Garden- Casino Roll

I'll share with you a secret about myself; I've worked in the casino industry for years. I know about gambling, the games, how to deal them, the psychology of gamblers, and the ambiance of the casino. In fact at a certain point, I stopped being able to smell cigarette smoke.

So partially for this reason, and partially because I think it fits really well, I want Garden to have tons of casinos. In my opinion, a casino is basically the modern fantasy equivalent of a tavern. You have tons of alcohol, drugs, and prostitutes being peddled around in semi-openness. People can meet up and discuss their future plans for adventure in smokey corners, and the casino wants them to stay. The casino wants them in there as much and as often as possible- because their statistically going to make money. What better place to roll on a carousing table and lose all your ill-gotten adventuring gains?

Garden Gambling Rolls

Replace the carousing table with this. Garden doesn't use traditional experience points for progression. Instead, all progression is based on your characters skills, equipment, and relationships. Most of these can be improved or at least maintained with cash; money keeps the lights on, as the Gardeners say.

Whenever you gamble, state your amount to gamble- this your Wager. This isn't a Wager for one bet, it's a Wager for your entire night, so it should be a sizable amount of money. Then, roll 2d6. If your character has had a string of really shitty luck recently (near death damage multiple times, multiple failed saves, girlfriend burned alive by a Psychic Fox, etc.) consider giving them a +1 to the roll. Their luck is changing.

[2] Catastrophic loss. You lost all of the money you were gambling and you owe double that amount to a savage local crime gang. The kind that kill people who don't pay up. Two weeks.

[3-4] Major loss. You took at a loan with the casino equal to your entire wager. They're a professional business and can be talked into a payment plan. If you refuse to pay them or disappear and your wager was over $400, they'll start sending people after you to break your legs until you pay up.

[5-6] Loss. You lose 75% of what you wagered.

[7] At the end of the night you ended up losing half your money. But you made a friend. Gain a minor NPC acquaintance who might have some connections to local figures.

[8-9] Small Win. You get back your wager +10%, a few free drinks, and had a good time. Restore all your stress and cure one point of internalized stress.

[10-11] Big Win. You made back 150% of your original Wager. (Half plus)

If this is the second time this has happened to you, you were just slipped a High Roller ticket by another player. This gets you into a fancy dinner party or a shindig hosted by any of the big shots in the city for free. Though you'll need to get your own ride, select your own wardrobe, and make a good impression with under your own power.

[12+] Huge Win. You made back double your Wager. You could have won more, but somebody (or the house) didn't have enough cash and bet a Strange Object as collateral.

If you bet <$200, it's just some trinket with no real value.

If you bet >$500 it's a minor Strange Object.

If you bet >$2000 it's a major Strange Object

Proscribed Gestures

Not since the rise of the Hylemxylem has gestural combat been so forwardly pronounced by all warriors and glove-lathers alike. While the dark minions of Gibby shall make use of these techniques, those who watch the televisions and learn the proscribed gestures, while equipped with the proper handware, can too make use of their ancient and forgotten majesty.

In order to perform a gesture, you must first be trained in the arts of gesture based combat. Once you learn the art you shall know the gestures of Snap and Slap freely, but most learn the others by seeking the ancient monitors. All gestures have a range of about within throwing distance, though you must be able to see and concentrate on your target for a combat round. The time it takes to cast a gesture is less then a spell, but longer then an attack. In order to perform a gesture one must be wearing the proper hand attire. Magic gloves or gauntlets of +1 or better in power will work, as well as gloves made from the leather of any 6 HD creature or higher can work. Purple Worm leather is exceedingly popular for its colored aesthetic as well as comfort.

Additionally; once you learn the basics of gestural combat, you gain a new resource called Will. Everyone starts with 3 points of maximum Will. You can regain Will by slapping bugs (from another dimension) or drinking their inner juices, cultivated by juice ranchers. If you slap your glove against someone (off your hand- like a gentleman) you will gain 1 bonus point of Will to be spent in the first round of combat- this is the proto gesture known as the “Slap”. It may also be possible to permanently increase one's maximum Will- though it will require rare treasures such as PAPER CUPS and associated COOLERS.

[1] Snap – No Will Cost

The most basic gesture. It requires no Will, and can be done by simply snapping your finger at a target. The target takes a hit of concussive force that rips them internally- a small but effective burst of damage. It deals 1d6 + POW damage.

[2] Dissolution – 1 Will

Breaks down the target's structure. This gesture has two effects. First, it begins to liquidate the target and deals 1d4 damage per round. Second, all of the target's attacks deal a die size less in damage- this gesture weakens the opponent so their attacks and gestures are less effective. So a 1d6 damage attack turns into a 1d4 damage attack, and so on. This gesture's effects last for three rounds.

[3] Foam Armor – 2 Will

Probably one of the most powerful gestures. It is defensive and cast upon your allies or yourself. When used, the target is covered in a layer of foam. This gesture restores 3d6 + POW hit points to the target AND covers them in foam. The foam prevents them from both bleeding and being lit on fire while it is stuck to them. The foam armor lasts for three combat rounds.

[4] Lightning – 1 Will

This gesture releases deadly lightning from the hand. When cast, this powerful gesture deals 1d8 + double your POW in damage. However, it stuns the user for one round after it is used.

[5] Wave Artifice – 3 Will

This precise and exacting gesture is costly for your Will, but powerful in its use. This gesture conjures a wave of created matter to pound your opponents. It hits all opponents within its distance, but the conjured objects are low to the ground and could be flown over by flying opponents. It deals 1d6 + half of your POW to all opponents.

[6] Poromer Bleb – 1 Will

When cast on yourself or an ally; recovers 1d6 hit points and ends bleeding effects- your body is patched up. Additionally, the bleb grants the target of this gesture some additional protection. They count as “Defended”. When defended, the next attack OR spell that hits them deals the minimum possible roll of damage. So a 3d6 Fireball will deal 3 damage to them.

[7] Soul Crisper – 2 Will

Lights the enemy on fire. Flaming enemies recover their flesh at half the rate they would normally- healing is reduced when it comes to burning. Deals 1d6 damage per round and halves healing, lasts for three rounds.

[8] Fate Sandbox – 2 Will

Select an ally or yourself. It creates an invisible screen of gesturing force that makes them immune to all negative status effects. Leaking, vulnerability, poison, lagginess, all protected from. Lasts for three rounds or for three status effects deflected- whichever comes first.

[9] Link Mollusc – 3 Will

This gesture must be cast with the proper skill. When motioned; this gesture spreads whatever status effect is harming the user to all opponents within range. For instance, if the user is afflicted with a spell or poison, then all the opponents will be afflicted by the same spell or poison. These are not merely copies of the first status effects; they are new. If the gesturer then clears their own status effects, the enemies remain as they have already been mirrored over.

