Cloudburst Coastside

A Region of Near Constant Natural Disaster

"The one thing more intimidating than a region plagued by lightning is a region that's learned to wield it."

If there were one word to describe Cloudburst Coastside, that word would be chaotic. Located somewhere Northeast in a more uninhabited part of the world, this coastline is infamous for the anomalous storms that have plagued it for as long as anyone can remember.

What's arguably more unbelievable is how successful the wildlife in this area has been in adapting. Not just surviving, but thriving. But I guess life does always find a way, doesn't it?

As far as vacation spots go, this one isn't necessarily recommended. Nowadays only experienced hunters and gatherers dare to venture here for the uncommon resources it provides.

---

Environment

Pillared Coastline

This region falls into the genre of coastlines consisting mostly of rocks, cliffs, and caves. With some areas being less of a beach and more of a dropoff, really. You see, it's believed that the region actually used to be volcanic, albeit one thats been dormant for who knows how long. A majority of the rocky terrain is made up of Basalt, a volcanic rock that hardens to form a surprisingly geometric pattern; to the point where the ground resembles a sea of hexagonal pillars of different sizes. On top of that, the sand filling the shorelines is pitch black in color, almost like coal, and the plantlife that sprouts up on the plateaus and in the caves is incredibly lush.

Where There's Thunder

Now to address the dragon in the room. Cloudburst Coastside gets its name from what we can only assume is a permanent, reoccuring Runic Storm. Lightning, to be specific. They don't last terribly long, but they're frequent. At the very least once or twice, perhaps even thrice a day. There's really only one good theory as to why this is the case: On their own Runic Storms are extremely rare, however, in the right conditions, an area with an abundance of Runestone can suffer a negative feedback loop that constantly cycles the elemental energy. Not dissimilar to the water cycle, but I'd wager that it would probably be preferable if it wasn't lightning.

There's an important distinction to be made about the storms. It rains here about as much as one would expect for a coastline, no problems there, that part is normal. The unique quirk of this region are the Lightning Storms, almost never accompanied by rainfall and consist purely of frequent, violent lightning strikes. (Now, when I say that you're probably thinking "Oh okay its a lot of lightning strikes" but I need you to understand that it is exponentially more than what you're imagining right now). Because of the lack of rain during these storms wildfires are common and oftentimes exacerbated by the strong winds that frequent the area. But despite all of this, or even because of this as some would argue, the life here has thrived.

---

Beasts & Wildlife

Gomudon

Gomudon are extremely large herbivores resembling a sort of mix between a mammoth and a bison. Its name, as well as the Raikunath's, is Elven in origin; I believe the translation is somewhere along the lines of "Rubber Beast". Aptly titled, in my opinion. Its hide is incredibly thick with an almost rubbery quality to it, and their entire bodies are covered in dense fur. It's because of this hide that Gomudon are well insulated and resistant to the lightning, even a direct hit will be non-chalantly shaken off as if nothing happened. As one could imagine, as a bonus this resistance extends to a number of other elemental magics.

On its own Gomudon are rather mundane, but their dimorphism is where things start getting crazy. The males are gentle giants, absolute sweethearts they are. Make no mistake, they're about twice the size of a horse, three times as heavy, and could probably kill you if they wanted to, but they don't want to. The same cannot be said about the females. You can differentiate them by taking note of her tusks, her size damn near rivaling a cabin in the woods, and the fire in her eyes as she charges towards you with the explicit intention of turning you into a red smear on the rock and stone; the rock and stone that can easily be shattered by her tusks should you decide to try hiding behind them.

Graphic

---

Raikunath

Raikunath, which roughly translates to "Lord of Lightning", are the local apex predators of this region. They're believed to be a type of Drake, albeit one that's amphibious and looks like a giant shark with legs. In terms of average size they fit comfortably between the male and female Gomudons. Their amphibious nature is actually advantageous for them, as Raikunath are constantly hungry, constantly eating, and constantly on the hunt; making them extremely aggressive.

