Phaelithas: Fading Light

Great machines take to the skies, beating their massive canvas wings in harmony with the bronze contraptions hidden away. However, their pilots must take care, for they share these skies with Great Wyrms

A knight, lordly in status, rests among the calm riverbanks, watching his people go about their work in contemplative peace, a peace hard won by friends no longer here to see it.

Wrapped tightly in linen bonds and paltry scraps of fur, hundreds of echoing boot steps sound out the song of sorrow as Ishkin refugees begin the long march to a new, foreign home.

High Magic. For all intents and purposes, the world is alight with the spark of the arcane. Mages of high prestige brandish spells within their repertoire that carry the weight of decades of study. Druids, and henceforth the communities they guide, retain their closeness to nature and embody the solemn gentleness of the wind and the ferocity of the storms. Magical items of legendary rarity and the most common of magical objects exist, merely waiting for those keen enough to see.

Steampunk. This setting is primarily defined by the steampunk aesthetic of technology and design. Machines of bronze cog and pipework, ships of gently flowing canvas sails, a populace garbed in Victorian-era clothing like corset dresses, bloomers, and tailcoats, all with the steam-powered technology that hallmarked the Industrial revolution, yet romanticized and exaggerated in every way. As the world furthers its own Age of Enlightenment these such technologies only become more prevalent. However, it should be recognized that this is still a medieval world and as such not all places have been touched by these new technologies.

Great Reformation. For the longest time, Phaelithas has been divided and split up between various factions, harboring religious, political, or dynastic origins, that have time and time again clashed against each other. Now, exhausted, expended, and millions of dead men wiser, such factions seek open discussion and diplomacy with an open hand, not the blistering fires of perpetual violence dealt with a closed fist.

Dangerous and Wild. No one can deny the difficulty of beating back soldiers on all fronts, but now the very aspects of the world seek to tear apart communities in a flurry of bad luck and misguided ideals. Bandits, emboldened by the sudden lack of royal blades, seek out villages for plunder and tithe. Monsters, once thought mythical, encroach back into the world as if they had owned it all the while. Truly, there is danger for all to see, yet there is plenty of coin, clout, and opportunity to be found as well.

A Dying Light. The Sun itself, the forefront of all life and living splendor of the gods, seems to be dying within the confines of its cradle in the sky. Its a subtle event, yet the shorter summers have not gone unnoticed, nor have the cataclysmic winters of the north slipped by. No matter how much hope the new peace brings, the haunting thought of a world submerged into an eternal night is enough to drag others into fatalism.

The World is Ancient. Kingdoms have been built upon the graves of countless predecessors, some powerful and others not so, and the cities of the world, cosmopolitan and densely populated, reflect traditions and cultural values that go deeper than stone.

Designed by JunkyGuy (Art is not mine)

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Chapter One: History

Phaelithas, the name for which this setting is coined, is named after an ancient, truly eldritch, primordial being who is believed to have shaped the Material Plane out of its own body, sickened by the eons of loneliness and emptiness. Sacrificing its consciousness for the sake of continuity and change in what was an ever dark and melancholy cosmos.

The Outer Planes were first formed from its own emancipated emotions and the deepest, most profound thoughts within its own mind, both vile and virtuous. The Elemental Planes were what was left of its own body, leftover parts that Phaelithas saw too extreme to harbor true life.

The Feywild and the Shadowfell are said to not have been the being's own creations, but rather perversions of them that had materialized in the cosmos' attempts to stabilize itself, as if the two planes were counterweights helping the cosmos to keep balance.

Age of Steam

The Age of Enlightenment, The Age of Steam, The Great Respite, the new peace that all empires ushered forth would carry many names, the aforementioned being the most popular. In this age, the nations of the world would experiment with radical ideology, economic and political philosophy, new scientific methods, religious and educational reform, and the new idea of Steamtech that had flown forth from the fires of war. Steamtech originally was inspired by new weapons of war, like muskets or siege constructs, but would eventually come to define the new world as a domestic wonder. Floating ships and cities, heated homes and baths, comforts not so different from our own world, yet all the more magical and mythical.

The Fading Light

Within the bright blue sky lies the lantern from which all warmth and life springs forth, the sun. For as long as mortals have treaded upon the Material Plane, the sun has carried divine and practical connotations.

As for divine connotations, for many people, especially those who find their origins within tribal communities who are forced to endure nature's wraths and graces, the sun is a divine and benevolent (or in the case of desert communities, wrathful) entity which brings forth light for all life to grow within, warmth for all to clothe themselves in, and serves as a spark of hope in the sky. Either assuming the position of a deity as some god or goddess, an icon of worship similar to how many druids revere natural landscapes, or a powerful celestial figure that watches over all but never intervenes.

However, despite the deeply devout religions that exist there are still those who would shift towards Deism and rationality, or straight up atheism, and take to the idea that the sun is merely another creation of the cosmos. A creation that offers a form of time management, being the center point of many heliocentric calenders, and a necessity for a bountiful harvest, given that in times of great darkness, such as dust storms or rainy months, crops do not take well.

Whatever side people took, it did not matter when it was revealed to them, at the very end of the 34 year war, that the sun had been slowly dying. A subtle revelation, one that had slipped by due to the destruction and deaths of many stargazers and astronomers who would keep track of certain events. However slow it may be, the sting of an encroaching night has plagued northern cultures with long and grueling winters, and antagonized everyone else with shorter harvests.

The Encroaching Night

The Encroaching Night, The Lightless Months, or the The Eternal Nightfall are all terms that have sprung up ever since The Great Revelation, that being the understanding that the sun is slowly dying, and refer to a time in which the sun will fully die out in the sky and all of Phaelithas will be brought to its knees. Different factions, be they religions, idealistic groups, cults, and other isolated peoples, all have differing ideas on what exactly that means. Some speak of an all encompassing apocalypse, others speak of an end times in which the earth will cleanse itself of all sin and be reborn, some simply say that this is merely a natural event and is nothing to stir fear over, and there are even those that straight up deny it or call it a hoax and say its a rampant conspiracy woven by powerful spellcasters in high positions.

As these groups bicker, it remains that the fading sun has caused various cataclysmic events in the north. Ishki, otherwise known as The Bejeweled Empire, has been thrust upon it a winter which encompasses nearly the whole year. As this winter brings famine, plague, and an endless fight against the bitter cold, the empire has barely survived; so horrible is its state, some would agree that it has simply capitulated completely.

Gonnheim, The Land of Bears, faces something similar too. However, being much less populated and having endured the cold for their entire lives, they've seemed to hold a grasp onto their lands. However, in the face of disaster many Gonnheimers have become much more barbaric.

What is most important, however, is that with the fading sun has come the awakening of ancient monsters of immense power and cunning.

With the fading of the sun, abandoned buildings seem to have housed impossibly ancient creautres. Here, Harkan knights realize far too late what has become of their ancestral domain.

Royal Recall

All would not seem so bad if there was blades to protect the common people with, blades anchored by ferocious zeal and duty driven hands. Unfortunately, in the face of great financial cost, latent trauma from war, and the binding obligations of peace treaties, most, if not all, standing armies have been taken down, their numbers slashed, and their training has become loosely regulated.

Due to this, those that feel as though they have been disenfranchised by the sudden lack of protection, the sudden shift from an agrarian lifestyle to an industrial one, or merely those despairing at the sudden fading light, have contemplated banditry and a myriad of other criminal lifestyles. Those that follow through with such urges either become trapped in something far worse that what they had planned or seriously injured and traumatized.

While the dangers presented by this rise in banditry should not simply be brushed away, given that with less soldiers patrolling roads they only have all the more freedom to do their dirty work. It should be noted that monsters and dangerous creatures often go unimpeded when hunting, more often than not for people rather than wild animals.

Religious Change

With all manner of cultures intermingling, this time in peace rather than in war, religion has certainly changed to the point of being almost unrecognizable to a perceiver looking at it from before the Dominance Wars.

Gods do exist, yes; being formed from the emotional extremes of mortal kind, the symbolic expressions of aspects of the mortal life, or massive shifts of ideology that come to take root in the minds of many. However, given the metaphysical nature of the gods, and as sentient and thinking beings, they are prone to change. Especially if this change is actively being encouraged by nearly every single mortal on the Material Plane.

Deities of war and murder become those of karmic vengeance and revolution, since modern literature seems to idolize people who would endanger themselves for justice or much less morally centered societal change. The goddess of nature has birthed forth 4 daughters representing the seasons. The god of labor, craft, and architecture has been twisted into one of slavery, obedience, and a purporter of greed and overambition, due to the many abuses people face in the current industrialized world and how they now see labor differently.

The Old Church, known as the Ortho Divine, has not backed down at all in the mission of reuniting itself. Though it is not a unified effort, given that religions of moral good would not work willingly with those of moral evil, however their ideals overlap. They wish to restore the natural and original identity of their gods in the eyes of the wider world from the New Church, the Unortho Divine. As of a direct result of this, sometimes godly identities can be misconstrued to the point where even they, the entities themselves, seem to be plagued with contradictory interests and personalities.

Factional Breakdown

Kingdoms, empires, nations, and all took upon themselves different means to aid their efforts in the war, however what was common to all was the integrating of mercenary factions and orders into their ranks as official members of said nation's military. This came with great benefits to such orders, such as direct and reliable supply chains keeping them equipped with suitable gear, authority within the domains they protect, land grants should they achieve great feats, higher status within the various social hierarchies (should the nation they align with have any notable ones), and other faction specific deals as well. What did come as a major detriment, however, was the loss of autonomy.

When aligning oneself to great authority, be it a monarch or deity, and beset on all sides by orders and factions willing to prove their loyalty to said authority for more benefits, betraying your masters isn't within your best self interest.

That being said, when the wars ended these orders and factions became much more of a detriment to the nations of the world rather than a benefit. The sheer number of soldiers a nation harbored had created a bureaucratic "swamp", becoming a logistical nightmare to maintain. In addition, this action was reinstating archaic values of a caste system, with these factions acting like an unofficial warrior caste. So, one by one they were casted away and their deals that had lasted for more than three decades had been voided.

The problem entailed was that it was done much too quickly. Perhaps if the authorities of the world had done it much more slowly, it would cause these various factions to bicker amongst each other. However, many united in the face of this betrayal and became independent warlords, immensely powerful in their own right. While they may no longer have the same equipment, training, and manpower they once had, the sheer number of them is enough to make up for that.

To show an example, in Ishki, by the Jade Empress' decree, all factions, daimyos, and orders under her control were to be released from service. Yet, when winter came, bringing famine and plague, the Jade Empress was forced into hiding as her royal armies were slaughtered by a much more powerful, and motivated, enemy force. Her entire empire became property to marauders.

A Wild Danger

Weirdly enough, though as mundane as it may seem to be, even nature itself has taken to a new identity. Predators have become an ever more increasing threat, becoming more resilient and even showing signs of subtle intelligence and cunning when it comes to harassing large groups. Hunting now has proven to be a sport for the strong only, a master skill in its own right. Even most prey show signs of defiance in the face of stronger hunters and predators. To some, this is ignorable. However, hamlets and villages without much protection beyond militias and wooden walls find this threat more dire than any dragon or warlord knocking on their front door. The wilds too, have taken to becoming more wily and innavigable.

Chapter Two: The Three Blights

As the world makes plans to leave their warring ways behind them for the time being, and revel in a new age of innovation and romanticism, the flaws of the old era remain still, clinging onto relevance in the new age like festering parasites. These flaws, or the most notable among them, are known as The Three Blights. They cling to the world with sharpened claws like a fearful and rabid animal, causing egregious amounts of damage and harm in its wake. Yet each are akin to a festering parasite or disease, nearly impossible to root out completely.

The Hunger

"In its embrace We no longer feel pain nor anger, the bitterness of life fades away before Our eyes as a million hearts beat as one alongside each other. This ever pervading sense of serenity is not merely a feeling, but it is who We are now. To stay hungry for all time, only growing content when all hearts beat with us, is Our purpose."

-Leopold "The Brave" Lithon, on his final individual thoughts before being assimilated into the Hunger

The Mechhive

"Back and forth the pendulum sings, counting the time nobody sees. Step by step to liberal swings, shadows creep to a whisper of rage. Cloaked and cold the manifests watch, waiting as the pendulum swings. Smile and laugh at excessive kings, nothing can hide while the clock sings. Grin by grin the animals crawl, growing close to a desperate sprawl. Inch by inch they laughingly stall, starting to count, they fall by tens."

The Mechhive is a collective, just as The Hunger is. However, whereas The Hunger is a flesh-like horror The Mechhive is an unending hoard of ever-twisting gears, enduring pipelines, and spiked joints taking the form of constructed abominations filled with devilish spirit. A newer blight, but built upon the foundations of the planar machine of war that is eons old known as the Blood War.

Devilish Origin

Engineers, artificers, and other clockwork inventors that were either coerced into fiendish cult activity, pushed into desperation by abusive factory managers, or those simply trying to skip the learning curve of becoming an inventor sought to make deals in order to meet their ends.

Seen here, The Hunger find easy prey in isolated cadavers. These bears, once corpses, now serve as pawns in the Great Feast.

Succession Crisis

The machines, originally built to be a bastion of fiend-kind in the mortal realms and serve as powerful war machines in their endless warring, openly seek to separate from their former masters, who also know of this. The Mechhive seeks a new ideal, which culminates in the idea of a perfect form; their whole existence proves that the body can be changed and shifted closer to perfection, after all. Whether this form is mechanical or organic in origin, the new form always is meant to have a (nearly) mortal soul that is unfettered and unchained by their fiendish masters.

Most would find their judgment of this faction in that fact, but those that look closer understand that this new perfect form will only be realized through painful and violent experimentation on already sentient soul-bearing creatures. Not only that, but once free from their masters, in no way have they ever mentioned that they intend to seek "redemption" or to walk on a morally good path. Free from their masters, they would need not answer to a higher authority to curb their blood lust.

An example of the many forms denizens of The Mechhive could take, brandishing fiendish creativity.

Subterranean Horrors

The Mechhive, just like all of the blights, is a threat that pervades all regions of the world. They dwell underground, the most expendable of them chewing through rock and stone, converting everything possible into resources for the colony and ensuring there is enough open space to build and dwell. This is when a Mechhive colony is most vulnerable and susceptible to attack. When enough land underground has been carved out and turned into a defensible structure, hellish factories and forgeries are constructed by the colony's most intelligent and cunning minds.

When all is said and done, next on their list is a rather uncharacteristic priority for a subterranean faction. Airships of dubious design are crafted within the colony. These vehicles are then meant to enact cruel violence upon the colony's enemies and rivals, with the intent to also capture victims for the Mechhive's experiments. Hidden holes in the earth, designed with the purpose to allow the ships to fly in and out of the colony, serve as a Mechhive lair's most vulnerable position.

The Hollow

"Beware the angels which beget no light. Their sickening radiance is accustomed to a lightless world, tearing your very essence apart at its seams. Even to hide away avails little safety, for their mere presence sheds away years upon years of your lifespan. They are hollow of heart, hollow of body, and hollow of soul; beware The Hollow!"

-Excerpt from The Denizens of the Beyond, written by Sir Bertrand Elloiz

The third and final Blight, The Hollow, are a deceptively beautiful calamity upon the world. Not inherently evil in the manner that their mind's are twisted, for their minds are incomprehensibly different from that of mortal ones, bearing alien emotion. To the rest of the world, The Hollow seem almost psychotic and emotionless, their namesake having been coined for such aspects. The Hollow are a precursor to drastic extinctions and harbingers of a great cleansing purity. This purity is their reason for being a Blight upon the world. Whereas mortal kind sees purity as the epitome of all things good and orderly, The Hollow's idea of purity clings to the idea that all sentient life is evil in the long run, where all bad actions outweigh the good significantly, and so it must be cleansed entirely. A world unfettered by evolutionary pressure, merely kept in a constant state of being and continuity, is their ideal state of existence.

A Sickening Energy

The Hollow are deceitful in presentation, not only are they simply beautiful and alluring to all in their natural aesthetic and grace, but a glowing energy emanates from their form as if they were made of it. Though this looks to be light, and does act in a nearly similar way, no warm comfort comes from within. Only an invisible suffering -that seeks to tear apart all around it- is given unto those that seek it out, and those that dwell within its near painless fires for too long find their bodies to be falling apart as cancerous growths begin to devour it.

An Unworthy Arbiter

To The Hollow, they do not raid, plunder, or pillage in their goal of purification, nor is there any torture in what they do to their enemies. To them, they are merely exorcising an, otherwise damaged, cycle of life that parasites festered on for too long. Despite this apparent lack of human empathy, they have a detached understanding of mortal emotion in which they know of its existence and, when applying themselves, could learn of its tics and habitual movements like how an astronomer can calculate the movement of the stars or how a farmer instinctively understands the rythm of the seasons.

