Contents
Introduction.......................................................................................2
Chapter 1: The Fractured Lands....3
Natural Hazards................................................................................3
Whirlwinds....................................................................................3
Quicksand......................................................................................3
Sand Travel....................................................................................4
Mirages...........................................................................................4
Sun's Glare....................................................................................4
Supernatural Hazards.....................................................................4
Black Sand....................................................................................4
Disease...........................................................................................4
Flamestorms.................................................................................5
Flaywinds......................................................................................5
Races...................................................................................................6
Chosen...........................................................................................6
Desert Dervish.............................................................................8
Dragonborn...................................................................................9
Dwarf............................................................................................10
Elf..................................................................................................12
Elf of the Phoenix Order..........................................................14
Firbolg..........................................................................................15
Halfling........................................................................................16
Human.........................................................................................17
Lizardfolk....................................................................................19
Orc................................................................................................20
Warforged....................................................................................21
Gods and Divine Beings................................................................22
The Desert Phoenix..................................................................23
Ignir, God of Machines.............................................................24
Ydar, God of Art.........................................................................25
The Elder Gods.........................................................................26
Nesmus, God of Hope..............................................................28
Ether, God of Magic..................................................................29
Scaeloth, God of Warriors.......................................................30
The Barrier Imperium...................................................................31
Settlements......................................................................................35
Aramore.......................................................................................36
Calmarnock................................................................................40
Chime...........................................................................................41
Esthane........................................................................................43
Mul................................................................................................45
Quirie...........................................................................................46
The Wandering City..................................................................48
Wildere........................................................................................50
Magic: Transcendentalism...........................................................52
Introduction to Voldari
Welcome to the world of Voldari! A great realm of marvelous treasures and terrible monsters, Voldari has been awash in conflict and strife since the world was created. Its timeline dotted with supernatural and natural wars spanning decades, the inhabitants of Voldari are some of the most fierce and untrusting. Whether they live in the swampy underground Raging Mire, the arid and lethal Fractured Lands or anywhere in between, the life of a Voldarin is marked with strife and misery.
Cultures and traditions vary wildly frome place to place; a Dragonborn who lives in Voldari is entirely different from a Blackmoor one. The races have even evolved uniquely from their brethren due to the wildly different locations. This is in part due to adaptation but is equally based in socialization as ancient traditions have been passed on from centuries.
Currently, Voldari is in a truly dark age. Little communication between the areas of Voldari has led to advancements in the fields of magic and technology that are completely isolated. For example, the inhabitants of the Raging Mire have the most plentiful quantity of psions. This is most likely due to the latent psionic energy laced into the fog that is a hallmark of the swamp. Because harnessing this gift comes more naturally to them, the psions of the Raging Mire are leaps and bounds ahead of all other parts of the realm.
More than ever, the world of Voldari needs leaders. In each area of the realm, powerful figures vie for control. While all of them fight, the organizations of the world know that order is required, which is why these fights are secretive and subtle as to maintain a facade of order and peace. Assassination and murder are commonplace amongst leaders in thses groups, though similarily to the wars amongst one another, these fights are hidden from the public eye.
The world has shattered beyond repair since the fractures. The Fractured Lands formed over the once beautiful Timeless Plains, but that wasn't all that was changed. The monarchy that controlled the Timeless Plains was dissolved and an outbreak of monsters, raiders and savages destroyed the order of the world and plunged it into its second dark age. Every major organization dissolved into various factions that compete for power in over the realms.
Be warned, for Voldari is a place of despair and misery. Every fight is one of life or death. Evil monsters, savage raiders and deadly sorcerers will destroy any who oppose them with no mercy nor hesitation. But doesn't that just make the reward that much sweeter?
Chapter 1: Fractured Lands
On the farthest edges of Voldari lies an arid, destroyed desert that hosts a wealth of "unique" creatures. The peoples who can survive in the harsh heat have heavily ingrained and diverse traditions, which they usually follow to the best of their abilities. The Fractured Lands are owned by no humanoid, instead in constant turmoil due to the fractures and the creatures that spill out from them. Though more or less at peace, the alliances between settlements are often uneasy at best.
For those that look for it, there are many hidden treasures and relics to be found from civilizations before the fracture. Every crest of sand has its own danger, and the uneasy alliances between cities are even more destabilized due to the marauding monsters and their humanoid accomplices. The constant dire need for resources is easily taken advantage of by marauders, who can often intimidate smaller villages or disrupt trade routes between the other settlements, causing chaos to ensue.
With the severe lack of easily accessible resources, the Fractured Land's inhabitants must supplement their primal magic with arcane technologies. For the inhabitants of the Fractured Lands, magic is another branch of science, to be understood and used to advantage, no longer revered nor misunderstood. Those who use magics without fully comprehending them are considered threatening sorcerers and are authorized for execution by any government personnel without trial.
Most of the people who live in the Fractured Lands know little about one another, not to mention any other lands or worlds. Most commoners are poorly educated, with select few learning cantrips and first tier spells. They are often taught tools of their parents trades and ways to survive in the desert should they ever travel.
Several small outposts dot the landscape, sprouting like weeds from the only remaining parts of the Timeless Plains. Those that roam the desert are savage, killing without mercy, terrorizing villages and raiding major cities for food and supplies. Those that are coddled by inner city life would dare not step outside, for fear of kidnapping, starvation or being hunted for sport. Not all people are tribal savage murderers though; there are several peaceful scavengers and traveling caravans as well as merchants looking to trade their goods. They are easily distinguished by their red tinged skin, which appears that way because of their constant exposure to the harsh winds of the hellscape outside of the walls.
The peoples of the Fractured Lands are unaccustomed to strangers, and foreigners are often downright refused services such as lodgings or food. There are even child's tales of red-skinned beasts, scaring the youth and elderly alike. They do eventually warm up to merchants and courtiers, who are necessary to their survival, though this is mostly out of begrudged respect than any welcoming feeling. The people who are truly accepted by a settlement must be very special indeed.
The true reason this plane is so dangerous are the cracks. While these crevices are virtually everywhere, very few of the Fractured Land's inhabitants know where they came from. Most people are too preoccupied by finding new ways to survive and thrive in the deadly desert sands. There are several other dangers in the world, and the most common ones are written below:
Whirlwinds
The baking ground of the waste heats air above it very quickly, producing spinning winds of varying intensity. When the weather is clear, the rapidly rising hot air forms a dust devil. This resembles a tornado but is smaller and relatively weak, with winds rarely exceeding 60 miles per hour. Still, winds that reach severe or windstorm speed are strong enough to deal damage.
At ground level, visibility is reduced to practically nothing, granting total concealment to creatures within. A tornado is the most violent kind of mundane whirlwind, with winds that can exceed 200 miles per hour. It is very localized, though—the widest tornado is less than a mile across, and most have a diameter of only a few hundred feet. Tornadoes move relatively slowly across the landscape but can make sudden, erratic turns that are impossible to predict. They occur most often at the boundaries between waste environments and more temperate areas. A whirlwind spawned at the edge of a desert can move into the temperate region, or into the deep waste. The most severe thunderstorms (roughly one in ten) also generate tornadoes. Even so, fewer than half of those whirlwinds pack winds above hurricane strength (75 to 174 miles per hour).
Quicksand
Quicksand can’t occur without water. Saturated sand is surrounded and buoyed up by the surrounding liquid, forming a suspension that unwary travelers can mistake for normal sand. While an oasis or the edge of a salt lake might contain the conditions for quicksand to occur, it is not likely—and there is no chance of encountering quicksand in the dry waste. Supernatural hazards, though, such as slipsand, are sometimes mistakenly referred to as “quicksand,” and such places give rise to terrible stories.
Sand Travel
Fields of deep sand can impede the movement of creatures that cannot fly, float, or otherwise stay off the ground when traveling. Most creatures do not automatically sink all the way into deep sand. A hard crust of dried mud or salt can make the surface hard enough to support some weight. Sand that has been stabilized by desert growth is generally safe to walk on.
Shallow Sand: Shallow sand is much more common in desert areas than deep sand. Areas covered by this terrain feature have a layer of loose sand about 1 foot deep. It costs 2 squares of movement to move into a square with shallow sand, and Acrobatics and Athletics checks in such a square have disadvantage.
Deep Sand: Deep sand is most often found in deep deserts near areas of rolling dunes and fierce storms. Many creatures unfamiliar with desert terrain mistake deep sand for quicksand, although deep sand is not nearly as deadly. Areas covered by this terrain feature have a layer of loose sand up to 3 feet deep. It costs Medium or larger creatures 3 squares of movement to move into a square with deep sand. It costs Small or smaller creatures 4 squares of movement to move into a square with deep sand. Athletics and Acrobatics checks are almost impossible in deep sand.
Sand Crust: A sand crust appears as normal solid ground. Usually formed from a hardened crust of dried mud or salt, sand crusts sometimes cover areas of shallow sand (or, very rarely, deep sand). If a creature weighing more than 100 pounds (including equipment carried) enters a square covered with a sand crust, it breaks through to the sand below. The creature treats the square as shallow sand or deep sand, whichever lies below that square of sand crust, and it must deal with the effects of the sand on movement as described above. Creatures moving through an area of sand crust leave a trail in their wake, turning the sand crust they pass through into shallow sand or deep sand squares as applicable. Creatures weighing 100 pounds or less can treat sand crust as normal terrain.
Mirages
As air heats up over the desert floor, shimmering convection currents appear. These currents blur and distort features behind them and can even produce optical illusions called mirages. A mirage is formed at the boundary between hot air at ground level and a cooler layer higher up, which acts as a lens to refract light and reflect images of more distant objects. Mirages can disorient travelers in the waste by obscuring landmarks or making distances seem shorter than they actually are.
One can reduce the effect of a mirage by getting to higher elevation, which minimizes the amount of refraction. Of course, this requires not only a place to climb (or a fly spell) but also the ability to recognize what you are looking at. An observer can make a DC 12 Wisdom save to disbelieve the apparent image. A character who suspects a mirage gets advantage on this saving throw. Once the existence of a mirage is revealed, disbelief is automatic.
Sun's Glare
The sun can be extremely dangerous to unprotected eyes, drying and irritating the tissue. Areas of white sand, salt, gypsum, or similarly light-colored material reflect the sun’s glare into the eyes even when not looked at directly. Sun glare is doubly dangerous during winter months, when the sun is low on the horizon and thus difficult to avoid looking at.
Characters traveling in such conditions must cover their eyes with a veil, dark lenses, or a similar eye covering. Those whose eyes are unprotected in such conditions are automatically dazzled. Such characters have disadvantage on attack rolls and Perception checks. Characters who take the precaution of covering or shielding their eyes automatically eliminate the risk of being dazzled by sun glare and take no penalties.
Glare-induced blindness lasts as long as characters remain in an area of sun glare and for 1d4 hours thereafter, or for 1 hour thereafter if the character enters a shadowed or enclosed area. The dazzling effect of sun glare can be negated by a remove blindness spell, but an unprotected character still in an area of sun glare immediately becomes dazzled again when the spell’s duration expires.
Supernatural Hazards
Supernatural terrains and hazards are places where the earth is infused with deadly power, and most magical hazards can easily lure the unwary to dusty graves. Some supernatural terrains and hazards are noticeably different at a glance, such as the bloody tint of a red sea or the swallowing darkness of a patch of black sand. Other forms of supernatural terrain resemble ordinary terrain and can be identified only by someone who knows exactly what to look for.
Black Sand
Black sand is infused with shadow and negative energy. A region of black sand literally swallows light; magical darkness rises to a height of 20 feet over the surface. Nothing short of a daylight spell cast at 5th level spell can disperse this darkness, and even then only for a period of 1 hour per caster level. In addition, creatures that come in contact with the sand take 1d4 points of damage per round from negative energy. Upon reaching 0 hit points, they crumble and join the black sand.
Disease
The desert is home to a myriad of diseases, many of which have no cure. These diseases can only be cured by a Paladin.
Sandeyes: A creeping blindness caused by desiccated eye tissue due to sand coming into contact frequently.
Volcanic Fever: This disease spreads through the inhalation of ash or Black Sand, which causes the victim’s body temperature to rise to an unearthly heat (see page 12). A character killed by volcanic fever crumbles into fine ash within 24 hours.
The Wasting: This is a supernatural disease spread by
demons and other foul creatures of the waste. Skin and tissues slowly dry and toughen, mummifying the victim.
Flamestorms
In certain locations in the waste, magical fire falls from
the sky like rain—a phenomenon that waste-dwellers
call a flamestorm. Flamestorms occur somewhat more
frequently than rainfall does in the desert, though they
are hardly an everyday occurrence.
Flamestorms are presaged by the formation of dark
clouds in the sky, which the uninitiated might mistake
for rain clouds (Make a Survival check to determine that
they are not). A Perception check reveals that the flashes of light in the clouds are more reddish-orange than ordinary
lightning, or a easier Perception check reveals that the darkness under an approaching storm cloud is pierced by streaks of ruddy light.
The fiery raindrops produced by flamestorms deal 2d6 points of fire damage each round to every creature in the area. The flaming raindrops automatically ignite any flammable item they touch; otherwise, they burn out immediately. The raindrops themselves are not magical, though the rain clouds that produce them are.
The constant crackle and low roar of the falling fire provides a disadvantage penalty on hearing-based Perception checks checks. Ranged weapon attacks in a flamestorm are made with a disadvantage if the projectile is constructed —even partially— of wood (such as an arrow, a spear, or a throwing axe). A flamestorm generally lasts 5d6 rounds.
Flaywinds
The terrible flaywind is feared throughout the planes. It propels sand with such velocity that it reduces a living creature to bare bones within hours, and exposed bone to fine powder in a matter of days. A flaywind might exist on its own or as the sinister core of a larger sandstorm. The storm typically lasts 1d4×10 hours, but some flaywinds of legend have lasted for many days.
A creature caught in a flaywind takes 1d4 points of lethal damage per round instead of the nonlethal damage dealt by a sandstorm. Wearing heavy clothing (or any form of
armor) reduces the damage to 1 point per round, but it
cannot protect entirely from the abrasion. A barricade or
enclosed space is the only sure protection. Inhabitants of
The Fractured Lands have developed a special garment to block the stinging grit, but it is a hazard of its own in the stifling heat of most waste environments, imposing a –2 penalty and disadvantage on Constitution saves to avoid succumbing to heat instead of the normal –4 and Disadvantage on Constitution saves for heavy clothing.
Necrotic
Flaywinds:
When a flaywind arises in an area of black sand the storm is known as a necrotic flay wind.
A creature killed by such a storm is reduced to bone,which the negative energy of the black sand then animates into a skeleton. When a necrotic flaywind passes on, it might leave behind armies of skeletal beings in its wake.
Chosen
"I felt something strange wash over me- not strange in a bad way. More like reaffirming. I felt like all along, she had chosen me and this was the thing I was missing in my life. I didn't even know I was missing anything in my life at all!"
-Alanis Valmys, post conversion report to Mechanicus Cult
The Chosen are unique and powerful people chosen by the elder gods to exact important destinies, guided by their connection. They are able to help or harm with their newfound power, but they are generally chosen by compatible personality traits with their new god. They often take on celestial appearances and are mistaken by many to be the gods themselves reincarnated.
Champions of the Gods
While they do not have to follow every whim of their new godly patrons, they often are used as conduits to exact their deity's ambitions. Oftentimes, the connection between god and mortal is confusing at best, as it is hard for the individual to maintain a sense of self while carrying a god in their heart.
Uniquely Converted
No two Chosen are converted the same way; while one might be an archeologist who discovered their god in a dusty tomb, another might have been given a vision at a young age to go to a location and forge the connection. It is undiscovered as to the reason for this differentiation.
Many who are converted discover it like a missing part of themselves and in a way, that is true. The elder gods create them with the sole purpose of their connection and try their best to help the human adapt to the Fractured Lands. A few chosen have even reported that they heard voices of the gods talking to them, but they turned out to be... unreliable sources.
Conflicted Wills
Despite being born with the purpose of serving, Chosen still possess a free will and spirit like any other sentient being on the plane (excluding warforged, of course). Most see these gifts as their birthright, but a few see them as a curse. In particular, the elder goddess of death is known to kill or drive insane most of her Chosen.
Although difficult, a Chosen may choose to sever their connection with their god, though most would die for the opportunity to be chosen. They must complete a ritual long forgotten, so the severing must be mutual. This often leads to insanity in certain Chosen, as they wish to be free of their "curse" but the elder god will not allow them to.
Alternate Chosen Character Options
Not all chosen must use this race; it is a simple reflection of the lesser use of their power. If you want your character to be more focussed on the connection, you could use a class to represent it. Here are a few examples below:
- Paladin: Taking the idea of celestial champion a step further, your character could have been Chosen to smite Evil on the Earth. Choose an oath that matches with your elder god and the class is a great match
- Sorcerer: Taking the idea of being created with the sole intention of being Chosen further, you have in your blood the power of your god. Divine soul would probably best suit the concept.
- Warlock: Taking the idea of the connection itself a bit further, perhaps there are more fine details to your power than most would expect. Any warlock patron would suit one of the elder gods and each should align easily. Alternatively, you could combine this race with one of the above classes; their primary ability scores are mostly charisma and this race increases your charisma score. Win win!
Elder Gods
Elder gods are neither aberrant eldritch
horrors nor powerful precursors to humanity.
They are simply the forgotten deities that the
world left behind after the Fractures. Without
worship, they may be unremembered but they are
still powerful. Below is a list of the Elder Gods and their domains:
D8 God Chart
| Die roll | God |
|---|---|
| 1 | Auril, goddess of winter |
| 2 | Cyric, god of lies |
| 3 | Oghma, god of knowledge |
| 4 | Torm, god of courage and self-sacrifice |
| 5 | Loviatar, goddess of pain |
| 6 | Kelmevor, god of the dead |
| 7 | Leira, goddess of illusion |
| 8 | Chauntea, goddess of agriculture |
These gods are currently identified to either have a Chosen or at one point chose a Chosen. Their names are once again becoming recognized due to the minor worship any of the Chosen garner. It is these gods' hope that the world will once again know their names and worship them as they feel they deserve. Read more about them on XX page of chapter Y
Chosen Traits
Your Chosen character has the following racial traits.
Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 2.
Age. Chosen mature at the same rate as humans, but
they can live up to 160 years.
Alignment. Imbued with celestial power, most aasimar are good. Outcast aasimar are most often neutral or
even evil.
Size. Chosen have the same range of height and
weight as humans.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision. Blessed with a radiant soul, your vision
can easily cut through darkness. You can see in dim
light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in
darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color
in darkness, only shades of gray.
Celestial Resistance. You have resistance to necrotic
damage and radiant damage.
Healing Hands. As an action, you can touch a creature and cause it to regain a number of hit points equal
to your level. Once you use this trait, you can't use it
again until you finish a long rest.
Light Bearer.
You know the light cantrip. Charisma is
your spellcasting ability for it.
Languages. You can speak, read,
and write Common
and Celestial.
Subrace. Three subraces of Chosen exist: protector
Chosen, scourge Chosen, and fallen Chosen. Choose
one of them for your character.
Chosen Protector
Protector Chosen are charged by the powers of good to
guard the weak, to strike at evil wherever it arises, and
to stand vigilant against the darkness. From a young
age, a protector aasimar receives advice and directives
that urge to stand against evil.
Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score in-
creases by 1.
Radiant Soul. Starting at 3rd level, you can use your
action to unleash the divine energy within yourself,
causing your eyes to glimmer and two luminous, incor-
poreal wings to sprout from your back.
Your transformation lasts for 1 minute or until you end
it as a bonus action. During it, you have a flying speed of
30 feet, and once on each of your turns, you can deal extra radiant damage to one target when you deal damage
to it with an attack or a spell. The extra radiant damage
equals your level. Once you use this trait, you can't use it again until you
finish a long rest.
Chosen Scourge
Scourge Chosen are imbued with a divine energy that blazes intensely within them. It feeds a powerful desire
to destroy evil - a desire that is, at its best, unflinching
and, at its worst, all-consuming. Many scourge Chosen
wear masks to block out the world and focus on contain
ing this power, unmasking themselves only in battle.
Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score in-
creases by 1.
Radiant Consumption. Starting at 3rd level, you can use your action to unleash the divine energy within your- self, causing a searing light to radiate from you, pour out of your eyes and mouth, and threaten to char you. Your transformation lasts for 1 minute or until you end it as a bonus action. During it, you shed bright light in a 10-foot radius and dim light for an additional 10 feet, and at the end of each of your turns, you and each crea- ture within 10 feet of you take radiant damage equal to half your level (rounded up). In addition, once on each of your turns, you can deal extra radiant damage to one target when you deal damage to it with an attack or a spell. The extra radiant damage equals your level. Once you use this trait, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.
Fallen Chosen
A Chosen who was touched by dark powers as a youth
or who turns to evil in early adulthood can become one
of the fallen-a group of Chosen whose inner light has
been replaced by shadow.
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 1.
Necrotic Shroud. Starting at 3rd level, you can use
your action to unleash the divine energy within yourself,
causing your eyes to turn into pools of darkness and two
skeletal, ghostly, flightless wings to sprout from your
back. The instant you transform, other creatures within
10 feet of you that can see you must each succeed on a
Charisma saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus
+your Charisma modifier) or become frightened of you
until the end of your next turn.
Your transformation lasts for 1 minute or until you
end it as a bonus action. During it, once on each of your
turns, you can deal extra necrotic damage to one target when you deal damage to it with an attack or a spell. The extra necrotic damage equals your level. You can't use it again until
you finish a long rest.
Desert Dervish
"Let me tell the tale of the dervish:
A drifter, a shadow,
there one minute,
moving on the next.
Always watching,
always waiting. Loved by some, despised by
many. But never caring."
-Donald Charles Mark Keys, Guardian
The Desert Dervishes are elementals summoned into the fractured lands and modified by the most powerful of races. They guard the gates that allow passage to and from the fractured lands, providing the only point of access for the denizens of Voldari to enter. They are extremely enigmatic, but an outsider may be able to discern minor cultural details that the dervishes who have left the service exhibit.
Tossed Aside
The Desert Dervishes can serve for hundreds of years guarding the walls and barring the exit for many of the inhabitants of the fractured lands. However, this service is only ever forcefully ended. If the Barrier Imperium(Page XX) deems them unworthy of guarding the wall, for any reason, they are immediatly cast aside and are banished. These exiles often form nomadic squads, patrolling the fractured lands for evil to quash.
