Nostos (3.5e Location)

Author: Eiji-kun (talk) Date Created: 2-11-18 Status: Complete Editing: Clarity edits only please

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Nostos

A strange floating island said to have been lifted between the inner planes by a powerful ancient wizard, this land now lies abandoned and its former civilization consumed by the sands of time. Its mysteries lay just below as nature overtakes the above.

Planar Traits

Physical Traits

• Gravity: Normal Gravity.

• Time: Normal Time.

• Size: Finite Shape.

• Morphic: Alterable morphic.

Elemental, Energy, Alignment and Magic Traits

• Elemental Dominance: No Elemental Traits.

• Energy Dominance: No Energy Traits.

• Alignment Traits: Mildly neutral-aligned.

• Magic Traits: Normal magic.

Planar Connections

Nostos technically lies on the shores of the Plane of Air and Plane of Water, and is also believed to have connections via the Positive Energy Plane or Quasielemental Plane of Steam and Quasielemental Plane of Vacuum. It lies in a position betwixt the various inner planes in a bubble of stability, a chunk of earth the size of a large island which seems to have been torn from the Prime Material at some point by some unfathomably powerful magic. The primary entrance is via the Plane of Air, where an artificial wind bridge ferries creatures to and fro from its main gate by the desert entrance.

Inhabitants

Once, Nostos was a place filled with life. The stories tell that a powerful wizard had lifted the island out of their material plane and set it adrift amongst the eternal storms of the Plane of Air. It was a world of heavy magic and mystery, of a council of magic and machine and golem servitors. And one day, this civilization vanished and went into decay. Their cities were overrun and eroded into naught but rocks and their works erased, leaving behind a strange biome of unliving things granted animating life force. These days the only inhabitants are mindless or animal-intellect automatons which have entered a stable cycle of pseudo-life. At least it seems abandoned, for the depths below remain far unexplored and it is possible something strange and sapient still beasts within the heart of the island itself, still performing its obscure task.

The fauna of Nostos largely comes in the following categories: Beings of cloth which often take the shapes of bird and fish, and who dance within the air high above and amongst the water deep below; beings of stone and metal that often act as simple mechanical workers, sometimes built of empty ancient armor, but never moving beyond simple automation or animal behavior; and finally there are the guardians which are advanced forms of the beings of stone and metal and, given their behavior, were clearly built as guardians and weapons of destruction.

Movement and Combat

While individual terrains may face their own hazards, there is little difference between this realm and the Material Plane.

Features of Nostos

Nostos is a large floating island, a chunk of earth suspended over a constant cloud cover below and a (usually) clear sky above, as if the place were in low orbit to some gas giant. Stars and a moon can be seen, but there is no sun. Instead all light emanates from the highest mountain upon the island where some ancient pharos stands shining, illuminating half the island in radiance as it slowly orbits over the landscape. This artificial sun seems to have an animating effect upon the land, and even broken or damaged constructs of old seem to spring to life in its presence only to settle down and return to silence in the darkness.

The land is broken up into a massive desert of golden sands, the "front" of the island given its apparent direction of orbit and the location of its primary gateway where a wind bridge carries beings two and from the Plane of Air and other valid gateways. Behind it lays an oasis where the waters of the mountains pour off massive waterfalls into great canyons and underground tunnels. Deeper into the tunnels lay many secrets, and above it lies an ascending and extremely tall mountain obscured by mist and snow. This eternal blizzard paradoxically seems to surround and cloak the summit of the mountain where the artificial sun sits amidst the peaks. Close enough, and all one can see it light until one crosses into an unknown space rumored to be a gate to the Positive Energy Plane. Behind it slopes the mountain again until it reaches an endless petrified forest and the ruins of an ancient structure that seems to compose the back of the island, a huge and abandoned fortress which is nevertheless populated by dangerous beings.

Rumors say the caves below the island are many, and populated with dangerous constructs and magical threats. Supposedly there is a core somewhere in the island maintaining the entire system, and a molten core as a result of waste heat from this system.

