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| | The dwarves came in at an era of stability, and so avoided being destroyed by either the elder beings or warriors of other races. They took the land nobody else wanted and made it livable, and their technology made it possible to defend it with relatively small numbers. Dwarves are not well liked by other races because they tend to provoke the wrath of the elder beings more often than anyone else, but their technology makes them indispensable. | | The dwarves came in at an era of stability, and so avoided being destroyed by either the elder beings or warriors of other races. They took the land nobody else wanted and made it livable, and their technology made it possible to defend it with relatively small numbers. Dwarves are not well liked by other races because they tend to provoke the wrath of the elder beings more often than anyone else, but their technology makes them indispensable. |
| | | | |
| - | =Races= | + | =Kinds of Beings= |
| - | In addition to the racial modifiers listed below, all of the standard races receive a +2 and -2 to any ability score, as well as a +2 bonus to two skills of their choice.
| + | |
| | | | |
| - | ==Orcs== | + | ==Primordials== |
| - | First-born of the races, with not-quite-right proportions that bestow tremendous strength upon them, at the cost of a shorter life span than other races. Orcs are intrepid explorers that retain a wanderlust true to their savage origins, and make masterful sailors, skilled traders, and fearsome warlords. Basically, vikings. Orcs have low-light vision, and receive +2 to Strength.
| + | Before the physical world coalesced, there was still a world - a void of swirling energies that some believe still exists beyond the edge of physical space. Primordials are the beings left over from that time: semi-distinct creatures that are more like forces of nature than they are physical beings. While primordials are rarely self-aware enough to notice mortals, those that perceive them are almost all malevolent or cause damage through their indifference. Few primordials can be communicated with, and fewer still care to listen. |
| | | | |
| - | ==Elves== | + | ===Weather=== |
| - | Among the first-born as well, elves are spontaneously brought into the world as savage creatures, and slowly gain sentience through learning as they claw their way through life. Because they do not need to procreate or feed, elves rarely form cities, and devote much of their lives to hedonistic or introspective activities. Elves receive +2 to Wisdom and possess low-light vision.
| + | The various forces that result in weather phenomena are attributable to either primordials or gods that have seized those primordials' portfolios. This means that, in theory, you could shank a tornado to death. |
| | | | |
| - | ==Kobolds== | + | ===Elementals=== |
| - | It isn't certain when kobolds entered the picture, because they tend to stay away from the business of other races. The kobolds that are seen travelling are usually not doing so by choice. Kobolds have a vicious streak that manifests in their advanced weaponry. They are Small, gain +2 to Dexterity and possess Darkvision out to 60 feet.
| + | Elementals are the least of the true primordials, because they must bear the extra burden of existing in a corporeal form. They are a good example of how all primordials treat mortal races - a fire elemental will walk through you rather than around you not because it wishes you harm, but because it doesn't care that you are in the way. |
| - | | + | |
| - | ==Humans==
| + | |
| - | Latecomers to the civilization party, humans are pragmatic no-nonsense survivalists by necessity, thrust as they were into a world already ruled by others and pushed to its edges to make a place for themselves. Like gnomes, they prefer to reside in communities of other races. Humans gain +2 Constitution.
| + | |
| - | | + | |
| - | ==Gnomes==
| + | |
| - | Fey that made the conscious transition into the mortal realm, gnomes rarely form their own societies, but often make up a significant part of a dwarven, orcish or kobold city. They often serve as ambassadors between races, and between the two sides of the greater conflict of the world. Like elves, they are immortal. Gnomes are Small and have +2 to Charisma.
| + | |
| - | | + | |
| - | ==Dwarves==
| + | |
| - | The latest races to come into being, dwarves are methodical to a fault. They have carved out a niche for themselves with superior technology that brings life to barren lands, but their enmity with elder beings, combined with their natural pensiveness, prevents them from expanding too far. Dwarves gain Darkvision out to 60 feet and +2 to Intelligence.
| + | |
| - | | + | |
| - | ==Other Races==
| + | |
| - | Plenty of races have come into being, but unlike the six, they have failed to thrive. They tend to live around the frontiers of civilized expansion, supplementing their hunting and gathering with raids on farms and towns when truly desperate. Rare individuals integrate into frontier societies, but almost never delve deeper into colonized lands.
| + | |
| - | | + | |
| - | ===Giants===
| + | |
| - | Giants are perhaps the best-known of the minor races. They inhabit the north continent, and often come in contact with humans and orcs. While they treat the orcs somewhat kindly, seeing them as annoying younger siblings, they are incredibly hostile towards humans. Due to their large size, it is difficult for giants to raid their island colonies, but many of them simply grab an oak tree and rely on its buoyancy and the currents to get them where they need to go. Giants have their own tongue, but a rare few speak Orc as well.
| + | |
| - | | + | |
| - | ===Goblins===
| + | |
| - | Goblins infest the mountains to the south of kobold and dwarven lands. They are mostly a cave-dwelling, bronze age culture. Physically weak and hated by their neighbours, goblins survive by stealth and scavenging. Some goblins teach themselves the common tongue and attempt to communicate with adventurers, offering to guide them through the frontier lands in exchange for money and goods. The more desperate goblins will turn on adventurers that refuse, either trying to steal something or attacking them outright.
| + | |
| | | | |
| | ===Dragons=== | | ===Dragons=== |
| | Though these majestic creatures are few in number, they have grown only more powerful with age. Who knows what the limit of their power is? Dragons are all prideful and greedy creatures that covet gold and jewels but have no means to mine them. Some raid dwarven and kobold settlements, while others take communities - mostly human - under their wing in exchange for tithes. Kobold lore holds that kobolds once served under dragons, but broke free, and now kobold patriarchs are believed to possess dragon-like power. | | Though these majestic creatures are few in number, they have grown only more powerful with age. Who knows what the limit of their power is? Dragons are all prideful and greedy creatures that covet gold and jewels but have no means to mine them. Some raid dwarven and kobold settlements, while others take communities - mostly human - under their wing in exchange for tithes. Kobold lore holds that kobolds once served under dragons, but broke free, and now kobold patriarchs are believed to possess dragon-like power. |
| - |
| |
| - | ===Sahuagin===
| |
| - | Sahuagin are tyrants of the Inner Sea, raiding human and orc colonies and shipping. They often use captive merrows as dumb muscle to attack especially well guarded vessels. While nobody knows what they do with the treasure, they usually eat everyone on a captured ship.
