Nonhumans of Sarvaelen in Fantasy AGE

In working out details on the nonhumans of Sarvaelen I decided to skew as closely as possible to the core book, both for ease of access for my players and to avoid spending a lot of time on specialized race details that are at best minor in difference compared to the core. The only exception is the Abashan, the dark elves of Sarvaelen. 

Nonhuman Races of Sarvaelen

There are a handful of deminhuman races in Sarvaelen, and their numbers have been growing in the two centuries since Camrinal’s fall. Among these demihumans are:

The Ilmarain Elves

The elves of Ilmarain are a secretive, suspicious race. The Ilmarain herald from their dominion in the Realm of the Faerie where they claim to belong to the Summer Court. Their disdain for men and love of cruelty is only slightly less than that of the Abashan, the dark elves. Their Queen of Air and Water is the ruler of the Summer Court. The term Ilmarain apparently is also the name of the elven city from which most elves enter the mortal world.

Unlike elves of other realms, Ilmarain are strongly affiliated with their realm of the fey, the Faerie Court. This tether makes it possible for them to slip between worlds into the beautiful but deadly and maddening fairie lands when they sense a weakening of the veil that separates their realm from the mortal world.

Ilmarain Characters: use the elf template in Fantasy AGE, with one additional special trait:

·         Ilmarain elves receive a unique focus: perception (weave). Like all elvenkind, the Ilmarain are indelibly tied to the Faerie Realm, sometimes known as the Weave. Any elf has a natural affinity for the places in the world where this region is weak, and a perception (weave) check will help pierce the veil between worlds and allow them to move between the two realms. The strength of the opening in the veil determines whether they can bring people with them, and how difficult it can be to detect.

The Abashan Dark Elves

The elves of Abashan are counter to the Ilmarain. They are dark of skin, seeped in shadow and darkness, and servants to the Winter Court. Their ruler is Mab, the Queen of Air and Darkness, a destructive immortal of pure power. The Abashan are most comfortable in shadow and seek out the darkest corners and depths of the earth in which to manifest. They are inimical to mortals, and treat them as playthings at best, cattle at worst.

Like their fair kin, the Abashan have a profound connection to the land of shadow where the Winter Court presides, and can innately sense and manipulate weak spots in the veil to traverse into the realm of shadow.

Abashan Characters:

·         Dark elves gain +1 to dexterity

·         Choose one focus from dexterity (stealth), communication (deception) or strength (intimidation)

·         The dark elves have darksight out to 40 yards instead of 20

·         Dark elves start knowing only Abashan Elvish; dark elves disdain the languages of other races.

·         Dark elves start with a speed of 12+dexterity (minus any armor penalties)

·         Abashan dark elves gain a unique focus similar to Ilmarain: perception (shadow), which allows them to pierce the veil to the realm of shadow, tethered to the dominion of the Winter Court. The ability to bring others along as well as spot the veil of shadow depends on the strength of the veil in that area.

·         Abashan get two rolls on the following benefits:

Abashan Dark Elf Benefits

2D6      Benefit

2          +1 Communication

3-4       Focus: intelligence (arcane lore)

5          Focus: perception (hearing)
6          Weapon group: light blades

7-8       +1 fighting

9          Weapon Group (bows)

10-11   Focus: Dexterity (initiative)

12        +1 Accuracy

The Orcs of Sugante and Aphoros

The orcs of the Lower Kingdoms are an ancient force unmeasured, for their presence in the world is new. It is not known if they are a recent manifestation, perhaps born out of the incalculable destruction of Camrinal or something more ancient, waiting for the wane of human rule to allow their species passage to conquest. Their rise in numbers has forced many dwarven enclaves to escape closer to the surface realms to avoid destruction.

Sugante and Aphoros Characters: both orcish groups can use the standard Fantasy AGE orc stats for character creation. Orcs of aphoros have a strange connection to the Weave, and may opt to learn the Focus: perception (shadow) because of this mysterious connection as a racial focus instead of the standard choices.

The Dwarves of the Lower Kingdoms

The stout dwarves are elemental sons of the earth, and they revere the Old God Satarnas as their creator, from whom they rose out of the earth in the wake of his steps in the caverns of the deeps. The dwarves dislike surface dwellers and rarely come out of their caverns save out of necessity. In the last century the rise of the orcs and other monsters in the darkness have forced the dwarves to seek passage out of their dark lands and to even call upon the aid of humans.

Dwarven Characters: the dwarf in the core rules can model dwarves of the Lower Kingdoms.

The Gnomes of Rekaras

The gnomes are a race similar to the dwarves and some claim a similar origin, created by the Old Gods though the gnomes insist that they are something different. They have some cities, such as Rekaras, on the surface world but many gnome tribes still dwell hidden in deep caverns and dark forests. The gnomes are a pernicious lot, inventors and madmen who have the logic of the fey, suggesting a connection to the Other World.

Rekaras Gnome Characters: use the standard gnome template in the core rules.

The Halflings of the Western Shores

Remote communities of halflings thrive north west of Emon. The haflings call themselves the True Folk, and claim to have been around when men were a new race in the world. Haflings are rare but for their lack of adventuresome spirit, and keep to themselves mostly. Halflings can and do disappear in times of war, and their ability to burrow into the earth and hide in the depths of the forests and mountains serve them well in dark times.

Halfling Characters: Western Shore Halflings can be made using the core rule Halfling as default.

Sarvaelen in Fantasy AGE: The Emoniae as a PC race

I've been working on lots of Sarvaelen conversions for Fantasy AGE. Here's the Emoniae, the human race with elemental taint that dwells in the far west, and once comprised one of the larger forces in revolt in the old civil war against the Empire of Camrinal which also survived the devastating purge of the emperor that destroyed everything....

