Source map notes: Difference between revisions
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As you look at the map, you realize that | As you look at the map, you realize that finding and restarting all these manses may take a while. The five manses are scattered all over creation. It's pretty clear that the moon icon represents the moonsilver manse, the sun the orihcalcum manse, the star the starmetal manse and the skull the soulsteel manse. The symbol near the center is a common symbol used for jade, so that is probably the jade manse. Your guess is that the eye icon represents where you are now, that is, where the Eye is right now. | ||
{{#ifexpr: {{#ifeq: {{CURRENTUSER}} | Eswoboda | 1 | 0 }} or {{#ifeq: {{CURRENTUSER}} | Wordman | 1 | 0 }} | | {{#ifexpr: {{#ifeq: {{CURRENTUSER}} | Eswoboda | 1 | 0 }} or {{#ifeq: {{CURRENTUSER}} | Wordman | 1 | 0 }} | | ||
'''Adrios''': Your combined Intelligence + Lore score of 7 tells you that the numbers next to the icons are a radial coordinate system, pinpointing the location of the manses. The first number is clearly an angle, measured relative to an imaginary line between the centerpoint of the map and the middle of the far right edge (representing the line between the elemental poles of earth and wood). The second number is obviously a distance from the center of the map to the manse. These are really big numbers, so you guess that they are measured in yards, which would make them very accurate. You | '''Adrios''': Your combined Intelligence + Lore score of 7 tells you that the numbers next to the icons are a radial coordinate system, pinpointing the location of the manses. The first number is clearly an angle, measured relative to an imaginary line between the centerpoint of the map and the middle of the far right edge (representing the line between the elemental poles of earth and wood). The second number is obviously a distance from the center of the map to the manse. These are really big numbers, so you guess that they are measured in yards, which would make them very accurate. You think the last number might be elevation above sea level, also in yards. | ||
'''Stag''': Your combined Intelligence + Lore score of 6 tells you that the numbers next to the icons are a radial coordinate system, pinpointing the location of the manses. The first number is clearly an angle, measured relative to an imaginary line between the centerpoint of the map and the middle of the far right edge (representing the line between the elemental poles of earth and wood). The second number is obviously a distance from the center of the map to the manse. These are really big numbers, so you guess that they are measured in yards. You're not sure about the last number. | '''Stag''': Your combined Intelligence + Lore score of 6 tells you that the numbers next to the icons are a radial coordinate system, pinpointing the location of the manses. The first number is clearly an angle, measured relative to an imaginary line between the centerpoint of the map and the middle of the far right edge (representing the line between the elemental poles of earth and wood). The second number is obviously a distance from the center of the map to the manse. These are really big numbers, so you guess that they are measured in yards. You're not sure about the last number. | ||
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'''Gutts''': The mountain is extremely deep into Imperial territory. Getting there is likely to be difficult, even by air, as the large chunk of the Realm's military, including airships, defend the Blessed Isle. | '''Gutts''': The mountain is extremely deep into Imperial territory. Getting there is likely to be difficult, even by air, as the large chunk of the Realm's military, including airships, defend the Blessed Isle. | ||
'''Varden''': | '''Varden''': Back when you were mortal, your circus made a couple of stops on the Blessed Isle, and you saw the mountain first hand. You always wanted to try to climb it, but you never had he opportunity. | ||
|}} | |}} | ||
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== Orichalcum manse == | == Orichalcum manse == | ||
