The Campaign Builder's Guild

Two-hundred years ago, King-Warrior Tachi died. He was a great man, Tachi, and a powerful one, but he died of old age without a woman or child to his name. The nation grieved for a week, and then the Thronewar began.

Tachi's ancestors united the Rim Tribes and even the Seafolk and Duhmi under their banner, and conquered many, many lands. But Tachi, great warrior as he was, died without children, and then the Thronewar began.

The world's many nations saw the Mahi's failing state and greed overcame them. As the many battling houses within the Mahi fell into civil war, the Thronewar began. And it was not just the Mahi Houses who battled.

Now war crosses the land, and warriors are rife, religions burn and new grow swiftly, tribes retake their land and more beside, the Seafolk roam under their own banners once more, and the Rimfolk demand payment from any attempting to cross their homeland.

It is in this setting, a land of 'opportunity', that players will battle for gold, for their lives, and even perhaps for the throne!

But Mahi isn't just about battle. Read on, and discover...

???  Need more.  In the first three paragraphs you've essentially repeated yourself each time.  Is this intentional?  The names make me feel as if this is going to be Polynesian or at least ocean-based.

Of course you need more. That was just a taster.

And I did mean to repea myself, yes.

And you SHOULD wonder! Muahaha.

Mahi: The Setting

Playstyle?

Mahi is designed as a deep-immersion setting (well, QUITE deep-immersion) and with role-playing in mind. The classes reflect this, as both the mages have few offensive spells and one class is entirely given over to diplomacy and connections. However, combat is a large part of Mahi as well, and as such four classes are totally martial. Mahi can be played how you want, but ideally it should be played slightly nearer deep-immersion than kick-in-the-door.

Races

Many races have a place in Mahi; Elves, Orcs, Humans, Changelings, Shifters, but all of them are different from their normal counterparts. Elves are a newly-freed slave race, Orcs powerful, intelligent diplomats, Humans a divided, pained race, natives attempting to regain their territory, whilst Changelings have their own nations... all divided and constantly fighting, of course. Shifters are the supposed 'savages' of the outer lands, also known as the 'Rim Tribes'.

Classes

Mahi is no normal setting. Magic plays a more subtle role, with such things as fireballs, lightning bolts, and meteor swarms unseen. Mages are just as powerful, however, and have spells that will get tasks done just as easily... thus, the Manipulator and Worldbender were born.
Warriors are much more common, and they have to be. After all, war is a daily part of any Mahi denizen's life. Four classes are thus born: The Warrior, The Fencer and The Soldier.  
Finally there are the more... specialised classes. The Negotiator and the Thief both fill their own roles, the first using connections and manipulative skills and the second having more... deadly abilities. Finally there are two prestige classes: the Magesmith and Shaman.

As said before, four of the classes do not have a primary focus on combat. Although the Negotiator, Thief, Worldbender and Manipulator all have their own strengths (and have abilities as useful in combat as out) they are not designed to go all-into battle! Out of combat, though, all of these classes are in their element.

The World

From Rim to the Shining Sea, Ahu'al'Mahi, The-World-Beyond-Mahi, contains thousands of lands, hundreds of countries, millions upon millions of people. At the Rim, mountains so high that a human gasps for air even halfway up it lie preventing any across it, and at the Meha plains beneath the Rimfolk hunt. Here lies one of the borders of Tahu's land, the last frontier to be conquered.

We swoop further, down from the plains, to the Doru'im'Mahi, the Heart of Mahi, the home of Tahu, where he first forged out a land. Yet we can go further...

Mahi stretches out as far as the eye can see, cities shining in the sun, missing sections of walls, corpses decaying across walls or in open graves... the remnants of a recent Housewar, perhaps. As we go further, we see the Southwesternmost border of Mahi, the Shining Sea, and further to the East, stretching into it, the other border, the Taiam river, widest in the known world and flowing all the way from the Rim. Although there, it flows swiftly, here it is sluggish, slow, and warm. Across it lie the lands of the Taharam Changelings and of course, the Orcs... what we see beneath us, now part of Mahi, was once Mahira Changeling lands... but no longer.

