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Chapter 4: Mountains and Valleys: Difference between revisions
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Usually resulting from an '''Avalanche''' encounter, or coming across it naturally, the path ahead is blocked by ice, snow, or some other temporary hazard. Roll a 1d4. Adventurers can clear the roadblock over that many days with DC 12 to 15 Applied Force checks, reducing the amount of time taken by ½ per adventurer. On a failure, they still work through the day and make progress, but that adventurer gains Fatigue. Each day can be accompanied by potential, additional random encounters, favoing combat encounters from all the noise. | Usually resulting from an '''Avalanche''' encounter, or coming across it naturally, the path ahead is blocked by ice, snow, or some other temporary hazard. Roll a 1d4. Adventurers can clear the roadblock over that many days with DC 12 to 15 Applied Force checks, reducing the amount of time taken by ½ per adventurer. On a failure, they still work through the day and make progress, but that adventurer gains Fatigue. Each day can be accompanied by potential, additional random encounters, favoing combat encounters from all the noise. | ||
[[ | == '''Karies, Seat of the Cheran''' == | ||
The city of Karies, named after the mountain range of the same name, is the home to the Cheran. As the Cheran are the purported leaders of Lachonhet, the heroes will have to convince them that an alliance with Gilgalon will be beneficial. | |||
A marvel of a city, Kareis is carved into a cauldron within the mountains of Lachonhet, warmed by the lava pits at its base. Believed to once be the home of some fierce kaijan long extinct, the cauldron of Kareis defies explanation, a calm, but active volcanic terrain with its heat trapped by a ceiling of mountainous overhangs, exposed enough to create a pleasant, almost paradise-like consistency, hidden and kept safe by harsh, dangerous geography. | |||
With its position, Kareis is near impenetrable, and difficult to reach, most of the city encircled by a natural wall of stone. The sole entrance is blocked off by a stone [[gateway]] and accompanying wall, an easily manned, and defended, passage that deters invaders and kaijan alike. | |||
Ruled by the Tyrant King Sharru-Ukin and a council of officials known as the Cheran, Kareis’s position allows it autonomy with little fear of conquest, using its isolation to its advantage. While it claims to rule the lands of Lachonhet, the city itself keeps to itself, rarely exerting its power beyond its own borders, with the sole exception of trade. | |||
Below is information first about the members of the Cheran, and then about the city of Karies, including its points of interest. Because the Cheran are self-important bureaucrats, the heroes will likely have plenty of time to explore the city. | |||
=== The Cheran === | |||
The Cheran are the ruling elite of Lachonhet. Despite what some people may have told the heroes in the villages and ruins that the heroes traveled through previously, the Cheran are absolutely real. They do not possess any mystical powers, but have organized a governmental system that could be relatively effective if they had the means to enforce it beyond their city. The four members of the Cheran must agree to new legislations or initiatives by a three-fourths consensus. In addition, each member of the Cheran oversees one aspect of governance in Karies, and would tend to those matters nationally if the nation had the infrastructure to support national law. | |||
The Cheran are appointed by the Tyrant King. The King and the Cheran each have a series of checks and balances that they can leverage against one another. The King can appoint new Cheran to oust previous ones, and a unanimous vote from the Cheran can veto a proposal that the King makes. However, the King has pure judicial power. The Cheran may serve as advisors on the dispensation of justice, but have no legal authority to challenge the King’s decisions in matters of applying justice to those who violate the law. | |||
==== '''Cheran Periak''' ==== | |||
Periak is a [[dwarf]] who always appears in public with his elaborate braided hair woven into his beard. He typically wears brightly colored ribbons woven through his beard as well. | |||
Periak is the chief of trade. He is aggressive, charismatic, ambitious, and greedy, always looking to make himself more valuable to the Tyrant King than the other Cheran. He oversees the mercantile caste and tax collections. Periak is the only one of the Cheran capable of exerting any influence nationally as he sends soldiers to collect taxes from the villages at the foothills of the mountains. | |||
==== '''Cheran Kessara''' ==== | |||
Kessara, a human warrior who is never seen in public without full armaments and at least four soldiers nearby, is the chief of the military in Karies. She commands the Sisaptum, or the warriors that keep the peace within the city and defend it against external threats. In theory, the Sisaptum is also responsible with protecting the plains of Lachonhet, but in practice they are not organized or disciplined enough to do so. | |||
