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| | You may also ask for any information, and based on situation or skill checks that info will/or will not be placed on this page. | | You may also ask for any information, and based on situation or skill checks that info will/or will not be placed on this page. |
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| − | '''You WILL abide by the [[LAWS OF SHADOW]]'''
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| − |
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| − | '''This is your [[Daily Life Under the Shadow]]'''
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| | ==THINGS== | | ==THINGS== |
| − | ===Pathwalkers===
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| − | There is a cry across the shattered land of Eredane, one that cannot be heard by mortal ears. The spirits of the land itself are wracked by the pain of Izrador’s triumph and by the vampiric lust with which he drains the magic from the world. Some say that Aryth herself is responding to the Shadow’s rape of all life and energy. She cannot do so directly, they say, and she has therefore chosen messengers, warriors and champions of her cause. <br> Others suggest that these adventurers simply come to the forefront via fate, luck, or determination. These have the blood of angels and devils in their veins or can trace their ancestry to giants, lycanthropes, or any number of other magical creatures. It is only natural, these storytellers say, that such exceptional folk will come to the forefront of the fight against the Shadow. <br> Regardless of the source of these powers, each person follows her own path, one determined by the unique expression of her abilities. Some may choose to follow their destinies, while others will deny the gifts they have been given. However, these are not professions, religions, or skills . . . <br> they are part of who the character is. It is these powers, and the choices and responsibilities that come with them, that set the PCs apart from all of the other individuals in the world of MIDNIGHT. And it is those choices and responsibilities that define the PCs, for good or ill, as heroes. <br> Heroic paths are one of the few edges that characters in MIDNIGHT have, but it is a potent one. Some hone their skills to best utilize their path; for instance, someone born to the naturefriend heroic path is quite likely to find himself becoming a wildlander. On the other hand, some heroic paths can have surprising effects on a character; the most peaceful channeler may suddenly find herself directing seasoned warriors in combat.
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| − | ====Pathwalker: Seers====
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| − | Seers are gifted with second sight, an ancient and mysterious
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| − | gift. Visions come to them in their sleep, as they fill
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| − | their canteens in clear, reflective pools, and in self-induced
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| − | trances. Seer characters are often introspective, searching
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| − | always within themselves for the answers they cannot glean
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| − | from their visions. <br> '''Sight''': The seer can divine information from
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| − | an object, place, or person that she is touching.
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| − |
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| − | ===Aradil’s Eye===
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| − | The Witch Queen of Erethor watches over the face of
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| − | Eredane from her scrying chambers in the heart of the Arbor.
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| − | With the war against Izrador closing in around her, even the
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| − | queen’s legendary powers have been taxed, and she has been
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| − | forced to rely on more mundane methods to gather information.
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| − | This has led to the creation of Aradil’s Eyes, an elite
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| − | organization of elven trackers and spies who can go to all
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| − | corners of Eredane in search of information about the Night
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| − | Kings and their forces.
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| − |
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| − | ===Elven Raiders===
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| − | Driven back into the dark shadows of their forests, the
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| − | elves have suffered grievously under the iron fist of Izrador.
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| − | Most hated of all the Shadow’s enemies, the elves have battled
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| − | valiantly against a rising tide of darkness. Though their
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| − | numbers are limited and their options few, the elves never
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| − | hesitate in the battle against the darkness.
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| − | Trained to haunt the wilderness with stealth and deadly
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| − | accuracy with their bows, the elven raiders patrol the borders
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| − | of the elven forests, constantly searching for the agents of
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| − | Izrador. When they need supplies or equipment they cannot
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| − | get for themselves in the forest, the raiders steal forth to
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| − | attack the goblin and orc encampments, laying waste to their
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| − | hated enemies and stealing what they can before fading back
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| − | into the wilds.
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| − |
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| − |
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| | ===A Soldier's Knowledge=== | | ===A Soldier's Knowledge=== |
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| | dark Aruun; the fell demons of that place fight on Izrador’s | | dark Aruun; the fell demons of that place fight on Izrador’s |
| | behalf without the dark god having to expend a single soldier. | | behalf without the dark god having to expend a single soldier. |
| − |
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| − |
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| − |
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| − | ====Gnomes====
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| − | The gnomes are a clever and resourceful race. Though
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| − | it is well known that they share ancient kin with the dwarves,
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| − | even the Kurgun do not like to claim responsibility for the lineage.
