Petris-Mal

The Northern Crystal Grotto

Village— Far in the north, at the end of the Old King’s Path, lies the quaint townlet of Petris-Mal. Beautiful log cabin architecture stands in contrast to the luminescent pink and gold crystals that sprout from the earth around them.

The People

Legendary for their survival skills, the people of Petris-Mal are known throughout Ald-Amura as the preeminent voice on a number of subjects ranging from winter survivalism to log cabin construction. Many from the village lend their expertise to rescue crews and exploration confederations; before the crystals came, the village was often visited by adventurers seeking the wisdom of the hardiest people in Ald-Amura.

Since the crystals began sprouting and the chasm opened to the north of the village, a large number of villagers have created a Crystal Crafting confederation, and word of their incredibly unique wares is beginning to spread.

Local Monster

Poka-Poka has an incredibly close relationship with the people of Petris-Mal. Oral record of the Monster stretches back at least twenty generations and the Monster’s influence on the architecture of the village is obvious to even a casual observer.

The Monster’s true shape is unknown, as they’re only ever seen in either of their two camouflaged forms—the first shape is a comfortable, two story log cabin, furnished, with a warm, blazing fire ready for anyone who enters. Poka-Poka is able to move in this form using six large legs that compact into a cavity in the building’s underside. The second camouflage form is similar, but the building appears to be made of glass or perhaps crystal. In this form, Poka-Poka becomes nearly invisible. Why Poka-Poka picks one form over the other is unknown.

Poka-Poka has been known to offer sanctuary to the needy, rescue to the lost, and a warm fire to all that call for it. Legend has it that the village was formed when a traveller was lost in the woods in the north, then rescued by Poka-Poka. Poka-Poka and the traveller became fast friends, refusing to leave one anothers side until the traveller passed away, by which point a micro-community had formed in the small valley where Petris-Mal now sits.

Notable Sublocations

• The Crystal Grotto—Recently uncovered by a natural fissure in the snowy ground, the grotto extends miles below Petris-Mal, and it is not even close to fully mapped yet. Its walls glitter with thousands of pink and gold crystals, some as small as a snowflake, others as tall as a house. The caverns loop and twist back on each other, and it’s easy to become lost. Several research confederates work in the caverns during the warmer months of the year.
• The Iron Woods—Just a mile outside of the village, the Iron Woods is a dense patch of trees that extends to the base of the nearby Ander-Petris mountain range. The wood of the trees is known as the hardest wood in all of Ald-Amura, able to easily deflect the blows of axes and resist the scorching of fire.

What Happens When You Arrive

1. Another fissure has opened in the mountain side behind the village. A faint green glow emanates from it.
2. Every single citizen of the village has been frozen perfectly in place. Poka-Poka is nowhere to be seen.
3. Poka-Poka has assumed its crystal form right in the town center; it refuses to move.
4. A party from the village has vanished in the Iron Woods. A search party is forming.
5. The Crystal Grotto is expelling a foul smelling scent into the air and flakes of gold dust waft from the opening in the ground.
6. People report seeing ghosts walking in the snow around the village and an oncoming snowstorm will block the pass into the village tonight.