Kessara is a harsh, tough warrior, a motivating captain, and a tactician of reasonable skill. She is too valuable for the Tyrant King to dispose of, allowing her to quietly express her dislike of the caste system to the other Cheran and to the King himself without immediate consequences. | |||
==== '''Cheran Mikarat''' ==== | |||
A large [[kettek]] with fur patterning akin to that of a white tiger, Mikarat often wears embossed leather armor despite having never actually been in combat aside from the occasional organized, unarmed pit fight. | |||
Mikarat is the chief of workers, overseeing water collection, manual labor, and the large bronzeworking forges built around the hottest sections of the volcanic cauldron in which Karies is built. He is responsible for the most important functions that keep the city running, but this means that Mikarat is in charge of one of the lower societal castes in Karies. He typically sides with Kessara in disputes among the Cheran, and is careful about picking his political battles. | |||
==== '''Cheran Felfaris''' ==== | |||
Felfaris is a human who acts with a decorum uncommon among the rulers of nations at this point in history. He is refined, eloquent, and deliberative, skilled at deflecting questions and postponing any commitment to a particular agenda. Felfaris is the chief of administration, responsible for managing the other Cheran, maintaining the city of Karies, and serving as the Tyrant King’s regent when the king sets out on his glorious quests to hunt kaijan or some other such sign of greatness. | |||
==== '''Tyrant King Sharru-Ukin''' ==== | |||
Tyrant King Sharru-Ukin is a wild, thick, and strong human who cares nothing for polish or refinery as Felfaris does. Oddly, though, Sharru-Ukin has a magnetic personal charisma and is much more patient than his barbarian appearance would suggest. That said, if he becomes offended (and he views boredom as an offense), he will throw victims over the edge of his viewing platform himself, where they plunge to their deaths in the lava pools below. | |||
Sharru-Ukin spends a great deal of time overlooking his lava pits, and they seem to give him peace and clarity. This has led many in Karies to believe that Sharru-Ukin is some kind of fire god. | |||
When he is not in his palace, Sharru-Ukin is likely traipsing through the mountains on his own in hunt of mighty kaijan to slay. He claims to have felled three such beasts in his tenure as king, though these rumors are completely unsubstantiated. | |||
Sharru-Ukin is not the most politically knowledgeable ruler, but he is not ill-intentioned either. He will listen to his advisors provided that they maintain enough scraping and bowing to stoke Sharru-Ukin’s rather high opinion of himself. | |||
=== Cheran Quests === | |||
Each Cheran have a task that they will assign to the heroes if confronted. The heroes might also learn about these tasks by speaking with the common folk of the city. If the heroes complete at least three of these tasks, then the Cheran will join the heroes after 2d4 days of deliberation. | |||
==== '''Ice Caverns of Vishruk''' ==== | |||
Cheran Felfaris does not want a treaty with Gilgalon, believing it will make them subservient to the Godking. Thus, instead of outright refusal when the heroes approach him, he will offer them a task to convince the Cheran of their heroic intentions, a task he believes will [[kill]] them. He sends the adventurers to the Ice Caverns of Vishruk, high into the mountains, where a legendary creature lives and feasts on any Kareisans that stray too close. If they slay the beast, and return its head, Felfaris will vouch for them. | |||
Hiking to the caverns will involve the heroes facing the Avalanche encounter as described in the prior Journey to Karies section. The Avalanche deals 6d6 blunt damage if it hits any of the heroes. | |||
When the heroes reach the Caverns of Vishruk, they must fight a creature reminiscent of a yeti. It has the stats of a '''[[Giant]] Ape''' with [[immunity]] to cold damage. | |||
==== '''Secure the Tunnels''' ==== | |||
Cheran Mikarat wants the mining tunnels near the lava pits secured for his laborers, as too many are being lost to hazards and creatures. The Sisaptum are either too slow or not trained to handle the situation, so if adventurers are able to make the tunnels safer, Mikarat will vouch for them. | |||
Doing so involves the heroes fighting three '''Fireblights''' in a tight, enclosed space. These Fireblights are responsible for the murder of several miners, whose charred bodies can be found deeper in the tunnels. | |||
==== '''Proving Your Worth''' ==== | |||
Cheran Kessara merely wants champions of Gilgalon to display their prowess. If they speak with her, she will ask the heroes to participate in the Proving Grounds. The heroes must fight a number of '''Hunters''' equal to the number of party members. This combat is intended to be nonlethal, and medics are nearby to staunch any bleeding if any hero or NPC is reduced to 0 HP. | |||
==== '''Promises of Power''' ==== | |||
Cheran Periak will not offer a task, but can be bribed with either trade prospects back in Gilgalon. This requires any individual hero to have 5 Fame in Gilgalon or for the party to collectively have an average of at least 3.5 Fame in Gilgalon. | |||
