The
Altar of the Lost Gods
This ancient
altar stands partly buried near what was once the Veiled River that is now
called the Rill. This dilapidated altar looks like someone had dug some of
the debris off it. On it is a wheel spoke pattern of lines connecting eight
circles of different colors, one for each of the Lost Gods.
Seeing the altar you will feel a terrible ancientness as a vision comes upon
you. You see a man garbed in strange old fashion clothing standing before an
altar. With a small sharp knife, he knicks his hand and places it on the
lowest point on a symbol like the rune you have just opened. He then draws
forth an offering. The man seems undecided. He moves his free hand from one
point to another on the symbol. As he does so images of figures flash across
the glade. There is a fierce warrior with bloodlust in his eyes. There is a
scholar, a totem, a priest and a woman of unsurpassed beauty. Lastly, there
is another warrior wielding discs of light and figure of shadow and
darkness.
You know these are the Lost Gods, an ancient but powerful pantheon of
deities from the age of copper. Momentous sacrifices of blood and gems and
the proper ancient ceremonies can be used to plead for their divine magics.
Beware though; the Lost Gods are not a benevolent pantheon. They punish
infidels worshipping at their altar or defiling it. If you find anything on
that altar leave it alone. There are other altars of the Lost Gods standing
by the sides of rivers and streams like the one discovered in Crossroads.
Atu's
Icon
Atu's icon is
often worn by travelers or guides. Atu is known as the Voice of Mystery.
This masked Old God is always portrayed as a primal face without a body. Atu
is also the deity of physical and spiritual pathways. He leads his followers
to new undiscovered places within the world about them and within
themselves. Some travelers may notice on a distant path an Icon of Atu.
While the actual faces of one of Atu's icons may be greatly different from
one to another, they usually have a primitive quality to them. It is said
that these icons will leave scrolls with hints or clues to great mystyeries.
These scrolls will be with the icon and are free to be taken by all
travelers, but only one should be taken per journeyer, or Atu's wraith may
be incurred. It is also said that if a guide or devotee of Atu finds one of
these icons and prays or communes there the result is far more powerful.
Atu’s
Maze
Labyrinths have
been used historically by people to escape dangers. They would run the
labyrinth in order to escape bad weather, evil spirits, demonic influences
and evil eyes, hoping these evils would become lost within the winding
corridors of the maze. Atu the God of Pathways and Mysteries often construct
maze-like holygrounds. Atu used Thomas as a vessel to create a maze in
Fallenstar to aid his favored Kespin the Guide. Kespin accessed it by means
of a magic painting. Erik used the same painting to gain the ability to walk
Atu’s maze in Eidenhomme. Those that complete the maze receive a blessing
from Atu.
Arboleth’s Tree
Above the
juncture of the Wood’s Road and the Field Road stands a towering edifice of
wood. It is Arboleth the Tree God the Goblin tribes. He is said to be a
harsh god, who demands the sacrifice of living creatures and money at
regular intervals. He was once an ent and a guardian of the goblin race
until he was corrupted by the Void. For years, Arboleth reigned in the
forest without challenge but as of later he has found rivals. Thaleus the
Black Fairy stole away some of his goblin worshippers and even worse Vine,
the spirit of a noble ent, defeated Arboleth in a contest to crown the new
Lord of the Wood. Arboleth’s power has diminished as his dark plots have
increased. He has sent spies into Fallenstar, created the Hobgoblins, and
crowned a new king to lead his goblin masses.
Arboleth is said to visit the Goblin tribes by "possessing" the body of a
large tree. For this reason, Goblins are known to worship certain trees that
they believe have been the host body for a visitation from their god at some
point in the past. These trees are VERY large and invariably have two large
branches that seem to be arms jutting from them. Goblin shamans are known to
hang captured creatures on their "altar" trees in preparation for sacrifice
to Arboleth. Hence, it is advised that all travelers keep their distance
from this giant tree-vessel of the wrathful god.
The
Black Mire
The Black Mire
is a fetid swamp that once existed near Stonehaven but was transported to
near Fallenstar during the Deluge of Water in 403 AF. The sediment-laden
waters of the mire offer many dangers from their toxic environs, its foul
denizens and its eternally haunting black spirits. Which spirit holds watch
over the quagmire may change over time but you will always see a black
spirit standing in a muddy mire. Often travelers see a circle of waterlogged
wooden markers with symbols for various beings aligned to the element of
water. Beware, searching through the venomous mud near the markers will
cause one to fall deathly ill. You would need to keep quaffing healing
potions to stay alive until you can find a Cure Poison potion.
Be warned do not go into the Black Mire without protection! It would be your
last journey. Crawling through the toxic mire leaves trespassers stricken
with miasmas, foul swamp gasses that can destroy a person’s health. They
cause a fast acting fever that leads to being covered in crusty, infected
sores from the tainted mud and swamp gasses. Once infected, time is of the
essence because the fever can leave a victim dead in a matter of hours. The
lore for combating and preventing miasmas had been lost with the fall of the
Great School and Cure Disease spells are only partially effective.
Candlewood
Candlewood is a
small wind swept glade found between the King's Highway and the Sprite's
Realm. Majestic trees loom overhead, swaying gently in the breeze that
barely touches you here where you stand. A grassy bole surrounds you and
shelters you from the elements, and you find yourself smiling, for you have
found Candlewood, home of Allahn the Candleman, the Spirit God of Knowledge.
