Wyrmteeth Gazetteer, continued

Dwarves - Dwarves of Wyrmteeth are like any other dwarves on the surface of Mystara; they are short humanoids of heavy built, of strong constitution. Dwarves were the first race to be invited to Wyrmteeth after the 802 events. Some of them accepted, forming the Wurkrest clan; others refused, fearing dragon intrusion in their clan activities, and went to build the Stormhaven fortress. There are now 3,000 dwarves in Wyrmteeth. Dwarves of Wyrmteeth are all members of the Wurkrest clan, which is mostly composed of miners and gemcrafters. The Wurkrest dwarves are of light brown skin complection, and have blue or golden eyes, with red or light brown hair. They are isolationists; they want nothing to do with the outer world, and also have little to do with other Wyrmteethians, apart from those from their home town, Tua'than. Even then, dwarves think of Tua'than as two separate towns: Tua'than, the outer town, where humans live; and Groggat, the "real" town, the dwarven town (mostly under the surface, inside the mountain). Despite their isolationism, the dwarves have strong ties with their cousins of Stormhaven, and holds some contact (with clan Ambassadors) with Rockhome. Dwarves have their own society, and have a Clan Master and a Dwarven Relic. They consider themselves as employed artisans for a race that must be respected, and they believe that the dragons return this respect in kind. Thus, they are extremely proud of their work (perhaps excessively so), and view humans of Wyrmteeth as a sort of lesser race that works for the sustenance of the nation, while they dedicate themselves to higher activities.

Lizardkin - Nearly all lizardkin live in Th'hral, which they founded in 845 AC. They are all under the direct rule of the Dragonlord Hk'rhal, who pleases himself with the name of Dragonlizard. Hk'rhal genuinely loves all lizardmen and lizardkin, whom he has always regarded as small, human-proportioned dragons, made by the lizard gods in the image of dragons. He has helped them build the city and devotes a lot of time to the city of Th'hral, where he is often found in the shape of a Lizard King. There are two different races of lizard-kin represented here, members of the arctic lizardman subspecies (they are white-azure in skin colour, and like cold climates) and varkha (presented in MCA III as underdark lizard men, here simply shorter and subterranean dwelling lizard men). Some live in the surface Th'hral, but most prefer to live in the subterranean lake that provides them with an abundance of fish. They are a reclusive race, and don't care much for other people in Wyrmteeth. They love their dragon ruler Hk'rhal,and are totally loyal to him, but care nothing for other dragons. In lizardkin society, males typically become fighters, while females become clerics of Ka; though it's not unusual to find a male cleric and a female warrior. Arctic lizard men receive a +2 bonus to strength and a -2 to dexterity. Varkha receive a +1 to strength, +1 to constitution, -1 to dexterity and -1 to charisma. Basic armor class is 5. Most are of neutral alignement, with varkha incling to lawful evil.

DUNGEON MASTER'S GUIDE TO WYRMTEETH

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Dragon History of Norwold

This is the true and complete history of dragons in Norwold. Most of the dragons of Norwold and Wyrmteeth are perfectly aware of it, simply because many of them have lived through many of the below events.

Dragons as a race are one of the oldest created in Mystara. After the axis shift brought about by the Great Rain of Fire, Norwold became one of coldest regions of the planet. Dragons, as a race, have subspecies that adapt to any climate easily, and the high mountains of Norwold were a preferred choice for these intelligent flying lizards. The first dragons to come here were the White. They had moved from the Arctic Regions that had become too hot with the polar shift, and many settled here; others searched further, and finally moved along with frost giants to occupy barren Frosthaven. The White lived in Wyrmteeth from around 2800 BC in relative peace, little bothered by Antalian tribesmen who were occupied Norwold (indeed, these men proved tasty if frozen)

Problems arose around the year 1900 BC, when a solitary red dragon named Syare stumbled upon the volcanoes of Wyrmteeth Range and decided to make them his new home. His encounter with the white dragons of the region didn't deter him; he defeated the greatest of them and the others fled, some to the Icereach range, some even to Frosthaven. Then he begin to ravage the Antalian villages and cities, contributing to the fall of that civilization. Syare forced the Antalian cities to revere him as a god, demanding sacrifices in his name. His rulership was cruel and savage, but it provided the Antalians protection against the horde of King Loark in 1722 BC. Syare ruled undefeated for centuries, finally leaving his realm only to seek Immortality in the Sphere of Matter.

During his Quest, Syare spent years to regain an old Artifact, the Shard of Sakkrad, which he found protected by a gold dragon. The battle was hard, but he destroyed the wyrm and delightedly passed to a new life in which he had the powers of a red, a blue and a black dragon. In this shape, he decided to create a new land that would be the Testimony of his might and the final step toward Immortality. To this end, he defeated dragons and dragon clans without killing them, having them swear loyalty to his power and follow him to live in Norwold. This was the birth of Wyrmteeth, and in 745 BC it was also the birth of the Immortal Moon Dragon, Syare (which in the dragon tongue means "Pearl"). Syare looked upon Wyrmteeth and decided that before his leaving he would not appoint a successor. He was enthralled by the chaotic situation that would follow his departure, and he left Norwold suddenly, without a trace. The dragons took their time to discover what happened. Many simply didn't care of his leaving, and continued to live in Norwold; others were happy and left for their old homes. But other, more clever dragons saw the possibilities of power hidden in his departure. For the moment they did not act; dragons have plenty of time.

