Legacies of Veridocia: The Dark Dominion

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Introduction

Veridocia

(Carcerus)

The Island of Carcerus is so named because many decades ago, crime was rife on Veridocia, and so its rulers decreed the island to be a prison for ne’er do wells and vagabonds. Ohran served as a temporary prison town until the prison ships were prepared to depart. Captained by a small crew of enforcers, they would sail to the jagged rocks along the south coast of Carcerus, and deliberately dash the ship across them. The Captain would then gather his crew together, and Egress from the sinking vessel. The prisoners that didn’t drown were stranded on an island that was far less hospitable than their homeland.

Carcerus is renowned for its barren landscape and harsh, stormy weather. The coast is regularly battered by violent seas, and the lands are often drenched by rain that is mildly acidic. Little grows here, and staying out in the rain for too long can be fatal as the caustic nature of the precipitation slowly burns the flesh from the bones. Wind and thunderstorms are practically daily occurrences, and being caught unawares can be costly to those unprepared for the harsh conditions.

Despite all of this, communities grew from the survivors of the prison expeditions. As ages past, new generations of ruler on Veridocia felt guilt for the actions of their forebears, and they sent emmisaries on missions of mercy to the descendants of the convicted; after all, they had committed no crime. The Veridocians brought supplies to feed the hungry, expert farmers to help them make the best of the land, and mages to help them tame the worst of the weather. The rain now merely stings after prolonged exposure; the windstorms no longer wrench entire towns from the earth and dump them in the sea, and the lightning is less frequent. The Carcerans were immeasurably grateful, and the emissary missions became a seasonal endeavour. Carcerus began to flourish.

But then came Marath.

Somewhere between 5 and 10 years ago, Marath began to take over settlements that offered little resistance, and the people quickly began to obey him. Within a couple of months, he controlled the entire southern coast, and when the Veridocian emissaries arrived, he used siege weapons to sink the ship. When word reached Signus, the king ordered more ships be sent to ascertain what had happened, only to receive word that these too had been sunk. Unwilling to lose any more good people to the barbarity with which they were murdered, the king ended the emissary expeditions, cutting Carcerus off from the outside world.

Until a message – written and stuffed into a glass bottle – washed up on the shores near Ohran…

· Eye of Carcerus – An independent biome built by powerful wizards from Signus, it is entirely cut off from the unforgiving wastelands beyond the walls. No one knows how to get in, and so far, no one has come out to reveal it.

· New Signus – A once-large city, New Signus served as the capital of Carcerus. Not nearly as majestic as Signus, it was still a magnificent feat considering the lack of resources on the island of Carcerus. Since Marath’s reign of terror however, many of its people have either fled, been taken, or killed. It now stands as a crumbling ruin.

· New Erium – This city was built to monitor the volcano known as Mt. Carcer, and plans were drawn to utilise the mineral-rich rock covering the region to reinvigorate other parts of the island’s natural potential. Marath’s tyrannical onslaught all but destroyed the city, and its inhabitants – like New Signus before it – were either taken, murdered, or forced to flee for their lives.

· Marath’s Keep – The eastern half of the island seems to be blanketed by perpetual winter. As the land eroded, parts of the island plunged into the sea, separating Marath’s stronghold from Carcerus, and making it practically impossible to attack him there. On the coast of the main island, lines of basic dwellings serve as barracks for his many loyal warriors, and it is from here that Marath dominates the people.

· Emissar – The only port town on the island, it was built by the first Veridocian expedition, and was named Emissar after the emissaries that gave much needed aid to the Carcerans. As with most things, it has fallen to ruin under Marath’s malicious rule.

· Marathia – A once bustling community with its own identity, this small hamlet – formerly known as Arnica – was the first of many to fall to Marath’s forces, and to this day it remains a fortified stronghold from which to deploy troops on various missions of nefarious intent.

· Twigvale – So named because of its proximity to a decaying forest, many of Twigvale’s buildings are made from the dead wood found nearby. It has a twisted, gnarled appearance that is unnerving to those not used to such architecture.

· Sandford – Built upon a sandbank by the river, Sandford is fortunate enough to be one of the few places on the island that is able to grow and sustain basic crops and vegetation, making it an invaluable location. Marath has tried many times to take it, but with his forces spread so widely, and all bridges leading to the hamlet destroyed, the overlord’s presence is not strong here.

· Mt. Carcer – A large volcano that has caused massive devastation on Carcerus in the past, some have come to worship it, believing it to be a conduit through which Nazalem speaks to them. It has not erupted in recent memory, though the mountains and surrounding lands are unstable, regularly spewing scalding steam and smoke into the air.

· Bone Beach – This location is the result of a magical miscalculation (or perhaps sabotage) at the beach. Once merely a place to bury the dead, the sand now shifts to allow the reanimated corpses of the deceased to clamber free of their graves. Most get lost within the barren forest nearby, but some find their way through, making Sandford a dangerous place to live.

· Blackwood – Once a lush and vibrant forest, a pyroclastic cloud destroyed it many years ago. The trees are essentially petrified, and they’re no use even as firewood. Attempting to use the trees in any way causes them to simply crumble to dust.

· Reverse River – Unlike any other river, which would flow down towards the sea, this river flows in the opposite direction. It takes water from the sea, which flows up towards the Eye of Carcerus in a waterfall that travels upwards. The popular theory is that the two stone monuments either side of it use powerful magic to purify the salty water of the sea, and fight the natural flow to provide those residing above with an endless supply of clean drinking water.

· Gale Peak – This mountain range is largely unexplored, primarily due to the fact that the windstorms are so brutal up there that any who try to traverse the mountains end up blown from their feet and dashed against the rocky faces below, or are thrown into the sea. Some superstitions suggest that Nazalem is angered by those that try and reach the tallest peak, and punishes them for their hubris. Others believe that malevolent spirits of the dead, or even sentient storms, stalk the mountain tops in search of live prey.

· The Ice Wastes – Once an idyllic lake that was both a beauty spot and a reliable source of food and water for the inhabitants of Carcerus, the freak wintery conditions that seem to have accompanied Marath’s rise to power froze the lake solid. Any efforts to intentionally cut into or break the ice fail. Yet those that choose to travel across it still risk falling through it. The lake has claimed many lives, and what was once revered for its natural splendour, is now feared for its harsh, random claiming of lives.