In honor of my having to work ten hours on Saturday (tomorrow!!!) I thought I'd muddle around in an area I previously touched on, but have largely ignored.
This, mind you, despite my players having actually BEEN there, once upon a time. Of course, I did very little with it, at that time because... well, its a big fucking empty grassland, right?
As always I have a terrible time with proper names, and given the twin factors of time (that is, much of this has been written over the last... six years?) and size (novel length, at least...), I'm sure I'll contradict something I've already written. As always, go with what seems coolest.
The Sea of Grass is a vast prairie that covers nearly three quarters of the Southern Continent of Haven, stretching from the Dragon Desert in the West to the shores of the Sea of Glass to the East. In the North the southernmost provinces of the old Tenebrian Empire, including those that remain independent kingdoms or rebellious satrapies resisting the newly resurgent Empire, actually occupy the Sea of Grass, in part, though of course much of the land has been tamed. Indeed, the Sea of Grass features heavily in the history and myths of the Empire, for it is from this vast and near featureless land the the old Tenebrian Horde rode and conquered on their nightmarish steeds.
Few men can say what lies in the very south of the Sea, though explorers by sea, from both Tenebria and Nornsa can see from the coast the prairies give way to a vast and toxic mudflats occupied by horrific beasts, and beyond them the World's Spine mountains, beyond which lies only a festering swamp occupied by savage, primitive lizard folk, the very tip of the world. Of course, the Nornsans have since set up colonies, both scholarly as well as merchantile on the shores of that swampland, but that is a subject for another day.
But what lies amidst that vast plain? Legend and myth surround it. It was to this land, once called by a vastly different name, suggesting vast forests, not unlike the Hydenimoi in the north, that the Danu first came in their seashell ships, and some unknown catastrophy destroyed them. [Note: This was, of course, the First Goblin War, and the Danu were the very first civilization destroyed by those wars. While this was once common knowledge, much was lost in the Banality, and now the fate of the Danu is known only to a few curmudgeonly, and racist, Elven scholars and 'ancients'. The fate of the Danu has been mentioned elsewhere, along with the still unknown repercussions of that fate]
It was here as well that the fierce and warlike Tuatha came, they too lost to catastrophy. It is said [Note: this is a purely human fiction...] that the Queen of the Elves, before her death to become the sword Harmony, and thus to end the Warlord's reign of terror, forbade any elves from settling this cursed land that had ended two of the greatest Elven nations. Perhaps this land once held the refuge of the ancient Titans, who cursed their betrayers to find only death in this place?
The greatest difficulty in finding answers is the Sea itself. The land is flat, virtually featureless to even the well trained eye, and covered in thick, tall grass for as far as the eye can see. Typicallly the grass grows as tall as a man, though there are areas where the grass grows to twenty or thirty feet in height and may be harvested and used like lumber! There are many types of grass, of course. Some are hard, sharp edged to the point of near lethality, and then there are others that may be mistaken for overly ambitious hay. The grass hides many secrets, including many native species, creeks and streams that can provide desperately needed water to hapless explorers, as well as hazards such as quicksand, rocky crevasses that can swallow a horse and rider and worse.
In truth there are four 'landmarks' that can be used to navigate the Sea, though they are difficult to use properly. The first is a singular mountain, said to be the First Mountain, the very body of a God, known to theologians as simply Mountain, after the fashion of other elder Gods (such as Sun, Sea and others...), though more colorfully known to various peoples as 'Old Man Stonebeard', 'Old Steady' and so on. Those curious Alchemists who study such things, however, protest such names as the aetheric characteristics of the Mountain are those of younger rock and stone, though only a specialist in Elemental Earth can say for certain. Quite curiously, of course, no Dwarven Clanhold claims this Mountain, though numerous smaller holds, said by the Dwarves to be 'shallow' do occupy its upper slopes, leaving the lower slopes to the 'manfolk' of the plains. As this mountain is of prodigious size, taller by far than any in the Spine of the World range, which are some of the tallest mountains in the Southern Lands, it may be seen nearly anywhere in the Plains.
The second major landmark used to navigate, though far less universally, is a small, and haunted forest that occupies very nearly the center of the Sea of Grass, or so it is said. The trees of this forest resemble closely those of the Hydenimoi, though there are many species that are unique to this singular forest. Some are said to be unique in truth, singular trees that resemble no other trees in the world, dozens and perhaps hundreds of such unique specimens, each individual and alone. If a traveller stumbles across a forest in the Sea of Grass, it is this place they have found, and from here they might hope to find their way out. Entering is suicide, aside from the Ghosts and predatory creatures that call the forest home, it is said to be home to several large Goblin clans that have resisted all efforts to drive them back underground.
The third 'landmark' is the various 'Castle Elf' settlements, each visible for some distance. The only hills to be found in the entire Sea are the creations of the Castle Elves, creations of magic and slave labor over hundreds of years, giving their stone keeps a commanding view of the surrounding lands. As each keep is unique, a keen eye may make a crude map of the Sea by simply noting the distances and relative directions between each such Keep.
Lastly and least usefully, are the white trees of the Halflings. Known by various names, though in the language of these aboriginal peoples they are the Jujamon, each tree grows alone, towering over the landscape. The central trunk may rise thirty to fifty feet above the ground, but appears stunted compared to the flowering profusion of branches that rise like a dome for another hundred or so feet. With their stark white bark and peculiarly sparse and tiny leaves, the Jujamon are a rare sight. While the differences between trees is slighter than those of the Castle Elf keeps, they may still be noted, and while the relative density of trees is less than the Elven Keeps, the trees may be found anywhere in the Sea, barring only the Tenebrian provinces in the far north, where one may still find ancient burned out stumps, while the Elven Keeps are generally found only in the middle, from the near mythic forest to the Sea of Glass, growing increasingly rare the farther east one goes. They are equally unwelcome among the Tenebrian provinces, and reportedly find the proximity of the toxic mudflats to be... unsightly.
