The Last War is over, but its scars run deep across Valenreach. In a world of arcane technology, dragonmarked dynasties, and political intrigue, your party navigates the fragile peace between rival nations. Ironborn soldiers seek purpose, displaced refugees demand justice, and sinister forces move to reignite the conflict. From the gleaming towers of Spirehaven to the blasted The Ashen Wastes, every secret uncovered could tip the balance between peace and annihilation.
Story Arcs
Shadows Over Spirehaven
The party establishes themselves in the City of Towers and becomes embroiled in a web of espionage, crime, and political intrigue as they investigate a series of connected incidents threatening the fragile peace.
The War That Never Ended
Evidence surfaces that a secret cabal is working to reignite the Last War. The party must track their agents across Valenreach, from the courts of Westmarch to the ruins of Valen, uncovering a conspiracy that reaches into every nation.
Into the The Ashen Wastes
The conspiracy's ultimate weapon lies in the The Ashen Wastes — the blasted wasteland where Valen once stood. The party must venture into the most dangerous place on Aethermoor to prevent a second Mourning.
The Day of Mourning Reborn
The cabal activates their weapon. The party must stop a second Mourning that would devastate all of Valenreach, confronting the architects of the conspiracy and the terrible truth about what caused the original Day of Mourning.
Session Outlines
These outlines are for planning reference only. Actual sessions are not created by the template.
Welcome to Spirehaven
The party arrives in Spirehaven, the City of Towers. They are hired by a Brelish intelligence contact to investigate a series of warehouse arsons in the lower city. The arsons are cover for stealing military-grade weapons. Introduction to Spirehaven's vertical city structure, skycoach travel, and the diverse population.
The Boromar Connection
The stolen weapons lead to the Boromar Clan, Spirehaven's dominant criminal organization. The party must navigate the underworld — bribing, fighting, or sneaking their way to information. They discover the weapons are being shipped out of Spirehaven to an unknown buyer across national borders.
House Games
The weapons buyer has connections to a dragonmarked house. The party attends a high-society gala to gather intelligence, navigating political intrigue and social challenges. A murder during the event reveals a deeper conspiracy — someone is arming multiple factions for renewed conflict.
The Ironborn Underground
A ironborn informant leads the party to a secret community of ironborn veterans seeking purpose after the war. They have been recruited by the conspiracy with promises of equal rights and citizenship. The party must decide how to handle this — the ironborn have legitimate grievances.
Lightning Rail Heist
Intelligence points to a shipment on the lightning rail carrying crucial documents. The party must board the train, find the documents, and escape — all while agents of the conspiracy attempt to stop them. High-speed action across Valenreach's landscape.
The Court of Westmarch
The documents reveal conspirators within the Brelish government. The party must present evidence to loyal officials while avoiding assassination attempts. Political intrigue at its highest — not everyone in the government wants peace, and some see the party as a threat to stability.
Across Borders
The conspiracy spans multiple nations. The party travels to Grimhold, where undead soldiers from the Last War are being reactivated by rogue military commanders. They must infiltrate a military fortress to discover the full scope of the conspiracy.
The Daughter of Khyber
The conspiracy's leader is revealed — a powerful figure connected to the Dragonmarks who believes that only through war can the nations be forged into a united Valenreach. They have agents in every nation and access to forbidden magic from Khyber, the underdark of Aethermoor.
The The Ashen Wastes Border
The party reaches the border of the The Ashen Wastes. The dead-gray mist that marks its boundary is impenetrable and lethal to most. A specialist guide — a veteran who escaped the Day of Mourning — leads them through. The first taste of the The Ashen Wastes's horrors: living spells, mutated creatures, and the preserved dead.
The Glass Plateau
Deep in the The Ashen Wastes, the party crosses a vast plateau of fused glass — the ground itself melted by whatever caused the Mourning. They encounter other salvage teams, The Ashen Wastes scavengers, and the The Iron Sovereign' ironborn patrols. A buried Cyran city contains clues to the original Day of Mourning.
