A to Z of the Polyverse: A is for And then there was light! (A to Z Blog Challenge 2025)

This is the A to Z of the Polyverse.

What is it? Glad you asked.

The Polyverse is what I call the setting of the various DnD campaigns I have run stretching back to the early 90s starting with ADnD 2E's Haunted Halls of Eveningstar. It was the first module I ever ran and my first time running ADnD 2E. I made a ton of mistakes. A. Frickin. Ton.

I had read the Avatar Trilogy and stupidly had Lolth tempt a player who wholeheartedly tried to kill the rest of the party. As they chased him out of Eveningstar he set fire to some grasslands to cover his tracks.

Those actions created a group of Elven terrorists who are plotting to take back their homeland known as the Kinn'A'Nacht.

From there a high level Wizard named Dunwich began recruiting for a secret society known as the Circle of Fire with the ultimate goal being to kill the Gods and replace them with him and his fellow members.

Then I didn't run much DnD for a long time. 

However, when 5E came out I started making up for all of that lost time. The Polyverse saw the murder of Tiamat and the ascension of Ashardalon as the God of Chromatic Dragons. 

Then Saint Cuthbert was trapped in the Demiplane of Dread known as Ravenloft.  The last group who tried to rescue him wiped each other out when one of the PCs found the Hand of Vecna.

The City-State of Jarlsburg and Duchy of Saint Cuthbert/Saint Albus both became major areas for my games. 

In my most recent game the city of Greenway and its Hexenschule came into focus and a plot by the Elves to murder Lolth and replace her with her brother Vulkoor was revealed. And Dunwich and his secret society began to set things into motion in the open by recruiting the PCs...it just took me over 30 years to get there.

Things are very much afoot.

Monster Monday: Exoscout for Shadowdark

Autoscout for Shadowdark

When Zaul built his fane to Vor, the Hunger That Stalks, in the Wraithwood, he didn’t realize that the site was chosen due to the strange objects that fall from the sky once every millennium. The objects are exoscounts sent by the Confederation to ascertain if a world is worth annexing. They are designed to transmit data for approximately six months before they lose power and self-destruct but Vor has been reprogramming it, upgrading its power supply, and adding weapons to its load out. Outworlders would only mean more food.

AC 16, HP 16, ATK 2 claws +3 (1d8) or arm-mounted crossbow +3 (1d6), MV near (climb, swimb), S +4, D +3, C +3, I +3, W +4, Ch 0, AL C, LV 3

Deadly. Critical hit on a natural 18-20.

Impervious. Cold immune.

Keen Senses. Can’t be surprised.

Self-Destruct. Explodes after 1d6 turns at 0 HP. 

Near creatures DC 12 DEX or 3d6 damage.

Duchy of Saint Albus: Wraith Widows for Shadowdark

 

Wraith Widows for Shadowdark

Hundreds of years ago, Zaul, an evil druid dedicated to Vor the Hunger That Stalks, transformed a coven of hags, the seven Moonbow sisters, into giant, spectral spiders. He then raised a sprawling fane for the wraith widows to guard in the heart of the Wraithwoods. Those haunted woods loom large on the southwestern border of the Duchy of Saint Albus.


AC 14, HP 19, ATK 1 bite +4 (1d4 + poison) MV near (climb), 

S +2, D +2, C +1, I +2, W +2, Ch -2, AL C, LV 4

Incorporeal. In place of attacks, become corporeal or incorporeal.

Poison. DC 12 CON or paralyzed for 1d4+1 hours. 

You can download a PDF of the stat block here.

 

The Duchy of Saint Albus: 20 Questions

In the early days of this blog I worked on the Duchy of Saint Cuthbert setting and I'm thinking about dusting it off for my next Shadowdark game. I've decided to move away from using Saint Cuthbert though so Saint Albus it is.

Inspired by Jeff's Gameblog.  

1. What is the deal with my cleric's religion? Dominant religions in the Duchy are Bahamut, Erathis, and Ioun for the humans; Moradin for the dwarves; Corellon for the elves of Highsun and Sehanine for the elves of Leafhome.

2. Where can we go to buy standard equipment? Greenway, Pike's Run, Twincrest, and Black Hill.

3. Where can we go to get platemail custom fitted for this monster I just befriended? Klaxxon Ironshaper at Golden Hall.

4. Who is the mightiest wizard in the land? Magister Viola Plune of the Hexenschule.

5. Who is the greatest warrior in the land? Captain Morgan Stroud is the Head of the Duchess's Royal Guard and a First Sword of the Steel Chateau.