While the strongest dragons of Norwold gathered their followers and prepared for a major war to obtain control on the region, Pearl cultivated with care the Antalians' old cult of the "Dragon God from the mountains" (in fact, Syare himself). The Wyrmteeth range became taboo for the barbarian tribes of Antalian descent, and although not many of the Antalians worshipped Pearl, many continued to fear him, and to live in the hope he would protect them from conquest outsiders, as he had before. Pearl watched with great satisfaction over Wyrmteeth, because it would be theatre to an epic war between dragons that would both satisfy his sense of drama and find him a worthy successor. Many dragons of different races fought for years, while the Antalians, barred from the mountains by religious beliefs, never suspected what was happening. As dragons clashed for generations, the memory of Syare-Pearl began to fade for most humans; but the mountain people, who could sometimes see a dragon pass by, still believed in the presence of a dragon spirit who protected the land.

When the war finally came to an end, around 500 BC, it was Lyalia who succeded. A blue dragon, she led the Blues to become the greatest force of Norwold, aided by the White clan; most Reds and Greens, being inferior in number, fled to southern regions, with thoughts of vengeance. Black dragons, who had allied with Browns [D&D: Ambers], stayed low, but remained in Norwold, and waited. Lyalia's rule was not as wise as Syare's. She enjoyed leading great bands of dragons to destroy and sack human settlements, driving humans to hate the great creatures that they once believed to be their protectors. Not long passed before wyrmslayers began to appear in the now-infamous region, to destroy every trace of the "foul race." Lyalia was killed by a great barbarian leader, and dragons lost their ruler and their unity, scattering throughout Norwold. Reds and Greens, Blacks and Browns, returned to Wyrmteeth under the iron rule of a new commander, Incediarious (not to be mistaken for the female dragon of CM3: The Sabre River; that Incendiarious is the strongest of his children currently alive). Incediarious was a great wyrm of superior intelligence, originally from Rockhome. He had long lived with humans, roaming the world in search of gold and magic, and was one of the strongest creatures of Mystara. He saw in Wyrmteeth the same chance for power that his precedessor Syare had seen. But he acted very differently from Lyalia, keeping a loose control on the dragons, knowing that their free nature could only with difficulty be tamed into forming a real society. And he was not willing to spend all his time ruling; wielding raw power was good enough if it allowed him to concentrate on his treasures and his magic. This allowed him to reign for centuries over the dragons, whom he prohibited to organize and conduct great raids on villages of Norwold (in order to keep the humans from knowing the vast amount of dragons that lived there). The dragons lived and prospered.

Centuries passed without significant events, until AC 802, year of the Great Plague. Many dwarves fleeing Glantri escaped to the north, and - to avoid crossing elvish territory - crossed the mountains to Norwold, where they formed the Stormhaven clan. Dragons who lived there were not overjoyed by the event, but the new ruler of Wyrmteeth, a dragon known as Mors Rufus ("Red Death" in Thyatian) who had succeeded Incendiarious around 400 AC when Incendiarious left in search of Immortality, saw a new way to attract followers. He presented himself in the guise of the "ruler of the mountains," who allowed the dwarves to stay. He asked the dwarves if they were willing to work for him in the mines of Wyrmteeth in exchange for settling in his kingdom, and some of the more young and ambitious agreed. They founded the mountain city of Grag Cath, while the others sought shelter in the caves of Stormhaven. Mors Rufus then made his intention known to other important rulers of the Known World and began attracting followers to his nation. There were not many people who liked the idea of working under a dragon, but Mors Rufus had carefully planned the immigration by inviting members of hunted races, such as werewolves, and those hated by humans who still had enough culture and civilization to be a good ally for the dragons (some lizardman, human exiles and refugees, misanthropes, a few half-elves). Many clerics of Pearl from all over the Old World left for Wyrmteeth; there they founded the Order of the Holy Blood Sword, elite fighters in the name of Dragonkind, in 828 AC. The Dragon Kingdom of Wyrmteeth was born.

CONTEMPORARY EVENTS

831 AC: Clerics of Pearl and dwarven barristers design the Constitution, framing the laws of Wyrmteeth. Many lycanthropes and humans are expelled from Wyrmteeth or arrested to work in the mines, being accused of different crimes. Grag Cath is renamed Tua'than, with Grag Cath becoming the dwarven quarter under the surface.

843 AC: Foundation of the city of Th'hral.

859 AC: Sire Philippe de Suveire, a Glantrian noble werewolf in exile, becomes a cleric of Pearl.

871 AC: Sire Philippe de Suveire becomes High Cleric of Pearl and begins recruiting werewolf followers.

876 AC: Founding of the Legion of Moon, the elite force of the Holy Blood Sword, formed exclusively by lycanthropes.

883 AC: It is decided that only the High Cleric of Pearl may be the General of the Legion of Moon.

885 AC: Founding of the city of Seel.

893 AC: Founding of the city of Wheine.

952 AC: Wyrmteeth rulers invite Heldannic refugees to the nation. This act irritates the Order of Vanya. Mutual distrust follows the event.

964 AC: Official alliace between Rockhome and Wyrmteeth dwarves.

981 AC: The current Moonlord, Harald Hardråde, signs a mutual aid treaty with Malachie du Marais, and supports Malachie's claims on Morlay and Malinbois.

985 AC: Sire Malachie du Marais founds the Canine Protection Society. Many Wyrmteeth citizens become full time members or sympathizers.

993 AC: Thyatian noble Julius Penhaligon becomes General of the Legion of Moon.

998 AC: Alliance between Wyrmteeth and Thyatis.

1000 AC: Gazetteer time. All information in this booklet is presented with this date in mind.

continued

Copyright 1999, Giulio N. Caroletti. All rights reserved. Used by permission.