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EKSTASIA
EASTERN CONTINENT GYRUSIA
In ancient times, during the Gyrus Dynasty (approx. 2000 years ago), the entire continent was unified under the conqueror Temporania Gyrus VII, until Anurathion the Frog God was awakened by the Vampire rebellion under the undead conqueror Ilium Guk and plummeted the continent into chaos. Now, it is a lawless and chaotic land. The Principality of Guk, whose sovereign leader Prince Guk maintains closed borders by employing mercenary Elites, with whom the government of Guk has a shadowy arrangement. Vampires are all but fully banished from Guk, except under the employ of his rule as an army for hire. The realms to the east of the continent remain largely neutral, and are united under the Confederacy of Zither. After being forced from their land, the Elven exiles of Abacus to the west settled the area known now as Zither. The various City States maintained themselves through strong defense and fortification until opening their borders once self-reliance was established. Now, they face political enemies from within, vying for power through corruption and chaos. Zither is plagued with a variety of ethos, some of which are elf-supremacist, which many argue is the result of generational traumas from imperialism unresolved.
WESTERN CONTINENT HOLLINDAGEN
Much of Hollindagen’s recent history was shaped by the emergence of the Chalkanium: a white human-supremacist empire hellbent on remaking the world in its narrow dogmatic worldview. At least, this remains central to its central ethos. The Chalkanium has fallen under decay in its 169 years of conquest. Its leadership, afflicted by multiple diseases and setbacks, has become weak and impotent in its ways. The rest of Ekstasia awaits the empire’s collapse; yet somehow, the empire always has found ways to further subjugate and conquer. The ancient kingdom of Abacus, a flourishing dark-skinned Elven ethnostate was wiped from the map 169 years ago when the Chalkanium ravaged its land and obliterated the Abacus way of life through calculated ethnic cleansing and genocide. It is said that the Chalkanian Empire worships the god of metal, war and supremacy: Industrios. This has had devastating consequences on the world of Ekstasia, namely the scattering of several ethnic and racial groups into an extreme diaspora that has all but completely eliminated the old ways of living as part of nature in that region. Over the centuries, the nationstates of Phaedra and Lauzeta, now split into two nations, in addition to the Sultanate of Niminya, have been able to resist the advances of the Chalkanium. This is because of their military strength, superior defensive strategy, and strong relations with each other.
Ekstasian Alliance:
Composed of the Duchy of Lauzeta, the Kingdom of Phaedra, and the Sultanate of Niminya. Lauzeta and Phaedra were originally one nation called Altawam or Altawama. Humans, halflings, tieflings, orcs, half elves and dwarves populate this part of the world. They exist consolidated under their respective national rulers; however, much of this part of the world is free from class distinctions and all the land and means of production are shared, especially in the Sultanate of Niminya which according to rumors as of 162 CE (Chalkanium Era) is getting ready to merge with its allies Lauzeta and Phaedra to become the Syndicalist Republic of Ekstasis, provided the Chalkanium collapse in on itself.
The Chalkanium:
A fascist empire consisting of human-supremacists, they convinced the tiefling tribes of Chaitius and Lablake to turn on their own people and thus began the Chalkanian Empire. Now those tribes, along with the orc tribes Lauzetaya, Ora, and Tousayl, have been subjugated and enslaved by the cunning Sorcerer Legions of Chalkania 160 years ago. For the last 160 years the Chalkanium has conquered the neighboring nations of Chaitius, Egebamyasi, Tousayl-Sona, the Dragonborn Isles of Unasz, and has sealed off the mysterious land known as the Whisper, which is the site of many unexplained occurrences such as the sudden disappearance of Chalkanian Legions who enter the lands in conquest. The Chalkanium has been held at bay by its neighbors to the northwest; the three kingdoms known as the Ekstasian Alliance. Most of the names of the towns and land features of the Chalkanium have been renamed after notable Chalkies, with several exceptions in which the original names were preserved as a way to falsely oblige treaties (land acknowledgment). Many of its natural resources in the provinces and colonies have been used up; the resource in the heart of the empire, Central Chalkania, is being hoarded by the Empire. Most of the climate in the Chalkanian Provinces and colonies are desolate and strangled earth; churned and burned by industry and warfare. Due to the low intelligence of its historians and politicians (yet extreme nationalist pride and ego) a lot of the names given to themselves and their conquered regions seek to empower themselves with mighty prefixes and suffixes belonging to dragons and other subjugated beings. However, they still have fragile egos that overcompensate, and often their successes in worldly domination is due to dumb luck. Or perhaps there is a larger plan at play in the shadows….
