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Thread: [Campaign] A Dying Ember

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    Default Re: [Campaign] A Dying Ember

    Ochine Ocean

    Stretching from the southern icefields and on to the north pole the Ochine is a vast ocean that nearly splits the world of Hearth in two. It is quite narrow compared with its length, though still averages out at four thousand miles in width in most places. The Ochine is the only actual ocean upon Hearth. Thousands of rivers empty out into this ocean, whose shores are as irregular and jutted as a battered blade. Peninsulas and bays are so numerous that an immortal would be hard pressed to map them all. Vast forests of giant kelp thrive in the cold waters and can extend for thousands of miles.

    Though thunderstorms and windstorms are quite common, if not the norm, upon the Ochine, hurricanes are extremely uncommon, for very rarely can the water warm itself to sufficient temperatures to begin formation. Hurricanes upon the Ochine are generally considered a sign of impending misfortune for the world as a whole.

    Because of the nearly constant cloud cover, it is extremely difficult to navigate without constellations. Thus sailors of the Ochine use the sun in the daytime, and navigate by the Flash Herring, vast schools of wondrous fish that float upon the magnetics of the world. Depending upon the longitude and latitude their colors change in a way which can be read by a seasoned salt.

    The dominating lords of this ocean are the whales, porpoises and belugas, that thrive in the vast chilly waters in extended pods that number in the thousands. Darfellans and Maenads populate many of the island chains that spot the Ochine.


    Fevered Mount

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    There is an area of the great Ochine known as the Greenbreeze. A hundred miles if not two from one end to the other, its true dimensions have never been fully mapped, but it is vast. It is over waters so choked with aquatic plants that no ship has been able to go more than a few miles before becoming hopelessly entangled. It is also home to innumerable aquatic creatures, most famously massive predatory horrors that are said to swallow whole many a mired vessel. Along with the impassibility, the region is constantly beset by constant thunderstorms that makes even approaching the green hazardous. Only here are hurricanes known to brew up regularly.

    In the center of this profusion of sea life is a large island dominated by a single large volcano which is impossible to see by normal methods as continuous fog and steam keep it from being seen. Because of this it was named the 'Fevered Mount'.

    The Fevered Mount is a once extinct volcano that was awoken to partial life. It has been filled with rainwater to form an expansive lake within. The heat from below has brought the water's temperature up to temperatures rarely found anywhere on Hearth. Islands covered in semi-tropical plant-life spot the surface of this large lake. Two large, five small, and at least sixteen tiny isles all told. And all are filled with animal life no longer found anywhere else in the world. The steam from the waters completely block the lake and islands from view, and upon the islands fog and steam are ever present.

    The Fevered Mount is one of the Druid most strongly guarded secrets. For when they discovered despite their efforts many species would die, the heat from far below the volcano was brought closer to heat its waters. Animals seen nowhere else on Hearth reside here, kept alive by the warmth and the great forests of otherwise rare or completely extinct flora.

    The warm waters wreak havoc with the much colder temperatures without, causing the great storms that plague the area. The Greenbreeze without, though already a hazard, was further encouraged to grow by the druids. Not content with even that, nature spirits whom are close allies with the druids prowl the ground and air about the volcano. Giant serpent spirits forever guard the base against the extremely unlikely trespassers and roc spirits patrol the billowy steam of the heights.

    For despite the great treasure within, a deeper secret remains within, the only pureblooded wise apes of Hearth. There are numbers are small, but within the forests of the Fevered Mount they are at least content with their minor status.

    This island is the center of the druidic circle that encompasses all of Hearth. It is here that the Great Druid resides, along with many other druids who seek his wisdom or report on the happenings of the globe. Druids make periodic pilgrimages here, some merely to immerse themselves in the prevalent life of the region. No druid ever speaks of it, nor allows others to venture near it. Even druids of good alignment are wont to take drastic measures to protect it. For if word were to get out, those of Iborighu would know best where to target their plans.

    In an effort to keep the secret the druids of hearth are taught a very simple spell, one that needs no preparation and that may be cast at any time. One must only think back on the memory of the isle and think the ancient druidic word for 'protection' and the memory of the locale will be purged from your brain. This way, even under torture the secret will not be given away.

