Table of Contents

The parts of this book, along with important subjects, are described below:

Currency

To facilitate international trade, the Gartrunian Empire declared law in 187 GC that all territories must use the same coinage system. The coins used across the empire are the same as those described in the Player's Handbook. Electrum pieces in the Ancient Lands are unusually light, weighing 1 tenth of a normal coin. Some kingdoms also use local currencies, described in the Local Currencies table:

Languages

Every language in the Player's Handook, Volo's Guide to Monsters, and the Monster Manual is spoken in the Ancient Lands. In addition, some culture have their own dialects and languages, described in the Unique Languages table.

Spellcasting Services

In major cities or other places with access to skilled spellcasters, lower level spells can be cast, in exchange for coin. Service could be refused, if it seems the spell is going to be used for a nefarious purpose, or if it is against the spellcaster's moral code. The Spellcasting Costs table describes these prices. Spells of 3rd level and higher are rarely sold, and could require a quest as payment, or even to find the spellcaster.

As rule of thumb, a city must have at least five thousand people for full spellcasting services.

Travel

Adventurers can pay to travel on a ship, though they may be expected to help sail it. The Port Travel Time table shows some of the major ports of the Gartrunian Empire, and how many days it takes to sail between them. Passage usually costs about 5 gp per day for lower class, or 10 for middle class. Upper class travel, which is not usually an option, can cost between 18 and 40 gp per day.

Warfare

There are not many active wars happening in the Ancient Lands. If your character was affected by a war as part of your backstory, there are several possibilities.

The biggest war being fought by the Gartrunian Legions is the Fourth Soletaarn Uprising, in Nath Cúin. Soldiers travel there from across the eastern empire, and most spend the rest of their lives fighting. Other wars include the Horde War in Hulvara, the War of Storms outside Iabania, the War of the Wounded Leg in Virtun, and the War of Seven Centuries, between the Roaringhorn League and Banagorg.

A Brief History

The history of the world known as the Ancient Lands goes back an un-knowable amount of years, stretching for eons into the past. Technological progress in the Ancient Lands progresses at an unusually slow rate compared to other D&D settings, so time periods are extremely long. The following periods are probably not known to player characters unless they are a historian.

Part 1: Character Creation

This chapter contains all the information that you need to make a character who is unique to the Ancient Lands. It contains information on almost all of the pre-existing races, plus some new ones and a couple subraces. This chapter also contains new subclasses, and a new class: the elementalist.

Dragonborn

At the beginning of history, an epic battle was fought between the dragon god Lazurothin, and the primordial Tharzidun. When the battle was done, Tharzidun's power was greatly diminished, and Lazurothin claimed victory. However, so great were its wounds that Lazurothin was split in two. Its two halves became Bahamut and Tiamat, and the blood from this great schism became the dragonborn.

Ever since, all dragonborn have chosen wether to follow Bahamut or Tiamat, or to find their own path. This mentality has lead dragonborn to have extreme opinions, and for some to declare themselves seperate from dragonkind entirely.

For as long as anyone can remember, dragonborn have been the same. When age after age took their toll on other peoples, dragonborn have remained as they were when they first came from the corpse of Lazurothin. Dragonborn see the world as a chaos of morality, ever churning and waiting for a strong leader to organize it. They happily follow those that they agree with, and utterly despise those they don't.

Dragonborn Characters. Dragonborn can be great warriors or wizards, but many find their calling in religion. They become priests and acolytes, but also adventuring clerics and paladins, serving their deity's call in far flung regions. When making a dragonborn, consider how open you are to new ideas, and if you change your mind frequently.

Dwarves

"Our bones may break, our shields may split, but you will never take our homes or our spirit!"
-Old dwarven battle cry

Lords of the Surf

Wind elves are famed sailors, expertly traveling on boats from tiny rafts to massive galleons. Wind elves love nothing more than the salty sea breeze coursing through their hair, as they soar across the waves.

Wind elves originally came into being after a tribe of wood elves was left on the isle of Taldar some fifty thousand years ago. The elves culture quickly adapted to seafaring life, and they spread across the coasts of the world.

Any one who works with ship captains knows a wind elf. The greatest pirates, and the greatest cargo shippers are wind elves, as are a good lot of anyone else who skillfully sails the seas.

Firbolgs

Few common folk have heard of a firbolg. Even fewer know much about this seclusive race, members of whom dwell deep in otherwise uninhabited forests. A firbolg tribe's greatest pride is the forest they guard, wether it is a small section of a great wood, or a quiet one near farmlands and cities. Firbolgs have known since time beyond memory that the best way to protect nature is to keep other humanoids out. They prefer not to do this with brute force, but instead act subtly without letting their presence be known, by leaving warnings and stealing supplies.

Firbolg Characters. When making a firbolg, consider what event prompted you to leave your forest. Many firbolgs become adventurers because they were outcast, but it is not unheard of for firbolgs to leave their homes in search of a different calling.

Genasi

"I think the reason so many people dislike genasi is because Kardun Thallon, that demon cultist, was one. Its sheer nonsense if you ask me though. Just because you find a worm in your apple doesn't mean the whole tree's sick."
-Unknown Barkeep

Goblinoids

"So, Yibbe, you can get shovels, right?" "Yeah." "Okay, and Tumik, you'll work with her to dig the tunnel. Neme and Frelpy can cause a distraction" "Yeah! we're great at distracting people! And I still have that barrel of tar." "Great. Zuroo, you can handle the crane?" "Sure thing boss" "Good. And of course, Kika, have you found a giant bull yet?"
-Several goblins plotting a heist

Half-Orcs

In the depths of Tethyr, thousands of orcs live in small towns and tribes. When they are feeling powerful, or are ordered by their god Gruumsh, they wash out and into Gartrunian lands, causing chaos and destruction alike. If a tribe settles, half-orcs a soon born, with both orc and human parents.

A half-orc's life can be difficult in human lands, as many treat them with fear and caution. This inspires many to venture to more welcoming societies, or those so in need of labor that they don't judge. In the Yuliq Tundra, half-orcs have etablished their own nation.

Half-orcs who decide to follow their orcish heritage have a very different life. They can become great warlords, like the infamous Argüshaa Naffer, who decimated lands across the Seven Kingdoms before eventually being caught and killed.

Halflings

"On my travels, I've never seen a people quite like the halflings. One might assume they are like lazy gnomes, or tiny humans, and history has not produced many halfing heroes. Still, my folk, the hin, they possess an extraordinary culture that has so many nuances and details that it is the most interesting in the world."
-Mirren Haverdeen, very unbiased halfling author

Modern Humans

Human have kingdoms and armies scattered over the world, and are the most populous race in the Gartrunian Empire, but the divide between the filnór and other humans still remains. It has been circumvented many times, but in other places is as solid as a stone wall. Common humans are welcoming for the most part to others, including filnór, but their leaders often feel otherwise. This has lead to many wars, like those in Iabania or Nath Cúin. This fight is between the two groups of humans, normally over lands both feel they deserve, or as a preemptive strike against a suspected threat.

Kobolds

Kobolds are little draconic looking humanoids, who are individually weak. Kobolds gather in packs to work together, and use traps to defend their maze-like lairs. While they are treated like rats in some places, they are viewed as just another race in most urban areas.

Kobolds see other kobolds of different family groups as a different people, causing them to lack a group mentality as a whole. This has been so ever since their god, Kurtulmak, was imprisoned by Garl Glittergold. This offense destroyed the kobold's pride, and sent them to the social tier where they dwell to this day.

Kobold Characters. When making a kobold, think about wether you grew up in a kobold community, or a more diverse locale. Does your character feel uncomfortable and weak around other races, or does it view them as equals to it.

Lizardfolk

"It is ridiculous how you humans refuse to let me eat Marthun. He is dead, and his body is no longer useful to him. I am hungry and his body is useful to me. You folk can be so backwards sometimes."
-Thurkear, lizardfolk warrior

Pseudodragons

Making their dens in old trees and under waterfalls, pseudodragons enjoy a simple life of catching mice and exploring. Some though, choose the quite different life of adventuring. They make skilled druids and thieves, but can find skill at any profession that doesn't require brute strength. A pseudodragon can leave the forest, but they always harbor a wild calling, feeling at home in the woods beneath sylvan boughs. They can stay in cities, but after a month or two feel an irresistible urge to return to the wilds.

Pseudodragons who become adventurers often confuse others, who tend not to be sure wether they are talking to an animal or a person. This can be used to their advantage however, as they can sometimes sneak right up on someone without being paid any attention. The other main advantages these folk have is their size and flight. A skilled pseudodragon thief can slip through smaller holes, and hide far more easily. They can fly down through chimneys, and avoid combat by staying up high. When fighting does happen, a pseudodragon adventurer's fighting style is characterized by slashes and dodges, never allowing an opponents attacks to hit right. They use their stinger as a weapon sometimes, but others like stay back and cast spells.

Tabaxi

The curious cat like folk known as the tabaxi are great wanderers, traveling across the world in pursuit of their interests. They stop at places on their great journey of life, but rarely stay for more than a year or two. Though this world traveling lifestyle has its flaws, the tabaxi would have it no other way. Tabaxi have a reputation as great storytellers and bards, having seen many strange and exciting things on their adventures and are always happy to share their tales.

No one but the gods know where the tabaxi came from, but few really care. Tabaxi prefer to focus on the now, living for adventure. The times they do look back on the past are when they are near death, or when it is important to understand the present.

Tabaxi Characters. When making a tabaxi, consider where you have traveled, and what you learned along the way. Did you make several forays into Tethyr in search of lost dwarven treasures? Or did you stay in the great city of Sorganna for a year, practicing the art of wizardry? Work with the materials in Part 2 of this book to help get an idea.

Tieflings

A tieflings life has never been easy, and many despise that. In the Ancient Lands, the tiefling were originally humans, who were so touched by the infernal aspects of the Nine Hells that they began to manifest physical proof, and were granted by the leaders of the hells the ability to perform acts of deadly magic. Most tieflings today, however, have obtained their abilities from ancestry, rather than the lower planes themselves. Because of the large fear of tieflings, many gather in small communes inside more populated regions. Though they mostly are peaceful, it would be common for rumors to begin circulating in the outside world of devil worship. These aren't always false

Tieflings are a minority in general, but the land of Fornul is home to many of their kind, who are given far better a life, and seen as equals by the other denizens of the nation. The dream of emmigrating to this kingdom is popular among tieflings, but passage on ships and caravans is often denied.

Tiefling Characters. As a tiefling, ask yourself if you have any relations to devils, or if that is merely your ancestry. A tiefling's life is always closer to devils than that of other races, and you may have served a devil in your past or become involved with a cult. Also, did you live in a tiefling community, away from prejudice, or did they grow up amid other peoples? This could shape how you look at other races, and how much you value their safety, if at all.

Tritons

When thinking of the races of the Ancient Lands, many forget about the haughty Tritons, who dwell under the ocean. These noble folk hail from the plane of water, but dwell now in the Inner Sea. The tritons are the dominant race in the lower parts of the ocean, rivaled only by the sahuagin. Notably, only one kingdom of tritons exists, Themenor (described in Part 2). Other tritons live in small communities, with no overarching form of government.

The tritons who venture to the surface often find the elven lands most similar to home, which in their eyes means most civilized. On the other side, most tritons are loathe to trust a halfling, as these people's small size is not seen beneath the ocean. Though they are the ones met by surface races, tritons who venture above the water are a minority. Most prefer to explore deep into the depths of the ocean, journeying all the way to the underdark.

Three types of tritons grace the Ancient Lands: the surface tritons, who use the normal triton statistics, and the deep tritons and the fire tritons, detailed below. Both new tritons are variants, with their racial trait replacing your control air and water trait.

Class Options

Your character's roll in their adventuring party is defined by their class, which is essentially their job. Your class determines wether you are a healer or a warrior, or a thief, or a mage, or something entirely different. Whatever your role in your party is, the following subclasses and class will help you specialize your character, and make them unique.

Advanced Enhancements

At 9th level, you can add the following enhancements to a machine created with your Improved Machine feature:

Large Blade. The machine gains the following attack: Blade. Melee Weapon Attack +(3 + your Proficiency Bonus) to hit, reach 5 ft., one target that you can see. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) slashing damage

Large Cannon. The machine gains the following attack: Cannon. Ranged Weapon Attack. +(3 + your Proficiency Bonus) to hit, range 20/60 ft., one target that you can see. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) piercing damage.

Automaton

When you reach 15th level, you determine how to invent an automaton, a humanoid robot of extreme complexity. You can spend 24 hours, though not all at once if you wish, and 5 bundles of supplies to create a base automaton. An automaton uses the stat block described below. You can use an automaton instead of the normal base machine for your Improved Machine feature.

An automaton can follow simple commands, such as "attack anyone who enters here" or "bring that object to me", but only if they are given by its creator.

College of Mob Rousing

Bardic College
If a tyrant queen over taxes the common folk, a warlord kills his people to cause fear, a baron ritually sacrifices their subjects to a devil, or any other powerful person abuses their position, people soon riot. These mobs are dangerous forces, but some people learn to manipulate them, using the rioters for the person's own gain.

A mob rouser can use their power for their benefit, wether that means steering the mob to an enemies house, or using it as a distraction for a greater scheme. Others try to help the commoners, perhaps acting as a persuader for an uprising against a cruel ruler.

