The Campaign Builder's Guild

*Please do not post here.  Refer all posts to Avayevnon: A World Reborn, which will now be facilitating the role of discussion thread

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[ic=Garcin Leblaque]"What is Avayevnon?  You don't get out much do you?  It is a world of poetics, politics, piousness, and piracy.  It is a world where gallant heroes woo fair maidens, where you can be hurt worse by the government than by any sword, where the holy crusade against the faithless, and where a scoundrels make trouble at every pelagic port."
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The Year is 27 AR; for nearly three decades the world has been rebuilding itself after the demon Pazuzu launched his Blood Crusade. The world died then, but it has been reborn, and in the darkness a light is visible. The world can be vibrant again--life and color restored--if only the light can be reached. But there are those who dwell in darkness who would prevent this rebirth.

Avayevnon is a land where hope is eternal. Even in the darkest of circumstances there remains the spark of hope, guiding us, giving us strength, renewing our endless determination to go on.

Avayevnon is a land of rebirth. It emerges from a time of dread darkness into a world where everything is possible. It is a land of cycles, and after a great death, it has been reborn. Light has returned to the world.  All that remains now is to spread that light, and all sides are anxious to see who will be chosen. The world emerges, fearful of the past, but hopeful for a brighter future. And yet, in the never ending struggle for the light, that past must be unlocked, its secrets revealed, for even the darkness itself must be brought into the light, if Avayevnon is to reach its full potential.

Avayevnon is in the midst of a renaissance. The once great land of Bizhentluus fell during the war, and is beginning to rise again; the center of a religious revival. But dark deeds awake within the streets of its capital, Shardmoore, and there is fearful talk of Lord Pontiff Tyrolean's ever tightening grip upon the land. Meanwhile, the dwarf King Melech Issach has united the nations of Baldurbrock, Breeanen, and Gambodel into the mighty Issachar Empire; an industrious imperial giant whose economic and political power is unmatched throughout the land.

So why do people adventure? To uncover the past; the ruins of ancient civilizations and cities destroyed in the Blood Crusade hold innumerable untold secrets. To gain honor and glory; the new world is still in its infancy, and easily pliable by those with the courage to influence its growth. For king and country; after the war nations are wary to let their armies lose their edge, and all nations vie for dominance.   No one knows what lies beyond the map, and adventuring is encouraged by those who seek to grow their power.

 

Dwarves are the dominant race in Avayevnon; capitalistic and business-minded, the dwarves control most of the world's trade--taking a cut along the way.*Gnomish inventors and alchemists have brought firearms into existence, making them a major export of the Issachar Empire, and they have just reintroduced the Zeppelin.*There is only one god, and his worship is simply called Theism. There are seven sects of the One God's worship, assigned to the seven archangels that serve him.*The seven archangels are opposed by seven demons, creatures of the ultimate evil.*Theist Clerics and Pagan Druids have been near open war for centuries.*Theists in Bizhentluus have placed heavy restrictions on the use of Arcane Magic, fearing it is connected to demons. This has created a ripple effect outlawing wizards and sorcerers are in much of the civilized world.*Astrology to some degree has spread to be practiced throughout Avayevnon. Astrological signs are said to hold great power. Some can even read the future in the stars.*New Astrological Alignment system for character creation*Dashing heroes and scoundrels of Avayevnon duel in the name of honor, utilizing rules for maneuvers and parries.*

Conflicts

The dwarves look to expand their empire outward to the seas. This puts them in conflict with Iluvion, which currently holds dominion of the ocean. The elf navy is given permission for privateering, allowing them to attack dwarf ships without specifically committing an act of war. Dwarves push for war with Iluvion as the isle of elves prepares its navy for battle.*Bizhentluus seeks to convert the pagan elves of Sylvaea to the "True Religion" of the One God. The elves have always worshipped the ancestors, however, and have no interest in change. The Lord Pontiff orders that missionaries be sent to show them the light.*Dwarves colonizing the land east of the Inland Sea come in contact with hostile natives. They sign a treaty with Bizhentluus, to share profits, and Bizhentluus provides missionaries to help convert the savages, which, to the dwarves, should make assimilation and colonization easier. The less money that goes into fighting them, the more money can be made putting them to work.*The orc Warlord Bagrath's power in Shagrunk has been shaken since his defeat in the Blood Crusade. Other warlords are beginning to gain in power and now scramble to take his place, causing the whole of the "nation" to be gripped in a multi-factional civil war. The stability-seeking folk of Lythen, who were devastated in the war, throw their support to the southern faction, controlled by a hobgoblin wereboar Carnuth Fol.*Nomads of Fer Khemer attack the city of Nazer Throm. The City Guard and military cannot track them down in the harsh deserts. Memory of the Nomads' allegiance to Pazuzu in the Blood Crusade has not been forgotten, and the King fears that he may be somehow involved.*An emissary from Fer Khemer is assassinated on a diplomatic trip to Shardmoore. Now the two nations stand on the brink of war as each accuses the other.*The Inquisition made a proclamation following the Blood Crusade that all arcane spellcasters must be registered and follow strict rules. That proclamation has just been expanded to forbid outright the practice of sorcery. All those found practicing arcane magic without proof of education at a sanctioned Wizard Academy are put under arrest.*A civil war in Ithegra between Theists and Pagans has ensued, threatening to pull the whole of Avayevnon into an ideological war.*

[ic=Eldirion]"All life comes out of death, for that is the nature of the world."
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 [ic=Garcin Leblaque]'The world is populous with peoples and monsters more diverse than dare we speak.  Few of them directly shape the past and present of Avayevnon.  We've yet to see, but I suspect it will be even fewer who forge the future.'
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Aasimar
Descended from one of the seven angels who remained on the side of good during the great schism, the Aasimar are touched by an unearthly divinity.  Most Aasimar are descended from the union of an Angel to an Adam, but on occasion an Aasimar to other races appears.  Halfling Aasimars are quite common, and there are a rather high number of Dwarf Aasimars and even Orc Aasimars as well. No one has even heard of an Elven Aasimar, but that does not mean they do not exist.

Aasimar are a diverse people, and could be possessed with myriad physical qualities stemming from the capacity for Aasimar from all races of Avayevnon.  They all, however, have some trait to show off their ancestry: a birthmark.  This birthmark serves almost as a coat of arms, signifying the divine ancestry of the Aasimar.  This birthmark varies by the angel whose blood runs in the Aasimar's veins.

There are often more subtle clues as to the nature of an Aasimar, but these are yet more varied than their birthmarks: golden hair, silver skin, an irrepressible radiance to their body.  Sometimes it is the simple air of wholesomeness that follows where they go, comforting and easing those nearby.

As Aasimar are so few and far between, they lack a group mentality, and so do not conform to one another in styles of dress, but rather to the surrounding community, or in the manner their position dictates.  Their lack of a race consciousness also largely prevents them from sharing any common customs, beyond particular devotion to the One God and his angels, particularly that angel from which they are descended.  In this way Aasimars have a rather paradoxically pagan-like approach to worship.  As such, they have a tendency to look upon the pagan elves with more sympathy from their purely mortal fellow faithful.  

CREATING AN AASIMAR
'Aasimar' is a template that can be applied to any humanoid race.  The base creature becomes an Outsider.
An Aasimar creature uses all the base creature's statistics and special abilities except as noted her.
Special Attacks: An Aasimar creature retains all the special attacks of the base creature and also gains the supernatural ability to use light once per day.
Special Qualities: An Aasimar creature retains all the special qualities of the base creature and also gains the following ones:
'¢   Darkvision with a range of 60 ft.
'¢   Acid, cold, electricity resistance 5

Saves: Same as base creature
Abilities: +2 WIS,  +2 Cha
Skills: +2 Listen, +2 Spot
Feats: Same as base creature
Climate/Terrain: Any land and underground
Organization: Same as base creature
Challenge Rating: +1
Level Adjustment: +1

Adujas
Country folk tales speak of 'The Green Man,' a spirit of the wild, whose appearance promises a bountiful harvest.  However, this 'spirit' is most likely just one of these secluded woodland people.  Aduja, the name given them by the elves, means roughly 'Leaf Man.'  A curious people, the adujas are unlike any other, as they are more akin to sentient plants than to humans or Ithai.  Though they may not be the portentous spirits country folk believe them to be, the tales may not be entirely unfounded, as Adujas are typically found in particularly fertile areas, and their presence is a good sign that crops are likely to do well.
Personality:  Adujas are by and large even tempered people, often cheerful.  They are a patient people, slow to anger, but when angered their wrath can be devastating and unstoppable.  But while they will defend their forests from harm, and fight with single-minded determination when driven to do so, as a rule the adujas abhor violence.  They only ever resort to such as a last resort.
Physical Description: As saplings, they are surprisingly nimble and flexible, capable of bounding through woods at speed.  As they age, however, adujas lose their flexibility and grow stiff and tough, like trees.  Some aduja elders lose the ability to move at all, and remain rooted to the spot, occasionally whispering advice to passersby, who pass off the voice as merely the voice of their intuition.  Males and females are often difficult for other races to distinguish.  Females have none of the classic secondary sexual traits of other humanoid races.  Instead, males and females can distinguish one another by the pheromones they exude.  
Ethics:  Aduja never commit violence without a unanimous decision from the grove to do so.
Customs: Adujas live in family structures called groves.  It is very rare that an Aduja is ever encountered alone or away from its forest, such is their sense of connection to each other and to their trees.  There are certain exceptions to this; certain situations in which a lone aduja comes out into the world.  If an aduja commits an act of undue violence, his grove may exile him.  The aduja, after some time, may attempt to return, and his grove may forgive him his crime, or turn him away.  An aduja twice turned away may never return.  The other way in which an aduja may leave his forest, is if his forest should come to harm and be destroyed.  If his grove is killed, an aduja may not join a new grove, so if he cannot relocate to another part of the forest without encroaching on another aduja grove, he must leave the forest completely.  Adujas frequently live near or among elves.  An exiled adujas may in some cases be adopted by elves.
   Aduja mating ritual consists of the releasing of pheromones to attract a mate of the opposite sex.  Males often display bright coloration of their foliage to further attract a mate.  In the mating process the male stands upwind of the female, and, shaking vigorously, releases from his pores a cloud of pollen which attaches to the female, fertilizing her seeds.
Names:  Aduja names are, for the most part unpronounceable to speakers of the common tongue.  When among other races, they tend to adopt elven names, or some approximate common tongue translation.
Their favored class is druid.

+2 WIS, +2 CHA, -2 STR(Sapling: +2 Dex; Elder: +2 Con, -2 Dex)*Medium*Speed: 30 ft*Woodland Stride as 2nd-level druid*Plant type*Photosynthesis: aduâ,¬,,¢jas consume Ã,¼ the rations of a human if they are allowed at least 4 hours of direct sunlight*Photoregeneration: adujas resting in sunlight with at least a gallon of water heal twice their level in hit points per day. They can regrow severed limbs in a month with only rest and light activity. Complete bed rest halves this time.*+4 racial bonus on Survival checks*Low-light Vision*   Vulnerability to fire: adujas take +50% damage from fire*Automatic Languages: Aduja, Elven, Sylvan*Level Adjustment +2*

Dwarf
The ultimate capitalists. The motto of the dwarves is "mass-produce, mass-produce, mass-produce."Â This does not mean, however that the dwarves will sacrifice quality. They simply have a veritable army of workers in the employ of several private manufacturers producing weapons, armor and other such products.
Personality: Dwarves are gruff and cold to outsiders, but often quite jovial with friends and family.  The thing that drives all dwarves, however, is money.  Dwarves can be convinced to do many things they would not otherwise do, if there is enough of a reward. The limit comes when such things involve going-against-the-clan. Members of a clan will try to outdo each other, but will never betray the clan itself. With regards to outsiders and other clans, however, the dwarves can be quite treacherous.
Physical description:  Dwarves are short and stocky.  Their skin tends to be similar in hue to that of the surrounding earth.  Thus, they range from a ruddy brown complexion to a stony grey color.  Their eyes are a bright gold in color.  It is a common myth that this was caused by the dwarvesâ,¬,,¢ obsession with the precious metal.  Their wanton desire for the substance turned their eyes themselves gold, and now they see it everywhere.
Relations: The problems the dwarves run into are in the marketing of their products and the acquisition of enough food resources to sustain the workforce. These ends are met by the three-way economic trade league established between the gnomes of Gambodel, the dwarves of Baldurbrock, and the wandering Halfling merchant caravans. The gnomes have considerably greater food resources, and their cities hold a wealth of ingenuitive thinking that is often implemented by the dwarves. The halflings then control the marketing of the dwarven-made products, taking a slice of the profit
Dwarf Society: The dwarven "clan"Â is almost more of a business. Its members are loyal, but very competitive with each other, and clans compete to out-produce and out-profit each other. The Dwarves tend to follow a process of Vertical Integration monopoly, especially when it comes to the production of armors and steel weaponry. A clan is considered first-class if it controls everything from mining, to ore refining to the forges.
The leader of a dwarven clan is generally the head of the business, so-to-speak. The social hierarchy is directly connected to economic advancement. This is the cause of tremendous competitiveness on the part of the dwarves.
Dwarf society is rigidly patriarchal, and dwarven relationships are often conducted in the same manner as business transactions are. Marriages are usually arranged, and polygamy is perfectly acceptable. In fact, having multiple wives is a symbol of social standing, having enough money to support more than one wife and the children from each. Clan leaders always have at least two wives, often more.
Dwarf lands:  The Dwarves directly control the area of land contained within the Issachar Empire.  They control all north-south trade west of the Inner Sea, and their ships traffic the Inner Sea itself, carrying freight and passengers.  Caervenfor is, perhaps the only nation that can contact Bizhentluus without dwarven intervention.
Dwarf warfare: Dwarven warfare is centered on out-resourcing their enemies. A common dwarven viewpoint about war is "If you shoot at them enough, they'll die eventually. Or run screaming into the hills."Â It was for the dwarves that the gnomes invented "semi-automatic crossbows."Â These little gadgets sit on tripods for stability and have a top-loading ammo clip that can fire up to 30 bolts before reloading.
Religion:  Dwarves worship the One God.  They do not, necessarily have a specific angel, however.  That varies from clan to clan.
Language:  Dwarfcommon is the language spoken by the majority of dwarves.  It is also the trade language of Avayevnon.  All traveling merchant caravans and traders learn dwarfcommon.  A traveler to a land unknown to him is virtually guaranteed that someone there knows dwarfcommon.
Names:  Dwarven names are largely straightforward.  The dwarves dislike dilly-dallying and beating-around-the bush.  They never exceed three syllables in length, and are usually only two.
Male Names
Achim, Aldabrat, Adelmar, Alban, Ansgar, Bastian, Bernd, Dedrick, Detlef, Dietmar, Egon, Emil, Eugen, Evert, Ewald, Gerlach, Guntram, Horst, Jörg, Lothar, Markus, Mathias, Radulf, Seppel, Traugott, Ulrich, Xaver
Female Names
Agnethe, Anina, Anke, Antje, Cäcilia, Christel, Cordula, Ebba, Ermtraud, Frauke, Gerda, Gudrum, Gunda, Hiltraud, Lys, Maike, Mirjam, Raimunde, Regula, Theda, Thora, Zenzi

+2 Con, -2 Dex: Dwarves are sturdy, but do not move quickly*20ft speed*Endurance as a bonus feat.*Stonecunning: Dwarves have an intimate connection with the earth and stone, and they spend a great deal of time underground, in mines, and in caves, allowing them a +2 racial bonus to notice unusual stonework and an automatic search for such stonework if they pass within 10 ft of it.*Stability: The dwarven kinship with the earth gives them an almost supernatural ability to become one with them, making them nigh-immovable stalwarts.  A dwarf gains a +4 bonus on ability checks made to resist being bull rushed or tripped when standing on the ground (but not when climbing, flying, riding, or otherwise not standing firmly on the ground)*Darkvision: Dwarves have darkvision out to 60 ft.  This is in black and white, but otherwise the same as normal vision.*+1 skillpoints per level (as human)*+2 on craft checks related to stone or metal*+2 on Bluff and Sense Motive*+4 on Appraise*

Elf
   Sylvaese
Personality:  Sylvaese elves are proud defenders of nature.  They are mistrusting and are not easy to fool.  They love freedom, however, and are very open with one another.  Nudity, seen as sinful and perverted in other parts of the world, means nothing to a Sylvaese elf.  It is merely the natural state, which, to a Sylvaese elf, is the most holy of states.
Physical description:  Sylvaese elves are quite tall when they stand upright, but they often walk and move hunched over, to better hide and blend into the forests.  They have a feral look about them.  It is a wildness that, whilst terrifying to many, is also strangely attractive.  Their animal grace and refined features are wondrous to behold.  Their skin color is difficult to determine, as their bodies are often covered in paints, clays, and mud.  They wear their hair matted and tangled with leaves.
Relations:  Sylvaese elves get along best with the adujas.  They are rarely friendly with other races.
Sylvaese Lands:  Sylvaese elves dwell on the mainland in what remains of the Great Forest in the North, east of Caervenfor and Bizhentluus.
Religion:  They still follow the Druidic traditions, they still watch over the forests, making sure that the humans and other races don't abuse them. They still listen to the wisdom of the adujas, who still dwell in current day Sylvaea. The Sylvaese elves are still superstitious about magic, and tend to be bitter towards the established religion of the One God, though they no longer feel indignant rage on behalf of their ancestors.
 

+2 Dex, -2 Int*Medium size*Base speed 30 ft*Immunity to sleep and +2 on saves vs. enchantment.*Low light vision*Proficiency with shortspear; longbow, shortbow, composite longbow, composite shortbow*+2 racial bonus on Listen, Search, and Spot*+2 racial bonus on Survival*   Favored Class is the Ranger.*

Iluvinese
Iluvinese elves are a people who have, in a sense, been reborn. They were separated from their Sylvaese kin by war and fled to a new land and a new life.
Personality:  Iluvinese elves are proud and decadent, enjoying revelry and song, dance and drink.  They are aloof to outsiders, thinking themselves superior, that they have suffered more than any other.  They scoff at the mundane warring of humans and care little for the wealth that dwarves pine for.  Iluvinese elves also have a gloomy outlook and a morbid preoccupation with death.
Physical description:  Shorter than a human but taller than a dwarf, and lighter than either, an Iluvinese elf exudes an air of almost supernatural grace.  Their eyes shine out with an intense green that seems to glow.  They have pallid flesh and raven black hair.  Their hair grows grey each year and falls out, leaving them bald around the time of Sam Beira, at which point their hair begins to grow back.
Relations:  Iluvinese elves look down upon the other races of the world.  They view themselves as superior to the other races.  They do, however, have trade agreements with the Issachar Empire, and a rough allegiance with the largely human nation of Ithegra.
Iluvinese Society and Culture:  They are ruled by a Seer Council of mages and astrologers, who, having determined that a sort of military â,¬Å"preparednessâ,¬Â was necessary, have had the entirety of the population trained in some form of combat. Be it melee or ranged, straightforward or subtle, mundane, or magical in nature. The point is everyone contributes.  
Spirits haunt the island of Iluvion.  While the ancestors cannot be contacted as they were before the Great Tear and the Flight, the spirits of those elves who died in the first of the great demon wars pursued the elves to their new home, to haunt them for their cowardice.  Every year, on the anniversary of the Great Tear, called Sam Beira, or "Death-day"Â the spirits come and whisk away an elf to join them in the spirit world.
As a means to avoid this fate, the elves each year don culaiths--masks of the dead--and costumes to avoid the wrathful eyes of the spirits.
Iluvinese revel in the Sam Beira ceremony, which marks the beginning of the Elven year.
Religion:  When the elves came to Iluvion, they lost the connection with the ancestors.  Druidism no longer provided them with the power that it used to.  In an attempt to hold on to their religion, the Iluvinese elves looked to the stars, to the mythical home of the ancestors who had transcended this world to the Great Beyond.  They saw the future in the stars, and their pride was restored.  Their religion is still druidism, after a sort, but the nature of it is in the practice of Astrology.
Language:  The elven language is one of the most eloquent languages in existence and rolls off the tongue quite freely and often sweetly.  It is likely the most romantic of the languages spoken in Avayevnon, but also the most tragic.  Its very notes echo with the sobs of its people.
In addition to the stats listed in the Player's Handbook, Iluvinese Elves have the following characteristics

+2 Dex, -4 Con, +2 Cha: The trials of the Iluvinese have left them with an indelible personality and sense of self, but even more fragile than their woodland kin.*Medium size*Base speed 30 ft*Immunity to sleep and +2 on saves vs. enchantment.*Low light vision*Proficiency with longsword or rapier; longbow, shortbow, composite longbow, composite shortbow*+2 racial bonus on Listen, Search, and Spot*+2 racial bonus on Spellcraft and Knowledge (arcana)*Spell-like abilities: detect magic, Nystul's aura, read magic 1/day*Favored class: Sorcerer*

Male Names
Achaius, Aeneas, Aengus, Ahearne, Aidan, Antrim, Carroll, Cathal, Cian, Devlin, Fallon, Faol, Fiach, Heiro, Kain, Kirwan, Laoghaire, Lysagh, Mago, Mogue, Naal, Nevan, Niadh, Phelan, Oran, Teague, Tiernan
Female Names
Aine, Alma, Ashling, Aurnia, Brenna, Bryna, Cait, Caragh, Dara, Darerca, Dierdre, Dymphne, Eavan, Etain, Eryn, Illona, Maeve, Mairead, Malvina, Orla, Riona, Sinead, Treasa

Gnome
Personality: Gnomes tend to have very active (often overactive) minds. They are often rather inconstant, as they constantly come up with new ideas which must be weighed against the old. However, in terms of projects, gnomes tend to spread themselves too thin. They try to accomplish so many different ideas that they fulfill none to completion. If a gnome is on the verge of a breakthrough, however, a point is made not to ignore that project.
A gnome is always seeking information.  This inquisitiveness may at times wear on the patience of those around them.
Physical Description:  Miniscule people, smaller even than Halflings, the gnomes are a visible fountain of creative energy.  They are massively intelligent, as is reflected by their slightly oversized heads.  They once wore tall pointed hats that could be half-again their own height.  That is, until humans began mocking them with lawn ornaments.
Gnomish Culture:  Gnomish culture places a heavy emphasis on learning and education. They want to know everything. The greatest honor for any gnome is to be credited with a discovery, invention, or new knowledge. This allows the gnomes to become very driven when on the verge of such an honor. The ideal case for a gnome is to be able to have several ideas going simultaneously, each of which is somewhat related to the others, and whose advancement advances the others. More often than not, though, the spread is too random and uncoordinated to be of use to the gnome
Relations:  Gnomes tend to get along with every race.  They have a tendency to be annoying to other races, however, as they are very inquisitive.
Religion:  Gnomes tend to follow the established norm of Theism with their favorite angel being Razhista Christa, as she is the matron angel of learners and philosophers.

+2 Int, -2 Strength: Gnomes are natural learners, but are small and do not tend to exercise their bodies as much as their minds.*Small*Low-light vision: A gnome can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moon light, torchlight, or other such conditions.*20ft speed*+2 on all Knowledge skills*-2 on Concentration: While capable students and often knowledgeable, gnomes have scattered and active minds, and have difficulty concentrating.*Linguist:  Gnomes frequently wander in search of an epiphany.  Because of this, they are exposed to many cultures.  Because of their global experiences, gnomes always treat Speak language as a class skill.*-2 racial penalty on Will saves:  Gnomes tend to be inconstant and lack the determination to shrug off mental attacks.*Slippery mind:  The same inconstancy that makes gnomes weak willed makes them difficult to retain control of.  If a gnomes is affected by an enchantment and fails her saving throw, 1 round later she can attempt her saving throw again.  She only gets this one extra chance to succeed at her saving throw.*+2 racial bonus on saving throws against diseases:  Gnome cities are often polluted with magical and alchemical refuse, giving gnomes a natural resistance to diseases.*

Golmoid
Created as a servitor race to the gnomes, the golmoids were once constructs.  Through a certain magical-alchemical process, they were gradually given intelligence and their own life after a fact.  They remained slaves until a group revolted at the gnomes' harsh treatment.  Most still serve, but none would call them slaves.
Personality: Golmoids are a simple people. They have every sensation other humanoids have, though they tend to feel them with less intensity. Everything is dulled at the edges, perhaps the product of imperfect intelligence, perhaps due to their earthly nature.
They have a slow, generally peaceful way about them. They are slow to rouse, but when awoken, their wrath can be terrible.
Being artificially created, they lack strong cultural bonds. They are united mostly by common experience.
Physical Description: The golmoids are powerful, but not necessarily rough. They are earth and stone personified.  They appear as if hewn from the earth itself; they are crude in shape, as of earth and rocks assembled in the effigy of a human.  Their naked bodies are covered with arcane runes and show no visible signs of gender.  One can, however, occasionally pick up a touch of femininity in a golmoids slow and steady speech, marking it a female.
Relations:  Golmoids both love and hate the gnomes.  In general, they view their creators as benefactors and friends.  Some even revere the gnomes as gods.  But their former enslavement and second rate status galls a select few, and there is a touch or resentment in more than a few.  The other races tend to look down on the golmoid as artificial, but golmoids, when they leave their homes, by and large just seek their place in the world.
Religion:  The golmoids are not a particularly religious people.  Some gnomes converted their golmoid servants to Theism, but most never adopted it and are indifferently atheist.
Adventuring:  Radical thoughts are not prevalent among them, and differing from the norm is, well, not normal. There are very few to whom this thought even occurs. As such, the golmoids do not often adventure. When they do, they are usually recruited by others as muscle. Golmoids have, however, a hidden potential: some have been known to take up magic. Created by quasi-magical means, some are infused more strongly with magic than usual, producing sorcerers.

