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[Let's Read] The Delver's Guide to Beast World
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<blockquote data-quote="Libertad" data-source="post: 8943625" data-attributes="member: 6750502"><p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/bJuxePf.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p> <p style="text-align: center"><strong>Chapter 4: the Lodge Houses of Oria</strong></p><p></p><p>North of Allemance is a land of frozen mountains, taigas, and endless stretches of arctic grassland and tundra. Oria is sparsely settled in comparison to other lands of the Beast World, but the Oric people pride themselves on having thrived where others failed to survive. Society is structured around lodge houses, where to conserve firewood and minimize time spent outside, families would gather together into large structures. Lodge houses are led by batkos, who have absolute authority and hold lifelong positions although there are systems to oust them if they earn a community’s ire. Visitors to a lodge house meet with the batko upon arrival in a community, who determine whether they are trusted enough to stay. Lodge houses that grow beyond their sustainability are split into two lodges where one group departs to form another settlement elsewhere. A natural resource known as Summerstone appears in chunks on the mountains, radiating light and heat. They’re a valuable resource for surviving the land’s cruel winters, and many settlements are built in proximity to large formations. Summerstone is regarded as sacred and loses its powers if broken off from the main chunk; thus there are harsh criminal penalties for vandalizing formations.</p><p></p><p>The Oric cultures are inspired by Scandinavian influences, with the lodge houses being close to Nordic longhouses. There are also Russian influences, such as their national leader being called a Berendey which is named after a shapeshifting bear of Russian folklore. While Oria has been settled for centuries, the modern incarnation of the lodge houses are the result of a war with Allemance back in 1090. The Howling King of that country sought to invade and occupy the “primitive, superstitious lands” of the north to distract from domestic issues. Yelizaveta was an ursine woman and national hero of Oria who was said to have gained powerful magic from the First Elk, the First Bear, and the First Mole. She united the scattered batkos of the land, uniting them into the Houses of Oria and became the first berendey. Oria was able to turn the tide for the next century, although over time both sides grew weary of war before signing a peace agreement in 1205 due to…alcohol.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Most Oric people are cervine elks, ursines, or ligonines, although rats and Brethren have found a place in society after proving their worth. Oria is famed for its craftspeople; it was Oric artisans who built the original Covenant Forge, massive devices that imbue items with magic from ghosts from the Netherworld, and this is the most common means of creating magic items in the Beast World. In fact, the Stone of Sixth Strengths is a stone slab capable of being ten times as strong, compressive, and elastic as regular stone which allows people to build architectural wonders in Oria and elsewhere, such as the famed Causeway of Arneria.</p><p></p><p>The religion of Pirhouanism in Oria views the goddess as a deity of creation, learning, and the forge, and communities treat their bethels as forges that are lit all day and night. Their Three Charges encourage the joy of creation in all its forms, encouraging the fruitfulness of education, and passing on one’s knowledge and talents to others. Delvers are all but required to add skis to their wagons when traveling through Oria and have a good negotiator to earn goodwill with the batkos. The Dungeon is frequently found in hidden caverns, worryingly near the more well-traveled roads, and the dangerous monsters known as purple worms are a recent addition to the ecology.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/u97tdE9.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p><strong>What to See in Oria</strong> includes 17 locations, quite a bit less than Allemance. Some of the more interesting places include Edelstann, a sea port which has a large community of Alley immigrants which has caused some friction between them and the native community; Fallensky’s Rest, a druid-guarded cave said to hold a piece of fallen sky and is often menaced by Dungeon monsters; the mole city of Podgorod, which has recently invented the steam engine which shows promise but its prototypes are currently unreliable; Suurin Forge, the most powerful Covenant Forge in the Beast World and also the hidden training center of Oric’s renowned War Mages, who act as both elite soldiers and the country’s secret police; and the lodge of Zaros, whose people are known for universally adopting odd fashion statements every season, and the community is undecided about the large influx of Delvers due to the nearby mountains being home to many suspected Dungeon Sightings.