Account of Duranae

Avandra’s Smile

Elves

• variety of blood
  

  It is theorized that elves are the creations of Sehanine - an ever-changing shape-shifter god. Many races are said to have spawned from the elves. The most apparent ones are the high elves of Bel’aheldan and the wood elves of Minheimia.

  Less known of elvish relations are harpies, banshees, eldarin, and even ghouls.

  Rest assured that any form an elf takes will always be better than yours. Hubris!

  • harpies
    

    Cruel and spiteful creatures, the first harpy is said to come from a female elf who stumbled upon Sehanine himself in a forest. Sehanine paid her no attention and had departed as quickly as he was noticed. But the elf had fallen in love. She was unable to find him, and fell into a deep sorrow. She cursed the gods for exposing her to such beauty. Her hatred took form and gave her wings, and turned her heart to evil.

    That an elf could get so resentful and disgruntled to turn their arms to feathered wings and legs of a bird of prey is ridiculous. Elves fall in love and have highly emotional heartbreaks all of the time, but we never hear about them turning to harpies.

  • banshees
    

    Scholars record that Banshees are elves who lived lives of excess of some kind, and when they perished they continued to live on as dreadful undead creatures. They beautiful yet marred apparitions whose love for their excess continues in their restless afterlife. They dwell in their homes of old, usually in ruins of elven establishments. Given time they drive out all of the other occupants, or kill them, assuming they didn’t do either in their former lives already.

    To stop a banshee is a boastful claim indeed. The banshee’s wail brings their suffering unto their victims, and the wail is often too much for the living to bear.

    On my travels we came across forgotten wood-elven cities, and one such had a mirror. My companion picked it up, and looked upon it. I could see in the reflection a gaunt, ghostly face behind him, with glowing eyes. It was reaching towards him. I turned to face it, thinking the reflection was showing me where the real creature was. But nothing was there. When I turned back to my companion, Wilfred I think was his name, the mirror was on the ground, and Wilfred was no where to be seen. I looked for 10 minutes, which is twice the time I promise to any of my guides.

    In my nightmares I think of that face in the mirror. I still remember Wilfred’s face staring back at me too. The face in the mirror perfectly matches the accounts I could find of the pale and ale-addled folks I could find.

    Many rumors exist of such a mirror exist. Some claim it can be a portal to a realm that is a dark mockery of ours called the “Shadowfell” or some such nonsense, and its location is always that of the banshee’s domain. A domain locked in permanent pain and suffering. That’s right, my friend: Even elves and their offshoots suffer better than you do. Others have said a blade could be forged around a shard of such a mirror, and its cut saps the life out of anything it touches. If one wielded two such blades and rang them together, it would create a splitting sound akin to the wail of a banshee, and to similar deadly effect! Fortunately we do not live in such a world of madness, and no scholar has documented such weapons.

  • eldarin
    

    The elves will tell you that eldarin are but a close cousin race like the wood elves are to the high elves, and they change their appearance and demeanor with the seasons. They are said to be much more strongly tied with the fey and share the whimsicalness that comes with it. I’ve met an eldarin once and it didn’t change with the seasons, but every day! The elves come up with such stories, and they make things difficult to get a true account!

  • TODO ghouls
    

    Logan didn’t fill this out.

• Bel’aheldan
  
  • magical wonderment
    

    In Bel’aheldan, even the peasant class seem to be tied with some magic. They have the floors swept with unmanned brooms, and clean clothes of their masters with but a thought.

    They call themselves the high elves - one presumes because they are so arrogant - and seem to universally display an affinity to the use of magical spells.

    The nation of Bel’aheldan itself carries with it a mission to use magic for the betterment of all, and rid of us the need for manual labors and petty chores. But they don’t understand that summoned food and water can never beat finely aged wine. Cleaning clothing is more than washing - it is restoring the original lift to the clothes! What magic makes a collar carry the flare of knowing a servant has poured their love of the craft and even the love of their master into it? I still miss Wilfred’s attention to detail. But I digress.

    When they aren’t trying to foolishly rid themselves of the peasantry, they collectively apply magic to create wondrous infrastructure. It is said that even the small villages of Bel’aheldan harbor portals to Cendwar in the event of some catastrophic emergency.

  • army
    

    Troops carry medallions that notify their generals of death of the troops from afar. The troops themselves can also be signaled for withdrawal with the medallions. The medallion changes from a gentle blue to a deep yellow when the troop is being summoned. It is no surprise that the elven army calls their troops “Bel’heldin” - roughly “sky-fighters” in the common tongue, and the generals are “Val’Genier”, or “seeing suns”.

    If “Bel’heldin” sounds familiar to you, it is because “Bel’aheldan” itself translates into common as “People of the sky”, “Moon shone ones”, or “Star children” depending on the inflection.

