The Campaign Builder's Guild

Very cool writeup on witchcraft.  I was watching TV last night and ran across a show about mushrooms.  I learned something interesting which I thought I would pass on as it seems like it would fit well... There is a mushroom in Russia (it's a bright red mushroom with white spots on it... funny enough, looks like the mushrooms that little garden gnomes sometimes hold).  Anyway, it has three active substances... two are psychoactive and another is slightly poisonous.  The shaman would eat the mushroom.  His liver (or maybe it was his kidney) would filter out the toxic substance and his disciples/apprentices would drink his urine so that they could get the benefits of the psychoactive substances without the ill effects of the toxins... just thought that was cool. :)  

This was put together a few years ago and I'm just compiling it... as I was doing so I too noticed the apostophes... I must have been going through some sort of apostrophe phase.  I will probably be going through and changing the names of some of the critters to reduce them.

I really like your concept.  It seems like you are tracking a calendar like the tzolk'in so you mght consider how the 5 days extra of the mayan calendar are dreadful days and how they affect the populace... 5 days of trying to avoind the consequences of the moon swallowing the sun.  I like that there is an explanation of the extra five days, but that 3 of them are because that's how long jaguar waited doesn't seem to have a lot of umph... just my opinion of course.

I love the level of technology and that it is consistent. Also, the insertion of the undead in a world that has no afterlife... that creates a mystery as to why some people disappear and some stay... very intriguing.  I'd like to get more story though... your descriptions of the world that portray your vision.

Wouldn't you want to start with how much realism vs. abstraction? Or is that what you are asking for in the first place.  In my experience, the more realism there is, the more time you spend arguing over physics and how things work in the "real world" and the less time you spend playing. (One of the reasons why, while I love the system, I stopped GMing GURPS). I woudl go for B or C... but never A.  A would result in people spending more time building ships than playing with them :)

As an added bonus, both B and C would probably be more usable than A to any other GM for their campaign.

I really love your writing style.  I lose myself in the richness of your words and find myself pulled into this world you are painting.  I have to say that the ony thing that seemed out of place to me was your first sentence "The Twilight Cities are incredibly ancient: even the youngest is built on ruins many millennia old." ... but maybe I'm just thinking differently... seems as if the *oldest* should have been built on ruins many millennia old.

As a setting, the way that you have richly woven the macabre scenes, it seems as if any kind of game mechanics would ruin it.  So, I am avoiding that and enjoying the steady portrayal of your vision...

PC Races

Greater Races

While not all races are known or listed here, this document contains the information available to player characters about the races in the world.  Player character races are actually sub-races for four major groups.  Each grouping has numerous sub-races associated with it.  Sub-races noted with an asterisk are not available as player characters, but are known to them.

E'læri (cm: The Founders) are known for their imposing physical demeanor and their immense knowledge.  Often sought out by travelers for wisdom, the E'Læri are thought to have existed since the beginning of time.  With egos to match their knowledge, they typically demand high praise and riches, but, for the lucky individual who gains an answer, the cost is usually well worth it.

Mannish (cm: Procreator) are the most common intelligent race on Græ, at least the most gregarious and widespread known to the races.  There are many different cultures among the Procreators, making them the most diverse race on Græ.  Men are  graced with the ability to sire offspring frequently and with almost every race known.  This gift has heightened their ability to spread across the world of Græ almost unchecked.

Mutati (cm: The Touched)  are one of the older races on Græ.  They come in a myriad of forms and are known to worship the god '˜Mutatis'.  It is through this god that the Mutati believe they gained their ability to adapt to nature and survive.  While not as prolific as humans, they do not breed at such a pace, they have been able to survive through the enhancements granted them by their god.  Typically found in small tribes across all the lands of Græ, Mutati are known for their ability to adapt to the environment.

Logli (cm: The Non) comprise those races that are not known to be descended from the three other Greater Races.  Many scholars quest to uncover the origin of these races, but, while some have been classified as strange off-shoots, the majority escape identification.

E'Laeri Sub Races

N'Læri (cm: Noble Ones) are rarely encountered, being members of the original race of E'Læri.  N'læri inhabit secluded reaches and rarely make an appearance. But, when they do, people notice, for their incredible grace, stature and intelligence set them apart from the common populace.  They are the original masters of Essænce and guard its secrets well.(*)

U'Laeri (cm: Common Ones) inhabit the world at large.  While far removed from their brethren, the N'Læri, they are one of the few races to exhibit a wonder for the world.  They are able to communicate freely and mix with the other races.

T'Laeri (cm: Grey Ones) are rarely spoken of.  This race keeps mostly to itself, even when they come in contact with others.  Though known to exhibit powerful abilities, they usually reserve them for their own self-preservation and amusement. (*)  

Mannish Sub Races

Ru'Drimm (cm: Pure Strain) are believed to be descended from the gods.  They are the oldest known mannish race and often rule over other members of the mannish races.  Ru'Drimm are the only mannish race that holds the respect of the E'Læri, albeit a tenuous respect at best.  This trust has blessed them with a touch of the Æssence.

Galdant (cm: Brave Ones) are known to inhabit the reaches of the known world.  They are typically a brutish race, able to adapt to the hardships of life in seemingly uninhabitable land.  While sparse near civilized territories, they are known to be found in nearly every terrain and climate.

Mazrich (cm: Hoarders) are known for their crafting ability.  From armor to jewelry, they are sought after for their wares.  Running trade caravans among settlements, their own holdings are typically hidden from sight and protected from invasion.  Shrewd traders, they often hire mercenaries and guards of other races to protect their wares.

Justriuc (cm: Makers) are a disciplined, military people.  Justriuc are feared for their battle prowess and the strange capabilities many of them exhibit.  They are in a near constant state of war with other races and kingdoms as they attempt to build their empire and spread the worship of their god, Solwun.  Other races are often drafted into their army to swell the ranks of their battle machines.  While some Justriuc are seen abroad, the majority of them are settled in the Solwun empire.

