DM Rumors of the Northern Sword Coast

[DM Asgorath]

The tranquility of Triel was broken again this eve, as a sick looking farmer was seen screaming in agony and coughing maggots in the middle of the night. Some townsfolk quickly gathered to try to assist their friend, but the man quickly died under everyone's eyes, vomiting maggots as more of the filthy critters exited his body and then burst into a cloud of noxious green gas. At least a dozen of citizens had been engulfed by the thick cloud, before it slowly dissipated.

Nobody knows exactly how this unnatural scene started, but a few witnesses claim to have seen the farmer speaking to a dark robed man wearing a cowl before starting to show such nefarious symptoms.

The farmers, however, seem extremely reluctant to speak about this incident to outsiders, especially now that the wounds left by the last incident in Triel are still fresh and open.

(this basically means that, before acting upon this information, you should first pm me to see if people would speak to your character about it.)

[DM Asgorath]

Rumors of Triel

A handful of Triel's townsfolk have died in what is now becoming a horrendously familiar way, as many white maggots started pouring from their mouths, devouring them from the inside before exploding in a cloud of noxious gas. Many more people are starting to look sick, to the point that the elders can do little to prevent the rumors of an epidemic spreading to the surrounding lands.

Many farmers and villagers have started to worship Myrkul with greater intensity, perhaps hoping to be spared from this disease that, according to some black robed individuals, has been unleashed on the Village by the Lord of Bones for the villagers' lack of faith.

Other villagers are instead removing any icon of worship even remotely pertaining Myrkul, turning with fervor to Chauntea so as to be saved from the epidemic.

Rumors of Soubar

A good 2/5ths of the town are starting to show the symptoms of a strange disease. They look pale, frail, and are quite hungry, albeit for now this does not prevent them from working or performing their usual activities. The most paranoid individuals (who may also be right) link this strange malaise to the epidemic currently creeping throughout the streets of Triel.

[DM Asgorath]

Triel

More and more people are dying every day due to the strange plague of maggots afflicting their town. Bouts of fanaticism and anger are starting to manifest, with occasional clashes between Myrkulites and Chaunteans happening from time to time. At least five uninfected villagers have been killed in this way, and Elderman Trabo is amongst the infected. It is now evident that things are starting to get out of hand rather badly.

Soubar

One score of villagers has died after having been eaten from the inside by maggots, in the same way as the townsfolk of Triel. More than half of the inhabitants of Soubar are now infected with this seemingly unstoppable magical plague.

[DM Novus]

To those with keen senses of the forest traveling beyond Boareskyr Bridge, and those in contact with any Elves that reside in the Northern Regions, rumor trickles through the Sword Coast over the coming weeks that a noticeable shift in population of Elven peoples has occurred.

What effect this shift will have upon such regions as the Misty Forest, is yet to be written....

[DM Asgorath]

Triel

The Plague of Maggots has devastated the town. More than a hundred and a half villagers have been killed by this seemingly incurable morbus by now, while many more are infected. Elderman Trabo himself seems to be in the terminal phase of the illness. Tensions between Chaunteans and Myrkulites are starting to become a serious issue and hostilities between the two groups could start at any moment now.

Soubar

The Plague has taken its toll on the town as well. One hundred villagers have died, devoured by maggots from the inside. The situation looks grim, albeit the town has quarantined most of the infected individuals.

Between Triel and Soubar

Strange tracks have been reported in the trait of road linking Triel to Soubar. While the tracks seem to be heading towards Soubar, they look definitely "unnatural", that is, belonging to no known creature. The soil bearing these tracks itself seems to have inexplicably withered and "died" on its own.

[DM Asgorath]

The Northern Sword Coast has been plunged in chaos and destruction today, as two events altered the Northern landscape considerably....

