CREDITS Lead Writer: Matthew Mercer Producers: Bill Benham, Lea Heleotis, Dan Tovar Writers: James J. Haeck, James lntrocaso, Chris Lockey Product Engineer: Cynda Callaway Developers: Jeremy Crawford, Dan Dillon, Ben Petrisor, Kate Welch Imaging Technicians: Sven Bolen, Carmen Cheung, Kevin Yee Art Administrator: David Gershman Managing Editor: Christopher Perkins Prepress Specialist: Jefferson Dunlap Editors: Scott Fitzgerald Gray, Hannah Rose, F. Wesley Schneider Franchise&. Global Brand Strategy: Nathan Stewart Art Director: Kate Irwin Director of Licensing&. Publishing: Liz Schuh Graphic Designers: Trish Yochum, Trystan Falcone Licensing Manager: Hilary Ross Cover Illustrator: Karl Kersch! Marketing and Communications: Bart Carroll, Pelham Greene, Chris Interior Illustrators: Even Amundsen, Jonah Baumann, Mark Lindsay, Shauna Narciso, Emi Tanji, Greg T ito, Anna Vo Behm, Eric Belisle, Dan Bittencourt, Zoltan Boros, Wesley Burt, D&.D IP Development: Adam Lee, Ari Levitch, Mike Mearls, Richard ClintCearley, JeddChevrier, Chippy, David Rene Christensen, Whitters, Shawn Wood CoupleOfKooks, Joma Cueto, Alayna Danner, Kent Davis, Nikki Brand Manager: Shelly Mazzanoble Dawes, Axel Defois, Olga Drebas, Lars Grant-West, Julian Kok, Playtest Coordinator: Bill Benham Linda Lithen, Jessica Mahon, Andrew Mar, Marcela Medeiros, Robson Michel, Gani Montes, Irina Nordsol, Stephen Oakley, Critical Role Team: Laura Bailey, Taliesin Jaffe, Ashley Johnson, Liam Robin Olausson, Claudio Pozas, Livia Prima, Jenn Ravenna, O'Brien, Marisha Ray, Sam Riegel, Rachel Romero, Ben Van Der Nick Robles, Caio E Santos, David Sladek, Brian Valeza, Anna Fluit, Travis Willingham Veltkamp, Richard Whitters, Shawn Wood, Zuzanna Wuzyk, Special Thanks: Ashly Burch, Mica Burton, MattColville, Tanya Anna Zee DePass, Brian Foster, Will Friedle, Todd Kenreck, Matthew Key, Cartographer: Deven Rue Sumalee Montano, Brennan Lee Mulligan, Khary Payton, Brittany Walloch, Deborah Ann Woll Thanks to the many, many groups of playtesters who helped us get the character options and adventures into their final form. We couldn't have made this book without you! ON THE COVER Illustrator Karl KerschI captures the stern visages of two sovereigns with a Luxon beacon between them. Bright Queen Leylas Kryn of the Kryn Dynasty and King Bertrand Dwendal of the Dwendalian Empire have never seen eye to eye-and their conflict will shape the futures and destinies of all life on the war-torn continent of Wildemount. Disclaimer: The continent ofWildemount and all peoples within are fictional and primarily exist to invite you and your friends into a world of exploration, imagination, and deep emotional catharsis through epic struggles and victories. We advise you to embrace failure as much as success, sadness as much asjoy, and to remain vigilant when taking care of pets or animals you acquire on your adventures.Wizards of the Coast and Critical Role are not responsible for any mental trauma suffered by animal companions or domesticated fey creatures resufting from persistent danger and deadly challenges, nor are we responsi· ble for whatever lack of passive Perception might lead to a failure to notice the animals' rapid escape. 620C 7 2 70000001 EN CE ISBN: 978-0 - 7869-6691-2 First Printing: March 2020 98 7 65432 1 DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&O, Wizards of the Coast, the dragon ampersand, Player's Handbook, Monster Manual, Dungeon Master's Guide, all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries. The world ofExandria, its groups of individuals, its elements, its distinctive characters, and its locations are the sole property of Critical Role. All rights reserved. All other characters and their distinctive likenesses are property of Wizards of the Coast. The ma· terials described in this statement are protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America and around the world under international intellectual property treaties. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the materials contained herein or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of Wizards of the Coast or Critical Role as applicable. Printed in the USA. ©2020 Wizards of the Coast LLC, PO Box 707, Renton, WA 98057-0707, USA. Manufactured by Hasbro SA, Rue Emile-Boechat 31. 2800 Delemont. CH. Represented by Hasbro Europe 4 The Square Stockley Park LJxbrjdge Mjddlesex lJBJJ 1ET UK CONTENTS Preface .......................................................... 4 Humans .................... ............................. 164 Gearkeeper Construct ............................290 Aarakocra ............................................. 165 Gloomstalker ................... .... ..................... 291 Welcome to Wildemount ......................... 5 Aasimar ............................... .................. 166 Horizonback Tortoise ............................. 292 A New D&D Setting .................................... 5 Dragonborn .................. ........................ 168 Husk Zombie .. .......................................... 293 Nations ofWildemount . . ....... ............. ........ 5 Firbolgs ................................................. 169 Merrow Shallowpriest ........................... 294 What's in This Book?.................................. 6 Genasi ..................... ............................... 170 Moorbounders .......................................... 295 War! ................................................................. 6 Calendar and Time............................. ......... 8 Gnomes . . .............. .............. ................... 173 Nergaliid (Devil Toad) ............................ 296 Goblinkin .............................................. 173 SahuaginWarlock of Uk'otoa ...............297 Moons of Exandria ...................................... 9 Goliaths ............. .................................... 175 Sea Fury .................................................... 298 Daily Life inWildemount ........................... 9 Half-Elves.................. ..... ....................... 176 Shadowghast ............................................ 299 Ch. 1: Story ofWildemount................... 11 Kenku................................................... 176 Swavain Basilisk .................................... 300 History ofWildemount ............................. 11 Ores and Half-Orcs ............................. 177 Udaak .........................................................301 Wildemount after the Calamity.............. 14 Tabaxi . . 178 l G ossary ....................................................302 .................... ... ........................... Pantheon of Exandria............................... 20 Tieflings .............................................. ... 179 Prime Deities ......................................... 20 Index .................... ..................................... 304 Tortles .................................................... 180 Betrayer Gods ........................................ 26 Hollow One ............................................... 181 Maps Lesser Idols ........ .................................... 30 Subclasses .............. ..... ............................. 182 Continent of Wildemount .......................... 7 Ch. 2: Factions and Societies ............... 35 Fighter: Echo Knight...................... .... 183 Map 3.1:Menagerie Coast... .................... 61 Dwendalian Empire .................................. 35 Wizard: ChronurgyMagic ................ 184 Map 3.2: Port Damali ............................... 73 Kryn Dynasty ............................................. 38 Wizard: GraviturgyMagic................. 185 Map 3.3:Marrow Valley ........................... 79 Cerberus Assembly ................................ ... 41 Dunamancy Spells .................................. 186 Map 3.4: Zemni Fields.............................. 97 Clovis Concord ........................................... 43 Heroic Chronicle......................................190 Map 3.5: Rexxentrum ............................. 105 TheMyriad .................................................. 45 Backgrounds............................................ 200 Map 3.6: GreyingWildlands ................. 111 Children ofMalice ..................................... 46 Grinner .... ....................................... ...... 200 Map 3.7: Eiselcross ................................. 123 Diarchy of Uthodurn ............................. .... 48 Volstrucker Agent ............................... 202 Map 3.8:Wastes of Xhorhas ................. 137 Tribes of Shadycreek Run ......... .............. 50 Adapting Backgrounds ......................203 Map 3.9: Rosohna.................................... 143 Library of the Cobalt Soul....................... 52 Map 3.10: Blightshore ............................ 150 Ch. 5: Adventures in Wildemount .... 205 Scars of Scale and Tooth ......................... 53 Map 5.1: Palma Flora .............................209 Using These Adventures........................ 205 Claret Orders .............................................. 54 Map 5.2: Wavechaser.............................. 210 Tide of Retribution ................................. 206 Golden Grin ................................................ 56 Map 5.3: Ruined Palma Flora .............. 215 Dangerous Designs................................. 217 The Revelry ............................. .................... 56 Map 5.4: Lower Hupperdook ................ 219 Frozen Sick ............................................... 235 Map 5.5: Ironlot Streets ......................... 220 Ch. 3: Wildemount Gazetteer ............... 59 Unwelcome Spirits ..................................250 Map 5.6: Nima Cinnarid's House......... 224 Menagerie Coast... ..................................... 59 Ch. 6: Wildemount Treasures ............ 265 Map 5.7: Silver Falls Cavern .......... ....... 227 Marrow Valley ............................................ 78 Magic Items ofWildemount... ...... ......... 265 Map 5.8: Stahlmast's Lair. ....................229 Zemni Fields ............................................... 95 Vestiges of Divergence ..... .... .................. 270 Map 5.9: Croaker Cave ........................... 239 GreyingWildlands .................................. 111 Arms of the Betrayers .......................... .. 274 Map 5.10: Salsvault................................. 245 Eiselcross .................................................. 121 Ch. 7: Wildemount Bestiary............. ... 281 Map 5.11: BrokenveilMarsh ................. 254 Wastes of Xhorhas .................................. 132 Stat Blocks by Creature Type ......... ...... 281 Map 5.12: Fort Venture .......................... 259 Blightshore................................................ 149 Wildemount NPCs ................................ .. 281 Distant Lands of Exandria .................... 158 Aeorian Hunters . . ................. ........ 282 .... .... ... Ch. 4: Character Options ..................... 161 Blood Hunter ........................................... 284 Races .......................................................... 161 Core Spawn ..............................................285 Dwarves ................................................ 162 Frost Giant Zombie ................................ 288 Elves ....................................................... 162 Frost Worm ............................................... 289 Halflings ...................................... .......... 164 maginatiottis a G strange 8J-' WonGerfu tJ:Ung. Imagination drives innovation and inspires communal A second campaign began shortly thereafter, this creation. For this geeky theater kid, imagination was time taking place in the neighboring continent of Wilde my solace. mount, a land bound by dark history, political struggle, Since before my granny began reading me to sleep and dangerous secrets simmering beneath the surface with The Lord of the Rings and Piers Anthony at the of everyday life. Now knowing the complexity my players age of seven, I found myself simultaneously lost in, and were willing to engage with, I developed Wildemount empowered by, imagination. From playing make-believe on a scale and level of intricacy I had not previously with my brother in our rainy, Florida yard as children, attempted. I excitedly watched as this region of Exan to mowing through video game RPG after RPG, I found dria took shape, and it was here the Mighty Nein (as myself drawn into stories, especially those I could shape they came to be called) began their adventures, which alongside my friends. It wasn't until I was introduced they currently continue to the day of my writing this to DUNGEONS & DRAGONS during my freshman year of foreword. Wildemount expanded into a vast, complex, high school that I found an experience that entwined and delightful setting that I continued to grow more and everything I loved about storytelling, collaboration, more proud of. Then the incredible opportunity arose to theater, and creativity. I began building worlds for my collaborate with Wizards of the Coast to bring this set friends to play in and filling notebooks with strange ting to you in printed form. ideas, quirky NPCs, and mediocre story threads (hey, ev I have been nothing short of humbled and ecstatic at eryone has to start somewhere). I had found my favorite this chance to be a part of something so important to pastime, one that continues to lift me up and shape who me. It has been a profound honor to bring our world into I am today. the D&D multiverse and invite you to come play and All these years later, through a magical series of create in it. Exandria continues to be one of my proudest circumstances, a group of gaming friends and I began achievements, with Wildemount my most accomplished streaming our home game of D&D on the internet under aspect of this world to date. This continent is ripe with the name Critical Role, expecting little to no interest adventure and mystery. To work with such talented peo after spending nearly a decade in web media being told ple to make this campaign sourcebook a reality is a joy anything longer than five minutes has little value to the I never thought I'd get to experience. Wildemount began "ADHD generation." These myths were rapidly proven with Critical Role, but this book is an invitation for you wrong, and our home game swelled into a community, and your friends to make this world your own. then into an unanticipated phenomenon that has be I invite you all to come to Wildemount. Wander the come something so deeply wonderful and important to dangerous valleys of Western Wynandir, sail up and me, and it seems, many others across the world. down the Menagerie Coast, brave the wastes of Xhor It is through the original campaign following the has's scarred lands, and explore the ancient secrets in exploits of the adventuring party Vox Machina, with the regions beyond these war-embroiled realms. Follow myself helming the narrative as the Dungeon Master, the paths of the Mighty Nein or blaze your own trail. that I began crafting the continent of Tal'Dorei and the This is your Wildemount now. world of Exandria for my friends to explore. Expanding Matthew Mercer, this world with each heroic venture my friends took on, Dungeon Master of Critical Role each unique facet of their characters' stories enriching this realm that otherwise existed entirely in my head, Exandria began to grow and mature, feeling at times like it was taking on a life of its own. By the end of that journey, as the heroes of Vox Machina completed their majestic tale, we all knew we had created something special. However, that was but the first of many tales we w-anted to weave. ---. J WELCOME T O WILDEMOUNT WO ARMIES CLASH ON A FOG-SHROUDED If you're a player, this book contains new options that battlefield, heralded by the sound of trumpets will help your character fit in perfectly with this strange new land. You can use the heroic chronicle system to and drums on one side, and by an eerie, chirp create a backstory that firmly roots your character in the ing whistle like countless thousands of wailing lands of Wildemount. You'll also find new subclasses as crickets on the other. A raven, its ebon feathers spattered well as new magic items that will help you attain greater with blood, alights on one of the fallen corpses and gently and greater power as you travel the continent. raps its beak on the soldier's helmet. The raven looks up, curious, and flies into the slry. A land embroiled in war ex NATIONS OF WILDEMOUNT Wildemount's various regions are described i n greater pands beneath it, and yet, within the shroud of conflict, the detail in chapter 3. Here's a quick overview of the major raven sees twinkling pockets of light. civilizations of Wildemount. The raven sees souls that shine bright with courage, kind ness, and determination. It sees souls lustrous with greed, DWENDALIAN EMPIRE fear, and anger. And most of all, it sees souls radiating with The raven soars over a massive city, sprawling outward from a somber, monolithic palace. Soldiers and war a desire to discover their place in the world. The raven sees machines pour from the city, stretching across the land Wildemount. like innumerable grasping arms, greedily encircling the continent. The raven notes this hungry behemoth and A NEW D&D SETTING alters course. Wildemount i s a new setting for your DUNGEONS & The Dwendalian Empire is a young, ambitious state DRAGONS campaign, originally created by Matthew borne from decades of strife in Western Wynandir-the Mercer as the setting for the second campaign of the heartland of Wildemount. Its austere lands are dotted hit series Critical Role. Though it's just one continent with tiny villages, ruins of ancient civilizations, and in the larger world of Exandria, Wildemount is teeming pockets of uncharted wilderness. with varied cultures, locales, peoples, and monsters. It Campaigns set in the Dwendalian Empire are bound is home to both avatars of evil and paragons of good, but to involve elements of war and political intrigue. The it is defined by the common people who exist in between empire is at war with the Kryn Dynasty, a nation of sur these two ideals. face-dwelling drow which occupies Eastern Wynandir This book is for D&D players and Dungeon Masters and the wastes of Xhorhas. This war allows various of all experience levels. It is for newcomers and for Dwendalian factions, such as the power-hungry Cerbe hardcore fans of Critical Role alike. If you've watched rus Assembly, to vie for political dominance. every episode of Critical Role to date, this book will still contain surprises for you, as there are corners of Wilde C LOVI S C ONC ORD mount that even the Mighty Nein weren't able to explore Westward flies the herald o f the Raven Queen. I t bursts in their adventures. through the clouds above the western mountains and If you're a Dungeon Master, this book will help you emerges into a land blessed by sun. A sea of lush jungle create a D&D campaign set in a land of war, intrigue, stretches out beneath the raven, until eventually green and swashbuckling adventure. You could set your cam gives way to golden sand, and then to a boundless, sap paign entirely within one of Wildemount's four regions, phire sea. Ships swarm on that sea like a cloud ofgnats, or you could follow the example set by Critical Role and engulfed by flames and the sound of cannon fire. They create a campaign with a constantly evolving tone as the fight for freedom. adventurers journey across the continent. You will also find brand-new monsters and introductory adventures that can help you start a campaign in any of Wilde mount's four regions. W E LC O M E TO WILDE MOUNT 5 The Clovis Concord is a republic of city-states lining the Menagerie Coast, the westernmost shore of WHAT'S IN THIS BooK? Wildemount. This tropical region is rich with history Chapter 1 of this book introduces the big ideas you'll and known for a lively, free-spirited culture that con need to know before creating a campaign in Wilde trasts sharply with Wildemount's other, politically mount: its history and its gods. narrow-minded nations. Chapter 2 presents the major political players that Campaigns set on the Menagerie Coast are often nau shape daily life in Wildemount: its factions and societies. tical, exploring the conflict between the law of the Clovis Depending on the choices made by your party of adven Concord and the chaos of the Revelry pirates. They can turers, these organizations might become their allies or also investigate the jungles that line the coast and the their enemies. Some characters might begin play with ancient ruins hidden within their verdant boughs. a history of involvement with one of these factions, and several backgrounds are included later on to represent TRIBES OF SHADYC RE E K RUN this allegiance. Chapter 3 contains the Wildemount gazetteer, which The raven, battered by ice and snow; sees petty warlords details the cities and points of interest in each of the lead bands of slavers across the snowfields and under continent's regions. The gazetteer includes NPCs, back stands that no