This race has a bloodline taint which I have left as an optional aberration, although I considered modeling it as a specialization...problem with that is if I do, then emon can't also choose from a specialization. Ultimately the taint is a powerful trait which eventually corrupts the emon's humanity, swallowing it whole....enough, perhaps, to weigh out the advantages knowing that too many elemental traits will turn the PC into a dangerous NPC.

The People of Emon

Also known as the Emoniae, the people of this distant land exist far in the west, beyond the ruined expanse of the wastelands of Camrinal. Emon was the greatest independent threat to Camrinal in its era of rule, and the Emoniae were a culture of sorcerers much like the Empire. When the Final War erupted, their lands were devastated, and the Empire sought to exterminate their greatest rivals as quickly as possible. When the conflict ended with the destruction of Camrinal, most of Emon’s warriors were caught in the destruction, and destroyed. Still, there were plenty of survivors back home, now mostly dwelling in ancient, deep enclaves within the vast Adasatrak Mountains where they stood guard against the outside world.

Today the Emoniae are still driven by magic as a way of life and such arts find a greater acceptance within their mountain fortresses than anywhere else. The Emoniae remain isolated and tend to mistrust the young eastern kingdoms that have arisen from the ashes of the Final War. It is also the only land where the study and worship of the Old Gods is still permitted.

Elemental Taint: Emoniae revere the elemental old gods, and still worship them. There is a chance that any emoniae has some elemental heritage in his or her bloodline. The immediate effect is an innate basic understanding of the elemental tongue and an affinity for that element, which means that they tend to be regarded favorably by elementals of like type that they meet (at GM's discretion a +2 reaction modifier; see below for other features this taint induces).

The Emoniae As a PC

Many emoniae have a talent for magic, and are most commonly mages by class. Emoniae are, like pureblooded of Camrinal, prone to attracting the attention and interest of demons, spirits, elementals, old gods and other beings from the Elemental Realms. Elves have an abnormal fascination for them, and as a result it is more common to run into half-elves of mixed elvish and emoniae blood than any other combination. Emoniae are a special type of human, with the following racial traits:

·         Emoniae gain +1 in intelligence or +1 in Fighting.

·         Emoniae may choose Focus: intelligence (arcane lore) or Focus: intelligence (natural lore) to start.

·         Emoniae move at a speed of 10+dexterity like other men.

·         Emoniae learn the common (Aeronostic) tongue as well as Emonish, their cultural language.

·         Emoniae roll on the following benefits table:

Emoniae Benefits

2D6      Benefit

2          +1 Intelligence

3-4       Focus: intelligence (writing)

5          Focus: communication (persuasion)
6          Weapon group: staves or light blades

7-8       +1 communication

9          Focus: intelligence (elemental affinity)

10-11   Focus: willpower (self-discipline)

12        +1 Willpower

Emoniae Focus: elemental affinity (choose one elemental type)

This focus lets the emon mage add his focus bonus to elemental attacks of the same type (i.e. fire, air, water, earth, shadow). Gaining this focus also means that the emon has elemental taint (see next), can speak the elemental language of choice, and may gain the focus bonus on positive reaction rolls with elementals.

Elemental Taint

An emon who chooses to be a mage and also gains the elemental affinity focus gains elemental taint. The first time this happens, usually at level 1-3 (the GM can roll randomly to determine when),

he or she begins to manifest a sign of elemental corruption, usually in the form of a glow or emission from the skin, and a slow but certain "change" on the skin that seems to be a manifestation of that emon's elemental taint (stone-like skin, persistent water running from pores, smoke, or a misty fog following the emon). This first manifestation is cosmetic and can be suppressed with concentration (a TN 11 vs. willpower (self-discipline) check).  Once the emoniae reaches level 4 and chooses a specialist discipline, each rank of proficiency thereafter the emoniae must make a check against willpower (self-discipline) at TN 12 (novice), TN 16 (expert), and TN 21 (master) to avoid manifesting new taint effects. This roll becomes harder (-2 penalty) if the elementalist specialization is taken.

Roll each time to see what manifests:

Emoniae Elemental Corruption Chart

1D6      Elemental Corruption Type

1-3       Elemental resistance: take half damage from the elemental type you are tainted by; if you roll this a second time gain immunity to that elemental type damage.

4-5       Gain power to summon an elemental of your corruption type for 1 hour. Requires 5 minutes of concentration to summon and 5 MP to cast. The second time you roll this you learn to summon a larger elemental for 8 MP, and the third time a huge elemental for 12 MP.

6          gain permanent emission of elemental type: stone skin (gain 5 AR), fire erupts from flesh (immune to damage from it but deals 1D6 to all on touch), air (gains levitate at will at your speed), or water (emits water permanently, gains water breathing). These traits are very difficult to disguise and require a willpower (self-discipline) check of TN 18 to supress for 1 hour. The second time you roll this effect you become a true elemental being. The form changes noticeably to be "more" of the elemental type and the emon's humanity becomes suppressed. Breathing is no longer necessary. The third time you roll a 6 the emon gains the ability to plane shift to his elemental plane of appropriate type at will for 6 MP. The fourth time the emon rolls 6 on this chart he becomes a true elemental and departs the material plane, becoming an NPC at the GM's discretion.

The Selutar Lizard Men of Sarvaelen in Fantasy AGE

The Selutar: Lizard Men of Sarvaelen

The rapacious and violent Selutar are raiders, marauders and destroyers who seek to destroy humanity and indeed all life itself. They are subterranean dwellers in the dark, sometimes labeled troglodytes and beast men, but in fact unrelated to either of those equally dangerous kindred. The Selutar are driven by the worship of the Dark Mother Eshraggol, an immense, bloated dragon goddess, an Old One from before the Fall of Camrinal that is said to have given birth to their fouls species at the dawn of time, and to have forged her children into an army of shadow destined to seek the extermination of man ever since. As with all such chaoskin, the Selutar are defeated only by their own lack of organization and inability to focus on meaningful military structure, preferring instead overwhelming horde tactics.

