The Silent Peaks

The Silent Peaks are a region of sparsely forested low hills north of the 100 kingdoms area, relatively close to Greyfalls. Several villages, and the small town of Erkavica survive mainly thanks to some old quarries that still produce excellent stone for heavy construction in an area that traditionally relies in wood and brick for building. 

Erkavica itself was built around a marble quarry, but it was depleted centuries ago, and the town would have been abandoned if it wasn't for the presence of the presence of the Illustrious College of High Crafts, more known as the Five Towers of Gloom (which now are just three towers, and the broken stumps of two others, never rebuilt) an ancient school of magic with more than three thousands years of history.

Known History

The Towers of Gloom was little more than a provincial school for edge, mortal magicians in the first age, and was almost completely closed during the times of the Shogunate, but still had a handful of students when the contagion struck. Miraculously left almost untouched by the Contagion, the town was a heaven for refugees during the last days of the plague, and when the Fair Folk invaded, it become something of a rally point for the local defenses. However, the city garrison was crushed in battle with the Fair Folk host, the city was razed, and the Towers assaulted with overwhelming fae magic. All the sorceress and savants were killed, but the building stood, if seriously damaged.

Almost a century passed before people returned to the ruins of the town. Explorers and scavengers found the standing towers in remarkable good repair, and used the place to explore the nearby ruins. However, instead of picking them clean and leaving, they decided to settle there and reopen the doors of the school. In a few decades a thriving village grew around the towers, and the sorcerers and savants became the protectors and leaders of the community. 

Currently Erkavica is a town of around 20,000 souls, of which only a few hundred are directly involved with the Towers of Gloom. But the town is unusual because there is nearly a score of mortal sorcerers, trice that number of savants (and a few of them are actually god-blooded or ghost-blooded) and even some rare necromancers. Outwardly the school is vastly inferior to the dragon-blood run schools of the Realm or Lookshy, but it is rumored the teachers are surprisingly wise and that they know effective to quickly awaken the essence of capable students. Every year a hundred or more prospective students apply for admittance in the school, but only about a dozen is accepted. It does not seem to be a question of bribes or just talent, what the teachers seem to want is people that want to settle in Erkavica and join the school permanently.

The masters of the school rule the town in theory, although actually most of the day to day operation is left in the hands of the town's mayor, a post chosen by the local landowners and guildmasters, and usually automatically confirmed by the school headmaster. The mayor also "rules" the smaller villages in the area, even if actual laws and commands are very rare. In emergencies the sorcerers have acted decisively to protect the people of the Silent Peaks, which makes the villages a bad target for bandits, even when led by violent exalted. Even a strong brotherhood of dragon-blooded should be wary of challenging a score mortal sorcerers and their (rumored numerous and dangerous) spirit allies. Actually, in the rare occasions exalted-led gangs of brigands have haunted the Silent Peaks, they have always been quickly destroyed or run off. 

But bandits rarely target this area. The land is poor and so are the local humans. A fair percentage of the population works in quarries, and it is very hard work that in other, richer lands, only slaves perform. But it is not much harder than raising crops in the rocky, dry, uneven terrain, or herding goats and sheep, the other main industries of the land. The people of the Silent Peaks lives humbly, but they are a proud and tough folk with little patience with strangers. They respect the gods and the Immaculate Faith, but keep few and spartan temples. However, they do seem quite respectful of their ancestors, often keeping small shrines in their homes to this or that long dead local hero, often a former sorcerer graduate from the Towers of Gloom. Except for Erkavica the place is an uninviting backwater, and Erkavica is not very interesting either, unless the doors of the Towers of Gloom are open for you.

The Truth

The dead rule the Silent Peaks since the time of the Contagion. The death of the sorcerers of the Towers of Gloom during the Fair Folk invasion left behind dozens powerful ghosts with a common purpose. It also twisted the manse under the towers from an earth one into an abyssal one (level 2), turning the catacombs of the building into a shadowland - though the efforts of the Zenith castes Hope and Alseia purified this corruption.

Ever since humans returned to the Silent Peaks there have been ghost guiding, helping or hindering them secretly. With the passing of the centuries most of the original ghosts of the Tower of Gloom have fallen to Oblivion or Lethe, but many more have joined them upon passing. The ghosts of the dead magicians now act as lorekeepers and teachers for the sorcerers and savants of the school, most of which know nothing of the true nature of the school. Those who know the truth tend to be the ghost-blooded sons of dead sorcerers or the priest of the small ancestor cults that empower the ghosts. Wise leadership and strict rules have kept the secret hidden for centuries, the ghost police themselves and most of them are interested in the well-being of their mortal descendants.

