Daerderak, The Infernal Sands: The Resurrection

[Endless_Helix]

[ic= Alganister Seiader] I cannot see the suns anymore, and perhaps this is a blessing. I can still feel their blasted heat, that boils what little precious water we have left in our bodies. Well, you wanted to hear about this dark joke we live in, eh? Young one, it isn't a pleasant tale. I can tell you many more uplifting and beautiful tales, but none are this sadly true. It begins with the green.

This was chaos, beautiful chaos. Water was plentiful and everywhere. The vegetation was lush and verdant. Fat game animals wandered slowly through this paradise. The gods came upon this haven and wept with admiration for the beauty. They decided to create races of fitting beauty for the world. Thus the first races were born. There were humans, elves, dwarves, if you'll believe it, and many others. Most of these have since gone extinct. The gods wanted creatures to appreciate the gift of the world. And thus they believed they had made them.

The races began building their cities and their nations and empires. All existed in harmony. Then the Hateseeds began to fall. Rocks fell from the sky and the end of times was prophesized, people turned to the gods, but no help came. People were dispondent and turned to the mages of the era. They discovered the power inside these rocks. Somehow the mages could use the rocks to create massive ammounts of arcane energy. All of this prestige and pride went to their heads and they decided to right all wrongs. The Dwarves and Humans began a war over a rich bed of these Hateseeds, trying to take as many for themselves as possible. The humans won this war by exterminating the dwarven race in its entirety. The humans then began to "crusade" against other races holding many Hateseeds. This was too much, and the other races were forced into action.

This created the War of Aeon, a thousand year war that destroyed much of the world. During this time, Taint magic, which must be abhorred above all else, was discovered. The mages discovered a way that they could suck power from the land as they could from Hateseeds. The Elves used this power to destroy the entire human race, to the last woman and child. The dread spell they cast boiled the seas dry, scarred the sky, and scraped the land barren. They reaped a high price for that, destroying their own entire race in the process. Forever we will remember their sacrifice. However, the magic destroyed much of the life in the world, leaving a hundred year wake of destruction. Few creatures survived, but we gnomes, the orcs, the ratlings, and the changelings, managed to eke out a living in this blasted waste

The scaled Iaiderach came out of the Holeshroud, a place where there is so much life energy that even the sands themselves are alive. They claim to have been created by the Hole, and those who inhabit the Kurchaal empire worship it as a god.

The insectoid Xao come from the Matterplay band around the Holeshroud. That place is as mysterious as it is beautiful. Things just appear where nothing was present before. It is one of the great mysteries of our world today.

That is the world we live in today, this sand-choked wasteland where beauty and love are naught. We must stand ever vigilant and hope the next life is kinder to us. Perhaps we can make it better. Most likely we can't. My hope died a long time ago. [/ic]
- Alganister Seiader, travelling storyteller at Fochlucan monestary, near the Divide.
Geography
-Map-
Haven

The first defining factor in the world is the extreme lack of water. Even the super-wealthy feel the bite of thirst. There are no oceans, just massive, gaping canyons in their stead. There are mountains and plateaus, which make up most of the continents and the inhabited land, ususally there are two layers, what was the continental shelf and what was the continent itself. These are then inhabited by the assorted races that attempt to populate the world. This means that so far, there has been no intercontinental contact in the pre-campaign time. Whatever happens next is up to the players.


The Garranth Peninsula

This can easily be descibed as an arid environment that is almost grasslands. There is some vegetation, but it's mostly the scraggly wytchgrass, although assassin vines are middling common, as is bladegrass and the extremely dangerous razorweed.

There is a small, fairly short mountain range called the Wyrmglass range, which is noted for it's immense amount of obsidian and other precious metals and stones. It is a major source of wealth for the region and a contributing factor in the high population in the surrounding area. It also has several large waterbeds in the caves beneath the mountains, which is the primary trade good of the area and the biggest reason there are so many sentients that choose to live on this peninsula.

[spoiler=Skal]
The City of Skal guards the entryway in, which is a narrow bit of plateau, maybe ten miles wide. Skal is naturally a massive nexus of trade, basically because no-one has figured out how to get around them. They are also perilously close to the Spirebleed, an area where magic is very difficult to control. Rumors of wizards having their spells turn on them and attempting to destroy them are fairly common. The city itself is primarily contructed of stone, as are most cities on this continent. Most of it is extremely functional cubish buildings with few windows. Some tents are seen in the markets that dot the city, usually made with derrin, which is a fabric made out of the the fluff inside seedpods of wytchgrass.

Skal has a well disciplined and armed defense force which also acts as a defacto police force. Slang refers to them as Harriers, after the small predatory mammal that refuses to stop once they've got their prey, which is mainly unassuming assassin vines, surprisingly. Harriers are well known for their expertise in halberds and their lack of intelligent investigation methods. Basically it is the old "round up everyone within five blocks of the crime and torture them untill one of them says something, and sell the culprits into slavery, be they one or fifty" technique.

The Harriers are organized around Xilax Urghak, a highly decorated retired legionaire from the Kurchaali Empire (Male Iaiderach FTR 5/Bloodstorm Blade 3, LE). He was once one of the greatest commanders in Kurchaal, but was exiled after he led the late Prince Rasashadrak to death in an attack on a Xao settlement. Secretly, he is a spy for the Kurchaali Empire. He has been consoldating his forces in the Harriers. So far, only one of Xilax's non-Iaiderach lieutenants has caught on. Urdan Varesh (Orc Barbarian 1/Rogue 3/ Master Inquisitive 2 CN) has a history of being a renegade, having stormed away from the gladiator pits on account of a disaggreement with Klis (Nezumi Male Aristocrat 2, NE), the owner. He has since shaken up the Harrier with a radical new way catching criminals, called finding proof. However, Xilax has cut a deal with Urdan to keep quiet, as nothing will happen for years. Kurchaal has enough to handle right now with the current expansion into Matterplay. They want to consolodate things.

Skal is an ardent supporter of Slavery, and boasts one of the largest slave markets in Haven. The orcish-run Khresh guild is the primary source of labor slaves. They journey around the wastes raiding villages, and taking prisoners. They're the most organized of the slaver guilds, and works closely with the Suliem Trading Cartel. They often operate as caravan guards, and the Cartel brings the slaves free of charge. The orcs don't mind it all, calling it "easy duty in paradise". There's just so much to buy in a Cartel Caravan; the poor orcs tend to spend a lot of money, which makes the Cartel a little happier.  The actual owner of the slave compound is a Nezumi named Yirrik (Nezumi NE expert 3).  Yirrik is a shrewd sentient, and  has managed to improve his sales immensely through the use of highly trained slaves who sell more slaves. However, Yirrik likes to hedge his bets, and also owns the Gladiatorial Arena. This gives him an immense ammount of choice when getting his fighters, and basicaly a monopoly on the best fighters.

The other notable area in Skal is the religious district. In the center of it is a large, esquisitely carved temple to the primary religion of the continent, the Church of the Four. This religion will be described later. The Church has statues to all four gods and the void of the fifth, as traditional, on the the ornately painted dome. This is the seat of power for the church and the current hierophant, his dutiful Xenos II, is renown fro both his outward piety and his ammenability for bribes. He is also an excellent gardener and womenizer.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Trael, the Unstained]There are 2 truly notable cities other than Skal, the first up is Trael, the Unstained. Trael is as close to what life once was thousands of years ago, in the time of Harmony, that anywhere will ever get. The surrounding area is the lushest and most fertile piece of land on the peninsula. There is a burgening agricultural attempt, primarily spearheaded by the druidic community that lives in the Heartgroves, which have real trees in them, around the city. Trael itself is dazzling to behold. The buildings are alabaster white, and decoratively built with a distinct flair for the minimalist. The town is built in a circular grid radiating out from one point, the Fountain square.

The Fountain Square is the pride of Trael. It represents the spiritual and physical purity of the Traeli. This purity is mantained by a rigid caste system that focuses on being reborn into a high caste. This is done by following your betters and not bringing taint into the city. Taint is brought on by the death of humans and dishonorable actions from a past life, and it requires druidic rituals to cleanse the area to prevent this "disease" from causing mass hysteria. The highest social class is the druidic class, that makes up about 1% of Trael's population of 30,000. They rule and use the Tangleguard, enforcers sworn to the cause of preserving Daederak, to hold order and subdue the infintesmally small criminal population. The Lowest Class is the slave caste or the black class. They do all the mucky jobs and handle the dead before ritual cleansing and cremation. They may not be spoken to, except to be ordered by a superior, nor speak to anyone above their class.

The Druidic theocracy that runs Trael claims to be in contact with the spirits of the earth and demands that any who defile Daederak be handed over to them for justice. This isn't followed too rigorously by the other cities but occaisionally the Tangleguard may find some unsuspecting heathen attempting to suck the life out of the world.

However, water is the primary trade good of the area. Scrolls of create water from Trael are extremely common and are standard gear for any expedition to the Ruins of Cronosht or any caravan on the continent. These are fairly common, though expensive, and many of the populace are quite capable of making these. Wands are very, very rare, just in general. So wands of create water would be extremely expensive and not as cost effective as the Decanter. Not everyone has 750 gold just lying around for about 300 gallons of water, in fact, few people could afford the 75 gp scroll of create water on a whim.

Decanters of Endless Water are actually rare for two reasons. The first is that few people can actually afford one. Since natural sources of water are so rare, the price has nearly quintipled, and in some places is as high as six times greater over the SRD version. The second is that there are few people who can actually craft one. Most of the druids are expert 2, or adept 2 and out of the 300+ druids maybe 20 of them actually have druid levels. Out of those twenty maybe 7 are capable of actually creating a Decanter of Endless water. There are maybe fifty characters above level two in the entire druidic theocracy, not all of them have Craft Wonderous Item, either; most of them have better things to do, like run Trael. This also jacks the price up. [/spoiler]

[spoiler=Vedim, Sepulchure of Knowledge]
Vedim is another powerful city on the peninsula, or more precisely, on what was an island in between the continent and the peninsula. How did sentients get there you ask? Well, the simple answer is that they flew. Vedim is renown for it's magecraft, particularly in creating creatures whose usefullness is undoubted. They bred a smaller, more docile form of drake that can be ridden as a flying mount, called a Windsteed, which is their primary form of transportation accross the two miles to the Peninsula and four miles to the continent.

They also have created a spell known as Dustbridge that forms a temporary bridge of dust several miles long. This small city has three of five universities for wizardry on the entire continent (Xazier, Hilarken, and Crag Heights), and is known as the premier center for arcane research. In fact, this city is one the most thaumaturgically integrated cities on the continent. There numerous magically enhanced buildings, which allows for more than two levels. There are also numerous magical accidents that happen and consequently, the Guardsmen have the largest anti-magic unit on the continent. It's not meant for an out an out battle, so the discipline is somewhat lacking for real assaults.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Felltrack, the Paintaker's Throne]The Next and final city of note on the peninsula is Felltrack. Well... it used to be a city anyway. For about three years as of campaign start, the city is the home of many horrors and a haven of the insane. People refer to it as the Paintaker's Home, and it is probably most dangerous place on the peninsula. There are whispers of horrors from the Final War, buried beneath the streets, and ancient creatures from what was the ocean bottom. Mad cultists have been seen, parading through the streets bearing grisly tokens of worhip for some new, horrrifying god... [/spoiler]

The Mainland

The Sunland

Most of this land is uninhabited for primary reason that, for the most part, it is extremely dangerous and there are few reasources worth mentioning. This doesn't mean that people didn't attempt to live here. Small remnants of shantytowns dot the landscape, as well as ancient ruins, the most famous of these being the shattered ruins of Chronosht. The most interesting thing about these mysterious relics is that they are cut, in a perfect straight line as far as the eye can see.

