The Campaign

This campaign continues on from the events of the last campaign, A War of Shadows. Set two years after the deaths of Fjarldt and Astrelh at the hands of the Three Clawed Eye, much has changed since.

Developments

These are the key events and developments that have occurred between the end of the last campaign and the start of this one. They are the root of many of the events, situations and atmospheres that form the backdrop of the campaign.

The Assassination of Duke Timas

After the deaths of Fjarldt and Astrelh and with no other major opposition in Ereford to stop them, the Three Clawed Eye pushed on with their plans. Using a forgotten tunnel under the river, they managed to get into the Castleside walls undetected and from there laid an ambush for their target - Duke Timas of Ravell.
They sprung their trap on the day of the Faernir of Ereford's funeral, when the Duke was outside the safety of the castle and leading the funeral procession from the Church of the Shield to St. Avina's Square. The Three Clawed Eye first set off an explosion under the Office of Ministers, a distraction to draw the city's guard away from Castleside, and then attacked the Duke and his men. Caught by surprise and facing the firearms stolen from the Rising Dawn, the ducal force didn't stand a chance. Before long Duke Timas was dead on the streets of his city, and the Three Clawed Eye had got their revenge.
Coming only weeks after the assassination of Duke Aernar of Raefun, where the Three Clawed Eye had gained entry to the castle under the disguise of Rising Dawn soldiers, the death of Duke Timas set the entire region on edge. With the true identity of the culprits of either death unknown, and the rumours of possible suspects only making matters worse, the other Dukes didn't know who to trust and who were their enemies. They saw threats around every corner, expecting to be the next one targeted, and withdrew behind the raised defenses of their holds. As winter arrived, Elderen found itself locked in a silent standstill, waiting for the next knife to strike.

Imperial Invasion of Elderen

In Valkali of 233 4E, as spring marched its way towards summer, the ships of the Ebarian navy were seen off the shores of Elderen. They sailed straight through the Fangs of Seocal and into the Sea of Sorrow, landing at its far western shore. From their hulls emerged the army of the Empire, fifteen thousand strong, who immediately set about laying siege to the city of Journey's Close.
The city was still reeling from the death of its Duke, his kin still squabbling over who should be his successor, and its defences and guard where unprepared and unorganised. Outnumbered and with no support coming from the other disparate holds, facing up against the Empire's many mages and machines of war, the city held for as long as it could but eventually fell after two months. Ebaria now had a foothold on the mainland.
Over the next year and a half the Imperial forces strengthened their position in the city and local area, as well as capturing the key strongholds of Eldhom, Inverkay and Kincarde. With a secure base of operations, complete control of the Erwick River, and a safe and protected sea route back to Ebaril, the Empire is now ready to push further into Elderen.

Raiders in the Gateway

Throughout history, it has always been a common occurrence for orcish tribes to raid the settled lands of the north. It is simply a part of life in the area. The orcs ride east, pillage a few small settlements, and then return west into the Northern Expanse. Every once in a while however, when new and harsh elements strain their way of life and their people are struggling to survive, multiple tribes will band together and form a unified horde, pushing further east in search of greater prizes.
For the last few years, the nobles of western Elderen and of Gulthyn's Gateway noticed a marked increase in the amount of raiding parties that were venturing into their lands. They also noted that the size of these parties were growing larger than usually encountered. Normally the orcs that ventured this far east moved in small groups, preferring to travel quickly and stealthily and avoid outposts and patrols in the area, but these new ones consisted of dozens of warriors. In response the nobles prepared their defences and set out to protect their settlements and people, some even hiring mercenaries to bolster their forces and defend key trade routes.
But something was different with these foes. Reports started to come in of villages being wiped out but with nothing taken. Patrols were attacked and decimated, not a single soul left alive. Outposts and watchtowers were torched and burnt to the ground. This enemy was highly organised and targeted, a far cry from the dissociated raiding parties that came before. If the rumours are to be believed, they've even managed to take the city of Lauden. All that's clear is that they are a foe the likes of which has not been seen in the region for centuries, and one that is not to be underestimated.

Campaign Start

The campaign starts in the winter of 234 4E, just a fewdays before the winter solstice. By this point the party have already grouped together and have even completed a few jobs as a group. Some of them have even been working together since before Ebaria landed on Elderen's shores. When we join the party, they are in the middle of carrying out a new assignment.

Initial Task

THe party has been employed by the Sworn Sons to track down and execute Hrefna Bayes, a rogue mage formerly associated with the Three Clawed Eye. Exploiting the general chaos and disorder created by the Imperial invasion, Hrefna and her band of brigands have been looting and terrorising the common folk of Elderen and the party has been sent to put a stop to it.
They have been on their trail for nearly two months, gathering details and leads from their victims, and just last week they finally found and engaged a group of Hrefna's men as they were raiding a village near the town of Sotgarth. From them the party learnt of their winter camp in the Malmor Forest, where Hrefna and the rest of the brigands are holed up until spring. As we begin out story, the party have reached the eastern edge of the forest and are readying to find the camp and deal with Hrefna.

Themes & Elements

While the campaign will likely cover a lot of different areas, there will be a few themes and elements that play a constant and prevalent part throughout it.

The Undead

The main arcs of the campaign will revolve around the undead of this world and their history, lore, actions and plans. They will be the primary opponents that the party will face over the course of the campaign's main story.

The Reanimated vs The Undying

In this world there are two types of undead that will be encountered.
The first are corpses that have been animated and controlled mechanically through the use of magic, the person that once inhabited that body long gone. This is the necromancy normal mages are capable of casting and while it is seen as morally questionable, it is not deemed evil. These undead will be refered to as the reanimated.
The second type are people whose souls have been broken and corrupted by unknown forces, their bodies prevented from dying. The presence of these undead, let alone the source and cause of their state, is little known in the world. It is these undead who will be main opponent in the campaign. These undead will be refered to as the undying.

War in Elderen

With Ebaria invading in the east and the orcish tribes pushing in from the west, war is present in all of Elderen. It will play a major part in the NPCs, factions and general state of the world the characters engage with. Over the course of the campaign events and interactions will cause shifting borders, relationships and plans, and the characters will have to deal with the problems or opportunities that result from them.

Tradition vs Progress

This question and dynamic underpins much of the worldbuilding of the region the characters will be living in and interacting with. Be it the local politics of a city, the motivations of a conflict, or even the people's relationship with magic, most things that the characters will encounter will have some tie back to the opposition between the tradition of the past and the progress towards the future.