Introduction

In the ancient days of mid-2017, a group of friends sat down to participate in a game of political intrigue, godly horrors, and devastating repercussions with each decision made. That group was comprised of nine players and one Dungeon Master, and the game barely lasted three months, if that. It's a wonder anyone even wanted to continue playing Dungeons & Dragons after that experience. And not only did mostly everyone keep playing, but they created whole new games within the same world that the old campaign was set in. Not in the Forgotten Realms, not in Eberron, but in a wholly unique world to them and their table: Adowei.

A large world of intrigue, adventure, and power that they have every opportunity to explore how they see fit! Whether there be a desire to change the world, a hunger for power, or a need to help others in need, Adowei offers an opportunity for all beings who live in these lands.

Growing up, Dungeons & Dragons was one of my favorite games in high school and still is to this day. A storytelling game set in a world of swords and sorcery? What teenager wouldn't be intrigued by the idea? But it's also so much more than that! D&D is driven by imagination. It’s about picturing the towering castle beneath the stormy night sky and imagining how a fantasy adventurer might react to the challenges that scene presents. And that, above all else, was probably what attracted me to Dungeons & Dragons.

The only problem for me was the lore of the Forgotten Realms or Eberron. Not because it was boring to me, far from it actually, but because I didn't have time to read it all. Not in the detail I would have liked anyway. So I did what any other sane person would do, clearly: I began to create my own world. A world that I could make or break however I wanted. A world to bring to life for myself and my players. It was almost liberating in a sense.

The World

The fantasy world of Adowei is a place of magic, swords, war, innovation, monsters, and so much more. Men and women can make their dreams reality here, creating towering flying machines, or large iron ships to sail safely on the open seas. Those who have mastered the arcane arts as well are able to do just as amazing things: creating powerful weapons of technological and magical marvel to brand the world with, or creating floating cities to live in. advances and conveniences made in the world of Adowei augment the trappings of a traditional medieval setting, and hopefully add a bit more variety to your games.

Keep in mind that most of what is talked about in this book is placed after the start of the Great War. Of course, it is still possible to run a campaign where the Great War hasn't begun yet, but keep in mind that some events may not have taken place yet depending on where you set it. Also, keep in mind that there are several other continents in the world of Adowei as well that can be explored. Perhaps in future installments... Regardless, we hope you enjoy your time in Altaenia, and we hope you look forward to exploring all of Adowei in the future!

100,000 bh

Juexzozt, the All-Father, and Kixtos, the Forgotten One were created. The two spent years wandering the empty void, unsure of their purpose in an empty world. Without anything in the darkness, the two eventually decided to fill it with their own images, though both of them have a different idea of what would be best...

90,000 bh

10,000 years later, Kixtos decides to leave Juexzotz on his own. He wanders the cosmos alone, doing nothing but that: wandering. Many say that Kixtos still wanders to this day, and that this is the reason why he has been named "the Forgotten One."

Juexzotz, on the other hand, decides to try and stay busy by creating the material plane. Not only that, but he also spends thousands of years creating the New Deities.

Juexzotz would work to create other deities to help him on his journey of creating a paradise of a world for the mortal races that would eventually come. First, Juexzotz created Ehtos, the chaotic neutral God of Fire, to give the mortal race that would soon inhabit the world fire. He would also give the mortal races their passions and created volcanic and fiery places in the world, and is said to be responsible for most wildfires and the development of fire as a source of power. Following him was Neulla, the chaotic good Goddess of Water. She gave further life to the world by adding water. She created the flowing rivers, the raging waterfalls; everywhere you see with water, Nuella is probably responsible for it. She also helped to develop farming amongst the mortal species.

Soon after came Ownir, the chaotic good God of Air, who created the howling winds and gusts of air, as well as the oxygen that the mortals breathe. It is mostly because of Ownir that mortal life can sustain themselves in the world of Adowei. Finally, Ytix, the lawful good Goddess of the Earth, and with her, wildlife and minerals soon came to the world. She developed domesticable animals for the mortals to survive off of, as well as—along with Neulla—developed farming for them as well. Eventually, however, some of her creations would become corrupt.

Orius, the neutral God of Magic, created everything related to magic. He spent eons developing spells, magic items, and creating areas of Adowei strong with magical prowess. He also taught his fellow deities to use his creations to further enhance their abilities. However, he kept the strongest spells for himself and his favored angels and followers, eventually.

The formation of the material plane was underway, and rather than leaving the sky open to the void, Juexzotz created two deities of night and day, creating the twin Gods of Night and Day, Ivemis and Yaris along with the cycle of day and night. Eventually, Ivemis would create the concept of dark magic as well, and Orius would develop more holy magic, and the two would form a rivalry that would last eons, eventually creating two more deities from the chaos of the conflict...

80,000 bh

With the formation of the material plane, the deities began to fill it with life. The first race of beings to ever inhabit Adowei: the Zenit. As such, two new deities were created in order to give life to such creatures, but also ensure that their lives were not to last forever. Guhena, the lawful good Goddess of Life created the Zenit, and eventually the other races of Adowei as well. Little did she know that her first creation would ultimately betray her and her siblings. After her, Sidros, the lawful evil God of Death emerged, ready to claim the lives of the Zenit when their time came. He leads the dead through to their place in the afterlife and claims their souls to be sealed there.

73,000 bh

The Zenit were an ambitious race that took the tools and world the deities gave them and began to revolt. When the deities created humans, elves, and dwarves to live alongside them, all the Zenit did was take to enslaving them: forcing them to mine for Ytix's resources, build powerful devices, and serve their wishes. The deities were initially skeptical of their nature, but did nothing to prevent such things from happening. However, when they began to make powerful relics of divine power, they knew that they had created a failing race; one that could eventually overthrow them if given enough power.

However, indecision spread amongst the deities on this, which spawned Fevher, the lawful neutrak God of Judgment. With his power and wisdom, Fevher gazed upon the Zenit and walked amongst them, validating the deities' fears about the Zenit, which would lead to the war that they would have to fight against their own creations.

The Unholy Uprising was the war the gods and the zenit took part in for control of the world of Adowei. The deities created their angels to fight their wars with the zenit, and rarely actually fought in battles themselves. Eventually though, after years of war, the gods had enough of the war...

72,500 bh

In order to cleanse the world of the disaster that was the Zenit, Vizzotz, the lawful evil God of Plague was created. He brought a devastating plague and natural disasters with the help of Ytix: Pthisis. This eventually resulted in the extinction of the Zenit, weakening to the point where the angels easily swept through the lands and destroyed the zenit, though Guhena tried to plea to save her children. However, his plague grew too strong, and threatened to spread to the other creations without Guhena's life-giving powers.

70,000 bh

Even though the deities were wary of the zenit and their advanced technology, they also somewhat admired it, and understood the importance of such power. As such, Juexzotz crafted Ahius, the neutral God of the Craft. He created many things for the gods of Adowei: the godly items given to each deity and the Overseers are the more known creations, but he also gives the mortals the knowledge and ability to create things themselves.

65,000 bh

Soon after, the rivalry between Ivemis and Yaris were boiling over, but tipped over once Ivemis created a dark ritual to elongate the night. What would become known as the Twilight Conflict, the two would use their angels and mortal followers to war against one another in a hope to either enact the ritual to let the night last longer or destroy it to ensure that no being can use it ever again. It was a short string of battles, and a winner was never determined, as it was interrupted by the creation of two new deities, introducing similar elements to the world, though strongly separated from their "parents".

Bethys, the lawful good Goddess of Light was created alongside Jenos, the chaotic evil God of Darkness. As a result, the gods of night and day resolved their issues. However, their children would later carry out their work. Jenos created the monsters that inhabit the night while Bethys created the paladins to fight against them, among other things for the both of them.

64,000 bh

With the help of the gods, the mortals were given the chance to live for themselves. It was during this time when Adowei was most peaceful. Without the Zenit enslaving the other races or the Gods directly meddling in the affairs of the mortals, they were left alone in a time of peace. Perhaps this was the most peaceful the world had ever been. Unfortunately, peace never lasts in Adowei.

60,000 bh

Soon after peace had been achieved, Jenos had reemerged from hiding, creating monsters and beasts to destroy the mortal races against the wishes of the Gods. This sparks the Thousand Year Darkness, which put the mortal races of Adowei against the monsters created by Jenos in a bloody conflict that seemed would never end. As the war went on, a number of mortals were able to ascend to godhood, creating gods in their own rights.

Madther, a great human warrior, was one tale that was never forgotten. He single-handedly led charges against scourges of beasts and seemed almost unstoppable. Many assume he had divine assistance, and that is perhaps why, upon his death, he ascended to the Heavens to be formed into the chaotic neutral God of Warriors.

Suris, a human woman, however, took advantage of the chaos that distracted the Gods and stole a magical harp from them. While initially frustrated and angry with the mortal woman, they were also impressed beyond all belief, many say. To think that a mortal could steal anything from the Gods. They allowed her to keep the harp in exchange for her services as the chaotic neutral Goddess of Thieves. Perhaps they were also trying to make up for their mistakes with the Zenit as well?

Annja was a woman who was able to find love during the Thousand Year Darkness, with one of the monstrous races no less. She worked with him to fight for a potential peace, but their lives would be cut off the the cynical nature of the mortal beings. A riot broke out to destroy the creature and Annja, sending Annja to the halls of Elysium rather than Aether, giving her the opportunity to become the chaotic neutral Goddess of Love, letting her story inspire others to accept love of all kinds. However, she would never be reunited with her love, his soul cast into the darkness of the Abyss.

40,000 bh

Vizzotz releases another plague onto the world in order to ensure that the mortals know that the Gods are in charge of this world. Many died in this plague, but one death held a significant impact on the world of man: The death of Badum's wife. Badum was an Elf who worked happily on a farm with his wife. After her death, however, he became enraged. Broiled with anger, he cursed the Gods that killed his beloved and swore vengeance upon them.

He became the personification of vengeance and began to kill and slaughter any who dared to cross his path. Whoever dared to interrupt his quest for vengeance would be destroyed. Upon reaching Elysium, he was made an offer that no mortal could ever refuse. If he would pacify his bloodlust, he would be named the chaotic neutral God of Vengeance and would be allowed to be with his wife forevermore. He accepted, of course, but many suggest that he still plots the destruction of Vizzotz to this day.

After the tragedy of the war, the first faction to defend Adowei from this form of darkness was founded on the basis of the defense of others and the world: Hollowfel. Now an ancient memory, they were a very inclusive and powerful power in the world, yet never used it for themselves, and even hid themselves away to the point of irrelevance in later years. But always they have watched, and always will they be there to defend Adowei from the dark evils that lurk out of sight and out of mind by the other powers.

30,000 bh

As the mortals lived in peace, the gods would soon have their own problems to solve. Millenia after his departure, Kixtos returned to Elysium and revealed his own children: a group of eldritch abominations known as the Elder Wickeds. Kixtos and his brother, Juexzotz, would engage in a conflict that would last eons for their children to fight against one another. Kixtos created six children against Juexzotz's eighteen. Kaovha the Giant, who walked through the planes of the gods and demolished everything in sight; Inombra the Creator, who made powerful devices and spells that nearly erased the deities,; Xaagged the Conqueror, who fought armies at a time to slaughter his foes; Aiugithren the Terror, who slipped into the minds of thousands, forcing many to end their own existences to escape his torture; Trogd'xe the Manipulator, who took the form of angels and gods alike to sew chaos amongst their armies; and Shuthri the Seeker, whose unpredictable nature caused the death of thousands on both sides, but whose powers rivaled that of even the gods.

After eons of death and chaos in the realm of the gods, they created the Vaults of the Wicked in the depths of the Abyss, locking away the Elder Wickeds for all of time, sealed by the holy items of each of the deities, save for Juexzotz and Kixtos, who are still locked in an endless battle to this day...

27,800 bh

It didn't take long for the mortals of Altaenia to fully discover and explore their home continent. They had come across many new creatures, races, settomgs, the list goes on and on! But what they didn't expect was for there to be whole new worlds just waiting across the sea to be explored by these pioneers.

25,000 bh

It didn't take long to colonize the continent of Altaenia, and it took an even shorter amount of time for another war to occur. In a bid for pieces of land and a feeling of superiority, the mortal races began to war against each other! Well, the ones that had been discovered up to this point: Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, and Goblins. This war also brought about the distinctions between Monstrous and Human races, with Humans, Elves, and Dwarves being labeled as "Human," and the Orcs and Goblins being "Monstrous." The distinction between the two is not always clear, however.

These classifications would later lead to years of warfare, racism, fear, and even destruction of different cultures and homes. Whether this was done on purpose or if it was an unfortunate byproduct of such classifications, the years of blood caused by it are undeniable.

24,800 bh

One hundred years after the First War, where the Human races were victorious, the Golden Clause was written into the body of laws that would later be further developed into a global scale. The clause stated that Monstrous races may reside within the human cities under the promise that no conflict would arise. This upset many of the Human races, however, but it was seen as necessary in the hopes that they could all come together and work as one some day in the future.

20,000 bh

With the development of ships, the mortal races decided it would be a good idea to find more ideal lands, especially since Altaenia was getting a bit crowded, most likely. They sailed for months on end until they discovered Dastrath; another continent of Adowei. Although slightly smaller than Altaenia, it seemed as though Dastrath was more rich with resources that would lead to more advanced warfare. It didn't take long until the whole continent was explored and colonized; almost 700 years. However, as we now know, there seem to be more hidden mysteries lurking in the land.

15,500 bh

Starting in around 15,000 BH, it didn't take too long after the discovery of such a place as Dastrath for pirating to be a "fun" common practice amongst degenerates. Many speculate and say that these first pirates were the inspiration, or perhaps even the founders, of the Tirmor Alliance. However, that would make them the first known power group in Adowei's recorded history, but these are just rumors with little evidence to support such claims.

Many pirates made use of Lacharia and Briece as singular island countries, and made use of their ships to attempt to create artificial lands to little avail for the most part. Humans made up most of the pirate population, but Halflings quickly took to the activity, as did many monstrous races across the world itself.

Come 10,700 BH, gunpowder was introduced; found in Dastrath, of all places. This brought a whole new kind of warfare: One on the sea rather than land. Pirates attempted to rule the seas with an iron fist, but the common folk were quick to retaliate against such a cruel regime. They refused to be pushed around by common criminals, and were quick to amass their own fleets to combat the scourge of crime.

Thankfully, they managed to rout the pirates away from the mainlands, and were able to travel with the occasional danger of pirates. However, rumors have it that these pirates found the Tirmor Isles in their rout, and eventually founded the Tirmor Alliance: A faction of pirates who seek only the freedom to do as they please.

10,700 bh

Gunpowder has been a staple in Dastrath for almost as long as the continent has been around. Extraction of this material became a priority early on in their development, and it soon became a main export of theirs. They were the first to create guns and cannons, and were the first to hold a large, functional army as a result. As such, many viewed Dastrath as a land of warriors and soldiers, though they later abandoned this view thousands of years later.

The main source of military might for the land came from Hadroque, a land of military oligarchs who valued the power of their military above all else. They had a long history of breeding great warriors, and were often the first to join a battle should one arrive nearby. Of course, they also found other uses for gunpowder aside from guns and cannons. They also developed many explosives that are used in warfare. As such, residents of Hadroque are often regarded as a "warrior species."

10,500 bh

Hadroque was led by a single man originally; a human male named Rorgon. He ran the country of Hadroque with an iron fist, and insisted that their army was not only the strongest in the world, but the only thing that could rule over, not just Dastrath, but the world itself. While this did not initially start a war, Rorgon's warmongering ways ate away at peace very quickly; too quickly for anything to heal.

Rorgon's corruption spread through all of Hadroque within a matter of years, and he had almost been successful in corrupting the entirety of Dastrath, had it not been for Herren, a male elf who actively opposed Rorgon's ways of war and violence. Unfortunately, the elf was too late to save Hadroque.

Herren saw the war as an inevitability, and sought to raise an army strong enough to counter Rorgon and his advanced war machines. Thankfully, he had the advantage of numbers, and thought he was ready for anything in the coming war. However, he also prepared a failsafe: The Ironfall. This was a weapon found in an ancient Zenit ruin in Dastrath that was rumored to be able to destroy entire pieces of land. Thankfully, the weapon was never used, and it has been lost and forgotten.

Rorgon, on the other hand, was planning the war ever since he had met Herren. He raised whole armies; developed civilizations around the concept, and designed weapons and tools that brought them much success in the war. Before the war, many feared Rorgon and his ideals. During the war, however, many cowered in fear at the sight of it.

The Iron War was a grueling twenty years of brutality and inhumanity. Colloquially, it was called "The Horrid War" by those who followed Herren, or "The Glorious Stand" by the followers of Rorgon, and most in Hadroque. The war spanned from Hadroque's seas to the mountains in Frasia, and the chaos and mistrust of the war spread all the way to other lands overseas as well; paranoid of its repercussions, and with no means of long-range communication at the time, there was no way to warn one another of an incoming attack. Unfortunately for Herren, Rorgon had been cunning in his ways of training. He taught soldiers to infiltrate and strike from the shadows, allowing him to conquer entire areas with little to no resistance for a time.

Rorgon was smarter than Herren had given him credit for, and as a result, many cities fell under his control within the first few months. Herren was forced to adapt to these changes, and had to make use of more strategic, and often cruel, movements. He utilized gunpowder in a more destructive manner, and developed the first grenades; a primitive and dangerous design, but effective at killing scores of foes, even if the first few attempts were more friendly fire than anything.

