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I'm not sure if anyone's done this or how it's been done. It seems like a lot of time in sessions focuses on fighting aspects and adventuring aspects, but has there been exploring aspects as well? I mean someone seeing Minas Tirith the first time ought to be impressed. There are also natural and paranatural wonders to be seen. Has anyone done this? What have you put in? What wonders of the world would you have players discover - either created by sentient beings (like the Pyramids) or natural wonders (like the Grand Canyon)?
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Sadly, all my campaigns tend not to go to a far enough level for us to encounter massive natural wonders, but Paizo's published material contains lots of phenomena that would qualify. The Worldwound-- a natural canyon that also serves as a portal to The Abyss-- would qualify, as would some of the ancient Thassilonian landmarks you encounter during Rise of the Runelords.
If you want us to just brainstorm natural wonders like the other "1001" threads?
1. The Colossal Cascade-- a stable portal hundreds of feet wide and at least a thousand feet above sea level, about a mile off the coast. Seawater is constantly pouring out of it, like a waterfall with no cliff. It is believed that the other end of the portal is the Elemental Plane of Water, or on the ocean floor. It is also believed that the spot it hovers over was dry land before it was opened.
2. The Labyrinths of Hrrough-- Eleven square miles of moss-covered granite walls, forming a nigh-incomprehensible maze. Minotaurs are known to make pilgrimages here, and are especially aggressive towards any non-minotaur "trespassers" they find within, though even they no longer remember the maze's original architects. Aerial surveys have thus far failed to provide an accurate map, but have shown several interior landmarks, including rune-etched standing stones, magical fountains, crenellations along portions of interior wall, and (most compellingly) numerous stone passageways leading underground.
3.) The God's Gravestone: This immense mountain has a large fissure running down its North side. Local legend says that the fissure spontaneously opened at the exact moment Aroden died. This made the mountain a congregation spot for some of Aroden's worshippers after his death, but these pilgrimages have all but disappeared as Aroden's church shrank.
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4) The Dwarven Vault of Souls - a massive shaft in the earth ringed by over a hundred tiers of mausoleums descending downward from the most recently deceased all the way to the first ancestors of each clan. Dwarves all make at least one pilgrimage in their lives to the Vault to pay their respects, and join their voice in the never-ending hymn that resonated throughout the massive chamber... in time of peace there may only be a few dozen voices at any given time, but after battles or calamities there may be hundred or even thousands. The tune is the same, but every Clan has its own chorus, every family has its own verses as does each individual on the day he is laid to rest - his verse, captured as his epitaph, left for others to sing once more when his cell is visited and he is mourned.
Every Dwarven King, before he is anointed, must spend three days of reflection, meditation and atonement at the bottom level, surrounded by all whom have come before him. it is not known if any non-dwarf has ever been allowed within the vault or have ever added their voice to the never-ending hymn.
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6) Mt. Symphony-- One of the greatest marvels of dwarven stonework, engineering, and harmonics ever carved, the peak of this mountain has been largely hollowed out and reinforced with steel girders. Numerous tunnels dot the snowcapped peak, carved to catch the prevailing winds just right. The entire mountain is effectively a giant wind instrument, and whenever there is wind on the mountain peaks (nearly always), hauntingly beautiful tones can be heard for miles around. During the windy season, travelers come from all corners of Golarion to hear the music of the mountain.
7) The Phoenix Chrysalis. Sitting alone atop a high mountain peak is a gigantic, life-sized crystalline statue of a phoenix. The first phoenix to have ever been landed on this peak and self-immolated for reasons no longer recalled in story or legend. The blast burned the peak, which has long since recovered, and instead of leaving an egg, left this breathtaking statue. Light from the stars alone is reflected for miles around, but moonlight makes it visible over the horizon, serving as a landmark for travellers and an inspiration to all.
Sadly, all my campaigns tend not to go to a far enough level for us to encounter massive natural wonders, but Paizo's published material contains lots of phenomena that would qualify. The Worldwound-- a natural canyon that also serves as a portal to The Abyss-- would qualify, as would some of the ancient Thassilonian landmarks you encounter during Rise of the Runelords.
If you want us to just brainstorm natural wonders like the other "1001" threads?
Brainstorming like what's been going on is just fine, but if anyone used anything particular in a campaign it would be cool too. :-)
8) Arborium - Created by elves thousands of years ago, the Arborium stands as a monument to their ties to nature. It is a single tree that extends into a forest a hundred miles in diameter. At its heart is a thousand foot tree. All the branches and trunks have been shaped into windows and doors. Among its leaves are flowers which are shut by day but open by night and give off light. Inside there are lighted hallways that form a maze leading to the center of the tree, where steps arise to the top. At the very top is a platform that allows a clear view of the Arborium and surrounding areas.
