For brief introduction to the Roaneida region, see the
Roaneida Academy of Magical Study article
1. Portrait
The miasma of Roaneida slowly eats away at the memories of its inhabitants. While this effect is weak enough that it does not interfere with daily relationships and neighbors, it weakens the relationships of individuals and groups from different communities. In areas where the miasma is weak it can manifest as heightened distrust of strangers, in places where the miasma is strong as full blown xenophobia. While written records do much to ameliorate this situation as a form of permanent memory, Roaneidans have discovered that visual stimulation is important for maintaining and introducing memories. Thus, paintings have become a critically important proffession with painters producing landscapes and portraits to help counteract the miasma's effect. Wealthy Roaneidans spend lavish amounts on high quality painters, as they have learned that the emotional tone of a gifted painting can sometimes have a more lasting effect on relationships when words and actions fade from mind.
2. Vanish
Roaneida is home to many mysteries, as the magical pollution from the Great War of Independence causes phenomenon of all kinds. One of the most common examples of this are the vanishing villages of the region. One can visit a village one day, only to have nothing but an open plain or thick forest exist in the same spot when one returns. Typically these villages re-appear after a few days, and some even dissapear and re-appear seemingly on a schedule. Where they go when they disappear is anyone's guess, for few villagers dare leave their walled settlements during these periods for fear of being lost to an other wordly wilderness. A few witches have left home to attend studies at the Roaneida Academy of Magic, only to find that their villages have disappeared since they left. A few whose villages have never re-appeared have theorized that if they were to be in one of the villages that regularly vanishes when it vanishes, they may be able to find their original homes by traveling through the other world. No one yet has made the attempt.
3. Abandoned
Scattered across Roaneida, from the coast to the forested mountains inland, are abandoned villages and buildings. Generally, these were abandoned in the aftermath of the Great War of Independence as villagers fled to to larger communities to escape the monsters and miasma that spread across the land. Sometimes these abandoned buildings and villages have squatters of bandits, monsters, and fey. Sometimes they are haunted by ghosts or abandoned house spirits, that jealously guard their old homes. Markings are often left along trade routes and roads, letting travelers know when an abandoned building is truly abandoned and therefore (relatively) safe to stay the night.
4. Enchant
The miasma of Roaneida has many forms and effects, almost none of which are desirable. However, in areas where the miasma is strongest special flowers grow that repel its clouds. These flowers can be ground up to produce oils that produce similar results, and so fields of the flowers are protected and carefully harvested despite the danger of the surrounding countryside. This oil can be used in many ways. It can be used to enchant village walls, preventing ghosts and other ethereal creatures from passing through them. It can be used to grow enchanted pumpkins, that dispel illusion magic when they are carved out and a lit candle placed inside. They can provide temporary enchantments to mundane weapons, granting the ability to damage creatures with natural imperviability. And they can be used to enchant paint that makes paintings almost seem alive and breathing. These are just a few of its uses.
5. Misfortune
Most of the magical effects caused by the miasma that covers Roaneida are obviously damaging or fatal. Sometimes the miasma is a poisonous gas, sometimes it causes you to go insane and claw your own eyes out, and sometimes it causes cancerous growth in lifeforms that leave them in constant pain. But other times the effects are subtle. Some individuals who have been exposed for long periods of time to the miasma, find that luck never seems to be in their favor. Objects fall near them that they are unable to catch, they stub their toes on random objects, measurements are always off for precision work, and so on and so forth. At the Roaneida Academy of Magic, special precautions are put in place for those students from villages with weak miasma wards, lest their clumsiness become an unacceptable nuisance to their fellow students. Special hot springs on leyline intersections can weaken the effect over time, but this remedy proves too expensive for most.
6. Chasm
When the Felizeenian wizards battled with their Roaneidan counterparts in the Great War of Independence, their conflict caused destruction across the entire region. Forests were razed, hills demolished, and rifts carved into the earth. When these destructive actions failed to quell the local populace, more esoteric means were used to subdue them. Curses and hexes were used indiscriminately in the entire region, colliding and combining to produce new effects. A few chasms previously carved out by wizard clashes came to life as mindless mouths in the earth, eager to chew and consume any unfortune soul that might fall into them. Whenever a new "Hunger Chasm" as they are called is found, the witches of the Roaneidan Academy of Magic are called in to dispose of it.