In it, the symbol of Allahn is sometimes hidden
You have been told that, years ago before the Candleman was eclipsed into a
magical slumber, the wood at night will be lit by the soft amber light of
Allahn's candles, and that with the proper ritual Allahn will oftentimes
appear and aid those in search of some knowledge. Even today without his
presence, it is a pleasant and hospitable glen, and you can see why it has
been said to be a great place to lie down and think.
Crone's
Hovels
The Crone's
Hovels are the lairs of the Crone, a powerful Coven Witch, who lived many
years ago in Shadowglade. The Crone was a well known witch and head of the
Coven. She developed types of new divination magics, and is best known for
the Cronestones, a method for direction to any important place, the Well of
Visions, a near unending source of divinary visions, and the Place of
Appointed Time, a shadow clock that is used as a vault for lore. She was a
reluctant founder of the Guardians of Saarden, and the most recent author of
the Amythest Tome. Her only company in these long centuries had been an evil
cat familiar, named Skulk, that was slain by the people of Shadowglade. She
is most famous for the matriarchal linage of witches that she fostered, the
Ravenmoors. She was the Grandmother of Melcynda, and Great Grandmother of
Necronias and Ash the Exorcist. Her hovels have been seen in various
locations for hundreds of years, and it is suspected that she has created
witch gates about the hovel to allow her teleport from one to the other at
will. Looter's of her hovels have found that the structures that her home
often contains divination magic items like black lotus incense, and
valuables like gold coins. They have also discovered it is protected by a
powerful curse as well.
Crone
Stones
You hike up the
slope known as the Lost Hills. You have heard stories of many lost things
out here: graves, magic wells, runes and treasures. As you stumble into this
small glen its clear you have found something else! You look at the
paintings of icons and images grafted to the trees by old magics and, for a
moment, you stand there, trying to find the pattern to the circle of images
when your memory snaps back. Of course! These are the famous Crone Stones,
markers of important places or things in the region of Fallenstar. Painting
symbols that show general directions to places any traveler would need to
find: the Woodland Altar, Candlewood, or Melcynda's Peace. You can pick an
image of a place and if you keep walking on that bearing you’ll get there.
You heard that the Crone Stones also magnifies the potency of Directional
spells like Find the Path, Tracking and Locate Object as well as the
Direction Sense skill.
Crossroads
The Dusk
Ground Cemetery
The Dusk Ground
Cemetery is a small, lonely graveyard at the edge of Fallenstar. Its
likeness can be seen on the back of any newly minted coin. The Four Founders
had it built to honor many of the town’s fine citizens. Anthral and Falkith
worked a Graveshroud about the boneyard to protect it from prying eyes, but
neither wizard were masters of the spell. After seven decades, the spell
failed. Many hidden graves began to reappear and it is speculated that many
more may appear over the next few years. The Four Founder’s graves were
moved into the Dusk Ground to preside at the very center of the cemetery.
Another attraction to the Dusk Ground is the Glyph of the Falling Star
hidden in front of the founders’ graves. You will know it by its mystic
silver shards and glyph ring. Casting a Know Glyph spell upon it shall show
you the events and dangers that will occur in Fallenstar over the next few
days.
The
Forest of the Damned
Across the
stream you see a bleak forest. The sounds of birds, animals and bugs give
way to an eerie silence punctuated by the cracking of trees and a soft
moaning. In the distance you can seen bones of animals, creatures, and even
men scattered about the earth and hanging from sickly trees. A sense of
dread fills your soul, for you know that you have come to the border of the
Forest of the Damned. This looming, evil forest is the dread of all in the
Shadowlands. The forest is the repository of the evil souls the hordes of
undead and tormented spirits who must haunt the world, seeking only to claim
the lives and souls of the living to assuage their immortal agony. In the
days of the Great School, the druids of Thornsguard had enchanted a woodland
with almost a series of powerful, impenetrable druidic wards to be an
eternal prison to those souls and undead creatures that made themselves foes
to all that is natural and good.
Many decades after destroying the Great School, Necronias disbanded his
undead army; to allow the rebuilding of the community of humans in the
valley. He abandoned his undead legion of dark souls in this forest. To this
day the forest remains inhabited by many dark and evil beings who await the
unwary traveler. Fortunately, since the time of Shadowglade it has been
known that Undead Unguent and Repel Undead spells can give some margin of
safety against minor undead. Kespin, the Guide has learned that to die or be
brought dead into the Forest of the Damned is to risk losing part of ones
soul.
In recent years it has been known that the Cult of the Dead and the Soul
Drinker have been using this cursed woodland as a base of operations. The
cult has been feeding the dead things of the forest and perhaps creating
even more undead.
The
Forest of the Condemned
On the
right-side of the road is a dark woodland. Spindly trees stand and strange
shrunken heads dangle from their limbs. The ground is dotted with forsaken
graves. As you look at this old boneyard you mind reels for a moment as you
see what this forest truly is. Shackled to each grave is a black spirit that
carries the burden of its punishment. There are the graves of good men gone
bad, next to the headstones of foul men and women who dared to do good. They
betrayed their natures and in doing so betrayed their deities, who condemned
their spirits to dwell here until their sentence is served. You stare not at
trees and graves but at inmates and their prison! You decide it is best to
avoid spirits until you learn more.
You get ready to move on when you glance to the left-side of the road.
