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Mount Olympus, the
Seat of the Gods, the Pillar of the Planes
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Memoirs
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Welcome
to the Mountain
By Goaya -- Outlander
Explorer and Keen Climber of the Mount
by Jon
Winter
A
giant mountain, shrouded in infinite mists both above and
below, Mount Olympus is dimensionally tall. Its forested
slopes are large enough to sweep across several planes,
its extensive caverns and tunnels burrow into several
more, and its iceswept lofty peaks burst through into yet
others. As a cutter might expect, colour pools on the
lower regions tend to lead to the Lower Planes, and the
higher a basher climbs up the mountain, the more likely
she is to find a portal to an Upper Plane. Pools leading
to the Prime can be found at any height, however.
Legend
has it the Mount was built by the Greek pantheon for
their own private use, and indeed its slopes are covered
with the Realms and Domains of countless powers and
demi-powers of the Greek Pantheon. [On Hallowed
Ground described many of these in detail, and more
powers' realms are detailed on the Powers
that Be page
here].
Fortunately
for planewalkers, however, the Greeks are not an overly
protective lot, and don't seem to mind cutters tromping
up and down their mountain. In fact, Olympus (whose peaks
thrust into Arborea where the majority of Powers Realms
lie) has become something of a symbol across the planes.
The theme of the mount is one of struggle to overcome the
trials and tasks life hands to a berk on a brass plate.
Greek legends often tell of impossible tasks that have to
be carried out by great heroes, and while climbing
Olympus ain't impossibly, it ain't easy neither. The
moral to be learned from this planar feature is that
exertion leads to improvement.
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"Nobody
trips over mountains.
It is the small pebble that causes you to stumble.
Pass all the pebbles in your path
and you will find you have crossed the
mountain"
-- Oread
saying
Helping
yourself to find your own way is the best way to learn.
In fact, it can be hard to find guides on the Mount
(unlike on Yggdrasil or the Infinite Staircase, where
there are dozens of cutters who'll gladly show you the
dark for the right garnish) -- locals often act offended
at the offer of jink to guide bodies to their
destination. Fortunately the Mountain is also eternal and
unchanging, which means that a canny cutter can pick up
maps which are usually pretty accurate.
Don't
think things are too easy, though. Just because the
powers act disinterested (as long as a berk doesn't push
his luck) and the maps are okay, it doesn't mean a
planewalker shouldn't take great care. There are many
inhabitants of the Mount who don't take so kindly to
visitors, or who're only too happy to welcome them with
open arms...and open maws. Horrific creatures from Greek
myth like gorgons, harpies, lamia, minotaur, medusae,
maedar roam the slopes and depths looking for prey.
Mountain and hill giants, galeb duhr, and bariaur herds
can also be spotted regularly, as well as the oread,
mountain spirits who guard Olympus from unnatural
influences.
There
aren't any large burgs on Olympus, but there are a few
smallish burgs (see below for some details on those) as
well as mountain hermits and monasteries or philosophers
and goat herders. The Fated have also built a waystation
called Golden Gorge at the head of a narrow canyon --
it's widely known as the best way up from the Lower to
Upper slopes, but of course the faction charges a toll
for travellers to use the pass...
I
think Voilá's got his jinksworth now. That about
covers the basics. About those Olympian burgs?
Certainly...only to happy to oblige...
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Coin
A burg on Mount Olympus
(by Erin Hayes)
On
the foothills of Olympus in Arborea, near Polyklepton,
are a series of villages that embody the intense passions
of the folk of Arborea more than most. Maybe to play up
the contrasts, Arborean burgs in this part of the plane
usually show two faces; present opposing emotional forms
in each burgs. In the town of Coin, for example, the folk
are divided along lines of greed and charity.
The
Givers are a highly altruistic bunch, willing to lend the
shirt off their backs to a stranger. The Greeds, on the
other hand, seek to milk every copper farthing they can
out of both travellers and their fellow townsfolk.
Predictably, the Greeds have managed to occupy most
positions of power in town while the Givers farm, herd,
and heal the sick. The Fated are remarkably strong here
(chant goes it's one of their main haunts outside of
Ysgard), as they make excellent
tax-collectors.
Ecstatica
by Paul
Lefebvre
Character:
The
beautiful and peaceful town of Ecstatica lies off the
southern flank of Mount Olympus. Primarily it has arisen
around a number of vineyards and family estates of well
to-do bloods and high-ups who've moved out into the
relative peace of these wilds to get away from the bustle
of Sigil and various other major cities of the planes.
