The Campaign Builder's Guild

I should probably introduce my cast of characters.
[note=Balance]
I'm notoriously bad at balancing races; I have no illusion that these folks are in their final format.[/note]
[spoiler=Iskite]
Iskite (Humanoid, Reptilian)
Medium, Speed 30 ft.
+2 Con, -2 Cha
Low-light vision
Scaly: +1 natural armor
Camouflaged: +2 to Hide checks made in lush natural surroundings
Disciplined Mind: +2 bonus to saving throws against fear
Quick Healing: Iskites heal physical damage at double the normal rate (2 hit points per level per day).
Scent: Iskites have the Scent ability.
Alignment Tendency: Lawful

The Iskites are tall (up to 7 feet) but slender reptilian creatures.  Despite their lithe builds, they are incredibly durable creatures, possessed of tough, scaly skin and a metabolism that allows them to recover quickly from injuries.  Their scales are a pastiche of greens, ranging from dark forest to bright green, allowing them to blend in easily in jungle surroundings.

Iskite society is rigidly hierarchical.  By their very nature, Iskites seek to understand their place in any group they are in, and serve their superiors as zealously as they boss around their inferiors.  They are very sensitive to the cues of rank, and their culture is based around a bewildering array of gestures, vocal tones, and even subtle pheromones that convey actual and perceived status.  They typically expect outsiders to understand these cues and behave the way they do, and are put off when they do not '" Iskites are considered chauvinistic, arrogant, and pigheaded by those of other races.  They are, however, hard workers who judge others based on their merits and abilities.  They prize thoughtful, rational action and have a sense of loyalty to their betters and compassion towards their lessers (though this compassion is often a bit patronizing).

Their sensitivity to subtle social cues makes them very perceptive observers, and Iskites have a vast and rich artistic culture.  They are capable of appreciating the subtle gradations of color in a painting or the sublime mathematical progressions of a piece of music for hours '" but only when there's no work to be done.  To them, fine smells are also an art, and they can enjoy tastefully crafted incenses like others enjoy a melodious song.

Iskites are given rigorous mental training from birth; Iskite culture holds that the mind should be as resilient as the body.  They are trained from infancy against fear, and are indomitable foes and stalwart friends as a result.

Iskites are a largely agricultural people, who live in stone and wooden villages built on a circular pattern and surrounded by farmland kept clear of trees and shrubs through constant work.  Each village is centered around a hatchery '" children are raised communally '" and a clock tower, which Iskites use to meticulously plan their activities and give their days structure.  Iskites are fascinated by technology and actively seek to promote the efficiency of their village through its use.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Gheen]
Gheen (Humanoid)
Small, Speed 20 ft.
+2 Dex, -2 Str
Darkvision 60 ft.
Springy: +4 racial bonus to Jump checks, no maximum jumping height
Soar: A Gheen may gain a +20 special bonus to Jump checks for one round.  This ability can be used as a free action.  At the beginning of the Gheen's next turn, he becomes fatigued.  A Gheen that is exhausted, or a Gheen wearing medium or heavier armor, cannot use this ability.
Hollow Bones: +1 damage per die from bludgeoning weapons
Lucky: +1 to all saving throws
Alignment Tendency: Chaotic

Gheen are small, furred humanoids with mustelid-like features known primarily for astounding leaps.  They are not terribly strong creatures, but are incredibly light '" an adult female weighs no more than 25 pounds.  Their powerful legs and light weight allow them to jump great distances, even seeming to 'fly' for brief periods of time by expending great effort.  Gheen spend most of their time in the canopy, where they are safe from large ground predators.

Gheen society is based around the individual family den; each village is a loose commune composed of many individual families who work for their mutual benefit.  They are fast talkers and fast movers, who sometimes are a bit too fast for their own good '" they are impulsive and sometimes reckless despite their small statures, and yet somehow they show a remarkable ability to survive in the face of adversity (some would call it luck).  To a Gheen, life is about emotion and feeling '" they are capable of deeply caring relationships and monstrous hatreds alike, but are whimsical and fickle and can change their opinion of someone overnight.  Outsiders find them to be flighty, indecisive, arbitrary, and downright annoying, but Gheen are also sensitive and friendly folk who are not afraid to show their commitment to their family and friends through great bravery and altruism.

Gheen enjoy things that others find distasteful or garish '" bright and gaudy colors, overwhelming flavors, and high-pitched, screeching cries.  They enjoy jumping about and singing, and much of their day is spent doing both.  They should not be taken as lazy, however '" they are very capable survivalists who do what needs to be done and then take leisure time as they can get it.  Gheen tend to enjoy showing off, and will try to impress their fellows however possible.  This is welcomed in Gheen culture, where modesty is considered a character flaw.

Gheen live in canopy cities, made from wooden platforms high above the ground but below the open sky (where large aerial predators roam).  They are primarily insectivores, but also eat fruits and nuts.  They will say they are vegetarians, however '" they don't consider insects 'meat,' but rather 'mobile fruit.'  They consider the eating of (non-insect) animals distasteful and crude.  Their settlements tend to be a confusing jumble of platforms and roosts, defended by a complex network of traps and snares.

It should be noted that the largest empire in the known world belongs to a Gheen named Auk Yrta Su'u but known as the 'World-Queen,' a very powerful and equally malevolent sorceress who rules with an iron fist and a phalanx of magically dominated Cog Soldiers.  Unfortunately, those who have only experienced the Gheen through experiences with her and her empire tend to have very negative misconceptions about the Gheen race as a whole.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Umbril]
Umbril (Fungoid)
Medium, Speed 20 ft.
+2 Con, -2 Dex
Fungoid Traits (Ex)
Darkvision 60 ft.
Spores (Su): As a standard action, an Umbril can project spores at a creature within 15 feet (treat as a ranged touch attack).  This attack functions otherwise like a daze spell cast by a sorcerer of the Umbril's level (no save).   The Umbril may use this attack a number of times equal to their positive Constitution modifier, though no less than once per day.
Reek: Umbril smell of rotting vegetation and can be easily tracked by scent.  Their scents are detectable at twice the normal range of scent tracking, and the DC to track an Umbril by scent is decreased by 5.
Alignment Tendency: Evil
[note=Fungoid Type]
This type comprises animal-like fungal creatures.  Unlike plant creatures, they have discernable anatomies and are not mindless; thus, they lack most of the immunities of the Plant subtype.  Fungoid creatures are unaffected by humanoid-only effects (charm person, etc.) but are affected by spells and effects that affect creatures of the Plant type.

