In the world of Aebrynis, the gods died at the battle of Mount Deismaar, and their divine essence — bloodline power — passed to the mortal champions who fought beside them. Now, centuries later, the descendants of those champions rule kingdoms, command armies, and wield divine authority through the blood in their veins. The continent of Cerilia fractures as the Iron Throne of Anuire sits empty, and every blooded regent schemes to claim it. The adventurers, themselves bearers of divine bloodlines, must navigate a world where politics is war by other means, diplomacy is a weapon, and the crown belongs to whoever has the will and the blood to take it.
Story Arcs
The Inheritance
The adventurers are summoned to the duchy of Roesone when its aging duke — a distant relative of the party's leader — dies without a direct heir, naming the party's blooded scion as successor. However, claiming a domain is far more complex than accepting a title. Rival claimants challenge the inheritance, neighboring regents probe for weakness, the guilds demand concessions, and the temples expect patronage. The party must secure their new domain through diplomacy, espionage, and shows of force, learning the mechanics of domain-level rulership while establishing their power base.
The Gorgon's Shadow
With the duchy stabilized, broader threats emerge. The Gorgon — the most powerful awnsheghlien (blood-corrupted abomination) on Cerilia — has been quietly extending his influence south from his fortress of Kal-Saitharak. His agents infiltrate courts, his spies assassinate key figures, and his armies mass on the northern borders. The adventurers must forge alliances with neighboring regents, some of whom are untrustworthy or openly hostile, to build a coalition strong enough to resist the Gorgon's advance. Domain-level warfare looms.
The War of the Iron Throne
The Gorgon makes his move for the Iron Throne of Anuire, the seat of the High King that has been empty for generations. His armies march south in a three-pronged invasion, and the fractious regents of Anuire must unite or fall one by one. The adventurers lead a coalition of domains against the Gorgon's forces in a series of domain-level battles, culminating in a climactic siege of the Imperial City. The Iron Throne awaits — but only if the Gorgon is defeated and the coalition doesn't tear itself apart.
The Battle of Mount Deismaar Reborn
The Gorgon is driven back but not defeated — he retreats to Mount Deismaar, the site where the gods died and the bloodlines were created, to perform a dark ritual that will consume the bloodline power of every scion on Cerilia and elevate him to godhood. The adventurers must pursue him to the mountain, battle through his elite guards, and confront the Gorgon at the site of the original divine cataclysm. The echoes of dead gods still resonate here, and the fate of every blooded scion in the world hangs in the balance.
Session Outlines
These outlines are for planning reference only. Actual sessions are not created by the template.
The Duke is Dead
Open with the party receiving word that Duke Aldric of Roesone has died, naming the party's blooded scion as heir. Travel to the duchy and arrive at the capital, Caer Roesone, for the reading of the will. Introduce the domain mechanics: provinces, holdings (law, temple, guild, source), domain actions. The duke's seneschal, Lord Aeric, handles the transition but warns that three rival claimants have emerged: a Roesone baron, a neighboring duchess, and a temple representative claiming divine mandate. The duchy treasury is nearly empty.
Consolidating Power
The first domain turn. The party must address the three rival claimants through a combination of diplomacy, intrigue, and force. The baron can be bought off with a land grant, the duchess requires a marriage alliance or trade concession, and the temple representative demands patronage and law holdings. Meanwhile, a guild master threatens to withdraw economic support unless the party agrees to favorable trade terms. Run the first domain actions: decree, diplomacy, and a small military muster. End with a border incident — raiders from a neighboring domain test the party's defenses.
The Border War
The border raiders are revealed to be agents of the Spider, an awnsheghlien (blood abomination) who controls a domain to the east. The Spider is a minor threat compared to what's coming, but this is the party's first military engagement. Run a small battle using domain warfare rules: muster troops, set formation, resolve combat. The party can lead from the front, gaining bonuses. After the battle, the party interrogates a captured lieutenant who reveals the Spider was paid by someone far more powerful to test Roesone's defenses.
