Kahtar: Magic Of The Ancient World

[Wensleydale]

Binder

[spoiler=The Binder]
The Binder creates magic items from the Amenta, imbuing himself and objects with potential.

HD: D8.
MPD: 2D2.
Class Skills: The Binder's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Appraise (Int), Craft (Int), Disable Device (Dex), Knowledge (Arcana), Open Lock (Dex), Profession (Wis), UMD (Cha).
Skill Points at each level: 2 + Int Mod.
Requirements: Craft (Any) 8 Ranks, Knowledge (Arcana) 4 Ranks, Use Magic Device 4 Ranks.
 
[class=Binder]
[levels=10]
[bab=cleric]
[will=good]
[ref=good]
[special][1]Imbue, Force Weapon, +1 Weave[/1][2]+1[/2][3]+1 Weave[/3][4]+2[/4][5]+1 Weave[/5][6]+3[/6][7]+1 Weave[/7][8]+4[/8][9]+1 Weave[/9][10]+5, Greater Imbue[/10][/special]
[/class]

Imbue (Su): As a standard action, a Binder can apply an enhancement bonus (or a magic item special quality with a value equal to that bonus) or the effects of a weave to either his hands or a weapon. The bonus, special quality or weave effect costs, in MP, double the bonus value of the quality (for bonuses and special qualities) or double the level of the weave (for weaves). If the infused power is a bonus or special quality, it lasts a number of rounds equal to your Binder level. If it is a weave, it also lasts for that long, and can be discharged next time you hit and do damage with that weapon. You can't apply enhancements until level 2, when you gain your first.

Force Blade (Su): Once per day as a standard action, you can create a blade of force. The blade can be any melee weapon you have proficiency with. All imbued qualities to this weapon cost -1 MP. Alternatively, you can create Force Gauntlets, allowing you to deal lethal damage with an unarmed strike, or Force Arrows, with which you can sheathe a single arrow in force. With both types, all damage dealt is force damage, and the weapon is considered magical.  

Greater Imbue (Su): Three times per day, you can create permanent magic items as the Imbue ability. You must spend one hour in concentration inside a workshop with tools worth at least 2000GP, and spend at least 5000GP/Enhancement Level OR Weave level added. At the end of the process you must make a craft check with a DC equal to (DC for masterwork weapon of that type +1/enhancement OR weave level).  
[/spoiler]

[Wensleydale]

-Reserved for Mhithad PrCs-

[Wensleydale]

-Reserved for Europan PrCs-

[Wensleydale]

Religion

 Numidi

[spoiler=The Wayfaiths]

 The Way and the Path

Followers of the Wayfaiths believe in one god (if you can call him that), Haj-Uh-Mala. Haj-Uh-Mala is both the Creator and the Paradise, the Maker and the Made - your life - your Way - should be lived in the best way possible to enter Haj-Uh-Mala.
Acts such as revering Haj-Uh-Mala, being kind to children and the poor, giving gifts to travellers and converting others to your path - if force by necessary - are considered parts of the right Way. Yihad - Holy Wars - are usually based around conversion to the right Way.
The Path, on the other hand, is slightly different. It is a principle introduced by the first Caliph (and is now known to scholars as Caliphism). The Path is the only right Way to follow - and the Caliph steers his nation along that Path.

 Priesthood: Most areas that follow the Wayfaiths (such as Dohyi and Ashaya) have few priests - wise men and hermits are consulted for guidance, but do not undergo holy ceremonies or other such shows of faith as those of other religions do. Within the Caliphate, though, the Children of the Prophet are priests - servants to the Caliph, but priests, too.

 Holy Texts: There are few holy texts for the Wayfaiths, except in the Caliphate, where there are many. Information is passed down by word of mouth. In the Caliphate, Daj-Ah-Hujal's Book of the Path serves as guidance, even hundreds of years on from its author's death.

 Holy Days: Caliphism celebrates the founding of the Caliphate and the birthday of the first Caliph and the present one, and of course the birthday of Daj-Ah-Hujal, writer of the Book of the Path which sparked the first Caliph's imagination and drove him to bring the plateau under the stead of a religious ruler.
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=The Numidi Dwarfborn]

The Dwarfborn religion follows the Great River. To them, the River is their god, their goddess, their ruler, their lord. The Riverborn is constantly reincarnating, the body of the old buried in the mud far beneath the river and the new being born above it. The Riverborn may be male, or female, but always the incarnation of the river.

Tenets and Commandments: The religion of the Great River shows many things about the Dwarfborn - the Seven Incarnations of the river all demand one thing from them, and knowledge of this can be a useful tool when dealing with them. The Seven Incarnations are the Riverborn (see below) the Scholar, the Invoker, the Warrior, the Honourable, the Truthspeaker and the Mother. What they demand is as follows:

The Riverborn: That you follow the other Incarnations' laws.

The Scholar: That you seek knowledge wherever you go.

The Invoker: That you treat the Amenta and its beings respectfully.

The Warrior: That you defend your home when you can and fight for your people when possible.

The Honourable: That you keep your word to the letter.

The Truthspeaker: That you do not directly lie (although this does not prevent you from telling half the truth or a different truth altogether).

The Mother: That you never harm a child.

Of course, the Incarnations' requirements are followed by all true Dwarfborn. However, ways around and through these requirements have been discovered by Dwarfborn throughout the ages, and so a wary negotiator should not think a Dwarfborn trapped by these laws...
Each of the Incarnations has an animal to go with it; a Dwarfborn for the Riverborn, an Ibis for the scholar, a Falcon for the Invoker, an Eagle for the Warrior, an Elephant for the Honourable, a Crocodile for the Truthspeaker and a Rhinoceros for the Mother. Statues to them inside their separate temples (the only buildings dedicated to all are small shrines) are always fountains and always use that animal, and their priests often wear masks or tattoos resembling that animal.

Gods and Portfolios:
The Riverborn: The Dwarfborn people and their nations and cities.

The Scholar: Knowledge, tutelage and writing.

The Invoker: Summoning, Invokers, the Amenta, and the creatures of that place.

The Warrior: War, battle, soldiers and smiths.

The Honourable: Judges, law, justice and bankers.

