SOUTHERN VULCANIA
Technology: Technological and magical, including robotics, prosthetics, flight devices, materials fabrications, and other Blacklore.
Lifestyle: Regimented, Military
Population: 637 Elves
DESCRIPTION
The Icewall
This sheer mountain range is the southern edge of Southern Vulcania located nearly five hundred miles south of sunlight. These Mountains are choked in ice that gets thicker with every year of polar darkness.
Ice Station Zero
Somewhere in the face of the Ice wall is Ice Station Zero – a subterranean bunker stocked with the last of the Blacklore secrets of the Southern Elves under the control of the Egg of Coot. It is from here that he and his elf Wizards have crafted all manner of Horror that might be encountered in the Darklands by those looking to plunder abandoned Blacklore. Unfortunately Magic no longer functions here on the Base in any form. The Polar drift that occurred as a result of the destruction of Blackmoor has bought with it an anti-magical zone that has slowly moved north over the Icewall and across the frozen wastes toward the edge of the Arctic Circle. As a consequence, Collectors and Pack Hunters no longer return to base, rather they skirt the lonely wastes to the north and prey on strays wandering the Ice Tundra of the Vulcanian Peninsula.
The Wastelands
The Ice and snow extends from the Icewall two thousand miles north to the Mountains that define the Diamond Ring although it will slowly retreat south to the edge of the Darklands over the coming millennia and plant life will once again reclaim the landscape, it will take a long time.
Ruins
Scattered through the darklands of Southern Vulcania are cities of glass and steel. The greatest achievement of the elves now abandoned to the Ice and snow for centuries.
ELVES OF ICE STATION ZERO
Tall, Dark Haired, (and thanks to genetic experiments with some Alien – Federation – DNA) green skinned. These elves have a mix of clan Origins. -dyr, -dyl, -dnl meaning many have traditional names ending in these suffix.
They all seem to average seven feet tall and appear fragile but are all muscle.
The southern elves residing in Ice Station Zero are broken into two Castes: The Engineering Cast made up of the few Elves who were capable of following the Wizard Path, and the Warrior Caste for those elves of a more physical lifestyle, and out of necessity in that magic has long since failed in the region of Ice Station Zero. For reasons of State security it is preferred that an Elf choose the Engineering Caste as preservation of the technological Skills vital to the continued viability of the Colony. Still, to ensure that skills are passed on, even elves of the Warrior Caste are cycled through Engineering as Technicians – The old Wizards getting very old – perhaps they are the last of their kind. No one is above knowing how to maintain and operate systems. Ignorance is the enemy.
Personal Automatons were identified as the major source of cultural laziness and decline so they were replaced with living Technicians. Much of the Blacklore was quickly replaced by Mechanical Technological Systems.
CUSTOMS
This is no single clan – rather they are military elite involved in continuous military training and protocols. The Concept of Clan Leaders and hierarchies are supplanted by the military traditions that include the influence of Blackmoor.
They are pretty much hostile toward visitors and anyone making it as far as Ice Station Zero can look forward to interrogation in the machine.
Food production is by hydroponics and the Gardens are extensive. There is some mining of vital elements but considerable recycling to make use of everything.
The oldest elves of the wizard caste were encouraged to enchant a collector and merge with the machine. The remaining elves don’t wear jewellery – only their military insignia marks their uniforms. Every elf now wears a standard non-magical firearm – the Repeating Spring Dart Pistol.
Repeating Spring Dart Pistol (Damage: 1d4-1; Range: 5/10/15); Reloadable seven dart magazine.
HISTORY
Secrets of the Old Ones
In the moments before the beginning of it all the Star-brothers (Laki-Laki) had created the Universe and the world of Mystara at the centre of it through an inversion of the inner surface of the Crystal Sphere of this Universe effectively closing the door to this new verse behind them. The price would be high – they had isolated this Universe from the Phlogiston so there would be no travel between the crystal spheres, and the Coming end-death of the Phlogiston in the infinite inferno would never reach this place.
The Unknowable Happens
The Mystaran Universe moved on from that moment of insanity, elements spilled onto the Surfaces of that inverted crystal sphere, but one Brother ceased to exist forever - Thanks to the sudden presence of entropy, Life happened and the Universe was shaped and reshaped by it; But that other Universe shrank becoming an increasingly small sphere of possibility, ever reducing.