The orichalcum manse looks to be suspiciously close to [[Rathess]]. As you will recall, though now in ruins, Rathess once was the capital of Creation, | The orichalcum manse looks to be suspiciously close to [[Rathess]]. As you will recall, though now in ruins, Rathess once was the capital of Creation, possibly the oldest city ever. In the Wyld, you also learned that the city was the center of [[Dragon Kings|dragon king]] culture. | ||
You have been told by [[Sundial]] that the sword [[Soul Mirror]] is somewhere in Rathess, and have recovered the memories of the two terrestrials that hid it. Stag was chosen to view those memories. After doing so, he told each of you a step on the path to locating the sword. With Jorias' help, he eliminated all knowledge of the path except the proper ordering of your hints, placing it into a sorcerous gem, which was then destroyed. | You have been told by [[Sundial]] that the sword [[Soul Mirror]] is somewhere in Rathess, and have recovered the memories of the two terrestrials that hid it. Stag was chosen to view those memories. After doing so, he told each of you a step on the path to locating the sword. With Jorias' help, he eliminated all knowledge of the path except the proper ordering of your hints, placing it into a sorcerous gem, which was then destroyed. | ||
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'''Gutts''': When spreading instructions about finding Soul Mirror, Stag told you: "In the water, enter the mouth of the dragon. Go left, then right, another right and a left, until you lament the shark." | '''Gutts''': When spreading instructions about finding Soul Mirror, Stag told you: "In the water, enter the mouth of the dragon. Go left, then right, another right and a left, until you lament the shark." | ||
A | A while ago, when you were back on the ship headed to Lap, you remember Jorias saying that one of those gates to Yu-Shan (heaven) is somewhere in Rathess. | ||
Back in your days with the [[Band of the Hawk]], you remember [[Griffin]] occasionally mentioning Rathess as a place "someone will have to clean up some day". | |||
'''Varden''': When spreading instructions about finding Soul Mirror, Stag told you: "Move forward the direction you face. At the intersection, go strait. Then straight, straight, straight, right, left, straight. About ten yards before this hallway leads to the next room, stop and remove a stone from the ceiling." | '''Varden''': When spreading instructions about finding Soul Mirror, Stag told you: "Move forward the direction you face. At the intersection, go strait. Then straight, straight, straight, right, left, straight. About ten yards before this hallway leads to the next room, stop and remove a stone from the ceiling." | ||
A | A while ago, when you were back on the ship headed to Lap, you remember Jorias saying that one of those gates to Yu-Shan (heaven) is somewhere in Rathess. | ||
|}} | |}} | ||
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'''Guen''': When spreading instructions about finding Soul Mirror, Stag told you: "In the city, find the red granite road. From its halfway point, you can see the white jade footbridge. Go to the bridge, and jump off of it." | '''Guen''': When spreading instructions about finding Soul Mirror, Stag told you: "In the city, find the red granite road. From its halfway point, you can see the white jade footbridge. Go to the bridge, and jump off of it." | ||
A | A while ago, when you were back on the ship headed to Lap, you remember Jorias saying that one of those gates to Yu-Shan (heaven) is somewhere in Rathess. | ||
You do not know of any lunar that claims Rathess as territory, but it is surrounded by a vast jungle, so anything is possible. | |||
'''Juuken''': Though Rathess is several thousand miles away from Harborhead, the nation that occupies the attention of the White Queen, that is still fairly "close" by the standards of Creation. You remember overhearing a report made to the White Queen about a scouting party sent out to the deep East having been ambushed on the way by an organized band of goblins near Rathess. Only three men survived, describing the attackers as "fanatical zealots" and "cannibals". | '''Juuken''': Though Rathess is several thousand miles away from Harborhead, the nation that occupies the attention of the White Queen, that is still fairly "close" by the standards of Creation. You remember overhearing a report made to the White Queen about a scouting party sent out to the deep East having been ambushed on the way by an organized band of goblins near Rathess. Only three men survived, describing the attackers as "fanatical zealots" and "cannibals". | ||