The Truthspeaker: Nobles, politicians, administrators and traders.

The Mother: Animals, life, love, couples, children and parents.

The Riverborn is the only Incarnation seen in the flesh - he or she is the River's Will made living and real, and is thus a near-god and ruler of the Dwarfborn. His or her power is not absolute, but there is little that he or she cannot do.

Holy Texts: The Holy Texts of the River Faith are carved in stone in the Hall of a Thousand Fountains. Water pours down them, making the golden writing hard to read - but gold does not tarnish...

Holy Days: 'Riverism' celebrates the birth of their current Riverborn and the holy days of each of the seven incarnations, spaced throughout the year.
[/spoiler]

[spoiler= Atayam Religion]
Atayam was founded by fugitive elfborn and their human slaves after the downfall of the Ihueli empire, and it retains many fundamental principles of the Ihueli religion today. They even keep firebird feathers for use in ceremonies.

Tenets and Commandments: The Elfborn religion demands three things of its practitioners: That they do what is best for the elfborn, that they never kill another elfborn unless it is necessary to follow the first commandment, and that they venerate the Six. Another commandment has been added due to the Bleakness - that is, to execute mages.

Deities: There are six deities in Elfborn religion, each associated with an animal.

 The Creator (Tiger): The Creator formed the elfborn in his mind and set them out into the world. He is usually considered the ruler of the Six. His animal is the Tiger, the Swifthunter, and thus the Creator governs agility. He is the main patron of elfborn.

 The Destroyer (Snake): The Destroyer is the main enemy of the creator. Appearing as a snake and patronising all things snakelike, he is deadly and feared. He is thought by scholars to be the heavily weakened god of the extinct Yuan-ti.

 The Mother (Deer): The Mother is a kind spirit, watching over travel and children. "Forsaken by the Mother" literally means infertile, and "Taken by the Mother's spirit" means pregnant. The Mother is often shown as a rotund, sitting, smiling naked elfborn woman with a deer's head and legs and several children on her lap.

 The Many (Scarab): The Many is enigmatic and hidden, a multitude of insects working together, sometimes for good, sometimes for evil. Nobody knows how the Many's minds work, and altogether he's worryingly strange. He is the patron of intelligence and discovery.

 The Lover (Cat): The Lover is seductive, always shown as female. She watches over young couples and fertility, sharing parts of her portfolio with the Mother.

 The Singer (Songbird): The Singer is patron of music, the arts, power, magic, and all things creative. He is usually shown as male, although female versions exist, and people still say that he appears sometimes, a mystical minstrel walking in and playing one tune or singing one song before leaving.

These six (along with a seventh) also feature in Mahi religion. Each of them is worshiped using small wooden or stone figures with a lighted firebird feather placed before them. Once prepared like this, devotions and prayers can be directed toward them.

Priests: Elfborn religion has priests in every village, wise men and women who usually double as warders and maintainers of the Firebirds.

Holy Texts: Few Holy Texts survived the Fall, and those that did are now lost in time.

Holy Days: Each god has a holy week devoted to it during the year, but apart from that, there are few Holy Days in Elfborn Religion.
[/spoiler]

 The Aelwydan Faiths - Düwes Natur and the Fey Folk

[spoiler=The Gods]
Duwes-Natur is the main religious entity with Guerin-Aelwyd society. In some stories she is said to be the queen of the fey, in others the world itself, but all stories agree on one thing; when man was first born upon the world, Duwes-Natur appeared to them in the form of a young woman and showed them the arts of survival, the arts of cooking, the arts of living... everything they needed. Her final gift was that of magic, that wondrous ability granted to a choice few, the power to channel nature in all its power...
She is said to still walk among the trees of the forests in western Aelwyd, and if you were to go there, you would see her among the trees. Druids are her main priests, and are known to be able to whip up a frenzy among the Guerin in her name... a reason why Kahtar-controlled Guerin settlements fear a druid so much. She also has a son named Llyr, who, as god of the sea, is relatively unknown to the inhabitants of Aelwyd.

Lugan, God of the Sun

Lugan is God of the Sun, worshiped as a lesser deity and son of Duwes-Natur. He represents cleansing, fire, warmth, and new life, and he has his own festival, Lugannasuh, which begins at the verge of spring.
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=The Tylwyth-Teg, Faerie Folk]

Belpheron or Cernunnus

Belpheron, or Cernunnus as he is sometimes known, is not exactly a deity, but a being of great power nonetheless. He is consort of the queen of the faeries, but more than that, he is leader of the Great Hunt (or Wild Hunt). This hunt rides upon Samhain, the festival night of Spirits, and hunts those not of Aelwyd. Toward the end of the night the hunt rears around and pushes the spirits back into the Netherworld, disappearing with the dawn. Although Güerin are not in extreme danger from the Hunt, they are terrified of it and Samhain is the only night of the year that hunting is taboo, and leaving a village is unwise.

 Titania, the Unnamed Queen

The Queen of the Faeries is a powerful figure in Aelwydan life. Although not strictly a deity (at least, not if the stories about Düwes-Natur being queen are false), tributes are often left to her in stumps and hollow trees because this is considered good luck. She has been named 'Titania' by the Aequii, but the Güerin-Aelwyd see this as something on the verge of heresy. The Queen of the Faeries has no name in their own legends.
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Festivals and Druids]
Samhain

One of the three great feastdays in the Güerin-Aelwyd calendar, Samhain is the night of the dead. The Güerin stay within their villages, and have a great feast around their bonfire, as within the forests, strange things happen. The fey come out and parade through the forests, the gates to the spirit world open and the spirits taste life once more, and the Great Hunt rides. At dawn, however, the spirits are herded back in by the Great Hunt, which promptly disappears, and the fey return to their homes.

