Death among the rocky badlands, budding mountains, and numerous silt basins of the southern coast of the Estuary of the Forked tongue can come quick, but a life can be made here or at least a living. On the Grey Coast, desert tribes trade with one another and a few outposts that eek out an existence, ruins of ancient times are revealed in the silt and beckon would be treasure hunters, traders always need new caravan guards, slavers always need new stock, and tales of the Fabled City of Plenty call to the curious.
One of the longest lasting settlements on the coast is Smuggler's Rest. The native Modai'I name is too difficult and long to pronounce so the moniker stuck with outlanders who chose to make it their home or at least stop by. Smuggler's Rest, hardly more than a shanty town, is a place where vagabonds, silt pirates, waste raiders and other miscreants can live their lives far from the prying eyes of the Templars. Few this far out have ever been to a city and most like it that way. Many are either on the run from the agents of the city-states or the established merchant houses, life on the southern coast of the Estuary of the Forked Tongue offers anonymity and seclusion from the Tablelands.
Smuggler's rest has another side other than the seed silt side. Due to it's location to several known ancient ruins many in search of treasure, history, and other lore frequent the town to trade knowledge and set out on expeditions.
The Modai'I and their silt spirits control the bay that Smuggler's Rest sits on. This strange tribe trades with silt wading giants, pirates, or anyone with an interest in the Sea of Silt. The Modai'I town proper sits just to the east of Smuggler's Rest. Outlanders are allowed to come into the town but they are not allowed to own property and are only allowed to stay within the adobe walls if they are vouched for and given a shelter by a Modai'I.
The Modai'I believe that everything has a spirit that is to be respected and that the Sea of Silt has the greatest spirit of all. As such they try to be like the silt in many aspects of their culture and personal lives. Many neighboring tribes have all been subjugated by the constant encroachment of the silt worshipers. Tribute is given and when it is not warbands are called up to quell the upstarts.
Recently a sacred ground of the Modai'I and neighboring tribes has been taken over and turned into and armed encampment by a foreign legion. They have rebuffed all attempts by local tribes to kick them off the land due to the defensive nature of the site, which the locals call Sun's Home . Rumors abound about the Modai'I mobilizing to remove this threat to their power, but they have not acted as of yet.
What has brought you through the wastes to Smuggler's Rest?
I'm thinking of a cross between the Book of Eli and the third pirates of the carribean. The characters will search for a book (in the nearby ruins) for a different reason than a group of pirates. The Modai'I will find out about and want it for another reason (to summon a sacred silt being). The Sun's Home situation is going to be more of a background story, unless the characters want to get involved.
Uh?
Otherwise, I like it. One thing the primer doesn't, and should, mention is what are the Modai'I. Elves, humans, something new? Sounds like an elven tribal name.
The following part sounds like a video game, or movie, or tv show. I'm sure it's not the case in your game, but it would benefit from being reworded:
"Recently a sacred ground of the Modai'I and neighboring tribes has been taken over and turned into and armed encampment by a foreign legion. They have rebuffed all attempts by local tribes to kick them off the land due to the defensive nature of the site, which the locals call Sun's Home . Rumors abound about the Modai'I mobilizing to remove this threat to their power, but they have not acted as of yet."
I'm a little iffy on the "town of silt worshippers near the town of smugglers" though. It seems like there would be much more conflict between the two groups if they were that close, especially with as territorial as the tribe is.
The Modai'l might be better as a local nomadic tribe who claim the area and perform regular rites and rituals along the bay, communing with its silt spirits, who don't like the outsiders in the town (cannibals/head hunters in New Guinea -- they sometimes come into to town to trade, but everyone is wary of and scared of them, and you're advised not to travel alone or unarmed out in the badlands).
Or as a tribal group who are basically second-class citizens living in shacks scattered around the canyons (or whatever) around the town, herding and farming, holding secret rites even the corrupt townsfolk whisper about. (I'm thinking of the Carribean plantation culture, with destitute freed slaves and secret voodoo cults, as inspiration for the feeling here.)
The Modai'I are a human tribe with religious beliefs and culture inline with Vodou. Instead of the Grandmaster they worship the sea of silt and instead of the Loa they worship different kinds of silt horrors as messengers of the Sea of Silt.
The Modai'I town proper is next to and includes Smuggler's Rest. The locals first allowed outlanders to stay because they came on the silt (IE silt skimmers and other silt craft) and were obviously sent by the Sea. Now they allow them because they bring news and good from afar.
I was thinkng that the other tribes are seen as second class citizens and the Modai'I would occasionally wage genoicde on another tribe for various reasons.
I didn't want to include too much info in the introduction...just a few ideas.
that said, if you aren't going to be stressing the survival part of this world (at least initially) then you probably don't have to add anything... I just like to have my PCs scared about leaving the caravans and outposts behind because, well, it is athas..
Josh
Josh: Those are definitely aspects that I want to play up.
Big Goon: The Modai'I worship the sea of silt and the silt horrors. As the sea of silt takes over anything it is stronger than so the Modai'I do too, which includes other tribes as well as using Silt Horrors and Silt Spawn for food or making goods. The Modai'I use the internal filters of Silt Spawn and Silt Horrors to make silt masks for themselves. Using pecialized curing techniques wooden framed goggles can be made using the transluscent skin of the Floater.
One side of the bay is a spawning ground for the sacred silt horrors and the Modai'I wade into the silt on stilts when the large parents are out hunting to harvest the young.
I like your idea of undergrounds ruins that are uncovered during storms...so Modai'I scouts are hired by the treasure hunters of Smuggler's Rest.
Here are a few other ideas I've had for the area...
Sandar, one of the larger islands in the estuary has been recently invaded by a tribe of wyvern riding silt runners. The beast headed giants of the island have given stiff resistance, but the silt runners have been insistent on taking root on the island despite heavy losses.
Silt Giants have been ambushing travelers and taking slaves. I picture the giants having huge bamboo basket type backpacks that will fit 3-4 humans wading across the sea with their slave cargo in tow. Apparently they've found a small island with something precious in the sea of silt; however it's surrounded by tar. The tar has a semi-hard layer of silt on top of it, but the giants get stuck and many have died trying to get to the island. Razorwings and kes-trekel circle the area looking for an easy meal. So they have their newly captured slaves try to walk on the tar-crust to get to the island, many fall in and suffer an agonizing suffocating death, but there are always more slaves...what are the giants after on the island?
We've already played one adventure (2 sessions), Tuesday's the next one.
* snicker *