Thorn's Blackmoor: Kingdoms of the Twilight Empire

It is time for this month's guest entry for my blog and a new visit from RobJN who takes a look at the monsters of Thorn's Blackmoor: 

Before the Great Unification, the southlands of Skothar were teeming with woodlands, and the Fey outnumbered men and elves and halflings and dwarves nearly ten to one. But as Men pushed ever outward, the forests fell, lands were cleared, and order was brought to the wilderness. Then came the plows and the farms. The chaos of the wilds withered beneath the onslaught of the laws and ways of Men, and most of the Fey withdrew, either receding further and further to the North, or simply… fading away.

By the time of the Mage Wars, the Fey were nearly extinct in the Southlands, with a few secreting themselves among Men out of curiosity, observing, puzzling over their ways. The main concentrations of Fey situated themselves among the forests and lakes of the North, and collectively referred to their nation as the Twilight Empire.

Their rulership was something only vaguely understood even by the Wizards of the Woods. At times, the leadership changed with the seasons. Other times, it seemed that wagers among certain groups, won or lost, determined who would reign over a given pocket of the Fey. The Wizard of the Woods, Pete, was said to have observed rulership hinging on who won a staring contest between two pixie lordlings.

No one is sure of the exact date, but Morgana seized the Twilight Throne some time between the end of the Mage Wars and the time that the lands of the Egg rose up from the Black Sea. It was then that the Equinox Pacts were forged among the Summer and Winter fey, combining those two nations, to better fend off the depredations of the Egg of Coot, which only grew stronger as years passed.

Though Morgana was dark of hair and eye, as was Uther Andahar, there has been some speculation that the golden-haired twins may very well be court hostages of the Summer fey, given over to a neutral party for safekeeping….

Rob’s blog and website (which close on July 30th) are in the process of moving. The new blog is already up, and continues to chronicle a bit of a darker take on the Mystara presented in the D&D Gazetteers. Thorn's Chronicle is posted semi-regularly on the Mystara board of The Piazza.

 Image Sources

Spotlight Witch by Wayne Reynolds

Thorns Chroicle logo by RobJN 

-Havard