 Druids

Druids are the priests of Düwes-Natur in one sense, and community leaders in another. Many of them wander from village to village, although most villages have one in residence, and the large temple buildings they often use are famous for the size of their standing-stone-like construction. Druids are said not to be able to lie, although whether this is true or not is unknown. Their religion, as you could call it, not only venerates Düwes-Natur and the other gods, but also several natural elements, such as the oak, certain groves, tops of hills, streams, lakes and even plants. [/spoiler]  

 The Religions of the Europan Peoples

[spoiler=The Norda Faith]
In the cold west of Europa, only one religion is followed (although with many variations). The Norda faith - a polytheistic faith which involves, among other things, human sacrifices. There are few temples, and those that there are are extremely important. Priestesses are uncommon, too, those that there are being druids of a sort. The only males who become priests are the leaders of large family groups - they administer the sacrifices. In the northerly provinces, these sacrifices are undergone once every four years, as well as at burials (when slaves are buried with their masters). In some of the southerly provinces, clan chiefs can be de-elected, and when they are, sacrifice is common. Odan, god of Death, watches over and recieves these sacrifices as honourable deaths. Strangling is the usual method of sacrifice.

Odan, Vilas and Ves make up the upper trinity of gods, with Odan watching over death, Vilas over the weather and Ves over the life of their charges. Odan's wife, Brunna, watches over birth and women, whilst their child, Thord, watches over the weather. Thord's wife, Yggdriena, watches over the crops, fields and seasons. These six make up the Pantheon.
[/spoiler]

 Astalian Religion

[spoiler=The Empire of the Stars]
The People of Astalia mostly worship the bloodline of the Star Emperor - their ruler - and his children. Those who don't are frequently executed. The current Star Emperor is Tang Yuan, the sixteenth of the third bloodline.

Tenets and Commandments: The faith of the Star Emperor has one commandment - to obey the will of the Star Emperor and follow his laws. Why? Because then you will find a greater plays in the Many Heavens, and perhaps be reincarnated as something greater, more powerful. If you don't, you might be reincarnated as something horrible.

Priests: There are few Priests of the Star Emperor - instead, monasteries dot the land, places of spiritual guidance.

Holy Texts: There are many religious texts about the Many Heavens and the rulership of the Star Emperor over them, and of course the daemons' roles within them. Important ones include The Heavenly Cosmology by Hin Yang.

Holy Days: Emperor Reverence celebrates the crowning day of the current Star Emperor and, to a lesser extent, those of his predecessors.
 [/spoiler]

 Do-Bejhese Religion    

[spoiler=The Ancestors]
The people of Do-Bejh follow the ancient religion of Ancestral Veneration - something that has affected religion in both the Mahi and Astalia. They always invoke the blessings of their ancestors when guessing or estimating, and often when not. The common greeting in Do-Bejh is 'By the powers of my Ancient and Venerable Ancestors, I speak that I greet you', and the common farewell 'By the blessings of our Venerable Ancestors both, we shall meet again.'

Tenets and Commandments: There are no real commandments in the Ancestral Worship practices of Do-Bejh - more, you try to do what is right to please your ancestors and join them in feasting in the Seven Halls. Your Ancestors watch over you, and you please them.
Burials and funerals are extremely expensive and special occasions, and although nomadic, the Do-Bejhese will stop often for a week at a time to bury and mourn.

Priests: There are no Priests in Do-Bejhese religion, although there are a few wise men and Spirit Walkers who speak with the dead and ask their guidance.

Holy Texts: Again, there are no Holy Texts in Do-Bejhese religion.

Holy Days: Ancestors' death-days and birth-days are sometimes celebrated, but there are no official holy days.
[/spoiler]

 The Religion of the Mahi

[spoiler=Dioism, Influenced by Many]
The religion of the orcs of Mahi is not their own - it is a combination of more than three different religions into one collective whole, known as Dioism. The religions include ancient orc tribal beliefs, western pantheonic faiths, Do-Bejhese ancestor worship and the ancient religion of the elfborn.

Tenets and Commandments: Deep at the heart of Dioism are three ideas: the principles of Reincarnation, of the Seven Heavens and of Divine Intervention. The fundamentals of these three principles are as follows.
1)That you are Reincarnated after death, and should strive to be reincarnated as something better than what you are already.
2)That everything has a place layed out for it in the Seven Heavens, but that you must achieve ultimate goodness to reach this place and break out of the endless cycle of reincarnation.
3)That the gods also have their places in the Seven Heavens, and by using the priveliges of these places can influence mortal lives. Thus, revering the gods can assist you in everyday life.

So, to achieve a true place outside the Endless Cycle, you must reach ultimate goodness - and it can help with your life, your next life and even where you end up in the Heavens to revere the gods properly.

Gods: The Gods of Dioism are several hundred in number, with a spirit for every stream, every rock, every hill. The most powerful, however, are the Seven Totem Spirits and Five Wordly Gods. The Totem Spirits stand above the Worldly Gods, and are as follows:

[spoiler=The Seven]
The Creator (Tiger): True Name: Ahui'im'Uia. The Creator formed the orcs in his mind and set them out into the world. He is usually considered the ruler of the Totems. His animal is the Tiger, the Swifthunter, and thus the Creator governs agility. He is the main patron of orcs.

 The Destroyer (Snake): True Name: Ahui'im'Amian. The Destroyer is the main enemy of the creator. Appearing as a snake and patronising all things snakelike, he is deadly and feared. A favoured curse, spoken in Totemspeak, is 'Totem-of-Snake-take-you!', Ahui'im'Amian-Alil-Hal! He is thought by scholars to be the heavily weakened god of the extinct Yuan-ti.

 The Mother (Deer): True Name: Ahui'im'Aliu. The Mother is a kind spirit, watching over travel and children. The Mother is often shown as a rotund deer with several orc children suckling from her nipples.

 The Many (Scarab): True Name: Ahui'im'Seskatu. The Many is enigmatic and hidden, a multitude of insects working together, sometimes for good, sometimes for evil. Nobody knows how the Many's minds work, and altogether he's worryingly strange. He is the patron of intelligence and discovery.

 The Lover (Cat): True Name: Ahui'im'Alusa. The Lover is seductive, always shown as female. She watches over young couples and fertility, sharing parts of her portfolio with the Mother. The Lover is said to have disguised herself as a beautiful woman and led The Leader to greatness before leaving him with a kingdom and demigod children.