  • dress
    

    The high elves tend to decorate themselves with feathers and moon stone. To be high elf of Bel’aheldan is to be elevated, wise, connected with the weave which is the essence of the world, and most of all it’s easy to hold your nose up to the rest of us.

  • houses
    

    Bel’aheldan have houses devoted to the various schools of magic, and some houses whose specialty is either divine or of some non-scholastic arcane source. Houses can be thought of as loose affiliations of families who share interest in the same sorts of discoveries. The reality is much more complex than that, but it’s a good place to start. Houses all must devote a share of their populace to guard or patrol duty. The most common patrols are for Tentaku to keep the orcs from making incursions. The patrols themselves can address small amounts of orcs on their own, but anything larger and they call upon the Bel’heldin. Contributing to army functions are a way for a house lacking in magical accomplishments to earn some prestige. In the past, the less prestigious houses were underrepresented in Bel’aheldanii affairs, and so houses resorted to toxic extremes to earn recognition and therefore power amongst their peers.

    Today, Bel’aheldan ensures that all houses can only go so far with their prestige. Instead prestigious positions are managed by multiple houses, and a house may only have so many dignitaries.

  • magic
    

    The Bel’aheldanii do not covet magical knowledge for their sole use, and freely share it. Some of the best dwarven architects are known to study a great deal amongst these elves. This is so they can use enchanted materials to do more with their structures.

    In its darker times, there was less regulation on what kinds of magics were studied, and houses contended more fiercely for honor and recognition amongst their ranks. The combination of these things has led to Bel’aheldan’s greatest disasters - such as fiendish incursions and a nation-wide spell cast upon every citizen within its borders.

    Exploration of the weave is kept in check today as well. Magical studies require researchers from at least three houses are participating in the study.

  • neighbors
    
    • Tentaku
      

      The elves and orcs have a long standing hatred. There are no embassies amongst these lands. Bel’aheldan has taken up the mantle of being the first line of defense in orcish incursion. Along the southern borders of Tentaku are Bel’aheldanii patrols. The eastern border and lake of Toadslick is held by Bel’aheldanii. Nomasgard used to hold the land, but when orcs broke through and circled into elven territory through a relatively unguarded border, it was deemed that Bel’aheldanii would hold jurisdiction there. Nomasgard bolsters Tentaku’s eastern front with troops of their own. Many trackers and scouts receive their training alongside the elves. It is a strong symbol of the alliance of the two nations, and rumored to be the result of most half elves born out of Duranae. Here the elves do all the teaching, because as we all know, Elves are better than us at everything.

    • Minheimia
      

      The nation of Minheimia has an estranged relationship with Bel’aheldan. Minheimia contributes to southeastern patrols, and fill gaps in the Bel’aheldanii defenses as needed. This is out of sense of kindred and hatred of orcs in equal parts. Though there are writings indicating that Bel’aheldan and Minheimia were both a single nation, but the high elves lorded over their more nature-bound cousins. The wood elves claimed second class citizenry, and were considered subjugated. Some of the oldest wood elves compare it to outright slavery. The ancient members of the Bel’aheldanii claim it was for their protection and welfare. Both can agree that wood elves departed to the east and stood in a line that marks the Bel’aheldanii-Minheimian border today. Then they did the most absurd thing; they stared at each other for 3 days and 3 nights. At which point they parted, and Minheimia has been its own sovereign nation since then.

      The foundation of Minheimia is considered mythical as much of the other elves’ ancient history. There is evidence of heavy conflict in Bel’aheldan’s soil. Shallow graves, armor and weapons left with the bodies, and ruins of towns that never got rebuilt litter Bel’aheldan everywhere, not in any relation to the Bel’aheldanii-Tentakish border. There are some records that indicate Bel’aheldan entered a time called “The Blight of Devils”, which suggests one side or another employed infernal powers long ago - probably for the civil war itself.

      If elves wouldn’t lean so hard on their symbolism maybe we’d know the real truth.

      Elves forget slowly, and for generations to stop passing on their inherited hatreds takes much longer than the rest of us, but there are signs of healing. Minheimia lends its scouts and naturalists to aid the Bel’aheldan borders with Tentaku.

    • Nomasgard
      

      The melting pot nation of Nomasgard share a close alliance with Bel’aheldan. Duranae’s use of magic in the city’s foundation itself has attracted the high wizards of Bel’aheldan since the nations have recorded history of each other. Nomasgard’s arcanists similarly frequent to the capital of Cendwar to delve into more magical secrets.

      Wizards from both cities can easily afford the teleportation fees.