So it was for a long time, but corruption stirred. The six most ancient ghosts, dead since the Fair Folk invasion, had recently been meeting with ambassadors from the Deathlords, nephwracks and the like. Younger ghosts were afraid they are being corrupted, or influenced by powerful necromancy, while some of the priests are rumored to have started performing human sacrifices with wandering foreigners. The efforts of the now-missing solar Hope and Alseia have driven such abominations forth from the world, but other crises raised their heads.

The tomb of the solar Hope, hidden in these mountains, was revealed to contain a long-bound hekatonchire, powerful and malevolent and mad, accidentally released by the meddling of Hope. The entire city evacuated, becoming a wandering people, homeless and indigent. For almost a year, they wandered, whilst the corruption slowly festered and scabbed over, the hekatonchire Nyaharolatotepa itself snared in a trap of the words of the now-dead exalt Ten Hollow Tongues.

In time, the patience of the people of the Silent Peaks broke, and they parted ways with their savior and damner Hope, who traveled in to the deep South, bitter over her rejection, filled with anger at their contempt for her grand accomplishments and their wrath over her errors.

Once again the people of the Silent Peaks live among their old buildings, but still they warily explore the decrepit abandoned places where they once lived, unsure of what things breathing or unliving may have moved in in their absence.

The Hekatonchire Nyaharolatotepa itself, if it still exists, is quiescent.

Events Page - Event: Cleansing Silent Peaks

Important Figures

• Mayor Ervikson, overseer of the living citizens of the Silent Peaks.

The Side of Light

• Worm-binder Blue, ghost-blooded dean of the Towers of Gloom. One of the leaders of the secret order of Golden Janissaries fighting against the corruption. It was he who brought the news of the corruption to the others.
• Lauremei and Faith, other Golden Janissary trainees, also who might have a chance at becoming the champion of the order.
• Hope, former Golden Janissary adept and exorcist/warder, now a new Solar, bearing the exaltation of Brilliant Pearl.
• Karrus, Lunar mate of Hope, Steward of Creation.
• Silver Thorns, a new Lunar on the scene who helped cleanse the lands.
• Alseia, Solar Sorceress who took the shadowlands away.
• Keeper of Crows, a former Dragonblooded monk who, at the bequest of Brilliant Pearl, came to Silent Peaks to help cleanse the land from corruption.
• Veritas, a Priest of Mars who has decided to aid Hope in her quest
• Quicksilver Dreamer, a Sidereal who has taken an active interest in this particular exaltation, wanting to make sure that this time, its bearer lives longer than a few months
• Dreaming Sunrise, a Lunar priestess who came to the land due to a gut feeling. Recruited into helping by Veritas, she has yet to meet Hope and the others

The Side of Darkness

• Eldest Venu, leader of the six most ancient ghosts, courted by the forces of the Neverborn. It is rumored he has mastered even Void Circle Necromancy. Now he has been consumed by the Void.
• Haunter Graaz, undead pandemoniac leader of the secret police. Cleansed and purged.
• Old Kio, insane necromantic nephrack obsessed with 'living moliation'. On the hit list. Possibly the youngest of the forces in Walker's thrall, but still two hundred years dead. Cleansed and purged.
• The Reaper's Scythe, an Abyssal Dusk caste who is currently in 'negotiation' with the more powerful ghosts of the Towers. He is not powerful enough to just overwhelm them through sheer might, but with the help of his Deathlord, perhaps he may convince them in the end. He has convinced them to use human sacrifice in the service of his Deathlord afterall. Killed by Hope and Judicious Fist.
• Masuki, a former Golden Janissary trainee seduced by the Reaper's Scythe. She currently acts as a double agent, often giving the locations of patrols, who is being considered for training, and other such things.

On his Own

• The Vengeful Kiss of the Pyre Flame, A Deathknight who was formerly a Solar hero, is ever so slightly annoyed at Reaper's Sythe, and feels that the other Deathknight is not doing his job properly. He has decided to take matters into his own hands and is going to have a discussion with the forces of Darkness in the area. This might involve killing them. Painfully.