The Weapon
The party discovers the conspiracy's weapon — a device that can replicate the Day of Mourning on a targeted scale. It is built from recovered Cyran technology and amplified by dragonmark magic. The facility is guarded by constructs and fanatical cultists.
Escape from the The Ashen Wastes
With knowledge of the weapon, the party must escape the The Ashen Wastes as the conspiracy sends forces to stop them. A running battle through the wasteland's hazards — living spells, mutant creatures, and the dead-gray mist itself becoming hostile.
Rally the Nations
The party must convince the rival nations to cooperate against the conspiracy — no easy task given centuries of mutual hostility. Each nation demands proof and concessions. The clock ticks as the conspiracy prepares to deploy the weapon.
The Battle of Making
A massive battle at the Creation Forges where the weapon is being assembled. Allied forces from multiple nations engage the conspiracy's army while the party fights to reach the weapon. Former allies and enemies fight side by side.
The Second Mourning
The weapon activates. The party must shut it down from the inside while reality warps around them. They confront the conspiracy's leader and learn the terrible truth about the Day of Mourning. The final choice: destroy the weapon and lose the knowledge forever, or try to control it and risk everything.
NPCs
Captain Vira Tarkanan
Human · Brelish Intelligence Officer
The party's initial contact and handler. A decorated veteran of the Last War who now works in intelligence. She believes deeply in the peace and will go to any length to preserve it. Her by-the-book approach sometimes clashes with the party's methods.
Cutter
Ironborn · Veteran Soldier and Community Leader
A ironborn who fought in the Last War and now leads a community of displaced ironborn in Spirehaven's lower levels. Struggles with the transition from soldier to civilian and is vulnerable to the conspiracy's recruitment. Can become a powerful ally or a dangerous enemy depending on how the party treats the ironborn cause.
Lady Jorlanna d'Cannith
Human · Rune-Marked House Scion
A high-ranking member of Guild Artifice who manufactures magical goods. She suspects elements of her house are involved in the conspiracy but cannot act openly without proof. Provides resources and social access in exchange for intelligence.
Halas Martain
Human · Boromar Clan Lieutenant
A street-smart halfling crime boss who controls the lower city. Ruthless in business but has a code — he won't deal in weapons that could restart the war. Provides underworld intelligence and can arrange things official channels cannot.
Commander Drago Halar
Human · Karrnathi Military Commander
A Karrnathi officer who commands a garrison including undead soldiers. Honorable but bound by duty to a government that may be compromised. The party must earn his trust before he will act against his superiors.
Whisper
Changeling · Information Broker
A changeling who sells information to all sides. No one knows Whisper's true face — they appear as a different person at every meeting. Their information is always accurate, but their price increases as the stakes rise. They have their own reasons for opposing the conspiracy.
The The Iron Sovereign
Ironborn · The Ashen Wastes Warlord
A legendary ironborn leader who has built a nation of ironborn in the The Ashen Wastes. He hates all flesh-and-blood races and sees the Mourning as the future of all Valenreach. A wildcard who may help or hinder the party depending on the circumstances.
Mordain the Fleshweaver
Elf · Conspiracy Mastermind
The campaign's primary villain — an excoriated dragonmarked heir who was expelled from his house for forbidden experiments. He believes that only through controlled destruction can Valenreach be united. His connection to Khyber gives him access to terrible powers. Genuinely believes he is saving the world.
Locations
Spirehaven, City of Towers
The largest city in Valenreach, built vertically on massive towers that rise miles into the sky. Each level has its own character — from the glittering upper wards of wealth and power to the crime-ridden depths where sunlight never reaches. Soarsleds and skycoaches provide transportation between levels.
The Lightning Rail Network
Valenreach's primary long-distance transportation system, powered by bound elementals. The trains cross national borders under international treaty, making them both a lifeline for commerce and a vulnerability for security. Key espionage exchanges happen on board.
Korth — Karrnathi Capital
A fortress-city of gray stone and military discipline. Grimhold used undead soldiers during the Last War, and their presence still marks the city. The military garrison is loyal to the crown but infiltrated by conspiracy agents. Underground chambers hold thousands of dormant undead soldiers.