=== The City of Karies === | |||
The following are snapshots of Kareis and its inner workings. | |||
==== '''Culture''' ==== | |||
The people of Kareis are fairly homogeneous, isolated in their daily lives, and wary of outsiders. Yet, they are noted for their dualistic nature, very much like the icy chill of their surroundings juxtaposed against the lava pits below their king’s palace. They are curious folk, interested in trade, customs, and culture, yet keeping to their own with no intention of change. They treat the outside world as a means of fascination, and see their own ways, traditions, and the like as sacred, holding these beliefs as a means of a peaceful existence. | |||
As a people, they adhere to a strict hierarchy of an enforced caste system, that of which one is born into and may only traverse its heights by the will or grace of the Cheran and ruling king. | |||
{| class="wikitable" | |||
| | |||
==== '''Kareis Castes''' ==== | |||
The various castes of Kareis are as such, from lowest to highest: | |||
'''Laborers/Workers.''' The general unskilled labor population of the city. | |||
'''Craftsfolk.''' The skilled labor population. Smiths and metalworkers lead this caste. | |||
'''Merchants.''' Seen as wealthy, and essential for food importance, merchants hold a high esteem in the city. | |||
'''Warriors.''' A new development, the Tyrant King insists on those of the Sisaptum being honored among all others, sans rulers. | |||
'''Cheran.''' The [[noble]] caste, there are very few that qualify as leaders and rules of Kareis. | |||
|} | |||
==== '''Military''' ==== | |||
The Kareis military is small, but well supplied, elite, and effective. Labeled as the Sisaptum, Kareis defenders are professional soldiers, employed as a regular garrison and for patrols along the city’s major trade route. These warriors are essential for guarding food caravans, and are regularly celebrated for their position, even if they rarely engage with forces more organized than predatory dinosaurs and bandits. | |||
Sisaptum soldiers benefit from Kareisan industry in that their entire arsenal is constructed from iron. They sport iron-tipped spears, javelins, shields, and plated breast, shoulder, and leg pieces, in addition to full, circular helms. They are masters of defensive tactics, able to hold territory from vastly superior numbers or size. | |||
==== '''Trade''' ==== | |||
Kareis is well known for its iron trade. With its proximity to the lava pits, its craftsfolk have managed to harness that heat and use it to create extensive forges that can work near indefinitely. Between this and their proximity to rich ore veins in their mountainous home, they are able to create near limitless tools and arms, plying efficient craft trades to create wealth. Fortunately, they are able to use this resource to import much needed foodstuffs, as the local terrain is hardly sit for agriculture, and hunting can be dangerous depending on the time of year. | |||
Kareisan merchants are obsessed with importing luxury goods and foodstuffs, making them a regular sight at foreign markets, throwing iron about in exchange for peculiar, or unique, wares. | |||
==== '''Weather''' ==== | |||
Within Kareis the weather never drifts too high nor does it fall too low. Between the dueling heat of the pits and the external snows, the city benefits from a pleasant middleground, making it ideal grounds for habitation. The overhangs also protect Kareis from inclement weather, including snowstorms, creating static consistency. | |||
Outside the city is a turbulent force of nature. The elevation makes travel difficult, and with nearby peaks always snow ridden, the low temperatures and hazards are many, making travel around the area unpredictable and dangerous. The mountains are prone to furious snowstorms, avalanches, and shifting activity from the pits beneath Kareis. | |||
=== Points of Interest in Karies === | |||
As the heroes spend time in Karies, they may explore any of the following locales. | |||
==== '''Ashen Rest''' ==== | |||
The largest inn and tavern in Karies, technically several buildings that are all part of the same complex, the Ashen Rest is likely where the heroes will be spending their evenings. The buildings that comprise the Ashen Rest are built into the side of a cliff with a picturesque view of the lava pits. The lava pits also provide ample heating to the Ashen Rest, which diverts water from the public waterfall into heated bath houses in which patrons of the Ashen Rest can socialize and rejuvenate. | |||
==== '''The Ishkalu Fire Palace''' ==== | |||
The Fire Palace overlooks most of the city and is situated near the center of the city’s northwestern region. On its western side, the palace has Tyrant King Sharru-Ukin’s audience platform. He holds court from this balcony, which also overlooks the Proving Grounds and the lava pits. | |||
The balconies on the other side of the palace offer a beautiful view of the artificial waterfall and the water markets. | |||
