So two weeks since the formation of the Zendikar - D&D Campaign Setting group and 20 members today! I figured I could make a sort of status report with notes and just about anything useful for members and visiting people alike.

Basic intro: Zendikar is a "block" (or cycle) of Magic The Gathering trading cards, but it's also the name of the setting (an entire plane actually, but it's more like a planet/world) in which the lands, creatures, characters and spells presented in the cards all reside. It's a very fantastic world, clearly inspired by the latest fantasy trends I would say, and borrowing from D&D more than a Magic setting ever did in the past. It's a world of adventure and a true Points of Light setting in practically every sense, as I pointed out in the first blog of the group: Zendikar and the core D&D World assumptions. In the second blog (An Elemental Realm?) I also talked about the possibility of considering Zendikar an Elemental Realm, in the 4e sense of the term. Short answer: better not to, but you can.

I decided to use the forum for now for all the content of the group, so before someone with some wiki skills decides to make a wiki out of it (I pass...), here's an index of what's already online:

Content Index:

• Zendikar - Guide & Intro (with images and full list of official material)
  

  Verbose title, I guess I should change it.
  Here's the comprehensive list of all the material released by Wizards about Zendikar not dealing with the game of Magic itself. Most of it would find place in a campaign setting book, so here's the base of it all. After the links you can find a summarized version of the main "document", which is "A Planeswalker's Guide To Zendikar (Introduction)". So you'll find all the regions with brief descriptions and a list of the names of all the locations found in each one, which I put to start familiarizing with the names. Note that each region name is a link to the relative section of the official guide! Same is true for races.
  Only part I really did myself is about the so called "Expeditions", which are location of interest for adventuring, detailed in the second post.
  
  
  
  

• Digging For Flavor: "Hedrons" (with images)
  

  I continue to specify "with images", because you should really see those images... Zendikar's artwork is literally awe-inspiring, as you can see by the few images I included here.
  In the "Digging For Flavor" series, I present the results of a search for flavor text inside the cards, by the means of a nifty search engine. So here you find all the flavor text concerning expeditions. At the end of the post I draw some conclusions about the subject.

• Digging For Flavor: "Expeditions" (with images)
  

  Same format of before, but here I deal with the "Hedrons", which are the stone "diamonds" that float in the skies or sometimes lie hidden in the land of Zendikar. They are magical devices obviously, but even if their purpose is more less known (to us, not to the inhabitants of Zendikar!), they are meant to be an enigma, and they manage to do it quite well. they're wonderful plot devices, other than... "prop devices"?

• Zendikar Campaigns: what direction would you take it?
  

  This is the first thread in which there's actually some discussion! The title is self-explanatory, and the conclusions are good, although the subject is open of course, and it's one of the most important ones, since one could the say the material is already all in place, so we're all a good idea and some inspiration away from actually playing D&D in the Zendikar worl
  

• Native, Outsider, and Unknown races

  The sticky thread of the Races forum, here I just list all the 4e races and classify them in order to show which one already fits Zendikar, which could fit easily, and which are hardly good choices.

• Guul Draaz Vampires
  

  First playable race that I devised. Yes, vampires are a major race in Zendikar, and they needed a racial write-up even if their "niche" is more or less that of Tieflings in the standard D&D world. There have been no comments or critics as of now. Needless to say, they would be needed! Also note that this race, as all the Zendikar race I will write, includes some peculiarity not found in most standard races. These vampires for example receive different ability bonuses, skill bonuses and a minor feature depending on their bloodline. The alternative would be to open their ability bonuses even more and make them a +X/+Y and +Z/+K... Don't hesitate to comment on the matter!

• Merfolk
  

  Another major Zendiakr race, the Merfolk are my latest adaption. Their niche is similar to that of Eladrin in that their the magic-heavy race of Zendikar. Also note that they're perfectly adapted to life outside water, and as many races in Zendikar, they're even quite airborne! The peculiarity of this race is the racial power which does different things depending on your power source, and of course if you have more than one power source, you get to choose the effect each time!

• [Experimental] Kor racial power: "Skyhooking"!
  

  For the third major race, the Kor, I first wanted some feedback on what is basically an at-will flying racial power... Based on their mastery of grapnel hooks and ropes! The Kor are the most aerial race of an aerial world, and in Zendikar, most locales have some good verticality, meaning that flying is pretty much needed, but of course it should also be a little limited, and here comes the designing challenge that this power represents. 

• Eberron Races: Warforged as "Worldforged"?? Eldrazi-Kalashtar??
  

  Here I basically amuse myself with cool options to include these two races in Zendikar. There's a bit of a surprise at the end in the form of an update of the post, since I discovered only recently that the designers of Zendikar had asked themselves similar questions on the relationship of gods and angels with the entities that seem to have spawned the legends of the gods in a first place... You'll see, scary stuff!

• Adapted Zendikar Monsters
  

  I already made a few monsters inspired by the Zendikar cards, with "translated" mechanics which sometimes result in innovative design choices... Here they are:
  
  

  • Felidar Sovereign - A might "leader" beast, true king of animals
  • Æther Figment - Basically a living spell, this is an experimental monster: it's a minion that can turn into a standard!
  • [Eldrazi] Dread Drone - This was really fun to make, and I guess all the subsequent Eldrazi (which are basically Far Realm entities) will be just as interesting. it's another experiment, this time it's a high level minion that counts as a standard from the start...
  • Loam Lion - Last but not least, a basic animal. No, we don't have things such as "basic" animals in Zendikar: even this simple cat is a challenging adversary for a 3rd level threat. Two-words hint: defensive skirmisher...

So here's the content which is already in, time to comment it, critique it, and put some new! Also notice that the General Discussion forums "About Zendikar" and "Free For All" are there for you to chat and discuss, and that every forum in the group is also open to non members!

ZENDIKAR

SOURCES

This is a collection of all the setting-related material for Zendikar. There's obviously much more visual than textual material, but it also has sufficient lore to make for a wonderful D&D campaign setting, which is the reason for which i started the project.

