Gods & Men: The Ancient Myths RPG: Chapter 1 OOC Thread

[G&MRPG]

GODS & MEN: THE ANCIENT MYTHS RPG​

This RPG is a sword & sorcery fantasy setting set in the Earth of the past that combines elements of the D&D/fantasy genre with the stage being the ancient world.

Many of the well-known cultures of old, though separated through the years, are thrust together in this campaign setting that plays upon the sword & sorcery genre. The Celts in the British Isles, the Romans in Italy, the Viking/Norsemen in Scandinavia and the North, and the Egyptians in Northwest Africa. The ancient Greeks, the Persians, the myriad of cultures of Asia, Africa, and Arabia, even the lesser known peoples such as the Nubians.
All are placed in this world at once, with each group having a section carved out for them.

(Those familiar with the PC game series Civilization will see that this set up is in a similar vein)

Even with these old cultures thrown together there exist other major races different from man...

The short but hardy dwarves make their homes deep in the mountains of the world, carving out huge elaborate kingdoms both inside and outside the mountains they mine. They tend to avoid most of the other races, but dwarves do travel the world trading their wares for many kinds of goods, and some renounce their hermit nature to become mercenaries and adventurers.
Many dwarven outposts have sprung up in cities around the world, from as far South as Cairo to as far East as Beijing...

The elves are an aloof race in tune with nature and make their home in many parts of Europe. The elves of the Norselands are home to both goodly elves and the evil, subterranean-dwelling dark elves, though the latter outnumbers their good natured kin in the region. Most elves stick to their woodland homes and stay away from man, but some communities ally with human kingdoms, and some elves curious of the world around them become explorers and adventurers.
Elven cities are even found in the British Isles, as well as the thick forests of Germany and Central Europe...

Halflings, no more taller than a child, are a generally good-hearted and fun-loving race who live throughout the land with no known kingdom of their own. Despite their size, they have proven to be ample adventurers and are highly skilled in the art of thievery. The latter seemingly getting them placed in precarious situations more often then not...

Orcs are a well known scourge to the lands as they are a race of barbarian savages who live for battle and conquest. Despite these short comings, some do possess the intelligence to become great leaders and cunning warriors. There are even a few who break free of their evilhearted kin and choose to lead a decent life, though this is not only a rare happening, but it is also difficult to accomplish given their heritage which makes it extremely difficult to gain the trust of others...

Though these are just four of the major races that live alongside man on the planet, there are many others. For instance minotaurs in Crete, faeries in the British Isles, tribes of goblins throughout the lands, and giants in the Norselands.

This world is also home to a myriad of foul beasts and mythic creatures, from the wise and powerful sphinxes of Egypt, to the hydra and pegasi of Greece, to the mysterious and fearsome dragons found throughout the world.

Even demons inhabit this plane of existence, coming to the Material Plane to torment and tempt it's inhabitants. Though if defeated on the Material Plane, a demon is not killed but banished back to it's home dimension. Only on it's home plane can a demon truly be destroyed.

The demon's home plane is known throughout all the lands as the Nine Hells, a plane of existence made up of nine colossal layers, each ruled by a specific demon lord or dark god. Each layer may be different in appearance, but they all share a common trait: they are places of utter evil and suffering that no mortal should ever dare to go.

Despite these dangers throughout the world, there are great riches to be found. Many ancient treasures, artifacts, and relics from long forgotten civilizations, and ancient beings lay hidden in the deep places of the Earth just waiting to be discovered. Thus many travel the lands seeking fame and fortune to become the next great heroes of lore.

Most find death, or worse, but a rare few go on to become the stuff of legends...

Do you have what it takes?

Gamemaster: Johnny Blaze
AGMs: trustyside-kick, Catman_prb
Co-Creator: SuperFerret

RULES
You can create any character, be they hero or villain, in this Ancient World as long as they:​

