So this picture of a ruined fishing village popped up on my G+ feed. An image search reveals it to have been taken just off the coast of a Sicilian island called Salina. As the poster Jon Bupp says, this is a wonderful image to illustrate an RPG. I’m going to use it as a location in Jimano’s World.
Not everyone of the folk is happy to live a life of constant wandering. The Celcoo caravan, hearing tales of stone city of the elves became enamoured with a more settled life. When their nation came across a narrow cove it seemed a good place to settle. The fjord teemed with fish and hillside had many berry shrubs. The Celcoo chose to stay behind as their nation moved on in search of land better suited to herds. Out of the rock face the carved both brick and hole, building up a small fishing village that lasted for nearly a generation.
It was the shifting of the land that caused their doom. The rocks moved and after the people of Celcoombe raised their heads, they found that the fjord was closing. Over the next month, the fjord became a lake that rapidly filled up as the streams into did not abate. The Celcoo were forced to abandon their stone homes as the water level rouse. They were fortunate that the dwarves had moved nearby, else they would have surely struggled without a herd or arable land to feed them.
When the rock moved again and the fjord was undammed, the once sunken ruins were uncovered. No one has reclaimed them, for the climate has become dry and the fjord is empty of fish. That the village is remembered at all is out of convenience. Folk passing through the area will use the ruins as shelter from the weather, so it’s location it well known to scouts.
A party coming across the village will find a small supply of fresh water and not much else. If they choose to shelter there at night, they’ll have to deal with at least one predator that is also using the ruins as a shelter. As the fjord is a good harbour, any storms in the area will mean at least one Gnomish ship will be present. The amount of fresh water they require will leave the players wanting.
The fate of Celcoombe is good example of the hostility of Jimano’s World to permanent settlement. Feedback is always welcome, particularly if you’ve any ideas on other ways the village would be unique in the setting.
Image Credit – Original Post