The Realm of Camulus

[Seraph]

Here is some info on the PC races and classes:

PC Races Allowed
Dwarf:Originally from underground realms under the mountains, most dwarves on the surface are slaves, and coat themselves with mud to protect their pale skin, and soothe their pathological need to feel the earth surrounding them.
Elf:Often hostile to other races, Elves only form temporary alliances with them out of necessity, but with a racial perception that is not anchored in the present, they often act whimsically and in ways not easily comprehended at the time.  Favored Class: Ranger
Gnome:Very strict and lawfully-minded.  Very religious and ritual-oriented.  Look at everything in terms of cycles.  Favored Class: Cleric
Goblin:Cocky, clever tricksters who act tougher than they are.  Favored Class: Rogue
Halfling:Fun-loving story tellers and pathological liars, who love dressing in bright colors. Favored Class: Bard
Hobgoblin:Rigid and militaristic, with a strong sense of discipline and clan loyalty.  Favored Class: Fighter
Human:Creative and destructive, humans are especially concerned with "moving forward."
Ork:Rowdy, often selfish creatures who are never satisfied with what they have.  Favored Class: Barbarian

Possible additions
Bugbear
Catfolk: These would be seen mostly in Ulonimas, and would worship Shekma'at almost exclusively.
Gnoll: I'd like to come up with another name for these if I can, but while stat-wise they would be gnolls, they would have jackal heads instead, and worship Anub'Os.
Tengu?: Not sure about this one.  But it would probably be dedicated to Djehauti if it shows up.
Warforged: If these exist in the setting, then it is as constructs created by artificers. 

PC Classes Allowed
Artificer: Most would be from Ulonimas, or learned the art there.  The god Djehauti is important to them.
Barbarian: An outsider of some kind.  Perhaps an islander from across the sea, or an ork or hobgoblin from the North.
Bard: Emphasize their music and storytelling/lore role.  Otherwise normal. 
Cleric: Generally those rare souls who devote themselves to a single deity.  In Ulonimas called "Godslaves."  Elsewhere there can also be clerics of ideas, who worship their whole pantheon.
Druid: A shamanic priest who worships either a pantheon of gods, or "nature" as its own entity.  Prominent in both Uloniman religion, and among the elves of the forest realms. 
Fighter: Any martially inclined profession or way of life. 
Inquisitor: A servant of a church whose task is to root out heretics, unauthorized casters, demons, and monsters.  Though they are relatively few in number, they are found in most parts of the world. 
Monk: Secluded holy men seeking enlightenment and control via martial arts and energy manipulation.
Paladin: Holy Warriors with abilities granted by the gods for undoing their enemies.
Ranger: pretty much the usual.  A lot of elven rangers with "Human" as their favored enemies.
Rogue: Also pretty much the same as usual.  Probably don't organize into "guilds" though.  Except maybe in Arkus. 
Sorcerer: Spellcasters with strong magical bloodlines.  They hail from specific and well known lineages.  Altistrad is known to have several "Noble Houses" of sorcerers.  Sorcerers sometimes engage in magical ritualized bloodletting to enhance their spells. 
Witch: People, often on the edge of civilization, who make pacts with strange entities in exchange for power. 
Wizard: Wise, aged masters who study the world's metaphysics for decades or even centuries to unlock the secrets of the arcane.  Lacking natural talent, they require a special implement to channel their magic, such as a staff or a wand. And must take meticulously detailed notes in their spellbook on precise gestures, materials, and invocations.   Constant memorization and re-memorization from a spellbook is required, as over time the study of magic by a non-magical brain begins to take a toll on the memory. 

Classes Under Consideration
Alchemist: Could potential fit it.  I just wonder about having too many magical and/or "magic-like" classes.
Cavalier: Nothing against it as such, but I wonder if between the Fighter and Paladin there is any real need for another "Knight"-type class
Corsair: I am not averse to a pirate class, though the Sea Reaver Barbarian Archetype would likely cover most occurrences. 
Gladiator (I am thinking Tripod Machine, rather than 4 Winds): They could potentially fit into the somewhat Roman feel of Altistrad.
Machinesmith: Interesting, but I am not convinced it is different enough from the Artificer to make it relevant.
Summoner: As with Alchemist, concerned about spell-caster overload. 

