In the course of things, I had some ideas about how to tie the various known elements of Alhaster's recent history into a semi-coherent timeline that (I hope) ties things together. I've invented this with a Greyhawk campaign in mind, but feel free to borrow whole cloth or bits and pieces as you see fit.
I'm posting this in parts, as I think it's rather long.
Backstory: How Zeech Came to Power in Redhand
Zeech (b. CY 553) begins his adult career as a paladin and Knight of the Holy Shielding, younger son of the Viscount of Alhaster, a Shield Lands noble and a senior Knight of the Holy Shielding. Zeech was quite spoiled growing up, but was sent off to Admundfort at 16 to train with the Shield Knights. After toughening up and proving his worth in skirmishes against raiders from the Bandit Kingdoms, Zeech was called home (ca. 573, about age 21) to assume command of Alhaster’s naval forces, which were then locked in fierce struggles to suppress the pirates and smugglers who used a number of marshy creeks and small islets along the north shore of the Nyr Dyv as bases.
ca. 575 Zeech comes to power. Lashonna has something to do with it—via an ally of hers who was a powerful Erinyes Fiend of Corruption, Evralanya the Ravishing, in the service of Hextor. Evralanya was looking for a place to start a Hextor cult in the western Flanaess, and when Lashonna became aware of her presence in Alhaster, she cut a deal with her—she could operate on Lashonna’s turf, but she had to bring Zeech to power and manipulate him so that he would be receptive to Lashonna’s plans.
Lashonna had been posing as a noble gray-elf sage from Celene, and had been enfeoffed as a baronet by Zeech’s great-grandfather and served as a minister of state for several generations. Zeech’s father did not like some of her advice, which seemed morally dubious to him, and dismissed her from office, but was afraid that a move to divest this popular noble of her title and property would have grave political repercussions, so he let her keep her estate and noble title. Knowing she needed to keep a foothold in Alhaster or see her long-cherished plans to usher in the Age of Worms go to naught, she began plotting on several fronts after her dismissal. On the one side, she brought Mother Maggot in from the Wormcrawl Fissure to help her set up a fraudulent underground cult known as the Ebon Triad, whose leaders claimed that their goal was to perform rituals to merge the evil deities of Hextor, Vecna, and Erythnul into a great overgod. On the other side, she cast about for a way to regain her influence with Alhaster’s ruling family. Evralanya proved the perfect ally.
Evralanya appeared to Zeech in the form of an angelic being, and convinced him that she had been sent by “a divine champion of Law” to aid him in his mission to extirpate the pirates and smugglers. Meanwhile, she used Lashonna’s knowledge of Alhaster’s underside to find and bargain with the most powerful pirate leader. The end result was that Zeech was extraordinarily effective in a short period of time at putting a stop to the sea-criminals, who surrendered to him. Evralanya convinced Zeech that mercy was the best policy, so he put the surrendered pirates to work as “privateers.” In fact, the letters of marque he issued authorizing them to waylay other pirates and smugglers gave them the means to range further afield on the Nyr Dyv, waylaying legitimate merchants in the name of the Viscounty of Alhaster and accusing them of “smuggling.” Meanwhile, Zeech’s “angelic” advisor flattered Zeech into thinking she was in love with him, and seduced him. Over the period of a year or two, she gradually corrupted him into a secret follower of Hextor, and encouraged him in a variety of private perversions to seal him to this evil deity. Just before Zeech’s rise to power, she gave birth to Hemriss. She secreted this deformed girl away in a country manor house as the ultimate blackmail tool.
In 575, Zeech’s father died, and his older brother Zered inherited the title of Viscount. Zered, even more than his father, was a strict Hieronean, completely uncompromising in enforcing the law. He had several of Zeech’s “privateers” arrested when they pulled into Alhaster with their prizes, punishing them with hanging for abusing their letters of marque and killing innocent merchants and their crews. Meanwhile, rumors flew that Zered planned to move against Lashonna and her allies, whom he suspected of treasonous connections with several of the Bandit Kings to the north. Zeech figured that his brother had it in for him, and, his paranoia fed by Evralanya’s whisperings, he secretly conspired with Lashonna to have his brother killed in a hunting accident (late 575 or early 576, depending on the needs of the campaign). Zeech, of course, inherited the viscount’s coronet. After his rise to power, Zeech restored Lashonna to her post as chief minister of the viscounty. Evralanya also became a key advisor, posing as heiress of a minor noble family from an area of the viscounty overrun by Reyhu bandits.