Falling into the clouds below brings one to a great windstorm, and passing horizontally through it brings one to the Plane of Air. Fall further and the storm calms and the clouds grow in density until one is practically floating, the edge of the bubbling shores of the Plane of Water. And if one was to reach for the stars, one may yet get lost within the Plane of Vacuum instead.

The following is a more detailed section of each of the major areas found within.

Aurum Desert

An arid realm of bright golden sunlight, shimmering fine sand, and great windswept dunes, the aurum desert may once have been a much more lush realm for it is dotted with evidence of an ancient civilization. Old half-buried buildings, temples, and archways little the landscape and the ground is smooth enough to slide down upon for great distances, building up a terrifying speed. In the daytime the temperatures are hot and dry, and at night the ever-clear skies lead to a haunting chill upon blue-tinted grains. The sand itself shimmers like gold, and small oases are islands of safety from the desert hazards. In spite of the heavy winds at altitude, the ground is usually fairly calm and devoid of sandstorm events.

The desert starts at the "front" of the island where desert further heads down a slope into the islands center, and by the front upon barren sandstone stands great magical gateway of ivory, gold, and lapis lazuli known as the Wind Gate. The gateway itself seems to be an artifact impervious to the weathering of time, and projects a bridge of magical wind which can ferry passengers across dimensions. Any gateways to this realm seem to come through this wind road by default.

Ruins of Uratu

While ruins can be found scattered across the entire desert, it is one spot in the desert in particular which seems to have the most ruins in an intact and uncovered state. The Ruins of Uratu is a city which seems to have never left the Iron Age on first appearance, but the great number of glyphs and the high concentration of animated cloth creatures and stone or iron constructs seems to suggested it was once an advanced ancient magic city. The concentration of animated beings is high here, and some even seem to be in a state of maintenance retaining what is left of the city and rebuilding what can be salvaged. It is a losing battle, but the constructs work tirelessly on to serve the long forgotten inhabitants.

Archways seem to be a common theme within the city, and it was home to both a fantastically long but now broken bridge, and a mysterious pipeway whose vestiges can be found both in the desert and in other parts of the world, cryptically worming its way through the heart of this land.

Serpent Canyons

Where the waters of the Brightspire Peak meet the sands of the Aurum Desert forms a small verdant area lush in rich soil, parted by deep canyons which ferry fast moving water into the maelstrom nearby. The land is pockmarked with the occasional hot spring, the result of the underground sea flowing into the Smoldering Caverns and erupting upon the surface. Though calm and verdant, few ruins remain here as they have been consumed by the forces of nature in ages long past, standing as little more than moss covered monuments. A thin gentle mist seems to hang over the area at all times, and fog is common at dusk and dawn. From here one can travel up the slopes to the Eternal Winter, or delve deeper into one of its many caverns or into The Maelstrom itself to reach places hidden below the bedrock.

Gargantua Falls

The waters pour off of the melt from the Eternal Winter raging above, forming fast moving rivers that turn into great waterfalls pouring into the Maelstrom and enriching the Serpent Canyons with flora. While many waterfalls exist, the Gargantua Falls are noted for their size and ferocity as well as being close to the Maelstrom itself, feeding it an endless torrent of fresh water.

The Maelstrom

The freshwater lakes and rivers from the Serpent Canyons pours into a wide lake where a vast swirling whirlpool exists. A great hole punctured in the bedrock and one of several entrances to the underground, the maelstrom is a dangerous place to travel lest ye be sucked down below. Within its twisted tubes it feeds into a great underground sea known as the Engurru Sea, or the Lightless Abyss.

The Underpath

For those not taking a rough and wet path down into the underground passages, there exist many caves pockmarking the Serpent Canyons. These are collectively known as the Underpath, and they are a series of complex tunnels, mostly natural and some manmade, which burrow deeper and deeper into the island's earthen base. As one proceeds lower, the air pressure rises until the air is thick and soupy, yet the temperature remains balmy and chilling no matter how high the pressure seems to rise.

