408 HC Corellon and Gruumsh
408 HC Corellon and Gruumsh
408 HC Corellon and Gruumsh
Introduction
Welcome to the second installment of a new series that delves into the storied history of some of the most iconic characters and events in the lore of the Dungeons & Dragons game. Each article offers new insights into a different hero, villain, organization, or event, sifting through the varied myths and contradictions of D&D history to offer knowledge both familiar and new. Throughout the text, sidebars single out what an adventurer might know about the topic at hand based on a successful skill check. This installment sheds light on one of the most epic battles of all time: the clash of Corellon, god of the elves, and Gruumsh, god of the orcs.
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The Zarovans
The narrator of this History Check is a member of the Zarovan tribe of the Vistani, a mystical, gypsylike people who can cross the planes as easily as they ford a woodland stream. The Zarovans place great value in the future, which is made relevant by the past, and they might share their lore with giorgios (non-Vistani) in exchange for an open mind, dark secrets, or mysterious long-term favors. You can learn more about the Vistani in Players Option: Heroes of Shadow, the boxed set The Shadowfell: Gloomwrought and Beyond , and the Vistani articles in Dragon 380.
of this realm permit travelers to pass through their domain only by moonlight. How do I know this? Look closer, if you dare, and you will see the slender pikes of ash driven into the earth . . . and the defiant, tusked faces mounted atop each. That is the work of elves. Still not convinced? Trust me, giorgio, you would be feathered with arrows before you reached the far side of that bridge. So, rest for a bit. The sunlit hours are their time, not ours. We will move on when Corellons grace allows it and when Sehanines light unveils the path. Menodora sent you to me, yes? Or was it Marov? They are cousins of mine, though as you can see, I do not share their rounded ears or the tellurian pupils of their eyes. Venjar, my given name, is an eladrin one, after all. Yes, even some fey, like myself, have exchanged kith and kin for blood bonds stronger than any race. I am proud to call myself Vistani, and I have chosen to forgive the people who once cast me out though they are kin to me no more. You see, decades ago, the glen beyond that bridge was my home. Elves
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History Check
All characters know of the fundamental conflict between elves and orcs (reflected in their respective faiths), but only some have a vague sense of its origin. Elves and eladrin, or characters who make successful DC 20 History or Religion checks, know of Corellons time in the Feywild and the rebellion of Lolth and the dark elves. A DC 30 History or Religion check is required to know of the heretical theory that Corellon and Gruumsh are twins.
Protectors own tears, which were shed for beauty, joy, and sorrow. Alas, when Lolth betrayed the Seldarinea complex and tragic story I must save for another dayCorellons heart was forever wounded. Civil war erupted in the Feywild and ravaged the Seldarines refuge of Arvandor. The eladrin and elves took up arms against their dark cousins, whose loyalties were claimed by the Spider Queens jealous power. In the end, Lolth and her greatest servants were cast into the Abyss, while the dark elves were banished to the depths of the mortal world, forsaken by Corellon. These became the drow we have all heard such stories about. Devastated by their loss, and with Arvandor now in ruins, Corellon, Sehanine, and the rest of the Seldarine finally turned their attention to the Dawn War that raged beyond the Feywild, understanding the threat that the primordials posed for all of creation. Lolths corruption had been a tragic demonstration of the evil of the Elemental Chaos. When the Dawn War did conclude, the gods were at last free to claim their dominionsand contend more directly with one another. It had been a pyrrhic victory, you
History Check
A character knows the nature of Gruumsh (as related here) with a DC 20 Religion check, as well as his jealousy of Corellon, though a DC 30 Religion check is required to know that some once believed that Gruumsh had a measure of premonitory power. Certainly he does no longer.