However, there are dangers in using the keeps of the Castle Elves and the Jujamon trees as landmarks. The Jujamon tree is highly toxic, the mere touch of the bark of a living tree causes an excruciating death, while proximity means inhaling oderless fumes that may cause madness in the short term and death over prolonged exposure. The Castle Elves are powerful, arrogant and, it is said, highly insane... and they look upon outsiders as a resource to be culled and used. Entering their domains may result in a lifetime of slavery to a short and painful death prior to being served up as a meal... or one might be a feted guest of honor regaling his host with tales of distant lands. While their memory for slights is eternal, their memory of friends is fickle and ephemeral, disappearing between heartbeats. The aboriginal Halflings are no less fickle and dangerous than the Castle Elves, though it must be said that once they have accepted an outside as a friend that they remain true forever after... at least that tribe.
It is a testament to the difficulties and dangers of navigating teh Sea of Grass that no merchants, not even the doughty dwarves, attempt the crossing. This is especially notable as the vast majority of Southern Clanholds lie far from their customers, in the Spine of the World in the distant south. Dwarven Merchants would rather brave the dangers of the Deep Roads than attempt an overland crossing through the Sea.
That then is the landscape. [Note: Old Man Stoneybeard and the Dwarven holds upon him/it will receive their own post, possibly as part of a larger 'Dwarves of Haven' post.]
What of the people and creatures that call this place home?
There are three major cultural groups, along with several ethnic/racial groups, of course. This discounts the various groups that live on the fringes, like the many small villages and even cities that hug the coast, and the Tenebrian Empire.
The Halflings are said to be the original inhabitants of this land, predating even the ancient Titans. It is said that all Halflings, even the highly urban and civilized Northern halflings can trace their roots to the Jujamon tribes, though when and how such a diaspora might have occurred is long since lost. Aside from a few cultural traits, such as the general Halfling take on Gods and religion, there are few things to prove such a claim.
Of all the races of Haven, only Humans show as much racial variation as Halflings, and among Humans the variation is almost always a clear result of the local environment, or the favor of a particular God. Among the halflings such variation may appear among individuals of a single family, though such extremes are rare. The Jujamon tribes tend towards swarthiness, though each tribe is different. However, as the Jujamon Tribes almost always paint their bodies with a thick white paste made of ground bark it is hard to say definitively what any tribe looks like. It is also noteworthy that while Halflings do have a remarkable resistance to poison, it does not, can not, explain how they survive the Jujamon trees themselves. While toxins derived from the Jujamon trees are rare outside of aboriginal tribes, they themselves have proven to have no particular immunity to those toxins... only the natural trees themselves (and their peculiar paints...). While the halflings do not worship their home trees, as some have suggested, they do appear to treat them as members of the tribe, powerful members with whom they have a sort of covenant. It is said that every member of the tribe must share a secret with their home tree at some point in their lifetime... a secret they can then never share with any other (though it seems some secrets are kept by the Tribe to be repeated to the home tree often. It is believed, hinted at by the halflings themselves, that one such secret is the true history of the Titans, and their fate). The Jujamon tribes share a single language that is unlike any other known to scholars, not quite as alien as the kobold tongue (Still untranslated after thousands of years), but similar. Some proclaim this is proof that the Halflings are a pre-titanic race, while others claim that their language is derived from the language 'spoken' by the Jujamon trees themselves! Since no one (expect perhaps a halfling) has ever heard a tree speak, this is purely conjecture.
The Aboriginal Halflings are said to Live in teh trees, but this must be carefully explicated. The Halflings do not build structures in the trees, beyond the occasonal hammock of woven grasses or leather strips. A few treasured possessions (rare among the tribes) may be stored in hollows or mud 'wasp nest' structures, but the halflings themselves simply occupy the branches, content to shelter from the worst of the elements in the leaves. Aside from their paints, they wear nothing, and they largely keep only a handful of wood and stone 'tools', though they will happily trade for metal knives and spear points. A common, though not quite universal, habit is to treat all non-halflings as 'animals', linguistically anyway, and they have no compunction against cannibalism. They do leave their trees to hunt, to trade with or raid other tree/tribes, and for their rare social rituals that require fire (such as a boy making his first fire hardened spear to become an adult), but rarely otherwise. They eat their food raw, relying on the poisonous nature of their homes to ward of parasites, which seems to work just fine. On the subject of cannibalism: the aboriginal Halflings will not kill another halfling to eat him, but they will hunt and kill men and elves for just that reason. They do, however, eat their own dead whenever possible, explaining that the dead have no need of flesh. Even tribes that are considered friends will attempt, strenuously, to eat outsider friends who have died for any reason.
The only other notable 'fact' is that the Jujamon halflings (and only the Jujamon) do not believe in immortal souls, do not, perhaps cannot, practice necromancy and according to all reports do not appear in the Lands of the Dead, though they apparently are familiar with Death and his Handmaidens. They do have a ritual punishment reserved for certain criminals which apparently involves convincing Death's Handmaidens to 'wait' as a criminal is ritually butchered and eaten, ensuring the criminal lives through the entire ordeal before being 'allowed' to die. As no other known culture has ever discovered a way to 'cheat' Death aside from Necromantic rituals, this is a most curious fact, if true.
The Castle Elves: If one uses the standard of the Castle Elves themselves, they have the smallest population of any race on Haven, consisting of only a few dozen members, all of them over a thousand years old. That is to say, each Castle Elf Keep only has one single 'Castle Elf' living in it. Still using their standards, one may double this number by counting those they count as their heirs, and the handful of Castle Elves whose age is number in mere centuries instead of millenium. That said, there are several thousand elves that are all culturally and ethnically the same peoples, all descended from the same ancient tribe. They claim the Tuathans (true), though a tiny handful claim instead the Danu (false...?).
