My goal with this campaign is to provide an opportunity for you to take your characters on an adventure in which their choices dictate the story. Rather than specific characters to drive a story I have filled this campaign with a culture split into four subcultures, animals, four immortal beings, and jungle island landscapes. My hope is for you to build an adventure exploring the dangerous Valiant Isles. I did also write an optional series of events that you can use to drive your PCs’ decisions. All you really need is a way to get your PCs to these islands. You will choose (possibly randomly) where they will arrive on the islands, and then the details below should help dictate what happens next. There are far too many options to mention for how your PCs could arrive on The Valiant Isles. Perhaps they are shipwrecked or their plane crashes and they wash ashore. Maybe they are members of a ship or fleet of ships that seeks to take the islands. Maybe they are simply explorers or tradesmen venturing to the islands to explore or strike a deal with the natives. Maybe their dimensional teleporter malfunctions and takes them here by mistake leaving them temporarily stranded.

The Valiant Isles are a series of jungle islands that is home to a primitive people. Those that live on the nearest continent gave these islands this name and refer to its people as The Valiant Ones. The people that live here refer to themselves as the Dreirie. They are feared by most people as none have yet been able to dominate them. A rare flower (known by the natives to the Valiant Isles as “Kalasandar”) grows on the islands and can be used to produce a powerful drug. While typically used for its medicinal benefits for pain management, many are using the drug recreationally as it provides for the user a rush that makes them believe that anything is possible. Most believe themselves to be immortal while under its effects and often act as if fearless. This drug and the indomitable spirit of the people of these islands have both fed into the naming of them as Valiant.

The Dreirie use Kalasandar in mixtures that they have learned to craft over centuries of trial and error. These liquid mixtures have magical effects on those that drink them as described in detail in the descriptions of each of The Four Beasts and their followers. All of these mixtures have a shelf life of about only one week and are made from mixtures of Kalasandar and other herbs most of which are unique to The Valiant Isles.

The People

Dreirie (DREER-EE) - This is the name the natives to the Valiant Isles use to refer to themselves. This name is derived in their native language from the name they have given to the islands, “Kal’dreir”. The Dreirie worship four gods whose names are Kanar, Blono, Grit and Dred. Each of these gods is represented as an animal. Kanar is a wolf. Blono is a boar. Grit is a panther. Dred is a bear. These gods and their followers are described in greater detail below. Depending on which island the PCs find themselves on they will see nearly constant representations of a specific one of the four gods in their animal form anywhere they see the Dreirie or evidence of their presence.

In general the Dreirie are not violent to outsiders unless they come in larger numbers. Their specific reactions to small numbers of outsiders is dependant on which of the four gods they worship and described in more detail below in the last paragraph of each god’s description under The Four Beasts. Ships are seen rarely in this part of the sea and it is even more rare for them to choose to visit the Dreirie. Any time a ship is seen lingering off of the shores of The Valiant Isles by the Dreirie they immediately send word to all of the villages and assign villagers to watch in shifts to make sure the ship or ships do not approach. Typically, when the Dreirie have been attacked in the past, the attackers have experienced short-lived victories that quickly led to the majority of them being overwhelmed by the Dreirie and killed. Those few who managed to get back to their ships and flee have told the stories that gave the Valiant Isles their name. The Dreirie have their own small boats that allow them to move between islands, but have never crafted anything large enough to brave the sea and leave the islands.

The Dreiries’ attire typically ranges from completely nude to robes made from the skins of animals or even woven together and made from hair, vines, sticks, bone, or whatever else they could find. This attire is usually most heavily influenced by the local village, but is typically similar within each island. Typically, the eastern islands wear less while the western islands wear more. The worshippers of Blono typically wear loincloths at most and are usually quite dirty like the boars they protect and worship. Most of the worshippers of Kanar wear robes usually crafted from boar, tapir, or Gelda (enormous rodents that inhabit the islands) skins. The worshippers of Grit cover themselves as camouflage to help blend in with the jungle. The worshippers of Dred wear the least amount of clothing in order display their strength as openly as possible. All of the Dreirie also have tattoos. They typically start tattooing children as young as five years old. The Island the Dreirie live on and the village they live in greatly influences the tattoos they have. Worshippers of Kanar have wolf tattoos, Worshippers of Dred have bear tattoos, etc. Many of the Dreirie would also have tattoos of birds and of Kal’vyn. The majority of these tattoos are on the Dreiries’ backs. The Kanie typically have tattoos of the moon, many of which are on their faces. More detail on their appearances can be found under The Four Beasts.

The Dreiries weapons are typically quite primitive. They will be found wielding anything from a wooden spear, to a hammer made from tying a rock onto the end of a hefty stick. The worshippers of Kanar have learned to use bows (or even guns depending on what time period you have chosen to play in) from their trades with the nearest continent. Few of them use them, but at least one bow can be found in each of their villages. The worshippers of Blono have fashioned boar tusks into daggers. These can be found all over Kal’dreir, but are far more prominent in the northeast. The worshippers of Dred typically use large clubs or hammers crafted from wood and the black stone from the eastern shores of Kal’dred. The worshippers of Grit are especially talented at using slings in their hunting. Most would have a pouch full of stones for these slings on their hips at all times. All but the worshippers of Blono would also have more complicated weapons from past battles with intruders from the nearest continent mixed in with their more primitive weaponry.

The Dreirie worship gods that have shown themselves to them over the past few centuries. These gods are represented by the people that worship them as four different animals: a bear, a wolf, a panther, and a boar. These four gods each reside on one of the four main islands and the Dreirie that inhabit these specific islands have a particular set of beliefs based on the god that they worship. This separates the Dreirie into four distinct groups as described in more detail under the individual descriptions of each of the gods and their followers under The Four Beasts. In spite of the separation by both the islands and the gods that they specifically worship, all of the Dreirie believe in all of four of the gods. Here are specific beliefs that almost all of the Dreirie hold to be true:

The four core tenets of their belief systems:
- Balance - This is the core belief of the worshippers of Blono. They believe that all things occur to maintain the balance of good versus evil.
- Wisdom - This is the core belief of the worshippers of Kanar. They believe that gaining knowledge is the only true way to get a glimpse of divinity.
- Courage - This is the core belief system of the worshippers of Grit. They believe that true courage is experiencing and overcoming your fears.
- Strength - This is the core belief system of the worshipper Dred. They believe that raw physical strength is the true measure of power.
- Depending on which god they serve, the Dreirie prioritize one of these tenets high above the rest, but the others are still a part of their life to a lesser degree.
Eternal Peace is the final resting place of all souls. This is the Dreirie’s answer to the question, “Where do you go when you die?”
Kal’vyn (one of the islands which happens to be raised high above sea level) is sacred ground on which only the dead should tread.
- All who attempt to venture there never return.
- It is believed to be a portal to the Eternal Peace.
All birds are considered to be sacred as they are the only ones who can go to Kal’vyn and return.
- None of the Dreirie would ever kill or eat a bird.
- Most of the Dreirie believe that birds carry their souls to their Eternal Peace through Kal’vyn.
- Many of the Dreirie would risk their lives in order to save the life of a bird.

