the imperial
throne and title. The sad truth is that there almost
certainly is no Nerathi heir of blood lineage
unless its the heroes striving to preserve Neraths
legacy of equality and dignity.
Personal Ethics: While Nerathi virtues rewarded
self-discipline and sacrifice, the exact opposite is
true in most regions today, where folk are forced to
cut ethical corners just to get by. Bereft of the self-
confidence and security of their ancestors, many
humans today are forced by circumstance to do
whatever is necessary to survive. This almost always
results in selfishness and moral apathy; so long as
monsters, villains, and dark forces threaten existence,
few willingly take the high road when easier and pet-
tier options are available. The Nerathi faithful often
take up their ancestors ethics as a matter of personal
honor or genuine desire to improve society.
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The Sage of Ages
Legends say the philosopher Tallas created Neraths
ethics system. This figure of limitless insight
kindled the flame of reason in humanity by
tutoring emperors and chronicling the ascension
of Nerath. Today, enlightened leaders are inspired
by Tallass treatises; bards celebrate his epic
poems; and wizards set themselves to uncovering
his many arcane formulas. Yet it seems that each
revelation only brings two more of Tallass secrets
to light. Sorting out the myths, realities, forgeries,
and artifacts of this legendary figure is a task
eagerly taken on by the worlds scholars.
Religion: Though they respected the gods,
Nerathi took great pride in their ability to succeed
without divine guidance. To them, the highest rever-
ence went to their virtues of duty, equality, reason,
and temperance. When the empire fell, however,
religions stepped in to fill the cultural hole. Today,
few societies take the time to bother with ancient
philosophy, and most clerics owe little to Nerath save
the splendid architecture of their temples. Many
clerics openly attribute Neraths fall to its haughty
self-reliance and diffidence toward the gods, with the
clerics patron deity always playing a prominent role
in guiding folk through the chaos that followed. To
the Nerathi faithful, bodies of literature written by
Neraths many philosophers are among the empires
most treasured artifacts.
The Cult of Magroth
Today Magroth is hailed as a shining example by
proud humans and scorned as a tyrant by others.
Some Nerathi descendants worship him as though
he were a god, praying for the mighty emperors
guidance and protection. Most dismiss this
obsession as antiquated or even blasphemous.
Regardless of their opinions of the man, Magroths
achievements are such that all ambitious kings
measure their lifes accomplishments against his.
They always come up short.
T he I nheritors
of Nerath
Though the empire is gone, its influence can still be
felt in your character by incorporating the following
backgrounds into your history.
Many Nerathi faithful take up important quests
on behalf of the empires legacy. These personnel
quests provide long-term goals which can guide your
characters actions across a whole tier of play or even
span the entire campaign. Fulfilling them will carry
the light of Nerath into the future and bring you great
rewards as well. Use what follows as a starting point,
and work with your DM to incorporate your back-
ground and personal quests into the story.
Civic Reformer
You study Nerathi lore, learning from the past to
better the future. Perhaps youre inspired by great
works of Nerathi literature or art, finding univer-
sal truths in their ancient expression. Maybe you
marvel at the ruins of ancient Nerathi baths, forums,
or roads, feeling that your homeland deserves the
Legacy of Nerath
comforts enjoyed by your ancestors. Or maybe youre
a student of the great philosopher Tallas, whose
ethics guided the society which once ruled the world.
Regardless of what you study, youre driven to bring
this knowledge back to civilization. Be cautious
thoughthe worlds kings and nobles wont willingly
surrender their authority. Thankfully, you are not
alone in this search. Many cities shelter likeminded
individuals who long to see their homes rise to the
heights set by Nerath. Whether they are hidden soci-
eties or mobs in search of a leader, working with these
groups may help you change the world.
Associated Skills: History, Streetwise
Personal Quests: Explore Nerathi ruins for ancient
lore; assist a troubled realm with your accumulated
knowledge; govern justly using the ethics of Nerath.
Fey Exile
Your ancestors were rescued by the former Empress
Amphaesia before the fall of Nerath and brought
to the Feywild to dwell with her and her father, the
King of Blooms. Of all the scions of Nerath, you and
your kind are the most pure to the imperial legacy.
You were steeped in the empires rich culture and
philosophy through a line of unbroken teachers and
grandsires. From birth youve been groomed for a
purpose. Perhaps that is to preserve Neraths only
living culture from agents of the Ruler of Ruin, or
maybe its to wage war against him in a final battle to
restore Nerath. You may have even made a warlock
pact with your fey host.
Associated Skills: Arcana, History
Personal Quests: Return from the Feywild and
find your familys former home; earn an audience
with Empress Amphaesia; unite Nerathi faithful
across worlds.
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For Players AND Dungeon Masters
The backgrounds described here include personal
quests for characters to pursue. You can choose to
treat these as atmosphere and roleplaying tools only,
but its better if you make them integral parts of your
campaigns story. There is no reason why they cant be
as important as any other quests the characters under-
take, or why they should be rewarded any less. When
a player selects a background quest, decide (based on
the players desires and the DMs vision for the cam-
paign) whether it should be a minor or major quest
and whether completing it should earn a reward for
the individual or for the entire group. Dont rule out the
possibility that what you thought would be a minor, per-
sonal quest might become a major, group quest before
its accomplished. Quests have a way of doing that.
When a quest is fulfilled, the DM ought to reward
the characters the same way they would would for any
Keeper of the Flame
For years you have tended a spark of the Flame
Imperishable which burns as a beacon of hope within
a shrine that still stands in a former Nerathi city. As
one of its attendants, you are a member of an esoteric
society known as the Keepers of the Flame who are
well versed in secret lore. Are you a wizard in the
custom of ancient Nerath, or perhaps a simple scholar
keeping alive the living light of humanitys mightiest
civilization? You recognize that you and your order
possess the most powerful symbol of ancient Nerath,
but to what end? Are your efforts futile, or will they
illuminate the path to greatness?
Associated Skills: Arcana, Religion
other quest according to the level when its accom-
plished and the difficulty of the quest. Because these
are personal quests, try to make the rewards personal,
too. This is a perfect opportunity to award a sought-
after rare or uncommon magic item or one of the
legendary boons described later in this article.
Quests which are taken on in heroic tier should be
accomplished in heroic tier, but that doesnt need to be
the end of the story. Each background suggests three
possible quests. When one is completed, players can
select (or begin thinking about) their next one. The sug-
gested quests are not the only possibilities; use them
for inspiration and create quests that will make this
campaign memorable.
The idea of personal quests was introduced in the
Players Handbook Races: Dragonborn book. You can
find more information and suggestions about it there.
Personal Quests: Protect your shrine from looters;
deliver an ember of your fire to another city and raise
a shrine in its honor; reclaim the Flame Imperishable
from the gnolls.
Last Legionnaire
You are one of the few brave soldiers left in the final
struggling legions of the empire, still fighting under
the imperial banner despite your lost cause. As a
member of the disciplined legion, you underwent
time-honored trials of endurance and strength to
become the perfect soldier. Though your skills are
peerless, where does your loyalty lie? Perhaps you
truly believe that Nerath can be reclaimed and its
provinces reunited, or maybe you fight because its
Legacy of Nerath
all you know. What were the circumstances of your
recruitment into the legions, and why are you now
separated from them? Has your general issued you
special orders requiring you to venture away from
a battlefield? Perhaps you are that battlefields only
survivor, and you dragged yourself from the red field
of slaughter with a vow to search for meaning in the
aftermath of so much destruction and sacrifice.
Associated Skills: Endurance, Heal
Personal Quests: Use your military acumen to orga-
nize or protect defenseless folk; take command of
an allied army; rally the scattered legions for a final
march to recover the capital city.
People of the Gold Dragon
You come from a tribe of primal barbarians con-
quered by Magroth after he slew Ayunken-vanzen
and lit the Flame Imperishable. Magroth claimed
your ancestors lands as his own but welcomed your
ancestors into his service when they swore to serve
the master of the dragons undying fire. Your ances-
tors incorporated the best of both their own primal
traditions and Nerathi science into their culture to
become enlightened mystics dwelling in the wilds
around Nerath. As one of the few that remain, do you
hold true to the blending of cultures or cast aside the
failed faade of civilization and embrace your primal
heritage? How is the strength of the golden dragon
manifested through your evocations?
Associated Skills: Diplomacy, Nature
Personal Quests: Work with civilized folk toward a
common goal; find a way to commune with the spirit
of Ayunken-vanzen; gain draconic allies to aid you in
driving the gnolls from your homeland.
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 Legacy of Nerath

Provincial Renegade Personal Quests: Guide others on their pilgrimage

Nerathi Customs
Nerath is dead, and if you have anything to say about to the capital city; undertake daring attacks against
Though the old ways are vanishing, many Nerathi
it, itll stay that way. As a citizen of a former rebel- the gnolls; protect other Nerathi faithfulat any cost.
faithful have created new customs to honor what
lious province, your heritage is filled with tales of was lost. Consider incorporating any of these
subjugation, and you hold nothing but resentment Scion of Patricians
traits into your roleplaying to set the tone of a
for humanitys greatest civilization. How do these Youre of noble blood and descended through an
Nerathi faithful.
feelings manifest themselves? Do you actively seek unbroken Nerathi pedigree. You grew up with
stories of your ancestors wealth and prestige; you F Before dining or setting out on a great task, face
out Nerathi sites or artifacts to vandalize? Or do you
might even be the heir of an important Nerathi toward Nerath that was and the Flame Imperish-
make it your mission to restore and celebrate the
politician or of a self-styled emperor of a provin- able that will forever be, and honor their dignity
traditions of your homeland before it was conquered?
cial region. Throughout your life youve been taught with a moment of silence.
Are you filled with bitterness over the past or opti-
to respect your heritage and that you possess the F Wear a sash of blue, the color of Elidyrs kingdom,
mism for the future, eager to step out of Neraths
power and imperative to be a leader of humankind. across your shield to honor his sacrifice.
failed legacy?
How has living in the shadow of your ancestors F Allow no harm to be done to eladrin women to
Associated Skills: Intimidate, Streetwise
affected you? Do you have a feeling of entitlement, respect Empress Amphaesia.
Personal Quests: Impair those who cling to
taking what you feel is owed to you for your ances- F Kill carrion-flies whenever you find them, for they
worn-out ethics; restore elements of your home-
tors glory? Perhaps you feel the oppositethat your are the messengers of the Ruler of Ruin.
lands culture; find a way to extinguish the Flame
wealth and heritage brings the burden of responsi- F Speak the name of the gold dragon when under
Imperishable.
bility to contribute something to a world spiraling taking brave deeds in order to evoke its strength.
F When you meet a Nerathi descendant, place your
Red Pilgrim into darkness.
Associated Skills: History, Insight hand over their heart to feel the still-beating soul
Through trials of blood you have survived the red pil-
Personal Quests: Discover the true line of your of the empire.
grimage, a journey only the bravest or most foolhardy
Nerathi descendants make to their gnoll-infested noble descent; use your family connections to restore
homeland in order to gaze upon the capital citys order to a turbulent city; perform a deed of your own
ruin. What drove you to undertake this quest, and worthy to stand beside your ancestors.
what will you do once youve accomplished it? Were
you sent to recover an artifact, or perhaps to rescue
human captives? Maybe you needed no reason other
than to stand in the presence of the Flame and wit-
ness the terrors which were unleashed upon your
ancestors. Now that youve seen them, are you more
driven than ever for vengeance, or are you doubtful
that Nerath will ever rise again?
Associated Skills: Perception, Stealth

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 Legacy of Nerath

L egendary B oons Imperial Oration Level 8+

Being well practiced in the Nerathi art of debate, you empha-
As you venture into the legacy of Nerath, you might size subtle questioning and reason to arrive at truth.
be touched by the same grace which shined from the Lvl 8 3,400 gp
empire during its height. This might be the ability to Lvl 18 85,000 gp
manifest energies linked to the empire, or a powerful Lvl 28 2,125,000 gp
Legendary Boon
state of mind developed through your own dedication. Property: You gain a +2 item bonus to Diplomacy checks and
Insight checks.
Crimson Determination Level 4+ Level 18: +4 item bonus.
Having completed the Red Pilgrimage, your hatred of the Level 28: +6 item bonus
gnolls desecration makes you imagine each enemy you face is Power (Daily): Free Action. Reroll a Diplomacy check or Insight
a member of their foul kindand you show them no quarter. check that you just made. Use the second result even if it's
lower.
Lvl 4 840 gp
Lvl 14 21,000 gp
Lvl 24 525,000 gp Legacy Undying Level 2+
Legendary Boon So long as the Flame Imperishable exists, the soul of Nerath
Property: You gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls against is kindled. Your faith in that inspires you and your allies to
bloodied targets. greatness.
Level 14: +4 bonus. Lvl 2 520 gp
Level 24: +6 bonus. Lvl 12 13,000 gp
Lvl 22 325,000 gp
Evoke the Gold Dragon Level 6+ Legendary Boon
You have woken the spirit of Ayunken-vanzen, which sleeps Power (Daily): Minor Action. You and each ally within 5
within the ancient lands surrounding Nerath. Its fiery pres- squares of you gain temporary hit points equal to the num-
ence is now manifested in your powers. ber of your remaining healing surges.
Level 12: Twice the number of your remaining healing surges.
Lvl 6 1,800 gp Level 22: Three times the number of your remaining healing
Lvl 16 45,000 gp surges. Level 28: Regain an additional 3d6 hit points.
Lvl 26 1,125,000 gp
Legendary Boon
Property: You can speak and understand Draconic. Legionary Discipline Level 9+
Power (Daily F Fire): Free Action. Trigger: You hit with a primal By organizing your allies using tactics handed down from the
power using a weapon. Effect: You deal an extra 1d6 fire legion, you prepare them for any foe.
damage, and the target takes ongoing 5 fire damage (save Lvl 9 4,200 gp
ends). Lvl 19 105,000 gp
Level 16: 2d6 fire damage and ongoing 10 fire damage. Lvl 29 2,625,000 gp
Level 26: 3d6 fire damage and ongoing 15 fire damage. Legendary Boon
Property: You and each ally within 5 squares gain a +1 item
bonus to initiative checks.
Level 19: +2 item bonus.
Level 29: +3 item bonus.
Sanctuarys Poise Level 8+
Your time with the Nerathi exiles in the Feywild has given you
ancient wisdom and the ability to slip into that worlds mystic
currents.
Lvl 8 3,400 gp
Lvl 18 85,00 gp
Lvl 28 2,125,000 gp
Legendary Boon
Property: Gain a +1 item bonus to Arcana, History, Nature, and
Religion checks.
Level 18: +2 item bonus.
Level 28: +3 item bonus.
Power (Daily F Teleportation): Move Action. You teleport a
number of squares equal to 1 + your Charisma or Wisdom
modifier.
Level 18: 3 + your Charisma or Wisdom modifier.
Level 28: 5 + your Charisma or Wisdom modifier.
Self-Made Legacy Level 8+
You have worked tirelessly to create meaning greater the em-
pires dead heritage, and youre not about to let it end now!
Lvl 8 3,400 gp
Lvl 18 85,000 gp
Lvl 28 2,125,000 gp
Legendary Boon
Power (Daily F Healing): Free Action. Trigger: A critical hit is
scored on you. Effect: You spend a healing surge.
Level 18: Regain an additional 2d6 hit points.

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 Legacy of Nerath

About the Author

Nerathi Feats
The cultural traditions of Nerath live on in those
heroes who challenge themselves to live by their
ancestors virtues. These feats do more than give you
bonuses to some situations; they proclaim your belief
in the ideals which made the empire great.
Jeff Morgenroth lurks on the outskirts of Seattle, where
he games, thinks, writes, and tinkers away his days. He pre-
tends to have a real job only so he can contribute regularly to
Dungeons & Dragons. He is an avid lover of martial arts,
squeaking pie sneaks, orks, and his sweetheart Mariah. Seek
him wherever a chorus of frogs drowns out sounds of the
highway, or where heavy-metal power chords shatter the still
of dark places.

Dutys Virtue
Your commitment to your allies and quests drives you
to act quickly when in danger.
Benefit: Once per round, you can use the aid
defense action as a minor action, but only if the
chosen ally is bloodied. Also, you gain a +2 feat bonus
to initiative checks.

Imperishable Destiny
Drawing inspiration from success, every victory
speeds you further along the road of greatness.
Prerequisite: Human
Benefit: For each milestone youve reached since
your last extended rest, you gain a +1 bonus to abil-
ity checks, saving throws, and skill checks until your
next extended rest.

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Nerathi Legends
Sarthel, City of Silver
By Richard Baker
Illustration by William O'Connor
Cartography by Adam Gillespie

Mind your manners and watch your purse,

my boy. Sarthar have a delicate sense of honor,
and theyre quick to draw steel when you offend it.

On the shores of Lake Sarn stands the city-state of Sarthel, the

largest and most prosperous city remaining in the heartland
of old Nerath. The citys foundries and workshops produce
jewelry (especially silverwork) and goods known for hundreds
of miles around. In this dark and doubtful age, few cities thrive
as Sarthel does...but a deadly threat lies hidden in the very
heart of the city.
Gold is king in Sarthel, and the city is constantly humming
with trade and speculation. The citys noble families own mer-
cantile empires that bring in raw goods from places as close as
Therund or as far as the Free Cities of Zembar. Dozens of guilds
of artisans compete fiercely to turn out the finest jewelry, silver-
ware, blades, and clothing. Trade is a bare-knuckled affair, and
more than a few commercial rivalries between noble families or
guilds are resolved with duels or riots. The people of Sarthel are
notorious for their quick tempers, and they see rivals and com-
petitors as their worst enemies.
Sarthel is a surprisingly old city, dating back two thousand
years or more. It first grew to prominence as a provincial
capital in the tief ling empire of Bael Turath. Many of the
citys cellars, sewers, and streets date back to those early days.

TM & 2011 Wizards of the Coast LLC. All rights reserved.

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Centuries after the Turathi overlords of Sarthel were
overthrown, the city-state fell under the inf luence of
a rising new power: the human-dominated Empire
of Nerath. Unlike other towns and cities of old
Nerath, Sarthel weathered the wars and plagues that
brought down the empire, protected by its sturdy
walls and defensible location. Much of the surround-
ing area was devastated, but Sarthel survived more
or less intact.
Sarthel at a Glance
A great city by the standards of the small towns and
feudal states of the Nentir Vale, Sarthel is wealthy
but decadent and corrupt. The city is known for
its metalworkers, especially its jewelers and silver-
smiths. The western reaches of the Draco Serrata
are rich in copper and silver, providing ample
material for the smelters. The Blackfall Vale pro-
duces grain, olives, oranges, and other crops that
grow well in arid environments. The dry grassland
surrounding the city is good cattle country; beef,
cheese, and leather are plentiful. Sarthel imports
wood, textiles, and raw materials.
Population: Roughly 15,000 people live in Sar-
thel, with more in outlying villages and farmlands
along the Blackfall Vale. About two-thirds of the
population is human. Dwarves, halflings, and tief-
lings are the most numerous nonhumans, and each
congregate in different districts.
Government: Sarthel is ostensibly ruled by
a Council of Lords, a body consisting of about
twenty hereditary nobles. The council appoints a
Nerathi Legends: Sarthel, City of Silver
In the hundred years since Neraths collapse, Sar-
thel has slowly established itself as a regional power
and center of civilization in an otherwise wild and
desolate land. Some of the citys lords eye the smaller,
scattered towns of the Dragondown Coast only a hun-
dred miles to the east and dream of making Sarthel
into a republicor a kingdom. But Sarthel now faces
a dark and deadly peril: The city lies in the grip of the
Iron Circle, a secretive and powerful cult dedicated to
the worship of Asmodeus, Lord of Hell.
High Seneschal as the leading civic official, who
runs the citys daily affairs. However, the council
and the city bureaucracy have been subverted by
the Iron Circle. The secretive cult now holds effec-
tive control of the city.
Defense: A strong wall forms a half-ring around
the city; Lake Sarn guards the rest. Sarthel has a
small standing army of about 200 cavalry and 800
foot soldiers, but each of the noble families com-
mands scores of mercenaries and loyal guards.
Inns: The Sarnview Inn near the citys east gate
caters to travelers, offering decent lodgings at a
good price.
Taverns: The Thirsty Rider is a rough taproom
favored by cattlehands and laborers in the west-
ern district. The Silver Cup is a wine shop and
banquet hall favored by many of Sarthels wealthy
and influential citizens, although travelers might
find trouble in the form of quarrelsome young
nobles quick to draw blade against any insult, real
or imagined.
Sarthels Power
Structure
In most times, the business of Sarthel is business. All
of that rivalry and competition continues on the sur-
face, giving Sarthel an appearance of normalcybut
now someone is pulling the strings. The cult known
as the Iron Circle controls many nobles and city offi-
cials, giving the secretive High Adept Tynaron power
over the city.
The Council of Lords
With the collapse of imperial authority a century
ago, the leading noble families of Sarthel established
a Council of Lords to govern the city. The council
consists of the ranking noble in each family, but it
rarely meets as a bodymany of the lords are content
to delegate authority to the High Seneschal. Instead,
the lords use their position on the council and their
influence over the civic bureaucracy to jockey for the
best mercantile licenses and most important civic
offices. Many of the powerful noble families are fierce
enemies.
House Avrul is considered the foremost noble
family of Sarthel. They control the routes to the rich
southern land of Nath Mornal, Sarthels largest and
wealthiest trading partner (and incidentally home
to the Citadel of Irons Grasp). Likewise, Avrul
controls many of the highest-ranking positions in
Sarthels army. The self-styled Duke Aron Avrul,
who also holds the position of Marshal of Sarthel,
leads the house. He was a formidable soldier in his
youth, but Avruls days of discipline and deprivation
are behind him; now well into middle age, he takes
the field only if he has a luxurious pavilion in which
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2