+2 Str, +2 Con, -4 Dex, -2 Int*Medium*30 ft move while wearing medium & heavy armor*+2 Natural armor*+2 Racial bonus to Craft checks*+4 Racial saving throw bonus against enchantment*Automatic languages: Common, Gnome*Level adjustment +1*

Halfling
Personality:  Natural charmers, they also tend to be a very romantic people, prone to great gestures. This is, at least, until they marry. Halflings are very traditional; a man must win his love by showing his worth, in strength, stability to win her head, and through romance to win her heart. Once they marry they are unflinchingly monogamous, but never do they lose their wit and charm, so many put it to other uses, in the sales industry.
Physical Description: For the most part, halflings look like small humans.  They are, perhaps, a little wide, but they are still remarkably agile.  Thir steady lifestyle seems to be relfected in their steady hand.  They have a peaceful, approachable look.
Relations: While Halflings do not get out much, they are very friendly and hospitable people. They enjoy easy friendships with folk from all over the world; though most never leave their home town. The point is, travelers rarely complain of their hosts when staying in a Halfling village. The natives just have a charming way about them.
Religion:  Halflings are some of the most pious folk in Avayevnon.  They are very traditional in their outlook, and make sure to pray whenever appropriate.  They favor the Daena, the Angel of love, beauty, and familyâ,¬'the three things that they value over all else.  They have frequent family reunions, and marriages are the most holy events in their culture.  Priests are frequently the advisors of their entire village in all matters from morality to commerce and politics to courtship.  
Issachar Halflings: The Empire of Issachar often employs the Halflings of Breeanen as traveling salesmen. These Halflings ride in coaches up and down the West Coast of Avayevnon, and all the way east into Lythen. These southern states are not technically part of the Dwarven Empire, so their inclusion is desired, but more than anything, their money is desired. So those Halflings who choose the rather lucrative business of running the trade routes spend long times away from home, but always long to return.
Halflings use stats from the Playerâ,¬,,¢s Handbook except where follows:

+2 Dex, -2 Str*Small size: +1 AC and +4 size bonus on hide, smaller weapons, lower carrying capacity*Base speed 20 ft*+2 racial bonuses to Diplomacy, Bluff, Sense Motive, and Appraise.*Halflings gain one extra feat at 1st level*+2 morale bonus on saves vs. fear*

Human
Humans are a paradox of a race, being both immensely creative and destructive, diverse and exclusive, frequently outsiders and typically afraid of them.  On the one hand, humans are frequently the source of many new ideas, but on the other hand, humans as a group fear change and squash deviancy.  They are at once the heirs to the great Adamite Empire and one of the most depraved races in Avayevnon.
Personality: Humans are by nature individualistic.  They have a stronger sense of the self that other races, and this has been both a blessing and a curse in their history.  Humans have had a strong personal drive to create and leave a legacy'"conscious of a fairly short lifetime, especially in relation to the other races, humans seek to achieve what immortality they can.  This has spurred a strong creative capacity in them, and an urge to influence the world around them.  This has brought about the paradoxical reverse side of their nature: by exerting their influence over the world in an attempt to leave a legacy, they frequently are quite destructive in their endeavors.  This desire to influence spreads into ideas as well, as the humans tend to seek monopoly over ideas, truth, and morality.  They have developed a strong sense of right and wrong'"whether this sense is consistent with other races' conceptions of right and wrong is irrelevant.  This combination has been what has allowed humans to gain a large influence, despite their relative youth as a race.  What has held them back, from doing even more is ironically that same feature that allowed them to push forward: individualism.  Because humans are so individualistic, they tend to have more difficulty than other races in working together.  Humans squabble amongst themselves over minute points, and egos clash over which individual will prevail in any given conflict.
Physical description: Taller than most races, the human men tend to stand between 5'6' and 6'.  Some stand taller'"on very rare cases as tall as 7' and some as short as 5'.  Women are shorter, averaging in the 5' to 5'6' range, although like men, outliers exist.  Humans tend to have a thin layer of body hair covering much of their bodies, although this is more prevalent in men than women.  Standards of beauty dictate different amounts of ideal body hair varying depending on group, age, sex, status, and other factors.
Relations: Humans tend to get along with those who hold similar ideas to themselves'"the closer the better.  Xenophobia, however, is more common amongst humans than amongst, say dwarves and gnomes.  It is arguable whether humans or elves are the more xenophobic, and it may indeed vary from group to group, making it difficult to quantify.  The tendency of humans to try to exert themselves over other races tends to interfere with positive relations with the other races, and violence in race relations is tragically common.  It is clear, however, that some groups of humans get along well with certain other races.  The men of Fjal Othila, for example get along well with dwarves, and compare facial hair.
Religion: The large majority of Humans are Soleist in their religious beliefs, although there is more contention in this race than the others on the proper expression of these beliefs.  Because of the human desire for monopoly of Truth, and the individuality of humans as a race, humans tend to polarize themselves into sects more extremely than other races.  Churches favoring the teachings of different angels are common, as are rivalries between them, and the violent suppression of rival churches.  
Language: Language is one factor that cannot be traced back conclusively to anything that could apply to all humans.  Humans spread across the world quickly, and the languages spoken by the different groups today are so filled with other influences that it is practically impossible to say anything universal about human language.  The closest thing to a universal language among humans is ironically the low dwarven dialect spoken for trade purposes throughout Avayevnon.
Names:  Human names can come from regional influences, but a common practice is to use old Adamaic names found in the Solacium.
 Male Names: Abimelech, Abiram, Adonai, Ander, Baal, Elior, Hadar, Hiram, Jehoram,
Female Names: Abilene, Abital, Adina, Apphia, Beula, Elisheba, Jerusha, Micaia, Sarai

Medium size*Base speed 30 ft*1 extra feat at 1st level*4 extra skill points at 1st level and 1 extra skill point at each additional level*

Orc (Hogoblin)
Orcs.  Hobgoblins. Both names are used, and both are acceptable. The orcish branch of Adam retreated into the mountains, forging an empire that stretched across Avayevnon's Subterra. An illithid invasion fractured the empire, however, sending the orcs fleeing. Hobgoblins are now found in Shagrunk and Fjal Othila.
Personality: The orcs are a fierce and warlike, but very proud race.  They are as racist as any others, confident in their superiority over the weaker races.  Emotion is seen as a sign of weakness among them, so they its people seek to hide all trace of it.
They take pride in killing, and in making a clean kill.  They see no moral dilemma in killing an enemy whilst their back is turned, if the orc fears the same from his victim.  
Physical Description: They split from humanity about 2000 years ago, and since then, and the orcs appear twisted and crude by human standards.  They are tall and, despite being somewhat twisted physically, they are well proportioned.  Their skin is blue-black and tough as nails.  They have slight snouts and exaggerated lower canines that are almost tusk-like. Despite their power, they are not heavily built, but surprisingly light-footed.
Relations:  Orcish relations vary from region to region.  In some areas they are hated, in other areas, they are a fact of life.  The humans of Fjal Othila hate them.  The men of Caervenfor welcome them.  They are tolerated near Shagrunk, to varying degrees.  Dwarves often come across orcish raiding parties in the mountains and underground.  As such, the dwarves have come to view the orcs as their natural enemies.
Orc Lands: The orcs of Fjal Othila live in a desolate, windswept land of ice. They and their smaller goblin cousins survive by raiding the human villages. These orcs hold no facade of their former glory, and have descended into barbarism.
The orcs of Shagrunk are believed to have taken paths deep under even the Subterra to cross beneath the Inland Sea to their current location. This journey was harrowing and dangerous, and for a time united these orcs under a single banner and cause. They fought side-by-side, overcoming countless obstacles. They established a home in the Mountains to the North of current day Ithegra when the lizards came. Perhaps through the same path the orcs had taken, the lizards came in hordes the size of which were unimaginable. The hardened and united orcs were their betters in battle, but the numbers of the lizards were too great. In a wave they forced the orcs out of the mountains and into the lands to the east as they spread out over the mountains and into the surrounding marches.
The stubborn pride of these orcs kept them from becoming so barbaric as their northland brothers. Upon the death of their leader though, the remnants of the empire were divided. They rallied behind five Warlords who contended for rulership. But none would permit the others to exercise rule and the empire was split five ways. Even today there are five major warlords, though there are numerous minor lords who bicker and squabble amongst themselves, vying for power. Even the five powerful warlords contend with each other, though at present, none oppose Warlord Bagrath
Religion:  Orcs do not tend to be religious.  It is believed by some that they follow a certain kind of polytheism that is different from that of any other group of Avayevnon.  They may worship the pagan spirits like the elves do, no one is quite sure what the official religion of the orcs is.  It does not seem that they are united on this front.
The Orc favored class is rogue.

+2 Con, -2 Int, -2 Cha; Hobgoblins have been bred for hardiness, but they have little use for books, and they're proud to the point of being hostile, and have difficulty expressing themselves*medium*   speed 30 ft*Darkvision 60 ft*+2 racial bonus on Move Silently checks; Their time in the Subterra made them experts at sneaking about unheard.*

Tiefling
Much the opposite of the aasimar, tieflings are descended from demons.  As such, those who know their heritage are naturally suspicious of tieflings.  
Personality:  Tieflings have a natural inclination towards mischief making.  They make play of those around them, sometimes quite cruelly.  They have a tendency to enjoy baser pleasures and can be hedonistic.
Physical Description:  Like the Aasimar, tieflings appear human at first glance.  The demonic features of some are so subtle that they are barely noticeable.  Sharp teeth or small horns are common.  Horns can be hidden with a hat.  Some are so overtly demonic as to have cloven hooves or inverted knees.  These are harder to disguise.
Relations:  A tiefling is really no more likely to make friends in one race than another.  They tend to be hated the world over, and are suspected of worshipping the demons that bred them.  They tend to be loners except in the company of likeminded individuals.
Religion:  Tieflings are the most inclined of any of the races to adopt the worship of a Demon Lord.  In pride, they sometimes view themselves above worshipping any power.  In shame, some hope to overcome the natural sin of their very birth by appealing to the One God.
The favored class for tieflings is rogue.

+2 Dex, +2 Int, -2 Cha*Medium*Cold, fire, electricity resistance 5*Darkness 1/day*+2 Bluff, Hide*Darkvision 60 ft*Outsider: Tieflings are immune to spells that affect only humanoids*Level Adjustment: +1*

T'kel
The children born of the spilt blood of the dragon Carnagmolon, the T'kel are a crafty and cunning race resembling bipedal lizards with humanoid faces.  Or, rather, they are assumed to have humanoid faces.  No one knows for sure, as the T'kel constantly hide their faces with masks.  When an Ithegran philosopher was waylaid in the forest, a t'kel hunting party was able to rescue him. After some time, the human and the t'kel learned to communicate with one another. By this means, the T'kel learned of philosophy, & the humans gained an ally in the forests. The T'kel remember this man (whose identity is unknown) as the light-bringer.
Personality: The T'kel are philosophical people; holding strong opinions and thoughts about religion and life.  They tend to view their own way, either paganism or theism as the true path.  They tend to be unflinching and can be arrogant at times.  They no longer act with the savagery that lizardfolk have acquired a reputation for.  T'kel are both proud and ashamed that that is what they once were.  They are, by-and-large, a peaceful people.  They dislike warfare and savagery.  Hunting and battle is frequently a necessity, however, when one is confronted with all manner of magical beasts regularly.  They are not knowledgeable people, but they are a thinking people, and their thoughts give way to their emotions.  T'kel tend to have wide ranges of emotion.
Physical Description:  T'kel are not particularly tall.  They are shorter than most humans, and they are light and quick.  They have, scaled skin, like a lizards, of hues from a deep brown to a dull black.  They hide their faces with masks of precious metal to signify their shame at the annihilation of their kindred, and to signify their removal from the senseless violence of other Sauric races.
Relations:  The only race with whom the T'kel have had much interaction is the human population of Ithegra, who have come to view them as friends. They occasionally interact with the orcs of Shagrunk and have had skirmishes with the Troglodytes that dwell in the mountain.  Pagan t'kel tend to get along well with elves and adujas, whose religion is similar enough to their own that they can be peaceful.
Religion:  The T'kel come in two religious varieties: The followers of the "Old Ways"Â and "the Enlightened."Â  "The Enlightened"Â claim to have been shown the true path of the worship of the One God.  Though they know that they were not among those blessed by the One God, through his worship they believe they may gain his favor and entrance to the Celeste. There are large numbers of T'kel in monasteries in the north of Ithegra.  Those of the Old Ways practice a pagan religion wherein the Spirit of the Swamp (The Burning Bog) is the ultimate power, and that it is the spiritual force of the entire world, made manifest here, at the most holy of locales.  They believe also in a number of lesser spirits, such as the Crow and the Willow.

+2 Wis, -2 Int*Medium*Monstrous Humanoid*Swim 20 ft; +8 racial bonus on swim checks*Darkvision 60 ft*+2 racial bonus on saves vs. fear effects:  The Masks of the T'kel imbue them with particular bravery*Heat endurance: T'kel do not suffer from long periods of exposure to heat*Favored Class: Druid

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 [ic=Garcin Leblaque]'Everyone has a place and purpose in this world, regardless of who says otherwise.  It's my job to tell stories.  Right now it's your job to listen.  I suggest you listen well, for you'll need all the help you can get to survive an adventuring career.'
[/ic]
Part 1
Classes in Avayevnon work in the same way that they work in core D&D.  There are two base classes offered in Avayevnon that are not found in the core rules, however.  These are the Alchemist and the Swashbuckler.  The Monk class has also been altered for style and flavor.  The traditional "Barbarian" has been renamed Berserker.

Alchemist
A magical scientist, studying complex chemical reactions, reproducing magical effects, the alchemist seeks an understanding of, quite simply, everything.  They desire knowledge of the world, its composition, and magic's role.  They wish to find the secrets of life, what it is about Avayevnon, religion, and magic that makes us live and die.  Alchemists are sometimes viewed as heretics as they question God.  But, then again, alchemists question everything.
Berserker
Hailing largely from the northern land of Fjal Othila, the Berserkers are thought poorly of by the 'civilized world.'  It is true, they are a wild bunch, but they are not the savages some think they are.  Savages would not have the discipline to work themselves into a kinesthetic rage boosting, for a time their strength and stamina to almost super-human levels.  The civilized world does have one thing on them, though: they tend to break things.  They can't read, either.
Bard
Who doesn't love a bard?  They are musicians, players, dancers, all around merry-makers.  Believe it or not, this may be their most dangerous quality.  A bard's music is not just pleasant to hear'"It produces magical effects.  Add to that decent skill with weapons, knowledge of just about anything, deceptive stealthiness, and you never know what you might be getting into going against a bard.
Cleric
It seems these days it's the priests who make all the decisions.  Well and why wouldn't they?  They have God on their side.  Well, some of them do.  There's tell of some dark priests who pay homage to the demons.  And when you get one of those . . . well, it's best not to get one of those.
Druid
The druids, not much is known about the druids, except that they're pagans.  They worship nature spirits, instead of the One God.  It's said that they can control the earth itself, and the trees, and the four elements.  And they can turn into animals-like and hide, and listen to what you're saying, and you'd never even know.  Then watch out for storm clouds, cause they're meant for you.  If that's true, pagan or not, you wouldn't want to insult one, that's for sure.
Fighter
Well, they're naturally the best warriors money can buy.  Well, all around.  They are, at least, the most versatile.  Sure, if you want to smash something, get a berserker.  If you want to smite something, get a paladin.  But if you want a warrior who's consistent; will fight as good against that dragon as against that demon, or against that orc, get yourself a fighter.
Monk
Well, it's true; a monk isn't exactly what you might call a warrior.  As a matter of fact they're downright pacifists.  But don't you go underestimating them either.  A monk learns all about the One God, and it's said they have his special blessing.  They study constantly in their books of scripture, and in the art of self defense, so though they won't be killing anyone, they can put you to quite a bit of hurting.
Paladin
The paladin is your regular crusader.  Noble dignified, ready to lay down his life for his God.  They and monks have a similar blessing, and when one becomes a paladin, he's a paladin for life.  They're chosen, it's said, by the One God personally.  Now, who knows if that's true, but they can do some things that couldn't be done without some divine inspiration.
Ranger
Ah, the woodsmen.  You never know about them.  They're hunters, you see?  But they don't hunt animals, well, not just animals.  Rangers hunt other creatures, creatures they know all about.  They fight with two swords at once, so as to catch their enemies off guard with a second, unexpected blade.  Or if they're not fighting with swords, then they're master archers.  Either way, just make sure these hunters aren't hunting you.
Rogue
Blasted scoundrels every last one!  One came in here the other day, stole three full half gallons of ale and left without anyone noticing.  Oh, it's not just thieving they're up to, sneaky little buggers.  They move around in the dark, silent-like, and nobody would know they were ever there.  Oh, and them rogues, they know where to stick a dagger to make a fellow bleed good and long.  You best watch you're back, lest you find a rogue's knife in it.
Sorcerer
Well, a sorcerer.  Some say they're nothing but fellows with a bit of dragon blood in '˜em.  Other's say they've made pacts with demons.  All I know is that they can do amazing things as if they were nothing.  The clerics don't like '˜em though, that's for sure and certain.  They've sure got a way with words, though. . .
Swashbuckler
To a swashbuckler, the sword is not a weapon'"it's a way of life.  A swashbuckler uses his sword just as much for defense as for attack.  In this sense, they are the deftest swordsmen in the land.  Those fighting a swashbuckler may find their blades meeting a wall of steel, and their spleens meeting a shish kabob
Wizard
The wizards are surely more liked than sorcerers.  Baffles me; they do most everything the same.  Well, at least, that's the way it looks to us outsiders.  What I do know though is that wizards spend all day huddled up in their rooms, poring over their spell books.  Right clever folk them wizards, seem to know all sorts.  Get a wizard and a bard together and they'll talk for a week.

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Part 2
Monk
HD: d8

Class Skills
Balance (Dex), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Knowledge (all knowledge skills) (Int), Listen (Wis), Perform (Cha), Use Magic Device (Cha)
Skill Points at 1st Level: (6 + Int modifier) x 4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 6 + Int modifier.

 [class=Monk][levels=20][bab=monk][fort=good][ref=good][will=good][special=Special][1]Unarmed Strike, Vow of Non-violence,
Skill Focus (Knowledge Religion +1 other)[/1][3]Devoted Mind[/3][4]Monk's Chant[/4][5]Purity of Body[/5][6]Improved Trip[/6][7]Divine Rejuvenation[/7][9]Recite Scripture[/9][10]Holy Strike (+1d6)[/10][11]Diamond Body[/11][13]Diamond Soul, Holy Strike (+2d6)[/13][16]Holy Strike (+3d6)[/16][20]Perfect Self[/20][/special][special=Unarmed Attack Bonus][1]+0[/1][2]+1[/2][3]+2[/3][4]+3[/4][5]+3[/5][6]+4/+1[/6][7]+5/+2[/7][8]+6/+3[/8][9]+6/+3[/9][10]+7/+4/+1[/10][11]+8/+5/+2[/11][12]+9/+6/+3[/12][13]+9/+6/+3[/13][14]+10/+7/+4/+1[/14][15]+11/+8/+5/+2[/15][16]+12/+9/+6/+3[/16][17]+12/+9/+6/+3[/17][18]+13/+10/+7/+4/+1[/18][19]+14/+11/+8/+5/+2[/19][20]+15/+12/+9/+6/+3[/20][/special][special=Unarmed Damage][1]1d6[/1][4]1d8[/4][8]1d10[/8][12]1d12[/12][16]1d20[/16][/special][special=AC Bonus][5]+1[/5][10]+2[/10][15]+3[/15][20]+4[/20][/special][/class]

Class Features
 
Weapons and armor proficiency:  Monks are not proficient with any weapons or armor

Vow of Non-violence:  A monk is philosophically forbidden to kill another.  When they are forced to do battle, they must not under any circumstances fight to kill, but instead use only unarmed strikes to subdue their enemies.

Unarmed Strike:  Feeling at one with God, Monks do not use any weapons other than themselves.  They are trained to make good use of their hands, feet, and heads in combat to subdue a dangerous enemy.  A monkâ,¬,,¢s unarmed strike deals more damage than usual, and does not provoke an attack of opportunity.

Skill Focus (Knowledge: Religion +1 other): A monk spends his time in the monastery studying the scripture of the One God and reading all manner of manuals.  Thus, at first level she receives skill focus in Knowledge: Religion as well as one other Knowledge skill of her choice.

Devoted Mind:  At level 3, a monkâ,¬,,¢s devotion to the One God gives her +2 on all saving throws versus enchantment.

Monkâ,¬,,¢s Chant:  Beginning at fourth level, the monk may chant, producing an effect similar to bardic music.  These abilities work as if performed by a bard of three levels lower than the monkâ,¬,,¢s class level, and includes all song powers excluding fascinate and suggestion, whose effects a monk cannot reproduce.

Purity of Body:  At level 5, a monk is divinely blessed, making her immune to all non-magical diseases.

Improved Trip:  At 6th level, a monk gains the improved trip feat, regardless of prerequisites.

Divine Rejuvenation:  At 7th level, a monk is granted the ability to cure her own wounds.  She can heal up to twice her level in hit points each day.  They need not be used all at one time.

Recite Scripture:  Beginning at level 9, a monk may cast spells from divine spell scroll as if he were a cleric of three levels lower than his monk level.

Holy Strike:  Starting at 10th level, and every three levels afterwards, the monk receives a die of damage added to heretics.  It is usable once per day per die of damage it deals.

Diamond Body:  At 11th level, a monk is granted immunity to all poisons.

Scribe Scroll:  At level 12, the monk receives Scribe Scroll as a bonus feat.

Diamond Soul:  At 13th level, a monk receives spell resistance.  Her spell resistance is equal to her monk level + 10.

Perfect Self:  At 20th level, a monk is said to have achieved perfection of mind, body, and spirit.  She is no longer treated as a humanoid, but instead becomes an outsider (subject to spells that affect outsiders) and receives damage reduction 20/+1.

Quote from: GolemThe Swashbuckler

HD: D8
Class Skills: The swashbuckler's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Escape Artist (Dex), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (dance), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sleigh of Hand (Dex), Swim (Str), and Tumble (Dex).
Skill points per level: 4 + Int Modifier

[class=The Swashbuckler]
[bab=fighter]
[ref=good]
[special][1]Weapon Finesse, Dodge[/1][2]Amazing Grace, Fast Movement +10ft[/2][3]Mobility[/3][4]Marvellous Charge[/4][6]Fast Movement +20ft[/6][8]Flamboyancy +1[/8][10]Fast Movement +30ft[/10][11]Easy Sidestep[/11][12]Flamboyancy +2[/12][14]Fast Movement +40ft[/14][16]Flamboyancy +3[/16][18]Fast Movement +50ft[/18][19]Lunge +4D6[/19][20]Flamboyancy +4[/20][/special]
[/class]

Class Features

Weapon and Armour Proficiency: The swashbuckler gains proficiency with all simple weapons, the rapier, scimitar, and longsword, and the hand crossbow. She also gains proficiency with light armour and small shields (including bucklers).

Weapon Finesse and Dodge: At first level, the Swashbuckler gains these two feats as bonus feats.

Amazing Grace (Ex): At second level and beyond, a Swashbuckler may add her reflex save bonus to her AC as a dodge bonus against one single attack per round. This ability only works when wearing light or no armour.

Mobility: At third level, a Swashbuckler gains mobility as a Bonus Feat.

Fast Movement (Ex): At second level and every four levels after that, a Swashbuckler gains a cumulative +10ft bonus to his movement speed. This bonus is permanent. This ability only works when wearing light or no armour.

Marvellous Charge (Ex): At 4th level, a swashbuckler can charge in situations where others cannot. She may charge over difficult terrain that normally slows movement or creatures blocking her path. Depending on the circumstances, she may still need to make appropriate checks (Jump or Tumble checks, in particular) to successfully move over the terrain. This ability only works when wearing light or no armour.

Flamboyancy (Ex): At 8th level, and every four levels after that, a swashbuckler gains a cumulative +1 bonus to attack rolls, AC and saves against fear when within 30ft of an ally.

Easy Sidestep (Ex): At 11th level, the Swashbuckler gains a +4 dodge bonus to AC against charge attacks.

Lunge: At 19th level, a number of times per day equal to her dexterity modifier, a Swashbuckler can make a lunge attack as a full round action. The target must be within the swashbuckler's charge range but not adjacent to the Swashbuckler. The attack adds her full dexterity bonus to the damage roll as well as an extra 4D6 points of damage.