 The Singer (Songbird): True Name: Ahui'im'Ama'Siha: The Singer is patron of music, the arts, power, magic, and all things creative. He is usually shown as male, although female versions exist, and people still say that he appears sometimes, a mystical minstrel walking in and playing one tune or singing one song before leaving.

 The Leader (Eagle): True Name: Ahui'im'Amau: Amau, or Tahi as his mortal name was, was the founder of Mahi. He forged out a land and left a legacy for his descendants that lasted 500 years... when Tachi, a direct-line descendant, died without any children.
[/spoiler]
[spoiler=The Five]
Nipton: The earthly god of water, ruler of the Water Spirits and patron of sailors. Servant of the Singer.

Vanas: The female earthly goddess of lovers, children, homes and mothers. Servant of the Lover and the Mother.

Miros: Earthly god of war and battle. Servant of the Leader and the Creator.

Plute: The female earthly goddess of death, patron of funeral priests and others who deal with death on a day-to-day basis. Servant of the Creator and the Destroyer.

Jupite: The male earthly god of animals and crops, especially reptiles. Servant of the Singer and the Many.
[/spoiler]

Each of the Earthly Gods serves at least one of the Totems. The Totems oversee the running of the universe and your place in the Seven Heavens, whilst the Earthly Gods serve them and oversee mortal lives. They have the powers of both themselves and their masters to assist mortals and help them through their lives.
[/spoiler]

[Wensleydale]

Aequii Provinces

The Aequii control many different countries, now little more than provinces of the empire. Grekos, Corinthi, Roma Norda, Norda Pola, Tothnorda Pola, Germana, Galla and Aequius are the eight well-known ones. Roma Norda, Norda Pola and Tothnorda Pola were once all one nation, but although they still share a religion, a language, and many different customs, they were split by the Empire. Germana and Galla are celtic in a way, although domesticated, and Grekos and Corinthi are the homes of civilisation - or were, until the Aequii stole their ideas, their philosophy, their fame and their lands. It was a Greek Philosopher that first came up with the theory of magic, and a Corinthian who developed the Six Ascending Mantras - a training technique to assist sorcerors in controlling their abilities. It was a Greek Sorceror who designed the first Speedship, and the principles of bound magic. But the Aequii stole these ideas and made them bigger and better.

[spoiler=Grekos at a Glance]
Grekos
Main Language: Greek.
Density: Average.
Exports: Philosophy, artwork, wine, magical weapons.
Imports: Money, people.
Racial Population: 96% Human, 1% Changeling, 3% Elfborn.
Governor: Antonius of House Scipii, Sitter on the Senate.
Description: Once one of the civilised capitals of the world, Grekos was an amalgamation of hundreds of city-states all squabbling and attempting to outdo one another. Under Aequii rule, however, this animosity has been stamped out and Grekos can be truely called one nation. However, most of their inventions have been lost to the Kahtari, and those that they create, all too often the Kahtari take credit for.
[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Corinthi at a Glance]
Corinthi
Main Language: Corin.
Density: Average.
Exports: Wine, fashion, magic.
Imports: People, money, fashion, magic.
Racial Population: 94% Human, 1% Changeling, 5% Elfborn.
Governor: Nero of House Brutii, Treasurer for the Senate.
Description: Once as much a cultural hub as Grekos, Corinthi has been reduced as Grekos was. However, Corinthians are thought to be the most fashionable of the Aequii, and trends are set and lost both there. The governor, Nero Brutii, was sent here to get him away from Aequius (although the Emperor would surely have preferred him to take a place in Aelwyd instead). Oddly, the Amenta Wells in Corinthi have remained healthy despite the constant Binding going on there.
[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Aequius at a Glance]
Aequius
Main language: Aequian.
Density: Heavy.
Exports: Money, troops, inventions, wine, steel.
Imports: Money, troops, inventions, wine, resources.
Racial Population: 92% Human,7% Elfborn, 1% Changeling.
Governor: Julius XVI, of House Julii.
Description: The Houses of the Aequii are in a most unusual situation - House Julii holds Aequius, and thus the city of the same name, the capital of the empire - but House Brutii holds the throne. Aequius is a melting pot of power. There is little left of what used to be unused land - the cities have expanded, swallowing up other cities, and the factories in which Binding is performed en masse grow more, and larger, every day. Politics is rife even among the relaxing country villas, and the immense fortification that Julius is planning to build (taking a cue from Hadrius, an officer in Galla) will surround Aequius totally - the last stage in Julius' plan to take the throne. An Amenta Rift is kept forcibly open by the most powerful kind of Binding Magic there is, and crackles with energy within the huge monument that Julius has commissioned for the centre of his state - another propaganda bid. House Julii looks set to take the throne.
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=The Nordic States at a Glance]
Roma Norda, Norda Pola, Tothnorda Pola
Main Language: Nordic.
Density: Light.
Exports: Warriors, ale, weaponry, furs.
Imports: Magic, steel.
Racial Population: 95% Human, 5% Elfborn.
Governor: Dato IX of House Brutii, Emperor of Aequius.
Description: As the Emperor, Dato IX can technically do what he wants. Unable to take Aequius by diplomacy or force, he retired to the three Nordic states where he rules by influence instead of might. He hopes to return to Aequius and take it, but that seems unlikely -the population of the Nordic Lands are... unfriendly, to say the least, with their own religion, customs, and deep-seated dislike of their conquerors. In true fact, the Nordic lands are not really under the control of the Empire at all - something which Dato may have had something to do with, as he most likely knows perfectly well that Julius intends to take the throne - and the Nordic lands will bar any access to the Western Empire if they rebel. The changelings have made a trade agreement with him to assist him in taking Aequius, so any who think he has no allies and no strength are foolish indeed.
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Germana at a Glance]
Germana  
Main language: Germanic.
Density: Light.
Exports: Troops, alchohol, furs, weapons.
Imports: Troops, resources.
Racial Population: 98.5% Human, 1% Elfborn, 0.5% Changeling.
Governor: Augustine XII of House Scipii, Sitter on the Senate.
Description: Germana is a celtic state, and in majority it refuses all attempts at cultural conquest. They will not accept the Aequian language, religion, or rule, will only join the army if forced, and continue life as if the Empire didn't rule them. Of course, this is all part of Augustine's plan - he is the oldest of the three houses' leaders, and the shrewdest. He has allied himself with the Brutii - for now at least - but his plan eventually is to destroy the other two houses utterly and rule the empire with House Scipii at its head. An ambitious plan, to be sure, but one that he might just pull off. As soon as House Brutii attacks House Julii, he will split off the Western Empire and turn his troops - and the traitors on the other side - upon the others, and slaughter them, taking Aequius and the Nordic states in one fell blow. Then he will have his revenge on the other two leaders...
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Galla at a Glance]
Galla
Main language: Gallan, or Galla.
Density: Extremely light.
Exports: Wine, wood.
Imports: Resources, stone, metal, luxury.
Racial Population: 87% Human, 12% Elfborn, 1% Changeling.  
Governor: Cornelius Claudius, Sitter on the Senate.
Description: The only celtic state to truely fall under the Senate's sway, Galla is strange for one great reason in particular - Cornelius Claudius, its leader, doesn't belong to one of the three great houses. He IS one of the greatest political minds in the century, however, and Galla is possibly the most well-governed state in the Empire except Aequius. Many ex-clan chiefs are now Aequii lords and live in villas of their own, with their own elfborn slaves and steel weapons - those that won't be domesticated form a small knot of resistance in the North, but they are, to all intents and purposes, trapped.
[/spoiler]

