Friday, April 19, 2013

World of Samardan: Quartz Fields of Kreggar...

Greetings, All:

Welcome to the seventeenth post for this year's A to Z Challenge series. I am describing 26 different locations in the World of Samardan campaign setting, one for each letter of the alphabet. Today, Q is for Quartz Fields of Kreggar.

(Hex) Quartz Fields of Kreggar

Ambiance: High up in a mountain pass, this small vale, filled with skree and rubble, glistens with an abundance of power crystal and non-charged quartz. Rough winds howl through the narrow chasm, a bitter reminder of a dying world. Small niches, carved sporadically high up the valley walls, bear wind-worn statues of squatting figures that watch silently over this barren site.

History: A long-lost cult once considered the Quartz Fields of Kreggar to be a sacred place, and carved niches for the statues of guardian spirits to watch over this place of power. After a terrible earthquake cut off access to this valley, the site fell into disuse, and was eventually abandoned. Today, tales of the Quartz Fields of Kreggar have taken on a near-legendary status, attributing oasis-like qualities to this desolate site.

Encounters: Serpentine and insectoid creatures are common in the Quartz Fields of Kreggar, while flying creatures are virtually unknown. The top-level predator in this locale are the dansarkkati (huge heavily-scaled carnivorous creatures that burrow through the earth and attacks unsuspecting victims from below). Grandanraki (large subterranean predators with iron-like claws and the psychic ability to mentally stun and confuse other creatures) inhabit caves and caverns located near this valley, but do not intrude on the territory inhabited by the dansarkkati, who appear immune to the mental stunning effects of the grandanraki. Common hazards and encounters include landslides, dansarkkati warrens and extremely high winds.

Treasure: The power crystals found on this site are an incredible treasure for those using technology based on that of the Ancient Ones. Indeed, the City-State of Torkobalem has risen to its state of military and political power through its control of more easily accessible veins. Some of the statues that stand as sentinels over this valley are adorned with gold and silver inlay, with valuable gems set into them to represent eyes.

Adventure Hooks: Adventure hooks for this site could include the following:
  • A mystic order of Mermak will pay handsomely for a clutch of grandanraki eggs from the Quartz Fields of Kreggar.
  • A scholar from Ramgrat, Malhiko Balsanan, seeks strong men to travel with him to the Quartz Fields of Kreggar in an effort to locate an alternate source of power crystals, at the behest of the Deva-Raganu of Ramgrat.
  • Doganu Drako Haranshand, an elderly noble of Valdren, is soliciting adventurers to explore the pass leading to the Quartz Fields of Kreggar in hopes of finding the wreckage of his daughter's airship, and possibly locating her if she is still alive.
  • Pansanu Forto Kudisyaran, a young noble from Deval, desires to track and kill a dansarkkat in the Quartz Fields of Kreggar so that he can place its skull on display in his manor, and he needs bait... er, guards, yes, guards to travel with him on his journey.
  • Sen Huramal Naganhen, a Sarran scholar, seeks the legendary Quartz Fields of Kreggar, hoping to find a spiritual oasis at the end of his journey, and is hiring guides to assist him on his journey.

Standard Disclaimer: As I have not yet decided where to set this particular location on the map as yet, I've left a placeholder to remind me to come back to this in the future. Later on, I'll replace (Hex) with the actual hex location, when I put all of this together into a single document.

Enjoy,
Flynn

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