Dahlvier's County

Nestling into the western Fellreev, the "county" of the self-styled Count Dahlvier is utterly bizarre terrain. Dahlvier himself is a lich, reputed to be a follower of .Nerull and thus a one-time ally of the Hierarchs. Now, no-one is sure what the lich's thoughts are. His forces do not attack from these lands, but Iuz's messengers and an entire orc warband entered and did not return, so those who do enter are certainly attacked. Dahlvier has over 1,500 undead troops, primarily ghasts, who lead the troops, and ju-ju zombies, which form the bulk of the ordinary soldiers. These undead and other rare types in Dahlvier's service are very difficult to turn or command. Priests attempting to do so are treated as five levels lower than their normal experience level for the purposes of commanding or turning and even if successful, the duration is only 1 round per experience level of the priest. The ghast leaders are said to be extremely cunning and many possess miscellaneous magical items of diverse type. In addition, the county itself has a bewildering terrain. Its borders are ringed with very tough, fire-resistant, thorned hedges up to 115 feet high, many formed into mazes whose lacunae·contain carnivorous plants of many types. Flying and teleporting magics do not function in such areas, nor do plant-controlling spells. Magical illusions are many-layered and extremely disorienting here. Powerful sympathy spells attract some of the hundred plus ogres in the county, which bolster the defense of the land. Finally, there are many reports of magical items and spells malfunctioning in ways harmful to the spellcaster once one gets close to Dahlvier's citadel, the walled Castle Dahlvier. That castle itself is said to be built on the ruins of a high elven city razed by Oeridians neatly nine hundred years ago, and Dahlvier himself is thought to have many unique, ancient, elven magical items and lore in his citadel home.