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 Politics of Karrnath

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ounded by Karrn the Conquerer, Karrnath is the Haydith ir'Wynarn is Kaius and Gaius' half-sister, the
most martial of the Five Nations and the home of daughter of their shared mother Vasilisa ir'Wynarn and First
Galifar's founder. At the beginning of the Last Warlord Eadric Ivanovich. Vasilisa remarried nearly a decade
War, King Kaius rejected almost nine centuries of after her husband Jaron's death, again drawn to power and
tradition by asserting a new right to the throne. choosing the most powerful man in Karrnath amongst her
However, Kaius' confidence in his nation's many suitors. She died in childbirth in 982, bearing only a
military might was swiftly undermined by a series single, radiant baby girl. Moranna, distrusting of Eadric and
of plagues and famines that crippled Karrnath's offensive his schemes, banished him back to his ancestral estate while
efforts. taking up Haydith as her own to raise in addition to the

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Forced to turn to the clerics of the Blood of Vol for help, teenage Kaius and Gaius. Both boys embraced Haydith as
Kaius was introduced to its darkest secrets - the ancient lich their full sister despite the age gap, and she grew to admire
Erandis Vol. Transformed into a vampire, Kaius attempted to both strong young men.
reject Erandis' plots. Erandis punished his insolence by Heartbroken by Kaius' deal in 996 to exchange the royal
activating Kaius' bloodthirst, forcing him to kill his wife. Kaius heirs, Haydith has become her own political force during her

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retreated into hiding, faking his death and letting his son enforced absence. She has gained Boranel's confidence while
Kaius II ascend to the throne. Kaius plotted his revenge, making nice with the parliamentarians. Beautiful and
returning to public life on his great-grandson Kaius III's charming, many underestimate the young princess at their
twentieth birthday. own peril. While she does not have the cruel streak passed
Coordinating with the Regent Moranna, Kaius I executed a down in the line of Karrn to all true heirs of Karrnath, she is
decades-long plan in the making. Kaius III had been carefully still a political force, taking up charity cases and whichever
coached to emulate Kaius I's look and mannerisms, convinced cause catches her attention. Recently, warforged rights have
that appropriating his great-grandfather's style would grant fascinated her, realizing that they are much more than the
legitimacy and help him bring an end to the war. This made tools her brothers believe them to be.
the change, with Kaius III whisked away to Dreadhold and Gaius has in many ways rejected his Karrnathi heritage,

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Kaius I ascending to the throne, nearly seamless. Although
careful court observers suspect something might be off,
keying into Kaius' vampiric nature, none suspect the carefully
hidden truth that Kaius III is in fact his great-grandfather.
becoming a cleric of the Silver Flame under the tutelage of
Jaela. Kind and compassionate, he sees it as his mission to
learn the power of the faith and warm the frozen hearts of the
Karrnathi people. While he knows nothing of the dark secrets
behind the Blood of Vol, he still loathes their presence,
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The Crown recognizing that the religion have been associated with some
of the darkest chapters of Karrnathi history.
Kaius has spent nearly a century planning the reclamation of Kaius III's aunt Moranna served as regent and now serves
his birthright - first Karrnath, then Galifar. While the curse of as a royal advisor. A powerful necromancer, she was turned
vampirism has stripped him of any compassion or empathy, it into a vampire by Kaius so she could execute his grand
has also stripped him of his vanity and pride. Even before designs. She willingly serves, enjoying both the power she
becoming a vampire he would be considered lawful evil - currently possesses and the power she knows Kaius will
proudly using torture and other extreme tools of the state to continue to grant her as his plans unfold. While she did not
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accomplish his goals. But before, his pride and vanity would relish killing her brother Jaron in 972, he had become a thrall
interfere, wasting time torturing enemies for the fun of it or to Vol and would never stand for a truly free Karrnath.
playing games to amuse himself. The modern Kaius is the Queen Etrigani is a beautiful face to contrast the hardened
type of villain who has read the Evil Overlord List, avoiding and imperious Kaius. Even amongst the Aereni she's an
ego-baiting mistakes while constantly advancing his schemes. impressive figure, earning her noble status early in her second
century and gaining an appointment to the diplomatic corps
The Royal Family before she turned 150. She caught Kaius' eye serving as an
attache to his court in Korth in 992 YK. Within the year the
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Kaius I realized that his two other great-grandchildren, two were married in a truly loving marriage.
Haydith and Gaius, would both be more than capable of
recognizing his deception given enough time, while also being Etrigani's true goals in Karrnath are a mystery, which
too important to disappear or replace. As such, he remained means the royal rumor mills have been hard at work. Some
distant from both until he wrote in a royal family exchange to accuse her of participating in a plot to place Khorvaire under
the Treaty of Thronehold. While he maintains letter elven rule, seizing Karrnath diplomatically while the Valenar
correspondence to keep up the pretense that he's still Kaius use force. Others accuse her of conspiring with or even being
III, Haydith's and Gaius' now two-year tenure in Wroat and a member of the deathguard, Aerenal's elite undead hunters.
Flamekeep respectively are the least of his concerns. The petty simply consider her a gold digger, pointing to her
elven youth. The truth is not only she a prodigal member of
the deathguard but she has become instrumental in helping
Kaius handle his vampiric nature, defending him not only
from external threats but also from himself.

