Domains of the Lost

[Arjan]

As known the lost were bannished/sucked into the SW after the destruction of azrai on deismaar. And only a few found their way back to the "light side" (El-Sheighül, Raven) and are maintaining a domain on the "Light side".
But what about the "others"? if you take the map of cerilia/aduria(somewhere else?) where would you put their domains? what about size and power?

or perhaps El-Sheighül has domains on both sides since he cant remain on the "light side" indefinitely.


A.

[graham anderson]

the magian is mentioned as one of the lost.

There is said to be twelve lost tought magic by azrai himself, you may be able to include the gorgon and the serpent in this although I am not sure they do command true magic and at least in the serpents case before daesmar.

Macchius is mentioned as being in the shadow world as one of the lost.

it is a bit unsure as it mentions twelve lost in the shadow world so there may have been more than 12spellcasters tought by azrai but twelve bacame lost.

I would have to check the books there may be more mentioned but I think that is it.

[Arjan]

Hmm i think i have to refrase my question...

What i really meant is where in the SHadow World would you place the remaining domains of those who didnt get back to the "light side"

A.

[graham anderson]

El-Sheighül and the ravens domains in the shadow world are likely near there domain's in cerilia. The magian was likely somewhere to the east maybe in djaper.

Some are likely in aduria and somemore may be djaper or other lands. the battle fens and mist moor would make good posibilitys as would the direwood. I would look at places with a bad reputationa and a strong connection to the shadow world.

In one game I did I had a lost in an isle in the sea of storms to the west of cerilia.

[Green Knight]

Hmm,

Here are some new ones:

I've had one of the Lost, which I called the Lich, imprissoned beneath the Erebannien since the time of Deismaar. He got released of course, and created all sorts of problems before he was re-imprissoned. So he didn't have any Shadow-world domain.

Then I had another one, which I called the Red Wind, whose essence was scattered on the winds of northern Aduria. He recently re-emerged/re-formed and is making trouble right at this minute. So he didn't have any SW domain either.

I have one with an SW domain; the Shade. He's put himself up as lord of parts of "Anuire" (in the SW) and have been gathering undead (and other) followers in preparation for breaking through the Veil between the worlds. He hasn't been up and about for that long, so this is a recent development.

Cheers
B

[Lord Rahvin]

> I`ve had one of the Lost, which I called the Lich,

> imprissoned beneath the Erebannien since the time of

> Deismaar. He got released of course, and created all

> sorts of problems before he was re-imprissoned. So

> he didn`t have any Shadow-world domain.



Just a quick side note: I love this sort of stuff.

I`m between campaigns right now, so I love hearing

tales of other people`s games and what they`re doing.

If anyone else wants to share how their adventures are

going or what their major villains/challenges or their

domain challnges are progressing, please feel free to

share them.



I love this sort of stuff.





=====

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[Osprey]

The Shadowmancer

I just ran an epic adventure in the Shadow World, begun by the knowledge that the High Mage Aelies was trapped there (one of the PC's is Aelies' son and heir, Landen. Landen has haunted dreams in which his father is crying out in pain, and once calls out to his son by name).
The adventure had a fairy tale/myth sort of structure, so involved three main trials/villains. The first trial involved an Unseelie Lord trapped the PC's in his lair (a hollow mound) after they were lured there by the sounds of a Seelie lady being tortured. They managed to save the lady and defeat the lord and his minions (including his masive Nightwing mount and a band of very elite Redcap berserkers). In gratitude, the lady (who turned out to be a noble lady of the Seelie Court) leads them to the Seelie Court, where Queen Mab and the court welcome them as heroes rescuing one they had mourned as lost. Nobody parties like the Seelie Court...feasting, singing, dancing, and all sorts of debauchery entailed for many nights after.

From the Queen they learn a great deal about the possible whereabouts of Aelies (a long-time ally of Queen Mab IMC). Aelies had been in the Shadow World for some years now, researching the cause of the spreading taint of the Shadow World, and in particular the corruption of mebhaighal in Aebrynis. His searches led him to the domain of the Shadowmancer - one of the Lost of Azrai. The Shadowmancer was once a ranking Imperial advisor and courtier, who was taught the subtle arts of the magician by Azrai. When he was blasted into the Shadow World at Deismaar, he gained a powerful (Great) bloodline of Azrai, and with these additional abilities managed to adapt quite well to a world built on illusion. In time he developed powers that furthered his mastery of illusion and most especially shadowstuff (the Shadow Mage prestige class). As a blooded Shadow Mage, he eventually realized another power: the ability to sense and control awnmebhaighal (sources and ley lines in the SW). So he hunted through the SW until he found a strong source of awnmebhaighal - upon which sat a mature Shadow Dragon, Shar'Kalisse. Rather than battle this creature, he parleyed and convinced it to become his ally in carving out a domain around the mountain of the dragon (and the source). Many centuries passed - it was in this time that the magician came to be known as the Shadowmancer ("SM" for short). He established not only a powerful source domain, but also subjugated the surrounding halfling and monstrous domains. His mastery of shadowstuff became supreme, and with it his tower grew into a fortress atop the dragon's mountain (and the dragon's lair beneath gained some potent security).

Now Aelies eventually sensed that the SM's domain seemed to be at the heart of a spreading wave of corruption. Not just awnmebhaighal, which in its "true" form is as neutral and natural as mebhaighal. But the awnmebhaighal from the SM's domain had a distinct taint to it, and this taint was infectious and corrupting, spreading like a blight outward. As it grew stronger, it was not only tainting more awnmebhaighal in the SW, but was leaking more and more into the sunlit world, where it was draining the natural mebhaighal and strengthening itself in a vicious spiral of corruption. Aelies eventually decided that the SM himself must be responsible, and so sought to see for himself just what was making this possible. But things didn't work out so well for the High Mage, and he ended up a prisoner of the Shadowmancer...

