Call of the Netherdeep: Learn About the Factions Warring Over Wildemount

Critical Role’s first adventure book, Call of the Netherdeep, is just around the corner! It takes players from 3rd to 12th level as they explore the wastes of Xhorhas, the glimmering oasis-city of Ank’Harel, and the mysterious Netherdeep. Part of what makes Critical Role’s world of Exandria so enticing is the dynamic, morally gray factions that vie for power across the lands of Tal’Dorei, Wildemount, Marquet, and beyond.

In order to prepare you for Call of the Netherdeep, this article outlines the conflict at the center of the wastes of Xhorhas, one of the campaign’s primary destinations, as well as the factions involved.

Spoiler alert! This article uses information from The Explorer's Guide to Wildemount and contains spoilers for the first two campaigns of Critical Role.

Conflict in the wastes of Xhorhas

Map of Wildemount

The world-shaking war between the Betrayer Gods and the righteous Prime Deities, known as the Calamity, reduced the densely forested landscape of Xhorhas to a barren desert. Since then, the wastes of Xhorhas have been rife with danger and conflict.

Throughout this wasteland, roaming tribes of humans and goblinkin warred amongst themselves and against the twisted creatures left behind by the Betrayer Gods. The nomadic clans lived in strife for centuries, only able to establish small bastions of civilization within the harsh wilderness. During this time, a group of dark elves emerged from the ashes of an ancient fortress of the Betrayer Gods, establishing themselves as the core civilization of the wastes.

Xhorhasian drow

They soon began to call themselves the Kryn Dynasty and set their sights on unifying the warring factions of the wastes of Xhorhas. As the Kryn Dynasty spread its influence throughout the wastes, their neighbors to the west, the Dwendalian Empire, became suspicious of the so-called savages that rallied under one banner. Over the past decade, tensions have mounted and a full-out war was declared between the two nations after Kryn Dynasty forces assaulted a Dwendalian garrison.

Skirmishes now rage on the western border of the wastes, where the Kryn Dynasty seeks to regain what they believe to be rightfully theirs while the Dwendalian Empire attempts to push the invading forces from their lands.

Kryn Dynasty

After the Betrayer Gods were defeated during the Calamity, all gods left the world of Exandria in an event called the Divergence. During this time, the gods lost their influence on their supporters in the mortal realm. The absence of the gods allowed some dark elves enslaved to the Lolth, the Queen of Spiders, to break free of her oppressive rule. This group of dark elves found new faith in the Luxon, a mysterious deity that revealed itself to them.

The followers of the Luxon escaped the dangers of the Underdark and founded a new civilization in the city of Ghor Dranas, the capital of the Betrayer Gods' forces during the Calamity. They named their new capital Rosohna, meaning "rebirth."

Bright Queen

After establishing their home, the Kryn struck out across the wastes of Xhorhas, attempting to convert the nomadic tribes to the teachings of the Luxon. The Kryn Dynasty has also established a number of outposts throughout the wastes where denizens are able to live lives of relative safety, as long as the laws of the Luxon are followed.

The Kryn Dynasty has recently gone to war with the Dwendalian Empire because it is believed that treasured Luxon artifacts were stolen by the Dwendalians. The Kryn maintain that the stolen artifacts are pivotal in reawakening Luxon and can enable devout Kryn to live multiple lives.

The Kryn Dynasty’s goals

  1. Recover the artifacts of the Luxon that were stolen from them.
  2. Unify and protect the citizens of the wastes to expand their borders and control.
  3. Defeat the forces of Lolth that seek to destroy the Kryn from within.

Aurora Watch

The Aurora Watch is the Kryn Dynasty’s armed forces. This group of soldiers is known for their signature chitinous armor that can emit a loud chittering noise to intimidate foes.

In established Kryn settlements like Asarius, Aurora Watch legionnaires are the primary police force, working to maintain order and enforce laws. Outside of these bastions of civilization, the Aurora Watch travels the wilderness, slaying deadly beasts that roam the wastelands. In the city of Bazzoxan, the Aurora Watch fights a never-ending battle against demons and fiends that pour out of a portal to the Abyss found deep within the ruins of a dark temple.

