Kalero
A land built in and around deep canyons that were formed by roaring rivers, life and death are all equally celebrated in Kalero. The people of the province adorn themselves in vibrant colors and marigold garlands as they paint beautifully intricate murals honoring those who came before.
Kalero is full of bustling markets and colorful remembrance celebrations that take place all hours of the night. Along with this, vast treasure troves are hidden throughout the province, awaiting those daring enough to seek it.
Provincial Folklore
River of Remembrance
The river winds through the deep canyons that comprise most of the province. The waterway that forged Kalero, not just by shaping the landscape but also by intertwining the region with the essence of memory. The waters contain the lingering memories of souls lost to the Shroud and are all that remain of who they once were. Those who peer into the rushing waters can see full spectral scenes playing beneath the surface in the fragmented moments of extinguished lives. Also used as the primary method of travel. Numerous ships of all shape, size, and construction navigate the waterways on all manner of voyages from trading to treasure hunting. The waters are often treacherous with sudden rapids and whirlpools, hungry river beasts, and the vicious pirates that lurk in the hidden coves throughout the bottom of the canyons lurk.
The Thousand Bones
Countless towering pillar-like rock formations that reach high into the sky above. Finding the footholds to scale is near-impossible, made far more deadly by the violent gales that batter each zenith and viciously ravenous vultures of colossal size that nest among the jutting spires. Endless number of explorers, fortune hunters, and thrill seekers make the attempt though. Legend states that atop the Thousand Bones are the glittering ruins of cities made of gold, rubies and long-lost magical technology. Adventurers believe that the secret to successfully reaching the top of the bones lies in the lost memories of the first inhabitants of Kalero, waiting in a forgotten tomb built into a remote canyon wall.
Noteworthy Folk
Catrina the Sweet
The leader of the province with unbound vivaciousness and a lust for life that can only be truly appreciated by the dead. She may be enthusiastic, joyful, and passionate for dancing and pageantry leads some adversaries to dismiss her as a legitimate threat, but that usually leads to defeat or death. She is also playfully cunning and ferocious that she leverages to protect the past, present, and the future of her province. She is one of the most respected and feared leaders among the nobility of the Crescent Court.
Sister Playtime
The youngest, smallest, and most frail of Mother Midnight's daughters. Consumed with envy of her sisters' power and stations, of the joyous community shared among Kalero's people, and of the toys, friends, and parties she never had. She appears like an uncanny doll with a porcelain face. She has mastered the magic of memory that has the mind to turn her victims into playthings. She doesn't care about earning true companions. She enjoys wiping and manipulating the minds and memories of the province's people so they will offer her the adoration she desperately craves. She makes them play games with her that often end in disaster and death. She will not be satisfied until all of Kalero is her personal playground.
Location Location Location
Memento
Every corner of the capital is etched with personal memories. The streets are lined with altars of remembrance and reverence for the dead. Public art, decoration, and monuments of every imaginable hue make Momento a prism of a city with great walkways, staircases, and tunnels that connect the hive-like network of districts.
All hours of the night has lively bands playing, celebratory dances, and bustling shops offering flowers, sweets, and other goods. The city is famous also for Screaming Skulls: magical fireworks that scream through the sky in brilliant colors before exploding into complex patterns and images to the delight of all below
Port Melee
A protected cove along the River of Remembrance. The largest port in the southern Druskenvald and the center of commerce in Kalero. Goods from every province are bought and sold in the crowded public markets and even rare items from beyond the Shroud can be procured in private negotiations. For those who know where to find it, the infamous Dorado Auction House offers strange artifacts, exotic creatures, dangerous weaponry, and other curiosities found only on the black market.
It earns its name from the constant conflict with pirates, bandit gangs, and other cutthroats that conduct raids on the town in hopes of pilfering even a fraction of its wealth.
The town is heavily defended with magical cannons that turn Screaming Skulls into projectile weapons, and a culture of martial prowess is fostered among the locals so they can sufficiently defend their homes. Druskenvald's premier school of swordsmanship, the Mastered Hand, is one of the port's oldest institutions, turning young aspirants into agile and deadly Waves Dashers, an elite league of duelists.