Tag: weald-defenders
Tree Vipers of the Naighvelaugh Weald (CLOSED)
Posted on April 14, 2026 in Steel-Realms
The Tree Vipers of the Naighvelaugh Weald are tree running savage elven warriors. They are camouflaged and move through trees and over rocks with ease. They quickly cover natural terrain, climb, jump, and tumble using every feature and drop silently from above – like a tree viper – to kill their enemies. When not fighting, they paint themselves with bright organic colors of blue and green. Often using make-up to make it seem as though they have enormous snake eyes and terrifying outsiders. Despite their affiliation with Epona in the Weald in general, these warriors obviously follow the Green Church, but through Ssissllenn.
The tree Vipers are given a healthy respect even by the Klaurians, though not known much beyond North Pines or The Autumn Wall. They are known in all directions as cunning and violent defenders of their homeland by those nearby.
Closed Ranks of Service: The Tree Vipers operate in service to the Naighvelaugh Weald. They do not retire outside the Weald; Their bond with the animals and trees of their Weald defines them and binds them tightly to it. They do not train their young adult life only to leave – they are committed to the community and do not reveal the secrets of their training or tactics to outsiders. The few who have managed to break their bonds of commitment are almost always hunted down, unless they merely retire quietly.
Cultural Experience
This is a Cultural Specific Background, part of the collection of Steel Realms Character Cultural Experiences.
i20™ Character Details
Tree Viper warriors of the Wyld Elves are ALL Barbarians.
Throat-Worn: Animal Handling grants the Throat viper pet – wraps around their throat for warmth; attacks anyone trying to do anything in their sleep or bites the owner to wake them up. Its presence gains the elf +1 intimidate checks.
Wrist-Worn: Or snake can wrap around wrist if the owner uses a dagger or similar shorter weapon, as a Bonus Action, the snake can bite for for d4 + poisoned 1/Short Rest; # times = Proficiency Bonus @ 3rd level and higher.
Tattoo of Ssissllenn: The elf gains Advantage on saves vs snake venom
> injects venom to grant a use of reckless rage, but dies at that point and 1 month of mourning before new one.
Camouflage (adv) DC 12 = +1 intimidate due to the disconcerting snake appearance using war paints.
Fast Movement adds 5’ only, but to jump distance as well; if a suitable platform can be used and 10’ movement it can add a d6 damage the first time only when engaging a new enemy.
iCore™ Character Details
Pages on the web site lean towards i20™ text flavor, discrepancies will be noted in the iCore™ tab.
Har Cunetha (elven rangers)
Posted on July 28, 2025 in Steel-Realms
The Har Cunetha (har-coon-ath-a) are the warband of elven rangers that operate outside and inside the Haivelaugh Weald. It consists of about 100 elite warriors that are expert marksmen, tough soldiers, and skilled riders. They are all taught to be self sufficient if need be, mobile, and to strike and fade as a primary tactic. The Har Cunetha and their mounts feed extensively on the mystic honey and mead of Honeystone Lake – both them and their horses have a distinct yellow eye color from it that almost seems like it is glowing. Sometimes one or more of the World Watchers travels with them. It is said the the fearsome Ker-Sabohr of the Klaurians are said to sometimes work with them.
Force Majeure: The elves of the Haivelaugh Weald are the most active and dynamic in The Grand Duchy of Rhyl, and have paid the price for it. They are still aggressive and prideful, but more cautious about committing their support without ensuring their own safety – necessitating the powerful and mobile Har Cunetha and the Heralds of the Har Cunetha.
One of the set of Kinsaerel’s Weave for detecting Hags is in Ducal Estate of Summerblaze and one is carried by the leader of the Har Cunetha.
One-with-their-Mount: The Har Cunetha do not use saddles or stirrups. The magical long manes of their horses rise to the touch of their bound companion – securing them tightly, and actively preventing them from being dismounted. The horses have a “work harness” that carry a small sack, bedroll (though the mount and rider often lay together for warmth), and weapons. The 1m long tail hair helps to secure their gear and assist in readying it for instant use. The horses come from a herd that was once bred in Elik-Sa from the halfling war pony stock there.
Hard Reputation: If they want to find you anywhere in Rhyl, they will. Even mounted, they CAN be completely silent, but they mostly announce themselves to ensure proper regard is given to them. If they attack, it will be with every ounce of mystical and mundane measures at their disposal, holding nothing back. Their name is even avoided superstitiously by those outside the Weald. They are lustful drinkers and dancers, and loyal to their Weald, their mounts, their companions, the elves of Rhyl and those that fight for the living of Rhyl against the undead. Everything else is a distant priority.
Dreamscaped: The riders are all saturated with Kythia’s Soulbreath.
