Monday, March 23, 2015
Sunday, March 22, 2015
Friday, March 13, 2015
Races of Autica: The Dragonborn
Ancient and terrifying, but wracked with civil war, the Empire of the Dragonborn stretches over the marshy continent of Hionan, in Autica's southern seas.
A race nearly as old as Autica itself, the Dragonborn developed free of the influences of the Gods, New or Old. The secluded, inhospitable swamp that covers most of Hionan served as a dumping ground for the twisted, or flightless children of the Dragons, where they could hunt the plentiful, slower creatures of the marsh. Over the centuries, these broken creatures banded together, interbred, and eventually became the Dragonborn of the current era. Most Dragonborn share their coloration with chromatic dragons. Metallic Dragonborn exist, but are considerably rarer, and are considered somewhat ugly by their brighter brethren.
A race nearly as old as Autica itself, the Dragonborn developed free of the influences of the Gods, New or Old. The secluded, inhospitable swamp that covers most of Hionan served as a dumping ground for the twisted, or flightless children of the Dragons, where they could hunt the plentiful, slower creatures of the marsh. Over the centuries, these broken creatures banded together, interbred, and eventually became the Dragonborn of the current era. Most Dragonborn share their coloration with chromatic dragons. Metallic Dragonborn exist, but are considerably rarer, and are considered somewhat ugly by their brighter brethren.
Thursday, February 5, 2015
Regions of Autica: The Deep Wilds; Part II
The surge of primal magic that formed the Deep Wilds struck the region like a wave. Massive trees grew from the ground, cloaking the landscape in leaves and creaking wood, forming the dense canopy that covers most of the continent. On the ground, flora flourished, leaving no spot of dirt uncovered in the luscious growth. Even the surrounding seas bloomed to life, filling with uncountable species of fish and corals. This burst was also responsible in part for the rise of the Wood Elves, as the tide of life swept over the neighboring island of Lavrari.
While new and more specially adapted wildlife evolved over the course of the Wild's lifetime, none would ever surpass the original native wildlife, raised to from just abnormally intelligent members of their species into fully sapient creatures. These animals would band together to form the Five Roving Clans, the closest thing the Deep Wild will ever have to a civilization.
The Five Clans are split along their species, but a complex system of body language and short calls allows the members to communicate inter-specially. These Clans, as Ysengrims chosen, are responsible for the defense of the Deep Wilds, as well as the stewardship of the land. They are led as a whole by Greatwarden Faoulan Guol, Ysengrim's daughter. The clans are as follows:
Urufu:
The Wolf Clan is reclusive, and they typically have little interaction with the other clans. These enormous wolves typically wear coats of white, that they stain with pigments they either create themselves or barter with the Monkey Clan for, so that other clans may tell the individual members apart more easily. Predatory and loyal to Ysengrim, they are often the first to repel any intruders that have wandered too far into the forest.
Iguru:
Members of the Eagle Clan are regarded as the "scholars" of the Deep Wilds. They spend years in the mountain aeries, learning the history of the Wilds, as well as any knowledge accrued by the other members over the years, through a rich oral history. They also act as scouts for the other clans, performing aerial inspections of the Wilds and their borders. Feather patterns vary for each individual, and serve as a means of distinction. The Eagles are the largest bird in the Deep Wilds, each with a wingspan over the length of the average man.
Kuma:
Peaceful, unless the Deep Wild's are threatened, the Bear Clan is slow to anger, but ferocious when roused. The members of this clan are typically solitary, but remain loyal and will answer the call to assemble without hesitation. They guard the sacred places in the Deep Wilds, and act as caretakers of sort for their personal groves.
Oshika:
The Elk clan are the fewest in number, but also those held in the highest regard by Ysengrim, for they share the form he had before he ascended to divinity. They are Ysengrim's personal messengers, and his most trusted councillors. Even the savage beasts of the Deep Wilds treat the Oshika with respect.
Saru:
Without the members of the Monkey Clan, the Deep Wilds would be a very different place. They form an interconnected network throughout the treetops, that allows information to be relayed quickly throughout the continent. Their unique physiology also allows for some rudimentary crafting, and their pigments are highly valued among the other clans for dying fur or feathers. The Sara are the only clan that can speak the language of other humanoids, with broken Common being the most spoken, and some elders being somewhat fluent in Elvish, or other languages. They are a sociable clan, bringing messages in between the clans in exchange for the latest gossip.
Savage, and downright deadly to outsiders, the Deep Wilds is largely left to it's own devices. Few expeditions set out, and far fewer ever return, those who survive telling harrowing stories about gigantic beasts, or deadly plants, and this is how Ysengrim likes it.
Nature, in it's purest, most savage form, far away from the ravages of the mortal races.
While new and more specially adapted wildlife evolved over the course of the Wild's lifetime, none would ever surpass the original native wildlife, raised to from just abnormally intelligent members of their species into fully sapient creatures. These animals would band together to form the Five Roving Clans, the closest thing the Deep Wild will ever have to a civilization.