In this understanding, the oldest and most powerful among them see themselves as the rightful judges of mortal kind's fate, and their verdict is almost always a death sentence.

Sinners of Sulfur

"Those that allow The Blight to live shares in its crime of existence."

-Litany of the Purified

The Sinners of Sulfur, colloquially called the Anger Cult, is a faction of hyper religious mercenaries thrown into shame and dishonor after their participation in a raid within the most sacred monastery in Phaelithas, Aestraza. Led down that path due to their leader, an oathbreaker in secret, who misguided their blind faith. They are named the Sinners of Sulfur for their intense use of muskets and gunpowder.

In repentance for their actions and blindness, they seek to combat a threat so vile and evil that even their own anger could not draw them to horrid crimes, they wish to eternally combat against The Three Blights.

Driven by Zeal

Most of those that find themselves amongst the Anger Cult, mainly because they were born within it, are taught from a young age to embrace the fires of ferocity and anger, using it to forge their young naiveté into an iron will.

By then, they have openly remarked that its actually harder to fall off the path than to stay onto it, being so ingrained into their nature and instincts. This zeal makes them hard to socialize and negotiate with, with the very same iron will forming an iron shell around their mind and heart. Only the most dramatic of consequences will sway them off their path.

A Longing Denied

Many souls who had participated in the Abhorrent Sin, the name given to their raiding of Aestraza, still remain alive to this day, though old and made cynical through the sands of time. However, in the deepest hearts of those very same veterans, they long for a day in which the sun will shine upon their order and redemption will finally find them, or better yet they find it. They wish for reprise above all else, but repress this desire deep within themselves

With this Hollow Herald's shining of her "light", the rain begins to burn and water boils.

Chapter Three: Nations of the World

Every hero has a home. Be it an obscure tribe in the most hidden reaches of the forests or as part of a noble family in the mountain cities of Altori, no one simply "pops" into existence. The origins of a person reflect many aspects of their personality, ideals, and physical appearance and as such should not be ignored when making a character or analyzing one.

Do I Have To Pick One?

While the lore was not exactly made to be ignored, given that a player will be dealing with the various nations on the regular, there is no need to go directly for the nations themselves. Characters can be born and live within independent monasteries, temples, abbeys, war camps, tribes, and any other independent civilization. Speak with your DM on the circumstances of your origins regardless of whether or not you choose to be born within the defined nations or any independent one.

The city of Engveir, the capital city of Beirtudont, holds its most esteemed and important aspect. Parliament.

Vuoolden, The Verdant Ascendancy

The Green Kingdom, The Verdant Ascendancy, these names all line up well with Vuoolden's identity. A massive farming nation that has retained its closeness with nature even centuries after leaving behind its tribal lifestyle. The name itself is a tribute to its long standing druidic culture, meaning "Wooden" or "Oaken" in Sylvan.

Slow Participant

In terms of Vuoolden's advancements in the current age, given that they are mostly a farming nation, its safe to say they are slower to pick up on new fascinations on the technological scale. While it is true that Vuoolden has no qualms about acquiring metal from wherever they may find it and there is sure to be small scale factories scattered about, such facilities are powered by water wheels and windmills and not coal power or intense magical energy. They often have to acquire farming equipment, thats more advanced than that of simple hand tools, from much more industrious nations.

However, when it comes to enlightened ideas and philosophies, many poetic and intellectual souls take inspiration from the natural beauty of these lands and apply such beauty to scenery of the afterlife, the ideal utopia, or a land of life's peaceful end. The idea of democracies and republics have come from these lands and, due to the want of a much more representative system left in the wake of the Dominance Wars, have culminated in the form of the Council of Greendawn, a council of elected leaders who represent Vuoolden's people in various aspects such as warfare, agriculture, trade, artistry, and more.

The coastal settlements of Avenna'mon are abundant with larger than life coral-like structures that provide beauty and structure to the many races who live here.

Regions and Domains

The Nation of Vuoolden, as stated previously, carries massive amounts of land. Multiple different biomes and landscapes reside under this verdant nation's jurisdiction. Below are their summaries.

Avenna'mon

The salty spray of the sea, the intense winds of the translucent sapphire waters, the massive multicolored pillars of coral, and the creaking and laughing rudders of ships; to the people of this coastal region these are all but constants. Those that live here do so with the understanding that they will have to live under thatch roofs and houses built upon the very docks themselves all the while braving both floods and beasts from the sea. However, not only is such a life filled with the adoration of the sea and its beauties, but it can be surprisingly lucrative with the rare creatures that live in the area providing exquisite ingredients to the alchemical and arcane arts. Amongst some of these undeveloped settlements or trading cities and towns that any nation would envy.

In the redwood forest of Neitomal, societies of respected warriors reside in tenuous peace, waiting vigilantly at the forest's borders in case the horrors within seek to threaten the wider world.

Neitomal

An ancient redwood forest outliving the dawn of mortal empires, and even that of some immortal ones, stands tirelessly and tall. Though life here is of a size that inspires all but the most profound awe in those that look upon it, the horrors that dwell within are not to be underestimated. The immensely large trees here provide cover for monsters of inordinately large size from afar, preventing any focused effort for this primarily agrarian nation to purge the forest of them. Knights and prominent warriors of great deeds sometimes are granted land grants by powerful nobility of Vuoolden. These warriors bring with them their own settlers, be they serfs or free people, and form quiet societies on the border of the region. Though it may sound like one's life is always in peril here, statistically its a low chance for such horrors to assault one's town. Yet, there is always that chance...

Baiglun

This delicate and artful birch forest is the most culturally sacred and revered region of Vuoolden. The druids who live here and speak to the forest hear it not as individual trees, but one massive hive mind. Most societies that live here have been untouched by the technological developments of the Steam Age, and primarily make up cloisters of druids, both Vuooldski and Chuldomnad.

Ackuusta

Meaning "Accumulated Land" in Sylvan, these oaken forests home the most developed and urbanized settlements that Vuoolden has to offer. The forest is bountiful in fruits of all kinds, the strong oaks form the foundation for strong and sturdy homes, and the fertile grounds provide all that is necessary for a safe and plentiful harvest, all on the condition it is treated kindly and fairly.

Jangovar

"Ancient" oftentimes brings with it connotations of elegance just as it does literal age, so it would be better fit to call the thick, hostile, and utterly brutal jungle of Jangovar primal instead. Archaeologists date the jungle's age to go beyond even the lives of various deities and anthropologists date the remains of truly arcane societies within its heart, with many agreeing that it most likely once had spanned most of the entire region of Vuoolden, covering most other land in peat bogs in ancient times (ironically giving this nature orientated nation a massive supply of coal and fossil fuels). Despite these difficult obstacles, the people of Jangovar, mainly consisting of elves, humans, dragonborn, and firbolgs, retain their civil nature and carve out an impressively comfortable life.

Mighty warriors are known to come from these parts, emboldened by the dangers of the wild and strengthened by nature's unpredictable tests and trials. Just as much as they are poets are they architects as well, lining aqueducts both aboveground and below to deliver fresh water to their cities of paved stone with cultural icons and designs carved carefully into nearly every brick.

History

Vuoolden is one of the oldest countries on the continent, at least in terms of mortal settlement, being second to Ishki and Ishki only. Being entrapped within the beauty of nature, many of the tribes that lived here didn't see it as a hurdle to be conquered nor an aspect to be enslaved like many other nations, rather a stalwart ally to harmonize with. However, just because they saw to harmonize with the land around them did not grant them an easy life, if anything it nearly killed them. Ancient Vuoolden was much more akin to a "Dark Forest", where reaching out to potential allies could attract forth creatures of unnatural origin. Be it they hail from the Unseelie Courts who have come to sow chaos in the name of malice rather than mischief, dark creatures of a malign, twisted, and parasitic form of nature aptly named "The Hunger", or simple ravenous beasts many times the size of the mightiest firbolg, Vuoolden seemed as though it would never become the nation it is today. Not if it weren't for The Crimson Hunt.

The people of Vuoolden soon would make its ascent from lesser chiefdoms that quarreled amongst each other bitterly, yet fortunately rarely, to an organized agrarian nation with established cities and diplomatic ties to the nations around them. However, such times were still far away now and the broken lands of Vuoolden needed someone to lead its peoples, dazed and confused as the red cleared away from their eyes and the bloodlust soon turned to regret and remorse.

One half-orc among them, named Astu'umm (meaning "Blood-Broken" in Sylvan), who was a great warrior of unparalleled skill and incredibly wise in the matters of natural law would rise to the position of king. However, as time marched onwards he would prove to become rapturous in his attempts to defend his land from perceived threats. He would kill his blood-brothers and use their bodies as undead bodyguards when they attempted to seek out non-aggression pacts with Vuoolden's neighbors (hence the name "Blood-Broken") and sought to instill draconian laws in order to keep his people in line with his dogmas and doctrines.

He would soon be overthrown, legend saying it was the first Vuooldski circle of druids who would seal him within his own treasure hoard. Only a deep green glow emanating outwards from his tomb would signify his existence, before it too would fade away come morning, almost looking like a grotesque dawn in a way. Soon after, with a distaste for kings deeply rooted within them, the very same druid circle would go on to make the Council of Greendawn. Such a council would go on to collectively lead Vuoolden for the next 250 years.

Present Day

Vuoolden, a nation once so prosperous and far ahead, seems to almost begin to fall behind as other countries move on to industrialization, consumerism, radical political change, and experimentation with Steamtech. However, Vuoolden stands as a country that has proven time and time again that it genuinely tries its best to care for its people and those who immigrate over as well. A stable home, if a little stagnant.

Ishki, The Bejeweled Empire

A nation of grace and beauty and an unparalleled military power back in its day, being the first to invent the most base form of firearms and actually implement them in genuine warfare. Today, its hallmarked by hollow pride and lost dignity as the trappings of a once prosperous nation with a hopeful future became a victim to its own military might and nationalistic pride.

Broken and Abandoned

Horrid winters struck the northern most countries the worst, with the dying sun not allowing much relief from it either. Ishki was slowly but surely being starved in the final years of the Decimation Wars, a conflict that was already depleting precious resources at an expedient rate.

Soldiers mutinied, civilians rioted in the streets, devoted warriors forgot their oaths, and opportunists began to prowl the broken remnants of an empire, collecting the scraps for themselves with the understanding that the throne was ripe for the taking. Not much of an organized nation anymore, its safe to say it was near its capitulation.

A Sword Saint of the missing Jade Empress seeks safety for his beleaguered people on the harsh and unforgiving road. Some warriors; most ordinary people.

Grace and Dignity

Even though the empire has been shattered in The Age of Enlightenment, the culture itself remains propped up by pride, patriotism (though now unfounded as it may be), and age old romanticism. Values of grace and dignity \recur throughout the culture's entire existence. Warriors must carry an aura of elegance, inspiring awe and courage wherever their walk, leaders and rulers must reign with generosity and an unflappable charisma, and everyone must aspire to be utterly respectful to others and the world around them.

Every single Ishkin individual might not live up to these expectations, either becoming aloof or much too casual, however these societal influences and pressures still remain true to even the most lowliest of servants. No one is exempt from expectations.

Patron of the Arts

Porcelain pottery of elegant form, poetry of profound meaning, delicacies of immense savor, and all other manner of artistry assume their existence within the creative individuals of Ishki (those sponsored by sovereigns, that is). Though it has never reached to the same extent as it has done in recent years, art and romanticism has always been a crux in Ishki culture. Warriors must understand elegance of both blade and pen, government officials must understand wisdom and dignity, and all citizens have some dabbling within artistry and creative touch.

The world receives their arts with mixed feelings. Since their art and media is attached to their culture and traded outwards for the world to enjoy, sovereigns who rule by nationalistic fervor and being the heads of their culture are worried that others would enjoy the art's sentimental values too much and abandon their own culture and loyalty to it. However, the very same sovereigns and many more bid and rub shoulders for the highest quality of these crafts to show off to esteemed guests. With the horrid state of Ishki at the time, it is an unfortunate fact that these arts are rarely traded anymore. However, some adventurous types do find themselves being sponsored by courts in order to produce these ever rare luxuries. Not only that, but the greatest among these objects bring with them magical enchantments, which makes even more nobility feel entitled to such luxury.

Scattered and Anxious

With the near capitulation of their country, the utter death they saw, the warfare they experience, and the sight of seeing their reputed noble families and honorable dynasties tear each other apart to claim the Bejeweled Empress' throne, it is of no wonder that many sought to leave their home for greener pastures. This, combined with the fact that many Ishkin believe an eternal winter will consume their lands, feeds into an inner and deeply rooted anxiety that sways many refugees to fatalism and cynicism, not taking to heart any aspirations or tales of mortal kind's ability to unite in times of strife.

Toil and Waver

"You'll never understand our plight, outsider. It is nothing to be ashamed of, but rather a fact I thank every day. I barely spoke your language when I first set foot in your lands, now I fight tooth and nail just to see my children survive, let alone save my own hide. I would suffer a thousand deaths before I would see you suffer the same."

-An exiled Sword Saint's promise to an anonymous noble.

Despite how the people of Ishki clamor and despair for their fallen culture and ruined lands, that very same pressure and feverish anxiety can create heroes. Royal guard still loyal to the Empress roam the southern lands in search for something, someone, or some plan to help free them from their plight. A safe home to reunite all Iskhin peoples and rebuild, a magical power to restore the sun to its rightful power in the sky, an army to take back their worn torn country; The loyal Sword Saints of the Empress are devoted to their people beyond all else, even debating the fact that they would save a single innocent serf's soul over any sovereign or even the Emperor or Empress. The work will be hard and possibly never be done fully in their lifetime, condemned to a lifetime of toil, but there are those motivated to the task that haven't been consumed by it yet.

History

A rich history of multiple dynasties spanning its entire realm, warring and allying, uniting in times of strife and breaking apart to form their own destinies. Warriors and legends of mythical might dance across the lines between the creation and death of entire clans, nations, and dynasties both just and tyrannical. Cunning and charismatic underdogs come to rise to the glory of Emperor, while tragic tales of virtuous sovereigns falling to heresy and corruption serve as reminders for each individual's fallibility.

This, while heavily romanticized and studied by sovereigns, warlords, and scholars all over the world for the lessons they can teach, can be heavily confusing at a glance.

Divine Mandate

With her death, the warlords who were still at great odds with each other knew that their positions of power were in danger should they fall back to civil war. Not to mention that the populace endorsed her position of Empress entirely, the warlords knew anyone outing themselves as her killer, either assuming they could forcefully take control after or because they wanted to throw the nation back into chaos, would find themselves being torn apart in the following peasant uprising that would happen. Damage control was their highest priority.

Some warlords would suggest to fabricate an heir, despite the past Empress not having any living children or siblings. To choose a child amongst the populace and espouse them of having "divine consent" of sorts to rule, whether true or not, could make it seem like it was the will of the gods that Amaya had to fall. There were complaints about trying to find a new magical sovereign.

Such warlords had confessed to feeling as though they had been magically charmed into such loyalties, not understanding if they were trusted confidants of the past Empress or merely tools to help the people. Be they violent conquerors or stoic and calculating bureaucrats, they still saw the Empress as a trusted confidant and the idea they had been charmed was haunting. Nevertheless, they had a nation to rule and so the tradition of having a "divinely" mandated heir was made.

Dynasties and Domains

Ishki is ruled by various dynasties, descendants of the original warlords the first Empress had put into office. Each dynasty's head comes together to form a council of sorts, where they serve as advisors and vassals to an Emperor with absolute power. Though today, the old Empress is missing and the dynasties now war for her throne and power, bolstered by old mercenary forces that gained power during the Decimation Wars.

Heiji

"Ingenuity is our Strength"

Burdened with the barely defensible lowlands, bearing forests and grassy plains easily set aflame in the driest parts of the years, its people use tools and weapons of a bygone era that they no longer understand. A lowly warrior is burdened with a near broken spear and salvaged padded fur, only having mere days of training to use such weapons, while the most "elite" of their kind are given effective weaponry that they no longer know how to replicate should they lose them. Its ruler encourages its people to give into a primal savagery of sorts to bolster their courage and strength against better equipped skirmishers.

Altori, The Enlightened Heights

A land where intellectual pursuit is encouraged excessively, to the point where those that cannot keep up are placed lower upon an imaginary caste system. Dominated mostly by mountainous heights, the fresh cool airs combined with such inspiring heights make for the perfect lands for study and contemplative measures. Here, most individuals can come to know a new level of wealth and luxury rarely seen in other lands, sometimes even so to the point where souls with great potential flounder their futures in their attempts to grasp at more wealth.