*Currently working on formatting the Alchemist

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Part 3: Prestige Classes

 Inquisitor Knight

"It was thirty years ago!"
   "It was not!  It was twenty seven."
   "Oh, close enough!  When was the last time you saw one, eh?"
   "Oh will you shut up!  It just means they're doing their job is all."
   "Their job . . . is to keep you under control!  There's no threat.  It's all a load of rubbish."
   "Felric, you evil man!  How could you say something like that?"
   "It's true."
   "You know I don't believe that, and I don't think you do either; but for the sake of Bethor, do you have to say so?  I don't want to wake to find you've vanished!"
   "Why is everything always 'for the sake of Bethor'?"
   "Now you're blaspheming!  Why?  Because he's the Right Hand of God."
   "I'm left handed."
   "Don't say that!"
   "Don't say I'm left handed?  When did that become criminal?"
   "It doesn't sound good, that's all."
   "It doesn't sound good?  Well in that case I'd better keep it absolutely secret.  I mustn't tell EVERYONE!  I HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT TO MAKE!  I AM  . . . LEFT HANDED!"
   "Oh my God!"
   "See?  No one cares.  That, at least, is a relief.  If this country had gotten to the point that we were afraid of anyone left handed, I'd know we were in Hell."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   A thunderous crash sounded as the door flew off its hinges.  Felric's heart seemed to leap into his throat.  He strained his eyes in the gloom, to make out the shapes beyond the doorframe, but he could not distinguish one from another in the dark and the rain.  He did not have to.  With a dread sinking he saw upon the fallen door the unmistakable verification of his fate.  In the center of the door lay a smoking mark of the five fingers of a fist before the rising sun; the mark of Bethor.  
   A voice spoke out from the door, echoing with imperious satisfaction, like brick scraped over pavestone, causing Felric's frantic heart to grip with pain, as if pricked with a needle of ice.
   "Know thee why we have come?" the nameless voice paused momentariy.  "Of course you do.  Retribution.  You've been expecting us.    Know thee this face?"
Robes and cloak of a cruel crimson flowed towards him like blood.  His own blood seemed to be leaving him.  The angle of the light made the head and shoulders impossible to discern and they seemed to fade into the black of the imposing shadow.  
   "F-f-forgive me.  I, I cannot see your face."
   "Know thee this voice?"
   Felric nodded in helpless horror as the embodiment of his doom glided from the shadows.  Beneath the crimson cowl of death rested the senseless nothingness of doom.  In that non-face Felric saw his fate--oblivion.  No mere death for the heretic, but non-existence.  His annihilation would be complete.  It a matter of hours he will never have existed, in a matter of weeks those who thought they knew him will repent their temporary loss of sanity.  The void spoke again.
   "The sinful shall be purged in the cleansing fires of Retribution, and Bethor shall speak forth his word and all that is dark will die, and all that is light shall live.  And the darkness will be never was, for where there is light there never can be darkness.  Thus always for the Heretic."
A shock surged through the room, rippling the air, prickling the hair on the back of the neck, tracing its way down the spine.  The very air erupted with the cacophony of iron thunder.  A deep peal of the Bell Tower, as a knell, sounded in the freezing night air.  Felric knew that he must flee, must somehow get away, but he could not move.  His legs, despairing, lacked the will for locomotion.  The Inquisitor advanced, and Felric knew only fear.  His hands and arms flailed futilely to pull their owner to safety, but safety was nowhere to be found.  With each passing moment the figure of his erasure drew closer.  It was inches away.  From the folds of its cloak, a stark white sleeve and a stark white hand rose slowly so as to almost touch the nose.  
"You are hereby charged with the sin of Heresy; the punishment for which is death.  How do you plead?"
Out of the darkness a scream and a silence.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   Next day, a notice was posted throughout the city:
 [ic]Citizens of Shardmoore,
By decree of the High Council of the Church of the Holy Phoenix, in concordance with Lord Pontiff Tyrolean I, the following acts have been determined heretical and in direct opposition to the Church and to the State of Bizhentluus:
1.   Disseminating faithlessness in the purposes of the One God and Bethor.
2.   Denying the existence of the ever-present threat of the Heretic.
3.   Being left handed.
These actions have been discovered to be tools of heresy to spread disorder and confusion, to instill weakness, disunity and doubt into our lands.  They must not succeed.  If any of the aforementioned acts are witnessed, we urge you to report them to the Sentinel or directly to the Inquisition.  
[/ic]

The Inquisitor Knights
   
Secrecy, surveillance, and swift justice.  These are the three tenets of the Holy Inquisition of Shardmoore.  A sort of religious police organization, the Inquisition keeps watch for any signs of the workings of demons in Shardmoore.  They know that demons are crafty foes, who often work through mortals completely unbeknownst to their hosts.  The workings of a demon can be made manifest without immediate consequence.  He who stays in bed in the morning because he is too tired to work has fallen prey to the designs of Belphegor.  He who consumes that final morsel of food in spite of fullness because not to â,¬Å"would be such a wasteâ,¬Â has succumbed to Lillith.  He who withholds a spare copper from the destitute to buy an extra pair of shoes may be the slave of Balor.  This is not to mention that most hated of enemies: Pazuzu.  Pazuzu, the demon of pride may be the enabler of all other sins, it is pride that makes the miser look down his nose at the beggar, pride that gives the sleeper the audacity to remain in bed.
   
Thus demons can infect a city with evil without ever setting foot there.  The root of evil is possible in all men.  It need not be conscious.  The sinner does not always know that he has sinned.  The transgression may not be immediately visible, but the slightest faltering can place a person on the road to corruption, heresy, and damnation.  It is therefore vital that the workings of evil be stemmed, nipped in the bud before the world sinks into depravity.  
   
But the world is a large place to govern, and the power of the church is only so great.  It is not possible to monitor every activity of evil everywhere in the world, but within the Shining City of Shardmoore, the Inquisitor Knights lead the struggle against the Heretic.  They watch over the city without rest, alert for any sign of danger or stirring trouble.  The city of Shardmoore once fell to the forces of Pazuzu, and that must never happen again.

There are several who count themselves amongst the inquisition, but only a select few who carry the title Inquisitor.  They are those that are dedicated to the cause of seeking out and eradicating evil within the city of Shardmoore.  They may be called outside the city to a small town, or even to another nation by at the request of its ruler and the consent of Tyrolean, but their operations are centered in the Shining City.
Hit die: d8
To qualify to become an Inquisitor Knight (Inq), a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Skills: Gather Information 8 ranks, Hide 4 ranks, Intimidate 4 ranks, Knowledge (Religion) 8 ranks, Move Silently 4 ranks
Spellcasting:  Ability to cast divine spells
Patron: Bethor
Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (all skills taken individually) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis)

Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int Modifier
 [class=Inquisitor Knight][levels=5][bab=cleric][fort=good][ref=poor][will=good][special=Special][1]Detect heretic, smite heretic 1/day[/1][2]Aura of fear, fearlessness[/2][3]Seek the unholy, sneak attack +1d6[/3][4]Smite heretic 2/day[/4][5]Holy fires of retribution[/5][/special][special=Spells per Day][1]+1 level of existing spellcasting class[/1][3]+1 level of existing spellcasting class[/3][5]+1 level of existing spellcasting class[/5][/special][/class]

Weapon and Armor Proficiency:  The Inquisitor Knights do not gain any new proficiency in weapons or armor.

Detect heretic:  Inquisitor Knights have a natural sense of the presence of evil, or lack thereof.  At will, an Inquisitor Knight may use detect heretic as a spell like ability.  

Smite heretic:  It is the purpose of the Inquisitor Knights to bring Bethorâ,¬,,¢s divine justice down upon the heretic, giving them the ability to smite heretics in the same manner as a paladin.  This stacks with the paladin ability and is considered a supernatural ability.

Aura of Fear:  An Inquisitor is a fearful sight to a disbeliever, as are their cold, faceless iron masks.  At second level, An Inquisitor Knight exudes an aura that instills fear in his enemies.  Enemies within 10 feet of the Inquisitor Knight suffer a -4 morale penalty on saving throws against fear effects.  This is a supernatural ability.

Fearlessness:  In part due to their power, in part due to Bethor, and in part due to their masks, an Inquisitor Knight is immune to all fear effects.

Seek the Unholy:  At third level, an Inquisitor Knight develops a keen awareness of the lack of faith of any kind.  This ability functions as a detect spell that detects not only heretics, but also pagans and druids, and atheists.  This ability also provides the Inquisitor with a +2 bonus on Spot and Listen checks against these enemies.

Sneak attack:  At third level, the Inquisitor Knight learns to strike without warning to great effect, dealing an extra +1d6 points of damage.  This stacks with the rogue ability.

Holy fires of retribution:  At fifth level, the Inquisitor Knight may cause divine fire to erupt at the feet of his foes.  Using this ability requires the expenditure of spell slots.  This ability deals 1d8 points of fire damage for each spell slot expended.  Using two 1st level spell slots counts for 2d8 points of damage, as would using a single 2nd level spell slot.

Knight of the Hand
Master Astrologer

*Stats and any additional Presige Classes still to come

[/size]

 [ic=Garcin Leblaque]'I've seen many a thing in my time; daring duels of dignity and disgrace,  seers staring starward studying strange patterns in the purple sky of almost-night.  I've seen more than you know, and more than one would do well to tell.'
[/ic]
Astrology
Astrology: The art of reading the future in the stars. More popular than one might expect, and opposed to what many people believe, it is not just a superstition. As a physical representation of the light in the darkness that is so characteristic of Avayevnon, the stars hold the future within them. The stars are hope and light incarnate. They are the symbol of Avayevnon's continual rebirth. Most can only see the near future in the stars, a day at a time. Little do they know, this is only because they are not looking correctly. To see the broader future, one must see the broader picture. This is why the elves are known for their particular mastery of the language of the stars. As a race, they have a more worldly, broadminded way of looking at things than humans do. Also, the elves' seclusion has imparted them with the ability to view the world outside of their own bodies (metaphorically), impartially, and at the world as a whole. These traits come together to give the elves a cultural advantage over the other races in the field of astrology.

This is not to say that other races cannot be successful in the art. In fact, since the Blood Crusade, the practice of astrology, with its symbolic implication, has become a bit of a craze. The gnomes, unrelenting in their quest for knowledge, love the idea of finding answers in the stars. The human nations of Verlan and Ithegra have also taken to the practice.
The Sun and Moon also play a significant role in astrology. A crescent moon is a seers' moon. During this phase of the moon, the powers of sight are amplified by the energies of the moon. Interestingly, the elves' island of Iluvion is similarly crescent-shaped, as is the holy symbol they use for the One God. The Sun, returning after each night; after each darkness, is a symbol of Avayevnon itself, and the course the world takes. Tragedy begets miracles. Death begets new life. As the path of the sun across the sky begins to shorten and the nights grow ever longer, so too does disaster approach. But, as the days grow longer, as the hopeful sun grows dominant, the night will be pierced by the light, and hope and life will be restored.

The seasons of Avayevnon are not bound to a schedule. As the days grow shorter, winter comes-a manifestation of death, but with the spring new life. But the days do not grow shorter consistently each year. They vary as the fortunes of the world change. In times of relative peace and life, there will be long summers. In times of suffering there will be no respite from the cold that comes too soon.

So to know the way, to chart the path of the future, the races of Avayevnon go to the stars, to find that the answers are right there before them, if they just know how to look.

Astrological Alignment
There is no 'alignment' per say in Avayevnon, at least not in the traditional sense.  Alignment is determined by a creature's astrological sign.  It does not necessarily match up directly with the character's moral views.  How a person behaves is a mix of nature and nurture, and a character's behavior is determined from a mix of both, but Sign is solely based on nature.  The sign indicates what a certain character might be naturally inclined towards, but they are no means tied to those actions or professions.  On the whole, people generally act as their sign would dictate, but there are certainly exceptions.
Of course, such contradictions may not be contradictions at all, for the basic sign is a character's 'Sun Sign.'  A character may, in fact, have a stronger connection with night, and follow their 'Moon Sign' which may very well be different from their Sun Sign.
If a character's Sun Sign and Moon Sign are in sync, then their behavior is easy to determine, but if that character's signs differ, they may struggle between the two.  It is estimated that about 90% of Avayevnon's population has Sun and Moon Signs in sync.  Curiously, there is another noteworthy trend: of those with signs that are out of sync, 92% are found to influence the world in some way.  This is often simply in the place they call their home, but history's noteworthies have a remarkable tendency towards internal conflict.  This struggle inspires bravery and heroism in some, but it brings madness and dementia to others.

Basilisk'"The Steadfast: Those born under this creature's reign have strong willed, often stubborn personalities.  Their stony gaze shows their personal power and determination.  It is difficult to deter a basilisk.  Gloomy and cynical, a Basilisk is difficult to fool.*Beholder'"The Watcher: Those born under the sign of this powerful creature tend to be more aware of themselves and their surroundings than their fellows.  They tend to be diligent planners, always ready for any eventuality.  They are curious people, they love spectacle and mystery; they love to solve mysteries and puzzles.*Chimera'"The Diplomat:  As the creature of their sign, Chimeras have an extraordinary ability to be able to bring together seemingly incompatible elements and demands.  You are able to find a way to solve everyone's problems so that they can work together in ways that astound.  A natural leader and politician, The Diplomat rarely seeks power, surprisingly.*Dragon'"The Ancient:  Those born under the sign of this ancient, mythical creature tend to be proud and intelligent.  They have a fierce and fiery personality, and take to tasks quite passionately.  They have a deep desire for acquisition and legacy.  They tend to like money, fame, and anything to give them life beyond their mortal term.*Dryad'"The Mother:  Those born under this sign have deep, powerful connections with home and family.  They abhor warfare and dislike change.  They have no interest in the outside world, in greatness, or in hazardous actions.  They are practical people who are content with the way things are; 'Don't rock the boat' is their motto.  If family or friends are in danger, however, her wrath is terrible to behold.*Ettin'"The Inconstant: Seeming at times to possess a dual-personality, those born under the sign of the Ettin are capricious creatures.  Constantly battling themselves, they can be the kindest people alive, but also the quickest to anger.  They are emotional people, acting on impulse rather than reason.*Harpy'"The Orator: These silver-tongued tricksters' charm and visionary optimism are intoxicating, but their words are rarely a thing to be trusted.  Be it innocent foolery or treacherous manipulation, they are always up to something.  They have a way with words, to turn any situation to their benefit. *Hydra'"The Optimist:  Nothing deters these irrepressible optimists.  Like the hydra of legend, with each defeat, you come back with three-fold intensity.  Defeats are but a learning experience to the hydra.  These people somehow find a way to remain cheerful in the darkest of circumstances.*Kraken'"The Manipulator:  These wily people have a talent for subtly influencing those around them, coiling their 'tentacles' around anyone within reach.  They know how to make friends, and how to trap enemies.  Like the Beholder, they are ready for any occurrence, and like the Harpy they know how to pull people's strings.*Stirge'"The Unfulfilled:  Plagued with an internal hunger and emptiness, the stirge seeks always to fill their soul.  These people are very focused and devoted.  They take naturally to the adventuring career, as it gives them a way to find themselves. *Unicorn'"The Majestic:  These noble folk pursue their goals with a beautiful spirit and rigid devotion.  This devotion, however often takes the form of single-mindedness and inflexibility.  Such people often have trouble understanding that the world is not always black and white, but their conviction and bravery are a thing to be admired.*Wyvern'"The Wanderer:  Status-quo is a four letter word to those born under this sign.  They always are in need of new experiences, new challenges, and new risks to gamble on.  They often adventure for no other reason than they are bored sitting at home.*[/list]

In character creation, players choose a Sun Sign for their characters.  The character's moon sign is determined by a roll of a d12.  Any conflicts can be roleplayed by the players, but there are also certain mechanical effects as well
*Will saves versus enchantement effects that would cause a character to act as dictated by their moon sign suffer -2.  
*Detect Evil is replaced with the spell Detect Opposing Sign or Detect Opposing Religion(details to come)
*Detect Alignment is replaced with Detect Sign.


Zodiac
Beholder
Optimal Career: Scribe or spy;+2 decipher script
Lucky Action: +2 spot
Birthstone: Agate;+2 save vs. illusion (luck)

Harpy
Optimal Career: Singer (bard); +2 perform
Lucky Action: +2 bluff
Birthstone: Turquoise; +1 AC vs ranged

Ettin
Optimal Career: Stage Magician; +2 sleight of hand
Lucky Action: +2 disable device
Birthstone: Opal; +1 AC vs attack of opportunity

Dryad
Optimal Career: Animal Handler; +2 handle animal
Lucky Action: +2 Heal
Birthstone: Pearl; +1 AC when adjacent to ally

Stirge
Optimal Career: Scientist; +2 Craft (Alchemy) or Alchemy in 3.0
Lucky Action: +2 concentration
Birthstone: Emerald; +2 Will save vs. enchantment (luck)

Wyvern
Optimal Career: Travelor; +2 Survival
Lucky Action: +2 Ride
Birthstone: Sapphire; +1 AC when move more than 5'

Dragon
Optimal Career: Bargain hunter, jeweler; +2 appraise
Lucky Action: +2 listen
Birthstone: Garnet; +1 AC when aid another

Unicorn
Optimal Career: Mountain climber; +2 climb
Lucky Action: +2 jump
Birthstone: Topaz; +2 save vs. poison & disease

Hydra
Optimal Career: Public relations, informant; +2 gather information
Lucky Action:+2 tumble
Birthstone: Diamond; +2 AC vs crit confirmation

Chimera
Optimal Career: Diplomat; +2 Diplomacy
Lucky Action: +2 move silently
Birthstone: Amethyst; +2 reflex save vs evocation

Kraken
Optimal Career: Swimmer; +2 swim
Lucky Action:+2 hide
Birthstone: Aquamarine; +1 AC vs touch

Basilisk
Optimal Career: Thug, bully; +2 intimidate
Lucky Action: +2 sense motive
Birthstone: Ruby; +2 Fort save vs transmutation

PROFESSION (Astrology)
Check: Cast horoscopes based on astrological signs. Success provides a luck and unlucky action for a particular day. Roll 1d12 for each chart
Action: Casting a horoscope takes 1d4 hours
Retry: No, only once for a given day
Synergy: 5 ranks in Knowledge (the planes) gives +2

HOROSCOPE DC AND MODIFIERS
DC--Personal Information Known
30--Astrological sign
25--Exact Date of Birth
20--Exact Time of Birth (within and hour)

MODIFIERS
+5--Birthplace
-10--Gain a lucky action w/o an unlucky action
-5--Double bonus & penalty

LUCKY ACTIONS
d12--RESULT
1----Pay close attention to your instincts(+1 ref saves)
2----Your special attention to detail will be rewarded(+1 while taking 10 or 20)
3----You are feeling unbeatable, not much bruises you today(-1 bludgeoning damage against you)
4----Your sharp eyes and mind deserve a sharp sword today(+1 to hit w/ slashing)
5----Rely on you excellent memory to solve problems(+1 Knowledge checks)
6----Confront the dead; you will gain strength by facing the past(+1 to hit & damage vs undead)
7----Exercise will be rewarded today(+1 STR based skills and checks)
8----You are quick to take action today(+1 initiative)
9----Use your surroundings (+1 AC when using cover)
10---Your fiery passion will allow you to endure the fire of others today(+1 save vs fire)
11---Look for opportunities(+1 to hit & damage on AoO)
12---You are very charming today. Go out and make friends(+1 CHA based skills and checks)

UNLUCKY ACTIONS
d12--RESULT
1----Your Instincts will lead you astray (-1 ref saves)
2----Too much detail will block the big picture (-1 taking 10 & 20)
3----You bruise easily today (+1 on bludgeoning damage against you
4----Avoid sharp objects (-1 to hit & damage w/ slashing)
5----Present events cloud your memory (-1 knowledge checks)
6----Memories of the dead haunt you today (-1 tho hit & damage vs undead)
7----A bad day for excercise (-1 STR based skills and checks)
8----You are indecisive and slow to act today (-1 initiative)
9----Hiding from your problems will worsen them (-1 AC while using cover)
10---Playing with fire will get your burned (-1 saves vs fire)
11---Honor forbids you from kicking a foe when he's down (-1 to hit & damage on AoO)
12---Focus on yourself today, you will be frustrated with others (-1 CHA based skills & checks)

Dueling
In Avayevnon, battles of personal honor are very important. These are most often one on one. It is often a convention to fight one person at a time, even in mass combat. To gang up on an enemy or to attack him from behind is seen as an act of base cowardice (but that doesn't mean it never happens). Mechanically, singling out an adversary is represented by designating a dodge bonus against them. If the Character does not have dodge, they choose an enemy in the same fashion and merely do not gain the +1 AC bonus. You cannot apply your dodge bonus to a separate enemy from the one you single out. While you single out an enemy for each attack, your chosen enemy can change from round to round (though leaving to attack another foe provokes an AoO)
Parrying
While fighting an enemy for which they have designated a dodge bonus (as per the feat), a character may, upon an opponent's successful attack role, expend an attack of opportunity to attempt to parry their opponent's attack. If their attack role exceeds their opponent's the attack is parried successfully.
*All characters can attempt to parry an enemy's attack once per round. After an opponent's attack role has been made, but before damage is rolled, the player may announce a parry attempt. The player then makes an opposed attack role, and if successful, the attack is parried.
*You can only parry a weapon up to two sizes larger than your own.
*Natural attacks are considered two sizes smaller than the creature that makes them
*You may make only one parry attempt per round. This uses up one attack of opportunity for that round.
*You cannot make an unarmed parry, but you can parry with a gauntlet.
*You cannot parry while wearing medium or heavy armor, or when denied dex to AC

Feats can be taken to enhance and expand upon the ability to parry.

Controlling Ground
At the end of each round a character is engaged in combat against the same enemy (against whom dodge is designated) the two combatants role opposed intimidate checks. The winner pushes the loser back 5 ft. One or more successful attacks in that round give a +2 circumstance bonus to the role. Successful attacks are defined as those that succeed in dealing damage. Multiple successful attacks do not provide multiple +2 bonuses.

Firearms
Firearm Rules
All firearms are treated as ranged-touch weapons and ignore armor and natural armor bonuses to AC. Armor provides protection from firearms by cushioning the impact of the bullet.  Medium & heavy armors now convert their armor bonus worth of damage to subdual. This cannot reduce the amount of lethal damage the firearm deals to less than 1. Critical hits ignore damage reduction. Light armors do not provide protection against firearms.

Firearms have a tendency to shoot at strange angles, giving them a 20% miss chance.  Masterwork firearms reduce this miss chance to 10%.
Firearms:
Hand cannon
The Hand cannon was the first firearm to be developed. It has been refined somewhat since Conderball's experimentats, and it is slightly more powerful than the harquebus at close ranges, but is not as accurate further away. It takes a full round action to reload a hand cannon.
Pistol
The pistol is a smaller, more refined weapon than the hand cannon. It is used for personal defense at short range, but inaccurate at longer ranges. It takes a full round action to reload.
Harquebus
A hand-held firearm built for long range fire.  It's length requires two hands to use effectively.  It can be mounted on a fork or a tripod to improve stability. Takes a full round action to reload.
Ribauldequin
Also known as an organ gun, this weapon consists of several firing tubes and fires several projectiles at once, capable of heavily damaging an adjacent foe or damaging several foes at close range distance. Takes 3 full round actions to reload.

[table Firearms][tr][td]Item[/td][td]Size[/td][td]Damage[/td][td]Critical[/td][td]Range Increment[/td][/tr]


[tr][td]Hand cannon[/td][td]Medium[/td][td]2d6[/td][td]x3[/td][td]20 ft[/td][/tr]


[tr][td]Harquebus[/td][td]Large[/td][td]1d12[/td][td]x3[/td][td]50 ft[/td][/tr]


[tr][td]Pistol[/td][td]Small[/td][td]1d8[/td][td]18-20/x2[/td][td]20 ft*[/td][/tr]


[tr][td]Ribauldequin[/td][td]Large[/td][td]Specialâ,¬Â [/td][td]x3[/td][td]Specialâ,¬Â [/td][/tr][/table]  

Damage:
â,¬Â Ribauldequin: The ribauldequin has a cone-shaped area of effect out to 30 ft away. The weapon can deal 5d6 damage to up to one target up to 10 ft away, it can deal 3d6 damage to up to three targets up to 20 ft away, and or 1d6 damage to up to five enemies at up to 30 ft away. A DC 15 reflex save halves this damage
Max Range:
*Pistol: For calculating maximum range the pistol works as a thrown weapon, giving it a maximum range of 100 ft at a -10 range penalty.

Misfire: On a critical miss (natural 1) the weapon misfires. Use the following table for misfire effects:
d20 Result
1-3 Weapon explodes, normal damage dealt to user
4-8 Barrel fouled, 1 hour must be spent to clean
9-12 Firing mechanism jammed, spend 1d6 rounds fixing
13-16 Too little powder, shot wasted.
17-20 Weapon fails to ignite, shot can be fired next round

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The Empire of Issachar
The Dwarven Empire of Issachar is not completely literal in nature. Led by the dwarven Emperor Melech Issach, it is composed of the physical area that falls within the relative dominion of the dwarves of Baldurbrock. As such, it spans the West, to the East of the River Bruunrig, South to Verlan, and is said to control the Weeping Sea. These areas are considered part of the Empire because they are part of the economic unit that is dependent on Dwarven Trade, trade routes, and loans. Nations that protect dwarven interests are offered loans and unlimited use of trade routes. Nations that oppose dwarven interest find more and more privileges removed.
There is some discrepancy about the inclusion or exclusion of Bizhentluus from the empire. Those that argue for it point to Bizhentluus' reliance on Dwarven loans. Those who argue against point to Bizhentluus' own religious empire, centered on the oligarchic theocracy in Shardmoore.
Regardless, in all countries surrounding Baldurbrock, the center of the Issachar Empire, harbor a large dwarven population. Gambodel to the Northeast has a dwarf minority second in size only to their native golmoids. Breeanen's dwarf population is its only sizable minority outside the Halfling race (gypsies are considered a minority). Dwarves are also the leading minorities in Bizhentluus and Caervenfor. Territories east of the Weeping Sea and south of the Great Forest of Sylvaea are being used for material resources, and are home to a few scattered savage tribes, besides the dwarf colonizers.
The Issachar Empire is largely of Bethorian and Cabronian worship. Many Issacharonds like to think themselves noble crusaders for goodness (whether it be true or not) and pay homage through Bethor. Cabron who presides over protection and good fortune is also praised by the fiscally-minded West-folk.

