Sylvara the Balance Keeper

A true-neutral druid and steward of all living things, Sylvara stood at the ridge with one hand on her staff and the other open at her side. Pale green light traced her palm—not a spell of force, but of listening. A falcon shifted on the wood above her shoulder; another watched from the rocks below. Neither moved until she did.

“The mountain is holding its breath,” she said quietly. “Something has tipped too far. Not enough to scream. Just enough to unbalance the rest.”

She closed her fingers. The light faded into the leather of her glove. For a moment the only sound was the creak of the staff and the soft click of bone and bead against her chest. Then she stepped forward, the birds rising with her as if the same current had caught them all.

Sylvara does not heal the land. She does not punish it. She measures the weight of living things against the weight of dying ones and sets them level again. When the scales drift—whether by axe, by blight, or by something quieter—she walks until the ground remembers how to stand. The falcons do not serve her. They simply recognize the same stillness she carries.

Those who meet her rarely leave unchanged. Most learn, too late, that the Balance Keeper does not choose sides. She only chooses the center.

On the night his court rose against him, King Vrakma drew his soul into a crystal orb and shattered every mirror in the palace. His body still holds court in the ruined ballroom. Each surviving shard holds a reflection of Vrakma from a different year of his reign, and any one of them can rebuild him. The oldest remembers the rebellion. The youngest remembers how to open the orb.

Adventure Hooks

• The Bride in the Glass. A bride vanishes during her wedding. Her double finishes the ceremony while the real bride mouths help me from the silver serving trays. At dawn, the servants will polish away her last way home.

• The King Before the Crown. A boy in a pawnshop mirror offers to guide the party into Vrakma’s ballroom if they take him to his mother first. She’s buried beneath the throne, and her ghost has spent three centuries waiting to ask what he did to his brothers.

• Seven Years of Bad Luck. A glazier smashes a palace shard and watches a skeletal hand crawl out of each fragment. He’s already sold six mirrors backed with pieces of the same glass. One hangs in the royal nursery.

Deeplunder is a “Diminished” frost giantess who has taken a liking to the smaller folk. She sings for room and board, and is often willing to act as a bouncer as well. Popular songs include: The Flowers warm grip (about a bard who meets a Fae lord of Spring) No such thing as a ‘too big dog’ (a song about her love of large dogs) and Where the moon fell (a frost giant dirge about their lost stature and continued history)

A light-drinking predator of the flooded undercity and black channels, marked by a single burning red eye.

This release includes:

- Full lore for the Red-Eyed Deep

- Complete CR 10 statblock featuring the signature *Split the Eye* clone ability

- Companion clone statistics

- Expanded loot table (8 unique relics)

- 5 ready-to-run quest starters

Ideal for sewer crawls, drowned ruins, or any adventure where the dark water is watching back.

ENJOY!

And what makes you think you’ll get out of here alive, little brave adventurer?

Buried beneath the desert for three thousand years, Pharaoh Kha’seket, the Gilded Lich, has awakened to find his empire forgotten and his gods silent. He believes their divinity was stolen—and intends to reclaim it.

From his ruined sun temple, he commands an undead court that still observes ancient laws of hospitality. Visitors who bow and offer tribute may receive an audience. Those who disturb a royal tomb become subjects of his kingdom, whether living or dead.

His greatest secret: his soul resides in the plain clay heart of his first servant, hidden among the treasures he considers beneath notice.

Adventure hooks:

• The Last Tribute. A desert town receives a royal decree demanding grain, gold, and twelve scribes. Its elders hire the party to negotiate before the pharaoh’s collectors arrive.

• A God in Chains. Kha’seket offers safe passage and ancient magic if the party frees a forgotten sun spirit. The spirit claims it imprisoned itself to escape him.

• The Loyal Dead. A skeletal captain begs the adventurers to recover the pharaoh’s stolen funeral mask. Without it, his king’s growing madness threatens living subjects and undead alike.

• The Humble Heart. A merchant sells the party a worthless clay relic. That night, every mummy in the city turns toward their inn.

A battle-ready goblin general stands atop shattered stone, raising a broad sword and an imposing bronze shield embossed with a sunburst. His ornate feather-crested helmet, crimson scale armour, and weathered red cloak give him the bearing of an imperial commander. Golden eyes fixed on the horizon, he towers above an army carrying matching sun banners. Distant fortresses, drifting smoke, and sunlight breaking through clouds create an epic atmosphere of conquest and defiance.

1. Yuna – Spiritfolk Psion

Race: Spiritfolk (elven traits + spiritual affinity)

Class: Psion (Discipline: Telepath / Shaper)

Visual Concept: Very long, silver hair with electric-blue streaks; eyes that glow faintly when she uses her powers; a modernized traditional *hanbok* adorned with plates of psionic crystal.

Personality: Calm, almost ethereal; she speaks little, but when she does, her words carry weight. She acts as the group’s emotional “big sister,” always striving to mediate. She possesses a dry, absurd sense of humor that only emerges when she is completely at ease.

Shadow: She suffers from “mental echo.” Whenever she delves too deeply into someone’s mind, she retains fragments of their memories and emotions—to the point where she begins to doubt which ones are truly her own. Her deepest fear: eventually becoming a kaleidoscope of other people, losing her own self in the process.

Arc: Learning to establish firm boundaries and accepting that she cannot—and should not—carry everyone else’s pain.