[10] Teledenuate – 2 Will

This gesture can be cast on allies or enemies. When used, the target loses all negative status effects if they are allied to the gesturer or loses all positive status effects if they are an opponent. Because of the selective nature of this gesture, it is thought to be an advanced technique.

[11] Charge-Up – 1 Will

The user of this gesture becomes temporarily empowered. They gain +1d4 points of POW, which are expended the very next time they use a gesture. Charge Up is unique, in that it empowers some gestures in additional ways, but this can only be done by a gesturers specialty. For example, if a gesture user has specialized in Foam Armor, then all of their allies are affected by the Foam if they use it when charged up. Characters may only specialize in a single gesture.

Charged up is unique because the actual power for the charge comes from a location- the Television Temple, which may not even exist in your home dimension. By taking antennae to the temple and allowing the monitor priests to install them, you can increase the power of Charge Up- simply increase the size of the die rolled to determine Charge Up's temporary POW bonus.

[12] Bombo - Genesis – All Will

The forbidden gesture. This gesture is a secret, lost long ago after the great accretion. Only those who prove themselves to the Sages by recovering their Sage Tokens and staring into the hidden terminal can learn the secrets of Bombo – Genesis.

In order to use Bombo – Genesis, you must be charged up. Then, all of your Will is expended. You deal Xd10 damage to all opponents in a massive blast, with X being your POW + Your total expended Will.

Headcanon for Exorcist I & Exorcist III's unusual cosmology (Long)

So when I was a kid, I was always scared of scary movies. And the big bad motherfucker of a scary movie was The Exorcist. I was terrified of this movie. It had some kind of cult legacy that followed it for decades after its release, so even kids like me, born decades after it released, had some kind of unholy fascination towards it. This was scarier then Freddy or Jason. Scarier then Saw or The Ring. This was a scarier motherfucking movie.

Of course, as an adult I went back and watched it. It was great. Now that I'm older, I can appreciate these movies for other factors beyond the horror- directing, acting, cinematography. It's a little laughable nowadays. The scariest part of The Exorcist were the medical scenes! But needless to say, I enjoyed the movie immensely.

Now at the time, I didn't even really know the Exorcist has sequels. At the time, the general consensus was the Exorcist 2 and the remakes were bad. Then I heard about the Exorcist 3. I watched about halfway through the Red Letter Media review of it, stopped to avoid spoilers, got the movie, and watched it myself. It was pretty great.

But between Exorcist 1 and 3, there's this really interesting implied cosmology. Note- if there is more Exorcist deep lore I am unaware of, or if any of this has been proven or disproved by the second film, I don't really care. This isn't about the actual “lore” of the Exorcist films, this is just my headcanon from one and three. I thought this would be a fun, unusual blogpost for here. So feel free to skip if it's not your normal thing. Also will obviously contain spoilers.

The Exorcist

The first Exorcist film is pretty simple. There's this lonely girl who gets an “imaginary friend” and starts acting weird. Turns out she's possessed by a demon. The only solution is to call in an Exorcist.

Most of the supernatural events in the movie are about in line what you consider for what a “demon” could do. Objects fly around the room. Strange, impossible biological stuff (like the head spinning around thing- endlessly parodied) as well as superhuman strength, especially for a young sick girl. Levitation and demonic voices. Knowledge that a little girl shouldn't have. All of it fits well with a general “haunted house” vibe. But notice the general theme- most of the stuff is “plausible”. Or rather, while clearly supernatural, there is no instant transformation into demonic forms, no creation of matter, or no totally overpowered magical demonic stuff.

There's this great line in the movie. When the younger of the two priests (Karras) sits down, a drawer opens on its own. He tells the possessed girl to do it again, and the entity speaking through her says “in due time”. It's a great conversation, which seems almost cordial despite how clearly evil and inhuman this being is. When asked if the entity could simply make the bonds tying the girl down disappear, it replies with “that would be too vulgar a display of power, Karras.” This line is great because it implies that these entities, spirits, whatever else have to follow some kind of rules. It never implies it can't do it, but it chooses not to.

There's another element here I want to add- the good guy priests here believe in God, but God never directly manifests in this film. God never directly acts. The end of the movie is even a bit ambivalent of who “wins” in the end; any victory that happens is a human victory.

The Exorcist 3

The third Exorcist film has a great atmosphere to it. The film is mostly set in a hospital, next to/in an old folks home. The entire movie is dotted with gruesome murders, which are in line with a famous serial killer called the Gemini. The Gemini killer has been dead for fifteen years- executed.

This movie also has a great police detective story feel to it. The murders here are thought to be a copycat killer, but there are two problems. The first is that the police released the details of the Gemini killer that were false intentionally, to weed out crazy people who might claim to be the Gemini. But this killer is not performing the false version of events, but copying the actual Gemini killer. Secondly, all of the murders have been done so precisely that it seems supernatural. The exact dosage of a paralyzing drug, every single drop of blood siphoned from the corpse without a single drop spilled, and so on.

Now onto the spoilers. It turns out that Karras, the exorcist priest from the first film, is actually still alive. See, at the end of the first Exorcist, Karras told the demon to take him instead to leave Regan's body, and when it started to take over him he jumped out the window and killed himself down the long flight of spooky stairs. He's not only still alive- but his body is still possessed.

This leads a great, almost cordial conversation again. Just like in the first movie; these scenes between the detective character and the entity inside of Karras were great. I loved these scenes. There was much more madness, but this concept of being face to face, able to ask and tell anything you wish to some entity immeasurably beyond anything human is a great story beat. It's also fun to think about, a kind of interaction with stakes and danger. What would I say to it in that jail cell? Do you honestly think you could convince it to change its ways? Probably not- it's evil is a deeper evil then any human could understand. But perhaps you could trick it to reveal something useful- or would you just set it off?

It's important because these conversations between Karras and detective Kinderman reveal to us some of the most important details about the cosmology about the Exorcist universe.