Jaw but power rules the north. It sees ground information, and even plot hooks that you can smugglers and thieves flee beyond the grasp of civiliza use as the seeds of your own adventures. It also gives tion and into the unknown. It sees the vast, roiling wil a brief overview of the other lands of Exandria beyond derness act with a fell will of its own, claiming the Jives Wildemount. of those who dare attempt to grasp power beyond their Chapter 4 is for players first and foremost; combined ken. They fight for survival, glory, and greed. with the Player's Handbook, it contains everything you The Tribes of Shadycreek Run are a fragmented coali need to create a character for a Wildemount campaign. tion of thieves, slavers, and scoundrels who managed The final chapters of this book, chapters 5 through 7, to amass power in the frigid backwater of Shadycreek give DMs starting adventures they can use to kick off Run. While they struggle to enrich themselves through their campaigns as well as new magic items and mon crime, however, they fail to realize that malign, primor sters to include in adventures of their own design. dial powers are creeping into the north underneath their noses. Campaigns set in the Biting North often involve mor WAR! The continent of Wildemount is a powder keg about to ally gray characters butting heads with equally amoral explode. Tensions between the Dwendalian Empire and organizations in a struggle to survive-and then explode the Kryn Dynasty have just erupted into open war, and into chaos as forces beyond mortal imagination make all everyone in Wildemount, including the adventurers, these petty conflicts seem insignificant by comparison. must contend with the fallout of the conflict between the continent's two imperial superpowers. KRYN DYNASTY Finally, the raven flies east. It sees beings that would THE WAR OF ASH AND LIGHT be slain on sight in the other civilized nations of Wilde The war is only as important as you make it. If you place mount, walking side-by-side with humans and gray either the battles of the war or their consequences front skinned elves. The raven sees that these people have a and center, the war will be of chief concern to your light within them-and it sees that, far to the east, there players. If you keep the war and its consequences dis is a mighty fortress that contains a light unseen since tant, then the characters will be free to interact with or the dawning of the world. Here, they fight for the revela ignore the war as they see fit. With a little bit of creative tion of the end of the world. tweaking of the setting, you could create a Wildemount The Kryn Dynasty is an empire made up of dark elves campaign where the war has been called off or never (drow) and other humanoids typically considered to be even happened! monsters by the other nations of Wildemount, such as If you want the war to be an important part of your minotaurs, goblinkin, and gnolls. The Kryn Dynasty campaign, you need to give your players a reason for rules over the wastes of Xhorhas, a land once blighted their characters to care about it. The easiest way to get by the rule of the Betrayer Gods when immortals still buy-in from your players is to discuss out-of-character walked the land. The Kryn safeguard a secret; if your how big of a factor they want war to be in this campaign. players haven't seen any of Critical Role, revealing this You can even dial the importance of the war up and secret could mark the turning point of a campaign. down over the course of the campaign, depending on A campaign set in Xhorhas will doubtless involve the how you and your players feel over time. war between the Kryn Dynasty and the Dwendalian Empire, but it can also include traditional dungeon BRING IT ON! crawls, political intrigue within the courts of the dy If you and your players find war to be dramatic and nasty, or even wilderness exploration that could unearth compelling, urge your players to create characters with secrets lost since the fall of the Betrayer Gods. strong ties to the conflict. For example, patriotic (or even jingoistic) characters will always fight for king or W E L C O M E TO WILD E M O U NT 6 � �i r-- -+ w E r 1 I f s IH l FRIGID DEPTHS I i-- I ------ -+ ,::; C O N T I N E N T OF W 1 L D E M O U N T queen and country. Likewise, greedy characters will crime syndicates like the Myriad will need help mov fight for profit and glory. Once they've given you their ing illicit goods in and out of Dwendalian and Xhor reasons, turn those motivations into plot points in hasian cities, and Revelry pirates will need loyal crew your campaign. members to raid unprotected towns. Disaster. When a town is destroyed by advancing IN THE BACKGROUND armies, or by a landslide caused by artillery, the The adventurers don't have to be active combatants for common folk need help escaping. This could involve the war to affect their lives. See below for a list of ad escorting noncombatants through no-man's-land to venture options that touch on the consequences of war a nearby town, or carving out a new settlement from without directly involving mass warfare. the wilds. Law. When officers of the law are conscripted as sol No WAR, PLEASE diers, local lawmasters suddenly find themselves in If you want the war to be completely absent, simply dial need of mercenary aid. Lawful characters might find the timeline back by a year, or even just a few months. great adventure in flushing criminals out of cities and All the political tensions between the Dwendalian Em busting their wilderness hideaways. pire and the Kryn Dynasty still exist, but now they're Military. Obviously, characters can choose to join up just simmering instead of at a full boil. with one of the sides in this conflict to embark on missions and take orders from a commanding officer. ADVENTURING OPTIONS This is a good option if you want to run an episodic Not all campaigns set in Wildemount need to deal with campaign, where most game sessions begin with a the war directly. That is, the characters aren't expected stated mission that the players must accomplish and to conscript with one army or another, or even serve as ends with a reward and another mission. mercenaries. The effects of war are far-reaching and Upheaval. The explosions of artillery and the pounding multifarious, and loose-cannon adventurers are the of boots against the plains can spook monsters, and perfect people to get involved in the countless conflicts invasions can cause even powerful monsters such as sparked by war. These schemes could include: giants and dragons to flee their lairs. Whenever an upheaval occurs, soldiers and commoners alike find Crime. In times of war, criminals and smugglers take their lives in danger-and only adventurers can deal advantage of lax law enforcement. Petty criminals and with the threat. WELC O M E TO WILDE MOUNT 7 Trade. Like the crime syndicates, opportunistic traders and deciding when a creature dies based on your own know that war is a chance to become rich. Adventur instinct. This can work once in a while, but try to avoid ers are the perfect pawns for trade barons looking to doing this all the time, since seeing you simply decide sell high-value goods, especially if they have to cross the result of combat without dice can damage the believ dangerous land to reach their buyers. ability of your game world. How TO RuN A WAR CAMPAIGN CALENDAR AND TIME If there's one thing D&D adventurers hate, it's being told Keeping track of time using the Exandrian calendar what to do, but serving in an army is all about following can make your game world seem more realistic. It can orders. It's up to the Dungeon Master to make sure the also allow you to align game sessions with important in characters are aware of what they're getting into if they game dates, such as holidays. A monster attack on a ru decide to enlist. Similarly, if you force your players to ral village is a horrible and thrilling event, but the stakes join a military unit and then discover that the characters are much higher if that monster attacks on the day of the actually want to go on self-directed adventures without Harvest's Close festival, causing previously joyful com a commanding officer ordering them around, you and moners to grab their children and flee to safety. your players should talk out-of-game to figure out a way The Exandrian calendar year is divided into 328 days, to turn the campaign around. grouped into seven-day weeks over the course of eleven Since D&D is primarily a game about a small group of months. This calendar was originally established by the characters going on adventurers alone, it can be difficult elves in an ancient age, and their names for the months to simulate massive battles using D&D combat rules. and days of the week have stood the test of time. Because of this, it's generally best to keep the characters The names of the seven days of the week are Miresen, away from mass battles. However, huge conflicts with Grissen, Whelsen, Conthsen, Folsen, Yulisen, and thousands of combatants are a cornerstone of epic fan Da'leysen. Each day is 24 hours long. tasy, and your players might be disappointed if your war campaign doesn't have at least one climactic battle. EXA N D R I A N CAL E N DA R To solve this problem, you can break down your mass Month Days Holidays combat into manageable chunks. Find a significant lo cation that the characters can either defend or conquer H orisal 29 N ew Dawn ( 1 st), H i llsgold (27th) with minimal reinforcements, like an overrun citadel. M isuthar 30 Day of Challenging (7th) Then, have the major battle proceed in waves that Dualahei 30 Renewal Festival (1 3th), guide the characters from one cinematic encounter to Wild's G randeur (20th) another. You can think of these encounters like rooms Thunsheer 31 H arvest's Rise ( 1 1 th), in a dungeon; some rooms have multiple doors that the M erryfrond's Day (31 st) characters can choose from, while others only have a U n ndilar 28 Deep Solace (8th), Zenith (26th) single passage. Brussendar 31 Artisan's Faire (1 5th), For example, after capturing the ruined fortress, Elvendawn (20th) the characters learn that a garrison of soldiers has ar Syden star 32 H ighsummer (7th), rived to help hold onto the fort, and the characters are Morn of Largesse (1 4th) needed elsewhere on the battlefield. You could present Fessuran 29 H a rvest's Close (3rd) them with just a single urgent target, such as an enemy warlord, or you could offer them options, such as three Q uen'pi llar 27 Hazel Festival (1 0th), different allied battalions under attack. Civi lization's Dawn (22nd) If you need to depict a lot of both allied and hostile Cuersaar 29 N ight of Ascension (1 3th) NPCs battling in the same encounter as the players, you Du scar 32 Barren Eve (2nd), Embertide (5th) can simplify the encounter by ignoring dice rolls entirely SEASONS WHE N DOES THI S B O O K TA K E PLACE? Wildemount i s a chilly continent-with the exception of This book i s set in a certa i n moment i n the h istory of the sunny, tropical Menagerie Coast-and each of the re Wildemou nt, and thus setting a campaign in a different gions experiences the passing of the seasons differently. era-or even in a different decade-could make some i nformation i n the gazetteer i nvalid. The present year is Western Wynandir suffers from dismal, rainy springs 835 P D (" Post-Divergence"). The history ofWildemount is and bitter winters. The Menagerie Coast enjoys a long, described in more detai l in chapter 1 . balmy summer, but must endure a vicious, typhoon-rich From a real-world perspective, this book is set at a cer winter. The Biting North is always blanketed by snow, tain point during the adventures of the M ighty Nein in but temperatures drop to deadly lows in the winter, Critical Role's second campaign. Thus, the point at which then let up for a rainy, relatively mild summer. Finally, the adventu res you create using this book diverge from Eastern Wynandir enjoys level, temperate weather all canon is at episode SO of campaign 2. That's okay! Look at year long across its lowland regions, save for the cutting it another way: by creating you r own Wildemount adven winds that rip across the plains in spring and autumn. tures, you are boldly creating your own canon, from which all the events of Critical Role diverge into myth and rumor. WELC O M E TO WILDEMOUNT 8 HOLIDAYS The different nations of Wildemount celebrate different All the typical languages found in the Player's Hand holidays, though some of the gods' holy days are consis book and the Monster Manual are fair game in Wilde tent across the land. Notably, the Dwendalian Empire mount. While Common is used across the continent and has banned the worship of certain gods within its bor typically associated with human empires, it is not the ders, and thus only celebrates the holidays of legal gods. language that most humans spoke in Wildemount be These holy days are listed in chapter 1 of this book, fore the rise of Dwendalian Empire three centuries ago. along with the gods they celebrate. This setting has three languages unique to the human Holidays unrelated to the gods celebrated across the cultures of Wildemount: Zemnian, Marquesian, and continent in some form include the following: Naush. A human character can learn one of these lan guages instead of a skill or tool proficiency granted by Zenith. Summer begins at high noon on the 26th of Un their background, class, or variant racial traits. Each of ndilar and is celebrated with games, displays of magic, these languages is described below: and black powder fireworks. Harvest's Close. Autumn begins on the 3rd of Fessuran Zemnian. This ancient language was spoken by the peo and is typically celebrated with feasting in rural re ple of Zemniaz in the Age of Arcanum. That ancient gions and with carnivals in the cities. culture has long since crumbled, but its language and Barren Eve. Winter's longest night, the 2nd of Duscar, its people live on in the Dwendalian Empire. Many is a day of mourning for those lost in war. Come vic ancient scrolls were written in Zemnian, but it is a lan tory or ruin in the war between the Dwendalians and guage now largely spoken by farmers, as Common is the Kryn, countless candles will be lit on the next the default language of the empire. Barren Eve. Marquesian. The Menagerie Coast was settled by colonists from the arid land of Marquet, and their MOONS OF EXANDRIA language now holds an unusual position in the Clo vis Concord. It is the language of high society, as Exandria has two known moons that orbit the planet. many Clovis elite are descended from Marquesians, Catha, the larger and closer of the moons, is the herald but it is also the language of piracy, since countless of night travel and shines a bright white when visible in lower-class Marquesians defected from the Concord the sky. Catha is considered to be intrinsically tied to Se and formed the Revelry pirates. hanine, the Moon Weaver, and is regarded by some as a Naush. Originally spoken by the Ki'Nau islanders native creation of the Moon Weaver to watch over the just and to the Menagerie Coast, Naush is a thriving language hide those who require obfuscation. Ruidus, the second within the multicultural cities of the Clovis Concord. moon of Exandria, is much smaller and farther away. Even sailors who only speak Common incorporate With a slower rotation around the world and dark red dozens of Naush words into their nautical jargon. brown coloring, Ruidus is often difficult to see among the stars of the night sky and nearly impossible to spot TECHNOLOGY during the day. Little is known of Ruidis, though older cultures and texts speak of it as an omen of ill tidings, The level of technology in Wildemount is generally con or even a remnant of a Betrayer God plot left abandoned sistent with the technologies found in the Player's Hand and unrealized. book. However, Dwendalian scientists in Hupperdook and Concordian tinkerers in Port Zoon have made in credible advances in black powder technology. Cannons, DAILY LIFE IN WILDEMOUNT mobile war engines, and even handheld pistols and mus Certain aspects of daily life in Wildemount remain the kets have begun to be used as weapons of war. same across nearly all cultures. Any character native to Black powder weapons are not common, nor are they Wildemount would be familiar with their nation's cur available to the general public. Only military engineers rency, languages, and relationship to technology. and special regiments within the Dwendalian armies and the Concordian navy have access to these powerful C U RRENCY weapons, though some aspects of these designs are now The nations of Wildemount all mint their own coins, and finding their way into the Xhorhasian military. Statistics though some slight regional differences exist between for weapons such as black powder barrels, pistols, and currencies, all regions readily accept gold, silver, and rifles are provided in chapter 9 of the Dungeon Master's copper coins. Spending money of Dwendalian mint in Guide. All items listed as "Renaissance Items" on the the Kryn Dynasty might turn heads, but a gold coin is Firearms and Explosives tables exist in some form in still a gold coin. Wildemount. Since these items can't be purchased in a Platinum and electrum coins are rarely minted by normal store, characters can only obtain them through modern nations, but enough of both of these currencies theft, military service, or a quest of your own devising. survived the Age of Arcanum that both are considered valid tender across the land. WELC O M E TO WTLDE M OUNT 9 G(;haoter 1 STORY O F WILDEMOUNT ORN FROM NOTHING, THERE WAS SOMETHING. rock. Through the ashen skies of Creation Primordial, Light, then thought, then life and fire. We who the gods came from beyond the ether, new and formless. Looking on this roiling realm, they saw potential for are born of the will of the gods keep these re great beauty, great strength, and the chance to learn cords to preserve their deeds, their design, and their own place in creation. their lessons. We who live by our own will shall keep these Thus, divine hands birthed the First Children, the records to know where we walk and where not to tread. elves, who embodied beauty and grace, to walk the verdant Green and know the music of the Blue. A We who look to our inevitable end keep these records to second creation was wrought: the dwarves, a hearty teach those who succeed our footsteps how to be better people intent on taming the land, filled with the craft than we could. and invention of the divinity beyond the ashen void. A third people were given life: the humans, endowed with -Archivist Adia Shu of the Cobalt Soul hearts of passion that burned as brightly as their spans of life were short, and infused with the need to celebrate and laugh. HISTORY OF WILDEMOUNT Other creations followed as the many races of Exan The continent of Wildemount has undergone many dria were given form from the boundless inspiration the ages of discovery, conflict, and renewal. These bygone of the protean gods. These Children of Creation walked eras are more than ancient history. Whether the people the land and, as their knowledge grew, attempted to of Wildemount know it or not, the struggles they face build on it. But the land was fierce and treacherous, and in their daily lives were set in motion by the turbulent the children were dashed on the rocks and consumed events of past ages. This section explores this history by the elements. Sorrow filled the hearts of the gods as and the major figures whose actions shaped the physical these first races struggled against a land that did not and cultural landscape of Wildemount. want them, and the children looked to their creators for guidance and protection. Thus, the gods gave to them MYTH OF EXANDRIA gifts, lending their own power to their children to create and shape the world around them; these were the first Life ever seeks t o understand its inception. Every civ divine magics. ilization has its own interpretation of where its story With these magics, the various peoples learned to began. Even within the world of Exandria, different cul bend the angry earth to their will: to temper the flames tures have creation myths that eventually converge with that burst through the ground, to tame the floods that recorded history, but there is no universally accepted threatened their abundance, and to turn seedling into story. Even so, the ancient city of Vasselheim on the dis fruit and beast into meal. Language became common tant continent of Othanzia is largely considered to be the place, culture was born, and governance replaced anar oldest surviving city, having endured a terrible war that chy. The protean creators, the divinity beyond the ashen wiped out most of civilization nearly a thousand years skies, saw progress and saw that it was good, yet fragile ago. Vasselheim houses the earliest known temples to and in need of guardians. the gods, as well as the earliest known records of his Thus were born the First Protectors: the Dragons Me tory that survived this catastrophic war. tallic of Exandria, who safeguarded the gentler races. The most