Rise Of The Feydream

Rise of the Feydream Jasir leapt from building to building along a street lined with great, twisting trees. His cloak blended in with the green and grey of his surroundings, and he deftly flitted from shadow to shadow with a grace known only to the fey. He held his crossbow comfortably in his hand, confident in his skill. Bandol would not live to see tomorrow. Jasir looked to his left down Kadrin Avenue, and saw a gathering of people in the square. Staring across the street, he concentrated for a moment, and disappeared, reappearing where he had been staring. He continued stealthily down the street until he was a mere thirty feet from the gathering. A man stood on a dais in front of the group, and he was speaking, his voice strong, resonating with a sense of certainty and righteousness. “How long will we permit these traitors to scheme in our midst? Our grandfathers suffered at the hands of these very same people, and yet they live among us, plotting our demise! We must act now, before they strike again. Join me, my brothers, for the glory of great Rhizzia!” Jasir, shrouded in shadow, pulled a bolt out of the pouch on his belt. He placed the bolt in the crossbow and pulled the string back, hearing it click as it locked into position. Suddenly, he heard the sound of another crossbow being cocked behind him. He tried to spin around, but he was too late. The last thing he heard was the dull thud of a crossbow bolt entering his skull. The city of Rhizzia is a place of wealth, power, and knowledge. Ships come and go at all hours, each ship bringing more wealth in, and taking more goods out. Great towers rise into the sky, flags wave gallantly upon the walls, and the streets teem with thousands going about their business. Rhizzia’s greatness is in its location, for it lies between two worlds. Long ago, great mages cast a spell to bring Rhizzia into the Feywild. Today, Rhizzia exists on both planes simultaneously, its north gate connecting to the Feywild, its south gate to the Natural World. The mages of the city draw on the power of the Feywild to cast powerful spells, far more powerful than

spells cast elsewhere in Andorna. These are the spells that hold together the mighty Rhizzian Greatships, the backbone of Rhizzian power. A hundred years ago, however, everything changed. An eladrin lord, Ghanaelis, decided that humans would not be suffered to rule anywhere in the Realm of Faerie, and he assembled an alliance of fey to attack the city. On a cold winter night, the army of the fey began its assault. Ghanaelis himself rode through the city, slaughtering as he went, as a legion of deadly eladrin soldiers wrought systematic destruction throughout Rhizzia. Fey creatures of all sorts joined the battle, bringing death to the human trespassers. The many eladrin inhabitants of the city turned on each other, some supporting Ghanaelis, and others supporting the humans of Rhizzia in their desperate defense. After a month of vicious fighting, the people of the city drove out the attackers, but much was lost. A third of the city had been ruined by powerful arcane magic, and as much as half the population had been wiped out. The eladrin who had once dwelt with the humans peacefully were now seen as potential traitors, even those who had fought beside the humans in their time of trouble. These same eladrin, however, were also seen as traitors by the eladrin of the Feywild. Trapped in a city that hated them, the eladrin were forced to move into ghettos, and suffered much persecution at the hands of humans. Today, an uneasy peace exists between the people of Rhizzia and the surrounding eladrin lands. Rhizzia continues to produce tremendous amounts of wealth as the world’s dominant trading power, but whole sections of the city remain in ruins, still crackling with the power that was once unleashed into the city by Ghanaelis and his warmages. Though the ghettos have been largely abolished, tensions run high between the humans and the eladrin, and though many humans treat the eladrin as equals, there are still many who see the eladrin as treacherous scum.