Far to the West, on the other hand, lie the borders of Hamu'im'Arti, Land-of-Death. No Mahi knows how far it goes, although Damor Elves are said to come from there. Wherever the Damor come from, the Seafolk, Gomor Changelings, are said to land there frequently.

The Borders though are broken, and the Mahi a land of war and destruction. Aru'im'Arti, or Death-of-Houses, has become common, with whole houses being wiped out. As if this wasn't bad enough, the Old Faith of Totemism and the younger Saint-Worship practices have now flared up into open war, whilst the religions of other lands have added to the destruction.

 

Races of Mahi: Humans

Humans. Humans have been warriors ever since Ahui'im'Uia, Totem-of-Tiger, formed them at the first. Although they battled for thousands of years, about seven-hundred years ago Amau (Eagle, not his original name), now venerated as Ahui'im'Amau, Totem-of-Eagle, bound many of them together under his name and conquered the lands now known as Doru'im'Mahi. His ancestors, over five-hundred years, developed into a House System, based on their old tribes. Over that time, Tahu's (Amau's) descendants conquered most of the known world. Tachi was the last, and conquered the Rim Tribes. But when he died, a war broke out unlike any known before.

The Thronewar is a war between houses that has lasted almost two-hundred years, all of them attempting to take, unsurprisingly, the throne. None of them have managed this, and probably never will. With other races invading, tribes retaking their lands and others and everyone seeking the rich resources of the now-abandoned mines, house battles house for any advantage.

 Languages: Most humans speak a little of the supposed 'Old Tongue', Alri'im'Ahui, Speech-of-Totems, as this is where many titles, city-names, and even personal names come from. Any child raised with totemism will be able to recite the names of the Animal Gods off by heart, and thus will probably know most animal names and a few grammar rules. Speech-of-Totems relies on a pictographical alphabet. The younger language, I'hasa, and the language of the coastal folk, Mea'ma, are also common. I'hasa is a derivative of Totemspeech with its own alphabet (non-pictographical) and without the connected words that are so common in its parent language, whilst Mea'ma is derived from the changeling language Asa'ma but uses the I'hasan alphabet. Many coastal folk know the changeling tongue, and Northerners often know the speech of the Rimfolk. Some folk also know 'elven', as it is now dubbed, the speech of slaves.

 Other Races: Humans' opinions on other races vary from house to house, individual to individual. Many non-northerners fear (or hate) Rimfolk just as many non-Southerners fear (or hate) changelings. Most find it hard to fear orcs, imperious as they are, instead... well, considering them almost human. Elves are generally overlooked, due to their status as slaves, the only elves NOT overlooked being the Damor. Feared and hated, the Damor elves have six foothold settlements near the edge of the so-called Land of Death, and have slaughtered all who try to repel them.

Players: A player will either belong to a house or be Houseless, as the phrase goes, meaning that almost all others of their house are dead, imprisoned, or stripped of their titles. Other Houseless include slaves and servants, who, in actuality, merely belong in a much larger, unrelated house. The houses include:
Jorassai, famed for its spellcasters (and thus its political power and skill at manipulation) Imah, Dosu, Maha, Orma, Catala (famed for the fact that it supposedly supplies its own private army), Domu, Goa (one of the richest due to heavy gold, silver, and iron deposits beneath the lands that they have managed to keep) Simu, Manai, Kapru (also famed for spellcasting, although of an elemental nature, and many magesmiths are amongst their ranks) Doma (the 'servant' house, branded by a green diamond) and Ipa.
Players are more likely to be spellcasters if they come from Jorassai or Kapru, for instance, but this doesn't mean they can't come from any other house. Few houseless will be casters, admittedly, as only one in ten of either mageclass can learn alone, but it's possible.

