Time of the Mists
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Background
The World
Based on Pegasia (Permission granted by Author). To give a scale, each 'rectangle' is 3000km (or 1600 'leagues') in length.
Pegasia with a 24 hour day, based on continents 4 & 5 (which have a great central sea with lots of convoluted coastline and plenty of desert) As this is fantasy based, not sciency, I shall apply a dose of Handwavium re the local ecology - there will be a mix of terran and other wildlife/ecosystems (based around the idea that, in the past, entire landscapes intermingled - it wasn't just some humans jumping through a gate).
The Desert Lands
The Folk
The People of the East, the Ullyarri of the many deserts, the Daughters of Mourn from the scree plains, the wild Archura and their horse, the Serpent riders of the deep wastes...every tribe, clan and nation that calls the deserts home.
Avekh -(The People)from the East of Jarulfs nomad folk. Check out the maps of continent 4/5 on the Planetocopia site - your folk are from roughly where the two ranges meet (on the desert side). Jarulfs nomads roam around the big 5 area down toward the small inland sea.
Ullyari - Former god worshippers who basically (and unwittingly) created their own 'daimons' as a product of their need to have a divine pantheon. They were civilized, but their culture fell apart due to internal stress/wars and lousy herding practices. The remnants became nomads. Their ancient cities can be found scattered along old river beds in the desert fringes.)Humans have a kinship with the big two of early domestication: horses and dogs.Ullyari ride horses. Hounds, however, are status symbols of the rich or working animals for herders.
They have a written tradition (odd for nomad types) alongside their oral one. Their seers value astrology. They are descendent from once civilised folk.Their religion is based around a truine of male gods, a three-in-one earth mother and various beast gods, two of whom are the horse and the hound. Daimon worshippers/traffickers are the ultimate evil and are killed in messy ways. They are not xenophobic, but distrust civilised folk. They follow the 'great seasons' moving from grassland to grassland on the desert fringes. Matrilineal, they have extended families and birth father is just an 'uncle'.
Directly related to the plot; their seers know how to predict when the walls between the worlds go 'thin' (an event that happens once every two generations or so) and, more importantly, where. Civilized folk from the great sea empires to the west and south try to hire your folk to lead them there when these happen. In turn, your tribes use these civilised fools as buffers in case more 'daimons' breach the world walls during these times.
Daughters of Mourn Human tribe where women are larger than men. They ride horned horses and worship the Moon, the Tree and the Fire.
Archura Human tribe to the South - Herders of various beasts depending on their range, they are golden skinned and large. Bow weilders and directly tied to different Taurean tribes.
Folk from the Mists
Ducks: have a couple of handy natural abilities:
- They can fight underwater at their normal weapon ability if their swimming skill is higher.(with the right weapon types - spears good, morningstars bad).
- They can hold their breath for a twice as long as a human.
- They use their full move when swimming.
- They have an ancient tie to concept of Death, in a spiritual/magical sense. Death cults give them odd respect.
Other info
The game will start to the south and west of the 5 on continent 5 of the Pegasia map, near the borders of the Lakesea.
Local ecologyis a mix of normal Earth, some of the Bestiary from RQ3, and local stuff, including, but not limited to:
-Six limbed warm blooded reptile types (ranging from lizardlike 'Runners' of various types to fullblown intelligent dragons.)
Draconics fill/compete in many biochains as apex predators.
-Marsupial types, also six limbed (directly related to Taurs, the six limbed intelligent group of races.)Many of these creatures are adapted to ground and another environment ( Air or gliding, water, ocean, forest canopy, etc). There are three intelligent species, all small.
-Octopodel intelligent species and animals, including megafauna.
- Treesquid Colony types Siz 0-3 (flying/floating) 2-6 (Swinging/climbing)Carnivore.
- Landwalker is one 'type' of creature from this group (Lesser, crested, black, etc) Generally Siz 1-3, omnivorous scavengers.
- Kraken, largely sea or water based. There is a megafauna offshoot that is land based (beware the Land Kraken of the deserts!!!)
- Waterleech. Parasitic octopodel types. Beast types leech blood, may take limited control. Intelligent ones 'possess' hosts.
-A lot of flier types. six limbed, generally.
Intelligent species include (locally)
- The Arahm (weird tall grey guys who haunt the desert, respected as teachers of the Wyse and Lawspeakers by the Sand Tribes.)
- The Ille (little folk like elves on PCP - quick, birdlike movements and thin drawn faces make these folk unappealing to humans. They delight in mockery and quandries of all types.)
- Khernu (six limbed pack predator descended types -
- Haebog & Goebler (green/brown bipeds, basically goblin types with brains. The two races loathe each other.)
- Taureans (omnivorous six limbed species - base shape as a centaur, but literally dozens of different types worldwide).
- There are windborn types as well, still nailing them.
Requests for other RQ races are fine, just lemme know and I'll consider. Broos and baboons are definitely in. Kveh, a large plated herbivore lizard that uses horse stats. It runs on its hind legs and instead of a 'trample' has 'ram' and instead of 'rear and plunge' it has 'tail lash'.
Hornbacks (four/six 'legged' marsupial beasts, low slung and squat but able to lift their forequarters and grasp trees/bushes with rudimentry forehands) are the Ullyari primary herdbeasts - they are walking supply beasts for essential items, bred for their meat, fur and constant offspring (carried in pouches from which they harvest their young roughly once a month). Their plated horny backs make utensils and reasonably good armour.
