Etropa

Etropa as it appears on the Io World Map

**Etropa** is a continent on the planet of Io. A densely forested landmass home to fantastic and unusual beasts, many seek to travel to Etropa to answer the call to adventure. The scattered ruins of civilizations exist all over the continent, full of lost histories to be uncovered.

## Appearance

The continent of Etropa consists of four large landmasses and several islands, which were once part of a cohesive whole before the Shattering of Io. The entire continent is heavily forested by massive trees of all varieties, and boasts a plethora of vegetation. This verdant land is home to several mountain ranges, some of which are volcanic in nature. There are several ruins on Etropa that have been taken over by nature upon their abandonment and many of the occupied settlements of the present day also boast significant vegetation, signifying their acceptance of the continent's natural beauty.

## History

### Early History

Etropa was first settled in the early years of Io, with several ruined cities and buildings as testament to its storied history. It is unknown exactly what these societies were like during the Age of the Gods, but at least one city dedicated itself to VOID and the presence of a Voidstar on Etropa is further hint of his influence. One of the prevailing phenomena that came to define the continent was the activity of the Spire of Euclid, one of the terraforming station the Auroran Federation used to make Io habitable. The Spire used the Deitic Veil to create a variety of creatures and release them into Etropa, which gave the land a reputation for its unique flora and fauna.

### The Death of the Gods

Upon the death of the gods, Etropa is likely to have fallen into a dormant state for decades like the rest of Io. Prior to this however, the City of Eternal Rain shows that it wasn't so peaceful. The brave efforts of a VOID knight called Tabitha protecting a dragon whelping from meeting the fate of its kin indicated that the death of the gods had some lasting and violent repercussions prior to the world falling into slumber. While the extent of this is unclear, Etropa was forever changed by this event, with the many cities across the land gradually falling into ruin.

### The Sealing of the Voidstar

Sometime after life returned to Io, Etropa became an unclaimed land, with its pervious territories lost to time. Despite this, people still persevered and made lives for themselves. One such group was the Circle of Arelith, a conclave of druids. In the following centuries, Etropa saw many threats come and go, such as one of the eight ancient dragons, driven mad by the death of the gods. One such major threat appeared in the form of a Voidstar, one of the pieces of the dead god VOID. The Voidstar rampaged across the land, and the druidic Circle of Arelith rallied in response. Though it cost them dearly, these druids managed to seal the Voidstar away inside an ancient runestone. For the next few centuries, the circle would guard the runestone to prevent that great evil from being unleashed upon Etropa.

### The Arrival of the Gourmand King

All the while, the Spire of Euclid continued its duty by populating Etropa with more and more diverse creatures and maintaining the balance of nature. In the Year 725 however, through some unknown means, the Spire became subjected to the corruption of the Shadow, a dark plane of tormented souls. One such soul managed to escape by forcibly hijacking the Spire and switching its source from the Deitic Veil to the Shadow Veil. He then made the Spire manifest himself on the Prime Plane under the codename Shadow Glutton. Freed from his prison, this Shadow took command of the facility and began to use it to create more and more dangerous and exotic monsters, with the intention of feasting on them to sate his ravenous hunger.

However, the Shadow did not seek to hunt the beasts himself, as he only got pleasure from feasting on them. So instead, he sought to manipulate others to do it for him. The Shadow adopted a new persona called the Gourmand King, a wealthy noble with the aim of creating a new society in Etropa. The king locked up the Spire to prevent others from using it and set out for one of the ruined cities. He made this ruin into the capital for his new nation, calling it the City of Trials. With this headquarters established, he then began to create his own private armed force for the purpose of hunting the beasts he had made in the Spire. The newly founded Hunter's Guild was tasked with hunting beasts and donating the parts of their kills to the king in exchange for coin and purpose. The guild grew rapidly over the following decade, attracting many individuals who sought glory, money, kinship or simply a purpose in their lives.

Though Hunters believed they were doing their job to protect the people of Etropa and maintain the balance of nature, it was actually a lie to keep them obedient to the king. The Gourmand King himself was consistently disrupting the ecosystem by making prey for his Hunters, leading to the creation of extremely deadly beasts with unnatural powers as well as causing rampant overpopulation in some places. This not only damaged the balance of nature but also put his own Hunters at risk, with several dying while fighting these creatures. Their deaths, in fact, made the king savored his meals even more. For the next decade, this status quo was kept, as the guild's influence grew in tandem to the dangers they were pitted against.