      Nomasgard and Bel’aheldan share defensive duties amongst Tentaku’s southeastern borders. Both elven blade and bow-work are passed onto the troops there, and combative casters can put their magical theories to the test. Can you imagine how dangerous magical studies would be if they were practiced indoors with nothing but the citizenry nearby? I shudder to think of the property damage.

  • trade
    

    The chief export of Bel’aheldan is magic - in a sense. Wizards can be chartered to perform great magical acts, give advice on arcane matters, create magical artifacts, and some suggest the capture and storage of weapons too powerful for individuals or even nations to responsibly bear.

    In turn Bel’aheldan seeks magics to supplement their own arts. The state itself pays handsomely for moonstone. Officials whisper when there is enough moonstone accumulated to have a statue of every high elf, all the high elves will depart the realm and take on a new form that is one of raw magic, and they shall live in the weave itself.

• Minheimia
  

  The elven nation of Minheimia takes its name from the elvish “minhela”, meaning “unshackled”, “unbridled”, or even “unsaddled”, and the “eimia” part of the name means “stand of” in common, but backwards because it’s elvish. Minheimia claims to have splintered from Bel’aheldan in a civil war that - I can’t make this up - ended with all of the wood elves and high elves staring at each other at what is now the border between the two, and not a drop of blood.

  • fertile land unspoiled
    

    Minheimia is a beautiful land with lush grasslands broken by dense forests with proud trees. Spire Fur trees grow to enormous heights and cast out wide branches. Much of the forests, including the capital of Kep Aelar itself, are covered by a canopy that leaves everything dark, like a deep overcast without the gloom. At least most of the time. Some places in those forests instill some primal fear - like every branch is an outreached arm, and every shadow conceals eyes that stare upon you with dreadful malice.

    Even the mountains to Minheimia’s eastern side are covered in lush plant life. The Ring River between Minheimia and Nomasgard is said to look like moving glass.

    In my travels, I never found a farm of any kind. No fields, no fenced areas, and no obviously domesticated animals. The Minheimians truly live in harmony with the land.

  • military
    

    The primary armed forces in Minheimia are their scout-trackers, and naturalists. The scout-trackers are said to do sniper duty - killing enemy leaders and sending armies into disarray - all without being caught. The naturalists command nature itself to lash out at their foes. Imagine grass tickling an armored army! Ridiculous!

  • structures
    

    Every structure in Minheimia looks like a stone ruin. Half made buildings with no roofs - sometimes they have more complicated configurations, but all of them share a sense of exposure and a deep lack of privacy. The wood elves are an open people and either sleep under the stars or the trees. Some have dirt or leaf litter for flooring. Generally if some elves want a private conversation, they either go for a walk or write in the dirt to one another.

    One structure of note is the arena of Kep Aelar, which suggests a savage side to the wood elves, in keeping with their close bond to nature.

  • neighbors
    
    • Nomasgard
      

      Records exist of a war when the simple southwestern folk of Nomasgard began a lumbering project that went unchecked. Though still Nomasgard territory, the scout-trackers of Minheimia learned of this and began humiliating the lumberjacks of the area. Humiliation then turned to injury. Eventually injury gave way to death. A war was started. Nomasgardian forces were dispatched, and though blood was shed on both sides, Nomasgard shed the most. In an act of frustration the forces were split and went to set fire to the trees as a way of injuring the elves. The original lumber project was forgotten, and only vengeance was what the humans had appetite for. The wood elves record that, without any prompting on their end, gnomes of the local area - presumably living in or under these trees - baffled the humans with illusions and caused the humans to set fire to their own crops! The humans eventually learned to touch a tree before burning it. The elves surrendered to spare a forest that wasn’t even theirs. The Nomasgard general was a practical one, and conscripted the elves to help them push the borders of Tentaku back on the Nomasgard front. They accomplished their goal, but all of the scout-trackers perished.

      Today Minheimia and Nomasgard live in peace and have better outlines of territory and respect for the land. A descendant of the general gave the land won by the scout-trackers to Minheimia. Nomasgard forces hold it to this day, but Minheimians are considered sovereigns to that odd speck of territory. Some of the relatives of the scout-trackers travel the grave sites there as pilgrimage.

    • Gazgren
      

      Gazgren is far from the bulk of Minheimia, but the grave sites near Tentaku are not. The hatred of orcs and elves is well known enough for a silly goblin to tell you. The hobgoblins planned an ambush for the main remembrance day at the grave site, and upon executing it were able to capture all of the elves there. Just as their relatives were pushed to conscription, so too were these elves compelled by the goblinoids to fight for territory and spoils for the goblinoid armies. They initially performed well, and earned much trust from the goblinoids from consistent results. The hogoblin commanders promised freedom once the next camp was taken, but the promise was remade again for yet another camp, and so on. Not being a group of just scout-trackers, these elves were able to fool the hobgoblins into approaching an orc stronghold thinking its defenders dead and spoils ready for the taking. The orcs thought themselves to be reinforced by a neighboring tribe that was weaker and understood who was really in charge. Both parties were caught by surprise when the veil was removed. Inside the camp the fight was brutal. The few survivors were swiftly dispatched by the wood elves, and they razed the camp. A war wagon piled with orc ears and hobgoblin heads was found deserted in Gazgren’s territory just outside of Tentaku. The hogoblins received the message that the elves would not be used in such a way again.

