"We are no longer what we were. We are what we must become."
Domain Type: Techno-organic forest
Population: ~10,000 (mostly Grafted)
Ruler: The Council of Grafted (seven cyborg leaders)
Overview
Lirath Vale was once a lush green valley. During the Unveiling, residual energy from a nearby Veil Engine saturated the land, transforming it into a metal forest—trees of steel and copper that hum with electrical current, crystalline "fruit" that stores energy, and ground that pulses with mechanical rhythms.
The inhabitants, unable to survive in the transformed environment, adapted by merging with the technology. Most citizens of Lirath Vale are Grafted—cyborgs who have replaced portions of their bodies with mechanical augmentations.
Culture & Society
Fusion as Survival: In Lirath Vale, grafting isn't cosmetic or voluntary—it's necessary. The environment's ambient energy destabilizes organic tissue. Most residents receive their first graft in childhood to survive.
The Council of Grafted: Seven individuals who have replaced over 75% of their bodies with ancient tech. They govern through consensus and speak in Binary Cant (which sounds like musical tones to the ungrafted).
Harmony with the Forest: Citizens believe the forest is semi-sentient and that they are part of its consciousness. Damaging the forest without cause is taboo.
Social Structure:
- The Fully Fused: Those who have become more machine than flesh (highest status)
- The Integrated: Balanced between flesh and metal (majority)
- The Organic: Visitors or recent arrivals with minimal grafts (lowest status, pitied)
Key Locations
The Canopy Villages: Settlements built in the branches of enormous mechanical trees, connected by suspension bridges made of braided copper cable.
The Grafting Temples: Surgical facilities where citizens receive augmentations. Part hospital, part shrine. Surgery is performed by priests who believe they are helping individuals "ascend."
The Heart Grove: The forest's center, where the trees are oldest and most active. The Council meets here. Non-citizens are rarely permitted entry.
The Battery Orchards: Fields where crystalline "fruit" grows on metallic branches. These crystals store electrical energy and are harvested to power grafts and devices.
The Rust: A blighted section of forest where the trees are corroding and dying. The Council forbids entry, but rumors suggest something is consuming the forest from within.
What Adventurers Need to Know
Organic Bodies Struggle Here: The ambient energy makes non-Grafted individuals feel disoriented, nauseous, or exhausted after prolonged exposure. Constitution saves (DC 12) may be required after 8+ hours.
Grafts are Expected: Visitors are encouraged to receive at least a minor graft as a sign of respect. Refusing may be seen as insulting.
The Forest "Speaks": The trees emit low-frequency hums that Grafted individuals claim are communication. Non-Grafted hear only unsettling vibrations.
Damaging Trees is Taboo: Cutting down a living metal tree without permission is considered murder. Punishment ranges from exile to forced "penitent fusion" (unwilling grafting until you become part of the forest).
Technology is Abundant: Lirath Vale has the highest concentration of functional pre-Unveiling tech of any Domain. It's also the most advanced in graft technology.
Adventure Opportunities
- Hunt creatures that have "over-fused" with tech and gone feral
- Retrieve rare components from deep within the forest
- Investigate the spreading corruption in the Rust
- Negotiate with (or expose) the alien intelligence some believe dwells in the Heart Grove
- Recover lost grafting techniques from ancient data archives
- Mediate disputes between the Council and the Cog Ascendant
Survival Tips
- Get a Minor Graft: Even a small augmentation helps you acclimate
- Respect the Forest: Don't damage trees unnecessarily
- Learn Binary Cant: Basic phrases go a long way
- Stay Out of the Rust: It's forbidden for good reason
- Bring Power Cells: Your equipment may run out of power faster here due to ambient energy drain