widely accepted tale of the world's origins is The realm grew quieter, the people multiplied, and new the myth of the Founding. This is the interpretation held beings were given form and life. As culture grew, and and embraced within most of Wildemount, as well as the people further understood the world around them, the vast lands of Exandria as a whole. they also looked up to their creators and gave them wor ship, gave them form, gave them title and purpose. TH E FOUNDING But this realm did not wish to be tamed. Quaking Long ago, this world was one o f tumultuous and chaotic cliffs roared in defiance. Seas swelled and swallowed. forces, naught but unbridled fires and churning, jagged Flames erupted from the land. Beneath the elements, C H APTER 1 I STORY OF WILDEMOUNT II unknown to the Creators beyond the ashen skies, lived always to innovate. As mages practiced and perfected ancient beings who had already claimed this world as their powers of creation, they soon unlocked the secrets their home: the Primordials. These great elemental of life itself, giving birth to wondrous, dangerous new titans that once dwelt deep within the world now rose creatures and power. Powerful archmages such as from their unseen domain to sunder the land once more. Vecna the Whispered One and Halas Lutagran began The gods watched as their children, their joy, were to carve their paths into history during this era of unbri flung against the broken rocks or fed to formless terrors dled magical experimentation. unleashed by the destruction. Demonic entities spilled The advent of the arcane seemed to be the key to a from the umbra of the Abyss to feast on the carnage, bountiful age of plenty but also proved to threaten it, called forth by the violence and released to pick the car as prosperity soon gave way to greed. Petty squabbles rion clean. erupted over resources and wealth among the elite, Some gods were so full of grief and anger that they while the rumor of immortality through perfected arca wished to leave this world behind and start anew. They num began to drive the greatest mages wild with a lust tried to convince their divine kindred to join with the for unending power. One mortal mage, her name either Primordials, allowing chaos to reclaim the realm. Other lost or struck from history, crafted now-forbidden rites gods wished to remain and subdue the Primordials, to to challenge the God of Death, felling him and taking tame the land for the sake of their creations. Thus was his place among the pantheon, making her the first and created a divide among the gods. Celestial sentinels only mortal to ascend to godhood. The archmage Vespin once dedicated to battling the chaotic forces of the Chloras was inspired by this display. Driven by his hun Abyss now fell to hate and tyranny, forging new hells ger, he sought the guidance and power of the banished under a fallen angel now claiming lordship over all the gods, rending open the gates of their prisons and releas realms of sulfur and brimstone. ing the betrayers into the mortal world. The Creators that remained, wishing to salvage their During their imprisonment, these gods of hatred home, their creations, and their realized selves, were and despair twisted their prison into their own image, forced to take up arms and learn to protect that which spawning unthinkable horrors that lived only to trans they valued most. They organized their followers and form peace into suffering, and righteousness into arro taught them how to draw from the powers of creation on gance and greed. The Nine Hells and the Abyss began their own: to build, to change, and to destroy, all without to push their way into Creation. The Betrayer Gods and the aid of divine power. Mortals learned to defend them their hateful children discovered a world unspoiled, selves through practices such as alchemy or by bending save for the avarice of mortals. The urge to ruin was the very fabrics of existence, though on a smaller scale now replaced with the desire to dominate, and the Be than that of their creators. trayer Gods began by turning on the mage who freed This gift was the knowledge of arcane magic, which them, making Archmage Vespin their first thrall. This the good children used to drive away their traitorous corrupted divinity sought out the remnants of their off kin, banish the turned Creators to their own prison-like spring, scattered across the world, and created a mighty planes, and ultimately destroy the Primordials, scat and terrible new kingdom on the plains of Xhorhas, at tering the chaotic elements to their own planes of ex the far end of the world from Vasselheim-Ghor Dranas. istence. The world was at peace for the first time since In this land of evil, where the twisted power of the its creation, and the first real civilization took root and lower planes seeped into Exandria, the lords of dark grew into a grand city called Vasselheim. The Cradle of ness tainted the minds of mortals, hungrily welcoming Creation. The Dawn City. those who had lost their way, and offering great prom Culture developed anew, the races ventured forth to ises and boons to hearts easily swayed. These poison discover and explore their own lands, and great music ous seeds found fertile ground in the hearts of mortals filled the air to give a name to this world once and for obsessed with the unlimited power of the arcane. With all: Exandria. a legion of the damned behind them, the Betrayer Gods soon made their presence known to the world with an AGE OF ARCANUM assault on Vasselheim itself. Over time, some of the people o f Exandria grew arro Though much of the city was reduced to rubble, Vas gant. Seeing their arcane gifts as proof that the gods selheim weathered the initial assault, saved by the inter held no sway over their fate, a belief developed that, with vention of the Prime Deities themselves, who descended enough understanding, they too could become as pow to trade blows with their former brethren. The battle erful as the gods. Many began to shun faith in favor of between divinity and mortals, between heroes and their own pursuits. Though this hurt and surprised the demons, raged ceaselessly for twenty days and nights Creators, they understood the willfulness of their chil until the dark forces, their surprise attack thwarted, dren and endured out of love and hope for redemption. were finally forced to retreat. Great kingdoms sprung up across Exandria. Castles Evil was repulsed momentarily, but with the revela were built in a day, accelerated by the arcanists' new tion of such a terrible foe, a dangerous arcane arms found power. Erudite cities hovered and drifted through race began. Trust was shattered indefinitely: if mortals the skies, shifting under the direction of scholarly magi could fall under the sway of the Betrayer Gods, who to wherever their interests took them. Even though was an ally? If ruin like this could be unleashed under magic could be used to complete the most difficult the watchful eyes of the gods, how were they relevant? tasks with hitherto unknown speed, magic-users strove Not trusting any but themselves, the self-interested and C H APTER 1 I STORY OF WILDEMOUNT I2 singular humans reforged their instruments of cele Little record remains of the terrible war, but its effects bration into instruments of incredible power-artifacts are still felt today. The sheer magnitude of the energies that could be wielded by worthy heroes. The dwarves' unleashed in the ensuing battles by gods and mortals fascination with rock and earth turned toward isolation alike was enough to fray the boundaries holding back as they burrowed deeper into the mountains, using their the elemental chaos, spilling unbridled destruction into divine gifts to animate legions of autonomous golems the world. It completely rearranged the known flow of to protect their ancestral halls. Elves used their under magical ley energy across Exandria. The dark kingdom standing of creation's beauty and intricacies to weave of Ghor Dranas was reduced to ash, but the conflict spells of unimaginable destructive force, the likes of devastated Exandria's peoples, razing entire cities and which Exandria had never seen before. inspiring in many a desire to flee from this plane of ex For the first time since the Primordials were de istence entirely. So great was the loss of life during the stroyed, the focus of magic was warfare. The gods them war that historians believe no more than a third of Exan selves agreed to join their children on the field of battle, dria's population survived, leaving only one remaining descending from the heavens to take up arms once more bastion of civilization: the Dawn City, Vasselheim. for the war now referred to as the Calamity. The world entered a long, dark period of regrowth. The Betrayer Gods were banished once more to their THE C ALAM ITY realms of deception and hate, but the threat of their The battlefields of the catastrophic showdowns of the return weighed heavily on the world. The Prime Dei Calamity were scattered across Exandria, but it was ties felt that their involvement in mortal conflict was to Wynandir that suffered the full destructive powers of blame for the cataclysmic damage inflicted on Exandria. the gods. Divided by the Ashkeeper Peaks, the fields of They knew that while the divine gateways were left Wynandir were once home to several powerful ruling open, the prison planes that held the banished Betrayers houses, squabbling over their own goals before being would remain imperfect and temporary. drawn into either side of the conflict of the gods, or Thus, hoping to ensure that such ruin would not be abstaining for their own reasons. The immensity of fall Exandria again, they left their children to fend for power wielded by the Prime Deities and Betrayer Gods themselves. The Creators returned to their own realms, was enough to wound the landscape for eons, and the dragging both Betrayer and abomination with them and irresponsible use of arcane knowledge developed by the sealing the pathways to the mortal realm behind them mortals ensured the ruin of their own legacy. with the Divine Gate. Only in this way could they pre vent their corrupted brethren from physically returning C HAPTER I I STORY OF WILD E M O U NT to the material plane. Sadly, for the Prime Deities, this WE STE RN WYNANDIR action also carried with it a self-imposed sentence of exile. The Creators would henceforth never be allowed The lands o f Western Wynandir were the epicenter of to visit their creation. the Calamity's destruction. Rocky ranges of mountains The disappearance of the gods is known by many were sundered, entire landscapes burned, and hovering names: the Second Spark for those who study the ar seats of power crashed down from the sky, their floating cane, and the Penance for those who seek closeness cities consumed beneath the hungry earth. to their gods. The most common name for this time of GRIMGOLIR warfare and divine separation is the Divergence, and it The dwarven clan of Grimgol that once helped hold the marked the end of the Age of Arcanum. center of the Ashkeeper Peaks was nearly wiped out Much time has passed since, and the world has been during the Calamity. The surviving families and war reborn once again. The gods still influence and guide riors burrowed deep beneath the surface of Exandria to from beyond the Divine Gate, bestowing knowledge and wait out the chaos. Collapsing nearly every established power on their worshipers, but the path of mortals is tunnel used in the wars above, the clan found them now their own to make. New cities, kingdoms, and cul selves cut off from the rest of Exandria. For centuries, tures have retaken the world, building over the ashes of the dwarves of Clan Grimgol endured the darkness the old. New songs fill the air, and the hope of a brighter alone, defending against the dregs of the Betrayer Gods' future drives people day after day, while buried ruins forces and adapting themselves into a hardy and stal and ancient relics remind all people of a darker time of wart people. mistakes that should never be repeated. Half-remembered tales and myths of their forgotten history, mingled with worship of Morad in, began to stir WILDEMOUNT AFTER THE an eagerness to return to their ancestral home and build anew. With new purpose, they carved their way back CALAMITY toward the surface, only to find the mountains of their In the wake of the vast destruction of the Calamity and home reduced to dust and pebbles. the exile of the pantheon in the Divergence, the sur Not easily dissuaded, the dwarves returned to the vivors began to emerge from the ash and shadows to surface for the first time in generations, finding the reclaim and rebuild Exandria. Across the continents, once-ruined world now recovering with renewed life many took the pieces of their cultures and sought a and color. The resilient clan made their way north along place to forge a new age. This tome focuses on the the Brokenveil Bluffs and found a massive mountain to rebirth of the deeply scarred land now known as house their new city. They built their stronghold into Wildemount, the site of the most terrible conflicts of this monolith among the Dunrock Mountains, and gave the Calamity, where the echoes of those deadly battles their new home the name of Grimgolir. linger to this day. RISE OF THE jULOUS DOMINION I N THE WAK E OF THE GOD S In the Marrow Valley, the numerous decades following After the Calamity, the lands of Wildemount became the Divergence left the landscape blackened and inhos wild and perilous, filled with monstrosities and beasts pitable. The remaining people struggled for food and that prowled its broken fields and shattered mountains. shelter as they wandered the rocky hills for centuries, The land's new denizens reclaimed the newly untamed avoiding the colder weather of the north. Nomadic realm, hunting any mortals not clever enough to hide. sects of humans and halflings defended themselves The masterless creations of the Betrayer Gods ruled against the hungry beasts and lingering evils threaten their own territories, establishing themselves as a ing their homesteads, and fought with each other over new pantheon. fertile land. As the dust settled, surviving mortals grasped at what Small civilizations began to form amid the chaos, but they could from their bygone lives and hid away in fear it wasn't until the central township of Zadash was estab of what would come next. Those of faith dealt with their lished as a safe outpost that the unification of the Mar sense of failure and abandonment, while enlightened row Valley began. Helmed by the Julous family, suppos scribes mourned the loss of their research and the great edly of noble blood from before the Calamity, a guarded magical secrets that had enabled the previous age to community with an organized military force was built in rise to such prominence. the center of the valley around four hundred years ago. Others picked up what they could from the ruins It became both a haven for the struggling masses and a and chose to start anew, hoping that their descendants center for agricultural expansion. would learn from their mistakes. Over those early centu Increasing their strength with each generation, this ries, the scattered survivors fought back the terrors that movement guided by the julous family became known as stalked the abandoned lands of Wildemount, continuing the julous Dominion, stretching across the south end of to endure and build new societies, civilizations that Western Wynandir. Not all agreed to join the Julous Do eventually reclaimed Wildemount and brought the world minion, however. Some outliers rejected the Julous in to this modern age. terests, founding their own village of Kamordah on the boiling earth of the hills in the southwest Marrow Val ley. In time, the people of Kamordah came to worship a C HAPTER l I STORY OF W J LD E M O UNT 14 A F L OAT I N G C I T Y F R O M A B Y G O N E A G E being of primordial fire that lives beneath the mountains THE MARROW WAR and speaks to them in dreams and visions. It wasn't long before the expanding borders of the Dwendalian Empire began to push up against the grow FOUNDING OF THE DWENDALIAN EMPIRE ing Julous Dominion. An agreement was brokered to In the frigid fields north o f the Marrow Valley, the survi avoid conflict as long as favorable trade could be estab vors of the Arcanum city of Zemniaz scraped by in the lished and maintained. Even so, the resource-rich center snow for centuries, clutching their surviving scrolls and of Western Wynandir was split between the two states, fragments of cultural history. They established the dour with both factions eager to discover the other's weak outposts of lcehaven and Yrrosa, but it wasn't until the nesses. Rumors of the discovery of a massive platinum Zemnian people wandered east to the Pearlbow Wilder mine within the julous Dominion further increased the ness that they found fields that were fertile enough to empire's desire to conquer their neighbor. nurture a new society. At this time, religious leaders throughout the Dwen Founded atop the ruins of an ancient temple to the dalian Empire rebelled against the emperor's religious Dawn Father, the city of Rexxentrum rose to become the restrictions. After his coronation, Emperor Manfried hub of Zemnian culture. Now that the Zemnian people Dwendal enacted laws limiting worship and prayer to no longer had to struggle for survival amid the harsh subjects concerning the power, profit, and expansion of elements, their leaders argued over how to establish a the empire. In the year 544 PD, internal strife and insur centralized government. Some wished for a republic, gent action turned bloody when the zealous leaders of while others sought a theocracy under the priests that varying faiths attempted, and failed, to usurp the throne shepherded the people into this new age. Eckhardt for their council. An angered Emperor Manfried Dwen Dwendal, a well-respected merchant and tremendous dal had the rebellious priests executed-an event that force behind the development of Rexxentrum, wished to came to be known as the Admonition. institute a monarchy and place his son Manfried on the The emperor spoke of abolishing all worship within throne. Debate spun wildly for over three years, while his boundaries. This caused further uproar among the Eckhardt privately made deals with the heads of the populace, but then Emperor Manfried's spies discov emerging guilds, using promises or blackmail to secure ered that the seeds of the uprising had been sown by their cooperation. With the resounding support of the Julous interests. Publicly exposing the plot, the emperor flourishing guild heads, the throne was established. In outlawed only select faiths that he felt threatened civ the year 539 of the post-Divergence era, Manfried be ilized life. He redirected much of the people's fury by came the first emperor of the Dwendalian Empire. also proclaiming the Julous Dominion an enemy of the C HAPTER 1 I STORY OF WILD E M OUNT r5 empire later that year and declaring war on the neigh pursuits began to compete with other high-born magic boring nation. practitioners from the Julous Dominion. Throughout Meanwhile, the julous Dominion was dealing with the the lands of the newly expanded empire, these houses refusal of the outlying villages near Kamordah to accept escalated their subterfuge and espionage against one their rule in this time of brewing hostility. They eventu another, until the rivalry finally erupted into an all-out ally drove the independent villagers back into the Cyrios magical conflict in the streets of the capital itself. Mountains, just in time to hear the horns of war blaring The events of the Eve of Crimson Midnight destroyed from the empire to the north. The violent conflict known numerous buildings and maimed a number of innocents as the Marrow War lasted over sixteen months and cost caught in the crossfire. The struggle ended with all the lives of many soldiers and innocents on both sides of involved shackled and brought before the king. After the Marrow Valley. days of deliberation, an agreement was drawn up that The Julous Dominion lacked the unified military force would absolve those involved of the usual punishment of the empire. When a major military push left the cap in exchange for direct subservience to the Crown and ital city of Zadash occupied by the empire, Baron Inock the goals of the empire. Establishing themselves as the Julous and Baroness Tessandra Julous met with Em Cerberus Assembly, this council of mages became a peror Manfried to negotiate a peace. During this meet powerful tool for the empire to maintain its position as ing, the baron and baroness were unceremoniously ex the dominant force of Wildemount. ecuted. Their bodies were displayed publicly along with the narrative that they had attempted an assassination MODERN DWENDALIAN EMPIRE on the emperor during the peace talks. Disheartened For three hundred years, the empire has expanded and bereft of leadership, the Julous Dominion immedi and prospered under the rule of the Dwendalian line ately came to an end, as did the war. of kings. King Alfwin Dwendal