Wasad (cm: Runners) move freely throughout the world.  Thought to be the fiercest of warriors, they are second only to the Galdant.  Often found in barren reaches they roam like no Galdant would, bridging the vastness between settlements and making a life of traveling.

Perchan (cm: Common) make up the bulk of the mannish community.  They are the most widespread and renown for their communal habits.  Varied in capability, the Perchan are thought to be a combination of every race, courtesy of the mannish capability to intermingle.

Mutati Sub Races

Gr'narch (cm: The Greater) are comprised of the more intelligent and socially conscious of the race of Mutati.  It is they that are most commonly encountered by the other races.  The Gr'narch are known for their capability to adapt and many are blessed with shamanic abilities.  It is in no small part that their civilized nature allows them to be accepted by the other races.

Gr'og (cm: The Lesser) form numerous, scattered tribes.  Typically renown for their savagery, they occasionally spawn a member of their species that more closely resembles and behaves like their cousin, the Gr'narch.

Gr'ma (cm: The Lost) are a strange race, having taken to the trees.  They are known for their sharp fangs and lithe bodies.  Rarely encountered outside of the depths of the forests that dot Græ, they are thought to be cannibals and avoided by most sane people wishing to retain their skins. (*)

Logli Sub Races

Ss-tass (cm: The Scaled) inhabit the swamps and wetlands of Græ.  Their habits are largely undocumented.  Though known to trade with drylanders, as they term them, they keep mostly to themselves. (*)

Tr'ogli (cm: Dark Dwellers) shun the daylight world.  They have taken to hiding in caverns and caves deep in the mountains of Græ.  While staying in their underground refuge by day, they swarm the land by night searching for food and conflict. (*)

X'an (cm: Elder Horrors) are rarely seen, and even more rarely escaped.  Little is known of the X'an, beyond what crazed travelers tell.  That their appearance and demeanor horrifies the beholder to such an extent is not disputed. Only a few great warriors, the Lord Duke Dunn among them, have been known to face a Greater X'an in combat and survive. (*)

GM Race Overview

There are a number of races.  Originally, as the Pureblood Empire expanded and came into contact with the warlike X'an, there was thought to have been only two greater races; the Purebloods and the X'an.  While there were numerous other races and creatures throughout the known worlds of the galaxy, some intelligent and some not, the Pureblood and X'an stood above all other races. Only these two had advanced to sufficient degrees socially, technologically and intellectually to be considered equals, even if hated.  

With the discovery and colonization of Grae, the E'Laeri have shown themselves to be another major race.  Though not space faring in the common sense of the word, they have mastered capabilities beyond the ken of both the Purebloods and the X'an.  Were the galactic empires interested, they would be considered another force in the struggle for control of the galaxy, this is, if the E'laeri were even mildly interested in controlling the galaxy.

Greater Races

The greater races possess a birthright to the universe.  They are very few in actual number, but broad in their scope and reach.  They were each created specifically by the Precursors and, as such, are entitled to the Precursor Legacy.  The inborn desire to seek this legacy is what drives the greater races to excel, to continue growing and what, inevitably, leads to confrontation between them.  The only thing the greater races share is their immortality, in the sense that they do not grow old or infirm, not do they lose their mental faculties as they age.  They are the core of their respective domains and are revered or held in awe by the lesser races that look to them for leadership.

E'Laeri (cm. Founding People)

Tall, graceful and beautiful, the E'Laeri have unlocked the secret of cosmic memes.  They have the ability to change reality through their use.  Much more interested in the exploration of alternate planes of existence and reality, they have never developed space flight in the traditional sense of the world, though it is suspected that this does not necessarily leave them planet bound.  Cosmic memes give them the ability to do things beyond comprehension and they never needed to develop strong scientific technology as other races have.

Pureblood (cm. Pureblood)

Generations of eugenics have allowed Mankind to regain their true form, which had been lost in the mists of time.  The Purebloods are the ideal human specimens; strong, intelligent and comely.  They are the possessors of powerful minds capable of mastering immense psionic powers and wielding technology with devastating effect.

X'an (cm. Elder Horrors)

Worm-like parasites that infect and control host bodies, the X'an are effectively immortal, not in the same sense as their long-lived rivals, but by the fact they can seemingly overcome death itself and that, as they reproduce through fission, they pass on portions of knowledge and mental faculties to their progeny.  Xenophobic and ruthless, they believe they are the rightful rulers of the universe and seek to enslave, or destroy all other races in their quest to rule the galaxy.

Lesser Races

The lesser races make up the bulk of the population of the greater race's spheres of control.  Whether due to reverence, awe or terror, the E'Laeri breeds, Pureblood strains and X'an thralls answer the call of their leaders.  The term lesser is not derogatory, except by the X'an, who encourage its use.  Instead, it is a matter of semantics, as each of the lesser bring strengths to the spheres of the greater.

E'Laeri Breeds

The E'Laeri are the native inhabitants of Grae.  Due to the high level of life on the planet and the E'Laeri's low numbers and proclivity toward secluded areas, they went unnoticed by the other races for some time.  This allowed them time to study the newcomers in secret before contacting them.

In the ancient days of the E'Laeri, the race was fairly homogenous.  When the ability to manipulate cosmic memes manifested, it was found that some individuals had a much greater ability than others.  As the ability evolved, the social structure of the E'Laeri slowly transformed.  As a result, those with greater ability to master cosmic memes were higher on the social structure than those with lower ability.  Breeding outside the respective social classes was heavily discouraged and, in fact, ceased entirely.  This breeding further increased the gap between ability and created racial offshoots that exhibited quite different physical and mental characteristics.