The Five Clans are split along their species, but a complex system of body language and short calls allows the members to communicate inter-specially. These Clans, as Ysengrims chosen, are responsible for the defense of the Deep Wilds, as well as the stewardship of the land. They are led as a whole by Greatwarden Faoulan Guol, Ysengrim's daughter. The clans are as follows:
Urufu:
The Wolf Clan is reclusive, and they typically have little interaction with the other clans. These enormous wolves typically wear coats of white, that they stain with pigments they either create themselves or barter with the Monkey Clan for, so that other clans may tell the individual members apart more easily. Predatory and loyal to Ysengrim, they are often the first to repel any intruders that have wandered too far into the forest.
Iguru:
Members of the Eagle Clan are regarded as the "scholars" of the Deep Wilds. They spend years in the mountain aeries, learning the history of the Wilds, as well as any knowledge accrued by the other members over the years, through a rich oral history. They also act as scouts for the other clans, performing aerial inspections of the Wilds and their borders. Feather patterns vary for each individual, and serve as a means of distinction. The Eagles are the largest bird in the Deep Wilds, each with a wingspan over the length of the average man.
Kuma:
Peaceful, unless the Deep Wild's are threatened, the Bear Clan is slow to anger, but ferocious when roused. The members of this clan are typically solitary, but remain loyal and will answer the call to assemble without hesitation. They guard the sacred places in the Deep Wilds, and act as caretakers of sort for their personal groves.
Oshika:
The Elk clan are the fewest in number, but also those held in the highest regard by Ysengrim, for they share the form he had before he ascended to divinity. They are Ysengrim's personal messengers, and his most trusted councillors. Even the savage beasts of the Deep Wilds treat the Oshika with respect.
Saru:
Without the members of the Monkey Clan, the Deep Wilds would be a very different place. They form an interconnected network throughout the treetops, that allows information to be relayed quickly throughout the continent. Their unique physiology also allows for some rudimentary crafting, and their pigments are highly valued among the other clans for dying fur or feathers. The Sara are the only clan that can speak the language of other humanoids, with broken Common being the most spoken, and some elders being somewhat fluent in Elvish, or other languages. They are a sociable clan, bringing messages in between the clans in exchange for the latest gossip.
Savage, and downright deadly to outsiders, the Deep Wilds is largely left to it's own devices. Few expeditions set out, and far fewer ever return, those who survive telling harrowing stories about gigantic beasts, or deadly plants, and this is how Ysengrim likes it.
Nature, in it's purest, most savage form, far away from the ravages of the mortal races.
Regions of Autica: The Deep Wilds; Part I
Originally a rocky, uninteresting continent in Autica's southern seas, home only to the rookery of Austrophethes, an ancient silver dragon, the landmass that would become the Deep Wilds sat largely ignored for the entirety of Autica's early history. Only with the coming of Oldenkeeper Ysengrim would this storm beaten mass become one of the worlds most unique locations.
The immense, jagged reef that surrounds this continent is primarily responsible for it's original lack of inhabitants. For the entirety of Autica's history, up until the end of the Origin war, this continent was mostly inhabited by sea birds, and colonies of marine mammals. Austrophethes, when she was but a whelp, made her way to this isle and carved out her nest in a region free from threats, and she made the continent her own. Over the years, the limited wildlife grew and evolved separate from outside influences, and some of the larger fauna began to show signs of an intelligence that surpassed that of their kin on the other less isolated continents. Austrophethes watched over this interesting path, and nurtured the isolation of the landmass, turning away or destroying ships that made it past the reef.
As the Origin War raged on, Austrophethes grew more protective over her isle, where her children would return year after year to sire their own broods. She feared that if either of the warring factions were to take hold of her land, they would not respect her ancient rookery. Her "dissuasion" of intruders became more and more forceful, and came with less warning with every incursion. Eventually, as the New and Old gods constantly sought a new strategic foothold, Austrophethes was forced into taking the forms of the mortal races, and began to infiltrate their societies, spreading stories of the danger of the southern sea, sabotaging expeditions, and finding her way on to war councils, where she strongly opposed any actions that would press upon the borders of her beloved land.
During this time, Ysengrim was growing disillusioned with the war. His creation, the dwarves, had seemingly given up their original charge to be stewards of the land in, and he saw the destruction wrought by the battles that raged across Autica. While forced to contribute because of his vow of fealty to Mot, he was withdrawn, speaking at length only to his friend, the Old God Roc. He could not understand though, Roc's desire for conflict. Her tempestuous nature, and her wild Halflings were at direct odds to his slower, more methodical pace. The last straw for Ysengrim came when Bismuth slew Roc an entire ocean away, and leveled a large chunk of Rauquan, creating the desert of Rocfell. The combination of the catastrophic loss of life, and the death of Roc drove Ysengrim to abandon the war effort completely. He broke his vow, and went into hiding in the forests of the world.
Violence, it seemed was destined to follow the God however. No matter how far he ranged trying to avoid the fighting, major battles always seemed on the heels of his movements, and with them came the judging eyes of the other God's he had left to fight without him.
When the Origin War finally ended at the Battle of the Split, Ysengrim watched the whole thing, hidden in the form of a normal deer. When the battle ended, and both sides had retreated under Mot's gaze, he picked through the carnage until he found the Godling Ishtu, barely clinging to existence. He understood the importance of the natural cycle of death and decay, and so he took Ishtu with him, to frozen Weawica where he knew a tribe of elves that had also forgone the conflict, and he left her in their charge.
