Page 31 - Tomb of Annihilation

In Chu It, the Emerald Enclave is chiefly concerned
LORDS' ALLIANCE
with protecting inhabitants from the undead menace.
A few guides in Port Nyanzaru and Fort Beluarian are A number of cities and settlements banded together to
openly associated with the enclave, and a few others form the Lords' Alliance, a coalition that works actively
are secret members or are sympathetic to its goals. The to eliminate threats to their mutual safety and pros-
faction maintains several well-camouflaged outposts in perity. The coalition is loose- some might even call it
the jungle. They serve as hidden observation posts, not shaky. Alliance leaders push their own interests above
forward fighting positions. counterparts from other cities, and operatives seek
If characters get into trouble in the wilderness, the honor and glory for themselves and their own lords at
Emerald Enclave is a potential rescuer. the expense of less powerful members.
A key figure in the Lords' Alliance is Grand Duke
FLAMI NG F IST Ulder Ravengard of Baidu r's Gate, a city with a vested
interest in the affairs of Chult. The flag of Baldur's
The Flaming Fist is a mercenary company headquar- Gate Oies over the stronghold of Fort Beluarian, which
tered in (and fiercely loyal to) Baldur's Gate. The Fist is garrisoned by Flaming Fist mercenaries under the
maintains a permanent stronghold in Chui! at Fort Bel- command of Ravengard's vassal, Liara Portyr. If push
uarian. From there, Flaming Fist patrols strike out into came to shove, Ravengard would place the priorities of
the jungle to "pacify" territory and claim lost treasures. Baldur's Gate above those of the Lord's Alliance.
The Flaming Fist has already plundered the ruins of Other Lords' Alliance cities such as Waterdeep and
Mezro. Now the mercenaries and their wealthy backers Neverwinter have operatives in Port Nyanzaru, where
in Baldur's Gate would like nothing better than to do they undermine the efforts of non·alliance powers such
the same to Omu, but they've had no luck locating the
as Calimshan, Arnn, and Tethyr to expand their control
Jost city. The Flaming Fist's researchers are convinced over Chult's vast resources. Most of these representa-
the city lies south of Lake Luo but east of the Peaks
of Flame, at the western end of the Valley of Dread. tives are open about their ties to the Lord's Alliance
Because of the distance from Fort Beluarian, they're and style themselves as ambassadors of their cities,
looking for adventurers to conduct an initial exploration but they also employ covert agents to undermine each
of that area and locate what they believe will be mostly other's plans and carry out less savory tasks. The Lords'
abandoned ruins. Alliance sponsors mapping expeditions into the penin-
sula, with the aim of finding more treasures or mines it
The commander of Fort Beluarian and highest rank- can plunder.
ing member of the Flaming Fist in Ch ult is Liara Portyr
(see appendix D). She holds the rank of blaze (major) ORDER OF THE GAUNTLET
and has complete autonomy in Chult, answering only
to Duke Ulder Ravengard of Baldur's Gate. Portyr will Members of the Order of the Gauntlet vow to protect
happily assign some of her mercenaries to accompany others from the depredations of evildoers. Placing their
adventurers by sea to Refuge Bay or even to Snapping faith in good-aligned deities such as Torm, Helm, and
Turtle Bay- either is an excellent starting point for any Tyr, they bring the strength of their faith, their hearts,
incursion into the western reach of the Valley of Dread. and their weapons to bear against villainy.
Only six ranks are recognized within the Flaming The order has committed considerable resources to-
Fist: fist (private), gauntlet (corporal), manip (sergeant), ward quelling the undead menace in Chult. Its forward
flame (lieutenant), blaze (major), and marshal (general). base, Camp Righteous, was overrun by undead. The
order, undaunted, built a new fortification even deeper
HARPERS in the jungle. Dubbed Camp Vengeance, it has fallen
on hard times. Its commander is a woefully inept noble
The Harpers are spellcasters and spies who covertly
named Niles Breakbone. His Lieutenants are more likely
oppose any abuse of power, magical or otherwise. to share useful information or offer aid, but only if the
Working alone or in small cells, they gather information characters offer some form of assistance to Camp Ven-
throughout FaerOn, analyze the political dynamics in geance in return.
each region or realm, and use what they uncover to help All members of the Order of the Gauntlet are unflinch-
the weak, the poor, and the oppressed from behind the ingly brave, but many of their expeditions fare poorly
scenes. Harpers act openly only as a last resort. or meet with outright disaster when confronted by
Artus Cimber, a former member of the Harpers, is conditions that confound their training and contradict
hiding out in Chu It. He possesses an artifact called the their mindset.
Ring of Winter, and other Harpers are concerned lest
the ring faU into evil hands. To prevent that, a handful RED WIZARDS OF THAY
of Harper spies are combing Port Nyanzaru and Chult
for clues to Artus's whereabouts-ostensibly to protect Red Wizards are in Chult to find and steal the Soulmon-
the ring, but exactly what they'U do when they find it is ger for Szass Tam. They've occupied the Heart of Ubtao
an open question. Magical efforts to locate Artus are and are using it as a base. Their leader is Valindra Shad-
futile, as the Rina of Winter shields itself and its wearer owmantle. She remains at the Heart ofUbtao while her
against divination spells and scrying sensors. Thayan minions comb the ruins of Omu for clues to the
Soulmonger's whereabouts. For more information on
Valindra, see "Heart of Ubtao," page 58.