Each Keep is unique, reflecting the tastes of the owner, but there are similarities between them. Each keep is made of rough black granite, quarried from some unknown source, though their enemies often claim they mined it from the flanks of Old Stoneybeard in a blasphemous ritual... though this means that many Keeps had to transport the stone thousands of miles from that mountain, which seems remarkably impractical. Experts, mostly dwarves, suggest that the stone they used may be found deep underground, even below the Deep Roads, where only Goblins and unknown darker things live. While far more plausible than the previous story, it leaves as many questions unanswered as it purports to solve.
Regardless, each Keep is owned by a single Elf of advanced age and, nearly universally, significant magical prowess. Castle Elves are best described as 'golden', despite their rather morbid tastes in finery. Golden skin, golden hair, golden eyes. Each Castle Elf maintains a 'court' of hangers on, mostly elven kin, though high ranking guests (some are more prisoners than guests) of other races may be counted in the court. Below them are the various servants, the 'free' descendants of previous generations of servants. One may still find any number of golden elves, along with members of other tribes of elves, among their ranks, but increasingly one will find humans and other races here. The servants live to make the lives of the Court as pleasant as possible, which can be quite taxing depending on the cruelty of the individual court. In many ways the Servants have it the worst, despite their higher status and 'freedom'. The freedom is illusory at best. A servant who quits finds himself without a home or possessions, and upon leaving the Keep that is generally all he knows he finds himself quickly being treated as any other outsider on Keep lands... hunted and enslaved, generally into the most punative positions.
The bulk of teh Keeps population is the slave caste (note that some Castle Elves are quite accomplished at enchanting magics and prefer to kill their slaves to use their bodies as raw materials for more tractable 'slave' skeletons. [NOTE: Animated Skeletons are not considered necromantic in nature in Haven, but are more akin to a morbid form of Golem] Slaves farm and hunt, they perform the maintenance on the walls, and in some cases serve as food for their masters. This is never a crude necessity (even when it is!) but a chance to showcase the decadent tastes of the 'true' gourmand.
{It occurs to me that I can save a lot of typing by simply suggesting you treat Castle Elves like Melniboneans}.
Castle Elves will not, under any circumstances, enter the forest or climb the slopes of Old Man Stoneybeard, though they will not explain why under any circumstances.
[ if you have players who would take that as a challenge and use violence and magic to FORCE an answer then I can point you in this direction: the forest is their ancestral homeland, now in ruins. Most Castle Elves remember it at its height, and seeing its ruined state pains them. Plus, it is dangerous. As for the Mountain, they simply don't feel welcome there, and Elves have a keen appreciation for Gods and their power...]
Almost any race may be enslaved by the Castle Elves, given opportunity. Most would simply kill Goblins out of spite, but a few would try to exploit their unrestrained breeding and racial memories... and certainly keeping a few specimens on hand for experiments is simply prudent, right?
The most common, and least dangerous group is the collection of nomadic tribes that wander the Sea, generally following relatively stable migratory patterns that are marked as starting and ending at The Mountain (though how often any given tribe reaches The Mountain varies wildly. Some tribes don't see it even once a generation, while others return annually). Very few of these nomadic tribes are mono-racial, with elves, humans and orcs appearing in nearly equal numbers across the Sea (tribes to the North tend to be more heavily human and orc, while tribes to teh south tend to be predominantly orc. Eastern Tribes have more Elves, and the fewest orcs, while tribes to the west, where the Castle Elves dominate, tend to be mostly human... however, some tribes will have even more exotic members, such as halflings, dwarves (probably the rarest), and even lizard folk. Rumors of tribes made up predominantly of goblins persist, but they would not share the same culture as the rest and can be discounted. That said, Goblins are common in the region, more so than almost anywhere else on the surface.
Each tribe is culturally unique, with several different language groups, though they do share a sort of 'trade pidgin' which is heavily bowlderized Tenebrian with some 'Castle Elvish' and even orcish loan words thrown in for good measure. Most tribes worship powerful spirits or animal gods as totemic patrons... most tribes have a single patron, while most members of the tribe have their own patron, though most will keep their tribal patron as their personal one. Leather and woven grass garments predominate, though animal husbandry is not unknown it is rarely practiced. That said, some tribes do keep small herds of animals, while a large number train hunting birds or canids (from established local mastiff breeds to semi-tamed wolves...).
Another nearly universal trait: The tribes generally don't think about 'race'. Tribal affiliation is far more important, which they project onto outsiders. As most Titanic races are interfertile the tribes of teh Sea of Grass are the single greatest source of 'half breeds' in all of Haven, and few can claim to be 'pure' of whatever race they claim.
Notably: While the Grass Tribe Elves are clearly of the same 'breed' as the Castle Elves (Elven Subraces are also called tribes, but I'd like to keep the confusion down...), they have the shortest lifespan of any elves in haven, rarely living more than two centuries even when controlling for violent death. Castle Elves, the Siti and many of the Illyicli can make a plausible claim to genuine immortality, while the 'tribeless' elves that can be found in many human cities may still see their millennial with only a modicum of luck, even former tribal elves in much safer environs feel the cold touch of Death creeping up on them their entire lives. Curiously, while many feel this is solely due to repeated interbreeding with 'lesser' races; there is a strong mythic origin to this short life dating back to the Banality. Every tribe with elven members that finds itself at The Mountain sees its elven members secluding themselves for the duration of the stay, retreating to a weathered dolmen in a secluded depression on the face of the Mountain. Regardless of how many Elves, from any number (even just one) tribe, none leave at the end of the season to return to their tribes until one of them has been sacrificed, voluntarily, at the foot of the Dolmen. While there is always a Handmaiden of Death at the Dolmen (those with the ability to see such things report that she is usually perched upon the top, though a few especially 'gifted', usually half mad, report instead that she is chained to the stone. They also report the souls of the sacrificed remain in the depression rather than going on to the Lands of the Dead... though if this constituites 'necromancy' is a subject of some debate.
