Musahka
“I thought that the heat of a fireball was the one of the closest encounters I had been to receiving third degree burns, but simply standing in these endless waves of gritty sand has proven to me that I know so little about this world. I swear the sun is thrice its normal size here and the heat is exhausting. I can practically feel my bracelets burning into my flesh, it’s so hot out here. I do not understand how anything could survive in such a harsh climate, yet I can feel the faint vibrations underneath the earth and I swore I could’ve spotted what looked like a building miles and miles away. It could just be the heatwaves of the earth though, they are so massive and visible, I could practically take hold of them.”
– Journal entry #94 from Deemus, the Wandering Giant.
What was once a thriving and expansive tidepool that had been dried into colatured sands ages ago, Musahka is one of the most inhospitable places to live within Faenera. With extreme heats due to the whispers of the portal of the Elemental Plane of Fire that once ruled over Musahka, it is incredibly difficult to survive in these lawless and wasteland-like sands.
Remnants of the Larakdan Tidepool
Before the Rift’s creation, Musahka did not exist, and instead it was the Larakdan Tidepool, a massive tidepool that connected the Undantu Gulf to the South and the Anuwai Ocean to the North, teeming with magical life as the tidepool’s sands were infused with a substance known as Dragonsand; an iridescent sand that is intensely magical and enhances the power of spellcasting.
However once the Mageslayer Deity was destroyed, and was hurtled through the material plane before being imprisoned, it is said as an act of vengeance and frustration he tore his finger through the sky when he passed by the Larakdan Tidepool, creating a massive tear to the Elemental Plane of Fire. The heat was so intense, that it dried up the entirety of the Tidepool and killed all of the life within it in a matter of weeks; turning it into Musahka, the colatured sands.
Musahka was inhospitable, as the tear to the Elemental Plane of Fire ensured that everything burnt and boiled within Musahka until 400 years ago (5400 AR), where a group of powerful Shardminds had decided to mend the tear between this world and the Elemental Plane of Fire. Although the intense heat of Musahka is still enough to practically boil blood of those in full plate, it is now (barely) hospitable, and civilizations have begun to pop up to try and get their hands on the ever-elusive Dragonsand and to colonize an area that is far from the reaches of the Empire.
Dragonsand. Dragonsand can work as a substitute for any material component of a spell, and if the material components are consumed as part of the casting, only 90% of the Dragonsand is consumed as part of the casting of the spell (rounded down). For example, if a character were to cast the spell Arcane Lock, the spell would only consume 22gp worth of Dragonsand as opposed to 25gp worth of gold dust.
Impossible Heat
Although Musahka isn’t battered with intense heat from the Elemental Plane of Fire each and every day as it used to, it is still subject to incredibly hot heat waves that can incapacitate and kill those who are underprepared. Roughly halfway through a day of travel in Musahka, you may use the following table to enforce an environmental effect;
|
D6 |
Environmental Effect |
|
1 |
Blistering Heat, Every creature has to make a Constitution saving throw of 14 or gain 1 level of Exhaustion. Creatures wearing Heavy Armor have disadvantage on this saving throw and creatures without water automatically fail this saving throw. |
|
2 |
Sweltering Heat, Every creature has to make a Constitution saving throw of 15 or gain 1 level of Exhaustion. Creatures wearing Heavy Armor or creatures without water automatically fail this saving throw. |
|
3 |
Extreme Heat, Travel distance is halved, every creature has to make a Constitution saving throw of 16 or gain 1 level of exhaustion. Creatures wearing Heavy Armor or creatures without water automatically fail this saving throw. |
|
4 |
Light Sandstorm. Anything beyond 60 feet is considered to be lightly obscured, and everything beyond 500 feet is considered to be heavily obscured for 4d6 hours. |
|
5 |
Sandstorm. Everything is considered to be lightly obscured, everything beyond 100 feet is considered to be heavily obscured, the terrain counts as difficult terrain for the purposes of travel and normal movement. These effects last for 4d6 hours. |
|
6 |
Fair Weather. No additional environmental effects. |
Because of the intense heat waves that batter Musahka, many choose to travel at night, which will still harbor environmental effects, but grant creatures advantage on their saving throws to resist exhaustion from Blistering, Sweltering, or Extreme heat. However, travelling at night is its own dangerous game as a number of dangerous monstrosities emerge when the sands are cool enough to hunt, and torchlight is a surefire way to get spotted and eaten by Giant Ants, Purple Worms, Glutwurms, Thri-Kreen, Giant Scorpions, Umber-Hulks, Giant Snakes, Bulettes or Tlincalli.
