Kor Silan

History

Kor Silan was founded due to the discovery of its unique pebble beach, the Silan ith Estus, or "beach of death", so named for the Kor Mundireth; terrifying slime creatures that dwell within the rocks of the beach. The Kor Mundireth were not always found on the beach, and only appeared a century or two after it was founded during the Reckoning period. It was just enough time for the locals to build an economy off of the valuable materials found within the beach's rocks, which are loose rock expelled by thermal vents and carried on the ocean currents in the Gulf of Liborius to Kor Silan. However, this economy would be shattered by the arrival of the Kor Mundireth, who would ruthlessly hunt and devour any who try to collect the materials found on the beach. It is believed that the Kor Mundireth are native to the Deephollow and were carried to the beach by the same ocean currents which bring the materials the townsfolk so covet.

The arrival of the Kor Mundireth was not enough to deter many early settlers, as they are very stubborn. They have since built their economy on fishing and treasures found while diving, and tourism for those seeking to brave the beach despite it being off-limits, or those seeking a blessing from the anomaly atop the Mestos ith Walandiath. There are also unconfirmed rumors that many of the Gulf of Liborius' dreaded Corsairs come from Kor Silan, a fact which has earned them some ill renown.

Government

The town falls under the jurisdiction of magistrate Tordynnar Veverell in Mythwell. Similar to Avanfiaran to the west, Kor Silan receives very little to no aid from Mythwell, which has bred a seething hatred for Tordynnar. It is believed that rather than simply forgetting about them due to their distance from him, he simply does not provide for them because they do not provide him with anything valuable to the region. It is unclear why Tordynnar refuses aid to the town, but whatever the case, the locals hate him for it. There is a widespread opinion that the town should break away from the jurisdiction of Mythwell in favor of being under the jurisdiction of magistrate Brandis Corbin in Nenthafiaran to the northeast. The locals have been careful not to discuss this around outsiders, as if word were to get out, this could be seen as seditious.

Economy

Kor Silan has a weak economy, relying mostly on fishing and farming to support themselves. This is one of the driving reasons why so many have tried to evade the Kor Mundireth in order to recover some of the valuable materials located on the beach. Many in the town are unskilled, or have skills in trades that are already saturated in nearby settlements, and do not have the opportunity to simply uproot and go elsewhere in order to find more lucrative opportunities. The Silan ith Estus contains valuable materials such as gold, platinum, and even some mithril. But it is so rare for anyone to successfully recover anything from the beach that it does not matter much to the economy. Occasionally, divers do manage to find something valuable on the sea floor, but it is rare to find anything worth celebrating.

Though the town does not produce much worth selling, the unique anomaly at the Mestos ith Walandiath draws attention from travelers all over Arak, bringing tourists seeking blessings from the trio of moon deities. Those who secure a blessing from the unity of Quen and Lekaris' moons often remain in Kor Silan for a time to make the most of their blessing, producing goods. Seeing a potential for a new avenue of revenue, the locals have started imposing a tax on outsiders seeking the blessing of the overlook. This has been controversial, with many claiming that they cannot monopolize a natural anomaly.

Notable Locations

• Kerria Wiezen - The town wharf, where all ship traffic comes and goes. There is a vibrant fishing culture, with a number of food stalls and market stalls selling goods on the main pier. Besides fishing, the town has its shares of divers who search the ocean floor for treasures to sell. Surprisingly, this is not entirely fruitless, as many ships have shipwrecked in this area of the Gulf of Liborius over the years. The wharf lies to the west of the Silan ith Estus.
• Silan ith Estus - The beach for which Kor Silan derives its name. The beach is one of only a handful of pebble beaches in the world. This one, however, is responsible for many deaths in this small town. The beach's rocks are rich in many valuable minerals which are sought after by the town's residents. However, walking on the stones of the beach is certain death, due to the Kor Mundireth ("stone dwellers") which lurk beneath them. These partially liquid creatures live in the tiny spaces between the rocks and can move freely through them. When they sense someone on the beach, they quickly move beneath them and emerge to "devour" their prey. Once enveloped in their liquid, they slowly crush the person inside until they are liquified; which they then absorb to grow larger. The more you struggle, the more solid they become, making it even harder to escape. For this reason, the beach is off-limits; not that that stops daring (stupid) adventurers from going there to strike it rich anyway. Approximately two dozen people are killed by the Kor Mundireth per year. With each victim, the Kor Mundireth grow larger and stronger, making the beach more hazardous.
• Mestos ith Walandiath - This overlook sits atop the hill above the sea west of the Silan ith Estus, and sports a lighthouse meant to guide sailors to and from the docks. There is a Wellspring anomaly atop the overlook that is celebrated across the town, and whose appearance warrants a celebration; when two moons' full moon phases overlap, their light casts shadows of differing hues upon the ground from the lighthouse. When these two shadows overlap at exactly 9 PM, anyone who enters the shadowed area within the next hour will receive a blessing depending on which moons have overlapped. The effects of the overlap between these moons is detailed below, along with the time between occurrences:
• (196 days) Quen and Umos: For the next month, you do not need to eat or drink. This helps offset the town's poor farming yield.
• (245 days) Quen and Lekaris: For the next month, tradesmen producing crafts under the light of the moon will yield better results in their work.
• (140 days) Umos and Lekaris: For the next month, all skills employed under cover of darkness will be more successful. This blessing is highly sought by thieves.
• (980 days) Quen, Umos, and Lekaris: For the next year, the wind shall always be in your sails, and when fishing, your harvest will be bountiful.

