Page 226 - Eberron -Rising from the Last War_Neat

FINDING A COLOSSUS O R D E R O F T H E
When adventurers discover a colossus, it might be in
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any state. Some have fallen or collapsed and become E M E R ALD L AW
overgrown with vegetation to the point where one could What arose as an order of militant knights within the
be mistaken for a small hill. One was engulfed when the nation of Karrnath fell into disgrace and became a
rock under its feet turned to liquid and swallowed it up, shattered remnant. The Order of the Emerald Claw now
encasing it in a stone prison when the rock hardened. operates as a collection of cells of fanatical warriors,
Some are buried-except for the head, perhaps, or a necromancers, and spies. On the surface, its members
hand, which serves as a clear indicator that something seem to be driven by Karrnathi patriotism, and they
lies underneath. purport to be adherents of the Blood of Vol. The most
Adventurers might even stumble upon a reality the cursory investigation reveals that claim to be a facade.
world isn't ready to face: an operational colossus (see The truth behind the Emerald Claw is that they serve
the stat block in chapter 6).
the lich Lady Illmarrow, and in her name they carry out
acts of destruction, murder, and necromantic terrorism.
ENTERING A O LOSSUS
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Map 4.8 shows a fallen colossus. The mostly hollow They have been linked to the theft of powerful items
interior of a colossus is large enough for the crew and imbued with necromancy magic, and they often employ
soldiers to travel in safety. The area features tunnels, vicious undead minions that make even other Karrns
ladders, hallways and crawlways, control rooms, storage uncomfortable. Most worshipers of the Blood of Vol are
rooms, arbalest turrets, and observation decks. With quick to point out that they don't accept the order's claim
comfort a low priority, only minimal crew quarters are to membership in their faith, and those true worshipers
provided, and the inside has no kitchen or dining areas. vehemently reject the Emerald Claw's violent fanaticism.
Normal operating procedure called for the crew to exit THE M E R ALD L AW N D T H E W A R
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the colossus at night and camp outside it.
A colossus usually has multiple hatches to allow en­ During the Last War, Karrnath was forced to embrace
trance and egress: on the legs, on the back, in the chest, the practice of necromancy to bolster the ranks of its
in the mouth or on the back of the head, and so on. But army. At the same time, a number of chivalric orders
entering the remains of a warforged colossus is not a were founded by devoted worshipers of the Blood of Vol.
task to be taken lightly, since the Mournland can have These groups included necromancers and bone knights
bizarre effects on the colossus's docent network, power that were trained to raise and command the undead
core, and weaponry, as well as its mind. troops used during the war. The Order of the Emerald
Elemental Life. Even though a colossus has fallen, Claw was one of the most infamous of these groups, re­
its docent nodes and elemental defenses might still be nowned for its fighting skills but often sanctioned for its
active. The dragonshards that once bound the elemental brutal treatment of enemy soldiers. The Emerald Claw
that powered the colossus's main weapon might have were also accused of slaughtering civilians so they could
been broken, allowing the elemental to escape from be raised as skeletons or zombies-behavior that was
its bondage and roam the body of the colossus, which strictly forbidden by the Karrnath commanders.
has become its lair. Or perhaps it has come under the When King Kaius III came to power near the end of
control of the master docent and now does its twisted the war, he turned against the Blood of Vol. The orders
will, defending the interior of the colossus and giving were disbanded, and many members of the Emerald
voice and form to the docent's otherwise disembodied Claw were condemned as war criminals. While the
intelligence. other orders complied with the king's edict, many
A Dead l y Dungeon. House Cannith's artisans lined knights of the Emerald Claw refused to surrender. The
the interior of each colossus with magic wards and traps order fragmented as its original members scattered, but
in case enemy soldiers breached its defenses. As long as a number of those rebellious knights started their own
the primary operator remained connected to the master cells, rallying all who wanted to see Karrnath achieve
docent and in control, the traps were inactive, but if the its rightful glory. The order experienced a surge in mem­
operator gave an alert (or simply left their station, or bership following the Treaty of Thronehold because
died), the master docent would send a signal through many Karrns thought that Kaius III had betrayed their
the network to seal the doors, activate the arcane wards, nation by embracing peace.
and arm the traps in any area that was under attack. Six years ago, shortly after Kaius's accession, a figure
A Grisly T o mb. Most colossi are tombs, filled with the known as Lady Illmarrow emerged as the leader of the
bodies of the crews that perished in the cataclysm. But Order of the Emerald Claw. Few of her followers know
the Mourning affected everything in bizarre ways, so a anything about her, other than her great skill as a nec­
venture inside a colossus is often terrifying. A horrific romancer; many members of the Order refer to her as
monster might have made its lair in a colossus's interior Queen of the Dead. Some members of the order believe
in the years since the Mourning. The master docent in she will ultimately raise Karrnath above all other na­
another one might speak through the brass horns that tions. Others simply trust that she will grant them per­
the crews used to communicate, growing increasingly sonal power. They believe that she is poised to become a
incoherent and/or sinister. The crew of a colossus might god of death, and that when she ascends to divinity, they
be undead-zombies lumbering through the colossus's will be granted immortality or at least the eternal life
interior, or spirits doomed to haunt it until they can find of undeath.
blessed release.

C H APTER 4 I BUILDING EBERRON ADVENTURES
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