The Sunken Sea
“L’väntson told me never to teleport straight down, that mishaps were bound to happen, but I always told him ‘What if there WAS something down there?’ Well L’väntson, in whatever afterlife you may be in, my instinct was finally right! I knew there had to be more of a story here, something beyond these boiling sands, and what I found astounded me. Endless depths of tropical water, lit only by bioluminescent organisms that had actually matched my size. Drones and clicks and moans echoed through this wellspring of ancient beings, going straight down for miles. These hostile sands were hiding one of the largest treasures of life I had ever seen, so massive it was practically a sea that had been sunken and hidden from the world, growing and flourishing on its own. However grandiose and majestic it may be, its size fills me with unease. I swear I can see the darkness miles below move faintly. I had seen massive monstrosities above. I hope the same cannot be said here.”
– Journal entry #109 from Deemus, the Wandering Giant.
When the Larakdan Tidepool was dried up and destroyed by the tear from the Elemental Plane of Fire, it cemented and buried the deeper levels of the Tidepool, a secret that many have yet to find. More so of a rumor than anything else, deep underneath the sands of Musahka, hidden by hundreds of feet of sand, is the Sunken Sea.
The Sunken Sea is an expansive underwater, self-sustaining ecosystem that is filled with megafauna and strangely adapted life that has been soaking in dragonsand infused waters for centuries. The Sunken Sea is abundant in this Dragonsand but is protected by massive bioluminescent sea creatures and beasts, and remnants of adapted Merfolk and Merrow still patrol these waters.
Still largely unexplored and having no mapped entrance to the Sunken Sea, it has yet to catch the eye of many of the larger factions of Faenera, however the few who seek tales of adventure and strange lands may find themselves learning about the fabled Sunken Sea; however it is incredibly difficult to find an entrance to it, and an equally difficult task to survive underwater in such a drastic environmental shift from Musahka.
The Ancient Wurm
“I was beginning to think about teleporting away, that my vow to walk the entirety of this continent was about to be broken because of this dreaded heat. I take pride in my engineered body having such a powerful constitution, but even for this form, this heat was beginning to truly drain me. However, just as I had begun the process of drawing the glyphs, the ground began to rumble and shake. This was not just in my mind, the sand was shaking like it was turning to quicksand. I thought, do earthquakes frequent here just as in Bhureaht? But before I could test this thought, I was proven wrong as the largest lifeform I had ever laid my eyes on sped past me. An armored blurred mass of dull cobalt, too large to have been produced naturally lest it was born of the Gods erupted from the sands and spiraled into the distance. I could make out dents, marks, bruises, and missing flesh; the products of endless age and countless battles that I’m sure this creature has never lost. I stood shocked for several seconds as it sped past me, its enormity baffling me, as I swear I could’ve seen three or four smaller creatures holding on to its back. Was this used as transportation? Were those things parasites? Before I could think of what to do, it was gone, speeding away in the horizon, leaving me to deal with the dust. It was an important lesson. This continent has something to show me in every crevice and every corner, and I will not be breaking my vow because of the sun.”
– Journal entry #98 from Deemus, the Wandering Giant.
Rumored to be a magically enchanted purple worm born within the Titan’s Tomb with grindings of a Mokoroth carapace sprinkled throughout its fledgling form, the Ancient Wurm is a supermassive creature that roams the sands of Musahka at incredible speed.
The Ancient Wurm is as mysterious as it is large, as nobody knows the nature of the monstrosity, what its motives are, or how it was even created. If the details of such a creature were given to the average scholar or the common man, it is usually met with a nod and an understanding that this creature is nothing but a myth, as its enormity, speed, and power is something that rivals that of lesser idols.
The Ancient Wurm is a 30 foot wide, 2,000 feet long creature, it’s hide a thick mottled blue that is made of interlocking and connected plates that is filled with scars and missing flesh. The Ancient Wurm typically travels with half its body submerged in the sands, 15 feet of its height above the sands and 15 feet of the creature below the sands, using its massive muscled body to push its way at incredible speeds through the hot sands.
The Ancient Wurm moves at an incredible 48 miles a day, and travels at a speed of 60 feet per round, and it is assumed that it sustains itself through minerals in the sands, but it does have to constantly eat to maintain its body, henceforth why the Ancient Wurm never sleeps or stops moving.