    Banner/Colors
    Keepers of the Fevered Mount try with much difficulty to keep from being discovered, but all keep somewhere about their person a tiny chest of ashes within which a single ember glows dimly.

    Racial Makeup
    Keepers of the Fevered Mount are intensely varied in race as most species upon Hearth have an interest in keeping all from freezing. Though few know it, Domovoi are the most numerous of all Keepers, seeding themselves within households all over the planet. Half-giants make up much of the remainder, living always in the warmest, most geothermally active locales as they guard it from the Frostfolk and other races who bear ill will against the enemies of Iborighu. Humans and wild children are also common enough. The wise apes however are the rarest, for with the dying out of most of their beloved forests very few remain.
    ( 70% domovoi, 15% half-giant, 6% human, 1% dwarf, 1% half-orc, 7% 'other')

    Most of these members are druids, though rangers, wu jen, and clerics of deities of light and warmth, particularly Pelor and Estanna, are also quite common.
    (65% druid, 20% cleric, 5% ranger, 5% wu jen, 5% 'other')


    Authority Figures
    A wise ape prince called Téigh, and the High Druid of the druidic circle, is the 'leader' of the Keepers of the Fevered Mount, being one of the few still living members of those who brought forth the heat from below two thousands years ago. The Fevered Mount was his own task however and it was he who brought it back to partial life and surrounded it with the mass of green.

    It is this place that sustains him and allows his extended life. Keepers continuously come and go, reporting on the condition of the world and on the advances of the Winterhaunt. Though Téigh's wisdom is great he does little more than give advice for such an effort as theirs cannot be lead by a single man.

    Economy
    Despite its far reaching numbers the Keepers of the Fevered Mount possess no great wealth, though their influence is almost coin unto itself. With domovoi in households of the richest they learn much and many are privately very wealthy unto themselves from what they hear and pass on to one another and the masters of the house.


    Membership Requirements
    Keepers of the Fevered Mount are generally taught by others of the organization. If they prove to be of a trustworthy nature and display a true love for the land and those that live upon it they are given a special ember lit by their master's own. This ember must be taken to the Fevered Mount and kept alive all this time, as it is a symbol of the world and its people. With their very life it must remain lit, across forest and mount, river and ocean. The ember is then placed within a mighty pit of fire within a sacred locale set in a cave of the volcano's side. The special light of this ember is a sign to the spirits guarding the island to leave the newcomer be.

    If the fire of the ember is the same as when it begun then it momentarily flares up and adds to the bulk of the inferno within. If the ember is a fake however it explodes violently, searing the untrustworthy fake.

    -=-=-=-=-=-=-

    Keepers of the Fevered Mount Lore


    Characters with ranks in Knowledge (history), Knowledge (nature), and Knowledge (geography) can learn more about keepers of the fevered mount. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs.

    Knowledge (Geography)

    DC 15 - Far out upon the Ochine Ocean it is said there is a place of constant storms where only the most skilled or foolhardy mariner will venture. This result reveals which body of water the Fevered Mount can be found.
    DC 20 - Amongst these great storms is a nearly impassable morass of aquatic growth; great forests of kelp and sprawling sea bladders. It is said that the grow extends for at least a hundred miles in all directions.
    DC 25 - A map was once found, showing the position of this green in the far southwestern reaches, 500 miles north of a Darfellan colony. This gives a rough direction to begin a search.
    DC 30 - You have heard tell that a log of a journal upon a shipwreck that gives exact longitude and latitude of this growth and believe you know where these coordinates can be found.
    DC 35 - A mountain surrounded by mists is rumored to be found within the center of the green.

    ---

    Knowledge (History)

    DC 5 - Some 2000 years ago a great comet struck the planet and brought the cold to the world.
    DC 15 - By the combined effort of a sect of powerful druids and the worshippers of Pelor somehow this cold was lessened though the world now rumbles from below more than it once was.
    DC 20 - Most of the wise apes disapeared or died out as their homes were overcome by frost.
    DC 25 - Until the great cold no werefolk or shifters inhabited the planet.
    DC 30 - Werefolk, shifters, pelts, and many other species came into existence within several decades of the cold.