increased the empire's To prove his benevolence to the people of the newly military power by establishing the stronghold of Blade conquered Julous Dominion, and to help avoid future garden and assimilating Grimgolir into the empire, uprisings, Emperor Manfried declared that all citizens seeking to hold back the savage creatures of Xhorhas. of the dominion would keep their lands and homesteads. King Theoderich Dwendal's benevolent nature bro No soldiers would stand trial or be punished for their kered the partnership with the Clovis Concord of the previous allegiance. Life would continue as it had, ex Menagerie Coast without bloodshed and ushered in new cept for the implementation of imperial taxes, laws, and opportunities for trade with the rest of Exandria. King oversight across the valley under the new emperor. Out Willamar Dwendal established the initial prominence of lawed religious iconography was destroyed, crops and House Truscan and granted them oversight of the Trus goods were redistributed according to the needs of the can Vale, to the displeasure of the other noble houses. empire, and life slowly returned to normal for the Zem Other kings have come and gone, but few have made nian people. as immediate and lasting a mark as King Bertrand Dwendal. On assuming the throne in 790 PD, King A KING ls C ROWNED Bertrand immediately demonstrated his love of specta With citizens of the former Julous Dominion tense cle and social manipulation by instituting town criers beneath their new rule and a growing sentiment of across the empire to disseminate Crown-approved frustration with imperial leadership building, Emperor messages. With the aid of Master Ikithon Trent of the Manfried sought a way to reform the nation under his Cerberus Assembly, he captured the imagination of the banner. The propagandist minds who fought the social masses with well-crafted tales of his deeds, proclaimed war with the Julous Dominion recommended a shift in by the criers in every town square. public image and title, one that could command more Seeking to bury any dissent against the Crown, King respect within Western Wynandir while casting aside Dwendal began to use the empire's spy network to seek the oppressive connotations of the title of emperor. out sources of unrest in the public and punish those Still riding high on the victory against the Dominion, who sowed thoughts of rebellion. Public holidays and Emperor Manfried harkened back to the halcyon lore celebrations were given greater funding to quell the of the Age of Arcanum, recalling the beloved kings and masses and distract the people from the increase in tax queens of old. It was decided that the people would no ation implemented across the valley. This allowed King longer have an emperor, but a king. Crowning himself Bertrand Dwendal to rise in popularity while also ruling the first of the line of Dwendalian kings, King Manfried with a far more ruthless and self-serving agenda than insisted on maintaining the now-ominous national title most kings before him. of the Dwendalian Empire, famously proclaiming, "I am King Bertrand maintains the isolationist world view of the Dwendalian king to my people, beloved and open to his predecessors, even in times of need. By ignoring po their wishes. To our enemies, we remain resolute and litical alliances from distant nations, preventing the con unstoppable. We are the Dwendalian Empire." struction of any skyship docks within the empire, and ig noring calls for aid-such as the fight against the rising THE EVE OF CRIMSON MIDNIGHT threat of Vecna two decades before-the King believes ot a quarter century after the Marrow War ended and he has made the empire stronger than it's ever been. the line of kings was established, a smaller, internal However, the king's focus on isolationism fades as conflicc rocked the capital city of Rexxentrum. A number tensions with Xhorhas grow. Worry about his legacy of noble houses with a strong history of studying arcane mingles with the new and deadly threat of the Kryn C H A PTER 1 / STORY OF WILDEMOUNT 16 Dynasty, now emboldened and pushing into his king THE K1'NAU dom with strange magics and dangerous warriors. The few scattered survivors of the floods found shelter He mistrusts the very Cerberus Assembly that grants among the higher jungles of the Swavain Islands, gifted him so much influence and arcane might to combat with the bounty of a more plentiful and tropical environ the ever-darker world that barks at the borders of the ment. These seafaring people rebuilt among the islands empire. Public approval of his rule wanes with growing and took the name Ki'Nau, meaning "the Water Chil economic disparity, and the whisper of Myriad power dren" in their language of Naush. Though the terrible returning under his nose only heightens his paranoia. floods of the Calamity had passed, the deadly seas and When the Kryn orchestrated an attack on the Halls of flourishing horrors of the wilds were still a persistent Erudition in Zadash, the Cerberus Assembly pushed for threat to the Ki'Nau. Each generation struggled to sur a display of military power to rally the people and bring vive the elements that sunk their boats and the preda unity to the national identity of the empire. The king de tors of the jungles and ocean depths. clared war on the Kryn Dynasty and the people of Xhor Over time, an older mind began to call from the wa has, embroiling the region in this new full-scale conflict, ters and entered their dreams. This powerful being, a with the hope that, as history has proven, people are leviathan creation abandoned by his creator Zehir in easier to unite against a common enemy. the Divergence, called himself Uk'otoa. He spoke of his divinity and promised protection to the Ki'Nau people THE M E NAGERIE C OA ST in exchange for their worship. The Ki'Nau accepted While destruction came to the farthest reaches of the the persuasive entity as an ally and protector, allowing world during the divine conflicts of the Calamity, the Uk'otoa to rise up as the guardian of the islands and islands of the Lucidian Ocean off the western coast of help the Ki'Nau become a proud society of warriors, es Wildemount thought they might fare better than most. tablishing dominance over the region for centuries. But though they were far removed from the central fury of the magics unleashed in the final battles, the region's THE MARQUESIAN ALLIANCE civilizations were instead wiped out by massive floods. Around the year 400 PD, an exploration vessel from the Immense tidal surges left the coast drowned and empty, distant land of Marquet was nearing the end of its provi the islands consumed by the raging ocean, leaving be sions when it reached the Swavain Islands. Discovered hind only the most accomplished of sailors. Eventually, and captured by the ever-watchful Ki'Nau, the desperate the waters settled once more, and nature swiftly re explorers made trade offerings of foreign gold, spices, claimed the lands with lush green jungles. and fine silks. This diplomatic approach won over the U K 'OTOA A S S A U LT S U N W E L C O M E S H I P S ON THE L U C I O I AN 0 c E A N . I leaders of the Ki'Nau, and an alliance was made with arcane forest fire that smoldered for nearly a century, the Marquesian travelers to return with trade goods burning through the hearty trees of the region like a and establish a Marquesian outpost, which was to be plague of embers. The northern realm was left deso named Damali. late, ashes and dirt blown into dust and sand as the During this time, a cruel seafaring culture called chill northern winds transformed the rolling hills into the Vukan discovered the Ki'Nau and coveted their a desert of ice and pebbles. Fleeing remnants of the lush homesteads and rich, sea-gathered jewelry. These Grimgol dwarves delved into the snow-hooded Flotket Vukan began a series of coordinated assaults on the Alps, many freezing to death in the wind-battered val Ki'Nau, killing and kidnapping a number of them under leys before finding safety in the natural caverns hiding the shadow of night. The Marquesian guilds who had deep in the mountain range. Within these icy depths, the sent the exploration ship agreed to offer naval support dwarves cultivated fiery hearths and brought warmth to to combat these attacks, but it was Uk'otoa whose fury the heart of the mountain, establishing the new dwarven ultimately annihilated the Vukan at their home villages city of Uthodurn. and erased them from Exandria. Having lost a portion of their fleet in these fights, the MOLAESMYR surviving Marquesian naval ships remained to build Amid the charred remains of the burning forest that small settlements along the coast to aid in their trade filled the sky with smoke for over a hundred years, one with the Ki'Nau. The Ki'Nau leader Tauan kept a tenta section of the woods defied the flames and held against tive peace with the foreign sailors, but Uk'otoa wanted the embers that battered it. This small patch of idyllic to dominate the new arrivals who refused to renounce green endured, a sanctuary for the surviving wood elves their old gods and bow to him. These tensions came to that held fast and hoped for a miracle. Sensing that the a head when a secret sect of Marquesian worshipers of blessings of Melora and Corellon had kept the heart the Cloaked Serpent Zehir were given a task by their of this forest alive until the fires burned out, the elves enraged god from beyond the Divine Gate: to destroy began to build a new home among the ancient trees Uk'otoa for his insolence. With the aid of a powerful cult and groves. leader within an archeological guild known as the Al This region became the Veluthil Forest, and from this legiance of Allsight, a series of temples built to Uk'otoa verdant sanctuary, the elves would build the stunningly were corrupted with Zehir's influence and used to seal beautiful city of Molaesmyr. From the surrounding Uk'otoa deep beneath the rock of the ocean floor, rob ashes, the fey magics of Veluthil brought forth new life bing the Ki'Nau of their patron. and leaf, expanding the boundaries of the forest over centuries to eventually reclaim much of the Wildlands. BIRTH OF THE C LOVIS C ONCORD Druidic forces and powerful fey enchantments were laid At this time, the city of Ank'Harel in Marquet had just throughout the twisting paths of the forest to protect the named the mysterious ]'mon Sa Ord as their new em elves of Molaesmyr as they expanded their towering city, peror. In the transition, the Marquesian colonists now the central trees reaching magically enhanced heights living along the coast demanded independence from as homes and halls extended high into the boughs. The Marquet to begin building their own society and iden elven city stood as the height of reborn civilization on tity alongside the Ki'Nau. Ord eventually accepted the Wildemount. request, and the emancipated Marquesians allied them selves with the Ki'Nau to build a new civilization. Over THE CORRU PTION the following centuries, numerous port towns sprung up It is still unclear what triggered the event. Whether and grew into city states, trade routes expanded along some knowledge-hungry researcher or arrogant sor what is now known as the Menagerie Coast, and the cerer was delving in forgotten vaults between the emerging guilds consolidated enough power to become planes, or some terrible power lying dormant beneath the region's ruling class: the Clovis Concord. the forest was awakened, the source of the corruption The concord works together to keep the surrounding is unknown. What is known is that in the year 585 PD, Lucidian Ocean under their watch and rule, setting suddenly and without warning, a wave of purple-gray trade laws and guiding the fortunes of those who sail shadow rapidly crept from the center of Molaesmyr to on the open waters. The blend of cultures that forms engulf the entire city. the Menagerie Coast creates a diverse community Many elves choked and died on toxic fumes, while where the arts are lauded and coin is king. However, others were twisted and driven mad, transforming into the shadow of the Myriad syndicate continues to infil terrifying fey abominations. Trees bent and warped, trate the streets, while the pirate alliance known as the leaves withered and turned a sickly purple, and strange, Revelry has risen to harry the trade routes and rebel unknown bramble growths reclaimed the forest floor. against the concord. Tensions are further escalated by This corruption slowly spread throughout the entire the threat of expanding war to the northeast between Veluthil Forest, decimating the home of the elves. Some the Dwendalian Empire and the Kryn Dynasty. survivors fled as fast as they could to the northwest, across the Frigid Depths, eventually settling the town THE GREYING WILDLA ND S ship of Bysaes Tyl in the Pearlbow Wilderness. Others escaped to the northeast, seeking refuge in the Flotket The fierce powers released i n the conflicts of the Calam Alps, freezing in the snowy mountains until they stum ity tore through the heavily forested region now known bled on the dwarves of Uthodurn. as the Greying Wildlands, setting ablaze a slow-burning C HAPTER I I STORY O F WILDEMOUNT ._ Taking pity on the survivors, the dwarves took in Discarded abominations seeped from beneath the ru the elven refugees and offered them a home. This act ined earth of Xhorhas's eastern shores, climbing past of kindness changed the course of Uthodurn's history, the Penumbra Range where the forgotten creations of eventually forming a unique union of dwarven and elven the Betrayers were locked away. culture that has endured for nearly three centuries. Throughout this wasteland, scattered bands of aim Craftsmanship within Uthodurn is second to none, but less men, beasts, and goblinkin battled for shelter and nothing is traded beyond the borders of the city, aside sustenance. These tribes were confined to their desolate from the odd stolen artifact. Small excavation parties home by the Ki'Nau leviathan who guarded the waters are often sent to the corrupted Veluthil Forest-now past the southern shores and the surviving dwarves of called the Savalirwood-to search the ruins of Molaes Grimgolir, who prevented any Xhorhasians from moving myr, attempting to piece together what caused the cor farther west. The nomadic, warring clans fought against ruption and determine if the forest can be recovered. the harsh conditions of the valley for centuries, only able Unfortunately, a township of criminals and outlaws to develop small bastions of civilization within the harsh has sprung up on the southern edge of the Savalirwood, wilderness. just beyond the Dwendalian Empire. In addition to the dangerous denizens of this wretched thicket, which is THE KRYN DYNASTY known as Shadycreek Run, there are numerous raiders Beneath the ruins of Ghor Dranas, a group of scaveng and thieves seeking relics from the ruins of the forest, ing drow turned from Lolth, their primary deity for cen escalating conflict throughout the region. turies, finding renewed faith in an esoteric entity they called the Luxon. Guided by the light of their new deity, EASTER N WYNANDIR the drow survived their ascent from deep within the Underdark and reclaimed the halls of Ghor Dranas for The once thickly forested landscape o f Xhorhas was themselves, naming their new home Rosohna, or "Re the site of the final battleground of the Calamity. It was birth." The leading house of Kryn helped build a new na subjugated to such intense destruction at the hands tion of dark elves who sought the surface as part of their of the warring gods that when the dust of the Diver worship, and slowly began to reach out to the nearby gence cleared, Eastern Wynandir was naught but a nomads to unite under the light of the Luxon. cracked, ashen wasteland. Ghor Dranas, the citadel of As the first nation of post-Calamity Xhorhas, the the Betrayer Gods, lay broken, cursed, and abandoned, Kryn Dynasty worked to expand its reach throughout while lingering demons and monstrosities fled to the the wasteland and bring unity to the ravaging hordes. surrounding jagged cliffs and blackened marshlands. C HAPTER I I STORY OF W I LD E M O U NT 19 Dormant evils continued to rise from beneath the Recently, the empire's interest in growing Kryn influ marshes and badlands of Xhorhas, spreading chaos ence has led to increasing curiosity about the source of and battling with the warriors who called the desolate the Kryn's mysterious arcane capabilities. Dwendalian valley their home. The struggle to convert the denizens spies successfully stole two of four artifacts known as of Eastern Wynandir to the light of the Luxon continues "beacons," which seemed to be powerful sources of to this day, while the agents of Lolth seek to spite and the unique magical energy called dunamis. The Bright destroy her once-chosen for their arrogance. Queen Leylas Kryn began an initiative steal back the Meanwhile, the dragonborn have begun to reach out beacons and assault Dwendalian strongholds until to Exandria's sprawling political world, wishing to ex these sacred relics are returned. Now, in 835 PD, the change knowledge and trade their gold and jewels for resulting skirmishes have escalated into all-out war. A powerful magics to better their standing. fifth beacon has been recently uncovered by the Cerbe rus Assembly, and the violence threatens to grow past D RACO NIA the Ashkeeper Peaks and embroil other denizens of After the Calamity, a shard o f the destroyed dragonkin Wildemount in the conflict. city of Kethesk came to rest within the southern Dreemoth Ravine. The surviving dragonborn took ad vantage of the ravine's defensible layout to build a new PANTHE ON OF EXANDRIA city and made an alliance with the cave-dwelling, indig The Divine Gate, established during the Divergence, is enous dragonborn they called ravenites, beginning the a powerful barrier between the Material Plane and the reformation of civilized dragonborn society. divine realms. The Divine Gate sealed away both the Be With the ravenites as a labor force, the dragonborn trayer Gods and the Prime Deities within their respec harvested the massive brumestone crystals that had tive domains in hopes of salvaging the new age and pre once held their city aloft, and the new city of Draco- venting another Calamity. If the Divine Gate were to be nia began to take shape as a series of floating islands destroyed by the unanimous effort of the Prime Deities, within the heart of the chasm. Calling themselves dra all powers would be unleashed, threatening armaged conbloods, they spent hundreds of years slowly recon don. Thus, the gods patiently watch their creations from structing their nation in seclusion, focusing entirely on beyond the veil, lending what small power they can send their own enlightenment and pursuits. They eventually through the gate to aid the goals of their faithful. In the enslaved the ravenites to mine the ravine's gold and absence of the gods, lesser entities seek to gain power gemstones, and to ensure draconblood dominance in and influence, making pacts with mortals and offering the region, leaving their minds free to focus on internal their own gifts in exchange for favor, worship, or deeds politics and arcane advancement. done in their name. The following gods, patrons, and titles are recom THE C H ROMA CONCLAVE mended as the existing pantheon, but they are only a In the year 815 PD, an unexpected assault on Draconia recommendation. You are welcome to alter, supplement, came in the form of a group of ancient chromatic drag or completely change the gods in your Wildemount cam ons calling themselves the Chroma Conclave. The paign to fit your needs. The domains and pacts listed are mighty city of Draconia was immediately destroyed and the likely choices for clerics, warlocks, and followers of left to crumble in the Dreemoth Ravine. A powerful each entity, but these are not the only options, and many white dragon called Vorugal, the Frigid Doom, claimed other domains can be attributed to your preferred deity. the ravine as its new domain, while the rest of the drag Talk with your DM about how best to dress your domain ons sought conquest elsewhere in Exandria. These or pact choice to fit within the philosophies and com events shook the nations of Wildemount, sending the mandments of your patron deity. Clovis Concord and the Dwendalian Empire into a state of alert, while the Kryn Dynasty temporarily withdrew PRIME DEITIE S to Rosohna, fearing another attack. The circle of Prime Deities includes the leaders and As time passed, Vorugal and the entire Chroma Con luminary creators that battled the Primordials and clave were slain and the danger seemed to have dissi instigated the Founding, forging the mortal races of Ex pated. With Draconia sundered, the no-longer enslaved andria. They represent a spectrum of light, protection, ravenites greatly outnumbered their previous masters; love, death, and all other facets of freedom and life in they claimed their freedom and punished the surviving the world. While some gods may disagree and squabble, draconbloods. A handful of draconian nobles fled to the they exist in a subtle alliance