If asked about their sabbatical, the more talkative elves will admit that they are honoring an ancient pact made by their ancestors, trading death for life, though no known living elf knows any of the details. Of course, since the tribal elves only date back to the Banality (at least accordign to the Castle Elves) that means this ritual is barely a thousand years old, maybe even less.
Creatures:
Auraochs (sp... I know how to spell this word, honest. Now if my brain will turn on...): Generally twelve to fifeteen feet at the shoulder, very agressive. The meat is incredibly tough unless properly prepared (aging it works well), but supposedly some of the most delicious in teh world. Noteably they may be found in the northern stretches of the mudflats, and a somewhat smaller 'semi-domesticated' breed can be found in Tenebria, with much more tender meat.
Nusba: A large rodent that is considered by some to be the base of the local foodchain, eaten by almost everything that eats meat, including the people. Some tribes keep 'domestic' Nusba like sheep. Nusba fur is very soft but doesn't keep well, making it a rare status symbol in Nornsa, which tends to amuse the locals that know of it.
Birds: Any number of birds live in the Sea, almost all of which keep their nests on the ground. There is a species of owl that calls the Jujamon Tree home, but they are rare as they do not cohabitate with the halflings. THere are some large flightless birds, ranging from turkeys to something rather like an ostrich, large enough to ride. At least one tribe actually uses them as 'horses'.
Wild horses: Sea of Grass horses are not the old Tenebrian nightmares, but they do share the bloodlines. Grassian horses are tougher and meaner than most other horses, but tend towards strength and power over speed and endurance. Most Northern horse breeders consider them inferior in looks, temperment and ability to other breeds, but they do make excellent heavy cavalry mounts... if they can be broken. Curiously, with the exception of the elite knights of the Empress of Tenebria (the Thousand), the horsemen of Tenebria use an entirely different breed, more pony than horse, and prefer skirmish tactics to heavy cavalry charges, leaving the occasionally vast herds of the Sea untamed.
Dragonlings: Several species of lizards, believed by some to be debased or degenerate forms of Dragons (lacking wings and flight, as well as sentience and firebreath) can be found here. Most, but not all, are carnivorous (think Dinosaurs...)
Things to Do:
Tuatha: The forest in the middle of the Sea is a vast and untapped resource of great wealth. While the local elves may not care, the Siti and Illycli, along with lesser tribes would pay handsomely for even a broken pot from the city of Tuatha, never mind the more powerful relics than can be dug up. In addition to powerful magic artifacts and treasures of Tuatha, the city was also home to the greatest collection of Danu artifacts from an older, more powerful era*, and for the truly intrepid the city itself was built over the lost ruins of the settlements of teh Danu, and the upheavals that helped ruin the city may have uncovered unspoilt Danu ruins.
Barrows: In the North a few bold expeditions into the everchanging Hydenimoi uncovered ancient burial mounds for a race that history has forgotten, and found artifacts of a rather unique and troubling nature. Only a few such artifacts were recovered for study before the Forest once again concealed the barrows. The Sea of Grass contains similar ruins of antiquity, from lost Titanic ruins to the Barrow Builders, and while the Sea may conceal its secrets as effectively as the Hydenimoi Forest, it does so much less aggressively.
Conventional Ruins: In the era of the Danu this area was home to several relatively modest civilizations, including parts of a rather advanced orcish league of city-states. Between the Danu invasion and the devestation of the Goblin Wars, these civilizations were lost. Goblins, however, put very little value on gold or gems, being almost entirely preoccupied with their perpetual hunger, and so those ruins may be found with lots of conventional treasures.
Secrets: The Jujamon Halflings, for all their primative savagry, know things long lost to other mortal races.Getting them to share is a problem, but not an insurmountable one. Likewise, the Castle Elves are some of the oldest living Elves on Haven, actual relics of the 'lost' Tuatha elves. Only the Siti are older, and the Castle Elves are far more accessable and no more dangerous. While their secrets are not as old or as rare, they can be much more directly applicable. The Castle Elves are also much more likely to have working artifacts of the Tuatha in their arsenals, and can explain the workings of artifacts from Pre-Banality days just fine.
Old Stoneybeard: This is one of the more accessable Elder Gods on Haven. The River Erd is closer to civilization, but covers such a wide geographic area that getting her attention is problematic. The Sea is everywhere that isn't land, but pretty much hates land dwellers outright. Death is accessable, but well... we are talking Death here. Even seeing 'him' is generally beleived to shave years off your life (False...). But The Mountain? He's just sitting there, not doing much of anything and is generally believed to be relatively approachable and friendly. Of course, he's still and Elder God, the 'living' personification of, well, being a giant pile of rock, so getting him to chat is only half the problem. Getting him to understand your mortal questions, and understanding his answers in turn... well, it might be easier to swap nusba recepies with a Kobold. There is a reason the Elder Gods began elevating mortals to Godhood, after all. Beyond that, there is a lot more that I'll deal with another day on this landmark.
* while lost knowledge of previous eras is a standard fantasy trope, I feel compelled to point out that in Haven this is true in a very non-standard way. Specifically: Knowledge and techniques of magic have grown far more advanced and refined over the eons, perhaps even surpassing the legendary Titans. What has changed is the Rules. Specifically, over the history known to Man and Elf and Dwarf, teh Gods have rewritten the rules of Magic at least twice, maybe more (a possible third time is speculated upon with the 'ascencion' of Deal'yreath.). Simply put: Certain things just aren't possible anymore... or, if you prefer... aren't as easy. Ancient artifacts are generally more powerful because they were made with techniques no longer available, and simply have more raw power than the Gods generally allow any more. However: quite a few ancient magic relics can teach, after a fashion, methods to perform old school magics in ways that are technically not possible. The systemic body of lore cannot be recreated, but individual magics can be recovered... in individual cases. You can see how this would make 'old school' magic an incredibly valuable thing for modern wizards, even if said wizards were technically much better informed than their predecessors.