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| - |
| |
| - | ===Undead===
| |
| - | Life is young, and so is death, and sometimes they screw up. Undead can appear spontaneously, and there is no special stigma against them. People still don't like vampires, but that is because they drink blood and not because they don't have a pulse.
| |
| - |
| |
| - | ===Constructs===
| |
| - | In a world teeming with spontaneously generating life, it is very appealing to try and make some yourself. Some dwarven inventors, usually teamed up with gnomes, attempt to craft hominid bodies from artificial materials and then imbue them with life, and sometimes the result doesn't blow up.
| |
| | | | |
| | ===Outsiders=== | | ===Outsiders=== |
| | Factions of primordials have clashed since before the mortal races existed. Once the mortals entered the picture, some of these beings realized that hopes, dreams, and ideals all have power, and through tapping into that power, took upon a more defined physical form. These beings tend to focus on a specific feeling or emotion and then fan it, but an angel giving hope to a beleaguered people is only doing it to create more power for itself. Outsiders are at odds with most primordial beings, whose very existence is inimical to mortal life. | | Factions of primordials have clashed since before the mortal races existed. Once the mortals entered the picture, some of these beings realized that hopes, dreams, and ideals all have power, and through tapping into that power, took upon a more defined physical form. These beings tend to focus on a specific feeling or emotion and then fan it, but an angel giving hope to a beleaguered people is only doing it to create more power for itself. Outsiders are at odds with most primordial beings, whose very existence is inimical to mortal life. |
| | | | |
| - | =Political Geography= | + | ===Fey=== |
| | + | Fey are primordials of nature, corrupted by mortal anthropomorphization of it. Though their physical forms are altered as a result, the thought process of a true fey is more akin to that of a gust of wind or crashing wave than it is to a humanoid being. |
| | | | |
| - | ==The Stone Lair (Kobolds)== | + | ==Gods== |
| - | According to commonly held historical views, the Stone Lair is the second state to be created, shortly after the Orcs got one. Sheltered by the mighty peaks of the Greyjaw mountains, the Stone Lair civilization formed as an alliance of individual warrens ruled by a patriarch loosely subject to the Supreme Matron. These positions can be quick to change hands due to various violent reasons, so to maintain the appearance of an uninterrupted royal presence, each patriarch wears metallic armour of a unique colour. The Matron’s armour is said to be an elaborate iridescent pearl design that represents her dominion over all the colours. As only patriarchs are permitted to even know the location of the Matron’s warren, very few kobolds, and no outsiders, have seen her in person.<br>
| + | Gods are creatures that combine the powers of mortal belief and primordial portfolios over the order of things. |
| | | | |
| - | A patriarch is required to maintain a royal guard of at least fifty master swordsmen, and a contingent of spellcasters that make up the administrative branch of the patriarchy. Typically, a patriarch will also command several legions of warriors, depending on the patriarchy’s budget and the necessity of such a force.<br>
| + | ===Major Gods=== |
| | + | Major gods command one or more major portfolios such as Life or War or Fire, which can grant them vast powers comparable to mighty primordials. Because only one god may possess a major portfolio at a time, they often fight among themselves for portfolio control. |
| | | | |
| - | A new patriarchy can be formed by either a binding decree from a Matron or a coalition of patriarchs that willingly pledge some of their soldiers and citizens to form the royal guard and administrative office of the new settlement. The prospective patriarch must, however, pay for his own armour and construction labour, and so must be extremely wealthy in addition to his talent.<br>
| + | ===Minor Gods=== |
| | + | Any god without a major portfolio is a minor god. Minor gods possess the power of a lesser primordial, which allows them local dominance over a particular aspect of existence. Minor gods of the same portfolio tend to feud with one another, as possessing enough instances of a single minor portfolio has in the past allowed a minor god to create an entirely new major portfolio. |
| | | | |
| - | Until recently, the Stone Lair was the only nation without a southern frontier, as they were cut off from development in that direction first by the terrain and then by the dwarves. That, combined with the strength of the Lair’s warrior caste, guarantees stability for the lower classes of koboldkind (and whatever other races – usually gnomes and dwarves – choose to live in the Lair). Anyone with any connection to the nobility, however, is soon drawn into a subtle war, with patriarchs jockeying for position, wealth, and influence against one another, as well as against neighbouring states. The losers of this struggle that are deemed likely to make a comeback are rarely killed or imprisoned, but either exiled or posted to the Tail.<br>
| + | ==Mortal Races== |
| | + | Mortal races are only about 200 years old, a novelty on the cosmic scale. |
| | | | |
| - | The Greyjaws are both a blessing and a curse to the kobolds. While their narrow passes and treacherous slopes deter any would-be attackers, the high altitude and cold climate of the mountains has always made food difficult to find. Kobolds developed advanced weaponry largely as a result of this scarcity, climbing up the food chain with impeccably constructed hunting tools. It is said that skilled weaponsmiths became the first patriarchs, gathering warriors to them with the promise of the best tools with which to fight. <br>
| + | ===Major Races=== |
| | + | The major races are those that have appeared or grown into large enough numbers to decisively control vast territory and purge it of primordial influence, instating their own gods in its place. In addition to the racial modifiers listed below, these races receive a +2 and -2 to any ability score, as well as a +2 bonus to two skills of their choice. |
