More Demesne Week.
Mancatcher Grove
Wood-Aspected Demesne 3
Deep in the south-eastern jungle is a particular knot of thick trees, leaves and tall grass, all in vibrant, eye-searing greens. The air itself is thick with a viridian mist, interspersed by blossoms that throw glittering told waves of pollen into the air.
Considered a sacred site by several local tribes, Mancatcher Grove gets its name not from the trees, but from the massive tigers that live there. Twice the size of normal, these stalking beasts prowl through the trees and razorgrass, growing strong and long-lived on the fauna that thrive in a place so saturated with Wood Essence.
A great deal of this demense is magically potent, having seeped deeply into the entire ecosystem. Pollen, seeds and sap all have hallucinagenic or medicinal properties, while various animals are particularly robust and fecund. Humans would benefit as well, if they lived on the area's resources long enough. Some have tried. Those who succeeded for a few weeks decided it was not worth the risk. The tigers themselves are noteworthy, with hides, teeth and claws as strong as steel, and understandably sought after for these qualities.
The actual Essence Token provided by this demense is a rich, damp, soot-black soil. Often, only two or three handfuls are found beneath the oldest trees or rotting deadfalls, along with thin shoots of Green Jade. Holding strong magic, the soil tends to burst into plant-life the moment sunlight strikes it, so it can only be harvested at night and must be kept in sealed clay jars. Any seed planted in this soil and then left in the sun will sprout, growing whole and healthy without suffering parasites or mundane blights. Such plants often yield two or three times their normal crop as well. The local tribes take great care to stockpile it, using it to grow crops year-round in longhouses during lean times.
The local tribes use the demense as a rite of passage and test of adulthood, in addition to making great use of its resources. One tribe in particular emphasizes admiration and embodiment of the local mancatcher tigers. Aspirants are respected greatly for surviving three days in the demense as prey. Honors and legends are made about those who successfuly stalk and kill the stalkers.
In addition to its demense rating, having access this region counts as Resources 4, if one can afford to safely hunt or harvest from it. The tigers themselves are considered Familiar 4, if one manages to win their loyalty.
Steelkeeper Pass
Earth-Aspected Demesne 2
There is a pass between two peaks of the Summer Mountains with hundred-yard walls, narrow to the point that a man could stretch out his arms and always touch the walls for two days walking. Ancient Earth Essence pushes up veins and bands of hard yellow stone, and the pass grows deeper every year if not for Elementals tending to the area.
One must take care when traversing the pass, however. That yellow stone is both its bounty and defender. Cursed by a god in centuries past, the Essence Token of this demesne loaths all things metal, rendering pickaxes and hammers brittle or rusting them to dust before a worker's eyes. Once, a foolish army tried to use the pass to attack their foe, and found all of their arms and armor falling to ruin in their hands.
Aside from the Magical Materials, only tools blessed by a long-dead god, or more common implements of wood, water or crystal can quarry the stone. Architects who know of its nature demand great quantities of it when they can get it, because the stone's properties can be adjusted as to make it nigh unbreakable by metal weapons. Many a training hall and dojo in the Realm has its walls and pillars at least partially made with this stone.
The current owner is a family of thaumaturges who lives near the pass, and have maintained attunement for three generations running. They quickly parlayed the find into a handful of mundane and supernatural alliances that made them too costly for the Satraps or petty lords to consider removing. The Realm is content to allow the current owners to maintain their control, so long as they get preferential treatment with pricing and shipments.
However, this does not mean they don't sell it to others. Thieves who work near the Summer Mountains treasure the unworked stone, for a powdered pinch of it makes short work of locks, safes and vault doors.
