The Wonders, the Mysteries... resurrected

[Wensleydale]

The waters washed up on the shores of the Daemonsea, flowing over salt-encrusted helmets and half-rotted bodies from the battle earlier that day. A tribe of Arrumani wandered amongst the dead, stripping their bodies of things of value. Some of the corpses they left untouched, though. The huge, hulking forms, already half-gone, showing the outlines of wings, or the huge, emptied suits of golden armour, runes crumbling away. Light blazed on a horizon, somewhere, the sun was dropping. The tribe looked up, and then returned to their scavenging.

The eldritch lord stood in his tower, a ball of light in one hand. The glow remained constant, showing him the book clutched in one hand. He looked up, watching the sun lower through the clouds, and the orb warped from existence. He cursed, and rubbed his forehead, reestablishing the light. Below him, the servants moved to their beds.

Somewhere in the dark lands, the Meret-Mes cried as he drew his heavy khopesh. Glaring up at the sun one last time through his tears, he charged, whirring the blade through the air towards the enemy that came to meet him. "NEI UAB! FOR FREEDOM!" His blood stained the sands with that of his opponent, locked in the last embrace.

The Duer-sword Gaani looked across the hall and wondered again whether the Seven would ever once be unified. Through the great window, the last light of day shone, glinting... he felt for the blade for which he was named, and smiled. It had been a long day, but the Elders still had much to discuss.

[Wensleydale]

Core Ethos

The Wonders, the Mysteries is a campaign setting of politics, intrigue, holy war, gods, goddesses, heretical rituals and a deep desire, over all, for destruction of the force that has held the Homelands for many years. Humans are not native to this world, and are in the minority amongst the free races, whilst elves are servants to much more powerful and reclusive beings.

 Races

Seven races exist in Wonders - Hobgoblin, Humans, Daemons, Duer, Elves, Eldritch and Khetau. Each is distinct in its origins - Duer are the native inhabitants of the lands of Daal, but the elves are a servant race created for a single purpose by the Eldritch, and the humans, hobgoblins, daemons and Khetau are all partially or fully non-native to the world in which the campaign is set. A brief overview of each follows.

Duer

The Duer are a staunch and humourless people, divided for many ages into nine warring clans. They forego frivolity of any kind - including alcohol - but have a way with money. It is said that the only time a Duer is happy is with a job perfectly done, and it may be possible.

Eldritch

Infinitely powerful magically, the Eldritch are arrogant and weak in flesh. Formed from the blood of the Last Dragon, their ability is near-unmatched. They bred the elves to serve as their slaves, and they are responsible for the bringing of necromancy, and daemons, into the world.

Elves

Short and willowy, elves are servile by nature and were made from their beginning by the Eldritch for the purpose most of them now serve. However, the nature of sentient creatures means that sometimes, a rebel appears - and given the long lifespan of elves, and a streak of independence unwittingly bred into them by their masters, there are fairly large amounts of these breakoffs roaming the islands.

Daemons

Creatures from another world - in fact, many other worlds - 'Daemons' are so named for the ancient Duer word 'Draemn', meaning an evil spirit. Their own word is 'Kheprer', and they are made up of thousands of bloodlines merged into a single species by their own biology. Immortal, they invaded the world using a rift caused by eldritch experiments. They brought with them their own servant race - the humans - and the various offshoots.

Khetau

Called 'half-daemons' by some, Khetau is a catch-all daemon word meaning 'part-Kheprer' (although its literal meaning is 'firebreath'). The Khetau of Daan are, however, mostly correctly named - the children of rapes or rapechilds, or magical bargains. Some, on the other hand, are those who have survived the Daemonic transformation but have not come the whole way. Either way, almost all show some kind of daemonic traits, and are despised by the other races if they do not hide their nature.

Humans

The results of hundreds of years of magical breeding between thousands of species the daemons encountered on conquered planets, the humans are despised by many Duer because of their ability to breed like rabbits and connection with the conquerors who drove the elves and eldritch into Duer lands. Most just accept the 'freekind' humans as a 'lesser race', however, and allow them to continue their existence, provided they deny their heritage. More common than Freekind, even amongst Daan settlements, are the Hem and Hem'et - still slaves of the daemons, in secret or publicly.

Hobgoblin

The Hobgoblin are a species that proved too resistant to daemonic transformation, and so were instead enslaved and used as part of the daemonic army and also of the human 'recipe'. Tall, muscly, and savage, they are built for war. Although large amounts of them are still used in the daemonic occupation force - mostly to repel the Jihad from the crusaders of the mainland, and to keep the slaves down - some escaped, and now serve any who will pay loyally.

[Wensleydale]

The Seven Ages

It is said by scholars of the Eldritch, and by historians, and by other intelligent folk, that the time of the world is divided into eleven ages, named individually as below. The Daemon Ages are slightly different, including a separate account of the Age of Creation, and begin after that at the Founding of the Kheprer Empire. The Ages of this World are not set in length - the first are generally longer than the ones following them.

The Age of Creation, the Beginning of all things and the Godsbirth, at which time S'russ, the One-That-Came-First, was destroyed in the battle of Ages by Raa Fire-Eye, and became the Aeia, Taman, God of Water, S'min, Goddess of Air, and Sha', Goddess of Earth. These Aeia were as one in forming the worlds as they now are. But Raa Fire-Eye saw what his ancient enemy had achieved, and entered into their creation, forming the flame-mountains, or volcanoes, which rack the worlds' surface and harmony. In wrath, the Aeia fell upon Raa and bound him in chains of rock and wind and water, holding him outside their domain but as one with it, in a realm they formed for him from their own and his powers both. This they called Amenta, and thought he would be trapped there utterly. Instead, he created the potential for sentience, and held it there, ready, for the Amenta was bound to the Moons of all the worlds, and he knew that at some point, he would have power - for just a moment. He schemed and planned throughout the ages, and came to be once more as powerful as a god. He and the Aeia are now worshiped only by the Eldritch.

The Age of New Life, when the Aeia formed from themselves creatures in their hundreds with which to populate the worlds. These creatures were simple and unknowing, and had no sentience. They wandered the worlds and took food from the land and other beasts.

The Age of Knowledge, when Raa's long-planned plot came to fruition. When all the moons of all the worlds joined in the same spot above each planet, he reached out and planted a seed in every world, in one species of each. On this world, he chose the devil-lizards, or dragons. These living things he intended to worship him, that he might break the chains that bound him and become whole again. These creatures were immortal at first, as their simple ancestors had been, and could not die - thus his cult began, in thousands of different forms. When the Aeia realised what had been done, however, they grew fearful, and created a second realm - Ohndara - to which dead souls were guided. Around this realm they erected the Soulwall, which trapped those travelling to it and within it, and constructed to hold all souls within the Dark Gates, the point of no return. Despite this, particularly strong spirits were capable of becoming ghosts or other spirits through an anomaly known as the Revenant Bond, but these were few enough to not warrant the Aeia's concern.