The other folks who have moved in and built homes in the
area don't necessarily share the founder's desire for
peace and quiet. As such, there is constant underlying
conflict between the "old-timers" and those that the
old-timers call the "outsiders".
Ruler:
The
ruler of Ecstatica, Thelonius Posterponorri, is the blood
who built the first vineyard here. There is no formal
government here, but most of the residents of Ecstatica
don't question his authority as it's his own goodwill
which has allowed others to set up their own kips in the
area. Thelonius (Planar / male human /
P[Dionysus]11 / Society of Sensation / N) is an
older gentleman, now in his early 70's, who retired from
a career as a planewalker to settle down and grow grapes.
As a follower of Dionysus, he's very good at his job. His
business seems headed to becoming a merchant empire,
which he'll likely pass on to his oldest son, Stephanos
(Planar / male human / F5 / CN). He lets the residents of
Ecstatica follow their own desires, so long as they cut
him in for a share of the profit. So far, the population
of the burg is small enough that a larger, more flexible
government doesn't seem to be required yet.
Additionally, the fact that Thelonius has established an
exclusive trade deal with Estavan of the Planar Trade
Consortium has prevented the other powerful families of
the burg from effectively challenging Thelonius'
position.
Behind the
Throne:
A
single ghaele eladrin, Gwyna Gallaida (Planar / female
ghaele eladrin / Society of Sensation / CG) wields some
influence over Thelonius' orders. She settled in the area
after being banished from some backwater place called the
Rainward Isles on some prime world known as Krynn,
apparently for violating her veil in order to save a
mortal lover from rampaging monsters. In the years since
she's arrived she's contented herself with raising the
three aasimar children she had by this lover. Her oldest
daughter, Avril Brightdawn (Planar / female aasimar /
R3/M3 / Society of Sensation / CG) fled the town to
escape a looming arranged marriage with Stephanos
Posterponorri which his father had tried to set up. As a
result of this, Gwyna made the decision to remain in the
area to ensure that Thelonius didn't achieve some form of
authoritarian control over the town. In the meantime, she
seems content to take a vacation and raise her two
remaining children.
Description:
Ecstatica
is a small town, just beginning to grow from a village
centred on the local wine-making exploits of a few
powerful families. It has a population of only about 500
heads. The homes of the village are in large part
comprised of Greek-style homes settled on the rolling
foothills of Mount Olympus. The surrounding hills are
filled with vineyards owned by the Posterponorri family
and a few others. Everything is beautifully kept and the
village itself has a quaint, yet romantic air to
it.
The
people of Ecstatica are divided into two main groups. The
Old-timers consist of the Posterponorri family, the
Eusdrians, the Splitshields, and the Thanarr clan. These
four families own all the vineyards in the area and
employ many of the people in the town. The members of
these families regard themselves as nobles and consider
themselves superior to the newcomers who have built homes
in the area. The three secondary families are in constant
competition to produce the best vintages of wine and are
not above using slight sabotage at times in an attempt to
prevent their rivals from producing better products. The
Posterponorri family takes a cut of all produce by each
family in the area, which is then sold to the Planar
Trade Consortium for transport to Sigil and abroad.
Currently Grummanor Splitshield (Planar / male dwarf /
N), leader of the Splitshield clan, is looking for some
way to sell his wine that wouldn't require him to
contribute his own profits to the Posterponorri
family.
The
Outsiders, are folks who have moved into the town more
recently and are a varied collection of planars, primes,
and petitioners of varied stripes. Most of them are
humans, with a scattering of elves, half-elves, and
aasimar. Many of these berks are employed as farmhands
for the vineyards. However, people uninvolved with the
town's main trade are moving to Ecstatica in increasing
numbers. Due to the local vineyards, Ecstatica is
becoming well-known as a destination of choice by
Sensates who consider themselves wine
connoisseurs.
As
a result of the increasing number of people who are
visiting, and to take advantage of them, some
enterprising bloods have opened up a pleasure house, a
gambling hall, and finally, a theatre is currently in the
process of being built. Visitors who come to visit the
vineyards and buy alcohol directly from the producers are
beginning to see the town as a form of holiday
destination on journeys away from Sigil or other planar
cities
Militia:
Ecstatica
doesn't have a standing militia yet, though each of the
four main estates is guarded by a private force of
minders. Presently, the citizenry is generally composed
of former adventurers who don't concern themselves much
with the threat of bandits. They've been lucky so far,
but some of the cooler heads in town are starting to get
more vocal about establishing some form of militia or
constabulary.