    • Tentaku
      

      One topic any two kinds of elves can agree on is hatred of orcs. Minheimia sends small parties of its ranging and naturalist troops to help watch the southeastern borders of Tentaku. They also have members that help watch Tentaku’s easter fronts, and watch over their burial shrines. That area is technically under Minheimia’s jurisdiction, but Nomasgard bolsters its forces and the Nomasgardians sent there benefit from training of how to live off the land, scout unseen, and talk to chipmunks.

      The elves would never allow me to journey with them, but I was able to present myself as a transfer to the Nomasgardian troop posted there. I learned how to find berries! I am unsure why Nomasgard continues to send troops specifically for training and patrol duties. How can you fend off orcs with berries?

    • Glintstrad
      

      The relationship between dwarves and elves is a strange one. Dwarves seem to have a respect for the more practical elven crafts, even if they might scoff at parts of the design. It’s hard to tell if they are competing with each other or there is some rivalry that goes back to ancient, unwritten times. Glintstrad uses the Road of Bones as a major trade route.

  • shrouded past
    

    Logan didn’t fill this out. Later!

Human domains

• Tribes of Egalstan
  

  It is a common misconception that Egalstan is a singular nation of tribal humans. Traders, missionaries, and scholars such as myself quickly learn that the truth of the matter is that Egalstan is the name given to the loose alliance of tribes. However history is replete with nations trying to pick on one tribe and finding the tribes unite against them! This is well documented in my prior books.

  • Natural Intuition
    

    The tribes people of Eglastan share a few things in common and one of them is their intuition. Leaning on that rather than research and scholarly pursuits, they pass their knowledge down in spoken form. The tribes people have a fair amount of literacy, but they treat it more as a vocation. They use the written word mostly for poetry. A more practical use of their writing is to

• Cyorro
  

Valan

• summary
  

  The star Valan comes from the elven word for “judge”. Every 43 years the star grows to take up a size that is about a quarter of the moon. The most peak time of it lasts for about one month, which the elves call “Sque valan”; elven for “judgment rendered” or “reparations”, depending on the inflection. It is bright enough to leave a faint deep red glow at night.

  It also has a unique property in that it has a baffling effect on creatures with darkvision. Their darkvision simply doesn’t work in those 30 or so days. The elves say that this is Valan coming to judge those arrogant enough to walk in the night. Those who have darkvision describe their sight in the dark as being a red that seems impossibly dim but strains the eyes as if it were intensely bright.

  What’s also interesting is that this effect applies even to things that are shielded from the light of Valan, and even during the day when Valan is no where to be seen. Creatures that dwell underground cannot see at all and must rely upon other senses. Underground creatures fall into two rough categories: One is hibernation. For others, they go to the surface. This makes for a very chaotic time indeed! Most civilized regions have provisions and guards to handle this. Other, more remote areas will either go into their basements or temporarily seeks shelter in places that do have defenses. In Gyoro, it is a capital offense to refuse shelter to any of the goodly races during this 30 day period.

• astronomy
  

  Some have said that Valan is actually another sun that dances in the cosmos with our sun in a double-eclipse where the suns come very close to each other, narrowly miss, and then fling each other way. This absurdity should be dismissed outright. Clearly you can see that Valan is present only at night, and our sun only present at day.

  There are historic paintings that show Valan side by side with the sun during the day. This is assured to be the artistry of a lunatic though!

  Valan drifts across the sky over the course of a year, and is gone for half of the year. Over the course of many years it will change which seasons it can be seen in.

• customs based on Valan
  

  The tribes-people of Egalstan remember where Valan was when they were born and prescribe characteristics to themselves. They use this to determine compatibility during courtship, among other things.

  Nomasgard sends troops of its armies to known caves and builds fires to lure out creatures that are otherwise blind to everything else. This becomes a killing field, and many trophies are gathered during this time. It’s considered a sort of reward for many soldiers, and a way to blend different units together to trade stories, techniques, drinks, and to even “work off steam”. Though no steam is produced. I am sorry to say, my friend, I was not able to find any dealings with steam in my readings or talking to elders of this affair. I shall endeavor to be of strong mind and health for my next Sque Valan so I can report back more!