Mob

At 3rd level you learn how to incite people to rise up, and riot. You can spend 1d4 + 2 hours in a place with a population density of 100 people per square mile or more. Doing this costs 10 gp, spent on persuading people, and you must expend 1 Bardic Inspiration die.. When you finish rousing this mob, it is formed in an unoccupied space of your choice within the location, and acts directly after you in the initiative count. The mob has a number of hit points equal to your bard level plus 10, and an armor class of 10 plus your Proficiency Bonus.

As an action, you can attempt a Charisma (Persuasion) check to make the mob do one specific thing on its next turn from the table below. The DC depends on the task you wish for the mob to take. To take this action, you must be visible and audible to at least half of the mob.

At the end of the mobs turn, the DM rolls a d8. If the roll is a 1, you lose control of the mob. You can attempt a DC 15 Charisma (Persuasion) check as an action, regaining control of the mob on a success.

Blend Into the Crowd

At 6th level, you know how to manipulate the mob in a more subtle fashion. You can freely move through your mob's space, and attempt to make the mob take an action if at least 1 member sees and hears you.

Rejuvenate the People

When you reach 14th level, you gain the ability to expend one of your spell slots as a bonus action, and give the mob temporary hit points equal to 10 times the slot's level.

Depths Domain

Divine Domain
The depths domain stands for the deep, dark places beneath the sea. Gods of the depths domain are those of sailing and the seas, such as Durmadól, Umberlee, Habbakuk, Deep Sashelas, Eadro, Manannam mac Lir, and Sobek. These deities grant their clerics the powers of the mysterious, alien place, known as the trenches and caverns of th deep.

Clerics of the depths domain in the Ancient Lands may instead channel the power of various underdark regions, such as the Undersea, worshipping gods like Vengornii.

Channel Divinity: Otherworldly Darkness

Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity to summon a dark cloud that terrifies your enemies.

As an action, you can summon a sphere of magical darkness with a 10 foot radius centered on you. Everything in this sphere is heavily obscured. A creature that starts its turn in the darkness must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be frightened of you. Creature can repeat the saving throw at the start of their turn. A creature that succeeds on its saving throw is immune to your Otherworldly Darkness for 24 hours.

Acolyte of the Depths

Starting at 6th level, you gain the following benefits:

• You can breathe while underwater.
• You are immune to any ill effects such as water pressure or extreme cold that are caused by being in the deep ocean.
• You gain darkvision to a range of 60 feet. If you already have darkvision, the range extends by 60 feet.

Divine Strike

At 8th level, you gain the ability to infuse your weapon's blows with the darkness of the deep sea. Once on each of your turns when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can cause the attack to deal an extra 1d8 psychic damage to the target. When you reach 14th level, the extra damage increases to 2d8.

Priest of the Depths

At 17th level, your connection to the dark places of the ocean strengthens:

• Your swimming speed increases to 60 feet.
• You can communicate with any creature that has a swimming speed, even if the two of you don't share a language.

Circle of Dinosaurs

Druidic Circle
In lands both high and low, deep in the wild mountains and jungles of the world, great reptilian beasts called dinosaurs roam the land. These fearsome creatures run with a primal form of magic, and some druids know how to call upon that.

As a member of this mighty and bestial circle, how do you use your power? Do you give in to the primal desire to hunt? Do you use your terrible forms to strike fear into the hearts of your enemies? Or are you a scholar of the so called "giant lizards?"

Dinosaurs

You can use this chart to keep track of the dinosaur options available to you:

Way of the Pugilist

Monastic Tradition
Monks are known for being nimble fighters, jumping around and using their enemy's weak points to their advantage. Not all monks fit this mold, however, and prefer to just face their opponents head on. These pugilists are common pit fighters and gladiators, impressing crowds with their amazing fortitude against enemy blows. Others become guards and thugs, though many use their skills to help their monasteries purpose.

Oath of Battle

Sacred Oath
Paladins who swear the Oath of Battle are determined to wipe out those they deem evil, wether it be a race, a religion, or even vileness in general. These paladin's fighting skill is with those of the greatest warriors.

Oath Spells

You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed in the Oath of Battle Spells table. See the Sacred Oath class feature for how oath spells work.

Channel Divinity

When you take this oath at 3rd level, you gain the following two Channel Divinity option.

Deadly Strike. You can use your Channel Divinity to strike with divine fury. When you make an attack roll, you can use your Channel Divinity to roll with advantage. You make this choice after you see the roll, but before the DM says wether the attacks hits or misses. If the attack hits, you can add your proficiency bonus to the damage roll.

Holy Shield. You can use your Channel Divinity to guard yourself from enemies. When an attack hits you, you can use your reaction to roll a d20 and add your paladin level, reducing the damage taken by the amount rolled.

Aura of the Warrior

Starting at 7th level, your allies are bolstered by your fighting spirit. When an all of yours hits a creature within 10 feet of you with an attack, the ally gains 5 temporary hit points.

At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet.

Additional Fighting Style

At 15th level, you can choose a second option from the Fighting Style class feature.

Lord of Battle

At 20th level, you gain the ability to utilize your martial skills to the fullest. As an action, you can magically become an avatar of battle, gaining the following benefits for 1 minute:

• You make all attack rolls with advantage
• You gain a bonus to armor class equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1)
• If you reduce a creature to 0 hit points, you immediately gain 10 temporary hit points

Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.

Wind Warrior

Ranger Archetype
Some rangers, often from high mountains or coastal cliffs, have learned to control elemental air for their fighting. These warriors of the wind are master shots, and are notoriously hard to hit with a weapon. The most skilled seem to wear a shield of air, and the gusts follows their every command.

Acrobat

Rogue Archetype
Bounding through the air in a complicated series of elegant maneuvers, acrobats are almost universally admired for their ability to use leaps and flips to defeat their enemies with speed and efficiency.

The Dark Frost

Otherworldly Patron
Dark things lurk beneath the ice. Ancient spirits, imprisoned monsters, frozen heroes. These dark forces search for a way to escape their icy tombs, and through telepathic communication with their servants, they are allowed to manipulate the world once again.

School of Teleportation

Arcane Tradition
Reality can easily be bent to craft magical gateways known as portals. some mages excel at this art, specifically trained for this subgroup of the school of conjuration. The most powerful can even bridge the powerful barriers between planes.

Elementalist

The salty sea breeze in her hair, a wind elf stands on the prow of a ship, holding a gnarled staff that glows with emerald light. She says a quick incantation in an ancient language, and the cut on her arm begins to mend.

A human stands on a narrow path, with a sheer cliff on one side and a lava filled chasm on the other. Before him hobbles a horde of zombies, intent on his demise. A flaming sword appears in his hand, and he charges in a whirlwind of blades and fire.

A ten foot tall, hulking dwarf with a warhammer in her hands crushes in the skull of the city guard, allowing her accomplice to open the door to the castle vaults in safety.

As he magically flies through the air, a gnome wearing brass goggles shoots his bow at the camp of goblins below him. The arrow looks as if it will miss, but a sudden gust of wind realigns it on its course.

However they adventure, elementalist wield the powers that shape nature to further their goals. Their wide range of talents make them great members of any adventuring party.

Class Features

As an elementalist, you gain the following class features

Spells for Element Points

Spellcasting

As an elementalist, you have a number of element points as shown on the elementalist table, which is based on your level. You use these points to cast spells. At the end of a long rest, you can prepare any spells on the elementalist spell list, and you can prepare each spell multiple times. Each spell has a cost in element points to prepare, as shown on the spells for element points table. For example, if you are a 3rd level elementalist, you could prepare burning hands (a 1st level spell) three times and suggestion (a 2nd level spell) twice. Each time you cast a spell, you lose one preparation of that spell. Each time you prepare spells you lose all the spells previously prepared.

Elemental Affinity

Choose an elemental affinity, which represents the specifics of your magical powers: Air, Earth, Fire or Water, all detailed near the end of the class description

Your choice gives you features when you choose it at 1st level and again at 6th, 14th, and 20th level.

Adddionally, you learn to speak, read, and write primordial and its four dialects: aquan, auran, ignan, and terran.

Elemental Wave

When you gain this feature at 2nd level, you learn how to channel the powerful magic inside of you into a destructive wave. You can unleash a blast of your magic in a 15-foot cone as an action.

Each creature in the cone must make a Constitution saving throw using your spell save DC, taking damage equal to your elementalist level times 1d6 on a failed save or half as much on a successful one. The damage type is your affinity damage. The die you roll becomes a d8 at 7th level, and a d12 at 15th level. The size of the cone increases to 20 feet at 7th level, and 30 feet at 15th level.

You can use this feature once, and can use it again when you finish a long rest.

Potent Recovery

At 3rd level, when you finish a short rest, you can regain a number of element points equal to your elementalist level.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Elemental Affinites

All elementalists have an element they prefer over the others. Other elements exist, but almost every elementalist prefers fire, air, water, or earth.

Terran Spells

The spells on the table below are available to you as elementalist spells.

Earthen Brawn

When you reach 6th level, you can spend 5 element points as a bonus action. If you do so, you grow one size larger for 1 minute. While grown, your attacks to 1d4 more damage, and you gain temporary hit points equal to your elementalist level.

You can use this trait once, and can use it again when you finish a long rest.

One With Stone

When you reach 14th level, you are infused with elemental earth. Once per day, you can cast meld into stone without using any element points. Additionally, you get a burrowing speed of 10 feet.

Tough Skin

At 18th level, your skin becomes rough and hard, a reflection of your power over elemental earth. You gain a +3 bonus to your armor class when you are not wearing armor.

Heart of Stone

At 20th level, you become one with earth. You can cast charm monster on any creature that lives underground at will. Also, your burrowing speed is doubled.

Fire

Your spells focus on flames in your magic, casting beams of fire and summoning magical light. You might have images of flames sewn into your clothes, or have skin that is unnaturally hot. However you show your power, all fire elementalists love to watch things burn, and feel kindred to flame.

Water

Water elementalist go with the flow. Their temper changes periodically, from yielding when necessary, to charging forth with near unstoppable power. Water elementalists like to wear blue and gray clothing, that flows down them. They are great swimmers, and feel at home near seas and rivers.

Elementalist Spell List

Factions

The Gartrunian Empire is not the sole power in the Ancient Lands. Many other groups, commonly called 'factions' also work to pursue their own agendas. When making a character, you can choose a faction to either work for directly, or just be a good ally of.

Benefits. If you want to work for a faction and have some experience in their provinces, you can gain the background associated with the faction.

The Draconic Council

Headquarters: The Valley of the Ancient Lords
Dragons have walked the lands since time immemorial, sing their fearsome powers to rule, for both good and evil. While they stand divided, every color of dragons has a representative on the draconic council, the most powerful of their kind. The council itself has no agents, but each dragon employs folk to further their agendas

The Guardians of Thelmen

Headquarters: Pelgoth Planar Circle, Davria
Leader: Ardon Rigath
The god Thelmen, who sacrificed his divinity to trap the demon lord Orikal in a demiplane and save humankind, died long ago, but in his memory, the Guardians of Thelmen were founded. The group has a single goal: keep Orikal imprisoned for eternity. This is sharply contrasted by the dark Cult of Orikal, who wish to raise the demon from its planar prison. The guardians are experts on planar travel, and teach their knowledge of this to new recruits.

The Cult of Orikal is really the only threat that the guardians face, but it is a strong enemy. The cult's plan to bring back the demon almost succeeded four years ago, but because of the guardians' maneuvering, Orikal was greatly weakened and quickly sent back to its prison. The cult was greatly weakened from this defeat, but no one thinks it is near its end. The Guardians of Thelmen got a new leader two years back, who has led them to begin fighting not only Orikal and its worshippers, but all of demonkind.

The Silver Knights

Headquarters: Mindlar Castle, Snolland
Leader: High Priestess Imbendai Narlom
Religious orders of paladins commonly worship only one god or pantheon, but not the Silver Knights. These pious warriors accept members of any faith as long as its core morals align with theirs. The Silver Knights focus their forces on fighting evil and chaos preemptively, and the order builds their own forts and castles where they think darkness lurks, and send raiders out to fight monsters on their own turf.

The Silver Knights are divided into smaller subgroups called armies, each containing local warriors and priests. One these armies' missions is to forge good ties with the locals, and show the Silver Knight's benevolence. A local army, if confronted with a powerful foe, can call upon traveling bands of loyal fighters, who will help any army of the Silver Knights.

The Terping Council

Headquarters: Terping Tower, Celestial Kingdoms
Leader: Alasorz Kendri
Wizards in the Ancient Lands long ago banded together to form the Terping Council, devoted to the preservation of wizardly knowledge. Many wizards that aren't employed by other agencies have good relations with the Terping Council, and find employement with the council.

The Terping Council has been called "the greatest threat to Gartrun" by various leaders. The council has a policy of refusing membership to mages who work with the empire, and this forces many to choose between the two, often deciding on the council. It is because of the Terping Council that there are so few spellcasters in the gartrunian legions, and those that do fight are mostly wielders of divine magic.

Part 2: A Guide to the World

The Ancient Lands are a vast and wild place, tamed only by humanoid civilization in small regions. Great swathes of mountains, forests, deserts and tundra are home to orcs, giants dragons, or worse. Though almost all dwarves, elves and humans swear fealty to the great Gartrunian Empire, it's control does not reach as far as it may claim. This chapter details the world itself, and the many peoples and locations in it.

Tethyr

East of Old Gartrun lies a region of mountains, bigger than any kingdom. These mountains reach so high in some spots, that one cannot even breathe at the summits. because of its mountainous nature, travel through the mountains of Tethyr is challenging, preventing kingdoms from growing to important sizes. Many of the vales are uninhabited by "civilized" humanoids, and many more are under the rule of local leaders. Only a few kingdoms have grown to notability, which are detailed below.

