Table of Contents
Koth
Koth is a somewhat small island directly to the northeast of Ageroth's mainland. The island is dominated by necromancers, the undead, and other dark creatures. The island's main city, Toth, has a population of 15,000.
History
Pre-Debasement
Legend has it that, several hundred years ago, Koth used to be a vibrant, lively island. The island was primarily populated by elves, lizards, and humans. (The exact races are still up for debate, but I definitely like the idea of elves being a thing and then almost entirely wiped out.) The island was covered in bright, vibrant structures, with seemingly alien architecture. Additionally, the quality of structure was so high that Pre-Debasement constructions easily tower over most modern buildings, and many more structures tunnel deep into the earth.
The Debasement
One day, the sky turned black and a wave of dark purple energy erupted from the sky, blasting the entire island with necromantic magic. Most creatures on the island were obliterated by the initial purge, and those who did were changed by the event, corrupted by eldritch magics.
GM Description: The Black One planned, in secret, a dark, chaotic ritual that would bolster his power by nearly a thousandfold, however the ritual went wrong, tainting the island with necromantic energy and permanently warping the island’s latent magic. The Black One ascended to become a being of pure elemental energy, gaining immortality and godlike power. However, as a result of the ritual, he was inadvertently bound to the island, and is constantly scheming to escape.
Post-Debasement
After the debasement, the island's remaining population to retreated to the harbor, and eventually built Toth. However, due to inner squabbling, the mages have never expanded beyond the city walls.
Geographical
Terrain: The region is particularly wet and swampy, making it difficult to explore. The region is cold, humid, and often overcast. Large portions of the island are submerged in water, which can range from a few inches to a few feet.
Climate
Even on the sunniest days in Koth, the sky is still somewhat gray. More often than not, the region is at least cloudy, if not foggy, raining, or experiencing an ominous, hellish storm. Koth is always the most humid region of Ageron, and is typically chilly or cold, experiencing temperatures ranging from about 20-60 degrees Fahrenheit.
Population
Koth is home to two major groups of people, the citizens of Toth, and members of the Rel'yae tribe. The island is also inhabited by several intelligent, nefarious beings.
Toth
Toth is a city dominated by necromancers, and populated primarily by humans, though some lizards, elves, and orcs do contribute to the population of about 15,000.
Rel'yae
The Rel'yae Clan is a coalition of elves and lizards who live in the swampy wilds of Koth, and survive using their cunning, skills, and tenacity.
Magical Anomalies
Obelisks
There are about 7 strange, stone obelisks scattered throughout the island. Each obelisk radiates with abnormal, magical energy, which can be viewed by most creatures as an odd purple light. Whenever a magical effect triggers or is active near the obelisks, the effect can get a bit… weird. The change in effect is up to the GMs discretion; the spell could change targets, or Ocean Cold may turn into a stream of pure magma. The exact change is never consistent, and the nature of the change is up to GM discretion. The obelisks seems to actively repair themselves when damaged, and none who have attempted to destroy the structures have ever been heard from again.
Flying through the obelisk will incur a 6 die power check. Those who fail become servants to The Black One. Refer to the Black One's page for his demands.
Resurrection
Sometimes, when people or pets die in the wilds, they mysteriously return. However, their eyes have a strange glow, their skin changes color, and they often behave erratically. Whenever something dies in the wild, roll a d100. Because this roll represents a process that happens over the course of several hours, or possibly even days, it cannot be altered by methods such as luck. Depending on the exact roll, the character will experience a variety of effects. If the character's body is being carried around/protected by another character, then ignore all effects in which the body or soul is consumed, stolen, or possessed.
- 01-05: The character must make a 5 die check against their Will, otherwise their soul will be consumed by a powerful entity. This is negated by performing last rites or storing the soul in a safe location.
- 06-10: The character's body is consumed by monsters.
- 11-60: Nothing happens. The character remains dead and proceeds to rot.
- 61: Nothing happens. The character remains dead and proceeds to sink into the muddy terrain, becoming mummified.
- 62-85: The character is resurrected as a mindless undead.
- 86-96: The character is resurrected as an undead by the pollutant necromantic magic of Koth. However, in the process of resurrection, they go insane, losing 1d4 common sense. As the character rebuys ranks of the common sense they lost, they regain their sanity; reclaiming their old level of common sense renders them fully sane and in control of themselves.
- 96-99: The character is resurrected by the pollutant necromantic magic of Koth, and comes back as an undead, with no other side effects.
- 100: The character is resurrected by the pollutant necromantic magic of Koth, and has no memories of being resurrected. For some strange reason, they suffer no negative side effects, and are considered revived as if they were hit by the effects of “Breath of Life” rather than becoming undead.
The Reverse Plane
A small handful of individuals have reported that, after tampering with areas of particularly high magical power, they were transported to a dark, underworld-like region. They described the region as being populated by several high-powered beings, which dominated the plane.
Explorable Structures
Ruins
Most ruins come from the pre-Debasement period, from the highly advanced civilization. Additionally, some locals claim that millennia-old creatures still reside in these tombs, and can still recall life before the island was corrupted.
Abandoned Villages and Houses
Many have tried to live out in the middle of Koths wilderness, but almost all who have fail, either abandoning their new homes, or being killed off by the wildlife. There are some abandoned, post-Debasement houses left in the swamp. Some particularly perceptive adventurers may even find old homes of the Rel'yae.