  The orcs of Tentaku believe Valan to be the eye of Gruumsh coming closer to see that the orcs are worthy. This incites them to aggressive action. Armies are said to repel their attacks, but many, sneakier orcs manage to slip by and wreak havoc in the bergs behind the army lines. Even with a chaotic countryside, the orcs numbers dwindle rapidly from losses of fighting. After Valan recedes, those near Tentaku celebrate.

  Gazgren’s goblinoids do the opposite of the orcs, and will set aside their internal differences. Leaders of the legions dine with one another and speak of greater conquests for Maglubiyet. The years that follow are sorrowful for Gazgren’s neighbors.

  The elves of Bel’aheldan use this time to get in more meditation time and self reflect upon the last 43 years. They make new resolutions to better themselves, or begin a new task. Some will use this time to more deeply explore their romance lives. Many of their tales of love center around this time. But elven romance novels are so boring! They just stare at each other for pages and pages!

  The rugged people of Vyxt use Sque Valan to hunt great beasts that trouble their lands, or could trouble their parched lands, for that matter.

  As mentioned earlier, the druidic rites of Sque Valan for the Minheimians are quite debased. I have gone into greater detail in my Eithics and Debauchery of Shape Changing writing. I could not go into details here for many establishments do not want such texts for general audiences to read.

• Valan resolutions
  

  I had witnessed my first Sque Valan at the ripe age of 11. By the time the next one comes I will be in my 50s and plan to have complete replaced my personal library with my own writings.

Vyxt and dragonborn

• origins
  

  It is commonly known that the nation of Vyxt is a majority of dragonborn citizens. Legend has it that this was at one point the home of dragons. Vyxt is syntactically very close to the draconic word “vyskarix”, which closely translates to “home” in the common tongue. The dragons would fight amongst each other and their losses became great. The dragons agreed to leave each other alone and allow lesser creatures to handle their squabbles while the dragons bathed in piles of riches in peace.

  If you believe that pile of rubble, let me go on: It is said that Tiamat, the evil queen of dragons, birthed the first kobolds by hatching her eggs prematurely. Tiamat’s estranged lover, Bahamut, had sequestered some of the same eggs for himself, and incubated the dragonborn from them. Both races spread across the land of Vyxt, and brought riches to their dragon lords as homage. Happy dragons meant intact villages.

  At some point, a powerful red dragon backed by a conniving green dragon and a devious blue dragon positioned themselves as the most powerful dragons of Vyxt. From there they claimed rulership over the dragonborn, and the world itself entered a dark age.

  The dragonborn clans, for both better and worse, boast their lineage back to such times. Many clans allied themselves to the chromatic dragons and benefited greatly. Some worked in secret to help eventually overthrow the chromatic dragons. Today the dragonborn clans don’t see things as allies of good and evil as you and I might see it. Instead the clans aligned with chromatics are seen as loyal, yet simple. The clans aligned against the chromatics are seen as intelligent, but scheming. There are of course exceptions and these sweeping generalizations primarily exhibit themselves when dragonborn gossip much like those in Egalstan do about the phase of the red star they were born under. It also comes out in ceremonies between the nobles of the dragonborn courts. The traits of a clan are used as a kind of honorific, and those traits are said to hail back to an age when the dragons ruled, and the dragonborn were but servants to the dragons.

• courts
  

  The dragonborn courts are a sight to behold. Everything that is dragonborn is impressively big. Their ceilings rise high, and tapestries must be equally long. The artisanship lacks the flare you see in the sturdy dwarven stonework or fine elven ornaments.

  The royalty of Vyxt allowed me to sit in on their court proceedings and a aspiring ambassador explained all of the nuances to me. It was a very straightforward affair. Usually I have to sneak in and remain hidden for these sorts of things! Although I will say, dragonborn court servants make lousy grape peelers. They just gave them to me mashed!

• titles
  

  When using charms and other lures to get a loose tongue, the Vyxtians warm up fastest with proper use of their clan titles than exotic trinkets or the sounds of coins rubbing together.

  When speaking to each other their clan heritage comes out in formal, structured ways that give respects to the formally acknowledge strengths of the clan. Dragonborn use a subtle pre-title as a means of indicating peacefulness or goodwill, and it is always respectful. For example, The Scherix clan is known to be fair. The honorific form of Scherix is “Fair Scherix” in the common tongue. Dragonborn even love it when their clan honorific is used in another tongue such as common. It gives them a little flavor over their one-word complement they receive by showing its various subtleties and color from other languages. To show even a common dragonborn their honorific when addressing them never goes unnoticed.

  To use the dragonborn clan’s negative honorific is to be abrasive, insulting, or even aggressive in an imminent way. Like the positive honorific, it never goes unnoticed, and is never spoken in jest, no matter how familiar you might be with the dragonborn or their clan. This leads to many conflicts with other races where respect and bonding is communicated in ways that are very complex to the dragonborn. Using our example of Scherix, they are known to be greedy. The negative honorific is “Greedy Scherix”.