Exorcist 3 Evidence

In Kinderman's talks to the demon (also Gemini killer) several facts or ideas are put forward by the being. It is important to know that this is all we go on, but obviously a demonic entity would be prone to lying. I've included paraphrased quotes. From this we gather;

• Learned some kind of supernatural abilities from The Master- this is directly after he does a demon roar in Karras's body, not a normal human vocalization. (the Master is implied to be the demon in control of the body, who can be cruel)
• The Gemini Killer's soul was picked up “on the outside”. “It can be cruel at there”.
• “The Master is throwing me scraps from his table, a little reward for my service.”
• When the possessed Karras goes to sleep, the body (heartbeat, temperature, breathing) slows to a crawl. But his brainwave activity accelerates.
• As with the above fact; at the end of the movie it is revealed how the murders are being done- the elderly patients are being possessed by the Gemini killer. This is despite the fact that his/the demon's body is locked up in a padded cell.
• (Gemini Killer in Karras's Body) “There I was, in the void, without a body. And then came- well you know, my friend. One of them. Those others there, the cruel ones. The Master. And he thought that my work should continue- in this body. In this body in particular.”
• The Master intentionally chose a priest's body to spread panic among the men of faith- this is directly stated by the Gemini Killer as the devil's “scheme”.
• The Master brought the Gemini Killer's soul to Karras who was dying.
• Karras's body after the end of the first movie was dying or dead. “His brain was jelly. It took maximum effort to get out of the coffin. So much damage to Karras's brain cells.” and “It took quite an effort to regenerate your friend's puny little brain cells- It took me fifteen years!”
• “It's not enough to be a spirit. There's no magic- in this artificial box you call a world. We cannot touch except through bodies, you understand? We operate through brains- neurological systems and your friends was nearly past resurrection!”

The Glass Box

This, in combination with factors from the Exorcist 1, have given me a rough idea of a (very interesting) cosmology for the Exorcist universe. Once again, this is entirely my opinion and an interesting potential secondary interpretation of the otherwise very played-straight religious and demonic possession themes of the Exorcist universe.

Unfortunately for diversity of potential beliefs, both movies feature Catholicism very heavily. As far as the series is concerned, the Catholic faith is the correct one for our interpretation. However, if the second movie featured say, a Baptist or Protestant priest performing the exorcism, I think the interpretation would be the same or even enhanced by it. The reason for this minor complaint is that it puts too much emphasis on religion for our interpretations.

Essentially; there is nothing supernatural in the Exorcist universe. Everything that is “supernatural” in the movies is the result of psychic powers. Yes really. The universe as presented in the Exorcist is a box- a glass box. The “spirits” that exist outside of the universe can see in, and we inside can see out. They can even communicate through the glass, but alone they are powerless.

It is for this reason they are powerless without a body to inhabit.

All that shit flying around the room in Regan's room in The Exorcist? That's her own psychic powers, which have been magnified by the demon. I even believe psychic powers feature heavily in the second movie, which I have not seen nor care to see, so everything I'm saying here could already be established. Now I should mention here- just because humans can develop these kinds of abilities, doesn't meant they should. Think of Humans in this universe a bit like highly built, purpose crafted sports cars that demons break down for scrap parts and repurposed to cause havoc. It causes immense strain on the bodies of those they inhabit- cuts and bruises opening as the demons play with the muscles and scratch the skin- they don't know what these pain signals mean or care.

God, or the Creator in the Exorcist universe, created it to be orderly and fundamentally practical. It is a physical universe, created either for the benefit of humans, or to allow human free will. Given the presentation of the movies, we are pretty certain that this is the Christian and/or Catholic God, or at very least the Judeo-Christian God from the bible. However, I don't think this necessarily needs to be what is actually going on. For two reasons- the first is that in both movies, not all the main characters are Christian or at least aren't devout. Secondly, if you go with the psychic powers interpretation above, then God doesn't necessarily need to be the one granting the Exorcists their powers.

God in the Exorcist universe wanted humans to have free wills. The spirits outside, the cruel spirits which could be literal demons cast out of heaven OR some other fundamental and separate aspect of reality, they take over humans and make them do “fun” things, because they don't have bodies themselves. The souls of humans are inextricably tied to their bodies- as long as they are alive, they are within their own body. The demon in Exorcist 3 explicitly wants to torture Karras, who is still trapped within his body- why would God allow Karras to still be in his body for fifteen years, only to be forced to do things he doesn't want to do by an evil serial killer?

Because God can't intervene- at least not directly.

God of the Box

The same as the demons in these movies- God is outside of the glass box. Perhaps God simply doesn't want to intervene, same as the “Master” in the first movie- it would be too vulgar a display of power. I'm not a theologian nor a Christian, but I once heard a pretty good argument from one about why God doesn't show proof of his existence- it would take away the human ability of free will. Now that answer is very much an apologist answer- but I will accept it at face value. I don't think it's out of the question. God won't do anything directly in the Exorcist movies because he either chooses not to, or because he is locked out of his own universe he has created. There's no “magic” in that universe.

So whenever an Exorcism happens in the Exorcist movies- it is not God but it is the person performing the Exorcism. It is their own psychic power acting through them. This is why I complained a bit about the movies only having catholic exorcists- if we saw other faiths, we could say it was human conviction (or God just doesn't align to only one religion, which works too) that had the power in the scenario.

This is somewhat cooperated by the ending of the first film, where Karras jumps out a window as he's being possessed to kill himself. I don't know about you but that doesn't sound like a very properly Christian ending- it's more pragmatic. It's more human. That's why Exorcism is a battle, it's not a one sided show where God steps through his servant to crush the Devil. It's a battle of minds, where the priests channel their own faith and hope against a spirit who has puppet-mastered another human into being the opposite- an instrument of negative emotions and evil.

Therefore my secondary interpretation of the movies is one of a more pragmatic, human, universal take on the Exorcist genre. I don't claim that this is the REAL goings on behind the scenes in the movies, nor do I think this has any basis in real religious beliefs. I just wanted to share a weird headcanon that I hope you enjoy- or get something out of it.

PoE- Essences

Sometimes, energies converge. These may be cosmic energies of fate or time, or they may be the result of wayward magic, or even extreme emotion. One could say that in every specific move of a dancer, there is a greater or lesser passion- in the same way, a single being at a single time may break a boundary of energetic convergence. In such circumstances, these beings have reached a certain breaking point and, for the safety of reality, they are trapped within crystal.

Beings trapped in essences are no longer normal. They may be violent monsters in the heat of a rage, or a monk in the midst of a harrowing realization. Regardless of the reason; they were trapped by the Gods for a REASON and releasing them from this prison is very dangerous.

Essences are released if you attempt to break them out, as the prison is unstable and liable to be broken. Simple pulling or cracking the crystal with a weapon is enough to free them. They can also accidentally be freed- if you are fighting in a room with monsters trapped in essences, there is a 1 in 6 chance somebody bumps into one enough to free it. If your hunting dog sniffs it, that's another 1 in 6 chance, etc.

Essence Monsters
For an essence monster(s), roll a random encounter. Then, describe the monster(s) frozen in place, either in the middle of an action or simply standing around. The players can clearly see the monsters, what they are and what they're armed with and so on. This gives the chance for the players to strategize with how they are going to fight these monsters.