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== Moonsilver manse == | == Moonsilver manse == | ||
The moonsilver manse appears to be in the middle of the western ocean, way south of the [[Wavecrest Archipelago]], the largest nation in the West. Wavecrest itself is relatively peaceful, though it is often a target for pirates, and the citizens are known to appease the gods of the local volcanoes with human sacrifices. | |||
Its possible the Lintha pirates would be that far south the Wavecrest, but since it is far out of shipping lanes, this would be unlikely. | |||
{{#ifexpr: {{#ifeq: {{CURRENTUSER}} | Eswoboda | 1 | 0 }} or {{#ifeq: {{CURRENTUSER}} | Wordman | 1 | 0 }} | | {{#ifexpr: {{#ifeq: {{CURRENTUSER}} | Eswoboda | 1 | 0 }} or {{#ifeq: {{CURRENTUSER}} | Wordman | 1 | 0 }} | | ||
'''Adrios''': | '''Adrios''': If the last number on the map really is an elevation, then this manse is almost a half-mile under water. | ||
'''Stag''': | '''Stag''': Somewhere out in the middle of the southwestern ocean lay the remnants of an undersea civilization of hybrids, humans altered to survive underwater (and breed true), called the pelagials. During the First Age, they ruled a vast empire across the ocean floor. They have dwindled to nothing now, but the ruins of their civilization probably still holds caches of First Age technology, particularly the empire's capital, known as the [[City of the Shining Reefs]]. Since the Usurpation, the sidereals have gone to great lengths to hide the location of this city from the world in general, and the Scarlet Empire in particular. When you were in the Imperial City, one of your (minor) standing orders was to mess with and/or supress any information about the pelagials that you found, though you never ran across any. Supposedly Yu-Shan gate #44 floats on the surface of the water, above the [[City of the Shining Reefs]], but passage through that gate is restricted. You're not sure of the location of the city, but the Pelagial Empire was so large that any action going on in the depths of that part of the ocean is likely to encounter its ruins. | ||
|}} | |}} | ||
{{#ifexpr: {{#ifeq: {{CURRENTUSER}} | Qaz48 | 1 | 0 }} or {{ #ifeq: {{CURRENTUSER}} | Wordman | 1 | 0 }} | | {{#ifexpr: {{#ifeq: {{CURRENTUSER}} | Qaz48 | 1 | 0 }} or {{ #ifeq: {{CURRENTUSER}} | Wordman | 1 | 0 }} | | ||
'''Gutts''': | '''Gutts''': You're pretty sure that Wavecrest has a decent navy, but otherwise have heard very little about the west in general. | ||
'''Varden''': | '''Varden''': Circus freak show barkers are always exaggerating the origins of the weird curiosities. You remember that any weird thing that was remotely aquatic was always said to come from the "mysterious Pelagial Empire", supposedly and ancient (but extinct) underwater nation of mutant fish men or some such, that was supposed to be in the southwestern ocean. | ||
|}} | |}} | ||
{{#ifexpr: {{#ifeq: {{CURRENTUSER}} | Guen | 1 | 0 }} or {{ #ifeq: {{CURRENTUSER}} | Wordman | 1 | 0 }} | | {{#ifexpr: {{#ifeq: {{CURRENTUSER}} | Guen | 1 | 0 }} or {{ #ifeq: {{CURRENTUSER}} | Wordman | 1 | 0 }} | | ||
'''Guen''': | '''Guen''': This area on the map lies past the southern edge of the territory of a legendary lunar known as Leviathan (sometimes Admiral Leviathan), an orca-totem who was a dominant general in the First Age, and still lives today, though he no longer makes much contact with the Silver Pact. | ||
'''Juuken''': | '''Juuken''': Wavecrest is a technically a tributary of the Realm, but is ruled by locals, who give yearly tribute. Still, this location seems too far away for Wavecrest to really be that interested in it. The only other you you notice about it is that it is only a couple thousand miles away from the water manse where you learned Celestial Monkey style from [[Serene Tail]]. | ||
