Chapter 2: Gazetteer of tal’Dorei 79the holocaUst seeD
For high-level characters: Deep beneath the twisted floors
of the jungle lies a long-slumbering relic from before the
Founding: an unborn primordial titan seed, its energy
responsible for the fertile landscape and extreme overgrowth
of the jungle. With the seed sought and triggered by figures
of dark intent, the titan begins to develop and awaken rap-
idly. If the process isn’t halted, it will awaken and terrorize
the continent. However, if the seed is destroyed, the jungle
may wither and die without its magical essence.
Stormpoint Mountains
Where the southern cliffs of the Stormcrest Mountains
mostly come to an end, a single bridge of raised rocky peaks
continue to push southward, piercing into the Rifenmist
Jungle itself. This extended range of mountains is known
as the Stormpoints. These steep peaks are shrouded in
low-sitting clouds and fog for most of the year, the rocky
surface hidden from view from lush overgrowth fed by the
near-perpetual rain. This region would be considered beau-
tiful by most, were it not home to many vicious denizens.
Treasure hunters are becoming more and more of a familiar
site wandering through the Mornset, as rumors now spread
of the long-dead green dragon Raishan’s lair being hidden,
and abandoned, somewhere within these jagged peaks.
stormpoint mountains aDventures
the Deceiv er’s leGac y
For mid-level characters: While the terrible manipulator
dragon Raishan was slain at the hands of Vox Machina
one year ago, her personal lair sits deep within the
swamp-choked valley cracks at the heart of the Storm-
point Mountains. Protected by venomous plant-life,
treacherous illusions, and dominated beasts, the bulk of
her hoard lies within, unguarded... or so it is thought.
Something dark and vengeful returns to the shadows of
her lair, something familiar, mending, and carrying the
curse of the Wildmother.
tza’ rrm,
Tz’Arrm, Helm of the Emperor
Large City • Population 47,400
(70% Hobgoblin, 10% Goblin, 20% Enslaved Races)When the Strife Emperor fought the Wildmother, he
took the form of a giant of unimaginable size, clad from
head to toe in armor of pitted iron. When he was defeated
and cast back into his planar prison, his immense, divine
armor remained and crashed to the ground. Centuries
have passed, and the thirty-foot tall Helm of Strife is now
the palace of the hobgoblin’s Iron Emperor. The rest of
their imprisoned god’s armor fuels the unstoppable war
machine of the Iron Authority, melted down to create
walls, weapons, and worse.
Government
The Iron Authority is meticulously ordered, and its ruth-
lessly structured society is no different. As in society,
every hobgoblin knows their place, from whom they must
unquestioningly serve to every lackey who must obey
them. Iron Emperor Tz’Jarr is the supreme military com-
mander of the empire, and is loyally served by the four
royal generals that rule the empire’s individual city-states.
The government of Tz’Arrm itself is doggedly focused
towards maintaining the Authority’s war machine, and is
filled with propagandists, military officials, wealthy sla-
veowners and nobles, and their cronies. No elections are
held; positions are only vacated in the event of death or
promotion, and all leaders are appointed by the emperor
or an immediate superior.soCiety
As the capital of a war-like empire, Tz’Arrm is awash
with propaganda and crawling with secret police. Nearly
all hobgoblins within the city are proud imperial citizens,
bound by the Curse of Strife to lust for war—and bound
by the will of the Iron Emperor to obey unquestioningly.
Hobgoblins occupy all of the highest positions within
the city, and are the only people allowed to serve in the
mighty imperial armies.
Goblins are second-class citizens within the imperial
capital. While they are afforded citizenship and a certain
level of goblinoid respect, their role in society is clear;
they live to serve. Every general, duke, and petty lord has
several goblins on their payroll, either as housekeepers, as
serving-folk, or as artists to serve their own vanity.slavery
The armies of the Iron Authority have captured tens of
thousands of slaves during their wars of conquest across
Rifenmist. The slaves of Tz’Arrm are mostly used as
laborers, and are sent to chisel iron scraps from the Strife
Emperor’s fallen armor, or to venture back into the lower
jungles to forage for food. The slaves that pass in and out
of the city are always escorted by a military detachment,
to prevent escape. Hobgoblin taskmasters prize tieflings
over all other slaves as laborers, especially for work in
the furnaces. Tz’Arrm’s nobles also prize their few elven
slaves, passing them down like heirlooms from gener-
ation to generation. Elves are treasured possessions by
the Authority’s despicable elite, not just because of their
beauty or because it is so difficult to break their will, but
because of how difficult it is to procure slaves from the
sheltering boughs of the jungle.Geo Graphy anD Climate
Tz’Arrm is hellishly hot. The black stone of the Beynsfal
Plateau and the iron walls of the city trap the heat of the
relentless Rifenmist sun. Hobgoblins are well suited to
such a climate, but the city’s goblins sweat and suffer as
they toil. The captured elves, used to the hot but humid
climate of the jungle lowlands, are especially harmed by
the hot, dry heat of the plateau.