Law and Chaos in the Badlands — Part 1

The central conflict in the original module: B2 Keep on the Borderlands is between the ostensibly-good forces of Law—represented by the Castellan and the Keep’s residents—and the shadowy forces of Chaos—embodied by the cultists and their army of evil humanoids gathering at the Caves of Chaos. I wanted to keep the same overarching Law vs. Chaos structure from the original module for my Badlands campaign, with the chief difference being that at the start of the adventure, the forces of Law are mostly unaware of the growing cultist threat, outside of some vague rumors of “...trouble brewing in the south.”

In B2, the religious nature of the fight between Law and Chaos is never specified outside of the existence of generic elements such as priests and curates, temples, altars, etc., and no gods are ever named. This is consistent with Original/Basic D&D’s alignment system—which categorizes people and monsters as lawful, chaotic, or neutral—but I think it’s also left intentionally vague because this module was intended as a template adventure for DMs to dress with their own details. That’s part of the genius of the early adventure modules, and what modern, official campaign-book adventures are mostly (but intentionally) lacking.

Sigil of Solis—Lord of Light

In my campaign world, the dominant human religion is a relatively new one. Only a few centuries old, it is devoted to a sun god called Solis, who is the kingly patriarch of a pantheon of anthropomorphic lesser gods—represented as his divine “family.” The faith positions itself at the Lawful Good end of the alignment spectrum. Solists categorically oppose the forces of darkness, but their creed also incorporates human themes and concepts of “goodness,” “honor,” and “mercy” as part of the eternal fight against evil.

Sigil of the Order of Lahr

A second, much-older human religion—the order of Lahr—is devoted to an absolutist concept of Law as the supreme foundation of civilization and the only answer to primal Chaos. Its philosophy lies at the Lawful Neutral (Good) point on the alignment spectrum. Though the Lahrist creed was once widely practiced in this region, its stern dogma of self-sacrifice and strict obeisance caused it to fall out of favor with many civilized folk. The order of Lahr is now a fading mystery cult worshiped only by a few esoteric orders of zealots.

The main “plotline” of this campaign is lifted straight from B2, with the antagonists being a group of evil cultists. This particular cult is devoted to Khoss, an ancient and fanatical religion dedicated to primal chaos and the destruction of orderly society. A ruined temple of chaos lies hidden deep within the Badlands, and the cultists are trying to restore the complex to past heights of infamy. They are also in the process of assembling an army of evil humanoids from the disparate tribes that dwell in the region. When they are ready, the cultists intend to march their army on the Keep and smash it, opening an invasion route into the fertile southern plains of Remedios.

Unholy Sigil of Khoss

The cult of Khoss occupies the far Chaotic Evil end of the alignment spectrum, and they are the historic enemy of the order of Lahr. The two faiths have been locked in a desperate, back-and-forth battle for supremacy for thousands of years, their only aim being the annihilation of the other. The cult has played a role in several of the individual campaigns I’ve run in Remedios, and have become my world’s version of S.P.E.C.T.R.E.—a sinister cabal of ruthless and powerfully-connected humans devoted to tearing everything down and rebuilding it using fear, violence, and domination as the principal means of control.

The Lahrists would seem the obvious choice to represent the forces of Law in this campaign, but because they are few in number and seen by many as extremists, their political and religious influence in an isolated border fortress like Irongate Keep would be low. I decided that the forces of Law in this campaign—led by the Castellan—would be followers of the Solis faith (like their king and most citizens of Remedios). The Chapel is dedicated to Solis, but the entire pantheon is represented there. The Fountain Square is dedicated to his daughter, the water-goddess, Luvia. The mendicant priest claims to be an adherent of Thera, Solis’ wife and goddess of the earth.

Sigil of Thera
Goddess of the Earth

In addition, in a secondary (but connected) plotline, the Badlands are peppered with sites that reference an ancient people who once inhabited the region and worshiped an earth-mother they also called Thera. Though she is an older, paganistic representation, she is the same matronly goddess of the modern era. A ruined temple to this proto-Thera goddess also lies hidden within the Badlands, and it is a major encounter area tied to the deeper history of the area.

While the Castellan represents Law, the citizens and government of the Keep are not the true protagonists in this adventure—the player characters are. I don’t know if any of the players will decide to be a devout follower of either Solis or Lahr, but the campaign will feature an additional layer of meaning for any players who do, for the secret history of the region involves an ancient battle between powerful religious forces, and an heretical betrayal that transformed this once verdant region into the dangerous wasteland it is today.

PART 2: The Cult of Khoss