Cormanthor: Rumors
Below, I offer an assortment of tips, speculations, and dispatches regarding Cormanthor, some from reliable sources, some just idle chitchat. I haven.t had the time or, to be honest, the inclination to verify any of these. Consider them interesting leads or dire warnings, and proceed accordingly.
War of the Oaks
The otherwise docile dryads of the central starwood have been rallying sympathetic satyrs, pixies, elves, and druids to stave off an impeding attack by an army of gnolls who want to demolish the dryads. oak grove for a gnollish cemetery. The gnolls. effort has attracted the interest of a nearby community of jackalweres, who wish to re-establish their dominance in the area.
Theft Of the Treasure Tree A band of ogres has discovered the golden treasure tree south of Elventree. One of the ogres flung an ax at a deer, missed, and hit a large oak. The split bark revealed the gold beneath. The band's chieftain, an exceptionally intelligent ogre named Horukk, used a magical pendant recovered from the ruins of Myth Drannor to enslave a family of unicorns. He is forcing them to haul the treasure tree to the ogres. lair in the East starwood.
Cool Wolfwere
A species of wolfwere residing in the midwood south of Lake Sember has developed a unique ability to keep away insects. The wolfwere's fur radiates cold, lowering the air temperature sufficiently to kill fleas and lice. Entrepreneurs are offering sizeable rewards for samples of this fur, which they believe can be used to manufacture self-cooling coats and trousers.
Strange Magic
A band of evil druids in East starwood have created bizarre new spells that will enable them to triple the reproduction rate of chimerae, poison the waters of the Semberflow, and create spontaneous ice storms at any forest location. The druids. motives are unknown, but it is feared they will attempt to extort treasure and allegiance from the sentient beings of Cormanthor.
Aquatic Menace
Underwater choke creepers in the Ashaba threaten to deplete the river of frogs and fish. Animals that depend on these creatures for food risk starvation. Worse, without frogs and fish to eat them, the insect population may swell. An increase in insects may result in an increase in diseases, particularly those carried by mosquitoes.
Fire Bug
A vengeful priest, angry at the lack of interest in his Talos cult, has vowed to burn down Cormanthor. He employs a special summon insects spell to gather immense swarms of fyreflies in areas of dry brush, then drives them into a frenzy with faerie fire and light spells. The aggravated insects ignite the brush, and the fire soon spreads to the surrounding trees. The priest has already incinerated hundreds of acres of beech trees in the midwood west of the River Lis. Next, he plans to burn a willow grove in the midwood south of the Standing Stone, said to be the homeland of benevolent sprites.
Armed Naga
Explorers have found dozens of wild horse skeletons in the midwood along the western banks of the Ashaba. Huge spears, fashioned from black walnut limbs, were lodged in the horses' ribs.
A previously unknown type of spirit naga used the horses for target practice. Crossbreeds of normal spirit naga and Cormanthor water naga, these creatures resemble 15-foot serpents with human heads, stringy hair, black scales, and functional arms. They have the poisonous bite, charm gaze, and evil disposition of spirit naga, along with the spellcasting abilities of water naga. They are also learning to use weapons, beginning with crude spears tipped with a poison made from the jelly covering water naga eggs.
Though normal egg jelly hardens when removed from water, the naga have treated the jelly to remain moist and potent indefinitely. Additionally, instead of turning the victim's flesh to jelly, the coated spears rot the flesh, leaving nothing behind but bones. The naga are also rumored to be developing an arrow that changes into a poisonous serpent moments after being fired from a bow.
Noisy Neighbor
A family of elves in the western starwood is being tormented by the ceaseless screams of a cockatrice nesting in the hollow of a nearby oak. While the cockatrice was away hunting, a band of grigs stole her eggs as a practical joke. The despondent cockatrice has been shrieking ever since. The elves can't stand the racket, but they're afraid to go near the cockatrice and are also leery of the grigs. They're willing to pay a sizeable reward to anyone who can shut up the cockatrice, either by returning her eggs (the elves know where the grigs live) or destroying her.
Rendezvous with Kyrach
Kyrach, an eccentric druid who lives in the central starwood, seeks help in capturing a dragonne, which he intends to tame and use for a mount. He will reward his helper with a map that shows the location of a secret cache of rubies in a cavern beneath Myth Drannor. However, Kyrach refuses to cooperate with anyone who uses metal weapons or armor, which he deems "unnatural."
Those seeking to associate with Kyrach will have to leave sword and shield behind.
The 100-Yard Behir
An immense granite statue of a behir, nearly 100 yards long, winds through the starwood west of Myth Drannor. Is it a sculpture created by ambitious artisans, or perhaps the idol of a long-defunct serpent cult? Is it a genuine couatl, its gargantuan size and stony body the result of bizarre experiments by Myth Drannan wizards? Explorers may enter the behir's open mouth to find out what's inside. The behir may contain vast treasures, deadly creatures, or a combination of both. Removal of a particular treasure may trigger a reaction that transforms the granite body back to flesh, enabling the gargantuan behir to live again.
Vanished Centaurs One of the three known centaur tribes of Cormanthor has disappeared. Not a single member of the tribe has been seen in a month. The remaining centaurs are understandably concerned. Some say that a magical disease infected the tribe and caused them to shrink; a friendly elf swears he saw chipmunk-sized centaurs galloping through the underbrush of the central starwood. Others fear that a recent thunderstorm caused a portal to appear; the portal swallowed the tribe and transported them to another plane of existence. Still others fear that green dragons have again infested Cormanthor; the dragons ate the entire tribe, and it's only a matter of time before the rest of the centaurs fall victim.
Unwelcome Tenant
Families of stirges have taken up occupancy in the branches of a grove of rimwood treants, driving out the azmyths and black squirrels who used to live there. Without the azmyths and squirrels, the treants are more susceptible to disease and destruction. As fast as the treants drive the stirges from the branches, others arrive to take their place. The treants believe that the green jelly from stirge eggs may solve their dilemma; if the jelly is applied to the treants. trunks, the stirges will be repelled. Because travel is difficult for the treants, they need someone else to find the eggs and retrieve the jelly.