Special Locations
Amidst some areas, hidden from sight, magic or sacred sites await to be uncovered. Some sites can be found like dungeons, by issuing an 'I 0' order, whilst other more rare ones cannot be found even via this method. In the case of ones that are not spotted by an 'I 0' order, they will normally require a lot of information before they can be found and require the use of powers to find.
Of those few people that manage to find these rare places, very few of them manage to pass the tests the sites often require to be completed before entrance is granted. The process of finding one of these sites is often slow, can become quite dull and then suddenly very dangerous.
The purpose of what the special locations are and can do can vary greatly, some examples are:
* A stone circle could grant a special Power, once per two months (real time).
* A Faerie Mushroom Circle, which could allow someone to ask an Arcane Question.
* An obelisk could be a portal, which allows a party to travel quickly to a designated location elsewhere in the world.
* A crater with a portal could be letting monsters into the area, which will undermine the settlement-state, as they create havoc around the countryside.
* A ritual circle could be set-up to create a famine in the area, which will undermine the settlement-state.
* An alcove that provides magical energy.
* A shrine dedicated to one of the Gods, allowing for more direct commune.
* A Magic Cyrcle Sanctum protecting a powerful artefact.
These are just some of a number of potential types of special locations.
Ending a turn at a Special Location can result in additional information. This, however, is not guaranteed, as some Special Locations are sealed off, or have nothing worth mentioning. There are some that only specific parties or Alliances can find or enter, as part of Special Quests. There are powers that hide Special Locations and/or protect them. To counter these, there are other powers that can locate them, and maybe allow a party to enter.
Due to the amount of sectors and dungeons in the game it will take a long time to find even half of the special locations.Upon finding a Special Location an Alliance, or a GM authorised party, can use the Investigate Special Action to check the site out for any additional information to that gained in the I 0 order and/or end of turn information.
TERRAIN
The terrain squares that make up the world are abstract in their representation. The feature shown on a turn map sector is the most important or prominent one. In the case of a Road going through a Mountain range, it represents a mountain and a road. For the purposes of party movement it counts as a Road, and thus it is shown as such. Likewise, other terrain types can vary in their content.
The actual size of the sector is kept vague to allow the game to be more playable, but a rough estimate is a few square miles.Each major terrain area has a rich history that your parties can discover. Many of these are tied to particular monsters, which occasionally attack nearby settlements, although there have been times when major offensives have happened.
Terrain may change over time, entire sections of land could even appear, or disappear. Although large alterations are not common, players should keep this in mind.
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