Waverider Story - Campaign - Author's Notes
Amazireth
Amazon women rule supreme
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| The slaves were lined up in the courtyard of Ashimora's temple, sweat running down their backs in the heavy jungle heat. They stood silent, collars of bronze gleaming in the sun, their eyes fixed on the ground. |
| General Seryth of the Circle of Spears paced before them, her sandals striking the stones with slow, deliberate steps. She carried only a dagger that she tapped against her palm. At each man she paused, tugging at his chin to see his teeth, tracing the muscle of his arms, and then lifting his loincloth with careless ease. Some she dismissed with a flick of the hand, sending them to the mines or the fields. Others drew a slight nod, marked for her barracks. |
| When she reached the last one, a tall, broad-shouldered captive taken from the Lakers, she lingered, circling him like a huntress weighing her kill. She lifted his loincloth, and a faint smile curved her lips. |
| "This one," she said at last. "Send him to my chambers. The rest go where they belong." |
| The priests beat their drums as the chosen man was led away, and the goddess Velthara of the Red Veil looked on from her shrine, patroness of desire and conquest. |
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| The alarm drums rolled through the trees, deep and urgent. Pirate raiders from the Lakers had beached their canoes on the banks of the Sorvalen River, torches already licking at the fishing huts. Women and children fled inland while the pirates laughed, axes flashing as they smashed through wicker walls. |
| From the jungle's edge came the answering cry, the long, piercing note of the war-horns. Out rode the Spearmaidens of Veythara, their lances leveled, bronze tips gleaming. They burst from the undergrowth in a wave of pounding hooves, shields tight, braids streaming behind them. |
| The pirates turned too late. The first rank shattered under the charge, men hurled screaming into the shallows. Spears punched through leather and bone, snapping off as horses crashed into the panicked mob. The second rank of Amazons wheeled, lances lowered again, and drove straight through the raiders trying to regroup by their boats. |
| Captain Ilthara the Hawk raised her banner high as her mount reared above the carnage. "No man leaves our shores alive!" she cried. The war-drums thundered louder, and the Lakers, once so bold, broke into flight, only to find the river behind them thick with overturned canoes and waiting arrows. |
| When it was done, the Amazons circled back, their lances dripping red, their victory complete. Another raid answered, another lesson carved into the flesh of men who thought to plunder Amazireth. |
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| The crowd roared as the gates clanged open. Talyra of Tyrmalis, once a captain of the Spearmaidens, strode into the arena. Bronze scars marked her skin where chains had rubbed her raw, and her hair, once braided in emerald cords, now hung loose and matted. She gripped a dull-edged sword, the only weapon the Empire had given her. |
| From the other gate stepped a gladiator, tall and broad, his helm crowned with horsehair, his trident gleaming in the sun. He circled her slowly, feinting and striking low, his movements meant not to kill but to amuse the crowd. Each time Talyra lunged, he danced back, laughing behind his visor as the mob jeered. He let her tire, stumbling in the sand, then struck hard across her ribs, knocking her flat. |
| The mob howled its approval as she struggled to rise. Yet the worst came after: when she staggered upright, refusing to yield, the guards rushed in with whips and chains. They dragged her before the imperial noble who owned her, forcing her to kneel while the crowd screamed louder still. |
| She had been a warrior of Amazireth, proud and unbroken. Now she was a spectacle, paraded for the Empire's amusement, her defiance ground down fight by fight. |
| Far away, in the temples of Kethyris, the goddess Kaelthira the War-Crowned stood silent, her statues watching, her favor absent. |
Description
In the northeastern reaches of the Yelthara Jungle lies Amazireth, the realm of the Amazons. Dense forest surrounds their territory, broken only by rivers that serve as lifelines for travel and trade. High palisades guard the jungle paths, their gates marked with carved effigies of goddesses glaring down at trespassers.
Rule and Government
Amazireth is ruled by Queen Selkara the Unyielding, whose reign has lasted twenty-three years. She governs through her council of generals, known as the Circle of Spears. Each general commands a legion of warriors and is responsible for a city or province. Rivalry between them is encouraged, for Selkara believes that strength is proven in contest.
The generals carry titles linked to the goddesses: High Huntress of Ashera, Shield of Kaelthira, Voice of Nemyris, and so on.
Society
All power and status belongs to women. From birth, daughters are trained in war, scholarship, or governance, while sons are taken into bondage. Male slaves, called threnai, are branded with glyphs of ownership. They work the mines of Orrak's Vein, till the rice fields of Tamalith, or haul stone for the soaring temples.
The Amazons believe that women embody the flame of life, while men are little more than vessels and tools. Love is seen as sacred, but only between women; the act of coupling with a man is regarded as a practical necessity or idle amusement.
The women of Amazireth dress to display both beauty and power. Warriors wear fitted leather cuirasses reinforced with bronze plates, skirts of layered hide for freedom of movement, and high sandals laced to the knee. Off the battlefield, women favor bright silk or cotton wraps dyed in jungle hues, crimson, emerald, and gold, often cut short for the heat and embroidered with sacred glyphs. Jewelry of beaten copper, gold chains, and polished gems is common, worn as both ornament and declaration of rank. Male slaves wear only simple loincloths, sometimes with collars of iron or bronze to mark their bondage.
Some claim that Amazireth is an old Empire colony which broke free, and while the Amazons do have the looks of the Empire, no one knows for sure.
Economy
Amazireth thrives from its resources.