[Wensleydale]

The Numidi Caliphate

[spoiler=The Caliphate at a Glance]
Capital: Asyai City
Government: Monarchistic Theocracy.
Population: 3,000,000 (35% humans, 15% dwarfborn, 13% elfborn, 16% smallborn, 11% Ik-Sa, 10% Sihaya)
Imports: Silk, Opius, Gold, Alchohol.
Exports: Marble, Granite, Limestone, Gold, Papyrus.
[/spoiler]

The Numidi Caliphate is a religious 'nation', stretching across the Numidi plateau. The Caliph - both a monarch and a religious leader - controls it as a dictator. Although at present it is mostly peaceful, any Caliph with half a mind sees Domsha as a threat - if it can be brought beneath their power instead of holding itself arrogantly away, they will gain the resources and riches of that nation along with the credit and respect that holding the entire Numidi plateau would bring...

[spoiler=Government and Politics]The Caliphate is a monarchy of sorts, ruled over by the Theocratical and Dictatorial Caliph. The present Caliph is Uj-Al-Hamihd, a human, but the past two Caliphs were dwarfborn and before them a Sihaya and a human ruled in concert. Although the government is mainly despotical, the Caliph does have advisors - and it is whispered that they may have more standing than they should...
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Economy]The Caliphate is, simply put, stinking rich. It sits right on top of the Silk Road and is a large contributor to its trade, and its marble, limestone and granite are used in building projects around the world.

Its main export - and import - is gold. It takes in gold from Dohyi (and mines it itself), and sends it out to Astalia and the Adasyan countries, where it is sold for massively high prices. Its other exports include papyrus - used as paper in the other Numidian nations - whilst its imports are mainly sold on. The drug Opius, said to give the taker the ability to see into the future, is also imported in high amounts (from where it is grown in Astalia). Of course, its final import is slaves - brought in in large amounts by the Blades of the Path and the Seekers.
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Religion]Religion is the driving force in the Caliphate - the glue which holds it together, the power behind the throne. The Caliphate follows the Wayfaiths, and the Caliph is supposed to be the incarnation of such - the Path-Guide. Thus, whatever choices the Caliph makes are guiding his people down the right Way - some would say the only real way - the Path.
Only foreigners do not follow the Wayfaiths to some degree within the Caliphate, and those openly declaring such are often executed for treason.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Organisations]
The Caliphate: As well as being the name for the 'Empire' as a whole, the Caliphate is also the name for the administrative organisation which controls it. Its members are all (technically at least) priests, and all can read and write. To rise high in the Caliphate you must belong to this organisation - or at least have high-up friends within it.

The Blades of the Path: The army of the Caliphate, the Blades of the Path are famed for their excellent training and equipment. The army has a backbone of dwarven and human Defender Phalanxes - trained warriors equipped with shields, light armour and longspears. However, most sections also contain groups of Sihaya and Elfborn pathfinders and the occasional Ik-Sa cohort. These units are less under the control of the strict army regulations. The army have few cavalry or archers - their main weak point.
Within the Blades of the Path, promotion generally occurs on two factors - personal devotion to the cause and personal skill with a blade.

The Seekers: The policing organisation of the Caliphate, the Seekers are famed for their bluntness and hardness. However, Seekers are not particularly well-suited to battlefield combat - their function is to quell rebellions and plots. They perform this duty well - and slavery, rather than execution, is the fate of most of their victims. Their leader is Akk-Tik, a Sihaya male with dyed feathers and a missing eye. Around 63% of their number are Sihaya.
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Important NPCs]
His Eminence Uj-Al-Hamihd, Revered Finder and Guider of the Path, Ruler of the Numidi Caliphate (Numidian Human Manipulator 3) isn't a particularly strong leader - or rather, he doesn't have a very strong position at present. This is mostly due to blackmail by his 'right hand man', Duj-Ad-Hallam, who is much more powerful than he. He has hired eight assassins so far, all of whom now decorate the Numidian Palace's walls.

Duj-Ad-Hallam, Revered Advisor to His Eminence Uj-Al-Hamihd, Ruler of the Numidi Caliphate (Numidian Human Manipulator 4) has his 'lord' in a weak position - blackmail through his family. He enjoys watching the Caliph's struggles against him with the arrogance of a man that knows he rules most of a continent.
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Important Lands][/spoiler]

[Wensleydale]

Astalia, Empire of the Stars

[spoiler=Astalia at a glance]
Capital: Asimha City
Government: Monarchy.
Population: 2,500,000 (75% humans, 15% orcs, 3% changelings, 7% other)
Imports: Silk, Opius, Gold.
Exports: Silk, Silver, Black Powder, Fireworks.
[/spoiler]

Astalia is an ancient nation which, until a short while ago, was completely secular - preventing most trade to the west. After a war with Do-Bejh, however, Astalia was convinced to open trade routes - allowing a flood of new trade and peoples to enter the Star Empire.

