manoir_de_mordain

Manoir de Mordain

theforestofflesh.jpg caption = Kresht Rhyll, “The Forest of Flesh” name = Racinenoire area = Droaam ruler = Mordain le Tisseur de Chair

Manoir de Mordain (also known as Racinenoire) is a massive tower close to Droaam's western border, and the residence of Mordain le Tisseur de Chair. It reaches high up into the sky, and is shaped somewhat like a malformed limb, seemingly made out of the flesh of a black Dragon. The walls bleed when struck, but the tower's wounds heal extraordinarily fast. Gruesome flesh-golems and malformed creatures (the results of Mordain's experiments) patrol around the hall. The tower has been magically protected against scrying and teleportation by Mordain.

Long ago, Mordain released Tisserande de Peaus into the woods surrounding his tower. These strangel creatures weave webs using their victims entrails, skin and other assorted body parts, thus making it a monstrous place which the gnolls call Kresht Rhyll, the forest of flesh. They are not the only strangel creatures living here, and any possible combination of twisted, bestial creatures grafted together may dwell in these woods, alongside even stRanger beings such as aberrant dryads. Most of these creatures have had their instincts, dietary needs or reproductive cycles changeld in order to be able to fit so many predators in so small an area. Some known creations of Mordain that live here include:

Due to Mordain's power the forest is thick and lush, with a strangel combination of flora that cannot be found elsewhere. Several of the plans inside of the forest are subterranean in nature. Examples include:

MThe Forest of Flesh by K eith Baker i llustrations by Brian Hagan and Chris Burdett Mordain the Fleshweaver is the subject of dozens of horrifying tales. One story describes an early effort to create a new dragonmarked house, which instead produced a line of foulspawn that devoured Mordain’s own family. Mothers tell their children that Mordain steals disobedient youths for his experiments, replacing them with perfect simulacra so their parents never know. Whatever the truth of these stories, Mordain was excoriated from House Phiarlan in 797 AR. According to the records of Salyon Syrralan d’Siri, the Twelve tried to execute Mordain and failed. Salyon’s account states that Mordain was bathed in acid, burned at the stake, drowned, and even dismembered, and after each attempt “he rose again, his vigor unchecked and flesh rebound.” He was petrified and sent to Dreadhold, but he escaped before reaching the island prison; Salyon speculated that “no lesser mage could set his will over the flesh of Mordain.” The first confirmed sighting of Blackroot—Mordain’s tower—occurred in 873 AR. In the heat of the Silver Purge, a troop of Aundairian templars pursued a few werewolves far to the south of modern Aundair. Weeks later, another patrol encountered a lone survivor, half-mad and delirious. He spoke of a tower “with blackened, leathery walls, twisted as the limb of a dragon reaching up to grasp the sun.” The soldier couldn’t account for his companions, and his own condition was testimony to the horrors he had seen. His upper torso had been fused to the lower body of what was posthumously confirmed to be a werewolf. His mental state quickly deteriorated and he soon died of self-inflicted wounds. Blackroot’s location has long since been confirmed, though the tower is shielded from scrying and divination. Virtuous champions have set out to destroy the foul wizard and his works. Emissaries from the Five Nations sought his aid in the Last War, and mages have dreamed of stealing his secrets. However, few gaze on the face of Mordain and return unchanged . . . assuming they return at all. KhreshtRhyyl: The Forest of Flesh Droaam is home to many fearsome creatures. Medusas match wits with harpies and hags. Ogres, minotaurs, and trolls compete in tests of might. Even these monsters avoid the lands around Blackroot. The gnolls call it KhreshtRhyyl, “the Forest of Flesh”—and this is more than a colorful figure of speech. Longago Mordain released creatures called skinweavers (see below) into the woods. These beasts weave webs, much as spiders do, but instead of producing silk, skinweavers craft their nests using the recycled flesh of their victims, stretching entrails, strands of muscle, and flayed skin between trunk and bough. Many of these are long abandoned, like cobwebs drifting in the wind. Nonetheless, gnawed bones and glistening strands of flesh are a common sight in the forest, and they serve as a clear warning to turn back. The woods of KhreshtRhyyl are unusually dense and humid for Droaam, which is one more sign of the power Mordain holds over this region. The canopy above remains dense throughout the year, and even at high noon only dim light makes its way to the forest floor. Anyone trained in Dungeoneering can recognize certain plants that are found underground only; this includes phosphorescent fungi that create paths of light snaking through the darkness. Other plants are unknown beyond the forest. These include potent hallucinogens; bloodvines, which produce human blood in place of sap; banshee’s boughs, trees that howl in agony when disturbed in any way; and many others. The ghoul’s rose produces the stench of rotting flesh to attract insects, and the beautiful stormflower deals lightning damage to anything that touches it (1 lightning damage for touching a flower, up to 6 lightning damage per round for standing in a patch of stormflowers). The creatures of the region are as diverse and dangerous as the plant life. Some are aberrations, though most are bestial creatures unique to the area as opposed to being servants of Xoriat or Khyber. The skinweavers are one example of Mordain’s ingenuity, but tales speak of skinless wolves, insane elementals, and frenzied beasts formed from the combination of two or more of the creatures found elsewhere in Droaam. Adventurers might find a troll with the voice and wings of a harpy, or a hydra with a medusa’s head sprouting from each of its six necks. Rot scarabs, bloodweb spiders, and stranger insects chitter in the darkness. Vine horrors, oozes of colors never seen in the world beyond, and aberrant dryads linger just off the phosphorescent paths. The laws of nature have been shattered here. Characters familiar with Nature or Dungeoneering may claim that it’s impossible for so many deadly creatures to thrive in such close proximity to one another, and this again is the work of Mordain. Many of these monsters have been engineered to survive with minimal sustenance, and predatory instincts and reproductive systems have likewise been altered; some beasts reproduce at a remarkable rate needed to maintain their numbers, and others are sterile and could be exterminated by travelers. Because of this, even the most innocent creatures can pose a deadly threat. The tryyl, a rodent found in the forest, is a little creature possessing the adorable traits of rabbit and hamster. But a tryyl also has poisonous flesh, a venomous bite, and an uncanny reproduction rate held in check by its diet within the forest. Should a few of these creatures be brought to Breland or Aundair, they could quickly spread across the land and become an environmental menace. Both the Gnoll Brotherhood and the Wardens of the Wood have dealt with tryyl before, and they react violently if they discover adventurers smuggling these or any other creatures from KhreshtRhyyl. Although the monsters are the obvious threat, travelers face other hazards when passing through the forest. Overland speed is cut in half due to the dense growth and obstacles, and in tactical situations much of the land should be considered difficult terrain; alternatively, an adventurer who fails a Nature check (DC 18; PCs should be allowed to make passive checks) could unwittingly walk into a patch of stormflowers or disturb a banshee’s bough. All Perception checks in the woods take a –2 penalty due to the constant cacophony of strange insects, scurrying tryyl, and the distant howls of trees and beasts alike.

