Maadros, a Layered-World

[Wensleydale]

"Yes, of course the world is layered. See, young master. Up there, in the sky. You see how it is blue, yes? What you see is the Cloudpane, the elemental plane of Air - nothing, for miles and miles, but wind and the occasional puff of mist. And above that, child... yes, that's the Blue. The plane of Water, that surrounds us all. That is the origin of humankind, so Eliphas tells us... now, look down at the ground. Can't see much but earth, eh? Well, beneath that surface is the Shallow, and then the Deep, also known as the Underdark - and then beneath then, nothing but rock and soil for miles upon miles. Amazing, isn't it? Ah, where does fire come into it you ask? Well, Eliphas the first tells us that fire was once a single plane, like the others... but now, it is rather trapped in potential, you see? The sun, that great ball of fire, is the only constant aspect of it now. And then - yes, you are right, child - there is the Other, a reflection of this world. Those Touched by the Other are said to gain miraculous powers - but as the great sage Raatep asks us... at what cost? Now child, run along and play..."

Maadros would seem to be a pretty regular world. It has elves, orcs, humans, dwarves, and... actually, no, it doesn't have halflings or gnomes. But it's different in other ways, too. Maadros itself is simply a single layer of a multilayered structure - the elemental planes, the underdark, and other fantastical phenomena. Of course, there's a mirror-world as well... the Other, home to demons, devils, fey, and all sorts of other lovely beasts. It can be used for transport and for other magical uses... at a price, of course.

The main bulk of what happens in Maadros - effectively just a vast, crumbling, floating rock - occurs in the three Great Cities - Ma'a, Nvast, and Shiaad. Although once, Maadros was much larger, it has lost vast parts over time. Seas that were once bordered on all sides by land now pour endlessly from the edge, replenished by the great waterfalls of the Upper Planes, and after the Drahak collapse, which killed the dragon Ayakt and sank both her and the central part of her vast empire into earthy oblivion, people have slowly retreated into the civilised lands. Their place has been taken by the Shobi races - the orcs and their brethren - and slowly, the points of light which make up the remnants of the Age of Man are making way for the Age of the Hobgoblin.

Playable Races

Human

Where others have succeeded through magical or physical aptitude, the humans have survived simply through diversity and their ability to breed like rabbits wherever they reside. This led them to a golden age - an age similar to that once experienced by the elves. However, this golden age began to disappear with the fall of the Great Nations - Drahak, Zyadr, and their ilk - and now looks close to destruction. It is of course always possible that human diversity will find a way - and they can but hope, for their fall would likely mean the eventual fall of the entirity of Maadros.

Half-orc

A Shobak, or Orc, stands seven foot tall, although it remains stooped most of the time. It can run on two or four legs, has a muscle mass greater than the weight of an adolescent boy, can survive exposure to extreme heat and cold and can go without water for weeks at a time. It is, in effect, the ultimate predator. However, it is somewhat behind in the scale of sentience - whilst possessing the ability to speak languages, mostly wearing clothing and creating tools, orcs are still in the 'fight-off-rivals-then-rape' stage of courting technique. At least, this is the stereotypical image of orcs - and is certainly quite close to correct if one is referring to the Drahak and South Desert orcs. Whilst the Hobgoblins of Nvast have become somewhat more civilised  with time, but are still affected by this stereotype. For this reason, most half-orcs fulfil a confusing place in society - generally rapechilds, they are scorned by one side of their ancestry as runts and the other, frequently, as thuggish brutes. Whether a half-orc will choose the dying, or the growing golden age to support is a choice left almost uniquely to themselves... and what will they choose?

Elf

Elves are light and slim in general, with long pointed ears and generally beautiful faces that comes from thousands of years of crossbreeding via magical means. Whether the elves can even breed naturally anymore is a subject of debate amongst scholars of other races - the elves remain quiet on the subject. Certainly there have been no half-elves for thousands upon thousands of years. Their bones are hollow - the only thing left to suggest, along with abnormally long fingers and downy hair, the original semi-avian creatures the elves were. They can no longer fly, possess no beaks, and have lost their long-sightedness. In exchange, they have gained longevity and an almost supernatural (in fact, literally supernatural) beauty from their connection to the Other.

