The Mendax Saga

Supporting Cast

Captain Alivarax
Alivarax was a brute of a dragonborn. He was born and raised a ne'er-do-well, a brigand, before one day deciding to go straight. He joined Fora's infantry, and quickly proved himself a deadly warrior. Earning the respect of his fellow men, he began to climb the ranks, but his more sadistic nature held him back. However, through the manipulation of the Clockmakers, he was promoted to Captain, and was set in charge of one of Fora's garrisons. In exchange for this service, the Clockmakers recruited him to join their cause, paying him handsomely as an added incentive. He was designated as the Hammer, in charge of the Clockmakers' use of brawn and intimidation. He fought in the war between Fora and Pawthoint Forest, but was slain during the First Battle of Threeb by the Heroes of Fora.
Father Alrean
Father Alrean was the High Priest of the church of the Sun God in Fora, an aasimar birthed from human parents. In the centuries prior to Mendax's final insurrection, it was also the predominant faith in the kingdom, making Father Alrean an incredibly influential person at the time. Additionally, as the High Priest, he served on the council that advised Fora's kings. While generally a man of upstanding moral character, his office was a prime target of corruption by Mendax and the Clockmakers, and both used a combination of magic and infiltrators to deceive the followers of the Sun God, including the encouragement of their participation in war. When "Venustus" was coronated and Mendax revealed herself as Queen of Fora, Father Alrean was slain in the slaughter that followed.
Belethor
Belethor was a world-famous blacksmith, and the proprietor of "By Hammer and Hand", despite only being a human in his 40s. His claim to fame was his ability to forge weapons and armor infused with impressive amounts of magic, regardless of material, a truly one-of-a-kind skill. In fact, he was the only blacksmith in Etharia who demonstrated such an ability for centuries, much to the astonishment of all dwarves. Whenever questioned on the nature of his craft, his answer was always the same: "Magic runs in my blood, I've simply learned to express it in my work". However, some scholars suspect there was more to him than that, though none have ever been able to uncover his secrets. When Mendax ascended to the throne of Fora, Belethor was cut down in the slaughter that followed, and his craft was lost from the world forever... but not before Mendax tricked him into forging her a unique suit of dragon-armor. His secrets to artifice seemed to die with him.
Former King of Fora Brand Kellbra
King Kellbra was the ruler of Fora when Mendax's insurrection began. He ruled fairly and justly, and was beloved by all his people. However, tragedy unexpectedly struck when he was kidnapped by Halt, the Master Ranger of Pawthoint Forest, due to being threatened by Mendax. He was given to a fellow usurper in the lands now known as the Fivea Federation, a powerful lich-lord known as Gil Rathey, as a peace offering. Never again did Kellbra assume lordship of any domain, even after he was liberated by adventurers in the north. But his holy crown was gifted to Kieveos, the young chieftain of a tribe of silver dragonborn, who used it to overthrow the lich and establish himself as High King of the Fivea Federation.
Former King of Fora and Merchant-Lord Bronwend Stormwind
Bronwend Stormwind was a merchant lord and, for a brief reign of less than one year, King of Fora. He was also the father of Venustus Stormwind. An old associate of Knotev's, he became an early patron for the Heroes of Fora. Without their support, and without Mendax playing the role of his daughter, he would never have become King. Unfortunately, what started as a well-intentioned effort to bring economic prosperity to the realm ended in tragedy, as Mendax manipulated him into enacting policies and funding projects that forwarded her agenda. Likewise, it was due to her influence that his rule was dogged by a vicious war with the Elves of Pawthoint Forest. He was slowly, over many months, poisoned to death by his false daughter, made to appear as if age and stress had finally caught up to him. This plot remained undiscovered until it was too late.
Burgell Beren
Burgell Beren was a brilliant gnome who once lived peacefully in Fora. He was renowned for his knowledge of constructs, engines and clockwork. When the Clockmakers first began, he was hired as a contractor to help design and build what would become the bodies of the Warforged. However, when Mendax returned in secret as Venustus, she set Alivarax to intimidate Burgell. His four children were kidnapped, and if he did not remain silent about his project, they would be killed. The Heroes of Fora discovered this plot, but failed to rescue Burgell's children. He fled Fora for the southern lands along with his wife, and they went into hiding. His whereabouts are currently unknown.
Dyron Lowell
The third eldest of four brothers, Dyron is the son of a minor house of nobility. Knowing his chances of ever receiving lordship of his father's estate were low, he struck out on his own early as a merchant. His wealth came in the form of selling wares to wealthy adventurers, particularly those visiting from abroad, as well as to less than upstanding citizens. His role in the events of Mendax's rise and fall were relatively inconsequential, as he took neither side and sold whatever he needed to whomever in order to survive.