None of the native people of these islands speak the common tongue that the PCs are likely to speak, so there would be difficulty communicating with the Dreirie through normal means. The language they speak is completely unique to the islands and it is highly unlikely that any of the PCs would be able to speak it. Kanar’s worshippers have started trading with men from the nearest continent and have given a steady source of Kalasandar to that continent. This means that the worshippers of Kanar would know some words of the common tongue spoken on that continent. This trade and their Kalasandar mixture which allows them to communicate telepathically with any who drink it make the worshippers of Kanar the most able to attempt communication with any visitors. They also have a deep thirst for knowledge which makes them the most willing to attempt to communicate with outsiders.

The Islands

Kal’dreir (KAL-DREER) is the name that the natives to The Valiant Isles use to refer to the islands as a whole. Each island also has it’s own name. I will describe them starting North to South using the map to the right of the Outline. The land bridges that connect the four largest islands are only fully exposed during low tide. Even at high tide the distance between them is a long and dangerous, but possible swim.

In general all of Kal’dreir is covered in a rain forest jungle. It rains at least a little almost every day. The majority of the islands have very tall trees forming the upper canopy. The islands are extremely green and the sounds of wildlife are constantly echoing throughout the forests. Birds, frogs, monkeys and rain can be heard almost constantly and the rest of the wildlife make their voices known regularly as well. Most of the islands are surrounded by narrow, white sand beaches unless otherwise described.

The nearest continent is about three weeks away by ship. The islands have roughly the same landmass as New Jersey which is about 9000 square miles (roughly 22,000 square kilometers). For some more international reference points, New Jersey is roughly similar in size to Belize, Israel, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Slovenia and Turkey. It would take about 48 hours of travel by foot to get from Kal'bluss (the northernmost point of Kal’dreir) to Kal’dris (the southernmost point of Kal’dreir). That’s 48 hours of direct, nonstop, uninterrupted travel assuming your PCs know where they are headed and the best paths to travel. This is something that is not likely to happen on Kal’dreir, especially for outsiders who don’t know the terrain or the dangers of The Valiant Isles. Exhaustion may be one of the most dangerous predators on Kal’dreir and will likely be a difficult part of your PCs adventures here.

Kal'bluss

(KAL-BLOOZ) - This is the small island furthest north and far to the east that appears to have just broken off of the nearby, medium sized island directly to the south. None of the Dreirie permanently live here, and they will rarely visit. This island is covered in black rocks, but is also covered in small to medium sized trees and has a fair amount of small wildlife living on it.

Kal'blis

(KAL-BLEEZ) - This is the medium sized island directly south of Kal’bluss. There is one small village of Dreirie who live here near the southern coast. There is also a sounder of boars that lives on this island. The Dreirie refer to these and all other boars on the islands as “Blona”. The Dreirie in this village hunt the boars that live here for food, but they do not kill more than they need as they understand that killing too many would damage their long term source of food and also upset the god they worship, Blono.

Kal'blono

(KAL-BLOW-NO) - This is the large island directly south of Kal’blis which has a land bridge connecting it to Kal’dred on the southeast edge. This island has several small villages spread across it. Each village has anywhere from 8 to 40 Dreirie and a beautiful statue of Blono, their boar god. There are at least twice as many boars on this island as there are Dreirie. The vast majority of these boars are in sounders ranging from 10 to 40 boars in each. All over Kal’blono are areas where all of the underbrush has been trampled and eaten by a large group of boar. If such an area is discovered the wisest move would likely be to get away from the area before those boars come back home. For more information see Blono and Boar.

Kal'blissa

(KAL-BLEEZ-UH) - This is the tiny sliver of island on the east side of Kal’blono. This island has no large trees as it is basically a black, rocky surface covered in small to medium plant life and small animals. The Dreirie and any medium to large animals have no permanent residence on this island.

Kal'blisse

(KAL-BLEEZ-EE) - This is the small island off the southwest coast of Kal’blono. This island is uninhabited other than by the occasional sun-bathing crocodile. Near the center of the island is a clearing. This area is used as a meeting point by the Dreirie elders from all four of the large islands. When used for these meetings citizens of all four islands come together to prepare a structure that is suitable for their elders to meet. The elders from each of the four large islands meet four times a year in order to discuss any important news (such as the death of an elder or naming of a new elder) and to worship all four of the gods in unity. At most only about half of all of the elders attend each of these meetings, but all of the elders attend at least one such meeting per year. All but one of the elders from Kal’kanar and the High Elder from Kal’dred attend all of these meetings. The elders from Kal’kanar are also responsible for calling these meetings as they watch for patterns in the movements and positions of the stars to identify and spread the word when it is time for another meeting.

Kal'kanar

(KAL-CAN-ARE) - This is the large island due west of Kal’blono. This island has five very small villages spread across it. Each village has anywhere from 5 to 16 Dreirie and each home in each village has a small wooden carving of Kanar, their wolf god. There are also representations of constellations and the moon to be found throughout the villages in Kal’kanar. There are no other wolves on Kal’kanar (or even Kal’dreir for that matter) aside from Kanar herself. For more information on Kanar see Kanar’s details below. Kal’kanar has a great variance of other wildlife with a portion of almost every animal population in Kal’dreir residing on Kal’kanar.

Kal'kis

(KAL-KEEZ) - This is the small island north of Kal’kanar. This island has no permanent residence by the Dreirie, and is considered by them to be hallowed ground. The Dreirie only visit here during a new moon, and only one of the elders of the villages on Kal’kanar are allowed to visit here to pray to Kanar. It is considered a mortal sin for any other than the chosen elder to step foot on Kal’kis. It is also considered a mortal sin for a boat to be brought to Kal’kis which means that the chosen elder must swim across. In order to choose who Kanar favors and is willing to welcome onto Kal’kis a ritual is performed on Kal’kissa (described in the Kal’kissa’s description below).

Kal'kissa

(KAL-KEEZ-UH) - This is the tiny island between Kal’kanar and Kal’kis. This island is not permanently inhabited by the Dreirie as it is too small to support anything but smaller plants and very small animals. The ritual that is performed here to determine who is worthy to go to Kal’kis involves the elders from each of the small villages on Kal’kanar meeting on Kal’kissa during the new moon. Once they arrive the create and drink a potent mixture of Kalasandar and dance in worship of Kanar until they eventually all fall asleep. They believe that Kanar’s spirit will choose one of them and awaken them for them to visit with her on Kal’kis. The first to awaken from sleep is considered to be the chosen one who then swims across to Kal’kis to consult with the spirit of Kanar.

Kal'grit

(KAL-GREET) - This is the large island to the southwest of Kal’kanar with a land bridge to Kal’dred on the southeast edge. This island has several very small villages spread across it. Each village has anywhere from 5 to 16 Dreirie and each village has at least one elder that has completed a feat. This feat involves killing and eating a panther. The worshippers of Grit believe that this act allows the elder to commune directly with the Spirit of Grit. Before killing the panther the Dreirie must stop all use of any form of Kalasandar in order to prove their true courage in this act of hunting and killing a panther. After killing the panther the elder always wears a large panther tooth around his neck to show his or her status. Also, their villages are built up in the trees and are difficult to spot from the ground. The inhabitants of Kal’grit have adjusted to become mostly nocturnal like their panther god, Grit (for more information on Grit, see Grit’s details.

There is a single large pride of panthers that also lives on this island numbering around 50 in total. Unlike most panthers, which are typically solitary animals, these panthers stick together and serve the will of Grit. They do often separate into smaller hunting groups of 2-8 and venture outside of Kal’grit and hunt on all of the islands of Kal’dreir.

