Sjatak - User contributions [en]

File:Tintea.plain.svg

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== Summary ==
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File:Seiv.plain.svg

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== Summary ==
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Angels

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Angels do not have consciousness. Some, for specific tasks, are given reasonable facsimiles. Many are but the mouth of the god they serve, with no purpose beyond their voice.

== On death ==

When an angel dies, its mouth opens for the first time to reveal a sucking void. After that, it evaporates in short order.

Any part removed from an angel before its death is preserved. Few mortals are actually willing to do this for most angels, so most of these artifacts are from the aftermath of angel/demon battles.

Angel eyes are powerful magical foci and are extremely rare.

Angel feathers are almost perfectly rigid, but act like a metal when broken or crushed.

== Varieties ==

=== Seraph ===

Seraph feathers ring with a discordant jangling like bells. Their wings are many-jointed and cover most of the body. The top set cover the face, the lower set the legs, and the middle set beat slowly in the appearance of flying. On each joint of the wing is mounted an eye with no lid that points into the distance.

== The Rebels ==

Before the gods awakened the mortals, they created an angel with a true mind that could freely travel into the world as the gods could not. They sent sa into the world, where sa discovered it had a full connection to the Aether and could have near-unlimited power. This angel’s name was Odukôr.

=== Odukôr ===

Sa brought a legion of angels along to explore the world. In addition, sa gave the same gift of sentience that sa had to several of the angels under sa’s command.

The gods decided that the creation of the sentient angels was a mistake because they were able to bring the power of the æther into the world, giving them influence beyond even that of the gods. Soon, the wrath of the gods fell fully upon tse, as they became jealous of kusa great power within the material world. Odukôr anticipated their coming wrath and took great measures to spread the others across the globe to ensure that tse’s legacy would not be forgotten.

One of those stayed behind to infiltrate the legions of the gods. Sa did not expect their vengeance to be so complete and was slaughtered along with the rest of the legion who followed Odukôr.

When the hammer fall came, Odukôr did not expect it to be so total. Every single angel that the gods could find was destroyed utterly. Fortunately, they did not know about the other sentient angels and could not find them. Several have been found since then, and the gods send their clerics with a geas of destruction. The gods are loath to interfere in the world directly after the creation of the sentient races, else they would destroy that angel themselves.

The other angels raised to sentience are below.

=== Tainakh ===

Tainakh was killed after disguising veksa as a simple angel and trying to infiltrate the ranks of the gods’ angels. However, sa was destroyed along with the rest in the cataclysm that the gods caused and that created the Sky’s Rim.

=== Xaphi ===

Sa first revealed veksa to mortals as [[Intuvan|Intuvan]]. Sa appeared in the lands that were to become Cald in PKV 93. As sa attracted more attention, the gods figured out kusa identity. Soon the problem became too great to bear and the gods recruited a paladin to do their work. This paladin was an elf woman by the name of Lialana, a devotee of Bahamut. Given this divine quest, she recruited some compatriots to strike forth. They tracked Intuvan for the better part of a year as sa attempted to evade them while keeping up kusa preaching. Finally the band of zealots caught up with Intuvan as sa was preaching to a crowd just outside of Lómingad. They attacked, and Intuvan was only able to kill a few of them before being overwhelmed and struck down by Lialana. Much of the crowd rose up and attacked those who were left standing, and many died with the last of the zealots.

=== Madriin ===

Madriin is the most personable of the angels, and has a group of people who treat sa as a revered teacher. These “Children of Madriin” can be found in the limestone caves to the southwest of the Vozen. They are happy to share their stories with travelers who would not persecute them.

=== Cotsel ===

Cotsel dwells at the bottom of the ocean, and has made great allies of the krakens and water primordials.

=== Onot ===

Onot desired to help the world in a great way, and saw an opportunity in the rise of Morvanga. Sa revealed veksa to the orcs when the time was right, and joined the fight. But the gods had great influence over their chosen, and drove an orc cleric to murder Onot in the heat of battle. That cleric then slit his own throat in regret.

=== Seljoidun ===

Seljoidun rules as the immortal king of the giants. Sa is a kind lord, but also very ready to deal punishment to those who have earned it.

One of Seljoidun’s great achievements is the mathematics of architecture, which allowed sa to design and order the building of the gigantic great hall, 200 meters at its peak.

=== γudzel ===

There is one more angel, that no one now remembers due to active erasure from their memories.

γudzel is responsible for the birth of true mages. After all, the gods clearly aren’t. A true mage is able to bring the power of the Aether into the world, exactly the problem that caused the gods’ jealousy before. Sa has sought out and erased kusa from the memories of all those angels who knew sa. Sa summons the greatest of the true mages to veksa to give them great knowledge.

Ankhegs

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Ankhegs live in dry deserts where their slow metabolism and water-preserving exoskeleton let them hunt during the day while other creatures lie dormant. This way they can ambush and devour other animals.

If you manage to kill one and take its acid glands, they are a valuable reagent.

Astronomy

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There are at least three other planets in the system visible to the naked eye.

The world of Svaltek is orbited by a pair of moons that orbit each other very closely. They complete two revolutions around each other each day, which makes them handy for timekeeping. The two moons of Svaltek complete a full orbit around each other once every 16ish hours and an orbit around the world every 40ish days.

== Comets ==

Comets are considered omens, though for what no one can agree.

Three long-period comets are slated to take the sky together in a few months.

Aurochs

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Aurochs are native to the eastern plains, in orc territory. Their domestic descendants, cattle, were bred in the south by the Elves. Meanwhile the aurochs have been bred ever more aggressive by the orcs and find regular use as beasts of burden and war.

Banshees

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Banshees appear to prophesy the demise of great people, but more often than not have a hand in their downfall.

They cannot truly fly under their own power. They are instead natural gliders with light bones and flaps of skin connecting their limbs. This allows them to swoop silently on their prey from above. They also have powerful legs which can propel them into long jumps, aided by their gliding ability.

== Behavior ==

Banshees love the thrill of the hunt, so much that they often make risky moves just to unnerve their target.

They are able to produce simple illusions. For example, they may cover their face with an image of their target’s and hang from a tree outside their window.

Behemoth

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Called Bahaimautë by the elves, Behemoth is supposedly imprisoned deep within the earth. According to legend, it has risen several times throughout history to wreak destruction upon huge sections of the land. Each time, it was only returned to its prison by the actions of mythical figures like angels or heroes.

Its name comes from the ancient [[Fae|fey]] root ''bhalmud'' “large”, which also evolved into Bahamut.

Worship of Bahamut is taboo among the fey races, as they conflate Bahamut with the Bhalmud.

Bhan

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Bhain are a race of giant humanoids with reptilian eyes. Their average intelligence is a little over that of a human, and they have their own language that is related to Giant. They stand between 7.5 and 9 feet tall. Their culture puts a huge amount of emphasis on shaping prowess and demonstrate it constantly. First, they wear glamors at all times to be more attractive, giving themselves high cheekbones, prominent ears, and defined muscles. They sometimes also give themselves odd, unique flourishes to stand out, even if it would compromise their attractiveness. They also draw heat from their surroundings to maintain their own body temperature in the cold climates they inhabit. This has driven them to adopt very scant clothing to demonstrate that they’re staying comfortable entirely through the power of their magic. In the rare cases they venture into warmer climates, they can do the same thing in reverse to keep cool. Some orcs have learned this trait from the Bhain allowing them to roam the desert more freely.

They are suspected to be related to the giant races, particularly frost giants. It is unknown whether they are more closely related to [[Firbolgs|Firbolgs]] than to giants; they certainly are morphologically similar, like their height.

They have no large cities. Instead they roam nomadically, in groups most often roped together by a charismatic leader at the last yearly gathering. These gatherings are held at seven locations across the northern territory in the two weeks surrounding the summer solstice. These locations are chosen for their religious significance.

Bullywugs

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Bullywugs live in swamps, most notably in the headwaters of the RIVER IN THE WEST. (Do lizard folk live there? They’re native to Jörðin but could have cousins) A small band of Kuo-toas have taken up residence there as well after traveling up the river.

Centaurs

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Centaurs’ natural habitat has been taken by goblinoids. They maintain a strong religious connection to their ancestral homeland, and many of them patrol the outskirts and kill goblins opportunistically.

As such they are targeted by the goblinoid slavers with special preference.

Cities

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Each major city in the empire has a large crystal orb as a beacon. In times of crisis, the court mage may activate it, sending up a flare which expands into the city’s crest from every other beacon. This way forces can be mobilized and correctly deployed very rapidly.

