Letter to Lord Havram from the senior cleric of Heironeous in Greyhawk
To Lord Havram,
Honour and victory to you in the name of the Invincible One! Ever since the assistance your brave retainers provided in the bringing four of our holy paladins out from the Hextorian seige, my thoughts have turned to you with great admiration.
The leaders of our noble religion has recently chosen to accept a most remarkable offer: the Hextorians, now the rulers of the North Province of the former Great Kingdom, require our assistance! We, in turn, wish to request yours. It seems that Overking Grenell I is facing a most difficult situation. During the reign of the diabolical Ivid V the cleric Delglath was given ruler ship of the city of Rinloru, in the North Province. Delglath was transformed into an undead abomination by Ivid V, and has since declared his desire to turn the entire Flanaess into an undead empire for his god, the Hater of Life. Delglath has proven to be a master strategist and spellcaster, and by all reports he has transformed the entire population of Rinloru (approximately 4000 people) into an undead army under his command. For four years now the forces of Grenell have been besieging the town of Rinloru without success, and there are now reports that in the meantime Delglath has come into possession of several artifacts of great arcane power. There is genuine concern now, across the entire region, that unless Delglath is destroyed the situation might soon get out of control. Undeath is a plague that quickly spreads.
The Hextorians, sinister as they are, find themselves bereft of the kind of holy power necessary to combat forces as evil as these, and now in their poverty they turn to us for aid. Despite their savage cleansing of our temples, our oracles have revealed that Lord Heironeous would not oppose such assistance. This it fitting on a number of levels: it dishonours our ancient foe; it allows us to restore a limited presence in the North Kingdom; and it serves to protect all peoples from a terrible fate.
This mission is being entrusted to Commander Aidan Henry, a member of our Shining Blades who has distinguished himself in the campaign in the Shield Lands. His chosen Sub-Commander is Augustine Ellendun, a paladin who has sworn to devote his life to the release of souls from the curse of undeath. Assisting them will be a gnomish wizard by the name of Dimble Magehelper, who comes commended to us by his well-respected family.
Also accompanying Commander Henry will be the four paladins your retainers retrieved some months ago: Terjon, Tansden, Tateland, and Fletcher Green are all eager to return to the North Kingdom and honour their divine Lord. An additional hand-picked squad of 10 men-at-arms will round out the contingent, accompanied by a master smith to care for the armour and weapons.
As part of our agreement the Hextorians have placed a small keep at our disposal, which sits along the shores of the Solnor Ocean, approximately 25 leagues northeast of Rinloru. There are still 15 beds in the barracks to fill, and we pray that you may see fit to allow some of your retainers to join us in this most noble cause.
I sign this letter with my own hand, and set upon it the seal of the Lord of Victory.
Noorn van Agt, Archcleric of Heironeous in Greyhawk
Letter to those preparing to depart for the North Kingdom
To the members of the North Kingdom expeditionary force,
It is important, before we depart for Morpeth Keep, that we all be aware of what we are facing. Commander Henry does not wish for us to have any illusions.
The North Kingdom is a region of territory long tainted with evil. The Flan peoples in the area were long known for their evil behaviour, manifesting itself (among other ways) in their worship of fell beings from the outer realms of darkness. Kargoth the Traitor became the first of the Death Knights after stumbling across a hidden temple to the Prince of Demons. The whole of the land seems somehow tainted by a presence of evil, and outside of the walled cities and villages one must always be vigilant.
With regards to the Hextorians, we will be dealing largely with two groups while in the North Kingdom: the Second Death Legion of the standing army, and the Grey Rangers.
The Second Death Legion is an elite force that has been forged over the last four years during the siege of Rinloru. They use this name to denote their mission: to bring a final "second" death to those who have already died. Their code is "Death before Undeath": should a particular group see that a battle is going against them, they have sworn to fall on their swords before surrendering their souls to the enemy (and thus becoming one of them). In this regard they are quite fanatical, but to their credit they have successfully isolated Rinloru for now.
The Grey Rangers are the scouts and explorers of the Hextorian world. While trained in combat it is actually quite rare that they initiate any hostilities, even with our own forces. Do not be fooled by their seemingly benign approach, however, as we know they are merely seeking new territories for the forces of Hextor to enslave. We must nevertheless admit, however, that the Grey Rangers are highly disciplined survivors and adventurers, who rival the Royal Explorers of Keoland in the extent of their journeys. It is the Grey Rangers who have control of the Sea Keeps, one of which has been given to us, and so we expect to be dealing with them quite often.
Regarding our foes, and by this I do not mean the Hextorians but rather Delglath and his minions, we do not know in what manner we will be engaging the undead abominations within Rinloru itself. The Second Death Legion controls all access to the ruined city, and is based in Reaperkeep, which itself sits midway between Morpeth Keep and Rinloru proper; we are then, in a sense, at their mercy. Of course, our force is much too small to engage in any sort of frontal assault against such a powerful foe. We will need to wait and see how best to proceed.
Finally, we must all be aware of one final element of our mission: we will never surrender Morpeth Keep. Never. The Hextorians are likely to want it back, of course, once this campaign is concluded, but Commander Henry has sworn an Oath of the Shining Blade to never withdraw while he still draws breath. Let us never forget the Third Principle of the Invincible Code of Heironeous: Death before dishonour!
The Temple of Fharlanghan, under the leadership of Lord Havram, will be teleporting us to Morpeth Keep next Waterday, the first of the month of Coldeven. You are entitled to a maximum travelling weight of 300 pounds, including yourself. Given that we have no assurances of any sort of regular supply apart from food and water, be sure to prepare yourself wisely.
In the name of the Lord of Victory,
Sub-Commander Augustine Ellendun
The Welcome to the Hidden Wars campaign house rulebook (version 1.0).
This is the basic introduction to the mechanics of the Hidden Wars campaign, and should be read by all aspiring players.
Appendices 1 and 2: The current Feat list, version 1.3, and a list of the Feat descriptions (version 1.0)
These are the feats currently allowable in the campaign. For other feats from additional sources, consult the DM.
Appendix 3: The Mysteries and loose endsencountered thus far, version 1.0
This is a campaign with a complex plot line, similar to the old 'X-files'. This document will help you keep track of what has transpired.
Appendix 4: An introduction to the possibilities within combat, especially What you can do with your standard action (version 1.0).
This is a campaign with a complex plot line, similar to the old 'X-files'. This document will help you keep track of what has transpired.
And lastly, here is a contribution made by one of our players, Miri Segalowitz, based on the adventure "Lullaby", where they had to do to the Olman Islands to recover a species of orange bird. Miri is an artist, and painted this herself. Not bad!