The ruins go right to the edge, where they would continue if there was more land, but it's as though some massive sword severed them from the rest of the city they were once part of. The architecture is a riot of different styles. It's mostly giant orbs or eggs that seem to be made of a mysterious metallic substance. The mages at Xazier in Vedim are still testing the material to find out it's properties and it's make up, but the information they have just confuses them further. However, there are numerous other styles, some of the more common ones being spiralling buildings that reach high into the clouds, building's who's true shape seems to change depending on the direction one views it from, like an optical illusion, and pyrimidal structures.

The insides are just as mysterious as the constuctions. The rooms seem collaged together with no thought. Chairs seems merged with the walls and desks are halfway embedded in the cieling. Some rooms are mangled and others appear perfectly preserved.
[spoiler=Salvage]
Several communities have sprung up to attempt to take advantage of the mysterious relics and strange energies of the place. The largest and most prosperous of these is Salvage. Salvage may not look like much on the outside, it basically can be compared with a rat warren and a shanty town combined, but it is one of the easiest ways to get both illicit and ancient artifacts. Elders from the towns on the Peninsula have tried to at least register the artifacts, particularly Vedim, but have failed miserably at exerting any influence in that lawless place.

Salvage is known as a home of desperadoes and outlaws, primarily becuase it is really a just a collection of shops and inhabitations, rather than a real town.
There isn't a police force of any kind, nor a defense force. The area is fairly rough and tumble, and pretty desperate, so dangerous wild animals who wander in are often killed and their body parts quickly sold off. There are usually casualties from these raids but no-one really cares.

A small number of guilds hold the real power in Salvage, the Scavenger guild, mostly Nezumi, is the most powerful at the moment. The guild sends scavenger groups out into the ruins, often search of anthing that could be sold. They also make extraordinarily detailed maps of the ruins and can supply guides to new adventuring parties, for a price and a bit of the take. It currently employs about one third of the entire population of Salvage, which is no mean feat when unemployment runs very, very high, nearly at 30%. The other two power groups are the Caravaneers, a primarily gnomish merchant group who deals mostly in artifacts. They handle the exports and imports and have a partnership with the Scavenger guild. The third group is the Rockbreakers, the largest and the most economically savvy of the gangs.They handle the illicit side of the bargain in almost every single possible market. They are also well known as having one of the most dangerous spy-networks around, which is often under a contract with the Scavenger guild. The primary thing that keeps the Rockbreakers from achieving much is the fact that every single person is for sale, and would go against the gang if paid enough (which really isn't that much, maybe 10 GP for a small job that goes against gang's interests). They are also a known supply of drugs and other illicit substances.
[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Shifting, Beware, the rock moves]
The next place of interest is the realm of Shifting. Shifting is both the name of the place and a description. On maps, it often has the script "beware, the stone moves" in reference to the fact that landscape is almost constantly changing. People have gone to sleep at nights only to find themselves on cliffs in the morning and the day after in chasms that seem almost impossibly deep. Little vegetation can survive there, but what does is immensely hardy, It mostly has wytch grass, and small flowers known as "Daelmien's Paintbrushes". It is inhabited by several barbaric tribes, made up of changelings. They have perfected a path called the Warshaper, which creates a fighting style around morphing your body. A professor in Vedim has figured out a way to blend magic, allowing her to use some of the techniques. They are hunter-gatherers primarily and hunting the few herbivores that roam the land, and gathering and eating the roots of the few plants in the area. It is a harsh land with many dangers, from wild animals, to unpredictable changeling tribes, to strange spirits who wander the land.
[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Isle of Faces]
The other realm of note is the Isle of Faces, so named for the strange rock formations that characterize the land there. There are beds of what can only be called faces of creatures long past that dot the landscape. Changelings also dwell in this forboding waste land, but not as a tribal structure. The city of Ursaiden is home to almost 15000 souls. It primarily supports itself by exporting Windsucker oil, obtained by hunting the Windsuckers and removing the hydroxium sacs, which allow it to float. Windsuckers are essentially floating jellyfish that seem to periodically appear out of the ocean bed that surrounds the isle. There is also a great amount of mineral wealth to be had on the isle.

Ursaiden is ruled by a council called the Cabinet. They are elected for life and attempt to expand the traderoutes to Skal and Traen. Vedim buys through them already, going to great expense to obtain the Windsucker oil. The city is a hot bed of deciet and rather difficult to control becuase of the fact that everyone can look like anyone else. Detect Shapshifter doesn't do anything when every creature in the city is a shapeshifter. Their solution was to embed a crystal in every inhabitant, when they are born, that encodes their name, their job and their place of inhabitants. These crystals have evolved a caste system around the colors of the stone embedded.
Red= The Yuren (Noble class)
Blue= The Xilliz (Merchant Class)
Green= The Wurthaden (Hunter Class)
Yellow= The Disreal (Artisan Class)
Clear= The Gurganthae (Government employee)

Caste Crystal- Encodes a small amount of information about the individual.
Requirements- Craft Wonderous Item, Message.
Price to make- A stone worth at least 25 gp and 25 xp, Cost to buy: Special- Cannot be bought. Implanted at birth in changelings from Ursaiden.

The primary reason for Ursaiden's survival is that they have nearly unimaginable wealth. The Refined Hydroxium oil often used as a magical assistence in casting spells of flying (such as Fly, Overland Flight, Fire Wings, etc. etc. ), healing, light, and water. Any spell with any of those descriptors is empowered and extended if a 1 ounce is used per level of the spell. It also costs about 500gp per ounce because of the monopoly the Cabinet holds on the export of both the refined and unrefined oil. Unrefined oil is usually used as lamp oil and is what one buys when you buy a pint of oil. Refined oil requires both lengthy magical empowerment and 25 gallons of unrefined oil per ounce. Basically, it is comparible in many ways to the Myrrh trade in the medieval ages.

Ursaiden also has an immense slave trade. Changeling pleasure-slaves are highly sought after, as are Changeling gladiators. Ursaiden actually has built schools to train their slaves, which increases the price sevenfold. They've set up an agreement with the Suliem Trading cartel to transport their goods for a fairly cheap price, merely 5% of the profits they bring in. Part of this is the threat of Cabinet agents, who have a reputation for disturbing competence, and the ability to find out secrets best left hidden.

With that amount of money pouring in, the Cabinet hired several mages to improve upon the dew collector system often used by the tribes in Shifting. These magical dew collectors pretty much sustain the city. Water is rare in that area, but the temperature change between what was the ocean bottom and the continent produces mists that come almost to the top of the canyon. These are condensed onto magically chilled wavy pieces of metal which drips into containers that are collected fairly regularly, about three or four times per day. Windsuckers are caught in the swirling mists rocket straight up and get stranded on the continent. They are essentially harmless; in fact the only way they can actually hurt someone is when they die and their oil is harvested. Anyone underneath the falling carrion is rather unlucky.

Until the Isle was disovered about, 100 years ago, there was no spoken language. The Changelings had developed a language of sorts called shift. It relies primarily on small changes in facial features and coloring. In fact, most humanoid races can't make heads nor tails of it, because they just can't figure out all the nuances. They usually have dealt with enough changelings to know that any sudden and extreme change in color is a danger sign, but other than that there is little they can do but shrug their shoulders and pray that the Changeling can speak some other language. Incidently the Tongues allows one to understand shift, but not to communicate back. You would need at least a disguise self spell to communicate back.
[/spoiler]
[spoiler=The Spirebleed]

This region is a magical wasteland that can corrupt the essence of those who enter it. Very few things live here because of the sheer toxicity of the environs. The land is almost entirely devoid of plant life and what precious little does live there is twisted beyond recognition. Creatures occasionaly wander in, and few return. They are often found by other foolish creatures in later expeditions, horribly mutated and enraged by something beyond mortal comprehension. Spells tend to awry when within the bounds of the Spirebleed, functioning as a wild magic zone mixed with a tendency to suck the magic from anything when within ten miles of the Spire. If you can see the Spire, all arcane, divine, psionic, infusion, or any sort of magical or pseudo-magical ability is incapable of functioning. Mysteriously, items still function normally.

The Spire is a giant spine of red rock amidst the black sand that marks the Spirebleed. The exact properties of the Spire are unknown. It is known that those who touch it are mutated in hideous ways. However, if a shard of the Spire is obtained it can be used to create a Spireshard weapon as seen in Dragon 317.
[/spoiler]
[spoiler=The Divide]

The Divide is a massive canyon that wanders from one "sea" nearly to the other. It cuts the continent in half leaving a scant 50 mile area for caravans to slip through. The highest point on the inside is about four thousand miles down, the deepest recorded is 12000 feet down. That expedition was lost however and sages theorize that the recorded depth is about 3/4 of the way to the bottom of the canyon.

The immense depth causes a huge temperature change, generating a phenomenon known a "Razorwinds". Razorwinds are 300+ mile an hour winds that whip small shards of rock and sand through the air, usually killing those caught within the storm. They also have the mysterious property of shorting out magical communication. These occur about midway down the canyon wall usually, but have been recorded on the floor as well. These winds carve the canyon into mysterious, sinuous shapes.

There really isn't an ecology because almost nothing can survive the harsh environment presented in the canyon. Lichens have been noted in the lower reaches, where there is believed to be some condensation that they can feed on. Rumors abound of spirits that drive a man insane on the canyon floor, but most sages agree that this ailment occurs due to lack of water, the winds above, and the curious echoing effect in the canyon.

Along the edge, eight gnomish monasteries have managed to eke out a living in this immensely hazardous environment. Nominally, they are part of the same religion, an elementalist/animist belief system that focuses on bettering the self, but each sect is so focused on their beliefs that it appears very different to outsiders. The population is 99% gnomes and 1% other. Most other races have no desire to live so close to so dangerous a place.

The Monasteries are noted centers of magical learning and martial tradition. They are believed to have tomes dating from before the Hateseeds, but there has been no proof in the matter. They also have exquisite gardens around their monasteries, guarded by terracota statues that are rumored to come alive in the face of imminent danger. The architecture is minimalist, emphasizing soft curves and openess to the world. Indoor pools are common as are indoor gardens.
[/spoiler]
The Moon Lands

[spoiler=The Matterplay Ring]

This land is perhaps the most affected by the cataclysmic spell cast so long ago. Sages regard this as an amazing magical disaster, Preists use this as a cunning argument for the existence of gods, Sunlanders tend to be slightly skeptical of it and perhaps a little afraid of such a place, but no-one actually understands it. The land itself is fairly normal until you begin to look at the ecology of it.

