UnderRealm: Difference between revisions
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The Underrealm is a series of caverns, often hundreds of many hundreds of meters in diameter, some even greater, linked together by natural caverns, tunnels and the under roads. It is not a dark place, the bacteria which feed on thermal vents found throughout the underealm are luminscent, forming thick biofilms in many caverns and tunnels. Be it night or day, many caverns are awash with vibrant light. | The Underrealm is a series of caverns, often hundreds of many hundreds of meters in diameter, some even greater, linked together by natural caverns, tunnels and the under roads. It is not a dark place, the bacteria which feed on thermal vents found throughout the underealm are luminscent, forming thick biofilms in many caverns and tunnels. Be it night or day, many caverns are awash with vibrant light. | ||
The origin of the Underholds is unknown, a race native (so they claim) to the Underrealm | The origin of the Underholds is unknown, a race native (so they claim) to the Underrealm claim no knowledge of their construction. | ||
More detailed setting notes can be found here. It covers a range of topics and offers some information on the semi-scientific background inspiration for why things are, that people in the underrealm probably don't understand themselves. | |||
[[UnderRealmSetting]] | [[UnderRealmSetting]] | ||
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The physical features of a Djinnae are unknown to most, due to their cultural dress. Every member wears some form of full-body cloak or robe, along with gloved hands and a mask or hood of some kind. Their clothes are often decorated with multiple knick-knacks and are sewn together with seemingly-random fabrics. They’re shorter than most people, and their limbs seem longer than normal for humans. Beneath their robes, they resemble human-sized monkeys, covered in brown hair, but with human faces and hands, and no tail. | The physical features of a Djinnae are unknown to most, due to their cultural dress. Every member wears some form of full-body cloak or robe, along with gloved hands and a mask or hood of some kind. Their clothes are often decorated with multiple knick-knacks and are sewn together with seemingly-random fabrics. They’re shorter than most people, and their limbs seem longer than normal for humans. Beneath their robes, they resemble human-sized monkeys, covered in brown hair, but with human faces and hands, and no tail. | ||
Djinnae are keen-minded and have a love for technology and exploration. Many are scavengers or merchants, finding deposits of crystals or lost treasures and selling them in UnderHolds. They also work as craftsmen, producing various goods for sale to others | Djinnae are keen-minded and have a love for technology and exploration. Many are scavengers or merchants, finding deposits of crystals or lost treasures and selling them in UnderHolds. They also work as craftsmen, producing various goods for sale to others. They’re particularly fond of crystals, and many great alchemists or magicians are Djinnae. | ||
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:Under the blue light of a sunstone, various surface crops can be grown. | :Under the blue light of a sunstone, various surface crops can be grown. | ||
::10 points | ::10 points | ||
::Supports 5 population 5 Units of fruit | ::Supports 5 population, 5 Units of fruit | ||
Fortifications | Fortifications | ||
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::10 points | ::10 points | ||
::Provides 2 population | ::Provides 2 population | ||
Cavern City | |||
: | |||
::20 points | |||
::Provides 4 population | |||
Revision as of 13:19, 22 January 2015
UnderRealm is set in the UnderRealm deep beneath the earth. Fleeing an environmental catastrophe inhabitants of the surface fled underground to cities and warrens constructed ever deeper into the earth.
In time, many discovered entrances into a deep otherwordly realm of caverns, tunnels and ancient fortresses, long abandoned. Seemingly finding refuge, they settled eagerly into these fortresses, exploiting the protection they offered in this dangerous and mysterious new world. The locations of the entrances are lost and the surface has become but a fable.
You the player, are one of these 'UnderHolds', a city in a world still mostly unexplored, connected only by the relative safety of various 'under roads', which connect the fortresses together. Gaining in confidence, many advocate exploration of roads leading into the unknown, some leading deeper into the earth, where the delvers, who claim to of built the Underholds, warn dark creatures lie in wait.
Inspirations: Final Fantasy, Dragon Age, D&D, Arcana: Iron and Magic (Shrike's SD upon which the ruleset is based)
Setting
The Underrealm is a series of caverns, often hundreds of many hundreds of meters in diameter, some even greater, linked together by natural caverns, tunnels and the under roads. It is not a dark place, the bacteria which feed on thermal vents found throughout the underealm are luminscent, forming thick biofilms in many caverns and tunnels. Be it night or day, many caverns are awash with vibrant light.
The origin of the Underholds is unknown, a race native (so they claim) to the Underrealm claim no knowledge of their construction.
More detailed setting notes can be found here. It covers a range of topics and offers some information on the semi-scientific background inspiration for why things are, that people in the underrealm probably don't understand themselves.
Known History
Little is known from the period before the settlement of the Underholds. Oral tradition and fragmented records state most denizens of the underrealm are from the surface, a lush land of greenery with a open sky bathed in light. Forced from the sky world as it turned to ice and snow, they dwelt underground for many years, sheltered from the cold.
