style SJ campaign (which is turning out to be a real hit with the players),
my group is playing in the Unhuman wars (after the second, to be precise),
and we lack info on: the sides of the conflicts; the conflicts themselves (battles, etc.); the equipment, ships, and weapons of the war; and almost everything
with regard to this most interesting period of time.
The only resources we have, are thus: Dragonmag Annual 1 (occasionally borrowed from the local public library); Lorebook of the Void, Realmspace, the Concordance, Krynnspace, the (rather excellent) Beyond the Moons site,
Lost Ships, and the Cloakmaster Cycle (this last is/was on order from the local book store, with #1 and #3 just arrived-and thus unread).
What we have been doing so far to fill the (rather large) gaps in our knowledge, is basing the Scro on Hitlerite germans, and attempting to do the
elves as according to The Complete Book Of Elves.
To cut to the thrust of the matter, I was wondering if a foundation/discussion of the Unhuman wars could be placed on the SJ board,
for people like me, who owe their SJ knowledge to 2nd hand bookstores and
Beyond the Moons. Perhaps a series of articles in the new SJ webzine would
work better? Whatever the case, I hope that something can be done to
provide information on these most interesting of times.
Thanks in advance...
Ryltar Thamior.
your prior work, I'll be pleased. I'm a great fan of your work, especially
the stuff on LIONHEART, and GAMERO BASE. Keep it up!
Unfortunately, I have not seen them yet. If these are even half as good as
your prior work, I'll be pleased. I'm a great fan of your work, especially
the stuff on LIONHEART, and GAMERO BASE. Keep it up!
Well thank you! I posted all four parts to the tread entitled "Unhuman Wars: Goblin Gear".
http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=372013
While this stuff is great for Crunch and Fluff, what I had in mind was Famous battles, NPCs (or at least the history therof), Ships, and other things.
In short-a WW2 history textbook style thing. Then it hit me...Why don't some people with War Captain's Compainion, Practical Planetology...DrMA1...etc. do something like this for the new webzine!
A monthly article on the Unhuman Wars (1 and 2), with a "For your campaign" section at the back of the article. Unfortunately, I am poor in my knowledge of SJ history, and also in terms of SJ books, so someone else will have to take up this "noble" endevour. Can't wait to see it if someone decides to do this!
, the Leafbower Legacy:The Leafbower Legacy
General Arlond Forgeson paced uneasily across the fine Zakharan
carpet. With one hand on his battle axe, the battle-worn dwarf never took
his eyes off of Bloodgnarl the Thanechief, his mortal enemy. For the past
decade, their two peoples, dwarf and gnoll, have fought for the moon
Gimduum, a war that has brought death and suffering to all.
The massive gnoll, almost eight feet tall and covered with
countless battle scars, returned General Forgeson's hard glare. He growled,
desiring to sink his spear into the dwarf king's flesh. His subchiefs were
likewise on edge, ready to do battle with the dozen or so subordinates that
Forgeson brought with him.
A blast of trumpets broke the tension. The double doors swung
open, heralding the meeting's newest arrival. A single elf, tall and proud,
strode forth. He wore a simple, yet elegant military uniform, that of an
admiral of the Elven Fleet.
A gnoll tensed, dropping his spear as if to charge the new
arrival, only to have it grabbed by Bloodgnarl. "No," he harshly rebuked
his warrior, "he is a Leafbower. He we can trust."
Few names command immediate respect in wildspace. Leafbower is
one of them. The Leafbowers is an extended clan of high elves with branches
in Greyspace, Bralspace, Realmspace, and Darnannon. Many past and current
members have served in the Elven Fleet, but just as many are private
citizens, owning and running their own ships.
Members of the Leafbower clan are high elves. In spheres
without native high elf populations, they are considered the local related
elven subtype. Leafbowers from Realmspace are considered sun elves, for
example. Regardless, almost every member of the clan has ashen white hair,
sharp facial features, and is pale in complexion. They make better
listeners than talkers.
The Leafbowers have a loose structure, with a household head in
each sphere they reside. He looks out after clan interests in the sphere,
from maintaining the Leafbower estate to running the trade routes to
training new generations of Leafbowers. A Leafbower residence will be a
large structure, usually a small keep, with luxurious accommodations. Clan
members are welcomed in any of these estates and can stay as long as need
be.