Because Selutar are most dangerous when their population goes unchecked, regions like Aeronost employ mercenary companies and some dedicated knighthoods (such as the Vigilant Order of the Dragon) to seek out and slaughter Selutar in their subterranean homes whenever possible.

There are rumors of Selutar dwelling in the deep woods and mountains of some regions who have cast off the religious fanaticism of their underground kin. These remote colonies are usually far removed from men, and when found by their zealous kin are usually hunted to destruction. There is a legend about a pious Saint Erasma, a servant of Nevereth who converted the first Selutar to the worship of the goddess and thus explaining the appearance of rare but nonviolent lizard men.

Despite their religious fervor, there are few sorcerers among the Selutar. Most priest do not cast magic, though they still engage in ancient rituals, often at profane sacrificial sites that contain inherent magic which they call upon through grim sacrifice. The occasional true sorcerer among the Selutar usually seeks to follow the goddess as a shaman or cultist, but occasionally such enlightened lizard men break away entirely to pursue greater mysteries, as the acquisition of such power tends to open their minds to a broader perspective on the nature of arcane power in the world.

Selutar Statistics

1 Accuracy

-2 Communication

0 Constitution

2 Dexterity (stealth)

3 Fighting (bludgeoning, bite, spears)

-1 Intelligence

2 Perception (searching, smelling)

2 Strength (swimming)

0 Willpower

Speed  10        Health 30        Defense           12        AR 4 (natural scales)

Weapon (attack/damage)

Spear +5 to hit, 1D6+6 damage

Bite +5 to hit, 1D4+3 damage and target must make a contested Constitution check vs. TN 13 or suffer a painful bacterial infection (see diseased bite, below).

Special Qualities:

Favored stunts: skirmish (1 SP for first 4 yards of movement), lighting attack (2 SPs)

Scaly Hide: selutar lizard men have natural hide armor (4 AR).

Uncanny Sense of Smell: Selutar have an unusually keen sense of smell.

Darkvision: selutar are adapted for total darkness, able to see with low-light vision in pitch black conditions as if it were an overcast day.

Diseased Bite: Selutar have bacteria-filled saliva that is dangerous to those they bite. A bitten target must make a contested Constitution check vs. TN 13 or suffer a painful bacterial infection that stops any regeneration and impairs the sickened individual with a -1 penalty on all ability checks due to fever; effect takes within 1D6 hours of the bite. Each day a new check may be made to recover; each failure increases the penalty by 1. If the penalty reaches -6 the victim dies. Each success reduces the penalty by 1 for every 3 points over the TN rolled. If the target reaches a zero penalty they recover.

Selutar Mages: Selutar who become priests and cultists of Eshraggol are usually female or strong males, and have a 50% chance of developing a chaotic feature (see chart below). Selutar mages usually have an intelligence and willpower of 1 or more, and are trained in the Earth and Water Arcana.

Suggested Chaotic Features of Selutar Mages (2D6): 2-3 regeneration; 4 armored; 5-6 Shadow; 7-8 winged; 9 mighty, 10 multiple limbs, 11 blending 12 roll twice. See FAGE Bestiary for how these qualities work. Multiple limbs may allow more than one attack at GM's discretion. All chaotically marked selutar mages are mutated in unique and often disturbing ways.

Tales from the Watchers of the Sullen Vigil: The Mountain City of Asvinar

I'm working on a new scenario, which takes place in and near the following city...

Asvinar

Population: 3,000 humans, 350 halflings, 485 brunendar dwarves, plus roughly 2,500 seasonal workerss

Ruler: Baron Anton Feredath

Notable Personalities: High Priest Tunin of the Temple of Nevereth, Sheriff Goster Sotherlon, Warden Taelen Doar, Watcher Trevor Kathin, Lady Tartessa Vindrese, Cult Lord Galadacho, dwarf clan lord Vaken Durnagor

Key Locations: The Mountain Quarter (gambling and brothels), Gostimer Keep, The Watch Tower, Temple of Nevereth, The River Quarter (shipping, river docks, refinery), the dwarven quarter (home to clan Brunendar)

Asvinar is located 175 miles southeast of Aelghast along the banks of the Senderan River valley where it emerges from the Southern Droamspire Mountains (nick named the Claw Mountains locally).

Asvinar is a modest city which thrives on the mining operations in the mountains as well as brisk trade with the coastal port and capitol of the kingdom of Aeronost, Aramen. Most of the raw iron ore in Aeronost comes from this region, and it has made many merchants and prospectors wealthy men. Less common but much coveted are the mines which tap upon precious metals such as gold and silver.

Asvinar has a friendly connection to three local nonhuman tribes. First of these relations are the Brunendar dwarves, a clan of dwarves who dug up from the depths of the underlands a little over a century ago and after a brief period of tense relations forged a friendly alliance with the ruling baron of Asvinar at that time, Lord Trenton Gostimer.

Second of the nonhuman tribes are the silt halflings of the coast, who dwell in dozens of prosperous villages and minor sea ports at the river delta where the Senderan River pours out into the Pavain Sea. The silt halflings call themselves the Senderathi, after the river, and pride themselves on their great familiarity with the region. The Senderan River is only 150 miles in length, but without this river much of Aeronost would be without arable land; the silt halflings are responsible for much of Aeronost’s agriculture.