There, back in the woods, you see a ramshackle structure and you don’t know
how but you know it is another prison, a divine prison, and it is your path
home. You take a step towards the stone wall and see the few meager rocks
are an illusion that masks an impassible magical barrier. You try not to get
discouraged for you know two things. There is a key to every gate and when
you find this one, you are going home! You must find a way to get there!
The Herb
Wife’s Hut
There is a small
ramshackle hut tucked in the woods at the edge of the great field. It is a
house of sticks and rocks and blends well into the forest-scape. The smell
of pungent herbs and aromatic plants gives you your first clue. It is the
Hut of Lark the Herb Wife. This hermitess rarely visits the town but she has
been known to have a number of potent poultices and balms gathered from
woodland plants. She demands her privacy and for good reason she was nearly
lynched by the townspeople a few years back when she was falsely accused of
slaying a young girl. It is said that to make sure she has no unwelcome
guests the Herb Wife enchanted her home with curses or traps or both! Those
who try to enter her hut uninvited have regretted it!
The
Gallery Glade
You peer through
the bittersweet and apple tree limbs to see a small clearing with two graves
in it. The artists’ brushes on their tombstones must mean they were painters
in life, but it does not seem that this place is a place of joyous art.
There is a tangible sense of despair here. From one grave you sense a
terrible emptiness and from the other you sense a deep suffering and
isolation. For a moment the image of paintings hanging from the limbs of
these trees flashes before your eyes. This must be the Gallery Glade. You
remember reading something about it in the Library and seeing the paintings
in Stone’s Temple. He said they came from the Gallery Glade and that they
were painted by the spirit of an artist who wears the black shroud of
imprisonment.
As you stare at the glade you receive a vision. You see an image of the
Gallery Glade shrouded by the depths of night. There the grave of Tabij has
been disinterred. His lifeless skeleton rises from the grave and quickly
becomes entangled by the nearby bittersweet. The vines wrap around his bones
like sinew and as they do so they transform into a different kind of a
thorned plant. From the vine blooms dozens of perfect roses.
After a moment, the trees form an easel, the bark and leaves weave canvas,
and the tree sap and vegetation becomes paint. The corpse moves to stand
before the canvas and its skeletal fingers are enveloped by the translucent,
apparitional hands of a woman. Tabij’s corpse is animated by the chaotic
power of the Fool and guided by the hands of his true love. Once again the
artist paints but this time he is not the creator of art but simply the tool
through which it is created.
The
Goblin Woods
The dark pine
forests surrounding Melcynda’s Peace, the White Woods and the town of
Fallenstar are dominated by a horde of ravening goblins, which terrorized
any and all who dared to enter their "home". The band numbered near forty at
last count, and was well trained in the arts of silent travel in the woods.
Here they ranged in small packs of 4-8, stalking any intruders until they
were ready to attack. They then descended upon the unwary fools and
slaughtered them. It is said that they took all the coins and valuables from
the dead (many dead bodies have been found, stripped of all things of value)
and placed them in a single guarded horde (for goblins love treasure, and
seek to hoard it). Here, somewhere near a camp they guarded their loot,
viciously defending their camp from any monsters or humans stupid enough to
try to steal their goods.
In 392 AF, the goblins disappeared from the woods altogether, and a
Diviner’s scrying revealed the reason. The goblin leader became incensed at
the tales of the wealth of the Fairie, and vowed to take the fabled treasure
of the Fairy Ring for himself. He led a good number of his troops into the
fairy woods in hopes of slaying the fairies in their homes and taking their
treasure. The fairie, on the other hand, were not caught unawares, and
unleashed a fearsome curse upon the goblins, dissolving the flesh of the
creatures in a matter of moments. Only the amulets that each member of the
tribe wore were left behind in the trees and bushes of both the Goblin Woods
and the Fairy Woods, swaying gently in the wind. A few of these amulets were
seen by passing humans, but all feared the curse of the Elves. Therefore,
the amulets remained in the woods, testimony to the greed of the goblins of
the area. Each amulet had a single goblinoid rune upon it, but their
significance had not been made clear.
Later, the rune's significance was made clear. The Goblin King had inscribed
a rune upon each amulet in order to leave behind a clue to his hoard, in
case of his death. This way his surviving followers would have some way to
find the wealth of the Goblins, and any Goblin smart enough to figure it out
was to be the new King. Unfortunately, for the Goblins, a merchant from the
city of Fallenstar divined their true nature, and offered a reward for any
of the Amulets. After he had enough, and managed to have them translated, he
figured out the location of the Goblin treasure, and paid some of the
townsfolk to retrieve it for him. They were amply rewarded, but this action
may have caused the wrath of Silver Braid, a Goblin shaman who attacked the
townspeople soon after. While Silver Braid was slain in the woods, there are
rumors of a much more powerful Goblin mage who has cast a great spell
recently. Someone somehow lifted the magic of the Fairy curse, and all of
the amulets suddenly turned into living Goblins who looted what they could
from the town before they were driven off by the town guard, who were
temporarily taken by surprise. It became clear that the curse of the Fairie
did not actually kill the Goblins, but instead imprisoned them within their
amulets. Now the Goblins roam the woods again, and their hatred for both the
Fairie and the humans of Fallenstar are much increased.
The Hill
of the Dead
The Hill of the
Dead appeared in 395 AF past the rows of gravestones in the White Stone
cemetery. Travelers were careful to exit the cemetery through the rear
gateway, for Chells had told them on more than one occasion that it is
disrespectful to the spirits to enter or leave their home any other way than
through either of the two gates found in an actual cemetery.
