58) Colossus of the War God
In the harbor of the capital city, there is a 200 ft tall copper statue in the shape of the War God. In ages past, the Colossus would come to life to defend the city. It has not come to the city's defense in centuries, but the capital city continually sponsors researchers and adventurers to try to find ways to reactive the great Colossus.
BREAST FIRE!
42. The Menagerie at Kul Vonor
Several acres of grassy valley below the mountaintop dwarven city of Kul Vonor Keep, dotted with tens of thousands of statues. The statues are all of various types of humanoids: mostly elves, humans, hill giants, and kobolds, with some dwarves and gnomes, and the occasional outlier. Every statue has its hands and feet chained with actual metal chains, most of which have hopelessly rusted over years of wear. Each statue has a name, date, and a brief description of various crimes lightly chiseled onto its chest. Some have obviously stood for centuries and have gathered moss and climbing vines, while others have been added more recently. Some have obviously been manicured, some have flowers or foreign flags left at their feet, and a few have been vandalized or even smashed. Some statues have a second date after the first; some of these second dates have already come to pass and others have not yet.Every statue is in fact a living person under the effects of a transmute flesh to stone spell. This is Kul Vonor Keep's highest-security penitentiary, where its most troublesome prisoners are stored as a warning to future lawbreakers. The summary of crimes chiseled on each prisoner's chest serves not only as a warning as to what might earn you this fate in Kul Vonor Keep, but also so that future generations might appeal on a prisoner's behalf, and future judges might opt to show leniency. The fact that some prisoners' "sentences" appear to have ended years ago suggests that the opposite decision is also made at times.
Sopoooooo stolen!
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59. The Cathedral on the Lake
Legends say this grand structure once attracted pilgrims from across the world. A series of natural disasters cut off all access to the structure. Despite being partially covered in moss and half submerged, the ruins still stretch hundreds of feet into the air, and rumor has it that every dawn, you can see the shadows of former priests and worshipers engaging in morning prayer.
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42. The Menagerie at Kul VonorSopoooooo stolen!It's an imaginative idea, but such a prison could very well backfire someday; after all, if they have the magical means, it could be a prime recruiting ground for enemies of the state ... even the source of an ad hoc army.
A male Medusa who's gaze depetrifies would be handy here.
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42. The Menagerie at Kul Vonor
Several acres of grassy valley below the mountaintop dwarven city of Kul Vonor Keep, dotted with tens of thousands of statues. The statues are all of various types of humanoids: mostly elves, humans, hill giants, and kobolds, with some dwarves and gnomes, and the occasional outlier. Every statue has its hands and feet chained with actual metal chains, most of which have hopelessly rusted over years of wear. Each statue has a name, date, and a brief description of various crimes lightly chiseled onto its chest. Some have obviously stood for centuries and have gathered moss and climbing vines, while others have been added more recently. Some have obviously been manicured, some have flowers or foreign flags left at their feet, and a few have been vandalized or even smashed. Some statues have a second date after the first; some of these second dates have already come to pass and others have not yet.Every statue is in fact a living person under the effects of a transmute flesh to stone spell. This is Kul Vonor Keep's highest-security penitentiary, where its most troublesome prisoners are stored as a warning to future lawbreakers. The summary of crimes chiseled on each prisoner's chest serves not only as a warning as to what might earn you this fate in Kul Vonor Keep, but also so that future generations might appeal on a prisoner's behalf, and future judges might opt to show leniency. The fact that some prisoners' "sentences" appear to have ended years ago suggests that the opposite decision is also made at times.
I have multiple locations like this in my world. In the LG nation of Nomit, evil prisoners that won't repent/become good are turned to stone before they die of old age and their statues are stored away so their souls never go to hell to enrich/empower fiends. The inevitables are kinda pissed off about the whole system.
An abandoned site like this might be all political prisoners.
Basically,"Swear allegiance to Lord Hater or we grind uncle Fred to dust."
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42. The Menagerie at Kul VonorSopoooooo stolen!It's an imaginative idea, but such a prison could very well backfire someday; after all, if they have the magical means, it could be a prime recruiting ground for enemies of the state ... even the source of an ad hoc army.
That's what makes it a compelling story element!
I imagine that there are guards, of course-- a tower with a good view of the horizon, and an occasional patrol up and down the ranks. Plus, the Menagerie is as much a work of art as it is a prison-- the public is welcome to come and look at all the statues, so there's usually someone around. Every once in a while, they catch somebody acting suspicious and find he's concealing a scroll of transmute stone to flesh... or a sledgehammer. Most of the folks who attempt it get caught.
Plus, a freshly depetrified prisoner may have a grudge against the people of Kul Vonor, but that doesn't mean he'll help YOU out. He has no worldly possessions whatsoever, he's still chained to a pedestal (the spell transmutes flesh to stone, not metal), his friends and loved ones may or may not be dead of old age, and his agenda could be anything from pathologic violence to political revolution to embezzlement. And he already fought the law once and lost everything; how eager would he be for Round 2?
Any recruiter isn't going to be able to put together a worthwhile army before getting caught... but a single rogue with a good bonus to Disable Device, Stealth and UMD and a scroll of transmute stone to flesh might find his old partner-in-crime and get away before the guards notice. Heck, I can definitely see a module where the PC's are tasked with "retrieving" a person of interest from the Menagerie, and their patron gives them a few extra scrolls "just in case".
