The Court of Scales

The Court of Scales

Type	Fey Court
Government	Dictatorship
Location	The Feywild
Inhabiting Race	Dragons, Corrupted Fey

The Court of Scales is a fey court located in the Feywild that was founded and ruled by evil dragons in service of the dragon goddess Tiamat. Their ultimate goal was to spread her evil and conquest throughout the Feywild and beyond. The court is ruled by High Regent Veylthar the Verdant Fang, an ancient green dragon and risen archfey.

About

The Court of Scales is a court ruled by dragons and rot in the Feywild, a magical realm that exists parallel to Quelmar. The Court's goal is to spread their corruption and influence across the Feywild in the name of Tiamat, the evil goddess of all dragons. Tiamat hoped that the Court of Scales could create another for the War of Many Names, the war waged by Tiamat and her dragons in order to destroy all of Quelmar. Ruled by the cruel and manipulative green dragon Veylthar, the Verdant Fang, the court consists of both corrupted fey and greedy dragons from the Material Plane. Ruling from a massive rotting fortress called Castle Wyrmblight, the Court of Scales holds rule over the Mirewood, a vast swamp filled with corrupting bogs, bloodthirsty Blights, and unfathomable horrors. Many courts have already fallen to Veylthar and his order of corruption and dragons, with their archfey rulers devoured and their members forced to join the Court of Scales.

History

Queen Thalyra the Rooted One (Deceased)

In the earliest days of the Feywild, when the realms were still shaping themselves, the trees that would become the Wildwood rose first. Their roots dug deep into untouched soil, their canopies stretched high into endless skies, and from them was born a queen: Queen Thalyra the Rooted One. She was the spirit of the Wildwood given form, her skin made of bark and moss and her hair a cascade of leaves and flowers that changed with the seasons. Like most dryads, Queen Thalyra's life was bound to a sacred heart tree, further connecting her with the forests of the Wildwood. Queen Thalyra gathered to her side the dryads, satyrs, and woodland spirits of the Wildwood. Together they formed the Court of Branches, a circle of guardians sworn to protect the Wildwood. Under her dominion, the Wildwood was a vast paradise of towering silverwoods, flowering glades, and crystal-clear rivers. The air sang with the voices of songbirds and sprites, and there was peace.

But when the War of Many Names bled into the Feywild, the Court of Branches drew the attention of a terrible predator. Tiamat, forever hungry for power beyond her grasp, sought to establish a foothold in the Feywild as she had across the mortal realms in order to continue to wage her war. In 834 PR the dragon goddess sent a shard of her will to manifest an avatar within the Feywild, and a terrifying multi-headed shadow that fell upon Thalyra’s forest like a great stormcloud. The queen and her court rallied their dryads, treants, and fey knights in resistance, but against the chromatic terror, they stood little chance.

The killing blow was not struck by Tiamat herself, but by her chosen instrument: Veylthar the Verdant Fang, an ancient green dragon and one of Tiamat's most cunning generals. With guile as much as might, Veylthar lured Thalyra into a false parley, feigning willingness to negotiate terms of surrender. When the dryad queen arrived, the dragon unleashed his venomous breath, stripping the life from Thalyra’s body and twisting her sacred heart tree into a blackened husk. Before the horrified eyes of the Court of Branches, Veylthar devoured their queen, consuming not only her body but also the magic that bound her to the land.

With her death, the Wildwood collapsed. The trees wailed, their roots bleeding sap. Once-clear rivers stagnated into dark, sluggish streams. The fertile forests twisted into a choking swamp of thorns, fungal blooms, and venomous growths. Fey creatures that had once danced in sunlit glades found their forms warped: pixies grew dragon like wings and venomous fangs, satyrs turned wild and mad, and dryads fused with brambles and rotted trees. The Wildwood was no more. Now there was only the Mirewood, a fetid swamp, crawling with warped beasts and the servants of dragons. And upon this ruin the dragon Veylthar declared himself High Regent, and that henceforth, the Court of Branches would forever be known as the Court of Scales. Now Veylthar seeks to spread this corruption to new courts, bending more fey to his will, and to devour even more archfey.

Society and Culture of the Court of Scales and the Mirewood

The Court of Scales is built on two principles: that dragons are the ultimate lifeforms in the realm, and that the Feywild must fall. Once a fey paradise under Queen Thalyra the Rooted One, the court and the land around it are now a twisted echo of what it once was, reshaped by the will of High Regent Veylthar the Verdant Fang and the draconic influence of the dragon queen Tiamat. At its heart lies Castle Wyrmblight, a rotting fortress of stone and vines where the Veylthar rules supreme. From this throne, Veylthar rules through fear and enchantment, twisting the Court of Branches’ old hierarchies into a structure where scales, corruption, and cruelty dictate status. The nobles of the court who were once dryads, treants, and elven knights have become warped things, more monster and dragon than fey, their bodies reshaped by venom, scale, and swamp rot. Beside them stand true dragons loyal to Tiamat, sent into the Feywild with Veylthar to build out his court and expand the influence of the Dragon Queen.

The culture of the Court reflects this shift. Where once the fey celebrated growth, music, and the change of nature, the Court of Scales now exalts decay, domination, and dragons. Festivals and songs once dedicated to the changing of seasons and the blooming of new life now glorify the fall of fey courts and the majesty of dragons. Even the language of the court has changed, with all the members of the Court of Scales speaking a hybrid language of draconic and sylvan, a guttural, hissing tongue known only within the Mirewood.

Interior Hallway of Castle Wyrmblight

Beyond the castle and its courtiers lies the Mirewood itself, a fetid land where only the strongest and most vile of creatures can survive.. The fey who once served Thalyra linger as broken remnants of their old selves, now corrupted and twisted beyond recognition. Some survive as bog-slaves, bound to dragons or their lieutenants and forced to tend to their masters’ every need or patrol the swamps in servitude. Others exist on the fringes as half-wild scavengers, eking out a life amid the rotting trees and venomous waters. Whole clans of corrupted satyrs known as Foulfawn and twisted sprites roam these lands, blending into the swamp like predators rather than people, waiting to spring out from the brush and devour poor travelers. And always, above them all, the Court’s agents patrol the swamps, ensuring that the more powerful inhabitants of the swamp remain under Veylthar’s claw. But even Veylthar cannot fully control what the Mirewood has become, a truly lawless waste of rot with to many horrors to name.

The Worship of Tiamat

Soon after the Court of Scales was formed, cultists of the Dragon Queen Tiamat were imported into the Feywild to establish her worship within the realm. Every gathering of the court begins and ends with invocations to the Five-Headed Queen by the Court’s Grand Chaplain, and her likeness is etched into every hall of Castle Wyrmblight: snarling dragon heads carved into doorframes, scaled effigies coiled around thrones, and murals of her conquest of the Wildwood and Quelmar. Every member of the court is required to be a worshipper of Tiamat for them to maintain their position both within the Court and the Mirewood. Inside Castle Wyrmblight is a massive temple where every day and night the Grand Chaplain holds a service in Tiamat’s honor.

But beyond the walls of Castle Wyrmblight, the worship of Tiamat has struggled to spread. Most attempts by cultists to spread the word of Tiamat to the more monstrous inhabitants of the swamp have led them to perish to one of the many dangers of the Mirewood. All that is usually left of these failed expeditions are small effigies and altars dedicated to the Dragon Queen built deep within the swamp. Whenever a new court is consumed by the Court of Scales, members of the dragon cult eagerly court any newcomers in hopes of inducting these newly corrupted fey into Tiamat’s church.

Cultists of Tiamat crafting an alter to her in the Mirewood

Warlocks

Unlike the other archfey courts, which often form pacts with mortals bound in riddles, beauty, or trickery, the Court of Scales forges warlock bonds with the same venomous pragmatism that defines its rule. Wayward travelers who get lost in the Mirewood or mortals in the Material Plane who may align with the Court’s values of corruption may find themselves approached by emissaries of the Court of Scales and be presented with an offer. These bargains are rarely cloaked in charm; they are straightforward exchanges of power for loyalty and service, sealed in blood, venom, and the rot of the Mirewood. A warlock of the Court might be granted abilities that warp the land around them into choking mire, to corrode weapons with acidic breath, or bend plants and fey to their will. As a side effect, some of these warlocks often find they have started to grow scales across their skin, or that thorned briars begin poking out from underneath their flesh.

Most of the Court’s warlocks fall under the purview of Sylia Blackleaf, a crimson satyr seer and right hand of Veylthar. Her ability to convince, trick, and deceive as easily as she can breathe makes the managing of her warlocks simple, dangling before them what the warlocks desire most, yet always keeping it out of reach. Other members of the court command small groups of warlocks, though none can match what Sylia Blackleaf has constructed. Even outside the walls of the Court of Scales and Castle Wyrmblight, influential demons and hags within the Mirewood have a few warlocks of their own, sharing their power in return for secrets and service.

