Page 8 - IBP 2100 - Another Bunch of Content Issue 1

Another Bunch of Content Soulgazers
SETTING
dragon’s treachery he mortally wounded it with sorcery. As the armies of the Bound Kingdoms at- tacked Paka’s serpent and humanoid forces the Lord of the Serpent Horde fled with the help of summoned demons. Dying, Tenebrax took the heroes upon her back and gave chase to Paka, following him to the City of Timless Age. She took her last breath there as the heroes fought with Paka, offering up the last of her own magic and life in the attempt to destroy the leader of the Serpent Horde. She died before she knew the outcome of the battle.
Gol Paka was ultimately destroyed and the rise of the Serpent Horde stopped. There are some who say that the great black dragon was returned to the Pool of Is by the heroes and was placed within, and that many years later, a young female gold dragon left the Pool. This gold dragon is said to have become Thanaxis, the long-lived protector of the Bound Kingdoms who stopped the second rise of the Serpent Horde and other threats. The body of Thanaxis now rests encased in gold and precious jewels in the great royal crypt in the Royal City of Shaldarin, capital city of the Bound Kingdoms.
In the city of Deim Taragai, there exists a priesthood who have dedicated themselves to the observation but not the saving of the soul. Commonly known as Soulgazers, these priests can read a person’s soul and know the ultimate destination for a petitioner. The priests state that Soulgazing is merely a form of divination that allows them to see across all the planes of reality and follow a soul across time to know where it finally rests.
Before being told the final destination of their soul, a petitioner must stay in a church for seven days, each day being asked if they still wish to know where their soul will end up. They must continue to answer affirmativelyeachday.Eachnighttheystayatthechurch, they receive increasingly traumatic and realistic night- mares that interrupt their sleep. By the end of the seven days, the petitioner is fatigued, emotionally drained, and physically strained. If they continue through this ordeal and pass the seven days, a priest will guide them through a vision and allow them to see the jour- ney of their soul from the moment just after death when it has left this plane of existence until where it reaches its final destination.
Some consider the priesthood somewhat of a cult, but it has a strong following throughout the nearby regions with those with wealth paying to learn their ultimate destination beyond this world. A recent reading by a Soulgazer has led to Prince Akshata- mal of the Topaz Dominion to lead an attempt to destroy as many of the priesthood churches as possible, presumably due to not being happy with being told where his soul would end up.
Uluos
LOCATION
Tenebrax
PERSONALITY
Mysteriously disappearing completely one night during a lunar eclipse over eleven years ago, the village of Uluos has remained a complete mystery to those investigating it. All of the buildings and inhabitants of the village within two miles from the center of it simply disappeared that night to be replaced with untamed wildness; it is as if the village had never existed. Fenc- es and hedgerow end abruptly before reaching the affected area and the single road that passes through the village is interrupted and missing within the area that the village previously occupied. Animals dislike the village area now; dogs growl and bark at it while herd animals like cattle and sheep do what they can to avoid the area. Even insects avoid it.
Paladins and clerics who pass through the area say that something feels unholy about it but they can- not determine what, and a number of magic users have stated that some sort of great and powerful pri- mal magic seems to present in the location but they cannot yet determine what. Elves from the nearby Shiakail enclave seem to know something about the village as they have increased patrols in the local area, but they have given precious little additional information to authorities or others investigating. Authorities no longer post scouts to watch over the area as they feel that the chances of the village returning or some other even happening in the area are slight. It is still a mystery, and unlikely to ever be solved.
The great Black dragon Tenebrax is legendary among the most chaotic and self-serving of its kind, but not in a good way. Originally enslaved by Gol Paka, Lord of the Serpent Horde, during his ascent to power, Tenebrax was the means by which Paka built the Horde up, allowing him to recruit other humanoid races to his cause: to destroy the Bound Kingdoms and corrupt the Life Rose.
Fear of the great dragon and Paka’s power over her drove forward the Horde until two-thirds of the Bound Kingdoms had fallen. All seemed lost. Then at the Pool of Is, the dragon was confronted by a group of heroes from the Bound Kingdoms. No-one is quite sure what happened there, but the dragon chose at that point to change sides in the war and to overthrow Paka. With the dragon’s help, these heroes managed to infiltrate Paka’s camp. An attempt to assassinate Paka almost succeeded, but when he learned of the
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