A heavy mist hung in the air, obscuring parts of the hill from vision. There
was a heavy air of the ancient on the Hill of the Dead. Those who walked on
the hill felt almost as though they have been invited to see a piece of the
past. Although they had trekked up the hill towards the White Woods many
times no stones were ever seen before. Chells informed all that they
appeared because of the unraveling of a Graveshroud that had been cast of
the Hill of the Dea during the Wizard War.
Numerous undiscovered graves appeared on the hill such as Vine, Ezanic
Bookworm (AKA the Enigmatic Babbler), Sir Adoni, leader of the Guardians of
Saarden and many others. The favored of Fallenstar had to defend the graves
at night from the grave robbing Cult of the Dead. Although they could not
repair the powerful Graveshroud spell, the Cult of Melcynda was able to cast
Jumping Graves on the individual graves and the Hill of the Dead vanished
once more.
Melcynda’s Peace, the Peace Glade
You walk into
the glade known as Melcynda's Peace. All around you, the sounds of the
forest soften and become pleasant. Though at times you can see the
silhouette of a goblin or other woodland creature lurking in the Goblin
Wood, you know you are safe here, for it is a nexus of harmony no violence
can take place in this special area nor will a person be in any danger
within for the magic of Melcynda has been known to Calm even the most
violent of creatures. This is a safe haven where a weary or wounded
traveller can safely spend the night without worrying about being attacked
by any sentient woodland creature.
Adventurers who have spent the night in Melcynda's Peace have been known to
waken fully rested and healed. Melcynda's Peace often has fruit growing
there which is known to have certain magic properties, but this is a
seasonal occurrence. It is also said that if the body of a recently slain
traveler is placed in this glade sometimes that person has been known to
return to life.
The area was said to be enchanted by Melcynda as a nusery for her to rear
her son, Necronias, away from evil influences, and it is believed that this
was the exact spot where she and Necronias passed through the gates between
this world and the realm of death. White rocks litter the ground of the
glade, and form a small pile around the grave of Melcynda. Perhaps they
soften the blackness of her punishment. It has also been discovered that
there are dozens or perhaps hundreds of Witch Gates that surround the glade.
These were created by the Crone and Fern, the dryad to allow any in this
world to have a safe haven and a place to honor their beloved Melcynda. It
is thought that members of the Cult of Melcynda conduct rituals here.
These gates are visible only to witches so travelers could be wandering the
woods near Fallenstar, or in the Valley of the Dryads and suddenly find
themselves in the exact same glade. Some claims that in different parts of
the world the glade appears mildly different, but the magics seem the same.
Witches and warlocks can manipulate the witch gates to allow passage from
Melcynda's Peace to anywhere they wish, and even to different plains of
existance. The normal traveller, though, will simply appear back in the same
area they started in, once they leave the glade. In what area the glade
truly originated in is unknown.
Moonwood
Moonwood was
created by Crodez the Moon God as an access point between the Moon Realm and
the Shadowlands to be a haven to spirits and souls from the growing
Darkness. The black headstones on the bottom terrace are ordinary graves and
can be spoken with in the usual spell-casting fashion at any point, day or
night. The graves on the upper terrace can only be spoken to at night. These
are the graves of spirits that are important to Crodez the Lord of the Moon.
The majority of them are the Heroes of Virtue. Not all eight of these heroes
reside in Moonwood yet, but all of them are black spirits. As such, they are
dangerous to speak with unless you use the fourth level spell Speak with
Black Spirits. If you speak to a black spirit without the protections of
that spell, you will mystically share the black chains of punishment that
surround the spirit.
The upper most tier of Moonwood can be only accessed through a ritual of
opening done at night. Beyond the graves of Crodez’s favored is the Soul
Forest, where souls hang from the boughs of trees. This is one of the places
where souls await to be reborn. Souls are immortal and always move to come
full circle. Some of you have the souls of great men and women within you.
The mage Qwyrnn was able to tap into the ancestral power of the soul through
his Spell of Succession.
Here in Moonwood, you will find the souls of many lives well lived. In the
Soul Forest, you will be able to experience ONE soul’s essence. You gain
intermittent feelings of that soul’s last life and temporarily gain the
magics, powers and experiences. Although these souls can greatly aid and
teach their bearer, they can also be inconvenient and sometimes dangerous
for they compel their bearer to behave in specific ways. Not all souls are
good and some may have difficult feelings to witness.
Each has something to share with you about the life they had lived. It is a
gift of sharing, an exchange of knowledge. Remember, even evil people have
something to share, A road not to take perhaps. Some information can be
gleaned about the souls by casting Detect Soul and touching the hanging
soul.
Natinya’s Fortune Glade
Tucked away in
the wild is a sheltered glen where groups of multi-colored seeds appear in
clusters. These seeds contain fragments of information concerning current or
future events. Each group of these fortune seeds glows with a different
magic color. By collecting data on the various Seeds and their fortunes, it
has been determined that each color represents a different divination
subject.