[Seraph]

The Praecantorate: a noble class in Altistrad composed of sorcerers descended from a variety of strange magical creatures, such as Dragons, Djinni, Elementals, Fae, Celestials, and Demons.  Such figures are often haughty and domineering, viewing their intrinsic power and lineage as proof of their superiority.  Some also view this as license to do whatever they please and act above the law.  Their magical power often makes it difficult for authorities to effectively dispute this fact.  Among these families, lineage and magical power are virtually all that matters.  Members of the Praecantorate rarely deign to copulate with "mundanes," limiting their gene pool to other members of the Praecantorate.  Inbreeding is common among those who wish to keep their bloodlines "pure" and untainted by the blood of other magical beings.  They even look down on witches and wizards, who have to study or make bargains to acquire their magical power. 

Some praecantators even go so far as to shed their own blood to augment their magic.  These blood mages can work powerful effects through bleeding, but such magic is dangerous.  Some find the power and the sensation addictive, and blood magic always comes at a cost.  The nature of this cost is not always apparent at the time the spell is cast, but typically manifests as an unexpected consequence of the spell.

The Praecantorate are essentially the "lords" of Altistrad, and while they recognize the value in keeping an army of trained warriors, they consider footsoldiers inferior beings.  But while soldiers are considered higher up on their scale of inferior beings than many others, they are still little better than disposable pawns.

Though the Praecantorate are powerful and dangerous, they tend, as a group, to be very self-absorbed and decadent.  Though their true power brought to bear could likely destroy a nation, instead they choose merely to keep themselves entertained with spectacles, circuses, and by conducting gladiatorial combats.  The Praecantorate will often use their magic to alter the field of battle to make things more interesting.  In the midst of gladiatorial combat, it is considered cheating for any sorcerer to directly affect a combatant with their magic.  However, any sorcerer present may freely alter the battlefield in any way, or may summon monsters into the arena to give the gladiators something else to worry about.

[Seraph]

Altistrad: Brief History of the Empire

A walk through some of the periods in the history of Altistrad. Part 1.


The Nekhebbi Invasion and the Forming of the Republic of Aletis
In antiquity, the region that now makes up Altistrad was composed of several independent tribes and city-states: Aetus, a land ruled by a Philosopher King; Bylars, a democratic land; Lysia, A magocratic oligarchy; Smethi, a militaristic state; and Uciad, a religious theocracy.  Also interspersed among these were smaller tribes and areas with little to no influence beyond their borders.  These would frequently fight among each other, with Smethi and Lysia having the most heated rivalry.  Aetus and Uciad would each on occasion attempt to forcibly enforce their views and way of life on their unenlightened neighbors, and there was much exchange through both violence and trade in ideas, metallurgic techniques, skills, and inventions.  With this exchange, the city-states developed a regional super-culture that would lay the groundwork for their later unification.

An assault from an empire out of the desert region of modern-day Ulonimas quickly conquered several small states as well as Bylars, before reaching significant resistance from Smethi and Aetus.  This empire was called the Nekhebbi.  The city-states made a pact of union to fight off the invading forces.  This was a ragtag alliance at the time, but over the course of several years they beat back the Nekhebbi, and formed a unified Republic of Aletis.  The religion of the Uciad prospered under the Republic, and were given much of the credit for the victory.  

Building an Empire
In the war with the Nekhebbi, Aletis recaptured Bylars and the other tribes, but did not stop there. The Republic's magical and military forces, acting "in the interests of the peace and preservation of the Republic" set out to destroy the core of their enemy.  The Republic, with its many mages and military leaders captured and recruited small groups one at a time to fight for the enlightened Republic of Aletis.  They were given the incentives of citizenship and all it's legal protections, a representative voice in the government, and their share of the spoils of war.  