The Ithai
Dwarves do not call themselves dwarves. It is a name the humans gave them based on their height, similar to the Halflings. They call themselves the Ithai'"'the people' (singular Ith). They are a matter-of-fact business oriented people. It is difficult to classify the dwarves ideologically, due to their highly situational thought process. Among a clan, they lead a very structured, but competitive, honor based system. Their conduct towards foreigners, however, can be subtly cruel. They are infamous for their propensity to cheat foreigners with spectacularly high sale prices and abysmal purchase prices. Interestingly, this does not tend to carry over to large-scale trade with foreign countries. Ithai do not necessarily tend towards good or evil (though few will admit to honoring archfiends), but they do have a slight tendency towards order, as even their conduct towards foreigners is calculated.

Business
Lamech's Axes
This dwarven company of adventurers has set up their base of operations at the edge of the Deadhaunt Woods. They train hardy dwarves and send them out on adventures. While not off on some quest, the adventurers are hired out to protect merchant caravans using the Forest Pass, and once a year providing similar service to faithful pilgrims to Shardmoore. They make a point of rotating their members, to keep them fresh, let them rest, and provide all members the opportunity to go on an adventure. The services of a veteran cost more than those of a rookie. This also tends to follow the law of supply and demand.
Nereus Inland Sea Company
A dwarven shipping and transport company that largely monopolizes the Inland Sea. They use darkwood boats and charge for transport of people and goods. They elicit a toll from fishermen, and provide the colonizers of the eastern territories with supplies that cannot be obtained there.

Gambodel
Government: Republic
Demographics: 59% Gnome, 27% Golmoid, 8% Dwarf, 4% Halfling, 2% Other
Capital: Teeackall

Gambodel is the development branch of the empire.  It is rich in mineral resourses and in the mental resources of its many gnomish scientists.

 [note]The Creation of the Golmoids
The gnomes created the golmoids as a construct race. Their purpose was largely menial labor. They were earth given animated form. It was the product of ingenuity and alchemical experimentation. Further experiments actually resulted in granted the golmoids a form of primitive intelligence. This proved to be both advantageous and disadvantageous: The Golmoids could now think and interperet instructions, and attempt to problem solve. They could now also misinterpret orders and, thinking for themselves, become rebellious.

This resulted in a small-scale insurrection by the golmoids led by one named Kuube (kooh-bay) against the government of Gambodel. It was quickly put down, but the gnomes were careful not to push their creations too far after that. The gnomes were not heartless, they merely misjudged the amount of control and force they could ethically (or practically) exert on the Golmoids. Nowadays, the Golmoid are treated humanely, but are still treated as second class citizens. They form a good deal of the urban working class. They also are still employed as farm labor, etc. They are no longer abused, though. There are some more progressive gnome politicians who actually campaign for full Golmoid equality, though most of the decision makers are opposed to this idea. Most either indifferent or opposed, with the indifferent not really wanting to take action that would alienate them or risk losing support. [/note]
 
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The center of Gnomish society, Teeackall is home of Gnomish learning and innovation.  With its many libraries, universities, and laboratories, Teeackall houses a host of brilliant thinkers.  It is a city of many colors, with arcane towers reaching like fingers to the sky.  A sort of purple haze fills air, obscuring the sun, but street lamps flicker with magical light.  One of the city's current projects is waste removal, as the city streets are in places nigh intraversable due to the buildup of refuse.  

The City
The Undercity'"While technically above ground, the Undercity lies beneath all other levels of the city.  It is inhabited by the lowest of the plebes, golmoid laborers, and dwarven smiths.  The streets are piled with rubbish and in disrepair.  Most of those living here live in makeshift huts interspersed amongst the foundations of the city's grand towers.  Polluted sludge and rats fill the streets, the byproducts of alchemical experiments.  Many dwarven craftsmen have taken up residence here, as they need the sturdier bases in which to forge tools and weapons.  Most of the golmoids here have the job of keeping the streets relatively clear of debris.  The people here are used to the ever present perfume of detritus and rats.  
The Web'"The Web forms the upper regions of the city.  Its series of tower are connected in a crisscrossing semi-pattern of bridges and walkways.  The air is populous with transport balloons that take the city's intellectual community from place to place.  It is a chaotic bustle of people, platforms, and zeppelin propulsion.  Its wonders are unmatched by any other place in Avayevnon.  Nowhere else can be found a fleet of flying ferries.  Nowhere else is the arcane art so widely accepted.  Nowhere else are the citizens required to be more resistant to the disease-ridden rats and possibly noxious gasses as in Teeackall.  

The Academia Oscura
The most prestigious academy for the study of the Magical Arts in Teeackall and the entirety of the Issachar Empire, the Academia gives birth each year to the foremost arcanists in the land.  In order to matriculate from the halls of the Academia Oscura, each student must perform a detailed study in the workings of magic in the world.  In order to achieve the status of Magus a student must achieve a new magical discovery.
The Magistrates, who head the Academia, are very selective in their admission and judgement of potentials.  If a student does not meet their criteria for graduation, they must continue or leave without that recognition.  Generally only graduate scholars are allowed into the service of a Magus.  Options awaiting those unluckier folk include adventuring or self-employment.  

The Order Vivus Alchemia
This is a more recent establishment whose means and ends are deviant enough from the Academia to require separate grounds and supervision.  The Order's goals are simple, to know.   Members of the Order wish to know and understand everything.  They seek to unlock the secrets of life and the universe.  Their means of acquiring this knowledge is known as Alchemy.  Alchemy is the study of the world, its composition, and its interaction with the mysterious force of Magic.  Alchemists can make chemical compounds whose mixture results in contained magical effects, known as Infusions.  The ultimate goal of an Alchemist in the Order is to master the knowledge of life to the extent of transcending death

Important NPCs:
Senator Spriwell'"Elected Head of the Senate of Gambodel.  Spriwell has more power than any other individual within Gambodel, next to King Melech Issach, who rules over the entirety of the Issachar Empire.  Spriwell's power is not absolute, but his influence is great.  Those seeking to climb the ladder in Teeackall would do well to befriend the Senator.
Essik Faust'"Faust heads the Order Vivus Alchemia.  He is the most learned of his profession in the land, and some suspect he has come to achieve that which all alchemists aspire to: the complete knowledge of life, of death, and of the universe.  Faust, however, denies these rumors, claiming no such mastery, that he himself still has a great deal to learn.
Gambol'"Gambol is the most widely known merchant in Teeackall.  He has been so successful that he has bought out merchants in of all goods.  Now, in his own shop conveniently called Gambol's, anything from meats, spices, and wine to axes, rapiers, and mail to alchemical concoctions to magical scrolls.  One would be hard pressed to place an order Gambol couldn't fill.

Places:
Amur Koth
Once the headquarters of a cult of Pazuzu, this fortress was destroyed by the Dwarven Riftwatchers from Baldurbrock.

Plots and Rumors
The Secret of Life:  Many strange things are known to occur within the walls of the Order Vivus Alchemia. Such is the nature of an organization dedicated to the discovery of secrets, many of which are considered by most of the world 'not-meant-to-be-known.'  What experiments take place within the tower of the Alchemists?  What knowledge do they seek?  To what ends?  Many mysteries surround the search for truth . . .

Baldurbrock
Government: Monarchy
Demographics: 77% Dwarf, 11% Gnome, 11% Halfling, 1% Other
Capital: Crownhome

While a large section of the dwarven workforce now produces dwarven handcannons, the dwarves still rely heavily on mining and the forging of sturdy, 7-lifetime-guarantee axes, hammers, and armor, though the armor market is nearly gone. Now the dwarves sell armor only to themselves and to the human kingdom of Bizhentluus.
The dwarven clan-unit is a strong one. If their clan is in danger, every dwarf will stand and defend it till the end.
A series of aqueducts of gnomish engineering unites the nation, supplying an easy source of water to all major cities.  In addition to nourishing the masses, this is used in the process of metallurgy in the forges.

Places
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[ic=Garcin Leblaque]'Crownhome; the seat of the imperial throne of Issachar.  It is a wonder to behold, and more so from within than without.  Looking upon its exterior, with its grim sincerity a monument to the persistence and tenacity of the Ithai, one immediately notices it is a very pragmatic city.  Its strict geometry at times seems almost imposing, but with such perfection that even its hardness has a kind of beauty.  Well, some might not call it beauty.  Perhaps it's merely that I've seen so much I can see beauty in most anything.  Its triple walls and battlements are the peak of engineering, with the best of iron gates that could keep out a troll or five.  Each wall is higher than the last, with defense towers to match.  Between each is a moat of indeterminate depth.  A marvel of defense it is.  Within the walls lie rows and rows of nigh identical hovels and shops where Halflings barter goods and peddle wares, where gnomes run Apothecaries, and where The finest bartenders of the Ithai brew spirits from the hops brought in by the Halfling traders.  One may see a caravan of Ithai and Halflings making their way from the city gates, delivering shipments of weapons or armor to the armies of Ithegra or Caervenfor.  You may see some adventuring types like yourselves inspecting the merchandise available for purchase at the Arms Guild Headquarters.  If you come across the rich ones, they might be buying weapons ingrained with the skillful tampering of the alchemists.  But all this is only a trifle compared to the wonders of the Inner City.  It is a secret jealously guarded by the Issachar Empire, so much so that I myself have not seen it.  But I have been told.  I have been told of the mines, a sprawling labyrinth of mines, and the forges: forges the size and manner of which to make human smiths drool.  These and the Castle Ithanash rest within the very mountain: the mighty Taran's Peak. It would drop your jaw for amazement.'
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As the capital of the entire Issachar Empire, Crownhome is quite a grandiose place.  It is, however, with full dwarven style that the inner workings of the city take place within the mountain itself, Taran's Peak.  The Mountain is so named in honor of the great dwarven hero Taran who chained the Worg of legend and later led his clan to this mountain kingdom.  The city exterior provides all the amenities necessary for contact with the world at large, shops and businesses, guild houses, guardhouses, open-air markets, Temples to the One God, Inns, and Taverns.

City Exterior
This is the face Crownhome presents to Avayevnon.  It is a stately city with rigid and efficient geometry.  It is filled with shops and guild houses, competing with one another for the business of the residents and visitors.  The Guildhouses are large, competitive unions of tradesmen.   The Caravansary, a large inn built to house trade caravans delivering darkwood, spices, barley, or a number of other imports, and to help prepare Issachar caravans for export journeys.

The Three-fold Wall:  The City's outer defenses, the Three-fold Wall are actually three walls encircling the area of the city at the base of Taran's Peak.  The outermost wall is twenty feet high, the middle wall is fifty feet high, and the innermost wall is eighty feet high.   Between the outer and middle walls, and the middle and inner walls, are a pair of moats consisting of running water channeled from an underground river.

The Caravansary:  As an inn, The Caravansary is immense.  Complete with stables for horses and six carriage houses, The Caravansary has more than enough room for traveling merchants.  A cobblestone courtyard serves as the entry way, and a small staff of Halflings serves as valets for the incoming caravans.  Each carriage house can service four merchant wagons, for a total capacity of 24 wagons.  If the place is exceedingly packed, an additional caravan can be stationed in the courtyard, though it is a rare occurrence.  The Inn itself can serve up to 200 people comfortably, with the ground floor and 'The Grotto,' an underground floor, being used as restaurant and tavern, while the second and third floors are exclusively rooms for rent.  If forced to serve more than 200 people, the staff breaks out the set of folding chairs contained in their storage room and sets them up for the excess.

The Proprietor of The Caravansary is an Ithai named Frugel of Clan Derschvint.  Frugel is responsible for the running of the Inn.  He was in his youth a caravan man himself; the expert on dwarven merchandise along the Admark Road in the south.  Now, as he gets on in years, he runs his business from the other end.  Rather than following the trade roads, he serves those setting out and coming in.  He knows the strains of a travelling life and also knows its joys, and knows well how to associate with such people.  He makes it his priority to see that their needs are met, keeping a large staff of dwarven barmen, and bouncers, dwarven and Halfling wenches, a few gnomish entertainers, and Halfling named Freeman as his maitre d'.

The Caravansary is far from lavishly decorated.  Like many taverns it is rather dim, with one roaring fireplace and a few wrought iron chandeliers.  But the travelers tend to find this rather fitting and enjoyable, especially among the Ithai, who are used to low light and sometimes grumble when a room is too bright.  What decorations the inn does have are in the form of stone carvings and statues by dwarven sculptors.  But while Frugel may be frugal when it comes to decorating, he spares no expense when it comes to comfort.  For the road-weary he puts up the fines bedding one could ask for, and sheets which, while not fancy, are equally comfortable.

Arms Guild: The Arms Guild is the city's most preeminent retailer of weapons and armor.  It consists of a union of weapon smiths and armor smiths who meet at the Guildhall and sell their wares, share trade secrets, and provide help and advice to new members.  The guild meets regularly to set standards on quality and production levels.  To a certain extent they compete with the Smithy's guild, which has a branch incorporating weapons and armor, but there is no other guild in Crownhome dedicated exclusively to the production of arms.  The Arms Guild is also the only guild involved in the construction of firearms, and at present hold a monopoly by imperial contract.

Craftsmen's Guild:  The Craftsmen's Guild competes with the Smithy's Guild over the production of craftsmen's tools such as the chisel of a sculptor, the saws and hammers of the builders, the iron bars of windows and many other products.

Mason's Guild and Builder's Guild:  Two guilds competing for business in constructing the stone homes of the dwarven people of Crownhome, the sculpting of statues on commission, and the maintenance of city walls and streets.  King Melech Issach hires out both guilds for different tasks, favoring the Builder's Guild in the construction of temples and housing, but favoring the Mason's Guild in matters of statuaries, street and defense maintenance and the like.  The Mason's Guild is generally favored for private work and specialty work, whereas the Builder's Guild serves more utilitarian purposes.

Smithy's Guild:  The Smithy's guild is a versatile guild that competes with both the Arms Guild and the Craftsmen's Guild.  The Smithy's Guild concerns itself with all aspects of the smithy and the forges, from the making of tongs to farming implements to chandeliers to weapons and armor.  As such they run into conflicts with the Craftsmen's Guild over the production of craftsmen's tools, and they conflict with the Arms Guild in the production of weapons and armor.  The Smithy's guild often sells at cheaper prices than its competitors, and so gets more business, but the other guilds accuse it of low quality.  The Smithy's Guild's largest selling point is its ease and convenience: 'Anything made in a forge you can get at the Smithy's Guild.'

City Interior
The City Within the Mountain is the name given to the interior of Crownhome, nestled into the heart of Taran's Peak.  This is where everything behind the scenes occurs in the city where market is king.  The inner city is home to the legendary mines and forges, and the mighty Castle Ithanash.

The Mines:  A labyrinthine series of tunnels, passages and mineshafts down layers upon layers of earth.  The Mines are all connected, but do not compose a singular mine, but rather twos connected by tunnels in different parts of the mountain to different depths, where the sediment reveals different materials.  The first mine harvests iron ore, used to supply the stream of weapons and armor by which the Empire of Issachar maintains its dominance.  The second mine is the gold mine, through which they form their currency:  the gold Ring, which dwarves keep threaded into their beards and hair until needed.  

The Forges:  The Forges are a sight to behold, raging fires contained in monoliths of stone, churning out molten metal and pouring it down a stone chute where it cools to a temperature the Ithai can work.  There they pound it out with mighty hammers, sometimes fashioning a sword, sometimes an axe or war hammer, sometimes a suit of plate mail.  But they pound with force and diligence, filling the air with a perpetual metallic ring.  Dwarves shift in and out, but the forges never stop.  Here, the Ithai are known to spend days hammering out to perfection each and every item they create, days where they do not sleep or eat, sustaining themselves on work alone, and then for days only rest and eat and drink.  The manning of the forge is as serving in an army, and the forge fields two such armies.

At first glance the Forges appear to be a communal act through which the whole of Crownhome is unified in purpose and direction, strengthening the bonds between all dwarves through the common dedication to creating the perfect blade or the perfect shield.  Appearances can be deceiving.  The Forges are actually one joint facility operated by several different companies.  Many of these belong to the Arms Guild and are known to help one another off shift, trading advice and aid, but within the forges themselves, the dwarves are incredibly competitive.  Clan becomes more important than Guilds or any other alliances between dwarves.  All other clans are enemies, competitors in the production of the best product, and each Ithai clan tries to out-produce and outclass the others.  It is a mark of honor to forge more than the others or to forge at a better quality.   While it is a mark of honor to forge quickly, it is a mark of shame to forge hastily or carelessly, for a poor quality smith is much more disgraceful than a slow smith.

Castle Ithanash:  Meaning 'dwarvenrule,' the castle is a statement of the dwarven status in the world and the embodiment of the power of the Ithai.  Embedded into the very mountain, the castle has an almost symbiotic relationship with the earth.  The mountain interior forms the barrier on two sides, while the fortress juts out of the caverns of the mountain.  The very walls seem hewn of the raw stone, yet the natural flow of the rock forms itself into shapes of the same perfect geometry as the outer city.  From the outside it is impossible to determine the full size of the edifice, and it is only when one enters the castle that the full realization of its enormity becomes clear.  Castle Ithanash is not 'in' Taran's Peak'"Castle Ithanash is Taran's Peak.  The very wall from which it protrudes is a part of the castle itself, with alcoves and stone hatches from which crossbowmen and harquebusiers take pot-shots at besiegers.  The interior of the castle is a maze of passageways leading up to the summit and down into the roots of the mountain.   The population of Crownhome in its entirety could be brought within the castle walls without the slightest crowding.  Indeed, Castle Ithanash can hold within its walls half the dwarven race, which it has done before, and did twenty-seven years ago.

People of Crownhome
Subtle the Alchemist:
[ic=Subtle the Alchemist]'Oh yes there are other stuffy alchemists out there who claim to be the '˜true' alchemists because they are the ones who '˜follow the path.'  Well in my opinion '˜the path' is only as good as how far it can take you.  If you can make lead into gold I'll trail you like a dog and bow to the might and glory of your path, but until then, I'll use what '˜the path' has taught me to make what gold I can.'
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Subtle is a gnome in the hire of King Melech Issach to provide the empire with what services he can provide.  Subtle provides equations for the proper mixing of blast powder, creates substances that can imbue metals with certain special qualities, is able to silver a blade for use against lycanthropes, create acids and oils and all manner of alchemical utility.  Recently, Subtle has developed a new formula for blast powder that would allow less of it to be used to achieve the same effects.  The Balloon Ships of Teeackall have been the envy of many, but have proven unsuitable for long distance travel.  Subtle is currently in the process of attempting to modify the weight to propulsion ratio by some alchemical process to improve on this and make zeppelins a marketable product over Avayevnon.

Subtle's primary concern is with making money.  He cares little for the philosophy of alchemy, or the secrets of life and the universe.  In fact he sneers at those he sees as naïve enough to go after such mystical non-sense.  He studies his art as much as any alchemist, always trying to perfect it, but Subtle seeks not transcendence but material wealth.  The complex interactions of chemicals, substances, and magic intrigue him, and he loves the air of mystery it gives him, but mystery is perhaps the crux of it.  The ambiguity of his profession lends him the mystique to make him intriguing'"alchemy is taboo in some places, and people like taboo.  All alchemists deal in secrets, seeking their answers, seeking to understand.  In this respect Subtle is no different, but he is not a spiritual man'"he is a pragmatist.  Alchemy has definite uses, but not for extending one's life; for opening the mind to new ideas: new inventions, new and easier ways to do things'"things that make money.  In short, he fits right in.

New Isar
The Southernmost major city of the central Issachar Empire, New Isar serves as the center of shipping for the empire.  It is from New Isar that annual pilgrims are ushered into Bizhentluus, to the profit of the empire.  It is here that the harvesting of Darkwood for the production of ships is controlled.  It is from here that the dwarven-led empire conducts its marine operations across the Weeping Sea.
New Isar refrains from extensive mining operations in contrast with her fellow cities due to its proximity to the Chasm of Chiraleth and the fears the locals harbor of awakening sleeping evils.

Tallshield

The Barrowlands
   The mighty burial grounds of the dwarves lies in the southern reaches of Baldurbrock.  They are considered a holy place.  It is the pride of any dwarf to be reunited with the earth.  While interring a dwarf is always accompanied by ceremony, there is rarely any mark left afterwards, save for great kings.  While no dwarf is given the dishonor of a coffin (as a casket serves as a barrier from the earth the dwarves so love) around the great kings are erected mausoleums of mighty stature and lovingly crafted detail built to last the centuries.  It is said that a dwarven architect can sustain himself a lifetime on the commission for a king's tomb.
   It is rumored that some dwarves lie restless in their tombs.  Under the protection of the funereal ceremonies mourners are protected, but wayfarers and trespassers are in grave peril.  Old legends tell of the Pale Watchers, who kept watch over their homeland from the grave.  It is suggested that the tombs of the fallen mark the barrier of the real, and that should that barrier be threatened, the Pale Watchers would defend it.  Such accounts remain unsubstantiated.

The Chasm of Chiraleth
At the time of the Rifting, when the armies of Pazuzu flooded Avayevnon, the earth itself was torn asunder.  The rift exists even today, now known as the Chasm of Chiraleth.  Located just outside New Isar, the chasm is a blemish to the land.  There is sparse brush in Baldurbrock to begin with, but near the Chasm all life fades.  Those who spend too long in its immediate vicinity are prone to frequent and violent illness.  Deep within the Chasm is said to lie a sunken and ruined temple to Pazuzu.  In more recent years the more shallow regions of the Chasm served as the base of operations of the Anarchy's Fury'"a cult of the demon Graz'zt.

Plots and Rumors
Don't go against the clan:  The dwarven clan is a tight knit unit.  Its members grow up together and work to support the clan as a whole through individual success.  The stronger the clan, the more power it has in the administration of Baldurbrock and the Issachar Empire.  But what happens when a dwarf 'goes against the clan?'  It is a though not often contemplated by dwarves, but one that arouses such unspeakable enmity as to make even the most hardened of warriors tremble.  And if one should betray his clan to another, woe betide the traitor and his new allegiance.

Breeanen
Government: Democratic Republic
Demographics: 73% Halfling, 13% Dwarf, 11% Gnome, 2% Human, 1% Other
Capital: Cherrydale

Urban Halflings are very quiet folk. They dislike excitement and change in favor of a steady, stable, predictable life. Things with the urban and rural halflings are as they have been for centuries. The farmers plant and harvest crops, which are weekly transported by wagon to town for the weekly market. Urban halflings ply their wares at these markets, selling pots, pans, trinkets, etc. Urban Halflings are very fond of their drink. They have been known on certain occasions to rival dwarves in their capacity for the consumption of alcohol.
Urban Halflings have had very little exposure to magic, and hence they have no mage schools. The halflings are, however, generally a very religious bunch. They are among the most devout followers of the One God (whom they call Yondalla). Most towns and villages have only one temple, and likely only one or two priests, but the temples have a tremendous following.
Religion is one of the primary shaping factors in the lives of Urban Halflings. They most often pray through the Angel Daena. They have strong family connections and there is a great feeling of kinship among halflings of the same clan and of clans whose sons and daughters are joined in matrimony.
Urban Halflings are very indisposed to battles and confrontation, leading to a very static society. They rarely adventure, though when they do, they are likely to be rogues, as these are the kind most likely to be displeased with society.

Cherrydale

Rosemead
This little village in Breeanen has achieved a sort of fame due to its reputation as a affable stopping post for travelers.  It began as a lonely inn along the Admark Road that runs the South of the same name, so named for the peculiar color of its mead which is said to contain juice squeezed from the petals of a rose'"thought among halflings to be an aphrodisiac.  Soon, it became a full-fledged outpost city, complete with a volunteer militia.  The militia is a composite of halflings, dwarves, and a few humans.  In truth, Rosemead's dwarven population is nearly as large as its halfling one.  Most make a living as craftsmen.  The Rosemead Pub has recently undergone an expansion, and can now book upwards of 30 guests a night.  It has two stories and staffs personnel of ten barmaids, four bouncers, two bartenders and two room maids.