Seventy-five Million Years Ago
In the remaining and now infinitely increasing Universe at about this time a rock fell from the sky cracking the world shield and creating fissures that would ultimately lead to the discovery of a Hollow World by the recently Immortal known as Ka the Preserver. But there are secrets, even beyond the comprehension of an overly intelligent dinosaur turned Immortal.
That which shattered this great hollow prison was in fact the remains of one of the Star-bothers, for the other had ceased to exist forming the hollow-side Universe – which in that moment of Universal Collapse became a mere inter-dimensional cavity – and then nothing more than a very big cave.
Secrets of the Immortals
After considerable study, in a conspiracy with other Immortals against Entropy, Ka the Preserver creates the Hollow World; a sunlit realm where species and civilizations facing extinction might be relocated and preserved.
Civilization after Civilization
The Carnifex seem to be one of the earliest non human civilizations to rise on the World of Mystara. These reptilian creatures vanish into the dark, the light of their predatory culture gone from the world (though not forgotten). Some are relocated by Ka - hidden in the Hollow Moon that they might survive without being at odds with other newer races and cultures.
Primitive and Degenerate human cultures like the Garl, the Brute-men, and the Neanderthals are relocated to the Hollow World that they might be preserved – though a Corrupting influence of Entropy finally breaks through in the form of the Burrowers which exert a corrupting influence on the Brute-men cultures that are sheltering in the Hollow World.
The Spell of Preservation
Somewhere around 6,000BC Ka and his Immortal companions act to exterminate the contaminated Hollow World cultures, and put in place a Spell that will prevent Entropy from interfering in the Hollow World ever again - a spell that by its very definition paralyses the Entropic Burrowers. It curtails their corrupting influence and stalls the advances of Entropy.
Recorded History begins
The Neanderthals give way to modern Mystaran man and he establishes an assortment of primitive cultures across the world. In time these peoples rise to something akin to a medieval culture permeated and influenced by Immortals and Magic. In the south of the World, in a realm that must be described as Western Grunland, the Elves have established a civilization.
The rise of Blackmoor
It is uncertain what the Egg of Coot represents, though its infernal genius, cold reality, and technological advantage seems very much to predate even the rise of the Age of Blackmoor and possibly the presence of Man on this world. For whatever reason it seems to have had the ability to rise land masses from the Seafloor to the Surface, and offered a technology to others that seems out of place with the world.
The Egg of Coot rises to oppose the activities of Uther, King of Blackmoor – though it is never certain why.
However – History records the rise of a civilization known as Blackmoor (either taking the name as a banner of revolution, or rising directly from the petty warlord of centuries past – it is uncertain) as a globally reaching power in both technology and magic, while the Egg of Coot vanishes from history’s page – though the corrupting drive to invest everything in the exploitation of the technology scavenged from the FSS BEAGLE seems to have the scent of its continued participation in the centuries that follow.
State cedes to the Church
Though the Technocracy of Blackmoor is rapidly approaching a peak and its trade and trade-wars with the Southern elves and their northern colonies have finally convinced the elves to embrace Blackmoorean Technology, its Government is increasingly weak – mostly due to so many factions vying for influence. At some point the Priests gain sufficient influence to compel the state to commit to a three hundred year long Holy War of extermination against the Beastmen of the Borean Valley in response to the Chaos they represent. The Conflict is obviously drawn out by the fact that there has been a dangerous trade in Blackmoor Technology with the Beastmen. The Legions of Holy Warriors in their Powered Armour, armed with flame weapons zipping about on their Personal flyers are met with violent resistance.
Victory - Blackmoor
Blackmoor has become in these three centuries a Theocracy of Absolutes opposed to Chaos in its ultimate form of the Immortal Hel whose few surviving Beastmen eventually flee the Borean Valley for distant Hyborea at the edge of the world. The Theocracy of Blackmoor declares Victory. The truth is three centuries of mass murder with millions dead, and the best of Blackmoor lost to the war-machine and tyranny of the Holy Empire.
A time of Peace and Achievement
Peaceful Sciences and technology find themselves in ascendancy over these next two hundred years. The final Technological secret of the City of the Gods is contemplated by Blackmoor’s greatest minds and an Experiment conceived. It is an experiment involving the possibility engine (inter-dimensional drive) of the FSS Beagle. Unknown to all the long forgotten Egg of Coot is intimately involved in the experiment – Heading up OARD Industries. The Egg of Coot relocates to realm of the Southern Elves to watch the outcome of the experiment from a location of safety. In the blink of an eye Blackmoor ceases to exist, vanishing from this Universe.