Culture

The town doesn't have a whole lot going for it economically, and many are poor, so they have to find ways to make due with less. There is a culture of innovation here, with some of its residents constantly searching for safe ways to traverse the Silan ith Estus to recover valuable materials; while others choose to focus on improving their fishing, diving, and treasure recovery efforts. The town doesn't have much in the way of magical proficiency, but they don't let that stop them. One of the most critical innovations to come out of Kor Silan is a potion called 'Noltalir' that reduces the harmful effects of diving to depths of up to 300 ft., allowing the Lynoxi of the town to safely retrieve salvage from the sea floor. Occasionally, large wreckage may be spotted on the sea floor that requires bringing it ashore, and the ships used by the town's fishermen cannot handle that kind of load. To bring this wreckage up from the sea floor to recover potential valuables, divers attach bags made of water-resistant materials to the wreckage and fill them with air from the surface using long hoses, which lightens the load enough for ships to tow the wreckage away.

The Kor Mundireth are horrifying to most, but a number of the town's residents have made it their calling to study these creatures in order to find ways to subvert their awareness. It was discovered fairly early on that the Kor Mundireth seem to detect intruders by way of vibrations in the stones on the beach, considering they have no eyes or ears. Though Petrasteel could be used to suppress some of the vibration from walking on the beach, the stones are too unstable, constantly shifting, and thus the Kor Mundireth always seem to take notice; and even then, the townsfolk cannot afford it. Additionally, the Kor Mundireth seem to linger in the areas where valuable materials are found, leading many to wonder if they're deliberately keeping watch over them to keep the townsfolk away; but many don't believe they are capable of that kind of thought. The one method that seems to work reliably is to distract the Kor Mundireth by throwing rocks across the beach to make them swarm towards it and quickly dashing in to grab something shiny; though even the most fleet-footed scavengers can have their luck run out. The Kor Mundireth seem to display some degree of collective communication, as when these tactics have been employed, they will sometimes only send one or two to investigate the vibrations while the others stay behind.

Defenses

With so little support from Mythwell, Kor Silan does not have a proper Enforcer detachment, and must rely on their own devices to protect the town. The local militia is largely untrained, which becomes a real issue when goblins decide to raid the town. Goblins are fairly common in more rural areas like this, and there isn't much support from the Emerald Company due to their remote location. Occasionally a squad will check in on them, but they're rarely present when they're actually needed. The town's only real defenses are walls made of wooden posts; but there are gaps, and the goblins are smart enough to exploit them.

Despite the fishing culture, naval defenses are weak; so it's good that they're rarely needed. The only real naval threat the town has to worry about are corsairs, but considering that many corsairs in the Gulf of Liborius originate from Kor Silan, there's an unspoken rule the townsfolk abide by that they let the corsairs from their town come and go and do not speak of them, and the corsairs leave them be.

Crime

With valuable materials plentiful on the Silan ith Estus, one must be careful not only of the Kor Mundireth, but of those watching the beach, waiting for someone to successfully recover something. Occasionally, someone will manage to get lucky and grab a few pieces of gold or platinum ore and rush away from the beach, only for a thug to set up an ambush and kill them for their hard-earned reward. Every month or so, a body is found near the beach, stabbed to death, with no sign of their possessions.