Powers of the Moonshaes

I shouldn’t have had that cheese. I’m in such pain! I spent most of the day bent over from cramps. I am being punished by the gods for my curiosity. Curse you, delicious, creamy cheese! You turned on me!
Gwenlyn, a kind Ffolk bard I met at the inn, took mercy on me and tried distracting me by exchanging news of our homelands. Between sprints to the privy, I told her much of my homelands and she told me much of these islands. The Moonshaes may be remote and barely civilized compared to Chult, but these isles have their princes of power, just as we do in Port Nyanzaru. The geography of the Moonshae Isles forces anyone hoping to gain mastery over its entirety to contend with many hurdles: the most significant nuisance confronting would- be rulers is the archipelago itself. The straits, channels, and seas separating the islands of the Moonshaes make unification under a single ruler difficult. Conquering the entire area demands the ability to move forces rapidly across dangerous waters. Currently no individual or group has all the parts in place to do that, leaving many of these forces struggling to increase their dominance over the land and sea.

Powers of the Moonshaes

Amman Occupiers

Of the many thorns in the side of the House Kendrick, the most irksome is the intrusion of Amnian interests into the Moonshaes. In fact, the island of Snowdown has been conquered by forces loyal to Amn.
Lady Erliza Daressin, Viceroy of Westphal, rules over the citizens of Snowdown on behalf of Amn. Noted for her uncanny resemblance to her great-grandmother, the first Viceroy of Snowdown, she also carries her name. Her coffers are filled by merchants who reap the rewards of the devastation wrought by workers ripping the bountiful natural resources from the very heart the Moonshaes. Ruthlessly snuffing out several Ffolk rebellions, she is often referred to as “Bloody Erliza.”
What her friends and enemies do not know is that

The Llewyrr of the Moonshaes

Lady Erliza has ambitions beyond her role on Snowdown. Under the bright moonlight, Lady Erliza secretly turns her gaze longingly toward Sarifal on the island of Gwyn- neth. She has recurring visions of being reborn as a fey queen in the Feywild. Through careful research and questioning some of the greatest scholars she could locate, Lady Erliza learned that the point of entry to her destination in the Feywild had to be the city of Karador.
Lady Erliza treated the reemergence of Karador as a great boon, but the power of the fey that dwell there makes it impossible for her to simply enter the city unchallenged. She hopes that she can steer Amn’s focus toward Gwynneth in order to give herself easier access to the city. She may also seek to coordinate attacks with the forces of fomorian Queen Connomae on Oman or the mist hag Urphania from Citadel Umbra.

Druids of the Eathmother

The druids of the Earthmother seek to maintain the Balance of nature and preserve the power of the Earth- mother on the Moonshae Isles. With the exception of the leShey, they are the oldest organization in the Moonshaes, developing 1,500 years ago when the Ffolk first arrived on the shores of Gwynneth.
The druids of the Earthmother are common among the Ffolk but rare among the Northlanders. Expanding north to cleanse and repurpose the lost moonwells of Norland, Norheim, and Gnarhelm is a high priority of the druids.
Their centers of worship are druidic groves away from the urban centers of the Moonshaes. The most senior druids tend the moonwells, which are sacred to the Earthmother. The druids are loosely organized, operating almost entirely by consensus. They meet several times a year to reach decisions on a myriad of issues, resolve any disputes, and welcome new druids to the fold.
The council recognizes three Great Druids, one from the isles of Gwynneth, Alaron, and Moray, as the most senior among them. The Great Druid of Gwynneth is the traditional leader of all the druids, but with the loss of the island to the fey, leadership has fallen to the Great Druid of Alaron, Antola Pilark. She is assisted by Llyneth Kincaid, who has recently ascended to become the great druid of Moray.