Rorgon grew arrogant after his many wins, and thought nothing of Herren and his forces. This was his first mistake, and allowed his forces to grow arrogant as well. Herren noticed this and acted on this newly found weakness. Herren set traps in small villages for Rorgon's men, who were unlikely to resist such easy prey. Magical seals placed everywhere after the village was evacuated allowed for wanton destruction with Rorgon's men as the only casualties. However, in the cases where Rorgon's men were not defeated immediately by such tactics, clean-up squads were put together. These allowed entire armies to be destroyed, much to Rorgon's surprise.

Five years passed, and the war truly began in earnest during this time. Rorgon began to see Herren and his forces as worthy foes, worthy of the death his soldiers would bring. Herren, on the other hand, finally grasped the true concept of war, and began to utilize more smart and tactical strategies in order to defeat the powerful armies under Rorgon's command. For much of the war, Herren stayed on the defensive; allowing Rorgon's forces to attack them, and retaliate with more soldiers. This strategy failed for the first two years, but eventually picked up with the arrival of a certain hero.

A hero, whose name was lost to time, assisted Herren's forces in many battles, and won many of them single-handedly. Perhaps he was sent by the Gods. Perhaps he was an old war veteran. Whatever the case, he breathed new life into the Iron War; this time on Herren's side.

For the next ten years, cities were swung back and forth on who controlled them. For a time, however, Herren was winning this war. His strategies were paying off, and he felt like he could finally go on the offensive. Although this didn't happen until the final year of the war, Herren was making preparations for such an event. The end of the war was in sight for both parties. However, Rorgon had a trick up his sleeve that he had yet to use.

Rorgon had developed a way to make powerful soldiers: Ones that could feel neither pain nor disobedience. They were called Shriekers by Herren's forces, and they devastated entire populations. They were originally normal people, but twisted by arcane and powerful armor. This armor dug deep into their skin, making it unable to be removed. It covered their faces, chests, legs, and hands; with sharp blades at the end of the hands. They were fast and deadly, making them perfect forces to claw into enemy trenches before sending the entire army to clean house.

The Shriekers were a problem for three years until the unnamed hero dispatched most of them, and sacrificed himself to not only defeat the rest, but destroy any research and people who could make more of them. The Shriekers were no longer tearing through Herren's forces, but now he had lost his most valuable asset. Fortunately, the war was finally nearing its end.

Herren put together a strike force of twenty people to secretly invade Rorgon's castle and bring him down. Rorgon had expected this, and they were met with heavy resistance. Fortunately, nothing the force could not handle. They reached Rorgon and challenged him to a duel, which he accepted. He had killed twelve of the initial strike force before succumbing to the blade of Herren himself. He rode back home, holding Rorgon's head high for all to see; marking the end of the war.

10,450 bh

Several years after Rorgon was vanquished, pirates saw an opportunity: A weakened land that was ripe for the taking. So they invaded Dastrath once again, taking advantage of a weaker military force to raid towns and villages, plunder temples, and many more dastardly deeds. Thankfully, the military was still quick to act, and managed to match the forces of the pirates. Many call this event a war itself, though mostly for how long battles waged.

For five years, pirates took to the land rather than the sea, and the results were devastating for many. Many pirates see this as a golden age for their time, while others think it as just a prelude. Eventually, the military drove them back to the seas, but was unable to completely defeat them from there. As such, the fleet of ships retreated once again with the loot they had gained from this "five year flood." They were richer than ever before, and more bloodthirsty as well.

The people of Dastrath were filled with fear after the war and the Five Year Flood. The land entered a state of chaos which it had never seen before. Riots in the streets, violent protests, and so much more. This was perhaps Dastrath's darkest time. However, none gave up. The Praetors of each city gathered in their respective countries to elect an Exarch for each continent, which would form the Council of Dastrath.

Ten people in total would be named Exarch every ten years, and they would gather in an agreed meeting place every three years to discuss the state of Dastrath. They would solve problems, raise morale, and bring hope to any who thought it was lost. Dastrath finally rose past the dark histories, and was brought into a new age. Thankfully, the same practice was brought to each other continent as well, and would eventually evolve as well to involve the entire world.

10,300 bh

Many years went by after the formation of the Council of Dastrath before the land was interrupted once again by an unholy force of demons and spirits. They brought a curse over the lands that would bring such monsters to the real world; endangering not just Dastrath, but the world itself. While not a long event, it devastated Dastrath nonetheless, and almost wreaked havoc on its nearby continents.

The effects were not instant, nor were they completely noticeable. Demons did not manifest as many thought they would. Rather, it would be through possession and promises to the weak-willed. Many monsters filled Dastrath for a long time; monsters many thoughts were unkillable for many days. Fortunately, a group of adventurers managed to bring a semblance of peace to the realm by destroying the monsters.

This was not the end, however, as there was still the matter of the curse. Many mages and psykers alike knew not what to do with it, as its origins were largely unknown, as well as its effects. At the time, there was no way to destroy or break the curse. However, it could be contained. Contained into a small city where those who entered would almost never return. A city that transformed men and women into savage monsters willing to do anything to "win."

10,150 bh

The Brightforge Empire, the first and longest standing empire in the history of Adowei, was founded and began their campaign for uncontested domination. Unfortunately, their uncontested reign would't last forever. Some years later, several dissenters would arise to attempt to overthrow this vast power, which seemed to spread like parasites.

10,000 bh

The War of the Beasts began with a near obliteration of many cities, towns, and villages in Altaenia; which shook the world of Adowei to its core. The Feldawn Empire, a resurgent force of monstrous beings hell bent on conquering the known world, sent a clear message to the world that they were coming to destroy and conquer everything in sight.

It was a long 100 years, but the Brightforge Empire eventually triumphed, sending the forces of the Feldawn Empire to Zoudrurg, where they hoped they would wither away and die in peace. But little did anyone know, they were simply consolidating their power for another war.

9,300 bh

The continent of Vlodux was soon discovered after the exploration of Dastrath and Altaenia, and settlement soon began. Strangely enough to some, it was smaller than both continents, rather than them being of relative equal size, leading to a quick exploration of the entire landscape. As like anywhere else, this place is not untouched by some great mystery, and its catacombs are littered with the prizes of history for those with nothing to lose.

8,700 bh

Another resurgence of the Feldawn Empire begins to wage war once again; seemingly strengthened by their isolation, they bring in hordes of their dark forces to overwhelm the Brightforge Empire and conquer the world. For a time, the forces of Feldawn were pushing back and conquering many parts of Adowei. Unfortunately for them, their invasion was stopped by the first dragon knights; powerful soldiers who could tame and ride dragons; charging them into battle to wreak havoc on the battlefield. Due to these powerful beasts, the Feldawn Empire was pushed back once again; leaving once again to the corrupted lands of Zoudrurg.

8,000 bh

Eipish was discovered here as a means of escaping the next resurgence of the Feldawn Empire. It was one of the smallest continents, though it does have a strong place in Adowei. Whether it be the guilds founded here or the natural resources found on this continent, Eipish is still a highly-populated continent.

Beside it were a series of islands that a group of pirates would colonize as their "perfect paradise." These pirates would eventually be known as the Tirmor Alliance, a faction of pirates with a singular goal of profit and plunder. They fly under a black flag and hold allegiance to none other than themselves.

7,380 bh

After further discovery and exploration into Naedeth, several Elves had managed to find several ancient artifacts, dating ever before the discovery of Naedeth, that were directly related to Elven history. This led those same Elves to believe that they were the true race of Adowei; the one and only race worthy of the approval of the Gods. They later converged to form the Eternal Confederacy; a faction of mostly elves that seemed to have a focus on proving their ancient ancestry as well as solidifying that the Elves were the only true race worth anything.

This is what ultimately prompted the Eternal Crusades; an attempt by the Eternal Confederacy to take lands that were "rightfully theirs," and destroy any dissenters of the Confederacy. The Brightforge Empire quickly quashed this uprising and pacified the Elves. However, the stubborn, timely race would not give up so easily, of course.

6,500 (Age of Warfare)

This was when the bloody wars of history and the battles of old were truly realized. Further development and use of resources, not to mention Adowei completely surveyed, led to the creation of new weapons and more reasons to use them against one another. Whether it be the "perfection" of the guns, the sharpenning of swords, or even the creation of whole new siege weapons, war truly began here. However, this era didn't only affect the tools used in warfare, or did it only lead to violence.

Several cultures, factions, and guilds were created, revised, and some say perfected during this time. The Caben and the Darkling are two very notorious examples of this, as they are probably the most "experienced" with combat, and the Caben even treat it as an honorific tradition; as do several other races. Whatever the case, these times either lifted races out of the monstrous status or solidified their placement in it.

Several factions used this new age to their advantage as well, most notably the Dragonic Empire. These new tools of warfare bred more chances to rival the great powers of the world, and better opportunities to hold them. This was the golden age of warfare, after all. New weapons means new reasons to use them.

6,400 bh

Perhaps the largest war ever waged up to this point, and it even beats many other wars in that regard; only being outclassed by the Great War (1 AH). The Eternal Confederacy, the Brightforge Empire, and the Feldawn Empire vie for control of the lands and make great use of the new technology to accomplish this goal. The Brightforge Empire, of course, came out on top, but only by a slight margin; the new beasts of the Feldawn and the graceful weapons of the Confederacy nearly had them beaten.

6,000 bh

Perhaps the biggest development of war and cultural advancement, a sect of the mortal races had finally learned to breed and tame the dragons of Adowei. This sect would later form into the Dragonic Empire; the only faction that could actually tame, ride, and use dragons for warfare. This was the first faction to defeat the Brightforge Empire during the War of the Dragons.

This was one of the shortest wars in history. The Dragonic Empire sent their knights on top of dragons to decimate the Brightforge Empire and test their might. The dragons laid waste to anything and everything in their path, and struck such a blow to the Brightforge Empire that many assumed that the dragons would soon rule the world again. Alas, this was not to be.

5,820 bh

For the first time in the history of Adowei, Hollowfel finally involved themselves in a war. When the Feldawn Empire took advantage of the Brightforge Empire's weakness, Hollowfel stepped forward to drive the dark forces back into their home. While it was a costly war on both sides, Hollowfel eventually won the war, resulting in the Feldawn Empire keeping to their own territory for the next few thousand years (until the Great War erupts). However, this also had the Hollowfel move into obscurity until then as well, even to the point where they were considered myth and legend.

5,650 bh

A brief reprieve of peace is just what Adowei needed at this point. The constant warfare had left the economy of many factions in ruin, save for the Dragonic Empire, who had seemingly left the scene for the time being. Instead of fighting, the factions spent the next 300 years (give or take) allowing themselves to recover from all of the bloodshed and economic downfall.

5,270 bh

After the long period of peace, it didn't take long for the mortal races to be at one another's throats yet again. However, they mostly took a more subtle approach to defying one another. Bandit assaults that had been hired by other factions to raid towns and cities were common practice, though many factions didn't have much of a problem with sending assassins; even if they were to be found out. Ultimately, this age was one of subtlety and intrigue; and was responsible for the downfall of many civilizations.

5,020 bh

The Dragonic Empire was challenged once again by the Brightforge Empire, this time over land and other citizens more than anything else. After being defeated by the Dragonic Empire several hundred years before, the Brightforge were desperate for a victory. So desperate that they resorted to dirty tactics during the war, and creation of several magical abominations. While they were no match for the dragons initially, it didn't take too long for them to tire and the Dragonic Empire was forced to surreder. While it was mostly a battle of attrition, the Brightforge Empire was reseated as the main power of Adowei.

4,790 bh (Age of Magic)

Mana has begun to be used as a tool by many of the creatures of Adowei, creating an age of magic, and bringing on the near destruction of the mortal races. Nobody is entirely sure if this was because of the actions of a faction, a single man, or if it was simply a matter of environmental evolution, but it didn't entirely matter in the long run. What was important is that the creatures of the world were now armed with the power of the mages and the ability to control it, although to a limited extent.

4,600 bh

The creatures of Adowei began to march on cities and towns with the full intent on devouring everyone and everything in sight. Armed with magic, they were able to surpass the defenses of many small towns and villages, but were ultimately pushed back by a group of mages seeking to defend the land. They later went on to form the Mage's Association, and would later form a way to control the use of magic, which would be called the "Magi Code."

4,050 bh

The first mage to break the Magi Code was a high elf male named Lupetor. The Mage's Association brought him before the high council for trial, to which he pleaded guilty and explained that magic is not something to be regulated, but something to be explored and understood. His punishment was banishment from the Mage's Association, and he was known as the first Psyker; a mage who broke the Magi Code and was forced into an exile.

3,580 bh

Since the actions of Lupetor, many mages across the world began to break the Magi Code and became Psykers. This would eventually lead to the first Psyker Invasion. The Mage's Association against the Psyker Association. However, this would not simply be one battle, or even one war. It would be a war that would last forever. This first war was deemed the "Divergent War," named after the Psykers who broke from the Mage's Association nearly 500 years ago.

2,890 bh

A new cult emerged in Adowei bringing with them the type of magic that mages have banned for mages across the world. The Cult of Lupetor took what they thought Lupetor defied the Mage's Association for—the freedom of magic—and transformed it into a dark force for evil. They took his philosophy and used it to create spells of dark intent and evil forces. The most vile spells were created by this cult, but they weren't ever completely destroyed; though they were publically defeated almost 1,000 years after their formation.

2,764 bh

A new mage was born this day, one that would later be carved into the history books as the most powerful and renowned mage in the entirety of Adowei. Zathas was a human male who had a fascination with all different kinds of magic, though specifically enchantment spells. However, he was considered a master of everything; an unkillable mage that would pave the way in the world of magic, and change it forever.

After learning and developing under the alignment of the Mage's Association, Zathas became fascinated with the darker arts. He took interest in the Psykers, and the Cult of Lupetor in particular. As a result, however, he was deemed a Psyker himself, and the Mage's Association attempted many assassination attempts on his life to ensure Zathas would not bring destruction to the world.

He learned from all kinds of teachers: Mages, Psykers, even magical creatures that many consider to be non-sentient. As a result, he developed spells and rituals that no other mage could replicate and even constructed structures that were magically attuned. He also specialized in the creation of magic items as well, strangely enough.

Eventually, Zathas delved deeper into the darkest arts of magic that existed, and developed the most horrid ritual known to man—a ritual to cheat death using death—the state of lichdom. Zathas became the first lich, and ruled over the magical world of Adowei for many centuries until another ritual—aptly named the Zathas Vortex—caused Zathas to be sealed away for millenia; unable to interact with the outside world in any way.

And thus, Adowei was freed from Zathas yet again. However, every one thousand years, the Zathas Vortex reappears again; promising any who can survive its violent winds of magic near infinite power. The major powers of the world war over this power everytime is comes up, yet nobody has been able to unlock its secrets. Perhaps it is simply Zathas looking to take down as many people down with him as he can.

2,000 bh

The first War of Zathas was waged here after the Brightforge Empire sent ships to attempt to sail into the storm; each one dying a horrible death. The Eternal Confederacy and Feldawn Empire also failed in this endeavor, and not even the Dragonic Empire could fly their dragons into the storm. A single year of war, but it was the bloodiest war in the history of Adowei.

1,870 bh (Age of Conquest)

After rebuilding after the first War of Zathas, the factions of Adowei began the task of growing their empires. Whether it was physically expanding their borders or simply gaining new friends and allies, the empires focused on themselves. While there were some open conflicts during this time, there was no full war. Each faction had their own means of expansion during this time as well. This would be called the Great Expansion.

Both the Brightforge Empire and the Eternal Confederacy sought to expand their territories. Because of this, these two factions were often the ones that fought the most. This would also be the cause of the next war to break out in the world, though it wouldn't be for another hundred years.

The Tirmor Alliance simply acted as many pirates would; plunder and pillage. They didn't care about land, only coin. They attacked fleets that passed them by and villages that they passed. It was during this time that the Tirmor Alliance was solidified as an evil faction by mostly every other faction as well.

The Dragonic Empire did nothing, and simply consolidated the strength they already had: Their dragons. They bred more dragons and focused more on controlling them and outfitting them with more armor and weapons. This led to their focus on military and isolationism for many years to come.

The Feldawn Empire slowly worked to corrupt the lands they were in; seeking to destroy any signs of life they didn't control. Forces from both the Brightforge Empire and the Eternal Confederacy were often sent to delay them. However, the mages played a larger role, attempting to slow the corruption that the empire brought upon the world.

1,720 bh

Another war between the Brightforge Empire and the Eternal Confederacy broke out once again; this time over the territory of the two factions. Although many scholars argue it was because of the varying status of different races between the two factions, it is widely accepted that land was the main reason for the conflict. This conflict was one of the more tame ones, but it had a long-lasting effect on both factions. Essentially, they agreed to a pact that stated that, as long as their interests don't conflict with theirs, there will be no conflict of any kind against the two factions. However, this opened many avenues of possibilities for the Eternal Confederacy, as they would use this pact to attempt to manipulate the Brightforge Empire many times over the course of history.

1,450 bh

The Growing Darkness. One of the worst events in recent history, but also one of the more simple ones as well. During the Great Expansion, the Feldawn Empire sought to corrupt the lands around Zoudrurg, and they managed to infect parts of the country next to it, as well as in areas overseas as well; albeit to a much smaller extent.

Both the Brightforge Empire and the Eternal Confederacy recognized the threat they posed to the world and were quick to act. They fought for every inch of territory back, and eventually pushed back the Feldawn Empire once again. Unfortunately, the land they had corrupted would remain that way until one strong enough in the divine arts would come to the lands and restore its beauty.

