Sumatragori

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The Universe Urda, the world of man, exists between the heavens where the dead gods lie and the underworld where the demons spawned of the earth reside. The gods, inumereable and ranging greatly in size and power, exist unseen but not unfelt in Urda among mankind. Some are great and worshipped others reside inside of the bodies of man causing afflictions of health and temperment. Great or small, when the gods die they take their place among the rest of their kind in the starry skies, the Grave of the Gods. Many great Sages and Seers beleive that once mankind masters the Secret of Wind they will be able to reach the Graves and plunder the gods of their treasures.

The presence of the gods of Urda prevents the Viljeki, or earth-demons, from walking the world of man at their convenience. Just like the gods, however, they can be both subjugated and subjugate through humans and their sick fascination with the black arts of Sorcery.

Regardless of one's wicked ways, all of the pleasures and torments of existence occur on earth. The hell after death is being stuck on the earth as a ghostly spirit, to be tormented by the small gods and Viljeki demons. The afterlife is a nothingness in which all things crumble and dissapear, the House of Dust. Just like the body returns to nothingness so does the soul when it passes on.

The Lands of Urda Urda is the mainland within the confines of the Eternal Wastes, stretching from the Sea of Ice to the Greenwater Sea, and from the Sea of Sand to the Grassy Wastes. In the Southeast is the Bog Sea that borders Central Urda and the Grassy Wastes.

Within this region confined by the actual sea and the inhospitable environs of the Eternal Wastes are the kingdoms of man. In the far west are the Outlaw Kingdoms that border the Sea of Sands. Connecting them and the southernmost coastal Outer Provinces are the Trade Road Kingdoms. North of the Outer Provinces in the center of Urda is the Central Empire itself which stretches to the limits of it's confinements.

The farther West you get and nearer to the Sea of Sands the more desertlike the conditions become. In the North the mountains are so tall that ice encases them throughout all the seasons in what is called the Sea of Ice. In the East the endless plains of the Grassy Wastes are interupted only by the Bog Sea which is stuck between it and the actual ocean that is the Green Sea. The conditions in the Central Empire change depending how far towards any one direction you are, but it is said the exact center of Urda is benefitted by the perfect temperate climate.

The Greater Mysteries Long before the Sumatragori Era, before the dead gods lit up the heavens, the gods created five secrets to the universe. Throughout the history of mankind they delivered all but one to the peoples of Urda by 3,000 S.E. These mysteries are: The Secret of Fire, which was delivered with the first lighting of the torch. The Secret of Stone, which was delivered with the first primitive tool. The Secret of Rain, which was delivered with the first sown crop. The Secret of Metal, which was delivered with the first forge. and the Secret of Wind, which Seers and Sages still ponder to this age, trying to make man fly as does the bird and bat.

The Mishtar The dominant people of Urda, known in the classics for their light complexions, dark eyes, and black hair that runs like silk. They forged the Central Empire out of blood, but not the blood of war, rather through the union of their blood with each people they come in contact with. In the first year of the Sumatragori Era (S.E.) they crossed the Greenwater Sea, named Haraji Zinge after the captain who nagivated the journey, and came to Urda. They settled the hundreds of miles of coastline that are now known as the Outer Provinces and trekked inward to the center of the world. From there they settled the arid East, assimilating Esham, and explored the confines of Urda as bordered on all sides by either the Eternal Wastes or the Greenwater Sea. Using their advanced knowledge of life and nature, the Mishtar turned what was mud into feilds of green and made Central Urda a fertile land from which the great empire rose.

The Seven Sages Odoh Maruk, the First Emperor, was advised by the high preists of the gods to which he prayed to unify the essential elements of civilization into seven tenants, one for each of his gods. Through this method the Seven Sages of Civilization were established: The Secret of Life, The Secret of Artistry, The Secret of the Gods, The Secret of The Pen, The Secret of the Stars, The Secret of Pain, and the Secret of Pleasure. It was said that Emperor Odoh excelled at all seven, though even the most established masters hope only to reach the highest knowledge and practice of a single Sage.