Mastery of Artifice

Beirtudont may dominate sheer output of resources on the industrial scale and Gonnheim may have immense adaptability on their side, but Altori is the undisputed master when it comes to feats of engineering, astronomy, magical expertise, and understanding the intricate art of artifice. Understanding the ability to produce golem-like constructs even before the Steam Age, Altori creates only the most quality of Steamtech and exports it for the world to use (deciding their own price, as they own the monopoly.)

Moreover, due to their immense knowledge of combining both the arcane with feats of engineering, Altori is known as the home for most warforged and clockwork constructs in the world. There are exceptions to this of course, but this is the general rule to where many constructed races are birthed from.

This mastery of artifice can come to show itself in different ways, elaborate weapons, vehicles designed to explore the deep waters, floating airships and cities, and much more.

The "Monument of Kings" houses the remains of thousands of monarchs who have passed on, their immense wealth guarded by elite guards.

Gilded Heights

Grand cities and centres built into the mountains themselves, reinforced by age old dwarven construction and tempered by elven magical prowess. The "Gilded Heights" is a colloquial term given to the lands of the mountains and the settlements built within them. It also refers to the few floating cities and wizard towers that hover those very cities like their own moons. It is said in hushed tones of awe and jealousy that its streets are paved in gold, its pointed rooftops of prestigious academies and museums are topped with pure diamonds, and the air itself carries soothing melodies of enchanting muse.

Though entirely unneeded for the elite, due to having various teleportation circles scattered throughout these city centers and the airships that commonly find dockage on those city's rims, massive spanning bridges are built between various mountain ranges that interconnect each city's buildings and districts. Giving this sense of unearthly awe to those that approach its grandeur, as if a deity itself had ordained its entire church to the dedication of this nation's architectural glory.

Closely tended-to gardens hang off of these bridges and the columns that hold them up, themselves built upon magically floating islands suspended in mid air. Vines of grape and fig and ivy of verdant disposition are cunningly placed around various supports of buildings, be they simple houses or the Queen's castle at Khyon, to enshroud those that walk beneath them in the belief that they had walked into the domain of gods.

Its denizens, who experience wealth that few other entire foreign noble families will ever know as a collective, are enwrapped within a life of luxury and hedonism. Its highest echelons and circles spend their lives in comfort, studying from various subjects of intellectual or arcane pursuit as they please. Though their society pushes them to excel in this factor, in any other deed there is nothing to be expected of them. This can cause various potent souls to fall to hedonism and decadency. Those beneath them, such as servants (both voluntary and involuntary) still manage to gain their means, but they live here for the sole reason of serving the aforementioned elite. Tending to the gardens, cooking their meals, taking care of children, and more.

Lowland Valleys

Whereas the Gilded Heights and the "Highborns" understand a life of little tribulation and arduous labor (with their servants being the exception), those born within the valleys and winding rivers that carve pathways through the seemingly impenetrable stone live lives of labor and hardship. Terraced farming techniques allow for bountiful outputs of produce in such limited space, buildings and homes are built between the most flat parts of said valleys and follow rivers like a guiding structure, and large forests swing to the melody of the winds which race in between the mountains as they seek freedom from their stone prison.

Though the people here don't explicitly lead lives in which they constantly fight for survival, they often have to struggle against the elite to hold onto what they have been availed by their lieges, which also happen to be of those the very same elite class. Having to shear down farms of grain bearing crop because a noble family has contracted out that land to grow cash crops en masse, or how oftentimes some more impoverished farmers are encouraged to use dangerous farming "machinery" that are a legitimate risk to both their life and limb, are just one of the myriad injustices put upon the "Lowborn".

Having considerably less time to themselves when compared to the Highborn of Altori, the Lowborn's lives includes participations within jobs such as woodworking, forestry, farming, construction, guard work, shepherding, and more. A artistic trade is highly sought after here, for learning a skill could allow you to elevate your status and set yourself for life. Living within homes of wood and stone, all buildings are interconnected together in a cozy and well planned city layout that tries its bests to retain as much fertile land as possible while allowing for as much population growth as possible.

Visitors to these areas can oftentimes preoccupy themselves with the rowdy taverns in the areas, always embroiled within song and dance in the darker hours of the day. Shops and stores see off hundreds of customers per week as their magical trinkets, though a little less effective than Highborn make, fish in adventurers with their low prices.

Beirtudont, The Sovereign Flame

Stacks of blackened smoke rise from untold thousands of rooftops, begetting both the comfort of an hearth's fire and a factory's furnace. Soot trails the grounds upon where weapons, armor, and all manner of commodities are made en masse, where men and women alike toil for but a meager sum of money to make do with. Through this bleak outlook of life comes the reward of innovation, societal progress, and a population size that no other nation has experienced beforehand; All bathed in blood from tenfold of the souls who marched to their deaths in the Decimation Wars. Beirtudont is the icon of an ever marching empire, and the embodiment of all the goods and evils that the new Age of Enlightenment has brought.

Old Scars and Shame

During the Decimation Wars, Beirtudont had shown its imperialistic and expansionist tendencies to the world numerous times, most of those times they did so unapologetically. Through this, their attempts at positive diplomatic relations with the rest of the nations of the world has suffered for it, curbing their mainly mercantile economic processes. Though, 10 years after the wars, the rest of the world seems to be quickly realizing the potential for growth and economic prosperity with Beirtudont as their trading partner, however it is nowhere as near good as it could be for both parties. Many nations (with Vuoolden specifically feeling latent resentment) still remember the sounds of Beirca musket fire and the reverberations of Beirca boot steps upon sovereign soils.

With these tendencies to place the value of economic growth over the lives of foreign peoples, it is of no surprise (though it did shock and disgust the world) when Beirca armies had assaulted the most sacred and holy place upon Phaelithas, Aestraza. Plundering its great hoards of relics and tribute for immense riches, but it was never easy either. First and foremost, Aestraza is a fortress monastery, undisputedly the biggest and most well armed in the world as a matter-of-fact. The siege had lasted 4 years, with the Berica always having the advantage on their side. Yet the Aestrazine warrior monks, acolytes, clerics, and paladins were able to use their divine magics to hold out for a long time, and even when the Berica armies had plundered it they still managed to flush them out once the raiders had won what they came for. Once all was said and done, the churches of the world and all other independent religious factions had already twice over condemned Beirtudont for its actions and excommunicated its royal bloodlines. Meaning, in modern times, there is no organized church within Beirtudont.

Despotic Labor

With the new forthcoming of factories, either powered by simple waterwheels or elaborate steam powered systems, Beirtudont has a level of creation and consumption that no other nation has yet to copy as efficiently. Altori produces quality over quantity, Vuoolden has little in the way of manufacturing, Gonnheim had just begun to master Steamtech, Ishki is too broken to compete, and Harka has many more laws valuing human life over production rates than Beirtudont has.

Those that live within the inner cities of Beirtudont often work within large factories, producing a myriad of items that are sold out to wherever they will fetch the highest price. The factories themselves are dangerous environments to work within, grinding machines can tear at the extremities of even vigilant laborers, boiling steam can scald the flesh of engineers, and even the factory overseers find the danger of falling into the machinery to be a constant in their work (though less so than normal laborers).

The Graveyard Vagrants, as depicted below, are a hyper violent cult of killers and murderers, mostly made up of manipulated folks who have been encouraged into fatalism and belligerence by the cult's more serious and zealous higher-ups.

Broken Compasses

Like all nations, there will always be people in which all they desire is to feed their families, themselves, and provide for their loved ones as best they can. However, whenever such a path is unavailable for the majority, or certain circumstances deny it for some notable individuals, those very same people can come to feel the strings of ambition dancing within their hearts. Oftentimes racing against an imagined timer in order to collect as much resources to keep themselves and any loved ones safe, yet its this very race that can come to make them compete against others trying to do the very same thing.

This fight for survival can tend to grip onto the hearts and morals of various peoples, making a once understandable conflict turn into one of greed and unchecked ambition. The very same can happen merely as a result of circumstance, such as being born into a wealthy family who got there off of the hard work of others. To this day, more and more people seem to turn to this lifestyle, guided there by an unjust society.

Industrious and Ingenious

Though perhaps Beirtudont lacks the pure intellectual prowess as Altori does and the creativity and adaptability of Gonnheim, the many hands at Beirtudont's use and the fact that many people seek to specialize has given this nation a reliable and steady path into the study of Steamtech and engineering. The new and more mass producible commodities of the new era, such as firearms, armor, martial weapons, textiles, literature, creates for a society of diverse minds and an ever burning conflagration of differing ideas and ideals that all come to culmination in the groups and factions that form themselves within Beirtudont.

Its this type of thinking, straying away from conventional thinking, that forced the current king to allow for his monarchy to develop into one of a constitutional monarchy. With the signing of the "Enernum Toxita" (Meaning "Constitution of Voices", in Berica), a parliamentary system known as the "House of Voices" was formed and brandished the authority to nullify and veto any of the king's edicts that were deemed abuses of power. Further democratic thought would come to flow forth as intellectuals specifically studying such prospects of the humanities became more and more invested within their works. Traditional "royalists" (those wanting to bring back absolutist power) and other groups opposed to the ideas spewing forth like wildfire, either preexisting or just having formed in the new era themselves, seek to drown out any threats to their existence.

Ever hard working and able to create something from figuratively nothing, these groups often prove to be impossible to dig out. Just as democratic thought and ideas of social reform may never die, just will cults of personality, abusive ideology, and machiavellian forms of thought will refuse to give in either.

Harka, Realm of Knights

A mortally wounded knight stands victorious in the gilded sunshine, no qualities to humanize him but the emotion in his cries of joy and jubilation. He stands alone, the sole survivor of a brutal and bloody battle which consumed his comrades and brothers-in-arms, and contemplates upon his country. So torn and burned by the fires of war, both literal and symbolic, with shells of buildings left smoldering in the smoking wreckage. That did not matter to him even as he succumbed to his wounds, he took solace in the fact that those who he saved. Those spared by the atrocities of the Decimation Wars, would be able to rebuild their land back even better.

A New King, a New Country

Taking back his power, he would steer the country back into their sacred traditional values all the while accepting beneficial changes and open-mindedness. Where the chivalric code had only accepted humans to be knights, he allowed for all peoples to enter into the profession and to walk along the path. Allowing for reforms within his court, so people would no longer be afraid to speak their mind in his presence, he would regain the trust of his courtiers (whom he had previously scared half to death). Anyone could now educate themselves on the manner of warfare and try to enlist themselves within The Lion's ranks, no longer could nobility depend on nepotism to gain entry into a profession they had no business being in.

Suddenly, Diederick now had new soldiers who truly believed in their cause once again, now bolstered by a changed, yet entirely similar, chivalric code they would turn the tide of war and expunge the enemy from their rightful lands.

With the end of the Dominance Wars, The Harkan people had won back their lands at a direly heavy cost. A now 39 year old Lion, admittedly worn out and wholly exhausted by his years spent in combat, now excitedly seeks to explore the intricacies of ruling a nation in times of peace.

Living Treasons and Flaws

Though the picture of the Harkan king may be one of a greatness and benevolence, he is not without flaws. To speak of it plainly, it was not the smartest of decisions to slaughter his advisors wholesale, giving his enemies insights into his wrath and unkempt anger, which had shown the world a hand empowered by vengeance. It is of no surprise, he is king after all. The laws of the land is his word. To go against him is to question the justice he wishes to bring into his nation. Alongside that introduces another flaw, that being shortsightedness. Though he understands investment of power and resources for a grander, yet delayed, pay back, he can rarely see such opportunities.

Not only that, but the descendants of his advisors remain. Though destitute and thrown into obscurity they remain, it is told that they seek for revenge. How they would go about it is unknown, but it refuses to remain subtle and quiet. The acts of sabotage rarely go unnoticed to the king and his people for long, showing themselves in well timed bandit attacks upon royal envoys, necromancers being tipped off to crypts which house the dead of House Heidemann, and even so far as inviting the extraplanar to attack sacred lands within the Harkan Kingdom.

Canals and Merchants

To always ensure the lands remain united and so that information may be traded at a rapid pace, in order to make sure that no enemies may ever sneak up upon it again, intricate canal systems have been built and are currently still are being dug between cities and large towns. Boats, both military and mercantile, navigate these man made bodies of water as they patrol their lands and trade resources, luxuries, and wealth at a speed no other culture could outpace.

Out of the way villages and noble lands that are untouched by the canal systems are not only missing out on such opportunities in this growth of wealth, but actually suffer for it because of the erratic rise and fall of prices for goods that they do not have the context needed to predict their current prices.

Louvonden, a massive trading metropolis within Harka, stands to be the best example of the unique Harkan architecture.

Social Reform

Despite the king's idea of his undeniable justice, he does allow room for others to add onto it. He admonishes breaking and working against his ideas with vengeful pursuit, not criticizing them nor trying to improve on them. Factories have limits to how many people they can hire on "high wage opportunities" to help curb nepotism in management, sailors and soldiers in the navy must be offered medicine and proper equipment to keep scurvy at bay, each citizen has the right to an amount of magical healing per year; these are all reforms that have been made to improve quality of life for the individual person.

It is worth mentioning that most reforms come at costs, equally coming out of the king's vault or that of the nobility that make up the provinces of his nation. It goes without saying that oftentimes government officials or even popular nobility siphon money from these reforms and budgets for their own needs.

Rivalries and Vendettas

"It would be easier to foster eternal peace between angels and devils than for a Harkan and Ovanni to make friends on common cause, let alone refrain themselves from breaking out into fisticuffs."

-King Diederick "The Lion" Heidemann

Ovanna and Harka have had a longstanding hatred of each other for untold centuries, their rivalries lasting even before the Decimation Wars. Now today, as the world prepares for economic prosperity for those who can reach it, both nations don't merely wish to rise themselves but also to leave their archenemy in the dust.

A Harkan and an Ovanni would not reprimand each other for merely being part of their culture, as a matter-of-fact many Ovanni live in Harka and consider themselves citizens of it and vice versa. Rather, both nations see mortal kind's purpose in the world differently. Most Harkans see the most important matters in life as worldly, seeing everything to be dealt with in the here and now. Most Ovanni see the most important matters as spiritual ones, where answers and solutions may not always be dealt with in this life. Both nations see the other as an open insult to their long standing purposes.

Ovanna, The Unyielding Sands

Winds whipping up the searing hot sands of a nation-wide desert betray the vibrant civilization that calls these hostile lands home. Ovanna is a spiritual land, its people motivated to better themselves for the world beyond their own; to feel the bliss of a healthy and happy soul alongside the trodden path to unbridled faith. Its cities are built upon delicately carved sandstone inlaid with gold and silver as a testament to the glory of the gods and their will to thrive despite the desert's attempts to swallow them whole.

From Nothing to Everything

Ovanna is a land blasted by the sun, with its borders being separated from the realms beyond through mountainous blockades that also block most monsoon rains from coming into their lands. Rivers following along the path down from the mountains provide arable lands, with the flooding seasons bringing fertile black silt to the surface, and oases built upon ancient wellsprings of underground water providing delicacies in the form of the fruits which grow only there. The mountains in and around the region provide immense minerals and resources to those who would go through the trouble of mining them, and the snow in the highest of mountains can serve as a source of water when all else is scarce.

It was proven, there was potential in these lands, but only for those capable to grasp for it. The ancient forefathers and mothers of the Ovanni people were mere nomadic tribesmen, herding dromedaries and even goats in rare occasions to patches of greenery and grass for them to feed upon. They were not extraordinary men and women as the tales tell them to be, but they did have one trick up their sleeve, their compassion for their community.

Even within Ovanna there are multiple offshoot cultures to the main Ovanni cultural background, all of which find unity through the trading of both goods and healthy philosophical debate.

They were humble so that the tribe never became overconfident, they were selfless when it came to raising their children, and they chose to make friends and allies with each other and the tribes around them. Pushed not only by altruistic means, but the belief that they would be alone in the afterlife should they not be kind in their mortal lives. To simply put it, an Ovanni's hell is defined by their loneliness, just as their heaven is defined by both their blood and found family.

Over time, together, the peoples of Ovanni would share secrets of technologies, magics, ideas, and concepts that would help them thrive and take advantage of their realm to get to where they are in modern times.

People of Splendor

Though whether or not an Ovanni is a zealot is a perception that must be made for each individual person. With that said, its still clear that the people of Ovanna are deeply religious. They see their existence as part of the gods' plan to help bring a sense of peace and purpose to this confused and weary world. They always have followed the path of the gods and, as long as Ovanna lives, they always will.