Rigorous Training
The Dervishes are trained from their youth to become both unemotional and extremely strong. The Dervishes are often emotionally abused during their training and the combined physical exertion leads to many to quit. However, those that do end up with steadfast determination and the emotional capacity(or lack thereof) to refuse those who wish to leave the desert.
Silent as the Sands
The Dervishes are a mute race, who speak with the strange Primordial signs at an extremely rapid pace. However, this is not necessarily a bad thing; many who work as part of a militia know this language, and use it to silently communicate on infiltration missions. Even children may know a few rudimentary signs from childhood games, though this is very rare.
Roleplaying a Desert Dervish
The Desert Dervishes may not know any spoken languages, but this doesn't mean that you will be unable to communicate. Talk to your DM before playing a Desert Dervish, and suggest to other players that they take Primordial if they have the option to learn an additional language. This mechanic should not be seen as a downside but instead a unique roleplaying opportunity.
Desert Dervish Traits
Your Desert Dervish character has the following characteristics.
Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score
increases by 2 and your Dexterity score increases by 1.
Age. Dervishes mature at about the same rate as humans
and reach adulthood in their late teens. They live
somewhat longer than humans do, up to 120 years.
Alignment. Independent and self-reliant, genasi tend
toward a neutral alignment.
Size. Dervishes tend to be taller and slightly more intimidating than most other races. Their size ranges from 6-6.8 ft. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Languages. You can read and write Common
and sign Primordial. Primordial is a unique language, relying on signs instead of the spoken word.
Fire Resistance. You have resistance to fire damage.
Imparted Arcana. You know the produce flame
cantrip. Once you reach 3rd level, you can cast the
levitate spell once with this trait as a 2nd-level
spell, and you regain the ability to cast it this way when
you finish a long rest. Constitution is your spellcasting
ability for these spells.
Dragonborn
"I've heard tell of these creatures, these... dragonborn. They seem just as likely to be friend then foe, what with that dragon blood. And sometimes you notice a strange glance, like they're sizing you up and wondering if they can kill you. Be wary when you have a dragonborn companion, for they are as untrustworthy as they are lethal."
Dragonborn are defined by their heritage; born of the blood of dragons, they are seen as more dragon than man. This is "proved" by their outward appearance as well as their method of conception. However, they are more noble than they appear. They must resist draconic temptations, the desire to tear any humanoid limb from limb, to satiate draconic dreams.
Suicidal Birth
Though a bit of an oxymoron, the birth of a dragonborn involves the suicide of another. When one wishes to become a dragonborn, they must meet with a great dragonlord and offer their life. If the dragon deems them worthy, he will give them a vial of his blood; when drunk, the blood transforms the user into a dragonborn. Becoming a dragonborn overwrites the previous identity entirely, often leading to the dragonborn investigating his original identity. Some powerful diviners are able to detect hints of the previous soul and can help dragonborn on that quest.
Draconic Temptation
After their reincarnation, many dragons are reformed into noble creatures with one vice: their draconic temptation. A dragonborn has disadvantage on all Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma rolls whilst resisting the Draconic Temptation with the ability to satisfy it immediately, which shows the willpower and concentration necessary to resist. Below are eight flaws, but talking to your DM may allow you extra options.
| d8 | Temptation |
|---|---|
| 1 | The Bones of Children |
| 2 | The Hearts of Lovers |
| 3 | The Skin of Sinners |
| 4 | The Marrow of Mothers |
| 5 | The Tongues of Fathers |
| 6 | The Blood of Soldiers |
| 7 | The Fat of Babies |
| 8 | The Legs of Virgins |
Draconic Truth
Along with this terrible temptation comes an important truth of dragons, which grants a draconic ability. Once per session, you may call upon your dragon overlord's memories to learn about the past. As long as the overlord would have memory of this event, you automatically succeed on a history check involving an event the overlord was present for. This ability is subject to the DM's discretion.
Draconic Traits
Your draconic heritage manifests in a variety of traits
you share with other dragonborn.
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score
increases by 2, and your Wisdom score increases by 1.
Age. Dragonborn grow quickly. They walk
hours after hatching, attain the size and development
of a 10-year-old human child by the age of 3, and reach
adulthood by 15. They live to be around 80.
Alignment. Dragonborn tend to extremes, making a
conscious choice for one side or the other in the cosmic
war between good and evil
Size. Dragonborn are taller and heavier than humans,
standing well over 6 feet tall and averaging almost 250
pounds. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Breath Weapon. You can use your action to exhale
destructive energy. Your draconic ancestry determines
the size, shape, and damage type of the exhalation.
When you use your breath weapon, each creature in
the area of the exhalation must make a saving throw,
the type of which is determined by your draconic
ancestry. The DC for this saving throw equals 8 +
your Constitution modifier + your proficiency bonus. A
creature takes 2d6 damage on a failed save, and half
as much damage on a successful one. The damage
increases to 3d6 at 6th level, 4d6 at 11th level, and 5d6
at 16th level.After you use your breath weapon, you can't use it again until you complete a short or long rest
Damage Resistance. You have resistance to the
damage type associated with your draconic ancestry.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common
and Draconic. Draconic is thought to be one of the
oldest languages and is often used in the study of magic.
The language sounds harsh to most other creatures and
includes numerous hard consonants and sibilants.
Draconic Type
| Dragon | Damage Type | Breath Range |
|---|---|---|
| Black | Acid | 5 by 30. ft. Line (Dex Save.) |
| Blue | Lightning | 5 by 30. ft. Line (Str Save.) |
| Green | Poison | 5 by 30. ft. Line (Wis Save.) |
| Red | Fire | 5 by 30. ft. Line (Int Save.) |
| White | Cold | 5 by 30. ft. Line (Cha Save.) |
Dwarf
I held the lantern up to my brother Bruenor's
pocked, sand scarred face at the entrance of the cave.
"Are we sure we want to go in there? It looks rather dangerous." This question was met by a heavy pat to the shoulder. "We are dwarves brother, we were made by Oghma to discover, not sit around scribbling notes like those fancy smancy elves. Now come, let us uncover what we can." As he said this, he took several steps ahead and motioned for me to continue as well. Behind us as we walked, the sounds of rocks crumbling behind us indicated the cave's collapse behind us. "Looks like we have no choice now, brother." Bruenor grinned.
-Bruenor's Diary, before his brothers death
Dwarves are motivated by an unquenchable curiosity into the world below. They believe they were created by Oghma, the Elder god of Knowledge, as tools instrumental in aiding the discovery of the rest of the unknown world. Dwarves are often rather intelligent, though they hide it behind a gruff facade. They believe themselves to be the people of the future and between their discovery of the world and their contributions to science, they may very well be right.
Explorers and Intellects
The Dwarves were created by a knowledge god and reflect that based on their societal rules and policies. Dwarves are all given a full education and title is determined by success in the dwarf's specialist field. For example, an architect that has travelled the world studying different styles and types of architecture to return home would be a master architect
Keep it Simple, Stupid
Dwarves believe in simple efficacy in their designs, actions and works. A dwarven building may not be ornate, but it will stand against the most powerful of savage tribes. Often, this is seen as a shortcoming but in the corrupted desert of the fractured land, using as few resources and time as possible is imperative to survival.
Close Guarded Secrets
While any dwarf would be happy to show their discoveries to their fellow man, many dwarves keep their lives and dwarven traditions secrets that lie close to their heart. The reasoning behind this is that a man of academia should not be known for his life but for his discoveries in his field. They believe that an inventor who tells any more of their lives are selfish braggarts.
Dwarf Traits
Your dwarf character has an assortment of inborn
abilities, part and parcel of dwarven nature.
Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score
increases by 2.
Age. Dwarves mature at the same rate as humans, but
they're considered young until they reach the age of 50.
On average, they live about 350 years.
Alignment. Most dwarves are lawful, believing firmly
in the benefits of a well-ordered society. They tend
toward good as well, with a strong sense of fair play and
a belief that everyone deserves to share in the benefits of
a just order.
Size. Dwarves stand between 4 and 5 feet tall and
average about 150 pounds. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 25 feet. Your
speed is not reduced by wearing heavy armor.
Darkvision. Accustomed to life underground, you
have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You
can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were
bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You
can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Dwarven Resilience. You have advantage on saving
throws against poison, and you have resistance against
poison damage (explained in chapter 9).
Dwarven Combat Training. You have proficiency
with the battleaxe, handaxe. throwing hammer,
and warhammer.
Tool Proficiency. You gain proficiency with the
artisan's tools of your choice: smith's tools, brewer's
supplies, or mason's tools.
Stonecunning. Whenever you make an Intelligence(History) check related to the origin of stonework, you are considered proficient in the History skill and add double your proficiency bonus to the check, instead of your normal proficiency bonus.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common
and Dwarvish. Dwarvish is full of hard consonants and
guttural sounds, and those characteristics spill over into
whatever other language a dwarf might speak.
Subraces
Since very near the inception of the Dwarves, an age old question hasn't been answered: Should we study the mathematics and sciences in our own homes or should we explore the world and discover? This divide, while never causing blood to be shed, has always been a source of strife amongst the dwarves.
The Forskare
Forskare are always ready for anything due to their excellent foresight. This group of dwarves believe that the way to achieving true knowledge is through constant and incessant study. They think that 'pure' mathematics and sciences, unsullied by field work, is the true way to complete their purpose in life.
Ability Score increase. Your Constitution score increases by 1.
Well Prepared. Once per long rest, you may pull an object from your pack not previously written on your character sheet. This object must be equal to or less than 30 gold and may not be a weapon.
The Sök
These dwarves believe that the true knowledge of the world is discovery. They have spent decades exploring every nook and cranny, returning with treasures and vast quantities of wealth. They often send expeditions into the fractures but they rarely return, and only driven completely insane when they do. They are extremely curious about the fractures and their origins, often working with the Ohtar elves to learn more about them.
Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by
1.
It's a trap! The Sök are fast on their feet due to their various expeditions into tombs, crypts and other dangerous places. These place are littered with a litany of traps and subsequently, the dwarves have a better ability to react and avoid them. Whenever you make a saving throw against the effects of a trap, you may do so with advantage. If you have disadvantage on the saving roll, you don't roll with advantage or disadvantage.
Elf
Hansel stepped into the grassy clearing,
intent on eradicating the elves who lived there.
He hefted his battleaxe, rhythmically tapping its blade against his palm almost absentmindedly. As he stopped, he began to notice the beautiful scenery around him; he smelt the scents of the plants around him, felt the cool wind against his palm, whisking him away to his childhood. "Stopped to smell the roses?" A cool, if mischievous voice intoned. Hansel was taken aback, unbalanced by the overwhelming splendor of his environment. He dropped his axe. He wanted to apologize, to explain it was just his job, but he didn't have time. Before he could respond, an arrow was sunk between his eyes faster than he could even see, much less react to.
-The Tale of Hansel the Stupid
The elves are one of the few groups on the plane to still live in lush forested areas scattered around the map. Their knowledge and memory aid them in creating rituals to cleanse the corrupt sands and mend fractures, albeit at an extremely slow rate. Many wonder why they don't make this knowledge available to all in order to clear the fractures in their entirety. Elves are as as mysterious as they are ambivalent and little is known of their people.
Steeped in Tradition
The elves live long lives and thusly have a unique lease on history. Their elders even remember the time before the fractures. This perspective has allowed them adapt to and predict events to come, but this doesn't mean they don't still have longheld tradition and rites. In fact, their extended age has given them the concept of "Mutae", which is the idea that while the world changes over centuries, it will always come back to an order. Whey change tradition when it will return.
Liberal Arts
Through magic and time, the elves have begun to understand the importance of contributing to history. They believe that the arts, music and architecture will last for centuries longer than any written record. As such, it is not uncommon for them to worship Ydar. An important aspect of this art is the stressing of longevity of the piece. Their architecture is meant to last, paintings are constantly recoated for the maximum time the painting's colours will last and music is preserved using magical devices.
Close to Nature
The elves naturally reflect their environment, moods changing with the seasons. This means they are extremely protective of their forested homes and will kill any they even suspect have bad intentions. This becomes an even more common during this time, as many creatures try to hide in these patches of forest are seen as oases of the desert. It doesn't matter whether the person knew they were intruding; the elves will shoot on sight.
Friends in Strange Places
They are also close to nature in other ways: fey, unseelie, dryads and nymphs cannot live without these patches of true nature. They shower the elves with gifts in return for being allowed to live within their biomes. Often, Fey will even teach the elves strange and mysterious sells. These spells range from minor cantrips to world altering miracles.
Altruistic Scholars
Though elves have a natural predisposition to outsiders, they understand that they are an important part of scientific advancement in the fractured lands.
Elf Traits
Elves have a variety of unique traits due to their ancestry and heritage.
Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 2.
Age. Although elves reach physical maturity at about the same age as humans, the elven understanding of adulthood goes
beyond physical growth to encompass worldly experience. An elf typically claims adulthood and an
adult name around the age of 100
and can live to be 750 years old.
Alignment. Elves love freedom,
variety, and self-expression,
so they lean strongly toward the gentler aspects of
chaos. They value and protect others’ freedom as well
as their own, and they are more often good than not.
Size. Elves range from under 5 to over 6 feet tall
and have slender builds. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision. Accustomed to twilit forests and the
night sky, you have superior vision in dark and dim
conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of
you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it
were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness,
only shades of gray.
Keen Senses. You have proficiency in the Perception
skill.
Fey Ancestry. You have advantage on saving
throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put
you to sleep.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common
and Elvish. Elvish is often not well known, with only professors and spellcasters taking the time to learn it.
Subrace. During the fractures, the elves were split on how to react to the calamitous event. Some elves wished to fight the monsters and gained newfound strength from living within the fractures. They became known as the Ohtar and have become accustomed to surviving in the maddening fractures. The second group wished to preserve the forests and grasslands, as well as returning the land to it's former state. They are known as the Enga. Finally, there were some that wished to have nothing to do with this mortal conflict, preferring to stay secluded in elvish ruins from before the fractures. They are called Arquen.
Ohtar
Elves of the Ohtar tribe live within the fractures and have adapted weapon training and minor magics that prove effective in the hunt. They tend to be the least 'traditionalist' elves and will abandon rites and rituals in favor of survival. They believe in an animistic religion which honours the worthiness of their prey. The Ohtar have some rules however, certain areas are off limits. Though the elves wish to do something about the menace, they realize they will need help to cleanse that area. They are the smallest of the elven clans.
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases
by 1.
Superior Darkvision. Your darkvision has a radius
of 120 feet.
Sunlight Sensitivity. You have disadvantage on attack
rolls and on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely
on sight when you, the target of your attack, or whatever
you are trying to perceive is in direct sunlight.
Ohtar Magic. You know the chill touch cantrip.
When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the hunter's mark
spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so
when you finish a long rest.
Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
Elf Weapon Training. You have proficiency with
the longsword, shortsword, shortbow, and longbow.
Enga
The Enga clan of elves are perhaps the most hostile of all elves. They are fierce and stealthy defenders of their restored biomes and believe that the humanoid races are at fault for the fractures, though these claims have never been investigated. These elves are also the least likely to be hostile, killing intruders on sight without a second thought.
Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases
by 1.
Elf Weapon Training. You have proficiency with
the longsword, shortsword, shortbow, and longbow.
Fleet of Foot. Your base walking speed increases
to 35 feet.
Mask of the Wild. You can attempt to hide even
when you are only lightly obscured by foliage, heavy
rain, falling sand, mist, and other natural phenomena.
Arquen
The Arquen are unlike the other factions in most ways and contains the most members, nearly above the combined population of the other two. Unlike the other elves, they have remained passive, studying and practicing the same traditions generations have performed. Thusly, they are each more specialized and educated then their adventurous brethren
Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases
by 1.
Skill Versatility. You gain proficiency in any combination
of two skills or tools of your choice
Fey Step. You can cast the misty step spell once using
this trait. You regain the ability to do so when you finish
a short or long rest.
Order of the Phoenix
Members of the order of the desert phoenix are detailed on a later page (p. 14) named race known as the Order of the Phoenix Elf, which are significantly different from their normal elven brethren. In order to use a Phoenix Order character, I would strongly recommend using this race as it compliments the paladin, sorcerer and warlock classes with it's ability scores, which are the most likely class that they will pick.
Elf of the Order
As Aurelia watched from behind the walls, she noticed a lone elf walk toward the hordes. She wore ornate armor with the insignia of a phoenix and wielded a greatsword. As she stood, her eyes began to glow. First the eyes, then the armor and finally the sword. She charged the horde, running into the orcs cutting through nine in seconds flat. The tenth orc turned to run. "If I ever see you or your tribe in this village again, I will personally massacre your entire tribes' lineage. You will be wiped from this earth like the sand you are." That orc ran faster than any orc Asten had ever seen.
-Asten, Aurelia's brother's, diary
Elves of powerful clan and bloodline are blessed with great power due to their pact with the phoenix. They are destined for greatness and have great burdens placed on the shoulders at very young ages. They have an entirely different culture and system of beliefs than their nature loving cousins.
Gift of Power
It is a joyous day when the elves discover their gift. It manifests in some at different ages than others but it generally happens between age 7 to 18. After the gift manifests, the elf completes a private ritual where they communicate to the desert phoenix and glimpse something truly divine.
Rigors of Discipline
However, this gift comes with extreme responsibility. At the age of seven, the elves begin their training. Their training involves extreme physical pain in order to build up a tolerance and advanced elvish conditioning passed from their ancestors down. This devotion often leads to extreme isolation as children in return for heroic acts as an adult.
Dispel Emotion
No extreme emotion should be felt by tradition, only serene confidence in battle. This often means that an elf of the order will leave, as they are unable to separate emotions from themselves. Those that are able to become great heroes and warriors, upholding their duty to the world and becoming legendary among their peers. But is that price worth the glory?
Elf of the Phoenix Order Traits
These elves share certain racial traits as a result of their traditional descent.
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score
increases by 1, and your Charisma score increases by 2.
Age. See Elves.
Alignment. These elves might seem to have an innate tendency towards Good, but many of them end up as Lawful Neutral, holding up the law of the land as a substitute to the protection of the people
Size. Elves of the Order are about the same size and build as the other elves. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision. Thanks to your phoenix talents, you
have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You
can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were
bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Phoenix Protection You have resistance
to fire damage.
Phoenix Legacy. You know the thaumaturgy cantrip.
Once you reach 3rd level, you can cast the hellish
rebuke spell once per day as a 2nd-level spell. Once you
reach 5th level, you can also cast the darkness spell
once per day. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for
these spells.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common
and Elvish.
Fallen elves of the Order
Elves of the order often collapse under the pressure but many still convince the phoenix to allow them to keep their power, much to the dismay of the order. If your character would be able to convince the phoenix to allow them to keep the power, it would make sense to use this race. If not, use the Elf(p.12) stats and just roleplay the background. The most important thing is staying true to your backstory, so talk to the DM about it and explain why you think one or the other.
Firbolg
Sobek and his tribe had been planning their attack on the Firbolg clan for weeks;their orcish noses had smelled them and tracked them to the canyon and they had charged after them. However, the tactical genius of the Firbolg was proved to Sobek and his cronies that day. Firbolg archers lined the side of the canyon, blanketing the orcs in arrows and decimating them. Be wary when hunting Firbolgs.
-Sobek's Guide to Hunting Humanoids
The Firbolg are a nomadic people, following migration patterns based on the phases of the moon. They are often preyed upon by savage tribes and veteran bandits alike for their surplus of sipplies, which they stockpile for their year long migrations. In addition, Firbolg meat is supposedly a delicacy to many savage tribes.
Shaped by Struggles
The wisdom and technical intelligence of the Firbolgs comes from years of hardship. They were once a kind and peaceful people, naive to the core of their beliefs. They were seen as easy quarry and were constantly attacked and even when they weren't, they were plagued by monsters from the fractures. They had to do something, and they began to formulate cunning plans based on their migration route. Because their route was their home, they were able to plan tactics that took advantage of their surroundings.
Firbolg Traits
Your firbolg character has the following racial traits.
Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases
by 2, and your Strength score increases by 1.
Age. As humanoids related to the fey, firbolg have long
lifespans. A firbolg reaches adulthood around 30, and
the oldest of them can live for 500 years.
Alignment. As people who follow the rhythm of nature and see themselves as its caretakers, firbolg are
typically neutral good. Evil firbolg are rare and are usually the sworn enemies of the rest of their kind.
Size. Firbolg are between 7 and 8 (eet tall and weigh
between 240 and 300 pounds. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Firbolg Magic. You can cast detect magic and disguise self with this trait, using Wisdom as your spell casting ability for them. Once you cast either spell, you can't cast it again with this trait until you finish a short or long rest. When you use this version of disguise self, you can seem up to 3 feet shorter than normal, allowing you to more easily blend in with humans and elves
Hidden Step. As a bonus action, you can magically
tum invisible until the start of your next turn or until
you attack, make a damage roll, or force someone to
make a saving throw. Once you use this trait, you can't
use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Powerful Build. You count as one size larger when
determining your carrying capacity and the weight you
can push, drag, or lift.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common,
Elvish, and Giant.
Halfling
"Did you hear that?" Fulric whimpered. "It sounded like some sort of m-m-monster." "Grow a pair, Fulric" Kodo replied. "We didn't sneak out of the colony just to be scared on back!" The trio were silent for a moment, before Mary spoke up. "I agree with Fulric, this place gives me the creeps." She leaned in closer to Kodo, shivering slightly. "Everything will be-" As Kodo spoke, a creature camouflaged above them grabbed him, pulling him up to an unreachable point. Without even looking back, the other two halflings ran away.
Halflings have a very rigid social structure. They are assigned roles in society based on both social hierarchy and individual skill; the halfling has little say in the matter. They believe in the power of the group, not the individual. The halflings live in hexcomb caves dug out during the chaotic time of the fractures.
Sense of Self
A halfling often has trouble with understanding their own identity and struggle to keep their individuality. The constant telekinetic contact with the rest of their tribe often gives them a "hive mind". Though it may be helpful in the colony, it is an extreme hindrance when one leaves the colony. They gain a crippling sense of self doubt, which often leads to them becoming extremely cowardly. This is why they have installed a curfew.