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/7Xzf9oC.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p><strong>Jegervalt</strong> is known as the House of Houses, the largest settlement in Oria in both size and population. It is a series of tiered levels and tunnels going through Mount Roet, and connects the eastern and western ends of the country. The moles maintain the Loamlink and can burrow into places most other species can’t reach, although recent Dungeon activity has been forcing them out of their subterranean homes. The Tunnel Market is made up of temporary stalls full of oddities and ends, and the Mountain Heart is home to a dense vein of Summerstone that is used to provide sunlight to an underground ecology of farms. A group of hunters known as the Circle of Rage, previously beloved for their heroism, have devolved into crooked criminals and are shaking down honest folk while helping the Thieves’ Army expand their smuggling ring.</p><p></p><p>Every four years, an event known as the Housemeet is called for where batkos from across the country pay tax to the berendey, and after a month of feasts and celebration the remaining tribute is allocated to the public good of Oria. In addition to serving as a useful social function, it helps strengthen bonds between community leaders, and many foreigners visit Jegervalt during this time as the Housemeet celebrations are enjoyed by all.</p><p></p><p>Our section ends with brief entries on the Jegervalt Forge and Twin Tusks, the latter being a watering hole with a menu of sample foods and drinks, along with unique named NPCs for each place. The Forge is used for making magic items, and an otter knight of Allemance known as Isella Brock is friends with a restored war mage who built her a magical prosthetic arm.* The Twin Tusks is frequented by Agidel, the descendant of Yelizaveta who doesn’t wish for glory and instead seeks the humble life of a craftswoman, and a Vinyotian lynx known as Niki who after supposedly giving up a life of crime is recruiting Delvers to find and steal a black dragon's hoard.</p><p></p><p>*It’s a Witch Arm, a magic item that isn’t unique and once per day can add the wielder’s Charisma bonus to melee weapon damage and Strength checks for 1 minute.</p><p></p><p><strong>Thoughts So Far:</strong> Oria is another country that managed to pleasantly surprise me. I’m rather fond of the Summerstone and Stone of Six Strengths, which provide good in-universe explanations for some of the more impractical architecture and population centers for a fantasy world. There’s quite a bit of depth and versatility in local culture to be more than “tough, gruff northerners” you usually see of Fantasy Scandinavia/Russia in other settings.</p><p></p><p><strong>Join us next time as we set sail for the oligarchic Trade League of Vinyot!</strong></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Libertad, post: 8943625, member: 6750502"] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/bJuxePf.png[/img] [b]Chapter 4: the Lodge Houses of Oria[/b][/center] North of Allemance is a land of frozen mountains, taigas, and endless stretches of arctic grassland and tundra. Oria is sparsely settled in comparison to other lands of the Beast World, but the Oric people pride themselves on having thrived where others failed to survive. Society is structured around lodge houses, where to conserve firewood and minimize time spent outside, families would gather together into large structures. Lodge houses are led by batkos, who have absolute authority and hold lifelong positions although there are systems to oust them if they earn a community’s ire. Visitors to a lodge house meet with the batko upon arrival in a community, who determine whether they are trusted enough to stay. Lodge houses that grow beyond their sustainability are split into two lodges where one group departs to form another settlement elsewhere. A natural resource known as Summerstone appears in chunks on the mountains, radiating light and heat. They’re a valuable resource for surviving the land’s cruel winters, and many settlements are built in proximity to large formations. Summerstone is regarded as sacred and loses its powers if broken off from the main chunk; thus there are harsh criminal penalties for vandalizing formations. The Oric cultures are inspired by Scandinavian influences, with the lodge houses being close to Nordic longhouses. There are also Russian influences, such as their national leader being called a Berendey which is named after a shapeshifting bear of Russian folklore. While Oria has been settled for centuries, the modern incarnation of the lodge houses are the result of a war with Allemance back in 1090. The Howling King of that country sought to invade and occupy the “primitive, superstitious lands” of the north to distract from domestic issues. Yelizaveta was an ursine woman and national hero of Oria who was said to have gained powerful magic from the First Elk, the First Bear, and the First Mole. She united the scattered batkos of the land, uniting them into the Houses of Oria and became the first berendey. Oria was able to turn the tide for the next century, although over time both sides grew weary