There are so many possible story hooks in a place like Kul Vonor.
62) Oread Way
Adapted from ancient Dwarven Roads, the Oread Way is 30 ft wide, 20 feet tall highway - underground. It runs for hundreds of miles under several countries, including a hostile nation. It is used for trading and smuggling. The walls are engraved with Dwarven, Terran, Aklo and Common inscriptions and scenes. Occasionally, there is graffiti on the walls, particularly near side entrances on to the highway from adjacent caverns. Only the highway is actively patrolled - visitors are warned not to stray from the Way or risk terrible death.
63) The Deadmills of Mabdaria
In this region, there are windmills and Deadmills. When an architect or mason builds a Deadmill, it is their last project to be competed posthumously. The mill is constructed with machinery to mill the grain leading down under the mill, instead of to a giant windmill blade. The machinery is powered by the animated skeleton of the honored architect or mason, who perpetually serves the community by operating a crank our walking on an attached conveyor belt.
This place works best in settings where animate dead is not evil or in a place where Necromancy is common or accepted.
62)b The underground road goes in a giant circle, around a country. It's a massive, ritual, summoning circle. It was designed for some sinister purpose, and it's about to be completed.
64) The Rainbow Winds
This large forest is located in a small valley between two mountain ranges and is home to a population of harmless caterpillars far larger than it can seemingly possibly sustain. At the beginning of spring, the caterpillars emerge from their cocoons and take to the air by the thousands, riding on spring wings and coloring the sky with their vibrant wings. Most migrate out of the valley to other lands, while some remain in the valley to lay their eggs.
This mass migration of butterflies makes the forest a popular pilgrimage site for worshipers of Shelyn and Desna, with some even considering it a minor holy site for both deities.
65) Untrue North
A large quantity of meteoric iron disrupts compass use for miles around this small lowland county. The iron has been used for generations for by locals. Flying overhead, it's hard to tell with all of the forested growth, but the entire lowland is the result of a crater created by a large meteor thousands/millions of years ago.
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Well if we're moving away from the "natural" part.
66) The eye of heaven. This mysterious forest is continually shrouded in fog and sleeting rain pouring in icy torrents from perpetual cloudcover as powerful winds tear between the stunted almost rotted tree's. Except for the very heart of the forest where a clearing lies. From treeline to treeline there is only normal weather and a perfectly circular hole in the storm above allowing natural light to shine through on the flowers and a lightly running river. In the centre of this clearing is a cozy little castle made of green stone sitting on small island with a drawbridge joining to a partial bridge sticking out over the river. This castle is always stocked with food, bedding and a warm fire in winter though no one lives there. Even the mightiest spells hurled by the most skilled wizards have failed to scorch or affect the clearing. However all those who have made use of the castles hospitality for longer than 159.84 hours have vanished and no magic has found a trace of them.
67) The evil ocean aka the sea of the dead. No one has been able to explain how this body of water stretching for roughly 8 miles in diameter is able to move around but none can deny that it does so. For the first 2 miles the sea becomes increasingly salty until nothing can live in it, for the next 5 miles a massive sargasso of seaweed lies on this dead water which seems almost malevolent in its ability to entwine and trap ships that enter it. However far and away the most terrifying aspect of this area of water is the fact that lying under the sargasso in the very centre is a patch of water utterly devoid of oxygen. Any creature breaking through the sargasso here immediately sinks for about 8 miles straight down as there is nothing to provide boyancy or support and even spells like waterbreathing are unable to allow a being to survive in here as there is no oxygen to breathe.
68) The crystal lens, this mysterious black lens lies in a forgotten cavern in the depths of the underdark. None know now who crafted it but its said that those who gaze into its depths may see the paths of fate and other worlds where they made different choices, took different paths or where born differently a man born a woman, a woman who took up the art of war rather than raising a family, a man who tried to become a mage and became a drug addicted drifter. However this lens is forgotten for a reason for the longer one gazes the darker and more disturbed the worlds it reveals till it is said something looks back.
69) The dark void. Lying on the eqautor this hilly island is largely indsitinguishable from others except for one strange quirk. If one stands in the right spot and holds their head at exactly the right angle every signle star in the sky vanishes leaving a pitch black void hanging over the planet as you stand in a world lit by the cold shadowless light of an overcast day.
70) The ruins of Mel Dorar. Many wars have been fought between gods and men however in this shattered valley magic ran wild and tore the bounds of reality allowing the outer realms to touch it changing it forever. This entire valley is often a deadly trap for those who manage to bypass the Rangers of the Shattered Rainbow who stand guard over its entrances. At first glance it appears to be a perfect spot to settle brilliant green trees, flowing sparkling blue water, crisp clean snow on the surrounding mountain peaks. However its true dangers seldom appear till one is in too far to run. This is a land under the constant threat of wild magic surges and the weather may turn in a moment from shining sunny skies to torrents of fire, tornado's of razor sharp glass or rains of icicles. Where every creature from the humble armageddon squirrel to the mighty sonic gorilla posses strange and dangerous powers. Where the land itself shifts and twists so that the way in may not be the way out. Yet even with these risks some few plunge willingly into its depths for tis here that unique and powerful components may be claimed for those willing to take the risk and often pay the price for their greed as if the wildlife,plants and rocks don't claim you the shifting formless nature of this land can often claim do so as the surging magics transform a friend and companions mind and body between one eye blink and the next. On adventurer on the main road tells all who seek the vale of how he saw his entire party of companions de-age to death in moments before emerging to find all they had done undone and not even their own parents remembered them.