The Great Rain of Fire
The Vanishing act causes a number of Blackmoor devices to explode across the region and all trace of the Theocracy of Blackmoor is swept aside in a great catastrophe involving some of its great devices.
The Immortals are unable to find any trace of the Blackmoorean culture to save. Only some technological debris remains. The Blackmoor civilization is now only accessible via the Comeback Inn at a moment in its past just before the influence of technology found in the City of the Gods (the FSS BEAGLE).
Global Warming
The Egg of Coot decides to secretly establish a subterranean stronghold with an elite group of Blacklore Elves and technology to ride out the coming millennia of chaos. Blacklore Experiments begin in developing the Pack Hunters and the Collectors unleashing them on the region. In as little as five hundred years the disaster shifts the world by around forty degrees off axis moving the Ruination of Blackmoor in Northwest Skothar toward the Northern Pole and Western Vulcania into the Southern Pole. Unfortunately this drift of the Poles carries with it an anti-magic region that expands north shutting down all Blacklore techno-magic.
Two Directions
Realizing a crisis with its ‘do nothing – everything will be fine’ government a separatist ‘back to nature’ group led by led by a Zealot named Ilsundyl abandons their fellow elves and head north to find the lost elf colonies who settled in the northern hemisphere.
The Southern Elves remaining begin evacuations from their now Polar home to Grunland now freed of its polar climate thanks in part to rising volcanic activity. It is a time of hardship for the technologically dependant elves.
Ice-gnomes Flee Darklands
Many Ice Gnomes are flushed from Southern Vulcania by the Egg of Coot and his elves and forced north into the Forests on the northern edge of Vulcania and the lost Valley. Others are taken hostage for ‘experimentation’.
Ex Vulcania
The Vulcanian Elves have lost most of their technology and Magic, and are facing doom from exposure to the Elements – Vulcania is an increasingly volcanic region now constantly rocked by earthquakes and tremors.
A second group of Separatists abandon their fellow Vulcanian Elves and migrate north taking what little technology they easily can maintain with them. They settle into the Lost Valley region amongst the Ice Gnomes – The Elves are dominated by those who have followed the Warrior Path instead of the Wizard path. Few are powerful wizards.
The Immortals, realizing that the Vulcanian region is about to experience an extinction level event in the form of a Super-volcano relocate a small group to the Hollow World altering their failing technology with immortal magic.
Super-volcano
Within a century a Super-volcano erupts in the Vulcanian chain devouring the remnants of the Blackmoor influenced elf civilization living there and their technology. For the next century the Vulcanian region is darkened and frozen by a cloud.
BC 2300 – Here and Now
It is a century since the eruption of the Super-volcano that devastated Grunland and made it uninhabitable to most life. It has become an Arctic desert devoid of plant life.
Broken Ruins of the last stand of the Southern Elves are scattered across the region – the more technologically significant located in the Darklands of Southern Vulcania.
The Egg of Coot has been busy exploiting Blacklore and securing the region from the safety of his underground base. His collectors and Pack Hunters sweep the region in search of any powerful foe seeking to plunder the ruins of the Southern Elves – though they are no longer able to patrol closer in due to the anti-magic region now encompassing Southern Vulcania – leaving an opportunity for those prepared to risk it all.
RELATIONS WITH OTHERS
The Vulcanian Heresy has little to nothing in the way of relations with other Races. The Egg of Coot’s Minions are utterly hostile toward intruders. Only the Ice Gnomes of the Lost Valley and Diamond Ring are even aware there is ‘something terrible’ down there – across the ice wastes – in the dark - biding its time and building its power.
NPCs
Hptmn Jlmgrndnl
History: He was born centuries ago, just after the Base was established and is a Child of that Military Order has been raised in its military culture.
Personality: Hptmn Jlmgrndnl is Commander for Security in the Research station. There hasn’t been an incident for several decades (a mating pair of Great Sloths bred from experiments on Ice-gnomes escaped their cages making it outside), but rules are rules and he carries them out with absolute conformity to the rules. He is fearless. He knows that his small group of people are the last of a great civilization in a world that has long gone to barbarity. As a consequence he is prepared to fight to the death to protect what he has. He is however fascinated by the prospect of encountering ‘other intelligent life’.