The war was successful.  The desert homeland of the Nekhebbi was conquered, and a good deal of their technology was integrated by the empire, including their superior weapons tech, war-chariots, and building techniques.  Their techniques were merged with the stylistic tastes of Aletis, and many new temples to the gods of Uciad were erected throughout Ulonimas.  The Republic, finding itself stressed with an unprecedented area of land to rule, began to install their men in the roles of "Representatives" in the Senate, and give these figures absolute rule over their respective territories.  

A highly organized revolt, led by several senior members of the dead Nekhebbi empire, was conducted, resulting in the deaths of many Aletisian Senators.  A highly powerful sorcerer by the name of Volusenn Vesennus Siusylva (of a Naga bloodline) seized control of Ulonimas, quelling the revolts with brutal efficiency.  He was highly celebrated for his victory, and was made dictator of the entire region, which was deemed unruly, and not worthy of a voice in the government.  

When "savages" out of Arkus and Kirrus began to assail the central empire, the Senate called for Volusenn to save them.  Volusenn demanded complete command--a thing that the Republic was hesitant to grant.  But when losses to the savages became too extreme, they agreed to give Volusenn Siusylva emergency powers--powers which he would never relinquish until he died.  

The Empire Grows
Volusenn Vesennus Siusylva's actions as Emperor began with strengthening and securing his new dominion.  He fortified the many coastal towns, to defend them against attack from the raiders in the North, next he established a series of campaigns into Arkus, to incorporate the savage peoples into the Empire "for their own good."  It would take twenty years to fully conquer these people, and it would not be completed in Volusenn's lifetime.

Other actions included permanently dissolving the senate, and establishing the sorcerers as an elite social class, giving many of his loyal supporters from his home in Lysia command of legions of soldiers from Smethi, and established them in their own fortresses throughout the Empire, and in conquered territory.  This established a precedent and a power structure in Altistrad that has never entirely disappeared.  

Over the following century three more emperors made further gains, capturing what remained of Arkus, and moving past the Grey Spires to conquer Lenticulum.  They build roads, bridges, and aqueducts to span the empire.

Fracturing the Empire
  "Turning and turning in the widening gyre
   The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
   Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
   Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world"--Yeats, "The Second Coming"
With the official capital of the Empire in the far West at Lucidus, and such a great amount of the power focused more and more in Lenticulum in the East, Aletis began to feel the strains of overextension.  Many of the fortifications in the west could not be maintained properly, and raiders from the north, grandchildren and great grandchildren of those faced by Volusenn Siusylvia once more harassed the western coasts, marauding and pillaging.  Fortresses and settlements were razed to the ground, and stripped of their crops and livestock.  At one point even Lucidus was sacked by a force that came in up the river Ferno by night.  A force was dispatched that quickly reclaimed the imperial city, but the embarrassment would not be soon forgotten by Aletis, or by its enemies.  Meanwhile the conscripting of so many able bodied men for the war efforts meant that the Lower, Trade, and Merchant classes were being spread increasingly thin.

The Navy of Aletis began to clash with that of Strutis in the south, across the Sea of Skaiye.  The fleets of Aletis and Strutis waged war from open sea to islands, to all the minor channels and inlets, each trying to outmaneuver the other, best utilizing their strengths and mitigating their weaknesses.  While Strutis was at its height, this conflict spilled into Arkus, and split the resources of the empire, which was attempting to build in Lenticulum, while defending to both the northeast and the south. Strutis was able to drive a wedge between the eastern and western halves of the empire.  Communication became difficult, and countermeasures could not be adequately coordinated.  

Taking advantage of the chaos, and the weakness of their Aletian masters, the desert tribes descended from the Nekhebbi staged an uprising, and declared themselves independent of the Empire.  Aletis could no longer maintain its hold on the vast empire it had conquered.  The orders came to abandon the eastern empire and withdraw back to the Old Borders.  However, much of the Aletian army in Lenticulum had lived their all their lives, had established their livelihood here, and had no desire to uproot themselves to travel "home" to a place they had never been to, or had not been to for decades.  The imperial army itself was split between those who would prove loyal the Western Empire, and those who would go on to consolidate the Eastern Empire.  