Court Members

The Court of Scales was broken down into four tiers. At the top was High Regent Veylthar the Verdent Fang, the unopposed ruler of the Court of Scales. Directly below his were the Five Talons, five corrupted fey who used to serve in the court of Queen Thalyra the Rooted One. Next to them in authority are the High Barons, powerful dragonkin and servants of Tiamat who have been given positions of great prestige in the court. Below them is the Low Court, which consists of both dragonkin and corrupted fey who manage most of the day to day operations of the court.

High Regent Veylthar the Verdant Fang

High Regent Veylthar the Verdant Fang

Velthar the Verdant Fang is an ancient green dragon bestowed with the powers of an archfey. He has been alive since the days dragons first walked the realms and was one of Tiamat’s most loyal followers since the beginning. Even before becoming an archfey, Velthar had become a master of enchantment magic and possessed the unique ability to charm creatures with his glowing green eyes. This made him a useful servant of Tiamat as one of her premiere spies and disruptors, and made him her first choice for who should spearhead her incursion into the Fey realms.

But just as practiced as Veylthar’s magic was his ability to lie. As Tiamat’s avatar devastated the Wildwood, Veylthar presented himself to Queen Thalyra the Rooted One as a kind yet pitiful dragon who only wanted peace. Given the tense situation, the usually perceptive Queen was unable to see through the dragon’s lies, right up until Veylthar devoured her and sundered the heart tree she was bound to with his poisonous breath.

The Mirewood and the Court of Scales is a reflection of Veylthar’s truest self, dark, twisted, and rotting. A schemer at heart, Veylthar delights in pulling the strings of the fey and watching their forms twist and break. With the devouring of Queen Thalyra, Veylthar turned his magic against the fey of the Wildwood, bending them completely to his will. Ironically, Veylthar keeps closer council with the corrupted fey of the Mirewood rather then with his fellow dragonkin who joined the court from the Material Realm, since as any good schemer knows, once you are on top, everyone is out to get you.

Veylthar spends most of his time consorting with the members of his court and planning their next move. Rather than engage in outright warfare, Veylthar prefers to instead use corruption and subterfuge to dethrone his adversaries. Then when the ruling archfey of a rival court is at their weakest, he and his forces will descend the rival court and Veylthar will devour them, subsuming their court into his own.

But Veylthar has not been immune to the magic of the Feywild. His time in the Mirewood and his practices of eating archfey have begun to catch up to him. Veylthar's actions have become stranger and more esoteric, far cries from the draconic natures of his kin. In addition Veylthar has been haunted by the ghostly voices of Queen Thalyra the Rooted One and all the other archfey he has devoured. Is it karma, is it a curse, is it all in his head? No one knows.

Veylthar appears as a massive green dragon whose once glistening scales have been tarnished by black corrupting veins, swamp muck, and dark moss. His eyes glow a brilliant emerald green, emitting a light that hypnotizes anyone who looks too deep into them, and brings them under Veylthar’s control. His breath is so poisonous that it immediately rots all plant life that comes into contact with it and corrupts good-aligned fey. Ever since entering the Feywild, Veylthar’s desire for gold has diminished. Instead he has come to hoard the bones of powerful fey and artifacts of fallen courts. His hoard is enchanted so that if anyone attempts to steal from it, the bones come alive and attack any would-be thief.

The Five Talons

A council directly beneath Veylthar, the Five Talons are composed of the five former advisors of Queen Thalyra the Rooted One, now each corrupted beyond measure and bound to represent one of the aspects of Tiamat. Each of the talons hold command over separate regions of the Mirewood and have been given rank by Veylthar above other dragons in the Court of Scales.

The Talon of White - Elyndris the Loveless Hollow

Elyndris the Loveless Hollow

Elyndris, the Loveless Hollow, was once a beautiful eladrin elf and the cherished consort of Queen Thalyra. But when the queen fell, Elyndris’ grief curdled into a sorrowful despair so deep it tore her soul apart. Now she lingers as a Banshee, her beauty now twisted into a visage of spectral horror with pale, hollowed eyes that burn with sorrow, hair like withered vines, and skin as translucent as the marsh fog. Even when deep into the swamps of the Mirewood, you can hear her far away mournful wails echoing through the trees. Those who stray too near to her feel their own hope wither, their bodies rotting away until nothing remains but a pale specter bound to her for eternity. Even Veylthar keeps his distance, for her cries gnaw at flesh and spirit alike.

Elyndris serves as the Keeper of Secrets within Castle Wyrmblight, drifting through the labyrinthine archives and forbidden libraries of the court. She remembers the true history of the Wildwood and its fall, and the darkest secrets of the Mirewood are known to her alone. Her counsel is sought, rarely, cautiously, by the Five Talons, for she knows everything, yet shares nothing without a cost. Beyond the walls of Castle Wyrmblight, she rules the Moaning Marshes, an accursed lake where fog hangs heavy and the dead outnumber the living. Corpses and spirits rise to her call, wading from the mire with eyes full of grief, dragging the living into the depths to join their mistress in her endless mourning.

Gnarvok, Warden of the Weeping Grove

The Talon of Black - Gnarvok, Warden of the Weeping Grove

Gnarvok was once a towering Treant of pale silver bark and radiant golden leaves. He was beloved by Queen Thalyra and honored with the title of "Guardian of the Wildwood." In those days his grove was a sanctuary where dryads, sprites, and mortals alike found shelter. But when Tiamat’s avatar descended upon the Court of Branches, Gnarvok’s grove was annihilated, and the Treant himself was sundered in the assault.

When the Court of Scales arose, Veylthar resurrected both the grove and its guardian, though what returned bore little resemblance to the noble Treant of old. Gnarvok rose again as a hollow and corrupted husk, his golden canopy now a tangle of dead, weeping branches and his bark cracked and bleeding with black ichor. Every trace of his old warmth and wisdom has been stripped away, replaced by blind obedience to the High Regent. Today, Gnarvok commands the Weeping Grove, a forest of monstrous, twisted Treants who share his cursed fate. Their branches drip with black sap, their roots snake across the Mirewood’s borders, and their howls echo like the groaning of a thousand dying trees. To trespass into their domain is to be torn apart and left hanging in the branches, your bones a warning to all future trespassers.

The Talons of Green - The Hag Sisters Grivnash, Thraxxa, and Olymra

The Hag Sisters Grivnash, Thraxxa, and Olymra

Once, Grivnash, Thraxxa, and Olymra were three gentle crones and the treasured advisors to Queen Thalyra. They tended to her court with wisdom, kindness, and foresight, and their warnings saved the queen from danger more than once. When Veylthar arrived at their court, however, the sisters urged Thalyra to mistrust his intentions. For that defiance, Veylthar turned his magical corruption on them and merged their three bodies into a single grotesque form, each face and voice vying for dominance, their sweetness warped into venom and their wisdom turned to madness

The transformation shattered their minds. Their voices no longer offered counsel but shrieked and whispered over one another in endless discord. Their kindly hands became talons that delighted in warping beauty into horror and rending flesh. The sight of the sisters’ shared body is enough to unnerve even seasoned adventurers: three faces jutting from a single torso, their expressions shifting between pleading, giggling, and snarling in rapid succession. In their madness, they found a perverse joy in cruelty, twisting mortal spirits until they broke, and from that brokenness fashioning new toys for their amusement. Veylthar, ever pragmatic, twisted their affliction into utility, turning them into ardent followers of Tiamat.

Now the Hag Sisters, a coven of one body, rule over the Venomwell, the most corrupted region of the Mirewood, a festering bog of green mists and poisonous waters. The land itself seems to weep bile, its air choked with fumes that kill blossoms and rot flesh. From here, the sisters conduct their wicked experiments. They keep a host of trolls, whom they call their “little boys and girls,” doting on them with a mockery of maternal affection. Through cruel experiments, they managed to isolate a troll's regenerative abilities to give to both themselves and their horrifying creations. They have applied these properties to rotting draconic flesh to make horrific dragonflesh golems with regenerative abilities that have been shaped in Tiamat’s image.

Sir Lornthar Vale the Thorned Blade

The Talon of Blue - Sir Lornthar Vale the Thorned Blade

Once the golden knight of the Court of Branches, Sir Lornthar Vale was known not for his ferocity but for his kindness. A dryad born of sunlit groves, he carried laughter wherever he went whether sparring in the glades, leading hunts through the wood, or entertaining courtiers with his boundless good cheer. His devotion to Queen Thalyra bordered on worship, and he swore his bark and blade to her protection until the end of his days. That oath was tested when Veylthar descended upon the Court, and in the final moments where everything was on the line, he failed. Forced to watch his queen devoured before his eyes, his spirit cracked, leaving only hollow grief where once joy had flourished.