It was during this expedition to the south that he first really noticed the continent that would become the Deep Wilds.
As he wandered the world, he began to inspect this seemingly uninhabited continent. He saw the native wildlife, with all their untapped potential, he saw it's remote location, and ring of impassible reefs. He saw only one problem, the dragons that had already claimed the land, but what are dragons to a God?
So, he claimed the isle for himself, and called it the Deep Wilds, a place for nature to run unchecked, savage and pure, as it was meant to be from the beginning. When he arrived, Austrophethes was furious. She summoned all her power and attacked the God. While the Ancient Silver commanded power far beyond any of her peers, she was no match for divinity. Austrophethes flew rings around Ysengrim, staying just on the edge of his reach, harrying him with her draconic breath, and clawing at his back. For three days, and three nights, she never set down. On the third night, under the light of two full moons, her fatigue got the better of her. Her reaction was a second too late, and Ysengrim managed to wrap the enormous boughs of his hand around her middle, and slammed her to the ground, ending the fight.
Sick of bloodshed, Ysengrim permitted her to live, but banished Austrophethes and her kin from his land. To this day, Silver dragons in their native form are a rarity in Autica. With no land to call their own, they wander among the mortal races, biding their time.
When he had finished excising the last of the dragons from the Deep Wilds, Ysengrim began the formation of his greatest creation. He shaped the native species, and added new ones where he felt it necessary. Once this framework was complete, he retreated to the center of the mass, and there he sunk his massive roots into the ground, infusing the land with his primal divine magic, and creating the Deep Wilds.
The immense, jagged reef that surrounds this continent is primarily responsible for it's original lack of inhabitants. For the entirety of Autica's history, up until the end of the Origin war, this continent was mostly inhabited by sea birds, and colonies of marine mammals. Austrophethes, when she was but a whelp, made her way to this isle and carved out her nest in a region free from threats, and she made the continent her own. Over the years, the limited wildlife grew and evolved separate from outside influences, and some of the larger fauna began to show signs of an intelligence that surpassed that of their kin on the other less isolated continents. Austrophethes watched over this interesting path, and nurtured the isolation of the landmass, turning away or destroying ships that made it past the reef.
As the Origin War raged on, Austrophethes grew more protective over her isle, where her children would return year after year to sire their own broods. She feared that if either of the warring factions were to take hold of her land, they would not respect her ancient rookery. Her "dissuasion" of intruders became more and more forceful, and came with less warning with every incursion. Eventually, as the New and Old gods constantly sought a new strategic foothold, Austrophethes was forced into taking the forms of the mortal races, and began to infiltrate their societies, spreading stories of the danger of the southern sea, sabotaging expeditions, and finding her way on to war councils, where she strongly opposed any actions that would press upon the borders of her beloved land.
During this time, Ysengrim was growing disillusioned with the war. His creation, the dwarves, had seemingly given up their original charge to be stewards of the land in, and he saw the destruction wrought by the battles that raged across Autica. While forced to contribute because of his vow of fealty to Mot, he was withdrawn, speaking at length only to his friend, the Old God Roc. He could not understand though, Roc's desire for conflict. Her tempestuous nature, and her wild Halflings were at direct odds to his slower, more methodical pace. The last straw for Ysengrim came when Bismuth slew Roc an entire ocean away, and leveled a large chunk of Rauquan, creating the desert of Rocfell. The combination of the catastrophic loss of life, and the death of Roc drove Ysengrim to abandon the war effort completely. He broke his vow, and went into hiding in the forests of the world.
Violence, it seemed was destined to follow the God however. No matter how far he ranged trying to avoid the fighting, major battles always seemed on the heels of his movements, and with them came the judging eyes of the other God's he had left to fight without him.
When the Origin War finally ended at the Battle of the Split, Ysengrim watched the whole thing, hidden in the form of a normal deer. When the battle ended, and both sides had retreated under Mot's gaze, he picked through the carnage until he found the Godling Ishtu, barely clinging to existence. He understood the importance of the natural cycle of death and decay, and so he took Ishtu with him, to frozen Weawica where he knew a tribe of elves that had also forgone the conflict, and he left her in their charge.
It was during this expedition to the south that he first really noticed the continent that would become the Deep Wilds.
As he wandered the world, he began to inspect this seemingly uninhabited continent. He saw the native wildlife, with all their untapped potential, he saw it's remote location, and ring of impassible reefs. He saw only one problem, the dragons that had already claimed the land, but what are dragons to a God?
So, he claimed the isle for himself, and called it the Deep Wilds, a place for nature to run unchecked, savage and pure, as it was meant to be from the beginning. When he arrived, Austrophethes was furious. She summoned all her power and attacked the God. While the Ancient Silver commanded power far beyond any of her peers, she was no match for divinity. Austrophethes flew rings around Ysengrim, staying just on the edge of his reach, harrying him with her draconic breath, and clawing at his back. For three days, and three nights, she never set down. On the third night, under the light of two full moons, her fatigue got the better of her. Her reaction was a second too late, and Ysengrim managed to wrap the enormous boughs of his hand around her middle, and slammed her to the ground, ending the fight.