Backstory: Zeech declares independence from the Shield Lands
late 576-- The Red Death epidemic strikes Alhaster. Some of the Ebon Triad cultists saw this epidemic as a harbinger of their grim overgod’s rise, and staged a rebellion in anticipation. Evralanya, unaware of her earstwhile ally Lashonna’s connection with the Ebon Triad pushed Zeech, by now a closet Hextorian, to deal harshly with the heretical cultists. She herself used the orthodox Hextor cult that she has been nurturing in the region as rabble rousers to gather mobs to root out the Triad cultists. Lashonna and Mahuudril let Zeech’s forces take out a few of the lesser cells to make it seem as though the cult had been rooted out—the rest of the cultists either fled Alhaster to spread their doctrine elsewhere, or went into deep hiding in secret sanctuaries.
A popular Cuthbertine cleric named Rhorsk also helped rally the people of Alhaster against the cultists so that they caught and turned in a number of suspected Ebon Triad adherents. He began preaching sermons suggesting that the Red Death was in fact a divine punishment sent by the gods against the Alhasterites for tolerating evil, lawless elements in their midst. He incorporated these ideas into his “History of Alhaster,” which was published early in 577, as relations between Zeech and his liege lord were deteriorating.
Zeech meanwhile came under pressure from Earl Holmer, Knight Commander of the Shield Lands, to reign in his “privateer” allies, who were damaging the Shield Lands’ reputation by flying the flag of one of its vassals while conducting their piratical activities. This was hurting diplomatic relations with the other Nyr Dyv states and harming important merchant interests in the towns of Admundfort and Critwall. Zeech rebuffed his liege lord, and in response the Earl made several statements publicly accusing Zeech of collusion with the pirates.
In 577, Zeech seceded from the Shield Lands and broke with the Knights of the Holy Shielding, portraying Holmer’s statements about his connections to Nyr Dyv piracy as outrageous slander. A civil war ensued, as most of the small Shield Knight contingent in Alhaster mutinied against Zeech’s increasingly unjust rule and attempts to overthrow him in the name of the Shielding, accusing Zeech of being a “fallen paladin.” The coup attempt was defeated with help from loyal vassals of the viscount, especially Lord Kilraven, who hastened to the city with his border contingent on hearing news of the uprising. Naturally, Evralanya’s Hextor cultists also helped out.
In the wake of the coup, some of the rebellious Shield Knights took sanctuary in the temple of St. Cuthbert, as Rhorsk was somewhat suspicious of Zeech and sympathetic to the rebels’ cause. Evralanya’s Hextorians stirred up a mob to burn the rebels out, and Rhorsk was trapped in the basement.
After this, the remaining Shield Knights (even those who hadn’t taken up arms against Zeech) were rounded up and crucified on what is now known as “Traitor’s Island.” Zeech negotiated his entry into the Combination of Free Lords to deter any attempts by the Shield Knights or Earl Holmer to force Alhaster back into the Shield Lands. He called his newly autonomous state “The Principality of Redhand,” a reference to the exploits of the first Viscount of Alhaster, who defeated a bandit lord terrorizing this region in single combat and cut off his hand, displaying the grisly trophy outside the town wall as a signal that banditry would not be tolerated and robbers would be appropriately punished. In doing so, he played on local patriotic sentiments and downplayed the region’s historic connection to the Shield Lands. He adopted a new flag reflecting the name change—a bloody severed hand on a field of white.
