Page 140 - D&D - Player's Handbook

WARLOCKS the Night Diamond or whispering secrets directly in
the ears of her courtiers, and sometimes both at once.
Given their dealings with often sinister otherworldly pa- The Prince of Frost was once known as the Sun
trons in exchange for power, warlocks don't have a ster-
Prince, but his heart grew cold when his betrothed
ling reputation in the Realms. Even well-meaning war- betrayed him and escaped, her soul becoming one
locks are viewed with suspicion and justifiable caution. of the stars. Ever since, the wrathful prince has
Some wizards feel the very existence of warlocks taints sought to reunite with his betrothed whenever she is
the view of their noble Art and causes the common folk reincarnated in mortal form.
to view all practitioners of magic with doubt.
Some warlocks, particularly those of fey or fiendish THE FIEND
bloodlines, are born with a propensity for their power,
Numerous fiends forge pacts with mortal warlocks in
drawing the attention of potential patrons even from
the Realms- so many that warlocks are almost syn-
childhood. Others seek out a pact, sometimes because
onymous with infernal power in Faen1n. These fiends
they can't find the power they desire elsewhere. Some
include the Archdevils of the Nine Hells and their most
warlocks forge multiple pacts, although they must even-
powerful dukes, the Demon Lords of the Abyss, and the
tually come to favor one over the others, as their patrons
ultroloths who rule over yugoloth armies. S uch deals
are jealous and possessive beings.
need not be struck directly with the power in question,
however. Often a weaker fiend serves as an intermedi-
PATRONS IN THE REALMS ary, and the warlock might not know whom he or she
The gods are far from the only forces at work in the serves. Notable fiendish patrons peculiar to the Forgot-
Realms, and ambitious warlocks have many potential ten Realms include the following:
patrons able to offer them arcane power.
Baazka is the pit fiend behind the most recent incursion
of infernal forces from Dragonspear Castle. Its
TuEARCHFEY
plans for the Sword Coast were thwarted along with
In the vast wilderness of the Realms one can still find those of allied Red Wizards, but its ambitions in the
connections to the Feywild. These are fey crossings, region remain.
places of mysterious natural beauty in the world that
have a near-perfect mirror in the Feywild. You can pass
through a fey crossing by entering a clearing, passing
through the surface of a pool, stepping into a circle of
mushrooms, or crawling under the trunk of a tree. A few
warlocks seek out such places to bargain with the Arch-
fey of that realm for power. Noteworthy Archfey patrons
include the following:
Titania, the Summer Queen, is perhaps the mightiest
of the archfey. With a smile, she can ripen a crop, and
with a frown, summon wildfires. She rules the seelie
of the Summer Court.
Oberon, the Green Lord, an unrivaled hunter and
woodland warrior, is Titania's lover and frequently
her foe. Oberon is attuned to every bough of each
tree and each branch of every stream in the forests of
the Feywild. If Oberon has a weakness, it is the wild
nature of his heart. His mood swings like a weather
vane in a wind storm.
Hyrsam, the Prince of Fools, is thought to be the first
satyr. He can sing the shine off gold, and his jokes
and antics can cause stones to cry with laughter. Yet
Hyrsam is also the soul of savagery and
the wild. Hyrsam the Fool is a prankster
and prone to mischief, but when such jokes
turn vicious and deadly, Hyrsam the Savage
is at play.
The Queen of Air and Darkness rules the
unseelie of the Gloaming Court from an
onyx throne that sits empty except for the
hovering Night Diamond, a black gem the
size of a human head that dully glimmers
with captured stars. The Queen of Air
and Darkness is an invisible presence
around it, her voice thundering from

CHAPTER 4 \ CLASSES