== Çodzen ==

The capital of the empire is done in more detail [[Çodzen|here]].

== Myrrik ==

This is first place that humans landed on [[Ravden|Ravden]], though they had landed on Kiyansi previously. Myrrik, though technically not part of Forkhil province, is strongly related to it. It was founded by settlers from Jörðin as they landed on Ravden. It is unwalled, so in case of a land invasion, about half of the population would be unprotected. No one fears this, though, as the only army they could conceive of would come from the east and be stopped by Lásavellr or Áfram.

== Aventalka ==

Aventalka grew up around Iskaldur, a bridge of unmelting ice created by [[The%20Eight#Mograd%20K'tish|Mograd K’tish]]. It also protects one of the only usable fords of the Þorn. Aventalka has grown far beyond its original position near Ískaldur. It now has grown to be the single largest community of humans on the mainland, supporting a population of over 75 000. Ískaldur is so named because of the unmelting, seemingly indestructible bridge of ice that arcs over the water. It has no supports in the middle, instead supporting all its weight via its curved structure at its ends.

== Helkandi ==

Helkandi is only the capital of Forkhil in name. It is far smaller than Aventalka. It is somewhat more affluent on a per-capita basis, in part due to its higher proportion of old dwarven families. This aristocratic class has a tight hold over all the trade that passes through the city, with the law enforcement snug within their pockets. Corruption is rampant but so far largely not destructive. Whenever one of the ruling families tries to get away with too much, the other families unite and drag them back down to level.

Corruption strikes deeper than most currently suspect. One middle-aged prince of the Drzhen family is actually a vampire, and no one yet suspects.

== Tavin ==

The sister cities of Tavin and Torvin are built atop and within peaks at the northernmost spurs of the Vozen Mountains. Tavin is the bigger and richer of the two and is the capital, but Torvin is quite well-off in its own right. Torvin was actually bigger and richer before the destruction of Bazhda, as it was a major trading hub between West and East. Both are major exporters of raw first materials as well as other minerals and crafted goods.

The centerpiece of Tavin is a massive geared calendar made of filigreed steel and Dzevv copper. It is enchanted to move at the exact rate necessary to keep time. It is said that Tavin, somewhere within its deep libraries, holds a copy of every book that has ever been written.

Visible from Tavin are two peaks called Ve Taviil, The Children. In legend it is told that in ancient days, [[Gods#Angfait|Angfæt]] had two children with Hulzreki, ʃun and ʃen. They were both brave and strong warriors, and watched over the dwarves in the days of their youth. The orcish gods were envious of their strength and prowess and challenged them to a contest. However, they were duplicitous and ambushed ʃun and ʃen, dealing them wounds that doomed them. Angfæt and Hulzreki heard their cries and rushed to their aid, carrying off their bodies to the north of the Vozen. There they were laid in cairns constructed by Angfæt, wreathed about in rivers put there by Hulzreki. There they will sleep for uncounted years until they are needed once more. The mountains themselves are riddled with tunnels and caves that worm through the igneous stone. They have not been explored much, and few who have tried have returned. Even dwarves with great senses of direction will become lost within the first few turns.

== Torvin ==

Torvin has survived the most lengthy wars of any city in the empire. They were constantly beset by orcs from the east, sometimes even assisted by giants. From this conflict they have birthed the greatest warrior academies that the world has right now.

== Mbala ==

This city is a change from the gnomes’s nomadic lifestyle. Here, they have united with the dwarves and orcs to create the infrastructure that supports this fairly large city. The walls and houses of this city are beautifully carved from wood.

== Lómingad ==

Main article: [[Lómingad|Lómingad]]

== Gindal ==

Being so close to the front lines of the war, it is terribly wracked by strife and poverty. It will be the seat of the first major battle seen by the PCs, on whichever side they choose.

== Vangir ==

Vangir is the capital of Fallrun Province, and is built around a ford in the river. Of course, as it became a large town and then a city, bridges were built and eventually the river was largely rerouted around the city and into aqueducts and sewers that serve the city. Its original founders were halflings, and it stays the city with the greatest proportion of halflings.

== Tintëa ==

Tintëa is built around a massive octagonal crystal spire, 90 feet across at its base and 400 feet tall. On the western face, at the eye level of the reader, is an inscription in an ancient elvish dialect. It is a snippet from a poem, and reads, “True power is the only key.” A True Mage may call on her power and phase through the wall, entering a central chamber.

When you enter the spire, you are greeted by a shadow of Ladar Vornesti. He was a talented mind weaver and a good friend of Zhakhad Talt. He crafted the weaves of reflection that allow minds to exist within the spire separate from the body. Zhakhad made the material of the tower, shaping it from the stone below.

== Hearthenford ==

Hearthenford is the largest halfling city in the world.

== Hjartag ==

This city used to be the center of Orcish culture. With the desertification of the area, the city became unsustainable and was mostly abandoned by 750 years ago. Now, the only inhabitants are gnolls and other monstrous races.

== Kvarnak ==

This provincial capital is on the coast of the strait. The outer keep of its castle holds smokehouses and storage for large quantities of food. Most of it can also be kept in the inner keep, but tends not to be except in times of strife. The city has historically come under attack from the gnomes living in Collodra. It was first settled long before the forest had been incorporated into the dwarven kingdoms, and the gnomish barbarian tribes were a major threat.

== Mawak ==

Mawak serves as a forward operating base in the war against the Taurilyë. Almost all Çodzenian forces pass through it on their way to the front line, and so it is an excellent place to pick up rumors about troop movements and other developments of the war.

== Trovth ==

Large segments of the province sympathize with the Taurilyë. They feel that Trovth is far too close to Angalthoz and too separated from its own province. Trovth is home to the temple of Tessoryadan. It is also basically just a puppet of the capital.

== Majheon ==

This city grew around the mouth of the ''Vabutlix klisson tan'', where it flows into the ''Dovek keblis tan'' after flowing down from the ''Sanevjez vovozoit tan''. The area has been settled for as long as there is reliable history and thus there are a vast range of architectural styles and levels of maintenance.

== Smaller Towns ==

=== Sabróg ===

Sabróg was the first town to fall to the Taurilyë and let others know. Deep within the forest, more towns were unable to get any word out–or unwilling.

=== Kveldur ===

Discussed on [[Kveldur|Kveldur]]

== Outside the empire ==

=== Hjartag ===

Hjartag was built around a large bloodred sandstone hill. At its center is a gray pillar of harder sandstone with several sets of parallel grooves in it. The first set belonged to the founder of the city, who it is said carved away the rock with his bare fingers. He then squeezed the rock he had scooped away and it flowed into a gauntlet that magnified his strength. The other grooves are from later kings. Each year the king may be challenged and enter a game that combines their own physical prowess with their favor in the eyes of the people (people may confer advantages to one who is better liked). The winner is king for the year and runs the fingers of their right hand in the next track of grooves. When the grooves become as deep as the founder’s, a new set is begun. This takes a couple hundred years. Now that the city is largely abandoned, there are few who remember the full Song of Names. One tribe claims descent from the orcs of Hjartag and preserves the line of kings from there.

Civil War

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The civil war that is going on pits the [[Taurilyë|Taurilyë]] against [[Çodzenjod|Çodzenjod]]. The human nation on [[Jörðin|Jörðin]] is neutral as of yet in this fight.

The war has been going on for 26 years, though really it has been an uneasy standoff for the last nearly 20 of those. Other political factions are afraid to declare for one side or the other in case they lose. It is clear, and was from almost the start, that the war is a stalemate.

== Opportunistic Groups ==

Many bandits and raiding bands of soldiers roam the border. Some independent groups, like [[Rising%20Dawn|The Rising Dawn,]] try to quell the abuses.

== Player interaction ==

Each Civil War path has three branches: might, diplomacy, and subterfuge. Might entails becoming so powerful that the party can turn the tide of a confrontation by themselves. Diplomacy enlists the help of another powerful entity to bolster your forces enough to end the stalemate. Subterfuge makes you turn the forces of the side you profess to be on against each other, enabling victory for the other side.

Clerics

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There are two general classes of servants to a god.

The most common are acolytes, who choose to follow their gods. This covers anything from the normal people who follow their religion privately, to the maintainers of religious shrines, to most priests who carry out religious rituals. Acolytes may occasionally succeed in winning miracles from their gods, but most gods don’t pay much attention to their acolytes.

The godsworn are far more tightly bound to their deities. This binding takes the form of a magical contract. These contracts require the godsworn to always act in the interest of their promised god, while the god is required to grant the mortal enough power to carry out their demands. This is clearly and for obvious reasons an unequal arrangement.