Luic Lowell
The eldest of four brothers, Luic Lowell was born into a family of minor nobility. He was a cunning man, but selfish and arrogant. He was also a member of the Clockmakers, and exploited his family's trade business to finance their operations. However, he betrayed the Clockmakers for financial gain, and was imprisoned by them in secret. The Bloodlocks, a cult-like group of hemomancers, liberated him in exchange for his full financial support. Additionally, he provided his own private mercenary force to aid in the defense of their hidden base of operations. He was captured during the Battle of the Secret Stairs and returned to Fora. However, when Mendax revealed herself and claimed the throne, he was petrified into bronze and stored as a statue in Mendax's pocket dimension. He remains there to this day.
Mendax The Liar
[b]Mendax[/b] is an ancient green dragon, a master of enchantment and illusion magic, and a master of manipulation. She is the ancestral foe of the humanoid peoples who dwell in the northwest of Etharia, aging well over 2000 years old, and is the matron of a tribe of various dragon-descended folk. Her attempts to become Queen through open warfare have failed, but her final and most successful attempt was accomplished through perfectly disguising herself as [b]Venustus Stormwind[/b], the only child of a prominent merchant lord from Fora. [br] [br]She puppeteered numerous organizations across all walks of life, climbed the political ladder, incited a war between Fora and Craobh Ùr, and harnessed ancient relics like the Deck of Many Things. Through two powerful tomes, the [b]Codex Automata[/b] and the [b]Codex Mortis[/b], she created the [b]Warforged[/b], automatons given life with the harvested souls of dead mortals. These were her perfect toy soldiers, completely enthralled to her will. [br] [br]However, the rebellion of [b]Ron Elric[/b] and the unexpected return of the [b]Heroes of Fora[/b] from imprisonment ultimately led to her downfall, ending in her death by disintegration. Her tribe is all but destroyed, having been slaughtered and scattered in the wake of Fora's reformation. But not all of her machinations have yet come to pass...
Mykiel
The Angel of Fire, Mykiel is the Fire God's primary ambassador to his servants on the Material Plane. Mykiel has lived since the first sparks were fanned into fire in Aon, and has ever been a servant and a messenger. During the final insurrection of Mendax, he was the messenger of his master's will to Sergor, who would become the head of a new church in Fora. Through a powerful binding ritual, however, he was trapped by the Bloodlocks and drained of much of his power. However much he was able to recover remains unknown, but sightings of him have been reported since the end of the war.
Nhillara T'saer
Nhillara T'saer was a Drow master of espionage. Raised an orphan in the slums of Fora, she learned to lie and pretend to get what she wanted, for Drow were not treated so kindly on the surface. One day, her fortunes changed when she encountered an actress of a traveling circus, and after studying her methods for a time, she improved her ability to blend in by literally learning how to change her appearance. She was recruited by the Clockmakers for this particular skillset, and her task was to infiltrate noble organizations like the Church of the Sun God as the priestess Selussa, and sow the seeds of corruption within. Her efforts worked, but all came to naught when Mendax revealed herself and conquered Fora. She ultimately joined the resistance fighters in the city, using the same skills for the good of the people. When the war came to an end, she offered her services to King Elric, hoping that through him she may one day find redemption.
High Queen of the Reborn Venustus Stormwind
The daughter of merchant-lord (and later King of Fora) "Old Man" Stormwind, Venustus is a brilliant woman and a naturally gifted oracle. She is the founder of the secret organization known as the Clockmakers, whose original purpose was to bypass government bureaucracy for the betterment of her people. However, when she prophesied the return of Mendax, she took action to prepare, only to be kidnapped by the dragon. When Venustus returned to society as Mendax disguised, all her life's work was corrupted and turned to evil. In time, Venustus transferred her soul into the immortal body of a Warforged, and went on to lead the rest of her new kin into a brave future.

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In the northwestern corner of Etharia, an ancient green dragon named Mendax has dwelt for thousands of years. She has sought domination of these lands since she was a wyrmling, but every time she rose to wage war, the peoples banded together to drive her away. Armed with mastery over the Deck of Many Things, Mendax attempts a new strategy: subterfuge and political manipulation, to assume the throne of Fora, the largest of the kingdoms, from within...

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The Mendax Saga

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