It is also here that a change occurs in the artificial fauna upon the island, for while the above creatures seem to mimic humanoids or animals such as birds and beast, the constructs down here take on a more terrifying and primal aspect and the constructs themselves begin to become hostile to intruders. Giant worms swim through the air actively hunting for prey, great bat-like wyverns breath gouts of corrosive mist, and insect-shaped horrors lurk in the shadows. The Underpath is a road to many places on the island hidden away, but it is not a safe one. From here the Lightless Abyss can be accessed, as can the Smoldering Caverns and that which supposedly lies beyond. Under the ground away from the light of the sun, a suspicious ruin can be found. This is an ancient city once named Lugalbanda.

Lugalbanda

A ruined city, it is one of the most intact places still upon the island. Standing as a gateway between the Underpath and the entrance to the Lightless Abyss, it was seemingly mined out of the surrounding hewn rock. Its home of imposing sculptures, giant statues and bas reliefs of ancient kings and old arcane masters, and mysterious creatures known and unknown. Little documentation has surprised, its book stores long rotted and washed away, but the city seems to teem with life of hostile and protective guardian constructs that still function to this day. What is known is that the city is not the source of the constructs who seem to renew their number if destroyed. These guardians come from deeper into the island. It is fortunate for those above that they seem to restrict their patrol not much further than the underground itself.

Engurru the Lightless Abyss

Under the ground hidden from the sun save but a single faint shaft reflected from the entrance of the maelstrom lies a great saltwater sea, starting out lightly salted from the surface and seeming to sink endlessly deep and becoming endlessly more briny as depth increases. Hidden from the sun the waters seem almost black in the barely illuminated surroundings, and without wind or tide the waters slosh slowly with little turmoil. Still, some activity is found as something churns the waters deep below at times and the waves splash up against an ancient city known as Lugalbanda as well as the shorelines to the only other source of light, the molten hallways of the Smoldering Caverns.

Rumor persists that the Core of the Island is at the bottom of this sea, but as the Core remains unexplored and speculative none can be certain of this claim. The sea itself is calm, but the things deeper below perhaps may not be so.

Rumor has it that the bottom of the abyss is a jagged and sharp field of salt crystal razors, and the sunken remains of the rest of Lugalbanda can be found encased within.

Smoldering Caverns

Though Nostos is but a chunk of land and not a whole planet, it seems to have some volcanic activity. Something is producing heat in this area, and some have speculated it to be a portal to the Plane of Fire, or the work of the mythical Core. Whatever the reason, a portion of the underground is softened with heat and lit with the dull red glow of lava veins crossing a large cavern system. This portion of the underground is choked with smoke, toxic fumes, and sometimes explosions of steam as the Engurru Sea spills its contents upon hot rocks or through hidden underground channels. Some of these channels even reach the surface, bursting out of the Serpent Canyon as hot springs.

Rumor has it an entrance to the Core can be found here, but as it has never been found it may be naught but speculation.

The Core

The Core of the Island has never been found. It is only speculated based on the fragments of text and history which can be pulled from the ruins found across the island. Supposedly deep within the island is a large artificial structure known as the core, where a source of powerful magic lies. This power source perhaps keeps the island protected, flying, or is even the source of the light upon the Brightspire Peak. Some say it is filled with treasure, it the source of all the constructs, the source of all life, and is the very thing the constructs protect. But nothing has ever been confirmed of this place. If it exists, it must be wondrous indeed.

Eternal Winter

The slopes of Brightspire Peak is hazardous indeed. Beyond the Gargantua Falls, beyond the rivers coming from melt, beyond the snowy tops of an ever-rising array of mountain peaks, lies a realm of deep mist and fog that serves to soften the harsh light from above. It illuminates everything in a soft white glow, yet the temperatures begin to plummet dramatically and the wind begins to howl. Around the slope of the tallest mountain, Brightspire Peak, an eternal blizzard howls with violence.

Those attempting to climb this slope face sheer slippery cliffs, avalanches, severe and unnatural cold, and extremely high winds. Visibility is almost impossible due to the fog. The winds seem to actively work against creatures attempting to climb, and they even lash out at entities flying from above with great arcs of wind and ice. Some have suggested here even the wind is alive, yet the ground is littered with the unanimated bodies of many constructs which seem to have gotten lost up here and been unable to find their way home.

