[OOC] Warrens Codex

[Paragon]

History

The Dark Roads. The Deep Reaches. The Warrens. Many are the names to describe the sprawling underdark that stretches beneath the whole of the region of Karnor. With those names, come just as many stories.

Contrary to widespread belief, the Warrens are not a new discovery. It is documented among archaeologists and explorers that prior to the Sundering, the denizens of the region had begun making excursions into the deep places of the world. What they found there was nothing short of a nightmare. While exact accounts differ wildly, with some scholars recorded as having found the remnants of a lost civilization and others reportedly uncovering veritable gardens beneath the earth, these all point to a number of commonly debated speculations.

The first belief is that the Warrens have in their depths places that cross over into other planes of existence. The second belief is that the Warrens themselves are another plane of existence. There is evidence to suggest that both of these theories possess a modicum of truth. Regardless, the Warrens are and have ever been a dangerous place.

Travelers are warned, spending even a short amount of time in the underdark of Karnor will promise that something will happen. Exactly what? That depends entirely on how deep one has gone into its ever winding reaches.

The Five Deeps

To those acquainted with the Warrens there are five known layers. Scholars tend to agree that the layers of the Warrens extend deeper than that but no expedition into the Fifth Deep has ever seen more than a handful of survivors return. What the general layout of the Warrens reveals is a layer-cake of sprawling environments that each differ distinctly from the one that precedes it. Each of the respective depths presents its own challenges and its own rewards for those skilled, brave or stupid enough to explore them.

• The First Deep- The Buried Empire
• The Second Deep- The Otherwilds
• The Third Deep- The Haunted Reaches
• The Fourth Deep- The Mechanus
• The Fifth Deep- ???

[Paragon]

The First Deep

The layers of the Warrens that the present era of Karnor is most familiar with. It is the layer that is the most well documented and, relatively speaking, is the safest to traverse. This is not to say that the First Deep is not dangerous, it very much is, but the creatures that dwell within it remain largely familiar with a select few exceptions. The geography of the First Deep is mostly cavernous. The appearance of massive caves supported by pillars of stalagmites and stalagtites is common across all records of the First Deep. Bioluminescent flora cluster along the walls and ceilings of the caverns providing an almost eerie glow.

This only lasts once one traverses across the initial entrances into the First Deep however. Continued exploration of the first layer into the Warrens reveals the remains of a buried civilization. The ruins of buried cities carved of rock and stone that are reminiscent of Dwarven architecture. When first uncovered, many believed that they had discovered a lost Dwarven kingdom...until they looked closer.

Carvings on the structures reveal its denizens paying homage to what can only be described as alien creatures. Many believe these creatures to be some manner of Aldir that has yet to be documented. The more one explores these ruins, the more one uncovered the bloody and horrifying nature of whoever or whatever might have once lived there. There is much to suggest that the civilization that built these ruins were not of any of the known races found on Ransera.


Minerals and Resources

Dragonshards are in abundance across the First Deep. The concentration of the aether crystals is in such a high degree that not exploiting the riches of the First Deep seems ludicrous. That exploitation is not without cost but most enterprising organizations or states are willing to take those risks. This, coupled with the fact that a great many mineral deposits can be found throughout the First Deep and it makes it a widely traversed layer.

Creatures of the First Deep

There are a number of distinct creature classifications that stalk the First Deep. Some of them can be handled by those well prepared others should be avoided entirely by all but the most experienced of explorers.

Corrupted Elementals

Exactly what the name implies, the elemental spirits that normally pervade the natural areas of Ransera have, for one reason or another, been corrupted within the First Deep of the Warrens. They come in all sizes and categories of danger from the small sprites that are but a minor inconvenience to manifestations that are as large as a house. Each of these elementals takes on the appearance and form as makes sense for their particular element (Earth, Air, Water, Fire, Wood, Metal etc.) with one particular difference: all of them are touched by cracks of a black and red corruption that warps their forms.

Corrupted Fauna

Within the First Deep are creatures that are familiar to surface dwellers of Ransera. Whether they have fallen into the deep reaches by mistake or are natural inhabitants is unclear. However, fauna exists within the Warrens that is reminiscent of what is found in the wild places of the continent. Each of these beasts however border on the subterranean in tendencies, rats, spiders, snakes, and all of them possess the same black and red corruption that seems to pervade some of the creatures of the Warrens.

Wraith

Believed to be corrupted Endir of the Humored Spirits, these spectral beings haunt the many halls of the First Deep. They come in many forms, none of which should be approached lightly. Wraiths can only be defeated using magical means or by finding a way to drive them off. Here are listed a few.

Rage

Frequency: Common
Threat: Average
Abilities: Fire, Possession, Mild influence on the surrounding area.

Info: Rage Wraiths are fiery in their presentation and tend to enflame everything and everyone in their path. If one is not careful, the influence of the rage wraith can even cause one to lose themselves to their anger opening them up to being possessed by the very spirit they were fighting against. There are many stories of men being consumed by an inordinate rage that suddenly came over them. Tales of mild mannered explorers suddenly losing all sanity to a senseless rage are well known. The men and women subjected to the influence of a Rage Wraith eventually burn up from the sheer intensity of the power surging through them as their bodies succumb to the wrathful nature of the corrupted spirit inhabiting their bodies. It is rumored that there is some manner of dragonshard that is capable of repelling the rage spirits but whether or not this is true is something that only the most experienced of explorers are familiar with. Those who are mindful of their emotions and who possess some skill with meditation might find that they are more resilient to the presence of such spirits.