Appearance: Outside his personal quarters, he is a physically strong and healthy elf with short cropped white hair and pale skin wearing tight black leather Uniform (It is actually a carbon weave cloth that acts like leather). A Spring-repeating Dart pistol is on his belt.
DM Notes: Jlmgrndnl has occasionally left the base to inspect ruins during his years in lower ranks but hasn’t left the base in a few decades. He will never consider throwing in with outsiders (unless ordered to do so from above) as he is absolutely loyal to the Order.
HORRORS IN THE DARK
These terrible creations have been spawned from the Laboratories in Ice Station Zero and represent the exploitation of the darkest and nastiest parts of Blacklore.
The Collector
The Collector is a small Scout vessel designed to allow for the collection of Samples piloted by the consciousness of an Elf who is bound to the Machine for all time. In truth it is a living horror crafted by a combination of the worst of Blacklore.
Enchanted like any magical flying ship, it combines A Steel-form Flying ship with an inverted crystal ball Stone-form chamber (the ultimate Camera Obscura) as a Pilot interface allowing the pilot to see any distance. The Pilot’s infusion with the Machine is the final mockery. The Elf Pilot – enchanting his own ship includes a permanent gate spell and sacrifices himself to a Brain Collector who is now permanently bound to the vessel.
Symbols of Paralysis dance like lights across the surface of the vessel to paralyse any potential harvest.
Enchantment of the Collector
Enchant Hull: 2 x steel-form, 1 x stone-form, 3 x fly, 1 x clairvoyance, 1 x Gate
The Pack Hunter
This is a pack of ice-wolves who were technologically modified by the Egg of Coot in an experiment to create a golem guard dog capable of hunting a foe and killing them without the need for food.
This looks like a metal cylinder with an organic remnant head of an ice-wolf fused into the mechanism at the top and a spiked lightning wand attached to the bottom. A Mirror of Life Trapping to ‘capture’ the occasional foe is attached to the front of this flying predator. These predators might be encountered in packs of eight within a hundred miles of Ice Station Zero or in packs of four specifically deployed to some ruin in the Darklands of interest to the Egg of Coot.
It has all the Stats of an ice wolf with Steel Barding (-2AC).
Enchantment of the Pack-hunter
Hull Enchantment: 1 x Steel-form, 1 x fly, 1 x Animate Dead
Extras: Mirror of Life Trapping, Lightning Wand
Lifestyle: Regimented, Military
Population: 637 Elves
DESCRIPTION
The Icewall
This sheer mountain range is the southern edge of Southern Vulcania located nearly five hundred miles south of sunlight. These Mountains are choked in ice that gets thicker with every year of polar darkness.
Ice Station Zero
Somewhere in the face of the Ice wall is Ice Station Zero – a subterranean bunker stocked with the last of the Blacklore secrets of the Southern Elves under the control of the Egg of Coot. It is from here that he and his elf Wizards have crafted all manner of Horror that might be encountered in the Darklands by those looking to plunder abandoned Blacklore. Unfortunately Magic no longer functions here on the Base in any form. The Polar drift that occurred as a result of the destruction of Blackmoor has bought with it an anti-magical zone that has slowly moved north over the Icewall and across the frozen wastes toward the edge of the Arctic Circle. As a consequence, Collectors and Pack Hunters no longer return to base, rather they skirt the lonely wastes to the north and prey on strays wandering the Ice Tundra of the Vulcanian Peninsula.
The Wastelands
The Ice and snow extends from the Icewall two thousand miles north to the Mountains that define the Diamond Ring although it will slowly retreat south to the edge of the Darklands over the coming millennia and plant life will once again reclaim the landscape, it will take a long time.
Ruins
Scattered through the darklands of Southern Vulcania are cities of glass and steel. The greatest achievement of the elves now abandoned to the Ice and snow for centuries.
ELVES OF ICE STATION ZERO
Tall, Dark Haired, (and thanks to genetic experiments with some Alien – Federation – DNA) green skinned. These elves have a mix of clan Origins. -dyr, -dyl, -dnl meaning many have traditional names ending in these suffix.
They all seem to average seven feet tall and appear fragile but are all muscle.
The southern elves residing in Ice Station Zero are broken into two Castes: The Engineering Cast made up of the few Elves who were capable of following the Wizard Path, and the Warrior Caste for those elves of a more physical lifestyle, and out of necessity in that magic has long since failed in the region of Ice Station Zero. For reasons of State security it is preferred that an Elf choose the Engineering Caste as preservation of the technological Skills vital to the continued viability of the Colony. Still, to ensure that skills are passed on, even elves of the Warrior Caste are cycled through Engineering as Technicians – The old Wizards getting very old – perhaps they are the last of their kind. No one is above knowing how to maintain and operate systems. Ignorance is the enemy.
