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5 years ago ::
Jul 30, 2008 - 12:21AM
#1
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...and flesh them out a bit. We’ve already got #1, the human known only as The Voice of Telos, but who are the other twelve? Let’s start small and count backwards, working up from #13. EDIT: JOB FINISHED! Thank you to all who participated. But, we're not done! Please read through this thread to find out lots more community created information about the Warlock Knights. Much good stuff for Realms DMs and players to be found here! Here is a link to the Warlock Knights of Vaasa preview, for those who don’t own the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting book and so may not know about the Warlock Knights and the Vindicators of the Ironfell Council. Here are the names (with links) to each of the council members. Good job everyone! #13: Ivor Chernin (see below) #12 Lishkah Ehravic#11 Eranthis Falcata#10 Skagi#9 Tan Mu Rong#8 Vasilii Ivanov Gubin#7 Jonmarc “The Limper” Hathsin#6 Telvorn Ironspade#5 Varshyl#4 Calex Interthorn#3 Ariados Rakhuras#2 Mansard Kanaoth (as detailed in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide, page 189)
#1 The Voice of Telos (sic) :::::::::::::::::::::: Here’s my offering: #13: Ivor CherninCalled The Grinder by those he leads and simply "Madman" by those wise enough to whisper it, Ivor Chernin is the thirteenth member of the Ironfell Council and marshal of its monstrous armies. Possessed of an intense fanaticism and burning desire to wreak havoc and destruction on whomever the Voice of Telos wills it, Ivor Chernin maintains absolute control over a cadre of loyal felthanes who oversee his lands and holdings along the western edge of the Galena Mountains. It is on these lands that the most vicious and predatory humanoids that make up Vaasa’s armies are bred and trained for battle. Here Ivor keeps all manner of orc, hobgoblin, ogre and worse, ever bent on creating an unstoppable killing horde that will one day wreak bloody slaughter on the faithless lands surrounding great and glorious Vaasa so that all are brought under the heel of the Voice of Telos. Even by the ruthless standards of the Warlock Knights, Ivor Chernin is considered an overzealous fanatic. The other Vindicators who make up the Ironfell council take pains not to offend or give the least slight to the Voice of Telos in Chernin’s presence, lest the Voice should take offense and once again command his most loyal servant to overrun the lands of one of the council’s number. By the will of the Voice, such tests of the battle-readiness of the forces under Ivor's control have brought swift and brutal change to the makeup of the Ironfell Council in the past. The Grinder stands forever ready to test the mettle of his forces against any foe, within Vaasa or without. :::::::::::::: "By the will of the Voice." Hey, I kinda like that.
The Forgotten Realms: It's an ugly baby, but damnit it's our ugly baby.
WotC, please don't wreck the Forgotten Realms a third time in order to introduce the latest version of the D&D rules.
Give us back 3rd Edition's Magic Television concept instead.
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5 years ago ::
Jul 30, 2008 - 9:24AM
#2
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Date Joined:
Oct 28, 2003
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# 12 Lishkah Ehravic Origin
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To the members of the Ironfell Council little is known of the spymaster Lishkah Ehravic. According to reports he was born and raised in a small village about a days march south of Dellhalls. He spent the first 30 years of his life in relative obscurity. When a harsh winter and savage orcs wiped out the rest of his village he traveled to Telos City to swear his pact and join the ranks of the Warlock Knights. This is all his peers know of him and every word of it is a lie.
The man known as Lishkah Ehravic was discovered by a pair of prospectors in a partially collapsed cave in the Galena mountains. He was unconscious in some sort of crystal alcove. When the prospectors entered they set of a ward, releasing him. He told them that he was a powerful wizard, and that if they helped him back to civilization they would be rewarded handsomely. He quizzed them incessantly as they traveled. He was concerned as he had no access to his arcane powers. That night he learned of the spellplague, and of the Warlock Knights. That night he cut his companions throats as they slept, gathered what weapons and gold they had and set off for Telos City under a false name, seeing the Knights as a convenient path to power.
His rise through the ranks of the Warlock Knights was meteoric. He was a natural manipulator who often tricked his rivals into eliminating each other, leaving him to seize their power for himself. He amassed a web of contacts and spies stretching to every corner of Vaasa. He used this network to gather information while he sought out arcane secrets and forbidden knowledge.