The Nakar Valley

Capital: Groendal
Government Type: Theocracy
Leader: Mayor Eldurt XVI
Majority Race: Diverse
The Nakar Valley is even more isolated than other Tethyrian kingdoms, and each year only a few folks brave the journey through the icy north to enter the valley. The people there can be callous and unwelcoming, and see foreigners as too weak to live where they do. This attitude is heightened by the cult-like group of priests of the Deklesian pantheon who is in power, called the Brotherhood of the Ancient Tome, committed to increasing the power of the gods in the material plane. Elves, dwarves, and other races that aren't humans also have large numbers in the Nakar Valley, but have forsaken their cultural faith for that of the Brotherhood of the Ancient Tome.

The towns in the Nakar Valley are nestled amongst the great forest that occupies so much of the kingdom's land. These trees are used to make buildings, and near the northern end of the valley, they are chopped down and floated down the Gron River to Lake Vishok, where they are pulled out and sent to places with fewer big trees.

The Brotherhood of the Ancient Tome is led by the cruel mayor of Groendal, Eldurt XVI. They have ruled over the Nakar Valley for seven decades, leading the populace into a pious fervor. They claim their goal is to let the gods enter the material plane, and lay waste to the non-worshippers, but have several side plots in effect to cement their power even further. The people of the Nakar Valley cannot even comprehend the idea of working against the cult, and will even betray family members to increase their own standing.

The cities of Groendal, Frelvich, and Sangrad are all of equal size, and compete for status among the rulers of the valley. Groendal is a dirty town, but has churches and shrines everywhere, and the people are especially faithful. Frelvich, on the Gron River, is where most of the society's food comes from, because of the meadows that surround it having great soil for farming. Sangrad is the highest up the valley, and is where the kingdoms' mining takes places, bringing up buckets of iron and copper.

The Roaringhorn League

Capital: The Roaringhorn
Government Type: Confederacy
Leader: The High Dwarven Council
Majority Race: Mountain Dwarves
The dwarven clans of the mountains of Tethyr have banded together to form the Roaringhorn League, so named after their greatest city. This stalwart band of dwarven cities and realms work together to survive amid the land's violent climate and inhabitants.

The Isdenraal. Travel through Tethyr is dangerous but necessary for officials of the league, as it has been for as long as dwarves have stood. Forty thousand years ago, a solution was made. A system of tunnels warded against magic and entry by non-dwarves was dug, named the Isdenraal. This is how most traders and diplomats move between cities, along the miles of magically lit roads beneath the mountains.

Other Regions

The following two places are not countries, but still deserve a mention.

The Kingdoms of Badnodun. Northwest of Migson, these various kingdoms rise and fall like waves. They are built around veins of ore, and supply the rest of the empire with lots of metal. The chaotic political state could easily be taken advantage of by a crooked barons, who is in turn replaced with citizen democracy, easily overthrown by a charismatic priest, who in turn is replaced by a wealthy merchant, in but one example of the constant cycle.

The Jotun Hills. North of Snolland, these hills are home to hordes of giants, ogres, trolls, and orcs, who live in small groups of composed of all sorts of races. These tribes will commonly raid the lower lands around them, in search of treasure and nicer foods than what they find in the mountains. Numerous attempts to unite the bands have been made, but they are an unruly bunch, and these tries always fail in time.

Human Lands

Since the fall of the elves, humans have populated the richest and most fertile lands in the region round the Inner Sea. Their kingdoms have brown to great size, and are some of the most powerful and influential in the Gartrunian Empire. The following countries are not united by a shared geographical region, but instead by their similar histories and culture.

Limburg

Situated in farmlands on the coast, Limburg is a bustling port town of sandstone buildings and sunny skies. The most notable sight in Limburg is the Sea Mist Keep, a great castle that serves as the residence for the wise King Hanarson. The city welcomes travelers of all races, though humans are the clear majority.

The city's residents proudly hang its flag from their windows, and its purple colors proudly grace every tower in the city walls. Denizens of Limburg are a proud folk, certain that their home town is the best in the empire.

Religion

Worship is almost never forced in the Dalwood, though a few barons do stage inquisitions against non-Deklesian worshippers. As most woodfolk are humans, the most practiced religion is the Deklesian Pantheon. Small churches to the nine can be found in almost all towns, and shrines devoted to lesser gods are usual.

The Silver Knights have a strong presence in the Dalwood, motivated by the culture of chivalry. The Knights are known for maintaining temples, and making charitable acts towards the commonfolk. The order does have a dark past in the Dalwood, as forty years ago a group of rogue knights attempted to make an independent state. A civil war ensued, and thousands of innocents died before its end.

The Seven Kingdoms

Government Types: Feudalism
Majority Race: Humans
The Seven Kingdoms were all recently part of the nation Lerinnor, but were seperated in a quick war over the heir. Now all the kingdoms have a common culture, each with their own distinctions. The kingdoms are located in a region surrounded by mountains all sides except the west, which is the coast of the Faraz Sea. The climate is notable for its extreme rainy season in Durme, which follows heavy snows in the months before.

Sarnel

Capital: Hirdón
Leader: Duchess Almrié Uletarne
The sarnelian nobility spends much of its profits on the military, though the soldiers spend most of their time parading. Common Sarnelians find this annoying, but infrastructure is acceptably kept up, so they don't put up to much of a fuss.

The war Sarnel has been waging with Nulth is viewed as tradition, and necessity, unlike the nultheran view of a war for glory. Sarnel is the start of a road to Migson, the only one through Tethyr. This makes trade flow through this country at great quantity, but only on a few roads.

Vorwick

Capital: Kongheim
Leader: Duke Helvig Blodlord
If there is a black sheep in the former Lerinnor, it is certainly Vorwick. The kingdom is situated on a high plateau, where poor soil means the population is thin and small. The people there still speak mostly Giant, with Common only known by traders and well educated folks. Many of the nation's folk turn to banditry, and travel outside of well guarded forts is very dangerous.

Snolland

Capital: Finhar
Government Type: Feudalism
Leader: Queen Celdoa
Majority Race: Humans
Snolland is found in a region of flat plains, along the coast of Tethyr. Surrounded by mountain peaks filled with violent tribes and hungry monsters, the snollish have a very isolationist society, that prefers to stay in its own land. The king or queen of Snolland is actually two different positions, because the nation is actually two different governments, each leading about half of the of the region's land, and are known as Salbria and Merand.

Much of the kingdom's population spend their days farming, and helping themselves to Snolland's rich culinary traditions. Almost all of the food that these farmers grow is eaten locally, but the food that is exported to other baronies helps grant snollish meals a famously diverse flavor.

The Nurming Sea

The Nurming Sea lies on Gartrun's eastern coast, between Old Gartrun and Taloa. The land surrounding it is very humid and rains often, and many peculiar cultures have grown from it. The Nurming Sea is a nexus for ships trading with the Shan, Migson, and Nath Cúin from the Inner Sea. This has allowed pirates to become common, ranging from morally decent privateers to bloodthirsty demon cultists.

Beneath the waves, the sea floor has a muddy bottom unfit for settlement by aquatic races, except for the firmer hills that occasionally rise up.

The Great Swamp

Capital: Melwick's Head
Government Type: Confederacy
Leader: Ilbii Shiplord
Majority Races: Elves, Humans
Between the Inner Sea and the Shan, a low bar of mud forms a several hundred mile thick barrier alongside the Menashan Mountains, where it rains constantly, and almost no one lives. Simply referred to as the Great Swamp, this region is easier to travel by boat along its many silty waterways, than to struggle across the "land." The few times it isn't raining, the harsh sun burns down upon the swamp, the only shade being the trees that are often there.

Inhabitants of the Muck. The inhabitants of the swamp are mostly races better suited to life there, mainly bullywugs and lizardfolk. These people live in small villages, living on what they can. These denizens are commonly violent against each other, but don't fight often because of how few of them there are amid the empty landscape. The two races aren't a pair of united fronts, instead working in small clans and tribes that each pursue their own goals.

The bullywugs will trade with humanoids, but do so rarely, and only for high prices. The lizardfolk don't at all, instead eating the merchants. Neither of these attitudes work well with the human towns on the sea, and expeditions into the swamp have a high chance of bloodshed.

The Mist Wood

Capital: Pelfost
Government Type: Monarchy
Leader: King Tharivol Amakiir
Majority Race: Wood Elves
The Mist Wood is an ancient fey forest, ruled by the greatest nation of wood elves still around. The forest is from the continually shrouded in fog from the outside, giving viewer no idea of what they'll find among the trees. While the elves have been given the job of controlling it, they can only patrol the most populated parts. The more shadowy regions of the forest are haunted by evil beasts and fey, like faeries, goblins, ogres, and worse.

The Inn at the Gate. Due to an ancient curse, entering the Mist Wood from the west or south always leads to a stone gate only a few miles in. This mysterious gate once stood alone, but a band of enterprising adventurers has since built a general store, a blacksmith, a tavern, a palisade, and an inn. Called the Inn at the Gate, this is a traveler's last chance to stock up on supplies before entering the forest.

The North

The cold northern reaches of the Gartrunian Empire are home to nations of people spread out across the landscape, struggling against the elements alongside the monsters that call these lands home. All of these lands seem like sparsely populated borders kingdoms, far from civilization.

Marolia

Capital: Marolis
Government Type: Feudalism
Leader: King Standor Osmin
Majority Race: Humans
Marolia is the most powerful of the northern nations, with plenty of citizens to power its armies, and land to provide them with food. The kingdom's nobility consider themselves bastions of civilization against a savage and wild wilderness, and they feel it is their responsibility to build up the small kingdoms in this cold region.

Not all Marolians are so focused on outward expansion though, and most prefer to develop Marolia, where outside of a few cities things are not always good. Famines are standard, and banditry and crime run rampant. These people though rarely get a say in the matter, and stay in the poorer regions where they dwell.

Marolis. The city of Marolis is drastically different from the rest of Marolia. Firstly, some odd magic around the city grants it a tropical climate throughout the year, and palm trees and sunshine are abundant. In addition, most of the city's denizens are more optimistic than their country neighbors, and also are better off financially. Day to day business in this city is unique throughout Marolia, in that the king's government does not control the city. Instead, the Northern Trading Co., a division of the Dolethra Trading Co., manages the day to day life of the city, in exchange for free docking and port service.

The Dismal Plateau. Lying in the heart of Marolia, between the Analuk mountains and the Eastern Fields, the Dismal Plateau is a rainy, hilly land where many marolians toil. This bouldery land is home to most of the marolian population, who eek along on the meager food they grow. This landscape is not only home to the marolian citizens, but also many many goblins, who can be found in the more rugged bouldery regions. The nobility of these provinces rarely actually live here, instead opting to spend their time in Marolis "dealing with national matters."

East of the plateau are the Eastern Fields, where one could walk for a hundred miles and never see another person. Every winter the ground freezes, and every spring the grass grows the height of an ogre before it withers away.

On the other side of the plateau are the Analuk Mountains. This range has deep valleys and high peaks, but the rock is covered by massive amounts of dirt, which leads to massive landslides in the rainy season. Few live here, despite the large deposits of copper and iron, which is only mined by a few dwarves from tunnels reaching all the way back to the Dismal Plateau.

Moltethor

Capital: Unknown
Government Type: Hierarchy
Leader: Queen Gintoss
Majority Race: Giants
The Frozen Moor seems to be at the edge of civilization, the lands beyond being wild, untamed, and dangerous. These lands are Moltethor, a remnant of Ostoria that has fought off human rule for millenia. The giants of Moltethor are cruel warlords, who violently enforce the Ordning. Their people enslave any human they can find, forcing them into laboring as slaves for the giants.

Moltethor was once an idyllic paradise, but it was devestated by the thousand years war. Now, green and grassy fields lay barren, beside the ruins of picturesque temples and castles. The red sky glares down upon the few outsiders who come, adding to the hostility of the dead land. The fields here are poisoned with dragon's blood, and the little food the giants can eek out is fought over.

The leaders of Moltethor have long plotted to retake their lost empire, in a sweeping charge against humanity and return to their place as rulers of the world. They plan for the long run, creating schemes that end hundreds of years in the future.

Olbrin's Dale

Capital: Olbrin
Government Type: Plutocracy
Leader: Denro of Ipross
Majority Race: Diverse
Most of the nation of Olbrin's Dale is, like most of the north, barren tundra. The only part suitable for large settlement are the great lakes Gadnu and Algos, where the warm waters grant a more temperate climate. These lakes are home to lots of big fish, farmland, forests full of game, and even a few sandy beaches. The people here are used to long, cold winters, and are unsocial. They prefer to stick to themselves, and look upon foreigners as weak, but irritatingly social.

Lake Algos, in the south, is often dotted with boats in the summer, fishing for the massive salmon that dwell in the lake year round. These salmon make up most of the fishermen's diet, and are frozen to last year round. Algos is famous for its berries, different types than those found in the rest of the empire. These are prized by nobility, and fetch high prices in far away cities like Sorganna or Mengdu.

Farther north, lake Gadnu is bigger, and known across the empire as the home of the Sintuk, massive salmon more than ten feet long. The Sintuk are hunted by frost giants, who sail in great ships and will sometimes wrestle the Sintuk as a sport. The giants sell their catches not in return for money, but instead tools built for their size. In return, the Sintuk can feed a human for a month, or a halfling for two. The giants here don't war with the small-folk, but that is not to say they like them. The frost giants have defeated the other humanoids in a war before, and they are not afraid to do it again.

