History of Athenos
by Robin1000BC Originally an unnamed village of simple buildings around a wooden Fort.
1000BC-500BC Growing over time into a small Town, due trade, and dedicated to the Immortal Athen (A renegade group of Nithians, strongly dedicated to the Sole Immortal patronage of Ixion (other Immortals were considered non-existing.)) The fort became a stone castle of a standard fort design, with 4 stone corner towers of 30' tall, and wooden structures within against the wall. A central 30 x 30 feet and 15' tall stone building was used to welcome important guests and was decorated with gold and cloth of luscious design to impress others. Nearby a temple was build, the ground consecrated, and this became a cathedral with a 40' tall ship. Together with the faith came trust, and wealth.
450BC a Croaking Demon based on Bael (non-magic using) lured by the local Nithian riches, appeared in Athenos, and attacked the town, with his army of 250 legions of 100 spirits/(wraith), rampaging along, slaying all, yet was unable to enter or damage the consecrated temple to Athen/Ixion. Many of the locals were imprisoned within, as the demon was waiting them to come out, suffering over time from serious food deprivation. Forced to accept defeat, one of them was a high Nithian Mage able to cast a 10th level spells(Transport Mountain), he saw a single last chance to survive all. He advised the commander to trick the demon to come into the castle in to the small stone building in its centre, to show they him they accepted surrender and sign the document of surrender, and at the same time allowed the mage to act according plan. The demon accepted, send his remaining spirit army home, and walked in, he was not afraid as its powers certainly easily would overcome those of the already beaten down humans. Before the documents were signed with blood the Nithian mage used its 10th level spell to transport the whole nearby temple and its consecrated ground it was build upon over the small stone building within the castle, and placed it there. The commander walked(ran) out through the just placed temple, while the demon could not as it could not pass over consecrated ground...it was imprisoned...forever. Lead plates was poured over the stones the next days, and the building was embedded into a layer of earththick enough to cover the whole stone building. This made the temple inner floor 20' higher than normal, making the temple seeming as if it had sank into the ground within the castle walls.
500BC With the sudden removal of Nithians on Mystara these people forgot their Nithian heritage(or dissapeared themselves), and what was imprisoned within their temple, yet the temple remained, still dedicated to its Immortal, still holding within the consecrated ground, the imprisoned demon underneath its silver blessed name sigil embedded within the tiles, further ensuring its imprisonment and silence to the outside world.. Also entrapped within his abyssal Outer Planar domain wait the spirit army. I used 10d10 for each legion seperately instead 100 after the battle to reflect damages from the battle, as well as fading away over time.
500BC-1000AC. The next centuries wars were fought, and the city was populated and abandoned regularly, bearing many names. Overtime the castle slowly fell apart. Temporarily forgotten, the people eventually rediscovered the abandoned city, its temple to Ixion (who now was part of the Local faith--which would later turn into the Church of Darokin) and rebuilded it. The remaining former castle walls were build into strong wealthy stone housings(and crafts), and the weirdly low ceilinged temple within expanded east and west beyond the former castle walls to allow the other Immortals to be honored as well. Below the tiled floor the 30'x30' stone chamber still existed, where the demon was imprisoned, desiring freedom and revenge, unaware how the world evolved around it.
1000AC. Athenos has grown into a powerful trade city, due to the creation of the canal with its locks, enabling the Streel River to be used wholy. (before the south part was near impassable due rapids, swamps, undepths, changing waters, Seasonal floodings and undepths and other blocking handicaps. The Demon still abides his time, hoping to free itself somewhere in the future.
For all people here, nobody is aware what lurks behind, as it is unaware what is on the outside.
Somewhere in the future; All Bael can do is wait, until someone recognizes the symbol, removes it(for whatever reason) or becomes damaged over time, then he or someone else listens to Bael's voice, desecrates the temple's ground on his commands thus removing the consecration, enabling Bael to finally escape, calling his spirit army and wreack havoc on the region.
Have fun, messing with your gamers with this vile demon and its army when it escapes :twisted: , or even meanier, :o let them release it unknowingly, and the suffer the after effects. Bael is tricky enough :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :mrgreen: .