Flooded Keep of the Astromancer - Week of Adventures Location 8

This location was originally written up as part of the River Jarl steading in the Sildur Reaches, along the western shore of the Greywater, south near the Great River. The name of the steading is Northwind. The name of this location is the Flooded Keep of the Astromancer. It was location 8 (bonus location) in the Week of Adventure Locations.

Adventure Location: Southeast of the Northwind Steading, along the road to Na Kram, there is a vale next to the road that was once the home to a small castle, early Westroner construction, that housed a wizard who was very much interested in the goings on of the stars, the moons, and the other interesting bodies in the night sky.  It is said he was called Kassar Nabarns, but usually is referred to as the Astromancer.  At one point he made a lot of pronouncements concerning the deities of the Old Ones, and even sent off for some of the Archivists of Parn Tandalorn to come and visit and review his knowledge that he was amassing.  Before that occurred, however, he was visited by an angry wizard - some say a necromancer - who led an army of dead warriors.  There was, of course, a wizard's duel between the two, and their followers and guards.  Something happened to the astronomer, and his whole home, vale and all, were subjected to a deluge of waters.

Remaining castle tower of Kassar Nabarns, the astronomer

 Only the topmost tower of castle remains above water, but it is widely rumored that the whole area (lake, tower, vale) are haunted by a number of beings.  Depending on which alehouse you frequent, these beings vary from ghosts of the slain, to lake devils summoned to protect the tower and its contents.  The Archivists of Parn Tandalorn never did arrive (they heard about the duel before traveling this far north), but who knows what knowledge or magic the astronomer was able to amass in his castle?  All before being beaten by the necromancer. [This is location 8 in the finally finished Week of Adventure Locations].

Roaming House of the Elkmen King - Week of Adventures Location 7

In the wide and open Fields of Aton of the Sildur Reaches, east of the Greywater River, there is a nomadic tribe of people that have merged with a roaming great herd of Giant Elk.  There, moving across the Fields of Aton, is the site of this adventure location - the Roaming House of the King of the Elkmen.  This was originally described as part of the River Jarl setting, in the writeup of the Steading of Mead Hall.  It was Location number 7 in the Week of Adventure Locations.

Adventure Location: East of Mead Hall, out across the Fields of Aton, between the Greywater River, and the Barony of Na Kram, roam the Mongrelbeast Herds.  These are herds of giant elk, as found in other regions of the valley north of the Great River, but the herds here have been affected by some foul strain of Old One magic.  A long time ago, a savage primitive people, similar to the Sword People north of the King's Highway in the same region, would wander and travel with the Giant Elk herds that have been trapped south of the King's Highway, since it was constructed.  These people, called the Elkmen, would wander with the herds, culling some now and again for food and skins, but mostly living with them in peace, and for protection.  The Elkmen had semi-domesticated some of the beasts to pull their great wheeled huts.  The king of the Elkmen lived in a massive giant wheeled hut called the Roaming House.

Giant Elk, roaming the Fields of Aton during winter.

However, at some point, something occurred to merge the the Elkmen with the Elks.  Now the herd consists of Giant Elks, Elkmen, and all manner of merged beings with attributes of both.  This includes, giant Elkmen, with the heads of elks; centaur-Elkman type mixed animals; giant elks with arms and hands sprouting out of their shoulders; Elks with Elkman type heads - all sorts of mixes.  These mixed beings are called Mongrelbeasts, and are barely tolerated by the tribe.  It is widely believed that the source of the magic that caused this change is an artifact of the Old Ones, and it is kept in the Elkman king's Roaming House.  In addition to merging the two beings - the Elkmen and the giant elks - into the Mongrelbeasts, the change also granted some of them fearsome magical powers, such as the ability to sound a horrid baying noise that has the power to kill, or a hoary breath that melts metal.  Each individual Mongrelbeast is completely chaotic and unpredictable.

City of Ohn Ohnan - Week of Adventures Location 6

This adventure location was first described in the write up on the River Jarl Steading of Clearwater.  Clearwater Steading is built right next to the mound of the King's Highway, at the point where the Greywater River passes through a long tunnel to go under the Highway.  At the mid point of this tiled tunnel, there is a side passage . . .

This was part of the Week of Adventure Locations, and it was Location number 6.  It is located along the Greywater River between the Darkearth Plains and the Sildur Reaches.