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The Empire of Bizhentluus
Government: Oligarchic Theocracy (Pontiff Heads the state, local operations are headed by religious nobles)
Demographics: 43% Human (21% Native, 11% Caervenfor, 6% Cirrelus, 2% Ithegra, 1% Fjal Othila, 2% Other), 29% Dwarf, 13% Halfling, 7% Gnome, 7% Half-Orc, 1% Elf
Capital: Shardmoore

The Empire of Bizhentluus is founded on religion. It actually overlaps the Empire of Issachar, as many people belong to both: economically dependent on the Dwarves, while religiously affiliated with the Church of Bethor in Shardmoore. From the Cathedral of the Holy Phoenix, the Lord Pontiff Tyrolean I rules Bizhentluus, and acts as the â,¬Å"ultimate authorityâ,¬Â on all matters of faith throughout Avayevnon. This view is disputed by non-Bethorians, who disagree with what they see as the Churchâ,¬,,¢s â,¬Å"vengeful doctrine.â,¬Â The Churchâ,¬,,¢s power is such, however, that remarks against the established church are viewed as acts against the religion and against the One God. Non-Bethorians who speak out against the Church often meet charges of heresy, the empireâ,¬,,¢s most serious crime.
To control heresy, the Lord Pontiff has instituted a campaign to root out heretics and blasphemers. The Tyrolean Inquisition preserves order through the subtle application of force. Their subtlety and use of secret informants coupled with the swift blow they strike leaves the public in a certain fear. In spite of this, more people come into Bizhentluus than leave it.
The People of Bizhentluus, while fearful of the Inquisition, actually agree with it in principal. Dealing with subtle foes requires subtle methods. The Inquisition is limited to Bizhentluus proper, as the Empire only has influence and religious power beyond those borders.
Lord Pontiff Tyrolean I rivals King Melech Issach as most powerful man in Avayevnon. They both share great political power; Issach rules over the largest economic power in the world, and controls nearly 50% of all trade dealings, Tyrolean heads the Church that leads most of the post-war world, having influence in most every civilized nation. There are other powerful individuals, such as Eldirion the Stargazer and Cabrien the Oracle, but their power does not often extend beyond their borders, so their global influence is limited.

The Bizhens
The people of Bizhentluus are remarkably diverse. While the single largest race population belongs to humans, these humans are not all native to this land. They come from Caervenfor, Cirrelus, and Ithegra, and from Fjal Othila to the North. The largest minority is the dwarves, many of whom loyal to the Issach have integrated into Bizhentluus. Some young elves of Sylvaea have come out of the forests and converted, but their numbers are small. Halflings form a large number of the Bizhen peoples. Rounding out the list are gnomes from Gambodel, who have brought new thinking and ingenuity. They are accepted unless their â,¬Å"studiesâ,¬Â go against the teachings of the church, in which case they are viewed as heretics. Of all the races, gnomes have the highest rate of departure from the empire.

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The Shining City; Shardmoore is the religious capital of Avayevnon, and the political capital of Bizhentluus.  Its alabaster towers and marbled cathedrals glitter in the morning light.  It is a glorious city, and one of Avayevnonâ,¬,,¢s greatest stories of rebirth.  But, even the Shining City has a dark side; as the legacy of the tragedy of 27 years ago continues to haunt this city.

The Lay of the City
The Old Cityâ,¬'Much of Shardmoore was destroyed during the Blood Crusade, but this section of the city remains.  It is now the cultural center of the city, to remember the past while moving forward into the future.  Organizations of the arts, such as the Seraphine Harmonium lie within the Old City.
The Castle Districtâ,¬'Castle Shardmoore fell into demonic hands during the war, and was heavily damaged in its recovery, but it was never demolished.  Now rebuilt, the Castle and the surrounding district form the military and guard district of the city.  The Sentinel, guards of the city is based here, as is the second largest military contingent in Bizhentluus, after Teneret.
Cathedral Squareâ,¬'The religious and political district.  The Cathedral of the Holy Phoenix resides here, as is the Council of Nobles that governs the workings of all the cities and towns across Bizhentluus.  The Nobles are hereditary rulers of the sub-territories of Bizhentluus.  They all answer to The Lord Pontiff Tyrolean I.
The Port Districtâ,¬'Shardmoore rests on the edge of the Inner Sea, and as such, receives a good deal of sea trade, mostly from the Issachar Empire.  In any case, the Port is filled with shops and taverns for seamen.  
The Slumsâ,¬'At the outskirts of the city, just inside the city walls, are the slums.  Much of the population lives here, it is the nest of the destitute working class.  Beggars and prostitutes reside here.  It is also the home of those who are respectable in person and demeanor, but tragically penniless.

Places and Organizations
The Cathedral of the Holy Phoenixâ,¬'The home to both the Lord Pontiff Tyrolean I and his Knights of The Handâ,¬'so named for Tyrolean, who is said to be the Right Hand of Bethor, who is, in turn the Right Hand of God.
The Seraphine Harmoniumâ,¬'The Seraphine Harmonium, when first founded, was an Opera House.  Since then it has been an institution for the faithful during the Blood Crusade.  They were freedom fighters against Lady Elera and Pazuzu.  After the war, it was a home for the helpless, providing safety-and some entertainment-to those who had suffered.  It has since reverted to a theatre, but it is said that the members have a second, secret purpose these days.  
Castle Shardmoore-The castleâ,¬,,¢s dark and gothic structure is an uncommon feature in the Shining City.  It serves as a reminder of the past. It now houses the military and the city guard.  The Knights of the Hand are trained here, before they enter the service of the Lord Pontiff.
The Inquisition-Even now, twenty seven years after the defeat of Pazuzu, evil lives on and makes its home in Shardmoore.  Like a parasiteâ,¬'a last blight of the plague demonâ,¬'the Heretic still clings to the underbelly of the city, sapping its divine lifeblood.  At least, that is what the people of Shardmoore are told.  Now, the inquisitors watch over the city with unblinking eyes, striking without warning or clemency.  People vanish into the night, with a flash of white and crimson, never to be heard from again.  The Inquisition does not rest, and its enemies dare not.  Each day, it seems, a new evil is discovered, and the list of actions filed under heresy grows ever longer.  The prime enemy if the Inquisition is vile Sorcery.  As all in Bizhentluus know, sorcerers are malevolent souls whose power comes through pacts and demonic rituals.  While the Inquisition has yet to attach the label of Heresy to wizards, the new Bureau of Magical Protocol has ruled that all arcane casters be registered, under threat of the Inquisition.

Important NPCs
Lord Pontiff Tyrolean Iâ,¬'Tyrolean is the ruler of Bizhentluus and the religious head of the Bethorian Church.  As Lord Pontiff, he is currently the ultimate authority on all matters of faith, among mortals at least.  He was elected to the role, which originated after the Tragedy, in the first and only election held so far.  He shall likely hold this position until he dies, as the Divine Sanction of the office would forbid his removal from that office.  He was elected after having combated Pazuzu in the Blood Crusade.  The religious fervor at that time was powerful to behold, mandating the scouring of evil and heresy from the face of the nation and the world at large.  Tyroleanâ,¬,,¢s rule made Bizhentluus an almost fanatical theocracy and a militaristic state, ordering great expansions to the outpost of Teneret and his most famous, or perhaps infamous decree; the Inquisition.
Inquisitor Proditusâ,¬'Proditus serves as Tyroleanâ,¬,,¢s right hand man.  He is in charge of all operations of the Holy Inquisition and all lesser inquisitors report to him.  Inquisitor Proditus hunts down heretics with ruthless efficiency, striking without warning and with terrible force.  
Arik â,¬Å"Ghostâ,¬Â Raumâ,¬'Arik Raumâ,¬,,¢s reputation has been shaky for quite some time.  He was the founder of the Seraphine Harmonium over 100 years ago.  He then disappeared inexplicably, and there were rumors that he had been involved in demonology.  Such reports were never substantiated, however, and for a century he remained a mystery, until he returned as inexplicably as he had left.  The rumors surrounding his return are just as dark as those surrounding his departure: deception, blackmail, and murder.  In any case, when the Pazuzuâ,¬,,¢s forces took Shardmoore, Raum showed no trace of the alleged demonology of a century before, taking up arms against the demons, fighting a sort of guerilla war against them in the streets.  After the war he once again took up ownership of his theatre and has been teaching young musicians with his wife Roselle for over 20 years.  One thing about Raum that has always been intriguing is his signature mask.  No one ever sees his face or knows what he truly looks like.  He once laughingly stated that â,¬Å"Everyone has secrets.  Some of us have terrible ones, but believe me, mine are nothing compared to some the Church would hide . . .â,¬Â

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Iluvion
Government: Seer Council (Magocracy)
Demographics: 94% Elves, 4% Human, 1% Gnome, 1% Other
Capital: Calukhainen

Iluvion is the island nation of the elves. Their Seer Council, led by Eldirion, looks far into the future to discern what course of action must be taken to best serve the elves.  The elves are proud, dignified, and decadent.  They are masters of the Seas and the Stars.  The elves . . . are dying.
But a cornered beast fights twice as hard.  It seems as they fall deeper and deeper into recession, their passion and determination to survive grows ever stronger, pushing them towards ever more violent pursuits.
Eldirion has seen it in the best interests of Iluvion for the entirety of the elven race to be trained and ready for war at all times.  Perpetual Preparedness is the motto of Iluvion.
Elven sloops rule the seas, running circles around clumsy human ships. They conduct acts of piracy against the ships of other nations in the name of Iluvion and the salvation of their dwindling people.

Calukhainen
The City of the Stars; Calukhainen is the capital of the island nation of Iluvion.  The center of Elven society, the city is located in the heart of the island.  The city climbs Mount Calu and is built in five layers.

The Gazeway'"The highest layer of the city rests atop a plateau at the summit.  Here the Seer Council meets to look to the stars and chart the course for all Iluvion.  It consists of a great amphitheater crowned with a ring of stone arches.  The tallest of these arches faces east and is topped with the carving of two crescent moons back to back.  This monument is the subject of a monthly ceremony of the seers.  Once each month, when the crescent moon rises in the sky and meets its earthly partner, forming the shape of an eye in the night, it is a sacred moment.  It is in this time that prophecies may be made, when the merger of heaven and earth permits celestial vision through terrestrial eyes.  This ceremony is known as Noch Weledh (Night of Sight).

The Elves of Iluvion (Lugragenti)
The elves call themselves the Lugragenti (pronounced Loo-rai-yehn-tee) or 'Children of Lugra.'  Lugra, the maiden of the night, who at the full moon resembles an eye in the darkness is said in legend to have created the race of the elves.  It is a legend they embrace, proud of their lunar origins and their goddess, who in their eyes, fickle though she may be, is no usurper.  The elves look scornfully down upon the race of humanity, and even humanity's glorious ancestors the Adam as thieves of the world and its wonders.

Lugragenti Appearance and Dress
Elves are a mysterious people.  Shorter than a human but taller than a dwarf, elves sport a thin, wiry frame that at times seems to be reminiscent of a bird.  Indeed, they possess an air of nearly supernatural grace that makes them appear at times to glide, rather than walk.  In the daylight their raven hair and pallid skin gives them an unhealthy look, which, accentuated by their slender frame makes them look positively feeble, almost gaunt.  In the moonlight, however, an elf comes alive, with pearly skin glittering in the soft glow of their mistress of the night and bright green eyes that shine ethereally.  

The lugragenti, unlike their cousins in Sylvaea, favor elaborate styles of dress, including tunics and doublets for men, and flowing dresses and skirts for women.  Both sexes often wear cloaks with elaborate frogs, linings, and trim.  They also wear ceremonial robes on religious holidays and special occasions.  For materials elves frequently wear linens and enjoy accenting their dress with silks traded or pirated from the southern continent.  They occasionally wear furs in the height of winter, but these are worn out of necessity, rather than out of taste.

Outsiders find it odd to notice upon visiting the isle of Iluvion, or the forest of Sylvaea, that one only ever sees youthful elves, never elderly ones.  This is in fact, only partially true.  Elves do not age in the same manner as the other races.  Even the Ithai'"called dwarves by the humans'"are born into infancy, rise through childhood adolescence adulthood, and old age in a standard sequential manner.  This process can take a century for a human and five for a dwarf.  Elves, however, do not follow this pattern.  Once an elf is born, they begin a cycle that repeats for the elf's entire natural life, which, should he not be slain be outside forces, could go on eternally.  Once an elf reaches his prime he begins to fade from the world.  He does not grow old, he simple slips away for a time and then, as sure as Lugra will wax after the new moon, the elf returns and slowly becomes real, to live another lifetime on the earth.

Lugragenti Customs
Elves, like the moon, are fickle creatures.  They do not often engage in long-standing relationships, and elven lovers rarely stay together past a single lifetime.  Elves do not marry.  It is not uncommon for elves to change partners with great frequency, and the only time it is taboo for a couple to part ways is when raising a child.  The concept of family is not strong in lugragenti society, and the only attention paid to filial matters is with parentage.  Extended family to an elf might as well be strangers.  They have respect for their parents, and some respect for siblings, but only if said siblings are twins.  Elven women can only bear children once per life, and must wait until their rebirth before they can have more children.  As such, siblings born to parents at different lifetimes may not even know of each other's existence, much less feel kinship with one another.

The birth of a child is greeted with a grand festival involving the entire village, or in the case of a large city, the entire circle of friends of the mother and father.  These ceremonies are conducted at night, with bonfires and braziers, under the stars with much singing, dancing, and reveling.  The revelry lasts for the whole of the lunar phase in which the birth occurs.  During this time, all those involved fast, though there is a great deal of wine consumed.  New life is considered a miracle to the dwindling people.

After the birth of the child, however, it is taboo to compliment the child; instead it is customary to insult it as ugly and to express regret that it could not be a handsomer babe.  This is due to a superstition that vengeful spirits or malevolent fey creatures will become covetous of the child and steal it away.  In the case of fey, it is feared that they shall take the child in exchange for a 'changeling:' a creature that is not truly an elf, but rather a mockery of one, twisted and ugly and full of mischief.

Before the end of their first life, an elf must be initiated into his chosen profession.  They may choose the Path of the Sight, the Path of the Sword, the Path of the Spirit, or the Path of the Song.  All elves are required to follow one of these paths.  Which path is largely optional, though the Path of the Sight is highly selective, taking only those who show magical talent that might channel the energies of Lugra.  The Path of the Sword is for those who would meet with an enemy in combat in defense of Iluvion.  The Path of the Song is for poets, musicians, and historians.  The Path of the Spirit, leads an elf back to Sylvaea, to seek the guidance of their cousins in the old ways, keeping alive the old customs and connections to the past.

Upon choosing a path the elf is put into apprenticeship of a master in his field.  He may be student to a Seer, squire to a Defender of Calu, apprentice to a lyricist, or pupil of a Druid.  He is presented with robes befitting his station.  Inductees of the path of the seer wear midnight blue robes trimmed with symbols of the moon and stars.  A squire wears robes of black with a tunic of brown leather.  A young Filidh-one who follows the Path of the Song-wears robes of white and light blue.  Those who would be druids are given robes of green and accompanied by guardians on the way across the sea of Aquus to the mainland and on to Sylvaea.  Upon completion of their apprenticeship, an elf is deemed an adult and given leave to enter society in Iluvion.  

Once a year the elves of Iluvion celebrate Sam Beira (Sao Bee-rah) which literally means 'Day of Death.' It falls on the first day of autumn, at the time when the veil between the world of the living and the world of the dead is the thinnest.  Spirits are said to walk the earth in almost palpable form, and the vengeful spirits of elven kindred fallen in defense of the forests are said to take revenge on the cowardice of those who fled, dragging away living elves to the land of the dead to be lost.  In order to avoid this fate, the Lugragenti masquerade in their culaiths (Koo-lie) and death masks to trick the spirits into thinking that they are among the dead and thus escape their wrath.   Nevertheless, it is a day of celebration, as it is a common creed of the lugragenti that death precedes rebirth, and thus the death of the year is seen as the beginning of the process of rebirth.

Lugragenti Ethics and Values
The Lugragenti do not swear binding oaths.  All is changeable and tentative.  They are the children of the moon and she is a fickle mistress, and as she leads her children follow.  They do not see the sense in binding oneself to a course of action whose circumstances may very well change.  Elves think much of the future, seeing its myriad possibilities.  It suits the elven conscious to allow the future to retain the full power of possibility until the very moment it must be shaped.  Their Seers guide them along the paths of the future, but even with the seers' eyes, nothing is perfectly clear until it has taken form.  If forced to bind themselves to an oath, however, learned elves may swear by the dragons.

The elves, as a culture, believe themselves above petty insults, and that their noble tongue should not be sullied with ugly words.  There are, however, a few exceptions to this rule. 'Sun' is a word used by the elves in utter contempt, as it invokes their hatred of the One God for murdering Helidh and usurping his rulership of the day, and 'Mehani' refers to something uncivilized or grotesque.

Due to the elven concept of family, certain things are acceptable in elven society that would make some other cultures cringe.  Incest is uncommon but not reviled in elven society, and only taboo between twins and in parent-child unions.  Siblings separated by a lifetime or more are likely only related on one side, and so are not truly seen as family to begin with, and adding on to that the different number of lives, the two would be seen as different enough to be acceptable.  

Dueling is largely encouraged in this society, so long as it is not conducted with the intention to kill.  The Lugragenti are aware that the race of the elves is dying out.  Since the Rifting and their flight to Iluvion, the elves have been fading.  As such, in Iluvion, all elves learn skills with which to defend their island homeland.  Dueling for sport is supported as a way to keep skills honed and ready for use if necessary, but it is the gravest crime an elf could commit to slay another elf.

Elven History and The Flight
The elves are one of the oldest and most sophisticated races in existence. They are also one of the oldest. Perhaps the only race in existence today that is older than they is that of the Aduâ,¬,,¢jas, a race of humanoid plants. The elves came into being when a branch of the mehani was altered over generations by the magical energies of Avayevnon into elfhood, When the elves left the plains for the larger prey of the forests, the Aduâ,¬,,¢jas watched over them, intent that they should not go too far. As time passed and the elves developed into a culture that praised skilled hunters, the elves began to hunt for pride rather than for survival. At this point the aduâ,¬,,¢jas intervened. Fearful of the god-being before them the elves begged forgiveness for their actions. The aduâ,¬,,¢jas happily agreed to spare them, so long as the learned to respect nature. Every tree, they told the elves, every animal, is the spirit of an ancestor, whose love of nature was so great that they forsook the great beyond to dwell in it forever, protecting it constantly in the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. They taught the elves the ways of the Druids and elves became devoted defenders of the forests.
The elves shunned life outside the woods and rejected the humansâ,¬,,¢ so-called progress. As they developed, the humans built villages and towns. As they built villages and towns, they went to the forests for supplies. The elves, indignant as such disrespect struck out at the humans, but the aduâ,¬,,¢jas quickly restrained them. The humans must survive too, they told the elves. They require shelter, and the forests are quite willing to give it to them. Watch them, and ensure that their progress does not lead to wanton destruction. Otherwise leave them be. So the elves pardoned the humans and continued to watch over the Forests.
Then the humans invented religion, proclaiming the divinity of the One God. Furious at the humansâ,¬,,¢ dismissal of the Ancestors, the elves struck out at the humans once more. Again, they were restrained. Remember, the aduâ,¬,,¢jas told them, the humans as a people never lived in the forests. These are not their ancestors. The elves were quelled again. But the humans would forever fear the Druids. The humans would always associate the elves and their pagan religion with the attacks; it became a part of their religious doctrine, and for as far into the future as could be seen, this would not change.
Then the humans discovered magic. They discovered how to manipulate the wells of pure energy to manifest their will. But their manipulation was a crude, imperfect one. They knew only how to work such magic very generally. They knew not how to produce specific effects. The result of this was a great deal of raw magical energy being used in very destructive ways. The elves hated such practices, their destructiveness was detrimental to nature.
Then came the catastrophe of the Great Tear. Too many magicians working too much magical energy in too close a proximity split open the Material Plane. Demons poured in laying waste to everything in their path; for such creatures are the epitome of destruction. As the demons destroyed the human cities, the humans fled into the woods, and the demons pursued them.
The Great Forest once extended all the way from one end of the Inland Sea to the other. The arrival of the demons would, however, quite literally cleave the Forest in two. In the south, the elves held the demons off as long as they could, but were forced to flee. They fled as far as the Sea, and, meeting that barrier, used the dead trees to build rafts and small boats and sailed to the Isle of Iluvion.
There then came the first of two miracles: The Great Stitching. The nature of this miracle is disputed. Some give credit to the elves and the aduâ,¬,,¢jas for sewing shut the hole in the Material Plane. Faithful humans remain sternly convinced the act was one of divine mercy by the hand of the One God himself. In any case, the demons that had already crossed into the Prime continued to wreak havoc.
Then came the second miracle. This oneâ,¬,,¢s nature is undisputed: the aduâ,¬,,¢jas calling upon the spirits of the ancestors begged for aid in destroying the demons who would otherwise spell the doom of the forest. The love of the ancients was so great that it woke the very trees, and the forest itself rose to expel the invaders. Under assault from not only the aduâ,¬,,¢jas, human and remaining elves, but also from all directions by the very forest, the demons were crushed. Those that remained rejoiced.
The threat of the demons had ended, but its legacy remained. The blood of the demons soaked the soil, corrupting everything with its vile essence. The trees grew twisted and menacing; they would sometimes attack travelers passing through. A dread mist spread about the forest. The forest grew dark, and the weathered aduâ,¬,,¢jas began to wither and die. The elves of the forest gave birth to foul, deformed things that could not rightly be called elves. They were tainted with the malice of demons and as they grew, they were spiteful and would frequently attack their kindred. The children of these foul demonic elves became the Hags. The mist, the hags, and the trees earned the forest the reputation of being haunted, earning the forest the name of the Deadhaunt Woods.
The elves of Iluvion would not soon forget the Great Tear. They would not forget that it came at the hands of the humans, at the hands of their magic. The elves took it as their mission and duty to defend nature and to ensure that a disaster the likes of the Great Tear never happen again. But they no longer dwelt in the land of their ancestors, and their Druidic magic began to fade. No longer able to rely on their ancestors for strength and guidance, they had to look elsewhere. They looked to the stars, and fought guidance in the constellations, whose arrangement and position could reveal much information, about the past, present, and future.
Eldirion the Stargazer is, perhaps, the oldest living elf. It would be Eldirion who would unite the elves. He called to him the most gifted seers and the most gifted astrologers and formed the Seer Council of Iluvion, setting it in what would become the capital of Iluvion; Calukhainen. Through the Seer Council, they would see across space and time to chart the best course for the few of Iluvion. Nearly half of all elves had been killed in the tragedy of the Tear, so their numbers were few, and their island was small, leaving them little room for expansion and little game for hunting. They had to govern themselves wisely if the elven race was to survive.
The Seer Council saw fit that the elves of Iluvion be trained for battle. Should the time come, the elves would stand the best chance of survival if all elves could contribute, if none were left helpless. The future was difficult to see, as the actions of the present cause it to constantly shift minutely, but Eldirion and the Seer Council had the sense and foresight to know that the time would come when the elves of Iluvion would go to war. The elves took heavily to the martial arts, particularly swordplay. They trained rigorously, so that any Iluvinese citizen would be worthy of a standard solder. Then there were elite groups, such as the Defenders of Calu, kensai, who fight with long bastard swords. They wield their weapons as an extension of themselves, with the grace of a much smaller weapon.
When the Seer Council foresaw the resources of Iluvion running out, the Iluvinese Navy was formed. The main purpose of this Navy is acquisition of external resources. This quite frequently amounts to piracy. The Seer Council, however, views it as a necessary evil. As much for their own pride as anything else, they use the term â,¬Å"privateeringâ,¬Â for such actions rather than â,¬Å"piracy.â,¬Â Many elves could not stand going by the name â,¬Å"Pirate.â,¬Â
Eldirion saw across space to the Xaoonoi Archipelago, near Ithegra. He saw its chaotic nature and saw the potential of its danger. He saw that its constantly churning magical energies and the random extraplanar gateways that appear there, there was the eventuality of a portal to the Abyss, that home of demons. Such a gateway had the potential to unleash another Great Tear. That was something he could not let happen. Nor, however could he affect the random nature of the islands from Iluvion. Nor could he watch over it from Ithegra, for he was needed in Iluvion. Away from his home, from his people, and from other powerful minds with the gift for The Sight, he would not be able to accurately discern the ever changing future of a place with a present as random as the Xaoonoi Archipelago. Then a child was born, and Eldirion saw in this child a gift for the sight much as his own. The child was named Cabrien. Eldirion asked the mother to allow him to take the child as his apprentice. She hesitated, but agreed. He taught the boy to See. Cabrienâ,¬,,¢s talent was one of incredible accuracy, having, often more detail than Eldirionâ,¬,,¢s, but his eyes could not see so far as his masters. The future Cabrien saw was the near future. Still, the boy was of immense talent. Upon completing his training, Eldirion sent him, with a number of his kinsmen to Ithegra, to watch over the ever shifting Archipelago. Should he foresee the opening of an Abyssal portal, the two could work in tandem to close it off before the situation results in a disaster.

