Joldale Overhang
Through the obsidian smoke of history, the ghost town of Joldale Overhang emerges—a crumbling testament to both Human ambition and cosmic cataclysm. Shaped by Banor's Wrath, the cataclysmic eruption from Mount Origin that took place but three years past, the once-bustling mining town now sits desolate, its ruins a pallid shadow draped over the skeletal remnants of the once vibrant copper mines.
These mines, now treacherous tombs filled with forsaken equipment, are lured by occasional treasure hunters, seeking fortune among the copper veins still burrowed into the heart of the earth. Yet, it is not only the vestiges of past prosperity that pulls these intrepid souls into the perilous labyrinth. They are drawn also by the alluring danger of the Mythek Vortex, a swirling beacon of volatile magic, birthed from the ignited Stars of Power during Banor's wrathful display.
The Mythek Vortex, an ever-shifting gyre of multicolored energy, pulsates with the purest form of magic known to the realm of Rolara. Its influence has seeped into the earth, warping the landscape in its proximity. Trees bow and twist towards it, their wood hardening into an aether-infused obsidian-like material, while nearby rocks glitter with crystalline veins—evidence of magic's potent touch. Yet, such power is a siren call fraught with danger; those who attempt to harness the vortex often find themselves maddened or swallowed entirely by its chaotic tides.
As the Mythek Vortex ascended, it brought with it a chilling resurgence of a rare but dire ailment known as the Crimson Crying. The malady, cruel in its cunning, attacks the nerves of those unfortunate enough to be in prolonged exposure to the particles and light cast by the Vortex.
Victims find their eyes turning a haunting shade of red, a sign of the approaching affliction, and tears, should they fall, leave scarlet trails etched into the skin. The curse soon reveals its full might, inflicting the host with a deep-seated anxiety that chills the bone, a fever that blisters the mind, and a fear so palpable it oft drives the victim to fits of violent mania.
While spells of lesser restoration can offer temporary relief, damping the feverish symptoms, the psychic turmoil of this cruel disease remains a formidable challenge to address. Many believe the resurgence of this affliction is inexorably linked to the vortex—an outward manifestation of the earth's own anguish under the onslaught of Banor's Wrath.
This grim progression often leads those afflicted down one of two paths. In rare instances, victims recover naturally, with no trace of their prior suffering. Yet, for most, a far more tragic fate awaits. Stripped of reason by the unrelenting terror, they undergo a horrifying transformation, their forms twisted into monstrous embodiments of the Crimson Crying's toll.
The first cases were noted in Three Falls, but now, prevention remains a mystery. The only known safeguard against this relentless disease is to limit exposure to the hypnotic, yet fatal dance of light and wind that characterizes the Crimson Vortex.
The Agon-Titans, humanoid stone creatures that once toiled in the mines, stand as silent sentinels amidst the ruins. Their broad, muscular bodies are carved of copper-touched rock, and in their eyes, you might glimpse the soft luminescence of sorrow. Abandoned by their Human masters, they remain tied to the mines, their life force bound to the rare copper veins that extend like arteries through the earth.
At the deepest heart of the mines, there exists a fabled chamber—the Aetherite Crystal Cavern. Encrusted with incandescent, blue-white crystals that pulse with a light akin to starfire, the cavern is said to be home to the enigmatic Lethbane creature. This elusive beast, shrouded in folklore, undergoes various life stages, each more dangerous than the last. From a translucent, worm-like creature it transforms into a hard-shelled chrysalis, before emerging as a monstrous beast with shards of Aetherite crystal jutting from its chitinous body.
Legend whispers of the Lethbane's connection to the Aetherite Crystal Cavern, claiming the creature is both guardian and prisoner, bound by ancient magic. It is said that its final form will only emerge when the Mythek Vortex reaches its zenith, a prophecy that imbues both the cavern and the creature with a foreboding significance.
Thus, Joldale Overhang stands—a hollow echo of its past, a bleak harbinger of a potentially catastrophic future. The intersection of the copper mines and the Aetherite Crystal Cavern presents not only a geographical conundrum but a brewing conflict between the unchecked power of the Mythek Vortex and the raw, primal energy of the Lethbane creature.
Approach with care, dear explorer. The ghost town holds secrets buried deeper than the mines themselves, and its dangers are as numerous as the stars that ignited the Vortex. Unearth its mysteries with due caution, for the lure of copper and the enigmatic vortex may blind you to the deeper horrors lurking within Joldale Overhang.
RUINED SETTLEMENT
1524
Comments