Memory Fading

[Ishmayl-Retired]

Memory Fading

[ooc][note]IMPORTANT!!  Shadowfell has been renamed Memory Fading.  If you see any references to Shadowfell, or shadowfells, those will eventually  (maybe) be changed (if I'm not too lazy).  Some of the information on this thread is old and out of date, hopefully I'll be fixing that.  Always look towards the end of the thread to see what updates I've made.[/note]
[note]There is no separate discussion thread for Memory Fading; please discuss here.  As a major request, I ask that you point out any possibly inconsistencies you see.  I've copied and pasted some older information, and also added new information, and hopefully nothing obsolete has slipped in.[/note]
Welcome all! This is Memory Fading, a campaign setting I've been working on for the last several years.  The campaign takes place on the planet Ord, and more specifically, the contient Alsa Eru.

I put a lot of information here, and since I don't particularly like how spoilers look, I separated them by headers, but hopefully that won't be too much for you guys.  Please read at your leisure and discuss freely.
[/ooc]

[ic=Core Ethos]
Hope is a Luxury
Alsa Eru has a long history of violence and despair in which there have been many bloody disputes over territories, expansion, succession, and betrayal. About five hundred years ago, one of the largest genocides in the planet's bleak history took place, in which a nation tried its best to completely eradicate from the land the peaceful and indigenous sydhi. There have been constant attempted incursions from Balorand, and a few have almost succeeded. There has been a magical dark age brought about by humans' stubbornness, which has in turn created the terrible fadings all over the continent and planet. Recently, a great, sweeping war of subjugation and conquest was fought by Jaerom Arudor against the rest of the people of the lands in an attempt to bring all of Alsa Eru under one rule. This failed, and there is still much bitterness between the United Kingdoms of Arudor and neighboring nations because of it. It has been a long age since a hero has risen, and it always seems to be a minuscule amount of time between raids and invasions from Balorand, the Holds, or even the sea. The governments seem less concerned with the peoples' welfare than with the size of their pocketbook. The sky is getting darker, the days are getting colder, the fadings are getting larger.
[/ic]

[ic=Tone]
Laugh at Fate, Live for Yourself, and Fancy Not the Gods' Whims
All too often in the past, people have given up on themselves, raised their arms to the heavens, and asked for some all-powerful being to spare them and their family, only to have to come back to the reality that they are seemingly all alone. The gods may be watching, but they are not acting, and they have no fate in store for these poor people, and have no cause other than their own existence. Past beliefs consisted of the hope and faith that the gods all had a plan, and that the people of Ord had a purpose. Modern belief consists of people believing they are their own gods, and that they have a choice in the way their life turns out. If a peasant is to rule a kingdom some day, he doesn't wait for the gods to lift him up high, he goes out and becomes a king. If an evil overlord is to be struck down, those cowering beneath him do not sit idly by, waiting for an angelic hero - they take matters into their own hands and live or die as they confront the tyrant. If the world is to change, and light is to be restored, it is useless to wait for the gods. Those who want change must hope that they have the skills and the luck to do the changing. The dice are rolling, and the gods watch on.[/ic]

[ic=Conflicts]
The most prominent conflict is that of the Historical Grudges. There are a few grudges that run extremely deep in Memory Fading mythology. Firstly is that of the sydhi's conflict with humans. Hundreds of years ago, the humans of a great empire chased all the sydhi out of the land, after a terrible and bloody war. The sydhi left the lands and traveled west, but not before cursing the land and all the descendants of those humans. Though the humans of Alsa Eru generally harbor no ill wills in particular against the sydhi, their memory is not nearly as long as the fey-folk, who still hold a definite grudge against humans. The second historical grudge that plays an important role is that between the drumen and the trakloks. Several important myths and religions claim that drumen and trakloks are descended from the same common stock, and both races find this offensive. It was the initiative of the trakloks that started the Great Cleansing a few dozen years ago, though it didn't take long for humans and other races to be swept into the struggle. While the hatred does not have as much motive as that between sydhi and humans, it is a much more bitter animosity, and confrontations between the two very rarely end without bloodshed.[/ic]

[ic=Magic and Technology]
Magic
Magic is very different from standard D&D in Memory Fading. First of all, each type of magic has a very specific caster; there is no all-encompassing wizard that can do a little bit of everything. Secondly, magic is not as common as in other settings. Much of magic is feared, especially since it is often linked to the fadings, and is oft-remembered as a major force used by sydhi and other fey-folk. There are several different types of magic, each with its own inherent strengths and weaknesses: runic magic, shadow magic, pact magic, and elemental magic. None are particularly stronger than another, and all are viewed by most common folks to be in some way associated with the darker beings in the universe.