The Leafbowers are renowned for their skills in navigation,
diplomacy, spellcraft, and leadership. Indeed, each estate has an extensive
library with whole shelves dedicated to said topics, but more importantly
are the resident teachers and clan members, who are more than willing to
pass their knowledge and experiences on to the next generation. A Leafbower
estate can serve as a training hall with expert instructors.
History
Foundation
The roots of the Leafbowers are ancient and deep. The almost
mythical founder of the Leafbowers was Ilernil, a famed explorer of his day.
His skill in navigation was legendary, and is credited with the first
complete charts of Greyspace. Ilernil was granted a noble title after he
returned to Darnannon with charts to the legendary Vedia Sphere, an exotic
sphere of wealth and prestige. It was on this trip that he was given the
name Leafbower, for he became an honored guest in the halls of the Treant
Kingdom. The trees themselves bowed to Ilernil after he managed to end a
century-long war between local kingdoms.
Ilernil's Vedia expeditions, of which there were twelve, brought
great wealth to the captain. He finally retired in Greyspace, leaving his
trade company to his seven sons. Having accompanied their father on many of
his expeditions, they had mastered the art of trade, navigation, and sailing
the stars.
For the next five hundred years, the sons and grandsons of
Ilernil Leafbower made countless trips to Vedia and other spheres,
accumulating vast wealth and prestige. Each son of Ilernil founded his own
branch of the clan, building estates in different spheres. Despite the
great distances, they maintained close and friendly relations with one
another.
Another of the Leafbower daughters, Captain Mariona, was the
first to make contact with the elven nations of Toril. Her Man-O-War was
destroyed by rampaging Q'nidar, but was saved by Vhoori Durothil. For
centuries afterwards, Vhoori held Mariona as a "guest" as he used her
knowledge to construct a small fleet of spelljammers for the defense of
Evermeet. Mariona was eventually allowed to leave once the fleet was
complete, taking one of the starwings as her own. She returned to
wildspace, and completed her survey of the sphere before returning to the
Elven Fleet.
An Age of Conflict
A group of Leafbowers set up an estate in Realmspace, in the
Kingdom of Cormanthyr, during the reign of Coronal Miirphys Irithyl. They
helped cement an alliance to oppose Netheril's ambitions in wildspace. For
their part in the alliance, the Coronal rewarded them with some land between
the Elven Court and the River Lis. For centuries they operated a
spelljamming port, quietly handling much of Cormanthyr's trade with other
worlds.
The Leafbowers proved themselves again during the Weeping Wars.
They turned all of their small spelljammers to the task of evacuating Myth
Drannor when it became obvious the city was lost, as well as slaying any
goblin-kin they could from their ships. Fully half of their fleet fell in
battle, but their efforts saved more than three thousand lives.
The clan would be called once more, this time in a much wider
and far more destructive conflict. During the height of what would one day
be known as the Unhuman Wars, no less than nine Leafbowers served in the
Elven Fleet. Three rose has high as captain, whilst Aldyn was an admiral
long before the start of the wars. Many more helped the war effort
indirectly, operating supply ships or raising money via their trade
activities. Every member of the clan served with honor and distinction, in
their own way.
As the conflict came to a close, goblins and orcs united under
the command of the half-orc warlord Gralnakh Longtooth. This Unified Goblin
Fleet caused far more damage than their small numbers should have been
capable of, due in part to their command of a Witchlight Marauder. Despite
their victories, Gralnakh was pragmatic enough to realize that such
victories were hollow. Much of the Elven Fleet was at the edges of the
Known Spheres, pursuing the shattered remnants of the goblin hordes. They
would soon return, and his followers would be slaughtered to a man. When
admiral Aldyn sent a message offering a peace deal, the warlord accepted.
The two met in secret, hammering out a deal that would allow the orcs leave
the war peacefully, granting them a world of their own to rule as they saw
fit. In exchange, they would surrender their spelljammers to the Elven
Fleet. Confident that he had averted a bloody battle, admiral Aldyn
returned to Lionheart to announce the deal to his fellow admirals. As
expected, they were shocked that he would negotiate with such "beasts", some
demanding his resignation. The admiral was not dissuaded, and pushed the
deal through.
The elves honored the deal with the orc warlord, to the letter.