71)Primal Ooze. An underground river of magma, and water, meet in this cavern to form a large pond of primal ooze. The ooze is not a monster per se, but a soup of amino acids, proteins, and even DNA. It has 2 valuable qualities. First, if even a strand of hair is put in, it will grow into a clone of the original in just a half hour. Reaching the pond will be difficult because of the second quality. Every 1D6 hours a brand new lifeform crawls(or whatever) out. It could be a baby dinosaur, an ooze or jelly, a humanoid, the spores of violet fungus, a humanoid, or any other life form. The Pond will be surrounded by an Eco-system of subterranean creatures. While aberrations are possible, true outsiders are not. Creatures that need sunlight will make a desperate journey to the surface, or perish and be devoured. As this is a wellspring of both homebrewed and extinct species, many druids and experts seek this place.
Where the magma meets the water creates a lot of steam, which gathers at a cloud at the roof of the cavern, then occasionally falls as rain.
72) The High Road
This bridge assembled of huge stone blocks crosses a deep valley containing a sea inlet below. It spans half a mile, side to side. Each block is the size of a small house, and they are crafted to fit together tightly without mortar. The original builders have left no trace of themselves and the bridge has been appropriated by new, mortal, residents. Half-timbered houses, market stalls and even a town hall crowd and overhang the sides of the structure leaving a mere twenty foot wide roadway down the middle. A newly constructed dock clings to the base of the central pillar supporting the span. The inhabitants assume the bridge is theirs now, but there are many passages, now used as drains, leading to the interior of the great bridge.
73) The Living Islands
Off the shore of a particularly inhospitable jungle lies a peculiar chain of small islands. From the shore they seem densely forested and almost look like they bob up and down with the tide. Each one is not an island as such, but rather a living raft of plants and trees crafted and tended by their primitive halfling inhabitants. Their isolation shields them from the savage predators of the mainland. Great Mangrove trees form the backbone of each raft, their salt-resistant roots woven into a hull and structure. Atop this is layered precious fertile soil, sown with edible plants. Densely interlaced vines form a freshwater tank or reservoir at the centre of each island, trapping the potable water needed to survive. Legends even exist of these islands using giant sea creatures as beasts of burden, to tow them to distant waters...
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74. The Cogfields
Roughly twenty-seven acres of land in a remote mountainous area, completely covered in a maddeningly-complex mass of clockworks. Lattices of gears and worm screws, pendulums and pulleys, chains, cogs and sprockets as far as the eye can see, constantly in motion. From the perimeter, larger structures are visible in the interior of the cogfields-- gantries holding massive pullies, half-finished towers of brass and iron, and smokestacks that release smoke on certain days, but not others. The sound of metal on metal, erratically punctuated with what sounds like various bells, klaxons, or other noises are audible for miles on a calm day, as the machinery is always in motion.
No purpose for this machinery is known or evident, and its origin has been lost to time. Scrying efforts have revealed that within the bowels of the machinery, small skeletons that appear to have been gnomes in life endlessly turn cranks or pull chains. Engineers estimate that the number of known gnome skeletons (three dozen at last count) could not account for the sheer amount of energy required to drive such a colossal machine. If the machine is entirely powered by undead labor, it is estimated that anywhere from 800 to 1,300 skeletons must be within the machine. This does not explain what is being burned to produce the smoke that the machine produces.
At various points around the perimeter, gated doorways lead to a small network of catwalks that allow Medium or smaller humanoids to enter the machinery for a closer look. Visitors report that the noise inside is nearly deafening, and in some places sounds like nothing else known on Golarion. They also reports that in certain spots, the Cogfields bear a striking resemblance to a temperate jungle constructed of brass and iron, or of a particularly dense city. These catwalks have been fully mapped, and span roughly a third of the Cogfields but do not appear to lead to any integral piece of the machinery. Nearly all of them terminate at a point of questionable relevance within the machine. Stories of disappearances are common, but many have been revealed as unsubstantiated rumor or unrelated to the Cogfields.
75) Featherfield
Upon rolling hills in this temperate to subtropical region, there is no grass. Only feathers. Feathers grow out the soil, with the quills possessing roots to extract nutrients. They grow up to 1.5 ft tall. If plucked from the earth, the ground vibrates as though reacting to pulling it out of the soil. Locals use the feathers to make exquisite crafted goods.
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76) The Mystery Maze Mansion
This strange house was constructed over the waning years of a mage's wife who'd become quite addled. She believed she was being haunted by the spirits of those killed by a self-reloading gun her late husband created.
The mansion sprawls out 43,681 feet square in a 209 by 209 foot block. It is surrounded by beautiful gardens and has a fountain in front. From the exterior it simply looks like a cross between a house and a castle. Inside visitors will find a twisting maze of rooms, stairs that lead nowhere or which are oddly spaced, and doors and windows that either lead nowhere or into other rooms.
The interior is larger than the exterior, with all rooms being square (the smallest are 5 by 5 while the largest are 100 by 100) and there is a relative gravity effect in place so that any surface is effectively 'down' (it's possible to walk up walls and on ceilings). It is not possible to fly without a spell, however. there are other spells in place to keep the house at a comfortable temperature and clean.
