CloudSpire Chronicles

Acererak was a powerful wizard who became a lich, and later a demilich. He appears in the original Tomb of Horrors adventure by Gary Gygax as the main adversary, and later as the guardian of the Copper Key, during the quest for Halliday's Egg.

It was recently explained by a "Hunter of the Dead," that Acererak may return sooner then expected, as his network of phylacteries is ever present and could be used by the right powers to resurrect the dark wizard once again.

"Should you be visited by a gentle elf holding the heretics sigil by his heart, know then that you have the attention, the mercy or the ire of an age. Pray then to your gods that it is the former, and not the latter."

Primarily regarded as Daed Al Icarr's agent, or 'right hand man.' An elven gentleman by repute, he is known to courts as a whisper and to the general populous as a benevolent spirit.

He is rumoured to be the old magi's only living and breathing associate. Some would describe him as Daed's assistant, others, his consort, although this is to say nothing of their sexuality or marital status.

Prissmahl is rumoured among some deeper guilds to be a member of the old Cannarde house, a royal house wiped out during the religious conflicts of early days.

Rumours abound the esteemed Lady Lucretia.

The Lady Esther is quick to quell any who would raise their voice against her friend, the Summerhill family has washed their hands of discovering anything about her and the Lagos, despite blood relation, refuse to refute or address any claims the Lady has to what was once Berholdts holdings.

This region of flat plains, also called the Plain of Life, extends south from the city of Skuld to the River of Swords. The area is heavily irrigated and features occasional marshes.

While the majority of Mulhorand was lost to the Upheaval, this small spit of land was made of enough stone and soil that it was not swallowed but instead hurled upwards as so many others.

Home to a large population of strange and other worldly characters, it is the origin of the Death Hunters who now seek to quell the impending threat of the great liche Acererak.

"They came from nowhere, raining death from above. We fought them in the bitter cold, from the depths of a frozen hell into the highest clouds above our home. We fought them until we could fight no longer, and then we fought them ever more."

A two years siege that nearly brought the entire CloudSpires kingdom to ruin, the dwarven kingdom of Highhelm descended upon the CloudSpires for reasons still foggy to the denizens of the mountain range.

The dwarves would have continued their siege and most likely defeated the exhausted and bloodied kingdom, had it not been for odd fates that saw fit to infect the dwarven home with a terrible curse that now rages on the edge of chaos.

Not to be confused with the North Roost.

A popular tavern within Royals Peak, it is located on the eastern border of the Grand Market.

It is two stories and located nearby the airship docks at the north western end of the city.

An esteemed soldier and doting father, Berholdt was allegedly killed in the line of duty during the Dwarven Wars, only to walk into the Dragons Roost seemingly unscathed and lacking memory of his survival a year later.

He has refused to take governance of the family holdings, denouncing his partriarchy and stating he wishes to spend his days enjoying his renewed stock in life.

he has never divulged his doings publically, although The Good Doctor has confirmed that he is genuinely Berholdt and not under any influences.

"The Good Doctor" as Lucretia Ketterrog refers to him, has been a Ketterrog family practitioner for many years.

While few have had dealings with him, even fewer can attest to his care.

A few of the council have spoken in hushed whispers regarding the doctor and Pelorites are instructed to bar him from entering the church while Oghmites disavow his membership to their libraries.

Daed Al Icarr, when asked, only says that he "will not humour the insane" because he "cannot fathom the complete lack of morales."

Dr. Daanav Shaytan is a human 16 Cleric / 6 Psionic (yes, he's level 22) of questionable alignment and origin. Neutral Evil, or perhaps Chaotic Neutral, his fealty to the Ketterrog family is derived of his ties to Lady Lucretia for reasons beyond anyone save himself.

Loyal to a fault to her emminence, he serves to provide the household with whatever his abilities can provide, notably the psionic abilities that Ivor develops.

Originally a man of Oghma for the Covenent of Silver, his focus has remained the research and development of new and more powerful psycho powers.

The good doctor, and a baby Ivor.

A matriarchy led by the lady Lucretia Ketterrog, this family is known for their prowess in both the arcane and the martial.

While always known for their military capability they continue to surprise with innovative progress in arcanic and materials refinement.

Lady Ketterrog has consistently manuevered to position the family such to gain from The Good Doctor's research and at times from her ex-lover, Daed Al Icarr.