Although there have been some attempts to slay the Anicent Wurm, even Skullsplitters know that it is foolhardy and a death sentence to try and attack the Ancient Wurm, as it’s simply too large, too strong, and when threatened, sections of its body are known to spew out caustic acid. Because of this, many Wurmriders and denizens of Musahka instead just use the Ancient Wurm as a form of travel, using specialized daggers to hook onto the side of its flesh and plates to hitch a ride. Akin to ants on bear’s back, the Ancient Wurm hardly takes notice of creatures riding on it, unless they are to do damage.
The Ancient Wurm itself is too large to be targeted by spells, and spells seem to become completely nullified when casted against it. Many mages theorize that its bones contain anti-magic properties like a Tarrasque’s hide or a Mokorth’s carapace, but no one has been able to hurt the creature deep enough to collect any bones. In terms of size, the Ancient Wurm has 49 body sections and 1 ‘Head’ section, where each section counts as a separate creature for the purposes of attacks and other effects. Each body section has an AC of 14 and 200 hit points. If a body section is ever targeted with a harmful spell or attack, before the attack or spell is made, each creature on, attached, or touching the section must succeed on a Strength saving throw of 25 or be thrown 10 feet off the side of the Wurm, as it violently shakes.
Furthermore, if any section of the Ancient Wurm’s body ever takes damage, the body will release a spew of caustic acid and all creatures within 20 feet of the body section must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw of 23 or take 8d8 acid damage, halved upon success.
There has only been one recorded case where the head of the Ancient Wurm has ever taken notice to taking a significant beating, and it was reported to make an earth-shattering screech that muddled and melted the minds of weaker creatures, only to bite down with such force that it was rumored it could eat an entire dragon in a single bite.
Juiblex’s Tears
On the Northeastern reaches of Musahka lies Juiblex’s Tears, a 16 mile break from the sands with hundreds of bubbling tar pits. Juiblex’s Tears is known as a place where there is scarce reason to visit, unless one wishes to find the Ghastriders, as the narcotic substances that Ghastriders use to enhance their vision, Death’s Sight, is made from the refined tar of the various tar pits in Juiblex’s Tears. The tar pits themselves are often referred to as practical portals to hell, as they are always bubbling due to boiling temperatures from within, and to fall in would mean certain death and a one way ticket straight to hell.
Juiblex’s Tears is one of the few locations in Musahka that is not made of sand, as between the tar pits there are hardened sandstone structures, often blackened and with dried black tar in the cracks from the popping bubbles of tar. Although the location is certainly unpleasant, it has proven to contain a number of strange bones of creatures from eras long since past, which Ghastriders are more than happy to animate using Marionette Nexuses to ride as mounts.
The Tar Pits
Between the hardened sandstone with cracks filled with blackened and dried tar are the tar pits themselves, which can be anywhere from 10 feet in length to 200 feet in length and depths ranging from 20 to 100 feet. The tar pits themselves always exude an aura of heat, just by standing near it, as the tar always appears to be boiling and frothing, as endless heat comes from deep within. Although there are many theories about what causes this heat, nobody truly understands. Some of these theories include,
- The tar pits are literal gateways into the Abyss, where the river styx is partially drained into the material plane and thickened from the sand and the heat of Musahka.
- The tar pits are the remnants of an supermassive ancient Oblex that is under a constant state of death and regeneration from the intense heat.
- The tar pits are made of the angry and roiling blood of Torog, the Crawling King, as when he was pierced in the sky by a thousand lances of light from Serenrae, the blood from his heart landed in Musahka and created Juiblex’s Tears.
The tar itself is incredibly sticky and hot, and when removed from the tar pit, a handful takes roughly 1 hour to cool to a solidified state. If a creature comes into contact with hot tar, and is not submerged, it sticks to their skin. While tar is stuck to a creature’s skin, their movement speed is halved, they have disadvantage on all attack rolls, they take 3d6 fire damage at the start of each of their turns from the intense heat of the tar, and they have disadvantage on Dexterity checks and saving throws. A creature can attempt to remove tar from themselves or from another creature within reach as an Action by making a successful Strength check of 14.
If a creature is ever submerged in tar, they are considered Restrained, they take 8d6 fire damage at the start of each of their turns from the intense boiling heat, and to escape the tar; the creature, or another creature within reach, must succeed on a Strength check of 20 to pull the creature out of the tar. Once pulled out, a creature is considered to have tar stuck to their skin.