  If you try to make up a negative honorific (like “Wasteful Scherix”), it’s confusing and comes off as non-sequitur. While the dragonborn might understand that you’re trying to insult them, the feeling of just how off your statement is will overpower that, generally.

  Leaving off an honorific has an interesting interaction. Dragonborn are very direct in their social dealings. Leaving off the honorific in their clan name means you know their clan, but you don’t wish to honor or dishonor it. You don’t really wish anything with it at all. It communicates an indifference that other races might be insulted by. For dragonborn it simply means you have no immediate desire to strengthen a relationship with them (friend or foe). It’s generally used when communicating with strangers or talking about trade matters.

• trade
  

  Dragonborn chief exports are glass of all kinds from their deserts, and miscellaneous treasures. The glass some dragonborn can create with their powerful breath. I am told that many go digging in the sands to find the wealth of dragons left behind from their wars, but I know better! They have quite a racket going on, creating baubles behind their shops and talking about how they come from some forgotten age! Bah! But the stories sound good. I managed to procure some and plan on taking the stories with me to Duranae to fetch a handy sum. I might be on to them, but I can’t blame them, can I?

• food
  

  Dragonborn are hulking, brutish creatures and have monstrous appetites compared to the other goodly races. Vyxt’s primary import is food, and for their own food it tends to be primarily meat. Meat is the filler ingredient in their dishes, with other nutrients being wrapped or stuffed in the meat almost apologetically. Vyxt’s deserts don’t leave much fertile land for tilled fields and wheat. Instead Vyxtian farms are mostly for raising indigenous desert livestock, such as any large serpents, also small serpents, cows, goats, pigs, and rarely giant insects. It’s not uncommon for Vyxtian ranchers to be skilled warriors out of necessity of their trade.

  I highly recommend pork-wrapped viper sauteed in (giant) scorpion venom. As a national delicacy goes, it does not disappoint! It should be noted that elves might want to try a different dish, due to the hallucinogenic properties of the venom on elven physiology. This is no recreational hallucinogen but instead tends to provoke violent actions from the consumer.

• army
  

  Clans pay the state in tithe of recruits for soldiers. Soldiers hold a lot of honor amongst the dragonborn, and even a retired veteran is held in a baseline reverence.

  All aspects of the Vyxt armies involve some kind of magical assault. Scouts learn both simple spells to move faster or help themselves remain hidden. The rank and file troops learn simple attack spells or even spells that augment their brute strength. Shock troops pick up defensive spells that make their forms hard to make out, or minor teleportation spells to get in and out quickly. Drake riders learn spells that anchor their flying prey so the ground units can finish them off. Even the lowly gate wall guards learn spells of compulsion and detection to spot thieves and contraband; Though they did use this to determine I had fine nymphish pipeweed on hand and confiscated it! I had intended to use that pipeweed to give to the general. It would’ve relaxed her to the point of letting me see how their mysterious black claws operate.

• research and discovery
  

  The citizens of Vyxt are hardy, strong, and proud. They lack many of the creature comforts you and I know of. For them, life is a trial to prove oneself. They are less likely to use contraptions and devices to make life easier. However Vyxt invests much in sorcerous studies. Unlike the utility and art of Bel’aheldanii magical works, Vyxtian magic is primarily studied for combat and those spells that promise high value in war are prioritized. Even in times of peace, the Vyxt believe that the next war is around the bend. Any dragonborn will tell you that casting off the dragon rule was a cost they don’t wish to pay a second time.

  One should be careful about asking about such things. My assistant Valaria was fingered to the authorities and immediately detained by some of Bahamut’s order. When dealing with strict authorities such as those in Vyxt, it is important to use proxies to gather information as I have. Imagine if I had my papers confiscated! Sometimes I wonder what happened to Valaria. She was always a clever conversationalist, and loyal to the end I am absolutely sure. Still, better to leave the area just in case.

• religions
  

  The primary deities worshiped in Vyxt are Bahamut and Tiamat - the dragon gods of the pantheon. The dragonborn relationship with dragons is a complicated one. They hate the dragons for enslavement, but derive incredible pride in themselves and, as part of themselves, their draconic heritage. Dragons represent power to them; Sometimes terrible, and sometimes wonderful.

  While Tiamat is known to be a god of evil, the dragonborn see a practicality in that evil when it comes to war. In their view, killing is never a good thing, but it is sometimes (or oftentimes, depending on which dragonborn you’re talking to) necessary. Instead of worshiping her for evil purposes, they instead venerate her aspect of vengeance and wealth - to match the needs of war and the benefit of spoils from that war. In the mind of a Vyxtian, leaving the spoils is just wasteful, and even disrespectful to the dead. Paladins of Tiamat are employed as warrior-generals of their armies, and an order of them comprises one kind of their elite strike forces.

