This is one of D&D settings I've been running campaigns in- I've posted about it before, but I've updated it a bit since then. Khathad Dal is designed for campaigns that are truly epic in scope- it provides plenty of opportunities for truly colossal quests.
Overview
Khathad Dal is an ancient world that once held countless thriving native civilizations and strange beings. During a centuries-long war against demonic foes, however, civilization was shattered. Eventually, the gods themselves began to fall in battle against the unending horde. The last remaining god, Khathad Dal, Lord of Stone, sacrificed himself to banish and hold back the invaders. The very crust of the world was broken in the battle, and Khathad Dal's blood mixed with the magma and formed a layer of stone across much of the world. The majority of life on the world was completely wiped out. It wasn't until eons later that the current gods found it and began settling their worshipers there. Almost a fourth of the land is still covered in the lithified blood of Khathad Dal, resulting in bizarre geological formations and magical effects. The strange, alien remnant of the world's ancient ecosystem still hold on here and there, competing against the more familiar plants and animals introduced by the new gods.
Khathstone
Khathstone, the product of the blood of Khathad Dal and magma from the broken world, covers almost a quarter of the world's land surface. It is a deep red-brown, rough, and vesicular. It is somewhat reminiscent of basalt, albeit more porous, lighter, and immensely harder and stronger. Attempts to work khathstone are intense exercises in patience- carving a single block can take days, even weeks.
Khathstone erodes incredibly slowly, resulting in bizarre geological formations. Water percolating through the khathstone will often erode other rock out from beneath it, resulting in massive underground lakes and canyons running out from underneath layers of khathstone. Khathad Dal's sacrifice was so long ago that many new layers of stone have been added atop some Khathstone layers, which tend to be immensely thick.
The surface of Khathstone tends to be inimical to plant life- pools, streams, and lakes atop Khathstone are short-lived and temporary at best, draining through the stone relatively quickly. Plants have difficulty eroding the surface away, so it tends to be windswept and barren, with only a few pockets of soil life here and there.
Khathstone possesses many magical properties, as well. So long as enough khathstone lies intact, it forms a magical ward barring the path to and from the world to the hellish realm that once invaded it. As a side-effect of this, the summoning of entities from the outer planes is immensely more difficult, and tieflings are even rarer than on most worlds. The stone also bears the god's fragmented memories of the cataclysmic war and last days, which the magically gifted can access. The stone itself is highly resistant to other magic, though efforts to convey this property to others generally fail. Throughout the years, experimentation with khathstone has resulted in the discovery of many useful properties, but experimentation is limited- most religions and nations forbid all but the most limited use, not wanting to hasten the breaking of the ward. In truth, there is little risk of this- even all of the new gods working together in concert would not be able to break the ward without destroying all of the khathstone first, a task that would take centuries, even for them.
Large, unbroken regions of khathstone are known as shields. Massive cave systems frequently form beneath them.
Amarac, Sole Survivor
Though most sentient life perished in the great cataclysm, a few survivors remained. One of them was the last member of an ancient and prideful race, who, as their final act, bestowed immortality upon their wisest scholar so that they might always be remembered. Amarac is almost three meters tall, slender, hairless, purple skinned, and four-armed. It is also utterly, completely mad. All other survivors had eventually perished, despite its efforts to preserve even the ones of other races, leaving Amarac alone. Alone it remained for eons- long enough for the world to change around it, longer than the lifespans of most gods- in fact, longer than all of the new gods of Khathad Dal combined. It spent much of that time carving immense stone statues of its loved ones, friends, even enemies, which now litter the surface of the world- indeed, can even be found fossilized within the earth. It developed its own language, which now lies carved into both khathstone and mundane stone alike the world over. Amarac bred entire species to serve as pets and servants to it, though every intelligent being it bred was nearly as mad as Amarac itself. It grew so powerful that it was one of the dominant forces acting upon the very process of evolution upon Kathad Dal.