Geography
UpperRealm
The UpperRealms was the first to be settled. It contains the most intact Underholds and UnderRoads but lacks many of the rare minerals, creatures and treasures found deeper in the subterranean warrens The Underholds here are old, proud but lack experience with the sharper edge of life in the underrealm.
UnderRealms Nations gain 10 free population (crafty people, they don't require support) due to their age and overcrowded nature and 100 wealth
LowerRealms
In time, the Underholds grew fat and overcrowded and migrants delved ever deeper, eventually finding several routes to the lowerrealm, a more dangerous but more rewarding area with more vibrant wildlife, rare minerals and Underholds though more damaged, but containing vaults of artifacts.
Travel to the lowerRealm from the upper either involves the dragons back, a path spiralling downwards through a deep cavern, or one of several UnderHolds who possess ancient mechanical elevators seemingly designed for the purpose of trade between both sections of the UnderRealm.
LowerRealms nations gain either two free mines or two free beast pens and may roll 1D6 for rare artefacts.
DeepRealms
General Geography
Consult this for a general overview of the world.
National Placement Map
Consult this when choosing nation placement. One Cavern is one Hex except for those inside a Underhold.
Races
Humans
You're human. Shut up.
Humans are pretty varied. If you have bunny ears, cat ears, elven ears, your just another human.
Djinnae
The physical features of a Djinnae are unknown to most, due to their cultural dress. Every member wears some form of full-body cloak or robe, along with gloved hands and a mask or hood of some kind. Their clothes are often decorated with multiple knick-knacks and are sewn together with seemingly-random fabrics. They’re shorter than most people, and their limbs seem longer than normal for humans. Beneath their robes, they resemble human-sized monkeys, covered in brown hair, but with human faces and hands, and no tail.
Djinnae are keen-minded and have a love for technology and exploration. Many are scavengers or merchants, finding deposits of crystals or lost treasures and selling them in UnderHolds. They also work as craftsmen, producing various goods for sale to others. They’re particularly fond of crystals, and many great alchemists or magicians are Djinnae.
Ferran
Ferrans are most known for their unique diet – in addition to human food, these humans can feed on certain metals. This is not a natural evolution, but rather a byproduct of prolonged exposure to certain ores found in the deeper UnderRealm. A Ferran who comes into contact with iron, copper, or gold finds the metal bonding to his skin, slowly absorbed into his flesh like ice melting. This process is involuntary, painful, and extremely intoxicating, making it every difficult to stop when it has begun.
Ferrans resemble humans. However, the marks of their diet are present in blotches and protrusions of metal in their bodies, skin transformed into a strange, living alloy. The texture and colouration depends on the absorbed metal, and is a mixture of hybrid tissue and actual metal. Ferrans do not age unless utterly deprived of metal from birth; if killed, soft tissue quickly rots and hybrid flesh coalesces into true metal, leaving their skeleton and growths behind. Many Ferrans also have traces of sunstone in them; rare members develop natural Crystalium cores in the center of their torsos, granting them innate (and untrained) magical power. Many develop strange transformations resembling natural magitech, granting them strange and useful abilities. Ferran’s need for other food and water is much less than most humans, and is eventually eliminated altogether.
Ferrans originate from the deeper, smaller UnderHolds. They tend to eschew company of other humans, mistrusting them and causing conflicts due to their hunger for metal and tempting appeal to greedy men.
Making a Nation
Nations are created using X nation points.
A nation can only have as much population as it has support for. Population provides X wealth.
Underholds
UnderHolds are ancient fortresses built into entire caverns, or possibly cut from the rock itself. They are all lined with a tough unbreakable base layer of hexagonal brickwork overlaid with various materials such as marble (styled in something that resembles baroque), often this is replaced by whatever denizens have claimed the Underhold and the originals stored in vaults. The Entrances into such Underholds however are far from impregnable, wide avenue like underroads lead into expansive Gatehouse's made from typical materials.
UnderHolds can contain entire caverns within them, the larger ones several. Your free to think of the 'city' portion of a underhold as it's own cavern, or combined with one of the caverns it holds, as your own preference.
Minor UnderHold
- 25 points
- Provides 5 Population
- Produces 100 wealth
- Holds one cavern
UnderHold
- A typical Underhold,
- 50 points
- Provides 10 Population
- Produces 500 Wealth
- Production sites for all non-beast units.
- Holds 2 Caverns
- 1 free link
Exalted UnderHold
- Huge sprawling or towering centres of civilization, such a Underhold has several expansive chambers.
- 125 Points
- Provides 20 Population
- Produces X Wealth
- Production sites for all non-beast units.
