[center][b]Graves of Archdemons[/b] [i]That is not dead which can eternal lie...[/i] [/center] [color=LightGreen][b]Name:[/b][/color] Graves of Archdemons, Hand of the Adversary, Pillars of the Ocean [color=LightGreen][b]Summary:[/b][/color] five enormous stone towers, erupting from the waves as immense columns. [color=LightGreen][b]Location:[/b][/color] far south the coast of Orvell. [color=LightGreen][b]Type:[/b][/color] once great fortifications built in an era long forgotten, these towers were abandoned centuries ago, and they still haven't crumbled completely. An old legend says that five great demons rest here, awaiting for the moment to return to the world of mortals. Of course, mere superstitions... [color=LightGreen][b]Description:[/b][/color] far in the south, five ancient fortresses stand as the last testimony of a civilization long lost to human memory. It is theorized that once they were connected by an immense stone wall, but now all traces of it have disappeared, swallowed by the ocean's tide: likewise, the towers themselves are in ruin, and some pieces constantly crumble, falling to the depths below. The sheer size of the towers, along with their dreaded reputations and the legends surrounding them, has been sufficient to discourage even the bravest sailors from navigating the nearby waters: yet, it is recorded that some daring adventurers managed to reach to towers, entering to uncover their secrets. None ever returned. [color=LightGreen][b]Denizens:[/b][/color] none knows what lurks the ruined halls of the Graves, and indeed many believe that they are empty and lifeless. Yet, sailors report that horrible sounds, howling and screeching, come from the towers, brought by the ocean's wind, and that they have seen and heard some of the horrors that creep within. Of course, this was dismissed as sounds created by the wind and images conjured by the grog. What is certain, is that flocks of black winds have been seen storming aroound the tops of the Graves, illuminated by the rays of a full Moon... [color=LightGreen][b]History:[/b][/color] according to most, the Graves were born as fortifications, as suggested by their height and their sheer mass: however, none knows who built them, and for what reason. A legend or superstition very common among seafolk, giving the towers their name, recounts that the towers were destroyed in a great war, fought by gods against the forces of darkness: in the end, the gods managed to repel their foe, and five powerful demons chose to take refuge in the deepest part of the fallen fortresses, remaining there ever since. However, this is regarded as a superstition even by many of those who dabble in the occult. [color=LightGreen][b]Plot Hooks:[/b][/color] [list] [*] It is whispered that secrets of incredible power lie deeply buried within the towers. [*] Some say that these towers should be destroyed once and for all. Some believe that they should be studied, in the attempt to discover more about the civilization that built them. Some are simply curious to discover what dwells inside... [*] ...and if it is true that one day they may wake up. [/list] [hr] [center] [b]La Seigneurie des Loups[/b] [i]Plus rien ne sera comme avant La pluie s’abat comme des larmes de sang Sur ce trône-montagne de géant.[/i] [img]http://i.ytimg.com/vi/oZ0H3DEpP2M/maxresdefault.jpg[/img] [sub]La Seigneurie des Loups, during Spring[/sub] [/center] [color=LightGreen][b]Name:[/b][/color] Seigneurie des Loups, Montagne Noire, Paysage d'Hiver [color=LightGreen][b]Summary:[/b][/color] a vast, snowy forest in the deep North of Orvell. [color=LightGreen][b]Location:[/b][/color] in the northwest, just beyond the borders of the known world. [color=LightGreen][b]Description:[/b][/color] far in the North, stands one of the greatest forests of the world, perenially cloaked in snow. Here, summers are short, and winters are long and icy, and a cold, lonesome death is the reward for those who attempt to climb the great mountains of the Seigneurie des Loups. The forest is thick, dense with towering firs, larches, spruces and pines, suspended in an aura of frozen stillness, covered in a mantle of frost. Moss and lichens grow on the great boulders and rocky slopes of the dark, looming mountains, shrouded in mist and clouds. Days are short and bleak, the Sun barely visible in the grey sky, while nights are long, as the packs of wolves offer their howling prayers to the Moon, enthroned in a