Leaving the Colony
Leaving the colony permanently is not permitted and there is even a curfew in place so they may not leave at night. This is rarely a concern for the members of the colony, as the colony's importance is so ingrained in Halfling youth. Even if a halfling were to leave the colony, they often will not survive cut off from their colony. Many cannot even speak, relying solely on their telekinetic abilities to communicate. They may be able to fight but are often psychologically dysfunctional. Thusly, most halflings never truly see and understand the outside world.
Fear
Even those that stay in the colony are extremely cowardly, regardless of their strength. They often feel isolated past 30 ft. from their colony, as that is the range of their telekinetic communication when a part of the colony. Rarely, certain halflings are able to buck this trend of cowardice, but this is looked down on by the colony halflings for the tendency of those halflings towards escaping the colony
Self Sufficient
The colony actively discourages any and all contact with other civilizations, for fear of inspiring ideas through differing cultural views of the individual. Many escapees were motivated to leave based on the ideals and concepts in the other concepts.
Traits
Your halfling character has a number of traits in
common with all other halflings.
Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score
increases by 2.
Age. A halfling reaches adulthood at the age of
20 and generally lives into the middle of his or her
second century.
Alignment. Halflings are unopinionated when part of the colony and are therefore true neutral.
Size. Halflings average about 3 feet tall and weigh
about 40 pounds. Your size is Small.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 25 feet.
Lucky. When you roll a 1 on an attack roll, ability
check, or saving throw, you can reroll the die and must
use the new roll.
Brave. You have advantage on saving throws against
being frightened.
Milling Nimbleness. You can move through the
space of any creature that is of a size larger than yours.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common
and Halfling. The Halfling language is secret. They write
very little, so they don't have a rich body of literature.
Their oral tradition, however, is very strong.
Subrace. Halflings are separated by their ability to telekinetically communicate. Those who can are the majority of any colony, but on extremely rare occasions there are those who don't.
Telepathic
These are your average labourers, most likely brainwashed by the colony. But there are those that manage to escape the wash behind the ears. They may meet an outside contact, love for the sake of love or just experience wanderlust but these halflings are few and far between.
Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases
by l .
Silent Speech. You can speak telepathically to any creature within 30 feet of you. The creature understands you only if the two of you share a language. You can speak telepathically in this way to one creature at a time. This teleptathy is one way.
Non-Telepathic
There are those who are not born with the gift of telekinesis in the halfling colonies. They are often looked upon as disabled or weak by their fellow colony members. This feeling of loneliness even amongst colony members. Many members of society never talk, only using their telekinesis as communication. This leads to incredible loneliness and depression in those who don't have that ability. Once they've left the colony, they tend to be extremely grateful and kind, which means non telepathic halflings often have many friends.
Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score
increases by 1.
Naturally Stealthy. You can attempt to hide even
when you are obscured only by a creature that is at least
one size larger than you.
Human
There are many tales that tell of humans on the planes: great heroes, wise wizards and dashing damsels. But none speak to the human's innate versatility, their adaptability, the thing that made up for their shortcomings. Humans were unique and proud, arrogant and weak. They cannot be classified by their nature as a whole, they must be classified on an individual level.
-Cassandra, queen of the Fey, on the subject of humans
Humans have been an important part of the advancement of the humanoid races into the future. The human ability to adapt to any situation means that they are the quickest to bounce back from calamity and in turn provide examples for the other species. Their initial strategy of hunkering down after the fractured land in small, easy to abandon villages was adapted by every other civilization during that time.
Live Fast, Die Young
One of the most important aspects of humans is their drive. They must lear and understand a world they only live a fraction of their lives in. Their eldest would not even be considered adult elves! This means that without the extreme ambition many possess, they would never be able to compare to dwarven historians, elvish rangers and Firbolg tacticians. This ambition is what sets apart humanity from its fellow races.
Varied Alignments
Unlike virtually every other civilization, Humans are capable of both the greatest good and the darkest evil, sometimes even in the same lifetime. This tendency to extremes rivals even the dragonborn, whose subraces are literally entirely different and thus tend to be more extreme. Many fear humans for this volatility but realize their importance in society
Extremely violent
Humans are curiously extremely violent, though perhaps this has something to do with their shorter life spans. Even watching violence, from gladitorial fights to tavern brawls, is something that humans enjoy greatly. This love of combat garners respect from the firbolg and phoenix order elves, who see certain humans as warriors who strive towards combat perfection that are ready to lay down their lives(however short) for a cause they believe in.
Short Tempered and Emotional
Humans are seen as extremely short tempered and emotive. Perhaps it is how fast humans live their lives but they are often too impatient to make decisions and opine, in the other race's perspective. This makes humans seem rash and reckless compared to their wiser, more experienced betters.
Human Traits
Humans are divided based on their geographical location as opposed to some sort of ancient grudge. This doesn't mean they aren't extremely different.
It's hard to make generalizations about humans, but
your human character has these traits.
Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 1.
Age. Humans reach adulthood in their late teens and
live less than a century.
Alignment. Humans tend toward no
particular alignment. The best and the worst are
found among them.
Size. Humans vary widely in height and build, from
barely 5 feet to well over 6 feet tall. Regardless of your
position in that range, your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common
and one extra language of your choice. Humans typically
learn the languages of other peoples they deal with,
including obscure dialects. They are fond of sprinkling
their speech with words borrowed from other tongues:
Orc curses, Elvish musical expressions, Dwarvish
military phrases, and so on.
Northern
For a Northern Human, life is kill or be killed. The increased volume of monsters north means that these humans must be excellent hunters, rangers and fighters just to survive. Many humans of the north train their children at extremely young age to fight and survive for fear of dying and leaving their young defenseless.
Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution
score increases by 1.
Fleet of Foot. Your base walking speed is 40 feet.
Sure-Footed. When you use the Dash action, difficult
terrain doesn’t cost you extra movement on that
turn.
Spring Attack. When you make a melee attack
against a creature, you don’t provoke opportunity
attacks from that creature for the rest of your turn,
whether you hit or not.
Southern
Safe with the dwarves and elves, these humans cultivate their knowledge and specialize in an important field within their fellow civilizations' societies. Most often they become wizards of varying power. Their ambition unrivaled, they often outpace even the elves in their wide breadths of knowledge and even the dwarves in their extreme curiosity.
Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence
score increases by 1.
Breadth of Knowledge. You gain proficiency in
any combination of four skills or with four tools of
your choice.
Eastern
The Humans of the jungle must always have keen senses, as the untamed jungles are both uniquely unexplored and intrinsically dangerous. A strict human culture that is based around respect lives in the eastern jungles, wherin respect is the key trait necessary and clans vie for control of supplies and resources that cannot be found in the jungle, at least not without a fight.
Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 1.
Nimble and Defensive.When you are wielding a finesse weapon with which you are proficient and another creature hits you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to add your proficiency bonus to your AC for that attack, potentially causing the attack to miss you.
Nomadic
The Nomadic humans are a well rounded people, meeting and learning from many different people with many different skillsets. They are therefore the best example of human adaptation, though less than the paragons of ambition their other subraces are.
Ability Score Increase. All your ability scores except for your Dexterity score increase by 1.
Last Ditch Effort Once per long rest, you may reroll any saving throw, including death saving throws. This must be declared before the Dungeon Master declares whether the roll succeeds or fails. You must use the new roll if you use this ability.
Lizardfolk
Torn and Bjorn held their torches in
the air, looking up at the unstable
cavern ceiling, which occasionally shook and
fractured, which loosened the sand and caused it to
fall in clumps. After a particularly bad fracture, which resulted in Bjorn's head being covered in sand, Bjorn promptly asked "Where in sam hell are these damn lizards? The townsfolk said they were mauradin' barbarians not slitherin' snakes." His brother, always the technical one said "They are both reptiles.-" They were interrupted by another shake, this one ending with a plop of moisture on Torn's shoulder. He looked up just in time to see the maw of a salivating lizardfolk.
-Bjorn's account of his brother's death.
Lizardfolk are dangerous marauders who hide an alien intelligence with savage and ritualistic culture. They are easily able to blend in and communicate with other races, but it is like a wolf amongst sheep. They often see people as little more than resources; if keeping a farmer alive will yield them more food than eating him, they will not eat for the sake of bloodthirst. This is an important point when investigating this race: They are not bloodthirsty, only pragmatic in their approach to their resources.
Rites and Rituals
Though the lizardfolk have many rites and rituals, there is one that stands out more than the rest: the rite of adulthood or Derudan in their native tongue. Unlike many other tribes, this rite is not complete upon reaching a certain age. Instead, it is complete when the tribe deems them intelligent and responsible enough. Indeed, there are many lizardfolk members who do not complete Derudan before their death.
Silver Tongued
Lizardfolk must use their natural charisma and charm when dealing with "warmbloods". This trait is cultivated in the lizardfolk's youth, wherin the tribe meets with other cultures to practice this ability. By the time they are considered adults, they have mastered this lizardfolk art.
Merchants
Many lizardfolk masquerade as merchants, hiding their scaly appearance with masks and fine silk. They are more often black merchants, dealing in leftover body parts to necromancers and other scientists illegally. . Often, the corpses of adventurers have unique and powerful items on their person.
Traits
Your lizardfolk character has the following racial traits.
Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 2, and your Dexterity score increases by 1.
Age. Lizardfolk reach maturity around age 14 and
rarely live longer than 60 years.
Alignment. Most lizardfolk are neutral evil. They see the world as a place for them to thrive via taking advantage of and exploiting others. People are resources to be used.
larger. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Bite. Your fanged maw is a natural weapon, which you
can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with it, you
deal piercing damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an
unarmed strike.
Cunning Artisan. As part of a short rest, you can har-
vest bone and hide from a slain beast, construct, dragon,
monstrosity, or plant creature of size Small or larger
to create one of the following items: a shield, a club, a
javelin, or ld4 darts or blowgun needles. To use this
trait, you need a blade, such as a dagger, or appropriate
artisan's tools, such as leatherworker's tools.
Hunter's Lore. You gain proficiency with two of the
following skills of your choice: Animal Handling, Nature, Perception, Stealth, and Survival.
Hungry Jaws. In battle, you can throw yourself into a vicious feeding frenzy. As a bonus action, you can make
a special attack with your bite. If the attack hits, it deals its normal damage, and you gain temporary hit points (minimum of 1) equal to your Constitution modifier, and
you can't use this trait again until you finish a short or
long rest.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Draconic. You have exellent use of it, and could very likely be hired as a diplomat or salesman.
Lizard Folk Druids
Typically druids, these spellcasting lizards go against the main tribe's belief that everyone is to be exploited, instead tapping into their bestial nature to transform into strange creatures.
Orc
"They have taken the bridge, and the
second hall. We have barred the
gates, but cannot hold them for long. The ground
shakes. Drums. Drums in the deep. We cannot get out.
A shadow moves in the dark. We cannot get out. They are coming!"
-Gandalf, reading the last words of a dwarf warrior
The orcs are a race of powerfully built, combat ready warriors who practice rituals and rites that are seen as primitive by outside races. They may act stupid, but these warriors are both physically built and comprehending of tactics, if not excelling at them.
Tribe of War
Though many see their tribal rituals as basic and their behavioral patterns as warmongering. Their rituals are actually extremely complex, involving a shaman divining their future and guiding the orcs to the best possible course of action, which may be very well be a combative path
Unique Society
The orcish hierarchy is unique in that the roles of intelligent thinkers - shamans, wizards and generals - are all considered a higher position than chief. In fact, the chief only mostly has a say on day to day affairs, though he may influence or advise the intelligent thinkers on the best course of action.
Godless
It is against the rules of the tribe to become religious, as they see the current world as the only world they should think about. A few orcs leave specifically because of this restriction and are seen as traitors who will taste their steel if they return to the tribe.
Orc Traits
Your orc character has the following racial traits.
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score in-
creases by 2, your Constitution score increases by 1
Age. Ores reach adulthood at age 12 and live up
to 50 years.
Alignment. Ores are vicious raiders, who believe that the world should be theirs. They also respect strength above all else and believe the strong must bully the weak to ensure that weakness does not spread like a
disease. They are usually chaotic evil.
Size. Orcs are usually over 6 feet tall and weigh be-
tween 230 and 280 pounds. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet
of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Agressive. As a bonus action, you can move up to
your speed toward an enemy of your choice that you can
see or hear. You must end this move closer to the enemy
than you started.
Menacing. You are trained in the Intimidation skill.
Powerful Build. You count as one size larger when
determining your carrying capacity and the weight you
can push, drag, or lift.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Orc.
Warforged
"The Warforged marched on our capital, killing machines with the sole intention of destroying the dwarves' very existence. Though we had our creativity, individuality and tactical minds, the warforged had managed to scorch the very earth with their campaign, destroying all in their path for domination. However, they weren't prepared for what happened next."
-Faelgor, on the Warforged Genocide
In the time before the fractures, warforged were simply tools used to bolster ancient armies. However, after a massive defeat at the hands of dwarves and elves, the Warforged became sentient, shocked by the death of their brethren into becoming emotive and intelligent creatures.
Souless Machinations
The view of the general populace in the Fractured lands is that these remnants of time before are no more than war automatons, intent on wreaking havoc and destruction in their wake. In fact, most warforged have begun to understand and struggle with complicated philosophical concepts, such as grievance, empathy and even love. This doesn't mean that they don't need a large improvement in those areas.
We Don't Serve Their Kind Here
Often, this dread reputation leads to extreme prejudice. This racism is rarely a cause for persecution, as the races of the fractured lands believe that they are to blame for the fractures. Though many warforged strive against it, these ideas are still prevalent in society today. The warforged often have to prove their worth, working twice as hard for half the pay in order to regain respect and dispute their reputation.
Loners
Warforged are not defined solely by discrimination. Though they most often become nomads and travel the desert, a few settlements comprised solely of warforged have cropped up recently. These warforged often modify themselves to serve the colony's needs. The warforged take their duties very seriously, many morphing even their personalities to match their work.
Ancient Allies
The Halflings of the fractures have used and nurtured the warforged since the fractures. Repairing and acclimating them, the halflings were able to instill similar, if more liberal, ideas and concepts on the modern society. Often, the warforged will work in a colony, one of the few outsiders that the halflings will truly accept into their society. In return, the warforged work as a member of the colony permanently, unless they are stopping solely for a resupply, which the halflings both frown upon and have little patience for.
Warforged Traits
As a warforged, you have the following racial traits.
Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 2 and your Strength score increases by 1.
Size. Warforged are generally broader and heavier than humans. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Composite Plating. Your construction incorporates wood and metal, granting you a +1 bonus to Armor
Class.
Living Construct. Even though you were constructed, you are a living creature. You are immune to
disease. You do not need to eat or breathe, but you can ingest food and drink if you wish. Instead of sleeping, you enter an inactive state for 4 hours each day. You do not dream in this state; you are fully aware of your surroundings and notice approaching enemies and other events as normal.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language of your choice.
Gods and Divine Beings
Though their presence is faint and weak, the gods of this universe are still present. Many people see them simply as figments of other's imagination, or objects of worship that are simply conduits of the worshippers own innate ability. Regardless of the beliefs of any one person, it must be acknowledged that these "gods" exist and influence the culture of the Fractured Lands. The true danger of the gods is not them, but the power their worshippers represent.
Anyone who truly believes enough in an idea, belief, or object in worship, may very well gain the power of their "deity". This means, for example, a warlord who believes in the power of conquest enough may be granted supernatural power that they could use to sow misery throughout the world. A group of powerful mages have been tasked with monitoring the power of anyone who gains these boons, but the wizards are often either two bored or busy to watch over every single mortal on the plane.
Places of Worship
Worship is often looked down upon in the smaller villages and rural areas, as they blame supposed gods for the fractures. However, certain major cities are suposedly supportive of religion and practicers of faith. Aramore in particular, with the Mantle of Faith as a conduit to increase a religion's power and the many religious orders vying for the power and right to use it, is easily extremely tolerable of any and every religion.
For the more nomadic, ancient temples to old gods can be found decaying in the arid desert after the fractures. Rarely, gypsies and nomads have been known to worship the older gods, even archeologists who explore them have been converted to these. It is said that deep within these temples, one can find connections to the ancient deities that grant them powers unique to them. They are known as chosen.
Chosen
The chosen are the lucky few who are blessed by old gods, definably once real and truly unique amongst the magic users of the world. Many wizards have tried to analyze their magical potential, but it is in constant fluctuation and impossible to read. The chosen are extremely rare, and usually being chosen is a sign that that person will go on to become legends and world shapers.
On even rarer occassions, these chosen are worshipped as the second coming or reincarnation of these gods. This can strengthen the older god connected to the chosen and is the the reason, many hypothesize, that they become conduits in the fiirst place.
Technology and Faith
As certain cities respect religion and worship, most religions are fine with the possibilities of technology. Some even go so far as to worship certain entities in the Mechanus and some further still worship mathematical concepts and logic, which directly link to the sciences and therefore technology. Many of these worshippers are good friends with the wizards and scientists in the city and happily comply with the experiments these people conduct on them.
Racial Faith
Though most races don't have faiths specific to their race, orders like the Order of the Desert Phoenix's elven only policy(half elves may apply). Those who don't see religion as real see this as tradition, and are much more tolerant in comparison to normal religions. Those who are religious, however, are often offended by the exclusive nature of such religions and look down upon them, regardless of the good they may be doing.
The Desert Phoenix
Long ago, before even the fractures, the Elves of the Timeless Plains were besieged by orcs, goblins and other monsters of equal or greater strength. Though the graceful elves fought long and hard, they were unable to defeat the overwhelming power of their hordes. After years of combat against them, the elves were suddenly saved from the hordes by the pure power of a flock of phoenixes. Overwhelmed with thankfulness, the elves offered them a place to rest before continuing on their journey, which the phoenixes gratefully accepted.
One elf in particular, Arun Vulmun, offered the phoenixes a pact: they would always have a home with the elves in return for a small vestige of their power so that they may defend themselves from the hordes of monsters while the phoenixes were away from the material plane. This deal was profitable for both sides, and a pact was made, that has been honored to this day.
However, even phoenixes cannot live forever. One by one, the majestic beasts began to pass on. One phoenix lives on: the desert phoenix. It has found a way to harness the desert sands to quench its need for heat and has continued to live on, honouring the pact of the Phoenix with the elves through the Order of the Phoenix.
Order of the Phoenix
The order of the desert Phoenix is as ancient as it is exclusive. Before even the fractures, ancient elves made a pact of great power with the phoenixes: The elves would provide their most them a place to stay to rest between their migration through the astral plane and the phoenixes would grant the most prestigious elven families their power and aid.
The order was subsequently formed, with the purpose of helping the phoenixes while they rest in the material plane, as well as to wield the power of the phoenix for the good of elvenkind. They are great warriors of strength and virtue, who channel the power of the phoenix into their blades and armor. They are trained in the ways of combat by their predecessors and have a base of operations in Aramore, where they and many others contest for the mantle of faith in the Oasis Tower.
Beliefs
It is the sworn duty of the Order to protect the Phoenixes, their people and the peoples of the world against the growing darkness of the Fractures. As well, they view the phoenix power as a gift as well as a responsibility. The Order is strong so that others may be weak.
Goals
It is the goal of the Order of the Desert Phoenix to take the mantle of faith and use its power to protect the townsfolk of Aramore. To continue the legacy of its forefathers, protecting and serving the desert phoenix and using their powers for the good of elvenkind. It is the order's to protect the world from the evils of the Fractures using the knowledge of their predecessors and the power of the Desert Phoenix.
Playing a Phoenix Order Member
Order members use the power of the phoenix to protect and assist the townsfolk of Aramore, but they could still travel. Mechanically, the character can be represented by many archetypes, but generally mixes spellcasting prowess with martial might.
Ignir, God of Machines
Ignir was once a powerful mortal wizard who invented a great many technologies, the greatest being the Mechanus plane, the modrons and their geometrically unique cousins. However, these creations were eventually changed by Ignir later in his long life. Searching for an answer, he tested the idea of transfering his conscience into a machine. He failed many times, leaving his host body scarred and deformed. Eventually, with the help of a transformative ritual, he became a lich. However, he was no ordinary lich; he used machinery to restore what little parts of his flesh remained human.
As the centuries went by, the machine man began to go insane. He began modifying his creations, warping them with strange and chaotic magic in order to "optimize" them, creating strange, nigh incomprehensible geometrical and mathematical proportions. Eventually, he transformed the entire plane into something new: The Chaotic Clockwork plane. This is when Ignir began to understand the depths of his insanity and searched for a cure.
Eventually, he found one: he had to keep life interesting. In order to do so, he created a series of mathematical equations that could explain everything in existence and dispersed them throughout the world. They became sentient and were known as Ignir Shards: If all are collected, the collector will supposedly ascend to join Ignir as the second mortal to gain immortality. However, they have been shielded by magical wards that make them immune to all magic, which manifests as a null aura. There are 32 shards in total.
Immortal Steel Cult
The Immortal Steel was founded by wizards, clerics and other spellcasters who wished to be the ones to find all of the shards and gain immortality. While there is no strict policy for members, the less intelligent ones often are into the desert to find shards on estimates by the smarter ones. As anyone who has travelled the desert knows, there is little chance of them coming back.
They are often extremely uproarious, casting spells, enchantments and conducting experiments in their institutes. This has been the source of many complaints and there seems to be a biannual protest for their eviction, which the goverment must begrudgingly refuse. These are some of the most brilliant inventors and spellcasters, who offhandedly contribute scientific marvels for the rest of society. They are unfortunately to useful to get rid of.
The Cult believes that the Mantle of Faith is a conduit for their knowledge and that they may be able to use it to help them get more accurate estimates on the locations of the Ignir Shards. Many see this intermingling of science and faith as taboo, but the Cult has seen that the world's next steps in this dark age will be made on the technological stairway.
Beliefs
The Cult believes that through technological advances, the world may be saved from the evil fissures. They question and doubt all things without evidence they have seen. They often stay on the sidelines in arguements in order to understand both sides of the argument and formulate their own opinions before interjecting.
Goals
The Cult's quest is to find all of the knowledge shards and complete the equation of life. It has made many technological advances during this pursuit, but it cares little for these achievements; after all, when immortality is on the line, most would do anything to attain it.
