[Fwd: Althainon]

Subject: [Fwd: Althainon]
From: Beregar (beregar@majik.netti.fi)
Date: Sun Aug 22 1999 - 13:39:41 EEST 

Darshan, you two should discuss about Althainon (those floating
isles could solve the "uninhabitable" problem) and if Namhas is
kind enough to subscribe Hook to design list I would be very
very grateful and if you want "talk" with him first then do it as
soon as possible, damn it.

- Beregar (Beregar@majik.netti.fi)

attached mail follows:

Bereger could you please post this onto the design mail server. Ok here is what i got on Althainon. Basicaly how I look at the situation from emails from Bereger and posts on the design-e-mail web posts (whatever ;)) is that i have steped on alot of toes and if i have i am sorry. What i have written on Althianon can simlpy be forgoten and deleted (although i think there is a little bit on The River of Black Tears that can be kept). I would still like to help in design of majik and hope that if my work on Althianon is NOT used at least it can serve as a demonstration of my skill as a region and race desc writer. (Bereger- minus all that magic :) ) Please excuse all the typos spelling errors and sentance fragments Also note populations and names are not in stone i just put them in there (such as the name Althainions for the human race living here) so that i had something to work with. Joshua hook@u.washington.edu ALTHAINON Althainon is a region located on the southern portion of Majik's second largest continent Eldiron. Life in Althainon is dictated by the extream seasonal changes brought on by its vicinity to the volcanos of Tragothar. In the summer and spring months (the green season) it is a lush green paridise with grassy plains flower covered hills and lush froests. In the winter and fall (the black season) all vegitaion dies, becomes dormant or literaly walks away and the land becomes a desolate waste of ash ruled by murading orcs. Western Althainon borders the smuldering wastes of Tragothar. To the north it borders Areon and the Azure lakes. Several islands in the lakes are considered part of Althainon. To the west is the region of Nin'calaris. The south is bordered by the Sea of Flames.In the south of Athainon is forest land with a small group of short mountains the east is mostly ash year around. The central area are plains rolling hills and a nicly sized river that dumps into the azure lakes. Also in the central plain are 30 or so Floating islands, large gravity defying landmasses that levetate 200 meters from the ground, circling the central plains region of Althainon in a clock-like yearly migration. In the north near the coast are marsh lowlands. The primary inhabatance of Arthainon are the Althainion people who toil in the plains durring the plesent months then flee to east durring the ash driven storms of winter. CLIMATE Athainon's climate is dictated by the volcanic activity of Tragothar. Luckily for the inhabitants it is somewhat predictable (This can be be done in two ways. Either the winds blow west taking the ash away during the summer and spring or the eruptions of the volcanoes only occur during certain months.). The cycle is as follows during winter and fall the land is dead and the sky dark with rare cloud breaks. Surprisingly the temperature is actualy hotter during these months by about 5 degrees caused by the hot, ash heavy, air coming from Tragothar. Drastic differences in tempreature between Tragothar and the Azure lakes create massive storms during these months. Tornados, torrential black rain and hurricane strength winds are common. The summer and spring months are mild and sunny. Durring these months the average tempurature stays at a pleasant 72 degrees Fahrenheit (yeah, i know this needs to be converted to Celsius) and a cool sweet smelling breeze comes from The Azure lakes and blows west towards the hellscape of Tragothar. FLORA Athainon's plant life is constricted by a six month growth period. What it lacks in time it makes up for in quantity. The soil of Athainon is rich with volcanic ash and a high water table. Whole fruit barring Pipple trees grow 4 meters tall in these short months. In fact the local inhabitance have forged a agricultural wonder out of this aboundace. It is said that enough food is grown in Athainon to feed all of Eldiron. Every year hundreds of ships sail down the Black Tear River laiden with pipple fruit vegtables and grain sailing to all the ports connected to the Azure lakes some even sail as far as the southern shores of the continent Minartan. Caravans bring the sweet Pipple fruit to the winter trade center at the western edge of the Desert of Ghalimcar to trade with the Brahjians. Generaly durring the winter and fall months almost all plant life decays and dies. One exeption are the Eldik Oaks that actually migrate eastward to the western boarder of Nin'calaris. They are still brainless plants but from the huge energy stores they generate each year and specially adapted internal biological mechanisms able to uproot themselves and "walk" westward in the fall and eastward in the sping. They loose much of their mass durring this migration upwards of fifty percent from leaf shedding, broken limbs, sugar matabolism and water loss. Other trees such as the ones making up the Forest of