There's another piece of this story as well: the PC's saw in the Unseelie lair tapestries showing the Unseelie Queen standing triumphant beside the Shadowmancer and the dragon, with the Seelie Queen kneeling in chains before them, her knights and warriors slaughtered in droves on the battlefield. It would seem the SM had allied with the Unseelie.

At the Seelie Court, the PC's learn that the SM's minions had indeed stepped up actions against the Seelie, sometimes in concert with the Unseelie. Queen Mab thus has a personal stake in aiding the PC's, and so she does by revealing the shadow dragon's strengths and weaknesses, and providing a few ways for the PC's to counter these (a box of irondust, an alternate version of Silversheen, that temporarily transforms weapons into cold iron; knowledge of the 8th-level clerical spell Mass Death Ward, which would render the PC's immune to the dragon's breath weapon; and a couple of other divine and arcane spells that can lower spell resistance and natural armor - from the Draconomicon).

The PC's then arrange to penetrate the dragon's lair while the Seelie hosts launch a series of raids and incidents in the SM's realm to distract his attention for a time. This allows the PC's to attack the Shadow Dragon alone (Shar'Kalisse is by this time a Great Wyrm++ Shadow Dragon - real nasty), and they finally slay it in an epic battle that rages through its lair and across the skies.

After navigating a series of terrible traps, they make their way to Aelies' cell, where they discover a wasted, sickly, and ancient-looking Aelies (as in he looks centuries older than he used to). His bloodline has been stolen from him by the Shadowmancer (through a Rod of Bloodcraft, an artifact that allows bloodline to be stolen away and then used to empower the creation of magical items), his life force slowly drained away by the Succubus while she raped his body and mind of all its secrets (another of the Lost I invented, the once-favored mistress of Azrai and now an awnshegh of terrible cunning and demonic power; she is a sometimes-ally/peer of the Shadowmancer, and the mother of the Eyeless One). Diseased, insane, and aged (he lost his Long Life when his bloodline was stolen), the High Mage barely remembers his own son (and then promptly forgets).

Luckily, Caelyn Razdale (an epic PC Priest of Haelyn) is able to heal the High Mage's mind, body, and even his lost life force (levels) - but not his lost bloodline. With many of his memories restored, the High Mage relates what he has learned here. He tells them how the Shadowmancer has been using his bloodline to empower an artifact: a sphere of corrupt shadowstuff that amplifies and taints the awnmebhaighal source here, and through ley lines spreads its taint to infect all of the connected sources, which in turn taints the very fabric of the Shadow World.

Landen (a great scion of Vorynn with great mebhaighal sense) can feel the tainted source nearby - and can sense the pulse of powerful magics being woven there. Believing that this battle cannot wait, the PC's prepare themselves as best they can (being quite drained from the battle with the dragon), and then go forth to confront the Shadowmancer.

[Note to players and would-be heroes: if you have any choice at all, never, never challenge an epic mage at his great source of power - especially when that mage has had some time to prepare himself and you're half-depleted...]

It was a fight, and very much an epic one...hordes of summoned and real minions sorrounded the Shadowmancer, championed by three very nasty fiends (the SM had an epic Shadow Gate spell, gating 80% real versions of outsiders). Magical bursts of fire, lightning, and cold blanketed the battleground, a great lieutenant of Haelyn (a huge solar) was called by the Archprelate, flights of incorporeal undead were shredded by sunbursts...

In one of those explosions of shadowfire, Aelies got caught and incinerated, though he died a whole man, and his son completed what he had begun. The PC's eventually defeat the Shadowmancer (who is himself an awnshegh, a living creature of incorporeal shadowstuff) and his minions, though it is a close fight (without powerul magics like Mass Heal and Gate, the PC's would be quite dead).

Finally, the PC's must destroy the artifact as a sort of coup de grace. When the Shadowmancer is slain, his essence (which is wholly attuned to the tainted awnmebhaighal) is drawn into the artifact, making it far stronger than it ever had been before. Landen notices it beginning to shred the barrier to Aebrynis, and unweaving other magic nearby (particularly arcane true magic).

Ultimately Caelyn and Landen go down into the heart of the source, and Caelyn takes his new blade Starfire (an artifact that is the foe of shadow) and cleaves the orb of darkness in two. Surviving the resulting detonation, and (miraculously) the explosion of bloodpower, they flee through a waiting portal and breathe a sigh of relief. They've done it - and live yet to tell the tale.

************************************************** ****************

Whew! I don't do summaries very well - the devil's in the details after all.

So a few questions have arisen here for which I don't yet have answers:

Just where was the Shadowmancer's domain? Was it parallel to a place in Aebrynis? If so, where? The effects on Aebrynis from the long-standing corruption plus the detonation of corrupt power at the end would be... severe to catastrophic. I'm thinking an already-sickened area becomes blasted and wasted, with the barrier to the Shadow World sundered...near the mountain source area, there would no longer be a difference between the SW and Aebrynis. Basically a rift has been created...which could make this provionce-sized area a constant source of incursion from the SW into the physical realms. Not to mention it becomes quite uninhabitable by the living. Whatever lived there would likely have its life force drained away...and return as the undead. Fun...

But where is this place? Any ideas? Maybe the Five Peaks...more likely somewhere in Aduria. I'll keep chewin' on it.

Osprey