When the new gods discovered the world, they quickly divined its history and named it in honor of the fallen Lord of Stone. Amarac, long since completely mad, hid itself and watched as they brought their worshipers, plants, and animals to Khathad Dal. The gods finally discovered its hiding place and approached Amarac with overtures of friendship- even if just to gain advantage over one another in their constant games. Amarac seemed to respond positively at first, until some stray comment, action, or perhaps whim enraged it. Most believe that it was the destruction inflicted upon Khathad Dal’s ecosystem that enraged Amarac. Amarac went to war against the gods and their worshipers, and was barely fought back. Nine times since has it launched wars against them. Each time the gods barely overcame Amarac's magical might, honed to unbelievable levels in the eons of its life. The mortal denizens of the world, likewise, have barely managed to unite and fight off Amarac's hordes of servitors each time. Now, almost two and a half centuries have passed since its last major invasion, and signs are appearing anew that Amarac prepares to stir from its immense, mountain-range sized khathstone citadel- and though some believe that this will just be another of the unending minor incursions launched by its forces, Amarac's 11th invasion has begun.
The Gods
There were fifteen gods that first came to Khathad Dal millennia ago, but one was slain in the first stroke by Amarac in its initial war against the interlopers. The spell not only killed the god, but tore all memories of it from its worshipers and fellow gods, and destroyed every single statue, carving, painting, and illustration of the god, as well as every mention in books and scrolls. Only the barest scraps of knowledge of it are still left, and its bereft worshipers still abound today, known as the Bereaved. The gods, better prepared now, believe they can defend themselves against further uses of the spell- not that Amarac has tried, since. Many theorize that Amarac had fashioned the spell as a way of killing itself if it ever desired, and has been unable to recreate it since.
The gods originally came to Khathad Dal from a world with a dying sun, choosing Khathad Dal to resettle upon. The remaining gods spend most of their time not battling Amarac in unending games of advantage and dominance, as well as their ever shifting romances. They are:
- Elha, Lady of Spring: Goddess of Spring. Impatient, impulsive, and argumentative, Elha tends to trample all over the intrigue and machinations of the other gods. Elha and the other seasonal deities are frequently found in the midst of battles against Amarac.
- Rinth, Lord of Summer: God of Summer. Rinth is the self-appointed leader of the pantheon. The rest of the pantheon, however, is nowhere near as obedient or respectful as this prideful god would like.
- Sanlek, Lady of Autumn: Goddess of Autumn. Quieter than the other seasonal dieties, Sanlek is a master of intrigue. Varies between being the closest of allies and fiercest of opponents with her brother Srinlek.
- Srinlek, Lord of Winter: God of Winter. As arrogant as Rinth, who he seems to spend most of his time arguing with. Brother of Sanlek.
- Vulsan, Herald of Dawn: Sun god. Though most of the gods are liable to involve mortals in their games, Vulsan does so far more than most. Vulsan's marriage to Hesla is one of the more acrimonious of the pantheon. Vulsan frequently stands on the front line of battle against Amarac. Vulsan was not the original sun god of their pantheon, but the previous sun god, his father, died attempting to restore life to their former homeworld's sun.
- Hesla, Herald of Twilight: Moon goddess. Like her husband Vulsan, Hesla frequently involves mortals in her schemes. Hesla often leads scouts and saboteurs against Amarac's forces.
- Galtinaster, Who Watches the Stars: The quietest and least understood of the gods, Galtinaster spends little time with the affairs of Khathad Dal or the other gods, instead spending his time observing events on other worlds and planes. Galtinaster is one of the only two gods not to participate in the games and schemes of the pantheon.
- Elbren, Mover of the Tiles Elbren is the most cunning of the gods. His meddling keeps the pantheon at least somewhat united, though he certainly couldn't be called its leader. Elbren manipulates the fates of gods and men, and is almost certainly the most accomplished schemer of the pantheon.
- Streen, Who Pays in Blood The war goddess Streen is among the most powerful of the pantheon, and the one who most often goes toe-to toe against Amarac and his mightiest minions in battle. She promises her worshipers little other than violent death- those of both their enemies and themselves.