The third of the nonhuman tribes in this area is the Fallindreth elves. These mountain elves are an exiled tribe descended from the Ilmarain elves of the Summer Court. Little is known of them; they have been in the mountains for at least four centuries, and regularly engage in trade and commerce with certain mountain villages while harboring a deep suspicion of the merchants, soldiers and miners out of Asvinar. The recent presence of the Brunendar dwarves only made things worse, for unknown reasons.

Asvinar is home to about four thousand citizens (mostly human, with some halflings and dwarves), and a seasonal population of migrant workers for terraced farmland. A larger year-round population of miners brings in many strangers, but the Aeronost merchants who prosper from their operations don’t care; they need whatever labor they can afford, and hired blades to protect them from bandits and monsters. The city in turn responds by profiting from the stray coin these laborers will spend when on leave from the mines. Though the priests of the goddess Nevereth speak poorly of the gambling halls and dens of sin which have sprung up in what is called “the mountain quarter” of the city, Baron Feredath chooses to take no action, for his family quietly profits from several such establishments, even as he runs six of the two dozen-odd mines in The Claw.

Terrain in the region is arid and desert-like, with scrubby trees in the mountains. The highest mountains in The Claw are around 12-13,000 feet in height, far short of the high mountains in south western Atlenar. Like much of Aeronost the region is rife with succulents, mostly in the form of large-barrel bodied cactus. Overland travel without roads is tough going. Roads out of Asvinar lead north along The Claw into northern Aeronost and the banks of Lake Vunares, and east along the river to the coast and the capitol. One forlorn road, well-kept but poorly traveled winds out to Aelghast.

Key Locations in Asvinar:

The Mountain Quarter: this is actually a stretch of civilization running along the roads that lead up into the mountains, and eventually branch to head out to Aelghast or Lake Vunares. About a mile of road is occupied by numerous taverns, bars, gambling dens and brothels. The business stays outside of Asvinar’s city limits but it’s reputation is well known and despised among the locals. One notable personality here is Warden Taelen Doar, who acts as an ostensible “peace keeper” hired by the Baron to make sure the quarter is peaceful. He relies on a group of two dozen of hired mercenaries to do the job.

Gostimer Keep: the sea of power in Asvinar and center of power for the mountain province. Baron Anton Feredath is overlord of the land, and also a stakeholder, having six successful mines in operation. He keeps a standing garrison of two hundred soldiers that is a mix of local men and hired mercenaries out of Aramen or Catalone.

The Watch Tower: The Watchers of the Sullen Vigil maintain a tower at the highest peak overlooking the western passage out of the mountains. The Watch Tower is sometimes called Hawk’s Rest as it is often the favored perch of local hawks. A lone member of the Sullen Vigil named Trevor Kathin maintains the tower, which serves as a restpoint for knights of his order as well as a trading post. The tower affords a view of the west, including the passage all the way to distant Aelghast.

Temple of Nevereth: located along one of the terraced levels of the city in the river valley where Asvinar rests, the temple of Nevereth is a beautiful cathedral-like structure noted for its impressive stained-glass windows which some claim were saved from an older Camrinal temple long ago. The high priest of the temple is Elder Tunin, a man who in his youth was part of the crusades of Aeronost some forty years ago to exterminate the remnants of the cults of the old gods in Thaerinal to the south and (less successfully) among Mandrelavas. As an older man he is troubled by the sinful behavior that the mines bring to Asvinar but his spirit is no longer what it was. He does have a contingent of paladins in his service, who identify themselves as the Knights of Nevereth’s Tears in reference to a reliquary in her temple, place in the center of the holy symbol of her order in which is believed to be tears shed by the goddess herself at the destruction of Camrinal. These paladins spend much of their time seeking out evil cults in the mountains, but mostly only succeed in fighting an occasional monster of bandit group. The lead paladin is Traina Evenmore, a blond woman of thirty years who secretly delights in combat despite the pacifistic directive of her faith.

The River Quarter: located at the base of the valley along the river, this quarter of the city is dominated by mercantile trade, shipping centers, the river docks, and a cluster of local halflings who have acclimated to life amongst humans. A refinery for ore is also located here just down river, as is a lumber mill. The woman in charge here is Lady Tartessa Vindrese, a half-elven woman (exceedingly rare) of the Vindrese lineage out of the capitol. Her father Golan Vindrese placed her in charge of his mining operations, and to get her out of the Capitol where she was causing much trouble. Vindrese continues to be a problem locally, as she secretly runs many of the operations in the Mountain Quarter as well as the thieves’ guild locally which has an ongoing quietly run protection racket amongst the shipping guilds and barge owners.

The Dwarven Quarter: home to clan Brunendor, this is where about five hundred dwarves live in a section of the upper valley that they have turned into a deeply carved catacomb of homes, businesses, refineries and smithies. Vaken Durnagor is current clan lord, the clan itself named after the legendary hero of their ancestors, Brunendor the Axe. Durnagor is a typically burly, dour dwarf of middle years with three wives and four children to his name.

The clan puts a certain measure of effort into excavating the depths of the earth and finding the connections and passages to the underlands in this region. They were driven out of the depths of the earth a century ago, but have spoken little of what it was they fled from….or continue to watch out for. The clan maintains a standing militia of its own, 100 strong, which regularly forges into the depths to slaughter humanoids such as orcs and goblins and keep the old dwarven roads clear.

Monsters of Sarvaelen: Creatures encountered by the Sullen Watch

Since I'm riding a wave of interest in turning Sarvaelen into a S&W setting, here are stats for some of the unique monsters of the world of the Watchers of the Sullen Vigil...