The pure E'Laeri are very few in number.  They embody the perfection of the race as a whole.  They are rarely encountered, inhabiting secluded reaches and rarely making an appearance.  But, when they do, people notice, for their incredible grace, stature and charisma set them apart from the common populace.  They are the original masters of the cosmic memes and guard its greatest secrets.  

I'Laeri (cm. Craft People)

While the name sounds the same as E'Laeri to untrained ears, it holds a distinctive difference in meaning.  The I'Laeri were formed of those without the capability to grasp cosmic memes.  In the early days, those that exhibited this handicap were either killed outright or banished, with much the same effect on a world as hostile as Grae.  However, this practice was very painful for the E'Laeri, as children are few and dear.  The I'Laeri were kept and cared for and relegated to doing the menial tasks that were considered distractions from the loftier pursuits of their more regal cousins.

I'Laeri were found to be shorter lived than the others of their sphere and their ability to successfully breed was found to be slightly higher.  It took many generations for the gifts of the I'Laeri to manifest and become noticed by the others.  Aside from their natural proclivity toward strength and craftsmanship, they exhibited an ability to imbue physical objects, with cosmic memes.  While unable to manipulate reality directly, they are able to channel cosmic memes subconsciously into inanimate objects, thus making them capable of fashioning items of great power.

This ability gave the E'Laeri great joy that their progeny had found their gift, while it struck sadness into their hearts at the numerous I'Laeri they had murdered in their ignorance.  Despite this, the I'Laeri continued to hold the E'Laeri in great respect and rejoiced in their ability to imbue items of their creation with the powers that their cousins could control on command.  Over the generations, they have honed this power to great effect.

T'Laeri (cm. Forsaken People)

The T'Laeri are rarely spoken of.  They are the result of dealings the early E'Laeri had with great, unknown beings of other planes and realities in their quest to harness the vast powers of cosmic memes.  They are twisted to the core and use their powers for self-preservation and in manners unfathomable to the other races.  There is a mighty struggle for power between themselves and the E'Laeri, though due to their small numbers, this struggle is typically far too subtle and of too grand a scheme to be grasped by the shorter lived races.  They alone among the lesser E'Laeri are immortal.

U'Laeri (cm. Touched People)

The U'Laeri are the most common of the Lesser E'Laeri.  They inhabit the world at large in small pockets or tribes.  While they have a skill for cosmic memes, they do not have the power and control of their greater cousins.  Various members of the U'Laeri manifest the use of cosmic memes in different ways.  Some need materials to focus their use, while others require rituals or command only a sub-set of abilities.  A rare few are able to master cosmic memes in the manner of their greater cousins or have tapped into as yet unknown powers.  As a whole, the U'Laeri do not have the broad mastery and understanding of the E'Laeri.  The U'Laeri exhibit a wonder of the world and a strange curiosity for the other races and technologies.

Pureblood Strains

The Pureblood strains came from the stars.  They were originally the members of a great empire that stretched across numerous systems in the galaxy.   The Pureblood strains are known for their gregarious and enterprising natures.

The greater race of Purebloods is actually comprised of a number of different strains.  The strains are the result of numerous factors and were influenced by different environs and cultures that existed across the various planets in the Pureblood Empire.  As a result, there are a number of differences between the various strains.  Whereas the Purebloods exhibited immense psionic powers, with the exception of a few, this gift has not blessed the lesser races.  However, the Pureblood strains are all characterized, to a greater or lesser extent, by their ability to sire numerous offspring, adaptability and technical ingenuity.  While they have a short lifespan, compared to the immortality of the Pureblood, they have managed, on a regular basis, to overcome great odds and obstacles to carry the Pureblood strains forward and keep the race alive and prospering.

Galdant (cm. Brave Ones)

Galdant are known to inhabit the far reaches of the world.  The Galdant strain is the consummate colonist and survivor, capable of withstanding extremes of climate and adapting to hardship.  As they have peopled the more remote and hazardous reaches of Grae, they have separated themselves from the rest of the strains and, for the most part, have regressed to brutish ways.

Justriuc (cm. The Mighty)

The Justriuc are a disciplined, military people.  Bred as the finest warriors and commanders, they are feared for their battle prowess and many possess technological enhancements that further heighten their abilities.  Originally bred to aid the fight against the X'an, they are now largely bereft of their sworn enemies since landing on Grae.  As a result, they have forgotten their birthright and are in near constant conflict with other races and kingdoms and tend to congregate together, in organized groups for this purpose.  Other races are often drafted into their armies to swell the ranks of their battle machines or to provide the labor and resources to support them.  While some rare Justriuc have forgone the organized militaristic lifestyle, the vast majority of them have formed into either mercenary groups, city-states or become part of the Solwun Hegemon (See Cultures).

Mazrich (cm. The Gifted)

Originally the scientists, engineers and bureaucrats of the Pureblood Empire, the Mazrich now manifest their gifts through their terrific ability to create, craft and trade.  From armor to jewelry, they are sought after for their wares.  Running trade caravans among settlements, their own holdings are typically hidden from sight and protected from invasion by frightening technology.  Shrewd merchants, they often hire mercenaries and guards from other races to protect their wares.

Perchan (cm. Common)

Making up the bulk of the Pureblood races, the Perchan are the most widespread and renowned for their communal habits.  While the other strains of Pureblood were bred to strengthen or focus on specific abilities, the Perchan have always existed and made up most of the common laborers and beaurocrats of the Empire.  They were allowed to interbreed freely among each other and treated with compassion by the other strains.  As a result, they never exhibited the finely honed gifts of the others, but every now and then, a Perchan is born that exhibits a broad range of skills and abilities that rival those of other strains in every respect.  For the most part however, they have no birthright and are content to work under the direction of others for the betterment of the whole.