This, mind you, despite my players having actually BEEN there, once upon a time. Of course, I did very little with it, at that time because... well, its a big fucking empty grassland, right?
As always I have a terrible time with proper names, and given the twin factors of time (that is, much of this has been written over the last... six years?) and size (novel length, at least...), I'm sure I'll contradict something I've already written. As always, go with what seems coolest.
The Sea of Grass is a vast prairie that covers nearly three quarters of the Southern Continent of Haven, stretching from the Dragon Desert in the West to the shores of the Sea of Glass to the East. In the North the southernmost provinces of the old Tenebrian Empire, including those that remain independent kingdoms or rebellious satrapies resisting the newly resurgent Empire, actually occupy the Sea of Grass, in part, though of course much of the land has been tamed. Indeed, the Sea of Grass features heavily in the history and myths of the Empire, for it is from this vast and near featureless land the the old Tenebrian Horde rode and conquered on their nightmarish steeds.
Few men can say what lies in the very south of the Sea, though explorers by sea, from both Tenebria and Nornsa can see from the coast the prairies give way to a vast and toxic mudflats occupied by horrific beasts, and beyond them the World's Spine mountains, beyond which lies only a festering swamp occupied by savage, primitive lizard folk, the very tip of the world. Of course, the Nornsans have since set up colonies, both scholarly as well as merchantile on the shores of that swampland, but that is a subject for another day.
But what lies amidst that vast plain? Legend and myth surround it. It was to this land, once called by a vastly different name, suggesting vast forests, not unlike the Hydenimoi in the north, that the Danu first came in their seashell ships, and some unknown catastrophy destroyed them. [Note: This was, of course, the First Goblin War, and the Danu were the very first civilization destroyed by those wars. While this was once common knowledge, much was lost in the Banality, and now the fate of the Danu is known only to a few curmudgeonly, and racist, Elven scholars and 'ancients'. The fate of the Danu has been mentioned elsewhere, along with the still unknown repercussions of that fate]
It was here as well that the fierce and warlike Tuatha came, they too lost to catastrophy. It is said [Note: this is a purely human fiction...] that the Queen of the Elves, before her death to become the sword Harmony, and thus to end the Warlord's reign of terror, forbade any elves from settling this cursed land that had ended two of the greatest Elven nations. Perhaps this land once held the refuge of the ancient Titans, who cursed their betrayers to find only death in this place?
The greatest difficulty in finding answers is the Sea itself. The land is flat, virtually featureless to even the well trained eye, and covered in thick, tall grass for as far as the eye can see. Typicallly the grass grows as tall as a man, though there are areas where the grass grows to twenty or thirty feet in height and may be harvested and used like lumber! There are many types of grass, of course. Some are hard, sharp edged to the point of near lethality, and then there are others that may be mistaken for overly ambitious hay. The grass hides many secrets, including many native species, creeks and streams that can provide desperately needed water to hapless explorers, as well as hazards such as quicksand, rocky crevasses that can swallow a horse and rider and worse.
In truth there are four 'landmarks' that can be used to navigate the Sea, though they are difficult to use properly. The first is a singular mountain, said to be the First Mountain, the very body of a God, known to theologians as simply Mountain, after the fashion of other elder Gods (such as Sun, Sea and others...), though more colorfully known to various peoples as 'Old Man Stonebeard', 'Old Steady' and so on. Those curious Alchemists who study such things, however, protest such names as the aetheric characteristics of the Mountain are those of younger rock and stone, though only a specialist in Elemental Earth can say for certain. Quite curiously, of course, no Dwarven Clanhold claims this Mountain, though numerous smaller holds, said by the Dwarves to be 'shallow' do occupy its upper slopes, leaving the lower slopes to the 'manfolk' of the plains. As this mountain is of prodigious size, taller by far than any in the Spine of the World range, which are some of the tallest mountains in the Southern Lands, it may be seen nearly anywhere in the Plains.
The second major landmark used to navigate, though far less universally, is a small, and haunted forest that occupies very nearly the center of the Sea of Grass, or so it is said. The trees of this forest resemble closely those of the Hydenimoi, though there are many species that are unique to this singular forest. Some are said to be unique in truth, singular trees that resemble no other trees in the world, dozens and perhaps hundreds of such unique specimens, each individual and alone. If a traveller stumbles across a forest in the Sea of Grass, it is this place they have found, and from here they might hope to find their way out. Entering is suicide, aside from the Ghosts and predatory creatures that call the forest home, it is said to be home to several large Goblin clans that have resisted all efforts to drive them back underground.
The third 'landmark' is the various 'Castle Elf' settlements, each visible for some distance. The only hills to be found in the entire Sea are the creations of the Castle Elves, creations of magic and slave labor over hundreds of years, giving their stone keeps a commanding view of the surrounding lands. As each keep is unique, a keen eye may make a crude map of the Sea by simply noting the distances and relative directions between each such Keep.
Lastly and least usefully, are the white trees of the Halflings. Known by various names, though in the language of these aboriginal peoples they are the Jujamon, each tree grows alone, towering over the landscape. The central trunk may rise thirty to fifty feet above the ground, but appears stunted compared to the flowering profusion of branches that rise like a dome for another hundred or so feet. With their stark white bark and peculiarly sparse and tiny leaves, the Jujamon are a rare sight. While the differences between trees is slighter than those of the Castle Elf keeps, they may still be noted, and while the relative density of trees is less than the Elven Keeps, the trees may be found anywhere in the Sea, barring only the Tenebrian provinces in the far north, where one may still find ancient burned out stumps, while the Elven Keeps are generally found only in the middle, from the near mythic forest to the Sea of Glass, growing increasingly rare the farther east one goes. They are equally unwelcome among the Tenebrian provinces, and reportedly find the proximity of the toxic mudflats to be... unsightly.