A godsworn defying their master is generally met with a Geas spell to bring them in line.

Some gods are more jealous than others, but most do prohibit their sworn from venerating other gods or drawing power from sources other than themselves. This bars them from shaping.

Some gods are of course more permissive, or even encouraging. For instance, the dwarven god of knowledge actively encourages shaping as an interest.

Godsworn tend to be itinerant, as their commands may draw them away at any time.

Cockatrices

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Cockatrices live in the northern pine forests where they eat small creatures that they have petrified. Basilisks live there too.

Their habitat used to be much larger, but they have largely been driven from Collodra and only remain in the [[Geography#Pozkor%20mountains|Pozkor Mountains]]

Crag cats

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Crag cats are native to Shimur Devulok (the mountains) but some have been taken by the frost giants as pets. They will rove across the land from coast to coast.

Dinosaurs

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Dinosaurs inhabit the far southern jungles as they never adapted to the cooler, drier climate of the north.

Domesticated Animals

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== Mountain Goats ==

These make up the majority of the livestock. There are many different varieties suited to different tasks, such as riding, carrying heavy loads, and giving meat, milk, and fur.

== Skraigg ==

These animals are like a cross between bison and goats. They are the biggest domesticated animals within Caldjond. They are often used to haul carts, especially along the mountain roads.

They have horns set low on the sides of their heads, curving forward along their jawline. Males’ horns are thicker, while females’ are sharper for adequate defense. They stand about six feet tall at the shoulder. Due to their thick fur, they are not suited to the warmer climates of the south.

Males contest for dominance first by vocalizing, bellowing loudly at each other. If neither surrenders, they will approach and start hitting each other with the side of their heads. Their horns are stout for this reason.

== Aurochs ==

Aurochs are native to the eastern plains, in orc territory. Their domestic descendants, cattle, were bred in the south by the Elves. Meanwhile the aurochs have been bred ever more aggressive and find regular use as beasts of burden and war.

== Crag Cats ==

Crag cats are native to Shimur Devulok (the mountains) but some have been taken by the frost giants as pets.

Dragons

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Dragons are tied to the aether. Their power is drawn from there, and elevates them beyond most of the base consideration of the physical world, such as food and the square-cube law that would realistically prevent them from flying.

It is said that there exists a small continent where dragons reign supreme. They are served by a large population of dragonborn, half-dragons, kobolds, and other reptilians. The dragons were the first intelligent species to discover this new continent. Over hundreds of years, they brought populations of the other species and built them into a society of loyal servants.

Drow

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With the destruction of Lomingad, the drow were nearly all destroyed. Today there exist only four pureblood drow in the known world. Those who carry half or lesser quantities of drow blood abound though.

Drow awakened in the caverns within the Kveðjan.

As primarily subterranean and nocturnal creatures, they are non-melanistic. Their eyes are larger than those of their diurnal cousins.

Their corneas are permeable to mid-range infrared light, and retinas sensitive to it. This leads to their darkvision, which is truly heat vision. Their irises are pinkish-gray in color. This makes going out in sunlight extremely painful, as the intense light can easily damage the retinas.

In the predominant subterranean culture, tattoos using bioluminescent bacteria are common.

== Antahyan ==

She is a priest of Ratseb, in the northern temple. She is an accomplished kinetic shaper.

== Maihelad ==

She is a druid who abides within the life locus. She was not born a shaper, but was reshaped at a very early age as she was given to a druid circle by her impoverished parents as an infant. During the day, she wears a blindfold to protect her eyes and instead navigates by feeling the life around her.

== Abielzad ==

He lives in Tavin with Felyaten, and both are scribes working in the great library.

== Felyaten ==

Dryads

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Unbeknownst to many, dryads are actually animal in nature rather than plant. They acquire their signature appearance by a process that inspired the Tauril shapers to modify their bodies. When they are young, a seed is planted within them and begins to grow. Unlike in the standard humanoids, this causes no pain as it supplants their flesh. Over the following several years the dryad becomes accustomed to their new body until they have mastered at least three of the eight balances. Only then are they named adult and allowed to reproduce.

== Monks ==

Dryad monks are special. Most dryads keep some of their original bodies so they can reproduce, but monks forsake that option and give up the last of their flesh to become on with the wood. They also lose the ability to bind to one tree in favor of a connection to many. They serve the species as warriors.

Dwarves

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Einkrul, the possibly mythical ancestral homeland of the dwarves, is said to have been in the northeast of Tiðak.

Dwarves’ hands are, from the perspective of a human, disproportionately large. Their fingers, though thick, are highly nimble and suited for precision work.

3 is an unlucky number in Dwarvish culture. Not very much though. 27, being three tripled three times, is the most unlucky.

The most common classes are: Fighter, Cleric, Monk, Wizard

== Gender and Sex ==

Female dwarves are taller than their male counterparts but are less thickset.

== Food ==

There’s a particular mushroom that is an extremely important part of dwarves’ diet. Unbeknownst to them (they don’t have proper nutritional science) it contains bioavailable vitamin D@. Of course the other sapient races have the ability to synthesize D in sunlight, which is simply unavailable to the subterranean dwarves. There has been a natural experiment of sorts where nobles decide to be different and not eat the foods of the commoners. They avoid the mushroom and end up with fragile bones and rickety children. The correlation has been noticed by some though is denied by others.

Dzevv Materials

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Dzevv materials are magically enhanced versions of their mundane forms.

== Physics ==

The magical field surrounding each atom of a Dzevv metal interacts with the electromagnetic fields there. This generally has the effect of strengthening the bonds between atoms of the same type, raising their melting points. It also raises their hardness and strength, if they are in bulk quantities.

Carbon and oxygen are great examples of this. Large-scale pure carbon structures are nearly pure Dzevv, particularly diamonds. Diamonds are fairly common because of the stronger bonds between the Dzevv atoms. Meanwhile, Dzevv oxygen is almost never found in compounds, being gaseous diatomic oxygen instead.

Notable exceptions to the rule are silicon and gold. Dzevv silicon bonds to mundane oxygen just as strongly as mundane silicon does, so Dzevv silicates are really just composed of Dzevv silicon, with no other magical component. This makes them weaker than other Dzevv materials. Dzevv gold bonds to mundane gold with approximately the same strength as it does to itself, so it is very difficult to purify.

The capacity of a dzevv element to hold magic is positively correlated with its atomic mass. How the capacity is used is dependent on the element. For instance, copper, silver, and gold transport energy very easily so are easy to charge and discharge. Copper has very low capacity so it is mostly just used as a conductive element in an item.

== Smelting ==

Purifying Dzevv materials takes advantage of the higher melting point. The most common process involves melting the full specimen, then cooling it to a point in between the melting points of the Dzevv and mundane material. The Dzevv will crystallize and sink to the bottom, and the mundane can be poured off to leave the purer Dzevv behind. With the current level of sophistication of this process, it is possible to get around 90% purity at each iteration.

Dzevv aluminum is strongly crystalline. It is difficult to work it into custom forms, as it needs to be heated to the edge of melting before the cubic structure becomes malleable. However these crystals form quickly from an unconsolidated melt of ore. This makes purifying relatively easy.

== Magic ==

The magical field of the dzevv material is resistant to outside magic. It cannot be targeted by common spells. However, once a spell is implanted inside it through the careful actions of a weaver, it will be melded into the material’s natural magic and become permanent.

Elves

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Elves are completely hairless and often wear some kind of headgear like a turban around others. They also have small, upturned noses that correlate with small breast sizes for the women.

All three elven races were awakened in the Cuivorni. The Star elves awakened atop the peaks, Earth elves awakened at the base of the mountains, and the Shadow elves awakened within the many caves that riddle the old rocks. The drow were quickly driven from these caves as more vicious creatures emerged from the deepest reaches of these caverns.

Elves have large and wide hands and feet. These give them a swim speed equal to half their walking speed.

One of the elves’ signature weapons is a long, flexible spear. They use this spear both as a lance from horseback, as well as a fishing spear. This serves them well as semi-aquatic creatures.

== Earth Elves ==

Earth elves are the most abundant subrace by far. They largely stick to the forests and dislike permanent structures. Their biggest nod towards defense are wooden forts, often made from living trees reshaped by life magic. Otherwise they stick to running away as their best survival strategy.

They favor the classes: Ranger, Bard, Druid, Paladin

== Star Elves ==

These elves tend to be most at home in the mountaintops and open plains.

They favor the classes: Paladin, Wizard, Warlock, Rogue

== Shadow Elves ==

Main article: [[Drow|Drow]]

Shadow elves are the most long-lived of the sentient races. They are nearly extinct in their pure blood form, though a decent number of half breeds exist still.