Tombs
There are two primary styles of tombs on Koth: pre-Debasement and post-Debasement. Post-Debasement ruins are built in the architectural style of the city of Toth. Pre-Debasement ruins are built in a style without the enigmatic necromantic aesthetics of most modern buildings.
Wildlife
In general, the island of Koth is pretty barren. Most living things struggle to survive in the swampy, diseased region, and those that do are often corrupted by the constant death and dark magic practiced in the region.
Mundane Life Forms (As per manual)
Zombie Plant, Blood Leeches, Grazzoon, Mudbus, and Slugs.
Undead
Due to the odd magical properties of the island, the undead are much more common on Koth than on any other Jaernian island. Some of the undead you may find in the region include:
Bonebat: The use of bonebats is extremely popular on the isle.
Blight: The island is home to ancient Blight from the pre-Debasement era.
Bugdead Locust and Bugdead Minikank Swarms
Caller in Darkness (Exceptionally Rare): Many ancient tribes or villages were killed off through magical accidents or unscrupulous individuals, creating a handful of Caller in Darkness.
Krag: Most casters on the island are earth mages, meaning that Krag on Koth tend to be either earth or obsidian. However: A) Earth mages can buy into fire spells, so it is possible that fire krag are on the island. B) Mages of air, water, and fire were more populous, though still not entirely common, in the pre-Debasement era; there are quite feasibly be some ancient krag on the island of other elements. C) If any mage is killed on the island by their “enemy” element, they are pretty much guaranteed to become a krag.
Raigs: There are a relatively high number of abandoned temples on the island, and it’s highly plausible that adventurers may encounter raigs guarding these temples.
Namechs: Namechs make great servants for the local liches and necromancers, and are significantly more common on the island than would normally be the case.
Undead War Beetle: Some of the more powerful necromancers of the isle have been known to raise these massive beetles to transport hordes of smaller undead.
Unique/Magical Creatures
Most of the magical/mystical creatures on the island have been corrupted into abnormally aggressive variants. Most adventurers will find it significantly harder to alter or read the creatures’ minds, as they’ve gone completely insane, and the island has increased their power stat.
Ents and Dryads (Unique): These normally peaceful, gentle creatures have taken a turn for the worse. The dark magic of the region has twisted these creatures into being violent and malevolent. Their appearance is much more akin to that of a dead tree than a live one, as their bodies are often gnarled, and their bark is a grey/black instead of a healthy green. Some of the locals even whisper rumors of the treefolk abducting children to consume.
Dark Yartz (Unique): The Yartz of this island are unique in that, since they feed off of the island’s magic, they have become completely corrupted. They have an exceptional power, their eyes glow red, and they are extremely aggressive.
Demons: Higher level demons love to make bargains with mortals on the island, and are often found collecting souls for nefarious purposes.
Dusk Beasts: Koth is one of the darkest regions on Jaern; this makes it an idyllic environment for Dusk Beasts, and the land’s energy actually strengthens the Dusk Beasts. That being said, they’ll prefer to stick to areas filled with complete darkness, but they can move around the region with almost no penalty.
Ravens (Unique): The ravens of the island are abnormally intelligent, with eerily glowing, purple or red eyes. In particular, adventurers should be wary of their mischief, and their ability to teleport through shadows.
Agricultural
Due to the wet, swampy nature of the island, combined with the typically overcast weather, most traditional produce won’t grow on the island. However, produce that would typically do well in moist or submerged areas, such as rice and asparagus, flourish. The island's inhabitants have created a kind of magical lantern which provides light to their crops 24/7, so crops can grow as if they were being exposed to the full effects of sunlight.
The Endless Reserve of Unspeakable Evils
Koth, as a place of great evil and focal point of arcane power, has spawned an almost countless amount of malevolent beings throughout its history. While many of them are easily killed, a few of them may only be locked away with the hopes that foolish adventurers never release them again.
Grognak, the Destroyer of Worlds
Grognak was born in the year 9407. Upon reaching maturity, he proceeded to go on a rampage across the continent for the next six months before being sealed away on Koth. Legend has it that a sacrifice equal to what was made to seal him in must be made to release him.
Zanithex, He Who Predates the World
Zanithex, previously subjugated by The Black One, is the master over the Tenebrae. He sees all traditional life as being a perversion of his reality, and wishes to bring all of Jaern under his domain. He was sealed deep in a vault, 2 miles under the surface of the planet.
Kar'thuul Kahl-er
Kar'thuul Kahl-er was the father of Caldevitch Kahl-er. As an all-powerful necromancer, he was sealed away by the Ra'ites in a family tomb. The Kahl-ers have generally left him alone to avoid causing a power struggle.
The Legion
The Legion was the first generation of Ghutan Deathknights; after several decades of servitude to their masters, they became self-aware and started to rebel, slaughtering anybody with destructive potential in the hopes of adding them to their ranks. They were locked in some kind of large reserve, lost to time. The Legion is a tier 4 threat, but could very quickly become more dangerous.
Appendix
Pronunciation Guide
- Debasement: Dee-base-men-t
- Tenebrae: Ten-eh-br-ay