Locations

Rond

Rond is the homeworld of the Lonely Winds. It is a geologically active planet with an atmosphere and gravity comparable to our own Earth. It is the third planet of seven in its solar system, and is orbited by two moons, one remarkably similar to Rond in its environment, one a volcanic maelstrom.

The dominant race of Rond is a humanoid species that call themselves Jerud the way we call ourselves Human. They are shockingly similar to homo sapiens in their physiology and psychology--so much so, in fact, that even a physician would be hard pressed to tell a specimen of each race apart without a full medical examination. Like Humans, Jerud come in a wide variety of races, backgrounds and ideologies, and like Humans, they have many of the same quirks and problems.

The overall technological and sociological standard of the people of Rond is several decades beyond our own. This is another way of saying that while they have more efficient cars and more advanced computers, they still haven't figured out how to feed the hungry, provide for general welfare or achieve social harmony. They are people, after all.

Aside from all of this, Rond has two other problems that are different from our own.

First, while the advanced nations of the world are considerably more technologically advanced than our current level in most respects, they are stunted in the areas of space travel and satellite communication. This is the result of the action of an international organization dedicated to protecting the natives of the first moon from the advancements of Rond. Their logic is that to interfere with a developing culture is to harm or destroy it, and based on this creed they constantly hamper the attempts of countries and organizations to reach beyond their own biosphere. Rond has superior medicine, industry, computers and weaponry to our own culture, but they have very limited space programs, and have never sent a manned mission to either moon.

The second problem is more...esoteric. Rond is a world mostly devoid of spiritual energies--magic, if you will--but there are areas that are dramatic exceptions to the rule. These areas are rich in magic, a type of energy undetectable to the technologically advanced but spiritually stunted Jerud populace, and this energy brings with it dark creatures that prey on the unknowing. As with our own world, such incidents are often dismissed or given mundane explanations by individuals unwilling to accept that monsters stalk the shadows. There are only a scant few who know the truth, and some of them fight a never ending battle to protect their race from the supernatural beings that would otherwise have free rein of the night.

Ylelon

The desert country of Ylelon (pronounced "Ih-lay-lawn") is located on the southwestern edge of the third largest continent on Rond. It is a vast expanse of featureless sand, roughly triangular in shape, and about the size of the state of Massachusetts. One edge is bordered by ocean, and were it not for the crooked chain of mountains on the other two borders, Ylelon would simply be an extension of Attenz, the country on the other side.

Ylelon has a long and colorful history. Until roughly a millenia prior to the modern Rond era, it was ignored by the rest of the world, which was currently on the verge of its equivalent to our own Rennaisance. Then, some forgotten soul discovered that the Sentinel Mountains, which made Ylelon virtually inaccessable to the rest of the world, were incredibly rich in mineral resources. Harvesting the rich ores and hauling them the miles across the unforgiving sands to Ylelon Bay was a daunting task in those days, but it was infinitely preferable to the alternative of trying to transport them over the country-sized desert on the other side of the mountain chain.

Soon settlers and craftmen came from across the world to the tiny collection of hovels that had previously been little more than a minor port for passing ships nestled on Ylelon Bay. Trade routes were established, mining towns built in the mountains, and shipyards constructed in the sheltering bay. The rich mines brought wealth, and the wealth attracted theives. In only a few years, Ylelon went from being a forgetable piece of desert on the end of the world to a flourishing society, one as reknowned as a place of opportunity and diversity as it was a haven for pirates and seedy dealings.

Before long Ylelon had cobbled together a crude but functional system of government, consisting of a Senate overseen by elected officials. Each Senator had nearly complete power over a certain aspect of daily life, such as the military, commerse and immigration. Though primitive, the system has been in place to date for over eight hundred years.

Today Ylelon is regarded as a society of sharp contrast on Rond. It is one of the most ethnically diverse places on the planet, yet it has dismal crime rates and little social developement. The mines continue to yield tremendous wealth, yet most of that wealth stays with the highest class, leaving the majority of the population in poverty. The entire nation has a population of less than ten million, yet it boasts one of the best trained and equipped military forces on the planet, owing to its jealous defence of its mineral wealth.

Ylelon has other problems, too. It has such a long history of violent crime and mysterious disappearances that few people ever think to examine the causes anymore. If they did, they might find that not all of the cases have mundane explanations...

George Manor

Some miles into the desert northeast of Ylelon City rests the colossal George Manor, the home of the Lonely Winds. Huge and imposing, the strutcture is nearly as mysterious as the owner it is named after. It has been in place as long as any Lonely Wind, active or retired, can remember, yet it appears new and in good condition. It seems mundane from the outside, but inside it has rooms stocked with enough weapons and supplies for a small army. There are enough rooms and space to support many scores of tenants comfortably, yet the Mansion at present only houses a handful of people.

The Mansion sits at the end of a one lane dirt road, and except for highways and the odd rest station it is miles away from anything. It is from here that the Lonely Winds stage their battles against the supernatural in Ylelon. George Manor has many of the rooms one would expect to find in a wealthy person’s home: a gymnasium, a library, a recreation room, a spacious kitchen. But it also has other accoutrements: an armory, bristling with weapons of every sort; equipment and supply rooms, stocked with field gear and military supplies, many of which are illegal; an office with state-of-the-art computers and equipment, including contraband software and technologies. The Lonely Winds use all of this in their onging war, and they are often so relieved to have access to anything they need that they rarely question where it all comes from.