Drel’Mareath

The Drel’Mareath made up the second army of the Old Gods during the War of Ascendance. They were created after the ascendance of Rallia and the betrayal of Ghendar’s Poi’Mareath. Fearing more rebellion among their ranks, and seeking a more obedient army, the surviving Old Gods created clay soldiers to serve as their troops. The Drel’Mareath made up the majority of the army. Their ranks were augmented by monsters. The Drel were not intelligent, having only the capacity to follow orders. This meant they were not particularly adept fighters and could not serve as officers. However they were hardy and would never surrender. Their orange-brown earthen skin could withstand most blows meaning that the Drel’Mareath could only be brought down by repeated attacks. They also had specialized limbs. Though useful for battle, the Drel were useful for little else. They had poor senses and moved very slowly. Drel’Mareath were able to sense their surroundings and find enemies despite their lack of actual sensory organs. In the Modern Era, it is still a matter of great debate how much a Drel is able to sense about its surroundings and how it senses. The level of light doesn’t seem to change how much they notice and they can find things that are not touching the ground.

In the modern era there are few Drel’Mareath left. They wander in remote regions of Var’Tareen such as Northern Carufell. They follow the last orders of their gods who have been dead for centuries. Modern Drel’Mareath are generally not a threat since their bodies have begun to decay and they lack the numbers to be dangerous.

In the Modern Era there are few Drel’Mareath left. They wander in remote regions of Var’Tareen such as Northern Carufell. They follow the last orders of their gods who have been dead for centuries. Modern Drel’Mareath are generally not a threat since their bodies have begun to decay and they lack the numbers to be dangerous. Some Drel’Mareath still exist on Cherak despite Doro Jarem leading a purge of the island after the War of Ascendance officially ended. Drel’Mareath can also be found in the Spiked Peaks, on some Southern Islands, and in the hills of Maristoll. The discovery of a vault above the treeline of Carufell with a thousand Drel’Mareath, caused some people to worry that other vaults full of the Clay Men were hidden in Var’Tareen. Some Drel’Mareath can be found in the Jarem Desert, far from the towns on the edge. Since the purge of Cherak, the only times Drel’Mareath have been seen in force were the War of Nezeril, and in the occupation of Curaheim. In AeP 446, a woman who called herself the Dawn Priest, moved to the town of Curaheim in Northern Carufell. The Dawn Priest had performed a living enchantment ritual on herself. This gave her the power of innate magic. Seemingly as a result, Drel’Mareath were drawn to her and obeyed her commands. The clay men seemed to come from all over the country walking in a straight line to her. Zonah Safar encountered a pawn like this. It did not put up a fight as he killed it. She soon amassed an army of over one hundred clay men, including a behemoth and several fire witches. Using this army she took over the town. The Drel’Mareath also delivered her a map to a vault of other clay soldiers. The Dawn Priest could order the Drel’Mareath to follow the commands of someone else. However the Drel always took their commands literally. Her own commands they could obey with a little more flexibility as she had the ability to communicate feelings with them. Her army was eventually defeated by the Winter’s Hand and she fled to a vault of dormant Drel’Mareath. Using her magic she tried to awaken the army but she was killed first and the vault destroyed.

In the War of Ascendance the Drel’Mareath were painted in runes for decoration and to give them a facsimile of being alive. In the modern era the paint has mostly worn off leaving only the orange-brown clay. Different units of Drel’Mareath and different types, were painted in various ways. After the Dawn Priest amassed power in Curaheim, she painted the right hands of her Drel’Mareath red to honor the Order of the Burning Palm. Other Drel’Mareath had special materials worked into their clay. This gave them additional ability. For example some Drel’Mareath outside Alkalandra’Mar had special gold worked into their arms which allowed them to knock over their enemies.

Classification
There were several types of Drel’Mareath to serve in various roles in the army of the Old Gods.

Behemoth
Behemoths were the most dangerous of all the Drel’Mareath but also the most rare. Behemoths were fifteen feet tall with long arms. They could throw boulders and let out horrible cries. Their purpose in the army was to function as walking siege engines. It would usually take some form of magic to bring one down since regular weapons were next to useless. They were shaped like people and had two hands.

In the modern age Behemoths are all but gone. The first one in centuries was found in Curaheim. It was under the control of the Dawn Priest. The Behemoth fought by throwing rocks and using its long arms like clubs. It also let out a strong scream like stones grating against each other. The scream could be heard for miles and caused hearing damage. This Behemoth was only defeated with magic. It was lured out onto a frozen lake with an emotion stone and then dropped in. This alone didn’t end the Behemoth. Deryl Dunderheim had to use a storm stone to channel a spell through Zonah Safar. The combination of Zonah’s winter curse and the sky magic, froze the Behemoth below the lake.