1,280 bh

By this time, there were very few areas not claimed by one of the many factions of the world. As a result, the factions would once again turn their attention to one another. Fortunately, no wars would break out for another three hundred or so years. Unfortunately, however, that war would be the second bloodiest war waged to date.

Until then, the factions gathered in one place to discuss the future of Adowei. Later, this would become the Grand Council of Adowei. They argued for many hours, yet each of them left unsatisfied; readying themselves for the coming war.

1,000 bh

The second Zathas War erupted in Adowei one thousand years after the events of the first one. This is when scientists began to believe the Zathas Vortex appeared every one thousand years, though this would later prove to be false. This time, the factions were smarter and decided to investigate the vortex with the help of their mages rather than simply ramming ships into the vortex and hoped it accomplished something; all the while still battling each other for supremacy.

Eventually, near the end of the war, it was discovered that the Zathas Vortex would only be "unlocked" if certain criteria were met. First and foremost, all six Zathas Relics must be gathered into one place. Secondly, a powerful mage must perform a special ritual with these relics as a catalyst. Ultimately, by the time this information was uncovered, the vortex has already dissipated, and the war ended once again.

987 bh

After the events of the second Zathas War, the leaders of each faction gathered once again into a special meeting place; undisclosed to the public. The most pressing issue was this Zathas Vortex, but they also began discussing other matters relating to the world as a result of these meetings. Eventually, by the end of it, they formed the Grand Council of Adowei; a council that would meet once every year to discuss the more pressing issues of Adowei and its inhabitants. Naturally, this didn't sit well with some factions, and the Feldawn Empire was removed from the council entirely.

830 bh

A new cult emerged from the fires of the Zathas Wars, yet only at this time did they reveal themselves. The Followers of Zathas was a group of individuals—although very small—claimed to speak for Zathas himself. Some of them even claimed to be him. Many assume that they know the location of the Zathas Relics, but they are so small in number and so secretive that none have been caught or revealed to the public. Similar to Hollowfel, we only have rumors of their existence.

753 bh

Rumors began to circulate about a being so divine and so powerful that they would rival even Zathas at his prime. A being chosen by the Gods to bring holy wisdom to us and save us from world-ending danger. This being was called The Aetherborn. The first Aetherborn was a young human male named Kadrim. The books tell tales of his ability to heal almost any form of damage, protect against most types of danager, and bring peace to the world; albeit temporarily.

After a long journey set in front of Kadrim, seemingly by the Gods, Kadrim was finally able to secure a place in the Grand Council and convince the factions of the world to agree to peace. Unfortunately, the Feldawn Empire didn't approve of this, and set their goal to destroy the peace. In order to do so, the Feldawn Empire planned an assassination attempt against the Aetherborn, and eventually killed him by sending five assassins all together to lure and kill him. The other factions got wind of this, mourned the death of the Aetherborn, but eventually launched another war against the Feldawn Empire.

The Feldawn Empire was attacked by the Brightforge Empire and the Dragonic Empire. However, it wasn't a war where each faction tried to destroy each other; but it was one where two factions tried to destroy one: The Feldawn Empire fighting both the Brightforge Empire and the Dragonic Empire. Of course, the Feldawn Empire lost very quickly in what would be called the Aether War, and they joined the Hollowfel in the ranks of myth and legend, as many feared the corruption of Zoudrurg.

670 bh

A monument to the first Aetherborn, Kadrim, was constructed in the halls of the Grand Council; representing the peace they should all strive for. It wasn't just a reminder to the leaders of each faction; but also to the people of the world. Kadrim's one goal for Adowei was always peace, and he was always there to assist others when he sought this goal. As a result, the Grand Council decided it would be appropriate to work toward the same goal and construct a statue to the Aetherborn as a reminder.

533 bh

A radical group that went unfound, though many presume the Feldawn Empire, plotted the destruction of the Grand Council. They waited until the leaders of each faction gathered in the halls of the Grand Council and set off an explosion that did much more than simply killed the leaders of each faction. It also opened a rift to the Abyss.

This rift allowed demons and devils to enter the world of Adowei; wreaking havoc on the world. This started the War of the Abyss, where each faction decided to reunite and work together to defeat this otherworldly threat. However, it was also at this time that the next Aetherborn was found: A female elf named Sylvaris.

After 3 years, Sylvaris was able to seal the rift and bring about another age of peace to the world. Unfortunately, to do this, she had to sacrifice her own life to ensure that the rift never opened again. She died as another reminder of why the Grand Council exists, and they immediately began rebuilding the halls of the Grand Council. They also begin construction of the Hall of the Aetherborn; where statues of each Aetherborn, and every Aetherborn that will come after, is constructed within its halls and set as a reminder to others.

469 bh

The War of the Elves was pretty much exactly what you'd think it would be: A war where elves fought each other. Specifically, however, high elves versus dark elves (or drows). The Eternal Confederacy consisted of mostly high elves, and the drows in the faction began to feel a bit cheated. They felt less important than their noble counterparts. Thus, this was mostly an internal war within the Eternal Confederacy.

This was a quick one, as there were far more high elves than dark elves. However, as a result of the war, most of the dark elves left for Zoudrurg and were never seen again. As a result, drows were considered monstrous races by many of the mortal races in the world of Adowei.

342 bh

The Brightforge Empire and the Eternal Confederacy had always been big users of slave labor to construct buildings, farm food, and more. The Tirmor Alliance saw this and began to garner a hatred for the two factions, and declared a continuous war against them. They started a major slave revolution called the Slave Struggles. The Tirmor Alliance spent the war using stealth tactics to free and support slaves all across Adowei. This was another reason why the Tirmor Alliance had so many people.

However, there was one pirate in particular that was made both famous and infamous during this time: Nil Sokun, a human male that freed more slaves than any other pirate in history. In fact, his whole crew was made up of slaves of varying races, genders, etc. Whenever he freed slaves, he always offered them a choice: "Join me or don't." He wouldn't press freed slaves into his service; he would give them a choice. More often than not, this would be the slave's first choice as a free person. He was infamous among pirates for various reasons, but the biggest one was his powerful crew and riches beyond compare.

289 bh

The Scourge of Beasts brought ruin, plague, and destruction to the world of man. Vampire, lycanthropes, and many more beasts invaded the lands of the mortal races and began to kill indiscriminately as they spread through the world. The world filled even more with the invisible rots and the beings that brought upon the Scourge to the city of Petol; where civilians with weak wills awaken at night to become beasts themselves. However, this was partly also due to the experimentations of Prexius; a mage who was obsessed with creating the perfect warriors. This was one of the reasons his many servants were Zern.

128 bh

The human races of the world, particularly humans, began to fear the monstrous races extensively. As such, they formed an inquisition to hunt down and kill any monstrous races that may be a threat to civilization. This group was called the Beast Inquisition; implying many monstrous races were nothing more than animals to be snuffed out and destroyed for the betterment of the human races.

Of course, many rebelled against this idea; including many human races. As such, the Beast Inquisition only lasted for three years before they were forced to disband. However, there may be those who secretly still hold the ideals of the Beast Inquisition, and still seek the destruction of the monstrous races of Adowei.

47 bh

Strange phenomena have been appearing across Adowei: Anti-gravity zones, scourges of beasts, and magical areas have started appearing and wreaking havoc on the world; destroying villages and towns alike. Nobody knows what caused these to occur, and nobody knows quite how to solve it. Many see it as a sign that something is coming, however, but the Mage's Associations thinks this is another Psyker's work.

Indeed, it is. A female elf named Helerie has learned of the strongholds Zathas held while he was alive and investigated. What she found was power unlike any she had seen before. The ability to laugh at gravity, to freeze time, to control monsters. However, she became power-hungry, and crowned herself as the Empress of Zathas' Will. Naturally, the Cult of Zathas also worshipped her power, and began to see her as the second coming of Zathas himself.

8 bh

Emperor Tardig Zyrgos was seen as a strong ruler; meticulous and wise. Adowei entered an age of prosperity under his rule, and few could withstand the might of the powerful empire. One day, however, for seemingly no definable reason, the emperor forbade the worship of any deity, and bore a great hatred toward magic. He began to declare laws sentencing any priest or magic-caster to death, growing unrest in Adowei, and within the empire’s own ranks.

1 ah

Certain members of the Brightforge Empire, members of the Brightforge Council and several high-ranking officials, began to resent Tardig for what he was doing, and threatened to secede from the empire should it continue. Finally, in 1 Ahtho, many of the Brightforge Empire left their ranks and formed their own faction: The Sunvale Regime. They swore to bring an end to the tyrannical rule of the current emperor and reinstate peace in the world. However, both factions entered a stalemate in war infamously named the Great War; and it didn't take long for every faction in the world to join the war as well, for one reason or another. This made the Great War the single longest and bloodiest war in the entire history of Adowei.

23 ah

The items of the Gods fell to the mortal plane; leaving them to b found by almost anyone. These items were those that represented each God, and each one held a great and terrible power within them. Many mortals simply go insane by touching one; others lose their sense of self and become what the item wants them to become. However, there was one God who walked among the human world and tried to collect each item: Kixtos, the Forgotten One.

Thankfully, his plot was foiled by a group of advnturers who managed to defeat Kixtos, drive him back into his isolation, and return the Godly Items to their rightful owners. However, Kixtos still watched as his war—the Great War—grew in size, and waited for the time of destruction to come.

61 ah

Come 61 Ahtho, Tardig Zyrgos died in his sleep of old age, leaving his son Stram Zyrgos to continue his work. Rumors circulated that Stram wanted to end this war and return to the old ways of the Brightforge Empire. He worked tirelessly for 5 years to end this war and was nearing a peace agreement to be held at the summit in Petol. However, before the meeting started, barbarians laid siege to the city and managed to kill the emperor; ruining any chance of a peace agreement between the two factions.

Stram’s son, Morgon Zyrgos, now leads the Brightforge Empire at the age of nine with the help of his advisors. He rules with an iron fist despite his age and is determined to keep his grandfather’s dreams alive. When the Sunvale attempted to recreate the late Stram’s work by reaching a peace agreement, Zyrgos had the diplomats and what leaders attended assassinated, which further incited violence in the world. Many more begin to disagree with the Brightforge and have allied themselves with the Sunvale, creating a somewhat even playing field in this war.

66 ah

The third Zathas War erupts in the world in the middle of the Great War; bringing more bloodshed and death to the world than would normally happen because of the Zathas Vortex. This caught many factions off guard, but none of them were willing to totally abandon the war to gain the power of the Zathas Vortex. However, this doesn't mean that they weren't searching for the Zathas Relics and seeking the power of the Zathas Vortex. However, with two wars raging on top of each other, body counts and spilled blood grew to astronomical numbers. Perhaps Zathas was waiting for this moment for some strange reason...

The History of Altaenia

Following the founding and colonization of Altaenia, many took to making it their home, and took to development in its own way. Whether that be the classifications of the various races or the founding of the Scholars of the Vale, Altaenia alone is rich with its own history and lore. From here on, Altaenia will be the focus of the remainder of the histories. To begin, we must first look at what happened after Altaenia was colonized.

Formation of the Feldawn Empire

By 10,500 BH, the monstrous races in Zoudrurg were becoming restless and jealous. Having grown from more than just Orc and Goblin, races like the Brain Eaters, Gnolls, and—most importantly—the Darklings have also joined their ranks over thousands of years. They were outcasted for their years of wrongdoings in the eyes of the human races, and were sent to Zoudrurg for the safety of mankind. However, they would never be content enough to anguish in that dark and corrupted land forever. They would soon seek a way of breaking through. And finally, with the brilliant mind of King Saersesh, the leader of the Darklings, and of Zoudrurg, they would have their way.

Rhagi Saersesh knew his subjects well; their strengths, weaknesses, and uses had served him well in his short rule. Soon, they would serve him even better. He first approached the Orcs, as their strong arms and thick skin would prove more than useful in attacking the human races. They were skeptical of the Darklings, of course, but Saersesh was convincing. He simply needed to appeal to the base desires of the Orcs, and they were putty in his hands. The Brain Eaters would prove more difficult. They were a proud race who had almost conquered the known world, after all. However, their desire for knowledge would be their undoing. He promised the Brain Eaters the libraries of the cities they fell, and the smartest slaves would be given to them as gifts. With such generosity, how could they not refuse?

The Goblins and Gnolls required no persuasion, other than the promise of revenge. Easily satisfied with the word of their king, the two joined his army. Over the course of many years, Rhagi Saersesh had enlisted the powers of every race in Zoudrurg. His empire was complete, and he was ready to set them forth against the humans. Finally, in 10,000 BH, the War of the Beasts had begun. They would launch attack after attack, failure after failure, until they eventually became nothing but a myth by 753 BH.

Lingering Demons

After the War of the Abyss in 533 BH, some demons were able to slip through the cracks and remain in the material plane with the mortals they had been bringing terror to. Whether this was on purpose or an accident is not known, but scholars suggest that the demons were supposed to return to their world before the rifts were sealed. Of course, this isn't what happened.

Now, Demons walk the earth, but they tend to keep themselves in a humanoid form, very similar to angels. They are very often mistrusted, and are often seen as the worst beings to ever exist. It is because of this that many have decided it would be for the betterment of all to kill any demon on-sight. However, not all demons live like this. Some who come to the mortal plane do so with an intention to live honest lives, or a life of an adventurer. Other demons who have made deals do so with dastardly intentions, with the soul focus on furthering the agenda of their evil entity.

To this day, debates rage on about whether demons should deserve to exist on the same plane as the human races at all, or whether they should all be exterminated. However, Sylvaris suggested that there may be a way to co-exist with some demons before she died, and many cling to that as their argument for trying to exist with these demons. However, this still doesn't sit right for some, and some even have the gall to take things into their own hands on the matter.

The First Zenit Ruins

Thousands of years ago, the Zenit ruled over this world as gods. They created grand technological wonders that still seem to be years ahead of what any scientist can create. Every theory about the Zenit is crazier than the last as well. Unfortunately, nobody knows how to recreate what they once had. It seemed to be that they had left no trace of their existence, and no way for the people of Adowei to create what they once had. However, deep in the mountains, one brave explorer managed to find an ancient ruin dedicated to the Zenit.

It was a small temple, but one filled with history and lore... if anybody could decode it. It seemed that the Zenit talked and wrote in their own language, making it nearly impossible for anyone without their heritage to decode what these temples read. Regardless, it still held secrets to be explored. However, upon trying to explore, the scientists were set upon by golems of sorts. A security system of sorts, keeping out unwanted visitors, and barring anyone but the strongest warriors from entering. To this day, these tombs lay untouched by man, and will continue to stay as such until someone strong enough to defeat these sentries can do so without destroying thousands of years worth of history.

Running an Altaenia Campaign

How you run a campaign set in this large, open world is completely up to you and your personal style and interests. There is so much more to this world, but do not feel trapped by it. Dungeons & Dragons is a game about creativity, after all! You shouldn't feel limited by what's in front of you. You should feel inspired to create! Put your own spin on things and let your creativity run wild! Like with anything in Dungeons & Dragons, consider everything presented here as guidelines rather than rules. Just so long as you use those guidelines to create something new! Something you!

Neulla, the Reflective Sea

Neulla believes travel across the sea is not only necessary for exploration, but necessary for humanity to continue to evolve as it has. While dangerous, her domain of the sea is rich with wonders for those with the stomach to find them. However, she is also a firm believer of the ideal that one should never receive anything without due effort being put into it. As such, she can sometimes be seen as one of the more unforgiving deities, but this is rarely the case. Neulla is often worshiped by sailors, and often in tavern cheers by sailors who have conquered her storms.

Depiction. Neulla appears as a young woman with short blue hair, seemingly made of the ocean itself, and little to no armor; her body simply covered by the water around her. Her skin holds no blemishes, wounds, or anything of the sort, and she is almost never without any water near her. She views it as essential to all life, and would never appear without this divine, liquid salvation she holds control over. Even her domain in Elysium is full of almost nothing but holy springs and pure water.

Holy Day. Neulla has a number of holidays dedicated to her domain among cultures, mostly involving the tide or the irrigation of crops. However, she does have a holiday associated with her: the Festival of the Reflective Sea. Mostly done in coastal towns or cities, they hold a festival to give thanks to Neulla's bounty of the sea, which involves fishing, games, and drinking, though it is only celebrated for three days.

Ytix, the Foremother

Ytix seeks the greatest good for the greatest number of her children through an ordered and structured society. Venerable Ytix always teaches: "You never cast your seeds to the wind and hope that they grow. You must plan, and plan well." Her worshipers are almost always druids, or otherwise live within forests and natural places. Ytix can either reside in Elysium, the pillar of earth, or even the Mortal Plane on rare occurrences.

Depiction. Most depictions of Ytix generally portray her as an elderly woman with the skin of bark. Her hair is grey, bordering on silver, and in her face lies thousands of wrinkles like the furrows of the earth and the farm. She is generally also seen as being one with the Charch tree, only her face being visible outside the holy tree, to remain forever in contact with the world she loves so much. Her eyes are a bright blue and shine with the magical hue of the natural world.

Holy Day. There are three main holy days of the Church of Ytix: The Fertility Festival, the Sowing of Seeds, and the Harvest Festival. Depending on the church and its locale, each holy day or period takes on more or less significance. For example, the Sowing of Seeds and the Harvest Festival are very important to farmers, while the Fertility Festival might have a greater significance in cities.

Ehtos, the Ashen Prince

Ehtos promotes the idea of power in its absolute. He proclaims power as the most important force in the world, rather than good or evil, and observe fire as the natural symbol of power. His goal is to promote the importance of power and the strength that comes from his flames. The followers of Ehtos believe that power and might brings true authority with it. They seek to spread this message to others and bring out the true potential of all living creatures. Those that worship Ehtos do so by a rite of burning called "Branding." Those that are truly devoted to him, mostly priests, brand themselves by burning half of their face with the holy symbol of Ehtos.