to sleep and scores of servants to provide for his
comfort.
House Padumor is an old foe of the Avruls. Its
commercial interests are strongly allied with the
citys silversmith guild and jewelers guild. In a city
where nobles are noted for their prickliness, the
Padumors are the worst of the lot; just about every
Padumor is an expert duelist looking for a reason to
Nerathi Legends: Sarthel, City of Silver
take offense. Their ancient matriarch, the Comtessa
Verna Padumor, nominally rules the Padumors.
However, practical leadership of the house now
rests with Vernas son Hordan, soon to be the Comte
Padumor.
One of the smaller families is House Imbran,
noted for its half-elf heritage. The Imbrans are in the
olive and olive oil trade, and they also deal in fine
leather from the outlying ranches. More important,
Lord Bandor Imbrana dignified young half-elf noble
only thirty years of agehas taken it upon himself to
expose and uproot the Iron Circle at any cost. Lord
Imbran is one of the few leaders in Sarthel who sus-
pects just how far the Iron Circles chains reach, and
he greatly fears that the cult will soon move to elevate
one of the larger families to a throne, raising a tyrant
to rule over Sarthel. He is quietly seeking trustworthy
adventurers to lead the crusade.
The High Seneschal
Stern and sharp of tongue, the human mage Klaran
Meitor currently holds the scepter of the High
Seneschal. He is an intimidating figure: a scowling
lean, balding man with a stiff black beard peppered
with silver and gray. Klaran was appointed to his
position ten years ago, and to date he has success-
fully ignored all but direct orders from the Council
of Lords, keeping the city running better than it has
in decades.
As High Seneschal, Klaran Meitor oversees a
nepotistic civic bureaucracy in which various rela-
tions of the council houses fill the most rewarding
offices. The nobles of Sarthel have spent centuries
fighting over which posts their nieces, nephews, and
distant cousins hold. That much Meitor could handle
with ease, but now the ever-present corruption in the
ranks of the city officials has a direction and a pur-
pose. Meitor has already survived two assassination
attempts from Iron Circle minions, and he knows all
too well that he cant trust the officers and officials
who report to himsome among them are certain to
be secret members of the Iron Circle.
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The Iron Circle
While the city lords squabble and the civic officials
line their own pockets, the true power in Sarthel
now lies in the hands of a secretive society known
as the Iron Circle. Scores of Sarthels most powerful
and inf luential citizens have been drawn into the
society.
At one level the Iron Circle operates completely in
the openits banner flies above an old keep on the
outskirts of town, which is now known as the Iron
Tower. Warriors in crimson mail and black-robed
adepts guard its ramparts, and they also patrol the
streets of Sarthel. The Iron Circle claims to be a mili-
tary entity that desires nothing more than to bring
peace, order, and justice to all lands. Within Sarthels
walls, the organization is reasonably well behaved,
and from Sarthel, Iron Circle companies march forth
to seize strongholds in the borderlands and bring law-
less areas under their rule.
Beyond the ordinary rank and file of the Iron
Circle lies a secret order of knights, who are initi-
ated into the true purpose of the orderthe worship
of Asmodeus and the spreading of his dominion over
the world. When gathering together, the initiates dis-
guise themselves, guarding their identities beneath
masks of crimson cloth. Even if a city leader is
revealed to be a member of the Iron Circle, the cultist
cannot betray any of his or her fellows, because he or
she does not know their identities.
Nerathi Legends: Sarthel, City of Silver
The Adept of Chains
The master of the Iron Circle in Sarthel is a pow-
erful human adept known as High Lord Tynaron.
Unlike most of the other cultists, he knows each
member of the Iron Circle in the city, since he
requires all cultists to unmask in his presence
unless he instructs them otherwise (to keep other
cultists present from learning each others identi-
ties). Tynaron is a short, stocky man of about fifty
years, clean-shaven, with silvered hair and noble
features. He is intelligent, with a natural magnetism
High Lord Tynaron Level 11 Elite Controller (Leader)
Medium natural humanoid, human XP 1,200
HP 228; Bloodied 114 Initiative +7
AC 25, Fortitude 23, Reflex 22, Will 25 Perception +14
Speed 6
Resist 10 fire, 10 necrotic
Saving Throws +2; Action Points 1
Traits
O Lashing Chains F Aura 2
Protoplasmic chains surround Tynaron in battle, flailing at
nearby foes. Enemies within the aura cannot shift, and any
enemy that ends its turn in the aura takes 5 damage.
Standard Actions
m Brazen Rod (fire, weapon) F At-Will
Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +16 vs. AC
Hit: 1d10 + 5 damage, and ongoing 10 fire damage (save ends).
Tynaron slides the target up to 3 squares.
R Hellfire Bolt (fire, implement, necrotic) F At-Will
Attack: Ranged 10 (one creature); +14 vs. Reflex
Hit: 2d6 + 7 fire and necrotic damage, and the target is dazed
until the end of Tynarons next turn.
sharpened by years of experience in manipulating
and intimidating others.
Tynaron harbors a secret not even his closest min-
ions suspect: He is a damned soul, sent back from the
Nine Hells to work more wickedness in the world. His
eyes glow with a fiery light when he becomes angry,
and he is armed with hellish powers to advance
Asmodeuss purposes in the mortal world. With a
word, Tynaron can summon dark hellfire or infernal
chains of red-hot iron to scourge his enemies and
intimidate his followers.
A Chains of Dis (fire, implement) F Recharge 4 5 6
Attack: Area burst 2 within 10 (creatures in the burst); +14 vs.
Reflex
Hit: 2d8 + 5 damage, and the target is restrained and takes
ongoing 10 fire damage (save ends both).
Miss: Half damage.
Minor Actions
C Infernal Command (fire) F Recharge when first bloodied
Effect: Close burst 5 (one ally in the burst). Tynaron slides the
target up to 3 squares, and the target gains 20 temporary hit
points. Until those temporary hit points are gone, the tar-
gets melee attacks deal 5 extra fire damage.
Triggered Actions
C Burning Rebuke (fire) F At-Will
Trigger: An enemy within 3 squares of Tynaron hits him with an
attack.
Attack (Immediate Reaction): Close burst 3 (triggering enemy);
+14 vs. Will
Hit: 2d10 + 7 fire damage, and the target is weakened until the
end of its next turn.
Skills Bluff +15, Insight +14, Religion +13
Str 15 (+7) Dex 14 (+7) Wis 18 (+9)
Con 18 (+9) Int 17 (+8) Cha 21 (+10)
Alignment evil Languages Common, Draconic
Equipment brazen rod
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4

E xploring Sarthel
Sarthel consists of three sprawling rings nestled
against the lakeshore, all sheltered within the for-
midable city wall. The outermost ring (the farthest
from the lake) is known as the Wall Ward. Its home
to many of the citys warehouses, stockyards, trad-
ing houses, and foundries. The middle ring, referred
to as the Low Ward, is where most of the common
people live, along with the hundreds of stores, work-
shops, taprooms, and other such businesses catering
to the general public. The innermost ring, close by
the lakeshore, is called the High Ward. Its where
one finds the citys temples, the counting houses, the
manors of the noble families, and many of the civic
buildings. The wards are not clearly delineated and
bleed into one another.
Alamarid Palace
More properly described as a citadel than a palace,
the Alamarid is the seat of the city government.
It was formerly the palace of the Nerathan lord-
governor who ruled Sarthel, but since the passing of
the empire, it has served as the meeting place of the
Council of Lords and the palace of the High Sene-
schal. The Alamarid sits on top of a low, rocky hillock
at the north end of town, overlooking the lakeshore. It
is finished in a warm, honey-yellow marble quarried
from the nearby mountains, and it appears to glow in
the early morning light.
Most city records are housed here, and large parts
of the palace are given over to the offices of various
city officials, including the High Magistrate and
his courts. The fortifications around the Alamarids
lower heights command much of Sarthel and serve as
a barracks for one cohort of Sarthels army.
Nerathi Legends: Sarthel, City of Silver
The Dark Maze
Beneath Sarthels streets lie the foundations and
a vision or manifestation of Erathis appeared and
bestowed her blessing on the city. The Golden Flame
is a pantheistic temple, but Erathis is regarded as a
hidden vaults of the ancient Turathi city that once
first among equals and revered as the special patron
stood here. Much of this older work serves as the
of Sarthel.
sewers for the Sarthel today, but isolated cisterns,
The temple is home to a dozen priests and aco-
buried catacombs, secret tunnels, and more pock-
lytes, plus guards, scholars, and servants. The head of
mark the area beneath the High Ward and Low
the temple is the Hierarch Yasmina Nagal, a human
Ward. The upper reaches of this labyrinth serve as a
woman of sixty who attained her position through the
refuge for gangs of thieves and bands of smugglers,
work of House Nagal. Despite this, she is careful not
and they are haunted by a number of monstrous scav-
to allow family considerations to govern her decisions.
engers. The lower depths are home to buried Turathi
Yasmina is struggling to deal with a sharp decline in
shrines and vaults, many of which still hold ancient
the publics interest in the temple; the Iron Circle has
treasuresand monstrous guardians.
recruited many of her worshipers, and it has worked
to discredit others by exposing bribery and scandal
Pelarbin
(some deserved, some seemingly manufactured).
Despite its location on a deep lake, Sarthel is not a
port; the River Blackfall is not navigable between
Lake Sarn and the Gulf of Kul. Instead, Sarthels
Beyond the Walls
Sarthel lies in a high, semiarid plateau between the
commerce and trade moves southward to the small
Draco Serrata Mountains to the north, and the lower
town of Pelarbin on the coast. A good stone road runs
Golden Hills to the south. Mines and quarries dot the
15 miles through a wide saddle in the coastal hills,
foothills of both ranges. This upland is known as the
linking Sarthel to its seaport. Pelarbin is exposed
Sarn Plateau, and it extends from the lowland forests
to storms from which Sarthel is protected, and the
of eastern Therund to the plain surrounding Lake
steep hillsides facing the sea have long prevented it
Sarn. Much of the plateau is dry grassland, broken
from growing anywhere near as grand as its neighbor.
by copses of hardy trees. Its thinly populated, with
Many Sarthar trading houses and firms maintain
widely scattered ranches and mines in the mountain
docks and warehouses on Pelarbins wide strand,
foothills. The ground is not especially fertile, except
linking Sarthel to distant lands.
in the valley of the wide Blackfall River. This ribbon
of farmland extends fifty miles or more from Sarthel,
Temple of the Golden Flame
and its villages and freeholds feed the city. Small gar-
The largest of Sarthels temples is the Temple of the
risons of soldiers guard the more important villages
Golden Flame, which stands in the grand Temple
and outposts; the region within a days travel of the
Square near the center of the city. The temple is
city walls is well patrolled and reasonably safe from
named for a dancing jet of holy fire that springs from
bandits and monsters.
a large brazier in its central dome. According to
the temple priests, the flame marks the spot where
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Adventures
in Sarthel
Heroes looking for adventure in Sarthel wont
have to go far. Here are a few ideas.
Vendetta: Open feuding breaks out between
two rival houses. The heroes are hired by one
house to counter the mercenaries employed by
the other, and theyre asked to strike at the other
houses holdings and assets.
The Dark Maze of Sarn: The heroes find an
entrance to a previously unexplored portion of
the Dark Maze.
Infiltrate the Iron Circle: Lord Bandor Imbran
hires the heroes to infiltrate the secret society
and discover its true purpose by pretending to
sign up, and then working their way up through
the ranks.
Bring Down the Iron Tower: The High Sen-
eschal hires the heroes to investigate a series
of mysterious disappearances. The trail leads
into the secret ritual chambers beneath the
Iron Tower, where the unfortunate captives are
magically dominated and smuggled out of Sar-
thel to a life of slavery in the south. The heroes
must fight their way in and confront the cults
hidden leader.
Nerathi Legends: Sarthel, City of Silver
Once one travels more than ten miles or so from
the city, or leaves the cultivated region along the
Blackfall, the land quickly reverts to wilderness. To
the north, the rugged heights of the Draco Serrata
pose a formidable obstacle to travel between Sarthel
and the small towns of the Dragondown Coast. East-
ward lie the broken ridges and forest-choked vales of
the Kulgard Peninsula, a region infested with hungry
manticores and tribes of warlike gnolls.
The arid plains and dry woodlands east of Lake
Sarn were once settled, but the area was virtually
depopulated a hundred years ago in the great wars
that marked the end of Nerath. Bloodthirsty reavers
from Winterskull ravaged the isolated towns here
again and again. Today, travelers following the old
imperial road from Sarthel to Avankil at the mouth
of the Blackfall pass through a dry, desolate region of
abandoned farmsteads, ruined keeps, and ruthless
bands of outlaws.
About the Author
Richard Baker is an award-winning game designer who has
written numerous adventures and supplements, including
Manual of the Planes TM , the Dark Sun Campaign Guide, and
the Gamma World Roleplaying Game. Hes a New York Times
bestselling author of Forgotten Realms novels such as
Condemnation, the Last Mythal trilogy, and the Blades of the
Moonsea series. Rich is currently the Design Manager for the
Dungeons & Dragons game at Wizards of the Coast.
A p r i l 2 011 | D r ag o n 3 9 8
6
Nerathi Legends
The Seven Kings of Karkoth
By Richard Baker
Illustration by Adam Paquette F Cartography by Adam Gillespie
Undead? No, the Karkothi arent undead,
my friend. They just use the dead to do
their bidding.
In the heart of northeastern Selduria lies the home-
land of a proud, cruel, and warlike race: the humans
of Karkoth. The Karkothi nobles combine martial
skill with mastery of the dark arts, building armies
from subjugated monsters and animating fallen
warriors by the thousands to sate their hunger for
conquest, wealth, and dominion. Karkothi legions
menace the fair realms of Vailin, the valiant Sel-
durian tribes that remain loyal to the old ideal of
Nerath, and the great island of Kelarnil from their
foothold in the Dread Marches. The great wars
threatening the realms of the known world today
originated in the Karkothi drive for power and mas-
tery. Time will tell whether the Karkothi succeed in
seizing the world for their own, or if they drown in
the fire and fury they have unleashed.
TM & 2011 Wizards of the Coast LLC. All rights reserved.
The Tale of Karkoth sinister pacts to achieve arcane might. The Kars
now added the reckless pursuit of magical power to
The realm of Karkoth arose more than eight hun-
their already barbaric and warlike disposition. Thus
dred years ago when the Kars, a barbaric human
the Karkothi Throneholds, a realm of warlocks and
tribe from eastern Selduria, ventured west over the
warriors, took shape.
bitter heights of the Dragonspine Mountains and
The kings of Karkoth grew hungry for a wider
descended upon the kingdom of Surth. Laying waste
dominion and new conquests. They settled the
to everything in their path, the Kars next marched
marches of the Broken Lands, conquered the divided
against the decadent wizard-realm of Dol-Thamar
citadels and towns of Blisterforge, established out-
along the southern shore of what is now called the
posts in the vale of Slaughtergarde and the Icebound
Gulf of Kar, and toppled that decrepit realm. The
Wastes, and drowned the kingdom of Surth with
Kar warchiefs then hurled their strength against
terrible magic when it became a threat. Then, about
the elven kingdom of Tarsembor, but here they were
three hundred years ago, the Karkothi Empire met its
finally checked; despite their ferocity, the elves and
match in a new power from over the sea: the Empire
their allies stood firm, and the Kars invasion ground
of Nerath, then at its zenith. The Karkothi and Ner-
to a halt.
athi clashed in repeated wars over the next sixty
The Kars turned their attention to oppressing
years, until the power of Karkoth was broken and its
and settling the lands they had overrun, in particu-
conquests stripped away.
lar the rich lands of Dol-Thamar. Each of the great
The Karkothi, humiliated and bitter, retreated to
Kar tribes settled in a different part of the region.
their throneholds, the former empire of Dol-Thamar.
Among the ruins of Dol-Thamar, the Kars discov-
During the long generations of Neraths dominance,
ered dark and powerful arcane secrets. Hungry for
the Karkothi domains feuded, schemed, and fought
power and impatient to subjugate their fellows, the
with each other, jockeying for mastery over their
Kar chieftains plundered the Thamari vaults and
shrunken empire. In time Neraths hold on northern
interrogated the surviving Thamari wizards, learn-
Selduria began to weaken, and Karkothi ambitions
ing how to summon powerful patrons and strike
stirred again. Renewed Karkothi agitation led to
M a y 2 011 | D r ag o n 3 9 9
1

incursions of monsters and bitter rebellions through-
out Selduria, further weakening the Nerathi empire.
The fall of Nerath led to war, plague, and anarchy, but
the Karkothi people weathered these troubles better
than other tribes and soon reemerged as the major
power in the east.
Karkoth had always been a disunified empire,
but in the century since the fall of Nerath, a new
Nerathi Legends: The Seven Kings of Karkoth
power has arisen among this warlike people: the
cult of the Chained God. Although no single king
of Karkoths tribes could ever force obedience from
his peers, the priests of Tharizdun have brought the
Karkothi together with a unifying purpose: First,
reclaim the lands once held by ancient Karkoth;
then sweep away the decrepit remnants of hated
Nerath and Vailin.
The Seven Kings
Karkoth is not a monolithic empire. Instead, it is a
fractious and quarrelsome union of the Karkothi
people consisting of seven small kingdoms and a
dozen or so lesser fiefs and domains. Each domain of
Karkoth is ruled by a noble house commanding the
loyalty of scores of thanes, or minor lords sworn to
serve their king and battle his enemies.
By tradition, the kings of Karkoth are considered
equals, and they frequently meet at the neutral
city of Marhad in the Chamber of Thrones to take
counsel. In practice, the kings are rivals and occa-
sional enemies, rarely cooperating in any endeavor
likely to result in one of them gaining an advantage
at the expense of the others. Before the rise of the
Chained Gods cult, it was not unusual for two or
three of the Karkothi kingdoms to be at war with
each other at any given time. But now, under a
unifying purpose, they are focused on external
conquest.
Seven monarchs sit in the Chamber of Thrones.
Each one is briefly described below.
King Grom of Dolthkarin: Grom is a fat and
avaricious sea-reaver who, in his younger days,
plundered a dozen lands. He is the patriarch of an
exceptionally numerous and quarrelsome family,
with no fewer than eleven sons and daughters
scheming to replace him on his death. Dolthkarin,
Karkoths largest city, is a major seaport and trading
hub, serving as the gateway to the Karkothi Throne-
holds when the country is not at war with itself.
King Dhurn of Gormad: Dhurn is a powerful
warrior with a short, violent temper. A huge, bald-
ing male human with a bristling gray mustache and
one eye replaced with a fiery stone of mysterious
M a y 2 011 | D r ag o n 3 9 9
2
 Nerathi Legends: The Seven Kings of Karkoth

power, he otherwise disdains magic, preferring

to hack his enemies to pieces with Blackrend, a
massive greataxe. The city of Gormad lies on the
northern marches, near the Gray Shields. Dhurn
fights fiercely against drow raiders, and it is because
of his energetic efforts that the road to Blisterforge
remains open.
King Haldrist of Gray March: Young and
impetuous, Haldrist has become the prime pupil of
High Priestess Loranil, the head of the Temple of
Dark Might and foremost priest of the Chained God.
Haldrist is a broad-shouldered male human of thirty
with a thin, sandy beard and eyes of startling bright
bluethe eyes of madness, it is rumored. Rumors say
that Loranil intends to elevate Haldrist to Overking,
using the unseasoned ruler as her tool to govern Kar-
koth and its conquests with an iron fist. Haldrists
domain lies close to the eastern border in the upland
plains of the Gray March, which are home to the
horses used by Karkoths cavalry.
King Brusev of the Groaning Tower: High on
a forlorn cape overlooking the Gulf of Kar stands the
Groaning Tower, a great fortress of dark magic. The
fortress is the domain of King Brusev, an aged war-
lock renowned for his power and malice. If anyone
could lay claim to the title of Overking, it would
be Brusev; only the strength of the Temple of the
Chained God (and the fact that several of the other necromantic workshops. The lands around Kharsk Surth and the Fen of Surth. It is sometimes called
kings would certainly ally against him) prevents are the breadbasket of the Karkothi Throneholds, and the city of sinking mausoleums.
Brusev from seizing total power. thousands of slaves work in the fields. Queen Irina of Tyarmur: The single female
King Sarkomov of Kharsk: Humorless and King Vasil of Surthgard: A master of necroman- among the seven monarchs, Queen Irina is a crafty
stern, Sarkomov is a first-rate strategist who, unlike tic curses and magical plagues, Vasil is renowned nethermancer and the second most powerful practi-
the other Karkothi monarchs, harbors few personal for his patience and cunning. He has ruled for at tioner of the dark arts behind Brusev. Karkothi rules
ambitions. His city, Kharsk, is located where the least fifty years, but he appears to be a man of forty, of succession put male heirs ahead of older female
Nhamur River meets Lake Surth. Great concentric tall with lank hair and clad in scale mail of bronze. siblings, so it is rare for more than one or two reign-
walls ring vast barracks, armories, foundries, and Surthgard lies on the marshy shores between Lake ing queens to be part of the Chamber of Thrones at