|}} | |}} | ||
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'''Cruxis''': | '''Cruxis''': | ||
'''Jorias''': | '''Jorias''': Jorias has heard of the Pelagial Empire, but doesn't know much about it. | ||
'''Regret''': | '''Regret''': The whispers inside Regret's head sometimes babble the word "pelagials", but he doesn't know what that means. | ||
|}} | |}} | ||
== Soulsteel manse == | |||
This location looks to be close the city of [[Gethamane]], a large city built into a mountain in the frozen north. The city is self-supporting, making its inhabitants practical and fairly patriotic. Being buried under a mountain, the city is easily defended, and so has not had to bow to the Realm. It tries to remain neutral and has strong ties to the Guild, but this sometimes pulls it into conflict. This happened most recently about 200 years ago, when disagreements between Gethamane's neighbor to the north, the [[Haslanti League]], and the Guild led to the League occupying the lands surrounding Gethamane for a time. | |||
Gethamane is ruled by a hereditary ruler, known as the Master, advised by a council of 15 citizens representing various vocations (hunter, farmer, merchant, etc.) within the city. | |||
{{#ifexpr: {{#ifeq: {{CURRENTUSER}} | Eswoboda | 1 | 0 }} or {{#ifeq: {{CURRENTUSER}} | Wordman | 1 | 0 }} | | {{#ifexpr: {{#ifeq: {{CURRENTUSER}} | Eswoboda | 1 | 0 }} or {{#ifeq: {{CURRENTUSER}} | Wordman | 1 | 0 }} | | ||
'''Adrios''': | '''Adrios''': Having spent most of your life in the South, you know very little about Gethamane. | ||
'''Stag''': | '''Stag''': Yu-Shan gate #31 supposedly opens on a very deep level of Gethamane, but you've never heard of anyone using it. Gethamane was built during the First Age, but something happened to it after the Usurpation that killed all of the inhabitants, even the gods. The current population didn't begin until several hundred years later. | ||
|}} | |}} | ||
{{#ifexpr: {{#ifeq: {{CURRENTUSER}} | Qaz48 | 1 | 0 }} or {{ #ifeq: {{CURRENTUSER}} | Wordman | 1 | 0 }} | | {{#ifexpr: {{#ifeq: {{CURRENTUSER}} | Qaz48 | 1 | 0 }} or {{ #ifeq: {{CURRENTUSER}} | Wordman | 1 | 0 }} | | ||
'''Gutts''': | '''Gutts''': You know next to nothing Gethamane. | ||
'''Varden''': | '''Varden''': You've been to Gethamane before. The locals eat a fungus that they grow inside. The city gets less civilized the deeper you go. You were warned not to go down too far because "dark things lurk down there". | ||
|}} | |}} | ||
{{#ifexpr: {{#ifeq: {{CURRENTUSER}} | Guen | 1 | 0 }} or {{ #ifeq: {{CURRENTUSER}} | Wordman | 1 | 0 }} | | {{#ifexpr: {{#ifeq: {{CURRENTUSER}} | Guen | 1 | 0 }} or {{ #ifeq: {{CURRENTUSER}} | Wordman | 1 | 0 }} | | ||
'''Guen''': | '''Guen''': You don't know of any lunars in Gethamane; however, it is an open secret in the Silver Pact that one lunar or another has been involved in shaping the Haslanti League to the north for a long time. | ||
'''Juuken''': | '''Juuken''': You know very little about Gethamane. | ||
|}} | |}} | ||
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'''Regret''': | '''Regret''': | ||
|}} | |}} | ||
== Starmetal manse == | == Starmetal manse == | ||
This manse appears to be in or near the city of [[Yane]], one of the more important of the eight city-states making up the [[Varang confederacy]]. Varangia is a strange little nation, known for its rigid caste system, inscrutable customs and a fixation on astrology. The culture is extremely xenophobic, and foreigners are allowed in only two of the cities in the confederacy, the coastal cities of [[Kriss]] and [[Talt]]. Yane lies between these two cities, also on the coast. | |||
{{#ifexpr: {{#ifeq: {{CURRENTUSER}} | Eswoboda | 1 | 0 }} or {{#ifeq: {{CURRENTUSER}} | Wordman | 1 | 0 }} | | {{#ifexpr: {{#ifeq: {{CURRENTUSER}} | Eswoboda | 1 | 0 }} or {{#ifeq: {{CURRENTUSER}} | Wordman | 1 | 0 }} | | ||
'''Adrios''': | '''Adrios''': The [[Tri-Kahn]] of [[Chiaroscuro]], like most of the Chiaroscuro's inhabitants, has little good to say about the Varang confederatio, dismissing it as a den of superstitious crazies. Chiaroscuro had no treaties at all with Varang, and no official trade, though the Guild would often move goods between the two realms. | ||