In the wake of these events, Zeech established a police state to suppress dissidents and root out rebel conspiracies. Evalanya helped in this endeavor by setting up the Blessed Angels. Zeech had the remains of the Heironean Temple, which had been badly damaged during the brief civil war, razed to make way for a glorious Hextorian cathedral, and the worship of Hextor became Redhand’s state religion. The cults of Wee Jas and Kord, which had remained neutral in the civil war, were allowed to stay, but discouraged from proselytizing.
Backstory: Alhaster since "Independence"
579 Bucknard visited Alhaster, found the ghoul-Rhorsk, discovered the Triptych Well, consulted with Lashonna, then ran off to meet his demise in the Wormcrawl Fissure.
ca. 580 Lashonna discovered that Evalanya had made a soul bargain (FF 204) with Zeech, granting him a wish that he could retain his youthful good looks for as long as he lived, in exchange for giving up his soul to her in death. The scheming vampiric dragon thus saw Evalanya as a threat to her control over Alhaster, and thus to her plans to make Alhaster the site of Kyuss?f return. She put into motion a plot, planting evidence to frame Evalanya as the originator of the Ebon Triad heresy, and using that evidence to turn Evalanya?fs lieutenant, the captain of the Blessed Angels, against Evalanya. The two then conspired to kidnap Evralanya, and take her to a lonely moor north of the town, where Lashonna personally smashed the soul bind gem and killed Evralanya. The Erinyes is now imprisoned in Hextor?fs palace, serving punishment for her failure and unable to return to the material plane to take her vengeance. The act of smashing the soulbinding gem freed Zeech from Evralanya?fs power, but also damaged the Prince?fs sanity. Lashonna and the Erinyes lieutenant took steps to cover up their deed, portraying Evralanya?fs kidnapping and murder as the deed of agents of the Shielding (and framing some poor ordinary bandits who confessed to the deed and repeated the fabricated story under torture in Zeech?fs presence).
After this incident, Lashonna used her considerable charms to tie Zeech more closely to herself, flirting coquettishly with him but never giving in to his advances, meanwhile arranging for his increasingly voracious and perverted appetites to be catered to by other means. She has kept a close eye out to make sure no potential rival for power emerges, although she is more than happy to tolerate the incompetent sycophants whom Zeech regularly picks as his court favorites. She has also whispered lies in his ear and used her power over his dreams to cause him to have delusions of grandeur, imagining himself as the ?gchosen son?h of Hextor, and stimulating work on the Great Project.
Zeech remained quite attached to his misshapen cambion daughter by Evralanya, visiting her in her hidden manor house regularly and catering to her whims, and doting on her in memory of her mother. He could not acknowledge her as heir, of course, but gave her everything else she could possibly want. Seeing Zeech?fs attachment to her, both Lashonna and the captain of the Blessed Angels have taken special care to get into her good graces, providing her with training and guidance and getting Zeech to set her up as a sort of enforcer in the Alhaster countryside, leader of a band of ?gwarrior gypsies?h who rove the land looking for (and liquidating) Zeech?fs enemies
583 The Bandit Kingdoms were overrun by Iuz. Lashonna deftly maneuvered behind the scenes to arrange for Zeech?fs submission in exchange for Iuz leaving Alhaster largely to its own devices. Confronted with many other challenges in trying to consolidate rule over the Bandit Kingdoms and defend his conquests, neither Iuz nor his lieutenants have seen fit to alter arrangements, although mutual suspicion is great, and the relationship between overlord and vassal fraught with tension. Zeech conspires, with Lashonna?fs aid, to support opponents of Iuz in the north and weaken his hold over the region, but never in ways that will draw Iuz?fs attention. Meanwhile, Zeech remains pleased that Iuz keeps the Shield Knights and the navies of the other Nyr Dyv states fully occupied.
Coldeven 586 Canon Hazen used the Crook of Rao, causing ?gthe Flight of Fiends.?h The Blessed Angels?f ranks were thinned by the resulting banishment of evil outsiders from the Flannaess. Several key members of the Angels were spared, by luck or magic, though, and Lashonna has taken steps to ensure that the organization was rebuilt.
ca. 586 Driven by his delusionary dreams, Zeech begins work on the Great Project, a monument to himself that will (in his mind) ensure his ascension to his rightful place at Hextor?fs right hand. In reality, the project is Lashonna?fs idea, and its imminent completion (in 595 or so) indicates that the Age of Worms draws nigh.