Red Seeds- DANGER
\ STRIFE \ HATRED \ BLOOD
Blue Seeds- QUESTS \ HISTORY \ PHYSICAL VISION
Green Seeds- EARTHLY MAGICS \ TREASURES \
VALUABLES
Black Seeds- EVIL \ CURSES \ PLAGUES \ DARKNESS
Purple Seeds- MAGIC \ FATE \ WARNINGS
White Seeds- SPIRITS \ MUSES \ HOPES \ DEITIES
Yellow Seeds- DREAMS \ MYSTERIES \ PSYCHIC
VISIONS
Orange Seeds- JOKES \ ALIEN BEINGS \ OTHER
DIMENSIONS
Nexus
Tree
The Sundered
Forest was moved to the Valley of the Dryad several decades ago, by the
machinations of Thaleus. To accomplish this link Thaleus needed to have a
link to a greater source of faerie magics, so he found a way to keep a white
fairy ring open as a secret portal to the Fairy Realm. All fairy rings are
patrolled regularly by the elven guard to keep intruders out of Eidenhomme.
The white rings, which are drained of magic and are no longer functioning,
are ignored. White Fairy Rings are devoid of power by their nature, so for
the gate to be kept open the black fairy had to enchant a tree that acted as
a nexus of power. To keep the magics of the portal functioning, and cloaked
so as to appear inactive to the elven guard, Thaleus needed precious metals
and magic items to be placed within the tree to hold his spell. Nexus Trees
are very vulnerable to detection and meddling in the human realms, so they
often protected with enchanted beasts, curses, traps, or magical barriers.
The dark fairy chose a huge tree hidden near the Sundered Forest. The dark
fairy hid a cache of gold, silver, and a magic item within the trunk of his
Nexus Tree.
Although the Nexus Tree was disrupted in the Valley of the Dryads was
disrupted, the Nexus Tree now exists near Fallenstar. The clearing near the
Rill is dominated by a massive dead tree. There is some strange,
otherworldly power in this towering pile of dead wood. If you approach it
you notice the low thorny bushes about the tree will move slightly and in
the wind you hear a low moan, the moan of Vampire Trees. As a first line of
defense to discourage intruders, Thaleus surrounded the Nexus Tree with a
stand of vile Vampire Trees. He then cursed the treasure by putting it under
the watchful gaze of his Shardling. The mirror golem was commanded to pursue
and slay any thieves no matter where they go. Your instincts tell you to
steer clear of the huge dead tree and especially the ring of thorn bushes
that surround it.
The
Nihilist Grove
On the summit of
the Far Hill at the forest’s edge of the great field is a small, uncanny
glade called the Nihilist Grove. This place has a permanent shell of
anti-magic within. Walking into the glade with magic in hand will cause them
to smoke and quickly disenchant. The glade has a few items of note. A circle
of numerous white stones with gravelocks is at the center and often there is
a rune hidden in the glade. Magic to access the rune seems to be the only
magic that works at all. Not much is known about the glade except that a
strange and ancient order created it they are the Nihilists of the Broken
Circle. These Nihilists have been plotting to stop the rising and falling of
the Phoenix and halt the Wheel of Time. Stone discovered more truths there
but refuses to speak of it. He simply warns others to never disturb the
gravelocks; there is great danger there.
The
Paupers’ Graveyard
As you stare up
at this desolate patch of ground, a sense of fear and danger tingles in your
mind. Weathered rocks that serve as poor gravestones jut at odd angles from
the ground. The names carved into the stones are barely readable, for no one
cares for this forlorn resting place. This is the home of some of the more
violent, criminal or insane spirits. You remember hearing that some of these
spirits are black, red, or yellow. All dangerous choices for any type of
discussion. The town guard has enjoined all from visiting this place after
dark, and you shudder to think of what the consequences of such a foolish
action would be.
The
Pyramid of Combat
This magical
ground has appeared periodically. Thomas faced the Pyramid of Combat in the
Valley of the Dryads in order to get a portion of the Decree of Combat. He
also appeared near Fallenstar during the Tale Untold when Auri Lee scaled
the pyramid in order to face the scourge Fear and complete his quest.
The Pyramid appears on the slope. When an adventurer steps onto the bottom
tier of the pyramid they face three minor foes, such as goblins. Stepping
onto the next tier, will challenge to more powerful opponents, like bendyth
y mamu. On the top tier, the venture confronts a single, powerful adversary,
like an ogre. Once the adventurer has defeated all his foes and reach the
summit of the Pyramid of Combat, they gain a boon usually related to their
quest.
Pyrewood
The origins of
Pyrewood begin at the end of the War of the Flame. The twinned demons fend
off the attacks of their brother, Torch, and the other fire deities. They
have been endowed with power from their sire, the Dark One and aided by
Thaleus and their avatar, Tiltian. Victory is in their hands. Then the
circumstances of the War change and from the inferno that erupts Flame
falls. His body hurls from Realm of Fire and crashes into the woodlands near
the Golinwoods by Fallenstar. The warrior’s corpse sinks into the ground.
Flame’s magics warp and alters the very nature of the land. A web of chaos
grows from the defiled earth and shimmers with chaotic power.
Months pass and a red and yellow robed figures come here. They are members
of the Cult of the Pentacle. They kneel upon the ground and pay homage to
the fallen warrior. You see a man light the five candles, lay an amulet of
one of his slain foes in the center and then say “Irsape be ot lemfa mnode
rold fo firest nad ryemis I gnrib shete yodlob nigfofres ni uroy mena. Trang
ym hisw nelfal onsic! “
Then the man climbs the web to the very top and when he returns to the
ground what he desired appears in his hands. If one climbs the Chaos Web of
Pyrewood they are granted a quest-based treasure that they desire but they
also release Chaos into the world such as chaos infused monsters or curses.
Riddle
of The Stumps
One of the most
powerful druids in the history of the Shadowlands was a man named Crthon.
