Tag: dangerous

#Lore 24 – Entry #117 – Sci-Fi Month II #26 – Vellion III – Initial Scouting Report

Scouting Report from Brawnik “Devil Dog” Fangren, dispatched to Vellion III, Southern Continent, Mountain region, Draconic Ruins Site 001.  Decryption algorithm successful. 

Arrived just after dawn on Day 1, landed my scout during a rainstorm.  Sensors registered little in the way of pollutants in the rain or atmosphere, as expected of a primitive world.  Landing  site was amongst the outer ruins, elevation approximately 6500 feet, most vegetation at this level was grasses and vines, air was expectedly thin.  Immediate area, no hostiles, no wildlife.  Setup camp with my scout ship and secured camo netting, dispatched the mapping drones to cover the ruin site.  Specific data from scanners and drones attached.

Even at first glance, I recognized the distinct draconic nature of the ruins; they are practically identical to those found on Feria and other locations beyond the Barrier.  I’ll let the brains figure out the exact details, but these might not be quite as old as the ones we’ve found outside the Barrier; weathering doesn’t seem as bad, damage from vegetation growth doesn’t seem to be as extensive further down.  I’ve recognized a few symbols in the draconic tongue, matching others, so likely the language is the same.

Further down, in the deeper growth areas below the cloud line, humidity is much higher, and wildlife is abundant.  Typical jungle species, with variations of local differences.  Refer to the images attached regarding the snakes here; anyone exploring these ruins will have to be EXTREMELY cautious; think these are another Demon Sector special; they’re the size of a large constrictor but behave more like pissed off vipers, and their heads look more like what I’d call more ‘draconic’ than snake-like.  They’re spitters, too, and they can expel a lot of venom that can blind and begin to decay flesh almost immediately; they feed on the local ape species mostly from what I’ve observed, but had no fear of coming near me.  Their venom is comparable to other extremely lethal snake species according to the scanners, and they’re prevalent throughout the area of the ruins.  Maybe ancient guardians?  Had to kill a few of them; don’t recommend getting close.  Edible, though, once the venom sacs are dealt with.  Not bad.

Haven’t found signs that any locals have been here for a long time; there are old stairways and paths through the more damaged regions at the lower elevations, but these are long overgrown.  Nearest local settlement are kobolds, tribals, roughly ten miles out, to the east by the river.  Did find signs that someone has been here recently, though.  Upper levels, far side of my camp, one of the stone platforms shows signs of recent engine burn from takeoff and landing, probably a few months old.  Found footprints inside the ruins that hadn’t been washed away, just as old.  Looks like a couple light-steppers, kerryn or elves, one rattenvolk with a walking stick, and another with one of those spider-legged backpacks their techs use, and one equinarian, packing heavy gear.  Scents were all gone by the time I got there, and they cleaned up after themselves.  They set up camp inside the ruins for a while, explored internally, but I didn’t venture further in; not my area, leave that for the tomb raiders aboard the ship.  Trailblazer team?  Captain had his idea to search the system from somewhere, didn’t he?  Looked around for any notes and scanned for a beacon, but didn’t find anything of the sort, so no idea where they might’ve gone after that.  Doesn’t look like they descended below the clouds, at least on the outside; no signs of footsteps or spent cartridges down that way.

Weather is a bit temperamental here this time of year, frequent storms, heavy rain and lighting throughout my time here.  Doesn’t seem to be anything unnatural, just the geography.  Gets cold at night high up, stays uncomfortably humid further down.  Kept feeling eyes on me when it rained and I was below the clouds, though.  That kind of feeling that says intelligent, not predatory animal.  Didn’t seem hostile, just kept to themselves, whatever they were; never could find signs of them.  Ghosts or other spirits, maybe.  Worth taking caution; might get hostile if the teams start poking around for treasures.  Have some priests venture down there and have a look about.  Much more pleasant up top, good place to think up here, no distractions, nobody watching.

 

#Lore24 – Entry #71 – Fantasy Month #11 – Ruins of Shinsei Daitoshi

 

From the journal of Angeliqua “Goldeneyes” Cartacustos:

 

A rather sad topic today, but such is the nature of history.  Once the capital city of a great Kerryn empire, Shinsei Daitoshi was destroyed following the Demonic Incursion approximately two-thousand years ago, when the sealing of the dimensional breach resulted in a terribly destructive explosion, which in turn triggered the Great Cataclysm that followed, reshaping the very face of Andyllion in the process.  The true history of the city, even its true name, and the kerryn empire that it once served, has been greatly obscured and erased by decree of the first Great Dragon Emperor during the same decree that saw the kerryns themselves perpetually enslaved, lest they be allowed to cause another calamity with their demon-summoning ways.  Or so the official history states.