Whispers of the Gorgon
Intelligence reports from multiple sources converge: the Gorgon, the most feared awnsheghlien on Cerilia, is mobilizing. His fortress of Kal-Saitharak disgorges troops by the thousands. Envoys arrive from neighboring domains — some seeking alliance, others demanding submission. Introduce the major NPC regents: the calculating Duchess Marlae of Aerenwe, the honorable Duke Fhiele of Elinie, and the treacherous Baron Gavin Tael of Ghoere, who may be secretly aligned with the Gorgon. Run espionage domain actions as the party tries to determine who can be trusted.
The Alliance of the Southern Coast
The party must personally travel to neighboring courts to forge alliances. This session focuses on diplomacy with three key domains. Duke Fhiele of Elinie is willing but weak — he needs military aid before he can commit troops. Duchess Marlae of Aerenwe is powerful but cautious — she demands proof of the Gorgon's intentions. Baron Gavin Tael of Ghoere is outwardly cooperative but clearly untrustworthy — a successful insight check or espionage reveals he's negotiating with the Gorgon's agents. The party must decide how to handle each regent.
The Gorgon's Assassins
The Gorgon strikes at the coalition before it can fully form. Assassins attack the party and key allied regents simultaneously. A night assault on the party's castle tests their defenses, while reports arrive of assassination attempts against Duchess Marlae and Duke Fhiele. The assassins are elite operatives — some are charmed humans, but the leader is a medusa, one of the Gorgon's favored agents. The party must survive the attack and rush aid to their allies before the coalition collapses. A captured assassin reveals the Gorgon's war timeline: he marches in three months.
Raising the Armies
A domain-focused session. The party has three months to prepare for war. They must muster troops, build fortifications, secure supply lines, and convince reluctant domains to join the coalition. Each domain action has strategic consequences: mustering too aggressively depletes the treasury, building fortifications takes time away from diplomacy, and every alliance comes with political strings attached. A major decision: the party can request aid from the elven domain of Tuarhievel, but the elves demand concessions that anger the human domains.
The Gorgon Marches
The Gorgon's armies cross the northern border in three columns: one targets the heartland, one sweeps along the coast, and one drives toward the Imperial City. The Gorgon himself leads the central column, a towering figure in black iron armor whose gaze petrifies the living. The first domain-level battle is a defensive action as the coalition tries to slow the northern column. Run the battle with the party leading a cavalry wing. Initial reports suggest the Gorgon's forces are even larger than expected — he has recruited ogres, giants, and awnsheghlien warbands.
The Fall of Elinie
Duke Fhiele's domain of Elinie falls to the coastal column. The duke sends a desperate magical message requesting evacuation. The party must decide: divert forces to rescue Elinie (weakening their main defense) or sacrifice the ally for strategic advantage. If they rescue Fhiele, they gain a loyal ally but lose ground. If they don't, they gain a hardened reputation but potential allies become more wary. Meanwhile, Baron Gavin Tael of Ghoere openly betrays the coalition and joins the Gorgon, attacking the coalition's flank.
The Battle of the Maesil
The coalition makes its stand at the Maesil River, the natural defensive line protecting the southern domains. A massive domain-level battle ensues: infantry holds the bridges while archers rain fire, cavalry charges flanking forces, and the party leads a strike team against a fire giant war chief commanding the Gorgon's right wing. The battle is winnable but costly. Success at the Maesil buys time; failure means falling back to the Imperial City for a last stand.
The Siege of the Imperial City
The Gorgon besieges the Imperial City, where the Iron Throne sits empty in the Hall of Heroes. The coalition defends the walls while the party conducts raids and sorties against the besieging army. Inside the city, political maneuvering reaches a fever pitch: several regents argue that they should claim the Iron Throne before the Gorgon breaches the walls. The party must maintain the coalition's unity while fighting off siege assaults. A storm giant in the Gorgon's service batters the walls with hurled boulders.
