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Post by Admin: Otto on Dec 18, 2022 0:10:01 GMT -5
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Post by Admin: Otto on Mar 4, 2023 11:26:36 GMT -5
Cultural Groups
The Borderland DvoryaninA collection of culturally similar tribes that make their home along the borders of the north and southern regions of the Zeinav Desert. The Dvyoranin men are traditionally of swarthy complexion and dark hair with famously long mustaches, while the women are tall, pale skinned, and blonde to almost white in hair color. The North
The Ash Land Dvoryanin are a largely settled people who maintain the importance of horses in their culture. Their settlements are bright flashes of color amongst the despondent greys and prairie browns of their surroundings. Large pavilions of reds, yellows, and blues form a spiral around a tall watchtower that keeps an eye out for raiders, merchants, and acts as the judging seat for the horse racing that is the all encompassing center of the Dvoryanin. Dvory Racing CrownThe major cultural festival is the annual meeting of the Ash Land and Valley Dvoryanin in the middle of the Zeinav Desert where the biggest horse race of Charon take's place. The Dvory Racing Crown acts as a festival and the accepted way of settling grievances among the Dvoryanin. Outside of the 100 mile endurance horse race that is the main event and the associated gambling, there are an innumerable amount of sabre duels, the sabre being the most prolific blade among the Dvoryanin. The outcome of the races and these duels establish the hierarchy between the Dvoryanin till the next meeting.
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Post by Admin: Otto on Jun 17, 2023 16:50:30 GMT -5
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Post by Admin: Otto on Jun 17, 2023 16:50:33 GMT -5
Flora and Fauna
Ash Roses
Location: Found in the Ash Lands, on island platforms at the heart of the Lava Pits of Mount Drakolt. A surprisingly beautiful ebony flower that blooms on stone islands, sustained by the blistering heat of lava around them. The petals are ink-black and curl in a spiral, much like a traditional rose, with a bit of an ashy finish to them from which they derive their name. The stems are a similar black color, but they have little specks of gold working through them. All in all, very pretty flowers. Individual petals, surprisingly, crumble quite easily only when plucked from their source– this makes it very easy to turn them into powder, or to mix them with water. They do not have a great deal of medicinal worth, but their properties make them viable as a component for potions of invisibility and silencing. Toxicity: Surprisingly, I don’t actually think they’re poisonous, they just don’t taste very good– putting a petal on your tongue would really just be like taking in a mouthful of ash. Nasty, maybe slightly harmful, but not as bad as drinking straight poison. Still, I don’t recommend it. Additional Notes: No medicinal merit whatsoever– they’re purely viable as a potion component… and as a fine aesthetic choice, if you’re. You know. Willing to go gallivanting into lava pits for them. Just don’t shatter your legs. *cough* Baby Dragon's Breath Location: Found in the Ash Lands, growing in the Lava Pits of Mount Drakolt
A type of flower found growing in the lava pits of Mount Drakolt-- yes, in them, albeit peeking out above the surface-- in clusters, each stem usually carrying around four to five blossoms. They are a brilliant orangey-gold, some of them even coming in a pale red, and the petals produce a fine, misty smoke without ever burning. The core of the flowers boasts a crystalline golden core, as though hosting the first treasure of a young dragon's hoard.
Surprisingly, for a flower as potentially dangerous to obtain as these, they're very rich in medicinal merit. The golden core is useful when melted down and mixed with other components for producing heat resistance potions, and the petals retain heat exceptionally well, making them excellent when ground down and packed into larger packets to slip into clothing to retain heat in colder places. They're also useful in the treatment of frostbite and other similar ailments. They lack any inherent healing properties, but are remarkably useful for combating temperatures, much like Lux Lilies.
Toxicity: Mildly poisonous-- can cause some severe illness when consumed in moderate quantities, as they effectively scorch your insides and your body will rebel against them. Eating them is a bad idea.