Sick of bloodshed, Ysengrim permitted her to live, but banished Austrophethes and her kin from his land. To this day, Silver dragons in their native form are a rarity in Autica. With no land to call their own, they wander among the mortal races, biding their time.
When he had finished excising the last of the dragons from the Deep Wilds, Ysengrim began the formation of his greatest creation. He shaped the native species, and added new ones where he felt it necessary. Once this framework was complete, he retreated to the center of the mass, and there he sunk his massive roots into the ground, infusing the land with his primal divine magic, and creating the Deep Wilds.
Monday, January 26, 2015
Races of Autica: The Dwarves
Strong, stubborn and ancient, the Dwarves of Autica have carved out their civilization in Dunbeath, a region of Rauquan, to the north of the plains of Hiplea and the desert of Rocfell.
Creations of Oldenkeeper Ysengrim, the dwarves were originally intended to be stewards of nature and the earth. Their lust for the gems and gold of the earth proved too much though, and they forgot their original charge, causing Ysengrim to forsake them.
The Dwarves made their way fine without the guidance of their creator, establishing immense cities in the mountain ranges of their homeland, and dedicating their lives to mastery of whatever craft they so chose. They crafted beautiful jewellery, masterful weapons, and carved statues so lifelike they could fool the subjects mother. Many dwarves took up the calling as scholars, collecting magnificent libraries deep in their strongholds, filled with ancient knowledge and powerful secrets. Some of Autica's most impressive places of learning are in dwarven cities.
Most dwarves are as unconcerned with divinity as their creator is with them, and those that do worship typically become followers of Ito, admiring his power of creation. Few dwarves still offer prayer to Ysengrim, and those that do are typically incredibly devoted to the Old Ways.
With few dwarven settlements outside of Dunbeath, the Dwarven sub-races did not undergoe the dramatic seperation that the other races underwent. While somewhat genetically distinct, both Mountain and Hill dwarves intermingle freely, and their government draws little distinction between the two.
The lands of Dunbeath are ruled over by a High King, elected from the royal bloodlines once every one hundred years at a great gathering at the dwarve's capital of Ballagulich. Local provinces are presided over by a King, and the regions of his province are relegated further to nobles of the king's choosing. The High King makes executive decisions, and has a final say in all matters, but is generally advised by the Stone Cabinet, a arrangement of fifty noblemen and women elected by the regions of Dunbeath. This cabinet is responsible for the crafting of laws, and major policy decisions. The size of the cabinet, the many formalities and small customs, and the stubborn nature of dwarves makes these meetings a notoriously tedious affair, with some meetings lasting weeks, or even months. To add to the tedium, once a final decision is reached, the High King has final veto on any measure passed by the Stone Cabinet, and if he uses that, the entire process must be restarted. The end result though, is that dwarven society is considered a pinnacle of lawfulness, and fair treatment. The beautiful cities, surrounded by the natural wonder of the mountain ranges, makes dwarven cities a popular destination for travelers.
This society harbors one major issue, however. A sinister plague sweeps through the dwarven race, one which neither the scholars nor the lawmakers nor even the kings can seem to find a solution for.
These problems, are the Urthbjorn, a caste of dwarves cursed from birth with a mysterious affliction. Babies born Urthbjorn are easily recognizable by their stony skin, and immense size, commonly up to half again as large as a normal dwarven child. This frequently leads to the death of the mothers, and that is just the beginning of their problems. These dwarves are supernaturally strong, and resilient, but possess intelligence only marginally greater than that of pack beasts. They also live incredibly short lifespans, reaching adulthood by the age of five, and typically passing by the age of twenty. As such, Urthbjorn are typically used as menial laborers, and their limited intelligence makes them easily exploitable.
Dwarven society is torn on how to handle this growing issue, as the rate of "infection" seems to climb slowly, but steadily over the years. Some advocate their use as laborers and pack animals, declaring them dwarves in nothing but shape, to be used as they use a beast of burden. Others advocate research into a cure, and the protection of these dim colossi.
Seeing an Urthbjorn outside of dwarven lands is rare, but some do create bonds with "handlers" that allow them to travel the world, using their immense strength and stamina to serve as bodyguards or hired muscle.
Mountain Dwarves:
The mountain dwarves of Autica are more concentrated in the northern part of Dunbeath, amongst the sweeping ranges that characterize the region. Mountain dwarves tend to the more deliberate, slow pace of the cities, and fit well as scholars and lawmakers.
Hill Dwarves:
The hill dwarves occupy the lowlands between the end of the mountain ranges and the wide plains of Hiplea. Avid miners, they build deep into the earth, with some cities seeming nothing more than a small hill from aboveground. They also supply most of the agriculture for Dunbeath, and these farming settlements tend to harbor the last remaining worshipers of Ysengrim and the Old ways, but even there, they are viewed as outsiders, or a little odd, for praying to a god that will not listen.
Hill dwarves are more impulsive than Mountain dwarves, and frequently clash with the Stout Halfling Khalisates to the south of them. Many still bristle over their defeat by the Great Khalisate of Great Perrin Khan, and will take any excuse to pick a fight with the small-folk.
