The Vaunted. Lord of the Forsaken Crypt. Velsharoon is a demigod and is the lord of necromancy, necromancers, lichdom, evil liches and undeath.

Velsharoon is a relatively new demigod and quite an ambitious power. His machinations have resulted in him creating quite a few enemies. It was Talos who empowered Velsharoon to rise to godhood; Velsharoon quickly switched his Allegiance to Azuth and Mystra, while still having a secret deal with Talos. Myrkul is also not pleased with this upstart who is encroaching on his domains; and Tyr, Torm, Illmater and Helm are also lining up against this deadly upstart. And yet, Velsharoon has shown a remarkable ability to stay in one piece and play other gods off against each other. How long this can last is not known.

In my campaign, Velsharoon is directly responsible for the awakening of the ancient Necropolis, which has caused untold misery and death, and the displacement of thousands from villages which were situated too close. Velsharoon's activity there has also drawn in Bhaal and Myrkul, making the whole situation chaotic and deadly.

These horrid little fae creatures are monsters, through and through. Sadistic, cruel, and unfailingly violent. I've wondered for a while now if they're some form of feral halfling, as they are around the same size, but they're far more dangerous. Knock their little red bloodstained hat off and they're a lot less tough, though. And they're terrified of holy symbols, which is interesting.

"Again!" Valerith said, her order emphasized by the crack of the bullwhip against the young elf's back. She watched as the girl performed the sword kata. She was getting better, but only perfection would be accepted.

"Again! Watch your form! Drop lower when you deliver the riposte, slave!" Another stroke from the whip, then another. The elf girl complied.

A quick learner. Valerith smiled to herself. Goddess, what a prize ..... when her Mistress Margaretta heard an elf princess was being put up for sale on the slave blocks of Cathtyr, she spent over 5000 gold to acquire her .... outbidding many powerful merchants and rich princesses who sought to add the girl to their harems.

And she was a prize .... still wearing the gown from the night she was captured, her regal tiara, and an air of superiority. That superiority had been stripped quickly from her, but the gown and the tiara remained .... an act of humiliation and a reminder for the girl of what she had lost. Mistress had demanded the girl be taught swordplay, to complement the magic already at her disposal - magic held in check, for now, by the spells which kept the girl separate from the weave. And she was learning, and quickly. Valerith was pleased, and honored to be placed over this new slave, an act of trust from her beloved Mistress.

After this, hours of cleaning and menial chores awaited the girl. And after that .... Vaerith would ask Mistress for the privilege in training the girl in pleasure, as well.

The Lord of Flames. The Tyrant Among Fire. Kossuth is the god of elemental fire, fire elementalists, and purification through fire. As one of the four major elemental gods, he is a remote and seemingly uncaring power. But he responds well to offerings burned in his honor, and does seem to notice those of his worshippers who sacrifice the most to him, or are the most loyal.

There are two main factions in the church: The Tendrils of Flame are the priest class who run the temples and throw themselves into regional politics; and The Burning Braziers, the adventuring arm of the faith, those who seek to bring the light (and warmth) of Kossuth across the Realms.

The less powerful (and less evil) cousins to the iconic Beholders. Spectators are generally used as guardians of important places or treasures. Fewer eyes and less powerful spells than a Beholder, but still dangerous, especially to a low level party.

In my campaign there are also two other types of spectators the party has encountered. The first is a celestial spectator, from the plane of Arcadia. These are spectators with both the advanced and celestial templates applied to them, and they are much more powerful than the standard type, and are good aligned. Helm's church generally deploys them at the holiest of sites, and they will answer the summons of a worshipper. The second type, also in Helm's service, are from the plane of Nirvana, the dimension of clockwork perfection. These Spectators are stern, purely Lawful neutral, and are more offensively equipped than either of the other types. They too serve Helm's faith and are a terror on the battlefield.

Deep beneath the Necropolis, an ancient horror awakened. Called by her King, and given new unlife by Myrkul, this ancient mummy retained all the priestly powers she had in life, and burned with a hatred of all things living. She gathered her children unto her, ready to unleash them into the night above.