[spoiler=Government and Politics]Astalia is an empire, ruled despotically by the Star Emperor. It is split into four provinces - each, normally at least, ruled by one of the royal family. These provinces are Asimha, Alim-Ak, Doth and Asith, and each has its own language. Startongue, the language of the capital province - Asimha - is also the tongue of the empire. The current Star Emperor is Tang Yuan.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Economy]Astalia uses Djet - silver coins - and rice to trade in. It's extremely rich due to its position on the Opius road (although not as rich as the Caliphate) and its proximity to the west.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Religion]The Astalian peoples worship their emperor as a god, and all his children and ancestors too. Toward the northern borders, there are several followers of Dioism, and in the more southerly regions (especially on those bordering the Caliphate) the Wayfaiths are also followed, as well as various mutated combinations of the two. However, the state religion is emperor-reverence.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Organisations]
The Emperor's Hands: The 'secret police' of Astalia, the Emperor's Hands seek out treachery in Asimha and, to a lesser extent, other provinces. They are infamous for brutal murder and heavy-handed tactics, and they occasionally serve in the army.

The Star Legion: Made up of thousands of men, the well-paid Star Legionaries are equipped with steel armour, longspears (Yari) and shortswords. The elite Sahn-Murai archer units, deadly in combat both afar and close, form the backbone of the army, with the legionaries forming the massed troops. The high general is Tokyi-Yuan (Astalian Human Legionary 10), brother of the Emperor and a genius tactician.
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Important NPCs]
His Eminence Tang Yuan, Emperor of the Stars, Sixteenth of the Third Bloodline (Astalian Human Manipulator 8/Sorceror 2) is no warrior. However, he holds his nation in an iron grip - no manipulation binds him! He was taught by court mages from an early age, and was found to have a little magical talent. His interests, however, lay in politics, and he has done much to expand Astalia into Do-Bejh.[/spoiler]

[Wensleydale]

The Mahi

[spoiler=The Mahi at a Glance]
Capital: Doru'im'Mahi
Government: Anarchistic, house system.
Population: 2,000,000 (59% orcs, 17% elfborn, 12% humans, 8% Tsem-Se, 4% other)
Imports: Opius, Gold, Alchohol, Silver, Steel, Crops
Exports: Silk, Rice.
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Government and Politics]For the past 200 odd years, the land of the Mahi has gone through sporadic bursts of warfare. This began when the young Aequii Empire discovered this nation and, realising it couldn't invade physically, instead decided to just take it over through subterfuge. King 'Tachi' rose to the throne - actually a changeling called Atafeh and an Aequii prince named Nero working together. Nero was the brains, whilst Atafeh played the part and issued edicts. After fourteen years of the empire's rein, the two were discovered by suspicious nobles. Atafeh escaped back to the sea (he had never wished to be part of the plan anyway) whilst Nero was executed and his lackeys burned alive by the vengeful orcs. However, there was no longer a strong enough bloodline to keep the nation together - resulting in war.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Economy]Despite the warfare going on within the Mahi, it maintains trading ties to outside - indeed, it still feeds the Opius road with silk and rice and serves as the gateway to the west. Although many orcs still distrust the Aequii, they have been influenced in several ways - and one of these ways is their adoption of Denarii as their currency. This is useful whilst trading with the west in particular.
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Religion]The religion of the Mahi is a mix of ancestor worship and totemism (Do-Bejhese and eastern faiths) and the more western polytheistic religions, especially the Greek and Aequii pantheons. Corrupted versions of these gods appear in the Mahi in many religious texts, and the faith is quite complex.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Organisations]
Kingmakers: This recently formed group of orcs are determined to reunite the Mahi for the good of the orc race. They are led by Doru (Orc Legionary 6) a veteran mercenary who renamed himself 'heart' (the meaning of Doru) when he first realised what was truely happening. Several of their number are also mercenaries, but a good few are aristocrats who have left their houses to come and join them. At this rate, it looks like their mission might succeed...

The Shadowbreakers: A group of mysterious orc trackers who hire out their services to those who need them, the Shadowbreakers seem to have no headquarters or leader. Who knows what their long-term goals are?
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Important NPCs]
Avigralhad Manai (Orc Aristocrat 6/Legionary 4) is considered by many the best candidate for a new orc king. He has united several hundred orcs under his banner and has the support of six other houses apart from his own - making him a powerful force by all accounts.
[/spoiler]

[Wensleydale]

Do-Bejh

[spoiler=Do-Bejh at a glance]
Capital: None.
Government: Loose tribal system.
Population: Unknown, estimated 1,000,000 (53% human, 24% Tsem-Se, 23% other)
Imports: -
Exports: -
[/spoiler]

Do-Bejh is the collective name for the enormous steppe country above Astalia and the Mahi - a land of tribal groups and warring factions. Whether it can be called a nation is debatable.

[spoiler=Government and Politics] Do-Bejh doesn't have a government, really - it has been invaded and partially conquered by the armies of Astalia, the Mahi, and Aequius before now, but they have always been fought off. Only a few times in history have the Do-Bejhese clans united together, the last time being when the Horde thundered from the steppes and smashed the west of Astalia into pulp. A leader of this kind is called a Khan.
The tribes are bound into seven groups (mainly), the Haj-Da, Haj-Uh, Koj-Dul-Al, Do-Hal-Ajh, Mejh, Goralth and Dojh-Al. The Goralth are, in the majority, Tsem-Se, whilst the other six are mostly human. Bickering occurs inside and outside these groups.
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Economy]Do-Bejh has no real economy. Some tribes export extra food, and Do-Bejhese cheese is highly favoured in the Mahi.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Religion]The Do-Bejhese follow, almost to a man, the Ancestral Religion (see the religions post for more details). This has affected the religion of the Mahi and, to an extent, Astalia.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Organisations]Maj-Khan: The Maj-Khan appointed the last Khan and formed his bodyguard, and although he's now dead, they still wander the land. They have created a tribe outside other tribes - warriors and diplomats both. Around two-hundred humans wander within this tribe, and they plan to rebuild the Horde - and make a new Khan.