The Age of Dragons, when the Dragons founded their Empire which maintained for thousands of years, an Empire built on Wild Magic. The remains of this Empire last to the current day. The Dragons, mighty as they were, taught the secrets of the Age of Knowledge to the Duer, that they might be servants to them, and planted the seeds of sentience for the modern species of creature. The Dragons gained from their connection with Raa a great power - an ability, as such - to connect to the Amenta and change things around them. In this way they discovered Free Magic, and abandoned their God in favour of magic, as it was not he himself who gave them this gift. Across the worlds such a thing happened, and it is believed that this drove Raa to use his dwindling power to create the daemons, a power equal to the Archon Elementals of the Aeia, and taught them all the secrets of magic he knew.

The Age of Madness, in which it is thought the first disease came to the world, and brought with it the downfall of the Draconic Empire. The dragons, always paranoid and selfish, fell upon one another in great wars and destroyed what they had made. By the end of the Age, only a few hundred dragons were left where once there had been thousands of thousands. In this period, the Duer broke free, led by Kata'ak, and formed their own civilisation, given a new language by Shadurn Tuk, who also formed for them Free Magic, that they could perform supernatural acts without the danger of becoming like the dragons. The Dark Gates, however, turned away the befouled souls of the masters the Duer thought they had lost, and they walked the earth again in a form that was a mix between dragon and human - Eldritch. These creatures, half-remembering their dragon selves, settled reclusively on the Sluuan Isles. Here they bred the elves, or Rathil (servile ones in the Eldritch tongue) to be their servants and protectors, although the more independent ones were cast out and became the Rathshinil, or 'disobedient ones'. Shadurn Tuk, wise as he was, hunted down these Eldritch and taught their master the secrets of Free Magic, deceiving the new race into believing that this was the way in which they remembered performing great acts of magic. Although he taught them only a little, the Eldritch were greedy, and through acts of espionage soon learned all but a few great magical secrets of the Duer.

The Age of Empire, begun by the attempt of Sha'ta, last Great Dragon, to maintain his bloodline by melding his own and Duer or Rathshinil biologies to make a new superior species. He succeeded, breeding the Hariij, but died at his burial place on what is now known as the Dragonrock. The Hariij had the same paranoia and arrogance as the dragons, and had instilled into them a deep reverence for their father, Sha'ta. On purity of blood they founded an empire of slaves, using the cast-offs and those unable to become Hariij as slaves beneath them.

The Age of Destruction, begun by the Daemonic Invasion of the mainland through the Sebxet Gate, and technically continuing on to the present day. Extreme Eldritch use of magic  caused the Sebxet magi to target this world as ripe for conquest under the banner of the Daemonkin, and Eldritch attempts to prevent conquest failed due to Hariij treachery and overwhelming numerical superiority on the side of the Kheprer Empire.
The turning point in the war came with Sat'rak, a brilliant and awe-inspiring Eldritch Magelord, discovering the art of Necromancy and forming the Darkweave, something no other channeler, speaker, or wildborn has equalled since. His new abilities drove him mad, but they allowed him to lead an army of walking dead to the heart of the Daemon stronghold and destroy the Sebxet, trapping the daemon forces without reinforcements. The sky cities fled the destruction of their Gate, ripping the already-weakened Hariij to pieces as they siezed territory for their own - Daemon nature dictates so, that without a strong leader or cause for alliance they will seek power for themselves - and the once-great Empire fell apart. All its lands were taken by the daemons - or other, worse creatures - and even the eldritch were forced to retreat to their islands. Most of the civilised world took up positions in high strongholds in the mountains, or crossed the seas to Ta'al, the Other Continent, but many instead decided to claim asylum with the reclusive Duer, who had remained mostly neutral in the entire war. This is how Daan came to be as it is now... and will be until the forces of Sha'al gain a decisive victory on the mainland.

[Tybalt]

Hi there--is it okay to post here?

I find the Eldritch a little confusing--what exactly are they?

On the other hand the description of the hobgoblins is excellent, makes their origins and nature very clear.

And is the last age you are describing the current age that you expect the game to be run in? It seems to be an age of great turmoil and peril, is that right? More or less non-Daemonic people trying to hold their own against Daemonic domination?

[Wensleydale]

The Eldritch will be clarified. They're meant to be a bit confusing, but essentially, they're draconic souls that death turned away, reborn confused, without their power and only partially remembering their past lives.

The Daemons are currently only occupying one continent, although attempts to expand may or may not occur. The Sha'al is a holy war declared by an exiled Hariij priest against the daemonkin, hoping to reclaim their old lands. The Age of Destruction is technically still in progress, but only because nobody has declared a new Age yet. Refugees from daemonic enslavement or transformation (the inevitable fates of any left on the Old Continent) have fled across the seas, or to the island colonies such as Daan (a formerly sovereign majority Duer nation).

[Wensleydale]

Duer

Duer are staunch, and strong. Their stone-gray skin marks them as what they are, even if they have forgotten - the blessed children of Sha'. They are as immovable as rocks, and as hasty. Despite this, cracks run through the pillar of Duer society, as they have for thousands of years. Religious, political, geographical and genealogical differences split the Duer into House and Houseless, Clan and Lostblood, Do'uk, Sa'uk, Sha'dhis and Tor'uk. A hundred ties, a hundred divides, break the disunified Duer and challenge their every move.

 Physical Appearance

Duer stand five and a half feet tall on average, male and female, and have skin of dark grey colour. Their arms and torsos are scattered with small, worthless gems, known as Appa's Promise for a reason lost to time. They have no eyes, but navigate by sense of smell, heat detection and a type of sonar ability, among other things. All have well-developed muscles, slightly pointed ears, and a selection of blunt and sharp teeth for consumption of both meat and vegetation. Duer live to about a hundred and fifty, and do not suffer from infirmity caused by old age except in rare cases. Duer grow no hair anywhere on their bodies.

 Worldview

Duer see everything as imperfect - themselves, their enemies, and their work - and yet they strive for perfection in everything they do. This is the true fault in the Duer psyche - the reason they are so divided. The whole Duer species... the whole Duer race... cannot agree on one perfection, and thus, they fight over it. It is true, though, that the Duer consider themselves less imperfect that many other species of the world - afterall, they are the eldest race retaining power, and that in itself is something.

 History

The Duer were bred by the devil-lizards as servants during the Age of Dragons. However, as dragons are wont to do, the creatures grew tired of their servants and abandoned them in the wilds to do as they would. Thus, the Duer culture grew with little interference from Dragonkind.