Ydar, God of Art
Ydar is said to be the god of all arts,
from the funniest of jesters to the moodiest
of artists. She embraces all arts and encourages
her disciples to discover and explore the world,
spreading her art and magic to peoples less fortunate, who need inspiration to improve themselves. Ydar can take many forms, but she prefers a half-elven female carrying several instruments. Out of all of the supposed gods, she is the most active in the Fractured Lands. There is undeniable proof of her existence; enough people have seen her that it is convincing. The question now become: is she a god, spellcaster, or something else entirely?
She is most often reported in small towns, most likely trying to avoid people who know her face. She has also been seen encouraging the world's greatist in their most vulnerable and dark moments. Even if she isn't a god, she is damn good at what she does.
The Musician's Guild
Her worshippers are rarely in their institute in Oasis tower, journying far and wide to help people. They believe that the Mantle of Faith, the strange instrument in Aramore, will point them to the people who need them most. They reconvene twice yaerly to share pieces, inspiration and strange stories around a warm fire with mead in their hands.
Beliefs
While the world is a sad place right now, music and the arts will bring happiness to this otherwise dreary world. The world is ripe for exploration and discovery and it is the will of Ydar that we travel throughout it. Friends and family are equally important; regular meetings will help give them time to recover and simultaneously strengthen their bonds.
Goals
The worshippers of Ydar live to bring joy, happiness and art to a world plunged into a dark age. If the group were to aquire the Mantle of Faith, they would use it to find the people who need them most. The worshippers wish to achieve a world where violence is no longer necessary and actively discouraged. Finally, they wish to have the ability to always explore new things, have new ideas and continue the creative thought process through anything the world throws its way.
The Elder Gods
The Elder Gods were a pantheon that the peoples of the Timeless Plains worshipped. It had many gods, but since the fractures, they have faded into antiquity. After all, how could the gods allow this apocalyptic event to happen? However, remnants of their power and histry still remain in the world. Most prominiently, the Chosen, their children planted in the mortal world became instruments of their divine will. Several cults have worshipped these Chosen as well as the gods they represent.
Auril, Goddess of Winter
Perhaps the most outdated of all the gods, the goddess of winter has not been able to create a blizzard or even gentle blanket of snow due to the now arid environment. However, her chosen have been known to be able to conjure weapons, walls and entire buildings made of unmeltable ice. A chosen of Auril has not come along for several hundred years now.
Cyric, God of Lies
In contrast to his sister Auril, his influence has only grown due to the increasingly confused political climate and general lack of knowledge and communication between cities. This state of confusion is a liar's playground because people may be suspicious of them, they often had few ways to differentiate a lie and the truth. Many of his Chosen have reached positions of power through deceit and trickery in recent years.
Oghma, God of Knowledge
Oghma, the god of knowledge struggles through the dark ages of the Fractured Lands. The confused and miscommunicative people causes extreme difficulty in the transfer of knowledge and advancement for the world. His Chosen were influential philosophers, scientists and engineers who contributed inventions imperative to the scientific advancement of that age.
Torm, the God of Sacrifice
Torm is not the god of savage sacrificial rituals; he is the god of courage and self-sacrifice. He is patron to those soldiers and adventurers who recognize that their lives may need to or must be sacrificed in order to uphold the greater good. The Cosen of Torm are simple men and woman who realize their purpose and duty, and are prepared to lay down their lives to protect their ideals.
Loviator, the God of Pain
The god of pain thrives in the desert of pain. His cults gain many followers, his Chosen inspiring hundreds to commit flagellation. His Chosen are put on the earth for the sole purpose of causing the maximum amount of pain and suffering they can during their lifetime.
Kelemvor, God of the Dead
Kelemvor is the god of the sanctity of the dead. He makes sure the line of mortality is not crossed the wrong way. Chosen of Kelemvor search for and eliminate undead as part of the Order of the Raven, complete burial rituals and rites to lay the dead to rest and help console those who have lost loved ones.
Leira, Goddess of Illusion
Like her brother, Cyric, her powers work well in the desert, where hallucinations and visions plague the thirsty, heat stricken masses. Her illusions range anywhere from the worst nightmare to the happiest dream and her Chosen, though exceedingly rare in themselves, are able to create entire illusory realities if necessary.
Chauntea, Goddess of Agriculture
Chauntea has an extremely difficult time helping her worshippers due to the harsh desert now pervading the world. Her Chosen hope to help slowly return the world to its once fertile state, help the people grow enough food to feed themselves and help them discover new ways to improve crop yield.
Chosen Cults
Even rarer than an actual Chosen is the worship of them and their god. However, rare doesn't mean impossible and one can often find one to five of them around the world. Below are a few examples of cults based around the Chosen, vying even for validity compared to their new monotheistic god rivals.
The Druids of Shauntea
Formed after a group of gypsies witnessed the conjuration of plants by the Chosen of Shauntea, the druids wish to help the struggling Fractured Lands heal. Through their rituals, they are able to extremely slowly the arid sand and replace it with healthy earth. In order to prove the validity of their faith, they transformed the inside of the Oasis Tower.
Beliefs
The druids believe that the only way to stop their monstrous oppressors is to heal the world from a sandy death grip. They also believe that by helping their fellow citizens grow their food, they are doing god's work.
Goals
Use the Mantle of Faith to return the world to its normal state and make sure no one goes hungry.
The Servants of Illusion
The servants of illusion are a strange and mysterious group that experiment with illusions of all varieties on mostly unwilling subjects to discover unique reactions. Higher ranking officials are given the secret to causing illusion to become reality and use that ability to change their appearance.
Beliefs
Through the use of illusions, the servants believe they're following their god and discovering more about the afterlife. The Mantle of Faith could bolster the radius of their illusions, and help them create a heaven on earth.
Goals
Be allowed into the Oasis Tower and aquire the Mantle of Faith, in order to create and conjure extremely powerful illusions and better experiment on their victims.
The Death Flagellant
A chosen of Loviator found a unique way to increase his power: self mutilation. He also found that public displays of self inflicted pain increased the ritual's potency. They also become warlords and raiders, who attack cities and villages in order to cause extreme pain and suffering as well as finding new recruits for their cult. They are trained as clerics who wield the power of the pain. Their magic is unique in the fact that their power is a balance. The quantity of pain they can inflict is directly proportional to the quantity they inflict on themselves. This means that they must prepare for days storing up pain magic before going on raids. Eventually, though he was revilled many, he still began to gain quite a following.
Beliefs
They deserve the Mantle of Faith because they suffer for their god. They believe that their power comes from their own pain as well as others, and if required, they will hurt others for their god.
Goals
They must be allowed into the Oasis tower and take control of the Mantle of Faith. hoefully ignoring themselves witht eh mantle will satisfy their god.
Nesmus, God of Hope
Perhaps the most revered and famed of the gods, Nesmus has always been a part of her peoples' lives. Without Nesmus, the sheer depressive nature of the slow corruption of the fractured lands would leave its inhabitants in a self destructive spiral of despair. People have often reported seing her angelic form before they are rescued from starvation, thirst or other near death experiences. Most contribute this to hallucinations or illusions but these stories all describe her in the same way: A haloed angel who shone bright in even the brightest of days, who sheltered them with her great wings and inspired them to survive whatever ordeal they faced, regardless of difficulty.
Nesmus was once mortal, but due to her good deeds in life, ascended to becoming a god of what she instilled most in her people: hope. Though there are many tales, her widely accepted background was that she was a monk who gained a wide following due to unique battle tactics: She would enter combat with neither sword nor spear, instead dodging and avoiding the blows of her enemies and giving orders to her troops. Her reasoning for this was that she could focus solely on assisting her troops and minimizing casualties.
She ascended after her death, due to her unrelenting desire to help others. Many of her most loyal sergeants and generals became worshippers of what she stood for and the ideals she represented in life. Eventually, she gained a following from many of the people of the world, because she gives them one thing they never had: hope.
The Restorers of Hope
A group of travelling nomads spread the message of Nesmus, giving hope via material or verbal means to those that need them. Most adventurers can say their life has been saved once by this group. They wear silver attire and helms to match their god's armor. Otherwise, they keep no material possessions. They are often preyed upon by bandits, as they are extremely easy targets, though the Restorers say that the ones who steal need their supplies the most. This is considered the lowest of the low, even among thieves and thugs.
The restorers are entirely pacifist, but that doesn't mean they are entirely helpless. In times of war they serve as combat medics and tacticians, following in the footsteps of Nesmus in life. They even have a unique monk order, which gives the innate ability to heal, protect and defend. The restorers are often the deciding factor in smaller conflicts.
Though they may be excellent in combat, many restorers are also persuasive diplomats, urging the conflicting sides to look at the bigger picture and the losses both sides will suffer.
Beliefs
The restorers believe that everyone must band together to seal the fractures and deal with the monsterous threats. If they are able to bind the world together, they can begin toreturn the world to its former glory.
Goals
The restorers of hope wish to aquire the Mantle of Faith and use its power to unite the peoples of the Fractured Land. While they cannot aquire it, it is there goal to restore hope to as many people as possible and help those in need. They want to stop the interhumanoid wars in order to help both sides stay strong against the hordes of monsters.
Ether, God of the Arcane
Ether is one of the few gods to not be worshipped but is still widely respected by spellcasters. He represents the goal of any spellcaster eventually, the permanent extension of their life through arcane means.
Ether was born to a small family in the timeless plains, long before the fractures. His race and place of origin are unknown, but he became known as the first wielder of arcane magics, mastering them to such a degree that he was virtually a god already. However, that wasn't enough for Ether, who was approaching the end of his natural lifetime. He did not want to go down the path of lichdom; he cared too much about his physical body. Instead, he created a Heartstone to anchor himself to reality, and a set as armor that could be used to encapsulate his essence, as long as he had the magical power to sustain it.
Followers
Ether has no specific cults or organizations that follow him. Instead, he is respected as an extreme manipulator of magic, and many superstitous spellcasters pray to him as part of their incantations when casting a spell. He has sparked many a philosophical debate amongst the higher
intelligences of the Fractured Lands. When worshippers of him cast spells, are they using divine power, arcane power, or a (un)holy mixture of the two. Many experiements are conducted on the few followers of Ether, which thusly causes many who follow to keep a low profile
The Weave
The realm that Ether supposedly inhabits, it is the Weave that arcane magical users use to create their magic. It is speculated that Ether was forced to relocate to the Weave in order to cast spells while sustaining the magical energy necessary to keep him alive. He was able to manipulate the matter that made up the Weave, transforming formless landscapes to beautiful grasslands. This strange
world has been seen by few and only those with extraordinary magical power.
The Weave consumes all who enter, eventually. The pure, raw arcane energy coursing through the plane finds its conduits in the spellcasters who enter the plane and without a viable way to harness this energy, the user is consumed extremely fast. Only one has ever returned, and his genius is so unparalleled he must lock himself away from the world for fear of what his knowledge could do in the wrong hands.
The Immortal Steel has taken an interest in the energy within this plane, planning on using it to power a device that may triangulate the Knowledge shards' locations, though these are only the most mad of worshippers. Many outright ban the research into such things, which is the only thing that has ever been disallowed within the Immortal Steel. If one could channel this power, perpetual energy would be their's for the taking.
Scaeloth, God of
Warriors
When one wades into battle, it is best to have Scaeloth on your side. Mainly worshipped by nomadic tribes, Scaeloth is pictured as a dwarf wearing the skulls of his enemies and wielding an ever-bloody spear. He supposedly brings luck and fortune not to the warrior's side, but for the individual who worships him. This explains why both sides of any combat can have worshippers of Scaeloth. His chosen are not tacticians, they are instead the warriors and generals who join their troops on the front lines. They are often aggressive and ill-tempered, blood boiling for the next fight. Unless listed otherwise, the tribes detailed later in the book all have a decent quantity of Scaeloth worshippers.
Scaeloth was supposedly a great warrior, one of power and strength, who fought in many wars as a trial for the elder gods. He was given increased strength and lifespan until he became a one man embodiement of the warrior. He completed the tasks and supposedly dedicated his life to the elder gods' every whim
The Black Company
The Black Company are a group of travelling warriors who worship Scaeloth, prefering to use violence to stop raiders and tribes over diplomacy. They often take little input from either side, simply murdering those that seem "bad". They have been called racist many times in each of their careers, as they often side with the more human races(elves, dwarves, etc.) solely based on their looks.
Unlike every other religious group, the Black Company have little want or need for the Mantle of Faith. Sure it's powerful, but the effects of it would be better used by the acedemics or healers: the warriors know their role in the Fractured Lands, and they intend to let the great minds of this generation do what they must so the next be freed from this cursed land. Until then, the warriors plan on dispensing their own justice to all who deserve it, in their minds.
Though they don't often let it on, the Black Company's members are wiser than they appear. To the public eye, they may be racists or murderers, but they kill everything for some reason. A few have guessed that some sort of diviner or even Scaeloth himself sends them visions of future events that will conspire if certain individuals are left alive, however there is no way to know due to the close knit nature of their company. When you join, you only ever leave in a coffin.
The Black Company like to think they are doing their part for the Fractured Lands, but they more often end up killing people without so much as a thought of peaceful solutions. They have a remarkable sense of purpose and morality, as they are able to discern groups or individuals that must be stopped. They verge on being known as very loud assassins.
It is difficult to tell the social status of the Black Company, as it varies from area to area. Some laude them as heroes, others portray them as dastardly of villains. They have been known to kill squads of bandits with ease, but also killing entire villages, even the children.
Joining the Black Company is easy; prove yourself in combat and the position is yours. However, getting out is the bigger problem. No member has ever left the company, and many consider that to be because those that would are killed in secret by their once beloved brothers and sisters in arms. Of course, it could just as easily be that those who join don't want to leave...
Goals
The Black Company have simple goals. They wish to prove themselves in combat and carry out their god's work on earth. They wish to defeat the evils of the world, for the atrocities some may commit in future from their perspective must be preemptively and swiftly executed. Whether that logic is based on powerful divine magic or their gut feeling, they will follow their duty. This often leads to a smeared public image, though it may also end up making them look more heroic than ever. The warriors find no solace in reputation,
Beliefs
The beliefs of a member of the Black Company are complicated at best. All wish for a better territory for the future of the civilized races and will do what they must to ensure the brightest future. They are prepared to commit murders and genocides if necessary. But the individual's beliefs vary wildly, as Scaeloth manifests differently for them. Sometimes they can see him in the blood of their enemies, others in their armor's scrapes. Regardless, clashing personalities are put aside for the Black Company.
Economy
Though the economy of various settlements vary wildly, the interspersed alliances between these settlements use many different currencies to barter. Trade in general is often difficult to facilitate due to the nature of the people in the Fractured Lands. Bartering between villagers often ends in conflict or one side obviously benefitting. You either play or get played when you trade in the Fractured Lands.
Coins by Metal
Unlike many other areas, the mint of the Fractured Lands' value is based on their worth as a metal in a smithy. Gold, for example, is the least valuable metal due to its softness and malleability when used as a material in a forge to create weapons or armor. This is because the inhabitants of the Fractured Lands see little value in aesthetics and instead see the currency in a more resource based capacity. This also explains the use of weapons and armors as trade objects, as they are worth more than their metal counterparts due to the work of the blacksmith. Below a chart that denotes the value of each currency.
Coin Values
| Metal | Value |
|---|---|
| Gold | 1/100th of an iron |
| Iron | 100 Gold |
| Steel | 100 Iron |
| Platinum | 100 Steel |
| Adamantine | 100 Platinum |
The Barrier Imperium Coin
The Barrier Imperium mint is the most valuable, as the mages that make up the organization have spent years researching new ways to improve their formulas. They are thusly the best metals to use for the forging and are widely considered the official currency of the Fractured Lands. That doesn't mean that they are the only currency and though widely accepted, they aren't always taken. Certain places refuse to take them, regardless of quality, due to their connections to the organization that holds the Fractured Lands prisoner. Seedy bars, thug's hangouts and rebel meetings are all examples of places that would likely not use the coinage, simply out of principle.
Sugar
100g of sugar is roughly equivalent to 1 Steel piece, sugar is the currency of choice for smugglers, criminals and rebels. It may not be metallic, but its value in cooking makes it a commodity equivalent to the metallics. However, being seen trading sugar is dangerous; if reported to authorities, a bounty will be placed on your head and capital punishment will be your fate. Regardless of this oppression, the trafficking of sugar is a booming business. Even the Barrier Imperium indulges their chefs with the use of sugar from time to time
Silk
Silk is equivalent to 1 platinum. However, the Silk must be genuine; magic silk is considered a forgery. This restriction has lit a fire under charlatan wizards, who anxiously work to find a way to pass off their silk as real. Silk is rare due to the environment, as being caged off from every part of the world means that the importing of silk is impossible. In addition, the desert environment is harmful to silkworms, who create the fibres necessary to spin silk. Silk's value is therefore ever increasing and any man with silken clothes is truly rich.
Favor for a Favor
Another key aspect of the economy is the concept of favors. People trade a service or good(similar to a job) at a later date for current values. This is extremely risky and often not beneficial for either party, but when done correctly can prove effective. This is due to the untrustworthy nature of certain inhabitants of the Fractured Lands. The favor is decided by the person with the goods, to be completed when they want it to be done. The nature of these agreements make them tenuous at best, and lawmakers often have difficulty settling disputes based on the matter.
For the presenter of goods, it is intrinsic that the person who's offering the favor is trustworthy. Due to the nature of most deals, the favor is called on a later date. This gives the lying offerer of favors many chances to skip town without paying back their debt. Though they may be hated by the people of that specific settlement, the next town over has no idea the reputation of the town skippers.
These town skippers are known as debtors and many of the factions of the Fractured Lands are trying to deal with this problem. The Barrier Imperium in particular has created a squad of Dervishes with the specific intent of hunting these debtors down and forcing them to complete the favors. However, these efforts often have little effect on the prevalence of these debtors. There are simply too many of them in too widespread an area for them to be fully forced to pay their debts. Many folk simply kill these debtors if they find out their past, leaving the original procurer of goods still at a loss of any sort of compensation.
This arrangement is not much better for the person offering the favour. Often, they must find favor brokers to do business. These sleazy businessmen ask for extremely difficult or taxing services simply because of their monopoly on the trade, as most laymen will not accept favors. Thusly, the instinct to try and run away from these debts is often very high in down-on-their-luck inhabitants of the Fractured Lands that get in too far over their heads.
How do they ensure they get their favors? The answer is simple: they use branding. The marks of the various favor brokers are each unique and branded on anyone who has ever taken a favor from them. Via a network of favor brokers in each town, they assure that the person has paid their debt. Once the favor is complete, healing magic is used to remove the brand. The process is extremely painful and crossing a favor broker is assuredly worse than death.
Because of the nature of the relationship, the favor bartering system is not very popular. Between slippery debtors and dangerous brokers, the business of favors is hard to manipulate for the gain of either party. This tradition has faded into obscurity, but is still used to this very day. Below are a list of dangerous debtors and favor brokers.
Felix Silvertongue
An incredibly dangerous and
elusive criminal, Felix is a human
who uses his wits and skill to become an
entirely new person each town he visits. He has
offered favors to twenty three different brokers and managed to dispel the magic on each branding and to hide the leftover scarring on his face. He uses a disguise kit to become new combinations of race and gender and he is virtually indistinguishable from others. His tongue isn't the only thing that is silver however. He walks with a signature sword cane that is undetectable unless he unsheathes it.
Damian Ironfist
Named for his terrible punishments, Damian Ironfist brands his debtors with a fist using a sealing iron laced with enchantments and sigils. No debtor has ever escaped him and he has a decent (if brutish) knowledge of the arcane. He specializes in transmutation magic and is able to transform his fists into iron, which he uses to increase the severity of the beatings he deals, as well as defend himself. His brand has a built in glyph that he can track at all times. Unlike most other brokers, Damian Ironfist travels instead of staying in one city and doesn't often associate himself with the brokers' alliance. He has a crew that follows him that take small portions of his pay.
Beetle
The self proclaimed "best of both worlds", Beetle began a debtor before going on to become the founder and leader of the brokers' alliance. He uses his contacts in the alliance to ensure that no one is able to escape his grasp. He is based in Aramore, where many of the city's underground criminals are all branded by him. He has an entire guild dedicated to getting him money and he has little to do with it unless his direct involvement is necessary.
Silk
Known simply as silk, this lavishly dressed person takes out favours using the reputation that the silk provides as a proof of their reputation. They have been branded many times, but shortly after the brands lose the connection to their owners. The true identity of this creature is unknown, as they look entirely different each time they take a debt. Many postulate that they use some sort of magic and if that were true, Silk would have to be a powerful mage indeed.
Mortal Combat
Though not always to the death, many of the trades in the Fractured Lands are resolved and begin with conflict. Every citizen is armed to the teeth and prepared to fight anyone and this paranoia and anger is channelled into deals known simply as combats. There are two different ways that these combats can go. Firstly, the use of intimidation to not pay for certain goods and services. Secondly, the good and services can be fought over and won in single combat. The advent of using single combat as a means of getting what one wants is as old as time itself, with the various methods ingrained in each and every culture. The regression to a more primal society led to the reintroduction of this 'method' of bargaining. However, not all think that this is acceptable or even tolerable.
The use of combat to solve these types of dispute are reviled by the weak and elderly. While many see it as fair due to the fact that their life is safe if they simply give them the item or service they desire, those that cannot stand up to the warriors of the world see this as little more than childish bullying. Mortal combat is one of the main reasons for the lower age threshold, rivalled only by the myriad of diseases that travelling often allows for. The weak are no longer able to fend for themselves and must watch as their goods, food and in some cases house is stolen by merciless killers or even cruel teenagers. The old have no place in the Fractured Lands without strength.
This practice also disrupts businesses and merchants, as up-and-coming salesmen don't have the money to hire bodyguards. The best bet to starting a mercantile business is to start it as close to the edges of the Fractured Lands as possible, where the vigilant eyes of the Barrier Imperium watches over and protects the peoples.
Intimidation
The use of intimidation in the bartering for goods and services is simple: when asking for the service, bearing your teeth or beginning to unsheathe your sword usually gets the message across. This clear signalling allows the warrior to force the businessman to serve him, unless the provider is prepared to fight this warrior. For certain vagabonds, their reputation usually proceeds them and they don't even have to make these signals. If the merchant decides to fight against the warrior, either by proxy or actually fighting themselves, the two parties meet in the center of the current settlement for a duel.