Adventure Location: As the Greywater flows under the King's Highway, it goes through an impressive tunnel, burrowed out and lined with very thick slate tiles throughout it's massive arch.  The interior height of the arch is nearly 160 feet, higher in some spots (the top surface of the King's Highway, in this area, stands some 300 feet up over the plains around it).  The river banks go right up against the tiled walls of the tunnel.  About half way through, on the western wall, there is a large opening that goes back into the mound of the King's Highway.

Side passage from the Greywater River

The opening is covered over by a massive bronze portcullis that is chained to stone pillars coming out from the tunnel walls on either side.  The opening is easily wide enough and tall enough for a vessel of a modest size to enter.  This sideflow of the river goes on for almost two miles, deep under the King's Highway.

The tiled ceiling and tunnel sides give away to rough rock, and eventually to stalactites.  Among them lurk all manor of subterranean hunters and predators.  Huge, aggressive, and hungry blind fish (of monstrous sizes, some 20 or 30 feet long) live in the almost always black river.  But, if this route is traversed, the explorer/adventurers will be rewarded with the river disappearing under a stone wall, with only inches of clearance. At this point, however, there is a stone jetty, with paths and stairways down deep into the earth, and eventually ending up at a ruined, and abandoned subterranean city.  The city is in a vast, huge, cavern (several miles across), with strange trees and plants growing in the subterranean light that is cast off the monstrous stalactites inside the cavern.

Underground City of Ohn Ohnan

 Legendarily known as the city of Ohn Ohnan, it is rumored to have once been a joint city of Mika-Born and the Old Ones, but it was destroyed by a crazed cult of madmen lead by an EHP of the Lord of Fire.  The ghosts of the Lord of Fire worshippers are rumored to haunt the ruins.  What else lives there now, is for the adventurers to discover. [This is location 6 in the Week of Adventure Locations]

Celerium of Great Truth - Week of Adventures Location 5

This adventure location, is in the Darkearth Plains region.  It was originally posted as part of the article on the River Jarl Steading of Rookroost.  There, it was a part of the Week of Adventures, location number 5.

Adventure Location:  Just west of Rookroost, halfway to the edge of the Great Owl Forest, there stands an empty monastery.  It was once built by traveling priests of the order of Brother Ian, to stand as a northern library of knowledge and information (it was to rival the great southern archivist site of Parn Tandalorn, but of course that never happened), to be called the Celerium of Great Truth.  The monks and nuns that settled there, following the heirarchy of priests leading the site, helped to work the land, and prepare an impressive structure.  All was going well, in the early days of the site.

Inside of the Grand Dome of the Celerium

 And then, one winter, there was a horrible raid by Marsh Trolls from up along terrapin.  It was never expected that these terrors would raid this far south, or the monks and nuns would have appealed to the Church bureaucracy for armed protection.  Well, the monastery was wiped out.  It stands, abandoned, now with the exception of some occasional beast men from the Great Owl Forest.  Rumors abound, however, that the reason the original site was chosen was because the original Priests understood there to be a repository of magic, or knowledge, or healing, or something (the tales differ) deep underground, and the Monastery is built over that site.  It certainly would be a site worthy of investigation by adventurers. [This is location 5 in the Week of Adventure Locations].

The Glade of Time - Week of Adventures Location 4

This area is located in the Darkearth Plains region, to the west of the Greywater River.  This information was originally posted, as part of the Week of Adventure Locations.The original was posted along with the description of the River Jarl steading of Hearth Home.  The Glade itself is to the west of Hearth Home, past the Ice Lake, and inside the borders of the Great Owl Forest.

Adventure Location: At a point north of the tower of Belue Gorm, just inside the Great Owl Forest, there is a glade of great repute.  It is difficult to find, more so since it relies on magic to keep itself hidden, but if one can locate it, at the center of the glade stands a singular tree, known as the Clock of the Great Druid.  It has been surmised that this tree, and it's peculiar magical properties, are due to magical machinations of the Master of the Silver Order of Druids, located not far away (in the Darkearth Plains) at the Star Tower in the southern reaches of the Aghanz Hills.  The Master of the Silver Order, however, has denied any participation in the construction of the Clock, and further maintains that the Masters and Mistresses preceding him had nothing to do with it either.  Still, the name Clock of the Great Druid remains.