9) The Bottomless Chasm - in a desert region of the world, a great canyon extends thousands of miles in all directions. It slowly descends until it reaches the Chasm, where it suddenly drops off. Low-laying fog often covers parts of the Chasm, but no one who has descended has ever come back.
10) Water Rises - on particular areas of the world, water flows up instead of down, forming spectacular fountains. Some of these rises extend hundreds of feet into the air and even have smaller ones around them.
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Love stuff like this. Dot.
Yep. I'll be watching this thread.. lol
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11) The Hellmaw-- an endlessly burning column of fire about seventy feet wide and several hundred feet tall erupting from a fissure in an otherwise unremarkable stretch of rocky plains. The heat of the fire is tangible for miles when the wind is right, and has either burned or dried out all vegetation in a roughly one-mile radius. Within this radius, [fire] spells are at +1 caster level, as are any spells summoning a creature of the [fire] subtype. Spells with the [water] or [cold] descriptor, or to summon a creature of the [water] subtype, are at -1 caster level. Additionally, creatures in this radius can not benefit from luck bonuses.
Despite its name, planar scriers have determined no actual tie to either Hell or the Elemental Plane of Fire, but have also determined no fuel source for the fire, and no explanation for the site's effect on summoning magic. Even so, wild tales of the place have spread, and the spot is known for ill luck. Devils and those who would summon them are often found at the spot, which is reason enough for most to avoid it.
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The Great Bridge of Sorrows - This marvel of engineering and legendary piece of art is a single span bridge that seems to defy nature as it stretches for half of a mile across the narrowest point of the legendary canyon of the same name, and is wide enough for six wagons to pass abreast. The surface is carved in meticulously detailed figures of legend and documents their exploits. The pure white marble construction is practically dripping in magic wards designed to protect from weather, vandals, attacks, and any other threat that might come against it.
The "Sorrows" portion of the name is the only surviving record of the multitude of broken skeletons of unlucky slave laborers lay at the bottom of the canyon directly under the bridge.
17) The Cloud Sculptures - overhead, and stretching for miles around, are clouds sculpted into fantastic shapes. The clouds do not move with the wind, and any attempts to dispell or otherwise disperse them automatically fail. Natural winds will slowly reshape them over time, but the overall amount of clouds remain the same. Sometimes lights can be seen dancing in the clouds, particularly those shaped like buildings. Getting close to these lights physically causes them to vanish, and divination attempts all come back with "mysterious lights" as an answer.
18) The Crystal Caves - far below the surface, but well within the dwarven realms, lies caverns of huge crystals. Though these caves are no colder than usual, the crystals do emit a gentle light. They can be mined, but dwarves are very protective of them and they are given the equivalent of a national park status.
19) The Golden Wood - these trees have golden barks and silver leaves. They bear crystalline fruit that is edible but their centers will either contain a copper-colored seed about the size and shape of a walnut, which can grow more trees or a gemstone of the same size and shape (which is inert).
20) The Mountains of the Gods - the tips of these mountains are always shrouded in clouds and covered in ice. The tallest navigable one is the size of Mount Everest on Earth, but there are far large ones. Tallest may be the size of Olympus Mon on Mars. Between the ranges are habitable valleys as well as any number of monsters and other creatures. It is rumored the gods live at the top of the highest peak, but no one who has attempted it has ever returned.
21) You have to figure some version of the Hallelujah Mountains would be fantastic, suitably inhabited by flying creatures like harpies, wyvren, coatls or something even more exotic. Seems like the perfect place for an ancient dragon sage who prefers to be left alone...
24) Chain of the First Slave
This simple bronze chain and copper collar belonged to the first mortal slave owner and was worn by the first slave. Legend has it that it was forged by a lusty smith to better keep his playthings. Several of the links are missing, and prophecy tells that when the links are found and restored, Asmodeus will restore full order to the cosmos.
The chain currently resides in Halmyris, Cheliax.
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25) World's end: In the furthest reaches of the. North where few go and fewer still survive the land falls away in a single massive cliff that curves away beyond the horizon to the east and west beyond an empty void lies. Every night the skies glow with the lights of the aurora Borealis but on the winter solstice they reach down forming a shimmering curtain of light that blocks view of the void beyond. It is said that on that night one can step into the aurora and travel anywhere in creation. However only one person who did this was ever seen again, wandering half mad from the forests of the south talking about great halls of light filled with swirling orbs of pure colour.