When Veylthar’s emerald gaze fell upon him, Lornthar did not resist. The dragon’s corruption seeped into his very roots: his supple vines hardened into strangling brambles, his tears oozed into black sludge, and his once bright laughter was forever silenced. Reborn as the Thorned Blade, Lornthar became Veylthar’s mightiest champion, clad in twisted plate of living thorns and wielding a cruel blade of bark fused with dragonbone. He is commander of the dragon’s armies, and his presence on the field is heralded by the rattle of dead leaves and the choking stench of rot. Yet even in this form, his sorrow remains as each night he kneels in solitude, weeping bitter sap for the queen he failed, his cries echoing through the Mirewood like the groans of a dying forest. His weeping earned him the cruel nickname of “The Mourning Wood.”

As penance for his betrayal, Lornthar bound himself to Blisterbark Mound, a cursed hill where the remains of Queen Thalyra’s heart tree stand. He cut away his own heart tree and grafted his essence onto what remained of hers, rooting himself in the scarred trunk of his beloved queen. The act chained him eternally to the site of her ruin, both a shrine and a prison of his own making. The Mirewood’s denizens whisper that when he cries, sap oozes from the tree’s blackened bark like blood, and that to touch it is to feel his grief pierce your heart like thorns. The plants of the Mirewood head his call, and his retinue is made of twisted blights that mock his failures.

The Talon of Red - Sylia Blackleaf the Lightless Ember

Sylia Blackleaf the Lightless Ember

Sylia Blackleaf was always out for herself and always will be. With flowing crimson hair, faultless skin, and great curling horns studded with jewels, her beauty has been untouched by the rot of the Mirewood. While most of the Court of Scales bears scars of corruption with twisted limbs, scaled flesh, or hollowed eyes, Sylia walks among them radiant as ever. Yet her corruption lies not in body, but in her heart. Once she served as Queen Thalyra’s court wizard and seer, a trusted confidante whose visions guided the court through storms and wars alike. But when she glimpsed the shadow of Veylthar’s coming, Sylia faltered. She saw the death of the queen, the corruption of the Wildwood, and her own ruin if she stood in the path of the dragon. And so, she chose silence. When Tiamat’s avatar descended, Sylia made her choice final. She sought the dragon Veylthar in secret, offering loyalty in exchange for survival and a place by Veylthar’s side. It was Sylia who whispered the lies that lured Thalyra into her fatal parley, and Sylia who sealed her queen’s doom.

Now, Sylia serves as the High Regent’s most trusted hand, standing at his side in Castle Wyrmblight. Her prophecies shape the movements of armies, the breaking of rivals, and the slow, inevitable spread of corruption through the Feywild. She burns her enemies with gouts of black fire that sear the spirit, leaving behind husks of ash and bone. Her eyes glow faintly when her visions seize her, and her laughter, bright as a songbird’s, chills all who hear it.

Next to Veylthar, Sylia is the political heart of the Court of Scales. Even though she claims no single domain of her own, her command over the Mirewood is second only to the High Regent himself. Even the four other talons must heed her orders. Both Sir Lornthar Vale and Elyndris opening despise Sylia, for they know she was responsible for their Queen’s death, yet their corruption has run so deep and their devotion to Veylthar is so great that they will never act on their rage.

The High Barons

When Veylthar created the Court of Scales, Tiamat sent over a number of powerful dragonkin to help fill out the ranks of the new court of dragons as well as to keep an eye on the Verdant Fang. The greatest of these dragonkin became known as the High Barons, enjoying wealth and prestige under the rule of Veylthar. All of the dragons and dragonkin of the court report to them and the High Barons manage most of the travel and communication between the Court of Scales and the draconic continent of Kiston back in the Material Plane. But as the years passed, the High Barons became more wary of the High Regent Veylthar, worried that they Fey realms were beginning to turn him away from his true devotion to Tiamat.

Grand Chaplain Lorastrus

Grand Chaplain Lorastrus

Once a proud gold dragon, Lorastrus was known in the draconic lands of the Material Plane as a sage and peacemaker, a dragon who sought balance among wyrmkinds’ endless squabbles. But the lure of power and whispers from the Cult of the Dragon corrupted him. In secret, Lorastrus made an infernal pact with a devil of the Ten Hells, offering up his radiant body and golden fire in exchange for incredible magical abilities, becoming a golden Abishai, a dragon devil.

Now the Court of Scales’ chief priest, Lorastrus is the architect of its rituals, sacrifices, and blasphemies. His sermons echo across the Mirewood in voices carried by unseen wings, calling mortals and fey alike to abandon their fleeting courts and kneel before the Scaled Queen. To the dragon cultists of the court, he is not merely a leader but a living saint, the embodiment of devotion rewarded through sacrifice. His staff is said to channel not only his own warped magic but also fragments of Tiamat’s will. He despises cowardice, and he values order within the otherwise chaotic mire of the Court. Many of the dragonkin serve him directly, for Lorastrus organizes the cults, catalogs the rituals, and ensures offerings are delivered to shrines of Tiamat across the Feywild.

Lorastrus carries himself with fanatical dignity, always cloaked in resplendent vestments stitched from scales of those who dared defy him. His sermons are terrifying as he preaches with passion and rage, calling all who listen to bask in the light of the Chromatic Queen. Even among the High Barons, Lorastrus stands apart as the most loyal to Tiamat, and he views Veylthar with both respect and suspicion. While he acknowledges the Verdant Fang’s might, he fears the influence of Fey magic has tainted his devotion. Some whisper Lorastrus keeps secret records of Veylthar’s deeds, ready to accuse him of heresy before Tiamat should the High Regent stray too far.

The Great Cleaver and Court Executioner

The Great Cleaver and Court Executioner

The half-dragon offspring of an ancient black dragon, long ago the Great Cleaver forsook his mortal name to fully become a weapon of Tiamat. In exchange for this renunciation, the Dragon Queen blessed him with a war axe forged from her own chromatic scales and made him her grand executioner. With it, he carries out her sentences and those of the Court of Scales, his strikes leaving wounds that no magic can heal.

Silent, imposing, and ever-watchful, the Great Cleaver serves as both the hand of Veylthar and the leash of Tiamat. The Great Cleaver’s role is brutally simple, he is the end of all things. Every public execution, every quiet disappearance, and every “final warning” within the Mirewood eventually finds its conclusion beneath his blade. He keeps a meticulous ledger of names, traitors, spies, oathbreakers, and sometimes even disfavored nobles, all marked for his axe.

The Great Cleaver is a man of few words. Many within the Court believe he sees more than he lets on, that his black dragon eyes pierce through deception and glamour, making him an invaluable confidant to Veylthar. Indeed, Veylthar values the Great Cleaver’s honesty above all, knowing that while others in the court may flatter, deceive, or conspire, the Great Cleaver’s axe never lies. But Veylthar also knows that if he strays too far from the mission set forth by Tiamat, the Great Cleaver will come for his neck.

Chancellor Rancliir

Chancellor Rancliir

Chancellor Rancliir is a proud and sinister ancient white dragon, hailing from the icy peaks of the Material Realm, known for his cunning and relentless ambition. He was one of the many dragons that Tiamat called upon to travel into the Feywild, and in return for this mission Rancliir was given extraordinary warlock magic. In the Feywild, he presents himself as a sinister white dragonborn, his pale scales slick as frost, his eyes gleaming with cold intellect. His voice is precise, sharp, and measured, and his every word in council is weighted with menace.

As Chancellor of the Court, Rancliir governs bureaucracy, court politics, and castle records, ensuring that the court’s operations run with precise efficiency. While Veylthar wields raw power and the Five Talons execute Veylthar's will, Rancliir controls the mechanisms that make the court function. He is meticulous, exacting, and unforgiving, and any dragonkin, cultist, or fey who fails in their duties quickly learns the icy sting of his wrath.

The chancellor is also deeply entwined with the Hag Sisters. He provides them with subjects, magical reagents, and the arcane knowledge necessary for their experiments. Together, they twist victims into new forms: half-fey, half-monster, infused with dragon essence and bound by corrupt magic. Though he appears calm and calculating, Rancliir's genius is always teetering on the brink of insanity. The High Barons defer to his judgment on legal and arcane matters, while even Veylthar regards his counsel with cautious attention.