Rannet, Eater of Memories: Goddess of decay, forgetting, rot, and ruin. If anyone remembers anything of the Forgotten God, it is Rannet, but she does not share her secrets. Rannet is second only to Elbren in the depth of her schemes. - Arcim, Listener to Silence: The goddess Arcim shepherds the souls of the dead to their rest. Arcim is said to be compassionate to innocents, but revels in the punishment of evil souls, perhaps a bit too much so. Her schemes in the games of the gods can be particularly dangerous to those who wander into them, mortal or deity.
- Denevel, The Weeping One: Denevel is a stranger to the pantheon. The oceans of his homeworld dried up in a great calamity, and the other gods of his world fled. Denevel's tears provided the only water to this world for centuries, though even that proved insufficient in the end. Though he retains his martial prowess from his long-past days as a war god, Denevel only goes to battle in desperate times, and instead spends his days tending to the rivers, oceans, and rains. Denevel is one of the only two deities not to participate in the games and schemes of the pantheon.
- Bolgram, Innocent Wanderer: Bolgram is flighty, easily distracted, whimsical, and forgetful. Childlike in every way, he is nonetheless one of the most dangerous gods- his wrath is as easily awoken as a child's, and infinitely more destructive. He is the most likely of all the gods to be found wandering the world in mortal guise.
- Thorned Mesta: Thorned Mesta is the brooding, ill-tempered goddess of the forests. She is largely responsible for the introduction of most of the invasive species, and actively seeks to destroy the old ecosystems of Khathad Dal, even when opposed by others of the gods- most notably Denevel. Thorned Mesta is thought to be the most hated of the gods by Amarac, save perhaps for the Forgotten God.
Other Worship:
The Forgotten God and the Bereaved: The Bereaved still exist, even three millenia after the death of their god. They are always on the forefront of every battle and skirmish against Amarac, and spend much of the rest of the time studying records and searching for any tidbits regarding their lost god. Most nations accept them readily enough, though the nations of the Azan archipelago look on them, like all outsiders, with great suspicion.
The Cults of Khathad: Khathstone whispers the broken memories of Khathad Dal to those who know how to listen, and the cults have even taken it a step farther- they've begun consuming khathstone dust, tattooing it into their skin, and making it into jewelry. A few have even replaced one or both of their eyes with polished khathstone spheres. Most members of the cults quickly go insane. The cults vary in aim- some believe that Khathad Dal still lives, others want to revive him, and others believe that to consume enough of his essence grants some of his power. The cults are banned in most regions.
Azanti Ancestor Worship: Azanti ancestors respond to prayers in a very literal sense. Over the millenia, the Azanti have perfected magical rituals for not only contacting their ancestors in the afterlife, but for actually preserving their spirits in manifest form.
The Cult of Amarac: Some people are foolish enough to worship Amarac. If their countrymen don't find out and deal with them by mob justice, and actually they manage to get in touch with Amarac's forces, they are often either killed and fed to its creatures or warped into horrifying, tormented monstrosities to amuse Amarac and serve in his armies. Many, however, Amarac does choose to utilize for subterfuge- they tend to be warped and changed beneath their clothing, often concealing toothed maws in their abdomens, scaled skin, and other deformities gifted to them. Amarac worshipers have been discovered at all levels of society- during Amarac's Seventh Invasion, the king of Kherridorn was unmasked as an Amarac worshipper, but not before almost costing the Grand Alliance the war.
Caves:
In many regions, water trickling through khathstone has worn away immense caverns, tunnels, and canyons beneath the khathstone. Khathad Dal has some of the most extensive caves of any world, and some of the most unique. While the world does have more conventional limestone caves and lava tubes, most of its caves take the forms of immense canyons and lakes worn into the stone below khathstone layers. Entire ecosystems have evolved underground- plants and fungi have adapted to live off of the magical fields of khathstone, and in turn emit light of their own. Said plants seldom appear above-ground, since the magical fields aren't as strong there. (Some theorize that sunlight breaks down the field, but no scholar knows for sure.) Unusual animals roam the dimly lit caves. Amarac has had relatively little influence on evolution underground- though there are ample signs of its past presence, it generally seems to stay above-ground most of the time. Even here, though, the new gods have introduced more familiar life from their old home, which has begun to compete against the old biomes, with the exception of the plants that make underground life possible.