Ghuls of Camrinal

Hit Dice: 3          

Attacks:  two claws (+3 to hit, 1D6 damage each) and bite (+3 to hit, 1D4 damage plus ghul fever)             

Armor Class: 7 [12]         

Saving Throw: 15

Special: ghul fever, cannibals, half-dead, fear immunity, disease immunity, +2 turn resistance

Movement: 9

Alignment: any, but inevitably gravitate toward chaos

No. Encountered: solitary or in small groups (2-12)

CL/XP: 4/120

Traits:

Ghul Fever: once bitten by a ghul, the target must make a saving throw vs. the poison of the bite or suffer from a debilitating fever. The principle effect is 1D6 minutes long and induces nausea and severe cramping, causing the target to suffer a -4 penalty to attacks, saves and any other physical prowess checks the GM deems appropriate.

Cannibals: Ghuls are known cannibals. The ghuls of Aelghast restrain themselves, and feed only on their own (so far as anyone knows) and the dead (suspected but not proven; they are very careful to avoid being caught). Any ghul that feeds off of living kindred flesh may immediately recover 1D6 hit points.

Half-Dead Immortals: Ghuls don’t age. They look like zombies, with rotting skin and bones visible, clearly not being quite “alive” yet not dead, either. However they do breathe and effects which affect the living usually also harm them (except for diseases). Ghuls are susceptible to turn undead effects, but with a +2 bonus to the saving roll. They “appear” as undead on spells that detect such conditions, but with an eerie aura of half-life suggesting something unusual about them.

Seen Too Much: Ghuls have already experienced some amazing horrors in their time. Ghuls are immune to fear effects.

Disease Immunity: Ghuls are immune to the effects of all disease.

The ghuls are a survivor race, mutated descendants of a handful of Camrinal citizens that survived the apocalypse and kept their wits about them. Even hideously changed into half-dead beings the ghuls prosper, though in time it seems the madness inevitably creeps over them.

The ancient empire of Camrinal was a vast, dominant power that subjugated the old kingdoms to its rule about two hundred years ago. Camrinal not only ruled by force of arms but by force of magic as well, for it indulged the aristocracy of its era with a culture of free experimentation and arcane dabbling that eventually led to a magiocracy in which only those who demonstrated sorcerous talent were allowed to hold the reigns of power, ownership of property or positions of strength in the Empire. Magic had, in this now lost era two centuries gone, become ubiquitous.

When the fires of destruction rained down upon Camrinal in the Final Conflict, the vast majority of the old empire was wiped out, but many of its lesser citizens and a few elites survived. Today these survivors are mostly found as changed beings among the population known as the ghuls, but in some odd corners of the world there still exist untainted purebloods, though they often do not realize their own lineage.

As ghuls age they gradually begin to lose their mental faculties, and slowly go insane. When this happens they become feral creatures, driven purely by a desire to devour flesh. When a ghul dies or is slain, it returns within 1D4 days as an actual undead ghoul.

Feyril

Hit Dice: 6          

Attacks:  two, by weapon (+6     attack, 1D8 cleaver or pick plus special, below)  

Armor Class:      3 (17)

Saving Throw: 11

Special: slayer of mirth (deals double damage to surprised target that was laughing/happy); silver or +1 or better weapons required to hit; magic

Movement: 9

Alignment: chaos

No. Encountered: usually solitary but 10% chance of 1D4 working in a group

CL/XP: 800

Traits:

Slayer of Mirth: the feyril despise the happy, friendly or optimistic. A strike against an unsuspecting target that is in such a state deals double damage due to the sheer venom of the feyril attack.

Skin of the Goddess: The rugged skin of the feyril can only be harmed by magical or silvered weapons.

Magic Skill: feyril are usually (60% chance) magic users of INT 13-15 on average. They typically know the following spells as a wizard of 6^th level experience, but will choose any spells that help hunt prey:

Level 1 (4/day): sleep, charm person, read magic, magic missile

Level 2 (2/day): Invisibility, Strength

Level 3 (2/day): Hold Person Slow

Feyril are short, dwarf-like men who have developed a superstitious reputation thanks to the folklore which precedes them. The stories speak of how feyril are not really men at all, but a curious sort of creature born from the turbulent, bubbling dreams of the mad goddess Matrigias, said to have been the first of the Old Gods, and that she was accosted in terrible ways by the male gods who were unable to control themselves. From this horrific union she became pregnant, bloated from one horizon to the next with the spawn of the world, and when she at last broke water she was destined to give birth to all of the animals of the world. The stories say that Matrigias was driven mad by the endless spawn of animals which crawled from her womb to populate the world, and that she shed unbearable tears of blood and water at the endless pain. From these tears grew the feyril, squat and toad-like little men that were described by some as almost like infants in appearance, but horribly wise to the world due to the suffering of their mother. The feyril crawled forth, to extinguish any joy or revelry where they found it. Such was it that when mankind was at last born into the world he could know joy, for the feyril had stolen all of the pain and suffering of their mother by then. It was only later that humanity came to fear the feyril, for they found the joy and merriment of men to be offensive, and sought to extinguish it by means of murder and fright.

Naga (of Nagapuram)

Hit Dice: 6+4

Attacks:  one weapon (+6 attack, polearm 1D8+1 damage) and bite (+6 attacl, 1D4 damage plus venom below); or one bite or weapon and constriction (+6 attack, 1D8+2 damage) 

Armor Class: 3 (17) or by armor

Saving Throw: 11

Special: constriction, naga venom

Movement: 9 (land) or 15 (swimming)

Alignment: chaotic

No. Encountered: 1D4 or 2D12

CL/XP: 8/800

Traits:

Naga Venom: if bitten by a naga, the target makes a saving throw against poison at -2 due the potent nature of the venom. If failed the target is paralyzed for 1D6X10 minutes. Naga can only perform this bite once every 2D4 hours, as it requires time to regenerate.