Baroness Asternendrarlon, the Keeper of the Hoard

Baroness Asternendrarlon, the Keeper of the Hoard

Baroness Asternendrarlon, known as Asterne, was oncean ancient silver dragon devoted to Bahamut, the god of justice and good-aligned dragons. She served faithfully in the wars that raged across the Material Plane, rallying dragonkin and mortal allies alike to defend the realm with honor. But the tides of conflict turned, and one by one, Asterne witnessed the fall of her comrades, the shattering of her ideals, and the futility of even the noblest cause. Eventually, Asterne made a cold and pragmatic choice: she abandoned her oaths to Bahamut and pledged herself to Tiamat. Unlike many who were corrupted by fear or temptation, Asterne rationalized her service as a form of order amid chaos. If the dragons were to dominate the world, she would ensure that their rise was efficient, organized, and sustainable. After some years, Tiamat sent her to join the Court of Scales in the Feywild and Veylthar appointed her as the Keeper of the Hoard, managing the Court of Scales’ wealth, acquisitions, and treasures.

Asterne oversees the monthly tithes of gold, precious gems, and magical artifacts sent back to Tiamat, ensuring that nothing is lost or squandered. She is also responsible for evaluating new acquisitions: fallen fey, dragon cultist offerings, or plundered treasures from the Mirewood and neighboring realms. To fail in her audits or mismanage resources is considered a grievous offense, sometimes punished by exile into the Mirewood’s deadliest regions. Asterne is not cruel for cruelty’s sake; she executes her duties with calm precision, believing that the Court functions best when every piece, from High Regent to dragon cultist, performs its role without fail. Her scales shimmer like polished platinum, her eyes keen and calculating, and she moves through the Court with serene authority.

Asterne’s influence extends beyond wealth management. She guides the High Barons’ decisions, the tithe collections, and even Veylthar’s campaigns when resources and logistics are concerned. In the Mirewood, she maintains treasuries in secure enclaves, guarded by corrupted monstrous dragonkin, and fey constructs. Whispers among the Court say that Asterne has her own contingency plans, a carefully cataloged network of assets should Veylthar ever falter.

The Low Court

The Low Court forms the foundation of the Court of Scales’ hierarchy, a tier below the Five Talons and High Barons but still composed of the most capable and loyal subjects in Veylthar’s service. Its ranks are filled with a mix of dragonkin and corrupted fey nobility drawn from the remnants of the Court of Branches and other conquered Fey courts. The Low Court serves as administrators, enforcers, and intermediaries, ensuring that the commands of the Five Talons and High Barons are executed across the Mirewood and beyond. They oversee the collection of tribute from lesser fey, maintain the corrupted infrastructure of the swamp, and enforce order among the myriad horrors that crawl through the Mirewood. Though they lack the autonomy of the higher ranks, the Low Court wields significant local power, and rivalries within its members are frequent, each seeking favor from the upper echelons. Most dragons within the Court of Scales that are adults or older have at least some form of station within the lower court

Urid Tazzire, the Keeper of the Forge

The Keeper of the Forge, Urid Tazzire

Urid Tazzire is a red dragonborn whose scales shimmer like molten metal, a reflection of both his draconic heritage and the fires of his forge. Raised in the bowels of the Crystal City in Kiston, Urid apprenticed under the red dragon Kaapaar the Forge Flame. From a young age, Urid displayed an uncanny talent for working metal and fire, crafting weapons and armor that served Tiamat’s war effort well. When Tiamat sought skilled artisans to serve in the Court of Scales, Kaapaar personally recommended Urid, declaring that no apprentice had ever rivaled their own skill, though Kaapaar also wanted to send away Urid before others began to question if Urid’s abilities as a smith were even greater then Kaapaar’s.

Upon arriving at the Court of Scales, Urid was made the Keeper of the Forge and the Court Smith. In his new forge in Castle Wyrmblight, Urid transformed the strange flora, minerals, and dragon-tainted materials of the Mirewood into unmatched weapons and constructs. Beyond mere craftsmanship, Urid also oversees the training of lesser dragonkin smiths and makes sure that all weapons and armor his forge produces are up to his standard. But in his heart, Urid does not crave battle or conquest like his other draconic kin. He only desires the simple things: food, freedom, and a forge where he can craft to his heart's content.

Seeth, the Keeper of the Grounds

The Keeper of the Grounds, Seeth

Seeth, an albino lizardfolk with pale, almost translucent scales, was born in a dark swamp on the Material Plane, never able to tolerate the sun’s harsh glare. From a young age Seeth became enamored with stories of a swamp ruled by dragonkin where the sky was blotted out by dark clouds. Using the druidic magic passed down from his ancestors, Seeth transported himself to the Mirewood, arriving amidst the corruption and decay, yet seeing in it a strange, untamed beauty that spoke to him. Without prompting, he began tending to the Mirewood’s plants and waterways, shaping twisted growths, controlling the creeping blights, and guiding the swamp’s creatures to maintain what he saw as a natural beauty.

Veylthar soon took notice of Seeth’s care and willingness, recognizing that the swamp required a careful hand to maintain its deadly splendor. Invited to serve as the Keeper of the Grounds for Castle Wyrmblight, Seeth now tends to the entire expanse of the Mirewood inside and outside the court’s strongholds. He ensures that traps, hidden marsh paths, and natural habitats are maintained and given the proper love and care. While the inhabitants of the Mirewood are vicious and monstrous, none would dare attack Seeth, for he always brought the best snacks for them. While loyal to Veylthar, Seeth’s true devotion lies with the Mirewood itself, and court or no court, he is happy where he is.

Sergeant Mak Glistener

Sergeant Mak Glistener

Sergeant Mak Glistener is a gold-scaled kobold whose pride in his role as a general in Veylthar’s armies is matched only by his meticulous appearance. Always adorned in the finest military regalia the Court of Scales can provide, he parades through the halls and battlefields with a self-assured air, believing himself a paragon of draconic martial honor. His demeanor is confident, his voice carrying orders with zeal, and he takes great satisfaction in training the lesser dragonkin and kobold soldiers of the Court of Scales.

Yet, despite his outward pride, the court’s members view Mak as a source of amusement, secretly dubbing him the “Jester General.” His pompous airs and theatrical displays paired with his small size often makes him the entertainment for the Five Talons, High Barons, and even Veylthar himself, who allow Mak to bask in his own importance while subtly mocking him behind closed doors. But the sergeant is not to be underestimated by all, for his bite is as great as his bark. Mak is a formidable duelist with lightning-quick and cunning reflexes and the ability to parry multiple foes at once. While he may be unaware of the court’s true opinions on him, Mak’s loyalty, courage, and undeniable skill make him an valuable, if occasionally comical, instrument of Veylthar’s court.

Drog, the Keeper of Beasts

The Keeper of Beasts, Drog

Drog was one of Tiamat’s early experiments to create the worldbreaker, a monster prophesized to one day end the world. While Drog never reached those standards set by the Dragon Queen, he was a useful tool and weapon to her nonetheless. Standing nearly twelve feet tall, Drog's scales shimmer in a patchwork of deep blue and black, and his eyes gleam with feral hunger. Drog’s mind is as bestial as his body. Though monstrous in appearance and temperament, Drog is fiercely loyal to Veylthar, and his strength makes him invaluable as the court’s Keeper of Beasts. Few in the entirety of the Mirewood can match his physical strength.

Drog’s dominion lies in the Mudpits, a vast ravine outside Castle Wyrmblight where the Mirewood’s most dangerous creatures are held and trained. Here, he breaks the will of swamp monsters, great beasts, and even lesser dragonkin like drakes and Wyverns, bending them into obedient instruments of the court. Drog delights in testing his charges, pushing them to extremes in combat and endurance, and he takes particular pride in his pets getting to serve in Tiamat’s name. Though few dare venture near him, few can ignore the cries from the Mudpits, or Drog’s own violent roars.

Lord Corvid Murdershire

Lord Corvid Murdershire

Lord Corvid Murdershire was once a minor noble in the Court of Feathers, a vibrant and elegant court of avian fey celebrated for their beauty, artistry, and expression. Ambitious and cunning, Corvid saw the rise of Veylthar as an opportunity rather than a threat. When the High Regent Velythar came to take the court, Corvid betrayed his own kin, turning his personal guard against the court and delivering the ruling archfey to Veylthar with cold efficiency. For this act, he was rewarded with a seat in the Court of Scales and stewardship over his family’s ancestral domain, the Aery, a sprawling cliff palace.

Corvid is a consummate opportunist, always watching, listening, and calculating his next move. His cunning and ambition occasionally bring him into conflict with Sylia Blackleaf, whose own ambition matched his own. Yet, like all in Veylthar’s court, Corvid tempers ambition with obedience; he knows the High Regent tolerates his plotting only so long as it serves the court’s interests. In the Aery, he maintains order among the remaining avian fey and corrupted servants, ensuring the once-extravagant halls are kept up so he can hold lavish balls and galas. Corvid’s feathered harpies, spies, and winged soldiers keep constant watch over the skies of the Mirewood, and he delights in using them to entrap rivals, gather secrets, or manipulate the court’s politics to his advantage.