[Seraph]

I was musing a few days ago, and figured I'd update this a bit.


Halfling
[ooc]Some of this is just as it was before, but much is new.  I wanted to play with the "gypsy halflings" trope and try committing to it, and working in cultural/psychological reasons why halflings are always thieves, but also spread them out more.[/ooc]
Physical Description:  Halflings are short, only about half the height of humans.  They rarely grow full beards, but men often sport thick sideburns.  They sport large amounts of coarse body hair, on their chests, forearms, hands, and feet.  They are counted among the "Wee Folk," and as a race, halflings specifically are sometimes called "The Fair Folk."

They like wearing colorful, but comfortable, clothing.   Some have been known to wear yellow boots, red breeches, a blue jacket, and a green cap. 

They tend towards dark skin-tones, in the tan, olive, and light brown range, with hair ranging from black to red, with black being dominant, and wiry curls being common.  They are prone to freckles. 

Personality: Halflings love to eat and drink, gather, and make merry, sing songs, dance, smoke pipes, and have a bit of a row for the fun of it.  Halflings like sporting events. They will compete in teams hurling round stones down a road some miles.  This makes up one of their chief forms of recreation while living on the road. 

They love telling stories most of all, however, and often make them up on the spot.  Among halflings, skill at storytelling is the stuff of celebrity.  Each person endeavors to tell the very best stories, because as long as you are telling the story, you are the most important person in the room.  They so love stories, that they will frequently replace the truth with a more interesting lie, whether there was a need to or not.  They will call this "embellishing."  Facts are not important as such, and a story is considered true if it is of good quality and well-told.  It is highly embarrassing to be caught in a lie, but if the lie cannot be immediately detected or proven convincingly it is accepted as "true."  A lie detected is reproachful as a point of bad story-telling, not by virtue of its contradiction to fact.

Halflings always seek to make everything—their clothes; their lives; their stories—more colorful, and more musical.  Most learn to play instruments of some sort, or to sing, or dance, or all three.  They are especially fond of strings and percussion instruments—favoring hand-drums, castanets, and tambourines.  Many wear bells tied into their clothing, or wear skirts threaded with coins so they chime as they move. 

Relations:  Halflings are possessed of a communistic philosophy.  The concept of property escapes them, and feel no compunction whatsoever towards simply walking off with whatever happens to catch their fancy.  This habit towards petty thievery (they call it "sharing" or "borrowing" when they acknowledge it at all) along with their lack of regard for the truth (as rigidly defined by human societies) has made them unwelcome in much of the world.  Their initial arrival may sometimes be greeted with pleasure as a novelty, what with their brightly colored clothing, easy-to-laugh, fun-loving demeanors and an affinity for music, but a caravan of halflings soon overstays its welcome.  At the longest, this can take a few years, but sometimes they are not so lucky, and are driven away after only a day or two.  Some cities will not allow them entry at all.

Of course, the communal philosophy of halflings goes both ways: not only do they feel entitled to a share of everyone's things, but everyone is entitled to a share of theirs.  Halflings are very hospitable, and are willing to entertain guests as best they can, though such people are not always comfortable in their small accommodations.  Such guests are typically made well aware of the policy that "What's mine is yours" and are free to leave with anything they like, though they were wise to look after their own belongings.  They often ask no more of their visitors than to regale them with a story. 

Other races do not always accept them as readily as they accept others, however.  Humans often mistrust halflings living in their cities, thinking them pathological liars and thieves, and generally inferior beings. 

Society:  Halfling society lacks formalized rulers, as they do not believe in hierarchy, but they exhibit matriarchal leanings.  The Stregha are their most respected members, the oldest, with the greatest cache of stories, and the most experience telling them, along with magical power to boot. 

Alignment:  Halflings tend more towards good than evil, and are generally freewheeling and unconcerned with "rules" and "laws," so they are more inclined towards chaos than law.