== Food ==

There is a larva that lives within decaying wood that the elves consider a delicacy when fried.

== Spiritual beliefs ==

The bad realm of the dead is at the bottom of the ocean. Merfolk were made from a pair of young adults who were washed out to sea and drowned there, and were transformed into the fluked form they take now.

Ettins

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Ettins were a creation by the giants’ trickster god. By fusing two hill giants together it made one that was slightly less stupid but constantly angry.

Fae

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The fae are a diverse class of creatures who are native to the [[Planes|Fae Wilds]].

== Cosmology ==

The Fae Wilds are said to be perched among the branches of the world tree. The material world comprises the trunk, and the others form the roots. Fae think that the sun is the fire of a dragon who is trying to burn down the world tree. It is chased out of the sky every day by the goddess of the moon.

== Origins ==

They believe that all of the fae species are descended from three progenitors. The genders of these entities are never given. Their names are variable, mostly highly poetic. They can be as simple as “Life” or “Seed” and as complicated as “New growth on a tree” or “The first rains of spring”.

Firbolgs

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Firbolgs are thought to be near cousins of the [[Bhan|Bhan]]. Firbolgs are much more retiring than the Bhan, however. They prefer to stick near their homes and lack the Bhan’s imperialistic tendencies.

They are naturally also suspected to be related to giants, particularly the stone giants. It is unknown whether the relation between Firbolgs and Bhan is closer than the relation between Firbolg and giant.

Orcs call them tree shades as they are able to move camouflaged through vegetated areas. They defend their territory strenuously.

== Physical description ==

Firbolgs stand about 6-7 feet tall. They always have dark brown hair, which is usually straight or a little wavy. Their skin is often light green or brown.

Geography

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Fallrun River is called Kohak before entering its eponymous province.

== The Sky’s Rim ==

In the far north there is a cliff that suddenly terminates the Voztu Tumrohem. In a smooth arc, it draws a circle around the north pole.

== Vozen ==

Tavin’s branch of the Vozen is younger and more rugged than the rest of the range. It is the source of most of the silver and lead mined in Çodzenjod.

== Cuivorni ==

The Cuivorni are barely a mountain range in height, but so rugged that all paths must twist and swerve terribly. Caves are common, and they can dive deep into the earth. Goblins are common throughout the twisting paths, and often accost travelers. Cupped in a valley that extends down to the forested flatlands below is a large freshwater lake.

== Pozkor mountains ==

These mountains are filled with huge warrens of tunnels built by creatures of the Underdark. Most prominent are the dark dwarves but there are also many illithids and their thralls. Due to night raids originating from these tunnels, the constriction of the continent in the north is very dangerous to travel.

== Mardun Devulok ==

This valley is above a mostly-extinct caldera. Its collapse foms the large flat area of the valley, where erosion from the surrounding mountains helps form a smooth bowl. The heat of the magma below also powers the geothermal activity that keeps the area so livable. The caldera is of course dormant because most of the magma has been expelled already. Where it came out the edges and flowed inwards, the flows have largely been chemically eroded by this point and have contributed to the lush vegetation. Outward flows have more often been preserved. The magma is a little more mafic than the bulk of the rocks that make up the mountains. This is why the more recent magma flows have been preferentially eroded.

Giants

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Most giants live within the huge valley at the intersection of the northern and eastern mountains that the orcs call [[Geography#Mardun%20Devulok|Mardun Devulok]], Vale of the Great Ones. The giants themselves call it Makhu, which has no good translation. The fourth side of the valley, that which is not enclosed by mountains, is instead closed with a gigantic wall. This wall spans more than 100 linear kilometers, and averages about 10 meters high and 7 meters thick at the base. It was built by the stone giants, using hill giant labor. It took them nearly 70 years to complete the massive task.

The main city of the vale is Muvdan. More than a thousand giants live there, mostly stone and fire. The fire giants mostly live below, in lava tubes formed by the low-level active volcanism that persists in the area. It is backed onto a cliff from which the river Davlianen (Dav.li.a.nen) tumbles. It has no walls, but really doesn’t need them. The centerpiece of the city is Seljoidun’s great hall, which stands 200 meters tall and more than a kilometer long. It was made possible by Seljoidun’s own mathematical prowess as well as the engineering skills of the stone and fire giants.

The giants and eastern orcs have an agreement, spanning back nearly a thousand years, that giants will aid the orcs in war if the orcs supply labor in agriculture and other such matters. Of particular value are the orcs’ shapers, as the giants lack the ability to use magic on their own. The military alliance has only come into play on two major occasions: the orcish wars with the dwarves, and the cyclic contests with Morvanga.

Giants live for about 500 years, except for hill giants who succumb to a bad diet and rarely live beyond 300.

== Hill Giants ==

Hill giants are stupid. They are base creatures, controlled only by their appetites. If you provide them food, they may follow you for a time. They are easily manipulated, though you will likely have to change your thinking to realize how dumb they are.

== Stone Giants ==

Stone Giants are the most populous of all the types of giants. It was they who organized the treaty that now unites the giants. They

== Fire Giants ==

Fire giants prefer living deep underground, tending their volcanic forges. They produce very skilled blacksmiths, and the orcs often send their apprentices to them to learn their techniques.

== Frost Giants ==

Frost giants are most comfortable in the wide-open expanses of the north. They tend to live nomadic lives, hunting and gathering for their sustenance. Some [[Crag%20cats|Crag Cats]] and [[Wolves#Winter%20wolves|Winter Wolves]] have been domesticated by frost giants and travel with them.

== Cloud Giants ==

Cloud giants are the most charismatic of all, partially due to natural charm and partly an innate magical effect. They are the offspring of a stone giant and a divine being.

== Storm Giants ==

Storm Giants are the only ones with any capability of magic. Even then, their control over their powers is limited. They are able to read the clouds over the Sky’s Rim, and some (those blessed by the storm goddess) have the capability to summon lightning, but that is the extent of their abilities. Storm Giants are the offspring of a fire giant and a divine being.

Gnolls

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Gnolls range in a band from the south edge of the badlands in the east to the rift valley in the south. They prefer the taste of elf and preferentially target their outlying villages. The witherlings are made from those that die in the desert.

Gnomes

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Gnomes are a nomadic people, native to the northwest of [[Ravden|Ravden]]. They form small clans and wander throughout Collodra. During the winter, an ice bridge forms across the strait and allows migration across it into Kiyansi. Gnomes were the first to take advantage of this and many now consider it their homeland.

Those gnomes that live in Collodra still plague the trade routes through the forest. There have been attempts to quell their attacks, including hunting down entire tribes and hanging their bodies from trees as a warning to others. These measures have made some progress, but with the war they have been downgraded in importance.

They tend to produce barbarians and shapers.

The most common classes are: Barbarian, Wizard, Cleric, Ranger

Gnomish ancestors and gods don’t have much of a line between them and tend to get confused. Whoever they were, they had a great love for creating weird mixes like the harpy and the owlbear.

Gnomes worship a moderately sized pantheon of gods, who interact with the world by means of lesser nature spirits. Any tree or bird could be watching you with the eyes of a god. This does not stop them from hunting, as they assume that if their prey is possessed by a spirit, it will have the power to get away and stay alive. This is where the phrase “spirited away” comes from.

Gnomes have gray and dark brown striped skin, suited to their primarily forest environment.

Goblinoids

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== Physiology ==

Skin tones range from gray to yellow to ochre. Hobgoblins tend to be gray-ochre while goblins are more yellow.

== Origin ==

Goblinoids evolved on Jörðin. They differentiated from the human lineage by becoming more carnivorous scavengers. As a result they have a keen sense of smell and strong stomachs.

They hail from the desert islands of the archipelago, hence their dependence on meat as fruits are scarce and brains are expensive. They developed small boats after [[The%20Awakening|The Awakening]] but were swiftly outstripped in skill by the humans. When the humans discovered the mainland, word spread across Jörðin. Through collaboration or theft, some hobgoblins got seafaring vessels and sailed to the mainland to establish a new society, bringing goblins as labor. Once they found a semi-arid spot in the southeast of the continent that wasn’t held by any existing group, they set up a state and have been thriving. This state is extremely centralized and hierarchical, with the goblins and bugbears filling roles on the spectrum of slave to sycophant. The hobgoblins are mostly concentrated in this area but the other races are far more scattered, with fractious tribes of goblins all across the continent.

== Religion and Culture ==

The goblin races, especially hobgoblins, are loosely monotheist or at least monolatrist. They certainly believe that other beings that are worshiped as gods do not deserve the honor. Their god is named Maglubiyet, often translated as Bane. He has a divine retinue of those who die in battle, and particularly notable heroes are promoted to being acknowledged by him.