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 Kaius' Coverup The Warlords
Kaius' deception that he is not only alive but in fact Kaius III During the days of Galifar, the Warlords of Karrnath bore a
isn't the easiest trick in the world. A large array of protective purely honorary title associated with their noble status. The
magics and practical effects work together to conceal his true ignition of the Last War transformed the title to a meaningful
nature. one, expanding their charter from managing a piece of
Kaius' protections start with an Amulet of Nondetection, a territory to managing entire military operations. While the
rare wondrous item that maintains the nondetection spell on Karrnathi nobles have never been the plump conoisseurs of
him permanently. Bound to the same protective Eberron Aundair and Breland, the Last War created real opportunities
dragonshard is an enchantment that protects Kaius from for nobles to distinguish themselves by their acumen in battle.
sunlight, negating both the damage and the disadvantage from Karrnath has a long and honorable tradition of war. The
his sunlight hypersensitivity trait. Because this amulet is so highest-ranking nobles in the land, charged with protecting
important to protecting him from harm, it's been specially

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crafted to have 20 HP and hardness 10 and been enchanted specific regions and granted the right to raise armies, have
with Arcanist's Magic Aura to appear nonmagical. held the title of warlord from before the time of the kingdom
To handle the long term logistics of Kaius' bloodthirst, he of Galifar. During the time of the kingdom, the title was mostly
keeps a harem of willing supplicants, Blood of Vol devotees symbolic, as any troops under a warlord’s command were also
whom have been persuaded that the dark mistress behind the loyal to and under the direction of the king. When Kaius I

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scenes does not care for their lives. The warforged Beauty declared that Karrnath was an independent nation at the start
guards the harem from wandering eyes, serving Kaius of the Last War, this changed. Suddenly, the warlords had real
faithfully. The harem itself is protected by a Hallow spell power and real responsibility to create and maintain armies to
protecting from radiant damage woven to exclude celestials, protect the nation.
fiends, and undead that aren't Kaius or Moranna, while The Military
providing Kaius and his followers protection from radiant
energy. Furthermore, the area is protected by a Private While all Karrnathi soldiers wear a standardized uniform,
Sanctum spell, with all of the clauses active. Kaius' inner each soldier also wears an insignia indicating under which
sanctum is beyond the harem, further warded by Glyphs of warlord they serve. The Karrnathi military, more so than other
Warding keyed to explode at any creature besides him, national armies, is composed from the ground up, with units
Moranna, and Etrigani.
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Kaius III secretly being a vampire and also Kaius I is one of
the most widely known "setting secrets". As such, DMs with
of soldiers typically composed of a single warlord's forces.
This factionalization certainly has its costs, but also comes
with organizational benefits, leaning into the strong
distributed martial traditions of Karrnath.
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players that are familiar with the setting may find the reveal The Army
insufficiently dramatic. The Karrnathi army, on a soldier per soldier basis, is the
On his blog, Keith has suggested to add another layer of strongest in Khorvaire. Youth train with the use of weaponry
deception - Kaius III is the one in command of Karrnath, with from a young age, first sparring with sticks before moving
Kaius I posing as Kaius III in Dreadhold. The main reason to onto more sophisticated forms of weaponry that are often
do this would be the continued existence of Kaius I's vampiric passed down within a family. Karrnath's primary weakness is
sire, a creature capable of subverting even Kaius' iron will. its lack of industrial base and logistical support, two factors
that would likely have lead to Breland's victory if the war
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continued. The loss of the Mroran mines and the frequency of