to maintain the sanctity of Menagerie Coast or the Dwendalian Empire to seek life and their respective creations. asylum, leaving the ravenites to rebuild Wildemount dragonborn society on the ruins of their oppressors. AVANDRA, THE CHANGE BRINGER Also known as "She Who Makes the Path," Avandra THE WAR OF THE ASH AND LIGHT champions freedom, travel, trade, and adventure across In the past century, the Dwendalian Empire has clashed the lands. Her will heralds open frontiers, and her call with the Kryn Dynasty. Small skirmishes and slain beckons her followers to discover that which awaits soldiers on both sides deter expansion beyond the Ash them beyond the known. There are few urban temples keeper Peaks, with each faction keeping a close eye on dedicated to the Change Bringer, but her shrines are the other. often found along well-traveled roads and off the beaten C HAPTER 1 I STORY OF WILDEMOUNT 20 path. Her worship is common among merchants, free BAHAMUT, THE PLATINUM DRAGON spirits, and adventurers, and tavern cheers celebrate her The pillar of justice, protection, nobility, and honor, as a bringer of luck and fortune. Bahamut is a beacon to paladins of order and good, and Avandra calls no domain in the planes her residence, is revered by most metallic dragons as the first of their instead eternally wandering through the Outer Planes kind. The crest of the Platinum Dragon adorns many where serenity can be found, distantly watching over the halls of high leadership and justice, invoking his will in potential of mortals. all matters of justice. To follow him is to look after those Depiction. The Change Bringer is often depicted as a who cannot look after themselves. young woman of dark complexion and long, light brown When not wandering the Outer Planes, Bahamut re hair that cascades to form the road left behind her. Most sides within his magnificent, glittering palace of gold, art shows her in constant motion, ever leading into platinum, and mithril hidden among the winds of the the unknown. Seven Heavens of Celestia. Holy Day. Avandra's holy day, called New Dawn, takes Depiction. The Platinum Dragon is often seen embla place on the first day of the first month, when the old zoned on shields and armor, both functional and deco year gives way to the new. On the Menagerie Coast, peo rative, in the form of a brilliant dragon head in profile. ple celebrate by having a feast on the shore at dusk to Temples and works of art depict a massive, glittering watch the sunset. They feast and discuss their hopes for dragon with vibrant platinum scales and seemingly end the new year until the sun rises. less wingspan. Holy Day. Bahamut's holy day is called Embertide, CO M M A N D M E N T S OF AVA N D R A and is celebrated on the fifth day of Duscar. This is a day • Luck favors the b o l d . You r fate i s y o u r o w n t o grasp, a n d of remembrance, solemnity, and respect for those who t o d o s o i s to h ave t h e C h an ge B r i n ge r b e h i n d y o u . have fallen in the defense of others. • C h a n g e i s i n evitable. T h e righte o u s can e n s u re that s u c h c h a n g e i s for the better. CO M M A N D M E N T S O F BAHA M UT • Rise a g a i n st tyran ny. Fight for the fre e d o m of y o u rself a n d • Sta n d as a paragon of h o n o r a n d j ustice. others w h e n y o u c a n , a n d i n s p i re others t o fight w h e n • S m ite evil w h e rever it i s fou n d , yet s h ow c o m passion to you c a n n ot. those who h ave strayed from the path of r i ghte o u s n ess. • Defe n d the weak, bring fre e d o m to the persecuted, a n d protect t h e i d e a l s of j u stice a n d o rd e r. PR I M E D E I T I E S Deity Alignment Province Suggested Domains Common Symbol Avandra CG Change, freedom , luck N ature, Trickery Woman's profile em bossed on a gold coi n or pendant Bahamut LG Honor, j u stice Life, Order? War Si lver d ragon's head i n profile Corel Ion CG Art, beauty, elves Arcana,** Light Two crescent moons faci ng each other atop a fo u r-pointed star Erath is LN Civilization, law, peace Knowledge, Order* Double-headed axe i nset with a pattern of scales loun N Knowledge, learning, teaching Arcana,'"' Knowledge Pair of open eyes crowned with a third open eye Ko rd CN Battle, com petitio n , storms Tem pest, War Four bolts of lightni n g rad iati ng from the center of a s h ield Melora N Seas, wilderness Life, N ature, Tem pest Wreath of grass and grain affixed to a crook Mora d i n LG Craft, creation Forge,'°"°'* Knowledge, War H a m mer with ends carved i n the l i keness of dwarven heads Pel o r NG H ealing, s u n Life, Light, N ature Bright, eight-pointed star Raei NG Atonement, compassion Life, Light H u manoid, fem i n i ne phoenix The Raven Q ueen LN Death, fate, wi nter Death, G rave'""' Wh ite, humanoid mask framed i n black feathers Sehanine CG I l lusion, moonlight, n ight Arcana,*;' N ature, Trickery Crescent moon turned u pward, strung like a bow * The Order domain appears i n Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica. *'' The Arcana d omain appears in Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide. ;"'"' The Forge and G rave domains appear i n Xanathar's Guide to Everything. C HAPTER I I STORY OF WILDEM OUNT 21 CORELLON, THE ARCH HEART Guardian of spring, beauty, and the arts, Corellon is the patron of arcane magic and the fey. The Founding inspired them to wander the twisted lands, seeding them with the first arcane magics and raising the most ancient of forests. It was by the Arch Heart's hand that the first elves wandered from the Feywild, and for this reason they are considered the Mother and Father of all elves. Those who seek art in all their work, whether AvA N D R A , magical or mundane, often worship at the altar of Corel T H E C HA N G E B R I N G E R lon. They loathe the Spider Queen and her priestesses for leading the drow astray. Corellon watches the business of mortals and gods from within the palace of Crescent Grove in the beau tiful realm of Arborea, surrounded by towering white trees and pillars of marble. Depiction. Most modern tapestries and tomes depict the Arch Heart as an elven being of impossible grace and beauty, androgynous and alluring, framed by long, B A H A M U T, wavy, golden hair. They were the inspiration for many T H E P L AT I N U M D R A G O N early elven art pieces, and elements of their visage or symbol are included in most elven architecture. Holy Day. Corellon's holy day is called Elvendawn, or Midsummer. It is celebrated on the twentieth day of the sixth month, and commemorates the elves' first emergence from the Feywild. Though the Dwendalian Empire doesn't promote the worship of the Arch Heart, the elves of Bysaes Tyl quietly celebrate in private by opening small doors to the Feywild and having a little more wine than usual. CO M M A N D M E N T S OF (O R E L L O N • Create, i n s p i re, a n d fi n d beauty i n a l l that you d o . Follow t h e echoes of l o s t m a g i c s , forgotten sites, a n d a n CoRELLON, T H E A R C H li E A R T cient a r t , fo r with i n t h e s e l ie the Arch H eart's fi rst works. • Com bat the fo l l owers of Lolth wherever they m i ght be. ERATHIS, THE LAW BEARER The inspiration behind many great inventions, the cre ation of vast cities, and law and order within society, Erathis claims dominion over civilization. Judges and rulers pay respect at her temples, which are central structures in many cities across Exandria. Peace and order through structure and law guides the will of her devout followers. The Law Bearer has a tempestuous romance with Melora the Wild Mother, a furious love that is tempered only when civilization and nature are in balance. Erathis resides within the glorious divine metropolis of Hestavar, the Bright City. This glowing oasis coasts through the Astral Plane, as the Law Bearer watches over the denizens bathed in the endless daytime that illuminates the busy streets. Depiction. Erathis is shown in most texts and statues as a hooded, armored woman sitting atop a throne of pil lars. Her face is generally obscured or depicted without expression, giving her presence an impartial yet impos ing nature. Holy Day. The Law Bearer's holy day is Civilization's Dawn, which is celebrated on the autumnal equinox, usually the twenty-second day of the ninth month. In the ERATHIS, Dwendalian Empire, people celebrate by having feasts T H E LAW BEARER '2 '2 in honor of the laws of the Dwendal bloodline. One seat where struggle, victory, and celebration shape the land at every table is left open for the king, who eats in spirit scape and those who reside there. with the people he rules. Depiction. Within his temples, Kord is shown as a quintessential warrior, often nude with a beard CO M M A N D M E N T S OF E R AT H I S and short, curled hair. As the epitome of muscle and • Util ize the company a n d a i d of others. The efforts of strength, most art depicts the Storm Lord in a stance of the i n d i vi d u a l often p a l e against the capa b i l ities of the dominance, and perhaps wrestling a terrible beast. com m u n ity. Holy Day. Kord's holy day is the Day of Challenging, • Strive to tame the w i l d s in the n a m e of civil izat i o n , and which is celebrated on the seventh day of the second defend the p o i nts of light a n d order aga i n st the chaos month. The Day of Challenging is one of the most rau of d a rkness. cous holidays in Port Damali, and thousands of specta • U p hold and revere the s p i rit of i nventi o n . Create new set tors attend the annual Godsbrawl held in the Temple of tlements, b u i l d where i n s p i rati o n strikes, and expand the Kord to root for their favored deity's champion, particu ed icts of the Law Bearer. larly the chosen champions of the Storm Lord and the All-Hammer. IouN, THE KNOWING MENTOR Revered by seers, sages, and teachers of all walks of CO M M A N D M E N TS OF KO R D life, Ioun guided the growth of civilization throughout B ravery above a l l . There i s n o glory i n cowa rdice. the Age of Arcanum like sunlight guides the branches • Strength is the path to greatness, but greatness i s the re of a tree. Grievously wounded by the Chained Oblivion s p o n s i b l e use of strength. during the Calamity, her followers are now hunted by • The glory of the Storm Lord l ives thro u gh your own glory agents of her ancient foes as she recovers. Her devout on the battlefi e l d . now worship in private, spreading knowledge, philoso phy, and lore anonymously through traceless channels. MELORA, THE WILD MOTHER Ioun sits among the infinite library that fills the hidden The realm of Melora extends to wherever the seas shift realm of the Endless Athenaeum, her celestial servants and the land grows wild. As the keeper of the wilder cataloging all known things as she inspires those who ness, Melora represents the wild creatures of nature, pray for her insight and guidance. the rush of the angry rapids, and the heat-heavy stillness Depiction. Common representations show the Know of the desert. Elves worship her, as do hunters, accept ing Mentor as a graying, mature woman with a welcom ing her guidance to exist harmoniously within savage ing, matronly smile, swathed in billowing robes and lands. Those seeking safe passage across dangerous scarves that fan into books and scrolls. Some colloqui waters pray to her to guide them. ally refer to Ioun as the Knowing Mistress, revering her Followers of the Raven Queen also show respect to as a headmistress of knowledge among the gods. the Wild Mother as the caretaker of what remains when Holy Day. Ioun has no public holy day, for her public the Matron of Death's work is done. Those of Ki'Nau worship was shattered during the Calamity, and she descent often make offerings to Melora, considering her has since fallen into half-remembered myth. Only in the a collective entity that represents their ancient nature monasteries of the Cobalt Soul has the Knowing Men gods within a singular feminine form. Druids of Melora tor's faith been resurrected-though her worship by the the Wild Mother and clerics of her lover, Erathis the intellectuals of the city bears little resemblance to that Law Bearer, work together to preserve the balance of of the knowledge-seekers of old. nature and civilization. However, worship of Melora was outlawed in the Dwendalian Empire, causing dis CO M M A N D M E N T S OF I O U N agreement between clerics of Erathis within Western • U n mask those who wo u l d d estroy l o u n . Learn their se Wynandir, where many blame poor weather and natural crets and u nvei l them to the wor l d . disasters on the ire of their deity's partner. • U p h o l d a n d teach the i m p o rtance o f reason, percepti o n , Eschewing a permanent realm, Melora prefers to and truth i n g u i d i n g o n e ' s emoti ons and path. wander the planes to oversee natural life. She is often • Condemn those who l i e without mora l cause, for evi l fo l k found among the unearthly beauty of Arvandor's infinite g a i n power when t h e i r fo l l owers obscure t h e truth. Never expanse of deep woods, hunting unnatural things that stoop to the level of selfish l i ars. corrupt the wilds. Depiction. Immortalized through wooden reliefs KORD, THE STORM LORD and carved idols in hidden, overgrown groves and Where thunder booms and conflict rises, prayers to the rural shrines, the Wild Mother is shown as a beautiful Storm Lord are shouted into the maelstrom. Reveling woman with green skin nearly swallowed by a wild, in all tests of strength, Kord blesses those who prove tangled wreath of hair, leaves, and vines that dwarf her themselves on the battlefield. Worshiped by athletes lithe form. and warriors all across Exandria, he exalts those whose Holy Day. Melora's holy day is Wild's Grandeur, which force of spirit and desire for victory call his attention. is celebrated on the vernal equinox, usually the twenti He brings tumultuous storms over land and sea, and eth day of the third month. The people of the Menagerie those who wish for clearer skies offer their praises and Coast set aside this day to sail for no reason other than prayers to appease him. the pleasure of observing the natural beauty of their Kord dwells among the roving settlements and battle surroundings. Those who still partake in elements of fields within the rugged and glorious realm of Ysgard, C HAPTER I I STORY OF W I LD E M OUNT 23 Ki'Nau culture take this day to appreciate the fruits and While other parts of Exandria feast, the Dwendalian foods granted by the sea, leaving offerings of delica Empire uses this day as an opportunity to enlist more cies and small handmade crafts at temporary altars of soldiers in its army. The military holds great feasts and twisted roots and grasses. hands out toy soldiers and other propaganda, encourag ing people to enlist and help fight against the evil that CO M M A N D M E N T S O F M E LO RA threatens the king. • Protect the u ntamed wi l d erness from expl oitation and destructi o n . CO M M A N D M E N T S OF P E L O R • S lay a b o m i n ations a n d oth e r mockeries o f nature. • Be ever vigilant for evi l . Peop l e a re q u ick t o forget t h e les • E m brace and respect the savage nature of the wo r l d . Exist sons of the past. i n h a rmony with it. • H e l p re l i eve the s uffe r i n g of the i n n ocent. • Del iver the light of Pelor where d a rkness dwel l s , with MORADIN, THE ALL-HAMMER k i n d ness, co m pa s s i o n , and m e rcy. Moradin is worshiped by smiths, artisans, and miners alike, granting inspiration in exchange for respect and RAE I , THE EVERLIGHT prayer. He shaped the mountains from the chaos of the God of atonement and compassion, Raei spreads the Founding, and stands as the patron protector of home message of understanding and optimism in even the and family. The devotion to the All-Hammer is strongest darkest of places. She believes that the corrupt can be in dwarven communities, and many temples to Moradin redeemed, a mindset that led to a betrayal by the Lord of mark the center of a mighty dwarven stronghold. the Nine Hells, who decimated her followers during the Moradin lords over the soul forges within the massive Calamity. This misplaced trust caused many priests to tunneled mansion of Erackinor, deep beneath the slopes strike her name from historical records, leaving her title of Solania on the plane of Celestia. and faith scattered to obscurity for much of the recent Depiction. Many guild halls and workshops contain age. Only recently has her faith been rediscovered and images of Moradin, a faceless, stout dwarven being her temples returned to prominence. The Everlight's of immense strength, hunched over a flaming heart followers are often rural healers and community philos clasped within his massive hands. ophers, offering a voice of reason and empathy in angry Holy Day. Moradin's holy day is Deep Solace, which and cynical times. is celebrated on the eighteenth day of the fifth month. Raei guides her people from within her temple be Especially devout followers of the All-Hammer spend side the crystal beaches of the Island of Renewal, a the day in isolation, meditating on the meaning of family hidden sanctuary of flame alongside the Blessed Fields and how they may be better mothers, fathers, siblings, of Elysium. and children. The dwarven community in Grimgolir cel Depiction. Those who bring the Everlight's words ebrates with a full day of feasting and drinking. back to the light unearth her image from ruined tem ples, or create new art to inspire others with her mes CO M M A N D M E N TS OF M O R AD I N sage. Raei is represented as a beautiful, strong woman • R e m a i n stoic a n d tenacious i n the face of catastro phe. with dark skin and light hair, rising betwixt a set of an • U p h o l d and promote loyalty to your fa m i ly, loyalty to your gelic ivory wings. c l a n , and loyalty to yo u r peo p l e . Holy Day. The Everlight's holy day has been long for • Legacy is paramount. To create someth i n g t h a t lasts is to gotten, and her followers have yet to decide when her change the wo rld for the better. festival should be held and what the festivities should be. The debate has gone on for years, and no great PELOR, THE DAWN FATHER miracles have yet been performed to unify the squab Pelor rules over sun and summer, his vigil encircling the bling clerics. ages as the keeper of time. As lord of agriculture and harbinger of the harvest, he is worshiped by farmers CO M M A N D M E N TS O F R A E i and most common folk, and his priests are welcomed • Lead with m e rcy, patience, a n d compassio n . I n s p i re oth in many lands. Supporter of the needy and destroyer of ers to u n ite i n fe l l ows h i p . evil, the Dawn Father is often the patron of paladins and • Aid t h o s e w h o a r e without g u i d a n ce. H ea l t h o s e who are rangers who follow a similar creed. He is also known without hope. for his defeat of the Chained Oblivion and is revered by • Those who are beyond red emption, who revel i n s l a u gh those who hunt aberrations. te r and re m o rsel ess evi l , m u st be d i s patched with Pelor is often found within the Fortress of the Sun, a swift j u stice. shining, golden citadel that brings vibrant life to the lim itless orchards of the Blessed Fields of Elysium. THE RAVEN QUEEN ' MATRON OF DEATH Depictions. Tapestries of old match early texts de Master of the skein of fate and the mistress of winter, scribing Pelor as a paternal figure in silver and gold the Raven Queen is the god of death. Her gaze follows armor, his head a beacon of light and fire so bright that and marks the end of each mortal life, watching over the his face can barely be seen. Many statues in holy places border between life and death and ensuring the natural use the head as a brazier, lit with each dawn and extin transition is undefiled. Many funerals ask her blessing to guished at dusk. protect the deceased from the terrible curse of undeath. Holy Day. Pelor's holy day is called Highsummer, and Those who study ancient lore believe that the Matron of takes place on the fifteenth day of the seventh month. Death was once mortal herself and is the only known C HAPTER 1 I STORY OF W I LD E M O U NT mortal to have ascended to godhood. Her rise instantly IouN, obliterated the previous, now-forgotten god of death, and the other gods quickly and fearfully destroyed the secrets to the rites of ascension. The Raven Queen tugs at the threads of fate from her stronghold of black ice within the frozen realm of Leth erna, nestled in a frigid corner of the Shadowfell. Depiction. Few existing visual depictions of the Ra ven Queen exist; many temples merely use the raven as a symbol of her blessing. The few illustrations of her portray a tall, pale woman wrapped in dangling black linens, with her face obscured by a white porcelain mask and her onyx-black hair straight and neverending. Holy Day. The Raven Queen's holy day is called the Night of Ascension, celebrating her apotheosis. The actual date of the her rise to divinity is unclear, but the Night of Ascension is celebrated on the thirteenth day of the tenth month. What was once a night of cheery KoRD, celebration of the dead in the Dwendalian