The half-orcs of the Yuliq Tundra will sometimes come to lake Gadnu, but rarely so. Instead, their people are allowed to roam in the western lands of the vale, as long as they follow the kingdom's laws.

The Yuliq Tundra

Capital: None
Government Type: Tribal Confederacy
Leader: Chief Kulutug
Majority Race: Half Orcs
The barren lands north of the Redandri Range of mountains are flat and rocky, covered in peat and lichen. Most of the year, the ground is frozen solid. Musk oxen and caribou graze on the sparse greenery, and drink from the many small lakes that streak across the land. The people here call themselves the yuliq, and travel across the landscape in the search for food.

The yuliq are half orcs, descending from the orcs of the Guthroi plains, and humans from the lands of Olbrin's Dale and Marolia. The yuliq are a fairly new culture, but they still have been around for over a thousand years. Travelers to the Yuliq tundra must be able to speak their language if they wish to interact with the half orcs, who don't use common. The yuliq practice a special type of magic called Ostomancy, using bones to strengthen their weapons and items. Ostomancy is a subtle form of magic, and is not used in spells. Instead, it adds to the natural strength of other things, when applied by a trained yuliq priest. Important yuliq wear necklace of animal bones, and ceremonial masks made out of their slain foe's skeleton.

The yuliq firmly believe that the ocean and other large bodies of water are cursed, and home to great monsters. They will only use boats when necessary, and dislike living to near anything bigger than a pond. The central villain in their mythology is Durommque, a massive fish who eats Yuliq to survive.

The Shan

The inland sea known as the Shan stretches thousand of miles deep in to Tethyr. Along its banks are cities of dwarven traders, known as the hill dwarves. Farther in, the pleasant filnór land of Nath Cúin lies, and at its farthest tip is the frontier land of Embroshe

Halashan

Capital: Halashan
Government Type: Plutocracy
Leader: Duke Batamon
Majority Race: Hill Dwarves
Along the south banks of the Shan lies Halashan, its name meaning "south of the Shan." This land is the smallest of the nations of the Shan in terms of people, and only a thin strip along the coast is heavily populated. Farms are like those in other regions of the Shan, and cling to the roads that run parallel to the coast. Much of the food is sold by wealthy elite, who own almost all of the farms in the kingdom.

The nation's capital, Halashan, is atop a column of rock on the coast a thousand feet high, with vertical cliffs on all sides. To enter the city, one must sail to the base of the only road up, which is guarded by many gates, and magical traps. This trek is well worth it for a wealthy buyer, as anything can be bought for a price in the city, including people. The rich elite own many farms across the country, and their wealth is used on opulent palaces and needless extravagances. These merchant lords are safe in their city, but the rest of the people, poor and powerless, normally die young.

The inland regions are even drier than the rest of the Shan, and have earned their title as desert. Goblins are the only folk with the skill to live here, scavenging water from cacti and other plants. This desert must be crossed to reach the Halnashan Mountains, and so a few roads run across the expanse, stopping at the few springs that can be found.

The Halnashan Mountains. The dwarves of Halashan have had more success than the dakshanese in settling the mountains that ring the Shan, building many cities in the Halnashan mountains, and mining the rich deposits of iron and copper beneath them. There are many population centers in the mountains, each surrounded by smaller settlements up in mountain valleys. From here, the metals are sent by river and by caravan north to the city of Halashan, where they are smelted into trade goods.

The Halnashan Mountains are dry and arid on the northern side, but in the south they become humid and forested, descending into the jungles of Taloa. This southern side is not settled by either of these nations, and mostly inhabited by monstrous races like orcs and giants.

Narashan

Capital: Mendakalashan
Government Type: Plutocracy
Leader: Baroness Hatshepsut
Majority Race: Hill Dwarves
The furthest of the dwarven kingdoms from the Inner Sea, Narashan is home to many great cities, like Mendakalashan and Halemirasas. These massive settlements stand out like sore thumbs against the empty plains of the rest of Narashan, almost all of which is empty except for the grass and the wind.

During the age of Ostoria, frost giants called a massive glacier down from Tethyr to the Shan. When the giant's reign ended, the glacier melted without their magic, leaving a scarred land. Now, these holes and divots in the otherwise flat landscape have filled with water, and farms are built on the fertile land around this swathe of lakes.

This band of arable land is called the Farm Belt, and is where the bulk of Narashan's rural population lives. From here, the water is diverted through channels and aqueducts to the plains near the cities along the coast, where the cities fruit and firewood is grown, so as to prevent a long journey with these goods.

Mendakalashan. The biggest city of the Shan, and in fact the biggest city in the empire where humans are not the majority is Mendakalashan, where wall after wall encircles thousands of people. This city is run by a monarch, but the monarch is a mere puppet of a cabal of the richest dwarves in the city. The law is enforced swiftly and fiercely on those who break it, but mysteriously the wealthy never seem to get caught. Mendakalashan is a hub for fine fruits and meats, that are farmed outside the city walls. These wares, along with many other attract merchants and nobles from across the Gartrunian Empire.

Embroshe

Capital: Gultan City
Government Type: Republic
Leader: Minister Thómarson
Majority Race: Diverse
Embroshe is rarely thought of as part of the Shan, but like its neighbor Nath Cúin, the Shan is where most of the people travling to Embroshe move through. This frontier nation was founded by filnór prospecters little more than a century ago, when a massive vein of admantine was found beneath the Radgell Mountains. The ensuing rush led to the creation of a government, but not a very well organized one. The bigger towns are allowed to elect their representatives, but this is almost never done democratically, instead with the powerful keeping their positions through shifty methods.

This vein of admantine is in the north of the country, where low mountains stretch out from Tethyr. The original strike has since been exhausted, but the many prospecters who live here continue to find other strikes of valuable minerals. Mines can be found across the northern mountains, a region named the Mathdi Mountains. These peaks are not as dramatic as those of Tethyr, but hold many hot springs and geysers, as well as a few too many bears.

Towns in Embroshe (as there are no cities) are far apart, and several days worth of travel may be required to get between two. These towns are mostly self sufficient, but some have a massive miner majority, and foods must be shipped in. The capital, Gultan City, is located far from the Mathdi Mountains, on the Goldstrike River. This city is home to many traders and folks who make profits off of travelers and miners. Many saloons and gambling halls lurk beneath the streets, and merchants sail from the Shan with food that they sell at enormous profit to hungry travelers. There are many filnór in Embroshe, as it is so near to Nath Cúin, but there are just as many dwarves, elves, halflings, and other humans, all venturing here in search of riches and adventure.

The plains that most future miners travel through are called the Horn Plains, after the many bison and cows who graze on them. The only folk here are a few filnór with enough skill to survive in the empty landscape. No minerals have been found here, and so there is little incentive for others to settle in the grasslands.

Nath Cúin

Capital: Almsburg
Government Type Feudalism
Leader: General Rafilnii
Majority Race: Humans
The historic stronghold of the filnór people, also known as the dawnfolk, is covered in rolling green hills, a picturesque sea, and small hamlets of farmers. It is also the sight of a bloody rebellion, where tens of thousands of gartrunian soldiers have been placed to battle the Soletaarn, a rebellion fighting for Nath Cúin's independence.

Nath Cúin is surrounded by mountains on all but one side, where lies the Shan. Unlike the other parts of the Shan, Nath Cúin is much more lush and green. Rain is common, and farms are well watered. Anyone who lives in this land is used to the constant downpours, and people dress in big coats and dry boots.

Most of the flat land in Nath Cúin is farmland, where potatoes, grains, carrots, and turnips are grown, alongside pastures of cows and sheep. Dotted along important waterways and roads are small towns, where produce and stock are brought to market. These towns are mostly wattle and daub, and only a few buildings are built of stone.

The biggest city in Nath Cúin, though still nothing impressive, is Almsburg. On a protected harbor in the Shan, the city is the headquarters of the Gartrunian Legions in Nath Cúin, and is swarming with military activity. The city is full of armed defenders, despite its lack of walls or other physical defenses. City-dwellers who are even rumored of being loyal to the Soletaarn are thrown out, but many guerrilla attacks have still been made against the leaders of the armies.

Almost everyone in Nath Cúin is of filnór heritage, but some have integrated themselves into Gartrunian culture, though most still see themselves as a different people. This disparity is only seen when traveling across the country, because the south is almost identical to other human regions, whereas the rest of the country is decisively filnór.

The Southeast

South of the Halnashan mountains, the lands of the southeast feel even older than the rest of the empire. Much of the land there is covered by the Taloan jungle, where gartrunian rule is weak, and the free states of Avkelos and Danzirod, who are not under the rule of Gartrun at all.

The Sea of Monsters

South and west of Gerenta, the ocean is studded with small rocky islands, isolated by powerful storms and fearsome foes. This is the Sea of Monsters, a name that strikes fear in the heart of even the greatest sailors, and has claimed the lives of thousands. No sane avkelosii would dwell here, but the mad fit in well.

To enter the Sea of Monsters, sailors must pass through the Ilionn, a gate made of coral and kelp, that appears no matter where the sea is entered from. This gate is home to nests of harpies, sea serpents, and sorcerers of evil. Beyond these gates, things are even worse. Adventurers are the most common travelers into the Sea of Monsters, searching for mystical relics and legendary beasts.

The water here is deceptively calm, disguising the many beasts, like sea serpents and merrow, that lie beneath. Islands are inhabited by cyclopes, chimera, and hydras, and harpies and griffons stalk the skies. Evil witches and wizards make their homes here, but only the strong ones last for long.

Carnoleddi

Capital: Haramia
Government Type: Monarchy
Leader: King Hiapo
Majority Race: Stout Halflings
When told of a 'halfling kingdom,' most people think of welcoming, hearty, villages. The stout halflings of Carnoleddi are not this. More like other human kingoms, they employ a roughly feudalistic system, and trade freely with foreigners. A lot of lightfoot halflings in other places differentiate between themselves and the carnoleddites. The stouts of Carnoleddi are different from the more common culture, worshipping their own gods before the halfling pantheon, and forfeiting Yondalla's protection of secrecy.

Danzirod

Capital: Dannelport
Government Type: Confderacy
Leader: Lord Hartman
Majority Race: Humans
Almost all of the realm of Danzirod lies beneath a mossy forest, where small towns are surrounded by wooden palisades, and farmers work on small fields in clearings. The population of Danzirod is spread out and sparse, but the density is roughly even across the land. The forests of Danzirod are full of valuable resources, including pelts, lumber, steel, and meat. These are mostly sent downriver to the nation's capital city of Dannelport, where they are distributed to neighboring Avkelos and Carnoleddi.

Canyons and Caves

The soil that the danzir forests are planted in lies above a great slab of limestone, that is hollowed out by the rains and rivers of Danzirod. These caves connect directly to the underdark, and are filled with the underdark's cruel and vile denizens. They will sometimes crawl above the surface, but much prefer to stay away from the sun. Sinkholes will sometimes open up in the landscape, but are rarely a danger because of how few people there are. Instead, geysers can sometimes erupt out of nowhere, and stay for many years. These have been known to flood farms and create ponds where there were none before.

Another effect of the limestone, rivers in Danzirod run through steep canyons, that must be entered at specific points. These prevent an abundance of water travel from happening. The greatest river in Danzirod, the Tillebor River, occupies a canyon a mile deep in some instances, with sheer vertical walls and roaring cascades.

Dannelport

The city of Dannelport, while a metropolis by danzir standards, is actually somewhat small. That said, it does have a lively culture of patriotism and trade. Merchants will sail from as far away as the Nurming Sea in search of famed danzir furs, that can be traded for a high price back home.

Dannelport is hit normally by ocean storms, bringing waves and winds against the city. Ships in the harbor must cut down their masts and stay put, or face the full fury of the storm. Windows are locked shut, flags taken down, and sometimes even temple bells, for fear of them blowing off and falling on someone. This constant threat just makes the danzirs of Dannelport spend more time outside though, and in summer they will lounge around looking out to sea whenever they can.

Davria

Capital: Monés
Government Type: Autocracy
Leader: Queen Xerias
Majority Race: Humans
Davria has been inhabited by humans for hundreds of thousands of years, and the history can be seen clearly in the many ruins that dot the landscape. Davria is mostly cut off from the rest of the empire by the jungles of Taloa, and the people there speak Davri instead of Common. Davria is mostly a large stretch of plains through which the Carvarid River flows, ending in the east with the Maraad Desert. Most of the kingdom's people live alomg the shore of the Renean Bay, a calm body of water with plentiful access to seafood.

Davria's eastern half is not as civilized as the west, home to horseback riders known as the Lorolovs, and the secular and seclusionist Haronese of the Maraad. These three groups live in peace for the most part, but tensions have always been high and skirmishes can arise.

Taloa

Capital: Port Habanzo
Government Type: Colonial
Leader: Lady Phimanna
Majority Race: Diverse
The jungles of Taloa are legendary across the empire as a realm ripe for exploration of its ancient relics and natural wonders. Tales of stone cities covered in vines and trees, great volcanoes surrounded by an ocean of emerald jungle, and secretive societies beneath the lively canopies have arisen from the mysterious realm.

The reality is that Taloa contains all of these and even more. The undergrowth has hindered Gartrunian expansion, which in turn has allowed other factions to struggle amongst each other for power in the jungle. Explorers are common in Taloa, traveling there with dreams of glory and riches. Many of these same folk are quickly disillusioned by sickness, thieves, and deadly monsters.

