Shadowelves/Schattenalfen relations revisited
by Hervé Musseau1010, Kaldmont 13: The Shadow Elves Meet (PWA)
Location: Schattenalfheim.
Description: Explorer shadow elves from the City of Stars deep in the world's crust finally make their way to the Hollow World's surface, and encounter the Schattenalfen. The Schattenalfen grab the explorers and hustle them to their capital city of Issarthyl.
What This Means: The two branches of the shadow elves race have been separated for quite some time it will be interesting to see how they interact.
What the PCs Can Do (added): If the PCs are Shadow Elves, probably part of the army or trusted adventurers, they can be the party that discovers the way to the Hollow World and make contact with their long- lost brethren. They should be either commissioned by the King or be extremely loyal to their people, since it is important that they report their discovery back to the City of Stars.
1010, Kaldmont 16: Shadow Elves Talk (PWA)
Location: Issarthyl, Schattenalfheim.
Description: The Queen of the Schattenalfen converses with these other shadow elves and learns much history that her race has forgotten. She agrees to open up diplomatic ties with the other shadow elves.
What This Means: The two branches of the shadow elf family do not like or trust one another, but recognise the ties that bind them and that each can learn from the other. The two races will not become military allies in the foreseeable future, however, as their politics are too different.
What the PCs Can Do (added): If the PCs are the explorers who made contact with the Schattenalfen, they should do this diplomatic work. It is likely they don't want to reveal too much about their people; their land and their customs, as well as the way they used to get there, as it could prove dangerous for the Shadow Elves. Once this is done, they are made forced guests of the palace until a party of diplomats is ready to go to the City of Stars. The PCs are assigned bodyguards (more to watch them than to protect them), but they can try to escape from the palace in order to gather information by scouting the land, but risking to bring an diplomatic incident even before contact has been officially established.
1010, Kaldmont 18: Diplomats Leave Schattenalfheim
Location: Issarthyl, Schattenalfheim.
Description: The party of diplomats gathered by the Queen of the Schattenalfen, with a squad of soldiers, and the expedition of Shadow Elves that discovered a route from the City of Stars to the Hollow World, leave today the land of the Schattenalfen for that of the Shadow Elves.
What This Means: The trip will be long and difficult, especially since the two parties do not trust each other, and have very different customs. The maps of the Shadow Elves are not always right, and they rightfully suspect the diplomats want to steal their knowledge of the underground route between the two worlds.
What the PCs Can Do: If the PCs are the party of Shadow Elves, they should find their way back to the City of Stars themselves, and discover the intent of the diplomats regarding their maps. They should realise it would be best for the Shadow Elves that this knowledge stays in the sole hands of their people. If the PCs are Schattenalfen, they could be the diplomats.
1011, Eirmont 7: Schattenalfen Diplomats Reach the City Of Stars
Location: City of Stars, Shadow Elves' Territories.
Description: The Schattenalfen diplomats and their Shadow Elves guides reach the City of Stars today. They are immediately received by King Telemon. The diplomats extend Queen Catriata's greeting and begin their work of gathering as much information as possible about the Shadow Elves. The party of Shadow Elves explorers who discovered the Schattenalfen are then also received by King Telemon, and they tell him about everything they learned during their trip, notably maps of underground routes and what they learned about the Schattenalfen, including their suspicions about their real intents. King Telemon immediately decides the diplomats are to be watched by spies, and that the route to the Hollow World be further explored and secured. He also decides that, in addition to the official diplomats, he will also send spies to Schattenalfheim, as well as explorers to further explore the Hollow World. He immediately contacts the Serpent's Eyes.
What the PCs Can Do: If the PCs are the explorers, they are to explain themselves the situation and their discoveries to the king. If they wish, they can go back to the Hollow World with King Telemon's blessing and support both political and financial to further explore it.
1011, Eirmont 8: Shadow Elves Diplomats Leave for the Hollow World
Location: City of Stars, Shadow Elves' Territories.
Description: Diplomats from the City of Stars leave today for the Schattenalfen territories. The party includes skilled diplomats, a wizard, a shaman of Rafiel, and soldiers and bodyguards. At the same time, spies discreetly follow them, and parties of well-equipped explorers and soldiers begin the work of exploring, mapping and cleaning the route from its dangerous inhabitants, and definitely securing them.