Empire has THE STORM LORD recently become an occasion to burn effigies and de cry the Kryn Dynasty for their unnatural relationship with death. CO M M A N D M E N TS O F T H E RAV E N Q U E E N Death i s the natu ral end of life. There i s n o pity for those who have fa l l e n . • The path o f Fate i s sacrosanct. Those who pridefu l ly at tempt to cast off t h e i r destiny m u st be p u n i sh e d . • U n d eath is a n atrocity. T h o s e who wo u l d pervert the t ra n s i t i o n of the soul m u st be b ro u ght d own. SEHANINE, THE MOON WEAVER Sehanine is the god of moonlight and the autumn sea son, as well as the patron of illusions and misdirection. Widely worshiped in halfling and elven cultures, she is considered to be the deity of love, protecting the trysts of lovers with shadows of her own making. Those who work in darkness and trickery often ask for her blessing. M E L O R ll , THE W I L D MOTHER Sehanine is found among the verdant tangles of the realm of Arborea, watching over the elven courts, or wandering among the colorful fields of the Feywild. Depiction. The Moon Weaver's depictions are as numerous as the myths and stories of her meddling with the unions of mortals. She is most often painted as a young girl with light-blue skin and white hair, her body and limbs merely wavy silk strands of silver moon light that caress and create the edges of the shadows around her. Holy Day. Sehanine has no holy day but is celebrated by the elves on the night of the decade's largest full moon. Elven astronomers track the moon's phases and how it grows closer and farther to Exandria to predict these days with great accuracy. Many haughty elves use this festival as an excuse to be sly and mischievous, while younger elves use costumes and illusions to prank their peers. Some elves of Bysaes Tyl hold a secret fes tival in the Pearlbow Wilderness during the full moon, since the Dwendalian Empire doesn't allow worship of the Moon Weaver. M o R 11 D 1 N , T H E A LL· li A M M E R CO M M A N D M E N T S OF S E HA N I N E • Seize y o u r own destiny by purs u i n g you r passions. • Let the sh adows protect you fro m the b u r n i ng l i ght of fa natical good and the absol ute d a r k n ess of evi l . Wa l k u n brid led a n d u ntethered , forg i n g new m e m o ri es and experiences. PELOR, T H E D A W N FAT H E R BETRAYER GODS The Betrayer Gods are the deities who strayed from the ideals of the Founding and embraced the destructive chaos of the Primordials or grew selfish of their own II creations. The Betrayer Gods rarely work together, since they see each other as threats to their own plots and goals. This very weakness allowed the Prime Deities to defeat and banish them, ending the Calamity. RAEi, ASMODEUS, THE LORD OF THE NINE HELLS THE EvERLIGHT The devil god of the Hells is the master of tyranny and domination. His words are honeyed and carefully crafted, soothing and corrupting the mortal heart. As modeus rules his domain with an iron fist, and the pun ishments awaiting those that cross him are the basis of nightmares. Evil entities pay him tribute alongside his devils, and many warlocks are drawn to his power. Asmodeus lords over his fiendish hordes from within his fortress of Nalsheem, nestled in the depths of Nes sus, the ninth and deepest of the Nine Hells. Depiction. A twisted image of the celestial blood that once bore him, the Lord of the Nine Hells is revealed in many tomes and murals as a handsome humanoid with deep, red skin and long, black hair. Two curling horns rise from his brow, and his lips bear an eternal, knowing grin. Enemies. Asmodeus's enemies are numerous, even among the Betrayer Gods, many of whom only follow the archdevil for fear of his immense power. His arch nemesis is Avandra, the Change Bringer, whose mis chief and cunning has vexed him throughout the eons. It was she who defeated him in the Calamity by tricking his fiendish armies into attacking one another. The Devil Lord's greatest triumph during the Calamity was THE R A V E N Q U E E N , MATRON OF DEATH fooling and betraying the Everlight and slaughtering all her followers in one fell stroke-an act that has united the followers of Raei and Avandra in a bond of unbreak able fellowship ever since. CO M M A N D M E N T S OF A S M O D E U S • Assert dom i n a nce a n d power over others. S h ow your strength of w i l l i n the i m age of the Asmodeus. • Repay cru elty d o n e u nto you with fu rther evi l . I f others show you k i n d n ess, exploit it. • As you ascend to power, d o not pity o r show m e rcy to those you c l i m b over to get there. Compassion is for the weak. BANE, THE STRIFE EMPEROR Blood-drenched armies of brutal warriors oft crush their foes in the name of Bane, the evil patron of war and conquest. To serve his will is to accept the call to conflict, seeking lesser people to break and subjugate. Warmongering nations and goblinoid tribes worship the Strife Emperor as they strike out at the world to bend it beneath them. Bane twists all living things to his iron ing, bulbous behemoth of an ore. His missing eye has will, forcing even nature itself to bow to his whims. shifted, and the prominent eye is now centered in his Bane plots his conquest of the planes from within the face, like a nightmarish cyclops. bastion of Banehold, towering among the blood-soaked Enemies. Corellon shot out Gruumsh's right eye battlefields of Acheron. during the Calamity, and the god of slaughter longs Depiction. Bane is often depicted as a brutish, ogre for the day he can return the favor twofold. Those who like man clad from head to toe in jagged black armor. serve the Ruiner are sometimes hypnotized by his Heads dangle from his belt, and the shadows that ob hateful rage from across the Divine Gate and fall into a scure his helmeted face do not hide his yellow eyes. strange bloodlust, longing to slaughter elves and those Enemies. The Strife Emperor's greatest enemy is who worship magic at the altar of the Arch Heart. Melora, who defeated him at Rifenmist during the Ca lamity. The Strife Emperor grew his armies by corrupt CO M M A N D M E N TS OF G R U U M S H ing noble creatures into monsters and destroying the • R u i n . Conquer. K i l l . wilds to fuel his terrible engines of conflict, and the two • The w e a k exist t o b e c r u s h e d by t h e strong. B e the strong. deities clashed many times during the war before his • There are no e moti o n s but fury and joy. The rest defeat at Beynsfal Plateau. a re wea k n es s . CO M M A N D M E N TS OF BA N E LOLTH, THE SPIDER QUEEN • Fear i s you r a l ly. Conquer you r fea r and i ns p i re it i n The evil god of deceit, shadows, and spiders, Lolth your foes. weaves a complicated web of schemes and treachery • Disorder and rebellion a re to be p u n i s h ed severely. through her worshipers, deceiving allies and enemies • Com bat i s the greatest gift, and perfecting your s k i l l s to alike to gain power. It is said that the Spider Queen master it is the greatest p u r s u it. can see through the eyes of all spiders, and that she is truly all-knowing. Lolth's worship is entwined with the GRUUMSH , THE RUINER society of dark elves across much of Exandria, but she Gruumsh commands hordes o f barbaric marauders has lost her influence in Wildemount since the Calamity, to destroy, pillage, and slaughter for the sheer joy of when her drow rejected her in favor of the ancient entity it. Orderless and without honor, the creeds of the evil known as the Luxon. This slight has drawn her venom hordemaster urge savage creatures to devour the world ous hatred, and she now seeks vengeance against those around them, giving in to the chaotic and selfish nature who betrayed her. of the predator. A number of violent clans of humanoids Lolth sends forth her corrupting poisons and whis and beasts across Xhorhas pay homage to Gruumsh, pers from her realm of the Demonweb, which is teth asking him to bless their hunts and gift them with spoils ered to the Abyss and home to her many spider children. worth ruining. Depiction. Many Lolthite icons and idols show an Gruumsh rules the barren plains of Nishrek in the alluring woman with dark purple skin and silver hair, chaotic realm of Acheron, where he stokes the fury of her abdomen swelling into the terrifying body of a mon his twisted armies and prepares to wage a violent war strous spider. across the planes. Enemies. Lolth holds a searing grudge against Depiction. Primitive clay representations in barbaric Kord, the Storm Lord, for with one throw of his mighty communities of his followers show the Ruiner as a hulk- thunderspear he impaled her against a cliffside, leaving B ETRAY E R G o os Deity Alignment Province Suggested Domains Common Symbol Asmodeus LE God of the N i ne Hells Trickery, War Crown of spiked onyx and cu rved horns Bane LE Conquest, tyranny Forge,* Order,'"'" War Flail of chains, each ending in shackles Gruumsh CE Slaughter, warfare Death, Tem pest, War S i n gle, unblinking eye that bleeds Lo Ith CE Deceit, spiders Knowledge, Trickery Jeweled spide r Tharizdun CE Darkness, destruction Death, G rave,* Trickery Crooked, seven-pointed star made of chains Tiamat LE Dragon god of evil Order,'°"" Trickery, War Taloned dragon claw Torog NE Enslavement, torture Death, Trickery Three pale arms clawing from a dark void Veen a NE N ecromancy, secrets Arcana,>" *'" Death, Grave,'" Desiccated hand with an eye in the Knowledge palm Zehi r CE Assassins, poison, snakes N ature, Trickery Coiled serpent �' The Forge and G rave domains appear i n Xanathar's Guide to Everything. '"'" The O rder domain appears in Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica. '"'H' The Arcan a domain appears in Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide. C HAPTER I I STORY O F W J LD E M O U NT 27 her drow armies leaderless during the Calamity. Lolth TIAMAT, THE SCALED TYRANT and Gruumsh also share a burning hatred for Corellon, The evil queen of dragons is a fearsome god of greed, whom she claims drove her children below the earth, envy, and hoarded wealth. While chromatic dragons are and Lolth often manipulates Gruumsh's followers into her foremost worshipers, Tiamat accepts the worship attacking her enemies so that the drow may remain of any who crave wealth. All chromatic dragons have a safe. While Lolth cannot sense the will or power of the fearful reverence for their tyrannical queen, but many Luxon, the entity that is now worshiped by the dark dragons of near-deific power and ambition chafe un elves of Xhorhas, she is bent entirely toward the destruc der her rule. tion of its followers and their memory. Tiamat remains imprisoned in Avernus, the first of the Nine Hells, influencing the souls of chromatic dragons CO M M A N D M E NT S O F LOLTH across the planes and seeking the means to free herself. • I t is better to be loved than feared, b u t you may certa i n ly Depiction. Most representations of Tiamat exist as try to be both . warnings within sanctuaries of the Platinum Dragon • M i s d i rect i o n , s l a n d e r, and s h a d owed steps have more Bahamut. She is shown as a drake of frightful size, with fu n ct i o n than d i rect conflict. massive leathery wings spreading clouds of poisonous • Death to the e l ves who l i ve u n d e r the s u n , and death to mist, while she shouts from five vicious dragon heads, all their a l l i e s ! each one a chromatic color of her evil children. THARIZDUN, THE CHAINED OBLIVION Enemies. The Scaled Tyrant's hatred for Bahamut is It is darkness unending, less like a god and more like as old as the Founding, and her cults are ever hunted by another world. Life and death do not exist within Thariz his justice. For centuries, the zealous paladins of Baha dun, only utter destruction and madness. Even the other mut have limited her worship to the chromatic dragons, Betrayer Gods treat this mad god with caution. In its but a rise in cult activity in the underbelly of Dwendalian endless imprisonment, Tharizdun dreams the infinite society has priests of the Platinum Dragon on edge. depths of the Abyss into reality, along with all its de CO M M A N D M E N T S OF TI A M AT monic legions. The Prime Deities had thought it locked • Amass wealth, but spend l ittle. The gold-a n d the power away during the Founding until it nearly returned to that comes with it-is sufficient reward in itself. ruin the world during the conflicts of the Calamity. Do not forgive n o r forget an i n d ign ity to you rse lf. Let no Now, its chaotic mind has fallen into more frightful affro n t go u n p u n i s h e d . dreams, imagining nightmarish aberrations into exis • Take w h a t y o u covet. Those w i t h o u t the strength to de tence deep beneath Exandria. The Chained Oblivion's fe n d their d o m i n i o n are not worthy to have one. demented cultists work without word from their twisted patron, awaiting the Epoch of Ends, when its freedom TOROG , THE C RAWLING KING will be attained and all beings shall be consumed in The dark god of the endless tunnels and caverns be deathlessness unending. neath Exandria, Torog is the patron of torturers, slavers, Tharizdun is believed to be chained in the deepest and jailers across the realms. His violent tears carved pits of the Abyss, bound by divine shackles that slowly the pathways under the world, and his realm of impris weaken, leaking its madness into the planes. onment is a network of deadly caves and manacles from Depiction. Few visual attempts to depict Tharizdun which few return. Creatures that wander the desolation exist, but the texts speak of a creature of rolling, hungry of Carceri often construct prisons in his image. Those ink and darkness, a spreading cloud of lightless destruc who rob others of their freedom offer prayers to him in tion born from a thousand ravenous mouths. Current cellars and other subterranean domains, and many crea references show the nightmare constrained by chains of tures who live in the darkness below worship him and gold and black, barely keeping the dark at bay. seek his guidance. Enemies. The few remaining followers of Ioun are Torog remains banished within an unknown sliver dedicated to ensuring that Tharizdun is never again un of the Far Realm that now borders the deepest pits of chained. Ioun led the charge against the all-consuming the Underdark, where the boundaries between worlds destroyer god's reemergence, and her bravery allowed grow thin and birth terrible abominations bent on the other Prime Deities to shackle their enemy, though subjugation. the victory nearly cost her immortal life. Some say Ioun Depiction. The Crawling King is rendered as a swol can only be fully restored if the Chained Oblivion is de len, malformed worm that slithers through the dark be stroyed for good. low, with a screaming, hairless human head at the helm and three arms carving through the lightless rock. CO M M A N D M E NTS OF TH A R I Z D U N Enemies. Pelor and Raei defeated Torog during the • Offer a n d s i p h o n power to Tharizd u n u n t i l h is l i bera Calamity by luring their nemesis above ground. Pelor tion co mes . pierced Torog's tenebrous body with ten thousand • U n cover, restore, a n d exalt forgotten s h rines a n d re l i cs i n lances of sunlight, and the Everlight imprisoned him h i s h o n or. beyond the boundaries of Exandria. The tears of pain • R u i n a n d raze the rea l m s to prepare for the and anger the Crawling King shed burned through Ex Epoch of Ends. andria, and his faithful fled into these tunnels to escape their enemies' holy light. C HAPTER I I STORY O F WILDE MOUNT '2. 8 CO M M A N D M E N T S O F TO R O C • Seek a n d exalt p laces where no l i ght touches. Revel i n the p a i n you i nflict on others, a n d re l i s h the p a i n you suffer you rself as a n offering t o Torog. • I m p rison those who c a n n ot resist you, a n d d rag a l l l i fe i nto the d a r k n ess. VECNA, THE WH ISPERED ONE The lich lord Vecna presides over villainous mages, conspiring politicians, and envious servants as the dark god of necromancy, undeath, and secrets. Once a dan gerously clever and powerful archmage-turned-lich, his hunger for dominion over all mysteries and obsession with conquering the pantheon led to his own disso lution, leaving behind only his left hand and eye. His enduring spirit reformed through the ages and managed BANE, THE to reconstruct the Raven Queen's rites of ascension to STR I F E E M P E R O R become the newest of gods to walk Exandria. Defeated by the legendary heroes Vox Machina and sealed behind the Divine Gate, the Whispered One now quietly rules over that which is not meant to be known. Vecna calls no place among the planes his home, instead wandering in search of powerful artifacts and secrets to further his unknowable plots. Depiction. Those who claim to have looked on Vec na's form speak of a tall, skeletal lich swathed in tat tered robes and enchanted jewels, missing both his left hand and left eye. Enemies. While Vecna loathes all other gods and wishes to destroy them and become the sole divine power in the planes, he has a particular hatred for Ioun. Ioun seeks to share with the world the same se crets Vecna guards for himself, and his followers work diligently to undermine and destroy the Library of the Cobalt Soul and any others who follow her path. The Raven Queen also despises Vecna, and sees his pres ence as a mighty affront to her purpose. CO M M A N D M E N TS OF VEC N A • Learn a l l y o u c a n , a n d keep h i d d e n that which y o u kn ow. Reveal what p i eces you m u st, but never the whole. • Express and c u ltivate the evi l with i n you rself, and in L O LT H , T H E doing so, recogn ize it i n others to exploit them for your SPIDER QUEEN own benefit. • Seed the ruin of all who worsh i p other d e ities, until only those who kneel before Vecna re m a i n . ZEHIR, THE CLOAKED SERPENT A wanderer in the shadows and the creator of snakes and serpentkin, Zehir is the evil god of poisons, assas sins, and darkness. The ancient serpentkin worship him over all other deities, dragging screaming offerings to their temples in his honor. Most of the Cloaked Ser pent's worshipers were annihilated during the Calamity, and the rest are either suspended in self-induced stasis or hunted for sport by the servants of Lolth and Torog. But perhaps Zehir is merely biding his time, waiting for the proper moment to unleash his hidden armies on the world once more. Zehir subverts and poisons Exandria from the shad owed Towers of Night, hidden among the ever-shifting winds of the Astral Plane. THAR l ?: D U N , T H E CHAINED OBLIVION 29 Depiction. Many forgotten temples were once built to the Cloaked Serpent, and within these chambers his image was embedded within much of the architec ture. He is shown as a human body with six arms and a gargantuan serpentine head, fanged and frilled in aggression. Strands of thick, dark hair that sprout from his scaled body form layers of swirling shadow, obscur TIAMAT, T H E ing his form. S C A L E D TYRANT Enemies. Zehir loathes Erathis and Melora, for he despises life, order, and love above all things. His sur viving worshipers use poison and fire to undermine civ ilization and consume nature, hoping to infuriate both gods and cast Exandria into chaos. CO M M A N D M E N T S O F Z E H I R • Keep your acts obfuscated and secret. The n i ght is your greatest a l l y. • Strike q u i ckly and without reason. B l i n d the ta rget with their own confu s i o n . • K i l l s l owly. Ago n i z i ngly. O r worse, m a ke t h e m enjoy i t . LE S S E R ID OLS ToROG , T H E After the banishment of the pantheon in the Divergence, C RA W L I N G K I N G the mortal realm was left to its own devices. Beyond the trickle of divine assistance allowed by the Divine Gate, mortal creatures are now the keepers of the future of Exandria. This vacuum of influence has given rise to a number of powerful entities who may not rival the gods in their abilities or influence, but now unchallenged, can amass a modest following of their own. These idols present themselves in many different ways, some as honorable guardians of the helpless, and others as the tyrannical gods they aspire to be. Many of these beings have ambitions they wish to fulfill and can offer great power to mortals in exchange for their servitude. ARMS OF THE BETRAYERS Before the Calamity, eight of the Betrayer Gods each forged a sentient weapon using the life force of a greater VECNA, T H E fiend and gave the weapon to a chosen champion in the WH ISPERED ONE kingdom of Ghor Dranas. The Calamity flung these weapons across Wildemount, burying them in moun tains, forests, fields, and underground. Several of these weapons have been recovered, but a few have never been found and are highly sought-after. The weapons or more properly, the fiends bound inside them-attract their own followings of mortal worshipers. When an Arm of the Betrayers is found, it grants its wielder some of the power of the Betrayer Gods and the wisdom of the fiend within. The bound fiends know that their war was lost long ago, but they still desire to be used in battle, win victories, and spill blood in the hands of skilled warriors. As a weapon's wielder becomes more