Ilya, Leviathan of Constellations, Patron of Night Travelers, Warden of the Taiga, rearranged the stars and inadvertently caused you all to manifest in The World. It’s not without purpose; the reason for your arrival has become clear. A corruption has overtaken much of the land, and Ilya is the only Leviathan unaffected. They seem to believe that you are the only ones who can combat it. It’s time to put that to the test.

Overview

Chapter 1 will be your first foray into biomes beyond the Taiga as you attempt to see whether or not you are capable of cleansing this land from the corruption that plagues it. If you can, this means new boons from the Leviathans you rescue and additional resources as their lands heal.

We anticipate this chapter will last around three months, but it may take more or less time depending on how quickly things develop. We will announce the official end date ~two weeks before chapter’s end. It will cover between 2-3 months of in-game time, again depending on how quickly things develop.

Goals of Chapter 1

• Continue to explore the Taiga to collect resources and other goodies, such as artifact rewards from Tasks
• Investigate the corruption and make plans to combat it
• Venture into the Salt Flats to confront and free Avaro
• If successful, see if Avaro will impart his Boons upon the Outlanders
• Venture into the Plains to confront and free Besile

Ways to Participate

• Build Community
  • Create Factions and member-run events to bring the growing community in the Taiga to life
• Prose Threads & Drabbles
  • Complete prose threads drabbles to further explore the world, especially to complete Tasks for Ilya and learn more about the corruption
• “I Want To”
  • Prepare provisions for the venture into the Salt Flats and the Plains (e.g. rations, vessels for carrying water, tools, other items). Examples:
    • “I will weave baskets for people to carry their rations in.”
    • “I will make clay pots to carry water.”
    • “I’ll fish a whole bunch and dry them out to to make rations.”
  • Once the barrier is removed, delve into the caves of the Salt Flats without doing a full excursion. Roll a d20 to determine your outcome
• Risky Excursions
  • Embark on Risky Excursions into the neighboring Biomes to further assess the corruption, how much the land has warped, and figure out how to find other Leviathans
  • Mods may choose to limit the number of active excursions at a time, depending on volume
• Leviathan Battles
  • Confront Leviathans to free them
• Server-Wide Event
  • Some of these things will be accomplished with a server-wide event. Follow the instructions in the Event documentation on how to participate

Summary

• After Ambessa’s untimely demise, several groups of Outlanders mobilize to study the corruption before diving in to save the trapped Leviathans. Many discoveries are made, including:
  • The corruption is corrosive and burns on contact, leaving behind painful, chemical-like burns in its wake.
  • It also does corrode clothing and other objects.
  • Touching it with bare skin allows it to see into your mind and produce hallucinations of your loved ones, both voices and physical rot constructs.
  • Anyone who has not touched the corruption can recognize the constructs and voices as slightly off and inhuman.
  • Anything an Outlander has at their disposal can be used to damage the rot, including normal swords and arrows. The fact they are not from here seems to be the thing empowering them more than anything else.
• Several psychics, including Carl Jenkins, Syler Saenz, and Psycho Mantis make contact with the corruption.
  • It is incredibly difficult to make a mental connection with. It seems it only happens because the corruption allows it.
  • It seems mildly curious about the Outlanders, but overall seems more interested in consuming them just as they’ve consumed everything else.