The Hekra Once their Tribe of Tribes covered all of Central Urda, but the coming of the Mishtar devestated them as a people. Wars Hekra can survive, but peace is something they were not prepared to defend against. The once proud barbarian nation was assimilated and intermarried into near extinction by the Mishtar empire that assimilated them and their lands. Those Hekra who saw their brothers and sisters growing soft and fat in the Mishtar's cities fought their innate pride and courage and had the sense to flee, flee to the Eternal Wastes where the last remenants of the once great Hekra people would never lose their fighting spirit. In the modern age many they walk among the rest of Urda once more, wandering warriors in search of challenge and treasure in the lands of civilized men. Some of these barbarians have even become kings in the Outlaw Kingdoms where even in the cities the weak rarely last for long, but many still fall to the siren call of the civilized world.

Addendum- The Appearance of the Hekra: It is said all Hekra are born pale, but that condition is quickly changed in their youth. Wether it be the ruddy red Hekra of the Sea of Ice or the dark Hekra of the Sea of Sands, they are a people of many colors brought on by the harsh climes they live in.

The Divine Warrior Mantras After the Hekra retreated to the Eternal Wastes that border Urda the great clan leaders that remained each meditated for forty years. At the end of that period their minds were cleared and their bodies purified of the civilized influence they had escapes, and they delivered onto their people The Divine Warrior Mantras. The Mantras are a set of prayers and meditations that hone the mind, body, and soul to pure instinct and perfection. The basic tenants of the Divine Warrior Mantras are No Breath, No Hand, No Sound, No Light, No Fear, No Weapon, No Death, and No Body. Each tenant represents a new level of heightened senses, physical control, and mental fortitude.

The Esham The oldest people of Urda and descendant of nomads who crossed the Sea of Sands long before the Sumatragori Era. In the classics they are depicted as being black as night, but just like the Mishtar the intermarriages between the two peoples has changed the appearances of many of their modern members. Their desert cities bordering the Sea of Sands provided the exploring Mishtar the basis for which their own first great cities in the Central Empire were constructed. And while the Mishtar's diplomatic conquest destroyed the great Central Urda society of the Hekra, the Esham were resilient and it is their people that rule the Trade Road Kingdoms. This string of kingdoms follows the route the Mishtar took from the shores of the Greenwater Sea to the edge of the Sea of Sands. In the modern age (Circa 3,000 S.E.) spices and rare metals from the Outlaw Kingdoms bordering the Sea of Sands are transported through the Trade Road Kingdoms down to shipyards of the Outer Provinces where they carried up the great rivers to the great cities of the Central Empire.

The Great Work The Esham are a curiousity to even the modern Mishtar. They are the most advanced thinkers in Urda yet they have no written language and they borrowed most their other disciplines from the Mishtar's Seven Sages. However their greatest acheivement is a secret that is only passed down to a few in each generation and never taught outside of their people. This is the secret of the Great Work. The Esham are not a people of art and words, they are a people of wheels and gears, and the greatest acheivements of their civilization have not been masterpeices but Great Works of artifice and mechanical prowess, from the Golden Bull of Gilza to the cloisters of Esham Seers who to this day try to uncover the Secret of Wind.

Naming Practices of Urda Mishtar Names: Family Name/Given Name/Generation Name Esham Names: Family Name/Given Name Hekra Names: Given Name/Son Daughter of/Parent's Name Descriptive Names: The Mishtar and Hekra use descriptive names in addition to their proper names Mountains: Two Part Names of Ancient Emperors (Family Name/Given Name) Rivers: Two Part Names of Ancient Heroes (Family Name/Given Name) Cities: Ancient Two Part Founder Names or Modern Three Part Founder Names (Mishtar Names)

Addendum on Names Besides the proper names in the formats according to the index, the Mishtar and Hekra also use descriptive names for themselves. The Esham do not commonly engage in this practice, though colliquial names still invariably do occur. Geographical features with proper names, such as mountains, rivers, and cities, usually have descriptive names as well.

Example Names- Mishtar, Male: Ize Radaje Saraji, the Spear Breaker Mishtar, Female: Ize Fatima Saraji, the Peerless Battle Historian Hekra, Male: Cerrin Son of Sorrik, the Howling Hate Hekra, Female: Azya Daughter of Haylin, the Long Knife Cavalier Esham, Male: Ruka Noge Esham, Female: Eite Idiba River: Ninge Faruk Hatar, the Dead Archer River Mountain: Ude Fadihz, the Unscalable Mount Sea: Haraji Zinge, the Greenwater Sea City: Odoh Maruk, the First Emperor's City

Hindit The common language, spoken by everyone but those nomadic Hekra who keep entirely to the Eternal Wastes and never venture further into Urda. Esham and even the Hekra of the Outlaw kingdoms speak it, but do to the religious laws against written word of the Esham and the illiteracy of the Hekra only the Mishtar can write it. They transcribe the great legends and histories of Urda on wax and claw tablets, while more common communications are done on parchment.