Though there are unconfirmed rumors of mysterious disappearances in the Mansion over the years, the only person known to have died in the Mansion is the mage's widow - and her spirit seems not to have lingered.
77) The Thousand Fruits Tree
This tree was created by a magical horticulturalist. Each of its branches has a different type of fruit growing on it. The fruit is perfectly safe to eat. At the top, from a branch growing strait out of the middle of the trunk, a branch exists that only has seeds for this tree. When planted, these middle seeds yield more 1000 fruits trees. All other fruits will only produce a tree of their kind.
78) The Draughts Hills
The area of the Draughts Hills was created by a magic user that loved the game of draughts. There is a flat playing field of 10 by 10 squares of grass that alternate light and dark. The Hills are covered in either red or gold flowers and initially start in the usual position for an international game of draughts. Overlooking the area are two chairs with a normal-sized draughts table on a table between them. This board is set up the same way as the field (it is impossible to move the board from the table). Moving the pieces causes the Hills below to bounce into position. They can also stack on top of one another (neither of these harms anything growing on the field). Once someone wins or forfeits, the game and hills reset themselves. It is rumored that this same mage created a gigantic chess set somewhere.
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Anyone else have ideas?
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80: The Carnivorous Lake
Deep in the Darklands, explorers may encounter what looks to be a crystal-clear lake stretching far beyond any form of light or darkvision. The canny will note the lack of any fungus or lichen close to the water, or the unnatural stillness. The foolish will approach, only to learn the lake is in fact an impossibly large, mostly dormant ooze. Though it does not attempt to move from the cavern that holds it, any organic material that approaches may be attacked by psuedopods and dragged into the ooze's mass.
Several intelligent species of Darkland dwellers live close to the lake, using it as a convenient, if risky, garbage disposal. The most noteworthy residents are a tribe of troglodytes that live above the lake on a series of hewn stalagmites that reach out from the caustic mass and hollowed stalactites, interconnected with bridges. These troglodytes revere the lake, and love capturing other intelligent species to offer as sacrifices.
Cultists of Jubilex consider the lake sacred, though there are also cultists to Rovagug who belive the ooze to be one of their lord's forgotten spawn. These cultists actively work to prevent others from feeding the lake, believing that depriving it of food will wake the ooze, letting it flow fourth, consuming all in its path.
Legends state that powerful magic items and forgotten artifacts lay at the bottom of the lake, both the acid resistant posessions of former adventurers and evil relics tossed into the depths to prevent evil from getting at them.
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81) The Tree of Orothos: The ancient hero-king Orothos ascended to the top of the Thundering Mountains, and ascended into immortality. And by ascended, I mean he became an indestructible tree far above the vegetation line. If you can make it to its grove, its fruits are said to bless those who eat them with a fragment of the hero-king's power.
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o_O
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82)The Impossible Alliance. A statue, thirty feet tall and constructed of what appears to be mithril-plated granite, of an orc cheiftain and an elf noble, smiling and shaking hands. The statue is on an unmarked granite plinth. Local record attests that it has been there for at least a century but its origin is unknown.
Local orc tribes have made several attempts to destroy or deface what they see as blasphemous but so far have failed. Most elves become visibly offended and flustered by the statue but few have gone so far as to try and destroy it. The statue radiates a faint aura of transmutation, and most mages believe it is magically repairing any damage done to it.
83) King Solomon's Mine. This dormant volcano is rich with diamonds. This is where a lost, legendary, kingdom financed it's rise. It's full of traps and natural dangers. Legend has it that it will try to kill anyone who seeks to remove diamonds. Volcanic gasses get blamed for monsters who guard the mountain, and talk to it. Since large diamonds are critical to raising and resurrecting the dead, once found, you cannot just let it be.
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85) The Tiller's Teeth. This fallow valley has been walled off for more than a century now, and steady patrolling prevents the escape of the undead wights within. No one is sure where they undead came from--there is no record of a battle at the Tiller's Teeth, yet more ghouls pull themselves from the earth within every month to assail the walls. The "Teeth" of Tiller's Teeth are great, flat, triangular stones that stand tall and aloof, in greater numbers the closer you get to the center of the valley. Each Tooth faces the valley's center. On dark nights, reports say they can hear grinding, and each day the Teeth are seen in different positions--over the course of week they carve great circles across the valley.
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86)Sarenrae's Mercy. A half an acre of lush vegetation surrounding an oasis in the center of a barren desert, at least four days' journey from any known settlement. The plant life includes several different varieties of flowers, fruit trees, and hardy grasses, and seems to support a small hive of bumblebees in addition to the occasional native animal. In the center, a large rocky outcropping has a natural spring waterfall flowing down one side into a pool large enough for six Medium creatures to bathe in. The vegetation provides enough shade and shelter from harsh desert winds that any creatures in the area never need to make Fortitude saves to resist the effects of the elements.
The edge of the pool is adorned by several granite statues of comely gnome women washing their feet with granite soap, filling granite bottles, and offering each other granite fruit from granite baskets. Two of these statues are holding objects not made of granite-- one is balancing a large brass kettle on her head, and the other is carrying a wooden hinged box. The kettle can be removed, revealing the woman's head to be hollow and the spot under the kettle to be an iron grate-- this statue's head is actually a stove suitable for cooking. The wooden box can not be removed from the statue, but can be opened, revealing it to be full of bars of soap. The box radiates a faint magical aura of indeterminate school.
