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Post by The Gray Watcher on Dec 25, 2016 19:26:23 GMT
NAME: Darkwood KINGDOM AT A GLANCE: A land in the western portion of the continent approaching the central area. The land is surrounded by mountain ranges to the North and West with rocky hills to the East. The land is mostly made up of dark forests with occasional clearings. The southern portion of the land turns into a thick marshland. The land is noted for its dark atmosphere and dark coloring on flora and fauna. Ruins and ancient battle sites litter the land. Villages and towns are sparsely scattered over the land, but just as many of them thrive as are dead or dying. No cities or larger populations centers exist in the land. SIZE AND LOCATION: Medium; Western part of the continent bordering Central part. WEALTH: Low. Little trade passes through this land and most farm for a living. Few crops are produced for anything more than consumption by the farmer or the community of the farmer. Little fur and timber is gathered to be sold outside of the territory. No mines exist and no one knows if precious metals can even be found here. STABILITY: Low. There is little to no protection outside of the towns, and even in the towns it is not always safe. DANGER TO TRAVELERS: High. The land is full of incredibly dangerous creatures of all kinds. Malicious spirits and undead roam the deeper parts of the land as well, especially in the numerous ruins. There is no protection along the roads which are barely functional. Werebeasts also exist here in significant numbers. FORM OF GOVERNMENT: Each town governs itself, so the exact form of government can change from town to town. The most common form of government however is the election of people into positions by the community. FREEDOM AND OPPRESSION: Each town has its own set of rules, so exact rules change from place to place. Little authority is present across the land as a whole and it remains in a state closer to anarchy than order. There are mysterious rules within the various ruins, but it is up to those foolish enough to travel there to figure out or pay with their lives if they are lucky. COMMON SPECIES: -Humans -Werebeasts -Undead -Spirits (wights, banshees, revenents) -Ghouls -Vampires (feral & tribal) -Giants (mountain & forest variety) -Goblins MILITARY FOCUS: Each town has their own militia, but they tend to be poorly trained. Every traveler and resident is expected to take care of themselves when it comes to their own survival. TECHNOLOGY: Early Middle Ages PLAYER CONTROLLED: No, it is intended to be a setting more than a kingdom.
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Post by The Gray Watcher on Dec 25, 2016 19:26:59 GMT
Darkwood Road
The Darkwood Road is the only road that passes all the way through the land in a relatively okay state. Every other road is in such a state of disrepair that it is impassable after a point, but not the Darkwood Road. It is in a state of repair that is just good enough to allow travel down it by wagons and carts. Bumpy, occasional pot hole filled travel. The road moves from a Northwest to Souteast direction. It ends up splitting the dense forest of the north from the marches of the south because of this.
The Darkwood Road might be the only one that can be traveled through the Darkwood, but it is not safe at all. It lacks any form of lighting to travel by. The bridges are often lacking railing and are easy to fall off of. The road is also plagued by hostile threats. Werebeasts, undead creatures, malicious spirits, and goblins are all known to ambush caravans that are foolish enough to try to pass through the Darkwood instead of going around it. Any trip down the road will have multiple attacks without fail.
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Post by The Gray Watcher on Dec 25, 2016 19:27:18 GMT
Alter of Morryxa
The Alter of Morryxa is an underground temple located in the heart of the Darkwood. A ruin sits directly on top of the temple and is filled with numerous skeletons. The ruins are made of stone and ancient mortar. It seems no different than any other ruin aside from the number of skeletons. A single mausoleum stands in the middle of the ruins. It always looks pristine and newly built with ebony wood doors. Inside is a set of stairs leading down into the ground. Once at the bottom of the stairs it opens up into a long hallway. Several side passages line it but all lead to a dead end. At the end of the hallway is a large, circular room with an obsidian alter in the center of it. Around the alter are drains with obsidian grates. It is unknown where the contents inside of the drains ultimately end up. The people of the Darkwood are left with no choice but to pray to Morryxa the Mother Goddess of Life and Death, of Shadows and Blood, and of the Darkwood itself. They must bring sacrifices to her alter every new moon and drain off of the blood from them as they watch alive. If they do this then there is a chance that they might find some reprieve from their misfortunes. They might have a chance for a harvest, protection from plague, and be warded from the many threats within the woods. There is only a chance however of this outcome from their sacrifice to Morryxa, but it is still possible for all of those to happen still. If they do not make a sacrifice on the new moon, then famine and plague and death will sweep through the entirety of the land. If Morryxa feels merciful then this is all that will happen, but if she feels vengeful then an even worse fate awaits them.  Morryxa is Goddess of extreme beauty and extreme instability. She is eternally bored and often causes misfortune for mortals to relieve it for just a moment. She will play deadly tricks on travelers and torment the spirits of the dead by giving them tasks they will never finish or complete. She often makes deals with mortals to give them something they want but it ends up damning them for eternity. Morryxa has an obsession with blood and watching mortals within her lands. She loves to bath in the blood of her sacrifices as well as drink it as if it was the finest wine. She is always watching mortals and their adventures through life. It is not uncommon for her to aid or attempt to hinder them just to see how they would react. This obsession has led to the expression of "Morryxa's eyes are upon me" when one feels as if they are being watched within the Darkwood. Morryxa is a very possessive goddess. She has many treasures hidden within the Darkwood. Gold, silver, and gems are buried with in the many ruins of the Darkwood. Many of them placed there by Morryxa herself after acquiring them from the dead or as offerings between sacrifices. Any who wishes to take what belongs to her will be immediately met with her wrath. Death would be the most mercy one can expect from her when her wrath has been incited.
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Post by The Gray Watcher on Dec 25, 2016 19:27:31 GMT
reserved
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Post by The Gray Watcher on Dec 25, 2016 19:27:47 GMT
reserved
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Post by The Gray Watcher on Dec 25, 2016 19:28:03 GMT
reserved
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