Cold beuty of the deep
Cold beuty of the deep
Impact on the Village
Rumors:
Villagers whisper of the "Mist Takers," mysterious figures who rise from the earth to steal away the unwary. These stories are often dismissed as superstition until someone disappears.
Some claim that the misted areas are cursed and that entering them will lead to certain doom.
Disappearances:
Hunters, children, or wandering travelers occasionally vanish near the edges of the forest or the mist-shrouded riverbanks. Their belongings are sometimes found in strange arrangements, as though left by unseen hands.
Conflict with the Witches:
The witches, particularly Agatha, are aware of the Underworldly and see them as a dangerous force but also a potential source of power. Isolde, in particular, might seek to bargain with them, creating further tension in the village.
How to Console the Queen Below
Demonstrating Respect:
The Queen demands absolute reverence. Any attempt to treat her as an equal or question her rule will provoke her wrath. However, she may respond to displays of humility or carefully chosen words that acknowledge her superiority.
Offering Tribute:
She values rare and powerful items, particularly those tied to surface magic. An offering of enchanted artifacts, ancient relics, or even the promise of mortal servitude might appease her.
Negotiating Freedom:
To free captives, the players might need to offer something in return, such as performing a dangerous task for the Queen or bringing her a token from the fey court of the forest to mock her rivals.
Potential Encounters
Mist-Laden Ambush:
While traveling through the forest, the players encounter an area shrouded in unnatural mist. They hear laughter and faint music before the Underworldly attack, attempting to abduct one or more party members.
A Captive’s Plea:
The players find a half-mad thrall who escaped the Underworldly. The captive speaks in riddles, describing their torment and the Queen’s court. Helping them recover could lead to valuable information but also draw the Underworldly’s attention.
The Queen’s Bargain:
The players are summoned to the Queen’s court to negotiate the release of a captured villager or ally. The Queen offers freedom in exchange for a dangerous or morally ambiguous task, forcing the players to weigh their options carefully.
Example Dialogue: The Queen Below
The Queen’s speech is commanding and layered with disdain. She rarely speaks directly, often using metaphor and veiled threats to assert her dominance.
Encounters and Player Interaction
Courtly Diplomacy
Players entering the court must navigate its politics, speaking with figures like Lady Myrelith or the Chorus of Thorns to gain favor or achieve their goals.
Each court member has their own demands and agendas, creating opportunities for alliances—or betrayal.
Rebellion Within
Yrelis, the Forgotten, might secretly contact the players, offering aid in exchange for their promise to free her. She could provide insight into the Queen’s weaknesses or guide the players through the twisting passages.
Challenges in the Court
Riddles of the Chorus:
Players must solve riddles or interpret cryptic messages to advance within the court.
Duel with Varathyn:
The Queen demands one player prove their worth by facing Varathyn in combat or a test of skill.
Illusions of Myrelith:
Myrelith creates false versions of the players’ allies, forcing them to determine what is real and what is deception.
The rivalry between the Queen Below and the Fey Court of the Gloomwood is ancient, predating even the arrival of the witches. While both courts draw their power from the primal forces of nature, their philosophies and realms are diametrically opposed. This tension has led to centuries of subtle conflicts, strained truces, and occasional outright war.
Origins of the Rivalry
Split Origins:
The Queen Below and the Fey Court both trace their roots to the ancient spirits who ruled the forest long ago. When the dark entity cursed the forest, some of these spirits fell or fragmented, and their power took new forms.
The Queen Below was one of the spirits that withdrew into the earth, seeking refuge from the corruption. However, her retreat severed her from the natural cycles of the surface world, twisting her perception and warping her court into a reflection of her isolation.
Philosophical Divide:
The Fey Court upholds balance, valuing the interplay of light and dark, life and death, as essential to the forest’s survival.
The Queen Below, in contrast, views the surface world’s balance as fragile and flawed. She believes in the inherent superiority of those who dominate through strength and cunning. Her court thrives on control, hierarchy, and manipulation.