(Statistics for the subraces remain the same as written in the Player's Handbook 5.0, with this exception: Mountain dwarves may choose to lose "Dwarven Armor Training" in exchange for proficiency in Knowledge (Arcana) and the ability to cast one (1) cantrip of their choice from the Wizard Spell list. If you do not have a spellcasting ability score (IE, if you are not already able to cast spells) your spellcasting ability for this cantrip is INT.)
Creations of Oldenkeeper Ysengrim, the dwarves were originally intended to be stewards of nature and the earth. Their lust for the gems and gold of the earth proved too much though, and they forgot their original charge, causing Ysengrim to forsake them.
The Dwarves made their way fine without the guidance of their creator, establishing immense cities in the mountain ranges of their homeland, and dedicating their lives to mastery of whatever craft they so chose. They crafted beautiful jewellery, masterful weapons, and carved statues so lifelike they could fool the subjects mother. Many dwarves took up the calling as scholars, collecting magnificent libraries deep in their strongholds, filled with ancient knowledge and powerful secrets. Some of Autica's most impressive places of learning are in dwarven cities.
Most dwarves are as unconcerned with divinity as their creator is with them, and those that do worship typically become followers of Ito, admiring his power of creation. Few dwarves still offer prayer to Ysengrim, and those that do are typically incredibly devoted to the Old Ways.
With few dwarven settlements outside of Dunbeath, the Dwarven sub-races did not undergoe the dramatic seperation that the other races underwent. While somewhat genetically distinct, both Mountain and Hill dwarves intermingle freely, and their government draws little distinction between the two.
The lands of Dunbeath are ruled over by a High King, elected from the royal bloodlines once every one hundred years at a great gathering at the dwarve's capital of Ballagulich. Local provinces are presided over by a King, and the regions of his province are relegated further to nobles of the king's choosing. The High King makes executive decisions, and has a final say in all matters, but is generally advised by the Stone Cabinet, a arrangement of fifty noblemen and women elected by the regions of Dunbeath. This cabinet is responsible for the crafting of laws, and major policy decisions. The size of the cabinet, the many formalities and small customs, and the stubborn nature of dwarves makes these meetings a notoriously tedious affair, with some meetings lasting weeks, or even months. To add to the tedium, once a final decision is reached, the High King has final veto on any measure passed by the Stone Cabinet, and if he uses that, the entire process must be restarted. The end result though, is that dwarven society is considered a pinnacle of lawfulness, and fair treatment. The beautiful cities, surrounded by the natural wonder of the mountain ranges, makes dwarven cities a popular destination for travelers.
This society harbors one major issue, however. A sinister plague sweeps through the dwarven race, one which neither the scholars nor the lawmakers nor even the kings can seem to find a solution for.
These problems, are the Urthbjorn, a caste of dwarves cursed from birth with a mysterious affliction. Babies born Urthbjorn are easily recognizable by their stony skin, and immense size, commonly up to half again as large as a normal dwarven child. This frequently leads to the death of the mothers, and that is just the beginning of their problems. These dwarves are supernaturally strong, and resilient, but possess intelligence only marginally greater than that of pack beasts. They also live incredibly short lifespans, reaching adulthood by the age of five, and typically passing by the age of twenty. As such, Urthbjorn are typically used as menial laborers, and their limited intelligence makes them easily exploitable.
Dwarven society is torn on how to handle this growing issue, as the rate of "infection" seems to climb slowly, but steadily over the years. Some advocate their use as laborers and pack animals, declaring them dwarves in nothing but shape, to be used as they use a beast of burden. Others advocate research into a cure, and the protection of these dim colossi.
Seeing an Urthbjorn outside of dwarven lands is rare, but some do create bonds with "handlers" that allow them to travel the world, using their immense strength and stamina to serve as bodyguards or hired muscle.
Mountain Dwarves:
The mountain dwarves of Autica are more concentrated in the northern part of Dunbeath, amongst the sweeping ranges that characterize the region. Mountain dwarves tend to the more deliberate, slow pace of the cities, and fit well as scholars and lawmakers.
Hill Dwarves:
The hill dwarves occupy the lowlands between the end of the mountain ranges and the wide plains of Hiplea. Avid miners, they build deep into the earth, with some cities seeming nothing more than a small hill from aboveground. They also supply most of the agriculture for Dunbeath, and these farming settlements tend to harbor the last remaining worshipers of Ysengrim and the Old ways, but even there, they are viewed as outsiders, or a little odd, for praying to a god that will not listen.
Hill dwarves are more impulsive than Mountain dwarves, and frequently clash with the Stout Halfling Khalisates to the south of them. Many still bristle over their defeat by the Great Khalisate of Great Perrin Khan, and will take any excuse to pick a fight with the small-folk.
(Statistics for the subraces remain the same as written in the Player's Handbook 5.0, with this exception: Mountain dwarves may choose to lose "Dwarven Armor Training" in exchange for proficiency in Knowledge (Arcana) and the ability to cast one (1) cantrip of their choice from the Wizard Spell list. If you do not have a spellcasting ability score (IE, if you are not already able to cast spells) your spellcasting ability for this cantrip is INT.)