Unfortunately, it was never specified what type of world the elves would
give to the orcs, and they chose the most inhospitable world possible. The
orc tribes where outraged when they discovered that the world that was now
their home was an ice-ridden, volcanic world with few resources and a brutal
climate that would kill most races in days. Yet the tribes had no choice,
as the elves had confiscated their ships and left them stranded. The ice
world, named Armistice after the peace treaty, was the only home they had
left.
Admiral Leafbower was infuriated when he learned that his trust
had been betrayed. He resigned his commission and departed the Elven Fleet.
For centuries afterwards he served as a negotiator, settling conflicts and
trade disputes. He never forgave the elven admirals that betrayed him.
Recent Activities
The Leafbowers remain an active player in politics in the Known
Spheres. Some are members of the Elven Fleet, such as Admiral Vallus
Leafbower. Others run private ships that make expeditions to exotic spheres
such as Vedia and the Vodoni Empire. The recent resumption of war between
elves and the goblin-kin have prompted many Leafbowers to join the Elven
Fleet. As in the first Unhuman Wars before, those Leafbowers not part of
the Elven Fleet help by providing money and supply ships for the besieged
elven ships and worlds.
Prominent Members
The following is but a small sample of Leafbower heroes today.
Admiral Aldyn Leafbower CG em F7/W15 Str 12, Int 21, Cha 18
The legendary admiral who brokered a deal with the orcs during
the Unhuman Wars, Aldyn Leafbower was betrayed by his fellow admirals when
they dumped the orcs on the most inhospitable world possible. After the
war, the admiral resigned his commission and entered private life. For a
century, he remained in self-imposed exile in Faeriespace, until a dispute
in Greatspace brought him back into public life. He managed to successfully
prevent a war, and soon found himself as the mediator of choice to handle
disputes that had gotten too hot for locals to handle themselves.
Since then, Aldyn has found his services in high demand.
Despite an advancing age, he remains quite alert and his mind is sharper
than ever. He hardly has time to enjoy himself at his estate in Faeriespace
before another dispute arises that requires his attention. Despite the
whirl-wind schedule, Aldyn is the happiest he's been since he left the Elven
Fleet. Nothing gives him more pleasure than peacefully ending conflicts
before they can spark wars of destruction.
Captain Dulosse Leafbower: CG em F9 Str 16, Int 15, Wis 15
A distant cousin of Aldyn Leafbower, Dulosse operates a
shrikeship out of Greyspace. He is a typical member of the Leafbower clan,
running his own ship and making occasional trips to distant spheres to
satisfy his own wanderlust.
Dulosse is an easygoing, almost jovial elf. He has an old suit
of elven chain he keeps in fairly good shape and fights using a mystical
gemsword. His ship is the Sureflight, most often making trade runs through
the Grinder.
Battle-Poet Fanyar Leafbower: CG ef F5/W6 Str 14, Int 17
Fanyar is a full-ranked Battle-Poet of the Elven Fleet. She
joined the Fleet over seven decades ago and has served faithfully for much
of that time. She was assigned to the Emerald Hornet, part of the Bralspace
Fleet that was crushed at the start of the Second Unhuman War. Only the
Hornet survived an attempt to claim the so-called Cloak of the First Pilot,
an adventure that pitted them against the scro Fleet of the Red Tarantula.
Following the failed adventure, the Hornet returned to the Elven Fleet and
eventually, Bralspace.
The loss of the other ships of the Bralspace fleet has scarred
Fanyar deeply. Like most of the other crewmen of the Hornet, she feels the
pains of survivor guilt. Her poetry, once bright and full of life, has
turned dark and gloomy. If not for the ongoing war, it is likely the Elven
Fleet would send her on shore-leave for a decade or so to recover from her
grief.
Admiral Villus Leafbower: CG em W15 Int 18 Cha 15
A grandson of the famed Aldyn Leafbower, Villus served for years
as a helmsman on various ships throughout the Known Spheres. At the
outbreak of the Second Unhuman War, Villus joined the Elven Fleet and
quickly rose through the ranks. When it was discovered that the scro were
arming the orcs of Armistice, Villus ordered the Witchlight Marauder
unleashed, dooming the orc planet. The decision has weighed heavily on his
heart ever since, tempering his actions and commands.
Villus Leafbower is a high elf from Oerth. He is well over six
centuries old, and has been exploring wildspace for over a century.
