Sound the Horns of War
c. 100 ADW
The four great guilds unite to stop Holt and the Molokite from awakening He Who Slumbers. Their combined forces march on the ancient gate beneath Kingdom Grand, where the final dungeon has opened and Holt's army has already entered. Adventurers join the vanguard, clearing Molokite cultists, mind-controlled adventurers from Evenfell, and remaining defenders to establish a forward operating base before the assault on the dungeon proper.
Referenced In
This module is referenced by the following lore entries:
Factions and Organizations
- Adventurer's GuildAlso known as Spear of Elina or Spear of the Goddess. A hundred years after the Dead Wars, the Guild has grown into a global hub for missions, with adventurers flocking to it from all over the world. It is currently led by Guild Master Master Thalin Fernstride in Kingdom Grand, with branches overseen by Guildmaster Teyla Coalmaker in Kdor, Elrin Veymar in Evenfell, and Alyndor "Aly" Marvale in New Arcanum. The Guild uses a ranking system, with new recruits earning a rank of Tin, Copper, or Brass; higher known ranks include Colbot, Steel, and Diamond. When Holt threatens to awaken He Who Slumbers, the four guilds unite their forces beneath Kingdom Grand.
- Kdor's Adventurers GuildThe branch of the Adventurer's Guild located in Kdor. It is overseen by Guildmaster Guildmaster Teyla Coalmaker.
- MolokiteAn ancient elven people—not a metal—known for pale skin, ethereal green veins, large black eyes, and regal bearing. They once traded with the dwarves of the Dwarven Mountains until they sought power from a demigod, attacked mortal races, and were driven underground. There they found a shrine to The Evil One and later worshipped He Who Slumbers, a biomantic horror bred from a tarrasque corpse. Holt was raised among them and led them alongside the Slumber Cult to awaken their god. After Holt's defeat, the few Molokite who survived—including the medicine woman Raphira—helped the guilds re-bind the Beast and rearm the freed Cinder Guard with sunsteel.
- Slumber CultA secret cult whose Slumber Cultist members wear black cloaks and whisper that what slumbers soon awakes. They kidnap victims for sacrifice, infiltrate cities such as Evenfell and Kdor, and ultimately serve Holt's plan to rouse He Who Slumbers alongside the Molokite.
Legendary Characters
- Alyndor "Aly" MarvaleA tiefling who serves as Guildmaster of New Arcanum's Adventurers Guild. Sharp-tongued, brilliant, and unshakably confident, she reads the weave with unsettling precision. She favors simple but elegant robes and a faint perfume, and is fond of small pranks and bad jokes. She stands with Master Thalin Fernstride, Guildmaster Teyla Coalmaker, and Elrin Veymar when the four great guilds unite against Holt and the Molokite. As Thalin's counterpart in the west, she agrees the string of caravan robberies "smells like trouble," and welcomes the agents he sends across the Western Wastes to investigate Aurelian's soul brokers.
- Elrin VeymarGuildmaster of Evenfell's Adventurers Guild. A tall, tan-skinned human with greying sandy brown hair. He wears black slacks, a grey open shirt, and a leather vest. Sour, cold, depressed, and often drunk, he is burdened by the city's decline. He hopes new adventurers can restore some spark of life to Evenfell.
- Guildmaster Teyla CoalmakerA proud and energetic dwarf with dark hair, keen dark eyes, and a mechanical monocle. She wears an oil-streaked apron and silver-laced red armor and has a prosthetic robotic arm. She is the Overseer of Kdor's Adventurers Guild and believes in second chances, but not thirds. She likes using mechanical metaphors and is known to be a fast talker. Always has a backup plan.
- HoltA Firbolg who rose to Adamantine rank in the Adventurer's Guild and wore fine orange silk with red trim while posing as a monster expert and mentor. He is dismissive, arrogant, and blunt, and shared running commentary via a magical resonator while hiding years of kidnappings and cult work. After betraying and murdering Sage Elbera at the dungeon mosaic—unleashing his paper dragon Jeffery to cover his escape—he vanished to lead the Molokite and Slumber Cult in awakening He Who Slumbers. He was raised among the Molokite as a child, learned The Evil One's biomantic secrets, and believes Lullwater will let him control the sleeping god. He owns a monkey with neon green hair named Elanor.
- Master Thalin FernstrideA towering Firbolg who serves as the Guild Master of the Adventurer's Guild in the century following the Dead Wars. He has long black hair braided down his back, piercing blue eyes, and dark green fur, and wears a forest green and white Gi. His personality is calm and measured, and he is known for giving inspiring speeches that relate adventuring to baking. He expects discipline and creativity from his guild members. As Holt's treachery unfolds, Thalin grows weary but resolute, coordinating the four great guilds against the threat beneath Kingdom Grand. After the tremors from the Elderdungeon crack the city's streets, he opens a fresh recruitment drive to replace the guild members lost in the fighting, and later leads the hunt for a saboteur hiding inside his own guild. Troubled by a caravan of strangely well-guarded stolen keepsakes bound west, he hand-picks a party and dispatches them across the Western Wastes to New Arcanum to work with his counterpart Alyndor "Aly" Marvale, convinced the thefts are somehow tied to Biscuit's fate.