| | | | |
| - | The Lair has mostly good relations with orcs, going back to their shared history. Orc shipping along Clearwater Lake and Silver River provides the Lair with a lifeline of trade and markets for its rich natural resources and locally produced weapons. They are less friendly with the elves, admiring their crafts but being generally distrustful of their lack of organization. They have no problem with gnomes, as they have no sovereign territory, and even permit them into positions of authority, as the gnomes don’t play the kobold game of power. Kobolds see dwarves as manufacturing and trade rivals and often try to undermine their mining operations, and view humans as immature savages.<br>
| + | ====Orcs==== |
| | + | [[Crucible:Orcs|Main Article]] |
| | | | |
| - | ====Adventuring in the Stone Lair====
| + | First-born of the races, with not-quite-right proportions that bestow tremendous strength upon them, at the cost of a shorter life span than other races. Orcs are intrepid explorers that retain a wanderlust true to their savage origins, and make masterful sailors, skilled traders, and fearsome warlords. Basically, vikings. Orcs have low-light vision, and receive +2 to Strength. |
| - | There are few monsters in the region, and it is exceedingly difficult to so much as draw a weapon without having to get eleven different permits first. There is, however, demand for pawns to be used in the political game. Mercenaries, especially non-kobold ones, are often kept on retainer for an indefinite length of time, after which they receive orders to go and do a seemingly inconsequential thing without being told why. Those adept in social graces, on the other hand, will find it more profitable to enter the game as players instead of pieces. Alliances with other players are possible as long as you only seek to obtain resources, but the moment someone thinks you're making a grab for power, prepare to meet some of the mercenaries from earlier in this paragraph.
| + | |
| | | | |
| - | ===Stone Lair Culture=== | + | ====Elves==== |
| - | '''Casus Belli:''' A method of planning initially developed by kobold nobles to draft attacks on elven and human holdings turned into a game after a general peace was reached, and embraced by many of the other races (including the very same elves). Over time, it has developed into a competition of historical knowledge as well as strategy, and includes complicated combinations of cards, pieces and dice.<br>
| + | [[Crucible:Elves|Main Article]] |
| | | | |
| - | Play requires at least two parties of any size. Every round, each member makes three of the following checks (chosen by party consensus), and the party uses the highest result in each: Bluff, Diplomacy, Knowledge (History), Knowledge (Nobility & Royalty), Sense Motive, Survival. If the party got the highest result for that skill, they gain a token (unchallenged rolls must still exceed DC11 + the number of objectives). Subsequently, parties may use the tokens they have to make double blind bids. The winning bidder gets to claim an objective on the board. It is possible to take an already claimed objective, but you must win the bid by more than the objective’s bid was originally won by. Once all objectives are gone, the game ends.
| + | Among the first-born as well, elves are spontaneously brought into the world as savage creatures, and slowly gain sentience through learning as they claw their way through life. Because they do not need to procreate or feed, elves rarely form cities, and devote much of their lives to hedonistic or introspective activities. Elves receive +2 to Wisdom and possess low-light vision. |
| | | | |
| - | ==The Tail (Kobolds)== | + | ====Kobolds==== |
| - | Nominally a colony of the Stone Lair, the Tail is a small stretch of land in the Greyjaw mountains bordered by the Deeplands to the north and frontier land to the south. Though it is ruled by a patriarch, he is not expected to remain in contact with his equals in the Lair due to the foreign lands separating the two. Etiquette demands that he make no attempt, allegedly because of risking intelligence leaks but in actuality because the leadership of the Stone Lair uses the Tail as a dumping ground for dissidents more than anything else. The Tail is formally known as the White Patriarchy, both for the colour of its patriarch’s armour and the snow that blankets the area most of the time.
| + | [[Crucible:Kobolds|Main Article]] |
| | | | |
| - | Rivers to the east and west allow the Tail to maintain trade with humans, dwarves, and orcs, and thereby ensure a continued survival of the colony. Racial prejudice is all but forgotten in the face of adversity, and for this reason, the Tail is the best springboard for an expedition into the unexplored South due to its considerable goblin population. Likewise, there is no tolerance for the political games of the Stone Lair here, and few even make the attempt, because being even the patriarch of the Tail is not worthy of very much respect by the standards of the Lair.<br>
| + | It isn't certain when kobolds entered the picture, because they tend to stay away from the business of other races. The kobolds that are seen travelling are usually not doing so by choice. Kobolds have a vicious streak that manifests in their advanced weaponry. They are Small, gain +2 to Dexterity and possess Darkvision out to 60 feet. |
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| - | ====Adventuring in the Tail==== | + | ====Humans==== |
| - | Dragons and goblins are a constant source of problems for the local administration, which is generally much more open about its affairs than the Stone Lair's various patriarchies are. There is very little crime here, mostly because there is nothing to steal. It is understood that trade is the lifeblood of the Tail, and all efforts that do not go towards fighting off monsters from the south go into securing trade routes, scouting for new trade routes, arranging more trade, reclaiming lost supplies, and more trade-related things.