Magical Talent: naga are naturally skilled mages and clerics. Any given naga has a 10% chance of being a magic user or a 14% chance of being a cleric of 1D6 levels of skill. In any community of naga there is a 50% chance of a magic-user or cleric of at least 6+1D6 levels of the give class.

Naga in Sarvaelen are an ancient race, cursed long ago with the serpentine traits that mark their lineage. Once, or so the story goes, the Naga were among the greatest of the old ones, the races that predate modern men long ago. A series of ancient tomes, most of which are now lost to history called the “Yavandreth Manuscripts” tell a bit of the ancient tale of the naga. A mostly complete  set of the four surviving tomes can be found at the Library of the Sun in the port city of Aramen, Aeronost’s southern port and capital of the so-called Stormsinger Coast province. There the lone monk Procosius maintains these books and remains the land’s foremost authority on Naga lore.

As legend goes, naga were once men, albeit of a breed of old that was naturally inclined to sorcery and spoke directly to the Old Gods but were changed in some forgotten time to the half men, half serpents they now are. The naga ruled all of Sammar in the south and were allied with Camrinal, but were cast down during the Great War two centuries ago. Their ancient king was the sorcerer Kaliya, a powerful necromancer and priest of the old gods revered by his people. These four gods they worshipped were said to grant great strength to the naga.

According to the Yavandreth Manuscripts, Kaliya did something to anger his gods. There are conflicting tales. One says he was to sacrifice his eldest child in honor of the gods and as a payment for his great necromantic talent, but he refrained from doing so and brought down a great curse upon his people. Another tale suggests something similar, but that it was his wife, Padmavati, could not bear to lose her child and so spirited him away before Kaliya could sacrifice the infant. Yet another tale says nothing of this curse induced by loss of sacrifice and instead suggests that the naga were formed when they sought to make a dark pact with the elder god called Dev Yama’Dragoth. Yama’Dragoth granted the naga their wish, giving them supreme power and immortality as sorcerers, but in exchange he took their humanity, leaving only the twisted, serpentine forms naga are known for today.

Whatever their origin, naga appear to be half men and half serpent, often with strongly reptilian facial features and sometimes the wide, decorative “hoods” of a cobra enveloping their head and neck. Naga are fearsome to behold. Naga are known for their poisonous bite, also a shared feature with the cobra, and they are exceptional swimmers, albeit not aquatic, a common misconception among humans since the only known kingdom of the naga is to be found on the Isle of Stoneblight, where the naga city of Nagapuramcan be found.

Nagapuram is an impressive, ancient city located on an expansive island about two hundred miles off the Stormsinger Coast in the Pavain Sea. The naga call the island Manak’tagar, and defend it vigorously from outsiders; one must seek a benefactor to vouch for a foreigner who seeks to visit the island and its amazing city of ancient monuments. Stories of travelers, diplomats and merchants indicate that there are ten thousand naga within the city and probably three times as many slaves, usually of humans from the south eastern kingdom of Sammar, which does not normally disturb the citizens of Aeronost who have frequently had to deal with hostile pirates from that distant land.

The island itself is ruled by the so called Living Goddess who goes by the name of Padmavati, the mythical first queen of the naga. Whether she styles herself a descendent or a reincarnation of this first naga queen is unknown, but she does believe she is a demigoddess, imbued with the powers of the current naga patron deity, Manasa.

The naga are a potent force locally, and the diplomats of Aeronost have sought to keep them as allies rather than enemies. Still, the naga are so feared that the often do as they will, and treat much of the Stormsinger Coast as their own domain. This has often led to unfortunate bloody conflicts between the soldiers and naval forces charged with protecting the dominion of the Pavain Sea and the forces of Nagapuram.

In the region of Aelghast, there is a small community of about one hundred naga who have taken up residence in the subterranean caverns around a sacred hot spring that they call Uk’halat. The hot spring has been turned into a shrine dedicated to the seven-headed serpent god called Agharda, said to have devoured the original four naga gods of old and absorbed their essence. It is believed by this remote group of exiles that the seven heads of Agharda represent the seven kingdoms of the naga, spread throughout the world, and that worshipping this deity will reunite the naga into a powerful force that will resume the mantle of rule again.

This worship of the seven-headed god is regarded as heresy by the Living Goddess Padmavati, as it was only a century ago that the cult of Agharda was embraced by her people. This period led to a vicious war with the distant eastern empire of Kadatha, and nearly led to the destruction of the naga kingdom. As a result of this conflict Agharda’s worshippers were forced into exile lest they be hung for heresy. This branch near Aeronost follows the fanatical priest Yazzad Sydaris, and calls their unique sect the “Sons of Sydaris” or simply Sydarites. They believe that Sydaris has a unique ability to channel the thoughts and speech of Agharda.

Tales from the Watchers of the Sullen Vigil: Anton Dainasere, Demon Hunter

Well, it looks like my hiatus from writing game content is over! Sarvaelen and its haunted lands return in full force this week, this time with a profile of a member of the Order of the Watchers of the Sullen Vigil for use as an interesting NPC or ready-made PC. I am still statting everything out in BRP, my grand plan to read through RQ6 still hasn't come to fruition and I think consistency with the setting as a BRP-statted campaign is probably for the best at the moment, anyway. I am hoping Magic World comes out eventually, I plan to use that book specifically with Sarvaelen for a campaign sometime in 2013.