In
actual fact, the burg hasn't been lucky. Gwyna Gallaida,
having decided to remain in town for now, asked some of
her eladrin contacts to give her a hand. As a result, a
force of 10 shiere eladrin have taken up residence in the
surrounding hills. They spend some days hidden within
Gwyna's home, and the rest of the time patrol the
surrounding hills for raiders.
Services:
Ecstatica
is most well known for its vineyards. The vintages
produced here are actually quite good and are beginning
to see growing demand in the restaurants and taverns of
Sigil. Many Sensates visiting the Guilded Hall actually
take extra time to visit Ecstatica just to sample the
wine. Olive oil is also produced here by some farmers who
grow groves of olive trees on the outskirts of the town.
Sheep, cattle, and goats graze in some of the more
distant fields.
More
recently, a pleasure house, the Arms of Aphrodite, has
opened on the edge of town. Run by Iris Thaladasius
(Planar / female human / P[Aphrodite]9 / Society
of Sensation / CG) and Jacinthe Paradulcios (Planar /
female half-dryad / P[Aphrodite]6 / CG), this
house is staffed mostly by Sensates, and provides many
services, from the provision of "hired companions", and
expert masseurs, to match-making services for interested
visitors. It is rumoured that discreet inquirers can in
fact purchase philters of love here. The Arms of
Aphrodite is constructed of some form of pink marble and
is covered by carvings of flowers, birds, fountains, and
lovers. The cella (centre court) contains a fountain
shaped like three nymphs stepping out of a splash of
water. Lighting spells highlight the water and give it a
coloured, glowing appearance during the evenings.
Across
town, workers are currently building a theatre where
plays and operas will be performed by Sensates and teams
of actors, singers, and comedians. Its construction is
being overseen by Cyrus Talagard (Planar / male human /
B5 / Society of Sensation / N) who has been commissioned
by the Posterponorri family to assemble a group of
thespians and complete the theatre. Due to unexpected
construction problems, the theatre has taken twice as
long as it should have to be constructed. It is expected
that the theatre will be completed within the next three
cycles.
The
last service for visitors is a gambling hall, Hermes
Hall, run by Palidus Llysanthrus (Prime / male human / T6
/ Fated / CN). This swarthy man walks with a cane, the
result of an injury apparently inflicted during his
adventuring days, involving something he was trying to
steal, an illusion of a beholder, and a long flight of
stairs. Hermes Hall is a rough den, with dancing girls,
loud music, and a lot of horribly tacky decor. Palidus
views his gambling hall as a classy joint, famous across
the planes, when in fact, it is basically just a setup
that lets him sharp travellers with too much jink and not
enough brains.
Local
News:
There
has been talk lately that the delays in constructing the
theatre might not in fact be simply accidents. A worker
at the theatre reported having seen a shadowy figure
lurking around a scaffolding one evening...right before
three pillars which had just been manoeuvred into place
to help support the roof crashed over and smashed a wall.
Investigation failed to turn up footprints in the area,
but rumours making the rounds seem to imply that one of
the three main families other than the Posterponorri in
fact are attempting to sabotage the construction effort
in an attempt to prevent Thelonius from getting a
significant foothold into the burgeoning entertainment
business of the town.
A
local farmer has requested aid after a rabble of bacchae
raided his fields and destroyed half his olive trees.
During the attack, his eldest son was taken by the
bacchae and actually transformed into one of them. He's
trying to find adventurers who could separate his son
from the rabble and restore him to his natural
mind.
Grummanor
Splitshield, patriarch of his family, is looking for
smugglers who can find a market for his wine that'll
allow him to trade without having to pay off a portion of
his profits to Thelonius. Given that the Planar Trade
Consortium is involved in the situation, discretion is
advised of anyone who wants to get involved in the
situation and keep out of the dead-book. For such a risky
venture, however, it is certain that the reward would be
great.
