If you haven't seen the Melbourne, Sydney, and Auckland franchises, you are missing out on some seriously good reality TV. What makes these shows so great is that the women genuinely don't care about how they come across. They will tear each other apart, in the nastiest ways possible, without blinking an eye. Although they can get very mean, they also know how to have fun, and let loose. They are up there with RHONY and RHOA when it comes to dragging each other. This makes for almost constant fun, drama, and iconic TV moments. Here's a rundown, if you haven't had the pleasure of seeing these shows:
RHOMelbourne-
It's right up with the best seasons of RHONY, RHOA, and RHOBH. It's so much better than any of the recent American RH seasons. It's what the whole RH franchise should be, at its best. What makes the show great is that each HW has a certain persona that someone will like. If you want a sharp, quick-witted Bethenny type, there's Janet. A dumb, delusional, pot-stirring housewife who lives in her own bubble, but can still somehow be charming? Lydia. A glamorous, smart, narcissistic steamroller of a housewife? Gina. If you prefer a Martha Stewart type peacekeeper, there's Chyka, or a hippie-dippy psychic? Jackie. All the best parts of Brandi Glanville, without the messiness and general grossness? Gamble. The queen of narcissists? Pettifleur. Even the more bland ones, like Susie and Sally could give us some nice lifestyle porn. They all have something to offer to the audience, and many of them have known each other for decades. That means that their relationships are genuine, and their friendships and hostilities are mostly real. Although the show is known for the drama, the girls also know how to have fun and be silly. They're funny, brutal, and haven't had a bad season yet. Season 5 comes out later, this year.
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RHOAuckland
- Unfortunately lasted one season, but it's one of the best first-seasons of any HW franchise (not counting the unfortunate incident that got it cancelled). The cast is incredible, it's full of lifestyle porn, and the show was able to stay very entertaining, even after the major controversy. There are six housewives:
Louise (the Weakest Link lady)- An old-money alpha who trolls the other HWs for fun. Louise is the epitome of IDGAF. When called out, she'd be the first to say "Yes, I called her a gold-digging homewrecker and here's a list of reasons why." She was at the top of her game through the whole season, and was able to win every fight she was in. Her tagline is "I earned my money the old fashioned way. I inherited it.". Really sharp, funny, and a great villain type.
Gilda- A Persian Queen who is stylish, interesting, and brilliant. Gilda runs like seven different companies, and wrote a kids book about cosmology. She spends most of the season arguing with the show's main "villain". Gilda has ice in her veins, and it's really funny to watch her reactions to everything. She dropped one of the best HW burns of all time with "do you know what I heard about you...not a fucking thing". Mic drop. Erika Jayne wishes she was Gilda.
Michelle- A former model, who's basically New Zealand's answer to Naomi Campbell. She's very stylish, smart, and gorgeous. She can be rude and bitchy to the housewives she hates, and throws shade like a seasoned pro. Her friendships with Gilda and Anne was a highlight of the show.
Anne- Probably the only person who can make "classist old-money snob" seem cute and charming. She's really fun to watch, and is obsessed with cats and champagne. Anne is much older than the others, and sometimes seems like she's stuck in another era. In her freetime, she feeds stray cats all over Auckland. She's like a very likable, friendly, and less bitchy version of LVP. I liked that she was able to hang with the younger, fashionable women and have fun. I also enjoyed how she got along with Michelle, who was like a polar opposite to her in every way.
Angela-The main villain throughout the show, Angela is a very good "fun" villain. She's not dangerous, or malicious. She's very fun to hate, because of how delusional she is. Every scene she has, Angela is dripping with delusion, and has a fake serial killer smile plastered on her face. She truly thought she was New Zealand's answer to Oprah. It's really fun to watch Gilda and Louise tear her down, because she brings it on herself, with the things she says. She would constantly go up against the other big personalities on the show, just to get shut down every time.
Julia- Trash. Literally the reason why the show was canceled in the first place. She was a terrible HW from the second episode, when she goaded Anne into saying that Gilda was a gold-digger, during a private conversation. Then, she went to Gilda, and snitched on Anne. A huge dick move. She was a major gossip. Later, she lost a huge fight with Louise, and spent the rest of the the season holding a silly grudge against her. The worst thing she did was refer to Michelle (a black lady) as a "boat n-word". I don't want to spoil the show, but she called Michelle that, and tried to apologize in the worst ways possible. She even said it again, in her confessional. That was the only episode where even delusional Angela was a surprising voice of reason. The other HWs, and the show itself handled the situation remarkably well. The other women condemned what Angela said, and explained why her actions were inexcusable. Even Anne, who most would assume to be the "problematic" one, because of her age and sometimes old-timey ways, was appalled at Julia's behavior. I liked how the women either rallied around Michelle or went after Julia for what she said. The four episodes after the dreaded "n-word" one were amazing, and the show was still able to have lots of great moments. Julia and her husband later tried to sue the show, for including the scene where she says the "n-word". Unfortunately, Julia's awful behavior was what got the show canceled. The show had a very high rating throughout the whole season, and was sure to get picked up. Hopefully, they can give it a second try, without Julia. They could just replace her with two new amazing Auckland HWs. It's sad to see a franchise with so much potential fail like that, but try to see the first season if you can. It's really funny, and has lots of great moments.
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RHOSydney
It was probably the most volatile, aggressive RH show of all time. Each episode contained at least one major blow-up. The show was considered to be so controversial that it never aired in the US. Like Auckland, it was cancelled after one season, because of how mean these women were to each other. Many of them have huge personalities, and egos, which made them fight at the drop of a hat. Athena, Victoria, Krissy, and Lisa were at the center of most of the fights. It's a really funny show, if you like to see housewives fighting. At least the show never got boring.
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Athena X, who lives on her own plane drove most of the women crazy, while Lisa was just awful to everyone. Victoria would attack anyone, and threw Athena's weird cape-thing into Sydney Harbor in the first episode. Krissy and Nicole were a lot like Salt Lake City's Lisa and Meredith in that they are brunettes who look alike. Krissy got into fights a lot, and Nicole acted like she was above everyone, because she was the richest and kinda looks like Jackie Kennedy. Melissa, a former one-hit-wonder from the 90s was kinda boring because she didn't add much, and Matty, who owned a plastic surgery clinic, seemed fun and smart. If you want nonstop drama, and just plain chaos, this is the show for you.
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Here are some Sydney highlights, if you want to see 2:17 minutes of pure chaos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=789Dd06XeUs
Tl, dr: RH Melbourne, Auckland, and Sydney are some of the best RH franchises ever. You can watch Auckland and Melbourne on and Sydney on Apple TV. Melbourne and Auckland are also on youtube tv.

So a lot of us will be moving OOS for colleges and uni so i wanted to know and share a little about places/cities everybody is going to live in.
Anybody who lives/ lived in any of the following cities please comment ABOUT what is living like in these cities as a teen or young adult and i ll edit it in andalso if you wanna add more cities , please lemme know:
NYC : NYC- FUCK THE MTA. Thats it.
local food joints are a lot cheaper and far more worth it. try going to parks if the ones around you are safe (yes, there are a lot of parks in nyc. playgrounds and small fields and whatnot). learn how to walk fast because people will be very annoyed at you (rightfully) if you walk slow
DO NOT BE TOURISTY YOU WILL WASTE SO MUCH MONEY (and im 99% sure that 99% of us will be broke college students)
I kind of only have subway advice from the days before the plague lmao but: No need to fear New Yorkers, just put on your lost tourist face and almost anyone will help you out with directions or whatever. The subway fare recently jumped an extra dollar to $3.75 which really really sucks, but most colleges are located in Manhattan so you can probably just walk to a great deal of places. Ignore the rats and they’ll probably run away; your bigger problem is dick pigeons that have no fear and stare you down in the middle of the street til you walk around them. Also, generally speaking you’re better off (more comfortable) just standing on the subway than squeezing yourself in the middle seat. Also if you’re on an evening rush hour subway packed like sardines and the poor tired conductor is yelling at people trying to get on that there’s another train right behind this train, they’re usually telling the truth. Just get off and wait, because that next train is usually so empty you can even sit down. For Christ sake don’t lean on the poles, and it’s ok to stand by the doors as long as you get out of the way when people are trying to get off.
washington DC : georgetown is lovely! there’s so many fun things to do around here and during spring when the cherry blossoms bloom it’s absolutely gorgeous! the museums are super fun (i recommend the spy museum!) and the zoo gets new baby pandas every 2 years!!!! if you’re a poli sci major or business major, the internship opportunities are endless! DC has such a vibrant community and it’s such a fun place to live. there’s never a dull moment. make sure to stay out of some more dangerous areas downtown, that’s the only thing i would say is an issue. you can take the train anywhere you want, and basically everything is accessible. the food is so great too!
I'm like 15 minutes away but im still there a lot
the metro's pretty expensive for what it is, but you can get around most of the area pretty easily without too much hassle (esp compared to trying to drive into the city)
there's a bunch of free stuff to do! all of the museums are awesome (esp the botanical gardens & the sculpture garden nearby, they have ice skating in the winter!)
there are always a ton of tourists and families around the mall (at least precovid)
some parts are actually so poorly designed and really difficult to navigate, but that's mostly the richer residential areas (almost cried doing a driving lesson there)
food's pretty good but a lot of places are crazy expensive
there are some places you should definitely avoid but it's sometimes hard to tell that you're headed into them esp if construction's going on
if you are going to georgetown uni, pls pls pls try and get out of georgetown/NW DC and explore more of the city! Georgetown (the neighborhood) is expensive af and if you spent all your time buying 15 dollar salads and shopping from the boutique stores there you will be bled dry come the end of freshman year. Seriously, DC has so much culture that isn't captured in the racially and socioeconomically homogenous region of NW DC (Adams Morgan, Georgetown, Chevy Chase, Kalorama).
Highly recommend exploring all the museums (they're free) like National Gallery of Art, Natural History Museum (a classic😌), Museum of the American Indian, and Newseum (gotta pay for this one but it's worth it imo). After the museums, check out the U Street, Shaw, Logan Circle, Petworth, and Columbia Heights neighborhoods. There're a lot of cool murals that celebrate the black history of the city (DC used to be called Chocolate City). There's food from all over the world: delicious Ethiopian food in Silver Spring, MD and literally Georgian, Uighur, Uzbek, asian fusion, mediterranean, etc. restaurants all around the city, you just gotta go look for them. Eastern and Union Markets are good places to explore with friends, as well as the Wharf (go to the fish market for hush puppies and clam chowder instead of the developed area). There're a lot of great coffee and music places (Tryst, Songbird, Black Cat, Velvet Lounge, basement concerts) for like 18+ and 21+ year olds. Idk if you like clubbing Ultrabar allows 18 year olds but there are also 40 year olds who frequent those places so watch out? You can kayak at the Navy Yard, go to Zoolights, get food and walk around the city (its a pretty walkable city) if you're going on a date.
Know that DC is very much a city that's tailored towards 20 year olds. There's animosity between locals and transplants (a lot of people from around the world not from DC live in DC) because gentrification is pushing a lot of black and brown folks into the edges of NE and SE and SW. Everything around the National Mall/GWU closes after 7pm (when all the commuters from the burbs go home from their day jobs). GET OFF THE RED LINE AND EXPLORE OTHER METRO LINES PLEASE.
Seattle: if i’m being honest it really has gone downhill in the past few years, and a LOT of people are moving out of the city to get away from it lol but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some perks! the downtown area is nice by pike place and on the water, and there is some great shopping/small businesses. the area by UW’s campus can be sketchy but U-Village is a super cool area for shopping and dining!
LA: as someone from california who has spent a lot of time in LA, i personally hate it . it’s nice if u like the city and don’t mind smog and traffic but personally, i love open spaces and nature. also a lot of LA is dirty imo and it’s very expensive
You don't have to pretend to like boba if you move to southern California. The ones that always make a big deal about it are typically the ones that do it to compensate for their lack of personality from my experience.
LA is a car dependent city, and it's pretty limited where you can go using public transit depending where you go, and what area you live in. Also be mindful of where you are going, avoid places like the "jungle" or the "projects".
Food can get pretty expensive, so try to balance it out with cooking your own food or food from the dining hall if you have a meal plan. But also check out areas like thaitown, koreatown, little tokyo and other similar areas.
If you're from out of state, stay at the dorms first, and ask other people about which apartment options are the best and affordable. But this also applies to people instate as well.
Pittsburg:
(I don’t go into the city itself much but I live in the region so I’ll give this a go) I like it but I’m kinda biased. I’ve noticed a strong sports culture and good food, and quite a bit of city pride. Driving in the city is a pain from my experience (which, admittedly, isn’t frequent), but public transport isn’t great either from what I’ve heard. Has nice parks, and if you go to CMU you get free visits to the Carnegie museums. Lastly, avoid Homewood.
Edit: forgot the weather. Yeah, not the best, it’s pretty gloomy but I’m used to it, take that as you will.
Edit 2: I’m going off of both my experience and general impressions, like how I many not go to Homewood, but have heard about it on the news for crime more than some other areas and have been told to avoid it by others.
Southern California:
Wildfires are getting worse and worse every year. Before, we would only see them on the news; now we evacuate. Even if you don't have to evacuate, the bad air quality makes it horrible.
As far as the beach goes, it can get super crowded during the summer, but honestly that doesn't bother anyone too much. If you know the right places/the secret beaches, you can get an entire beach to yourself. Honestly, the beaches here are so beautiful (except for the ones that have too much seaweed :/) and I'm going to miss the beaches so much next year when I go to college :((
There are boba shops everywhereeeeee. Everyone loves boba. Even if you don't, pretend you do.
We go crazy when it rains!!!
One critique of LA specifically: the city plan is wack in terms of public transportation. The city is too spread out to make public transportation feasible, but the streets are too narrow for traffic to be avoided. There's basically traffic all the time.
SF: you WILL need a jacket, it doesn't matter that it's the bay area, the fog is cold. Also ridiculously expensive. Still, it's really close to a lot of gorgeous areas and great hikes. There's definitely a lot of homeless people, that part isn't exaggerated. The food is the BEST, there are so many options. There's so many fun things to do in the city and nearby and you definitely won't run out of ideas.
Born and Raised here and can say I throughly enjoyed it. I will be do my best to honest about my city. There is a thinly veiled facade of anti-racism here. While there is little hate crime or overt racism, this is a city where 5% of the population is black yet 30% of the homeless population is black. The working class struggle against the rich who stagnate progress on issues from housing to policing. It is absolutely expensive here, especially if you are not local and don’t know where to find cheap food and goods. Homelessness and crime is a problem here, though not quite as big as the media portrays it. The crime and homelessness is centralized in a specific area, which is avoidable and I would absolutely not recommend going to. Beyond our faults lies an amazing city, however. We value community based organizations and locally owned business. There is an incredible amount of things to do here, as well as in the rest of the Bay Area. San Francisco has all major sports teams, and an incredibly active population. Out here, We run, we hike and we bike. We enjoy the luxury of being able to be active in such a breathtaking area. Whether you want to surf in Santa Cruz or hike in Muir Woods, they are both an hour and a half away from San Francisco. Finally, the locals love the Bay. If you want to blend in, buy a Ben Davis jacket, San Franpsycho t shirt and SF Giants hat. I hope this helped and I hope you come and make your mark on this amazing city.
Also dont call it "frisco".
BOSTON: Honestly it’s a very solid college town. Perfect size and everything. Students can easily hang out with students from nearby Universities, and it’s super easy to get around with uber and the MBTA.
Boston is very public transport friendly. Great boba/food. Easily walkable too imo. Good shopping/things to do in general. Pretty expensive in the Financial District where I lived. I never felt unsafe walking alone at night in the Financial District at least.
CHICAGO: Chicago: Love the heart of downtown and has many solid things to do, good food(absolutely love the pizza) , good people, good times, good food. There are a lot of homeless people on the streets which might seem scary at first but they won't bother you if you don't bother them! It can get a pretty sketchy in certain areas, but most of the schools truly downtown are pretty separated from it all. I absolutely love the Chicago suburbs, while it might seem like some of the smaller towns don't have much to do, its usually a quick trip to the city or larger towns.
In Chicago, there are these golden weather periods where everything is perfect and the trees are green and everyone's out (even during the pandemic, albeit safely) and I think "man, this is the best city in the world, why do I wanna leave this place" and then November hits lmao
Also, go to a Cubs game. Wrigley Field is an experience you will remember.
TORONTO: UofT is so so nice! It's got an old campus feel with nice old architecture and all but the buildings are spread out throughout the downtown area so you never feel secluded at all. Everything is within walking distance but there are also subways and buses and streetcars running everywhere if you need (although waiting for them can be a major pain sometimes). The city is so multicultural so there's every kind of food from every country you can imagine! Museums/shopping/parks/restaurants are everywhere so you'll never get bored. Winter is horrible though, it's super cold and just depressing while summer is terribly hot and humid. Toronto's pretty expensive though, depending on where you're coming from.
Vancouver: This city is actually so nice but pretty expensive. You've got the mountains, beach and big city all in one place making it perfect to do outdoorsy activities but also just wander around town. UBC is kind of isolated but there are buses that take you everywhere and it just makes it feel a bit more like a campus. Definitely some areas are a bit sketchy but overall it's a safe city with tons to do and amazing food. It rains a ton here but the temperature's mild year round.
-The UBC campus is super nice! it's really pretty and the weather there is pretty mild, both in summer and winters, although it does end up raining a LOT during winter. HUUUGE asian community, especially in the richmond area, but that also means REALLY good asian food. a lot of the recreational stuff in van is like hiking/going to the beach/biking etc, since vancouver has forests, mountains and ocean, so be prepared to be active. public transport is pretty extensive, although sometimes you end up waiting 25 minutes for a bus. downtown is also pretty nice, but there' certain areas/streets (hastings, etc) that are quite sketchy. avoid those. living costs are also quite high tbh.
Montreal: love this city so much. Awesome size, affordable, diverse. Great bike infrastructure, restaurants, summer festivals, amazing Metro system. Beautiful architecture, very LGBT friendly. Downtown is very bilingual. Lots of clubs (drinking age 18), incredibly low crime rate, lively downtown, such a happy feel everywhere as soon as the weather warms up at the end of April and the terrasses open and everyone's eating outside in their jackets loving the sunshine. Winter's cooooold, ngl. You've gotta embrace it and skate outside on campus, on the river in old Montreal, in the parks, cross-country ski on the mountain, or just hunker down and study for 4 months.
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MIAMI: Miami is both amazing and horrible. The weather can be fabulous and the nature is so vibrant. When the sun is out it feels like you're living in a "indie" snapchat filter that raises the saturation. So much diversity; the cultural melting pot of America. If you want to meet people from around the world and see more cultures then come here! You better know some Spanish, because now more people speak Spanish than English down here. If you like the beaches and you can deal with the heat then Miami is perfect. Also get used to rain and you have to be comfortable with nature; ants and lizards and bugs and roaches will come into your house. Also a great place if you like art as we have many large art festivals here.
BUFFALO
ROCHESTER
ITHACA: I was born in Ithaca, but it’s been a few years since I’ve visited so take this with a grain of salt.
First of all, it’s gorgeous. Even though the town lacks in accessibility (it’s at least an hour away from major cities), it has some of the best scenery I’ve ever seen. There’s waterfalls (yes, waterfalls!) nearby and it borders Cayuga Lake as well. It gets really cold in the winter, but summers are literally perfect.
Ithaca is dominated by people associated with colleges (students, professors, etc.), and the town reflects this as well. I remember there being a lot of restaurants with options ranging all the way from vegan to Greek and there’s a pedestrian mall called the Ithaca Commons. Overall, the people are super nice, and if you decide to come here, it will definitely be 4 of the most memorable years of your life.
NEW HAVEN
ATLANTA: One thing I will say is that the roads are absolutely CRAZY. they'll be 5, 6 lane roads just running through the city and its a nightmare when you arent sure where you're going.
AUSTIN:
Austin is cool, but so many people have expectations that are just way too high. If you go and look up “best city in America” I guarantee that Austin will pull up on at least one. Austin isn’t bad, but it isn’t the idealistic wonderland that it is made out to be. It’s a real city with real issues, and just because you went for SXSW doesn’t mean that you will love it.
The Awesome: lots of interesting food choices, live music if you’re into that, excellent job opportunities after college, like a combination of Nashville, Seattle, and Texas hill country
The meh: housing prices aren’t necessarily terrible compared to places like DC or NYC, but it is much much more expensive here than in the past. Almost everyone’s houses have doubled in value in the last ten years. Do not come thinking you’re getting a cheap experience. Definitely more expensive than Houston and Dallas. Another thing that isn’t awesome is people tend to be pretentious, but not like in Dallas. It’s more pretentious in a hipster way, whereas Dallas and LA are places that are pretentious in regards to money.
The awful: traffic is terrible, because the population growth has far outpaced the infrastructure development. Another major issue is the homeless downtown. If you go to UT, expect to see several homeless people on and around campus. They are trying to solve this issue, but the crisis is worse than almost anywhere else not names Seattle or Portland. Also, tons of people wear UT merch despite never have attended the school. THE WEATHER SUCKS, in august almost every day is over 100 degrees. Winters aren’t even that mild a lot of the time like some would expect (Although it’s been warm this January). Weather is not like Miami.
Other things to know: overwhelmingly liberal downtown, suburbs tend to be mixed. Dallas, Houston and San Antonio are pretty close by, but leaving the state of Texas from Austin is at least a 5 hour affair.
DENVER
DALLAS: Uhhh Dallas is not public transport friendly at all. You need a car on campus. The DART tram goes through downtown but it can feel sketchy at times if you're alone and the stops aren't super conveniently located. Parts of Dallas also have really high crime rates but downtown and uptown aren't so bad. Oak Lawn is also a great location for nightlife/convenience in general but far ish from the universities. Rent is increasing at a relatively fast pace. Increasingly diverse foodie scene. Dallas suburbs are a better mix of lower rent but still good access to entertainment/shopping/food if you have a car and can drive (especially Plano/Frisco/Carrollton)
**PHILLY:*\*Philly is a beautiful city. If you’re going to Upenn please don’t walk off campus too far. If you’re going to Temple, rip. Go to magic gardens, every indie trendy philly teens home. Living in philly shapes you as a teen, it really is kind of like a culture. Don’t get a cheesesteak from Pat’s and don’t tell anyone you aren’t an Eagles fan.
Baltimore - The bad reputation we have is completely overblown; Baltimore is a really fun, charming quirky city that has a very distinct underdog personality to it. Charles Village, Hampden, Mount Vernon and Station North are all fun areas to explore—lots of vintage and thrift shops, trinket stores, places to eat, etc. All of these neighborhoods are extremely walkable as well. Once COVID goes away it’s always fun to see movies at either the Charles or the Parkway Theater in Station North or visit the BMA, AVAM or Walters Art Museum. Public transit isn’t great, but if you don’t have a car either the bus or the light rail can take you to the places that have the most action going on. No one goes into the Inner Harbor except tourists. Areas around JHU are completely safe as long as you aren’t doing anything stupid like looking at your phone at night with headphones in while walking around. Please make sure to be careful when you’re around roads though! We’re known to be absolutely terrible drivers haha.
Blacksburg, VA (V tech): I sent a summer on campus at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg Virginia and staying there was so nice. There are so many activities to do and on the weekends people and families visit campus to play with their dog or hangout downtown and the vibe is so amazing. There are farmers markets, hiking trails, so many farms for fruit picking. It's a college town in the middle of no where so there is just so much for Blacksburg to offer!!
ETC.
P.S all of these are comment additions so not my experiences.

