Team Scorpion Frost Wyrm Driver Download
Guilleuma Deeken
More than sixty islands make up the Io's Blood chain. Temperatures range from freezing arctic cold in the north to steaming tropical heat in the southern climes. Once past the island chain, the closest land masses are the giants' territory to the north and south. The dragons know little about these areas, except that frost giants live to the north and fire giants to the south. Beyond these lands, distance and inhospitable conditions separate the chain from the rest of the world. Some small, desolate islands appear in the vast stretches of ocean, but these have little or no population. Isolated, the Io's Blood isles receive only occasional visitors from the lands beyond the seas. In practical terms, Io's Blood is a world unto itself. The chain can be broken into three segments: the northern islands, the temperate zone, and the southern region.
The northern isles (including Everwinter, Barren Isle, and Glacianta) feature a variety of arctic terrains and are home to the white, amethyst, and crystal dragon clans. The Ice Sea surrounds these islands, holding them in the grip of perpetual cold. Stark beauty contrasts with constant danger in the northern isles. Ice and snow cover the land in breathtaking shapes sculpted by relentless wind. Jagged mountains rise over glacial plains, and great falls of ice drape from splintered crags.
In the far north, the blinding landscape makes travel especially difficult during the day. Even on the most overcast days, the barest hint of sun turns the plains of ice into painfully dazzling sheets of light. At night, the temperature drops fast and furiously. Few spots on or below the world are as cold or black as the northern Io's Blood isles after dark. Even the shine of the moon reflecting off the snow and ice barely cuts through the long, dark nights.
But life inhabits these cold northern regions nonetheless. Tenacious plants, shrubs, and grasses cling to the frozen ground, and all manner of animals fill the plains, forests, and mountains. Monsters such as behirs, lesser basilisks, remorhazes, and ice trolls abound. Humanoids such as kobolds, ogres, ores, and the like live in the shadows of the icy peaks. Dwarves and gnomes have communities here, though most of these are associated with one of the dragon clans. A small number of barbaric humans (the descendants of the survivors of the great Dragon Slayer War) live as primitive tribesmen. Lastly, a few frost giants (associated with the tribes of the far north) wander the plains of ice in search of dragons to enslave.
The islands of the temperate zone, bordered on the east by the Blood Sea and the west by the Coral Sea, are dominated by Exaurdon and Starshine. These two large islands combine primeval forests with verdant plains. The twin isles of Jade and Emerald guard the bay leading to All Clans Island, where the Council Aerie rests in a field of swaying grass. Nearby, the island of Fang awaits young dragons sent by the Council to test their skills against the wild creatures that inhabit its uncivilized shores.
In the temperate climes, the seasons follow a regular cycle of change. A period of extensive growth marks the rainy spring, when the islands come alive with blooming flowers and trees, and animals emerge from the cold grip of winter to frolic in the sprouting underbrush. Spring advances to hot summer, when the air becomes thick with insects and the forest grows bright green. In the fall, as the trees begin their slide toward winter's sleep, the leaves sparkle with rainbow hues, putting on one last show before the season turns cold. Without warning, fall becomes winter. Snow spins out of the sky to blanket the forests in great heaps, and the frozen winds of the north gust across the land. Then the pattern starts again, an unending cycle of birth, growth, and death.
In the southern region, a series of hot, dry islands separates the temperate isles from the tropical climes. Rockshore, with its sweltering badlands and broken canyons, lies to the west of Aridia and Inferno, which are known for their arid plains, parched mountains, and blazing deserts. Inferno's Tail is a wild, untamed chain of small islands stretching east of Inferno. At the far end of the Tail, an insignificant rock called Wizard's Isle lures dragons that would study arcane lore. To the southeast of Aridia, all types of monstrous reptiles make their home in the teeming deserts of Basilisk. Of the Forbidden Isle, no older dragon will speak, and young dragons that go there never return.
For all of the hardships associated with these southern islands, many forms of life thrive here. Copper dragons dominate the badlands, sharing the region with a variety of lizards, giant scorpions and spiders, poisonous toads, and even a scattering of barbaric human nomads. The arid plains are home to the brass dragon clans as well as manticores, trolls, and wemic tribes. In the deserts, blue dragons hold sway, while brass dragons, fire beetles, dragonnes, and hatori lizards compete for space among the dunes.
The Burning Sea-with its underwater hot springs, active volcanoes, and boiling steam vents-heats the tropical isles of this region. While merely hot near the island shores, farther out the water actually boils. Any creatures not immune to heat quickly succumb to the sizzling waves 100 miles south and west of these islands.