Ru'Drimm (cm. Pure Ones)

Though known as the Pure Ones, the Ru'Drimm are in fact a lesser strain of the Pureblood.  They are the closest to the greater race and exhibit perfection in the human sense of the word.  Masters of technology and capable of feats of mind, the Ru'Drimm, as a whole, are the only strain of Pureblood to hold the respect of the E'Laeri.  Though fewer in numbers, they typically gravitate toward positions of power or fame and, thus, are known and respected by the other strains.

Wasad (cm. The Enlightened)

The Wasad were bred to focus their mental strength to great effect.  They are the psionic masters and spiritual leaders of the Pureblood strains.  Under the direction of the Pureblood leaders, they strengthened the will of the people.  Since the near disappearance of the Pureblood, they feel as if they have been stripped of their birthright and wander throughout the world.  Counted among the fiercest of warriors, they are second only to the Galdant in their ability to adapt to and survive in different environs.  Often found in barren reaches where they can further hone their spiritual abilities, they roam like no Galdant would, bridging the vastness between settlements and making a life of traveling, learning and teaching.

X'an Thralls

The X'an were a space faring race with a large empire that thrived on the enslavement of other planets and races to do their bidding.  When they came in contact with the Pureblood Empire, they sought to do what they had done to numerous other thrall species; enslave and control for their greater good.  However, they underestimated the might of the Pureblood Empire, never having encountered an enemy that couldn't be easily assimilated or, at least, destroyed.

The X'an are characterized by their use of thralls, races of captured worlds, to do their work for them, and their mastery over organic sciences and soft tech.  Many thralls were unfit to survive on this new world, while others had to be destroyed to prevent their later uprising.  Many escaped the mastery of the X'an in the chaos that ensued when the mothership crash-landed.  Yet the X'an survived and their desired to control, enslave and destroy has not waned with the weakening of their empire.  

The X'an are few in number.  Not because they could not multiply if they so wished, but there are many undesirable consequences of multiplying too much.  One is that multiplying reduces the resources of all individual X'an, as they must split them among the race.  A second is a byproduct of passing memories, knowledge and skill onto their progeny.  This passing on of consciousness causes young X'an to know their progenitor very well, and thus weaknesses are understood and easily exploited.  It is not unknown for a newly sentient X'an to share such information with another elder in order to facilitate the destruction of it's progenitor, and thus the reclamation of resources as well as the elimination of a competitor that knows as much about it as it knows about them.  As such, the X'an have been reluctant to breed pften and have lost control of many of their thralls, some of which have formed their own independent communities or societies.

Gr'og (The Least)

Gr'og form numerous scattered tribes and have been freed for the most part from the savagery of the X'an masters, which are focused on their battle with the other greater races.  Typically renown for their primitive ways and savagery, they occasionally spawn a member of their species that more closely resembles their close relative, the Gr'nach.  When this happens, the X'an intervene to capture and enslave the greater beast, but some have managed to remain in hiding among their lesser brethren.

Gr'ma (cm. The Lost)

A strange offshoot of the Gr'og, the Gr'ma is primarily an arboreal aberration.  They are known for their sharp fangs and lithe bodies.  Rarely encountered outside the depths of the forests that dot Grae, their primitive tribal society reveres cannibalism, ancestor worship and dark practices and they are to be avoided as much as possible by the other races.

Gr'nach (cm. The Most)

Gr'nach are longer lived than most of the X'an thralls. However, they are sterile and only come about rarely through the mating of Gr'og.  In light of this, Gr'nach are one of the few races that have not been engineered. They are, in fact, the result of extensive breeding and engineering of the Gr'og, and the true reason the existence of the Gr'og is tolerated by the X'an.  

The X'an host of choice, the Gr'nach are huge, grotesque creatures by the standards of the other races, but are highly adaptable and utilitarian.   Their ability to accept numerous bio-enhancements add to their versatility and strength and, in combination with their innate intelligence and well-developed nervous system, make them all the more desirable.  The Gr'nach have been used as hosts to such a great extent that the X'an sometimes name them and, in the early days of the Great Galactic War, the Pureblood Empire thought them to be the true enemy.  However, time and tragedy proved this false and, eventually, the true X'an form was revealed.

Logli (cm. The Non)

Logli are a race of insectoids.  The X'an are unable to inhabit their bodies as hosts due to their strange biology and they, as a race, are unable to take bio-enhancements.  However, their hive-mind made them easy to subjugate, once the X'an learned to emulate the their queens mental patterns.  There are numerous breeds of Logli, each with strengths that help the X'an.  Those strengths, combined with their ease of control have allowed the Logli to be tolerated and, in some cases, to prosper.

While queens are still required for the breeding of Logli, the larval Logli are imprinted with the false hive-mind of the X'an and, thus, ignore the queens.  The queens detest the loss of their children and yearn for the day the X'an will be overthrown and they may restore their race to their previous cooperative and peaceful state but, for now, the queens recognize the need to bide their time in order to ensure their race survives for such a possibility.

Mutati (cm. Changed)

The Mutati are a difficult species to control and, were it not for the fact that some possess a rare gift to manipulate powers beyond the understanding, and control, of the X'an, they would have been eliminated as a potential threat long ago.  Instead, due more to the curiosity and arrogance of the long-lived X'an than to any sense of preservation, the Mutati are being studied and bred to eventually replace the Gr'nach as a primary vessel and enable to X'an to rid themselves of the tedious and troublesome Gr'og.

The Mutati are one of the youngest races to come under the domination of the Elder Horrors.  They are primarily humanoid; yet savage looking by human standards.  They have a great innate ability to accept bio-enhancements and posses a keen intellect.  As they are a young thrall, the Mutati fear and despise their X'an masters and work to escape them at every opportunity.  Among the X'an thralls, the Mutati are the most likely to be found to form advanced societies outside the domination of their masters.