Though a new acolyte would not be sent away, it is not within an Ovanni's teachings and ideals to spread their faith, unless an individual were so deeply devoted to one singular deity or goal (such as a cleric or a paladin). Rather, they must be patient and kind with the world and its flaws, to sow the seeds of peace and grant it time to grow, all the while protecting the fields upon which the seeds are sewn. To love the world for its flaws, rather in spite of them, is a prospect that many Ovanni must come to terms with and embrace. Should the wider world want to come to the faith then they would embrace such an action, but should the world find its own way to bring peace then they too would accept that with just as much jubilance and joy.

However, people are fallible and just as much as the Ovanni wish to be patient it is of no wonder how Harka constantly drives them to their wit's end. A relatively impatient nation in Ovanna's eyes, Harka unwittingly upturns the fragile soil upon which Ovanna had sewn the seeds of peace due to their brash decisions and their tendency to act on pride and impulse. On the other hand, Harka admonishes Ovanna's inability to take the actions needed in the here and now to solve problems that will only get worse over time. After all, sometimes the farmer must cut a few crops to save the whole field.

The Celestial Circle

Though the will of the gods is undeniable, every citizen has their own rights to freedom so they may express themselves properly, unfettered by tyrannical rule. As such, Ovanna is ruled by a council of archpriests and priestesses of varying gods (mainly good and neutral) that deal with the delegation of work and the management of law and order in civilization. This court is democratic, the people within having been voted in by their individual churches on basis of merit. However, it is an unfortunate truth that oftentimes the clergy, being privy to religious relics and riches, can unjustly influence the process; doing so with the protection of their church in mind

Culture of the Arts

It would be incorrect to say that the only motivator for the construction of grand buildings comes from the Ovanni's desire to please the gods with their work. An Ovanni shares many dreams with their family, passing each whispered hope and aspiration onto their children and grandchildren, and the one main desire for many is the want to see their featureless desert home be filled with statues, cities, aqueducts, bridges, temples, colosseums, and all other manner of constructions made of artful form and carved with pride and love so that their works and contributions would never be forgotten to the sands of time.

With this, they can be seen enacting in a healthy rivalry with Altori. To create the most impressive of structures no matter the cost, as long as said structure will increase the prestige of their own artistic talents. If there was anything an Ovanni would openly be proud of, it would be the artistic expertise prevalent within their culture.

The Great Shame

Even Ovanna had fallen into the Dominance Wars, sending out men and women to die in the fierce fields of battle. At first, they had done so purely out of self defense. Then, 14 years into the war, Harka had made its best attempts to breach the mountainous walls of the realm, and succeeded in doing so. Harkan knights and soldiers, though some had tried to stick to the chivalric code, had let loose their anger and unleashed their staunchest inhibitions upon their hated rivals, losing themselves in blood lust.

The Ovanni capital, Kor'sallon, is a city crafted by the hands of love and bolstered by pride for one's community. Should the "Gem in the Desert" ever come under assault, there is no true Ovanni who would leave it undefended.

Not only that, but multiple other nations such as Ishki and Beirtudont threatened to break through their now loosely manned defenses. Despair had taken hold of the people of Ovanna, and The Great Panic had begun. Enemy raiders had plundered villages, bringing valuable religious relics with them for the gold and jewelery embedded within and knocking down holy structures and burning whatever could be burnt as they went. In addition, this would also be the time in which Aestraza, the world's most sacred and holiest monastery which held many holy warriors aligned with Ovanna, was sieged by Beirtudont. This meant that no support from outside religious cultures would be given to Ovanna in its time of need; the nation which valued friendship was left alone to die.

During this time, an archpriestess of war named Najaat el-Ahmadi would take up the mantle of Master General. Taking control of the armies of Ovanna, the world would name it The Red Tide for their terror striking uniforms and the blood soaked ground they left behind. It was only natural that she would behold the position, having lived her life in preparation to defend the nation. The world would come to know of her as "The Demon of the Sands" for her use of very effective fear tactics that aided in shattering armies twice the size of her own. However, she also proved to be sadistic with her enemies as well. She tortured prisoners of war, breaking their morale. She would deny soldiers sleep, haunting them with images of dead ancestors who were begging them to end their suffering, and utterly slash their combat effectiveness. Later on, when her enemies were at her mercy and she had pushed most hostile forces out of Ovanna, she would enact a gruesome campaign against those very cultures, using the people's fear of another invasion to excuse her actions. Her Red Tide would enact acts of conquest around the entire world, before being stopped at the climax of the war. Though she is deposed, her violent acts are a source of great shame for modern Ovanni.

Gonnheim, The Frozen Slopes

As the summer sun, though weakened as it may be, busies itself with melting away the blanket of thick snow and ice, a landscape of rolling green hills and mossy forest floors is revealed for all to see, signaling the time to fight for its belligerent peoples. Within this cold cradle dwells a strong warrior culture, enacting ferocious battles against each other and its neighbors in the name of personal glory, treasure, or mere safety from others of their kind. Gonnheim is a cold land, mostly comprised of thick pine forests, flat and near barren tundras, and bleak frozen swamps, yet even here people have found their own way to thrive.

Strength and Courage

To be a Gonnheimer is to live a life fighting against the forces of nature and man combined. Every child from birth must learn what burns best in times of fuel shortage, what animal best provides both edible meat and furs, and how to survive a raid from an opposing clan or an entire lord's army should such conflicts occur. The Gonheimers are a culture of war and hardship, perceiving the two constants of life as both pain and death, with a little happiness in between to make it worth it.

An individual must steel themselves if they wish to survive here, with even the lowest of peasants having a basic understanding on how to swing a sword or axe. Many thrive in this lifestyle, a product of their culture, seeking a warrior's death in battle as their ideal entrance into the afterlife.

The back and forth of such a tumultuous lifestyle pushes each individual to be the hardiest version of themselves possible, brushing off disasters and enduring tragedies with a grace usually unbecoming of the brutish perception that outside cultures usually have of them. Just as much as it can fortify them against the horrors of the world there are detriments involved into being pushed too hard and too far, men and women growing callous and cold, warriors experiencing the worst cases of trauma after retirement, and children having to prioritize safety over happiness.

A veteran surveys his hunting grounds alongside his corvid companion, a massive boon in Gonnheim culture.

Adaptability

If the Steam Age and the Dominance Wars has proven anything to the world, it's that Gonnheim is an adaptive force of nature similar to the very forces they push back against on the daily. Where even Vuoolden had muskets and cannons to use during the beginning of the wars, the scattered and warring clans of Gonnheim had shieldmen wielding spears and axes, some even forgoing their armor due to their affiliation with rapturous cults.

However, as Beirtudont poured money into invasions helmed by mercenary companies, and Vuoolden sought to reclaim the land its ancestors had lost through conquest, Gonnheim would push them back each and every time in grueling wars of attrition. Having the grit and endurance necessary to sacrifice themselves for both clan and country. Each battle snapping the warring clans out of their stupor, each victory causing the clans to unite back together like in ancient times to defeat a common foe. Experienced runecarvers, able to channel the magic of giants in arcane carvings, and master blacksmiths were able to take the weapons and Steamtech off of the bodies of the dead and reverse engineer it for their own purposes, in some cases improving on the designs.

Each tactic devised by a brilliant general on the enemy side would be one stolen and improved upon by another Gonnheim jarl, even in times of peace Gonnheim would look to its neighbors ingenuity in order to devise working policies and improvements to their lands. Though, this does mean such a culture does not inspire much independent creativity.

Land of Pagan Faith

The religions and faiths of Gonnheim are entirely alien to the world around them, its only closest counterpart are the druidic faiths and followings within the most secluded of Vuoolden's lands. Following some of the traditional gods, officially recognized by all the world, they also carry some of their own that aren't typically understood, nor are they at all similar to the sentient entities with diverse personalities that the world knows of. Some are depicted as terrifying serpentine creatures dwelling within the deepest oceans and lakes of the world, others as generous yet temperamental creatures of the hidden wilds.

There is no end to the myriad of forms these religions take form as, oftentimes however they are symbolic of the qualities and experiences most prevalent in Gonnheim at the time. This meaning that, with the most violent war in current history being only 10 years passed, many openly public cults are zealous factions and organizations hellbent on expunging the weak in favor of the strong.

The Warmth

The Warmth could be described as another religious following, but it has its roots in purely cultural foundations rather than that of the divine or some outsider extraplanar creature. The Warmth is the concept that, within all living beings, there dwells a fire within their soul. This fire nurtures and kindles the warmth of life, just as it literally keeps the body warm and invulnerable to the horrors of the wild world. It is the embodiment of all the good aspects of Gonnheim society, and the bleak light of happiness and satisfaction one can gain from "nurturing" this fire.

To most Gonnheimers, if not all, to nurture and kindle this fire into a blazing flame is just as important to them as acquiring food for the coming winter. That, in spite of the dimming sun, the collective warmth and fiery souls would be enough to forever melt the icy grip of winter in the north. Some extraordinary peoples believe in this aspect so fiercely that they can even conjure pyromantic-like powers; barbarians summoning a fiery storm, shamans conjuring the sun, and even sorcerers wielding the literal incarnation of The Warmth within their soul.

Sentinels of International Defense

With the nations having given their all, their armies exhausted and their people holding up said armies injured and tired, a lasting peace would be in their best interest. That having been said the worldly powers had all come together merely one year after their wars' end to form an institution of diplomacy and ambassadorship, with the exception of Ishki being seen as too separated and capitulated to play a part in the making of an organization of peace (even Gonnheim has a seat of representation for that matter).

Said organization, which would come to be known as the Sentinels of International Defense, was created with the intent of fostering an international environment in which the peoples of said nations will come together as equals and allies, rather than as enemies and threats. Having a vested interest in the mutual understanding of the realm's various cultures and traditions to understand their issues and problems. This can include understandable tasks such as easing tensions between villages living on the borders of two different nations, or something so dire as hunting monsters which would threaten to displace peoples and further the already present dysphoria within the common folk.

The Sentinels, or the S.I.D. as a well known acronym, has plenty of various specialized branches with skilled workers filling them able to use an extensive amount of resources given to them from the various governments that make up the institution's making. Such branches include the Silver Branch, the Worker's Branch, the Pentinent Branch, the Black Branch, and the Magistrate Branch. All of these branches answer to the authority of the Ivory Archons, which are a council of representatives chosen by their nations, whether it be through democratic vote or chosen by their monarchs.

The Magistrate Branch

This branch serves to get their hands dirty and are the field agents of the whole operation. Whenever tensions need easing they send a party of individuals to scope out the issue so the Silver Branch can come in and do their honey tongued work, or whenever a monster begins to hunt the outskirts of a settlement a squad of Magistrates are sent to deal with the creature.

The Magistrate Branch is made up of individuals from all the other branches which show great potential in their skills, and as such are grouped up into parties that the S.I.D. deems would synergize well.

The Magistrate Code

Should a player, or party for that matter, find themselves within the employ of the S.I.D., they will find themselves having to navigate the inflexible code of conduct that is The Magistrate Code. Individuals found breaking the code are sent to be tried by the S.I.D. at their headquarters in Beirtudont, and, should they be found guilty, are punished severely. However, given the rarity of members within the Magistrate Branch, such punishments don't always include a banishment from the institution, but very much can if the offense is so vile.

The Code

• Knowledge of culture, folklore, and tradition must be preserved at all cost. Destroying, tampering with, manipulating, and doctoring such information will be met with an undetermined amount of time in prison.
• Any intentional attempt to create, whether indirectly or directly, an environment which allows for the harm of a large amount of civilians for the sake of profit or continued employment will be met with 10 years in prison or execution depending on the situation at hand. Such examples can include the provoking of powerful monsters, blackmailing and bribing of government officials, or the creation of organizations and institutions which conflict with The Magistrate Code.
• Harming prisoners and captured enemies in anyway that is unproductive or could be deemed as torture will be met with 10 years in prison and banishment from the institution. Additionally, the selling of the aforementioned groups into slavery, indentured servitude, or pacts with the extraplanar, whether done through coercion or third party influences, will be met with an additional 8 years in prison.
• Casting spells, throwing projectiles, or firing upon low threat retreating humanoids with intent to kill will be met with 10 years in prison and banishment from the institution.

It is to be remembered that all of the aforementioned rules stated were made in remembrance of the vile crimes that first Magistrates had committed unto the peoples of Phaelithas. Those that break the code find themselves being hunted by elite soldiers known as the Promised Souls, sworn to hunt the impure of spirit and the dishonest of heart.

Closely allied and on friendly terms with the S.I.D., a mercenary faction known as the Promised Souls, holy warriors who are known to hunt down oathbreakers with impunity, often offer their skills to the S.I.D.

Chapter Four: The Divine

The gods, entities of jealous worship and aspects of the very fibers of the world and mortal mind, have always been a constant influence in the world. Either in its direct creation, with holy wars between the gods quite literally moving mountains and redirecting rivers, or in the geopolitical stage, with different sovereign nations both rising and falling and making allies and enemies due to religious alignment. In the world and around it, there are officially recognized gods, entities of worship that are ordained and organized into various religious sects and factions that all form the Church of the Eternum. However, as of recent that very church as faced a massive schism which has divided it in half.

The Unortho Divine

The Unortho Divine, the widely recognized name for the New Church, is the breakoff sect of the original, the Ortho Divine. While not recognized by the worldly powers until after the wars, the first monasteries and temples that moved to this new way of thinking did so during the Dominance Wars. Whereas the Ortho Church sees the gods as beings not prone to change or fallibility, the Unortho Divine has a much more "human" outlook upon them. In their stories and myths, they can be depicted as purely evil entities who should be fought at every quarter, but whose domains are necessary for survival in the end. However, much more often they are seen as flawed beings, much like the mortals they reign over, who must work through their shortcomings to become better versions of themselves, to the betterment or detriment of all mortal kind.

Not only is this perception the polar opposite of the Ortho Divine, the Unortho Divine sees many gods in a different light and manner than the Old Church does. Given the amount of chaos and change the world has gone through, and the world's moral values change with the coming prosperity, they are of the mind that the gods, too, have changed.

For example, the God of War and Bloodshed, Avus, is now thought up of as a repenting, tired, and self loathing man whose mind is deeply entrenched and tormented within the trauma of millions of worthless and inglorious deaths of his servants, once close friends and confidants. Whereas the Old Church sees him as the unchanging constant of war, representing the inevitable conflicts that will come with any civilization, having little personality beyond what could be ascribed to as useful traits in times of war.

Another example would be the Goddess of Change and Trickery. The New Church now sees her as a benevolent trickster that aids traders and merchants in their endeavors and grants boons to those that practice civil disobedience against unfair laws and full on dissent against evil regimes. Whereas the Old Church sees her as a faceless embodiment of change and a fickle architect of fate that simply shifts the winds of destiny for the sake of it. Showing much less personality than that of the Unortho Divine, but creating much more of a powerful aura that demands respect of her ideals and adherence to her chaotic codes.

Avus

Avus's worldly perception, without a doubt, has gone through some of the most dramatic changes out of all of the rest of his divine ilk.

Catharia

Catharia shifts between the Old Church and the New Church as a faceless entity of change and author of the fates to a flamboyant, cheerful, and mischievous goddess bursting with personality.

Unortho Divine

"Twist and turn, dance with me and all life on the high of freedom! Be bold! Be brave! Fortune awaits all who chance the path!"

When the world became known, as time spun onwards, and the lines between safe and dangerous became known to the mortal folk of the realms, it was easier to breathe, to explore, to dance without fear of the unknown. Men and women could be bold when braving danger, knowing their chances and confident in their skills but also thirsting to explore further into the unknown. As the world got older, people began to clamor to control their own fates and destinies, raging against inevitable conflicts and finding that they had not been so inevitable in the first place. The New Church now perceive this goddess of putting down her cloth and twine in favor of cheerful song and dance, jubilant in her "retirement".

As such, Catharites of the New Church no longer see their idolized goddess as an entity of the inevitable, but an embodiment of the boldness needed to cause change, rather than resist it. They wish for freedom in all things, so as to control their destinies through hardship and change, but realize they may never be truly free. They seek freedom not to gain it, but to enjoy the dance on the journey to it.

Iquita

Iquita's domains and reason for being are set in controversy, not sure whether the goddess of health aids in the healing processes of the world or acts as the entity which controls all bodily processes in the world. Oftentimes though, she is regarded as the former.

Yaelin

Yaelin is one of the few gods who has seen little change from the Old Church to the New Church, not even a change of alignment nor titles has been granted unto the harbinger of mortality.

Ortho Divine

"Black implies white, life begets death, these are the constants that we face in life. Where you may die today, tomorrow a new soul is ushered forth."

No individual inherently knows their fate when at death's door. Some scholarly individuals may understand intrinsically when their time is about to come, some may even be able to make good guesses about how they will go out, but no individual can attest to truly understanding where they will go and how they may be judged. No one soul does, but Yaelin has no soul. Truly, if no living soul was to know their fate then the one entity rumored to be without a soul, henceforth to be free from all coils, would know.