powerful, so too does the weapon, which in turn is able to lend even more magic to the wielder. Whenever a weapon's wielder dies, the weapon disappears and reap pears elsewhere. The Betrayer Gods made the following weapons, which are described in more detail in chapter 6: Blade of Broken Mirrors. This stone dagger of Thariz dun has yet to be found after the Calamity. It has the Z E H I R, T H E power to warp reality around its wielder. The life CLOAKED SERPENT force of a glabrezu named Ragazuu was used to forge was divided into four planes, Ceratos retreated under the weapon. ground, their minds unraveling as they entered a night Grovelthrash. This obsidian warhammer carries the marish slumber. tortured will of Torog and can raze whole structures The digging of the Crawling King woke Ceratos a with a single strike. The life force of an ultroloth long time after. Though their minds were scattered, named Ciria was used to forge the weapon. each desired the return of chaos to unite themselves. So Lash of Shadows. This Zehir-touched whip ends in five Ceratos sent thoughts to the surface, offering magic to serpent heads that pump poisons of varying effects those who could create chaos in the land above, so that into the wielder's foes. The life force of a marilith they might one day regain their full power. Ceratos tells named Sizlifeth was used to forge the weapon. their followers that chaos brings clarity and destruction Mace of the Black Crown. This mace with a fiend's begets rebirth. head of ruby carries the boon of Asmodeus, capable Appearance. Ceratos is thought to be a massive of summoning devils for the wielder to command and skinless sphere of flesh covered in mismatched eyes, burning hot enough to melt steel. The life force of an mouths, and tentacles. They can project their minds' erinyes named Xartaza was used to forge the weapon. thoughts into other creatures, especially those who de Ruin's Wake. This Gruumsh-blessed ivory spear can sire to bring chaos to the world. effortlessly pierce armor and transforms into lightning when hurled. The life force of a balor named Yarrow DESIRAT, THE TWI LIGHT PHOENIX ish was used to forge the weapon. Desirat was the companion and mount o f Asmodeus Silken Spite. This rapier has a blade forged from spider during the great wars of the Calamity. Before the Diver silk that gives the wielder Lolth's blessing. The life gence, she was torn from her master by the remnants force of a yochlol named Sinnafex was used to forge of the original Cerberus Assembly, who wished to study the weapon. and harvest the phoenix's fiendish form for their own The Bloody End. This adamantine morningstar bears purposes. After the assembly was destroyed in the war the boon of Bane, and has yet to be found after the and the pantheon was banished from Exandria, the Calamity. It has the power to subjugate the wielder's phoenix remained chained beneath the Cyrios Moun enemies. The life force of a pit fiend named Izeelzee tains. Her shadowed flames have scalded and scarred was used to forge the weapon. the realm above for centuries, giving birth to the ther Will of the Talon. This war pick bears the mark of mal phenomena surrounding Mount Metiri in West Tiamat and makes the wielder impervious to the ele ern Wynandir. ments and grants them the power of dragon breath. Desirat's sanity has fractured in isolation, lending The life force of an bone devil named Ashtyrlon was to delusions of divinity, which she perpetuates in the used to forge the weapon. hearts of those who carry a seed of fiery vengeance by reaching out to them through dreams and visions. C ERATOS Though she once amassed a following with the aid of A being that slipped from the Far Realm into Exandria Uk'otoa's worshipers, who nearly dug deep enough before the Founding, Ceratos is one of the oldest crea to free her, her followers were then subjugated and tures in the world. A single creature of many minds, scattered when the Julous Dominion took power in the Ceratos reveled in chaos. When the Elemental Chaos Marrow Valley. She now speaks to the minds of those L E S S E R I DO LS Deity Alignment Warlock Patron Suggested Domains Common Symbol Arms of the NE The Fiend, the H exblade* Death, War B lade thrust d ownward through a n Betrayers eight-eyed skull Ceratos CN The G reat Old One Knowledge, Tem pest Three mismatched eyes su rrou nded by teeth Desi rat LE The Fiend, the U ndyi ng;'* Light, Tr ickery B u r n i n g purple feather N aviask NG The Archfey Life, N ature Wreath of flowers shaped i nto demon horns Quajath CN The Fiend, the G reat Old One N at u re, War Ring of teeth The Hag M other NE The Fiend Knowledge, Trickery S ingle red horn The Luxon N Arcan a.'"'' Light H ol low dodecahedron The Traveler CN The Archfey N ature, Trickery Arched doorway over a road that vanishes into the d istance U k 'otoa NE The G reat Old O ne, the Knowledge, Tem pest Yellow, slitted eye Hexblade''' Ve sh NE The Archfey, the Undying'"'' Death, Life Crimson ring hanging from a chain Xalicas LG The Archfey, the Celestial'' Life, Light Si ngle blackened wing * The Celestial and Hexblade war lock patrons appear i n Xanathar's Guide to Everything. ,,,., The U ndying warlock patron and the Arcana domain appear in Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide. C HAPTER I I STORY OF WILDEMOUNT who lie spurned and angry at night, calling them to un humanoids in peril that caused her original coven to lock their inner flame and let Desirat aid them in their exile and bind her to Exandria with a magical curse. vengeance. She wanders the land, making deals with people in dire Appearance. Desirat is depicted as a giant phoenix of straits, offering the power to save themselves in return dark purple down, wreathed in purple-black flames. Her for their service. The tasks the Hag Mother asks of sword-like beak is pointed and smooth, while her three those who accept her deals are always dangerous and onyx eyes peer from beneath bright, burning lids. sometimes grotesque and cruel. Some of these quests save lives, while others end them. Others still result in NAVIASK the creation of more hags. Many of the missions seem Once a powerful balor pursuing total annihilation of the to serve no purpose, but the Hag Mother always has a Feywild, Naviask was transformed into a fey spirit by plan. Whether her endgame is to destroy her enemies, Queen Titania of the Summer Court after falling into break her curse, or rule Exandria is known only to the one of her traps. Titania's magic changed Naviask's mis Hag Mother herself. sion to destroy into a quest to heal scarred lands with Appearance. The Hag Mother can take any female hu nature. After the Calamity, Naviask was drawn to Ex manoid form she chooses and often travels in disguise, andria, where he currently remains, seeking to heal the but her true form is that of a gnarled, purple-skinned devastation and ruin that still plague the world. crone with stringy black hair, yellow eyes, and red ram's Naviask's followers say that the strange demon horns that curl back from her forehead. turned-fey wanders the wastes of Xhorhas but is only glimpsed by those he wishes to see him. He aims to heal THE LUXON, THE FIRST RADIANCE the land, but the magics that destroyed Ghor Dranas do Very few throughout Exandria have heard of the Luxon, not easily fade. He searches for those of similar heart and fewer still believe they even exist. The Luxon is the and offers to share his power, so that the land might fi central deity of the Kryn Dynasty and their way of life, nally be healed. but study of the Luxon beyond the borders of Xhorhas Appearance. Naviask retains his balor shape, but his has only recently begun-and such study is mostly mo demonic profile is softened by a verdant hue, and the tivated by the Dwendalian Empire's desire to gain an flowers and vines that adorn his body. The former de advantage in the war. mon's inner fire has been replaced with sunlight, and he The Luxon doesn't have an active consciousness or wields a whip made of pure radiance. personality. The worship of them is largely a system of pure faith, backed by scientific and metaphysical truths QUAJATH, THE UNDERMAW that stem from the discovery of the beacons and the The mystery of whether Quajath is a creation or the Umavi who interpret their meaning (see "Kryn Dynasty" direct progeny of Torog is unknown, but the deranged, in chapter 2). Priests of the Luxon often study dunamis gargantuan worm creature that scouted the Crawling and its primal arcane nature, while others are born King's advances in the Calamity was thought to have with dunamantic gifts granted by the reality-bending been slain in the ferocious final battles. Leaving a siz powers of the beacons. Those that do call on the rarer able portion of its wounded body behind, a slimy frag threads of divinity use the beacons themselves as a ment of Quajath burrowed deep beneath the surface source of magic. and slumbered in the cold earth beneath Eiselcross to Appearance. By all accounts, the Luxon's original recover and regrow. When the Undermaw attempted to form is believed to be a colossal, shapeless body of im rise once more, the elemental ice of Eiselcross proved possibly bright light, like a burning star. Followers of the too strong, and Quajath remains entombed within the Luxon carry small, often hollow, dodecahedrons as a frozen north to this day. symbol of their faith. Some of the wildfolk of Eiselcross have discovered an exposed segment of the Tomb of the Worm, and after THE TRAVELER generations of feeding on its eternally regrowing flesh, This powerful archfey of selfish and anarchic intent, the will of the Undermaw has suffused their minds. who was once known by the name Artagan, drew the Some of these wormkin now wander the world as ves ire of Corellon a millennium ago when his prank-like sels of Quajath's primal drive and alien mind, helping dabblings on the Material Plane left an entire nascent him psychically reach those whose shattered minds can elven culture worshipping a whale carcass. Banished find purpose in following Quajath, taking its gifts of raw to the Feywild and barred from the mortal realm, Art magic and fractured secrets. They seek to one day re agan wandered his home plane for hundreds of years, turn and free it from its icy prison. sowing chaos for his own enjoyment-until he struck a Appearance. Quajath's recovered body resembles a deal with the heroes of Vox Machina that enabled him monstrous, muscular worm of folded, bulbous skin cov to return to the Material Plane. There, he embarked on ered in tooth-like scales. Its jagged mouth is surrounded his latest plot of dubious divinity under a new identity: by a ring of pointed teeth, with a thrice-forked tongue the Traveler. bearing its three ivory eyes. Eccentric, fickle, and prone to whimsy and impulse, the Traveler wanders Exandria, seeking allies and THE HAG MOTHE R followers who entertain him. Lending his powerful Rumored to b e the oldest hag and progenitor of all fey magics in the guise of divine boons and weaving a other hags in Exandria, the Hag Mother arrived in the spreading myth surrounding his secretive purpose, the world just after the Founding. She has a soft spot for C HAPTER l I STORY O F WILD EM OUNT 3'2 Traveler appears when least expected and leaves when XALICAS least preferred. Those who hear of his tenets are prone The Calamity took the lives of mortals and immortals to disbelief, but the occasional "miracle" serves to rein alike. Many angels that fought with the Prime Deities force his influence. Does he wish to become a new god, were slain, and most that survived were wounded. The or is this all still just a game? solar Xalicas, the right hand of the Arch Heart, was so Appearance. The Traveler is often depicted as a tall injured that even the magic of the gods cannot help the elf man hidden within a billowing green cloak, the hood angel regain the ability to see, fly, or leave Exandria. For obscuring his face except for his knowing grin. over a century, Xalicas lay broken and blinded in the Greying Wildlands, moss and plants covering her body, UK'OTOA, THE LEVIATHAN LORD until she had the strength to move, blaming herself for Uk'otoa was created by Zehir and terrorized the seas the small part she played in the Calamity. of Wildemount until the Divergence left the leviathan Now Xalicas wanders Wildemount to make up for the without master or purpose. The surviving indigenous sins of the Calamity and prevent another devastating people of the Swavain Islands, the Ki'Nau, took Uk'otoa war. Her followers attempt to heal war-scarred lands as their guide and god to rule the waters and bring them and repair the natural world. Xalicas knows that alone prosperity. The leviathan elevated the Ki'Nau to conquer and in her injured state she cannot stop all the evils in the southern coasts of the continent until the jealous the world, so the angel lends her power to those she will of Zehir reached beyond the Divine Gate and dis finds worthy: creatures who wish to stop unnecessary covered the insolence of his creation, commanding his war, stand up to tyranny, and defend the innocent. followers to seal away Uk'otoa in the bedrock beneath Appearance. Xalicas is a silver-skinned solar who the Lucidian Ocean. wears a clean white bandage around her eyes. Her body Uk'otoa now reaches out to the dreams of nautical is covered in scars, and one of her wings is blackened wanderers and shipwrecked sailors, lending his power and burned. to those who wish to rule the sea as he once did, beck oning them to free him from his suboceanic prison O R I G I N S OF T H E LUXON with promises of arcane gifts and the blessing of the blade known as the Sword of Fathoms, an extension According to the teachings of the Kryn and the U mavi who scribe their faith, it is believed that long before the gods of of Uk'otoa's will and influence. His consciousness has Exandria came to shape this world, there was a time when found the minds of Desirat and Quajath, and the three a s ingle Light came from the dark noth ingness. Other have a tenuous accord to convince mortals to find and l ights came i nto being around them, settling as the stars free them from their binds. in the cosmos. This one Light, however, resisted the force Appearance. Uk'otoa takes the form of an incredibly that beckoned them to burn l i ke their star-fated brethren. massive sea serpent. His coiled and twisting length is This one Light wanted to u nderstand what they were and covered with fins, scales, and amber eyes, with a head chose to wander alone, choosing a different path. This ending in a pointed, fanged jaw and a face of three choice led to endless stretches of lonely dark, the voices amber eyes. of the stars silent to the Light that walked away. Lonely, they wandered u ntil they found a cold, dark rock: a world. VESH, THE BLOODY SIREN The Light grew fond of this rock, seeing it as lonely as they were, and embraced it. They sparked a fi re within, cracking None know whether Vesh is a witch or a demigod, the surface and givin g fiery l i fe to the cold world. but she has walked Exandria for centuries, seducing From withi n the fiery core, the Light began to watch the those who pry into forbidden magics and drawing them world change and turn, the chaos giving birth to the first to her as possible suitors. Acolytes cultivate sects of souls: the Primordials. Amazed with their children, the worshipers who engage in ritualistic orgies and mas Light wanted to guide them to learn of themselves, which ochistic rites, these hedonistic rituals culminating with i n turn would help the Light discover their own pu rpose her selection of a mate. Vesh feeds on the unchosen but the children warred amongst themselves and killed in a bloody massacre before laying with her selected one another, their souls born of the Light becoming lost survivor and vanishing to her realm. Their essences to the dark beyond. Confused but determi ned, the Light intertwined, she then lends her strength to her mate, decided that a time of learn i ng was requi red, and that a cycle of trial and error mu st be enacted for their chi ldren of watching over them for life. chaos to better themselves. Sacrificing a majority of their A being with conflicting duality, Vesh has moods own essence, the Light created beacons of their own self, that demand sacrifice and pain, and others that ask crystals of great power that enacted a cycle of rebirth for for benevolence and mercy. Because Vesh's whims are those who were bound to the Light. truly unknown, many who wish to gain her favor and Thi s act exhausted the Light, and they fel l into a deep attention commit terrible acts. While she has many slumber withi n the core of the world, awaiting a time partners, she is a jealous patron who demands the true where the children of their own m i nd would learn from l ife heart of her chosen. Those who stray are never heard to l ife, through eons of struggle and self-reflection, u ntil from again. the knowledge had matu red enough to reassemble them, Appearance. Vesh resembles a nude woman with awaken them, and the children could grant the answer to the question the Light had sought from the very begi n n ing: faintly glowing gray skin, long purple hair, and un what are they and what was their pu rpose? This Light is naturally long arms and fingers that end in claw-like now referred to by the mortal followers of the Kryn as nails. Her eyes are pale white with no iris, and her ex the Luxon. pression varies from alluring to monstrous depending on her mood. C HAPTER 1 I STORY O F WILD E M OUNT 33 �haptcr 2 FACTION S A N D SOCIETIE S UEENS, KINGS, EMPERORS, NOBLES . . . BENEATH Dwendalian society has a rigid caste system, in which the rhetoric, it's all the same. They say they fight denizens who have mastery over the arcane are con sidered elite members of society. Many Dwendalian to protect your families. They say they fight to ladies and lords came from a sorcerous bloodline or enforce your beliefs, your honor. Fight for a studied the arcane arts within the walls of the Soltryce better tomorrow. Fight for virtue, for prosperity. Bottom Academy. Those who especially excel in their magics line, it's all aboutfighting, and it's you that diesfighting for or were born into prominent families can come to hold power as a member of the Cerberus Assembly, a council their cause. of extremely powerful mages that works directly with -Unknown soldier, King Dwendal and his councilors to develop and enforce Collected Tales of the Marrow War laws throughout Western Wynandir. However, distrust between the king and the Cerberus Assembly runs deep, for they both wish to eliminate the other and enjoy From the ashes of a land devastated by the Calamity uncontested power. grew the civilizations of a new age. The survivors Most cities and townships throughout the empire are claimed land across the continent, forged alliances, and ruled by a local government under the leadership of a made enemies as they fought for power and influence. starosta, usually a native baron appointed by the Crown Wildemount is shaped by the ideals and interests of its and the Cerberus Assembly. Reporting directly to the factions, from powerful governments to covert societies. king's council, the starosta is given absolute control over This war-torn continent is a fertile landscape for adven local government, appointing and maintaining responsi turers on a quest for greatness. bility for the heads of the city guard (watchmaster), the regional military (warmaster), local commerce (coin DWENDALIAN EMPIRE master), infrastructure (pithmaster), religious practices The Dwendalian Empire has reigned over Western (idolmaster), and the courts of law (lawmaster). Twice a Wynandir for over twelve generations. Imperial rule is year, tithe collectors (nicknamed "Reapers") visit each maintained through its powerful military, its policy of imperial city to inspect households for records and proof religious restriction, and the support of the secretive of income, collecting a percentage of their earnings in Cerberus Assembly. Though these institutions nomi coin as determined by the tithe collector. nally exist to ensure the safety of the populace from for The empire's military force currently stands at around eign threats, terrible dangers that wander the wilds, and 35,300 Righteous Brand soldiers across all regiments, lingering evils that seep from the scars of the Calamity, and 5,200 Crownsguard across all cities. The majority they also allow the empire to maintain strict social order of the Righteous Brand forces were deployed to fortifi within its territories. cations along the Xhorhasian border at the onset of the King Bertrand Dwendal is now two months past his current war. sixty-eighth birthday, and his iron will has not wavered Soon after the Dwendalian bloodline came into with age. A tall, powerful man, King Dwendal rewards power, there was a short-lived rebellion helmed by reli loyalty and swiftly punishes insolence and failure. His gious civilians. It was swiftly quelled and the rebel lead family has developed a totalitarian rule that reaps heavy ers were executed in an event known as the