CLAIM

Claimed territories react to the mood and overall disposition of their chosen ruler, and the wellbeing of the land is a direct reflection of its elected king or queen.

Within Uncharted, the land chooses the person, and it thereafter binds itself to whomsoever might dethrone its chosen, warping its climate and surface structure to reflect the personality of the ruler that calls it home.

Because of this, it's highly likely that the land of Umbram will change itself to match @ Arakses disposition and desires. Should you wish for any of the land, subboards, or names to remain the same, please reach out to the player(s) of the current ruler(s) for permission (if no response is received due to player absence or otherwise, the Squad requests that no names or descriptions be taken from the previous land).


Your post here. This should include Arakses' experience watching the land warp to its new structure.

Please see the important notes below.

Territory Name: Name Here


General Description: Please limit to 300 words or less. What can be found here? How is this land affected by the seasons? Is it immune to anything? Is there anything out of the ordinary with the landscape?


Specific Locations (Subboards)
0-2 locations. Please give a brief description of each. Where can these locations be found within the land, and what lies within them?


Flora & Fauna
2-5 items. Please give two (2) name suggestions per item and a brief description of each. Are they found only in this new land, or in Prosfora Meadows and E'renthas as well? Are they only found during a certain season or time of day? Do they have any beneficial or adverse effects? What is their temperament?


Herd Culture
How does your character expect the herd inhabitants to conduct themselves? Are there seasonal or annual events that will be conducted? Is this territory intended to be home to anyone specific?


Additional Notes
Is there anything else you'd like to add that does not fit into one of the above categories? Is there anything about this particular land idea that you are extra excited about?

○ Please limit the Takeover & Land Warping Prompt portion of your response to 1,200 words or less.

○ Review the activity requirements in Claimable Territories.

○ Please also review the Lands & Exploration page of the Guidebook before submitting. As always, the Ask-the-Squad Discord channel is open for your questions!

○ Names and descriptions may undergo minor changes before the board is finalized and updated. The Squad will indicate these changes to the playerbase as a whole.

○ This thread is open for your submission for a total of five (5) days. It must be completed and posted before you go to bed on Monday, November 2nd.

○ In the event a completed prompt is not submitted by the deadline, this will become an open audition.

A R A K S E S.

After the journey, she had anticipated that this lonely castle and its downtrodden people were what the emptiness in her chest caught for.

And as quickly as she had found it, the world shifted. Beneath her hooves the earth trembled, stones tapping and shimmying down the steps of the fortress. Arakses planted her hooves, charcoal eyes darting back to the people below, but more ghostly, dark windows and empty streets greeted her. An earthquake? A landslide? Shaking her head, she darted to the streets, listening for screams or hollers, but the only thing she could hear was the rumbling of the world beneath her. Quickly her eyes scanned, waiting, watching for others, that volition to help rooting itself into her muscles; she would act only for others, and would not flee without ensuring no soul was left behind. Further into the streets she trod, calling out and waiting for any kind of response as Umbram continued to tremble. Each cobblestone path she found she investigated. Walls crumbled around her, and buildings collapsed, and at the borders she saw the oppressive fog that seemed to haunt this entire continent come rushing towards the sleepy town. With new haste she eyed windows, checked doors, and screamed for those in danger to answer her.

But no answers came.

Arakses wasn’t finished assessing the homes when the fog crashed over the walls, filling the town as if a bowl. It was bone chilling around her legs, but she pushed forward, still searched, still ensured she did not leave without promising herself that there wasn’t a single equine left inside the stone parapets of Umbram. The fog rose around her, washing against her belly then chest, then neck, until she had to hold her nape erect and high to keep her muzzle from submerging below the fog. White crescents cupped her visionaries as the mists swelled and swelled, then inevitably plunged her beneath the surface.

All she felt was cold, and when she opened her eyes she couldn’t make out three inches in front of herself. Forced to still, she adjusted to the bucking and hitching sod below her hooves until it to inevitably stilled. For an undetermined amount of time she was left in a deafening silence with only her breath to break it. In her chest, the void seemed to shake despite the motionlessness of the world around her. Inside her head, Arakses’ mind reeled. New to the locale, she couldn’t navigate safely out, let alone help another. Trepidation ping-ponged in her head until, finally, a howling wind rushed from behind her. The wolf hidden in the den of her chest howled back in response, and she felt the void constrict for the first time since it’d nestled itself there. Ribbons of black and blue hair wafted around her, and the monochromatic abyss around her began to shift. Through it, motes of white started to drift. No, not motes… they were not light. But snow.