Depiction. Ehtos appears a strong, muscular man of intermediate age with short red, almost flaming hair and donning crimson red armor with orange outlines, as well as a red pauldron cape with his symbol on it. Strangely enough, his portrayal rarely includes any scars, but this could be related to his "Eternal Flame," which supposedly heals his wounds when he stands within it.

Holy Day. Ehtos' holy day is called Arvendon, and is celebrated on the last day of Gerilnisi. It involves a series of competitions to promote strength and power in any aspect possible.

Ownir, the Windwalker

Ownir thinks that mortals are deserving of freedom, even more deserving than the Gods that created them. This makes him a favored deity among slaves and more beings with a desire for any type of "freedom." He seeks to allow people, no matter who they may be, to live their lives how they choose to do so; without influence, and without inhibition. However, this also makes him a dangerous deity in the eyes of his brothers and sisters, and—despite his ideals and beliefs—he holds very little mortal followers. Ownir can either be found in the pillar of wind or even the Mortal Plane when helping others.

Depiction. Ownir is portrayed as a young man -- perhaps in his teens -- with long brown hair; a plain dark green jumper, accompanied by a lighter, long-sleeved shade of green shirt; and a large burn scar on the left side of his face. He keeps himself in simple attire as not to alarm those who believe he seeks to free the mortal beings for his own benefit. However, the scar also serves a permanent reminder to him that he is not the only deity among Elysium.

Holy Day. Ownir's followers celebrate the Festival of the Free on the the twenty-fifth of Aralchi, and is dedicated to celebrating the freedom of man with feasts, sports, and music.

Commandments of Ownir

• Free slaves, and free the minds of those who lost theirs.
• Never force your ideals onto anyone. It would only be a true victory if you could convince them.
• Never show subservience to those who do not deserve it.

Orius, the Spell Weaver

Orius holds fast to the idea that magic is not inherently good or evil, and that its "alignment" is classified by who wields its power. He doesn't deny practice of the dark arts, and he actively encourages mages around the world to create something new. To innovate the world of the arcane through their own genius and ambition. This has led to the development of much of the modern day's most powerful magic. However, Orius seeks to bring his knowledge to the mortals of the world. To enlighten them and bring them the knowledge and power that Orius has honed over the eons in order to test them.

Depiction. Orius appears as charismatic young man who dons light, unarmored purple robes. He is also clad in several golden jewelry and runes across his robes that are said to control the magic in the world. His white raven is also generally rested upon his shoulder, and he often holds a wooden self-carved staff with a blue crystal wrapped within the staff at the top.

Holy Day. Orius' holy day is the Fest of Magic. It is often celebrated on the thirtieth of Télion, and celebrates the beauty of magic, conducting rituals, and learning.

Ivemis, the Nightmother

Ivemis loves the beauty of the night. She believes it to be the most peaceful time of any day. Her brother Yaris, however, disagreed and saw the time of darkness as an effective time-waster. As a type of revenge, she created the dark magic of the world, and became a Goddess who saw great amounts of worship from psykers. However, she warns her followers of such magic but does not prevent the use of it, likely due to regret for creating such things.

She often finds herself in Elysium with the other gods, and she is often worshiped by more responsible users of dark magic.

Depiction. Ivemis is a woman clad in an ink-black and elegant dress with long black hair. Her skin is pale white, but dons red lips and holds blue eyes. However, she is also noted to have appeared as a large spider in many tales, yet doesn't quite prefer this form. Many tales hold her beauty in high regard when under the light of a full moon.

Holy Day. Ivemis' followers celebrate the Midwinter Night, celebrated at midnight on the tenth of Kórasma, and focusing on beauty, life, and often ended with a masquerade ball of some sort.

Yaris, the Sunsoul

Yaris sees the world, and the universe itself, as a place of radiant potential in most all things, save for one thing: the night. Yaris and his sister, Ivemis, had always disagreed about the night, and he always sought to undermine any authority she supposedly had. He's mostly seen as a fairly petty God as a result of this, and he does have a bit of a temper when someone points this out. However, he did truly care for the people of Adowei, and he showed no restraint in demonstrating such feelings.

He resides in Elysium, almost never leaving it for anything. Yaris is mostly praised by farmers, adventurers, and guards who dislike the creatures of the night.

Depiction. When portrayed, Yaris is a fairly young man clad in a white robe, a sort of himation, but with a symbol of the sun placed in the center of the cloak. He also wears a wreath of flames, which doesn't seem to burn his long, blonde hair. His skin is very tanned, and his yellow eyes resemble that of the sun itself. He also brandishes a golden staff that is said to be able to conjure the sun itself from the top of it.

Holy Day. The Feast of the New Sunrise is a day of drinking, singing, and sports; celebrated on the eighteenth of Misaían.

Guhena, the Lifebringer

From Guhena comes charitable instincts and acts of contrition, mercy, and redemption. She is the Lifebringer, and her name is usually invoked first when it has anything to do with mortal lives. Her domain is respected by most of the deities, but there are those who believe her to be useless in what she does. However, she never resorts to forcing such views unto any being, mortal or God. Rather, she seeks to teach and enlighten.

Depiction. Guhena is shown as a tall woman with long golden hair and olive skin. Coupled with her attire of flowing white robes, she shines as a Goddess should Their is often a silver circlet on her brow, with a single gem in its center. She has a motherly nobility in all representations, for she was the first ever to bear a life in her womb. She is usually shown with a warm smile, though sometimes she has the regal bearings of a queen. She nearly always bears a deep resemblance to Ytix, and seems to be a younger version of the Foremother.

Holy Day. Guhena's followes celebrate the Mother's Fest, relating to how they see her as a mother. Celebrated just before Guhena's Festival, it puts emphasis on family bonds, peaceful unions, and helping others.

Commandments of Guhena

• Protect allies. Those who treat you as a friend deserve to be treated as such as well.
• Provide aid to the sick and wounded, and never turn a blind eye to suffering.
• No being is beyond redemption. Always seek and allow redemption in yourself and others.

Sidros, the Eversoul

He understands the importance of death, and why not being should truly be allowed to live forever, save or the Gods themselves. As such, he'll often have his servants bring death to those who would break this code, but they would not always succeed. Sometimes, a subtle nudge of adventurers toward such a being will cause the problem to, eventually, sort itself out. Unlike most Gods, he doesn't hold any strong feelings toward the subject of the undead. To him, it's one less soul for him to deal with.

Sidros is always in the Land of the Dead, never leaving for anything, and Sidros is always called upon at funerals to guide them to Elysium or to protect them from the Abyss.

Depiction. Sidros is a man with very pale and smooth skin, and eyes as red as blood. Surprisingly enough, he keeps his body rather maintained, at least to the same degree as an average human's body. He dons pure black armor with parts of his pauldron and helmet glowing a bright red, seemingly by some form of energy. He also holds a scythe with a black handle—made up of sharp bones sticking out at key points, and a skull on each end—and two silver blades, a large one on the top, and a small one at the bottom; each one coated with a fiery red, almost molten, substance on the edges of each of the blades.

Holy Day. Sidros' holy day, celebrated on the thirteenth day of Nilchita, is called the Celebration of the End. Here, the dead are remembered and celebrated with stories, songs, and feasts.

Fevher, the Divine Scale

Fevher is a god who only believes in the true, unbiased eyes of justice. Often, he watches the material plane with almost disgust as criminals go free and innocent men and women rot in a jail. As such, he is a deity that does whatever he can to assist with the mortals' justice system. If an innocent man is dueling to prove his innocence, it is likely that Fevher will bless him for the duel. All in an attempt to create a true justice system.

Fevher is always called upon within lawful areas of the world, especially the courts, and always resides within Elysium.

Depiction. Fevher is often described as a tall, fairly old man, though with few wrinkles invading his face. However, one notable feature is that many depictions of him also have his eyes either covered with a blindfold or his eyes removed entirely, but everything seems to show Fevher with his signature scales of justice.

Holy Day. Fevher's followers don't have a specific holy day for him.

Vizzotz, the Plaguebringer

Vizzotz is a god of plagues and destruction, but seems to take a sadistic joy in his job. He's responsible for disease, natural disasters, and more, though he does this when he feels the population is growing too big, which is often. Many of the gods dislike Vizzotz for this reason, but he pays little attention to them, and rarely cares what others think of him.

His followers are often doctors who study viruses and diseases, either in hopes to cure them or recreate them. He is also often called on to bring pestilence to warring nations and cities.

Commandments of Vizzotz

• Work to understand disease and plague, and never suppress what you know of it.
• Oppose those who seek to eradicate plague. Curing and eradication is not the same.
• Take every advantage in a fight, whatever that advantage may be.

Ahius, the Forgesoul

Ahius is the deity of the forge, and is responsible for many of the god's deitic items being created, as well as the powerful "Overseers of Adowei." He's responsible for delivering masterwork creations to the mortals, and seeks only to improve the craft of... well, any craft. Many pray for new innovation when working on a project, and Ahius is always hard-pressed to refuse. He cares little of the material plane, save for their crafters and innovators.

Depiction. Ahius is shown as a young man with a strongly built body, often slaving away over an anvil or forge of some kind, with short blond hair and furrowed brows.

Holy Day. The Heroes Festival is a common holy day of Ahius, where the smithies and other crafters who worship Ahius often create powerful tools for adventurers at a lower cost, followed by drinking and feasting in their honor.

Jenos, the Dark Signer

Jenos, the brother to Bethys, and the god of darkness and ruin, is a powerful user of dark magic, and is sourced as the creator of the monstrous races. Jenos despises his sister, and works to destroy everything she builds, no matter the consequences. Jenos rarely associates with the other gods, opting to work as his own separate entity. He desires the throne of the gods, however, and uses his creatures to drain the deaths of mortals to empower himself to fight Juexzotz.

Many assume Jenos lives in the Abyss, and his followers mostly make up monstrous races, especially those within the Feldawn Empire.

Depiction. Jenos generally appears as a tall man with gray skin, devoid of life, and two sharp ram horns on his head, growing from his scalp alongside his dark hair. He generally only keeps his lower half clothed in dark robes, leaving his scars on his torso exposed.

Holy Day. Jenos' followers celebrate the Day of Shadows, which is mostly affiliated with sacrificing prisoners or those defeated in combat, held at religious strongholds on the twenty-ninth of Télion.

Bethys, the Lightchild

Bethys is the sister to Jenos, and the goddess of light and creation. Despite the monstrous races likely coming from her brother, Bethys preaches that they are no different from the human or natural races. The two were created after a long war between Ivemis and Yaris, which created both gods. While Jenos was created from the chaos and death of the war, Bethys was created from the hope and lives of the war. Now, she only seeks to bring all people together, regardless of their race.

Bethys is often said to be in Elysium, and is worshiped and called upon by those seeking to protect their homes from the dark forces or the corruption of the Void.

Commandments of Bethys

• Be peaceful. Never be the aggressor in a conflict, but be the defender instead.
• See the beauty in all things. Including in the monstrous races, so never engage in bigoted behavior.
• Lead by example. Show mercy, demonstrate peace, and never abandon another.

Madther, Minister of War

Madther is a powerful god of war, and leads the army of the gods in Elysium, ready to fight if the Elder Wickeds managed to free themselves. He's an honorable warrior, and actually despises any non-combat magic, leading to a tense relationship between him and Orius. He views the mortals' armies with a sort of humor, knowing that if he could train those soldiers, no man, or even god, could stand up to them. But he tends to stay out of mortal affairs, not truly caring for them.

Madther resides in Elysium, but makes occasional visits to the Mortal Plane and the Abyss to test himself. His worshipers are mostly mercenaries, barbarians, and other warrior types.

Depiction. Clad in a heavy red suit of armor, and donned with several weapons on his back, this muscular man rides into battle with short black hair and often several scars across his face; marks of his power and experience.

Holy Day. Warriors of Madther celebrate the Day of the Martyr. On this day, soldiers are given their time off to be merry in any ways they desire; a chance to live before falling in battle.

Annja, the Lovebringer

Annja is the goddess of love and lust, and generally cares little about the going-ons of the mortal plane in other ways. She is one of the few gods that actively roams the material plane, but she is often only motivated by hedonistic activities: parties, sex, and more. The other deities often see her as immature, and she has few aspirations for the mortals, save for to have fun with them as much as she can. She doesn't like how the other gods tend to ignore them, and often chooses to live among mortals rather than gods.

Surprisingly, Annja prefers to live amongst mortals in the Mortal Plane. Her worshipers often include couples, sex workers, and spectrums of beings in-between.

Depiction. Annja is often portrayed as a woman of unparalleled beauty, which can mean many things depending on the society viewing her. However, in human cases, this involves long hair and bright eyes, and of course the body worthy of a goddess.

Holy Day. The Celebration of Birth gives honor to life itself, but it also involves stories of love, lust, and everything in-between. This day is often celebrated once a month, and the day is sporadic, so only a church official or brothel owner might know specifics.

Suris, Stealer of the Harp

Suris is the goddess of thieves and trickery, and was a mortal before becoming a god. She managed to infiltrate Elysium to steal a harp from the gods. Afterwards, rather than scorn or kill her, the gods rewarded her trickery and stealth to make her a god. She has little plans for the mortals, not wanting to interfere much, but she does enjoy traveling to the material plane to prank them. She also serves as a sort of spy for the gods, keeping an eye on the mortals and the Elder Wickeds.

Suris tends to reside in the Mortal Plane for this reason, occasionally Elysium, and rarely the Abyss.

Depiction. Suris is a young elven woman of some kind with short brown hair and a freckled face. Including a short stature and light dark clothes, she seems fit to be a thief and prankster of sorts.

Holy Day. Suris' followers don't believe in dedicating a single day to her, but give thanks to her for stolen treasures or well-laid traps and pranks.

Badum, the Stalker of Gods

After losing his family to Vizzotz's plagues, Badum trained himself in combat unlike any mortal before. Eventually, he sought out revenge against the god that killed his family, slaughtering angels, demons, and even a former god. After watching this go on for years, Juexzotz invited Badum to join them as a god himself, so long as he stopped his rampage. Badum accepted, but still holds a grudge with Juexzotz, and thwarts him as much as possible.

Badum chooses to remain in the Nexus to test himself, training himself for revenge. His worshipers are often collections of people who feel wronged by the gods.

    Depiction. Badum is often displayed as a muscular man with a bald head and a long red streak of paint across his eyes; a symbol of his blinding rage. He often carries many weapons and magic items with him as well in many depictions.

Holy Day. Badum's followers celebrate on the Day of the Plague. However, it is more like a mourning for those who were wronged by the gods, and often includes protests, solemn stories, and sometimes riots against official churches. Days are often sporadic, but they generally settle on the fifth of Gerilnisi.

The Elder Wickeds

As the mortals lived in peace, the gods would soon have their own problems to solve. Millenia after his departure, Kixtos returned to Elysium and revealed his own children: a group of eldritch abominations known as the Elder Wickeds. Kixtos and his brother, Juexzotz, would engage in a conflict that would last eons for their children to fight against one another. Kixtos created six children against Juexzotz's eighteen. Kaovha the Giant, who walked through the planes of the gods and demolished everything in sight; Inombra the Creator, who made powerful devices and spells that nearly erased the deities,; Xaagged the Conqueror, who fought armies at a time to slaughter his foes; Aiugithren the Terror, who slipped into the minds of thousands, forcing many to end their own existences to escape his torture; Trogd'xe the Manipulator, who took the form of angels and gods alike to sew chaos amongst their armies; and Shuthri the Seeker, whose unpredictable nature caused the death of thousands on both sides, but whose powers rivaled that of even the gods.

Kaovha the Giant

Kaovha is a powerful destroyer among the Elder Wickeds; rumored to be indestructible, massive in size, and powerful in strength. He is best known for the stories where he stomps through the realm of Elysium, wreaking destruction without being able to stop. His body is portrayed as indestructible, not able to be pierced even by most magic weapons. Being locked in the Vaults of the Wicked likely has little effect on him as well, as his body is made of machinery and metal, unable to rust or decay.

Depiction. Kaovha is often shown as a tall, imposing giant construct, standing taller than any building that mortals could hope to create. He often isn't portrayed with any weapons, but some choose to give him a club, sword, or built in cannons. More times than not, there are usually three towers on its back and shoulders.

Enemies. Kaovha was sealed away by Ahius, Ehtos, and Yaris, though many think he is incapable of hatred due to his nature as a construct. He also has no allies or enemies among his brothers, perhaps for the same reason: he cannot know love or hatred.

Inombra the Creator

Creator of spells and magic devices made to eradicate the gods of Adowei, Inombra is often viewed as the most powerful of the Elder Wickeds. Her power is written as a terrifying force that, if unleashed, could eradicate all life in a matter of months, perhaps even weeks. Not to mention the spells she has made... She is often portrayed as a leviathan-like creature with several tentacles to help in her spellcasting, or as a young woman with long dark hair and a powerful amulet around her neck.

Depiction. More often than not, Inombra is shown as a leviathan: a terror of the sea with powerful tentacles that she uses to cast her spells or build her devices. Alternatively, some draw her as a young, dark woman with long black hair, somewhat fair skin, and long claws replacing her fingernails.

Enemies. Badum, Orius, and Sidros sealed Inombra away in the Vault of the Wickeds, where she toils in agony, unable to create. She is also rivals with Trogd'xe, but enemies with none. However, she often allies herself with Xaagged.

