The Great Mother

The clans of Khar’tep believe the Elemental Spirit left them under the care of a guardian spirit, the mountain herself.

by Ali May Sang (the Librarian)

The northern mountain range of the One Land’s border are a spectacular sight and, when you think about it, a constant reminder of hope in an otherwise bleak and miserable world. It remains today and as long as snow can be seen at its peaks, there is a chance our people can survive the horrors of Chaos’ Wrath. Yet the mountain is not a tranquil place and never has been. One of the reasons Chaos’ infection has not quite reached its borders is because this has always been a harsh place to call home.

All those under Khar’s rule believe the mountains are a living guardian chosen by the Elemental Spirits to protect its people, a guardian who now holds back the dark energies seeping out of the Wastes. The frequent storms and terrifying winds are but part of the energy required to hold Chaos’ taint at bay and prepare their warriors for the chance to spill blood defending her borders from those who would dare take it by force. They call this mountain the Great Mother and all life is dedicated to her protection and blessings.

If such a guardian exists, she is truly a strict parent. Laziness and ignorance are quickly punished; only those who have shown fierce determination and defiance against the odds will live into adulthood. There is little to see past the blowing snow and heard past the howling winds. It is a constant state of harsh winter in the mountains of Khar’tep, and those who dare expose their skin experience the horrors of frostbite in minutes. Only because of their ancestors’ work carving out roads winding across this jagged and icy rise to the heavens can the clans move about today. The frozen bodies of uncounted criminals and trespassers dot the mountain, yet the clans have embraced this climate and sport their ferocity and tenacity with frostmarks on their face, chest, back, and arms. There is no mistaking a Khar’tep warrior with numerous kills to her name.

Surviving the Great Mother

Anyone travelling up the jagged paths winding around the mountain will have to contend with the following conditions.

Deadly Cold: A character in a scene exposed to the cold and wind never forgets its bite. Unless a character has equipped themselves with something to keep themselves protected from the climate and assigned it a resource slot in the scene, they lose 25% of their current Vitality at the end of a scene. This loss occurs after additional Vitality is awarded. Any cold-based complications, or others brought on by Khar’tep’s environment, cannot be removed by spending Vitality; the character must use a full description to remove the complication.
Thin Air (Trigger): Straining oneself at such a high elevation can lead to serious impairments. Whenever a character rolls an absolute in Khar’tep they automatically suffer a penalty complication unless they choose to negate the absolute’s benefit and allow the opponent to shift.