Twin Kingdoms of the Lost and Forgotten Ones

Kingdom of the Lost Wolf (#24/30; #175/365)

Facing each other along a heavily fortified stretch of the River Scour, in the rugged caverns of its upper reaches, are the kingdoms of the war-like N'yadach and their former captive-race, the industrious Skorn. The N'yadach, ruled by King W'falduch the Wolf (obese, scheming), have the rawer end of the deal; their caverns are barren and their tin mines are failing. The general populace are perpetually hungry, which is not helped when all the best food is siphoned off for the king and the bloated priesthoods of Shekka, Trabaten, Quezkari (known here as M'yathud), and the Demon Prince Ishtra.

What little surplus there is - largely cave fish and tin - is traded to the Dark Goblins for iron, as the N'yadach smiths still forge some of the highest quality weapons and armour across the Down Below. However, again, the best gear is usually reserved for the King's guards and the temples' priest-warriors. To make things worse, contact has been lost with an expeditionary force send up-world into the lower levels of the Found Tombs of Arvakaten. The priests and nobles blame the Skorn for this, the people blame the rulers and holy-folk for supplying the expeditionaries with substandard gear. Due to this, disgruntled N'yadach are constantly leaving the kingdom and hiring themselves out as mercenary soldiers and itinerant smiths; the leadership are thinking of implementing a ban on travel which would only exacerbate discontent. The Kingdom of the Lost Wolf clearly cries out for a Hero to save them!

Kingdom of the Emerald Throne (#25/30; #176/365)

In contrast, the lands of the N'yadach's former captives, the Skorn, are thriving. The fungi farms are full of produce, the emerald mines have hit a seam so rich Emerald Chips are used for currency, and well-guarded ore-barges full of copper are regularly trading down-river to the city of Grx and elsewhere. The Skorn ascribe this success to their devoted sole worship of Kyrile, the Goddess of Gems and Jewels, who has blessed them with good fortune.

Nevertheless, the Skorn too are not without problems. The current King of the Emerald Throne, Voga the Good (broad-faced, good-humoured), is old and a traditionalist, happy and set in his ways to maintain the status quo. His son, Prince Jikarda Brighthelm (restless, quick-minded), is more progressive, and wants not only to expand their trading links, by contacting such faraway places including the miners of Sapphire City, but also by pushing their missionary-priests upworld, to expand the cult of the Light Worshippers, and also by dealing decisively with the N'yadach while they are poor and weak. However, the recent loss of one of Jikarda's trading expeditions towards the surface levels of the Found Tombs of Arvakaten, blamed virulently by the prince on those devious N'yadach scum, has reduced his current standing somewhat. All in all, it is something of a rum old show all round, here in these scheming backwaters of the River Scour's obscure uplands...