I am spoiler-tagging this stuff because it is literal spoilers.
Welcome to the town of Darenth.
You will find that this place is rather peculiar in that the sun never rises or sets in the same place or the same time. Even when it does rise, undulating clouds of what appears to be blood and/or ichor blots out the light. This entire area is devoid of sunlight and has been for a long time. Nothing is growing here, and everything appears to be withered and dying, aside from some suspiciously large corn plants that usually don't eat people. Darenth is a port city, set on the ocean, and is surrounded on three sides by thick, old-growth redwood forest. The climate is moderate, not quite warm, but if you travel far North, ten miles North of the lake, you will find a mountain range and its frigid climes. No one really knows if the roads to the North, East, and West still lead to anything. No one that has left the town has ever returned.
Since the Red Clouds have arrived, the dead have begun to walk. Families are quietly pretending that their deceased relatives were merely on a vacation for their health, and are obviously not dead. Strange figures have begun to haunt the forest, and ominous things manifest themselves and assault the slowly-crumbling walls. The town guard manages to keep the more obvious threats out, but things that appear human often make it through. Oddly enough, these figures only mostly bother those who acknowledge their existence - deny that they ever happen, and they'll leave you alone. Usually. The Council of Elders has mandated resurrection for all residents within the city, having officially declared dying to be illegal blasphemy.
The town is paved with cobblestones that in no way resemble skulls, and there is a large, abandoned cathedral in the center of town, complete with a large, ruined bell tower that doesn't contain a bell, but rings daily in spite of that fact. There are also all of the usual things: blacksmiths, taverns, brothels, and residential buildings. What is most unusual is that everyone in the town insists that nothing is wrong, and that it requires paperwork signed in triplicate to sleep, on penalty of friendly and prompt dismemberment. The townies firmly insist that nobody is suffering from nightmares and that the horrifying screams coming from those chained down in place for their weekly-mandated hour of sleep are just snores.
For some strange reason, Dareth doesn't get many visitors anymore. Few are lucky enough to make it through the mountain pass or the forests, as well as the sea. It seems a large Leviathan prowls the sea just outside the port, wrecking most ships and gorging itself on the blood of the soldiers and fishermen. At least, that's what everyone fervently denies; Leviathans have not been approved by the Council of Elders and as such, do not exist. Anyone reporting the existence of Leviathans is clearly suffering from the effects of oversleeping, and forfeit their mandated sleep-hour. Further offenses result in being sacrificed to the harmless fish outside the dock.
Every week, there is a rain of fire that comes over the town. All magical and attempts to remove or stop this phenomena have been utter failures, killing whomever has tried. As a result of this, water has been abolished and declared a public enemy, and on every third day, the City Guard marches to the docks and begins to assault the ocean, throwing javelins against the waves and stabbing sea foam.
Worst of all, the circus has come to town. The big top appears randomly to citizens, who understand their invitations and attend. Nobody has returned from these circuses untouched. Most patrons have been turned into mimes, shoggoths, jugglers, and worst of all, clowns. The clowns are immortal. The clowns are legally declared to be funny. The clowns do not exist. Do not think about the clowns. There are no tortured honks coming from the church. The church is closed.
What has caused this perpetual darkness? Has the sun simply gone out? Is there some sort of demon siege? What god is doing this? Only you can find the answer and save the town from its eventual demise.
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Topic: Adventuring Party OOC Thread - Adventures in Hiatus (Read 273412 times)