Taldro

A land suffused with wind and naturally occurring storm-clouds, Taldro is renowned for the gems and scrolls they ship out regularly. The gems are mined from a massive mountain called The Weather-Vane, aptly named for the mountain’s tendency to be struck repeatedly by lightning due to storms. The reason? A large cap of brass forms the peak of the mountain, acting as a natural conduit between sky and earth. Lightning that strikes the peak of Weather-Vane is rumored and theorized to be “purer” than most bolts of lightning, and magical items formed with the current generated by this pure lightning are valued highly.

The energized mountain is highly dangerous, suffused with living sparks of energy called elementals. These elementals are primarily a mixture of stone and spark, and are highly antagonistic to any living beings that they encounter. These Vane Elementals prize gems amongst all else, and are routinely seen with large clusters of gem and crystalline spikes forming on their more solid body parts. A right of passage for young men and women born and raised in Taldro is to ascend The Weather-Vane, best an Elemental in combat, and forge a weapon or ring from the spoils of the combat. Only those blessed by Moragni, the Mountain Man (A local deity of storms and insight), are rumored to succeed without horrific scarring or death.

The gems, much like the lightning of Taldro, is prized amongst scholars, merchants and jewelers for a shocking (pun intended) lack of impurity within the material. Ioun stones, gems enchanted with ancient spells, are primarily forged from Taldrovian gems, and many fetch twice or thrice the normal price for a gem of similar size, coloration and purity if proven to come from Taldro. Many of these gems are given to local nobility, monarchies and traded between politicians as a marker of favors and a desire for peace. Taldrovian elders cherish these gems, and vow to reclaim any gem that is misused during its venture into the wider world.

Scrolls, much like gems, are a bit special if they come from Taldro. Inked and pulped in a ritual process that involves grinding up rare gemstones and local herbs, these scrolls possess the amazing ability to be used more than once. A Taldrovian scroll is also, oddly enough, utilized as a weapon. Many of these scrolls are able to be hardened or sharpened on command, and due to their flexible nature, can be hidden on a person’s body like a wrap or gauntlet. Taldrovian scroll-swords and those who wield them are cherished as exotic combatants, and many are slavered into the Genie Colosseum of the eastern continent. Despite this, Taldrovian scroll-swords strive for perfection in their art, and many ink their parchment weapon with prayers for those they defeat in battle.