Because of these properties, the tar pits are known to be incredibly dangerous, but some bandits and even flying creatures use this to their advantage as pushing a creature into one of the tar pits is almost always a guaranteed death sentence.
Titan's Tomb
On the Mid-Eastern side of Musahka lies the Titan’s Tomb, a 14 mile stretch of sand that contains twelve massive rib bones, each hundreds of feet tall, spaced hundreds of feet apart. Known as the Titan’s Tomb, there is only speculation as to what caused the massive rib bones, but many believe that it has to do with the inherent magical gigantism that affects the area. Monstrosities, aberrations, and beasts born within the Titan’s Tomb have their size doubled (Large to Huge, Huge to Gargantuan, etcetera). Because of this strange fact, the Titan’s Tomb is filled with massive dangerous creatures and is a constant hunting and breeding ground for dangerous monstrosities, and it is the perfect place for Skullsplitters to call home.
The Tarrasque Myth
Many believe that this area is genuinely the burial ground or hibernation chamber of the largest titan of all, the Tarrasque, as in the direct center of the weathered massive ribs is a 50 foot wide, 150 foot long organic mass that rests 20 feet beneath the sands. Although the mass is organic, it is heavily plated and nearly all attempts to break it, damage it, or corrode it have failed; and when it has succeeded, it only resulted in the ground violently shaking, which could be felt for miles. Although some excavation sites have been made to attempt to unearth this mass, this supposed tarrasque, they are often understaffed as they become quick victims to the massive, angry, and hungry monstrosities that are always looking to feed and consume to support their incredible sizes.
Although some Skullsplitters believe that it is the ultimate goal to awaken and slay the mass that exists underneath the sands in the center of the Titan’s Tomb, they have not found a significant enough source of sound, vibration, or magic to awaken or uncover the great beast; and not all Skullsplitters believe that this is the best of ideas.
Feeding and Breeding Ground
The Titan’s Tomb has an incredibly dense population of monstrosities and beasts in comparison to the rest of Musahka, which many believe to be linked to the magical Gigantism affecting the area. Often referred to a supermassive feeding and breeding ground, many monstrosities and beasts find themselves migrating to the Titan’s Tomb, where it is a constant hunt for massive creatures to get enough to sustain their bodies, and a constant run for creatures that are normally predators but are suddenly dwarfed by supermassive variants of themselves. Because of this, ostentatious nobles and Sultans of Barakzad are often not content with having a typical Glutwurm skull or typical Tlincalli Chitin shoulderpads, and instead desire gigantic versions of such; which is where the Skullsplitters are most often contracted. With weapons made of the bones and flesh of the giant monstrosities that stalk the Titan’s Tomb, the Skullsplitters are expert at finding, hunting, killing, and harvesting the boons of giant versions of creatures.
The Hives
“I am thankful for the humbling experience of the massive wurm, as following its path, I’ve begun to see the unique wonders of these sands. Yes, this heat is unbearable but traveling at night makes it easier. Predators of course are an issue, but they are no match for what I hold. One such night, when I had decimated a creature sorry enough to think I was easy prey, my curiosity peaked as I sensed a hidden audience watching me. After letting my existence slip from their minds, I was pleasantly surprised to find half a dozen massive arthropods, working together and communicating as they began to drag the corpse away. Following suit, I found myself standing in front of a several dozen mile wide stretch of the desert that was dotted with hardened sand colonies, carved and teeming with these massive ants. Although not all of these hives were populated, the ones that do showcase an extreme abundance of life. I am curious as to how they continually feed their population. I imagine their limited intelligence has something to do with it, as I had realized they only feigned to not see me, as their senses transcend sight. I assume they had not attacked me because they had thought I had made it easier for them by accompanying them to their hive. I won’t be exterminating any of these creatures, I can’t blade them, and their craft will not be forgotten.”
– Journal entry #102 from Deemus, the Wandering Giant.
In the center of Musahka lies what many refer to as the Hives, a collection of giant ant colonies. Whereas one can spend days at a time trudging through the hot sands of Musahka, there is brief respite from the sands as the 30 mile wide stretch of land that constitutes the Hives is instead made of a mixture of sand and hardened saliva-infused sandstone that is used primarily as the malleable building block for the various ant colonies.