It is said that in that time, the Duer followed one Perfection - strove towards the same thing. It is unknown what caused the great schisms between the members of the single great culture, but the Duer call it A'atus, translating roughly as 'Knowledgelessness'. This A'atus caused the Duer to wander across the face of the world, searching for Perfection, and is the general reason for today's widespread Duer population. Their languages and customs, whilst kept relatively unified by good contact, slowly drifted apart, and factions formed, including the seven Tribes of At'aak. These seven tribes were clans bound together by marriage and blood-bonds to form grand connections by the process of At'aak, or political extension of family. The tribes avoided total enslavement by the Hariij Empire by fleeing to the Tandhus Archipelago, a vast collection of islands large enough to hold the entire Duer population of the world at that time and more. Here, the Seven Tribes created fortified positions, and it was for these that they were named the Seven Houses. Their tenuous alliance, although not providing full unity, allowed them to negotiate with the Empire and keep them from conquest in exchange for Duer craftsmen and mercenaries to fight in other wars. Eighty-three minor houses joined them or were formed on Tandhus, and these are now known as the Tower Upon The Rock, for they built upon what was already there to create the modern Duer society.

After the fall of the Empire, thousands upon thousands of newly-freed Duer, escaped human   slaves and estranged Hariij refugees fled to safe homes across the sea. Many stayed in Tandhus, where a welcome was given to all Duer, and there were always unskilled labour jobs for those non-Duer willing to accept near-slavery. New Duer houses were formed, and the squabbling Seven Houses continued to fight amongst themselves. This culminated in the Great House War, leaving the power of all seven diminished. Since then, a strong Union of Houses movement has begun, attempting to avoid another Great War, and the Great Council was set up to prevent corruption (although it has had the opposite effect).

Magic

Since the daemonic introduction of Codified or Bound magic, many Duer have looked to it as a new Perfection. As in all things of this nature, however, Duer cannot agree - and many puritan magi have declared it firstly Alien, being of the daemons' making, and secondly Heretical (as much as this word can be applied to Duer, who do not exactly have a religion) not being one of the Gifts granted to the Duer by their various ancestral patrons. Most Duer remain neutral, or prefer the old ways of Free Magic.

Religion

Most Duer would not claim themselves religious - and indeed, they follow no god. However, most Duer do pay homage to certain ancestors - Kata'ak, Shadurn Tuk, and Tinir Shadarak being the three 'Great Ones' and those most frequently paid homage to. Kata'ak is known also as 'T'Shaak Duer' or 'Father of Duer', and is said to have led his people out of slavery, although the eldritch claim differently. Shadurn Tuk, the Sakat'Re Kaun or Greatly Knowledgeable One, is said to have invented the script still used in the Duer language today, as well as given them the gift of a true language. Tinir Shadarak is the last and most mysterious Great One, with no title or name. He - or possibly she - has control over construction, and art, and all creative things, including (typically for Duer) childbirth and reproduction. Statues never show anything but a hooded figure, genderless, and even the Duer know little of this elusive 'ancestor'. It is believed that in actual fact, Tinir Shadarak is a much earlier, primitive deity, carried over to today's Duer society.

Central to almost all Duer life, certainly all 'pure' Duer, and quite possibly able to be called their religion, is the search for Perfection. It is this which drives them, and this which often leads them to their death searching for more and more perfect things.

Many of the ex-slave Duer of the Hariij Empire gave up the old faiths long ago, and have been Cultists of the Dragon for their entire lives, and their fathers' lives before them. Some have reconverted, but most stay faithful, although many of these still give offerings to the Ancestors.

 Language

The Duer language, or Sharuss, is a complex and often corrupted thing of many dialects, as can be expected from a widespread, originally badly-defined tongue. Like certain other languages, tone dictates meaning, but it is not only tone - it is also the... mood in which you say a word, the feeling you put into it. Although a strange language to hear heard, it is best seen in use in arguments, or funerals, and other times when Duer show more than a hint of true emotion. A word said in Sharuss by someone not educated in the intricacies of its grammar, pronunciation and toning, can mean something completely different to the original intention, or even nothing at all. The Duer script is as complex as the language, and unless learned from a young age is almost impossible to master, as is the tongue it is used for.

Stats

* +2 Con, -2 Cha. Duer are introverted and antisocial oftentimes, but can take a punch better than humans can.
* Medium size.
* Base land speed 30ft.
* Darkvision 60ft. The complex senses of a Duer allow them to ignore darkness, but only to a certain distance before its effectiveness is lost.
* +2 racial bonus on all craft checks. Duer are trained from a young age at least a little in all tradeskills.
* Immunity to blindness. Deafness, however, has the effect of both blindness and deafness in one.
* +3 bonus on all spot checks to see living creatures. Duer senses can detect heat, which allows them to be a lot more effective against sneaking foes.
* Languages: Sharuss and/or one other regional language.

[Wensleydale]

[spoiler=An Engrossed Eldritch][/spoiler]

 Eldritch

Eldritch are confusing, and confused. Nobody, not even many of they themselves, know exactly what they are, but all retain the arrogance of their original form - that of the dragon.

Physical Description

Eldritch appear mostly as elves, as it is from themselves that they drew the inspiration for their slaves. However, each has certain strange features, which wax and wane with their mood. Most of the time, eldritch have nothing but pointed, frilly ears, slightly fang-like teeth and a strange, fine bone structure, as well as an odd tint to the skin. When angry, however, or greatly sad, wings may burst from their back, claws from their fingers, and ripping teeth from their mouths. At this point they are more dragon than man.

Worldview

Eldritch are essentially one thing - arrogant. Arrogant to a great extreme. Even the weakest eldritch considers himself above the greatest human. Each one has vague memories of his draconic past, and these inspire him to glory.

History

During the time of madness, thousands upon thousands of dragons were taken by a terrible affliction of the mind that drove them to destruction. Their very souls were blighted, and the Dark Gates would not allow them through. Confused and lost, the souls conglomerated, mixing, melding, unable to break through either the Dark Gates or the Barrier of Souls. That was, until the mixed jigsaw of souls which formed the first Eldritch, known now as Caian the Old-Father, found a chink in the soul-wall. Breaking through it, he led a tide of souls back into the world - and these took on new forms. Their memories of the Duer, of themselves, and of their dreams, mixed together to shape new forms for themselves - and in the steaming centres of the volcanic isles of Sluuan, a new species burst into life from the vapour. None know exactly why or how the Sluuan Isles were chosen, but it is the ancestral home of the Eldritch race, and it is here they have stayed. New eldritch have been born in the same manner as Duer or humans, but all have the memories of their ancestors and magic running in their blood.