- Holds 5 Caverns
- 2 free links
Caverns
Caverns are areas of similar geography, in which sites are housed. They are also affected by cavern & site modifiers which customise regions and sites. If a cavern is left empty of sites, it is considered half cost, preferably spent on another empty cavern.
Wild Caverns
- Scouted, but untamed, Wild Caverns are dangerous to enter.
- 10 points
- Supports 2 Beast Pens
Cultivated Cavern
- Civilization has spread to this cavern, allowing cultivation the resources on offer, hope you like bacterial goop stew mixed with sugar fronds.
- 10 points
- Supports 2 Goop Farm
Sunstone Cavern
- Here ancient varities of surface crops can grow, such as coffee and tea.
- 10 points
- Supports 2 Plantations
Flooded Cavern
- Devoid of land, flood caverns are plentiful in natural resources, such as fish and provide considerable benefits
- 10 Points
- Supports 2 Fisheries
Mushroom Forest Cavern
- Either a number of connected caverns, or single cavern that is covered in large mushrooms
- 10 points
- Supports 2 Mushroom Farms
Fungal Jungle Cavern
- Either a number of connected caverns, or single cavern that is entirely swamped by fungal growths that tower like large trees and brimming with peculiar life.
- 10 points
- Supports 1 Fungal Extractors
- Supports 1 Beast Pens
Rocky Cavern
- Devoid of life, these rocky cavern is probably full of poisoness metals thrust.
- 10 points
- Supports 2 Mineral Mines
Wastes
- Devoid of life, this cavern is a barren wasteland full of gases venting through cracks but not in sufficient quantities to trouble a traveller.
- 5 point
Poison Wastes
- Devoid of life, this cavern is a barren wasteland full of poison gases venting through cracks that choke the air.
- 10 point
- Defensible
Sites
Sites are areas of civilized activity, either constructions or areas of habitation. They are placed in Caverns.
Goop Farm
- The top layer of the bacterial biofilm is scooped up, producing a staple kind of blue porridge that is surprisingly tasty.
- 10 points
- Supports 5 population
Plantations provide old world goods, such as coffee, sugar and potatoes. They can be used as trade goods, or to boost the stability and morale of the populance, or sold to the wealthy.
Coffee Plantation
- Under the blue light of a sunstone, various surface crops can be grown.
- 10 points
- Provides 5 Wealth or 5 Units of Coffee
Sugar Plantation
- Under the blue light of a sunstone, various surface crops can be grown.
- 10 points
- Provides 5 wealth or 5 Units of Sugar
Vegetable Plantation
- Under the blue light of a sunstone, various surface crops can be grown.
- 10 points
- Supports 5 population or 5 Units of Vegetables (probably potatoes)
Fruit Plantation
- Under the blue light of a sunstone, various surface crops can be grown.
- 10 points
- Supports 5 population, 5 Units of fruit
Fortifications
- Fortifications are outposts, small castles and walls that defend the tunnels into a cavern. They are useful for delaying the enemy while you respond to attacks.
- 10 points
- Must be seized and captured before the associated Cavern can be conquered.
Slum Town
- Desperate people sometimes build their own towns in caverns, berfit of the protection offered by a Underhold.
- 10 points
- Provides 2 population
Cavern City
-
- 20 points
- Provides 4 population
Links
Tunnel
- A natural link between caverns, dangerous and full of native life.
- 1 points
Under Road
- Lit with sunstone, Under Roads are walled and paved roads that provide relatively safe passage between caverns, nearly all Underholds are linked together by a major Under Road.
- 5 Points
Under Canal
- Lit with sunstone, Under Canals are walled and provide relatively safe passage between caverns. Most have walkways either side, allowing for pack animals to pull canalboats.
- 5 Points
Under Rail
- Few understand the mechanisms behind these automatic wagons that travel on metal tracks, but pull a lever and they will travel between stations, belching steam.
- 15 Points
Cavern, Site & Underhold augments
Get Huge
- This cavern is particularly large, double all support values. Be warned, upon game start D6 will be rolled, 2-6 will result in 1-5 unknown links due to the size of the cavern.
- 5 Points
Abyssal Chasms
- This cavern has several chasms from which
- 10 Points
Hidden Routes
- This cavern D6 tunnels that only your power is aware of, leading to other caverns (including neighbours).
- 10 Points
Special Resources
Adamantium Nodule
- Ultra-hard red metal, able to hold an exceptional edge and resist puncture forces
- 5 Points
Mithril Nodule
- A bright blue metal, comparable to steel, but virtually weightless.
- 5 Points
Orichalcum Nodule
- A luminous translucent metal that resembles a shard of smooth crystal that glows a faint gold, particularly suited to enchantment.
- 5 Points
Terrigen Gas
- A mutagenic gas, carefully used can be used to breed better creatures and.. people.
- 5 Points