Outposts of Civilization

Any maps of the jungle are rather vague, except for two cities; Port Habanzo and Fort Veldar. The former is on the rocky coast on the jungle's western edge, teaming with people from around the empire. The forests near the city are populated with farms and orchards growing products native to the jungle. Beyond these businesses, the wilderness is home to the Olligago orcs, who emerge from the jungle to trade with the port's residents.

Fort Veldar rests on the south bank of Turaloa river, surrounded by walls made of logs from the jungle. The city is home to the Exalted League of Taloan Adventurers, an organization that funds expeditions entering the wild rainforest in search of treasure.

Phardugrath

The red dragon Garanthios of the Draconic Council (described on page 29) rules a kingdom along the south banks of Lake Turaloa, and the jungle surrounding his lair on Mount Matara.

Garanthios calls his domain Phardugrath, or Wyrmdun in common. It is no nation, but instead a collection of towns, populated by humans, kobolds, and lizardfolk. They share no common identity, excluding their servitude of the dragon. The kobold villages are small collections of wattle and daub huts, often surrounded by a wood palisade. They are encountered most commonly on the edge of Lake Turaloa. The most notable of these towns is Durzelkam, a clean, well organized place located near the middle of lake Turaloa’s coast. The humans and lizardfolk’s dwellings are rather standard, though some will have a shrine or temple devoted to Garanthios. Some humans have formed cult-like groups, worshipping the dragon as if he were a deity. Others serve the dragon out of fear or respect.

Taloan Orcs

Two major cultures of orcs dwell beneath the forest roof. The Olligago are open to the outside world, and live in small clans along the Amber River. The Dassar-lund orcs, dwell in the highlands south of the Great Divide, attacking any travelers that come through.

The Olligago orcs are known for their practice of Sishmun, carving important life events into their tusks. This is a highly sacred practice, and done by an experienced priest. Some villainous people will kill Olligago orcs for their tusks, which are sold as souvenirs.

The Dassar-lund orcs are much less peaceful, and live farther from civilization, in the Dassar High lands. These orcs have pure white skin, and viciously attack anyone they can who journey through their jungle realm. Their drums echo through the mountains where they live, striking fear in the hearts of those that aren't of their tribe. These orcs will use ancient rituals to create storms, forming floods to attack settlements downriver.

Demon Worshippers

In the south-eastern reaches of the jungle, a great pit reaches deep into the earth. This pit, called the Screaming Portal will belch forth daily at dawn some demon, with a terrible shrieking sound. This site is holy to the dark worshippers of the abyss, and many live around it. Travelers are killed on site, and their bodies thrown into the pit.

The Yuan-Ti

Thirty thousand years, the human empire of Yuan took up all of Taloa and the Great Swamp, and the Maraad desert in Davria. Yuan was split over a person's class. There were the Yuan-Ti, who were cruel and selfish nobles, and the Yuan-Thar, who were forced to obey them. The Yuan-Ti worshipped snakes, and aspired to become ophidian, and achieve what they believed the perfect form. They eventually succeeded, but were quickly overthrown in a bloody revolution by the Yuan-Thar, which forced them into hiding. Now, the Yuan-Ti are a secretive people who scheme to rebuild their long lost empire.

The Yuan-Ti are the self styled lords of the jungle, controlling a network of cities across the realm, interconnected by efficient roads, that give the Yuan-Ti the ability to travel faster than their enemies. The Yuan-Ti are led by a Queen Tarkal, who dwells in their capital city of Taxaach'cal, and rules with an iron fist.

The Yuan-Ti of Taloa are sworn to create an empire with which they can strike down human-kind, reducing them to slaves. This they do by fighting with the other denizens of Taloa, hoping to become the only claimants to the legendary jungle. This fight makes the Yuan-Ti despised, and their enemies common. This still does not daunt the ophidian warlords, who use cutthroat strategies whenever they can, and throw wave after wave of lower class Yuan-Ti at their foes.

The city of Taxaach'cal, where Queen Tarkal dwells is an almost impenetrable fortress, guarded by rings of walls and moats, surrounding the circular city's temple and houses. The queen resides in the very heart of the city, in the fabled palace of Zarthalon, where sacrifices of their enemies are carried out every hour, and some of the most devious warlords in the world scheme.

Rulers of the Canopy

Taloa is home to hundreds of towns of wood elves, built in the arms of giant trees, and connected by magical portals. These elves see themselves as guardians of the jungle, who must prevent the scales of power from tipping to any side. They will lead raids upon centers of power, and assassinate leaders who are too ambitious for the wood elves liking.

The wood elves homes are trees coaxed by magic to become giant, holding around a hundred elves and their homes. Priests of the Seldarine can use step into one of these trees, and emerge from another, hundreds of miles away.

The Nuratians

The Gartrunian Empire is not the only human power beneath the trees. The Nuratians are a collection of tribes who live in the jungle, and worship their own pantheon of gods. These people live in close harmony with nature, and keep to themselves. Little else is known of them, but rumors fly wildly. Some say the Nuratians can turn into shadows, and others say they are three feet tall or walk on their hands.

The Nuratian's highest priests congregate in a mythical temple known as Ardawu Cleft, the location of which has been sought by treasure hunters and explorers for centuries. The temple is rumored to hold rooms full of diamonds, opals, and gold.

The Western lands

The other side of the empire, the lands west of the Inner Sea are culturally different from the rest of gartrun. Travel there takes months by ship, over many miles of ocean. This realm is bordered by sea to the north and east, and inhospitable wastelands to the west and south. The land is home to dwarves, humans, elves, and the more exotic grungs and tuelthon.

Hulvara

Capital: Sorahm
Government Type: Bureaucracy
Leader: Lemraes Nalaphori XI
Majority Race: High Elves
South of the Celestial Kingdoms lies the elven land of Hulvara, hailing back to the ancient elven empires. The elves here are famed for their beautiful architecture, but are even more well known for the massive dinosaurs they raise. These already massive beasts grow to enormous sizes here, and are used to pull plows, lift stones, and carry travelers.

Most of Hulvara is open plains, dotted by tall trees. in the north the foothills of the mountains conceal many beautiful valleys full of lush fruit trees and crystalline streams. Hulvara is edged by the ocean in the south and east, and most of this coast is cliffs, with only a few sandy beaches.

In the west lies the Jungle of Thunder. Here is where the hulvaran dinosaurs came from, and where other more wild ones still roam. The jungle is too dense for the wood elves, and is instead home to atzû-kathi, who populate it lightly.

The capital of Hulvara is Sorahm, a city of pearly stone standing atop a hill. Its domed roofs can be seen for many miles, and it is home to many merchants and nobles, who oversee various matters of the kingdom. In the north is Denparost, nestled in a mountain valley and its buildings lining the steep slopes. Denparost is the center for flying dinosaurs in Hulvara, as their great wings are much needed in the steep mountains. Farther west, in a cave below the surface, is Forludith. This city is famous for its peculiar gravity, which pulls people and buildings to the closest wall of the grand cavern, even if that is up, or to the side.

Tuelthonite Lands

Capital: None
Government Type: Anarchy
Leader: None
Majority Race: Tuelthon
The Tuelthonite Lands have not been shown much attention since the Horde War, though likely because of how monotonous life there is. The Tuelthon act as they normally do (described in Part 5), and no other major forces are openly at play. There are rumors of a lich who dwells on the Olung Glacier, and a kraken beneath the Hulvaran Sea, but neither of these stories have evidence behind them.

Most of the land inhabited by the tuelthon is occupied by the Olung Glacier, but only a few hardy ones live there, The rest roam the southern bushlands, where there are enough small berries and mushrooms to feed the tuelthon inhabitants. None cross the Jungle of Thunder of their own volition, as broiled tuelthon is a delicacy in atzû-kathi culture.

The Horde War. 57 years ago, in 881 GC, a mage called Ularkoth assembled an army of tuelthon more than ten thousand strong in the hopes of overrunning Hulvara. After moving his army through the Jungle of Thunder, Ularkoth ransacked Hulvara, destroying cities and trampling farmland. This violent war lasted for almost a year, until Devknir 882 when the empress of Gartrun brought a vast army. Allying with the remaining Hulvarans, the empress chased Ularkoth and his tuelthon horde back to the lands from which they came. Ularkoth was soon killed by the gartrunians, in a violent battle that decimated an area 5 miles wide.

Varellan

Capital: Rugsmut
Government Type: Tribal Confederacy
Leader: Chief Galod Galor
Majority Race: High Elves
Varellan is a tiny nation surrounded by the much bigger Bralem. The elves in this land ride on the backs of elk, and live a nomadic lifestyle. Because of how small their country is, the varellese number few, but they quickly band together against bralemian aggression.

The humans of Bralem mostly see the varellese as evil raiders, but not as a threat. A few forts stand on the edge of Varellan, but otherwise they are left to be. The only inhabited structure in Varellan is Rugsmut, a great hall where the tribes congregate annually to speak and plan for the next year.

Virtun

Capitals: Bundaholm, Flidheim
Government Type: Feudalism
Leader: Queen Osdorn Fireheart
Majority Race: Mountain Dwarves
Virtun is a land of wild forest, with hills and ridges criss-crossing the realm. The people here are tough and sturdy mountain dwarves, that work hard on harvesting their natural resources with the utmost efficiency. These dwarves contrast sharply with the many orcs that live here, and war constantly rages between the two factions, over control of kingdom.

The virtunian dwarves harvest lumber and metals, and use these in their cities to make both tools and treasures. The greatest of their products are locked away in deep vaults beneath their castles, stored away for when they are needed. Many of the dwarves are careful to not overuse the resources like lumber and game that make this land rich, but some harvest it wildly, and leave scars upon the land that take years to heal.

The kingdom has two capital cities: Bundaholm and Flidheim. Both are built into the side of a mountain, with many layers of tunnels descending deep into the ground. Bundaholm is the larger, and stands starkly against the plains. Its people are defended by many stone walls, and it has withstood many orc sieges. Flidheim is completely subterranean, with only a single gate being seen on the surface. Surrounded, by trees, the great furnaces of Flidheim produce many pieces of skilled dwarven craft.

The Orc Plateau is, as its name makes clear, the high homeland of the virtunian orcs. From this towering vantage, their armies fight to take Virtun, as their god Gruumsh has decreed they must. Their towns are scattered across the landscape, and sternly guarded by wooden palisades and defensive ditches.

This war between the dwarves and the orcs has lasted for five millenia, since Gruumsh the Conquerer decided he wished for an orcish stronghold in the western lands. This war has its moments of piece, but also great battles. Most are along the central front, dividing the nation into the orcish west and the dwarven east. The Fire River has run red many times with blood, but no decisive vistor has become apparent. Sieges are common, but more often fighting is done on the battlefield, with well disciplined dwarven legions standing against violent orcish hordes.

The Great Oceans

The Inner Sea is the massive circular ocean the empire encircles, and its great size means that there are plenty of island who are small, independent countries.

Iabania

Capital: Veldburg
Government Type: Republic
Leader: The Brass Council
Majority Race: Humans
When the filnór people were being forced further and further northward, they eventually found themselves cornered. To one side were the rest of humankind, who looked down upon them, and on the other the Yuliq Tundra; an inhospitable waste. Stuck, they prayed to the gods for help. They were answered when the gods lifted from the seabed a towering pillar of rock, named Iabania, filnór for "haven."

In the years since, the Iabanians have transformed this desolate, rocky island into the most technologically advanced civilization known. Great dirigibles float in the sky, over towering buildings, industrial factories, steam trains, and massive infrastructure. The so called "isle of brass" is home to many seemingly magical gadgets, most actually being powered by steam and humans. The reason for this is one of Iabania's most important issues: a shortage of magic.

The divine energy used to create the island has had an unintended consequence in that it restricts the flow of erumites (see Part 1) in and out of the country. Many iabanians did use magic in the past, but the erumite supply has been exhausted. Only a few erumites are available at any one time, so the government now requires permits for using magic, and the rest of iabanians are stuck with more mundane devices.

Iabania is divided into six provinces, each with its own localized government. The provincial leaders meet in Veldburg, a city in the center of the island, and discuss national matters. The provinces are mostly flat fields, home to farms and pastures. Railroads run from these rural agricultural regions to Veldburg, as there are few other towns of large population in the republic.

Veldburg is a bustling city, home to all sorts of amazing contraptions like elevators and running water. The city holds blimp docks, and wide streets walled by gigantic buildings. Elevated canals run above the roads carrying goods to different districts. In the center stands a grand castle atop a rock that sticks up almost a hundred feet, where the government runs the nation and its armies.

This technologically advanced utopia is not the Iabania known by the Gartrunian Empire. For over a century the two have been locked in a war, as the empire sends fleets again and again to try to annex the island, and the republic fights them off every time. The ability of the islanders to hold off the full might of gartrun is impressive, but the five mile high cliffs that ring the island, the lack of any kind of harbors, and the constantly stormy weather could have something to do with their success.

The Irenno Isles

Government Type: Plutocracy
Majority Race: Diverse
Along the southern edge of the Inner Sea, the Irenno Isles are a stunning tropical archipelago, with a climate unique to the empire. This climate is home to many valuable spices and herbs, in high demand across the many ports of the Inner Sea. Most of the people here grow these valuable goods, and the people of the Irenno Isles rely heavily on imported foods.

