Ourworld

Ourworld is a collaborative effort between Peter, Nat, Dan, Daniel, Mal and Craig.

Peter's Contribution:

The Keltoi

The History of the Keltoi The ancient history of the Keltoi tells of the great ships of their ancestors coming ashore at what is now Caenid Bealach (Caenid Bay). From across the seas a great fleet hove to, crudely hewn ships crewed by a young and savage race with pinkish skin and wild red hair. They wear brass and war paint and bear strange designs upon their flesh. They sing harsh war songs and drink heavily. They wish to fight and kill and take the ancient lands from Laideann. This unwashed horde is led by GWYDDNO the Dog-Bull, leader of the Sons of the Dawn Tide who wishes to spread his people and his new beliefs to these shores. These warlike men took most of the land off the fat and rich Laideann Empire, a decadent and ancient people whose armies could not stand up to the lean and hungry Keltoi. Even as their marble cities burned, the Laideann held orgies and went about their corpulent ways. The Keltoi’s gutting and looting of Laideann drove the conquered into the northeastern pocket of the continent where the Keltoi let them languish in the steaming northern jungles. Keltoi Spiritualism The Keltoi do not formally worship any gods but they have a deep tradition of ancestor worship and revere the forces of nature. There are ancient tales of great Keltoi heroes being summoned from the spirit realms to help them in their times of greatest need. Their druids act as advisors, magistrates and sages and are greatly respected. The Republic Recently, from pressure groups in the capital and public opinion polls, the Kingdom has been dissolved and a Republic put in its place. King CINÁED abdicated and was quickly voted back as President Cinaed with very little diminished power but a Senate to answer to.

The D&D Classes in the Republic, the Clanholds and Northern City States Bard Bards wander the lands spinning tales and entertaining folk in inns and manors alike. There is no organized bard group as they are fairly individual. Some bards may be inclined towards joining the various wizard collectives but this is rarer than one may think since this restricts their movements and imposes various limitations that many bards dislike- such as paying dues. Barbarian There are almost no barbarians in the Republic or city states, though some scattered mountain men exist in the northern areas. In the Clanholds however, they are plentiful and respected members of the warrior elite. Many powerful heads of clan are barbarians and their combat prowess is admired. Cleric There are no clerics in the Republic. Druid Fighter Monk Paladin Sorcerer

Wizard Wizards tend to group into small clubs and collectives for their own mutual benefit, though they are not obliged to, and sometimes meet for councils to vote on important matters at the yearly Wizardmoot. While technically subservient to the central government, they are given nearly unlimited autonomy in matters pertaining to wizardry and all matters arcane including magical transport, trade, penalties for misuse, registration, membership fees and such. The wizards are all terribly British about everything and vote on everything and generally don't get a lot done, though they do drink a lot of fortified wines and discuss obscure personal philosophies and literature. Once every 30 months the shamans from the tribes meet. autumn or spring equinox, and yes, the only contact between the countries is via the "councils of the wise" The shamans have asked their brother wizards to keep the knowledge of "the peoples" from the humans as a whole

• The League of Reasonable Men • The Gentleman’s Society • The Rationalist Club • Reform Club • Society for Advancement of Literary Awareness • The Oak Club The vast majority of members are wizards, though any class is welcome. However, to be on the small council or the council of elders, you have to be a wizard. The most appropriate prestige classes are Archmage, Loremaster and Guildmage. The Keltoi People The Keltoi (both plural and singular) are a fair-skinned race with heights averaging 5’5-5’10. Their hair colours vary from black to almost blond, though a reddish brown is the commonest. A redhead is considered lucky. Eye colour also varies from brown to blue to green. They are an expansionist people who are proud of their warrior tradition but have recently begun a period of enlightenment and self-reflection. The Republic’s inter-clan wars have almost stopped, though in the southern frontiers it is a different story. Other races consider them upstarts but cannot deny their spirit and drive. They are interested in the sciences, particular alchemy, which has aided their culture immensely in many fields. At peace, a Keltoi may hunt or fish or read or work at his trade as he wishes, though if there is a call to war, he will drop his farming tools and take up weapons to defend his home. Traditionally the Keltoi utilize claymores and various polearms, especially Lochaber axes but in recent conflicts, the arquebus and field cannon have also seen use on the field. They tend towards the lighter armours since they prefer a more mobile warfare and with the advent of gunpowder, has reinforced that point. The use of arcane magic on the battlefield is generally frowned upon and since the Agreement of Dun Hader, certain magics such as evocations are forbidden. This restriction however is not extended to non-Keltoi as other races.

Northern City States Talic Theocracy Led by the High Priest Lucius, the theocracy dominates the Law and culture. There is significant prejudice against people who are not of the church and priests are given fair leeway in their activities, e.g., they don’t pay taxes. Lucius is a relatively conservative, academic, reasonable man with no head for politics and intrigue, preferring to delve into complex issues of doctrine, which is precisely why the Council of Priests elected him. He does not rock the boat and generally agrees on whatever the Priests put forth. Father Talis is the head of the investigation into church corruption and is a dour, soft-spoken and introverted fellow. He is quietly ruthlessly efficient and has enough ‘information’ on various priests and lay officials to keep them in line, whether it’s true or not. He of course justifies this for the ‘continued stability of the church’. He is capable of quite monstrous acts in the name of his faith and continues his crusade against corruption and evil with a kind of calm and calculating fanaticism. Even when directly ordered not to do something, he will twist the intent and do it anyway, completely convinced that he knows better. He never loses sleep over his deeds because of his utter conviction of his beliefs. He has never been implicated in his deeds because of his scrupulous and almost anally retentive planning, though many people have a vaguely uneasy feeling about him.

Ailokim: The Keltoi do not understand the Ailokim. They are long-lived but frail Dwarves: The Keltoi have little contact with the Dwarves and their only real contact is in the trade of weapons of war and metals. Goliaths: Few Keltoi know anything accurate about the Goliaths. Due to their inaccessibility, the paucity of resources and their reclusive nature, Keltoi usually ignore their existence. The druids have some contact with them at the Moots, but that is almost the entire extent of their contact. Laideann: The Keltoi tend to Lizardmen: The Keltoi consider these creatures, when they think of them at all, as nothing more than animals. If they ever hinder Keltoi development, they are slaughtered en masse. Northern City States Summer Islanders Teleri (Sea Elves): The Keltoi have a grudging respect for the Teleri because of their skill in naval warfare and magic. They dearly wish to discover the secret of their enchanted ships and have offered preposterous sums of money to attain it, in order to ‘explore’ the western hemisphere. Umberkim

Keltoi: The Teleri have a long history of trade with the Keltoi as one of the few civilized Empires on Erland trading knowledge, magic, Teleri jewelry and anything which happens to be around. While some of the elders in The City have reservations about their “explorations”, most see them as good source of money and civilized pleasures.