Legend says he brought a lump of purest Ciadke back with him and that within a month it had faded forever from the world and is now a colour only mentioned in ancient texts.
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26. The Eye of God
Hundreds of hexagonal stone columns, colored white, black, or blue near their tops, sit in an ancient valley that has been carved out by the flow of magma untold eons ago. At the bottom of the valley, the columns are a mere curiosity that form a small maze; however, when viewed from the top of the valley, at the proper angle, their true nature becomes apparent.
When viewed properly, the columns take on the perfect appearance of a human eye.
27. Passage From Genesis
This massive aqueduct once served a city now long-dead; cool, clear water still flows freely, despite there being no source of water anywhere near the aqueduct.
28. Yggdrasil
No tree could possibly be this large, right? Right? Yet, here you are. The air is always clean and easy to breathe within Yggdrasil's canopy, and it's rumored that not all of the tree's roots are on the Material Plane. Clever adventurers have been able to trace the roots to the Elemental Planes, Mechanus, Nirvana, Elysium, and even Sigil.
Also, I'm amazed Chrome actually recognized "Yggdrasil."
30. The Magisterium - a tower of crystal 800 feet tall at the heart of the Samsarran homeland. It is here that the Samsarrans grow their cloned infants. These soulless vessels sit in stasis, held in wait for their need. When a Samsarran dies, their soul travels through the gray wastes back to the Magisterium to claim one of these vacant vessels. The light of the crystalline tower can be seen from anywhere on the continent. The journey and transfer of soul to vessel are traumatic since an infants brain is not equipped to support a fully grown mind, and all but fragments of prior lives are lost. The child is then adopted to a Samsarran family as a form of civil service that most, if not all, undertake at some point, knowing full well that they will need the same aid in their next lives.
31. Perfect Stone Circle- Legend tells of a glowing disk shaped ship landing on this stone circle. It was manned by feathered serpents, some of which stayed. Among the natives who magically maintain this monument are some Coatl hiding in human form. Once a year you can sight between the stones the constellation Draco where they came from, and from where Quetzalcoatl will return.
Favorited.
Someone should make a pdf (or a series of them) with all the cool ideas of the 1001-type threads, if it wasn't that they often don't stop growing for a long time.
Some wonders that I have for my homebrew setting (not including ones very similar to previous suggestions):
32. The Gargoyle: Near the western end of the World Scar, deep in the Wilds Lands, is The Gargoyle. The southern wall of the canyon has been carved into a colossal demonic statue hundreds of feet tall. The demon sits on its haunches, its elbows on its knees with its clawed hands out stretched palms up as if asking the world for a sacrifice. Between its cloven hooves is an entrance to a cave.
33. The Pillars of Creation: Deep in the heart of the Keloran Wood, an unending and primeval forest, are the Pillars of Creation. The Pillars, the most sacred site to all the native races of Vogundium, are a grove of five cyclopean trees each standing a mile high. The holiest temple of the Elven faith stands in the centre of the grove, a vast structure of wood that seamlessly blends in with its surroundings.
34. The Gate of Heaven: The walled city of Taifeng is the capital of Hoshen Province. It is a centre of learning and religious study. Visitors to the city must first pass through The Gate of Heaven, a torii gate over 100ft tall. Legend has it that the wood used to craft the gate was gifted to the Emperor Who Is The Ruler of the World in the name of the Heavenly Bureaucracy by the Heavenly Emperor That Sits on the Jade Throne from a grove of trees that grow in Paradise.
35. Nethercity: A vast necropolis in the Kingdom of Ealvick that has twice been the source of Undead Uprisings that threatened the entire continent. It has not been active for centuries.
36. The Frozen Giants: A circle of undetermined number of standing stones, roughly hewn to resemble giant humanoids. Local legend states that if anyone were to stand in the centre of the circle and count exactly how many stones there are, they would come to life.
37. The Ice Caves of Aefnia: Deep in the mountains, far from any civilization, are huge caves of ice. Gargantuan creatures, frozen deep in the ice, are clearly visible through the crystal clear ice. Strange looking humanoids can be seen fleeing from and fighting the monsters.