Abhorence shed there leaves and become dormant. Pipples are a fruit similer to oranges and other citris fruit exept they are red and oblonged. Their peel is a little tougher as well. The plant itself is a fast growing tree that gets about 12 feet tall bears fruit then dies but its roots do survive and will grow again the following year. The Athainion people have demesticated this plant and cultivate orchards that grow and disappear each year. Fauna Generaly speaking large animal life in Althainon is rare. There is of coures the normal array of bugs, snakes, small rodents, lizards and birds. None being supernatural or exeptionaly poisonous. Although masqutos and nats can be annoying along the River of Black Tears and in the northern lowlands by Adremas. In the Forest of Abhorrence Larger animals do exist such as monkies larger weasels and preditory birds like owels and eagels. But durring the ashen black season all these creatures either hybernate or migrate (birds). The only creatures that wander the wastes at this time are rats cockrotches and orcs. CITIES Adremas Adremas is on the northern most border of Althainon. It is located in the center of a marsh and most of the buildings are constructed upon stilts. Becouse it is in a marsh many iron and steel smiths (Does steel exist in majik?) reside here collecting the ore deposits that accumulate in the lowlands. They make weapons plows nails horse shoes axes etc. Many build up large supplies of iron work durring the winter to sell in Baor in the spring. The city also supports a small fishing community and merchents come to buy agricultural goods produced in Althainon. Most of the population does not consider themselves as Althainion though but are Areons. It is mentioned here becouse about five hundred Althainions winter here. The population is rughly two thousand not including the seasonal Althainions. Brearon Brearon is also not an Althainion town but is property of Nin'calaris. About three hundred Althainions winter here mostly in tent towns across the river from Brearon. Also nearby a hundred Althainion Woodsman hold permannent residence in the Abborence Forest and often come here to trade goods. About seven hundred people live in Brearon not including the Althainions BAOR Boar is not a permanent city it is a seasonal one. During the dark seasons (winter and fall) it is completly abandonded. The inhabitants either migrate north up the River of Black Tears to Sadok and other small villages along the coasts of the Azure lakes or seek refuge, in The Floating Islands. During the Summer and Spring months Baor becomes a bustling trade center. Farmers from all around the Althainon plains region come to sell their produce. Traders from Nin'calaris come to sell farming goods and weapons. Smiths who weather in Adremas set up shop here bringing iron goods and repair horse shoes, swords, and plows. Woodsmen from the Forest of Abborence sell bows, fire wood, and other crafts. Some even try their hand at farming. The city is in essence a seasonal tent market. When the last leaves have begun to fall it is empty of all human life. During the fall and winter months it is picked through by Orcs who camp there and destroy any human remnants. The peak population of Baor reaches about 10,000 humans durring mid summer although well over a third of which are not native Althianions, and consist of traders merchants and suicidal adventurers traveling to their graves in Tragothar. JARPIN The city is wedged between the Azure Lakes coast and just on the Althainion side of the Nin'calaris border. It sits upon a high cliff that overlooks the lakes with the only small path for a half a mile in each direction that leads down to the water. At the water level the city has built several docks for merchant and fishing ships as well as a few Tunnals into the cliff walls in which some people live and do buiseness. Although most residents here do not share the Althainion migrent farmer, bowslinging, life style of there plains bretherin they consider themselves to be Althainions. This arises partly becouse of some two hundred farmers who winter here but mostly from their shared hatred of orcs who have been know to seige Jarpin on their winter raids. Sadok CASTLE THEAMAR "Abondon all hope all ye who pass this point." Castle Theamar is the last, generally, human settlement before entering Tragothar. When adventures go to meet thier doom in the western lands of Eldiron they will stop here for provisions and information. Its construction is anciant and has existed before any elf or dragon alive can remember. It is also indistructable. It is said that gods have tried to tear down its black smoto hwalls and have always failed. This is however probably not true. They either don't care or its existance purely amuses them. Thou the gods have never tried to harm its walls mortals have and none have ever left a scratch. The structure itself is a 100 meters tall and 18 meters wide at its base. It is devided into eight 10 meter high teirs each one smaller as it gets higher. Each tier is self contained and defensible. Durring the winter and fall between 100 and 200 brave warriors (i.e. lunatics) stay in the castle and defend it against orcs. Most years they survive the onslaught giving up maybe half of