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| − | Gnomes are barely taller than halflings, with only a
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| − | slightly stouter build. They are bronze skinned but pale eyed,
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| − | with jet black hair that they keep short as they are constantly
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| − | in and out of the water.
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| − | Gnomish culture and history are characterized by their
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| − | adaptable nature. Their nimble outlook on life allowed them
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| − | to first move from mountain life to that of the coastal hills of
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| − | the Ebon Sea, and from there to become adroit seafarers and
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| − | river runners. Though forced to flee before the onslaught of
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| − | the Dornish invasions, their solicitous demeanors and mercenary
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| − | hearts allowed them to return to their conquerors bearing
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| − | little ill will and offering their services as merchants and
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| − | guides. The gnomes even welcomed the Sarcosans, knowing
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| − | that they could stand to make a profit as the newcomers’
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| − | liaisons to the fey.
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| − | Through all these years and new trading partners, the
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| − | gnomes always knew that their conquerors longed only for
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| − | land and goods. With the coming of Izrador, this is not the
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| − | case. They cannot fool themselves into believing that the orcs
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| − | and their dark god will be content to let the survivors of the
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| − | wars live their lives in peace; whatever the eventual goals of
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| − | the Shadow, the gnomes know that Eredane cannot survive
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| − | the heavy-plated burden of his orcs and the dark mantle of his
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| − | legates. But the river fey’s strength was not in war. So, as
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| − | always, they bowed before their new masters and offered to
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| − | serve.
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| − | Or so it seemed.
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| − | Though the race has been subjugated along with the
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| − | halflings, gnomes continue to enjoy a sort of freedom. Even
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| − | the forces of the Shadow need to transport cargo and soldiers,
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| − | and the river barges of the gnomes suit this purpose well. The
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| − | orcs and legates suffer the existence of the gnome barges so
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| − | long as they move only cargoes in Izrador’s name, while the
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| − | traitor princes and the false sussars give them free reign so
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| − | long as they receive the first pick of choice goods from afar.
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| − | Most other races see the cost of this semi-freedom as
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| − | the worst kind of enemy collaboration. What few realize is
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| − | that the gnomes fight the dark god in their own way: as consummate
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| − | spies and smugglers. It is their secret trade that
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| − | keeps weapons, magic, and information flowing among the
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| − | free races of Eredane.
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| − | Gnomes wear loose pants and garish vests marked with
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| − | the trader seal of their family. Rafters carry sharp daggers
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| − | hidden in their belts and use small crossbows to spear pike or to protect their crews from hungry river eels. When they get
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| − | the odd chance to turn their crossbows on the occasional orc,
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| − | the weapons prove both stealthy and lethal.
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| − |
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| − | ====Halflings====
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| − | Halflings are a race of tiny folk that some believe
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| − | descended from the Danisil lineage of southern elvenkind.
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| − | They call themselves the Dunni, or “the people” in their own
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| − | tongue. They are almost as dark skinned as the Danisil, with
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| − | the same coarse hair worn in small, intricate braids that mark
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| − | their tribal membership. Their eyes range from common
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| − | black to dark brown and green.
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| − | Where still free-living, the nomadic tribes dwell on the
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| − | open plains in large hide tents they share with their extended
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| − | families. The farming families have almost been wiped out by
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| − | the advance of the Shadow, but a few groups still remain
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| − | along the southeastern margins of Erethor. They dwell in
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| − | cozy sod villages kept alive through their exceptional horticultural
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| − | skills and the watchful presence of their wogren
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| − | companions.
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| − | Halflings wear durable clothes of leather and fine, intricately
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| − | woven wool. Sadly, most halflings now live in slavery,
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| − | captured and forced to work in the occupied cites or military
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| − | camps of Izrador’s armies. The free-living feed on their livestock
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| − | and crops, while the enthralled survive off what scraps
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| − | they can scrounge, beg, or steal. The halfling weapon of
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| − | choice is the spear, with which they protect their flocks, hunt
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| − | wild boar, and skewer the occasional orc.