Although the majority of the giant ant colonies are densely populated, there are a number of them that are empty or abandoned, and these areas often hold a variety of musahka-dwelling creatures as they are reprieves from the heat and go fairly deep underground. Although the size of a giant ant colony differs drastically from colony to colony, one can expect them to be 100 to 200 feet wide on the surface and can extend underground from 40 to 400 feet.
Téjari
Population: 9,210 (57% Ka’henŭn, 43% other races.)
Government: Although Téjari is a monarchy with a singular Sultan that has final say over most economic and civil matters, the Tribunal pulls nearly all the strings from behind Maanal of the Copperblood family, the current Sultan.
Defense: Although the Hefanton are the local guard that protect Téjari, they are often corrupt and have pockets lined with Tribunal gold.
Commerce: Téjari can provide most all goods and services, as well as a number of exotic goods as well, as they are a hub of global trade from the Dragon Isles and Prastuvant. If one looks deep enough, the slave, drug, and monstrosity trade is also very prevalent in Téjari.
Organizations: There are a number of artisan guilds with a focus on glassblowing and pottery, as well as quite a few merchant guilds and trade houses from travelers coming from the Dragon Isles or from Prastuvant from the North. There is a temple dedicated to Avadra as well.
Cracked Foundation
Found on the Northern beaches of Musahka, established rather recently in comparison to the Empire of the Sun because of its now barely hospitable environment, Téjari was set to become a new Empire that would see incredible economic growth because of their unique position to trade with travelers from the Dragon Isles and Prastuvant. However the Tribunal overtook the monarchy, finding use in its global position and steady flow of Dragonsand, offering wealth and services to the Sultan time and time again to the point where Téjari is practically lawless.
Tribunal Run
Due to its unique location where Téjari conducts quite a bit of global trade, which accounts for the majority of Téjari’s income, and its far reaches from the Empire, the Tribunal has taken particular interest in Téjari; so much so that they have expended a significant amount of resources to ensure that Téjari, its Sultan, and the Hefanton, will all bow to Tribunal coffers.
Matching the inhospitality and danger of Musahka, is one of the Yōkai; Tengu. Although the Sultan has say over everything within Téjari, Tengu is the true leader of Téjari, as any who oppose him will face his wrath, something that nobody has faced and lived. What Tengu says is law, in the most basic of senses, as if it is not followed, death is the only alternative in his eyes.
Conversationalist People
Although Téjari is in the pocket of the Tribunal, it still is a city that is vibrant in trade and goods, having exotic spices and other materials that would not be found anywhere else in Faenera due to the foreign exports and the unique flora and fauna that are found and traded within Musahka.
When Aliusen humans had migrated past the Godsreach Mountains and across the colatured sands to the Northern coast of Musahka and established this trading hub, the culture drastically changed from that of what the Taiyō and the Aliusen people value. Although Musahka is harsh, within the city limits it is more so a focus of who you are talking to, and how well you can talk to that person.
When connections mean everything, especially when getting on the bad side of a Tribunal member can ruin your life or make it immensely better, the discourse of social interaction becomes much more focal. As such, many of the people within Téjari consider themselves Ka’henŭn, a separate people from the Aliusen and the Taiyō, where the intricacies of social interaction and conversation are key tells to what a person is like and how they are going to affect you. Small talk, storytelling, negotiations, threats, and flirting all hold equal value to the Ka’henŭn people, as these intricate social interactions can gleam plenty about an individual and where they stand in terms of social and moral strength.
Dragonsand Prospectors
With a unique location that has access to Musahkan beaches of the Anuwai ocean, traders from Prastuvant, and surviving merchants that have come from the Dragon Isles to the Northeast, Téjari continues to grow economically largely in part due to its consistent supply of Dragonsand. Merchants, adventurers, and privateers that have come from the Dragon Isles often head their way to the Téjari first, as the Sultan is always willing to pay a little extra to ensure they get the first rounds of Dragonsand before other factions, as advised by the Tribunal. This, along with the fact that the Musahkan beaches are littered with small pockets of Dragonsand that require hours of pain-staking filtering to find, keeps Téjari saturated with Dragonsand in comparison to other factions. This makes them prime for dealings with the Tribunal, the mysterious Dwimor, eccentric Archmages, and other organizations that value magical amplifiers.
