The Cast
Bartasch … A respectable dwarf from Gothol'gathrak. He is the master of the city's brewers and distillers and an officer of the militia defending the city. Considering his position he is still relatively young which other dwarves of similar rank tend to point out whenever his opinions are inconvenient and unwelcome.
Dorram … A respectable dwarf from Gothol'gathrak. He is the master of the city's forges and foundries and one of the most prominent officers of the militia defending the city. His beard is more white than anything else but that is not due to the passage of years alone. Hard work and harsh working conditions have taken their toll on him. Still he stands proud and tall. Or at least he stands as tall as any dwarf can stand.
Kah'le … The eldest of three gorgon sisters. Together with her sisters and their gryphon mounts she forms a small but prestigious and highly sought after aerial cavalry unit. Their small mercenary band, which she leads, missed the battle at the gap because they came across a single, lost wyvern en route to the battlefield. She entered Keza'zoth's service some time after the battle, accompanying her army on the Gothol'gathrak campaign.
Pirgrimma … A young dwarven woman with a mane of thick, flaxen hair which she tends to wear in proud, thick braids. She is a princess, daughter of the king of Gothol'gathrak, and a proud warrior in her own right as well as a natural leader. As her father grew ever more erratic those dwarves looking to affect a change turned to look towards her. Although she knew the madness that was digging its claws into her father first hand she was still reluctant. Only when Keza'zoth and her army finally appeared at the city's doorstep did she finally act and move against her father and king.
Schrotom … A respectable dwarf from Gothol'gathrak. He is the master of the city's farmers and cave fishers. His efforts and those of the dwarves he represents are what allowed the city to cling on despite all the hardships it suffered recently. He might not be much of a warrior but he is still on of the most important officers of the militia defending the city. He is the dwarf managing just about all of Gothol'gathrak's remaining food production facilities. This might just make him the most influential dwarf living in the city, although no self respecting blacksmith or brewer will ever admit it.
Creatures and Folklore
Dragon … Creatures of legends and nightmares. They are quite possibly the Devourers individually most devastating pawns. Just don't ever let one hear you call them such as their egos are considerable and their tempers short. They are a force to be reckoned with both in the air as well as on the ground.
Their powerful wings can propel them through the sky at speeds one might not expect from such a big creature and they are just as fast and nimble while moving on foot. Their scales are nearly impervious and pretty much no armor any mortal creature can wear would protect against their claws or teeth, especially as the latter are backed by jaws that can crush rock. A slap of their tail can crush whole companies and their flame breath can devastate whole battlefields.
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Usually only the largest wyvern with their poison stingers or truly devastating natural disasters pose any threat to these terrors at all. Countless legends and myths surround these creatures as they have been the doom of more than one city or kingdom in the past. Supposedly large quantities of gold draw them in like a flame would a moth.
Dwarven alchemical fire … This alchemical concoction might just be one of the most terrible creations alchemists have ever created. There is nothing it will not burn. It burns rock and steel as easily as it burns flesh and bone. Supposedly it will even burn the ashes of things burnt by regular fire. As if that were not bad enough, the smoke it releases, or rather the fumes it creates, are highly acidic and will kill anyone unlucky enough to catch even just a single breath. It wont be a quick and easy death either. It reacts rather violently with water as well. The resulting explosions often spread this stuff of nightmares even further. There is no known way to extinguish this stuff.
Gryphon … Gryphons are majestic fliers with the body of a lion and the forelegs, head and wings of a magnificent eagle. They are, curiously enough, highly cooperative pack hunters. They can easily carry a human, elven or gorgon rider. Most demons are too big and heavy though. They are highly sought after as mounts for aerial cavalry as other mounts like hippogriffs simply cant compare. Most gryphon riders are mages of some skill and various offensive spells are their weapons of choice. As gryphons are pack hunters they usually operate in groups as well when used as aerial cavalry.
Slime … Slimes are, probably, the most simple pawns of the Devourer. They usually look like little blue blobs that can form tentacles to move about or manipulate, in the most rudimentary sense, simple objects. They might look harmless but they are anything but that. A single small slime might not pose much of a threat to an adult, or even a child, who sees it coming but that doesn't change the fact that they are actually single minded, tireless little flesh eating terrors.
Unless compelled by outside forces they will usually aim for sleeping individuals. Apparently they are able to sense even the slightest tremors, like a heartbeat, and changes in the moisture in the air, like they are caused by the breath of most living creatures.
Curiously enough sugar seems to be irresistible to them. Salt on the other hand can kill them. When they are killed they tend to explode in a shower of acidic fluid. What makes these things even more terrible though is the fact that they never stop growing as long as they find enough food. Thus a harmless little slime could turn into a house sized monstrosity as the years pass.
The pale king … Among the human populace of the realms that are part of the Council of Kings the pale king is, in general, a figure of myth, almost like a terrible fairy tale.
Supposedly he haunts the lands in autumn, together with his wild hunt, searching for children who don't obey their parents and fools who are out alone at night or some such. Carved pumpkins with candles burning inside them supposedly can ward him off.
The truth is even more terrible though, or at least it was until Keza'zoth ended him. The pale king was an old and fat elven head hunter and a ghoul king. At his belt he would wear numerous heads as trophies as well as countless knifes. On his head he would wear an arkanium crown shaped like a wreath and his main weapon was a mighty cleaver.
The wild hunt … Every year in autumn after the harvest the pale king would lead his wild hunt, a hunting party of elven head hunters, to cull the herds of the human cattle. They would usually aim for the poor, those who could not afford to put up carved pumpkins with candles. Of course they would not be above snatching up the foolhardy along the way or any easy prey, if they found a house with a window or door unlocked.