What This Means: King Telemon has accepted to open up diplomatic ties with the Schattenalfen. The diplomats are to gather information about this land, the Hollow World in general, and decide if this can be a threat to the Shadow Elves. The wizard has to study magic in the Hollow World the explorers reported it worked strange there. The shaman is to study the Schattenalfen's beliefs. The spies are to infiltrate the Schattenalfen society, maybe even reaching key positions.
What the PCs Can Do: Shadow Elves PCs can be diplomats (including the wizard and the shaman), or spies, or part of the exploring parties, depending on their role among the Shadow Elves, their levels, and what they want to do.
1011; Kaldmont 16: Explorers Reach Worldshield
Location: Limit of Worldshield, 300 miles below the Shadow Elves' Territories.
Description: Explorers have rapidly reached the route to the Hollow World up to this point, since some of the passages were already known, and the earth-related magic of the Shadow Elves was useable so far.
What This Means: Although the upper passages are not yet completely secured or even mapped, it shouldn't be long before it is the case. It will be more difficult, however, for the remaining of the route, which goes through 600 miles of anti-magic Worldshield, then 300 miles in a place which naturally falls under the Schattenalfen's influence if they bother to claim it. The Shadow Elf commander decides to build a garrisoned fort here, as a sort of checkpoint, resting point, with the idea in mind to later bring a permanent presence of wizards with instantaneous means of transport and communication with the City of Stars. They also begin study of way to improve travel through the Worldshield.
What the PCs Can Do: If the PCs are part of the expeditionary patrols, they could be assigned to do those tasks, or command their troops to do it if they're high in the military hierarchy.
1012, Vatermont 15: Shadow Elves Learn of Oenkmar (PWA3)
1012, Vatermont 28: Schattenalfen Ambassador Leaves City of Stars
Location: City of Stars, Shadow Elves' Territories.
Description: An ambassador leaves the City of Stars, accompanied by his bodyguards and Shadow Elves guides.
What This Means: The ambassadors have studied the Shadow Elves' society for quite some time now, and the news of the discovery of the sacred city of Aengmor and the forthcoming war have convinced them it is time to report to their queen. The other major news they bring back concern the local worship of Rafiel and the recent invasion of Alfheim (now Aengmor).
1012, Klarmont 22: Ambassadors Reach Schattenalfheim
Location: Issarthyl, Schattenalfheim.
Description: The ambassadors and spies from the City of Stars arrive in Issarthyl today. After a brief encounter with the queen, in which they extend King Telemon's greeting and gifts, they begin to work on the tasks King Telemon gave them as a priority.
What This Means: There will be a lot of spying in the land of the Schattenalfen. The diplomats will be carefully watched, but some of the spies should be able to adapt to the local culture and not be executed.
What the PCs Can Do: If the PCs came as diplomats or spies, they will have plenty of job. If they are Schattenalfen, they could discover the activities of the Shadow Elves, and maybe put an end to it and even to the diplomatic relations as a whole.
1012, Felmont 2: An Ambassador Leaves Issarthyl
Location: Issarthyl, Schattenalfheim.
Description: A Shadow Elf ambassador leaves for the City of Stars with a squad of soldiers.
What This Means: It didn't take long for the shaman of Rafiel to discover that the Schattenalfen worship an evil Immortal called Atzanteotl, whose philosophy seems mostly to be war, evil, chaos, and mischief. He decides to send word of his discovery to King Telemon and Radiant Shaman Porphyriel, and a warning about the fact that they might want to invade the Shadow Elves and the world above one day.
What the PCs Can Do: If one of the PCs is the shaman, he has to discover all of this himself, and decide if he wants to send word to the king. If they are diplomats or soldiers, they can be the group that travels back home, a small group in fact for such a long trip.
1012, Sviftmont 1: Wanderers Reveal Themselves (PWA3)
[Wanderers reveal their presence in Oenkmar to Royal Wizard Kanafasti, they shall help in the study of the archives of the city]
1012, Kaldmont 26: Ambassador Reaches Issarthyl
Location: Issarthyl, Schattenalfheim.
Description: The ambassador in the City of Stars reports to his queen what he has learned while there. The queen is very interested by the news, and orders further investigation regarding the city of Aengmor.
What This Means: The city of Aengmor is as sacred to the Schattenalfen as it is to the Shadow Elves, although it is obvious to Queen Catriata that her people cannot reclaim it for now. Since her patron Atzanteotl has instructed her it is not worth a holy war for the moment he has other plans in mind for the city , she doesn't pay too much attention to it either she has to plan attacks on those hated Azcans first.
1013, Nuwmont 3: Ambassador Reaches Fort
Location: Fort Catriata, 300 miles below the Shadow Elves' Territories, and the City of Stars.