Breaking the Siege
The party leads a daring sortie to break the siege from within. They target the Gorgon's command tent in a nighttime strike, fighting through elite guards and awnsheghlien bodyguards. They wound the Gorgon but cannot kill him — his divine bloodline regenerates the damage. However, the strike throws his army into confusion, and the coalition counter-attacks, breaking the siege. The Gorgon retreats north with his personal guard, but he is not defeated — he heads toward Mount Deismaar with a dark purpose.
The Road to Mount Deismaar
Intelligence reveals the Gorgon's true plan: he is traveling to Mount Deismaar, where the gods died and the bloodlines were created, to perform the Rite of Investiture — a ritual that will drain the bloodline power from every scion on Cerilia and funnel it into himself, elevating him to godhood. The party feels the drain beginning: their bloodline abilities flicker and weaken. They must pursue the Gorgon across war-torn Cerilia with a small strike force, crossing through devastated domains and hostile wilderness.
The Ascent of Mount Deismaar
Mount Deismaar is a shattered, volcanic peak where the boundary between the physical world and the spirit world is thin. The echoes of dead gods still haunt the slopes — phantom battles replay in the mist, and divine energy crackles in the air. The Gorgon's elite guard holds the mountain path: trolls, ogres, and a lich who serves as the Gorgon's chief advisor. The party must fight their way up the mountain while their bloodline powers continue to drain. Each step higher intensifies both the danger and the divine resonance.
The Rite of Investiture
The climactic finale at the summit of Mount Deismaar. The Gorgon stands at the crater's edge, performing the Rite of Investiture as divine energy spirals upward from every blooded scion on Cerilia. He is nearly a god — his stone gaze is now lethal, his strength titanic, his armor fused to his body. The party must interrupt the ritual, which requires destroying the five bloodstone pillars the Gorgon has erected around the crater. Each pillar is guarded by an awnsheghlien champion. With all pillars shattered, the divine energy rebounds, and the party can channel the combined power of their bloodlines into a final strike against the Gorgon. His defeat sends the accumulated divine energy back to its rightful heirs. The Iron Throne awaits the worthy — and the party has proven themselves most worthy of all.
NPCs
Lord Aeric Boeruine
Human · Seneschal of Roesone
The loyal seneschal who served Duke Aldric for thirty years and now manages the transition of power. He is a shrewd administrator who knows every political thread in the duchy. Aging and tired, he longs for retirement but will not abandon his post until the new regent is firmly established. He advises caution in all things and has a network of informants throughout the southern domains.
Duchess Marlae Roesone of Aerenwe
Half-Elf · Regent of Aerenwe
The calculating ruler of the coastal domain of Aerenwe, a half-elf who has outlived three human husbands and played the political game for over a century. She commands the strongest navy in southern Anuire and controls vital trade routes. She is a potential ally but demands high prices for her support — she never acts from sentiment, only from strategic advantage. Her bloodline power allows her to sense lies.
Duke Fhiele Dhoesone of Elinie
Human · Regent of Elinie
An earnest, devoutly religious ruler who governs a small domain on the northern frontier. He is brave and honorable but politically naive, and his domain is directly in the Gorgon's path. He will be among the first to seek alliance and the first to fall if no aid comes. His sincerity and faith make him a valuable moral compass for the coalition, even if his military contribution is modest.
Baron Gavin Tael of Ghoere
Human · Regent of Ghoere
The most militarily powerful regent in southern Anuire, Baron Gavin is ambitious, ruthless, and harbors his own designs on the Iron Throne. He joins the coalition only to subvert it from within, secretly negotiating with the Gorgon for favorable terms after the conquest. He is charming in public and venomous in private. His betrayal at a critical moment could doom the coalition — unless the party exposes him first.
