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Setting Info/Introduction

Started by Taishyr, February 24, 2014, 09:41:51 PM

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Taishyr

"There has never been a world outside of the Mist. The very concept of it - of waking every day to clear skies unfiltered to a sickly yellow glow, of no longer living in fear of stepping outside of the twenty-six Cities, is alien to most anyone else. In this way, it has always been War; war against the Mist, war to preserve the lives trapped within the Barriers.

"In recent times, the Kerebos Trio, a group of adventurers without peer, has raised the morale of all by discovering a long-abandoned city, and awakening its Barrier, raising the number of Cities to the current twenty-six. With their fame and fortune, they have established a guild for likeminded adventurers to seek to do what few others have shown the ability to do; to fight back against the Mist and re-awaken ancient dreams - the dreams of potentially seeing a world free of Mist, some day.

"... Or at least," the old man noted with a grin, "that's the main reason. Many come just for the fame of the name, or for the promises of the wealth for those successful. It doesn't matter much which you are. Just do your best here and don't tarnish our reputation for only accepting the best of the best, alright?"

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I'll be using this topic for location information once we get going, and try to keep it updated with relevant information.

Verxais (Next post)
The Seven Deities Of The Mist

Taishyr

Verxais, The Ruby Metropolis Atop The Pillar

-Population: ~2.4 million (0.7 million in the Nets (the chainwork city in the canyon between the Pillar and the land), 1.7 million in the City)
Notable features:
The Iron Tower (a massive fortress in the center of the City, containing all governmental functions and )
The Nets (a slum city stretched on cords, cables and magic between the walls of the canyon to the northwest)
The Kerebos Guild (the head explorer's guild, founded by Jagden Skire (a famed Warblade), Kaela Scar-eye (a famed Scout), and Redel of the Malachite (a famed Druid), after their rediscovery of the 26th City, Koire

The Kerebos Guild
Founded approximately 100 years ago by the Kerebos Trio, the guild is a fixture of life in Verxais and perhaps the greatest sign of hope the people of the Cities have. How the Trio discovered the lost city of Koire is unknown, but their reactivation of the portals and defenses allowed the army of Verxais to move in and clean out the city to the borders, giving the people of the Valley a small amount more breathing room.

Upon their return, the Emperor of the Three Gems bequeathed a large portion of land in the north of Verxais to the trio, as well as governorship of Koire. This was not precisely an entirely altruistic gesture; the city had recently undergone a massive spree of riots and destruction in the North District, which the military had to go in and quell, multiple times - to extremely bloody ends. The land given was a sizable portion of what was razed both by the military and by the people in the conflict.

The governship of Koire was accepted by Redel, and the three quickly established the Kerebos Guild, a tall spire dwarfing almost any building in the town save the Iron Tower. With the guild's founding, the city has become the center of all exploration of the Mist, with temples to each of the Seven just outside the building. Jagden is the leader of the guild, with Redel focusing mainly on the health of Koire. Kaela has become a renowned socialite after her retirement from group expeditions ten years ago, as well as one of the harshest trainers the Guild provides to the guards of the city.

The Guild itself uses its explorers and warriors as a way to gather materials, research, and fame from the depths of the Mist. The acceptance program weeds out almost all the applicants without promise, and delegates many of the remainder to the City Watch's program instead. The members of the Guild are 15,000 in total, 10,000 of whom make residence within the Guild itself; members have access to a selection of stores, clerics, crafters, and blacksmiths unavailable to the general public, and various trainers and sources of information. Indeed, to a member of the Guild, very few trainers of warriors are unavailable - and some trainers and Temples take pride in how many they send to the Guild, as well as how many the Guild sends to them. In this way, the Guild is almost an elite city unto itself, a striking contrast to the upward sprawl of construction and the practically hive buildings found elsewhere in the Metropolis, especially within the poor parts of the city.