## Phase 2 Story

### The Burning of Hunter's Haven

In the Year 735, the nature of Etropa began to change as more and more monsters were unleashed unto the world. This phenomena was noticed by Shandeme, a sleeper agent of Kaasma who had joined the Hunter's Guild. Shandeme began to investigate the strangeness of these creatures and discovered the true nature of their origins from the Spire of Euclid. He also discovered a means to open the Spire by acquiring thirteen stones that could imprint powers on the user. However, Shandeme's investigations were interrupted by his awakening by the Clan of Kaasma, which compelled him to aid in the coming invasion. Pairing with another sleeper agent, he massacred several monsters to take their parts and fuse them with his new partner to create a powerful abomination.

As they did so, the many beasts of the forests panicked and ran wild, causing the majority of the Hunter's from the nearby Hunter's Haven to deal with the commotion. One such group followed Shandeme's trail and confronted him and his transformed partner. Shandeme teleported away and the group managed to overcome the abomination that attacked them. Not long after, Shandeme's connection to his master was severed, giving him free will once more. He decided to take advantage of the chaos to obtain some of the keystones from the Haven while it was undefended. He travelled back to the treetop outpost and set it alight, murdering any staff and hunters that remained.

Not long after, he was again confronted by the same group of Hunters he had eluded the day before. He explained his origins as an agent of Kaasma and his aims to find the Spire of Euclid. Having been attacked by an unnatural creature earlier, the party of hunters were inclined to believe his story, but some disagreed vehemently with his methods. A tense argument broke out between them, resulting in Shandeme being disarmed and bound in order to see if he was truthful. However, a Hunter named Emasi seized the opportunity to betray the group and stabbed Shandeme in the back. The former sleeper agent was tossed from the canopy and, though he survived, was lost to the surviving hunters. With the Hunter's Haven in ruins, the survivors dispersed, with four of them deciding to follow up on Shandeme's claims and find the Spire of Euclid.

### The Search for the Spire

The four Hunters travelled to the City of Trials to recruit more hunters to help them. Together, they determined a means to unlock and locate the Spire of Euclid. Though Shandeme had a means of opening it via keystones, the renegade hunters had found an alternative means. One of them, Haio Odigwen, had the power to track and activate runestones that would open a back way into the Spire. One of these runestones was previously activated before the Hunter's Haven was burned, meaning that three remained inactive. The renegades began by seeking out the nearest, being guarded by the druidic Circle of Aerlith. The Circle was reluctant to aid them, as activating the runestone would unleash the evil their ancestors had trapped in there centuries before. However, through speech and combat, the renegade hunters were able to convince the patriarch Ushiolli Gramau that they needed to find the Spire to restore the balance of nature. The Voidstar within was released when the runestone was activated and immediately went into a murderous rampage. Though many of the druids fell in combat, the hunters were able to slay the Voidstar. As thanks for reliving them of their duty, the patriarch gave the group his blessing and one of the keystone Shandeme had sought, which his family used to pass down their powers.

The hunters set off again for the third runestone, which they found in a city in the west that was eternally trapped in a rainstorm. There they discovered a dragon whelping in a magical slumber, guarded by a forcefield powered by the runestone they sought. The ghost of a knight prevented them from immediately dispelling the barrier, and their investigation into the runestone revealed the presence of a malevolent manifestation of insanity that sought the whelping. Faced with another dilemma, the party eventually resolved to deal with this maddened presence and prevent it from causing havoc to Etropa. To this end they unknowingly recruited a legendary hero from Io's past, Sterling Smiles, who claimed to have fought dragons before. With his help, they defeated the draconic manifestation of madness, lifting the curse of the city and safely awakening the dragon whelping. With the newly awakened Zerso joining the party, the group bid Sterling farewell and activated the third runestone.

