A&A Origin: Home Turf

Origin: Home Turf

The world would be a simple and easily navigable place if each element occupied its own continent. Alas, you are adrift in a sea of islands, some containing a sole elemental force while others have many vying for dominance. Each of the towns, cities and villages that occupy this archipelago are shaped uniquely by their surroundings and their patron element. Below is a list of example areas one could select as a place they were born or grew up in. Most Game Maestros will have populated their world with a bounty of wondrous locations that you can choose from in place of or in addition to the ones presented below.

Example Areas

Earth

• Termite Cliffs
• A network of tunnels give these cliffs the appearance of swiss cheese. Residents have numerous hubs spread out through the cliffs which allows for a thriving market through the stratum complemented by a convenient sheltered port for merchant vessels.
• Hearth’s Edge
• A frontier boomtown existing on the encroaching edge of the Neferander Wood. The town gained quite a bit of prominence when a group of pesky adventurers thwarted a rising heir of Thanatos. Many years later, the body of a slain golden dragon was found and prospectors have flooded the area ever since.
• The Everglow
• A rift in the earth that always shines with a calming green light. Denizens of this area have carved out a city near the surface awash in the viridian light. Tools created here tend to retain a portion rift’s light, glowing green in the gloom. Travelers who visit the area find their bodies share this property for a time, while those born here appear to be immune; in fact, the entire city appears to be unaffected by the rampages of disease and pestilence.

Fire

Volcano City by deadheaven

 Titan IV

• A city located in the caldera of a dormant volcano, awash in a rosy glow and enlivening ambient heat. The city has been destroyed three times on record and only once due to a volcanic upset. A rich history awaits those willing to traverse the lava floes.
• Agni Mani
• The jewel of the Delhume Empire, this port city sits in the center of the now split Delhume Empire, equidistant between the Tyrant Lizard despot to the North and the Mercantile South controlled by the 10 Guilds and their unstoppable armada. The city is a demilitarized zone where pacifists, artisans and political exiles find their home.
• Coldfire Springs
• The barbarian tribes of the Arctic and the Rimefrost Dragon they revere call this refuge their home. Tunnels carved by polar worms lead deep below the frozen wastes into a spring of blissful warmth. All are welcome for a day’s respite, but an extended stay will require ritualistic combat with the Champion of the pit or favor shown by the Rimescale.

Water

• Junos 7
• A beautiful city of alabaster and marble on a backdrop of cerulean. The city is teeming with flowing water and takes its name from the seven springs and geysers that dot the city. Gondolas and canals replace carriages and roads while small markets and ateliers dot the streets. A lofty atmosphere and exquisitely dressed ladies make this capital a vacation spot for many. The people bear a soft melancholy for their Sister City, Falchonia, which fell to the denizens of the deep many moons ago. Its walls can still be seen in the distance on a moonless night, but all know that nothing good still lives there. A candle in its tallest tower kindles hope for the hopeful.
• Great Glacier Encampment
• Researchers have flocked to the great glacier for a great many years to try and explain the great divide between the rolling green hills and the sudden inexplicable sheet of unmelting ice. The researchers have been there for so long that a small shanty town has sprung up around their campsite, catering to their eclectic needs. People with nowhere else to go blew into town and found a refuge a step above survival. A cast of shady characters inhabit the town, but they hold closer bonds than most and are fiercely protective of the academics that welcomed them in.
• Ganamede
• A flotilla-turned-city, this pirate’s paradise is never found in the same place twice. The city is built from scuttled ships and floating junk and rarely maintains the same interior layout. Floating from island to island, it is a hive of scum and villainy but also continuous revelry. It is a place above all laws where all disputes settled with a length of steel. Polite Anarchy.

Wind

 

• Valley of the Wind
• Gentle slopes and fertile land lie in the valley between two protective hills. Windmills sweep the sky and there is no shortage to the bounty of the fields nor the caress of the breeze. Strong gusts from the ever-present wind propel gliders in lazy arcs. It is a peaceful village, but will it last?
• Skytown
• The last remnant of an ancient civilization. They cast their lot into the skies when the rest of the world was sinking beneath the waves or being swallowed by the earth. So long has passed that few know of the ancient ways, let alone the secrets and technology that power the city above the canopy. No propellers or propulsion can be seen, yet it drifts in defiance of gravity, day-in and day-out. The people are cloistered and distrustful of outsiders, interacting only when the city occasionally passes by a summit port or the occasional fool takes continental cannon transport.
• The Mountain that Kisses the Sky
• A majestic sight that dominates the skyline, rising from the sea of magma all the way past the clouds it is as old as the world itself. Deep below the earth, Fire Giants work massive bellows for their black iron armaments. Winding trails lead up its initially gentle slopes with small pockets of mortals living in the savage beauty, mindful of the mountain giant watchtowers dotted all along the path. Those little folk that make it past soon find treacherous uphill climbs, frigid winds (and giants) that come with high atmospheres. With fire and purpose, any that move on find themselves closer and closer to the clouds themselves. Storm clouds present the final obstacle, but those intrepid few that crest the peak find a different world altogether.