Post-creation, the Eldritch were almost as confused as before, but a new emotion ran through them - pride. And with pride, came arrogance. They formed themselves a great civilisation, from trees and rock and air, and swore that the dragon legacy would live on even if the creatures themselves did not. Over time, though, they forgot that vow, and fell into decadence. They formed a slave race - the elves, who they call Elvathedhalrathil, or simply Rathil, although the longer title is the source of their common name. With sentience, though, the elves gained a spark of rebellion, and many were thrown from the eldritch lands in disgust. Their masters continued to fall into magical decadence, spending more and more time in greater magical projects - and this was their downfall. Several thousand years after their creation, the Sebxet Gate opened, and from it poured hordes of daemons. The message came to them quickly, and for the first time ever, the Eldritch prepared for war. And yet... they held back. The Council could not decide on whether to attack or not, and they waited, and waited, and waited, as the Hariij Empire collapsed before the might of the Kheprer.

This deadlock was solved by Sat'rak, a brilliant magelord who had always had the spark of rebellion in him. He marshalled the Eldritch armies and, ignoring the council's pleas, led them over the seas to the mainland. Sadly, they were too late. Though Sat'rak razed cities to the ground and destroyed army after army through tactical and magical prowess, it was not enough, and  his forces could not penetrate the heart of the continent where the source of Kheprer power was held. After four long years of battle, it is said he was driven mad by the horrors he saw, and as his fanatically driven legion of elves and eldritch both fell around him, he played a final card, a technique that none have yet been able to match. Giving a last great scream, he let forth primal energies and ripped the Dark Gates apart, burning a great hole in the Soulwall.

It was recorded afterward by the daemonic historian Mzul-Ahk that a great silence fell across the battlefield for a period of a hundred blinks of the eye, the daemonic equivalent to six-second periods. And then, from the sky, a shriek arose - louder, and higher, and louder, and higher. And then, suddenly, a rain swept across the battlefield - a flood of souls and water, drenching the ground with the freezing liquid of the Dead Realms, and merging with the bodies beneath.

And then... the dead walked.

This invincible force was led by Sat'rak and what remained of his living army to the Sebxet Gate itself, where with a great shriek he threw himself in, destroying the gate and effectively leaving the daemons stranded and alone on a foreign world. Sat'rak's horribly deformed body was carried from the scene by his men, and his forces collapsed around him. The Council's demands for his return have since been denied, and some say he is dead. What is known is that by his actions, Sat'rak damaged the natural order irrepairably. That which was living, before cut off from the Dead Realms permanently, now has a constant connection with the Dark Gates - meaning that by those powerful enough, who have studied the theory, they can be raised and made to walk again. Effectively, Sat'rak created necromancy.

Since Sat'rak, the shaken Eldritch court has attempted to stay out of battle. It has outlawed Sat'rak, and all his legions, hiding itself from the world by magic. Some, though, have left their ancestral homeland to see some more of the world... secretly inspired, perhaps, by Sat'rak.

Magic

The eldritch are the most magically advanced species in the world. Kept together by their origins, their culture has remained constant, and advances are at least mostly shared. Although they use magic in their day-to-day lives - healing, creation, lighting - they refuse to use necromancy, as the Council has outlawed it. However, everything you see in an Eldritch settlement is likely to have used magic in some way.

Religion

The eldritch follow the Aeia - Taman, S'min, and Sha' - as a general rule. Some follow other deities, but these are the primary three. Religion is not particularly important to them.

Language

The Eldritch formed their language from their racial memories of speaking draconic, and it is as such a debased form of that speech, as close as the Eldritch can get to the original sounds (though as dragons have three tongues and complicated voiceboxes, this is difficult). Ilzakar was the first Eldritch to put rules to the language, and his tomb is inscribed with the runes of the alphabet he devised. Its influences from draconic are obvious, but as the memories of that writing form were too few to merit use, and had many vestigial symbols, the eldritch tongue uses a modified form semi-recognisable to those who can read the original language.

[Wensleydale]

Elves

Elves were once, and still are in the majority, a slave race. Birthed by the eldritch for this purpose, those freed often found themselves repossessed by the Hariij Empire. Now, many more freeborn elves exist - although they are still considered docile and inferior by most non-kin.

Physical Description

Elves look somewhat alike to short eldritch, lacking the frilled ears and other draconic features. They are lithe and slim, and frequently more attractive than the other races, as Eldritch wished for pleasant-looking servants. Many elves are partially albino, and thus pale with red-tinted or fully red eyes - a colouration that Eldritch find pleasing - although some have a slight tint to their skin, as eldritch do. For this reason, most freeborn elves wear goggles, or failing that, a strip of thin cloth across the eyes. Elves have the ability to pick up languages extremely rapidly and forget the old, meaning that elves living only a hundred miles apart may speak completely different tongues.

Worldview

The elves were born to serve. An elf will serve a master until death, if necessary, and will only break from orders if he or she sees wrongness in the order. Most freeborn elves will do much the same for a commander, lord, or boundman - and for little pay. It takes a lot to divert an elf from something they have devoted themselves to, and without a cause or task, many begin to waste away from what is known as 'Ranthradilaar' by elves. This word is particularly noteworthy to those who study the Eldritch and Draconic tongues, as although certain parts of the word are recognisable - Ranth, for example, means 'The Wasting', or something along those lines - the word as a whole is a senseless jumble of words for terrible emotions. This kind of word-jumble is not found in any other language, and the eldritch do not use it, but the elves have several like it for particularly bad or good things.

History

The Elves were originally bred by the Eldritch (history is nonspecific on which Eldritch, exactly) as slaves and servants. They had three qualities instilled into them - obedience, work-obsession, and servilience. Magic is a fickle thing, however, and a large minority of elves have been born with a streak of independence or feistiness. These elves are thrown from the Sluuan isles in disgust shortly after their coming of age, and this practice has resulted in large amounts of elves populating the mainland, Atakir, otherwise known as the Hariij Continent.

These elves were a troubled people, and wandered across Daazak in their thousands. The majority were enslaved by Hariij with little resistance, and a few were raised high enough to join the Royal Bloodlines themselves, including the infamous Maajir, Counsel to the Emperor, whose deals with the daemons assisted in the Empire's downfall.

After the fall of the Empire, freeborn and slaves alike fled with their masters and families across the seas, to Daan and further afield. This resulted in many new elven colonies springing up across the world, ensuring the survival of the elven race no matter what.

Magic

Elves are not particularly adept or unadept with magic - they can put their hand to it and learn it like any other skill, and well at that, but it does not come to them naturally as it does to, say, the Eldritch. Neither do they favour any particular kind of magic - although of course, many of them have a deep-rooted hatred of necromancy.