Lady Zalrina Marrow

Lady Zalrina Marrow

Once an elven noblewoman of the Court of Branches, Lady Zalrina Marrow has retained her position in the Low Court. Her fall into corruption was not sudden but gradual, a slow surrender to the intoxicating allure of Veylthar’s corruption. She is clad in dark, opulent gowns of velvet and silk, with jewelry wrought from bone and tarnished silver. Zalrina retains the refined manners and eloquent charm that made her a fixture of the fey nobility, yet beneath the surface lies a hunger that can be seen in her sunken black eyes and razor sharp teeth. Few can match her network of connections within the Mirewood, for she maintains ties to fallen fey nobles, dragonkin officers, and even shadowy demons deep within the swamps.

Lady Zalrina is infamous for her banquets, which she hosts in her private halls within her courtly estate. Cloaked in the trappings of high fey nobility, these gatherings are feasts of horror where guests dine upon mortal flesh, often captured wanderers or lost adventurers unlucky enough to stray into the Mirewood. Despite her reputation, many court members eagerly attend her feasts, for refusing an invitation from Lady Marrow is as dangerous as accepting one.

The Lord of Masks

The Lord of Masks

Once, the being now called the Lord of Masks was a proud noble of the Feywild, but whether they hailed from the Court of Branches or beyond has long since been forgotten. When Veylthar conquered their home, the unfortunate fey was captured and delivered to the Hag Sisters Grivnash, Thraxxa, and Olymra. The noble was broken piece by piece: their name stripped, their flesh reshaped, their spirit fragmented until nothing remained of the fey they once were. When they were finally stitched back together, they were little more than a puppet of flesh and will, clad in tarnished robes, their body moving with unsettling stiffness. They had no face of their own anymore, and so they began to wear masks, dozens of them, each hand-carved or stolen, each carrying a different persona.

The Mangled

Now known only as the Lord of Masks, they serve the Court of Scales as its entertainer. Though their performances are rarely joyous. With a voice that shifts depending on which mask they wear, they recite plays of tragedy, pain, and horrifying to behold, often mocking the fall of the fey courts or enacting twisted parodies of ancient tales. To some, they are amusing; to others, profoundly disturbing. The Lord of Masks keeps their collection close: porcelain visages, wooden faces, gilded visors, and even masks of bone. Each is said to hold a fragment of the soul they once possessed, though none can be certain if this is actually true.

The Mangled

When Veylthar claimed the Court of Branches, his corruption spread far and wide, affecting all the inhabitants of the Mirewood in terrifying and unique ways. One poor nest of fairies were not able to escape the worst of the corruption as their bodies fused together until they became one writhing abomination. Flesh melted into flesh, wings snapped and tangled, and bones shattered to accommodate alien shapes. The result was neither many nor one, but a horrid chorus of voices, a thing that should not exist: The Mangled.

They shamble through Castle Wyrmblight in the vague mockery of a humanoid form, wrapped in a blood-stained white cloak and wearing a golden mask to hide the horror beneath. When they speak, it is in a chorus of many voices, overlapping and broken, some sobbing, some laughing, others screaming incoherently. Within the court, they serve as Veylthar’s loyal attendant and in some cases even, bodyguard. In battle, they lash out with elongated limbs, claws, and wings sharpened into blades.

The Mirewood

The Mirewood is a vast and choking swamp, a place where the beauty of the Feywild has been drowned in rot and draconic evil. Towering trees once radiant with silver bark now stand as blackened husks, their branches warped into claw-like shapes that drip with moss and acidic sap. The air is thick with a perpetual green mist that clings to the skin and fills the lungs with a bitter tang, carrying the hum of insects and the far away cries of doomed fey. Every now and again the Mirewood is buffeted by the wings of a dragon and filled with the sound of its roars. Once-clear rivers have slowed into brackish channels of slime-choked water, their banks overrun with thorned vines and fungal blooms, and their depths inhabited by dark scaled beasts that devour whoever comes to close. Croaking frogs with too many eyes, dragonfly swarms with fanged maws, and lurching half-draconic beasts stalk the bog. The sky is ever choked with sickly green clouds, with not even a ray of sunlight passing through them. On most days these clouds let loose a deluge of acidic rain that plunges the swamp into further rot.

Ghostly will-o’-wisps flit above the muck, luring wanderers into the bog where twisted roots clutch like skeletal hands while blighted dryads and venomous pixies lay complicated traps to harm and maim travelers in the swamp. The land itself seems alive and hostile, its trees groaning, its waters hissing, and its creatures whispering with voices that echo the long-devoured Court of Branches.

Welcome to Castle Wyrmblight

Castle Wyrmblight

At the very center of the Mirewood stands the symbol of High Regent Veylthar’s authority, Castle Wyrmblight. Built on the carcass of Heartwood Hall, the former ruling seat of the Court of Branches, Castle Wyrmblight is an imposing and towering fortress of dark slime covered stones and muck encrusted towers. Its spires pierce the murky green clouds above the Mirewood and its appearance is as disgusting and rotting as the swamp around it. Gargoyles carved in the shape of deformed dragons perch atop its walls while ravenous pixies roost in its peaks while feasting on scavenged meat. Often, you will catch a faint glimpse of a dragon's shadow flying to or from the castle's many high balconies. Built atop a rotting foundation, the keep is ever crumbling, and is only maintained by the magical influence of Veylthar. Where stone and brick fall away, they are replaced by vines, mud, and pulsating scaly flesh. Built into the very bones of the structure are the still forms of fey whose corruption fully undid their minds, fusing them to the castle they were bound to. Their sorrowful moans echo through the halls, music to Veylthar’s ears. Castle Wyrmblight is where High Regent Veylthar holds dominion over the Court of Scales, with the court conveying every dark moon to perform esoteric and abhorrent rituals, and to concoct schemes on how to further their dark influence.

The castle has six great spires: four for the High Barons, one for Sylia Blackleaf, and the tallest reserved for the High Regent himself. At the castle's heart lies Fester Hall, a grand throne room with a seat for each member of the Court of Scales. Veylthar’s own throne is a twisted mass of roots and bones with the symbol of the Court of Scales hanging over it. Every night the corrupted inhabitants of Castle Wyrmblight come to Fester Hall to feast on banquets of rotting carcasses and poor mortals who wandered too deep into the Feywilds. Though many of the High Barons recuse themselves of this display, seeing it as beneath them.

Within the castle as well is a sizable temple dedicated to Tiamat where members of the Cult of the Dragon are led by Chaplain Lorastrus in fervent prayer to their goddess Tiamat. Nearby are also the castle's vast archives, a holdover from the Court of Branches that has now been repurposed to the Court of Scales needs. Then beneath the castle the High Regent keeps his favorite prisoners, adventurers from far off lands and resilient fey from courts he has consumed. Here Veylthar and Chancelor Rancliir engage in horrific torture in order to turn these prisoners into their willing thralls. Outside the castle walls is a large ravine called the Mudpits and is watched over and guarded by the Keeper of Beasts, Drog. Here Drog tends to venomous hydras, swamp hounds, armored wyverns, ravenous drakes, and even more creatures whose existence boggles the mind.

At all times the castle walls are guarded by at least two adult dragons as well as a legion of corrupted bramble knights, some of whom take flight on Wyvern back. In addition, dark fey lurk beneath the muck, waiting to pull any potential intruders beneath the earth and to their demise.

Blisterbark Mound

Not far from the walls of Castle Wyrmblight is Blisterbark Mound. Here atop the hill is the blackened husk of the sacred tree that Queen Thalyra the Rooted One was once connected to. After it was destroyed by Veylthar’s poisonous breath, the tree’s rotting carcass is all that remains. Its branches have no leaves to call its own and the splits in its wood bleed crimson blood. High Regent Veylthar has allowed it to stay standing to serve as a symbol of what happens to all who oppose him. In the branches of the surrounding trees, pixies and fairies mock the tree and the Queen it once lived for day and night.

A frequent visitor to Blisterbark Mound is Sir Lornthar Vale, who made Queen Thalyra’s tree his new heart tree as a form of self punishment. When he visits, his black tears mix with the blood seeping forth from the tree, spawning sick and horrid blights from the earth that follow him like a mocking retinue.

The Venomwell

Just beyond Blisterbark Mound it the bog known as the Venomwell. The Venomwell is a bubbling bog of green sludge and is the domain of the three headed hag sisters, Grivnash, Thraxxa, and Olymra. Here they live in a small cabin built into the stomach of a dead and bloated bog giant. Their cackles fill the air of the Venomwell as do the cries of their many monstrous pets. Even compared to the rest of the Mirewood, the Venomwell is sick and disgusting with the ever present putrid smell of rotting flesh permeating the air.