A Planeswalker's Guide To Zendikar (Introduction) (Ruins of a lost civilization, The Roil, Exploring the wilds, The world of Zendikar, Races of Zendikar)

The Look Of Zendikar (Mainly visuals, D&D is cited as a source)
Zendikar, The Lethal Landscape (Concepts and visuals)
Deadly Perils, Priceless Treasures (Mainly visuals)
The Secrets Of Zendikar (Mainly visuals)
The Look Of An Awakening World (Visuals of "worldwake Zendikar")
Worldwake, A Plane In Revolt (more on "worldwake Zendikar")
Ally Cuisine ("Allies": adventurers, famous characters)
Angry Lands, Brave Adventurers (More on lands, more on adventurers, vampires)
The Moment Of Discovery ("Getting there is a large percentage of the fun")
The Season For Costumes (Outfits and gear of Zendikarian adventurers)
The Eldrazi Arisen (On the Eldrazi, aberrant near-gods trapped inside Zendikar)
Writing The Eldrazi (Good for visuals)
[Comic] Journey To The Eye (1st part of the Zendikar series - Akoum: Affa, Spike Fields, League of Anowon, Akoum Hedron Field)
[Comic] Awakenings (2nd part of the Zendikar series - Teeth of Akoum, Eye of Ugin)
[Comic] Enter The Eldrazi (3rd part of the Zendikar series - Eye of Ugin, Halimar: Seagate)

GEOGRAPHY (only named geographycal elements in parentheses, more inside the articles. Quoted text from intro.)
Click the region names to go to their specific guides.

• Akoum  (Teeth of Akoum, Leage of Anowon, Affa, The Goma Fada Caravan, Tal Terig, Ora Onda, The Khlani Stone, Igneous Glens, Waterscouts, Glasspool, Ior)
  
  
  

  "Akoum is a mountainous continent where magma glows from crevasses in the earth. Crystalline fields shimmer beneath the sun, but the sharp edges of most surfaces will slice through skin and bone. In some areas, the temperatures are extreme—burning an explorer's skin during the day and causing frostbite during the night. Gases occasionally spew from the ground, and around these vents, bizarre trees and plant life have arisen in pockets of weird biome. The region is plagued by geological instability, causing magma geysers to erupt unexpectedly and shards of rock to rain down unexpectedly."

• Bala Ged [sub-continent of Guul Draz] (Guum Wilds, Surrakar Caves, Bujuka Bay, Umung River, The Tangled Vales, Bloodbriar, Cut Fungus, ELVES )
  
  
  

  "Humid rainforests cover this low-lying continent. A humid haze blankets the landscape, which is riddled with poisonous molds, fungi, and strangely colored algae. Deep within the network of limestone caves and tunnels, catacombs, sacrificial altars, and rune-inscribed chambers hide countless treasures. These are the domain of the ferocious, reptilian Surrakar and countless primordial monsters. Bala Ged is home to two tribes of elves: the warlike Joraga tribe as well as the secretive Mul Daya. Mul Daya elves can be recognized by their tattooing, and have a connection with the spirits of their elvish ancestors that sets them apart from the rest of the elves."

• Guul Draz (Malakir, The Free City Of Nimana, Pelakka Karst, The Hanging Swamp, VAMPIRES)
  
  
  

  "This is a humid region of teeming lagoons, and tangled, fetid swamps—this is the homeland of the vampires. Predators stalk the wilds, and traps are hidden in mangrove jungles and around settlements. The rancid waterways that twist into the vast marshes and swamps conceal predators and plagues. There are more ruin sites here than elsewhere, including the Hagra Cistern, a huge complex of ruins that's gradually sinking into the muck and water."

• Murasa (Sunder Bay, Cliffs of Kazuul, Thunder Gap, Glint Pass, Skyfang Mountains, Shatterskull Pass, Na Plateau, Singing City, Vazi River, Pillar Plains, Visimal The Hidden City, The Cipher In Flames, Raimunza Hive, Kazandu)
  
  
  

  "Surrounded by towering cliffs, Murasa is a continent of jaddi-tree forests, deep valleys, and steep ridges. Vines and other vegetation wind through deep valleys, up cliff walls, and down into dank, half-lit caverns in the earth. The Kazuul Road provides the easiest access into Murasa. But Kazuul, an ogre slavemaster, controls the route and demands tribute from any explorer who tries to enter the continent."

• Tazeem (Emeria The Sky Ruin, Pathway Stones, Halimar The Inland Sea, The Lighthouse At Seagate, Oran-Rief Forest, Pit Caves, Umara River Gorge, Magosi Waterfall And Portage, MERFOLK)
  
  
  

  "Tazeem is a perilous combination of the Oran-Rief, a gigantic, twisted forest; Halimar, a deep inland sea; and the Umara, and a great rushing river that bisects the continent. Some ancient ruins have been co-opted by denizens, who make their homes in the remains of the massive hedrons. Other ruins remain hidden underground, but are sought after by both merfolk loremasters and power-hungry expeditionary leaders.
  Colossal hedrons float in the sky above Tazeem. This rubble field stretches across the entire continent, obscuring direct sunlight and blocking natural rainfall patterns. The massive stones perpetually turn and tumble across the heavens. Amid the ruins, there are the shattered remains of a sky-castle. Merfolk call this Emeria, the Sky Ruin. They believe it was once the home of Emeria, the goddess of the sky."

• Ondu (Islands Of Ondu, Turntimber The Serpentine Forest, Greypelt, The Makind Trenches, Teetering Peaks, Prison Of Omnath, Binding Circle, Soul Stair, Jwar Isle Of Secrets, Fadun, Strand Of Jwar, Beyeen The Crown Of Talib, "Piston" Mountains, Zulaport, The Boilbasin, Hedron Fields of Agadeem, Kabira, The Crypt Of Agadeem)
  
  
  

  "The geography of Ondu is dominated by a sense of sweeping verticality. The precarious Makindi Trenches, the skyscraping trees of the Turntimber, and the depths of the Crypt of Agadeem all contribute to the strange sensation that travel in Ondu occurs up and down rather than east and west. Jwar, the Isle of Secrets lies near the southern coast. Huge granite heads loom half-buried in the earth, and a beam of pure blue light can be seen shooting straight up out of the island. But no explorer has yet uncovered the source of the light."
  
  Also about Ondu: The Journal Of Javad Nasrin
  

• Sejiri (Midnight Pass, The Tundra Perilous, Ikiral, Benthidrix)
  
  
  

  "This polar region is like an enormous mesa with permafrost steppes, wind-blasted mountains, and impossibly tall cliffs that encircle the continent. Despite its inhospitable terrain, creatures such as felidars, griffins, and sphinxes make their home in the snow-covered wastes. There are many ruins sites, and explorers brave the cold to see what treasures lie deep beneath the snowy surface."