Eskrit The ancient sacred language of the Esham, which just like themselves is complex and vexing to the outsider.

The Sword Epics The great legends of the modern age of man, heroic tragedies chronicling the the collected tales of ancient kings and those who would become kings by their own hands. The collected epic lore of the Sumatragori Era, following the tradition of warrior stories started by the Hekra and assimilated into the great histories of Urda by the Mishtar. Should one's life be so great where their acheivements stand tall above those who came before them, Sumatragori will be their immortality. Each Sword Epic is a tragedy, those who do not fall in battle are doomed to be felled dishonorably by time itself. No Epic is complete without the death-tale that ends it.

The Dead Kings Tales The Barbarian Kings of the Hekra and the City-Kings of the Esham had histories of their reigns chronicled through spoken tradition long before the coming of the Mishtar. In the Sumatragori Era these Dead Kings Tales are still spoken and have even been transcribed by Sages from the Central Empire. They contain the common wisdom in ancient parables that can be recited easily through rhymes and beats that makes them memorable and adaptable.

Ancient Prayers of the Esham The Esham are the one people of Urda that worship one god only, and just like the Esham themselves it is a contradictory god. In their ancient murals their god is represented by the sun, but nothing is more holy to them then the water purified deep in the desert sands. The Esham's prayers, which have never been chronicled as they have no written language and their beleifs forbid them from allowing others to do so, are complex recitations. Instead of being parables of wisdom they are incantations against evil spirits and rival gods that would try to muddle their famously keen senses or infest and curse the Great Works they create.

Virtues in Urda

Within the people of Urda is the essential struggle between the civilized ages to come and the barbaric ages that have past. 3000 SE is an important period in the history of the world, and Urda is a cradle of civilization still in the death throes of it's savage past. This conflict occurs in the hearts of all men (and women) of Urda.

In the Civilized Virtues, placing obligation to others above oneself by following the laws of kings and the constraints of society is the most positive of virtues. This is Civility. The negative spectrum of being Civilized is Corruption, in which the system of society's laws is manipulated for self gain no matter the cost to others.

In the Barbaric Virtues, the most positive obligation is to oneself, proving that you can survive by your own hand alone. This is Self-Reliance. The most negative Barbaric virtue is Savagery, for it shows inherent weakness to have to resort to dishonorable means to survive.

Heroes of Sumatragori

Barbarian/Theive/Mercenary: Dedicated to the Fighting Arts and physical concerns beyond all other things, the true heroes of Sumatragori.

Sage: Practicioner of one of the Seven Sages; philosophers, artisans, preists, poets and scribes, astrologers, torturers and healers, and concubines who follow Sumatragori are all Sages.

Seer: Intellectual heroes of Sumatragori; sorcerors, alchemists, and Esham who practice the Great Work are among their ranks.

Central Fighting Arts In the early years of the Sumatragori Era when the Mishtar civilized the majority of the Hekra, while the Hekra of today fled to the Eternal Wastes, the fighting arts of the two peoples were combined as one. Soldiers of the Central Empire favor straight swords and the prevalent woodlands make archery commonplace. For this same reason, and from the cavalier fighting traditions of the assimilated Hekra, spears are perhaps the most favored weapon of all in Central Urda.

Western Fighting Arts The Outlaw and Trade Road Kingdoms are known for the exotic weapons used by the hardened mercenaries and desert warriors there. Claws and punchknives were born in the gladitorial rings, whereas scimitars and chain-blades are weapons native to the Esham. The Western Fighting Arts involve more specialized techniques than the more conservative Central styles.

Southern Fighting Arts The Outer Provinces are known as the Subtle South, and their fighting arts reflect that. Darts, daggers, and other tools of assassination call this region home. Even the tools of the fisherman and lowland farmer, such as the net and scythe, have been adapted to deadly use through generations of fighting style development.

Addendum- Nomadic Hekra Fighting Arts The Hekra that are still considered such to this day use weapons that are not entirely uncommon in the West but cannot be truly considered weapons of that region. These are the greatsword and greataxe, which are the weapons most identified with the roving Hekra barbarian.