| + | [[Crucible:Humans|Main Article]] |
| | | | |
| - | ==The Great Host (Orcs)==
| + | Latecomers to the civilization party, humans are pragmatic no-nonsense survivalists by necessity, thrust as they were into a world already ruled by others and pushed to its edges to make a place for themselves. Like gnomes, they prefer to reside in communities of other races. Humans gain +2 Constitution. |
| - | The Host was the very first civilization, a confederation of small nomadic tribes banding together at the dawn of history to defend themselves against attacks by elder beings and elves. Since the first orcish town of Spearpoint was built on the coast of the Inner Sea, the orcs have relentlessly expanded both east along the rocky shore and south into dense forests and fertile flood plains.<br>
| + | |
| | | | |
| - | Orcs have a very strict social hierarchy, a relic of the days when disciplined armies made the difference between life and death for the race. Military rank is equated with social standing, and tightly woven into the responsibilities of citizenry. The lowest class, apprentices and students, are relegated to militia status, expected to learn their trade first and foremost, for in times of war they will have to manage things at home while the skilled warriors fight for their country. They do not have the right to self-enterprise, and must work under a master. The next step up consists of professionals of their craft. They must maintain a passing acquaintance with the art of war in addition to their work, and are permitted to labour for their own profit. As an orc’s ranking increases (through achievements on the field of battle as well as in his craft), he is expected to spend more time practicing combat, and less on his work, which is why experienced orcs usually take on apprentices and underlings to perform time-consuming tasks (without sufficient rank, no orc has the right to do this). The orcish nobility trains regularly, convening rarely to make general decisions that are then passed down the chain of command for execution. It is said that the greatest of orcs are so skilled with the blade that they are tireless and can move through the motions of their training while asleep. The high marshal of the Host certainly conveys that impression, as he has a habit of shouting orders to his subjects while in the heat of mock battles.<br>
| + | ====Gnomes==== |
| | + | [[Crucible:Gnomes|Main Article]] |
| | | | |
| - | This combination of martial prowess and skill in their craft has allowed orcs, among other things, to build and man the best ships of all the races, and use them to establish trading outposts along the coast of the Inner Sea and the Tusk Islands. With trade comes piracy, and orcish buccaneers often venture as far as human and elven shores to plunder and pillage.<br>
| + | Fey that made the conscious transition into the mortal realm, gnomes rarely form their own societies, but often make up a significant part of a dwarven, orcish or kobold city. They often serve as ambassadors between races, and between the two sides of the greater conflict of the world. Like elves, they are immortal. Gnomes are Small and have +2 to Charisma. |
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| - | The majority of orcish trade exports go to the kobolds, in exchange for weapons and minerals that the orcish lands are poor in. They grudgingly maintain trade with dwarves as well. Elves have little to offer the orcs, who hold an ancestral grudge against them. Orcs are perhaps the only race to dislike the gnomes, seeing them as little different from elves, and thus suspicious at best. As the only nation that does not border human lands, orcs are largely indifferent towards them; they see humans as hardy, resourceful, and dependable, and will often hire them as sailors.
| + | ====Dwarves==== |
| | + | [[Crucible:Dwarves|Main Article]] |
| | | | |
| - | ====Adventuring in the Great Host====
| + | The latest races to come into being, dwarves are methodical to a fault. They have carved out a niche for themselves with superior technology that brings life to barren lands, but their enmity with elder beings, combined with their natural pensiveness, prevents them from expanding too far. Dwarves gain Darkvision out to 60 feet and +2 to Intelligence. |
| - | By the most part, the Host is too well policed and too far from the frontier to experience many problems that can be solved by violence. Due to the age of local settlements, it is one of the few places where one can actually expect to find abandoned ruins - fortifications destroyed or fallen into disuse after shifting borders, or testing facilities abandoned by the army and not covered up well enough. Nearer the Greyjaws, where mines bite deep into the earth and lumberjacks mow down forests, it is possible to find rampaging primordials awakened from their slumber. To the west, nearer the border with Brinkwood, escaped feral elves sometimes threaten the populace.
| + | |
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| - | The one place in Host lands where adventurers can distinguish themselves is further south along the shore of the Inner Sea, where the Host has expanded to cut dwarves off from the sea. The large distance from the orc heartland makes it difficult to provide consistent supplies and reinforcements to the area. Supply lines both by sea and along the narrow strip of land that separates the Deeplands and Windgrove from the shore are constantly being raided by pirates, bandits, and the occasional monster wandering in through Windgrove. Many of the locals are of the opinion that the Host has overextended its push into the frontier lands, as the lack of supplies often means that the authorities cannot even pay those adventurers that come to their rescue.
| + | ===Other Races=== |
| | + | Plenty of races have come into being, but unlike the six, they have failed to thrive. They tend to live around the frontiers of civilized expansion, supplementing their hunting and gathering with raids on farms and towns when truly desperate. Rare individuals integrate into frontier societies, but almost never delve deeper into colonized lands. |
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| - | ===Spearpoint=== | + | ====Giants==== |
| - | Jutting out above the Inner Sea, the 200-year-old orc fortress of Spearpoint stands at the tip of the eponymous peninsula, and is considered the oldest settlement in the world. It is practically the symbol of the Great Host, as orcs all over know it for its history and significance to orc culture, and others are treated to a sight of its mighty walls as they sail into port. Orcish coins are stamped with the image of Spearpoint, so that even those who have never seen it in person at least know what it looks like. Since its original construction, repairs and additions have greatly expanded the fortress. The original site is now surrounded by three walls, each named after the marshal who commissioned it.
| + | Giants are perhaps the best-known of the minor races. They inhabit the north continent, and often come in contact with humans and orcs. While they treat the orcs somewhat kindly, seeing them as annoying younger siblings, they are incredibly hostile towards humans. Due to their large size, it is difficult for giants to raid their island colonies, but many of them simply grab an oak tree and rely on its buoyancy and the currents to get them where they need to go. Giants have their own tongue, but a rare few speak Orc as well. |
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| - | The outer wall, separating adjoining farmland, peasant dwellings, and slums from the merchant quarter and docks, cannot be seen from the sea, because it does not go around all the way. This was a calculated effect, as the wall is made of wood due to its great length, which would have made other materials more expensive. While it is constantly patrolled by guards, fires from the slums occasionally set sections of the wall alight, and as a result, there is usually at least one section of this wall that is under repair at any given time. Officially named after the late Marshal Rasheg, this wall is colloquially known as the Warning Wall - both for the heavy guard presence here that warns would-be criminals of the rule of law, and the head spikes mounted above each gate for more serious offenders. The zone beyond is named the Golden Ring, for its mercantile activity.