Technology
Technology is somewhat on the rise, but not in such a way that the setting could be considered steampunk. For instance, there are certain cities in the United Kingdoms of Arudor that now have flashrails linking them. There are also certain clans of sirish who have been seen using some form of firearm, though reports vary widely from source to source. The trakloks of Duarmenstor have been sailing steam-powered ships for several decades now, but they are very tight-lipped about the technology. All across Faeros, windmills are used to grind grain and pump water, and several other kingdoms are taking up the use of these devices to increase their water flow. [/ic]

[ic=Religion and Cosmogony]
Religion in Memory Fading is based on beliefs and philosophies found in the "real world." The existence of the gods, God, or araels is heavily debated amongst the people. Are there actually benevolent (and vile) deities in the Heavens (and Hells) who watch over our lives? Did we just name the natural occurrences of the world and universe to make ourselves feel as though there was someone to look out for us? The religions, legends, and mythologies of Memory Fading are steeped in both reality and fiction, with the actual truth settling somewhere in between.

However, one thing is certain - the gods, if they exist, do not answer prayers in the form of spells. The cleric class does not exist, nor does the paladin, and the druid has been changed to a master of the elemental forces.

Death and the afterlife have taken on a different spin as well, which will be explored more in each of the individual religions' posts.[/ic]

[ic=Mechanics and Gameplay]
Dungeons and Dragons has always been the basis for the gameplay, but new systems are being devised by several people working together. Therefore, no mechanics will be listed until the system is more fully fleshed out.[/ic]

[Ishmayl-Retired]

Shadowfell

Here is a new map of Shadowfell.  Many, many thanks to go Phoenix Knight for this beautiful map.

The Lay of the Land

Shadowfell is the name of the campaign that takes place on the continent of Alsa Eru on the planet Ord. Alsa Eru is the largest of four named continents (though many scholars dispute whether or not Xardeth makes its own continent, when the much-larger Chulgeth is considered part of Alsa Eru), stretching for thousands of miles north-to-south from the Frostfells to the islands of the Chulgeth, as well as thousands of miles east-to-west from ancient Erim-has to the stretches of Balorand. The continent is composed of many kingdoms, empires, and nations, both ancient and new.


In the center of the continent (pictured at the northwestern-most corner of the map) is Nalimoseo (which the Gaardans call Erdharte), the vast, ancient forest where most (if not all) of the Sydhi of Alsa Eru now live. It stretches for over a thousand miles, and is composed of large, long-leaf pines in the far north, and older oaks, birch, and willows in the south. The Sydhi have lived in Nalimoseo since before time-remembered, but not until recently did the great forest become their only home on Alsa Eru. Up until a five hundred years ago, the Sydhi had never warred with the other races of Alsa Eru, but that changed with the War of the Nine Sins. Since that time, they have secluded themselves in their forest, and have not come out much since then.


To the west of the Erdharte, there is a land of vast stretches of rock and clay, with little plant life, known simply as the Shaernlands. The land is known for terribly hot days and forbiddingly cold nights. The people who live there are known as the Shaernfolk. They are clansmen, divided into eleven clans, and descendents of an ancient warrior named Shaern who led thousands of his people to safety during the formation of the Great Empire of Tlek. Recently, in the past hundred years or so, the Shaernfolk have been allowed a trade route through Nalimoseo, to trade with Gaardans. They are excellent harvesters of silk and jewels, as well as proficient farmers of goats and sheep. They trade with the Gaardans for iron and cotton.


Beyond the Shaernlands, on the westernmost shores of Alsa Eru, is Erim-has. It is a land of mistrust and deceipt, where the emperor rules the land with an iron fist, and demons and devils walk the earth. Few from the east travel to Erim-has, and fewer still return. Little is known of the empire's history, other than the founders came from Laon-has - far to the south - twelve hundred years ago. A little over a hundred years ago, word came from the Shaernfolk that Erim-has had built a huge wall around their entire empire, spanning thousands of miles, and being tall enough that only birds could reach the other side.  What this means, few speculate on, and fewer know, but it doesn't seem to bode ill for the rest of the people of Alsa Eru... .yet.