Sorcery The black arts. Subjugation of the lesser gods and lower demons to the will of the sorceror, binding them through ancient rituals and stealing powers from them. Sorcerors have a very cannibalistic relationship with each other; any sorcery worth doing was invented by some long dead sorceror hundreds if not thousands of years ago. This results in many who dabble in the black arts to have powers greater than their control, to summon things they cannot put down. The cardinal rule of sorcery, which no sorceror seems to realize, is that the black arts are a tool evil gods and Viljeki demons use to influence the earth. Even those sorcerors that are able to resist the temptation of the more dangerous arts, and those are few indeed, still pay a hefty price for their powers. Consortment with devil gods and demons saps the very life from the sorceror, but it's a price many are willing to pay.

Alchemy The smallest of the gods infest the bodies of human beings, inflicting strange conditions and wreaking havoc on their temperaments. Seers of a meticulous nature practice the art of alchemy, the concoction and knowledge of elixirs which influence the small gods that influence the body. The more advanced alchemical arts involve the free-floating small gods in the very air, able to make fire from black dust or potions capable of burning through stone. The art of elixir-making does not risk one's soul, but many an alchemist has been poisoned, burned, or even sundered to nothingness by their experiments.

Treasures, Cults, Temples, and Legendary Weapons Urda is a land of wealth and riches if you look in the right places. Before the Sumatragori Era kings were buried with their riches in their tombs and cults of evil gods have often stolen or conjured through sorcery invaluable idols and other treasures. Flawless gems adorn the eye-sockets of evil god statues, and golden jewel encrusted ornamental weapons rest in the hordes hidden in the crypts and palaces of Urda. Most coveted amongst the treasures to be found in the ancient tombs are weapons of fame and reknown. Many of the weapons of ancient heroes, for instance, are beleived to possess magical powers. It is beleived that there are two ways for a mortal weapon to gain such properties. The first entails it be the greatest work of one of the greatest forgemasters of Urda and that it be forged from the rarest and strongest of materials. The second beleived method is that the exploits of the weilder are what create the power in the weapon. Many Seers beleive the souls of the weilders still reside in many legendary weapons instead of passing on to the House of Dust and oblivion.

Most gods are indifferent, or at least too weak and petty for their evil machinations to matter on a grand scale. But of the greater gods many diabolic forces exist and cults worshipping them flower like the mind weakening poppy across Urda. Such cults are known to perform human sacrifices, torture, and cannibalism as part of their ceremonial practices, and even the ones dedicated to false or weak gods of evil are allowed to flourish under charismatic leaders and sinister connections to the halls of power. Even more so than sorcerors, the high preists of evil gods are known to consort with or even worship demonic creatures, often the result of Viljeki demons interbreeding amongst the beasts of the world.

As Urda is a land of many, many gods it is a land of many temples. Some are ancient abandoned ruins, others are at the hearts of great cities. While the Mishtar and the Hekra are the ones that build and worship the multitudes of gods in these temples, the practice of temple building was began by the Esham. The ancient prayer houses of the Trade Road Kingdoms are among the oldest temples in Urda, and so great is their size and design that they also serve as fortresses in times of war.

Notes I- The Wealth of Urda

As the topics under the Wealth of Urda in my index on the first page suggests, I think that wealth in this sort of setting would consist of far more than just weapons, gear, money, and followers. In straight WoTG you probably usually should be a wandering martial artist without many things tieing yourself down. In Sumatragori, it's perfectly feasible for you to aquire your own kingdom during the course of your Epic and it not slow you down in the least as you continue your adventures until the day you die.

Plus certain exotic elements of the setting call for certain other aspects of wealth, like harems of beautiful concubines and menageries of rare animals.

Most importantly, there isn't really a monetary system in Urda, so one's wealth is measures by how big the piles of gold, gems, and other riches in their satchel or in their palace is. Gold is rare, valuable, and used to buy other things. It's a common component of riches that is pretty much only useful for being traded. In a simmilar vein rare silks and spices (assuming you don't like comfortable clothes or incensce meditation) may be kept simply for the trade potential involved. Individual treasures, including rare objects that have no purpose other than being precious and valuable, also are important components of riches.