In certain regions, large shields of khathstone have developed immense underground lakes beneath their centers, with immense canyons leading out on multiple sides.
Geography:
Khathad Dal has four major landmasses.
Unnamed Supercontinent: The majority of the land on Khathad Dal is part of this immense continent. It stretches from the southern tropics past the equator, almost all the way to Wraith. Amarac's immense citadel is in the southern reaches of this continent. Most of the world's inhabitants live here. The population is clustered closer to the coasts or underneath khathstone shields- the center of the continent is largely inhospitable deserts, great sand seas, and barren wastes of khathstone. Many of the nations and city-states on the continent are members of the Grand Alliance against Amarac's forces. These are a few of the major features and nations on the continent:
Amarac's Citadel: The Citadel stretches over a hundred miles in width and three hundred in length. Once past the enormous curtain wall, it's actually divided into over a hundred mountain-sized citadels, with farmland and mines scattered throughout. Amarac itself resides over the Pit- an enormous mine scarred into the world itself. Amarac's palace is suspended on a Khathstone platform supported over the Pit by five narrow but thick Khathstone bridges. Excavation of the Pit began soon after Amarac's second invasion- what it seeks below is unknown to this day. Even with Amarac's power and resources, digging through several thousand feet of Khathstone is the work of centuries. Entrance to the Citadel is guarded by immense Khathstone gates. The citadel didn't exist when the gods arrived- construction of it began alongside the fourth war against Amarac.
- Limbor of the Lake: One of the largest cities on all Khathad Dal, Limbor is built in the center of a shield lake. Countless millenia ago, the center of the shield collapsed down into the lake below it, leaving the lake exposed to the sky and filled with islands created out of the shattered khathstone blocks. The city can be reached by air, traversing the roads over the khathstone shield, or by sailing through the canyon caves leading into the central lake. The view on entering the central lake from the caves is considered to be one of the most beautiful sights on the planet. The islands are connected by hundreds of bridges of all sizes, and the buildings themselves are crafted out of smooth-polished blocks of the pale sandstone present beneath much of the shield. Limbor is an independent city state and republic, as well as the home base of the Grand Alliance.
- Kherridorn: Chiefest of the dwarven kingdoms, and prime barrier against Amarac. Kherridorn is built into a massive network of caves under the Khathstone shield north of Amarac's Citadel. They are the first to be hit by his every invasion, and maintain an immense army at all times. During peacetime, it numbers at least a million souls. The number often grows higher during the decades of a full invasion. Soldiers and mages from all over the world come to train and serve in Kherridorn. Most nations shielded by them offer frequent tribute, and others farther away offer Kherridorn favored trade status. Though dwarves are the dominant group in Kherridorn, the kingdom is quite cosmopolitan- large populations of humans, dragonborn, elves, and hobgoblins live there, as well as many representatives from other races. The current queen of Kherridorn has begun construction on a huge mobile fortress, supposed to float several dozen feet above the ground when completed. For now, though, her political opponents fear that it is a wasteful vanity project that will bankrupt the kingdom.
- Omis: The great dragonborn armies of Omis are Kherridorn's closest ally. They hold the western coast and plains of the continent from Omis' hordes. Though their cavalry charges are famous, the bulk of their military strength lies in their highly trained infantry legions, mages, and their draconic overlords. Kobolds also make up a sizeable population of the kingdom, and frequently take on roles as scouts and light infantry in their armies. Many other races are found in Omis as well. Omis is ruled over by a council of ancient dragons, and is one of the only places in the world where dragons inclined towards being a part of civilization cluster.
- Erg Dathen: Erg Dathen is one of the largest of the great sand seas. It extends from Amarac's territory past the eastern border of Kherridorn and up into the heart of the continent. Patrolling the erg is extremely difficult, and many of Amarac's armies find their way through it to attack more northerly nations.