It sprinkled along her back as silvery brume rose from her nostrils. A deep chill fell around her like a blanket, awakening the winter wolf within. With a tumultuous gale, the fogs swept away, and Arakses was left in an entirely new realm. First her eyes darted to the high shale walls standing over the cabins’ roofs; the dark pitch was imposing, but protective. Fires dotted the distance cliffs overhead, and she could barely see where other equine milled about lifts and staircases, torches lighting their way. Overhead a starlight night glimmered, and wispy clouds of purple swept across the skies to race the winds. The air weaved stories of evergreen forests, crisp hidden waters, and supple timber, the aromas plaiting together attractively on her nostrils. Foals laughed somewhere in a cross street, while a congregation of adults seemed drawn to her. Arakses eyed their faces, finding them both strangers but familiar. As lanterns burned around them, bathing all in a warm, orange glow, the group one by one bowed and nodded their head toward her. With each acknowledgement, the hole, the void, in her chest stitched itself together.

Though there was distinct confusion beetling her brow, Arakses’ eyes were soft as she regarded those surrounding her. From their garb to their bows she saw kin, and knew that despite her bare body and quiver-less back they say the same. Releasing a deep inhale, her breath clouded into the Mrazan night as she nodded back to the equine. ”Jaeger.” one murmured as they nodded their head. ”Jaeger,” another exclaimed, bowing low. ”Welcome home.”

i was always bloody knuckles,

and shards of glass

coding © spoupi | art © silverfang

Territory Name: Mraz (mir-az)

General Description: In an arctic region, winter’s grasp never seems to loosen on these evergreen dotted mountains. Miles of tundra stand before travelers and these summits, sprinkled with sudden, mysterious drop-offs. Frost-laced spears with pennant flags guide wandering equine into the bowels of Mraz. If, however, the weary traveler pushes hard enough and navigates the white-out flurries and thick forests, they may find the precipice of Hearthstone. Protective, high walls of shale and stone rise above this basin. The only way down is to brave the natural, winding passages carved into the cliffside or take one of the lifts. At the heart of the basin, torchlight leads the tired through deep snowy passages towards clustered village cabins.

Specific Locations (Subboards)

Far Forest: To the north, through the mountains, lays depths of a congested evergreen forest that strangles the misty Mraz mountains. Whether the sun shines elsewhere, the Far Forest is always plagued with overcast skies and gentle snowfall. These trees are rich with game, home to the Greater Mrazan Elk, and are frequented often by local hunters. One must be mindful of their trail, however, as the trees begin to blend and blur together after several hours in the snow… perhaps the hunter may become the hunted. Rumor has it, a lost outpost sits in the deepest portions of the forest, offering shelter where otherwise it lacks.

Hearthstone: After a trip down either one of the lifts or icy passages, the warm glow of Hearthstone invites all. Robust cabins stand resilient against the eternal winter and invite any in need of shelter to warm, burning fires. This welcoming glow saturates the main streets and marketplace, but be mindful of the shadowy alleyways that cut through the districts, for they reek of unfriendly motives. At its center, a great lodge stands high above the rest. Its balconies are frequented by guardsmen and archers, and inside is the home not only of the Jaeger but the hunting guild as well.

Flora & Fauna

Greater Mrazan Elk: Located only in the Far Forest, or occasionally in Mraz snowfields in the winter seasons, these elusive, stark-white elks are the prize game of any hunter. Their robust, towering forms and lamenting cries strike any who witness them with a sense of grandeur and awe. Of all local fauna, they are a perfect representation of the resilience required to survive in the wilds of Mraz. Traditionally, they are white with speckled noses and eyes of black, and all host antlers of numerous tines (averaging at the very least ten). Locals say that to spot one while lost promises luck. It is not uncommon for shed antlers to be brought into Hearthstone and ground into powders to be sprinkled in teas or hot drinks to aid aching joints.

Barraros: These massive, brutish mammoths are one of the largest local fauna in Mraz. Towering over even small cabins, these behemoth pachyderms are, mostly, gentle giants - unless you linger too close to their young! Their thick, brown pelts, that in some cases can drag across the ground, keep them comfortable even in the frigid climates of the icy plains. Every barraros boasts at the very least four tusks, though some bulls have been spotted with upwards to six or seven. When angered, they use those great ivory tusks to dig into the ground as they charge, flinging frozen sod, rocks, and even tree trunks at those who they feel have threatened them.