Religion

Elves tend to follow whatever religion is practiced nearby - they are not all that picky. Those in Eldritch service, for example, normally follow the Aeia, whereas those in Hariij service normally follow the Cult of the Dragon.

Language

As noted before, the elves have an ability to rapidly pick up a language and equally rapidly forget an old one. Although an elf will normally maintain at least SOME fluency in his first language, he may lose the more complicated parts of that tongue whilst becoming easily fluent in a new speech. There are some words from the Eldritch language, however, which have held through - mostly the unusual 'merged' words, such as Ranthradilaar, which do not occur in any other living language and are combinations of many words for a single emotion, or multiple emotions, which are very strong. For example, 'Atakrithisstalka', one of the shorter merged-words, is a combination of six different words for 'hate' and 'hated', contracted somewhat and joined together into one word.

Most elves speak fluently either the Eldritch tongue, which is named so, or Hariiji.

Stats

 

* Medium Size.
* Base Land Speed 30ft.
* Low-Light Vision.
* Light Sensitivity.
* 4 extra skill points at first level, and 1 at every level thereafter.
* +2 racial skill bonus in crafting skills. Unlike Duer, who are trained from a young age, crafting comes naturally to the Elves.
* Automatic Languages: Any two living.
* Bonus Languages: Any non-secret.
* Favoured Class: Any.

[Wensleydale]

Hobgoblins

Hobgoblins were once beings somewhat alike to humans - or their ancestors were. However, deliberately or not, their bodies were broken by an attempt at mass transformation into Khetau - and they became twisted, strange beings, strange enough that when the Duer first saw them amongst the enemy legions, they named them Kho'bablin, which means 'foul' when pronounced properly. The Hariij adopted this word, suitably mutated, into their own language - as a replacement for Shajj, a newly-coined word never used before. The Hobgoblin species as a whole is now nearly fully destroyed, mutated into their current state.

Physical Description

Hobgoblins are generally taller than humans, an effect of the tranformation, and possess many daemonic features - horns, glowing eyes, green, grey or golden skin, tails - but their muscles are often overdeveloped, their tail half-formed and their horns uneven. These monstrous creatures have other features too - claws, fangs, and dark-vision - that allow them to become near-complete fighting machines.

Worldview

Most older hobgoblins have spent at least part of their life in daemonic service - resulting in scarred bodies and knowledge of nothing but battle, for sport or war. These hobgoblins tend to refer to everything in a military sense - a group of people is a Ne Mesa Nedez, or small army, a lord is a Ne Ehah Sfudu, or Battle Commander. Younger hobgoblins - normally the children of elders - may have adopted some of these ways, but they tend to be more like Duer than daemonic slaves. Either way, all hobgoblins are agressive and violent if provoked.

History

The 'Ne Menftysek Wur' or 'Ones Who Are Great Soldiers', were a primitive, undeveloped species with a harsh, guttural language, living on a planet they named 'Harrk' but which the daemons called 'Sekhty-Ka' - The Chaotic. The Kheprer conquered them rapidly, and enslaved the entire species. The majority went towards the transformation into Ud Nadnek Uz-Sepa, or 'Bound By Blood', a kind of Khetau connected to a particular daemon via the transformation ritual. Something, however, went wrong during the ritual, and the hobgoblins had a violent reaction to the process. Every single last one now had daemonic blood running through his or her veins, but there was no connection, and their bodies were wracked with half-complete daemonic features. Further attempts to complete the transformation on other hobgoblins failed, and thus, they decided to cut their losses.

The remainder of the pureblood hobgoblins were used in the human project, whilst the semi-transformed creatures were utilised as meatshields in the daemonic legions. Before long, it was found that unlike other , the Hobgoblins remained fertile - and the commanders of the daemonic armies realised exactly how valuable they might be.

Since then, the hobgoblins have served in the armies of the Kheprer Empire - under the complex name of 'Ne Nadnek Menftysek', roughly translating as 'Those who are soldiers of blood' - and served well, too. Many of these armies, however, were left abandoned and free after the destruction of the Sebxet, and wandered until they reached enemy settlements. Many were burned or lynchec on sight, but some were allowed to fit in - finding work as bodyguards or strongarms. Before long, they were integrated into many major Hariij cities totally, and even now, remain so. With the flight of the Hariij came the flight of the Hobgoblins, and those freemen among them found work as serfs amongst the Duer.

Magic

Hobgoblins were never educated in magic, and one of the transformation's effects was to damage their already minor skill with magic. Most hobgoblins have no liking for any type of otherworldly force, especially necromancy - stories of the enemy's troops rising from the dead and marching, invulnerable, thirty miles non-stop to the Sebxet gate are still told to hobgoblin children. Those who do use magic tend to prefer bound magic blades and armour, as they can still depend upon their own physical strength.

Religion

Most Hobgoblins still follow the daemonic gods, if in secret, as they have done for centuries, although some worship T'qet, the Young God of freedom for daemonic slaves. As he is primarily a human deity, though, he is by no means even a large minority amongst the hobgoblins.

Language

Hobgoblins almost all speak the common tongue of the Daemonic Empire, Kheprerven, although some have learned Hariij or Sharuss instead or as well as this tongue. None speak their original language, now - it is lost to time, without even an alphabet to describe it to us.

Stats

* +2 Con, -2 Cha.
* Medium size.
* Base Land Speed 40ft.
* A Hobgoblin begins with one level of Kheprer, which grants him one feat, 4x(4+Int Bonus) skill points, and 5 points to spend on daemonic features.
* Powerful Build. Hobgoblins are considered one size category higher for grapple, bull rush effects etc.
* Bonus Feat: Endurance.
* +2 Racial Skill Bonus on the Survival skill.
* Automatic Languages: Kheprerven.
* Bonus Languages: Hariiji, Sharuss.
* Favoured Class: Warrior.

[Tybalt]

I like your racial descriptions so far, though the hobgoblins seem to get the short end of the stick.

A thought about the Duer: what if they had a racial flaw where they had to make a will check NOT to want to perfect things on the spot? Whether the owner of an item or building or whatever wanted them to or not?

I've noticed that consistently you've made it clear that your major races are related in one way or another to the rule of the dragons. That's nicely done--sometimes with some worlds you wonder 'why all these races' and the origin tales are not satisfying; they are in this case.

[Wensleydale]

Huzzah! Well, the hobgoblins are a WiP. I tend to leave stuff half-done, sadly, as I rarely have time to finish stuff completely. Although, the Duer racial flaw sounds like a good idea... in fact, I think I might add it to their stats.

As for the dragons, yus. The dragons are almost all gone now, of course - there are about a hundred left, but I wanted them to seem important, instead of just 'big magical thing which is here because it's in folklore' like in the standard DnD settings.