Crthon was alive during the time of the first destruction of the Great
School by Necronias and his undead army. Crthon was incensed by the
destruction of nature by the ravening undead and strove for years to defeat
Thadun, their general and leader, but in the end, fell before him. He
expected his failure though and took steps to preserve his legacy through a
great many puzzles and quests, which he expected his followers to piece
together and surmount. Little did he know that the reign of the Necromancer
would be so long, or that all of his Druids of the Valley would be slain.
His lore has been left untouched for years untold, but every so often more
appears out of nowhere. For some time now stumps in the Goblin Woods and
elsewhere have been seen with strange druidic runes glowing upon them.
Preliminary divinations revealed that they were somehow related to Crthon's
lore. The Riddle of the Stumps was first mastered by Stone the Forestal and
later by Kespin the Guide. In both cases, it led the druids to a source of
druidic magic.
The
Ruins
There are three
ruins in Crossroads of notable importance. All of them are located along
Wolf’s Way. The first contains a square-like area of crumbling stone that
some have dubbed the Tower or the Earth Temple. It was here that Ezric the
Pale places his magical cask containing the Pentacle of Air. It was said
that this dilapidated foundation was once a mage’s tower from the Age of the
Great School, but what is little known is that the true origins of this ruin
vastly predates the Great School. This ruin was once a monastery of the
Earth Shamans. After the monastery fell, it became a shunned area known as
the Goblin Garden due to a number of statues of goblin warriors that
appeared when the monastery was razed. These fearsome stone effigies stood
for centuries before weather and vandalism reduced them to rubble. Later the
mage’s tower was built and still later destroyed.
The second ruin up Wolf’s Way is made up of incomplete, hip-high walls and
dubbed the Purgatory Ruin. It is unclear what the original structure was,
but it is evident that these foundation stones are sacred and contain
mystical properties. The ruin is a safe ground for newly dead spirits. Those
mortals slain in Crossroads will often find their spirits whisked away to
these ruins. The spirits are given refuge within the stone walls where, if
it can solve one of the puzzles of the ruins, the spirit’s body will be
restored to life and able to leave the Purgatory Ruin.
The
Sanctuary of Earth
The ruins of the
Sanctuary of Earth still stand at Crossroad. It was once the primary
monastery of the Earth Shamans. Long ago, half of the Sanctuary of Earth was
wiped from the face of this world by goblins and demons and thrown into the
elemental hell, the Pit. After the monastery fell, it became a shunned area
known as the Goblin Garden due to a number of statues of goblin warriors
that appeared when the monastery was razed. These fearsome stone effigies
stood for centuries before weather and vandalism reduced them to rubble. It
has been learned that these statues were in fact some of the goblin soldiers
who were attacking the sanctuary. The Earth Shamans had turned them to stone
by a Petrifaction spell.
The surviving shamans sealed the remaining ruins at Crossroads with the Orbs
of Adaoman. They also created a legion of Stone Golems to guard the holy
ground. In order to enter the sanctuary, pilgrims must prove they are pure
of heart by overcoming the Earth Walk, a path of stone created by Adaoman in
the Age of Ancients. If the pilgrims pass the eight tests of the Earth Walk,
one for each virtue, they will not be attacked by the legion of Stone
Golems. In order to enter the inner sanctum, not just the ruins, the
pilgrims must evoke the Ceremony of Breaching. In this ceremony, the
pilgrims must use Adaoman’s holy relics: the Staff of Earthen Might,
Eartheart, the Totem Pendant, and the Hematite Tome as well as the three
Orbs of Adaoman: Earthmover, Burdenbearer, and Deepkeeper. All of these
artifacts as well as the Ceremony Tablet were in the Sanctuary of Earth when
it was attacked by the Goblin Horde and dragged into the Pit. Pilgrims who
journeyed there found the lost half sanctuary surrounded by minor earthen
demons but the inside had not been defiled; they found the temple amazingly
well preserved.
Starwatch
Starwatch is a
place revered by diviners, for divinations that are done here have much
greater chances of succeeding. It was here that Mira divined the beginnings
of Fallenstar, and it is here that Thrang carved his mirrors of divination.
A few who have cast their rites there at night have told stories of a
glowing nimbus of eldritch energy that appears somewhere on the horizon.
Those who have followed and found the energy balls have oftentimes
discovered some minor beneficial boon.
To properly divine at Starwatch, one must wait until late in the evening,
after the sun has fully set, then start a fire.
- When the flames have died down, and only coals glow in the night, scatter
a dust in the fire that best fits with the divination that you are
attempting. If you wish to know of a great treasure use Treasure Finder
Dust. If you wish to find something that is hidden use Booka Dust.. You may
also use lotus incense to augment the divination.
- Then call upon the spirit of Mira whose magic you will be seeing.
- Finally write down that which you wish to divine
More powerful the dusts generally lead to more powerful divinations., but
without the use of rarer, more powerful means to boost a divinations power
the casters spell will not be stronger than a Vision, a fourth level spell.
The
Sprites Realm
As you leave the
shelter of Candlewood, it is only a short journey to where you stand now.