Ice Wights: Perhaps the largest nuisance in all of Mraz, more so than any wolf or bear, are small ice wights. These small, snake-like creatures make their homes in groves of frostfern, and are nearly imperceptible from the leafy growth. They range from three to five feet in length, sport two wings, and their only form of motion is flying. Come in the remote vicinity of a wight and they'll shoot up from the frost fern and dance agilely through the air to sink their icy fangs into you. While one bite cannot cause grievous damage, if one were to wander unexpectantly into a nest of ice wights, they may find themselves in more trouble than they bargained for...

Glacier Lilies: Growing along the sheer walls that protect Hearthstone is brilliant, aromatic lilies. Their startlingly white petals are satin soft despite their ruthless homeland, and their sweet perfume is a hot commodity in the Mraz market. Their roots run deep into the rock wall, and which makes them even more difficult to harvest. Their centers are a deep, brilliant royal blue that fades to the gentle, alabaster petals they're so known for.

Frostfern: These ferns are easily identifiable by their striking colors and pronged leafy fronds. Many scholars debate whether Frostfern exists at all, as it is crystalline and snaps like glass with the slightest touch, and those opposed to their existence claim it is simply an illusion of fern growth in the frigid Mraz temperatures. However, they bloom and grow in varying sizes and shades, ranging from translucent white to rich sapphire. Those skilled with growing flowers and other plants even have them in pots outside of their homes. If introduced to fire or warmth, they immediately melt.

Herd Culture

Though it’s location is less than ideal to many, those who are unafraid of the cold can call Mraz their home. Above all, resilience, camaraderie, and survival are the pillars of Mraz’s culture, and it is expected that citizens showcase such in their daily lives. All are expected to be respectful of one another, to support each other during times of hardships or loss, and to be wary of any who seek to harm those within Mraz’s borders or the realm itself.

Mraz highly encourages matriarchal leadership, and to give voices to those who were robbed of theirs in another life. Beneath its value in hunters and harvest, it is an asylum for any seeking refuge from oppression. To reflect such, the region’s leader is intended to denounce pompous titles such as lord, lady, king, or queen, and rather go by the designation of Jaeger, affiliating them directly with the Hunter’s Guild. Additionally, classes are all but blurred as hoarding of wealth or commodities is frowned upon. Even the Jaeger’s room is identical to their hunting brethren.

To harm one Mrazan is to harm them all. Be mindful who you disrespect, or injure, for arrows and swords are swift.

Grand Hunt: An annual winter hunt where all of Mraz is in search of Greater Mrazan Elk, as it is the single time of the year that they are allowed to be pursued. Any felled in the hunt are then served in a festival that follows, or dried and preserved for the town’s stores. Simultaneously, it is a time to honor the Hunter’s Guild, whom provides most of the protein for the local diets.

Auroral Nights: On the first nights of spring, sun shines bright across the frigid icecaps of Mraz’ mountains, and throws ribbons of light in the sky for all to see. During this week-long celebration, travelers are encouraged to explore and experience the beauty hidden beneath Mraz’s frozen, harsh exterior and intermingle with its people. There is good, dance, and each night a maypole is erected along the high walls surrounding Hearthstone so that the streamers and ribbons can dance in the wind.

Additional Notes

Mraz celebrates hunters, and Hearthstone itself is the epicenter for their Hunter’s Guild. Arakses oversees said guild as she does all of Mraz, and will offer assignments to any willing participant, Mrazan or not. Hearthstone also serves as a dormitory for all Mrazan hunters (those whom make the lands their home in which they hunt) as additional favor to their members, though it is not required. Guild members are highly respected in the community, may find themselves in favor with certain merchants, and above all are a kinship. It is expected that all hunters conduct themselves with honor while an active member of Hearthstone’s guild. (Note: Mraz citizens do NOT need to be members of the Hunter’s Guild, and being a citizen of Mraz is not required to join the Hunter’s Guild.)

Code of Conduct:

Honor all that sacrifice themselves to the hunter’s arrow, for they feed and clothe us not of their own will.

It is forbidden to over hunt the lands or to hunt to over excess.

Hunting of the Greater Mrazan Elk is only legal during Grand Hunt

Respect fellow hunters. Quarrels amongst members is discouraged.

If anyone finds themselves in trouble within the borders of Mraz, it is expected that all members offer their voices, strength, or skills in aid.

Ranks

Stalker - Has successfully participated in up to nine (9) hunts in Mraz, and an additional one or two (1-2) hunts in Far Forest.

Hunter - Has successfully participated in six to nine (6-9) hunts in Mraz

Sparrow - Has successfully participated in three to five (3-5) hunts in Mraz

Fledgling - Apprentice hunter, new recruit.