  Bahamut is revered by almost all nobles. His followers comprise most of the churches of healing, and their holy knights help police internal affairs of Vyxt. If there is a traitor in their midst, the holy knights of Bahamut work tirelessly to root them out. Bahamut’s holy knights can detect magical auras and even sense lies. It is important to gather the unfettered truth when compiling these works of mine. To evade these powers it is good to be in a place where a magical aura already exists, or be ready to create your own with blessed holy water or druidic berries - items which seem innocent enough but baffle such detection. I have heard other writers carry a talking doll or illusory pocket paintings to ensure the schools of magic shown are expected. Rest assured that my techniques are much more advanced than these ideas that were surely thought up on a short wagon ride.

  Worshipers from both sides accept Bahamut and Tiamat’s relationship as a complex one, much as the dragonborn themselves have a complex relationship with dragons. Worshipers of one dragon deity will show respect and sometimes even act in partnership with the deity of the other.

• external affairs
  

  The most immediate neighbors of Vyxt are the dwarves of Glintstrad and the humans of Cyorro. Their histories together are mottled with wars over resources. There is a friendly relationship with Nomasgard, and a niche one with Bel’aheldan. Other nations are too far or too unconcerned with Vyxt to be of great interest to the nation as a whole.

  • Glintstrad
    

    One such war was fought mostly underground - the dwarves had dug their tunnels far into Vyxtian territory and they happened upon preserved dragon hordes from ancient times. The dwarves had pilfered much by the time the horde-guards had spotted them. The Vyxt do not act kindly when one uses a pick to pry the gemstones out of their history. While the dwarves were in their primary terrain, the dragonborn were fighting with a cause they felt righteous. The dwarves were beaten back and they left empty handed. Today there is a treaty in place declaring clearly that the borders between the two extend underground as well. Maps have been drawn showing such caverns. Though one expects such boundaries are hard to enforce, and a dwarf would be a fool to call out for Vyxtian guards upon arriving in a large dragon horde and the owner nowhere to be seen.

  • Cyorro
    

    Long ago, Cyorro was duped by a clever dragon into laying siege to an area of worthless sand in Vyxt territory. The dragonborn didn’t put up much of a fight for that area, and lost much territory in this process. Today Cyorro has offered some of that land back in reparation, but the spoils are gone forever - probably hidden near the basements and attics of many a warrior’s inheritors. Legend has it that the dragon sought a dark green orb with power to bring back the dead or capture souls for strange and mostly unknown soul magic. I just wish I could blame a crafty green dragon for anything the dragonborn authorities didn’t like!

  • Nomasgard
    

    Across the Valiant Sea, Nomasgard is the closest sea-based state to Vyxt, and much trading is done there instead of traversing Glintstrad - depending on where the good are coming from. Nomasgard, Glintstrad, and Vyxt all donate a pool of patrol fleets, which are even cross-staffed between the nations of Nomasgard and Glintstrad. Still, Vyxt keeps a navy of its own. Self sufficiency is vital to the dragonborn, and they view slavery in many forms - alliances and politics potentially being another kind.

  • Pirates
    

    Dragonborn pirates operate large vessels instead of smaller and faster ones. They are escorted by a convoy and while they can’t always catch trade ships, they can corral their victims or even take on lightly guarded trade ships. The navies usually can only track such ships from their smaller reconnaissance vessels. Any good dragonborn captain will have a sorcerer onboard to hide its location or even completely relocate the ship. This keeps the pirates at large and still having much larger ships for large hauls and a sort of base of operations from which other pirates strike out.

    It is said an order of dragonborn is maintained who seek wizardry from the elves of Bel’aheldan. Not all dragonborn can easily harness their dragonic heritage for sorcerous powers. However, the costs of such a journey for an individual are many, especially for a lone trip. Typically only the nobility can afford the trips, let alone the steep costs of such tutelage. These warrior-wizards are said to be represented in every clan - a way of stating that the dragonborn embrace their draconic heritage by choice rather than necessity.

Golani Grumsvelt

Gray’s Grandeurs Inventory

magic item list

• Bag of Compound Interest
  

  Soulbound.

  Once soulbound, this bag begins to generate compound interest based on the amount of coinage left inside of it. It generates at 1% per 30 days. The amount of interest accrued is based on the end of the first of the 30 days, no matter how many deposits were made afterwards. When withdrawing the coins, there is a 1% chance the magic market will crash and set the amount to 0.

  Coins can be counted within the bag at 100 coins per minute. The rate is the same for counting outside the bag as well.