To the Old Church, she is a being even more eldritch than all of the other Ortho Divine deities, nearly incomprehensible beyond the surface but nonetheless beneficial for the world. She is the guide of all souls whom have passed on to the unknown and beyond, the divine entity of which no hand can be raised against in pure confidence that they shall win. Be it beast or man, she judges accordingly and without bias to the pleadings of mercy uttered by those whom the passed soul has left behind. However, she is no tyrant of heaven nor is she a dark lady of hell, for every soul she takes she guides the wisps and trappings of a new one to a newborn husk. The dead of today will signal the newborn of tomorrow, again and again.

Her followers mimic this cosmic dance of life, death, and then rebirth. No longer adhering themselves to traditional morality, they seek out their respective part in their great play, be they bringers of tragic death, aides to the still living, or vanguards of the new to come.

Unortho Divine

"..."

There is little even a massive schism can do the change the perception of a deity of death. However, plenty of experiences in the world have served to add onto it. With the massive death tolls of the Dominance Wars, and the complete and utter population boom of the Age of Enlightenment, the goddess of death has grown weary and numb to the constant back of forth. The zeal and purpose of life is lost to her, and the loss and meaning of a coming death is forgotten to her.

The New Church teaches something that even the Old Church can find themselves to accept, that the coming of ages and the repetition of the mortal cycle of life and death have worn and torn this deity to her final fibers.

For her following in the New Church, her acolytes no longer play out their part in their great "plays." No more do they mimic life's beauty and death's toll with eerie yet elegant theatrics, they simply drone onwards to their demise while ensuring others do as well. In this task, they must not fail.

Glimmer

Glimmer, the splendor of the gods, and her domain are under intense pressure and crises of faith ever since The Great Revelation. As such, they suffered the quickest and most damaging schism when the New Church had formed and split away from the Old Church.

Shimmer

For each and every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. With the calling of the sun goddess, and the order with which she brings to all under her glow, there is another entity which espouses a friendly chaos under the dark of night in order to defend it.

Unortho Divine

"When darkness comes, remember you are resilient. Shine or darken as you may, for your light is yours to kindle."

Keeping many of the aspects as her older perceptions, the new church's Shimmer is seen as a guardian of the dark rather than an aspect of it. She stands against the horrors of the world that hide in the silence of midnight, and the mental ones which hide in the shadows of loss and grief in one's heart. A stoic, yet graceful, humanoid form with one silver crescent scimitar glowing in the pitch blackness of night is all that is depicted of her by the New Church. Where the Old Church would fear and hold her in awe, her influence is much more intimate and personal to the New Lunans. She is a friend, a mentor, and a guardian in both times of need and plenty, one who always manages to check in on her people, and in turn they do so too. Given the two sect's similarities, New Solites and New Lunans see each other like sisters, just as their deities do.

Acathune

Gods of trickery and chance, of order and justice, and all manner of exotic aspects of mortal life are truly powerful and their worship can be sought after by many, but few religious sects can see themselves become as popular as that of the worship of Acathune, God of the Harvest; for Acathune guards the fuel of life for all. Grain.

Tormidon

Once a being of solidarity amongst the skilled of tool and hand, his image is thrown into dismay and questionable morality as the meaning of hard works turns from arduous yet satisfying to utterly backbreaking since the dawn of factories and the rise of abusive landlords and factory overseers.

Unortho Divine

"Work shall set you free, yet is freedom truly the fruit of your labor or the benevolent generosity of a greater power?"

Simply enough, Tormidon is a manifestation of the abuses and evils that can be found in the working conditions and sheer despair individuals find themselves enduring in many cities and regions ever since the Steam Era and the rapid industrialization. His worship is endorsed by factory owners and overseers who would put the acquisition of profits over the individual lives and conditions of their workers under them, using the existence of an entity which espouses enlightenment through hard labor as a form of protection against social reforms.

New Tormites are commonly found among social circles and classes which benefit and prosper off of the hard work of others. However, even these groups are quite "tame" when compared to the slavers who stalk the outlands of most civilized nations, finding great power and profit in the their trafficking of illegal goods and desperate souls. The evils of the new Tormidon is often seen as the excuse to purge the New Church and all its evils by the Old Curch.

Malug

From both the New Church and the Old Church, Malug has brought great toil with him. His fanatical clergy, who look to him as a jolly mentor of sorts, usually see this suffering as a test of strength, and strive to come out of sickness stronger and more durable then they ever were.

Corssandri

The shimmering lady of deceit and disaster has always had a close relationship with the Church of Catharia, and it could be theorized that the only reason the faith had went along with the schism was to adapt and create another sect able to leech off the New Cathrians just as they had been doing with those of the old faith.

Unortho Divine

"Imaginary lines, laws, and taboos be damned! One must throw away traditional morality to achieve the perfection they desire."

A whispered temptation in the night, promising happiness, prosperity, and success to those that follow the incantations. Where the New Church sees Catharia as an entity of freedom and the boldness to take one's future for themselves, the new Corssandri is seen as the vices and flaws that distract one from their path. Distractions of debauchery keeping one from true love, the trappings of greed keeping one from genuine satisfaction, and falsehoods blinding one from the truth of their own flaws and those of others.

Whereas the Old Church's view of Corssandri see her as risk that always belays the chance for change, ever present and inseparable from fate's existence, the New Church see her as an actively intruding force that continue to acts as the antithesis to Catharia's will, even after the schism.

Imatum

The ever present forces of magic are often an undervalued thing, with so much of modern society being fueled by it. Even accomplished wizards often disrespect magic itself by espousing to be masters of it, yet their diligent study would mean nothing if it wasn't for Imatum constantly restoring and defending the weave from constant abuse.

Unortho Divine

"Abjuration, to make your paper thin walls useful. Enchantment, for when violence isn't enough of a violation. Illusion, for when people only like your mask. Magic is part of life, it's what allows the mortal person to live in a world bigger than they will ever be."

P.O.W.s, are often the first to detest magic, given how an entire battalion would fall against a singular mage who could cast fireball. This, and combined with the fact that many veterans of war have deep scarring memories of feeling helpless in the face of magical might, has gartered the outlook that most mages carry an arrogance of a kind. After all, to a mortal that could whisk away the lives of dozens at the flick of the wrist and the whisper of an incantation, humility is a mere joke.

The New Church's perception of Imatum has changed, not for the reason that the clergy saw their god as any different, but the wider world had seen the god in a new light. Imatum carries an air of arrogance and less care for ethics in the pursuit of magical knowledge. It is for that reason why the New Church of Imatum has been reinforced, many mages and clerics find his loosened restrictions to be advantageous to their ambitions; that, or they believe the defense of the Weave requires the faith to be more flexible.

Khyn

The world has plunged itself into a near absolute focus on the pursuit of knowledge, both lost to the ages and yet to be thought up of. However, as of late, with the church having split into two different extremes, the main driving force of scientific breakthrough in the world is facing some major obstacles.

Ortho Divine

"Ancient schematics, dead languages, tomes of forgotten lore, all of them indicate a past of scientific enlightenment. Yet, all we can do is copy it...its disgraceful"

The early faith of Khyn was an inscrutable and closed off one to outsiders, where even the elite and high echelons of society rarely found themselves among those of this inquisitive faith. Before The Age of Enlightenment developments in technology and philosophical thought were heralded by the lucky few who had been groomed and educated towards the task since birth and, despite their excessive training towards this goal, they mainly had stuck to the divining of ancient texts and the analyzing of forgotten studies to bring back forth knowledge from other ages and empires. Rarely were people actively encouraged to think towards an original line of thought towards an unheard of goal.

Moreover, all of this knowledge was hoarded and kept hidden and secure within the confines of their equally as hidden monasteries in the mountains and deserts. This, combined with the fact that education was rarely sought after before The Age of Steam, made it so most of the world was locked in a primitive and early medieval state for so long (reminiscent of later Dark Ages in real life).

Khyn herself was an enigmatic and unknown entity. More seen as an invisible hand guiding the quills of the deserving few. She, who reigns over the mechanical plane of Mechanus.

Unortho Divine

"Each scratch of pen unto paper is a notch made in history, however small. Share it, for history was writ by the hands of many."

Khyn, while still remaining as a shadowy figure, has lost her enigmatic ambitions to the New Church, a reflection to how as of late the world has gripped more and more onto rational thought and scientific knowledge. The New Church is active in the development of new technologies, ways of thought, realms of science, and the creation of historical documents; it makes sense seeing that the majority of New Khynites are made up out of those left resentful by the Old Khynite Church's unambitious ways.

It is a New Khynite's duty to teach those willing to learn of any topic so as to instill the spark and desire to learn more, and as such each acolyte must be amicably trained in a wide amount of subjects. Knowledge is to be shared with all, and henceforth when the wider masses of the world understand and their knowledge grows so too does the power and reach of Khyn herself. It is her name that is whispered commonly in almost all social circles, for she has influenced all of the world's current achievements.

Aesveldra

"Let it be known, I am mortal. When the land bakes under Glimmer's undying light, know then that I am mortal. When the world's plants both wither and freeze, know then that I am mortal. When the oceans boil over and the mortal realms burn with it, know then that I am mortal. I am the living and beating heart of nature, destined to one day cease and wither. Even then, defiler, for the combined might of all the mortal realms in this world and the unending assault from the gods themselves they would do little to dent my health. Only time will claim my soul. Only entropy can sing the song of my end."

-The introductory excerpt from the Green Grimoire

The Seasonal Maidens

When the religious world came to a great split, The Earth Mother came to the conclusion that her church would suffer no differently to the sudden fragility and vulnerability of mortal spirituality. Acting quickly and actively, she gave life to 4 daughters, each one representing each of the 4 seasons. Their vocation would be to shepherd the new and young of her faith, before they would need to decide if they were going to swear themselves to the protection of the natural world. This way, those that differed in ideals and personal beliefs so much so that even their faith's teachings of unity and cooperation would shatter, they would find an outlet in the Seasonal Maidens.

Ingvi (Spring)

A comforting sun in constant combat with winter's stubborn and chilled winds heralds the coming of spring; an energetic time in which the world itself awakens from a long, sorrowful slumber. Where limbs are stretched and plans are both drawn up and begun in the face of a new eventful year. Ingvi, the Dawn Sprig, embodies all of the energy and utter anticipation that spring brings with it, the return of a once lost energy and enthusiasm combined with new hopes and dreams being summoned into existence.

She encourages mortals to allow their hopes and dreams to endure through the darkest of nights and brightest of days. She, herself, is an embodiment

Tenets of the Dawn Sprig

• Have hope in the darkest of days
• Make merry and be mirthful
• Let down your walls, it is better to love as much as you can
• Inspire others to compassionate action
• Never forget to play and be fond of mischief

Sumai (Summer)

The blistering sun takes its cue and enters into the world with a roaring vengeance and spite towards winter's old reign. Summer enters the world with a rage unsuited for such a pleasant season, the hopes of spring have been applied and now the world takes to strength of will, body, and mind in order to fulfill their ambitions.

Summer is a time of great bounty and opportunity, however such great claims to reward only come to those willing to take them. Summer brings just as much energy and sheer passion just as it does fury and aggressive confrontation, and Sumai embodies those traits perfectly.

She is described to be a muscled woman carrying a broad great axe designed to carry a sun like motif to it. Her clothing is made of loose cloths and leathers, more often orange and red than not, with gold trim upon the outside of its make. She is a fiery and ruthless mistress, unrelenting in her ambitions and forever undaunted when seeking vengeance for grudges past.

Aumo (Autumn)

Amidst the boisterous laughter, the yelling, and the warming sun of summer comes a chilled wind with a single dying leaf upon its path. Written in the decay is a warning of cold times ahead, and the call for preparation heeds all living souls. Autumn will come to the world embodying a warning call for the dangers of winter, like a motherly call home that formulates itself into a song of a heavenly voice.

The song of Aumo snaps all living souls to attention, and oftentimes people find that they have forgotten how to survive together. In the plans drawn up in spring, and the ambitions acted out in the summer, it is common for many souls to forget that without

those close to them and those of their own community their dreams would nary come to fruition. Aumo, and Autumn by extension, inspires goodwill and encourages mortal kind to solve issues and problems within their own communities before winter freezes their grief permanently. She is a compassionate mistress and rarely is ever brought to aggression or violence; yet should there ever be a blackened heart who would vehemently stand in her way, the bite of her thorned whips will be enough to rend the weed from the world.

Aumo is described to be a woman wearing simple and ever changing clothing she has sown herself, with little room or care for elegant iconography or regal make. Legends tell tale that, whoever should beseech and lay claim to any cloth woven by the Lady of the Leaf, many would find mystical powers sown into the thread as well.

Tenets of the Lady of the Leaf

• Take care and plan for failure
• When others around you grow, so too do you
• Your community is your safety net, make sure its fibers are strong
• Your people need you, no matter where you go promise you will make it back to your folks
• Diplomacy will always be an option, and one of mortal kind's strongest tools

The call of Dirt and Dust brings even the most chaotic of fey folk to bind themselves to lawful codes and oaths.

Chapter Five: Character Creation

The first steps to making an impact on Phealithas is making a character and attaching it to the world, otherwise they might carry alien motivation which the narrative of the world would be unable to satisfy to the player's wants. This chapter acts as a guide that would aid in creating a character that would best fit in the world or carry themes and motivations familiar to the world.

It should be noted that this chapter, out of all of them, can be ignored at the player's discretion. Any lists and tables provided, as well as any guidance, can be selectively picked or done so at random.

Race

Provided below is a list of certain nations and the races which inhabit them, as well as some insight into the culture surrounding their existence there. Any homebrew race is italicized.

Harka

Predominately, Harka is made up of humans, dwarves, and a moderate amount of dragonborn communities forming the bulk of their population. Mainly living in settled and urbanized cities and towns closer to the capital, with humans and dwarves going further beyond the country. Duskkin and dawnkin can also come to form within the more successful social circles, have their own settlements, or appear as nomadic adventurers.

Populations of hobgoblins, bugbears, and goliath have their own settlements usually reserved for their own kind, although are barely uncommon to see within mixed settlements either as travelers or citizens.

Some elves also make up some of the upper crust of Harka, having specific and select bloodlines with incredibly notable dynastic names that travel far back to the beginnings of the nation, it should be noted that this does not exclude them from filling in within the middle and lower class.

However, Harka, as of the rise of King Heidemann, has become an incredibly egalitarian society. Meaning that, while these roles are the typical norm, the mold can easily be broken and you may find races from all over within the Realm of Knights.

Beirtudont

Halflings, humans, and gnomes share the place of majority in Beirtudont, with few other races taking to the population or having communities large enough to be counted by any census or manifest.

However, due to the staggering amount of industry and take to the new Steamtech, dwarven populations have had a sudden surge within the last 20-30 years. During the war, many dwarves served as combat engineers, entrenchers, or just general soldiers on the front lines. As of such they have been found to grow quite fond of the home they've so stubbornly defended. Likewise, the people of Beirtudont have accepted them as fellows ever since.

Typically the upper crust holds few other races than humans and a certain dynasty of elves, of which enjoy a life of luxury within their embassy in the Beirca capital city, Engveir. However, sometimes elemental energies seep into the bloodlines of some nobility, producing genasi of varying kinds. This is perhaps due to the influence of incredibly powerful gemstones that are used to power only the most complicated and demanding of energy grids, mostly found in mansions or castles (hence, why only its mainly the nobility experiencing this).

Gonheim

Gonheimers are made up of races that feature enduring or adaptable qualities. Humans fit that criteria, being a common race in the world, however they find their numbers being challenged by orcs, half-orcs, and mountain dwarves. Most of the latter mentioned races make good living as hunters, warriors for hire, or employed in the quite lucrative and heavily respected trade of monster hunting.

Wood Elves also find the wild, ancient, and unfettered nature of Gonheim to be preferable to heavily urbanized settlements, where they would otherwise find themselves being waylaid and dazed by the speed of life. Oftentimes, clusters of them, oft devoted to an entity of nature, can be found at random within the forests.

Deeper in the mountains, dragonborn (typically those of the ice and lightning variety), kobolds, duskkin, and goliaths find harsh living suitable only to their kind, which can withstand the relentless snowfall. A Möllsturm's (Gonheimer for "Mountainborn") hardiness is appreciated all over Gonheim, especially now that the mountains have only become ever more hard to live in.

Altori

It should be noted that Altorian society is very closed off and inclined to stick to the status quo, as it has done so since written history can remember. Meaning that individuals born of different social classes and circles often stay within them, whether they wish to remain it its confines or not.

Humans, halflings, and gnomes find themselves to be very common within Lowborn society, mainly part of its vast agricultural system. Small communities of elves, dwarves, and sparse families of firbolgs find themselves as artisans and merchants, mainly within the middle class. Warforged designed for labor and security roam the streets as well, maintaining order and gaining either the awe or ire of the people.