However, there are dangers in using the keeps of the Castle Elves and the Jujamon trees as landmarks. The Jujamon tree is highly toxic, the mere touch of the bark of a living tree causes an excruciating death, while proximity means inhaling oderless fumes that may cause madness in the short term and death over prolonged exposure. The Castle Elves are powerful, arrogant and, it is said, highly insane... and they look upon outsiders as a resource to be culled and used. Entering their domains may result in a lifetime of slavery to a short and painful death prior to being served up as a meal... or one might be a feted guest of honor regaling his host with tales of distant lands. While their memory for slights is eternal, their memory of friends is fickle and ephemeral, disappearing between heartbeats. The aboriginal Halflings are no less fickle and dangerous than the Castle Elves, though it must be said that once they have accepted an outside as a friend that they remain true forever after... at least that tribe.
It is a testament to the difficulties and dangers of navigating teh Sea of Grass that no merchants, not even the doughty dwarves, attempt the crossing. This is especially notable as the vast majority of Southern Clanholds lie far from their customers, in the Spine of the World in the distant south. Dwarven Merchants would rather brave the dangers of the Deep Roads than attempt an overland crossing through the Sea.
That then is the landscape. [Note: Old Man Stoneybeard and the Dwarven holds upon him/it will receive their own post, possibly as part of a larger 'Dwarves of Haven' post.]
What of the people and creatures that call this place home?
There are three major cultural groups, along with several ethnic/racial groups, of course. This discounts the various groups that live on the fringes, like the many small villages and even cities that hug the coast, and the Tenebrian Empire.
The Halflings are said to be the original inhabitants of this land, predating even the ancient Titans. It is said that all Halflings, even the highly urban and civilized Northern halflings can trace their roots to the Jujamon tribes, though when and how such a diaspora might have occurred is long since lost. Aside from a few cultural traits, such as the general Halfling take on Gods and religion, there are few things to prove such a claim.
Of all the races of Haven, only Humans show as much racial variation as Halflings, and among Humans the variation is almost always a clear result of the local environment, or the favor of a particular God. Among the halflings such variation may appear among individuals of a single family, though such extremes are rare. The Jujamon tribes tend towards swarthiness, though each tribe is different. However, as the Jujamon Tribes almost always paint their bodies with a thick white paste made of ground bark it is hard to say definitively what any tribe looks like. It is also noteworthy that while Halflings do have a remarkable resistance to poison, it does not, can not, explain how they survive the Jujamon trees themselves. While toxins derived from the Jujamon trees are rare outside of aboriginal tribes, they themselves have proven to have no particular immunity to those toxins... only the natural trees themselves (and their peculiar paints...). While the halflings do not worship their home trees, as some have suggested, they do appear to treat them as members of the tribe, powerful members with whom they have a sort of covenant. It is said that every member of the tribe must share a secret with their home tree at some point in their lifetime... a secret they can then never share with any other (though it seems some secrets are kept by the Tribe to be repeated to the home tree often. It is believed, hinted at by the halflings themselves, that one such secret is the true history of the Titans, and their fate). The Jujamon tribes share a single language that is unlike any other known to scholars, not quite as alien as the kobold tongue (Still untranslated after thousands of years), but similar. Some proclaim this is proof that the Halflings are a pre-titanic race, while others claim that their language is derived from the language 'spoken' by the Jujamon trees themselves! Since no one (expect perhaps a halfling) has ever heard a tree speak, this is purely conjecture.
The Aboriginal Halflings are said to Live in teh trees, but this must be carefully explicated. The Halflings do not build structures in the trees, beyond the occasonal hammock of woven grasses or leather strips. A few treasured possessions (rare among the tribes) may be stored in hollows or mud 'wasp nest' structures, but the halflings themselves simply occupy the branches, content to shelter from the worst of the elements in the leaves. Aside from their paints, they wear nothing, and they largely keep only a handful of wood and stone 'tools', though they will happily trade for metal knives and spear points. A common, though not quite universal, habit is to treat all non-halflings as 'animals', linguistically anyway, and they have no compunction against cannibalism. They do leave their trees to hunt, to trade with or raid other tree/tribes, and for their rare social rituals that require fire (such as a boy making his first fire hardened spear to become an adult), but rarely otherwise. They eat their food raw, relying on the poisonous nature of their homes to ward of parasites, which seems to work just fine. On the subject of cannibalism: the aboriginal Halflings will not kill another halfling to eat him, but they will hunt and kill men and elves for just that reason. They do, however, eat their own dead whenever possible, explaining that the dead have no need of flesh. Even tribes that are considered friends will attempt, strenuously, to eat outsider friends who have died for any reason.
The only other notable 'fact' is that the Jujamon halflings (and only the Jujamon) do not believe in immortal souls, do not, perhaps cannot, practice necromancy and according to all reports do not appear in the Lands of the Dead, though they apparently are familiar with Death and his Handmaidens. They do have a ritual punishment reserved for certain criminals which apparently involves convincing Death's Handmaidens to 'wait' as a criminal is ritually butchered and eaten, ensuring the criminal lives through the entire ordeal before being 'allowed' to die. As no other known culture has ever discovered a way to 'cheat' Death aside from Necromantic rituals, this is a most curious fact, if true.
The Castle Elves: If one uses the standard of the Castle Elves themselves, they have the smallest population of any race on Haven, consisting of only a few dozen members, all of them over a thousand years old. That is to say, each Castle Elf Keep only has one single 'Castle Elf' living in it. Still using their standards, one may double this number by counting those they count as their heirs, and the handful of Castle Elves whose age is number in mere centuries instead of millenium. That said, there are several thousand elves that are all culturally and ethnically the same peoples, all descended from the same ancient tribe. They claim the Tuathans (true), though a tiny handful claim instead the Danu (false...?).