Darao

The Darao, often Drahakised as 'Drow', bear a superficial similarity to elves, and are sometimes considered to be their cousins. If they are, however, they have changed a vast amount. Whilst elves were originally avian, the Darao appear to have originated from bats - and they reside in the Underdark and the Shallow because of these origins. Their eyes, although not blind, are greatly inferior to other species', and they have similar sonar abilities as their rat cousins. They share pointed ears and size with the elves from the world above, but otherwise look quite different - with exremely pale skin and sharp, fang-like teeth. They are sometimes referred to as 'Fampiri' or 'Banshai' by ignorant surfacers, although more and more of them, like dwarves, are making their way up to the surface in recent years, and they are quite distinct from actual Vampires and Banshees, who are forms of undead.

Dwarves

Dwarves are short and generally hairless, with extremely pale skin and near-albino eyes that can be permanently burnt and blinded by mere starlight. Whilst they are very fragile underneath the sun, in their natural habitat - the Shallow and to some extent the Underdark - dwarves excel. They can see in near-lightless conditions, pick up tiny changes in air pressure and scent, and dig earth with their bare hands, as well as surviving on tiny amounts of oxygen and under immense pressure. Dwarven smiths are as common as the metals they frequently mine - after the elves gave one group fire, it spread to the group as a whole, and they have since become better than the elves ever were.

Changelings, Tieflings, and Aasimar

The Other touches many things. Occasionally it might accidentally caress a babe in the womb, or perhaps a human might unknowingly mate with a sorcerer or a being native to that realm. Either way, it produces strange results - creatures with glowing eyes, horns, tails, hooves, or even the ability to totally change their form. These beings are often shunned by those who have no understanding of the Other, no matter their deeds, and are treated similarly.

Warforged

The people of Zyadr were, in a way, the inheritors of the elven mantle. As great wizards, they conquered the lands around with disgusting ease. Enemy and friendly soldiers alike that they killed were placed in what were effectively walking sarcophagi - resulting in the Warforged. No new Warforged have been created in hundreds of years, but they have a near-infinite lifespan, unless destroyed - meaning that many of them remain, doing menial jobs or working as mercenaries and hired guards, effectively their original role. The symbols and writings covering parts of them, and their own memories, are the only records linguists and historians have of Zyadr, other than a few crumbling remains - and because of this, some of them are sold as slaves in the markets of Shiaad.

Classes

Fighter - Common across Maadros. Fighters are trained warriors, using technique to fight their battles.

Barbarian - The barbarian is a being who focusses their inner rage into a psychotic, wild bloodlust, allowing it to feed their muscles and being. Barbarians are unsurprisingly common amongst half-orcs, whose orcish side is prone to bloodlust anyway, and also amongst the tribes of nomads who survive outside the jurisdiction of the cities.

Rogue - The rogue is generally one who lives outside, or on the borders of, the law. Rogues are uncommon outside the Great Cities and townships, being very urban-based, but make up for it within city walls.

Miracle Worker - The miracle worker claims to obtain his power from a divine source. He can fulfil all sorts of roles - healing, walking on water, and calling down earthquakes, to name but a few - but he gains these powers from a source that he must devote time to first. Miracle workers are frequently nomadic, travelling from place to place to bring the message and blessings of their god.

Wizard - The wizard creates magic as an architect creates a building - with long periods of planning, study, and preparation. He often spends many years in a school and then as an apprentice, learning algorithms and rituals that allow him, for just a moment, to tap into the power of the universe. Of course, without using the Other as a power source, the wizard is in danger of consuming himself in order to fuel his magic - so many rely on wands, crystals, and other forms of foci. Wizards are the creators of all sorts of magical items sorcerers could never aspire to.