Xaagged the Conqueror

A warrior of unprecedented power, Xaagged the Conqueror was made to fight the armies of Elysium alone; forged to kill any who stood in his path. His power unrivaled by any but the gods who sealed him away, none could stand against this armored warrior, even if he stood alone on the battlefield. Even sealed in the Vaults of the Wicked, he makes time to practice and train, growing stronger with every century that passes, just for another chance to eradicate the deities who sealed him away, and serve his master Kixtos again.

Depiction. A dark suit of armor, scarred, but unpenetrated; an armory of weapons at his side; and a helmet with a gaze to make any mortal drop to their knees and quiver with fear. Nobody has seen Xaagged without his armor, and he works to ensure that none shall see him without this suit.

Enemies. Madther. Neulla. Vizzotz. The only three beings in the universe who could best him. The only reasons he was locked away. All he desires is their throats on the edge of his blade. He keeps no enemies among his brothers and sisters as well, but often allies with none.

Aiugithren the Terror

Creatures who know the value of fear and terror often look to Aiugithren, the embodiment of terror, for guidance. To serve him is to welcome fear into your own body. To acknowledge that the only truth to the universe is madness and insanity. He himself never sullies his hands with trifling matters, but often looks to those he has already driven to insanity to bring his message to the mortals and, more importantly, the gods of the realm. As the embodiment of fear, he looks for his followers to embody such things as well.

Depiction. Aiugithren has no physical form, as he has no need of one. Many only see him as a floating eye while others see him as an abomination of unseen scope, one that mortals have no earthly chance of even gazing at without insanity taking hold.

Enemies. The only beings to resist his terror, and the ones who locked them away, will suffer the ultimate punishment when he is freed: Bethys, Guhena, and Jenos. He very much despises Kaovha for his inability to feel terror, but loves his brother Xaagged for his ability to spread terror.

Trogd'xe the Manipulator

Truth is buried under layers of lies, only be to be seen by the one who will pull the strings of events to come. Trogd'xe preaches such things, and encourages lying, stealing, cheating, anything that will give his followers an edge in preparing for the Wicked Release. He himself also whispers a number of things into the ears of those with power; mostly political, but also to those who have strengths in other aspects of life. His tongue is silver, smells of honey, and tastes of poison. He never shows his hand to any who ask, and will likely only steer others in the direction his master requires.

Depiction. Trogd'xe is often seen as an abomination of veins and flesh, culminating into a being with two heads; a showcase of the face he wants those to see and the one he wants to keep hidden.

Enemies. Ownir, Ivemis, and Suris are responsible for the Manipulator to reside within the Vault of the Wicked that restricts him, but he has no problem detaching parts of his body to slither out and whisper into the ears of others.

Shuthri the Seeker

Shuthri is a being of curiosity, one which is not easily satisfied. However, she is also what many might consider a living embodiment of contradictions, as she often switches from one personality to another on the fly. Whether she'll send spies, and army, or just eradicate mortal men herself, many infer that not even she knows what she will do until she does it. This makes her especially dangerous, as nobody knows what she will do or when she'll do it.

Depiction. When being drawn as an Elder Wicked, she is a tall creature with an elongated body to hold many appendages and many faces. When showcased as a living creature, however, she is a middle-aged woman with many features that can be changed. A snake-like tongue, reptilian eyes, or maybe she'd look just like another mortal being.

Enemies. On a good day, Fevher, Ytix, and Annja are simply names to this Elder Wicked. On any other day, however, they invoke rages in her that she spreads throughout the realm. If she could, in any case. Her allies and enemies are constantly in flux, at least with her siblings.

Cultural Deities

Many cultures and races have their own deities that they choose to worship over the main pantheon or the Elder Wickeds, and each of them take on different faces depending on what sect worships them most. These are considered as lesser deities to those outside of the culture, or those who choose to worship other gods, but the ones who worship these deities see them as the true divine, unswayable by most.

Envoy

As an envoy, you were designed with a certain specialized function in mind. You might be an assassin, a healer, or an entertainer, to name a few possibilities. Envoys are the most common of the construct subraces, but yours could be a unique design.

Ability Score Increase. Two different ability scores of your choice increase by 1.

Specialized Design. You gain one skill proficiency of your choice, one tool proficiency of your choice, and fluency in one language of your choice.

Integrated Tool. Choose one tool you’re proficient with. This tool is integrated into your body, and you double your prodifiency bonus for any ability checks you make with it. You must have your hands free to use this integrated tool.

Juggernaut

You’re an imposing war machine built for close combat and raw might. You tower over your comrades; juggernaut constructs stand between 6 and 7 feet in height and can weigh up to 450 pounds.

Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 2.

Iron Fists. When you make an unarmed strike, you can deal 1d4 bludgeoning damage instead of the normal damage.

Powerful Build. You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.

Skirmisher

You were built to scout the edges of battle and outmaneuver your enemies. You are lean and designed for speed.

Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2.

Swift. Your base walking speed increases by 5 feet.

Light Step. When you are traveling alone for an extended period of time (one hour or more), you can move stealthily at a normal pace. (See chapter 8 of the Player's Handbook for more information about travel pace.)

Darkling

Ancient legends speak of a seelie creature who betrayed Adowei. His true name has been stricken from history, but the stories call him Mori Dhaeraow (“Dark Traitor” in common). The creatures bred from him would be called “darklings.” They are powerful, beautiful creatures that honor power above all else and will be willing to risk almost anything to achieve it. They have a strong feudal system where every darkling serves the king of the darklings, lest they suffer a terrible fate befitting their deed. Darklings tend to reside within the dark reaches of Zoudrurg, espcecially since it's always dark there. When not within their home country, they tend to make refuge in caves. Truly unfitting for such powerful creatures, but they must make do with what they have.

Darklings believe themselves to be the top of the food chain among all of the mortal races. They rule over the Feldawn Empire, they've conquered Zoudrurg for their own. To them, nobody can defeat them. To Darklings, art and anything beautiful, not unlike elves, often catches the eye of any Darkling. Some even spend their years collecting such items. However, they also have a tendency to collect powerful relics and tools. This is because of the Darkling obsession with power over others and the ability and desire to control everything. The ruling power of the Darkling people comes from those with the strongest power base, and from those who know how to control others. However, it is easier said than done, as almost every Darkling tends to have an obsession with controlling others. In a way of running for the right to rule, Darklings that run must engage in a sport of mutual destruction pitting power base against power base. Last one standing rules.

Ability Score Increase: Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and your Wisdom score increases by 1.

Age: Darkling reach adulthood at around 20 years and live up to three centuries.

Alignment: Most darklings tend to follow the path of neutral evil.

Size: Darklings stand between 4’5’’ and 6 feet tall, and average about 170 pounds. Your size is Medium.

Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 ft.

Fey Ancestry: You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put you to sleep.

Superior Darkvision: Accustomed to life in the dark, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 120 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Dragonborn

Born of dragons, as their name proclaims, the dragonborn walk proudly through a world that greets them with fearful incomprehension. Shaped by draconic gods or the dragons themselves, dragonborn originally hatched from dragon eggs as a unique race, combining the best attributes of dragons and humanoids. Some dragonborn are faithful servants to true dragons, others form the ranks of soldiers in great wars, and still others find themselves adrift, with no clear calling in life.

To any dragonborn, the clan is more important than life itself. Dragonborn owe their devotion and respect to their clan above all else, even the gods. Each dragonborn’s conduct reflects on the honor of his or her clan, and bringing dishonor to the clan can result in expulsion and exile. Each dragonborn knows his or her station and duties within the clan, and honor demands maintaining the bounds of that position.

A continual drive for self-improvement reflects the self-sufficiency of the race as a whole. Dragonborn value skill and excellence in all endeavors. They hate to fail, and they push themselves to extreme efforts before they give up on something. A dragonborn holds mastery of a particular skill as a lifetime goal. Members of other races who share the same commitment find it easy to earn the respect of a dragonborn.

Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Charisma score increases by 1.

Age. Young dragonborn grow quickly. They walk hours after hatching, attain the size and development of a 10-year-old human child by the age of 3, and reach adulthood by 15. They live to be around 80.

Alignment. Dragonborn tend to extremes, making a conscious choice for one side or the other in the cosmic war between good and evil (represented by Bahamut and Tiamat, respectively). Most dragonborn are good, but those who side with Tiamat can be terrible villains.

Size. Dragonborn are taller and heavier than humans, standing well over 6 feet tall and averaging almost 250 pounds. Your size is Medium.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Dragon Ancestry. You have draconic ancestry. Choose one type of dragon from the Draconic Ancestry table. Your breath weapon and damage resistance are determined by the dragon type, as shown in the table.

Breath Weapon. You can use your action to exhale destructive energy. Your draconic ancestry determines the size, shape, and damage type of the exhalation. When you use your breath weapon, each creature in the area of the exhalation must make a saving throw, the type of which is determined by your draconic ancestry. The DC for this saving throw equals 8 + your Constitution modifier + your proficiency bonus. A creature takes 2d6 damage on a failed save, and half as much damage on a successful one. The damage increases to 3d6 at 6th level, 4d6 at 11th level, and 5d6 at 16th level. After you use your breath weapon, you can’t use it again until you complete a short or long rest.

Damage Resistance. You have resistance to the damage type associated with your draconic ancestry.

Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Draconic.

Racial Ranking. 7 - While many races see dragons as holy beings, many more see them as forces for destruction instead.

Dwarf

Kingdoms rich in ancient grandeur, halls carved into the tools of mountains, the echoing of picks and hammers in deep mines and blazing forges, a commitment to clan and tradition, and a burning hatred of goblins and orcs-these common threads unite all dwarves. Bold and hardy, dwarves are known as skilled warriors, miners, and workers of stone and metal. Though they stand well under 5 feet tall, dwarves are so broad and compact that they can weigh as much as a human standing nearly two feet taller. Their courage and endurance are also easily a match for any of the larger folk.

Hill Dwarves

Hill dwarves are the most hardy of the dwarven races, and the most likely type of dwarf one will find in the back of the tavern drinking themselves to death. They have keen senses, deep intuition, and remarkable resilience, which makes them valuable miners and soldiers, as well as strong drinkers.

Ability Score Increase: Your Wisdom score increases by 1

Dwarven Toughness: Your hit point maximum increases by 1, and it increases by 1 every time you gain a level.

Mountain Dwarves

Mountain dwarves are the more sophisticated subspecies of dwarf. These are more the type you'll find in a shop or a blacksmith's forge. They are also strong and hardy, and accustomed to a difficult life in rugged terrain, which makes these dwarves more likely the ones seeking a thrilling adventure.

Ability Score Increase: Your Strength score increases by 2.

Dwarven Armor Training: You have proficiency with light and medium armor.

Elves

Elves are a species of unmatched grace and are rumored to have a natural affinity for magic. They tend to live in places of great beauty, and also tend to favor forests and other natural beauties. Elves lave nature and magic, art and artistry, music and poetry, and the good things of the world. With their unearthly grace and fine features, elves appear hauntingly beautiful to humans and members of many other races.

Like the branches of a young tree, elves are flexible in the face of danger. They trust in diplomacy and compromise to resolve differences before they escalate to violence. They have been known to retreat from intrusions into their woodland homes, confident that they can simply wait the invaders out. But when the need arises, elves reveal a stern martial side, demonstrating skill with sword, bow, and strategy. Most elves dwell in small forest villages hidden among the trees. Elves hunt game, gather food, and grow vegetables, and their skill and magic allow them to support themselves without the need for clearing and plowing land.

Ability Score Increase: Your Dexterity score increases by 2.

Age: Although elves reach physical maturity at about the same age as humans, the elven understanding of adulthood goes beyond physical growth to encompass worldly experience. An elf typically c1aims adulthood and an adult name around the age of 100 and can live to be 750 years old.

Alignment: Elves love freedom, variety, and self-expression, so they lean strongly toward the gentler aspects of chaos. They value and protect others' freedom as well as their own, and they are more often good than not. The drow are an exception; their exile into the Underdark has made them vicious and dangerous. Drow are more often evil than not.

Size: Elves range from under 5 to over 6 feet tall and have slender builds. Your size is Medium.

Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 ft.

Language: You can speak, read, and write Common and Elvish.

Darkvision: Accustomed to twilit forests and the night sky, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Keen Senses: You have proficiency in the Perception skill.

Fey Ancestry: You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can't put you to sleep.

High Elves

High elves have a innate pull to the arcane ways. They are often born with an excess source of mana, which they can draw from at a young age. This gives high elves a high opinion of themselves. These are the types of elves you're more likely to see in a large city.

Ability Score Increase: Your Intelligence score increases by 1

Elf Weapon Training: You have proficiency with the longsword, shortsword, shortbow, and longbow.

Cantrip: You know one Cantrip of your choice from the wizard spell list. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for it.

Extra Language: You can speak, read, and write one extra language of your choice.

Wood Elves

Wood elves are one with nature, and often work to protect its beauty. They have keen senses and intuition, and their fleet feet can carry them quickly and quietly through the dense forests in which they tend to reside.

Ability Score Increase: Your Wisdom score increases by 1

Elf Weapon Training: You have proficiency with the longsword, shortsword, shortbow, and longbow.

Fleet of Foot: Your base walking speed increases the 35 feet.

Mask of the Wild: You can attempt to hide even when you are only lightly obscured by foliage, heavy rain, falling snow, mist, and other natural phenomena.

Sea Elves

Sea elves are a reclusive and deeply territorial people who have much in common with merfolk as they do with other elves. Most sea elves often help merfolk with helping others, and are fairly trusting.

Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 1.

Sea Elf Training. You have proficiency with the spear, trident, light crossbow, and net.

Child of the Sea. You have a swimming speed of 30 feet, and you can breathe air and water.

Friend of the Sea. Using gestures and sounds, you can communicate simple ideas with any beast that has an innate swimming speed.

Languages. You can speak, read, and write Aquan.

Ice Elves

Ice elves are nomadic groups of elves with skin as fair as the moon in the sky. They often only reside in the snowy regions, such as Frayh Ska, but occasionally venture outward to help their tribe.

Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 1.

Blessing of the Snow. You are immune to cold damage.

Ice Skating. While in snowy or icy terrain, your base walking speed increases by 10.

Drow

Drow are elves that have become reclusive; living in the underdark or in otherwise dark places. They are fairly reclusive, and can even be considered a cruel race by those who have no engaged with one.

Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 1.

Drow Magic. You know the Dancing Lights cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast Faerie Fire once, and it recharges after a long rest. When you reach 5th level, you can cast Darkness once, and it recharges after a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

Drow Weapon Training. You have proficiency with rapiers, shortswords, and hand crossbows.

Superior Darkvision. Your darkvision has a range of 120 feet, instead of 60.

Sunlight Sensitivity. You have disadvantage on attack rolls and Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight when you, the target of the attack, or whatever you are trying to perceive is in direct sunlight.

Racial Ranking. 5 - You're still an elf, but prejudice and preconceived notions of drow make others somewhat wary.

Gnome

A constant hum of busy activity pervades the warrens and neighborhoods where gnomes form their close-knit communities. Louder sounds punctuate the hum: a crunch of grinding gears here, a minor explosion there, a yelp of surprise or triumph, and especially bursts of laughter. Gnomes take de!ight in !ife, enjoying every moment of invention, exploration, investigation, creation, and play.

As far as gnomes are concerned, being a!ive is a wonderful thing, and they squeeze every ounce of enjoyment out of their three to tive centuries of !ife. Humans might wonder about getting bored over the course of such a long tife, and elves take plenty of time to savor the beauties of the world in their long years, but gnomes seem to worry that even with all that time, they can't get in enough of the things they want to do and see.

Ability Score Increase: Your Intelligence score increases by 2.

Age: Gnomes mature at the same rate Humans do, and most are expected to settle down into an adult life by around age 40. They can live 350 to almost 500 years.

Alignment: Gnomes are most often good. Those who tend toward law are sages, engineers, researchers, scholars, investigators, or inventors. Those who tend toward chaos are minstrels, tricksters, wanderers, or fanciful jewelers. Gnomes are good-hearted, and even the tricksters among them are more playful than Vicious.

Size: Gnomes are between 3 and 4 feet tall and average about 40 pounds. Your size is Small.

Speed: Your base walking speed is 25 ft.

Language: You can speak, read, and write Common and Gnomish.

Forest Gnomes

Forest gnomes are a rare sight, and many even believe that they are extinct. This is because they use their innate illusion abilities to hide themselves in the forests. However, when found, they tend to be kind and warm-hearted.

Ability Score Increase: Your Dexterity score increases by 1.

Natural Illusionist: You know the minor illusion cantrip. lntelligence is your spellcasting ability for it.

Speak with Small Beasts: Through sounds and gestures, you can communicate simple ideas with Small or smaller beasts.

Rock Gnomes

Rock gnomes are inventive and creative geniuses. These gnomes can be found almost anywhere, and are often seen as the only type of gnome left in existence.

Ability Score Increase: Your Constitution score increases by 1.

Artificer's Lore: Whenever you make an Intelligence (History) check related to Magic Items, alchemical Objects, or technological devices, you can add twice your Proficiency Bonus, instead of any Proficiency Bonus you normally apply.

Tinkerer: You have proficiency with artisan’s tools (tinker’s tools). Using those tools, you can spend 1 hour and 10 gp worth of materials to Construct a Tiny clockwork device (AC 5, 1 hp). The device ceases to function after 24 hours (unless you spend 1 hour repairing it to keep the device functioning), or when you use your action to dismantle it; at that time, you can reclaim the materials used to create it. You can have up to three such devices active at a time. When you create a device, choose one of the following options:

Clockwork Toy: This toy is a clockwork animal, monster, or person, such as a frog, mouse, bird, dragon, or soldier. When placed on the ground, the toy moves 5 feet across the ground on each of your turns in a random direction. It makes noises as appropriate to the creature it represents.