Goblinoid tribes dwell within the more deeper forests, complex cave systems, and broken down slums of the Lowborn settlements. Sometimes goblins can be accepted into Lowborn society, albeit only through a show of great labor and restraint; yet given that goblin culture essentially revolves around "finders keepers" when deciding property rights, they can be seen as quite a nuisance on a larger scale.

On the other hand, Highborn culture revolves around dynastic renown and financial power. Most monstrous or ostracized races of the world, such as goblinoids, orcs, goliaths, tabaxi, and tieflings find no acceptance here for them, given that perceptions of them come with ignorance and bad omen. Such perceptions do

Ovanna

Much like Harka, in a way, most Ovanni care more so for the content of an individuals character than they do for their background, origin, or race. While humans and dragonborn (typically of the fire variety) still live here, the environment, both the social and physical, attracts more rarer and outcasted races as well.

As for the literal and physical environment of Ovanna. Tabaxi simply enjoy the heat of the desert sands or the calm tranquility of oases, but are tied into Ovanna as well with having a massive cultural significance to their longstanding existence within Ovanna. Deep gnomes develop underground habitats within larger settlements to avoid both the heat and the sun, inviting dwarves, goblins, and kobolds to share in their home with them. Lizardfolk, typically brandishing black scales that camouflage with the silt of the rivers, carve out meager existences within small clusters that flourish during the flooding season. These lizardfolk, called Ebonscales, seem to be able to communicate with other races better than their green-scaled cousins. However, they still refuse to live within large communities simply because they find new people annoying.

As per the social and cultural environment, with Ovanna's culture putting emphasis and strain on the acceptance of peace and redemption, many otherwise feared races find sanctity within the Unyielding Sands. This allows drow, duergar, and tieflings to find a home, should nowhere else grant them such a kindness.

Ishki

Ishki has seen a great decline in its population as of late, and without a doubt many people that once originated here have made the choice or even been forced to become refugees and migrate to other nations. As of such, this list could be used as reference for your character even if you are no longer in your place of birth.

Ishki bore great importance unto a warrior culture which has remained unchanged within Ishkin tradition ever since its creation. As such, many individuals which bare great strength and grace, tempered by mental and emotional clarity, have found homes here.

It can also be assumed that many races whose culture encourages martial spirit find purchase here. Hobgoblins, those of orcish blood, and certain communities of half-elves can be found among the warrior classes. However, with the cataclysmic disaster and the capitulation of the country, utter chaos has diminished those age old social constructs and traditions and nothing that remains resembles anything like its original form.

The absurdness and chaotic nature of Ishki and its nearly demolished traditional values create for a rather veritable sandbox for a player to create a rather versatile story.

Vuoolden

A nation with heavy inclination towards druidic and fey influence, as well as having a manner of mediocrity that allows for calm and tranquil living among a rather active and rowdy world. One would be surprised by the sheer diversity it carries.

Humans, halflings, hill dwarves, and wood elves mostly form the backbone of Vuoolden society. Mainly finding livings as farmers, woodworkers, hunters, or finding their path as one of the druidic and eldritch arts. Fey creatures, who would otherwise be feared, seen as a nuisance, or even hunted, find themselves accepted and even invited into settlements and homes (on the basis they abide by their laws and remain polite, of course).

Satyrs travel the lands in need of great revelry, fulling submersing themselves in the hedonistic pleasures of varied experiences. The many great bounties of nature provides to all, and they are perhaps its greatest connoisseurs. Beside them, dryads make occasional visits to weary homes and hovels that have treated their forests kindly, providing healing powers or the occasional warning of bad weather ahead. Faeries, pixies, and sprites still remain particularly elusive creatures but always seem to make grand entrances upon days of festivities, particularly fond of pyrotechnics and light shows. Firbolgs find the veil between the Feywild and the Material Plane thin here, and as such can find themselves as nomads, exiled or otherwise, within Vuoolden settlements. Even centaurs, rare and nearly extinct due to certain atrocities done unto them during the war, hide in plain sight within Vitrumal.

In Avenna'mon, tritons and water genasi can be found intermingling with the commonfolk, trading trinkets and items of the deep in return for surface luxuries. Some have even made homes there, preferring the coast to their underwater kingdoms for whatever personal reasons had struck them. Certain tabaxi also enjoy quite relaxing lives here as well, drawn in by the promise of curious trinkets, warm sands and sun, and banquets of fish.

The jungles of Jangovar host its own myriad of creatures too. Dragonborn (typically of the acid and poison variety) find suitable lives here as warriors and architects, while wood elves join them as hunters. Goblins find the dark and dank jungle perfect grounds for their homes and tribes, and are either separated as either kindly and diplomatic or violently belligerent with little in between. Deeper within the forests grung form cloisters of their own in which they live secluded lives, practicing the art of poison making and herbalism.

Background

One's background is imperative to understanding a character's motivations, take some time to think of what they came from and how that affected them. The Player's Handbook, Xanathar's Guide to Everything, and Tasha's Cauldron of Everything provide useful information on various backgrounds, so as to draw inspiration from.

The tables below only provide motivations of certain backgrounds, and can be rolled at random or simply used as inspiration.

Entertainer

d8	Loot
1	After a long run of burn out, you seek the inspiration for your greatest work yet
2	You are on the run from a disgruntled community who did not like the topic of your last, and perhaps controversial, piece.

Folk Hero

Guild Artisan

Hermit

Noble

Outlander

Sage

Sailor

Soldier

Urchin

Class and Subclass

Every character has a class to which they call their own, a set of skills that define their role in the party and can denote their general position in the world. The versatility in narrative, theme, motif, and personality one can ascribe to a single class is only limited by an endless imagination, however there is little to be done that the skeleton of each class lays down some absolutes. Different classes, and subclasses more specifically, affect the world when taking their more traditional shape and form; such as a paladin being a holy warrior of a church, changing and affecting the world by enacting their own will or the that of their deity's. The below excerpts list how some classes might appear in the world of Phaelithas.

Bard

On the surface, they might be singers, dancers, actors, poets, and all other manner of entertainers or participants of the arts, however they are no mere minstrels or troubadours. Their magics are built upon a foundation of study. The subject here being little else but raw experience, both their own and that of others in history. The work of a bard echoes the magics of creation and continuation. They don't merely sing or perform with recollection of old tales of grand events, but their very words shudder with the pure emotion and raw power present at that time of their muse.

Cleric

First and foremost, clerics, and other religious characters for that matter, have much to do with the current state of this setting. With the setting of Phaelithas echoing the real world's Great Reformation during the times of the Renaissance, and understanding the geopolitical influence religion has in real life, a cleric brings with them ties of great responsibility, influence, and reaction. Not a mere priest and far from their beginnings as simple acolytes, a cleric is an agent of a deity. A connection, almost like a direct wire or funnel, from their deity and into the Material Plane in which they can enact their will. When a cleric speaks at their most earnest, they do so through the voice of a god; when the people cry out to the gods for help, they act with their clerics as their hands.

Clerics channel their magic through obvious means, being alloted their powers from the gods themselves. Whether they worship a pantheon, a collection of specific gods, the church as a whole, or one singular deity, they are given strength by a higher power. Not by their magics alone is their strength coalesced, but rather the faith cultivated in a cleric's mind, heart and soul is what they need to pull them through any obstacle and barrier. A cleric could be a once greatly famed healer who was shown great indignity and shame when the church split apart and is now searching for answers as to how to mend the religious world. Some clerics couldn't care less for the schism that split their church apart. An example of that type of cleric could be one devoted wholly to the recovering of an ancient temple swallowed by the sands of Ovanna that would do well to put their god at the forefront of the world, and them at the highest measure of their favor.

Going even further in depth, a War Domain cleric could be seeking redemption for crimes committed during the Red Tide all the while keeping secret from Ovanni authorities.

A cleric's call to faith is not a time to be brushed over and treated with dismissal, even if some clerics might not even remember the details of their own origins or even show it a manner of apathy. The world outside the religious realm sees clerics with a manner of awe that would almost seem like they were laying eyes upon a god itself, and in some measure that is true, all the while the many that are quite experienced with the gods and their agendas would see it as nothing but a return to mediocrity. Even then, there is always the idea of what god, entity, or ideal they worship to be considered, for many would disdain the thought of becoming another entity's plaything; this thought holds true especially after the war.

Druid

Wielding the power of nature, it would not be surprising to see a druid in constant combat and conflict with the current state of the world. The burning of coal marking the great feats of a seemingly unstoppable industrialization, the rapidly urbanizing towns and villages taking over the land, and the atrocious exploitation of nature's bounty are but a mere few and overgeneralized anxieties and concerns a druid holds for the future of the untamed world. Even then, there are still druids who work alongside civilization, being primarily localized within Vuoolden.

A druid gains their power from nature not through any flimsy conviction or motivation to defend it, when the wilderness suffers so too does a druid. Their connection to the earth is so strong and sacred, that it can rival a paladin's oath or a cleric's faith when it comes to their devotion. As such, their ambitions may be simple and straightforward, but the method of how they pursue these ambitions are versatile. An example could be a druid from the frozen reaches of Ishki, churning up and composting the corpses of fallen soldiers in a desperate attempt to bring back the nature that once flourished. Another one could be a Stone-Leaf druid from Vuoolden, attempting to convince the world of a more sustainable method of powering Steamtech. With a subclass in mind, perhaps a Circle of Wildfire druid would search the realms and beyond for a way to rekindle the warmth and fire of the sun.

A druid could be seen with more or less of the same fear and awe as one would see a barbarian. Harboring a deep hatred for most sentient kind, some druids have dedicated their time to the utter downfall of all unified and modern civilization in an attempt to stop all encroachment onto the wild and natural world. Blood sacrifices, sacrificial rituals, and clandestine cannibalistic cults form the common themes that druids are portrayed as in some media and literature. Plainly enough, as savages. Conversely, in more prosperous places druids can come to be seen as bubbly, positive, and bright souls, or perhaps calm, collected, and wise. Seen as kind protectors of life in general, with no bias towards civilization and nature.

Fighter

Fighter is a very versatile and broad term. While a member of the village militia or town guard is nowhere close to being a fighter, it still is arguably one of the most common classes out there. With a devastating and multi-generational war only 10 years behind, many veterans remain and with them their skills too remain. The world is possibly filled with able combatants, but few of these people are genuine fighters. A fighter is personified by being proficient in almost every weapon they handle, able to wear all manner of armor, and fill any role needed provided their physical skills meet the challenge; to be a fighter is to achieve outright versatility. Moreover, in a world where firearms are beginning to become much more common, where monsters 5 times the size of a normal human are beginning to awaken, and where powerful forces can sling spells that could disintegrate a man in seconds a fighter is a combatant with unending and unyielding grit. An otherwise normal, if somewhat extraordinary, individual with the mindset capable of remaining alert and powerful in the face of overwhelming odds.

This isn't to say a fighter is helpless. A fighter can have years of experience behind them, having honed their skills during countless trials which only proved their martial superiority over almost every single opponent they have faced so far. A fighter can be an ex-mercenary living it out as a bandit in a serious gang, having gained a leading role only through sheer grit and determination. Another example could be a soldier who trained for the war, gaining training from many masters, only for the war to have ended before the first sight of action could have been tasted. A Samurai fighter, on the other hand, could be a forlorn Sword Saint of the missing Jade Empress, searching the world for even the slightest chance of finding and reinstalling their missing monarch.

A fighter's path is never an easy one. It is fraught with the constant need for strategy and tact, to be cunning and always one step ahead of the competition, which is more often than not equipped with magic to do that same job for them. A fighter's story may not always be one of an underdog (with many in Phaelithas being quite the opposite), powerful people in Phaelithas might still underestimate them. Quickly, however, do they learn that, in a world filled with magic and mythical might, a simple combatant with relatively mundane means is something to take with a quality of fear and seriousness. After all, they've managed to survive each and every battle they've been in in spite of the mundane means they wield.

Monk

The lifestyle of the monk, in addition to the exclusive nature of most of their cloisters, makes it so that very few people actually make it through the process and training to emulate them. The discipline of patience, meditating for often hours or even days at a time, could break any person. Even surprisingly harder is it to form the iron will needed to take to the dietary structure of a monk, which can often comprise of little more than black bread, milk, and whatever they grow within their monasteries. Because of this day-in and day-out discipline, monks tend to shift towards a very lawful alignment and world view.

Often so orderly and disciplined that, by comparison to even the most stubborn of individuals, they could be described as uncompromising and zealous.

Using a Way of Shadow monk as a recurring example, an instance of a monk following this traditional build could be a Tennoi spy in Ishki, trained since childhood, who still remembers the days where they didn't have to spill the blood of comrades and allies. This inclination towards order and lawful alignment does not mean that a monk isn't versatile when it comes to the forms it can take. Any character design or niche that carries with it discipline (or a notable lack thereof) and an inclination towards hand to hand combat could be a monk. Using that knowledge and breaking out of the traditional mold of a monk, a Way of Shadow monk could be a Black Branch secret agent from the S.I.D. carrying an almost noir theme of a cynical detective from the late 1900s.

A monk is almost always seen with a manner of neutrality, indifference, or curiosity in the world. A monk without any notable features or designs that would give their origin away -such as a lack of prayer beads, tattoos of certain monasteries, or traditional clothing and armor- would be indiscernible from a normal person, given the lack of weapons and any other notable tools. However, once their origin and career has been exposed, an everyday person might just react with curiosity or maintain neutrality. There is no stigma around being a monk, plenty of people witness hand to hand combat such as pugilism and rowdy bar fights very commonly anyways. What the world would most react to from a monk would be their stoicism and wisdom, if they carry any. Evil and emotion, when faced with dignity and clarity of mind, often react explosively and loudly. Sooner or later, that everyday neutrality may just give way to great conflict and turmoil.

Paladin

A holy warrior bent to a code of the most sacrosanct and inviolable variety, a paladin knows only duty, purpose, and obligation. Whether this oath is bound to a deity and its service or is formed from the sheer raw belief and emulation of a certain value or ideal, the matter remains that a paladin treads a path in which they must never fall nor shy away from. This utter devotion and determination for a lifelong mission is something that few people could emulate. Imbued with the divine host of their power, which they draw from their oath and the weight it holds in the Weave, a true paladin is an incredibly rare sight to behold, even rarer still is one that hasn't come close to breaking their oath at least once in their life. Mortal minds are erroneous after all.

Many factions, nations, and organizations would give much in order to have such devotion on their side, any paladins rarely find themselves out of work should they ever desire purpose beyond their calling. A paladin could be a disciple of Acathune, making a great pilgrimage from Vuoolden to ensure the safety and prosperity of towns and villages left otherwise unprotected from disaster. Another could be a servant on the New Tomridon, a slave driver who has profited from the war and Steam Age. With a subclass, a paladin of the Oath of the Crown could be a loyal servant of King Diederick Heidemann who had witnessed the worst of the Dominance Wars.

Ranger

Rangers tie with fighters for the most common class to be seen in Phaelithas. Maps have been drawn and redrawn year after year, but the wilds still remain elusive and trepidatious, keeping to the danger of the unknown. Even with this, people still brave these tumultuous lands and can even come to call them home. They are adventurers the moment they became rangers, exploring the most dangerous sections of the world and honing their skills as deadly hunters. The spells they gain are somewhat druidic in nature, but a ranger rarely devotes themselves as wholly to the defense of nature as a druid does. Their vocation is to tread the outlands, keeping watch of the countless dangers that the wilderness would bring.

Considering the great need for them, many people devote their lives to this line of work and, subsequently, all take over various niches in which they hone their specific set of skills and specializations. A ranger could be a scout from the Dominance Wars, trained in the tracking and elimination of high value targets. Another could be a Vuoolden ranger on the border of Neitomal's forests, watching for those that lurk within. When bringing a subclass into the equation, a Hunter ranger could be a monster hunter living off of the parts scavenged from great beasts and monsters that threaten towns and villages lacking in protection.

A ranger walks the untrodden trail, a journey in which they need to embrace the unknown and unexpected. Forests burn and regrow, desert sands shift and sway, and taigas and tundras hide themselves under blankets of snow. No matter how many have walked the same path before, there is always something new coming up. The same can be said for how people treat rangers. There is a respect for their trade, both in the manner of them being stoic and strong outdoors-folk and their aptitude for keeping civilized folk safe from the many beasts that wander the road and wilderness. However, that respect can only last for so long against something so unpredictable and ruthless as a ranger, and so people's opinions of them may begin as respectful but can quickly devolve into contempt for their perceived savage ways, only to return back to reluctant respect at a random whim. After all, in an age of industrialization and a nearly worldwide scramble for order and civilization in an enlightened age, what sane individual abandons that in return for the status quo of subsistence living?