Copper from the mines of Rathira's Hollow is worked into bronze spearheads and breastplates.
Gold from the riverbeds of Zerakai fills the queen's vaults.
Emeralds and rubies from the caves of Ilmora are traded to the Lakers and even to smugglers from the Empire.
Fishing villages line the rivers Ishlurai and Sorvalen, their male slaves casting nets from long canoes, while terraced farms grow rice, maize, and cassava.
Warfare
The Amazons are constantly on the edge of battle. To the west, the drifting rafts of the Lakefolk send raiders into jungle villages. To the east, raiding ships of the Great Empire probe their borders. Yet both enemies provide fresh slaves when traps and ambushes succeed.
Amazon warriors fight with recurved bows, bronze-headed spears, shortswords, and wicker shields. They favor ambushes, hunting horns echoing through the jungle as they strike from the canopy or riverbank. Their elite order, the Daughters of the Viper, paint their bodies with green dyes and strike with poisoned arrows.
Cities and Settlements
At the heart of Amazireth lies Kethyris, the capital, a city of white stone and gold inlay, where towering statues of the goddesses overlook broad plazas. Other strongholds include:
- Tyrmalis, fortress-town guarding the border.
- Veythara, river-port and hub of trade.
- Ashimora, famed for its emerald mines and grand temple.
- Serakil, jungle-garrison guarding the Ishlurai crossing
- Velthara's Rest, a riverside settlement with a great temple of the Red Veil
- Jemari, farming town ringed with rice terraces and fishponds
- Orvathis, fortress-town built against the cliffs, overlooking hidden mines
- Emrissa, port town of long canoes and trade-stalls, busy with markets
- Zyrakai, settlement by golden riverbeds, famed for its smiths
- Ashari, gem-cutting town near Ilmora's caves, always glittering with trade
Border towns are ringed with high palisades and filled with barracks, while the inlad cities gleams with temples, academies, and palaces where women study and rule.
Religion
The faith of Amazireth is devoted entirely to goddesses. Their pantheon includes:
- Kaelthira the War-Crowned, goddess of battle and dominion.
- Nemyris of the Black Hunt, mistress of the chase and patron of ambushes.
- Ashira the Silent Flame, goddess of wisdom and hidden power.
- Velthara of the Red Veil, goddess of passion, love between women, and death in childbirth.
Priestesses wield immense influence, for every general must be consecrated in the temples before taking command. Temples are centers of ritual combat, festivals, and sacrifices - usually of captured men, offered to the goddesses as blood-price.
Relations
Amazireth stands in uneasy balance with its neighbors.
From the west, the Lakers raid their river towns, stealing food, ore and women, though the Amazons strike back just as often, dragging whole crews into slavery.
To the east, the Great Empire and pirates covets them fiercely. Amazon captives are prized above all others in the markets of the Empire, sold as arena gladiators or kept for the private pleasures of nobles, a fate that fills Amazireth with unyielding hatred.
To the southeast, raiding bands from Itzalcoa occasionally slip through the jungle mountains to seize victims for their sacrifices. Few return from those hunts, and the Amazons have sworn vengeance, yet their distance makes reprisal difficult. Hemmed in on all sides, Amazireth survives through ferocity, ambush, and the unbroken pride of its warrior queens.
Possible Secrets
The Betrayer General
One of the Circle of Spears secretly conspires with the Empire, selling information in exchange for rare luxuries and promises of power.
The Hidden Mines
Deep beneath Orrak's Vein lies a cavern of star-metal, harder than steel, known only to the queen and a handful of miners.
Forbidden Love
A high priestess has taken a male slave as a secret lover, threatening her station and life if discovered.
Lost God
Old carvings hint at a forgotten male deity once worshipped in Amazireth, erased from memory but waiting to return.
Poisoned Waters
The river Ishlurai has been slowly tainted by toxins from the mines, causing sickness that the priestesses conceal from the people.
Itzalcoa Pact
Some Amazons secretly sell captives to the Itzalcoa priests in exchange for obsidian blades and jungle poisons.
The Queen's Weakness
Selkara is slowly going blind, a fact hidden from her people, while her generals circle like vultures.
Empire's Bloodlines
Some of the Empire's nobles carry Amazon blood, descendants of long-lost captives, and whisper that they have a claim to Amazireth's throne.
Adventure Hooks
The Raided Village
A lakeside outpost has been attacked by the Lakers. The Amazons hire outsiders to track the raiders into the drifting towns and recover stolen weapons and captives.
Arena Bounty
An Amazon warband was captured by the Empire and is now paraded in the arenas. The queen offers rich rewards for their rescue before they are broken or slain.
Trial of Spears
Foreign female warriors may earn respect in Amazireth by completing the Trial of Spears, a deadly hunt in the jungle where they must bring down a great beast to prove themselves.
Slave Revolt
Male slaves in a mining camp have risen in rebellion, slaying their overseers and vanishing into the jungle. The Amazons want them tracked down before the revolt spreads.
Sacrifice Hunters
An Itzalcoa raiding party has been sighted in the jungle. If they are not stopped, they will drag Amazons back to their altars.
The Emissary's Gamble
A bold emissary from the Empire arrives in Kethyris, promising peace if granted safe conduct. The queen suspects treachery and tasks adventurers to uncover the envoy's true purpose.
The Queen's Favor
Queen Selkara declares a festival of combat where male foreigners can fight in ritual duels. The prize is not only gold, but a personal "audience" with the queen herself.