The Defenses
Verxais is defended, first and foremost, by the standard Shield Barrier; a massive force field around the city that prevents the entry of most of the Mist, as well as creatures and magics of the Mist. Tuned to permit the Talmen residents in and out, the barrier reaches just to the opposite edges of the Verxais Gorge, an immense split in the land that swallows much of the Mist on heavier days, and as far upward as the tip of the Iron Tower.

The Canyon itself provides a second layer of defense, as very little can cross when the bridges are lifted. The Nets are seen as a massive safety hazard for this reason, but with no place to relocate the population, the only answer has been to increase patrols on the other side of the Gorge, as wizards and clerics attempt to find a way to safeguard the city in case the Nets are used as a route of attack. Fortunately, the Shield Barrier has repelled all invaders in known memory, though various creatures of the Mist are often seen lurking just at the edges.


The Surroundings
Verxais is built on an immense jut of solid stone into the chasm; the only connection via solid land the city has is to the southeast, which leads directly into an immense mountain range to the south and east, known to be very dangerous to travel. Adventurers thus often instead set out to the north, into the prairielands that stretch to the northwest, or head northeast into the forested lands. To the north is another large mountain range, at the foot of which is the Autumn Temple, three days approximately due north of Verxais in normal travel conditions. Adventurers heading straight west travel through more dangerous territory, as the lands there have always been dry and liable to catch alight even in - or perhaps especially because - of the Mist, but this is also the fastest route if safely traversed to the nearest large city, that of Caldislen.


More will come as more is learned. This is the info people even visiting would learn within a week or two.

Taishyr

The Seven Of The Mist (Deities)

The Weeping Lady: Goddess of healing, pain, mercy, and water. Statues of her are of a woman in a simple robe, tears flowing. The militant/fighter members of the Church have a tear of blood; the peaceful members, a clear or blue tear. This Church has made a reputation of being anti-Mist to the extreme; cleansing rituals and purification rites are required before entering inner sanctums or other important rooms in the church, and even the front entrances are said to strip some of the lingering Mist from the bodies of those who enter. It is also said that one whose soul - not body or mind, but soul - is tainted by the Mist will turn the tears of the Weeping Lady red on contact. Vials of water from a sanctified statue of the Weeping Lady are used as a way to detect worshippers of the Mist as a result, with unknown degrees of success. Her domains are Water, Purification*, Healing, Suffering*, and Community*.


Sath: God of wandering, doors, dreams and ambition. Statues of him are of a man with the head of a crocodile, carrying a staff and occasionally a book, wearing a tunic and pants. Symbol is two crooked lines in parallel to each other. The militant members stylise it to be like a crocodile's teeth, horizontally; the peaceful members, like a road, vertically. Worship of Sath is popular amongst the military, merchants, and government, but many adventurers pray to him for protection and good luck when exploring the Mist. He is also said to be one of the most common deities to receive visions of, in dreams and in magic. His temples are opulent, to the point of being gaudy to some; however, they also fund many charitable efforts, second only to the Weeping Lady. His domains are Nobility*, Domination*, Dream*, Travel, and Wealth*.


Ratokyst: God of growth, disease, food, and earth. Statues of him are of a man with the forearms and head of a rat, often carrying a sickle, usually unclothed. Symbol is two green sharp-edged leaves, stems intersecting. Militant members may only wear one leaf. Popular for people attempting to grow crops and food on rooftops or in windowsills, or even inside (such as with tubers or similar). Many also pray to him when people fall ill for cessation of the illness, though there are also people who pray to him to curse enemies. Is the effective god of druids; they use his holy symbol, carved from wood, to use their spells instead of mistletoe. His domains are Earth, Gluttony*, Plant, Pestilence*, and Renewal*.