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 Nerathi Legends: The Seven Kings of Karkoth
any given time. Irina is considering an alliance by
marriage to Haldrist, believing that with the support
of the Temple she could finally unite Karkoth under
a single throne and establish a dynastic empire. Her
domain of Tyarmur lies in the high vales of the Mist-
crowns, and guards the Pass of Tyarskthe major
route from the Throneholds to the broad plains of the
Broken Lands.
The Land of Karkoth
The Karkothi Throneholds lie in a wide vale between
the high crags of the Mistcrown Mountains to the
west and the low, barren range of the Gray Shields to
the east. The regions climate is cooled by its modest
elevation and the Gulf of Kar. The land east of the
Nhamur River, which links Lake Surth and the gulf,
is high rolling plains and moorlands, broken by occa-
sional wild forests in more remote spots. West of the
Nhamur, the land is somewhat lower and more fertile
with heavier forests, at least until one reaches the
rugged foothills of the Mistcrowns.
Monstrous incursions into Karkoth are com-
monplace, because both the Fen of Surth and the
wild peaks that rise above the Vault of the Drow
are infested with dangerous creatures. In addition,
patrols of undead guard the borders of each Karkothi
kingdom, although some of the creatures have long
been abandoned by their original creators, and now
haunt the countryside. Karkothi commoners do not
go out at night if they can help it, and they bar the
doors and windows when the sun goes down.
The Throneholds are not densely populated;
the Karkothi are not numerous. Their power lies
in their talent for the dark arts, and their ability
to subjugate the tribes, savages, and monsters in
the surrounding lands. The higher, drier eastern
portions of the country are used as pastureland
for f locks of sheep and goats; towns are few and
far between, and most people live in lonely but
well-defended clanholds shared by large, extended
families. The western lowlands are more settled,
with small villages and towns scattered across the
land, dominated by the gloomy castles and strong-
holds of Karkothi nobles.
Marhad, the High Thronehold
The kings spend most of their time in their own
domains, surrounded by their loyal guards and
servants. However, three times each year they
assemble for the traditional Throne Council at the
Chamber of Thrones in the neutral city of Marhad.
Each Throne Council lasts from three to six weeks,
although the kings sit in session together only a few
times, with the work of making decisions and set-
ting policies carried out by the kings advisors and
entourages away from the Chamber of Thrones. In
addition to the three mandatory Throne Councils,
special councils are frequently called, bringing the
kings and their followers to Marhad several more
times each year.
Because it is the High Thronehold, Marhad is the
place where outsiders are most likely to find officials
or merchants who can arrange meetings with the
leaders of Karkoth, trade in the rumors and secrets
of the realm, or seek audience in the Chamber of
Thrones.
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Marhad at a Glance
The High Thronehold of Karkoth is not a big city.
Since no one king controls it, Marhad is little more
than a neutral meeting-place and a center of trade.
The High Thronehold houses the Chamber of
Thrones, where the kings of Karkoth meet, and the
Temple of Dark Might, the foremost shrine of the
Chained God and his priesthood.
Population Mix: Marhad is home to about
12,000 people year-round, although the popula-
tion doubles when the Kings of Karkoth gather with
their entourages and supplicants. More people live
in the surrounding villages and farmlands. About
three-quarters of Marhadans are humans of Kar
descent, with the remainder being dwarves, half-
orcs, minotaurs, and drow. Eladrins and elves are
viewed with great suspicion because of the historic
enmity between Karkoth and Tarsembor.
Government: Marhad is ruled by Earl Ustov
Berevin. The earldom of Marhad is not counted
among the kingdoms of Karkoth, a situation that
both annoys and pleases Earl Ustov. While a part
of him wishes he had the status of a king, he also
appreciates his unique position as the leader of the
realms bastion of neutrality. The earls guards func-
tion as the city watch and defend the city. He also
appoints the officials who oversee the citys daily
business. Marhadan soldiers and officials have no
power on Temple grounds, however. Foreigners are
Nerathi Legends: The Seven Kings of Karkoth
Karkothi Encounters
The Seven Kings command a wide, multiracial
empire, populated by humans, dwarves, goliaths,
free to travel and conduct business in Marhad after
tief lings, and monstrous races such as minotaurs,
paying for a letter of passage.
Commerce: Marhad is not a major economic gnolls, orcs, and giants. However, the kings are com-
power, although local quarries produce fine monly encountered in the company of undead. Most
marble and gemstones, and surrounding pasture- Karkothi thanes and nobles are practiced warlocks
land provides wool, mutton, and vellum. Instead, and warriors who supplement their living body-
the citys principal product is trade itself, since guards with skeletal warriors and battle wights.
Karkothi from all the kingdoms meet to exchange Darkthanes are typical Karkothi agents or
goods here. Counting-houses, warehouses, clerks, captains of middle rank. They might be found com-
scribes, and barristers can be found in large num-
manding Karkothi units in battle, leading patrols or
bers here.
Defenses: Marhad is a fortress city, built on a guard detachments in vital places, or carrying out
spur of Mount Kolmurgar. The great hall of the dangerous missions in far lands. Fell skeletons are
Chamber of Thrones forms an inner citadel, linked fearless bodyguards created in necromantic ritu-
to the lower city by a single spectacular bridge. Earl als. Unlike other skeletons, they can speak in cold,
Marhad normally maintains about 1,000 elite foot hollow tones, act independently, and follow complex
soldiers in and around the city, and when Karkoths directions.
kings meet here, each brings hundreds of additional
warriors in his or her entourage.
Inns and Taverns: The Royal Arms is a cheap
and dirty hostel located near the city gate. It is the
sort of place where questions are rarely asked. The
Mountain Aerie is a higher-class establishment,
located near the bridge leading to the Chamber
of Thrones, that caters to well-heeled travelers. A
spirit room called the Drowsing Dragon serves
as the headquarters for Marhads small and violent
thieves guild.
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Adventures
in Karkoth
Strangers wandering through the Karkothi
Throneholds are viewed with suspicion, but its
possible for a party of heroes to pose as trad-
ers, diplomats, or mercenaries, or to obtain a
pass from one of the kings (or more likely their
thanes). Here are a few ideas for adventures in
the Karkothi Throneholds.
Ransom: A young nobleman of Vailin or the
daughter of a Skalgard jarl has been taken pris-
oner by a Karkothi house; the heroes are tasked
with escorting the ransom to Karkoth.
Beneath the Groaning Tower: Servants of
King Brusev unearth a terrible artifact of Bael
Turath, which the warlock king seeks to master.
The heroes take on a desperate mission to steal
or destroy the artifact before King Brusev can
unlock its full power.
Ruins of Thamargol: On the windswept
plains east of Dolthkarin lie the ruins of Thamar-
gol, the ancient capital of Dol-Thamar. Strange
monsters haunt the ruins, which are said to hold
riches and magical devices still hidden in deep
vaults.
Royal Quarrels: One of Karkoths kings hires
(or coerces) the heroes to attempt the assassina-
tion of a rival king.
Nerathi Legends: The Seven Kings of Karkoth
Karkothi Darkthane Level 15 Elite Artillery (Leader)
Medium natural humanoid, human XP 2,400
HP 234; Bloodied 117 Initiative +10
AC 29, Fortitude 27, Reflex 27, Will 28 Perception +10
Speed 6
Saving Throws +2; Action Points 1
Traits
O Aura of Dark Resolve F Aura 3
Allies in the aura gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls. At the start of
the darkthanes turn, each of the darkthanes allies in the aura
gains 10 temporary hit points.
Standard Actions
m Sword of Icy Shadow (cold, weapon) F At-Will
Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +20 vs. AC
Hit: 3d10 + 5 cold damage, and the target is slowed and grants
combat advantage to the darkthane until the end of the
darkthanes next turn.
R Clutching Shadows (necrotic) F At-Will
Attack: Ranged 10 (one creature); +20 vs. Fortitude
Hit: 2d6 + 6 necrotic damage, and ongoing 10 necrotic
damage, the target is slowed, and the darkthane gains par-
tial concealment from the target (save ends all).
Sword and Spell F At-Will
Effect: The darkthane shifts up to 2 squares, uses sword of icy
shadow, and uses clutching shadows, in any order.
Minor Actions
Dark Demand F Recharge when first bloodied
Effect: Close burst 5 (one ally in the burst). As a free action,
the target shifts 1 square and makes a melee basic attack
against an enemy designated by the darkthane.
Triggered Actions
Shadow Shield (teleportation) F Recharge 5 6
Trigger: An enemy adjacent to the darkthane hits the dark-
thane with an attack.
Effect (Immediate Interrupt): The darkthane becomes insub-
stantial until the start of its next turn. After the attack is
resolved, the darkthane teleports up to 5 squares.
Skills Arcana +17, History +17, Insight +15, Intimidate +18
Str 16 (+10) Dex 17 (+10) Wis 16 (+10)
Con 21 (+12) Int 20 (+12) Cha 23 (+13)
Alignment chaotic evil Languages Common, Giant
Equipment bastard sword, leather armor, robes
Karkothi Fell Skeleton Level 13 Soldier
Medium natural animate (undead) XP 800
HP 129; Bloodied 64 Initiative +12
AC 29, Fortitude 26, Reflex 25, Will 25 Perception +10
Speed 5
Immune disease, poison; Resist 15 cold, 15 necrotic;
Vulnerable 10 radiant
Traits
Fell Blade
The fell skeleton deals full damage against insubstantial
enemies.
Standard Actions
m Fell Sword (cold, weapon) F At-Will
Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +18 vs. AC
Hit: 1d10 + 6 damage plus 10 cold damage, and the target is
slowed and cannot shift until the end of the fell skeletons
next turn.
Triggered Actions
Fell Vengeance F At-Will
Trigger: An enemy adjacent to the fell skeleton attacks an
ally of the skeleton and does not include the skeleton as a
target.
Effect (Immediate Reaction): The fell skeleton makes a basic
attack against the triggering enemy.
Str 22 (+12) Dex 19 (+10) Wis 19 (+10)
Con 17 (+9) Int 6 (+4) Cha 10 (+6)
Alignment chaotic evil Languages Common
Equipment bastard sword, scale mail
About the Author
Richard Baker is an award-winning game designer who has
written numerous adventures and sourcebooks, including
Manual of the Planes, the Dark Sun Campaign Setting, and
the D&D Gamma World Roleplaying Game. Hes a New
York Times bestselling author of Forgotten Realms novels
such as Condemnation, the Last Mythal trilogy, and the Blades
of the Moonsea series. Rich is currently the Design Manager
for Dungeons & Dragons at Wizards of the Coast.
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Nerathi Legends:
The Iron Wolf
Barbarians
By Rich Baker
Illustration by Noah Bradley
Cartography by Adam Gillespie
A savage folk for a savage land, or so they
say. Do you think dwarves are stubborn?
Just you try and tell an Iron Wolf to do
something he doesnt want to do. Hed
rather die where he stands than call any
man his master.
Among the forests and mountains of western Selduria
lies the homeland of a brave and fierce peoplethe
barbarians of the Iron Wolf tribe. For a thousand
years or more the Iron Wolf people have thrown back
hordes of orcs, giant marauders, and the sorcerous
legions of Karkoth, falling upon each group of invad-
ers with uncommon fury.
Given their warlike nature and their hostility to
outsiders, it might seem unusual that the Iron Wolf
people are counted among the League of Nerath.
The story of this old alliance goes back over three
hundred years, when the Nerathi prince Tarma-
gel invaded the Iron Wolf lands at the head of a
TM & 2011 Wizards of the Coast LLC. All rights reserved.
mighty army to put an end to the barbarian raiding
of Nerathi lands and to subdue the restless savages.
The legions of Nerath fought several bloody battles
against the gathering horde of Iron Wolf warriors,
and a long and terrible war seemed certain. But the
chief of the Cloven Skull orcs saw an opportunity too
great to pass up and decided to strike a blow against
his Iron Wolf enemies while they were sorely pressed
by Tarmagel and his soldiers.
The doom of the Iron Wolf barbarians was at
hand, but Selfreya, the fierce and beautiful daugh-
ter of the Iron Wolf chief and a formidable warrior
in her own right, struck an alliance with Tarmagel.
Together the Nerathi soldiers and the Iron Wolf
warriors smashed the orc incursion. Selfreya and
Tarmagel fell in love, and the crown prince of Nerath
took the warrior-princess of the Iron Wolf tribe as
his wife. The union allowed the Iron Wolf people
and other tribes of western Selduria to remain free
of Nerathi rule. And as honored allies, the warriors
of those peoples often served valiantly in Neraths
legions for the remainder of the empires days.
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 Nerathi Legends: The Iron Wolf Barbarians

The Five Tribes humans who settled in Skalgard and have adopted
many of their customs.
White Raven: Like the Ghostdrakes, the White
Ravens are a small tribe with a high regard for tradi-
The barbaric peoples of Selduria belong to one large
Ghostdrake: Highly traditional and suspicious tion. However, they are not as xenophobic as their
ethnic group, the Harthyars. That group is composed
of outsiders, the Ghostdrakes are a small tribe led westerly neighborsin fact, the White Ravens honor
of five large tribes, each with its own territories and
by their shamans. They hold more reverence for the old friendships and alliances with tribes of goliaths
traditions. All are fierce warriors, but each tribe fol-
forest and its spirits than the other tribes, and jeal- and dragonborn who share the eastern reaches of the
lows its own customs: some are honorable foes who
ously guard access to the places they deem sacred. Harthian Forest with them. Of the Five Tribes, the
do not raise their hand against weaker peoples, while
The Ghostdrakes roam the rainy mountains looming White Raven warriors are the most stealthy and cun-
others are cruel marauders who leave a wake of blood
above the Forbidding Shore, and have few dealings ning; rather than hurtling headlong at invaders, they
and fire behind them.
with the other tribes.
By tradition, the reigning chief or leader of a tribe
takes on the tribes name. For example, the barbar-
ian king Woldred is the Iron Wolf, while the high
lady Atreya of Skalgard is the Frostspear, and the
archdruid Hurthmer is the Ghostdrake. Most holds
and settlements are given simple place-names such
as Two Lakes or Split Tree, or are known by the
name of the current chieftain therefor example,
Woldreds Hold.
Iron Wolf: Scores of Iron Wolf holds and settle-
ments dot the western margins of the great forest,
from the vale of the Griffon River to the tip of Cape
Harthia. The Iron Wolf people are the strongest and
most numerous of the Harthyar tribes. They have a
long tradition of seafaring and are widely traveled
compared to the other tribes, which gives them a
somewhat more open-minded view of other realms
and peoples. The Iron Wolf people still regard them-
selves as hardier, wiser, freer, braver, and more honest
than any race of decadent city-dwellers or lowly
ground-plowers.
The Iron Wolf barbarians take their name from
the iron wolves of western Selduria, a breed of large,
ferocious, and cunning predators in the region that
have a coat of dark gray with reddish-brown high-
lights, andaccording to legendteeth as hard as iron,
a blessing of the primal spirits upon their feral kind.
Frostspear: The most civilized of the tribes,
the Frostspears live on the eastward slopes of the
Griffonwatch Mountains and the southern plains of
Skalgard. They have intermingled with the Seldurian

