Araxi Whites Daily

There are places the gods abandoned, not out of cruely but out of caution.

— Old proverb

Geography

The Araxi Whites cover the south of Avaleen. Unforgiving tundras and massive glaciers are held back by the Bordon Mountains.

This place that rocks between perpetual light and perpetual darkness hosts many secrets and creatures. Here are dragons, tiny venomous mice-hybrids, sabertoothed giants, and abyssal beings that crawl up from the depths of the vast, empty city of Zion.

Zion was once populated by deep gnomes, orcs, and dwarves and thrived on the riches of the mines. But greed pushed mining far too deep and the cracks brought ash creatures, undead hordes, and imps. The lower levels are still drenched in cursed miasma and the city is mostly abandoned, left to its grim fate.

The surface of the Araxi Whites hosts roaming tribes of goliaths constantly at war over the scattered resources. Sometimes these natives and monsters cross the Bordon Mountains into Oliria, wreaking havoc on those lands.

History

The Araxi Whites were once Avaleen’s southern frontier: a vast and haunted expanse of frozen wilderness, wrapped in an eternal dance of extremes. Here, in the lands where the sun forgets to rise, or refuses to set, time itself feels fractured. The cold is not just a chill of body, but of everything that is life itself.

Once upon a time, deep in the early days of the Age of Celestials, Araxi was a cradle of primal strength ruled by elementals of frost and storm. The glaciers were once worshipped as living gods, and the stars were thought to be their watchful eyes.

But it was when the world entered the age of arcanists that this continent truly rose as a force to be reckoned with. Zion grew both upward and downward, its founders desperate for discovery and exploration. Carving impossible spires and elegant chambers in the frozen stone. They brough warmth and life to the cold.

For a time, Zion thrived. A marvel of engineering and architecture, its market halls echoing with dozens of languages, and its spellforges crafted wonders sought far across Avaleen. But prosperity became hunger. And hunger became greed.

The miners delved deeper, ignoring the warnings of seers and oracles, the signs in the frost, and even the protests of their own people. Eventually, they breached an ancient faultline sealed by the Titans long ago. Through this wound, the world bled. Darkness poured into Zion.

The ruling council of Zion attempted to seal the depths, but it was too late. The deeper districts were abandoned. Trade ceased. Those who could flee did. The rest became part of the city’s ruin.

Now Zion lies silent, half-buried in snow and ice. Occasionally, expeditions from the rest of Avaleen attempt to reclaim parts of it, but none return unchanged.

Above ground, the Goliath tribes remain in their brutal struggle. Once, they traded with Zion, even swore oaths of kinship to its warrior caste. Now, they view the city as a cursed wound in the earth. The Glacierfang, Stonehowl, and Cracked Sky clans war endlessly, not just for resources but for honor, vengeance, and survival.

The Araxi Whites remain Avaleen’s frozen underworld: a place of ancient power and buried sins. And the ice remembers everything.

Zion

Zion used to be a bustling mining town surrounded by the wild Araxi Whites. This vibrant trading mecka had spires that reached tall above the surrounding tundras, but they were but the tip of a massive underground settlement with mines that reached miles below. Too low.

— Tyri Fulmark's Histories of Zion, Jewel of the Whites, volume 1

That's how the city of Zion is described in "The Fulmark Histories of Zion, Jewel of the Whites": A 34-volume chronicle written by a gnomish bard* who accompanied the famous Joron Expedition set out from Farstead in Ala about 15 years after Zion was declared unsafe and subsequently abandoned.

These histories are considered one of few true recollections of what occurred there, as the bard took great care to preserve letters, diaries, and other written stories left behind by those who fled or perished when the hells broke through. There is also a 7-volume supplement to the “Histories” which accounts for eyewitness recollections from those who survived the initial collapse and assault.

Fall of Zion

The Fall was a swift affair and silent as far as the rest of Avaleen was concerned. News did not spread quickly, and it was only when delegates of a trade consortium made their way to the city that it was even discovered.

There is still a whole load of question marks regarding the events leading up to that catastrophic day when Zion fell silent. Only part of the findings of the Joron Expedition has been released to the public, which in itself has been the subject of many conspiracy theories. Some involved The Old Guard, some involved a dubious and secret imperial alliance, some blamed the Cerrion Assembly, and some cast blame on certain members of the expedition itself and their allies. But what was revealed is that at least part of the Fall happened because of the opening of a new mine sometime in the spring of ████████. Due to the intensification of the mining operations in the area, certain creatures were disturbed. When the new mine opened, so did the veil between this plane and the hells, leading to the invasion of ash creatures, undead hordes, and imps. Cursed miasma poured from the cracks and rose like a fog, making people go mad and even turn on each other. This miasma remains in the lower levels of the city, which is why the city is declared off-limits for all unauthorized personnel.

Story Hooks

• The Joron Expedition left a lot of question marks regarding the events leading up to the Fall of Zion. It does not help matters that not all their findings were ever released to the public, be it cause of the Old Guard, the Cerrion Assembly or even members themselves. You are hired onto a new expedition to uncover the mystery once, and for all.
• The Halls of Fryen are a legendary device created by the last great mage of the Age of Arcanists. Last known location was the Euridian Chamber in the fourth sub-district of Zion. It is said to contain a vast pocket dimension of infinite dungeons and challenges.
• The adventurers encounter a village at the edge of the Whites where no one speaks, and strange music plays from beneath the ice at night. The villagers stare blankly, digging intricate tunnels in the snow. A bard among the party begins humming a melody they’ve never learned and they can’t stop. Something below is singing.
• A wandering goliath shaman arrives in Oliria, frostbitten and dying, whispering of a crowned figure seated on a throne of bone in the heart of the tundra. He claims the Ash-King is no longer sleeping, and has begun forging pacts with those twisted by the curse. The party is tasked with learning if the Ash-King is real, and stopping him if so.