by Kranar Drogin

Montegron (1/1/357 AD – current) is the Great Sovereign Lord of the Midland nations. He was born to a middle-class family of merchants in a small hamlet a few miles southeast of Tavlanor in Bhadlum. He was the eldest of seven siblings and from a young age knew that he was destined for greatness. At the age of twelve, he had his father sign him to train under his hometown’s Fortmaster. His father did not want to do it, and instead had Montegron take over the family business. He threatened to leave the family if they did not allow it, and finally his father relented.

The Fortmaster, Rondor Megand, was a very tough master to train under. He had little sympathy for the “rich merchant boy” that he was to train, but Rondor saw the smart mind that Montegron had. Montegron never really saw himself has being very religious, but after one particular day that was tough a goddess came to him. Rasala Hage came to him during a dream, and promised him great power if he would accept her as his goddess. He agreed in his dream, and almost immediately the next day he felt the changes coming upon him. He finished his training faster than anyone who trained directly under a Fortmaster, and he was ready to join war parties by the age of fourteen.

Some veteran warriors scoffed at the notion of a fourteen year old boy leading them into battle against the minotaurs to the north. They quickly changed their minds, when the power and mind of this boy became apparent to all. In their first skirmish over the border, he led his band of ten to victory over a group that was twice their size in numbers. Montegron himself slew eight and captured two of the minotaurs while gaining the respect of his men. Montegron’s men did not suffer a single casualty.

For the next twelve years, Montegron made a name for him and stayed in charge of a small group of elite soldiers. This group of traveling soldiers made a name for themselves, growing in size more and more. The High Sheriff (King) of Bhadlum would summon them for their assistance in major attacks or defenses. This was the forerunner for what would become the Midland Guard in later years.

During the Days of Darkness, the dwarves of Adlar opened a chamber deep in their Path. This released the forces of Chaos upon all of Adlatum. Many of the armies of the Midlands fled from these unholy warriors, but luckily Montegron and his soldiers rallied the other nations to defeat the Darkness. With the defeat of Chaos, the gods left Krynn, and Montegron temporarily lost his deity as well. But he had saved the life of a man named Jermon Cavlin who in turn dedicated his life to serving the great hero. He is bestowed an honorific of Lord by the newly appointed High Sheriff Mendel Haeg.

The following year the Tashrama approached the hero and presented a great temptation. In return for his allegiance, they would unite the devastated Midlands under his rule. He would be in a position of great influence but still subservient to the church. Instead he turned the plan against them. Rejecting the offer, he spoke to the High Sheriff and proposed an identical plan, but this time without the church’s hand. Haeg accepted the idea of a unified Midlands if Montegron could stabilize the other nations and have them agree to the concept of a government ruling over the nations.

Cavlin followed Montegron as he traveled the Midlands, gathering those loyal to the civilized regions of the Midlands and to Montegron’s dream of a grand future. Over the following years, monarchies were restored, protected, and installed. In time each of the Midland nations bent knee to their savior.

With the loss of his goddess though, Montegron became increasingly paranoid, and he surrounded himself with only humans, dwarves, and gnomes. His prejudice really became apparent against the other races of Adlatum, eventually making laws against them.

In 396 AD, an Avanesti came to Montegron with knowledge of an old legend concerning the Volumes and an army of the dead. She had been cast out as a Fallen among her people, and would only go by the name “Prophet”. She believed that the restless souls of late might have had something to do with this. Montegron took her on as an adviser but was shocked to find that she was an elf. Instantly he had feelings for her, and he took her on as a lover. The Prophet had no idea about the true intentions of Montegron that he wanted to use the Volumes for himself. She believed him an honorable man who desired security and safety for his citizens.

In time Rasala Hage revealed to Montegron that she was still present in the world in a vastly weakened state, but that her power was growing. He learned that she had been the cause of all the restless souls wandering around. She instructed Montegron to use the Prophet to gain the Volumes, and then to begin a war of conquest for the rest of the continent. Montegron used the words of the Prophet to begin a steady build-up of his legions of warriors and secretive necromancers. The Tashrama was decided to be the first target.