Alert in Service: Riders of the Har Cunetha take the Mare’s Milk & Honeystone Pollen on the road to keep exhaustion and sleep at bay. It gives them Advantage on checks to wake up from sleep and resist sleep (fully countering the Kythia’s Soulbreath) & can dispel exhaustion for Long Rest but it catches up (to the point if death – mission most important though) – milk skins they carry in horse leather cured with bees wax and pine tree resin. Its a heady smell, only faerie can tolerate without gagging.
Agents Afar: The Heralds of the Har Cunetha have the ability to send messages to the Har Cunetha upon the wind, that will find them wherever they are and carry a message back.
Chronicle of the Group
Knowledge is broken down by ease of discovery/availability & Meticulous Record Keeping may improve usability; Any attempt to know more than what's Pervasive will require a reference, source, knowledge, check, or access to someone who can get or provide either of these. Specific Lores may increase the chance of knowing specific elements.
Pervasive Knowledge / Very Easy Difficulty
Information Sources: Mundane Reference | Associated Phenomenology Only | Specific Lore
They use horses as mounts when outside the woods themselves. Sometimes they use Tell Cunetha as a base of operations.
When dealing with outsiders in a ceremonial or non-warfare scenario, the Har Cunetha wear their best leathers and weapons made from the materials at Honeystone Lake, giving off a sweet scent to those nearby.
Scar Spears: The Har Cunetha wield the remainder of these black, burned spears crafted from The Vinewood scar. They are particularly egregious to undead controlled by the Lich Lords, possessing some link to them that make them vulnerable; And they are sinister in appearance, adding to their reputation.
Common Knowledge / Easy Difficulty
When ranging far outside their Weald, these soldiers take the Sweet Feed of the Hythleit Grassland the Weald is known for to satisfy their faerie metabolism and enhance their health. Their impression on the senses is sometimes taken advantage of by the riders for amorous reasons. Many of the half elves of Ten Stacks are a direct result.
Uncommon Knowledge / Average Difficulty
At least half their number are senior members – adding powerful priests, magi and the like to their number. This force does not merely have a presence of function, but they are there to intimidate and keep those nearth the woodlands of their realm in check. When assembled in full and thundering over the lands on a mission, those that see them have a habit of hiding, even if they know they are not being looked for.
Deep in all Elven Wealds of Rhyl, the locations of Tell Cunetha & Houska Castle, and the Three Blades of Ceith Grebatain have a Call Stone as well for the Har Cunetha.
Scarce Knowledge / Hard Difficulty
In CY 9046, the Stonebreaker Company answered the call of the The Hornguard of Rhyl and the Har Cunetha of Vinewood Forest to lead a counter attack against the forces of Lord Heatherguard and collapsed the famous Heatherbrook Pass (from the Heather Reach in Fallen Dundaria). Their largest wielded massive hammers that got to work on cliffsides and collapse them on unwary Lich Lord troops.
Laey Network for Defense: The elite Har Cunetha make extensive use of the Laey Lines and network that ultimately connect them to the heart of the forest of Ryhl. Tell Cunetha – where the riders meet sometimes – has a branch laey line as well that connects it directly to the heart of the Haivelaugh Weald. The Three Blades of Ceith Grebatain that guard the east of the elves are also connected with laey power. The Laey network channels power to the riders and their mounts to be able to outmaneuver, track, harry, and take down powerful creatures in the Vinewood area and beyond its borders because of it.
Rare Knowledge / Very Hard Difficulty
The Foothound Origins: The head dog from the breeding program of Blacknail the Hag gets sold in CY 8949 and eventually a descendant gets to be part of the Har Cunetha Pack that patrol the areas on the edge of The Valley of Sighs and the strange things that come from the shattered walls between the worlds. Honeystone Kennels started off as a way to handle the excess hounds, the best are reserved for the elves.
In CY 9046, the Har Cunetha made an excursion to bring back some of the last of the wild Capsein Heather over the high mountain Heatherbrook Pass. Though successful, the pass had to be destroyed by the Stonebreaker Company.
The sign of The Rimbus is upon the ruins of Tell Cunetha where the Har Cunetha gather and give thanks to the spirits of the woodlands and earth sometimes.
Origins
The Har Cunetha started by a count’s daughter, marrying an elf, they begat a female half elf (she looked full) who married a full elf, she gave birth to twins – a son and daughter. After the Weald of Vinewood was diminished, they trained hard and sought to create a group within it to interface with outsiders… They were deemed ‘not elf enough’. They started the outsider ranger group. The son was killed. The daughter retired, married a full elf in the Honey Meadows. Now one of the family always serves.
Among their number are part-elf or faerie blood that can pass for humans; these two or three, always minimum two, are often sent as representatives ahead of the war band to meet with non-elfs and provide a friendlier face to prepare them for the war band’s presence. It is not generally needed these days in many places, but as an homage to the half-elf origins of the ranger band, this tradition is continued. The Heralds of the Har Cunetha often work directly with these half bloods.