Recent Avlis History, Volume 1

The Age of Immortals, also known as the Age of Complete Peace, reigned for a thousand years. It was then followed by a time obscured by history, labeled by the chroniclers the Age of Darkness. This age lasted for many centuries, its end unofficially culminating in the death of Emperor Kuras of Kurathene Empire.

The recent history of Avlis is marked by one major event, Valok's attempt to re-enter the Prime Material Plane fifty years ago. This attempt was thwarted by a number of adventurers, whose names are well-known to the chroniclers because they figure in Avlis still today: Vanoviel Niltaurwen, Aratelda Ringthong, Andrinor, Orianna (aka Raven), and Tupaia Dagroth.

This group’s heroic deeds begin oddly enough with their capture, in Blandenberg by an orc raiding party. No one knew what the hell orcs were doing in Blandenberg, but they seemed to be kidnapping people left and right.

When they awoke after being kidnapped, the adventurers realized they were on a slave ship. Evidently, the nation of M'Chek was prime pickings for slave traders because there are so many people. Just who was buying the slaves was often a mystery, but in this case, a lord in the Kurathene Empire by the name of Crullath was suspected.

The heroes escaped the orcish ship when they were rescued by a wemic named Borrr'Gorak, general of the armies of Lord Joral Arvanos V of the Kurathene Empire. The wemic general enlisted the heroes' help in determining why Lord Crullath wanted slaves imported from M'Chek. Crullath and Arvanos were involved in a bitter war at the time, and the wemic feared that Crullath was using the slaves as conscripts for his army.

The heroes agreed, and they were dropped off in the city of Andarr, which is one of the Seven Cities, independent city-states that have banded together in a confederation. Through a series of adventures, the heroes uncovered a few things: 1. Crullath was indeed collecting slaves for his war against Arvanos 2. Crullath was dealing with orcs to get the slaves, specifically an orc named Mandaharuk, a high priest of Valok in Mikona. 3. Crullath was also dealing with a major lord in Mikona named Lord Dagroth. The plan was for Dagroth and Mandaharuk to help Crullath crush Arvanos in return for some land of their own in the Kurathene Empire.

After eliminating some slave trading outposts in the north, the heroes decided to help Borrr'Gorak further by journeying through Mikona to find out more information. It was on their way back to Blandenberg where they were headed anyway. Once in Mikona, the heroes met a woman named Jade, an elven noble diplomat sent from T'Nanshi to help negotiate with M'Chek on the war.

Jade helped the heroes expose Mandaharuk and Dagroth. Mandaharuk was banished from Mikona, and Dagroth was fined. Feeling particularly angry about this, Mandaharuk ambushed the party a couple of times, resulting in a desperate battle where the heroes and Jade had to flee Mikona or be destroyed.

The heroes fled into the Plane of Shadow and decided to head off Mandaharuk wherever he was headed. Through a series of adventures on the Plane of Shadow, the heroes reached the orcish city of Brekon, where they believed Mandaharuk would go because it was the stronghold of the Church of Valok.

In the city the heroes were approached by a orc named Khalik. He told them that Mandaharuk had to die for his audacity to attack the Kurathene Empire because such a move would undoubtedly turn them against Brekon and the orcs would be destroyed. The heroes agreed to kill Mandaharuk for him.

Soon after that, they found out even worse news about Mandaharuk. He was assembling a slave army to conquer Arvanos, but he was also working below the Valok temples to summon up armies of Baatezu to augment their forces. The combined slave/baatezu army was going to destroy Arvanos, then turn on Crullath and take the whole of the Kurathene Empire, to start with. When they returned to Khalik and told them this, Khalik thanked them and walked away.

The heroes planned an assault on Mandaharuk. They learned that he was working in the basements of the main temple of Valok in Brekon to summon armies of baatezu. Vanoviel enlisted help from the Church of O'Ma in the matter, through the network of urban sprites she met in the city. The heroes and their cleric helpers from O'Ma staged a large attack on the temple of Valok.

When the heroes fought their way to Mandaharuk, they noticed Khalik had sided with him. Hearing about the army of baatezu, Khalik decided that it was a plan that may work, so he reneged on killing Mandaharuk and instead joined him.

A large battle broke out and Mandaharuk was killed, but Khalik escaped through a pool into the elemental plane of water. The heroes had to make a long journey to the nixie city of Qwandovia to find a portal of their own so they could go after him. After gaining passage to the portal, they made their way through the plane of water and traced Khalik to Sigil, the planar city of doors.

In Sigil they learned much. Andrinor discovered his lineage as the son of a cambion and an elf; the elf was Aratelda's aunt. Through another series of adventures they also learned some dire news...