Kal'gris

(KAL-GREEZ) - This is the small island north of Kal’grit and west of Kal’kanar. This island is almost never interfered with by the Dreirie. The inhabitants of Kal’grit never venture here and those from Kal’kanar rarely set foot on Kal’gris. This island, while extremely green and full of small animal life, is almost completely overrun with low vines, shrubs and thorny bushes as taller trees were never able to take root, and it is very difficult to travel through this island. Due to this most larger animals and the Dreirie themselves typically move around the island near the water rather than attempting to travel through it. During low tide there is a fair amount of beach, but at high tide anyone attempting to travel around Kal’gris would likely spend most of their time wading through the water. Anyone attempting to travel through Kal’gris would find it to be extremely slow and arduous work.

Kal'grissa

(KAL-GREEZ-UH) - This is the small island west of Kal’grit. This island is almost never interfered with by the Dreirie and has no villages. It is covered in trees and full of wildlife. This island has a high population of Gelda (an enormous species of rodents). It is a very common hunting ground of Grit and her pride of panthers and thus dangerous ground for any Dreirie or any other larger mammals that could be viewed as prey.

Kal'grisse

(KAL-GREEZ-EE) - This is the somewhat crescent shaped island island south and west of Kal’grit and Kal’grissa. This, too, is rarely set foot on by the Dreirie. The northern half is covered in trees and full of wildlife. The entire southern half of this island is beach. This beach goes farthest inland of any beach in Kal’dreir. Kal’grisse has the largest population of Bernt (a large reptile species) of all of Kal’dreir, but even here there are roughly only 30 of them. The Bernt spend a lot of time basking in the sun on the southern beach of Kal’grisse.

Kal'dred

(KAL-DRED) - This is the southernmost large island with a land bridge to Kal’grit on the northwest edge. This island has the largest population of Dreirie by a large margin. There are several small villages spread throughout Kal’dred and the largest Dreirie village is spread all along the northwest edge of the lake in its center. It is in this village that the High Elder of Kal’dred resides. South of the lake, Kal’dred climbs higher above sea level the further east you move and has a 100 foot (about 30 meter) cliff at the eastern edge. This cliff is cut off about halfway up the eastern edge of the island where the tide has carved a path to form a large saltwater lake known as Kal’dring (KAL-DREENCH) in the center of the island. The majority of the cliff extending northward from the lake has been worn by the tide over time and is no longer more than 20 feet (about 6 meters) above sea level at the highest point, but most of it has worn and crumbled into black, rocky beaches all along the northeastern coast. These differences in elevation are represented on the map by the thickness of the line forming the edge of this island and the nearby islands.

Kal’dred has the largest population of Gelda (an enormous species of rodents) as they have been somewhat domesticated by the Dreirie living here and are kept in herds in the fields near all of their villages. The rest of the wildlife on Kal’dred varies greatly much like that of Kal’kanar. To the south and east of the island is the location of the largest population of gorillas in Kal’dreir. Panthers come from Kal’grit from time to time to attempt to slaughter and eat the herds of Gelda near the Dreirie villages on Kal’dred.

Kal'dris

(KAL-DREEZ) - This is the medium sized island due south of Kal’dred. This island has one permanent village near its northern edge that consists of about 20 Dreirie. This village is one of the most diverse in Kal’dreir as it is made up of Dreirie that worship all four of the gods and originate from all four of the large islands. It also has one member that used to be an elder in a village from each of the four large islands. Due to this diversity, this is one of the Dreirie villages that would be the most welcoming to small groups of outsiders. They would also have access to all four of the Kalasandar mixtures that the Dreirie are capable of producing.

Kal'vyn

(KAL-VINE) - This is the medium sized island near Kal’dred that is the furthest north and directly east of the lake, Kal’dring. Kal’vyn is almost inaccessible as it is completely surrounded by cliffs and is the highest point above sea level in Kal’dreir. This island is considered by the Dreirie to be the most sacred land in Kal’dreir. In order to set foot on this island, one would have to climb out of the ocean and up the treacherous and completely vertical cliff face and climb 120 ft (over 36 meters) up at the lowest point. None of the Dreirie have ever ventured here and returned to tell the story. This is where the gods of the Dreirie are believed to convene and judge the life of the dead Dreirie in order to determine the rewards of their afterlife. Kal’vyn is also the island with the highest density of Kalasandar in all of Kal’dreir, and when viewed from the highest point on the east coast of Kal’dred the blue from the flowers is visible.

Kal'drisse

(KAL-DREEZ-EE) - This is the medium sized island south and east of Kal’dred between Kal’dris and Kal’vyn. This island is not inhabited by any animals as it has began to crumble under the tide. Most of the life that was once atop this raised island has fallen into the ocean and more seems to follow it every year.

Kal'droste

(KAL-DROSS-TEE) - This is the small island between Kal’vyn and Kal’drisse that is east of Kal’dred. This is more of a spike protruding from the ocean than an island. The spike stands about 60 feet (about 18 meters) above sea level and appears to come to a fine point at the tip.

Kal'druss

(KAL-DROOZ) - This is the small island between Kal’drisse and Kal’dris that is southeast of Kal’dred. This island has been slowly sinking into the sea for centuries now and floods a few times a year during the highest tides. Due to this, there are no permanent villages on Kal’druss, but the Dreirie from Kal’dred still hunt and gather here from time to time. The ground dwelling wildlife that once lived here has either fled or died and the plants that grow low to the ground have been killed by the saltwater floods. Only the tall trees and animals capable of living up in them remain, but even they are not in great shape since several times a year when a very high tide comes in more and more life is taken by the ocean.

Kal'drissa

(KAL-DREEZ-UH) - This is the name for the small island south and west of Kal’dred. This island is home to one small village of 8 Dreirie who moved here from Kal’dred. The elder of this village is not acknowledged as an elder by any other village besides his own, as he no longer possesses the great strength required to be an elder on Kal’dred and its nearby islands. He was once a powerful man, but suffered a severe injury that caused him to lose his left arm. He was shunned by most on Kal’dred. In his shame he chose to leave the main island and those most loyal to him moved with him to Kal’drissa. They have a small herd of Gelda (an enormous species of rodents) that they keep to sustain their village.

The Four Beasts

These are the details of the four gods whom the Dreirie worship and the beliefs of their followers. Their names are Blono, Kanar, Grit and Dred. All of these gods are shapeshifters. They are seemingly immortal humanoids who can take on the shape of a single animal. The act of shapeshifting is quite painful to experience and even to watch. The bones of the shapeshifter audibly snap as their body morphs into its new shape. Only Dred and Grit are able to keep from crying out in pain during the transformation. While shapeshifting is when they are most vulnerable to attack, but it is an extremely rare sight to witness, and it is even more rare for them to not be heavily protected by their progeny during this time.

There are a few things that will increase the chances of the PCs encountering the gods. If the PCs are actively tracking the gods down they will be met with resistance from their followers and the wildlife on their island, but could eventually find them for whatever purpose the PCs have. If the PCs are killing large numbers of Dreirie they will be engaged first by the nearest of the shapeshifters and, if the PCs kill or severely injur this god and survive (this should be designed as an extremely dangerous and difficult battle), the rest of the gods will be hunting them down for vengeance. If any Dreirie witnesses the demise of one of their gods they will likely collapse from fear and panic, but would soon rally their fellow worshippers to join the hunt for the PCs. Though it is also possible that these Dreirie would see the PCs as gods and begin worshipping them instead. If there is something else happening on the island (like the things described under Events) and the PCs have shown themselves to be helpful, the gods may seek them out to ask for assistance. Without these or similar motivations the gods are unlikely to ever directly encounter the PCs.

