Thnktfthbx/Mountain
A Mountain Most Foul
Ages ago, when Solars first ruled Creation, and not long before their fall at Dragonblooded hands, there dwelled a mighty sorcerer of a Solar Twilight in the mountains of the East. Among his shining brethren, he was well known and celebrated for his deft skill at dealing with those splintered fragments of gods known commonly as demons. His long life’s work was to deal with them: for information, for the epic public works projects of the Solar Deliberative, and to hunt them down on the rare occasion that they slipped into this world without authorization. But, like all of the Solars of his time, his noble purposes began to twist unpleasantly, turning to selfish and irrational pursuits. He began to show signs of paranoia, and sent all his servants and friends away from his Manse, replacing them with bound minor demons. He also became obsessed with the powers of the Malfaens, and came to believe in his heart of hearts that the Celestial Incarna had erred in sealing away such potential sources of might from this world. He began to collect demons in this world the way other great men collect followers. In order to further study, and also to develop the army of demons he felt absolutely necessary to protect himself from any of the imaginary or real threats he perceived, he took a nearby mountain, already largely honeycombed with caves and tunnels, and fortified it. Expanded the caves till there was more air in the mountain than stone, and then etched on the walls and floors such eldritch runes so as to make the entire mountain a holding chamber/prison for him to store his demons in without fear. In way of entrance, he made one single passage, and at the mouth of it he placed an enormous Oricalcum gateway, locking the entire mountain into an enchantment of the greatest proportions. Any being could enter, but should the being be possessed of power in any form (such as demons, exalts, or godlings), they would not be able to pass the gateway again, imprisoning them until the gate was opened again by the sorcerer’s anima, which served as it’s key.
Decades went by while he studied one species of demon after another, almost always sending them to his Menagerie under the mountain when not under his direct scrutiny. There they dwelt, angry and impotent, unable to break through the gateway or to escape by any means. They often fought each other for sport or for simple cruelties sake, or took their pleasure with the creatures of the caves like bats or rats or the eyeless fish of the underground lake, should their forms allow. They even, on rare occasions, spawned unholy blends of demon and beast. Each to that demon’s nature.
When the Usurpation came and reaped it’s bloody harvest, the Sorcerer was defeated at his manse, in one of the most costly battles the Dragonblooded and Sidereals faced, for the Twilight loosed the lock of his mountain’s gate upon his death, and out poured hosts of demons searching for anything and everything upon which to vent their wrath. It took ten years to capture and banish the demons loosed in that one moment, yet the Dragonblooded and Sidereals still had to remain watchful, for they could not enter the mountain to make sure all of the demons had left, not and return to the light of day at least. Mortals of great strength were commissioned to search the caverns, but while some returned to report seeing nothing amiss, many others failed to return at all, suggesting at least that the place was dangerous, regardless of reason.
Centuries and centuries have passed since then, and the origins of the mountain have been lost to common knowledge. A small town has sprouted up at the base of the mountain, though they all strictly avoid the entrance, whispering over nighttime fires of horrors sealed beneath. Occasionally, an overly bold Scavenger Lord will hear of the mountain, and come to investigate. A few return with stories of frightful carvings and sculptures of stone, and of the remains of animals that have never been seen alive, especially not on the surface of the world… but most do not return at all.
Game Play:
There could be demons still trapped in the mountain. There could just be demonic offspring, intelligent or not. There could be a feral lunar for Yu Shan’s sakes. Or perhaps there’s nothing alive, and those that do not return are victims of sadistic traps set by vindictive demons more than a thousand years ago. There is much to tempt any sort of exalt here. It could be that the demon of an ancient curse or bond still resides in the mountain and must be contacted to make things right. It could be that an ancient artifact of great story importance was long ago stolen by a demon, who was subsequently imprisoned in the mountain, either of which could still be there. It might be that for a major working of sorcery or alchemy, the flesh of a beast with both demon and animal blood is needed, and the stars suggest such a thing could be found here. Maybe the Lunar seers see that a newly exalted lunar has fled the wild hunt and gotten himself trapped. Similarly, perhaps the son of a little (or not so little) god has been trapped out of his own hubris, and the heroes owe a debt to said god. Anything could happen with this setting. I had originally figured that the gate will open to any Solar Twilight anima, but there could be alternate ways of opening it should your player’s party not contain such a character. Some bit of sorcery, or even a physical artifact key (the search for which could be an adventure in and of itself)