As a side-note here, I feel that I must note that the Order itself was founded in the century following these decrees and the foundations of the Empire, in an attempt to preserve as much history as possible from those who would seek to bury or destroy it.  Such is the way of tyrants, I suppose.

Back to the topic at hand:  The ruins of Shinsei Daitoshi still remain, however, and lie several weeks travel to the west of Draconis Magna, beyond the Ashenvale and the Broken Spine Peaks, in the region now known as the Demon Blight, a magic-scoured wasteland filled with poisonous plants, deadly creatures, and horrible monstrosities, many of which bear the taint of demons to this day.  For those adventurers brave enough to venture into the region, the city ruins can be found roughly two-days travel beyond the start of the Blight, many of the ancient buildings still standing on the outskirts, but now crumpling ruins and just as likely to house vengeful spirits of the past as a demon-tainted monster hungry for a meal. 

Beyond the outskirts, the ruins become so much rubble, eventually leading to the center of the city, where the Gateway Crater now lies, spanning over a mile in diameter and just as deep by several accounts of those who have been there and returned alive, though later accounts state that it has since, at least partially, filled with toxic water infused with the lingering demonic essence in the area.  The entire region is likewise a wild zone for magical energies, with terrible arcane storms flaring up without warning, and spellcasting of all types becoming unreliable at best, dangerous to its wielders and their allies at worst, as the very magical essences are twisted and corrupted as they are cast, resulting in wild, unexpected outcomes, though most accounts indicate explosive results are the most common. 

And yet, there are always those foolhardy enough to risk venturing into the region and the city center, for there are still treasures to be uncovered, long lost secrets to scour from the destruction, lying buried in the rubble or in the vast underground tombs that were once the very buildings that composed the city.  The Emperor has of course decreed that such ventures are outlawed, but that has done little to stop such activities, as there are many places beyond the empire where such secrets are worth a fortune. 

I must admit that even I have a desire to at least see the ruins of Shinsei Daitoshi for myself, to walk amongst the ancient kerryn buildings and witness the Gateway Crater for myself.  I can only imagine what history has yet to be uncovered there, and perhaps what secrets may be uncovered that the Emperor wishes to remain thus.  I have much training to do yet, and will also admit to having little worldly experience in adventuring, so it is unlikely that I’ll ever venture there, but still, one can dream, though it may be considered a strange and terrible dream.  As a student of history, however, I feel rather obligated to uncover as much of it as possible in the small length of time I have upon this world.

LORE24 ENTRY #13 – Demon Sector

Category – Place

The Demon Sector, as it is known, is actually a region of space that is far larger than what is typically defined as a sector, though it was discovered and thusly named in the early days of space exploration, and the name stuck.  The region is surrounded by an unnatural, and as yet unexplained, energy barrier known as the Demon Barrier which prevents any ships from entering this region of space.  

The name ‘Demon Sector’ was originally given during the first studies of the region using long-range telescopes and probes (all of which were destroyed immediately upon entry, and any ships that tried to enter were severely damaged, if not outright destroyed), in the days when only 72 stars were detected (since, many more, comparable with regions of known space, have been discovered), with a particularly large cluster near the center of the region consisting of a singular large central star surrounded by a half dozen slightly less intense stars.  The lead researcher on what would become the Demon Sector Research Project, an elf by the name of Faeranduil Quivernelle, being familiar with the historical records of the ancient times when demons were common, thought it appropriate to name the central star Bael, and proceeded to name the rest of the stars after other powerful demons.  There was some pushback on this, but given the nature of the barrier and the lack of ability to penetrate it, and the number of ships damaged in the attempts to pass through, the names stuck.

In the modern era, after thousands of years of waiting, the Demon Sector was finally breached in a completely unexpected manner by an unexpected source, namely the kerryn explorer Lila Darius the 34th and her crew.  With the aid of her friend, Releana Veylani and her company, Veylani Transport, Darius had somehow managed to develop a new iteration of the TK-Drive that would become known as the Advanced TK-Drive, or A-TK, which would combine modern technology with what was, until this event, powerful, lost magic that would allow them to successfully traverse the Demon Barrier and come out in one piece on the far side.  Since then, thousands have rushed to the region and began exploring the nearest systems, and the first permanent settlements have been created in the Valefar system, the nearest of the Demon Sector stars to the Barrier and the nearest world, Sentinel Prime.