Covenant of the Chasmata Lore

Bone2pick

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INTRODUCTION

The Roemheld Polity is a nation of faith and judgement that has endured for over four centuries. Its chief cleric, the Vicegerent, rules over a magnificent stretch of countryside. Its western lands harbor mighty rivers, great lakes, and temperate rainforests; while its southern portion is a single unbroken prairie. Along its eastern boundary the Eerie Mountains spread over three hundred miles. And it's there, beneath a mountain ravine, that the foulest wound of Roemheld persists - the Grand Chasm of the Chasmata.

The Grand Chasm is a cavern system so immense it takes two days travel to reach its opposite end. But unlike most of the the caves and tunnels under the mountains (collectively known as the Buried Realms) it has an extraordinary feature - daylight. Thousands of years ago, for reasons not yet known, segments of its roof collapsed; which allowed the sun to to finally reach down and touch its floor - tracts of it at least. So flowers bloomed and trees took root in pockets of daylight encircled by darkness.

A unique ecosystem was born. Birds and butterflies flew in to compete with cavern bats. Curious rodents climbed down through tree tops, and predators such as the lynx and badger quickly followed. Forest creatures adapted to the sunken woodlands and shadowed thickets below the mountains. But the most dauntless, ambitious, and dangerous species to descend into the Chasm, was humanity.

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The Netherwood

One hundred and fifty years before our present day, pioneers of Roemheld plunged below the ravine. During their exploration they were alarmed to discover they weren't alone; bizarre civilizations inhabited the lower world. When news of the Chasm societies reached the Polity the ecclesia promptly judged them as heretics. And the theocracy would not tolerate an infestation of heathens.

Their first move was to carve a colossal stairway - which remains today - from ravine to Chasm floor. Once completed their follow up move was the construction of a colony, which they dubbed Basalnock. It would serve as their righteous foot in the door. Then brick walls and iron fences were erected to better protect the colonist from the "wicked creatures" they now neighbored. Finally, soldiers, chaplains, and friars of fire were marched in, and the crusade for the Chasm began.

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Chasm Morning

At the war's start the battles overwhelmingly went in Roemheld's favor. They had the benefit of surprise as well as a unified force, as opposed to the unprepared and divided Chasm people. There was ancient ill-will between the underfolk which made them risk annihilation rather than cooperate. As a result, they continued to suffer defeat after defeat. But there came a point, when the fires of the crusaders burned in nearly every tunnel, that their contempt for one another was forgiven. So they banded together as one people - thereby known as the Chasmata - and swore to defend their homeland.

The organized resistance ground the Polity's crusade to a halt. And the stalemate didn't favor the invaders. Surface soldiers grew weary of the sunless battlefields and the confinements of tunnel warfare. As their spirits sank the ferocity of the Chasmata swelled. The tides inevitably turned. Week after week Roemheld forces were forced to retreat, until eventually, they were pinned behind the walls of Basalnock. The outpost proved a tough nut to crack. It took years before the Chasmata successfully stormed the colony, and when they did so they granted no mercy to their enemies. The ecclesia, disgusted by the campaign's failure, abandoned any hope of conquering the Grand Chasm.

With the war over the Chasmata had to learn how to be allies without a common enemy. It's proved an arduous project. Their covenant has been more or less upheld for nearly nine decades, but it's waning with each year. Skirmishes between the underfolk arise from time to time, but so far the leadership have prevented the sparks from catching fire. But how long can that continue before one of them breaks and renounces the alliance?


Roemheld Polity

Roemheld is the ecclesiastical nation who presently rules 120,000+ square miles of countryside above the Grand Chasm. The religion that it's conformed with is known as the Imperial Church. Its faith has been practiced for millennia, but its organized form was created four and a half centuries ago. A woman named Evarda Treich is credited as its founder; she was officially canonized as a saint shortly after her death.

After just six decades of organization the Church supplanted most of the neighboring chiefdoms as the region's authority. It conquered them all before the nation's hundredth year. While Roemheld has endured its share schisms and revolts, it has been relatively unchallenged by serious outside threats. The faithful attributes this fortune to their ever vigilant patron angel.

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Sigune, Almighty Angel
Diety of the Imperial Church​

Beliefs: The Imperial Church professes that a celestial war wages between angels and devils. Angels crusade to protect and inspire humanity on to greater heights, while devils feud to corrupt and torment them. Both otherworldly circles are (supposedly) affected by the actions and convictions of mankind. So the Church takes whatever steps necessary to ensure conscious creatures support the divinities of Heaven, and just as important, not service infernal agendas.

While the religion venerates all angels, one is worshipped above all others - Sigune, the Almighty Angel. She alone is the epitome of celestials. Conversely, her oldest and most depraved enemy in Hell is Baal, Lord of Devils.