When the monsters are released, they will spring to action. Once one of the essence monsters is broken free, all of them in the group will be busted out at the same moment. The essence monsters may be headed by an elite.

Roll on this table to determine what power the essence monsters have. Some essence monsters may have multiple powers for added challenge.

Essence Power Table - Roll 1d6
[1] Potence- These monsters are surrounded by a power aura, and are modified. Roll once on the Monster Modifiers table to determine what power they have collective gained as a result of being supercharged with energies. The head monster (or only monster if there is just one) also gains +1 HD, +1 to hit and ac, and increases the damage die of its attack(s) by one size larger.

[2] Arcane- This monster knows a random spell. The maximum level of spell it can know is equal to its HD as a Magic User of the same level could know; so no Essence Goblins knowing Disintegrate or anything like that. In the event of multiple monsters, only the head monster knows the spell, but can cast the spell once per each monster that was trapped in essence alongside it.

[3] Negative Energy- Swirling energies of chaos surround these beings. The first attack roll against them automatically fails and counts as a roll of 1. If applicable, the first casting of Turn Undead against them also automatically fails, but this will consume the aura and make them vulnerable. This power is on every monster trapped in essence, but the head monster is consumed by negative energy. On an attack roll of 20, the victim must save or have one level drained vs the head monster.

[4] Combat- These monsters have a magical power they can use in combat. Each monster has one copy of the power. Roll on the Azurite Monster Powers table.

[5] Hysteria- Every round, a random character (player character or hireling) will be overcome with a sensation, emotion, or have some chaotic shit happen. No matter how many monsters are trapped in essence, there is only one of these effects per round.

Hysteria Subtable- Roll 1d6

1. Rage. Character must save or attack the nearest living thing.
2. Sadness. Character starts crying. Disadvantage on ranged attack rolls from their tears.
   
3. Laughter. Character laughs; cannot cast spells or speak.
4. Spasm. Save or fall to the ground. Takes one round to get back on your feet.
5. Fear. Morale check or the character flees. If a PC, consider Charisma damage instead.
6. Darkness. Lowers the light level by one, or extinguishes one torch.
   

[6] Elemental- This monster is charged with elemental power. Becomes resistant to a single element, taking half damage from that element. It also deals +1 damage of that element with all attacks. If the creature was already resistant, make it immune. If it was already immune, it now heals if it takes damage of that element, and so on. You can roll the same element on this table multiple times.

Elemental Subtable- Roll 1d4

1. Fire
2. Ice
3. Lightning
4. Acid

Art @SkintickeT5 (reddit- couldn't find any other sites)

Essences as Loot
Once you have defeated an essence creature, they will drop an essence. This is the solidified power they were once charged with, in a small and mostly stable form. This energy "feels" roughly as the type of power the essence creature had, so if you hold it in your hand you can feel roughly the same emotion or intense waves of energetic power that was present in the creature.

Essences can be used to magically enchant items. Living creatures are too unstable; the power within these is what got the monsters trapped within crystal in the first place. But inanimate matter can be infused with the power in these essences.

Whenever you kill a head monster infused with an essence, it drops one essence. It looks like a cool glowing symbol thing that can be used on an item to give it magical powers. Only the head monster will drop an essence, but will drop multiple essences; one for each essence power the monster possessed.

Essences are still very chaotic. Whenever you apply an essence to an item, roll on the following table to see what happens. You can also sell them quite a bit to mad scientists and arcanists alike.

Essence Crafting Table-  Roll 1d8
[1] Cursed- The chaotic power is malign in nature. It becomes a 2 HD animated object, stats fitting the object, with the same essence-power that the monster had. Aggressive. If you want, you could make this Essence crafting roll a secret DM roll- make the item animate the moment when it is used for its intended purpose, but otherwise seems like it's magically enchanted by the essence.

[2-3] Minor Empowerment- Object is infused with magical energy and counts as a +1 magic item. Any damage or aging of the object is fixed.

[4-6] Essence Empowerment- The object gains a minor power, equivalent to the Essence. Using an elemental essence on a piece of armor will make it grant some resistance or protection from that element. If it is a Hysteria essence and it is put on a weapon, then grants a similar effect of Hysteria on a target it strikes, once per day. Etc.

[7-8] Greater Empowerment- As Essence Empowerment, but grants the full effect of the power to the wearer. The number of items you have enchanted with essences can count as the "number of monsters" for the description of essence powers above, but for your own abilities. Also, the enchanted item is counted as a +1 magic item.

Magic Cards

It is incredibly easy to make a magic card. Almost disconcertingly so. Even children can do it. Note that magic cards here are not merely a playing card with a bit of sacrificial blood sprayed on it, nor is it the cards of the diviner, though they are indeed incredibly similar and diviners often mix magic cards into their divination decks for the specific purpose of making their readings more accurate.

In order to create a magic card, three steps are required. The first is to create the card. Standard materials may be used, but magic ink and quality cardstock is at the very least required. Cards made with colorful dyes, powdered gemstones, or gold leaf or by the hands of a skilled artist are more powerful then ameaturish cards. The second step is to align the card. To do this, the card-maker must imprint their idea of what the card should “do” based on the picture and their wish. Poorly made cards or if the card is seen and interpreted differently during this process can “taint” the result, making it have a different or even opposite effect of what the card maker wished.

The third and final step to making a card is charging it. Charging a card takes away something from the creator- life force, their health or their youth, a string of bad luck or loss of sanity. It is for this reason that not everyone tries to create magic cards. Blood sacrifice or the inclusions of powerful spells can also charge up cards; hence why they are still considered occult despite how straightforward they are to create.

Sidebar- Magic Cards are my version of scrolls. I think using a scroll to cast a one-time use spell is kind of dumb; unless you can do the same for pages in a magic tome, which a scroll basically is just a ripped out page. Still I don't like the aesthetic of it. I think using a magic tarot card to cast a spell with its big illustration is a lot more cool and fitting.

Every magic card has a chance to be tainted and unlucky. There is a 1 in 4 chance any shoddy or low budget magic card has a reversed or unlucky effect, based on its picture. For instance, a card about gaining a fortune may kill off a family member, with the guilty murderer giving you their severed finger with a gold ring on it as an “apology”. These cards come about from the potential taint a magic card can be made with. Higher quality or professionally made magic cards, or magic cards found in ancient tombs or traded on the endless caravans only have a 1 in 20 chance to be tainted.

Random Magic Cards Table – Roll 1d12 for a random magic card

[1] The Fool

Depicts a jester dancing on a hill. When this card is played, you gain +6 to +12 to the next saving roll you make. Alternatively, you may use the power of excuse to excuse yourself from any social situation, obligation, or curse. The exact level of excuse or saving throw bonus is based on how powerful the card is and how oblivious the jester looks.