Halfling Lands: Halflings have few lands of their own.  Mostly they travel from place to place, living on the road, or in designated "Halfling" districts of human cities, usually located in the slums or ghettos, or in the hills at the edge of human lands.  However, they seem to love the bustle and clamor of human cities for as long as they are allowed to stay, and frequently start to make themselves at home wherever they are permitted to raise their tents.

Religion: Halflings typically worship a goddess called Aradia, who is called the daughter of the moon.  Their witch-priestesses and bard women called the Stregha pay reverence to her, and lead their people from place to place according to the omens she provides.


Ork
[ooc]For Orks, I wanted to play with the trope that they are faceless bad guys you can kill without feeling bad about it.  So I went a new direction with them: spore-people from evil carnivorous plants.[/ooc]
Physical Description:  Roughly similar in size to a human, Orks may be slightly larger, but their spines are curved so that they stoop below most human's eye levels.  They are strongly muscled though their twisted bodies render them ungainly.  They are covered in prickly fuzz that cannot quite be called "hair."  They typically go unclothed, genetically having no sense of shame, though orks are completely sexless.  Orks are the fruit of horrid plants—abominations called Orkworts that grow them in pods for nefarious purposes.

Their skin is tough and bumpy, ranging in color from rusty red to avocado green, protecting their soft fleshy innards.  When wounded, Orks leak a clear, sickly sweet substance that is more like "ork juice" than blood.  This substance is poisonous to most humanoids.  Any time they know they will be going into battle, they first cut themselves to coat their blades (or claws) with the stuff.  Despite their humanoid shape, they are not humanoids in the strictest sense.  A bundle of nerve fibres act as a "brain" but they have no other internal organs.  If their inner flesh is damaged, the ork quickly deteriorates, rotting to death within hours. 

Personality: Orks have so sense of self.  They are drones that see only the goals of the plant that created it.  They are capable of a degree of cognitive thought that allows for decision making and basic problem solving, but beyond that, they have very little mind, and no individualized personalities.  They seem to be of single-minded intent: clear the lands around them of humanoid influence.  They violently attack humans, dwarves, halflings, and others without compuction.

Curiously, Orks seem to possess a form of collective intelligence, and show higher functioning intellect when in the presence of more orks.  A single ork is a slavering lump of flesh that lunges, slashes, and bites at whatever humanoid presence comes near.  A colony of orks gathered around an Orkwort grove may at times exhibit human intelligence, and even the capability to form primitive speech patterns. 

Alignment: Orks are technically neutral, lacking the sense of self to be truly good or truly evil, but the Orkwort trees that produce them and control their actions are always Chaotic Evil.

Ork lands:  It had been postulated that orks were first created by a mad elf that was overzealous in his desire to rid the world of the destructive patterns of humanity so that the forests might grow in safety.  Using a spell to create a magical, carnivorous tree with living fruit to carry its seeds the world over, he was too vague when classifying its predation—and was eaten by his own creation.  It is said to be for that reason that orks resemble twisted and deformed elves.

Orkwort trees spread their orks around them, and new orkwort trees sprout from any fallen ork who has not been properly disposed of.  Burying or leaving a dead ork to rot is likely to result in one or more orkwort trees growing from the site—or fruit bats eating the pulpy, seed-ridden material inside, and depositing the seeds in their guano as they fly.  Orks must be burnt to prevent this from occurring.

Orkwort Trees grow most fully and prolifically in the forests of the Straifwood north of Kirrus, but they have spread to all corners of the world by orks who have gone raiding. 

[Seraph]

Hmmm, I don't think I really like this setting all that much.  At least, not as a whole.  The map was fun, and I am quite proud of it as a stand-alone art piece, but I think I will likely cannibalize the bits and pieces of this that I still like in order to make something else that's fun.

As it is, several of the lands/kingdoms feel a little too gimmicky instead of feeling like fun locales to set games in.  I still want a setting that is for D&D/Pathfinder type games, and accommodates that style of play, and where those kinds of characters would fit in.  And there will certainly be things I want to be similar, and some places that echo places I've invented for Camulus, but this is not a setting I want to play games in, so it will have to go.  Something new on the horizon.