RACES (Quoted text from Intro)

• Vampires
  
  
  

  "Vampires live openly in Guul Draz and are famed for the decadence and perversion of their lifestyle. Bloodchiefs, the progenitors of their race, control the opulent city of Malakir. Vampire society is divided by "family" allegiances, each family beholden to its Bloodchief. Each family controls a small amount of territory and routes through the swamp, although the main currency of any family is in its connections and relationships. The tastes and passions of the Bloodchief tend to be imprinted on the vampires he or she creates.
  
  There are five greater families in Guul Draz: Nirkana, Kalastria, Emevera, Urnaav, and Ghet. Dozens of other lesser families are scattered across Guul Draz, each with a contingent of undead nulls appropriate to their place in vampire society. Whenever a vampire fully drains the blood of a living creature without destroying the husk, a vampire null is created from the body. If nulls are left without orders, they will hunt and kill living things that they can find."

One could think that using the Dhampyr bloodline or using the Revenant race could be enough to represent Zendikar Vampires, but I think they need a full race write up. They need to have the following elements:

1. Charisma is surely their specialty, with Dexterity comign as a close second. It is difficult to understand (from the various vampire creature cards) if the last ability bonus could be Constituition or Intelligence. They could be Con + Cha/Dex or Cha + Dex/Int or maybe even Con/Dex + Int/Cha, which could be a new standard for Zendikar races, or a specialty of Vampires to represent their varied origins or the differences between the bloodlines.
2. A blood drain ability, which could be a power or a feature activating each time they bloody an enemy or each time they use Second Wind adjacent to bloodied enemies.
3. Bonuses to "cultural" skills, like Hisotry and Arcana, and also to Acrobatics.

• Kor (The Ondu and the Master At Arms articles are the best sources)
  
  
  

  "The kor live a spare and nomadic existence. They travel mercilessly light, carrying with them only the essentials, valuing the portability of individual skill and strength of character over more "static" virtues. "We were not meant to put down roots," they say. "The heart is a moving organ." Despite their constant motion, the kor revere locations in a deep sense. They travel in small bands along one of several pilgrimage routes, visiting dozens of sacred sites across Zendikar. Each pilgrimage circuit takes decades, and many are lost to Zendikar's dangers along the way
  
  The kor are masters of ropes and hooks, using them to travel and to hunt, and incorporating them into their spirituality. They rarely use unreliable devices such as crossbows to propel their grappling hooks onto cliff faces or into flying game, relying instead on simple, sturdy rope and the skill of the arm. A hooked line is also a social and sacred symbol for the kor, representing their connection to each other and to the world around them."

The kor also need a race of their own. It would be a flavorful race, with a focus on movement, terrain and weaponry related features and powers.

1. Bonuses to Dexterity and then probably Wisdom or Strength. They appear to be adept at divine magic and also good warriors, although their phisiques wouldn't seem strong. Instead of Strength, Constituition may also eb appropriate, not sure. For now I'd say the most likely would be Dex + Wis/Str.
   
2. Proficiency with hooks and chains, probably setting and race-specific.
3. Ability to ignore some kinds of difficult terrain.
   
4. A power with various effects, depending on the weapon-tool they use. It would be nice to make it an at-will power.
5. Bonuses to Athletics and Acrobatics.

• Merfolk
  
  
  

  "More merfolk live in Tazeem than elsewhere, but they can be found on every continent in Zendikar. Although the merfolk are born in the water, they have adapted to life on land. Curious, thoughtful, and analytical, the merfolk are natural explorers. Merfolk tend to be more solitary than other races and don't cultivate large communities. But even merfolk who spend most of their time exploring will establish a home base, a place they return to before setting out again.
  
  Run by merfolk scholars, the Lighthouse at Sea Gate is the center of learning for explorers of all races. A library filled with scrolls, and maps, and writings about the lost civilization, this is a storehouse of all the collected knowledge about Zendikar."

Merfolk are another completely new race, and they should fill the niche of the magical/intellectual/spiritual race, without forgetting their agility.

1. Wisdom and Intelligence are obvious. I'd say a Wis + Int/Dex is the most fitting, with Wis + Int/Cha coming second.
   
2. Complete aquatic adaption.
3. A racial power useful for ranged classes.
   
4. Bonuses to Religion and Arcana.

• Goblins
  
  
  

  "Goblins thrive in Akoum, Murasa, and Ondu as well as in most settlements and outposts. Although there are numerous tribes, the Tuktuk and Grotag tribes boast the largest warrens. Much of a goblin's life is devoted to finding and plundering ruin sites. The goblins choose their tribal leaders by their perceived industriousness. The goblin that leads is the one who has managed to retrieve the most interesting or powerful object from a ruin. In Affa, the main settlement in Akoum, many goblins hire themselves out as guides or trapfinders. Of course, the normal plan is to help find something of value, trigger a trap intentionally, steal the object, and run away."

Goblins are among the few that already have a racial write-up, but being it completely underdeveloped and thought for NPCs, they also need a nearly full remake.

1. There's a considerable overlap with other races, because again Dexterity, Charisma and even Constitution seem the more appropriate.
   
2. Small.
   
3. I don't know about the racial power, could leave the shift as minor action, or could make something skill-related.
   
4. Bonuses to Thievery, Bluff and any other skill.
   

• Elves
  
  
  

  "Bala Ged is the homeland of the Joraga elves and the planeswalker Nissa Revane. The Joraga elves have little respect for any other race or even other elves. They see the survival of their nation as most important, and jealously guard their traditions. Many outsiders view their nomadic clans as roving bands of murderers, but there is a complex culture behind their aggressive exterior.
  
  After splitting from the Joraga Nation, the Tajuru elves settled in Murasa and Tazeem. Large numbers of Joraga have made homes in the towering trees of the Oran-Rief forest, where they inhabit villages suspended from the treetops. The Tajuru are rumored to be the best guides in Zendikar. Using zip-lines and expert climbing techniques, the elves fearlessly span the gaps between branches or cliff faces."

Elves probably wouldn't need a write-up, racial feats would be enough.

QUESTS AND EXPEDITIONS (These can be viewed as fabled destinations, adventures to undertake)

• Khalni Heart Expedition (Akoum: Ora Onda, primal/green)
  
  
  

  The effect in the MtG game was to draw land cards. It could mean discovering new places, new routes, or something more primal like having access to healing energy or good consumables. Plot-wise, it could mean finding a way to contrast threats to nature.
  