[2] Storm of Flames

Depicts a rolling ball of fire. When this card is played, it creates a firestorm that deals 2d6 to 4d6 fire damage to all creatures within the area of a single room, save for half. Alternatively, you can evoke this card to grant yourself two hours of furious, productive energy where you will work on a task and accomplish about as much work as you could do in 4 to 8 hours.

[3] Oola Chain

Depicts a chain of different sized lengths, with a strange metallic background. You can play this card to cast Charm Person on any person you see. The exact pull and duration of the spell is based on how high quality the card is. You can also play this card on any person you want and have the spell being played on any other person within the eyesight.

[4] White Lady

Depicts a deathly pale woman, sitting up from a funeral casket. You can play this card to create an exact, naked duplicate of yourself as a corpse. How convincing it is based on how high quality the card is. Additionally, you can play this card while touching someone to deal 1d10 unavoidable damage that drains 1d6 points of a random stat.

[5] Cherry Merchant

Depicts a red-faced merchant selling berries in a stall- the color of the merchant's cheeks are the same as the color on the cherries. When played, this card fills a room with red wine. The exact speed it fills is based on the quality of the card- cheap cards may take a full turn, exalted cards may take only three rounds. Large rooms will only be filled with waist height, small rooms will be totally filled and those within may drown. The wine is shitty fruit-juice level of wine regardless of the quality of the card. You can get drunk off of it but it's pretty bad. It dries up after 6 hours and stains everything.

[6] Furious Fingers

Depicts a bloody hand gripping an axe handle. By playing this card, you can boost any being within your general area with a +4 to +8 To-Hit bonus and +1d6 to +1d12 damage bonus on their next attack. The next attack does not have to be immediate and can be saved up for days, weeks, even years before it needs to be used. Also, you can use this on a wound immediately after it was made to cause blood to shoot out and blind anyone within melee range (usually the perpetrator of that wound). This does not cause any extra damage or distress to the victim, if anything it just tickles.

[7] Sucking Monster

Depicts a large, ogre-like body with a long head of a lamprey- it's usually painted in a vivid color, with nonsensical teeth in a rainbow of other colors. When played, this card summons any monster the user thinks of of 4 HD or less. This monster's abilities and powers match the monster from the user's memory, not what the monster is actually like, and obeys any command its user gives it. The monster has a normal amount of health and dies after 4 turns to three hours. When this card is played, the player takes 2d6 damage from a sudden huge bite appearing on their chest- this “cost” cannot kill and will always leave the user with 1 Hit Point remaining. Any excess points they went below zero (such as using this card at 1 HP) will instead manifest as damage to their Constitution stat.

[8] Ten Golden Pins

Depicts nine golden pins on a table- there's a vague, mysterious shine underneath the table, implied to be the missing pin. When played, this card gives its user between 1000c and 5000c standard coins, based on the quality of the card. The coins disappear after one day. Alternatively, you can throw this card when played like a shuriken. If it hits an enemy; their body turns to gold and they are petrified for two combat rounds.

[9] Potion of Combat

Depicts a swirling green potion, usually on the belt of a dead guy with a spear stuck in his chest. By playing this card, you can escape from a fight. No matter what- some coincidence of luck, fate, freak weather, or random swirling vortexs of green energy will give you a chance to escape. The difficulty of chasing you down and catching up with you after your escape is determined by the quality of the card- high quality cards can keep you save for a full day from whoever you were just fighting, but doesn't work on any other beings or wandering encounters.

[10] Megalomania

Depicts an evil looking queen on a throne, wearing black, often depicted with a horned helmet and drinking blood from a chalice. When you use this card, you get to choose the next 1 to 3 die rolls that happen within your immediate area. As in whenever a die roll is made; saving throw, attack roll, damage roll, or wandering encounter roll; you get to state the number (result) that you want. The number of rolls you control is based on the quality of the card. Using this card makes you ping as evil for up to a week, with less time if the card is higher quality.

[11] Bell-Tower Silence

Depicts a row of people sleeping on a slopped church roof- the bell is in motion and yet they still sleep, as though the call to prayer is silent. When this card is played, you can curse someone to be ignored. That person will be as though they succeed stealth constantly- if they want to or not. They can yell out and people will simply not hear them. They can touch or attack others, and people can retaliate, but they won't be able to remember why just minutes later, even after they stabbed the poor victim of this card in self defense. However the subject afflicted by this card can walk right past guards or steal things from people while they ignore them. This card lasts between two and six exploration turns, once again based on the quality of the card.

[12] Nightmare Steppe

Depicts a black cliff face at night, a torn gown fluttering from a branch on the sheer drop. When this card is played, a 20 to 60 ft high plateau is created at the user's feet and rapidly rises up. This card can also be played inverted, creating a 20 to 60 ft deep hole. The height or depth of this creation is based on how high quality the card is. The hole or plateau created by this spell is made of normal earth and is otherwise permanent.

Green Coloured Sun- 8 Spells

(All art, names, and ideas were taken from listening to this album.)

[1] Echo
Creates a false "echo" of a person. In order to cast this spell, the caster must have at least "known" the person- this means having to at least shared a conversation or lived with them for some time, a casual meeting or eye contact doesn't count as "knowing". This echo appears as the person did, but has 1/10th of their health, abilities, spell-slots, level, etc. The echo generally acts as the person did, and is not under the caster's direct control. The echo is limited in what it can or will do, typically acting out the events or actions that the person did when this spell was cast. For example, you could cast this spell to copy a knight that guards a bridge after the real knight was killed, who will exist as that knight will, but will be much weaker and only a false copy.

This spell has an unusual drawback. If anyone but the caster ever finds out that the echo is indeed an echo- such as someone who knew the person copied has died or gone away and finds the echo, or if the real person ever sees their own echo, the caster will be permanently mutated to have the head of a white rabbit.

[2] Skywalk
This spell creates an invisible bridge. The bridge can extend up to a very steep walking angle, but no further, and travel up to 250 ft in distance or so. The bridge is invisible and has no guard rails, and can carry the weight of anything up to the weight of an elephant. If you put something heavier then an elephant on the bridge, the entire thing would shatter, but the bridge can hold an infinite number of things of an "elephant's worth" of weight without issue.

The bridge lasts until the caster crosses over it. As long as this spell is active, they can't cast any other spells.

[3] Witness
This spells calls forth a being from another world, known as a Witness. The Witness will serve the spellcaster in exchange for rare salts. If no salts are presented to the Witness after it is summoned, it will attack and/or attempt to observe this world on its own.