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The
Bestiary
by Belarius
Character:
You
think you know discrimination? Do know what it is to be
reviled? Hardly. Sure, you've heard the names 'Tief,'
'Clueless,' or even 'Cord Baby,' but do you really think
these are all that insulting? Try 'Abomination.' Or
'Plague of Mankind.' Even been called one of those by
someone who meant it, berk? I thought not. If you want to
come here, you'd best leave your predispositions behind.
We're all monstrous here, children and grandchildren of
Gaea herself, and we ain't too pretty. But if you can set
aside your silly little assumptions about us, as we have
to each other, then you are welcome to the
Bestiary.
Ruler:
Aphalleus
(Planar / male gigantes / 16 HD [128 hp] /
Guardians / CG) is the de facto ruler of this fairly
disorganised town. Apheleus is a Gigantes, a race of
beings born of Uranus and Gaea who resemble giant men
with snakes for feet. As one of the strongest beings in
the Bestiary, as well as one of the most idealistic, he
inspires even those who haven't given up their violent
ways to better things. Aphalleus has converted many a
Greek monster to the cause of good with his smooth
diplomacy and open acceptance of his heritage. That's not
to say he's without his own flaws (he used to be a
violent and vindictive basher, and still has a ferocious
temper), but as the role-model of the city, he is the
effective leader.
Behind the
Throne:
Not
everyone in the Bestiary is as open to change and
idealistic as Aphalleus, and his reverence of the
Olympians have earned the leader more than a little
contempt. One individual who has rejected the ideas of
Aphalleus is Trephorae (Prime / female harpy / 7 HD /
Society of Sensation / N). She was driven mad by a mage
who made her vulnerable to her own song, and was
fortunate enough to escape her Prime world through the
Portal Defile, learning of the Sensates. Currently, she
believes that man will never accept the monsters of their
legends as equals, and staunchly defies the idea of
integration between Gaea's kin and mortals. She argues
that they are too close-minded to ever learn the true
diversity of the multiverse.
Another
nonconformist is Hamellus (Planar / male curst / M12 /
Revolutionary League / CN). Hamellus was a roguish mage
who wandered the planes stirring up trouble across the
planes. On his last living quest, he travelled to the
Realm of Hades, in which he caused such a tremendous
ruckus that Hades made him an undead who could never die
simply to keep the knave from returning to the Underworld
upon death. Ejected back into the Olympian realms and
instantly labelled a monster, Hamellus found refuge in
the Bestiary, where, though not one of Gaea's brood, is
accepted as a fellow outcast. There, he has raised doubts
among the populace (such as they are) of the greatness of
the Olympians. Hamellus has found no fault with Gaea
(yet), but sees the Olympians as powerful powermongers
who have no respect for the common man (he's right in a
way, but it's foolish to say it at all in Olympus). As a
refugee of the Bestiary, the Olympians ignore what they
see as an ineffective rabble rouser, but they know all to
well (from Hades himself) just how irritating Hamellus
can be.
Description:
The
Bestiary is a cavernous city, carved into the side of the
mountain by Gaea herself. She appealed to the Olympians,
showing that not all of her monstrous progeny were evil
or dangerous, and was granted the cavern as a place in
which her outcast children could assemble and become
civilised (so to speak). Most Olympians view the Bestiary
as a convenient holding area for dangerous monsters, and
most mortals on the Mount consider it a frightening
hellhole, which keeps both parties from bothering the
Bestiary's citizens. This suits the city just
fine.
In
order to enter the Bestiary and become a citizen, (and
thus be granted protection from heroes and a comfortable
home) a monster must do two things. First, it must
renounce outright evil (though mild malevolence is
acceptable). Then, as a token of good faith, it must give
up its dangerous magical powers. A medusa looses her
petrifying gaze. A great feyr must renounce the ability
to produce negative emotions (including the basic fear
attack). A harpy looses her song. Magical defences or
immunities are not given up, nor are natural or physical
attacks (which might include, in some cases, breath
weapons, venom, or infestations like a curst's rot
grubs). Now no longer a magical threat, the monster is
allowed to enter the city and is provided a home to its
specifications - it is believes Gaea automatically adds
housing as needed, though this has never been shown for
certain. Most citizens are of Gaea's brood (namely,
monsters for whom she is responsible for creating), but
many are simply monsters who were reformed by luck or
fate. Common citizens include medusae, harpies, maedars,
minotaurs, and a variety of undead, along with the odd
dracolisk, feyr, or manticore.