Creatures, plants, rocks, even water, or some mixture between any of these, just suddenly appears where there was nothing previously. There is rarely a set "species" to these creations, the exception being the Xao. The Xao are 3 1/2 foot tall insectoid sentients who are the primary inhabitants of Matterplay. Basically they look like a halfling mushed together with a Mantid. Coloring ranges from a deep black to a burning orange. Known for their incomprehensible behavior, they are also precocious artists, though the works presented are rarely understandable. They tend to be generated in somewhat barren area where there is little life. Xao do not need to eat or sleep but only live for about eighty years. They do not breed at all and appear to rely entirely on the land they live in for reproduction. They are "born" with all the knowledge they need to survive, including the language Jirtsirai, their native tongue.

Xao society is almost exclusively secular. They do not appear to follow any set religion at all, though they speak reverently about things called "shoals" but refuse to explain exactly what they are. Individualism is highly valued and architecture reflects this by having no set style. Their towns appear as though someone picked through the refuse heap at an architectural design firm and took bits and pieces of the craziest plans and mixed them with a good dose of insanity. Status is enitrely based on personal achievement and is also highly mutable, given the tendency for every Xao to have a different pecking order for the populace based on it's own values.

Some sages believe that this land is inhabited by some pseudointelligent arcane energy that moves in streams about three feet off the ground. This is based on fractured stories from the Xao themselves and an Arcane Sight analysis by Gerrar Dulact, a noted Nezumi scholar. However, Gerrar is currently housed in the Paintaker's Cloister in Skal, with the rest of the insane. He held that the spontaneous generation was not so spontaneous. Apparently, whenever two streams met, there was a node that either produced more streams or other things, like Xao or some other creation. The streams moved around according to Gerrar, but please bear in mind that he was attempting to wear a dead Szill, a common bipedal herbavorial reptile about the size of a large cat, noted for its foul smell, particularly when deceased. He claimed that the corpse had given him some sort of protection from the mutating streams of magic.

Magic is highly volitile in the region, acting as a wild magic zone with added effects like spontaeneously generating creatures and plants, or anything really. Nothing is predictable in this area.

This area is currently under the control of the Kurchaal empire after a bloody war for control. Ikeelitickstick is a thaumaturgical disaster area. Iaiderach soldiers report  strange glows at night, followed by horrifying screams. Xao guerrillas have also managed to sever many of the supply lines.
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=The Kurchaal Empire]

To call this land an empire is perhaps a bit premature. It really is only the central city Shad-iairach and maybe two dozen villages in the surrounding surrounding area. Frankly, no-one north of the divide actually cares about this new and expansionist nation. Only those nearby, like the Xao in Ikilleetickstick actually notice their conquests.

Most of the populace is Iaiderach, Large-ish reptillian humanoids. They tend to be fairly strong but prone to spikes in temper and bouts of almost senseless violence in other race's eyes. Their fighting style tends to be savage, focusing on brute strength and frenzy. Those who do fight the Iaiderach speak of many attrocities commited on the field, but as soon as the fighting stops they are noted for their honor and their honesty. It is a bit of a double standard, but it was developed out of the Divine Court, the Phoroaster (ruler) Ceilagradra pointed out that Survival on the Field of Battle was the primary objactive. At court, suriving is key as well; Honor is all in court and the primary means of survival.

The Phoroaster is believed to be the divine emissary of an advanced being called "the Hole". The Kurchaali believe that all life originated beneath the ground in the land known as the Safedark. The Hole opened up and brought them to a new world to fulfil their destiny as the ruling race. Consequently the Phoroaster is revered as a god with an entire clergy at his beck and call.

The actual army is well disciplined and makes extensive use of chariot blitzes. Calvary in the traditional sense proved difficult for long forays. Iaiderach simply don't have the anatomy to ride any sort of mount (the angle of the tail is the big problem), and thus chariots seemed the best option. Chariots make a hole in the lines, often using mages in chariots to burst strong defenses, which light infantry move up to hold, followed by heavy infantry who actually perform the killing blow. Ranged weapons are almost unknown in the military, except for javelins and slings, though auxillary forces have used bows and crossbows to great effect. For several decades now, the Iaiderach have been working on a new set of warriors, called the Shal'guur'at, or Blood Storms. The regiment's primary function is to act as mobile heavy infantry that can support the lighter storm troops. They blend traditional Kuurchali martial techniques with thrown attacks, which allows them to deal with hoards of enemy soldiers. The Shal'guur'at's first appearance on the actual field of battle, during the first siege of Ikeelitickstick. They were the deciding factor that allowed for the stormtroopers to overrun the city.

The Architecture is in a golden age right now, focusing on buildings and monuments, rich in detailed carvings (often at the expense of slave labor) and immense in scope. This is the home of the fifth greatest center of magical learning, the Olgarach. It rivals any of the universities in Vedim for sheer amount of arcane knowledge and the gnomish monestaries for their ancient mysteries.

The ecology of the area is primarily flat scrubland, with many herbivores and a lot of fertile land. Also the Evenglare mountains are nearby, meaning that this land catches the occasional bit of rainfall. The land nearest the mountians is hotly contested by the tribes native to the mountain (Primarily Iaiderach). It also means that there is a lot of natural resources available. Indeed, Kurchaali metalsmiths are renown far and wide for their awe-inspiring skills both in making blades and wielding them. [/spoiler]

The Environment

[spoiler=The Ecology of Daerderak]

There are three plants that dominate the ecology. Wytchgrass, Sedge, and Fireweed. Wytchgrass is a tough grass that can be identified by the multitude of purple streaks up its blade. It is extremely tough and hardy, and covered in a waxy substance that helps to keep the moisture in. Children often use the blades as improvised weapons. Many kids have lost eyes to wytchgrass blades. It can be eaten if boiled enough, but isn't the most palatable food choice in existence. Many of the plains and desert herbavores eat this, thanks to their multiple stomachs. It is usually used as thatch, for basket weaving, making thread and it is also harvested for its wax.

Sedge grows throughout the continent often is large patches. It's pretty much the same as the Earth equivalent.

Fireweed was accidently created in the matterplay region by a Xao wizard who was trying to defend himself against some mysterious almagamation, and cast fireball. The result was that the creature died and the fireball had split into three different bands. The first was just normal fire. The second was what has become known as fireweed. It's alternating red-orange and yellow bands recall it's creation, but it is also immensely useful It also has the property of having roots that are edible, the leaves can be boiled into a fire-resistant tar or into a redish dye. It's leaves can also be turned into a deadly poison, similar to Nightshade. The Xao were so impressed with it, that he brought it back to Ikeelitickstick and began to harvest it. It has become a primary trade good of the area, and many other cities are attempting to cultivate it.

The third effect from that famous fireball was Water Worms. These small water elementals that look essentially like a splinter of molten glass can bore through anything, and often come in swarms. They are believed to replicate in underground streams and pools. This also has the effect of eating into the water supply. They are considered a danger to civilization as we know it for this reason. The are attracted by water and will viciously attack anyone bearing water. This is also a reason why scrolls of create water are so popular in caravans. When cities send exporers into the depths beneath them looking for natural resevoirs, they often find swarms of water worms instead. The already known watersources have protective buoys around the edge and an central charmed anchor sunk in the center of the water.

There are several species of herbavores that dot the continent. The Whitehorn is a speedy pack animal that geneerally feeds on wytchgrass and sedge. The Tusker is known for its large size, and it's rage. It also feeds on wytchgrass and sedge. It will also eat the assassin vines that occasionally pop up. The Chireek is a large flightless bird that feeds mostly on sedge but will also eat fireweed when it's available. Their eggs are harvested and there are several domesticated varieties, these replace horses, as the equines went extinct 500 years ago. A Varaak is essentially a giant iguana that feeds mostly on assassinvines and wytchgrass. It will also eat some of the giant insects that have colonised parts of the Moonlands. These sum up the most commonly encountered large herbavores. The smaller ones have yet to be fleshed out (there hasn't been a need yet. No druids or rangers have been predicted as PC's)

The primary predators are Ankhegs, which hunt in packs and replace the wolves, Giant Pythons, What we know as an Allosaur, now named Clawrenders, Girallons, and Gricks. There are also Hawks and Rocs that hunt the winds. Giant Eagles and Drakes are not uncommon, particularly around Skal, Trael and Vedim.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Monsters of Daerderak]

Djinni haunt the land, often hiding in old abandoned cities and near oasises. They tend to be more chaotic than vindictive, but are still extremely dangerous. They often claim to serve a single Sultan, but no-one has ever seen this mysterious being. Also many twisted shadows of Djinni are found in the Spirebleed. They are extremely uncivilized and the tribes of these "efreeti" will eat any unwary travellers alive and whole. Djinni can be repelled both by charms and by certain substances. Rubbing the ashes of a tumbleweed on your robes will protect you from physical harm from the Djinni, but not thaumatugical wounds. Yellow spirals painted on the top of all your boxes will prevent them from stealing anything of yours that is inside those boxes. Also another effective deterrent has been proven to be The fingerbone of a martyr immersed in holy water of the Church of Four will prevent them from attempting to harm you in anyway. However if you request hospitality of them they will always give it to you and protect you until death if anything wishes to harm you. This extends only for three days, but at the end of those three days, they are entitled to ask any one thing of you and by their mysterious rules, you must accede their demands. Generally, it is best to not ask for succor from these beings.

Yuan Ti are found underneath the ground in deep caverns. This nation actually has ambassadors in most of the large city-states (The exception being Ikeelitickstick). The ambassadors focus on encouraging trade with the world beneath, looking primarily into forged weapon, arcane knowledge, and artifacts found in the ruins of the land above. They are exceptionally cultured and excellent diplomats, thus widely respected in the world. Little is known of them or their motives, but the few times their kingdom has been seen, it has been praised for its richness and openess. It is also rumored to have vast ammounts of water, precious metals, and perhaps even a Hateseed from the ancient war.

Ogres fit in around the fringes of civilization, usually working as physical laborers or mercenaries. There are also a few tribes of Ogres that wander Shifting and the Isle of Faces.

Troglodytes haunt some of the upper tunnels, particularly near water. They defend their territory rigorously but aren't really evil. Their alignment is "go away and leave us alone. They are also constantly at odds with the Yuan Ti, and consquently hate them. Yuan Ti are well documented for having Trog slaves.

Minotaurs have claimed an area of the Ruins of Cronosht as their kingdom, though it can barely be called civilized. They claim to be the original owners of Cronosht and often are at odds with the Scavenger guild. For the most part they are very isolationist, but occasionally trade with Salvage for food and weapons. Vedim has actually managed to get an envoy into their "Herdlord's" court, for lack of a better term. According to the occasional correspondence, there are actually about thirty or so clans that roam the Ruins. The largest, the Jarlxach, have settled down about thirty miles from Salvage. This tribe as decided they are the Scions of Cronosht, and now call themselve by that name. They are attempting to be recognized as a real nation but their envoys to Skal and Trael have been turned away, rumors have it that the Yuan Ti ambassadors helped to engineer this. Vedim however recognizes the tribes as a nation and consequently has earned the ire of the Scavenger Guild. Yuan Ti have also been noted to occasionally have Minotaur slaves. If the Minotaurs leave their tribes they usually congregate in Skal and Salvage working in construction or as warriors/enforcers for the organized crime syndicates.