Elven culture
The elves love horses, and a horseshoe (whose shape resembles a crescent) is a symbol of good luck.
The elves have a strong belief in ghosts. The first ghosts were the tortured souls of those victims of the Great Tear, who followed their brethren to haunt them for their flight. Unfortunately for the elves, such spirits of the dead cannot grant them druidic magic. The animals are also spirits of the dead, but these are the peaceful spirits of the ancestors, whereas ghosts are tormented souls who cannot find their way to the world beyond, and are filled with anger or mourning that pulls them back to the world of the living, though they cannot rightly enter it.
On the anniversary of the Great Tear, the barrier between the material world and the spirit world is weakened. Ghosts become visible to the living and vengeful. Their jealousy and anger lead them to carry away mortal souls to the spirit world. To protect themselves from the spirits on Sam Beira, each elf wears a culaith (costume) and mask of the dead to fool the spirits.
Sam Beira marks one of the two great doorways of the Iluvinese year, for the elves divided the year into two seasons: the light and the dark, at Lae Tann and Sam Beira. Sam Beira is the more important festival, marking the beginning of a whole new cycle, just as the elven day begins at night. For it is understood that in dark silence comes whisperings of new beginnings, the stirring of the seed below the ground. Whereas Lae Tann welcomes in the summer with joyous celebrations at dawn, the most magically potent time of this festival is at the Sam Beira celebration.
A legend of the elves that probably arose from the Great Tear mixed with a fear of Sam Beira spirits is the Dearg-dur. The Deargh-dur is the spirit of a beatiful elven maid who was killed on her wedding day. Her beauty is irresistibly seductive, but her kiss drives men mad. If she is able, she lures them away to feast on their blood. Those that have encountered her are found either dead, drained of all blood, but with no sign of its spillage, or in raving madness.

Astrology
The study of astrology came out of an old druidic tradition that Ancestors came in two groups: those that stayed behind to protect the natural world, and those who went on to the great beyond, lighting the sky with their eternal star fire. The druids asked the ancestors in the forests for aid, but now the Iluvinese elves look to the stars, to their transcended ancestors for guidance. Thus, when the elves fled from the mainland to the isle of Iluvion, the druids, unable to tap into the power of their ancestors from the forest, began to look to the ancestors in the stars, and the Iluvinese druidic tradition changed. The focus of Iluvinese druidism became the stars, the sun, and the moon: three aspects of nature the elves had not previously paid so much attention to. They learned that the stars could tell them as well as the animals of upcoming weather patterns and anomalies, and when best to plant for the harvest. They learned to phases of the moon and developed a lunar calendar, an elf monthly cycle lasts 28 days, and an elf â,¬Å"dayâ,¬Â actually begins at night. The year is broken into two seasons, the Sowing and the Reaping. The Samhain celebration marks the beginning of the Reaping, the period of the harvest and the death in preparation for new life. Perhaps because of these ceremonies (but also, perhaps because of their penchant for looking into the future), the elves have an ironic fixation with death, given their long lives, and as such, they are typically a rather gloomy folk. Their songs are most often songs of lament, of lost glory, of lost ancestors and loved ones, of lost freedom.
In the forests, personal freedom had been the elvesâ,¬,,¢ most cherished possession. This is still true of the Sylvaese elves. They valued it second only to nature and the forest. Since their flight to Iluvion, however, the elves have been in a disheartened emotional state. While they took it with determination to protect, not only the forest, but the world from another attack by demons, they were a failing race. The once-proud defenders of the forests are now yet-more-proud; having taken such a daunting task as theirs has instilled in them a sense of superiority that scoffs at their numerical weakness. Few elves had made it to Iluvion, many more had died making it livable. Those that survived could hardly be said to be capable of fending off a demonic incursion.
In such times of darkness, when most all elves put up the façade of superiority to hide their numerous frailties, a leader emerged to lead them. His name was Eldirion, the Stargazer. A practitioner of the old ways, he had long studied the stars and the portents they reveal. He saw as no other saw, into the future, and charted the course to save the elves from extinction. He saw times of war, and death to his people, he saw the helpless slaughtered. But the future is indefiniteâ,¬'changeable. To change this future, to avoid the slaughter of helpless elves, he decided that never would elves be considered helpless. By order of the Council of Seers he gathered around himself, every elf must learn to defend himself in the event of war. Training in one of four fields: The Navy, the Woods Patrol, the Defenders, or the Mage School became compulsory. Although meant with the best of intentions, this decree, and other acts by Eldirion and the Seer Council were considerable set-backs to elven personal freedom.

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The Outer States
Ithegra
Government: Democracy
Demographics: 85% Human, 15% Other (lots of small groups)
Capital: Athos

Ithegra is a small, democratic nation. While political power lies with the people, Commander Thobeles (Tho-bell-ees) has complete control of the military. The standing army of Ithegra is a well-oiled machine. It's troops fight wearing light armor, shortspears and tower shields. They also carry shortswords if fighting becomes too close. they are trained to be fast moving and highly mobile. A unit of spearmen is always backed by a unit of archers who harass enemy troops the spearmen are about to engage, and cover the spearmen when they retreat, preventing pursuit.
Cabrien the Oracle is the wisest in the land. Trained by Eldirion himself, Cabrien has incredible talent for seeing into the future. Cabrien's abilities, however acute they may be, are not as far ranging as his tutor's. Cabrien cannot see more than a lifetime into the future.
Still Cabrien's talent's have proven critical in the success of the military on numerous occasions. His ability to foresee enemy troop movements has allowed Commander Thobeles to strategically place his own troops to perfectly counter enemy forces. But Cabrien has another duty; to keep watch on the shifting magical energies surrounding the Xaoonoi Archipelago. These islands for a ring around the southern peninsula of Ithegra, which is inhabited mostly by rough mountain men and giants. The area enclosed in the Xaoonoi Archipelago is treated as a Wild Magic Zone. This area is prone to intense magical storms, and there is always at least one portal active to another plane of existence, though the nature of this portal is random, and the number and placement of portals at any given time is random. The nature of this area is wildly chaotic, and inherently dangerous, so Cabrien keeps watch over the area so that if it starts get out of hand, the citizens of Ithegra can get out of harm's way.
This ability proved critical to the fighting of Pazuzu's Blood Crusade, as demonic and slaadi forces used the Archipelago as a gateway for their invasions.  After the initial waves of extraplanar enemies, the two were able to detect and divine the time at which the portals would be weak enough to be closed off, stopping the flow of new demonic enemies.
At present, however, there is civil war in Ithegra.  Theist priests and zealots war with tribes of pagan T'kel.  Many T'kel have already joined with the Soleists, and been exiled, shunned as traitors to their people.  Cabrien, a believer in the old ways, has taken a drastic step by siding with the T'kel druids, giving way to a crossing over of certain factions of otherwise Theist Ithegrans.  At the same time, both Iluvion and Verlan seem poised to send aid to one side or another.  The consequences of religious bloodshed in Ithegra could be an ideological war that could sweep across the face of Avayevnon.

The Burning Bog
10,000 years ago, there was a great battle between two draconic foes, Nik'x'meft'fitcht and Carnagmolon over the burning bog.  The former was an Ancient Red Dragon, the latter, a Great Black Wyrm.  They battled for weeks on end, decimating the surrounding area for miles around.  Legend tells that the clash of two such titanic enemies split the sky and loosed a storm so volatile that it caused the surrounding mountains to crumble and the plains below them to flood.  The rains combined with the blood of these two foes made a red bog stained with the essence of dragons.  At the end of their epic struggle, Carnagmolon was able to drown his adversary in the blood-waters of the new bog.  But the spirit of Nik'x'meft'fitcht would not rest easy.  
Today, dragon blood has infused all that grows here, giving rise to great and often terrible variants of several creatures, such as snakes and other reptiles, lizardmen, fey, kobolds, and goblins, etc.  Thought to be caused by the angry spirit of Nik'x'meft'fitcht, the bog also occasionally belches a spontaneous jet of fire.
Over the next century, there arose two tribes of anthropomorphic lizards the Redscale Mirk'nik or Blood of Nik and the Blackscale T'kel from the essence of the two draconic foes.  The Redscales were large lizards of incredible strength, while the Blackscale T'kel were smaller and cunning.  These two races would war with each other as fiercely as their predecessors.  It seems as though the spirits of the two foes continued their battle across generations, centuries even.  
The two races fought over the territories of the marshland for centuries on end.  Occasionally one would gain the upper hand, then the other.  The terrain would prove a major factor in the battles of these two races.  This was manifested in the view the races took as to their environment: the Mirk'nik saw their surroundings as an obstacle, but the T'kel saw them as a tool.  Over a period of twenty years, the T'kel eradicated the Redscale Mirk'nik.  The T'kel have since spread to inhabit the whole of the Burning Bog.  They revere nature (And the nature they see around them is powerful indeed), favoring a pagan religion worshipping the Spirit of the Swamp and those of the animals within it.  Clans further south have integrated into Ithegran society, some even adopting the practices of Theism.  

Cirrellus
Government: Monarchy
Demographics: (Southern) 90% Human, 3% Dwarf, 3% Halfling, 4% Other (Northern) unknown
Capital:  Riddenfeld

Cirrellus is divided in two by a mountain range.  The Southern kingdom consists of one major city--Riddenfeld--as well as a few minor towns.  The majority of the land is plainsland used to breed and train horses, which are Cirrellus' most important export.
Cirrellus, it seems, is divided by more than a mountain.  In the North, which the Halfling traders fear to traverse, lie dark men who are said to follow the Old Religion of Druidism.  Those looking down into the north from the mountains at night may often see bonfires burning, far between, but far from few.  Southerners living on or near the mountains are frequently frightened by the sounding of drums on the other side of the summit.

Shagrunk
Government: Loose assimilation of tribes
Demographics:  52% Orc, 24% goblin, 13% human, 6% lizardfolk, 3% ogre, 2% other
Capital: Orchold

"Emerging from my vault of the mountains I found myself amidst a damp and dark tangle of trees and foliage.  'So this is Shagrunk'Â I though to myself.  It was certainly a change from the fields and forests of farther north.  Even the Deadhaunt Woods are filled with more static trees.  It was not so much that the trees relocated, but they seemed to sway and droop about.  There was a stickiness in air and the bite of mosquitoes was a constant nuisance.
Out of the gloomy snarl arose a looming edifice of stone.  The ziggurats seemed less like the creations of a modern people engaged in the affairs of the world than the remnants of a bygone era.  As I drew closer, smaller and more sensible buildings came into view.  Awed as I was, I was not prepared for the dagger I found at my throat.  It was only my silver tongue--and my golden grasp of foreign languages--that saved my life."Â
[/i]

Shagrunk is the land of Orcs.  Since the fall of the Orcs from power in the Subterra, the proud hobgoblins have re-established a kind of civilization.  The Orcs can once a gain say they have a nation, but cannot say they have a true leader.  Since their arrival to Shagrunk, the Hobgoblins have fought amongst themselves, grouped into five tribes, each too proud to allow the others to rise to power.

Bagrath-Bagrath has been the closest thing to a ruler Shagrunk has ever had.  He ascended to power, having the largest following of any tribal leader, and made heavy use of his trump card: a small tribe of ogres he adopted into his tribe.  
In power, he acted almost as a dictator; lording over the other tribes as they continued to fight amongst themselves hoping to rise in the hierarchy.  None dared oppose him directly-until after the Blood Crusade.
In the wake of the destruction caused by the ensuing demon war, Bagrath promised the Hobgoblins a new empire, forged across the south with the blood of humans.  The orcs rallied behind Bagrath as they had not rallied behind an individual since their fall from power.  But Bagrath's promises yielded little results.  Any gains they made were overshadowed by the demon armies, and as the demons were pushed back, the Hobgoblins were also moved aside.
Bagrath's power was shaken by the Blood Crusade, and the lesser tribes grow more daring, particularly that of one Carnuth Fol.

Carnuth Fol-Carnuth Fol is significant for a number of reasons: First, he is the only tribal leader currently willing to oppose Bagrath in open conflict.  Second, he is supported by the weary humans of Lythen, who wish to stabilize the region to avoid the periodic spillage of orc warfare onto their nation.  Third, he is a known Lycanthrope.  Fol, and several members of his tribe are known to be wereboars

Grimpe-Grimpe is the most timid of the orc warlords.  He sees his tribe's situation as, perhaps, more precarious than it actually is, and thus takes extreme measures to preserve his tribe's strength.  His favored tactis are hit-and-run.

Huytrlk-Truly, no one knows quite how to pronounce Huytrlk's name.  It is a point of tension among any who are required to speak to him.  As such, he is often addressed by titles, such as Warlord, or Lordship.  He tends to employ ambush tactics.

Vez Bip-Vez Bip's force is actually incredibly small, but very skilled.  His tribe conducts warfare subtly and always at night.  His small tribal forces prefer to work without being seen or found often raiding the camps of enemy tribes.

Verlan
Government: Oligarchy
Demographics: 75% Human, 12% Halfling, 5% Elf, 4% Gnome, 4% Half-elf
Capital: Port Crimsea

Verlan is a nation famed for its passionate people.  It is rife with poets and painters; Itinerant Players perform bawdy romances and tails of love and lust in city after town; Port Crimsea is even home to competitions in various art forms.  But passion can take on a dark side.  A passionate hatred is as consuming as a passionate love, and, if the Players are to be believed, almost as destructive.  Hatred, however, can take many forms and guises.  What's more, it is amazing how often hatred in engendered by love.   A husband in love with a mistress breeds hatred in a wife.  A maiden betrothed runs off with a lover, sparking a century long feud.

Artisans Faire
The Artisans Faire is a common occurrence in many cities of Verlan, from Port Crimsea and San Riezco to Elea and Samos.  It is a weekly gathering of the craftspeople of the city to hawk their wares to the people of the city.  People will save what little they can of the money they acquire weekly to spend at the Faire, or if not rich enough to buy, at least to browse and await the day such an item can be afforded.  Those who come under the patronage of a Lord can, of course, more often afford trinkets and things.  It is seen as a happy trade for wearing his colors.  

Carnivale
Carnivale once a year packs the streets of Port Crimsea with revelers, frivolity, and licentiousness.  It is the great festival of the arts, and therefore it is a time to celebrate the beauty in all of its forms, as well as pleasure of all kinds.  Taverns stock beyond their capacity to make way for the drunken cavorters.  The Lords of the city, in a show of civic respect, employ their personal guardsmen for the security of the city.  The itinerant players of the nation are welcomed back to the City to compete for the top prize.  Painters show off and sell their finest works.  Outraged priests desperately try to convince the mob of their error.

Patronage and Vigilante Justice
Crime is rife in Verlan, and due in large part to the lords.  The Lords of Verlan squabble and feud with each other with regularity, resulting in fighting in the streets nearing all out war.   The reason why there is so much enmity can in fact be attributed in part to the extensive practice of patronage.  Peasant class city dwellers seeking to improve their status can seek the patronage of a lord.  In return for performing the duties of a house servant, errand runner, or some similar task, and donning the colors of the lord, a peasant can receive enough to feed his family comfortably.  However, there are civic downsides to this:  with so many of the peasant class clad in the colors of their lords, petty differences between peasants  can quickly become matters of lordship.  Such squabbles quickly become the issue of the lords at large, and lead to factioning and feuding.   This problem is only exacerbated by the tradition of vigilante justice.  It is considered the duty of a citizen of Verlan to assist in the arrest of a law-breaker.  The factioning of the populace by local lords complicates this matter.  When the servant of one lord is arrested and detained a servant of another lord, it is often seen as a slight on the lord of the arrested, leading to revenge arrests and attacks, which must then be reciprocated, and the cycle of violence drives itself.

Fer Khemer
Government: Monarchy
Demographics: 90% Human, 5% Halfling, 5% Other
Capital: Nazer Throm

Fer Khemer is a vast desert kingdom whose inhabitants are separated into two main groups: the urbanites and the nomads. The majority of the urbanites dwell in Nazer Throm, the massive capital of the political realm, while the rest live in a number of small towns and villages scattered throughout the desert. The nomads do as all nomads do; the roam from place to place. They often employ raids and banditry to survive. They fight from horseback with hit-and-run tactics using large, curved sabers. Most still use bows and crossbows for ranged attacks, though occasionally a tribe will chance to come across firearms in a raid and will take them for its own use.
Fer Khemer was once unified in an age of powerful and decadent kings who ruled all the land and controlled tremendous amounts of gold. Over time, the power of these kings splitered and began to fail. The king now has direct control only over Nazer Throm, and only partial control over the outlying villages. The sands in between belong to the nomads and all manner of desert beasts. This makes exerting executive power in the outer reaches of the realm a difficult and dangerous proposition, giving the villages an unusual amount of freedom, granted and the annoyance of the king.

Fjal Othila
Government: Council of Jarls
Demographics: 42% Human, 27% Frost Giant, 16% Goblin, 12% Orc, 1% Other
Capital: none

Fjal Othila is the northern most nation in the world. The majority of it's land is permanently frozen. An immense mountain range cuts through the middle of the nation, dividing it climatically into the exteme cold and wind of the west, and the more mild east. The majority of the population is situated in pockets at the base of the mountains.
The West is dangerous, not only for it's climate, but it is also lorded over by the Frost Giants. The Frost giants have occasionally been known to attack settlements just east of the mountains, but they generally stick to their western territory. The more frequent threat comes from the savage tribes of goblins and orcs. These rather crafty foes rely on raiding the human villages to survive. They have, however, developed surprisingly effective battle tactics: The goblins have been known to attack from sleds drawn by teams of dire wolves that the goblins have succeeded to a certain extent in domesticating
The human population is governed by jarls, local leaders that oversee that the villages, lead hunts, etc. The Jarl is also in charge of training the men to fight, as Berzerkirs, to protect the village from harm in case of attack. Usually, the jarl is a village's only source of authority, but twice each year the jarls congregate for a meeting to discuss relations between the villages. All villages uphold the decisions of the Counsel, but there are few laws in Fjal Othila, and many of the laws are subject to change, as the attitude of the Counsel changes.

Caervenfor
Government: Monarchy
Demographics: 63% Human, 22% Dwarf, 9% Half-orc, 3% Hobgoblin, 2% Wood Elf, 1% Other
Capital: Kommenap

Caervenfor is often ignored by the other countries. It is one of the largest nations in terms of area, but it's cold climate and rugged terrain limit it's agricultural potential. It's main source of economic income comes from mining, however, in this aspect they are far outperformed by the skilled dwarven miners of Baldurbrock to the southwest. The River Bruunrig has it's source in Caervenfor, and the nation borders the massive forest quasi-nation of Sylvaea. Sylvaea is home to Wood Elves, Treants, and all manner of fey creatures. The Pagan nature of the Wood Elves of Sylvaea has been heavily stigmatized in Caervenfor and Bizhetluusâ,¬'which also borders the nationâ,¬'due to it's divergent beliefs from the worship of the One God.
Caervenfor holds the end of the mountain range that stretches all the way through dwarven Baldurbrock. At the furthest end of this range is the Mindspire, an unnaturally tall, needle-like tower of rock. The Mindspire is the only outpost of the underground illithid empire. From the spire, the Illitid watch over the goings on of the surface world, but rarely interfere with them.
The Czar of Caervenfor rules from Kommenap, to the far east of the nation. This is the closest city to "The Great Forest" and as such holds the majority of the nation's elven population. Kommenap also holds a large dwarven population to work the forges.
The North of Caervenfor is home to more than one wandering tribe of orcs that frequently breed with the human villages, producing a large number of half-orc offspring. Over time, a strand of the northern population has strong lines of orcish blood, and as such is known for its physical power and brutality. They are known as the Kroschacks.

Places
Caervenfor is partitioned into six thanages.  Each area is ruled by a thane who defers to the King, the Thane of Kommenap.  

Corbin:Of all the thanages, Corbin is the furthest north and the coldest.  It is the most barren of the thanages and has little in the way of resources.  The people here survive mostly by fishing in the frozen over River Tharlim.
Fedrolov:  The Salt Flats of Fedrolov are the regionâ,¬,,¢s primary source of income.  For a time this afforded them an economic boon of wartime due to the demands for salt as a preservative, but the fall of the region to the orcs quickly ended any gains they might have won.  The Orcs left the fields surprisingly intact and in fact used little of the available resource.  Instead the orcs pushed further south, near the Deadhaunt Woods, presumably for the better shelter and more defensible nature of the woods, but also conceivably to reach warmer temperatures than can be found in most of Caervenfor.
The Salt Flats of Fedrolov transition slowly into the Ravaged Lands, which still hold the trace of a magical charge, though only just.
Grenchow: Grenchow is famous for the Kroschacks.  They have the largest concentration of orcish blood of any thanage, though they have few actual orcs.
Kommenap:  The mighty capital of Caervenfor, and the region ruled over directly by the King.  Kommenap is the smallest Thanage, but as it belongs to the king, has access to the materials and resources of the rest.  Its palace is grand, but not opulent, sporting a simple splendor.  Its gothic arches are impressive to behold.
Sassory:  Sassory is probably the riches of Thanages, though it lacks the splendor and glory of Kommenap.  Sassory controls the mines and the mountains.  It has Caervenfor's highest dwarven population.  Sassory has the greatest ore and mineral deposits, and while most ore goes into the production of weapons, armor, and goods for the use of Caervenfor, a great many of the gems found in the mines make go straight into the hands of dwarven merchants in Baldurbrock.  The River Tharlim has its mouth in the mountains of Sassory.
Nordgate:  This ruined city lies at the northernest point in Caervenfor along the banks of the River Tharlim.  It is seen as the gateway between Caervenfor and the bitter cold of Fjal Othila and the Frozen Waste.  Nordgate is a dismal city, half ruined by the war.  Its people live in a few scattered huts.  Many lost their homes in the war, whether in battle or to make use of the ready resources.  Nordgate has seen more of the war than most anywhere else.  It was the first target of the orcs and the locus of the final battle of the war. Many citizens were lost in the war, either dead or missing. The mayor was recently killed, a victim of the violence. Now most of the townsfolk seem to clamor for Amlethe, the local magistrate to take up the reins. Brew Master Eluf runs the local tavern The Lagerhead on Bourbon Street. Its sign bears the insignia of a drunken tortoise clutching a foaming flagon. Kennet the Smith has also recently taken up the post as head of the town guard. He is perhaps Amlethe's greatest--and only--competition for governing of the city.
Tersigrad: Tersigrad is one of the southernmost provinces of Caervenfor.  It shares it's southern border with the forest of Sylvaea and hence has the most contact with the pagan elves that reside there.  The elves there are feared and regarded as enemies, and the folk there live, more than the others, in fear of attack by the heathens.

[spoiler=The Mindspire]The Mindspire and Thill'ickl'ill
Beneath the Mindspire lies the bustling underground metropolis of Thill'ickl'ill, capital of the Illithid Empire of the Underdark. The Underdark is a strange mysterious place, where all is shadow-filled and dangerous. Numerous creatures make their home here and none more deadly than the demented and cruel Mind Flayers. The race of squid-headed geniuses uses their cunningly evil intelligence to hold all other races of the Underdark in fear. The legends of the Ilithid consuming the brains of their victims are encouraged to spread fear, fear that is, admittedly, well placed. The legitimacy of these legends have been proven by the accounts of eye witnesses, though these are very rare, as few ever survive an illithid attack.
No one has ever charted the population of Thill'ickl'ill, and not much is known of it's workings, as those that investigate beyond the basics seem to turn up empty handed, and empty headed. Literally. What is known is that the illithid operate through a form of collective intelligence emanating from what is referred to as the "Elder Brain." This works so that each Mind Flayer is connected to the others through the elder brain, and the elder brain is capable of simultaneously controlling all illithid. Large numbers of illithid will often join together, linked through the elder brain and work as one creature on strange projects and experiments whose nature is yet to be determined.
The consumption of brains is the Illithid's primary source of acquiring new information. While telepathy and detect thoughts are well and good, having an entire mind at one's disposal is infinitely more useful. It is rumored that an illithid absorbs all knowledge retained in the brains that they eat, though this is probably an exaggeration. The minds of illithid slain in battle are carefully retrieved and protected for integration into the Elder Brain. As such, many illithid see it as an honor to die in battle that they may join the hive mind.[/spoiler]

The Ravaged Lands
The Ravaged Lands were decimated 1027 years ago, at the time of the great tear.  Nothing grows there, but it was charged with magical energy.  Many battles have been fought for it over the years, mostly between Baldurbrock and Caervenfor.  Recently, however, dwindling resources in Fjal Othila have led some of the southern townships to enter the fray.  The constant warfare, it seems, has only caused the land here to become progressively more desolate.  It is currently in the possession of Caervenfor, but the Issachar Empire still desires it, and Berserkers from Fjal Othila have been known to make raids of mining operations.  It is presumed they seek magical power, perhaps in the form of crystals that could be used by wizards to channel arcane energies.

The Deadhaunt Woods
On the Western bank of the River Bruunrig separating the Empires of Issachar and Bizhentluus lie the Deadhaunt Woods.  Once part of the Great Forest of Sylvaea, the Deadhaunt was from its mother's womb untimely ripped by a demonic invasion.  It was the blood of these demons that stained the forest.  The cries and lamentations of the elves and the adujas filled the air with a thick mist, and the blood of demons saturated the trees with their foul essence.  Soon, the forest itself took on the demons' malevolence.  The trees have been known to attack unwary travelers.  
The trees here grow appearing dead.  They are grey, with black withered leaves.  They do not ooze sap, but the coagulated blood of demons.  It is said that such a substance is viciously poisonous to mortals.  All creatures that live here take on the forest's evil, appearing warped and twisted.

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The Distant Lands
The Eastern Lands
Not much is known about the Eastern Lands, but it is said that many great sorcerers come from the east.  It is a fearful place, unknown to the West folk.  It is a land of mystery.  All that is truly known is the presence of primitive tribes along the Inner Sea, south of Sylvaea.  There are stories, that an ancient race that once inhabited the west moved east, to settle beyond the Sea, but never have the authenticity of such stories been proven.