Dueling
Merchants must also field requests by knights or nobles of standing for duels. These are often ignored and the person pays, but certain people cannot do so. Though the law varies from town to town, if someone doesn't accept the duel by sunset, the merchant must forfeit his right to fight and give the fighter their rightful prize. Unlike the fights caused by intimidation, duels between merchant and knight are referee'd by an impartial judge. In addition, an audience gathers around to make a ring for the fighters. Many of the more violent settlements even have arenas prepared due to the frequency of duels.
The Barrier Imperium
The Barrier Imperium, once a proud order, has fallen to its lowest. Dedicated to protecting outsiders from the corruption and horrors of the Fractured Lands, this group of powerful wizards and sorcerers used their power to seal the people of the Fractured Lands in. After people discovered this, they began to riot and rebel, destroying their citadels and castles, attacking their members and bismirching their reputations. The Barrier Imperium's sworn duty is to protect these people and they were unallowed to defend or retalitate against these actions. What does an organization of intelligent and powerful spellcasters do? Instead of simply rebuilding, they began transforming their image. Though they couldn't stop all injustices, they began policing the outer settlements, using the desert dervishes they create as a makeshift police force.
These decisions were rewarded with loyalty from the public once more. Though dissenters and rebels still existed, their number was far fewer and they were most likely located in the center of the Fractured Lands. Their currency was more widely accepted, they were treated with respect and though they kept the people within the Fractured Lands, they were still praised for their protection of the people. They used this publicity to accept funding(though little came in) and to mask some of their other traditions.
The group is run by the Nine, nine of the most powerful spellcasters in all of Voldari. They have the power to do great acts of magic and can create entire fortresses and temples from the ground, fully furnished. However, this power isn't due simply to their amazing aptitude for spellcasting; the Nine are all immortal. Their immortality comes from their magic, though each use a different method to "cheat" death. One makes a Simulacrum, one freezes themself until their help is required and one sees into the future so far they simply have left writings on the future they will be unable to witness themselves.
Goal
Though they disguise it with their patrolling of the outer radius of the Fractured Lands, the true and only purpose of the Barrier Imperium is to keep the inhabitants of the Fractured Lands, as well as the corruption that destroyed the Timeless Plains, from ever escaping beyond their walls. The spread of the corruption would prove devastating to an already unstable world. They rarely have to get direcly involved in the business of mortals, instead creating the Desert Dervishes in order to maintain order while they pursue their own interest.
Beliefs
Unlike the religious groups in the Fractured Lands, the beliefs of the Nine and the Barrier Imperium are not united. Their methodology, ideologies and even philosophies are entirely individual amongst the Nine. The Desert Dervishes were instead born with a series of tenets they must follow, which they believe to be the only true or right thing and will fight and kill for. The Nine are different from their children in this regard; they may have different ideals but they respect one another.
Origins
No one knows who created the Barrier Imperium. Many hypothesize that they are a division of Voldari's Monarchy. Intelligent observers, however, would note that the Nine are much more powerful than any of the Monarchy's members, even the Queen herself. The Nine may be powerful but even they are no match for the eight Lords of Magic in Blackmoor, who rule over entire schools of magic and have excelled in these fields so much that they have earned immortality. Just goes to show that there is always something more powerful out there.
Settlements
As important as any cultural phenomena, the various safe havens scattered around the Fractured Lands are as unique as the area's inhabitants. There are many important aspects to quantifying these shelters as "safe", as the tribal raiders are an equal threat to the roaming monsters. Every shelter must have the following aspects in order to be sustainable.
Food
Perhaps the most irreplacable, food is obviously a necessity to allow people to live. For some, the aquisition of food represents a crutch that society can be formed by and for others it is simply a means of survival but all share this common trait. Food in the Fractured Lands spills quickly due to the humidity without the use of spells. The most common methods of getting food are listed below:
- Magic. The easiest method, magic spells that require relatively little actual magical power are used by the sorcerers, wizards and warlocks who rule over towns for their own benefit in order to sustain the population. This often factors into the deal that they make with the villagers and the price those villagers pay is very steep.
- Agriculture. There is little fertile soil that can be found on the surface of the Fractured Lands. With the proper care however, many massive fields of crops are cultivated and harvested. This reliance can prove dangerous though. If one bad season, curse or other affliction is applied to the crops, it is likely that the villages who use this method will die out shortly afterwards.
- Hunting. While it may be unpredictable and difficult, hunting is another possibly lucrative method to sustain small groups of people. Hunting parties of expert trackers are a necessity, as well as a traditional and effective way of killing these creatures. Hunting often ends poorly for the hunter when attempting to kill the quarry of the Fractured Lands.
Water
In an equal lack of abundance, water is at the very least easier to get. Widely distributed by the Barrier Imperium, devices known simply as "converters" are able to transform sand into water. Sand, unlike water, is obviously very common. However, a malfunction in these strange magical items could spell the doom for travelers. If it breaks, they will often have to survive weeks(somehow) before reaching the next place that they can fix the item at. Other than that problem, water is surprisingly easy for people to get considering the ordeals they have to go through to survive.
Shelter
Not only do the shelters have to be warm in the night and cool in the day, they also must be resistant to the dangerous weather that is commonplace in the Fractured Lands. Dangerous sandstorms and even storms of fire or ice destroy unprepared settlements, though most have some degree of magical protection from these natural or unnatural events. These shelters must also be defensable against the degenerate thugs that roam the desert, searching for easy targets so that they may continue their life of raiding and savagery.
The shelters may be made of simple materials but they must be durable. The erosion of sand is another important aspect to consider in a settlement. Otherwise, the walls of those buildings will end up very thin by the end of a year, if even fully intact. This is solved by some via the use of caverns as entries to their villages. Because they live under the ground, the only thing they have to worry about is the sand that builds up at these entrances, which they have to bail out by weekly in most places.
Community
Rarely ever admitted by even the softest of the Fractured Lands' inhabitants , a necessity to survival is contact. While many of the more abberrant creatures can live in isolation, the general populace need communication and the strength that increased numbers can provide. Even those that wander the deserts travel in groups and the lone traveller is a man to truly be afraid of. Innate to the nature of humanoids, the inhabitants of the Fractured Lands seek to improve their situation in society. This is done not only from person to person, but also from settlement to settlement. These alliances are often forged into sybiotic relationships, as resources are more easily attained in certain locations than others.
Weapons
If the Fractured Lands was a peaceful place, then weapons would not be necessary. Alas, this is not the case. The ability to forge weapons and armor is intrinsic to a settlement's survival, even under the protection of a spellcaster. Their steel is unfortunately and frequently turned against other humanoids, especially towards the center of the Fractured Lands, due to the limited vision of the Barrier Imperium.
Aramore
A bright, vibrant sun rises
behind the city, gently painting
the circular rooftops in
illustrius yellow hues. Several
thick, stout walls circle the city. Like the dwarves themselves, the majority if the buildings are low to the ground with simple and sturdy architecture. A series of rope-like canvas is tied tightly to taller, more important buildings which seem to be used by messengers, urchins and other nimble people as transportation. Though precarious, they provide a significantly faster route through the city. Even from a distance, it is easy to tell the importance of the interconnected buildings based on their stature. These buildings are more complex in design, cylindric in shape with spherical roofs that ended in rounded off points.
One building in particular dwarfs all others and is connected to every other institute. This building is much more complex in design and more ornate, with severed smaller spires that outcrop in symmetrical positions whereupon the ropes connect. Four massive pillars support as equally gargantuan roof, which provides a large shadow that covers almost one fourth of the entire city. However large this building is, it is difficult to discern its true purpose, though it is obviouly a cultural hub of some sort.
The Mantle of Faith
Aramore is a unique place in the Fractured Lands, for it has one thing that the rest of the world does not have: An abundance of hope. Deep beneath their city, somewhere within the darkest depths of the Oasis Tower, the Mantle of Faith lies, untarnished and ready to channel the divine energy of the people. The ancestors of Aramore's people speak of it in ancient writings, proving the validity of this claim. Thusly, the devout and pious vie to be the first to discover it, delving ever deeper into unfathomable depths and darkness.
However, as they have discovered, this must be a controlled descent. Many parties have been lost within the caverns, as they are home to the most powerful and lethal of monsters, as well as a gauntlet of traps created by the most cunning of fiends. The monsters seem to have no way to harness the energy, or perhaps the fractures are a product of their negative energy affecting the Mantle of Faith. Regardless, it is the duty of the civilized races of the Fractured Lands to return the Mantle of Faith to its rightful place.
Religious Strife
This hope does not grant them one thing; peace in the streets. Before the creation of the Oasis Tower, the religious groups would fight in the streets over who would be priveleged enough to tunnel further towards the Mantle of Faith. Once the Accords of the Tower were complete, the religious conflicts ceased. However, this does not mean that civil brawls were entirely ended. In fact, the civilian fights increased as more resources were allocated to the Oasis Tower, causing the citizens to be left with less available food and a general increase in poverty. The citizens who fight, as well as the poorest of the poor, are relegated to the dreaded Outer Wall.
City Structure
The city is divided by two walls: The Outer Wall and the Inner Wall. The majority of the people who live in Aramore live within the Inner Wall, as there is no social and little economic requirements to living within. However, the truly lazy, rebellious, lazy and downtrodden souls live at the Outer Walls, aconstantly raided area where the dregs of society are virtually executed by those who sent them.
Though a few black markets may call the Outer Ring a home, the majority of produce, trade and civilization live within the walls. Many view the system of banishment unfair, as it is nearly impossible to escape the extreme poverty there and rise back up to a status suitable to those at the Inner Wall. However, those that disagree with the way the government recieve the exact same treatment they critisize as unfair.
The Outer Wall
"An oppresive silence pervades the atmosphere of the Outer Ring. Extremely simple, shoddy shelters have been pieced together from the ruins of past inhabitants. Tired, mile-long stares are the only gaze you'll meet here and the ravages of raiders leave marks on those unfortunate enough to survive. However, the survivors of the raids have grown to become a strong, extremely resilient community.
In many places, there are ruins of houses, craters and shards that remain after an explosion, and even the tombs of the fallen, partially uprooted by the stomping raider's feets. Nevertheless, the people still stand; a monument to the stalwart dwarves and their companions who built this city."
An ever expanding crypt, only the best survivors can live in the Outer Wall. This often means that the politics of the area are in constant flux. Assassinations, sacrifices and power moves are all completed by the same individual, leaving many to question the sanity of the community's leaders.
Leadership
Though most don't profess it, the majority of the inhabitants of the Outer Walls wish to rule over it. The means for deciding the leaders of certain areas is as basic as it gets: the strongest rule over the weakest. Whether the rule through strength, cunning, or agility, the leaders of these territories prove to their subjects the reason they were "elected" time and time again. Or they don't.
The leaders of the Outer Walls gain access to all of the resources of the area they represent and are able to allocate it as they see fit. They are also given a title to be known as, which their subordinates must address them by or be executed. The leaders must unite when the raiders strike, using a series of magical relays to communicate if their guards have seen anything. These leaders must then lead the troops as one, so it is not uncommon for close bonds and intimate relationships alike to be forged in the cooperative marshalling of their soldiers.
Veterans
From the oldest man to the youngest child, the peoples of the Outer wall have lived through several bloody raids. With no help from their fellow citizens in the Inner Wall, they must rely on themselves. They have no qualms with putting trained children into battle, it is as simple as arming them and doing their best to prepare them. Only the strong survive in the Outer Wall, whether they be old or weak.
This battle hardening returns to their philosophy and mantra "the strongest survive; the weak perish". They have little concern for education beyond how to wield a weapon and survive, little future other than the next day, little perspective but paranoia. This simple lifestyle is both their greatest weakness and strength.
Living in the Present
The people in the Outer Wall do not think to the future unless it is to portion resources. Even their leaders know little of this field. This causes them to live in the present, unable to move up from the Outer Wall without jeopardizing their current survival. It is just as likely for an Orcish Warchief to decapitate you as it is for your closest ally to stab you in the back. This is the greatest truth of the Outer Walls.
Only one resident has ever escaped the Outer Walls: A man named Jade Wilson, who formed the Immortal Steel cult and whose genius caused the Outer Wall to be fully safe and habitable again. Many believe that he was able to escape solely because he had made it too easy to live in the Outer Wall, causing banishment to seem a little less intimidating and cause an increase in crime rates in the city due to lack of consequence. Others speculate that his intelligence was needed to access a new part of the mine in the Oasis Tower, which is why the Immortal Steel are allowed in the tower at all.
Territories
Loosely divided, the leader's areas are as varied as their personalities. They are named after their most important defensive trait, and house a few important locations each. The more important shops and establishments, the more power and resources the leaders control.
The leaders recognize that territory can never be expanded(or at least most of them do), as conflict within themselves would lead to all of their deaths at the hands of savage warriors. Thusly, the territories have become traditional and are inscribed on the gravestones of their ancient dwarven ancestors.
Scarzig's Tower
Led by the infamous Scarzig the Wizardly, the massive tower is made from magic and scrap on top of a ruined cathedral. The tower is extremely defendable, and Scarzig lives at the top of the tower, using magic to reconfigure room positions on the tower every hour. This is entirely scheduled and automatic, which means it is little inconvenience to those who know the permutations of the tower. Even the entrance to the tower rotates, meaning that the entrance can be entirely impossible to enter. This causes the citizens to be trapped in the tower for hours of the night. Thusly, the duties of the people within the tower are often relegated to the night, and their sleep cycle begins at midday and ends at midnight. Below are a few of the shops that are within the tower, as well as the items they sell and the statistics they have.
Shattered Halls
Created in the wake of the last attack, the Shattered Halls are ruled over by Duke Dunmore, who only has that title due to his absolutist rule over his territory. He uses his rule to enforce his delusions of grandeur; a faux civilized society and hierarchy has been established, and the trade of things like bugs and other disgusting things masquerade as the swapping of rare specimens. Amidst ruins, elegant tea parties can be found. However, this aspect isn't only enforced by fear of Dunmore's might, it is also in his magical ability. Though he has no idea he is doing so, he creates an illusory reality around him that is for all intents and purposes, real. His people seek to be as close to him as possible for this reason, addicted to the world of nobles and kings that he creates. Many can no longer differentiate between the real world and this illusory reality, especially after extended visits to their "Duke". Be warned and stay away from this place.
The Barbaric Grounds
Ruled by Plo, a powerful warrior of extreme strength and feeble mind, the Barbaric grounds are little more than a savage arena. It's economy is perpetuated by the need for weapons and armor, and many a profiteer has taken advantage of these dull minded brutes. These simple men don't even deign to pick up the corpses of fallen warriors, which means the Barbaric Grounds are littered with the bodies of the fallen. Eventually, the sand buries all.
They have little to do with the other territories, simply minding their own business. They fight with reckless abandon and steel courage, making them the ideal front line of defense for the Outer Walls. They have a strange instinct to protect the other Outer Wall inhabitants. Theories on this instinct range from the other two territories ensnaring them with magic to some sort of competition on who can save the most lives. Whatever the reason, they are imperative to the safety of the Outer Walls.
Inner City
The Inner City of Aramore is faring little better than its exterior: religious groups fight for the right to control the Mantle of Faith, which shields the city from outside monsters and raiders. The increasingly tight economy led to a depression and street fights break out over even the smallest of scraps. However. this fighting happens lesser the closer one gets to the Oasis Tower.
Market District
Around the outside of the Inner City, market stalls sprall with little organization. Brawls break out over changing prices, stock or two stalls selling the same thing. Competition in the market is often deadly and many gangs use this tension to offer "protection". The law of Combat for trade is employed most frequently in Aramore, as the city sits far away from the watchful eye of the Barrier Imperium. These single combats often devolve into the street brawls that are so common their. The markets are a dangerous place, but the food, services and items they sell are "unique". You can always find something you need in the Market District, whether you know you need it or not.
Craftsmen District
The world of the Fractured Lands is not built on the unskilled; great weapons must be forged for mighty warriors, detailed tapestries must piece together the fragments of history and culture of the Fractured Lands and the finest clothes must be sewn for nobles. Aramore and the Fractured Lands by extension are built on the backs of these artisans and they are thusly treated with respect. They sell their services for a pretty penny, but any adventurer worth their salt will pay exorbitant amounts simply for the name attached to these services.
Arcane District
Magic use in the Inner City is mostly segregated; divine and arcane magics don't often mix. Therefore, the clerics and paladins of Aramore live in the Oasis Tower, and the wizards, sorcerers and warlocks live here. However, not all arcane spellcasters are equal. The ideals of the district on magic are as follows.
Knowledge. Any practicioner of magic is judged based on their knowledge of their magics. In this aspect, wizards reign supreme. Sorcerers are often condemned to a life of magical mediocrity and Warlocks are no better than beggars. The true basis for an arcane society in the eyes of those from Aramore is a mixture of empiricism and rationalism, which they have coined as transcendental idealism. This method combines the "a priori" method of examining concepts with no context, with the "a posteriori" medthod, which examines knowledge based on contextualisation in the world.
Communication. These ideas can not be allowed to gather dust in the mind of one spellcaster. They must be shared with others, so that a foundation of spell properties can be established in order to continue a pursuit into the arcane. This extends past the borders of Aramore; many wizards try their best to spread their findings to other settlements and they even try to disseminate it past the borders of the Barrier Imperium, though it is rare and ends in strict punishment or worse from the ancient order.
Understanding. The society strives not only for memorization and raw knowledge, they also require an understanding of the functions that create a spell. Being able to apply knowledge is necessary in the search for more powerful, efficient and unique spells in all of the Fractured Lands.
Oasis Tower
In the center of Aramore, the Oasis Tower is the heart of Aramore. The power of the religious groups within these walls is extraordinary and dangerous. Kept in check by the fragile balance around them, the religious institutions inside the Oasis Tower must project a feeling of peace and order. However, the Oasis Tower itself is rarely seen by visitors, which allows them to commit any dirty deed for the crown jewel of Aramore: the Mantle of Faith. Until it has been excavated, a small pin known as the Soul of Aramore designates the owner of the item. This pin is priceless, as whoever controls it controls one of the most powerful aritfact to grace the Fractured Lands.
The Mantle of Faith
This divine artifact is a powerful conduit of divine energy. When wielded, it amplifies the divine energy imbued on the individual one hundred fold. In essence, it can grant a single wish of the group that posesses it and the Soul of Aramore. These wishes are obviously used to achieve the faction's goal, which in the wrong hands could spell the doom of the Fractured Lands as it is.
At the moment, it is buried deep within the earth. A great wizard named Sylic sealed her soul in the mantle and protects it into undeath as a powerful lich. She impedes the excavation with her magical might but her power wanes as she grows older. Her body has deteriorated and her flesh falls to pieces as she paces. However, her firm belief and willpower keep her spirit alive for the time being.
Calmarnock
"Once, the Aarakocra could fly, during the era of the Timeless Plains. After the Fractures, they flaunted their ability to fly away from Fractured Land without any problem. As they prepared for migration, disaster struck. Sylic, a witch from the Underdark, who felt embittered and spiteful after the collapse of her home, cursed the Aarakocra to become flightless and stripped them of their feathers. They became the same as humans for all intents and purposes. Their nest became their permanent home and silence morbidly hangs in the stale and thick air.
Its beautiful spires now reach for the sky, though they consider these spires a prison more than an architectural achievement. The more noble a man is, the higher the building they live in reaches. The buildings are ornately decorated with beautiful gold, as the hordes of coin they carried as the migrated were no longer useful to them."
Night of the Bird
An important cultural celebration in Calmarnock, the Night of the Bird is the annual remembrance of when they were cursed. Every man must don a mask of bird feathers and false wings, as they long for these traits to return to them. The night begins with a mass prayer to any deity that will listen,pleading for the return of their flight. After, a ceremonial suicide takes place, where any who cannot hold out hope for the return of their original features jump off the tallest building and attempt to fly with their false wings. Every year, the number increases.
Ghost Town
Their language was once a proud cultural symbol, which only they could produce due to their beaks. Of course they knew and could speak Common, but they prefered to use their language to honour their heritage. After the curse, they couldn't even speak their own native language. This is one of their deepest shames and is the reason for the silence that permeates the settlement. They were an arrogant race, and they don't deign to speak Common to one another.
Knowledge of the Fractures
The Aarakocra are well known for their historical recollections. The people of Calmarnock may have the last written knowledge of the cause of the Fractures and how to stop the corruption that follows. However, their society is closed off; they prefer to keep their shame hidden, for fear of the opinions of the earthen races lowering on the crippled species. Their knowledge doesn't stop at history, it extends to the arcane, divine, psionic and technological as well. In the Fractured Lands, no library or archive can match the general quantity of knowledge the Aarakocra have kept.
Hatred of the Eldritch
While wizards and certain sorcerers are welcome, the sources of eldritch magic are disallowed entry to the town. This is in part due to the curse that befell them, but it is also due to the fact they have little knowledge of the extra-planar entities that give these magics. Their hatred is seen best in the EDTF, or Eldritch Destruction Task Force, which travels the land in search of witches, warlocks and primordials that practice these dark arts in order to eliminate them.
Magical Flight
Though alternative methods of flight exist, the Aarakocra refuse to use them. The feeling of owning their wings as they flew isn't replicated in any flight spell they know. They search the land for those who can remove or dispell the curse, but ultimately the ancient magic would be too powerful to dispel without the help of the Barrier Imperium. The sentiment on magical flight isn't entirely unanimous, however. A small part of the Aarakocra species think that augmenting themselves to fly any way they can. They call themselves the next generation of Aarakocra and have given up on freeing themselves from the curse.
Chime
"Built high into great mountains, Chime
is the city of the diligent and vigilant. No one
sleeps in this city, as the bells toll and push them
onwards. From birth to death, the life of a citizen
of Chime is decided by the great bell in the center
of the city. The very buildings slant towards it at abberant angles, as though they wish to get closer to this great power. The town is made mostly with wooden materieals, though hewed cobblestone pillars provide strong foundation. Many great towers sail high above the rest, with little predictability or obvious reason for their geolographical location. The roads are paved with a black, glass-like material that seems extremely difficult to travel on at first, but eventual adaptation to the strange substance leads to significantly faster travel. They are lined with tall, thin pillars that hold are able to hold lamps that light up the world even in night."