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single strike. With a shout of triumph, he plunged the spear into Corellons chest. But neither god was playing fair. Corellons apparent form, one of Sehanines most powerful illusions, dissolved in a vortex of green leaves and liquid moonlight. Snarling at the deception, Gruumsh whirled around. Corellons true form stood high on a pinnacle of rock across the valley, and Gruumshs keen eyes sought him franticallyalmost too late. Corellons bow hissed with divine power as an arrow almost took the god of destruction in the eye. In fact, according to elf loremasters, Gruumsh was blinded then and therebut those sages underestimate He Who Never Sleeps and do not wish to recognize his prowess. Gruumshs premonitory sight alerted him to turn his head just in time, and Corellons arrow instead drew a bloody line across his brow. The pain elated Gruumshit invigorated him and drove him into a lust for violence that orc warriors still strive to match. He shouted and laughed, the thundering sound reverberating across the world. Corellon, knowing he would have no opportunity for a second arrow, dropped his bow, sprang from the rock, and met Gruumsh at the center of the vale. In his hand he held a blade he had forged before the Dawn War from the shards of a gleaming star. Even dwarf clerics assert this might have been the first and strongest longsword in all of creation. As the two gods clashed, the deities and servants of the Seldarine rose from the shadows of the vale. Unknown to Corellon, his friends had come to join the fight; whether it was fair or not for them to join the battle, they refused to stand idle as their Coronal fought for his life. Yet Gruumsh had already accounted for this eventuality by mustering the deities and exarchs who also desired the fall of the Seldarine. And now they came. Two armies crashed against one another, transforming the valley into a pit of swirling mud, deadly spellfire, and spattered blood. Some theologians call this the Godswar, for many
were the deities who fought one anothersome with scores to settle, using Corellons and Gruumshs conflict as an excuse for battle. Of course, those who did not fightespecially gods of law, like Bahamut, Erathis, and Moradin watched from afar, shaking their heads at the chaos their impetuous brethren had been drawn into. Was it not enough that the primordials shattered the Lattice of Heaven? they fumed. At first, no telling blows were exchanged between Corellon and Gruumsh. They were perfect counterparts in every way. Corellons peerless agility and Gruumshs tireless strength drove their weapons together time and again, but every strike was parried, every killing stroke foiled. Corellon was faster, but Gruumshs foresight anticipated every swing of the elf gods blade. For daysat least, as immortals reckon themthe Godswar raged on, until all others fell back, too exhausted to continue. But neither Gruumsh nor Corellon broke off. The Protector began to tire and knew he could not outlast his larger opponent, so he took the battle elsewhere. Corellon led his foe on a chase across the wild places of the world, avoiding mortal civilizations wherever possible. Gruumsh smote the earth with his spear as he ran, venting his rage. Canyons yawned open, cracks coursed beneath the hills, and storms rose up in their wake. Where the lands were fragile and in need of guard from Gruumshs wrath, the Protector turned and renewed the fight. By this time, both gods were suffering true wounds at last. Their immortal blood spattered the land and soaked into the earth. Corellons blade pierced Gruumshs flesh, and a venomous spear slashed the god of magic. Corellon took refuge in a bruised and sullen wasteland edged on one side by a jagged mountain wall. There he paused, exhausted. Night had fallen, and it seemed the powers of darkness were strengthening. But the borders between the planes were thin in this remote corner of the world, a fact upon which
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Religion Check
A character knows of the Godswar or some of its interpretations with a DC 25 Religion or History check. Even secular histories of some kingdoms reference an ancient time when the gods fought one another. A successful DC 30 Religion check provides the accurate details of Corellons long battle with Gruumsh.
Blind Ambition
And here, at last, is where accounts of this mythic battle differ the most. To speak the unpopular versiondepending on your audiencecan earn you raised eyebrows, scathing words, or drawn weapons. The question at hand . . . what made Gruumsh falter? Some orcs say it was the demon Lolth who intervened, issuing from a fissure in the mountain wall like the spider she was, and distracting Gruumsh with some dark glamor. Others claim that Sehanines moon tore through the clouded sky and blinded their god with its cruel light. In support of the first school of thought, we know the drow teach their young that the enchantments Lolth had woven into Gruumshs spear turned against him in the end, paralyzing him for the one precious moment his enemy needed. That the Spider Queen would betray Gruumsh surprises none, but why she
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The Aftermath
At last, Gruumsh rose, turned, and broke through the mountain wall behind him, entering the earth as he fled. Foul ichor dripped from between his fingers. And his eye . . . oh, yes, what of the eye? Gruumshs left eye, as it happens, had been the source of his prescient power. And Corellon had known this. You see, it wasnt mere pride that had bade the Protector to consent to this terrible war. He knew of the foresight that Gruumsh had commanded. At great personal cost, Corellon had secured knowledgeperhaps from Iounof how to rid his enemy of this ability if it ever came to that. The Protector had entertained no thoughts of killing Gruumsh. He Who Never Sleeps was a god, after all, and even Corellon believed that Gruumsh had a place in the heavens. But should Gruumsh prove himself unworthy of his prophetic sight, Corellon was determined to keep the god of senseless carnage from one day becoming as powerful as the primordials. He knew he would not kill Gruumsh, but he could cripple him. And so he had. The eye was destroyed, or so it is presumed, and its remnants dripped down into the cracks of the mountain as Gruumsh fled. Where it mingled with latent primordial pockets, monsters spawned; dread beasts that men still unearth from time to time to sate their unwholesome appetites. Because the barriers between the planes were thin in this part of the world, some of Gruumshs ichor seeped into the Feywild and took root deep belowground. Some say that the fomoriansthose monstrous, fey reflections of the titansfound their clairvoyant sight by bathing in the fluid vestiges of an angry god. Each fomorian was blessed and cursed by it, as one eye distended and grew, afflicting them with terrible pain and terrible power. Surely youve heard of the cyclopses, those one-eyed brutes who serve the fomorians. Are they not said to resemble Gruumsh as the orcs depict him? Hardly a coincidence.