A Global City
Thanks to its prime location, having one of the two airship docks in the entire continent, and a lack of a global sovereignty imposing taxes, tariffs, or harsh laws, Téjari has become what many refer to as a Global city. Although roughly half of the population of Téjari is still Ka’henŭn, the other half of its population come from a variety of places. Hroarsvek that chose not to live the life of the Krakenfisher, Genasi tired of acting as guides through the Rift, half-elves sick of prejudice, soft-spoken goliaths who did not agree with the traditions of their ancestors, and countless other stories of people lost often find their way into Téjari, as it does not have the eyes of the Empire, and as long as one doesn’t attract the wrong crowd, one has the potential to go anywhere and become whatever they seek to be. It is not uncommon to find retired privateers, eccentric engineers, or fabled Crafted adventurers from the Dragon Isles from the Northeast or even Ald Schnötreden hailing a warmer life, run-away mages, or tired Black Powder Inventors from Prastuvant. Citizenship is exceedingly easy to attain in Téjari, and it encourages people to stay, trade, and let all coin, forgein or otherwise, supplant Téjari’s coffers to become an economic powerhouse.
Pit of Glory
In the center of the city is a sandstone mausoleum that acts as the Pit of Glory, Tengu’s personal paradise. Tengu is committed to the belief that one is the closest to true perfection of the body, mind, and soul only moments away from death during intense and close combat to the point of obsession. In pursuit of actualizing the ideal form, the Pit of Glory has become Tengu’s pride and joy. In the Pit of Glory, those who fight within must fight until the death, and brutality is often encouraged. By enchantments from Tengu and the Tribunal, when a creature dies within the Pit of Glory, they cannot be revived as their soul is ripped from their body and transferred into a variety of gemstones made to house souls within Tengu’s personal chambers. These gemstones themselves just hold the souls of those killed, and glow brighter based on the power of the soul within. Tengu keeps these souls a secret, as well as the mechanism of the Pit of Glory, and when he does transfer the power of one soul to a victor who has claimed many lives, it is done in a ritualistic transfer of blood and patterned scarring, where he grinds an appropriate gemstone filled with the souls into ink before it is etched onto the rising challenger.
To win in the Pit of Glory, not only means gold, but eventual power. When a challenger reaches a certain amount of kills in the Pit of Glory, they are eventually given the power of the souls they have slain from Tengu, where the amount of kills become magically scarred onto the body of the challenger. These absorbed souls can give a variety of effects, and they are typically only given to a challenger when they have spent months killing and fighting their way up. A player character who has spent one month completing the downtime activity of Pit Fighting, with at least 3 successes during 3 separate weeks, has the possibility of gaining one of these boons
|
D8 |
Boon |
|
1 |
Your Strength score increases by 1, up to a maximum of 21. |
|
2 |
Your Dexterity score increases by 1, up to a maximum of 21. |
|
3 |
Your Constitution score increases by 1, up to a maximum of 21. |
|
4 |
Your speed increases by 5 feet. |
|
5 |
You gain proficiency in the Athletics skill. If you were already proficient in this skill, you may add double your proficiency bonus when making Strength (Athletics) checks. |
|
6 |
You gain proficiency in the Athletics skill. If you were already proficient in this skill, you may add double your proficiency bonus when making Strength (Athletics) checks. |
|
7 |
When you take the Shove action, you can also knock a creature prone in addition to pushing them back 5 feet. |
|
8 |
You can no longer be surprised. |
|
9 |
You may add your Strength or Constitution modifier to your Initiative rolls. |
|
10 |
You may add half of your proficiency bonus (rounded down) to all Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution checks that do not already add your proficiency bonus. |
|
11 |
Your hit points and hit point maximum both increase by your Proficiency bonus. |
|
12 |
As an action, you can roll an immediately expend a hit die and regain hit points equal to the number rolled plus your Constitution modifier. Once you have used this ability, you cannot use it again until you complete a long rest. |
Furthermore, after repeated boons that are given from Tengu, eventually one will have the opportunity to fight Tengu himself; however he has not been fought in the past decade. To even have Tengu consider fighting someone, that challenger must have claimed hundreds and hundreds of souls within the Pit of Glory; with each fight having the requirement of being more challenging than the last.
Mosaic Circlet
Just beyond the Worldharbor is what is known as the Mosaic Circlet, a series of enchanted runways for Laetium airships to dock, unload, and take off. Made of a variety of enchanted stones, glass, and other materials it often has an iridescent sheen and has since been dubbed the Mosaic Circlet. Created roughly one hundred years ago by one of Archmages from the Dwimor overseas at Prastuvant to make his trips easier to and from the two continents; the Mosaic Circlet brings about incredibly exotic goods and trades from those wealthy enough to hire airships.