Additional Notes: They're incredibly beautiful flowers, and have a great deal of aesthetic value, but are very dangerous to go looking for. If you want to go plucking flowers from lava pits for the sake of a display, be my guest. Lux LiliesLocation: Found in the Ash Lands, particularly at the base of and higher platforms of Mount Drakolt A volcanic flower resembling a classic lily; the petals are a dark crimson in color, a scorched-red, though this is not the key noteworthy characteristic. The pistils are luminescent, glimmering gold, emitting a pollen that shines like embers and emits a mild heat, and the leaves are ink-black and appear to be withered, curling around the rest of the plant. They can be difficult to see against the background of the volcano, but the pollen is a key giveaway. Its key uses are in combating temperature-related wounds; the petals themselves radiate a natural heat and when ground down are a useful medicinal component for warming potions and other such things, even being useful in the treatment of burns in tandem with other components in poultices, but the key merit lies in the pollen. The pollen is remarkably potent and serves as an amplifier for certain potions, aiding in empowering their effects. Toxicity: None, though it lacks any nutritional value when consumed as is. Additional Notes: For a volcanic flower, they're surprisingly mild and make good decorations. They have a surprising bit of aesthetic merit, if you're willing to brave the volcano for them. Ashland Jackals Ashland Jackals, sometimes known as the “Ashen Death”, are native to the gloomy and charred plains of the Ash Lands. This canine appears in a semi-illusory state, as if its very form is broken between two planes of existence; and while this canine has a physical body with which to hunt, the appearance of its true physical state has never been fully witnessed or documented. This can be attributed to the fact that, upon death, it appears the Ashland Jackal dissipates back into ash— or perhaps, returns to the other plane of existence it appears to be stuck between— leaving no evidence of its physical state remaining. The Ashland Jackal is a species of canine which travels in isolation unless it has taken a mate; and for a time, the illusory state of the Ashland Jackal caused researchers to believe that the Jackals were pack animals of at minimum four members; but this has since been proven wrong. Solitary and stray jackals have been known to wander Darkveil’s streets at night, targeting lone travelers or drunkards, and earning them the title of “Ashen Death”. With a quick speed, a strong bite, and their ability to seem as if it is in two places at once, the Ashland Jackal is a lethal creature to stumble across for the unprepared or unaware.
Urban legends have formed around the Ashland Jackals as a result of their usual hostile and dangerous reputation; with more superstitious residents of Darkveil titling them as harbingers of doom and ill luck. Some individuals believe the Ashland Jackals to be the souls of hostile spirits, murdered mobsters, or ghosts with unfinished business who wander the streets at night searching for their vengeance— or take it out on anyone in their path.
While these urban legends are arguably untrue, they remain popular among Darkveil citizens due to the widespread presence of Ashland Jackals in their streets and land. As partial scavengers, it is not unlikely to find Ashland Jackals in the presence of tragedy: picking what they can from the remnants to survive in the harsh landscape.
Although domesticating the Ashland Jackal seems an improbability, or an invitation to disasters to most— it’s not impossible: some Ashen Fathers have mastered the training technique, forming nigh-inescapable hunting hounds of the omnipresent jackals, and furthering urban legend and mythology related to their ill will and relation to death. Tamed Ashland Jackals are still early in their domestication; but prove to be mischievous and highly energetic. Extremely protective and territorial of those they are fond of, they are loyal to the end of their, or their master's, lifespans.
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Post by Admin: Otto on Jun 17, 2023 16:50:37 GMT -5
Military Factions
The Darkveil Militias of the Ash Lands are more reminiscent of a Jackson Pollock painting than a true military organization. Their numbers and equipment are entirely dependent on who has the money and power or what internal city organization is funding their existence, so there's a constant ebb and flow as businesses fail and new ones start. The two biggest and longest lasting militias are the Officers of the Count, currently headed by Count Mallock, and the Chimney Sweepers, a militia organized by the Ash Cleaning Union.
Personal MilitiasThese can be anything from the local bakery employing a few citizens to protect his business, to highly trained and funded entourages for nobility. They make up the bulk of the Darkveil Militias and due to their nebulous nature, they are also the ones least counted to show up when called upon.
Chimney SweepersThe current tally for the Chimney Sweepers is around a thousand individuals. Their uniform is a leather hauberk, armored gloves, and a steel helmet. Their main weapon is a billhook, with a sidearm of a rondel dagger to puncture heavily armored foes. The Chimney Sweepers are funded by the Ash Cleaning Union which is currently the largest workers' union in the entirety of the Ash Lands as they provide the essential service of cleaning off all the accumulated ash, soot, and debris from roofs and chimneys so that businesses and homes don't collapse from the weight or their occupants suffocate from the same buildup blocking air passages.
