"Sometimes a cult isn't a group of demon worshipping bloodletters hoping to summon their dark lord into the material world. Sometimes a cult is a bunch of lazy hippies who think clouds are neat." - from the memoirs of Lewin Von Treet, Vault: the Land of Stuff and Things
Population: ~350
Founded: 2380 (10 years ago)
The only town north of the Three Sisters, Stormberth is an oddity on Vault. A decade ago, an Aasimar woman named Namondwe established an isolated complex in the jungle near an unusual lake on the nothern island of the Arrowheads. Here, she planned to spend her life alone studying weather patterns coming out of the north in the hopes of predicting powerful storms before they made landfall. When she succeeded, saving hundreds of lives, she became something of a celebrity in northern Vault.
Namondwe's research brought others of her ilk, scholars and sorcerers interested in weather and how it intersects with magic. Great strides were made and Stormberth was born, a scholarly community intent on not just predicting, but controlling weather. Blizzards were born on a whim, lightning was harnessed, and temperature was a plaything for the people of Stormberth. That kind of power attracted attention.
Over the next few years, people without the dream of scholarly pursuits came to Stormberth to bare witness to Namondwe, the "Storm Scholar." They began expecting accurate predictions and lauding the results. Over time, the academic facet of Stormberth took a backseat to the celebrity of the Storm Scholar. Those who came to Stormberth with the objective of discovering the secrets of weather patterns left in disgust at what the community was becoming.
But Namondwe's following was not without reason. Her power grew as her research progressed. And even though she allowed the celebrity to go to her head, she was ever-focused on her original dream: controlling and harnessing weather to save lives. Stormberth evolved from an academic complex to a comfortable living space. From a comfortable living space, to a magical paradise. And from a magical paradise to a lethal deathtrap.
No one knows how it happened, but Namondwe and her people summoned a tempest so deadly, when it made landfall, it wiped out an entire coastal village. Hundreds died. Fingers were pointed. And Namondwe was under fire for mass murder. However, she was too big, too famous, and the people of Stormberth protected her from retribution.
Now, Stormberth has lost credibility as an academic institute and exists instead as a shrine to Namondwe and her followers. Days are spent lazing on clouds, riding lightning, creating thunderous notes from the skies, and manipulating temperatures. As for Namondwe, she addresses the people of Stormberth as a prophet. She performs miracles. But mostly she stays inside, out of the weather.
Culmination - a series of clouds, firm enough to stand upon, circle the buildings of Stormberth, rising up into the sky hundreds of feet. These clouds form Culmination, a community where anyone can commune with the elements, take rest and refuse, or take their own personal cloud out across the canopy of the jungle.
Skywatch - the buildings composing the original structures of Stormberth are known as Skywatch, observatories and labs developed with the purpose of researching weather patterns. While most of Skywatch has been abandoned, no one is denied access.
Chifunga Lake: the original Stormberth was built on the shores of this lake, where a dense fog sits atop the water. While it's generally acknowledged the fog on the lake is supernatural, it doesn't seem to have any impact on anything but visibility. The lake itself is normal in every other way.
Phezi's Fortunes: for anyone wanting to learn more about lightning in its many incarnations, Phezi's Fortunes prides itself on bringing the experience of lightning power to others. Promoted as an experiential museum, Phezi's allows people to experience lightning in unnatural ways.
Systems Greenhouse: another original Stormberth locale repurposed for less academic purposes, the Greenhouse grows some of the rarest forms of plant life in Vault due to the ability to simulate the different climates to an exact degree.
Namondwe: Female Aasimar, founder of Stormberth and leader of the people who now occupy Stormberth; self-involved, conceited, genius
Phezi Zixivix: Female Gnome, one of the original researchers of Stormberth who stuck around after the community shifted
Leah Moonglow: Female Human, prominent Storm Scholar follower and community leader, apologist and enforcer of Namondwe's image
Tuggi Swain: Male Dwarf, boatsman who takes daily sea levels calculations despite the information no longer being used