Key Information Rhizzia is the largest city in Andorna, with a population of about 120,000. The majority of these people work as guild craftsmen, making the trade goods that are shipped overseas to the world outside of Rhizzia. Many of the goods produced rely on magical techniques for their creation, and many laborers in Rhizzia know the magical techniques necessary to practice a profitable trade. The majority of the population is human, but a large eladrin minority exists within the city, and many other races are represented in small numbers. The city is supported by the countryside surrounding it in the natural world, and farms for miles around provide the food that sustains the massive city. Rhizzia exercises control over a number of villages and fortresses near it on the Isle, and maintains a standing army that protects the city from various threats, including threats from the Feywild and threats from the feudal kingdoms that control most of the Isle. The magic of the Feywild permeates the city, and people born within Rhizzia often have small amounts of innate magical power. Trees and other plants grow all through the city, twisting around buildings and across streets, sometimes helping hold buildings up. Some structures are obviously magical in nature, bending and twisting in impossible ways. The city of Rhizzia is in tune with the forces of nature and magic, much more so than any other human city. Rhizzia is governed by a senate of 125 people. The senators are elected by the city as a whole, and not by particular districts within the city. Senators are elected for life terms, and elections are only held when a senator dies or retires. Also important within the city are the guilds. The guilds represent the workers of specific trades within the city. There are many guilds, but seven of them are especially important. Each of the seven great guilds seats a representative on the guild council, a powerful body that exerts great influence on elections within the city. Whenever a senatorial election is held, it is up to the council to nominate the three candidates that are then chosen between by the voting public. The merchants are the wealthiest people within the city, and they use their wealth to exercise control over the workings of Rhizzia. Their guild is

the most powerful of all the guilds and their money and influence is critical for anyone hoping to win a senate seat. Additionally, the merchants often employ mercenaries to protect their mercantile interests throughout the world, using their money to secure their position as wealthy traders, and ensure that trade will continue in ways that are conducive to their success. There are also a number of clans within the city. These clans have no official power, but many of them exercise great power behind the scenes in the city. Two clans have dedicated themselves to the protection of eladrin within the city, while a human clan has dedicated itself to ridding the city of all things fey. Government Detail The Senate elects from its ranks a Supreme Councilor, who acts as the chief executive of Rhizzia. A new Supreme Councilor is elected every three years. The current Supreme Councilor is Eldrich Gording, a former merchant. His family still runs a powerful merchant company, and he is active in supporting the mercantile interests of Rhizzia, especially when his own family is involved. The seven great guilds are the Merchants Guild, the Blacksmiths Guild, the Clothworkers Guild, the Alchemists Guild, the Shipbuilders Guild, the Artisans Guild, and the Engravers Guild. Clan Detail These are the most important clans in Rhizzia, but are not the only clans. Some of these clans have broad popular support, and operate openly while others prefer operate through secrecy. Estwin Clan: The Estwin clan was founded in 1181 CA by Kasta Estwin. It was founded to protect the lowest workers of the city from oppression. The clan continues that work to this day, helping the weak when it can, and working against the powerful when necessary. The current leader of the clan is Tonnal Donoret, a human priest of Pelor who is known to be sympathetic to the eladrin of the city.

Ezarra Clan: The Ezarra Clan was founded by the Ezzara family in 603 CA. The Ezarra family was, and still is today, a powerful noble family. The Ezarra family holds much of the land surrounding the city. The Ezarra Clan believes that Rhizzia is destined for greatness, and believes that the city should conquer all that it can in order to bring civilization to a barbaric world. To this end, the Ezarra family employs a significant mercenary army, and operates several forts surrounding Rhizzia in both the Feywild and the Natural World. Many times, the Ezarran army has saved the city from defeat, and for this the Ezarran name is honored by many people of the city. The current leader of the Ezarra clan is Duke Danis Ezarra, an austere and disciplined man who prefers the military life to the civilian life. Amastacia Clan: the Amastacia Clan was founded only eighty years ago, and was the first clan formed to protect the eladrin of the city from human persecution. The founder was an eladrin named Fereveth Amastacia, and he believed that his duty was to protect the eladrin of the city at any cost. He died fifteen years ago, and his son, Ossivath Amastacia, is the current leader of the clan. Ossivath is always plotting to increase his own power within the city, and is willing to use violence and fear tactics when necessary to get what he wants. Durinas Clan: The Durinas Clan is a splinter group of the Amastacia Clan that broke off forty-three years ago. The leader of the Durinas Clan, Kelleren Durinas was a close friend of Fereveth Amastacia, and helped Amastacia found the clan. However, the two had a falling out, and Durinas formed his own clan in 1482. Durinas is steadfast in his defense of the eladrin, but refuses to use violence unless he feels it is absolutely necessary. The Feyslayers: The Feyslayers clan has been operating since several years after the end of the Fey War. The group does everything within its power to try and force the eladrin out of the city. The Feyslayers operate behind a veil of secrecy, and though some of the group’s leaders are open about what they do, much of the clan hides its identity from the public.