Stalking the bog are large mutated trolls who serve the vile sisters. She adores them so much that he calls the trolls her little boys and girls. Within her cabin the hag sisters experiment with trolls, fey, and dragonflesh, looking for new and more efficient ways to spread Veylthar’s will. Within her cabin as well, the sisters have a small altar of Tiamat crafted entirely out of elven teeth.

Spirits Rise at the Moaning Marsh

The Moaning Marsh

Far from the walls of Castle Wyrmblight is the Moaning Marsh, a once beautiful and crystal clear lake that has now become a haven for spiritual undead and aquatic horrors. The waters of the marshes are covered in a reflective sheen which reflects the deepest fears of whoever gazes into them. Rotting bog zombies crawl in the mud while Will-O-Wisps flit through the air, guiding creatures to dark puddles where skeletal hands reach out to grab whatever is near. Beneath the waters of the marsh is rumored to be a massive sea monster, but few have ever seen it. Some say its a sea serpent, others claim it is an Aboleth, while others say that it is something so terrible that even Veylthar fears what lurks beneath it the marsh’s waters.

Whenever the moon is full, the light shines through the clouds above to light up the marsh, revealing the vast hosts of spectral ghosts who can only be seen in the moonlight. Leading them in sorrow is Elyndris the Loveless Hollow who comes to the Marsh every full moon to mourn her lost love. The lake that the marsh once was was very important to Elyndris, as it is where she first declared her love to Queen Thalyra.

The Weeping Grove

The Weeping Grove sits on the borders of the Mirewood, and whenever the Mirewood expands, the Weeping Grove moves as well. It is never in the same place for long. The grove is inhabited by a large host of living trees and Treants. Bound to the land, they are the sworn and corrupted guardians of the Court of Scales. The grove is devoid of any other fey or animals, and is completely quiet up until the moment the trees come alive to kill you. Their branches have turned into twisted claws, and their leaves are as sharp as blades. They have killed so many that entangled within their roots and trunks are the tarnished bones of their victims. Whenever the Mirewood is threatened, the grove answers the call and marches upon the danger, led by their leader, the Talon of Black, Gnarvock.

The Aery

The Court of Feathers was once a radiant gathering of avian fey. Their home, the Aery, was a sprawl of nests made out of precious metals and silken bridges that clung the walls of a towering cliff. Though never a vast court, their reputation carried far across the Feywild, for none could rival the beauty of their plumage, the brilliance of their costumes, or their free spirits. They lived for spectacle with gilded galas where gowns shimmered with feathers of every hue, and masquerades balls where all were welcome. But over many centuries, this led the court to pridefully believe they were above their fellow fey, leaving them isolated from the rest of the courts. This meant they stood along when the Court of Scales began to dig their claws in. High Regent Veylthar’s corruption spread through the court like a plague, preparing them for his eventual arrival. And when the green dragon descended upon the Aery, the avian fey were quick to fall. Their wings were torn, their voices twisted into shrieks and whispers, and their once-bright plumage grew ragged and dull as they transformed into monstrous harpies.

Seeing the writing on the walls, a minor duke known as Corvid Murdershire ordered his loyal guards to massacre the remaining Court of Feathers holdouts and personally brought the ruling archfey of the court, Count Iridessan the Resplendent, to Veylthar for the archfey to be devoured. For this betrayal Corvid Murdershire earned the title of Lord and was given stewardship of the Aery and its remaining inhabitants while the rest of the domain was devoured by the Mirewood. Now the Aery has been tarnished by Lord Corvid Murdershire’s betrayal. The once brilliant colors of its nests have dulled and rusted, with iron cages holding traitorous fey hanging from its rafters as harpy cries fill the air. Here Lord Corvid Murdershire relishes in his newfound position, indulging in all forms of sinful desires. He still perceives the domain as elegant and beautiful, but any peek below the surface reveals its rotted core.

Notable Inhabitants

Even outside of the Court of Scales, the Mirewood is home to many powerful and terrifying entities who have made their homes in the rotting swamps. Those known to the court and the Green Dragon Veylthar are only allowed to remain if they swear loyalty to the High Regent, while others have preferred to remain in hiding away from the prying eyes of the Verdent Fang. While these inhabitants may not be court members, they are not to be trifled with lightly, and should be avoided at all costs.

Ulthrix the Swamp Demon

Ulthrix the Swamp Demon

One of the most dangerous natives to the Mirewood is Ulthrix, the Swamp Demon. Hailing from the Abyss, Ulthrix came to the Mirewood to make its home. As for why it came to the Feywild? It enjoyed watching the dark corruption of the Court of Scales spread, and was eager to watch the entire Feywild unravel. Under Veylthar’s watchful eye, Ulthrix has been allowed to lair in a small region called the Black Bog, a dark pool with rotting waters and tar-like mud. In return, Ulthrix has agreed to share its knowledge about Abyssal corruption with Veylthar. As the years went on, Veylthar found himself seeking the demon out more and more, even for non-corruption related matters.

Always seemingly half submerged in muck and grime, Ulthrix appears as a large serpentine slug-like monster with large insectoid legs and a large grinning maw. But don’t be fooled by its appearance, as Ulthrix is highly intelligent and one of the greatest deceivers in the Mirewood. They can convince a holy man to worship the devil and make a mother hate her own child. It would rather convince a creature to drown themselves in its bog then to drag them in itself. Nothing happens in the Mirewood without Ulthrix and its network of corrupted pixie thralls hearing about it. This makes Ulthrix as much of a useful source of information as it is a dangerous one.

Chief Poddgunnga Talooga, the Thrice Eaten

Chief Poddgunnga Talooga, the Thrice Eaten

Chief Poddgunnga Talooga is the leader of the largest tribe of Mirelings (see Monsters of the Mirewood) in the Mirewood. Their camp can be found only a few miles away from the Moaning Marsh. The chief’s skin has been stained by mud and his glowing blue eyes echo a madness of far off worlds. Chief Poddgunnga Talooga is fiercely defensive of his tribe, and any intruders they capture are made into sacrifices for their deity, the dark spider-squid-raven goddess Fripleholmoosh. No one knows if their goddess is real, but the Mirelings of Chief Poddgunnga’s tribe certainly believe so.

Chief Poddgunnga earned his position as chief from being the strongest warrior in the tribe, a status that has also earned him his title, "the Thrice Eaten." In his efforts to defend his tribe, Chief Poddgunnga has been eaten by a Swamp Drake, a Giant Crocodile, and a Froghemoth. But each time he has survived. What no one knows is that Chief Poddgunnga is actually a fraud. Long ago when they were a young and weak Mireling Hunter, they traveled too far from their tribe and got lost, eventually falling into the Black Bog, the lair of the Swamp Demon Ulthrix. Ulthrix found the little Mireling interesting, and so made a deal with the hunter: in return for Ulthrix letting Poddgunnga live and for great demonic power, Poddgunnga would forever serve as Ulthrix’ champion. The young Mireling accepted the demon’s offer and ever since has been fully devoted to the will of Ulthrix, guiding his tribe in whatever way the demon sees fit.

The Ancient Crone Mad Maud

Mad Maud

Mad Maud is a cruel elder hag who has traveled the vast planes all the way from the planes of shadow to the Ten Hells. But after many hundreds of years her age began to catch up to her and she began to look for a place to retire. She reached out to her colleague, the Hag Sisters, to ask if she could live out the rest of her days in the Mirewood, a place she saw as beautiful as it was disgusting. The Hag Sisters were not necessarily on friendly terms with Mad Maud, but Mad Maud promised to bestow the sisters all she had accumulated from her vast travels upon her passing. With Veylthar’s approval the Hag Sisters agreed and so Mad Maud constructed her Crawling Tower, a stone hut that could travel around the Mirewood on eight spider-like legs.

The Crawling Tower, Home of Mad Maud

Now Mad Maud is content to enjoy her retirement in what she calls “paradise.” Her only companions are the monsters of the Mirewood and her servant, the corrupted Eladrin, Catterine. But in recent years, the hag has begun to grow bored, and has begun the search for what new things in the Mirewood could excite her spirit once again. Mad Maud's favorite pastime is inviting wandering travelers into her hut for tea so they can tell her their stories. If she enjoyed their stories, Mad Maud will let the travelers leave, but if she did not enjoy their stories, she will transform the traveler into a new permanent fixture of her hut.

Catterine, the Blight Eladrin and servant of Mad Maud

Catterine, the Blight Eladrin

Catterine is a strange looking Eladrin unlike any other. Her skin is a dark, sickly purple, with briars grow from her veins, rotted wings of a dragonfly growing from her back, and a right arm that is a writhing mass of barbed vines. Long ago, she used to be a beautiful Eladrin woman with a name she cannot remember. One day she became lost and wandered into the Mirewood and was horrified by what she saw. Thinking she found another traveler, she approached a humanoid silhouette she saw behind the brush, only to be attacked by a Falseface Lure (See Monsters of the Mirewood), a monstrous Venus flytrap-like monster that only appeared to look like another person.

