For the first time in 17 years, the hated assassins of the knife are once again rulers of the brutal warlords of the shattered lands. Gribkalla bloodshirt, kobold clad head, makes all the PC’s honoured of the knifes, which has the following benefits.
- you may bask in the light of the fallen star, Kucha haka, for a day, which grants you a temporary +2 inherent bonus to strength for the next week each time you bask.
- A special weapon or magical item (as determined in game)
- bards may take ‘intimidating song’ (similar to the Haka)
- you are given a tiny mote of Orizon crystal from the Kucha Haka, which can be used to;
o power up a new crystal (purple amethyst, like Scooby)
o overpower the Greased lightening (get it ready to be a bigger boat)
o bolster Lauresia’s defences (with Metho’s recent research, this will be used to greater effect than was previously possible)
o make another floating island for the inhabitants of the city
Overview
The shattered land is a broken and dusty wasteland that juts unexpectedly from the edge of the grasslands, cutting a huge crevice along what one might have been rolling hills of the skylings. Now it is filled with battle lusting orcs, grimlocks, and countless other savages everyone would much rather ignore, but are so dug into their dark abode that none yet have managed to tame their savage lands – though they have tried.
Government
Power is the first law of government – the strong rule.
Family age the second law – the older has right to rule (unless the younger can overpower or slay them)
Officially the Sultancy ignored the shattered lands, considering them cursed, and ignores the potential for a drawn out battle with a skilled and experienced force. The constant infighting is the only thing preventing the shattered lands from attacking the rest of the Sultancy. They would not do well, however, outside their cursed abode.
Visitors to the Shattered lands are persecuted till death until the subscribe to one of the thirteen clans, at which point they are allowed a little security when travelling for fear of starting a war, which happens several times a year anyway. Each clan has brutal initiation rituals, ridged hierarchy, and strict laws. Each clan wars for dominance and resources, and the ‘king’ (called the “Hak-cha”) is the clan leader of the dominant tribe.
Clan dominance is decided by how close the clan lands come to Kucha haka, the sacred site, where a meteorite crashed down millennia ago and still lies, imbuing locals with exceptional strength and revelatory visions. The clan head of the dominant tribe is Hak-cha, which is decided by the victor of three contests – physical strength, victory in battle and strategy in war.
The clans are (listed in order of power);
1. Bloodbrood. Chaotic evil. orcs
2. Veil. Ogre mages and slaves
3. Path. Beholders.
4. Scale. Chromatic Dragonspawn.
5. Sword. Humans
6. Shadow. drow
7. Axe. dwarves
8. Slime. hobgoblins and allies
9. Claw. lycanthropes
10. Shoal. The undead
11. Knifes. Assasins. Kobolds
12. Dread. Evil fey (pixies, satyrs, dryads etc)
13. Lost. Abberations. Gnarks, gricks and occasional umberhulk.
Geography
Cavernous. Lots of dragons.
Military
Everyone.
Daily life
Wake up, eat, fight, eat, fight, eat, argue, fight, sleep.
Religion
The people of the War lords worship battle, violence and war. There is no option for death but to die in war, as disease or old age are terrible dishonours. Various cults (they’re not like churches) grow up around weapons and the Gods who exemplify that weapon. Their training is legendary.
Their version of heaven is external war.
Crime and punishment
Whatever the person in charge decides is a crime, basically. It’s chaotic neutral at best.
Cultural oddities
• Politeness is considered very rude. All requests must be phrased in the future tense with a steady voice (not shouting) and without a please or thankyou.
• You are only considered to own what you can keep a hold of. If someone steal or takes something from you, they are considered to deserve it more than you.
• The local language (Shattered lands) has no word for ‘hello’, but instead use ‘success’. The word for ‘please’ is ‘I beg for my life and surrender unconditionally’. The word for ‘thankyou’ is ‘try that again and you will die.’
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Ohma's log.
ReplyDeleteI've never been more furious.
Finally, after months of rejections, revisions and re-admissions I was granted an audience with the Circle elders to discuss my thesis, 'Cross-bio-illogicality in a non-Tolkien-derivative context'. And like a fool I agreed. I stood in front of them holding back tears while they tore it up in front of me. Anton, whom I thought was on my side, said nothing while they told me my thesis was nonsense and could make a mockery of the institution.
I can't even write straight right now. I'm leaving the circle. Anton caught up with me and said he couldn't change anyones mind, but he hadn't even tried. The high matters of the circle have to be unanimous. He stabbed me in the back. He said to forget my thesis and show them pig-dog, and that they'd go mad for pig-dog. Interest in pig-dog reached some sort of frenzy after someone mentioned he had not only the strength to trip dinosaurs, but retained his innate truffle-scensing[sic] powers. I told him they can't have him. My thesis was my life work, pig-dog is just a project.
Tomorrow I'm putting my branch up for sale. As soon as I find a buyer, I'm moving out. Maybe I'll crash with my brother or something.
**
No buyer yet. Anton came and said he's pitched my pig-dog to the elders on my behalf, and they'd grant me my tree-doctorate for it. But what's in my thesis is so important that the whole city has to know, and if they won't publish me I'll read it from the street corners.
**
I didn't get as much as I wanted for my branch, which is apparently more of a limb, but at least it's gone now. That was the last of my roots. I spent most of the day wandering about trying to find a street corner that didn't already have a doomsday prophet. It's not as easy a market to break into as one might think. Crafting an original and attractive message that will engage your prospective audience is harder than it looks when you're standing shoulder to sandwich-board in a crowded market with Alhazred the mad and trying to shout over his tale of a giant octopus. So I've decided that street-preaching isn't for me, I'm going to self-publish. Besides, I have a delicate throat.
I think someone saw me from the Circle when I was wandering through brown-town. I never told them I was leaving. Anton probably found out after he came back to beg pig-dog from me again. I went into a publishers house and when I left whomever-it-was had gone.
This is the comfiest gutter I could find. I miss my canopy-cover.
**
Pig-dog is gone.
Diary of Methos Ignotus
ReplyDeleteIt has been a very interesting time since I last wrote. A fellow citizen came up to me and called me "Dad". He appeared to be the same age as I. He took me to his house, introduced me to his family. We broke bread, he told me that I was a Breaker, but that I left to "put right a grave wrong" but even saying that much seemed to shake him. He seemed very agitated and nervous. Either he was afraid someone or something would discover him talking to me, or he is trying to lure me into a trap by pretending to be "my son".
Perhaps I should meet with him some more. Try to find out what happened to his mother, or what this mission was that I left on. Maybe he knows what it is that happened to me to turn me into this aberration that I am now, or tell me if I have always been so. He did not seem to take after me at all, in looks or mannerism.
It would seem also that my power is beginning to grow at an increased rate. I am able to effect greater areas, but mostly in a destructive way. When I first discovered this new power, I inadvertently damaged some of the others which I have come to regard as my "Adventuring Companions". I must remember that they are around and I need to avoid hurting them. I digress.
Not all of my powers seem to be destructive in nature. Just yesterday, I was researching in some of my newly acquired Tris Crystalography books, reading about how they would use different crystals in conjunction with spells to travel great distances. I was discussing this with that foolish girl who willingly trapped herself in one of the Tris crystals to be a glorified Tour Guide, listening to her drone on about some space and time nonsense, when my mind began to drift. I began to think about how nice it would be to just, get away from it all, just go down to the lake for a refreshing swim, when next thing I know, I'm splashing and sputtering for air, and being dragged to the shore by some Mer-folk. It would seem that I have unlocked a new ability to move myself to a desired location by thought! More experimentation is needed.
Perhaps I can use that Hippie-Boy's pig-dog......