• Badge
  

  This is a badge that conveys a sense of authority to those around you. It has a chevron like appearance when inert. To be used properly, it must be affixed to the chest via its pin, or tied in some way to metal armor. The appearance matches whatever authority the user is attempting to rely upon.

  This item grants advantage on deception checks if the deception can reasonably be made upon the authority. It does not work on creatures immune or resistant to charm spells, and does not work on leaders within authority itself.

• Eye of Reholding
  

  The Eye of Reholding comes with two parts: The eye and its oyster.

  This is a pearl eye whose iris is a finely cut emerald. A user can place the eye in a location and look upon the inside of the oyster to see what the eye sees.

  The oyster appears to be made of obsidian but strongly catches the light. The oyster is about the width of a spread hand, and eye about the size of a mandarin orange.

• Eidetic Diary
  

  Attuned.

  This diary is a notebook. If the owner writes down their thoughts and experiences for the day, they can recall everything that happened during that day by spending one turn reading the diary. The owner remembers all events they experienced for the day in perfect clarity while writing the information in the diary.

  If the diary becomes attuned to another user, all of the prior entries are erased.

• Goodge
  

  This is a badge (or a goodge, depending on your point of view) that makes people feel favorable to a form of authority that the badge represents. It has a chevron like appearance when inert. To be used properly, it must be affixed to the chest via its pin, or tied in some way to metal armor. The appearance matches whatever authority the user is attempting to rely upon.

  It grants advantage on persuasion checks if the persuasion check can reasonably be made upon the authority. It does not work on creatures immune or resistant to charm spells, and does not work on leaders within authority itself.

• Mace of Remembrance
  

  When this mace deals damage, the victim can recall any one moment of forgotten information, whether that was magically caused or otherwise. The victim must make an intelligence saving throw or they remember many of the past victims as they were struck as if they had experienced the blow.

  In the future this could add a little bit of psychic damage (like 1d4…?).

• Immortal Baconator
  

  The immortal baconator is a 400 pound golem pig. Its body sheds servings of pig meat from various locations. Ready-made meat can be plucked from the pig’s body and it restocks itself after a day. The meat is always fresh when plucked. The yield is roughly that of a 200 pound living pig.

  The cuts provided are roughly:

  1. 19 pounds of bacon.
  2. 4 spare ribs.
  3. 4 serloin chops.
  4. 27 shoulder steaks (1 pound each).
  5. 26 loin chops (half a pound each).
  6. 30 pounds of ham.
  7. 25 pounds of sausage.
  8. 24 pounds of oddiments.

  Note that these amounts won’t tally up to 200 pounds because much of the pig is not harvestable.

• Lens of Seeing Fine Print
  

  This is a colored reading lens. When placed on a binding document of any kind, it can be moved around and it will show with glowing script footnotes about any kind of loop holes or gotchas that the writer intended.

• Platonic Dispenser
  

  This item appears to be a large potion bottle. Atop its mouth is an angular contraption that points in one direction. It has a lever. The bottle is full of a clear fluid of yellowish tint.

  When the trigger is depressed, this object produces a stream of fluid. On contact with a creature, that creature becomes wet and loses any romantic feelings for the user, magically induced or otherwise.

  The bottle can be used 20 times before it empties. If it empties, it must be magically refilled by an item enchanter. If it is refilled with water before it empties, it can keep going for another 20 uses. It never dilutes.

• Rope of Tangling
  

  This 50 feet of rope tangles itself. Any rope work attempted with it is done with disadvantage. This rope can be tied to any other rope to cause that rope to be tangled, but for any other purpose is done at disadvantage.

  If tied to any rope based mechanism successfully, that machine fails and cannot move.

• Ruby hilted dagger
  

  This ruby hilted dagger is a +1 dagger. Once per day, the dagger can be pointed at a target within throwing range, and the ruby pressed. This makes a ranged weapon attack at advantage using all of the properties of the dagger as if it were thrown. The dagger itself is not thrown as part of this, but shoots out a magical, ruby-like copy of the dagger. This fired dagger always inflicts maximum damage.

• Stickers of Weapon Dazzling
  

  This is a sheet of 20 star stickers. The stars twinkle slightly against the light. When placed on the surface of the weapon (all stickers must be placed), the weapon becomes magical and sheds dim light in a 20 foot radius.

  Each time the weapon deals damage, a single sticker falls off and loses its sticky properties.

  Replacement sticker sheets can be purchased at a discount if the old stickers and sheet returned.

• Shield of Friendship
  

  Allies (not the wielder) in a 15 ft radius gain +1 to their AC and saving throws.

• Unseen Staff
  

  This is a staff you can see. When planted on a surface, it stands straight up. It issues many unseen servants (up to 10) that perform collective tasks per the Unseen Servant spell. It can be used once a day.