[Wensleydale]

Humans

Humans are the spawn of the daemonic breeding projects, and hold much untapped potential. Hundreds of millions were led through the Sebxet as docile puppets, incapable of raising a hand against their oppressors, and fought like tigers against the enemies of the Kheprer. But as the Sebxet closed, something happened that changed the humans forever - and brought them to independence and freedom.

Physical Description

Humans have a vast range of skin colours, eye colours, hair colours, etc, due to the hundreds of species which were used to form them - but their body structure remains a general constant. They are more prone to disease, mutation and other genetic illnesses than Duer or Hobgoblins, due to ancestral defects, but are otherwise as tough and hardy as any other species.

Worldview

Humans are relatively newly freed, but as a species they are almost integrally selfish - either on a personal scale, or on a racial scale. Their ambition overcomes them sometimes, however - an example being their attempt to conquer a section of the Hariij Empire for themselves as it fell around them.

History

The daemons originally created humans through magical breedings and genetic modifications of hundreds of slave races, in the year 4000 NSE (Ne Semek Enz, Empire's Founding). They were bred and conditioned to be ideal slaves, and used for everything from servants to entertainment. Not much is known about the further history of the humans - just as there is little known about the daemons - up until the invasion of the Hariij Empire. At this point, the humans were being used as both servants and military slaves, and armies of them were involved in the conquest of the Hariij Territories. They enjoyed several major successes in the field against the beleaguered Hariij Legions, and had almost complete assurance of victory. Even the Eldritch armies could not defeat wave upon wave of daemonic and human armies in rapid succession, and until the Battle of the Sebxet, the Eldritch were being pushed back slowly but surely towards the sea. Sat'rak's event changed all this, and his destruction of the gate freed something in the humans.

T'qet, otherwise known as 'Ne Merer Ne Sfudu-Ka Wur', or 'The Great Prince of Slaves', has gone down in history as the first slave to rebel. Concealing a knife beneath his garb, he waited until his master came to whip him and then stabbed him violently twelve times through the unique daemonic 'heart', or 'Blood Bringer', releasing his spirit into the Amenta. T'qet led thousands of humans like him, suddenly free of some kind of psychological or magical bond, to freedom. Fleeing the destruction of the Sebxet, they crewed hundreds of Depetpet - Sky Barges. They founded their new home near the coast of the Hariij Empire, at Neset-Hupet, which translates as New Place. They were forced to flee, however, when the remainder of the Hariij legions came bearing down on them, searching for a new fortress. They took to boats and sky barges, traversing the sea - and many of them landed upon the first islands they came upon. Thus, hundreds of thousands of humans now live free upon the Duer isles, in service but not enslaved.

T'qet, however, could not be happy. Tattooing himself with mockeries of the magical daemonic marks of ownership, he took that same knife which he had used to murder his original master. Wearing only a slave's robe, he sailed for the Hariij Continent, leaving only one message - that he would return. He has not been seen nor heard of since, not in one-hundred years, but the humans still look for his return faithfully. A large cult worshipping him as a deity has grown within the ranks of the freemen, and it is this cult which has caused his following to be spread throughout the islands of the Duer.

Magic

Humans favour Bound and Free magic, the first because it is their ancestors' only known form of magic, the second because it is the most common amongst the Duer and their other 'friends'. They have no particular preference for any form of magic, but many older humans remember the tales of necromancy and ward themselves against it with prayers and sacrifices.

Religion

As mentioned before, a large proportion of the freeborn humans follow T'qet as a deity. His cult is widespread, and even those who do not give direct worship to him tend to recognise him as a kind of saint. Those freeborn who do not follow T'qet, and -all- slaves, tend to give praise to the daemonic gods (in secret).

Language

Most humans speak Daemonic, or Kheprerven, at home. Most tend to speak either Hariij or Sharuss as a second tongue, however, no matter how heavily accented it is.

[Wensleydale]

Kheprer

The Daemons - Kheprer - are a volatile and bizarre species that are not fully of this world - half in this, half in another. Their true form is made of pure Quz-stuff, but it is this defect that prevents them from wielding the powers of Free Magic.

Physical Description

Daemons are only partly in this world - their physical form is an extension of their Quz-self, or Sahu, and is a medium to utilise as they will. Some Kheprer have perfected the art of forming multiple physical forms - but these few are very powerful. Whatever it may look like, a daemon always has two distinguishing features - the Bringer of Blood, a complicated and unearthly organ which connects the Quz with the physical. Blood passes from side to side through this organ. The second distinguishing feature is the blood itself - a bright blue laced with gold, until it touches oxygen. This blood looks relatively harmless, but if injected into most species, it acts as a retrovirus and mutates DNA to reform the victim into a Khetau. It has various other properties as well, when used with the correct devices.

It is an interesting note that daemons measure time in 'blinks', and that all of them possess eyelids which blink regularly once every six seconds. This is a strange phenomenon, but always the same, by consensus or by nature.

For feeding purposes, Kheprer require two types of food - mundane meat and water for the body, and soul energy, or Ka, for the Qaz. Daemonic fangs - or whatever other method a daemon might use for feeding in the real world - have the capability of devouring souls as well as flesh. A daemon must feed in the last moments of a creature's life, or else not feed at all, and kill just for the sake of killing.

Worldview

Daemons see all things as their birthright - Ne Inn Diaat, 'Our Everything', is their term for the universe. To a daemon, they are inherently superior to any other species - they were formed by Raa himself from the substance of the Quz and Wild Magic, after all. Almost all daemons see freeborn humans as idiots worthy only of recapture.

History

After the dragons cast off the yoke of Raa-worship, along with thousands of other species, Raa became angry. Using the last of his power to influence the Quz itself, he drew the raw stuff of magic together and formed creatures - creatures of power equal to the Elementals of the Aeia. He called these creatures Kheprer, and gifted them with a language, a culture, and knowledge beyond that of the other species. His most powerful blessing, though, was that of Blood - still known as Ne Raa Syat, or Raa's Prayer - blood capable of mutating the very structure of a being it entered, blood capable of forming a physical form for his creations. And with that, he allowed the kheprer from his rule - knowing they would still worship him, as they had a true and constant connection to him, unlike that of the dragons.

The Kheprer chose as their origin the planet Aperdiu, which literally translates as 'homeworld'. Here they utilised the knowledge and blessings given to them by Raa to form a small army of Khetau and establish cities beyond anything even the dragons could ever build. Within a hundred years, they were capable of travelling through space using the immense Sebxet - and then was the Kheprer Empire founded.

The Empire levelled planet after planet, conquering, colonising, and moving on. New technology was found, and the Kheprer sensed a world full of mages. Calibrating the Sebxet took months, but the invasion force was colossal, and the time was not wasted. In the year 10058 NSE, the first daemon crossed through the Sebxet and stepped out onto the soils of Atakir. The first Duer who saw them called them 'Dakmorn', a Duer word for evil spirits, and others adopted this word (although the 'k' faded out of use amongst non-Duer).