Witness (5+2 HD, +4 To-Hit, two magic claw attacks at 1d8 damage, Watching Eye, spells)
Morale- 12
Number- Just one

The Witness is a green creature with a long body, fixed to a single flexible joint in the center. This causes it to "bend over" when not moving, which it does with a combination of long strides and little hops. The Witness is well known for its single unblinking eye, which is said to be far greater then any bird or wizard's vision. It can see through most soft surfaces, such as through wooden chests and bags to see what is within, and can see basically any distance from a high place.

Beyond its two puncturing magic claws, the Witness also has the power of the Watching Eye, which is a magical ability that allows it to perfectly predict an enemy's actions or movements by watching the tiny, subtle motions of their muscles and blood swirling under their skin. The Witness can use this spell to perfectly avoid an enemy attack or always makes its spell save, but it can obviously only do this on one person at a time.

The Witness also knows quite a few spells of its own. Give it 3 spells if you're using levelless spells, otherwise prepared spells equal to a 4th level magic user.

[4] Time To Lose Reality
When this spell is cast, the caster must specify a single point in 3d space to become "the center". Everything around "the center" is paired and opposite something else. For example, if you select the center to be in the middle of a room, and you're standing opposite someone from the center, your motions will be copied by them and their motions will be copied by you. Once something has been selected, it cannot be broken until the object(s) either cross across the center axis, OR the spell is ended with the death of the caster/they leave the area.

Each object within the area around "the center" desperately want to be paired with something else, slowly making allowances for things differing their size, weight, and position over time. So for instance, a dwarf may be at first only connected with another dwarf on the opposite plane, but over time it will expand what they COULD be paired with, such as a human, a barrel, or a statue of a dwarf.

Once an object moves, it still carries its weight and momentum despite differences in size. Like if you were connected to a statue and jumped to the left, the object will move mirrored so the statue will fly to the right and become a lethal projectile.

[5] Nevermind
This is a mind-effecting spell. When cast, the caster can take back the last thing they said. Whatever they said, no matter how threatening, wrongful, damaging, or even if it was a direct order; they can magically take it back. Nothing else change. Orders carried out by the last thing the caster commanded, for example, are not undone, and everyone knows the caster demanded it, but they cannot place responsibility on the spellcaster as their words have magically been "taken back".

You could also use this spell to get an extra guess at a riddle by a magical trap or sphinx, as they would be forced to give you another chance, since your first one didn't count because of this spell.

[6] Ghost Inside
This spell can awaken the spirits of the slain within a weapon. Any weapon that has been used to kill at least once; this spell can call forth a spirit. The spirit is random unless the spirit's name is spoken when this spell is cast. The spirits within the weapon are only superficially similar to the actual beings slain by this weapon; and they know what the being known at the time of their death. They can tell you in great detail about how dying felt like, and then what happened during the battle, but their memory quickly fades before it and after they were killed.

The "ghost inside" cannot resist the compulsion to speak, but will ask to be freed from the weapon after answering questions- they may offer more direct information, or lie to another in exchange. If the weapon was a person's body (slain after being swallowed alive or killed via hand to hand), then  the ghost will not be able to be freed until the body that killed then is also killed.

[7] Cosmic Bridge
This spell creates a sacred, cosmic connection between the spell caster and another object, being, or concept. When this connection is crafted, the user will experience a minor sense of "knowing" about the connected thing, including general wellness or wholeness, knowing if it is in danger, and knowing its general location if applicable. The bridge is two way however, and actions taken by the connected thing reflect back to the caster of this spell. Harm or injury suffered by the connection will reflect back onto the spell caster.

The "bridge" created by this spell is nearly identical to the invisible chords of connection that attach the almighty gods to the world and its people. Those who cast this spell are placing themselves in a similar station. If one were to connect themselves to a concept, being, or place sacred to a God it would result in a dangerous conflict between the two, where the God will of course win. To usurp and copy the power of the divine is a dangerous game.

[8] Moonseeds
This spell creates a Moonseed. It can only be cast at night. When this spell is cast, the moonlight that falls over the area is focused and collected into a small, glowing silver seed which contains magical power. The moon light over around the area of a small valley or forest is what is focused with the power of this spell. It takes four years to create a Moonseed, which each night's moon being drained and looking darker and dimer then it normally would. At the end of that time, a tiny plant where the Moonseed spell was cast will sprout and contain a single magical seed.

The Moonseed is a powerful magical object. Its power can be used to amplify and cast magical spells; as such, its uses are more abstract. When casting a spell, using the Moonseed with it will increase the damage, saving throw difficulty, or duration-in-turns by +1. As the Moon is considered highly connected to the Elves, creating and carrying Moonseeds is considered illegal for all who are not of Elven blood. Finally, the Moonseed can be planted in the ground to create a sacred magical place which does not change with the passing of the ages; similar to the homes of the elves.

Caldera Men

The Caldera Men live around the inner sea/lake/swamp of the greatest caldera in the world- the mouth of the Firespear Mountain. Once the biggest and most most murderous volcanoes in the world, Firespear Mountain was finally silenced by a very powerful Sorceress. The active volcano was quieted with a powerful spell, stopped killing people, and since then the rain has filled the massive ashy hole with water. Life has grown around here- once untamed, now treasured.

This oasis, also known as Firespear Caldera, is one of the only sources of water and life in the blasted hellscape of the Firespear Wastes. It is incredibly fertile. The water mixed with the volcanic ash to create a beautiful sludge- almost any bit of seed or grain placed here will begin to sprout in but moments and will lead to a huge and healthy plant. But this is not a history lesson, nor is it a course on natural philosophy. This is about the men who live there.

Nobody likes the Caldera Men.

Caldera Men

They are roughly the size of a human, but fatter in the middle and more slender in the limbs. Their faces are tall and totemesque. They have yellow skin with gray patches of “ash” that is genetic. The offspring of any couple will have this “ash” of their parents, so a father with ash on his right arm and a mother with ash on her left arm will have a child with ash on both arms, or perhaps on their chest as though the ashes are combining together. It's a dominant trait, so only a few of the Caldera People are pure yellow anymore- it is a sign of exclusive and high breeding, but it is not as respected as “ashy” warriors whose whole body can blend in easier with the wastes around the Firespear Caldera. They are not especially strong and agile, but they are hardy enough.

Additionally, they have heads covered in stones. These “stones” pressed into their formative skulls as young babies- they are stuck in the skin, absorbed, blood vessels grow into these stones. They become a part of themselves as much as a horn of a rhino or the scales of a dragon. It seems the Gods saw it fit to give them this skill to harden their skulls for two purposes- the first is to avoid being too badly hurt by falls around the rocky cliffs of their lands, and the second is to dive faster and deeper in the great Firespear Caldera's deep black pool.