Ss-tass (cm. The Scaled)

These sauroids evolved on various primordial planets.  They are fierce lizard-like beings of different species that are collectively known as Ss-tass.  For the most part, barely evolved, they congregate in very primitive tribal societies.  The X'an maintain them for their fearlessness and the ease with which their minds are controlled.  In the Great Galactic War, the Ss-tass typically formed the heavily armed and armored troops of the X'an Collective.  However, they are not considered suitable vessels and offer little beyond their savage strength and mindless obedience and form the lowest echelon of thrall in the empire.

Tr'ogli (cm. Dark Dwellers)

The Tr'ogli were the shock troops of the X'an Collective.  Having little intellect or imagination, the Tr'ogli are rapid breeders and require little care.  Largely ignored by the X'an due to their inability to cooperate and gather in large numbers, thus posing little threat, they were thrown in chaotic masses at enemies and then destroyed, subjugated for further breeding or served well-done for the victory dinner.  Now largely freed from the influence of the X'an, except in times when they are required to group en masse, the Tr'ogli have taken to hiding in the deep dark places such as caverns and caves or in the nether reaches of forests and swamps.  While staying in their refuge by day, they swarm the land by night in search of food, prisoners and goods.

Game Master History

The world of Grae is not the native world for the majority of its inhabitants.  Indeed, it is but one of many worlds in the cosmic sphere of influence of a galaxy now decimated by a genocidal war fought between the Pureblood Empire and the X'an.

All of this information is for the Game Master only.  As such, it should be revealed very sparingly to the players as it can ruin the mystery and feel of the world.  

The Precursors

The majority of intelligent races in the galaxy were brought into being by an omniscient race known as the precursors.  Nothing is known of the precursors and their existence millions of years ago.  All that remains of their unfathomable society are the artifacts found on seemingly random planets and the numerous creatures and races that were the results of their experiments.

While nothing is known of their existence, or whether they still exist to this day, the effects of their society can be felt.  They left numerous clues to greater technologies and states of consciousness among their scattered ruins.  While few ruins have been discovered and excavated, those that have provided insight into technologies that led to great advances for the discovering race with a capability to decipher their meaning.

Some speculate that the precursors destroyed themselves through some cataclysmic event.  Others believe that they just left of their own accord, evolving to a different level of existence.  A few believe they are still out their, watching and waiting for some unknown sign.  Whatever the case, it seems as if the clues they left behind were deliberately provided for the benefit of the races.  Specific technology and information was left for each race to discover and use for their benefit.  Each has made use of these gifts, but the reason for their existence has never been discovered.

The Birth of Empires

Of the great races that were created by the precursors, of which there are many, only two were known to evolve solar spanning empires within the galaxy.  These were the Pureblood and the X'an.

The Pureblood

Hailing from a small planet whose name has been lost in antiquity, Mankind was descended from a race of simian creatures.  They evolved intelligence as a means of survival, for theirs was a world full of predators.  As they tamed the nether reaches of their world, and crowding became an issue, they began to strike out for new territory to inhabit.

Mankind built huge vessels, capable of crossing the great, cold seas of space.  However, these vessels were slow moving and it took many ages to conquer even neighboring stars.  It was seen that their expansion was too slow and they began to work harder to discover better technologies that would enable them to both speed their expansion and to better adapt to the new climates of neighboring planets.  Technology and science became powerful tools for them, providing the means by which they could adapt and spread further.

In an effort to ensure that they would be able to populate the farthest reaches of space, numerous eugenics programs were introduced to heighten and focus the talents and abilities of Mankind.  Individuals were bred for strength, intelligence, technical ability, leadership and any other trait that was determined to improve the odds of survival.  For the most part, the breeding programs resulted in highly specialized beings, strong in one area but weak in others.  Then one day it happened, the perfect human was born, the human with no weaknesses, only strengths.

Freyda Vanluydot was in every respect the prodigal child of humanity.  Intelligent beyond belief with a strength that belied her perfect form, she trained under the greatest masters of the time.  She was held as the ideal, idolized by the general populace and marveled at by the elite.  It was determined that all the rest of humanity, those bred for intelligence, for strength and for leadership, were merely offshoot strains.  They were but shadows of the perfection of the Pureblood.   The leaders of humanity proclaimed Freyda Pureblood and all hopes were placed in her.

Freyda was a very quick study.  By the time of her coming of age she had surpassed her teachers in every respect.  When she came of majority, she was unanimously declared the rightful leader of Mankind.  Freyda took to the post with zeal and the start to the Pureblood Empire was officially begun, year fv. 0.

Finding that certain other planets held mysterious evidence of previous occupation, Freyda began a campaign of deep exploration on each of the inhabited worlds.  Efforts were rewarded when, on one particularly barren planet, ruins were found that, while hidden for millions of years, appeared newly constructed.  Exploration yielded a find of such magnitude, that Mankind would never be the same again.

In the year fv. 41, Freyda unveiled the findings from the ruins.  On a tablet that had taken three years to decipher, the blueprint for the birthright of humanity was inscribed.  The tablet depicted Mankind in all their genetic perfection, it showed how versatile the race was and how, ultimately, it was a vessel of great power.  But most importantly, it showed the gift that had eluded Freyda Vanluydot from the beginning; a mind so powerful that it could control reality.

Freyda admitted her shortcoming that she was not the Pureblood that mankind sought.  But instead told of one greater than her that would come, and that she would be the one to give birth.  The tablet showed the paths to perfection, and mankind was only one step away.  The breeding process, which had been in effect for generations, had succeeded in purifying the human race as no blunt gene therapy could.  All that remained was to distill Mankind to its Pureblood core and regain the birthright that, according to the tablet, had been possessed by Mankind in its infancy.