With a large stake in the CSMC, and protective contracts with the Ardratiche and some smaller houses in the kingdom, the Ketterrogs are feared or at least respected for knowing how to wage battle.

While they are not formally contracted by the city vis-a-vis the militia, but they are paid for efforts that they invoice for.
There is rarely if any argument as Lucretia, unlike her brother Borrj, would not invoice for and take coin, over favours and soft influence where possible.

The Cazador de Muerte, or Hunters of Death are an organization devoted to maintaining the balance between Life and Death throughout Torril.

Their agents work independantly, seeking out allies in nations plauged by members of the undead who seek to gain power over those who still draw breath.

Othello Dandaer is the Death Hunter tasked with seeking the influence of Acererak within the Cloud Spires.

The Lagos family is a patriarchy comprised of members of the Ardratiche and whose name is derived from ancestors long dead.

Lord Carbohn leads the family with his six sons and one daughter, Skar, Juno, Sirrvio, Lucc, Zeremos, Shaw and their sister Diona.

Originally a family of weavers, responsible for textiles and fashion, their family became known for the development of stronger and lighter armours that could keep soldiers protected against steel and the environment alike.

While the Ardratiche family is still primarily the source for weapons, they simply cannot best the Lagos family in the development of protective equipment.

The Lagos family maintains contracts with mercenaries as personal protection, and for training house soldiers. Carbohn has made an effort to ensure his boys and girl are well and capable of handling themselves.

The Lagos family is a mostly Oghma devout household, Diona and Zeremos being the shining pride of their father with their innate magical abilities.

An agent of Mishtan and the ancient Mulhorandi he serves in his role as a Death Hunter to the kingdom of Gheldeneth, and is empowered as a physical embodiment of an ancient demi god once in the service of Mystra and Thay. They are allied with The Chain and have the dwarven technologies at their disposal.

Hailing from the now floating moted remains of Menesankh, Othello has arrived to the Royals Peak in search of leads towards Acereraks current location and seeks council with Daed Al Icarr.

The Ardrtiche (Ard-Rah-teesh) family is a martriarchal household comprised of members from the Fall and Lagos families.

Led by Lady Esther and Lord Tursq, they are responsible for the manufacture and sale of arms and armour for the kingdom at large through ArdraArms and Tursq's Skunkworks.

Funded primarily by the Saxburgs (still their biggest customer!) they remain in alliance with the prince and seek to protect the current lingeage despite recent events.

They sell to distant contractors and countries, through proxies who visit the mountain range twice a month.

The Frost Fire is an unlikely union between the Giants and Drow that inhabit the Cloud Spires.

Long at war for resources, typically the Drow houses would send raids upon the giants who were not as clever in defending their resources as the Drow were in relieving them of them.

It was the giant leader Attum Zuughar who approached the house of Ol'Xukuth by way of emmisary who held their prince in chains after a failed raid. Ironically, the raid had failed due to the treasonous act of the Feir Cress d'Isto head mother. Seeking to attain leadershiip of the enclave, mother Hassin Elg'caress sent word to Attum in exchange for their fealty when she rose to power.

When the prince was captured, the Feir Cress conducted a short skirmish that resulted in ensaring the enclaves fealty. As clever and conniving as she was though, Hassin did not assume that Attum would simply crush her during trade talks with a stroke of his hammer. She had made the fatal error of informing the giants of where the enclave resided, over confident in their ability to defend themselves against a direct attack.

How wrong they were.

With literal giants at the gates, Ol'Xukuth campaigned among the houses and showed strength in defending themselves against strikes despite the lack of their prince, and thus did the retake the enclave command. The time and atmosphere was just right, and so the Drow house of Ol'Xukuth did secure trade with the giants, with the promise of soldiers, and passage to other parts of the world via the extensive drow tunnles.

War with the Cloud Spires

Originally, the Frost Fire sought to destroy the Cloud Spires populous for their intrusion upon the mountains that the clan called home.

While the militant might of the royal houses was not enough to repel the Frost Fire across the mountain range, Daed Al Icarr was successful in brokering a peace treaty that saw an end to the raids conducted.

Daed presented a simple 'offer they couldn't refuse' where they would receive wonderous gifts, and would not be smote by random strikes from Daed impregnable tower which sits upon Dorums Plateu, a cross roads through which much traffic would pass in seeking the neighboring mountains and valleys.