Horror

Frequency: Common
Threat: Average
Abilities: Fear, Frost-like abilities, Illusion

Info:Horror Wraiths are the embodiment of fear often filling the spaces they occupy with a cold dread. They are less direct than other wraiths often employing tactics in accordance to their nature, whispers of fear, things that are unsettling, and affecting shadows that resemble apparitions of that which an individual may fear. The Horror Wraiths are known to exhibit frost-like abilities with the most powerful of them displaying the power to lob icy projectiles at travelers. Generally speaking, these spirits rely more on terror than they do direct confrontation. As it stands, Horror Wraiths tend to travel in groups and prey on the vulnerable. The more fear they can incite in those whom they subject to their powers, the stronger the influence they gain on both the world around them and those who are affected by them.

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Despair

Frequency: Common
Threat: Above Average
Abilities: Paralysis, Vitality Draining, Shadow Manipulation, Illusion

Info: Despair Wraiths remain the most dangerous of the wraiths that haunt the First Deep. This is not due to any overwhelming power but because of how subversive its presence can be. Despair wears away at the spirit and psyche of they who face it, crippling them with inaction, with the loss of will, with a desire to be ended. Those entrapped by a wraith of despair perish not in a glorious confrontation but in a slow, gnawing death that eats away at them day after day until they are husks with neither life nor soul. It takes a stalwart heart to stave off the effects brought about by the Despair Wraiths and even then, they can wear at the resolve of the individual if prolonged exposure comes into effect. Fortunately, the Despair Wraiths tend to travel and haunt the deep reaches of the Warrens alone and are seldom accompanied by any significant threat. Travelers are advised to be wary of dark, silent places devoid of normal subterranean life. Especially if the darkness seems all too impenetrable.


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The Gravebound

The Gravebound are the source of most of the horror stories pertaining to the First Deep. Writhing amalgamations of flesh and sinew, bony prominences and the imitation of something resembling humanoid. It is unclear if the Gravebound were once people or if they are simply the spawn of something attempting to resemble them. These monstrosities are horrifying to behold with some scholars attributing their existence to the Mistlord of Flesh herself, Myshala. They come in a variety of classifications with appearances that vary depending on the beast in question. The various names for the categories of creatures have been drawn from what little has been translated from the hieroglyphics and writings of the lost civilization.

Shinaegri

Frequency: Very Common
Threat: Low to Average
Abilities: None of significance.

“Shamblers”. Easily handled by the well prepared. The Shamblers tend to have vaguely humanoid appearances but are certainly nothing anywhere near actual humans. Amalgamations of walking flesh, blood, and bone often jutting out at weird angles, they appear as though some terrible being attempted to create life but failed miserably. Shamblers are generally mindless, violent, but slow and possess poor coordination. Those with any particular skill in combat can easily dispatch of them when found in small numbers. They are susceptible to magic and do not possess any real abilities of note that are cause for true concern. A word of caution, while easily handled in small groups, larger numbers of them can quickly overwhelm even the most skilled warrior. Where large groups of them are concerned, discretion is the better part of valor.



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Somaval

Frequency: Uncommon
Threat: High
Abilities: None of significance.

“The Hungered”. Possessing rudimentary intelligence but utterly beastly in their appearance, the Hungered are ghastly to behold and are only barely humanoid in their presentation. More akin to bloody, corpulent monsters than living entities they gorge themselves on anything they come across in a sickening feast of gore and savagery. These beasts most commonly roam the First Deep alone, rarely ever being found in groups of more than two. Travelers into the deeps are strongly advised to be well and truly prepared when fighting against a Hungered. This is a battle not easily won nor should one go seeking to pit themselves up against one of the Hungered. They are relentless, ruthless, and completely dispossessed of anything resembling human emotion. There is naught but the cunning of a hunter in these creatures and there is an insidious thrill in the hunt for them.



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Saintiri

Frequency: Singular
Threat: Legendary
Abilities: Unknown

Note: Interaction with any of the Saintiri Uplifted requires moderation.

“The Uplifted”. Macabre, nightmarish and possessed of a strange otherworldly grace and near dark beauty, the Uplifted are nothing short of terrifying. Powerful and solitary, the Uplifted are highly intelligent though prone to violence. Each of the Uplifted displays magic-like abilities. If encountered, run. Only the foolish or incredibly powerful have any hope of defeating an Uplifted.

Sezz’thrksh of the Delving- Perhaps the most curious of the Uplifted. It wanders a place known only as the Pillars of Ash and does so at an almost forlorn pace. Nothing is recorded of its abilities.

Azrr’Haka the Bonemother- By far the most violent of the Uplifted, avoid at all costs. Massive, known to be resistant to magic. It seems to delight in tormenting its victims before flaying them alive. Azrr’Haka wanders the First Deep and its movements are unpredictable.

Myrkreeshnla the Exalted- Found within a place known only as the Temple of the High Ones, this being possesses powerful magic and seems to command a great deal of the Gravebound. If the creatures had a leader, some believe the Exalted is it.

Yojz’tharzun the Oracle- Exactly who or what Yojz’tharzun is the Oracle for is unknown. It is the most isolated and is by far the most dangerous of the Uplifted. There are but a scant few documents referencing this particular member of the Saintiri. If rumors are to be believed, the creature dwells within a temple of blood, bone and sinew woven together by macabre edifices of black and gold marble. At the heart of its abode is a massive gold basin filled with blood within which the Oracle can be found. Curiously, of the few records that exist of it, it is the only member of the Uplifted recorded as having conversed with travelers.