bad harvests meant that Karrnathi efficiency and supply lines
were constantly stretched to the limit.
While Karrnath does not have a long tradition of arcane
magic like Aundair, Kaius quickly realized the importance of
evocation in the early days of the war and established several
academies dedicated to training war mages. Lacking the
academic sophistication of their peers in other nations,
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Karrnathi war mages made up for it with deadly accuracy and

spell selection, choosing the right blast or burst for the job to
circumvent enemy defenses. Karrnath especially invested in
Siege Staffs, magical staffs carrying potent third level spells
that even relatively inexperienced spellcasters could use. One
such spell is Warmage's Fireball, a variant on the traditional
fireball spell that trades damage for increased area of effect.

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 The Navy During the war, it's important to contextualize that it wasn't
The Karrnathi Navy is based out of Karrlakton, and was just the moral and ethical flexibility of the use of undead that
integral to defending Karrnath from invasions. Seperated gave the Karrnathi the advantage, but the magical
from the other five nations by water, any invasion attempt development. An ordinary necromancer can only control a
must reckon with Karrnath's navy. The aundairian incursion of handful of undead at a time, and even that required significant
the western reaches of Karrnath certainly exposed skill and training. However, with items such as the Helm of
weaknesses, but the Cyrans never succeeded in pushing Odakyr even a novice necromancer could manage half a dozen
through the long aquatic border. Fighting in and around basic undead.
Scion's Sound was fierce, as the waterways determined who A common mistake amongst residents of Khorvaire is the
could easily move supplies and troops around and who belief that the Karrnathi as a whole like the use of undead.
couldn't. Furthermore, naval routes opened up new angles of This is not true - most Karrnathi are vassals, worshippers of
attack that simply weren't available through land-based Dol Arrah and Dol Dorn. However, they recognize the
important role undead have had in defending Karrnath, so

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marches. while they may dislike them they see it as something
The White Lions necessary to preserve their proud heritage. Due to the
The White Lions are a military police force charged with mandatory two years of service, many Karrnathi have had
internal security to Karrnath. While Karrnath does have a more personal encounters with the undead legions, seeing
that they were able to stay safe and act as support while the