Desert Hunters have become a problem for Lizard herders. Desert hunters are pack animals known for their hivemind and their sonic attacks. It has become very difficult as of late to defeat the packs. The packs have been growing larger and larger. No-one knows where the problem comes from.

Ashworms are a massive part of the ecology, and Trael has tamed them as beasts of burden and mounts. The Tangleguard uses them extensively in combat.

The Spirebleed has been breeding some strange monstrosities of late, the least of which are the Dustblights. Dustblights are horrifyingly effective hunters with a knack for moving through sand. They appear as a humanoid made from ash that bleeds lava.

[/spoiler]

Religions

[spoiler=Church of Four]

The Church of Four has a slightly misleading name. There are actually five gods that worshipers pray to, but one is often associated with the more negative things in life and is depicted by a void.

[spoiler=Daelmien, [Skyfather, Lord of the Ash] ]: Daelmien represents the power of air in the world. In life, the true Daelmien Skyfather was a human, though is most often depicted as a grim gnome, often noted for his seemingly endless calm and his use of lightening magic. The actual human was an overt racist, particularly against gnomes, ironically. His two aspects are as Destruction and Justice. He is most often prayed to as Justice, but often those who've been wronged, or attempting to fulfill a vendetta, call out to the Lord of the Ash. Clerics of Daelmien are often war mages and harrier mages, if they can cast spells. Otherwise they fufill traditional clerical duties and act as impartial judges in the courts. His domains are Air, Law, and Chaos

History: He Was born to a noble family in the largest human empire of the time (Cellestrael), about twenty years before the Hateseeds began to fall. He was educated as a wizard at the university in the capital, and graduated at age 21. There are some refrences to him helping to unlock the secret of Hateseeds. These have been almost entirely invalidated by what is believed to be the journal of Daelmien, but it isn't uncommon to name one's child after the god one follows. It is entirely unknown why he hated gnomes so much. He was often quoted as saying they were useless and short. Somehow, Daelmien went on to help unify the alliance against Cellestrael and died with the elves. His life is the most documented besides Yanna's.
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Iliana, [Firebride, The Inferno, The Ravager]]: Iliana represents the power of fire on the world. She also represents passion, artists, and natural destruction. She is the deific embodiment of change. In life, she was a dwarf, but is most consistently represented as a young female elf, draped in flowing red gauze. She had no magic to speak of but was an extremely talented orator. She was also known for her temper, and still is to an extent. Young unrequited lovers pray to her, as do those fearing natural disaster. Priests following her path tend to be part of the Friars Militants or missionaries and are often called on to present sermons. Her domains are Fire, Passion, and Destruction.

History: She Was originally a part of the Church of the Divine Host, which almost nothing real is known about, taken in as a war-orphan. She was a devout follower of this church, though she also was a noted thief in other texts. She was one of the few survivors of the first genocide against the dwarves and tried to heal the wounds created by the war. She ended up dying in the second Seedfall war, killed by her own race as she tried to turn them away from an ambush that ended up collapsing the entire offensive. How she ended up in the military is unclear, but it is known for a fact she did serve for three years in the Dawrven military with a dishonorable discharge and a field execution.
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Sydera, [Lifewaker, The Greenspeaker, Worldshadow]] : Sydera represents the power of earth in the world. She is prayed to for those wishing good harvests and spiritual growth for the year. She also represents balance between the opposing forces of tradition and growth. Her dark side is unrestrained growth and unbreakable tradition. Priests in her cult are often healers and occasionally see service on the battlefield, though that is completely against the traditional values of Sydera. Sydera is unique in that she is a fiction of the church. There never was a Sydera Lifewaker. She is most often depicted as a Golden Nezumi broodmother, caring for her disciples. Her domains are Earth, Plant, Community.

History: None. She never existed.
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Ulu, [Raincaller, Siltsower] : Ulu represents the power of water in the world. Often Ulu is called upon for the exceedingly rare event, a rainstorm. He is most often associated with knowledge, magic, and to an extent, destruction. In life he was a vindictive elf, often meting out punishments far to harsh for the transgressions. He was also extremely destructive. Now he is regarded as a very kind deity, though he is sparse with his rain. He is depicted as a male elf with a disturbingly kind expression, often draped in blue. His priests are usually historians, keeping the Great Library in Skal. His domains are Water, Protection, Magic.

History: He Was born in a small village of elven river traders inside Cellestrael. His actual gender is unknown as several reputable resources disagree on the matter. However, his cult claims to have difinitive proof he was male. He was a self-taught mage that well known as a bounty hunter for a short period of time. Ulu is believed to have ended up as the primary conduit of the elven doomsday spell. It is even rumored he became a being known as "the Revenant", who haunted the wastes after the Devastation. It was killed nearly 900 years ago, however, so the question is irrelevant.
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Yanna, [Paintaker, The Smiling One] : Yanna represents the power of death in life. She is never depicted in any church accross the entire continent, except as a void. She is the patron of the insane, killers, and ironically, healing. In life, Yanna was an extreme sociopath and psychopath. She killed an entire orphanage that was infected with a wasting disease and the next day healed half of the population of the next town over. She was insane in the most precise sense of the world. There are many cults surrounding her, but the official cult handles the morgue and execution of criminals. Yanna is most often prayed to as the deity who you meet when you die and guides you into the void. Her domains are Death, Heaing, and Madness.

History: No-one know exactly where she was born, or where she came from. Her true race is disputed, though her deeds are very well known. She appeared a year after the Hateseeds began to fall. She cut a swath of destruction through Cellestrael. Texts clearly refer to her wearing a mask and weilding a scythe, often cutting through huge crowds of people. Her exact powers are in doubt, as she is rumored to have done so many different things that no-one can be sure exactly what she could do. Her cult is closed-mouthed on the issues, as they are often the bearers of Vows of Silence. Most scholars agree that she was at least mentally unbalanced, though many claim she was a full on lunatic.
[/spoiler]

The actual church is led by a hierophant who is elected by the leader of each cult. Novices are inducted, at age 10, into a collective pool, and then when they take their vows, at 21, they dedicate themselves to a single cult and a profession. This becomes their calling in life. Each cult wears a different habit color, Dalmien: White, Iliana: Red, Sydera: Green, Ulu: Blue, and Yanna: Black with a gauze veil obscuring the cleric's face.
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Gnomish Monastic Traditions]
Gnomish Monastic Traditions

The gnomes are of two facets, one is the secular monetary shrewdness that has earned the Suleim Trading Cartel a terrifying reputation in economic circles. The other is a deep religious side, continuously in awe of the world. Most gnomes adhere to one of the eight monastic traditions. All eight were born off of a now defunct religion the gnomes call "Gaerdiannism" which was an animistic/elementalistic religion that holds the sanctity of Gaia, the greater world, the truths of the world are there, with no explanation necessary, and that the entire world is alive with spirits who must be venerated. These monasteries live out the basic principles of this religion. Gnomish Shugenjas (as seen in OA, not CD) and Druids (in fact, it is widely accepted, even openly aknowledged, that Trael inherited many of its traditions from the Gnomes) are the primary casters and take on many of the clerical duties of the monastic orders. Many of the Shugenjas have some martial training, but rarely need to use it. Here are the Monasteries in no particular order.

Fochlucan: Is the largest and oldest of the monasteries and is probably the least martial of all. It focuses on the unity of knowledge and understanding. They are renown for their lyrists, and their collection of Knowledge. They also are one of the more open monasteries, with defense not being a primary concern. This tradition believes that everything has a reason, and that our purpose is to understand its beauty. They strongly discourage violence in general, believing that a few well placed words are better than killing, which destroys one's ability to understand. (Use the Asahina school for Shugenja)


Lem: Is a medium sized monastery based on the principle that things happen, and the reasons cloud our understanding of what is right. If action is the Right action it will be recognized as such by everyone, because everyone has an inborn moral reasoning. This is a fairly martial monastery, with a style that focuses on avoiding attacks, and using the energy of the attacks against the attacker. Lem is the most remote monastery, and has some natural defenses in the form of only one real lane of attack, a tunnel through a plateau that surrounds the community. It can be collapsed in times of dire need, and is defended by terracota warriors. (Use the Tamori school for Shugenja)

Eserak: Is nestled in the Dawnglimmer mountains, and easily defensible. Eserak is perhaps the most martial of the monasteries. It often sends its martial practitioners out into the world to experience what has come of Gaia. They hold that we are born, we live, we die. There is nothing else. Good and Evil are meaningless abstracts. Any meaning to anything is applied by sentients who are incapable of understanding the whole. The monks attempt to unify themselves with the void, an emptiness from which we can understand nothing and become nothing, which we are already but we can finally recognise the fact. The martial style focuses on explosive starts that rely on dozens of fast strike on the charge. (Use Soshi school for Shugenja)

Alkanagosh: Is a quiet and small monastery that focuses on cultivating purity through living life. Gardens are considered a very high expression of one's purity. Alkanagosh believes that by sublimating oneself in Gaia, one finds purity. They are the closest linked to the spirits of the land and are rumored to be capable of calling the spirits to their aid. They also have a standing alliance with the ancient elementals of the world. The martial style is focused on using staves to the maximum advantage. They are renown defensive fighters, and consequently the monastery hasn't been attacked by raiders in one hundred years. Alkangosh is split in two major factions, one that adheres to the old ways of quietly tending gardens, and the other wishes to begin using their philosophy on the world at large. Open warfare has erupted twice in the last twenty years between the two factions, and many lives were lost. Trouble has been brewing for several years now, and fighting may erupt at any time. Yuan ti have infiltrated the monastary and are inciting violence as a cover while they desperately smuggle some of the more powerful artifacts, particularly ones that enhance plant growth, to aid in the seige against Shematho. (Use Iuchi school)

Galifa: Is a small monastery that reveres life in its entirety. It believes that there is no meaning to life, save what we choose, and each person must find their own meaning, and that is the beauty. They use a soft style that focuses on preventing the enemy from moving and strongly believe that killing is for the weak. They do use magical healing when they can to ease the suffering of the world, to clear its eyes to see its own meaning. (Use Kitsu school)

Sajadeen: sits in an ancient crater, which is believed to be where the first hateseed fell. The monastery believes that the world must be ushered toword utopia and this is merely part of the cycle. They believe that by using right action that everyone can move the world in the correct path. The martial techniques are focused on using the enemy's energy against him, followed by precise strikes and nerve pins. The crater the monastery is situated in has many magical effects, causing strange creatures and arcane effects to congegate there. Sajadeen hides ancient seals that bind some dark spirit from the War of the Aeon. The seals bind thirteen souls to keep this mysterious devil at bay, forever reincarnating to protect the world. The primary function of this monastary is seek those possess one of these souls, and to teach them their duty. These are known as Jade Pheonix Mages. 12 souls stand in the light but one has fallen to darkness and decrepitude. They were forced to kill the last bearer of this soul and are actively seeking the current host. (Use Kuni School)