In 406 AD, the red branch of the Tashrama launched an early attack against the Sovereignties. With Rasala Hage’s aid, Montegron led the forces of three nations against the army and won a decisive victory. The red branch successfully convinced the public that the army defeated was a massive Oguna raid from the north. The popularity of the Great Sovereign Lord reached record heights. Still, the battle was a foreshadowing of the conflict to come.

Over fourteen years pass. Montegron’s forces were near ready to launch their war against the Tashrama. Sending riders out to every ruler of the Midlands, Montegron passed on the knowledge he gained from his goddess that the Tashrama was truly run by five powerful dragons and not the true gods of Krynn. Several of the church’s branches were decimated as disillusioned followers left the church.

Six months later, in 421 AD, Montegron was finally ready to launch his war against the Elder Dragons. But the day before the attack would commence to start the War of the Prophet, Takhisis and the souls that Montegron had in support vanished. Furthermore, that evening the Brotherhood of the Prophet, led by the Prophet’s own brother, helped her escape from Montegron’s control. The following day, an old, scared, and paranoid, Montegron declared that the Prophet had foreseen that today was the day the war would begin. His forces are launched against the neighboring Holy Land of Breenaak where the White Branch of the church calls home, instigating civil war and the War of the Prophet.

Gaming Stats

3.5 Edition

Male Midlander human fighter 8/legendary tactician 10/blackguard 4
LE Medium humanoid (human)
Init +0; Senses Listen +3, Spot +3
Aura despair (10-ft. radius, opponents are -2 saves)

Defense

AC 37, touch 16, flat-footed 37 (+13 armor, +4 deflection, +2 luck, +2 natural, +6 shield)
hp 182 (12d10+10d8+66)
Fort +27, Ref +13, Will +16
DR 3/-; Resist electricity 5, fire 10

Offense

Spd 30 ft.
Melee +4 keen dragonmetal longsword of speed +30/+30/+25/+20/+15 (1d8+6/17-20) or
staff of power +28/+23/+18/+13 (1d6+6)
Ranged +4 heavy crossbow +26 (1d10+4/19-20)
Special Attacks direct troops, inspire courage (+4; 4/day), poison use, smite good 1/day (+5 atk, +4 dmg), sneak attack +1d6
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 4th)
at will – detect good

Statistics

Str 18, Dex 10, Con 17, Int 17, Wis 17, Cha 20
Base Atk +22; Grp +27
Feats Cleave, Far Shot, Great Cleave, Improved Sunder, Leadership, Mounted Archery, Mounted Combat, Point Blank Shot, Power Attack, Precise Shot, Quick Draw, Ride-By Attack, Spirited Charge, Trample
Skills Bluff +22, Climb +9, Diplomacy +30, Handle Animal +10, Hide +5, Intimidate +30, Knowledge (religion) +10, Ride +15, Sense Motive +28, Swim +5, Use Magic Device +17
Languages Common, Dwarven, Gnome, Hudieran, Trejori
SQ aura of evil (moderate), battle standard, dark blessing, hard march, leadership bonus +5, rally troops, rout enemies, strategic retreat, the forlorn hope
Combat Gear helm of teleportation, potion of cure serious wounds (4), potion of tongues, staff of power; Other Gear +5 dragonmetal full plate of etherealness, +4 dragonmetal heavy shield of fire resistance, +4 keen dragonmetal longsword of speed, +4 heavy crossbow with 20 bolts, amulet of natural armor +2, belt of giant strength +4, boots of striding and springing, ring of protection +4, ring of feather falling and regeneration, tassel of grounding* (electricity), holy symbol (Rasala Hage).
*New item described in Chapter 3 of the Adlatum Sourcebook.

Special

Lost Abilities (Su) Due to the disappearance of Rasala Hage at the beginning of the Midland Civil War (War of the Prophet), Montegron is unable to cast blackguard spells or command undead.

Vast Resources (Ex) Lord Montegron has a large expanse of items not specifically listed here that have been collected by him and his servants over the decades. Although these items are not on his person at all times, a DM should feel free to equip Lord Montegron will additional items if circumstances in-game allow for preparation and access. This does not apply to artifacts or relics of great note within the setting, but Montegron’s full arsenal is at the DM’s digression.