'''Stag''': You were born in Yane and, like all citizens, received a palm-sized tattoo on your neck indicating your caste. (It's up to you if you still want this. It could be hiding under that mask, or maybe it was removed when you became a sidereal.) Yane is about as close to a "capital" of the Varang confederation as it can get, with other cities sending both bureaucrats to run it and military to defend it. Rather than Yane running the nation, however, the nation actually runs Yane, which acts as "neutral ground" for all the other cities. | |||
Varang as a whole is more than "fixated" on astrology: it runs their whole country. Yane is a particular hot bed for astrology, because most of the priestly class converges on Yane to discuss the topic periodically. The Varang worship the Loom of Fate and the Five Maidens openly, as their primary (but not sole) religion. | |||
|}} | |}} | ||
{{#ifexpr: {{#ifeq: {{CURRENTUSER}} | Qaz48 | 1 | 0 }} or {{ #ifeq: {{CURRENTUSER}} | Wordman | 1 | 0 }} | | {{#ifexpr: {{#ifeq: {{CURRENTUSER}} | Qaz48 | 1 | 0 }} or {{ #ifeq: {{CURRENTUSER}} | Wordman | 1 | 0 }} | | ||
'''Gutts''': | '''Gutts''': Each of the city-states in Varang run their own military. The Varang are not expansionist, so their forces tend to be heavily defensive, mostly using infantry and artillery (some mounted on armored elephants), keeping cavalry only for scouting. They do, however, have a national waterborne coastal defense force, based out of Yane, that includes sailors from every city. | ||
'''Varden''': | '''Varden''': You've never been to Yane, but your circus traveled just outside the Varang city of Talt. To protect the citizenry from the obvious criminality of foreigners like you, the city military guarded your camp, mostly to prevent the performers from entering the city. Naturally, you snuck in anyway. All the citizens have strange tattoos on their necks, supposedly marking which caste they are in. As you didn't have these, your visit was fairly short, narrowly avoiding capture. You were there long enough, however, to become fascinated by these intricate time-keeping devices that a lot of the citizens carried. The whole place seemed to be much more aware of time and clocks than anywhere you've ever been. Everyone also seemed to be obsessed with gambling. You also noticed that there were no signs on the stores; everyone just seemed to know which store sold what. | ||
|}} | |}} | ||
{{#ifexpr: {{#ifeq: {{CURRENTUSER}} | Guen | 1 | 0 }} or {{ #ifeq: {{CURRENTUSER}} | Wordman | 1 | 0 }} | | {{#ifexpr: {{#ifeq: {{CURRENTUSER}} | Guen | 1 | 0 }} or {{ #ifeq: {{CURRENTUSER}} | Wordman | 1 | 0 }} | | ||
'''Guen''': | '''Guen''': You don't know much about the Varang city-states, but you've heard of what goes on in-between them. People in the Southeast as a whole tend to fear disease and deformity more than usual. Combined with Varang taboos about violating the strict caste system, this results in a good number people being outcast into the wilderness. These outcasts tend to settle in small, nomadic bands, often united by their infirmity, mutation or situation. These so-called "jackal tribes" are completely disorganized, but range all over the wild and Wyld areas of the southeast. They traditionally wear crimson scarves over their faces, to warn others that they are "unclean". As you might expect, they hold no love for the "healthy", but are quite hospitable to other "jackals". You don't know of any lunars who claim the area as territory, but it's possible. | ||
'''Juuken''': The Varang confederacy shares a border with [[Harborhead]], the nation currently occupying the attention of the [[White Queen]]. You are sure that Varang sends spies into Harborhead constantly, and you have heard some mutterings that the White Queen has sent agents into Varang, though you are not sure to what purpose. | |||
Varang is an ally of the Realm, but not an official Imperial holding the way Harborhead is. The ambassador to the Empire resides in Yane, taking advantage of of a clause in the alliance agreement that allows Imperial officials to enter the city. The Immaculate Order also maintains a temple there. | |||