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| − |
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| − | ====Orcs====
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| − | The '''odrendor''', or orcs as the men and fey of Aryth call
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| − | them, are an abominable race created by the black will of
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| − | Izrador. Though scholars only suspect it and every dwarf
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| − | would savagely deny it, orcs and the dwarves share a common
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| − | elder fey lineage. In the prehistory of the Kaladrun
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| − | Mountains, a large clan of the elthedar was exiled by their kin
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| − | and found succor in the embrace of the Shadow in the North.
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| − | In the eons that followed, they were corrupted to Izrador’s
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| − | cause and transformed into the foul beings they have become.
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| − | Orcs are huge creatures, sometimes twice the size of
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| − | their dwarf ancestors and bigger even than the Dorns. They
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| − | are heavily muscled, with broad builds and powerful limbs.
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| − | Their thick hides are tough and range from light stony gray to
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| − | coal black. Their hair is tawny and manelike, growing over
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| − | their heads, along their spines, and down their chests to their
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| − | groins. Their large black eyes are hooded and protected by
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| − | thick, bony brows. Their jaws are large and strong, with tusklike
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| − | lower canines. Orcs are impressive creatures and even
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| − | beautiful in a way that only fearsome predators can be.
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| − | In the lands of the far north, orcs still live in deep
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| − | mountain caves and rough-hewn, underground warrens.
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| − | There they are directed by and pay homage to orc priestesses,
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| − | the kurasatch udareen, “the mother-wives of Izrador.” They
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| − | consume anything edible, including their own dead, but get
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| − | most of their food from hunting the surface lands at night or
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| − | by raiding their enemies. Immune to all but the coldest
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| − | weather, orcs seldom wear more than weapon belts and
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| − | armor. In conquered Erenland, orcs have taken over human
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| − | cities, turning large buildings into meeting halls, communal
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| − | barracks, and storage depots. They feed and resupply from
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| − | the tribute they demand of their human subjects and relish the
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| − | occasional meal of human or halfling flesh.
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| − | Orc forces are garrisoned in cites throughout Erenland,
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| − | and orc armies war with the elves in the west and the dwarves
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| − | in the east. Large orc patrols range across the heartland, subjugating
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| − | their human thralls and hunting spies, smugglers,
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| − | and insurgents. In short, they are the enemies of all other people
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| − | of Eredane.
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| − | Occasionally, as rare an event as an eclipse or a comet,
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| − | an orc’s mind will expand enough to present a glimmer of an
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| − | idea: that there are other options. No one knows what allows
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| − | an orc to move past his base instincts to slaughter and serve.
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| − | Some may feel a particular hatred toward their oruk captains
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| − | or the legates they must serve. Others are shocked and confused
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| − | upon witnessing acts of kindness by other races. Some
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| − | are simply desperate criminals among their own people. In
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| − | any case, these orcs most often have little choice but to obey
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| − | their masters or suffer the same fate as those of the other races
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| − | who resist Izrador’s will. On some occasions, however, these
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| − | orcs find themselves in the position to escape the army and to
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| − | try to make a new life elsewhere. Such orcs are often turned
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| − | in by citizens bent on revenge for the mistreatment of their
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| − | people, but sometimes these refugees are welcomed not only
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| − | for the muscle they provide but also for their skills in dealing
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| − | with others of their kind.
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| − | Orc warriors, whether servants of the Shadow or hunted
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| − | by their own kind, take great pride in their fighting
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| − | prowess. They make cuts along their arms for each foe they
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| − | kill in battle, with different shapes for the race of each victim.
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| − | The arms of warchiefs are usually covered in such marks
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| − | from hand to shoulder, and at least half the marks are for
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| − | killing other orcs. Orcs favor large spears they can both throw
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| − | and use as thrusting weapons. They also carry heavy iron
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| − | swords with blunt but serrated edges called vardatches. These
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| − | weapons are slow but brutal and so heavy that the smaller fey
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| − | races can hardly lift them.
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| − |
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| − | ==The Heavy Hand of the Shadow==
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| − | Erenland lies firmly under the hobnail boots of
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| − | Izrador’s orc legions and at the mercy of the dark god’s
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| − | priests, the Order of Shadow. Seemingly limitless numbers of
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| − | orcs and goblinkin have spewed forth from the frozen north
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| − | to occupy every major town and city, raping the land for the
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| − | supplies they need to continue the war against the fey.