Best run in terms of anything and only Male Actors
Jack Lemmon: Some Like it Hot, Mister Roberts, Three for the Show, Phffft, It Should Happen to You, Once Too Often, Cowboy, Hollywood Bronc Busters, You Can't Run Away from It, Fire Down Below, My Sister Eileen, It Happened to Jane, Operation Mad Ball, and Bell, Book and Candle.
Max von Sydow: The Seventh Seal, Miss Julie, Ingen mans kvinna, Rätten att älska, Wild Strawberries, Prästen i Uddarbo, Kvinnlig spion 503, The Magician, and Brink of Life.
Frank Sinatra: From Here to Eternity, The Man with the Golden Arm, Pal Joey, Suddenly, Double Dynamite, Meet Danny Wilson, Young at Heart, Not as a Stranger, Guys and Dolls, The Tender Trap, Meet Me in Las Vegas, High Society, Johnny Concho, Around the World in 80 Days, The Pride and the Passion, The Joker Is Wild, Kings Go Forth, Some Came Running, A Hole in the Head, and Never So Few.
Gene Kelly: Singing in the Rain, An American in Paris, Invitation to the Dance, It's Always Fair Weather, Summer Stock, It's a Big Country, Black Hand, Love Is Better Than Ever, The Devil Makes Three, Brigadoon, Seagulls Over Sorrento, Deep in My Heart, The Happy Road, Les Girls, and Marjorie Morningstar.
Ernest Borgnine: Marty, China Corsair, Vera Cruz, From Here to Eternity, Bad Day at Black Rock, The Mob, The Whistle at Eaton Falls, Treasure of the Golden Condor, The Stranger Wore a Gun, Johnny Guitar, The Bounty Hunter, Demetrius and the Gladiators, Violent Saturday, Jubal, The Catered Affair, Run for Cover, The Last Command, The Square Jungle, The Best Things in Life Are Free, The Vikings, Summer of the Seventeenth Doll, Torpedo Run, and The Rabbit Trap.
James Stewart: Bell, Book and Candle, Vertigo, Winchester '73, The Glenn Miller Story, The Man Who Knew Too Much, The Naked Spur, Rear Window, Harvey, The Greatest Show on Earth, The Man from Laramie, Strategic Air Command, Anatomy of a Murder, The Spirit of St. Louis, Bend of the River, Thunder Bay, Broken Arrow, No Highway in the Sky, The Jackpot, Carbine Williams, Night Passage, The FBI Story, and The Far Country.
Ward Bond: The Searchers, Mister Roberts, Johnny Guitar, Hondo, The Quiet Man, Singing Guns, Riding High, Wagon Master, Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye, Operation Pacific, The Great Missouri Raid, The Halliday Brand, Rio Bravo, On Dangerous Ground, Only the Valiant, Hellgate, Bullfighter and the Lady, Thunderbirds, The Moonlighter, Blowing Wild, Gypsy Colt, The Bob Mathias Story, The Long Gray Line, A Man Alone, Dakota Incident, Pillars of the Sky, The Wings of Eagles, China Doll, and Alias Jesse James.
John Wayne: The Searchers, Hondo, Rio Grande, The Quiet Man, Rio Bravo, Operation Pacific, The Wings of Eagles, Big Jim McLain, Flying Leathernecks, The Sea Chase, Trouble Along the Way, Island in the Sky, The High and the Mighty, Blood Alley, Jet Pilot, The Conqueror, Legend of the Lost, The Horse Soldiers, and The Barbarian and the Geisha.
Paul Newman: The Rack, The Silver Chalice, Somebody Up There Likes Me, The Long, Hot Summer, The Helen Morgan Story, Until They Sail, The Young Philadelphians, Rally Round the Flag, Boys!, The Left Handed Gun, and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
Marlon Brando: The Men, A Streetcar Named Desire, Viva Zapata!, Julius Caesar, The Wild One, On the Waterfront, Désirée, Guys and Dolls, The Teahouse of the August Moon, Sayonara, and The Young Lions.
Orson Welles: Othello, Touch of evil, Mr. Arkadin, Royal Affairs in Versailles, The Long, Hot Summer, The Vikings, High Journey, Ferry to Hong Kong, Compulsion, Masters of the Congo Jungle, South Seas Adventure, The Roots of Heaven, Napoléon, Man in the Shadow, Moby Dick, Three Cases of Murder, Trouble in the Glen, Disorder, The Black Rose, Return to Glennascaul, Little World of Don Camillo, Man, Beast and Virtue, and Trent's Last Case.
Montgomery Clift: The Big Lift, A Place in the Sun, I Confess, Indiscretion of an American Wife, From Here to Eternity, Raintree County, Lonelyhearts, The Young Lions, and Suddenly, Last Summer.
Tony Curtis: The Prince Who Was a Thief, Flesh and Fury, No Room for the Groom, Houdini, The Black Shield of Falworth, So This Is Paris, Six Bridges to Cross, The Square Jungle, Trapeze, Mister Cory, The Midnight Story, Sweet Smell of Success, The Vikings, Kings Go Forth, The Defiant Ones, Some Like It Hot, Operation Petticoat, Sierra, Winchester '73, Kansas Raiders, Forbidden, Son of Ali Baba, Meet Danny Wilson, All American, Beachhead, The Midnight Story, The Perfect Furlough, The Rawhide Years, The Purple Mask, Francis, Woman in Hiding, I Was a Shoplifter, and Johnny Dark.
James Dean: East of Eden, Has Anybody Seen My Gal?,Rebel Without a Cause, and Giant.
Kirk Douglas: Young Man With a Horn, The Glass Menagerie, Along the Great Divide, Ace in the Hole, Detective Story, The Big Sky, The Bad and the Beautiful, The Story of Three Loves, The Juggler, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Man Without a Star, Lust for Life, Top Secret Affair, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, Paths of Glory, The Vikings, Last Train from Gun Hill, and The Devil’s Disciple.
Alec Guinness: Last Holiday, The Mudlark, The Lavender Hill Mob, The Man in the White Suit, The Promoter, The Captain’s Paradise, Malta Story, The Detective, To Paris with Love, The Prison, The Ladykillers, The Swan, The Bridge on the River Kwai, All at Sea, The Horse’s Mouth, The Scapegoat, and Our Man in Havana.
Charlton Heston: Julius Caesar, Dark City, The Greatest Show on Earth, Ruby Gentry, The President’s Lady, Arrowhead, The Naked Jungle, The Private war of Major Benson, Lucy Gallant, The Ten Commandments, Touch of Evil, The Big Country, The Wreck of the Mary Deare, Ben-Hur, The Far Horizons, The Buccaneer, Three Violent People, Secret of the Incas, Bad for Each Other, The Savage, The President's Lady, and Pony Express
Rock Hudson: The Fat Man, Bend of the River, Scarlet Angel, Has Anyone Seen My Gal?, Magnificent Obsession, All that Heaven Allows, Never Say Goodbye, Giant, Written on the Wind, Something of Value, The Tarnished Angels, The Earth Is Mine, Pillow Talk, Winchester '73, Tomahawk, Horizons West, Twilight for the Gods, A Farewell to Arms, This Earth Is Mine, Captain Lightfoot, One Desire, Seminole, Bengal Brigade, Sea Devils, Gun Fury, Back to God's Country, The Golden Blade, Taza, Son of Cochise, The Lawless Breed, Peggy, The Desert Hawk, Iron Man, Here Come the Nelsons, Bright Victory, and Air Cadet.
Burt Lancaster: The Flame and the Arrow, Mister 880, Jim Thorpe—All-American, The Crimson Pirate, Come Back Little Sheba, From Here to Eternity, Apache, Vera Cruz, The Rose Tattoo, Trapeze, The Rainmaker, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, Sweet Smell of Success, Run Silent Run Deep, The Devil’s Disciple, Ten Tall Men, South Sea Woman, and Three Sailors and a Girl.
Elvis Presley: Love Me Tender, Loving You, Jailhouse Rock, and King Creole.
William Holden: The Horse Soldiers, Sunset Boulevard, Sabrina, Stalag 17, Picnic, The Bridge on the River Kwai, Union Station, Father Is a Bachelor, Submarine Command, Born Yesterday, Force of Arms, Boots Malone, Executive Suite, Die Jungfrau auf dem Dach, The Moon Is Blue, The Bridges at Toko-Ri, Escape from Fort Bravo, Forever Female, Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing, The Country Girl, The Key, The Proud and Profane, and Toward the Unknown.
Cary Grant: An Affair to Remember, North by Northwest, The Pride and the Passion, Houseboat, To Catch a Thief, Indiscreet, Crisis, People Will Talk, Room for One More, Dream Wife, Monkey Business, Kiss Them for Me, and Operation Petticoat.
Toshiro Mifune: Samurai Trilogy, Seven Samurai, Rashomon, Throne of Blood, Scandal, The Hidden Fortress, Conduct Report on Professor Ishinaka, Engagement Ring, Elegy, Escape from Prison, Beyond Love and Hate, Pirates, Meeting of the Ghost Après-Guerre, Fog Horn, Conclusion of Kojiro Sasaki:Duel at Ganryu Island, The Life of a Horsetrader, Golden Girl, Who Knows a Woman's Heart, Vendetta for a Samurai, The Life of Oharu, Swift Current, Tokyo Sweetheart, Sword for Hire, The Man Who Came to Port, The Last Embrace, My Wonderful Yellow Car, Sunflower Girl, Eagle of the Pacific, The Black Fury, The Sound of Waves, All is Well part 1 & 2, The Merciless Boss: A Man Among Men, No Time for Tears, I Live in Fear, Rainy Night Duel, The Under World, Settlement of Love, Scoundrel, A Wife's Heart, Rebels on the High Seas, A Man in the Storm, Be Happy, These Two Lovers, A Dangerous Hero, Yagyu Secret Scrolls 1 & 2, Downtown, The Lower Depths, Holiday in Tokyo, Rickshaw Man, All About Marriage, Theater of Life, Yaji and Kita on the Road, The Three Treasures, Life of an Expert Swordsman, Boss of the Underworld, Desperado Outpost, and The Saga of the Vagabonds.
Henry Fonda: Mister Roberts, The Wrong Man, Pictura: An Adventure in Art, 12 Angry Men, Stage Struck, The Man Who Understood Women, Warlock, The Tin Star, and War and Peace
Dean Martin: Some Came Running, Rio Bravo, Career, Ten Thousand Bedrooms, The Young Lions, Little New Orleans Girl, Pardners, Hollywood or Bust, Artists and Models, Living It Up, You're Never Too Young, 3 Ring Circus, The Caddy, Road to Bali, Money from Home, Scared Stiff, The Stooge, That's My Boy, Sailor Beware, Jumping Jacks, My Friend Irma Goes West, and At War with the Army.
Anthony Perkins: The Tin Star, Friendly Persuasion, Fear Strikes Out, The Matchmaker, On the Beach, Desire Under the Elms, Green Mansions, The Actress, The Lonely Man, and This Angry Age.
Gregory Peck: Only the Valiant, Roman Holiday, Moby Dick, Captain Horatio Hornblower, Pork Chop Hill, Beloved Infidel, David and Bathsheba, The Gunfighter, Pictura: An Adventure in Art, The World in His Arms, The Snows of Kilimanjaro, Designing Woman, On the Beach, The Hidden World, The Bravados, The Big Country, Night People, Boum sur Paris, The Million Pound Note, The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, and The Purple Plain.
Clark Gable: Mogambo, Run Silent, Run Deep, Teacher's Pet, Betrayed, Never Let Me Go, The Tall Men, Key to the City, Across the Wide Missouri, To Please a Lady, Lone Star, But Not for Me, Soldier of Fortune, The King and Four Queens, and Band of Angels.
Gary Cooper: It's a Big Country, Blowing Wild, High Noon, The Wreck of the Mary Deare, They Came to Cordura, Ten North Frederick, Love in the Afternoon, Man of the West, The Hanging Tree, Friendly Persuasion, Vera Cruz, The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell, Garden of Evil, Springfield Rifle, Return to Paradise, Starlift, You're in the Navy Now, Distant Drums, and It's a Big Country.
Robert Mitchum: Not as a Stranger, His Kind of Woman, River of No Return, Fire Down Below, The Night of the Hunter, Macao, The Racket, Where Danger Lives, The Lusty Men, River of No Return, Angel Face, White Witch Doctor, My Forbidden Past, Second Chance, One Minute to Zero, She Couldn't Say No, Bandido, Track of the Cat, The Wonderful Country, The Hunters, Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison, The Enemy Below, Thunder Road, and The Angry Hills.
Humphrey Bogart: The African Queen, The Caine Mutiny, Road to Bali, Deadline – U.S.A., Sabrina, The Barefoot Contessa, In a Lonely Place, The Left Hand of God, Sirocco, Chain Lightning, The Enforcer, Battle Circus, We're No Angels, The Love Lottery, Beat the Devil, The Desperate Hours, and The Harder They Fall.
Sidney Poitier: Band of Angels, The Defiant Ones, Porgy and Bess, Edge of the City, Virgin Island, The Mark of the Hawk, Something of Value, No Way Out, Cry, the Beloved Country, Go Man Go, Red Ball Express, Good-bye, My Lady, and Blackboard Jungle.
Takashi Shimura: Seven Samurai, Ikiru, Rashomon, Scandal, Elegy, The Idiot, Ikari no machi, Boryōku no Machi, Ore wa yojinbo, Ma no Ogen, Shunsetsu, Tenya wanya, Ginza Sanshiro, Yoru no hibotan, Ginza Sanshiro, Ai to nikushimi no kanata e, Kedamono no yado, Mesu Inu, Aoi shinju, Nusumareta koi, Hopu-san: sarariiman no maki, Muteki, The Life of a Horsetrader, Vendetta for a Samurai, Nangoku no hada, The Life of Oharu, Bijo to touzoku, Sengoku burai, Oka wa hanazakari, Minato e kita otoko, Hoyo, Fuun senryobune, Tobō chitai, Yoru no owari, Godzilla, Taiheiyō no washi, Jirochō sangokushi: kaitō-ichi no abarenbō, Asakusa no yoru, Kimi shinitamo koto nakare, Haha no hatsukoi, Shin kurama tengu daiichi wa: Tengu shutsugen, Shin kurama tengu daini wa: Azuma-dera no ketto, Bazoku geisha, Mekura neko, Mugibue, Godzilla Raids Again, No Time for Tears, Sanjusan go sha otonashi, Shin kurama tengu daisanbu, Muttsuri Umon torimonocho, Sugata naki mokugekisha, Asagiri, Geisha Konatsu: Hitori neru yo no Konatsu, I Live in Fear, Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island, Shin, Heike monogatari: Yoshinaka o meguru sannin no onna, Wakai ki, Kyatsu o nigasuna, The Underworld, Godzilla, King of the Monsters!, Arakure, Narazu-mono, Tōkyō hanzai chizu, Bōkyaku no hanabira, Throne of Blood, Sanjūrokunin no jōkyaku, Kono futari ni sachi are, Yama to kawa no aru machi, Bōkyaku no hanabira: Kanketsuhen, Kiken na eiyu, Yuunagi, Dotanba, Aoi sanmyaku Shinko no maki, The Mysterians, Ohtori-jo no hanayome, Edokko matsuri, haha, Forty-seven rōnin, Seven from Edo, Ten to Sen, Uguisu-jō no hanayome, Jinsei gekijō, The Hidden Fortress, Nichiren to Mōko Daishūrai, Ken wa shitte ita, Sora kakeru hanayome, Tetsuwan tōshu Inao monogatari, Kotan no kuchibue, Taiyō ni somuku mono, Sengoku gunto-den, Kagero ezu, The Three Treasures, Beran me-e geisha, Shobushi to sono musume, and Kēdamonō no torū michi.
James Mason: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, A Star Is Born, The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel, North by Northwest, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Bigger Than Life, Julius Caesar, A Touch of Larceny, The Decks Ran Red, Island in the Sun, Cry Terror!, Charade, Forever, Darling, The Desert Rats, Prince Valiant, The Man Between, The Tell-Tale Heart, Botany Bay, The Story of Three Loves, Face to Face, The Prisoner of Zenda, 5 Fingers, Lady Possessed, One Way Street, and Pandora and the Flying Dutchman.
Sterling Hayden: The Last Command, The Asphalt Jungle, The Killing, Johnny Guitar, Hellgate, The Star, Journey into Light, The Golden Hawk, Denver and Rio Grande, Flaming Feather, So Big, Flat Top, Crime Wave, Fighter Attack, Kansas Pacific, Take Me to Town, Suddenly, Naked Alibi, The Come On, Top Gun, Battle Taxi, Shotgun, Timberjack, The Eternal Sea, Arrow in the Dust, Ten Days to Tulara, 5 Steps to Danger, Crime of Passion, Valerie, Gun Battle at Monterey, Zero Hour!, Terror in a Texas Town, and The Iron Sheriff.
Harry Belafonte: Calypso, Carmen Jones, Island in the Sun, Odds Against Tomorrow, The World, the Flesh and the Devil, and Bright Road.
Laurence Olivier: Richard III, Carrie, Father's Little Dividend, The Magic Box, The Beggar's Opera, The Prince and the Showgirl, and The Devil's Disciple.
Jose Ferrer: Cyrano de Bergerac, Crisis, Anything Can Happen, Producers' Showcase: "Cyrano de Bergerac", Moulin Rouge, Miss Sadie Thompson, The Caine Mutiny, Deep in My Heart, I Accuse!, The High Cost of Loving, The Great Man, The Shrike, and The Cockleshell Heroes.
James Cagney: Mister Roberts, Run for Cover, Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye, The West Point Story, Come Fill the Cup, A Lion Is in the Streets, What Price Glory, Love Me or Leave Me, The Seven Little Foys, Tribute to a Bad Man, Man of a Thousand Faces, These Wilder Years, Never Steal Anything Small, and Shake Hands with the Devil.
