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AoS Realm of Metal- Primorda Cavern

Discussion in 'Fluff and Stories' started by Warden, Jun 27, 2019.

  1. Warden
    Slann

    Warden Tenth Spawning

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    Second "jungle" for AOS, this one in the Realm of Metal. Also Michael Jackson's favorite realm (chamon!!)

    The Realm of Metal is a mostly solid, endless chunk of metal, stone, and rock, permeated by multiple pockets of atmosphere where the realm denizens eek out a fledgling existence.

    One such pocket is located deep within the savage core of the realm. Known as the Primorda Cavern, an ancient and gigantic hollowed-out megacave is home to a thriving jungle atmosphere, and many dangerous creatures.

    Primorda is lit by huge, glowing fungus and mushrooms at night. But during the day, the cavern is almost as bright as day, thanks to the light of the sunflowers that grow on the cavern’s ceiling. These flowers are in turn powered by the sunstones, magical rocks that emit pure magic, and are rumored to be made of untainted warp stone. These sunstones are few in number and greatly coveted by all the races that inhabit the Cavern.

    Huge prehistoric reptilian beasts are known to roam the cavern, from mighty stegadons, carnosaurs, and even a rumored thunder lizard, the last of its kind in the realm of Metal. Plesiosaurs and megaladons abound in the sea that surrounds the mainland in the center of the cavern, rumored they can travel to many other parts of the realm of metal through hidden deepwater rivers. Pteradons and ripperdactyls dot the skies.

    Inhabitants of Primorda:

    - Ape-men- These feral beastmen are more intelligent than their above-world cousins, nearing human intelligence in most cases. The Ape leaders are truly malicious, and intend to drag all vestiges of civilization crashing down as they swing through the jungle forests of the cavern and carry off their unsuspecting prey. So far they remain out of reach of most of the Lizardmen forces save for the terradon corps, who are constantly tracking the roaming ape-tribes through the jungle canopies to find their corrupted lairs.

    - The Jaguar Tribes (human mercenary cultists, practice blood sacrifice)- Many human tribes call the Primorda Cavern their home. In the shadow of many of the other races of the cavern, they have often become the slaves to other masters, but the core of human civilization remains strong. Inhabiting many of the ruined sites of the Lizardmen, they have taken on aspects of Lizardmen culture, even worshipping the Old Ones and their relics in many cases. Wielding scaled shields and clubs tipped with obsidian, in some cases the human tribes have even pledged their loyalty to the forces of the First, and gladly fight alongside the lizardmen armies as auxiliary core to bolster the saurian lines.

    - Atlantlan (idoneth deepkin)- Surrounding the cavern of the realm of Primorda is a vast, ring sea separating the underground landmass from the walls of the Cavern. Within this sea lurk many dangerous predators, such as the plesiosaurs and megaladons, as well as smaller foes such as packs of hunting pirhanas. Many small tunnels connect this sea to other underground lakes and regions within the Realm of Earth. Under one of these such passages lies a route to the city of Atlan, home of a vicious cohort of the elvish Deepkin. These elves launch constant raids upon the realm of Primorda for food, provisions, wood for shipbuilding, and raids to capture slaves. They are not picky, and have been known to gather up humans, orcs, ape-men, and lizardmen alike to fuel their burgeoning slave economy.

    - Cave Orcs/Forest Goblins- The wild cards of the Primorda Cavern, like all members of their fungoid species the Orcs exist simply to fight and be fought. No extermination campaign mounted by the Lizardmen has so far been able to wipe them from existence. Many savage orc tribes exist as hidden pockets throughout the cavern, lurking in caves or hideouts. Many of the forests are also infested with giant spiders, fed and nurtured by the thriving Forest Goblin tribal population. They continue to be a thorn in the side of all other species within the Cavern.

    - Amazons- unlike the Jaguar Tribes, the Amazons rarely work side-by-side with the Lizardmen. As followers of Rigg the Outcast and holders of much ancient Old One technology, they often find themselves at odds with the servants of the First. They mostly keep to themselves, but woe to any species, warmblood or cold, who trespasses into their lands.

    - Mysterious 'alien' creatures (daemons of tzeetch)- There are several chaotic portals that still remain within the Cavern that the Lizardmen have been unable to destroy. Each of these is carefully guarded by a small army of temple guardians, but a few remain still to be found within the jungle floor. These portals are windows into the Realm of Chaos, specifically that of the Master of Change. Lord Tzeetch has not yet given up on his ambitions to control the Realm of Metal.