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Races of Autica: The Elves
The children of the living island
are a race split deeply into three separate cultures, each deeply in
tune with the land (Or lack there of) on which they live.
Originally created as one single race, the Elves were the elite soldiers of the Origin war. Their prowess in the martial arts, and long lives with which to study them, made them formidable opponents, and many battles were swayed by relatively small war parties.
After the war, as the races settled into the world they were thrust upon, the elves split into three sub-races.
High Elves:
The High Elves are a race of wanderers, and their inability to stay settled is common knowledge among the people of Autica. The tallest, and fairest of the elves, most High Elves spend a good portion of their life at sea, and some of the oldest may have never touched dry land.
To accommodate their love for the sea, they create great floating cities. These cities drift through the seas of the world, and on their back and entire civilization thrives. These floating cities are generally run by the elaborate monasteries that dominate the center of the vessel. In their walls, elves train in the old ways of martial prowess, and seek to keep their bodies and minds sharp for the day when Behemoth calls on them to fight again. The eldest of the monks acts both as supreme teacher, but also as governor of his city, making decisions on course and creating the laws that any locals must adhere to. The Eldest (as these ancient monks are known) will never leave his city-ship and will sink with it if it goes down. The high elf sub-race has no central government, or lands to call their own, with each ship creating it's own micro-state.
The inhabitants of the cities tend to be very much in tune with the flow of the monastery, and as such most High Elves are incredibly devout worshippers of the Gods, primarily Behemoth, who created them. They seek to imitate his slow grace and incredible power, and believe great strength is nothing without control.
Those High Elves who do not fit in with this monasterial lifestyle still cannot shake their attraction the the sea, and commonly become sailors for tradesmen, or pirates. In fact, it is considered bad luck for a ship to not have at least one elven crew member.
High Elven pirate captains are some of the most feared raiders in the world, each controlling large swaths of ocean, and battling fiercely for territory with other pirate captains. Most traders have accepted the need to pay the tolls required to cross these territories as cost of doing business, setting aside chests of "Elf coins" for immediate surrender should they be stopped or boarded.
Wood Elves:
The closest humanoid settlement to the Deep Wilds is that of the Wood Elves, and they welcome the abundance of nature that proximity provides. Settled on the large island of Lavrari, just outside of the great reef that rings the continent of the Wilds, the Wood Elves are not a populous people, numbering far fewer than their High Elven cousins.
When Ysengrim first formed the Deep Wilds, the initial surge of primal energy nearly overwhelmed what was then a small settlement of elves. Those who adapted to the rapidly growing woodlands, and influx of beasts to their island, became the Wood Elves. Those who didn't either fled, or became fuel for the forest.
The smallest of the elves, the Wood Elves are also the longest lived. This near immortality has combined with the Wood Elves natural curiosity and dislike for authority to create a society with very few laws or regulations, and a people who cannot seem to understand why the other, shorted lived races, seem to take life so seriously.
Wood Elf society is focused around large groups, called conclaves. These conclaves can contain as few as 2, or as many as several hundred elves. When many of these conclaves occupy the same area, the grouping could be what would loosely be considered a city. These cities never last particularly long as their component groups exchange information, goods and members, and then are on their merry way.
Wood Elves are the only mortal race that is still capable of the lost art of the First, Spell-singing, though their ability is largely limited to singing forth the trees. This allows them to shape the forest to their needs, without destroying any of it.
Wood Elf children are incredibly rare, and any that are born are considered miracles and raised by the entire conclave. Monogamy is a foreign concept to most wood elves, with both men and women taking multiple partners within their conclaves. Little thought is given to paternity, and even maternity is ceded fairly soon after birth to the rest of the conclave. These children instead take the last name of their conclave, and pick their own first name as they reach their hundredth birthday, before that simply answering to their last name (The low birth rate means there is very rarely two children under 100 in the same conclave).
Most Wood elven adventurers are those who either felt some calling to a specific task, or those who had personality's too rigid to fit well into the incredibly loose society of their parents. Such children are happily waved away, and warmly welcomed back, should they be able to actually find their old conclave again.
Drow:
A dark fascination with death rules over this reclusive civilization. The Drow occupy the frozen southern continent of Weawica, where they nurture the Godling of physical death, Ishtu.
Before the coming of Ishtu, and the end of the Origin War, the Drow were normal elves, who had fled to the conflict to establish a settlement free from the endless conflict. This society was peaceful, and though life on Weawica was hard, they were able to eke out a foothold where no one else would follow.
This all changed when, after the Battle of the Split, Ysengrim spirited the barely alive Godling Ishtu down to Weawica, and entrusted this society of pacifist elves to her care. Quickly, as the Godling grew, and regained her power, the Drow became enamoured with her, and their old society began to warp around it's new central pillar. Now, Ishtu counts the dark-skinned Drow among her most loyal followers. They build create temples dedicated to decay, and the fungal creatures the Rotting Temples attracts are treated with reverence, and allowed to traverse through the cities unharmed. Drow scholars study the processes of death and the decomposition of organic material. Funerals are cause for great celebration, and the funeral rites that the bodies undergo is incredibly complex, and few outsiders have ever seen them.
