FINDING A COLOSSUS
When adventurers discover a colossus, it might be in
any state. Some have fallen or collapsed and become
overgrown with vegetation to the point where one could
be mistaken for a small hill. One was engulfed when the
rock under its feet turned to liquid and swallowed it up,
encasing it in a stone prison when the rock hardened.
Some are buried-except for the head, perhaps, or a
hand, which serves as a clear indicator that something
lies underneath.
Adventurers might even stumble upon a reality the
world isn't ready to face: an operational colossus (see
the stat block in chapter 6).ENTERING A COLOSSUS
Map 4.8 shows a fallen colossus. The mostly hollow
interior of a colossus is large enough for the crew and
soldiers to travel in safety. The area features tunnels,
ladders, hallways and crawlways, control rooms, storage
rooms, arbalest turrets, and observation decks. With
comfort a low priority, only minimal crew quarters are
provided, and the inside has no kitchen or dining areas.
Normal operating procedure called for the crew to exit
the colossus at night and camp outside it.
A colossus usually has multiple hatches to allow en
trance and egress: on the legs, on the back, in the chest,
in the mouth or on the back of the head, and so on. But
entering the remains of a warforged colossus is not a
task to be taken lightly, since the Mournland can have
bizarre effects on the colossus's docent network, power
core, and weaponry, as well as its mind.
Elemental Life. Even though a colossus has fallen,
its docent nodes and elemental defenses might still be
active. The dragonshards that once bound the elemental
that powered the colossus's main weapon might have
been broken, allowing the elemental to escape from
its bondage and roam the body of the colossus, which
has become its lair. Or perhaps it has come under the
control of the master docent and now does its twisted
will, defending the interior of the colossus and giving
voice and form to the docent's otherwise disembodied
intelligence.
A Deadly Dungeon. House Cannith's artisans lined
the interior of each colossus with magic wards and traps
in case enemy soldiers breached its defenses. As long as
the primary operator remained connected to the master
docent and in control, the traps were inactive, but if the
operator gave an alert (or simply left their station, or
died), the master docent would send a signal through
the network to seal the doors, activate the arcane wards,
and arm the traps in any area that was under attack.
A Grisly Tomb. Most colossi are tombs, filled with the
bodies of the crews that perished in the cataclysm. But
the Mourning affected everything in bizarre ways, so a
venture inside a colossus is often terrifying. A horrific
monster might have made its lair in a colossus's interior
in the years since the Mourning. The master docent in
another one might speak through the brass horns that
the crews used to communicate, growing increasingly
incoherent and/or sinister. The crew of a colossus might
be undead-zombies lumbering through the colossus's
interior, or spirits doomed to haunt it until they can find
blessed release.
ORDER OF THE
EMERALD CLAW
What arose as an order of militant knights within the
nation of Karrnath fell into disgrace and became a
shattered remnant. The Order of the Emerald Claw now
operates as a collection of cells of fanatical warriors,
necromancers, and spies. On the surface, its members
seem to be driven by Karrnathi patriotism, and they
purport to be adherents of the Blood of Vol. The most
cursory investigation reveals that claim to be a facade.
The truth behind the Emerald Claw is that they serve
the lich Lady Illmarrow, and in her name they carry out
acts of destruction, murder, and necromantic terrorism.
They have been linked to the theft of powerful items
imbued with necromancy magic, and they often employ
vicious undead minions that make even other Karrns
uncomfortable. Most worshipers of the Blood of Vol are
quick to point out that they don't accept the order's claim
to membership in their faith, and those true worshipers
vehemently reject the Emerald Claw's violent fanaticism.THE EMERALD CLAW AND THE WAR
During the Last War, Karrnath was forced to embrace
the practice of necromancy to bolster the ranks of its
army. At the same time, a number of chivalric orders
were founded by devoted worshipers of the Blood of Vol.
These groups included necromancers and bone knights
that were trained to raise and command the undead
troops used during the war. The Order of the Emerald
Claw was one of the most infamous of these groups, re
nowned for its fighting skills but often sanctioned for its
brutal treatment of enemy soldiers. The Emerald Claw
were also accused of slaughtering civilians so they could
be raised as skeletons or zombies-behavior that was
strictly forbidden by the Karrnath commanders.
When King Kaius III came to power near the end of
the war, he turned against the Blood of Vol. The orders
were disbanded, and many members of the Emerald
Claw were condemned as war criminals. While the
other orders complied with the king's edict, many
knights of the Emerald Claw refused to surrender. The
order fragmented as its original members scattered, but
a number of those rebellious knights started their own
cells, rallying all who wanted to see Karrnath achieve
its rightful glory. The order experienced a surge in mem
bership following the Treaty of Thronehold because
many Karrns thought that Kaius III had betrayed their
nation by embracing peace.
Six years ago, shortly after Kaius's accession, a figure
known as Lady Illmarrow emerged as the leader of the
Order of the Emerald Claw. Few of her followers know
anything about her, other than her great skill as a nec
romancer; many members of the Order refer to her as
Queen of the Dead. Some members of the order believe
she will ultimately raise Karrnath above all other na
tions. Others simply trust that she will grant them per
sonal power. They believe that she is poised to become a
god of death, and that when she ascends to divinity, they
will be granted immortality or at least the eternal life
of undeath.CHAPTER 4 I BUILDING EBERRON ADVENTURES 22
5