The Story So Far

General Summary

The wicked make their plans and think up evil things to do. In the Year of Iron (YR) 908, The Company of the Furies: Eumenides is turning the plans of the forces of evil against themselves. As of the Frost Giant Rebellion, the Company has been able to unravel much, but not all the mystery behind the return of Calastryx, Yarlzedd and the rise of the Order of the Necromantia. The Company began the adventure with the mission of escorting Etienne to Sentinel Fortress, and has uncovered a large plot nearly a thousand years in the making. Nearly a millennium ago, during the Guar Conquest, the horse nomads invaded much of Fultar (the date that marks the new era, or the Years of Iron). All sorts of men, both good and fell, as well as evil and foul forces, took advantage of the chaos and destruction that the Guar wrought further weakening Fultar, including the loss of most of her overseas colonies and far flung provinces. The most destructive of these for all of Futlar was the Arrival of the Great Worms. Other great changes included the declaration by the Barony of Atlan that Atlan was an independent kingdom, which was not fully reintegrated into Fultar until 805 YR, and the loss of the Northern provinces, of which only Northern Fultar and the Tesser River valley are partly recovered.
Potentially the most devastating was that the southern eastern lands of the new Kingdom of Atlan and Barony of Mabon suffered an apocalyptic devastation brought forth by The Rise of the Undead. However, seven long years after the Guar conquest, the mage Starris ended the reign of terror of the Dragon Calastryx forcing the dragon to slumber and causing the dragon's master Yarlzedd to disappear. Many believed Yarlzedd was slain and would never return. It took decades longer before the armies of undead were more or less exterminated. That was not to be, and both Calastryx and Yarlzedd have returned, and are part of an international conspiracy to bring forth a new paradise on earth, based upon freedom from oppression, and death and destruction to the forces of law and order.

The Company has been able to piece together the following information

The Order of the Necromantia has been planning the return of Calastryx and Yarlzedd for decades, and bid its time based on both their careful calculation of the mathematical theorems related to the transmigration of the undead dread lich Yarlzedd’s soul into a new body. This timing of the return of Calastryx and Yarlzedd was also prophetic and timed with the end of the Suan Hill war. As the Book of the Daemonium foretold: "Freedom shall return with the scourging of the dwarves." At the vary time in which they might be needed to take prompt action, large portions of the Fultonian army have been demobilized. Both the victorious Fultonians and remaining defeated dwarves are looking forward to the end of overt hostilities. Futlonians want to focus on reaping the spoils of war, not fighting a new war. The Company is not certain who is the master planner (an unknown high priest of the Order, Yarlzedd, or someone else), but their three step plan has become clear. First, there would be a great siege of Kidwell by Sir Wren Arundel, gnolls and humanoids. This was known as the “Kidwell Distraction”, that was designed to bring forth aid from humans from Eastpoint Castle, dwarves from Hammerfast, Hammerholme and/or Thunderdelve, knights from Sentinel Fortress and maybe even cause Queen Ghilanna to send Abeitus elves. Of these potentialities, the main goal was to hopefully distract and draw the Katheroi knights from Sentinel Fortress away from defending the Near Reaches. The forces that would be sent to Kidwell's aid would also make any easy target after the Nearer Reaches were conquered because they would be of sufficient size to lift a siege, but not defend against a great army. Second, an army of orcs and fire giants would arrive in a secret passage after weeks of marching in underground tunnels and caves, and attack Sentinel Fortress from the rear. Sentinel Fortress is impregnable from frontal attack, and, while it is well defensed from the rear, it is vulnerable to attack from this direction. Once the Sentinel Fortress was taken, then the giants open its gates to massing orc armies, and they would break in half ravage, and conquer, the Nearer Reaches. In addition, the would send a large portion of the army to end the siege of Kidwell destroying whatever human, elf and dwarf forces were sent to relieve the castle. Third, a modestly sized army of orcs and lesser giants are secretly massed outside of Sentinel Fortress. Sentinel Fortress would be caught in a pincer between two armies and crushed.

Other Important Threads

Ettine, the Bringing of Peace, Darkness Eternal, or Both?

What is the ultimate role of Etienne and Lady Eva Ilios? That is unclear, but he is somehow critically instrumental to the ultimate destruction, or at least return their slumber, of Calastryx and Yarlzedd. The Company knows that a magically gifted child of Lord Raymond Ilios, Marquess of the Wild Reaches and Lord of Sentinel Fortress must be returned to Sentinel Fortress for the forces of chaos and destruction to be defeated. However, there is a separate narrative, and it is equally possible that Etienne will be responsible for the end of times, as the succubus Pencheska Natyssa is pregnant with Etienne's child. The demon child is prophesied to bring death and destruction to all humankind once it reaches adulthood.

The forces of evil wage their own war

The lawful evil devils, including the Horned Devil Dogretch, are set out to kill some of the chaotic evil demons, including Pencheska Natyssa. The extent of the this civil war between the denizens of hell is only barely perceptible.

The House of Floshin

Prince Darfin Floshin has kept watch over the forces of evil overseesing the far-flung holdings of House Floshin in Eastpoint Castle and its nearby foothills. He is a wary guardian, giving constant scrutiny to the cycles of living things, the health of the land, and how folk of Eastpoint Castle and the farms around can survive. As an elf less concerned about the passage of time, he missed the awakening of the the great double headed black dragon and his lich master. Once he understood, he saw the greatest danger as the drow will be led by the High Priestess Dhaunee returning from the Underdark and the drow will retake the dwarven city of Thunderdelve. He believed that the war would be fought on three fronts: 1) Sentinel Fortress; 2) Kidwell and Eastpoint Castle, and 3) Thunderdelve, with demons supporting all three. The most important prize for the enemy is Hammerfast because if its necropolis falls to the drow, then there shall be 1,000 years of darkness.

International and Interplanar Conspiracy

The Order of Necromantia and their allies have choreographed a grant international and interplanar conspiracy. How far and manner in which their tendrils have reached out to conspire with the other forces of evil and chaos, and whether all of their connections are deviates of the dark forces is unclear. However, the Company is aware that there are at least a number of entities that have been in communication with the Order. It is unclear if many of the entities on the other end of these communications are all members of the Order or even aware that they are communicating with individuals in the Order. Entities in communication with each other include:

Sir Wren Arundel, the robber prince.
Pencheska Natyssa, the succubus lover.
Carthain: Prospector, but leads a group of prospectors and bandits between Seeker's Reach and Sentinel Fortress.
Grond Silverstar: Dwarven priest of Moradin from Hammerfast.
Gerrek: Dwarven priest of Moradin from Hammerfast.
Ugluk Ironfist: Chief of Grahluk.
The mages of the Order, including Traxter: Mage of the Necromantia, Davos: Mage of the Necromantia, Berill: Mage of the Necromantia, Lestor: Mage of the Necromantia, and Rynn: Mage of the Necromantia--all of whom are dead.
Constance, a merchant in Khyber.

While no specific communications with Drow elves have been found, the Order's mages write in a mixture of Demonic and Drow, and it is assumed that they are in communication with the Drow.