Sorcerer - The sorcerer is, in a sense, a living conduit to the Other. He can call upon almost any form of magic, and do it much more rapidly than a wizard - but he requires calm and concentration or he is more dangerous than a wizard could ever aspire to be, even to himself. There are very few strong sorcerers - these are the stuff of legend, and those with a power which would be minor at best in the times of Zyadr are seen now as great. Few are able to realise their full potential, even if mentored from a young age - barriers prevent them from reaching their goal. Fertile sorcerers often produce Othertouched as offspring, and many Othertouched become sorcerers involuntarily.

 Languages

Because of the extremely restricted space Maadros now covers, language groups have had a strong effect on one another in terms of loanwords and spread of use, and the amount of 'distinct' languages now spoken are mainly based on area, as well as a few archaic languages used for various purposes in religion or writing treatises. Different races - other than the dwarves and other underground creatures - rarely speak distinct 'racial' languages. Although the elves did have a tongue, in fact, many tongues, it has now become the primary language of so many humans that 'elven' would no longer be a correct term - although it it still used for Elveina, the first language of the Silverwood. Almost all languages use either the Elvei alphabet (derived from the older elvish writings and used by the Zyadro) or the Drahak alphabet devised by the dragons.

[table=Languages]
[tr][th]Language name[/th][th]Spoken in/by[/th][th]Alphabet[/th][/tr]
[tr][td]Shiad Drahak[/td][td]Shiaad, Ma'a, surrounding areas[/td][td]Drahak[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Drahak[/td][td]Dead, priests of the Drahak pantheon[/td][td]Drahak[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Nvastik[/td][td]Nvasts and other Nvastik peoples[/td][td]Elvei[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Elveina/Elven[/td][td]Some elves, inhabitants of the Silverwood[/td][td]Elvei[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Elv/Elfish[/td][td]Elves of the Darkwoods[/td][td]Elvei[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Elvein/Elvic[/td][td]Dead, scholars and elven priests[/td][td]Elvei[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Kvazyadro[/td][td]Zyadro, Warforged, scholars/mages[/td][td]Elvei[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Orcish[/td][td]South Desert Shobi[/td][td]Orcish glyphs[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Shobha[/td][td]Nvast Hobgoblins[/td][td]Orcish glyphs[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Shobahas[/td][td]Drahak Orcs (Ma'a and Shiaad area)[/td][td]Orcish glyphs[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Dwarven[/td][td]Dwarves[/td][td]Drahak, Dwarven underground[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Otherspeech[/td][td]Sorcerers, Othertouched[/td][td]Rendered in Drahak[/td][/tr]
[/table]

Otherspeech is the one single language here that is 'bred' into you. Whilst a dwarf may not have knowledge of dwarven, all Othertouched can understand - and instinctively, although they may never use it, speak - Otherspeech. It sounds bizarre to human ears, and cannot really be learned - it is so fluid, so bizarre, that literal translations are almost always impossible for those who do not spend months working out the context of words, into which case they have been placed and so on. For the purposes of magical rituals sentences are often rendered into Drahak by Othertouched servants.

[Wensleydale]

Human

Humans are diverse and versatile and mainly belong to one of five primary ethnic groups (although descent from others is also common).

Physical Description

Humans tend to stand between five and six feet tall, possess facial, body, and head hair, and have skin and eyes of varying colours. They adapt to new environments over a few generations and learn rapidly. They can breed with almost any other species, although the elves seem to have become infertile and half-dwarves are always barren.

Lands

Humans have become more and more concentrated in small areas over the past hundred years, and they are particularly common in the areas ruled over by the Great Cities of Ma'a, Shiaad, and Nvast. Some can also be found in nomadic tribes wandering the Silverwood, the Nvastik mountains and various areas once ruled over by other human or human-incorporating societies.