Fungoid Traits:
- Low-light vision
- Immunity to sleep effects (fungoids do not sleep)
- Immunity to disease (though presumably a disease specially made to target plant or fungal creatures could affect them)
- Acid vulnerability (50% more damage from acid)[/note]
Umbril are stocky fungal creatures with a roughly humanoid shape.  Their coloration is usually a mottled brown, which gets darker toward their legs (until their toeless feet, which are quite black).  Though they are not terribly graceful, they are remarkably resilient creatures.  Umbril have milk-white eyes shaped like long horizontal ovals, which are capable of perfect (albeit black and white) sight even in pitch black conditions.

Umbril society is complex, murky, and frequently dangerous.  Living near the ground and threatened by many jungle creatures, the Umbril do not abide the weak and seek to preserve only strong sporelines in their community.  Umbril society has no family units because there are no families; the social structure is determined by cleverness and ruthlessness.  Might makes right in the world of the Umbril, and those not strong enough to rule either obey or are eliminated.  They place a high emphasis on ambition, perseverance, self-reliance, and cleverness, but not on compassion, or generosity.  One's rewards must be earned and strived for in order for them to be truly appreciated; to the Umbril, generosity is a vice that weakens the community.  Others find the Umbril to be secretive, conniving, callous, and pessimistic, but Umbril are also practical, self-reliant, perceptive, and prudent.  They will fight tooth and nail for their survival and that of the close circle of individuals who they have come to truly trust.  Umbril are not quick to make friends, but they will die for those they truly consider their ultimate confidants and allies.

The Umbril have a spartan aesthetic, and enjoy a simple, functional object more than a superfluous work of art.  They do, however, have a certain fondness for sculpture.  The Umbril are a generally superstitious lot whose daily lives revolve around rituals and sacrifices; the holy numbers mean so much to them that every last Umbril has seven consonant sounds in their full name '" no more, no less.  Umbril civilization is known for its rich poetic tradition; Umbril poetry is characterized by the careful choice of words to convey many layers of possible meaning, as well as complex rhyme schemes that are often linked to holy numbers.  Poetry developed as a means of 'ritualizing' speech and conveying subtleties, and even the most common of Umbril sprinkles poetic lines or rhythmic phrases throughout their normal communication.  The Umbril enjoy subtlety and love riddles and word games.

The Umbril live in tunnel networks intertwined with the roots of the Forest's mighty trees.  Their diets are almost entirely rotting and fermented material, produced in fetid swamp pits filled with forest leaves, vines, corpses, and litter.  Their villages are designed with security as the foremost concern; there are several false entrances for each real one, and multiple traps and deadfalls to foil intruders.  Even stockrooms have secret escape tunnels, to the point where not even Umbril will know all the passages of their village.

Most Umbril have an irrational fear of heights, and one seldom finds them in the Gheen Khauta floaters that have proliferated in recent years.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Tahr]
Tahr (Magical Beast)
Medium, Speed 30 ft.
+2 Str, -2 Dex, -2 Int
Low-light vision
Powerful Build: Whenever a Tahr is subject to a size modifier or special size modifier for an opposed check (such as during grapple checks, bull rush attempts, and trip attempts), he is treated as one size larger if doing so is advantageous to him. A Tahr is also considered to be one size larger when determining whether a creature's special attacks based on size can affect him. A Tahr can use weapons designed for a creature one size larger without penalty.
Strong Lungs: A Tahr can holds its breath for a number of rounds equal to four times its Con score, or twice as long as a normal creature.
Alignment Tendency: Good

Tahro are intelligent beasts of impressive build.  They resemble a stocky, thick-limbed cross between a horse and a gorilla, with short horse-like fur all over their body.  Like gorillas, Tahro walk on their knuckles, but are capable of standing up and using their front legs to grasp or fight.  When walking on their four limbs, they are significantly shorter than Iskites, but when raised to full height on their back limbs they are around eight feet tall.  Their hair has a wide range of colors, ranging from a dark bluish-black to a brilliant reddish-gold, and can be solid, striped, or spotted.
[note=Chalicotherium]
The Tahro were inspired by the Chalicotherium, a prehistoric beast pictured here.[/note]
Tahr society is organized around extended families that live together in a single 'blood,' or clan.  Tahr social interaction is based on the concept of mutual generosity '" for the Tahro there is no buying and selling, only gift-giving and reciprocation.  Gifts are given for even the most minor of occasions; Tahro do not celebrate birthdays yearly, but rather weekly.  Gift-giving, however, is not frivolous.  Gifts are utilitarian and valuable '" food, tools, clothing, and so on.  Through mutual generosity, the blood cooperates and thrives.  Strangers will be welcomed with gifts, but are expected to give something of their own unless they are truly destitute.  Despite their hospitality to foreigners, they are rather incurious; they seldom seem to care about news from other places and are slow to adopt more advanced technology.  Outsiders find Tahro to be stubborn, ignorant, and rather dim, but they are also determined, magnanimous, loyal, and accepting of others.

Chanting is an important part of Tahr culture.  Tahro have huge, powerful lungs, and can chant loudly without taking a breath for minutes.  Tahro introduce themselves with chant, pray with chant, chant after meals, chant at dusk, chant before and after battle '" chant defines the movements of a Tahr's day.  Tahr names are very long and properly spoken only in chant; they use nicknames to interact with outsiders.  They ascribe mystical properties to chanting, and blood shamans work much of their magic through solitary or group chant.  As the Tahro are constantly on the move, they see little value in things they cannot take with them.

Tahro are semi-nomadic, traveling in a yearly cycle '" usually, a blood will have one camp for each of the seven seasons, which will be abandoned for most of the year.  This rotating schedule allows the forest to recover, as a Tahr consumes an enormous amount of vegetation (they are herbivores exclusively).  Several bloods will share a 'Red camp,' where they meet for the two weeks of the holy Red Season.  At this time, they share chants and stories, exchange mates between bloods, and (of course) exchange gifts.[/spoiler]

Why not PC Cogs?