If I were to guess, most of their time is probably spent in the ocean preying on fish and whatnot, but it's during the storms that they traverse onto land to find bigger game. Raikunath scales heavily resemble the bismuth Runestone, (with some having large patches of the stuff you could theoretically mine off and use as normal), and share its ability to act as a lightning rod. See, the Raikunath wants to be hit; once its charged with electricity it can rival a Runeclaw in the "elemental attacks" department.

I'm assuming that at some point in its evolution the Raikunath learned that the Gomudon isn't entirely insulated, that if it could just redirect the lightning to a specific spot the Gomudon would make for a nice meal. I'm also assuming it was around this time the female Gomudon decided that, from now on, its on sight.

Graphic

Sparkmoss

This moss is incredibly abundant here, often setting up shop in the cracks of the basalt pillars, along the entrances of the caves, and spread over the exposed Runestone. Sparkmoss fits into the class of plants that violently explode in order to release and spread its spores, but the trigger is what sets it apart.

See, the moss explodes when it comes into contact with either fire or electricity of any size or strength. This comes with the added bonus of rendering the moss completely immune to the lightning strikes, even from a direct hit. Hell, getting hit is how it spreads.

Sparkmoss is especially popular with Alchemists craving a bit more chaos in their lives, although its notoriously unpredictable to work with. But some would argue that's the entire point of using it in the first place.

---

Stun Beetle

About the size of a fist and clad in a copper-like carapace, the Stun Beetle is a gentle giant that spends most of its time feeding on Sparkmoss by intentionally setting it off. They seem to prefer the spores specifically.

I believe they do this by absorbing the ambient static electricity left behind by the storms and releasing it through its bite, thus triggering the moss and releasing its spores. The beetle will also use this bite on you if you decide to pick it up and be a general nuisance, it's just a little zap but it definitely hurts. Or so I've been told.

Like the Sparkmoss, Stun Beetles are another ingredient used in a variety of alchemical recipes. Ranging from Stun Bombs to Elixirs of Lightning Resistance.

---

Ricochet

My personal favorite. This specific species of stoat, affectionately named the Ricochet, can only be found in this region. It has the unique ability to build up static electricity while running and use it to overclock its body, dramatically increasing both its speed and dexterity.

It's especially useful for hunting near the rocky shores and caves, as it can quickly bounce from surface to surface in order to disorient and corner prey, hence the name. This ability is significantly stronger during the storms, to the point where it will have a visible electric aura and resemble a lightning bolt ricocheting along the coastline.

While it may be possible to tame one, good luck trying to catch it in the first place.

---

So what say you? Will your party venture forth?

Oniran    Wilderness    Regions      Cloudburst Coastside

Cloudburst Coastside OSTs

Lightning Storm

Gomudon

Raikunath

---

Bonus Lore

Bismuth Runestone

The Runestone here is rather unique in its presentation. It resembles large chunks of Bismuth, actually, crystal-like with extremely geometric patterns in a spectrum of colors. Large veins of this runestone can be found embedded in the rocks; the chunks of it out in the open or scattered throughout the grassland above resemble the glass "sculptures" that form when lightning strikes sand.

Evocation magic, lightning specifically, using this Runestone is especially potent. This surprises absolutely no one. Its beautiful crystalline appearance can also net you some coin if you find the right buyer, I think the only reason this place hasn't been raided yet is the downright irresponsible amount of danger you're in just by visiting.

Village Ruins

The more adventurous have a chance to stumble upon the ruins of the Cloudburst Coastside. It was a village, or at least we think it was. Most of it is on a lower end of the grasslands, portions of it branching into the caves and others set up closer to the shoreline. At this point it's mostly blackened cobblestone, trace amounts of burned, rotted wood, and a lot of that erratic bismuth Runestone.

The ruins are the biggest clue we have towards the Runic Storm theory. After all, if a village could form here, with most of it outside the shelter of the caves, then chances are pretty good that this place wasn't always plagued with storms. But that's about all that's known.

---

Zine Supplemental

---

Dungeonomicon
(The Zine)

You should totally read it it's really cool please read my zine and give me validation vkjhsdbfvkjh

---

Dungeonomicon

READ

---