Anton Dainasere is a human male, 6’6”, 165 lbs., of Aeronostic descent, born in the city of Catalone along Lake Vunares, abutting the border of Esrenor. He is striking in his tallness, for most Aeronostic people are much shorter than him, usually averaging 5’9”, and his height also contributes to his gaunt, sallow features. With rough wind-blown dark brown hair, and a haunted look across his gray eyes, Anton does not blend in will with colorful crowds.

Anton’s childhood was punctuated by poverty and violence, as he was born to a young woman of ill-repute named Etria, who found she could not take care of him and so abandoned the boy when he was only three years old at the steps of the Monastery of Veramaine, a famous enclave along the eastern rural stretch outside of Catalone proper. The monastery was a place of holy learning for those who had felt the calling to give up their old lives to live as chaste students of the teachings of Nevereth, the ubiquitous goddess who had become the center of the multicultural monotheistic cult which spread like wildfire after the fall of old Camrinal. Even in the days of the old Empire it is said that the Monastery of Veramaine had thrived and prospered, a remote but prestigious location for those who felt the enigmatic call of the goddess to seek out her wisdom and teachings in one location.

The boy Anton was treated much like any other orphan placed in the custody of a band of pious and chaste monks, subjected to beatings and strenuous daily labor, with moments of schooling and education making the day more interesting. As Anton grew in years his appreciation for the knowledge he was given access to as a ward of the monastery eclipsed his hatred of the callous cruelty of so many of the monks, who seemed to believe that children were born with the sins of the Empire in their veins, and that it was their duty to beat it out.

Anton did befriend one monk who took a keen interest in him, named Garados the Humble. He learned that Garados had once been a nobleman of Aeronost, but a suspicious murder of a woman he fancied drove him into exile and eventually into the care of the monastery, where he heard the words of Nevereth one evening and was converted. He had been with the monastery for five decades now, and as an old man had not once traveled more than a mile from the monastery in all that time. Despite this isolation, Garados was well-read and still liked to recount the adventures of his youth to Anton and the other boys in the monastery, and Anton grew envious of these adventuresome tales. As he reach his teen years, he plotted and schemed of ways he, too, could embark on great adventures.

When Anton turned sixteen, Garados took the boy into the city, with an assurance that he must truly experience life outside of the monastery before deciding if he was destined to remain their forever or not. Garados knew that Anton had a lust for life that would not readily be sated, and his confinement at the monastery was only making things worse.

Anton was surprised when Garados delivered him to a brothel, one of many in the heart of the debauched and wicked center of Catalone. There he was introduced to a young woman named Nyrasel, a vibrant and beautiful young emoniae from the far west with fiery hair and stark green eyes. She took an immediate liking to the awkward young man who was only a few years younger than her, and as much as Anton was interested in her as woman he was even more fascinated at her origins, being  a daughter of the exotic lands of western sorcery beyond the Wastelands of Camrinal.

Nyrasel for her part was equally fascinated with the handsome young man presented to her, both because of his vivacious personality despite his unusually tall and sallow features, but because she sensed within him a spark of magic, a talent for sorcery. As she spoke with him, she offered to show him some of her magical talent, and in turn she prodded him to try the same.

Anton was mystified. Sorcery? Of his own? He had never even considered the possibility! Nonetheless, at her direction and prodding he tried, and much to his amazement he was able to generate some simple illusions, dancing lights, with little effort once she had walked him through the process, explained to him how to feel the arcane energies within his own spirit. You have blood from Old Camrinal in you, she told him. He couldn’t have Emoniae in him, not with such tall and dark features, but Emon was not the only land blessed with a high percentage of sorcerers; Camrinal destroyed itself and many more as a byproduct of such sorcerous talent.

When Anton returned to the Monastery with Garados, he was a changed man. Not only had he met and known a fascinating woman, she had helped him to see a hidden talent he never even imagined existed. He knew then that the monastic, chaste lifestyle of the servants of Nevereth was not for him. He confided as much in Garados about this, though he did not mention discovering his talent for magic, who nodded in agreement. Garados had, after all, sensed the wanderlust and unusual spirit of this young man, and knew he was destined for a different life.

When Anton turned seventeen the following year he was discharged of his duties to the monastery and granted the rights of a freeman of Aeronost. For the last year Anton had been stealing away at night into the city to meet with Nyrasel and others who held sorcerous talent, and learned of a coven of sorcerers and witches within the city walls who engaged in the study and practice of their magical arts in collaborative safety. The coven called themselves the Concord of Roeghast, named after an old entity which was said to have dwelled within Lake  Vunares ages before Catalone was founded. Roeghast was a center of much attention locally within the hidden cults and covens of the city, for it was said that this enigmatic elemental being could grant great power if studied long enough, revealing ancient truths that led to a pure understanding of the Hidden World. Anton, like his paramour Nyrasel, was fascinated at what this meant.

Anton lived a raucous and free-wheeling lifestyle by day, getting a job as a servant in the employ of House Elaron, which needed able bodied workers for a construction project. Count Aras Elaron had decided to build a new estate for himself on the lakeside coast west of the city, one which would rival the Duke’s own palace in the heart of Catalone, and he needed hundreds of workers to get the job done.

Anton initially was employed as a hard laborer, but he was quickly recruited by one of the chief masons as an assistant when it was revealed he had been educated in math and geometry at the Monastery of Veramaine, and within weeks he was fully apprenticed to Sir Marison Gafflows, a noted architect in the region who was personally overseeing the construction. Under Gafflows tutelage Anton learned much of architecture and design, and of new ways to employ his studies from the monastery.

Anton was twenty when the construction of Castle Elaron was near completion, and he had found less time for the studies with Nyrasel and her coven than he might have liked, but a Harvest Moon was looming and Nyrasel told him he must attend, for it was on that night that they would row out to the small island of the Starry Henge to enact a ritual of summoning to draw the attention of Roeghast himself. Anton was at first nervous, for his time spent meditating on the spirit of the lake had left him uncertain it even existed, but Nyrasel and her cohorts were convinced that this was the right course of action.