Goraltha-Shu: This small tribe among the Goralth are famed for their bloodthirstyness and their following of the path of the Ihueli Wardancer. If a cunning outsider could win their trust, perhaps he could learn their techniques... they are certainly more approachable than the Halehwen...
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Important NPCs]
Da-Ha-Unh, Eminent Ancestor of the Haj-Da is a powerful warrior, and was the right hand man and brother of Da-Ha-Uljah-Khan, the leader of the Horde. He plans to be the next Khan, and schemes with the Maj-Khan (who secretly plot to rid the world of him and place another as Khan).[/spoiler]

[Wensleydale]

Dohyi and Ashaya

[spoiler=Dohyi at a Glance]
Capital: Alahya
Government: City-States
Population: 2,000,000 estimate (6% human, 29% sihaya, 7% dwarfborn, 12% elfborn, 1% changeling, 29% Ik-Sa, 5% smallborn, 14% Tsem-Se, 2% other).
Imports: Gold, Silk, Salt.
Exports: Mercenaries, Gold, Opius.[/spoiler]

Dohyi is a long stretch of badlands and jungle which makes up most of Numidi's length. Few humans live in this vast territory, which is instead a land of the Ik-Sa, Tsem-Se and Sihaya. It's mostly city-states (where there is any cohesive form of government) but most within its borders refer to Alahya, a trading city on the edge of the Sihaya jungles, as the capital.

[spoiler=Government and Politics]Where there is any form of cohesive government within Dohyi, it is city-states. These city-states constantly bicker and battle, forming alliances and trading with others to support their wars. Where there is no government, a tribal system rules.
In the largest city-state, Uhdari (which borders on the Sihaya jungles and contains Alahya) it is a monarchy - and it is here that they trade with the Sihaya for the high-demand Opius drug. Nomad caravan trains also carry Opius from faraway Ashaya, a sub-nation of Dohyi in the far west.
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Economy] Dohyi's economy is built on gold, mercenaries, and opius. Opius in particular is in great demand in the outside world - especially in the Numidi Caliphate, where it is sold on for much more than it was bought for. Gold, marble, and limestone are also sold by the Dwarfborn states in the south, and Ik-Sa and Sihaya mercenaries are hired in large amounts to fuel the Caliphate's ever-growing army and occasional expansionist phase.
Dohyi mainly relies on a bartering market with unfixed prices - that is, there is no official price for a goat, or ten tons of wood, or a block of limestone - you just get what you can for what you have. The dwarfborn states of the south and west use Simtat (see Dwarfborn for more information), whilst in the more civilised parts of Dohyi gold and silver half-moon disks are used by the wealthy.
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Religion]Dohyi mostly follows the Wayfaiths, although only the most easterly states have been affected by the Caliphate enough to follow the Path. Those that don't usually follow the spiritualist beliefs of the Ik-Sa and Sihaya. Religion is not such a driving force in Dohyi as it is in the Caliphate.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Organisations and Power Groups]
The Howlers in the Wind: A coven of Sihaya sorcerors, the Howlers in the Wind are exclusively male (odd in Sihaya society). They use their illusion-based magic and hypnotic techniques to influence Dohyi towards the goals of the Path - although few know it, they are devoted agents of the Caliphate.

The Sas-Us: Although they are Ik-Sa, this group of heavily-armed ex-mercenaries take their name from the Ashayan language. Heavily tattooed, they are veterans of the Caliphate's last attack against Astalia - after being disbanded, they remained as warriors and turned to a life of brigandry. After returning to their tribe in Ashaya with the spoils of their trip, they were turned away and have been forced to continue fighting - something which it cannot be said they do not enjoy... since then, they have picked up around three-hundred Ik-Sa from around Dohyi and become a dangerous and powerful force in the world.
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Important NPCs]
Assil-Ada-Uhmath (Ik-Sa Stalker 4) is the Sheikh of Alahya - a position he was pushed into by various pressure groups in the seething capital after his predecessor, Al-Adi-Duhyal, was assassinated (probably by the very people who put him on the throne). He is the first non-human sheikh in several hundred years, and his crowning is most likely the beginnings of a plan to turn Dohyi into the unified non-human nation it should be...
Assil is not particularly intelligent - indeed, he was the strong-armed bodyguard to the last Sheikh - and he believes he has power.
[/spoiler]

[Wensleydale]

The Dwarven States, Duhk River Valley

[spoiler=The Duhk Basin at a glance]
Capital: Babyla
Government: Loose Monarchy
Population: 500,000 (84% dwarfborn, 6% Ik-Sa, 3% Human, 3% Elfborn, 3% Sihaya, 1% Dus-Uk-Surat)
Imports: Opius, Silk, Silver.
Exports: Gold, Limestone, Granite, Iron.
[/spoiler]

In the south of Dohyi, the Duhk mountain chain forms a wall against the sea, its fiery tops streaming smoke and spilling lava down into the ocean blue. As the mountain chain weaves along, the enormous Babyla valley opens out - protected on all sides by colossal mountains, dominated by volcanic, fertile land and a huge river for irrigation, and filled with natural resources - what could be better? However, the river may appear docile, but it is far from it. Towards the end of the winter months, a monsoon-like storm of gargantuan proportions begins to throw down huge amounts of water - this causes an explosive growth in river size, as well as making underground chambers and tunnels overflow. It is then that unwary travellers should be afraid, for the monsoon can destroy easily.