| + | ====Goblins==== |
| | + | Goblins infest the mountains to the south of kobold and dwarven lands. They are mostly a cave-dwelling, bronze age culture. Physically weak and hated by their neighbours, goblins survive by stealth and scavenging. Some goblins teach themselves the common tongue and attempt to communicate with adventurers, offering to guide them through the frontier lands in exchange for money and goods. The more desperate goblins will turn on adventurers that refuse, either trying to steal something or attacking them outright. |
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| - | The middle wall is made of white stone, beyond which lie the barracks of soldiers, training grounds, armories, and other army installations. Outsiders are rarely permitted here without an escort, though during tournaments, melees, and other such events, all are welcome to attend or even try their luck and fight. Citizens (though not foreigners) are permitted into the stables, which double as a zoo and contain many exotic mounts, monsters bred for fighting, and dangerous beasts used for miscellaneous purposes. The white wall is named after Marshal Algarak, and the section it surrounds is known as the Steel Ring.
| + | ====Sahuagin==== |
| | + | Sahuagin are tyrants of the Inner Sea, raiding human and orc colonies and shipping. They often use captive merrows as dumb muscle to attack especially well guarded vessels. While nobody knows what they do with the treasure, they usually eat everyone on a captured ship. |
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| - | The final wall is comparatively small, and made of solid adamantine. This wall surrounds the city's administrative section and the housing of high-ranked officers. No outsiders are allowed in, and even visitors to one of the residents are treated with great suspicion and are never without an escort of elite soldiers. This section of the city is littered with monuments to great victories and fallen heroes. The wall is named after Dormannul, the very first Marshal of the orcs, and the sector beyond it is referred to as the Parchment Ring, for nowhere else in the Great Host is the pen actually mightier than the sword.
| + | ====Undead==== |
| | + | Life is young, and so is death, and sometimes they screw up. Undead can appear spontaneously, and there is no special stigma against them. People still don't like vampires, but that is because they drink blood and not because they don't have a pulse. |
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| - | Beyond lies the original Spearpoint. Though its fortifications are diligently maintained, they were never particularly impressive, and the site is not that defensible in case an attacker breaches the other walls. The fortress is still the seat of the marshal and his closest circle, and many of its rooms, no longer necessary for their original functions, have been refitted as museums.
| + | ====Constructs==== |
| | + | In a world teeming with spontaneously generating life, it is very appealing to try and make some yourself. Some dwarven inventors, usually teamed up with gnomes, attempt to craft hominid bodies from artificial materials and then imbue them with life, and sometimes the result doesn't blow up. |
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| - | Currently, the orcs are constructing a fourth wall, meant to encompass the slums. Officially for protection, it is well known that the new wall is supposed to stop trafficking of contraband into the city.
| + | =Political Geography= |
| - | | + | [[Crucible:Nations|Main Article]] |
| - | ====Adventuring in Spearpoint====
| + | |
| - | The sheer weight of military presence makes crime beyond Algarak's Wall a non-issue; while there are investigations into corruption and the occasional tribunal for dereliction of duty, the orcs don't let outsiders participate, or even gather evidence. The only exception is when an envoy of another nation is the victim of a crime, in which case that nation is usually permitted a small contingent to work with the local investigators. Since these affairs are mostly paperwork, nobody really tries to help except some particularly misguided gnomes.
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| - | The Golden Ring and slums, though, are rife with smuggling activity, as merchants are unwilling to pay the steep tariffs levied on goods that pass through Rasheg's Wall. There are many rival trafficking gangs, each with their own secret tunnels, guardsmen on the take, and unhinged dwarven artificers trying to knock together a device for passing through walls or flying over them or some such. The thieves of Spearpoint may not all be the best at thieving, but the ones that are still alive are definitely the best at not being caught. These smuggling gangs also invest heavily in enforcers who tactfully remind merchants about their debts, and duke it out with other gangs over territory and clients. While the guards may be able to keep roads into the city secure, few dare to dwell into the deeper portions of the slums.
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| - | | + | |
| - | Dock workers have their share of trouble, too - both with the smugglers and with various nasty beasties that roam the Inner Sea. Though sahuagin rarely make attacks on population centres, the large concentration of fish on the docks makes them a tempting target for aquatic beasts up to and including krakens. Young and reckless orcs often buy fish by the boatload and take it back out into the ocean in an attempt to lure out one of these leviathans and then defeat it.
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| - | | + | |
| - | ==Tusk Islands (Orcs)==
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| - | In addition to the contiguous territory controlled by the Host, it also claims the Tusk Islands, a chain of nine islands that defines the boundary of the Inner Sea to the east. Gradual expansion has added small areas on both continents to the Tusks, as the colonies are informally known. Each island is ruled by a knight-captain of the Host, who must pay an annual tithe of goods to the high marshal, as a demonstration of administrative competence, in order to retain the position. Unlike all other high ranks in the Host, other races have earned the rank of knight-captain in the past, mostly human sailors or mercenaries taking the initiative after their employers were killed or abandoned their posts. Most Tuskers (permanent residents of the Tusk Islands) consider themselves a separate nation and people from the far-off Great Host.
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| - | ====Adventuring in the Tusks====
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| - | Remote and surrounded by the sea, the Tusks are not a place for the weak to gather. To the north, giants are a constant problem - though they are often friendly with the orcs, these relations are often fragile. To the south, continental monsters are always a threat, and along the islands themselves, sahuagin raiders are never far away. The need for powerful warriors is so pronounced that many sea captains, when given the choice between hiring sailors or paying more for brutes that wouldn't recognize a main-mast unless you nailed a goblin heart to it, will always choose the latter. Law in the Tusks is more often than not the will of the man with the most swords. That man is usually the knight-captain in charge, but not always, especially when some of those brutes come into port.