Hemda: Goddess of the arts, destruction, fire, and combat. Statues of her are of a tall woman with a crane's head, usually unclothed and carrying either a harp or a simple bugle. Symbol is a curved bugle. No differentiation between the militant members and the peaceful members; "peaceful" followers of Hemda are somewhat rare. A very transient philosophy, the church of Hemda emphasizes the beauty of the moment and of that which is perishable. Hemda attracts artisans, blacksmiths, and warriors, especially those with a talent for fire magic - as fire magic is considered somewhat taboo amongst the sprawling wooden buildings and housing complexes of Verxais, fire mages tend to congregate to the temples of Hemda, which are made of stone explicitly so such magics can be practiced. Her domains are Craft*, Destruction, Fire, War, and Competition*.


Zuiseno: Goddess of the sky, magic, sorrow, and death. Statues of her are of a stout, short woman either clad in full armor with a tome in her hands, or of a slightly taller woman in robes with a chain of bones in her hands. Symbol is an open book, on its back so the bottom of the book is seen. Often, a personal symbol is placed over the book; the three most common are a skull (for priests, necromancers and undertakers of Suizeno), an arrow (for hunters and defenders), and a curved sickle of wind (for wizards), but many worshippers elect to choose their own version. Common theology states that Zuiseno was the mother of Creation, and her original form was a badger; she has taken a Talstedi or Talkyr form to more closely resemble her children. Some churches have her as a badger in full armor, but this is rather rare. Her domains are Air, Magic, Death, Creation*, and Moon*.


Erest Rosen
: God of light, knowledge, fortune and hunger. Statues of him are of an emanciated man clutching a tablet and a chisel, or of an owl with a skeleton in his beak. Symbol is the eyes of an owl. As the god is relatively pacifistic, warrior/explorer trained followers of this god are highly uncommon. Many follow Zuiseno instead if they take up such a path, or at least are trained by them. Recently, however, the temple near the Kerebos Guild in Verxais has begun training its own Templars, though the temple of Zuiseno still assists. Erest Rosen is prayed to mostly by academics, scholars, and the destitute, though gamblers often invoke his name as both curse and blessing. His domains are Luck, Knowledge, Sun, Oracle*, and Envy*.


Magdanae: Goddess of passion (love and hate), defiance, storms (an incredibly rare occurance in the Mist, considered to be a blessing as the Mist recedes during them) and lightning. Her statues are of a snake, or a woman with a snake draped over her shoulders in her aspects of romance. Symbol is a thundercloud with a bolt emerging from it. Worship of this god in public is usually in the name of praying for storms and for matters of the heart; the government cracks down often on the church, however, as the banner of Magdanae flies over a majority of the public riots and unrest. The only reason that Verxais has not, like a few other cities, banned temples of Magdanae recent is due to the intervention of Kaela Scar-eye, who in addition to being one of the three founders of the Kerebos Guild, is also an ardent worshipper of Magdanae. Her domains are Wrath*, Storm*, Lust*, Liberation*, and Retribution*.


The Mist: Not a god, but some have elected to worship it - often the mad, desperate, those hoping for power, or those who have lost everything. Worship of the Mist varies from hidden sect to hidden sect - and the government is very swift at rooting out and killing Mist-worshipping sects, even if it causes unrest or riots. This reaction has only fueled Mist worship amidst those who hate or fear the government. Many hide their devotions as part of Magdanae's rites, or as worship of any of the gods but the Weeping Lady - while they may be foolish enough to worship the Mist, they are not foolish enough to try to hide amongst those who root them out with the most fervor. If someone actually theoretically gained domains from the Mist - if such a thing was even possible - they would be Hatred*, Trickery, Illusion*, Madness*, and Hunger*.

None/Multiple: The vast majority of people, however, elect to worship no or many gods, simply invoking the proper gods at the proper time. Clerics and divine spellcasters are commonly trained by one church, then move to another church, and from there keep moving; loyalty to one church is not unheard of but not terribly common, with usually only the devout and peculiar cases being focused on one god. Often, a god's symbol is worn only when their intervention is being sought in a matter. Practically all divine spellcasters have at least passing familiarity with the basic temple rituals of all seven.


*Starred domains are Spell Compendium.