The Pool of Worlds

This magical pool looks no different than an ordinary pool, but that is where the similarity ends. Anyone stepping into the magical waters of the Pool of the Worlds will be instantly transported to the Demiplane of Pools.

Infinite perfectly round evenly spaced pools stretch to the horizon on the Demiplane of Pools. No indigenous life inhabits this brightly lit, but sunless demiplane. Only short evenly cut grass separates the different pools. Each pool leads to a different alternate reality of the Prime Material Plane within the crystal sphere of Fälgorna and in all other spheres. When a character first materializes on the demiplane he will be standing in the middle of the pool that leads to Fälgorna.

Each pool on the plane has different characteristics. Some are clear blue and seemingly full of life, while others are murky or dried up. Some pools lead to worlds which are just being born, while others lead to worlds which died long ago.

For each round a character walks away from the pool in which he materialized there is a cumulative 5% chance he will become hopelessly lost and never be able to find his way back to his own world pool. However, on each world nine magical items have been created that give the user the ability to navigate the Demiplane of Pools and be able to find any world which he chooses. On the world of Fälgorna these items are rings.

While traveling the Demiplane of Pools, the characters does not age, grow tired or get hungry. Poison and disease have no effect on the demiplane. Time does not exist here. Certain spells will not operate on the demiplane, including any that have to do with time or healing. Spells which are designed to contact outer planar powers also have no effect because there is no contact between the Demiplane of Pools and the outer, elemental, ethereal and astral planes. It exists in a dimension separated from all others save the Prime Material Plane.

Despite the fact that no indigenous life dwells on the demiplane, there is a 1% chance per (subjective) day spent on the demiplane that an encounter will occur with another being visiting the plane. This encounter can include virtually any creature, but usually the encounter will be with an intelligent creature. A character slain on the demiplane is forever dead and unresurrectable.

The Pool of Worlds on Fälgorna is guarded by a powerful Slaad bound by powerful magics to prevent any creature from entering the pool.

Refuge of the Ancients

In the years before the destruction of the Ancients by the gods, they built a refuge deep within what is now called the Spineridge Mountains. The Ancients of a powerful kingdom designed the shelter to protect their leaders from the enemies of the kingdom and their weapons of mass destruction. The refuge also served as a repository of knowledge, culture and art, and as a command center for counter-strike with weapons of mass destruction against the enemies of the kingdom should these extreme measures become necessary.

When the gods called down the Devastation on the world of the Ancients, this structure survived, but not unscathed. Many of the leaders of the Ancients where trapped within the refuge and became subjected to poisonous gasses and strange radiations spewed forth by their own damaged machines. These poisons killed many, those who survived found to their horror that a majority of their offspring were born with serious mutations and deformities.

The effects of the poisons and mutations took their toll over the centuries and survival became more important to the Ancients trapped inside than preserving any form of culture or knowledge. The remnant of the Ancient’s civilization that survived the Devastation steadily degraded. The heir’s to the knowledge of the Ancients perverted the scientific know how of their forefathers into a sick religion, performing the tasks of maintenance and research by rote instead of through understanding. The sons and daughters of the scientists became the priests and priestesses of the new religion.

Eventually, after many thousands of years, a mutant of great intelligence rose to power. He easily understood many of the scientific concepts of the ancients and learned how to operate their machines. Fully aware of his superiority over the common refuge citizen, he quickly garnered the reins of power and established himself as a god ? demanding living sacrifice on a regular basis. Some few understood the falsity of his claim to godhood and resisted his attempts to subjugate the citizens of the refuge.

The god-king taught that no other world existed outside the confines of the refuge and that life’s only purpose was to promote death.

About ten years into the god-king’s reign, a spelljamming ship of clockwork horrors discovered the refuge and made it a base of operations from which they hoped to conquer the planet. The god-king saw the potential to spread his power to the outside world through cooperation with these creatures and he modified his cult to include worship of these creatures. The arrangement was agreeable to the clockwork horrors because it served their purpose to have the aid of the refuge dwellers in their plans to destroy all life on Fälgorna.

The clockwork horrors activities went unchecked for many years and their plans of conquest may have succeeded had it not been for the actions of a group of adventurers of the Fraternity of the Thorn. The leader of the clockwork horrors in this part of the universe knows of the aid that the god-king rendered and it may attempt to reestablish a base at the refuge in the future.

The adventurers learned of the refuge’s existence from information given to them by a dwarven mining expedition from Thugart’s Deep. The adventurers destroyed the clockwork horror menace but were unable to overthrow the god-king. In the process of destroying the clockwork horrors, the adventurers accidentally activated ancient machinery which resulted in the launching of several ICBMs targeted on various areas around the planet. Where these weapons detonated huge areas were purged of life and many dead magic and wild magic zones were created. Life is only now starting to repopulate these devastated areas, but the life has in many cases, after exposure to the poison radiations of the bombs, mutated. The extent of the damage caused by these bombs and the types of abominations created have not been successfully documented.