The Great Bell Tower
The Bell Tower is controlled by the Clockmaster, an immortal being who continually schedules everyone in the town's schedules. He is, by all rights, the single most powerful person in Chime. Everything from the job of the person to their death has been prepared for them due to the Clockmaster's insight, so the inhabitants don't have to care about their future; after all, everything's on schedule as long as one follows the Bell. Outsiders believe that the Clockmaster's power extends futher than simple foresight. Many believe that he is capable of manipulating the fundamental psychological traits that make up that person, changing them into an entirely new person
The Bell Cycle
In order to tell day from night, as well as keep the schedule accurate, the bells are chimed every hour, every day. The pitch of the Bells begin low and peaceful in the morning, high and energetic in the afternoon and once again returning to the low tones at night. These help people keep track of the time of day, as well as what their next scheduled duty is. It is the most important aspect of society and the city would be crippled without its constant chime. This is the only job not left up to the citizens, as their is no room for error in the pitch or timing of the bell's ring. The Bell rests at the top of the Clockmaster's tower, which means that in order to stop it, one would have to face the power of the Clockmaster and the entire city.
Decided Fates
Many originally fear the Bell's toll and what it symbolizes, but they eventually find comfort in the fact that everything is ready for them. Their life, interests, hobbies, loves and everything in between are cared for by the Clockmaster. He offers a life free of responsibility, freedom and liberty. All that matters is that they follow the chimes of the Bell Cycle and make sure they can complete their duties during the alotted time. Everything must be part of his plan, right?
The Choosing
Though it has only ever occured once, it is possible to transfer his gift to one he deems worthy. That person must continue the legacy of the original Clockmaster: they must take care of everyone in the town so that they may live their lives free of worry. One life of misery and manipulation is worth the perfect lives of an entire population in the eyes of the Clockmaster. Every person is regularily checked on by the Choosing Bell. This bell, if it rings, indicates the successor of the current Clockmaster. It is located at the bottom of the Bell Tower and can be accessed at any time.
Magical Interference
The only thing disallowed in Chime is magic. Whether it be arcane, divine or of other, darker make, magic is said to disrupt the great plans of the Clockmaster. Many speculate this is false and simply an excuse to make sure that civilian magic cannot grow to the power of the Clockmaster's own divine might. The ability to cast magic is considered a minor price to pay in return for their impeccably timed lives. This extends to outsiders. Any spellcaster who wishes to enter is bound with a shackle enchanted with the Silence spell permanently based around it. Generally, foreigners are seen by the citizens of Chime as unknown variables and fear that they will disrupt the schedule set for their lives. Or they don't, depending on the whim of the Clockmaster
Working Eternally
Powerful magical fields surround the town, allowing the people who live there to work the twenty four hours a day, every day. Their primary goal as they work is to expand the city or protect it, with the majority of occupations either as city guards or simple labourers. They find pleasure in this menial work, as it is for the greater cause of the Clockmaster and Chime.
Revolution and War
Many times, people have tried to rebel against the Clockmaster. However, they are unfortunately immediately quashed unless the Clockmaster wishes for them not to be. In fact, many believe that the seeds of revolution are put into place by the Clockmaster, so that he may continue to exhibit his dominance or even just to play with the lives of those people. From the tender age of eight, the people of Chime must complete one hour of combat training every Bell Cycle. This is supposedly to help defend against invaders who would destroy their perfect lives.
The revolutions of Chime are never large and speedily destroyed, but they do represent a ray of hope for those who don't know the power of the Clockmaster. The fact that these people "rebel" might mean that they have gained consciousness and in the right circumstances, could be integrated into the broken world of the Fractured Lands
Duty
The concept of duty and responsibility is warped in Chime. To start with, everything is a duty. From working in the coal mines to drinking with friends, every activity is a necessity. This is because of the plan of the Clockmaster. These "duties" all have one goal: reach the end of their life having followed the schedule to the letter. However, these responsibilities aren't seen as restricting. Many don't even know they are doing these duties, let alone their true nefarious nature. Those that do recognize it as a duty see it as a chore that they enjoy doing; they know its a necessity but they simply see the boring ones as the stepping stones to the fun ones.
Foreign Diplmacy
The trade and communications between Chime and any other city are nonexistant. Chime strives to and succeeds in being self sufficient, as unknown variables from other areas could mess up the Clockmaster's schedule. This independence does come with weaknesses however. Due to their mountainous environment, Chime is unable to grow crops and must rely on magical, but tasteless food provided by the Clockmaster en masse. Their technological, psionic and magical understanding is extremely limited and incomparable to any other city, though this is to the Clockmaster's advantage.
Foreigners are welcomed to stay, but they must adhere to the rules, laws and regulations that help keep the society running and on their schedule. They are generally not well tolerated by the locals, as the risk of losing their perfect lives is greatly increased by the introduction of an outsider. They aren't always treated poorly, as merchants baring strange and outlandish trinkets and items make for great entertainment fo the people of Chime, especially those with minor effects, like a wand of laundry cleaning or a mop of perfect floors. They often pay much too exorbitant prices for these minor trinkets, and the Goblins of the Raging Mire below them make handsome profits selling their wares.
Esthane, City of the Architect
"Between a large fissure in a mountain lies the city of Esthane. Long ago, a great, amicable giant known as the Architect held the mountain together. One day, a great wizard who now leads the Barrier Imperium saw this great and kind creatures pain. He offered the giant freedom, but he refused; the Architect didn't want to see what the world had become after the Fractures. Instead, the wizard turned his flesh to stone, so that the giant would be free of the pain that accompanied his difficult job.
Seeing that the Architect's sacrifice would go unnoticed by the world, he created the first Desert Dervish there and gave it the ritual necessary to create a population to protect the site. And protect they did. For a century, they wandered alone, until a group of travelling elves found it during an expedition. Seeing the potential as a highly defensible area, they dispatched the now partially-defunct dervishes and began using the giant's body as a frame for their newest city: Esthane. The wizard returned and told them of the sacrifice the Architect had made and they named it after the Architect's true name: Esthane.
Esthane is a massive city inside on the back of the hollowed out Architect, which combines the elvish efficacy with strange and jutting geometry with a strange elegance. A great palace was created for the royal family and the elves had finally found their home."
Pursuit of Psionics
The Elves of Esthane had one goal when it set up the city in the mountain: they wished to define the variables that contribute to the creation of a psion. They wanted to replicate the cavernous Raging Mire as best they can, but they knew very little about anything other than the environment. Nevertheless, the city was founded with the purpose of the creation and training of Psions. They have been mildly successful in increasing the birthing rates of Psions; it seems that isolation and mental challenges could eventually possibly induce the gift in these candidates.
However, the success stopped their. Simply put, Psions had no idea how to harness their power nor focus it. They can complete minor feats, such as unstable telekinesis or gleaning surface thoughts from unsuspecting victims. This is the extent of these abilities and is extremely disappointing to the general elven population. While this may have been the initial reason for the settlement's creation, something else kept them from abandoning the city...
The Giant's Archives
After mining to expand the city past the Architect himself, the elves discovered a vast, massive library that the giants stored their knowledge in. This could lead to several other discoveries: what else is connected to the archives? What knowledge can be taken from these books? One problem persists, however. The elves of Esthane do not know giant. The race was all but wiped out during the Fractures, and the few giants that remain live hidden from the rest of the world. This hasn't stopped the scholarly elves from trying to decipher the notes. They estimate it will take another decade without an actual giant translator.
Variety of Species
Originally, the city entirely consisted of elves. This changed as the elves began to succeed in their inducing of psionics, as they needed different races to see if the psionic gift was particularily easy to acquire by one species. Though they might have began as test subjects, Humans, Halflings, Orcs and even Dragonborn integrated themselves into the elven society. They work to assist the elves with their research, in whatever ways they can. Now, the Dragonborn try to translate the giant, as their ancient language has similarities in structure to the giants.
Valuable Resources
In order to fund the settlement as well as their research, the elves turned towards mining. However, that didn't last long. A group of plants known as Warmweeds that provide minor comfort at the cost of intellect grow plentifully in the area, which they sell at a huge profit to Calmarnockians who need to get rid of their sadness. Though frowned upon, this is not considered illegal in the Fractured Lands. Anything to get by for the people of this arid desert.
Influential Trade
Though they are isolated, Esthane is very important to the trade of the Fractured Lands. Their rare drugs are sought after by great merchants and savvy salesmen alike. The drug travels all through the land and the objects that the Esthanians get in return are from all corners of the Fractured Lands. These exotic items are commodities in Esthane's society, where the value of the item is not derived by the actual worth, but instead from where it came from. Minor trinkets from the Raging Mire are worth a hoard of treasure in the eyes of Esthan's inhabitants.
Anything for Power
Unlike the majority of the Fractured Lands and its settlements, Esthane is the welcoming home of warlocks. They see these men and women who have made pacts for forbidden knowledge as those that sacrifice themselves for humanity's benefit. Many sects of the society raise their children to become warlocks, asking the patrons questions that will further their research. However, this idea backfired when one put into perspective of the lifetime of an elf. Centuries of servitude for the answer to one question meant that these deals were often poor trades heavily in favour of the patrons. As if that wasn't bad enough, it got worse.
Eventually, these elves rebelled against the rest of Esthane, and civil war continues to this day. The trainees and servants of the patron formed an organization known as the Red Hand, which had lesser numbers but greater firepower than their brethren. Their patrons were amused by the chaos that ensued and granted the Red Hand more power, though it was at the cost of their sanity(at least by a normal Esthanian's perspective). The Red Hand wishes to extend its reach past the mountains, but must avenge themselves before they can continue their crazed crusade through the Fractured Lands.
Locked in Combat
Both sides of the war are permanently locked in combat, but for different reasons:
The Society of Esthane must protect their lives and their lore. They have barely scratched the surface of the great giant's archives and believe that interpreting it will increase current knowledge of the world by many times. What secrets could be found in the giant's great libraries? Perhaps ancient spells, powerful technologies or even cultural traditions that could be used today. The Red Hand destroying the society could slow the progress of the Fractured Lands and its advances by generations of time.
The Red Hand What started as vengeance against their oppressors blossomed into a conflict that could span decades. Their patrons gave them power because of the chaos they created in the society. Now their patrons force them to fight their brothers, regardless of their wishes. Their mothers, sisters, husbands and wives must all fall to them, in accordance to their patrons. Many think that this misery is part of the reason they are forced to continue fighting.
Mul
"The beautiful city of Mul is an oasis in the corrupted desert of the Fractured Lands. An entirely water based city, many think it is nothing more than a myth or an old wives' tale. However, Mul is a real place. Based on a system of aqueducts, the people of Mul's lives are directly influenced by the water that continually courses through the city. The houses are not buildings, they are instead built into the aqueducts themselves. This allows the buildings to be cooled by the water, as well as a constant supply for their drinking needs. Though they live comfortable lives most of the time, their plentiful supply of water is in high demand and many are prepared to kill for it. "
Constant Defense
When the settlement was first created, Mul traded hands many times. No one tribe or organization could protect it but together they could. The tribes of Lizardfolk and Orcs that fought over Mul decided that their best interests aligned in an alliance between the two. Together, they defended against all attackers and eventually deterred them from returning permanently. However, Mul is once again besieged by beasts and monsters from the Fractures. They are always prepared and eternally diligent, a trait they share with their desert dervish predecessors.
Quirie
"Great towers bristling with sharp edges and rigid architecture loom above Quirie, as if they are watching the citizens. The smell of wax hangs in the air, accompanied by arcane tinged smog. Quirie was originally build by the Warforged after the genocide, so that they might live in peace, Quirie would be impossible to build in the modern day. However, Quirie was taken over by the Northern Humans, who were as haughty as they were xenophobic. Other than the Warforged, Humans are the only race allowed in Quirie. This rule is reflected in everything, from the architecture to the careers pursued.
Perhaps the worst of their racism is directed towards the Warforged; they see them as nothing more than labourers, They use these Warforged to generate kinetic energy, which in turn is channeled into devices known as Ioun Stones, that power Quirie. The atmosphere is thick with the after affect of this power generation, which causes the people of Quirie to have low life expectancy. This doesn't seem to bother the already short lived humans for some reason."
Tainted Arcana
The magical power that keeps the lights on, assists in the cooking and powers practical magics, is found in Ioun stones. These rocks are heat incarnate, solidified by the strong Warforged that compress them in their metal hands. These Ioun stones are of various quality, some only able to make a bonfire, while exceptionally rare ones can allow the user to comprehend all languages. These Ioun stones are sold to all, and the first stone that any inhabitant of Quirie gets commemorates their birth.
Smoldering Nightmares
Rarely, the arcana infused smoke generated from the compression of the Ioun Stones coalesces into a deadly creature that terrorizes the inhabitants before it can be stopped. It is hard to judge these creatures motivations and even their sentience, but their nature is malignant to all Humans. These Smogs, as they are colloquially known, dealt with by the private mercenaries of the major organizations. This means that the poor have little defense and entire neighborhoods can be destroyed before help arrives.
Enigmatic Economy
One of the stranger aspects of Quirie is its economy; the people invest their money in organizations that show promise and are able to gain parts of their income solely based on this investment. Unlike most societies, where the hard working and diligent are able to break their way into the upper echelons, it seems the rich and lazy are the leaders of Quirie. This lack of motivation borders criminal, as they are often incidentally involved in illegal practices and shady dealings without even knowing about it. Their reach extends even farther than the cities borders.
Witch Hunts
The use of more traditional methods of Weave manipulation is strictly forbidden in Quirie, as it would wreak havoc on the already tenuous economy. The practices are discouraged by the bounty placed on the heads of anyone discovered. These bounties are often exorbitant and mean windfalls for the impoverished. Many of the less fortunate become "bounty hunters" of sorts in order to feed their starving families. Ironically, the majority of traditional magic users come from these same poor peoples, which often leads to inter-family witch hunts and the murder of fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers at the hands of their relatives.
Systemic Shelter
Another difference between Quirie and the other settlements in the Fractured Lands is the organization of their homes. They are not based on wealth at all, instead they are built into squares known as neighborhoods. These groupings allow for streets to race all the way from one part of the city to another. It is obvious based on the size of houses the wealth of the person who lives there, and this leads to many raids on the rich by the poor. If you cannot protect your wealth, you may as well not have it.
The Great Towers
The ominous towers that loom above the city were originally constructed as places to learn and discuss, when the Warforged first discovered their sentience. However, after the Northerners took over, they converted these buildings into government headquarters. Quirie has a majority of people working in the government, ranging from educators to leaders. The government is strong, but its greatest strength is also its weakness. The democratic voice of the people can be muffled by the shine of coins, and dark deeds are done to win over the people.
Military Might
The military in Quirie is nonexistent; there is no unified army. Instead, the citizens of Quirie use private mercenary groups to defend themselves. This has backfired many times in the past and without the Ioun stones, Quirie would be in ruins. This means that Quirie is often diplomatically "bullied". After all, what is a settlement with no military going to do if overcharged?
Burning the Midnight Oil
The people of Quirie derive their own sleeping schedules, leading to the city being lit up every day, all day. Large scale business is often enacted during the midnight hours, in order to preserve the privacy of these moguls. This especially applies to Warforged, who are forced to work literally at all times and die due to rusting of parts and shutdown after no longer being able to maintain consciousness. This has caused the Warforged population to steadily decrease over the years.
After the Warforged
Something rarely brought up is what to do after the eventual destruction of the entire race. The entire economy is based around the manufacturing and application of Ioun Stones and the Warforged are currently the only ones able to compress the kinetic energy. The man or woman who finds the answer to this problem will live in luxury for the rest of their life. The topic isn't brought up in the poorer community, as they empathize with the Warforged. Their have been a few reported rescues of the Warforged, though the family that does that often doesn't last very long.
A few of the Quirie Warforged are able to escape into the world and try to mingle with their brethren. However, they are found to be too simpleminded by their brothers, due to the years of oppression they suffered. They are treated as though they are impaired. This treatment often leads to sever depression and ultimately a manual shutdown of the Warforged. Eventually, those that live can make it into their society after they are assimilated.
Embarrassing Expeditions
The nobles of Quirie often try to explore the world outside of the borders. This often coincides with a sever decrease in their finances. These rich snobs don't get very far in the Fractured Lands, due to the sheer stupidity. They expect their lives to stay the same in the barbaric Fractured Lands but rarely survive more than a day. They don't have enough money to pay an escort, nor do they have the martial aptitude to defend themselves. This is considered to be a form of suicide.
Excellent Transportation
The method of transportation used in Quirie is one of Quirie's best qualities. Machines powered by Ioun Stones roll along faster than a walking pace. These automotives are made with the same basic principle as a chariot, but instead of real horses, machinery similar to the technology used to create the warforged is used to create them. This transportation is only for the most powerful and richest. They never tire but it is required that they consume the energy of an Ioun Stones and must be recharged at home after a day's worth of travel. This has led to the next generation of leaders and businessmen being unfit and in rare cases, even unable to walk on their own. Their money is the only thing they have in society and without it, they are nothing. Those that are unable to afford these automotives are able to travel the roads by foot. Footwear is basically required, as the desert heats the dry tar used as its base to immeasurable temperatures. This is the easiest way to find the poorest, as more often than not, their soles are erroded by travel.
Blossoming Romanticism
Due to the emphasis put on the individual in Quirie, the people of Quirie are more inclined towards romanticism. Their situation and the gap between classes also contributes to the movement. Once, Quirie was a place of great prosperity and happiness, where warforged and humans worked together to march towards the future. A craftsman could make a living on their craft, before the warforged were oppressed and forced to work as free labor. Suddenly, quantity was of greater importance than quality, as warforged workers were cheaper and factories could produce ten times the amount of goods a craftsman could make.
The Wandering City
Though the people of the Timeless Plains died many centuries earlier, their legacy lives on. The T'qui order of Nomads, a branch of the church of Nesmus, discovered gargantuan mechanized creatures that lived only to help the lesser creatures on the plains. They hollowed out the insides of these golems and used them as vehicles for their now growing nomadic order. It came to be known as the Wandering City and the cultures and traditions of the T'qui have influenced how this "city" has taken shape.
Life is Cyclical
The T'qui nomads believe that every aspect returns unto itself, from the air we breathe in and exhale to the repeating aspects of both individual lives and history as a whole. The Wandering City mirrors these beliefs by migrating in a massive circle with four points of interest on their route. These places offer them hospitality and resources in order for the T'qui to take a lucky few families into their Wandering City. The life of a T'qui nomad may be dangerous, but that danger happens in short spurts, compared to the constant lethality other Fractured Lands inhabitants deal with daily.
- Solaris
- Aramore
- Wildere
- Calmarnock
Picking up new recruits is not the only thing that happens when these people reach one of these four locations; the bodies of the dead should lie where they cam from, in the eyes of the T'qui nomads. They perform a closed ceremony, so private that often the families of the dead aren't able to see them, before departing with little to no explanation. They are enigmatic and plan to keep it that way.
Relationships
The order of T'qui does not condone intimate relationships of any kind. That love and warmth must be instead be given to Nesmus and those that need her influence. Loving another for such selfish reasons, especially with any sort of empathy, is considered a weakness to the T'qui order. This means that certain members of the T'qui order, picked up at younger ages, are often unable to form strong connections or even any connections at all to other people due to their lack of socialization on the subject. This aspect of the order of the T'qui is the most controversial, as many see love as a stepping stone to hope, while the T'qui see it as a burden that causes despair when lost. The philosophy of the T'qui is difficult to understand without being part of the order.
Excommunication
The problem that many growing organizations, such as the nomadic T'qui, is the quality of their recruits. Vetted by the eldest of the order, these problems are often dealt with before they get out of hand. However, there are still those who manage to keep hidden darker aspects from even those elders. This means a difficult dilemma for pacifists: how do they punish those who commit these unforgicable acts? Killing simply isn't an option, obviously. However, these punishments must be severe in order to stop the crimes from happening again. They found an answer ton their problem in the form of exiling the perpetrators. Most exiled during the migration of the Wandering City will ended up stranded and aimlessly walk until death greets them. This type of punishment is the only loophole that the order can exploit, so it happens frequently.
Incorruptable
The people of the Wandering City must be virtuous and true their entire lives. Only the purest may live on the Wandering City and if even a slight slip up were to be caught, the punishment would often be inordinate compared to the crime; most likely, execution. Thus the members of the T'qui live extremely guarded lives and rarely let even emotion show. Only the most disciplined could hope to successfully live in the Wandering City.
Ever Expanding, Ever Contracting
It may seem unsustainable to constantly gain new recruits from various major settlements but a balance has formed from the activities of the T'qui that leave room for many new recruits. Though this may eventually catch up to them, the current methods of scavenging for food often lead to many deaths. Unarmed and only wielding their faith, the newest recruits are sent to the desert to find food. Ignoring the mauraders and savages, the beasts that would be necessary to sustain the Wandering City would easily kill any single unarmed combatant. This means that many of the recruits end up dead or severely injured, which means the next batch of recruits has to take their place.
This balance will eventually be eroded if the nomads decide to try and use more reasonable methods to find food, but until that point, the population will only marginally increase after each set of new recruits, as the majority of these recruits die within the first few weeks. If they manage to survive these trials, they then increase in rank in the T'qui order and no longer must venture into the desert unarmed to find food for their superiors.
Trade
An important aspect of the Wandering City, the nomads are the soveriegns of Exotic Trade. Their migration pattern takes them to all but the farthest regions of the world, which means that they can and are used as traders/couriers for the richest of businessmen.
Their journeys often take them to places with items that are common for the area but extremely rare in another location. The nomads most likely have a monopoly on this type of item and use that to their advantage in order to charge exorbitant prices for items they aquired for several times less. They are the middle men of the world, facilitating trade between the settlements with their gargantuan golem cities. This practice is frowned upon by most inhabitants of the Fractured Lands but the T'qui assure them that they donate the proceeds of the trades to those who need hope. Whether that is true or not is difficult for anyone not connected with the nomads to say.
They also function as transportation for valuable cargo. Rich businessmen pay hundreds of gold to "ship" these items along, in order to get it to their buyer. These profits are seen much more favourably by the public than the manipulation of the market stated above. They will take any item with them and do not look into the cargo at all. This means that the drug trade also thrives in the place that is supposedly the most pure.
Combat
Many of the order of the T'qui are excellent in hand to hand combat, relying on their martial arts and technique to outfight an opponent. Against the beasts of the Fractured Lands, they would stand little chance. The golems nullify this problem, as their size intimidates most larger beasts and intimidate any raiders. Whether these golems actually have any combat capabilities remains to be seen. The T'qui must fight only when necessary, but when they must, they do so fiercely. There are stories of entire armies falling to one hundred of the most powerful T'qui nomads.