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Woldreds Hold at a Glance
Iron Wolf settlements are small and insular by the
standards of the old Nerathi heartlands, and none
could truly be called a city, though Woldreds Hold
comes closest. The chieftain who rules this large set-
tlement is traditionally given the title of the Iron Wolf
and considered king of the Iron Wolf people. When
a new chieftain takes power, the hold is renamed.
Population Mix: About 3,000 people live in or
around Woldreds Hold. Virtually all are humans of
Harthyar descent. However, small clans of dwarves,
halflings, and elves are also found there.
Government: Chieftain Woldred, sometimes
addressed as King Woldred, rules Woldreds Hold. A
hale, good-humored man of fifty, Woldred is much
cleverer than he lets on. Because Woldred is a war
leader more than an administrator, most Iron Wolf
settlements also have a circle of respected elders
and leaders, both male and female, who keep order
in the settlement and look after routine affairs for the
chieftain.
stalk intruders from the forest gloom, making their
wrath known with volleys of whistling arrows.
Winterskull: The Winterskulls are the black
sheep of the Harthyar tribes. They are greedy, violent
sea-reavers who aggressively plunder lands on both
sides of the Midnight Sea, including the holds of the
other tribes. Karkothi ambassadors keep Olmurg, the
jarl of the Winterskulls, well bribed with gifts of gold
and slaves. In return, the Winterskull longships sail at
Karkoths command.
Nerathi Legends: The Iron Wolf Barbarians
Commerce: The Iron Wolf people are the most
mercantile of the Five Tribes. They trade furs, amber,
fish, and good timber to ships calling from many ports,
including the Dragondown Coast, the realms of Kelar-
nil, and the merchant cities of Vailin.
Defenses: A stone keep built during the days of
the Nerathi alliance protects Woldreds Hold. Newer
palisades of wood encircle the settlement, providing
additional defense. Woldred keeps a guard of more
than a hundred fierce Iron Wolf warriors in his hall,
and a third of the people in the settlement are fit to
be called warriors and will join in the halls defense
in times of need.
Inns and Taverns: Most friendly travelers are
offered the hospitality of the chieftains hall, where
they can find food, drink, and a safe place to sleep.
Those planning to stay more than a week can take
a room at Nonils Hostel. Nonil is a widow who has
fitted out her dead husbands hall to serve as an inn
for outlanders.
Forest of Harthia
The homeland of the Seldur tribes is one of the great
forests of the world: Harthia, the Forest of Mists,
which stretches more than three hundred miles from
Cape Harthia in the west to the brooding ramparts of
Maur Khul in the east. Steep, densely wooded ridges
march in endless succession from the rocky coast to
the green-mantled peaks of the Griffonwatch Moun-
tains. Most of the Iron Wolf settlements are located
in the vale of the Griffon River or scattered along the
Midnight Sea coast.
With ocean surrounding the great peninsula
of western Selduria on three sides, the land is cool
and rainy. The Iron Wolf lands remain temperate
throughout the year, rarely seeing snow in the winter
or becoming very hot in the summer. It is a rare day
that doesnt include a thick fog rolling in from the
sea, creeping up the wooded valleys and turning the
forested ridgetops into islands among the mist. Given
the year-round rains and the steep terrain, cold, swift
streams pour down out of the mountains, presenting
many spectacular waterfalls.
The forest consists of gigantic evergreens such
as spruce, redwood, and cedar, which grow to great
size in the cool and temperate clime. Wildlife is
abundant; the chief game animals are deer and elk,
and the rivers see great runs of fish once or twice a
year. The Iron Wolf people have cleared and settled
only small areas of the land, since they do little
farming, instead relying on hunting, fishing, and
tough livestock such as goats and sheep for their
sustenance.
Dangerous monsters are commonplace in the
wilder stretches of the forest. Ettins, griffons, owl-
bears, and trolls haunt the woods, posing a significant
risk to careless travelers.
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Adventures in the
Iron Wolf Hold
The lands of the Iron Wolf tribe offer many pos-
sibilities for adventure.
Winterskull Raid: Jarl Olmurg sends a raiding
fleet against the coasts of the Iron Wolf Hold. The
fleet moves fast and hits hard. The heroes have to
figure out a way to stand up to hundreds of fierce
marauders, while also finding some way to predict
where the Winterskulls will strike next.
The Accursed Keep: The heroes hear rumors of
an ancient, overgrown keep in a vale several days
travel south of Woldreds Hold. The keep is an old
Turathi fortress destroyed by the dragonborn long
ago; a powerful devil still lurks in the dungeons
below it.
Proving Grounds: The heroes discover that an
artifact they need is a sacred treasure held by the
chief of the Ghostdrake tribe. To win the item, they
must prove themselves to the xenophobic Ghost-
drakes by overcoming a number of difficult tests.
The Merrow King: A powerful sea ogre has
forged the merrows living along the coast into
a strong and warlike tribe, and they have been
devastating nearby settlements. The heroes must
seek out the kings submerged lair and defeat him
to stop the attacks.
Nerathi Legends: The Iron Wolf Barbarians
New Character
T heme
If you are playing in a campaign using character
themes, you can choose the Iron Wolf warrior theme.
Your characters theme is a career, calling, or identity
that describes who he or she is in the world. Just as
race and class create basic definitions about who your
character is, theme adds a third character component
to help refine your story and identity. For example,
you might be a human barbarian who chooses the
Iron Wolf warrior theme, but human Iron Wolf war-
rior might mean many different things. You might
be a mighty warrior, whose savage past lends itself to
ferocity in battle. Perhaps you are a hunter or forester,
dedicated to protecting the untamed wilds as you pro-
tected the lands of your youth. Or perhaps you talk to
the spirits, and the primal power of your homeland
flows to you from them. Each theme can encompass
several unique stories within the same concept.
For information on using themes as part of charac-
ter creation and rules for how to gain and use theme
powers and features, see Heroes of Nature and Lore
in Dragon 399.
Iron Wolf Warrior
Every adult Iron Wolf member considers himself or
herself a warrior, taking pride in his or her bravery,
tenacity, and stoicism in the face of pain or adversity.
An Iron Wolf warrior learns the ways of the forest
as a child, mastering arts of woodcraft and honing
senses long forgotten by the so-called civilized folk of
the world. Each soon-to-be Iron Wolf warrior trains
alongside his or her tribal brothers and sisters, taking
part in fierce skirmishes against orcs, giants, and
other marauders, and learning how to fight and sur-
vive under the tutelage of the tribes most honored
warriors.
As outsiders to the ways of civilization, Iron Wolf
warriors are sometimes frustrated and confused by
rules of behavior that make no sense to them. When
one warrior has a quarrel with one another, he or she
confronts that person. A brawl in the road (or, rarely,
a duel to the death) is a perfectly acceptable way to
settle such conflicts. These warriors value their given
word highly, and they hold liars and cheats in utter
contempt. Likewise, they have little patience for those
who hold positions they did not earn through skill or
valor, or who wield power they do not deserve.
Creating an Iron Wolf Warrior
The Iron Wolf people are human, so the vast major-
ity of characters who choose this theme are human
or part human. (In unusual circumstances, a charac-
ter of any race might have been fostered among the
Iron Wolf holds during his or her youth.) Barbarians
are, of course, a natural fit for this theme, but many
other characters can have a barbaric origin without
actually being a member of the barbarian class. Fight-
ers, hunters, rangers, scouts, slayers, and wardens
are all appropriate as Iron Wolf members. Druids
and shamans are also found among the Iron Wolf
people. Character class doesnt limit access to this
theme, because any character might have grown up
as a member of the Iron Wolf tribe before undertak-
ing class training in a different landfor example, a
young Iron Wolf woman might travel to Vailin and
become fascinated by arcane magic, or take up a
career as a thief in the Free City of Zembar.
Starting Feature
The Iron Wolf barbarians are known throughout the
lands for their recklessness in battle. The last sound
heard by many orcs, giants, and Karkothi near the
Iron Wolf holds is the blood-freezing war cry of Iron
Wolf warriors charging out of the forest mists.
Benefit: You gain the Iron Wolf charge power.
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Iron Wolf Charge Iron Wolf Warrior Attack
You scream out an unnerving howl as you charge into battle.
Faint-hearted foes shrink from your savage wrath.
Encounter F Fear, Martial, Primal
No Action Close burst 2
Trigger: You hit an enemy with a charge attack.
Effect: That enemy takes 1d6 extra damage from the
triggering attack, and you make the following attack.
Level 11: 2d6 extra damage.
Level 21: 3d6 extra damage.
Target: Each enemy in the burst
Attack: Highest ability modifier vs. Will
Hit: You push the target up to 2 squares. The target
takes a 2 penalty to attack rolls until the end of
your next turn.
Additional Features
Level 5 Feature
You have honed your senses and woodcraft skills
beyond those of most who travel the wilds. Your abil-
ity to sense danger and trust your instincts has saved
you more than once.
Benefit: You gain a +2 power bonus to Nature
checks and Perception checks.
Level 10 Feature
Not all Iron Wolf warriors are berserkers, but most
enter battle with a fearsome determination to con-
quer or die. With one final effort of will, you can
make a final strike at a foe when you are struck down
in battle.
Benefit: When an enemy drops you below 1 hit
point, you can make a basic attack against that enemy
as a free action immediately before you begin dying.
Nerathi Legends: The Iron Wolf Barbarians
Optional Powers
Though all Iron Wolf warriors share a fearsome
reputation in battle and have some amount of native
woodcraft ability, they vary in their mastery of the
traditional combat techniques and talents of their
people. An Iron Wolf warrior from a large settlement
with many seafaring folk such as Woldreds Hold
might never learn much more lore of the forest than
any average member of the tribe would gain during
his or her youth. Others might come to rely exten-
sively on their native talents, even though they travel
far from home and follow paths few of their folk ever
tread.
Level 2 Utility Power
You are accustomed to running long distances
through forests and across mountains, swimming
swift and icy waters, and scaling daunting cliffs.
Whatever the challenge, you can overcome it through
your native toughness and sheer force of will.
Savage Effort Iron Wolf Warrior Utility 2
Refusing to be defeated, you press on in a test of endurance
or athletic prowess that would defeat softer, more civilized
people.
Daily F Martial, Primal
Minor Action Personal
Effect: Until the end of the encounter, whenever you
make an Athletics check or an Endurance check, you
can roll twice and use either result.
Level 3, 13, and 23 Encounter Powers
Like the iron wolves your people are named after,
you have mastered a brutal and effective takedown
attack. With one swift motion, you drag a foe to the
ground and make a strike against it, followed by a
quick retreator you advance to the next foe.
Wolf s Rend Iron Wolf Warrior Attack 3
You trip your foe, then follow up with a quick strike against it.
Encounter F Martial, Primal, Weapon
Standard Action Melee weapon
Target: One creature
Primary Attack: Highest ability modifier vs. Reflex
Hit: The target takes damage equal to your highest abil-
ity modifier and falls prone.
Effect: Make the secondary attack against the target.
Secondary Attack
Attack: Highest ability modifier vs. AC
Hit: 2[W] + highest ability modifier damage.
Effect: If you hit with both the primary and the secondary
attack, you can shift up to 2 squares after the attacks.
Iron Wolf s Rend Iron Wolf Warrior Attack 13
You trip your foe, then follow up with a quick strike against it.
Encounter F Martial, Primal, Weapon
Standard Action Melee weapon
Target: One creature
Primary Attack: Highest ability modifier vs. Reflex
Hit: The target takes damage equal to your highest abil-
ity modifier and falls prone.
Effect: Make the secondary attack against the target.
Secondary Attack
Attack: Highest ability modifier vs. AC
Hit: 3[W] + highest ability modifier damage.
Effect: If you hit with both the primary and the secondary
attack, you can shift up to 3 squares after the attacks.
Epic Iron Wolf s Rend Iron Wolf Warrior Attack 23
You trip your foe, then follow up with a quick strike against it.
Encounter F Martial, Primal, Weapon
Standard Action Melee weapon
Target: One creature
Primary Attack: Highest ability modifier vs. Reflex
Hit: The target takes damage equal to your highest abil-
ity modifier and falls prone.
Effect: Make the secondary attack against the target.
Secondary Attack
Attack: Highest ability modifier vs. AC
Hit: 4[W] + highest ability modifier damage.
Effect: If you hit with both the primary and the secondary
attack, you can shift up to 4 squares after the attacks.
J u n e 2 011 | D R AG O N 4 0 0
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Level 6 Utility Power
Enemies find that getting into a fight with you is
much easier than getting out of a fight with you.
When an enemy seeks to retreat, you can press for-
ward and intensify your attack.
Savage Tenacity Iron Wolf Warrior Utility 6
When your enemy tries to get away from you, you press it
harder and increase your efforts.
Encounter F Martial, Primal
Immediate Reaction Personal
Trigger: An enemy adjacent to you shifts 1 square.
Effect: You shift 1 square to a square adjacent to that
enemy. You also gain a +2 power bonus to your next
attack roll against that enemy until the end of your
next turn.
Level 7, 17, and 27 Encounter Powers
You seek to emulate the wild savagery of an iron wolf
in battle, leaping from foe to foe and lashing out with
vicious attacks. Even the stoutest enemy quails at the
blood lust in your eyes.
Wolf s Bound Iron Wolf Warrior Attack 7
You strike a foe and pull it to the ground, then bound toward
another enemy, letting loose a snarl as you attack.
Encounter F Fear, Martial, Primal, Weapon
No Action Melee weapon
Trigger: You hit an enemy with a melee attack.
Primary Target: The enemy you hit
Effect: You knock the primary target prone and shift up
to 3 squares. Then make the secondary attack.
Secondary Attack
Secondary Target: One creature other than the primary
target
Attack: Highest ability modifier vs. AC
Hit: 2[W] damage. You push the secondary target up to
2 squares, and it takes a 2 penalty to attack rolls until
the end of your next turn.
Nerathi Legends: The Iron Wolf Barbarians
Iron Wolf s Bound Iron Wolf Warrior Attack 17
You strike a foe and pull it to the ground, then bound toward
another enemy, letting loose a snarl as you attack.
Encounter F Fear, Martial, Primal, Weapon
No Action Melee weapon
Trigger: You hit an enemy with a melee attack.
Primary Target: The enemy you hit
Effect: You knock the primary target prone and shift up
to 4 squares. Then make the secondary attack.
Secondary Attack
Secondary Target: One creature other than the primary
target
Attack: Highest ability modifier vs. AC
Hit: 3[W] damage. You push the secondary target up to
3 squares, and it takes a 2 penalty to attack rolls until
the end of your next turn.
Epic Iron Wolf s Bound Iron Wolf Warrior
Attack 27
You strike a foe and pull it to the ground, then bound toward
another enemy, letting loose a snarl as you attack.
Encounter F Fear, Martial, Primal, Weapon
No Action Melee weapon
Trigger: You hit an enemy with a melee attack.
Primary Target: The enemy you hit
Effect: You knock the primary target prone and shift up
to 5 squares. Then make the secondary attack.
Secondary Attack
Secondary Target: One creature other than the primary
target
Attack: Highest ability modifier vs. AC
Hit: 4[W] damage. You push the secondary target up to
4 squares, and it takes a 2 penalty to attack rolls until
the end of your next turn.
Level 10 Utility Power
The true measure of an Iron Wolf warrior is not how
he or she fights when fresh and unwounded, but
instead how that warrior carries on in the face of pain
and exhaustion. When your foe scores a telling blow
against you, you find renewed determination to throw
yourself back into the fray.
Savage Resurgence Iron Wolf Warrior Utility 10
The pain of your wounds drives you to fight even harder.
Daily F Martial, Primal
Immediate Reaction Personal
Trigger: An enemy bloodies you or scores a critical hit
against you.
Effect: You gain temporary hit points equal to your
level + your highest ability modifier. Until you have no
temporary hit points left, you gain a +2 power bonus
to melee attack rolls.
About the Author
Richard Baker is an award-winning game designer who
has written numerous adventures and sourcebooks, includ-
ing Manual of the Planes, the Dark Sun Campaign Guide,
and the D&D Gamma World Roleplaying Game. Hes a
New York Times bestselling author of Forgotten Realms
novels such as Condemnation, the Last Mythal trilogy, and
the Blades of the Moonsea series. Rich is currently the Design
Manager for the Dungeons & Dragons game at Wizards
of the Coast.
J u n e 2 011 | D R AG O N 4 0 0
6
Nerathi Legends:
Merindaelion,
Barony of the
Emerald Blade
By Richard Baker
Illustration by Bernadette Carstensen
Cartography by Adam Gillespie
A beautiful land and a people favored by
fortune, but dont let the glittering waters
dazzle your eyesdark perils gather in the
Barony of the Emerald Blade, and old evil
stirs in the shadows of the forest.
At the eastern end of the great Altaran Peninsula
lies an expanse of dense green forests and sparkling
white sandsMerindaelion, the realm of the Emerald
Blade. A small domain in comparison to the neigh-
boring Kingdom of Tithinia or the Duchy of Solandir,
Merindaelion is home to a unique people. Elves and
humans have blended and mingled in these beautiful
lands more than anywhere else in the world, giving
rise to a bold, handsome, and independent people
known the world over as great adventurers and
seafarers.
Situated on the western shores of the Sunrise Sea,
the Emerald Blade Barony has long been a land with
its eyes turned outward. The merchants and trading
TM & 2011 Wizards of the Coast LLC. All rights reserved.
guilds based in Merindaelions ports flourish under
the relaxed laws of the barony, and hundreds of ships
from all over the world call here. Unlike with the
large trading houses of Sarthel and other such cen-
ters, the merchants of the Emerald Blade are mostly
private shipowners and individual speculators. In
troubled times, they are quick to turn to piracy,
making up for lost or interrupted trade by sending
their ships and crews out to take what they can by
force. As long as the barons share is paid, the authori-
ties are happy to set loose Emerald Blade privateers
on the coasts of Tithinia, Numoth, Relis Vullin, and
sometimes even the kingdom of Rethmil.
Merindaelions merger of human and elven cul-
ture took shape one thousand years ago, when the
great elven kingdom of Solaneillon entered its final
decline. In those days, hordes of gnolls from the
Sand Sea and the Desert of Black Stone posed a con-
stant, ever-growing threat to the fading power of the
elves. The rulers of Solaneillon took into their service
human warriors from the vigorous tribes of southern
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 Nerathi Legends: Merindaelion, Barony of the Emerald Blade

Kelarnil to stem the tide of monstrous incursions, and

afterward rewarded them with land to settle in the
Baron Geras Merind skeptical of giving the baron more power, and they
have guarded their own prerogatives jealously.
The heir of House Merind holds the titles of Baron
realms northern wildlands. The elves who lived in The current baron is Geras Alsarien Merind, a
of Nesmalen and Protector of Merindaelion. He or
these lands were at first bitterly opposed to the grow- half-elf of thirty-five who ascended to his post when
she commands the realms army, heads the baronial
ing number of human settlers. But as the strength of his father was assassinated one year ago. Before his
administration, and is primarily responsible for con-
Solaneillon waned, the bravery of the humans, along accession he was a restless and troublesome heir
ducting foreign affairs. The authority of the baron
with their sheer numbers, proved decisive in stand- apparent, adventuring incognito through nearby
and baronial officers is limited when dealing with
ing up to the monstrous hordes. When Solaneillon lands and dallying with more than a few females
matters of justice and taxation within the boundar-
broke apart into smaller states six hundred years ago, along the way. Although Geras dislikes the burdens of
ies of other lords fiefs; the peers of Merindaelion are
a charismatic half-elf noble named Althier Merind the throne and misses his freewheeling days, he has
succeeded in uniting the human towns and elven
forest-holds of northern Solaneillon into a single
realm, establishing the Barony of Merindaelion. Since
Altheirs time, House Merind has ruled over the
realm with a permissive hand.
The heirloom of House Merind is Althiers
enchanted sword Perifal, the work of an ancient
eladrin master smith. This hand-and-a-half sword is
forged from an alloy of adamantine that glitters with
a deep, metallic green color; the hilt is wrapped in
supple leather made from hide taken from the throat
of a green dragon. The blade is depicted on every
banner, standard, and sail of the barony as a vertical,
crosslike design flanked by sleek, feathered wings.
This is the emerald blade from which Merindaelion
derives its nickname.

Power Structure
The Emerald Blade Barony was originally a league
of allied nobles, of which the Baron of Nesmalen was
the highest-ranking and most powerful member. In
the years since Althier Merind successfully united
the disparate fiefs into Merindaelion, the barony has
drawn together, taking on the functions (if not the
titles) of a kingdom.

J u l y 2 011 | D R AG O N 4 01
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proven to be a bold and cunning leader, who has won
great favor with most of his people. Notably, he has
instituted a series of reforms and recalls to root out
corruption and incompetence in the baronial admin-
istration. Unfortunately for Geras, his crusading has
earned him some powerful enemies, and some say he
has been marked for the same fate as his fatherits
only a matter of when.
The Peers of the Realm
Merindaelions peerage is a patchwork of small noble
fiefs with a variety of titles of uncertain precedence.
There are approximately twenty baronets, seigneurs,
and lords or dames, plus a number of indepen-
dent holds and free towns that are part of no lords
domain. The more powerful of the nobles hold fiefs as
impressive as House Merinds own and have strong
claims on the baronys throne due to old marriages
with the royal house.
Lord Kinimar: The lord of Anduiros, the second-
largest city in the realm, Kinimar is a cousin of Geras
Merind. He is an ambitious and calculating forty-
year-old human known for his talents as a sorcerer.
He entertains schemes of unseating House Merind
and installing his own House Fhalton as the ruling
family in Merindaelion.
Baronetess Sefini: Hotheaded and impetuous,
Sefini is a striking young female half-elf who reigns
over the pirate haven of Talon Bay. She is sometimes
called the Corsair Queen, and for good reason
Talon Bay is the home of a large and raucous corsair
f lotilla. Sefini chafes under what she sees as the
overly heavy hand of Baron Geras, and constantly
tests the limits of baronial authority with brazen
acts of piracy.
The Forest Lords: Seven of Merindaelions
ranking peers hold no towns or castles, but instead
represent noble elf clans of the forested interior.
Each Forest Lord governs a clan, a house, or a tribe
of elves and their retainers, watching over unsettled
Nerathi Legends: Merindaelion, Barony of the Emerald Blade
territories in the forested hills. The Forest Lords and
their people serve as a crucial first line of defense
against incursions from Tithinia and Iron Circle
spies. The Forest Lords do not maintain a permanent
residence, roaming from season to season between
various natural refuges and shelters (some of which
are more comfortable and secure than any human
noblemans tower). A contingent of Forest Lords often
visits the court at Nesmalen, quietly advising the
young baron on elven concerns and interests.
Nesmalen at a Glance
A fortresslike haven harboring scores of ships, this
small city is the capital of the Emerald Blade Barony.
Population Mix: Approximately 8,000 people,
most of them humans or half-elves, live in Nes-
malen. Several times that number live in the fields
and towns along the River Nes and the shores of
Emerald Bay. Halflings, elves, shifters, and dragon-
born make up the nonhuman population.
Government: Nesmalen is ruled by a lord mayor
appointed by the baron. The city and its surround-
ing lands are the historical demesne of House
Merind, but the baron, as the ranking noble of the
realm, delegates oversight of local affairs to various
officials. The current lord mayor is an old, officious
male halfling named Tarren Thistler. Lord Mayor
Tarren makes a great show of any civic ceremony
and never misses a chance to give a speech, but
otherwise governs lightly.
Commerce: Nesmalens major industries are
shipbuilding, woodworking, and the production,
dyeing, and embroidering of textiles such as silk
and cotton. The major food crops are brown rice,
fruit, nuts, beans, and other crops that do well in
The Yuan-ti
An ancient enemy lurks in the caverns and the for-
ests of the wild southern borderlands of the Emerald
Blade Baronythe dreadful yuan-ti. The yuan-ti once
battled the elven realm of Solaneillon for supremacy
of eastern Altara, and were defeated. Down through
the long centuries they have stirred from time to time,
erupting in turn against the dragonborn warriors of
Arkhosia, the proud lords of Nerath, and now the half-
elves, elves and humans of Merindaelion.
warm, humid conditions. In addition, every kind
of seafood can be found in the markets and is a
daily part of the residents diet. Nesmalen imports
metalwork, wine, grain, and leather.
Defenses: Emerald Blade Keep is a large fortress
that commands the harbor, but Nesmalens first
line of defense is its excellent war fleet of twelve
sturdy dromonds with iron-beaked rams. The city
is otherwise unwalled. In addition to the dromond
crews, the Keep is defended by two hundred fifty
elite foot soldiers and the order of wizards known
as the Mages of the Emerald Star.
Inns and Taverns: Nesmalen is renowned for
its excellent fare and comfortable inns. The White
Sail Inn caters to visiting shipowners and captains,
offering good food and safe lodgings overlooking
the harbor. Travelers of more modest means can
choose the Storm Gull near the wharves, where
ones stay might be marked by brawling, robbery,
and the occasional murder. The House of Swans, a
mile outside town on a forested hilltop overlooking
the Nes, caters to elves and other people who have
refined tastes.
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3