I know with the coming of the Warforged there's a real possibility of making an acceptable construct PC race.  I'm not going to do this with the Cogs, however.  First of all, they're a template, not a distinct creature.  Secondly, they are generally not very intelligent.  The most important reason, however, is that I want them to remain relics of the distant past, elusive and mysterious creatures hinting at a forgotten eon.  I feel that Cog adventurers and villages would take away from that.  Of course, there are a few sentient Cogs (Ot, for instance) but these are very rare specimens.

Did I mention Ot is a Hauler?  It's a 40 foot tall sentient tripod that stands motionlessly contemplating life and existence, occasionally dictating words of wisdom (through telepathy, of course) to its students gathering to listen and learn beneath its massive shadow.

[ic=Ot, on Immortality]
There is nothing more perfectly suited to the study of philosophy than immortality.  True enlightenment comes only through the perspective of eternal consciousness.

- Ot, Cog philosopher[/ic]

It could be said that the races of the Jungle are coming into their own Renaissance.  For centuries, the villages of the sentients were divided by a host of sects, usually centered around  a single charismatic prophet or holy text.  There was no sense of shared religious or philosophical unity or community; faiths rose and fell again in the span of a generation.  It was against this chaos and the petty pursuit of power by holy leaders that led to the 'Recentering.'

The Recentering was not a single event, but a period of social, religious, and political upheaval.  It began, as many revolutions do, with violence.

[spoiler=The Orange Strife]
[ic=The Herald of Despair]
Who decries the orange banner?  The Saffron Moss steals the body, but the prophets steal the mind.  We have more need of the Peril than of them.

We are the new priests.  We are anointed in the blood of sentients.  We are purified by death, blessed by the spear.  We give neither forgiveness nor consolation; we bring loss, ruin, emptiness.  We know nothing, and promise nothing '" save that in our wake, when we are ashes all, a new world will be born.

-Enti-Ven Famar, The Herald of Despair, Umbril Warlord[/ic]

The Orange Strife, sometimes called the 'All-War' by the Gheen and the 'Fell Wandering' by the Umbril, was a period of unprecedented warfare and violence that touched nearly every village in the Jungle.  It began with a pact between two Umbril potentates, Enti-Ven Famar and Thals-Tadun Nata, who were in competition to become the ruler of their village, En-Shath.  A rival, however, managed to exile them both from the village.  Swearing revenge, Enti-Ven and Thals-Tadun gathered a small band of exiled warriors and bandits, predominantly (but not all) Umbril, and waged war on their home.

Like most villages, En-Shath's true ruler was a sect prophet, whose personal claim to divine knowledge and command over magic made him En-Shath's 'kingmaker.'  En-Shath was hardly unique; this era is known as the 'Age of Prophets,' as this kind of rule by revelation and mystery cult was widespread.  To go against a prophet was unthinkable, let alone to seek his death.  The two exiles, however, plotted for his demise and, taking him by surprise, cut him to pieces in his own chambers.  According to legend, the two former enemies swore that they would be eternal allies, and embark upon a 'quest of fate' to crush what they imagined to be a vast conspiracy of prophets and priests arrayed against them.

The 'Steel Brothers,' as they came to be known, launched a campaign that turned into a vast crusade.  For centuries, frustration had been building against the rule of prophets, not just in Umbril society but among most sentients.  There were many who despised the continual power-plays and revelations of new cultists, only to be overturned by another charismatic leader or 'enlightened' group.  These individuals joined the Steel Brothers in droves, and marched under a pure orange banner (orange is the unluckiest color of all, due in large part to its connection with the Saffron Moss).  Enti-Ven was in particular a dabbler in philosophy, and his was simple '" selfish, ruthless, nihilistic aggrandizement.  Enti-Ven perhaps represented the darkest elements of the Umbril psyche.

The Orange Horde swept from village to village, and its demand was always the same.
 
[ic=The Orange Ultimatum]
You who cower
Give us those who pray
Give us those who preach
Give us those who work magic
Give us those who see the future
You who cower shall rise

Your cry for mercy
Shall be your last[/ic]

The Orange Horde systematically murdered every priest, prophet, diviner, sorcerer, spellcaster, and magus they laid their hands on, regardless of creed or actions.  Those who handed over these people were spared; those who refused, or helped 'the prophets' hide, were massacred.  This period, known as the 'First Horde,' dealt a devastating blow to the very structure of societies around the Jungle.

As with any large group of angry, outcast, heavily armed individuals, however, the movement soon split.  Some were more interested in plunder than in the 'goals' of the Steel Brothers, while in other places similar movements arose with no actual connection to the original Orange Horde.  Within a few years, the situation had spun far out of the Brothers' control.  They retained a great following, but the movement had become something much greater than either of them could fathom.

The 'Second Horde' refers to this period of time after the splintering of the Orange Horde.  Instead of one great army, hundreds of smaller groups of warriors roamed everywhere, often little more than bandits and raiders with the most tenuous of connections to the Horde's original purpose.  Raiding parties with no homeland went from village to village, chasing the inhabitants into the Forest and looting and destroying everything.

The Second Horde, too, eventually wound down after almost twenty years of terror.  Many warriors had died; others had consolidate their gains and become village strongmen, or had been defeated by stronger villages that had organized effectively in their own defense.  The world took a breath again; the Orange Strife was over.[/spoiler]

The Strife radically altered the world.  Spellcasters, once quite common, were hunted nearly to extinction.  The fractious pettiness of the 'Age of Prophets' and the abyssal violence of the Orange Strife led many to conclude that a new way forward needed to be found, a way to live that denied the use of sentient beings as either pawns to be manipulated (by the Prophets) or as beasts to be slaughtered (by the Hordes).

Belief, so it was argued, had been cluttered by the Prophets, many of whom were most assuredly false '" but at the same time, there must exist a better way that rejects the empty brutality of the Orange Horde.  Many turned to those fundamental entities that had existed long before the Prophets '" the Forest, the stars, the Plain.  The Recentering bore the fruit of 'Sentinentism,' a new emphasis on the individual, on the natural over the supernatural, and the body's senses over the 'second sight' of the Prophets.

Associations
There's a lot of symbolism in the Clockwork Jungle, and much of it is associated with history, cosmology, and numerology.  Of course, these associations vary from culture to culture and even from village to village, but most would be understood regardless of location.