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| − | Supporting this vast army are the traitor princes and false sussars,
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| − | petty nobles and administrators who have sold their
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| − | souls to the Shadow for privilege, as well as thousands of
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| − | human mercenaries who are willing to fight and enslave their
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| − | own people for a few scraps from the legates’ table.
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| − |
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| − | ===Servants of the Shadow===
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| − | ====The Night Kings====
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| − | Directing the occupation are Izrador’s lieutenants, the
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| − | four dread Night Kings, immortal creatures that were once
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| − | champions in the fight against the dark god.
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| − | =====Sword of Shadow=====
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| − | In the occupied
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| − | lands, the best known of the Night Kings is Jahzir, the Sword
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| − | of Shadow. Once the Lord General of all the armies of the
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| − | Kingdom of Erenland, Jahzir was captured and twisted by the
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| − | dark god, and now commands armies of darkness instead of
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| − | those of light. It was his knowledge and skill that allowed the
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| − | dark god’s hordes to slice through the already weakened
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| − | armies of good without breaking stride. He now commands
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| − | the loyalty of many of the largest orc tribes and has unquestioned
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| − | control of the orc legions. As the king of Erenland, he
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| − | has the authority to command the forces of the traitor princes
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| − | and can conscript troops from the enslaved population to
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| − | serve as fodder for elven arrows and dwarven axes. Militarily,
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| − | he is unchallenged by either the Order of Shadow or his fellow
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| − | Night Kings. He often rides abroad with his armies, but
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| − | also holds court from his palace in Alvedara and is known to
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| − | frequent Theros Obsidia; wherever he goes, however, he
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| − | seems to relish his control over the kingdom he helped to
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| − | destroy, and does all he can to bleed its shattered remnants to
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| − | feed his armies.
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| − | =====Sorcerer of Shadow=====
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| − | Possibly the most dangerous and least known of the
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| − | Night Kings is the Sorcerer of Shadow.
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| − | =====Priest of Shadow=====
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| − | Controlling the dark god’s legates is the Night King
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| − | known as the Priest of Shadow. This gaunt figure, once
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| − | believed to be a Sarcosan holy man, is responsible for the sacrifice
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| − | of tens of thousands to Izrador each year. He is reviled
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| − | in the Sarcosan south for turning the once vibrant city of
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| − | Cambrial into a vast necropolis. Rumors of his creations,
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| − | including creatures built from the remains of man and beast
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| − | and legions of undead soldiers marching to war, are told in
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| − | every town and village south of the Ardune.
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| − | =====Wrath of Shadow=====
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| − | The most savage and openly destructive of the Night
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| − | Kings is the mighty dragon known as the Wrath of Shadow.
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| − | Thankfully, this creature is rarely seen outside of Highwall or
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| − | above the battle lines of Erethor. Where she goes, destruction
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| − | follows, and few live to tell of her attacks. The fey call her the
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| − | '''Scar’garath, “doom of Erethor”''' in High Elven. The dragon is
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| − | the most powerful creature on Eredane and there is no hero
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| − | left alive who could withstand its terrible power.
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| − |
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| − |
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| − | ===The Order of Shadow===
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| − | Administering the occupation are the legates, also
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| − | known as the Voice of Izrador or the Order of Shadow. From
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| − | the dark tower of Theros Obsidia, the high priests of Izrador
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| − | issue orders to the greater legates scattered across Eredane.
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| − | These latter act as Izrador’s viceroys, spreading both his commandments
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| − | and his wrath. Each arc, the dark god demands
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| − | the sacrifice of hundreds of sentient beings, their blood and
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| − | souls flowing into the dark mirrors that reside within his temples.
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| − | It is known that these mirrors leach both the life force of
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| − | Aryth and any arcane magic that comes near them, but what
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| − | purpose these energies are bent toward has not been fathomed.
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| − | The Order has extended its tendrils to every facet of
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| − | the occupation and the ongoing war. In cities and towns
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| − | throughout Eredane the legates either rule directly or through
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| − | a closely controlled local noble or orc warlord. On a wider
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| − | scale they fight an unseen but deadly battle for control with
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| − | their supposed allies, the Night Kings and the traitor princes.