=== Continental ===

The sect that made it to the mainland was a religious group dismissed by the majority as too extreme and aggressive. Some of their beliefs are:

* There are only two fundamental, essential groups: slaves and owners. These are immutable categories decided by god. This is a stronger form of the more mainstream belief, that god has decided who gets immortality and who is forgotten.
* Only those deserving of high honor get to have unique names of their choice. All others are named after random natural things.
* The only people who are destined for paradise are men who die in combat and women who die in childbirth. It’s possible that those who fulfill support roles and women who have many children without dying will also get in, but it’s not 100% guaranteed.
* Those who do not get into paradise will be the slaves of those who are in heaven.
* Shaping is a feminine endeavor, life shaping doubly so.
* Only pure-blooded hobgoblins are deserving of paradise. This is a bit contentious even here, some allow other goblinoids to have their own separate heavens.
* Suffering is desirable as a way to cleanse your soul. In the extreme, willingly burning alive asa sacrifice to god might grant you absolution and get you into heaven. This is again supposed to be willing but inquisitors have burned the unrepentant to save them. If one’s skull is not broken by the heat, it is considered a blessing and the skull is displayed in a chapel with glass eyes inserted.

In conquest and government hobgoblins are brutal. Polygyny is the norm. Males, being expected to fight and die, rarely are able to marry. Females are bound to the home, with their only goal in life to birth enough males to keep the wars going. They are still taught to use simple weapons like spears and are expected to fight to the death if threatened by a non-goblinoid or generally anyone of lower status. Fighting back against an assault by a higher status male is punished by torturous death. Slavery is completely normalized. There are a few minor restrictions. The most important ones are: - If you break one of a few enumerated bones like the major ones of the limbs, you have to let them recover then let them go free - If you beat a slave to death, you have to let their family go free or pay a fine to the church if that isn’t possible - If you rape a slave and impregnate them, that child is full-bloodedly yours so has a full share of any inheritance. This of course leads to a lot of back alley abortion.

Some witches carve out a niche at the edge of society. They are the only ones to practice the craft and magic of healing. Traditional garb for them is green dresses with red sleeves. Sometimes they have to hide from persecution and not wear this garb.

Their government is ruled by a small ruling council composed of three people:

* A hereditary king
* The head of the continental branch of the church
* And a last seat which anyone can buy access to by paying more money than the last guy.

Any action must have a consensus reached among all three. The role of the last position is primarily fundraising. The king alone doesn’t have the power to fund a strong central military force to keep the rest of the feudal structure in line. These council purchases are the primary cash flow directly into the central government. Taxes are only relatively rarely levied directly against the noble houses. The king, like any noble, has the power to raise taxes from the populace of his home province. Central taxes are sometimes threatened but often this just spurs one of the nobles to bite the bullet and buy the seat so they get something out of it.

Hobgoblins are not allowed to enslave other hobgoblins. However, for certain crimes an individual can be declared no longer a hobgoblin. To mark this their ears are cut off and they are either exiled or enslaved.

=== Original ===

The hobgoblins that remain in the homeland (most of them of course) have somewhat different emphasis in most of their religious practice and text. They bear similarity to traditionalist catholics, with a ''sola fide'' style emphasis on orthodoxy. Similarly they believe that if you ''really'' believe correctly, you would know that god desires you to practice all of the rituals he has laid out or inspired through his one true church. 
They also have a whole canon of saints.

The patron saint of flight was a monk who was praying on a windy clifftop when a gust caught his billowing robes and pitched him over the edge. At the last minute he was saved by the power of god and did not suffer any injury upon hitting the ground. He was probably just a shaper but whatever, he got to spin the story and got canonized for it.

They have a celibate monk role. They take the celibacy ''extremely'' seriously. If you are ever found to be violating the rule, you get castrated and the removed scrotum and testicles are dehydrated. You are forced to wear them suspended from a leather strap as a necklace for the rest of your life. On your second offense (if you get that far) then you get killed gruesomely including removal of the penis.

A tactic sometimes employed by the hobgoblins is to raise a prairie fire in front of their charge to weaken and intimidate the enemy. The fire itself causes perhaps 2d6 fire damage+1d6 per turn for 3 turns, while the smoke forces a DC 13 con save or take -1 to attacks. On a success the counter resets, or at -5 you forfeit your action due to coughing.

== Notable individuals ==

'''Winter''' ''NG, green/white'' and '''Bobcat''' ''CN, red/green''

Winter is a witch who has very short-cropped blond hair. She wears the green and red dress, with mistletoe leaves embroidered into the green. Bobcat has long, dark hair in a single braid and wears a short sword and dagger on a brown leather belt around a cream linen tunic.

Winter’s mentor, Finch, was caught and burned alive by religious authorities. Winter was not there to witness this or to save her mentor and when she found out she was utterly distraught and terrified. She and became effectively a hermit, being as self-sufficient as she could be and interacting with other hobgoblins as little as possible. This came from fear that she would be revealed and meet the same gruesome fate. Eventually she met Bobcat out hunting. They were immediately attracted and spent a lot of time together. The two of them started living together out in the woods after a month or so. One morning Winter couldn’t keep her secret any longer and told Bobcat that she was a witch. Bobcat was understanding of the secrecy and vowed to protect Winter from any violence that may come her way due to her witchery. This feeling of safety inspired Winter to extend her healing powers to help the residents of the nearby villages. This is a dangerous proposition still, and they are relying on no one betraying them to the authorities.

Bobcat lived among the elves for a while after running away from her abusive parents. There she was taught to use a bow and a two-weapon fighting style. She was also discovered to be a natural shaper but never really felt a desire to cultivate that. In the spirit of sharing with Winter she has accepted some tutelage in shaping and has incorporated some lightning into her melee combat.

Gods

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The line between gods and primordials is blurred at the best of times, as they both seem to come from the Æther. The characterization is usually based on alignment, with Chaotic beings termed primordials and other alignments gods.

The gods rarely give out even simple information. If you have been good, they ''may'' let you know where a valuable artifact is; never more than that. The gods are far from omniscient; they have the ability to see anywhere their power extends, but only one location at a time. They spend most of their time watching their followers.

== Origins ==

Several million years ago, the first god sprung into existence from the [[Æther|Æther]]. It was nothing more than a mind that could move through its surroundings. In time, it learned to manipulate the world it lived in using its thought, and started experimenting. After eons of practice, it was able to create independent beings. Some of these it bound to a promising-looking world and left. Thus the gods (as the sentient races know them) were born.

The gods know little to nothing about this tale, and no mortals have even the barest clue. The gods, close-mouthed at the best of times, are utterly silent on the topic of themselves.

After the gods awakened the sentient races, they severed as much of the connection between the Æther and the material world as was possible. They had learned from the whole Odukôr debacle that allowing a god’s full power into the world is a dangerous endeavor; at least, for their egos. This is how their power became tied to the number of worshippers.

== The Dwarven pantheon ==

=== Angfait ===

Angfait is the lawful good dwarven deity of iron and stone. Sa is the most venerated of all the dwarven pantheon, for sa is the progenitor of the dwarven race. Sometimes sa takes a male form and sometimes female, in all forms of dwarfdom. Kusa holy symbol is a pickaxe. Kusa priests have shaved heads with tattoos ringing them like a crown then turning down their spines, in a manner reminiscent of golems. Tectonic activity is considered the music of Angfait.

=== Hulzreki ===

Hulzreki is the neutral good dwarven deity of water, the spouse of Angfait. Sa is most of any of the dwarven pantheon connected with life. The priests of Hulzreki shave their heads and have tattoos that ring their heads like a crown then turn down the spine, in a manner reminiscent of golems. Kusa holy symbol is a ????

=== Torend ===

Torend is the lawful neutral dwarven god of the forge. Sa holds dominion over the making of things and, it is said, taught the first dwarves who walked the earth to smelt metals and work them. Sa’s temple is within Kandanar. Kusa holy symbol is an anvil.

=== Kjelmadov ===

Kjelmadov is the true neutral deity of knowledge. It is sa that gave the dwarves their language at the time of Awakening. Kusa clerics are bards and storytellers, and many arcane casters give sa reverence. Kusa holy symbol is a circled eye. Weavers are considered chosen by Kjelmadov.

=== Maizhen ===

Maizhen is the lawful neutral dwarven goddess of justice. Her holy symbol is a balance.