Beyond the normal things you can possess, there are Legendary Weapons, which were explained; Great Works, which are mechanical marvels built by the Esham Seers; and Masterpeices, which are the physical representations of the greatest acheivements of Sages following the Seven Sages of the Mishtar, which mostly concerns objects (or even songs/literature) of great craftsmanship but no real practical utility. Masterpeices are priceless, unless your talking a barbarian and then theyre worthless, and the best peices of art, music, and poetry can move the hearts of even your greatest enemies, but in the sense that they aren't designed to hit things or carry water they have no practical use.

Some additional thoughts, not really meant to be compiled or anything, but just suggestions I'm thinking of:

Melee, Fighting, and Athletics can be either Might/Jade or Speed/Crimson. You can pick either to to apply but you must dedicate to one and if you want to fight with both you have to buy your skill ranks seperatly. So if your making a brawny barbarian you can apply your melee to might but if your playing a dodgy theif you can apply it to speed.

Also, in combat focus on the use of kung fu marvels to allow the proverbial bennie, or benefit not great enough to be a technique in itself, rather than on the martial arts techniques. This seems to me to be more in this genre than complicated named manuevers. With Kung Fu Marvels you can get an extra attack, an extra action, make an area attack, and so forth. You can do lots of cool stuff just by being good at one of the combat skills.

Also, I'm thinking that certain Presence skills should able to be used like combat skills (like fighting and melee) to make morale attacks. Or perhaps the ability to use certain Presence skills like this should be bought like a Secret Art, not a technique in itself but a price to pay for being able to use some Presence skills like combat skills, though of course they only make morale attacks and defenses, not actual damage ones.

I guess in my mind Sumatragori is more than just about flexing might thews and heaving big swords- Urda is a place where a beauty can topple cities, where a speech can make an empire, and where a poet fits in right alongside a barbarian warrior, a black magic sorceror, and a cut-throat theif.

So maybe it's not pure Conan. I guess in my mind it's more of a mythic Sumeria that never was than anything else, and a combination of all the things and images and ideas that I think are cool and fit into the Epic vibe.

Of course don't let it be said that I undervalue hitting things with big metal weapons! I love that and I think fighting can be incredibly cool and should be a big focus. In a Conan type world there are so many weapons and styles because of the big hodge podge of cultures, and battles are so brutal and fatal yet mythic at the same time.

Central Fighting Arts: The Conservative Central The following skills may each be dedicated to either Might or Speed: Fighting Melee Ranged

For use with Brutal and Artful weapons

Western Fighting Arts: The Wild Ways of the West The following skills may be used with Speed Fighting Melee Ranged

For use with Brutal and Artful weapons

Southern Fighting Arts: The Subtle South The following skills may be used with Wu Wei: Ranged Melee The following skills may be used with Speed: Fighting

For use with Artful Weapons

Hekra Mantra Style The following skill may be used with Might: Melee

For use with Brutal Weapons

The Lore of each style of the Fighting Arts costs 3 destiny points, and for the unique skill/attribute combinations and access to the techniques of each style costs an additional 6 destiny points. So, to be a full-fledged warrior of any of the four fighting arts you must spend a total of 9 destiny points.

The Seven Sages, In-Depth Odoh Maruk, the first emperor of the Central Empire formed by the Mishtar when they came to Urda, bringing their concept of civilization with them, layed down those concepts in seven tenants called the Seven Sages. In the civilized world, these are the enlightened interests of the refined and studied.

The Secret of Life: Philosophy. Sages of Life use reasoning and common sense to gain a better understanding of the Universe and all of it's inhabitants. Primarily concerned with the relationships between things. The Secret of Artistry: Crafting and the Arts. Sages of Artistry express themselves in a lifelong quest to create the perfect self-expression, be it a sword, a song, or a painting. The Secret of the Gods: Preisthood. Urda is a land of endless gods, but the Sages of the Gods truly understand the point of veiw of the greater gods. The powers the gods grant are unreliable at best, but can sometimes prove to be quite miraculous. The Secret of the Pen: Literature, History, and Poetry. Sages of the Pen are the lore-masters of Urda, and their knowledge and clarity of voice and mind can often inspire and enlighten even the dullest of men. The Secret of the Stars: Astrology. Sages of the Stars are the prophets, fortune tellers, weather-predictors, tacticians, and most successful gamblers of Urda. The Secret of Pain: Medicine and Torture. Sages of Pain understand the confines of mortal flesh and can either tend or torment the condition of living. The Secret of Pleasure: Conversation and Intimacy. Sages of Pleasure rank among the finest courtiers and the most skilled concubines.