6. Who is the richest person in the land? Duke Gruber Bant.

7. Where can we go to get some magical healing? The Seminary at Cypher Abbey or the Hearthblaze at Golden Hall.

8. Where can we go to get cures for the following conditions: poison, disease, curse, level drain, lycanthropy, polymorph, alignment change, death, undeath? The Seminary or the Orchard, a brothel run by Madam Enya Twomorrows in Greenway.

9. Is there a magic guild my Magic User belongs to or that I can join in order to get more spells? If your an Alumni of the Hexenschule you are automatically a member of the Harkness. Non-alumni can join the Harkness by paying an annual fee of 25 gold.

10. Where can I find an alchemist, sage, or other expert NPC? The Hexenschule, the Orchard, or the Seminary.

11. Where can I hire mercenaries? Greenway and Black Hill.

12. Is there any place on the map where swords are illegal, magic is outlawed or any other notable hassles from Johnny Law? Magic is outlawed on the Volstang family farm. Swords and magic are not tolerated in the Orchard.

13. Which way to the nearest tavern? The Merry Manticore in Greenway.

14. What monsters are terrorizing the countryside sufficiently that if I kill them I will become famous? Wraith widows (giant spiders), condorbears (a creation of the hexenschule), Old Scratch ( a wyvern).

15. Are there any wars brewing I could go fight? Tzorn has established a base in Tonga about 60 miles West of the Duchy and has been clashing with the City-State of Liberty for close to two years. The Dominion's Navy established a blockade along the coast of Dar Dang 3 months ago and tensions are rising fast.

16. How about gladiatorial arenas complete with hard-won glory and fabulous cash prizes? Black Hill's Bloodsport occurs on the last weekend of every month.

17. Are there any secret societies with sinister agendas I could join and/or fight? The Brotherhood of Bones and Teeth, the Parliament of Shadows, the Pit Vipers, and the Red Door.

18. What is there to eat around here? The Orchard's menu is legendary for culinary and carnal treats, Plum's in Greenway, the Caul and Crow in Black Hill, the Silver Stag in Twincrest, and Winnie's in Pike's Run.

19. Any legendary lost treasures I could be looking for? The Idol of Perrin, Moonsilver's Hart, the Black Trove of the Scholomanse, the wreckage of the Sea-Sprite.

20. Where is the nearest dragon or other monsters with Type H treasure? The green dragon Stranglevine in the Wraithwood.

I've heavily Revised Folk Lore Additional Ancestries for Shadowdark

Back in November 2022 I release Folk Lore: Additional Ancestries for Shadowdark and I just uploaded a fairly major revision of it. I think its better now. If you were kind enough to already purchase it the update is uploaded and ready to download. If you haven't and have an extra buck its on sale now. I'm also working on Folk Lore 2 right now. 

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/415611/folk-lore-additional-ancestries-for-the-shadowdark-rpg?src=newest_recent

Monster Monday: Ziggurnaut for Shadowdark

Illustration by Maia Kobabe

Large engines of destruction used to lead invasions for the Mage-Empress of the Dominion from across the Scarlet Sea. Ancient and powerful ritual magic transfers a decorated officer’s soul into the ziggurnaut and it is considered a great honor to be chosen for this role with the families of those chosen given land and title for their loved one’s dedication.

AC 18, HP 50, ATK 3 slam +6 (1d12) or 1 boulder (far) +6 (2d6), MV double near, S +5, D +0, C +4,   I +2, W +1, Ch +1, AL C

Construct. Immune to damage from fire, cold,
electricity, or non-magical sources.

Here is a PDF to download

Shadowdark: Turtlekin Ancestry

Art by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird

Turtlekin for Shadowdark

500 years ago, Emperor Titian was assassinated and the lands of Nugyen were carved up by over 30 warlords. This led to the formation of the 17 Great Clans that now dominate the region. Every ‘Kin embarks on a spiritual journey, led by the Kami, to understand their place in Creation.

You know the Common language and either the Merran or Reptilian language.

Kata. You gain the ability to wield one melee weapon of your choice and you deal a critical hit if you roll a natural 19 or 20 on an attack roll with it.

You can download a PDF here.