In addition to its many viewing balconies, the palace is furnished to receive guests, support the Tyrant King’s family and the families of the Cheran, host banquets, or defend against invasion. | |||
==== '''Ishtum Forges''' ==== | |||
These grand forges are collections of bronzeworking facilities that allow Karies to export weapons and armor of great value. This is another resource that will dramatically improve Gilgalon’s military power, as most of their weapons are made of weaker materials than bronze. | |||
==== '''Lava Pits''' ==== | |||
Beneath and around the city, there are deep crags that contain sweltering-hot lava flows.The city uses them to its advantage, running industrial-scale bronzeworking facilities and offering hotspring baths at the Ashen Rest. Throwing a victim in the lava pit is also the Tyrant King’s preferred method of execution. | |||
==== '''Proving Grounds''' ==== | |||
The Proving Grounds is a gladiatorial ring that sits below the elevated viewing platform in the Fire Palace of King Sharru-Ukin. It is ringed by a semicircular amphitheater carved of stone. Across the arena from the amphitheater risers, there is a sharp drop into a large, permanently active lava pit. The king’s platform is situated so that the condemned can be thrown off the platform directly into the same pit. | |||
==== '''Sisap Pits''' ==== | |||
The Susap Pits are a comprehensive training ground and barracks for the Sisaptum. This area is built just above the lava flows, with training done in and around the terrain to harden soldiers, creating fierce warriors accustomed to uncomfortable environments. | |||
==== '''The Waterwall''' ==== | |||
A unique construction to Kareis, the Waterwall is an artificially constructed waterfall within the city, made from a rudimentary series of pipes that flow from a stone building high in one of the cliffs surrounding Karies. This building houses several stone snowpack rooms, where snow is gathered from the overhangs of the city and transported to be melted for the water supply. Once melted, the water is piped to the wall, where it cascades down into a constructed basin and a circular canal that flows about the center of the city. This canal acts as the city’s major well and water source, along with a major cultural hub for those to gather and share news, trade, and hold festivals. | |||
Arrayed around the Waterwall canal, the Water Markets hold the city trade center, where local merchants deal with imports, sell to locals, and house a great deal of their supply. These markets are always busy, sporting rare, imported spices and foods, ironwork, tools, and any luxury crafts merchants can get their hands on: clothes, jewelry, and other finery that Kareisans tend to favor. The markets also house the office of Cheran Periak, who oversees daily trade and holds his own pack of Sisaptum to collect taxes and tributes. | |||
== '''The Return Trip''' == | == '''The Return Trip''' == | ||
As the heroes begin their return journey to Palask, they will be bringing with them one of the representatives of the Cheran in order to officiate the deal between Lachonhet and Gilgalon. The member of the Cheran that goes with them should be whichever NPC they have interacted with the most aside from | As the heroes begin their return journey to Palask, they will be bringing with them one of the representatives of the Cheran in [[order]] to officiate the deal between Lachonhet and Gilgalon. The member of the Cheran that goes with them should be whichever NPC they have interacted with the most aside from Sharru-Ukin. | ||
In addition to the Cheran member, several citizens of Kaeries travel with the heroes, bringing with them carts of grain that they can offer to Palask. The largest wagon of food is pulled by a stegosaurus. | In addition to the Cheran member, several citizens of Kaeries travel with the heroes, bringing with them carts of grain that they can offer to Palask. The largest wagon of food is pulled by a stegosaurus. | ||
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==== General Dagon ==== | ==== General Dagon ==== | ||
General Dagon rides a chariot drawn by a pair of Cynognathuses. The chariot has two dozen javelins in it. If one [[Cynognathus]] dies, the other may only pull the chariot at half speed. If this happens, Dagon hops off of the chariot and uses his axe, rather than his javelins. | General Dagon is a '''[[Champion]]''', but has 130 maximum HP. He rides a chariot drawn by a pair of Cynognathuses. The chariot has two dozen javelins in it. If one [[Cynognathus]] dies, the other may only pull the chariot at half speed. If this happens, Dagon hops off of the chariot and uses his axe, rather than his javelins. | ||
In combat, General Dagon boasts loudly and at great length about what a mighty [[warrior]] he is. His greataxe is El-Ro, the Shard-Bearer (see Appendix B: [[Magic Items]]). General Dagon boasts that each crystal shard on his axe is the soul of a foe he has slain in battle. | In combat, General Dagon boasts loudly and at great length about what a mighty [[warrior]] he is. His greataxe is El-Ro, the Shard-Bearer (see Appendix B: [[Magic Items]]). General Dagon boasts that each crystal shard on his axe is the soul of a foe he has slain in battle. | ||