[6R] The Six Rivers Camp

[Dave ST]

Camp Six Rivers

Where and What is Six Rivers?
Six Rivers is located in the Black Hills National Park in South Dakota. Situated on Patoka Lake, Six Rivers is a summer camp for Scions, half-blooded children of the gods. Established in 1955, ten years after World War II when Scions and the Gods almost decimated the World and the Overworld with their plans to try and control Fate.

Although proposed by Athena and endorsed by the gods of tactics and strategy from every pantheon, the camp is neutral territory and the gods have a single rule: no interfering with the mortal heroes or their quests. It’s a rule that they very seldom adhere to, much to the camp director’s ire.

In the world of Six Rivers the Black Hills National Park exists, but it is reserved solely for the use of the gods and their children. Mortals are not permitted to enter (even those who are Fatebound, but Fate finds a way to make sure they are around when the Scion needs them). Mortals, thanks to the census of reality that refuses to allow them to see ‘the truth’ of things, just consider the area a National Wildlife Preserve and leave it be assuming that, of course, the government is taking care of the land. Every park ranger just assumes the other guy is assigned to the area and it’s left alone.

The climate is essentially whatever the Camp Director desires it to be, anything from torrential rainfall, blizzards to sweltering desert heat, but by default it remains locked in the transition of late Spring to early Summer (72 to 82 degrees) with everything remaining a lush, vibrant green and the scents of nature always fresh in the air. Regardless of the actual season, mortals always see it as it should be. If it’s winter, then they see it as a winter landscape; after all you can’t have an area of springtime in the middle of the cold winter, that’d be silly. It only rains when the camp director wills it to do so, but it is a necessity. While the camp may be enchanted, its ecosystem still needs the precious rain to fall from time to time, usually a couple times each month.

Camp Features

The Amphitheater
From the main entrance the first thing any camper sees is the Amphitheatre. Large enough to seat over three hundred campers it’s never entertained more than one hundred and fifty. Arranged in a semi-circle with stone-carved tier seating (called cavea) leading down into a large circular area (called the arena) the amphitheatre is used for camp meetings and for greeting new campers. A grate at the center of the arena is often removed for late night bonfires and other such events.

The Dining Pavilion
Situated on the shore of Lake Patoka, the dining pavilion is an open air dining area with several picnic tables that have seen their fair share of use and exposure to the elements. At the back of the Pavilion (with its back to the shore) is a large table that seats the camp’s counseling staff; the Camp Director sits in the middle in an ornately carved oaken chair with the six main counselors, three on each side. In the center of the pavilion a massive fire burns eternally. Along the edges of the pavilion, made from carved stone, are busts of all of the gods of every pantheon.

The Cabins
Stretching nearly three quarters of a mile out from either side of the dining pavilion, along the shores of the lake, are the homes of the Scions. The areas are arranged in no particular hierarchy.

The order is: Abandoned Cabins, Pesedjet, Dodekatheon, Atzlanti, Dining Pavilion, Aesir, Amatsukmi, Loa, Abandoned Cabins. All of the cabins are arranged in a “U” formation with the recognized head of the pantheon being the cabin in the center and always facing the lakeshore. Serving the dual purpose of being both a temple and a bunk house for their Scions, each of the ‘cabins’ are themed towards their particular god’s tastes in terms of appearance and decorations, but none are really any larger than a good sized farm house.

The Abandoned Cabins
Everyone finds out eventually about the abandoned cabins. As the stories go those cabins once belonged to what is known as “The Fallen Pantheons”. They remain unused and untouched and those who disturb the interiors of the cabins are said to become afflicted with a dreadful curse. No one is quite clear on what ‘fallen’ means, precisely, but none of the counselors talk about it.

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