Eye of Dread
The heart of the continent of Avistan has rotted.
This region is dominated by Lake Encarthan, a large inland sea that was — until recently — a well-traveled hub for trade. To the southwest stands the militaristic nation of Molthune, which had long engaged in an intermittent war against its northern neighbor, Nirmathas, a wooded nation populated by folk who take their freedom seriously. An uprising of hobgoblins took advantage of this conflict, and while hostilities have since abated, the two nations now share their borders with a third: the newborn hobgoblin nation Oprak.
North of these war-torn nations lie two other lands equally forged in the crucible of conflict. Until recently, the paladins and protectors of the small but strong nation of Lastwall stood fast against invasions from orcs, undead, and the like. The wild and rugged Hold of Belkzen, meanwhile, has long been held by those orcs, ever since they were driven up from the Darklands below by the dwarves during their Quest for Sky thousands of years ago.
Still farther to the north is the nation of Ustalav, a collection of counties each beset with its own manifestation of horror and fear, ranging from the nightmarishly cosmic to the dreadfully infernal.
It was from Ustalav that one of the greatest threats to the Inner Sea region emerged. The ancient lich Tar-Baphon — known as the Whispering Tyrant — has been defeated twice in the distant past — once by Aroden and once by the heroes of the Shining Crusade, but he has never been truly destroyed. When the magical seals that kept him imprisoned below the ominous tower of Gallowspire were finally sundered in 4719ar, Tar-Baphon emerged, bringing with him devastation on such a scale that the one-time nation of Lastwall, which bore the brunt of his return to the world, has been utterly scoured. It exists now only as the Gravelands — the nation that once stood watch over undead uprisings now consigned to an undeath of its own. While heroes temporarily thwarted the Whispering Tyrant’s immediate plans shortly after he emerged, the lich remains an active menace.
The Whispering Tyrant now rules a kingdom of the undead on the aptly named Isle of Terror in the center of Lake Encarthan. The nations lining Lake Encarthan’s shores have all suffered to varying degrees under the Whispering Tyrant’s renewed influence, and some are pursuing unlikely alliances to resist him. The lich is gathering his resources on the Isle of Terror, and none can say where or when he will strike next.
This region is dominated by Lake Encarthan, a large inland sea that was — until recently — a well-traveled hub for trade. To the southwest stands the militaristic nation of Molthune, which had long engaged in an intermittent war against its northern neighbor, Nirmathas, a wooded nation populated by folk who take their freedom seriously. An uprising of hobgoblins took advantage of this conflict, and while hostilities have since abated, the two nations now share their borders with a third: the newborn hobgoblin nation Oprak.
North of these war-torn nations lie two other lands equally forged in the crucible of conflict. Until recently, the paladins and protectors of the small but strong nation of Lastwall stood fast against invasions from orcs, undead, and the like. The wild and rugged Hold of Belkzen, meanwhile, has long been held by those orcs, ever since they were driven up from the Darklands below by the dwarves during their Quest for Sky thousands of years ago.
Still farther to the north is the nation of Ustalav, a collection of counties each beset with its own manifestation of horror and fear, ranging from the nightmarishly cosmic to the dreadfully infernal.
It was from Ustalav that one of the greatest threats to the Inner Sea region emerged. The ancient lich Tar-Baphon — known as the Whispering Tyrant — has been defeated twice in the distant past — once by Aroden and once by the heroes of the Shining Crusade, but he has never been truly destroyed. When the magical seals that kept him imprisoned below the ominous tower of Gallowspire were finally sundered in 4719ar, Tar-Baphon emerged, bringing with him devastation on such a scale that the one-time nation of Lastwall, which bore the brunt of his return to the world, has been utterly scoured. It exists now only as the Gravelands — the nation that once stood watch over undead uprisings now consigned to an undeath of its own. While heroes temporarily thwarted the Whispering Tyrant’s immediate plans shortly after he emerged, the lich remains an active menace.
The Whispering Tyrant now rules a kingdom of the undead on the aptly named Isle of Terror in the center of Lake Encarthan. The nations lining Lake Encarthan’s shores have all suffered to varying degrees under the Whispering Tyrant’s renewed influence, and some are pursuing unlikely alliances to resist him. The lich is gathering his resources on the Isle of Terror, and none can say where or when he will strike next.