• Ior Ruin Expedition (Akoum: Glasspool, arcane/blue)
  
  
  

  The effect of the card was to draw cards. It surely means something as gaining forgotten knowledge, usually arcane. Exploration-wise, it needs some kind of underwater adventuring, after having reached Glasspool. Plot-wise, there could be a race to obtain Ior's secrets, and the implications could be dangerous

• Soul Stair Expedition (Ondu, necromancy-shadow/black)
  
  
  
  

  Picking cards from the graveyard can be very well interpreted as resurrecting dead beings or communicating with the dead. Plot-wise, the location could also be used for some really nasty necromancy ritual that the characters should try to stop, or some rituals could only be performed here and the characters would need to reach the place.

• Zektar Shrine Expedition (Akoum? Murasa? elemental/red)
  
  
  

  It was an elemental summoning effect. It could be interpreted as a regional-scale weapon. Plot-wise, evil-doers controlling the Zektar Shrine could pose a threat to civilization, but there should be a limit to its use, it's not like it should have wide-spread political importance, maybe there's nothing to destroy in the vicinities, maybe the elemental is difficult to control once summoned.

• Sunspring Expedition (Murasa? divine-primal/white)
  

  It provided healing, but it could be more than that, a place where the worst afflictions may be removed. Plot-wise, a character might need to be cured from a rare disease and thus need to be brought to the Sunspring.

CORE ASSUMPTIONS

MANA COLORS AND POWER SOURCES

One of the most obvious parallels between Magic and D&D, is between mana colors and power sources. They seem to be perfectly matched:

RED = ELEMENTAL
BLUE = ARCANE
BLACK = SHADOW
WHITE = DIVINE
GREEN = PRIMAL

However, this shouldn't be player characters-related as much as environment-related. After all, we don't have an Elemental power source for player characters (yet), and we have a Psionic power source, that doesn't completely fit any color (although Blue is close), but really fits Zendikar for the whole "answer to aberrant threat" theme, which is strong in Zendikar's Rise Of The Eldrazi.

COSMOLOGY

Discussing within the community, it appears clear that Zendikar has a deep connection with the Elemental Chaos. So deep that it may in fact be treated as a particularly big Elemental Realm. In my opinion, it could have an inverted world axis, with Elemental and Astral being the closest planes and being somewhat parallel and easily accessible, while Feywild and Shadowfell could be more like far-flung dominions.

Another option would be to leave Feywild and Shadowfell as echo planes, but playing with Zendiakr's planar instability, making them not so much separate places as simple conditions that can affect Zendikar locally. Some places could "turn into" Feywild or Shadowfell.

Whatn should be the core of the Zendikar experience however is the mutability of the landscape, and for that, the influencable nature of the Elemental Chaos is the best option, although if interpreting Zendikar as a planet inside the Elemental Chaos, being indeed a planet and thus an enormous potion of stabilized chaos, it would be more difficult to influence it, requiring more than the skills of Heroic Tier characters.

The Astral Sea is another problematic place, after all. There are no true gods mentioned for Zendikar, since the gods that most venerate are just a memory of the Eldrazi distorted by the millennia. I'd say divine classes can exist, but they would receive power directly from the Astral Sea, without having to pray to a particular god.
The position of the Astral Sea in the cosmology is difficult if Zendikar is to be interpreted as an elemental realm. It could be a far place, or it could be exceptionally near, making Zendikar a world just between the Elemental Chaos and the Astral Sea.

It is something I had always thought about: Zendikar is one of the most marvellous fantasy worlds I've ever known about. Browsing through the Planeswalker's Guide To Zendikar is always great, the artwork is top-notch and awe-inspiring, and even if it's rather filled of cliches here and there, what kind of fun fantasy world isn't?

I thought that maybe some D&D players could not know about Zendikar (although I doubt that) and others would either don't like it, love it, or maybe right out think it shouldn't be mixed with D&D. So these are the options in the poll!

The "I don't know what Zendikar is" may also be the right answer if you just don't know enough about it to decide if it would make a good D&D world.

PARAKHRON

Also known as "fading horrors" by the unlucky people who have seen this reality-defying monstrosity, Parakhrons are named after their supposed provenance from a different era of Athas, when the Sea of Silt and other depressions were large oceans full of life.

LORE

Arcana DC 30: Maybe a ghost of one of the most fearsome creatures of the ancient sea-dominated era, or a supernatural amalgamation of more than one different creatures of the deep, parakhrons are incomprehensible in their drives and purposes. They tend to wait indefinitely in a particular spot near the Sea of Silt, being often mistaken for the common mirages that cause small vermin to appear as deformed and gigantic images on the sky due to a lens effect caused by high temperatures. Their true nature is revealed when they approach the creatures invading their territory with erratic aerial movements, luring them towards their enormous pincers with strange, high-pitched alien sounds. Parakhrons tend to attack and kidnap arcanists first. They tend to concentrate on one or two enemies only, often knocking them unconscious with a mentally-induced drowning state. It is said they focus on arcanists because they are conscious that it's because of arcane magic that the world has lost its seas. However, they tend to kidnap their preys without killing them, and by forcing them into their ghostly state, they can transport them unharmed inside rock cliffs and through the Sea of Silt, probably towards secluded caves. There are no tales of anyone so brave to try and save those that were kidnapped in this fashion by this mind-boggling monster, and nobody even tried to figure out what does the creature do to the captured humanoids.

ENCOUNTERS

 For unknown reasons, Parakhron are often found in company of cloud rays, although the fact that the two are near each other is not always apparent. Cloud rays are probably able to find sustenance from the very psychic enery that surrounds every parakhron, and sometimes one or more cloud rays actually fly in circles around the ghost, who doesn't seem to care at all, even if this could mean giving other creatures a way to get close to the levitating horror, by riding a flying cloud ray.
Floating Mantles are the only other creatures that can be found near the Parakhron, because they share the same environment or maybe because of another unknown relationship between the two alien creatures.

PARAKHRON

Covered by a hard bluish carapace and boasting multiple eyes that can see all, this crustacean-looking monster levitates as if weightless over the Sea of Silt or near its shores, passing from being insubstantial to very solid when it attacks.

