Setting Information

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The Aldiea of Uncegilla Cove
The Aldiea of Uncegilla Cove is an isolated fishing village on a northern peninsula. Harsh winters and rough terrain are the primary cause for the lack of traffic to the village. To the south a treacherous mountain range cuts off all but the most determined mainland ground travelers. To the north the stormy seas and early ice make ocean voyages less than ideal. Air travel is uncommon at best in the Ninth World, and there is very little to entice those with the ability to travel to this soggy, brine caked village. Uncegilla Cove can go a year or more without outside visitors.

Being so isolated the villagers has become very self sufficient. Most of the people make their living harvesting fish from the sea. The word is harvest, rather than fish because most vessels are powered by numenera and do a lot of the work. The machines find the fish, cast the nets, haul them in, and keep the aldiea from over fishing on area. The processing is still handled mostly by the people. The peninsulas is has some farmland as well, though the growing season is short, luckily there are enough greenhouse facilities to sustain the people. Hunting and foraging in the vast forests is also done, but it is employed less commonly in favor of fish harvesting. The rest of the industry is done in the village proper and in service to the fish intake. Overall the people of Uncegilla Cove live normal lives, not dissimilar to

Do to the fact that most people earn their keep by working on the out on the ocean, the population of Uncegilla Cove lives in the aldiea itself. The general population count stands at around 250, with an increase to 340 during the winter when the ships come in. It can feel a bit crowded when the winter months drag on. When spring comes everyone rushes out of the town to get some space.


:::NOTE: The Aldiea of Uncegilla Cove is the PCs "home town" at least as far as first characters go. Even if they grew up on a farm near the village, they are from this region and familiar with all of its customs and traditions.

On Mutations
The village of Uncegilla Cove has seen quite a few abnormalities over the years. No one is sure when it started or why it happens, but sometimes people are just born different. Sometimes these differences give people true gifts, most times it is a wonder that they can survive to adulthood. These unfortunates are pitied by the townsfolk, and often segregated to the western end of town. It is a commonly seen as a shame on the family when a mutation occurs. Sometimes children are given to other mutants to raise as their own. Basically mutants are treated as second class citizens in Uncegilla Cove.

The Festival of Ascension
The Festival of Ascension is a late fall tradition. At its core, it is basically a festival to celebrate the final harvests from the farm fields.* It also celebrates the homecoming of the ships for the season. They bring in their last catches before the ice renders the ocean too dangerous and somewhat impassible. All the fishing vessels work hard to make it back in time for Ascension, but from time to time there are stragglers.

(*obviously the greenhouses work year round, this is just the open air fields)

The chief ceremony that happens during this festival is that the children who have reached adulthood participate in a race. Those that complete the course (yes, some do not complete the challenge) declare their intended careers and (ideally) find someone to apprentice with over the next year (or more depending on the profession). The challenge starts with the choosing. A man known as The Seer who lives at the top of The Spiram, a mountain to the southeast deep in the Ancient Wood. The Seer chooses those children ready to make the transition from youth to adulthood. The process begins with the delivery of a large synth egg-shaped container to each candidate. They place inside an item of personal significance then return the container to the town hall. The Seer retrieves the containers and prepares the challenge. The Seer places the containers in the Ancient Wood and the candidates must find their container and bring it to The Seer at the peak of The Spiram.

Once there they will be granted a chance at having a vision that will provide guidance for their future. Not everyone receives a vision, but those that do find them to be a great boon. After this final ceremony, the candidates return to the village and partake in a great feast. Then they spend the winter preparing for their new lives in the spring.