There are hardly more than two or three airships at the Mosaic Circlet at a time, due to the fact that there are no airship companies or airships privately owned by any individual within Téjari. Used instead by foreign influences across seas and by the Dappledusters, the Mosaic Circlet instead grants Téjari the ability to harbor extremely wealthy and advanced foreigners, and attract those within Faenera that wish to travel beyond the bonds of the continent. Although when it was initially created it was designed to hold up to two dozen airships in case the Prastuvant Fleet ever needed to find refuge within Téjari, it’s enchantments have never been activated since its creation. Although it was rumored to be a sight to behold to watch platforms levitate, move, reformat, and rise to the sky in order to accommodate more space for airships, but it has yet to happen since its creation and its activation mechanisms are largely unknown.
Worldharbor
On the docks of Téjari is what is known as the Worldharbor, a hub of global trade from Prastuvant, the Dragon Isles, and whatever other foreign entities that have been sent to Téjari to trade for their various goods; including spices, the ever-elusive dragonsand, and monster parts that have been harvested from the dangerous denizens of the colatured sands.
When any ship comes into Téjari it is always Harek Splitbone’s job to keep track of the vessel; when it came in, how long it’s staying, where it’s from, and who owns the ship. Harek Splitbone himself is a male tabaxi quartermaster who has been offered a wonderful position by the Tribunal. Although he takes his records each day to the Sultan, as is tradition, he is keen to understand when the Tribunal wants certain ships to be stricken off the record for one reason or another, and Harek is paid handsomely for his simple service and tight lips.
Although, at a glance, Harek may seem very short and annoyed during most parts of the day, he is easily swayed by the gold sheen of coins, and holds little to no loyalty to anybody except whoever is paying the most. Although he is not a fool and will not cross the Tribunal, he knows that the Tribunal doesn’t need to know about every vessel, and the Sultan certainly doesn’t need to know either, but that kind of luxury requires a certain golden persuasion.
Barakzad
Population: 6,970 (31% human, 26% dragonborn, 20% orcish, 33% other races.)
Government: Barakzad is a Democratic Dictatorship where a singular Sultan is chosen to run the entirety of the city of Barakzad for their life or until they retire. The current Sultan is a Male Red Dragonborn by the name of Valthac Laksashi, a greedy Dragonborn who is trying to make his way within the ranks of the Tribunal to ascend beyond Sultan of Barakzad.
Defense: The local Hefanton are mostly instruments designed to ensure that people are paying their taxes, but Wurmrider Marshals are the ones who actually keep the law and ensure justice is doled out.
Commerce: Barakzad can provide basic foods and services but is most known for its primary export, coal and oil.
Organizations: Barakzad is filled with a number of rough and tumble local general stores, in addition to a few taverns, inns, and artisan guilds that put a focus on glassblowing, pottery, and mining. There are also temples dedicated to Serenrae, Avandra, Kord, and Bahamut.
A Focus on Coal and Oil
Roughly three hundred years ago Barakzad was founded by a traveling group of Red Dragonborn and Ka’henŭn individuals that sought shelter from the heat of the sands by traveling towards the mountains. At the base of the mountain and on the edge of the desert, they had found natural oil wells and coal deposits; which they quickly saw as an opportunity as a town for business to be run.
As the town of Barakzad was established, it quickly grew in numbers as individuals stuck within Musahka or those who wanted to get away from Téjari, migrated Southwards towards the Godsreach Mountains and found themselves in Barakzad. Traversing the Gosreach Mountains is a challenge in and of itself, and as such, many found themselves staying within Barakzard for better or for worse. Most of the citizens of Barakzard are composed primarily of miners, prospectors, and general store owners who actively refine and sell oil and coal.
Because of the oversurplus of oil and coal, a number of additional items can be found at the majority of general stores;
Double-Distilled Oil. 4 sp. Usually found within specially marked pint-sized clay flasks, Double-Distilled Oil is twice as effective and strong as typical oil. As an action, you can splash the oil in this flask onto a creature within 5 feet of you or throw it up to 20 feet, shattering it on impact. Make a ranged Attack against a target creature or object, treating the oil as an Improvised Weapon. On a hit, the target is covered in oil. If the target takes any fire damage before the oil dries (after 1 minute), the target takes an additional 8 fire damage from the burning oil. You can also pour a flask of oil on the ground to cover a 5-foot-square area, provided that the surface is level. If lit, the oil burns for 4 rounds and deals 8 fire damage to any creature that enters the area or ends its turn in the area. A creature can take this damage only once per turn.