You find yourself near to a hole in the ground that is filled with brown
water. It only takes you a minute to identify this place as the home of the
Sprites, a water dwelling race well known throughout the land for their
dislike of trespassers and defilers. You heard of them recently ransacking
town searching some kind of stolen chalice. Before you walk any closer, the
memory of Thomas in the Apothecary Shop bursts in on you. He has told you
that the Sprites protect their home against intrusion by first laying a
curse on any who venture too close to their waters. He said that it is safe
as long as you do not begin down the slope that leads to the Realm. Then, if
one is foolish enough to actually want to enter the Realm itself, the
Sprites will physically assault them. He did tell you that he had a small
store of potions or something that allow adventurers to both approach and
enter the Sprites Realm. You'll have to be sure to visit his shop again if
there is something needed from the Sprites.
You look about you nervously as a slow ripple crosses the waters to the side
of the Realm that you are standing on. Maybe it would be a good time to move
on.....
Table of
Quests
Almost every
adventurer has stumbled upon a table set in a lonesome place; a table that
has strange scrolls sitting upon it. Each of the scrolls has a single use,
that of providing the information necessary for a quest to be undertaken.
The quests must be performed by the person who chooses each scroll. The
Table was originally constructed by the Necromancer as a means to test those
who sought to conquer his Citadel and fulfill his prophesy. It is thought
that now the Muses or some other mighty power of the Shadowlands puts these
quests there to test the adventurer for his worth in some other momentous
quest in the future. If you encounter such a table, there will be be
multiple scrolls with the name of the quest on it, such as Strength,
Compassion, Wealth, Valor, Truth, etc. Choose only one scroll and open it,
for opening more than one will bring the wrath of the Muses upon you. Then
follow whatever instructions are indicated. Beware only the Fool's Quest!
The
Totem Circle
The Totem Circle
is a holy ground created the totems of the Wild Ones and consecrated by the
earth-god Adaoman. The Earth Lord knew the Wild Ones lived in a dangerous
land and needed his aid to stem the tide of chaotic beasts that roamed
there. To this end, Adaoman enchanted a circle of stones near the Wild Ones
village to house totemic animal spirits. Pilgrims can summon these animal
spirits through the Totem Circle. These pilgrims can select the petroglyph
of their chosen animal spirit and then retrieve the animal talisman beneath
it. The talisman gives its wearer one charge of totemic power to be called
upon when they wish. Druids of the Totem class may chose two animal spirits
to aid them.
Although the Wild Ones are extinct and Adaoman’s power has continued to
diminish over the centuries, it is believed the Totem Circle survived the
blood feud between the Wild Ones and the gnolls.
Tree of
Purification
The Tree of
Purification is a magically enhanced tree used for a variety of rituals and
quests. The tree itself has a number of metallic spikes on it. Each of these
spikes is charged with magic energy that can do one of two things. If a
person climbs the tree, or even touches the spikes without saying a word of
power, he or she will take damage from any spike. The amount of damage
doubles each spike the person climbs. The first set of spikes delivers two
points of damage.
If on the other hand, the person speaks a word of power given to him by a
Muse or some such entity, the spikes will channel their energy into
cleansing the climber’s soul. As the pilgrim struggles up its terrifying
heights, the climber's soul is laid bare, and washed of excess baggage that
would get in the way of the upcoming quest.
If a person makes it all the way to the top, there is usually a clue to the
next step of the pilgrim’s quest. Pilgrims who do not make it to the top
will plunge to their death or are deemed too weak by the Muses and are
replaced by a new proxy.
The Well
of Visions
Wedged between
the Forest of the Condemned Road and a babbling brook stands the Well of
Visions. This magic well is pretty famous around these parts. Recently, a
deluge of water magics strengthened as well as relocated the well from the
Lost Hills to here. Where did the well come from? Some say the Crone either
created it or found it. Some believe its origins date back to the ancient
race of Water Children and Reyeesa the Diviner Queen, so its origins aren’t
quite clear. What is known is its function. If you're a dowser or can
commune with water you listen to the water and it says a word of power, and
when you say the word back it grants the speaker a vision. It can show the
past, the future, a hidden mystery or a step in your quest. As you stare
into the clear cold waters, you wonder “What sights do they hold for me.”
The
White Stone Cemetery
You enter the
White Stone Cemetery, being careful to enter it through the gateway, for you
have been told on more than one occasion that it is disrespectful to the
spirits to enter or leave their home any other way than through the gates
found in an actual cemetery. You walk into the rows of gravestones and see
the graves of mages, alchemists, healers, and heroes but also the graves of
common folk as well: apple-pickers, bar maids and dowsers. There is also a
heavy air of the ancient here, and you feel almost as though you have been
invited to see a piece of the past. As you walk up the slope towards the
back of the graveyard, the past seems almost tangible.
Chells has been tending this graveyard for years. He knows the auras, bands
and flecks of a spirit’s shroud, the different dangers of speaking to a
Yellow, Red or Black spirit, and he knows his dead residents well like
friends and some even like family. You feel you should see him if you wish
to learn about the spirits here or wish to speak with them.
The
White Wood
The White Wood
is a stand of white forest just south of Melcynda's Peace the many of the
Faerie races are known to inhabit. Though the Elves, the most commonly
sighted race of the Faerie, have normally been at least tolerant of humans
and humanoids alike, there have been two switches in their behavior patterns
in the recent past. First, the Faerie closed off their woods to all
intruders, promising a horrible fate to those who dared disobey their rule.
At the time, they did not disclose their reasons, even when summoned by the
Ritual of the Faerie at the Woodland Altar. Some scholars of the times had
believed their ill temper to be the result of the constant mistreatment of
the Faerie Rings scattered about the Faerie woods by adventurers, while
others still believed it to be a leftover from the ill treatment that led to
the dissolving of the Fallenstar / Eidenhomme Armistice.