From then on, history is well known. The daemons devastated the Hariij forces with victory after victory, and fought off the Eldritch Legions of Sat'rak. They had achieved near-complete victory on the mainland before the creation of Necromancy, which the daemons know as 'Ne Mesasek Mawt-Ka' - the 'death of armies'. Sat'rak destroyed the Sebxet, and left the daemons in disarray. Without a central command, the Kheprer divided into thousands of warring factions. This is still the case today. With no apparent likelyhood of reinforcements, the Kheprer are holding their lands with as tight a fist as they possibly can, and with as many daemons as they possibly can.

Magic

Kheprer have only ever used two types of magic - Wild Magic, used by only the most powerful of daemon mages on the battlefield, and Bound Magic, the source of daemonic power. Wild Magic involves manipulating the raw stuff of the Quz, a thing that very few daemons dare to do, whilst Bound Magic is a ridiculously common method which involves forcing Wild Magic through items and objects. Bound Magic is practiced by almost all daemons. Free Magic, and its offshoot Necromancy, cannot be used by daemons - their nature is anathema, and those daemons who have attempted to use such powers have been utterly destroyed.

Religion

Kheprer follow Raa Fireeye, Raa Ne Iruty Xeh - the Living God of all daemons. None worship any other deity - why should they need to, when at any point they can make the Quz pilgrimage to his prison and see him bound? Some daemons give reverence to other, ancient daemons, Raa's servants, who they see as something akin to saints.

Language

Kheprerven is the common tongue of the Empire and the first language of almost all daemons. It literally means 'Daemonspeech', and has many strange quirks of grammar unseen in other tongues. Kheprerven is also the language of humans and hobgoblins, whom the daemons call 'Mererty-Se' and 'Menfty-Se' respectively. Kheprerven (and particularly Mererven, the common dialect) is not a particularly hard language to learn, however, nor is it particularly easy. It is much simpler than High Daemonic (Kprvn), the original tongue of the Empire, unpronouncable outside of the Amenta.

[Wensleydale]

Khetau

Khetau is a catch-all term for part-daemons, including those mutated by the Kheprer retrovirus known as Ne Raa Syat, those born of a union between a daemon and another species, and those held by the Blood-Bond. By more uneducated users of the word, it is also used for daemonic creations with kheprerlike features such as wings. The word itself comes from Kheprerven, but not from the daemons themselves - a merge of the words 'Xhe', meaning 'fire', and 'Tau', meaning 'Breath'. It is believed to originate from the works of the Hariij word-spreader Yamaaj, from whom news and stories both came. He is certainly known to have used it to refer to the creatures of the Kheprer, and all those who were not fully daemonic, although it is unknown how he obtained knowledge of Kheprerven.

Physical Description

Khetau range from the normal to the bizarre, from a human with gold-flecked eyes to a nine-foot beast with a wingspan wider than some true daemons. It depends on the progress of the retrovirus, where it has struck, and how much blood was used, among other things, and upon these factors a Khetau's appearance will lie.

Generally, however, there are nine different features of a creature obviously affected by Ne Raa Syat, or produced from a union between a daemon and another - and at least one is likely to mark each Khetau. There may be other changes, but these primary ones include the eyes, normally flecked with purple or gold, the mouth, enlarged, mutated, or filled with fangs, the skeleton, which may grow to abnormally large sizes, the muscles, which may become horribly overdeveloped, wings, which are a common feature of many Khetau, horns, another common feature, claws, a slightly less common feature, and the skin, which is often covered with scales or is of an abnormal colour. The final feature is the ability of many Khetau to breathe fire or some other deadly type of energy - the source of the name itself. Daemons call these features the 'Ne Raa Maabsek', or Marks of Raa, whilst the Duer tend to call them 'T'Sak Kruk', or Curse Signs.

Those Bound By Blood may or may not be marked with these signs. However, all Khetau, whatever their type, can be expected to live at least twice as long as others of their species.

History

Not even daemon records put a precise date to the creation of the first Khetau, but all agree that it was early in the history of the Empire, perhaps even before the empire, that Kheprer experimented with injection of their own blood into others as Raa had told them. The method of Binding by Blood, or Sepi Ud Nadnekh, was discovered shortly afterwards by Meres-Ka, and has since been used on the large majority of slaves. These two methods have been long-established, but the practice of actually BREEDING with slave-races to produce powerful creatures has only become accepted since the destruction of the Sebxet - since which reinforcements of an at least partially-daemonic nature have been desperately needed. This latter is still seen as a distasteful act by most Kheprer, and something that is done out of a sense of duty, not desire.

Sepi Ud Nadnekh, of course, does not create a true Khetau. It is instead a method of two parts - firstly, the injection of blood into a victim's brain, and secondly, the connection of a Kheprer's Amenta-form, or Sahu, to the victim's soul. This is done via the 'Ne Ank-Spesek' (Singular Ne Ank-Spe), or 'Binders of Life', devices made from carved daemonfangs. Due to daemons' special feeding needs (their requirement of both mundane food and Ka energy), daemonfangs have the unique property of being able to damage both soul and flesh - and, refined using bound magic, the Ne Ank-Spesek do similar things. However, instead of damaging the Sahu, a Ne Ank-Spe acts as a needle - it pulls a single thread, and takes a small amount of blood, and injects both into the victim. This process creates an unbreakable mental and spiritual link between the daemon and his servant, making the slave servile and punishable with just a thought.

Khetau are now on one of two sides - their own, or the daemons'. Very few have been accepted into regular society, as they are even stranger than the hobgoblins, and more alien in nature. Some of those who are not Ud Nadnekh Uz-Sepa, however, embark on quests of retribution against their ancestors and creators to show their new allegiance. Either way, a Khetau who does not fight for daemons has a hard road to travel down.

Magic

Khetau, being without a Sahu, may use any form of magic they wish - and most do. Elder Khetau often despise and fear necromancy, but younger Khetau have such things dictated to them by culture and not personal experience.

Religion

Khetau follow deities depending on their culture, but the majority either follow the daemonic gods - the Elder Daemons and Raa - or T'qet. The latter is normally followed by those who are attempting to break from their heritage, whilst the former are followed by those who are proud of it or simply know no other way.

Language

Most free Khetau speak at least a little daemonic, learned either through choice or from parents and acquaintances. Those born to daemons tend to speak Kheprerven as their first language.

[Wensleydale]

Souls, Sahu, and the Amenta

The topic of souls is a difficult and confusing one, even to those well-versed in the lore of such things. It is essential to know, first, the three 'unbreakable' rules governing these things - and exactly what effects they have.