Farley Granger: Strangers on a Train, Our Very Own, Side Street, Behave Yourself!, Edge of Doom, O. Henry's Full House, I Want You, The Story of Three Loves, Hans Christian Andersen, Senso, Small Town Girl, The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing, and The Naked Street.
Bing Crosby: High Society, Alias Jesse James, Say One for Me, Anything Goes, The Joker Is Wild, Man on Fire, White Christmas, The Country Girl, Road to Bali, Scared Stiff, The Greatest Show on Earth, Little Boy Lost, Just for You, Son of Paleface, Angels in the Outfield, Riding High, Here Comes the Groom, and Mr. Music.
Chishū Ryū: Tokyo Story, The Munekata Sisters, Home Sweet Home, Early Summer, Carmen Comes Home, The Flavor of Green Tea over Rice, Arashi, Twenty-Four Eyes, Early Spring, Tokyo Twilight, Rickshaw Man, Floating Weeds, and Good Morning.
Ray Milland: Three Brave Men, A Man Alone, The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing, A Woman of Distinction, A Life of Her Own, Copper Canyon, Dial M for Murder, Lisbon, The Safecracker, The River's Edge, High Flight, Something to Live For, Jamaica Run, The Thief, Close to My Heart, Rhubarb, Bugles in the Afternoon, and Night into Morning.
Alan Ladd: The Badlanders, The Big Land, Branded, Captain Carey, U.S.A, Shane, Botany Bay, Boy on a Dolphin, A Cry in the Night, The Man in the Net, Island of Lost Women, The Deep Six, The Proud Rebel, Saskatchewan, Drum Beat, The McConnell Story, Desert Legion, The Red Beret, The Black Knight, Santiago, Hell on Frisco Bay, Red Mountain, Hell Below Zero, A Sporting Oasis, The Iron Mistress, Thunder in the East, and Appointment with Danger.
Ben Johnson: Wagon Master, Shane, Rio Grande, Fort Bowie, War Drums, Slim Carter, Wild Stallion, Oklahoma!, and Rebel in Town.
Walter Brennan: Rio Bravo, A Ticket to Tomahawk, Singing Guns, Bad Day at Black Rock, The Far Country, Good-bye, My Lady, The Way to the Gold, Tammy and the Bachelor, God Is My Partner, Glory, At Gunpoint, Sea of Lost Ships, Come Next Spring, The Proud Ones, Surrender, Curtain Call at Cactus Creek, The Showdown, Return of the Texan, Best of the Badmen, The Wild Blue Yonder, Lure of the Wilderness, Along the Great Divide, Four Guns to the Border, and Drums Across the River.
Ralph Meeker: Kiss Me Deadly, Paths of Glory, Jeopardy, A Woman's Devotion, Glory Alley, Somebody Loves Me, Teresa, 4 Num Jeep, The Naked Spur, Big House, U.S.A., Run of the Arrow, The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown, Code Two, and Desert Sands.
Edmond O’Brian: The Turning Point, The Hitch-Hiker, 1984, The Girl Can't Help It, Julius Caesar, The Barefoot Contessa, The Greatest Show on Earth, Denver and Rio Grande, Pete Kelly's Blues, The Rack, The Restless and the Damned, The World Was His Jury, Sing, Boy, Sing, A Cry in the Night, The Big Land, Stopover Tokyo, Up Periscope, D-Day the Sixth of June, The Shanghai Story, Shield for Murder, China Venture, The Bigamist, Cow Country, Man in the Dark, Backfire, 711 Ocean Drive, The Admiral Was a Lady, The Redhead and the Cowboy, Between Midnight and Dawn, Silver City, Warpath, and Two of a Kind.
Lee J. Cobb: The Left Hand of God, On the Waterfront, 12 Angry Men, The Brothers Karamazov, The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, Party Girl, The Trap, Green Mansions, But not for me, Man of the West, The Garment Jungle, Miami Expose, The Three Faces of Eve, The Racers, Day of Triumph, The Road to Denver, The Fighter, The Family Secret, Yankee Pasha, Gorilla at Large, The Man Who Cheated Himself, and The Tall Texan.
Karl Malden: Baby Doll, A Streetcar Named Desire, On the Waterfront, The Hanging Tree, I Confess, The Gunfighter, Halls of Montezuma, Where the Sidewalk Ends, Diplomatic Courier, Time Limit, The Sellout, Bombers B-52, Ruby Gentry, Phantom of the Rue Morgue, Ruby Gentry, Take the High Ground!, and Operation Secret.
Rod Steiger: The Harder They Fall, Cry Terror!, Teresa, On the Waterfront, Oklahoma!, The Big Knife, Jubal, The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell, Al Capone, Back from Eternity, Run of the Arrow, The Unholy Wife, and Across the Bridge.
Aldo Ray: The Marrying Kind, Pat and Mike, Let's Do It Again, Battle Cry, God's Little Acre, Nightfall, The Naked and the Dead, Men in War, The Siege of Pinchgut, Three Stripes in the Sun, The Barefoot Mailman, My True Story, and Never Trust a Gambler.
Richard Conte: I'll Cry Tomorrow, The Fighter, The Sleeping City, Hollywood Story, The Raging Tide, The Raiders, The Blue Gardenia, Desert Legion, Slaves of Babylon, Highway Dragnet, New York Confidential, The Big Combo, Mask of Dust, Full of Life, The Big Tip Off, Little Red Monkey, Bengazi, Target Zero, The Brothers Rico, This Angry Age, and They Came to Cordura.
Tab Hunter: They Came to Cordura, That Kind of Woman, Gunman's Walk, Damn Yankees, Lafayette Escadrille, The Lawless, Gun Belt, The Island of Desire, Battle Cry, Track of the Cat, While We're Young, The Steel Lady, Return to Treasure Island, The Sea Chase, Fear Strikes Out, The People Against McQuade, The Burning Hills, The Girl He Left Behind, Mask for the Devil, Forbidden Area, Hans Brinker and the and Silver Skates.
Robert Ryan: Born to Be Bad, The Secret Fury, Flying Leathernecks, Hard, Fast and Beautiful, Clash by Night, On Dangerous Ground, The Racket, Horizons West, Beware, My Lovely, Bad Day at Black Rock, The Naked Spur, Best of the Badmen, Inferno, City Beneath the Sea, About Mrs. Leslie, Alaska Seas, Back from Eternity, The Tall Men, House of Bamboo, The Proud Ones, Her Twelve Men, Escape to Burma, Men in War, Odds Against Tomorrow, Lonelyhearts, Day of the Outlaw, and God's Little Acre.
Charles Laughton: Witness for the Prosecution, The Blue Veil, O. Henry's Full House, The Strange Door, Salome, Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd, Young Bess, and Hobson's Choice.
Lee Marvin: Teresa, You're in the Navy Now, The Big Heat, Gorilla at Large, The Caine Mutiny, The Glory Brigade, The Stranger Wore a Gun, Bad Day at Black Rock, Gun Fury, Attack, Seven Men from Now, Raintree County, The Rack, The Missouri Traveler, Violent Saturday, I Died a Thousand Times, Not as a Stranger, A Life in the Balance, Pillars of the Sky, Shack Out on 101, The Wild One, The Raid, Down Among the Sheltering Palms, The Duel at Silver Creek, Hangman's Knot, Eight Iron Men, Seminole, Diplomatic Courier, and We're Not Married!.
Marcello Mastroianni: Lulu, It's Never Too Late, Black Feathers, Sunday Heroes, The Mute of Portici, The Most Wonderful Moment, Fathers and Sons, Sand, Love and Salt, White Nights, Girls for the Summer, The Bigamist, Piece of the Sky, Three Girls from Rome, The Eternal Chain, Il viale della speranza, Schiava del peccato, Tom Toms of Mayumba, The Island Princess, The Miller's Beautiful Wife, Too Bad She's Bad, House of Ricordi, Lucky to Be a Woman, The Law, Ferdinando I, re di Napoli, My Wife's Enemy, Everyone's in Love, Love and Troubles, Big Deal on Madonna Street, Doctor and the Healer, Chronicle of Poor Lovers, A Slice of Life, Days of Love, Sunday in August, A Tale of Five Cities, The Accusation, Tragic Return, Eager to Live, Barefoot Savage, Paris Is Always Paris, La valigia dei sogni, Against the Law, A Dog's Life, and Hearts at Sea.
Glenn Ford: The Big Heat, Blackboard Jungle, 3:10 to Yuma, Appointment in Honduras, The Violent Men, The Man from the Alamo, Plunder of the Sun, The Americano, Cowboy, Don't Go Near the Water, Trial, Jubal, The Fastest Gun Alive, Ransom!, It Started with a Kiss, The Sheepman, The Teahouse of the August Moon, Imitation General, Torpedo Run, The Gazebo, Human Desire, Interrupted Melody, The White Tower, Convicted, The Redhead and the Cowboy, The Secret of Convict Lake, The Flying Missile, Follow the Sun, The Green Glove, Young Man with Ideas, Time Bomb, and Affair in Trinidad.
Walter Matthau: The Kentuckian, Bigger Than Life, The Indian Fighter, King Creole, A Face in the Crowd, Slaughter on Tenth Avenue, Onionhead, Voice in the Mirror, and Ride a Crooked Trail.
Jeff Chandler: Broken Arrow, Female on the Beach, Deported, Away All Boats, Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion, The Desert Hawk, Double Crossbones, Two Flags West, Sign of the Pagan, Taza, Son of Cochise, Drango, The Tattered Dress, Pillars of the Sky, The Lady Takes a Flyer, Man in the Shadow, Jeanne Eagels, Ten Seconds to Hell, Stranger in My Arms, The Jayhawkers!, Thunder in the Sun, Raw Wind in Eden, Foxfire, The Toy Tiger, The Spoilers, East of Sumatra, Yankee Pasha, Girls in the Night, War Arrow, The Great Sioux Uprising, Iron Man, The Battle at Apache Pass, Smuggler's Island, Meet Danny Wilson, Flame of Araby, Bird of Paradise, Son of Ali Baba, Because of You, Yankee Buccaneer, and Red Ball Express.
Vincent Price: While the City Sleeps, Serenade, The Ten Commandments, Son of Sinbad, The Fly, The Vagabond King, The Baron of Arizona, Adventures of Captain Fabian, Pictura: An Adventure in Art, Champagne for Caesar, His Kind of Woman, Curtain Call at Cactus Creek, Born in Freedom: The Story of Colonel Drake, Dangerous Mission, House of Wax, The Tingler, House on Haunted Hill, The Big Circus, The Story of Mankind, Return of the Fly, The Bat, Casanova's Big Night, The Mad Magician, and The Las Vegas Story.
Joel Mccrea: Wichita, Stranger on Horseback, Stars in My Crown, The Outriders, Frenchie, Saddle Tramp, The San Francisco Story, Hollywood Story, Cattle Drive, Rough Shoot, The Oklahoman, Black Horse Canyon, The First Texan, The Lone Hand, The Tall Stranger, The Gunfight at Dodge City, Fort Massacre, Trooper Hook, Gunsight Ridge, and Cattle Empire.
Van Heflin: 3:10 to Yuma, Shane, Gunman's Walk, The Prowler, Tomahawk, Week-End with Father, South of Algiers, Tanganyika, Black Widow, Woman's World, Wings of the Hawk, The Raid, They Came to Cordura, Tempest, Patterns, Count Three and Pray, My Son John, and Battle Cry.
Fred Macmurray: Woman's World, Borderline, Pushover, The Rains of Ranchipur, At Gunpoint, There's Always Tomorrow, Quantez, Gun for a Coward, The Oregon Trail, The Shaggy Dog, Good Day for a Hanging, Face of a Fugitive, Day of the Badman, Fair Wind to Java, The Caine Mutiny, Callaway Went Thataway, A Millionaire for Christy, Never a Dull Moment, The Far Horizons, and The Moonlighter.
Zbigniew Cybulski: A Generation, Ashes and Diamonds, Wraki, Kariera, Tajemnica dzikiego szybu, Trzy starty, Krzyż Walecznych, Night Train, and The Eighth Day of the Week.
Sam Jaffe: The Asphalt Jungle, Ben-Hur, The Day the Earth Stood Still, I Can Get It for You Wholesale, The Barbarian and the Geisha, Main Street to Broadway, and Les Espions.
Richard Widmark: Panic in the Streets, Hell and High Water, Warlock, The Tunnel of Love, Pickup on South Street, Don't Bother to Knock, Halls of Montezuma, Time Limit, Night and the City, Take the High Ground!, No Way Out, O. Henry's Full House, Destination Gobi, The Frogmen, Red Skies of Montana, My Pal Gus, Backlash, A Prize of Gold, The Trap, The Law and Jake Wade, The Last Wagon, Saint Joan, Garden of Evil, The Cobweb, Run for the Sun, and Broken Lance.
Yul Brynner: The King and I, The Ten Commandments, Anastasia, The Brothers Karamazov, The Buccaneer, Solomon and Sheba, The Sound and the Fury, and The Journey.
Jack Warden: The Asphalt Jungle, From Here to Eternity, 12 Angry Men, That Kind of Woman, Darby's Rangers, The Sound and the Fury, The Bachelor Party, The Man with My Face, Red Ball Express, Run Silent, Run Deep, Edge of the City, You're in the Navy Now, and The Frogmen.
Fred Astaire: The Band Wagon, Funny Face, Silk Stockings, On the Beach, Daddy Long Legs, The Belle of New York, and Royal Wedding.
Anthony Quinn: La Strada, Viva Zapata!, Lust for Life, Wild Is the Wind, The Brave Bulls, Mask of the Avenger, The World in His Arms, Funniest Show on Earth, Fatal Desire, East of Sumatra, The Magnificent Matador, Attila, Seven Cities of Gold, The Long Wait, City Beneath the Sea, Seminole, Ride, Vaquero!, Warlock, Last Train from Gun Hill, The Black Orchid, Hot Spell, Van Gogh: Darkness Into Light, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Ride Back, Man from Del Rio, The Naked Street, The River's Edge, Angels of Darkness, Ulysses, Ulysses, The Brigand, and The Wild Party.
Donald O'Connor: Francis, Curtain Call at Cactus Creek, Double Crossbones, The Milkman, Francis Covers the Big Town, There's No Business Like Show Business, Anything Goes, The Buster Keaton Story, Walking My Baby Back Home, Francis Joins the WACS, Singin' in the Rain, Francis Goes to the Races, I Love Melvin, Francis Goes to West Point, Call Me Madam, and Francis in the Navy.
John Gavin: Imitation of Life, A Time to Love and a Time to Die, Quantez, Behind the High Wall, Four Girls in Town, and Raw Edge.
Richard Basehart: Fourteen Hours, Time Limit, Moby Dick, Tension, Outside the Wall, The House on Telegraph Hill, Side Street, Titanic, Avanzi di galera, Le avventure di Cartouche, The Restless and the Damned, The Brothers Karamazov, Jons und Erdme, The Intimate Stranger, Love and Troubles, Golden Vein, The Stranger's Hand, La Strada, Canyon Crossroads, Miracles of Thursday, Il bidone, Decision Before Dawn, Angels of Darkness,Fixed Bayonets!, and The Extra Day.
Arthur Kennedy: Bright Victory, Peyton Place, The Lusty Men, Trial, Impulse, The Man from Laramie, The Ten Commandments, Twilight for the Gods, The Rawhide Years, Some Came Running, Home Is the Hero, The Desperate Hours, A Summer Place, The Glass Menagerie, Bend of the River, The Girl in White, Red Mountain, Crashout, and Rancho Notorious.
Andy Griffith: A Face in the Crowd, No Time for Sergeants, and Onionhead.
George Sanders: All About Eve, King Richard and the Crusaders, Ivanhoe, I Can Get It for You Wholesale, Black Jack, Assignment – Paris!, Call Me Madam, Journey to Italy, The King's Thief, That Certain Feeling, While the City Sleeps, Never Say Goodbye, Jupiter's Darling, The Scarlet Coat, Witness to Murder, The Light Touch, Moonfleet, From the Earth to the Moon, Rock-A-Bye Baby, The Seventh Sin, The Whole Truth, That Kind of Woman, and Solomon and Sheba.
Jack Hawkins: Mandy, Angels One Five, Twice Upon a Time, Fortune Is a Woman, The Prisoner, The Intruder, The Seekers, Front Page Story, The Bridge on the River Kwai, The Man in the Sky, Ben-Hur, Gideon's Day, The Two-Headed Spy, Touch and Go, The Long Arm, Land of the Pharaohs, The Cruel Sea, The Planter's Wife, Malta Story, The Elusive Pimpernel, The Black Rose, State Secret, No Highway in the Sky, The Adventurers, and Home at Seven.
Spencer Tracy: For Defense for Freedom for Humanity, The Actress, Bad Day at Black Rock, Broken Lance, The Old Man and the Sea, Desk Set, The Mountain, The Last Hurrah, The People Against O'Hara, Plymouth Adventure, Pat and Mike, Father's Little Dividend, and Father of the Bride.
Sonny Tufts: Gift Horse, Cat-Women of the Moon, Run for the Hills, The Seven Year Itch, Serpent Island, No Escape, The Parson and the Outlaw, and Come Next Spring.
David Niven: The Moon Is Blue, Separate Tables, Happy Anniversary, Ask Any Girl, My Man Godfrey, Bonjour Tristesse, Around the World in 80 Days, The Little Hut, Oh, Men! Oh, Women!, The Birds and the Bees, The King's Thief, The Silken Affair, Happy Ever After, Carrington V.C., The Love Lottery, The Toast of New Orleans, The Lady Says No, Appointment with Venus, Soldiers Three, Happy Go Lovely, and The Elusive Pimpernel.
Off of Personal Preference Glenn Ford, Gene Kelly, and William Holden are my top three.