Fire Starter: The device produces a miniature flame, which you can use to light a Candle, torch, or campfire. Using the device requires your action.

Music Box: When opened, this music box plays a single song at a moderate volume. The box stops playing when it reaches the song’s end or when it is closed.

Goblin

Goblins occupy an uneasy place in a dangerous world, and they react by lashing out at any creatures they believe they can bully. Cunning in battle and cruel in victory, goblins are fawning and servile in defeat. Goblins primarily haunt the frontier lands where the military doesn't have a strong presence. Individually they are not very threatening and are considered the weakest of monsters. However, their numbers grow fairly quickly due to their ability to come into maturity at an accelerated rate, making them a rapidly increasing threat if not dealt with quickly.

Goblins are commonly found in caves and rely on attacking or stealing from settlements to sustain themselves. They have an excellent sense of smell, especially when it comes to prey. They can even smell metal, making them dangerous to anyone wearing metal armor. They also have excellent night vision; if they detect any light in their nest, they know there are intruders.

Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and your Constitution score increases by 1.

Age. Goblins reach adulthood at age 8 and live up to 60 years.

Alignment. Goblins are typically neutral evil, as they care only for their own needs. A few goblins might tend toward good or neutrality, but only rarely.

Size. Goblins are between 3 and 4 feet tall and weigh between 40 and 80 pounds. Your size is Small.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Fury of the Small. When you damage a creature with an attack or a spell and the creature's size is larger than yours, you can cause the attack or spell to deal extra damage to the creature. The extra damage equals your level. Once you use this trait, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Nimble Escape. You can take the Disengage or Hide action as a bonus action on each of your turns.

Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Goblin.

Racial Ranking. 7 - As Goblins make frequent raids and kidnappings, they are seen as a blight.

Half-Angel (Aasimar reskin)

Half-Angels bear within their souls the light of the heavens. They are descended from the union of humans and angels, a rare and often forbidden union. More often than not, the human parent of the half-angel will be instructed to care for it as the angel ascends back to their deity, and they are left to grow up in an unfamiliar world. While they have the same physical description as humans for the most part, they also have some of the traits that can display their special heritage, though many parents try to keep them a secret.

Protector Half-Angel

Protector half-angels are charged and energised with the powers of good to safeguard the weaker races. They strike the evil and stand like a wall against the darkness. They have the best relationship with their celestial parents, and work to please them as best they can.

Ability Score Increase: Your Wisdom score increases by 1.

Radiant Soul: Starting at 3rd level, you can use your action to unleash the divine energy within yourself, causing your eyes to glimmer and two luminous, incorporeal wings to sprout from your back.

Your transformation lasts for 1 minute or until you end it as a bonus action. During it, you have a flying speed of 30 feet, and once on each of your turns, you can deal extra radiant damage to one target when you deal damage to it with an attack or a spell. The extra radiant damage equals your level.

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

Scourge Half-Angel

Scourge half-angel have one of the worst relationships with their celestial parents, and sometimes actively oppose them. Most of the time, this is because of how they abandoned them at such a young age, other times it is simply rebelling the deity they worship. Nevertheless, the celestials have almost turned their backs on this one.

Ability Score Increase: Your Constitution score increases by 1.

Radiant Consumption: Starting at 3rd level, you can use your action to unleash the divine energy within yourself, causing a searing light to radiate from you, pour out of your eyes and mouth, and threaten to char you.

Your transformation lasts for 1 minute or until you end it as a bonus action. During it, you shed bright light in a 10-foot radius and dim light for an additional 10 feet, and at the end of each of your turns, you and each creature within 10 feet of you take radiant damage equal to half your level (rounded up). In addition, once on each of your turns, you can deal extra radiant damage to one target when you deal damage to it with an attack or a spell. The extra radiant damage equals your level.

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

Half-Demon (Tiefling reskin)

Half-demons are derived from human bloodlines, and in the broadest possible sense, they still look human. However, their infernal heritage has left a clear imprint on their appearance. half-demons have large horns that take any of a variety of shapes: some have curling horns like a ram, others have straight and tall horns like a gazelle’s, and some spiral upward like an antelopes’ horns. They have thick tails, four to five feet long, which lash or coil around their legs when they get upset or nervous. Their canine teeth are sharply pointed, and their eyes are solid colors—black, red, white, silver, or gold—with no visible sclera or pupil. Their skin tones cover the full range of human coloration, but also include various shades of red. Their hair, cascading down from behind their horns, is usually dark, from black or brown to dark red, blue, or purple.

Ability Score Increase: Your Intelligence score increases by 1, and your Charisma score increases by 2.

Age: Tieflings mature at the same rate as humans but live a few years longer.

Alignment: Tieflings might not have an innate tendency toward evil, but many of them end up there. Evil or not, an independent nature inclines many tieflings toward a chaotic alignment.

Size: Tieflings are about the same size and build as humans. Your size is Medium.

Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 ft.

Language: You can speak, read, and write Common and Infernal.

Darkvision: Thanks to your infernal heritage, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Half-Elves

Walking in two worlds but truly belonging to neither, half-elves combine what some say are the best qualities of their elf and human parents: human curiosity, inventiveness, and ambition tempered by the refined senses, love of nature, and artistic tastes of the elves. Some half-elves live among humans, set apart by their emotional and physical differences, watching friends and loved ones age while time barely touches them. Others live with the elves, growing restless as they reach adulthood in the timeless elven realms, while their peers continue to live as children. Many half-elves, unable to fit into either society, choose lives of solitary wandering or join with other misfits and outcasts in the adventuring life.

Half-elves have no lands of their own, though they are welcome in human cities and somewhat less welcome in elven forests. In large cities in regions where elves and humans interact often, half-elves are sometimes numerous enough to form small communities of their own. They enjoy the company of other half-elves, the only people who truly understand what it is to live between these two worlds.

Ability Score Increase: Your Charisma score increases by 2, and two other ability scores of your choice increase by 1.

Age: Half-elves mature at the same rate humans do and reach adulthood around the age of 20. They live much longer than humans, however, often exceeding 180 years.

Alignment: Half-elves share the chaotic bent of their elven heritage. They value both personal freedom and creative expression, demonstrating neither love of leaders nor desire for followers. They chafe at rules, resent others’ demands, and sometimes prove unreliable, or at least unpredictable.

Size: Half-elves are about the same size as humans, ranging from 5 to 6 feet tall. Your size is Medium.

Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 ft.

Language: You can speak, read, and write Common, Elvish, and one extra language of your choice.

Darkvision: Thanks to your elf blood, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Fey Ancestry: You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put you to sleep.

Skill Versatility: You gain proficiency in two skills of your choice.

Racial Ranking: 3 - A mixture of elf and man, you aren't quite on their rank.

Half-Orcs

Whether united under the leadership of a mighty warlock or having fought to a standstill after years of conflict, orc and human tribes sometimes form alliances, joining forces into a larger horde to the terror of civilized lands nearby. When these alliances are sealed by marriages, half-orcs are born. Some half-orcs rise to become proud chiefs of orc tribes, their human blood giving them an edge over their full-blooded orc rivals. Some venture into the world to prove their worth among humans and other more civilized races. Many of these become adventurers, achieving greatness for their mighty deeds and notoriety for their barbaric customs and savage fury.

Orcs regard battle scars as tokens of pride and ornamental scars as things of beauty. Other scars, though, mark an orc or half-orc as a former slave or a disgraced exile. Any half-orc who has lived among or near orcs has scars, whether they are marks of humiliation or of pride, recounting their past exploits and injuries. Such a half-orc living among humans might display these scars proudly or hide them in shame.

Ability Score Increase: Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Constitution score increases by 1.

Age: Half-orcs mature a little faster than humans, reaching adulthood around age 14. They age noticeably faster and rarely live longer than 75 years.

Alignment: Half-orcs inherit a tendency toward chaos from their orc parents and are not strongly inclined toward good. Half-orcs raised among orcs and willing to live out their lives among them are usually evil.

Size: Half-orcs are somewhat larger and bulkier than humans, and they range from 5 to well over 6 feet tall. Your size is Medium.

Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 ft.

Language: You can speak, read, and write Common and Orc.

Darkvision: Thanks to your orc blood, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Menacing: You gain proficiency in the Intimidation skill.

Relentless Endurance: When you are reduced to 0 hit points but not killed outright, you can drop to 1 hit point instead. You can’t use this feature again until you finish a long rest.

Savage Attacks: When you score a critical hit with a melee weapon attack, you can roll one of the weapon’s damage dice one additional time and add it to the extra damage of the critical hit.

Racial Ranking: 6 - The child of an orc, you're likely to be ridiculed, but not as much.

Halflings

The comforts of home are the goals of most halflings’ lives: a place to settle in peace and quiet, far from marauding monsters and clashing armies; a blazing fire and a generous meal; fine drink and fine conversation. Though some halflings live out their days in remote agricultural communities, others form nomadic bands that travel constantly, lured by the open road and the wide horizon to discover the wonders of new lands and peoples. But even these wanderers love peace, food, hearth, and home, though home might be a wagon jostling along a dirt road or a raft floating downriver. Halflings are an affable and cheerful people. They cherish the bonds of family and friendship as well as the comforts of hearth and home, harboring few dreams of gold or glory.

Ability Score Increase: Your Dexterity score increases by 2.

Age: A halfling reaches adulthood at the age of 20 and generally lives into the middle of his or her second century.

Alignment: Most halflings are lawful good. As a rule, they are good-hearted and kind, hate to see others in pain, and have no tolerance for oppression. They are also very orderly and traditional, leaning heavily on the support of their community and the comfort of their old ways.

Size: Halflings average about 3 feet tall and weigh about 40 pounds. Your size is Small.

Speed: Your base walking speed is 25 ft.

Language: You can speak, read, and write Common and Halfling.

Lucky: When you roll a 1 on the d20 for an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll.

Brave: You have advantage on saving throws against being frightened.

Halfling Nimbleness: You can move through the space of any creature that is of a size larger than yours.

Racial Ranking: 2

Subrace: The two main kinds of halfling, lightfoot and stout, are more like closely related families than true subraces.

Stout Halfling

Stout halflings are descendent of dwarven blood since they are hardier than average and have some resistance to poison. These fit more into dwarven society than any other as well, but also can be found in some human colonies.

Ability Score Increase: Your Constitution score increases by 1.

Stout Resilience: You have advantage on saving throws against poison, and you have resistance against poison damage.

Humans

In the reckonings of Adowei, humans are amongst the oldest of the common races. Early to arrive on the world scene and short-lived in comparison to dwarves, elves, and dragons. Perhaps it is because of their shorter lives that they strive to achieve as much as they can in the years they are given. Or maybe they feel they have something to prove to the longer-lived races, and that's why they build their mighty empires on the foundation of conquest and trade. Whatever drives them, humans are the innovators, the achievers, and the pioneers of the worlds.

Humans are, quite possibly, the most widespread civilization in Adowei. The Elves and Dwarves may live much longer than the humans, but the humans make up for it with their limitless ambitions. Humans live fully in the present-making them well suited to the adventuring life-but also plan for the future, striving to leave a lasting legacy. Individually and as a group, humans are adaptable opportunists, and they stay alert to changing political and social dynamics. Humans can be found all over the world, no matter where one may find themselves. They tend to build grand cities to leave their marks on the worlds, and to live comfortable lives.

Ability Score Increase: Your ability scores each increase by 1.

Age: Humans reach adulthood in their late teens and live less than a century.

Alignment: Humans trend toward no particular alignment.

Size: Humans vary widely in height and build, from barely 5 feet to well over 6 feet tall. Regardless of your position in that range. your size is Medium.

Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 ft.

Language: You can speak, read, and write Common and one extra language of your choice.

Racial Ranking: 2

Kemonomimi

Kemonomimi fit in almost anywhere due to their striking similarities to humans so they are known for living in most places. Some of them prefer their more animalistic tendencies and live out in the wilds while others stick to the big cities. However due to their lack of structure and their cuteness causing others to look down on their race as a whole the Kemonomimi race has run into one big problem in their society as a whole: Slavery. Many Kemonomimi run the risk of being sold as slaves for various purposes due to their utility and cute appearance.

All subraces of Kemonomimi have vastly different views. Cats/Nekos tend to be lazy but are usually quick to get things done. Wolf/Okami are fierce fighters and hunters but tend to be a bit on the harsh side. Fox/Kitsune are smart and cunning while also being notorious flirts. Horses/Uma are the hardest workers you can find but tend to be pretty dim. Finally Rabbit/Usagi are happy and peppy but get scared easily. All races tend lean towards neutral alignments, though some are known to be chaotic and almost never lawful. The only thing that all Kemonomimi have in common is that they all value companionship and relationships over all. Despite this, many Kemonomimi can have trouble opening up to members of specific races in fear of being caught and sold as a slave.

Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 1.

Age. Kemonomimi reach maturity at 10 and are known to live up to 100-130 years old.

Alignment. While the Kemonomimi don’t gravitate towards any alignment, in particular, most do lean towards good.

Size. Kemonomimi very rarely weigh more than 160 pounds(Unless they are a Horse) and stand anywhere from 4’5 to 5’10, your size is Medium.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 35 feet.

Animal Connection. You gain proficiency with Animal Handling.

Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and one language of your choice.

Racial Ranking. 4 - They make good slaves, and many tend to accept them as at least part human.

Subraces. You must pick a subrace that refers to the type of animal that your character references: wolf, fox, horse, rabbit, or cat.

Rabbit

Happy and outgoing, but they have a tendency to be scared quite easily. They make their homes by digging into the ground and forming small groves for themselves.

Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity or Wisdom score increases by 2.

Prey Instincts. You have advantage on Perception checks made to detect murderous intent.

Natural Prey. You gain proficiency in the Stealth and Nature skills.

Cower in Hiding. You have advantage on Stealth checks when hiding from someone who is currently looking to kill you, and can take the Hide action as a bonus action instead.

Weak Frame. You have disadvantage on Athletics checks.

High Jump. Once per turn instead of moving normally you may jump up to twice your current movement speed vertically or horizontally. If you go horizontally it counts as a dash. This does not provoke attacks of opportunity.

Soft Ears. Your ears are extremely soft and sensitive to touch, whenever anyone softly grabs or strokes your ears you must make a con save (DC 8+target’s Dexterity modifier) or become incapacitated.

Cat

Cat kemonomimi are quick, agile, but also quite lazy. However, many do consider them to most appealing, so many fall into slavery as well.

Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity or your Intelligence score increases by 2.

Darkvision. Your keen, catlike eyes allow you to see in dark and dim conditions up to 60ft.

Catlike Skills. You gain proficiency in Acrobatics and Perception skills.

Kitty Claws. You gain natural claw weapons that do 1d4 slashing damage. You can use your Strength or Dexterity modifiers for this attack.

Cat Naps. You have disadvantage against sleep-related saving throws.

Catlike Reflexes. You get advantage on Dexterity saves against traps.

Head Pats. When pat or rubbed on the head for an extended period of time you must make a con save (DC = 8+target’s Dexterity modifier) or become incapacitated, you may remake the con save every round(Or minute outside of battle), also the longer you are pet the better it feels.

Merfolk

Merfolk guard the ocean depths, building small settlements beside deep trenches and other dangers of the sea. They have existed for generations, but rarely have any come to the surface for any reason. Despite their off-putting manners, merfolk are benevolent creatures at heart, convinced that other civilized races deserve their protection. Their attitude might grate, but when pirate fleets prowl the waves or a kraken awakens from its slumber, they are among the first to take up arms to protect others. Given their isolation, most merfolk have never been to the surface world. They struggle with the idea that they can't easily move up and down out of water, and the changing of the seasons mystifies them.

Ability Score Increase: Your Strength, Constitution, and Charisma scores each increase by 1.

Age: Tritons reach maturity around age 15 and can live up to 200 years.

Alignment: Tritons tend toward lawful good. As guardians of the darkest reaches of the sea, their culture pushes them toward order and benevolence.

Size: Tritons are slightly shorter than humans, averaging about 5 feet tall. Your size is Medium.

Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 feet, and you have a swimming speed of 30 feet.

Language: You can speak, read, and write Common and Primordial.

Amphibious: You can breathe air and water.

Control Air and Water: A child of the sea, you can call on the magic of elemental air and water. You can cast Fog Cloud with this trait. Starting at 3rd level, you can cast Gust of Wind with it, and starting at 5th level, you can also cast Wall of Water with it. Once you cast a spell with this trait, you can't do so again until you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

Emissary of the Sea: Aquatic beasts have an extraordinary affinity with your people. You can communicate simple ideas with beasts that can breathe water. They can understand the meaning of your words, though you have no special ability to understand them in return.

Guardians of the Depths: Adapted to even the most extreme ocean depths, you have resistance to cold damage, and you ignore any of the drawbacks caused by a deep, underwater environment.

Racial Ranking: 4 - These beings are known for helping others, though their ability to talk to monsters is a bit unnerving.

Mousefolk

Never to be looked down upon, the slight, unassuming mousefolk are kind hearted to a fault, and possess courage greater than most giants. Though the tiny, big-eared mousefolk are often overlooked by larger creatures, history is brimming with stories of gallant mouse-knights staring down dragons, crossing blades with warlords, and charging into grand battles. It happens that few histories are written about the valor of mousefolk – and many more should be – yet they make appearances in legend all the same, their bravery cementing their place in history. The mousefolk language, Rodentia, has no written form, thus mousefolk preserve their history in story and in song, passed from elders to children through the generations. Their oral tradition is rich, filled with stories of grand heroics, shrewd tricks, and swooning romance. Indeed, many mousefolk live to see themselves preserved in the legends of their people, their deeds remembered in a grand epic for the ages.