Structure of Roemheld: The nation is divided into three primary departments, who all answer to the Vicegerent. The Polity, which administrates state concerns, is one department. The Imperial Church, which is responsible for spreading and maintaining the faith, is another. And the final department is the Militant, who defend and war for both faith and country.

• Polity Hierarchy: Pontiffs > Deacons > Prelates
• Church Hierarchy: Archbishops > Bishops > Priests/Chaplains
• Militant Ranks: Paladins > Templars > Cavalry/Crusaders > Militia
** Special Disciples: Saints, Ministers of Sin, Friars of Fire

Notablable Roemheld Locations

Western Lakes Region

Bramstedt (city)
Ottoburg (city)
Reingard (capital)
St. Sunnhild (city)

Eerie Mountains Region
Altergott (city)
Dragsow (city)

Southern Prairie Region
Geldorf (city)

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Altergott Cathedral


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Roemheld Crusaders
 
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The Buried Realms

The name given to the extensive tunnels, caves, and cavern systems underneath the Eerie Mountains. Much of it is cloaked in absolute darkness, and compared to the surface it provides little food and resources. On the whole, it is an uninhabitable environment for humans. But other, stranger species, are more comfortable navigating its sunless terrain.

Thouls are one such species - shambling mushroom bipeds as tall as your average dwarf. Their hearing and sense of smell is exceptional, but their vision is lacking. They have two primary modes of communication: the first being gutteral clicks, and the second being 'message spores' that only other thouls can interpret.

For the most part thouls are weak, simple, and timid creatures, who prefer to avoid conflict. However, if cornered they can release clouds of swirling spores which scorch the eyes and airways of their would be predators. And they typically carry stone knives for protection and utility.

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Thoul Pack

While the Buried Realms are infamously pitch-dark there are a few notable sources of subterranean light. Star snails are dragging mollusks whose grapefruit-sized shells twinkle and glow across cavern ceilings. Their slime coat acts as a powerful adhesive which allows them to live comfortably upside down. The snails feed on cave moss, molds, and moth cocoons along cavern tops.

Another bioluminescent species is lamp leaf, a glowing vine that grows near cave water. The plant is often farmed by Buried Realm societies who enjoy its ghostly illumination. A hotter and more dangerous light source are fire wells. These thermal geysers of gas and flame ceaselessly burn over cavern floors. But one shouldn't get to close, as they regularly (and unexpectedly) combust.

For the most part the people of Roemheld never make contact with the world below their mountains. But occasionally, miners or cave-hiding-outlaws wander too deep for their own good. For even brave men fear the Buried Realms.

The Grand Chasm

None of the cavern systems under the mountains that rival its size - which are few and far between - let in nearly as much, if any, daylight. While technically part of the Buried Realms, the Grand Chasm is better viewed as its own enclave. As neither the surface, nor the lower world, but something in between.

Its average height from floor to ceiling is six stories. Stalactites and stalagmites protrude in every cave and tunnel. And in most of its chambers the crash of its northern waterfall - known as the Pit Falls - can be heard if one stops to listen.

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Chasm Midday

The Sol Stairs: Built by Roemheld in order to found Basalnock, it is an indomitable structure wide enough for eight men to walk shoulder to shoulder.

Cutting Web: This cavern is home to a horrifying species of communal arachnids known as glass spiders. The spiders, whose body can be as long as a rolling pin, gather in colonies of forty or more. Their caves are draped in webbing whose strands are barbed with razorsharp shards of indigo glass. The shards slice into their prey as they struggle, and should they manage to break free, the spiders can track their blood trail.

Tar Pools: An area of the Chasm with dozens of boiling puddles and pools of tar. The gooey fluid can be harvested for a variety of uses.

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Shadows of the Fungal Forest

The Fungal Forest: The second largest wilderness in the Chasm, much of its vegetation are mushrooms of various sizes. Many of which are as tall and wide as willow trees. Besides growing bigger than normal fungi the forest is home to nightmarishly large insects. Beetles as big as boars and centipedes as long as boa constrictors. The Chasm's dominant tribe of thouls also camp there.

Lake Tomb: The great cold reservoir of the Chasm River, Lake Tomb is one of the larger bodies of water in the Buried Realms. A mountainous rocky island rises out of its center, but one should rethink swimming to it, as the lake supports insatiable predators. Vampire kelp, a long reaching carnivorous plant, sways just under the water's surface ready to snare its next meal. It will entangle, drown, and digest any living creature not strong enough to break its grip. Because of this, it's not uncommon for skulls, even entire skeletons, to wash up on its shore.

The Netherwood: One could look into the sky above the Netherwood and forget they're standing in a cavern. The gaping hole in the Chasm's ceiling provided enough space for an entire woodland to sprout. Hearty trees and leafy ferns grew, and squirrels, raccoons, doves, and owls followed. It's the closest thing to the surface the Buried Realms have to offer.

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Netherwood Outskirts
 
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