Any meddling with the spirits of the dead is seen as bad luck, and as it is not the domain of Ishtu, most Drow do not. Those who do are quickly shut down, for fear of attracting the attention of Bellini, Ishtu's other half. Drow rarely worship any other than Ishtu, though some with include small prayers or offerings to Ysengrim (Who largely ignores them)
In the centre of Weawica sits the drow's greatest city, Silvmarsh, and in the great Rotting Temple that dominates that city sits Ishtu, and her favored clerics. These 13 clerics make up the ruling class of the Drow, and wherever you go in Weawica those priests are treated with great reverence.
Outsiders may find the Drow's ways appalling, but they are not evil creatures. They, as a whole, seek no particular malice through their study of death, and simply want to venerate their god. Drow do not get along well with either of the other elven sub-races, seeing Wood Elves as flightly and irresponsible, and High Elves as haughty warmongers. The other elves tend to view Drow as betrayers, sore from their abandonment of them during the Origin War, and just unsettling.
It is incredibly rare for Drow to leave Weawica, though some do. Be they clerics sent on a divine mission from Ishtu, or simply wanderlust stricken youth, if they do not come back to Weawica with something of worth to either Ishtu, or their society, they are typically shunned, and compared to Wood Elves as flighty, useless creatures who do nothing to advance our society. The drive to be productive, or be worthwhile, is very strong in Drow culture.
(All statistics for theses sub-races remains the same as listed in the player's handbook, with these exceptions:)
(High Elves: You are considered proficient in any ability check that includes an attempt to operate or move about a sailing ship, and have advantage on Swim checks in stormy water)
(Wood Elves: No matter how old you get, you will never feel the effects of old age. Also, if you are able to cast spells, you automatically know the "Wood-Shape" spell, and can cast it a day, recharging on a long rest (Spell detailed at the bottom of this article))
(Drow: You lose "Sunlight Sensitivity". Drow Clerics may choose the Death Domain without being of an evil alignment, and Drow Paladins may use the disgraced paladin rules in the Dungeon master's guide, without suffering any disgrace)
Wood Shape
Casting time: 10 minutes
Range: 10 meters
Components: V
Duration: 1d10 days, or until spell is cancelled.
You target a tree, or small group of trees near you and begin singing. The targeted tree begins to shift and bend, and at the end of the casting time, you are able to instruct it mentally as to what shape it will take. The tree cannot emulate machinery, or have any moving parts. It cannot grow any larger than it already is, and cannot shrink. You have 1 minute after the spell is cast to give instruction, after that the tree locks into whatever position it is currently in, and cannot be changed unless targeted with another wood shape spell. Magical trees are unaffected by this spell. If you are interrupted at any point during the song, the becomes unresponsive, and you must begin again.
Originally created as one single race, the Elves were the elite soldiers of the Origin war. Their prowess in the martial arts, and long lives with which to study them, made them formidable opponents, and many battles were swayed by relatively small war parties.
After the war, as the races settled into the world they were thrust upon, the elves split into three sub-races.
High Elves:
The High Elves are a race of wanderers, and their inability to stay settled is common knowledge among the people of Autica. The tallest, and fairest of the elves, most High Elves spend a good portion of their life at sea, and some of the oldest may have never touched dry land.
To accommodate their love for the sea, they create great floating cities. These cities drift through the seas of the world, and on their back and entire civilization thrives. These floating cities are generally run by the elaborate monasteries that dominate the center of the vessel. In their walls, elves train in the old ways of martial prowess, and seek to keep their bodies and minds sharp for the day when Behemoth calls on them to fight again. The eldest of the monks acts both as supreme teacher, but also as governor of his city, making decisions on course and creating the laws that any locals must adhere to. The Eldest (as these ancient monks are known) will never leave his city-ship and will sink with it if it goes down. The high elf sub-race has no central government, or lands to call their own, with each ship creating it's own micro-state.
The inhabitants of the cities tend to be very much in tune with the flow of the monastery, and as such most High Elves are incredibly devout worshippers of the Gods, primarily Behemoth, who created them. They seek to imitate his slow grace and incredible power, and believe great strength is nothing without control.
Those High Elves who do not fit in with this monasterial lifestyle still cannot shake their attraction the the sea, and commonly become sailors for tradesmen, or pirates. In fact, it is considered bad luck for a ship to not have at least one elven crew member.
High Elven pirate captains are some of the most feared raiders in the world, each controlling large swaths of ocean, and battling fiercely for territory with other pirate captains. Most traders have accepted the need to pay the tolls required to cross these territories as cost of doing business, setting aside chests of "Elf coins" for immediate surrender should they be stopped or boarded.
Wood Elves:
The closest humanoid settlement to the Deep Wilds is that of the Wood Elves, and they welcome the abundance of nature that proximity provides. Settled on the large island of Lavrari, just outside of the great reef that rings the continent of the Wilds, the Wood Elves are not a populous people, numbering far fewer than their High Elven cousins.
When Ysengrim first formed the Deep Wilds, the initial surge of primal energy nearly overwhelmed what was then a small settlement of elves. Those who adapted to the rapidly growing woodlands, and influx of beasts to their island, became the Wood Elves. Those who didn't either fled, or became fuel for the forest.