Ogjama: This is the Monastery that has explored the most of the Divide. It believes that we must live through the world to understand it. Once understanding is complete, change must occur to improve the world. The monks have found that more often than not, change is enacted by violence and dedicates a lot of its teachings on how to defend oneself. Ogjama is the face of the gnomish monastaries. It constantly sends out monks to change the world according to their master plan. They have close ties with Trael, and actually have a small outpost in the city. The druids have found that the Ogjama gnomes tend to be helpful and wise, no matter the situation. They do not shy at any work, and consequently, the relationship has flouished. There is a small druidic grove near Ogjama, where the Traeli druids send students to train and experience the world outside. (Use Agasha school)

Shematho: Is a fairly quiet monastery that focuses on meditation to change the world slowly but surely. It believes that actively standing against evil is pointless. Evil will fade with time; quiet purity is a proven (in their minds) method to combat evil. The martial techniques are closely guarded but seem to focus on gracefully allowing the enemy to defeat themselves. They rarely leave the monastery, believing that the world is as of yet impure and would dilute the purity of the monastery. Shematho is so isolationist because they want the area they guard to be as overlooked as possible. In the caverns below the monastary, an ancient weapons cache exists, including an intact hateseed. Yuan ti spies and commandos besiege the lower levels, while the elders attempt to destroy the hateseed. (Use Yogo school)[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Giver Cults]

Giver Cults

The Givers are on the surface a very kind religion. They preach non-violence, freedom of all slaves, and communal living. They offer free healing to those who are in need of it. In fact, many peope's lives are made better by the Givers. They run charity organisations, orphanages, homeless shelters, anything that makes people's lives easier.

The problem is the apparently random choice of people that join the cult. The Church of Four is immensely suspicious and disgruntled with the speed at which the Givers has risen into prominance. The religion is only about five years old. It is estimated that the Givers can call almost 1/2 of the poor in Skal, Vedim, Salvage, and Shiftport followers. It hasn't taken as large a foot hold in the middle and upper classes, but it still has a respectable group of worshipers.

Givers deny the existence of gods entirely. They strongly believe that people are the key to building a new world. The new world is green and beatiful, at least to here the Givers tell it. They do many things that are extremely strange, and they elicit many horrifying rumors, perhaps spread by the Church of Four. One thing is how they, once a year, make a pilgramage to Felltrack. They claim it is the birthplace of their religion. Since Felltrack is basically ruins full of insane cultists, natural traps, ghosts of the past, and abberations, this is curious. The second thing that's strange is the curious uniformity of thought and deed that the Givers exhibit. They never disagree, and occasionally, speak in perfect harmony, saying the same thing at the same time. This will occur with five or six Givers, and will usually run for about five minutes or so. Most of the Clergy calls themselves "the Given". The rest call themselves "givers". The Given are the ones who show all the strangeness.

The rumors speak of orphans that disappear, homeless people used in terrible rituals, possession, demonic influence, pretty much anything that discredits the Givers as a force of good.[/spoiler]

[Velox]

No water is cool. Makes for an interesting concept, and I'm sure it will be fun to play in a world where gold is less valubale than water.

...but two subtitles? You're giving Whitewolf a run for its money, and bordering on B-movie style ;). I don't think you need to cram that much info into your title. Give it a little mystery, don't just headline it as "desert game". Although, I do think desert games are the shit.

Otherwise, looks cool. I'll read more on it later (meaning, I'll actually read some of it; I'm a lazy bitch).

[Endless_Helix]

[spoiler=Slavery]
Slavery is an economic reality in the blasted waste of Daerderak. So many people have so little that all they can sell is themselves or their children. Those in power need workers to harvest what little resources are available. It's tiring, back-breaking work in the horrific heat; most people aren't going to do that willingly.

There are three "classes" of slaves, and then indentured servants. The first "class" of slaves are the servants. These tend to be kept much better than the other two. Also, they may get some training in academic matters and perhaps even a limited form of freedom. But they are owned by their master until either the master or the slave dies. If the master dies while the slave is still alive, the slave (if proven innoncent of the master's murder) is given a chance to buy his way to freedom as an indentured servant. Generally, servants are sold into slavery, not captured in slave raids

The second class of slave is the pleasure slave. This generally means prostitutes or gladiatorial slaves, though other venues are available (maseuses, for example). The prostitutes are usually sold into slavery, but the lower class ones tend to be taken captive in a raid or during a military action. The high-class ones might have some training, but generally, it's trial and error. Ursaiden actually has a facility to train its secondary export, pleasure slaves. Changeling prostitutes are highly sought after; they can be whatever you want, and consequently the brothelmaster can charge a lot per trick. Gladiatorial slaves are generally taken in raids, although many noted gladiators are actually owned by a contractor, and may have training. Again Ursaiden has produced many of the stars of death fights accross the continent. They have codified the techniqes of of the barbarian tribes in shifting and teach it to potential gladiators in their schools. The most promising are sold off as indentured servants, so that they can teach at the school when they finsh their tour of duty, and the rest are sold as slaves to the highest bidder.

The third class is labor slaves. Basically you work until you die for someone you've probably never met. It's probably the worst of your choices as a slave. There is no chance of freedom or really any hope except escape, which in Skal, Vedim, and Shad-Iairach means death. In Trael it means that you are returned to your master to do with you what he will. In Ursaiden your contract is bought by the Cabinet and you work in a government labor camp. In Ikeelitickstick, the punishment changes with the judge. That means fairly frequently. If your master dies before you, you are brought back to auction and sold or if you are too old, killed.




There are a couple of organizations that deal in slaves. Most slaves are aquired by means of slaver bands that perform raids on the various small villages around the continent. None of the larger city-states are touched because of the police forces and military forces in the area. Generally, the closer to a natural hazard a village is, the less likely it will be hit by these roving bands. They don't want to take any unneccisary risks.

The Cabinet

The Cabinet is the shadowy organization that rules Ursaiden. It has it's fingers in nearly every plot and an intelligence network second to none. The slave trade is one of the most profitable industries and consequently the Cabinet has been expanding it's control over the market for the better part of two hundred years. It has been focusing on the production of Pleasure Slaves and Servants primarily because they can be sold for the most. Also, changelings do not make the best laborers. Generally, orcs and ogres are almost infinately superior. It has struck up a deal with the Caravaneers (out of Salvage), and the Suliem Trading Cartel to transport slaves from Ursaiden to the rest of the continent.

Suliem Trading Cartel

This gnomish family started in transportation and then worked its way through much of the economy. It deals in nearly every product, and buys slaves from Ursaiden to sell accross the continent. They are also notably interested in the ocean bottom. It has sent three expeditions to the ocean bottom in the last hundred years. Not one of them returned. One theory is since 90% of the expeditions were slaves, they took the opportunity to escape. The other is that something killed them all. Which is true, no-one is certain.

The Khresh

The Khresh is a sort of slaver guild. It sends out highly trained retrieval teams to take villages of slaves. Slaves are the only product it deals in, though unnofficially it has been known to do some mercenary work. Its leader, Ghorush (Female orc ranger 6/Justicar 4(modified), NE) specializes in capturing orcs and ogres for construction work. The guild offers training and consistent work for those willing to be a slaver. (OOC Note: The Justicar has been modified to fit in with this guild. The alignment pre-req got tossed)

The Giver Cults

The Given oppose all forms of slavery, though don't really mind indentured servitude, and it is one of the only things that they have been recorded to be militant about. They have repeatedly petitioned Trael for making slavery illegal, but this has been ignored. Trael is just as dependant on slave labor as the rest of the continent. They just change the name to "the black class". The Khresh are very interested in stopping the Given from interfering any more. They believe that they've lost at least four parties to the Given. Perhaps more.

The Gnomish Monasterys

The monks of the Divide unilaterally agree that slavery is evil. Most aren't willing to stretch so far as to actually hinder any slaving operations, but they would be willing to protect a runaway who sought shelter in their home. They would also do their level best to convert the slave to their belief system, which might take, and it might not. This has earned the monks a lot of enemies, but so far none have been stupid enough to directly attack them.




Slavery is generally regarded as something of an economic neccesity by those in power. There is an ever dwindling ammount of manual laborers who are willing to do the work. Also, those that are willing to do the work require massive ammounts of money to do it. So slaves are one of the best options. At least to those in power.

The Governments of most cities find that it is within their best intrest to let slavery continue, until a better option appears. Yes, the lower classes holler and moan, but haven't they always? It also brings in a huge ammount of money. A couple of moderate tarriffs and suddenly the entire city is rolling in money for whatever they need! Skal used this to upgrade it's defenses, made two parks, built four Churchs, one to each god, and secured several lucrative trading partners, all with one year's tarriffs.

Both Vedim and Trael have strong anti-slavery movements, Vedim particularly. In fact, Vedim has all but outlawed slavery, increasing the tarriffs so high that no slaver will operate within their city. Slaves have a bill of rights, for instance, it is ruled that the children of slaves are not born slaves, and are educated at expense of the city. This is primarily because the huge ammount of magical and technical knowledge available to the government. They can reduce the ammount of work required, for anything, to half of what it was. Also, most buildings are built by construction mages, who specialize in Tenser's Floating Disk and Unseen Servant, and the higher level ones use Wall of Stone. Vedim also trades for most of its food.

Trael is dragging its heels on removing slavery, even though much of its population is adamantly against the concept of slavery. Ironically, they don't mind the Black Caste at all. Religiously, Trael believes that those who are unworthy are born into the Black Caste and they are paying for their last life's crimes by working for the good of the city. In fact, they'd never even think to question it. The Tangleguard has yet to make any actions against slavers, but they have threatened occasionally. Most believe that it is to placate the citizens in the city, not to actually stop the slave trade.
[/spoiler]

Conspirators
The Draconic Conspiracy

[ic=Alganister Seiader]Long ago, when the world was young, and we gnomes were little more than a whisper in the gods' eyes, Dragons ruled the world. They mastered arcane mysteries far beyond our paltry knowledge. Their empire ruled three entire worlds, in it's golden age. Their power had no rival, save the gods. They crafted gargantuan cities that soared into the heavens, their legions of warriors outshone the sun is their mirrored armor. Alas, like all things, it was not to last. Arrogance killed the Empire. The dragons were so powerful that none could openly oppose them, but many dragons wished to conquer more, to build greater monuments to the gods, to be the greatest race to ever exist. This drained the Empire dry. Finally the poverty got so great that there was rebellion. This schism bled out into the other worlds, and the entire universe was at war. It eventually collapsed into utter chaos and the dragons were driven extinct. The universe continued it stuggle for a few centuries but once the dragons were gone, the heart of the struggle was removed. It took hundreds of thousands of years before the gods looked at this world again, there was far worse damage to deal with. Most of the fighting stayed far from this world, as it was merely a garden, a pleasure-home, for the dragons. That is where our tale began...[/ic]

But, what if the dragons weren't quite as extinct as previously believed? Dragon sightings are becoming more and more common, particularly around the Ruins of Chronosht and the Divide...