Those that persist eventually break through and discover a zone of calm air above the storm. Here, the blinding brightness of the Brightspire Peak can be seen in its full glory.

Brightspire Peak

At the top of the tallest mountain is a calm spot of high altitude and cold but dry air. The ground is spotted with only limited patches of ice, the base rock seeming to grow taller and taller until forming the base of some great lighthouse like structure with two floating spires growing to the heavens. Hovering within these spires if a zone of impossibly bright white light, a glow which acts as the sun in this realm. This light is obscured by the spires as they rotate slowly, granting a cycle of day and night for each side of the island. The light itself seems to be the source of animation, as any construct even inactive seems to come to life and become powered in its presence. Here the island becomes suddenly Minor Positive-Dominant and constructs begin to have a compulsion (DC 15 Will save negates) to approach closer up the slope every minute they remain.

None have approached the light itself. At a certain point the light is dangerous, burning away or overstimulating objects and creatures as they draw near with all the fury of the Positive Energy Plane. Blindness becomes inevitable, and at a certain radius things simply seem to vanish. According to the ancient records, if one could approach the light correctly one could be transported to an undefined but apparently desired location beyond time and space, yet none have yet been able to successfully traverse.

Approaching from the air is possible, if difficult. The Eternal Winter seems to inherently know of approaching beings and lashes out arcs of supersonic wind as if solar flares or spicules, designed to drag offenders into the storm itself. One must approach from a high angle to be safe.

Stone Forest

There is another side to the mountain. At a higher altitude than Serpent Canyon and the Aurum Desert, the other side of the mountain slopes back down from the Eternal Winter, to snow, to melt, to more gentle rivers that flow into a strange forest. Though seemingly lush and inviting, the forest is nearly completely silent as it is devoid of both natural fauna and, seemingly, many artificial fauna as well. This is because the forest has the dangerous property of petrification. The plants which grow here seem to naturally exhale clouds of petrifying gas which has no effect on plants, but can convert flesh into rock and rob even stone golems of their animating essence. The forest is littered with these stone monuments of former travelers. Given that some appeared weathered beyond their age, it seems that something also eventually consumes these petrified victims eventually. In an ironic twist, the forest is also a great source of alchemical reagents used for curing petrification. If the right compounds are found, the price of these petrification and form-changing curatives can be cut in half.

If one is careful one can pass through the forest unharmed, but beware. Like an avalanche some fools have triggered apocalyptic wildfires of spreading petrifying spores that consume the entire forest in its dangerous stoning mist.

The forest is considered to be the back of the island, and only one thing lies further beyond. At the back of the island is one final ruin, the remains of an old black fortress simply known as the Master's Fortress.

Master's Fortress

The back of the island is carved into a large but weathered fortification where once a king and his army once stood. Now, its halls are empty and its spires crumbling, but it remains guarded by many strange guardian constructs and beasts. It is a monument to its former civilization and home to massive stone tablets which have been the primary source of lore and knowledge about its former kingdom. Though its language remains largely a mystery to this day, the Master's Fortress remains a clear sign of something important being brought here. Here legends of the Core emerge, and here perhaps is the secret to controlling the island itself.

Encounters

Nostos is a large realm, and a place of many encounters. Besides constructs, rival adventuring parties or lost elemental creatures could be found amongst this place, and the mystery of who controls the machines and for what purpose is something which is easy to uncover. The landscape itself lends to a natural progression from the desert hazards, and splitting between trying the guarded underground passage or braving the impassable slopes of the mountain, only to end in a toxic forest and its well guarded final fortress beyond. What mysteries could this world hold?

Beyond all manner of animated objects, various constructs, and the rare elemental being, there are some creatures which bear a strong resemblance to living ones save that they are the construct type. You needn't even alter their HD or stats, simply having them gain some or all of the construct traits (which may raise their CR).

Using Nostos

As this realm can easily fit in the traditional cosmology, and can easily be a plot hook or the result of whatever powerful McGuffians you already have planned. The unknown lower areas provide plenty of adventuring opportunity in a world dominated by constructs.

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