Magic
While many see the value of magic in a land where resources are scarce, the T'qui are adamantly against its use. This may be traced back to their origin in Blackmoor, where the eight princes of magic rule over arcane power derived from the sins of man. Magic is therefore a warping of reality and the nomads believe that inflicting your will on reality will lead to catastrophic consequences and karmic justice. Magic is what created the Fractures and magic should not be the tool used to remove it. Magic causes many more problems than it solves in the eyes of the nomads.
Rank
The most important identifying factor of anyone who lives in the Wandering City, the rank in the order is what separates the powerful from the weak. Their society is separated into five different ranks, explained below.
Depraved. Before a few weeks of serving the order, the recruits are known as the depraved due to their lack of knowledge of the traditions and ideals of the order.
Awakened. After undergoing the ordeals of a depraved, a recruit graduates to an awakened: someone at the lowest rung of society, but still in the society nonetheless. They no longer need to go on the suicide missions of the depraved.
Conduit. When their divine powers first activate, the Awakened move up to conduit. They are taken to special facilities in the Wandering City to learn how to harness the gifts they have been given.
Enlightened. After graduating from the facilities, conduits are given the full rights of a citizen in the Wandering City. They may input on issues that they have experience with and are able to contribute towards the goals of the T'qui
Transcended. These people have mastered every field, from science to literature, through Nesmus. They lead a council that may have no more than five members and are picked from many candidates by the other enlightened.
Annals
Perhaps the most important person in the entirety of the Wandering City is the Historian. It is their sworn duty to record every minutae of life in the order and are generally experts on the history of the order itself. One wrong word in the Annals directed at someone could ruin their life. The written word holds great power in the Wandering City, perhaps making up for its unimportance everywhere else.
Wildere, Village
of the Strong
Though most villages in the Fractured Lands are
protected by magic, Wildere is held on the
shoulders of soldiers. The villagers of Wildere
have managed to create a reputation of housing the most powerful of warriors and only the most brave of monstyers and raiders would dare attack the village. This aspect of survivability is only compounded by their semi-nomadic society; if they believe they must relocate, their traditions help prepare them top leave at any moment. They generally stay in the same vicinity, which is why they can be marked on the map.
Life in Wildere
Wildere houses around six hundred people, the majority of which are a unique group of Firbolg that have split off from their fully nomadic brethren. There are neither elves nor dwarves that live in the society, though the village treats any outsiders with respect and admiration. This doesn't mean that they want these outsiders to stay; Thier society is very closed to outsiders who outstay their welcome.
Secret Sorceries
The traditions of Wildere are entirely based on physical and natural strewngth that those who practice magicmust actively supress and hide their gifts. If they were found, they would certainly be exiled, if not executed. The magic of Wildere is therefore much more subtle and is more likely used to augment their martial might instead of the traditional precise manipulation of the Weave. Unlike many villages, Wildere is unallied and self sufficient, though this may be due to their views on magic ovedr any conscious decision.
Booming Economy
The economy of Wilderte is extremely healthy, as magic cannot be abused and used to inflate the economy. Everyone needs their swords sharpened, armor polished and shield shined, so blacksmiths can often charge a premium and is thusly a popular vocation. Gold is valued in Wildere due to its aesthetic properties as well as its uuse to denote and distinguish rank on the armor of authorities. However, gold cannot feed you...
Lethal Hunt
Another reason that the inhabitants often relocate is their unsteady food source: monsters. The inhabitants of Wildere believe that only the strong should survive, even foregoing what meagre crops could be grown in the Fractured Lands. This is why each family hunts for themselves, finding their own hunting grounds around the village and surviving on the strengths(or weakness) of their fellow family members. This means that they often have extremely tight-knit relationships with their family and a slight paranoia towards their neighbors.
Monotheistic
The entirety of Wildere is devoted to one diety: Scaeloth, god of warriors. It is difficult to tell whether they modified their society to fit his tenets or his tenets were changed to meet their hierarchy. The worship of Scaeloth is one of the only reasons the villagers all meet together, as they unite to complete various rituals to appease the god of warriors. Below is a list of the rituals they practice:
- Honouring the Fallen. Whenever one of their own falls, the people of Wildere gather to speak truths of or about the recently deceased. This practice helps give closure to the family or loved ones, as well as resolve issues between the fallen and the living.
- Satiating the Hunger. Scaeloth demands food; after all, even a god must eat(at least that is what the villagers believe). At the end of each month, the villagers must sacrifice a part of their kills in order to appease the warrior god. It is said terrible misfortune befalls those who cannot feed the god.
- Rite of Single Combat. All villagers must gather when a conflict between two villagers has become violent. Whether it be two families quarrelling or a single man's anger over an official's ruling, these issues are resolved at a time decided between the two combatants. All must bear witness in order to stop trickery and dirty fighting, as well as declaring the victor to Scaeloth.
- Merging of Clans. Marriage in Wildere is very different; instead of traditional vows, they complete a ceremony known as the Rite of the Seven Steps. In this rite, with the groom leading, the two betrothed circle seven steps around a sacred flame, until they meet on the other side of the fire. during each step, they give gifts to one another that symbolize aspects of their relationship(light as a feather, solid as a rock, bright as a jewel. The villagers stand around them, clasping hands with one another to show the strength of the community is behind the marriage.
Strength is Power
The authoritative ruler of Wildere is known as the high general, with four lietenants below him, and one to four officers below those lieutenants. These figures of authority are often umarried, as the duties of an official rank are too difficult for many to balance with familial commitments. They thusly rally with their fellow officials to feed themselves and are stronger due to fighting monsters with fewer people to rely on. This strength is used to maintain order for the high general and the good of the village(as dictated by the high general, of course), though they tend to be very strict and may attack even if unprovoked.
Harsh Zealots
Though not all of the villagers who live in Wildere are so righteous, the majority follow through the tenets of Scaeloth to the letter. In secret, orders cull the weak from the tribe. If the victim successfully defend themselves, it was all a "test", of course! If they fail, then one more weakling is removed from this earth. Either way, they seem to be doing the right thing. However, these warriors of faith must hide their divine deeds from the public. This is because their work undermines the authority of the officials in the town, who often can do little to stop these attacks.
Appearance is Everything
A minority of the townspeople are born too weak to survive the harsh customs and lifestyle in Wildere. However, many find a work around for this weakness: the appearance of strength. These people are the merchant class, who have little to do with the actual fighting and instead supply the warriors with things necessary for the hunt in return for food. Many families live happily this way, as the life expectancy of the merchant class is more than double that of the more common hunting families. This life can get dull for many, and puffing themselves up as tough can often lead to delusion on the part of these merchants. Merchants will ofen later in life leave their homes to join a hunt, returning in mangled limbs, if their corpse can even be salvaged from their brutal deaths. These foul deaths are met by few in the merchant class however.
Arts and Culture
The culture of Wildere is neither nuanced or complex; it is simply built on a society of warriors. Many accuse Wildere of being dull and its inhabitants unimaginative, which to a certain extent is true. This isn't always true though. Bards of great renown tell great stories of the people they have witnessed from Wildere and vivid realist paintings are drawn by artists who see the conflict firsthand in the protection of the warriors. Some artists and writers dye blood and use it in their works, though this may seem impractical in the long term.
Magic: Transcendentalism
"What makes music more than a series of notes? What grants words the power to inspire, scathe and order? This is magic and these elements, transcendentals. The wizard who doesn't understand these transcendentals will fail at every turn, while the wizard who does will prosper."
Magic in the Fractured Lands and it's principles only stranger. Magic isn't a simple manipulation of the Weave, it is the manifestation of transcendentals, elemental origins to the mysteries of the world. As the name suggests, transcendentals are concepts and ideas that are above the mundane, mortal world. This is the rationalization of the power of Faith; belief and faith can grant supernatural power to the determined individual. That isn't the only thing trancendentals explain. In the Fractured Lands, whether conscious or not, all people use transcendentals to their advantage.
What do transcendentals have to do with magic?
Faith
The faith or belief in any person, zealous enough, can be powerful enough to manifest miracles and magics to rival the arcane. This can come in the form of self determinism, worship of another being or even devotion to a diety. The theory of transcendentalism was derived from this phenomena, as previously it was unexplainable. This power sows the most chaos in the Fractured Lands, as anyone from warlords who believe they deserve to conquer to children who have tantrums if they don't get want are able to harness this magic. The hardest part of the Barrier Imperium's duties is the maintaining of order amongst magical people, as anyone can create magic with none of the requisite knowledge an wizard needs. many clerics of the Fractured Lands would seem more like the Wild sorcerers of Voldari.
Music
The notes and pitch of a song certaintly contribute to the quality of music, but in truth, music is another form of magic, as powerful and ancient as the arcane. The magic
A World Below
Deep beneath the earth, many races once lived,
separated from the world below, which they named the "Underdark". However, after the fractures unsealed this unknown world to the surface, the tranquil underworld began to deteriorate. Once peaceful nations were plunged into calamity, forcing these people to become deadly warriors or leave their homes in cowardice to wander blind through the surface. The Underdark began accumulating more and more swamp-like traits, until it eventually transformed to accept its new mantle: the Raging Mire.
A place of despair and danger, this underground bog houses some of the most deadly creatures in all the realms. Great trees spread their roots, snaking through the ground, rooted as much in the ceiling as they are in the floor. The volume of trees make for difficulty founding larger settlements and escaping the monsters who have adapted to the terrain. Constant fog pervades the caverns, tinged with the signature pink of psionic power. Very little light from the surface is able to pierce the fog, so the inhabitants of the Raging Mire still live under a darkened sky. What's worse, monsters have learned to use the fog as a tool in catching their quarry.
A strange mixture of necrotic and psionic powers resurrects and possesses skeletons, corpses and even the spiritual essence of the dead. They are collectively known as "dwellers", a constant and pressing threat that hunt the civilized survivors in the Raging Mire. The villagers have a few ways to counteract this fel transformation with varying results: cremating the dead and grinding their charred remains to a fine powder are seen as the most effective methods. Less reputable rituals can be found with the shamans who travel alone through the Raging Mire; at best they are seen as suspicious and at worst their practitioners are chased out of town for fear that they are an agent of the enemy, trying to lull them into a false sense of security.
A World in Turmoil
While dwellers may be a constant thorn in the survivor's sides, earning the ire of some of the more dangerous races and leading to wives' tales and horror stories that shake even the most hardy and stoic of expeditionists.
A Bullywug Tribe known for their impatient and temperamental attitude, whose scouts watch over the rest of the Raging Mire, cruelly rules the swamps with an iron fist. Hags kidnap children during the night and torture them, and while only rarely returning them, they come back changed and devoid of life; becoming shadows of their former selves, dying in the next few days. Kuo-Toa wield otherworldly might, channeling a facade of divine magic and christening themselves as the holy crusaders that will cleanse the Raging Mire of the many infidels within. Drow hunting parties and Driders scout out ever increasing territory to expand the area they control in the Mire. Spirit Nagas and Yuan-Ti mentally dominate travelers who have left the group to lead rest of the traveler's companions to their doom.
Dangerous beasts roam the area, hunting and killing their humanoid prey for sport or out of necessity, using cunning tactics or brutish savagery. Bulettes kill anyone who stay off the treetop paths for too long. Swarms of insects impede travelers, wearing them down and eating their corpses once bigger beasts kill them.
The Source
The source of evil within the swamp has rarely ever been seen and the few that have cannot discern what it is. There are, however, several theories by the men and woman who saw them. Some believe that it was a great black dragon, a specter, shadow or demon. The most popular theory is that it is a powerful dark wizard or lich who is using the swamp as a lair. Certain groups don't even believe that there is a dark force influencing the mists over the Mire but the ancient elves can recall a time where the dark swamp was once their cavernous homes, proving that something under the ground must be affecting their environment.
Whatever the source is, it must have an extreme affinity for psionic energy. Many believe that the fog is used to observe the peoples and monsters of the Raging Mire, as the mists are laden with psionic energy. Whatever the case, the peoples of the Raging Mire are much more likely to be born with psionic powers.
Natural Hazards
Though not quite as hot as the world above, the Raging Mire is equally difficult to live in. Many basic needs must be met in different ways, either with magic or other jury rigged solutions discovered after centuries in the darkness.
Fog
The fog is extremely difficult to see through; for all intents and purposes it is considered magical darkness. However, spells with light effects (light, daylight, etc.) can be used to light the way. Torches are half as effective as they usually are, and darkvision of all kinds cannot pierce through thick fog. Fog density also provides other disadvantages, based on the table below:
Cloud Density Effects
| Density | Effect |
|---|---|
| Lower | Disadvantage on perception and all other sight based non-combat checks |
| Higher | Disadvantage of attack rolls and ablility checks that involve precision in physical position. |
As is shown, adventurers will be at an extreme disadvantage when fighting the monsters of the Raging Mire, as the monster's visions have adapted to the Fog.
Wet and Dry In All The Wrong Ways
The entire bog is extremely wet, and often wood has to be dried with magic before use for a campfire. Thusly, short term shelters and camps that adventurers would normally use are much more difficult to create. They also often need magic to dry it, but any fire based cantrip will do. However dank the swamp may be, finding a source of pure water is extremely difficult. especially without the use of magic. The people of the Raging Mire struggled the most with this during the first years, before finally finding unique solutions to the problem, or simply perishing.
The well prepared adventurer will pack secure containers of pure water to last them the first few days in the Raging Mire. However, these containers become a commodity for the pilgrims and monks who enter the Raging Mire to improve their mental abilities. Ill-advised foreigners are often ambushed by these wanderers who hope to slake their thirst using their rations and water. However, this method is not sustainable, which is why each civilization has a method to quench their thirst
Dark and Silent
Due to the nature of the environment, the Raging Mire is often completely silent. This lends to the atmosphere of paranoia and every snap of a twig could be the a dangerous predator pouncing. This silence is rarely broken and many adventurers are unable to recover from the silence, especially if they travel alone. This silence, matched with an eerie darkness, is the bane of any who plan on exploring the area, though certain races(detailed later) have become acclimated to the dark. The darkness of the Raging Mire surrounds and cloaks everyone within. This darkness leads many men astray, as landmarks wouldn't be discernable without light and chances are if they have a light, they are most likely dead. Navigation systems are unique to the civilizations of the Raging Mire, ranging from notches on trees to holes in paths.
Disease Ridden
Because of the corrupt nature of the Raging Mire, a host of diseases can be found in the water, wafting from the dirt or even floating on the rare breezes. Adventurers who venture into the Raging Mire without taking precautions often perish within a few hours. Villages often have cures to the various illnesses but due to their untrusting nature, they often refuse to help. That is, if they can even bear the pain enough to make it to a settlement. Only those of strong willpower and tough nature are able to even survive the first day of the Raging Mire.
Traps Around Every Corner
In order to eat, many settlements employ traps to ensnare prey. However, the darkness obscures all and friend and foe are often confused. False floors, tripwires and even pressure plates obscured by the dirt are all extremely common and lead to the deaths of many unwary explorers. Though what they trap might be a humanoid, villagers often don't take the time to look for fear of the prey escaping and killing them. This spawned a cautionary tale about a messenger who was sent to help a village. She was caught by the village she was trying to help and subsequently was eaten, which meant that she was unable to deliver her message. The village was then destroyed because the messenger was unable to deliver the message. Unfortunately, the story hasn't really caught on yet.
Supernatural Hazards
Though the natural state of the Raging Mire is extremely dangerous already, the host of supernatural hazards that must be dealt with are often lethal not only to individuals but entire villages. From the mists to the flora and fauna, the Raging Mire is the home of only the most stoic and tough humanoids.
The Mists
The fog of that pervades every nook and cranny of the Raging Mire is terribly powerful and equally enigmatic. This is due to the fact that the fog is laden with raw psionic energy, which manipulates the minds of men. It especially powerful at night, wherein it crawls into the recesses of the victim's brain and manipulates memories, emotions and even core philosophies. It warps them into twisted and malignant shades of their former selves, and erases the inhibitions that society dictates men should have. Whether they realize it or not, every inhabitant of the raging mire has been affected by the Mists. This may be virtually unnoticable but the peoples tend towards paranoia and fear much more than if they were not subjected to the dreaded Mists.
The Mists' effect has no visible symptoms, further increasing and validating the xenophobic nature of the Raging Mire's inhabitants. Certain druids and shamans claim to have found a cure for this strange possession, but no one will hear them out for fear that it is another trick of the Mists to take more of their loved ones. Because of this, the only real cure in the eyes of the citizens is death.
There are no external symptoms of this possession but that doesn't mean that the victim doesn't have any. Some see passed away lovers, friends or even enemies alive and in a context that makes sense to them. Others report that their emotions and inhibitions are entirely gone, allowing them to do whatever strange or evil thing they would do without a conscience. Others still hear strange whispers and mutterings in the air, which are in fact the ideas and emotions robbed by those previously possessed. Some feel as though mental barriers are lifted, and subsequently show signs of the psionic gift and are cured effectively, which led scholars to make the connection .
Psions will find a friend in the Mists, as the Mists help to increase the power of the wielder and teach them the secrets of their newfound abilites. Though many postulate on it, few truly know why the Mists help cultivate a psion and make them powerful and those few are druids and shaman, who already are never believed by anyone in the Raging Mire. This connection causes many to initially reject their gift but they all eventually come around to it.
Not all people fear the Mists. A group known as the Disciples of the Mist purposely allow themselves to be posesssed, as they believe that the Mists knows their greater purpose in life. Others use it as an intoxicant, allowing some of it into their minds to remove thoughts, inhibitions or even entire emotions. However, these people are reviled by majority of people and are killed on sight.
The Mists don't just posess people, they also puppeteer corpses. Friends, loved ones and even ancient ancestors are turned against the present inhabitants. This posession is easy to spot and obvious, though the emotional shock of seeing these walking corpses is often worth the lack of surprise. This is why the peoples of the Raging Mire always cremate their dead.
Sentient Flora
Though the Mists probe and the beasts murder without thought, the plant life in the Raging Mire are equally dangerous. They, unlike the others, are patient and cunning, using illusions, hallucinations and tricks to bring prey into their awaiting maws. Even the trees are out to get the people of the Raging Mire, so be careful and wary at all times. Listed below are a few of the most dangerous species.
Blight
Made with the combination of the psionic energy laden in the fog and mortal blood, Blights are beings of pure malice and ruthlessness. They hunt in packs, attacking villages and leaving ghost towns in their wake. They attack out of necessity, for they must consume drained blood regularily to maintain their sentience. This causes them to be particularily ferocious in battle due to the fact that if they lose, the rest of their clan will return to their shrub forms.
Myconid
The myconid are not inherently good or
evil, they simply see the world pragmatically
and with a determination to survive. They see
the corpses of humanoids as more efficient for
their needs in specific nutrients. They are just as
happy rooted in soil as they are rooted in organs. Some even have formed colonies with humanoids. However, their paralytic spores often lead to a slow death and trusting a Myconid is often a terrible proposition.
Treant
Even the trees are out to get you! The treants are sentient trees that appear entirely innocuous. That is, until a traveller crosses over its roots or under its branches. It snatches them up and uses their corpses to fertilize its growth. They rarely are found in pacts, but if one were to stumble upon one, they would surely be tortured for up to a year. The Treants are rooted for extended periods of time; many root for the better half of a century. Their patience knows no bounds, but they are not truly evil. They simply wish to survive
Vegepygmy
Homunculi created by foul shamanic curses or druidic spells, these squat creatures follow one command given to them at birth. This command varies from caster to caster, but generally is based on vengeance, chaos or servitude. These creatures are then sent to roam the jungle, completing their objective as fast and as many times as possible. They tend to work in packs and are known to ransack entire villages without losing one of their group.
Wood Woad
The Wood Woad is often mistaken for a small tree, as its wooden exoskeleton can be used for camaflouge. These creatures work alone and prefer to kill by allowing the victim to kill themselves for an illusory friend, lover or enemy. They feed on depression and loneliness and that method has proven most effective. If they were to cooperate, they could cause entire villages to commit suicide.
Untamed Beasts
Wild and primal, the beasts of the Raging Mire are the epitome of the savage nature of the swamp. They may not be intelligent, but they make up for it with their extreme lethality. Perhaps their worst trait is their unpredictibility; they attack at random and without warning and leave ruins in their wake. These creatures are rarely ever killed, they are simply survived.
Bulette
Known colloquially as a "landshark", the Bulette is a force to be reckoned with due to the nature of its attacks. They happen entirely randomly, and the creature travels below ground in order to avoid the possibility of its quarry escaping. It burrows beneath them and tunnels upwards until the unfortunate soul is within the Bulette's mouth. They also have extremely powerful natural armor, leaving them unsusceptable to the blade, unless aimed at one of its weak spots.
Hydra
Due to its many heads and ridiculous regenerative abilities, the Hydra is the bane of any who settle in the Raging Mire. Unlike the other beasts, they have no tactics or stealth to their rampages, they simply sprint at the nearest creature they can see with surprising velocity, clearing a path behind them. Often entire trees and any buildings fall intheir wake, making the trail of a rampaging Hydra very obvious. What is most worrying about the Hydra is the population of them. Bulettes and Trolls are seen with different colours of hide or skin, but the Hydra is always sighted with the exact same traits. If the power of one Hydra is this terrifying, then two could destroy an entire country!
Trolls
Posessing similar regenerative abilites, the Trolls of the Raging Mire go from village to village, destroying everyone in their path. Unlike the other beasts, they work in groups of three to four, and are the only beasts that have been reported to be killed by settlers. They use the fog to their advantage, masking their approach on the village and allowing for swift and decisive victory.
Myconid
"I heard this place was infested, but I didn't think to this extent." Barrin told his Gnomish sister, Serena. The light from his staff illuminated strange roots dangling above them. Suddenly, they began releasing a sort of spore. Serena had barely enough time to mutter a prayer before her and her brother were unconscious. "Be wary when searching for our people. If we do not want to be found, we will not be found." -Myconid Um'Thraxx, a report to the soveriegn The Myconid are a powerful, pragmatic race with a long tradition that has been kept by their soveriegns. They are practically immortal, for though they decay, they continue their fungal cycle and are reborn anew whenever necessary. This is why many see them as a threat to their environment. Their population only ever grows and without artificial intervention, they never die.