War in the Cloud Spires

When Sid Meir was ousted, Daed sought the support of the Frost Fire in his military campaign against the royal houses of the Cloud Spires kingdom. Seeking to motivate by way of his wrath, Daed set the Frost Fire to chase out Pelorite influences and send a violent message to the members of the Church of Sun and Scroll.

Legendary shape shifter druids renowned for their militant territoriality, they pledge their lives to protect a region from the predations of man or monster, and uphold their oaths unto death.

In exchange for their loyalty to natural areas, they gain spiritual powers connected with the region they protect far beyond the scope of normal druidic abilities.

Elite assault members eventually graduate to the esteemed ranks of the Seraphim.

Each member of the Seraphim has conducted hundreds of successful drops and as a result been inducted into the respected order where they are awarded a set of silvered wings, magically imbued for flight and especially for leading dives.

The Capital city of the kingdom that stretches across the Cloud Spires mountain range, it was originally settled with the name Norths Rest.

Now a bustling city of many races (except dwarves), the Royals Peak is the centre of politics and control for the peaks that surrounds it.

Ruled by the house of Saxburg, the city forms a circle, surrounded by a tall thick stone wall. Among the landmarks of the city, the Church of Sun and Scroll, is where worshippers of Pelor and Oghma reside.

The Grand Market resides in the center of the city, in which merchants from around the Spires and neighbor motes sell their common (or exotic) wares. The smell of sweet and spice is heavy in the air at high noon, while the local shops serve the cuisine of the city. In the center of the market is the Fountain of Aurie, dedicated to Aurie Saxburg, the founder of the city and foremother of the royal line. As a minor hub in the northern most part of the world, the port is always busy with airships from nearby or passing motes, from trading ships to battalions, moving in and out like ants.

The city conducts trade mostly in ore minerals and refined metals. The Ardratiche family is responsible for the production of the metals from the raw ore mined by the Summerhill, Ketterrog and Lagos families. Until the Dwarven Wars came upon the city, the CloudSpires were also known to contract small collections of troops to passing war ships, merchant convoys or other causes so long as the CloudSpires remained neutral in doing so. These duties were over seen by the Barl and Lagos family. The kingdom has not been in a position to do this for quite some time.

The sewers of the grand city also harbored a hidden threat. The plague seeped into the waters, poisoned the water supply, and clogged the machines below with fungus overgrowth preventing them from providing water to the city.

Fungal growths and worshippers of Zuggtmoy made the sewers their home and terrorized the workers to the point where the operation of a new installment of a pump machine was halted.

The Royals Peak sent a party of heroes into the sewers who subsequently eradicated the threat allowing the sewers and water pumps to function normally.

Now, the Royals Peak faces assault by the FrostFire horde that has emerged from the neighboring lands. Sensing the weakened state of the kingdom, they seek to take what they want, and what they want is the Royals Peak.

A wizard of varying repute, he is reviled by a few of the Cloud Spires elite who view him as an upstart and heretic. He is conversely loved and hated by the general populous depending on their loyalties and whether they live in the capital (Royals Peak) or on the outskirts where his (Daed's) efforts are not just appreciated, but in some cases the difference between life and death.

Daed has spent his years quietly serving the people as his role permits, and seeking enlightenment in magicks that he has engineered and documented within his tower, known colloquially as Daeds Outreach (some use it to refer to his tower and the surrounding lands). Formally, the area is known as Dorums Plateau.

His documentation of his experiments are kept locked in gem stones using a technique of his own devising, where by each gem stone holds the vibrations of his voice or thoughts as he may project them into the faceted stones.

Daed's agent Prissmahl is his only living and consistent assistant and responsible for many of the outward direct communications Daed conducts save for events that require the old sage's personal touch.

Raised near a small dairy farm, his parents harvested hay for the dairy and provided manual labor in calving season.

Orion grew up on tales told around a flickering hearthfire of attack ships on fire off the shores of Orion's home, and sea beams glittering in the darkness at Tanhauser gate.

Oh but the swashbuckling and daring-do of fearless freebooters and merciless sky-privateers!

Over time it became apparent that his hands were much too cold to milk the cows; and then after he was caught one time too many, lurking high up in the tree limbs outside the farmer's daughter's window (warming his hands, one might say), it was made clear that Orion, now a lanky young man, had best seek his fortune on the road.

A sharp lad, he agreed, favoring his chances elsewhere over remaining here and watching the girl of his fancy swell up like a heifer.