each locale should have a simple description, and a number(I did 3) of clarifying questions that could be answered to figure out exactly what the locale is

1. A shrine far away from civilization. (what is it a shrine to?)(where is it?)(how did it get here?)
2. A lost city.(what culture lived in it?)(how did it become lost?)(what might be found here?)
3. A strange crashed vehicle(what kind of vehicle is it?)(where is it?)(how did it become crashed?)
4. A monument.(who/what does it acknowledge?)(who put it there?)(why was it put here?)
5. The skeleton of an unusual creature.(what creature is it?)(how old is it?)(how did it get there
6. An enormous hive. (what made it?) (what food does whatever made it store inside [like how ants keep aphids or bees store honey]?) (what preys on whatever made it?)[u/Splendidissimus]
7. A precise ring of stones. (what is carved on them?) (why are they arranged this way?) (where did the stone come from?)[u/Splendidissimus]
8. A solitary burial mound. (who is buried here?) (why is it so isolated?)[u/Splendidissimus]
9. A great face carved into a cliff. (who does it represent?) (who carved it?) (why here?)[u/Splendidissimus]
10. A collapsing bridge. (why hasn't it been maintained?) (what is it made of?) (a bridge over what?)[u/Splendidissimus]
11. A signpost in the middle of nowhere. (Where does it point to?) (How well made is it?) (How old is it?) [u/landiske]
12. A broken bell tower rings every night. (How is it ringing?) (Why is it broken?) [u/Lunarshotlabs]
13. A naval ship crashed miles inland (how did it get here?)(What was the ship for?)(What’s inside?)(Were there any survivors of the crash?)[u/FastTurtle9]
14. A circle of trees so dense that you need to enter from above (How did they grow so tightly packed?)(Is it protecting something?)(This seems like some fey stuff, is this some fey stuff?)[u/FastTurtle9]
15. A frozen oasis in a sweltering desert. (How is it staying cool?) (Is the wate ice safe to consume?)(Would the ice melt if removed from the oasis?)[u/FastTurtle9]
16. A clockwork war machine broken down with a hole in its hull. (Is there anyone inside?)(Is is fixable or usable?)(Are there parts left inside that could be useful?)(What was powerful enough to break a hole in the metal exterior?)[u/FastTurtle9]
17. A large beast injured and dying from a poisoned arrow in its chest (Is it still dangerous while it’s alive?)(Is whatever shot it hostile?)(What kind of poison was powerful enough to take down such a large creature with one dose?)(Should we kill it to put it out of its misery?)(Does it have any young nearby?)[u/FastTurtle9]
18. A mostly-rubbled castle with an untouched, pristine throne.(Who built it originally?) (How did the castle become ruined?) (Why is the throne still intact?)[u/YOUFACEDUROXAS]
19. A little pond that's absolutely teeming with so many brightly colored frogs. (Why do the frogs gather here?) (Are they poisonous, or magical?) [u/YOUFACEDUROXAS]
20. A battlefield, where only skeletons and broken weapons remain (who fought here?) (how many people fought here?) (who won?)[u/TheMultiuniverse]
21. A large campsite (who is camping here?) (what are they doing here?) (how large is it?)[u/TheMultiuniverse]
22. A screaming man, petrified into stone (why was he screaming?) (what petrified him?) (how did it petrify him?)[u/TheMultiuniverse]
23. A decrepit gallows with a skeleton hanging from a rope (who was the skeleton?) (how decrepit was it?) (why was it not maintained)[u/TheMultiuniverse]
24. A skeleton of an enormous creature which houses a village inside it (what creature was it?) (how did it die?) (why was a village established here?)[u/TheMultiuniverse]
25. A door in a wall which leads to nowhere (why is the door here?) (why does it leads to nowhere?) (did it used to lead to somewhere?)[u/TheMultiuniverse]
26. A pool of crystal clear water which animals refuse to wander near (why do the animals refuse to wander near it?) (how clear is it?)[u/TheMultiuniverse]
27. A ghost town (How long ago was it abandoned?) (Why did the inhabitants leave?) (Is the reason for them leaving still here?)[u/Vayeq]
28. A cave (How large is the cave?) (Does anything live within it?) (Is it safe to stay inside of it?)[u/Vayeq]
29. The wreckage of a village (What destroyed the village?) (How many, if any, people died in the incident?) (How long ago did it happen?) (Why did it happen?)[u/Vayeq]
30. A carnivores' den (What animal lives here?) (Are they dangerous?) (How many of them stay there?) (When will they return?)[u/Vayeq]
31. A wizard's tower (Is the wizard in?) (Who are they?) (Will they hurt you?) (What loot do they have?)[u/Vayeq]
32. A large statue (Who are what does the statue depict?) (What significance does it have to the community?) (Who created and who funded it?)[u/Vayeq]
33. A house of worship (What religion practices here?) (How popular is this religion?) (When do they worship?) (Would they be welcoming and helpful to guests?)[u/Vayeq]
34. A dungeon [as in jail] (Who runs this dungeon?) (How are the prisoners treated?) (Are they deserving of being released?) (How would releasing them affect you?)[u/Vayeq]
35. A tavern (What kind of people drink here?) (Who runs the place?) (What kinds of events go down here? Deals? Performances? Fights?)[u/Vayeq]
36. A stone wall (Who put this wall here, and why?) (What's on the other side?) (How can you get past it?) (Is it keeping you out, or something in?)[u/Vayeq]
37. A lone run-down tavern deep in the woods with several patrons and a bartender. (Where did/do the patrons come from?) (Who built the bar here and why?) (What goes on here?) (What do they sell or serve?) [u/Woden888]
38. A giant staircase leading up... You can't see to where. The lowest step towers above your head (who built this staircase?)(where does it lead?)(what type of creatures would need such large stairs?)(is it worth trying to climb?) [u/vboy315]
39. An ordinary-looking town... except it's tiny, the tallest tower reaching just to your knees. (Inhabited? Built as a toy or model, or for actual use? Was it shrunk, or did it start that way?)[u/gnurdette]
40. A giant treehouse. (Still in use? What's wrong with building on the ground?)[u/gnurdette]
41. A great house set in a lake; a causeway of stones leads to it, each stone barely within jumping distance of the last. (What motivated this defensive position? Did the defense work?)[u/gnurdette]
42. A hollowed-out pumpkin the size of a house. (Is Peter a humble farmer with a green thumb, or a powerful druid? Does his wife like the nursery rhyme, or is she sick of it?)[u/gnurdette]
43. A footpath worn waist-deep into solid rock by countless feet over countless millennia. (What does it connect? Is it still in use?)[u/gnurdette]
44. A series of dead and hollow trees like great standing pipes. When the wind blows, mysterious and distinctly musical sounds emanate. (Do the tones foretell or cause events? What happens when the music changes?)[u/gnurdette]
45. A rambling wooden building whose walls zigzag wildly and senselessly. (Warped after construction by some magic, or built that way? Was the builder mad, or was there a magical or mysterious purpose?)[u/gnurdette]
46. The fallen and abandoned nest of an enormous bird. (Has anything moved into it? Does this bird or its species still live in the area?)[u/gnurdette]
47. An orchard of large blue fruits resembling nothing the party has ever seen. (From a distant land, or a unique creation? Is it simply food, or something more powerful or dangerous? Is the orchard planter present? Will they share, sell, or defend the fruit?)[u/gnurdette]
48. A bridge built above a "river" that isn't there. (Was there a river? What happened to it?)[u/gnurdette]
49. A place where the vegetation suddenly turns into a wild growth of all kinds of flowers. when you step into the patch it feels sunny and warm no matter what the season is and it is clear that it is an uncommonly dense patch of flowers.(what kind of place is it in?) (Why are the flowers growing here?)[u/Burghazar]
50. A large sinkhole in the middle of the desert. (How did it get made?) (How deep is it?) (Where does it lead?)[u/2Stressed2BeBlessed]
51. A grand plateau in the badlands that has a mansion on top. (Who built the mansion?) (Why on the plateau?) (Does anyone still live in it?)[u/2Stressed2BeBlessed]
52. A cemetary with only hollow graves. (Why are the graves empty?) (Was there anyone buried here?) (If so, where are the bodies?)[u/2Stressed2BeBlessed]
53. A circular labyrinth. (Who built it?) (What is at its center?) (Why was it built?)[u/2Stressed2BeBlessed]
54. A prison built for highborn hostages who must be kept respectfully in elegant, attractive, and comfortable circumstances, but carefully guarded nonetheless. (Still in use? Is anyone trying to get the hostages out?)[u/gnurdette]
55. A series of terrifyingly large footprints. (How old? What kind of creature made them? Is it still around?)[u/gnurdette]
56. A dense network of canals, making the area easier to navigate by small boat than on foot. (For irrigation, transportation, or both? Still actively used? Who else travels them?)[u/gnurdette]
57. A sky island atop steep slopes, with radically different environment than the surroundings. The sentient inhabitants (if any) may believe they're the only people in the world. (Unique flora and fauna? Any secret way to/from?)[u/gnurdette]
58. A burned-over wasteland ravaged by a huge wildfire. (Were there sentient inhabitants? Did they flee? Are they trying to return?)[u/gnurdette]
59. A land made uninhabitable by impossibly frequent and violent storms. (Is there a supernatural cause? Can it be reversed?)[u/gnurdette]
60. A miraculously fertile land, where plants grow at an almost visible speed. (Do its crops make it rich? Who controls the wealth and what do they do with it?)[u/gnurdette]
61. A land at absolute peace, where harm is unknown and even normally predatory animals are vegetarian. (How does this happen? What prevents violent intruders from ruining it?)[u/gnurdette]
62. An artificial floating city - think a thousand connected houseboats - capable of striking its monumental anchor and moving. (Who built it? Why?)[u/gnurdette]
63. Buildings made from living trees, their growth manipulated bonsai-style to shape them as desired. (Who lives there?)[u/gnurdette]
64. A deep, steam-belching well whose bucket brings up magma, not water. (Who built it, and why?)[u/gnurdette]
65. A region continually cloaked in thick, opaque mists where even full noon is dimmed to twilight. (What hides in the dimness?)[u/gnurdette]
66. A village constructed on an old battlefield, with wreckage of the battle reclaimed as construction material. (Are the inhabitants survivors or descendants of combatants?)[u/gnurdette]
67. A slum at the base of a cliff beneath a wealthy city. The city residents throw their trash down onto them, where they sift it for what can be salvaged. (What determines whether people live in the city or the slum?)[u/gnurdette]
68. In a treeless land, a village constructed largely from bones. (Of large animals? Of a large lost cemetery?)[u/gnurdette]
69. An air-filled underground chamber that can only be reached by submerged caverns, like Grendel's lair. (Is the air replenished by a connection to the surface, or will it run out when used?)[u/gnurdette]
70. A city straddling a river gorge where the bridges have grown so dense that they have completely covered it over, making the gorge into a tunnel. (Are all the bridges in good repair?)[u/gnurdette]
71. An annual fair so large that it amounts to a huge temporary city of tents. (Does it move between years?)[u/gnurdette]
72. A city dominated by a religious institution, such that all or most of the inhabitants are clergy. (Are there rival sects or factions? How do they interact?)[u/gnurdette]
73. A building (library, tavern, palace, etc.) that straddles more than one plane of existence. (Can you exit into a different plane than you entered from?)[u/gnurdette]
74. A clamshell or snail's shell the size of a building. (Is anyone living in it? Or did anyone hide something in it?)[u/gnurdette]
75. A storehouse of preserved carcasses (salted, frozen, dried, etc.) (Stored by whom? Human carcasses?)[u/gnurdette]
76. A fallen, Sequoia-sized tree, hollow and forming a tunnel (Hollow by rotting or did someone hew it out? Where does it go to?)[u/gnurdette]
77. A cave behind a waterfall (What's inside?)[u/gnurdette]
78. A zoo - normally-wild animals kept penned (Who keeps it? Are they trained? To do what?)[u/gnurdette]
79. Great platforms hanging by chains (How do you move between the platforms - bridges, ladders, jumping?)[u/gnurdette]
80. A pattern of megaliths over a wide area converging on a central point (what magical or ceremonial purpose?)[u/gnurdette]
81. Underground cavities so close to the surface that large weights / heavy impacts can break through (natural or artificial cavities? What's in them?)[u/gnurdette]
82. A temple to the god of lightning, atop a tall mountain that really does get struck a lot. (How do the priests and worshipers survive, or do they? Do the lightning strikes charge some storehouse of power?)[u/gnurdette]
83. A hot spring being used as a giant soup pot. (Who's cooking? Um, is that a vegetarian soup?)[u/gnurdette]