Ethnic Groups

The humans are split into five main ethnic groups - Nvastik, Drahak, Zyadro, Ma and K'naad.

The 'Nvasts' almost all live in the Nvastik mountains after which they are named, or the cities and towns in the foothills (including Nvast itself). They lean towards pale skin, blue eyes and blonde or brown hair.

The Ma reside in Ma'a, their home city, the lands surrounding it. As Ma'a is effectively on the edge of a desert and on the sea itself, the Ma people are generally darker-skinned and lean to long eyelashes in both men and women and black or blackish-brown hair.  

The Drahak are the primary inhabitants of Shiaad and a prominent presence, especially in mixed-blood families, in Ma'a. The Drahak are generally relatively small, especially compared to the Nvastik, and are all descendants of the original Drahak empire. They lean towards sharp features, green or even purple eyes, and tanned skin (although those in Shiaad are somewhat paler).

The Zyadro are those who can trace their ancestry back to the refugees of Zyadr itself, Zyadr the Great, a supreme, semi-theocratic magical empire that is now the stuff of legends. The religion and language of Zyadr lives on in these people and the warforged alone, and almost all of them are extremely proud of their heritage. Because of their tendency to seclude themselves in insular, Zyadro ghettos when not travelling nomadically, they retain an aura of mystique that is reacted to with everything from hatred to obsession. The Zyadro consider themselves heirs to the power of Zyadr and essentially, cousins to the elves. Whilst the elves have differing views on the subject, it is near-certain that many Zyadro have at least a little heavily-diluted elven blood in them, and Zyadro is one of the few remaining Elvic languages spoken today (along with Elveina, the language of the Silverwoods). They lean towards prominent noses and pure-black or even bright yellow eyes.

The K'naad have a history of tribal warfare, and infest the hills and flatlands from Ma'a at the very sunmost point of the easily-inhabitable lands to the pleasant farmlands of Shiaad, where many of them are sold as slaves. They are a diverse people but generally speak Elveina or Shiad Drahak, depending on their locality - their own languages live on only in the influences they have had on the Elvic and Drahak tongues. They tend to be small and brown-haired, whilst tending towards olive skin and small hooked noses.

Stats

* Medium Size
* Base Land Speed 30ft
* +1 feat at first level.
* +4 skill points at first level and +1 skill point for every consecutive level.
* Favoured Class: Any.

[Wensleydale]

Othertouched

Othertouched are those stroked by an extended tendril of the Mirror-World Other when in the womb, or whose parents have been similar creatures (or possibly magi). They are bizarre and diverse but all essentially the same core being.

Physical Description

No one description can really be applied to an Othertouched. They appear in all races and are thus naturally diverse, even without the strange features that they also manifest. Many are born genderless, with fangs, strangely-coloured or oddly-shaped eyes, tails, claws, or horns. Some have natural advantages or disadvantages over others - for example, some Othertouched may be born unnaturally strong, or exude charm without even attempting it. When they die, their flesh commonly melts away - becoming simply another part of the Other - and only a part of their body remains, such as the heart or skull. They have a kind of instinctive connection with the Other, and thus, many naturally become sorcerers.

Lands

Othertouched appear everywhere, and do not have any real 'kingdoms' - although the occasional one rises to prominence amongst the orcs or (rumours have it) sits upon the throne of a Great City.

Stats

'Othertouched' is an inherited template that can be applied to any humanoid or monstrous humanoid creature. It gives a +1 modification to effective character level (LA+1).

Statistics

An Othertouched may or may not choose to modify one stat by +2 (with a -2 negative in another stat). Increasing the physical stats (Strength, Dexterity, Constitution) requires a penalty in either one other physical stat or two mental stats. Increasing a mental stat requires a penalty in another mental stat. For example, an Othertouched could have +2 Str, -2 Con, or +2 Str, -2 Wis, -2 Cha, or +2 Cha, -2 Int.

