Mizerabil - The Land of the Dying
Jan 9, 2017 15:16:04 GMT
Post by Jalnic on Jan 9, 2017 15:16:04 GMT
NAME: Mizerabil, "The Land of the Dying"
KINGDOM AT A GLANCE: Nested within the abstract dimensions of the interior of a large mountain, Mizerabil has all the aesthetics of a massive abandoned mining metropolis without any of the skeletons. Atop these ruins, new and demonic conceptualized structures have risen to demarcate tribal territories.
DESCRIPTION AND STORY:
Nobility, and daresay the whole continent, once set their hungry eyes upon the mountain of Mizerabil. Monstrous, so large a mountain that it pierced the night sky and even further, the government preceding over the region decided to try their hand at a novel concept for mining. They would strip the interior of the great mountain of all its resources and in turn, build a village within it. Using novel technologies, though primitive at the time, subsidized with Dwarven techniques and Advanced Magics, the mountain was molded into a shell of its former self. The town turned into a village and the village turned into a City. And when upwards they could no longer go, the mining city turned towards the earth for economy.
Digging deeper and deeper into the mountain, constructing catacombs and mining tunnels, the miners stumbled upon a rare material. Red, like hot iron, hard as an anvil and glowing, the Miners found a barrier that rested deep beneath the earth and obstructed their greedy progression. Once again turning to magics, they pierced the barrier beneath them. Like a film sheen over the stagnant waters of a swamp, the bubble bust and out poured corruption.
A fog with purpose, the darkness moved through mountain, corrupting all that could be found. At first, all was well and miners managed to deal with the fog like anything else - though mining had been halted for the time being. But then, the death set in.
The young went first. Then the elderly. And then roughly half the population was gone. Those who survived would soon start to change, start to feel the seep of anger and animosity. The barrier that they pierced would slowly heal, but similar to a wound that occasionally reopens to remind the body that it was still there. From it, corruption continually seeped into the land. On the surface of the mountain, trees died and animals changed. Within, humans and orcs and dwarves began to fester and transform. Those that lived within and survived began to view this change as a blessing, a gift of physical duress that provided power and ability. They began to wall up their world, isolating themselves from the outside environment. Incest and inbreeding allowed for the population to hold, transferring mutation through the bloodlines. Families were formed based on these practices, often attuned to a specific school of power. Some were emboldened beast folk, others were capable of materialization, and others could control all the nuances of the common shadow.
Those who began as something potent, such as a damphyr or elf, saw even further invigoration through the mutation. Some didn't see the physical corruption and if they did, were often able to conceal it. Among the powerful, age turned into the only measuring stick for position. And he who stood above all the rest in both, the Ancient Overseer, guided the community towards reopening the borders for select reasons. And in doing so, he also guided them into opening the very gates to hell - for that was the material that rested beneath them. It was then that they realized that even demons weren't immune to this corruption and in actuality, the corruption may have been the reason for their birth in the first place. As the gates were forced open, lower level demons began to move through the population, integrating and guiding those that sought help.
Mizerabil is a threatening location. Even before proceeding towards entry, the mountain seems perpetually obscured by haze and fog. Upon entry into this otherworldy place, to which their are no guards, one might have the impression that they are being watched. Because they are. The mountain is so massive within that it gives the appearance of having it's own sky. The internal heating of the mountain, from the devil's gate and tectonics below, allows for a variant of a self-sustaining environment to be formed. Trees grow, for a time, only to be touched by the corruption and changed into twisted derelict versions of their former self. The region is dusty, filled with unearthly gusts and winds, and is otherwise characterized by an awful stagnation. The gates to the interior of the mountain region are marked by trails of large bones.
DESCRIPTION AND STORY:
Nobility, and daresay the whole continent, once set their hungry eyes upon the mountain of Mizerabil. Monstrous, so large a mountain that it pierced the night sky and even further, the government preceding over the region decided to try their hand at a novel concept for mining. They would strip the interior of the great mountain of all its resources and in turn, build a village within it. Using novel technologies, though primitive at the time, subsidized with Dwarven techniques and Advanced Magics, the mountain was molded into a shell of its former self. The town turned into a village and the village turned into a City. And when upwards they could no longer go, the mining city turned towards the earth for economy.
Digging deeper and deeper into the mountain, constructing catacombs and mining tunnels, the miners stumbled upon a rare material. Red, like hot iron, hard as an anvil and glowing, the Miners found a barrier that rested deep beneath the earth and obstructed their greedy progression. Once again turning to magics, they pierced the barrier beneath them. Like a film sheen over the stagnant waters of a swamp, the bubble bust and out poured corruption.
A fog with purpose, the darkness moved through mountain, corrupting all that could be found. At first, all was well and miners managed to deal with the fog like anything else - though mining had been halted for the time being. But then, the death set in.