When Gruumsh walked away from that field of battleeither as the victor or the vanquishedit was his will, his hate, and his blood that gave malevolent life to the first orcs. His blood mingled with the mortal earth through all the lands of the battle. Gruumshs dark dream of dominion over a race that would serve him alone, that would pillage and plunder and destroy the works of Corellon, had come to pass as a consequence of his most painful hour. The orcs dwelled in the rifts, chasms, and caves opened up by Gruumshs mighty spear, and in their hearts was seeded a hatred for the elves and their Protector. As bitter as the orcs hatred is, it pales beside the enmity Gruumsh feels for Corellon. Not only had Corellon maimed him, but he had denied Gruumsh the power of premonition. For that, Gruumsh OneEye swore vengeance against all the deities, Corellon above all. He Who Never Sleeps remains to this day a ferocious warlord among the gods, incapable of being trusted by anyone and far too angry to be ignored. Corellon, meanwhile, had shed much of his own lifeblood upon the mortal world. Where eladrin preferred the twilit shelter of the Feywild, the elves who so adored the world were deeply affected by the Protectors struggle and pain. When the moons light shined upon his blood, it transformed into a mist that washed over the elves. In their hearts was
sewn defiance and animosity against the works of Gruumsh and especially his children, the orcs. The broken lands upon which Corellon had bled and over which he had stood victorious became a verdant realm, a primeval forest perched at the edge of a mountain wall. It has known many names, and elves and orcs clash there to this day.
Plot Hooks
Here are a few ideas for DMs who want to use Corellons and Gruumshs enmity in their campaigns. Additional information about the Seldarine can be found in the articles Channel Divinity: Corellon in Dragon 386, Channel Divinity: Corellons Devoted in Dragon 394, and Channel Divinity: Sehanine, Arrows from the Moonbow in Dragon 386. The Eye Lives: A heretical cult devoted to He Who Watches is gaining popularity among orc tribes. These one-eyed supplicants concede that Gruumshs eye was cut out by Corellon, but they claim it was not destroyed. They believe Gruumshs orb is an artifact of enormous power. While avoiding the vengeful shamans of orthodox faith, these cultists have recruited muscle well beyond those of orc blood and will soon possess a map to their prize. Is it really Gruumshs eye, roiling with oracular power, or is another agency manipulating them to find something elsesomething worse? One from Two: Fomorians honor no god, but one particular fomorian witch ( Dungeon 176), obsessed with elves and eladrin, believes in the creation myth of her race as it relates to Gruumsh. With the help of a house of drow nobles, she captures a renowned elf sorceress and a powerful orc warlord. She is convinced that a ritual can fuse the two together and engender a new race. Such an act might be the key to making the vain fomorians more beautiful. And it would certainly give the hated elves and orcs a new foe. The heroes must venture into the Feydark and stop the witchs ritual.
History Check
Most characters know that Corellon allegedly blinded Gruumsh at the end of their battle. A successful DC 25 Religion check or DC 30 History check reveals all the theories of its aftermath, such as the arrival of Sehanine and Lolth or the connection between Gruumsh and the fomorians and cyclopses.
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Jeff LaSala is a writer/editor of speculative fiction and an inquisitory game designer. His first Eberron novel, The Darkwood Mask, showcased his love for all things dark, monstrous, and masked. He usually dwells in the chthonic depths of New York City, perching like a gargoyle over jefflasala.com. When he was seven years old, his big brother threw a metaltipped dart in his eye, so he feels Gruumshs pain (but sides with Corellon anyway).
Editor Miranda Horner Managing Editor Kim Mohan Producers Greg Bilsland, Christopher Perkins, Stan! Art Directors Kate Irwin, Jon Schindehette Illustrator Wayne Reynolds Graphic Production Angie Lokotz
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