Legendary Items & Artifacts
Locations
- Caverns Beneath Kingdom GrandAncient tunnels and caverns below Kingdom Grand that predate mortal civilization. Collapsing passages, Slumber Cultist patrols, and primordial stonework connect the surface to the gate Holt seeks to open.
- EvenfellA kingdom once ruled by Queen Miriel Highlance. It fell to Skotos and was occupied by Augments in Dead Wars II. A century later, it is known as a land of white sands shimmering across the sea to the south of Kingdom Grand and has become a hub for collectors of rare and sometimes stolen artifacts. The city has black-sand beaches beneath stormy skies, high walls, a lighthouse with a stone bridge connecting to the city, docks, and a guild plaza. The streets are mostly quiet, with buildings that are mostly three stories and made of stone with red tiled roofs. The city is home to the Adventurers Guild of Evenfell, led by Elrin Veymar. The city has been experiencing a decline, with strange cultist activity and an eerie silence that sometimes falls over the streets. As Holt's war escalates, many citizens evacuate while mind-controlled adventurers defend the approach to the Great Dungeon Gate.
- Great Dungeon GateA monumental primordial door marked with runes, growing larger and pulsing with light as tremors shake the city. Holt, Molokite elves, and cultists encamp before it; beyond lies the dungeon where He Who Slumbers waits.
- KdorA snow-covered nation located to the northeast of Kingdom Grand, known for its gleaming white-and-gold spire. It is one of the major nations connected to Kingdom Grand via teleportation gates in the century after the Dead Wars. Ruled by the Goldsteil family. The city hosts an annual Festival of Rebirth, celebrating Kdor's reconstruction and the rise of the Goldsteil family. The highlight of the festival is The Gauntlet, a multi-stage challenge course that tests martial, mechanical, and magical prowess. The rules are strict: no magic on others (only yourself), stealth is encouraged, and the only way to lose is to be knocked out. The competition includes puzzles, stealth challenges, skill challenges, and a final combat footrace. Only the top three teams receive prizes, with first place earning a special item and the Medallion of the Gauntlet. The festival features various shops, food stalls, and entertainment, with gold and white banners decorating the streets.
- Kingdom GrandAlso known as First City, New Kingdom Grand, or New Grand. Formerly the only major civilized city in the region as of ADW 0, it is now the bustling heart of a more interconnected world, linked to other nations via teleportation gates. Holds an annual Festival of Peace to celebrate Elina's sacrifice in Dead Wars I. The tremors from the battle beneath the city cracked streets and toppled buildings across Kingdom Grand, scattering loose magic and prompting a fresh wave of Adventurers Guild recruitment.
- New ArcanumA magical metropolis rising from the heart of the Western Wastes that, in the century after the Dead Wars, became the seat of power for the Arcane Registry and its nation. Perfectly circular, it is a city of towering spires and gravity-defying floating platforms, with airships passing overhead and a great floating black obelisk at its center. A shimmering protective dome cools the entire city, granting relief from the desert heat to travelers who reach its gates. It is connected to other major world powers via teleportation gates, and about a week's wagon travel from Kingdom Grand along a well-marked but perilous trade route. Its Adventurers Guild is led by Alyndor "Aly" Marvale, who joins the other guildmasters against Holt.
Military Units and Creatures
- He Who SlumbersAlso called the One Who Sleeps, or simply the Beast by the Molokite who once served it. A primordial horror created by The Evil One from a tarrasque corpse through biomancy, grown stronger with each life sacrificed to its bio-vats—the younger the victim, the greater the offering. The Molokite worship it in the dungeon beyond the Great Dungeon Gate, and Holt believed Lullwater would let him control it upon awakening. After the guilds forced it back into slumber, it could no longer be held by the failing rites of the last Molokite survivors alone, and a living soul had to be bound into the Sealing Chasm to anchor it once more.
- Molokite ElfA tall, pale-skinned elf of the ancient Molokite people, marked by ethereal green veins, large black eyes, long fingers, and regal bearing. They fight alongside Holt and the Slumber Cult at the Great Dungeon Gate.
- Slumber CultistMedium or Small humanoid cultist of the Slumber Cult wearing a black cloak. They have darkvision 60 ft. and use minion mechanics (1 HP for minions, 9 HP for regular). They attack with ritual daggers that deal slashing and acid damage. Some cultists can also use ranged acid attacks. They serve Holt's effort to awaken He Who Slumbers.