Region

Region

Regions are the tracking measure for the Overworld. Each region is a locale of interest; this might be a settlement, a prominent landmark, an unusual leyline, a strange Realm, etc.

Some regular features:

• Mystical reagents
• Ley lines and crystal dens
• Settlements and travel
• Wards
• Dangers

In general, a region is usually about the size of a day’s walk. This may vary; well-developed regions can slowly expand and poorly kept regions may shrink away into the Mists.

The storyteller will manage most details of a Region.

Themes

Themes are the broad strokes of the Kingdom, expressed as a waxing and waning element. Each theme unifies a massive section of the Kingdom under a common elemental banner. While all six elements exist everywhere, these themes note the predominant and rare elements of a locale.

From above, we can see the Kingdom leans towards Earth and suffers a deficit of Air. Not surprising for a Kingdom only now rousing from a dark age where much knowledge was lost!

Of course, the storyteller may freely adjust themes to reflect his plans for the campaign.

Elements

Each region has some mixture of the elements; these are denoted as a hex ring on the edges of the Region. For example, clockwise from north, a region might have:

• Air Air Water Fire Air Water
• Light Water Earth Earth Water Dark
• Fire Fire Fire Fire Fire Fire

Whichever element is most present becomes the Region’s dominant element. In the case of ties, the storyteller decides.

Ley Lines

When two adjacent regions share an elemental border, a small ley line forms. For example, if the border of region A and the border of region B share Air, that forms a small ley line.

Ley lines grow stronger the longer they chain.

• When two regions share an element, it generates a small (Rank 1) ley line.
• For each additional region in the chain, the ley line gains 1 Rank

Ley lines usually persist through geographic features such as mountains. However, water can pose a serious problem.

• Any form of running water larger than a creek can block ley line formation
• Stronger ley lines can endure larger bodies of water
• A good rule of thumb is that a ley line can cross 10 * Rank meters of water before it dissipates
  • Thus, a rank 1 ley line would fail crossing a 15m wide river; a rank 5 ley line could span a small lake
• Kingdom geomancers can use certain equipment to increase this range, effectively building a bridge for the ley line

Ley lines of sky and sea?

A few renegade scholars have claimed that the Sirens have coral totems rather akin to wards; a few Whistlers have claimed that ley lines in the skies hold secrets unknown to the Kingdom. Such spurious ideas have no basis in proper Kingdom geomantic sciences, the most advanced learning in all the world!

Ley Power

You can draw Charge from ley lines using Dark. How much Charge does a ley line have?

The exact power of a ley line fluctuates near-randomly based on factors such as the season, time of day, presence of elemental storms, movement of the stars, and page three of the Seln Florana Times horoscope.

Once tapped, the ley line exhausts. Exhausted ley lines fade into the earth and become dormant.

• You may not use dormant ley lines for navigation, drawing power, or any other activity
• Dormant ley lines recover in 1d4 seasons, assuming nothing disrupts their power source

Beware! Some foes can foul a ley line!

• Fouled ley lines will have a source of their taint
• This may or may not be in the same Region as you. Check upstream too!
• When the source of taint is destroyed, the ley line falls dormant and recovers as above

Crystals

Where ley lines meet, crystals can form.

• Crystals are always a balanced mixture of two elements
• The strongest two ley lines feeding the nexus determine the elements of the crystal
  • If the ley lines change, the crystal will change!

Wild crystal nexi are known as crystal dens, and these are very rarely uninhabited. Nature does not let such power lay fallow, and woe to the adventurer who fails to question the seeming fortune of an empty den!

Like ley lines, the crystals have a Rank between 0 and 5

• Crystal rank can be no higher than the ley line rank

Wards

The typical ward is a standing stone between two and four meters tall. The best stones are granite or basalt for longevity. The stone is etched with geomantic symbols, decorated with paint according to local taste, and sealed by the application of a shimenawa festooned with shide.

Any natural material may work as wards. In desert regions, geomancers have learned how to carve wards out of the available rocks such as sandstone – creating a hollow reservoir instead of a stone one. In the Deepwood, wards are often woven into the trunks of the eldest trees.

What happens if I stand inside a ward?

Nothing. Probably. Unless an elemental storm or unseen surge upstream causes energy to flood into the ward. Then you’re probably going to experience an awful lot of pain.

If standing inside a ward when it triggers, you take Damage equal to the rank of the elemental source each round. This is automatic; no Challenge. Not recommended, folks!

The geomantic symbols vary by region and ley line. Think of these symbols as the words in a sentence running the length of a ward-line. Most geomancers etch in one of the many secret languages, both for aesthetics and to protect the secrets of their craft. The importance, however, is that the writing truly reflects the character of the land it guards; many ancient ward stones hold undeciphered secrets in their arcane marks!

Shide are white paper streamers, typical of Shinto, often associated with purification and blessings. Dozens of these are woven into the shimenawa, a length of twisted rope that encircles the entire ward. Since Izu is the origin of the geomantic arts, the practice has spread to every corner of the Kingdom.

Once a ward is successfully activated, its components become much harder to damage. A lone strip of shide can be torn with one’s hands; a shide woven into an active ward resists rain, snow, and weaponry as though woven of iron!

Hearth Wards

Your Hearth’s Wards will use your Hearth defense. More on that in the Hearth section!

Redirection, not destruction

Technically speaking, the wards redirect energy, not consume it. This is why even the Inner Wards still have areas of Mist. The Queen know that some territory must be left fallow to act as the sink for the fury of the elemental storms.

Of course, not everyone shares her long-term vision, and many clans scheme to steal the Crown’s land for their own profit.

Occasionally, the Queen lets them. Only later do they realize that they have claimed the Kingdom equivalent of a flood plain downstream of a diversion.