[table=The Seven Associations of the Seven Essences]
[tr][th]Color[/th][th]School[/th][th]Element[/th][th]Positive[/th][th]Negative[/th][th]Sense[/th][th]Animal[/th][/tr]
[tr][td]Red[/td][td]Necromancy[/td][td]Blood[/td][td]Euphoria[/td][td]Anger[/td][td]Instinct[/td][td]Elephant[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Orange[/td][td]Transmutation[/td][td]Peril*[/td][td]Curiosity[/td][td]Fear[/td][td]Smell/Taste[/td][td]Cat[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Yellow[/td][td]Abjuration[/td][td]Sun[/td][td]Pride[/td][td]Disgust[/td][td]Sight[/td][td]Bird[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Green[/td][td]Conjuration[/td][td]Forest[/td][td]Belonging**[/td][td]Suffering[/td][td]Touch[/td][td]Wyrm[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Blue[/td][td]Enchantment[/td][td]Water[/td][td]Compassion[/td][td]Envy[/td][td]Empathy[/td][td]Sloth[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Indigo[/td][td]Evocation[/td][td]Stars[/td][td]Love[/td][td]Guilt[/td][td]Time[/td][td]Tortoise[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Purple[/td][td]Illusion[/td][td]Air[/td][td]Joy[/td][td]Confusion[/td][td]Hearing[/td][td]Monkey[/td][/tr]
[/table]

*This refers to the Saffron Moss, colloquially called "The Saffron Peril" or just "The Peril."
**In Iskite society, this is usually replaced by the emotion of 'ilask,' meaning a sublime feeling of well-being resulting from being in and aware of one's place in the natural order.  Non-Iskites do not generally understand this as a distinct emotion, though most understand its meaning, as it is an important part of Iskite-derived philosophy.

Necromancy is not feared or considered to be negative; in fact, given its association with the Red Season and life forces, necromancers are highly respected and appreciated.  The creation of undead is still considered distasteful, but it does not make Necromancy itself evil, any more than killing innocents with a fireball would make Evocation itself evil.

Instead, the stigma of the 'forbidden school' goes to Divination, which is notably absent from this list.  Divination was associated with the previous era of the Prophets, and the ability to gain knowledge without the senses is believed to be even more unnatural than the creation of undead.  Creating a zombie would disgust, whereas casting augury would horrify.  Diviners do not usually reveal themselves in public, preferring to pretend that they study another school.

Okay, I like the Iskite simply because they are reptilian. By the term hatchery, I'm assuming these guys lay eggs. I'm a bit put off by the seeming double standard of highly cultured and logically trained people with the chauvinisticism (surely they've figured out that not everyone can smell pheremones?!).

The Gheen... Squirrel-people? And your largest empire is a race of squirrels. Fitting, I guess, since the world is a giant forest. One suggestion; I would remove the luck bonus and the darkvision, and give them a climb speed.

The Umbril I like, and can't seem to find any specific critique except for this; a fungus, in the real-world sense, reproduces via spore; therefore, the spore attack would be like shooting millions of potential children at someone. Secondly, fungi mostly reproduce asexually. Not that you have to do anything with that, just throwing it out there.

The Tahr I don't like physically. they strike me more as resembling beasts than humanoid creatures, and I have a hard time picturing them. Also, I feel that the Gheen's singing overshadows the chanting, and looking through them again, all art forms seem to be oral. Unless there is a specific reason for this, I'd suggest shifting one of them to a visual or performance art instead.

I understand your reasoning for Cogs as a Non-character, and agree. I also must say I love Cog to death.

I like your Orange Strife story, but find the entire concept difficult to grasp; above you say that village-to-village contact is difficult, and maintaining empires even moreso, but then go on to describe a worldwide crusade and then a unified shift to an age of reason. Which one is correct, an isolated place where villages can not see outsiders for months at a time, or places where worldwide conquests are not just feasible, but have happened?

I like the table of associations, but disagree on the Iskite ilask, I would quantify that as a feeling of belonging, which, at least for me, is a very distinct feeling. I can't wait to hear what the Saffron Peril is.

I like how you changed up the normal 'evil' school. Considering necromancy's association with life, you might want to consider moving the healing spells over to that school.  

Allright, I gotta say I love Ot, both the idea behind him, and the character himself (it self?)

Somethnig I'm wondering though, is if the Cogs are still produced anywhere? if not, then I would imagien that after years of harvesting and hunting them, they'll be hunted to extension eventually, even the bigger ones, when the amounth of cogs are so few that the gain would be worth the risk.   Offcourse, there might be so many cogs that it aren't an issue or a long time, which could make it an interesting plot to explore when it does happen. "what does the villages do, when there no longer are cogs to hunt, to replace the natural lost and detoriation of materials?

Quote from: Stargate525Okay, I like the Iskite simply because they are reptilian. By the term hatchery, I'm assuming these guys lay eggs. I'm a bit put off by the seeming double standard of highly cultured and logically trained people with the chauvinisticism (surely they've figured out that not everyone can smell pheremones?!).

The Gheen... Squirrel-people? And your largest empire is a race of squirrels. Fitting, I guess, since the world is a giant forest. One suggestion; I would remove the luck bonus and the darkvision, and give them a climb speed.[/quote]The Umbril I like, and can't seem to find any specific critique except for this; a fungus, in the real-world sense, reproduces via spore; therefore, the spore attack would be like shooting millions of potential children at someone. Secondly, fungi mostly reproduce asexually. Not that you have to do anything with that, just throwing it out there.[/quote]The Tahr I don't like physically. they strike me more as resembling beasts than humanoid creatures, and I have a hard time picturing them. Also, I feel that the Gheen's singing overshadows the chanting, and looking through them again, all art forms seem to be oral. Unless there is a specific reason for this, I'd suggest shifting one of them to a visual or performance art instead.[/quote]I like your Orange Strife story, but find the entire concept difficult to grasp; above you say that village-to-village contact is difficult, and maintaining empires even moreso, but then go on to describe a worldwide crusade and then a unified shift to an age of reason. Which one is correct, an isolated place where villages can not see outsiders for months at a time, or places where worldwide conquests are not just feasible, but have happened?[/quote]Khauta[/i] referred to in the Umbril entry).

So really isolated, or really in contact?  I'm not exactly sure.