The smallest of the elves, the Wood Elves are also the longest lived. This near immortality has combined with the Wood Elves natural curiosity and dislike for authority to create a society with very few laws or regulations, and a people who cannot seem to understand why the other, shorted lived races, seem to take life so seriously.
Wood Elf society is focused around large groups, called conclaves. These conclaves can contain as few as 2, or as many as several hundred elves. When many of these conclaves occupy the same area, the grouping could be what would loosely be considered a city. These cities never last particularly long as their component groups exchange information, goods and members, and then are on their merry way.
Wood Elves are the only mortal race that is still capable of the lost art of the First, Spell-singing, though their ability is largely limited to singing forth the trees. This allows them to shape the forest to their needs, without destroying any of it.
Wood Elf children are incredibly rare, and any that are born are considered miracles and raised by the entire conclave. Monogamy is a foreign concept to most wood elves, with both men and women taking multiple partners within their conclaves. Little thought is given to paternity, and even maternity is ceded fairly soon after birth to the rest of the conclave. These children instead take the last name of their conclave, and pick their own first name as they reach their hundredth birthday, before that simply answering to their last name (The low birth rate means there is very rarely two children under 100 in the same conclave).
Most Wood elven adventurers are those who either felt some calling to a specific task, or those who had personality's too rigid to fit well into the incredibly loose society of their parents. Such children are happily waved away, and warmly welcomed back, should they be able to actually find their old conclave again.
Drow:
A dark fascination with death rules over this reclusive civilization. The Drow occupy the frozen southern continent of Weawica, where they nurture the Godling of physical death, Ishtu.
Before the coming of Ishtu, and the end of the Origin War, the Drow were normal elves, who had fled to the conflict to establish a settlement free from the endless conflict. This society was peaceful, and though life on Weawica was hard, they were able to eke out a foothold where no one else would follow.
This all changed when, after the Battle of the Split, Ysengrim spirited the barely alive Godling Ishtu down to Weawica, and entrusted this society of pacifist elves to her care. Quickly, as the Godling grew, and regained her power, the Drow became enamoured with her, and their old society began to warp around it's new central pillar. Now, Ishtu counts the dark-skinned Drow among her most loyal followers. They build create temples dedicated to decay, and the fungal creatures the Rotting Temples attracts are treated with reverence, and allowed to traverse through the cities unharmed. Drow scholars study the processes of death and the decomposition of organic material. Funerals are cause for great celebration, and the funeral rites that the bodies undergo is incredibly complex, and few outsiders have ever seen them.
Any meddling with the spirits of the dead is seen as bad luck, and as it is not the domain of Ishtu, most Drow do not. Those who do are quickly shut down, for fear of attracting the attention of Bellini, Ishtu's other half. Drow rarely worship any other than Ishtu, though some with include small prayers or offerings to Ysengrim (Who largely ignores them)
In the centre of Weawica sits the drow's greatest city, Silvmarsh, and in the great Rotting Temple that dominates that city sits Ishtu, and her favored clerics. These 13 clerics make up the ruling class of the Drow, and wherever you go in Weawica those priests are treated with great reverence.
Outsiders may find the Drow's ways appalling, but they are not evil creatures. They, as a whole, seek no particular malice through their study of death, and simply want to venerate their god. Drow do not get along well with either of the other elven sub-races, seeing Wood Elves as flightly and irresponsible, and High Elves as haughty warmongers. The other elves tend to view Drow as betrayers, sore from their abandonment of them during the Origin War, and just unsettling.
It is incredibly rare for Drow to leave Weawica, though some do. Be they clerics sent on a divine mission from Ishtu, or simply wanderlust stricken youth, if they do not come back to Weawica with something of worth to either Ishtu, or their society, they are typically shunned, and compared to Wood Elves as flighty, useless creatures who do nothing to advance our society. The drive to be productive, or be worthwhile, is very strong in Drow culture.
(All statistics for theses sub-races remains the same as listed in the player's handbook, with these exceptions:)
(High Elves: You are considered proficient in any ability check that includes an attempt to operate or move about a sailing ship, and have advantage on Swim checks in stormy water)
(Wood Elves: No matter how old you get, you will never feel the effects of old age. Also, if you are able to cast spells, you automatically know the "Wood-Shape" spell, and can cast it a day, recharging on a long rest (Spell detailed at the bottom of this article))
(Drow: You lose "Sunlight Sensitivity". Drow Clerics may choose the Death Domain without being of an evil alignment, and Drow Paladins may use the disgraced paladin rules in the Dungeon master's guide, without suffering any disgrace)
Wood Shape
Casting time: 10 minutes
Range: 10 meters
Components: V
Duration: 1d10 days, or until spell is cancelled.
You target a tree, or small group of trees near you and begin singing. The targeted tree begins to shift and bend, and at the end of the casting time, you are able to instruct it mentally as to what shape it will take. The tree cannot emulate machinery, or have any moving parts. It cannot grow any larger than it already is, and cannot shrink. You have 1 minute after the spell is cast to give instruction, after that the tree locks into whatever position it is currently in, and cannot be changed unless targeted with another wood shape spell. Magical trees are unaffected by this spell. If you are interrupted at any point during the song, the becomes unresponsive, and you must begin again.
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