The search began for a perfect genetic match, screens of the entire Imperial population were conducted.  Breeding programs were attempted to try and emulate the perfection found in Freyda.  The search continued for generations and, as Freyda slowly, but inevitably grew old, she became increasingly worried that too much time would pass and she would be unable to bear children.  The solution that Freyda had known for years but tried to ignore was finally enacted.

In fv. 273, Freyda, being as close to perfection as mankind had ever known, created a son of her own flesh and blood.  She took of herself to birth another, perfect as her, the same in every respect, save for sex.  And upon his birth, she named him Freydr.  When Fredydr reached majority, together they birthed the first generation of true Pureblood.  The Pureblood were mighty beyond anything Mankind could have imagined.  As far above humanity that Freyda and Freydr were, the Pureblood were above them.  In total, the first generation consisted of six sisters and five brothers.  

In fv. 532 Freyda passed away, followed in fv. 827 by Freydr.  Upon the passing of their progenitors, the Pureblood led Mankind into the true age of the Pureblood, declaring it A.P. (After Pureblood) 0 and dividing the whole of humanity among them.  They ruled Mankind throughout the stars and they did not pass as their progenitors had.  They multiplied as their Empire grew.  Mankind had achieved its birthright and nothing could keep them from claiming the universe as their own, to be the precursors of a future race.  Until they met the X'an.

The X'an

Symbiotic Parasites feeding off the sludge eating grazers of a swampy world, the X'an did not evolve quickly.  Left to themselves, they would probably never have developed intelligence beyond that needed to find a new host.  However, something was sparked within them in ages past, its source unknown and forgotten.

The parasites migrated from the grazers to the hunters, gaining mobility and freedom.  They developed awareness of the strength of the hunter and were able to improve upon it.  They heightened its senses, increased its speed, improved its ability to feed and spread the X'an across the world.

It is not recorded when the first X'an began to perceive more than its vessel's emotions.  Nor is it remembered how the first X'an became able to direct those emotions.  However, it is known that it must have been a great event.  It was an exhilarating ability to take control of a body with mobility and strength and direct it as if it was your own.  To discard it when it was weak and to take another.    To bring with it memories through the passing of many hosts spent hunting the weak, tasting the fresh blood of kills, developing an ability to understand how other creatures thought and acted, able to pass from life to life, always more powerful.

The X'an came to understand the biology of other creatures in detail, seeing them as machines, vessels under their control.  They were able to study them from the inside, and were able to tame the instincts of their host and direct them with intelligence.  In the bodies of the fiercest predators, their vast experience and knowledge made them frightfully capable of surviving.  The only thing the X'an feared was another X'an.

The X'an, being essentially immortal as long as they had a steady stream of hosts, were able to acquire great skills and lore.  Worrying not for the predations of other animals, the only thing that threatened them as a whole was nature.  For, as the ages passed their world began to grow cold.  Their hosts were dying and, if they had no hosts, the X'an would pass with them.  They elevated themselves above their own petty squabbles to work together for the first time.  Gone was the territorial instinct that led them to kill one another.  X'an were tolerated to come together to solve the terrible crisis of nature that would soon wipe them from the face of their planet.

At first, they worked to create a host that could withstand the extreme cold that was growing.  They were successful and worked to create numerous lesser beasts with similar ability that would serve as their food source.  Again they were successful.  However, they could not seem to modify the plants that the beasts fed upon enough to ensure their survival.  While able to continually modify their ability to consume different food sources, soon, there would be nothing to eat except each other.  And that would not last long enough for them to survive the harsh, eon spanning winter.

It was during this dark time, fearing final destruction, that the X'an made an amazing discovery right under their vessel's feet.  Buried deep within the ground, and only found when a X'an, known as Ixx'yl'thraxis left a host dying of exposure to ride a B'krkk, a small burrowing creature.  

Fearing for its life, Ixx'yl'thraxis joined with the body of the B'krkk, a feat only attempted in extreme emergencies due to the limited development of their nervous system.  Upon bonding, it sensed only two emotions, the usual hunger for other small, burrowing animals and a strange confusion about an area of impassable stone.  Unusual, as the creature was able to bore through every known rock and ore throughout the world.  Overcome with curiosity, as few new things occured to the long-lived X'an, Ixx'yl'thraxis rode to the source of this confusion and found a massive block of apparently impenetrable material.

Making its way to the surface, Ixx'yl'thraxis assimilated a new vehicle and told the tale to its comrades.  Digging up the block it took them the passing of many hosts to decipher the secret of unlocking it.  Once they did, the discovery amazed them, even the most long-lived.  They learned of other planets like their own beyond the mists that shrouded their world.  They were given hope that they could survive the approaching cataclysm that threatened their extinction.  They discovered secrets that led them to begin their most ambitious project.  A vessel they could ride to another planet.

It took many more hosts and numerous failed attempts to build a vessel capable of withstanding the extremes of space.  Capable of pulling energy from stars, gas and stored matter with an efficiency that would allow it to stay alive long enough to find another home.  After many trials they were successful.

As the blistering winds flayed the flesh of their hosts, the remaining X'an, one by one, left the safety of their vessels and entered the ship.  They merged into the flesh and became its consciousness.  They sailed the empty vastness in a near hibernation state, with survival the only lingering thought.

The X'an mothership was truly a mother to a far-flung race.  The riders knew that they could never land.  The vessel would not be able to withstand the stresses of entering a new atmosphere.  They would be unable to experience the predator's joy again.  However, they could ensure the survival of their race.  They went from planet to planet, dropping their spores on every world they came across.  Having no ability to sense life at such great distances, it was a blind hunt, but one they pursued until their aging vessel, no longer able to synthesize the light of the stars, their living fuel long used up, ceased; and with it, the passengers ceased also.

However, success has struck on numerous planets.  Though not as cognizant as their parents, the larval X'an prospered across many worlds, retaining vestiges of memories of a former life on their homeworld.  They remembered the control of the predator, their ability to shape and create new bodies.  Most of all, they remembered the sacrifice made for the survival of the species and vowed that it would never happen again.