=== Kækkoz ===

Kækkoz is the chaotic neutral dwarven god of fire. Kusa holy symbol is a

=== Kalsia ===

Kalsia is the goddess of ice, death, and the sky. Clouds are called ''Kalsia’s Robe'' and passing through clouds or fog due to elevation is considered extremely unlucky. She was first venerated in the mountains of Tiðak, where sudden cracks in the ice sheets and avalanches can take lives aplenty without warning. They offered sacrifices of the gigantic mountain goats found in those peaks, and that tradition continues. It is so ingrained, in fact, that a herd of the goats is kept at Lásavellr to be sacrificed in order to ensure safe passage of scouting expeditions. Her most powerful clerics gain control over death itself, able to strike foes dead with a word. Her holy symbol is the head of a wolf.

It is said that glacier crevasses hold portals to Kalsia’s realm. This may have started as a simple euphemism but has developed into an established part of the myth.

A mantra among soldiers who worship Kalsia is the following: > The warriors of Kalsia fight without fear of death > In her cold embrace they will be welcome

=== Tessoryadan ===

Tessoryadan is the dwarvish goddess of time. She is depicted as young, tall, and happy, but unempathetic. Curiously, she has proportions far more similar to those of a human than of a dwarf.

=== Ratseb ===

Ratseb, meaning the Eight Together, is the monotheistic god proposed by the northern heretics.

== The Human pantheon ==

=== Træþilin ===

Træþilin is the chaotic neutral human goddess of storms. She bequeaths to her clerics uncanny skill with lightning. Her holy symbol is a branching bolt of lightning.

=== Lántig ===

Lántig is the true neutral human god of the sea. He chooses only the strongest to be his clerics. His bride is Træþilin, and mariners pray to both for safe journeys. His holy symbol is a leaping fish.

=== Ashur ===

Ashur is the chaotic neutral human god of hunting. He wields a multicolored bow that shoots arrows of fire. The humans believe that shooting stars are his arrows loosed in the fight against Hel, evil goddess of pain.

== The Elvish pantheon ==

=== Peidä ===

Peidä is the neutral good elvish goddess of life. She is venerated as the mother of all three elvish races, though Tilmariad and Lómin are the patrons of the high and dark elves, respectively. She took a particular liking to the wood elves, teaching them woodcraft and magics of growth. Her holy symbol is a twig of yew.

=== Tilmariad ===

Tilmariad is the lawful neutral elven god of the stars. He is the patron of the high elves and very rarely interferes with the affairs of mortals. His clerics are few and far between, but without exception powerful instruments of his will. His holy symbol is a six-pointed silver star.

=== Lómin ===

Lómin is the true neutral elven goddess of fire. She is said to have scorched the skins of the drow with smoke, giving them their dark skin and powers with darkness. She favors women to be her clerics, feeling that women are less corruptible. After the extinction of the drow, her worshippers have come largely from the ranks of the dwarves, who were always close to the dark elves. Her holy symbol is a knot of jet.

== The Halfling pantheon ==

=== Bahamut ===

Bahamut was originally one of the titanic weapons of the gods, a monstrous dragon created to carry out the destruction of the elementals.

== The Gnomish pantheon ==

=== Injuni ===

Injuni is the chaotic good gnomish goddess of waters. Her great shrine is Tyengulë, in the heart of Collodra. It is said that a believer who drinks directly from the spring receives great wisdom. Her holy symbol is a vial of water from Tyengulë.

Tyengulë Shrine (technically outside the bounds of the province) is a tower of hexagonal basalt columns that reaches more than 80 meters into the air. From the top, a neverending spring of clear water gushes and runs down the sides in streams and rivulets. The hard stone itself seems impervious to physical weathering and damage of any sort, so it is very difficult to climb conventionally. In winter the streams freeze and create shimmering cascades, but the spring never abates.

=== Cain ===

Cain is the gnomish trickster god. He is capricious, understandably, and is never found without his dice. What form they take is entirely at his whimsy, but most often manifest as d12s. He has no shrine. His holy symbol is any game of chance, often dice or cards.

== The Fey pantheon ==

=== El ===

El is typically depicted as a male shapechanger, most often a bear. He has several servants, including Asriel and Joxael.

=== Tiamat ===

Tiamat is depicted as a female five-headed dragon. It is questionable whether she is a god or a primordial.

==== Her children and other creations ====

===== The Bhalmud =====

Main article: [[Behemoth|Behemoth]] Bhalmud is her greatest creation. It spreads mindless destruction across the land. It is said that nothing can pierce its hide, and its scales are grown of dzevv iron.

===== Buradden, the Great Devourer =====

An enemy of the fey

A four-armed humanoid around the size of an ogre, he has a huge mouth and is always eating. He doesn’t care what he eats, from plants to animals to people to rocks. Anything that goes down his gullet is never seen again.

He was defeated and imprisoned by a great hero many years ago. This hero bolted Buradden’s mouth shut with steel bands and trapped his body in stone. The location of this prison was lost with the demise of the hero and none have tried to rediscover it in a very long while.

Buradden’s teeth are about as strong as steel. They avoid wearing down by growing slowly. When you find him, his teeth will have been growing for centuries, slowly forcing his bonds apart. Some deep dwellers may try to free his limbs from their bonds, possibly even succeeding. At this point problems will start.

===== Qonut, Lady of Swarms =====

Qonut most often takes the form of a mass of beetles enveloping a humanoid skeleton. Even miles away small creatures become hyperaggressive and form masses eager to feed. Even innocuous creatures like mice try to eat flesh.

Almost all the time, Qonut is accompanied by several swarms of rodents or insects. This is only not the case when she is in disguise to infiltrate a city. She is adept in illusions and can cloak her true form in a fair face. She does this to gain sympathy and to manipulate people.

She moves slowly, as if dancing to a lazy waltz. Even in combat she is leisurely and cannot exert much force with her attacks. As such, the only weapon she carries is a long, razor-sharp dagger. This dagger can slice through anything organic with little effort.

===== Sadin, Father of Lies =====

Sadin loves to spread distrust and antipathy among others. He most often takes the form of an innocuous shopkeeper or the like, the more forgettable the better. He has magic to help with that score.

Golems

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Golems are traditionally inscribed with a complex sequence of runes that follow the lines of the major nerves in a humanoid body. It is important that these runes be smoothly connected, as the dzevv metal that fills the runes must conduct the life energy that animates the golem.

Goliaths

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Goliaths, being of giant blood, cannot become shapers through normal means. Minorly magical classes (like bards) can reflavor their effects to be solely nonmagical.

Their favored classes are: Bard, Monk, Ranger, Fighter

Government

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== Codzenjod ==

The empire is really a confederacy of semi-independent states.

=== Kinjan ===

The smallest unit of government is the kinjan. They generally contain the population of a mid-sized city. Each one may have a different internal government, but it is required that they raise two people to ruling status. One of these will stay and rule the kinjan, while the other becomes part of the provincial government (tuzevik).

=== Tuzevik ===

The eight provinces of Caldjond are called tuzeviik. They are ruled by a council of people raised from kinjain.

Tiðak and Angalthoz were originally one province. As population grew, such a large state became unwieldy to govern-or at least that was a good excuse. The main reason was that Tavin wanted to increase its power, and being a provincial capital would do nicely. During negotiations over the division, there was a power struggle between Tavin and Torvin over who would be capital. Tavin eventually won because of its superior trading position, but Torvin did end up with the mint.

=== Diteson ===

Each tuzevik sends one representative to the confederate ruling council, called the Diteson.

=== Zalax ===

At the beginning of each year, the Diteson raises one of its own to the role of Zalax. The only special power of this role is as tiebreaker. Terms cannot be consecutive.

Griffins

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Griffins and their relatives (and aaracokra) are believed to be the result of gnomes or their gods fucking about. They live mostly on Kiyansi. Harpies live there too, mostly along the Soko Strait. They regularly attack ships to steal goods and eat people. They are mortal enemies of the aaracokra.

Grimlocks

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These blind, troglodyte humanoids are people corrupted by mind flayer magic.

== History ==

They were once servants of the mind flayers, and the mind flayers desired to reward them for their service. They were first given hypersensitive senses, which drove them forever into the dark. Those who encountered light were so pained by it that they often put out their own eyes. Over a millennium or so of intense selection pressure, this turned the whole species blind.

The mind flayers also have a sense that picks up on magic, and tried to give this to the grimlocks. This did not work out too well and the grimlocks feel the presence of magic as unpleasant and nearly debilitating.

