Chapter #1190
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+ THE ADVENTURERS +
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+ Epic VI +
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+ Many of the locations, non-player characters, spells, and other +
+ terms used in these stories are the property of Wizards of the Coast +
+ which has in no way endorsed or authorized their use. Any such +
+ property contained within these stories are not representative of +
+ Wizards of the Coast in any fashion. +
+ The player characters depicted in these stories are copyright +
+ 1991-2026 by Thomas A. Miller. Any resemblance to any persons +
+ or characters either real or fictional is utterly coincidental. +
+ Copying and/or distribution of these stories is permissible under +
+ the sole condition that no money is made in the process. In that +
+ case, I hope you enjoy them! +
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+ Date: 1/8/587 C.Y. (Common Year) +
+ Time: late afternoon +
+ Place: the northern edge of the Stark Mounds, south of Geoff +
+ Climate: cold and windy +
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+ "Once you begin, you'd better be prepared for killing and more +
+ killing. And then still more killing until the reason for it +
+ has gone." +
+ - Chris, from _The Magnificent Seven_ (1960) +
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MCXC. Strategy and Tactics
After recent military successes in the Stark Mounds and the Hornwood
Forest, the day of reckoning draws near. The combined forces of Mongo
and Yod Ironbeard have reached the northern part of the Stark Mounds,
and the occupied capital city of Gorna lies a day's march ahead. Even
better, Belphanior has reappeared with some good news...
Belphanior: -so not only did we destroy the primary giant force in the
woodland, but all of the groups involved are now even further united
in common cause...and headed eastward toward Gorna as we speak.
Otto: The key word there is "destroy"...not "beat", not "vanquish."
Belphanior and his lieutenant had arrived a short time ago via magical
teleportation. That way, he could update and inform the main force even
as the troops from the Hornwood continued their march.
Belphanior: Yes, destroy. Which brings me to Gorna. We'll be there
sometime tomorrow afternoon, and the force from the woodlands will be
there around the same time. (he cracks his knuckles) Once we're done
talking here, Otto and I will return to that group and see them through
the final leg of their own march.
Mongo: Almost three thousand from the west...and twenty thousand here,
moving up from the south...we'll be in damn good shape when everyone
converges on Gorna.
Yod Ironbeard: (nods) We'll have more than enough troops to overcome
anyone in the way as we move to Gorna...and to then assault the city.
Mongo: Right. A siege won't work, as we don't have enough supplies for
a long fight. (he frowns, rubbing his beard) Then again, neither do
the giants in the city, but both sides starving won't amount to a win.
Belphanior: I agree. A swift, direct assault is the way to go, and we
can once again bring powerful magic to bear for getting through outer
walls and defenses and then breaking down gates and doors. (he smiles
thinly) But to be honest, I had a somewhat different tactic in mind.
(he turns to Parekh) Did you have any luck with that side mission?
Parekh: (nods) Indeed I did. Let me explain.
Elsewhere, leagues to the north, once-proud Gorna now stood in a state
of disrepair (at best) or ruin (at worst). This decay was the result of
four years of occupation by the savage and undisciplined fomorian giants
that made up the bulk of the muscle used to invade Geoff during the wars.
That lot was controlled as best as was possible by a dozen sub-chiefs,
one to every fifty or so fomorians in the city. Those sub-chiefs were
in turn ruled by Boss Kranok, an unusually robust specimen of his kind
who stood more than fifteen feet tall and was a thick, solid mass of
bulging and deformed muscle. This chieftain, while not a genius by any
means, was a fair bit smarter than other fomorians. He had acquired and
knew how to use some powerful magic items in both daily life and combat.
Kranok's splint mail armor, while old and worn, was of good make and was
also ensorcelled. He wore a ring that protected him from many magical
attacks and effects, and around his thick misshapen neck was a primitive
necklace of bones which generated an aura against any missiles or objects
lacking an enchantment. Last but not least, he fought with a giant war-
club into which had been driven numerous spikes, and defended himself
with a massive round shield whose diameter was more than the height of a
man. This shield held a single huge, conical spike in the center of its
outer face, and like the war-club was magical.
As huge and formidable as he was, Kranok was actually not the ruler of
Gorna. He made his lair in the cavernous audience-hall of the former
royal palace, down near the city's street level. This huge chamber, once
decorated with fine tapestries and paintings and covered in luxurious
rugs, was now a mockery of its past self. Anything made of cloth was
torn and fraying, and smelled like the lair of a wild beast. Bones and
trash were scattered about the hall, along with random treasures that the
chieftain had found and kept for himself over the last few years. It was
far above - in the palace's upper floors, which were sized for those far
smaller than giants - that the true authority in Gorna made her home and
headquarters. The top floor was hers and hers alone, while the two floors
directly beneath it were occupied by her bodyguards and retinue.