Just 5 years after swearing his pact, he had risen to the rank of Vindicator and was serving directly under Kurol Steelmace, a member of the Ironfell council known for his paranoia. It was a small matter to convince Kurol of a plot to assassinate him. When Kurol was killed making a preemptive strike against the two Councilors he (wrongly) thought were plotting against him, Lishkah Ehravic took his place at the council. Goals
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The man known as Lishkah Ehravic has 3 main goals.
The first is the aquisition of knowledge. He had many enemies before the Spellplague, the possibility that some of them may yet live to thwart his machinations vexes him constantly. He also has hidden caches of resources, retrieving them is a high priority for him.
The second is the total domination of Vaasa. He plays the part of a loyal patriot, but he thinks that the Ironfell Council has 12 more members than it needs. He cannot move openly against them, but has several plans in motion to incite a civil war that will tear the Council apart.
The third, and his ultimate long term goal is to destabilize the surrounding regions and take them by force. He has agents working on hundreds of plots , some as far afield as Cormyr and the Dalelands Holdings
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The man known as Lishkah Ehravic shuns large fortified strongholds (for now) in favor of a string of secret hideouts and safe houses spread throughout all of Vaasa. He maintains a headquarters in the Town of Darmshall that looks like a row of terrace houses from the front. He controls several small mines strung intermittently along the Galena mountains all under different names. He has various "business ventures" abroad also, including (but not limited to) small trading costers in Suzail and Yhaunn as well as mercenary companies in Helgabal and Mulmaster. He even has agents operating a smuggling ring out of the ruins of Zhentil Keep. He has been known to slip out of Vaasa occasionally to visit various interests abroad Minions
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The man known as Lishkah Ehravric has no armies, no hordes of clanking armored soldiers follow in his wake, but he has spies in every city in Vaasa and many others in the surrounding regions. He also created and controls the Iron Cloaks, effectively Vaasas secret police, they silence any dissent against the Council. He has handpicked every member of the force and they are loyal to him above all else. He is unusual among the other councilors in that he (privately) forbids the worship of Bane among his followers for reasons that he keeps to himself Physical Description
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The man known as Lishkah Ehravic takes great pains to conceal his appearance, he is just under six feet tall, has dark hair, cold dark eyes and carries himself with a sense of total confidence. His lower face is kept concealed with a cloth mask. He wears black leather armor, carries a rapier on one hip and a rod on the other and usually wears a voluminous black cloak with a hood pulled over his head. Stats
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Coming Soon! Adventure Hooks
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Who is Lishkah Ehravic? He could be the villian of a paragon tier adventure or an unusual patron for a group. He is obviously a figure from before the Spellplague, but who? (It should be fairly obvious to most who he is in my game :P but you can tailor his origin to fit your own game). Can the heroes discover his identity? What will be the consequences if the succeed?
More hooks to come
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5 years ago ::
Jul 30, 2008 - 9:26AM
#3
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I didn't come up with a long detailed description of this guy. I figure you could fill in the details as you please.  #11 Eranthis FalcataThis honey-tongued, epicene man is quite skilled those who know him poorly into thinking he's far less of a threat than he actually is--including some of his fellow council members. Much of the time, he comes off as preening, soft-voiced hedonist, but in truth he has a nasty and unpredictable temper. Eranthis controls most of his followers with fear (those who displease him risk winding up in his entensive, underground garden wherein he raises plants that feed on human--or humanoid--flesh), but he is not incapable of growing attached to things. He loves his companion rage drake, Borion, and is known to speak soothingly to it when he's not exhorting it to kill someone.
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5 years ago ::
Jul 30, 2008 - 9:27AM
#4
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Date Joined:
Dec 11, 2006
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I'm assuming the leader is either King Gareth... or Kale.  WotC pretty much lifted this right from WoW, and it would make sense, since Gareth is Arthaus' FR equivalent - a fallen Paladin corrupted by powerful evil forces.
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5 years ago ::
Jul 30, 2008 - 1:02PM
#5
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I'm assuming the leader is either King Gareth... or Kale.