Nothing in this area-- the vegetation, the granite, nor even the water-- is native to this region. There is no visible source of the water, and no clear place for it to drain out of the pool.
87)The Sky Rift.One witness claims the mountain of technology came through this. Many witnesses describe it as a rip in the sky that opens wide and then sort of closes up. Things fall out of or into it, usually bringing weather with them. A rift storm usually brings a humanoid, a strange item, and a weird change in the weather. It usually takes a like assortment. Sometimes an entire vehicle or building will come out or go in. A wyrmling dragon got sucked in and came out an hour later a great wyrm. This blue beast came back with a huge crystal that it called a Rift Manipulator which "Sparky" taught a cabal of dragon worshiping sorcerers to use to keep the rift more under control. No mountains have fallen out since.
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88) The Dark Utopia
In a pocket of utopia, surrounded by natural barriers, a race of unusually kind frog people can be found. They give freely and trust completely the handful of people that have managed to make their way to their little alcove. They have no written history, only paintings, and none seem above the age of just reaching sexual maturity... as they commit mass suicide during a hatching festival for their eggs, lest the be overcome with bloodlust and devour their young. The players will discover this if they attempt to stop the ceremony and have to race to kill those they "saved" before the eggs can be eaten. If a character is able to decipher the paintings, they will discover a map to...
89) The Temple of the Green God
A narrow pipe constantly pours filthy water into a forgotten fountain in the middle of a ruin that the world moved past. The only building left standing is a library, looted and decayed beyond hope of finding anything useful... but entering one corner causes a ghostly image to appear. The image is of a lithe, frog like humanoid with a light green frill around his neck. He paces back and forth, telling folk stories and preaching politeness and sharing to empty child sized chairs. Every day for a week a new set of stories are read, but they always begin with the same introduction, "Ker[static] the Frog, here!"
90: House of Darkness
In the cellar of this mansion is a cement sealed door with an elder star glued over the keyhole. Still some darkness leaks out. Anybody who tries to live here has to save will DC 20 each night or sleep rage. It's like sleep walking but they try to destroy everything, living or not.
They will also have nightmares where they will witness an empty void. Then an inspiration will come into being. It is both inspired to create and destroy. The creative part will wall off the destructive part of itself out in the nothingness, then name itself Genesis. In the nightmere the dreamer witnesses The Darkness creating destructive monsters such as the Terask, to claw at the adamant walls trying to get in to destroy all. Then they wake up screaming.
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91 The forest of the albino lords.
A cursed forest once ruled by less than benevelant elves. The gods cursed them and all that resides in their domain from flora to fauna suffer from albinoism. It is unknown if the elves still live here, those who stay within the confines of the forest for extended periods of time ( a month or longer) begin to slowly develop albinoism. If they stay long enough and become changed into a full albino the effect becomes permanent. Their gear even becomes completely white. Any animal or plant eaten from this forest that is completely white has little to no flavor and is bland at best.
92) Puna'chong's Inverted Aerial Fruticetum
The ancient and powerful witch doctor Puna'chong made a bizarre upside-down fruit-tree orchard in the clouds. Traveling across Golarion, it rains poison fruit every 6 weeks for twenty minutes on whatever it's currently floating above.
But it tastes good. Take some Pepto, ya pansies.
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92) Puna'chong's Inverted Aerial Fruticetum
The ancient and powerful witch doctor Puna'chong made a bizarre upside-down fruit-tree orchard in the clouds. Traveling across Golarion, it rains poison fruit every 6 weeks for twenty minutes on whatever it's currently floating above.
But it tastes good. Take some Pepto, ya pansies.
The rats have built up a tolerance to it. A huge horde of rats follow the orchard around.
42. The Menagerie at Kul Vonor
Several acres of grassy valley below the mountaintop dwarven city of Kul Vonor Keep, dotted with tens of thousands of statues. The statues are all of various types of humanoids: mostly elves, humans, hill giants, and kobolds, with some dwarves and gnomes, and the occasional outlier. Every statue has its hands and feet chained with actual metal chains, most of which have hopelessly rusted over years of wear. Each statue has a name, date, and a brief description of various crimes lightly chiseled onto its chest. Some have obviously stood for centuries and have gathered moss and climbing vines, while others have been added more recently. Some have obviously been manicured, some have flowers or foreign flags left at their feet, and a few have been vandalized or even smashed. Some statues have a second date after the first; some of these second dates have already come to pass and others have not yet.Every statue is in fact a living person under the effects of a transmute flesh to stone spell. This is Kul Vonor Keep's highest-security penitentiary, where its most troublesome prisoners are stored as a warning to future lawbreakers. The summary of crimes chiseled on each prisoner's chest serves not only as a warning as to what might earn you this fate in Kul Vonor Keep, but also so that future generations might appeal on a prisoner's behalf, and future judges might opt to show leniency. The fact that some prisoners' "sentences" appear to have ended years ago suggests that the opposite decision is also made at times.