A small host of black orcs attacked Soubar and, despite its meager size, started slaughtering everyone nearby with the aid of strange maggot like creatures. Those who died of the plague also rose from their graves and turned on their past brethren, starting a massacre that was stopped only by the quick and timely intervention of the Order of the Silver Rose and their allies, who ultimately fought against a giant and disgusting white maggot emerged from the ground. A good share of Soubar's population has still been mercilessly butchered, but many more have been saved. The town is now in dire need of aid and rebuilding...

As for the Town of Triel, though, things have been far darker and grimmer. Whilst the Zhentarims were busy contending access to the city with the forces of good, a lone orc arrived inside the town and started raising its dead into plague zombies. Earthquakes and firestorms cast by the Plaguebringer leveled the town and set fire to many of its buildings, while three lonely zhentarim soldiers desperately fought for their lives as well as the lives of those inhabitants who rushed to them for salvation. The sudden intervention of a zhentilar platoon strengthened the defenders enough to allow them to hold the town center enough for the paladins and the adventurers of the south, strangely aided by the zhentarims, to teleport inside the town.

A fierce struggle then erupted, as the defenders clashed against the dozens and dozens of plague zombies. The plaguebearer itself then arrived and engaged the group with the aid of another gigantic maggot, its burrowing creating even more earthquakes who contributed to Triel's eventual demise. After a long and arduous struggle, both the plaguebearer and the worm had finally been killed...

But this has been for naught, though, as most of Triel's inhabitants had been devoured by their now raised brethren or killed by the plaguebearer's foul magics. A hundred of survivors emerged from a miracolously standing granary, pronouncing their allegiance to the Zhentarims after the battle had been concluded.

The town, though, now lies in shambles, its buildings either collapsed or burned to the ground, its fields rotten and blighted by the foulest magics around. The temple of Chauntea has similarly been overran by zombies, it's priestess devoured by the reanimated corpses of those she tried to save.

With one whole town basically erased from the maps, the balance of powers in the North is bound to be shifted once more...but towards which side, remains to be seen.

[DM Asgorath]

Hill's Edge

"A small but elite cadre of drow raiders launched a surprise attack against the northern town. Despite the strenuous resistance of the defenders, a high-ranking priestess of Lolth led the drows through a breakthrough in the defensive walls by using an earthquake to shatter them and pass through.

The drows then poured in the streets, maiming, killing, looting, burning, pillaging and slaughtering each and every inhabitant of the town, regardless of civilian or fighter. A few shocked survivors tell tales of a drow female cannibalizing her opponents whilst still alive and killing mighty ironclad warriors bare-handedly, others still claim in shock to have seen the priestess of Lolth summoning demons through the streets, invoking firestorms and earthquakes.

Those who managed to flee had their escape covered by a small band of defenders who heroically - yet pointlessly - decided to hold the line as the drows advanced to cover the civilians' retreat. None of them survived.

The drows then proceeded to partially destroy Hill's Edge's citadel through an earthquake which partially collapsed the rooftop and a magical rain of acid which grievously injured the citadel's inhabitants.

The town's main square was then desecrated, all the nearby deads reanimated into undead abominations who slowly proceeded to haunt the town for further victims. Chained to a statue overlooking the town square are the four undead forms of young adults, now twisted into ghasts, each one of them bearing a name carved upon its chest...."

Valiant
Azmodeth
Koryeneer
Lexa

A single phrase was instead painted in blood upon the statue to which the four undead abominations were chained, its alphabet in elven espruar, grotesquely completing the scene like some kind of morbid, unholy painting:

"We did This"

The town of Hill's Edge has suffered extensive damage as a result. Many buildings have been either razed to the ground, burned, or collapsed. Hundreds Dozens ((*edit DMogorgon:*)) of innocent citizens have been slaughtered. Undeads haunt the streets, preying on their past friends and countrymen.

Noteworthily, many children have been reported missing, kidnapped by the drows, most likely never to return.

The warhost of drows then left the town as quickly as it came, leaving seemingly no traces of its passage behind, save for a trail of destruction and death."