Riddesgaard is the first kingdom on the east side of Nalimoseo, and is home to the Gaardans, the first humans to arrive on Alsa Eru. It is a cold land of rugged mountains and tundras, and sits as a barrier or borderland between the Frostfells and the rest of Alsa Eru.


Southwest of Riddesgaard is a small area, bordered on all sides by mountains, known as the Crescent. It is a land of travelers, adventurers, and dangers. Though it is not technically part of Riddesgaard, the people of the Crescent and Riddesgaard are extremely close, helping each other out in all manner of circumstances.


Duarmenstor, directly east of Riddesgaard, is an ancient kingdom of Trakloks. It was founded after splitting of the clans of Brishkur, and has been the home of Trakloks on Alsa Eru for several thousand years now. It consists of the Bhargrest Crest and Greyhelm mountain ranges, as well as the massive inland Bhaeron Sea.


South of Duarmenstor and Riddesgaard is Old Tlek, a land that nowadays is mostly composed of barbarians, nomads, and other wanderers.


To the far south is the mixing pot of Alsa Eru. It is a remnant of the Empire of Tlek, a land where Gaardans and Laons mixed and intermingled for hundreds of years, forming their own unique cultures and heritages. Collectively known as the United Kingdoms of Arudor, the three kingdoms here are named after the three children of Jaerom Arudor: Faeros, Wyndel, and Garriston.


To the east of the United Kingdoms (and further east than what the map currently shows) is Laon, also called the Eastern Lands, and the Lands of Sunrise.  These lands stretch east and northward, all the way up the peninsula to meet with Balorand far to the east.


Finally, beyond the southern tip of the peninsula seen on the map, is the Chulgeth, an archipelago of tropical jungles, mountains, volcanoes, and swamps.  The Sirish descend from these balmy lands, which few humans have explored entirely.  Rumors abound of massive, island-spanning ruins, as well as underwater ruins that existed in a time when more land was above water.  Of course, these rumors are usually quelled as myths by scholars who say that the landscape of Ord has never changed.

[Ishmayl-Retired]

Shadowfell

[note]I know that normally, the magic and technology of a campaign is saved for a later post, but I figured with the title being what it is, and the questions that tend to arise, I'd go ahead and get this part out of the way.[/note]

Below are all the known facts about shadowfells.  There is much more to them that presented here, but that knowledge is hidden in the deepest layers of shadow.


[ic=What's in a Name?]
Let's talk about shadowfells.  They are, afterall, what the campaign is named for.  First, the world itself is a bit of a double entendre.  It refers to both the nightmarish regions on the prime material plane, as well as the fact that the world itself has become a dark, gloomy, desolate place over the past several hundred years (ever since the War of the Nine Sins).  Secondly, most of this information was just transferred from my old WotC thread, with a few updates and additions.  With that being said...
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[ic=So, what do they do?]
Shadowfells are magical aberrations on the landscape that merge the prime material plane (Ord) with the plane of shadow (Shavaar, or "The Shaded Realm").  According to the lore of great sages, "a shadowfell resembles an amorphous dome, settled on one location. From the outside, it appears black, writhing with blue and purple lines of energy."  This description can be a bit misleading, because shadowfells actually do appear rather translucent, and can escape the eye. The best way to describe it would be this. If you look directly at a shadowfell, you will see a dome. This dome will be dark (black as night, or black as shadows), and there will be writhing energies swirling along it. You can still see through the shadowfell, and see the other side. The shadowfell blurs what you see, as though you're looking through an oil-stained window. A shadowfell can be extremely large. The larger a shadowfell is, the darker and more opaque it becomes. The largest and oldest one, centered over some ruins in Old Tlek, covers the entire ruinscape, a diameter of about nine miles.  You can see this one, on a clear day, from miles away, as a dark, writhing half-bubble on the land. It is more opaque than translucent; standing thirty feet from it, you cannot see within its boundaries. Many are much, much smaller. The average one that will be in play in the campaign is about fifteen miles east of the city of Haven, in the Crescent. It is about six hundred feet across, and appears dark enough to notice. There is a smaller one south of the Devileye lake that is only fifteen feet across, and it is almost invisible. This means that the smaller ones can potentially be much, much deadlier to the casual traveler.
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[ic=Okay, so what happens when I enter a shadowfell?]
Upon entrance to a shadowfell, a person's memory begins to cloud and fade. This will eventually be represented by a table that will represent both madness and diminishing corporealness. A victim would realize up front that something had changed, and that something potentially terrible had happened, because all light would dim (or at night, light would appear, because in a shadowfell, it's always twilight). All color would be muted. The world would appear almost black-and-white, with just a few hints of some of the sharper colors. Distance would be blurred as well. Angles would be harsher, and lines would be stretched. Tree branches would appear as towering spikes. Building corners would seem to stab towards the onlooker, and the buildings' walls would seem to stretch far away. If a person moved his head side-to-side, he would see distances changing; objects that seemed far away out of the corner of his eye would suddenly rush up to within a few feet of him when he's looking straight at it. It makes for a rather disorienting and maddening time.