In my own campaign, I am also going to add:
ca. 592 Zeech marries. About the same time, Sir Setravin arrives in Alhaster and establishes himself as Zeech’s favorite. (See character descriptions below).
late 593 Brandazor becomes Zeech’s court lutenist (see character description below). [This is a tie to a specific PC in my campaign--the bard's former master. But Brandazor's plight also illustrates the cruelty of Zeech, his wife, and his court. I borrowed the idea of a prince who has his lutenist's hands cut off to appease a follower from an ancient Chinese story.]
late 595 or early 596 Zeech celebrates 20th anniversary of rule
The supplementary NPCs:
Brandazor (CG Human Male Brd 11). Formerly Allandrin’s master and tutor, Brandazor was captured by Prince Zeech’s forces during a raid on the County of Urnst. The leader of the raid made a present of the bard to Prince Zeech, hoping to impress his liege lord, and Zeech has kept him as a bonded entertainer in his palace ever since. Zeech was quite fond of his harp playing. Later, his new bride was jealous of the attention Zeech gave to this man, and when he offered her anything she wanted (she made him beg for her to receive him into her bedchamber, and he wants desperately to have an heir), she asked for Brandazor’s hands. Now Brandazor can no longer play the harp—his hands are a preserved trophy in Darriasha’s boudoir, mounted—and is reduced to singing on those rare occasions when Zeech, or his wife, call for him. They enjoy his tortured look, but he nurtures thoughts of vengeance on both of them. He makes a cameo appearance during the banquet, singing for his master. He wears long sleeves to cover his missing hands.
Darriasha Blackstone (NE Human Female Ari8).
Skills: Bluff +12, Diplomacy +12, Sense Motive +8, Disguise +7
Appearance: A moderately attractive woman of medium height with raven hair, pale skin, and a slightly consumptive look. She smiles prettily and simpers when introduced to guests, but her steel-grey eyes look daggers at her rivals (below) and any person she sees as a threat.
Personality: Daughter of a minor Reyhu noble (Baron Blackstone) who stayed behind in Balmund when Iuz’s forces moved in and became one of the biggest smugglers in the Bandit Kingdoms, Zeech married her for her money (needed to sponsor his lifestyle and his great building project) and for her father’s good connections within the corrupt lower levels of Iuz’s forces. Baron Blackstone is pleased to have an outlet for his trade on the Nyr Dyv that doesn’t depend on the Artonsamay, which is regularly raided by exiled Reyhu bandits operating from northern County of Urnst. Unfortunately for Zeech, his bride of three years is a stubborn woman, and now that he has allied himself to Baron Blackstone, he can’t easily get rid of her without Blackstone betraying him to the forces of Iuz. Darriasha is only moderately attractive, but makes up for it with stylish dress and makeup. She is much younger than Zeech (late 20s), and every bit the petulant princess. She is very insecure, and is jealous of anyone upon whom Zeech showers attention, whether romantic or otherwise. At the same time, she is frustrated with Zeech’s attitude, and would be open to an affair, particularly if she could beget an heir to consolidate her position (she would, of course, try to convince Zeech that he is the father).
Goals: She has been plotting to eliminate her “rivals” one by one—she started with Brandazor, and is currently working to dislodge Zeech’s favorite, an effete Medegian nobleman in exile, Sir Setravin of Mentrey-Saxipool. She is barely on speaking terms with Hemriss, whom she knows is scheming to keep Zeech occupied with Sir Setravin and thus limit his time in the marriage bed (Hemriss does not want her father to get a legitimate heir). And she is also jealous of Lashonna, whom she suspects to be the Prince’s former lover. She tends to be quite cold and formal with her husband to punish him for spending his attentions elsewhere, and demands presents from him on those occasions when he thinks to spend the night in her chambers and work on begetting an heir. Once she has rewarded him in this way, she uses his weak moments to extract concessions from him that will undermine her rivals. She has secretly promised Professor Montague Marat a great reward if he can displace Sir Setravin from Zeech’s favor by embarassing him somehow.