ISLANDS AND REACHES
The two main continents of Ekstasia, Gyrusia and Hollindagen, were once joined as one large continent in prehistoric times. Legend says it was referred to as the Mariposita, the small butterfly, because of its shape resembling such. This word was used by the gods Ekstasia (Creator of the world) and Industrios (counterbalance God of destruction), and their offspring Phaedranos, Lauzetana, Niminyaio, Higgsry, and Gyrusianas. Industrios created the demigods of the world called Hollind, Anurathion, and Unasz, with the intention of having them battle each other for his entertainment. His children, Higgsry of the Goliaths, and Gyrusianas of the gnomes, tried to stop the fighting and were killed by Industrios. Furious with this heinous act, Ekstasia killed Industrios. This then began an age of people, non deity beings with free will, the many races of Ekstasia, descendants of these gods and demigods. Ekstasia then created the demigods Eye (fox god of western humans), and the nonbinary siblings Adi & Aba (elf gods). With the death of Higgsry, his soul was split into the Goliaths who were then exiled to the northwestern most islands of Ekstasia. When Gyrusianas was killed, her soul was split into the gnome race who were then exiled to what is now called Rustwind. Hollind, a prankster god who is often referred to as the son of Higgsry, created the humans and specifically the Chal tribe who were then corrupted by the soul of Industrios, thus empowering them to become the Chalkanian empire.
RECORD OF EKSTASIA ADVENTURES
The Year is 169 Chalkanium Era (CE)
Ship name: the Waveform Runner, Captain Kalindyr, Port Magdalia, Niminya.
Guy (Aarakocra Bard) stowed away on board the ship following his nose to an amazing rare spice.
Dyana (Kalashtar Cleric) is roaming Ekstasia from another dimension looking for a place to bury her memory of her brother.
Aelun (Tiefling Druid) is searching for their mother and so boards the ship.
Daeryn (Half-elf Ranger) is one of the hired crewmates (security guard) for Captain Kalindyr.
Trolley (Halfling Bard) is travelling to Guk to help organize resistance and aid for the oppressed peoples there.
Randir (Half-elf Ranger) is roaming throughout the continent of Gyrusia.
The Waveform Runner redirects north directly into an unnatural storm to avoid Chalkanium weapons tests near the main Chalkanium coast; it is marooned in an unknown snowy coastal region.
Aelun wakes up on a floating rear section of the destroyed ship that has begun to float back out to see; the captain is impaled with a wooden mast at the wheel of the ship; she motions to Aelun to retrieve the captain's log and whatever she can from her quarters below deck; the captain then dies; Aelun retrieves the book and a small chest from below deck, which is half underwater; the segment of the ship they are on drifts back out to sea.
Daeryn, who wakes up on the shore, notices Aelun drifting away and tosses her rope to Aelun and pulls them inland.
Trolley wakes up among the wreckage and sees Daeryn trying to rescue Dyana, who is meditating on death while the segment of the ship she’s on starts to also drift out to sea.
Daeryn tries to wake up Dyana, who has resigned herself to death’s embrace while the wreckage drifts farther into the frigid ocean waters. After a second attempt, Daeryn wakes up Dyana and they both latch on to the rope.
Guy wakes up and flies over to help Trolley and Aelun pull the rope with Dyana and Daeryn in tow.
They successfully rescue them; Dyana resumes her meditative posture after thanking Anubis the God of Death for saving her, ignoring the team’s efforts.
Guy smells the spice again, and flies away into the snowy forest wilderness.
The team starts a fire to keep warm, as the sun is setting beautifully melancholy among the carnage of the corpses of the dead crew members and wreckage of the Waveform Runner.
Dyana, who remains in meditation on the lapping frigid shoreline, does not break concentration as the team picks her up and brings her close to the fire so that she doesn’t freeze. (She’s not wearing very much) As they sit around and introduce themselves to each other, three blood hawks swoop in from the forest and attack Dyana.