- Barras: East of Erg Dathen lies Barras, third of the great shield nations. Unlike Kherridorn and Omis, however, Barras is widely distrusted by other nearby nations. Barras frequently demands tribute in exchange for protection, and has perpetual imperialistic ambitions. Barras' cities are immensely wealthy and cosmopolitan, and is ruled by a Senate populated solely by wealthy and powerful heads of noble families- there are no elections held. Most of Barras' enormous population outside the city live in intense poverty, under constant threat of being drafted as untrained levees to use against Amarac. Barras also fields an air force largely composed of wyvern riders.
Garibald: The fertile fields of the nation just to the north of Kherridorn provides much, if not most, of the food to Kherridorn and Omis. Garibald has several huge rivers and a number of volcanoes in it, ensuring its soil quality. Barras grows most of its own food. Garibald has recently been suffering from large numbers of various cults- both Amarac-worshippers and Khathad Dal worshippers. Accusations of Barras attempting to destabilize the kingdom by funding the cults for their own advantage have been bandied, but there are also rumors of strange spirits being spotted near the more active volcanic peaks. - Fyris and Tetur: These two nations in the mid-latitude of the continent are embroiled in the middle of a vicious war. The Grand Alliance has sent envoys to try and end it, given the signs of an oncoming invasion by Amarac. Barras has its own intentions for the two nations, however.
- The Thousand Jewels: The far northeast of the continent has no major nations- instead the territory is ruled by hundreds of independent city states, each with their own system of government. They range from great merchant cities to heavily fortified passes. The greatest of them, Immer Bridge, is built atop a massive natural khathstone bridge crossing the great Immer River- the only land crossing of the swift, rapid-filled river for dozens of leagues. While the navies of the Thousand Jewels are frequently sent against the living ships of Amarac's hordes, they also end up raiding one another just as often. Recently envoys of the Lineage, the society of elven mendicant judges and assasins that functionally rules the small continent of Grendas, have begun wandering about the Thousand Jewels, sometimes offering their “services” to the rulers of the cities.
- Erg Yill: This mid-latitude desert is known for its deadly sandstorms, aggressive monsters, and great statues carved by Amarac that jut from the sand. The only sentient inhabitants are nomadic tribes of ogres who pose nearly as much threat to their neighbors as Amarac's forces.
Coussan Forest: Nearly a dozen nations make their homes within the borders of this immense forest, as well as large numbers of elven, halfling and centaur tribes.
The Abandoned Citadel: At the northernmost tip of the continent lies the ruins of a smaller, though still huge, past citadel of Amarac's. It appears to have been abandoned eons ago by all but some of his more vicious and malformed creations. It provides a rich hunting ground for treasure hunters and seekers of lore on Amarac.
Wraith: A small continent to the far north that is largely covered in ice and located hundreds of miles to the northeast of the supercontinent. The few visits to this continent have shown signs of Amarac's presence just as strongly as anywhere else- in fact, there are more of Amarac's statues here than anywhere else, many of enormous scale. No attempted settlement here has lasted long in the face of the brutal weather, scarce food, and vicious predators. Wraith is comparable in size to Great Britain.
Grendas: A small temperate continent in the Southern Hemisphere. It was first settled before Amarac's first war, and has survived later ones largely unscathed- Amarac's creatures still attack whenever one of his wars begins, but unled by him, they are not nearly so dangerous as an army. Grendas is bisected by a mountain range known as the Spine. Most nations on Grendas only last a generation or two, but this has relatively little impact on life for the common people. There are currently around a dozen nations on Grendas.
- The Lineage: Grendas is dominated politically by the Lineage, a not-so secret society of elves who take upon themselves the right to choose the worthiness of the leaders of Grendas' nations. They hold themselves separate from any one nation, and spend their time roaming the continent, acting as traveling impartial judges most of the time. Any leader they judge unfit they will promptly remove- often through assassination. Most nations allow them to be part of the process of succession, rather than deal with the resulting trouble. Over the centuries, their power has grown to be undisputed across Grendas. The Lineage's ultimate goals are unknown, but they definitely have something specific in mind. Recently, their envoys have been spending much more time visiting the northern cities of the supercontinent, despite the lengthy voyage.