I'm adding some Inevitables guarding the place, because, justice. Also there is a bunch of Petrified owlbears, some of them are polymorphed clerics of Orcus. :)
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93: The tower-city of Baylonigma- A incredibly tall tower that spirals into the sky, acting as a focal point for many of the Ley lines and aetheric winds of the regions magic. Many believe the tower may have been a relic of the earliest days of arcane study and civilisation, seeing its reality defying structure and deliberate positioning within the regions arcane energy fields as a means to assist in providing a wellspring of magic to experiment with. Others consider the effect the tower has had on the region to be proof of the full extent of magics dangers, with the land being scorched and burned by seemingly years of intense magical pressure, leaving the local population around the tower to living a nomadic existance in the barren wasteland.
The inside has never been seen directly by outsiders, though ancient texts point to the tower being a massive city, whose true size and scale has never been cataloged. The Tales of the cities wealth in treasures, powerful artifacts, and knowledge has drawn numerous adventurers and mercenaries to the tower for gold, glory, or power, but few have ever managed to enter the tower, and even fewer have leave with their skin.
Bumping this because someone started another list of wonders.
94. Hanging Lagoons of Doth'Roma
The Hanging Lagoons are a natural phenomenon that occurs near an underground river that travels through a massive cavern, and the water in this river is unnaturally dense with various nutrients and elements such as cobalt, iron, silver, potassium, zinc, and sodium, and this nutrient-dense water has caused this landmark to become a veritable Mecca named Doth'Roma for its healing and revivifying properties. (In the ancient dialect, the literal translation of Doth'Roma means "River of Youth"). People from far away lands have traveled here for centuries to bathe in the pools and feel energized and rejuvenated from absorbing these nutrients through their skin, and herbalists and alchemists have bottled this water for purpose of using it to create healing tinctures, salves, ointments, and lotions. Despite its notable healing properties, this nutrient-dense water is not potable and causes anyone who drinks it to experience rapid dehydration.
While these healing properties themselves are enough to draw crowds from across the world, the actual phenomenon of this sacred place is that there are pools of water that form in the TOP of this expansive cavern. There are a series of great waterfalls throughout this cavernous river that rival the grandeur of Niagra Falls, and produce an excessive amount of fog and mist, and this nutrient-dense mist raises to the top of the cavern and accumulates, and will periodically change between its liquid and gaseous states, forming "pools" of water scattered throughout this mist in the top of this cavern, thus forming "The Hanging Lagoons". Many great thinkers and researchers have attempted to unravel this scientific anomaly, but to this day its mystery still remains unfathomable; every hypothesis they've ever proffered for explaining this phenomenon eventually becomes disproven. So, until such a time that it can be successfully hypothesized, they have named this strange state of continuously-changing liquid/gaseous matter as "Hyperfluidity".
95. Grand Isthmus
This 24.78 mile long land bridge between two continents is a naturally-formed wonder of the world, and was formed due to glacial activity before time immemorial. Throughout the length of this land bridge, the height ranges from 1.13-1.97 miles high above the sea level below, and ranges from 0.51 miles-2.40 miles wide. Both continents celebrate "The Great Jubilee" as a National Holiday, where the citizens from each continent meet in the morning on their respective sides and then hike to the center of the Isthmus. That night, they make camp together and hold a great festival that lasts 3 days and 3 nights, and the festival never stops regardless of the hour. Merchants bring wares to sell as knick-knacks and souvenirs, artists and performers share their cultural heritage through plays, songs, poetry, sculpture, and painting, and almost everyone brings their favorite ale, booze, and pipeweed. This festival has occurred for nearly 800 years, but a strange societal phenomenon has arisen as a result of the intrinsic mutual respect for this great festival, in that not a single person from either continent has reported any of their belongings stolen while attending this festival in over 300 years. Citizens from both sides keep their tents open to all regardless of the hour as to allow for the maximum amount of festive partying as possible. At the end of the three days, the citizens hug, cry, shake hands, and bow, and some even exchange gifts, and then return home to their respective continent.
96. Primordial Crest
A great continental shelf broke off from its parent continent during an earthquake nearly a thousand years ago, and this geological faultline went right through the middle of an Ancient Grove that was most holy to an Ancient Order of Druids. Soon, the continental shelf begain to "geologically drift" away due to aftershocks and the shifting movement of the tectonic plates deep in the earth, and this caused the Druids' grove to become split in twain. But before the continental shelf could "geologically drift" away, the Druids bound the continental shelf with a series of great vines that acted like sutures to hold the two landmasses together. Despite their best efforts, this continental shelf has drifted greatly in the past few hundred years in subsequent earthquakes, and has broken in new places. Each time, the Druids of that era attempted to suture these breaks together with new vines. Today, this continental shelf has been broken into a series of Twelve massive "islands" that are all interconnected by a network of vines that are holding it all together, and some of the oldest original vines have grown to become over 40ft in diameter and several miles long. The faction of Druids remains intact today and they still revere this great grove as holy ground, and as such, visitors and tourists are strictly prohibited from entering. No non-Druid has ever been inside the grove in all this time, and the Druids have waged several wars throughout the centuries to keep it that way. So unfortunately, much of this great Wonder is shrouded in mystery to all non-Druids.