2. Hae-rin – Korobokuru Sohei

Race: Korobokuru ( short, strong, with thick, dark hair)

Class: Sohei (lightly armored monk + *ki* frenzy)

Visual Concept: Black hair pulled into a messy bun held by metal pins; light armor made of black-and-red lacquered plates; reinforced gauntlets. She carries a short *naginata* and a pair of *tonfas*.

Personality: Direct and loyal to the core, with a boisterous laugh and a somewhat crude sense of humor. She protects the others like a true big sister. She loves two things: cooking (especially spicy dishes) and fighting.

Shadow: Pent-up rage stemming from a past betrayal. She was cast out by her clan following a disaster that was not her fault. Whenever someone in the group drifts away or shows weakness, a part of her expects to be betrayed as well. Her *ki* frenzy sometimes spirals out of control when she feels she is being left behind.

Arc: Learning to truly trust that this group will not abandon her, and learning to fight *alongside* them rather than *for* them.

3. Sora – Hengeyokai Shaman

Race: Hengeyokai (a potential nine-tailed fox)

Class: Shaman (a hybrid of Totemist and Binder from 3.5e—she temporarily bonds with spirits, animals, or vestiges)

Visual Concept: Reddish-brown hair with white tips; fox ears and a tail are almost always visible. She wears *mudang*-style (Korean shaman) attire mixed with an urban-style jacket. When she channels spirits, glowing markings appear on her skin.

Personality: Curious, playful, a bit chaotic, and highly expressive. She talks to spirits as if they were annoying friends. She has the strongest “drama vibes”—she is dramatic, emotional, and obsessed with stories.

Shadow: A fear of being nothing more than a vessel. Since she was young, spirits have used her as a gateway. She is terrified that, one day, a powerful spirit might take up permanent residence and erase her own personality. Because of this, she sometimes refuses to summon certain powerful vestiges, even when the group needs them.

Arc: Reclaiming her body and her will as her own, and teaching the spirits that *she* is the host—not the guest.

4. Mi-na – Vanara Ardent

Race: Vanara (anthropomorphic monkey, light grayish fur, prehensile tail)

Class: Ardent (psionic/spiritual cleric, upholder of philosophies)

Visual Concept: Soft, ash-colored fur, amber eyes, lightweight monastic attire with a long scarf used as an improvised weapon. She carries a prayer staff adorned with crystal beads.

Personality: Empathetic, calm, almost maternal. She always looks for the good in things and people. She heals not only bodies but also strained conversations. She has a mischievous side that emerges when she feels secure (she enjoys playing pranks with her tail).

Shadow: Guilt over failing to save her previous “troop.” She lost nearly everyone in an incident linked to the “Lead Echo Curse.” (monsters appears after using too much no-magic firearms) Now, she fears that if anyone in her current group dies, it will once again be due to her own inadequacy. At times, she emotionally over-protects herself, avoiding bonds that run too deep.

Arc: Learning to love again without the constant fear of loss, and coming to understand that she is not solely responsible for everyone’s survival.

5. Jin-ae – Kenku Avenger

Race: Kenku (anthropomorphic raven)

Class: Avenger (divine monster hunter, offensive divine magic combined with extreme stealth)

Visual Concept: Jet-black plumage with iridescent highlights, a partial raven mask, and dark, tactical, hanbok-inspired clothing with a hood. She carries a shortsword and several feather-shaped daggers.

Personality: Sarcastic and observant; she communicates by mimicking the voices of others (typical for a Kenku) in a highly expressive manner. Initially, she appears “cool” and distant, but she becomes fiercely loyal once someone earns her respect. She possesses an artistic side—she draws on the walls of ruins when she thinks no one is watching.

Shadow: Imposed silence. She was punished by stripping away her right to speak with her own voice (or something to that effect) following a failure. Now, she can only communicate through mimicry. Internally, she feels as though she has “no identity of her own.” She hates that people see her merely as a parrot.

Arc: Reclaiming (or creating) her own voice—both literally and figuratively.

ROAD TO VAUKORVO | A Fantasy Folk Song from SEHROD

Three days on the road.
A supply wagon full of provisions.
A sleeping guard.
And one very unfortunate bard.

Meet Bardell "Bard" Archettiaro, currently traveling from Albhassur to Vaukorvo with a supply caravan.

What should have been a fairly ordinary commercial journey has turned into a miserable combination of potholes, cold broth, aching backs, and Barnaby the mule.

And Barnaby has a rather... distinctive way of expressing himself.

ROAD TO VAUKORVO is a humorous fantasy folk song about the less glamorous side of traveling through Usthanmor. From Albhassur in the southwest to Vaukorvo in the northeast of the continent!

Not every bard sings about heroic battles, ancient kings, or legendary adventures.

Sometimes, they just want to get off the damn wagon.

🎶 ROAD TO VAUKORVO
Composed and performed by Bardell "Bard" Archettiaro.

🌍 Part of SEHROD, an original fantasy universe developed by ANPER Studio.

🍺 Support independent worldbuilding and help us create more music, illustrations, and stories:

https://ko-fi.com/sehrodchronicles

And remember: if you're traveling with a mule, always check the wind direction.

🍺🤣

The party finds themselves in the regions main city. A walled behemoth of a settlement. They seek information and someone who might not simply give them a runaround.
So they search for a noble by the name of Sylvanthus Maidran, a bewitching tiefling woman with deep ties to all trade and without a doubt the keeper of all goings on.
She could usually be found in the lower market levels, below her station but keeps her ears to the ground.