### Secrets, Steel and Shadow

The actions of these renegades did not go unnoticed by the Gourmand King. He summoned Emasi to his manor and, through a puppet, ordered him to protect the fourth and final runestone. He falsely told Emasi that the Spire was a prison for a terrible monster and it needed to stay closed to protect Etropa. Emasi, ever loyal, gathered a team of hunters to aid him in this quest. They staked out the runestone until the renegades arrived, who briefly engaged them in conversation. While both parties initially tried to avoid conflict, it became clear neither was going to shift from their course of action. Amid the ruins, a fight broke out between the two groups. The renegades emerged victorious, resulting in the death of one of the loyal hunters. Upon inspection, one of the renegades, Valeth, discovered a shadowy creature inhabiting the corpse. He negotiated an agreement with the creature to act as its new host. In exchange the creature told Valeth that the Gourmand King was not native to the Prime Plane, and that he had in fact come from its own home, the Shadow. The renegades set free the rest of the captives, with the exception of Emasi, and activated the runestone, opening the way to the Spire. Before leaving, Haio attempted once more to convince Emasi of their good intentions with their new knowledge. Unmoved, Emasi weakly attempted to kill Haio in response, forcing her to take his life.

The renegades finally arrived at the Spire of Euclid and unlocked it to enter a facility unlike anything they had ever seen. There, they learned of the Spire's origins as an Auroran spaceship and its purpose of creating new creatures for Io. In addition, they also learned about the Gourmand King's hacking of the Spire and of the Spire's new power source. The Shadow was now corrupting the facility, which visible signs of corruption in the terminal room. Before they could do anything to rectify this problem, they were locked out of the system by the Gourmand King. Using the intercom, the self-proclaimed ruler of Etropa chastised the renegades for their meddling, stating they should have best left his plans alone. Using the Spire's functions, he transported a ooze-like monstrosity from the sister location of the Tower of Archimedes. The feral creature attempted to kill the renegades on sight, but was stopped by an unfamiliar presence. Projecting himself from another continent, a towering figure of shadow emerged and teleported the ooze creature to its side. Introducing himself as Asmodeus, it informed the renegades of his proposed conquest of Io. He offered them a deal that would ensure their survival in exchange for their service. The job was simple; kill the Gourmand King, who was watching the conversation in a panicked silence. The renegades declared it was their intention regardless and rejected Asmodeus' offer, denouncing it as slavery. Unperturbed, Asmodeus left them to their devices.

### Deposing the King

With the Spire beyond their control and Asmodeus gone, the renegades resolved to go to the City of Trials to confront the king themselves. Though this course of action may brand them traitors and murderers, the party thought it the best way to put an end to this conspiracy. Upon returning to the city, they found it as normal. As they tried to concoct a plan, a group of soldiers in the king's employ approached them to extent an invitation to the manor. Though suspicious of this offer, the renegades accepted and were brought before the Gourmand King's puppet. Through the puppet, they conversed with the king, who treated them in a much more cordial manner. The king attempted to negotiate and buy their silence, offering riches and comforts. He also stated that his methods, though admittedly selfish, had benefited Etropa greatly. The former hunters were scornful to this sophistry, stating they wanted to restore the balance of nature and the truth was more important to them than money.

Halfway through their debate, the king's hunger overcame him and he decided to eat the party. He tore open the floor, transporting them to a dungeon where his massive true form could manifest. A fierce battle commenced, with the renegade hunters struggling against the monstrous king's many limbs. Exposing the king's disembodied heart, the party were able to weaken the king and make him vulnerable to their attacks. It was Haio who landed the final blow on the king, her blade tearing through the king's skull and killing him. With the king dead, the group escaped via the sewer system. Rather than head into the city, they decided to let the situation die down and instead prioritized the Spire. Arriving at the Spire, the renegade hunters managed to override the Gourmand King's directives and restore the facility to the way it was. Haio then volunteered to become the administrator and guardian of the Spire, to ensure that nothing like this could ever happen again.