QuoteI like the table of associations, but disagree on the Iskite ilask, I would quantify that as a feeling of belonging, which, at least for me, is a very distinct feeling. I can't wait to hear what the Saffron Peril is.

want[/i] to be in a higher caste.  I think you're right, though, that "belonging" is a better generic.

QuoteI like how you changed up the normal 'evil' school. Considering necromancy's association with life, you might want to consider moving the healing spells over to that school.  

That's a great idea!

QuoteSomethnig I'm wondering though, is if the Cogs are still produced anywhere? if not, then I would imagien that after years of harvesting and hunting them, they'll be hunted to extension eventually, even the bigger ones, when the amounth of cogs are so few that the gain would be worth the risk.   Offcourse, there might be so many cogs that it aren't an issue or a long time, which could make it an interesting plot to explore when it does happen. "what does the villages do, when there no longer are cogs to hunt, to replace the natural lost and detoriation of materials?

The scale of the ruins is massive - there is basically no place, save the Plain, without ruins nearby.  Imagine a forest larger than the Amazon which was once occupied with the population density of Industrial age Britain (or some similar country).  There are billions of Cogs, and the total population of the four races is a few million.  The population of Cogs is decreasing, but new dormant Cogs are accidentally activated all the time, and Cog metal has been increasingly replaced with mined and smelted metal as metalworking becomes more advanced and more common.  Cog steel is also very good quality, and it tends to be passed on from generation to generation; it doesn't rust and takes a long time to lose an edge.

Some areas have depleted the usable Cogs nearby, and have to trade metal in distant village markets.  It's unlikely that there will be a worldwide Cog metal shortage, however, for a long time.  Of course, I haven't ruled out the possibility that somewhere there are still Cogs being made (maybe Cogs making other Cogs!) but that hasn't been implemented yet.

[ic=Excerpt, Torment of the Stars]The Second flame had a glow that was nearly yellow and nearly orange, and a fierce intensity that caused me to cry aloud in fear.  I then saw within its heart fruit and water lying upon rich silks and gemstones, and thought that surely any flame which could not boil water nor burn silk must be an illusion.  I reached out to take these gifts, for I could not remember the last time I had partaken in food or drink, but some better judgment stayed my hand '" and before my eyes, the water turned black and putrid, the fruit withered, the silks frayed and the gemstones turned to ash.  I cried out to the stars for protection, but they mocked me cruelly and cursed my feeble scales.

Yet when I looked upon the corrupted fruit and water again and turned away in revulsion, the flame immediately sputtered and died: For I was its fuel, and the Second flame is Desire.
- Kitzat, Iskite Prophet[/ic]
[ic=The Herald of Despair on the Saffron Moss]Agony has a color.
- Enti-Ven Famar, Umbril Warlord[/ic]



The Creeping Fear, the Tireless Misery, the Shroud of Corruption, the Saffron Moss.  There is nothing else in the Clockwork Jungle that inspires so much terror that the very color associated with it is nearly anathema.  When the Steel Brothers marched for ruin, their zealots wore saffron sashes for the sole purpose of putting fear in the hearts of their enemies.  The Saffron Moss is known by many names, but its foul color crosses all cultural and linguistic barriers.  For its association with the moss, orange is considered the unluckiest of colors, and there are still remote villages in which children born in the Orange Season are abandoned to the Forest for fear that they will bring misfortune upon the community.
[note=The Peril]Though it has many names, the most common colloquial name is "The Saffron Peril," or simply "The Peril."  Some feel that to call it "The Saffron Moss" is unlucky, and prefer variant names for that reason.[/note]
The Saffron Moss is, physically, a moss.  It is always a brilliant yellow-tinted orange, and grows like a thick, hairy carpet on anything its spores can get into.  When simply growing on an inanimate surface, it is relatively harmless.  The moss, however, has the ability to corrupt and control any living thing it grows upon.  Even the greatest and tallest trees turn sickly and twisted when the moss digs into their bark.  The moss itself expands only slowly, but when it corrupts a plant, this plant's seeds and fruit become carriers of thousands '" perhaps millions '" of tiny spores.  A fruit corrupted by the moss may look fine on the outside, but inside the flesh is putrefied and suffused with vile spores.  It takes only a single careless bite for an animal to be infested.

An animal so afflicted will experience horrid pain as the moss grows within flesh.  Its hair will fall out and its skin will start turning pale and yellowed.  In several days, its skin will begin sprouting moss.  This is more than most creatures can bear, and typically the victim is driven into agonizing madness as the moss corrupts even the mind.  Wracked by pain and insanity, the creature will inevitably die or be put out of its misery by another '" and then the moss can truly work its evil.
[note=Mechanics]The Saffron Moss acts essentially like a disease that takes hold through ingestion.  Mere contact is not enough unless a creature literally lies still for days in a patch of moss, allowing the moss to grow over it.  The DC for infection is 20 and the incubation period is 1d4 days.  After incubation and each day thereafter that the creature fails a save, the creature takes 1d4 points of temporary Wisdom damage and 1d4 points of temporary Dexterity damage.  If a creature's Wisdom would ever reach 0 in this way, it remains at 1 but the victim becomes insane instead (no saving throw).  The insanity cannot be cured, even magically, until the disease itself is cured.  Like mummy rot, successful saves do not allow a victim to recover from the disease (though they prevent damage for the day).  Only magical healing is ultimately effective.  A cure disease spell will remove the disease, but the insanity will remain until magically cured as well.  A creature killed while infested will remain infested if brought back from the dead, though its ability scores will be 'reset' upon resurrection.

A gentle repose spell will prevent a corpse from being infested for as long as the spell lasts.  The moss is also unable to infest anything coated with oil of timelessness.[/note]
The moss has the power to animate the dead.  An infested creature that has died, or even a corpse that the moss has grown over, rises in a foul imitation of life and does the bidding of the moss after 1d10 hours.  The bidding of the moss is, quite simply, the acquisition of more bodies to inhabit.  'Abominations,' as they are usually called, stalk the jungles in search of creatures to slay, and then deliver the bodies back to their master.  If killed, they rise again after 1d10 hours, unless dismembered or otherwise physically destroyed.