This individual's name was Eclavdra, and she was a dark elven priestess
of extraordinary power and ambition. She had a long and sordid history
in the Flanaess, the complete breadth of which was unknown to any single
person. She had spent much of her life in the Underdark, within the drow
city of Erelhei-Cinlu, learning and gaining power and rising in Lolth's
service. At some point, she had been sent to the surface world of Oerth,
where she had been instrumental in the formation of the Slave Lords and
the establishment of the city of Suderham to further their numerous and
sundry goals. The dark elven warrior/priestess and Slave Lord Eldrave
(no relation) had been a former protege of Eclavdra. Unfortunately, all
of that had ended seventeen years ago when the Slave Lords were laid low
by wandering adventurers and their mountain city had been destroyed by an
unheralded volcanic eruption. There had suddenly, shockingly been no
more Slave Lords and no more Suderham...and just like that, Eclavdra had
fallen from the good graces of Lolth and been given a series of dangerous
and tedious assignments to complete in order to work her way back up the
pecking order. She had worked hard and been utterly ruthless, but she'd
persisted and been well on her way when the unthinkable happened. Her
city, great Erelhei-Cinlu itself, had been attacked and demolished by a
savage and immensely-powerful behemoth sent there by magical means. She
had been one of only a handful to escape that carnage, after which it had
become even more difficult to accomplish the things that would allow her
to regain the favor of the evil Lolth. Unwelcome in any other Underdark
cities, she had fled to the surface world once more and begun work on new
and more ambitious schemes, as directed by her dark goddess. So it was
that - nearly a decade after Suderham's destruction, Eclavdra had been
poised to once more hold a position high in Lolth's favor. And then, in
defiance of all odds, misfortune had reared its ugly head yet again. Her
patron goddess - supposedly secure in her strange and unique lair within
the Abyssal Demonweb Pits - had been slain on her home plane by a group
of supremely powerful adventurers who had ventured there after finishing
other campaigns against giants and drow. With the Spider-Queen's demise
had come a time of great chaos in all the deep underground cities of the
drow, all their families, all their temples...everywhere. Rivals of all
kinds struggled and fought to gain power, hated enemies took advantage to
try and eliminate each other, old scores were finally settled with steel
and magic...and Eclavdra had suddenly found herself not only exiled on the
surface world but also without the support and power of her goddess.
And so here she was again on the damned surface world, scheming and
manipulating to gain a foothold in the world above, and build some sort
of power base here. She had not only had to find another patron deity
but had also been forced to quickly shift allegiances within the dark elf
powers of the Underdark. Fortunately for Eclavdra, she was nothing if not
resilient - and within a few years, she had successfully engineered what
came to be known as the giant uprisings...and led to the fall of Sterich
and Geoff. Of course, she had help - a small but powerful force of dark
elves had been sent to her, to use as she saw fit to support her efforts
with the giants. She also had a handful of powerful, evil champions who
worked for and with her for coin and the promise of power in the future;
these were deployed at various key points around the city, tasked with
spotting and engaging any stray adventurers (for example, flying wizards
of the sort who had been so effective at Istivin and the Stark Mounds).
Given all of this, the former royal palace of the Duke of Geoff was now
rather well-fortified and protected against the coming army. Atop the
walls of the terrace outside of Eclavdra's chambers, two dozen gargoyles
perched, situated around the perimeter of the palace's top level. These
served as excellent sentries, as they could not only detect the approach
of any aerial foe but also fly out to engage it. While these creatures
were normally in place on the roof, the four wizards currently there were
recent additions. These magi, taken from the ranks of the evil champions
who served Eclavdra, were each stationed at one corner of the rooftop.
None of these wizards were overly pleased about this assignment, but they
didn't dare question their temperamental drow mistress...and besides, the
attack from the south was likely to come in the next day or two, so this
wasn't exactly a permanent role for any of them. Their job here was just
to augment the pack of stony gargoyle sentries, providing magical defense
and offense if - as was expected - the approaching force employed its own
wizards to strike from the sky.
Aside from these sentries, and the prodigious magical might of Eclavdra
herself, the dark elven priestess had completed all of the preparations
necessary to summon a air elemental of largest size and strength. Within
a very short time after an attack began, that being would be on site and
able to join the fight; she figured that its high rate of speed in the sky
would prove highly effective in destroying or repelling flying attackers.
There was also the cadre of dark elven warriors, wizards, and priestesses
who attended and guarded Eclavdra; a score in number, these worthies lived
in the two floors just below her abode on the topmost level of the palace.
Although they had covered the windows to keep out the hated sunlight, all
of these powerful henchpeople wore specially-created cloaks that rendered
them immune to that light for brief periods of time. With that advantage
alone, these dark elves would certainly be able to participate in fighting
and lend their abilities to the defense of the city and palace. Indeed,
it was a couple of this group's wizards who had been magically watching
over the force at the Stark Mounds, and who had thus been aware of the
defeat of Lurguz' force there just a few days ago.
As for stopping any forces that approached by land, Eclavdra had been
preparing for that since the day she heard about the fall of Istivin to
the south - and she had been preparing even more since hearing of the
great armies leaving that area and heading her way less than a week ago.