    - Lizardmen- The armies of the Lizardmen maintain several strongholds within the Primorda Cavern. Chief of these is an ancient ark, transported within the realm by means of a secret gateway, to come to rest on the forest floor. This ark is known by its ancient name, Subatuun, the Underground City, and is the base of operations for the saurus legions and their skink priest overlords. Numerous other sites dot the jungle, some having been abandoned and others actively manned. For now the Lizardmen have achieved a balance of power between the various species that vie for control of the sunstone deposits, but only time will tell when the Slann decide to move forward their plans…

    Also at some future point in the history of Primorda, the forces of the Skaven arrived and attempted to wrest control of the cavern and its sunstone supply by sheer weight of numbers. Burrowing up through the roots of the Realm of Metal, the skaven of Clan Obesick erupted through the cavern floor and attempted to eat everything in sight, megafauna and megaflora alike. Many herds of stegadon were lost before the forces of the skaven were driven back down through the tunnels, and only after the sacrifice of many saurian lives.

    Very much got inspiration from the game Savage Core for this one. Wanted a pulp-like atmosphere, minus the modern-day explorers showing up of course. Also a healthy does of the Lost World and Journey to the Center of the Earth.
     
  2. Scalenex
    Slann

    Scalenex Keeper of the Indexes Staff Member

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    I will preface by saying your various cultures are pretty cool.

    The problem is, apart from the Tzeetch thing, most of the Primoridians seem like they would be a better fit for the Realm of Life or the Realm of Beasts instead of Metal. I'd imagine the denziens of the Realm of Metal would have more high tech denizens.
     
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  3. Warden
    Slann

    Warden Tenth Spawning

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    :wideyed:

    Genius. I hadn't thought about it like that. I am working on th realm of beasts now, and it looks much more similar to this one that I had previously realized.

    I got some ideas on how to upgrade the "tech" of some of these species, mostly as a result of the cataclysms that effect them:

    1) Tzeetch shows up and takes over, after the invasion is beat back many of the survivors develop more magical-oriented powers and technologies
    2) Idoneth raids mean species need to develop better strategies to defend against them, this causes growth of city states who bans together for collective defense
    3) Skaven invasions. Obviously they want the warp stone right? And exposure to their tech (and possibly the influence of skaven cults in the midst of the human pops) means the humans start innovating on the own accord. I don't want to go full steampunk in this little pocket world, maybe a bit more along the lines of a "stonepunk" tech with the humans using solar-stone powered devices, and the lizardmen/skaven fighting a proxy "Cold War" against each other using the human/orc/ape clans as their pawns? Fitting them out with magical weapons in order to do their bidding, while keeping the really devastating stuff to themselves?

    Lots of ideas to mull over, version 2.0 in the works. Also making a timeline.
     
  4. pendrake
    Skink Priest

    pendrake Well-Known Member

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    @Warden the jungle in this place should have trees with trunks best described as “Ironwood” and that grow leafs which are living metal foil. Different species, different metals.

    Silver Birch stands are where ya get Silver.

    Gold Leaf is literally just that, a leaf.
     
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  5. Warden
    Slann

    Warden Tenth Spawning

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    Great suggestion, I just put together a short list inspired by this:



    Flora: Due to the nature of the Realm of Metal, many of the plants and fungus species of the cavern have mutated over time due to the strong presence of the wind of Chamon, and taken on metallic or mineral properties.

    • Ironwood Mahogany- Many great swathes of the jungles are home to these giant trees, whose bark is widely fashioned into both weapons and armor by the inhabitants of the cavern
    • Silver Ceiba Trees- a favorite of the Subatuun Lizardmen, these trees are often depicted in the heraldry of the city’s great temples, as the tree is often a metaphor for the great bridges between this realm and the next. The roots symbolize the deep paths into the realm of Metal, while the trunk represents the space between the Primorda Cavern and the home of the Lizardmen, the stars, which are represented by the shimmering leaves of these towering trees.
    • Ruberries- small bushes that grow shiny rubies, very beautiful and often used for adornment
    • Sunferns- Despite their home deep within the realm of Metal, these flowers glow with the intense power of Hysh, the magic of Light. They only grow along the roof of the tavern, and only shine their light for fourteen of the twenty-eight “day-cycle” of the cavern. Their seeds often plummet from the sky, and are the sunstones that all races of the Cavern covet to power their magical technologies.
    • A few other cool names- emerald ivy, bronze bamboo, copper maple, gold leaf


    Fauna: many creatures were brought into the Cavern when the Lizardmen first landed their Ark within its depths. After centuries of being exposed to the wind of Chamon, some of these creatures mutated in different ways.