Rogue

Rogues are commonly misunderstood classes, almost always mistaken for a shady and crime-ridden avenue towards a sneaky and stealth orientated character. While it may be true that stealth is quite central to a rogue, that certainly isn't the mold. A rogue is a class orientated around skill and precision, the ability to "get a job done right" and doing it yourself -as opposed to needing a whole party to fill in for some of your weaknesses. What is common with most rogues is that they've built their entire lives off of their skills, and as such can come depend upon them as if they were their only lifeline.

A rogue fits in almost every space in society, and yet no one wants a person capable of such treacherous skill and capability. A rogue could be a spy posing as a nobleman or courtier, gaining information from foreign monarchs or rival houses for their own lord and lady, perhaps as a result of thin trust between the modern nations. Another route would be to embrace the general sentiment of a rogue as some manner of criminal who has navigated the intricate dangers of a thieves' guild or a cloister of criminals.

Typically cunning, conniving, and always fleet of foot, rogues are hard to spot when they don't want to be. That being said, if one is recognized for being a shifty or particularly skilled individual, others may keep their distance, tighten their purses, and speak with whispered lips. However, among the judgment and fear, some may spot an opportunity -more so of the financial kind- in a roguish character. Typically, these people are as dangerous and skilled, if not even more so, than the rogues they hire.

Sorcerer

This excerpt is shorter than most, and for good reason. A sorcerer's path is often personal. With their magics and powers coming from an inner source and pool of arcana, this means that few other preexisting tropes, narratives, and connotations of sorcerers exist to take inspiration from. This source of arcana is as varied as it is a good way to attach one's character to the lore of the world.

A sorcerer could be descended from the Jade Empress and her bloodline of (theoretical) sorcerers, with either their parents unaware of this or having hidden this fact for their safety. Another example could be a Divine Soul sorcerer that was blessed personally by the gods, who was taken in by priests who believed the child to be the one who would mend their church. One more could be a reflavored Draconic Bloodline sorcerer (of the fire variety) channeling the inner power of the Warmth in order to thaw their icy and unforgiving land.

A sorcerer is often a plainclothes caster, meaning that they seem indistinguishable from a normal person until they show their true colors. As of such, they would be treated with the same neutrality as an everyday person would, unless the source of their power is especially evident.

Warlock

Its hard to clock down exactly how one can make a deal with the extraplanar creatures whom generally dish out power to those willing to work for it or sacrifice something for it. It surely can't be as easy as talking out loud and offering yourself to the multiverse? Perhaps its only a product of luck, with the patron and apprentice being in proximity to each other when either is in need of each other. Conversely, there are direct links to the other planes and even entire societies that are built upon making deals with mortals in return for their souls or greatly needed service towards a cause. The meeting between warlock and patron is just as important, if not even more so, than the terms and conditions of the pact made on that fateful day. Having said that, warlocks aren't your typical cultist or heretical worshiper. They are the leader of influential cult, the voluntary sacrifice for a once in a lifetime ritual, or the unfortunate victim calling out to dark forces in desperation.

A warlock is their own person of course, but they are only as varied as the patrons that seek them out (or have been sought out). Mad devotion, bordering on insanity and obsession, can come to take over any warlock's unprepared or weak willed mind, taking over their personality and replacing it with duty driven sentiment. A warlock could have pushed past the Inner and Outer planes, only to reach a place of unknowable madness, and make a pact with creature who would never even acknowledge its own existence. Perhaps an angel seeks out a mortal behind its god's back, taking advantage of the schism in the church in order to seek out the means to become a god themselves. A warlock of the The Undying could be contacted by a court of dead warriors and soldiers, bitter by their defeat in the Decimation wars, wanting revenge for their humiliation.

If there is any class which is met with any immediate suspicion, it is a warlock. Their very existence is an affront to the veil that keeps the planes apart from each other and prevents incursions from the Inner and Outer planes. They invite the extraplanar to come make the Material Plane its playground, threatening to upturn the lives of all people in the area or perhaps even the world. Thankfully, a warlock's saving grace is that they are similar to sorcerers in that the source of their power is mostly hidden. However, dealing with the dark arts leave traces, scars, and stains upon one's mind, body, and soul that those experienced in the occult would be able to recognize.

Wizard

A world of endless magical potential is sure to attract many intrigued souls to discover its secrets. Capable of changing reality with a flick of their fingers and a whisper of their voice, those willing to apply themselves to the great task of divining the Weave are rewarded greatly with power beyond their wildest dreams. With the surge of literature and the ease of accessing it, the study of the arcane has never been more widespread and honed. So respected is the art these days, that entire economies and national GDPs depend upon the flow of magical power throughout their cities.

A wizard in this day and age theoretically has plenty of opportunity to grow and prosper within Phaelithas. For one, their services are demand ever more often, which only serves as a source of income and a chance to improve upon one's skills, and books are much more cheaper and more widespread due to the ability to print them out easily, alongside any spell equations within. Moreover, education organizations have better systems to successfully teach their students and apply their spells to efficient use before and after graduation. However, most wizards face financial struggles and financial debt, unless they come from aristocracy or other means of wealth in the first place. Regulations for ethics on magical learning and experimentation exist only in the case of war and not peacetime, and even those can be overridden through the use of emergency powers.

A wizard in Phaelithas could be a necromancer prowling ancient battlefields in search of the manpower necessary to break into a vault of important artifacts, hellbent on procuring more and more power in a world which encourages this raucousness. Furthermore, one could also be a reject from every academy they've applied to, forced to learn magics on their own through dangerous and isolated experimentation and practice. With a subclass, a School of Conjuration wizard could be searching for the ultimate spell that would save the world, come the sun's prophesied death.

Scholarly and typically proper and well kempt, a wizard is treated amiably in society. Their trade is romanticized by many, even though most people still fear impulsive and irresponsible use of magic, through literature and media. Young apprentice wizards are met with smiles and pats on the back, told their futures are bright and full of opportunity, while those experienced of their kind are given ample respect and awe.

Artificer

Artificers are the blood of the world, keeping the body and mind of the world alive through industrious effort. Not every inventor is an artificer, but every artificer is an inventor. In this Age of Invention, their services are regarded highly and jealously hoarded by all who can afford them. They gain their powers through the whimsical magic of Steamtech and other more mechanical interpretations of magic, using the right tool for the job in order to create feats of engineering similar to total magic.

An artificer could be a Court Technician, keeping the castle's inner workings up to shape, who had witnessed sabotage from within the court on accident and was casted out for such. Another example could simply be a shameful and sorrowful artificer, whose weapons costed the lives of thousands during the war. Bringing subclass into the mix could be a bitter Alchemist artificer, who was a field medic that couldn't save everyone during his tenure.

It perhaps does not need to be stated anymore that artificers are seen with the same awe and respect as a child would look towards a simple magician with. There is almost always an air of theatrics and unknown towards their inventions and works, even if that was never the intention, so many people are actually ignorant the goings on of an artificer's works.

Chapter Six: Homebrew

Duskkin

The antithesis to the dawnkin, but also their equal. Individualists by heart, although never truly lone wolves, the duskkin like to become powerful on their own merit. Whereas the dawnkin were the bulwark of the forces made to fight against The Blights, essentially seen as paragons of virtue and heroism, the duskkin were made to help combat The Blights alongside the dawnkin as their squires. Though Shimmer, goddess of the moon and creator deity of the duskkin, did not want her creations to be treated as such, she saw the threat of the blights as too great to try and deviate from any plans too greatly; especially if they had the backing of her trusted sister.

The duskkin have been known to show resentment the intent of their creation, but heed their creator deity as she teaches them to be their own people. Their resentment can be felt when a duskkin interacts and speaks with a dawnkin, nothing to where its full on violent conflict but a hidden anger and jealously can swell up within even the most calm of duskkin. Since, symbolically, the sun reflects off of moon, and the moon's light and allure are a product of the sun's work, they are seen as the "sidekicks" of the Dawnkin's stories. Whereas a dawnkin is collected and orderly, a duskkin is boisterous and emotional, carrying powerful voices and demeanors that show off their immense force of personality.

Duskkin Traits

Duskkin often seek to make themselves the best version of what they can be, and they are keen to show off their unique skills. Your Duskkin has these traits.

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

Age. Duskkin mature at around 25 years of age, but can live up to be around 200 years of age.

Alignment. Its more of a cultural inclination to seek one's own glory, rather than an inherent racial quality, egged on by the Dawnkin's arrogance and inclination to steal their rightful glory. Henceforth, its a common personal choice to be a chaotic force of good for Duskkin.

Size. Duskkin reach around human height, if not a little taller and bulkier, with the tallest of their kind reaching to about 7 feet and averaging about 220 pounds. Your size is medium.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60ft 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.

Lightless Pursuit. When obscured by total darkness, you gain an extra d4 bonus to add to all Dexterity (Stealth) checks to remain hidden and out of sight.

Forceful Will. You have advantage on saving throws against being banished, charmed, or possessed.

Subclasses

Here are listed homebrew subclasses which can be used within the confines of the setting. Oftentimes, such subclasses have a profound and inherent link with the world itself rather than being generalized, caution is to be taken if one wishes to use the subclasses provided in a different setting.

Tenets of Freedom

Given the chaotic nature of unbound freedom, the wording of such oaths are often entirely esoteric in nature and can be hard to pin down exactly what they mean, however here is the general confines of it.

Liberty. Mortal kind, from its ushering into the world, has been endowed undeniable rights to freedom and unfettered expression of self, however such freedoms cannot, must not, and should not prevent others from enjoying these inalienable rights themselves.

Egality. No mortal can come to express themselves should their culture, community, or ideology bind them. Wherever you walk, open the doors to freedom for others.

Breaker of Chains. Slavery is a cruel, unjust, and horribly savage aspect of many mortal empires, where the souls of the oppressed often live lives of unknowable toil. You must end this wherever you meet it.

Virtue of Expression. No soul is wise without the backdrop of experience to light the corners of their ambition, explore this world deeply, cherish your freedoms, and foster the hope that will burn out all tyranny.

Oath Spells

Paladin Level	Spells
3rd	Expeditious Retreat, Jump
5th	Spider Climb, Gust of Wind
9th	Haste, Fly
13th	Freedom of Movement, Dimension Door
17th	Passwall, Far Step

Channel Divinity

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

Unchained Speed. As a bonus action, you can use your Channel Divinity to imbue yourself with unfettered speed and agility. For the next minute, you can use your bonus action to take the dash action. This movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity nor does difficult terrain hinder your movement in any way.

Abjure the Tyrant. As an action, your present your holy symbol and speak words of pure profound defiance in the face of oppression and tyranny and each fiend, fey, aberration, and undead within 30ft of you that can hear you must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is turned for 1 minute or until it takes damage.

A creature turned in this way must spend its entire movement moving as far away from you as possible and cannot willingly move closer to you. It also cannot take reactions. For their action, it can use only the dash action or try to escape from an effect that keeps it from moving.

Aura of Sovereignty

Starting at 7th, you emit an aura that fills you and your companions near you with agility and an unbridled sense of independence. You and friendly creatures within 10 feet of you have advantage on saving throws against being Grappled, Restrained, Stunned, or Paralyzed. Additionally, enemies have disadvantage on opportunity attacks while within this aura.

Wings of Freedom

Beginning at 15th level, as a bonus action you can sprout wings from your back (which the player can describe in detail, should they wish) that grant you a flying speed equal to your walking speed. You can retract these wings as a bonus action.

Champion of the People

At 20th level, as an action you can emanate an aura of blissful winds. For 1 minute, you are immune to being Grappled, Stunned, Paralyzed, Restrained, and having your movement slowed in any way.

Whenever a creature makes an attack against you while within your aura, they must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, they must direct their attack to another creature of your choosing within their melee range or not at all. If a creature succeeds on their saving throw, they are immune to the effect for the next minute.

Oath of the Caldera

"How twisted are the vines of an untended vineyard. Just like the humble gardener, we too must shear off that which is twisted and baseless."

The Oath of the Caldera was designed to embody the demanding and downright abusive tenets of the holy order known as the Sinners of Sulfur. Every strike is made in anger; anger cultivated and grown in the face of of an unjust and unhappy life.

Few often survive long enough to bind themselves to this oath. The trials to truly being accepted into the order as an officially recognized paladin are fraught with danger meant to weed out the weak in will and body. Traditionally, most of their gear, such as weapons, armor, and holy symbols, are infused with the most holy of substances, sulfur. In recent times, many paladins of this oath were led by a grandmaster turned oathbreaker, who led them astray into purposeless violence. For this reason, many lead redemptive paths that will require of them to travel the lands to purge all manner of impurities.

Tenets of the Caldera

The Tenets of the Caldera are forged from century old traditions, running deeper than the first blood spilt into the earth. They prepare an acolyte spiritually, physically, and mentally for the path ahead of them and the burden they must uphold.

Sins of the Father. Those who take on this oath understand that they carry with them a great sin that permeates their blood, and that a life of endless toil and determination will be the only redemption they may find.

Pain is Virtue. Those beholden to great sins must repent through equally as great pain in order to cleanse the darkness in one's soul. Deviate not from suffering.

Anger is Power. Frustration and rage, should they properly be focused and applied, are tools of utmost importance in gathering the energy needed to bear the heavy burden of the sinner's path.

Martyrdom. Struggle through hell so others can strive in a heaven of your own making. Face the worst that this world has to offer and cleanse it. The impure are guilty of only one crime, that of their own existence.

Channel Divinity

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

Channel the Flame. You can use your Channel Divinity to focus one aspect of holy flame in particular, either its searing heat or its radiant cleansing. As a bonus action, for 10 minutes you may choose to convert any fire damage you may deal into radiant damage and any radiant damage you deal into fire damage for the purposes of bypassing resistances.

Cleanse the Impure. As an action you can use your Channel Divinity to cause a burst of holy fire, forcing all creatures within 30ft of you to make a Dexterity saving throw. A target that fails takes fire or radiant damage (your choice) equal to 5 times your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1) or half as much on a success. Undead, fiends, and aberrations have disadvantage on the saving throw.

Aura of Zeal

Starting at 7th level, you and friendly creatures within 10ft of you cannot be frightened while you are conscious. In addition, any undead, fiends, and aberrations ignite into flames when inside your aura. A creature ignited in this way takes radiant or fire damage (your choice) equal to half your proficiency bonus at the start of their turns and cannot extinguish themselves unless outside of your aura.

A creature cannot be ignited while you are charmed by it. You can also willingly choose to not ignite a creature if it would otherwise be.

When you reach 18th level in this class, the aura affects creatures within 30 feet of you.

Spirit of Pain

At 15th level, the essence of violence and pain come under your control. Whenever a creature has taken fire or radiant damage before the end of your next turn, your attacks against them can score a critical hit on a 19 or a 20.

Child of the Caldera

At 20th level, you've finally become one with the Holy Caldera and the essence of fire itself. You can use your action to gain the benefits below.

• You have immunity to radiant and fire damage.

• You have advantage on Constitution saving throws, as do allies within 30ft of you

• When any hostile creature enters your Aura of Zeal for the first time since activating this feature, they immediately take 20 fire or radiant damage.

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

Ironclad

"We ain't living by no code, but to turn suffering into strength is purpose enough."

The Ironclads were a mercenary company who fought only for coin and ego, who became popular during the Dominance Wars. Traditionally, they donned themselves head to toe in heavy duty plate armor, and were known for being steadfast and incredibly stubborn in the face of overwhelming odds. Even with the company having gone into hiding and seemingly disbanded in recent years, their training regimen and technique remains.

Hidden Stores

At 10th level, you gain an additional 3 extra fighter hit dice added to your hit die pool. In addition, whenever using your Honed Technique feature, you gain temporary hit points equal to 1d6 + your Constitution modifier.

Enhanced Vitality

At 15th level, your hit dice turn into d12s and you gain an additional 20 hit points. In addition, you regain all hit dice back on a long rest instead of half.

Sufferer's Strength

At 18th level, whenever you suffer a critical hit you can choose to add half of the damage taken from that attack on your next attack whenever you hit. If you choose not to, the extra damage is wasted.

Hedge Knight

"Loyalty has gotten fine men and woman killed in the name of lesser kings. To be disloyal is to live."

Hedge knights are knights without masters, having casted off their bonds and given up on their chivalric code and noble title in favor of a scoundrel's life. Dirty fighting, reckless close combat, and brutal wrestling make up a hedge knight's battle style, engineered to give them every advantage possible at the cost of grace and fairness.

Making Do

At 10th level, you are able to pack a punch with any weapon, so long as its designed to be one.