Clock of the Great Druid - in the glade of time

Within the glade, time does not function in the normal predictable way.  It does not even function in any of the known magical ways that those learned in such things could predict or name.  It has the effect of opening up vistas and portals into the distant past, the far future, and everything in between.  Nor does it seem to be limited to the current location of the Glade.  Some anti-spherist astronomers claim that this gives support to their claim that the Valley, and all its inhabitants, are somehow moving through an etheric substance, so that the location of the Glade may change, but somehow the coordinates of the magical time portal do not.  This is rejected by most scholars, however.

The glade is a place where a band of adventurers can go to encounter all manner of unpredictable encounters, from all worlds and all times.  It is not uncommon, as is reported by the few who return, that both past and future versions of a visitor to the glade could be encountered.

One of the curious effects of the effects within the glade, is that it makes communication with certain elder beings, and their servants, possible.  As there is no way to control this, it seems unlikely that this was a desired effect, especially given the wholly damning and destructive nature of encounters with some of those beings, however it has been reported (or at least rumored).  It is possible, however, due to this characteristic of the glade, that the Clock was the construct of the Old Ones, maybe even Ba'a Zarn the builder.  [This is location 4 in the Week of Adventure Locations.]

The Scorch - Week of Adventures Location 3

The Scorch is an area of land near to the River Jarl Steading of the Bright Iron Fastness. It was originally written up as Location 3 in the Week of Adventure Locations.The land is just east of the Greywater River, in the region of the Sildur Reaches.

Adventure Location:  Southeast of Bright Iron, further south east even than the Stone Houses, there is a region along the border of the Orc Clan lands known as The Scorch.  This is a rolling plain, in the Sildur Reaches, among some gentle swells of the land, where all life has been burnt off.  This was done during one of the wars between the Huscarls of Bright Iron and the Orc Clans.  It was meant as a reminder of the edge of the Orc Clan Lands that Bright Iron would tolerate.  The land was burnt by fire brigands, summoned by fire wizards, from the great volcanoes and lava flows of the icy north, deep in the Destriel Mountains. 

These beings (the fire brigands), thought to be the servants of the Gods when they formed the mountains of the world, were brought forth and told to totally destroy all life in the area of the Scorch.  This they did, but in so doing it they also deposited all sorts of minerals and metals into the burnt land.  This has come to attract all sorts of adventurers and treasure seekers, for there are also gems (both magical and non-magical) among the curious deposits left by the fire brigands.  Once, not so long ago, a band of Mika-born (gnomes) came and built a fortified tower, along with deep dungeons and mines, in the center of the scorch.  From this they sought to exploit the area and relieve it of its treasured burdens that litter the landscape.  The expedition lasted about a generation, before it was totally wiped out by Orc Clans.  The tower, and it's dungeons, known as the Tower of Ontigar, still is there, and is awaiting the plundering of a band of adventurers.  [This is location 3 in the Week of Adventure Locations.]

Princess of Roses - Week of Adventures Location 2

The village of Aderback is nearby the River Jarl Steading of Seawyrm. It is located near the Greywater River, in the region of the Sildur Reaches.  Seawyrm is on the Eastern side of the Greywater River.


Adventure Location: Several days northeast of Seawyrm, towards the southernmost fingers of stony ridges coming down out of the Destriel Mountains, there is a curious village.  It is a village made of stone buildings, and surrounded by a stout palisade, to aid in warding off the Sword People who venture that way.  The village's name is Aderbak, and it is known to be the home of both the Princess of Roses, and the thorny portal.

The Princess of Roses is a fey princess, who has sworn to live in this realm, who as been blessed by her father (an Elven sorcerer from the Seely Court) to serve as a natural ward against incursions from the Unseely Realm.  She resides in Aderbak, because a peculiar connection to the Unseely Realm is there.

The thorny portal is stony rift in the ground, surrounded by guarded walls and overseen by towers manned by the Aderbak town guard, and occasionally by wandering Paladins from the Westroner cities (most commonly Knights of the Hearth, and Knights of the White Lady).  It is a permanent portal to a dark and constantly smoky plain in the Unseely Realm, at the center of which stands the great Brass Tower.  This is a mighty castle, peopled by all sorts of dark creatures, evil wizards, and goblin kind of all variety.  That the thorny portal itself cannot be closed remains a mystery, but occasionally adventurers will venture across the portal, into the Unseely Realm, for all manner of purposes. [This is location 2 in the Week of Adventure Locations]

Dungeons of Igo Umblar - Week of Adventures Location 1

This adventure location was originally part of the writeup on Icewall, the Riverjarl Steading.  This location is near the Greywater River, in the Darkearth Plains.  It is located on the River Jarl map.  It is adventure 1 in the Week of Adventure Locations.