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| - | ==The Deeplands (Dwarves)==
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| - | The appearance of the dwarves into a more or less organized society that was familiar with the idea of record-keeping gave scholars an insight into the formation of the other races. Not a lot of insight – kobold scouts reported seeing glimpses of short, bearded humans far east of where humans were supposed to live, and within days, bands of these creatures were spotted wandering the mountains. A platoon ordered to capture all humans in the mountains returned in tatters with reports of a fortified mountain pass, staffed by these humanoids. Within a year, several of these fortifications had developed, some seized from the kobolds or orcs and others constructed in the stone cliffs. It took somewhat longer for these strongholds to become aware of one another, mostly because they were besieged by kobolds and orcs seeking to destroy this new enemy.<br>
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| - | The current borders of the Deeplands were established only after a series of brutal wars against the kobolds and orcs. The dwarves had poor weapons, few numbers, and no resources, and managed to grab a foothold only through the element of surprise. Certain dwarves quickly emerged as inventors, cobbling together weapons and magical rites that were as powerful a they were unstable, and the remaining population of the strongholds eventually aligned itself into three castes – those that use the weapons, those that try to make them explode less, and those that make sure everyone else doesn’t starve. The genius inventors, and those military dwarves willing to use their weapons, gradually all blew themselves up, leaving the dwarves as a cautious race that emphasized safety and order over flashes of individual genius. The social structures of the old order remained, however, with each dwarven stronghold resembling a research institute more than a city. The scientists are indisputably in charge, led by a rector who has oversight of the chief warriors and administrators in addition to his researchers. The rectors of each city form a national council with a rotating chairmanship called the Lord Rector. <br>
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| - | Dwarves do not settle new land much mainly because this arrangement results in resource allocation that benefits technological development and education more than it does any competent organization and expansion outside of the labs. Only when new resources or testing grounds are needed do dwarves actually start caring about that stuff. Dwarves that are not happy with this arrangement (i.e. the dwarves that would have blown themselves up building cool stuff) usually join merchant caravans as guards or traders, and leave in search of new resources to tap for the Lord Rector – a government contract is a very lucrative thing even for an adventurous dwarf.<br>
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| - | Though the populations of dwarven strongholds have a low opinion of kobolds and orcs, their historical enemies, trader dwarves have let bygones be bygones. Gnomes and elves, with their decentralized and “primitive” lifestyles, have very little to offer to the dwarven culture. Dwarves dislike humans the least of all the great races, though the mountain range separating their lands makes any military assistance unlikely.<br>
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| - | ====Adventuring in the Deeplands====
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| - | There is no shortage of artificers wanting to test out some golem or explosive in the Deeplands, which creates a reliable market for well-armed "research assistants". All the mining going on is also a surefire way to enrage some earth primordials, and the mountainous region combined with a high concentration of gold mines attracts dragons like few other things can. The Deeplands do not have a large frontier territory, but the insular dwarves very rarely bother to scout it, and will often delegate it to either adventurers or their machines (which sometimes go rogue and need to be put down). Their absent-mindedness and propensity for experimenting often results in magical caches and laboratories being abandoned to the elements without so much as putting up a warning sign...which can be a good or a bad thing, depending on who you ask.
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| - | ==Brinkwood (Elves)==
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| - | Brinkwood is the ancestral homeland of the elves, insofar as a race like theirs can have one, and lies to the west of the Great Host, nested between the peaks of the Greyjaws and the waves of the Inner Sea. It was here that the first elves appeared, clashed with orcs and kobolds, and then retreated into heavily forested areas to hide when it was clear they would lose that war. The sudden appearance of elves continued elsewhere, but for a very long time, it was only here that they would make it to maturity, and then organize themselves to push back against the orcs and kobolds. Brinkwood is still the most civilized of all elvish lands precisely for that reason, and it is usually here that traders come when seeking their goods. Even gnomes tend to stay away from other elvish lands, as their interests in mortal societies are not piqued often by this race of ageless loners.<br>
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| - | When the humans appeared, driven west through Brinkwood by orc attacks, they naturally came in contact with the elves. There was no love lost between the tired humans and paranoid elves. Many of the fortifications and other settlements built during the war against the orcs were destroyed when elves discovered that humans tended to hunker down in these places and try to use them, instead of continuing their journeys. Thus developed the notion of “elvish hospitality,” meaning that the host would readily burn down his own house if it meant inconveniencing his guest. Eventually, humans left the elvish lands, mostly by dying, though many made it to the west and created their own kingdom. <br>
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| - | As they do not need to eat, elves never went through the hunter-gatherer stages of society. All that they required for survival was not being killed by anything, including other elves, which encouraged a more individualistic lifestyle. Groups of elves are usually formed during their feral stages, with a pack leader ruling largely by force. As the elves mature and get stronger, their need for protection declines along with their respect for the alpha, and eventually the group will disperse completely. The long memories of elves help them remember this stage of their life for a long time, so it is not uncommon for an elf to recognize the passage of a former pack-mate that he has not seen for decades. They often communicate this way, by leaving messages woven with plants that other elves will recognize, and can organize themselves quickly without having to speak a single word.
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| - | ====Adventuring in Brinkwood====
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| - | Skirmishes between the humans and the elves still happen from time to time, and pirates raiding along the Inner Sea sometimes think that the ungoverned elven lands are ripe for the picking. The lack of large concentrations of people and abundance of wilderness makes this an ideal place for beginner adventurers just learning the difference between the two ends of a spear. There are also many opportunities to hunt exotic game here, as the elves themselves rarely bother, and sometimes even defend their wildlife against hunters if the fancy strikes them. The individuality of elves makes it difficult for any one of them to have a good idea of what's going on in every corner of the region, so there may well be many mystical and incredible places in Brinkwood that nobody cared about enough to map.