The Gorgon (Raesene)
Awnsheghlien · Lord of Kal-Saitharak
Once a human champion who fought at Mount Deismaar, now a monstrous abomination warped by centuries of dark bloodline corruption. His skin is stone, his gaze petrifies, and his strength is nearly divine. He has conquered a vast domain in northern Anuire through military genius and supernatural terror. He believes the Iron Throne is his by right of blood and power. His ambition has only grown over the centuries — now he seeks nothing less than godhood.
Queen Fhileraene
Elf · Regent of Tuarhievel
The immortal queen of the elven domain of Tuarhievel, who remembers the battle of Mount Deismaar personally. She has watched human civilizations rise and fall for millennia and is deeply skeptical of human alliances. She will aid the coalition against the Gorgon — whom she considers a personal enemy — but her price is steep: human domains must return ancient elven lands. She commands powerful nature magic and elven archers of legendary skill.
Kalien the Lich
Undead · The Gorgon's Chief Advisor
An ancient lich who serves the Gorgon as military strategist and arcane advisor. He was a powerful wizard in life and chose undeath to continue his pursuit of ultimate magical knowledge. He views the Gorgon's conquest as a means to access the divine power at Mount Deismaar for his own experiments. He is coldly rational, utterly without empathy, and commands devastating necromantic magic.
Locations
The Duchy of Roesone
A modest but strategically positioned duchy in southern Anuire, bordered by forests, farmland, and the Spiderfell to the east. Its capital, Caer Roesone, is a walled town built around a stone castle on a hill. The duchy is prosperous but vulnerable, with limited military resources and several powerful neighbors who covet its territory.
The Imperial City
The ancient capital of the Anuirean Empire, once the greatest city on Cerilia. Its massive walls, colonnaded avenues, and the Hall of Heroes — where the Iron Throne sits empty — recall past glory. The city is now governed by a council of regents who cannot agree on a high king. It is the ultimate prize in the War of the Iron Throne.
Kal-Saitharak
The Gorgon's fortress, a massive stronghold carved from a mountain of black basalt in northern Anuire. Its walls are reinforced with the petrified bodies of those who challenged its lord, their stone forms frozen in expressions of terror. Inside, the fortress is a labyrinth of trapped corridors, barracks for thousands of troops, and the Gorgon's personal chambers — a throne room where the floor is a mosaic of the world as he intends to rule it.
The Maesil River
The great river that divides northern and southern Anuire, serving as a natural defensive line. Its bridges are strategic chokepoints, and its banks have seen countless battles over the centuries. The river is wide and swift, crossable only at established fords and bridges, making it the key defensive position for any southern coalition.
Mount Deismaar
The shattered volcanic peak where the gods of Cerilia died in battle against the dark god Azrai. The mountain is sacred and terrible — divine energy still crackles in the air, and the spirits of the dead replay their final battle in the mists. The boundary between the physical world and the Shadow World is thin here, and bloodline powers are amplified to dangerous levels.
The Spiderfell
A dark, web-choked forest east of Roesone, domain of the Spider — an awnsheghlien who has become more arachnid than human over centuries of bloodline corruption. Giant spiders, ettercaps, and lost travelers trapped in webs the size of buildings fill the forest. The Spider herself lurks at the center, spinning schemes as surely as she spins silk.
Quests
Secure the Duchy of Roesone
The aging duke has named the party's blooded scion as heir, but the duchy is not given — it must be taken. Three rival claimants, hostile neighbors, and empty coffers threaten to undo the inheritance before it begins. Consolidate power through diplomacy, espionage, and shows of force.
Forge the Southern Coalition
The Gorgon's armies approach, and no single domain can stand against them. The party must forge an alliance of southern Anuirean domains — each with its own ambitions, grievances, and demands. Trust is in short supply, and at least one potential ally is secretly working for the enemy.