Before she could be devoured though, she was saved by the old crone Mad Maud. and only managed to lose her right arm in the process. Thanking Mad Maud for the rescue, Catterine gave the hag her thanks, only for Mad Maud to tell Catterine that she now owed her a life debt, one that must be repaid through a life of service. Now years later Catterine serves the hag as a willing servant, her body now corrupted and twisted by the Mirewood. She tends to Mad Maud’s every need and serves as the old crone's envoy and bodyguard. She is very strict and pompous in her demeanor, and will lash out whenever things don't go her way. You will either find Catterine by her master's side, or in some far corner of the Mirewood retrieving rare ingredients for the hag's next meal.

Truurtzaar the Brute

Truurtzaar the Brute

Truurtzaar is a massive multi-headed troll who serves the Hag Sisters Grinash, Thraxxa, and Olymra. After years under her service and her vile experiments, Truurtzaar has been transformed from a normal swamp troll into a monster covered in green dragon scales and with about a dozen crocodilian heads. He towers above his fellow trollkin, reaching the heights of some giants. Truurtzaar is simple minded and incredibly violent. He believes that the hag sisters are his "mommies," and will brutally dismember anyone who speaks ill of them. Truurtzaar is one of the primary reasons the Hag Sisters have been able to maintain the power they have accumulated in the Court of Scales, for anyone knows that if you cross the sisters, you risk the wrath of the brute.

Slitheraxxia the Slime Queen

Slitheraxxia the Slime Queen

Another demon from the Abyss, Slitheraxxia hails from a realm of ooze and bile, making her right at home in the Mirewood. Her body is a fetid mass of ooze with writhing tentacles made of sickly green slime. The top of her body looks similar to that of a female humanoid though with strange enough proportions that she could never be mistaken for one. Her lair is within a massive fallen and petrified tree known as the Rotwood where she spends her days building a complex web of sticky green slime that will trap and dissolve any who come into contact with it. Every day from her body are born new oozes which slither into the depths of the Mirewood with their only desire being to feed and dissolve anything that crosses their path.

Her arrival in the Mirewood threatened to destabilize both the swamps and the Court of Scales as her oozes began to devour everything in their path. That was until Veylthar ordered Sir Lornthar Vale the Thorned Blade and Gnarvock, the Warden of the Weeking Grove to perform an extermination of all oozes in the swamp. When they eventually arrived at Slitheraxxia’s lair, under threat of death, she agreed to reign in her oozes and swear eternal fealty to the High Regent.

The Outcast Heir

The Outcast Heir

The Outcast Heir, whose true name he will never reveal, was formerly the ruling heir to Count Iridessan the Resplendent, ruler of the Court of Feathers. It was destined that one day he would take over the court as its ruling archfey. But everything changed when the Court of Scales attacked. The Outcast ran to his friend, the then minor courtier Corvid Murdershire, only to be betrayed, with his wings torn from his back, his body plucked of all its feathers, and his body cast from the clifftops of the Aery.

Defying all explanations though, the Outcast somehow managed to survive. After recovering from his wounds, the Outcast hid deep within the Mirewood to escape the hungry eyes of the Court of Scales and the vile servants of the traitorous Corvid Murdershire. These events have left the Outcast completely and utterly broken. They know that on their own there is nothing they can do to take down the Court of Scales, yet every day they continue to construct a continually more elaborate plan to kill Lord Corvid Murdershire and save the Court of Feathers, even if his efforts are all futile.

Monsters of the Mirewood

The Mirewood festers as a place of rot and corruption, its inhabitants as twisted as the land itself. Once home to the radiant fey of the Wildwood, it now crawls with creatures remade in the image of dragons and decay. Fey now stalk the muck with scaled skin, venomous fangs, or wings tattered like dragon’s leather. Blights choke the thickets, their roots and thorns carrying the venom of Veylthar’s breath, while half-living swamp beasts crawl from the mire, bloated with foul water and endless hunger. The Court of Scales holds dominion over all, its influence seen in the draconic creatures that roost in the canopies and the cultists who whisper prayers to Tiamat in ruined groves, their bodies painted with black ichor and blood.

Venom Pixie

Fairies

The pixies, sprites, and fairies of the Mirewood are among its cruelest denizens, their once splendid wings have been twisted into scaled hides or shredded membranes. Once the happiest fey in all the Wildwood, they were the first to fall to Veylthar’s corruption and have turned into sadistic tormentors who revel in cruelty and the feasting of flesh. They swarm through the canopy in flitting clouds, using poisoned darts and hexes to drive intruders into the bog, their laughter carrying the hiss of serpents. In the service of the Court of Scales, their discordant songs luring travelers into swamps or stir great beasts from their lairs. Any who find themselves caught in a fairy swarm will find their flesh devoured and their muscles cleaved from bone, leaving them a clean and bare skeleton.

Blight Dryad

Blights

The blights of the Mirewood grew from the blackened blood of Queen Thalyra’s Heart Tree after Veylthar’s poisonous breath struck it down. From that single act, corruption spread like wildfire, twisting roots, vines, and fungal growths into monstrous predators. Some appear as gremlin-esq humanoids, their bodies made of thorns and brambles, while others appear as hulking behemoths made of vines and mud. The forest is thick with Needle Blights, Twig Blights, and creeping Vine Horrors, all driven by hunger and dark magic. Even the fey have not been spared as many dryads have been warped into Blight Dryads, their glowing forms fused with thorns, bark, and fungus. Humanoids can become infected with the blight as well. Many corpses of travelers lost to the Mirewood are puppeted around by Blighted roots, while others who are still alive cannot save themselves are Blighted vines snake their way through their veins and nervous system, taking their bodies over from the inside. The blights choke the forest wherever they spread, turning once-lively glades into tangled death traps. Most blights serve under the call of Sir Lornthar Vale the Thorned Blade, a corrupted Blight Dryad himself ever since he bound his spirit to Queen Thalyra's former heart tree. Now the blights march in the Court of Scale's wretched armies.

Bog Zombie

The Undead of the Mirewood

The Mirewood is no stranger to death, and where stagnant waters choke the living, the dead refuse to rest. Corpses of travelers, fey, and even a few dragons swallowed by the bogs often rise again, called back to motion by the swamp’s unnatural magic and the will of Veylthar. Unlike ordinary necromancy, the Mirewood breeds its undead in wild and hideous ways, with bodies twisted by rot, swamp gases, and half-digested plant matter. These shambling horrors lurk in the shadows of shadowed groves or drag themselves up from beneath the mud, silent until they strike.

The most common are bog zombies, waterlogged corpses whose flesh hangs in tatters and whose bones are slick with moss. They wait beneath the waters of the swamp, hoping to drag in any who pass by. But the Mirewood is no stranger to spirits as well. Ghosts and phantoms drift along the mire’s waterways, their cries carried on the fog to lure wanderers deeper so they can steal their life force. None who die in the Mirewood stay dead for long.

Swamp Drake

Swamp Drakes

Long and serpentine, the swamp drakes of the Mirewood are hunters that lurk beneath the black waters. Their slick, scale-covered bodies can stretch over thirty feet in length, their movements so fluid that they seem more like shadows gliding through the murk than flesh and bone. Their scales are as dark as the bog itself, broken only by streaks of sickly green along their spines. But their skulls are their most terrifying feature, bleached white bone with hollow sockets where eyes should be, giving the impression of a great, skeletal wyrm rising from the water.

Swamp drakes are ambush predators, lying motionless just beneath the surface until prey wanders close to the shoreline. With a single thrash, they erupt from the mire, coiling around victims and dragging them beneath the muck to drown before devouring them whole. Their breath reeks of grave rot, a fetid miasma that sickens those caught in its cloud. To the cultists of the Court of Scales, swamp drakes are sacred omens of death, and some court nobles even claim them as steeds, though such bonds are tenuous at best, often ending with the rider’s death if they cannot control these beasts.

Bog Giant

Bog Giants

Bog Giants are the towering, misshapen cousins of the hill giants. They exist in small clusters in the Quelmar realm, but have found that they can thrive in and amongst the desolate swamps of the Mirewood. Standing nearly seventeen feet tall, with pallid, waterlogged skin and moss growing from their backs and shoulders, they look more like bloated corpses than living creatures. Their eyes glow faintly green in the dark, and their deep, croaking voices can be heard echoing through the swamps at night. Bog Giants are both brutish and cunning, using the mists and shifting waters to ambush travelers. Many wield trees ripped up from the marsh as clubs, their blows strong enough to sink boats in a single strike. They usually live either solitary, or in small communities of three to four, living in large mud mounds or in caves underneath the swamp waters. The one region of the Mirewood that Bog Giants cannot be found is in the Venomwell, as the trolls there in service to the Hag Sisters have been ordered to attack the Bog Giants on site. The Hag Sisters have never openly explained why they have given the trolls this order.