97. Saint Arrenelle's Shrine
1300 years ago, Arrenelle Daye was the Seneschal of the city of Balasgard, capital of the nation of Tazi, during the time of a horrible plague that ravaged the countryside for some several years. Nearly a quarter of the entire population of Tazi died, but due to Arrenelle's efforts in performing her duties as Seneschal, she was able to mitigate the deaths of thousands by her tireless effort in finding a cure to the plague, and then organizing the effort to ensure that the cure reached as many citizens as possible. Tazian Historians estimate she saved over 300,000 lives. Not long after that, Tazi suffered a great Civil War that lasted over 5 years due to the rise of a highly corrupt politician who attempted to divide the nation with surreptitious propaganda. Arrenelle eventually exposed the politician's lies and ended the Civil War. After Arrenelle died almost a decade later, the citizens posthumously awarded her the title of Saint and built a great shrine in her honor. The Shrine took 32 years to build. Every piece of wood in the shrine was hand-carved in such a way as to fit together like puzzle pieces, so that the entire shrine was built without using a single nail. The wood pieces fit together and continue to hold together from their own weight as an architectural phenomenon. They did this to signify that during the time of great crisis, Arrenelle was the "sovereign glue" that held the nation together. The 41,732sqft Shrine still stands today, and wealthy citizens throughout the ages have donated Art, Sculptures, and other pristinely-crafted works to the Shrine.
98. Floating Volcano
This geologically/volcanically active "floating" island is a place that no person can visit, and strangely enough, it's not because of the lava, but rather it's because of the intense gravitational anomaly occurring from within this island. Eons ago, a distant planet roughly 5 times the size of Earth was hit by a comet and the planet was shattered. This "floating volcano" is a small portion roughly 1/2 the size of Australia of that shattered planet's liquid core of magma that eventually made its way here. This island was once entirely liquid, but it has since hardened an exoskeletal-like blackened crust and has a liquid core of magma. Since this Volcano used to actually be on a distant planet that was once 5 times the size of Earth, this volcano has some unique properties.
Firstly, it has its own intense gravitational field that causes anyone who goes there to become 12x as heavy than normal. While this won't kill you, it's certainly not sustainable for even a few minutes because it causes excruciating joint, muscle, and bone pain. And although this gravitational field is quite extreme, it's not a large gravitational field by any means; people on earth barely even notice it. One would have to fly closer to it before noticing the change in gravity.
Secondly, the entire Volcano is comprised of an unearthly metal that the great thinkers and researchers have named Vulcanite, and it has interesting properties with respect to polarization and magnetism. That is actually how this "floating" volcano doesn't crash into the earth; it's magnetically repelled or "unattracted" to the earth, so it is kept at a distance. Similarly, the lava that flows from this volcano flows off the side, and then is repelled upwards and away from the earth, and back to the volcano. It is magnetically repelled at a constant altitude of ~15,000ft.
99. Arcane Wells of Tom-Tor
This once-powerful civilization of magic-wielders was unearthed by archeologists only 8 years ago, but this discovery has propelled the understanding of the Arcane Arts forward by centuries. The Tom-Torians held a primal understanding of the Arcane, but it was well-founded and amplified by their Arcane Wells-- the best way to describe this Magical Marvel might be as "Self-sustaining Arcane Energy Storms"-- it's a battery of magic that never wanes or expires. And amazingly, these Arcane Wells are still in tact, although the Mana Conduits have all rusted and deteriorated. The Arcane Wells were at the center of the city, and its energy was channeled via Mana Conduits and used in one's home or work like a utility resource . These Arcane Wells were able to make every citizen of Tom-Tor live rather posh lives, because every aspect of their daily life was aided by magic from the Mana Conduits empowering their homes with magic; Tom-Torians enjoyed constant Prestidigitation spells to keep their homes clean, Create Food and Water spells for mealtimes, Light and Dancing Lights spells for illumination, Mage Hand for reaching things across the room, Open/Close spells for doors, drawers, Comprehend Languages for reading foreign books and newspapers, and a host of Unseen Servants, etc. Tom-Torians were highly fashionable as well, and frequently enjoyed changing outfits with their wardrobes powered by Disguise Self spells from the Mana Conduit. They also had exceptional health facilities, as their doctors and healers were afforded with as many Detect and spells as one could ever want. Even their courtyards had Mana Conduits running through them, and Bards would tell their stories while fanciful illusions played out their tale before the crowd's eyes. Tom-Tor was a magical city-state Utopia.
Experts argue about the exact epoch that Tom-Tor was an active civilization, but they generally agree that it was somewhere between 7,000-9,000 years ago, and no one is certain yet of how this civilization ended. Today, only 8 years after the discovery of Tom-Tor, these Arcane Wells are still under testing and observation. Even though the Mana Conduits are archaic technologies, it is difficult to repeat even with modern means. All attempts to harness this energy via reverse-engineered modern Mana Conduits have inexplicably failed-- there is something strange about the efficacy of the ancient Mana Conduits that Tom-Tor used, and no one has been able to figure out yet.
100. The Emerald Forge
This Dwarven Forge in the mountain stronghold of Gwarrowdar is over 20,000 square feet and there isn't a square inch of this entire Smithy that doesn't have some intricately-carved mural depicting the legends of Dwarves from the different Dwarven Clans from around the world. It is a blacksmith's dream workshop and no expense was spared; it is equipped with the finest masterwork hammers, punches, swages, fullers, drifts, tongs, drawplates, anvils, chisels, augers, molds, and bellows, and even a masterwork broom they use to sweep up at the end of the day. When the Emerald Forge was created 77 years ago, Artisan Dwarves from all over the world came to represent their respective Clans to pay homage to Brounduim Ironbreaker, the newly-crowned Mountain King of Gwarrowdar, making him the first Dwarven King in over 2,300 years.