The Irenno War. About fourty years ago, war rocked the isles as the former baroness of Hundost began attacking taldarian merchants. Taldar fought back, but both sides soon found their navies unequipped. Both kingdoms hired privateers for their fleets, and as the war escalated, more joined in, until the actual navies were outnumbered by their mercenaries. Eventually Taldar won the war, and the Hundostan government was replaced. This was good news for everybody, except the many privateers, who found themselves jobless. They quickly resorted to the easiest solution: piracy. Now the Irenno Isles are a haven for pirates, who prey on the many merchants who use these ports.

Themenor

Capital: Mercad
Government Type: Oligarchy
Leader: The Vertum Vist
Majority Race: Tritons
Not all the kingdoms of the Gartrunian Empire are terrestrial, though of the many undersea kingdoms this is the only one in this book. In the Inner Sea, on a particularly fertile region, lie the cities of Themenor. The nation is mostly comprised of nearly twenty cities, all with the commonality of being ringed by a 1,000 foot radius, perfectly circular wall. The reason for the cities all being surrounded in this way is the reason Themenor exists: The cities are in actuality massive runes. Together they form a massive sigil that allows the Vertum Vist, a council of priests and generals, to control all but the most powerful teleportation between the plane of water and the Inner Sea.

The legionnaires of Themenor guard ferociously against worldly foes that would benefit from the sigil's destruction. These threats include krakens, sahuagin, dragon turtles, marids, and other evil ocean dwellers. Though cities have been destroyed in the past, they all stand in good shape today, well protected by a society dedicated to their preservation.

Part 3: The Planes of Existence

The Gartrunian Empire, spanning thousands of miles from freezing seas to burning deserts, is but an insignificant speck in the infinite and perplexing cosmology of the Ancient Lands, where world ending terrors lurk in dark, shady ends of the multiverse, and armies of the dead clash in arcane and unnatural surroundings, as fiends plot far reaching schemes to snatch power, all under the watchful gaze of a million pantheons of ancient gods.

The Elemental Planes

The Elemental Planes form a ring that circles the Material Plane, and they emit the elemental energy that formed it. Oddly, they can only be accessed by the Material Plane; teleportation to all other places fails. These planes in the Ancient Lands are not very different from their versions in other D&D settings, so there is little else to say.

The Outer Planes

The Outer Planes seem to sit suspended between other major planes, floating in the astral sea. The term applies to millions of tiny planes, each one corresponding to an alignment, or a mix of several. Each of the Outer Planes from the Dungeon Master's Guide except for the Nine Hells, Mount Celestia, Abyss, and Arborea, which are represented by the Nine Hells and Seven Heavens. Dividing them in two is the Material Plane,

The Seven Heavens

The Seven Heavens are above even the Upper Planes in the common planar representation, and hold the greatest benevolence and kindness in the universe. By far the most populous denizens of these planes are on one side the angels, arguing for a Lawful Good administration of the universe, where calm order is the standard. The other group, equal in size to the angels are the seorri, who hold a Chaotic Good viewpoint. The havens are divided down the center between the two groups, giving each side half of each layer. Relationships are tense but rarely violent, instead with many arguments and contests. The border between their sides of the planes changes appearance between layers, but is always fairly clear.

The Nine Hells

The worst of the worst in planar cosmology, the Nine Hells are mirror equivalents of the Seven Heavens, with the exception of there being two more layers, and their being the darkest cesspool of cruelty and evil in the universe. Here, like their higher opposites, the layers are divided between devils and demons, two sides equally capable of tremendous evil.

The Nine Hells are the sight of the universe's bloodiest conflict: the blood war. Between the realms of the devils and the demons, who each occupy a solid half of every layer, battles are constant, and the front where the armies meet shifts like a snake of infinite length.

The archdevils and demon lords, each rulers of half a layer, are from Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes, where more information is presented.

Avernus. The most recognized layer, Avernus is a gloomy wasteland, where the infernal armies of archduchess Zariel are pitted against the undead hordes of Orcus. What look like hills from a distance are actually heaps of slain zombies, rotting back into the soil of the plane. These were left here by the legions of devils who roam the plane, striking out from established forts to lay waste to their foes. These legions are of a smaller number than the demonic hordes, but make up for it in training and quality of arms. Orcus may seem like a dullwitted beast, but his hordes are near impossible to fight through without established defenses, so the sides are in a stalemate.

Dis. The spire-like mountain peaks and ridges of Dis shoot up from the ground at impossibly steep angles, ending in sharp crags. Moving armies through here is tough, so battles between devils and demons are mostly skirmishes along narrow trails. Deep in the territory of the demons, who are led by Lolth on this plane, are great spiderwebs, thick as a person, and stretching for miles over valleys. Here the demons set out to fight their devilish enemies, under the control of the paranoid Dispater.

Minauros. The blood war in Minauros, at least from the devilish point of view, is all about cirgoshu, a metal mined from the muck of the plane, and refined to build weapons of power unimaginable to outsiders. When taken from the plane, cirgoshu crumbles to dust. The devils here, led by the ever greedy Mammon, use the metal to build firearms, which have been copied sporadically across the material plane. The firearms here, however, have been brought to enormous size, bigger than castles, and line the front of the blood war. They propel enormous shells into the crowds of demons and gnolls, while others attack with hand held firearms from deep trenches. Occasional sinkholes open up, and swallow whole platoons. The demons of Minauros are led by Yeenoghu, the Beast of Butchery. Its followers preferred path of battle is a head on charge, where they rush through artillery fire to enter the trenches full of devils that they tear apart hungrily.

Phlegethos. Phlegethos is a realm of fire and stone, where tunnels break into huge chambers filled with lava, and fire leaps from hidden vents. A great place to vacation only to devils. Here is also the lair of Zuggtmoy, the queen of fungi. her demons are almost all covered in spores, which they spread to their foes. Great swathes of tunnels are occupied by these fungi, which attack whatever they can use as a new host. Phlegethos is also home to the city of Abriymoch, where devils flock for all sorts of dark delights that can be bought only there.

Stygia. The frozen seas of Stygia are a cold, harsh place. Blizzards roar over the ice, and ocean currents shoot about below in chaotic patterns. Much of the ocean is frozen over, forming the closest thing Stygia has to dry land. On this great iceberg lurk the devils, who come here to train before being sent to the front lines in the blood war. Ruled by Levistus, the infernal legions here face a unique challenge: their foe is not beside them, but beneath. Below the ice is a great sea, its salt being the only thing keeping it from freezing completely. Here is the realm of Juiblex, a horrendous demonic ooze that dwells in the far depths of the plane's oceans.

Malbolge. Malbolge is a steep plane, but not mountainous like Dis is. Instead, Malbolge is a single great slope, about 45 degrees, that stretches infinitely in every direction. Landslides and boulders rumble down the slope, laying waste to all in their path not built of admantine. Here, fighting in the blood war is restricted, as neither side wants to lead armies through the perilous landscape. Instead, roofed trenches are the main arteries of transportation, alongside anything that can fly. The devils, who are led by Glasya built these trenches, and maintain them, adding booby traps and ambush points. Graz'zt's demon utilize them too, rushing along the passages in search of devils to slay.

Maladomini. A dry, bright realm, Maladomini is a landscape of limestone buildings and walls. Thin corridors are used by fiends to travel, and old buildings grant views over the labrynthine realm. Here is the hunting ground of Baphomet, the Horned King. His followers chase down whoever they can, and even each other if no other victims are to be found. Their calls echo through the maze-like land. Their opponents on this plane are the legions of Baalzebul, the Lord of the Seventh. The devil has ordered an extensive mapping of the plane, whose array of walls and paths befuddle reason and refute any pattern. He hopes this project will allow his devilish armies to plow through Baphomet's hordes, and win the blood war completely on a plane for the first time ever. Despite these grand ambitions, the front is chaos, and armies routinely get lost in the maze of stone.

Cania. A bleak, flat landscape, Cania has been frozen since time immemorial, and not a single plant grows here on its own. Dotting the snowy drifts, which have the consistency of sand, are tall towers belonging to Mephistopheles, the great expert of the arcane. His magic is matched by Fraz-Urb'luu, the demonic lord of illusions. Fraz-Urb'luu lures people to this desolate landscape, using his illusions to make them think it is something entirely different. A traveler might freeze to death thinking themselves to be in the seven heavens or a utopian city, or make a pledge unknowingly to a demon.

Nessus. The very bottom of the universe, a realm of utter evil and villainy, Nessus is the lowest of the low. Here lurk the two most powerful fiends in existence: Asmodeus, Lord of the Nine, and Demogorgon, the Prince of Demons. A flat land of salt flats, home to brackish water and dead trees, it is interrupted periodically by dense thickets of jungle, where spiny branches reach out to tear at travelers, and the plants are even deadlier than the inhabitants. Nessus is pockmarked with the scars of the many battles fought on its turf. Demons and devils more powerful than gods have died here, brought down by equally fearsome foes. Scattered across the plane are great pits, with near vertical walls, and bottoms cast in shadows except at midday. Deep in the pits the plane is famed for, the cleverest devils scheme their plots against the savagest demons, in bids to take control of the universe.

Deities of the Ancient Lands

All across the Ancient Lands, gods and goddesses are worshipped by all sorts of people for the blessings and powers they can bestow upon their faithful. These deities dwell in other planes of existence, their divine abilities restricted somewhat. A god will always find it in their best interest to preserve their worshippers, because if no one believes in the god's divinity, they fade away.

The Atzú-Nemach

The Atzú-Nemach dwell on the mythical plain of Kakari. Only five of these gods are universally worshipped, because most of the other gods are local deities, admired by atzû-kathi in only one place or region.

Anusemblai. The community that defines atzû-kathi life is defended my Anusemblai the triceratops, who unleashes her holy wrath upon those who seek to change the status quo.

Fludot. Fludot the allosaurus is the goddess of cycles of life. She is thanked when someone is elected to an important position, has a child, or some other important step in their life. She is worshipped on the 14th of Chenvol

Oblitham. The atzû-kathi never build their villages near other settled areas, instead dwelling in the wilds. Oblitham grants them the ability to survive and flourish there.

Silbossi. Silbossi can take the form of any dinosaur, and his priests can harness his power to control any dinosaur. His holy symbol is engraved on the roof of the stable in any atzû-kathi village.

Zinkrosh. War is viewed as an unfortunate necessity bymost atzû-kathi, but when they are forced to fight, commonly to defend their territory, Zinkrosh leads the charge. It is said she grants a divine rage to the fiercest warriors in battle.

The Filnór Pantheon

The filnór, or dawnfolk, humans don't worship the Deklesian Pantheon like most other humans do, instead worshipping their own gods. The Filnór Pantheon is said to live in Fuirdgreine, a demiplane accessible only by a portal hidden in Tethyr north of Nath Cúin.

Aerni Cur Og. The goddess of earth, plants, and animals speaks through the songs of the birds and the breeze and waves, so says the Oldearuinael, her holy book of how to be good to nature. Her holy day is on the 19th of Elradine.

Caernan Bûn Dir. The fight for freedom is the core narrative of filnór history, and the clever and vicious god Caernan Bún Dir is the central figure in that story. His holy day is on the 7th of Nurmoss.

Embroch Lanandir. Clad in a cloak made of skulls, Embroch takes her believer's souls to the afterlife, guarding them on their way from spiritual threats. Her holy day is on the 28th of Urgoth.

Iolidarr Bidlón. Iolidarr was the simple goddess of sea life, until Durmadól abandoned the filnór. She has filled her place well, delighting in her ability to rain storms down on the coasts of the filnór people. Her holy day is on the 3rd of Omlatha.

Oliadoth Barleyheart. The lord of the golden wheat, Oliadoth is honored by making figure of grain, and placing them where one's farm should be protected. His holy day is on the 28th of Melrú.

Sekkie Danó. Druids are more common amongst the filnòr than around other peoples, and often act as the priests for any of the filnór gods. Sekkie Danó is the divine queen of the druids. Her holy day is on the 14th of Chenvol.

Shiarnel Fuirdoth. Filnòr merchants may face discrimination in non-filnór lands, but still many take this job that lets them see the world, and pray to Shiarnel Fuirdoth for wisdom in their dealings, honest or not. His holy day is on the 1st of Nurmoss.

Suélraine Ils Anzo. Suélraine's holy symbol is painted over the hearth in her worshipper's homes, and she brings warmth and safety to them throughout the year. Her holy day is on the 8th of Devkanir.

The Triton Pantheon

The tritons beneath the sea worship their own pantheon of marine gods, described here.

Fenisarn. Undersea forge are powered by divine magic, from the goddess Fenisarn who claims to have created them.

Olisbaros. Olisbaros is the leader of the tritons, and takes the form of a faceless triton clad in golden armor. They will sometimes speak through their priests, giving orders to all triton-kind. Their holy day is on the 2nd of Chenvol.

Salvum Ert. Triton military is well organized, and Salvum Ert is the model legionaire. Her priests are often army leaders, and command respect for their powers.

Other Deities

The new deities presented in this book are not restricted to the four other pantheons described in this chapter. Some here are small pantheons with only a few deities, and others are unique gods and goddesses.

Alxar. The goddess of insects is a cruel, evil husk of a person, who is covered in bugs. Her worshippers are almost always mad, and delight in causing pain and suffering to innocents. Cults of Alxar are chaotic in organization, and rarely turn into a major threat.

Iladdrig. Travel in the Ancient Lands can be a dangerous affair, and many turn to Iladdrig for protection and safety. Her holy symbol is worn as a necklace by many travelers. Shrine to Iladdrig can be found near places traveled through often, such as passes and docks.

Kaladriuk. A god of conquest, Kaladriuk has mysterious origins, and few devoted followers. Conquerers and other military leaders will sometimes seek Kaladriuk's help at rick of their reputation, but he always demands something else in return. Kaladriuk does not value individual lives, seeing them as a path to his own success.

