WORLD ARCH: Kereth

Perdow. Planet of Eternal Darkness. Shadow Planet. A place that has never
and
will never feel the light and warmth of the sun. Perdow, a smaller planet,
occupies an orbit perpetually eclipsed by Welstar, Planet of Law, and for
that
reason, among many others, the people of Perdow despise anything that deals
with Welstar, blaming the Welstarians for stealing everything, even their
sunlight. Without sunlight, the races and creatures of Perdow have adapted
other ways to survive. Various races have developed infravision, while
others
have fully developed night vision, allowing them to see in any environment,
whether dark or light. Some, like bandits, use the darkness as a weapon on
unsuspecting prey, while the vicious corpse eaters devour anything living
or
dead. It is said that the plants of Perdow thrive only on blood since
photosynthesis cannot be performed.

The weather on Perdow has no rhyme or reason with its cerulean storms,
raging
blizzards, or heat waves that blanket the world. Some say it was the
explosion
that caused the creation of the Deadlands that warped the temperature and
weather, but even the cause of that ancient explosion remains a mystery.

The mountains are like the teeth of some monstrous beast and are home to
Wyrms and the Wyrmhunters that capture them. The life of a Wyrmhunter is
short,
but many pass this life very wealthy.  Wyrmriders pay enormous sums of
money
for new wyrms.

The hills are home to the bandits that lurk in Perdow's shroud of darkness.
Many have fallen prey to them, while no end to their menace remains in
sight.
Runners travel between the grand city of Scarrowfell and the smaller
settlements, delivering messages with an ever-watchful eye for danger.
Wyrmriders patrol the land at the behest of officials at Scarrowfell. These
giant beasts and their riders are what makes up the Perdow cavalry in times
of
war.

Darkendale Forest is filled with life that has adapted well to Perdow's
lack
of sun. Vampire roses constantly wait for quarry to brush up against their
needles, and strangle vines sneak across tree limbs or ground searching out
prey. Kacharo sit in the trees using their claws to grip prey and fend off
predators, and tree spiders cover the canopy of the forest with their webs.

Reptilian slithers swim through the Black Marsh looking for food. Slithers
are another unknown: no one has ever seen a nest or other form of shelter
for them. Fist sized mosquitoes buzz any passers-by.

The Deadlands are a place where it appears no life has ever existed nor
ever
will. Created by an explosion of unknown origin, this lifeless land is an
enigma to scholars and the inhabitants of Perdow alike. A nameless sorcerer
once claimed that the land was formerly controlled by Netherlords, beings
of
god-like powers with the darkest of hearts, but that their greed and envy
overwhelmed each of them, and in a final conflict they destroyed the land.
Another rumor is that the devastation was caused by the creation of an
artifact
of immense power. Explorers have managed to find texts buried deep in the
sand,
written in an ancient tongue, but while only a few sentences can be
deciphered
the phrase 'Giver of Pain' is written many times. Threatened by these
magical
mysteries, Mageslayers patrol the land, looking for clues, with blazing
hatred
for any mages that cross their path. They are known to attack mages on
sight,
no questions asked. Corpse eaters devour carrion throughout the land and
revenants, lost souls, walk around seeking answers to questions they seem
incapable of forming.

Giant rifts scar the land of Perdow. Created from massive underground
upheavals, they lead down into caves and tunnels beneath Perdow's crust.
Beastmen and albinids make their homes in caves created in the sides of the
rift. The maze of tunnels beneath the surface is patrolled constantly by
imperial warlocks under the employ of officials from Scarrowfell. Nightmare
beasts known as shadow hounds also make their homes in the tunnels.  They
will
slay anything that crosses their path.

Damora Lake is one of the few sources of clean water that exists on Perdow.
The
lake is named after Lady Damora, a regal woman that created a hidden sect
of
mages called Pan'dohar, or Shadow Mages. She disappeared after Drandiss and
Scarrowfell fell under control of the Highlords. Neither Drandiss or
Scarrowfell ever recognized the lake's name, fearing it might bring too
much
attention back to the surviving Pan'dohar.

There were once two major cities on Perdow.  The cities of Drandiss and
Scarrowfell walled themselves in against mountain sides for protection, so
that
invaders would have no choice in approach, but be forced to pass through
the
single, giant city gates to attack. Each city had been taken over by a
Highlord, who ruled it.  The Highlord of Drandiss was reputed to be a
warrior
of great strength whereas the Highlord of Scarrowfell is said to be a
powerful
mage. Only high officials have seen either Highlord, but all who have speak
of
them with respect and fear.  In more recent times, however, the city of
Drandiss was destroyed by a terrible rock slide, and Scarrowfell now stands
alone.  There has been, as yet, no word on the fate of Highlord Drandiss,
and
it is feared that he may have perished.

TRANSPORT: When Limbo (an unstable tear between worlds) collapsed, the
Shadow
Mages used the release of power to fuel a permanent land between worlds. 
The 
Chaos Plains were born, and six gates sprung up to serve as portals between

planets.  Though none can be seen right now, those who can see into the
future
have reported other gates appearing someday, that will lead to other 
interesting places for adventurers to explore.