starless sky. [color=LightGreen][b]Denizens:[/b][/color] much of the forest is unexplored, yet untrodden by human foot. The name of the region is derived by those who are the forest's main denizens: wolves. Stalking the woods in great packs, they are the grey and black guardians of the forests: if a traveller is so lucky not to fall to hypothermia first, he will most likely meet his end in the shape of a hungry wolfpack. Many other animals live within: bears, foxes, owls, sparrows are just few of them. The crude carvings and drawings found in the rocks at the edge of the forest, representing strange figures of spirits and animals, are still a mystery to many, as are the crudely arranged stones, vaguely resembling altars. [hr] [center] [b]Valley of Bones[/b] [i]Haglhrið slær, høgg i aks; deyr einn, spirar einn.[/i] [/center] [color=LightGreen][b]Names:[/b][/color] Skaðan, Beinądalaz (Valley of Bones), Graōfdalaz (Gravedale), Haglalandą (Land of Hail) [color=LightGreen][b]Summary:[/b][/color] a cold, mountainous region, constellated by the remains of a forgotten war. [color=LightGreen][b]Location:[/b][/color] directly north of Orvell. [color=LightGreen][b]Description:[/b][/color] far in the north, beneath the mountains, are the cold and windy valleys where the ancient bones lie. Here, where the dales are dominated by tall grass, forbs and sedges, and snow covers the highest parts of the mountains, are scattered skeletons of all kinds, some human, some animal, some belonging to some unknown being or beast, be they humanoid giants or great beasts, often rivaling the few, great trees of the region in height. In the valleys, the weather is cool and windy in the summer and cold in the winter, and rain, snow and hail are common, and many animals roam free among the grass. Higher in the mountains, their secrets unseen by human eye, in the rocky slopes where only eagles and mountain goats dare to wander, sometimes more of these bones are seen in the distance, illuminated by mysterious fires, lit by unknown hands. These valleys are a grave, and as a grave, they shall preserve their secrets. [color=LightGreen][b]Denizens:[/b][/color] human presence in the Valleys has existed since unknown times. The natives refer to themselves as Folką ("people"), and to their homeland as Skaðan; thus, in scholarly circles in Orvell they are named Skanda. The Skanda live divided between numerous clans and tribes, organized in a very simple society, with local elders ruling over their village, and two main castes: freemen, and slaves. They are semi-nomadic, moving around the valley, but usually settle an area long enough to cultivate it. They have a form of writing, called Rūnôz, or Runes, but few are literate, apart from the elders. They sustain themselves through agriculture, but mostly through cattle and sheep farming and hunting. Villages are usually very small and simple, erected quickly whenever a tribe arrives in their new home. The different tribes often go to war with each other for many different reasons, including feuds between warriors or clan leaders, cattle raids, or merely migrations, with battle playing a large role in their society: male freemen are trained for war since their childhood, and often see their first battlefield in their early teens. Freemen go to war, and also have a right to sit at the tribe's council and elect the war leader, while slaves remain home, toiling and working the fields. Women usually care for their children and their household, but occasionally they have been seen in battle, fighting alongside men. Religion among the Skanda is primitive and polytheistic, with ancestor worship playing a large role, but little else is known: rituals and sacrifices to the gods are celebrated by the village elders, with offerings usually consisting of cattle and sometimes of captured enemies. No proper artisans exist among them, yet they do produce art, often in the forms of runestones, erected in honor of fallen kinsmen; also, many bones in the valleys are found completely covered in carved runes, often also adorned with cloth and ribbons, and rituals of devotion are celebrated here. In many cases, it has been observed that the Skanda regard the skeletons littering their land as spirits, praying to them and burning their dead under their shadows. None knows who lights the fires in the mountains. Perhaps the Skanda chiefs, or at least some of them, do know, but they guard this knowledge carefully.