Aelun dispatches two of the blood hawks with the ice knife attack, freezing the corpses of the birds in blocks of ice. The third blood hawk is scared off and flees.
They cook the hawks and take turns keeping watch, as there’s howling and screeching coming from the woods.
Trolley plays mellow tunes on their lute in the night camp.
***
In the morning they wake up to four bandits decked with blue bandanas / rags sneaking up on camp, weapons drawn.
One of them sees Trolley, a halfling, and moves up to attack at melee range; he lands a small amount of damage. Dyana completely obliterates the human bandit with a magic spell; this causes fear in the other bandit.
(two humans, one half-orc and one half-elf)
The party engages the bandits and one by one finishes them off. During the battle, Dyana reveals a raging hate specifically against the human bandits. The last remaining bandit pleads for his life but is ruthlessly cut down by Dyana, who explains that if it was the half-elf bandit that remains she would have held back. She won’t explain why she hates humans, just that she does.
The party spots a pillar of smoke in the horizon to the southeast and set off on a day’s journey.
They travel 20 miles and take a long rest with no incident.
***
The next morning, they come to an encampment of four bandits; two regular bandits and two bandit captains. One pair bandit / bandit captain is donning red and the other pair is wearing blue. They are arguing.
The party decides to engage in full stealth with a major stealth buff from Aelun’s spell, and watch the camp through the trees. Dyana notices that they are humans except for one orc, and starts to get enraged. (The orc is wearing red)
Daeryn successfully sneaks closer to the campfire and hears them arguing over what sounds like a weapons deal.
Dyana waltzes right in and confuses the bandits by exclaiming their leader sent her, who are uneasy but believe her because of their low intelligence. The captain in blue starts to pull out his dagger but is at ease when Dyana convinces them she really was sent by their leader, who the human in blue stupidly reveals is a woman named Juulestra.
As the conversation continues, the blue bandit blurts out that they “weren’t going to go behind juulestra’s and grum’s backs and split the earning of the fresh meat” which pisses off the red captain who insults the blue bandits. A fight between them ensues, and both the blue bandits are killed in the fight, especially when the blue captain is so angry he walks right into the fire. The red orc leaps over to the money chest and shouts that no one will take the money; the red captain attacks Dyana. Trolley yells for the orc bandit to flee, but the orc ignores them.
A fight has now broken out; Daeryn tries to back Trolley up and tell the orc to flee; the orc starts to realize this is a losing fight and flees to the other side of the camp with the treasure chest in tow.
Dyana and Daeryn fight the red bandit captain while Trolley tries to persuade the orc to surrender and join the team. The orc is almost convinced but still refuses. Trolley explains that Dyana is so prejudiced against humans that anyone allied with humans is a target of her wrath. The orc exclaims that he, Zarlog Bonesmasher, is not a Chalkie, and that he can tell they party are not Chalkies; but that the blue bandits have been seen working with the Chalkies. Zarlog also tells Trolley that he works for the Staggs, and that the other guys (in blue) were Morgans.
Aelun transforms into a direwolf and severely wounds and knocks down the orc. Trolley pulls Zarlog into the woods to get away from the fray.
Dyana establishes a psychic connection with Trolley to learn about the conversation they’re having with Zarlog, and gleans the same info Trolley does.
Dyana and Daeryn continue to battle the human red bandit captain; they eventually subdue him when Aelun helps them out. He pleads for his life, and says he can help them cover up; that killing the Morgans and Staggs will have to be explained in order to prevent all out bloodshed between the two families. He also spills the beans about trafficking humanoids behind the backs of his superiors, and that all he knows is that the trafficked beings are sold to people “in the south”. Then he tells them about how the Morgans have been spotted colluding with Chalkanian soldiers at the coast, and that they are potentially being harbored by Morgans in their town.
Meanwhile Trolley gets Zarlog to agree to share the gold with them in exchange for convincing the rest of the party to spare his life. He also must bring them to the Koldensnoh Trading Post and introduce them to Grum Brewgunner, his superior, and that he will explain everything and try to clear their names, and tell him that the Morgans were eaten by a saber tooth or something like that.
Koldensnoh Trading Post is three quarters’ of a day’s journey from the camp.
Do they trust Zarlog, who is on death’s doorstep (1HP)?
Find out next time!
***