Flash Powder. 3 gp. Typically found in small clay containers, Flash Powder is a combination of finely ground sulfur, coal, and other materials so when it is given enough force to ignite, it can produce a blinding flash of light. As an action, flash powder can be thrown up to 20 feet away, where it will ignite in a 10 foot cube. All creatures caught in the area must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw of 12 or become blinded until the start of their next turn.
Mountaintrekker’s Coal. 5 gp. Mountaintrekker’s Coal is a type of coal that has been infused with oil and faint traces of elemental magic so when it is burned with a typical fire, it will produce a much warmer and stronger fire. All creatures that are within a fire that is burning Mountaintrekker’s Coal, which lasts for 8 hours, have advantage on saving throws made to resist exhaustion and ignore the effects of extremely cold climates as stated in the Dungeon Master’s Guide.
Deep-Rooted Greed
Although the idea of a democratic dictatorship worked in the beginnings of Barakzad’s establishment, it quickly devolved into a much more corrupt form of government as Barakzad expanded and grew in population so rapidly. Since the Sultan stays in their seat of power for the entirety of their life, instead of bettering the town, the Sultans instead tend to focus more on the military and lining the pockets of those keeping the people in power so they stay in power.
Due to the fact that Sultans stay in the seat of power for so long and coin only continues to grow and grow in their pockets, the Sultans, and those close to the Sultans, often find themselves wishing for exotic goods and services. As such, there are always calls, contracts, and summons for mages from across seas, exotic wranglers from the Dragon Isles or Téjari, and adventurers with particularly interesting magic items or artifacts.
Although a number of unsuccessful coups have attempted to overthrow the Sultans to establish a better form of government, the Hefanton presence is great within Barakzad, however they are hardly peace-keepers and instead mostly exist to gather taxes and stop military uprisings.
Marshal Run
Because of the lack of justice in the streets due to the corrupted Hefanton and Sultan, Wurmrider Marshals have decided to make their claim in Barakzad. Although they do not have any authority with the government, do not affiliate themselves with any governmental entity, they are known as the people’s lawmen, sitting in populated taverns and inns with their monstrous armor and weapons; always with an ear open to wrongdoings of the local people.
As Wumrider Marshals have been more recent to the town of Barakzad, they are often met with mixed reactions. Many believe that they should be the true leaders of Barakzad, and seek only to help the town and its people, however others believe that they will bring nothing but trouble; justifying that their end-goal will be another coup that will end in the same way all the other coups have ended and only tighten military influence on the people.
Refugee Population
There are few, other than the Sultans and Hefanton, that chose to initially live in Barakzad. Either by magical mishap, shipwreck, ran out by giants or Muspelurnian dwarves, or even ancient lineages that trace to refugees running from the creation of the rift, many of the citizens of Barakzad are refugees; having only come to this town out of escape and necessity, without many better alternatives. To move forward in Musahka is a fool’s journey, as without proper armaments and special survival skills, the blistering heat and dangerous creatures will surely end the journey short before one could begin to reach Téjari to hope to save enough for an airship ride. Although one may state to simply turn around and move into the Godsreach Mountains, as those who praise Bahamut still take the pilgrimage across the Silver Steps to the Platinum Monastery on the Godsreach Mountains, that journey is difficult in its own right. With a quickly rising elevation, biting cold winds at the peaks of the Godsreach Mountains, and a treacherous path that does not allow for mounts, carriages, or bulky luggage, it is simply not a viable option to take the several week long trek across the Silver Steps past the Platinum Monastery and to Dauldheim to start life anew.
Instead, like nearly all newcomers to Barakzad, people messily carve their own life in the corrupted city of Barakzad, mining coal and gathering oil, with too much built and at stake in Barakzad to justify picking everything up and leaving for a slim chance at a better life.
Because of this dreary outlook, many of the citizens of Barakzad try to make the best out of what they have. Enjoying the small things and festivities greatly, Barakzad people are known to be friendly when possible, and encourage outsiders to continue moving onwards and not to settle here unless it is something they truly wish to do.