[DM Asgorath]

The Slaughter Continues

Although the drows have left the town, Hill's Edge's inhabitants are still suffering and far from being out of danger. Massive numbers of undeads still wander the streets, preying on everyone they encounter. Most villagers have been forced to either abandon the town or entrench themselves into their own homes. The situation gets more and more desperate with each hour's passage.

[DM VileThings]

In lighter news...

Some inhabitants along the coast have found some of the inhuman and human denizens of the coast to be moving about from their usual haunts. Normally not newsworthy, they were said to be behaving erratically, flailing wildly and, if possible for some, more aggressively than is normal.

Some reports include sightings of some kind of "Demon Frogs" being somehow involved.

A drink addled adventurer's mind playing tricks on them? Another wizardly experiment gone horribly wrong? Or something in the air?

[DMogorgon]

((OOC: edited down the casualties number for Hills Edge drow raids - a veteran DM once noted that for Forgotten realms smaller numbers work better than big))


As Hill Edge rebuilds from the devastation, word from the north indicates that initial reports of damage - while devastating - were slightly exaggerated. Drow paranoia spreads across the sword coast, foreigners are routinely harassed and vigilant guards are doubled at all major forts and settlements - eager to fill the gallows with a symbol to calm the masses.

[DM Nephilim]

A priestess of Myrkul has been seen around Triel, raising the undead, putting them to work reburying others and cleaning away debris from around the town. It is unknown whether she works alone or with a group. The impact on the taint of the land, and the town itself is yet unknown.

[DM Boo]

Soubar

Some locals to Soubar might have seen a group of four, three masked and one male, running for their lives from the town early this afternoon, as a fight broke out on the streets between the group and a group of bandits wielding crossbows. The locals remain tight-lipped about the incident. Any newcomers to the town find themselves treated with even more hostility and suspicion as the divide between locals and newcomers grows even wider.

[DM Novus]

Darkhold Rises

In the Far Hills, near the Sunset Mountains of the Western Heartlands and the edge of the Sword Coast region, there looms a castle of immense proportions, rising from a bare rocky spur on the side of the mountain named the Gray Watcher. Its walls are streaked red by the rusting bars upon the windows; its chimneys spew forth a smoke of blackest night. Darkhold, or Castle Darkhold, publicly serves to protect the Far Hills, harbor trade caravans in need of re-supply, and facilitate diplomatic relations between the Inner Sea and the Sword Coast.

Along the ascent towards the looming castle spires, soldiers march in fierce unison, as The Pereghost—known throughout the region by sight, in his distinctive skull helm and chalk-white full plate armor. His garrison he commands to protect the newly renovated Darkhold, sits nearly 800 men and women strong. The might and power that is Darkhold, can be felt slowly rolling down the mountain, upon the hills, valleys, plains...and villages...from this moment forward.

As The Pereghost marches his troups frequently in the immediate region of Darkhold, there is an attitude that shows to claim parts these lawless lands, and place marker upon which roads and pathways are now serviced and protected by him, and the Zhentarim soldiers, so that caravans and trade can build and flourish from under Darkhold's oversight.

Only force, cunning and chance can maintain any sense of certainty in this region. Yet within the actual walls and at the footsteps of the great and respected Castle Darkhold, The Pereghost does maintain Laws of the Land, that all must heed...or pay the official price.

[DM Novus]

As Darkhold rises in the East, merchants, mercenaries and those with the business of unique Trade slowly find their way to the region under the Sunset Mountains. Caravans work to transition those through the more dangerous hills and forests, for with only death as an outcome, there will be no coin made between willing parties with wares and a wish for deals to be made.

Thus begins a shift, in the economy of the Sword Coast, where all those desiring the highest price and the greatest assortment of choice in their Trade dealings—be they of any alignment—explore the edge of the veil that lay over the region.

This shift in trade, shall not go unnoticed by many...

[DM Nephilim]

The followers of Chauntea along the sword coast all share a combined dream/vision of Triel. It shows someone at Chauntea's shrine desecrating what is left, trying to remove Her presence from the village. The vision is not clear enough to see whom it was, as She is weak in Triel...all the same she bids her followers to investigate.

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