Obsidian blades are very common in their culture- though they have mastered many forms of metal working. They prefer to use obsidian for cooking knives, razors, assassin tools, and the odd arrow heads, but use iron and steel tools for weapons, which are more reliable especially on campaign away from their mountainous homes. Essentially; stat them as bandits with chainmail.

Firespear Caldera

The caldera itself is a natural wonder. It is huge, the largest in the world, and the volcanic ash has made it especially fertile. While it is quite large and fecund, it still is among the only source of life in the region where it is located, and it is essentially the only source of food and water for the race that live within it. For this reason, it is heavily guarded. Small structures, fences, and many ridges and empty trenches dash the landscape leading up to the volcano (these trenches also act as a last ditch effort to catch some of the precious water in the event of a massive tremor that breaks the caldera's walls and causes mass flooding). The entire mountain itself is inhabited with the many estates and homes of the various Caldera Men. The volcanic soil is home to a few small crop farms- but not nearly enough to feed the many that make up their number. They are very vigilant, and will slay or capture any outsiders who even enter their valley- hence why nobody likes them.

The caldera is defined as the explosive cavity left after a volcanic eruption. It is shaped in three dimensional space like a cauldron; a wide rim, buckling outwards, and then thinning again towards the bottom in the shape of a rough, squashed sphere. The Firespear Caldera where the Caldera Men live is the same; but developed. The majority of their population does not live on the sides of the volcano, or in the lands scattering around. They live inside the caldera's lake. The massive pool of water is like a ringed city- chambers and homes are carved into the sides of the water. If one was to dive into it- they would see the expanse go out before them in all directions and then, feel the total stillness. The caldera was never connected to the lake or ocean- there are no fish that naturally life here. It is totally silent and still; you would feel like you are being watched. And that's because you would be- Only the massive, artificial kelp and freshwater corals that act as the true farms of the Caldera Men are alive down here, except for the Caldera Men themselves. There are more living in this water then anywhere on the sides of the mountain. They cannot breathe under water.

This massive space is cultivated and orderly to a fault. The Caldera Men make every single use of available area- the farms are floating on many levels. Most of the top of the caldera is dedicated to long growing plants requiring the most sunlight- their broad water leaves make a canopy of green light that penetrates a bit deeper into the caldera. The middle and broadest part of the caldera is where the corpse garden is- and that is the true darkness of the Caldera Men. And once again; why nobody likes them. The bottom of the caldera is very dark; muscles grow on vertical pillars that rest on a field of rich mud. This mud is dragged up for use of farming on the surface- but it is also used as the location for the Caldera Men's most hidden members.

This 'corpse garden' is where most of the outsiders and members of other races who end up in the Caldera Men's clutches end up. They are forced to drink salt water from “Breathless Urns”- salt water must be carried by hand over a hundred miles to the ocean, and then the outsiders are drowned. Pulled into the water, they cannot breathe and the salt water within them preserves their body. The salt water is also denser then the fresh water of the caldera, keeping their body neutrally buoyant. They are lined in rows- sometimes according to height or their species, and forced to hold hands long after death. These long daisy-chains of dead bodies are then violated by seeds shoved in their mouth, ears, nose, and anus or the sex organs. These seeds grow fierce underwater vines that grow murky corpse fruit by consuming the bodies- slowly breaking them down even as they are frozen in place. Despite the grotesque nature of this use of the corpses of intelligent people; the Caldera Men have them right outside their front doors of their underwater homes. There are thousands of corpses here- the source of the Caldera's nutrient wealth and a huge portion of the Caldera Men's food production. While it is not cannibalism, most races consider them only one step above it.

Caldera Men Society

The Caldera Men are an odd society. They focus on excellence, especially in military pursuits, magic, and growing food first and foremost. They are also almost entirely meritocratic- they do not have a royal family but instead a rotating position of powerful warriors and magicians elected by council and proving themselves in contests of skill and strength. Then, these members are advised by an elusive order of deep priests. These priests live in the mud of the deepest part of the Firespear Caldera- an entire world can be found by digging in that ultra fertile soil, and these rare priests only leave it occasionally to advise the rulers on the best course of action for spiritual matters.

The Caldera Men are a relatively advanced society- capable of metallurgy and large scale agriculture in their small home, but they barely wear clothes. The ones who live within the caldera's lake itself go around naked, except for women who are pregnant, which cover their developing baby with a large board leaf grown near the upper layers of the Caldera lake for just such a purpose. Those who live out of water wear simple loincloths made a lizard skin. The lizards are the closest thing to livestock the Caldera Men have; they are wild but certain families will claim ownership over the fattest lizards and allow them to grow as big as they can- passed from father to son like any inheritance. When one of these huge lizards is harvested there will be a small feast in celebration, and the precious skin will be taken to be made into leather. This lizard leather is used to make a black smith's apron; because it takes about eight lizards to make an apron and the Caldera Men society only allows those with one to practice the craft; this has become a mechanism for control. Basically the only way to become a blacksmith is to be born one and inherit an apron, or be sponsored by a wealthy and powerful Caldera Man to have one made for yourself. As blacksmithing is a lucrative career, this means that only a few can pursue it while most are stuck making food and capturing outsiders as professional warriors- this keeps the Caldera People fed, and is overall a more important profession.

Warriors of their society wear armor on their naked skin- one reason as they why they are able to compete with other cultures despite their apparent resource scarcity is because of their natural advantage of having a rock-hard helmet freely from biology. The handles of axes, swords, and maces are all made with decently long femurs taken from the corpse garden. Poorer warriors wear mail dresses made of the shells of the deep oysters from the Caldera lake. The richest and most powerful warriors in their society have a strange cultural obsession with the concept of flaming armor; some get theirs enchanted with ever-burning flaming magic from those that live within the deepest parts of Firespear Caldera.

Like many societies in Allwonder, the roles of men and women are segregated- but not considered unequal. Men in their society focus on physical strength and warfare, where as women are taught the secrets of healing and the magic of water and earth for both offensive and defense. This way, both sexes make up important and necessary roles to protect their lands from invasion. During peace, both are expected to take up equal roles farming and child raising. Food is precious, and as such parents are expected to produce only high quality children- daily training drills and heavy competition among siblings are common. Often, Caldera Men families will dispose of the lesser of two twins or killing two of three triplets- this pedicide has caused them to see twins of other races or cultures as being cursed or unnatural in some way.

Oddly, the Caldera Men have an unusual social role for those who fall outside of the normal gender spectrum- the transsexual or genderqueer Caldera Men are considered a sort of mystic sect by the others of their race. They take vows of celibacy and let go of all physical property and social ties to retreat into the mud at the base of the great caldera- there they are taught the secrets of fire magic, and tend to the fading soul of the great Firespear. These become the priests and advisers, and are thought to have special sight and powers from their ambiguous nature.