the tiers and a quarter of the men before the spring and the return of the Floating Islands at which point the orcs retreat from the arrows that fall on them from above. This is not always the case though, every 10 years or so the orcs do take the castle but usualy give it up in the spring. GEOGRAPHY RIVER OF BLACK TEARS Also called Harums' Tears. Local folktale has it that when the god Harum first saw Tragothar he stood on the plains of Althianon and wept black tears of joy at the sight. Those tears became the waters of the River of Black Tears. Whether this is true or not is unknown. The river does run black however stained by the black ashen soil that is deposited in huge amount from the volcanos of Tragothar. The head waters actually begin at the small mountain range in the south of Althianon and travel through the Forest of Abborence but mostly in small streams or under ground. It does not become a full navigable river until about the center of the Athianon plain. It moves in a generally northern direction to the Azure Lakes passing by the city of Sadok. FOREST OF ABHORENCE FLOATING ISLANDS If there is a set of world worders on Eldiron these are high on the list. Floating above the plains of Althainon are exatly 31 chunks of rock that migrate along a precise oblong counterclockwise elipse. In early spring they reach castle Theamar and in early fall fly over the city of Sadok. Most of the islands are small only a dozen meters across, but 4 of them are large being between a hundred to five hundred meters in diameter. They all float roughly 200 meters in the air. The 4 larger ones have citadels built atop of them. the smaller ones used as scouting positions to spot orc bands off on the horizon. They are soly posessed and inhabited by the Athainions, who use them, if one is near, to escape orc raids and to retake Castle Theamar in the early spring when needed. It is common knowledge among the Athainions where each of 31 islands are at all times all being taught as children with mathimatical presition. large stones set by the Athainions pock the plains marking the Islands path. Their migration used by the people to set crop calander. The origin of the islands is unknown. Attepts have been made to change their path but all have failed often in the destruction of the mucked island. Lake Narak It is right near the north eastern border of Althianon other then that there is just a bunch of orcs. People Common Althainions 1. Introduction 2. Appearance 3. History 4. Culture 3.1 Food & Trade 5. Religion 6. Language 7. Ghalimcar 8. Roleplaying 1. Introduction Althainions are foolharty, reckless, talented and hardworking. They are constantly on the move either running to plant crops on the furtil plains of central Althainon in the spring and summer or running from the harsh weather and onslaught of orc hoards that comes in fall and winter. They are simalar in ancestery to most of the humans on Eldiron (this can change i don't know how ansetery of this continent will work) They have dark hair brown to black eyes although red hair does show up especialy among those living in the Forest of Abborence and across the river from Brearon. Athainions are ruled by the changing seasons of Athainon. Durring the Summer and Spring they grow enormouse quantities of crops on the rich soil of the plains from the banks of the Black Tear River to Castle Theamar. Then when the wind changes and black ash clouds set in they pack up and flee to winter on the shores of the Azure lakes and within the well fortified city of Sadok. 2. Appearance Althainions generally appear unkept with grubby faces, tangeled hair and dusty wreaked cloths. Though in the winter months they do clean them selves up abit. Bathing mostly and lame attempts at keeping there cloths and hair tidy but are usualy unsecsessful. Their tastes in cloths generally are ulitilitarian in look and fassion. Both men and women wear thick pants heavy shoes and plain long sleave shirts or ponchos (there has to be a better name for this). Though durring festivals women have been known to wear dresses but thoes are are usually resurved for the young and unwed. Their physique is gangily and awkward having lean well musled arms and large stong caloused hands from plowing and harvesting. They are also always with bow and arrows. Iteams that never leave thier sight. 3. Culture Althainion culture is shaped by the land they live upon. They are wild like the seasons that wreck the land and rebirth it again. They live to the fullest be it in work study or play. They show great respect for the land almost like a seaman has for the Ocean. faitalistic in their belifes they see the land as an untamable beast that will one day snuff the light out of you (agricuture life durring summer and spring durring winter get kind of cabin feverish. HArd workiing honest in Ad&d terms they are chaotic good worship some sort of nature/agriculture god and probibly another for archery and strategic skill in battle. detest orcs. Exeptional archers best human archers in the world if not the best period. They put a bow in a boy/girls hand befor they can walk. They are acurrate at full run shooting at target behind them. Are accurate on horse back etc. Orcs

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