WotC pretty much lifted this right from WoW, and it would make sense, since Gareth is Arthaus' FR equivalent - a fallen Paladin corrupted by powerful evil forces.
-Road of the Patriarch seemingly was trying it's hardest to paint the Paladin-King as a bastard, so...Maybe something was going on that, at the time, we didn't understand.
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5 years ago ::
Jul 30, 2008 - 1:20PM
#6
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Date Joined:
Feb 15, 2007
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As in a literal bastard? or just a cruel dude? he seemed fair in all my assesments. In the end of the book he was even looking at it from Artemis's point of view.
As I am no DM I will sit back and let your other worldly wisdom be imparted to me. I'll make quiet tally's to myself though.
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5 years ago ::
Jul 30, 2008 - 1:21PM
#7
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-The latter definition.
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5 years ago ::
Jul 30, 2008 - 5:05PM
#8
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# 12 Lishkah Ehravic
Dude, that was awesome.
I read Lishkah's description the one time only and I'm already afraid of him.
More please!
:D
The Forgotten Realms: It's an ugly baby, but damnit it's our ugly baby.
WotC, please don't wreck the Forgotten Realms a third time in order to introduce the latest version of the D&D rules.
Give us back 3rd Edition's Magic Television concept instead.
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5 years ago ::
Jul 30, 2008 - 5:40PM
#9
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Date Joined:
Feb 15, 2007
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I'm willing to bet King Gareth's wife, Lady Christine would fit one of these seats nicely. Always seemed a little to stubborn about any threat that faced her control of the Kingdom. Or that which threatend her grip on the King's ear.
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5 years ago ::
Jul 31, 2008 - 4:29AM
#10
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Date Joined:
Mar 15, 2008
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#10 Skagi (S-kah-ghee)
Skagi has no allies within the Ironfell Council. Several times he openly showed animosity towards other lords of Vaasa. What has kept him in position despite the harsh demeanor are the war forces under his stony fist, which the Voice of Telos considers quite invaluable. Some vindicators have noticed that Skagi knows when to stop his outbursts of hate and not to push too far. Skagi, like Ivor Chernin in western Galenas, knows that the real potential for amassing armies lies in the mountains, with nonhuman population greatly outnumbering the inhabitants of Vaasa. That's why he has taken control of his ancestral lands in the southwestern Earthspur mountains.
From a bowshot distance Skagi could be mistaken for a typical stone giant. Except for the Ironfell grafts that were put to replace parts of his undead skin. The grafts are fused with the body in a way that it appears like an iron armor. His eyes that glow like molten stone and elongated canines reveal the otherworldy aspect of Skagi. He wears a huge ancestral warhammer. The head of the weapon was later carved with ram-skull looking runes. These ornaments were placed more than a century ago by his father to simbolize the union with the Witch-king. Skagi was born from the union of the giant king, Skalkong, and one of the lilitus of Orcus brought to ''serve'' him. Among the stone giant tribes Skagi is known only as Skalson, which means ''son of the Skull''.
In the Year of the Serpent Skalkong was slain along with other Zhengyi's forces. Skagi's mother fled to Thanatos only to be destroyed by the servants of Kiaransalee. Skagi doesn't know whether she is alive, but hates her for abandoning him. This passion rivals the feeling he has for humans who are the usual target of his curses and blames. The cooperation of Skagi and other warlock knights is often impossible. The Voice of Telos is particularly abhorring, what a nerve this little creature has. Skagi finds blasphemous that a human serves as the Voice of the primordial when he is such an obvious, perfect candidate. He intended to crush his petty skull every time he was in the Temple-city. He's not sure why he didn't, his memory is confusing. Certainly not out of fear. There is always the next time, if not, humans are very short-lived.
Decades before Spellplague Skagi lived as an outcast among the desolate crags of the northern Earthspur mountains. Today that region borders the Marches of Tan Mu Rong. Due to his demonic nature Skulson was banished from the huslyder (family, clan). If he had refused he would be stoned to death. The remaining foul servants of Orcus suffered that fate. Skulson was forced to forget his lineage all the way to Annam, which is a very important aspect of giant's indentity and pride. First years of the exile were the most harsh, often being on the brink of survival. Skagi developed his hunting skills and a particular taste for the humans of the White Worm tribe. In the Year of Blue Fire, during the night when a star fell in the wilderness of Vaasa, a barbarian champion known as the Spirit-hunter battled the giant. Skagi was knocked unconscious and would surely be finished off by the warrior of Tempos. In his dreams the giant heard the primordial calling and made a pact for his life. He destroyed the surprised human with a blast of starfire. Intangible spirit in the shape of a remorhaz detached from the dead barbarian's body and flew in the direction of the Great Glacier.