|}} | |}} | ||
{{#ifeq: {{CURRENTUSER}} | Wordman | | {{#ifeq: {{CURRENTUSER}} | Wordman | | ||
'''Cruxis''': | '''Cruxis''': Has stashed money in both Kriss and Talt, but has never been to Yane. | ||
'''Jorias''': | '''Jorias''': Never been there. | ||
'''Regret''': | '''Regret''': As an Imperial messenger, Regret is one of the few foreigners who has visited Yane, though he was not there long, and spent most of the time in Imperial buildings. | ||
|}} | |}} | ||
[[category:Player Handout]] [[campaign::Forgotten Suns| ]] | [[category:Player Handout]] [[campaign::Forgotten Suns| ]] | ||
Latest revision as of 22:07, 26 June 2009
As you look at the map, you realize that finding and restarting all these manses may take a while. The five manses are scattered all over creation. It's pretty clear that the moon icon represents the moonsilver manse, the sun the orihcalcum manse, the star the starmetal manse and the skull the soulsteel manse. The symbol near the center is a common symbol used for jade, so that is probably the jade manse. Your guess is that the eye icon represents where you are now, that is, where the Eye is right now.
Some things you notice about the various manses, in alphabetical order:
Jade manse
The jade manse is very near the center of the map, but not exactly at the center. It appears to be on the spot of the Imperial Mountain, also called Mount Meru. This mountain rises six hundred miles high and is both the literal and symbolic heart of Creation. It can be seen from every part of the Blessed Isle and, on a clear day, even from the Threshold. Though called the Imperial Mountain, the Imperial City is actually far away on the east cost of the Isle.
Orichalcum manse
The orichalcum manse looks to be suspiciously close to Rathess. As you will recall, though now in ruins, Rathess once was the capital of Creation, possibly the oldest city ever. In the Wyld, you also learned that the city was the center of dragon king culture.
You have been told by Sundial that the sword Soul Mirror is somewhere in Rathess, and have recovered the memories of the two terrestrials that hid it. Stag was chosen to view those memories. After doing so, he told each of you a step on the path to locating the sword. With Jorias' help, he eliminated all knowledge of the path except the proper ordering of your hints, placing it into a sorcerous gem, which was then destroyed.
Moonsilver manse
The moonsilver manse appears to be in the middle of the western ocean, way south of the Wavecrest Archipelago, the largest nation in the West. Wavecrest itself is relatively peaceful, though it is often a target for pirates, and the citizens are known to appease the gods of the local volcanoes with human sacrifices.
Its possible the Lintha pirates would be that far south the Wavecrest, but since it is far out of shipping lanes, this would be unlikely.
Soulsteel manse
This location looks to be close the city of Gethamane, a large city built into a mountain in the frozen north. The city is self-supporting, making its inhabitants practical and fairly patriotic. Being buried under a mountain, the city is easily defended, and so has not had to bow to the Realm. It tries to remain neutral and has strong ties to the Guild, but this sometimes pulls it into conflict. This happened most recently about 200 years ago, when disagreements between Gethamane's neighbor to the north, the Haslanti League, and the Guild led to the League occupying the lands surrounding Gethamane for a time.
Gethamane is ruled by a hereditary ruler, known as the Master, advised by a council of 15 citizens representing various vocations (hunter, farmer, merchant, etc.) within the city.
Starmetal manse
This manse appears to be in or near the city of Yane, one of the more important of the eight city-states making up the Varang confederacy. Varangia is a strange little nation, known for its rigid caste system, inscrutable customs and a fixation on astrology. The culture is extremely xenophobic, and foreigners are allowed in only two of the cities in the confederacy, the coastal cities of Kriss and Talt. Yane lies between these two cities, also on the coast.