Each Keep is unique, reflecting the tastes of the owner, but there are similarities between them. Each keep is made of rough black granite, quarried from some unknown source, though their enemies often claim they mined it from the flanks of Old Stoneybeard in a blasphemous ritual... though this means that many Keeps had to transport the stone thousands of miles from that mountain, which seems remarkably impractical. Experts, mostly dwarves, suggest that the stone they used may be found deep underground, even below the Deep Roads, where only Goblins and unknown darker things live. While far more plausible than the previous story, it leaves as many questions unanswered as it purports to solve.
Regardless, each Keep is owned by a single Elf of advanced age and, nearly universally, significant magical prowess. Castle Elves are best described as 'golden', despite their rather morbid tastes in finery. Golden skin, golden hair, golden eyes. Each Castle Elf maintains a 'court' of hangers on, mostly elven kin, though high ranking guests (some are more prisoners than guests) of other races may be counted in the court. Below them are the various servants, the 'free' descendants of previous generations of servants. One may still find any number of golden elves, along with members of other tribes of elves, among their ranks, but increasingly one will find humans and other races here. The servants live to make the lives of the Court as pleasant as possible, which can be quite taxing depending on the cruelty of the individual court. In many ways the Servants have it the worst, despite their higher status and 'freedom'. The freedom is illusory at best. A servant who quits finds himself without a home or possessions, and upon leaving the Keep that is generally all he knows he finds himself quickly being treated as any other outsider on Keep lands... hunted and enslaved, generally into the most punative positions.
The bulk of teh Keeps population is the slave caste (note that some Castle Elves are quite accomplished at enchanting magics and prefer to kill their slaves to use their bodies as raw materials for more tractable 'slave' skeletons. [NOTE: Animated Skeletons are not considered necromantic in nature in Haven, but are more akin to a morbid form of Golem] Slaves farm and hunt, they perform the maintenance on the walls, and in some cases serve as food for their masters. This is never a crude necessity (even when it is!) but a chance to showcase the decadent tastes of the 'true' gourmand.
{It occurs to me that I can save a lot of typing by simply suggesting you treat Castle Elves like Melniboneans}.
Castle Elves will not, under any circumstances, enter the forest or climb the slopes of Old Man Stoneybeard, though they will not explain why under any circumstances.
[ if you have players who would take that as a challenge and use violence and magic to FORCE an answer then I can point you in this direction: the forest is their ancestral homeland, now in ruins. Most Castle Elves remember it at its height, and seeing its ruined state pains them. Plus, it is dangerous. As for the Mountain, they simply don't feel welcome there, and Elves have a keen appreciation for Gods and their power...]
Almost any race may be enslaved by the Castle Elves, given opportunity. Most would simply kill Goblins out of spite, but a few would try to exploit their unrestrained breeding and racial memories... and certainly keeping a few specimens on hand for experiments is simply prudent, right?
The most common, and least dangerous group is the collection of nomadic tribes that wander the Sea, generally following relatively stable migratory patterns that are marked as starting and ending at The Mountain (though how often any given tribe reaches The Mountain varies wildly. Some tribes don't see it even once a generation, while others return annually). Very few of these nomadic tribes are mono-racial, with elves, humans and orcs appearing in nearly equal numbers across the Sea (tribes to the North tend to be more heavily human and orc, while tribes to teh south tend to be predominantly orc. Eastern Tribes have more Elves, and the fewest orcs, while tribes to the west, where the Castle Elves dominate, tend to be mostly human... however, some tribes will have even more exotic members, such as halflings, dwarves (probably the rarest), and even lizard folk. Rumors of tribes made up predominantly of goblins persist, but they would not share the same culture as the rest and can be discounted. That said, Goblins are common in the region, more so than almost anywhere else on the surface.
Each tribe is culturally unique, with several different language groups, though they do share a sort of 'trade pidgin' which is heavily bowlderized Tenebrian with some 'Castle Elvish' and even orcish loan words thrown in for good measure. Most tribes worship powerful spirits or animal gods as totemic patrons... most tribes have a single patron, while most members of the tribe have their own patron, though most will keep their tribal patron as their personal one. Leather and woven grass garments predominate, though animal husbandry is not unknown it is rarely practiced. That said, some tribes do keep small herds of animals, while a large number train hunting birds or canids (from established local mastiff breeds to semi-tamed wolves...).
Another nearly universal trait: The tribes generally don't think about 'race'. Tribal affiliation is far more important, which they project onto outsiders. As most Titanic races are interfertile the tribes of teh Sea of Grass are the single greatest source of 'half breeds' in all of Haven, and few can claim to be 'pure' of whatever race they claim.
Notably: While the Grass Tribe Elves are clearly of the same 'breed' as the Castle Elves (Elven Subraces are also called tribes, but I'd like to keep the confusion down...), they have the shortest lifespan of any elves in haven, rarely living more than two centuries even when controlling for violent death. Castle Elves, the Siti and many of the Illyicli can make a plausible claim to genuine immortality, while the 'tribeless' elves that can be found in many human cities may still see their millennial with only a modicum of luck, even former tribal elves in much safer environs feel the cold touch of Death creeping up on them their entire lives. Curiously, while many feel this is solely due to repeated interbreeding with 'lesser' races; there is a strong mythic origin to this short life dating back to the Banality. Every tribe with elven members that finds itself at The Mountain sees its elven members secluding themselves for the duration of the stay, retreating to a weathered dolmen in a secluded depression on the face of the Mountain. Regardless of how many Elves, from any number (even just one) tribe, none leave at the end of the season to return to their tribes until one of them has been sacrificed, voluntarily, at the foot of the Dolmen. While there is always a Handmaiden of Death at the Dolmen (those with the ability to see such things report that she is usually perched upon the top, though a few especially 'gifted', usually half mad, report instead that she is chained to the stone. They also report the souls of the sacrificed remain in the depression rather than going on to the Lands of the Dead... though if this constituites 'necromancy' is a subject of some debate.