The young went first. Then the elderly. And then roughly half the population was gone. Those who survived would soon start to change, start to feel the seep of anger and animosity. The barrier that they pierced would slowly heal, but similar to a wound that occasionally reopens to remind the body that it was still there. From it, corruption continually seeped into the land. On the surface of the mountain, trees died and animals changed. Within, humans and orcs and dwarves began to fester and transform. Those that lived within and survived began to view this change as a blessing, a gift of physical duress that provided power and ability. They began to wall up their world, isolating themselves from the outside environment. Incest and inbreeding allowed for the population to hold, transferring mutation through the bloodlines. Families were formed based on these practices, often attuned to a specific school of power. Some were emboldened beast folk, others were capable of materialization, and others could control all the nuances of the common shadow.
Those who began as something potent, such as a damphyr or elf, saw even further invigoration through the mutation. Some didn't see the physical corruption and if they did, were often able to conceal it. Among the powerful, age turned into the only measuring stick for position. And he who stood above all the rest in both, the Ancient Overseer, guided the community towards reopening the borders for select reasons. And in doing so, he also guided them into opening the very gates to hell - for that was the material that rested beneath them. It was then that they realized that even demons weren't immune to this corruption and in actuality, the corruption may have been the reason for their birth in the first place. As the gates were forced open, lower level demons began to move through the population, integrating and guiding those that sought help.
Mizerabil is a threatening location. Even before proceeding towards entry, the mountain seems perpetually obscured by haze and fog. Upon entry into this otherworldy place, to which their are no guards, one might have the impression that they are being watched. Because they are. The mountain is so massive within that it gives the appearance of having it's own sky. The internal heating of the mountain, from the devil's gate and tectonics below, allows for a variant of a self-sustaining environment to be formed. Trees grow, for a time, only to be touched by the corruption and changed into twisted derelict versions of their former self. The region is dusty, filled with unearthly gusts and winds, and is otherwise characterized by an awful stagnation. The gates to the interior of the mountain region are marked by trails of large bones.
Large structures are upended, silhouettes of which can be seen in the distance even through the haziest of days. These mark the locale of discrete tribes, built upon the old ruins of the once thriving mining city. Time is measured on a standard interval, magics used to concoct a yellow lamp glow throughout the region during the day. And at night, an abstract full moon sits in the unnaturally dark sky.
In the center of the mountain rests the heart of Mizerabil, a city center. It is there that the Overseer can be found, tending to freshly concocted duties and taking on more similarly the demeanor of a jester, rather than a leader. It is here where the shambles of a council may preside, discerning the qualities of contracts and who and who shouldn't be assigned to them.
SIZE AND LOCATION: Large, within a hollowed out mountain.
WEALTH: Wealth in resources is all but depleted. The beings that live within Mizerabil are independently wealthy based on contracts provided to them, for protection.
STABILITY: Internally, Mizerabil is incredibly stable even to the point of fault. The governance of Mizerabil is based on a predilection towards guarding those things that go bump in the night.
DANGER TO TRAVELERS: Extremely dangerous, unless you are a some variant of night people (Vampires, for instance, are relatively safe within this domain).
FORM OF GOVERNMENT: The region, if it can be called that, is run by an Ancient Overseer. None know of his true age, though it is said to span further back than even the great reckoning. Some suspect that even before this time, he was gifted with the powers of old age and power. While short in stature and lacking in threatening tone, the Ancient Overseer commands and controls the region with a stalwart devotion towards assisting those that would lurk in the night - with appropriate compensation. Barring that, the government thrives in variations of tribes that are all individually led by different members, often the oldest of the groups. The tribes are often quick to battle one another but put aside their differences for the purposes of large or difficult contracts.
FREEDOM AND OPPRESSION: One would consider it a limited form of freedom. You are free to do what you want, so long as it falls in line with the view of the Ancient Overseer. Laws that are typically upheld in common civilization have no meaning in Mizerabil. Murder is common place, incest and inbreeding are standard, and cannibalism was once a staple for survival and now stands as old tradition.
COMMON SPECIES: Those who live within the confines of Mizerabil are not as they were. Whether they began as Human or Vampire or Damphyr, they quickly fall prey to mutation and change. While the original population of the may have been human, that quickly changed after the lasting event.
70% Mutant (Human, Damphyr, Vampire, Orc, Troll, Elf, Dwarve, etc).
25% Demon
5 % Unknown (those that have recently migrated to this region, slaves kept by certain members, and those finding shelter and safe keeping)
70% Mutant (Human, Damphyr, Vampire, Orc, Troll, Elf, Dwarve, etc).
25% Demon
5 % Unknown (those that have recently migrated to this region, slaves kept by certain members, and those finding shelter and safe keeping)
MILITARY FOCUS: Molested variants of common magics. While Mizerabil has no standing army, all those who live within the confines of the mountain invariably fall prey to the corruption within. As such, magic is the only commonality among its members. And they are often only polarized towards large contracts, legitimized by the Ancient Overseer.
TECHNOLOGY: Despite their isolation from the outside world, they have reached a certain level of technology similar to the early renaissance. Peculiarity is the name of the game for many who have been driven mad by long age, allowing them to fester in isolation and invention.
PLAYER CONTROLLED: Yes, but only to an extent. The Ancient Overseer is an immutable NPC though tribes within the Mountain are free for development for all.