BC.150
● Newly exposed and volatile material creates a geothermal cascade event throughout the Ring of Fire which leads to a global, cataclysmic tectonic superdisaster called “the Calamity”, a series of volcanic eruptions (most infamously including the Yellowstone Supervolcano) and devastating earthquakes. The subsequent, literally Earth-shattering and altering destruction dismantles the entire world order and effectively ends civilization as humanity knows it, and the only things left from this old era to document the catastrophe properly are sparse historical artifacts and records.
● Immediately following the Calamity, the volcanic winter spewed creates a new Ice Age called the “Long Cold”. By blotting the sun out, entire crops, natural fauna, and consequently ecosystem-dependent beings are utterly destroyed, and millions die worldwide from starvation, famine, and cascading environmental conditions. Numerous more survive by ironically huddling around the geothermal hotspots to provide warmth and soil.
BC.150-0
● The Mercenary Cabal is established from a band of warlords. Over the bigger part of following centuries, they would operate as the shadow organizer behind mercenary affairs, as well as pull the strings on criminal and military power balance-related activities and numerous historical events around the world through its mercenaries.
● During the Long Cold, infighting occurs between cities and territories in the North American continent. Right before the end of this period, the United Cascadian Republic (or simply Cascadia) is formed from those factions, on the former territories of Canada (British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and Yukon), Mexico (Sonora, most of Chihuahua, Baja California, and Baja California Sur), and the US (West Coast, New Mexico, most of Colorado, western Nebraska, and both Dakotas) on a demand to normalize relations across the Western Seaboard. Sandwiched between the Yellowstone Supervolcano and the Ring of Fire’s eastern edge, it is revered as the most powerful nation in the Northwestern Hemisphere, thanks to its sheer amount of geothermal and cordium deposits. Its capital is based in the land of the former area of San Francisco (now called the Golden Ocean) and called Presidia (45.41’33'' N, 121.33'7'' W), the largest city in the Northwestern Hemisphere. The capital derives its name from the former Presidio of San Francisco, now renovated and turned into the main governmental office of the country.
o With blood feuds between the old factions still persisting, the Cascadian National Guard, the country’s main defense force, is created, and among the first moves by the organization is to create facilities between highly contested factions in order to dissuade any final grievances from being carried out. One example is the Brite Fortress (41.10’13'' N, 124.2'53'' W), located in the Inertia region’s Audrerie Valley, which would gradually become a mere secondary logistics depot.
o The new country’s primary mainland is the detached “island” portion mid-continent and has a diverse hemisphere climate, with blistering deserts in its south/east (“the Dustlands”, formerly the North American Wilderness) and a snowy tundra to its north. It is also split by the Sea of the ScaScarred Sea, which is entirely made up of sunken US (all of Arizona and parts of five states; Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana) and Canadian (small southern portions of Saskatchewan and Alberta; central portions of British Columbia) states.
o Alongside Presidia, the second most powerful founding city of Cascadia is Solstitium (located in Twin Falls, Idaho) due to its overabundance of geothermal and cordium deposits and being ruled by the Solis family. The other founding member is Salt Lake City-based Prospero (40.51’44'' N, 115.43'23'' W), which would grow to become the main economic commerce hub in the hemisphere. Powered by an inactive volcano, the hub is also considered the world’s busiest airport due to enormous airship and naval traffic and a considerably large population supporting the city operations.
o Rumors persist for centuries that the Golden Ocean, before the Calamity, was built on gold, leading potential treasure hunters to dive underwater for such material wealth.
o Besides Christianity (and probably other religions), one of the newly created state religions is the Church of Dust, centered around the “Dust Mother” figure. One of the new religion’s holy books is the Book of Fire, and an example of a passage from there is the First Perdition, specifically positing about the figure creating and returning living beings to her through dust. The other sentence is about burial “in the ash of our forefathers” leading to “seeing us in flames”.
BC/AC.0
● The Long Cold officially ends on this year, leading to international communications being restored and the world’s surviving nations organizing a base zero year called the “After Calamity (or simply AC)” Era after determining the human race’s continuing, adaptive existence and advancement remains unaffected by the Calamity, mainly thanks to man’s general resourcefulness and tribalist survival instinct. Even as the world remains forever scarred and changed, the average citizen lives very comfortably and safely, from the rural to the metropolitan kind, and to most of the developed world, the Calamity is “ancient history”.
● The Ring of Fire’s activity, despite remaining active at a much more sustainable level, continues contributing to volcanoes and earthquakes that remain a constant presence to those who call the area home. Ironically, despite the zone’s devastating consequences, it has also provided a wealth of geothermal veins and deposits of a crystallized combination of dielectric materials, native metals, and still yet to be understood anomalous compositions called cordium. The new mineral has been churned up in the crucible of the Deep Earth Mantle, and stories are abounding in the immediate post-apocalypse about dangerous, reactive rock formations singlehandedly powering abandoned facilities that have survived the Calamity as if “haunted by powers beyond understanding”.
o The Yellowstone Supervolcano has an exclusion zone erected around it due to being the most massive eruption in the Calamity. Over the following centuries, however, its eruption remains would all but evaporate, with sprawling wilderness covering most of the continent east of the zone. Still, Cascadian legislation maintains a buffer zone around the area due to unmapped territory and the occasional, albeit dangerous geothermal flareups.
o With the rise of numerous micro-islands and landmasses around the world (and many more yet to be discovered in the AC Era), traversal over the Pacific Ocean is hazardous, given the absence of updated maps and the nascence of deep-water hazard research. Because of this, ships in the ocean oftentimes rely on courses chartered by geothermally evolved whales for safe passage in dangerous waters.
o Cordium has since become one of the most crucial energy resources in the AC Era after being properly studied once mankind returns to its pre-Calamity development level, which enables research and development that can take advantage of the easily available geothermal deposits. In fact, the first political relationships right before and after year zero are based around those with access to the energy veins.
o Research on cordium has led to three simple stages to power generation from it: The first step is placing/absorbing it into a secure engine, before a catalyst is put on the cordium, triggering a reaction cascade which is contained by said engine until it settles into safer and manageable levels. In this condition, cordium basically becomes a slow-burning power supply for machines magnitudes larger than itself. However, due to its volatile nature, the opposite (household/personnel use size) has proven to be difficult or impractical, and synthetic cordium supply creations along with weaponization of its more destructive resonant output has been unsuccessful.
o The nascent, volatile mineral, despite being difficult to mine for, becomes a necessary labor for world energy producers, with the most efficient methods being spinoffs of old deep-sea drilling, specifically great industrial rigs over magma and geothermal fields.
o Not every nation is dependent on geothermal energy or cordium, however; those of the example are designated as “the Periphery”, who may or may not be self-sufficient in their own right and probably even powerful. Most of them, however, still rely on modern technology and infrastructure which heavily favors the above two resources. One example is the backwater Creole Republic, which sustains itself as an Atlantic Ocean port of call. With a territory comprising the southern parts of the former US states of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, as well as western parts of Florida, the majority of world governments share a similar size.
o The Periphery’s existential growth is helped by Cascadia, which makes its capital a connection between the wider world and the Periphery. Presidia, in turn, starts hosting commerce in ports from throughout the world, and from this point on, much of Cascadia’s geothermal output travels through Presidia. The Periphery is also helped by mercenaries, who have now become commonplace thanks to the Mercenary Cabal. The mercenaries usually serve as a stand-in for their own militaries, but also take on NGO gigs like territorial raiding or bounty hunting. Ranging from the common soldier to EW specialists, all mercenaries share a common goal of seeking the bottom line.
o One consequence of Cascadia’s vast riches and size, however, is a quality-of-life inequality. Specifically, while many have a sub/urban life along Cascadia’s more populated regions, several of the wilderness-based areas have tribal groups and lone families still living off the land. Additionally, the Dustlands’ inhabitants often clash against Cascadia’s border communities and National Guard, although the smaller in-continent nation states prop up support from time to time.
o In general, most modern nations opine that cordium has outweighed the cost of dealing with the Ring of Fire’s natural disasters. However, many experts warn that further endeavor into the fractures – basically the planet’s opened-up wounds – would be a dangerous, if not inevitable, catalyst into further disaster.

​
Start of the Book (First Chapter)
​
Previous Chapter __//__ Next Chapter
​
It was almost as if my razor-edged fingers got sharper still as I looked down onto Grlin with my cyan demonic eyes. His wide shoulders and the imposing figure appeared far less impressive when he stood mere steps from my predatory form.
I leaned forward ever so slightly, inhaling the fresh riverside air. The wooden deck creaking under my weight. Yet, Grlin didn't even flinch, standing as firm as the ship's mainmast.
"But first..."- my demonic voice as deep as ever- "I wanna hear your side of the story."
Western winds blowing between us, pushing onward the sails of our stolen merchant galleon. The heat of the summer sun absorbed by my hardened dark-gray skin.
"My Dreadlord?"- a question mark appearing over his ash-skinned face, and I noticed that his features had turned less human, the cheekbones evermore pronounced, skeletal—the look of a brute only a mother could love.
"Retell me the events of the last night. I am interested in knowing how you ghouls managed to take the Citadel on your own."- hot air reeking from my nonexistent lungs.
I sighed, glancing down at my torso that still bore deeply carved traces of the damage I had suffered. Even though many wounds have closed, my chest and abdomen looked like a barb-wire had whipped me.
"Ah! That..."- There was a speck of pride in Grlin's voice -" well indeed, my Dreadlord, it was a ghastly matter. The first thing I remember after the darkness took me is waking up on the floor of the Citadel's infirmary."
I nodded, holding onto a part of my upper stomach that still had a single rib half-exposed, a thin layer of dark-gray skin slowly growing over it.
"Two soldiers standing next to me urgently brought water, commenting something along the lines of: 'We knew you would make it, Sargent! You tough son of a bitch!'... they didn't yet know what was about to happen." -he paused- "But that is irrelevant. Long story short--"
"No..."- I raised my hand, cutting him off- "Tell me everything, every fricking detail."
My eyes now sharply narrowing at him, the demonic senses expanding. Further at the stern of a ship, I discerned a few ghouls slicing a large piece of dry meat and sharing it equally among themselves.
"Oh, sure, my Dreadlord."- I again sensed pride seeping from his words.
Suddenly, I had the patience of a saint as Grlin began retelling his account of the events. My mind focused on memorizing any detail or discrepancy that might give me a clue about his real intentions and loyalties.
He forcefully cleared his throat -"The moment I tried to get up from the bed, I felt sick, nauseous really. My head hurt as if I had mixed a bottle of red and white wine the night prior. The next thing I know, I am throwing up, my insides convulsing, vomiting a waterfall worth of stuff. The soldiers next to me calling for help, saying I turned deadly pale."
"Aham"- I motioned for him to continue.
"A clumsy scholar ran over to bring medicine but almost slipped and fell atop of me."- Grlin paused- "Probably would have if the soldiers didn't grab him. Uhhh."
Somehow I even had an idea which scholar he was talking about. Still remembering that guy from the laboratory who failed to throw a bucket of water at my 'dead' body. The man to whom the act of giving a knife amounted to assisted suicide.
"Everything was yet hazy at that time. But it quickly became obvious to my reasoning that something was off, seriously so." -he inhaled- "I could suddenly remember every single word human Grlin said in his life, but couldn't speak a tone of it. I... I am not sure how I could describe it."
His left feet nervously tapped on the wooden floor - "Umm... imagine if you can, my Dreadlord, that you memorized a song you heard, so much so that you could sing its tune from the start to end, but you couldn't remember what it was called for the life of you."
That seemed off to me, but I could recognize the feeling he expressed-"Unusual... What happened after?"
"Well, my senses, my mind, it... it spread, began revealing everything to me. Deriving the right conclusions from almost nothing, regardless of what crossed mind."- his hollow eyes blinked-" Why, for example, I was vomiting."
Astonishingly, it turned out the reason his body had been trying to expunge the context of its stomach with religious zeal was due to the concoction containing the holy metal that he and other soldiers drank before going to 'battle' with me.
Something the humans explicitly did so that the demons couldn't derive much utility out of their bodies in the case they died. To protect their souls and flesh in other ways if their weapons and training failed to do so.
"Wait a minute..." - a sudden influx of knowledge reached my mind - "Weren't those potions supposed to stop corpses from transforming into ghouls?!"
One of the sailes above me got struck by a gush of wind, inflating its surface, the rope connected to it now straining. The blue flag at the top of our ship rippling violently.
"Indeed they are, my Dreadlord... but I suspect the dose we took was awfully inadequate due to the sheer potency of your silver blood. Not to mention they considered you to be a hardkill, not a ghoul raising corpse-lord."
I took a step back, awestruck as my mind got overwhelmed by concepts and ideas arriving seemingly from nowhere. Like when you remember where you left your damn keys.
An echo of Nikolen's education and a paragraph I remembered from Encyclopedia Demonologica, adding weight to Grlin's words.
​