For
an outsider to enter (namely, a normal mortal), they must
appear before a group of five great feyrs, who
interrogate the traveller. The feyrs of the city, who
call their association 'The Collective Councils,' decide
if a candidate for entry is suitable, and how long
someone needs to visit the Bestiary to accomplish their
business. 'Guests' are given a pass which they must wear
prominently about their neck at all time. Failing to do
so can result in aggression and even expulsion by peery
monsters.
The
cavern itself is quite vast, such that the
candle-strength lights of the city never illuminate the
roof. The stone is carved with smoothness that can't be
achieved without a divine touch, and stairs, causeways,
and ladders protrude from the wall where they are needed.
Since many creatures in the city have an aversion to
bright light, the city is kept fairly dim - making it all
the more frightening for visiting mortals to wander
in.
The
city is a hodge podge at best, filled with houses as
varied as the creatures who inhabit them. Roosts for
various avian creatures line the walls of the cavern,
while everything from towers to burrows fill the space
between the orderly paved streets. The only buildings of
note are the Market (where food is produced by the will
of Gaea and possibly Demeter and traders hawk their
goods), the Bathhouse (where fresh water is provided for
all to use, and public baths are open), the Speaker's
Hall (where any and all are allowed to speak their minds
about anything they wish), and the Outsider's Refuge (the
only inn in the city which serves normal mortals). The
city is fairly quiet, and is disturbingly peaceful - most
visitors feel the place is about to explode into
violence, but in truth that's about as likely as a
chaotic baatezu.
Militia:
Part
of the agreement to become a citizen of the city is to
swear to defend the city from outside invaders (usually
Ares' bloodthirsty bunch or Dionysus' maddened bacchae).
This they do with fervour and dedication. Creatures on
the front lines are given back their offensive powers
temporarily, often in an enhanced form. It's not
tremendously odd to find an invading army turned to stone
or fleeing in magical fear.
Internal
defence, however, is a different story. In many ways,
it's every beast for itself, as there is no organised
judicial system, nor is there any active police force.
Most beasts are not bullies, because of the powerful
enemies that can be made in the Bestiary, and those who
are often find themselves facing a posse of opinionated
monsters with a bone to pick. Generally, though, everyone
is civil to everyone else, mainly because they all came
here to avoid oppression and misunderstanding, so they
won't stand for it here.
If
an outside enters the city and begins stealing (or
worse), woe to him! The beasts view mere mortals coming
into their homes to oppress them once more very
poorly, and in typical Olympian, they react emotionally
and without mercy. There is very little crime in the
Bestiary.
Services:
As
mentioned above, citizens can acquire food and water
free, and peaceful traders come frequently to sell
various household items. Outsiders find themselves with a
little less ease, often having to trade with the locals
for food and water (unless they buy it from the
Outsider's Refuge, which is overpriced). Many special
services exist which are of virtually no interest to
normal humans, including scale-shedding body scrapes and
animal groomers. Many monsters, now leading a passive
life, take up crafts hobbies, and sometimes can be traded
with as well. Apart from that, however, little invites
people to the Bestiary expect for two things: safe haven
(for the monsters) and easy trade (for
traders).
Current
Chant:
Recently,
Hamellus has organised a sort of club for various
'reformed' undead, which include shadows, wights, ghouls,
and other intelligent undead. This somewhat ghastly group
(pardon the pun) has produced two things - a wealth of
necromantic information and the fear of 'normal' monsters
who are intimidated by the walking dead (especially since
they're so... humanoid). There has been no reason to
restrict this activity, but it has caused a slight bit of
tension. The Collective Councils, especially, consider
the 'Deader's Club' to be threatening, even though the
Feyrs never had any real power in the first
place.
In
a somewhat lighter development, Trephorae has convinced
Factol Montgomery to allow Sensates to visit the city for
extended periods, experiencing the strange new sensations
of a city of monsters. The Collective Councils must
approve each person, but Aphalleus urges them to accept
as many candidates as possible. While Trephorae believes
that people and monsters should remains separate, she
does want others to experience the differing viewpoint,
if only for faction reasons.
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Powers
that Be
Being
a collection of some of the Less-Known powers who make
their kips on Mount Olympus.
Memoirs
of the Mount
Being
a collection of stories, journal entires and chant
concerning Mount Olympus.
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Copyright 1998 by Jon
Winter and respective authors,
artwork by Jeremiah Golden and Jon Winter
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