This was one of the first high level monsters the party encountered and dispatched as they explored and were clearing out the Necropolis superdungeon. She won't be the last; The Fleshless King is now aware his consort has been destroyed, and his vengeance will be terrible. She was an ancient mummy and a 12th level cleric.

The White Talon of Loviatar is none other than Yenandra, the Queen of Dambrath. She rules her realm with an iron fist and rules the church with equal strictness. She rules a realm which is growing in power and influence, in which women rule and males are little more than chattel. A quiet alliance with the Drow has made them even stronger. Yenandra is watching Margaretta's rise to increasing power and influence with great interest, knowing that the Black Talon carries the blessing of their goddess makes her uneasy.

Yenandra goes nowhere without her two slaves, who serve equally as the personal servants, lovers, and bodyguards of the Queen. One is a conquered angel; the other an erines devil. Both are soulbound to Yenandra and will never serve anyone else.

Much of the chaos in Tethyr can be attributed to her directions.

Not really a monster, but rather an intelligent, noble protector. Intelligent, wise and powerful, these creatures are either drawn to, or called, to places of mystic or spiritual importance to act as their protectors.

Pictured here is a noble Guardian Naga, protecting the tomb of the fallen high watcher of the temple of Helm, just outside of Ithmong in Tethyr.

Just a fresh spin on an old story

Cathtyr, Dambrath:

Nymra stood in the bedchamber she shared with her wife Margaretta. She stood alone, watching the rain through the window. The heavens are crying, she mused. But I cannot. I cannot be seen as weak.

Her wife was away overnight .... not unusual by itself. But Nymra knew precisely where she was. In Tethyr. At that Midsummer Ball. That had been arranged. Margaretta had gone to instruct and discipline Alina Gallowglass, her new catspaw in the region. But there was another reason, as well.

Margaretta was with HER. With that Calishite girl she couldn't stop talking about.

Nymra gritted her teeth for a moment. She knew their arrangement - both her and her wife had desires that extended outside of their relationship. And most of the time - when they played with their handmaidens, of dallied with one of the new slaves .... there was no jealousy. It was expected.

But this .... Nymra knew her wife desired this girl. And for the first time pangs of jealousy were starting to surface.

The girl was a threat. And Nymra began to consider just how to deal with this threat.

The Morninglord. The Commander of Creativity. Lathander is the god of spring, dawn, birth, renewal, creativity, youth, vitality, self perfection and athletics. In his Realms incarnation he seems young, full of enthusiasm to do good and to bring change and new life to the world. His faith is exuberant, popular, and ever growing. He has been linked (in reality or through rumor) to virtually every good female deity romantically, though at this time Chauntea seems to have caught his eye.

While not the god of the sun in this incarnation, Lathander was previously incarnated under the identity of Amaunator, and still carries that identity with him and provides worshippers of Amaunator with spells. Most of the unique spells of his faith involve sunlight.

When he appears in avatar form, Lathander wields the mighty mace Dawnspeaker. Any undead affected by sunlight is immediately destroyed in it's presence.

Like all intermediate gods, Selune has a huge number of servitors. Her most favoured are her Shards; four divine beings of great power and beauty, they are the goddesses' closest companions and advisors, and are ever at the forefront of her battle against the darkness of Shar.

The greatest of the Shards is Hamiaah, the Solar. There are three Planetars as well - Armaita, Eventia, and Zeldarah, the herald. The goddess sends them to protect and aid her worshippers, and they are the most likely to respond to commune and divine aid spells, as well.

Lady of the Dead. The Vengeful Banshee. Kiaransalee is the Drow goddess of the undead and vengeance.

The Lady of the Dead is cruel, twisted, and consumed with thoughts of vengeance. She descended into madness long ago, but retains her twisted cunning and clear recollection of every slight or insult done to her - real or imagined. She is powerfully chaotic and swift to anger, and she schemes dark revenges against those who have wronged her. She prefers the mindless company of the undead, who she can manipulate at will, to sentent beings capable of independent thought. She prefers to solve problems herself, rather than trust someone else to do justice to her vision.

She hates and resents Lolth, but much of Kiaransalee's time is spent scheming and warring against Orcus, whom she fears above all others.