[spoiler=The Dragons]

When the dragons were certain that they would die, they hid caches of eggs on several worlds, including Daederak. These eggs hatched long after the disaster, but had magical servants that helped to understand their heritage. These dragons are now bent on regaining their former glory. They have infiltrated both the Yuan-ti and gnomish monastaries, especially the monastaries. The Yuan-ti are aware of the dragons and feel they are a major threat to their agenda. They are also aware of the draconist spies within their midst, and actively act to root them out. Their success rate is amazingly high for their actual abilities.

The dragon's primary strategy is to form cults around themselves and then use the fanaticism to power their schemes. Generally a dragon comes down and "chooses" a prophet who then is told how to create a utopia. Whether or not the instructions work is never the point, but some dragons do see themselves as gods. They wish to use the lesser creatures as a model for the dragons. These "Nurturers" are one of the more active sects, and their opposite, the Isolationists, tend to stay out in the wastes. Isolationists believe that the lesser races are nothing more than a distraction. They would just destroy all the little creatures if they had a choice in the matter, but the Plan has no mention of it. Consequently, the Isolationist sit and wait for their time to come. Isolationists believe that there are more dragons on other planets, waiting for them either in the egg or civilized. They haven't been able to figure out a way to travel yet, but hope to use Matterplay's energy to fuel such a gate spell.

The motivations of the dragons for infiltrating the monastaries are manifold. First of all, The Divide is fairly central, and consequently any spies don't have to go to the ends of the earth to find who they're supposed to report to. Second, while the dragons are certainly more advanced than the gnomes in many way, the gnomes have a lot of information that even they don't understand, and the monastaries formed before the dragons began to manipulate the continent, so they've got a lot of information from before the disaster. The dragons want access to this knowledge; they don't have access to gradeur of their forbears and wish to regain their former glory. Third, the ancient artifacts beneath the monastaries are immensely powerful and would be amazingly powerful in the grasp of the dragons. Or their enemies. Thus the dragons need to occupy that area or be wiped off the face of the planet by the Yuan-ti or extraplanar entities with a grudge to settle from the ancient wars.

The dragons' other plans involve attempting to channel Matterplay's energies into their spell-casting. They're using the Kurchaali Empire to distract the Xao and the Shoals from their experiments. They've also attempted to turn Ursaiden into their tool, but the Cabinet's rigid control has made it difficult to form any footholds. The Cabinet is aware of a vague threat in the form of a "dragon-cult", but do not know about the origins of this cult. They're currently watching it for any suspicious behavior.

The dragons current bases of opperations are far out in the wastes of the ocean bottom, currently unaccessable to the civilizations on Daerderak.
[/spoiler]

[ic=Alganister Seider] There's a threat beneath the earth. It will eventually consume all the world, you know. We can fight it with all our might, but we will yet fail. We have to win every time, until the end of time. It only has to win once. Our orders are devoted to protect the world from this danger, yet it already infiltrates every city in the world! Yes, this is the Yuan Ti, the deep folk. They undermine our homes and seek to enslave us all! Their dark magics slowly but surely warp the world even more. I have been down to the their vile city and seen their horrifying rituals! I watched them unearth a hateseed! They are the devourer of worlds, and will not stop untill they have all of us in their chains, like they once had me...
[/ic]

[spoiler= The Yuan Ti]
History
The Yuan Ti claim to be the children of the Reventant, who wandered the wastes 1000 years ago, claiming the Disaster was his fault. He has since disappeared, and the last recorded sighting was 900 years ago. The Revenent apparently created them to rule the world in his absence, as he would be bound for eternity. This proved true, and consequently they believe, heart and soul, that their race will attain heights greater than the dragons. They spent the last 900 years building their underground empire, and only recently have journeyed to the surface.

Once on the surface, their emperor, Szalaz II, decided that they would attempt to conquer it. They have spent these last years performing reconnaissance, finding the holes in the surface's defences, stealing their thaumaturgical artifacts, destabilizing the situation politically, and a host of other conspiracies.

Culture
The Yuan Ti are certainly more advanced than any city state on the surface, and are almost entirely geared towords the military. Swordplay, smithing, and unarmed combat are considered "fine" art, with little else to express creativity in, although sculpture is quite popular as well. They use magic to heat up the stone irregularly to provide color and visual texture. Most of the children are funneled into the military or into farming, which mostly includes fungus gardening and domesticated breeds of carrion crawlers. They're usually fed slaves or casualties of war.

Slavery is used to fuel the economy, and the slaves are used accross the board in society. Once they are turned into wretchlings, they're used as cannon-fodder for the more elite Yuan Ti soldiers are the kill-teams. The lucky few slaves that become servants are not turned into wretchlings and have the best prospects of those taken by the Yuan Ti. Most Yuan Ti slavers prey on small isolated villages, although they have become more militant in taking slaves recently; they may have had something to do with the fall of Felltrack.

Militarily the Yuan Ti use their wretchlings as meat shields for their elite teams of Yuan Ti abominations or hunters.  Hunters are search and destroy teams, trained in both information gathering and assassination. They have little by way of crowd control, and consequently rarely see an open battle field. Abominations are trained to unleash their primal frenzy and are used as the hammer to the wretchlings anvil.

Their primary goals on the surface are to gain access to all reasources and information that could help their cause, to infiltrate the surface, and eliminate all knowledge of their darker motives. The gnomes learned about the Yuan Ti and their plans soon after their first attempt on the Hateseed under Shematho. Since the enmity has grown immensely.
[/spoiler]

Crunch
Taint
This is an entirely different system then either Dark Sun's (a major source of inspiration for me over the years) Defiler system or the Taint from HoH (or OA). I've chosen the name "Taint" because of the spells I use to detect it.

Assuming Taint
One can assume taint to power a spell or use a spell-like ability an additional time per day (or use a metamagic feat on it). On the table below is the metamagic feat and how much taint you must assume to spontaneously apply it to any spell (or spell-like ability) you are capable of casting

Silent spell +1
Still Spell +2
Extend Spell +3
Enlarge Spell +2
Heighten Spell +1 per level
Maximize Spell +4
Quicken Spell +6
Widen Spell +2

You may also assume taint to get additional uses of a previously cast spell or spell-like ability. To do this you assume 1 taint per level of the spell (or spell-like ability) being cast and recast the spell.

The assuming of taint from spell casting is caused by basically scouring the life-force from every living plant or single-celled lifeform in a certain area. The area rendered infertile by assuming taint is different for each type of environment, also there is a cap as to how much life you can suck from the area, depending on the environment.

Lush: 1ft per total taint taken. Cap at +7
Plains: 5 ft per total taint taken Cap at +6
Dry: 7ft per total taint taken. Cap at +5
Arid: 10 ft per total taint taken. Cap at +4
Barren: 30 ft per total taint taken. Cap at +3

Also being in certain areas of great magical or divine power, wild magic zones, unhallow spells and other such phenomenon. Certain items and creatures can give off an aura of taint as well. There is generally a fortitude or a will save to resist gaining taint from the aura.

To assume taint from the environment or an aura you must first fail a fortitude or a will save (specified at the time). In an environment this occurs every hour. The DC increases by 1 for every hour you are in the tainted environment. The base DC's are below.

Neglible Taint DC 5
Mild Taint DC 10
High Taint DC 15
Dangerous Taint DC 20
Demonaic Taint DC 25
Totally Corrupted DC 30
----
The Effects of Taint
The effects are cumulative.

1-10 -2 on all Charisma based checks
11-20 -2 on all Wisdom based checks and an additional -1 on all Charisma based checks
21-30 You gain a deformation (chosen by the DM) You get an additional -1 on all Wisdom and Charisma based checks.
31-40 You gain an additional deformation and spend a number of hours per day under the effect of an Insanity spell equal to your charisma modifier (minimum 1 hr). This effect cannot be dispelled or healed untill you have lost all your taint. You also get a -1 on all Wisdom and Charisma based checks
41-50 You become a Tainted One
----
Tainted One Template
AL: Always CE
Hit dice: change to d4's no matter the class
AC: Get a -2 penalty on AC and may not add your dexterity modifier to your AC
Saves: Get a -4 penalty on all saves and an additional -2 circumstance penalty on Will saves

Special Qualities : Undead traits, Tainted Hunger, Aura of Taint, Detect Taint, Detect Evil.

Attacks: as base creature.

Special Attacks: Corrupting Touch

Tainted Hunger: A Tainted One hungers after those who are pure and unblemished. They must kill and consume an innocent soul once a week or turn into a pile of ashes and die their final death. They may attempt to resist the compulsion by making a will save equal to their Charisma score +their hit dice.

Aura of Taint Will DC 10+ Charisma Modifier

Corrupting Touch Fort DC 10+ Charisma Modifier. Melee touch attack, deal 1d3 taint and 1 negative level.

CR +2
ECL +2
*DM's Note- I'm not exactly sure where this would lie on the power scale an it is still open to all criticism and probably needs a bit more work

[spoiler=Xao]
Xao
Insectiod (as Monstrous Humanoid)
Small
Base Speed 20 feet
-2 Str
+2 Dex
-2 Wisdom
Compound Eyes: +4 to Spot checks
+1 on all saves
1 bonus Xao feat.

Xao feats (yes, Xao are the endlessly mutable "It" race)

Natural Climber (1st level only)
[Xao]

+3 on Climb checks
2 natural claw attacks (1d3), may only be used when wielding no weapons.

Natural Warrior (1st Level Only)
[Xao]
+4 on saves vs Fear effects
1 secondary Bite attack (1d4+ poison), Poison deals 1d3 Str damage fort negates (DC 11+con modifier)

Natural Flier (1st Level Only)
[Xao]
May loose their dexterity bonus to AC for 1 round to gain a fly speed of 30 ft (poor), for a number of rounds equal to the character's Con modifier. Afterwards, the character is fatigued.
May not wear any armor, but may wear robes.
Gains a permanent dodge bonus of +4 to AC

Natural Caster (1st level Only)
[Xao]
1/day: detect magic, message, daze
Caster level 1, DC 11+cha mod
+4 on spellcraft

Natural Hulk (1st level only)
[Xao]
Gain +4 natural armor bonus to AC
Max dex of +5
Counts as wearing light armor
armor check penalty of -2
Natural slam of 1d4
May not wear armor or robes

Four Legs (1st level only)

Gain +4 racial bonus on Balance, and resisting bull rush and trip attempts
Speed increases to 40 feet
All armor costs 150% of what it would normally cost, given your unique anatomy.

[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Iaiderach]
Iaiderach
Reptillian Humanoid
Medium Sized
30ft Base Speed
+2 Con
-2 Wis
-2Cha
+2 to Balance
-2 to Ride
+2 to initiative
+2 natural armor bonus to AC
Cold Vulnerability
Low Light Vision
Natural Secondary Slam Attack (with tail) 1d6
[/spoiler]

[DeeL]

I find the use of the term Matterplay interesting.  Helix, have you read David Lindsey's Voyage to Arcturus?  

