The Title of Binder-Lord and the 13 Immoveable, Meridian Harpoons

Note: Technically, the 'Meridians' are the places on the Tarrasque's body where a immoveable harpoon has been sunk, while the immoveable harpoons themselves are the magical item controlled by its respective command words. However, sometimes the term 'meridian' is used to refer to the physical object of the harpoon, or even the Binder-Lord controlled ‘zone’ around it.



Each of the 13 immoveable harpoons that have been sunk into the Tarrasque, binding it in place, is controlled by a command word. Knowledge of each of these command words is a closely guarded secret, not only due to the practical dangers of

The 12th Meridian Crisis

The 12th Meridian Crisis is the name of the largest scale disaster to befall Salt in Wounds thus far. For reasons that are still unclear, several years ago the Tarrasque was able to free its tail and it took several hours for the God-Butchers to regain control and containment of the creature. In its thrashing and flailing, approximately 2500 people lost their lives from being struck by debris or the monster directly. In addition, numerous pieces of God-Butcher equipment was destroyed, and house sized boulders were flung into the Hind Quarter smashing homes and businesses. While this was happening, a large scale panic gripped the city, and -fearing that the end had finally come- swarms of people tried to flee. In addition to the thousands or so who lost their lives to the direct actions of the Tarrasque, an additional 4000 or so were trampled and killed in the madcap attempts to evacuate Salt in Wounds.

Were it not for the actions of (then) Master God-Butcher Helenie in illegally using her knowledge of the 12th Meridian Harpoon command word, the Tarrasque very likely would have freed itself.
Eventually, the Tarrasque was brought back under control but with numerous lasting consequences.

Consequences

On the most basic level, Autoxia Marcellun (then Binder-Lord of 12th House) was usurped by Tolviko Marcellun; then a lesser cousin of 12th House. The God-Butchers suffered a massive setback in public perception and internal shock, with as many as 20% of its ranks leaving the organization (although much of this was influenced by the post-crisis treatment of Helenie). The Hind Quarter was transformed into what is now commonly referred to Tail Stones, an area of the city yet to be fully rebuilt and practically given over to lawlessness and grinding poverty.

Moreover, the newly confirmed Binder-Lord of 12th House Tolviko shocked the city several months after the crisis by granting the extraction contract for the 12th Meridian to the newly created Marrow Miners; an organization led by former God-Butchers and staffed largely by the so-called ‘monstrous’ races.
As no official answer has ever been offered as to how the Tarrasque was able to free itself, numerous theories abound (see Circle of Release). The most widely accepted theory is that Autoxia had lost the favor of the God’s and so his charge was ‘unloosed.’

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The Circle of Release (Common Knowledge)

This is the commonly held knowledge about the Circle of Release.

The Circle of Release is a group of adventurers & others operating covertly in the City of Salt in Wounds with the stated goal of ending the Tarrasque’s imprisonment. Their reasons for doing so vary depending on the telling, but the most common reason involves restoring the natural balance upset by the current state of affairs.

This cabal is primarily comprised of evangelical druids,

The Fungal Sieve

This piece originally appeared on Tribality.com as part of my System Agnostic column. You can read about this concept (not related to Salt in Wounds, with notes on how to adapt it to your scifi or fantasy game) there.

The Fungal Sieve

Controlling Dungeon/Creature at the Core of Heartsblood Marsh

History


After spending decades of his life establishing Heartsblood Marsh, Afrindi Gunterhix despaired. Given its artificial nature, he didn’t have faith that the marsh would continue serving its purpose without a steward. The grippli he’d imported had descended to base savagery, and every other druid he contacted considered his life’s work an abomination. Without other options,

The Heartsblood Marsh

The imprisonment of the Tarrasque has been a catastrophe for the native ecology around the city of Salt in Wounds. This would have been an even more severe and far reaching problem if not for Heartsblood Marsh, created to act as ‘waste management’ for the outflowing essence of the Tarrasque. However, the seeds (or more exactly spores) of a tremendous threat even now bud amidst the fungal blooms and towering mushroom stalks of Heartsblood Marsh.

History of the Heartsblood Marsh


When the binders of Salzinwuun used