Key Points of Conflict
Territorial Disputes:
The Queen’s underworld realm extends beneath the forest, with some of her tunnels and caverns crossing into fey-held lands. These overlaps spark frequent skirmishes between her Underworldly and the Fey Court’s guardians.
Certain sacred groves or pools connected to the forest’s magical essence are hotly contested. The Queen sees these places as rightful extensions of her domain, while the Fey Court views her as a usurper.
Competing Influences:
The Fey Court reveres freedom and choice, granting those who enter their realm the opportunity to prove their worth or leave unscathed (albeit often through tricky bargains).
The Queen Below values servitude and control, binding those who enter her realm with chains—both literal and metaphorical. To her, the Fey Court’s ideals of freedom are foolish and naive.
The Hunter and the Wild Hunt:
The remnants of The Hunter’s essence, revered by some within the Fey Court, are a particular point of contention. The Queen Below sees The Hunter’s primal power as a resource that should have been claimed by her court, rather than left to the surface-dwelling fey.
Historical Clashes
The Shattering Accord:
Ages ago, an uneasy truce was forged between the Queen Below and the Fey Court. This pact divided certain contested areas, with both courts agreeing not to encroach further.
However, the Queen secretly broke the accord by extending her influence into the Gloomwood’s northern reaches, leading to devastating skirmishes. The Fey Court retaliated, and the pact was shattered.
The War of Roots:
During a particularly fierce conflict, the Queen Below attempted to corrupt the forest’s heart, channeling its power to expand her dominion. The Fey Court thwarted her plans, but the battle left lasting scars on the land, including areas of blighted forest and deadened groves.
The Enslavement of Yrelis:
Yrelis, once a trusted member of the Fey Court, was captured by the Underworldly during one of these conflicts. Her enslavement is a lingering source of bitterness and mistrust between the two courts.
The Queen’s Perspective
The Queen views the Fey Court as weak and sentimental, clinging to outdated notions of harmony. She sees their balance as a shackle preventing them from achieving true power.
To her, the Fey Court’s reverence for freedom is a waste, as freedom leads to chaos and weakness in her eyes. She believes her structured, hierarchical rule is the rightful order of the world.
The Fey Court’s Perspective
The Fey Court views the Queen as a tragic figure, warped by her isolation and hunger for control. While they recognize her power, they see her methods as corrupt and destructive.
The court resents her attempts to expand her domain into the Gloomwood, viewing her as a usurper and a danger to the delicate balance they strive to maintain.
Current State of the Rivalry
Covert Skirmishes:
Both courts avoid open war, as the conflict would likely devastate the forest and weaken them both. Instead, they engage in smaller battles through proxies and agents, with each side trying to undermine the other.
Fey guardians and Underworldly enforcers frequently clash in contested areas, leaving signs of their battles—scorched earth, unnatural mists, and the bodies of fallen fey and thralls.
Manipulation of Mortals:
The Queen Below seeks to influence mortals, offering them power in exchange for servitude. She views this as a way to destabilize the Fey Court by sowing chaos in the forest.
The Fey Court counters by forming alliances with mortals who respect their traditions, using them to safeguard the forest and its balance.
Potential Player Involvement
Caught Between Courts:
The players might find themselves navigating the tension between the two courts, forced to choose sides or broker an uneasy truce.
Retrieving Yrelis:
A mission to rescue Yrelis from the Queen’s court could lead the players into the heart of the underworld. However, Yrelis’s shattered loyalty might complicate their efforts.
Preventing the Great Wild Hunt:
The Queen’s agents might seek to corrupt remnants of The Hunter’s essence, turning it into a weapon against the Fey Court. The players could be tasked with stopping this plan before it tips the balance of power.
Purging the Corruption:
Areas corrupted by past conflicts between the courts might require the players’ intervention, whether through rituals, combat, or negotiation.
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