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| - | ==Shadowvale (Elves)==
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| - | Though elves had established a land of their own in Brinkwood, their wanderlust and need for excitement resulted in many elves travelling outward, through the lands of other races. As they did so, they discovered feral elves pretty much everywhere, though most were hunted as vermin by the locals. Determined to create a place for these elves, the wanderers banded together and, through a mix of negotiations and military action, won a place for the elves of the south-west to congregate. Shadowvale, so called because it lies in the shadows of the Greyjaws, is surrounded on the other three sides by human colonies. The only thing separating it from frontier regions is the concentration of elves – Shadowvale contains some of the deadliest monsters known to anyone. Many adventurers, mostly humans, dwarves, and kobolds from the Tail, come here to test their mettle, hoping that the large elvish presence makes the enterprise somewhat less risky than delving into uncharted territories. Two rivers bordering Shadowvale make it easy for traders to service the area, but human control of the sea shores to the west into which these rivers drain gives them a tight stranglehold on what actually gets to its destination. It is common to find goblins in this land, fleeing the mountains for any number of reasons, from rival clans to attacks by primordials.<br>
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| - | ====Adventuring in Shadowvale====
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| - | Many adventurers are attracted to Shadowvale due to its solid dragon population, mostly because the thick forests provide good cover when the fight turns against you and you want to escape. The goblin presence is a boon for adventurers - sometimes they need killing, and sometimes they come asking for help, but there's usually a reward just around the corner as soon as you see a goblin shamble into your line of sight. Many criminals attempt to evade justice by heading into Shadowvale, but they rarely make trouble once they actually get there. The bounty hunters coming after them, on the other hand, are a constant problem.
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| - | ==Windgrove (Elves) ==
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| - | Just as travelling elves from Brinkwood that headed west, east-bound travellers discovered many feral elves throughout orcish and dwarven lands. Unable to extract any concessions from either race, these elves merely headed further south to establish their sanctuary. Like Shadowvale, it is bordered by rivers that make it easy for adventurers and supplies to come in, but as these rivers drain into the Inner Sea, the amount of traffic that Windgrove receives is far larger. Most of that traffic is because orcs control that shore, and trade with the Tusk Islands brings in many ships riding in on the constant winds that give the area its name.<br>
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| - | Bordered by orc colonies to the north and east, and dwarven lands to the west, Windgrove’s remaining border is with the frontier lands. Mottled Lake stops many of the continent’s nastier monsters from wandering into Windgrove by accident, and orcish colonies further south-east draw the attention of the rest. This makes Windgrove an ideal place for many beginner adventurers to acquaint themselves with the frontier without the risk of being overrun by a large number of foes.
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| - | ====Adventuring in Windgrove====
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| - | Bandits plaguing orcish supply lines that run along the shore of the Inner Sea usually make their camps in Windgrove, taking their plunder to the Deeplands for trade. Mottled Lake is also a common route for those who think they can get away with raiding the Great Host and then disappearing back into the forests. Many of these pirates have grown wealthy through their work, and it is not uncommon to have a bounty for the capture of a pirate be considerably smaller than the fee paid by that pirate for helping them traverse the riskier monster-ridden routes.
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| - | ==Terminus (Humans)==
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| - | Driven from their original homes by raids from orcs and kobolds, and given no hospitality from the elves, humanity came to a shore beyond which they could go no further, and this was where they made their first home. Largely safe from foes that dwell along the Inner Sea, humanity began expanding along this coast, guided first by trial and error and then by the gnomes that discovered them here. Having an accessible sea route to ferry troops and supplies made this position easy to defend against kobold invaders, who had to move their own supplies through mountainous terrain.<br>
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| - | Terminus is a land rich with trouble. Many predators such as harpies make their homes among cliffs on the shoreline, harassing shipping and settlements. The weather is prone to hurricanes, tides behave erratically, and the open ocean is a home for many gigantic monsters. Many dragons also make this place their hunting grounds, swooping in from the Greyjaws and taking advantage of sea winds to cover large distances looking for prey. To the south, past Shadowvale, a day where there was only a goblin raid is a good day – humans have made it further into the frontier lands than anyone, and pay the price for their temerity daily.<br>
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| - | For this reason, humanity has a strange relationship with many of these monsters. Seeing no need to bend down before a ruler that can’t personally beat up them and their entire clan, most human settlements are actually ruled by monstrous creatures – most commonly dragons in the south and giants on the foothold on the northern continent and islands. Thus, one of the duties of the royal court is to periodically sweep the land to put the fear of the King into said monsters. That title is not entirely accurate, as Terminus is a theocracy, ruled by the pantheon of humanity’s gods. These gods tolerate the presence of monstrous rulers in their kingdom because they are so short-staffed, but in reality would like nothing more than to wipe out every single non-human creature in Terminus, and often secretly sponsor would-be monster hunters to take on some ruler or another that has annoyed them without officially breaking any laws.<br>
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| - | Terminus maintains terse relations with its former enemies. What trade comes from the islands to the north is usually sent to other settlements in Terminus rather than abroad. Due to the ambassadorial influence of its significant gnomish population, some lines of communication are maintained with kobolds (mostly for teaming up on dragon hunts), elves of Shadowvale (to combat frontier threats), and orcs (to coordinate fleets against pirates). Terminus trades often with the Deeplands, however, and human travellers wishing to head east often wisely choose to brave the mountain passes rather than take the sea route.