E xploring
the Barony
The Emerald Blade Barony lies in a region of warm,
heavily forested hills marked by steep, rugged ridges.
The area is not truly mountainous and isnt an
actual jungle, but the terrain forms a significant bar-
rier against attacks from the west or south. A small
amount of the land is under cultivation, mostly in the
valley of the River Nes and the gentle coastal plain
around Anduiros. The interior can grow warm and
humid in the summers, but the coast remains temper-
ate from the ever-present sea breezes.
Nesmalen
The largest city in the Emerald Blade Barony is
Nesmalen, located where the River Nes meets the
northern arm of Emerald Bay. Nesmalen is a scenic
city, with whitewashed walls and colorful tiled roofs
glittering among the green, forested hillsides. Its ship-
yards turn out the finest vessels on the western shores
of the Sunrise Sea, and its warehouses are filled with
Nerathi Legends: Merindaelion, Barony of the Emerald Blade
goods from all over the world. A picturesque head-
land above the harbor is home to Emerald Blade
Keep, the stronghold and palace of House Merind
and the seat of Baron Geras.
Nesmalen is a reasonably safe city, although not
without its intrigues and dangers. Yuan-ti spies and
abominations lurk in its sewers and catacombs,
along with audacious gangs of thieves and a persis-
tent cult dedicated to the two-headed demon prince
Demogorgon.
Anduiros
Anduiros is the second city of the Emerald Blade
Barony. It lies on an expanse of flat farmland in
the heart of the realm, ringed by cotton fields and
orchards. The city is the center of the baronys timber
industry, producing highly valued hardwoods in
its sawmills. Because it stands on open ground,
Anduiros is protected by a city wall, the most exten-
sive to be found in Merindaelion.
In the past, the human lords of Anduiros feuded
bitterly with the elven clans of the forest, and in
all Merindaelion this is the place where humans
and elves remain most at odds; few elves live here,
and Anduirosans harbor suspicions about elven
inf luence over the baronys affairs. Anduiros is the
domain of Lord Kinimar Fhalton, a cousin of the
baron and the most powerful and ambitious of the
realms nobles.
Nesgard Keep
Located at the head of the valley of the River Nes,
Nesgard Keep blocks the only practicable invasion
route into the Emerald Blade Barony from the west.
The castles construction began early in the reign of
Baron Halvar Merind, father of Baron Geras, and
proceeded in several stagesfirst a watchtower, then
a small keep, and finally an encircling wall, provid-
ing accommodations for a garrison of four hundred
Emerald Blade soldiers. The commander of the for-
tress is High Captain Sinnovhan el-Moirad, an elf
swordsman of great accomplishment and one of the
realms Forest Lords.
Nesgard Keep is also notable for its proximity to
the ruins of an Arkhosian school of war-sorcerers. The
hilltop academy was destroyed by demons fifteen cen-
turies ago, and dark powers still lurk in the catacombs
and vaults beneath the academys crumbling towers.
Lighthouse of Saris
The elves of ancient Solaneillon built a tower on the
northernmost point of Cape Saris to guide passing
ships through the shallows of the straits. After the
original tower fell into disuse, the Nerath Empire
raised a new lighthouse and stronghold on the same
location two hundred years ago. The Nerathi are now
long gone; Emerald Blade soldiers staff the lighthouse
and guard the small town at the towers base. Power-
ful trebuchets on the tower can throw fifty-pound
stones, posing a serious threat to any hostile vessels
venturing too close.
Faldrin Vale
In the highest and most inaccessible hills of
Merindaelion lies a valley of wild and sinister
beautyFaldrin Vale. Moss-grown trees, flowering
vines, and ancient standing stones mark the vale as
a region where the Feywild lies close to the mortal
world. The woods are haunted by dryads, centaurs,
and sometimes darker and more dangerous fey; this
forest is perilous for mortals, and even elves tread
carefully in Faldrin. The vale lies at the heart of
the Forest Lords domains, and it serves as a meet-
ing place and mustering ground for Merindaelions
nonhuman denizens. The forests surrounding Fal-
drin Vale are protected by mazes of brambles and
enchanted glades that can capture travelers and send
them into a deep slumber that lasts for days.
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Adventures in the
Emerald Blade Barony
Merindaelion is a generally peaceful realm, but
that doesnt mean adventure is hard to find.
Letter of Marque: The heroes obtain a letter of
marquethe authorization to outfit themselves as
privateers and take to the seas in search of booty.
Privateers are allowed to take only ships of enemy
lands, but the Saris Strait is rich with Iron Circle
merchant vessels full of gold and other treasure.
Serissalmar: At one time the enemy of ancient
Solaneillon, this great yuan-ti ruin lies half buried
in the forests of southern Merindaelion. Long
before the rise of Bael Turath and Arkhosia, the
yuan-ti lords of Serissalmar and their armies of
conjured demons fought against the elf and eladrin
realms of the area. They were finally defeated,
but demons and other dark powers still haunt
the ruined city, and secret yuan-ti strongholds lie
hidden beneath the nearby hills.
The Tower of Dal Beriod: The encroachment
of the Iron Circle has pushed Baron Geras to for-
tify his western frontier. One hero is appointed a
royal warden and given a writ to occupy the long-
abandoned watchtower of Dal Beriod, clear the
area of harpies and ogres, and establish a new fief
on the border.
Rebellious Lord: With the secret support of the
Iron Circle, Lord Kinimar of Anduiros launches an
attempt to unseat the baron and claim the throne.
Kinimars spies and sympathizers pose a serious
threat in the capital already, but Geras needs con-
crete evidence of Iron Circle involvement before
he can move against his cousin.
Nerathi Legends: Merindaelion, Barony of the Emerald Blade
Thaliessal About the Author
Richard Baker is an award-winning game designer who has
On the seabed thirty miles northeast of Nesmalen lies written numerous adventures and sourcebooks, including
one of the ancient wonders of the world: the ruins of Manual of the Planes, the Dark Sun Campaign Guide, and
the coral city of Thaliessal, once home to a realm of the D&D Gamma World Roleplaying Game. Hes a New York
sea elves. Thaliessal lies in a broad region of reefs and Times bestselling author of Forgotten Realms novels such
as Condemnation, the Last Mythal trilogy, and the Blades of
shallows, rarely more than a hundred feet in depth.
the Moonsea series. Rich is currently the Design Manager for
Forests of kelp surround its walls, and in a few places
the Dungeons & Dragons game at Wizards of the Coast.
its highest spires break the surface, offering explor-
ers a place to moor their ships while they venture
into the more accessible buildings nearby. Thaliessal
was ruled by a prince who gave his fealty to the elven
kingdom of Solaneillon, and a great deal of commerce
took place between the land elves and the sea elves in
the days of the kingdoms glory.
Thaliessal withdrew from Solaneillon when
humans began to settle the nearby shores. After
the elven kingdom collapsed, the sea elves realm
became embroiled in desperate wars against demon-
summoning sahuagin. Three hundred years ago,
sahuagin hordes sacked Thaliessal and slew many
of its people. The survivors abandoned their ancient
capital and scattered to smaller holds and refuges in
nearby seas. To this day, great treasure lies hidden
in the vaults and temples of the coral citybut sea
demons guard the deeps, and sahuagin prowl the
shallows.
New Feat: Thaliessan Blood
In centuries past the sea elves of Thaliessal inter
married with the other elves (and on rare occasions,
the humans) who inhabited the lands that would
become Merindaelion. Consequently, a large number
of half-elves and elves of the Emerald Blade Barony
count sea elves of Thaliessal among their ancestors.
Prerequisite: Half-elf
Benefit: You are considered an aquatic creature.
You have a swim speed of 5, you can breathe under-
water, and in aquatic combat, you gain a +2 bonus to
attack rolls against nonaquatic creatures.
J u l y 2 011 | D R AG O N 4 01
5
Nerathi Legends:
Adretia,
the Citadel
of Irons
Grasp
By Richard Baker
Illustration by Alexey Aparin
Cartography by Adam Danger Cook

It is said that its dungeons are delved as

deep into the earth as its towers rise into
the sky. But who would know the truth
of such a claim? Those who go into the
dungeons of Irons Grasp do not come
out again.

On the southern ridges of the Altaran Mountains

stands one of the mightiest fortresses in the world,
the Citadel of Irons Grasp. This is the seat of the Iron
Circle, an order of cruel warlords and devil cultists
who hold a dozen lands under their sway. Legions of
elite Iron Circle warriors guard the citadels black

TM & 2011 Wizards of the Coast LLC. All rights reserved.

A u g u s t 2 011 | D R AG O N 4 0 2
1

walls, and in its forbidding depths, black-robed adepts
perform unspeakable diabolic rites, wielding infernal
magic. Few outsiders who set foot within the citadels
walls are ever seen again.
The citadel is strategically sited in the heart of
the wealthy land of Adretia. A mercantile, largely
human realm of quarrelsome city-states, Adretia is
now a land under occupation. The Iron Circles hob-
goblin soldiers patrol the streets of cities such as Nath
Mornal, Jandhavar, and Bamadin. Iron Circle tax sta-
tions dot the countrysidewatchtowers and barracks
for companies of brutal soldiers who oppress the
common people. Any nobles who opposed the Iron
Circle were destroyed when that group cut its swath
through the area. Many of those who are left have
joined the order. The Iron Circle allows other nobles
to remain independent, and alive, only as long as they
continue to pay ruinous taxes (squeezed in turn from
the commoners) to their evil overlords.
The rise of the Iron Circle is a recent phenomenon
in an otherwise ancient land. In the centuries fol-
lowing the destruction of Arkhosia, barbaric human
tribes from the south settled in what had once been
the lands of the dragonborn. In the days of Nerath, the
cities of Adretia were tributary states and trading part-
ners with the great empire. After Neraths influence in
the area crumbled, the city-states of Adretia resumed
their old rivalries and squabbles. It wasnt until twenty
years ago that the Iron Circle rose to prominence,
portraying itself as a warrior society dedicated to
stamping out disorder and driving back the encroach-
ing desert raiders and jungle monsters. City by city,
the Iron Circle expanded its holdings, bringing order
in exchange for subjugation to its tyranny. Eventually
the goblin-holds of the desert verge fell under the Iron
Circles sway as well. Armies of goblinsbought with
Adretias gold and led by the circles warlords and
knightshave spread out to oppress the nearby lands,
joining the ranks of the mercenary legions already
fighting under the banner of the Iron Circle.
Nerathi Legends: Adretia, the Citadel of Irons Grasp
Factions in A dretia
To call the Iron Circles presence in Adretia perva-
sive would be an understatementlittle escapes the
notice, and if necessary the retribution, of those who
occupy the Citadel of Irons Grasp. Even in this cli-
mate, a few members of Adretias nobility do what
they can to relieve the oppression of the common
people. And, perhaps inevitably, a potent and popular
resistance movement has sprung up.
The Iron Circle
The Iron Circle does not share power or otherwise
compromise its stance. The groups reach and influ-
ence in Adretia have no practical limit. High-ranking
nobles can be accused and arrested on specious
charges, and any show of defiance is quickly crushed.
Supreme authority in the Iron Circle lies in the
hands of Grandmaster Amarius Vant. He is a lean,
apparently human male of seventy-five years, well
over six feet tall despite a pronounced stoop. Amarius
is a greedy, corrupt hedonist with perverse appetites.
It is whispered that he is a cambion (or half-devil) of
royal descent, or an archdevil in human guise. He
displays more personal energy, restlessness, and vig-
orous attention to detail in his position as the leader
of the Iron Circle than humans half his age are typi-
cally capable of.
Below the grandmaster is a council of twenty or
so High Lordsgenerals and governors entrusted
with great authority over the Iron Circles activities.
The four most prominent High Lords at present are
described here.
Warden Tiberon: The minotaur warlord Tiberon
is the warden of the Citadel of Irons Grasp. He is a punishment is rarely lethal. Humiliation, privation,
brutal disciplinarian, but competent and loyal to the
grandmaster. Tiberon is the chief captain of the Iron
Circles armies, but he rarely takes the field, instead
plotting his wars from behind the citadels battle-
ments and within its dungeons.
High Prelate Dostinian: The current grandmas-
ter held the office of high prelate before ascending to
his current position; to guard against the possibility
of being replaced by the next high prelate, Amarius
appointed a vain, petty individual to the position.
Dostinian is the head of the Iron Circles ecclesiastic
hierarchy and the leader of Asmodeuss priesthood.
He is a small, portly human of fifty years, thoroughly
scorned by his subordinate prelates. He poses little
threat to the grandmaster.
High Mage Sabina: A beautiful, calculating tief-
ling who appears to be no more than twenty years
old, Sabina is the most powerful arcanist in the Iron
Circleand is older than she looks. While most Iron
Circle spellcasters are infernal pact warlocks, Sabina
is a sorcerer with a penchant for spells of ice and cold.
She harbors a passionate hatred for elves and eladrin
due to an ancient family vendetta.
High Inquisitor Harsioth: The Iron Circles
inquisitors are feared by every sentient creature that
marches under the societys banner. The inquisitors
constantly seek out signs of disloyalty or defeatism,
and they cruelly punish any individuals who show
less than absolute zeal for their duties. Harsioth is a
male human cleric of thirty-five, a young crusader
and firebrand whose climb through the hierarchy
was marked by frequent investigations of and accusa-
tions against his superiors.
Of the other High Lords, the most significant are
those who bear the titles of Seneschal (ruler of Adre-
tia), General of the East, General of the North, Satrap
of Numoth, and Spymaster.
Internal politics in the Iron Circle are vicious
and unforgiving. Failure is not tolerated, although
and torture are considered to be excellent methods
for reinforcing the lessons of failure. High-ranking
members are not immune and might be cast down
the ranks as part of their punishment. Ambitious
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2
 Nerathi Legends: Adretia, the Citadel of Irons Grasp

underlings freely plot advancement through assas-

sination, which is tolerated as long as it does not
seek to hasten the day when the Iron Circle and its
dark works are no more.
E xploring A dretia
weaken the order and brings more talented leaders to The knights have a great deal of sympathy from The rolling plains of Adretia stretch 250 miles from
the fore. the common people of Adretia, especially out in the the barren verge of the Desert of Desolation to the
countryside. To help the rebels identify one another, steaming jungles of Rana Mor. The land climbs and
The Adretian Nobility members tattoo themselves with a small, moon-
shaped mark in an easily concealed spot, or carry
becomes steeper to the east, until the traveler reaches
the southern slopes of the Altaran Mountains. The
Before the rise of the Iron Circle, the cities and small silver tokens that burn the hands of the unjust. lands to the south and east are wetter and more
towns of Adretia were ruled by wealthy patrician fertile than the lands to the north and west; the pre-
families. Some of these families were wiped out vailing winds are out of the south, and bring up rain
or dispossessed by the Iron Circles actions; other
nobles retained their titles and property by swear-
ing allegiance to the grandmaster. The nobles of
Adretia have become accustomed to severe taxation
and never-ending calls for levies of troops and goods
from the Iron Circle. The less principled patricians
make a public show of providing everything the circle
demands while privately bribing the relevant officials
to spare their lands and property. More honorable
nobles seek to intercede against Iron Circle oppres-
sion and fight for justice and compassion toward
the common people, with mixed results. Either way,
Adretian nobles are among the few people who
can move freely about the Iron Circles lands and
who still retain enough wealth to sponsor trade and
commerce.

Knights of the
Crescent Moon
Although the Iron Circles power over Adretia is
strong, it is not absolute. A resilient rebel organiza-
tion, the Knights of the Crescent Moon, works against
the Iron Circle in the heart of the country. Descended
from priests and paladins of Sehanine who were
driven underground by the rise of the Iron Circle,
these rebels are dedicated to resisting the circle at
every turn. They spirit prisoners out of Iron Circle
dungeons, intercept couriers, assassinate command-
ers or governors who become careless, organize
guerrilla resistance groups in the borderlands, and

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3

from the expanse of Scarlet Bay. Light forest of scrub
oak, ironwood, and sycamore on the mountain slopes
of the east gives way to scattered groves in the center
of the Adretian plains, and finally becomes sage and
chaparral on the verge of the western desert. The land
is fertile, with warm, rainy winters, but the summers
are hot and dry, and droughts are commonplace.
Bamadin
The center of the slave trade in Iron Circle lands,
Bamadin is a large, dirty, crowded city half overrun
by goblinkind. Marauders from the coasts of Nera to
the Saris Strait come here to sell their human cargo.
Whereas Nath Mornal is prosperous and commer-
cial, Bamadin is desperate and chaotic. Trade here is
a matter of a thousand small deals struck every day
between peddlers, gangs, and scheming merchants.
The city is notorious for its arenas and fighting-pits,
where fortunes are wagered and lost every night.
Desert of Desolation
Just beyond Adretias western borders lies the greatest
desert in the known worldthe Desert of Desola-
tion. Vast stony barrens, seas of dunes, and desiccated
mountains stretch well over a thousand miles west
and south, home to no one except savage gnolls,
xenophobic human nomads, and a variety of deadly
monsters.
The desert was not always as large or deadly as
it now is. In the days of the dragonborn realm of
Arkhosia, its northern and eastern verges (the area
bordering Adretia) consisted of green, fertile plains.
But the dark magic of Bael Turath invoked a terrible
disaster, laying waste to the region thousands of years
ago. Arkhosian ruins (and the remains of older, more
mysterious realms) lie buried in the sand, waiting for
explorers bold enough to seek them out.
Nerathi Legends: Adretia, the Citadel of Irons Grasp
Murgmar
A teeming, warrenlike goblin town, Murgmar sits
atop a dusty mesa, surrounded by fields and pasture-
land made arable by goblin engineering. Dozens of
goblin-holds scattered along the edge of the Desert of
Desolation from Murgmar to distant Kharavas pro-
vide the Iron Circle with legions of fierce soldiers.
Murgmar is ruled by the Great Murg, a hugely fat
bugbear that gladly sells young, aggressive hobgoblins
Nath Mornal at a Glance
The largest city in old Adretia, Nath Mornal is the
gateway to the lands dominated by the Citadel of
Irons Grasp and the most important mercantile
center in western Altara. Although the citadel is
the political capital of the realm, Nath Mornal is
home to far more people.
Population Mix: About 35,000 people live in
Nath Mornal. Many are humans, living alongside
substantial minorities of dwarves, dragonborn,
tieflings, minotaurs, and goblinkind.
Government: Lady-Governor Irena Marmalio
is the commander of the Iron Circle garrison in
Nath Mornal, and ruler of the city. She is a human
warlock of formidable powers, and freely employs
summoned fiends to hunt down criminals or
punish the condemned. Martial law is observed
in the city.
Commerce: Grain, wine, oranges, and olives
are produced in the countryside surrounding Nath
Mornal, but are exclusively for export. The city is
noted for its ceramics (both tilework and pottery)
and its foundries, which rival the forges of the
dwarf-kingdoms in old Nerath. Common citizens
and bugbears into the Iron Circles service. The
Great Murg is careful to retain a small army of thugs
and leg-breakers whose loyalty is bought with lavish
gifts (by goblin standards) seized from the rabble of
farmhands, goatherds, and laborers who make up
Murgmars underclass. Humans and others some-
times visit Murgmar to trade, but only those who
enter the place on Iron Circle business are truly safe
in the goblin town.
and poor travelers are limited in their ability to pur-
chase food and goods, but a thriving black market
helps to circumvent Lady-Governor Marmalios
strict controls.
Defenses: Nath Mornal is ringed by a tall,
strong city wall, dating back to the days when its
rivalries with Bamadin and Jandhavar occasionally
flared into open war. Nowadays its defenses are
focused inward, arranged to control the popula-
tion rather than defend from external attack. A
legion of 4,000 Iron Circle soldiers (more than half
of them goblinkind) is quartered in and around
Nath Mornal.
Inns and Taverns: Important travelers
carrying the proper Iron Circle passes are entitled
to luxurious quarters in the governors palace, or
they can commandeer lodging from any inn in the
city. Travelers without such advantages find the
Old Vineyard to be a reasonably comfortable, if
expensive, inn on the hill overlooking the southern
gate. Poor sailors (and others of little means) make
do with the crowded common rooms of the Black
Gull, a dismal and dangerous place near the harbor.
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Nath Mornal
This great city is the Iron Circles gateway to the lands
of the Sea of Dragons and the waters beyond. Nath
Mornal is a mostly human city occupied by the Iron
Circles mercenaries and hobgoblins. The Iron Circle
enforces a variety of onerous taxes, tariffs, and fees on
Nath Mornals thriving commerce, which has led to
the rise of a black market and a smuggling industry
among the citys desperate merchants.
Sercar
Once a large, prosperous walled town located at a
strategic crossroads in the middle of Adretia, Sercar
now lies in ruin. Three years ago the hobgoblin gar-
rison occupying the town, through its brutality and
oppression, unwittingly provoked a popular rebel-
lion against the Iron Circle. Under the leadership of
Lord Didan Padratius, Sercar briefly threw off the
Iron Circles yoke, freeing the countryside for fifty
miles around. Grandmaster Amarius acted swiftly to
contain the rebellion, however, and ordered Warden
Tiberon to quell the rebellion. The Sercarans fought
bravely, but they were crushed by the overwhelming
Nerathi Legends: Adretia, the Citadel of Irons Grasp
force of the Iron Circle. Reprisals were swift and ter-
rible; most of the Padratius family was put to death,
although Didan fled to keep fighting from the wilds
Adventures in Adretia
of the desert. Sercar is now little more than an Iron
Circle garrison town in an otherwise devastated Although the Iron Circle vigilantly watches for
district. spies and outlaws, it cant be everywhere at once.
Smugglers: The heroes are hired to bring contra-
band cargo into the black market of Nath Mornal
Thanulzarum or Bamadin, but when they make their delivery,
An exceedingly ancient ruin said to predate the they discover that their true mission is to smuggle
dragonborn empire of Arkhosia, Thanulzarum is a an escaped prisoner out of the Iron Circles lands.
crumbling necropolis lying in a barren vale beneath Crypts of Thanulzarum: An Iron Circle expe-
the western end of the Altaran Mountains. The place dition has discovered an ancient tomb in the
has an evil reputation, and it is haunted by numerous haunted ruins of Thanulzarum. The heroes have
undead. Surviving sculptures and reliefs suggest that to slip inside and recover the dangerous artifact
the people of Thanulzarum were humans ruled over inside before the Iron Circle can finish the job.
by monstrous overlords, although any image of the Against the Circle: The heroes join the Knights
actual rulers was deliberately defaced and obscured of the Crescent Moon and take up arms against
centuries ago. the Iron Circle. Their first mission: assassinate a
High Lord, then use magic or disguise to imper-
Vathan sonate their victim during an upcoming gathering
of the Iron Circles leaders to learn the orders
Small and remote, Vathan is a center of lumber and
secret plans.
mining on the edge of the great jungle of Rana Mor.
The town harbors a secret stronghold of the Knights
of the Crescent Moon , and the population is sym-
pathetic to the rebels cause; weapons and supplies
smuggled through the jungle into Vathan find their
way to resistance groups throughout Adretia. The
leader of the Vathan rebels is a Selunite cleric named
Agathil Harstare, who maintains the guise of a dealer
in gemstones from the jungle. Agathil is wary of pro-
voking the sort of reprisals that wiped Sercar off the
map, and he is careful to avoid undertaking rebel-
lious activities in and around Vathan.
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Iron Circle
E ncounters
Heroes skulking about in Iron Circle territory sooner
or later run afoul of patrols. A typical Iron Circle
patrol includes five or six hobgoblin or bugbear foot
soldiers plus a couple of crossbow-armed human
town guards, a bugbear centurion, and a human or
tiefling Iron Circle prelate who commands the patrol.
Iron Circle Centurion Level 6 Soldier
Medium natural humanoid XP 250
HP 72; Bloodied 36 Initiative +8
AC 22, Fortitude 20, Reflex 18, Will 17 Perception +4
Speed 5 Low-light vision
Traits
Bushwhack
The centurion gains a +4 bonus to attack rolls against a
creature that has no allies adjacent to it.
Standard Actions
m Falchion (weapon) F At-Will
Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +11 vs. AC
Hit: 4d4 + 4 damage, and the centurion can slide the target
1 square.
Effect: The centurion marks the target until the end of the
centurions next turn.
Triggered Actions
M Centurion Challenge (weapon) F At-Will
Trigger: An adjacent creature marked by the centurion
shifts or uses an attack power that does not include the
centurion as a target.
Attack (Immediate Interrupt): Melee 1 (triggering creature);
+11 vs. AC
Hit: 2d4 + 4 damage, and the target is immobilized until
the end of the centurions next turn.
Skills Intimidate +10, Stealth +11
Str 19 (+7) Dex 16 (+6) Wis 13 (+4)
Con 16 (+6) Int 11 (+3) Cha 15 (+5)
Alignment evil Languages Common, Goblin
Equipment scale mail, falchion
Nerathi Legends: Adretia, the Citadel of Irons Grasp
Iron Circle Prelate Level 8 Controller (Leader)
Medium natural humanoid, tiefling XP 350
About the Author
Richard Baker is an award-winning game designer who has
HP 88; Bloodied 44
AC 22, Fortitude 20, Reflex 19, Will 22
Initiative +6
Perception +9
written numerous adventures and sourcebooks, including
Manual of the Planes, the Dark Sun Campaign Guide, and
Speed 5 Low-light vision the D&D Gamma World Roleplaying Game. Hes a New York
Resist 10 fire Times bestselling author of Forgotten Realms novels such
Traits as Condemnation, the Last Mythal trilogy, and the Blades of
the Moonsea series. Rich is currently the Design Manager for
O Dark Presence F Aura 3
Allies gain a +2 power bonus to Will and to saving throws the Dungeons & Dragons game at Wizards of the Coast.
while in the aura.
Standard Actions Editor
m Iron Mace (weapon) F At-Will Chris Winters
Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +13 vs. AC
Hit: 2d8 + 7 damage, and the prelate can slide the target Developer
Jeremy Crawford
1 square.
r Fiery Bolt (fire, implement) F At-Will
Producers
Attack: Ranged 5 (one creature); +11 vs. Reflex
Christopher Perkins, Greg Bilsland
Hit: 2d8 + 2 fire damage, and the target is dazed until the
end of the prelates next turn. Art Directors
C Symbol of Dread (fear, implement, necrotic) F Recharge Kate Irwin, Jon Schindehette
when first bloodied
Attack: Close blast 5 (creatures in the blast); +11 vs. Will Illustrator
Hit: 2d8 + 5 necrotic damage, and the prelate pushes the Alexey Aparin
target up to 3 squares. The target cannot move closer to
the prelate willingly (save ends). Cartographer
Miss: Half damage, and the prelate pushes the target up to Adam Danger Cook
2 squares.
Graphic Production
Triggered Actions
Infernal Wrath F Encounter Erin Dorries
Trigger: An enemy hits the prelate with an attack.
Effect (Free Action): The prelates allies gain a +2 power
bonus to attack rolls against the triggering enemy until
the end of the enemys next turn.
Skills Insight +14, Religion +11
Str 15 (+6) Dex 14 (+6) Wis 20 (+9)
Con 16 (+7) Int 15 (+6) Cha 17 (+7)
Alignment evil Languages Common, Goblin
Equipment chainmail, iron mace, holy symbol
A u g u s t 2 011 | D R AG O N 4 0 2
6
Nerathi Legends:
Realm of the
Gorgon King
By Richard Baker
Illustration by Furman
Cartography by Adam Danger Cook
Turn aside now, friend. Your path leads
to Moghmarrin, where the castles of the
fell giants brood amid mists and peaks.
Few who venture there ever return.
Beneath the icy rampart of the Nurthedur Mountains
lies a kingdom of dread and shadows: Moghmarrin,
realm of the fell giants. From their dark castles and
strongholds, these terrible creatures rule over a king-
dom of brutal monsters and their wretched thralls.
Here the western armies of the Empire of Karkoth
have their principal armories, forges, and muster-
ing grounds, marshaling hordes of orcs, ogres, and
undead to war on the last free peoples of northern
Selduria.
Moghmarrin is an ancient land, and the long-
lived fell giants have dwelled among these black
crags and dreary steppes since the early days of the
world. In ages long past they numbered in the thou-
sands and ruled over a vast territory from the shores
of the Midnight Sea to the mighty rampart of the
Dragonspines. Over the centuries the race dwindled;
wars and feuds took their toll on a people whose
TM & 2011 Wizards of the Coast LLC. All rights reserved.
suspicious nature and avarice already made mar-
riage and family rare. Today Moghmarrin is home to
fifteen or twenty fell giant castles and holds, most of
which are home to a dozen or fewer of these proud,
cruel creatures.
These fell giants make up only a small portion of
Moghmarrins inhabitants and strength. Like the high
noble families of a human land, each fell giant clan
controls wide holdings and commands the loyalty of
hundreds of lesser monsterstrolls, ogres, and tribes
of savage orcs. Subjugated long ago when the fell
giants were a stronger and more ambitious people,
these monstrous vassals remain cowed to this day.
Each of these tribes in turn holds as many thralls and
captives as it can catch.
The lord of this fearsome land is Taldredar, king
of the fell giants. He is known as the Gorgon King
because he commands dark and dangerous powers
of sorcery, including a poisonous curse with which
he petrifies enemies (and minions) that earn his
special anger. The courts and ramparts of Gloom-
fast, Taldredars seat and stronghold, are liberally
decorated with scores of twisted, agonized figures
forever imprisoned in stone. Even the mightiest lords
S e p t e m b e r 2 011 | D R AG O N 4 0 3
1

