Factional/Fractional Change II

Neverwinter

The Jewel of the North, The City of Skilled Hands

With 400 professional soldiers in its standing army, Neverwinter can muster by far the largest fighting force on the Sword Coast.   Neverwinter is still recovering from a plague that killed one in three citizens and brought industry to a standstill, but seems poised to reclaim its position as an economic powerhouse and regional leader.  Ambitious farmers and merchants make their way to the Jewel of the North, taking advantage of the unprecedented labor shortage.  They move north in huge caravans for protection.

Dagult Neverember, the Lord Protector of Neverwinter, is also the Open Lord of Waterdeep.  When the plague swept through Neverwinter, Lord Dagult invested much of his considerable fortune in evacuation and prevention measurements, personally hiring over 30 plague doctors to wear his insignia and minister to the afflicted.  He is well loved by the populace for these measures.  If it were it not for the actions of the Churches, it's likely that Lord Dagult would have been able to leverage his massive investments in the cities rising industry to become the richest and most powerful man on the Sword Coast.  Instead, he is barely clinging to life.

Someone has been poisoning Lord Dagult, and his best efforts to stop it have been totally ineffective. Who or whatever is poisoning him seem to be intent on crippling him and striking at his family. A large and impulsive man of action, Lord Dagult is not well suited to a shadow war, and his inability to protect himself and his family in the heart of his manor has shaken him.  After his daughter began vomiting constantly, he begged the Harpers for help.  So far the poisonings have abated, but the Harpers have not been able to locate the source.  Every day that goes by is another opportunity for the perpetrators to gain access again, and strike at one of the greatest members of the Lord's Alliance.   

Factional/Fractional Change

The Five Churches of Tiamut are wreaking havoc across the Sword Coast, destabilizing communities,  disrupting economic activity, and forcing people to become refugees.  The Coast currently has a potent mix of regional politics and local millitias which preclude a unified response. This has emboldened the Churches, who rally ever greater numbers of chromatic dragons. The pontiff Severin plans ever bolder attacks on cities and towns. The Churches have not as yet followed their raids with permanent occupation or governance, but their attacks have had profound effects on the governments and institutions of the Sword Coast.  Dragons make everything worse, with few exceptions. This is a list of some of the affected groups, and how their trajectory will look if the heroes do nothing.

Daggerford

Crest of Daggerford

Pwyll Greatshout, the Duke of Daggerford, was killed in a Church attack on his city. The town was largely ruined, the outer gates melted and much of the town guard and millitia killed.  Greatshout was known as a capable military commander with a diplomatic touch.  Daggerford couldn't muster very many soldiers itself, but was known to have an outsize role in politics within the Lord's Alliance as a result of Greatshout's leadership.  His daughter and heir, Thalia Greatshout, was rescued from a burning building by Faelyn, an elf bounty hunter.  She is only seven, but her survival indicates the possibility for uninterrupted succession in Daggerford as it rebuilds, an invaluable advantage the Churches were eager to snuff out.

The Dwarves of the North

Tomb planning is becoming more important for dwarves as part of their legacy

 The dwarves of Mithral Hall, Citadel Felbarr and Citadel Adbar speak with one voice, a result of centuries of intermarriage and cultural homogeneity.

Dwarven birthrates were always low, but in the current campaign time a child has not been born to a dwarf mother in 27 years.   Around 6 years ago, dwarf women started disappearing into the rocky tunnels and crypts below their citadels with no explanation.  Those who remain are confused, scared, and feel betrayed by the gods.   Dwarf society is turning inward, and this notion haunts them: we shall be the last dwarves.  The stonespeakers seem to have become isolationist in response to draconic threat and are loathe to leave their northern homelands.  They fortify their citadels but are unwilling to commit troops elsewhere.  Their conservative tenancies remind them each dwarven life is precious, and cannot be wasted. Other races of the North are used to looking to the dwarves for leadership, and have been surprised to find them absent.

Are the dwarves truly sterile?  Rumors of 'stonechildren,' naked dwarven teenagers who emerge from the rock itself have so far been unsubstantiated.

Stonechildren

Mutation Spell and table

The following spell, Mutation, is a homebrew, made by me for my HOTDQ game.  The Cobalt Claw, one of the five churches of Tiamut that make up the dragon cult, researched this spell in order to spread their vision of a world of exotomps, half-breeds, hybrids and mutants.  To be selected to undergo this spell is considered a great honor, and is mandatory for those seeking the position of Bishop. Only one of my players is capable of casting this atm, so I might make it on the Bard spell list as well as the sorcerer/wizard list.  Our bard has some interest in body horror and inherited traits/bloodlines.

Your crew after casting this spell

Mutation

Third level transmutation [ritual]

Casting Time: One Minute

Range: Touch

Components: V, S

Duration Instantaneous, Permanent

You touch a creature and force wild magic into their DNA structure, creating a permanent mutation.  If the creature is unwilling, they make a Constitution Save against your spell save DC. On a success, they are unaffected by the spell.  If they fail the save, or are willing, roll a d10 and consult the chart below.  The effects of this spell can be reversed only by a Greater Restoration or Wish spell.  

 

1. Night Eye  One of the target's eyes swells to enormous proportion, stretching their head with it.  Huge Pupil is always dilated.  The target has perfect darkvision if they didn't have it already, but only out of that eye.  They are at disadvantage in bright light unless they wear an eyepatch.  

2. Extra Arm: The Target grows an extra arm from their chest.  The arm is sickly and weak, but can hold a dagger or potion.  1 extra dagger attack when they take the attack action, if armor is properly equipped with a hole in it.       

3. No Face.  Where the target's face was, there is now blank, featureless skin.  No mouth, eyes or nose.  The Target begins to suffocate and is blind.  

4. Stolen Shadow.  The target no longer casts a shadow or has a reflection.  You (the caster) may cast the spell Simulacrum once in your life for free (no spells slots, still takes an action), using this creature as the chosen target.

5. Instant Facial Hair.  Roll a d4, (d4): handlebar 'stache, ZZ Top beard, Zappa soul patch, evil twin black goatee.  Regrows if cut, no other facial hair will grow. Gender neutral.

6.  Radar/Sonar  The target grows huge bat ears and has blindsight out to 60 feet.

7.  Aquatic: The target grows functioning gills on the side of their neck.  If they do not immerse in water every day, suffer one level of exhaustion. 

8.  Albinism

9. 360 Vision:  The Target grows extra eyes sprouting out of the back and sides of the head.  If a short hairstyle is worn, they can see all around them in 360 degrees.  +1 to initiative and cannot be surprised if in the normal sensory range.  

 10. Instant Horrible Death

This guy was gonna be the Cobalt Cult/Mutation guy, but then the party murdered him