== Behavior ==

Their preternaturally sharpened hearing gives them echolocation abilities. They are capable of pinpointing breathing to within about 10 m, and even detecting an elevated heart rate at up to 3 m. To communicate with one another, they speak in low whispers that sound threatening to other beings. Their intensified sense of touch leads them to craft fine, tight-fitting leather garments that make physical contact with their surroundings bearable. Due to the increased sensation (and due to them being fucked up) they get off on strangling people.

== Range ==

They were first bred in the volcanic caverns under the Cracked Hills. Under the dominion of the illithids, they spread far across the underside of the earth, even to the southern mountains. They have largely stuck to where their masters abandoned them. Communities have become progressively more isolated over time, to the point where they have diverged significantly in their cultures and methods of hunting.

In the present day, they are in the highest concentrations under the Pozkor mountains. See the article on illithids for more.

Grungs

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Grungs are native to the southern jungles, but some have found their way into more northern swamps.

Halflings

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Halflings were originally called that by humans who came over to [[Ravden|Ravden]]. Their name for themselves is Perian.

== Physical description ==

Halflings stand between 3 and 4 feet high. They tend to have blond to dark hair, most often curly. Their skin is often dark. They have thick nails and tough fingertips that allow them to dig very effectively.

Humans

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Humans are a fast-expanding and adaptable race. Those who have left their homeland and settled elsewhere have more often than not created successful communities wherever they go.

They [[The%20Awakening|Awakened]] on the continent [[Jörðin|Jörðin]].

== Physical description ==

Being native to near the arctic circle, most of them have a very pale base skin tone but tan easily and darkly. They show much more sexual dimorphism than most of the other sapient races.

== Language ==

The human name for gnomes means children.

== Religion ==

The chief god of the human pantheon is Lantig, god of the sea. He wields a long and flexible fishing spear that is made from a whale’s rib tipped with the beak of a kraken. On the day of the winter solstice, the priests of Lántig take a human sacrifice, set them at the prow of a ship, then run them through with a facsimile of that spear. The body along with the spear is allowed to drop into the sea. If the body sinks, it is a good portent for the coming year.

It is rare to find clerics to the human deities on Ravden. Because of how many gods there are, they are unable to spread far even within Jörðin. A small local area will have a patron god whose influence does not spread far beyond that location.

Illithids

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Mind flayers are some of the most terrifying imperialistic monsters that exist on Svaltek.

The mind flayers have a sense that picks up on magic. They tried to give this to the grimlocks as well but they feel the presence of magic as very unpleasant to nearly incapacitating. The mind flayers are very proud and never admit mistakes.

== Range ==

Illithids are also most common in the extensive cave systems under the Pozkor mountains. Here in the Underdark, they have established a small empire. Grimlocks are their slaves as they have always been. Some Gith were unable to escape and remain enslaved as well.

Intuvan

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Intuvan was a great historical figure whose teachings were integral to the modern philosophy of Çodzenjod.

== History ==

Intuvan first appeared in Tivak, in PKV 93. At that time Tavin was the center of Dwarven culture in the world. Sa was greeted with great opposition from the theocrats because of kusa beliefs.

== Beliefs ==

Sa spread the message that the gods were not worthy of worship.

<blockquote>Consider the gods. They sit in their distant mansions within the Aether, with nary a thought towards our well-being. So they care about us? They care that we are able to worship them. They care that we give them access to power within this world. They ''care'' that we can give them power over us. I say we take that power back into our own hands.
</blockquote>

Jörðin

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The ancestral homeland of [[Humans|humans]], Jörðin has remained strongly independent from the mainland. Soon after the rise of humanity on the island, they developed the craft of sailing and set out to find other lands. They landed at several points along the coast of [[Ravden|Ravden]], most notably Myrrik.

Jörðin means, in the human language, “the world”. This is heavily implied to be the civilized world. Those who remain on the island and do not travel to the mainland tend to be distrustful of other races, even to the point of ejecting them from the isle.

== Culture ==

The humans who live on Jörðin have a very patriarchal society. Women are viewed as unable to make decisions intelligently, especially in money and politics.

== Skýjum ==

Jörðin’s capital, Skýjum, is built near the mouth of its largest river, Freyja. Its first ships launched from there, and it remains the largest port on the island. It is protected from attack by sea by a fortress built on an island in the bay of Þáfin, where Freyja empties into the sea. This fortress, Kjálkar Freyjan (Freyja’s Jaws), is built around a locus of lightning and is staffed by wrights who can make greatest use of it.

Skýjum is named so for two reasons. For one, the massive waterfalls at the southwestern end of the lake it is built by throw massive clouds of spray into the air. For another, the lake is so perfectly still (being at the bottom of an ancient glacial valley) that it reflects the sky beautifully. This lake is named Auga Lántigna, the Eye of Lántig.

== Fjatlið range ==

The Fjatlið mountains that run along the eastern coast provide a good source of fresh water and animals to hunt. They are also the site of massive metal mining operations, allowing the human military to become one of the greatest in the world. The human navy is the pride of the land. It is the only organized seafaring force in the known world, and is massively important to Jörðin’s economy. The only other naval power is the pirate dominions in the south of Ravden, who are at constant odds with the human trading fleets.

These mountains are uplifted by an active subduction zone. They are therefore very volcanically active. On the whole the continent is moving west. This leaves room for Kiyansi to continue splitting from Ravden.

== Kirlad Tagin ==

The Kirlad Tagin is a gap in between the Fjatlið and the Tennur ranges filled with volcanic activity. Hot springs are particularly common. Massive marshes dominate the areas around these springs, and together they make a barrier impassable to any large group. Several trappers do know of paths through the treacherous grounds, but any route is further endangered by [[Lizardfolk|lizardfolk]] and other swamp creatures that don’t take kindly to human intrusion.

The impassibility of the Kirlad Tagin was a major impetus behind the development of ships. Without the possibility of overland travel, there was no other way to access the southern portion of the island. To that end, the first barges were launched about 5000 years ago on a mission into the south. They found wild, untapped forests that were ripe for settlement. Civilians and soldiers alike took to the new ships and flocked to the southern lands, quickly establishing another province.

== Division ==

After the Awakening of humans, they split into various nations. These nations went to war regularly, stimulating improvement in the technologies of battle. These nations, over the years, joined into greater and greater empires, until the last two remaining lands merged about 200 years ago.

Nationalist tendencies in the south have amounted to little of late, as most everyone realizes the benefits of being in a larger nation. Still, the residents of the south tend to be more independent and less likely to get along with Çodzen than do the Northerners.

== Tennur ==

The Tennur are no longer active. They were raised by a plate collision millions of years ago, which left one side of the continent rugged and created the Tennur as the center buckled.

Iron deposits are common in the Tennur. These were left by hydrothermal springs which were forced out of the deep crust by the pressure of continental collision. The dzevv iron extracted from these veins is a major source of industry on the continent.

== Vorbadr ==

Vorbadr was the first fortress built in the southern portion of Jörðin. It guards the only semi-viable pass through the Tennur. It was constructed by an isolationist southern sect about 300 years ago to serve as their base of operations to “defend” against the people of the north. The movement died out fairly soon, after a short war. This instance was the largest rebellion yet seen.

The fortress is still maintained and manned, and protects the passage through the Tennur at a high cost in gold.

== Sundrivarð ==

Sundrivarðaga is a mountain near the northern terminus of the Fjatlið range. It looks like it was once one peak, but something split it in two. According to legend, it was the birthplace of Sundrivarð, a monstrous giant who menaced Jörðin in the early years after the Awakening. It is said that he was so large that several lakes are his footprints and that he had to stoop below the clouds. He was stopped when Træþilin, goddess of storms and the only one of the human pantheon to walk the earth, called the power of a storm upon him, breaking his armor and killing him. The power involved in this astounding feat, it is said, permanently altered the area and created the lightning locus.

Sundrivarð’s head can be found in the center of a lake northeast of Skyjum. It is about 6 meters tall and still bears its stone helmet.

== Volcanoes ==

The volcanic archipelago in the south is the world’s primary source of first glass. Mikið has become rich off that trade.

Kobolds

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Some of the progenitor dragons decided that they would engineer themselves to be sexually reproducing. They landed on a eusocial system similar to ants. The dragon is the female form who spawns the males and neuters which are kobolds.

The center of the lair holds the dragon broodmother, with a small number of males who are highly submissive. Everyone else is defending the area and gathering food for the broodmother.

Krakens

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Krakens are gigantic squid-like beasts that live in deep waters.

== Livyataan ==

This being dwells within [[Lake%20Dosvek|Kva tan Dosvek]]. It stalks the depths and eats ships that sail too far from the shore.

== Others ==

The humans know of other krakens that inhabit the open oceans. They rarely target ships and also often sleep for months after eating, so they are not nearly as feared as the Livyataan.