    • Poison Gem Frogs- while they may have been regular frogs once, they now shine with the brilliance of many precious stones: rubies, sapphires, tourquoise, aquamarine, but they are as equally deadly as their ancestors to any of the living (or metallic) inhabitants of the cavern. They are often used as potions ingredients for various concoctions or, when ground into a powder, for poison-tipped weapons. In fact, experiments amongst the skink engineers have discovered that mixing frogs of the sulpher, charcoal, and saltpeter variety often results in large explosions…
    • Clankerdons- when the Lizardmen abandoned much of the Primorda Cavern to the forces of Change, many of their prized mounts were left behind. Upon their return, many of the bastiladons that remained in the cavern had mutated into creatures with skin as hard as stone, often mimicking granite in its durability. Others now had armored plates harder than steel. These beasts proved especially useful when reconquering the realm, as even the most devastating magical firepower was proven ineffective against their upgraded armored plating. They remain the ideal mounts and mobile platforms for the powerful solar engines, built from the sunstones mined in the cavern, and rival the old Empire Steam engines in effectiveness on the battlefield.
    • Fortressaurus- thunder lizard type creature with skin made out of granite, on their backs they house great temples used by the skink priests and their minions to migrate the temple cities across the cavern and mete out justice against their foes.
    • Rust Monsters- these would be fun to put in somehow too.
     
    Last edited: Jul 28, 2019
  6. Warden
    Slann

    Warden Tenth Spawning

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    Had some calculations fun with my calendar today, and made a timeline of events for this pocket realm. Dates are in the following format:

    DATE in Years since fall of the World that Was (Long Count. Tzokin. Haab’): Description of events

    - Note the DATEs listed here are not part of any actual fictional calendar, GW canon or invented, they are simply to give you a measurement of scale for how far apart these events would take place.


    0 (2.0.0.0.0.0, 3 Ajaw, 3 Muwan) Warhammer World Ends- Chaos Moon Erupts. Lizardmen leave the Old World in temple-ships (exodus engines)

    395 (2.1.0.0.0.0, 1 Ajaw, 8 Xul) After the destrution of the World that Was, Chamon, the Realm of Metal begins to coalecse and solidify into its present state.

    3943 (2.10.0.0.0.0, 6 Ajaw, 16 K'umk'u) In the Age of Myth, the first humans and orcs are believed to have appeared in the Primorda Cavern

    5520 (2.14.0.0.0.0 2, Ajaw, 3 Wo) Ark of Subatuun arrives in Primorda, and the Buried City is founded. Numerous other temples are built within the cavern. The Lizardmen introduce much of the reptilian fauna and jungle flora that is still present in the realm to this day, which slowly mutate over time due to the power of the Realm.

    6886 (2.17.9.5.16.11, 6 Chuwen, 4 Wayeb') At the start of the Age of Chaos, Tzeetch begins invasion of Realm of Metal, to include opening portals into Primorda. This begins the First Daemon War within the Primorda Cavern, ends in defeat for the forces of Subatuun. Most of the Lizardmen are evacuated and the Temple of Gold is sealed.

    7491 (2.19.0.0.11.13, 9 Ben, 11 Xul) The Seraphon return to Buried City and the forges are relit. Most of the realm has mutated beyond recognition as the local flora and fauna have become warped by both the Lord of Change and the realm itself. Seraphon ignite the Second Daemon War and begin to reconquer the Primorda Cavern. Skink alchemists and magitek-adepts invent numerous devices to recover the Sunstone and other precious materials within the Cavern.

    7941 (3.0.2.16.3.7, 8 Manik, 0 Kej) While the Lions of Sigmar search for the lost Metal Duardin, the Seraphon have ended the Second Daemon War and have destroyed all but the last few remaining portals to the Realm of Chaos within the Cavern. This is nearly 50 years after human-god opened the realm of the Heavens and unleashed his armies.

    7991 (3.0.5.7.3.0, 5 Ajaw, 3 K'ayab) Idoneth raiders invade through the barrier lake surrounding the Primorda Cavern, and carry off many human and lizard slaves.