There is never wind in a shadowfell, which means other sounds that would usually be covered by the winds are more distinct. However, these sounds tend to have a distorted, or even corrupted quality to them. A bird passing overhead may sing, but it will sound harsh to the ears, perhaps even painful. High pitches sound even higher, registering in very high frequencies, and low pitches sound even lower, producing more of a "feeling" than an actual sound.

Taste and smell are effected much the same way. Items don't become bitter; they simply do not have a taste or smell. A rose will smell like a mudpuddle will smell like a carcass will smell like a shirt. Food becomes ashy, and it is hard for most travelers to eat while in a shadowfell.

Touch is mostly uneffected, except when it comes to temperature.

It is always noticeably colder in a shadowfell than without. A summer days feels like an autumn evening, and a summer night feels like a crisp winter day. With no wind is present, but the air is frigid nonetheless. Items also feel cold. To touch a tree feels as though it is frozen, even though it is obviously not. Metal objects become most unpleasant to hold, though they do not have any mechanical effects on play.

There is no visible boundary from within the interior. One would see everything for miles to be in twilight grays, even if he was only three feet from the boundary. This makes it difficult to escape, because many people will simply wander the wrong direction to try to get out. And of course, the uneducated travaler may not know what a shadowfell is to begin with, and wouldn't know that he needs to immediately get out of there, or perish.

If the person tried to leave, he would make a check upon hitting the boundary. If he passed, he would be able to step through. If he failed, he would lose consciousness for a randomly-determined amount of time. Upon awaking, he would have to make a check to determine whether or he remembered where he was and what was happening. If he remembered, he could attempt to escape again, but at a higher DC. If he could not remember, he could wander around, and perhaps accidentally come across the boundary again.

Every hour in a shadowfell reduces a person's constitution score by 1. There is no saving throw against this, it just happens. If a person's constitition reaches zero while in the shadowfell, he does not die, but falls unconscience. When he awakens, he will be a grihm.
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[ic=So, what is a grihm?]
Grihms are shadows of the person they once were. They remember everything of their life, but they remember it in a twisted way, almost as though all emotions formerly felt were the opposite of the true emotions. His love of his birthplace would become a hate for it. His friends would become his enemies. In essence, he completely changes alignment, but since alignment doesn't exist in shadowfell, it's not quite that simple.

Grihms can leave a shadowfell at will. They have no restrictions at all once they've been changed. However, they can only move through darkness and shadow. Twilight and night are the only times grihm can move about in the world. Light does not kill them, but it becomes a wall for them, the same as a stone wall is for a human. If a grihm approaches the edge of a shadow that merges with sunlight, it simply cannot move any further in that direction. If it is suddenly blanketed in light (such as a light spell), it becomes paralyzed until it is in darkness again.

Grihms do not have enough coherent and cohesive thought to form raiding parties or communities. If one grihm comes across another grihm, they usually just ignore each other. They have become wandering, essentially soulless apparitions. They wander from shadow to shadow, rarely attacking unless provoked. The one exception is that of the grihm's former friends. Anyone the grihm knew in its previous existence is immediately attacked with a vengeance. The grihm will not stop attacking until it, or the victim, is dead. Scholars debate on the reason for this, and can only come up with that the grihm must harbor some sort of deep loathing for those who did not become grihm with it.
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[Ishmayl-Retired]

Shadowfell

Below are some of the mechanics used in Shadowfell, including classes, feats, and new rules.  This is mostly a reserving post, as many more details have yet to be added.