To you, any weapon that you are proficient with that deals damage equal to 1d4 or 1d6 now deals 1d8 damage of the same type it originally had. A weapon used in this way no longer has the Light or Finesse properties if they had them, as you are using the weapon outside its intended purposes. You can choose to forgo this feature whenever you want and use the weapon as normal.

In addition, anytime you roll a 1 for damage with a weapon that deals damage equal to 1d8 or 1d12 your 1 is replaced with a 2. This feature doesn't get rid of your ability to reroll the die if a feature you have allows you to do so.

Path of the Rust Taken

"Your flesh will be overcome, your guts will surrender unto it, your blood will rot and turn, yet you must never let it take your mind."

Barbarians of this path are not followers of some primal code or adherents to rage alone, but more or less victims trying to make the best of an awful situation. These individuals race against time as their bodies slowly succumb to a terminal illness known widely as the "Rusting Rot." Making do with what time they have left, they turn their suffering and pain into raw strength. Ironically gaining momentary bouts of superhuman strength from their symptoms, which does not come without its own painful ends.

Sturdy Shell

Beginning at 14th level, your body has become deformed by injury and wrought mostly into metal and rust, bearing you invulnerability at the expense of comfort and fine mobility. While raging, when you suffer a critical hit you can use your reaction to turn that into a normal hit.

The Rusting Rot

Usually enchanted gear is made to never rust, yet when haphazardly enchanted or made improperly usually they succumb to the elements either way. Only then is it the breeding ground for this disease. Scavengers, smiths, or engineers who cut themselves upon these weapons oftentimes come to be afflicted with the Rusting Rot.

Symptoms of those afflicted range from having aching joints which lose range of motion and flexibility as the disease progresses to outright having their skin partly transmute into rusted iron. What organic skin is left becomes dried, itchy, and painful, and the person's internal organs begin to slowly rot. Another interesting aspect of the disease is its ability to slowly shift metal gear and attire that the afflicted wears on their person as weeks pass by. Warriors afflicted with the disease have been known to become entombed in their rusted armor.

Path of the Red Tide

"Enough battles. Give me a war within myself that will either kill me or SET. ME. FREE!"

The Red Tide and its warlord, Najaat el-Ahmadi, plagued the world of Phaelithas with its madness and war-driven violence in a not so distant past. Many of the members of the Red Tide itself still remain; remaining as imprisoned war criminals, brigands, regretful old souls, and warriors without remorse.

Barbarians of this path are almost always the old remnants of the Red Tide, having intensive training and extensive experience in their bloody trade and borne from the ideals of "survival of the fittest". Whether they had sought out to join the Red Tide out of foolish or criminal intent matters little, as this path has molded them into a dreadful conquerer left without direction in a new age of peace.

Soul Domain

"What does a god know what it means to be mortal? Our sight is limited, and we thrive for it. We walk the path, see the sights, endure the hardships; the gods already see the end without taking a single step. In their infinite wisdom, they cannot grow."

The Soul Domain embodies the driving force of all mortal beings and the life force which animates and forms the consciousnesses of all living beings. The immortal soul. Being a mortal concept, the Soul Domain contains no deities, it is a path where mortals are graced only be glimmers of light to guide their way.

Clerics of the Soul Domain strive to understand all pathways available to the immortal soul. Mostly believing in some form of reincarnation or reinstitution of the soul after death, those of this path see life and the lives lived as endless tests to evolve the soul and see how it changes in each lifetime. For a person to take themselves upon this domain means to attempt to end the cycle of reincarnation, seeing their immortal soul worthy of eternal rest.

An Undying Soul

At 17th level, your immortal soul shines with the light of a thousand lives lived. You gain the following benefits:

• You gain immunity to necrotic damage
• You gain advantage on all saving throws against spells and effects that give the Paralyzed, Stunned, Frightened, Poisoned, or Charmed conditions.

Circle of the Bleeding Stem

Blighted Souls

This continued content of Subclasses are ones carrying themes of The Three Blights, and as such deserve their own separate subsection. All information about The Three Blights is found in Chapter Two: The Three Blights which is located on pg 6.

Tenets of the Hollow

Despite its alien origins, the host and paladin act as one and understand each other's soul; this means that the tenets of their oaths to each other are clear and concise. All of them are commitments to strengthening the bond between host and paladin.

Philia. A deep romantic bond for one's host is all well and good enough, but true lasting love must be between two companions of great friendship and interest in each other.

Ludus. Enriching the soul of one enriches the soul of their partner equally. This world, and the worlds beyond, is full of experiences yet to be rediscovered or repeated anew with one's host. A playful soul remains youthful until death.

Pragma. Even the greatest of fires flicker out, but the ashes remain to prove of its continued existence elsewhere. The same is as with love of all kinds, where passion will fade yet the bond remains stronger than ever. Remember to always keep your host by your side, even in the darkest of days.

Eros. A love to get lost in is a love that is fiery and passionate as it is dangerous and self destructive. You must know how far is too far. Let even your most darkest desires be curbed by the mere thought of your partner.

Agape. One only gets what they otherwise put into the world. The love from your partner is conjured only from what you allow yourself to feel.

Oath Spells

Paladin Level	Spells
3rd	Arms of Hadar, Sanctuary
5th	Calm Emotions, Silence
9th	Blink, Spirit Guardians
13th	Black Tentacles, Sickening Radiance (XGE)
17th	Contact Other Plane, Telekinesis

Channel Divinity

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

Lover's Bond As an action, you can present your symbol and extend your host's will to all creatures that you choose within 30ft. They must make a Wisdom saving throw or be frightened or charmed by you (your choice) for 1 minute or until it takes damage.

Eldritch Confession. As an action, you profess your truly alien and eldritch love for all to hear and cause their senses to overload and temporarily shutdown. Each creature of your choice within 30ft, that can hear you, must make an Intelligence saving throw or become restrained and stunned until the end of your next turn.

Aura of Union

Starting at 7th, you and friendly creatures within 10ft gain temporary hit points equal to 2 times however many friendly creatures are in your aura at the start of each of your turns while you are conscious.

Eldritch Spirit

Starting at 15th level, your soul begins to interfuse with the energies of your host's form which then lash out as soon as your mortal shell begins to break. You deal psychic damage equal to 1d6 + your charisma modifier to the nearest hostile creature within 15ft if you end your turn in combat with fewer than half of your hit points remaining and you aren't incapacitated.

Hollow Angel

At 20th level, you and your host become as one, unified in both marriage and soul. Your soul is forever changed, and so is theirs.

As an action, you can present this unity in its fullest and transform into a hybrid creature. Your physical appearance might take on some features synonymous towards other creatures of the Hollow, such as bearing multiple glowing eyes, runes carved into your flesh that carry text in both Celestial and Deep Speech, small nonfunctional wings sprouting from irregular places, or blackened eyes which drip with an ebony ichor. You gain the following benefits.

• You gain a flying speed equal to 30ft
• You have immunity to psychic damage, the charm condition, and the frightened condition.
• For 1 minute, bright light shines from you in a 25ft radius. This light casts no shadow and ends abruptly at the end of its range. This light can penetrate most barriers, but can't penetrate a thin sheet of lead.

The Seraphim

"Imagine, for a moment, an ant comes to ascertain humanity. It suffers love and endures hatred, feels happiness and comes to know sadness. Then all at once, these once unknowable feelings come to fade, never again to be replicated or reached. How far do you think that ant would go, how mad it would be driven to feel those alien whims once more?"

Those who consign themselves to pacts with creatures from the Hollow are more victims than opportunists or clever schemers. They are those who have come into intimate contact with The Hollow, either having been a possessed host for a time, being exposed to their foul energies, or being chosen by an especially powerful one as a puppet.

They have been graced by Hollow emotion, an alien feeling mortals cannot replicate, and crave for more. As such, they practice and attune themselves to the esoteric arts and mutative anatomy of The Hollow. Such study brings them ever closer to their patrons and masters, powerful Hollow monarchs known as The Seraphim.

A New Church

At 10th level, you become a beacon of your patron's ambitions and purifying influence in the Material World.

Purified Serf

Medium Aberration, Lawful Evil

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• Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
• Hit Points 32 (5d8 + 10)
• Speed 30 ft.

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STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
15 (+2)	13 (+1)	14 (+2)	3 (-4)	3 (-4)	1 (-5)

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• Damage Resistances cold, fire, acid, thunder, lightning, poison, psychic, and slashing, bludgeoning, and piercing from nonmagical attacks
• Condition Immunities charmed, stunned, exhaustion, poisoned
• Senses passive Perception 6
• Languages Can understand celestial and deep speech but cannot speak

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Cleansing Fervor. Whenever the purified serf slays a creature, they can use their reaction to recreate the slain creature's body into a Purified Serf, Purified Layman, or Purified Acolyte (its choice).

Actions

Multiattack. The purified serf makes two slam attacks

Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (2d6 + 2) bludgeoning damage.

Hollow Radiance (Recharge 8). As an action, the purified serf can break open its outer shell and unleash powerful radiation in a 15ft cone. All creatures in that range must make a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or take 4d4 radiant damage or half as much on a successful save.

Purified Layman

Medium Aberration, Lawful Evil

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• Armor Class 12
• Hit Points 26 (4d8 + 8)
• Speed 30 ft.

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STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
13 (+1)	14 (+2)	14 (+2)	13 (+1)	12 (+1)	11 (+0)

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• Damage Resistances poison, psychic
• Condition Immunities charmed, stunned, exhaustion, poisoned
• Senses passive Perception 11
• Languages Can understand celestial and deep speech but cannot speak

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Cleansing Fervor. Whenever the purified layman slays a creature, they can use their reaction to recreate the slain creature's body into a Purified Serf, Purified Layman, or Purified Acolyte (its choice).

Forced Balance. The purified layman cannot be forced to or willingly roll at disadvantage or advantage by any magical or mundane effect. In addition, if the purified layman deals damage to any creature, other than itself, that is below half its maximum hit points, it instead heals the target for the amount of damage rolled, unless they are unconscious.

Actions

Quarterstaff. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) bludgeoning damage, or 5 (1d8 + 1) bludgeoning damage if used with two hands to make a melee attack.

Reactions

Incite Balance. Whenever a creature makes an attack roll, saving throw, or ability check at advantage or disadvantage within 30ft, the purified layman can use its reaction to force the creature to roll as normal.

Purified Acolyte

Medium Aberration, Lawful Evil

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• Armor Class 9
• Hit Points 12 (8d8 – 24)
• Speed 30 ft. (hover)

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STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
1 (-5)	3 (-4)	4 (-3)	17 (+3)	15 (+2)	16 (+3)

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• Saving Throws Cha +5, Int +5, Wis +4
• Damage Resistances poison, psychic
• Condition Immunities charmed, stunned, exhaustion, poisoned
• Senses darkvision 30ft., passive Perception 12
• Languages Can understand celestial and deep speech but cannot speak

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Cleansing Fervor. Whenever the purified acolyte slays a creature, they can use their reaction to recreate the slain creature's body into a Purified Serf, Purified Layman, or Purified Acolyte (its choice).

Spellcasting. The purified acolyte is a 5th-level spellcaster. The purified acolyte's spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 13, +5 to hit with spell attacks). The purified acolyte has the following cleric spells prepared:

Cantrip (at will): guidance, toll the dead, word of radiance, resistance

1st level (4 slots): bless, bane, cure wounds, protection from evil and good

2nd level (3 slots): hold person, spiritual weapon

3rd level (2 slots): bestow curse, animate dead

Actions

Hollow Radiance. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 90/120 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (2d8 + 3) radiant damage.

Throne Regent

At 14th level, you have begun the final steps towards ascending to a Hollow-like state. Using an action, you can transform into alien form and gain the following benefits for a minute:

• You no longer suffer the detrimental effect to your saving throws when cursing a creature with your Hex of Hollows feature
• Your creature type changes to an aberration

In addition, you can pick one additional Eldritch Invocation option when you reach this level.

Circle of the World's Disease

"The difference between parasitism and mutualism lays not in the consent of each creature, but whether or not a practical benefit is found from both parties. When faced with this Blight, we can choose to be victims or partners."

The Hunger is a dark and parasitical side of nature, but a part of nature nonetheless; its mysterious and malicious origins notwithstanding. Though many druids of both dark and light natures may both be mutually appalled by its existence, there are some souls who see opportunity in the chaos that the First Blight leaves in its wake. These druids come to form a clandestine organization known to outsiders as the Circle of the World's Disease.

A druid from within this circle can either be an insane opportunist who has abandoned most of their traditional teachings or a grim scholar dealing with a necessary evil for the betterment of their ideal world; that ideal world being one without the First Blight.

Grim Roots

When you pick this circle at 2nd level, you can use your bonus action to expend a use of your Wild Shape feature and ingrain yourself into the ground with writhing roots for 10 minutes. These roots grow outwards from you for 20 feet, creatures you choose use 15 feet of movement for every 5 feet they move. While in this state, you gain the following effects:

• You cannot willingly move outside the circle of roots, but can move anywhere inside it. Being teleported or forced to move outside of this circle causes this feature to end and the roots to wilt and wither away.
• At the start of every round, while conscious you gain temporary hit points equal to your Wisdom modifier + half your Druid level.
• Creatures who treat the circle of roots as difficult terrain take slashing damage equal to your proficiency modifier upon entering and leaving the circle.

Acolyte of the Parasite

At 2nd level, whenever you deal damage to a creature that isn't a construct, you can use your reaction and deal extra damage equal to one of the target's hit dice and heal another creature of your choice, including yourself, within 60 feet of you for the amount of extra damage dealt.

The Ravenous Plagues

At 6th level, the First Blight's influence has gifted you control over a selection of diseases that it has engineered specifically to your needs. At the end of every long rest, you can choose two of the following features:

Lockjoint. Using a bonus action, you can target a creature and their joints and torso to swell excessively. A creature under this effect moves at half their original speed and has disadvantage on Constitution saving throws meant to maintain concentration on a spell for the next minute. This effect lasts as long as you maintain concentration, as if you were maintaining concentration on a spell.

Bloatpox. Using an action, you can force a creature to make a Constitution saving throw or grow painful pus filled cysts which burst and deal 1d8 extra acid damage to whenever the affected creature next takes slashing, piercing, or bludgeoning damage for the next minute. On a success, the target becomes immune to this feature for the next 24 hours.

Cordyceps' Mimic. Whenever a creature within 20 feet of you targets you with an attack, you may use your reaction to infect them with spores and force them to attack another creature (that isn't itself) of your choice.

Gut-wyrms. Using an action, you can infect a creature with tiny wyrms for the next minute or until the creature next receives magical healing. For the duration of the effect, the target cannot eat or drink. If the creature dies while infected, the wyrms burst forth from the body and devour it entirely, leaving nothing behind but its gear.

Bursting Jitters. Whenever a creature dies within 30ft of you, you can use your reaction to cause its body to momentarily shake and swell until it explodes in a spray of acidic bile and bone shards. Each creature within 10ft of the corpse must make a Dexterity saving throw and take 2d4 acid damage and 2d4 piercing damage or half as much on a success.

You can use this feature as many times equal to your proficiency modifier. Also, a creature that is immune to disease is similarly immune to all of these features.

In addition, you also gain resistance to poison damage and become immune to disease.

Spreading Pestilence

Starting at 10th level, whenever you expend a use of your Wild Shape feature the circle of roots that grows around you reaches to 30 feet instead of 20 feet. Also, whenever a creature makes an attack roll while within your circle of roots, you can use your reaction in order to impose disadvantage on that roll.

In addition, whenever you would have contracted a disease you can choose to store it and use an action to touch a creature and transfer any one stored disease to them. You may store up to as many different diseases equal to your Constitution modifier in this way. When transferring a disease in this way, you must take a long rest before doing it again.

One Which Hungers

At 14th level, your body has come to form a symbiotic relationship with the scourge influence within you. Once per long rest, using an action or spending an entire minute uninterrupted, you can choose to consume the corpse of a Medium or smaller creature that has died within the last 10 minutes. If you use this feature using an action, you regain hit points equal to 3 of the creature's hit dice. If you use this feature over an entire minute, you instead restore hp equal to half that creature's total hit points. Whenever you consume a corpse in this way, you no longer require sustenance for the next 1d4 days.

In addition, you regain double the amount of hit points when consuming magical foodstuffs such as potions of healing or a morsel provided by the goodberry spell.

Scourge Hand

"Every rose has its thorns, which is all fine and dandy. The Hunger, on the other hand, is packing an entire armies worth of ordinance. Remember that, next time you call it just 'another plant."

Rangers of this conclave walk the most of lines, as they spend their entire careers navigating the ever shifting and utterly dangerous Hunger-ridden lands. Blazing paths through its mired terrain and chasing off the predatory denizens from within, all in the name of protecting the innocents who have had their homes consumed or entrapped within the First Blight's influence.