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| - | ====Adventuring in Terminus====
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| - | While there is no shortage of monster-hunting edicts issued by the ruling gods, outside of population centres there is not very much law in Terminus. Smuggling and piracy are more common than legitimate shipping, bands of rebels congregate in the wilds and plot attacks against anything from the nearest hamlet's ogre chief to the pantheon itself, and many a farmer with an infertile plot of land has turned to banditry as a way of making ends meet. Shadowvale is also a constant thorn in the side of Terminus, and many border rulers take every opportunity to push the extent of their holdings further east into elven lands.
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| - | ==The Great Cities==
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| - | The three Great Cities huddle around the initial point of contact between the early races. They are rich from trade between the so-called Builder races (orcs, kobolds and dwarves). Elvish and Human goods are brought up by Elven traders through Clearwater Lake, and the river Silver provides access for merchants from the orcish frontiers.
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| - | ===Kobolds: Karraltak===
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| - | Karraltak stands on the spot where the rivers Scalefall and Bluetongue flow together. Originally a trading post between the Orcs and Kobolds, and later with the Elves, Karraltak has expanded into a prosperous town with a 200-year historical record. To mimic the typical warrens of the Stone Lair, its more permanent buildings such as the palace of the local patriarch are constructed from granite brought down from the mountains. Everything else (including the town’s walls) is made out of wood. <br>
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| - | While the population inside these walls is mostly kobold warriors and administrators, beyond them lies a rich market that never truly dies down (not so long as there are elves and gnomes manning stalls). A steady stream of orc traders maintains a more or less constant population of orcs, and the proximity of elven territory results in a number of them spending time in the city as well. It is rare to see humans here, but the occasional trading ship will come up Clearwater with news from the human frontier. Gnomes adore this city for its multiculturalism, and make up much of its permanent population, some even rising into the ranks of the ruling classes. Karraltak is also the most common place to see dwarves outside their territory, as they run a tidy profit carrying goods between the city and the orcish frontier.<br>
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| - | The patriarchy of Karraltak is a lucrative position for a kobold to hold – it is sufficiently removed from the capital to allow significant autonomy, but unlike backwaters with similar benefits, it rivals that capital in wealth. The patriarch of Karraltak is adorned with gold. The Golden Patriarch maintains three legions, a massive number of troops given the city’s distance from the frontier, mostly out of tradition. <br>
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| - | Demographics: 45% Kobold, 20% Gnome, 15% Orc, 10% Dwarf, 9% Elf, 1% Human
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| - | ===Orcs: Ogden===
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| - | Ogden is the Host’s capital city, made wealthy by the ancient trade route between the INNERSEA coast and the kobolds. Built on Clearwater Lake, Ogden has three rings of heavy wooden fortifications typical of orcish settlements. It is the heart of orcish military might, as the vast majority of influential and high-ranked orcs make their home here. Humans coming up Clearwater to trade will usually make their stop here, and many kobold traders conduct their business in Ogden rather than attempt to guide heavy trade ships up the congested Scalefall river. Thanks to the wide, fertile plains on which it was constructed, Ogden supports a large population, and the taxes from that population allow the government to maintain a few serviceable roads and something approaching a reliable system of communication through mounted couriers.<br>
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| - | Ogden’s non-orc population is mostly concentrated at the docks and inns, and is transient in nature. Humans make up the largest minority, and many are permanent citizens of the city, with their own rank within orcish society. Some kobolds live here, many of them exiles from the Stone Lair that are unwilling to travel far from their homeland. <br>
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| - | Demographics: 85% Orc, 7% Human, 4% Kobold, 3% Dwarf, <1% Elf, <1% Gnome
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| - | ===Dwarves: Dvergrad===
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| - | Entrenched firmly in a well-defended mountain pass, Dvergrad serves as the gateway between the Deeplands and the Great Host. Merchants wishing to ferry their goods from the East without having to sail around the lands of the Great Host and up Scalefall River take the Silver river up to Dvergrad and then hire a caravan to carry them to Ogden or Karraltak. Dvergrad is the docking site for a significant part of the Dwarven navy (the rest is docked at nearby Ogre’s Beard Lake which offers more space) which mostly serves as a deterrent for Orcish military action against the Dwarves. The city itself towers over the docks, a magnificent edifice of granite that descends deep into the mountains from which it rises. Those unwilling to spend their time in small, dark rooms surrounded on all sides by stone (i.e. most visitors) have, over time, built a zone of wooden structures around the docks that extends all the way up to the Host’s border. Traditionalist dwarves refuse to consider this area part of Dvergrad, and refer to it derisively as the Echo – a fleeting copy of the genuine thing.<br>
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| - | Since most dwarves are traditionalists, the only dwarves living in the Echo are those that travel often or have businesses catering to foreigners, and are too lazy to walk up and down the many steps that Dvergrad is famous for. Few outsiders are willing to make that trip themselves – kobolds are the only non-dwarves that are, as a species, comfortable in Dvergrad’s stony halls, though foreign emissaries have to put up with the dark, cramped spaces whether they like it or not. Because of their small stature and obsession with the quirks of other races, gnomes sometimes take up residence there as well, though few stay for long. Despite their keen eyesight, the powerfully built orcs and free-roaming elves have little tolerance for Dvergrad’s interior.<br>
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| - | The Echo is the best place to find elves and humans of all the Great Cities. Many elves choose to pass through the Deeplands when travelling between their forests than risk dealing with the bureaucracy of their ancient foes, the kobolds, and their more recent human enemies. Ironically, humans also like to travel through dwarven lands, as crossing the Greyjaw mountains puts human traders from the West right on top of RIVERNAME2 without having to deal with any kobolds or elves.<br>
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| - | Demographics (Dvergrad): 80% Dwarf, 14% Kobold, 5% Gnome, <1% Elf, <1% Orc, <1% Human<br>
| + | =New Content= |
| - | Demographics (Echo): 40% Orc, 30% Elf, 15% Human, 7% Dwarf, 5% Gnome, 3% Kobold
| + | [[Crucible:New Content|New Content]] |