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system of localized law enforcement implemented by the allied zombies and skeletons bore the brunt of the casualties.
variuos warlords, capable of handling common problems like
ordinary theft and violent disputes, truly serious crimes are Sample NPCs
escalated to the White Lions. As military police, the White
Lions have extensive powers compared to other nations, with First Warlord Eadric Ivanovich is the leader of At All Costs, a
the martial law of Karrnath offering few civil liberties. While secret society within the Order of Rekkenmark that seeks to
the White Lions report to First Warlord Eadric Ivanovich, start and win the Next War by any means necessary. Many of
their subsidiary counterintelligence organization the Twilight Karrnath's most powerful warlords are members of the
Brigade (colloquially known as the Dark Lions) reports back society, increasing the taxes they impose so as to fuel their
to Moranna. growing forces. Eadric sees a reprisal against the Valenar as
the best opportunity to test Karrnath's strength while avoiding
The Dark Cabinet
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The Dark Cabinet is a new organization, formed in the
aftermath of the removal of the Blood of Vol from positions of
power in Karrnath. Now without an intelligence agency, Kaius
and Moranna formed the Dark Cabinet, a peer-group
restarting the war on the Western half of the continent before
he is ready.
While he is somewhat concerned about drawing the bulk of
Karrnath's armies away from its heavily settled Western
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portion, he sees Jaela as too weak to invade and has reliable
intelligence network that coordinates the intelligence intelligence about Lord Darro ir'Lain of Aundair's plans to
resources of the various warlords. Acting as Kaius' spymaster, invade the Eldeen Reaches. As such, he feels comfortable
Moranna has begun to develop deeper sources and contacts, extending Karrnath's forces to the south to invade Valenar.
but she is still woefully behind the almost century of build-up Gavin Shult is the grandson of Gyrnar Shult, the
their competition has had. necromancer who worked with the then-living Malevenor to
develop the Odakyr Rites that are used to create Karrnathi
The Undead Undead. While his grandfather was the agricultural reeve of
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Karrnath is best known for its elite Karrnathi undead, corpses Odakyr, the province that covers southwest Karrnath and
of elite soldiers infused with the martial spirit of Karrnath. includes Fort Bones and Fort Zombie, Gavin has both
These elite units are capable of working in any condition with abandoned his father's faith and political position, instead
minimal management. Compared to warforged, the chief serving the royal family directly as the chief magical advisor.
advantage of Karrnathi undead is their superior night vision, Unaware of Moranna and Kaius' true nature, he has
enabling operations even on the darkest of nights when only nonetheless served both faithfully to protect and preserve the
one or two moons shine. nation. While Gavin considers Crownhome his primary base
However, the majority of Karrnath's undead legions are not of operations, he manages facilities all over Karrnath, many of
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made up of such elite soldiers. Bured under Atur are hordes of them inside Mabaran manifest zones.
ordinary skeletons and zombies, bound by enchantments that His most recent projects have involved improvements in
are only to be undone when the next war begins. Other types both controlling and destroying undead. These spells and
of more sophisticated undead are also contained, although in items would work to counteract Emerald Claw schemes to
much smaller quantities both due to the increased cost hijack Karrnath's legions or to turn their own forces against
associated with creating and controlling them and the reality them. These have drawn Vol's personal attention due to their
that only skilled necromancers can create them. Self- potential to be used against the rebellious Kaius and
replicating undead, such as ghouls, shadows, and wights were Moranna, and whatever comes of Gavin's research is likely to
especially kept on a short leash in low quantities to avoid an reshape the shadowy conflict between Kaius and the Crimson
uncontrollable outbreak or infestation. Covenant.

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 The Seekers The Order of the Emerald Claw
Followers of the Blood of Vol are known as "Seekers", The Order of the Emerald Claw was the most infamous of
referencing their search for a way to unlock the Divinity Karrnath's many Blood of Vol based orders. They were
Within. While not particularly numerous, the Blood of Vol has officially kicked out of power with the transition by Regent
had an outsized impact on Karrnath on the past century. Morrana in 976 YK as she consolidated her power, and lost
While followers of the Blood of Vol are generally united indirect state support when Kaius III removed the Blood of
doctrinally, they are not united systemically. Each church of Vol as the state religion in 991 YK. Bitter at the loss of power
the faith is an independent community from the others, and privilege, many devotees were eager to serve Lady
however many clergy choose to engage with others through Illmarrow when she began recruiting for a reforged Order of
mail correspondence via Orien's network. Within Karrnath's the Emerald Claw.
numerous small and scattered communities, especially in the The Order of the Emerald Claw has transformed itself into
a terrorist organization, with tight-knit cells and information