Miphus. The god of mapmakers, Miphus' worshippers search to know the location of everything and share it with others. He will sometimes grant a means of navigation to people who are lost, or don't know where they're heading. His clerics are always valued as explorers, and it is said they can never become lost.

Yurichti. The goddess of the sky is worshipped in temples high in the mountains, and grants her clerics magical flight. Yurichti's fury can manifest as tornadoes, that wreak devastation upon those who displease her. The goddess demands offerings from some people, who seem to be chosen on a whim, in the form of art devoted to her.

Part 4: New Magic Options

The Ancient Lands is a vast place, and the plethora of people who dwell there have developed a multitude of magic creations. Magic items from Gamiland, spells from Migson, and ancient rituals from the age of dragons can all be found accompanying adventurers who know how to use magic.

Ring of Quick Attacks

Ring, rare (requires attunement)

Spells

A few new spells are presented here. The Spell Classes table shows which spells can be used by which classes.

Rituals

A ritual is an arcane casting of powerful magic, similar in scale to high level spells. A ritual is different from a spell as it requires a longer time to cast, and needs multiple casters.

Learning how to cast the ritual is normally the most challenging part, forcing would be casters to travel far and defeat powerful foes. A ritual has a specific rarity: common, uncommon, and rare. an common ritual requires only consultation with a powerful mage, or the delving into a single dungeon. Uncommon rituals are harder, perhaps being in a far away city, or involving planar travel. The hardest rituals to find are rare, which could be limited in knowledge to only a few people.

Transcendence

Rarity: Uncommon
Circle: 25 ft., 2,300 gp (special)
Casters: Three 6th level, two 7th level, and one 9th level
Casting Time: 10 hours
Date: Any
Classes: Cleric, Druid, Elementalist
Required Level: 11
Materials 9,250 gp in rare herbs, seven pounds of gold, seven giant's brains, at least part of an angel or devil.

Those that feel they hold a greater destiny than a lowly mortal take part in this ritual, which frees them from their bodies, and allows them to ascend almost to divinity. Common among cult leaders and evil monarchs, this ritual is seen as a method to become a god.

If you wish to undergo this ritual, discuss it with your DM. The abilities granted are intentionally vague, and the DM is the final arbiter when it comes to your capabilities.

Instructions. This ritual begins with rythmic chanting, while strong incense is burned. This causes the gold to slowly crumble into a fine powder, which levitates in a cloud above the target. The gold dust then begins to slowly fall on the target's head, until they are covered 1n gold. The gold then begins to glow. The three lowest level casters then all slit the giant's brains open, and allow the liquids to pour onto the target, burning as they come into contact with them. This smoke rises and hovers above the arcane circle until the ritual's completion.

Finally, the body part of an angel or devil is pressed into the target's forehead, which completes the ritual. Each caster gains 3 levels of exhaustion, and all of their spells slots. The target's body fades into gold dust, which can quickly be dispersed by the wind, and holds little monetary value.

Effects. The target's soul becomes detached from their body, and can move wherever it wants, including through solid objects. It has a flying speed of 50 feet, and can sense things as normal. It's soul is invisible. The target may communicate telepathically with a creature if it is within ten feet of it, unless the creature's mind is warded. As a bonus action, the target may summon or destroy their body, which retains its statistics prior to the ritual. When returning to their incorporeal form, the target's body disappears alongside everything the target was wearing or carrying, and all equipment reappears when their body is used again. The DM may award the target additional bonuses if they have a following of worshippers.

Summon Planar Being

Rarity: Rare
Circle: 50 ft., 3,500 gp (special)
Casters: Four 5th level, three 7th level, and two 9th level
Casting Time: 18 hours
Date: Solstice
Classes: Cleric, Druid, Warlock, Wizard
Required Level: 17
Materials 10,000 gp in rare herbs, a gift for the target of at least 5,000 gp in value, a forked metal rod worth at least 1,000 gp, attuned to the target's plane of existence.

Powerful beings such as demon lords, angel kings, banished gods, and imprisoned titans, all have reasons to wish to enter the material plane, yet for various reasons, they are forbidden to do so. Still, the magical boundaries of the universe can be broken from the inside, if the entities have powerful followers who are willing to get behind this great expense. This ritual is known as the gateway, and is feared by common folk who know the consequences of an entity of that power's rampage.

The DM may add to the required materials for this ritual if the target is in a particularly tough plane to escape.

Instructions. The ritual starts with rythmic chanting by all participants except one, the leader. The leader offers a prayer to the target, and tells of the caster's offering. The casters then begin burning incense, and rise and use arm gestures as well. Then, three casters bring out the offering, which is placed at the center of the circle. More chanting follows, and then the leader steps out with the forked metal rod, and begins to use it to break through the planar barriers, by praying and casting spells. Then, the leader steps back, and the offering crumbles to ashes.

Effects. A 30 foot diameter, horizontal circular portal opens at the center of the circle, facing the lead caster. This portal is opaque, and shimmers a color chosen by the DM. This portal's other end opens on the target's plane of existence, and is transparent, allowing them to see the situation at the circle. Only the target can use the portal. The portal stays open for 1 minute before it closes again.

Part 5: Friends and Foes

Throughout their travels, adventurers in the Ancient lands are bound to fight a wide variety of foes, both beasts and people. This chapter provides the game statistics of several new monsters in alphabetical order, along with descriptions. Almost all of these monsters can be easily repurposed for any campaign setting, homebrew or pre-made.

Ice Angel

Small celestial (angel), lawful good

---

• Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
• Hit Points 31 (7d6 + 7)
• Speed 20 ft., fly 40 ft.

---

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
8 (-1)	18 (+4)	13 (+1)	10 (+0)	9 (-1)	8 (-1)

---

• Skills Perception +1
• Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical effects
• Damage Immunities cold, poison
• Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, poisoned
• Senses Darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 11
• Languages Celestial, telepathy 120 ft.
• Challenge 2 (450 XP)

---

Cold Body. A creature that touches the angel or hits it with a melee weapon attack while within 5 feet of it takes 3 (1d6) cold damage.

Magic Resistance. The angel has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Actions

Scratch. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) slashing damage plus 3 (1d6) cold damage.

Bark Blight

Blights are dark creatures made of plants, spawned by dark spellcasters or a gulthias tree. The strongest type of blights are bark blights, great, hulking creatures the size of a human. They are challenging to create, and correspondingly rare.

Blights in the Ancient Lands. Blights of needles, vines, and twigs are the bark blight's more common cousins. All of these foul creatures can be found lurking in dark forests, and creeping through dark tunnels. Wood elves despise blights even more than other races do. They will destroy these creatures with sudden violence, uprooting any tree they suspect of spawning these abominations.

Thorn Blights

Some blights come from especially thorny plants, and gain the following trait:

Thorns. Whenever a creature hits the blight with a melee attack, the creature takes 1d4 piercing damage.

Bridge Troll

Even though they are called trolls, these giants who live under bridges are actually more similar to ogres in build. These fearsome creatures sport tan, wet skin, have large eyes, and big feet. They will take tree trunks they find and fashion them into clubs, and steal javelins from travelers they eat. A bridge troll finds a bridge once it reaches maturity, and settles down for life. Local villages will pay large sums to anyone who kills a bridge troll who has just taken up place at an important bridge. If its bridge is destroyed though, the troll ruthlessly hunts down those responsible.

Dens. A bridge troll's den will vary greatly. Under a small country bridge, it might just me a muddy cave next to the bridge, or it could be a strongly built stone hut. Regardless of these variations, these dens share several consistencies. All of these dens are no more than a hundred feet from the troll's bridge, and all have at least one iron cauldron. These trolls are famous for eating only boiled meat.

Faeries

Almost anywhere in the Feywild, one can find the cruel and wicked faeries. Though they are closely related to sprites and pixies, faeries are every bit evil as their cousins are good. They trick anyone they can into doing bad things, and force others to become slaves in their halls on the material plane.

Wicked Whisperers. Many small villages near forests have tales of the faeries, and many are scarily true. Though they stand only two inches tall, these creatures are gifted with a supernatural resilience. Their size allows them to sneak into houses unseen, and whisper into the ear of sleeping humanoids. Other times, they decieve their prey, telling them that they have been visited by a pixie, not a cruel faerie.

Fell Halls. Under many a hillside lays a faerie hall, marked by two distinct entrances; one towards the sunrise on the summer solstice and one towards the sunset on the winter one. This is just one of many similarities all faerie halls share. Visitors who enter a faerie hall are instantly shrunken down to the size of a faerie, and anyone who eats even a tiny nibble of food or drinks a drop of wine is cursed to never leave. Faeries decorate their halls with elaborate golden and platinum decorations, and respond violently if anything is stolen. Visitors must be polite guests, and obey every rule posted at the entrance, or the faeries have every right to tear them to shreds.

Goblins

With a reputation as stinky cowardly thieves, goblins are often looked down upon by the so-called "civilized" races. This isn't true, evidently. Goblins can fill a wide array of rolls, represented by the following stat blocks. More information on goblins is provided in Part 1.

Alchemists. While their methods are eclectic, the natural curiosity of goblins makes them great alchemists. These goblins mix odd concoctions from an early age, and soon figure out how to increase their brew's potency to lethal levels. They can get into some dangerous accidents, with magical explosions rocking their homes.

Archers. Some goblins have a natural affinity for using bows, able to shoot their bows with extreme accuracy. They make great ambushers from afar, but are challenged at holding their own in melee combat. This stat block can also be used as a hunter.

Chieftains. A goblin who is particularly skilled in combat can quickly rise through the ranks to reach the top of their tribe's hierarchy by force. This stat block is meant to represent an especially powerful leader, who probably has several goblin bosses under his or her command.

Thugs. Any leader of questionable morals employs thugs and brutes to deal with threats. These goblins are not as nimble as the rest of their kin, but they make that up in pure strength and good armor. They specialize in intimidation and fear mongering, alongside guarding and mugging, and are valuable to any goblin boss.

Warlocks. Maglubiyet conquered the goblin pantheon a long time ago, but he still rules with utmost power. He grants the loyalest of his priests the ability to cast spells, and summon divine fire to thwart his enemies. These warlocks are more feared than honored in goblin society, but they are very powerful figures. No goblin dares of striking one down, as it would certainly bring divine retribution.

Goblin Thug

Small humanoid (goblinoid), neutral evil

---

• Armor Class 16 (scale Mail, shield)
• Hit Points 16 (3d6 + 6)
• Speed 30 ft.

---

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
14 (+2)	10 (+0)	14 (+2)	10 (+0)	8 (-1)	8 (-1)

---

• Skills Intimidation +1, Stealth +4
• Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 9
• Languages Common, Goblin
• Challenge 2 (450 XP)

---

Nimble Escape. The goblin can take the Disengage or Hide action as a bonus action on each of its turns.

Relentless (Recharges After a Long Rest). When the goblin is reduced to 0 hit points from a single attack that does no more than 9 damage, it is reduced to 1 hit point instead.

Actions

Battleaxe. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8 + 2) slashing damage, or 9 (1d10 + 2) slashing damage if used with two hands.

Shortbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, range 80/320 ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d6) piercing damage.

Goblin Chieftain

Small humanoid (goblinoid), lawful evil

---

• Armor Class 17 (studded leather armor, shield)
• Hit Points 41 (9d6 + 9)
• Speed 30 ft.

---

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
8 (-1)	17 (+3)	12 (+1)	12 (+1)	8 (-1)	13 (+1)

---

• Skills Intimidation +3, Persuasion +3, Stealth +7
• Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 9
• Languages Common, Goblin , and one other
• Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)

---

Nimble Escape. The goblin can take the Disengage or Hide action as a bonus action on each of its turns.

Actions

Multiattack. The goblin makes two scimitar attacks.

Scimitar. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) slashing damage.

Shortbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 80/320 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) piercing damage.

Rally (1/Day). All of the goblin's allies that can see or hear it and are within 30 feet of it and not incapacitated gain 5 temporary hit points and become immune to the frightened condition for 10 minutes.

Goblin Warlock of Maglubiyet

Small humanoid (goblinoid), neutral evil

---

• Armor Class 13 (studded leather armor)
• Hit Points 7 (2d6)
• Speed 30 ft.

---

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
8 (-1)	13 (+1)	10 (+0)	12 (+1)	8 (-1)	15 (+2)

---

• Skills Arcana +3, Stealth +5
• Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 9
• Languages Common, Goblin, Infernal
• Challenge 1 (200 XP)

---

Nimble Escape. The goblin can take the Disengage or Hide action as a bonus action on each of its turns.

Spellcasting. The goblin is a 3rd-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 12, +4 to hit with spell attacks). It regains its expended spell slots when it finishes a short or long rest. It knows the following warlock spells:

Cantrips (at will): blade ward, chill touch, eldritch blast, friends
1st-2nd level (2-2nd level spell slots): hex, hold person, invisibility, suggestion

Actions

Dagger. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d4 + 1) piercing damage.

Maglubiyet's Fire. Ranged Spell Attack: +4 to hit, range 60 ft./180 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8 + 2) fire damage.

Kitten Bee

The kitten bee's name is pretty self explanatory. It has the soft, furry, head and body of a kitten, but with black and yellow striped fur, and wings like a bumble bee (sized proportionately of course). They buzz from flower to flower, and pollinate them as they go along. They vomit honey, which heals their wounds. They nest individually, though they like to live near each other. Their dens are balls of woven grass built in the branches of trees.