Personal Automatons were identified as the major source of cultural laziness and decline so they were replaced with living Technicians. Much of the Blacklore was quickly replaced by Mechanical Technological Systems.
CUSTOMS
This is no single clan – rather they are military elite involved in continuous military training and protocols. The Concept of Clan Leaders and hierarchies are supplanted by the military traditions that include the influence of Blackmoor.
They are pretty much hostile toward visitors and anyone making it as far as Ice Station Zero can look forward to interrogation in the machine.
Food production is by hydroponics and the Gardens are extensive. There is some mining of vital elements but considerable recycling to make use of everything.
The oldest elves of the wizard caste were encouraged to enchant a collector and merge with the machine. The remaining elves don’t wear jewellery – only their military insignia marks their uniforms. Every elf now wears a standard non-magical firearm – the Repeating Spring Dart Pistol.
Repeating Spring Dart Pistol (Damage: 1d4-1; Range: 5/10/15); Reloadable seven dart magazine.
HISTORY
Secrets of the Old Ones
In the moments before the beginning of it all the Star-brothers (Laki-Laki) had created the Universe and the world of Mystara at the centre of it through an inversion of the inner surface of the Crystal Sphere of this Universe effectively closing the door to this new verse behind them. The price would be high – they had isolated this Universe from the Phlogiston so there would be no travel between the crystal spheres, and the Coming end-death of the Phlogiston in the infinite inferno would never reach this place.
The Unknowable Happens
The Mystaran Universe moved on from that moment of insanity, elements spilled onto the Surfaces of that inverted crystal sphere, but one Brother ceased to exist forever - Thanks to the sudden presence of entropy, Life happened and the Universe was shaped and reshaped by it; But that other Universe shrank becoming an increasingly small sphere of possibility, ever reducing.
Seventy-five Million Years Ago
In the remaining and now infinitely increasing Universe at about this time a rock fell from the sky cracking the world shield and creating fissures that would ultimately lead to the discovery of a Hollow World by the recently Immortal known as Ka the Preserver. But there are secrets, even beyond the comprehension of an overly intelligent dinosaur turned Immortal.
That which shattered this great hollow prison was in fact the remains of one of the Star-bothers, for the other had ceased to exist forming the hollow-side Universe – which in that moment of Universal Collapse became a mere inter-dimensional cavity – and then nothing more than a very big cave.
Secrets of the Immortals
After considerable study, in a conspiracy with other Immortals against Entropy, Ka the Preserver creates the Hollow World; a sunlit realm where species and civilizations facing extinction might be relocated and preserved.
Civilization after Civilization
The Carnifex seem to be one of the earliest non human civilizations to rise on the World of Mystara. These reptilian creatures vanish into the dark, the light of their predatory culture gone from the world (though not forgotten). Some are relocated by Ka - hidden in the Hollow Moon that they might survive without being at odds with other newer races and cultures.
Primitive and Degenerate human cultures like the Garl, the Brute-men, and the Neanderthals are relocated to the Hollow World that they might be preserved – though a Corrupting influence of Entropy finally breaks through in the form of the Burrowers which exert a corrupting influence on the Brute-men cultures that are sheltering in the Hollow World.
The Spell of Preservation
Somewhere around 6,000BC Ka and his Immortal companions act to exterminate the contaminated Hollow World cultures, and put in place a Spell that will prevent Entropy from interfering in the Hollow World ever again - a spell that by its very definition paralyses the Entropic Burrowers. It curtails their corrupting influence and stalls the advances of Entropy.
Recorded History begins
The Neanderthals give way to modern Mystaran man and he establishes an assortment of primitive cultures across the world. In time these peoples rise to something akin to a medieval culture permeated and influenced by Immortals and Magic. In the south of the World, in a realm that must be described as Western Grunland, the Elves have established a civilization.
The rise of Blackmoor
It is uncertain what the Egg of Coot represents, though its infernal genius, cold reality, and technological advantage seems very much to predate even the rise of the Age of Blackmoor and possibly the presence of Man on this world. For whatever reason it seems to have had the ability to rise land masses from the Seafloor to the Surface, and offered a technology to others that seems out of place with the world.