Expose the Traitor
Intelligence suggests one of the coalition's key members is secretly negotiating with the Gorgon. Baron Gavin Tael of Ghoere is the prime suspect, but proof is needed — and a premature accusation could shatter the alliance. The party must gather evidence through espionage, diplomacy, and perhaps a daring infiltration of Ghoere's court.
Claim the Iron Throne
The Iron Throne of Anuire has sat empty for generations, awaiting a regent with the bloodline and the will to claim it. If the party defeats the Gorgon and holds the coalition together, they will have the strongest claim in centuries. But the throne is said to reject the unworthy — and what "worthy" means has never been clear.
Prevent the Rite of Investiture
The Gorgon retreats to Mount Deismaar to perform a ritual that will drain every blooded scion on Cerilia of their divine power, funneling it into himself. The party's own abilities are already weakening. They must reach the mountain, destroy the bloodstone pillars, and stop the Gorgon before he becomes a god.
Encounters
The Spider's Raiders
A warband of ettercaps, giant spiders, and charmed human bandits launches a probing raid across the Roesone border. They fight from ambush positions in web-strewn trees, dropping onto the party from above. The raid leader is a drow exile who serves the Spider in exchange for sanctuary in the Spiderfell.
The Gorgon's Assassins
An elite assassination squad strikes the party's castle at night. The team includes a medusa agent whose gaze can petrify, charmed human infiltrators who have been posing as servants for weeks, and a shadow demon that slips through walls to strike at the party while they sleep. The attack is coordinated to hit multiple targets simultaneously.
Fire Giant War Chief
At the Battle of the Maesil, the Gorgon's right wing is commanded by a fire giant war chief who wades across the river hurling boulders at the coalition's defensive positions. He is accompanied by ogre shock troops and orc infantry. The party must eliminate the giant to break the enemy's momentum before their line collapses.
The Lich's Gauntlet
On the slopes of Mount Deismaar, Kalien the Lich has prepared a gauntlet of undead defenders: skeletal warriors, wraith cavalry, and a bone golem assembled from the remains of fallen soldiers. The lich himself hovers above the battlefield, raining down necrotic spells and commanding his forces with cold precision. Defeating him requires breaking his phylactery, hidden among the bone golem's ribcage.
Factions
The Southern Coalition
Lawful Good
A fragile alliance of southern Anuirean domains united against the Gorgon's invasion. Led by the party's duchy of Roesone, the coalition includes the naval power of Aerenwe, the faithful soldiers of Elinie, and various smaller domains. Internal politics threaten to tear it apart: each regent has their own agenda, and trust is a luxury no one can afford. Only a strong leader can hold them together.
The Gorgon's Host
Lawful Evil
The vast military machine of the Gorgon, assembled from his conquered northern domains, awnsheghlien allies, and humanoid mercenaries. The army includes human soldiers, orc warbands, giant champions, and undead legions raised by the lich Kalien. At its head rides the Gorgon himself, a figure of such terror that entire garrisons surrender at the sight of him. His goal is the Iron Throne and, ultimately, godhood.
The Elven Court of Tuarhievel
Chaotic Good
The ancient elven domain that predates human settlement on Cerilia. Queen Fhileraene rules from a living tree-palace and commands archers, druids, and nature spirits. The elves remember when the land was theirs and harbor deep resentment toward human expansion. They will ally against the Gorgon, but their price — the return of ancient elven lands — creates political complications within the human coalition.
The Domain of Ghoere
Lawful Evil
A powerful militaristic domain ruled by Baron Gavin Tael, who commands the largest standing army in southern Anuire. Ghoere joins the coalition publicly but secretly negotiates with the Gorgon, planning to betray the alliance at the critical moment in exchange for being named the Gorgon's viceroy of the south. The domain's soldiers are well-trained and its treasury deep, making Gavin's betrayal all the more devastating when it comes.
Use This Template
Create a new campaign pre-populated with all the arcs, NPCs, locations, quests, encounters, and factions from this template.