PARAKHRONS IN COMBAT

When the beast manages to grab one or two of its newly found preys with its claws, it induces them Another World Visions, until they nearly drown out of mental shock. Afterwards, the parakhron uses its Fading To The Blue ability, and in its ghostly state they and their prey reach completely secluded places, often caves inside cliffs that they reach flying directly inside the rock. They usually don't kill the ones they kidnap, but leave them badly wounded and mentally damaged, so if not saved soon enough, they could die anyway.
Sometimes a parakhron is not interested in kidnapping, but is seemingly guarding a place at all costs. In this case, it distributes its attacks so that nobody manages to escape the clutches of its Blue Vortex until it is killed or until its enemies desist, usually because they are too weak and incapable of healing because they suffered too many Another World Visions.

The court of Treichor IV, Archduke of Frejdale

The small, once-kingdom of Frejdale is ruled by what remains of the noble bloodline of its last king. The Treichors, a distantly related family the members of which, during the turmoiled course of the last two centuries, had earned the rank of arch-dukes and eventually remained the only ones with the right to govern the kingdom.

The hard laws of Frejdale, in which justice and bureaucracy are deeply felt, never permitted the leading arch-duke to actually become king, and so, while still remaining a monarchy, the hollow of power that the arch-duke could not legally fill was conquered by a series of political figures which didn't have a lot of power before, transforming the government in a sort of intricate oligarchy with only the executive and military left to the Archduke.

The troubled times following the disaster which fell upon the broken empire of Nerath were responsible of the severe losses of the old nobility, and at the same time caused the Frejdale to be reborn in a sort of renaissance thanks to the new re-organization of the government, which improved life in the big cities creating a middle class of citizens who still have access to many a rare opportunity, like arcane higher education, protection from both clerical and military law-enforcement and florid commerce and industry.

This in the largest cities.

The situation of the countryside is completely different. While the peasants still benefit from the feeling of security given by the law and its enforcement and the social spirituality offered by the leading church of Erathis, they are also scared to death by the monster-ridden wilderness out of the door, and they rely on the stout and strong militia sent by the Archduke, seeing them as an army of salvation, and keepers of peace.

Unknown to them, the majority of the ruling class, which means, with diverse degrees, the Archduke, the Over-Cardinal, the Master Chancellor and the Grand Magister, are using the lower class of the countryside burgs for deep, vast and obscure arcane and social experiments. Special knightly orders, with more dirt in their agenda than the people could reasonably believe, actually imprison the peasants with rigid curfews in order to perpetuate the dark goals of the rulers without the people knowing.

Also a lot of educated and intelligent individuals, many of them even well placed in the chain of command, are completely unaware of these secret agendas. Even the bright church of Erathis that the peple of Frejdale view as a font of salvation and order, shows itself riddled by a foul smell of corruption the more one gets close to the truths at its kernel.

The High Palacehdral of Grænomsgrad, home to the High and Lesser Courts of Frejdale. The main building is the "Great Erathidral", directly above it towers the enormous "Archduke's Pancapitol", the turret on the right is the "Magistrerat", and to the far left you can take a glimpse of the "Chancellery Halls".

The Archduke Treichor IV

Unaligned male Human, 39 years old.

STR 18, DEX 10, CON 17, INT 13, WIS 8, CHA 13

Trained skills: Endurance, Diplomacy, Intimidate, History, Bluff

The archduke is actually a dhampyr, as his parents and his grandfathers before him. They never lasted for so long as to raise suspicion of their unnatural origin, and it is a clouded story the one of their bloodline. The few members of his retinue aware of his true nature simply don't care: there are far stranger things in the world to be surprised about.

Treichor is actually the family name of the archduke, but it became nearly a title, since their family has ruled for so long. Due to this fact, they call themselves and are called by everyone Treichor, and their first name is never used, even in the few cases when it is known.

The archduke appears as an old man in a young body. His facial features are excavated, with deep scars and whitish facial hair almost impossible to remove completely. He is a big man, almost 7 feet tall and with the broad shoulders and strong arms of a knight veteran of many battles. His very scepter is a deadly-looking mace-like weapon, said to weight like half the archduke's whole body. When he wields it as a weapon in battle, he is said to be a blood-crazed fury, feared by enemies and allies alike. His outfit is all but royal in richness, and not one of his fingers is devoid of at least one ring. Since the Treichors apparently always hated the appearance of gold, all his jewels are made of platinum. Rubies and other rare, very often blood-red gems are all over his precious garments.
Perverse to the borderlands of evil nature, Treichor IV is an obsessive-compulsive type, with fetishisms for many things, including violence and power. More often than not, the maniac in him takes over so much that a lot of overly important facts can come to pass completely unobserved or unrecognized in front of him, something for which the rest of the ruling class is deeply grateful, since it allows them to basically do their own businesses and follow their agenda without him questioning their deeds or complaining about the constant replenishment of their funds, as long as they "feed him with the right food". Treichor IV, like most of the Treichors, is a hateful and convoluted xenophobe, who enjoys hiding it. He strikes deals with other kingdoms and races, sometimes not even convenient ones, just to keep them close enough to study them and hate them even more for their diversity. Behind closed doors, his monologues with his closest are riddled with racism in the form of dark humor, hysterical rants, and plainly catastrophic war plans, which always grow in size, but are never realized, not to the present day at least. All of this while displaying a completely different, friendly face to the embassies and enjoying the luxury of short and long (in distance and term) trade deals.

Contrasting Popularity: Many a member of the retinue is more popular than the archduke among the Frejdale's inhabitants, but fear of retaliation prevents all but the most subtle manifestation of this common sentiment.

Secrecy: The truths that the members of his retinue hide from Treichor's eyes are many, and each member hides something different as you'll discover while reading about them.

Gray eminence: The people view the archduke with respect dictated by fear, but their fondest loyalty goes to the church of Erathis, which is nevertheless deep inside the government, and to the Archduke's liking, since he defines himself a pious and zealous follower of Erathis, something that many wise members of the court view as an unbelievably childish part of the Archduke's personality.

Xenophobia: Only the arch-duke is really a xenophobe, but the court must act accordingly many times. However, both Archduke and court are more xenophobic than the rest of the populace which is in turn remarkably accustomed to the many races which inhabit the land.

Treichor IV

Grand Magister Zoundall Wachlanis

Unaligned female Kalashtar, 44 years old.