Stone of Truth

The citizens of the city of Kremlon in Vostead unearthed the Stone of Truth deep within the recesses of an iron mine in the Spineridge Mountains. Hard rock and ore completely encased the flat black slab when miners found it. Despite the crude techniques used to remove the rock surrounding it, none of the tools used by the miners so much as left a scratch on its smooth polished surface.

Amazed by its characteristics, the mine owner took the rock to local priests who after examining it determined the stone originated in the realms of the gods. They promptly built a temple to house the find and after many years, a powerful local cult has developed that venerates the stone as a god.

The stone is about 12 feet high by four feet wide and one foot thick. Nothing mundane or magical has been found that can so much as leave a scratch on the surface of the stone. Priests of the stone that gaze into its surface claim the ability to predict the future. Anyone within 20 feet of the stone is unable to tell a lie.

Pillar of Lost Souls

Perched atop the highest peak of the Black Mountains, the 200 foot rune covered adamantite Pillar of Lost Souls casts its oppressive shadow across the surrounding peaks. Lightning continuously strikes the pillar by day and at night the strikes illuminate the skies like a wizard’s pyrotechnics spell gone mad.

In the Book of Lost Souls, written by Ffelldwon the Damned, he writes, “Whoever fathoms the mysteries of the Pillar becomes the master of the supernatural and the owner of the fabric of life. The power of the Pillar shields no mortal from its wrath.

Great Boundary Wall

The Paladian (elf) Empire of Täghorn constructed this great wall nearly 2,500 years ago to protect against barbarian incursions into their lands. The wall spans nearly 1,500 miles from the east coast of Fälgorna to the base of the Upper Black Mountains. No force has ever breached the wall.

Every three miles, towers garrisoned with ten warriors breach the uniform expanse of the 150-foot tall, 30-foot wide, white marble wall. Small keeps garrisoned with 40 warriors and two heavy catapults each dot the wall at 12-mile intervals. Every 300 miles, a large fortress garrisoned by at least 300 warriors and itinerant siege machinery stands in stony watchfulness over the Barbarian Territories to the north. Only one gate breaches the wall near the midway point of its expanse, the Gate of Caliphy. Two large fortresses guard entrance through the brass gates. At least 3,000 warriors and war wizards are posted in each fortress at all times.

Citadel of Evil

Vomiting out of the darkness of the smoke-filled sky like an anvil of hate at the center of the barren dead lands of Garon Bor, Arrok the Demon Lord gazes across his lands from his mighty fortress of eldritch construction ? the Citadel of Evil.

The onyx and iron construction of the citadel defies all sane laws of architecture. Vast humanoid armies regurgitate from its yawning gates carved to resemble a demonic face. Its polished black walls reflect the ever burning fires of lava pits and the campfires of the Demon Lord’s armies with a kaleidoscopic departure from reality. The massive precision of the sharp geometric patterns of the internal fortress are mixed with undescribable four dimensional constructions created through powerful arcane magics inspired by the Abyss. Intermixed with the geometric shapes of the walls are baroque carvings of demons and inhuman sufferings. These walls writhe with lives of their own. Stairways rise into the night sky only to end without reaching a discernible destination. Towers without windows or doors constructed to appease the chaotic nature of the evil ruler of Garon-Bor rise above the dead lands without apparent reason. Still others reach unparalleled heights, some as high as 2,500 feet. The scene reminds the viewer of a creation of Abyss on earth.

The Demon Lord himself, broods upon his thrown in the highest tower of the citadel, plotting his eventual conquest of the world.

Gazing upon the Citadel of Evil by any character of non-chaotic alignment requires a Sanity check. Those who fail are driven hopelessly insane. A character that makes a successful Sanity check will be confused for 1d4 turns. Characters of 12th-level or higher are not effected by the confusion effect.

Golden Barge of the Lost Isles

This legendary vessel measures nearly 1,500 feet long and is crafted entirely from gold. It has no perceptible form of locomotion, such as oars, yet it propels itself through some unknown force. In truth, the barge is powered by a solar engine crafted by the Ancients. The gold plating on the outside of the ship acts as a huge solar panel.

The Lighthouse of Pendagra

The Lighthouse of Pendagra towers from atop a lone mountain on a lone isle far out to sea. It is by far the tallest construction in the known world. The lighthouse stands over 2,000 feet high from its base to apex. It is said, the beacon from the lighthouse is actually the eye of a dead god. Anyone looking through this eye may turn it so as to be able to view any person's action anywhere in the world.

Home of the Winds

The legendary homes of the wind gods lie at each pole and on the east and west meridians. Anyone lucky enough to gain interview with the wind gods will have all their questions answered, because the wind gods know all secrets brought to them on the winds.