Tales of the world...

[Marullus]

We can post facts or rumors in this thread as they are established in play, making easier reference later on.

Gameworld Structure:

There is a single, large city—Ambaret, seat of the largest monarchy in the region—and
the various districts and idiosyncratic characters that can be found within.

The Borderlands provides information on four different types of settlements outside the city.
Levasti is the wealthy countryside just outside the safety of the city’s walls, where the minor
nobility lord over the serfs who work their land. Deverain is a semi-independent duchy with
larger ambitions, but its own host of problems due to its proximity to the forest. Fort Duhrin
is a royal outpost on the edge of the dreaded forest, and the ideal launching point for many
adventures. Kormoran’s Wheel is a recently-established but unsanctioned tent city within the
borders of the forest itself.

The Forest covers the magical and monstrous things found within the wilds of the great and
terrible Kalduhr Forest.

(Tables exist for fleshing out anything within any of these areas, or you can create them with your own narrative freedom.)

[Marullus]

The Witch of Nevask
Starting Rumors...

The dreaded Forest of Kalduhr holds both horror and wonder for those brave fools who seek
to traverse it. Anyone who frequently travels the roads out of Fort Duhrin, speaks in hushed
tones of The Witch of Nevask. Each traveler has their own set of stories and rumors—how she
is encountered, who she helps, what she can do.

THE NAME NEVASK
The Nevask is one of two rivers that runs
through the Kalduhr, and is said to have
been named after the witch—not the other
way around. Sprung from somewhere deep
within the forest, it tumbles breakneck over
miles of stones and bones. It’s surprisingly
deep for its breadth. As is true of the witch,
many travelers do not appreciate the danger
it poses until it is already too late. The Naveh
River, Nevask’s twin, has stories of its own.

ON CHILD-REARING
The witch has long been used as a bogey for
local children. It seems all parents know the
witch “personally,” and spend some portion
of their social life regaling the witch with
stories of their children’s failings to eat their
vegetables, clean their rooms, or do their
chores. Such children are offered an opportunity
to be taken away by the witch, where
she shoves them in her hut, never to see the
sun again, with only bugs and grubs to eat.

ON CHILDREN’S TOYS
A child’s doll left too close to the woods will
often gain the ability to say a word or two.
One of these words is often “Nevask.” Such
dolls must be burned before they can move
on their own. It’s said that the witch can see
through the eyes of these dolls, and can bid
them do her will.

[Marullus]

Levasti
Bucolic. Pastoral. Steeped in tradition. The Levasti countryside is one of the most peaceful and
beautiful places in Kalduhr. It’s a land free of the stench of Ambaret and the terrors of Fort
Duhrin, a place where you can live in harmony with the land, raise children, and grow old.
But the people of the Levasti countryside are no fools—they understand that what they have
is special, and that Kalduhr has a long and terrible history which must always be remembered.
They choose to remember this history through the tradition of the “estate festival,” in which
the great landowners of the Levasti countryside throw feasts and fetes designed to honor a
specific event from the past.

FEAST OF THE SERPENT’S FALL
This festival celebrates an ancient uprising in
the Kingdom of Naganeh, when the common
people overthrew the snake-men kings who
ruled them. The feast is held in the great hall
of a Levasti manor house, and the guests are
invited to wander the house as they wish in
an attempt to find thirteen poisonous adders
that have been hidden throughout. Those
who find a snake are entitled to an expensive
prize sponsored by the estate holder. At the
end of the feast, the thirteen adders are beheaded
and buried near the estate’s border.

THE OLD SERPENT
Most villages fear the wisdom and cruelty of
serpents, but a few venerate the Old Serpent.
Those who revere her respectfully address
her as “grandmother” and leave offerings in
the places where her children den. Villagers
who have survived a snakebite are said to
have her blessing: they can speak the language
of serpents and see through their eyes.
Such favored ones have the power to cure all
poisons and venoms, but may charge what
price they see fit. Some scholars see in this
belief a distorted version of the serpent faith
of the kingdom of Naganeh.

The Cult of the Serpent Queen
Centuries ago, the world cowered at the name of Sehtet ils Noh, the Devourer. Ambitious and
resolute, this conquering queen spread her empire across the world. Even today, statues of the
Serpent Queen tower over the lands she once subjugated. Rulers and pretenders alike claim her
as an ancestor, seeking to emulate her victories. Some view the Serpent Queen as a bringer of
order, whose conquests brought peace and prosperity—others remember her as a tyrant.
Central to the reign of Sehtet ils Noh was her embrace of the serpent cult and its secret rites.
The queen cultivated the priesthood of the serpent and was initiated into their mysteries. The
devotees of the snake cult became her closest advisors, and their mystical beliefs are said to
have inspired both her courage and her cunning.
Legends vary when they speak of Sehtet ils Noh’s death. Some say it was a Sister who drove a
holy blade into the Serpent Queen’s heart, while others say she took her own life as her armies
fled from an alliance of rival nations. Still others say she was cut down by an assassin within the
ranks of the serpent cult itself. In Naganeh, the priestesses of the Devourer teach that Sehtet ils
Noh did not truly die at all. Instead, she transcended her own mortality and ascended to godhood,
shedding her physical form as a snake sheds its skin. The faithful pray to her for wisdom,
for strength of character, and for deliverance from the cruelties of the world.

What's the Cult up to? (Rumors)
Protecting an exiled member of the
Naganeh royal family against assassins sent
by their vengeful cousins. Such abandoned
offshoots of the ruling clan could be useful if
the kingdom were ever to undergo a succession
crisis.