Ability Score Increase: Your Dexterity score increases by 2.

Age: Mousefolk mature in their teens and live around 80 years.

Alignment: Most mousefolk are neutral good. They tend to be kind-hearted and have deeply-rooted values.

Size: Mouselings stand around 3 feet tall, but appear slightly taller with their large ears, and normally weigh no more than 40 pounds. Ratlings, by contrast, stand almost 4 feet tall, but have much smaller ears. Your size is Small.

Speed: Your base walking speed is 25 ft.

Mouseling

Mouselings are smaller than their ratling cousins, but all the more daring. They sport a wide variety of coats, from grey to brown, to very rare whites, but all possess large ears and round, black eyes. Though these features often make them look adorable to big folk, most mouselings want nothing more than to be taken seriously. They fancy themselves knights, merchants, minstrels, explorers, and a wide variety of other occupations; mouselings rival even humans for ambition.

Ability Score Increase: Your Charisma score increases by 1.

Brave: You have advantage on saving throws you make against being frightened.

Nimble Escape: When a creature you can see makes an opportunity attack against you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You can't use this trait when wearing medium or heavy armor.

Ratling

Often, ratlings stand a full foot taller than their mousling relatives, with longer tails and more pointed ears. They are tougher, more resistant to poison, and far more stubborn than other mousefolk, but are unquestionably resourceful. When needed, a ratling can escape just about any enclosure that isn't constructed entirely from metal and stone, a fact which many jailers hold in contempt.

Ability Score Increase: Your Strength score increases by 1.

Gnaw: You can use your action to crew through and break a small nonmagical object that isn't being worn or carried, like a rope, a wooden rod or handle, or a length of fabric. If you chew on a wooden wall or floor for 1 minute, you can gnaw a hole large enough for a Tiny creature. You can't chew through materials that are harder than your teeth, like metal, stone, or crystals.

Rat Resilience: You have advantage on saving throws against poison, and you have resistance against poison damage.

Necrolyte

Not all undead that are revived become mindless servants to their necromancers. Those with a powerful soul can gain sentience over their undead body for a second chance at life. Other races usually don't notice the fact that young necrolytes are indeed a different race, but once a Necrolyte is first slain, their appearance becomes less convincing, as they continue to bear the wounds from the blow that killed them, which never fully heal. As a necrolyte ages and is slain again and again over the centuries, their appearance becomes less and less convincing, and they usually spend more time among their own kind or in service to more powerful undead. For this reason, many must wear a mask to avoid being attacked by the mortals.

Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 2, and your Constitution score increases by 1.

Age. Necrolyte children age to adulthood twice as fast as humans, and they then appear to cease aging. They can survive indefinitely, but tend to become more decrepit as their bodies slowly decay over centuries. Few necrolytes are able to still function after four centuries.

Alignment. Due to their undead nature, necrolytes are generally of evil alignment.

Size. Most necrolytes have human ancestry, and share their general build. A few originate from smaller races. Your size is Medium or Small.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 25 feet.

Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Undead Nature. You do not need to eat, sleep or breathe to survive, although you still require rest to stave off exhaustion. You advantage on saving throws against poison, and are resistant to poison damage. You have advantage on Wisdom (Insight) checks made against undead creatures.

Undead Fortitude. If you are reduced to 0 hit points, you return to your undead state in 5 rounds. When you do, you can elect to return with 1 hit point, or immediately heal for a number of hit dice up to your proficiency bonus. Once you use this trait, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.

Chilling Touch. You know the chill touch cantrip.

Hybrid Nature. Your creature type is undead in addition to humanoid. You can become the target of any ability, spell or effect that affects either of your creature types.

Languages. You can speak, read and write, Common and one other language of your choice.

Racial Ranking. 8 - Undead have a tendency to frighten most races, even if they are sentient.

Orc

Orcs are a powerful race of warriors that, most commonly at least, make up the bulk of the armies of the Feldawn Empire, feared across the world for the strength and uncompromising rage. Motivated by their hatred of the civilized races of the world and their need to satisfy the demands of their warlord, the orcs know that if they fight well and bring glory to their tribe, their king will bring plenty of rewards.

Orcs are known for their bloodlust and brute strength, and their entire society is revolved around war and combat, with every Orc serving their Overlord, which serves the king of the Feldawn Empire. Whether they serve as warriors, archers, savages, defenders, or hunters during wartime, they also have jobs outside of wartime: executioners, slavers, beastmasters, and sawbones. More so, each Orc is born into a tribe, and some of the greatest warriors from that tribe emerge from the slave pins or from being an army grunt to becoming a captain, or even a warlord.

Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 2.

Age. Orcs reach adulthood at age 12 and live up to 100 years.

Alignment. Orcs are usually evil raiders and warriors.

Size. Your size is Medium.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision: You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Powerful Build: You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.

Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Orc.

Racial Ranking. 8 - A warmongering species, orcs generally aren't welcome outside of Zoudrurg.

Subraces. Orcs can be from a multitude of tribes: dark, feral, machine, marauder, mystic, outlaw, terror, warmonger, or slaughter. Choose your subrace from these options.

Terror Tribe

Members of the Terror Tribe worship Seifer and his terrifying visage, and prefer the value of shock tactics and unflinching violence to make their foes cower in fear.

Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 1.

Terrifying. You are proficient in the Intimidation skill. If you are already proficient in that skill, you instead gain Expertise in it.

Terror Chains. Your weapons are attached to a chain so that they can be thrown and retrieved with ease. On your turn, as a full-round action, you can target one creature within 30 feet of you. You can attack that target from your current distance for that turn by throwing your weapon at them, then pulling the chain to retrieve your weapon.

Warmonger Tribe

Members of the Warmonger Tribe are militant and fierce. They endlessly train for battle. They can be found practicing weapon drills throughout their fortresses. Warmonger warriors are fearsome, bold, disciplined, and value combat prowess above all else.

Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 1.

Aggressive. As a bonus action, you can move up to your speed toward an enemy of your choice that you can see or hear. You must end this move closer to the enemy than you started.

Warmonger Clash. Whenever you roll an attack roll, you can choose to roll your attack roll with advantage. You can only use this ability once per long rest.

Slaughter Tribe

The Slaughter tribe are the most bloodthirsty of the orcs. Their bloodlust goes beyond any interest in war, conquest, or even torture. They are obsessed with viscera, with blood and guts, with the splatter of warm gore o​n their ecstatic faces.

Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 1.

Cannibalism. Whenever you reduce an opponent to 0 HP, you can spend a bonus action to consume them, regaining one hit die worth of HP.

Slaughter Cleavers. Whenever you roll a 1 on a damage roll, you can reroll that die and must take the new result. You regain use of this feature after a short or long rest.

Revonac

Revonacs are master craftspeople. Their skill and inventiveness are legendary, as is their bitter cynicism. They dislike dealing with imperfect things, especially people, and instead prefer to surround themselves with mechanical wonder and ingenuity. Fiercely individualistic, once a Revonac selects their tastes in artwork and craft, they condemn all others. Their creations are an expression of identity: most Revonacs think if their work is no good,then they’re no good.

They have vices and weaknesses, but never admit to them. Eventually they yearn for an escape from their routine: music, adventure and even love occasionally manage to get them out of their workshop. Despite their surly reputation, Revonacs are sought after engineers, inventors, and architects. Their inventions often end up dying with them, as few Revonacs write anything down that is not in a cipher anyone other than themselves can understand.

Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 2, and your Dexterity score increases by 1.

Age. Revonacs enter adulthood in their early twenties and live up to 130 years.

Alignment. Revonacs are contentious and tend toward chaotic behavior, but their understanding of how things work helps them get by in even the most lawful societies.

Size. Revonacs stand between four to five and a half feet tall and weigh between 85 to 150 pounds. Your size is Medium.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Welder's Eyes. You are proficient in the Perception skill, and have advantage on saving throws to avoid blindness, and when you would have disadvantage to see objects and creatures that are only lightly obscured by smoke or fog, you do not take disadvantage instead.

Favored Tools. You have proficiency with one type of artisan’s tools, and can double your proficiency bonus to checks made with it.

Operational Ingenuity. When you make an Intelligence (History) check related to magical, alchemical, or technological items, you may add your proficiency bonus twice if you are proficient in the skill.

Clever Magic. At 1st Level, you can cast the Identify spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest.

Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and a personal cipher that only you can read and write called “Revonac”.

Racial Ranking. 3 - Not a founding race, but one responsible for many innovations.

Zern

Zern are prolific experimenters in biological and psionic augmentations. Mostly on other species, as experimenting on Zern other than one’s self is considered taboo to the Zern. The Zern are feared across Altaenia, and known mostly by their nicknames: Collectors. Experimenters. Tormentors. So on and so forth.

Zern society is all about change. There is nothing they worship more than their own experiments, augmentations, and the changes they make to themselves and other races in the world. Their society holds no restrictions on what can be used or how it is used for their experiments, which provides many zern with a large expression of “creativity,” and they even encourage sharing what results are discovered with other zern.

However, they do have some rules that every zern anywhere must follow. The first and most important rule is that no zern can experiment on another zern other than themselves. It is seen as disrespectful and an affront to the very research and nature of the zern.

Corrupted Races

Many races are susceptible to the corruption of the Void, which can mostly be found around Zoudrurg or the Old Corruption in Eskary. For more information on Corruption, check the optional campaign rules in Chapter 3.

Shadow Gnome

Gnomes corrupted by the void become cunning and devious, plotting the death of any who defy the will of the Void, though more so acting as assassins or spies while living in the rocky terrain.

This is a subrace for the gnome race.

Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 1.

Superior Darkvision. Your darkvision has a radius of 120 feet.

Stone Camouflage. You have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks to hide in rocky terrain.

Corrupted Half-Elf

Corrupted half-elves become more devious and manipulative, reflected in their crimson eyes, pale skin, and jagged ears.

A corrupted half-elf uses the half-elf traits in the Player’s Handbook, with the following traits replacing the Ability Score Increase and Fey Ancestry traits.

Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by two, and your Strength and Dexterity score increases by 1.

Void Corruption. Once per long rest, you can target one enemy within 30 feet of you. That target must make a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or take 3d6 necrotic damage, or half as much on a successful save.

Cryptic Halfling

Cryptic halflings are always whispering in the dark, twisting the truth and thrusting lies to prepare for the Wicked Release, or for the land to be corrupted in Void.

This is a subrace for the halfling race.

Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 2.

Adept Liar. You gain proficiency in the Deception skill.

Dark Human

Rarely do humans find themselves corrupted by the Void, but when they do, their skin turns pale and their eyes go red. Their ambition becomes one of darker intent, either ruling the world, finding immortality, or something else equally as devastating.

Similar to that of a variant human, you can choose to take these traits instead.

Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 2.

Void Proficiency. You gain proficiency in the Intimidation skill.

Shadowed Mind. You cannot be magically tracked or have your thoughts read against your will. Additionally, you gain advantage on saving throws versus magical charm effects.

Ferocious Kemonomimi

Kemonomimi that are corrupted by the Void go berserk, and tend to attack any creatures that do not serve their master: the Void.

A ferocious kemonomimi uses the kemonomimi traits in this book, with the following traits replacing the Animal Connection trait.

Void Blast. You can learn the fire bolt cantrip. Except you can make the spell deal necrotic damage instead of fire.

Destroyer Merfolk

Not even the sea is safe from the Void when a Merfolk is Corrupted. Their skin turns black or red as their weapons are turned toward their brothers and sisters.

A destroyer merfolk uses the merfolk traits in this book, with the following traits replacing the Ability Score Increase and Emissary of the Sea traits.

Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 2 and your Dexterity score increases by 1.

Voidling Blade. At 3rd level, as a bonus action, you can weave together threads of the void to create a melee weapon of the solidified void in your hands. This void weapon lasts for 1 minute or until it leaves the casters hand. This weapon is longsword that deals necrotic damage instead of slashing damage. You regain use of this trait once you complete a short or long rest.

Voidfolk

Corrupted Mousefolk become like feral monsters that just wish to sink their teeth into anything, or anyone, they can get their hands on. Their teeth and claws are more pronounced as they wander as feral monsters.

This is a subrace for the Mousefolk race.

Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 1.

Cannibalism. Whenever you reduce an opponent to 0 HP, you can spend a bonus action to consume them, regaining one hit die worth of HP.

Corrupted Revonac

The corrupted revonac's skin gets paler, but still a light shade of white, and they dedicate their abilities to crafting and slaving away for the Void, even creating some of the darkest items in the world.

A corrupted revonac uses the revonac traits in this book, with the following traits replacing the Ability Score Increase and Clever Magic traits.

Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 2, and your Charisma score increases by 1.

Void Magic. You may cast the conjure animals spell, requiring no material components, and you regain the ability to cast it this way when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this spell. The animals summoned have a dark twisted appearance and are black with void energy. Once you use this feat, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.

Kingdoms

There are seven main kingdoms that populate the world of Adowei, and each of them can be felt across the continent of Altaenia. There's the mighty Brightforge Empire, the split group of the Sunvale Regime, the mythical Dragonic Empire, the oppressive Eternal Confederacy, the free-sailing Tirmor Alliance, the dark and ruthless Feldawn Empire, and the mysterious and strange Hollowfel. This land is writhe with potential for adventurers and conquerors alike!

Goals

The empire uses the resources it has conquered, as well as its ingenuity to create powerful weapons of war that they use to keep control over their territories. They seek to eventually conquer the world, but is more so focused on gaining land with large amounts of metal ore or coal.

The religious restrictions that the empire enforces is getting harder to maintain as the war rages on, especially as long as the Sunvale Regime continues to fight. And with the intent to incarcerate or execute the heretics or those who use magic against the wishes of the emperor, it seems difficult to shake the discontent of the populace against these laws.

Fighting against the Sunvale Regime and their allies, the Brightforge Empire seeks to gain as many supporters as possible, or to otherwise create greater weapons so that they might be able to fight against the magical supremacy of their foes with industrial power.

Relationships

Though there are some exceptions, many civilians have become accustomed to the comfortable life within imperial walls. Fear of what lurks in the wild, as well as propaganda, generally outweighs the frustrations of having to pay taxes and restrict one's religious beliefs. However, dissidents are quite loud during this time of war, which only seems to irritate the emperor further.

    The Sunvale Regime and the Brightforge Empire are sworn enemies, as the Sunvale Regime was founded not only on the basis of religious freedom, but also on the basis of power through faith. As such, the two see one another not only as heretics, but as blights on the land that must be eradicated by any means necessary. While the Brightforge is more powerful in their industry, the Sunvale Regime has the advantage in all things magic, which can be quite worrying sometimes, though their army is usually inferior, with the exception of the Holy Knights.

The Dragonic Empire is more neutral in the war, at least against the Brightforge Empire, but the two have a tense relationship with one another. The empire respects the symbol of power that the dragons boast within their rival, but they also fear it heavily. As such, they tend to rush their industry in hopes of creating machines that can take down dragons.

The Brightforge Empire absolutely despises the Tirmor Alliance's pirates, and constantly works to exterminate the "vermin." Their iron ships, however, make it difficult to find a naval victory against them. However, the empire is also working to expand its naval power as well, though it is clear the Tirmor Alliance has the advantage in naval production and expansion.

The Eternal Confederacy is a close ally with the Brightforge Empire, though mostly for similar reasons: they want to destroy the Sunvale Regime, and they more agree with the imperialist nations of the Brightforge Empire. However, neither side trusts the others, as the Confederacy has made it clear they view non-elves as inferior. As such, a secret world of subterfuge is alive, well, and almost booming more due to the war.

Figures of Interest

A number of people go into maintaining order, power, and influence in this industrious nation; some seeking to expand their own power, others working to mend the damage done by the religious uprising.

Prime Minster Nilson Goran

Lawful evil, human male

Nilson Goran was a childhood friend of Tardig Zyrgos, so when he rose to power, Goran did as well. Serving as the emperor's top advisor alongside his court mage. His disdain for religion goes far deeper than most, and will often execute religious figureheads he suspects of treason without due process. However, he also has a far more greedy side to him. He certainly enjoys fine meals, even at the expense of civilians, and will often have people killed for not giving him what he wants. Whether that be farmers not giving him the best cut of beef, men refusing to let him bed their wives, and other such despicable acts. It is suspected that Goran not only has a strong relationship with the Assassin's Guild, but that he has formed his own personal group of assassins.

Court Mage Borus Feran

Neutral, human male

A powerful mage born in Kholk, Borus Feran serves as one of the few high-ranking officials authorized by the emperor to conduct magic, much to Goran's dissatisfaction. Borus serves to help speed up the industrialization of the nation, and to offer advisement on arcane issues. However, he also has a deal where he can pursue his own arcane ambitions as well, so long as they do not endanger the empire, and that it will only be used to its benefit. Which, in the Brightforge Empire, is a pretty great deal.

Councilor Morryft Sean

Lawful neutral, human male

Influence and propaganda are two of the most important things to the success of a major world power, and few understand this concept better than Morryft Sean. He is generally held in charge of the influence of the Empire across the world. He makes sure all know the name of the Brightforge Empire and ensures that none plot against them. In addition, he is generally the one to spread propaganda to all corners of the world. He is extremely patriotic and wants to see the Brightforge Empire thrive.

Councilor Annene Julee

Chaotic neutral, elf female

Annene Julee is a female Elf that handles the diplomatic side of the Empire. She is who interacts with other factions and guilds inside and outside the Empire's borders. Of course, that isn't her only role. She also helps to coordinate the policing forces across the empire, though has very little sway in military matters, if any. However, she is still somewhat loyal to the empire, but secretly desires the throne for herself...