When it comes to their dealings with other races; the Caldera Men are simple and straight forward. They kill anyone they can get away with- merchants, diplomats, wandering mystics, and adventurers. Whenever faced with a large military force, they will begrudgingly accept talks or barter, but are considered too dangerous and difficult to invade, especially given nobody knows just how many live under the still waters of that dead volcano.

Soul of Firespear

The Firespear Volcano was the biggest in the world. It didn't erupt all at once however, there was no great cataclysm. It was inhabited by a spirit- Firespear. Firespear was a great spirit. It's mountain was its home, and every day it bubbled hot magma and sent up clouds of ash and steam. The volcano was always active- and Firespear threw balls of fire far into the sky and down again- burning anything that came close. For plants and physical objects, bolts of flame were enough. But for living things? The bolts turned into burning hot, red spears that pierced their bodies, cooling on their blood. These spears became the Red Caldera Spears- there are a few dozen out in the world today. They are moderately powerful magic items. In the mud of the Caldera itself? There are thousands of them. Enough for an army and to defend the Caldera Men- or start a conquest of their own.

Every place nearby the mountain was under attack constantly- it was a disaster in slow motion. The spirit would whisper to the winds to send its fire farther, or ball up its heat into a magma ball and send it boiling down a river to ignite a swamp. It was hungry to burn. The constant hazard meant everyone had to stay away from Firespear- until it was quieted. Firespear shriveled up until it became small- small for a God.

It is the size of a sleeping bear, a heated lump of fire. Firespear is formless, genderless, and mindless. It is for this reason that hermaphrodites and the in-between of the Caldera People are considered sacred- it is an aspect of their God that is above and beyond normal mortal life. The chamber it is within is made of mud- so cooked by its endless inner flames that the walls have been fired into ceramic, hardened clay. The Caldera Men are its servants- they wish to speak to and know more about this enigmatic entity- but it is silent. By staring into its flames, a mortal mind is opened and unlocks the secrets of fire. The magic of water is taught from mother to daughter by the Caldera Men- but fire? Fire is learned by staring directly into the soul of a spirit.

The soul of Firespear dwindles, as though it is losing itself in its heat and deeply buried under the mountain of water just above it. The priests of the Caldera Men tend to it however they can; they fan its body to feed it air. They bring it sacred wood, which is any wood really since none of it grows around the volcano, and sink it into its form so it may consume it. They have a canal in the floor where lamp oil is steadily dripped- flowing into the body of Firespear as though it was life giving water, but for a living lump of flame instead. Occasionally it shifts in place; maybe lengths above it the water boils spontaneously, rising heated bubbles of steam to the surface of the caldera's pool. The priests examine the burns on the bodies of the victims of these random, thoughtless eruptions to divine the will of their sleeping God.

Temples of Mud

At the bottom of the caldera, past the corpse gardens and past the stone pillars crowded with muscles, there is a thick floor of mud. It is incredibly silty, rich, and very fertile. The mud is also the entrance to the underground temple. All of it. In order to enter the secret Firespear Temple; one must press themselves against this mud, lightly swimming down or having gravity push you through it. It takes two turns to fully sink in, and after the first turn you're stuck in place until you move through. As such, this is a final layer of defense for the temple against invaders; most mortal races can hardly hold their breath for a few minutes, much less half an hour or more like the Caldera Men can.

Once you have sunk through this floor of mud, you enter the temple through the ceiling at the corresponding location. It is for this reason that the top floor of the temple is a sprawling maze with no valuable rooms or items behind closed doors- too easy to sneak in from the mud. At least for the Caldera People. You can go back up through the ceiling in the same manner. Those who know the thin spots can even pass through walls here- pressing sideways until you slip through a wall, as it closes behind you in perfect repair. Passing through a wall takes 1 turn for a thin spot, 2 turns for a thick spot, and if you accidentally try to pass through a border wall or into a filled in “square” on the dungeon map, you are trapped within pure, thick mud that entombs you forever.

To enter the temple without an invitation is considered very rude, if not sacrilegious. Caldera Men only enter the temple for special duties, or for a magical or religious crisis. Like many societies, magic and religion are one in the same.

The Firespear Temple is made of hardened mud, the floor is warm and gets hotter the deeper you go- as you get ever closer to the burning soul of Firespear below. The walls are made of mud as well, shaped and kept in place by the pressure of the great stone pillars just above it. Everything is built as an arch; a technique perfected by the early Caldera Men to keep the temple's rooms from being crushed or bubbling up or below each other. The floors are patrolled not just be the temple adherents, the fire speakers, but also strange monsters that live in the mud. Lungfish as big as dogs, long deactivated crab golems, which will rise again if the symbols on their back have the mud wiped clean. The bones of uncountable thousands of victims to the corpse gardens are piled here, sometimes their angry spirits rise again as the undead without the Caldera Men even knowing of it.

The deeper you go in the temple, the darker and more humid it becomes. Water seeps through the roof and pools in the divots in the floor, like this whole place is just a filter-feeder itself. The air is so impossibly thick with moisture that if you flee from a combat, the party must spend a whole turn panting and catching their breath from how much water is in the air. For those who can breathe water, this does not apply. Indeed, the deepest parts of the temple are more closely aligned with the powers of fire over water and earth. The deep temple fire-speakers defend the holy place from intruders with sweeping robes of old lizard skin. They wear helmets made of clay, fired by the heat of their God's moaning, rolling madness, and cast magical fire upon you. The tunnels are lined with bones to help support the roof and keep out the water as it pools higher and higher at the deepest parts- metal is used here as well, scribbled with hundreds of names and wishes as it bolsters the way to the spirit's chamber. Even if you can past these defenses, the Soul of Firespear itself is a terrible foe if it was roused.

But even thus; there is opportunity here. Opportunity for adventure and treasure. Somewhere in this muddy temple is a storeroom which holds hundreds of Red Caldera Spears- magic items that could make you rich if you can bring back enough of them. Many also imagine a huge room filled with treasure from the surface- the lives ended by the Caldera Men must have been carrying some valuables sealed away down here, right? After the number they have slain, surely there must be a treasure hoard to rival that of a dragon at this point. Ancient clay tablets, fired with the knowledge of ancient magic could be found among the records, and magic suits of armor being enchanted by the priests could also be stolen away- rough in construction, strong in application. Finally, while few even know of the great spirit Firespear's existence, those who do say that one could slay the volcanic spirit to steal a portion of its godsoul, its divine spark, and instill it into oneself to become immortal, or at least, powerful beyond any dream.