Blono

(BLOW-NO)

Blono is a man who can transform into the largest boar on Kal’dreir. As a boar he is nearly 9 feet (about 240 cm) long and weighs over 600 pounds (over 270 kg). Blono has large, perfectly symmetrical, razor sharp tusks. The boar’s skin is unnaturally thick and dense, folding into interlocking plates with a slight sheen. Blono’s movements are supernaturally fast and disconcerting to his foes. His eyes burn with pure rage and his wounds, no matter how severe, seem to heal within minutes. Blono is rarely seen as a man, but if he is he wears only a loin cloth and is always extremely dirty. His skin is caked with blood and earth. His head is mostly bald, but sparsely covered with thin, long, greasy locks of hair. As a man and as a boar he has the following abilities:

Basics: Blono should have a medium to high health pool, but typically takes a very small amount of damage from each attack due to his thick skin. He is more susceptible to magical damage than to physical damage, but is still resistant to both. Blono moves very quickly and is the fastest of the gods. He will most likely be at least twice as fast as your quickest PC. His attacks are highly damaging, but do not typically have an increased chance to strike. He typically acts first on almost every round. His fighting style is very aggressive, loud and direct. Subtlety is far from his strong suite.
Iron Hide: While in the form of a boar, Blono’s skin is extremely protective. This is at least as effective as platemail armor. Almost any attack that is not a critical strike will at best do about one half of its normal damage to Blono.
Raging Strikes: Blono is able to attack any target twice in what would otherwise be a single attack. He cannot do this to the same target twice in a row. The first strike deals additional damage based on how far Blono moved before the attack. If the first attack is successful, the second attack deals normal damage, but has bonuses to strike which greatly increases its chance to hit.
Furious Vigor: Blono is automatically able to attack anyone within one fourth of his total movement regardless of available actions. Anyone near him is in danger of being struck at any time.
Angry Charge: Blono chooses a target within his maximum movement range and charges it. When using Angry Charge, Blono gets a free attack on any enemies that stand in his way. If these attacks are successful, they deal normal damage and move the target out of Blono’s path. If any of these attacks are unsuccessful it interrupts Blono’s Angry Charge and he stops moving at that point.

This god is represented by the Dreirie as a boar. His followers on Kal’blono worship the boar as a god of balance and are known as the Blonie. They believe strongly in the idea that for any negative thing that happens an equivalent positive will happen simultaneously. The opposite is true as well. This belief leads them to attempt to live neutral lives. It also encourages them to hunt only as needed and abhor excess in all things. They view themselves as prey to the boar that inhabit their islands as much as they view the boar as their own prey. Their belief in balance leads them to be very superstitious about their own population and even to actively attempt to keep their numbers from changing. For every death there must be a birth. They have the shortest average lifespan of all of the Dreirie as their main source of food comes from the boars which are typically infested with parasites. These parasites lead to illnesses that kill many of the Blonie. These worshippers of Blono also attempt to maintain the population of the boar at a steady level in their effort to maintain balance on Kal’dreir.

The Blonie have also found a way to mix Kalasandar with a specific combination of other herbs from Kal’blono in order to allow them to divide any physical illnesses among all who have imbibed the mixture. This means anything from the ill effects of a cold to the damage from an enemies attack will be divided equally between all who drink from the same mixture of Kalasandar made by the Blonie. This effect last about four to six hours unless those affected choose to continue to drink the mixture together and there is no additional effect from drinking more within this time. The Blonie typically use this to attempt to lesser the suffering of those in pain or even to share in the joy one might experience. But they will not use it to help those that are experiencing a mortal illness or injury. If the Blonie is experiencing something that will kill them they do not generally risk additional lives in order to ease their pain. The power of this Kalasandar mixture is such that it can take someone in perfect health and kill them if they share the mixture with someone who is mortally wounded, though it will certainly delay the death.

The Blonie typically wear loincloths or nothing at all. They are generally quite dirty at all times. Most of the Blonie’s tattoos are symmetrical on both sides of their body. For example, if they have a tattoo on their left arm you would be smart to bet a nearly identical one exists on their right arm. Many of them simply have tattoos on their backs that are symmetrical across their spines. Their tattoos are typically of boars, boar tusks, or boar burrows. These symbols and this type of symmetry can be found throughout anything crafted or built by the Blonie. Even their villages are usually built symmetrically.

Outsiders are viewed by the Blonie as unwelcome intruders. They do not wish to kill the outsiders on Kal’dreir as the death of an outsider causes a strange imbalance that the Blonie are not confident how to set right. They just want to outsiders to leave and go back to the place where they belong. They will attempt to either scare them away or capture them and take them to Kal’kanar to be sent away with the next trade ship. If the outsiders represent some sort of threat to the Dreirie way of life or are attempting to colonize or take over the islands in any way, the Blonie are the most aggressive of all of the Dreirie in their desire to rid Kal’dreir of such outsiders at all costs. This includes killing as many as they must to convince the rest to leave.

Kanar

(CAN-ARE)

Kanar is a woman who can transform into a wolf. As a wolf, she is beautiful, powerful and cunning. Her grey eyes have a look of understanding and intelligence not seen even in the wisest of humans. She holds herself with a vibrant nobility. Kanar’s majestic black fur looks constantly groomed and all her allies feel inspired by her presence and her fur almost appears to glow with a divine vibrance. As a woman she is beautiful, and none have ever heard her voice. Her dark hair contrasts sharply with her grey eyes. Her eyes still glow yellow from reflecting light in the dark even as a woman. As both a woman and a wolf she has the following abilities:

Basics: Kanar should have a medium to high health pool, but is difficult to strike. She is very agile and makes very precise and accurate attacks with a high likelihood to successfully strike that deal medium damage. She is also extremely intelligent and would never be caught off guard or make poor choices. She is very resistant to magical attacks.
Nature’s Wisdom: Any normal attacks made against Kanar have a base 50% chance to miss as she thoughtlessly evades. Any bonuses to strike by the attacker would overcome (or reduce) this chance to miss appropriately, but a base roll without any modifiers would have a fifty-fifty shot at being evaded by Kanar. Evading in this way allows Kanar to counter attack those that she evades.
Precise Assault: This attack is almost guaranteed to strike and penetrates all enemy armor. This also causes the target to bleed until the wound is treated or the target dies.
Fierce Nobility: Kanar roars, invigorating her allies and increasing their fighting prowess for the scene. This increases all of her allies’ chances to strike and the amount damage that they deal. This grants Kanar the same bonuses.
Sovereign Brutality: Kanar leaps onto her target and digs her teeth into their flesh. Without letting go she continually tears at them with her teeth and claws dealing more and more damage each round until the target dies, breaks free, or Kanar releases them. Each round this attack deals 25% more damage than it did the previous round. Kanar continues to benefit from Nature’s Wisdom and her agile ability to evade incoming attacks during this attack. This requires Kanar to successfully grapple, tackle, or otherwise get a hold of her target according to the rules of your game. She also must maintain this grasp on the target round after round to continue to deal this damage.