STR 8, DEX 10, CON 12, INT 14, WIS 20, CHA 20

Trained Skills: Diplomacy, Bluff, Arcana, History, Religion, Insight, Nature, Thievery, Perception

The Grand Magister, title appointed to the head of the Magistris Academy and Arcane Institutions of Frejdale, is a surprisingly charismatic woman who has studied magic in a deeply alternative way, rather artistic in nature. While she always valued knowledge above nearly everything else, her natural abilities propelled her mind towards more instinctive and artistic directions when it came to learning the arcane. So she really only studied a lot of other subjects, but practically no magic. Magic was simply a talent of hers, since she was born.

Despite her age, she is a rather beautiful woman, possessing a nearly palpable aura of beguiling serenity and grace. Her 6 feet and 7 inches tall body is even more elegant in its streamlined curves than the extravagant dresses that Zoundall wears under her multicolored magic cloak. Her large and peculiar eyes are always kept under the shadow of the nearly monumental status-symbol crown that she always wears when appearing in public or just in front of other court members. When she speaks, she is able to do so respecting complex metrics and an elaborate musicality, so each and every time she speaks, the listeners have the impression of hearing softly-singed poems.

Famous more for her poetry and her charm than for her telepathy and her ability to predict the future, deviously curious and clever Zoundall always tended to hide her incredibly vast repertoire of resources, using them only in key situations, which for her had always been the ones where power could be gained. While not hungry of power for power's sake, Zoundall always felt the need to escalate the chain of power. Probably just because she always knew that it was the obligated path towards the secrets she yearned. Her supernatural abilities seemed tailor-made for politics, so she earned her position with relative ease, and she is not expected to pass on her honorable title anytime soon.

Only a very few know that Zoundall is not human, or at least not entirely. It is well known that she was adopted by her parents, so a lot of people ask themselves where could the "Rainbow Mage" (as many call her) actually come from. The truth is not known to Zoundall either, since she never encountered another individual of her race. But she knows part of her is not of this world, and probably because of this certainty with no known explanation Zoundall has developed a twisted mind. Brief visions and insights always seem to guide her to many a baffling arcane mystery, and with the years, the whole picture has turned clearer and clearer to the mage, eventually leading her to the unbelievable project that is now her obsession. She discovered that magically augmenting the dreams of mortal being, it was possible to give life to a permanent dreamscape-world, existing in parallel to the natural world just like the Shadowfell and Feywild. Besides, the more the dreamscape grew, the more the influence of both Shadowfell, Feywild and maybe even farther planes was felt on the world in the interested area. Sharing these insights with the Archduke, the Over-Cardinal, and the Master Chancellor, while at the same time molding the facts into concepts that each member could have found appealing, she managed to make them appreciate how much of a gold mine this phenomenon could turn into, if given the right direction. The people of the Feywild and the Shadowfell would have payed inestimable tributes for such a service, and the Onis, typically interested in manipulating the dreams of their victims, would have been extremely grateful if they had the permission to act without fear of retaliation. Zoundall found in the Over-Cardinal a surprisingly valid ally, since he found a way to "canonize" these new insights (or at least the not unspeakable portions of them) so that they could be accepted by the most pious and politically influent high prelates of the church of Erathis. So the High Court soon recognized that they would have had anything they wanted without paying anything for it if not the consciousness of a bunch of countryside peasants. After all, not only could this arbitrary stretching of the planar borders be a trading boon. It could also open the way to secret planar war campaigns that would have brought to Frejdale the advantages of war without the disadvantages, providing that the planar borders could be controlled so that the battles would always be fought on the far sides.

Truth is, Zoundall doesn't care about the material advantages that her discovery could bring, those are only incentives for the other members of the High Court to approve her crazy plan. Her only interest is to follow her insights to see what happens, to learn what's beyond, to receive further glimpses of an increasingly strange future.

Contrasting Popularity: Zoundall is probably the single member of the High Court with the strongest popularity these days. She is acclaimed as "the new, beautiful face of arcane studies", and she is responsible of a dramatic increase of students at the Accademy. She is also an easy target for gossips and rumors, and she is happy about that because they keep the interest of the citizens far from her real agenda.

Secrecy: Zoundall Wachlanis hides many things from the short-sighted archduke. She never told him about the true means by which she could achieve her planar-thinning phenomenon, knowing that while he could very well stand the violence and perversion involved, he would not stand the idea of mingling so closely with Onis and Witches. Knowing such monstrosities roam his land, he would order a military campaign and slowly hunt them all down. So with both the collaboration of the Master Chancellor, who has a deep carnal interest for the Grand Magister and is thus easily manipulated, and the direct help of the corrupted Over-Cardinal who is interested in subjugating the countryside in each way possible, Zoundall manages to have the Archduke support her plans without him knowing anything but what's profitable and amusing about it. And even then, there is no telling how many lies she managed to make him believe.

Master Chancellor Urzival Drechburg

Unaligned male Dwarf, 96 years old.

STR 10, DEX 8, CON 15, INT 21, WIS 13, CHA 13

Trained Skills: Diplomacy, History, Insight, Arcane, Religion, Thievery, Bluff, Streetwise

The Master Chancellor is the law-maker in chief of the nation, with his power sphere including many other areas, often marginally, but sometimes strongly, like in the case of the judging system.

Like most of the many rich dwarves of the capital, Urzival has nearly lost his cultural heritage, integrating with the cosmopolitan world of the big city in a complete way. Maybe even of mixed blood, Urzival stands tall for a dwarf at 5 feet, and he is even rather emaciated at first impact, with slim arms and legs, and a rather elongated skull. His wide chest and waist, the prominent pouch, and the beard are the only truly dwarven features on Urzival.

Deeply interested in economics and industry, the laws and systems Urzival came up with, during his career that saw him in charge since the first years of Treichor III, are probably the most influential reasons for which the Frejdale is now a pleasant place to live in.
Also moderately expert in arcane craftmanship himself, he created the modestly popular Guild of Artifice and with it and a series of deals with the Magistris Academy he helped the spreading out of magic devices in the cities.