Many tribes herd specialist beasts as well, and Jarulfs lot have a native beast (a Guar - essentially a lanbound bird about as big as a half grown ostrich) that is prized for its oils (they can be groomed for small amounts or killed and rendered).
You know of others that herd goats for their wool and myalopes (essentially a warm blooded reptile kangaroo analogue - big ones, prone to short bursts of speed only) for their strong, flexible bones and hides.
Standard cattle are known nearer permanent water, prized for their tasty meat.
Magic
Wiseman, wycha, seer and sorceress, all initiated to the Arts by the Arahm.
There are several different forms of magic in this world. They are
Talent
The magic of expertise (“I can’t believe you did that…”)
Talent is based around skills. Sometimes, some people become so good at something that they can weave a little magic into it when they really need to.
Mechanics. Someone Talented has Pow invested in a skill or skills.
-Each skill ‘binds’ a point of Pow
Source: Achieve mastery in a skill, be exposed to a ‘moment of insight’. Traditions know how to create ‘moments of insight’. Effect: The character can sometimes ‘work a little magic’ with the skill. When wanted, the character can describe what specific effect they are going for. =This is measured up against the characters normal chance of accomplishing the effect and the skill rolled. The resultant difference is the cost in MP, measured in increments of 10%. There are added costs for special and critical only needed results and for ‘a touch of magic’ (see below).
[for instance, Nerhe the Huntsman desperately needs to take down a Leotaur that has surprised his camp and has his friends cornered. He takes aim, waits a round to take careful aim, and fires an arrow into the creatures eye…or that’s the magic he tries to work. Nerhe has 101% with the bow and is trying for an aimed shot. Aiming has taken his skill to 111%, however he is firing into bad light (-20) and is taking an aimed shot, which halves his skill. His chance is 46%. He rolls 90. Cost in MP is 5 + 1 for base effect. Nerhe was looking for an impale to mimic the effect of an arrow to the eye so adds +3MP to the cost, for a drain of 9MP. If he’d wanted a critical result to the head it would have cost +6MP on top of all other costs. As Nerhe has a Pow of 14, this would knock him out.]
‘A touch of magic’. Characters can place a part of themselves into an object associated with a skill. These ‘lucky’ objects are created through permanent POW investure.
Magic Tradition. Hedgewards, Alewives, Crones, cunning men, witches and warlocks practice these arts as a magical tradition. Other magic traditions often combine a limited form of Talent, often to quite specific skills. They know how to create the right ‘moments’ to inspire talent in a person. They frequently learn obscure/occult ‘skills’ and apply their talent to these, further enhancing these skills.
Runes.
Runes lie at the heart of all other magic in the Known World. It is said that there are other magics in other worlds, but this is only through heresay as these claimed magics fail once brought to the Known Worlds.
There are various ways in which the Runes interact with mortals:
- - Rune binding: The binding of a specific rune to a person. This allows access to certain abilities and magics and is often a requirement for other forms of magic.
- - Spirit magic: Basic spell effects, generally gained through spirit contact. Most spirit magic is associated with a number of runes (sometimes even contradictory ones) and may be cast by any ‘binder’ of that rune.
- - Runespells: Requiring greater sacrifice of POW and more directly tied to individual runes, Runespells form the base of many magical Traditions.
- - RuneArts: These are magical Arts that require, at their base, the binding of a certain rune (or combination of runes). Only people who have bound these runes can practice the Art. These are often very obscure and focussed magical traditions; High Alchemy, Summoning, Necromancy and Prophesy would all be RuneArts.
These methods of interacting with the runes are not exclusive, and many are tied together into magical Traditions.
Common Traditions amongst the Folk
- The Wyse: Known by many names (Shaman, Spiritmouth, Seers, Wysa or Wyca are a few), they are masters of spirit magic. They must bind the runes of Spirit and Mastery to practice their RuneArt - Spirit summoning. They often have specific Runespells that can be mastered, and many traditions for the opening of different Talents may be known, particularly for lore skills and healing.
- Cults: Tied to belief in god-like figures or groups (Pantheons). They practice runebinding to the gods runes (initiate status) and use forms of appropriate spirit magic. Their priests practice sacrifice to the god or gods for access to Runespells, often of a mythic nature. RuneArts vary by cult, but all have cult support at their base.
- Wizards: Folk with many Talents who have applied them to more magical skills.
Their RuneArt allows them to store away Pow to help with effects. They may also create more overt magic with their reserve.
The 36 Runes.
Form runes (9): These are the youngest runes - the Man (Folk) rune and Undead rune have actually been established in the world in living memory. They are known as the form runes because they exemplify the magical spirit of the living forms they represent.
- Beast
- Dragon
- Taur
- Chaos
- Law
- Man (Folk)
- Plant
- Spirit
- Undead
Elemental runes: (12)
- Air/Storm -Earth/Soil
- Darkness - Light
- Fire - Water
- Cold - Heat
- Moon - Shadow
- Metal - Light
Power runes: (12)
- Death - Fertility
- Disorder - Harmony
- Luck - Fate
- Illusion - Truth
- Motion - Stasis
- Communication - Trade
Condition runes: (3)
- Infinity
- Magic
- Mastery
Characters
Drwa Oh, Duck
Lost in a world he never made...
Ziegfried Carnstone
Knight of Marcrais and Galethrin.
Tamur e'Milek
Nomad Hunter of the Ullyari.
Horchke Aratuhne
Nine souled barbarian rider of the 'the people'.