This god is represented as a wolf. Her followers are the least populous of all of the Dreirie, but they think themselves to be the most wise and are known as the Kanie. They worship Kanar as the goddess of wisdom. They believe themselves to be closer to their god than any other Dreirie. They pride themselves on the hours they spend in meditation and worship most of which is also spent carving fine wooden statues of Kanar. These statues are found in each and every Kanie home, but can also regularly be found anywhere on Kal’kanar and the nearby islands as the Kanie will simply leave them all around anywhere they go, and even carve them into living trees. There are even some trees that their entire base has been carved to look like Kanar.

They have also found a way to mix Kalasandar with a specific combination of other herbs from Kal’kanar in order to allow their minds to enter a heightened state. In this state they are able to non-verbally communicate with one another by telepathically sending images into the minds of another who has also imbibed liquid from the same mixture. This effect lasts four to six hours unless those affected choose to continue drinking it together and there is no additional effect from drinking more within this time.

The Kanie trade with the nearest continent. The men they trade with exclusively come to Kal’dreir to get Kalasandar. They trade four times a year and the Kanie are skilled at tracking the passage of time using the stars and the meetings are scheduled accordingly barring delays from bad weather. They basically trade once a season, though the Dreirie do not understand the concept of seasons as they do not experience them on Kal’dreir. This is the trade system they worked out with their visitors from the nearest continent. In return for the blue flower, the Kanie receive an assortment of alcohols and mind-altering drugs along with a random assortment of clothing, waterskins, smoking pipes and other items. A representative (usually an elder) of each of the four main isles is always present during these trades.

Most of the Kanie wear robes which are usually crafted from boar, tapir, or Gelda skins. They usually have hoods on their robes that completely cover their faces. They are the only of the Dreirie that commonly have tattoos on their faces. Their tattoos consist of a wolf (never more than one), ships, stars and constellations, and the sea. Their clothing and camps have similar symbols represented throughout them, and they would leave carvings of similar symbols and themes around on the islands they inhabit.

Outsiders are viewed by the Kanie as a new experience which is something that is always of interest to the Kanie. They have learned through past experiences that outsiders can provide valuable knowledge that can better the Kanie and bring them closer to a full understanding of the world and of Kanar. They are the most welcoming to outsiders of all of the Dreirie, but also know that many outsiders will act with aggression if not approached with great caution. The Kanie do not enjoy participating in a direct fight with anyone, but are more than happy to accept captives from the Blonie and attempt to communicate with them in whatever way they can to try and learn from their experiences

Grit

(GREET)

Grit is a woman who can transform herself into a panther. As a panther she is lithe and graceful. Her muscular body seems constantly full of tension. She has yellow eyes and long, sharp teeth and claws that stand out (usually as the last thing you ever see) against her dark, almost purple coat. As a woman, she is simple. Her features make no lasting impression and she is perfectly forgettable. Most who see her would probably just assume she was one of the Dreirie women. She has brown hair and dark brown eyes. She is also short and slender. As a woman and as a panther she has the following abilities:

The Basics: Grit has a medium to high health pool and moves very quickly and silently. Her attacks are extremely quick and often subtle. Her damage would normally be in the low to mid range, but her high chance to critically strike makes her typically deal a high amount of damage. She crits more often than she strikes normally, but this is largely due to her ability to attack from stealth, which almost guarantees a critical strike, combined with her ability to re-enter stealth following a critical strike. She is the epitome of stealth and her prey do not see her coming unless she intends to be seen. She makes agile and athletic leaps and is even capable of taking out multiple prey within a single group without ever being seen. All of her attacks are completely silent unless she chooses to make sound.
Wary Tension: The tension in Grit’s muscles give her an increased chance to dodge incoming attacks and a greatly increased chance to critically strike her enemies. When surprise attacking her foes from stealth she crits with almost every attack.
Slash: This attack happens very quickly and is usually the first attack to happen in a round. Like all of her attacks, Slash has a high chance to critically strike.
Wild Flight: After any critical strike Grit is able to leap out of sight and back into the shadows. She is able to completely disappear from sight, but only after a leap following a critical strike. This is how she can take out groups of prey one at a time without ever being seen.
Wild Surge: Grit violently leaps onto and then off of her target rending their flesh with her teeth and claws. This ability can typically only be used once per fight and is Grit’s highest damaging attack. It usually severely maims or kills her target.

This god is represented as a Panther. Her followers worship her as the goddess of courage, and they are known as the Gritie. They believe that she is the creator of the moon and that she can only be seen under the light of the moon. The Gritie also believe that Grit’s power and protection grows and wanes as the moon changes its phases. They believe that when the moon is new and completely in shadow, that Grit slumbers as her power wanes with the moon. The Gritie have become almost entirely nocturnal like the panthers they view as sacred, and the majority of the Gritie do not sleep during the phase of the new moon. They believe they must stay on guard during the new moon to protect Kal’grit while Grit slumbers.

The Gritie believe that the greatest act of bravery a person can perform is to challenge the god-like grace and power of the progeny of Grit, which are the panthers that live on Kal’grit and all of the surrounding islands. This feat is not respected unless the Gritie who attempts it is not under the influence of Kalasandar. The Gritie know if the flower’s ability to relieve them of their fears and the purpose of this hunt is to face one’s fears, not be unable to feel them. The Gritie typically stalk the panthers at all times, but attacking them is a rare occasion as it is only attempted by one seeking to become an elder. If this is the case, it is declared and known by the party that is sent with the hunter to witness the battle. The witnesses are also responsible for ensuring that the hunter is not using Kalasandar at any time during his hunt. The Gritie are often being hunted by the same panthers that they are hunting and it is an extremely dangerous task to perform. It is very rare for the Gritie to win their battle against a panther, but it is considered the most worthy of deaths to be killed by a panther. The few who have manage to kill a panther are elevated in the Gritie community as elders. This means that many of the Gritie villages have more than one elder leading them. All of them wear the teeth of the panther that they killed around their necks at all times. This is seen as the highest symbol of courage among all the Dreirie. In the case of a disagreement the Gritie elder who possesses the most panther teeth makes the final decision. There are a few of the Gritie elders who have killed more than one panther and are consider the most courageous of all.

The Gritie have also found a way to mix Kalasandar with a specific combination of other herbs from Kal’kanar in order to allow their bodies to slowly fade from vision as long as they stay completely still. Any who imbibe the liquid will basically become chameleons. While this is a fairly accurate description, the effect is actually light being bent around the body by the magic of the Gritie’s Kalasandar mixture. This effect is most successful at hiding the imbiber in the dark, but even in direct sunlight they would be very difficult to see. The effect takes an entire minute to fully hide the user and they must remain completely still during this time and after for the elixir to take effect and remain in effect. Any movement at all undoes the effect, but not entirely. Extremely slow movements would be possible but would simply increase the likelihood of the imbiber being noticed. Such slow movements would also allow them to shift back to almost entirely invisible at a much more rapid pace if needed. Only the elders of each village would have learned to craft this mixture, but all members of the village will likely have a small supply on them at any given time. Though they are the ones to craft the mixture, the elders typically do not imbibe it as they are viewed as the most capable to understand and control their fear and thus they keep their minds clear of Kalasandar’s influence in order to make the best decisions for their people. The effect lasts four to six hours and there is no additional effect from drinking more within this time.