Description: The ambassador of the Shadow Elves in Schattenalfheim arrives in the newly constructed fort at the limit of the Worldshield. He his immediately teleported to the palace of King Telemon, while his bodyguards rest at the fort. He gives to King Telemon the information the diplomats have gathered in Issarthyl, most notably the fact that they worship an Entropic Immortal. The king immediately orders that all patrols get doubled, all passages searched and secured, and further diplomats from the Schattenalfen be always brought back home by non-direct routes and never pass through Fort Catriata and its teleporting mages. The ambassador then reports to the Radiant Shaman.
What This Means: The Shadow Elves begin to realise that the warlike Schattenalfen could prove dangerous to them, and that the two branches have definitely very different cultures and ethics. Unfortunately, their effort in conquering Oenkmar has diverted many troops, so that the exploring and securing of the tunnels leading to the Hollow World have progressed slower than expected. Fortunately, however, Atzanteotl has not yet realised that Rafiel is not a fellow Entropic Immortal, and as such does not direct his followers' efforts toward the Shadow elves in fact, he even hopes that the Shadow Elves will easily fall again under his influence when they take control of the city of Aengmor, and secretly supports them in the task.
What the PCs Can Do: King Telemon needs more troops and adventurers.
1013, Vatermont 14: King Telemon Learns More About Atzanteotl
Location: City of Stars, Shadow Elves' Territories.
Description: Radiant Shaman
Porphyriel and Royal Wizard Kanafasti both come personally to have
an important meeting with King Telemon of the Shadow Elves. They
bring bad news about the Immortal Atzanteotl.
Porphyriel informs the king that Atzanteotl is indeed an Entropic
Immortal, and that it is the will of Rafiel that the Shadow Elves
be cautious in their dealings with the Schattenalfen. Their
ambassadors should always be carefully watched at all times, and
their activities at home should be carefully spied upon. Some
aspects of the Shadow Elves' society should be kept hidden from
them, notably concerning Rafiel: the Schattenalfen and their
Immortal shouldn't be informed that he's not Entropic something
they believe right now.
Kanafasti then tells that the study of the archives from the city
of Aengmor have proven that the shadow elves who later became the
Schattenalfen begun to worship Atzanteotl while living in that
city, and that the humanoids that have occupied it since also
worshipped him which is rather bad news for the Shadow Elves and
Rafiel.
King Telemon is assured that his earlier decisions regarding the
Schattenalfen were good, and should be kept effective. He again
doubles the patrols on the routes to the Hollow World, recalling
more troops from now- conquered Aengmor.
What This Means: Rafiel fears the
Schattenalfen and their patron Immortal Atzanteotl learn too much
about him. Up to now, Atzanteotl has mistaken Rafiel for a fellow
Entropic Immortal, given the apparently cruelty of some of his
verses, as well as the attitude of his Shadow Elves regarding the
surface countries of the Known World and most notably the invasion
of Alfheim. Rafiel also fears that the diplomats in the City of
Stars could learn of his secret project though Porphyriel doesn't
reveal this to Telemon, which is as yet unknown to mortals and
Immortals alike, except the highest-level shamans who work on it.
It would be a terrible blow to Rafiel should Atzanteotl or everyone
else ever learn of it. In addition, with the recent discovery of
Kanafasti concerning the cult of his enemy in the sacred city of
Aengmor, he now also fears Atzanteotl could use it as a starting
point to converting Shadow Elves to his following which is exactly
what he intends to do. Fortunately, Atzanteotl is not conscious of
Rafiel's knowledge.
Telemon is reassured he has taken the best decisions so far, and
that he should continue to watch carefully over the Schattenalfen
and keep the underground roads and their shortcuts secret. With all
the measures of securing taken by King Telemon over the years, the
City of Stars is now surrounded in nearly all directions by strong
buffer states or military positions: Aengmor aboveground, the city
of Aengmor in the Broken Lands, military patrols and keeps to the
east toward Rockhome (with increased strength since the war for
control of Oenkmar), and now expansion belowground with a strong
campaign of surveying and fortification farther belowground,
including the strong fort of Catriata at the edge of the
Worldshield. This makes the Shadow Elves one of the most extensive
empire in the world, although some of the territories it claims are
not under their total control there are still numerous underground
races or monsters present next to their holdings. It is important
also to note that most other nations are unaware of how powerful
the Shadow Elves are, and that they could become even more powerful
when Rafiel's project is over.