Admonition. taxes and looms over society with a military presence The ruling class has regarded religion with suspicion that only grows stronger with proximity to the capital ever since, believing that faith inspires the unworthy city of Rexxentrum. While civic unrest does rise be to rise above their station and spark fruitless rebellion. yond mere mutterings from time to time, reminders of Instead of abolishing all religious practices, the empire the dangerous creatures that live beyond the guarded regulates worship within its boundaries. All temples are borders of each city and the protections offered within owned and run by the government, and must be dedi the empire generally keep the populace in line. Those cated to deities approved by the Crown. Priests and cler that rebel often find themselves in chains or forgotten in ics are on the Crown's payroll to preach only approved a dungeon. religious texts. Keeping private shrines or worshiping C HAPTER 2 I FACTIONS AND S O C IETI E S 35 of the evils that stalk the edges of civilization generally outweighs any frustrations about civil liberties, and the relative peace provided within the confines of Western Wynandir is welcomed. However, dissidents have begun to speak loudly of their discontent, and the growing trend of uproar is making King Dwendal quite irritable. Landlocked and reliant on the trade avenues of the Menagerie Coast, the Dwendalian Empire maintains a respectful and mutually beneficial relationship with the Clovis Concord. Agents of both nations watch the bor ders, and an occasional political gesture of good faith satisfies those in power. Still, the empire doesn't trust the concord by any stretch of the imagination, and a secret world of subterfuge is alive and well. Historically, the Cerberus Assembly has been respon sible for much of the empire's acquisition and retention of power, but the royal bloodline has always harbored a paranoid dislike of the council of mages. Handshakes and smiles hide distrust, and the king correctly assumes that the assembly is merely biding their time to attempt to challenge his power. The King and his chamber ignore most foreign pow ers. Requests for alliances from the Council of Tal'Dorei and the distant city of Ank'Harel have been met with indifference, and efforts to install a skyport in Rexxen trum to enable easier foreign travel have been continu ously shut down. D w E N D A L I A N E M P I RE C R E S T FIGURES OF I NTEREST outside official temples is punishable by fines or im A number of personages maintain the power and influ prisonment. The only deities that are approved by the ence of the empire, some working to expand its power, empire are Erathis the Law Bearer, Bahamut the Plati while others seek to redeem their country. num Dragon, Moradin the All-Hammer, Pelor the Dawn Father, Ioun the Knowing Mentor, and the Raven Queen, KING BERTRAND DwENDAL Matron of Death. Lawful neutral, male human King Bertrand was raised with the strict beliefs of the GOALS Dwendalian royal family, and his mounting responsibil The empire uses the plentiful resources of the Marrow ities as the leader of one of Exandria's greatest nations Valley and sizable tithes gathered from citizens to pro weighs heavily on him. Bertrand is a dark, clever, and of tect their people and maintain control over Western ten paranoid king-and a lonely one since his wife Duvia Wynandir, while keeping a keen eye out for opportuni passed away nearly ten years ago. Fiercely nationalistic ties to expand their influence across the continent. and proud of his heritage, the king harbors a disdain for The empire's religious proscriptions are proving more outsiders and their challenges to imperial rule; he often and more difficult to enforce in this time of conflict. has emissaries thrown from the borders or imprisoned Theolocrat Kon Bruda is helming a new directive to until a replacement is sent to barter for their release. align religious texts with less oppressive terminology, in Bertrand does genuinely wish to protect the lives of his an attempt to redirect discontent away from the Crown people and be remembered as the best of his bloodline. and onto the heretics beyond the borders. However, civil unrest is brewing, and his frustrations Now that tensions with Xhorhas have erupted into all with the Cerberus Assembly only intensify his forceful out war with the Kryn Dynasty, the Crown is spreading demeanor. His only living son, Eidys, has been unable to propaganda through all aspects of daily life to unite the produce an heir, and King Bertrand fears that his family people of the empire against their common enemy. They line will come to an end, an obsession which drives him hope to garner support for the war by reinforcing ru to seek out a way to prolong his life. mors about the kidnapping of Dwendalian children and the Kryn's violent and cannibalistic nature. CHAMBERLAIN QUESELIA VIR Neutral good, female elf RELATIONSHIPS Chamberlain to the previous king and now to Bertrand, Though many citizens gripe about the empire's restric Queselia handles all affairs regarding the management tive laws, the majority have grown accustomed to a of the house of Dwendal. Trusted deeply by the king, comfortable lifestyle under imperial protection. Fear Queselia refuses to give into the brooding tendencies of C HAPTER 2 I FACTI O N S AND S O C I ETIES her monarch and hopes to guide him toward a more just EXCHEQUER AETHIA D ROOZE rule. Although she is unable to protect him from his own Lawful neutral, female dwarf unreasonable impulses, she hopes to find a way to curb Aethia is in charge of the tithes from the various cities his self-destructive behavior. within the empire and is the overseer of the biannual PRINCE EIDYS DWENDAL collections by her tithe collectors. She absolutely loves Neutral good, male human numbers and wealth, taking joy in squeezing every cop per she can from those who are legally obliged to pay. Heir to the throne of the empire, Eidys has shown great Obsessed with efficiency and intolerant of sloppy work, strength in physical combat and war games, but little Aethia will even comb through the ledgers of her subor cunning in social or political matters. Though he was dinates late into the night in order to achieve numerical once eager to please his father, the consistent lack of ap perfection. proval has left Eidys jaded. Happy to live an extravagant life free from crushing responsibility, he's been eager to GUILDMASTER KAI ARNESS produce a child to whom he could abdicate should his Lawful evil, male human father pass. However, he and his wife, Princess Suria Kai came to prominence within Rexxentrum through Dwendal, have been unable to conceive. The king has the Arness family's illustrious connections within the all but given up on his son, leaving the prince dejected merchant guilds of the empire. He earned the nickname and bitter. "Goldfang" for his penchant for sneaking missing profit PRINCESS SURIA DWENDAL from the pockets of businesses unable to pay member Chaotic neutral, female human ship fees and taxes. Respected and feared for ruthlessly governing the many guilds and organizations that drive Wed into the royal family from her own noble house of the Dwendalian economy, his private worship of As Saugiss, Suria was filled with pride to bring honor to modeus guides his ambition to mingle with dangerous her family. Unfortunately, the unexpected difficulty in figures in the empire. The guildmaster often works with producing an heir has put her and her husband out of Exchequer Drooze to maintain the proper flow of gold favor with the king. Unwilling to give up, Suria is seek into the coffers of the empire. ing to remedy the situation by any means necessary, no matter how unnatural. ARGONOMIST JUNE WISTON Chaotic good, female half-elf PRIME ARBITER SYDNOCK TRUSCAN Lawful evil, male human June is seen as a studious spitfire, and she has unex pectedly proven to also be a masterful bureaucrat with The Truscan family are longtime allies of the Dwenda a talent for exploiting legal loopholes. Driven by a youth lian bloodline, and Sydnock managed to advance his in poverty, she swore to help repair a broken system of family's influence within the empire above most other agricultural distribution. By making the right moves and noble houses. Rising to become the Prime Arbiter of the right friends-and making a loud fuss when neces Rexxentrum, Sydnock has final say on all matters of law sary-she eventually became a folk hero to the under that do not require the king's attention. A brutal man privileged. Hoping to watch her eat her words and col with a grudge against religious empowerment, Sydnock lapse under the pressure of imperial politics, the Crown is constantly attempting to sniff out corruption within offered her chief management over all agriculture in the approved structure of worship within the empire. the position of Argonomist. Much to their chagrin, she's His estranged daughter Lydia disagrees with his ruth proven both driven and capable, pushing for advanced less methods and now lives in Zadash as an advocate for change in the empire. Unable to discard someone so civilian rights. high profile during a time of general unrest, the Crown instead endures her work while attempting to bury her C ROWN MARSHAL HAYDEN DAMURAG in red tape. Lawful neutral, nonbinary human As a decorated veteran of the imperial military who has THEOLOCRAT KON BRUDA served for nearly twenty years, Hayden is a highly re Lawful neutral, male human spected soldier and clever tactician who is instrumental Once a monk of the Cobalt Soul, Kon Bruda's faith in in the campaign against the Kryn Dynasty. Known to be the Knowing Mentor has waned since accepting the stern but adaptable in the face of adversity, they've risen office of Theolocrat. Kon is a specialist in the histor- through the ranks and now directly advise the king on ical and social workings of modern religion. When all major military actions. Hayden prefers to avoid court the previous Theolocrat passed away, he accepted the life, especially as their practicality often clashes with post out of a sense of duty, then became accustomed Sydnock Truscan's cold cynicism. Currently assigned to to the lavish lifestyle afforded by his position. He helps oversee the defense of the besieged eastern front at the the Crown alter existing religious texts and write ap Rockguard Garrison, the Crown Marshal is doing their proved sermons and prayers for distribution throughout best to keep their soldiers safe and the enemy at bay. the empire. C HAPTER 2 I FACTIO N S AND S O C I ETIE S 37 EMISSARY LORD ZEDDAN GRAF KRYN DYNASTY Neutral good, male human The Kryn Dynasty rules the northern wastes of Xhor A beloved noble and socialite from the House of Graf, has, and has only revealed itself to the wider world Zeddan showed prowess in gathering rumors for his within the past century. Centered around-and under own entertainment. The cunning Sydnock Truscan saw the ruins of Ghor Dranas in Eastern Wynandir, the dy promise in Zeddan's talents and recommended him to nasty governs many townships and small villages where the king to become the empire's lead emissary. Now the Kryn have helped establish a modicum of civilized acting as the diplomatic contact to the world beyond living among the nomadic wastefolk. They believe that the empire's boundaries, Zeddan is eager to do the beings not yet beyond redemption can be turned to the Crown's bidding while rooting out gossip that may prove light of the Luxon, and often struggle with the unruly politically expedient. In his travels, Lord Zeddan often denizens of the wastes, hoping to gain converts to their crosses paths with Lord Athesias Uludan of the Cer cause and faith. Those that do accept the dynasty often berus Assembly, and the pair loathe each other deeply. do so because they seek protection from the dregs of the Zeddan is desperately trying to convince the king to Calamity that wander the wastes, as well as the scouts install a Skyship Tower in Rexxentrum to make his trav of the Dwendalian Empire. els easier. Dark elves are the most populous race within the Kryn Dynasty. The drow were the first people to un OLIVER SCHREIBER, RETAINER TO THE C ROWN cover the first buried Luxon beacon many ages ago, in a Lawful neutral, male gnome time before they turned from Lolth and escaped enslave Most know Oliver as the immediate head servant to the ment from the Betrayer Gods. The dark elves claimed king and the royal family for nearly three generations, the dread citadel of Ghor Dranas as their own, as well but Oliver is also the secret head of the Augen Trust, as the massive network of underground caverns that the Crown's elite spy network. The Augen Trust uses make up the Underdark of Wildemount. The Kryn are extreme secrecy, false identities, and infiltration into stealthily becoming a force to be reckoned with. allied and opposing societies to acquire information and The Kryn drow who emerged from the shadowed inform the Crown of any threats to its goals. As one of depths of the caverns beneath Xhorhas now endure peri the most trusted members of King Bertrand Dwendal's ods of sunlight as part of their worship, though their cit circle, Oliver holds more power than his compatriots ies are shaded by umbra! magic during daylight hours. would believe. When hunting, or in times of conflict, the warriors of the Kryn don their signature chitinous armor. A series of LAWS OF T H E O W E N D A L I A N E M PI R E small airways woven through this armor can be opened A s judged by the eyes o f the local lawmaster, appointed to emit a loud, clicking buzz to intimidate their foes as hands of that lawmaster, or the Law Bearer herself, any they charge. This noise has inspired outsiders to call the c riminals discovered a nd/or convicted of crimes with in Kryn "cricks," referring to this cricket-like din. local halls of j udgment throughout the empire are sub Artifacts left behind by the Luxon that hold its es ject to punishments befitting the crime. All fi nes and sence are known as Luxon beacons and are coveted punishments for crimes agai nst a Crownsguard member, by the Kryn Dynasty as central to their civilization. If a Righteous Brand soldier, or noble are doubled. All fines proven soul is ritualistically bound to a Luxon beacon, and punishments regarding crimes against an i m perial of they can enter a process called the consecution: when a ficial or associate of the Cerberus Assembly are tripled. mortal bound to the Luxon dies within a hundred miles Theft: 5-1 0 days incarceration and/or a fine of twice the of a beacon, the beacon ensnares their soul from its worth of the stolen goods. intended afterlife and prepares it to be reborn in a new Worship of non-empire gods: 30 days i ncarceration and a child within that same vicinity. When that child then ma fine of 250 gp. tures into adolescence, they begin to recall subtle knowl Ownership of another intelligent humanoid creature: edge from their past life's experiences, a process called 1 2-20 months i ncarceration and a fine of 1 ,800 gp. anamnesis. Through meditation with a guide, they can Trespassing: 1 2 days incarceration and/or a fine of 21 5 gp. unlock the memories of their past lives and become a Failure to pay taxes to the Crown: 5-30 days i ncarcer ation and a repossession of property equal to the more complete being. When a soul has cycled enough to amount owed. believe they are ready to greet the Luxon, they are called Damage to private property: 5-1 5 days incarceration or a an Umavi, or "perfect soul," and are revered within the fine of twice the worth of property destroyed. Kryn society. Some beings that naturally reincarnate, Damage to Crown property: l 5-60 days incarceration and such as the phoenix, are considered holy creatures that a fine of twice the worth of p roperty destroyed. carry a shard of the Luxon within themselves. Kidnapping: 60 days i n carceration and/or a fine of 800 gp. If a life continues long enough to achieve a state of Assault with intent to injure: 30 days incarceration and/or clarity called achess, where they believe that they've a fi ne of 3 50 gp. learned all they can learn from their current life, they Assault with intent to kill: 250 days incarceration and/or a can choose to partake in a ritualistic termination of fine of 1 ,800 gp, or execution. their current life, assisted by an Umavi in proximity to a Murder: 8-1 5 years i ncarceration and/or a fine of 6,000 gp, beacon, thereby setting them on the path to a new birth. or execution. While considered an honor within the Kryn Dynasty, Treason: execution. this practice is misunderstood and seen as barbaric out side their culture. C H APTER 2 I FACTIO N S A N D S O C I ET I E S The Kryn Dynasty is a society restructured from the Lolthite history they rejected. The people of the dynasty stand under the first Umavi, known as Bright Queen Leylas Kryn. Beneath the first Umavi, there are twelve noble Dens that mark families of souls who have lived together through generations: Dens Kryn, Mirimm, Thelyss, Hythenos, Icozrin, Biylan, Tasithar, Duen dalos, Daev'yana, Omrifar, Beltune, and Zolaed. When someone is believed to be experiencing anamnesis, they submit to a deep meditation with a guide trained in the ways of consecution. This process helps restore memories of the past life, which then mingle with cur rent memories. The awakened soul is then reunited with their Den. Dens do grow as new souls enter the consecution and join their ranks, and new Dens are established with each generation. The oldest Dens, especially those helmed by an Umavi, are held in the highest esteem, and generally answer directly to the Bright Queen. The older the soul, the more prestige it holds in the dynasty. Beneath the Dens of Rosohna, guilds and Den represen tatives govern the other cities of the dynasty that stretch across Xhorhas, spreading the faith of the Luxon and watching over all Xhorhasians who seek the safety of civilization. This seemingly benevolent societal structure does have a dark side. A closely guarded secret of the highest Umavi is a challenge in the consecution called typhros: some souls that have undergone multiple cycles of the consecution are driven mad when their minds cannot reconcile the memories of many lifetimes. Those who fall to typhros are quietly removed from the dynasty and either left in the wastes or mercifully slain away from KRYN DYNASTY CREST the beacons. Signs of madness are beginning to show in the Bright Queen herself, but those closest to her do all The Aurora Watch legionnaires of the Kryn currently they can to shield others from such portents. number around 2 1,600 in total. Around 1 3,200 Aurora It is believed that the Luxon cherishes unity in com Watch are divided among the cities under the dynasty's munity, but also values free choice and the power of the protection, with another 3,300 Aurora Watch stationed individual mind. For each soul to carve a unique path is in and around the capital of Rosohna-formerly known the best way for a soul to learn about the world. Casting as Ghor Dranas-to keep the peace and defend the off the teachings of Fate and Destiny taught by some of region. Approximately 5,100 soldiers are scattered the current pantheon, the followers of the Luxon are throughout the Underdark beneath Wildemount at dif taught that the real power of the universe comes from ferent locations of interest, many employing magically the power of choice. Many possible futures all await controlled purple worms to allow elite units to navigate your path, and the universe trembles with anticipatory the caverns quickly. The remainder of the watch is sta power as you approach every decision. This power is tioned along the border of Western Wynandir to prevent called dunamis, the energy of potentiality, and the co the empire's incursions-and to seize land from the em alescing architecture of the multiple futures leading into pire as they advance. each moment is released when an outcome is brought to reality. It is the energy that suffuses every Luxon beacon to prepare the lives to come, and it is the basis of the GOALS Kryn's unique divine crafts and arcane abilities. The primary objective of the Kryn Dynasty is to seek The Kryn Dynasty has uncovered four beacons and out and recover the Luxon beacons presumed to be scat is certain that more remain to be discovered. It is be tered across Exandria. Not only does each beacon bring lieved that once all the beacons are brought together, them closer to the eventual rebirth of the Luxon, they the Luxon will be summoned from their slumber to ask also help broaden the boundaries of the Kryn society their children the great question and impart the truth. It as a new center of the consecution, allowing expansion is said that at this time, the Luxon will take those who into new lands and the continued conversion of others. entered the consecution and abandon this lesser world With two of their four beacons now missing, the Bright to start a new world elsewhere. Queen and her people are desperate to discover more of these sacred artifacts. C HAPTER 2 I FACTI O N S AND S O C IETIE S 39
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