Druidic Groves

Druidic Groves are wooded places sacred to the Earthmother where druids regularly gather to worship the Goddess. They are found all over the isles. Groves are always beautiful, although its beauty may be wild and rugged. The most sacred groves contain the moonwells which are the eyes of the Earthmother upon the land.
The trees of the grove grow faster and larger than normal as the power of the Goddess is strong here. Boundaries of a grove are identified by a ring of moss or mushrooms. Some groves contain megalith- ic stones to mark their edges, denote paths, or even act as portals to fey backroads. As a grove ages, they accumulate a number of powers granted by the Earthmother. These powers vary widely from grove to grove and reflect the nature of the locale, the personality of the druidic stewards, and the style of worships held in these sacred places.
Groves are attended by a druid who acts as a steward. Nearby animals, plants, and even the stones themselves rise to defend the grove against assault. Stewardship of a grove is an honor among the druids with the most senior druids caring for the groves containing a moonwell.

Giants of Oman

A contingent of giants, including fomorian followers of Queen Connomae of the Faerie realm of Vor Thomil, have crossed from the Feywild and made a home on the formerly Northlander-controlled island of Oman. These giants plot to spread their Queen’s power to other places, but so far, the waters surrounding their home have served as an impenetrable barrier against a large and coordinated attack. Their presence keeps Oman from being controlled by anyone else, but if they find the means to leave the island in a safe manner, whether via sea vessel, underground tunnel, or magical portal, they could wreak devastation on a terrible and grand scale.
In the Feywild, Queen Connomae has formed a loose alliance with the lycanthropes of Brokenstone Vale. That alliance is likely to carry over into their Moonshae presence among the Tribe of the Black Blood as well, making them an even more dangerous threat than either would be singly.

House Kendrick

The human population of the Moonshaes was finally brought together under a single banner a century ago when High Queen Alicia Kendrick unified them. The combined forces of the Northlanders and Ffolk, who began to intermarry and mesh culturally as well as politically, still could not exert mastery over all the islands, and recent events have further stripped House Kendrick of its power and holdings.
The current High King is Derid Kendrick, and while he rules over what is arguably the most extensive domain in the Moonshaes, his family’s holdings have been reduced to only the island of Alaron (and only a part of that island can be rightfully said to be controlled by the High King’s forces). High King Derid still commands the might of the Ffolk and many loyal Northlanders throughout the Isles. Derid has plans to regain his family’s glory and prestige - however, such plans would mean a great sacrifice and possibly armed conflict against the other power groups currently holding sway in the Moonshaes.

LeShay of Sarifal

Perhaps the most powerful force of all in the Moonshaes is the court of High Lady Ordalf, a fey queen who has reestablished the realm of Sarifal on the island of Gwyn- neth. As a nearly immortal member of the leShay, Lady Ordalf and her court command magic powerful enough to rival any mortal faction.
In a time before time, Lady Ordalf learned of a prophecy. A satyr seer predicted that Lady Ordalf could only die in the mortal realm but die she must in order to save two worlds from a howling disease spread by a beast lord. When she heard this prophecy, she removed her realm, called Sarifal, into the Feywild from Gwynneth. Then, just a century ago, she led her Feywild realm back across the planar divide, returning it to the island of Gwynneth, where her capital city of Karador rose from the depths of the Myrloch. Lady Ordalf felt a tugging deep inside her that foretold her death was both immanent and necessary.
Lady Ordalf and her followers were strong enough to defeat the forces of the High King, and she expanded her realm to encompass all of Gwynneth, leaving the ancestral home of the Kendrick family - Caer Corwell - abandoned. Many Moonshae residents feared she would continue her expansion unchecked to the surrounding islands, but the borders of Sarifal stopped at the coast of Gwynneth.
While her subjects in the realms of Sarifal are allowed to leave the island and explore, Lady Ordalf keeps most of her servants and all of her troops at the ready, as they fight against the Unseelie fey forces located near Citadel Umbra. Representatives from High King Derid, Lady Erliza, and even Rault the Wise have asked for council with the High Lady. With the single exception of Tarilyn Kendrick, all have been politely but curtly turned away and escorted back to their ships.