The night of the harvest moon, Anton excused himself in after nightfall from Sir Gafflows’ house where he had been living and made his way to the docks, where a dozen members of the Concord had gathered. The group found itself on the small island where an ancient stone henge of rocks, placed by the ancient druids of long ago was to be found. The ceremony was exacting in detail, as best they could construct from fragmentary texts that somehow survived the immolation of Old Camrinal, and a sacrifice of a lamb was made on the center stone. When the harvest moon suddenly eclipsed, it was then that everyone knew they had somehow succeeded.

Nyrasel was the target of unholy life, as she was drawn from the ground and held fast in the air by unseen forces, a chilling darkness entering her body and changing it in horrible ways as the sounds of flesh rending and bones snapping filled the air. Still alive, she gasped in agony and pleasure all at once as the spirit of Roeghast entered her, changed her, and made her his vessel of habitation.

Some of the coven fled at that moment, but grasping shadows dragged them to their death. Only Anton and two others stood fast against the manifestation, which leered at them through the form of Nyrasel, whom Anton demanded be free of the possession. Roeghast simply bellowed an inhuman laugh, and looked upon the three who had not fled. You are my chosen now, it said. You must go forth, to spread the word of the Old Gods, to spread the word of Roeghast. I am once more alive, and I shall require many more souls before my time is at an end.

Anton was disgusted, horrified to realize that Roeghast was no ancient druidic spirit of old, but a demon of the worst sort. He was about to rebuke the demon’s offer when a silvered arrow struck Nyrasel’s suffering body in the chest, ending her life and the grip of the demon. The shadows writhed in agony, striking out at all around them, slaying the rest of the coven to a man save for Anton, who rushed to the battered, broken body of Nyrasel. It was too late for her, for the bolt had only insured she suffered no more from the terrible ruination on her form.

Anton at last confronted the one who had fired the crossbow bolt, as the darkness dissipated, the demon banished without a host. He saw before him a rough, older man of many years’ toughened nature. He wore piecemeal armor of multiple nationalities, and bore a crude gray tabard with the mark of the Sullen Vigil upon it. His name was Sir Carver Drelos, and he was a knight of the order of the Watchers, a group which had long ago been appointed the protectors of Aeronost and beyond, to keep close watch on the thaumaturgical taint which had sprung from the old Empire and done so much harm to the land.

Carver Drelos took pity upon Anton, realizing that he appeared to be as much a victim of the demon’s wiles as anyone else, and instead offered to help bury and consecrate the remains of those who had been slain by Roeghast’s shadow fiends. He explained that he had actually been searching for evidence of cults worshipping Roeghast for years now, and had already dealt with a barbarian cult to the demon god in the North Mountainsof Esrenor not long ago, one which was far less naive about the demon’s desires and intentions.

Anton was at first hostile to Carver but quickly realized that the man had perhaps saved his life, and certainly put Nyrasel out of her misery. When they left the island, just after dawn, it was with the realization that his old life was over and he was now adrift, though Carver quickly realized this and explained that he could use a good hand in the coming battles. Roeghast, he explained, was always looking to seduce the unwitting or the power hungry into providing him with a vessel for his indulgence in charnel havoc, and he was far from the only one. When the Empire of Camrinal fell, Carver explained, thousands of such demons were unleashed upon the land. Many of his order saw fit to man the ancient garrisons which stood grim watch against the wastelands of the old Empire, but he was one of his order who chose to strike out and actively hunt down the demons. There were not enough of his kind, he explained; they needed more willing and hearty souls who would take up sword and crossbow against the evil that lurked in the land.

It was here at last amidst tragedy and horror that Anton found his calling, as he pledged his service to Sir Carver Drelos and the Watchers of the Sullen Vigil.

Anton Dainasere, Knight-Squire of the Sullen Watch

Human male, Age 21

STR 15, CON 14, SIZ 17, DEX 13, INT 17,  APP 12, POW 15 EDU 13; DB +1D4 HP 15 MW 7

Sanity 67 (Max 75) Madness Threshold 13            MPs 15

Notable Skills: Etiquette 25%, Teach 25%, Craft (stonemasonry) 40%, Knowledge (architecture) 35%, Knowledge (mathematics) 60%, Speak Aeronostic 85%, Speak Camrinalic 20%, Literacy (Aeronostic) 50%, Literacy (Camrinalic) 30%, Insight 30%, Research 50%, Ride 25%, Dodge 31%, Shield (full) 40%, Crossbow 50%, Sword 50%

Magic Known: Illusion 47%,  Light 37%, Perception 50%, Ward 29%

Weapons:  Long Sword (1D8+DB (1D4)), light crossbow (1D6+2, range 40)            

Armor: Lamellar (6 AP), helmet (+1 AP), plus Full Shield (22 AP/HP)

Wealth: 120 silvers

Notes: Anton did not start his career as a spellcaster and had no idea he had talent until age 16. As such, he is considered a non-magician by caster standards (so can only have 1/4^th of his INT in spell knowledge in mind at any given time). Anton’s grimoire was abandoned on the Isle of the Starry Henge, so he has not regained new spells since he joined with Carver Drelos.

In Sarvaelen there is little distinction between common “hedge” magic and sorcery amongst most people. Sorcerers tend to practice both. It was Nyrasel’s belief that time would help expand Anton’s scope of power (i.e. a stat boost to POW) but that did not come to pass before tragedy struck.

 Anton’s sanity is lower than base, due to the traumatic experience on the island. Likely with time in the service of the Watchers it will degrade even further…