The Law of Bodily Immutability

The soul does not change as the body does. The shape of a creature's body, its age, even the species that it is may change by time or magic, but the soul will always stay the same. It is only by a being's actions - a vast shift in perspective, for example - that the soul will change noticably to one who can see such things. Many things can be discovered by studying a soul, but to do so is a difficult task.

The Law of Connection

The second law was originally stated as: 'Each soul has a unique connection to the body it inhabits, severable only through death, and retainable even through this barrier if some duty or act can maintain it as a Revenant Bond.' Since the creation of necromancy, this law has been rephrased as: 'Each soul has a unique connection to the body it inhabits. This connection is formed of two parts, one unbreakable, and so is weakened, but not severed, by death, and can be maintained as a Revenant Bond if some duty or act binds the soul to the mortal world. Through manipulation of certain forces, it is also possible to utilise the Unbreakable Bond to rebind souls into their bodies.'

The Law of Animation

The Soul is that which gives a creature self-awareness. It does not exist in any alternate realm - it is as much a part of a creature's self as the heart, or brain. The only exception to this law is the daemon's Sahu - which is in fact the daemon's native self, and projects itself from the Amenta. The more powerful a soul, the more self-awareness a creature has. The amount of power in an animal's soul is negligible, for example, whilst an elemental's is immense.

Some theorists follow the theory that, by the third law, all objects, even inanimate ones, must have infitesmal amounts of soul energy, so far undetectable. Others scoff at this theory, and so far, there is no proof for or against it.

On top of these three laws, there is a fourth, more secret law, one known only to those who have devoted their lives to the study of soul-lore. This secret is known as 'Tuk's law', after Shadurn Tuk, the Duer Ancestor who supposedly created Free Magic, and the oldest known copy is written in an elder form of Draconic. It reads, translated, as this:

Tuk's Law

The Soul is not as immutable as it may seem. It may, when certain forces are applied to it, be used as a source of power for both Wild Magic and devices formed of magic. However, this is intensely dangerous, and can destroy one who uses it in circumstances where it is less than totally and utterly necessary. There is only so much soul energy inside one person, and utilising it for purposes other than those for which it was intended is worse than suicidal.

A great debate exists between those scholars learned enough to know of this law - of whether it is in fact true, and if so, which creatures have used it in the past? As evidence of its existence, there are the multiple Draconic Ruins, many of which possess magical properties beyond the possibilities of, and completely alien to, Bound Magic, and the ability of Sat'rak to do as he did. Those against the argument hold that Sat'rak was merely an immensely powerful magelord, and that the draconic artefacts are merely a more advanced form of Bound Magic - holding as evidence the lack of any record of use in draconic writings.

Whether the law itself is truth, who knows? It is certainly true, however, that it is possible to use soul energy for magical purposes. The boundaries of this art have never been tested, but it has always been considered extremely dangerous by those that know of it, and a secret never to be told, hopefully to die.

 Magic and the Amenta

Wild Magic

The Amenta is the complete opposite of the real world. Where the real world is codified, set together, bound to laws, the Amenta is chaotic, bizarre, and undefined. Where the real world is mostly immutable, the Amenta changes on a thought, on a whim. And, whilst the dangers of the real world pose a threat to the body, those of the Amenta pose a threat to the soul. It is both a terrifying and exhilarating thing to have all the power of this deadly, terrible thing in the palm of your hand, and this is exactly what a Wild Mage possesses. To utilise the power of the Amenta, you must be partly of it - born, or made this way by some enchantment. Although only a scant few can learn, and fewer still deliberately break the barriers between they and the Amenta, many cast accidentally - and the power in a Spellfont is amazing.

 Once, there was only Wild Magic, and dragons used it at their will, shaping the world to their own desires. Dragons could raise great fortresses on a whim, or level them with a thought, could create a blazing inferno miles across with a motion or extinguish it with the flicker of an eyelid. Never since have there been such powerful practitioners of Wild Magic, and the world is happier for it.

Free Magic

Then came the downfall of the dragons, and with it the age of Wild Magic ended. The Elder Duer, Shadurn Tuk, swore that such an age would not come again, and through great acts of power he created a system of sorts, a set of mental tools through which magic could be controlled safely... and in a much weaker manner. These tools are thought by some to have physical forms, giving rise to the legend of Shadurn Tuk's Smithy - although they can be utilised by anyone who knows the theory and has the ability, from anywhere in Daan and quite possibly across the universe.

He taught these things both to the Duer themselves, to whom he granted the greatest gifts, and also to the eldritch Caian, who then taught it to his own people, although the eldritch dispute this greatly. Such came the era of what Shadurn Tuk called 'Free Magic', which is still in use today. Weapons and buildings may be built of Free Magic, but such things require a constant enchantment which will die with its creator, and gains and loses strength with its creator.

Bound Magic

At a period close before the downfall of the dragons, the Kheprer first brought another form of magic to the world. This operated on a similar principle to 'Free' Magic, but the tools through which it manipulated the raw stuff of the Amenta were physical rather than mental, and could have immense power placed within them. This allowed the daemons to build flying cities, magical blades, Sebxet gates and Ne'Senf-Sepet, and gave them a great advantage in war. Its secrets have been brought to the craftsmen of Daan, now, and many are beginning to see it as a new blessing. It works, essentially, by binding the object into the Amenta, as a free mage is bound, and opening a permanent channel which can be utilised for certain purposes - for example, making the object coat itself in flame, a favoured property of daemonic weapons.

Necromancy

Finally, there is necromancy. Necromancy uses extremely destructive bursts of Wild Magic, laced with Free Magic to reinforce and guide it, to break through the Soulwall and pluck souls from the other side and return them to their bodies. It is a difficult process, made possible only by Sat'rak's adding of the Unbreakable Bond to the connection between soul and body. Necromancy is hated and feared by many merely for its association with both death and wild magic, as well as with Sat'rak the Insane, a name used to scare young children.

 Daemons

Daemons have a special, specific relationship with the Amenta. It is their natural habitat, and their Sahu live on there even when their physical bodies are destroyed. A daemon, like an elemental, will never die in truth - permanent banishment to the Amenta is all that can be hoped for, unless you can enter the Amenta itself and destroy them there. Daemons are incapable of using Free Magic for this reason - Free Magic was designed specifically from the point of view of a mortal. The tools that a Free Mage uses are completely alien, untouchable, to a daemon, who uses magic either by binding a permanent, infitesmal hole the Amenta into an object, or by ripping his own hole in the shroud between his Sahu and his physical form and merging, as one, for but a few moments, the Sahu's power over the Amenta and the physical form's control of the mortal world. Khetau do not have this problem.