Broken Emr, The Domain of Enyo the Leveller
Emr
is a land of rubble and ruin, of shattered cities and tumbled walls. Scrape
the ground anywhere in Emr and you’ll uncover a road, or patio, or foundation. Carvings
and writings are worn to indecipherability; paintings and murals little more
than scaps of color hinting at what they might have been. Springs flow from
broken fountains, forming streams and rivers that course through canyons of
worked stone. Trees break through cobbled streets, and vines pull inexorably at
the remaining walls.
Enyo seemingly takes little notice
of who lives in Emr, and it is relatively safe by most standards. Its principal
inhabitants are scavengers, hunter/gatherers, and beasts of all sorts. These
live by their nature, ignoring visitors unless hungry, or tempted by something
they’ve brought from outside. Building and constructing is the only taboo in
Emr; erecting any sort of permanent structure immediately draws the attention
and wrath of all nearby natives, who will attack and destroy any such attempts.
Artificial and worked materials more complex than leather, pottery, or simple knits degrade quickly in Emr. Even iron, if worked, rusts to uselessness within a decade. Spells and magic items that create or preserve physical items (including structures) do not operate, and may lose puissance and become wholly powerless if they remain in Emr too long.
Entering Emr is achieved from within a ruined structure, where the appropriate spell must be cast. Each person seeking entrance must destroy an object of value. There is little traditional treasure in Emr, but it is believed that every ruin there is the mirror of one in the Wyrld, and searching one can give clues to the other. Also, no few people have found Emr a useful place of exile or seclusion. It is believed that more valuable sacrifices increase the chance of arriving in Emr near one’s destination. The One Tree, Gray Road, and Wyrldflow also touch upon Emr.
Encounters in Emr
Emr
can be considered a stereotypical wilderness, except fey and undead are very
rare and there are no organized societies beyond small tribes.
·
Orbin Scalmon (hm F7)is the scion of a deposed
noble family who entered Emr to find the mirror of his family’s ancestral holding
(slighted almost a century ago) and search for clues to the rumored
treasure-laden subterranean vaults. He’s been here a month without success, and
has lost all of his retinue except two guardsmen, their serjeant, and Ren, a cleric of
Adosil (hm C5) and secretly Orbin's half-brother. Their supplies are gone, clothing in tatters, and desperately
want to get out. They are being followed by a pair of ogres who are
anticipating a good meal or two.
· The Vermilion Locket, a cog-type ship that travels the myriad branches of Wyrldflow, has gone aground in Emr. Ships travelling the Wyrldflow are typically immune to Emr's deleterious effects, but the Vermilion Locket is aground and Emr has begun to shift the channel of the Wyrldflow away from the stranded ship. The characters are dispatched to locate the ship and its Very Important Passenger (which might be a royal bride; an evil cleric; a powerful magic item being sent as a bribe or payment...). They're not the only party searching: the owners are looking for the ship, and a faction opposed to the characters' is also closing in (who is looking to rescue the passenger, and who is looking to stymie any rescue, is left up to the GM.