The Gritie wear clothing made from their surroundings. Most of it is woven together vines, hair, and grass. Their scent blends perfectly with their surroundings. They typically have tattoos of panthers, panther fangs and claws, the phases of the moon, shadows, and glowing eyes. This same imagery can be found throughout their tree-level-homes.

Outsiders are viewed by the Gritie as curiosities. The Gritie will typically remain unknown as much as possible if they discover an outsider on their lands. They will simply follow the outsiders and observe their actions. Usually the Gritie are able to watch as the outsiders are being stalked by panthers. Most such visitors are eventually killed by the panthers and the Gritie simply watch and then continue with their daily lives. If any outsiders manage to kill a panther the Gritie would soon after approach with great caution to attempt to communicate with the outsiders. They would have a great respect for the courage of any who face a panther and live unless of course the Gritie were certain these outsiders were using Kalasandar.

Dred

(DRED)

Dred is a man who can transform himself into a bear. As a bear he is large and resilient with incredible strength and is likely to be largest bear your PCs will ever encounter at over 2000 pounds (over 900 kg). Dred never hibernates and has no layer of fat to hide his layers of dense muscle. As a man Dred is an incredible physical specimen. It is likely that the PCs will have encountered several of the Dredie before they ever have a chance to set eyes on Dred, especially in his human form. Many of the Dredie are incredibly fit and some could be mistaken for modern bodybuilders, but they’re physiques pale severely when compared to Dred’s. He is nearly 7 feet tall (about 210 cm) and weighs in at over 400 pounds (about 180 kg) of muscle. He has long black hair and is heavily bearded. The majority of his body is covered in thick black hair. As both a man and bear Dred has the following abilites:

Basics: Dred is truly massive as both a man and a bear. This fact gives him an enormous health pool, but also makes him a fairly easy target to hit and he rarely even attempts to avoid incoming attacks. Blows that will kill a lesser being don’t even seem to make a mark. His attacks are typically slow (he will often be the last person to act in each round), but very powerful and highly damaging. He is able to move very quickly, but it may take him a bit of time to accelerate to full speed. He is quite resistant to both physical and magical attacks and never suffers any penalties regardless of wounds unless rendered unconscious or killed.
Wild Resilience: Any normal (non-critical) attack against Dred is likely to do much less damage than it would to anyone else. Dred’s thick hide and enormous muscles soften the blows made against him and lesser blows often deal no damage at all. Any attack that deals less than 10% of his total health pool in damage is completely ignored. Any attack that deals more than 10% of his total health pool in damage deals only the portion that gets above the 10%. Meaning an attack that would normally deal 18% of Dred’s health pool in damage would instead only deal 8% of his health pool in damage to Dred. His large health pool should mean that an attack capable of damaging Dred at all (larger than 10% of his health pool) would have to be a fairly large attack. This system may need to be tweaked quite a bit to make sense in whatever game you are playing, but this is the concept of his toughness. Wild Resilience also passively grants Dred the greatly increased healing of his worshippers’ Kalasandar mixture (described below), but at nearly double the effect.
Shocking Impact: This is a slow and powerful attack that takes two rounds to complete, but grants Dred a large initiative bonus on the second round. This attack typically happens first on the second round when used and deals nearly twice as much damage as Dred’s normal attacks. Shocking Impact also stuns the target (or interrupts their actions) for the remainder of the round after it hits.
Weighted Swipe: This slow and powerful attack swipes through multiple enemies dealing Dred’s full damage to all enemies in front of him and in melee range. This attack has a roughly 50% chance to knock anyone it hits over. The more damage it deals to the enemy, the higher the likelihood of them being knocked over barring any appropriate save rolls.
Crushing Grasp: This attack also requires two rounds to complete. On the first round, Dred must successfully grapple, tackle, or otherwise get a hold of his target. On the second round he begins to squeeze the life out of them with all his strength. Once Dred has a hold on his target he deals his normal damage to them increasing slightly each round until he chooses to let them go or they manage to escape within the rules of your game. Just remember that Dred has enormous strength and while it may not be too terrible difficult to avoid being grabbed, if he manages to grab you it will be hard to get away from his grasp. Each round that Dred holds onto the target and continues to try and crush it he deals about 10% more damage as his claws and teeth tear deeper into their flesh. Bones are likely to be broken by this attack if it does not end quickly.

This god is represented as a Bear by those that worship him. His followers worship him as the god of strength and call themselves the Dredie. They are by far the most populous of the Dreirie and believe that as their numbers increase the power of Dred grows with them. They are obsessed with physical strength. In their largest village, which lines the northwest side of the lake in the center of Kal’dred, they have monthly competitions to determine who is the strongest. Men and women both participate as equals in these competitions. The majority of these competitors are the elders from the villages throughout Kal’dred. Once a year the winners of these competitions compete in a tournament style battle. These battles would most resemble modern MMA fighting. The fights can get quite violent and result in serious injuries, but death is rare. The point of these battles is to determine the strongest Dredie. Once the victor is determined they move on to the next round and the winner fights the current High Elder of the Dredie (who would be the previous year’s winner). Whoever wins this fight becomes or remains High Elder for the coming year. Similar yearly competitions are held in each village throughout Kal’dreir to determine the strongest Dreirie in each villiage who then becomes the elder of that village.

The Dredie have also found a way to mix Kalasandar with a specific combination of other herbs from Kal’dred in order to allow their bodies to heal much more quickly than normal. Even broken bones and anything short of missing limbs will heal at nearly 20 times the normal rate. Bruises and cuts heal in hours, broken bones heal fully in as quickly as a week. More severe injuries can take several weeks. The liquid must be imbibed every day for the increased healing rate to continue. Any Dredie over the age of 20 will likely have learned to create this mixture. Almost all of the Dredie imbibe this mixture at least daily as it acts as a steroid and promotes muscle growth. The effect lasts four to six hours from the most recent time it is drunk and there is no additional effect from drinking more within this time.

The Dredie typically wear little to no clothing in an effort to show off as much of their physique as possible. Their Kalasandar mixture acts as a steroid helping them increase the size of their muscles and they are effectively an entire island of body builders. They also have the least amount of tattoos of all the Dreirie in an effort once again to show their physical strength. Some of the Dredie have no tattoos and tattoos anywhere besides on their back are very rare. Any Dredie with physical ailments or disabilities would likely be shunned by the majority of the Dredie. Such people would be less cared for and many of them would end up dieing young.

Outsiders are viewed by the Dredie as possible threats. The Dredie make up the majority of the Dreirie population and have historically been the main force able to keep outsiders from invading and overtaking Kal’dreir as a whole. Any time they discover that outsiders are on Kal’dreir they immediately begin to invest their resources and manpower in order to investigate and determine if the outsiders could possibly be scouting for a larger force that may soon attack. If they discover that they are part of something larger, they kill the outsiders and send their bodies out to sea on their boats hopefully to be discovered by the people for whom they were working. If they determine they are simply here as a small group whether here intentionally or not, they will simply ignore their existence as they do not view them as a threat. Any outsiders who demonstrate a great deal of strength would find themselves respected and probably cautiously approached by the Dredie.

The Wildlife

The Valiant Isles are covered in jungle. In this jungle there is a great variety of life both great and small. Some of these have already been mentioned in the descriptions of the islands themselves, but there are thousands of species to be found here. Birds, reptiles, amphibians, insects, arachnids, fish, sloths, tapirs, primates and anything else one might find in a jungle. Below I will mention some in more detail that are unique to Kal’dreir and others that might make interesting encounters for your players. As always if these or other ideas inspire you for an encounter or a storyline within this world, please take that idea and run with it.