Due to the strange nature of the region, PCs can use either Dungeoneering or Nature for foraging, but an adventurer takes a –5 penalty to the check—and with the number of poisonous and hallucinogenic substances in the woods (including the mucus the skinweavers use to preserve their fleshy webs) failure can have unpleasant consequences. One of the most common maladies is a disease known as verdant whispers; however, the DM should feel free to introduce other diseases.

If they can survive the dangers of the forest, adventurers eventually come to a vast clearing at its heart, where the tower of Blackroot reaches up toward the sky. On close examination, the windowless tower appears to be made from the flesh of a black dragon; the walls bleed if damaged, though they regenerate at an astonishing rate. In some of the stories, Mordain welcomes visitors into the open gates of the tower; in others they must battle vicious guardians or carve a passage through the bleeding walls. The reception visitors receive depends on their purpose, as well as whether Mordain thinks of them as guests—or raw material for his next round of experiments.

“Tales speak of skinless wolves, insane elementals, and frenzied beasts formed from the combination of two or more of the creatures found elsewhere in Droaam.”

S eeki ng the Fleshweaver Mordain matches one of the greatest mystical talents of the millennium with an utter disregard for the suffering of others. What could bring a group of adventurers to Blackroot? A wizard might hope to acquire the unknown rituals and potent implements locked away in the tower. A Brelon paladin could make it his quest to remove this dark shadow from the border of his homeland. Mordain need not be an enemy, though. He lacks empathy or morality, so he often inflicts terrible suffering when it furthers his quest for knowledge. However, Mordain has no interest in doing evil for its own sake, and any of his experiments could end up serving a greater good. His vast knowledge could be the key to averting a terrible catastrophe, and he might possess information or items that the PCs need to pursue a quest. A few examples are presented below. 1. The adventurers have business in Khazaak Draal, realm of medusas and basilisks. It’s said that Mordain can provide adventurers with absolute protection against petrification. Mordain does nothing for free, and he has no interest in gold; he asks for a service or sacrifice before he bestows any of his gifts. 2. Following an encounter with a previously unknown aberration, a PC is afflicted with a condition that defies all forms of mundane and magical treatment. At first it grants the victim useful powers, but it soon becomes clear that the affliction is turning the victim into an aberration—and that it will destroy his mind when it has wound its course. If anyone can lift this curse, it’s Mordain. Is this disease a relic of the daelkyr, or is it the work of Mordain? 3. In addition to his knowledge of aberrations, Mordain is the foremost authority on aberrant dragonmarks. When a new wave of aberrant marks appears across Khorvaire, the Twelve sends the PCs to seek Mordain’s insight on the matter. Alternatively, an adventurer with an aberrant mark learns that the Fleshweaver has a hoard of aberrant focus items; perhaps she can earn one of these treasures by working for the wizard. 4. House Brunet hires the party to retrieve a viable sample of a particular plant from the lands around Mordain’s tower, or House Létourneau seeks one of the strange beasts Mordain has created. The party might not have to deal with Mordain, though removing things from the domain of the Fleshweaver can have unforeseen consequences. 5. A colorful bird with four wings and two heads approaches a PC trained in Arcana and rituals. This beast carries a message from Mordain that summons the character to Blackroot. No reason is given. Does the Fleshweaver seek an apprentice? Does he have a gift to bestow—some creation he wishes to test in the world? Or has he foreseen the character’s epic destiny and now wishes to shape it for his own ends? 6. A PC discovers that some of the people closest to him have been replaced by near-perfect simulacrums. This can only be the work of Mordain the Fleshweaver, but why has he done this? Can the heroes free the originals from Mordain’s tower? 7. Many humanoid races have yet to be given a major role in the setting. If the DM wants to add a particular race to the setting, a city of these creatures can appear on the border of Droaam and Breland. This is Mordain’s work. Can the inhabitants come to terms with their new neighbors, or will minor skirmishes threaten to turn into a full-scale war between Breland and Droaam? Is this Mordain’s intent?