    8026 (3.0.7.2.13.12 12, Eb', 0 Wayeb') Skaven invasion from Clan Obesik catches the Lizardmen unawares, and is only defeated thanks to the reliance upon human auxiliaries as the armies of the Seraphon are focused elsewhere. War ends in a stalemate.

    8226 (3.0.17.4.17.17, 4 Kab'an, 5 Chen) Primorda is split between the human city-states. In reality, the Lizardmen and the Skaven are the true powers within the Cavern, but refuse to meet each other in the open. Both use proxies in the form of their human auxiliaries to locate, forage, mine, and fight for resources found within. In addition to finding precious stones (obsidian, jade, azurite), as well as some quantities of Realmstone, both seek to mine the magical Sunstones. Both the skaven engineers and the skink magitek-adepts equip their human auxilliaries with increasingly powerful magic and technologies. Proxy War begins between both sides as they turn the human tribes against each other.

    8335 (3.1.2.16.1.0, 12 Ajaw, 3 Wayeb') Radical skaven warlock engineer, Nitgish, begins his plot to collapse the entire Primorda cavern and scavenge the sunstones from the wreckage, is only defeated due to timely skaven treachary. Nitgish escapes and is known to still be at large somewhere within the cavern, hidden by the cabals of skaven cultists spread throughout their human tribal allies.




    Some additional notes.

    I really like the idea of a "Cold War" fought between the Lizardmen and the Skaven. As much as both sides would love to wipe the other out, neither can in this case because if they do, the entire cavern will collapse and nobody gets the precious goodies (the Sunstone) that they are here to exploit. And of course both are busy fighting larger scale conflicts in other parts of the realm, so this is more of a sideshow anyway.

    Therefore, most of the dirty-work can be carried out by proxies that the Lizardmen and Skaven can fund through weapons, increasingly potent over time, but not enough for their underlings (or slaves in the case of the skaven) can rise up against them. I like the idea of some "clockwork mayans" being funded with magical-tech, weather this is warpstone-tainted in the case of the skaven (like their jezzails or lightning cannons) or sunstone-powered in the case of the Lizardmen (like the solar engines or the Engine of the Gods). Because the humans would have no concept of how to make these creations, they are at the mercy of their masters bidding, maintaining a low-level of technological progress (stone age tech, spears, atlatls, maybe blowpipes) but can still wield cannons and maybe even some small-arms rifles that shoot lasers!

    future mayan.jpg

    I like the idea of using a city-state model for a map, to show the primary "bases" for the lizardmen, and some individual human city-states taking up most of the cavern. These states would constantly be competing with each other and their rivals controlled by the other "great" power of the region; similar in some ways to the Tikal-Calakmul rivalry in ancient Mayan history.

    I haven't developed the concepts for these human auxiliaries, but did come up with some cool names:

    Yax-Tun Tribes
    Itzli Clans
    Taak'in City
    yax-tun = Mayan word for jade or jadeite
    itzli = Aztec/Nahuatl word for obsidian
    taak'in = Mayan word for gold

    Also tried to work the "Cinnabar Raiders" into this list too, but couldn't find a nahuatl or Yucatec word for it :(
     
  7. pendrake
    Skink Priest

    pendrake Well-Known Member

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    Rust Monsters” — A devolved, feral version, of Razordons and Salamandyrs. A dangerous combination of both: scholars cannot decide whether they should be called Rustamandyrs or Razorrusts. The nickname rust monster has stuck. The beasts shoot a caustic burning fluid AND sling darts from their tail-spines. The fluid corrodes metal rapidly and the darts burst once they hit, releasing the same corrosive fluid. Either one will degrade the (metal) armor of a target...

    ...in addition to the corrosive effects the darts or the fluid does the usual Salamandyr/Razordon damage.
     
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  8. Warden
    Slann

    Warden Tenth Spawning

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    Really like this concept, and a great take on a classic unit from the army roster.
     
  9. gb2098
    Saurus

    gb2098 Active Member

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    you have flora and fauna reversed... Flora = plants, Fauna = animals.
     
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  10. Warden
    Slann

    Warden Tenth Spawning

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    :facepalm: Good catch... missed that one. Fixed now! :D
     
  11. pendrake
    Skink Priest

    pendrake Well-Known Member

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    Floratallica and Mechauna ??
    (..plants.... <> ....animals..)
     
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