The The Ashen Wastes
The blasted wasteland where the nation of Valen once stood, destroyed in a single day by an unknown cataclysm. A wall of dead-gray mist marks its border. Inside, the rules of nature do not apply — the dead do not decay, healing magic fails, living spells roam free, and the landscape is a nightmare of fused glass, twisted metal, and preserved destruction.
The Glass Plateau
A vast expanse within the The Ashen Wastes where the ground was fused into glass by the Mourning. Beneath the transparent surface, a perfectly preserved Cyran city is visible — frozen in the moment of its destruction. The conspiracy's weapon facility is built in the caverns beneath.
The Creation Forge
A massive underground facility where ironborn were once manufactured. Now repurposed by the conspiracy as their weapon assembly site. The forge's original enchantments interact unpredictably with the weapon technology, creating hazards throughout the complex.
Quests
Uncover the Arms Pipeline
Trace the flow of stolen military weapons from Spirehaven's warehouses to their ultimate destination. The trail leads through criminal organizations, dragonmarked house facilities, and across national borders.
The Ironborn Question
Cutter's ironborn community is being recruited by the conspiracy. Help address their legitimate grievances to prevent them from joining, or find another way to neutralize the threat without harming beings who have already been used as tools of war.
Infiltrate the Conspiracy
Identify and expose the conspiracy's agents within the governments of Westmarch and Grimhold. This requires careful intelligence work, as false accusations could restart the war as surely as the conspiracy itself.
Survive the The Ashen Wastes
Venture into the most dangerous place on Aethermoor to discover the conspiracy's weapon and learn the truth about the Day of Mourning. Survival is the first challenge — completing the mission is the second.
Unite Valenreach
Convince the rival nations to cooperate against the conspiracy. Each nation has demands and suspicions that must be addressed. The fate of the continent depends on diplomacy as much as combat.
Encounters
Warehouse Ambush
The party investigates a warehouse where stolen weapons are stored, only to find it's a trap. Armed thugs attack while fires are set to destroy evidence.
Lightning Rail Combat
A running battle on top of and through a speeding lightning rail train. Wind, speed, and the threat of falling make every round dangerous.
Karrnathi Undead Garrison
Reactivated undead soldiers guard a military facility. They fight with disciplined tactics and feel no pain or fear.
The Ashen Wastes Living Spells
Spells that became sentient entities during the Mourning attack the party as they cross the wasteland. Each living spell has unique properties based on the original magic.
The Fleshweaver's Creations
Mordain's experiments in combining flesh and magic produce horrifying creatures that guard the weapon facility.
Factions
The King's Dark Lanterns
Lawful Neutral
Westmarch's intelligence service, officially dedicated to protecting the peace. Captain Tarkanan represents their best — professional, principled, and effective. But even the Lanterns have been infiltrated by the conspiracy.
The Boromar Clan
Neutral Evil
Spirehaven's dominant criminal organization, run by halfling families. They control the lower city's economy and have connections everywhere. Not interested in war — it's bad for business — but willing to work with anyone who pays.
The The Iron Sovereign' Army
Lawful Evil
A ironborn nation in the The Ashen Wastes that hates all organic life. They will not willingly help the party but may be manipulated into attacking the conspiracy's The Ashen Wastes facilities. A dangerous, unpredictable factor.
Guild Artifice
True Neutral
The dragonmarked house of making, responsible for much of Valenreach's magical technology — including the ironborn. Fractured by internal politics and infiltrated by the conspiracy, loyal members like Lady Jorlanna seek to root out corruption from within.
Recommended Characters
Pre-built characters designed for this campaign setting. Create them separately from the character templates page.
Kragash Bloodhound
Orc · Fighter · Level 4
A Guild Bloodhound bounty hunter who uses his Mark of Finding and martial expertise to track down fugitives across Valenreach. Kragash is ruthlessly efficient but follows a strict personal code: he always brings them back alive.
Echo
Human · Rogue · Level 4
A changeling spy who has worn so many faces that they've nearly forgotten their original one. Echo works the shadows of Spirehaven, selling secrets to the highest bidder while pursuing a personal vendetta against the intelligence agency that created them.
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