of war before signing a peace agreement in 1205 due to…alcohol. Most Oric people are cervine elks, ursines, or ligonines, although rats and Brethren have found a place in society after proving their worth. Oria is famed for its craftspeople; it was Oric artisans who built the original Covenant Forge, massive devices that imbue items with magic from ghosts from the Netherworld, and this is the most common means of creating magic items in the Beast World. In fact, the Stone of Sixth Strengths is a stone slab capable of being ten times as strong, compressive, and elastic as regular stone which allows people to build architectural wonders in Oria and elsewhere, such as the famed Causeway of Arneria. The religion of Pirhouanism in Oria views the goddess as a deity of creation, learning, and the forge, and communities treat their bethels as forges that are lit all day and night. Their Three Charges encourage the joy of creation in all its forms, encouraging the fruitfulness of education, and passing on one’s knowledge and talents to others. Delvers are all but required to add skis to their wagons when traveling through Oria and have a good negotiator to earn goodwill with the batkos. The Dungeon is frequently found in hidden caverns, worryingly near the more well-traveled roads, and the dangerous monsters known as purple worms are a recent addition to the ecology. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/u97tdE9.png[/img][/center] [b]What to See in Oria[/b] includes 17 locations, quite a bit less than Allemance. Some of the more interesting places include Edelstann, a sea port which has a large community of Alley immigrants which has caused some friction between them and the native community; Fallensky’s Rest, a druid-guarded cave said to hold a piece of fallen sky and is often menaced by Dungeon monsters; the mole city of Podgorod, which has recently invented the steam engine which shows promise but its prototypes are currently unreliable; Suurin Forge, the most powerful Covenant Forge in the Beast World and also the hidden training center of Oric’s renowned War Mages, who act as both elite soldiers and the country’s secret police; and the lodge of Zaros, whose people are known for universally adopting odd fashion statements every season, and the community is undecided about the large influx of Delvers due to the nearby mountains being home to many suspected Dungeon Sightings. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/7Xzf9oC.png[/img][/center] [b]Jegervalt[/b] is known as the House of Houses, the largest settlement in Oria in both size and population. It is a series of tiered levels and tunnels going through Mount Roet, and connects the eastern and western ends of the country. The moles maintain the Loamlink and can burrow into places most other species can’t reach, although recent Dungeon activity has been forcing them out of their subterranean homes. The Tunnel Market is made up of temporary stalls full of oddities and ends, and the Mountain Heart is home to a dense vein of Summerstone that is used to provide sunlight to an underground ecology of farms. A group of hunters known as the Circle of Rage, previously beloved for their heroism, have devolved into crooked criminals and are shaking down honest folk while helping the Thieves’ Army expand their smuggling ring. Every four years, an event known as the Housemeet is called for where batkos from across the country pay tax to the berendey, and after a month of feasts and celebration the remaining tribute is allocated to the public good of Oria. In addition to serving as a useful social function, it helps strengthen bonds between community leaders, and many foreigners visit Jegervalt during this time as the Housemeet celebrations are enjoyed by all. Our section ends with brief entries on the Jegervalt Forge and Twin Tusks, the latter being a watering hole with a menu of sample foods and drinks, along with unique named NPCs for each place. The Forge is used for making magic items, and an otter knight of Allemance known as Isella Brock is friends with a restored war mage who built her a magical prosthetic arm.* The Twin Tusks is frequented by Agidel, the descendant of Yelizaveta who doesn’t wish for glory and instead seeks the humble life of a craftswoman, and a Vinyotian lynx known as Niki who after supposedly giving up a life of crime is recruiting Delvers to find and steal a black dragon's hoard. *It’s a Witch Arm, a magic item that isn’t unique and once per day can add the wielder’s Charisma bonus to melee weapon damage and Strength checks for 1 minute. [b]Thoughts So Far:[/b] Oria is another country that managed to pleasantly surprise me. I’m rather fond of the Summerstone and Stone of Six Strengths, which provide good in-universe explanations for some of the more impractical architecture and population centers for a fantasy world. There’s quite a bit of depth and versatility in local culture to be more than “tough, gruff northerners” you usually see of Fantasy Scandinavia/Russia in other settings. [b]Join us next time as we set sail for the oligarchic Trade League of Vinyot![/b] [/QUOTE]
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