The Southern Coast
Not much is known about the Southern Coast either.  Only stories of sailors half-mad with the heat and scurvy.  They tell of a land of many wondrous, and many terrible things.  Stories of fire in the sky, of vile, demonic cats and massive beasts the size of the ships they sail in, with leathery hides and a pair of teeth that could skewer a troll.  And eyes, watching in the nightâ,¬'every move observed and assessedâ,¬'flashing malevolently, stalking, always on the threshold of death.  But thatâ,¬,,¢s just the ramblings of a mad sailor.

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RC: Runic Chronicles
SE: Solar Epoch
LE: Lunar Epoch
AR: Age of Rebirth

The Age of Birth
0 RC:   The Dwarves first inscribe pictorial runes
   Dwarves, Elves, Mehani
The Bright Age
0 SE:     The Rise of the One God
The One God creates the Adam (First Man)
   The Adamites
   The Great Schism
The Dark Age
0 LE:     The Rifting
   Fall of the Adamite Empire
   The Flight of the Elves
   The Stitching
   The Retreat
   The Peace
   The Dark Times
   Ithanash (Dwarvenrule)
The Age of Rebirth
0 AR:   The Blood Crusade
   The Rebirth
   Ithanash
Inquisition
   

The Runic Chronicles
   While not an actual time period, The Runic Chronicles refers to the records of time before the dawning of the Solar Epoch.  It is composed primarily of myths of the dwarves and elves.

Lugradhe-ougre-lendu (The Tears of Lugra)
 The tales from the time before God tell of many things.  Here has been found the story of the Weeping Sea.  It is an elven myth that was found carved in the ancient dwarven runes beneath the Reaching Mountains.  It was written in what seems to be verse, although the dwarven translation makes it difficult to say and has skewed the results.  It is suspected that the verse was written with rhymes, but the translation has not words to mimic them.  Note that the personification of the moon is not condoned by the Church.

[ic][/ic]    

Timeline: The Solar Epoch

Ithanash
0 SE:  The Wights of Fjal Othila are defeated & incorporated into the Empire of Ithanash.  Bastian I named Emperor.
1 SE:  Bastian I commands the expansion of the Empire to the lands to the east and south.  Strife between the Ithegran City-States in the South breaks out into open war between Athos and Xaoonoi, and the Orcs of Xaoonoi invade Athos.
2 SE:  Ithanash meets resistance from the Wights of Breeanen
30 SE:  Athos is defeated and the ruling government, as well as those who remain loyal to it, are driven out of the city.  The Athonians retreat into Cirrellus, and, pursued by the Orcs, move against Breeanen, where they meet resistance from the Ithai in Breeanen seeking to enter Cirrellus.  
31 SE:  The Ithai outflank the Athonians who escape behind enemy lines across the Weeping Sea into Baldurbrock itself, which they find implacable.  Increasingly discouraged, the Athonians complete their Odyssey when they round the Durmen Mountains into Gambodel.
35 SE:  The Council of Athos is restored (though not the former council members) but Xaoonoi retains a presence in Athos.  
37 SE:  A tribe of Wights called the Seax in Breeanen revolt.
39 SE:  Seax revolt put down.  
40 SE:  Bastian I orders the construction of roads to unify the Empire.  The first project is The Grand Road, from Fjal Othila to Breeanen.  Construction begins out from Baldurbrock.
42 SE:  A particularly cold winter halts the construction of the road to the North.  
43 SE:  The Long Winter continues, offering no respite.  The project in the North is abandoned, and Bastian in effect loses rule of Fjal Othila, as the Ithanash forces are not capable of enforcing their rule.

*Coming of the Adam
*March of Sol
*The Godwars
*The Fall of the Ithai Empire
*The Bachara
*The Taking of the Stones
*The Dawn Temple
*Proselytizing
*Frisii and T'kel
*The Heresies
*The First Crusade
1.   Ars Occultia
*The First Blood Crusade


 [spoiler=The Birth of Adam]The Birth of Adam
   Divinity rose into the sky and took the place of the Sun.  Divinity was of the Mehani.  The Mehani were dying.  Divinity was infused with the essence of the sun and saw as the sun saw, saw the entire world--its workings, its people, its life.  And so it came to pass the Divinity became the One God.  The One God was very wise.  The One God lamented his people.  He saw in them their lost possibility.  He saw it fit they should be born again.
   And so it came to pass that the One God sought the aid of an elder race.  Deep in the mountains of the world there lived the Ithai.  The Ithai were the Smiths of Avayevnon.  And by the Ithai dwarvenfolk the Mehani were reforged.  The One God determined that they should be called the Adam.  Into the Adam the Ithai poured the strength of the earth, the passion of fire, the depth and wisdom of water, and the nobility of the air.  The Adam was born.  [/spoiler]

The Adamite Empire
   Much of what we know about the Adamite Empire comes from the runic carvings of the early dwarves.  Not much has survived of the histories of the Adamites themselves.  We know that they spread across the face of Avayevnon, bringing with them Pax Admita.  We know that their downfall was one of an epic struggle of heavenly powers the likes of which a people accustomed to peace were unprepared for.
 
Pax Admita
   Pax Admita was something of a misnomer.  It was not a time of complete peace, but rather a time in which the Adam were not at war with one another.   In this time the empire spanned the gap east of the _____ Mountains and West of the Great Forest, and ran the South along the Inner Sea all the way into Fer Khemer.  
The One God:  The Adamite Empire shows all the hallmarks of being divinely blessed.  Holy Scripture states that the Adam were the reincarnation of the dying Mehani, that they were indeed creatures of divinity, conceived in the forges of Heaven.  Their fall from power and grace is thus problematic.  Why, some argue, would an empire sanctioned by Heaven itself be allowed to fall?  There are several explanations: punishment for the sins of a decadent people, the empire grew faster than its infrastructure and collapsed from the strain, experimentation with magic, and the treachery of demons.
Sylvaea:  The Pagan elves of Sylvaea posed a constant threat.  Elven woads would periodically assault the border towns of the Adamites.
The Fall:  There are different interpretations as to why the Adamite Empire fell.  Orthodox historians claim that it was the fault of the Adam themselves.  They brought about their own doom by over-indulgence.  They lived lavishly and meddled in magicks.  For their sins, the One God punished them.   Revisionist historians claim that the causes for the downfall of the empire were completely mundane in nature.  It was not divine intervention, but overextension the caused the empire to tear itself apart.  Post-revisionists take a different view than either of their predecessors, but return to the idea that divine influence was somehow involved.  According the holy texts, roughly coinciding with the fall of the Adamite Empire was the Schism that set the One Godâ,¬,,¢s 14 angels against one another.  Seven of these angels would return to Heaven, and seven would be cast into Hell as the Demons.  It is the treachery of these demons during the Schism that tricked the Adam and caused their tragic fall.

â,¬Å" . . .  And so it came to pass that the Adam, drunk on wine and women, in revelry at their own very magnificence, forgot their kinsmen and lived only for themselves.  And so it came to pass that the peoples of Adam were one no more.  And so it came to pass that the peoples grew selfish and spiteful of one another.  
   And neither in Heaven was all well.  Lillith, having betrayed the Adam and found solace in Grazâ,¬,,¢ztâ,¬,,¢s treacherous arms began a war of Angels with Angels.  This battle that was short in Heavenâ,¬,,¢s terms lasted many years on Earth.  For God had bestowed the Adam with his mutinous wife some centuries ago, and yet fresh was it in the kingdom above.  As punishment for her selfishness, The One God ripped her womb from her.  Desperate, Lillith descended to the earth, swallowing mortal infants in a perverted attempt to become pregnant.  The Plague of the Stillborn wreaked havoc on the unsuspecting Adamites.  Sammael met Pazuzu in battle over Lillith and was defeated, falling to the earth.  His rage and twisted sense of justice led him to rape a girl who would give birth to the incarnation of murder, and from that day on murderers would walk the empire of Adam.  
   The divided Adamite peoples became fearful of one another, jealous and proud.  Acts of violence, treachery, and disunity grew in number.  And so it came to pass that two great armies converged on the fields of the Ergil Fenrath.  And so it came to pass that The One God foresaw a great disaster.  To avert mass destruction, he sent Belphegor to show them Humility before the might of God with magicks.  He failed in his mission, allowing the Adam to discover the use of potent spells and in their foolishness unmake each other.
   And so it came to pass that the Angels also went to war.  Seven vied with seven, and seven remained in the light, while seven were cast into darkness.  And so the Shadowed Seven sought revenge and mischief.  Pazuzu, proudest and most powerful desired more than any other.  Pazuzu could reach the mortal planes if he so chose, but he lacked the power to bring his demons with him, for the seven were not the only demons.  They were the rulers of Hell, but all who fell to darkness were their slaves.  
   And so it came to pass that Pazuzu tempted the Adamite wizards to abuse their power.  The appealed to their pride, whispered their injuries at the hands of their so-called allies in their ears, asked favors, such middling trifles that they seemed inconsequential.  So it came to pass that the Adamite wizards became his pawns, and he worked them against each other, gave them the power to work their will against each other.  Slowly his will became theirs and they did his bidding with unconscious obedience.  The Adam went to war.
   The Adam wizards warred with one another.  They fought across many lands, decimating the northern plains.   The very air grew stale and heavy with arcane saturation.  One could taste the indescribable flavor of cruel magicks bent on one another for selfish ends; both bitter and sour, yet strangely sweet.  The earth itself stiffened and grew tense.  The waters ran still.  
   Then a tug, stronger than that of the earth itself.  All converged.  And in the noiseless noise of terror, a triumphant cacophony echoed from below.  Air and earth were cleft in twain, and all was darkness.  All was dark until the screeching sound of a thousand wings rolling stop one another coupled the squeaking scurry a million insectile legs announced the present doom upon the blighted land.  
   And so it came to pass that Pazuzu set his scourge upon the earth.  One by one the border townships fell.  The Adam fled into the forests, the long forgotten forests.  And the Scourge came with them.  Trees were uprooted, cast asunderâ,¬'burned in the infernal fires of the Scourge.  And as the Scourge consumed, it grew.  It spread, ravaging the forests and leaving its dark stain upon the barren ground.  
   Too late did the war-torn kingdoms embrace.  The Adam were weak.  The Scourge was strong.  It was growing stronger.  The Shattered Empire could not hope to be salvaged.  All that could be hoped for was that some survived to see the vile tide turned back . . .â,¬Â

 
[spoiler=History Lesson][ic=History Lesson]'Come students, come gather round.  Today's lesson is the story of our people, our strife, and our gift.'

Several of the young students groaned.  'Not again!' they shouted, and 'But Master Eldirion, we've heard the story before.'

'No, students you have not!  You have merely been told of the Rifting and that our people sailed across the Aquus to escape it.  You do not know why these things came to pass.  You know that we look to the stars and our Mistress the Moon at night for guidance, but you do not truly know why.  You do not know what it was in our destiny that led us here, or what waited here for us.  Until you know these things, you do not know what it means to be an elf.  Now students, are you ready to here the tale of our people as it was meant to be told?'

The students nodded in agreement and many in interest.  The old elf looked at each one in turn looking into their souls and casting his memory for the knowledge of their futures that might show him who could keep the story alive in his absence.  He did not fear age, for elves were free from such concerns and he had passed through centuries on end, had lived and died many times as he watched the slow progression of the world as it sank ever further from its glory.  He had seen the Adam in his youth.  He had seen their fall and he had witnessed with his eyes the whole span of human life, a constant whirl of construction and destruction that stagnates all progress, wasting all gains and spoils of success on wars that decimate the summation of its work.  And were it for no other influence but time he would go on living and dying for centuries more, into a new age.  The world is dead, he thought, but all life comes out of death for that is the nature of the world.  The world had died when Pazuzu had been allowed to return and the death of order and nature was the death of the world, but now a world could be reborn, reforged, reawakened.  That world was not for him.  That world was for the future, for his students, for the dwarves and the humans and the many races of the world to create.  He could not be a part of it.  He had to die a final time.  An elf can live and die unlimited unless so long as his soul is still linked to its avatar'"its bodily manifestation.  A knife blow or an arrow or a bullet would break the chain, and then the soul must find its own way home, up to the stars to lie at Lugra's side; a star in the night sky.  He had cast his vision hence and seen himself there at her side and knew his task must now be to prepare his kindred to go on without him, to keep alive in them the ages past that they might march ahead into the future.  These students were the key, and now they looked at him in some concern and Eldirion divined his mind had wandered off in its contemplation.  He began.

'The sun was not always as it is.  If you look into the sky of day you'll see a sun that thrusts a light of yellow and red.  Years upon years and ages upon ages past there was another: a sun that shone pure white in its perfection, and if one looked the proper way at it could see a flash of purple, green, or blue; could see more shades and colors than could name, and its rays washed gently o'er the land and breathed its magic on the earth and fields.  The forest was thick then, the great forest that covered all the land, and the great sea filled it in between.  In this time our people lived, but we were not the first.  You have heard the legends of the Dragons?  Many races know the word '˜dragon' but few truly know what a dragon is.  We first heard the legends of the Dragons from the adu'jas.  Do you know of the adu'jas, students?  I suppose not.  You have never met them here on Iluvion.  They were with us when we lived in the great forest.  They taught our people to speak with the trees and the flowers, with the birds and the fish and the deer, and with the sun and moon.  They told our people of the dragons.

'Dragons were the first-born, eldest race of all.  Great serpents of immeasurable length they were, but unlike any serpent you have seen or ever will see.  The length of a thousand mortal snakes they were and fifty snake-widths wide.  They came in all the colors of the Sun and kept the roiling energies of Avayevnon calm.  They orbited the world until its power was contained and kept it in its equilibrium.  So passed many thousand years.  The dragons watched and circled over the world until the equilibrium was lost.  The peoples of Avayevnon were created, first terrestrial flora spread o'er the world and the great forest was made.  Then Helidh and Lugra and the Dragons bestowed to some intelligence, creating the Adu'jas.  Then from the rocks they made the Ithai who were the craftsmen and keepers of the earth itself.  They were skilled and knowledgeable in the power of earth and stone, living in it and under it.  They became the masters of stone and metal.  Then came we; the starborn children of the moon.  We are her most favored, gifted with vision both mortal and supernatural.  Then the sun decided that he would mold his own children.  So grand and wonderful did he wish to make them that he sought to give them all the best attributes of nature.  Unfortunately in this, the Sun did fail, as mortal beings could not live to the standards that he sought, and so the Mehani, meant for such greatness, became grotesque mockeries of Helidh's noble intentions.  They were thick, heavy, and crude, they had such exaggerated pride and ambition that they fought amongst themselves, not realizing that they themselves could form no vision of the future.  The Sun sought to show them everything, but their vision was obtuse and lacked all focus.  They were a people destined for disaster.  It is a disaster of which you already know.  The Sun fell and the Moon wept a Sea's depth at her loss.

'But the equilibrium was not lost.  A new sun took the old Sun's place and took the throne of daytime from him.  The new sun held dominion over 'miracles,' 'rebirth,' and light.  Some energy was lost to the world, forming deep channels beneath the surface.  The remainder fell away, onto another plane.  It collected into the River Styx that trudges through the Pit, where all those of cruel and bitter hearts a cursed to spend their dying eternity.  But there was still a sun, and the Styx and the Sun were in balance, and equilibrium was preserved, for a time.  

'Then the One God, as the Mehan Sun self-dubbed, created fourteen angels for his work and purpose.  And the Mehani who dwindled, were unruly and paid the Sun no heed.  They brought themselves to near extinction before the Sun took action.  He sent his angels to enlist the Ithai.  When the blood of the old sun cut channels in the earth, his magic weaved beneath the terrestrial surface, and ley lines ran the whole of Avayevnon, carrying his might across the world.  From these Ley Lines the Ithai, learned to forge wonders.  These were artifacts formed eons ago by mythic smiths whose equals no longer live.  It was the Ithai who reforged the Mehani into the race the Old Sun meant to do.  The Adam were engendered, as perfect as the One God could envision.  Into the Adam the Ithai poured the strength of the earth, the passion of fire, the depth and wisdom of water, and the nobility of the air.  He charged his angels to look over his race, his perfection of mortality.  Some took to the task willingly, but others were resentful.  There was a cataclysmic split, and the fourteen were turned seven against seven, and of them, the traitors were cast into the pit.  

'But the equilibrium was not lost.  With even numbers on each side, Avayevnon remained stable, and we elves watched such proceedings from the forests.  While angels battled, hundreds of years past and the Adam had forged a great empire.  Yes indeed, it was great.  Meanwhile our noble people advanced.  We learned many things from the adu'jas.  We earned great power in the spirits of the world and of the ancestors.  We paid homage to the forests and the beasts, and to our mistress the moon.  We had learned to hate the usurper sun and already grew secluded in the darkness, relying on our mother as our beacon and out guide.  We stretched our fingers up to her; built cities in the trees; all for mistress Lugra and our love.  Some still exist'"Melamnithon and Rael Duredhel, but many have been lost to the ages, and to the Rifting.

'The equilibrium was broken, the Adam had grown proud, decadent, and divided.  They warred with each other, used dark forgotten magicks stolen from demons in times beyond memory.  In their war the Ley Lines' energy converged and the Adam channeled magic in such quantities as Avayevnon was not meant to sustain.  Their magicks tore the world asunder.  The lining of the planar fabric was perforated and demons spilled forth unto the world.  And in the centuries of dormancy the Seven Fallen Angels gathered souls, and deep within the pit their demon spawn grew in numbers beyond mortal reckoning.  When once there were fourteen angels and then seven against seven, their power was immense, but created for the world, but the demons spawned in the pit were not of this world.  The force unbalanced began to rip the world apart.  The first tear which spilt the demons on this world came at a place whose name dwarves know by heart.'

Many students looked puzzled at the hint, but one bright elf by the name of Awisohd answered with a sudden inhalation and wide eyes 'The Chasm of Chiraleth!'

'Yes,' Eldirion responded, 'the Chasm of Chiraleth.  It is an evil place, stained forever with the taint of devilry.  But it was not the only tear, though others may have been covered up with time and by the very destruction that they wrought.  One such rip cleaved the great forest in twain, creating a mighty fissure running all the way from Caervenfor to Lugradh-ougre-lendu.'

'The River Bruunrig'  Awisohd answered again.

'Correct.  The effects of the Rifting are strewn across the landscape of Avayevnon.  There is a third location of significance to rival the Chasm of Chiraleth: an island chain off the coast of Ithegra.  Since the Rifting, the Xaoonoi Archipelago has always proven magically unstable, fraught with eldritch storms and strange winds, and on more than one occasion, portals to other planes.  Pazuzu took advantage of the region's instability to launch a second attack on the world not but twenty-seven years ago.'

'So what happened to the dragons now that equilibrium was broken?'

'They disappeared.'

'They just left?'

'Oh no, students, far from it.  Just because they vanished doesn't mean they've gone.  The tearing of the earth wrought by demon magicks was not the same as the roiling energies the dragons could contain.  Now the earth threatened to destroy itself from the inside out.  So what did the dragons do?  They went inside.'

'Inside Avayevnon?'

'Into the very Ley Lines of the earth.  The dragons changed the flow of energy, keeping it in check, from wreaking destruction on the legacy of the Helidh and Lugra.  First in the Rifting, and again in Pazuzu's second wind did the dragons save the world itself from shattering.'

'And the demons?'

'The demons continued to leave destruction in their wake.  Creatures of death, malice, and jealousy cannot help but clear swaths of life from any place they tread.  The Great Forest, once so beautiful and world-spanning, was decimated.  Cleft in two our peoples were trapped and vulnerable, and the Adam could not hold against them for long.  They fled into out woods, thinking to find refuge there, but there was no refuge from the wings and insects, the teeth and claws.  Blood of many men and elves was spilt.  The adu'jas, cut off from the Grandfather Oak began to wither, but with the forests in danger fought the hardest of all.  Yet the demons pressed on and many of us fell into despair, fleeing the forest home that had become a death-trap.  We came here and found the Isle of Iluvion.  In that moment when all seemed lost, the adu'jas called on the forest itself, the spirits of all animals and plants to fight back against the wanton devastation.  The whole of the forest turned upon them and in the end they were turned back, but the damage could not be undone.  Demon blood stained the soil, and the trees grew dark and cruel.  A fell mist wafted between the trees and blotted out the sun.  Now the Deadhaunt Woods are a place where few dare to venture.  

'Our people escaped to this island.  I was at the dawn of my second lifetime when it happened, and few, if any of your parents were alive to witness it.  Yet they learned from their parents of the shame and the circumstance.  Our people are a dying people.  We have lost our connection with the earth and spirits that we learned from the adu'jas.  It is only by those of the Path of the Spirit, who take exile to learn from our woodland kin that we keep the old traditions alive.   Our people are having fewer and fewer elflings with each passing year, and all around us the humans and Ithai are expanding in power.  The Church labels our people wicked pagans for our refusal to grovel to that upstart traitorous Sun they call '˜The One God.'  It is only a matter of time before our island home falls prey to their schemes for power, conquest, and '˜light.'  It has been foreseen.  The time shall come but we do not know when; it may be within this lifetime, or in six.  We must have constant vigilance, be constantly prepared for the imminent attack.  That is why our people learn to fight.  All must be prepared to defend Iluvion from the transgressors when the time does come, and we will drive them out in howls of fear.  And you students, you of the Path of the Sight, will be our greatest advantage.  We guide our people through the twisting strands of time with the sight bestowed to us by Lugra herself.  When the time comes we shall see the stroke before it falls and call our people into action to defend out home.  And we shall see their movements ere they come, and we shall move our force accordingly.  We are our people's best hope to survive.'
[/ic] [/spoiler]

The year is now 27 AR. The world has been rebuilt, technology has advanced; firearms are a staple of the dwarven army, and the gnomes are testing new zeppelin designs. The elves rule the seas, but stay away from the troubles of the world at large. The wood elves have retreated to the forests, and men have largely forgotten their aid in the war. After the demon war, a religious revival swept the world. Nowhere was this more apparent than in crippled Bizhentluus. United around a common goal and theme, the Bizhentlan people grew strong again. The Church of Bethor has been given complete control of the national politics. The â,¬Å"Popeâ,¬Â of Shardmoore has, to prevent anything like this happening, outlawed heresy making it a sin punishable by death. Enforcing the Church Doctrine is an order of special knights known as the Inquisitors, whose purpose is to seek out and destroy heretics. The Knights of the Holy Phoenix were established to defend Bizhentluus from demons and monsters of darkness. The practice of â,¬Å"witchcraftâ,¬Â is forbidden, so arcane casters must abide by strict regulations to avoid imprisonment. Sorcerers are deemed to have gained their powers from demons, so they are persecuted; anyone know to have magic blood is arrested and imprisoned.

At a world council meeting it was decided that armies must be kept alive even in times of peace in so that in times of war, trained soldiers are available. This practice was adopted long ago by the elves of Iluvion, and now the nations of the world agreed to train large armies. Dueling was encouraged in times of peace to ensure that a soldierâ,¬,,¢s skills were kept up to par. Soldiers would not wear heavy armor in times of peace, however, and armor has since fallen out of style. It still exists, but it is not as popular as it used to be. Many of the old weapons of war have also fallen by the wayside. Skill with a blade is these days more important than dealing out heavy amounts of damage, and heavy weapons are no longer necessary to pierce through armor. The rapier has replaced the longsword as the weapon of choice in Avayevnon. Duels are fought for honor, which is promoted by the nations of Avayevnon. Honor is seen as a way to prevent chaos, which, at this time is viewed as a very good thing.