All this would be bad enough '" but the moss is also one single being.  It has been observed that, nearly instantaneously after an infestation of Saffron Moss is attacked, Abominations miles away may react accordingly.  It is a unitary entity with a unitary mind, and its mind is bent only on its own expansion.  The moss is less a villain than a plague or cancer, constantly expanding at the expense of other living things, and yet it shows remarkable intelligence.  An outcropping of the moss may hide in a forgotten ruin or an overlooked ravine, slowly gathering its servants until it attacks and overwhelms a neighboring village without warning.  Abominations have been seen carrying spore fruit for days and days before depositing them in well-hidden locations near vulnerable villages and outposts.  Other times, an Abomination will put a corrupted fruit at the foot of an uncorrupted tree of the same type, hoping that some unwary creature will be deceived.  Abominations themselves are mindless, but they are animated by a sinister intelligence that is able to act through them, making them dangerous adversaries.  The Moss is unable to exert this control though an antimagic field, however, and Abominations within such a field become motionless and unresponsive (though they will continue their work as soon as the field ends or they are removed from it).

The moss's will is so strong that it can influence the minds of others.  The moss possesses a powerful psychic presence; it can use clairaudience/clairvoyance, detect thoughts, and detect magic at will, and can implant a telepathic suggestion (Will DC 17) on any creature within 10 feet of a body of Saffron Moss (Abominations do not count for this).  The Peril can use this power on a specific being only once per day at maximum, but the ability is otherwise at will.  The Moss's spells are all cast as if by a 20th level Sorcerer.
[note=Psionics]The DM should feel free to make these powers psionic if those rules are in use.  I have no familiarity with Psionics, and so they won't be making an appearance in the Clockwork Jungle, but there's certainly no reason they can't be added.  The Moss would probably have limitless PSPs, or very near limitless, as it acts constantly and simultaneously over thousands of miles of infested territory.[/note]
Though immune to most diseases, Umbril are affected by infestation.  They gain a +4 saving throw bonus on checks to avoid infestation or resist damage from the disease.

The Moss itself is not any more difficult to destroy than normal moss.  It is quite moist, so fire alone is generally ineffective, but Fire Oil (Alchemist's Fire) is very useful in destroying it, as is magical fire and cold.  Communities without magical or alchemical resources have difficulty fighting an infestation, and usually flee the area.

Cogs are not living, but they can be dominated by the Moss.  Cogs have an aversion to the Saffron Moss and will not approach it willingly, but the Peril will grow on dormant Cogs it encounters.  It takes one week for a Cog with the Peril on it to fall under its control.  Once it is dominated, the Cog functions as any other Abomination; its ancient orders are overruled in favor of the Peril's will.  Unlike normal abominations, Cogs will not re-animate if destroyed.  The Peril seems to know this, and Cog Abominations will retreat if faced with certain destruction '" the Saffron Moss would usually rather lose a battle than lose a Cog.

Only Soldier Cogs will enter an area of Moss willingly, and then only if their orders require it for some reason '" they will avoid it at all other times.  They will destroy infested Cogs that they find; this is the only known instance when a Cog will naturally attack another Cog.  Soldier Cogs in general seem to act as kind of a Cog police force, eliminating Cogs that have fallen under unnatural influences (usually, magic domination or the Peril).

Other non-living creatures, such as corporeal undead, can likewise have Moss growing on them '" but will not be infested.  Oddly, once a corporeal undead creature with Moss on it is slain and reverts to being just a corpse, it will be infested shortly, making 'zombification' an unorthodox but valid way to protect a corpse from falling under the influence of the Peril.  The Saffron Moss seemingly knows this and will attack undead it thinks it can destroy.  Creatures that cannot be infested are generally ignored unless they pose a threat or strike the Moss as convenient transportation vectors.

There are entire regions given over to the Peril.  The largest patch is called, appropriately, the 'Mosswaste.'  Travelers avoid this place, though several linked Umbril villages known as the Netai Confederation occupy an island in the middle of a sea surrounded by the waste.  The only real contact with the Confederation is by the air, and Khauta canopy skiffs occasionally make voyages there.  The Netai Umbril are perhaps the only ones of their kind who have no particular problem with heights.

Moats are effective at stopping the Moss's spread, and Abominations will not wade into a substantial body of water.  The Obsidian Plain does not bar the spread of the Peril, though it does not last long there either, as lava flows are very effective at removing infestations.

Where did the Peril come from? Nobody knows for certain.  Some say that it was the Peril which brought down the ancient civilization now swallowed by the Jungle, but this seems unlikely, or else the world would be Moss instead of Jungle.  Most ruins are not infested.  Others say the Peril was created by a mad wizard or shaman, or perhaps it was simply constituted from something intangible, like hatred or greed.  Theories about its origin are much like theories about the downfall of the ancients '" many, and impossible to confirm.

Holy hell Mith, this stuff is scary as all getup. Part virus, part moss, part frikkin zombiefication center... it's the biological equivalent of the borg.

I love it.

Although I'm curious as to what's keeping this thing from taking over right now. You've said that it covers many square miles, and can act in unified movements across all of that, so what's the magic bullet that's keeping it from simply eating the world?

The Peril is both very powerful and very vulnerable.  Without its Abominations, it has absolutely no defense except its suggestion ability, which only has a range of 10 feet and is fairly limited in its effect.  A group of peasants with some Fire Oil, or even regular lamp oil, can lay waste to a large area of Moss assuming no Abominations are around.  Thus, the Peril can only safely expand where it has the servants to do so; it has to plan its expansions carefully, as it never has enough Abominations to expand as much as it would like.

A single mid-level party could scour a large area if properly equipped, and in practice they often do, either as a civic service or under contract.  The Moss is also the only thing that can bring many villages together in mutual cooperation, because everyone recognizes it as the greater evil.

The Moss is also opposed by creatures.  Canopy Wyrms (flying dragons) and Crash Wyrms (non-flying dragons) hate the Moss regardless of their own alignment, and breath weapons are very good at clearing away the Peril.

So basically, the Moss grows quickly, but it is also opposed by powerful enemies.  It would be almost impossible to exterminate it altogether and some areas (like the Mosswaste) have been abandoned to it, but barring some drastic shift in power it isn't likely to end the world.  On the whole, however, it tends to gain more ground than it loses, and may pose a greater threat to future generations.

By the way, I don't know if we're still doing review badges or not, but anyone who has reviewed or given feedback is free to take a badge:

[spoiler=Linking Badge Code][url=http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?39646][img]http://www.thecbg.org/e107_files/public/cjungle.gif[/img][/url][/spoiler]

Taken and worn with pride.