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rural eastern reaches, these letters are the only regular strictly operating on need-to-know. Each cell leader reports to
contact these priests have with other people outside their one of the members of the crimson covenant, although they
immediate community. rarely know the true name or identity of that covenant
However, while many clergy know nothing of the Queen of member. Orders flow from the cell leader to its members. It
Death's machinations, she has developed a network of has actually grown in size since being disbanded, absorbing

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abactors that subtly persuade and recruit members into Vol's many disgruntled members of other Blood of Vol orders that
schemes, a sort of cult within the faith. The Blood of Vol existed during the war. Some have resisted this call, with the
developed as a faith first within the Lhazaar without the Knights of the Ebon Skull as the best well known order to
influence of Erandis, but it was only able to grow with align itself with Kaius over the Queen of Death.
Erandis' resources and influence. Abactors are not publicly Publicly, most know that the Order of the Emerald Claw
identified as such - they are just understood to have deep roots many of its beliefs and practices in Blood of Vol
understandings of the mystery and power of faith. traditions, but dismiss it as an extremist sect that doesn't
The Crimson Covenant represent the religion as a whole. Zealous believers of other
faiths however sometimes point to the Order's worst atrocities
The Crimson Covenant is Erandis Vol's thirteen most trusted as proof of the corrupt nature of the faith.
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lieutenants and advisors, responsible for executing her global
plans and machinations. Handpicked over the centuries, each
member is either an undead or has some other method of
unnaturally extending their lifespan. While each member has
taken their own extensive set of steps to protect their person
Sample NPCs
Marcel Landeau is a reformer within the Blood of Vol, a rising
star with no connection to the Crimson Covenant. His
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both from physical and magical harm, Erandis has writings have gained broad circulation within Karrnath,
supplemented their defenses with her own rituals and spells, preaching against the secrecy that the abactors use to
protecting not only their identities but very existence from radicalize members. While he does not know the truth behind
mortal magic. the abactor's schemes, he has seen plenty of evidence of some
dangerous secret society within the faith that continues to
While the Lords of Dust or Dragons of Argonessen might be push restless youth into the Order of the Emerald Claw. He
capable of piercing Vol's defenses, either they have simply not has also made an enemy of many warlords, calling for an end
thought to look or have their own reasons to let them be. It is to the constant militarization of Karrnath and for an inward
possible that one or both groups may have a deep cover agent
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focus on peaceful renewal. Player characters may find any

amongst the thirteen, subtly manipulating Vol and her plans to number of reasons to call Marcel an ally, as Marcel has
fulfill key passages of the prophecy. managed to make an enemy of many of the most powerful
people in the nation.
Trukhin Ivanovich is the disgraced son of First Warlord
Eadric Ivanovich and former member of the Emerald Claw.
His father did not approve of Trukhin's choice to join the
Emerald Claw over more traditional roles in the Karrnathi
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military, considering their underhanded and occult tactics

disgraceful and dishonorable. When Moranna started
deemphasizing the Emerald Claw, Trukhin stuck to the order.
When Kaius removed them from power, Trukhin formed a
new mercenary unit called the Jade Company, made up of
former Emerald Claw agents. The Jade Company competes
with both Thuranni and Deneith as an independent crew,
which has certainly made Trukhin his fair share of enemies.
Still, several Karrnathi warlords are more than happy to hire
them to fill in gaps in their operations. Trukhin's secret edge is
that his soldiers still serve the Crimson Covenant, providing a
plausibly deniable way for Vol to continue to exert her
influence within Karrnath.