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| − | The legates’ power stems from their direct connection
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| − | to their dark god, the only deity on Aryth who still answers
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| − | his supplicants’ prayers. Only the Night Kings are more
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| − | closely connected to Izrador and as empowered to interpret
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| − | the god’s desires. Speaking with the dark god’s voice gives
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| − | the legates the authority to command his spawn, including the
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| − | orcs, oruk, and goblinkin. Izrador also grants his priests a portion
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| − | of his divinity in the form of divine spellcasting; that
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| − | tainted gift allows the legates the ability to crush spirits, break
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| − | bodies, and corrupt souls, turning the twisted remains of their
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| − | enemies to the service of the dark god. Many believe that a
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| − | legate can see into your soul in search of disloyal or treacherous
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| − | thoughts, so few are willing to meet a legate’s baleful
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| − | gaze.
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| − |
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| − | ===The Traitor Princes===
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| − | Completing the Shadow’s hierarchy within occupied
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| − | Eredane are the traitor princes, leaders of noble houses who
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| − | betrayed the Kingdom of Erenland and their own people for
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| − | an extended, though tainted, lifespan, as well as the power
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| − | over their fellow men that they’ve always coveted. Lesser in
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| − | stature but just as greedy and malevolent are the false sussars,
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| − | petty southern nobles and administrators of Sarcosan descent
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| − | who have become puppet rulers throughout Southern
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| − | Erenland. Both types of leaders command their own (largely
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| − | human) troops, establish their own laws, and conspire against
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| − | their peers for the Shadow’s favor. Izrador’s gift of long life
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| − | has heightened the character flaws of the traitor princes, leading
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| − | to dangerous forms of insanity and instability, while the
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| − | false sussars long for the dark gift whose cost they cannot
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| − | fathom. While the areas controlled by the traitors still retain
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| − | the veneer of civilization, they can be far more dangerous
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| − | than areas controlled by the legates or even the orcs.
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| − |
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| − |
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| − | ===Orc Warlords===
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| − | The legates and traitor princes rule in occupied territory,
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| − | generally what was once the kingdom of Erenland. Those
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| − | areas that were strongholds of the resistance or are closer to
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| − | the free realms of the fey, however, like the battle lines drawn
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| − | up against Erethor and the Kaladruns, are firmly under the
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| − | control of orc warlords. These regions are often devoid of
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| − | human settlements, and those who remain are as likely to
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| − | become food as they are to be slaves. Meanwhile, north of the
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| − | Pelluria in the decimated and thoroughly destroyed lands of
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| − | the Dorns, orc tribes have begun to migrate out of the Vale of
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| − | Tears to resettle in deserted towns and villages. Tens of thousands
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| − | of the creatures have settled in the hills around Fallport,
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| − | up and down the Ishensa River Valley, and throughout the
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| − | barren lands to the north and east of Highwall. The orcs consider
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| − | anyone in these lands to be their property to use or kill
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| − | as they see fit. If the migrations north of the Pelluria continue
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| − | apace, the orcs will soon outnumber the Dorns.
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| − | The power of the orc tribes continues to put pressure on
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| − | the traitor princes, who watch as the whispered promises of
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| − | Izrador fade away with each passing year. In the east, Gregor
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| − | Chander has been denied the rich farmlands of the lower
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| − | Ishensa River Valley that he had fought for in the Third Age.
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| − |
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| − | In Bastion, Chandering, Port Esben, and Steel Hill, the
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| − | princes are forced to house orc legions that “assist” them in
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| − | maintaining security. Tension between human and orc troops
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| − | is clearly visible and more than one human or orc patrol has
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| − | gone missing in areas devoid of resistance activity. Open warfare
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| − | between orcs and traitorous men has been avoided, however,
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| − | as the punishments from Theros Obsidia and the Night
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| − | Kings for such impudence would be swift and merciless. Orc
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| − | warlords and even traitor princes can, after all, be replaced.
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| − | However, those princes that survived the fall of the Shadow
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| − | and those orcs who have clawed their way to leadership are
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| − | not fools, and know well how to disguise their blows. The
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| − | Shadow allows the weak to be culled as long as it does not
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| − | detract from the war against the fey
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