By the by, here's one that links back to the setting; seems a bit more useful that way. Hit quote to retrieve it.

Good idea.  I'll update that.

Something else I realized about containing the Moss - undead are the perfect Moss-fighters, because they can't be infested until destroyed, and they are immune to the Peril's psionics.  I imagine that, even though undead creation is frowned upon, everyone considers the Moss worse - so village Necromancers might occasionally create armies of undead specifically for Moss-fighting, and then "disband" them once the local Peril had been eliminated or cut back enough.

[ic=Exerpt, Precepts of Aerial War]Maxims of Attraction [gravity]:
1: Attraction is the friend of the Flyer.
2: Attraction is the enemy of the Flyer.
3: The Master Flyer is he who reads the first two maxims and sees no contradiction.
- Erta-Tav Nadrul, Umbril Flyer[/ic]



The closest way from point A to point B is a straight line.  Unfortunately, in a dense jungle, traveling in a straight line is impossible, even with a lodestone to point you in the right direction.  With trees all around and the canopy extending far above, even figuring out where you are can be a terrible challenge '" you could well be at the foot of a massive mountain range and never know it until you started climbing.  Above the tallest trees, where the Canopy Wyrms reign, is the ultimate vantage point: the open sky, with its unobscured view of the Forest for miles and miles.  With all the benefits offered by flight, it is probably no wonder that the civilized species of the Clockwork Jungle pursued flight so successfully.  The brave explorers, flyers, scouts, and adventurers who make the skies their second home are the Dendronauts, those who skip over the treetops without any jungle to bar their way.  And the marvelous invention with which they accomplish this feat?  None other than the venerable and much-praised khauta, which we know better as a hot air balloon.
[note=Purpose]The khauta is a key part of the "verticality" principle I mentioned as one of the campaign world's main themes.  It's a fairly low-tech way to get characters in the air, and not a technological stretch - as Julian Nott, master ballooner, once noted, "With just a loom and fire" anybody can fly.  It becomes even more plausible here when you remember that the Clockwork Jungle has only half Earth's gravity.[/note]
The khauta is named for Yik Buri Khaut, a Gheen weaver who was inspired by the way some spiders drift from tree to tree on free-floating silk strands caught by the wind.  She began to experiment with woven silk herself, trying all manner of ways to fly like the spiders did.  Her career of invention reached a particularly low point when she jumped off a tree platform and fell more than a hundred feet to the forest floor below; her long strip of silk cloth utterly failed to stop her descent.

Nevertheless, Buri Khaut survived and began to search for other ways she could take to the sky.  Eventually, she found a way '" a tightly woven silken bag, when filled with hot smoke, floated upwards.  She designed bigger and stronger balloons until she had woven one powerful enough to lift herself, in a sling made of woven leaves, above the canopy.  History was made, and though Buri Khaut was devoured by a Canopy Wyrm on her balloon's maiden voyage, her invention revolutionized travel in the Clockwork Jungle.

The most basic kind of khauta is called a 'canopy skiff.'  Canopy skiffs are unpowered, short-range balloons consisting of a single large balloon and a lightweight basket that carries a handful of individuals.  The balloon is filled by smoke from a bonfire on the ground, launched, and then flown until the heat of the smoke runs low and the balloon is forced to land.  Long distances can be covered step by step with canopy skiffs, but the passengers must stop frequently to refill the balloon, a time consuming process.  The weight limit of a canopy skiff is also limited, so on long voyages foraging is needed to supply the passengers.  Despite its inherent limitations, these simple khautas are perfect for all manner of short-range travel and local scouting.

Khautas that heat their own air are called 'smokeships.'  These vessels are usually utilized to carry small cargo loads or a few people over long distances, since they only need to land for more fuel, not to re-inflate the entire balloon.  The most abundant fuel is charcoal.  Charcoal is rather heavy, however, given its fuel output, which limits the weight-bearing capacity of the ship.  Distilled alcohol is far less common but generally a better fuel.  Unlike charcoal, however, highly refined alcohol is not always readily available (Iskite clove rum will not fly a balloon).  Some smokeships utilize multiple balloons in a single ship.

When travelling over the Obsidian Plain, lava vents, thermal springs, and sulfurous pits are sometimes exploited for 'free' hot air.  The Plain, however, has very few places where food or fresh water can be found.  As a result, one of the most important khauta routes is the 'Black Circle,' which skirts the edge of the Obsidian Plain.  Flyers on this route can use hot air sources just beyond the Plain's edge to refill their canopy skiffs, and dip into the nearby forested areas for needed supplies.

A small handful of vessels use arcane means to generate lift.  The most notable is the Starnought, built by a rather eccentric Umbril magus named Tenro-Il.  It is kept aloft at all times by a three balloons with some kind of captive 'smoke demons' (at least, that is what Tenro-Il calls them; nobody else has ever seen them).  Suspended below is a an entire ship hull, in which the magus, his apprentices, servants, and guests live.  It has not touched the ground in years.

A khauta that is permanently tethered to the ground is called a 'hulk.'  They are used as stationary observation posts or even aerial docks.

The khauta's spider silk can be dyed for a variety of purposes.  Canopy skiffs are often dyed in camouflage greens in an attempt to make them invisible to Canopy Wyrms, while others are dyed with a village's colors or whatever the flyers feel like.  Regular flyers on the Black Circle dye black stripes on their balloons to indicate how many times they've made the circuit, while the Netai Smokefleet dyes their balloons a fearsome and unmistakable orange color so their enemies know who they're dealing with.

Steering a khauta is the most difficult part of its operation.  The winds above the canopy are powerful, and without any steering system every craft will be at the mercy of the skies.  Ordinary sails don't do much, because the winds relative to the khauta are not very strong '" the khauta moves with the wind and is not anchored to a surface like a boat is.  Sails can only function by using wind shear; that is, localized differences in wind speed.  A smokeship with a sail extending significantly above or below the craft can 'tap into' layers of wind moving in different directions.  Such arrangements take great skill to build and operate, however, because a craft could easily be ripped apart by massive torque if its sail hit an unexpectedly fast or turbulent area of wind.