That's a nice map.  The red text/font combination is a little hard to make out, though.  Is this the same world as any of your other settings and just a different part?  Or a whole other world?

I'm not sure yet, to tell you the truth. ;) Maybe so.

Believe me, without the red it was much harder. It says 'The Rim Mountains'.

Not to diverge to mapmaking again, but I reccomend bolder, clearer fonts for maps with geographical features. Ones with searphs are best, though they can detract from the "fantasy" feel-- regardless, the Ye Olde English type of fonts are enormously hard to read under any circumstance; throw some mountains and rivers on, and you're in real trouble.

~ElDo
Maps!

Well, it was better than putting it in hieroglyphs. ;)

I can read it clearly. Well. Some of it. :P

You can read it clearly because you already know what it says.  I can now clearly see what the "Rim Mountains" say because I know what they say and my mind is able to intrepret symbols that might otherwise be cryptic.

Could somebody actually comment on the setting instead of the map? If you read 'the world', you should be able to interpret it anyway.

Races of Mahi: Changelings

 

Changelings are an enigmatic race; their very racial abilities show that. It is often that a changeling will be in a court for many months unknown before announcing his presence. Although their society is divided, both of the modern changeling cultures are allied and bonded strongly. One often speaks for the other in diplomacy, and they both share the same language, the same religion, and the same rulers, in a way.

The Umady Taer, or Sea Folk, and Ohmad Aerin Taeri, or People of the Dawn (also known as the Gomor and Taharam changelings respectively) are two... separate peoples. The first
are sailors at heart, and cannot leave the sea behind for long, whilst the second, the People of the Dawn, are warriors and generally landbound. Although separate, the two both treat one city as sacred, and both gather there. This place, the fabled صغطش, is unknown to any other people. This is where the Leaders, the Ahamena, take their seat. These are the High Priests of the Changelings, and they are servant to the Ever-Changing God (See Religion).

 Settlements: The Umady Taer by their own nature have no settlements, or few, but every so often several clans (one to each ship or more, if large) will come together and sell goods. This includes slaves; slaves are an integral part of Changeling culture. However, they don't enslave other races. If a Changeling commits a crime, he is marked with a powerful spell that prevents him from performing it again, and then is enslaved to another changeling for the duration of the spell (which lasts exactly as long as his sentence). The changeling can be sold and bought just like any other item of goods, and once his sentence is complete, the mark disappears and he is treated just as he was beforehand. This practice is also visible in the Ohmad Aerin Taeri's culture.
The People of the Dawn have many settlements. Their sweeping, domed architecture mostly features fluted towers, but can contain almost anything that has curves. Their art is a large part of their cities, with patterned mosaics being parts of almost every building, and statues line the streets.

 Psychology: Changelings are often considered slightly insane by others' standards, or even schizophrenic. This is mainly just because they enjoy acting, and will take every possible opportunity to do so. They play as many changeling characters as non-changeling characters, and their vocal changes make them excellent impressionists. However, they often get carried away, thus other races' views of them.
Whilst in cities of their own kind, changelings generally maintain their own gender and central personality, only acting during plays, jokes, etc. Often changelings, with their odd sense of humour, will shapeshift into both sides of an argument to emphasise a joke or debating point. Whilst in other races' cities, many of them take on hundreds of different personalities to explore and gain connections.
Changelings love music and dance, but their favourite of all things is theatre. They appreciate the acting, although they are quick to criticise, and many changelings enjoy stage acting themselves (often taking on several parts at once).

 Religion: Changelings follow the Ever-Changing God, who appears as an abnormally tall changeling with silver skin. There are many tales told about him, but the reason that Changelings hate Dopplegangers is the most heard one. Although it takes hours to recite (especially in the changeling tongue), the gist of it is this: The Ever-Changing God created the first Doppleganger in an attempt to spread his word around the world. But the Dopplegangers grew greedy and foolish, and the Ever-Changing grew more and more worried. Eventually, the Dopplegangers turned on their Lord. The Ever-Changing destroyed many, but the rest fled, and their unholy, foul progeny has stained the world ever since.

