Help me flesh out this village's history?

[Hemlock Stones]

Hmmmm, I like the idea of "unfortunate". It bodes many great things to attach to the reason of why. Glass Hill might be the secret to solve. I could see Glass Hill being the remnants of a great magical mountain that was torn asunder during an incredible pitched battle of arcane energies that happened ages ago. One of the combatants was tricked by the other into using their arcane energies against themselves and was trapped in a tomb of impervious magical glass.

Over the ages the "trapped soul" went insane and started working on a means to release themselves. I see the "trapped soul" splintering into two crazed personalities. The original personality with an intense hatred for the one that trapped them in the Tomb of Glass. The other being the personality that caused them to be trapped in the Tomb of Glass. The arcane mana discovered by them at the original magical mountain caused them to go insane. Realizing that these powers of arcane mana they discovered might even surmount those of the Gods. Part of them decided that nobody, let alone a "madman", should ever wield this power. A battle ensued and the "madman personality" was trapped away.

The "trapped" soul has used its intense energies to focus and influenece travellers and inhabitants to behave strangely at times. Often travellers and passersby leave dazed and compelled to find absurd items from strange places. The inhabitants of Glass Hill have been accumulating these items from the successful travellers and assembling them in a secreted cavern centered above the glass tomb.

Sometimes travellers and passersby are able to ward off the desires of the "trapped soul", usually knowing only that they must leave the great "sadness" that has been trying to seduce their aid. The further away from Glass Hill they get, the less they can recall about what tempted them.

There are times when people on Glass Hill hear two strange voices waging an intense discussion about how the "mana" should best be used.



I know its rather drawn out. But it has some unique possibilities to pursue.

 

[Hemlock Stones]

Oops... I forgot one of the significant hooks. Depending on how you want the PC's to pursue things. Imagine the PC's being guided during their slumber in dreams by a "sad" waif wanting to stop the "evil" from getting out. How long does it take for the PC's to figure out that the "evil" and the "sad" are one in the same?

Another hook for the "Magical Mountain" is that those of an arcane persuasion have been drawn to the region for 1000's of years. Not compelled from a diabolical sense, but more so because the area seems to be favorable to them, being that they are arcane. My reasoning for this is based on natural fact. Cultures developed and thrived around areas that could support them. ie. Settlements developing on fresh water lakes and rivers. Why not the same for an area rampant with arcane energies?

Heh Heh...

 

[MonsterMash]

Maybe they all have bad teeth.

Hey! I'm english you insensitive clod!


I like the post radiation theme, in my Wilderlands campaign I do it as the site of an ancient Markrab nuclear power plant buried beneath sand which is being fused by the radiation, so that digging down leads to glass, with the mutations and radiation sickness for the villagers.

 

[Buttercup]

I think I'm going to go with an arcane battle which sealed something under the hill. I'll go with the radiation sickness stuff, only the area will be a super-concentrated mana sink, and any spellcasters will have their powers heightened when they're within a certain radius of the hill, but sticking around will result in a wasting sickness and all that stuff. Villagers and domestic animals with low fertility, lots of dire squirrels, rabbits and robins (heh. dire robins) in the area, contaminated ground water and so on.

And maybe I'll throw in an evil cult. Earlier in the campaign the party had some experience with one, but they're in a different part of the world now. I had already been planning on bringing the cult back, so this works out nicely.

Thanks for all the excellent ideas, folks!

 

[Thanee]

The only thing, which I would not like with the 'radiation theme' is, that somewhere should be a reason, why the villagers are not moving away from the cursed site.

Bye
Thanee

 

[domino]

Nod, I had that thought too, but then I skipped off it: what's the point of wealth if you can't enjoy it?

I think I was unclear. Back in the woods, they do enjoy their wealth. They've got big houses, and stuff like that, hidden from everyone. They just take turns pretending to be poor for the village.

 

[Buttercup]

The only thing, which I would not like with the 'radiation theme' is, that somewhere should be a reason, why the villagers are not moving away from the cursed site.

Well, if they are being controlled by the evil cult in some way, that might explain it. Alternatively, they can't leave because they're addicted to the radiation. It kills them slowly if they stay, but quickly if they leave. Unfortunate, indeed.

 

[Torm]

That was the reason I mentioned the abundant crops and the large kept animals with unusual and sometimes prized traits - they're getting a mixed bag from the radiation, and it isn't enough to be worth it in the long run, but it IS worthwhile ENOUGH for them not to have figured that out yet.

 

[Thanee]

Yep, just wanted to make sure you got that covered, so noone gets to wonder about it later.

Bye
Thanee