Northlander Jarls

Civil war in the northern islands erupted when a powerful, gods-touched Northlander calling herself the Storm Maiden gained a following of barbarians, pirates, and other Northlanders who longed for the days of pillaging and domination. The war ended when the Storm Maiden disappeared, her ship supposedly lost at sea.
Rault the Wise, one of the many Northlander jarls who fought the Storm Maiden, survived the war but lost many family members. Many of the remaining Northlander jarls, unwilling to bow to the Ffolk king, Derid Kendrick, look to the elderly Northlander for guidance and direction.
Rault does not have much time left on this mortal realm, and his closest relation is a granddaughter named Astrid, a powerful and charismatic warrior. Some would follow her, but the patriarchal society of the Northlanders, and the recent uprising behind the Storm Maiden, has people scared.
In the meantime, Rault has upheld the uneasy peace between the Northlanders and King Derid’s realm. Occasional light raiding and meaningful stares in seaside towns, are the extent of hostilities.

The Storm Maiden

Raised on the island of Norland, a young human woman was found as a baby by fishermen, abandoned upon the shores of that island and later given the name Hergatha. She was raised by a childless couple, and by the age of 16 she was an unparalleled swordswoman and tactical leader. From an early age she showed the marks of being touched by the gods, and upon reaching maturity she claimed to possess the reincarnated spirit of Viledel, an ancient Northlander warrior and leader who bore the title “the Sea King.” While her story is not true, she believes it to be so, and she has performed feats so wonderful that no one dares deny her claims.
A large following of Northlander communities swore allegiance to her, showing the willingness to follow her as the Northlanders reclaimed their ancient heritage as the masters of the seas and coastlines. She led Northlanders against both the petty kings of the northern islands, as well as the holdings of King Derid. After winning countless battles, the Storm Maiden’s ship was lost at sea. She always claimed to be blessed by the gods and incapable of being drowned. None know what happened, but many hope (or fear) for her return.

Risen Cult of Bane

More than a century ago, the Risen Cult of Bane was well established in the Moonshaes. They were a feared force in the region and even successfully summoned an aspect of Bane’s son, Xvim. Secretly groomed by Manshoon himself, founder of the Zhentarim, they often battled the Llewyrr, who seemed to be wise to their activities. Since Manshoon and their effective leader, the Dread Scourge Gauntather have died, the cult has slowly waned in power.
Today the Risen exists only as isolated villages or farmers who only casually worship the Black Lord. They remain enemies with the Llewyrr, but many do not even remember why, other than a hatred instilled in them from childhood. They prefer to keep to themselves but will host travelers for a night or two.
The Llewyrr claim that the cult is quite active again and has, under the leadership of a new young fanatic, clandestinely fostered the old ways. However, few listen to the wild claims about those who most now consider, a quiet people who don’t bother anyone.

Tribe of the Black Blood

While not as powerful or organized as the aforementioned political factions, another force exerts a great deal of destructive influence in the Moonshaes. A group of Malar-revering lycanthropes hold sway over the island of Moray. This group, calling itself the Black Blood Tribe, is comprised of Faerun-born lycanthropes and those who have traveled from the Feywild region of Brokenstone Vale, a lycanthrope-infested nightmare realm.
The Black Bloods attack with a frenzied bloodlust all civilized communities or groups that attempt to inhabit Moray. The Black Bloods slaughter anything they can, while at the same time performing gruesome rituals aimed at bringing an avatar or divine servant of Malar to the Moonshaes to lead them.
The raising of this beast-servant of Malar (or an avatar of Malar himself) is likely to occur as it has several times in the past. If and when that happens, the beast will likely turn its savage gaze to the civilized islands. It wants to spread the gift of lycanthropy to all, but most delicious would be the combining of Malar’s curse with the fey magic of Sarifal.