However, none of these speculations turned out to be true. The Faerie were
angry because they believed that the people of Fallenstar had captured a
Princess of the Elves, and were holding her for ransom. This was a direct
insult to the Faerie, destroyed the normal relations with the humans, and
was the root cause of their great anger. Because they could not find the
Princess, even with their own powerful magics, to prove that the humans of
Fallenstar were indeed the culprits, they refrained from openly attacking
the city, but still remained just a stones through away from war. Many a
traveler disappeared in the Faerie woods at this time, never to be heard
from again. The slightest insult to them, or the slightest damage to the
White woods set them off. Then, at last, the truth came to light, as five
young heroes revealed that it was not the town which held the Princess, but
a Chaos Weaver, who was spreading her evil web of machinations. The Elves
relented once the Princess was freed by the heroes, for she spoke of their
bravery in confronting such a powerful, evil creature on her behalf.
Now, the Faerie, knowing that they had wronged many humans, became much more
accessible to the citizens of Fallenstar, though they are still suspicious.
They seem to know those who belong to the town, and have become much more
willing to appear at a ritual summoning. There, they have gone so far as to
trade for their magics. People of Fallenstar are now allowed to freely pass
through the Faerie woods with no threat of attack. Only those who trifle
with the wrong types of Fey Sticks or breech the protocol of the Faerie
Rings must fear the anger of the Faerie. The Faeries became peaceful and
would answer specific requests through the Woodland Altar, but would not
fulfill the services that were in the original armistice, until 397 AF when
a new treaty was signed between Fallenstar and the Elves of Eidenhomme. The
Fairie-Elves agree to empower all but one of the wards, the Elven Ward that
keeps elves from entering the town. That ward is now empowered at great
expense by mages of the New School of Magic. Since the signing of the second
treaty, relationships between the races have greatly improved.
Witch
Wood
Melcynda had
been cast away by the Duke of Hell. She flew into the Void, and drifted
until she called upon the powers of the living world to pull her from the
abyss. Tendrils of magic threaded through the darkness to her, but the power
was so distant Melcynda was forced to pull more and more magic from the
forest of the mortal plane. She grew frantic as the magic tendrils snapped
away, too brittle from the vacuum of the Void to aid her. With one last
titanic effort, Melcynda drew all the magic she could reach in the woodlands
above. To her surprise she found a source of potent natural magic that reach
out to her and pulled her from the darkness.
The young witch weakly opened her eyes to see she lay in a blackened, dying
forest in Eidenhomme. She was being held in the arms of a beautiful woman
wearing a crown of leaves. The entire faerie woodland lay drained of all
magic, and Melcynda herself was close to the grave having exhausted all her
magic and part of her life force, in her desperate escape.
It was many weeks before Melcynda could even speak. When she had recovered
enough to talk she found herself, far away from the dying woodland, in the
care of a dryad, known as Fern. The dryad patiently fed, and ministered day
and night on the exhausted witch. Over the weeks, the dryad's herbal brews,
and foods from the forest restored her health. Melcynda's magic returned
with her health, but her efforts had aged her close to a decade and a half.
When she was strong enough, Melcynda traveled with Fern back to the dying
forest, she had accidently created. As they walked in the blackened rotting
forest the two women wept. There was no blame in Fern's eyes only the sorrow
for the lose of the woodlands. Melcynda clutched her stomach and wept over
the guilt, that her pride, and hunger for knowledge had slain this woodland,
and she wept for the demon seed that grew like a cancer in her belly.
The dead forest became known as Witch Wood; there no spells can be cast, for
the sterile ground is so starved for magic that it will absorb any magic
instantly. Witch Wood has often been known to be the haven of those who are
fleeing the wrath of angered wizards. It is also a weak point between the
faerie plane and the Abyss, and as such is a loadstone to evil.
Woodland
Altar
A strange
artifact that was discovered, in 393 A.F. by wanderers in the wild, is a
enigmatic stone reliquary called the Woodland Altar. The sacrificial table
and its surrounding accouterments appear to placed on some neutral or Holy
Ground where no combat or intra-species fighting can occur. In the short
time we of Fallenstar have had to observe the comings and goings at the
Altar, most sentient species have been seen performing rites at the Altar.
It appears that this reliquary functions as a generic conduit for magic
energy and sacrifice. It is a true place of power that can be used by any
being wishing to invoke a higher (or lower) power. We have made note of some
of the discovered channels of sacrifice, but also have seen so many bizarre
rituals that we have as yet no understanding of. We have noticed bitter
enemies such as the Faerie-elves and the Goblins passing peacefully by each
other to avail themselves of the Altar. The Altar even allows bargaining
between species of sentient creatures. For example, a human wishing to ask a
boon of the Faerie-elves may make a sacrifice in their name, and this
sacrifice will be answered at some later point. We advise all travelers of
the unusual safety of this powerful spot, and recommend that the Altar be
used for any type of supplication ritual.
It is unknown how many rituals exist that can be accomplished at the Altar
of the Woodlands, and the Scribe\Historian Guilds are offering commissions
on any further research that is presented to them in written form. There are
a number of separate rituals that have been catalogued under scroll title "
Rituals of the Woodland Altar ". These should be consulted if people wish to
ask for favors from the Goblins, Faerie-elves, Sprites, Booka, Leshy, Saytrs,
Dryads, or Leprechauns. Other species rituals may exist but have yet to be
uncovered.