Adventure Location: Several days journey, but not a journey to be undertaken by those unfamiliar with the Ice Father, across the glacial ice - there lies a series of small villages of ice people. They live in curious round houses, made of ice and snow, and live by hunting ice worms and sometimes ride ice spiders in great hunts for the white frost-yaks that live on the glacier.

Among these ice people is said to be knowledge of a hollowed out rift in the glacier, where the mouth of an ancient castle, long buried by the ice.  This castle, which lies mostly underground (and almost all under ice) was perhaps built by the Old Ones.  Regardless, today the ice people believe it is home to the feared four armed glacial beast.  The glacial beast is a very large (12' tall) clawed creature that lives on man flesh.  The glacial beast is rumored to be able to run silently, among the swirling blind driving snow of the northern blizzards, and attacks caravans of travelers who are foolish enough to be out on the ice during such storms.  Among the ice people, there is  a tradition of hunting the glacial beast as a mark of entry into adulthood.  Both male and female members of the ice people tribe take part in this hunt, and it involves small teams of the tribe members who are coming of age each winter to go out among the fiercest of storms, carrying only spears tipped with narwhal horns, and riding the ice spiders that they are fond of .  Occasionally, a small band of these villagers attempting to prove that they are worthy hunters will return with the severed claws of a glacial beast.  Equally likely, however, are the years when none return.

Glacial entrance to the dungeons of Igo Umblar

Other than being the home of the glacial beast, however, the icy covered black stone castle entrance is likely to be the portal to one of the most mysterious locations in the north - the fabled dungeons of Igo Umblar.  Igo Umblar is legendarily known among the archivists as the astral navigator who eventually led some of the Old Ones to leave after the ancient troubles with the members of the Seely Court.  His underground domain would certainly be a dungeon worth exploring, and should be home to all sorts of enigmatic treasures, as well as fearsome creatures left over from the reign of the Old Ones. [This is location 1 in the Week of Adventure Locations]

Barony of Henn and the City of Shadows

Henn is the name of a barony in the northern parts of the Rising Land region.  The capitol city is also known as the City of Shadows, and has a population of 18,000.  The Barony, and the city, are both about 1200 years old.

The city of Henn has three major trade towns associated with it.  These are located on roads going to nearby Baronies.

The first, Aldrop (pop. 6,000) is located on the road southwest to Scallen.  The road stops at the Two-Moon River at the independent town of Riverport, but about a third of the way between Henn and Riverport stands the town of Aldrop.  Aldrop is known for the strange community of Gnome herbalists (the Leaf Guild of Mika) that live in the outskirts of the town, and also for the very old (over 1000 years old, almost as old as the City of Shadows itself) Shrine of the Seasons.  This is a a Lass Indol shrine that venerates all four of the Lass Indol demigoddesses, Neuvirra Oss (demigoddess of Spring and Planting), Elongar Suu (demigoddess of Summer and Growth), Olimo Vis (demigoddess of Autumn and the Harvest), and Frigia Nor (demigoddess of Winter and of Feasting).  Even though these four have long been brought into the Westron Church, the community that lives at the Shrine of the Seasons has a distinctive Lass Indol feel to it - preferring to wear the clothing and eat the cuisine of the ancient Lass Indol, when they were part of the Olmert Empire.  Given the nature of the Shrine, there are often visiting clergy that are dedicated to Kyclos present in Aldrop.

The second town, in the Barony, is along the road that goes north and then east to Huygen the City of Light.  This town, Tor Alis (pop. 4,000), is built on a tall, bald hill at the foot of the Jazzan Mountains.  The Huygen Road there passes around the base of the hill, but there is considerable traffic up to the heights of the town.  The town of Tor Alis (named for Alis hill) is in site of Mount Soluto, where the hermitage of the Eagles of Jazzan is located.  Because of its proximity, it is often a meeting place for members of the Eagles order, and also others who would have dealings in the lands surrounding the Jazzan mountains.