[ic=Classes of Shadowfell]
Barbarian (Ultimate Barbarian)
Champion (Arcana Evolved)
Cleric (Ultimate Cleric)
Druid (Ultimate Druid)
Fane (Shadowcaster - Tome of Magic)
Fighter (Ultimate Fighter)
Martial-Artist (WotC)
Ranger (Ultimate Ranger)
Rogue (Ultimate Rogue)
Runethane (Arcana Evolved)
Summoner (Binder - Tome of Magic)
Wanderer (Original)

[/ic]

[Ishmayl-Retired]

Shadowfell

Once called the Blessed of Aune, the Sydhi have lost much in the past five hundred years.  These once-proud keepers of the most beautiful lands on Alsa Eru now have but one home, far from those who tried to hunt them to extinction.

[ic=Sydhi]
"The soul of the land is our own," is the saying most commonly attributed to Sydhi.  For countless thousands of years, the Sydhi have been the self-proclaimed Guardians of all that is Natural and Good.  They have become as much a part of the world as the mountains, the deer, the birds, and the rivers.

Many humans say that sydhi have an alien-like appearance. They are smaller and slimmer than humans, with narrow shoulders and small waists. Their limbs appear stretched, partly because of how thin they are, and partly because their digits actually are longer; Sydhi have four joints in their fingers, as opposed to three. They have broad heads, with sharp angles for noses and chins. Their hair is silky, and can be any color under the sun. Most remarkably perhaps, are their eyes; a sydha's eyes are almond-shaped, with vertical pupils, like a cat's.

Strangers who encounter a sydha for the first time often speak of their cool, almost arrogant demeanor. They are often described as being aloof to non-Sydhi. This is because, firstly, they don't trust most races (especially humans), and secondly, because of their long lives. Sydhi are immortal (or, as close to immortal as one can be, without being divine), and the way they view things is completely alien to how the mortal races do. They are patient in ways that humans cannot conceive, and their opinions are those of one who has spent centuries pondering on a subject.

History
In the distant, ancient past, there was a race of beings called the Aedryn, who for the most part ruled the world until their undoing. Being the most powerful beings on the planet, they held dominion over other beings. In fact, they kept slaves of the myari and the sydhi. They were cruel masters, and never allowed for any race other than themselves to come into a position of power or respect on the planet. After their untimely demise, the other races were free to begin lives anew, and to fulfill their own goals and ambitions. However, part of the darkness of the Aedryn had seeped into the sydhi. One clan of the sydhi rose above the others, and through strength of arms and magic, forced the rest of the sydhi into their servitude.

Thousands of years passed in this manner, until a great cataclysm destroyed the sydhi homeland, and they were forced to find a new continent. They traveled east across the great ocean in magical ships which had been built from the bones of the earth, and eventually found a continent in which to rule. During the voyages across the sea, an inner struggle broke out amongst the sydhi, and those who were masters were split into two new groups, which would become the urshael and the sydhi we know today. Of the third and largest group of ancient sydhi, who at this time were the slaves and servants of the more powerful, many were slain during the battles. Upon landing, the battles increased, until finally, a truce was made between the urshael and the sydhi. The urshael would take all the lands above the Tarsus Gamo, or 'Great Spine (the large mountains in the north that are labeled as the Frosthorns on the maps of humans),' and the sydhi would take all the lands below those mountains. The third group, now the smallest and weakest, simply wanted to sail away in the great ships, and never be near their cousins again, but during the battles, the sydhi set fire to the ships, forever locking them onto this continent. That third group of sydhi, today simply known as Husayi, or 'the Lost,' disappeared into the mountains to the east.

Culture
Language
The sydhi language is unique amongst the reasoning cultures of the world, in that it has no written form. They believe (and have always believed) that the only true way to appreciate and respect a subject -whether it is art, music, history, or anything else of the like - is to pass this subject down completely orally, and never write it down. The sydhi believe that the act of writing down music, stories, mythologies, or history causes the writer and reader to then take for granted that the information will always be available, and thus they lose respect for the subject. Every sydhi child, from the day they are born, is taught by his or her parents of the long, tragic history of the sydhi, and is sung all the songs the parent knows. As far as anyone knows, the sydhi have no written histories anywhere on the planet.