Appearance and Biology: A normal changeling appears, in his or her natural state, as a greyish-skinned, white-haired humanoid with no particular distinguishing features - except for the face. A Changeling's face is... indistinguishable. It's a blur, never looking truely right... indeed, never looking truely solid. A changeling's eyes have no irises, only pupil and white. They have no lips and a small, almost indistinguishable nose. All in all they look quite odd.
However, a changeling can shift forms easily, becoming a tall, male orc or a short, squat, female dwarf in a matter of moments. The form that almost all of them maintain whilst in the presence of other races (that is, when they're not disguised) is a grey-skinned human-elf with normal eyes and dark grey lips. This allows them to better link with others.
Biologically speaking, a Changeling is intensely malleable. Almost all of their face is governed by one muscle or another, and their bones are connected by long strings of hard muscle. A changeling can make himself broader, or taller, or even change his face easily without any magic being involved. However, it is magic that truely allows the changeling ability. Magic allows a changeling to change gender, overall appearance, height, eye colour, skin colour... even things such as pointed ears and sharper teeth are accomplished by magic. A Changeling has a natural aptitude with Worldbending magic, and this is the same arcane force that is used in the Changing.

Other Races: There were once three groups of changelings, but one, the Mahira, are long gone. Two generations of changelings down, their ancestors still harbour a deep hatred for humans and, to a lesser extent, elves. Other changelings share this to a lesser extent, and have a deep distrust of those races. Orcs are generally regarded with suspicion, too, as wars with them were frequent a hundred years ago. The Rimfolk, when seen, are often considered friends and allies (the two share a common religion).

Language: The Changelings have their own language, Amar, which is written in its own alphabet. Most of them also speak the modern human languages.

Stats  

* Shapechanger Suptype.
* Medium size.
* Base Land Speed 30ft.
* Minor Change Shape (Su): Changelings have the Supernatural ability to alter their appearance as though using a Disguise Self spell that affects them but not their possessions. This ability is not an illusory effect, but a minor physical alteration of the Changeling's size, skin colour, texture, and facial features, within the limits described for the spell. A changeling can use this ability at will, and the effect lasts until he changes shape again. A changeling reverts to his natural form when killed. A True Seeing spell reveals his natural form. When using this ability to create a disguise, a changeling recieves a +10 circumstance bonus on disguise checks. Using this ability is a full-round action.
A changeling can recognise another changeling naturally by a 'sixth sense' to do with pheromones. A changeling could, theoretically, smear himself with another race's pheromones before shapechanging.
* Sea Gait (Ex): A Sea Folk changeling takes no penalties for being on the rolling deck of a ship or other moving surface. However, he takes a -2 penalty on balance checks whilst on land.
* Dawnshine (Su): A People of the Dawn changeling can use the

Light spell 4/day as a standard action.
* Natural Magician: A Changeling gains +2 bonus MP at 1st level. This doesn't allow him to cast  or learn spells, he must gain that ability through class features or feats.
* +2 racial bonus on Bluff and Disguise checks.
* Automatic Languages: Amar.
* Bonus Languages: Mea'ma, I'hasa, Chaarok.
* Favoured Class: Worldbender.
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Your world feels like a mixture of ancient china and portugal in the 1400's. We kind of need a bit more info on the main countries and races before we can comment on them.

On the Changelings, the biggest problem with nations full of shapeshifters is that they can look like anyone, and consequently, keeping order is very difficult. Non-magical tattoos might not work because a changeling is capable of diguising scars and other things that show up on the skin. I look forward to seeing how you deal with this problem.

Other than that, I think you nailed the Changeling culture right in the bullseye. Especially with the theatre bit. It's especially interesting how you've reworked their connection with Doppelgangers.