Urzival could be considered a nearly heroic figure in Frejdale for the extent of his deeds, if only the last of those deeds didn't date back to more than two decades ago. When the present day Grand Magister Zoundall earned her title, thus entering the High Court of the Archduke. In that moment, the ingenious, smart, extremely knowledgeable Master Chancellor started thinking in much less useful things than the ones he used to. Deeply attracted by Zoundall, who possessed exactly the things that he never did: grace, intuition, spirituality, and sheer force of personality. Not to mention opposite sex. He redirected all his efforts, all his mind prowess towards conquering Zoundall, not understanding that while he could so well employ his talents in different directions, Zoundall mind, will, and soul were a single titanic monolith raised to only one purpose. And love was not included in it.
Urzival was so vulnerable to Zoundall's whims that she even grew more amoral than ever during her ongoing mandate, just because of how easy it was to manipulate Urzival.

The Master Chancellor thus became an instrument in Zoundall's hands, that is, in the hands of arcane planar magic itself. He is the architect behind the complex law system that prevent the "Dreaming Conspiracy" to be discovered by the people and most of the members of the lesser retinue of the Treichor. He has created a secret "mirror" of the Artifice Guild with the only purpose of creating magical devices that could aid Zoundall's complex magical schemes, and he has even unwillingly helped the Over-Cardinal and his corrupted knightly orders in reaching the power they now greedily take advantage of. After all he too is a follower of Erathis like most in Frejdale, so he can even feel his spiritual conscience clean. At least according to his current knowledge of the church, which he still thinks is the regular church of Erathis it always was...

Just recently and probably due to the slow but unstoppable approach of old age, Urzival is starting to feel bitter for the situation with Zoundall, which never went past a few neglectable, if faintly erotic events in more than two decades. He is still convinced he could win Zoundall (he views his sentimental struggle in political and economical terms) with the right moves, but he is confused and demoralized. He never questioned the morality of Zoundall, but just because Zoundall never told Urzival all the truth. If he discovered something more about her plans, could he start changing his mind about her? Or something else would be needed for him to stop supporting her plans? And even if the truth would someday come up, wouldn't it seem too beautiful and too useful to Urzival and many of the most educated members of the Academy?

Secrecy: Treichor doesn't know, and in Urzival's words "does not need to know" about the second Artifice Guild, the blueprints of the planar devices and the extent of their power, and the actual purpose of the new "laws of loyalty", apart from their evident function of ensuring even more loyalty among the distant countryside inhabitants. He only knows some gruesome details he enjoys, like the secret ensalvement of the countryside and he knows that through that and in concert with Zoundall, Urzivall is preparing the terrain for the next generation's war campaigns which the citizens will not even acknowledge.

The Over-Cardinal Shattrevolf

Evil male Human, 53 years old.

STR 12, DEX 8, CON 10, INT 13, WIS 18, CHA 18

Trained Skills: Religion, Intimidate, Bluff, Diplomacy, Endurance

Shattrevolf, official name appointed to Dedmutrik Shwartciel when he entered the High Erathian Prelatus, could pass for a perfectly normal individual under unofficial garments. He is rather short, hardly reaching more than 6 feet, with still a modest amount of still dark brown hair, a probably normal looking body, and small eyes, of a glacial light grey if anything. The gaze of those cold orbs manages to be warm when needed.
And if Shattrevolf really needs something, is to conceal the bitter coldness of his heart.

Devoid of the strange fettishisms that he knows to be plaguing the other eminent personalities of the High Court, Shattrevolf is a calculating demagogue with simple, genuine desires like gaining more power, accumulating riches, having control over the population and eventually overthrowing the archduke and forming a powerful theocratic monarchy. He is not obsessed by his objectives, he just has them clear. But like his divine master teaches, he patiently waits, knowing his place at any given time, while not wasting even a drop of the great power he has. Through overly patient and accurate subtlety, he manages to hide nothing less but the allegiance with a deity nearly diametrically opposite to the one of HIS church.

Nobody could tell with certainty when he abandoned Erathis in favor of Asmodeus. What's certain is that leveraging on Treichor's military lust and striking good mutually beneficial deals with the Grand Magister Zoundall, Shattrevolf has managed to offer to Asmodeus something that very few of his dark priests have come to accomplish. A new piece of Hell. Through planar rituals and devices conveniently and unwillingly provided by Zoundall and Urzival, Shattrevolf has made contact with Hell and has transformed a part of the permanent Dreamscape created by Zoundall's experiments into a Hell's "separata sedis", an embassy of Baator itself. By doing so, he also created a previously unknown way to influence creatures with diabolic power. He easily convinced Treichor to gather his hobgoblin army for an "upgrade", and indeed made of them better soldiers infusing them with powers propers of devils. Treichor of course does not know the whole story, but is so happy with the improved efficiency of his troops that he would probably don't even care that much. Such is his proximity to evil.

Not single-headedly strong enough to protect himself from every danger he risks, Shattrevolf makes use of loyal (corrupted) prelates, entire knightly orders of the curch, particularly "en-devilished" chapters of the archduke's army, and even true devils. Among these, a powerful assassin devil known by Shattrevolf and his closest minsters as Master Rax. With him and his small but deadly retinue of assassin imps, Shattrevolf can get rid of practically any adversary he wishes, at any time. Something that he does, occasionally. However, even if Shattrevolf's raw numbers are already bigger than those of Treichor IV, especially taking into account the populace general preference for the church in place of the true government, an overthrowing of the Archduke is still far away. And it is not only because the most powerful generals of the army still prefer the command of Treichor, and are thus potentially dangerous. It's especially because of the incorruptible portion of the church itself. After all, if Shattrevolf is managing to keep such a big secret in place, it is because the vast majority of the church is still a church of Erathis in all but its head. Devoted prelates, single-minded paladins and recently even a zealous sect of directly inspired invokers are an obstacle that Shattrevolf can't simply eliminate through murder. He must do so with subtlety and with the aid of the Master Chancellor juridical ability. Besides, the power of Shattrevolf has the weakness of deriving from the eldritch planar link created by the genius of Zoundall, and thus the Over-Cardinal happens to be held in check by a number of important and informed mages of the Arcane Institutions and a few of the magisters of the Academy. They discovered hints to Shattrevolf's machinations, and unlike the more distant and detached Zoundall, they demand favors in order to stay quiet and not investigate further.

For all these reasons, for the time being, the Over-Cardinal is forced to gain power on a very slow-paced time basis, a pain he is aware must be endured to assure victory. After all, even like this, there's no doubt that Shattrevolf's influence is already larger than that of Treichor, and the people know it. What they don't know is that the fact does not add to the glory of Erathis but to that of Asmodeus.