Officers of the CountNumbering only around 500, the Officers of the Counter are entirely made of heavily armored knights. Their horses are an imported bloodline from King's Valley, a giant breed of warhorses whose caretakers are all Ash Land Dvoryanin. Their armor and weapons are forged from the cores of meteorites by the dwarves of Bleak Fort. Outside of the knight orders, the Officers of the Count are the premier heavy cavalry force in Charon.
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Post by Admin: Otto on Jun 17, 2023 16:50:41 GMT -5
Criminal Factions
Ashen FathersCurrent public knowledge of the Ashen Fathers is that they are the faceless leaders of a vast interwoven criminal network that has a vice like grip on every aspect of life in Darkveil City and across the countryside of the Ash Lands. Outside of the certain circles of the nobility, the entirety of life in Darkveil City is in some way connected to one of these Ashen Fathers. The woman selling produce on a corner, your local street sweeper, the milkman, any of these individuals could be part of a gang, paying protection to a gang, or an informant or spy. This immense civil power has the Ashen Fathers constantly competing with one another, Count Mallock, and his fellow members of nobility. In the long forgotten past, the Ashen Fathers once represented something more than the petty criminals that now use the same name. They were originally the high priests to a religious order that worshipped a powerful and world shaping entity known as Vulcadreaus. Despite their name being co-opted, the order still remains today. Their organization is hidden by the ashes of the past and fading of public memory, and their activities have gone deep underground. Ceremonies once held under the falling ash of the open sky now take place in the hollowed bones of the mountains and their numbers have dwindled to barely twenty. This dwindling has only pushed their faith into an obsessive and highly dangerous fanaticism. Now there are rumblings of change across the Ash Lands. Mount Drakolt’s volatility has started to increase and those who have hidden deep underneath it have been the first to feel it. In response, the true Ashen Fathers have begun a campaign of bloodshed in Darkveil City. Ritual killings amongst the criminal underground with the message “The Dragon Awakens” have been found written in their victims' blood on the floors, walls, and ceilings where the murders occurred. The gangs have been blindsided, and are accusing one another of making a power play, unsuspecting of the grander plan that has been set in motion.
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Post by Admin: Otto on Jun 17, 2023 16:50:45 GMT -5
Important NPCs Count Mallock Ash Lands, Fellblood, Male Appearance |
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Description | Personality | While Darkveil is run by a council of crime families, Count Mallock is the official leader of the entire region. He was voted in several years ago in an attempt to unify the region and bring peace to the Ash Lands. It is speculated that the major crime families support and back Mallock, having played a huge part in getting him elected. While he has done a good job so far, things have not been improving in the region and many fear he is tightly in the pockets of the Ashen Fathers. | Count Mallock is a jolly, out-going man who has no problems interacting with the public. He loves to talk, dance and attend expensive parties. Many people outside the region view him as the perfect figurehead, a puppet for those who are actually in charge. |
The Ashen Fathers Ash Lands, Varied, Varied Description | Personality | The Ashen Fathers are a group of noble family chiefs who speak for various mob style families. They run the streets of Darkveil City, and are behind all of the crimes taking place. The amount of Ashen Fathers can vary from year to year, as they are constantly fighting and contesting over land. They have latched onto the region have begun to drain it for their own good. | The council consist of several members, most of their identities a secret. They consist of several notable figures who work in the shadows and pull the strings. |
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Post by Admin: Otto on Jun 17, 2023 16:50:55 GMT -5
Important LocationsThe Nestled PavilionThe Nestled Pavilion is an equine oasis in a fertile valley in the low-lying regions between the Ash Lands, Dragon's Cradle and the Zeinav Desert. The Ash Land Dvoryanin, like the more Southerly tribes in and around King's Valley, are master horse-folk. The settlement contains several stables managed by many generations of the same families, as well as spacious green paddocks for the rearing, nurturing, and shipping of horses. The Dvoryanin in this area has developed the region into a port city, best known for the import and export of horses to other areas of Charon.
As a mark of cultural pride, the horses that are bred here take part in the Dvoryanin Racing Crown, though only the best of the best and their skilled riders are expected to attend. The Ash Land Dvoryanin breed is also favored by Count Mallock's cavalry in Darkveil, due to their powerful build, deft climbing ability, and unfaltering fierceness in battle.
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Post by Admin: Otto on Jun 17, 2023 16:50:58 GMT -5
stuff
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Post by Admin: Otto on Jun 17, 2023 16:51:02 GMT -5
stuff
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