The Grey Knights: The Grey Knights are a group of citizens who have sworn to do whatever it takes to keep order within the city. They are all sworn to secrecy, and though many know of the group’s existence, few know anyone who is in the group, and none know who leads the group. Order of the Crescent Flame: The Order of the Crescent Flame is a group of arcane practitioners that research new spells and educate young wizards. They posses the greatest library in the city, and the scholars there are considered to be the greatest scholars in all of Andorna. The current head mage is the human Perrin Norfall, who mainly stays out of the politics of the city as much as he can, doing only what is necessary to secure the freedom of his Order. Religion in Rhizzia All the major deities have followers in Rhizzia. However, several deities have greater influence than others within the city. Erathis: The most popular deity in Rhizzia, Erathis is viewed as the protector of the city. The Temple of the Imperial Lady is the largest temple in Rhizzia, and attracts thousands of worshipers each day. Corellon: Many people of the city revere Corellon, especially the eladrin. Many humans in the city, because of their connection to the Feywild, also feel a kinship with the god of the fey. However, many of the humans who bear a grudge against the fey are also suspicious of Corellon, and encourage others to stay away from what they see as the temple of their enemy. His temple, the Temple of the Arcane Star, is a masterpiece of arcane architecture that combines trees and white stone into a great structure that seems to twist about itself impossibly.

Bane: Rhizzia often has to deal with military threats, and on many occasions in its history has come close to defeat. A significant number of people in the city believe that following Bane is the surest way to preserve Rhizzia against outside threats. His temple, the Temple of the Lord of Order, attracts a large crowd of worshipers, even though many followers of the other deities frown on the worship of Bane. Bahamut: The Platinum Dragon is worshipped within Rhizzia as the defender of the righteous and destroyer of the wicked. Many followers of Bahamut say that the city must do away with its petty grudge against the fey, because there is true evil within the world that all people must work together to fight. The Temple of the Platinum Protector is very popular among the poor and downtrodden of the city, as well as the righteous defenders of the weak. Character Backgrounds This is a collection of character background ideas that you can use to help flesh out your character within the Rhizzian context. Also consider the background elements in PHB 2 when creating your character, and feel free to make-up your own background elements. Whatever you do, have a reason for why your character is in Rhizzia, and have a motivation for adventuring. Military Background: You may have served in the Rhizzian military, you may have served in one of the clan armies, or you may have served as a freelance mercenary, possibly protecting merchant ships on their journeys. Do you still have any friends or contacts within a military organization? Do you have any enemies you made during your time in the military? Merchant Background: Did you work as a sailor, shipping goods across the world? Or were you born into a wealthy merchant family that funded many ships? With a merchant background, you may have knowledge of much of the world, and you may come from a family with considerable wealth.

Guildworker Background: What trade did you practice? How long did you practice that trade? Does your whole family practice that trade, or are you the only one? Are you still loyal to your guild? As a guildworker, you may have knowledge of a particular sort of magical production technique. Organization Agent Background: What organization did you work for? What did you do? Do you still work for this organization? Did you work for money, or because you believed in the organization? Do you still believe in the organization? Was the organization a guild, clan, or something else? Do you still have contacts within the organization? Do you have enemies you made during your time as an agent? Noble Background: You may have been born into wealth within the city, or you may have been born in a feudal land family in the lands outside the city. Do you have any contacts that may still prove useful? Who are the enemies and allies of your family? Are you estranged from your family, or still in touch? Are you acting as an agent of your family?