Death Is Just One Aspect of Life
For a Myconid, life and death are more intertwined than any other race. Once every month, the Myconid begin their regenerative cycle, wherein they are reborn as well as many other new Myconid spores are spread throughout the Raging Mire. They need no mate to do this, only several days uninterrupted while they meditate and prepare for the cycle to begin again.
Experts On All Things Astral
Due to their constant brushes with death, the Myconid have seen the astral plane and returned to tell about it. However, this is one of their most guarded secrets, one they might never share with any outsider regardless of their relationship.
Organic Machines
The closest analog to the Myconid are the Warforged, as the Myconid see all objects, people and technology as a stepping stone towards their goal of immortality for themselves. They are capable of feeling emotion, though they never show it. Certain Myconid groups even wish to further improve themselves by using the Mists to get rid of their emotions entirely so that they may serve their purpose better.
Millenium Old Collections
Myconid dabble in the arcane, psionics and technology to various degrees during their limitless lifetimes. They are known for their collections of lore on subjects they've invested interest into, which means that they are often consulted for knowledge of the ancestors and their discoveries by shamans, druids and other spellcasters. This wealth of knowledge is also a downside, however; they often innovate little and instead modify the already built, leading to many outdated technologies present within their colonies.
Colonies of Knowledge
Colonies of Myconids are chosen by young Myconid so that they may pursue their best subjects and further their objective. Each colony raises them in a different way, grooming them to become a specialist in the area the colony is known for.
Traits
Though the colonies vary wildly, all Myconid share these traits.
Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 2.
Age. Myconid are immortal and therefore age is not a concept to them.
Alignment. Myconids see everything simply as stepping stones to their goal, and are mostly neutral and pragmatic. They tend toward the lawful alignment.
Size. Myconids vary widely in height and build, from barely 5 feet to well over 6 feet tall. Regardless of your position in that range, your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 25 feet.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and one extra language of your choice. Myconids try to learn the language most pertinent when dealing with humanoids near their colony.
Paralysis Spores. You can use your action to eject spores at one creature you can see within 15 foot of you. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw equal to (8 + your proficiency modifier + Constitution bonus) or be stunned for 1 minute or until it takes damage. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. You may use this ability once per long rest.
Subrace. The Myconid are differentiated by their pursuits of immortality. You are one of the subraces below.
Estoryk
The Estoryk live quiet, peaceful lives away from the conflict of the Raging Mire in the canopy. They devote their lives to the arcane, using magic to find more elegant solutions to their objective. They are often consulted by the leaders in the Raging Mire, as their knowledge of the arcane is matched only by their knowledge of history.
Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 1.
Arcane Aptitude.The Estoryk Myconid start with a cantrip selected from the Wizard spell list. Intelligence is used as the spellcasting ability.
Rapport Spores. A 20-foot radius of spores extends from the myconid. These spores can go around corners and affect only creatures with an Intelligence of 2 or higher that aren't undead, constructs, or elementals. Affected creatures can communicate telepathically with one another while they are within 30 feet of each other. The effect lasts for 1 hour and cannot be used again until the Myconid takes a short or long rest.
Astiker
The Astiker are nomadic and warrior-like, devoting themselves to perfecting body and mind through the use of psionics. They are the ones who subject themselves to the Mists to remove their emotions and are subsequently more likely to be Psionic. Every Astiker has a minor psionic quirk, even if they don't use it to its full potential. They are leaders of their people and help plan new colonies as well as be the initial settlers.
Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 1.
Psionic Spark.The Astiker Myconid start with a talent selected from the Mystic talent list. Intelligence is used as the spellcasting ability.
Hone the Mind.Once per long rest, the Astiker Myconid may reroll a Strength, Dexterity or Constitution check. They must use the new roll, even if it is worse.
Ingeni
The Ingeni are a relatively new colony, but they focus on the use of technology to restore their bodies to non-decaying forms, in order to remove the necessity of the cycle entirely. They have yet to be successful, but are consulted by settlers and colonists to help with architecture, defense and mechanical assistance to make life easier. They are extremely passionate and often make many mistakes. Their hands are nimble and calloused, which is why they are often able to nimbly fight to defend their technology.
Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 1.
Tool Proficiencies. The Ingeni Myconid are proficient with all tool kits.
Tinker.You can spend 1 hour and 10 gp worth of materials to construct a Tiny clockwork device (AC 5, 1 hp). The device ceases to function after 24 hours (unless you spend 1 hour repairing it to keep the device functioning), or when you use your action to dismantle it; at that time, you can reclaim the materials used to create it. You can have up to three such devices active at a time. When you create a device, choose one of the following options:
- Clockwork Toy: This toy is a clockwork animal, monster, or person, such as a frog, mouse, bird, dragon, or soldier. When placed on the ground, the toy moves 5 feet across the ground on each of your turns in a random direction. It makes noises as appropriate to the creature it represents.
- Fire Starter: The device produces a miniature flame, which you can use to light a Candle, torch, or campfire. Using the device requires your action.
- Music Box: When opened, this music box plays a single song at a moderate volume. The box stops playing when it reaches the song’s end or when it is closed.
Xistieren Colony
Though widely considered inferior to the other colonies, The Xistieren Colony(known colloquially as the Decaying Cadaver, p. X) coexist with other humanoids. They see the ambition and perspective of mortals as useful assets toward their goal and search for a way to help them become immortal as well.
Gnome
"I 'erd 'im o'er 'ere" Gelsh muttered. "Come out and plaaaay." He half sung, half snarled. From in the closet burst a Gnome wearing plate armor and wielding a greatsword. "Looking for me?" He paused, for what he felt was suspense. "You big baby." He resolved to never use that insult again seconds after he uttered it. He charged the orc and for once, the orc felt outmatched physically.
-Gelsh, on the day he lost his right arm and dignity
Gnomes are brave and powerful warriors with a flair for the dramatic, reforged in steel since the creation of the Raging Mire. As much performers as they are fighters, the Gnomes of the Raging Mire are the gladiators of the swampy darkness.
Death or Glory
Gnomish society is built around two tenets: the attention of adoring fans who see their daring exploits and beating insurmountable odds. Often, people see them as an annoying necessity, because the Gnomes are stalwart defenders of the inhabitants of the Raging Mire. They often operate alone(as they don't want to share the glory) and hunt dangerous and exotic beasts, as well as tribespeople. This concept means that few Gnomes are ever in their homes for long. Gnomes often have a rough upbringing as few Gnomes are lucky to know one of their parents, let alone both. This mantra not only factors into their fighting. It extends to every aspect of their life, from scavenging, to scouting, to even cooking. Their core philosophy, in so many words, is more like: Complete every objective to the fullest.
Size Matters Not
Gnomes take pride in their ability to punch above their weight class. The larger the beast, the greater the glory. Many see this as a natural reaction to the obstacle their size poses. If the strong are those who survive regardless of their size, they will improve their ability to fight those larger than them. Their fighting style is unique and fast. Their ferocity is whipped into a frenzied fever pitch, letting loose their emotions in wild slashes.
Bards Turned Warriors
The Gnomes of old were great minstrels who traveled the Underdark and surface, spinning tales of misery and joy to any who would hear it. Their traditional occupations were swept away in the deadly fight for survival. Remnants of their old ways lie in the ruins scattered around the Raging Mire, but even the oldest of Gnomes would have trouble recognizing their cultural significance.
Traits
All Gnomes tend to have the same characteristics and are united in their goal of glory at all costs. Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 2 and your Charisma score increases by 1.
Age. Gnomes often die young, but those that don't can live up to 131 years of age.
Alignment. Gnomes have unique methods and often use the ends to justify their means. They tend toward Chaotic alignments but are neither particularily good, evil or neutral.
Size. Gnomes have height that ranges from 2 to 4 feet tall. Regardless of your position in that range, your size is Small.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 25 feet.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Gnomish. Though the Gnomes of the Underdark no longer exist in their truest form, they still use their traditional tongue when addressing one another.
Gnomish Fighting Style. Once per short or long rest, a Gnome may add one half of their Charisma modifier(minimum +1) to the damage roll of their weapon. This must be declared before the damage is rolled.
Goblin
Goblins are all about the money; whether it be Gold, Silver or even Copper pieces, Goblins will pinch every penny. Their greed and avarice is what makes them so dangerous. Never get between a Goblin and his Gold.
-excerpt from Theodore Fletcher's Guide to the World
Goblins are literally greed and desire incarnate. Created by Gunther, God of ambition, Goblins exemplify his tenants and their culture reflects his ideals. They gain power from instilling greed in others and taking what they desire most from them: money. The Goblins own the economy in the Raging Mire, using these precious coins as a method to cause such evil desires. They are sleazy and slippery, though if you have the coin, they can get the job done, find the object or cast the magic.
Goblin Enchanting
Most Goblin shops sell anything anyone could imagine and much more. Or at least, that's what they promise. This oath means that most Goblins, in order to stay competitive, must practice magic. The magic of Goblins is filled with gutteral chants and emphasizes the manipulation of a victim's will. This magic is what is used to enchant magical weapons and armor, which often means that these weapons carry malignant properties and cost a bit more than the gold and silver paid for them.
Slippery
Goblins often find themselves on the wrong end of the sword. Whether it be by holding a monopoly on an essential or being caught doing dirty dealings, they always seem to get themselves in trouble for that extra Gold. When these things go south, Goblins are the first to flee with their earnings. A good sense for danger and their size combined make them easily able to hide away in the swamps. They know the Raging Mire well and if they escape, odds are you'll never see them again.
Innate Spellcasters
Many Goblins are sorcerers, connecting with their god through their bloodline to cast their magics. They make up the majority of arcane practicioners(~80%). The Divine Soul option from Xanthar's Guide will work fine but reflavouring certain aspects of other bloodlines to work with the theme works. For example, a Storm bloodline sorcer may be channeling Gunthor's Wrath.
Cities of Gold
Every Goblin's dream is to create a city made entirely of Gold; not just any Gold however, Gold from others who cannot resist spending on their trinkets. Goblins often team up in groups of four or five, pooling their loot at the designated location to be melted down and reforged into walls, doors and foundations for the buildings. However, these lavish towns are often their downfall. Adventurers and treasure hunters hear of these strange places guarded by Goblins. They take all the Gold they can carry or kill the goblins and live there themselves.
Making Money to Make Money
After the creation of the Raging Mire, Goblins were the ones to reintroduce an economy to the recovering peoples of the Underdark. Using magic, they mined and minted the first Gold, Silver and Copper coins for the purpose of fueling the greed and desire of the masses. After the initial creation of the economy, they began to employ poor debtors to mine the Goblin's Gold. The Goblins often watch, pleased by the suffering of these greedy fools.
Traits
Goblins all have these basic traits in common, as they are artificially made.
Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma Score increases by 2 and your Dexterity Score increases by 1.
Age. Goblins live longer the more desire they sow but generally live until the age of 65 and reach adulthood at the age of 9.
Alignment. Being created by a malicious being leaves little room to good and Goblins are no exception. They also tends towards the lawful alignment, manipulating the laws in the economy they created to take as much from the masses as possible.
Size. Goblin use their small stature of 4 to 5 feet. to escape dangerous situations they put themselves in. Your Size is small.
Speed. Despite their height, Goblins are still able to speedily avoid danger. Your speed is 30 ft.
Sorcerous Tradition. The culture of Goblins is steeped in sorcery. You know one cantrip of your choice from the Sorcerer's spell list. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for the spell.
Nimble Escape. Further drawing on their magical roots, Goblins are able to easily flee from combat. Once per short or long rest, you may cast Expeditious Retreat with this trait.
Innate Seller. Goblins are excellent salesmen and can easily change a person's mind on a product. You gain proficiency in the Persuasion skill.
Deep Dwarf
The dwarves of yore made mighty spells,
While hammers fell like ringing bells
In places
deep, where dark things sleep,
In hollow halls
beneath the fells.
-Dwarves of the Fractured Lands on their Deep Dwarf brothers
The Dwarves of deep were once well known for their ability to create and cast spells. However, after the creation of the Raging Mire, the Deep Dwarves were abandoned by their creator, Oghma and lost their arcane gifts. The Deep Dwarves, who were once so sophisticated, fell back to primal understandings of the world and an almost savage lifestyle. It is kill or be killed in the Raging Mire and there is no time for fine craftsmanship in a world where people are constantly hunted.
Dwellers of the Dark
After the destruction of their village, the Deep Dwarves did what was instinctive to them: they dug deeper. They burrowed like worms deep under the soil, hoping that they could escape the world's problems. The goal of any Deep Dwarf is a life of luxury and the best way to achieve that in their eyes is isolation. Their homes underground are separated harshly, with many being hidden behind fake walls and beneath trapdoors. However, by Deep Dwarf law, these homes must be linked in order to keep their homes defensible.
Stirring Depths
When they made their home in the underground beneath the Raging Mire, they did not prepare for the burrowing beasts that it became home to. Bulettes, Behir and even Wyrms torment the dwarves, hunting them in the prison of their own make. Dwarves must be strong to survive, even in the Deep Dwarven paradise they have made for themselves. They band together during these attacks, fighting the creatures together to protect their individual luxuries. They do not have any strategy or tactic to destroy these beasts, instead relying on their brute strength and tough nature to remove these threats.
Spurned by their God
Like the Dwarves of the Fractured Lands, the Deep Dwarves were originally created by Oghma. However, they left the surface due to their fear of the adventure and exploration. This fear goes against the ideals of Oghma and he was angered. He cursed the Deep Dwarves, turning their skin grey and weak and dulling their minds. His gift of knowledge would not be squandered by these Deep Dwarf gluttons.
Traits
The Deep Dwarves share their curse and strength together and have become an entirely different species due to continual separation from their surface brethren. You have the following traits.
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength Score increases by 2 and your Constitution Score increases by 1.
Age. Though cursed, the Deep Dwarves still share their ongevity with their surface kin. They reach adulthood at the age of 50. On average, they live about 350 years.
Alignment. They tend to be gruff and spiteful, but they don't tend to be evil. They care only for themselves and the rest of their race, leaving the affairs of the Raging Mire to those who live there. They tend towards neutral alignments.
Size. Deep Dwarves must be smaller in order to more efficiently mine. On average, they are anywhere from 4 to 5 ft. tall. Your size is small.
Speed. Deep Dwarves are in no hurry. Your speed is 25 ft.
Dwarven Training. The Deep Dwarves are trained inthe use of light and medium armor as well as battleaxes and warhammers.
Stone Molding. The Deep Dwarves are able not only to mine the earth but also mold it. You know the mold earth cantrip.
Sik
"An ancient race, the Sik intend to survive the Raging Mire, as they have survived catastrophes before. I have great respect for these creatures, as their traditions have survived much more than any other race. This ancient age has not tempered their strength or dulled their blades. Perhaps we could all learn a thing or two from these damn bugs."
-General Tookheim, appealing to the Dark Lanterns for peace with the Sik
A race as old as the gods, the Sik are deeply ingrained in their ways however strange or outdated. Many question this devotion, but the answer they receive is always the same: these traditions have guided them this far, why stop now? They are fierce, xenophobic to a fault, and each subrace has a unique trait that has brought them this far in the realm.
Psionic Adepts
The Sik are born and subsequently subjected to a ritual as shrouded as the infants are in the Mists. This ritual takes two days to complete and every child after escaping the egg must complete it. Whatever this ritual is, it is extremely successful, as the majority of the population is psionic. However, this ritual is their closest guarded secret and considering that they've kept it for literal millenium, they probably won't be sharing it anytime soon.
The Value of an Individual
Simply put, the individual is superfluous to survival. This fact may be entirely alien to the warm blooded, but this philosophy has helped each Sik understand what they mean to their race. An individual must continue the race's survival and is useful for nothing else. This philosophy extends from their reproductive habits to their moral values.
Survival for Survival's Sake
The Sik have so warped their own values, they simply continue their race, without any other purpose. Many other humanoids have an instinctual drive to survive, whether it be to continue living their lives, being with loved ones or even proving themselves on the field of battle. The Sik see this as foolish; one individual cannot derive the purpose of their continued existence. Instead, that individual must look towards their traditions and culture. Where the Sik once took pride in their glorius survival, they now see that survival as their defining feature.
Restoring the Past
The Sik continue to live in the exact locations of their last homes in the underdark. They dig downwards with their powerful psionics, intent on finding and returning their homes to their former glory. However, this pursuit has little to do with their survival. It is justified as such by the Sik: Their destroyed homes had been their for centuries and if they stood that test of time, they would certainly be able to protect the Sik from the horrors of the Raging Mire.
Unaligned
A simple way to avoid the conflicts that have been part of Voldari for centuries is to not make any allies. Without allies, the Sik aren't forced to join conflicts and stay as a neutral state. They have thusly not joined any of the Schools as they vie for control over the Raging Mire. This doesn't mean they are vulnerable, however. The Sik draw upon their traditions to protect themseColeopteraves and are able to survive in their homes during the entirety of any conflict, regardless of its length.
Traits
Though the tradition each Sik follows varies even their physical characteristics, they are all part of the same species and have these characteristics in common Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom Score increases by 2 Age. Sik tend not to have long lifespans; they reach adulthood after 6 years and live to around 28 years old. Alignment. The alignment of a Sik is based entirely on their tradition, though they all tend towards neutral alignments. Size. Sik are 6 to 8 ft. tall. Your size is medium. Speed.The Sik are particularily flighty and nimble. Your speed is 35 ft. Excellent Instincts. All Sik are taught the basics of surviving in whatever environment necessary at a young age. You are proficient in the Survival skill. Playing Dead. The Sik are extremely adept at playing possum. Once per short or long rest, you may make a Performance check with advantage in order to play dead. If you succeed, any opponent must make a contesting Perception check in order to discewrn whether you are alive or dead.
Coleoptera
The Coleoptera Sik use heavy shells and exoskeletons to defend themselves against enemies. When attacked, the Coleoptera will retreat into their large shells in order to hide and protect themselves. Ability Score Increase. Your Strength Score increases by 1 Alignment. The Coleoptera are most likely to be true neutral, as they see any perception of good or evil as a weakness in the survival of their race. Leave the thinking to the younger races. Tough Shell. The Coleoptera passively have extremely thick shells and often wade into battle unarmoured, if they have to go into battle at all. You have an armor class of 13 + Constitution when not wearing armor.
Culicidae
The Sik of the Culicidae tradition are able to use their venom to drain magic and vitality from a foe. They tend to be assassins and other infiltrators of the night, using blades coated with venom to do deadly deads. Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity Score increases by 1. Alignment. The Culicidae tend towards neutral evil as an alignment, seeing other organsims' existence as a resource for the Sik's survival. They aren't afraid to do anything in order to survive, even the most terrible of acts. Venom. The venom of the Culicidae, when coated on their claws or on a weapon, is an extremely potent. Once per short or long rest, as a bonus action, you may coat your weapon with venom. If your next melee weapon attack hits, the victim of your attack takes an additional amount of damage equal to your level. You gain your level in temporary hit points.
Diptera
The Diptera Sik are truly the most pitiful of the Sik. They use persuasion and begging to ask for mercy from their hunters. This pleading is aided by pheromones that the Diptera release, which help them befriend their foes. The Diptera are generally looked down upon by their brethren. Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma Score increases by 1. Alignment. The Diptera are true neutral, as they see will modify their philosophy to whatever their next ruler follows. This is a protective measure, for if they were to adopt a philosophy, they would seem less moldable by their future leaders. Pheromones. Once per short or long rest, you may roll any skill check derived from Charisma with advantage. If you succeed, the subject becomes charmed for one minute.
Pilosus
The Pilosus tradition is the least followed and is the most likely to fade. However, the followers of the Pilosus maintain this method of survival is equally valid. They are able to change their shape in order to confuse enemies and distract. Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution Score increases by 1. Alignment. The Pilosus use their shapechanging to their advantage, transforming into loved ones and friends in order to escape any enemy. They also use this ability to torture their attackers, killing them with those same loved ones' faces. Their manipulative nature, combined with the versatility of their shapechange, causes most to become lawful evil. Shapechange. Once per short or long rest, as an action, you can polymorph into any humanoid of your size that you have seen, or back into your true form. However, your equipment does not change with you. If you die, you revert to your natural appearance.
Anthophila
The Anthophila use their knowledge of their attackers to their advantage when dealing with them. They are knoiwn to live in strangely porpportioned homes that confuse their foes, as well as having many riddles and puzzles they must complete before reaching them. Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence Score increases by 1. Alignment. The Anthophila see the world's inhabitants as threats to be analyzed in order to find a weakness to exploit. They tend to observe these creatures from far distances and are closed off from the rest of the Sik's society. They are lawful neutral, as their schedule and society are maintained down to the minutae. Battlefield Recollection. Once per short or long rest, you may analyze an opponent. You must make a DC 15 Nature or Perception check. If you succeed, you may know the creature's resistances and one ability a score of your choice.
Apocrita
The Apocrita use wings grown at a young age to soar above their enemies, in order to avoid conflict altogether. They are very trusting, almost to a faulty, and are able to peacefully avoid conflict. Alignment. Their trusting and naive nature is often looked upon kindly by other races. They tend towards neutral good and the majority are good in some sense. Wings. You have thin wings that are able to support your light frame. You have a flying speed of 30 ft. You may only carry half you normal carrying capacity when in flight. These wings are unable to be used in medium or heavy armor.
Wylen
"My brothers had lost their lives in these ruins. I was the last one left. I heard the skittering of their claws against the cold stone, growing louder as they got closer to my location. When they find me, they won't simply kill me. It will be much worse. They will use my magic as fuel for strange and aberrant rituals, conduct strange experiments on my body and torment my mind. I prepared a fireball in my hand, delaying it's explosion until they arrived. I would leave this realm like a true Evoker."
-Charred Remnants of paper in the Vental Ruins
Wylen are a strange race of feral rat-like humanoids. They are often seen as practitioners of eldritch and voodoo magic, but they don't actually have their own magic. They instead channel the magic of others through various painful rites and rituals. This use of others' magic give Wylen a pragmatic perspective on other species, as they are resources to be used to the benefit of themselves.
Neglected by the Arcane
The Wylen are unable to innately channel magic, as their race had too often dabbled in eldritch magics that the other races could not tolerate, even before the Fractures. Instead, the Wylen use the magic of others to power strange arcane rituals and enchant their weapons. Because of their need for powerful magical beings, they often interfere with the business of the Schools. THe Wylen shamans are the only ones who can channel arcane energy, which means they are almost as important to a Wylen clan as their chief.