Mochica

Majestic mountains, blanketed by lush jungles, soar into the clouds and ring the kingdom. Tropical rains feed the mountain streams which spill down mountainsides and pour into the roaring rivers that carve out the majestic valleys and flow towards the sea. These rivers quickly change into rapids and thundering waterfalls that cascade down from the heavens into the kingdom, before slowly changing into meandering rivers. Nestled in the verdant embrace of Rodinia’s Southern Ocean, Mochica rises from the sea, crowned by the slumbering giant of its northern volcano. Long extinct, the volcano’s caldera cradles the island’s beating heart, a city where the past’s fiery wrath has given way to the present’s vibrant thrum. Streets spiral like tendrils of smoke, weaving through the city, a testament to the resilience of life in the face of dormant destruction. The air carries the scent of tropical blooms, mingling with the salt-kissed breeze from the surrounding azure waters. Mochica, a jewel of Rodinia, thrives in the volcano’s shadow, a symbol of nature’s dual capacity for creation and devastation, where every sunrise promises new growth from ancient ashes.

Geography

Ancient jungles of strange, exotic and unique trees cover much of the lowlands and Mochica's rolling hills are frequently blanketed in ferns and flowers. For all its natural beauty Mochica is a kingdom with a troubled and uncertain future. It is a kingdom of blended beliefs and customs – those steeped in tradition from a distant land and time, and those of the unforgiving jungle and its secrets. It is a isolated nation run by traditionally aloof nobility who do their best to ignore their mysterious and often threatening jungle surrounds. It is small in terms of population with less that sixty thousand people living within its borders and most of these, within the kingdom's capital city itself. Mochica has always had a strong king and well-trained and equipped army, despite its size. Mountain passes have always been fortified and guarded and the coastal borders were watched vigilantly. For centuries Mochica has relied upon the coast and the great mountains that border the nation to defend and deter it from attack from other more ambitious and military people and monsters. The jungles were once home to a reptilian empire and dinosaurs are a constant and ever increasing threat in the wilds. Other problems also have arisen in the kingdom. Delvesdeep, the Mountain Dwarf city that has always supplied Mochica with the weapons, armour and iron it has needed, is under siege from above and below. Nestled into the base of the mountains, Tradesdeep, Delvesdeep’s trade town, has been destroyed by Rocktrolls and it is believed Orcs, grimlocks and illithid attack the city from beneath. These are troubled times for this small but beautiful island nation.