'Tetherships' are sometimes used to get around this problem.  A Tethership is just two khautas connected by a long rope.  The 'main' balloon carries most of the cargo and passengers, while the 'tack' balloon has a minimal crew.  The tack balloon is designed to pull much more wind than the main balloon, and has sails to extend its surface area.  The Tethership exploits wind shear by having its components in two different shear zones.  Only very skilled crews can properly operate a Tethership, since near-perfect communication and coordination is required to prevent a horrific accident.  Unexpected shear zones can still wreck these craft.  The best example of this was the Battle of Seven Fortunate Winds during the 3rd Netai War (a conflict fought almost exclusively in the air), when the Umbril of the Netai Confederation Smokefleet drove the Iskite forces of the Right Orientation Alliance 2nd Canopy Scout Troop toward the side of a mountain, where a strong lee current annihilated the majority of the Alliance fleet.

As an alternative, one or more large kites are sometimes used instead of a tack balloon.  These are more difficult to control, but can be more effective in the hands of a skilled kite flyer.

Canopy skiff pilots and crews without the experience to use sails or tetherships must simply wait for a favorable wind.  The only other option is the use of 'claws,' long poles or ropes with metal hooks on the end.  These are used on craft that stick close to the canopy, so the crew can use the claws to push or pull their way along the treetops.  This is called 'clawing out,' and it only works when the wind is fairly mild.  Canopy skiffs can also travel within the canopy itself by clawing out; this works well in some areas, but especially dense canopies will have no room for canopy skiffs to glide around.

Finally, some larger smokeships use hand-powered 'wind screws' (basically propellers) to move the ship.  Only the largest of ships can carry the necessary manpower to move a craft with wind screws in high winds, but in low-wind conditions nearly any craft can move slowly with wind screws (though even then probably not directly against the wind).

Though the Gheen were the first to take to the skies, they do not hold a monopoly on that any more.  The Iskites were quick to adopt the new technology, and had some advantages of their own.  Chiefly, the Iskites had been observing the stars far longer than the Gheen owing to their open-air settlements, and were able to use the stars to navigate over long distances even without a lodestone compass.  'Flyer' is a recognized profession among the Iskites, who train pilots from a young age and school them well in mathematics and the mechanics of flight.  Gheen flyers are usually less technically skilled but more experienced, relying on a flyer's intuition instead of detailed measurements.

Umbril and Tahro do not fly as often.  In the case of the Tahro, their semi-nomadic nature makes it difficult for them to build and maintain a standing fleet.  They are generally content to use Iskite or Gheen khautas to go places, should that become necessary.  Umbril suffer from a near-universal racial fear of heights, and like to stay as far away from khauta as possible.  There are exceptions to this, particularly the Umbril of the Netai Confederation, who live on an assortment of islands on an inland sea and have mastered that particular fear.  Netai flyers are trained on a variation of the Iskite model and are just as proficient as their Gheen or Iskite counterparts, and perhaps the most renowned combat flyers in the Jungle.

There are a few examples of "permanent" Khauta nomads, usually Gheen, who (for whatever reason) have left their villages and live much of their lives in the air.  Some end up plying the Black Circle or other major routes, while some find employment as couriers or surveyors.  Still others stay far away from the few motes of civilization, living adventurous and lonely lives in the deep jungle, or make their homes in untouched ruins.  There is a legend among some Iskite villages of a massive airship where Iskite exiles congregate, or perhaps a ruin complex someplace deep in the Forest where only khautas can reach.  The Netai Umbril sometimes speak of a legendary "Perilous Craft," a great airship crewed entirely by Abominations that preys upon unwary flyers, or those who go down in the Mosswaste.  Most rumors about mysterious giant airships are not true, but as long as a few real examples exist (like the Starnought), imaginative beings will wonder what else might ply the skies in foreign lands.

Flying may be fast, but it is also extremely dangerous.  Besides unexpected wind shear, which has already been mentioned, a flyer must deal with rain (this is a rainforest world, if you recall), lightning storms, and the bane of every flyer, Canopy Wyrms.  Storm Wyrms enjoy the taste of mammal flesh and can breathe lightning, and no creature is more hated by the Gheen.  Cloud and Thermal Wyrms are less outright hostile, but will sometimes destroy a khauta just for fun.  Just as often, however, they will simply circle around it or knock it around a bit until their curiosity is sated, and on at least one occasion a Thermal Wyrm has used its searing hot breath to keep a khauta afloat that was about to crash.  They are mercurial creatures whose behavior is difficult to predict, and most flyers simply try to stay away from them, usually by ducking into the relative safety of the canopy if their approach is detected.

Aerial combat also occurs between khautas.  The Netai Wars were famous for this, because khautas are the only "safe" means of travel to and from the Netai Isles.  Balloons are surprisingly hardy; tighly woven spider silk is resistant to projectiles, and a hole from an arrow does not let out air fast enough to be an immediate concern.  Unfortunately, spider silk is also very flammable, and a balloon that is set aflame quickly becomes a towering inferno.  The 2nd Netai War (also known as the War of Five Storms) saw the introduction of various alchemical preparations that could protect a balloon from fire, at the cost of some lifting power (as the solution had to be applied to the entire balloon, which made it heavier).  Even non-fireproofed balloons can resist fire arrows as long as they meet the enemy when it rains, which it does almost constantly during the wet season.
[note=Combat]It should be remembered that these weapons and tactics were designed for the Netai Wars and are unknown outside the greater Netai region.  In most places in the Jungle, the largest khauta vs. khauta battles are between two scout skiffs that happen to run into each other.  Outside the Netai Wars, massed khauta combat has been extremely rare.[/note]
Various other methods of destroying enemy khautas were experimented with, but the only ones that endured through the next few Netai Wars were the catch-claw, an extra-long and very sharp steering claw modified to rip at the ropes connecting a khauta's balloon to its gondola (which crews attempt to fend off with forked staves); the khauta bomb, a cask of an Umbril alchemical oil that burns intensely in contact with water (dropped from above, the oil burns so hot that it totally ignores the alchemical fireproofing); and talon-throwers, lightweight ballistae 2-3 times the size of a crossbow used to shoot at a khauta's crew or fire harpoons into a craft's balloon to keep it from escaping.

Nice. Very nice. Unfortunately, that's all I can think of to say at the moment... maybe I'll think of something more constructive later.

Okay, I've come up with a question. One thing that I'm finding hard to imagine, and so I want definitely answered. What kind of adventures do you see Our Heroes having in this setting?