And now, on to my usual harangue - what is the sky like?  Just the one sun?  Blue in the daytime, black dappled with stars at night?  Any notable constellations?  Cometary bodies?  Meteor shower cycles?  I assume a day is 24 hours - do the people of Daerderak divide their days into hours?  Minutes?  6-hour intervals?  

This is just my usual love of set dressing.  Regardless, you have started something I wasn't sure I'd see again - an original desert setting.  Kudos.

[Endless_Helix]

[note]@Deel: Yes... you found me out. The name Matterplay is taken from Voyage to Arcturus, and I definately took more than a few ideas from that book. That is honestly one of my favorite books...[/note]
-in progress-
The Sky

The sky is a ruled by twin suns, which creates a dim world (light interference), with very little night. The larger, red sun is named Gurach and the smaller blue sun is named Shael. They orbit at different speeds, but when they both rise, it is a beautiful sight. This only happens about once every century unfortuately. The stars are consequently very dull and rarely show their face. The general golor of the sky is a orange that fades to a deep purple at night. Each day is Twenty hours long, and is roughly analogous with traditonal DnD time. There aren't clouds, thought there are myths of such heavenly bodies. Rain comes unannounced and ends quickly. The 500 day year is split into 5 "seasons".

The Seasons

Waxing
In this season everything grows. It is the spring time, and the begining of the planetary cycle.  Planting happens during this season. It symbolizes birth and love. It's patron god is Sydera Lifewaker. She nurtures the life and gives it breath to live. It tends to be slightly cooler than usual, which facilitates increased rainfall. Windstorms are also immensely common and tear through the open expanses that dominate Haven. This is both a month of battening down the hatches and growing sustenance.

Calling
This is when the heat rolls onto the land, bringing energy the plants that dug in during Waxing. Temptures tend to average around 99 to 105 C or 175 to 210 F. The patron god of this season is Iliana Firebride. She breathes the heat igniting the world in passion. This is when most marriages occur, and it is the time to create conflict. Slavers are very active during this season because it simply  is the most hospitable. Firestorms are not entirely uncommon in towns where most of the buildings are either woven from brush or waudle and daub.

Harvest
The heat fluctuates again and again, stirring ferocious windstorms called flaywinds. The sand filled winds have been known to kill people before. Damien, Lord of the Ash is the patron god of this season. It is an ending season. During this season most people stay inside whenever possible, to avoid the frequent flaywind storms. It is also the harvest season in the sense of gathering crops. The only way for farmers to beat the killing winds is to wrap up in massive lizardskin suits that protect against the tiny grits in the wind. Travel and trade is almost brought to a standstill, but a few crazy independant merchants are willing to brave the storms for the rewards.

Falling
This is the "rainy season". You still only get a 10-15 inches of rainfal, but that is several times what falls during the rest of the year. It often cools slightly dropping to high 90's C or about 150 F. Ulu calls this month home, bringing his mercy and rain. Flash floods are common during this season, and sometimes interfere with travel, but they aren't common enought to be a large problem. Water worms, however, become far more common. The seals on the water must be far more potent or else there will be an infestation.

Bone
This is the season when no rain falls, no life flouishes, and the heat is unbearable. It often exceeds 120 C or 230 F. This is the trading season, because there is little by way of threats. Most animals go into hibernation until Breath, and few elementals roam the wastes. However, this is Yanna's Season. It can't be free of hazards. For some reason, the dead are more powerful during this season. Undeath is not an uncommon thing on Haven. But the season of Bone makes it stronger, harder to extinguish, and much more ferocious.

[Raelifin]

The Sky

The sky is a ruled by twin suns, which creates a dim world (light interference), with very little night. The larger, red sun is named Gurach and the smaller blue sun is named Shael. They orbit at different speeds, but when they both rise, it is a beautiful sight. This only happens about once every century unfortuately. The stars are consequently very dull and rarely show their face. The general golor of the sky is a orange that fades to a deep purple at night. Each day is Twenty hours long, and is roughly analogous with traditonal DnD time. There aren't clouds, thought there are myths of such heavenly bodies. Rain comes unannounced and ends quickly. The 500 day year is split into 5 "seasons".

I take it by "D&D time," you mean real world time. :P
I'm interested in how the long year affects food supply. It seems by Waxing everyone would be starved.

The Seasons<SNIP>
Bone
This is the season when no rain falls, no life flouishes, and the heat is unbearable. It often exceeds 120 C or 230 F. This is the trading season, because there is little by way of threats. Most animals go into hibernation until Breath, and few elementals roam the wastes. However, this is Yanna's Season. It can't be free of hazards. For some reason, the dead are more powerful during this season. Undeath is not an uncommon thing on Haven. But the season of Bone makes it stronger, harder to extinguish, and much more ferocious.

What is "Breath"?

[Endless_Helix]

Breath is the fifth season I haven't added in yet...

Trael controls the weather around the city, and has contructed the land around the city to be immensely fertile. It allows an immense amount of food to be grown. Skal survives off of Trael and the gnomish caravans bringing food into the city. Vedim has a trade agreement with Trael and the Gnomish Monastaries; it is also experimenting with magically augmented green houses. The current models are using create water and plant growth spells, as well as volcanic soil from the nearby mountains. Also you've got a growing season of 250 days. You're probably going to have two to three major harvests, maybe four depending on the crop. But, that said, this is an inhospitable world for the most part, and times are lean. Also, several races are either slow digesters (iaiderach and orcs) or like the Xao don't eat at all. I will have to write more on precisely how the whole economic system works.

[Raelifin]

Givers deny the existence of gods entirely. They strongly believe that people are the key to building a new world. The new world is green and beatiful, at least to here the Givers tell it. They do many things that are extremely strange, and they elicit many horrifying rumors, perhaps spread by the Church of Four. One thing is how they, once a year, make a pilgramage to Felltrack. They claim it is the birthplace of their religion. Since Felltrack is basically ruins full of insane cultists, natural traps, ghosts of the past, and abberations, this is curious. The second thing that's strange is the curious uniformity of thought and deed that the Givers exhibit. They never disagree, and occasionally, speak in perfect harmony, saying the same thing at the same time. This will occur with five or six Givers, and will usually run for about five minutes or so. Most of the Clergy calls themselves "the Given". The rest call themselves "givers". The Given are the ones who show all the strangeness.

The rumors speak of orphans that disappear, homeless people used in terrible rituals, possession, demonic influence, pretty much anything that discredits the Givers as a force of good.

I really like these guys. The mystery is just on the edge of creepy.
Some more detail on the hierarchy would be good. How many Given exist, for instance.

Is there ANY explanation on how they get people to go to Felltrack? I wouldn't want to go anywhere near there, even if I was a devoted Giver. Getting me to go would be possible, but do they use mundane or mysterious methods of persuasion?


I haven't seen anything on how the humans and gnomes live with the heat. 230 degree weather will cook an egg, literally. How do merchants travel so much during Bone?

[Endless_Helix]

What humans? No, seriously. There aren't any humans left. To answer the general thrust of the question, all the races gain the Heat Endurance feat as a bonus at first level and the desert adaption trait, Which essentially makes the temps about 130 F. Another thing is that a lot of the real action happens in the early morning, at dusk and at night, with much of the daylight hours spent indoors with various cooling methods. I need to add that in. I just forget to because everything in the world has it. I should preface the crunch section with that.

On Felltrack:
The Given are more like a hivemind than anything. What that hivemind is controlled by is another matter entirely. Perhaps whatever caused the devastation at Felltrack is the force behind the Givers? (Hint, Hint..)

[Raelifin]

What humans? No, seriously. There aren't any humans left. To answer the general thrust of the question, all the races gain the Heat Endurance feat as a bonus at first level and the desert adaption trait, Which essentially makes the temps about 130 F. Another thing is that a lot of the real action happens in the early morning, at dusk and at night, with much of the daylight hours spent indoors with various cooling methods. I need to add that in. I just forget to because everything in the world has it. I should preface the crunch section with that.

On Felltrack:
The Given are more like a hivemind than anything. What that hivemind is controlled by is another matter entirely. Perhaps whatever caused the devastation at Felltrack is the force behind the Givers? (Hint, Hint..)

Whoa! You need to SPECIFY the lack of humans. I read the opening block and thought that "we" referred to humans and the listed races were others that survived.

On the Givers:
I can see if the Given are a hive mind (that's quite a spoiler btw ;) ) but it was my understanding that the givers weren't.  My question is what motivates the Givers to make the journey? They're normal people, right?

[Raelifin]

This created the War of Aeon that, for a thousand years, raged and obliterated, destroying much of the world. During this time Taint magic, which must be abhorred above all else, was discovered. The mages discovered a way that they could suck power from the land as they could from Hateseeds. The humans' crusade was bitter and terrible, wracking the world with each vile spell. The Elves, fearing for the safety of the world, used this power to destroy every man woman and child in a desperate attempt to stop the power hungry race. The spell they cast boiled the seas dry, and scraped the land barren. The dark magic destroyed the elven people along with the humans and we remember their sacrifice, for without it the world would not even exist. However, the terrible magic killed almost all life, leaving a hundred year wake of destruction. Few creatures survived, but we gnomes, the orcs, the ratlings, and the changelings, managed to eke out a living in this blasted waste.

I edited this paragraph for clarity. Feel free to ignore, rip or change.

[Endless_Helix]

What humans? No, seriously. There aren't any humans left. To answer the general thrust of the question, all the races gain the Heat Endurance feat as a bonus at first level and the desert adaption trait, Which essentially makes the temps about 130 F. Another thing is that a lot of the real action happens in the early morning, at dusk and at night, with much of the daylight hours spent indoors with various cooling methods. I need to add that in. I just forget to because everything in the world has it. I should preface the crunch section with that.

On Felltrack:
The Given are more like a hivemind than anything. What that hivemind is controlled by is another matter entirely. Perhaps whatever caused the devastation at Felltrack is the force behind the Givers? (Hint, Hint..)

Whoa! You need to SPECIFY the lack of humans. I read the opening block and thought that "we" referred to humans and the listed races were others that survived.

On the Givers:
I can see if the Given are a hive mind (that's quite a spoiler btw ;) ) but it was my understanding that the givers weren't.  My question is what motivates the Givers to make the journey? They're normal people, right?

[ic]
his created the War of Aeon, a thousand year war that destroyed much of the world. During this time Taint magic, which must be abhorred above all else, was discovered. The mages discovered a way that they could suck power from the land as they could from Hateseeds. The Elves used this power to destroy the entire human race, to the last woman and child. The dread spell they cast boiled the seas dry, scarred the sky, and scraped the land barren. They reaped a high price for that, destroying their own entire race in the process. Forever we will remember their sacrifice. However, the magic destroyed much of the life in the world, leaving a hundred year wake of destruction. Few creatures survived, but we gnomes, the orcs, the ratlings, and the changelings, managed to eke out a living in this blasted waste.
[/ic]

Is this a bit clearer Raelflin?