of Karkoth know to tread carefully in their dealings
with Taldredar. The Gorgon King is no mere vassal,
but a proud and willful ally who harbors vast ambi-
tions of his own.
Power Structure
Moghmarrin is a monster-haunted land, and until
recently none in their right minds ventured into
the fell giants domain. This race of cloud giants
has inhabited the mist-wreathed peaks of the Nur-
thedur Mountains for thousands of years, building
great castles and cyclopean ramparts high on the
mountainsides. All fell giants hold sway over tribes
of lesser monsters and armies of thralls, but the
most powerful among them command dreadful
necromantic powers and lead clans of their less
magical kindred.
Taldredar, the Gorgon King
The sole remaining scion of the ancient line of
Moghmarrins kings, Taldredar is the most power-
ful sorcerer of his people and has extended his life
span for centuries with his dark magic. The giants
of Moghmarrin are sullen and unreliable subjects,
far more concerned with their personal wealth and
power than with serving a king. Consequently, Tal-
dredar rules over his fellows through physical might
and force of will; the clan chiefs do his bidding,
because they understand that he will destroy them
otherwise. To maintain control of Moghmarrin and
enforce his will across the realm, Taldredar relies on
a personal army of monsters and thralls rather than
depending onthe scattered clans of his kin.
The Gorgon King is known for his foul temper. He
does not hesitate to destroy any potential rival at the
first sign of a challenge, or to slaughter hundreds of
minions and thralls in punishment for failure. How-
ever, he is quite cunning and rarely allows his temper
to lead him into mistakes. The alliance with Karkoth
Nerathi Legends: Realm of the Gorgon King
is an example of Taldredars cleverness: Realizing
that if he resisted their overtures, the Karkothi might
support rival clan chiefs in their bids to unseat him,
he chose to make the Dark Empires lords his allies.
Ultimately, Taldredar intends to use the Karkothi to
destroy the most obnoxious clan chiefs and cement
his authority among the surviving fell giants. How-
ever, the true prize of his alliance with Karkoth is
immortalitythe enchantments he uses to prolong
his life are reaching the end of their efficacy, and
Taldredar hopes to wrest the secrets of undeath from
the priests of the Chained God in order that he might
rule over his realm forever.
The Giant Clans
Taldredar is not the only noble among his people.
Each fell giant castle or stronghold is the demesne
of a powerful chieftain ruling over a clan of his or
her kin, plus the assorted hill giants, ogres, trolls,
orcs, and other creatures the clan holds in thrall.
The clan chiefs are thoroughly entangled in old
rivalries, disputes, and feuds. They fear and hate
their neighbors, just as they fear and hate the
Gorgon King and his court. Each clan chief acts to
guard his or her own wealth and lands, giving little
thought to the wider fortunes of Moghmarrin or the
demands of the king. They follow Taldredars orders
grudgingly at best, usually doing the minimum nec-
essary to satisfy the Gorgon Kings requirements.
None of the chiefs are interested in helping the king
to assert his authority over any of their fellows
unless doing so provides an opportunity to damage
or destroy a rival.
The most important fell giant clans are the Tur-
gravs of Nurthgard, the Gloamgalls of Uld, and the
Ludgrums of Ludgrum Keep.
Slevya Durthand,
High Marshal of the West
The chief Karkothi general in Moghmarrin, Slevya
Durthand is a deadly warrior and a talented war-
lock who has been appointed by the Chamber of
Thrones (the council of Karkoths kings) to super-
vise the war in western Selduria. She is a tall,
red-haired human of forty years, battle-scarred and
as unyielding as a blade of adamantine. Marshal
Slevya oversees a dozen or so high-ranking Karkothi
officers in command of large military detachments
or fortifications, known as war thanes, who in turn
command scores of Karkothi darkthanes (see Ner-
athi Legends: The Seven Kings of Karkoth, Dragon
399) and common officers and administrators of
the Karkothi forces in the Gorgon Kings realm. The
Karkothi police their own holdings, enforce their
own laws, and generally attempt to avoid becoming
entangled in the feuding between clan chiefs. This
situation creates a competing government of sorts
within Moghmarrin, provoking resentment from
fell giant nobles (and the Gorgon King), who believe
that local Karkothi commanders are infringing on
the giants authority.
Slevya splits her time between the mustering
grounds of Khethmor and the court of the Gorgon
King in Gloomfast. Keeping Taldredar from becoming
discontented with the Karkothi alliance is her most
important duty.
The Broken Chain
Comprising hundreds of disloyal thralls, exiles, and
outlaws scattered across Moghmarrin, the Broken
Chain is a secret network of those who work against
the fell giants and their Karkothi allies. The Broken
Chain works to pass rumors and news from one
thrall-pen to the next, shelter those who earn the pun-
ishment of their masters, and help thralls who want
to escape. Most Broken Chain members are human
S e p t e m b e r 2 011 | D R AG O N 4 0 3
2
 Nerathi Legends: Realm of the Gorgon King

or dwarf slaves, but their ranks also include a sizable

sprinkling of half-orcs, goblins, orcs, and other crea-
Gloomfast fell giants are either housecarls sworn to the service
of the king or emissaries from lesser clans. Hundreds
The capital of Moghmarrin is the stronghold of
tures held in bondage. Broken Chain cells smuggle of warriors of lesser races throng the parapets and
Gloomfast:, the seat of King Taldredar, and the
those who want to remain out of sight across Mogh- guard towers.
mightiest fortress in the land. Taldredar is the chief
marrin, move contraband into (or out of ) the Gorgon Gloomfast is a fortress, but it also serves as the
of the Gorhaugghad clan, the royal family of old
Kings domain, or mount hit-and-run raids and seat of government (such as it is in Moghmarrin),
Moghmarrin. Only a dozen or so Gorhaugghads still
ambushes against outlying areas. No one individual is and a small number of free merchants and artisans
live, all of them grand- or great-nephews and -nieces
in charge of the Broken Chain, but a traveling halfling are allowed to live in its safer districts, catering
or distant cousins to Taldredar; the Gorgon King has
peddler named Jardi Tussockburn secretly serves as to those who come to beg an audience before the
outlived most of his close kin. The rest of Gloomfasts
a point of contact for important cell leaders. Jardi is Gorgon King. The capital is notorious for the scores
usually found in or near Ravenmeet, and he has the
means to arrange contact with Broken Chain cells for
those who need them.

E xploring
Moghmarrin
Moghmarrin is a cold, windswept steppeland or
prairie between two great mountain ranges: the tall,
icebound Nurthedur Mountains to the north, and the
Blackhorn Mountains on the border of Maur Khul to
the south. Most of the region is not very suitable for
cultivation, so herd-keeping is the primary means
of subsistence; flocks of sheep, goats, musk oxen,
and more monstrous creatures graze on the open
grasslands under the watchful eyes of thralls. In the
southerly reaches of Moghmarrin, the pastures and
herds are supplemented with fields of rye and other
hardy grains.
Wide stretches of the land lie desolate and wild.
Escaped thralls sometimes band together into
marauding outlaw gangs in these lonely lands, but
for the most part the empty lands are given over to
savage predatory beasts such as wyverns, yrthaks,
and remorhazes.

S e p t e m b e r 2 011 | D R AG O N 4 0 3
3

Gloomfast at a Glance
The Gorgon Kings seat is the stronghold of
Gloomfast. Few foreign travelers pass under its
statue-guarded gates; Khethmor and Ravenmeet
are more important for commerce. But Taldre-
dar rarely leaves his capital, and anyone who has
business with the Gorgon King (or any fell giants)
usually seeks audience here first.
Population Mix: Gloomfast is home to about
fifty fell giants, plus close to a thousand lesser
giants, monsters, and thralls that serve the Gorgon
King. About half of these are orcs and half-orcs.
Humans, dwarves, ogres, trolls, and minotaurs are
the most common of the remaining inhabitants.
Government: The Gorgon King rules unchal-
lenged here. His will is enforced by his housecarls,
fell giant warriors sworn to guard his hall. However,
the hidden power of the castle is the seneschal, a
human wizard named Vharam. He tends to all the
minor details of provisioning, correspondence, and
governing that Taldredar does not care to trouble
himself with.
Commerce: Gloomfast has little commerce to
speak of. Meat, leather, and other goods are pro-
duced from the herds tended in the fields beneath
of petrified criminals and enemies, victims of the
Gorgon Kings wrath, that adorn its walls and streets.
Some of these statues are said to be heroes who
were trapped by Taldredars curse, carrying mighty
treasures and wondrous items frozen in their unfor-
tunate state.
Nerathi Legends: Realm of the Gorgon King
the stronghold, but these commodities have little
trade value. The Gorgon King and his favorites
import a small number of luxury items and food-
stuffs from other lands.
Defenses: Gloomfast grew out of a massive
hill-fort raised many centuries ago, and over time
new rings of walls have been added to replace
crumbling old ones. In addition to Taldredar and
his formidable guard of fell giants, the stronghold is
guarded by close to two hundred hill giants, ogres,
and trolls, plus another five hundred or so human-
oid warriors. Two dozen trained wyverns protect
Gloomfast from aerial assault.
Inns and Taverns: Visitors to Gloomfast are
given quarters in the castle, and they dine in Taldre-
dars hall when the king takes his meals. In addition,
a couple of private establishments operate within
the walls. The taproom known as the Dragon Tan-
kard, run by a half-orc brewer named Thoskk, is
popular with the human-sized guards. The Great
Bear Inn is a hostel that has rooms for both human-
and giant-sized guests; it caters especially to those
who come to Gloomfast uninvited.
Khethmor
Overlooking an icy vale on the shores of the Drag-
The major port under Karkothi control on the north-
ern coast of Selduria, Khethmor has been in existence
for fewer than ten years. The giants of Moghmarrin
have no interest in seafaring or in communications
with other lands; when the Karkothi asked Taldre-
dar for permission to construct a base of operations
on the shores of the Dragonfirth, the Gorgon King
assented with a mere wave of his hand. The Karkothi
chose the best harbor they could find within the
Gorgon Kings domain, then began the construction
of their westernmost port. Within the incomplete
walls and fortifications of Khethmor lies the military
encampment of a Karkothi legion, surrounded by a
rough shantytown of merchants, provisioners, and
criminals who make their living from the soldiers
and workers stationed here. Although the wretched
taprooms, squalid gambling dens, and shabby bor-
dellos of Khethmors alleyways hold little appeal for
Karkothi officers, their common soldiersmercenar-
ies, barbarians, orcs, and worsethrong these places
every night.
Ludgrum Keep
Most fell giant strongholds lie in the northern
reaches of Moghmarrin among the Nurthedur
Mountains, but Ludgrum Keep is an exception. This
cyclopean pile of massive walls and brooding towers
sprawls over a low hillock in southeast Moghmarrin,
commanding a vast swath of the southern steppe-
land. Clan Ludgrum is relatively weak, with only
fifteen fell giants remaining of its once great host, but
it commands a vast army of orcs and half-orcs. A cen-
tury ago Taldredar purged the clan of its rebellious
chieftain and most of his close kina bloodletting
the Ludgrums havent forgotten or forgiven. The
leader of the clan is the matron Yesvelda, who com-
mands magic almost as potent as Taldredars sorcery.
Nurthgard
onfirth, Nurthgard is a gianthold that serves as the
home of the Turgravs, the most numerous and stron-
gest giant clan remaining in Moghmarrin. Nurthgard
protects western Moghmarrin against attack from the
sea, and the clan maintains a strong army of under-
lings here to guard the giant kingdoms shores. The
Turgravs breed white dragons for war, and the frigid
S e p t e m b e r 2 011 | D R AG O N 4 0 3
4