The third town of the Barony is Octoris (pop. 3,500) located on the road south to Pellorix.  It is located along the Pellorix Road, about half way between the City of Shadows, and the northern edge of the Redsmoke Woods.  The town is known for two main reasons. The first is the monastery (the Harmonious Reflectory of Order) located inside some curious crystalline caves, just outside of town, that is run by an order of St. Ermo.  These monks have dedicated their lives to the study of mathematics.  For some reason, the monastery have attracted a lot of retired soldiers and masons who have chosen to make a study of the philosophy of numbers.  The monastery is rare in that it is in fairly frequent communication with the Archivists of Parn Tandalorn.  The second thing that Octoris is known for is School of Bonbonis - a school for training young persons of worth, and wealthier men at arms, the fine art of Archery.  It was originally established by Bonbonis, a woodsman of exceptional skill with the bow, from the Redsmoke Forest.  On his retirement from the life of a Woodsman, he had acquired a fair amount of wealth, was annointed officially as a Lord by the Baron of Henn, and settled in Octoris (rather than constructing a castle or keep, Bonbonis instead built the School for archery).  He was joined by a number of his compatriots and companions from his early life as an adventurer and woodsman.

In addition to the population of the dependent towns, there are approximately another ten or twelve thousand people, mostly farmers and members of very small nameless villages, that make up the Barony.

The capitol city of Henn itself is the seat of the branch of the Church, under the division of Nadene, that venerates St. Jaspar.  The great Earthroot Cathedral is here, built out of a very large stone formation that makes up the western edge of the City.  The stone, called the Earthroot, has legendary properties, and is supposedly a ward against the return of the elemental gods of the Old Ones.  The Church, in its official position on the elemental gods, has chosen not to recognize this, and instead considers the stone to have been placed here, far from the Jazzan Mountains, by a band of prescient Storm Giants, that foresaw the coming of Jaspar Wilderman, and his ability to make stone alive, and work it by the gifts of his great strength ('like that of a Storm Giant' it is said).  It is not known if this story, or the one about the ward against the elemental gods is true, but the second is the position officially taken by the Archivists of Parn Tandalorn, and the former is the position taken by the Church.  One of the more visible of the properties of the Earthroot is the presence of the Thousand Sons of the Earthroot.

The capitol is called the City of Shadows for the reason of the fantastic shadows that the city is always in.  These shadows are cast by a cloud of great stones, ranging in size of a small farm pig, on up to the size of a massive windmill, or castle keep.  These float on the air, and rotate, slowly but irregularly, in a circular pattern around the Earthroot, at a height of approximately 500-1000 feet.  It is not known what keeps the stones up, as experiments by magic users from the eight Schools of Magic have not revealed the nature of the magic.  Due to the rigorous nature of the experiments, however, most feel sure that the stones are not going to fall.  They rotate in a radius of approximately a mile or so, but the larger stones are closer to the center.  The movement of these causes a constant shifting pattern of shadows to dance all across the city, hence the name "City of Shadows".

The largest of the stones rotating around the Earthroot, are the Thousand Sons.  There are many more than a thousand of these stones, but the larger ones (the named ones) are called the Thousand Sons. One of the more interesting, Aqualith (the Water Stone) has a small spring of water located on it, and it is constantly producing a fresh gurgling of water up out of it.  This water gathers in small pools on the upper surface of Aqualith, a stone of perhaps 20 yards across the long face, and 5 yards wide, and which is floating lengthwise upright.  However, the water, since it is constantly being produced, is always trickling down as a waterfall down the side of Aqualith.  Once it falls the hundreds of feet to the city, it has mostly dispersed into a fine misting drizzle, however it is enough water to keep the city incredibly lush, and full of the most bountiful trees and gardens.

The current ruler of the city is Lendara Astern of the Moontusk family.  The Moontusk family has been involved as one of the leading families of Henn since they came out of the Olmert Empire, approximately 500 years ago (in a later wave of colonisation).  Her full title is Majestrix Lendara Astern, Baroness of Henn, Queenchief of the Moontusk Diamond, and Protector of the Earthroot.

Gof Annish - Tower of the Necromancer

There is a nearly barren heath, on the southeast border of the Craggy Hills, in the rough triangle formed by the Craggy Hills, the slopes of Fire Mountian, and the City of Botts, in the region of the Sildur Reaches.  The heath is often referred to as Gof Annish, although the title refers, properly. to the strange, ancient tower at the center of the 10 mile heath.