Contrasting Popularity: After Zoundall, the most popular member of the court is surely Shattrevolf. People view him as a wise man, as much skilled in politics as pious in his faith. His public appearances are frequent but nevertheless deeply felt by the people as spiritually deep events. The lesser court view him with ambition-ridden awe, because they hope in better positions if they please him now that he could be so close in taking power. The only ones who really tend to despise him, although not openly, are the afore-mentioned restricted circles of official mages and magisters.

Secrecy: If Treichor knew the truth about the devilish empowerment of his army, he would probably accept it, his xenophobia being not so strong as his military fervor. But if he knew about the true devils that stalk the halls of the High Basilica, and the constant spilling out of Baator's essence inside Frejdale's not so distant dreamscape, he would literally loose his mind and a civil war against the whole church, including the still truly Erathian portion of it, would certainly be waged. With unprecedented destruction and woe for the entire Frejdale and who knows what repercussions on the already planned planar wars, and the relationships with the other planar allies and enemies.

I'M SORRY TO HAVE TO DECLARE THAT AFTER HAVING LOST A GOOD AMOUNT OF EDITING IN A FIREFOX CRASH, I'LL NOT COMPLETE THIS ENTRY, JUDGE IT AS IT IS.

Lord Archaon the planeswalker has made a habit out of collecting dragon eggs and training the dragonlings. He also is in the process of writing a bestiary where all the new dragon and drake species are going to be catalogued.

You too can visit the mystical Dragon Cave and start collecting dragon eggs, hurry up if you want to secure the best ones for yourself..! ;-)

  Phyrhedral

Species: Spitfire Dragon (Drake)
Environment: Deserts and glass caves made by the dragon's sand-melting fiery breath.
Age: Mature hatchling
Sex: Male
Parents: n/a
Current planar location: Athas, northern Endless Dunes

 Phyrhedral was brought to Athas by the planeswalker Lord Archaon not long ago, and left inside a partially subterranean ruined temple known to the planeswalker for harboring a strange relic of an old age, a nexus of psionic power.As Lord Archaon foresaw, the Spitfire hatchling responded well to the psionic energies, adapting to them and starting to develop new powers, since it belonged to a young and still moldable species.The turqoise colored scales of the small drake are indeed made of true mineral material, and were sensitive to psychic waves in a unique way.
Phyrhedral also changed his aggressive behaviour, becoming more reflexive, but not less able as a hunter.
Lord Archaon is following the little drake's progresses with great interest, and will probably train the drake to become a mount for powerful heroes opposing the Sorcerer Kings, thus indirectly helping the subjugated people of Athas.

  Ayguacaibys

Species: Neotropical Dragon (Drake)
Environment: Tropical rainforests, directly under the canopy zone
Age: Mature hatchling
Sex: Male
Parents: Neotropical Dragon / Water Horse Dragon
Current planar location: Lord Archaon's secret demiplane

 Ayguacaibys, so named by the planeswalker after the name of a fruit that both him and the little dragonling liked to eat, also has the blood of a strange water drake in his lineage. Archaon is said to be eagerly searching for a specimen of this fabled Water Horse Dragon, in order to breed a true hybrid species one day, starting from the already half-blooded Ayguacaiybys.
The brightly colored dragonling is displaying the habit of mashing the tropical fruits it prefer and spicing it with onion, tomato, lime, and a bit of chily pepper, showing great culinary talent and intelligence.
LordArchaon is planning to never release Ayguacaibys in the known planes, because he believes his artistry would not be comprehended as well as he thinks the drake deserves. Nevertheless, he is also planning to train Ayguacaibys to combat when he will be larger and stronger. As of now, the planeswalker has no idea of the kind of abilities this little dragon could display when completely matured. But the winged magical beast is surely growing up fast eating all his self-made (and named) "Ayguacamole"...

  Altiva

Species: Coastal Waverunner (Drake)
Environment: Open oceans, or high seaside cliffs during the breeding season
Age: Mature hatchling
Sex: Female
Parents: Nebula Dragon / Coastal Waverunner (summoned)
Current planar location: Lord Archaon's secret demiplane

 Altiva is the first of her species to be born instead of summoned, and is also born of a very rare and powerful Nebula Dragon, a dragon of the Astral Sea, said to be a member of the Catastriphic Dragons family, but devoid of the ferociousness of the typical individuals of that cursed lineage.
Altiva is already displaying the wisdom and keen senses proper of her astral parent and the reflexes, speed, and agility of the parent of her proper kin.
Lord Archaon is sure she will become the most incredible flyer of his demiplane, but is considering never training her to become a ride, since he is becoming fond of the freedom-ridden nature of this maturing she-drake.
Her possible destination plane may be the Elemental Chaos, where Lord Archaon would like her to learn how to stay calm in the midst of the most dreadful elemental storms, and considering her wits, he expects her to develop a mental discipline and a phylosophy akin to that of the fabled Githzerai monks, who chose the Elemental Chaos as their home. 

  Shaloow Sasheloss

Species: Shallow Water Dragon (Orange Dragon)
Environment: Warm lagoons or lakes of any temperature if connected to the Feywild
Age: Mature hatchling
Sex: Male
Parents: Shallow Water Dragon / Magi Dragon
Current planar location: A lake in the Feywild, west of Nentir Vale.

   Shaloow Sasheloss was named by Lord Archaon in honor of an exarch of the fey gods, an arch-fey of the Court of Coral.
The planeswalker had to fight a memorable underwater battle against unspeakable sea horrors in order to recover this rare egg from the depths of the seas of Arvandor, where aquatic abominations had breached through the planar rift leading to Carceri.
To the planeswalker's relief and surprise, this egg pertained to a species of true chromatic dragons, previously not even considered dragons due to their lack of wings. Archaon has already observed great magical or possibly even psionic abilities from the dragonling's mother, and a great deal of wizardry from the different species father, but since the two turned against him after the battle with the abominations, Lord Archaon didn't observe their abilities all too well, considering a rapid escape the wisest option since he wanted to steal the dragon's egg...
The planeswalker is observing with joy the incredible developments of Sasheloss, and is convinced that he may one day entirely replace the fey exarch he was named after, since his strange, unmatched draconic beauty is sure to have some connection with the fey.

Lord Archaon has compiled a bestiary page regarding Sasheloss's mother, in which he also points out how he and other sages are now convinced that this is a previously unknown type of true chromatic dragon. The Orange Dragon.