    ---

    Knowledge (Nature)

    DC 10 - The world is unnaturally cold with many of its species ill suited for the bitter temperatures.
    DC 20 - Much of the geological activity about the world does not seem to have formed naturally, being strangely stable and grouped in convenient locales.
    DC 25 - Druidic peoples and others with ties to the lands seem overly protective of these locales. It is said they are concerned with keeping the world from growing colder.
    DC 30 - Supposedly these people can be found about the world with many dedicated to adapting existing peoples and locations to better deal with the spreading chill.
    DC 35 - This group is called the Keepers of the Fevered Mount.
    DC 40 - Keepers of the Fevered Mount was founded by an eladrin that is said to still be alive today called Téigh.



    Swiftly Rising
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    Constantly beaten by the breakers of the powerful Ochine Ocean are the cliffs of the Raelign mountains. Rugged and with many jutting stones of sharp edges, it is a harsh place. However, within its heights the land suddenly gives way into a massive cauldron and drops for hundreds of feet to the dark, sweltering heat below. The upper reaches and nearby mountainsides however are home to a thriving community.

    Great masses of tough, woven seaplants stick to the sheer sides of the cauldron, held together and waterproofed with the sticky oils distilled from local marine life. Porches of bone and rope hang around the masses, some of which are so large they nearly ring the cauldron.

    Swiftly Rising is also, oddly enough, known for its weather prediction. For there are many small vents worn through the rock on the cliffs far below the town borders, leading to the blazing depths. When storms or seaquakes are forming the waves increase in power and reach higher up the cliffs, to the level of the vents. When the water rushes down it meets with the heat below and is instantly converted into steam. This steam fills the entire village and rises into the air for those from miles around to see. In this fashion passing ships can tell if they need worry about the conditions of their future sailing. It is said that this billowing fog is what gained the interest of the Swiftly Rising raptorans to begin with.

    Population: 3,800; 100% Raptoran

    Primary Language: Tuilvilanuue

    Year of Establishment: 2,200 YoF

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    | GOVERNMENT |
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    Government: Raptorans are only very loosely governed by a Chief, traditionally known as Wind's Favored, who is usually a skilled and wizened warrior, or the direct relative of one.

    Government popularity: The chief of the Raptorans is generally well respected, especially as he may fly, thus proving his favor of the winds.

    Army:
    Tuuli'gaata Merlitorn, or Those Who Swiftly Rise, are the guardians of the clans of the Raelign mountains. The city itself was named after its warriors, all of who live within the cauldron. For there is a continuous updraft from the rising warm air below, that allows them to rise quickly with minimal effort and shoot upwards into sudden view of potential aggressors.

    Defenses: The steep cliffs required to even get to the outlying homes of Raelign are enough to deter most, though if sufficiently threatened all may flee into Swiftly Rising where only those with flying abilities can hope to reach.

    Primary Enemy:
    The raptorans of swiftly rising have few enemies, though the occasional raid by pirates or snow goblins happen from time to time. Rocs are the most dangerous threat, watching from the nearby mountain peaks to swoop down on emerging raptorans.

    Fighting Style: With their natural advantages Those Who Swiftly Rise tend to use ranged weapons, bone footbows in particular.


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    | SOCIETY |
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    Constabulary:
    Raptorans tend to settle their differences without outside aid, though disputes and grudges that threaten to escalate to the point it would affect others becomes a matter for the Chief to come into.

    Method of execution:
    Those found worthy of death are dealt with rather simply. Their wings are publicaly clipped and then they are tossed out into the abyss of the cauldron to plummet.

    Common skills of inhabitants:
    Though fishers and hunters foremost, those of swiftly rising are respected for their weavings and coral carvings. Amongst those in the nearby slopes mining is not uncommon, though the caves dug are wide and spacious and the miners 'lesser' raptorans whom have been sent from the cauldron to live in the cold sea winds.
    Last edited by The Vorpal Tribble; 2011-01-23 at 11:24 AM.