Also on the Given:
[spoiler=The Force Behind the GIvers]
Here's a rough timeline.
-10 years ago: Jarg, an Orcish subsistance farmer outside of Felltrack uncovered an ancient artifact in his fields of Fireweed. A team of hunter mages were sent to his abode and turned up three more 'pieces' to what appeared to be an ancient religious relic. It appeared to be dated to the middle of the Aeon War. This put under the immediate domain of Ulu's Offering, the university at Felltrack. It was quickly determined that there were two more pieces. They also believed it to be some form of weapon. It appeared that the final shape was an orb about six inches in radius.

-9 years ago: The scholars determine that any magic in the pieces is long gone and it is put on display for the viewing public. One professor claims otherwise, and is discredited.

-5 years ago: The Yuan Ti arrive in Felltrack, seeking a trading relationship. One of the items on their citywide tour was the University, which at the time, had the artifact on display. The Yuan Ti deligate mentioned that they had an artifact with similar markings. This piece was delivered as a show of good will to Ulu's Offering. Nothing new was ascertained except that this was the fifth piece, and one more was needed to complete the artifact.

-4 years ago: A young Gnomish scavenger named Griblet found an odd shaped artifact, with a set of instructions. It took him about six months to decode them all, but they suggested that the artifact bound a spirit of immense power and was separated into six parts. Uniting all six parts would give him a weapon of unimaginable power. It could dominate any creature it's wielder  commanded it to, within a radius of the nearest dominated creature or the orb itself. There was one bit that he couldn't translate, but he didn't care. He spent the next three months traveling and preparing to steal the artifact. Simultaneously, the Yuan Ti translated an inscription on a recently stolen Gnomish artifact that explained the use of the same artifact. They managed to translate the entire script, which suggested the orb was sentient.

-3 Years ago: Grimble and the Yuan Ti find out about each other's plot, and attempt to take the orb on the same night. In the fight, the artifact was activated, and the Artifact's true purpose was unvieled. It was designed to turn the enemy's population against him by drawing every person it encountered into it's control. It's awakening allowed it to take over Felltrack in one fell swoop. Using ancient rituals, now long forgotten, the artifact's minions summoned terrifying beasts from another world, which now guard Felltrack from unwanted visitors. The Orb, then began to contemplate itself, and finally named itself. The newborn artifact, the Collective, sent out a few of it's minions to nearby cities  and began to draw in more followers. It found that posing as a cult was the most effective means of drawing in more minions and began to adapt to that. Perhaps by now it honestly believes what it espouses, as it's followers do add a bit of themselves to the Collective. It can draw on the hopes and dreams of its minion.

-2 Years Ago: The Collective felt that it needed to grow beyond it's constraints. It was limited to willing followers, lacking the raw power to force them into it's hivemind. It also needed that each one of the new followers be touched, flesh to flesh. This slowed the continental growth to a crawl. So the Collective decided to tunnel to ocean bottom. It used the knowledge from the few Yuan Ti it possessed to tunnel to the supposedly abandoned ocean floor.

-1 Year ago: The first minions of the Collective reach the Ocean bottom, and begin to explore. They manage to convert a tribe of beings that call themselve Mindflayers. The expedition is stopped because everything but the Mindflayers die to the local fauna. The tribe has since been wiped out in a war with another tribe of the same species.

-Now: The Collective is in the middle of an attempt on Ursaiden with less than promising results. Every attempt to create a coven has been foiled by Cabinet Tricksters. The sheer effectiveness of the Tricksters at enforcing the Cabinet's Law has driven back the Collective to Shiftport. There are even rumors of Tricksters being seen as far as Skal and Trael, hunting the Given. It is also attempting to infilitrate the Yuan Ti with similar results. Yuan Ti agents attempted a coup on the Collective that failed, but came close to destroying the artifact.
[/spoiler]

[Raelifin]

Also on the Given:
[spoiler=The Force Behind the Givers]
Here's a rough timeline.
-10 years ago: Jarg, an Orcish subsistance farmer outside of Felltrack uncovered an ancient artifact in his fields of Fireweed. A team of hunter mages were sent to his abode and turned up three more 'pieces' to what appeared to be an ancient religious relic. It appeared to be dated to the middle of the Aeon War. This put under the immediate domain of Ulu's Offering, the university at Felltrack. It was quickly determined that there were two more pieces. They also believed it to be some form of weapon. It appeared that the final shape was an orb about six inches in radius.

-9 years ago: The scholars determine that any magic in the pieces is long gone and it is put on display for the viewing public. One professor claims otherwise, and is discredited.

-5 years ago: The Yuan Ti arrive in Felltrack, seeking a trading relationship. One of the items on their citywide tour was the University, which at the time, had the artifact on display. The Yuan Ti deligate mentioned that they had an artifact with similar markings. This piece was delivered as a show of good will to Ulu's Offering. Nothing new was ascertained except that this was the fifth piece, and one more was needed to complete the artifact.

-4 years ago: A young Gnomish scavenger named Griblet found an odd shaped artifact, with a set of instructions. It took him about six months to decode them all, but they suggested that the artifact bound a spirit of immense power and was separated into six parts. Uniting all six parts would give him a weapon of unimaginable power. It could dominate any creature it's wielder  commanded it to, within a radius of the nearest dominated creature or the orb itself. There was one bit that he couldn't translate, but he didn't care. He spent the next three months traveling and preparing to steal the artifact. Simultaneously, the Yuan Ti translated an inscription on a recently stolen Gnomish artifact that explained the use of the same artifact. They managed to translate the entire script, which suggested the orb was sentient.

-3 Years ago: Grimble and the Yuan Ti find out about each other's plot, and attempt to take the orb on the same night. In the fight, the artifact was activated, and the Artifact's true purpose was unvieled. It was designed to turn the enemy's population against him by drawing every person it encountered into it's control. It's awakening allowed it to take over Felltrack in one fell swoop. Using ancient rituals, now long forgotten, the artifact's minions summoned terrifying beasts from another world, which now guard Felltrack from unwanted visitors. The Orb, then began to contemplate itself, and finally named itself. The newborn artifact, the Collective, sent out a few of it's minions to nearby cities  and began to draw in more followers. It found that posing as a cult was the most effective means of drawing in more minions and began to adapt to that. Perhaps by now it honestly believes what it espouses, as it's followers do add a bit of themselves to the Collective. It can draw on the hopes and dreams of its minion.

-2 Years Ago: The Collective felt that it needed to grow beyond it's constraints. It was limited to willing followers, lacking the raw power to force them into it's hivemind. It also needed that each one of the new followers be touched, flesh to flesh. This slowed the continental growth to a crawl. So the Collective decided to tunnel to ocean bottom. It used the knowledge from the few Yuan Ti it possessed to tunnel to the supposedly abandoned ocean floor.

-1 Year ago: The first minions of the Collective reach the Ocean bottom, and begin to explore. They manage to convert a tribe of beings that call themselve Mindflayers. The expedition is stopped because everything but the Mindflayers die to the local fauna. The tribe has since been wiped out in a war with another tribe of the same species.

-Now: The Collective is in the middle of an attempt on Ursaiden with less than promising results. Every attempt to create a coven has been foiled by Cabinet Tricksters. The sheer effectiveness of the Tricksters at enforcing the Cabinet's Law has driven back the Collective to Shiftport. There are even rumors of Tricksters being seen as far as Skal and Trael, hunting the Given. It is also attempting to infilitrate the Yuan Ti with similar results. Yuan Ti agents attempted a coup on the Collective that failed, but came close to destroying the artifact.
[/spoiler]

:o Felltrack has only been destroyed for three years?! WHY IS IT SO MYSTERIOUS?! Surely traders would have noticed or something. The way you write it out makes it sound like an ancient ruin when its more along the lines of a current event!

I'm also confused on the Collective's power. You state that

"Wow, I sure am glad we tunneled to the ocean floor. It's not like all of our followers just died!"[/color]

Yuan Ti agents attempted a coup on the Collective that failed, but came close to destroying the artifact.

How does the collective convince cultists to make the pilgrimage to Felltrack?[/b]
[/spoiler]

Thanks a bundle in advance,
 - Rael

[Endless_Helix]

[spoiler=The Collective's Motivational techniques]
The simple answer to the last question is that the hivemind is under the Collective's complete control, and so is every creature that's a part of it. So these 'pilgramages' to Felltrack are actually more like a postal service than anything. They bring the Collective items it needs, to keep Felltrack running and also for experiments to see if it can augment its currently flagging power. When it was first activated, it had a much, much larger power reserve to work with, and none of it was spent maintaining the hivemind. Since then, the Collective's energies have been draining, and the attack by the Yuan Ti didn't help matters.  It's looking for ways to recharge itself. It hasn't found any yet, but it continues to look. That was the primary motivation for going to the ocean floor. The ocean bottom is a world of wonders to most of the people on Haven, and they believe that just about anything could be down there. And yes, the first "voyage" to the bottom was an abject failure. The thing that the collective hadn't counted on was the Mindflayers being telepathic. If they weren't, then the Collective would probably be in control of a small tract of the ocean bottom and could be using the resources offered there. Basically, the Ocean Bottom makes Matterplay look normal.

The Yuan Ti have two motivations for keeping Felltrack a secret. First, no-one would believe them, and second they don't want competition in aquiring the Collective. If what's going on in Felltrack became common knowledge, then the Cabinet, the Dragons, the Kurchaali, Trael, and Vedim would become involved. They'd all be interested in gaining control of the Collective, just like the Yuan Ti. Their actions are to disable it and then take it back to their underground empire for experimentation.
[/spoiler]

[Raelifin]

[spoiler=More on Felltrack]

The simple answer to the last question is that the hivemind is under the Collective's complete control, and so is every creature that's a part of it. So these 'pilgramages' to Felltrack are actually more like a postal service than anything. They bring the Collective items it needs, to keep Felltrack running and also for experiments to see if it can augment its currently flagging power. When it was first activated, it had a much, much larger power reserve to work with, and none of it was spent maintaining the hivemind. Since then, the Collective's energies have been draining, and the attack by the Yuan Ti didn't help matters.  It's looking for ways to recharge itself. It hasn't found any yet, but it continues to look. That was the primary motivation for going to the ocean floor. The ocean bottom is a world of wonders to most of the people on Haven, and they believe that just about anything could be down there. And yes, the first "voyage" to the bottom was an abject failure. The thing that the collective hadn't counted on was the Mindflayers being telepathic. If they weren't, then the Collective would probably be in control of a small tract of the ocean bottom and could be using the resources offered there. Basically, the Ocean Bottom makes Matterplay look normal.

The Yuan Ti have two motivations for keeping Felltrack a secret. First, no-one would believe them, and second they don't want competition in aquiring the Collective. If what's going on in Felltrack became common knowledge, then the Cabinet, the Dragons, the Kurchaali, Trael, and Vedim would become involved. They'd all be interested in gaining control of the Collective, just like the Yuan Ti. Their actions are to disable it and then take it back to their underground empire for experimentation.[/quote]