The Egg of Coot rises to oppose the activities of Uther, King of Blackmoor – though it is never certain why.
However – History records the rise of a civilization known as Blackmoor (either taking the name as a banner of revolution, or rising directly from the petty warlord of centuries past – it is uncertain) as a globally reaching power in both technology and magic, while the Egg of Coot vanishes from history’s page – though the corrupting drive to invest everything in the exploitation of the technology scavenged from the FSS BEAGLE seems to have the scent of its continued participation in the centuries that follow.
State cedes to the Church
Though the Technocracy of Blackmoor is rapidly approaching a peak and its trade and trade-wars with the Southern elves and their northern colonies have finally convinced the elves to embrace Blackmoorean Technology, its Government is increasingly weak – mostly due to so many factions vying for influence. At some point the Priests gain sufficient influence to compel the state to commit to a three hundred year long Holy War of extermination against the Beastmen of the Borean Valley in response to the Chaos they represent. The Conflict is obviously drawn out by the fact that there has been a dangerous trade in Blackmoor Technology with the Beastmen. The Legions of Holy Warriors in their Powered Armour, armed with flame weapons zipping about on their Personal flyers are met with violent resistance.
Victory - Blackmoor
Blackmoor has become in these three centuries a Theocracy of Absolutes opposed to Chaos in its ultimate form of the Immortal Hel whose few surviving Beastmen eventually flee the Borean Valley for distant Hyborea at the edge of the world. The Theocracy of Blackmoor declares Victory. The truth is three centuries of mass murder with millions dead, and the best of Blackmoor lost to the war-machine and tyranny of the Holy Empire.
A time of Peace and Achievement
Peaceful Sciences and technology find themselves in ascendancy over these next two hundred years. The final Technological secret of the City of the Gods is contemplated by Blackmoor’s greatest minds and an Experiment conceived. It is an experiment involving the possibility engine (inter-dimensional drive) of the FSS Beagle. Unknown to all the long forgotten Egg of Coot is intimately involved in the experiment – Heading up OARD Industries. The Egg of Coot relocates to realm of the Southern Elves to watch the outcome of the experiment from a location of safety. In the blink of an eye Blackmoor ceases to exist, vanishing from this Universe.
The Great Rain of Fire
The Vanishing act causes a number of Blackmoor devices to explode across the region and all trace of the Theocracy of Blackmoor is swept aside in a great catastrophe involving some of its great devices.
The Immortals are unable to find any trace of the Blackmoorean culture to save. Only some technological debris remains. The Blackmoor civilization is now only accessible via the Comeback Inn at a moment in its past just before the influence of technology found in the City of the Gods (the FSS BEAGLE).
Global Warming
The Egg of Coot decides to secretly establish a subterranean stronghold with an elite group of Blacklore Elves and technology to ride out the coming millennia of chaos. Blacklore Experiments begin in developing the Pack Hunters and the Collectors unleashing them on the region. In as little as five hundred years the disaster shifts the world by around forty degrees off axis moving the Ruination of Blackmoor in Northwest Skothar toward the Northern Pole and Western Vulcania into the Southern Pole. Unfortunately this drift of the Poles carries with it an anti-magic region that expands north shutting down all Blacklore techno-magic.
Two Directions
Realizing a crisis with its ‘do nothing – everything will be fine’ government a separatist ‘back to nature’ group led by led by a Zealot named Ilsundyl abandons their fellow elves and head north to find the lost elf colonies who settled in the northern hemisphere.
The Southern Elves remaining begin evacuations from their now Polar home to Grunland now freed of its polar climate thanks in part to rising volcanic activity. It is a time of hardship for the technologically dependant elves.
Ice-gnomes Flee Darklands
Many Ice Gnomes are flushed from Southern Vulcania by the Egg of Coot and his elves and forced north into the Forests on the northern edge of Vulcania and the lost Valley. Others are taken hostage for ‘experimentation’.
Ex Vulcania
The Vulcanian Elves have lost most of their technology and Magic, and are facing doom from exposure to the Elements – Vulcania is an increasingly volcanic region now constantly rocked by earthquakes and tremors.
A second group of Separatists abandon their fellow Vulcanian Elves and migrate north taking what little technology they easily can maintain with them. They settle into the Lost Valley region amongst the Ice Gnomes – The Elves are dominated by those who have followed the Warrior Path instead of the Wizard path. Few are powerful wizards.