- D'Kell: Largest and wealthiest nation on Grendas. One of the major supplier of Kathad Dal's spices, silks, and many other luxury goods. The Lineage, though they normally ignore wars and attempts at conquest, highly discourage D'Kell from merely expanding and absorbing its smaller neighbors- and their discouragement is not taken lightly, even by D'Kell. D'Kell's current empress is childless and elderly, and her nieces and nephews have begun assassinating one another and attempting to curry the favor of the Lineage. Many observers expect that the Lineage will bring an end to D'Kell soon- likely splitting in up into several other nations.
- D'Shan: Though relatively small geographically, this remote, mountainous country is one of the dominant political powers on Grendas. It controls several major passes through the Spine with its fortress monasteries. D'Kell and other powerful nations have tried to conquer them many times, but every attempt has been repelled. D'Shan's armies, though effective in the rough terrain and narrow passes of the Spine, are too small to take the larger lowland armies in open battle outside of the Spine. The monasteries and the Lineage tread cautiously around one another- though the Lineage could likely crush the monasteries, it would severely tax the Lineage's power, possibly enough to loosen their control.
- D'Tar: D'Tar's barren landscape was once heavily forested and serene. No nation on Grendas has had more of its leaders assassinated by the Lineage than D'Tar, and the nation is embroiled in near constant civil war. Most of their forests have long since been chopped down to fuel the constant civil war. They're the only nation of Grendas not to accept the authority of the Lineage. Whether this is due to the Lineage's frequent meddling there or whether the Lineage meddles there so much because they don't recognize their authority is up for debate.
- Ventat: Ventat is a relatively innocuous nation- rather average in size, wealth, and military might. It only has three things that set it apart. First, a large river delta in its southern reaches filled with icy swamps, tangled forest, monsters, and rare herbs. Second, it is the single oldest country on Grendas. Third, it is widely rumored to be the birthplace of the Lineage.
Azan: A small equatorial archipelago on the far side of the world from the supercontinent. It was also settled before Amarac's first invasion, but early civilization here was brought low by a plague from the old ecosystem before the first war against Amarac even began. Contact with it had not been reestablished until recently. The peoples of Azan have somehow managed not only to survive Amarac's forces with no help from the other peoples of Khathad Dal, but to thrive. They have, however, become highly isolationist, and distrust other civilizations- at best. Their culture, language, architecture, and technology have all moved down a remarkably different path than the rest of the world. They have perfected magical rituals for preserving the spirits of their dead on the Material Plane. It is believed that these spirits rise up en masse to fight off the hordes of Amarac whenever they invade Azan. Even with as unfriendly as the Azanti are and as dangerous as the ocean voyages are, trade with the Azanti is still exceptionally profitable- exotic spices, perfumes, rare herbs, pearls, and other products of Azan's jungles can make a merchant truly wealthy.
The Oceans: The oceans of Khathad Dal are extremely perilous. There aren't a huge amount of islands compared to some worlds, but many of the ones that exist are jagged ridges of khathstone warped and torn by tectonic processes, along with a few volcanic peaks. Khathstone pillars jut from the sea, threatening to sink any ship that gets thrown against them. The huge landless oceans of the far hemisphere breed immense storms and waves that frequently reach into more heavily traveled waters. Travel by sea is not for the faint of heart.
Southern Ice Cap: Khathad Dal's southern ice cap is quite a bit larger than its northern one. There is no land beneath it. The southern coast of Grendas not infrequently sees icebergs from it drifting past during the summer. The southern ice cap is actually more hospitable than Wraith, and a small population of nomadic fisherfolk live on it, carving entire towns into the ice, then abandoning them for a more favorable location later on- whether it be another abandoned town, or creating a new one. Their population is largely composed of halflings and humans.
Amarac's Creatures:
Amarac has bred countless species over the eons- and either abandoned or destroyed most of them. This is just a sampling of the most common.
Sentients:
- Nis/ Swarmlings: The most numerous of his sentient servitor races (though they barely deserve the label), these bright purple creatures are only around two to three feet tall, and about as strong as a small child. They go on four limbs as often as two. They have smooth, amphibian-like skin, though they have no particular need to remain wet. They tend to fight with rocks and sharpened sticks, though chiefs might bear a scavenged dagger. An army of swarmlings can number in the millions, and are usually sent ahead to exhaust armies of the Grand Alliance before one or more of the more dangerous species arrives.