Bloodtide, the half-desert, half-jungle island, is one of two huge land masses here. The other is Fireshore, an island of jungle and swamp second only to great Exaurdon Island in size. Other islands in the region include Flamestrike Isle, Storm, Lightning, and the impenetrable Oracle off Bloodtide's western coast.
Black dragon clans inhabit the swamps and jungles of these southernmost islands, while the steaming mountains serve as home to red, emerald, and silver dragons. Sapphire clans claim the great subterranean caverns beneath the jungles. Other creatures found in these regions include dracolisks, goblins, ogres, fire toads, yuan-ti, bullywugs, lizard men, giant trolls, a small number of humans, and the occasional fire giant from beyond the Burning Sea.
Whether southern, northern, or temperate, the Io's Blood isles call dragons their masters. Still, the reach of claws, while long, is insignificant compared to the vast amount of territory the islands occupy. Clan holdings take up little room, and their cities and towns are small pockets in a great
In these untamed regions, monsters thrive. On islands such as Exaurdon and Fireshore, mammoth creatures roam beyond the city limits. These reptilian, humanoid, and insectoid gargantua usually avoid the cities, but smaller dragon and vassal settlements are occasionally attacked.
Other animals and monsters live in the surrounding waters and among the varied island terrains. The encounter tables presented in the Appendix give some idea as to what types of creatures roam these islands. (Descriptions of such monsters can be found in the Monstrous Manual.) Some, but not all, of the intelligent monsters serve as vassals or are otherwise allied with the dragon clans. Those who do not bow to the dragon lords either live in hiding in the vast wilderness or are in conflict with at least one dragon clan.
Geographically the Io's Blood isles are easily separated into northern, temperate, and southern divides. It is, however, the division of the islands into the domains of metallic, gem, and chromatic dragons that is a matter for greater interest. These sections include brief discussions of specific domains, their lords, important clan members and vassals, and relations to neighboring clans.
Six gold dragon clans claim domains among the islands of Io's Blood. These clans are Baraster, Exaurdon, Justice, Resplendence, Sunblaze, and Triumph. All gold dragons in the isles belong to one of these clans.
The bronze dragons of the Io's Blood chain are divided into five separate clans, with domains on the facing shores of Bloodtide and Fireshore islands. The five clans are Battlewing, Cliffwalker, Seaview, Tempest, and Waveflier.
The copper dragons hold eight domains in the rocky hills and badlands of Io's Blood's southern isles. The clans that control these domains are Becubard, Clawstrike, Cutharn, Fastwing, Highjump, Rockclaw, Stoneproud, and Sunleap.
The seven brass dragon clans inhabiting the Io's Blood islands are Blisterclaw, Dewfeast, Drywing, Dustspinner, Hotwind, Sandtail, and Sungazer. A selection of metallic dragon clans and their respective histories are presented in the pages that follow. The DM is encouraged to make up histories of other clans as appropriate in relation to the information detailed here.
The largest, oldest, and most respected gold dragon clan is Exaurdon. The clan's domain stretches across a large portion of Exaurdon Isle, reaching from the north forest to the central plains and encompassing all of the land between the two coasts. 1\vo great cities sparkle as jewels in the domain's crown. The City of Gold, high in the mountains on Exaurdon's eastern shore, looks down upon All Clans Isle. This magnificent city is carved from the very mountain peaks, and layers of sparkling gold cover many of the structures. The west forest houses the city of Summer, where the elves have used magic and their knowledge of forest lore to grow a living city for their gold masters.
Freedom and liberty abound within the borders of this domain. Clan Exaurdon grants much independence to its vassals-the most of any dragon clan. For both dragons and vassals, learning and culture are at a level unsurpassed by even other gold domains. Vassals are free to pursue their own interests, to better themselves, and to seek happiness while still serving their dragon masters. These vassals willingly work in harmony with dragons for the benefit of the domain.
The great wyrm Magnern the Gold heads Clan Exaurdon and serves as lord of the domain. His private lair lies deep beneath the City of Gold, and his hoard is said to fill a chamber roughly half the size of the great metropolis. Magnern epitomizes the ideals of gold dragons. He believes in law and justice, often administering both personally from the Grand Audience Chamber in his public lair. He is far more concerned with his own domain than with the overall affairs of the isles. Thus, his daughter Aureen, a mature adult of considerable strength and personality (and the clan's grand lord advocate), sits on the Council of Wyrms in his stead.
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