Verbally, the sydhi language is very alien to hear. It is a very melodic language, where different pitches of the same word can mean different things. The tones and sounds of the language often bring to mind the wind of a storm rustling through the trees of a forest, with a brook tinkling in the background. Because the sydhi use different parts of their mouths, throats, and vocal chords than most other languages, it is extremely hard for non-sydhi to speak the language.

Sydhi believe very strongly in the individuals' rights to be heard, and never interrupt another person speaking, and always give their full, undivided attention to whomever is speaking at the time.

Art, Music, and Dance
The sydhi, being forest folk, and living very often out of doors, don't do a lot of art that would involve the ruination brought upon by a summer storm, or wood-and-paper eating bugs. Sydhi visual art is done on silk and other cloth. Sydhi will take portions of silk cloth, and using special dyes from various plants they know of, will make broad strokes of colors on their cloth tapestries, and when done, will hang these tapestries in the trees. The dyes immediately bond with the silk, creating something of permanence that the inevitable thunder storm or blizzard won't damage. And since silk is not the common diet of most bugs, the art has a longevity to it that is very similar to the sydhi themselves.

Much like the sydhi beliefs in uninterrupted speech, their music takes on a similar form. Listeners always give their full, undivided attention to performers, and thus no two performers perform at the same time. Because there is no such thing as a sydhi ensemble - there are only solo performers - the sydhi use a very intricate string instrument called a tayo tu, which translates roughly to "song of the trees," that creates melodies, harmonies, and accompaniments all at once. The tayo tu is a large wooden instrument with stretched strings that lay parallel with the ground. The sydha sits behind the instrument and plays the strings with both hands, often singing as well. Master performers of the tayo tu will play in glades and clearings, harmonizing all at once with the tinkling of the creek, the singing of the birds, and the whistling of wind through the trees. There are of course other instruments the sydhi use, but this is by far the one most commonly attributed to the enigmatic people.

Sydhi dance and dramatic art can take on many forms, but the most common is dancing, mock-combat art called stris bu, or "the trees' strike." It involves two sydhi, often in the role of opponents to each other, whirling around and mock-fighting in a non-choreographed routine. The sydhi will "fight" with long, flexible staves, and with lots of spins, twirls, and fantastic leaps - sometimes accompanied by a tayo tu, will perform for either hundreds of people, or just for exercise.

[/ic]

[Ishmayl-Retired]

Shadowfell

The proudest of all Aune's children, Trakloks are deeply burdened by their diminishing numbers, and the knowledge that they see the End Times... and those times are not far away.

[ic=Trakloks]
The trakloks (pronounced trah-KLAHX) are a humanoid race who live between the Bhargest Crests and the Greyhelm mountain range, around the Baeron Sea, a large, inland, freshwater sea. They have a reputation as skilled, aggressive warriors, as well as expert sailors, having come to Alsa Eru from across the northernmost seas many centuries ago.

Because of their appearance, trakloks are often called "beast men" by ignorant humans of the land. Standing well over six feet tall for men and women, these powerful people do sometimes have the appearance of a beast ready to strike. They have thick, muscular bodies, with deeply tanned skinned that resembles leather. Long, wild hair like a mane flows from their head, covering their round, furry ears. They have broad noses and mouths, and their forehead is slightly ridged along the center. Coupled with their infamous battle prowess, it is no wonder that some untutored people see them as barely civilized.

Origins
Modern trakloks are descended from the brishkur, and are cousins to the drumen (though trakloks have been known to take to violence for anyone mentioning this fact within earshot). They have evolved into a completely different race than the peace-loving brishkur of eons past, though some parts of their mythologies and religions make mention of their striving towards peace.

Brishkur
The brishkur were one of the first races to be created from the Tears of Aune after her demise at the hand of the Ancients. Along with the sydhi, quizarrsh, the giants, and certain humans, the brishkur came into existence as a fully evolved race. However, unlike the other races, who warred from the very beginning, the brishkur tried to live a peaceful, completely non-violent lifestyle. They were divided into several clans, one of which was very friendly with the giants. The giants, who were known for aggressive tendencies, somehow corrupted this particular clan of brishkur, and made an attempt to take over all the lands of the brishkur for themselves. The brishkur who were not corrupted tried to find non-violent resolutions, but were eventually forced to flee to avoid war and death. They mastered the art of seafaring, and crossed the icy, Sapphire Sea, to land on the northeastern edge of Alsa Eru. They then took a new name, calling themselves trakloks, which in the brishkur tongue, means "parting ways."