The Immortals, realizing that the Vulcanian region is about to experience an extinction level event in the form of a Super-volcano relocate a small group to the Hollow World altering their failing technology with immortal magic.
Super-volcano
Within a century a Super-volcano erupts in the Vulcanian chain devouring the remnants of the Blackmoor influenced elf civilization living there and their technology. For the next century the Vulcanian region is darkened and frozen by a cloud.
BC 2300 – Here and Now
It is a century since the eruption of the Super-volcano that devastated Grunland and made it uninhabitable to most life. It has become an Arctic desert devoid of plant life.
Broken Ruins of the last stand of the Southern Elves are scattered across the region – the more technologically significant located in the Darklands of Southern Vulcania.
The Egg of Coot has been busy exploiting Blacklore and securing the region from the safety of his underground base. His collectors and Pack Hunters sweep the region in search of any powerful foe seeking to plunder the ruins of the Southern Elves – though they are no longer able to patrol closer in due to the anti-magic region now encompassing Southern Vulcania – leaving an opportunity for those prepared to risk it all.
RELATIONS WITH OTHERS
The Vulcanian Heresy has little to nothing in the way of relations with other Races. The Egg of Coot’s Minions are utterly hostile toward intruders. Only the Ice Gnomes of the Lost Valley and Diamond Ring are even aware there is ‘something terrible’ down there – across the ice wastes – in the dark - biding its time and building its power.
NPCs
Hptmn Jlmgrndnl
History: He was born centuries ago, just after the Base was established and is a Child of that Military Order has been raised in its military culture.
Personality: Hptmn Jlmgrndnl is Commander for Security in the Research station. There hasn’t been an incident for several decades (a mating pair of Great Sloths bred from experiments on Ice-gnomes escaped their cages making it outside), but rules are rules and he carries them out with absolute conformity to the rules. He is fearless. He knows that his small group of people are the last of a great civilization in a world that has long gone to barbarity. As a consequence he is prepared to fight to the death to protect what he has. He is however fascinated by the prospect of encountering ‘other intelligent life’.
Appearance: Outside his personal quarters, he is a physically strong and healthy elf with short cropped white hair and pale skin wearing tight black leather Uniform (It is actually a carbon weave cloth that acts like leather). A Spring-repeating Dart pistol is on his belt.
DM Notes: Jlmgrndnl has occasionally left the base to inspect ruins during his years in lower ranks but hasn’t left the base in a few decades. He will never consider throwing in with outsiders (unless ordered to do so from above) as he is absolutely loyal to the Order.
HORRORS IN THE DARK
These terrible creations have been spawned from the Laboratories in Ice Station Zero and represent the exploitation of the darkest and nastiest parts of Blacklore.
The Collector
The Collector is a small Scout vessel designed to allow for the collection of Samples piloted by the consciousness of an Elf who is bound to the Machine for all time. In truth it is a living horror crafted by a combination of the worst of Blacklore.
Enchanted like any magical flying ship, it combines A Steel-form Flying ship with an inverted crystal ball Stone-form chamber (the ultimate Camera Obscura) as a Pilot interface allowing the pilot to see any distance. The Pilot’s infusion with the Machine is the final mockery. The Elf Pilot – enchanting his own ship includes a permanent gate spell and sacrifices himself to a Brain Collector who is now permanently bound to the vessel.
Symbols of Paralysis dance like lights across the surface of the vessel to paralyse any potential harvest.
Enchantment of the Collector
Enchant Hull: 2 x steel-form, 1 x stone-form, 3 x fly, 1 x clairvoyance, 1 x Gate
The Pack Hunter
This is a pack of ice-wolves who were technologically modified by the Egg of Coot in an experiment to create a golem guard dog capable of hunting a foe and killing them without the need for food.
This looks like a metal cylinder with an organic remnant head of an ice-wolf fused into the mechanism at the top and a spiked lightning wand attached to the bottom. A Mirror of Life Trapping to ‘capture’ the occasional foe is attached to the front of this flying predator. These predators might be encountered in packs of eight within a hundred miles of Ice Station Zero or in packs of four specifically deployed to some ruin in the Darklands of interest to the Egg of Coot.
It has all the Stats of an ice wolf with Steel Barding (-2AC).
Enchantment of the Pack-hunter
Hull Enchantment: 1 x Steel-form, 1 x fly, 1 x Animate Dead
Extras: Mirror of Life Trapping, Lightning Wand
No comments:
Post a Comment