Feats

An Othertouched may choose to gain one of the following as a bonus feat/ability: Darkvision (120ft), Scent, Diligent, Diehard, Endurance, Investigator, Iron Will, Magical Aptitude, Lightning Reflexes, Negotiator, Nimble Fingers, Persuasive, Stealthy, Toughness, Track, Acrobatic, Agile, Alertness, Animal Affinity, Athletic, Blind-Fight, Combat-Casting, Deceitful, Deft Hands, Great Fortitude.

Spell-like Abilities

An Othertouched can cast cantrips as a sorcerer of its ECL. It gains a +4 bonus on concentration checks to do with casting spells in this manner (whether from its natural abilities or sorcerer levels). First level and every fourth level thereafter, an Othertouched can also choose one first level spell it can manifest on itself infinitely at a caster level of its full ECL.

Favoured Class

The favoured class of an Othertouched is Sorcerer OR whatever favoured class the base race possesses.

[Wensleydale]

Elf

Elves are a stagnating species long past their golden age, grasping at straws to keep themselves great. All of them have a little skill with magic.

Physical Description

Elves' height varies wildly, but all of them have similar, distinctively sharp and angular features. They also weigh extremely little, due to their hollow bones, have abnormally long fingers and downy, short hair. These features are all that remains of their original avian selves before a long period of magical genetic modification and breeding resulted in a form much more suited to their present ideas of beauty. Some - at about the same frequency of albinos amongst humans - are born with feathers rather than hair. It is widely thought that elves are no longer fertile, and cannot reproduce naturally - rather, they have to do it through their preferred method of magical blending.

Lands

The elves have long been undergoing a withdrawal and a decrease in breeding rates, so that now, they are generally restricted to but a few areas. Whilst there is a large group in Nvastik lands and residing in the Silverwood, in most other areas they are a rare sight.

Families

Elves, alike to horses (as many human critics have been quick to point out), consider an elf pureblood only if he can trace his ancestry back to one of fifty separate noble elves from two-thousand years ago. Despite their longevity, this is still a very, very long way back to search - and many elves lie about it anyway. Although real half-elves have not been seen for almost as long, any elf who cannot accomplish this feat is still considered only 'half' elven. Although elves in general have retained two cohesive cultures based on that of the original creatures that formed the elven empire so many years ago, as well as fitting into others, many use surnames based upon their claims to this heritage - Do Raevil, for example, which means 'Child of Riiv'.

Stats

* +2 Dex, -2 Con
* Medium Size.
* Base Land Speed 30ft.
* An elf can 'Jump' as a spell-like ability a number of times per day equal to 2+Dex Modifier.
* +2 to Balance, Jump and Climb checks.
* +2 bonus on concentration checks to do with using sorcery.
* Favoured Class: Sorcerer

[Scholar]

This sounds interesting, the first time i've seen a sandwich cosmology. I would be really interested in a map of your world, and maybe some history. :)
keep it up!

btw, "'fight-off-rivals-then-rape' stage of courting technique" made me laugh. ;)

[Wensleydale]

I'll try and produce a map. I've been attempting to do so for a while, haven't yet made one that was quite what I wanted...

[Elemental_Elf]

I love your Elves, very flavorful!

About your crunch, it feels a little dry... What about giving them the spell like ability to 'Jump' a number of times per day equal to 1 + DEX mod? This would go along with their light bones and Sorcerer nature. :)

[Wensleydale]

Dwarf

Exactly from where dwarves come from is not known. However, today they inhabit almost everywhere that lies beneath the ground - from the caves of the surface to the deepest regions of the Underdark.