• Are NOT deities, gods, or demi-gods, or specific mythological/fantasy monsters (for instance no Scylla, Fafnir, or the Azhi Dahaka).
• Are true to the personality and abilities of the character, such as no Roman soldier casting spells, using wands, and reading magical scrolls as if he were a master mage, and no wizard out-dueling a swordmaster...
• Do NOT rip off pre-existing heroes from myths and legends. Come up with your own creation. If your character is too similar to one in the ancient myths or in the fantasy genre you will be asked to change it or come up with a new character (your hero should aspire to follow in the footsteps of legends such as Sigurd or Achilles or King Arthur, not be a carbon copy of them).
• Do NOT criticize another poster’s character. We are not all as skilled as Homer or Shakespeare. Constructive criticism is okay as long as it is not offensive. This rule applies even if a poster asks for feedback.
• Your character should make sense. A battle-hardened orc chieftain doesn’t frolic in the meadows with the flowers and the birds. If you have a meek character, they shouldn’t be smacking other characters around.
• Communicate with others in your arc. This is key to the fun. It doesn’t matter how many fights you win, it matters if the fights were written well.
• Do NOT kill other Player Characters unless specifically asked by the player to do so. NPCs are fine to kill, with permission from anyone else using that NPC.
• The Game Masters have the final say in matters of character acceptance. You are welcome to alter the character to make it less powerful or more creative, but arguing with the Game Masters is not productive, not to mention something that you will not win. This is a game, let it be fun.
• This is a working environment, so you can travel to different places using your animals, vehicles, or your own two feet. Don't miraculously pop up unless you're using a teleportation spell, a magic item, etc...
• There are NO pre-established characters in this RPG, so it is a good idea to make your first post an origin post.
• You can reside in any place in the Ancient World (no Antarctica, or any of the Americas or Australia). Just Europe, Asia (including feudal Japan), & Africa. The rest of the world may be opened up in later seasons, but for now it's strictly Europe, Asia, and Africa.
• Don't do anything RANDOM like chopping off board user's heads or what not, unless your a villain chopping off NPC victims heads, then whatever, go with it, as long as it's not technically RANDOM (Don't be killing people without reason).
• Know your weaknesses and strengths, what you can or can't do. For instance, a Celtic warrior will lose against an ancient red dragon one on one, but may be able to use her allies to help her out or she can run away...very, very quickly.
• If you want to take part in this, just fill out an app and your name and character will appear on the roster, pending approval...
• You can form villain cabals, adventurer teams, military alliances, thieves guilds, sinister cults...the works...
• There can be a number of stories going on at once using different people...
• Act like your characters; ASSUME their traits and personalities...
  There are endless places to go and endless things to do: ENDLESS possibilities so get creative...
• There is no time travel at all. This preserves continuity easier and avoids confusion…
• There should be MINIMAL cussing and swearing in posts.
  There will be NO By-passing the censors. This is a Hype rule, and NO exceptions will be made for the RPG.
• No obscene topics!
• People who disobey these rules, some more major than the others, will get BOOTED by the Game Masters. Further problems will cause HYPE! Mods to get involved, which usually leads to user bannings, or the more severe IP Address banning.
• Stay true to the culture of your character (I.E. don't have your Chinese monk run around in Roman regalia praying to Odin).
• Even though this isn't specifically based on the Myths of old, take them into account when using monsters or mythical figures (for instance, don't have a plague of harpies in Norway when you know perfectly well that they're a Greek monster). More fantasy related creatures (such as a beholder or illithids) can theoretically be placed almost anywhere, provided the situation is appropriate.
• A player may also take up another race other than the ones listed above or in the racial traits section, but it first must be cleared by the GMs (all of them), and racial traits must be figured out by the GMs before the player can be considered for approval. Players can help create the traits for a character, but it is ultimately the GMs decision as to if those traits fit the race.
• No modern day religions are allowed in the game (Christianity, Islam, etc).

Gods & Men: The Ancient Myths RPG: SEASON I

Screen Name:

Character you have created (include known alias or nicknames here as well):

Race/Culture (What race is your character, and, if human, what culture does your character hail from, for example is your character Roman, Athenian, Celtic, Norse, Spartan, Persian, etc) (GMs must approve of any race not part of the big 5: Human, Elf, Dwarf, Halfling, and Orc):

Racial Traits (traits specific to your race; a list can be found in the second post of the OOC thread) (For races not listed, GMs must create traits for that race first before player approval):

Character Class (Somewhat similar to the classes in the CAH RPG, but with some differences) (Choose One):

Fighter (the quintessential melee masters and weaponed warriors; fighters include soldiers, barbarians, gladiators, martial artists, rangers, and all general warriors)

Mystic (choosing to master The Art over physical tools, Mystics are the practitioners of the arcane; Mystic includes all mages, sorcerers, shamans, divine agents such as clerics, priests, and Celtic Druids, and all other spellcasters; Recommended that you read the magic system post below before choosing a Mystic)