It made no sense to rush down at the enemy which was now gaining some sense. Ghouls grouping up in large numbers, keeping a check on us. In turn, my men took out their potions and drank them*, even though no order was given, their hands never shaking. Many of them were severely too experienced at this point as to not know what ought to be done. After all, a number of them were the survivors of the previous decade. Grateful determination in their eyes. Soul to faith, life to state indeed.*

​
But there was even more to it, eerily so.
The concoction in question contained a mix of numerous other ingredients besides the dust of holy metal, some of which raised one's heartbeat rate to dangerous levels -but increased stamina in doing so- others yet dulled one's sense of fear or pain—slowing the possible onset of panic.
What exactly they used to achieve such an effect differed somewhat depending on the alchemists who produced it and available ingredients at a time. But the general formula was well documented.
The end product being a rudimentary performance-enhancing combat drug the soldiers of this world used as a norm. Whatever it took to give them an edge.
Yet, there was a steep price to pay for its use, as the main mixture was, in fact, a slow-acting poison that would surely drop you dead by a third day if you failed to take an antidote.
And that wasn't an unintended side-effect either, but rather one of the potion's main features, as it meant a soldier would not live for long if he was to get captured by the servants of darkness. Thus depriving them of a chance to use the prisoner as cattle for milking blood.
Meaning it was standard practice for every man to take a delayed suicide pill before stepping on the field of battle—Everything to starve out the demons, even more so in defeat.
Making it clear that you would either win or die. Leaving you not much of another option.
"My fucking God!"- I literally felt my mind struggle -as if solving a math equation- to comprehend the level of fanaticism these people held for fighting demons. A scorched-earth policy brought to the extreme.
Grlin looked at me with a dose of confusion but didn't say a thing. Unaware of what was going through my mind. Grayson, too, glanced at us, the strength of my voice not so easy to ignore.
The obsidian tail rose into the air as I, too, started connecting the dots and clues I never discerned prior.
Herd mentality and cultural norms often made large groups of people do things no individual would ever try—That was pretty much how you got the army on the field in the first place. But I still couldn't help myself be shocked by the suicidal - all or nothing- nature of their approach to combating the darkness.
Yet, that was not the end of it.
The alchemists like Nikolen were also tasked with producing a plethora of other such suicidal potions too. The ones for civilians designed to act instantly and painlessly. Those intended for children even contained sugar, an expensive commodity, so they might enjoy their last taste instead of resisting it. A much preferable fate to being eaten alive, your soul consumed.
Another passage from Encyclopedia Demonologica now eerily clear to me.
​

We waited for nobody… I can't tell you how it pained me to see a group of elderly left behind, I was still too young and inexperienced for it not to shake my soul. Sadly, their slow pace of walk endangered us all while carts and horses were already filled with children, wounded and women. While the time was of the utmost essence. We left them just enough vials, and never saw them again, what has happened all but obvious.

​
Then a different part of the book where Pareus had argued with some aristocrat flashed through my mind too.
​

"Yes, we will!! Faith be with us ..."-I paused to inhale-" But we must do more! Order the slaughter of all the livestock and start salting the meat now! Tell the older folks to pray and make their peace, give them vials*. Then prepare the town for the last stand."-my silver irises unwavering.*
The aristocrat looked at me aghast-" You can't be serious!?!"

​
The level of uncompromising cruelty these people were ready to accept as a common-sense behavior disturbed me, even after all I have been through.
Old people being expected to commit preemptive suicide if there was even a hint the demons might be near. So as to preserve more food for the city in the case of the siege.
Practicality before sentimentality... to the extreme.
"Huh?"-only for the memories I gained from Nikolen to remind me that residents of Nih city failed to do any of that. Mostly due to the fact, Lord Belin and other co-conspirators knew the truth behind my sudden appearance, so they did not even think about calling for the implementation of such drastic measures.
Not to mention how Nih city's granaries were full to the brim; thus, the collective suicide of their elderly population made little sense in the grand scheme of preserving food.
However, there was no telling what would happen next with the Inquisition arriving. Even more so after the battle they just fought against me.
"My Dreadlord, is everything alright."- Grlin finally broke my stumped silence.
I inhaled slowly, straightening my posture- " Yeah, I just had to think something through. Things are just not what I expected them to be. "
"Hmm, I see."- he nodded- "Might I be of some help there? "
The sound of sails moving, caressed by the western winds and the echo of the ropes being pulled spread across the deck. A few ghouls on the starboard tried their best to control the ship and rig the sails. Luckily though, we were going down this huge river, so wide it almost seemed like we were on a lake; thus, their seamanship wasn't put to the test. As they obviously lacked experience and know-how, compensating for it with their greater physical attributes that allowed them to scale the masts like a squirrel climbs a tree.
I shook my head- " No, nevermind it... rather proceed on about the Citadel."
"Oh, right."- his chests rose-"As I was saying... my physical condition was far from perfect, my skin turning paler by the minute. It was merely a matter of time before those unaffected tried to talk to me. Some of the other survivors started vomiting soon after. "
He looked to the side for a moment, as if reflecting his memories off of the river -" It was strange to remember everything from the time I lived. To recognize the people around me, to know how long you served with some of them. Men you fought side by side with. And to only be able to see them as a threat. Yourself now focused on dealing with the obstacle they presented. "- his words deep, yet lacking any emotions.
However, one of the things he said imprisoned my attention immediately.
"Fought side by side? Huh? Against whom!?"- because as far as my stolen knowledge served me, the Noble Parliament has been prospering in peace and rising trade for the last century or so. Its internal conflicts never escalating beyond political treachery, bribes, and stolen business opportunities.
"Well, overwhelmingly against Sickskin tribes of the East, my Dreadlord. Though I did serve in Ohemia during the peasant rebellions too. "
I was about to ask him countless questions not a second later. Yet once again, the concepts he spoke of became clear to me as if I was one of the inhabitants of this world.
Ohemina, for example, was a landlocked kingdom size of Ireland located to the south-east, beyond the Jaw mountains. Its ruling dynasty almost got dethroned a few years back by a public uprising, but the mercenaries they hired saved the day, mercilessly so.
However, the Sickskins were a different thing entirely. A foreign race considered nothing more but uncivilized brutes, notorious for being carnivores, allegedly even cannibals.
Even Nikolen, with all of his education, thought the worst of them. As faithless savages whose only redeeming quality was that they didn't worship demons.
Their name derived from the fact that their natural skin had a blueish-gray hue with a dewy glow. Eerily reminiscent of people who were suffering from cholera or comparable afflictions. The fact that they tended to paint their bodies with similar colors only added to the 'Sickskins' repute.
The males of the race being visibly taller and heavier on average than most men made their warriors a formidable threat, especially the powerful warbows they utilized—their muscles possessing inhumanly explosive strength. But the professional plate-armored armies of mankind, which evolved their military doctrine to combat the demons, seldom ever got defeated. Often making sure they had an advantage in numbers before engaging such brute opponents.
I even remembered Reglen mentioning them, though, at that time -due to the conversation's context- I thought the word "sickskin" was just a derogatory term for bandits, rapists, or such.
"Wait, so you were a mercenary or what?"- remembering that the now-deceased commander Zelin had also worked in that profession.
"Indeed, my Dreadlord. Or my human self did, to be more exact. He began serving with Nih's mercenaries when barely twenty summers old. And it was a rough start too. "
There was a slight reluctance in his voice, but he still spoke-" If my memory serves me right, and it does. I supposedly joined it for the glory and honor, to earn my silver by protecting distant human lands from faithless. The naive thinking of a young man with a strong body and wisdom crippled by too many heroic tales."- a weak smile escaped him as if he was mocking his younger-self.
He turned to the side, the hollow eyes gazing at the distant shore of the vast river, hands locked behind his back- " My human self imagined slaughtering a Sickskin chieftain in a duel, or maybe at least traveling far south to some exotic lands. Called upon by their rulers to fight off their many foreign treats."
"Yet the first thing he ever killed in battle was some old Ohemian farmer fighting for lower taxes."- the words turned silent for a moment, the western wind swaying around his armored body. - "Wasn't even aiming to kill. The halberd struck upon the man's shield; his shoulder failed to withstand the blow, the shield tilted down, and the weapon sliced into the chainmail protecting old man's neck."
Grlin exhaled- "Poor guy bled out before he even hit the ground."
I took a step towards him-"I see... "- turning my own gaze upon the tall trees on the river's shore. Summer sun feeding their lush green leaves.
"After Ohemia, he was on the verge of quitting the mercenary life. I remember that killing the man bothered him immensely. "
"Hmm, he never thought you would be killing people when you entered such a profession?"
"I wasn't that naive while I was alive, my Dreadlord. But I guess I thought that if I ever had to battle against other humans, it would surely be against pirates, bandits, or other soldiers at least, not an old farmer." - his reply short and to the point.
"But as it happens, your previous self continued the career of a mercenary."
"It was a close call, my Dreadlord. At that time, he gave serious thought to becoming a sailor like his old man. He would still get to see distant lands and have something to talk about if he managed to grow old. However... as faith would have it, a lucrative offer came from the East, a mere week before my living self signed up for a ship. A hefty sum offered to our company if we agreed to fight the Sickskin raiders. The kind of silver a skilled sailor worked half of a lifetime for. A third of it to be paid upfront. "
I heard a tension from one of the ropes holding the sails behind me and sensed a tiny bird landing few steps to my left, all irrelevant as observations go.
Grlin grunted-" My human self was still on edge, but being built like an Inquisitor had its perks; when Zelin heard I was still weighing my options, he immediately offered a rank and bonus pay straight out of his own pocket. Saying he wanted to see the faces of Sickskins when they saw a human bigger than them. "
"Huh!?"-My eyes widened for a split second as I studied Grlin up and down. His tall frame, brute form, shoulders, and neck so massive that a bull would envy him.
"Wait a minute? You were actually this large before turning into a ghoul?"
It felt a bit strange to comment on someone's vast physical prowess when you towered a couple of heads above him. But the 'man' was four steps tall, a head short of seven feet.
"Indeed, my Dreadlord. Though not nearly as strong as now, obviously."
"I thought you had grown, mutated from my blood, or maybe soulbended your self, or whatever witchcraft you use here."- even with Nikolen's knowledge, I lacked an understanding of this world's magic system.
"Ah, you assumed my body was the gift of darkness I gained from you?"
"Well..."- I paused, reluctant about admitting my ignorance- "It seemed like a logical conclusion, all things considered."
"I guess so... my Dreadlord."- he scratched his chin.
"But we digress, Gerlin."- I rushed to return to the original topic -" Tell me what in the hell happened in the Citadel."
He tapped with his left foot onto the deck while, high above us, one of the ghouls -his armor stripped- jumped from one sail to another, struggling to pull onto some ropes and tie down the others.
"Oh, well... as I already mentioned, it did not take long for me to comprehend that the situation would soon escalate, with so many who were supposed to be dead or unconscious now waking up pale, turning ash-skinned and mute. Some scholar was bound to start suspecting something. Even worse, I knew not if the other ghouls might turn aggressive at any moment."
He shrugged with his shoulders and maintained the pace of his words-"I sensed my mind expand, carving up the memories I had retained, reexamining them to form countless ideas that began fusing into a plan. Even more so as I realized that some men who weren't even present in the laboratory when the violent event transpired were now also falling unconscious, their skin turning pale."
"Wait, what?"
"Indeed, my Dreadlord. It seems that even the droplets of your blood left lingering in the dust of the laboratory's air were deadly. Those who rushed in to help or to see what happened, inadvertently inhaled such cursed air. Most of them collapsed unconscious in an hour or so. Their heart would stop beating shortly after, and their eyes would open, their skin turning pale. Marking the beginning of the transformation."
His answers and explanation felt like a cold glass of water in this desert of my personal ignorance. But I was no longer a man who accepted the answers first hand.
"You sure... absolutely sure about that?"- it seemed unbelievable, the way he described my blood as biohazardous in every sense of the word. A drop of it able to kill a man, turning his corpse into just another threat.
"That is what I had witnessed, my Dreadlord. If you have a more comprehensive understanding of the events that transpired on that night, I would adore to hear it."
My cyan eyes locked with his hollow stare-"I am regretful to say it, but I lay buried beneath the rubble for the greatest part of that evening."
Grlin sighed- "Indeed, my Dreadlord, indeed. The most unfortunate of the incidents, but at least you weren't killed. "
I inhaled intensely, the memory of the tons of rocks and rubble now weighing down on me as much as the real stone blocks did that night, pressing onto my weakened form and phantom lungs.
"Lucky me."- I replied with a deep voice stripped of any emotion- "What happened next?"
Grlin stepped to the side and began to speak at a rapid pace, making motions and gestures with his hands that were ought to convey the events in greater detail than mere words ever could.
He mimicked the way he drank a mix of water and sugar that one scholar gave to him and even imitated the motions by which he requested another glass of it by shaking the empty one right in front of the man's nose.
Bearly any detail was left behind; thus, I found out he ate thirteen eggs, an inhuman amount of dry meat, and drank a jug's worth of sugar in just the first half an hour of being a ghoul. Ransacking one of the kitchens, too, as the transformation had left him ravenous.
Then, when he finally felt his strength growing, he grabbed a cart of dry meat and stole some bags of sugar—storing it all in an empty barrack nearby. Nobody questioned what he was doing; having a rank helped a lot. Not to mention the general chaos that was still ongoing. Hundreds of wounded or dying soldiers squealing and moaning for help.
I agreed without saying a word, the heat of the sun sinking into my armor-hard skin.
"After that, I went around to gather any battle-capable ghouls I could find, my Dreadlord. Those I deemed unfit for combat were ordered to lay low and strike at the nearest armed human once the sounds of battle reached them. Reminding them to keep some improvised weapon close at hand."
"He was good at thinking on his feet."
Grlin sighed- " In the end, I found around fifty or so ghouls that were in proper shape -their bodies not sustaining severe damage- and lead them to the said barracks, explaining my plan as they ate to grow their strength."
Little by little, with each passing minute, his group grew ever so potent. I questioned as to why the ghouls were willing to follow him. And if I was to believe his words, just saying that he planned to get a hold of my body was enough for them.
I felt my senses sharpen, the obsidian tail straighten. But I did not react.
Listening instead on how men who were once dead soon started developing superhuman capabilities. Rapidly gaining strength well above that of a mere mortal. Most of them soon able to leap two times their height vertically, even with their armor strapped on.
Yet something seemed off to me with his story; my misgivings and paranoia flared again—myself determined not to be made a fool again.
I raised my hand, cutting him off-" Nobody, and I mean nobody, found it suspicious that the people who were dead an hour or two ago were now walking around in groups, scavenging for food, their skin horrid pale, all of them mutes. I get it that demons hadn't invaded for over a century, and things fade from memory... But were your scholars retards?"
There was a moment of profound silence between us. My suspicious stare was almost eating Grlin alive, yet he did not seem to mind the attention.
"Well..."- he looked at me, pondering the question I asked- " to be honest, most of the scholars were either dead or ghouls themselves. Indeed I believe only a single scholar survived by the end of the night, the clumsy one, in fact, my Dreadlord. It was dark; many people pale from all the dust or loss of blood anyhow. Additionally, all the soldiers had drunk a holy potion that very morning. As far as anyone knew, becoming a ghoul was not even a possibility. Plus... "
Suddenly my mind once again got infused by the knowledge I absorbed from the alchemist's soul. Explanations and plausible conclusions pouring down my mind like water down the waterfalls.
Demonic blood was unbelievably deadly if not purified. But it also took days -if not weeks- for the corpse to transform into a monstrosity, and not mere hours, certainly not if the deceased had consumed the proper concoctions prior to death.
The even more shocking realization came not a heartbeat after, as I realized the Demons of this world took years -if not decades- to expend and recover enough blood to create a sizable host of minions.
A single demon doing it in a feeble day was unheard of, even for the most powerful of the corpse-lords in the recorded history. Only then did I remember that the title of Dreadlord was by far the most expensive of the dark gifts I was given. Costing more dark karma than the rest combined!
Worse still was the fact that the newly raised ghouls -the regular kind- took additional weeks to consume adequate amounts of food needed to grow and develop their resilient ash-skinned bodies.
The bodies of the fallen simply rising up like zombies was as of an alien concept to the people of Noble Parliament as electricity or a vaccination.
"Plus..."- Grlin continued as I stood stumped by my own mind -" ghouls require a Demon to control their actions; without it, they should turn suicidality aggressive and not sugar hungry."
"My God!!" - I rubbed one of my horns- "They never stood a chance!"
Hell, I had been struck by a fucking artifact of power, this world's nuclear weapon, the greatest of their -to me- incomprehensible magic. Those who could have concluded what had transpired must have had for all intents and purposes considered me as good as dead.
My untimely resurrection was eerily comparable to a scene from a science fiction movie where an alien ship survives being nuked, to the sheer horror of all military commanders and scientists witnessing it.
"So taking over the Citadel..."- the conclusion flooding out of my mouth.
"Wasn't that unfeasible as it might have seemed at first, my Dreadlord."- he shook his head while taking a shallow breath- " Though my former comrades did put up a hell of a fight, even with the complete element of surprise me and the ghouls had."
I raised my eyebrow upon hearing the ease by which he spoke of betraying the people he once knew, but decided against saying anything—opting instead to let him spill the word soup.
However, it turned out the first aggressive thing Grlin did wasn't to sneak and slit some throats of unsuspecting former comrades. But rather to go alone to ransack the pigeon post. Stealing and reading all the messages he could, to speedily gather as much info as possible.
The sensible thing, considering his mind's capabilities to draw adequate conclusions even from the crudest of information. Setting the post on fire soon after to cause additional mayhem.
And even more so to delay the information of what had transpired from reaching the Inquisition—thus giving them more of a head start before literal armies were mobilized to hunt them down.
Though I doubted some of the Inquisitors hadn't brought their own messenger pigeons.
"And that was when Grayson appeared, right as I had set the damn building on fire."- he crossed his arms- "For a second, I thought he was some guard as his face still didn't turn as skeletal, and the air around him reeked of holy aura. But the moment I heard his voice in my head, I sighed in relief."
I mentally blinked-"Heard his voice inside your head?"
"Umm, yes, my Dreadlord. "
"His voice?"- I glanced towards Grayson, who was now sitting at the ship's bow, apparently meditating, the holy blade lying over his knees-" voice, as in words? Inside your head?"
"Indeed, apparently, he learned from the other ghouls that I was in charge and wanted for me to know that he was immune to the holy aura, an invaluable resource as far as we were concerned."- him seemingly seeing nothing strange what he just said.
Only then did my mind click.
All this time, Grlin had been describing how he had talked with other ghouls, instructing them in what needed to be done. Yet when I had first seen him, he was barely able to utter a single word.
"Ohh hell, that explains a lot."
I scratched my horns- "Wait, wait, so... you guys converse without using sound?"
"Well... certainly my Dreadlord. How else would I have been able to organize the fall of the Citadel? "
Thus I found out, to my bewilderment, that the ghouls communicate by using some type of telepathy.
And my paranoia flared the very next moment.
"What if they can hear my thoughts!?"
​
Previous Chapter __//__ Next Chapter
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The Sail path down the river (Marked red on Map)
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You can read this post and see images of the Para-Elemental Planes on Dump Stat

What are the Para-Elemental Planes?