Kaerkondur
When the brishkur, now called trakloks, landed on Alsa Eru, they at first had no place to go. Their landing spot was in a barren, cold, dry land, which held no interest to the trakloks. They spend many years traveling, searching for a new home. This time during their existence is called the Exile.

Eventually, close to fifty years after landing, they found a beautiful valley, right next to the sea, and very close to several sydhi cities. This valley was unclaimed by any intelligent creatures, and the sydhi welcomed the trakloks to the land. The trakloks built several beautiful cities in their new land, which they called Kaerkondur, for "End of Longing." This kingdom grew, until it spanned the entire valley of what is now the Crescent, and was friendly with the sydhi. During this time, the trakloks continued their mastery of seafaring, and spent many years sailing the endless seas, searching for new lands. It was during these years, almost six hundred years after the founding of Kaerkondur, that they first drew the attention of one of the ancient Wyrms, Veyrsharl, the great Wyrm of the Sea, who claimed the seas as his own. Veyrsharl attacked Kaerkondur's capital, Darkund, and caused many deaths. Eventually, with the aid of sydhi from Sherasua, Veyrsharl was driven away (to be later slain by Sayufo Yatitsu of the sydhi), but not before the Wyrm destroyed several traklok cities. If it had only been this, the trakloks would probably still live in Kaerkondur today.

The Sundering and the Second Exile
During the rebuilding of cities in Kaerkondur after the battles with Veyrsharl, tragedy struck the trakloks. About 3500 years ago, a rock the size of a small mountain fell from the heavens and landed directly on Darkund, completely wiping the city off the face of the planet, and killing countless thousands. The heat and energy from the crash caused earthquakes for hundreds of miles around, which killed even more trakloks, and even raised a new volcano. Dirt and debris from the impact, as well as soot and ash from the volcano, covered the sky for thousands of square miles for many months, and the remaining trakloks were forced to leave their land.

They traveled for many years, calling this time their Second Exile, before they finally found a place of safety around the Baeron Sea. They built new cities along the mountain sides, as well as directly on the sea, and called their new kingdom Duarmenstor, for "Place of Refuge." They still live in Duarmenstor today.

Culture
Trakloks live a very different lifestyle from most of the other humanoids across Alsa Eru. No two words describe trakloks more so than Honor and Family. Those two words led to the splitting of the brishkur clans thousands of years ago, and guide every facet of traklok life. From birth, trakloks are taught the virtues of honor and the importance and value of family.

Honor
Trakloks take the term of honor to a level that many people across Alsa Eru do not understand. Stemming from their beliefs that their ancestors watch over them, and that they must give honor to "those who have gone before." This translates to a respect for each other and others that is mostly unheard of throughout the rest of the races of Alsa Eru. The members of trakloks' immediate families receive the most honor, by being called upon first for most ceremonies, as well as being the first protected in the case of attacks or invasions. What is most uncommon to other races, however, is the trakloks' sense of honor on the battlefield. Not only will trakloks go out of their way to make all fights completely fair between them and their contestants, but they will literally protect their enemies in situations where an unfair strike would land against their opponent. There have been many recorded accounts where a traklok stood over his fallen enemy, until the opponent was able to stand again and continue the fight.

The honor of trakloks also translates to a respect for authority. Trakloks believe that in most cases, leaders of other peoples' kingdoms are worthy of respect, and when the necessary diplomatic situations arise, trakloks treat foreign kings and emissaries with just as much respect as they treat their own king.

It is said that the head of families must give up his Karduk Del if he ever treats either friend or foe dishonorably, and may not gain the clan dagger back until the inequities have been rectified.

Family
Family means more than just blood-relatives to trakloks. The family can mean either a particular clan, and entire city, or even a small battle group. Any unit of trakloks together can consider themselves family, and that means that those trakloks have become brothers. A traklok will treat these family members, for as long as he is with them, as though they are related by blood, and will protect them with his life and honor.