Skagi searched for the source that spoke in his dreams. Upon reaching the site he found that humans had already defiled the place by their presence. He furiously attacked them but was forced to retreat before numerous eldritch blasts. In the next several years he continued the attacks and was repelled each time. He discovered that he could gather small armies of his kin and goblinoids with relative ease. The Temple-city grew became more stronger after every assault.
One day he came with the biggest force assembled since the days of Zhengyi. Their bodies were enhanced with Ironfell. Then you could find Ironfell scattered throughout the plains of Vaasa. Warlocks seemed doomed. Surprisingly, Skagi bowed to the Voice of Telos and became a member of the Ironfell Council. The giant was different, cold and calculating, very rarely showing his true emotions.
In his quest for gaining an edge over warlocks Skagi was ready to make all the neccessary sacrifices. He made other pacts. In the end the cost was his soul. Biela Rogha, a hag inhabitating one of the bottomless, icy bogs in the south of Vaasa, offered to fulfill his dreams and in return she claimed his soul. She devoured it, except for a part that holds the connection to Telos. Occasionally, when she needs it or not, Skagi's old personality resurfaces in rage. The wounds of the soul transformed his body into a cairn, an undead giant. The enemies of Skagi find his mind impossible to read. The hag replaced slow and stony parts of his body with the flesh of Telos which made him more perilous. The same process is performed in the creation of soldiers.
One time Skagi and his forces were passing through the lands of Vasilii Ivanov Gubin and the giant had one of the moments of madness after seeing a human village. They compensated the slaughtered village with the equal amount of soldiers. But Vasilii still holds a grudge complaining that he needed them alive. Fat ****.
Skagi's realm is located in southwestern Vaasa, covering Earthspur mountains and a few dozen miles of swampland towards the interior of the country. The inhabitants, mostly giants, goblinoids and similar monsters, call this realm Skalheim. Skalson's immense fortress (a.k.a. Skalfesting) is so high in the mountains that no mortal army would ever dare to reach it. Most of Skalheim is quite isolated and Skagi allows himself many things that other vindicators, being closer to the Voice of Telos, do not. When he conquered the land, he made sure that all sacred stone cairns built in honor of Skoraeus, King of Rock, are twisted and defiled. Skalson never forgot his exile. Priests of Skoraeus died in terrible tortures. As a replacement Skagi introduced the Cult of White Death. The cult that mostly revolves around funeral rites is enforced by the dodmazîn (giant deathpriests). Those who are about to die are taken to the bog, where they die peacefully by freezing in their sleep. Then their spirits unite with the primordial spirit of Telos. Well, that's just propaganda. What really happens is that the souls are taken to fiendish worlds, where Biela Rogha uses them as currency. That is all she cares for, the fresh flow of souls. Bloodstone profit may be useful in this world, mainly for taking care of Tan Mu Rong's collectors, but it's nothing compared to the traffic of souls. Eventually she plans to expand to the whole country and supplant the warlocks with her own covey of thirteen. She is very careful and able to wait for centuries. Souless bodies are transformed beyond recognition and animated by the living iron of Telos into Skagi's soldiers.
Biela Rogha's main concerns are keeping Skagi's temper in check and masking the eyes of spies and occassional visiting luminaries, religious fanatics who would certainly object against the practices of the Cult. Sometimes she allows Skagi to carry out his plan. He united with Tan Mu Rong against the White Worm barbarians, his ancient enemies. Before the attack the easterner wanted to check if it's possible to tax them. Skagi ate the Tan's messenger after hearing the suggestion leaving the matter unresolved. Skalson intended to invade the lands of Thar and beyond into the human lands of Moonsea. Armies were ready to descend down the mountains. However the hag's divinations had revealed possible unfavorable consequences involving Lishakah Ehravic and the war was postponed.
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