Children of Malice

The Children of Malice are a new sect of Lolth followers composed of goblinoids, beastfolk, humanoids, and drow that were outcast by the Kryn Dynasty. After the dark elves that founded the Kryn Dynasty spurned Lolth, she began invading the dreams of other Xhorhasians. Once she had these new devotees bound to her will, Lolth and her followers began infiltrating the Kryn Dynasty, seeking to dismantle it from within.

Dwendalian Empire

Dwendalian Empire crestThe Dwendalian Empire was founded by survivors of the Calamity that migrated from the frigid northwestern side of the continent further southeast to the fertile lands of the Pearlbow Wilderness. It was here that the capital city of Rexxentrum was built and the first monarch of the Dwendalian Empire was crowned.

It's been over 12 generations since the founding of the Dwendalian Empire. The mighty civilization has grown to be one of the foremost powers in Wildemount. The Empire’s imperial rule encompasses all of Western Wynandir and is maintained by a heavy police presence which is supported by hefty taxes.

The easiest way to move up the political ladder in the Dwendalian Empire is to harness powerful arcane abilities. In general, those with magical talents are seen as a higher class than those without. Particularly motivated magic users can study at the Soltryce Academy, a school devoted to the arcane arts. While the Academy is difficult to get into, it offers an education like no other institution can. If one with magical talents plays their cards right, it can even lead to a spot on the Cerberus Assembly, a group of mages that advise the king of the Dwendalian Empire.

In recent years, King Bertrand Dwendal and his advising Cerberus Assembly members have grown increasingly uneasy with the mustering of Kryn Dynasty forces in the wastes of Xhorhas. In order to show the empire’s strength and protect his people against the “savages” from the wastes, King Dwendal ordered forces to be placed on the borders that his kingdom shares with Xhorhas. This move sparked tensions between the two factions, erupting into all-out war when the Kryn Dynasty discovered Dwendalian forces had stolen their religious artifacts.

The Dwendalian Empire’s Goals

  • Maintain control over the citizens of the Empire at any cost.
  • Spread propaganda to turn the public against the Kryn Dynasty.
  • Assert dominance over the Kryn Dynasty and push them back from the borders of the Empire.

Cerberus Assembly

The Cerberus Assembly are a group of powerful magic users that have spread their influence into every aspect of Dwendalian culture. This group was founded centuries ago after warring mages almost leveled the Empire’s capital city of Rexxentrum. The mages realized that the only way to assure their safety from one another was to band together and submit to the king’s rule.

Over the centuries, the Cerberus Assembly is said to have gained enough power to challenge even the crown, a fact that is not lost on King Bertrand Dwendal. The king mistrusts the Cerberus Assembly, though he cannot maintain control over the Empire without them.

Cobalt Soul

The Cobalt Soul is a group of monks, clerics, historians, and researchers that follow the teachings of Ioun, the God of Knowledge. This organization, along with the Cerberus Assembly and the Dwendalian Empire, has grown in scale and power. The three groups maintain a delicate balancing act with each other to ensure that none of the others gain too much power and influence.

The Cobalt Soul maintains libraries across Exandria, the two largest of which are located in Vasselheim, on the continent of Issylra, and Rexxentrum.

Navigate the complex politics of Wildemount

Critical Role's first big adventure, Call of the Netherdeep, starts off in the wastes of Xhorhas. This desolate region is filled with deadly monsters and warring tribes, with bastions of civilization far and few between. What factions will your party cross while traveling through the wastes and in other parts of Exandria? Only time will tell!

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Mike Bernier (@arcane_eye) is the founder of Arcane Eye, a site focused on providing useful tips and tricks to all those involved in the world of D&D. Outside of writing for Arcane Eye, Mike spends most of his time playing games, hiking with his girlfriend, and tending the veritable jungle of houseplants that have invaded his house.

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