Mireling Fisherman

Mirelings

The Mirelings are pallid, fishlike folk that haunt the bogs and waterways of the Mirewood. With slimy gray-white skin stretched taut over their spindly frames and bulbous, lidless eyes that never seem to blink, they move with a jerky, unsettling gait on land but become swift and deadly in the water. They dwell in scattered, reclusive tribes, scratching out a meager living through fishing, hunting, and scavenging along the swamp’s fetid rivers. Their hovels which are half sunken huts of reeds, bones, and rotting wood dot the bogs of the Mirewood.

No one knows for certain where the Mirelings came from. They appeared seemingly overnight when the Mirewood fell into shadow, and their maddening tongue bears echoes of languages both fey and aberrant. Some believe they are an offshoot of the kuo-toa, twisted by the Mirewood’s corruption until they forgot their origin. Others insist they are native to the Feywild, having been corrupted by the Mirewood. Whatever their truth, Mirelings are distrusted by all. They worship strange idols carved from driftwood and bone, leaving offerings of fish guts and blood beneath the dark waters. Those who stumble across their rituals report sights of frenzied dances, croaking chants, and sudden violent attacks against intruders.

Swamp Troll

Swamp Trolls

The trolls of the Mirewood are among the most feared creatures in the swamp. Large, hunched brutes with moss-covered hides and skin slick with swamp muck, these trolls prowl the bogs with a hunger that seems never satisfied. Their regeneration is unnervingly fast, their wounds knitting together almost before they’re dealt, and many carry gruesome grafts of dragon scales or jagged horns gifted to them by the Hag Sisters in their cruel experiments. Some trolls even bear twisted wings or gaping maws where no mouths should be. The trolls often serve as shock troops for Veylthar’s armies, hurled at enemy lines to cause chaos and terror. Yet outside of battle they remain feral, more beast than soldier. They gather in small packs within the bogs, feeding on carrion, travelers, and even each other when prey runs thin. They are the fierce enemies of Bog Giants, frequently clashing over food and territory. While many have been bound to the service of the Hag Sisters, others dwell in the deep recesses of the Mirewood simply looking to meek on a meager life for themselves.

Falseface Lure

Falseface Lures

Falseface Lures are insidious predators of the Mirewood, grotesque plant-beasts that take the form of humanoids to trick unwary travelers. At first glance, they may appear as lost fey, swaying in the swamp fog or beckoning from a twisted path. But their true nature is revealed when their faces split open into jagged, toothed maws reminiscent of a monstrous Venus flytrap. With a sudden snap, they ensnare victims in powerful, vine-like appendages, dragging them into gaping, pollen-slick maws to be slowly digested. Their pseudo-humanoid guise is unnervingly convincing and their ability mimicking voices helps in drawing in prey. They are patient hunters, lying in wait for hours or even days, and often infest the Moaning Marshes or the fringes of the Venomwell.

A Kitherach in its burrow

Kitherach

The Mirewood’s most dreaded predators, other than dragons, are the Kitherach, colossal insectoid monsters that stalk the swamps by night and vanish into their cavernous tunnels by day. With carapaces like ridged stone, spiny limbs sharp enough to shear trees, and a dozen lidless eyes gleaming in the dark, they are a terrifying sight to behold. Their long, segmented tails end in jagged spines coated in paralytic venom, allowing them to drag prey into their burrows alive. Despite their size, they move with startling speed, skittering across muck and reeds faster than the blink of an eye. They ambush from below, sensing tremors with frightening accuracy, and striking with unnerving speed. Even scarier, some elder Kitherach are able to project an aura of silence around themselves, making it so that no one can hear their approach, or your screams.

Kitherach are territorial beyond reason, their dens sprawling into labyrinthine tunnel networks hidden beneath the swamp’s roots and bogs. The entrances to these lairs are often ringed by heaps of carcasses, trolls, giants, and beasts alike, all half-consumed and left to rot as a grim warning. Their underground chambers are humid and choked with web-like root structures they reinforce with hardened resin, creating winding halls of muck. Whole swathes of the Mirewood go untouched simply because a Kitherach has claimed them.

Harpy

Harpies

The harpies of the Mirewood are twisted remnants of the bird-like fey who once belonged to the Court of Feathers. Once elegant and beautiful, now these fey soar through the swamp as shrieking carrion predators, their plumage mottled with dark scales and ragged feathers. Their beautiful voices have been warped into piercing cries that can disorient, terrify, or even charm prey long enough to be carried off into the murky depths below. Many still hold their loyalties to the long gone Court of Feathers, following the will of the traitorous Lord Corvid Murdershire and serving as his spies across the vast swamps of the Mirewood.

A Peryton from the fallen Court of Antlers

Perytons

Another import to the Court of Scales, the Peryton of the Mirewood are all that remain of the Court of Antlers, a court of proud centaur stags and hunters. When Veylthar’s corruption came to their realm, the hunters turned on each other in a violent frenzy, giving into dark predatory instincts. Their teeth became sharp and wolflike as black wings burst from their backs. Their civilized natures had been reduced to pure animalistic brutality, and now the Peryton of the former Court of Antlers fly high above the Mirewood like crows, swooping down in viscous packs to devour the weak and wounded.

Dragonflesh Golem

Dragonflesh Golems

Among the most abominable creations of the Court of Scales are Dragonflesh Golems, stitched horrors born from the Hag Sisters’ foul experiments. These hulking monstrosities stand taller than ogres, their bodies cobbled together from the butchered remains of dragonborn, lizardfolk, kobolds, and even the fallen true dragons. Each one is a patchwork of mismatched scales, wings crudely grafted to shoulders that cannot bear their weight, and claws far too large for the twisted limbs that wield them.

The Hag Sisters perfected their craft by fusing these grotesque creations with the regenerative essence of trolls. As a result, a Dragonflesh Golem cannot be permanently slain by ordinary means. While they do not possess the same regeneration capabilities of trolls, any piece cut from its body retains its life and can be reattached to the golem with ease. Only by completely destroying these limbs with fire and acid can kill them. On their own they are mindless, but with the malicious whispers of the Hag Sisters in their heads, their destruction knows no bounds.

Dragon Cultists

The dragon cultists of the Mirewood are mortals and fey who pledged themselves to draconic power and were brought into the Court of Scales from the Material Plane. Marked with scale-like scars and draconic tattoos, some have even grown claws, horns, or wings to better serve Veylthar. They act as commanders, ritualists, and spies, maintaining shrines to Tiamat, enforcing the High Regent’s will, and directing lesser fey and monsters alike. But even though they may be experienced in the ways of dragons, the natures of fey elude them. More often then not, any member of the cult who dares to walk beyond the walls of Castle Wyrmblight is lost to the Mirkwood. Which means that the Cult of the Dragon is always eager to welcome new recruits.

Other Monsters of the Mirewood

The terrors of the Mirewood are not limited to the monsters listed above. Corrupted satyrs known as Foulfauns carve flesh from bone in esoteric rituals, massive venomous hydras make lairs in the bogs, oozes formed out of muck infused with fear, and other monsters too terrible to name. Out in the Mirewood, you might find:

• Swamp Hags
• Foulfauns
• Otyughs
• Oni
• Will-O-Wisps
• Shambling Mounds
• Corpse Flowers
• Befouled Water Elementals
• Giant Crocodiles
• Froghemoths
• Catoblepas
• Mutant Blink Dogs
• Carrion Crawlers
• Rotting Treants
• And much much worse

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  Wandering Bark Blight

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  Colossal Mire Blight

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  Blightbound Skeleton

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  Blight-Possessed Adventurer

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  Roving Bog Zombie

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  Bramble Blight

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  Corrupted Eladrin Monk

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  Accursed Dryad Seer

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  Elder Blight Dryad

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  Feral Centaur

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  Flower Demon

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  Foulfawn

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  Four Arm Render

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  The Spirit Hollow

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  Hound Blight

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  Many-Mawed Horror

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  Lurker

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  Mire Skeleton

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  Mire Worm

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  Pale Foulfawn

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  Root Blight

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  Rotting Horror

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  Rotting Treant

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  Shadowed Mire Shade

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  Shambling Mound

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  Swamp Gremlin

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  Swamp Spider

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  Swamp Spirit

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  Swamp Toad

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  Troll Skeleton

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  Venom Hydra

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  Wicker Blight