Where the major Inner Planes meet, they form the para-elemental planes, minor planes of existence that combine the materials of two different major elements into a single plane. These planes are Ice, a minor plane of Air and Water; Magma, a minor plane of Earth and Fire; Ooze, a minor plane of Earth and Water; and Smoke, a minor plane of Air and Fire. They are considered minor because of the difficulty of reaching these planes, and the smaller number of inhabitants that reside on them.
These planes, while minor, are far more dangerous than the major planes they adjoin, one of the reasons why they are so scarcely populated. Despite the danger of visiting such places, they each hold unique locales and treasures within their depths.

History

The para-elemental planes are first introduced in the Manual of the Planes (1987) where their foundations are first laid. It’s not until The Inner Planes (1998) that additional detail is provided on the inhabitants, specifics to the planes, and locations to visit. These planes’ paraelementals are the only creatures that are referenced in 3rd edition and in 4th edition, and while these planes are touched on in 5th edition’s Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014), very little is revealed on them, though Smoke is renamed to Ash.

An Outsider’s Perspective

These minor planes are as varied from each other as the major planes that make them up. For outsiders, these planes are dangerous, but for those who have learned their secrets, can hold hidden treasures unable to be found anywhere else in the planes. Each of these para-elemental planes presents unique challenges to be overcome.

Ice

Between the Plane of Air and the Plane of Water, the Plane of Ice is a realm of freezing temperatures where everything freezes eventually. Water, flesh, blood, stone, metal, ice, and even words and thoughts freeze in this plane the closer one travels to the center of it. The entire plane is covered in freezing ice, creating twisting caverns and tunnels, with large chasms that shrink and grow as the ice moves throughout the plane. Those who visit this plane do so to find frozen thoughts in the center of the plane, or to hunt the monsters who roam this plane, like yetis, animentals, ice mephits, and more.

Magma

Between the Plane of Earth and the Plane of Fire, the Plane of Magma is a flowing realm of super-heated rock. Large islands of obsidian float across the magma floes, with subterranean lava tubes that run throughout the plane like a spider web and is heavily used by traders and travelers as it is protected from the burning magma. Visitors are often searching across the plane for gems that form from the intense pressure and heat of this plane, as well as powerful wizards who have formed towers to study the elemental power of magma.

Ooze

Adjoining the Plane of Earth and the Plane of Water, the Plane of Ooze is a horrible realm of stinking gases and caustic muck that floods across the plane. Few visitors willingly travel to this plane, and it seems as if even the inhabitants of this plane want out from the slime, sludge, and muck of this world. Visitors of the plane have difficulty with the sludge-like caustic mud, searching through the wastes of Sigil for valuables, for ooze-gems, strange and rare gems that fetch a high price so long as they are thoroughly cleaned before being taken to market, as well as searching for hidden prisons of ancient creatures bound to Ooze.

Smoke

Between the Plane of Air and the Plane of Fire, the Plane of Smoke is a large fog bank of smog and smoke, of caustic fumes and burning embers that choke the lungs of those who try to breathe it. Visitors of this plane are often the djinn and efreet who wage a war across this plane, treating it as a vast and bloody battlefield as they attempt to gain elemental ground against the other side. Others who visit this plane do so either as mercenaries or as explorers searching through the smoke-laden air for rare gases that can provide healing, offer new experiences, as well as horrible poisons for assassins.

A Native’s Perspective

The majority of those who are willing to reside and inhabit this plane are the paraelementals and mephits who are formed from their plane. There are other races and creatures of these planes, though they are sparse and many have long ago left these planes for more hospitable planes like the major Inner Planes or the Material Plane. Almost no true powers claim any parts of these planes, though many are working towards taking on the mantle of archomental, primordial, and even godhood.

Ice

Freezing cold. Freezing chill. Miles upon miles of frozen caverns slowly freezing over and then re-freezing again. The inhabitants are cold just like their plane, uncaring for others who hate the cold and ice, looking with cool gazes at those who try to survive in this freezing realm. The inhabitants of this plane are largely the paraelementals who are ruled over by an up and coming archomental known as Cryonax. Cryonax rules from his icy fortress known as the Chiseled Estate and is focused on expanding his empire of ice and has imprisoned hundreds of wizards, some are even water and ice genasi, to help bolster his strengths and see him to victory.

Magma

Bubbling molten rock forms vast oceans of churning magma that threatens to burn everything that touches it. Those who live here must struggle against the burning rocks and caustic air of toxic fumes. While there are few settlements on this plane, at least visitable by outsiders, many of them are ruled over by individuals who are researching or hiding. The true rulers of this plane, the mephits, are vicious and cruel, they enjoy dominating any creature who comes to this plane, and by sheer numbers alone, can overtake any others on this plane. They are ruled over by a powerful magma mephit known as Chilimba, who insists that others call him the Searing Emperor, the First General of the Cauldron, and the Master of All Mephits. The mephits rarely negotiate and are seen as pests by outsiders like the efreet and dao who often meet on this plane.

Ooze

Probably the least inhabited of any of the para-elemental planes, the Plane of Ooze is often thought to be the most inhospitable of the planes, including the quasi-elemental plane of Vacuum or the Negative Energy Plane. It’s not that Ooze kills so quickly, which it does, but because it is such a horrible, stench-ridden, caustic ocean of muck, mud, and other rotting things. Inhabitants of this plane always seem to be wanting to leave, with even the ooze mephits searching desperately for ways off the plane even though they are formed from the plane itself.
While the ooze mephits are the largest group of inhabitants, they have never built settlements on this plane and instead travel in nomadic groups, hunting for outsiders to drown in the murky depths of this plane. Paraelementals often stick to the darkest depths of this plane, while the animentals, animals of elemental form, are as disgusting as the plane itself. Ooze dogs still behave like dogs, but if they try to lick your face, their saliva is like caustic acid that melts through flesh, bone, and armor.

Smoke

Burning and acidic air, stinging smoke laden with ash, and endless expanses of foul gases make up this plane and hide dark secrets in their clouds. Several creatures claim this plane as their home, though their true numbers are hidden throughout the smoke and gases. The largest presence are the smoke mephits who follow Ehkahk, a simple smoke mephit who has decided that he has the powers of a true archomental, even if he has no special powers. After them, in almost equal numbers, are the smoke paraelementals who ignore the mephits that try to push their insane ruler on them. Instead, these paraelementals follow their Smoke Dukes, powerful paraelementals who rule over settlements and regions.

Atmosphere

The atmospheres on each of these planes are heavily influenced by the major elemental planes that they adjoin, combining them and bringing in new hazards. Not every plane is breathable, and each plane has unique hazards that make it difficult to survive traversing them. These planes can support life, but it is a life that has evolved in an alien way to overcome the dangers of each plane.

Ice

With its freezing air, the Plane of Ice is aptly named. This plane exists without light except what outsiders and inhabitants create for themselves, and no heat can be squeezed out of this plane. Freezing bodies might form the largest population on this plane, though if rumors are to be believed, those individuals are still alive, you just have to unthaw them. Similar to Earth, Ice is made up of a massive glacier of ice that has tunnels crisscrossing throughout it. There is breathable air throughout the plane, though if travelers end up inside of the ice sheets, or the ice forms up around them, they’ll quickly be cut off and begin suffocation.

Magma

Magma has a definite gravity, and thus has a surface to it that most are forced to wade through or sail on an obsidian vessel. The air is sometimes breathable, though it is laced with the burning smoke of fires and magma. To survive these toxic fumes, the air must be filtered or magically treated to make it safe to breathe for those who require it. Trying to peer through this burning haze is largely restricted by the ever-present smoke and foul gases, making it difficult to make out any details from further away than 100 feet.

Ooze

Similar to the Plane of Water, this entire plane is consumed by the murky mud of ooze, its caustic nature destroying and consuming anything that touches it. The closer one travels to Earth, the thicker the muck grows, making it almost impossible to swim or wade through as if it was made of large chunks of solid-mud, while the closer one travels to Water, the looser and more liquid it gets until its like swamp water, but made of powerful toxic waste. Spells and creatures who can normally breathe water are capable of breathing this filth, though it does nothing to stop it from being toxic and poisonous. Trying to breathe the air is difficult as it is just as toxic as the muck of this plane.

Smoke

While there is no risk of drowning, like there is on Magma or Ooze, this plane is just as dangerous to breathe in. Filled with the burning embers of long extinguished fires and toxic gases that are highly combustible, this plane is dangerous to breathe in. Those who breathe the fumes of this plane in, unfiltered and unprotected, immediately begin suffocating and dying as their lungs begin bleeding and burning away.

Traits

Travel to the Plane

Most people who are looking to travel to these planes are often asked why they would ever do that, doubly so for those who wish to visit the Plane of Ooze. Despite any misgivings a traveler may have of journeying to these planes, it is not extremely difficult for those who are keen on visiting. There are portals in Sigil, the Outlands, and other places across the multiverse that offer ways of arriving in these portals. Sigil has several portals in its sewers and in the Hive that offer connections to the Plane of Ooze, as well as portals to the other planes at random locations as the Lady of Pain sees fit to create them.
Portals to the Plane of Smoke can be found on Bytopia that requires the breath of a gnome to open, and as if they shouldn’t be outdone, Moradin, the god over dwarves, built his portal on the slopes of Mount Celestia in his realm. Ooze has portals on many of the layers of the Abyss, like the 222nd layer where the kingdom of Juiblex is said to be. It’s little surprise that a demon prince of oozes might have some interest in such a horrible and mucky place like Ooze.
If you are trying to get to Magma, there is a well-known portal in a remote portion of the Outlands built of basalt. No one knows who built the portal, and many believe it was quite a small creature who did so as most humanoids have to squeeze through, making it almost impossible for large creatures to access it. Instead, if a traveler is hoping to get to Ice, there are portals known to exist on Cania, the eighth layer of Baator, though that is a difficult portal to access if one isn’t a devil. There is also a portal on Muspelheim, a fiery layer located on Ysgard, though no one is quite sure how it formed or for what purpose.
Portals to these planes can spring up anywhere their specific elements come together in sufficient quantities. Freezing cold oceans on the Material Plane may link to the Plane of Ice, just as the centers of volcanoes may hold a portal to the Plane of Magma. Smoke is often found above large forest fires where toxic air clings to itself, while Ooze portals can often be found in places of swampy detritus and rotted corpses.
Since these planes adjoin the borders of the major elemental planes, they can also be walked to on any of the adjoining planes. This requires a guide, as each of these planes are infinite by their very nature, making it difficult for outsiders to truly understand where these borders are located.

Traversing the Plane

Only those who understand what dangers exist on these planes can truly be prepared for what they face. Traversing any of these planes is no simple task and requires magic, strength, and luck to survive them.

Ice

Depending on where a traveler is on the plane, they may have it quite easy or very difficult. In the areas near the Plane of Air, in a region known as Precipice, it is a sheer cliff that must be traversed up to get closer to the center of the plane. Spiked shoes, rope, pickaxes, and more are required to scale these cliffs, or one risks slipping on a slick piece of ice and plummeting to their freezing death hundreds of miles below them. As they journey towards the center of the plane, they must have access to some way to nullify the cold, though even that isn’t enough. Creatures immune to the cold, like white dragons and even creatures of ice, find the cold so painful that even they begin freezing. It isn’t unheard of to come across the frozen body of a creature in the twisting caverns of Ice.
As a traveler moves closer to the Plane of Water, the massive block of ice that forms most of this plane soon gives way to a freezing cold ocean. Icebergs float across the dark oceans, and some swear that the water itself is far colder than even the ice of this plane.

Magma

Luckily for travelers, gravity exists on this plane and makes getting around it somewhat simple. Those who can fly can easily soar above the burning magma, though they still must deal with the toxic fumes that rise to meet them. Those who lack such an ability have a few other options. They can try and trudge through the magma, half walking and half swimming through the burning magma. This is a slow and painful process as the sticky fire burns anything within it that isn’t protected.
Another option is to hire a dao obsidian ship that can sail across the churning sludge of Magma. These ships aren’t cheap but have natural bubbles of breathable air that are maintained around it with magic, making it the safest and easiest ride across the plane. The dao aren’t to be trusted as they have been known to make slaves of those who would hire their ships. Beyond simply swimming through the magma, there is also a complex lava tube network that spans the entire plane. In these hollow tubes, a traveler is protected from the sizzling magma, though the tubes do nothing to cleanse the air. Large trading caravans and explorers rely on these tubes to safely travel from Earth to Fire.

Ooze

Depending on where a traveler is on the plane, it may require them to swim through the thin muds of the plane, or they have to half-dig, half-swim through the thick muck. The ooze-mud near Water is liquidy enough to easily swim through, though the caustic nature of the plane means any swimmers must have some spells to stop them from being dissolved by the acidic muck. Closer to Earth, the muck gets thicker and harder to bypass, forcing those to dig and channel their way through the marshes of acidic mud. A traveler could also remain still and just allow the currents of muck that move through this plane to carry them off, moving wherever the languid currents carry them.

Smoke

Traveling across this plane is virtually identical to traveling on the Plane of Air, one must simply determine their ‘down’ and fall in that direction. There is no gravity on this plane, and most visitors who visit this plane find it easy to use the same tricks they’d use on the Plane of Air, here. One of the biggest differences though is that visibility is greatly reduced and typically travelers can only see up to 30 feet in front of them. This means they have to be constantly focused on what they are falling towards as earth motes can suddenly appear, and if they aren't fast enough, they may splat into it.

Locations

These planes adjoin the major elemental planes, as well as border several quasi-elemental planes. Each plane has six borders that behave slightly differently than the core of the plane, providing new hazards and dangers for travelers. Most settlements often form up around the most hospitable borders, leaving other borders devoid of life if it is too dangerous to reside there.