Physical Description

Dwarves (Nautz in Dwarven, Netz plural) stand around four to five feet tall, have extremely sensitive eyes and other senses, and practically white skin. Starlight can permanently blind them, but underground, they can detect the minutest change in air pressure, survive with little oxygen and ignoring gases that would kill a human, and see perfectly. They are, in effect, perfectly adapted to live underground. Most are totally hairless. There are several 'subspecies' of dwarf - although whether they can be classed as subspecies, ethnic groups, or merely different tribes is debatable. These groups can be roughly described as 'Surfacers' (Mektar), 'Shallowers' (Harlar) and 'Deepmen' (Duergar). Whilst they look mostly similar, differences can frequently be observed by clothing - with the Mdektar (who generally reside in cave systems on the surface of Maadros) wearing clothes alike to other species, the Harlar preferring utilitarian garb made from the hides of underground creatures, and the Duergar rarely wearing anything at all that isn't armour. The various groups have various stereotypes for the others - the mdektar commonly see duergar as grouchy, foolish traditionalists who sit around wearing no clothes, whilst the duergar see the harlar as gold-obsessed materialists. Mdektar are often stereotyped as loving alcohol, even by other species.

Lands

Dwarves can be found almost anywhere there is a cave or a mountain to tunnel into. Whilst generally, they have separate kings and rulers of their own who make decisions over certain bodies of dwarves, in the Nvastik mountains in particular many of them call human lords their own.

Clans

Whilst dwarves are frequently stereotyped as being divided into large, inbred family groups, this is mostly untrue. Whilst among Duergar, there are often large, mostly independent family groups, this is generally because there is only sporadic contact between bodies large enough to survive in the Underdark. There are, of course, other groups of dwarves who live and work together - but they are not necessarily interrelated. This is called a 'Kelak', as opposed to an 'Ell', or family group.

Different Kelk (plural) have different languages (although there are a large amount of words common to all of them). However, the Venanetzordy Velo (Watchers of the Holy Dwarf Language) remain constantly in contact, and among their many safeguards to keep the dwarves united is the Venzordy - the Holy Language. This is known as 'dwarven' by the surfacers and retains a heavily archaic inflection system in both written and spoken forms. Almost all dwarves speak this language to some extent - enough to communicate simply at the very least. Ironically, despite the Duergar being stereotyped as the 'traditionalists', it is the Harlar who have preserved their 'Vena Kelko' (Kaluk languages) closest to this form. This form of dwarven is almost totally based on the archaic forms spoken thousands of years ago.

Stats

 

* +2 Con, -2 Cha
* Medium Size
* Base Land Speed 20ft
* Immunity to natural poisons and poisonous gases and a +3 bonus on checks to resist other poisons.
* A dwarf can tell roughly how deep underground they are instinctively and also detect changes in pressure and air makeup (gases and so on in the air).
* A dwarf can become almost comatose for up to 6 hours/point of constitution modifier, with a minimum of 1 hour. During this period they do not need air, water, or food, and cannot make any actions. They awake feeling exactly as they did when they entered this state.
* Favoured Class: None.

[Wensleydale]

Half-Orc

Half-orcs are the spawn of various different rapes and occasionally, very rarely, a courtship of love (usually with a human male parent). They are generally dismissed as runts by their orcish family and thuggish, unnatural monsters by their human parentage, which makes it hard for them to fit in anywhere.

Physical Description

The appearance of half-orcs varies widely from specimen to specimen. They can be between five and seven feet, and tend to have a larger muscle mass than humans. The immense protective bone structure that provides natural armour to orcs is not as prominent in most half-orcs. They can survive without water for longer than humans, storing it in various internal pouches, are more resistant to blows and temperature changes, and tend to possess fangs.

Lands

Some half-orcs live with their orcish parents, in the lands of Nvast, the Darkwoods, the southern Desert and the old Drahak lands. Most, however, reside in the great city-states, amongst humans, where they are at least unlikely to be eaten alive. Many work as strongarms, enforcers, and paid murderers.

Stats

* +2 Strength, -2 Wis, -2 Cha
* Medium Size
* Base Land Speed 30ft
* Toughness (+3hp at first level)
* +1 bonus on checks to do with resisting heat, cold, and disease
* Bite attack: 1d4+1
* Favoured Class: Barbarian