### The Founding of the Sentinels

A few days after the king's death, the renegades, minus Dirk Mannily who had left on his own quest, returned to the City of Trials and gathered a crowd around them. The party revealed what they had learned of the Gourmand King and his treachery, though they omitted the Spire and its nature. The crowd of citizens and former hunters were despondent upon the news, having placed so much into the Hunter's Guild. It was then amidst this confusion that Valeth stood forth. With astounding conviction, he announced that the skills and experience of the Hunters could still serve Etropa. Valeth explained that the Gourmand King was not the only Shadow that had cause havoc in Io, and he would not be the last. The people of Io would need to be prepared to defend themselves from these extraplanar threats. So Valeth proposed to create a new organization for that very purpose here in Etropa. His words moved the people and many committed themselves to this new purpose. To this end, Valeth and his partners Nexi and Erik founded the Sentinels, the military force dedicated to the protection of Io from external threats and crises for years to come.

### The God of Nature and Neutrality

Over the next 500 years, Haio Odigwen watched over the Spire of Euclid, using it to preserve the balance of nature across Etropa. To this end, she used the keystone given to her by the Circle of Aerilth to become a Druid, attuning herself to the natural world. Though she was occasionally visited by friends, she was mostly sealed in the tower with her dragon Zerso. Despite never intending such a thing, Haio's mastery of the Spire and exposure to the Deitic Veil began to change her gradually. Eventually, Haio was granted godhood through her role as Keeper of the Spire. As one of the new four gods of Io, she would hold sway over nature and neutrality, ensuring a suitable balance existed across Io in all its forms.

## Phase 3 Story

### The Shattering of Io

When Lagos, the Emissary of the End, attacked Io 500 years after the Shadow Invasion, the continent of Etropa was caught up in the resulting catastrophe. However, Etropa, along with the rest of Io, was saved by the new gods, who held the planet together via chains of energy constructed from the Deitic Veil. Etropa became one of the many floating Arks that were anchored to Io's core, allowing life on Io to endure and adapt to this new paradigm. Etropa remained the stronghold of the Sentinels, who carried out their duties by combating extraplanar threats, which in turn cause its citizens to become more capable against fighting such foes and even developing darkvision.

## Notable Locations

### Hunter's Haven

An outpost of the Hunter's Guild, the Hunter's Haven was once a bustling hub for hunters to operate from. Nestled in the heart of the Etropa wilderness, this treetop base had all the amenities hunters needed to complete their objectives; bedrooms, a kitchen, a general store, a library and a forge. Airships were used to ferry hunters around the forests to get closer to their prey and take them to and from the capital. However, the Hunter's Haven came under attack and was burned down. It is unclear if the building was ever reused or left derelict.

### City of Trials

The capital of Etropa is located in the central depths of the forested continent. Once a ruined city, it was made the seat of power for the Gourmand King, who ordered its reconstruction. From the rubble and ruin arose a new city full of life and fully in tune with its natural surroundings. The Hunter's Guild's main headquarters and the mansion of the Gourmand King were located in the City of Trials and it was from there that their influence and power spread across the continent. With the fall of the Gourmand King and the dissolution of the Hunter's Guild, the city became the new headquarters of the Sentinels.

### City of Eternal Rain

In the west of Etropa lies the remains of a once prosperous city. In the past, the city appeared to be devoted to the god VOID, though its history is still unclear. However, in the 500 years after the death of the gods, the city fell to ruin, with only bones and broken buildings as testament to its past. In addition, an unusual permanent weather pattern manifested above the city. The city was shrouded in a ceaseless rainstorm for that 500 years, forgotten among the trees. However, in the Year 735, a group of hunters managed to disperse the storm, allowing the sun to shine on these ruins one more.

### The Spire of Euclid

In the north of Etropa, hidden amongst the trees and mountains, stands the Spire of Euclid. This tower was once one of the surviving vessels of the Auroran Fleet from before the repopulation of Io. Once landed, it was repurposed into a terraforming station with the task of creating flora and fauna for the planet. The abundance and biodiversity of nature on Etropa owes much to the Spire and its workings. However, the Spire remains unknown to almost all of Etropa, sealed away so that its powers could not be used irresponsibly.

## Campaigns

The following campaigns and events take place on the continent of Etropa.

# **Curious Curios**

## Etymology

"Etropa" appears to be an original name made for the World of Io setting.

## Mechanics

*Main article: Technical Details*
The world of Io is a heavily homebrewed setting with many experimental mechanics working at the same time. As an example, there are mechanics that apply only to a single campaign, and there're mechanics that are shared between multiple campaigns.

## Trivia

* Etropa first appeared in Episode 0 of Hunters of Io.