38. Prophylaxis Isle
This island, found far off the coast, has several gigantic structures of chess pieces strewn about it's surface. Some knocked over,and some broken, others standing proud and austere, with moss and fauna growing over it. Each meticulously detailed in design, and carved from large slabs of stone. It's said that in ancient times, this was a make-shift chess board used by waring giants, when they once roamed the lands. There have never been any concrete proof of giants existing, though what would have built these structures and why do they exist?
39. The Time-Stopped Ruins
Ages ago, a magical experiment went terribly wrong, and the entire region surrounding this castle was threaten to be blasted away by a gigantic explosion. A powerful wizard saved the day casting a permanent version of "time stop" to the castle in the exact moment the explosion went off, freezing the towers and halls as they were blowing up. Walls, bricks, trees and items are now suspended in mid-air, partially destroyed and partially intact. Anyone who tries to enter the time-stopped area becomes part of this eternal ruin.
40. The Wandering Mist
A thick mist which covers a 2-miles radius area, never dissipates, and appears to travel in a random way all across the world. People entering the mist report hearing strange noises and seeing blurred figures walking in the fog.
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41. The Fields of Glass
In the distant past, an epic battle between god-like beings took place on these plains. The energies used during this conflict fused everything in the area into green tinted glass. Communities of glass miners dot the borders of the plains, eking out a living harvesting the glass for export to foreign lands. The miners must contend with the Guardian of the Plains. The only "survivor" of the battle, a colossal dragon turned to glass. He wanders the wasteland, his every moment agony, as his joints shatter with every movement only to instantly heal solid.
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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.
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 so stealing this
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43. Dalak Karluus - The City of Broken Towers
On the northern coast lie the ruins of a city like no other; Dalak Karluus. While most of the city was made of wood and stone, it was famous for its towering and almost impossibly thin towers made of steel-hard glass. At some point in its past a great calamity befell the city, and if viewed from certain angles, the shattered, house sized chunks of glass will reveal images of the former citizens, their faces frozen in terror, all glancing skyward.
45.Great Pyramid As big on the outside as IRL it is a gateway to a massive necropolis in the Land of the Dead. Ex Libis and Pathfinder members are the only people who came back out alive. Once every 100 years the mummies come out in a bizarre parade. It has developed into a yearly Mummies Parade where cults celebrate those who have come before.
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46. Midas Pool. The waters of this lake have the colour and flavour of pale honey. It's said that drinking these waters will make one rich. The truth of this story is unclear, but the pool is capable of granting wealth more directly; anything dipped into the pool precisely at noon on the summer solstice will turn to gold.
47. Palace of the Ice Prince. The stones of this ancient palace are always covered in frost, even on the warmest summer day. In the throne room sits a statue of a prince, seemingly carved from ice but exquisitely detailed and with no sign of any chisel upon him. Locals say that the statue was once a living prince, so cold-hearted he turned to ice. During midwinter celebrations, unmarried girls kiss the prince in the hope of warming his heart and returning him to life. (For a more dramatic wonder, the entire palace may be made of ice.)
Someone should make a pdf (or a series of them) with all the cool ideas of the 1001-type threads, if it wasn't that they often don't stop growing for a long time.
I'd like to make more, but the books one took two hours...
48. Vahd Kahl Aevorn, the Three Dragon Isle
The Isle of Vahd, home to nineteen tribes of Tomorian Fire Giants, is a stark place of blasted rock, fiercely burning lava flows, sulphur and ash and great beasts touched by the power of fire. At its heart, three massive mountains stand sentinel over the island, fuming great columns of ash and smoke high into the sky. It is said that in each of these smoldering mountains sleeps a great dragon, three of the greatest Seulisian Wyrms of the Age of Glory. It is known that the giants born in the shadow of these dragons have fire in their veins. The tribes worship the dragons as gods before all others, but the giants fear them all the same. When a Tomorian prays, it is a prayer that the three dragons will not awaken for another thousand years.
The Tomorian giants guard the Dragon’s Teeth, the craggy and narrow straight between Vahd Kahl Aevorn and the mainland, and will sink any ship that sails without paying their price. While the giants used to simply throw boulders, heavy enough to hole a ship easily, in recent years they learned to construct immense longbows of black wrought steel. Three man heights tall and massively strong, the giants fire arrows bigger than ballista bolts hundreds of yards that can pierce even the strongest of vessels.
49. Citadel Ioris, the Fallen
This once-mighty fortress city was the site of a siege that lasted 100 years at the height of the greatest war of the Age of Glory. A betrayal and a promise to the black god of spite brought a curse down on the battlefield, and for nearly a thousand years, two great armies of bone and ash have risen to do battle on the eve of each new moon. In present day, the citadel sits at the heart of a great desert and is avoided by all but the bravest explorers.
