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04:01, 19th March 2024 (GMT+0)

Vertigo Introduction.

Posted by TakmarinFor group 0
Takmarin
GM, 10 posts
Wed 17 Jun 2020
at 16:02
  • msg #1

Vertigo Introduction

Vertigo

The stories, try as they may, can’t prepare you for the first time witnessing the inverted mountain up close.  Seeing the enormity of the god’s power, the mountain peak driven straight down into the ground, is a daily reminder that the world has forever changed.

The beauty and wonder of the upside-down mountain before you, also brings the realization of your insignificance in this broken world.  As you grow close, where the canopy of the inverted mountain towers above you and its shadow begins, the ground sharply depresses into a circular valley below.  The stories you’ve heard, said it was formed by the intense impact of the mountain into the weakened and shattered earth, affecting miles of land around the epicenter of the collision.  Waterfalls descend in various rates and sizes, dropping from the top of the mountain, where the recent rainwater looks for an egress.  Standing atop the valley, the land ahead of you is blanketed in a gradual and deepening darkness the closer to the driven peak, the canopy of the mountain providing a bizarre shelter from the elements above.

It very much feels like you’re stepping into a new world as you pick your way through the brush, zigzagging your way down into the valley.

The stark contrast of plant life and sound, to the dried-up earth and deathly silence of the wasteland under the mountain, is immediate, like the cut of a knife, after passing beyond the shadowy threshold.  The land underneath the mountain has remnants of a swamp, with twisted limbs on blackened trees, dried up and cracked pools of mud and sticks protruding from the ground, and overall, devoid of any noticeable life, as no sun or water can permeate the core of the mountain’s sheltering rock above.

While walking towards the peak, where you hear the village of Vertigo lies, you see various things dotting the landscape.  Large and small boulders, most of which seem to be partially buried in the ground, craters of all shapes and sizes, fissures of various depths, and debris of all kinds spread out before you…broken stone, shattered pieces of wood, even ceramic and glass pieces.

As you get closer to the peak, you can see what looks like a wooden stockade fence surrounding the village ahead.  The large wooden stockade fence looks to have been constructed by using the surrounding broken lumber of the forest; it stands almost 30 feet high and seems to be constantly tended to, with the continuous bombardment of debris breaking off of the mountain above.  As you approach, atop the wooden battlement, a large stocky face peers over the edge.  With a little persuasion, you're granted access to the town.

Within the stockade fence, the land has been built up; utilizing the dirt carved out of the mountain, they fortify the fence posts and provide firm farmland to grow crops on.  There are two sets of front gates, one at the bottom and top of an incline that leads down, out and into the swamp.

Vertigo seems to have been built with purpose, constructed on the South side of the mountain, so that it would make the most of the little sun it receives.  It also provides a fairly defensible position with the mountain at its back and overhead, and the additional shelter the thousands of surrounding broken, scarred and twisted trees provide.  The makeshift town consists of a small network of caves carved into the peak of the mountain.  It is not without its dangers though; cave-ins and large pieces of the mountain continuously break off, killing more than a few of its inhabitants.

Inside the caves are for the most part, the bare essentials.  The small caves are used as improvised residences; a larger one has been carved out for the tavern/inn, used as the local gathering place, as well as small shops, that currently run out of the individual shopkeeper’s home.  The population (104) is tightly cramped within the caves.  Many are living together in large groups, having to stagger sleeping times, because not everyone can physically fit in the caves at the same time.  New caves are being dug every day, but are done carefully, so as not to have the whole mountain collapse in on them.

Most of the drinking water comes from a small waterfall, which is one of many that collects on top of the mountain, runs down its sides and into the land below.  Vertigo was specifically built near one of the larger waterfalls; a well was constructed to capture the water in its descent and is used by all of Vertigo’s residents for drinking, bathing and cleaning.

The tavern is where most people call home in Vertigo.  It’s where everyone congregates after a long day, not wanting to be in the cramped spaces of their meager homes.  The barkeep, a human man by the name of Rory Goodfellow, has, through great tolls, taken upon himself the task of re-creating a pre-cleansing tavern inside the cave.  With the help of his staff, friends and the dwarf you met at the front gates, Thorin Woodcrafter, he has carved out the 1st and 2nd floors of the tavern, building the tavern with wood from the inside, putting walls, floors, ceilings and a bar, in order to give it the feeling of what once was.  The second floor is built as an inn, but is always full, housing a large number of the community, including Rory, Thorin and Corsica, the bar maid.  It’s not entirely completed yet, but has made some great progress.  Only a small area on the west wall is left to complete.

General Culture of Vertigo:  People all work to help the betterment of the community, under a general purpose and through the direction of Thorin Woodcrafter.  Even visitors are expected to do their part while in Vertigo, and newer visitors are monitored by Thorin himself.  Thorin constantly preaches, especially to newcomers, or to those who may have forgotten or need some reminding:

  • To make sure the town remains safe.
  • That crops are continuously being tended to, as there is never a shortage of mouths to feed.
  • Caves are being carefully carved into the mountain, with safety being the number one factor.
  • Keeping watch for invaders.  These days, the worst offenders are generally large groups of bandits looking to loot and pillage, taking what they need to survive, but there have been sightings of undead in the area.  Some say they have seen ghosts or balls of light that call out to them; others have seen large groups of undead, roaming together.
  • Generally making sure everyone is doing whatever needs to be done at any given time.
    In doing so, they receive food (in limited portions) and drink (as much as they’d like) and a place to sleep at night.  The sleeping conditions are tough for most, as of right now, not enough caves have been carved out to allow each family their own living space, so there are some that curl up outside, or within some of the various tunnels of the cave to get some rest.


Those with special skills, like healing, weapon-smithing and what not, do what they do best, helping out with other tasks, when their services are not required.

Everyone must take turns venturing out into the wilderness, usually under the protection of Thorin, to gather needed materials (wood, stone and metal, if it can be found), or for hunting any animals they can find, which lately, with the roaming undead, has become more and more scarce.  They use a cart to bring back their goods, but the cart itself looks to be in rough shape and constantly being fixed, due to the harsh environment it must travel through.
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:35, Wed 22 July 2020.
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