Tour caverns of the Tris, part 1

Come hear my story,


A tale so true.

About eight mighty wizards,

The proud, and the few.



Who desired a kingdom,

To rule for all time.

But whose story is tragic,

And I’ve set it to rhyme.



The archmage, Evoker,

He ruled the lot.

And mastering time,

He hatched a plot.



To control all the future,

Was to capture the past.

To build up an empire,

Eternal to last.



So taking the seven,

Masters of each school.

The set forth a plot,

Both ambitious and cruel.



A cavern was needed,

Hid from emperors’ sight.

To forge a great portal,

To rule, as power makes right.



A key was then given,

Unto each mage.

And order assigned,

Depending on age.



They worked their great magics,

All day and all night.

But when the moment, at last,

Came, all was not right.



For a traitor there was,

In the heart of each mage.

And when they’d succeeded,

They turned on each other in rage.



Now I am alone,

For 1000 years now.

With nothing to do,

But make up this small rhyme.







Founding

This octagonal room depicts the founding of the Tris, though it is difficult to make out the story covered with a thousand years of neglect. In the beginning, it appears the Gods create themselves and claim a barren and empty land as their own. They use powerful magic to bring fourth food, flowers, and humans.


Early Progress

After a thousand years of peace and progress the first great noble and scholar wizard known as Tris leads a group of about a hundred wizards to ignite the sun pillar. This room depicts the early expansion of the empire under the strong and kind leadership of the wizard Tris. The building of roads and aqueducts are shown, as well as overcoming early plagues and famine.


Civil war.

This room depicts the noble wizard Tris in his late years ending the people’s first and only civil war though the enshrinement of the wizard’s only ones worthy to rule in knowledge and power.



First great war

After 200 years of further expansion, the Tris almost loose their first great war against the decadent and primitive beastment hoards. Led by a giant half dog man, the beastmen manage to capture and raise at least half the empires cities before the powerful magics of the Tris eventually prevail through inflicting them with a terrible disease. Only a few beastmen are permitted to survive as house servants and menial labourers. They are depicted as witless and brutal, and only the intelligence of the growing Tris empire prevents them from descending into complete anarchy and violence.


Second great war

After centuries of peace with the dragons in their realm, the ancient red wyrm Larax finally enacts a century old plot to betray and enslave the empire. At first concurred by his treachery, the Empire of the Tris manage to gather their forces for an attack on their own capital and eventually win. Enslavement of dragons is heavily depicted in the final victory.


Third great war

Known as “The great sorcerer uprising”. Evil sorcerers who made dark and evil covenants with elemental powers achieve sudden success, and declare war on the emperor. The war eventually ends as the Tris Wizards celebrated achieving elemental balance and eternal subjugation of the elements.



Battle of Gods

This room, incredibly, appears to depict the Tris’ recent defeat or expulsion of all their own Gods. Using magic and treachery, those that were deemed ‘more trouble than they were worth’ are slain in numerous battles in which so many are slain ‘they are not numbered’.


Current day

This room depicts the current prosperous state of the empire, unrivalled in power across the stars. Elemental, dragonic and magical powers are all harnessed to the whim of the mighty, and even scullery maids know a prestidigitations to make their work easier. The motifs clearly depict the belief that no previous empire in history has had as much magical mastery as they do, nor ever will…



(One of the cabinets is of particular interest, it is an Intricate cabinet with translucent lock of solid magic worth 2000gp, weighing 1600 lbs.)

* and in knowing the eight passwords, the heros have been teleported into 'the sanctum'

Ch 4 - the Sky Queens Malaise

DM blog:

It seems to have been a successful trade mission. The sky people are in your gratitude, the queen having knighted you Lords and Ladies of her realm, rewarding you generously for saving her people from their self induced malaise. Two of your group have chosen the sky peoples greatest blessing – to join them with wings.


Great success follows at your heels; you have imbued a sentient orange dodecahedron with the ability to fire sunbeams at enemies it chooses. You have chosen a successful crew for your floating skyship. You have increased the amount of land available to an overcrowded city – though people are confused whether it’s a blessing or a curse that the land has been claimed for (or perhaps by) the Drow family Hune lead by the scheming sorceress Zakaria. Finally, the gift of Prince Sunali Naphti has granted the ill citrine crystal the clarity of mind to govern the people of her suburb appropriately once more. There will be no more riots there hopefully (though the criminal responsible still remains at large…)

But perhaps the greatest success has been individual. Lukat is dating a prince, Gaston is staying true to his (almost) unattainable love, Gerald is back from the dead after ‘wresting’ a crocodile and gaining a shell fire dagger for her troubles, Oma is gaining valuable insights into avian species, and Methos is reading a greater diversity of books than any scholar of the city in a hundred years.

What more could you want…?