Recently, the armies were freed from their curse, but were not released from undeath. Now for the first time in a thousand years, the two great skeletal armies have free will and find themselves seeking a purpose.
So many great things in this thread!
Bout to post what caused my love affair and unhealthy obsession with gnolls
52. The Everfall
This lush landscape is in an eternal struggle between the forces of death and life, at the heart of it lays the World Tree, a great source of druidic magic planted by elves aeons ago to counteract a negative energy well. When the land began to become corrupt the tree called for aid through the instincts of beasts, those who came were unexpected. The power of the tree freed large tribes of gnolls bringing them to it, where they build a metropolis in its branches and along it's trunk. They enjoy a bestial lifestyle knowing they live in a beautiful garden of Eden, worshiping their ancestral spirits and hunting any intruders, but also have to fight off the forces of death who wish their homeland destroyed.
53. The Valley of the Whales
High in the Silver Mountains there is a broad plain where the skeletons of mighty sea-going beasts lie across the ground. No one knows how long they've been there or how they got there in the first place.
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54. The Blight's Paw
A bare patch of dust and gravel in the center of a temperate forest, miles away from any settlement, about half an acre large and in the rough shape of a pawprint. Despite being surrounded by healthy vegetation for miles around, the spot itself has no sign of even a single sprout of plant life, not even fungus. The ground is a fine dust with no sign of animal tracks, and any shoe prints seem to almost fade away of their own volition, though not quickly enough for anyone to see it happen. Those who stand in the spot report that even the surrounding weather seems not to want to enter-- there is never any perceptible wind, the dusty ground never turns to mud in even the most torrential rains, snow never sticks to the ground there, and even the sky appears just slightly off-color on clear days. Witnesses have observed birds and bats adjust their course to avoid flying over the spot.
No origin for the phenomenon is known, but travelers have told tales of the spot for at least two centuries, and in that time, there has been no observable change. Druids and priests of Gozreh will sometimes make pilgrimmage to the spot. A few seem noticeably changed by the experience, as though they received an epiphany there. If any of them have discovered the secret behind the spot, none have revealed it.
55. The Glass Forest
On sunny days, this forest appears from a distance as a giant dome of rainbows, as light refracts off the foliage in brilliant arcs of colors. All trees, flowers, vines, and other forms of vegetation found in an average coniferous forest are found here in crystal clear glass imitations. Though the trees and bushes have no leaves, and the flowers have no petals, when sunlight strikes the area, rainbows pour from the plants’ digits instead, creating a dense forest of light, even harder to see and navigate through than the wildest of mundane forests. The ground here is nothing but solid rock.
Though it is unclear how or why, Leshys can be found here, tending to the forest, and dooping would-be harvesters. To friendly travelers, though, the Leshys do offer a warning to avoid the forest on the equinoxes and solstices, for at noon on these days, molten lava bubbles to the surface, melting the glass down to a bubbly obsidian. By sunrise on the next day, though, the forest has been reborn, into a completely new, unique pattern and landscape.
Dotting. This thread's too good to let slide.
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57. The Obelisk of Aquapolis
Hundreds of miles out to sea, an enormous tower of pumice and obsidian gently bobs along with the waves. The part that floats above the water line is at least a thousand feet high, and encrusted with barnacles, coral, driftwood, and seaweed. The waves offer glimpses of a broad base, and the way the water sometimes crashes onto one face and pours out of portholes in another hints at a complex structure within. Pods of sea lions have been seen resting on its "shore" at times. The tower itself is ornately carved with petroglyphs, whalebone ornamentation, and portholes. The top of the tower appears to be a functional lighthouse, though no light has shone for centuries.
The tower was originally the core of Aquapolis, a massive city comprised mainly of boats, piers, and rafts, constructed centuries ago as a joint effort between a kingdom of humans and halflings and a population of merfolk. The city of Aquapolis was a symbol of peace between the three races as well as a miracle of engineering and a hub for ocean traders, and many dreamed it would be the shining jewel of a new ocean kingdom, but after 40 years of prosperity, a severe monsoon season destroyed nearly all the city's wooden boat-like structures. Aquapolis was abandoned, and the remaining wooden structures have nearly all been lost to the weather, though stories say that the central tower itself has enough underwater space to house a few hundred merfolk... or any other water-breathing creatures.
Dotting for future addition
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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.