With much magical assistance, the fomorian giants had dug a long, wide
tunnel from beneath the palace and far out into the city proper. While
they had found this order strange, none had complained - for early on in
this campaign, before the great wars had even started, the dark elves had
asserted their authority. The first bunch of the fomorians to argue and
resist had also been the last, with the drow making immediate and bloody
examples out of them (as levitating a dozen complainers into the sky and
then magically ripping the flesh from their bones a small piece at a time
tended to make a permanent impression). After that gruesome event, which
hundreds of other giants were forced to watch in its entirety, there had
never again been any pushback against the dark elves' commands or plans.
And Boss Kranok not only understood how things were, but helped in his
own way; the fomorian chieftain had dealt with any potential problems by
personally beating several of his fellow deformed giants to death over
the last few years. The dark elves told him what to do, and he told his
giants what to do, and that was that.
Anyhow, the underground passage would allow the giants to send a force
out into the city at any point during an assault. Covered on its exit
point by thick layers of rubble atop a wide plate of metal, it could be
utilized with ease when the time came, the blockage simply pushed up and
out of the way by the giants beneath. While many of the fomorians would
participate in this surprise attack, others would lead the defense of the
city (and the palace as a fallback position). Eclavdra had ordered Boss
Kranok to have his kin devote extra time and effort to augmenting their
crude armor with whatever bits of metal and wood they could find, and to
be alert and ready for battle. The giants were stupid and lazy, but they
were also smart enough to know that they didn't want to become the next
examples of what happened when the dark elves weren't obeyed...so they
were as ready as creatures of their intelligence could be for a great
battle. Around them would be the smaller humanoids - the ettins, ogres
and trolls, all still far larger than men - as well as the three thousand
hobgoblins. Smaller squads had been formed, with different roles (stand
on the walls and throw spears or other missiles, defend open gaps in the
city or palace walls, be part of the main groups defending the city or
the palace at its center, and so forth).
Eclavdra found herself longing for the old days, when her companions
included such notable and evil personages as the wicked dwarf Obmi and
the insane elven warrior-mage Keak. The dark elves of her retinue were
highly competent, as well as members of her own race...but those former
companions were as powerful as they were dangerous. Regardless, it was
not to be; here she was, ruler of Gorna, and about to face her first
significant test in years. She was well aware that the outcome of the
coming battle would not only determine the future of this land of Geoff,
but would also affect her own fate. Despite her rank and all her unholy
power, she too was accountable to someone...someone who gave her orders
and expected them to be carried out successfully...someone who she dared
not fail.
next: the Great Battle of Gorna
map: http://www.peldor.com/world/atlas/Bright-Desert_1156.jpg
www: http://www.peldor.com/download.html
homepage: http://www.peldor.com/
email: tmiller@peldor.com
released: 1/2/2026
notes: For those who've been around a while (or are younger but
well-versed in Greyhawk history) Eclavdra originally appeared in the
classic 1978 adventure D3: Vault of the Drow as a major villain. She
was also a major villain in Gary Gygax' seven-book "Gord the Rogue"
series (1985-1988) which he wrote after being ousted from TSR. Since
I never utilized (or even mentioned) her before, I figured why not do
it now....after all, someone had to be behind the giant uprisings in
Geoff and Sterich...someone smarter than giants, anyway. And in the
old days, she was behind the giant troubles in the G1-2-3 series and
a major player in the D1-2-3 series. Of course, since the Oerth of my
writing has some differences from the published canon, namely these:
- the Slave Lords (seven of them) were slain by the adventurers
- Org Nenshen died, and his Guildmaster role was taken by Peldor
- Peldor bought and runs the Green Dragon Inn (not Ricard, who was an
associate of Robilar)
- in the Hold of the Sea Princes, Jeon was replaced by Creon
- the Crimson Blades completed the G-D-Q adventure series, Lolth
slain on her home plane
- the Crook of Rao wasn't on the Isle of the Ape (I used the Wand of
Orcus, and so the Crook was found elsewhere though still utilized
in the big purge of demons aka Flight of Fiends in 586 C.Y.)
- Rary was ousted from power (and life) by Belphanior and friends
- Mongo led the armies that retook Sterich; Belphanior assassinated
King Galmoor ahead of that
- differences in powers of Shattados and Scorpion Crown
- (current) the Bright Lands proceed in a different direction...
...then the history of Eclavdra in my world had to be altered. Here
is a recap of those key points, along with approximate dates and the
relevant episode if there was one:
> 4/21/570 - Slave Lords defeated, fortress destroyed (037)
12/28/574 - tarrasque sent to Erelhei-Cinlu (250)
< 3/26/579 - Lolth slain (mentioned in 707)
581 - Eclavdra helped engineer giant uprisings
More to come, possibly, on Eclavdra. Let's see what happens in the
next episode. I haven't fully made up my mind at the time I'm writing
this one.
On another topic, as a reminder...the events of this arc take place
in the southwestern area of the continent, and the exact map of that
region is on the website here:
http://peldor.com/world/wog/map13.html
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