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Mythology

Of Creation
No, it wasnâ,¬,,¢t the One God.  Thatâ,¬,,¢s not how it started.  There was no â,¬Å"Let there be light.  The One God is not so old as that.  No, I heard a different story.
It is told that in the Beginning, there was matter and there was magic.  There was no Avayevnon in the beginning of the beginning, life had not yet come.  There was only matter and magic.  You see, itâ,¬,,¢s magic that makes the world work.  They may talk about all kinds of â,¬Å"forcesâ,¬Â and â,¬Å"fields,â,¬Â about things like â,¬Å"gravityâ,¬Â, but what it all boils down to is magic.  The same thing that lets wizards cast spells keeps us stuck right to the ground.  
Now, as it turns out, there was a lot more magic than matter.  And as it turns out, matter is a lot thicker than magic, so they naturally want to keep separate.  Anyone that tells you â,¬Å"opposites attractâ,¬Â is a fool.  They donâ,¬,,¢t.  So the magic got and moved around, and pretty soon there it was surrounding the matter, all the matter on the inside, all the energy on the outside.  Well, almost all the energy on the outside.  As it turned out, some of the energy got trapped in the middle of all that matter.  
This is where our magic comes in.  That magic that got trapped inside is what every wizard and sorcerer taps into to cast a spell.  But here at the time of the creation, most of the energy was still outside.  But as it turned out, not all the matter was inside that big ball of matter the magic made, so when magic found out about it, magic made the moon.  Then when there was still more matter, magic made life.  Magic put the first creatures on the world, plants, animals, dragons, fey creatures.  And the Mehan.  We mustnâ,¬,,¢t forget the Mehan.  The Mehan were not much to speak of, besides being our oldest ancestors.  But their progeny, the mehani were much more interesting.  
The Mehani were very primitive, but they thought.  They observed.  They did things that the Mehan would never have dreamed of doing.  Now, it is told, that after the forming of the Earth, and the Moon, and life, Magicâ,¬,,¢s job was pretty much done.  What left to do, but collect in one big mass which we call the sun?  Now magic isnâ,¬,,¢t all that dense, and can fill up a space pretty quickly.  So this sun was sure pretty close to the ground.
So one day, this Mehani came by with his bow and arrow.  Now this Mehani was the most innocent of all.  He was the epitome of goodness, and curious as he could be, he shot an arrow straight up to the sun.  And what do you think happened?  Why that arrow stuck right into the sun and the sun bled all over Avayevnon.  There was a veritable downpour, and donâ,¬,,¢t you know it fell right on that Mehani archer?  And what do you suppose happened to him?  It carried him away on a tide of blood and tears.  No he didnâ,¬,,¢t drown, instead it carried him all the way off the face of Avayevnon.  And there, out in space, for nearly an age he sat, soaking it all in.  And after an age, the Mehani man had the power of the sun.  He other was called Divinity.  
Now of course you will tell me I must be wrong because there are not two suns in the sky.  I agree with you, there is but one.  But, for a brief time, there were two.  Divinity was carried up to the sky, but the Sun continued to bleed all over Avayevnon.  And where the Sunâ,¬,,¢s blood fell, the races of the world sprang up. Not right away, but when the Mehani lived where the sunâ,¬,,¢s blood had spilled, they began to change.  
Still the sun continued to bleed gouts of sorcerous sanguine solution.  Now Divinity, repentant for the ruin he wrought on the sun, sought to rescue the sun.  Thus did divinity digest the dying Sun most mercifully, and Sun and Divinity became one.
As the races grew, they came to love the Sun Divinity.  The Mehani soon began to die out.  They had grown into the elves, into the dwarves and gnomes, and the Mehani were dying.  So Divinity changed them.  Divinity created the Adam.  The Adam was as much as any humanoid, a perfect creature.  The Adam was tall and noble; graceful, yet powerful.  There was one Adam to begin with.  

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Mythology

Of Angels and Demons

Divinity then created fourteen angels to serve him.  Their names were Anahita, Balor, Belphegor, Bethor, Cabron, Daena, Grazâ,¬,,¢zt, Lillith, Pazuzu, Rahab, Razhista Christa, Sammael, Tanyn, and Xantros.  They were to guard heaven and earth.  Anahita was in the water that flowed, giving life to all creatures of Avayevnon.  Bethor made the Adam mindful and intolerant of evil.  Cabron gave them hope for the future.  Daena showed them beauty, and Razhista Christa gave them wisdom.  Tanyn gave them fellowship and love of community.  Xantros taught them to be merciful.  Lillith was the wife of the first Adam, and Sammael was Divinityâ,¬,,¢s executioner.  Balor was meant to teach the Adam charity, Belphegor to teach them humility.  Grazâ,¬,,¢zt was charged to instill in them the desire to preserve their race through procreation.  Pazuzu was set to control the weather and winds, to help ensure good harvests.  Rahab was given the duty of infusing them with a bit of ambition to do great things.
For a time, it was good.  That time would prove to be short lived.  Lillith, wanting all in excess, love, children, coitus, power, was not satisfied with the Adam.  She was indignant that the Adam should seek the dominant role in love making.  Rahab, the Leviathan was jealous of the Adam and called out to her.  She left the Adam, and bedded instead with Grazâ,¬,,¢zt. He sired in her the incubi and succubi, lust personified.  Divinity punished her, and ripped out her womb, that she would never be impregnated again.  He gave the Adam a new wife, of his own kind.  The Adam flourished.  For a time, it was good.
Grazâ,¬,,¢zt, having tasted of the flesh, became consumed by his desire for it.  Lillith, also hungered for flesh, but not just sexually.  Grief-stricken at the loss of her ability to bear children, she became jealous of Adam women.  She sought to impregnate herself artificially be consuming the child of an Adam woman.  She devoured it whole.  
God, in fury, sent Sammael, his executioner after Lillith and Grazâ,¬,,¢zt.  Lillith sought aid from Pazuzu.  After some convincing, he agreed to help them, and stood in Sammaelâ,¬,,¢s path.  An epic battle ensued, as Sammael turned his wrath on Pazuzu.  The pair fought across the skies until Pazuzu called on the Storm winds at his command.  The winds buffeted Sammael, casting him to the ground where he lay battered, bruised, and bitter.  Sammael's fall was disastrous. His wings were broken and torn. An Adam girl came across his bloodied body and cared for him. It was some time before he would recover with only mortal medicines, but eventually he woke. He was initially grateful, but his fury at his defeat began to cloud his judgement. The girl, enamored of this angel, made an advance, causing Sammael to snap. His rage at Pazuzu was redirected towards her. Her insolence would be repaid; she would get her wish, albeit a twisted, vengeful perversion of that wish. He raped her and impregnated her with a child of murder incarnate. The birth would kill her.
The Church of Balor began extorting ever higher donations from its faithful.  If the suggested donation was not met, plague and death would meet that house. The Adam began decadent celebrations in honor of the One God and the Angel Balor.  With Rahab hiding under Pazuzuâ,¬,,¢s wing, ambition soon gave way to lethargy by the bidding of the wanton Belphegor.  
Frustrated with his angels, Divinity gave Belphegor one chance to prove his worth:  In their decadence, the Adam grew proud.  Bestow in them some humility or else be banished from heaven.  That was Belphegorâ,¬,,¢s mission.  He stood there on the plain of battle prepared to halt the Adam and bring peace.  He prepared his book of magicks with which to frighten and amaze them.  But the Adam did not come.  Belphegor waited two days and the Adam did not come.  Drowsy from waiting, Belphegor drifted off to sleep.  Two forces appeared on the field of battle.  They clashed for three days, and many died.  Never once did Belphegor wake.  On the ninth hour of the third day, one observant Adam named Promithilus caught sight of a bearded figure lying just off the battlefield.  At the creatureâ,¬,,¢s side was a massive tome, covered in strange markings.  It had conveniently been left open.  He took the book back to his leader, who could read the words and recognized them as magic.  The enemy was obliterated with the magic of Belphegor in less than two hours.  
In rage, the One God sent his loyal angels, Anahita, Bethor, Cabron, Daena, Razhista Christa, Tanyn, and Xantros against the traitors.  Bethor fought with Sammael, Razhista Christa with Belphegor, Daena with Lillith, Tanyn with Grazâ,¬,,¢zt, Cabron with Balor, Xantros with Leviathan.  Anahita in her love of life, refused to fight, but stood by Godâ,¬,,¢s side.  Seeing an opening and weakness, Pazuzu attacked Divinity himself.  
For seven days and seven nights the angels fought.  Pazuzu was first to fall; the victim of his own voracious pride.  One by one the other traitors followed him, and one by one were cast into the Abyss.  Light had prevailed, but the workings of darkness could not be undone.  The Adam could not resist forever the allure of Belphegorâ,¬,,¢s magicks.  Their use would bring about a great disaster that would spell the end of the Adam, and Pazuzuâ,¬,,¢s first bid for dominance of Avayevnon.

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Soleism and the One God
The One God is the ultimate good.
The One God is served by several Angels.
The Will of the One God is worked upon the world indirectly through the Angels.
The Angels are intermediaries between the One God and the mortal races.
The Angels each head a church devoted to the One God.
The Churches each worship the One God in a different function.
The Churches each have their own clerics.
The Clerics have different abilities dependent on their church.
The Clerics all get their spells from the One God.

The Clerics do not worship the Angels, but an aspect of the One God, as presented to them by the Angels. (note that in this case "aspect" does not refer to a creature)

The aspects of the One God sometimes seem to contradict each other to mortal minds; in truth, they do not. The nature of the One God is beyond mortal comprehension. This however, has the potential to lead to great struggles between the churches, due to mortal folly.
The churches headed by Angels, while all serving the One God, and generally friendly with one another, are not organized into any form of cohesion. However, since the war, there has been a call for a large religious revival and a tremendous fear of chaos, heretics, and outsiders. This resulted in the Bethorian Church receiving almost unanimous backing to take the lead, to attempt to exterminate all evil, that such a thing (demonic invasion) will never happen again.

We are in the reign of the Son (Sun).  The Father had served as Chief God, and was the Grand Creator.  He left us in the care of his son, Sol, who was his child by Lugra, but Lugra, dwelling in the night, was seduced by the darkness and betrayed Hellidh, luring away several of his Angels to her secret service and fighting against him.  The Holy Blood that was shed of the Father in that battle is the source of Divine power on Avayevnon itself and is required as a focus for clerics.  Sol then banished Lugra to the night, and it is said that for a time, Sol walked the face of Avayevnon, gathering up the blood of the Father in the Golden Chalice to bring it to his Father's side.  There the dying Father Hellidh passed on his power to his son, instructing his son to drink the blood in the Golden Chalice.  Thus did Sol receive all the powers of his Father and rose as the One True God.  

Bloodstones are required for Clerics to focus their magic.  They are present in all functioning Soleist Holy Symbols.  Solar iconography is often used by the faithful, and may have some marginal benefits, but it is generally a weak effect.

Angels
Anahita
This angel presides over water and as such is a representation of life-force and healing. Clerics who worship through Anahita can choose the following Domains: Healing, Ocean (FRCS), Renewal (FRCS), and Water
Bethor
Bethor presides over the direction of God's wrath upon the wicked. Clerics who worship through Bethor seek the destruction of evil and are granted their choice from the following domains: Fate (FRCS), Repose (found on SRD), Retribution (FRCS), Strength, and War.
Cabron
Cabron is the angel of hope and protection. The lowly and the oppressed turn to Cabron for aid. Clerics who worship through Cabron have access to the following domains: Liberation (Found on SRD), Luck, Protection, and Sun.
Daena
Daena is the angel presiding over love and beauty. She is also the Angel of Music. All those who love and love beauty come to Daena. Daena is Matron Angel of lovers and families.  Prayers through Daena grant access to the domains of: Charm, Family (FRCS), and Moon (FRCS)
Razhista Christa
Razhista Christa is devoted to religious wisdom and knowledge. She is the Matron Angel of monks and religious philosophers. She gives her clerics access to the following domains: Knowledge, Mentalism (FRCS), and Travel
 [spoiler=Coming Soon]Tanyn
The Angel of Fellowship
Xantros
The Angel of Mercy
[/spoiler]


Druidism
Druidism is the official name for the pagan beliefs held by the elves of Sylvaea and Iluvion, the Tâ,¬,,¢kel of the Burning Bog, and the Aduâ,¬,,¢jas.  It holds no god as supreme, instead, it is the veneration of Mother Nature in all her various forms.  The exact beliefs of Druids actually vary from culture to culture.  Among the elves and Aduâ,¬,,¢jas, it is the veneration of the Ancestors, whom the Druids believe to be reincarnated as animals and plants. To the Tâ,¬,,¢kel it is a set of â,¬Å"spiritsâ,¬Â of nature that keep all things in order.

Sylvaese Druidism   
The Sylvaese elves follow the teachings of the Aduâ,¬,,¢jas that nature is defended by those who love and choose to stay on this earth eternally in a cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.  These are the Ancestor spirits, who return in the form of animals.  As such, all animals and plants are treated with respect, as they are the all-powerful person of Nature.  This religion does not forbid the consumption of meat, on the contraryâ,¬'the consumption of meat is considered a sacred act, but it requires that each hunter must pray before killing an ancestor, and that each person must pray again before eating the meat of a reincarnated ancestor.  Hunting is considered a way of reconnecting with the ancestors, and by eating them, their spiritual power and energy is said to be absorbed, so that when the next pagan dies, both souls will go on to be reincarnated, and the cycle will continue.
The Holy Animals and Plants each represent a different aspect of nature:
The Oakâ,¬'The Oak is the unflinching stalwart of nature.  With its strong wood and height, towering over the surrounding forest, it is seen as the fatherly protector that watches over all.
The Mistletoeâ,¬'Mistletoe is the symbol of love and healing, but also of death.  It is often seen clinging to the sacred oak.  Its white berries can both poison and cure, giving it immense spiritual power over life and death.
The Stagâ,¬'The Stag is a symbol of fertility.
The Boarâ,¬'The tenacious boar is a symbol of wealth and courage.  Boars are the symbol of warriors as they are notoriously difficult to kill, and sport powerful tusks.
The Salmonâ,¬'Living deep in the sea, the salmon is the purveyor of deep, profound knowledge and wisdom.  
The Serpentâ,¬'The serpent is seen as the embodiment of strife, destruction, and rebirth.  They are often associated with dragons, whose power is said to be strongly related to that of the land, contained in â,¬Å"Ley Linesâ,¬Â coursing throughout the world.  A snake or dragon is seen as an omen of destruction, but the snakeâ,¬,,¢s periodic shedding of skin is seen as a representation of rebirth.
The Ravenâ,¬'Omens of war and bloodshed are seen in the mysterious raven.  Ravens carry strong connotations of prophecy, bloodshed, and skill.
The Sunâ,¬'Authoritative and unchanging, the sun is a symbol of masculinity and steadfast ness.  It is also seen as a nurturer, helping plants to grow.  The height and light of the sun are seen to represent nobility and reason.  
The Moonâ,¬'In many ways the sunâ,¬,,¢s opposite, the moon is a symbol of femininity and variability.  The cycles of the moon are similar to the female menstrual cycle.  The phases of the moon often cause changes in emotions and the full moon is known to cause madness and is tied to lycanthropy.  It is also a symbol of hope, shining as a beacon in the darkness.

Iluvinese Druidism
The Iluvinese Elves hold much the same religious traditions as their Sylvaese counterparts.  
Sam Beira (pronounced Sao Bee-rah) has special significance to the elves as a day of remembrance of the dead and a day that holds special magical power and danger should the appropriate precautions not be taken.  Still, Druids of all races in any land that the religion can be found have ceremonies in and around these seasons.  The elves may, however, be the only race to place more significance on the Harvest ceremony, the symbol of death than on the Spring Fertility ceremony, the symbol of life.  The Spring Fertility ceremony depicts the encounter of the Danuleagh and the Cerunannon, Great Mother and Horned God.
Sam Beiraâ,¬'The Sam Beira ceremony is one of capital importance the elves of Iluvion.  It commemorates their craven flight from the forests in the midst of the first demon wars.  For their cowardice, the souls of those who died in battle pursued them to their island sanctuary.  Once a year, at Sam Beira, the veil between the Material World and the world of the dead grows thin, and the spirits are free to work mischief on their kindred.  During this time, many of the elves are killedâ,¬'dragged into the world of the dead by vengeful spirits.  As such, to stave off the wrath of the spirits, the Iluvinese elves at this time don costumes known as culaiths and skullish masks, to trick the spirits.  
Sam Beira (called Death-Day) begins the elven year.  It is the belief of the elves that â,¬Å"All life comes out of death.â,¬Â  At their festivals they revel in each other and in the coming of new life at the death of the year.  

Tâ,¬,,¢kel Druidism
In some ways very similar to other pagan religions, but they are not the same.  The Tâ,¬,,¢kel brand of druidism is focused on the swamps of the Burning Bog, where the majority of Tâ,¬,,¢kel reside.  It holds the belief that the Bog is the central point of divinity in the world and as such, is the most holy and powerful place in all Avayevnon.  That said their knowledge of the world outside the Bog is limited.  They believe that the swamp itself is personified in a spirit that they pay homage to.
The Spirit of the Swampâ,¬'The Holy Spirit which imbues the Burning Bog with its tremendous power is the foremost deity of the Tâ,¬,,¢kel pagans.  The Swamp is a place where all four elements meet.  Earth and water blend in the muddy earth and dirty waters of the bog.  Water mixes with air in the dense mists that float throughout.  A periodic belch of fire adds the final component.  Surely any place that mixes the elements so completely must be holy.

Heresy and Demons
For every action there is a reaction; likewise, to keep the universe in balance, for every good there is an equally powerful evil.  Archfiends are the evil equivalents to the Angels. In fact, once they were Angels. They serve not a god, but their own wicked agendas.  It was the force of the primordial evil that corrupted 7 of the One God's 14 angels and caused their fall from grace. As there is no singular personification of evil, the Demon Lords take on a more deific role than the Angels, borrowing a portion of the energy of evil to grant their followers spells and domains. By and large, though, Archfiends do not have widespread following. They are limited to scattered cults of worshippers known the world over as Heretics.

 The Ennead
[ic=Hadar, to a group of heathens]'You worship demons in disguise.  Your Pazuzu'"your '˜king of the winds' we call Pazrael.  He is a lord of filth and plagues.  Do you not yourselves acknowledge him responsible for the failure of your crops; for the destruction of your fields by the swarms of locusts?  He is not your ally.  He is the enemy of all goodly men.  The creature Lillith hungers for flesh itself, requires of you blood sacrifice of your own infant children, but you lovingly call her Lilitu'"a goddess of '˜abundance.'' [/ic]

The Adam came out of the south bringing the religion of Soleism with them.  The people they brought under their rule, they found in large numbers to be of the belief in an Ennead:  Nine deities, which to them corresponded to the 7 Demons of Soleist myth, the Sun, and the Moon.  Seeing the worship of these false gods so prominent, the Soleists engaged in a holy struggle to rid the world of the influence of the demons.    The filth of the demons had to be purged one way or another.  Those who would not convert were declared the enemies of the True Faith.

Conversion
Those Enneadists conquered by the Adam were left with two options: convert to the True Faith, or accept the punishment of the Adam.  In the early years conquest, the penalty was frequently death, however, over time, it became clear that mass killings were not practical, leading to other measures being adopted.  While the penalties varied from region to region based on the individuals of authority and their tolerance of the heathens, typical punishments ranged from a simple fine, to imprisonment to slave labor.  In some extreme regions, death was continued as an acceptable measure to rid the stain of the demons from Avayevnon.  

The Soleists preached the error of the ways of the Enneadists, and the Truth of the Path of Sol'"represented by the Sun.  They seized on the Enneadist idea of the Sun God Helidu, claiming that only in this did they come near to the truth.  The Enneadists had one avenue into Soleism, and many, through Helidu were able to cling to their old ways in some respects while appeasing their conquerors by making an effort to at least appear Soleist.  Over time, the masking of the old faith was supplanted by genuine belief in the newer Soleist religion.  The conversion was never complete, however, and there were always cults dedicated to the gods of the old religion, the demons of the new.  

Heresy is a crime punishable in many places by death.  It is the fanatic religions worshipping the vile demons that seek to destroy this world.  As a Heretic may be suppliant for any of seven Demon Lords, it cannot be said that there is a "typical Heretic."Â  

Pazuzu
The Demon of Pride, Pazuzu appears in the shape of a lion's head sitting atop a male torso with four massive feathered wings.  His hands and feet are the mighty talons of a great bird of prey.  Pazuzu is the plague bearer, bringer of disease on the South-Eastern wind.  Pazuzu rules the Abyssal skies, and enjoys the privilege of being able to traverse the planes at will.  Pazuzu yearns for purity and enjoys corrupting pure mortals, particularly paladins.  Pazuzu has two arch-nemeses among the demon lords, Graz'zt and Lillith.

Those who worship Pazuzu, like all other among the demon lords, do not do so for love of him or his evil'"for the evil of them is acknowledged'"but out of fear, desperation, or emotion. As Lord of Pestilence and Famine, he is worshipped by many who fear crop failure, or by those in plague-stricken towns who beg his mercy. Expectant mothers, who fear more of Lillith than Pazuzu, may also call on him from time to time, to protect them and their newborn babes from harm. It is rare that Pazuzu, or any other of the Demon lords be worshipped for a wholly wicked aim'"but those that do seek power, or the suppression of neighbors.

Clerics of Pazuzu have access to the following domains:  Air, Pestilence, Plague, Pride, and Storm

Lillith
The Demon of Gluttony, Lillith is mother of all incubi and succubi, and of vampires.  She was the wife of the first of the Adam, a divinely touched race preceding the modern humans.  She seduced him, but would not relinquish dominance, and left him.  She has two insatiable appetites: the first is sexual and erotic; the second is a cannibalistic appetite for children, especially young boys.  Incapable of having children herself, she eats the children of new and expectant mothers.  Lillith appears as a humanoid female from the waist up, but beneath the waist she is a long, sinuous snake.  She is the mortal enemy of Pazuzu.

Gluttons are not only those who hunger to fill their stomachs; gluttons are also those who hunger to have their tastes of other kinds fulfilled, and fulfilled perfectly. Perfectionists and fetish-holders worship Lady Lillith as well as those who seek food to excess. Addicts and alcoholics, who cease to function without their substances, find themselves uttering prayers and supplication to Lillith for her aid in helping them to their next drink, or their next high.

Clerics of Lillith have access to the following domains:  Gluttony, Passion, and Pleasure
Graz'zt
The Demon of Lust, Graz'zt, Prince of Seduction is the father of all incubi and succubi with Lillith.  Graz'zt has an even stronger sexual appetite than Lillith.  He is also incredibly impatient and envious.  Graz'zt's power is limited, and he lusts for power as much as flesh.

Graz'zt is the lord of the lusty and lustful, of the desirous and of all pleasure seekers. Lust is, above all, a sin of the flesh, and it is with the flesh that the followers of Graz'zt are concerned. He appeals to those who lust after others, indeed, but also to those who seek the masochistic sensations of pain or the adrenaline rush of danger, or of doing wrong. Sensuality falls within his domain. Those who seek beauty inordinately, in art, women, nature, may sometimes seek the aid of Graz'zt in delivering it to them.

Clerics of Graz'zt have access to the following domains:  Charm, Lust, Passion, Pleasure, and Seduction

Sammael
The Demon of Wrath is also called the Venom of God.  He appears in the form of a dark angel with a sword.  He was once God's executioner and Angel of Death.  Since the fall, he is the Reaper, death dealer, father of murder.  His wicked blade drips with venomous gall.  He is the destroyer and despoiler; he is the havoc-bringer.

The mother of a murdered son, the lover of a slain warrior, a husband wronged when his wife was untrue; all of these may be servants of Samael. Samael gives aid to those who seek vengeance. He is the woe bringer and the leveler. He helps those who seek an eye for an eye. Those who pray to him seek not wanton destruction, but one victory. They wish to smite the one who did them wrong. The problem is they care not how that victory is won, nor who should suffer for their vengeance.

Clerics of Sammael have access to the following domains:  Death, Hatred, and Wrath

Rahab
The Demon of Envy, The Leviathan is resentful of the other demons.  Rahab was cast deeper than any other demon, into the depths of the Hells, to the watery tomb away from the other demons.  Leviathan works to poison the minds of mortals who are not so lucky as their comrades.  He preys on their sense of justice and injustice.  Why should they deserve it more than I?  Leviathan is, perhaps the most treacherous of demons, for lacking the power of others, he seeks the downfall of those around and above him.  He is constantly plotting some new vengeance, some new trickery.  His appearance is not always the same, at times he appears as a massive whale with nigh impenetrable skin; other time he is great serpent with the head of a dog.

The prevailing sentiment among those who call upon Rahab is Schadenfreude. The sense if injustice at another's (obviously underserved) success, and the jealousy leads many to wish the downfall even of good friends, to say nothing of bitter enemies. Those who succumb to these feelings sometimes invoke Rahab in carrying out the plot. Rahab is the Patron of the have-nots.

Clerics of Rahab have access to the following domains:  Envy, Illusion, and Trickery

Belphegor
The Demon of Sloth, Belphegor lures mortals into inaction.  It is said that "all that is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing."Â  That is Belphegor's purpose.  To make good men do nothing.  He brings negligence and apathy, and eventually ignorance.  Belphegor is one of the worst demons, because he is subtle.  He does not cause overt immediate harm, so he is not cast aside as easily as the others.  Belphegor provokes laziness by providing suggestions; ideas; gifts.  He seems helpful, but with each of his gifts, his subjects grow more lethargic, more apathetic.  He is represented by the donkey and can appear as either a horned and bearded devil or as a beautiful naked woman.

Belphegor is Patron of the overworked. Those who tire and seek an end to toil find it in Belphegor, who gives them petty magicks in exchange for supplication. He is sought by those who weary under hardships. The worst of those who seek him would cut corners; the lazy, who won't do any work the need not do'"and Belphegor obliges them too well.

Clerics of Belphegor have access to the following domains:  Magic, Sloth, and Spell

Balor
The Demon of Greed, Balor is possessed of Avarice for Gold and acquisition of all things.  Such is his wealth, that he imprisoned his daughter in a tower of crystal to prevent her becoming pregnant.  Balor hungers endlessly for riches.  The more he acquires, the more he desires.  He is hateful and spiteful of others and despises anyone else with money, and anyone without money.  He is envious and will invoke treachery to acquire more of that which he desires.  Balor is nearly ten feet tall, with red skin and one foul eye.  That eye is Balor's most feared weapon, for it has the ability to turn any man it sees into solid gold, giving a new meaning to "worth your weight in gold."

As those who suffer hardships turn to Belphegor, in some cases may the likewise turn to Balor. As the Demon of Greed, those who seek material gain through their toils may look to Balor for a more fruitful harvest. The Merchant seeking wealth may ask of Balor to ensure that there is good business for his shop, and that the market turns to favor him. The miser who would hoard his hoard from foes might ask of Balor to protect his wealth. They must beware however, lest they love of riches lead them seek to take it from all others, and to work wickedness upon his fellow man.

Clerics of Balor have access to the following domains:  Avarice, Commerce, and Tyranny