If asked about their sabbatical, the more talkative elves will admit that they are honoring an ancient pact made by their ancestors, trading death for life, though no known living elf knows any of the details. Of course, since the tribal elves only date back to the Banality (at least accordign to the Castle Elves) that means this ritual is barely a thousand years old, maybe even less.
Creatures:
Auraochs (sp... I know how to spell this word, honest. Now if my brain will turn on...): Generally twelve to fifeteen feet at the shoulder, very agressive. The meat is incredibly tough unless properly prepared (aging it works well), but supposedly some of the most delicious in teh world. Noteably they may be found in the northern stretches of the mudflats, and a somewhat smaller 'semi-domesticated' breed can be found in Tenebria, with much more tender meat.
Nusba: A large rodent that is considered by some to be the base of the local foodchain, eaten by almost everything that eats meat, including the people. Some tribes keep 'domestic' Nusba like sheep. Nusba fur is very soft but doesn't keep well, making it a rare status symbol in Nornsa, which tends to amuse the locals that know of it.
Birds: Any number of birds live in the Sea, almost all of which keep their nests on the ground. There is a species of owl that calls the Jujamon Tree home, but they are rare as they do not cohabitate with the halflings. THere are some large flightless birds, ranging from turkeys to something rather like an ostrich, large enough to ride. At least one tribe actually uses them as 'horses'.
Wild horses: Sea of Grass horses are not the old Tenebrian nightmares, but they do share the bloodlines. Grassian horses are tougher and meaner than most other horses, but tend towards strength and power over speed and endurance. Most Northern horse breeders consider them inferior in looks, temperment and ability to other breeds, but they do make excellent heavy cavalry mounts... if they can be broken. Curiously, with the exception of the elite knights of the Empress of Tenebria (the Thousand), the horsemen of Tenebria use an entirely different breed, more pony than horse, and prefer skirmish tactics to heavy cavalry charges, leaving the occasionally vast herds of the Sea untamed.
Dragonlings: Several species of lizards, believed by some to be debased or degenerate forms of Dragons (lacking wings and flight, as well as sentience and firebreath) can be found here. Most, but not all, are carnivorous (think Dinosaurs...)
Things to Do:
Tuatha: The forest in the middle of the Sea is a vast and untapped resource of great wealth. While the local elves may not care, the Siti and Illycli, along with lesser tribes would pay handsomely for even a broken pot from the city of Tuatha, never mind the more powerful relics than can be dug up. In addition to powerful magic artifacts and treasures of Tuatha, the city was also home to the greatest collection of Danu artifacts from an older, more powerful era*, and for the truly intrepid the city itself was built over the lost ruins of the settlements of teh Danu, and the upheavals that helped ruin the city may have uncovered unspoilt Danu ruins.
Barrows: In the North a few bold expeditions into the everchanging Hydenimoi uncovered ancient burial mounds for a race that history has forgotten, and found artifacts of a rather unique and troubling nature. Only a few such artifacts were recovered for study before the Forest once again concealed the barrows. The Sea of Grass contains similar ruins of antiquity, from lost Titanic ruins to the Barrow Builders, and while the Sea may conceal its secrets as effectively as the Hydenimoi Forest, it does so much less aggressively.
Conventional Ruins: In the era of the Danu this area was home to several relatively modest civilizations, including parts of a rather advanced orcish league of city-states. Between the Danu invasion and the devestation of the Goblin Wars, these civilizations were lost. Goblins, however, put very little value on gold or gems, being almost entirely preoccupied with their perpetual hunger, and so those ruins may be found with lots of conventional treasures.
Secrets: The Jujamon Halflings, for all their primative savagry, know things long lost to other mortal races.Getting them to share is a problem, but not an insurmountable one. Likewise, the Castle Elves are some of the oldest living Elves on Haven, actual relics of the 'lost' Tuatha elves. Only the Siti are older, and the Castle Elves are far more accessable and no more dangerous. While their secrets are not as old or as rare, they can be much more directly applicable. The Castle Elves are also much more likely to have working artifacts of the Tuatha in their arsenals, and can explain the workings of artifacts from Pre-Banality days just fine.
Old Stoneybeard: This is one of the more accessable Elder Gods on Haven. The River Erd is closer to civilization, but covers such a wide geographic area that getting her attention is problematic. The Sea is everywhere that isn't land, but pretty much hates land dwellers outright. Death is accessable, but well... we are talking Death here. Even seeing 'him' is generally beleived to shave years off your life (False...). But The Mountain? He's just sitting there, not doing much of anything and is generally believed to be relatively approachable and friendly. Of course, he's still and Elder God, the 'living' personification of, well, being a giant pile of rock, so getting him to chat is only half the problem. Getting him to understand your mortal questions, and understanding his answers in turn... well, it might be easier to swap nusba recepies with a Kobold. There is a reason the Elder Gods began elevating mortals to Godhood, after all. Beyond that, there is a lot more that I'll deal with another day on this landmark.
* while lost knowledge of previous eras is a standard fantasy trope, I feel compelled to point out that in Haven this is true in a very non-standard way. Specifically: Knowledge and techniques of magic have grown far more advanced and refined over the eons, perhaps even surpassing the legendary Titans. What has changed is the Rules. Specifically, over the history known to Man and Elf and Dwarf, teh Gods have rewritten the rules of Magic at least twice, maybe more (a possible third time is speculated upon with the 'ascencion' of Deal'yreath.). Simply put: Certain things just aren't possible anymore... or, if you prefer... aren't as easy. Ancient artifacts are generally more powerful because they were made with techniques no longer available, and simply have more raw power than the Gods generally allow any more. However: quite a few ancient magic relics can teach, after a fashion, methods to perform old school magics in ways that are technically not possible. The systemic body of lore cannot be recreated, but individual magics can be recovered... in individual cases. You can see how this would make 'old school' magic an incredibly valuable thing for modern wizards, even if said wizards were technically much better informed than their predecessors.
Spike's World: The Sea of Grass
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