Kitten bees will sometimes follow humanoids around, and if they seem to like the kitten bee, it builds its nest near wherever they dwell. This is a natural defense against predators, who the humanoid will scare off.

Naffirs

A naffir is an aquatic celestial that swims through lakes and oceans in the Seven Heavens (see Part 3), or sometimes on other planes in water near some celestial power, like a portal or magic item. They bite with their large fangs, and secrete acid into their enemies limbs. They mysteriously never attack celestials unless magically compelled, making them great guards for angels and seorri.

A naffir is purple until adulthood, when it turns either red if it lives in freshwater, or blue if it lives in saltwater. Old naffirs grow yellowish spots on their stomachs, which can be used as a spice.

Narabeest

Narabeest live on the plains of Davria, Embroshe, and the Shan. They are remarkable for their massive horns that point straight forwards. Each horn has a tiny hole in the tip, and when air is forced into the hole, it releases a deep bellowing sound that unsettles creatures. A narabeest is a prized trophy, for both its horns and its difficulty to kill.

War Horns. The horns of a narabeest are commonly used to martial armies. When a horn is blown, each creature within 300 feet of it that is not hostile to the horn blower must succeed on a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw, or have disadvantage on attack rolls against the horn blower and their allies until the start of the hostile creature's next turn. If this happens to a creature, it becomes immune to the Narabeest horn for 24 hours.

Okos

Okos are red furred monkey like creatures, who live in the jungle. They talk in high pitched tones, and love playing rude pranks on other creatures. An oko is normally preceded by whoops of joy as it swing through the trees, looking for food or fun. Most people first see glimpses of red fur in the jungle around them, moving quickly before disappearing. Only a few encounters with an oko end in confrontation. Mostly, the oko follows its targets for a bit while it decides what type of prank to pull. Pranks could include dropping snakes in a tired explorer's pack, weakening a branch so that the next creature to put weight on it falls, or stealing shiny baubles from sleeping travelers. If an oko feels threatened, it quickly sneaks off, rarely to be found again.

Unhappy Servants. Okos hide their dens with the utmost carefulness, because it is said that if their den is found, the oko must serve the finder for a year. This motivates powerful rulers to pay large sums to anyone who can find an oko den, because okos are the best when it comes to detecting and removing poisons. Often a royal court will keep a few okos whenever they can to protect the ruler from being poisoned.

Oko Origins. An oko is born when a monkey eats the fruit of an oko tree, a tall, leafy tree, with glistening purple fruit. Oko trees are exceedingly rare, but their wood can be used to make a special type of wand called an oko wand. Monkeys who eat an oko tree's fruit become very drowsy, and quickly fall unconscious. While the monkey sleeps, its fur turns red and it gains the powers of an oko. When it wakes, an newly born oko normally relocates its den, so no one knows the new location. In exactly 5 months, an oko suddenly learns to speak. No sages understand why it takes so long, or how it happens so quickly. Whatever causes it, the oko often uses its gift of speech to amuse itself in typical oko fashion. Common uses of speech are to write cruel limericks, or make path signs that point the wrong way.

Quenii

When a person dies, their soul is sent to the afterlife in the outer planes. Souls try to escape, but only a few succeed in returning to the material plane, in the form of ghosts. Some souls wait in the afterlife, however, until their life force is almost completely drained, before they try to escape. If they reach the material plane, they take the form of ghost like apparitions. They stand 5 feet tall, and look like featureless, transparent humanoids who glow softly. These souls, who have forgotten all but their names, are called quenii.

Woodland Lurkers. Quenii (singular: quena) gather in secluded woodland areas, forming small herds. They kill anything they find that's alive, and devour the soul in hopes of regaining their own. Their incorporeal form makes them almost impossible to slay, and their presence draws other quenii. This causes forests to become colonies for thousands of quenii, like the wood of chilled screams in Olbrin's Vale, or the dreaming forest in Danzirod.

Cruel and Hungry. The mere touch of a quena can be fatal, but their most powerful weapon is their ability to manifest the face of a victim's loved ones, even if the quena has never met their target before. This face often drives people mad, making them far easier to surround and destroy. Quenii hunt in packs of three to ten, and surround their prey before revealing themselves. Many an innocent traveler has looked up to find themselves surrounded by hungry ghosts.

Quena

Medium undead, unaligned

---

• Armor Class 11 (natural armor)
• Hit Points 40 (9d8)
• Speed 30 ft., (hover)

---

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
5 (-3)	13 (+1)	10 (+0)	12 (+1)	13 (+1)	16 (+3)

---

• Skills Intimidation +5
• Damage Vulnerabilities Radiant
• Damage Resistances Acid, Cold, Fire, Lightning, Poison, Thunder; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Attacks that aren't Adamantine
• Condition Immunities Blinded, Deafened, Exhaustion, Grappled, Petrified, Poisoned, Prone, Restrained
• Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 11
• Languages any two languages
• Challenge 1/2 (100 XP)

---

Incorporeal Movement. The quena can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.

Magic Resistance. The quena has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Pack Tactics. The quena has advantage on attack rolls against a creature if at least one other quena is within 5 feet of the creature and the quena isn't incapacitated

Shadow Stealth. While in dim light or darkness, the quena can hide as a bonus action.

Soul Stealer. When the quena reduces a creature to 0 hit points, it destroys the creatures soul, and the quena gains 2d6 temporary hit points.

Actions

Life Drain. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d8 + 1) necrotic damage.

Reveal Face (1/Day). The quena allows one creature that can see it and is within 30 feet of it to see the quena's face, which takes the form of one of the target's loved ones. The target must succeed on a DC 13 Charisma saving throw or gain a random form of short-term madness.

Seorri

One side of the Seven Heavens, seorri are agents of good and chaos. They dislike the angels, but that is nothing compared to their hate of fiends and other evildoers. Seorri spend most of their time in the Seven Heavens, and for good reason: if they leave, they lose their ability to be reincarnated, and so only come to the material plane if absolutely necessary.

Sea Serpents

Feared by all who sail upon the sea, the leviathans known as sea serpents can crush small ships with their body, and drag them down to the ocean floor. They are hard to see when they blend in with the shimmering sea, before they strike suddenly and fiercely at a vessel, eating its crew and cargo.

Sea serpents are about 20 feet long, and clad in strong, shimmering scales that can be any color under the rainbow. They have big white fangs, and unnatural yellow eyes. They lair alone in abandoned caves at the bottom of the sea, where they keep anything that catches their eye. Sea serpents can also live in freshwater lakes, as long as the water isn't too warm.

Galsotten. Galsotten are recognizable for their shells, pearly white with faintly colored stripes, that reflect light. When in danger, they curl up inside their shells and roll towards their enemies, plowing through foe after foe.

Pendirs. A pendir is an odd creature, standing on three legs, each armed with six inch claws, and wielding long tentacles that it knocks down its foes with. Pendirs make good guards with their wide, glowing eyes.

Vennada. These storm like spirits shoot across the plane of Ophea, their bodies made of the winds they lead. Vennada grow panicky when trapped in an enclosed space, and shriek until freed.

Galsotten

Medium celestial (seorri), chaotic good

---

• Armor Class 18
• Hit Points 39 (6d8 + 12)
• Speed 30 ft.

---

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
17 (+3)	12 (+1)	15 (+2)	16 (+3)	8 (-1)	8 (-1)

---

• Skills Perception + 2
• Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
• Damage Immunities poison
• Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, poisoned
• Senses Darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 12
• Languages Celestial, telepathy 120 ft.
• Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)

---

Charge. If the galsotten moves at 30 feet straight toward a target and then hits it with a slam attack on the same turn, the target takes an extra 10 (3d6) bludgeoning damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 14 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.

Magic Resistance. The galsotten has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Actions

Multiattack. The galsotten makes one slam attack, and then uses it brilliant light.

Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (3d6 + 3) bludgeoning damage.

Brilliant Light. The galsotten shoots beams of light from its shell all around it. Every creature it can see within 30 feet of it must make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw, taking 10 (3d6) radiant damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one.

Pendir

Large celestial (seorri), chaotic good

---

• Armor Class 16 (natural armor)
• Hit Points 104 (11d10 + 44)
• Speed 45 ft., climb 30 ft.

---

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
20 (+5)	8 (-1)	18 (+4)	6 (-1)	11 (+0)	9 (-1)

---

• Skills Perception +4
• Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
• Damage Immunities poison
• Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, poisoned
• Senses Darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 14
• Languages Celestial, telepathy 120 ft.
• Challenge 9 (5,000 XP)

---

Magic Resistance. The pendir has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Actions

Multiattack. The pendir makes two tentacle attacks.

Tentacle. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 20 ft., one target. Hit: 21 (5d6 + 5) bludgeoning damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 17 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.

Vennada

Medium celestial (seorri), chaotic good

---

• Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
• Hit Points 44 (8d8 + 8)
• Speed 0ft., fly 60 ft. (hover)

---

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
14 (+2)	19 (+4)	13 (+1)	9 (-1)	10 (+0)	9 (-1)

---

• Skills Perception +2
• Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
• Damage Immunities poison
• Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, poisoned
• Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 12
• Languages Celestial, telepathy 120 ft.
• Challenge 3 (700 XP)

---

Magic Resistance. The vennada has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Wind Form. The vennada can occupy the same space as one other creature.

Actions

Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 0 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) bludgeoning damage, and the target is grappled until the start of the vennada's next turn.

Orator

Medium humanoid, any alignment

---

• Armor Class 11
• Hit Points 22 (5d8)
• Speed 30 ft.

---

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
10 (+0)	12 (+1)	10 (+0)	16 (+3)	14 (+2)	19 (+4)

---

• Saving Throws Cha +6
• Skills Deception +6, Insight +4,
• Senses passive Perception 12
• Languages Common and up to three others
• Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)

---

Influencer. Friendly creatures within 30 ft. of the orator feel compelled to protect it. If it takes damage, they become hostile to the attacker unless they were otherwise friendly to them.

Actions

Dagger. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d4 + 1) piercing damage.

Startling Comment. The orator makes a remark that catches one creature with in 30 ft. of it off guard. The crature must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the end of its next turn.

Mob

Huge swarm of medium humanoids, chaotic neutral

---

• Armor Class 10
• Hit Points 108 (24d8)
• Speed 25 ft.

---

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
16 (+3)	10 (+0)	10 (+0)	10 (+0)	10 (+0)	10 (+0)

---

• Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing
• Damage Immunities Damage_Immunities
• Condition Immunities charmed, frightened,grappled, paralyzed, petrified, prone, restrained, stunned
• Senses passive Perception 10
• Languages any one language, usually Common
• Challenge 4 (1,100XP)

---

Swarm. The swarm can occupy another creature’s space and vice versa, and the swarm can move through any opening large enough for a Medium commoner. The swarm can’t regain hit points or gain temporary hit points.

Torchlight. The swarm emits dim light in a 30 foot radius.

Actions

Multiattack. The swarm makes two attacks: one with its torches, and one with its pitchforks.

Torches. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 0ft., one target. Hit: 18 (4d6 + 4) fire damage, or 9 (2d6 + 2) if the swarm is at half of its hit points or fewer.

Pitchforks. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 0ft., one target. Hit: 22 (4d8 + 4) piercing damage, or 11 (2d8 + 2) if the swarm is at half of its hit point or fewer.

Witch

Medium humanoid, any chaotic alignment

---

• Armor Class 10 (13 with mage armor)
• Hit Points 55 (10d8 + 10)
• Speed 30 ft.

---

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
9 (-1)	10 (+0)	13 (+1)	15 (+2)	14 (+2)	19 (+4)

---

• Skills Arcana +4, Deception +6, Nature +4
• Senses Passive Perception 12
• Languages Common, Infernal
• Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)

---

Innate Spellcasting. The witch's innate spellcasting ability is Charisma. She can innately cast the following spells (spell save DC 14), requiring no material components:

At will: hex, witch bolt
3/day each: charm person, expeditious retreat, unseen servant
1/day each: counterspell, fear

Spellcasting. The witch is a 3rd-level spellcaster. Her spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 12, +4 to hit with spell attacks). The witch has following wizard spells prepared:

Cantrips (at will): dancing lights, friends, mage hand, mending
1st level (4 slots): disguise self, find familiar, mage armor
2nd level (2 slots): darkvision, invisibility

Actions

Dagger. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 2 (1d4) piercing damage.

Appendix A: Mindwalking

Some especially skilled spellcasters know how to enter the mind of someone else, and fight them there. This practice is incredibly hard to learn, not only because of the immense mental strength required to use it, but also because of how hard it is to find a teacher. Player characters can learn mindwalking, but the long time it takes is likely to be used during downtime.

Appendix B: Names

There are many cultures unique to the Ancient Lands, whose naming conventions are not described in other books. This appendix lists names forcsome major cultures: the atzû-kathi, filnór and shanese dwarves. The lists are presented as tables, so that you can determine a name randomly if you are doing it quickly, or would prefer a random name. Some of the names are constructed differently than the common method (first name, middle name, family name) like the shanese, or have the same names for both genders, like atzû-kathi. There are few restrictions on names, and you can make up your own by observing common sounds and patterns from a list.

Family Names

Shanese

The shanese dwarves' naming system relies on date of birth, with one's name showing the date of the year. Children born on coronation day are named Faretul, which signifies an important destiny. The hill dwarves use family names the same as mountain dwarves. Their first names are two hyphenated parts. The first is determined by third of the month they were born in, while the second depends on which group of ten days they were born in. For example, if you were born on April 23rd, your first name would be Parraf-Sansu.