The X'an perfected the growth of space vessels capable of interplanetary travel.  They built stronger, more adaptable bodies with inherent mental capacity that allowed the X'an to exercise their abilities to their full extent.  Exposure to new ecosystems and forms of life broadened their understanding of biology to the point where they could inhabit nearly any creature with a centralized nervous system and create one where such creatures were unavailable.

The X'an became a mighty force, spreading like a plague across systems.  Where they came into contact with other intelligent races, they saw them as new vessels, to learn from and integrate into their enormous repertoire of thralls.  All creatures are no more than objects to them, vehicles capable of enacting the will of the X'an.  They exist merely to provide the X'an with a home or service or to act as food.  Entire races were enslaved.  Those that resisted were destroyed.  None could withstand the onslaught of the X'an, until they met the only creatures with capabilities far different, yet equal to their own.  The Pureblood Empire.

The Conflict (A.P. 1247)

When the X'an and the Pureblood first met, outside a mining community in A.P. 1247, it was instantly bloody.  The X'an held no desire to parley with these new creatures and were determined to bring them under control immediately.  The Pureblood community, caught off guard, was entirely decimated.

When news of this reached the ears of the ruling magistrate, he was infuriated.  There were few weapons of war.  To date, all contact with other races were peaceful.  Indeed, the Pureblood Empire made it a practice not to interfere with a race until it had developed its own, successful space program.  As such, many world were quarantined.

Mustering the resources at their disposal, the Empire hastily put together an offensive force.  This initial force met the X'an at the place of the initial conflict and quickly engaged.  The Empire was caught off guard though.  The X'an had infiltrated the very individuals that ruled the mining community.  The Pureblood pilots found themselves facing their own brethren in combat.  The shock of this discovery nearly lost them the battle.  It was determined that they would have to destroy the entire colony in order to purge the X'an from Imperial space.

While the initial X'an invasion was halted with the tragic, yet bearable loss of the mining colony, the X'an were not so easily defeated.  Soon, wars fought between the Empire became common as the X'an and their thralls sought to destroy the Pureblood threat to their galactic dominance.

The Great War (A.P. 1248-1734)

The war was going poorly for the Empire.  Their ability to supply the front lines was hampered by their, as yet, inability to harness faster than light travel.  Entire worlds were captured by the X'an before supplies could reach the combat zone.

In A.P. 1332 Grendle Yaolstadt made a discovery that was thought would turn the tide of the war.  He created a method for stabilizing wormholes.  With this technology, the Empire would be able to better fortify their borders, nearly instantly moving supplies, troops and the latest in military gear from the core worlds to the outer fringes, where constant battles raged.

The Empire immediately began production of these portals at all major systems under its control.  Over the course of three centuries, the result was a linked network of hundreds of systems, able to instantly reinforce any battle line across the Empire.  It also greatly enhanced the speed at which the Empire could expand.  The result was additional resources, member species and technology transfer.

The X'an were not by any means complacent during this period.  They too gathered resources on their newly acquired worlds.  They quickly harnessed the knowledge of the Imperial citizens that inhabited those worlds and soon were able to match the technology of the Empire.  They too began construction of warp gates with the knowledge sucked from the minds of the finest Imperial scientists.  

With the knowledge of Warp Gates, the X'an were no longer inhibited by the slow speed of their living generation ships.  They could push forward using captured technology and meet the Empire deeper within its territiory.  The war was nearing a stalemate, with neither side able to gain enough of a hold to permanently push deeper into enemy territory and the fringe worlds were forever changing hands and taking the brunt of the damage.

By 1653, while neither side conceded defeat, both began lessening hostilities and it became a war of attrition.  Though the bulk of the war was over, the X'an slowly gained through a process of infiltrating Imperial citizens and taking them over.  No one knew who they could trust.  No one was truly safe from the grasp of the X'an.  The Empire knew it would be on the losing end of the war if it did not figure out how to put a permanent stop to it.

A race of aliens known as the E'Læri had been discovered years ago by an explorer in the Imperial Scouts.  The system had been cordoned off for centuries, as the inhabitants had not developed space travel of their own.  However, it was found that they had a much greater gift than physical space travel could ever match.  They could master an energy known as Æssence, a mysterious energy that permeated all of creation.  They were able to manifest feats that even the greatest technology held by either the X'an or the Pureblood couldn't match.

In 1651, after decades of slow contact and subtle negotiations with the high members of the E'Læri, they joined the Empire as full members in their own right elevated above minor clan status directly to a full house.

In exchange for this high ranking membership, they taught the gifts of Æssence manipulation to the Pureblood that were capable of grasping it.  With this knowledge came the ability to warp reality.  This was the true, turning point of the struggle for  supremacy between the X'an and the Pureblood Empire.

With the mastery of hard tech science and magic at their command, as well as a fully functioning network of warp gates, the tide of battle quickly turned.  The X'an, while able to take over the minds and bodies of the creatures they inhabited, were not nearly as capable of assimilating this new knowledge.  It was found that, while mental capacity was important to utilizing Æssence, there was something more that was required.  Something that most X'an lacked and that the process of taking over a host destroyed.

The X'an, realizing that the Empire would not rest until they were wiped from the face of the galaxy, developed a doomsday weapon.  While nano-technology as a whole was in its infancy throughout the empire, the X'an captured a scientific colony that had been making great breakthroughs in its study.  Quickly seizing their opportunity, the X'an assimilated this knowledge and then, in A.P. 1731, unleashed into space vast swarms of self-replicating nanobots, whose sole mission was to destroy anything inorganic that they came across.