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 Local Politics Sample NPC
Below the Warlords, Karrnath's towns and surrounding Lord Mayor Arthur Marks governs Frosthold, a major trading
villages are managed by Royal Mayors. The Royal Mayor is an community on the Iceflow River in northern Karrnath. The
appointed title chosen by the Warlord. While it is usually port town facilitates the exchange of agricultural produce,
hereditary, the power to renounce a Royal Mayor's title is timber from the Icewood, and minerals from the Icetop
solely vested in the Warlord. Furthermore, the Royal Mayor's Mountains. Lyrandar and Lhazaar ships come upriver to buy
primary residence is owned by the Warlord, making them these raw materials and sell manufactured goods from the
dependent on their Warlord for continued power. rest of Khorvaire.
Karrnath has endured a century of martial law, declared This region of Karrnath was in many ways abandoned with
when Kaius contested the coronation of his sister Mishann of the outbreak of the Last War, as the ringing bells of levies
Cyre. This has given Karrnath's security forces, especially the pulled every able-bodied adventuring spirit away. This led to a
resurgence in the native monsters and spirits of the area, keen

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White Lions, wide discretion when it comes to enforcing the on reclaiming what was theirs. Since the Treaty of
law. Those deemed to be in violation of the law are brought Thronehold, Arthur Marks has prioritized reclaiming the lost
before a judge for sentencing. The intervention of a Royal communities and mines that have sat empty for decades,
Mayor or a Warlord is typically necessary to mitigate the hiring mercenaries and adventurers to clear a path.
consequences - meaning that if a party decides to cause

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trouble and gets arrested, they better have made friends in
high places who can intervene on their behalf. New Spells
Towns Warmage's Fireball is a 3rd level Wizard and Sorcerer spell.
Governed directly by a Royal Mayor, each town in Karrnath is Warmage's Fireball
a center of commerce and trade. Local villagers bring their Evocation
goods on a regular basis, trading agricultural products for the Casting Time: 1 Action
manufactured goods produced in each town. Many towns Range: 200 ft.
implemented curfews over the course of the war, and the Components: V, S, M*
steady lifting of them over the past two years has caused a Duration: Instantaneous
people fraternize after dark.
Villages
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resurgence in traditional Karrnathi dancing halls where young
A bright streak arcs over the battlefield to a point you choose
within range and then blossoms with a low roar into an
explosion of flame. Each creature in a 50-foot-radius sphere
centered on that point must make a Dexterity saving throw. A
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The cold climate of Karrnath shortens the growing season for target takes 3d6 fire damage on a failed save, or half as much
"breadbasket" crops, making many of the farmers reliant on damage on a successful one.
magebred cows and pigs supplied by House Vadalis. While The fire spreads around corners. It ignites flammable
House Vadalis and Lyrandar have spent significant amounts of objects in the area that aren't being worn or carried.
time pursuing magebred crops bred for northern resiliency on * - (a tiny ball of bat guano and sulfur)
the Karrnathi crown's dime, their successes have been far
more limited than their results with livestock. The Karrnathi
branch of Vadalis considers themselves artisans, working with New Items
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the many villages to cultivate new and exciting flavors of meat

and dairy products. What has especially excited the artificers Helm of Odakyr
of Vadalis is the promising new chocolate flavor brought in by Wondrous Item, rare (requires attunement)
Xen'drik explorers two decades ago - while the plant itself Once per day, the wearer of this helm can cast Animate
cannot handle Karrnath's long winters, the bitter flavor pairs Dead at 5th level, but only to assert control, not to animate
excellently with Karrnathi agricultural products. new undead. This ability refreshes at dusk.
Still, Karrnath's villages are haunted by a century of
famines. Contrary to what many assume, the worst years were Banner of the White Legion
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actually preceded by light, warm winters - meaning that

insects and vermin were able to survive in higher numbers, Wondrous Item, rare
terrorizing the farmers. Many village elders show signs of As an action, you may plant this banner. Any ally within line
malnutrition, as the lack of food during their childhood years of sight of this banner can command undead under their
led to stunted growth. control out to triple the normal distance.
Over time the Seekers and Vassals have self-selected to live
in different villages. Seeker villages typically support a couple Credits
of basic undead - skeletons and zombies - that help with the Thank you D.G. Landreneau for the cover!
fields, having a status somewhere between plows and oxen.
Seekers give their bodies to the communities so they can
continue to help even in death. The farmhand reanimation
process is expensive, so most corpses are sold to government
corpse collectors to restock the undead legions.