[spoiler=Government and Politics]The Neb-Sfedu - Great Prince - is the technical leader of the valley. However, he tends to deal with day-to-day, more secular affairs. The Riverborn - a religious leader, among other things - is the true ruler, and considered by most Dwarfborn in Numidi as their lord above any. The Neb-Sfedu is re-elected every four years from the pool of lesser Sfedu which make up the Golden Council - a lesser body which, in turn, is headed by the Neb-Sfedu.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Economy]The Dwarven States are uncommon in that they don't use any form of coinage. They have a barter system with fixed values in place, but that is secondary to the Simtat -  ringed beads that are worn on Aem-Braids. This form of currency is intriguing - if you wish to buy something from a shopkeeper, you can either take on one of their debts and pay it (the amount of service/goods etc marked on the bead's side) or take up a debt of your own. The Simtat-Arum, bankers in a way, give out what could be called loans: they create the beads and give them out to shopkeepers in exchange for taxes (goods and service). The mountains and valleys are rich with resources in the form of rare rocks, gold, and other metals which can be used to make alloys. In exchange, the mountains import opius, silver, and silk from far-off lands.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Religion]The religion of the River is the main faith in the mountains - and the true leader of the state, the Riverborn, is an example of this. Some of the immigrants and the occasional dwarfborn also follows the wayfaiths or some other lesser religion, but 96% of the population follow the river faith.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Power Groups and Organisations]
Dahma Tribe: As the originators of the current Riverborn, the Dahma are one of the most powerful and prestigious tribes in the Babyla Valley. They control the dams and most of the building work - the finest architects are supposed to come from their holds. Their current project is the Dahashi Dam - a colossus which will hold four pumps and ten huge mills - creating enough flour to feed the entire valley, and capable of pumping out every mine within four miles. Their problem at the moment is the seven huge Incarnation statues which they're planning to place inside it.

Khud Tribe: The Khudi are an extremely zealous dwarfborn tribe, obsessed with the idea of reincarnation as the Riverborn. They're also the richest, and have a penchant for blood feud. They control mining in the Babyla valley, making them extremely powerful - second only to the Dahma tribe.
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Cities]
Babyla: (Metropolis, 490,000)

Babyla is less one cohesive city than several hundred towns and villages close to one another under the same name. The heart of the city is the town that once held the same name, now a bustling centre of commerce and trade, huge towers and bridges straddling the river, whilst further out, only the occasional wall section or scattered thorp shows that the city exists there. Babyla stretches down the entire valley that shares its name, beginning at the top near the Dayala farming fields, built inside what looks like an empty reservoir - which fills up during monsoon, allowing indundation farming to take place - and ends in the Halam Gate - a huge stone structure that, with its long outward-stretching paved highway, connects to the Opius Road.
[/spoiler]

[Wensleydale]

[spoiler=Aelwyd at a Glance]
Capital: None.
Government: Loose Theocracy/Tribal System
Population: Unknown, 1,500,000 estimated (68% human, 3% elfborn, 1% changeling, 28% fey)
Imports: -
Exports: -  
[/spoiler]

Aelwyd is a small island in the far West (or the Far East, depending on how you look at it), the last bastion before the Great Open, the sea that only changelings will sail. It is, technically, part of Europa - but the Aequii do not control it, at least not yet. Druids rule in the west, whilst the east is given over to the more secular.

[spoiler=Government and Politics]
The government of Aelwyd is, of sorts, a Theocracy - druids advise every leader, and keep the nation in a state of relative peace. Otherwise, it's a tribal system, each tribe maintaining their own fort (or forts) and army under a headman. To the far East, however, changelings and Aequii mingle in the port cities - they hold a few of them in a tentative grip.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Economy]Aelwyd uses gold as its currency - blue gold, to be exact. There's a lot of it in the mountains, and the earth spirits and Guerin work together to get it out - in small amounts. A fixed barter system is also in place, although the amounts change depending on where you are, the availability of goods etc.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Religion]Aelwyd has its own religion, that of the Druids and Duwes-Natur. Changelings and Aequii tend to follow their own religions, as do some converts from Guerin society, but most of the population follow the native faith.[/spoiler]

[Wensleydale]

Mhithad and Odeid

[spoiler=Mhithad at a glance]
Capital: Morkol
Government: Eternal Monarchy
Population: 23,000,000 (3% Hag, 87% orc, 8% dwarf, 2% human)
Imports: -
Exports: -
[/spoiler]

Mhithad is a colossal realm, larger than Europa itself, and was once little more than an enormous tribal mass of infighting and battles. However, then the hags arrived - and they took control of the nation immediately. Nobody knows where the Hags came from - it is possible they came from the Furthest North, unknown to any but themselves - but they immediately established the Empire of Odeid and pacified most of Mhithad. Since then, the Hag Empress has ruled Odeid, and her servants have made the nation great. The majority of the population are fed (magical fire warms the crops), at least internally, walls of magical ice and fog rise in front of any intruder, and the Army has conquered much of the frosty lands. It is only now, however, that the Hag Empress turns her eye to Europa...

[spoiler=Government and Politics]Odeid is ruled over by the Hags - called so not because they're ugly, but because they are so old. The leader of the Hags is the Hag Empress - a mighty creature indeed. Odeid is held in a dictatorial, eternal grip by the Hags, and most likely always will be. [/spoiler]

[spoiler=Economy]Odeid is intensely magical. Any one hag could keep the entire city of Morkol fed for two years without using more than a tenth of her power to keep the crops growing, and many do. Odeid has a coinage of silver, the larger the coins, the more they are worth. Not much other than food and mundane goods, such as furniture, is sold in Odeid, however - other things are kept for the Hags and the army.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Religion]Apart from some deference to the Hag Empress as a goddess, there isn't really much religious tendency in Mhithad.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Organisations]
The Hags: The immortal, powerful women of Odeid's monarchistic system, the Hags each hold an immense amount of magical power. The Hags are deferred to on everything, and a 'Hagborn', one born of a Hag, is considered royalty too.

The Dayam-Boshka: A group of rebellious and vicious mercenary orcs led by Dayam (Mhithad Orc Stalker 3/Legionary 4), the Dayam-Boshka believe that Mhithad under the Hags is unnatural and unreal. They seek to destroy this illusion - namely, by killing the hags one by one. They have succeeded in murdering one so far, and that was only when seven of them caught her meditating and beat her to death. Dayam isn't all that intelligent, which may explain his seemingly suicidal campaign.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Important NPCs]
Empress Tahram Shoudka (Hag Sorceress 3/Manipulator 2) is the mightiest of the hags, and she knows it. Her only weakness is a penchant for vanity, and indeed, her Palace of Mirrors was designed specifically so she could walk among its rooms for hours and see nothing but herself.
[/spoiler]

[Wensleydale]

-Reserved for more stuff-

[Wensleydale]

-And more stuff-