Boar

Known by the Dreirie as Blona, there are hundreds of boars living on Kal’blono with the largest and most powerful of all the boars, Blono. Boars can be found on almost any island in Kal’dreir, but in quite sparse numbers other than on Kal’blono. Here there are hundreds of boars, most of them run together in groups (or “sounders”) of anywhere from 10 to 40. All of these boars have large, sharp tusks and very powerful legs. They also have very thick and tough skin under their dense, dirty fur. They will eat anything that they can find or kill and are extremely aggressive, especially when in large groups, against any who enter their territory. They will simply charge, skewer, or trample to death anything they can. The average Boar weighs about 400 pounds (over 180 kg) and is 6 feet (182 cm) long. They often dig burrows in the soft earth and are very territorial of their homes.

Panthers

Known by the Dreirie as “Grita”, there are scores of panthers living in Kal’dreir. Most of them live on Kal’grit with the most powerful of all the panthers, Grit. They can be found almost anywhere on the islands as they are not afraid to swim between the islands if there are prey to hunt. Unlike most panthers in other parts of the world, these panthers are almost always found in groups of at least two. They are rarely seen unless they choose to show themselves. Those that do see the Grita are smart to watch their backs as it might be a distraction to make them even easier prey than they already are. The average panther is over 100 pounds (about 45 kg) and about 5 feet (150 cm) long not including their 2 to 3 foot (60 to 90 cm) tails. They have sharp, dangerous teeth and claws.

Primates

There are several different species of primates on the islands. Most of them are quite small and would stay high in the trees curiously watching any who pass them by. Two of the species are likely to be aggressive towards PCs especially if they encroach upon their territory: chimpanzees and gorillas. Both of these are the same in size on the islands as they are in reality. Chimps are generally around 4 feet tall (about 120 cm) and weigh somewhere around 70 pounds (about 32 kg). Gorillas generally weigh around 300 pounds (about 180 kg) and are up to 6 feet tall (about 180 cm) with the males being quite a bit larger than the females. Both are very strong and agile for their size and would make a dangerous enemy, though anyone who flees from them would most likely be simply chased away unless they have done something to really upset the primates, like killing one of them, or taking their young. Chimpanzees can be found on any of the four largest islands as can gorillas. The largest population of gorillas is found on Kal’dred southeast of the lake. The gorillas have made their homes in the treacherous rocks that climb up higher and higher as you head further east towards to cliff.

Gelda

(CHELL-DUH) - This is the name the Dreirie have given these creatures and they are completely unique to Kal’dreir. They are the largest rodents in existence, up to roughly twice the size of a real-world capybara. Gelda can stand almost 4 feet tall (about 120 cm) at their shoulder and are up to 8 feet long (about 240 cm). They can weigh as much as 600 pounds (about 270 kg), but most of them are just larger than half this size. They have sharp teeth and claws, but generally would not attack unless cornered. They are herd animals and roam in groups. They are also one of the primary food sources for the Dreirie and have populations on all but the smallest of the islands. Their largest population is on Kal’dred as many of the Gelda have been domesticated by the Dredie.

Matis

(MUH-TEEZ) - There are a few different species of snakes on Kal’dreir. Some that live in trees, some in the water and some on the ground. Some that are poisonous and some that are constrictors. The majority of these snakes are not a great threat to the average PC, but there is one species in particular that hunts larger warm blooded creatures. They are known by the Dreirie as Matis. This species is quite large and on average are around 20 feet (about 6 meters) long, but have been seen up to nearly 30 feet (about 9 meters) long. They hunt by climbing up into the trees and laying in wait until their prey walks beneath them. They then jump from the tree down on top of their prey and sink their hooked teeth into them and begin to wrap themselves around and squeeze the life out of their future meal. The majority of the Matis live on Kal’kanar and Kal’grit, but they can be found on any island that is also home to large warm blooded animals. They are commonly eaten by the Dreirie, especially on Kal’dred where they are hunted to keep them from becoming too much of a threat to their herds of Gelda.

Birds

Kal’dreir is full of dozens of different species of birds. Owls, parrots, toucans, macaws, eagles, cockatoo, etc. The largest of the birds is a harpy eagle which feeds mostly on the smaller monkeys that live high up in the trees. All of these birds can be found on almost any island in Kal’dreir. Birds are considered by the Dreirie to be sacred as they are the only ones who can go to Kal’vyn and return. None of the Dreirie would ever kill or eat a bird. In fact, many would risk their lives to save a bird.

Reptiles

There are dozens of species of lizards that live on Kal’dreir. Most of them are too small to be of too much concern for PCs, but there are two species worth mentioning.

Bernt (BURNT) - These large reptiles are very similar to Komodo Dragons but they are slightly larger. They can be up to 25 feet (about 8 meters) long and can weigh over 220 pounds (about 100 kg). Like Komodo Dragons they mostly scavenge for food and their bite is extremely likely to get infected and eventually kill the afflicted without medical attention or magical healing. They are regularly seen basking in the sun on the beach on Kal’grisse where the majority of them live (around 30 total on the island). There are a few other Bernt spread across Kal’dreir, but rarely in groups larger than two or three. They are typically not very aggressive towards PCs or other intruders, and would try to scare them away rather than attack unless they feel cornered or threatened. In larger numbers, though, they will be much more bold.

Saltwater Crocodile - This enormous crocodile species can be found anywhere in the water surrounding the islands. The majority of them live in the V shaped water between Kal’grit, Kal’kanar and Kal’blono. They feed mostly on fish, but will certainly make their way inland to go hunting as well. They are highly aggressive and very likely to attack any PCs who encroach on their territory. These enormous crocodiles can weight up to 2,000 pounds (Over 900 kg) and be as long as 25 feet (over 7.5 meters). These make crossing the land bridge between Kal’grit and Kal’dred extremely dangerous especially during high tide. They will even attack people attempting to cross their territory in boats, though this is not extremely common. They can often be seen soaking in the suns rays on the shores of Kal'blisse.

Encounters

Below are possible encounters that your PCs could experience during their stay on Kal’dreir. These are not in any particular order and the difficulty of each encounter can of course be adjusted to fit your desired effect.

The Wildlife

Above, there is a list of the wildlife that inhabit Kal’dreir. Most of them are ripe for dangerous encounters for your NPCs. It’s even possible that some of them could mix together into a single encounter as in the “Not a Good Day” encounter below. Perhaps while the PCs are stalking a Gelda for food they are being stalked by a panther. Perhaps when being chased by a gorilla out of its territory they stumble down a hill and into a burrow belonging to a family of boars. There is a huge number of possibilities here and hopefully a lot of fun and dangerous experiences for your PCs.

The Dreirie

Under the descriptions of each of The Four Beasts and their followers I have detailed how they will react to an encounter with your PCs or any other outsider. Most likely they will be captured by the Blonie, questioned by the Kanie, stalked by the Gritie, or observed by the Dredie. Situationally these encounters may differ depending on how they meet the Dreirie. Perhaps they save the life of a Blonie who was about to be killed in his attempt to show his courage against a panther. Perhaps they are discovered killing and eating birds on the island. The Dreiries’ reaction to each of these and any other possible encounters is entirely dependent upon their individual personalities which I have left completely to your imagination.