Initial Attitude: Indifferent. Unfriendly: If any PC appears to be on friendly terms with one of her rivals, Darriasha will be unfriendly with the whole party and treat them with cold politeness. Hostile: If any PC appears to emerge as yet another rival for the Prince’s affections, she becomes hostile, barely concealing her feelings behind a cold facade and doing her best to make life difficult for them. Friendly: If any human or half-elf male PC has a high charisma and noble credentials (real or successfully feigned), he gets a +5 circumstance bonus on his diplomacy check with her. If he makes her friendly, she flirts with him to make her husband jealous. If Zeech notices (sense motive vs. PC’s bluff check to seem uninterested) he will order the character poisoned. She will “give away” tips on her rivals’ true identities and weak points to such a character in the form of “confidences.” She does not know Lashonna’s true identity or relationship with Zeech, and will merely say that she is a noblewoman who has been around for a long time, and slander her by claiming she used to be Zeech’s lover.
If Darriasha is made helpful (most likely through responding favorably to her flirtations or promising her aid in some scheme against her rivals), award the PCs one Authority Point, but give them a -4 on all Diplomacy checks against her rivals, Sir Setravin and Hemriss.
Sir Setravin of Mentrey-Saxipool (LE Human Male Swb6/Duelist 6)
Skills: Bluff +18, Diplomacy +17, Intimidate +5, Sense Motive +14
Appearance: A devilishly handsome young man of about 25 with dark brown hair and a short, pointed goatee, he dresses impeccably, favoring reds and blacks. He is a charming young rake, with just a faint hint of effeminacy in his mannerisms. He covers even his strongest hatreds with a veneer of courtly charm (sense motive vs. his bluff to detect).
Personality: The illegitimate son of a high-ranking Hextorian clergyman of Medegia before that state’s demise in the Greyhawk Wars ten years ago, Sir Setravin spent time in Ahlissa and Greyhawk before arriving in Alhaster about five years ago. He quickly gained favor with Prince Zeech, who was charmed by his good looks and courtly manner, and pleased by his flattery. “Travvy” has become intimate with Zeech, and some believe that their intimacy goes beyond the bounds of propriety, although none would dare give voice to that opinion aloud. Certainly, Zeech looks upon him fondly, and showers him with favors that he doesn’t bestow on any other members of his small court, even Lashonna. (Lashonna likes this, as it takes some of the attention off her). Initially, he and Hemriss did not hit it off well, but they have mended fences in the wake of Zeech’s marriage, as Sir Setravin is jealous of Darriasha, and Hemriss sees that “Travvy” is a useful distraction for Zeech from his marriage bed.
Goals: Sir Setravin’s main goal is simple and selfish—to preserve his position in Alhaster by retaining his status as Zeech’s favorite. He is a bit suspicious of Lashonna, but not openly hostile, but regards Darriasha as a rival for the Prince’s affections and does whatever he can to drive a wedge between Zeech and Darriasha. To this end, he seeks to put her in a compromising position.
Initial Attitude: Indifferent. If any PCs show signs of worming their way into Zeech’s confidence or affection, he will become hostile. If PCs treat him as a go-between for approaching Zeech (rather than bypassing him), it is possible to make him friendly. If they do anything to embarrass Darriasha without implicating him, he may become helpful.
Nice.
Are parts of this from the Living Greyhawk campaign?
Thanks for posting this! It's great.
Nice.
Are parts of this from the Living Greyhawk campaign?
I used the info available in LGG. I also borrowed a couple of ideas about Zeech gleaned from the LG Bandit Kingdoms website, such as Zeech getting married, but I didn't have access to the LG module details so I mostly made it all up, trying to keep it reasonably consistent with the published module. Glad you like it and hope you can use it.