The tower is ancient, built no doubt by the Old Ones.  Today it is home to a mysterious figure known only as The Necromancer.  The tower is peopled with all sorts of undead constructs and creations, and the immediate country side is not contested by anyone.

There is a nearby town (maybe half a day's walk) to the tower, but it is outside of the barren heath.  The town is home to a small number of farming peasants who not only tend to their own needs, but also support the nearby monastery known as the Hove of Enlightenment.  It is a place of meditation, study and reflection for a community of Kyclos, the consort of Nadene, the Goddess of Fertility.  It seems that the Brothers of the order are quite fascinated with the difference between living and dead, and so have made a study of the undead creatures of Gof Annish.  The inhabitants of the town know some of the following goings-on at the heath.

The heath itself is kept cursed and freed from most life (no animals live there, and very few plants, other than the Annish vine).  This is done by the hand of the Necromancer and his serving hordes of undead.  Twice a year, a massive procession of skeletons, led by 12 bone devils, lead the Bell of the Damned in a circle around the edge of the heath, three times, starting at midnight on the Equinox, and taking  over three days.  The circuit around the edge of the heath is over 30 miles, and the Bell itself is huge.  It is a massively large bell, weighting thousands of pounds, and mounted in a tall (25') wooden scaffold, on wheels.  Hundreds of skeletons, pulling on ropes and chains, heave the scaffolding out of the Tower of Gof Annish, out to the edge of the heath, and then begin their thrice encirclement of the lifeless land.  During this parade of death, the bell is rung continually, and a faint unearthly moaning rises up from the skeletal mouths.  The 12 bone devils at the head of the procession are shouting loud shrill blasphemies against life and the three Goddesses and will attack anything living in the path of the procession.

Procession of the Damned from Gof Annish, around the cursed heath

The only thing, above the level of lichens and short scrubby grass, that lives on the heath are the Annish vines.  These are curious plants, appearing basically as large clumps of massive radial tubers, growing out of a common thick root.  The tubers are some 30-40 feet long, and at their base some 8-10 inches around, tapering to only an inch or so across at the end.  They react to the presence of life, and if encountered at any time during the year, may attack whatever creature comes near them (these are located, not thickly, but placed fairly randomly all across the heath.  Since they tend to lay down, limp, in a radial splayed out pattern when they are not active, they are hard to spot until a traveler is somewhat close).  During the procession of the Bell of the Damned, however, they come to life.  The Annish Vines wave their horrid tubers in the air, violently and randomly, and unroot themselves.  Somehow they can drag their root ball out across the surface of the ground, and will attempt to fall into place behind the procession, before settling down again.  An active Annish Vine does not travel too fast, but then again neither does a horde of thousands of undead hauling on a bell that weighs thousands of pounds.  The Vines, after following the procession for a short time, will return to a random spot on the heath, and take up root again.

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Name: Annish Vines
No. Encountered: 1-3
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Movement: 30'
Armor Class: 4
Hit Dice: 10 (65hp)
Attacks: Up to 16 (no more than 4 against any one man sized foe).
Damage: 1-12+2
Save: F10
Morale: 9
Hoard Class: VI
XP: 850

The Annish Vine has many fibrous tubers to attack with, but can not bring any more than 4 at a time against any one foe.  It can, however, attack any foes within 30' of its base.  The Treasure Hoard that it might have are items that are to be found in the ground, at the base of the root ball that the vines grow out of.  These are the remains of any victims that have been slain and eaten previously.

The Annish Vine is immune to normal missile fire, but takes normal damage from fire and acid based attacks.  Against magic, it has a 25% magic resistance, but has not concentrated mind so is immune to spells such as Sleep and Charm.

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Occasionally, some group or another, typically Knights from the City of Air (Botts), or an order of Errant Paladins (such as the Paladins of the White Lady), will want to take up arms against the Procession, or even against the seat of power at Gof Annish tower itself.  They have always been stopped in the past by both the Priests and Monks of Kyclos from the Hove of Enlightenment, or by members of the Silver order of Druids.  Occasionally, in recent history, this has been by the Master of the Silver Order himself, from the Star Tower in the Aghanz Hills.