Lancer
The lancer was the long range artillery unit of the Old Gods army. Their left arm was normal but their right ended with an atlatl instead of a hand. This allowed them to throw wooden or metal spears a great distance. Often they were positioned behind a defensive unit. Lancers were six feet tall. Lancers were known to target enemy ranged soldiers.

A few Lancers with Alkan Gold woven into the clay of their arms, were found outside the golden door of Raerdrin’s stronghold. This gold aided their attacks, knocking over people hit by otherwise normal spears.

Pawn
The Pawn was the basic unit of the army. Their limbs were a shield and a sword. The clay sword was not often very sharp but could serve as a blunt weapon if needed. Pawns worked together to swarm enemies and hack them down. If given an order to advance, the pawns would not stop until they were either destroyed or they reached their target. Pawns stood at six feet.

Since they were the most common unit, most of the Drel’Mareath survivors in the modern era are pawns. A single pawn was not a threat. Their strategy was to overwhelm with numbers and shrug off hits.

Rook
The Rook was a mobile shield. It was larger by a foot than most units. Its left arm was a massive shield and its right a hammer. The Rooks main purpose in battle was to advance then provide cover for other Drel’Mareath. The hammer was relatively weak and the rook would only attack once it had moved into position.

Several golden rooks were found outside Alkalandra’Mar along with golden lancers. They had special gold worked into their arms and shield.

Slinger
Slingers were the main ranged unit of the army. Their left hand was a slingshot and their right a normal limb. They were adaptable in that they could shoot anything from their arms and they were smart enough to find small rocks. Their tactic was to move behind a rook and fire from the safe position. The intent was to overwhelm an enemy with multiple stones so the pawns could advance. They were six feet tall.

Witch
The witch was the second most dangerous unit. It was the only one capable of magic. There were five types of witches, fire, shadow, stone, water, and rage. A witch that had a godstone could use incantry to trap the magic. Each witch only knew a few spells and could not deviate. The witch was a few inches shorter than most Drel’Mareath.

Several fire witches were under the control of the Dawn Priest. The fire witches were able to use a spell which historians dubbed “Hlesmil’s Glory” This spell caused a harsh red light to emit from the witch’s hand. This light disrupted the vision of any person or animal in the glow. However Drel’Mareath were not bothered. Day Witches could also cast a flame lance and anoint the weapons of other Drel’Mareath with flame.

Encounters
In the fall of AeP 446 and winter of AeP 447, a group of Drel’Mareath under the command of the Dawn Priest, took over the town of Curaheim. They seemed to be following new orders and their right limbs were painted red. Among their ranks was a behemoth. This group was over one hundred strong. Either by the Dawn Priests orders, or their own tactics, the Drel’Mereath formed bands of about ten. Usually this included two groups of three pawns, one rook, several lancers, and a group of three slingers. Rooks were assigned to guard doorways. The behemoth that followed the Dawn Priest was given a command to protect the town. However this order was disrupted by the use of a mind stone. Over the course of several days, members of the Winter’s Hand including Valera, Zonah, Tarron, Deryl, and Jessie, fought these Drel. Jessie was gravely injured by a witch and several of the rook took out townsfolk from Curaheim. After several encounters, the Hand and the townsfolk developed a method for breaking the clay armor of the Drel. This was only possible by the decayed bodies of the clay soldiers.

In AeP 447 nine Drel’Mareath were found under the sand of the Jarem Desert. They were protecting the door of Alkalandra’Mar. Some of these Drel had special gold worked into their arms which enhanced their abilities beyond that of the normal clay men. They were defeated by the hunting party that pursued the Lion-Lizards.

Appearances
Campaigns
 * 1) The Tale of Storms and Clay Session Two: The Grip of Frost
 * 2) The Tale of Storms and Clay Session Three: The Winds that Blow
 * 3) The Tale of Storms and Clay Session Four: The Sunshine's Lost
 * 4) The Tale of Storms and Clay Session Five: The Force of Cold
 * 5) The Tale of Storms and Clay Session Six: A Host of Force
 * 6) The Tale of Storms and Clay Session Seven: In Frozen War
 * 7) The Tale of Storms and Clay Session Eight: Beneath the Cold
 * 8) Call of the Father Session Five: At the Golden Gates

Supplemental
 * 1) A Thief Among Traitors Supplemental: Loose Ends (Mentioned Only)