caverns beneath Nurthgard are home to a dozen or
more dragons of various ages.
Othor is the leader of the clan. He styles himself
the Great Turg, and his clan numbers more than
forty. Othor and his kin are therefore the strongest
threat to Taldredars rule. For many decades, the fell
giant chieftain has been engaged in a high-stakes
game of undermining the Gorgon King and challeng-
ing his leadership at every turn, searching for a hint
of weakness. Othor is now quite old, and not far from
death. Taldredar has simply outlasted him, a realiza-
tion that infuriates the Great Turg.
Road of Ravens
An old Moghmar road that fell into ruin during the
decline of the giants realm centuries ago, the Road of
Ravens has been rebuilt by legions of Karkothi slaves
over the last thirty years or so. It now forms a vital
artery in the Dark Empire, linking the armories and
mustering grounds of Blisterforge with the ice-choked
port of Khethmor. The road is named for the menac-
ing flocks of scavenging birds that quickly descend on
any beast of burdenor slavethat falls by the way-
side on this long, dreary road.
Nerathi Legends: Realm of the Gorgon King
Ravenmeet
A small watchtower marks the meeting of the Road
of Ravens and the ancient road leading north to the
old capital of Moghmarrin. Here a ramshackle town
of barracks and warehouses sprawls among the ruins
of giants halls. The Karkothi maintain a small gar-
rison at Ravenmeet, but this post is held firmly by the
Gorgon Kings servants. Fell giant captains and their
ogre soldiers collect tolls on each caravan that passes
through the crossroads, taking the Gorgon Kings
due in return for the use of the giant kingdoms high-
ways. Several nearby holds within a few miles walk
are home to more giants and their numerous thralls,
which till the fields nearby and tend flocks of goats
and sheep. The lands around Ravenmeet are barely
arable, which makes this region the breadbasket of
Moghmarrin, however paltry its yield. Slave-catchers
and slave-dealers make a good living in Ravenmeet
for the right price, theyd sell their own kin into
thralldom.
Uld
This remote gianthold is home to the Gloamgall clan.
Withdrawn and reclusive, even for fell giants, the
Gloamgalls have as little to do with their neighbors
as possible. Within their fortress walls lies a dark
and terrible secret: They have allied themselves with
the brutal demon lord Baphomet and his servants,
honoring their demonic patron with dark rites and
breeding a new generation of demon-blooded bestial
giants that revel in slaughter. The Gloamgalls dream
of building an army of demonic servants strong
enough to overwhelm Gloomfast and the Gorgon
King. Whether they can conceal their plans from Tal-
dredar until they are strong enough to strike remains
to be seen.
Vale of Dread
Fifty miles east of Gloomfast lies a dark and wild
gorge in the Nurthedur Mountains where none will-
ingly venture. This is the Vale of Dread, home to a
Adventures in
Moghmarrin
Travelers venturing into Moghmarrin are consid-
ered fair game for capture and thralldom by any
fell giant or fell giant servant that comes across
them, unless the travelers are under the protection
of the Gorgon King or the Karkothi thanes posted
here. A handful of merchants and artisans enjoy
such protection and can move about the realm
with care. Travelers can also pass through Mogh-
marrin with the aid of the Broken Chain, posing as
thralls and staying out of the giants sight.
Here are a few ideas for adventures in the realm
of the fell giants.
F Giants Treasure: The heroes must seek out
a deserted ruin of ancient Moghmarrin and
descend into the dungeons below to recover an
artifact hidden in the deepest vaults.
F Spies: A Karkothi war thane who carries plans
for mounting a new assault on the lands west
of Moghmarrin is traveling to the gianthold of
Nurthgard to rally the Great Turg and his clan.
The heroes must infiltrate the hold and steal
the plans for the attack, preferably without
revealing to the Karkothi thane that he has been
compromised.
F Freedom: The heroes must secretly unite the
thralls of Moghmarrin against their masters and
lead the ensuing revolt. The freedom of thousands
of enslaved wretches depends on their success.
S e p t e m b e r 2 011 | D R AG O N 4 0 3
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ruined city far older than even the crumbling holds of
the fell giants. In the days of Moghmarrins glory, the
fell giants fought a war against the citys denizens, a
race of flying aberrations that preyed on everything
nearby, and laid waste to the foul place. But some
of the flying beasts survived in caverns beneath the
citys pits and domes, and they still draw travelers that
are unfortunate enough to blunder into their reach to
a dismal doom.
Fell Giant
Close kin to cloud giants and death giants, the fell
giants of Moghmarrin are a proud, domineering
people that subjugate lesser giants and humanoid
tribes. Huge, strong, and aggressive in battle, they
are hardly brutes; fell giant lords command powerful
magic, and they are gifted builders and strategists.
They usually don well-made armor of iron scales
for battle and fight with huge maces and throwing
chains: spiked iron balls linked by a short length
of chain, perfect for scything down or entangling
human-sized targets.
Nerathi Legends: Realm of the Gorgon King
Fell Giant Level 20 Soldier About the Author
Large elemental humanoid (giant) XP 2,800 Richard Baker is an award-winning game designer who has
HP 191; Bloodied 95 Initiative +14 written numerous adventures and sourcebooks, including
AC 36, Fortitude 34, Reflex 30, Will 31 Perception +13 Manual of the Planes, the Dark Sun Campaign Setting, and
Speed 8, fly 4 (hover) Low-light vision the D&D Gamma World Roleplaying Game. Hes a New York
Times bestselling author of Forgotten Realms novels such
Resist 15 necrotic, 15 thunder
Traits as Condemnation, the Last Mythal trilogy, and the Blades of the
Threatening Reach Moonsea series. Rich is currently the Design Manager for the
The giant can make opportunity attacks against enemies Dungeons & Dragons game at Wizards of the Coast.
within 2 squares of it.
Standard Actions
m Crushing Mace (weapon) At-Will
Attack: Melee 2 (one creature); +25 vs. AC
Hit: 4d8 + 5 damage, and the target falls prone.
R Throwing Chain (weapon) Recharge 5 6
Attack: Ranged 5 (one creature); +25 vs. AC
Hit: 2d8 + 9 damage, and the target falls prone and is
restrained (escape DC 25).
C Mace Sweep (weapon) Encounter
Attack: Close burst 2 (creatures in the burst); +23 vs. Reflex
Hit: 3d8 + 9 damage, and the giant pushes the target up to
3 squares and knocks it prone.
Minor Actions
Dark Mists (zone) Encounter
Effect: Close burst 3. The burst creates a zone that lasts
until the end of the giants next turn. Squares in the zone
are heavily obscured to enemies.
Skills Intimidate +20
Str 26 (+18) Dex 14 (+12) Wis 17 (+13)
Con 23 (+16) Int 17 (+13) Cha 20 (+15)
Alignment evil Languages Common, Giant
Equipment scale armor, iron mace, 2 throwing chains
S e p t e m b e r 2 011 | D R AG O N 4 0 3
6
Nerathi Legends:
The Knights
of Rethmil
By Richard Baker
Illustration by Beth Trott
Cartography by Adam Danger Cook
Virtue, honor, couragethese are the
makings of a knight in any land. But in
Rethmil, knights armor themselves in
spells and scribe runes of power on their
blades.
On the shore of the Sea of Dragons lies the ancient
kingdom of Rethmil, the last free land in west-
ern Altara. Threatened by the relentless growth of
the Iron Circle over the last twenty years, Rethmil
stands fast against the servants of Asmodeus, and it
is defended by the valiant Hyarthan Knights. These
mighty swordmages serve as the elite warriors of the
land, and they are sworn to a strict code of honor and
unswerving loyalty to the magnate of Rethmil. Time
and time again the Hyarthan Knights have blunted
monstrous incursions from the lands of the Iron
Circle, and they have ferreted out Iron Circle plots
taking shape in Rethmils dark alleyways and jeweled
palaces. As long as the Hyarthan Knights defend the
throne of the magnate, the Iron Circles dominion
remains incomplete.
TM & 2011 Wizards of the Coast LLC. All rights reserved.
Rethmil is one of the oldest surviving human king-
doms. It was established more than three thousand
years ago, before the rise of Arkhosia. After Arkhosia
conquered it during an expansion phase, Rethmil
became a self-governing province of the dragonborn
empire over the next several generations. The king-
doms practice of sword magic dates back to this time,
when mercenary Rethmilian wizards in the service of
the dragonborn warlords combined their arcane arts
with a tradition of faithfulness, personal honor, and
unflinching martial discipline. The Hyarthan Order
had its beginnings as an elite legion in this age.
After the destruction of Arkhosia, Rethmil
emerged as the most powerful state in western Altara.
The Hyarthan Knights swore loyalty to Rethmils
magnate and defended the realms interests for centu-
ries. Rethmil came into conflict with the rising power
of Nerath about four hundred years ago. At the time,
the magnates had ambitions of establishing Rethmil
as an empire unto itself, and they resisted Nerathi
expansion over a century of intermittent wars and
diplomatic intrigues. Rethmils resistance broke when
a failed proxy war against Nerath in neighboring
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1

Dercassia provoked rebellion against House Sath-
andin, the reigning family. Nerath backed House
Tedrazar against the other contenders for the throne
and established a line of puppet rulers more ame-
nable to Nerathi dominance. The Hyarthan Knights,
defenders of the old order, were exiled from the realm
by House Tedrazar. Rethmils legendary swordmages
spent years wandering the world in small companies,
earning a living as expert mercenaries who clung to
traditions of loyalty and discipline.
In the years since Neraths collapse, Rethmil has
reestablished itself as an independent realm. Without
Neraths support, a faction of Rethmilian traditional-
ists overthrew House Tedrazar and returned House
Sathandin to power. From all corners of the world,
the surviving Hyarthan Knights followed, swearing
allegiance to the Magnacy Restored. But now Rethmil
faces a new threatthe rise of the Iron Circle. One
by one, the neighboring lands have fallen under the
influence of the Citadel of Irons Grasp, and some
believe that Rethmil is doomed to follow its neighbors
into tyranny and subjugation.
Rethmils Power Structure
Rethmil is an old, decadent culture. The populace
distrusts foreign influences and has little interest in
the doings of other lands. Trade, the lifeblood of many
other realms, plays only a small part in Rethmils
prosperity. The kingdom is mostly agrarian, and its
wealth lies in the estates and ranches of its large, con-
servative noble class. Of the power groups in Rethmil,
the most widely traveled and open-minded one is the
Hyarthan Knights.
Rethmil has little liking for reminders of Ner-
athi rule, but common threats make for strange
bedfellows. In the last few years, the magnate has
grudgingly sought allies against the Iron Circle in the
lands making up the League of Nerath.
Nerathi Legends: The Knights of Rethmil
Magnate Tisera Sathandin
The sixty-year-old matron of the Sathandin family,
Magnate Tisera, is a stocky, square-jawed woman
with a sharp mind, a sharper tongue, and a spine of
unyielding steel. Magnate Tisera has no patience for
fools and has a reputation for being exceptionally
demanding. She routinely discharges advisors and
servants who fail to measure up to her exacting stan-
dards. The only person who sees her tender side is her
husband of forty years, the Prince-Consort Idramor.
As magnate, Tisera stands at the head of a large
and powerful bureaucracy. The Magnacy, as the
royal administration is called, concerns itself with a
number of civil works, collection of taxes, land usage,
law and order, and the licensing of spellcasters. Magic
use is commonplace in Rethmil, and many wizards
serve in the Magnacys ranks. Swordmages and bla-
desingers, however, find places in the knightly orders.
The Hyarthan Order
In Rethmil, knighthood is defined not by noble birth
or skill at arms, but instead by the ability to master
both blade and spell. Several knightly orders take
oaths to serve different causes or faiths, but by far the
largest and most important is the Hyarthan Order.
The Hyarthans serve the magnate; they function as
an elite bodyguard to the ruler of Rethmil and also
serve as military commanders, spies, and scouts.
Unlike swordmages in other lands, the Hyarthan
Knights are skilled in mounted combat. Their tra-
ditional mount is the dragonne, or liondrake. These
noble beasts are poor fliers, but they are deadly in
battle because they can cover ground with much
greater speed and agility than any warhorse. Each
Hyarthan Knight must earn his or her own drake
through deeds of valor and demonstrated skill at
arms. Younger knights devote much of their time and
attention to winning their spurs.
The Hyarthan Knights number a thousand or so
individuals. Most of them are talented swordmages
from old Rethmilian noble families; placing a son or
a daughter in the ranks of the Hyarthan Knights is a
high honor. The lowest ranks of the order are apoliti-
cal, and most junior knights set aside their familys
rivalries and interests as long as they are in service.
However, a limited number of prestigious knight-
captain and knight-commander positions exist within
the order, and competition for these titles is fierce.
If the Hyarthan Order has a weakness, it lies in the
political currents that tug at its most senior members.
Knights of exceptional ability can be passed over in
favor of knights whose families are more important or
influential.
Knight-Marshal Anton Marduum: The leader
of the Hyarthan Knights, Knight-Marshal Anton,
is a stern traditionalist who privately longs for the
days of old, when the Hyarthan Knights played king-
maker to ensure that only the most competent and
worthy magnates came to power. House Marduum
is a longtime rival of the ruling House Sathandin,
and Anton blames Magnate Tisera for the troubles
that are mounting on Rethmils borders. Anton is a
stern and capable man of fifty, and a reasonably com-
petent knight-marshal. He places the greatest trust
in knights of good stock, so he quietly favors the old
families most closely allied to his own house.
Knight-Commander Seira Driloth: Fiery and
tempestuous, Lady Seira Driloth is considered the
boldest and most heroic of all the Hyarthan Knights.
She has won victory after victory on every march of
the realm, where she and her forces have scattered
savage raiders, destroyed terrible monsters, and
unmasked Iron Circle plots. Many knights believe
that Seira is the best and brightest of their company,
but her common birth means that she will never be
knight-marshal.
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 Nerathi Legends: The Knights of Rethmil

The Three Academies Lady Rysandor is in actuality a high priestess of the Dervis Beshan: One of the richest men in Reth-
Arcane magic is regarded highly in Rethmil, and for cult of Asmodeus in Rethmil. An elegant and witty mil, Beshan is the master of the largest counting
many centuries all who have the intelligence and woman of forty-five, she is a widow who retains house in Zagramor, and he runs a network of Iron
talent for studying magic have been encouraged to the great beauty of her youth and delights in toying Circle spies. Rethmils merchants are bound to
do so. Many Rethmilian nobles undertake the study with a bevy of male admirers. Twenty years ago, she noble patrons who extract ruinous rents and royal-
of magic as part of their training in youth. Rethmil- began dabbling in devil worship out of sheer bore- ties from their commerce. Like many of his fellows,
ians of the lower classes are less likely to be tutored dom and soon became caught up in the cult. Four Dervis Beshan thoroughly resents this situation.
in magic, but the Magnacys officials keep an eye years ago, she murdered her husband to gain full Years ago he threw in his lot with Rethmils ene-
open for promising students from any social class. control of the Rysandor fortune, but few suspect her mies, hoping to destroy the privileges of the nobility
As a result, schools of magic are commonplace in dark secret. and plunder the resulting spoils. Beshan is a young,
the cities and towns of the land. Commoners, mer-
chants, and nobles (of modest rank) mix freely in
these academies.
Of the various schools throughout Rethmil, three
are especially prestigious: Ascarmel, Derdath, and
Sagamar. Although each academy takes on a number
of promising commoners, these schools focus on
training the scions of the most influential noble
families. Graduates of each school form a loose asso-
ciation or society that looks out for current students
of that school. Rivalries between alumni of different
academies are very real and sometimes turn bitter,
distorting the natural alliances of the various noble
houses of the realm.

Iron Circle Agitators

The masters of the Citadel of Irons Grasp have
fixed their eyes on Rethmil for years, and they
scheme to bring the kingdom within their domain
or destroy it, if controlling it is impossible. The cult
of Asmodeus is a widespread underground threat
that pervades all levels of Rethmils society, and
the followers of the cult are prevalent among dis-
affected noble houses, especially those who were
formerly allied with the deposed House Tedrazar.
The cult is banned throughout Rethmil, so the
priests of Asmodeus keep a low profile, patiently
cultivating their followers.
Ophelia Rysandor: Seemingly an empty-headed
noble given to decadent parties, gossip, and revelry,

N o v e m b e r 2 011 | D R AG O N 4 0 5
3

energetic man of thirty-three, suave and darkly
handsome. He goes to great lengths to conceal his
true wealth and the depth of his hatred for Reth-
mils nobles and their defenders.
Exploring Rethmil
Most of Rethmil is a wide, rolling plain that descends
gently from the foothills of the Altaran Mountains to
the shores of the Sea of Dragons. The land is arid and
treeless; the noble estates and small farming villages
of the countryside are given over to golden fields of
grain, sun-drenched vineyards, and rangeland for
cattle. Although little rain falls in Rethmils plains,
underground aquifers fed by the rains in the Altaran
Mountains supply many cold, clear wells, watering
holes, and oases.
Rethmils eastern border is the broad River
Zagran, beyond which the land grows drier. The
western border with Dercassia is less clearly defined,
and this area contains the town of Feyadyn and the
uninhabited wastes of the Feya Basin within it. Most
of the people in Rethmil live in the eastern half of the
country, around the capital of Alam-Reth or along the
fertile Zagran Valley.
Alam-Reth
The capital of Rethmil is the ancient walled city of
Alam-Reth, located in a large oasislike vale forty
miles south of the coastline. The city is well ordered
and has long, palm-shaded boulevards, ancient statu-
ary, monumental civic buildings, and the palaces of
nobles. The soaring towers of the magnates palace,
the Magnacy courts, and ancient temples endow
Alam-Reth with a striking skyline. The markets
of Alam-Reth are modest in comparison to other
cities of the same sizethe port city of Zagramor is
Rethmils window on the outside world, and few for-
eigners make the three-day journey to bring their
wares inland.
Nerathi Legends: The Knights of Rethmil
Alam-Reth at a Glance
Over three thousand years old, Alam-Reth is a
beautiful city of ancient walls, soaring spires, marble
palaces, and parklike avenues lined with palms. It is
the capital and the largest city of Rethmil.
Population Mix: Alam-Reth is home to about
30,000 people, the great majority of whom are
humans. A small number of dragonborn, minotaurs,
and halflings also live here.
Government: The Magnacy of ficial who
administrates the city government is the lord-
consul. Currently, Harman Marduum, an ambitious
member of the same family as the knight-marshal
of the Hyarthan Order, holds this office. Lord-Con-
sul Harman is engaged in a number of civic projects
that are long overdue, such as rebuilding the citys
ancient sewers and tearing down crumbling walls
swallowed by the citys growth. Critics say hes
little better than a vandal, or they claim that he is
determined to memorialize himself with his grand
projects.
Commerce: Rethmil is largely self-sufficient, and
Alam-Reth has little trade with other lands. The
estates and rangeland near the city produce grain,
wine, dates, lentils, and olives, as well as plenty
of beef and leather. The citys most important
Castle Jemar
High in the southern mountains, along a road that
few dare to travel, lies a vast ruin of thick walls and
crumbling domes. Long ago this was a city of the
dreaded oni, and here oni still linger, ruled by a
prince named Jemar-Khul. Centuries past, Jemar-
Khul and his monstrous race warred against Rethmil,
seeking to destroy or enslave the human realm on
institutions are the Magnacy bureaucracy and
several excellent academies of magic, including
Ascarmel and Sagamar. Libraries and scriptoriums
manned by hundreds of clerks and scribes are also
prominent features of the citys commercial life.
Defenses: The Magnates Citadel is a great
walled keep in the heart of Alam-Reth. Unlike many
of the other fortifications in the ancient city, noth-
ing about the Citadels defenses is old or obsolete.
The city walls are thick and strong, but they are
awkwardly sited and dont cover Alam-Reth as well
as they mightsomething Lord-Consul Harman is
working to remedy. About two hundred Hyarthan
Knights serve as the Magnates guard, protecting
the Citadel. In addition, a garrison of twelve hun-
dred ordinary Rethmilian soldiers defends the city
proper.
Inns and Taverns: Good inns and fine restau-
rants abound in Alam-Reth; nobles from all over
Rethmil stay in the capital for weeks or months.
The Rosewood Inn is popular with foreigners and
merchants, offering good accommodations at a
reasonable price. The Golden Fireflower is the most
extravagant, offering sumptuous luxury for 50 gp
or more per night.
their doorstep, but the wizards and swordmages of
Rethmil defeated them. Only a shadow of the mon-
sters former strength remains. Jemar-Khul keeps a
number of fantastic pets, and he is always eager to
feed careless travelers to them.
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Feya Basin
Most of Rethmil is dry but arable. The Feya Basin is
the exception. This large stretch of dry scrub, thorn
bushes, and boulder fields covers nearly three thou-
sand square miles of western Rethmil. The basin has
few inhabitants, and little if any water can be found
in this great wilderness. Consequently, it serves as a
formidable deterrent against attack from Dercassia,
since would-be invaders must either funnel into the
narrow coastal road or win past the battlements of
Hyarth Keep. The basin is home to many desert mon-
sters, including leucrottas, lamias, drakes, monstrous
scorpions, and well-hidden genie palaces. Rumors
persist of vast treasure hoards lost in the basins dry
brush and rocks.
Hyarth Keep
Citadel of the Hyarthan Order, this sprawling for-
tress stands in the foothills of the Altaran Mountains,
commanding the western approaches to Rethmil.
Those knights who are stationed here follow lives
of simple discipline, sleeping in austere dormitories
and devoting hours each day to sword practice and
arcane study. The garrison normally numbers about
Nerathi Legends: The Knights of Rethmil
one hundred or so knights, although scores of addi-
tional knights are visiting at any given time to confer
with the high-ranking officers of the order. Spacious
stables beneath the flagstone courtyards house the
widely famed liondrakes that serve as the Hyarthan
Knights mounts.
Suthmar
This remote town in the upper vale of the Zagran
River is isolated from the rest of Rethmil, and raids
and monstrous incursions from the Desert of Black
Stone frequently target it. Consequently, the Hyar-
than Order maintains a large, keep-like chapter
house here, and a permanent garrison of twenty of
more knights protects the town. Suthmar is worth
defending: the mountains to the east are rich in pre-
cious ores, and the Zagran Vale has some of the most
fertile farmland in the realm. The town is home to
the much-diminished House Tedrazar, the former
magnates who were deposed when Nerath collapsed.
Some suspect the loyalty of the Tedrazar nobles, since
the family did not willingly surrender its claim to the
Magnacy during the Restoration, but no one has ever
caught the Tedrazars plotting against House Sath-
andin or collaborating with enemies of Rethmil. It
seems that the Tedrazars are content to rule in Suth-
mar, far from the intrigues of the capital.
Zagramor
The second-largest city in Rethmilin fact, the only
settlement in Rethmil besides Alam-Reth that one
might call a cityis Zagramor, a bustling port town
near the mouth of the River Zagran. Zagramor serves
as Rethmils gateway. All trade into and out of the
country passes over its wharves, since the small
towns of the western coast are hardly ports at all, and
the road through Dercassia now leads to unfriendly
lands. The city is home to a large garrison of Magnacy
soldiers, and it is administered by the Lord-Consul
Marivard Escalaa pompous, wheezing old man
Adventures in Rethmil
Rethmil is a land surrounded by enemies. Mon-
strous incursions in the borderlands are a constant
threat, as are the intrigues of its decadent noble
houses.
The Marrowfangs: The rugged hills and moun-
tains between the Sand Sea and the Black Stone
Desert are home to scores of vicious gnoll tribes.
Of these, the largest and most aggressive are the
Marrowfangs. The heroes must blunt the Marrow-
fang raids and put an end to the threat by defeating
the Marrowfang chieftain and his mysterious
advisor.
Jemar-Khul, Prince of the Oni: A ruined castle
in the trackless mountains south of Rethmil is
home to the mighty oni mage Jemar-Khul. Under
his command, the shapechanging oni have killed
and replaced the family of House Stratham, and
they plot to eliminate more of Rethmils nobles in
a bid to secretly assume power.
Buried Secrets: Lord-Consul Harman Mar-
duums grand construction projects in the city
of Alam-Reth have a secret purpose: Marduum
is seeking an ancient treasury of great Arkhosian
battle magic. The lord-consul recently discovered
hints of the vaults existence in an ancient scroll,
and he is determined to seize the choicest items
for himself. He entertains thoughts of overthrow-
ing House Sathandin and raising House Marduum
to the Magnacy, which would split the Hyarthan
Knights in two, since Knight-Marshal Anton might
well support his cousins bid for power despite his
oath of loyalty to Magnate Tisera.
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 Nerathi Legends: The Knights of Rethmil

who gained his position through sheer bureaucratic
tenure.
Many Sand Sea nomads visit Zagramor regularly,
since the Rethmilian city is the one outpost of civi-
lization nearest to their desert home. The Sand Sea
folk rarely take lodgings in the city, preferring to pitch
their tents in the hills surrounding Zagramor.
About the Author
Richard Baker is an award-winning game designer who has
written numerous adventures and sourcebooks, including
Manual of the Planes, the Dark Sun Campaign Setting, and
the D&D Gamma World Roleplaying Game. Hes a New
York Times bestselling author of Forgotten Realms novels
such as Condemnation, the Last Mythal trilogy, and the Blades
of the Moonsea series. Rich is currently the Design Manager
for the Dungeons & Dragons game at Wizards of the Coast.