The swarms were released through the wormholes and set to plundering the Empire.  At first their was no counter to them.  The swarm ate through ship and equipment.  Entire fleets were lost and whole planets decimated, leaving the population to flounder among a stone-aged civilizations.  The X'an were largely immune to this as their technology was based on biological manipulation.

Within the space of a few years, the nano-swarms had devastated a third of the Empire.  The Empire fought back with its own versions of the nano-swarms that sought out biological life, but these were used on a much smaller scale, for fear that control would be lost and an even greater threat to survival would be unleashed.  

The Empire was not the only one affected though.  The X'an were equally at the mercy of the nano-swarms where it came to the Warp gates.  The nano-swarms could pass easily through them and, indeed, would destroy them, shutting the affected system off from their supply lines, often spelling doom to the system's inhabitants.  

The Cataclysm (A.P. 1735 '" 1756)

The X'an didn't go unaffected either.  In 1735, Imperial masters of Æssence reached deep into the planar nether regions to call forth mighty powers of old to defeat the X'an.  A rift was torn between the planes and many of the Warp Gates became gates not to other areas of the same galaxy, but to heretofore unknown planes of existence.  Great and fearsome entities filed into the galaxy through these rifts.

Many of the Æssence Masters were driven insane, plunged into darkness by unfathomable mentalities more powerful and deranged than those ever imagined.  The X'an and Empire alike were ravaged by these strange entities from beyond.  

In A.P. 1756, in order to stop their spread through the Empire, it was decided to shut down all warp gates.  Those systems with nano-swarms or malevolent entities in them were left to fend for themselves.  The great empires were in ruins, unable to care for themselves, let alone initiate any hostilities.  Many systems were utterly destroyed or sent back to the dark ages.  Some systems that were infected sent out life boats to try and escape, most never made it.  The few remaining, untouched systems lost contact with their neighbors and, without constant trade between the member systems, both empires collapsed.

The Dark Ages (A.P. 1757 '" Current)

Left to themselves, the remaining systems developed their own cultures and, in some cases, entirely new races when it was necessary to adapt to the environment.  In some cases, the inhabitants of a planet exist at barely a stone age level.  In others, they have continued to evolve, though differently than they would have if under the same banner.

X'an ships still set out from the few planets they control in search of new lands and new slaves.  However, they do so in their very slow generation ships, riding the solar winds.  The Empire, in tatters, also send forth probes and colony ships at sub-light speed.  Neither side opted for opening the Warp Gates, for fear of what may lie beyond.  The nearest promising systems are now much further from the respective cores of the empires to facilitate any sort of rapid expansion as the empires experienced in their earlier days, each core being surrounded by a sort of no-go, de-militarized zone of nano-swarm decimated systems, or worse, systems inhabited by strange intelligences and mutated remains of once thriving colonies.  

Some systems have shut off in such a manner that they can maintain contact with a handful of other systems through Warp Gates, since the nature of warp gates allows for sectioning off large networks of systems when just one gate is closed.  However, re-establishing contact with any neighbors is slow and very cautious, with most remaining xenophobic and more than willing to stay to themselves.

The current year is A.P. 3173, though many local calendars date their years from the shutting off of the Warp Gate network thus it is 1416 (give or take a year) on most worlds.  The planet of Græ sits in a sectioned off area of space that is potentially connected to 37 other worlds through functioning Warp Gates.  However, no one knows which systems outside of their own have survived and, as such, it is totally isolated from all of space.  Only 7 have made contact with other worlds after re-opening their gates.

While Græ is isolated for the time being, it contains a mixture of most of the known races of the Empire (and, unbeknownst to most, some of the X'an).  It is only a matter of time before contact is re-established with the other planets in the Warp gate network, if they haven't already, though outside of this, they are largely an island and may never be connected to anything beyond.

With over 1400 years to evolve on its own, Græ has developed its own cultures, races and technologies.  Many of the races and their off-shoots have consolidated into their own groups.  Much of the land is unexplored, with civilization primarily centered on a large continental island.  Magic and varied technologies mix among a medieval society.  The greatest technologies are held closely by the most powerful groups and only a few know the secret past of how Græ came to be.

Hey there... totally new here.  I ran across this site and said to myself "Self, maybe now you can get those notes together for the campaign that's been stuck in your head and get it out on virtual paper before you are hit by a bus."  So, I plan to do just that and welcome feedback and constructive criticism.

The world is an amalgamation of various settings.  It includes Magic, Technology, Demons, Angels, Humans and non-Humans.  While Magic and technology are prevalent, they are mysterious.  The typical person does not know the workings of magic and may, indeed, be totally unfamiliar with it outside of "faerie tales".  A person could be infused with nano-tech agents, but they wouldn't know it... just thinking it is a gift of their "god".

Magic is not prevalent to the point of being available to the vast majority of the populace.  I am trying to create a bit of a grittier world where the aessence masters (mages) are rare and mysterious, most powers that violate the laws of physics (even if they are fantasy physics) would be the activities of demons and angels and their abilities... which come with a great price to the person that wishes to utilize their powers for gain.

Please forgive what may be incoherent bits and pieces of the setting.  I am pulling from notes that I have taken as far back as 2004 and, as such, many are only half realized.  I am hoping that by having an audience (one that is ideally interactive) it will spur me to pull things togetehr in a way that makes sense.  Also, I am looking forward to advice, comments, obvious holes in logic that may destroy the willing suspension of disbelief that I am hoping to maintain.

As this is my first post, let me know if I am going about something wrong by posting here... or in the format that I am doing so (especially special options there are for the formatting of the post).  I have always wanted to keep the player information entirely separate from the GM information as part of the fun of the campaign that I am putting together is for the players to discover these things on their own.  Alas, in building a campaign and soliciting input, I am going to forget about that and just start spilling it out there.

Without further ado, I am going to post the history that I have put together for the campaign so far...

Thanks in advance for your time and attention.