Indian Subcontinent

The Indian Subcontinent is covered in vast oceans of impenetrable jungle. Sentient beings, whether humans, d-bees, demons live in fortified cities. The jungles are inhospitable, where only the desperate, foolish or the insane go of their own free will.

The cities are overcrowded, with throngs of humanity ready to burst at the seems and spill over into the unforgiving jungle. A constant struggle rages between the elite and the downtrodden citizens of these cities. These bastions of life are regularly at war with rival cities or under attack by raiders and conquerors, who suddenly burst forth out of the thick jungles that surround them.

Few cities know about each other, and the ones that do, see the other as a place to conqueror and expand to. People are fearful of the jungle and the nightmares that they believe lurk in there.

Stories, rumours abound of ruined cities with unimaginable amounts of treasure. Treasure that would make the gods envious lying in the middle of the forbidding jungle draws dreamers and the greedy to lead ill-judged treks and expeditions in search of these phantom treasures right into the heart of the dangerous jungle. In these desperate times, anyone who manages a successful expedition would be set for life. Many successful expedition leaders whether treasure seekers or conquerors become the rulers or the elite of the fortified cities. Many a leader or elite of a city made their fortunes and their rise to prominence through these insane expeditions of treasure hunting and conquests. Usually though it is the rulers and elite who fund and arrange expeditions and plan conquests so that their restless citizens are kept busy. Some use these ventures to get younger rivals out of the way. Many potential rivals disappear this way never to be seen again, some are assassinated intentionally by their retainers who accompany them. A few may well make it back with treasures and get influence and start rising in their city. A few others come back as conquerors, having raised an army in another city or found enough wealth to gather their own armies.

Stories tell of vast ruins of cities appearing in the heart of the jungle that hold the treasure vaults of the gods and demons. Cities full of precious metals, gems, valuable art, magical weapons and items. Other cities are said to be the ruins containing relics from the Golden Age of man before humanities fall. Legends before this fall of humanity spoke of gods and the ancients hiding powerful vajras and other artifacts for humanity to use in the future when their seers had predicted that demons will rise once again to plague and destroy humanity.

In fact it was this memory that saved some of the humans from falling to their inhuman enemies when the rifts erupted. They rushed to where legends spoke of these hidden treasures lying in wait to be discovered for this very eventuality. Places like the valleys in the Himalayas and ancient temples in overgrown jungles. Here man found places to hide and start again, or new worlds, populated by d-bees, aliens and even demons. Others found some of the powerful artifacts and vajaras hidden all those millennia ago.

What they found were pocket dimensions or rifts leading to other worlds and even times. They found that the great magical energies had opened previously unknown doorways leading to secret rooms or pocket dimensions in ruined temples, where fabled treasure was kept, even weapons and items designed to battle demons were stored in these secret chambers.

The Vale

Before humanities fall it was known as the most beautiful place on earth, people even referred to it as paradise on Earth. What is known as The Vale on Rifts Earth, used to be Kashmir, a place claimed and ruled by the Pre-rifts nations of India and Pakistan. In Rifts Earth it sits close to the Silk Road and the Khyber. It is part of the area known as the land of the thousand and one worlds. Some worlds that can be accessed from the portals and rifts that have appeared or become apparent in the valleys of its vast mountain ranges include a world dominated by the Rahu-men. Before the Rifts their knights and paladins would occasionally be seen pre-rifts Earth. It was these giants that may have been mistaken for the yeti sightings. This portal has always been there, randomly opening and closing in times when there was enough magically energy either on earth or the rahu-men world. Unwary humans or rahu-men would occasionally walk through it in pre-rifts earth without knowing about it. Thus giving rise to the tales of seeing the abominable snowman.

Another portal leads to the Pume homeworld. These d-bees have fallen in love with the Rifts Subcontinent and generally with Rifts Earth. Many of their warriors have come through and are exploring the Subcontinent and Earth. They have set up home in the Vale. Their technology level is about 10-25% above that of Naruni Enterprises.

The Pume are natural mystics and the Rifts Subcontinent is very nearly exactly like their homeworld. They are some of the greatest warriors in the Megaverse. These master warriors are so highly regarded that they have their own regiment in the Warlock Marines of the United Worlds of Warlock in the Three Galaxies. The Pume see the use of magic, psionics and high technology as one and same thing, much like Lazlo does. They have a fondness for technowizardry. All Pume on Rifts Earth carry TW Shurikens.

Manipur

The kingdom of Manipur is home to magical creatures, especially elves, fairy folk and nymphs and is thought to be ruled by a dragonking. It is the land of jewels, and it is where some of the Radiance are created in the sacred groves in a week long celebration.

Darra Adam Khel

It Is like what it was before the Rifts. Where nearly every kind of weapon or war machine can be replicated. Where previously this was limited by raw materials, with the opening up of the Silk Road, there are now plenty of raw materials to make weapons and war machines. It is one of the few places where golden age weapons and war machines can be replicated. It is a mercenary town. Interdimensional mercenaries from the Silk Road come for supplies and to relax. There is little crime here, mainly due to the heavily armed nature of the place. Most people learn quickly not to take liberties here. It is a good place to get mercenary contracts and information, not just from areas covered by the Silk Road but from other dimensions. For information go to the Storytellers road, which is off the Main high street- which is very most of the weapon factories/shops are.

Shandur Pass

This is a natural stadium, where it is rumoured a warriors tournament is being arranged by two Pume living at Concordia. If this is the case, it will be the mother of all tournaments, as just getting to it will be a challenge on Rifts Earth.

Cochin

Cochin is one of the few places with contacts with the outside world, but it has little to no knowledge of what is happening inside the heart of the Subcontinent, with only drips of information reaching it, and that is mainly from the seafarers who use its ports.

Rumours have reached Cochin, of heroes defeating false gods and destroying their temples in the interiors of the Sub continent. The leaders of Cochin are looking to send people to investigate this claim and to see what is going on. Rumours place great mystical energies being released.

Radiance

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