Encounters with marauding scro caused him to join the Elven Fleet.
Recommendations from admirals friendly with his clan accelerated his rise
through the ranks, landing him an admiralship in record time.
Malnar Leafbower: CN em T11 Dex 19
Every tree has a few rotten apples, and Malnar is one of them.
He is a cold, sadistic individual that used his clan connections to further
his own profits. Wanted in at least ten ports for crimes ranging from grand
thief to murder, Malnar is constantly on the run. His life turned down the
road of crime a century ago when, in a fit of anger, he killed a friend.
Seeing the life fade from his oldest friend caused something to snap in him.
He ceased to care, looking out only for himself.
Malnar is a tall sun elf from Waterdeep. He is never without
his magical short sword +3 of speed or cloak of elvenkind. His current
whereabouts are unknown, but was last seen boarding a ship heading towards
the Rock of Bral.
Sample Leafbower Estate
This compound is a sample of a Leafbower estate than can be
inserted in any major city. It is a small, two-story compound with a main
entrance and a side servants' entrance. There are no windows on the lower
floor, but has large, airy windows on the second story. Each story is over
15' high, resulting in a building 30' high.
1.. Portico. A pair of footmen stands watch over the main entrance. The
stern guards will challenge anyone that approaches the compound. Admittance
is granted by invitation only.
2.. Main Hall. This main hall is decorated with art from a dozen spheres,
trophies, and tapestries. There are four comfortable chairs at odd corners
of the hall. Much traffic passes through as nobles and servants alike pass
from one part of the estate to another.
3.. Dining Hall. A large, comfortable room with a cheery fireplace at one
end and a long, elaborate table running from one end to the other. The fire
in the fireplace is an illusion, used to create atmosphere rather than burn
wood. Small incense burners hang from the ceiling to fill the room with
various smokes, which and be tailored to suit the occasion.
4.. Library. This darkly paneled room is the pride and joy of the lord of
the estate. Books on navigation, diplomacy, exploration, and like books are
piled in the dozens of bookshelves. A rolling ladder is used to reach the
higher shelves. A well-used writing desk is at one end of the library. Any
number of Leafbowers has used the desk to pen their experiences and insights
to books to pass on to future generations of Leafbowers. The library is two
stories, with a dome ceiling that has a map of the sphere carved into it.
The second floor has floor to ceiling glass-paneled windows. At dawn, light
hits the windows in an impressive light display, making the room bright and
cheerful.
5.. Kitchen. The kitchen is well-equipped to handle the large parties
that the Leafbowers often throw. A large fire sits squarely in the center
of the kitchen, funneling smoke into a magical chute that removes all smoke
from any air that passes through it.
6.. Servants' Quarters. The servants of the house keep to these chambers
when not on duty. There are separate dorms for male and female servants.
Both quarters are well-maintained and orderly, though not nearly as fine as
other rooms of the estate.
7.. Parlor. Clansmen use this spacious room to sit, talk, and otherwise
entertain themselves. A set of globes hang from the ceiling, providing
light when activated by a command word. The tapestries on the wall
highlight some of the greatest accomplishments of the Leafbower clan.
8.. Master Chambers. The current lord of the house resides in this
impressive room. Few are admitted here, as the chamber is considered
private to the lord and his lady.
9.. Guest Rooms. Visitors may be invited to stay in these comfortable
rooms. Each of the three rooms has a specific theme; there is a room
decorated with furnishings from Vedia, another has the feeling of being in
the void, and the third gives the impression of a park-like forest.
10.. Spell Library. This smaller library is tucked away at the far end of
an unlit hall. Access is granted by stepping through a mirror, which is an
illusion. This cozy room has three score of spellbooks, with hundreds of
spells between them. Many are copies of each other, and are loaned out to
members of the clan. Leafbower wizards recover their spells in solitude in
this room. None of the servants or guards knows of this hidden library.
11.. Armory. This heavily fortified room is under lock and key. Beyond
the heavy door are several racks of mundane arms (polearms, swords, and
crossbows predominantly) and armor (four suits of plate and ten suits of
chainmail). In cases along the walls are magical arms and armor, including
a suit of elven chain +2, a +2 longsword of giant slaying, a longbow +1, a
quiver of 10 +1 arrows, and a pair of gauntlets of ogre power.