Ice

Ice shares borders with the Plane of Air, Lightning, Steam, Water, Salt, and Vacuum, each creating a unique interaction with the blistering cold of ice. Lightning and Ice creates a field of soft snow, blowing pleasantly across the landscape in a realm known as the Shimmering Drifts. While it may seem pleasant at first, if these electrical-charged snowflakes touch a creature, it can cause the creature to lose their wits and act as if they are under the effects of a confusion spell. Steam and Ice create the realm of the Fog of Unyielding Frost, a place of super-cold vapors that if breathed can freeze your lungs solid. While it is survivable in this realm, those who reside or travel through here must always have some sort of protection from the cold.
Traveling towards Air is the region known as Precipice, this is at the very ‘top’ of Ice where snow-capped mountains and sheer ice cliffs creak and groan as the ice continues to grow. No sun illuminates this realm, making it so that to climb atop these cliffs or mountains, one must travel in the pitch-black of night. Moving downward, through the frozen ground towards Water, it eventually turns into the frigid place known as the Sea of Frozen Lives, a surfaceless ocean of suspended icebergs. It is said that even the water is colder than the ice that holds it and that the icebergs that float in this liquid were once travelers who succumb to the cold.
Salt and Ice form a realm known as the Stinging Storm, a raging tempest of salt-water and acrid crystals that hail across the realm. Those who get caught in a storm are forced to contend with crystals of all sizes hailing down in a devastating bludgeoning cacophony of pain and acidic burns. Where Ice reaches Vacuum, it creates the Frigid Void, a realm free of ice and snow but it still retains its painful cold as well as the deadly void of nothing.
There are only a few sites on Ice, for if you stop moving on this plane, you are likely to join the frozen statues. Traveling through the ice channels, even the warmth of a fire is a danger as it can melt some of the ice around you, turning it into a chilling liquid that splashes down on you and then instantly refreezes with you in the center of this ice block. It is best to travel with a magically-created light spell and protect oneself from the cold using magic.

Arcolantha

Thought to be the place that every visitor should see, at a spot deep in the ice is a strange world that is unaffected by the growing realm of ice. It appears like a massive sphere with its ice-walls perfectly polished to a high sheen, making it easy to peer through the ice for hundreds of feet. There is even a large light in the center of this sphere that illuminates the entire structure in a brilliant light, but the beauty of ice isn’t the reason to visit. That reason is the thousands of creatures that are ‘buried’ in the ice, these creatures, and even humanoids, have been taken from all across the multiverse and stored in the solid ice here.
No one knows who is doing this, or for what reason, but travelers from all over who study specific creatures often venture here for a chance to look at one of their specimens up close through the ice.

The Chiseled Estate

Located on Precipice is the icy fortress of Cryonax, a colossal structure that extends well over a mile above the surface of the ice, and stretches far below in a vast underground network. In the very center lies a throne room where Cryonax rules from, watching over his realm and forming his plans on extending his power over ice and pushing the freezing reach of Ice onto other planes. Found throughout his twisting fortress are yetis, frost-covered umber hulks, snowy ropers made of ice, and massive dire-beasts formed of ice and snow who safeguard his fortress from intruders.

Magma

Magma shares borders with the Plane of Fire, Ash, Dust, Earth, Mineral, and Radiance, each creating a unique interaction with the bubbling and churning mass of molten rock. Radiance and Magma create the realm known as the Glowing Dunes, often thought to be one of the deadliest places in all the Inner Planes. Rolling hills are made of volcanic ash, and as one travels closer to Radiance the dust becomes metallic and radiates out energy and light. Those who travel across the hills risk catching a horrible disease or curse, no one truly knows what exactly it is but even those who are immune to such things can catch it. This disease or curse causes blistering skin, blindness, baldness, and hundreds of other symptoms before the eventual death. On the border of Mineral and Magma is the realm of the Obsidian Forest, with massive spires of volcanic glass and crystals that rise out of the burning wasteland. Its thought that evil creatures of stone reside here, having fleed from a powerful archomental known as Ogremoch located on the Plane of Earth.
Traveling towards Earth, the magma thickens and creates an area of basalt cliffs and spires that overlook rivers and lakes of lava known as the Scorched Wastes, this area is largely devoid of life except for firenewts and salamanders. In the opposite direction, heading towards Fire is a realm known as the Searing Mists where fires erupt in massive explosions across the almost liquid-like magma that flows quickly across the surface like a massive churning ocean. At the very edge of the border against the Plane of Fire is a curtain of searing droplets of molten stone that form a fog-like haze separating the two planes.
Traveling towards the Negative Energy Plane presents the two options of Ash and Dust. Where Ash and Magma meet is the region known as the Chalk Islands where islands of chalk rise up surrounded by rivers and oceans of magma. The islands are freezing cold and filled with the choking ash of their plane, while the magma creates rivers of boiling heat, making it quite difficult for travelers to contend with such extremes. Dust and Magma form the Sands, a realm of desert-like qualities, though it is the coolest place on Magma. Moving through the sands, the particles slowly become more and more powder-like, wreaking havoc on metal and mechanical items that begin rusting and corroding.
Few settlements have formed up on Magma, as it is quite a dangerous place to spend too much time thanks to the sudden jets of flame that explode across the surface. A few cities are known to exist on the surface of this realm, as well as more than a few laboratories and magical towers manned by sages and wizards who wish to be left alone so they might work on their magic in peace.

Fields of Nevermore

On the surface of this plane is a cool crust of stone that has grown thick enough to be used as the foundation of a city. While typically such stone would melt into the magma, there is a great and powerful artifact at the center of this city known as the chillsword which has been planted in the magma itself as an attempt to destroy this artifact in ancient times. Unfortunately for the wielder, not even the melting magma of this plane could destroy the artifact, and instead the blade formed a cooled area where a settlement would eventually rise around. While the air is still dangerous and filled with toxins, ambitious travelers who are searching for a respite from this plane took a liking to the area and eventually formed a large city, creating strange breathing devices that transform the toxins of this plane into breathable air.

Targath’s Tower

While not a wizard himself, Targath Reniume had commissioned over a dozen powerful wizards to construct for him a tower on Magma. Some believe that he paid them with illicit goods that he had acquired, with the most unbelievable rumors that he had stolen the moaning diamond and gave it to them. This tower is made out of permanent walls of force, making it an invisible tower in the churning magma. It rises several stories above the plane of Magma and far below it where it is anchored to the lava tube network that crisscrosses the plane.
He is happy to allow visitors to rest at his home, often only requiring news of the world outside for a comfortable bed and a lavish supper. No one is quite sure how Targath moves from his tower and out into the many worlds outside, but he seems to be able to travel with a care-free demeanor and can almost will himself to appear anywhere in the multiverse.

Ooze

The Plane of Ooze shares borders with the Plane of Earth, Dust, Salt, Water, Steam, and Mineral, each creating a unique realm as it interacts with the stench swamps of Ooze. At the borders of Steam and Ooze, it creates the realm of the Choking Gale, where the ooze and muck grow thin and eventually turns into strong winds that spray oily poisons over those who journey here. Rolling clouds of toxic vapor twist and pummel visitors across this realm, choking and burning even those who are immune to poison, its vapors clinging to skin and causing horrific burns. Between Ooze and Mineral, the ooze is said to congeal into a molasses-like substance that grows thicker and thicker the closer one travels to Mineral. This realm, known as the Slag Marshes, has a thin atmosphere, that is at least breathable, but it tastes of metal and the sludge of this marsh eats its way through clothes, skin, and even bone.
Traveling towards Earth, the muck and ooze thicken until it becomes a thick mud that sucks at your feet as you move through it. This realm, known as the Muckmire, often solidifies and hardens around those who move through it, as there is little moisture here. This hardened muck quickly freezes travelers in place much like amber sap from a tree that freezes around an insect. It's not uncommon for motes of this hardened material to float to the surface with a horrified, and long-dead, creature trapped within it. On the opposite side of this plane, as one travels to Water, the muck and ooze grow thin in a region known as the Bile Sea where the ‘water’ clings to the skin like caustic acid. There are a few fish that have come over from Water, though they are horrible creatures with most slowly rotting in the ocean, making it that much more unappealing to visitors.
Moving off to the Negative Energy Plane, Ooze shares borders with Salt and Dust. Traveling towards the borders of Salt and Ooze, the ooze thickens and becomes briny, with muck so caustic it corrodes metal almost immediately. Even magically protected weapons and armor begin to rust away into the Stagnant Sea. At the border of Dust and Ooze, is the realm known as the Oasis of Filth, a place so thick with disease that creatures concoct a massive variety of plagues, illnesses, and fevers that can only be found on this plane.
It's no surprise that even the inhabitants of this realm seem to be seeking any way out of this plane. It is almost unheard of to find any traveler that has ever had a positive experience in this plane, making it so that few have any reason of setting up a permanent settlement on the sucking muds of this plane.

The Trash Heap

Sigil might have the largest concentration of portals to Ooze, but that is because it needs a place to put its waste material as there is nowhere in the city. Instead, it gets pumped through one of their portals, often requiring the dabus to clear out any clogs, and ends up in Ooze. Miles upon miles of junk litter this plane, rotting food, weapons, and even the occasional body, sometimes still alive, floats across this area. While many might turn their nose up, the trash heap is inhabited by dozens of individuals looking through the junk as sometimes there are treasures and lost items of high value worth living out here for.

The Cysts

This plane is quite useful for those who wish to entomb and entrap creatures using powerful magics to sink targets into the muck. These trapped creatures create cysts in the mire, and they are preserved, like living fossils. While cysts are impossible to see through, making it difficult to tell what is on the other side, they can provide some clues as a giant will form a cyst that is 15 feet or more in length, while a kobold may only create one a few feet tall. Occasionally these cysts might rupture, spilling forth their contents onto the plane, and while many might drown on the filth around them, several have escaped their confines, driven insane by the untold eons trapped on this plane. On rare occasions, travelers have walked on cysts that have risen to the surface, accidentally rupturing the cyst and spilling out whatever creature had been locked away.

Smoke

The Plane of Smoke shares borders with the Plane of Air, Lightning, Radiance, Fire, Ash, and Vacuum, each creating unique interactions with the choking gases of this plane. Lightning forms the darkened realm known as the Aurora, where brilliant waves of colors rip across the sky like lightning. It is said to be one of the natural wonders of the multiverse, a place that all must-see for its pure beauty. Next to this realm is the border of Radiance and Smoke, creating a realm known as the Sea of Stars that is also a vast expanse of darkness, but this one holds flakes of light and energy that zip and move across the expanse like lightning bugs. This glistening, radiant energy is dangerous to touch, but another wonder to behold for its beauty.
Traveling to the Plane of Air, the smoke and heat begin decreasing on this plane but before one can reach the purified air of the self-named plane, they must enter through a gloom known as the Eternal Haze. This realm is completely poisonous with stranges gases and toxins not seen, or breathed, anywhere else in the multiverse. In the opposite direction, as one heads towards the border of the Plane of Fire and Smoke, is the realm known as the Scaled. This area is so hot that, while there are no flames, it is just as hot as Fire with smoke so thick that a traveler can’t see more than a few feet, if that, in front of them. It is said that all the smoke from Fire travels to this area, and gathers up in thick clouds that are impassable unless led by an efreet.
Heading towards the Negative Energy Plane are the planes of Ash and Vacuum. At the border of Smoke and Ash is a place known as the Ember where flakes of super-heated ash move across the lit sky like from a campfire. This ash sears and blisters whatever it touches, making it a dangerous realm to stay for long in. At the borders of Vacuum and Smoke is the horrible realm of the Gray Way that is as deadly as it is subtle. The air here is not toxic, but it is still dangerous to breathe in as the vapors cause hallucinations and madness in all. Those who breathe in this realm, even for a short time, begin losing themselves in the madness, forgetting what it is to be alive and unalive, what is good vs evil, and becoming brutal and kind in the same moment. This horrible condition is thought to be only removed by a powerful restoration spell, but it's said that those who survive such a condition are forever changed.
Unlike many of the other para-planes, this plane is often traveled though many of its travelers are efreet soldiers and djinn warriors who wage their battles across the entire plane.

The Choking Palace

Ehkahk, a semi-what powerful mephit, lays claim to this floating castle made of black iron that drifts across the plane. His palace holds a large library filled with a jumbled mess of esoteric lore, for Ehkahk prizes himself as a scholar and has gathered up any type of book or piece of lore that he can, filling his shelves with strange knowledge that may be best locked away. Hundreds of mephit scribes are sent across the plane, and beyond, searching for more knowledge to fill Ehkahk’s shelves. The Great Ehkahk is even quite a writer himself as he writes massive amounts in his journals that he stores in his libraries, though no one is quite sure why he does so. While Ehkahk, the Smoldering Duke, has made no moves against the other planes, many wonder if he is simply biding his time and growing his power so that he might truly become an archomental.

The Hidden City

Secreted somewhere in the plane, this massive city is built atop a natural spring of water, the only one like it in all the plane of smoke. Magic and smoke help to make this city almost impossible to find, safeguarding it from opposing forces that would like nothing more than to destroy the city or take it over as a large fortification. Djinn and efreet and are interested in finding and securing this city, with the djinn wanting to create an alliance with the city to house their armies, while the efreet wishes to enslave the occupants and transform the city into their fortress. Even the Smoldering Duke, the tyrant mephit, wishes to control the town, though it is more out of jealously that something could be hidden in the smokes that he so dearly loves.
The rulers of the Hidden City are always twin heirs, at least for the past eight generations, and go to great lengths to ensure that those worthy travelers who need food and shelter can find the city. They are always open to those who are running away from the oppression of the genies, helping outsiders so long as they can find the city and are worthy of their protection.

Factions & People

Genies

The genies don’t reside on the para-elemental planes but do wage their wars across them. The djinn and efreet, from the planes of Air and Fire respectively, wage their war across Smoke. The dao and marid, from the planes of Earth and Water respectively, wage their war across Ooze. Dao and efreet often meet secretly on Magma, conducting trade missions as well as planning their attacks on their hated enemies. While the djinn and marid meet on Ice, neither much care for the freezing temperatures and, while they are not hostile with each other, rarely take to planning engagements against their enemies.
The genies also use these planes as hunting grounds, moving across the planes in search of elemental animals of these planes, or hunting the mephits and paraelementals. The genies see the mephits as nothing more than vermin and pests, slaughtering large numbers of them like they would rodents.

The Powers

No true power lays claim to any portion of these planes, this might be because these planes are so difficult to get to or that they are just too hazardous for outsiders to visit that the gods have decided it isn’t worth the effort. There are a wide variety of individuals who believe themselves to be gods, archomentals, or primordials, though few, if any, truly hold such power.

Cryonax

On Ice is an individual that is the closest to becoming a true archomental, also known as a primordial. Standing at 15-feet tall and covered in white fur, he is often said to resemble that of a powerful yeti or a massive polar bear that stands on its hind legs. Cryonax often thinks of himself as a deity already, though he has yet to prove his true power against others, something many believe he aims to fix. He is hoping to expand his rule to the entire plane of Ice, and even for Ice to replace one of the major Inner Planes in importance. Some say he dreams of a day where he can freeze over the entire multiverse, ruling it with a freezing fist.

Paraelementals

The elementals of these planes are known as the paraelementals and include mephits and elementals. They are thought to be the plane given sentience and are summoned by spellcasters looking to trap elemental energies or control them in battle. While the elementals often have unique names to describe themselves, rarely if ever going by the title of paraelemental or mephit, they are categorized as such by scholars who study such creatures and beings.
The paraelementals of these planes are wary and unfriendly, treating others with extreme caution and even hostility. Their planes are often turned into large battlefields between the warring genie factions who fight and slaughter other creatures indiscriminately across the plane. They can still be treated with, though they are typically only swayed by goods that they see as valuable. Smoke elementals value rare gases and strange perfumes while an ice elemental may value magical items that deal with the cold and create cold spells.

Encounters

Ehkahk's Books - A rumor in Sigil has been making the rounds, that there is an insane mephit on the Plane of Smoke searching for hidden books and lost knowledge to fill his shelves. Claims to be paying top coin and, those who can bring him valuable knowledge will be given large expanses of land, or smoke as the case might be, in the Plane of Smoke. They may even be elevated to the prestige of being a noble among the mephits, a questionable title if ever there was one.
Frozen Thoughts - At the very center of the Plane of Ice, even thoughts freeze into crystals of unique forms. Scavengers and explorers brave these painfully cold realms in search of hidden information and ancient knowledge, selling these ideas to the highest bidders. Rumors are that the true name of a demon prince might be found in its frozen form, frozen on the lips of someone long dead.
Lost Dabus - The Lady of Pain’s dabus are in charge of the operations of Sigil, which means they have to unclog the sewers from time-to-time that lead into the Plane of Ooze. Unfortunately, a temporary closed on a dabus doing such maintenance and is wandering the planes seeking a way back to Sigil.
Obsidian Sails - Travel across the Plane of Magma is quite easy for those willing to pay for passage on one of the dao's obsidian ships. Unfortunately, many of these vessels have been commandeered by pirates, and while the magma pirates are incredibly rare, they aren't unheard of on the flowing oceans of lava.
The Zoo - The mysterious caretaker of the Arcolantha is hiring a group of adventurers to bring several creatures to its realm so that it might freeze them inside of its walls for all to enjoy. These creatures are rare and difficult to find or might be incredibly deadly, but the pay is good, and it's a chance to find out who actually owns the Arcolantha.

Resources & Further Reading

Manual of the Planes (1st edition) / For more information on the introduction of the Para-Elemental Planes.
The Inner Planes (2nd edition) / For more information on the locations and people in the Para-Elemental Planes.