- Nislk/ Slinkers: Close relatives of the Swarmers, Slinkers are about twice the size. They are skilled at stealth and climbing, and often serve as the scouts, saboteurs, and assasins for Amarac.
- The Pox: These burly humanoids are slightly taller than the average human and significantly stronger. Covered in long hair, they fight as undisciplined barbarian hordes. Their name refers to their characteristic stink- almost nothing smells worse than a full grown Pox. The smell is partially natural musk and pheromones, partially their horrifying hygiene, and partially due to the mold colonies that grow in their matted, ungroomed fur.
- Kraggas/ Crushers: Immense, twenty to thirty foot tall, slow moving tripedal creatures. They tend to be spread out throughout the other species of Amarac's armies, as they only tolerate each other during mating season. They are covered in immense bone plates, and are technically herbivores- which doesn't make them any less aggressive or dangerous.
- Vuxxen: The highly disciplined core of Amarac's armies, these flat-faced, quill-backed carnivores fight in tightly knit legions. They tend to fashion arrows out of their own quills, though all their other gear tends to be metalwork and leatherwork of exceptionally high quality.
- The Gentry: Towering, tentacled beings that appear composed almost entirely of cancerous growths and jutting bones. Every one is uniquely hideous. The smallest of them stand twice the height of the average human, and the largest stand over a hundred feet in height- large enough to pose a serious threat to godly avatars. Toxin spewing and spellcasting are frequent traits of the Gentry, though their immensely strong tentacles make them fearsome physical combatants.
- Crakewurms: These centipede like beings stretch almost fifteen feet in length, and can climb straight up walls. They have a poisonous bite, extra combat mandibles on their rear end, and when they rear up their front ends, they make for excellent spearmen. Their druidic leaders are dedicated to wiping out the invasive ecosystems the gods brought with them. They communicate in a horrible chittering language that can be heard for miles.
Non-Sentient: - Hellwhales: The immense living ships of Amarac's navy. While they can carry immense numbers of troops and swim against the wind, many of the troops tend to be consumed by the living ships along the way. Thankfully for the Grand Alliance, the hellships tend to avoid direct naval combat- while immensely powerful, Amarac has been unable to breed out a tendency to submerge when wounded.
- Lur: These cavalry mounts have seven slender limbs equidistant around their oval bodies, and can move in almost any direction at a rapid clip. Though they're not as heavy as horses, they're much more mobile on rough terrain. Their mouths are on the bottoms of their bodies.
- Screechers: These cat sized critters look like the cross between a bright scarlet bulb of garlic and a lizard. They let loose hideous screeching whenever magic is performed near them by anyone who isn't a member of Amarac's races, causing physical and psychic pain to the spell casters.
- The Gentry of the Air: Though they appear similar to the Gentry, these twisted, cancerous fliers are non-sentient, and must be guided by riders- otherwise, they're as likely to attack their own forces. They look very vaguely like dragons, but their heads are wrapped in a mane of tentacles with eyes on the tops and bottoms of their heads, and they have tentacles emerging from their legs. (Not to mention that dragons seldom appear to be made of tumors and bone shards.) Slightly smaller than a full grown dragon and relatively clumsy fliers, they make up for it with their toxic breath and incredible durability. The draconic rulers of Omis and the wyvern riders of Barras are often the first line of defense against these creatures.
Non-Amarac bred monsters:
The gods, unfortunately, brought quite a lot of unpleasant creatures with them from their homeworld, rather than picking and choosing selectively. All sorts of aggressive creatures are found across Khathad Dal. Since Khathad Dal has much more extensive cave systems than most worlds that are capable of sustaining much larger amounts of life, many cave systems not filled with cities and kingdoms of their own are filled with countless abominations. Illithids and beholders are among the few invasive species that Amarac actually seems to tolerate, a few even serving in his armies, leading some mortals to believe that they arrived here separately from the other species- they've been found on nearly every other plane, and they certainly bear little resemblance to most other creatures.