Magian Agriculture
Overview
In the unforgiving Frostvale Highlands, House Magia's blend of evocation, necromancy, and ancient alliances cultivates the land's scarce resources. This synthesis of magic and pragmatism not only sustains but also propels Cruxis beyond mere survival, showcasing a complex compromises between morals, survival, and expediency. Through the manipulation of weather and the labor of reanimated Tillers, Magia transforms the inhospitable into the bountiful, embodying the sorcerous mastery over the natural order that defines its legacy. SummaryDetails
The Frostvale Highlands
Upon settling in the Frostvale Highlands, House Magia's sorcerers were confronted with the daunting wilderness of Pauza's northern hinterlands: a landscape of jagged foothills, crystal rivers, and hidden valleys, nestled between the Mirno and Ravno rivers and climbing into the Strm Mountains. Despite its beauty, marked by clusters of rocks, ancient monoliths, and autumn's vivid colors, the region tested them with short summers, long, bitter winters, frequent storms, and hostile wildlife. Ancient ruins and lingering specters hinted at a rich, mystical past but underscored the land's inhospitable nature. Traditional farming was nearly impossible due to the difficult climate and terrain. However, the collaboration between the sorcerers and the native Orcs, coupled with the strategic use of evocation and necromancy, slowly tamed the secluded valleys. Today, Cruxis not only feeds itself, but sustains and exports the only large scale harvests in Pauza's northernmost marches.
Weather Witches and Tillers
The evokers of Zephyros are renowned for their profound connection to elemental magic, particularly the manipulation of weather patterns. They leverage their gift to shift the harsh climate of the Frostvale Highlands valleys to more favorable conditions, crucial for the agriculture surrounding Cruxis. This power allows them to summon or dispel severe weather phenomena—be it the thawing of winter's grip to extend the growing season, or the summoning of rains to nourish the dry lands.
Meanwhile, the necromancers of Thanat play a pivotal role in the survival of Cruxis through the creation and command of undead laborers. Criminals, once executed, are reanimated as Tillers—mindless undead laborers who perform the menial tasks essential for tending fields. This not only acts as a capital deterrent against crime but also provides an inexhaustible source of labor. Adorning the risen with colorful wooden masks, gruesomely nailed into their skulls, strips them of their past identities and turns them into nameless tools for the city's benefit, instilling a sense of otherness. The unique enchantments placed on the masks worn by the Tillers also extend the control necromancers have over them, bypassing the usual limitations of reanimation and command spells, ensuring each Tiller can be controlled indefinitely, allowing Thanat to marshal a labor force as vast as required without concern for rebellion or fatigue.
House Magia views the use of undead labor through a pragmatic lens, seeing it as an efficient use of resources that would otherwise be wasted. Supporters justify it as a necessary measure for the city’s survival and prosperity that also provides for deterrence and punishment against crime. Tillers can also be repurposed in times of threat, serving as an expendable defensive force against invaders, significantly augmenting the city's military capabilities without risking living magicians. Critics argue that such practices devalue life and disrespect the dead, questioning the morality of denying the dead their rest and the potential implications for the soul and afterlife. For now, the majority of sorcerers embrace their dark practices not just out of necessity, but as a core part of their identity and legacy. Outsiders may view Magia's mass scale recourse to necromancy with a mix of fascination and horror, pondering the fate of souls ensnared in unending toil. The people of Cruxis, however, see in the Tillers the embodiment of their city's ressourcefullness, resilience, and the unyielding pursuit of sorcerous mastery over the natural order.
The Night of Masks
The tradition of masking the Tillers culminates in the Night of Masks, an annual festival marking the end of the harvest season that also coincides with the Bloodline of Death's original destruction and mass reanimation five centuries ago. The festival celebrates the cycle of life, death, and rebirth, as well as the sorcerers' complex relationship with their undead kin and servants. During the night of the harvest moon, the Tillers are led and paraded into the city, and residents and sorcerers alike fabricate and don masks, each new piece meticulously carved and enchanted to eventually adorn the reanimated laborers of the new year.
Tiller's Mask
Aura faint necromancy; CL 3rd; Slot head; Price 6,000 gp; Weight 2 lbs.
Description
This crude wooden mask is carved with an ancient symbol of control and dominion, designed specifically for the undead. When placed upon the face of any mindless undead creature, such as a zombie or skeleton, the mask binds the creature to the will of the one who affixed it. The person who placed the mask can command the undead creature as per the command undead spell, with no time limit on the control exerted. Commands must be spoken and heard, requiring no Charisma checks to enforce ordinary commands. The mask ensures absolute loyalty from the undead, preventing it from attacking the controller or their allies under any circumstance. However, the destruction of the mask or its removal breaks the spell instantly.
Construction Requirements
Feats Craft Wondrous Item; Spells command undead; Cost 3,000 gp