Councilor Churr Zavier

Neutral, human male

A somewhat strange addition to the council, Churr Zavier is a human male that used to oversee the religious elements of the Empire. However, he now works as a sort of police authority against mages and priests, although he himself cannot fight and uses magic instead. He is also the head of the Fire Sages, the head religious body of the empire. Whether he truly believes in it or not is another story.

Councilor Orkic Marakan

Lawful evil, half-orc male

Perhaps the most controversial addition to the emperor's council, Orkic Marakan is a Half-Orc male that oversees the military might of the Empire, as well as its applications. He knows every warship, every army, and every fortress that lays at the heart of the Brightforge Empire, and he is the only warrior among the council. He also has a title of Grand General, which is only given to four generals, himself included.

Councilor Zeah Daesys

Neutral good, revonac female

Zeah Daesys is perhaps one of the most important members of the emperor's council for her knowledge in technology and magic. She helps to create more powerful weapons and utilitarian constructions that will help the Empire in times of war and times of peace, if those are even possible to achieve in this day and age. Still, she dislikes building war machines, and wants to find an end to this war so that all members of the world might thrive.

Prince Stram Zyrgos

Neutral good, human male

Prince Stram Zyrgos is a fairly peaceful man who despises the war, and is heir to the throne of the Brightforge Empire. While he always sought the approval of others, the pressure to ascend to the throne once his father died, as well as to produce an heir with a woman he might not even love, it has been quite the strain on the young boy. What's more, he and his sister, Kasey, have entered a bitter rivalry with the disinterest in producing an heir, leaving him somewhat bitter and angry.

Princess Kasey Zyrgos

Lawful evil, human female

Kasey is the younger sister of Stram Zyrgos, and has begun in engaging in a rivalry for the throne of sorts. Since Stram cannot produce an heir, Kasey believes that it is her duty to produce one, and that she deserves to ascend to the throne instead of her brother. Tardig, of course, is skeptical, but Kasey has always been a master manipulator and expert duelist. One way or another, Kasey is determined to be the one to sit on that throne; by any means necessary.

Commander Hayden

Lawful evil, human male

Commander Hayden was a highly ambitious, power-hungry narcissist, noted for his arrogance and bad temper. While serving as a loyal member of the Brightforge Empire's army, even holding one of the highest military positions, his ultimate goal was to climb the ladder and earn the respect of the emperor, though he would never sacrifice a victory for such ambitions. Although repeatedly deceptive and cunning, Hayden was rather egotistical and selfish, bordering on narcissistic, implying a deep-seated self-worship, as all of his actions seemed to fulfill purposes of grandiosity or overwhelming display: his hate-driven, uncontrollable fighting style, his hatred toward traitors, and more.

Grand General Smythe

Lawful neutral, human male

Grand General Smythe leads his own army of highly-trained warriors called the Marauders. One of the Brightforge Empire's secret weapons, these warriors were trained to fight in almost all conditions, and were even taught a small amount of magic as well. However, nothing truly dangerous outside of the occasional fire spell. Smythe was an experienced and hard-bitten soldier of the Brightforge Empire, and often holds a grudge against those with a higher position than him, especially Commander Hayden and Grand General Orkic Marakan.

Grand General Adlam

Chaotic good, human male

Easygoing, open-minded, wise, comforting, generous, advising, kind, and humorous, Grand General Adlam is perhaps one of the kindest and most honorable soldiers in the Brightforge Empire. However, beneath his easygoing attitude lays a wise man experienced in the ways of the world, a seasoned and wily strategist, and an incredibly strong and powerful sword fighting master. He was initially charged with attacking the capital of the Sunvale Regime, Aegimore, but even he could not bring them down due to their magical prowess.

Grand General Whitley

Chaotic neutral, human female

Whitlety, a general in the Brightforge army, was the ruthless overseer of the factory built on the shores of the Xikgan river. An expert at martial combat and strategy, she was a cold woman who believed that military needs always outweighed those of civilians. He held great contempt for the civilians of Xikgan, and often ordered her soldiers to steal their food and medicine, referring to it as a "patriotic donation". The general took great pride in being part of the empire's war effort and hoped to serve on the front lines in the war against the Sunvale Regime.

Dragonic Empire

The Dragonic Empire rules over very little territory, more so looking to consolidate their power or live in solitude from the rest of the warring world. Perhaps both. However, what sets it apart from others is the factions of the world is that this is one of the only groups of people left alive that have passed on the secrets of breeding the dragons of old. Not the wise, intelligent creatures that are heralded in the myth, but the destructive forces that once ravaged the world of Adowei; now tamed mounts for the Dragon Knights.

Emperor Odrog claims to have been alive for centuries, though not quite as long as the Brightforge Empire has been around. He is always portrayed as a wise, benevolent being, with many civilians comparing him to the wise dragons that resided on the eastern borders before their extinction. He embraces the idea of isolating themselves from the world, not wanting the world to hunt their dragons, and not wanting their dragons to bring the world to heel again, as they did after the time of King Rorgon's rule in Dastrath. Many within the walls of the Dragonic Empire believe in their emperor, and their way of life, so uprisings are almost non-existent in their capital cities. However, due to the dangers of dragons, their colonies are almost always seeking a way out.

The Dragonic Empire is run by a monarch: the Dragonic Emperor, but there doesn't seem to be any other sight of a caste system than that. Citizens are citizens, soldiers are soldiers, and the emperor rules alone without a council. They allow colonies to continue worshiping their gods, but the main religion of the Dragonic Empire seems to be a pantheon of dragons, quite similar to the Dragonborn list of deities. There are Dragon Priests who rule over the religion, and they even seem to be a nobility of sorts with the amount of power they have in the Dragonic Empire.

Goals

The Dragonic Empire sees the dragons as the most supreme beings in the entirety of Adowei, and seeks to return them to their former glory. As such, the truly devout desire nothing more than to see the dragons ascend to the height of power, just as they did thousands of years ago. How do they seek such a strong ideal? Through isolationism, it seems. However, if they must fight, then it will be to protect their homes, and their enemies will burn under the flames of the dragons. Other than that, all they wish for is to live in peace.

Relationships

The Dragonic Empire is neutral in this war, and often never gets involved unless their land is in danger. Few of the citizens even know that a war is being waged at the moment, and few would likely care behind their walls and dragons. However, because of those dragons, there are a frequent number of shortages, which force the empire to expand their territory out of necessity.

More than most, the Dragonic Empire has somewhat made a friend of the Sunvale Regime. Their religious ways and the way they seemingly do not mind their dragons makes them somewhat appealing to the empire of the scaled creatures. Still, they rarely help militarily, but are more than happy to trade in exchange for food and services.

The Brightforge Empire is one of the Dragonic Empire's true enemies, as they were the ones who started a tradition of dragon hunting. Even so, they do not seem to attack them, and only ever interact to do trade. They also seem to dislike the industrious ways of the Brightforge Empire, worrying that they might become even more dangerous to their dragons. As a result, relationships between these two factions are tense.

The Dragonic Empire cares not for the Eternal Confederacy or the Tirmor Alliance, and only see both as nuisances. However, they seem to share a disliking from the Dragonic Empire, as the elves openly proclaim that they are "the superior race," and the Tirmor Alliance has a tendency to raid cities and villages alike, forcing them on edge about both, but still neutral.

Figures of Interest

The empire of dragons has more than just its emperor to flaunt to the world, though maybe not as many individuals as other nations and kingdoms.

The Dragon's Voice, Krisdi

Neutra good, high elf female

Krisdi is one of the few high elves within the Dragonic Empire capital, but she serves as the right hand to the emperor because of her strange abilities to have visions of the future. She's kind, intelligent, and seemingly wants to do what is best for the citizens of the empire. She uses her visions to steer Odrog in the direction of prosperity and peace. Most times, he listens; others, not so well.

Eternal Confederacy

The Eternal Confederacy has not been a kingdom that has stood for long, but it is a powerful force nonetheless. It was founded after several elven artifacts were discovered in undiscovered regions, which gave them the idea of a "natural right to rule." It seems to consist mostly of Elves, but many other species fill their ranks as well. Rather than being led by an Emperor or a King, instead they are led by the Eternal Authority; a King in all but name. However, the Eternal Authority itself doesn't hold as much control over each of its cities and mostly focuses on the bigger picture of this war.

Bizana is the young leader of the Eternal Confederacy, only 180 years old, or around 24 years old compared to human years. Supposedly, she is kind to the elves of her nation, but cruel and mistrustful toward other races that live in her borders. However, while they do have a ruler, she also has a small council that is used to advise her in all cases, which formed of four members, including the Justicar head, and in addition to an Authority's Hand. These people are often addicted to the idea of subjugating the other races of the world, and heightening the power of elves.

Overall, while the head of the government is run by a monarch, the small council is run by a meritocracy of intelligent and powerful men that the Eternal Authority herself has chosen to stand beside her. The government, being comprised entirely of elves, often speak in private on most things, only to be discussed in those meetings or announced in the royal court. The pantheon only seems to be made up of a single deity: Ilhel, the goddess of the high elf people. Many of the other types of elves do not align themselves with the Eternal Confederacy, so is mostly only made up of the high elves.

The army is made up of elves, like everything else, though the army is where many would see other types of elves than high elves, though not always. However, their military is often seen as one of the largest in Adowei, though more so because elves have longer lifespans, so can occupy military positions longer, and the government can conscript from a larger population because of their long lifespans. So more so than anything, the Eternal Confederacy is a militaristic nation made to conquer the world.

Relationships

Many elven civilians live like normal citizens, and most seem to support the Eternal Authority's bid for power, with a few exceptions of course. However, non-elven citizens are almost always either enslaved, degraded, or in open rebellion. However, with their superior military might, especially among the disarmed populace, they have little to no trouble stomping insurrections.

The Brightforge Empire and the Eternal Confederacy have a common enemy with one another: the Sunvale Regime and the gods they worship. Because of this, and the similarities between the two nations, the two global powers have become allies in the Great War against the Sunvale Regime. Of course, because the Eternal Confederacy still sees humans as lesser beings, they are still ultimately plotting the downfall of the Brightforge Empire as well.

They also view the Dragonic Empire with the same sort of disdain that they do the Sunvale Regime, believing that the dragons might make it appear that their claims of a superior elven race were illegitimate. As such, they constantly attack Dragonic Empire settlements, cutting supply and trying to starve the dragons. Of course, with dragons being the ultimate aerial force, and with the elven armies perhaps the most numerous, it seems impossible to tell who might defeat who in this war.

Figures of Interest

There are several men and women, mostly elves, that rule the Eternal Confederacy, or that at least hold positions of power high enough to make some change in their nation.

Sunvale Regime

The Sunvale Regime is a sect of the Brightforge Empire that broke off after their ban on magic and religion. They are known for their leaders’ near-obsession with religion, especially regarding their “Arbiter,” so much so that the leading body, the Chantry, are filled with the most pious men regarding to one of the twenty main deities. Well, nineteen, as even the Sunvale Regime views Kixtos as a dangerous being, too evil to worship.

The governing, theocratic body and religious figureheads of the Sunvale Regime, the Chantry are the first nineteen men and women to stand against the Brightforge Empire. These people are the most powerful people in the Sunvale Regime and their words are hailed as divine law. They run as a democratic senate, but one member is seen as the “head” of the Chantry. Each member of the Chantry is overseen by their chosen deity and are even rumored to be able to call upon special spells as a result.

The government is run as a theocracy, and is made up of nineteen powerful beings, both in terms of their religious zealotry toward their deity and their powers with magic. Their nation worships the main twenty deities of Adowei, excluding Kixtos, but allow for religious freedom among their lands. As such, this gives many nations the impression that life in the Sunvale Regime is far more preferable. However, some settlements are so pious, especially in the capital of Aegimore, that daily worship is mandatory, and punishable with a fine.

The armies of the Sunvale Regime are mostly made up of mages, with the occasional footsoldier. This gives them a powerful advantage in the arcane and divine aspects of war, which few can compete with. Even the industrious Brightforge Empire has their problems combating magic without magic of their own, which they tend to view as unholy and evil. However, they also have a small sect of warriors called the Holy Knights, which are warriors blessed by the Chantry, the Arbiter, and the gods with divine weapons and strength.

Important Figures

The Chantry and Arbiter are the two forces that hold together the Sunvale Regime, and their Holy Knights are the warriors that continue to serve and protect the pious ways of the Sunvale Regime.

Guhena Cleric Brinora

Lawful good, mousefolk female

Brinora is a female agent with Guhena, goddess of life, as her patron deity. She became obsessed with finding a way to allow mortals to survive any disaster, and will often be in charge of medicinal and natural-disaster-resistance developments. She is kind and caring, much like her patron, but will often engage in strange rites to help progress her pyramids of development.

Sidros Cleric Kythor

Lawful evil, orc male

Kythor serves Sidros, the god of death, and he is the only monstrous race to ever serve in the Chantry. Being an Orc, he casted aside his title to preach the importance and power of his patron, and often acts as a reaper of souls of sorts, acting as warrior, assassin, and diplomat when he must for other nations. He is resourceful and zealous, but has a rare case of letting his pride show.

Fevher Cleric Daeren Erlamin

Neutral, high elf male

Daeren Erlamin serves the god of judgment, Fevher. Despite being an Elf, he seems to have little pride in such a heritage and seeks only that which his patron seeks: justice. He is in charge of the judicial system of the Sunvale Regime, and is often responsible for the laws upheld in the capital and the prisoners sent to the jails or the Holy Tower.

Vizzotz Cleric Adjasz

Lawful evil, revonac female

Adjasz is a female Revonac that specializes in poison. That being said, it surprises nobody that she serves the god of plague, Vizzotz. She is passionate about her work, and even more so in its applications; so much so that many have started to call her the "Sunvale's Black Witch."

Ahius Cleric Gin Serkusk

Neutral, mountain dwarf male

Gin Serkusk is a dwarven male that worships Ahius, the god of the forge and crafting, who makes many of the holy items that the Holy Knights utilize. He cares not for who wields his weapons, so long as they serve the Sunvale Regime. Otherwise, he is known for his rationalization and his physical strength, which he either uses to craft his items or defend others with them.

Jenos Cleric Viconia

Chaotic evil, blood elf female

Viconia is a blood elf that worships the god of darkness, Jenos, as her patron deity. Similar to her deity, she is ambitious and takes a liking to the monsters of Adowei, studying them in all aspects of their life. Her passion seems to be to tame them and use them against the enemies of the Sunvale Regime, no matter how dangerous or amoral the creature might be.

Bethys Cleric Ydimin

Lawful good, high elf

Ydimin is an elven male who worships the goddess of light, Bethys, and leads the Chantry in the fight against evil and darkness. Much like his patron, he enjoys saving innocents and destroying monsters, never leaving anyone behind in a battle, whether they fight for him or not. Still, even though the Sunvale fights with the Brightforge Empire, he has no problems with leaving survivors and letting prisoners go free.

Madther Cleric Rekinar

Chaotic neutral, half-orc male

Rekinar, the counterpart of Gin, is a powerful Half-Orc male who serves Madther, the god of warriors. As you’d expect, he is the one of the strongest warriors in the Chantry, even in the entirety Sunvale Regime. He and Gin are almost constantly sparring and training to improve themselves and their weapons.

Annja Cleric Maiko Gese

Chaotic neutral, fox kemonomimi female

Maiko Gese is a Kemonomimi of the fox variety devoutly serving the goddess of love, Annja. While she herself does not have anybody to love, she often oversees any weddings she can and will often go out on the streets to help young couples along their way. Even though she has nobody to love, that does not mean she does not try, nor does it mean that she doesn't try to help others find their true love.

Suris Cleric Mukio Kisa

Chaotic neutral, cat kemonomimi female

Mukio Kisa is a Kemonomimi female of the cat variety who worship the goddess of thieves, Suris. Despite her mostly skimpy attire, her devotion to her patron deity is unreal. Like a shadow in the night, she acts as the assassin and lead spy in the Sunvale Regime, working to further promote religious freedom across the world.

Badum Cleric Xyrrila Arlynn

Chaotic neutral, half-elf female

Xyrrila Arlynn, a female Half-Elf, serves the god of vengeance, Badum. Not for any personal reason, but to help aid those that do follow his path. She does not want any to fall into the blind path that Badum fell down, so advises those who come to her as to how they should pursue their justice, which she is more than happy to assist with.

Tirmor Alliance

The Tirmor Alliance, to sum them up, are pirates who created their own alliance to play by nobody else’s rules. They value freedom above all else, but also hold a sweet tooth for gold and treasure. In the beginning, the other factions merely disregarded these brigands. However, as of late, they have developed a naval armada that dwarfs the other factions, making them the rulers of the sea, and one of the most powerful kingdoms still alive in this day and age.

The Tirmor Alliance is not led by a single man. No kings, no gods, only the collective minds of like-minded individuals. It is made up of four of the most feared captains of the ocean: Johnny Stanley, Ami Swale, Kraga, and Ieg. These men and women have their own armada of ships that they use to pirate and plunder to their hearts content, as well as to defend their home of the Tirmor Isle. Overall, however, they seem to make decisions based on the greater good of their "community," which they choose to consider their faction as rather than a Kingdom or an Empire.

Their army is disorganized compared to the other kingdoms of Adowei, but their naval powers still make them a force to be reckoned with. Their infinite fleet of ships make them the undisputed rulers of the oceans, but their armies of pirates aren't disciplined enough to fully capitalize on their advantage.