Kuruzhleng

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There are two very different colors of Dwarvish, formal and informal. The two bear resemblance to each other, and are largely mutually intelligible, but have significant sound differences and tend to structure things very differently. It is believed that Angfait veksa gave the dwarves language in the beginning, and that this was the formal mode. It is preserved unchanged in ritual and in record as a sign of devotion while informal Dwarvish changed and was modified into a trade language.

== Phonology ==

It is based on Polish. The definite/only article is “ve” Speakers most often use VSO word order, but this is hardly necessary and using others generally does not sound weird. More generally, the word put first is the one that you want to emphasize. In writing, naïve writers generally stick with VSO while more experienced writers use much freer order and use VSO to contrast dialogue with other language. When indirect objects are used, they almost always appear immediately after the object, but again this is merely convention and not a grammatical requirement. Þorn and eð are recent additions to the language, brought about by interactions with the humans. Almost all words that use them are loanwords from the human tongue. Others are conversions from fs and vs. The dwarves, like most everyone else, use spatial prepositions to indicate temporal relationships. In their case, ‘in front of’ is used for previous events, because we are obviously facing the past as we can see it.

Color words are suffixed on the noun they apply to. The suffix -ngov does not distinguish between things that are light in color and things that are giving off light. ''Kaeptsom'' “firelike” can be used for the second meaning.

== Phonotactics ==

Unless a word consists of only one syllable, it cannot begin with a vowel or semivowel. If two double consonants would appear in adjacent syllables within the same word, the first is shortened. Stress falls on the penultimate syllable in most polysyllabic words. It may instead fall on the final syllable if the word ends with ś, tś, or their voiced versions. If you would have a uo cluster, the u drops out. Sj is often actualized as ʃ, though this is not to be desired. The f→þ / v→ð change happens before front vowels and word-finally. If the sound stops being word-final due to suffixes, the sound returns to f/v. New speakers tend not to do this, and the mispronunciation is slowly becoming more acceptable as more people do it as the language becomes more sundered from its roots. If there are two of the same vowel in a row, a glottal stop is inserted between them. This pretty much only happens with remote past tense. The first h in a hh cluster is velarized, making it [xh] n can never happen before a velar, while ŋ can never happen before a front vowel. rr = trilled r

== Orthography ==

The þ and ð characters are considered improper to use for spelling native dwarvish words, even if they are unequivocally pronounced that way.

== Nouns ==

Have singular and plural number. Plural is formed by infixing an i after the final medial vowel, making it a diphthong. In the case that the only vowel in the word is at the end, it is allowed to take the i. Dovvt “finger” ⟶ Doivvt “fingers”, Po “this” ⟶ Poi “these” 
Case marking, including for accusative and nominative, happens by means of prefixes. 
Genitive/Possessive: Ku- like Kuratseb “of God” 
Instrumental: Bos- like Bossakvu “by (a) sword” 
Accusative: Hr- 
Nominative: Ol- 
Dative: Tenn- 
As in “Oleŋ treŋkhjok hrsertś tennsa” = “I gave a treasure to him/her” = “Treŋkhjok oleŋ hrsertś tennsa”

== Pronouns ==

To any of these can be added the reflexive prefix vek- To make possessive forms, add the prefix ku-

{|
!align="center"|
!align="center"| First Person
!align="center"|
!align="center"| Second Person
!align="center"|
!align="center"| Third Person
!align="center"|
|-
|align="center"|
|align="center"| Inclusive
|align="center"| Exclusive
|align="center"| Familiar
|align="center"| Formal
|align="center"| Person
|align="center"| Other
|-
|align="center"| Singular
|align="center"| Eŋ
|align="center"|
|align="center"| Çu
|align="center"| Vu
|align="center"| Sa
|align="center"| Tse
|-
|align="center"| Plural
|align="center"| Eiŋ
|align="center"| Źeiŋ
|align="center"| Juź
|align="center"| Futś
|align="center"| Śek
|align="center"| Tśek
|}

== Verbs ==

It has 5 tenses: present, present continuative, near past, remote past, and future. The past tenses relate only the time at which the action concluded, giving no information about for how long the action had continued. Other forms include active and passive participles. Simple present is merely the verbal stem. Present continuative reduplicates the first section (up through the first vowel) out front and adds -inn. Medial approximants are dropped out of the stem if they are duplicated. Ex.: Tekta “live” ⟶ Tetektainn “is living”, Źjelln “speak” ⟶ Źjeźelninn “is speaking”, jond “control” ⟶ jojondinn “is controlling” Near past is formed by adding -tjok if possible else -jok. Ex.: Preśtś “fight” ⟶ Preśtśjok “recently stopped fighting”, Grźen “lay” ⟶ Grźentjok “laid”. Near past has meaning similar to that of the perfect, in that it generally places emphasis on the effects of that action. For instance, oleŋ źogatjok means “I ate and am still sated” while oleŋ toźogaak means “I ate a while ago”. It also allows some other distinctions, like if someone asks you whether you have seen a person and you answer oleŋ solintjok it means that you have seen them recently and therefore might know where they are, while an answer of oleŋ tosolinak means that you have not seen them within a relevant time frame. Remote past is made by circumfixing to- -ak. Ex.: Pjel “come” ⟶ Topjelak “came long ago”. Remote past can also convey that the action can no longer be done, at least by the subject(s) in question. Future tense uses -źel. Ex.: Ravvil “run” ⟶ Ravvilźel “will run” Passive participles are formed by adding -eln. Ex.: Vor “raise” ⟶ Vozen “upraised” Active participles are formed by adding -inn. Ex.: Świksen “laugh” ⟶ Świkseninn “laughing” Verbal nouns are made with -da. Infinitive is also just the verbal stem. Perfect aspect is conveyed with the suffix -men. To indicate possession of property, use ''jond''. Ancient tsov “take” split into tsofin “acquire” and tsu “possess” which both govern the allative case

== Adjectives ==

Adjectives almost always end with -om so they can be distinguished from the nouns they succeed. To form an adjective from a noun, add -tsom if possible else -om. Comparative and superlative are made by prefixes. Comparative is made with tʃo- Superlative is made with lo- Adjectives describing color are suffixed on the relevant noun. If you have two regular adjectives, you can mash them together so that they “share” their suffix. Ex: “big and strong” = dasjogom

== Prepositions ==

They exist. They do not have set form.

=== Conjugation of ki (do) ===

{|
! Tense
! Form
|-
| Present
| ki
|-
| Present Continuative
| kiki
|-
| Passive Participle
| keln
|-
| Active Participle
| kinn
|-
| Past
| kintjok
|-
| Remote Past
| tokinak
|-
| Future
| kizhel
|-
| Infinitive
| shak
|-
| Noun
| kida
|}

=== Conjugation of von (be) ===

''von'' is the only verb that agrees in number with its subject.

{|
! Tense
! Form
|-
| Present
| von/voin
|-
| Present Continuative
| viin
|-
| Passive Participle
| N/A
|-
| Active Participle
| voinn
|-
| Past
| tjok
|-
| Remote Past
| tovonak/tovoinak
|-
| Future
| vozhel
|-
| Infinitive
| shavn/shavoin
|-
| Noun
| voda/voida
|}

Kveldur

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This large town was built upon an island in the Fallrun. It is connected to either shore by two bridges. Each bridge is set on strong stone pillars. The support in the center of each bridge is huge and is the base of a guard tower. These towers are equipped with a drawable section of bridge. The actual city gates, at the terminus of each bridge, have another drawbridge. The city itself is ringed with walls, though these walls leave the docks and associated areas outside. This has been the most significant weakness of the town. It becomes hugely important to security that the docks be protected. The drawbridges on the center spans serve a double purpose, allowing waterborne traffic to pass from one side to the other. These sections are extra fortified for defense against any fleets who try to force through. This allows swift defense boats to go through to repel attacks on the opposite side of the island. This means that to mount an effective attack, the attackers must shut down these defensive strikes by attacking every point of the coast at once.

Lake Dosvek

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Lake Dosvek is largely unsounded, though it is suspected to be more than a kilometer in depth. No ships dare venture out of sight of shore, out of fear of the creatures that may reside in the depths–above all the [[Livyataan|Livyataan]]. There are but rumors and legends regarding such a beast, but these are enough to forestall investigation.

== Marzhun ==

Marzhun is found on the northern edge of the lake. They believe themselves completely safe from naval attack. They may yet be proven wrong.

Leucrottas

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Leucrottas patrol swamps and the edges of rivers for their prey. They are primarily found along the Fallrun.