Saturday, January 16, 2016

Region: The Entropy Drifts:

The Rhydarcus Entropy Drifts is a region of desert that is riddled with boulders and caves, sinkholes and quicksand.  In the Entropy Drifts there are rifts to The Forgotten Prison of Pral, The Shifting Sands of Jahneer, and The Somnium Bleed, sand and rocks from the different realms drifting into the desert and mixing together.  Firestorms and reality-storms race across its dunes during the day, while frost-storms and massive upheavals occur during the night.  Mapping The Entropy Drifts is almost impossible due to how drastically that the region changes, though its conflicting natures cause it to swell and contract without any major change in size, mere inches since its discovery...

Friday, January 8, 2016

Region: The Deep Stones:

West of Rhydarcus, between the Utten and Averline Plates lies The Deep Stones.  Arranged atop and within the trench between the tectonic plates, these ancient monoliths have been studied and proven to exist back to the time of the human and dragon settlement of Lenida, but their purpose has always been shrouded in mystery.  Strong and solid, it has only been since the arrival of the Reynix on Lenida that they have begun to pulse and glow a pale orange under the ocean waters every full moon.  Large creatures of the sea migrate to them frequently now, and they have been a source of foreboding but vague visions to various individuals blessed and cursed with precognition, though the details of what the danger is lies shrouded in mystery.  The leylines around The Deep Stones pulse and fluctuate more chaotically now than ever before, and aquatic animals, even gigantic ones, bash themselves against the stones to no purpose, as no damage to them has been recorded yet....

Saturday, January 2, 2016

Region: The Silent Knot Basin:

The Silent Knot Basin is a region on Rhydarcus that is surrounded by mountains with geysers and hot springs, but the almost level plane where The Silent Knot Basin exists is absent of them.  Instead, this boiling shallow basin bubbles almost silently in its center, where highly alkaline salt and soda water is heated.  Further away from the center, certain bacteria species that have adapted to the highly toxic boiling salt water, tinting concentric circles around its center in a prismatic pattern.  However, due to the chemical makeup of the water itself, its fumes cause irritation of the eyes, lung burning, liver failure, heart attacks, and eventually, gnarled mummification.  In various places in the basin and on its shores, twisted, pained mummified animal remains may be found.  Despite all these dangers, several still travel to it every few years, with few surviving to tell the tale, because it is rumored to be the location of an ancient human outpost, filled with long-lost technology and treasure...

Saturday, December 26, 2015

Region: The Rhydarcus Lava Mines:


The Rhydarcus Lava Mines are West and slightly North of Rhin, the capitol of the continent.  There, the capitol draws water and lava together and harvests the steam generated as well as the volcanic rock produced by the heat and pressure.  Elsewhere along the mines, other stones and minerals are extracted including diamonds, emeralds and a variety of foci crystals.  The mines are operated by the continent as a whole, with representatives of each city partaking the in bounty, though there is some grumbling about the portions each city receives, and how only Rhin is powered by the energy generated there...

Friday, December 18, 2015

Population Center: Rhin:

Capitol of Rhydarcus, Rhin's design is a testament to the collaboration of the cultures that constructed it.  The Gitwerg and Goblin immigrants to Rhydarcus discovered Mount Ralda was not as dormant as it first seemed and and with the help of other species managed to divert its building pressure out into the ocean floor where the continent's ocean shelf would slowly build up as it cooled the lava, and gasses bubbled up in the Vapor Ocean harmless to all but the ocean life.  As the Naiad and Cubi immigrants noticed this seeming oversight, they worked to plant a myriad of different ocean flora that would feed off of the gasses and bring their concentration to tolerable levels for the ocean wildlife, as well as working with the Gitwerg to construct geothermal power stations on the ocean floor as well.  The volcanic soil around Rhin was very ashy and fertile, though filled with toxic elements and sulfur as well.  With the work of the Gnomes and Pixies, the soil was processed and refined to aid in the creation of terraced gardens and fields throughout the capitol.  The Reynix and Felinae worked alongside the Kenthri to create roads through the city, as well as gateway hubs for faster travel to locations the Reynix opened for trade.  The Draconis Dragon-Kin and Gargoyles toiled with the Humans on plotting out the upper architecture of the city and its utility systems, while the Gitwerg and Goblins worked the design of its lower levels to support the weight of the city and further expand its overall available housing and storage space.  The middle tiers facing the mountains, small fields and forest surrounding the capitol, and the harvest committees were formed by the Gnomes, Pixies, Felinae and Kenthri.  The middle tiers facing the ocean, the geothermal power systems, the docks and shoreline were built by the Cubi, Naiad and Gitwerg.

Friday, December 11, 2015

Population Center: Shesham:

The city of Shesham is a curious thing, a shifting collection of caravans and old ruins which steadily grew to better adapt to the desert valley its citizens call home.  The denizens of Shesham have left most of the surface filled different desert crops and animals, the ancient ruins, and empty plots for traders and visitors to set up their tents.  Below the sand and rock, however, the population has a tiered network of waterworks and tunnels, chambers and storehouses.  The goblin and gitwerg population that came to the valley had made some mining attempts in the neighboring mountains, but had difficulty keeping the entrances clear of sand.  The gnomes that came soon after had better luck, being used to digging through dirt and sand more than rock, and their inventive designs allowed the three races to start creating the upper levels of Shesham.  As the humans, felinae and kenthri arrived, they worked to domesticate the surface more toward the six species uses, but some of the local wildlife and frequent sandstorms made any surface buildings unfeasible.  Later, the draconis dragon-kin and gargoyles came, making efforts to thin the population of dangerous fauna less hazardous, as well as being better able to transport heavy materials to and from the valley in order to create walls along its borders to further lessen the force of sandstorms that pound the region.  The pixies and reynix are largely absent from Shesham, the few that do reside in it typically working on efforts to make the land and continent as a whole more fertile.  The Cubi and Naiads came to Shesham last, greatly improving the waterworks of the city, and managing various ports outside the valley on behalf of the city and their own businesses.

Thursday, December 3, 2015

Population Center: Scaragau:


The city of Scaragau is centered between two leylines, its borders running along a couple of mountains, sandy hills, and the southern coast of Rhydarcus.  Most water around Scaragau is saltwater, but deep chasms around it are filled with geothermal vents, allowing the city to fuel both its need for power and convert saltwater into steam which can be recaptured to hydrate the city as well.  As most of the city is built around the protection of the power, water and sewage systems, much of it is underground in layers, with chambers for growing different types of crops, as well as some on the surface, and many tunnels leading elsewhere in Rhydarcus for travel and mining reasons.  The gargoyles and draconis dragon-kin population of Scaragau mostly lives on the mountains, with the goblins, gitwerg, humans and gnomes living under them.  Other species are present as well, but in much smaller numbers, and spread out throughout the city.