7. Thorn
Many of the medicine women of Roaneida, the precursors to the current witches being trained at the Academy of Magic, passed down the ancient heretical teachings of druidcraft. When the miasma came and brought untold monsters, many of these women used their magic to surround their villages with walls of twisting thorns. These thorn hedges worked well in most cases, keeping the monsters at bay just long enough for more proffesional help to arrive. In some cases the ameteur skill level of the medicine woman, and the urgent circumstances of the original casting, has resulted in thorn hedges that have grown wild. Some villages are still more or less cut off from larger society, as the quick growing thorns make travel to and from exceedingly difficult.
8. Howl
Many of the monsters that stalk Roaneida have learned to fear the massive guard dogs and wolf hounds of the Free Villages. As their howls have been known to scare off several threats, these canines are often rewarded for joining in group howls or responding to town bells or clocks. Some villages will have seasonal events called "Wild Hunts" where enormous packs are gathered and then set loose on the nearby woods, driving most monsters and major predators out of the area. For those without a dog, special howl whistles that mimic the sounds of different breeds are quite popular. Most of the time they even work.
9. Mirror
There are many creatures that stalk the Roaneidan wilderness that should not exist in this world. They come from dimensions that are shadows of our reality, as well as those that are from realms completely foreign to ours. One of the easiest way to trap weaker monsters from these worlds is to expose them to mirrors. Mirrors serve as doorways to their own realities, and so they are sucked in when they gaze on them. Often these mirrors are buried, thrown into the sea with weights, or stored in fortified vaults as breaking these mirrors can release their prisoners back in our world. Sometimes breaking a normal mirror can serve as the bridge needed for smaller spirits to cross over, and so any such event is considered quite unlucky.
10. Broken
11. Escape
12. Slime
13. Haunt
14. Ruin
15. Mist
The magical contamination of Roaneida takes many forms. It infests groundwater, flora and fauna, and even the very air. No where is this more visually apparent than in the mists that cover the region. Roaneidans have come to recognize many different forms that mists take when reacting to the miasma, from hard mist and fog that one feels themselves pushing through, to swirling mists that seem to lead travelers down unknown paths. These mists and fogs are known to locals, who pass down stories to their children to warn of danger. The most feared is the Hand of Evil, the mists that form spectral hands that cling to windows and paw at door handles. No one is known to have died to this mist as of yet, but the its actions suggest a sinister nature that leaves locals terrified. When it comes, all lock themselves tightly in doors.
16. Whisper
17. Shadow
18. Spirit
Roaneida has always been a land of spirits, dating back to before Felizeenian colonization. Previously the native tribes had a system of rituals and celebrations that helped dead spirits move on, appeased local spirits, and put dangerous spirits in a deep sleep. While their numbers had dwindled since colonization had begun, it was the magical pollution that came from the Great War of Independence that eventually drove them from their lands. Since their exodus, the spirits of Roaneida have grown increasingly dangerous. Worse still, the conflict has introduced several kinds of spirits that have never been seen in the region before. When the Roaneidan Free Villages managed to convince a delegation from the tribes to return and attempt to calm the spirits it ended in disaster, as the combination of frenzied and foreign spirits proved too difficult.
19. Relic
20. Unquiet
Roaneida is not a welcoming place. Traders do not come here hawking goods, pirates and brigands do not come for pillage, and not even the would be conquerer's of the Dominion of Jethyr are interested in territorial gains. Even in areas that are relatively safe, there is a constant sense of unease. One feels as if someone is watching from the forest line, a calm but predatory presence that follows one's every move. Locals have grown accustomed to this sensation, but foreigners rarely linger.
21. Shatter
22. Lock
23. Door
24. Curse
25. Posses
26. Abyss
27. Echo
28. Darkness
29. Hunt
The Wild Hunt is a seasonal affair, when the Free Villages assemble in gigantic hunting parties and tear through the countryside. While the meat gathered is always welcome, especially before winter, the true purpose is to chase out or destroy all the monstrosities and abominations that have accumulated in the area over the passing months. To behold a Wild Hunt is a breathtaking sight, filled with martial fury and primal intensity. Horns blare, dogs howl, and songs are sung with all the strength the hunters can muster. While necessary, these hunts are always precarious. The hunts constantly drain the male population, preventing the region from recovering its losses after the Great War.
30. Tear
31. Drown
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