Music and Art
Trakloks put a lot of emphasis on music, both as a source of entertainment, as well as a form of spiritual enlightenment.

Traklokish music is unlike any other across the lands. It is unknown when the trakloks first began developing their very unique music, but it is said that it began during their first exile, crossing the icy Sapphire Sea. On the ships, to pass the time, they used empty brass food vessels of different sizes to creative percussive, tonal sounds. Multiple musicians, called duyidi, or "strikers," would each create their own melodies that would be interwoven with the melodies of their fellow duyidi. Each musician by himself would create a polyphonic pattern, but when all the duyidi played together, beautiful melodies and harmonies would emerge. Once the trakloks landed, they carried their brass vessels (called bijvini) with them while they searched for a homeland. Over thousands of years, the music has evolved very little, other than to add more instruments such as the kardi kalk, a massive instrument with which a traklok musician will sit in a chair, and with his fists, will pound keys, that cause massive hammers to strike large chimes. These instruments are so large that trakloks carry them on wagons, often behind as many as four horses. These chimes, usually made of strong crystals, add a very ethereal timbre to the very percussive bijvini music.

Trakloks Today
Trakloks currently live in many small settlements throughout Alsa Eru, as well as in Duarmenstor. When encountered in or near human lands, traklok men tend to be merchants and traders, while the women make some of the finest sailors in the seas. Many of the ships of Arudor and Riddesgaard are captained by traklok women, and it is rumored that some traklok sailors have sailed around the entire world just for the sport of it. Until recently, little was know about Duarmenstor and the trakloks living there - for almost six hundred years, trakloks had a strict policy of keeping humans out of their lands... forcefully if necessary. However, since the War, trade has opened up, especially with Riddesgaard and Karsus.

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Shadowfell

Wanderers and nomads, the Myari have seen the farthest corners of Alsa Eru, and have seen its darkest depths.  There is little these people don't know, and that fills them with a great fear.

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Few have traveled as far and wide as the Myari. Little is known of their history before coming to Alsa Eru, except that they fled from some Darkness in the Far West. They are a peaceful folk, and have lived side-by-side with both Sydhi and humans for much of their time on Alsa Eru. They are infamous for their cloth-covered wagons, drawn by oxen, in which their entire lives and fortunes are stored. There are very few Myari cities, though it is said that many make their permanent home in Serasua with the Sul.

Myari are very small, barely growing over three feet. They are extremely nimble, and have often fooled the unaware by their older-looking appearance. They have loose, wrinkly skin, and crinkly black or gray hair. Though nowadays, they are often seen traveling over the plains of Old Tlek and Riddesgaard, they once lived mostly underground.  Those that still live underground have a mottled gray skin tone, while those that have come to live in the sun have a brownish hue to their skin.  Oddly, it has been noticed that many Myari are born with only four fingers on their hands instead of five, but the Myari claim this is natural, and think nothing of it.

Myari are known around the world as being master craftsmen. It is said their weapons can pierce the hearts of Dragons, and at the same time, their instruments and objects of art are sold to people all over the world.

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Shadowfell

Little is known about the Sirish, except that they are amongst the wisest and most technologically advanced people in all the lands.

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Shadowfell

Created by magic, and sustained by will alone, the Sul broke free of their enslavement only to find a world that wished they didnâ,¬,,¢t exist.

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Shadowfell

Gaardans take great pride in being the first humans to form an empire on Alsa Eru.  They have spent centuries fighting both the cold and the Urshael, and though life is hard, they would not have it any other way.

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Shadowfell

Proud and warlike, the Laons have long thought of themselves as the natural inheritors of Alsa Eru.  Though they now have peaceful relations with others of the continent, they once fought tooth-and-nail for every inch of their land.

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Shadowfell

Arudorans, descended from the Tleks of old, pride themselves in being nothing like their ancestors.  Many times since the War of the Nine Sins, they have tried to make amends with the Sydhi and Trakloks, but to no avail.

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Shadowfell

They left a land of war to find a land of hardship.  Living in one of the deadliest lands on Alsa Eru has only strengthened them, and though they struggled with it at first, they now claim it as home.

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Shadowfell

There are many nonplayable, yet important races in Shadowfell.  They will be discussed here.

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Shadowfell

Science and technology often go hand-in-hand in Shadowfell, and will be discussed here.

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