The Knights Lance Developer

Unlike swordmages in other lands, the Hyarthan Tanis OConnor
Knights often fight mounted. Long ago, they devised a
Editor
swordmage spell that gave them the reach and hitting
Miranda Horner
power of a heavy lance. Swordmages who study under
the Hyarthan Knights often learn arcane lance. Managing Editors
Kim Mohan, Jeremy Crawford
Arcane Lance Swordmage Attack 1
Producers
You form a gray lance of sonic energy around your weapon. Christopher Perkins, Greg Bilsland, Stan!
The concussive force of its strike briefly slows your foe.
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Graphic Production
Erin Dorries

N o v e m b e r 2 011 | D R AG O N 4 0 5
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Nerathi Legends:
Rangers
of Cernall
By Richard Baker
Illustration by Patrick McEvoy
Cartography by Adam Danger Cook

Some say there is no valor in the bow, the

ambush, the escape into forests gloom. I
say there is no valor in sending a hundred
warriors to pillage a homestead. When
my enemies fight with valor, so will I.

A land torn by war, the March of Cernall lies on

the front line of the Vailin Alliance. Soldiers of the
Empire of Karkoth occupy nearly half of Cernalls
territory, and Karkothi marauders routinely ravage
the area. In spite of these grievous reverses in the war
against the dark empire, Cernall is not yet defeated.
South of the River Wildbyrne, most of Cernalls
people remain free and unconquered, sheltered by
the rugged terrain of the Gianthelm Mountains. On
the north side of the river, some of Cernalls bravest
heroes resist the wicked invaders. These legendary
Rangers of the Silver Hart are perhaps the finest
hunters of beasts, monsters, and foes in the world.
Cernalls story began several centuries ago, when
settlers from the human realm of Brandil pushed
northward into a promising frontier of deep forests

TM & 2011 Wizards of the Coast LLC. All rights reserved.

D e c e m b e r 2 011 | D R AG O N 4 0 6
1

and rich coasts. Prosperous towns grew up along its
coasts to trade in the timber, furs, amber, and pre-
cious metals harvested from the interior. The Forest
March, as it was called, offered great opportunity
and freedom for anyone willing to dare its trackless
wilderness, and it attracted many adventurous souls.
Brandils authority rested lightly on the trappers,
hunters, and miners who made their homes in the
Wildbyrne Valley, and the frontier folk grew increas-
ingly self-reliant. As with many other lands now
counted within the Vailin Alliance, the region never
came under Nerathi control, although Neraths mer-
chants were common callers in the towns and ports
of the coast.
The Forest March gained its independence from
Brandil about 150 years ago, when Baron Thomed
divided Brandils territories between his daughter
Cernyn, the elder child, and his son Heomer, the
younger child.
In the customary succession, Heomer would have
inherited the entirety of the realm, but Thomed dis-
trusted his vain and feckless son, especially since the
northern marches were facing aggressive raids from
the gnolls and goblins of the Crimson Plains. Cernyn,
on the other hand, was a young woman of tremen-
dous talenta brave and wise adventurer who resisted
all efforts to settle her in a dynastic marriage.
What Baron Thomed did not anticipate was that
Cernyn would fall in love with a common-born hero
of the frontier, the ranger Dredath Woodhame. As
the years passed, Cernyn determined that she would
not pass her realm to the children of the brother she
loathed. Upon her death, Dredath took up her title
and named the realm Cernall in her honor. Baron
Heomer objected, but lacked the military power (and
the will) to subjugate the new kingdom. Dredath
became the first Marchion of Cernall, and he passed
the title to his and Cernyns descendants. To this day,
the Barons of Brandil claim Cernall, but none have
tried to unify the two lands.
Cernall prospered and grew for many years, but
in the last decade or so, hard times came upon the
land. Karkoth returned to its old strength, and its
avaricious lords (urged on by the powerful cult of the
Chained God) brought many of the savages, monsters,
and wicked creatures of central Selduria under their
dominion. Instead of scattered, disorganized incur-
sions of monsters and raiders on its northern border,
Cernall faced Karkothi warthanes and priests of
Tharizdun who drove well-ordered legions southward
in campaigns of brutal conquest. Virtually everything
north of the Wildbyrne was pillaged or abandoned,
leaving a wide no-mans land of forest where mon-
sters and raiders roamed . . . but here the Rangers of
Cernall chose to make their stand.
Power Structure
The population of Cernall falls into two broad groups,
the townsfolk of the southern coasts and the foresters
of the northern interior. The townsfolk are made up
of humans, halflings, and a handful of elves and half-
elves; the frontier settlers also include a large number
of shifters, who trace their roots back to tribal groups
who roamed the western vales of the Great Wild
Wood long before settlers from Brandil began to tame
the frontier. Shifters are rarely seen in the towns and
are distrusted by Cernallans who think that civiliza-
tion ends at the southern bank of the Wildbyrne.
The townsfolk and the foresters are held together
firmly by the House of Woodhame (well liked by
both groups) and the elite fellowship known as the
Rangers of the Silver Hart. The rangers are highly
respected by townsfolk and foresters alike, and they
are invested with wide-ranging authority to protect
the people of Cernall and enforce the marchions
laws, no matter where their duty calls them to go.
Rangers of the Silver Hart
Many of Cernalls foresters are trackers, bound-
ers, and hunters by trade, but when people speak
Nerathi Legends: Rangers of Cernall
of the Rangers of Cernall, they are speaking of the
Brotherhood of the Silver Hart. This martial society
consists of hundreds of scouts, snipers, trackers, and
wilderness warriors in royal service. Most are native
Cernallans, but the brotherhood is famous through-
out the surrounding lands, so a number of outlanders
come to Cernall to fight under the badge of the Silver
Hart. These footloose wanderers hail from Valindor
and Albrenn, and some are exiles and refugees driven
out of Tarsembor and the Broken Lands. A small
number are adventurers searching for a place where
they can make a difference. The only requirement to
join the society is the sponsorship of three members in
good standing; the rangers take only those volunteers
who can fight, those who possess some woodcraft,
and, most important, those who demonstrate great
trustworthiness and good judgment.
As the elite warriors of Cernall, the Silver Hart
rangers are at the forefront of the ongoing skirmish-
ing and harassment of the Karkothi invaders. They
also serve as the marchions personal guard, protect-
ing her and her family from any would-be assassins.
On promotion to the rank of Knight of the Silver
Hart, the rangers gain broad discretionary power to
act in the marchions name, commandeer property,
and dispense low justice. The order is careful about
which members it promotes to this rank, but, to date,
the marchions of Cernall have upheld acts or orders
given in their name by a Silver Hart ranger.
The emblem of the order is a clasp in the shape of
a silver stags head. Members have no other uniform
or common dress.
The Marchion
The current marchion (more properly marchio-
ness, but the feminine derivative is rarely used in
Cernall) is Adela Terise Woodhame, the sixth ruler
of her line. A beautiful, dark-haired woman of forty-
one years, Adela Terise is a powerful warlock with
potent fey allies. Though she is labeled witch and
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 Nerathi Legends: Rangers of Cernall

enchantress by her enemies, the marchions gen-

erous nature and wise rulership have won her the
undying love of all loyal Cernallans. Stern and resil-
ient in the face of threats, Adela Terise refuses to
allow the burdens of the throne to dampen her spir-
its, and she delights in the simple good fortunes of her
peoplea childs joy, a gallant act, a bountiful table.
She works tirelessly to defend the unconquered por-
tions of the realm and aid those of her people who
have fallen under enemy rule.
Marchion Adela Terise is married to the Lord
Consort Narmen Greenmantle, a former Silver Hart
ranger who won her heart two decades ago. They
have two children; the elder (and the crown heir) is
their son Dormeon, a restless young man of fifteen
who takes after his father and has a knack for getting
into unexpected scrapes.

The Circle of Ancients

A powerful order of shifter druids, the Circle of
Ancients has long watched over the pristine forests
and deep vales of the upper Wildbyrne and the Great
Wild Wood. The Ancients are distrustful of humans,
fearing that the slow tide of settlement and clearing
must one day spell the doom of the mighty forests
they love. The shifters have traditionally opposed
any human encroachment in the eastern part of the
realm, but over generations they have taught many
Cernallan foresters to follow druidic traditions and
respect the virgin wilderness. The wanton destruc-
tion caused by Karkoths marauders has further
forces, passing word to the foresters of Cernall (or High Darkthane Rhomevor
clarified the druids friends and enemies, earning the
directly to the rangers) who then retreat away from Much of Cernall north of the Wildbyrne is held by
dark empire the undying anger of the forest druids.
the incursion, or else amass forces of their own to Karkoths forces. The leader of Karkoths army on
The chief druid in Cernall, known as the Watcher of
waylay the marauders. The circle might not have Cernalls border is the High Darkthane Rhomevor
the Western Vales within the Ancient Circle, is the
many warriors to contribute to the battle, but they Fesktha cold, calculating, avaricious warlock of
aged shifter Ulfror Leaffoot.
command age-old druidic magic and wardings in the forty who is determined to plunder Cernall of its last
The Ancients do not have the numbers to directly
form of standing stones, secret refuges, and warlike copper piece as long as he is in charge of bringing it
confront Karkoths marauding monsters and soldiers,
fey allies. under Karkoths control. Not all of Rhomevors mas-
but they are exceptionally skilled spies and scouts.
Younger druids track the movements of Karkoths ters are pleased by his dedication to increasing his
own wealth, but he is protected by a powerful patron

D e c e m b e r 2 011 | D R AG O N 4 0 6
3

in the Chamber of Thrones. Rhomevor faithfully
serves King Brusev of the Groaning Tower before all
others, and in turn Brusev protects Rhomevors per-
sonal fiefdom from jealous rivals and the priests of
the Chained God.
Rhomevor makes his lair in the Tower of Crows,
located in the northern verge of the forest. In addition
to a strong garrison of Karkothi soldiers, the Tower
serves as the base of operation for several far-rang-
ing bands of gnoll, goblin, and bandit pillagers who
plague most of northern Cernall.
Exploring Cernall
Cernalls traditional borders are the Bay of Dol-
phins and Lake Morningmist in the south, and the
plains of the Crimson Ramparts in the north. The
eastern border is harder to define; the forest cover-
ing most of Cernall is the westernmost arm of the
Great Wild Wood, and its hard to pick a spot where
the wood ends and Cernall begins. The best answer
to this question of border is probably the Old Ford
of the Wildbyrne, the westernmost place where the
river shallows can be crossed on foot (although the
Old Ford is passable only in summer and fall). Few
Nerathi Legends: Rangers of Cernall
Caer Madhrin at a Glance
The capital of Cernall is the fortified town of Caer
Madhrin, overlooking the mouth of the Wildbyrne.
Several other towns in Cernall are larger and have
more commercial importance, but the marchions
have made their home in Caer Madhrin for over
a century. Despite the threat of Karkothi armies
looming just three days march to the north, Mar-
chion Adela Terise remains in this beautiful old
town, a symbol of her lands determination to fight
on until the last invader is driven out.
Population Mix: Roughly 8,000 people live in or
around Caer Madhrin. Humans and halflings make
up most of the population. Elves, half-elves, and
shifters are also found in some numbers.
Government: The marchion is the titular ruler of
the town, but she has many concerns beyond Caer
Madhrin and delegates local matters to a trusted
official, the High Castellan Dereod Oakhelm. He
is a battle-scarred captain of fearsome appearance
and great energy, wiser (and kinder) than he looks.
Cernallans live this far east, and none farther east
than this consider themselves to be subjects of the
marchion.
Cernall is high, rugged, and thickly forested. The
only real lowlands are the southern coasts and the
lower vale of the Wildbyrne. The land climbs steeply
up toward the Gianthelm Mountains from both north
and south, and the greater part of the march lies at
an elevation of two or three thousand feet, rising
quickly as one travels eastward. The combination of
elevation and prevailing winds from the sea brings a
good deal of rain to Cernall at all times of year, and
it keeps temperatures cool even in the summertime.
Commerce: Cernall produces excellent
timber, along with furs, precious metals, nuts,
and fish. Most trade passes through the larger,
safer ports on the Bay of Dolphins, but some mer-
chants choose to call at Caer Madhrin instead. The
town imports grain, leather goods, and finished
metalwork.
Defenses: Caer Madhrin stands on a high,
steep hillside with the wide, deep Wildbyrne at
its feet. The town and its strong castle are almost
impossible to take from the north or east. The size
of its garrison varies, but at least four hundred sol-
diers and fifty to sixty Silver Hart Rangers are on
hand at all times.
Inns and Taverns: The popular Tradewinds
Taproom brews the finest ale in all of Cernall. The
House of Sojourn is a large, comfortable inn on the
hillside overlooking the river. The proprietor is an
elf named Rolendo, who takes great pride in treat-
ing clients as guests rather than customers.
The Gianthelms rarely reach more than six or seven
thousand feet; only the highest slopes see any heavy
snowfall in winter. Travel is difficult throughout much
of the forest highlands, due to numerous small gorges
carved by swift-falling creeks descending from the
mountain slopes. However, north of the Wildbyrne,
the land levels out into rolling forest-covered hills.
The Wildbyrne
The great river of Cernall is the Wildbyrne, a mighty
flood that rises in the heart of the Dragonspine
Mountains and flows through the heart of the Great
Wild Wood. Through most of Cernall, the Wildbyrne
D e c e m b e r 2 011 | D R AG O N 4 0 6
4

is a good half-mile in width with no fords or crossings
beyond the occasional ferryboat. The river serves as
an artery for trade and travel, linking the resource-
rich interior with the population of the coastal towns.
The Wildbyrne descends steeply throughout its
length, and several major rapids prevent the passage
of boats. Each set of rapids is circumvented by a por-
tage, some several miles long. In peaceful times, mule
teams stationed at each portage move cargo around
the rapids, but some of the portages are now aban-
doned or threatened by Karkothi marauders.
Caer Madhrin
This small, well-fortified town stands on a steep
hillside overlooking the Wildbyrne. The castle of
Cernalls marchions stands just outside the town,
located atop a high bluff. This is the de facto capital
of Cernall, since it is the home of the marchions, and
the rulers spend most of their time here. The reigning
marchion holds court in the larger city of Estafel on
the southern coast for three months each spring, and
Cernalls Assembly meets there.
This scenic town is built atop stone battlements
and streets winding up the hillside, with richly
carved wooden homes and palaces perched on abut-
ments. In recent years, Caer Madhrin has been built
up with armories, barracks, storehouses, and forges,
and it serves as the principal base of supply for Cer-
nalls armies north of the Gianthelms. Thieves, spies,
and swindlersdrawn by the ready supply of royal
coin and the rising prices of goodsare present in
some numbers despite the best efforts of the High
Castellans constables.
Barton Ferry
The largest town in the Wildbyrne Vale isor more
properly wasBarton Ferry. In better days, Barton
Ferry was a bustling, prosperous trade-town of five
thousand people or more, but now this frontier settle-
ment lies in ruins, having been destroyed a year ago
in a Karkothi attack. Gangs of marauding monsters
skulk through the ruins, searching for overlooked
plunder and waylaying any travelers that pass by.
The rangers of the Silver Hart sent strong forces to
drive out the monsters several times over the last few
months, but more monsters trickled back in after
the rangers left. For now, the rangers have decided
to maintain a watch on Bartons Ferry and spy out
enemy movements, rather than fall upon anything
that approaches the town.
The Westermoss
Warm and rain-soaked for much of the year, the
Westermoss is a large, forest-covered peninsula that
makes up the southwestern quarter of Cernall. A
dozen or so small settlements are scattered through
the area, most of them fishing villages along the
shore. Sheltered against the wars to the north by
the mountains and far from the larger, more popu-
lous districts near Estafel, the Westermoss is a quiet
backwater that serves as Cernalls breadbasket and
provides a reliable supply of loyal fighters for the mar-
chions armies. A dark side exists to this otherwise
bucolic setting, howeverancient yuan-ti ruins are
hidden deep in the rain-soaked woods, and some still
harbor forgotten dangers.
Estafel
The richest and largest settlement in Cernall is the
city of Estafel, on the northern shore of the Bay of
Dolphins. The only city in Cernall worthy of being
called a city, it is easily two or three times the size of
the royal capital at Caer Madhrin. Estafel is home to
many of Cernalls wealthiest merchants and nobles,
and it serves as the seat of the marchs Assembly. The
marchion moves the court to Estafel each spring and
reigns there for several months, but its not unusual
for a marchion to visit the city several times a year in
addition to the annual relocation of the court.
Nerathi Legends: Rangers of Cernall
Many Cernallans of the southern coasts are not
enthusiastic about spending their precious blood and
treasure defending thinly settled frontiers north of
the Wildbyrne against Karkothi aggression. Whis-
pers against Marchion Adela Terise and her inflexible
policies are beginning to circulate in Estafels par-
lors and drawing rooms, although some say that
this discontent is the work of cunning spies, not
concernedpatriots.
Hartshall
This secret ranger stronghold is hidden in a deep
gorge about thirty miles north of the Wildbyrne. The
surrounding forest is fiercely contested between the
Cernallans and the various goblin, gnoll, and ogre
tribes that owe their allegiance to Karkoth. The hall
is a large, strong lodge of fieldstone and timber that
is built on a narrow ledge about halfway down the
gorges walls. The forest at the gorges rim overhead
conceals Hartshall from the view of flying monsters
or spies, and vigilant archers watch each of the well-
hidden trails leading to the rangers safehold. The
master of Hartshall is the human ranger Sir Fromor
Vineleaf, a well-seasoned Silver Hart who under-
stands the value of keeping Hartshall secret from
Cernalls enemies.
The Old Ford
One hundred fifty miles up the Wildbyrne, the
traveler comes to the first place where the river can
be forded. A high, rocky islet in the middle of the
stream is flanked by shallows on either side that can
be waded if the river is not especially high. The islet
is perhaps half a mile long and two hundred yards
wide; at its downstream end, a moss-grown ring of
stone monoliths marks one of the sacred places of the
Ancient Circle druids. The old druid Brevann Ber-
stagg lives in the woods nearby, and he guards the
ford against all evil creatures.
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 Nerathi Legends: Rangers of Cernall

Tower of Crows
This old fortress is the center of Karkoths efforts to
complete the conquest of Cernall. The tower was
once a Brandilan border-fort that fell into ruin and
was abandoned when Brandil withdrew from its
northern marches. The place was occupied by Kar-
kothi forces several years ago, who set about restoring
Adventures in Cernall
and expanding the old fort to serve as their base in
northern Cernall. The tower is now home to hun-
dreds of Karkothi soldiers and their allied monsters
andmarauders.
Silver Hart Clasp
Rangers of the Silver Hart who perform an act of
notable valor or render a great service to the realm
are often rewarded with the presentation of a silver
hart claspa brooch that serves as an emblem of the
order and a badge of authority respected through-
interested in the setting. Our apologies to the comple-
tists out therewe always intended to leave much of
the map blank and provide just a few samples of the
setting. Anyway, were moving on to new material.
We hope you have enjoyed the series!
About the Author
Richard Baker is a senior game designer at Wizards of the
Coast and New York Times best-selling novelist. When not
working on articles and game products for the Dungeons &
Dragons Roleplaying Game, he designs board games, Conquest
of Nerath being one of his more recent accomplishments.

Many heroes come to Cernall in search of a cause
worthy of their swords. Defending the march
against Karkoths legions and its hordes of allied
monsters is challenge enough, but the forest shade
hides older and more perilous dangers than com-
panies of skeletons and bands of gnolls.
The Great Hunt: A terrible beast or monster
moves into the Wildbyrne Vale, slaying any in its
path. The heroes accept the challenge of hunting
it through the trackless forest and putting a stop
to the creatures depredations, but Karkothi nec-
romancers plan to raise the beast as an even more
powerful undead abomination when it dies.
The Ring of Serpents: A rash of disappear-
ances in a small village of the Westermoss leads
the heroes to a long-lost yuan-ti temple hidden
in the forest. Cultists of Zehir are searching for
an ancient artifact there while kidnapping and
subverting local folk.
Five Against Five Hundred: The heroes dis-
cover a small army of Karkothi marauders on the
march, and they must slow the marauders down
as best they can. The adventurers fight a desperate
campaign of ambush, delay, trap-building, tar-
geted strikes on leaders, and daring flank attacks
to slow the enemy force and crush its will tofight.
out Cernall. Traditionally, the silver hart clasp is
Developer
awarded personally by the reigning marchion in a
Tanis OConnor
privateceremony.
Editor
Silver Hart Clasp Level 9+ Uncommon Miranda Horner
This large silver brooch is fashioned in the shape of a stags
Managing Editors
head. Its enchantments help you to move swiftly and silently
Christopher Perkins, Jeremy Crawford
in forest settings, and the clasp heals you in time of need.
Lvl 9 +2 4,200 gp Lvl 24 +5 525,000 gp Producers
Lvl 14 +3 21,000 gp Lvl 29 +6 2,625,000 gp Christopher Perkins, Greg Bilsland, Stan!
Lvl 19 +4 105,000 gp
Neck Slot Digital Studio Consultant
Enhancement Bonus: Fortitude, Reflex, and Will Daniel Helmick
Properties
F You have forest walk. Art Directors
F You gain an item bonus to Stealth checks in forests. The Kate Irwin, Jon Schindehette
bonus equals the items enhancement bonus.
Illustrator
Utility Power (Healing) Daily (Minor Action)
Patrick McEvoy
Effect: You can spend a healing surge. In addition, you can
end one poison effect currently affecting you.
Cartography
Adam Danger Cook
The End for Now Graphic Production
This article marks our final installment of Nerathi Erin Dorries
Legends, at least for now. We set out to provide a
small sample of noteworthy locations, situations, and
adventure opportunities in the world of the Conquest
of Nerath game. The intent was to provide interested
Dungeon Masters with suggestions and details for
potential D&D games in this world, while provid-
ing colorful backdrops and world lore for players

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