There are some events that take place on the islands from time to time that are described above in the descriptions of both the people of Kal’dreir and the islands themselves. From the ships that come in to trade, to the meetings of the elders on Kal’blisse, all such events are possible encounters that the PCs could happen upon. The trade ships could be the PCs tickets onto and off of the islands. Depending on how tough of a time you want your PCs to have on Kal’dreir you could make their first encounter with the Dreirie a positive one (for example, they show a great deal of strength in front of the Dredie, or kill a panther in front of the Gritie) or a negative one (for example, they are discovered by the Kanie on Kal’kis, or caught roasting a bird over a fire by any of the Dreirie).

Not a Good Day

The concept of this encounter is a series of almost completely non-stop encounters that continually increase in difficulty throughout an entire day. Most of these encounters seem to be targeting a specific PC and the majority of the problems they cause are focused on this PC.

As an example, it could start with something as simple and annoying as one of the many birds on the islands defecating on one of the PCs clothes. Only a few short minutes later they encounter a Bernt but fail to notice it until they are a little too close. It harmlessly charges towards them, warning them to leave it alone. Once they leave the area a smaller Matis leaps from the tree and wraps around the PCs neck attempting to strangle and kill them. Next the PC finds himself surrounded by at least three very angry chimpanzees. These chimps will only engage the PC if he refuses to run. If he and his companions choose to run the chimpanzees will not engage, but will chase the PCs towards the water. Once at the edge of the water the Chimps will begin to run away as an enormous crocodile bursts from the water charging towards the PCs. After this battle the PCs will likely be quite exhausted and quickly find themselves surrounded by Blonie who swarm them, subdue them, and render all of them unconscious. When the PCs awaken they are tied up in a camp, and each of them has a carving of a wolf sitting in the earth next to them...

The Shapeshifters

It is unlikely, but possible that your PCs will find themselves in a position where they see one of the four Dreirie gods. Typically this would happen from a large distance. The PCs could see the god engaged in combat, slaughtering prey or animals that encroached on their territory. They could see them changing form, or even simply see them from a distance in their human form. However they are seen it is extremely unlikely that they will be encountered in person unless the PCs are specifically tracking them down (and this would take a great deal of effort) or if for some reason one or more of the gods is seeking to find the PCs.

Events

The goal with this campaign is for it to be more of an exploration of these islands in which the personalities of your PCs and the choices they make dictate the story rather than a story driving the PCs decisions. Nonetheless I have written below a series of events that are completely optional to your version of this campaign, but do tell a story within the islands if you don’t want to try and create your own. Depending on the choices your PCs make, even if all of these events do happen the PCs may never fully discover the meaning of them.

It could even be that your PCs are at the center of these events, they could be members of the group of outsiders that cause these events to take place. Perhaps their choices drive these events in an entirely different direction. Perhaps when Grit comes to attack they manage to beat her and either kill her, or discuss the issues with her and decide to leave. This could go a lot of different directions dependent fully on the choices your PCs make, and the concept of this campaign is to leave it open to such choices. It may even be interesting to bring your PCs to The Valiant Isles at the time that Kal’vyn is set on fire, so they can experience the chaos of The Fallout without ever knowing the peaceful time beforehand.

The Breach

Depending on your timeline and how long you feel that your PCs will stay on the island this event will most likely take place at the same time or even before your PCs get to The Valiant Isles. Several men who used to work for the ship that has been coming to the islands for trade with the Kanie recently decided to start their own business. They had learned from the Kanie of the sacred island, Kal'vyn, and that it is completely vacant of Dreirie and decided to take their own small ship there to attempt the climb. One of the men died during the climb, but those that made it have since built a pulley system to increase the safety of the climb and to help them lower their plunder down to their ship. These men have been working day and night to harvest as much Kalasandar as they can. After a weeks worth of gathering they left one man behind at the top and traveled back towards the continent.

When they first arrived a member of one of the Dredie towns saw their ship and immediately ran to tell the elder in his town. This elder went to investigate and saw that the men were attempting to climb onto Kal’vyn. He immediately travelled to report this to to the village nearest the lake. They sent with him several of the strongest men from Kal’vyn to go and stop these men, but by the time they arrived the ropes and pulleys were there, but the boat was gone.

The First Haul

After filling the boat to capacity, the men take the goods back to the nearest continent. They have enough of a haul to not only make a lot of money in the sale, but also to entice several dozen more men to join them. They pay them some money up front and promise a lot more if they are willing to work hard and harvest the flower. The men know of the reputation of the people of the Valiant Isles and bring weapons and armor along with two more, larger ships. When they get back to Kal’vyn the Dreirie are waiting for them and there is a large battle. About half of the outsiders are killed in the skirmish, but they come out on top and set to work climbing back to the top and then harvesting Kalasandar. The men keep the ships far enough out to sea to avoid any attacks from the Dreirie, but many of the Dreirie are watching from their camps on the hills north of the inlet to the lake on Kal’dred.

The Flames of Heaven

The shapeshifters learn of the men that are on top of Kal’vyn and decide that this must end. Grit is chosen as the most well suited of them for this task and she climbs to the top and starts silently stalking and killing the men one at a time. In their fear and desperation the men begin to panic. Many of them threaten to leave and even manage to take over one of the ships and flee. The leader of these men quickly realizes that he has fully lost control and the only logical thing left to do is leave. His anger about all the money that he is losing causes him to take one illogical action before leaving. Once all of the other men have hastily gathered most of their things and are beginning to make the climb down, their leader begins screaming at the sky (venting his anger toward Grit) and trying to set as much of the island on fire as he can on his way to their exit. In response, Grit will charge in and kill him. She will quickly realize, however, that it is too late to stop the fire. In her fury she will charge to the ropes that some of the men are still using to lower themselves to the ground and break the lines causing several more to fall to their deaths. Looking back at the fire she will weave her way back through the jungle and climb down.

The flames quickly engulf the entire island. Plumes of smoke rise high into the sky and are visible from almost all of Kal’dreir. The majority of the Dreirie meet this devastating scene with with stunned silence. The entire island feels as though it has stopped to watch Kal’vyn burn

The Fallout

The Dreirie fall into a panic due to the fact that their portal to Eternal Peace is burning. There are scores of suicides throughout the islands. Some entire villages choose to die together. Some Dreirie go mad with grief and go on suicidal rampages taking others with them to their deaths. The grief stricken Dreirie are much more susceptible to attack and much of the wildlife begins to turn against them and attack them at their weakest. The Gritie and the Blonie are the least susceptible to this as Grit and Blono control the panthers and boars to help protect them. Kanar comes out from hiding to meet the Kanie in an effort to comfort them. She breaks her normal silence and speaks with them, consulting them on how to carry on. Dred goes on an absolute rampage destroying trees, animals and even an entire Dreirie village. His angry roars can be heard throughout all of Kal’dred before finally he is stopped by Grit and Blono and a large number of their progeny. Dozens of panthers and boars lie dead around Dred when his anger finally subsides.

Over the course of months nearly half of the Dreirie die from grief, suicide, animal attacks, or murder from other enraged Dreirie. Their gods come together for them and empower the people, showing them the green that has already begun to take hold on Kal’vyn again. The Blonie will react the strongest to this and be the first to start to get back to normal, but in time the Dreirie will recover and become more indomitable than ever.

This Campaign written by Jason McCracken with concept support and editing from Jacob Woods and Rachel McCracken.