101. Aeyar'idryl, The Tree of Bloodlines
The largest Amber Banyan Tree is named Aeyar'idryl , The Tree of Bloodlines, and it is over 2815 acres wide in diameter (4.4 square miles); it exists in the Kamouraska Highlands as a Natural Wonder of the World, because the next largest Amber Banyan Tree isn't even a fraction of that size, although it is still an impressive 5.5 acres wide. Unfortunately, Aeyar'idryl hasn't been visited by a non-Druid or non-Royalty humanoid in over a millennia due to being inhabited by a race of sentient Amber Wasps called the Vespidai, who are known as the Keepers of Bloodlines.
Druids and Royalty from around the world travel here and are allowed to visit the Center Tree of Aeyar'idryl, but they are the only beings who are allowed to visit this ancient, hallowed site. When they return from this visit, they have a strange aura of enlightenment about them. Visiting the center of Aeyar'idryl is considered to be the ultimate infallible test of Divine Providence, as any non-Druid, non-Royalty, or the pretenders of either are killed instantly by the Vespidai, as this race of sentient Wasps have the uncanny ability to recognize True Royalty and True Druids simply by being in their presence.
The Vespidai were once nothing more than normal Amber Wasps , but their hive grew uninterupted from natural predators or habitat destruction for centuries, and they eventually evolved sentience due to generations of continually communing with Aeyar'idryl. The original, Central Tree of Aeyar'idryl is a sentient being that communicates telepathically, and the Vespidai have also evolved the ability to communicate telepathically due to these centuries of exposure (the Vespidai can telepathically communicate with any creature with an Int of 4+ even without sharing a common language). When Royalty or Druids arrive at the Central Tree of Aeyar'idryl, they may commune with both Aeyar'idryl and the Vespidai telepathically and receive thousands of generations-worth of age-old wisdom, as well as answers to their many questions as per the Commune spell. After communing, the Queen of the Vespidai then stings the particular visitor(s) in a ritualistic Blood Oath ceremony, and if this visitor ever divulges their secrets, the poison is magically released, instantly killing them; the purpose being that the wisdom gained from this experience is theirs and theirs alone, and it is to be put into practice to guide kingdoms to be at harmony with nature and the natural order. The Vespidai have an order of "Bloodline Priests" called Hyvenopti, and one of their priestly duties is to act as historians who continually commune with Aeyar'idryl to ensure meticulous anamnestic-like records, or "conscious collective reactive memory", of past and currently serving Royalty and Druids.
98. Floating VolcanoThis geologically/volcanically active "floating" island is a place that no person can visit, and strangely enough, it's not because of the lava, but rather it's because of the intense gravitational anomaly occurring from within this island. Eons ago, a distant planet roughly 5 times the size of Earth was hit by a comet and the planet was shattered. This "floating volcano" is a small portion roughly 1/2 the size of Australia of that shattered planet's liquid core of magma that eventually made its way here. This island was once entirely liquid, but it has since hardened an exoskeletal-like blackened crust and has a liquid core of magma. Since this Volcano used to actually be on a distant planet that was once 5 times the size of Earth, this volcano has some unique properties.
Firstly, it has its own intense gravitational field that causes anyone who goes there to become 12x as heavy than normal. While this won't kill you, it's certainly not sustainable for even a few minutes because it causes excruciating joint, muscle, and bone pain. And although this gravitational field is quite extreme, it's not a large gravitational field by any means; people on earth barely even notice it. One would have to fly closer to it before noticing the change in gravity.
Secondly, the entire Volcano is comprised of an unearthly metal that the great thinkers and researchers have named Vulcanite, and it has interesting properties with respect to polarization and magnetism. That is actually how this "floating" volcano doesn't crash into the earth; it's magnetically repelled or "unattracted" to the earth, so it is kept at a distance. Similarly, the lava that flows from this volcano flows off the side, and then is repelled upwards and away from the earth, and back to the volcano. It is magnetically repelled at a constant altitude of ~15,000ft.
While ogres and even half ogres can withstand extreme gravity, too much mining will release the extremely hot magma. Armor made of vulcanite will add a deflection bonus vs material weapons.
99. Arcane Wells of Tom-Tor
This once-powerful civilization of magic-wielders was unearthed by archeologists only 8 years ago, but this discovery has propelled the understanding of the Arcane Arts forward by centuries. The Tom-Torians held a primal understanding of the Arcane, but it was well-founded and amplified by their Arcane Wells-- the best way to describe this Magical Marvel might be as "Self-sustaining Arcane Energy Storms"-- it's a battery of magic that never wanes or expires. And amazingly, these Arcane Wells are still in tact, although the Mana Conduits have all rusted and deteriorated. The Arcane Wells were at the center of the city, and its energy was channeled via Mana Conduits and used in one's home or work like a utility resource . These Arcane Wells were able to make every citizen of Tom-Tor live rather posh lives, because every aspect of their daily life was aided by magic from the Mana Conduits empowering their homes with magic;Snip
102:
Flipping the script, An explorer climbed down one of wells and found...CRUDE OIL!. Either the wells ran out of pumpable oil or the smog choked them out.