Rogue (the classic cutthroat, rogues excel at the underhanded arts; rogues include thieves, highwaymen, assassins, smugglers, pickpockets, and general scoundrels)

Paladin (these holy knights are champions of their chosen deity and are able to wield low-level Protective magicks to compliment their martial prowess. However they must remain pure and true to their god and their god's doctrine. Any wavering, no matter how minor, will force them to lose favor with their deity and thus lose their spells. Once favor is lost the paladin must seek atonement to regain favor with their divine patron. Evil Paladins are called Blackguards and wield low level Necromantic spells instead of Protective magic; Paladins cannot be of Neutral alignment)

Spell Swords (these warriors mix the art of swordplay with spells from a specific school of magic; spell swords include the necromantic shadowdancers, elven bladesingers, and other magic-weilding warriors; Spell Swords have access to minor spells in a single school)

Minstrel (the wandering bard who spread tales of adventure and courageous deeds, but also adventures themselves; Minstrels are musicians and storytellers who mix the melodious songs from their instruments and/or voice with spells from the Enchantment school of magic)

Psion (the master of mental combat, the psionicists devotes their study to unlocking the mysteries of the mind; Psions include telepaths and telekinetics; a player can only choose one of the two disciplines, not both) (NOTE: Psionics are treated as they are seen in the comic world, but they are not as powerful. So there would be no Xavier level telepaths able to enslave an entire city or communicate with somebody on the other side of the known world, or telekinetics on the level of the Phoenix who can move mountains or topple an entire city in a single act)

Patron Deity (only required for those under the Paladin heading or those who are a priest, cleric, or other divine agent; others may choose one if they wish to flesh out their character more) (Your Patron Deity MUST be from the pantheon significant to your character's culture, I.E. no Odin worshipping Egyptian Priestess) (For the pantheons of the non-human races, see the links below the app):

Magic (if your character is a Mystic, choose from the following schools of magic to specialize in. NOTE: A player will only be able to cast spells that deal with their schools, forsaking all others, so choose carefully. A mystic gets 4 points to spend in deciding their skill level in magic: 1 point equals minor skills in the chosen school, 2 points equal moderate skill, and 4 equals mastery in the school of choice. Paladins receive 1 point, and it must go towards Protection; Spellswords get only 1 point, and can choose any school to specialize in; Minstrels get 2 points and at least one must go towards Enchantment) (Descriptions of the schools and the point system can be found in a reserved post in the OOC Thread): Necromancy, Protection, Elemental, Conjuration, Transformational, Enchantment, Phantasmal, Divination, Druidic

Speech Color and/or Font (actually say what you're using, i.e. Arial Black; don't go "Like this", or what not):

Character Alignment (Good/Evil/Neutral):

Character Personality (Give information on how your character acts, what he/she believes in, how they handle situations):

Origin Info/Details (don't be blunt, be as thorough as possible):

Attributes (Select one from each category) (some races are greater or weaker than a human in specific categories and will be noted below or in the racial traits section of the OOC thread):

Strength Level: Weak Human, Normal Human, Peak Human (Dwarves in peak condition are slighty stronger than a man; Elves and Halflings are weaker than a man in peak condition; Orcs are the same)

Speed/Reaction Timing Level: Weak Human, Normal Human, Peak Human (Elves in peak condition are quicker than a man in peak condition with Halflings being just slightly quicker; Dwarves are slightly slower than a man in peak condition; Orcs are the same)

Endurance at MAXIMUM Effort/Durability: Weak Human, Normal Human, Peak Human (Dwarves are more sturdy than a man in peak condition; Elves are less durable than a man in peak condition as well as are Halflings; Orcs are slightly more sturdy than a man in peak condition)

Agility: Weak Human, Normal Human, Peak Human (Elves are more agile than a man in peak condition; Halflings are slightly more agile than a man in peak condition; Dwarves are less agile than a man in peak condition; Orcs are the same)

Intelligence: Below Average/Average/Above-Average/Genius/Super-Genius (All non-human character races described above are treated normally, although keep in mind that an Orcish super-genius is a truly unique character)

Fighting Skill: Untrained/Trained/Expert/Mastered (Due to their devotion to their arts, Mystics and Psions cannot be Experts or Masters, and Minstrels cannot be Mastered)

Resources: Minimal/Average/Large/Extreme

Notable Equipment (Items your character has on them of relevance, such as thieving tools if they're a rogue, holy items if they're a priest, magic weapons and/or armor, magic items, etc; we assume you're character has basic stuff, like rations, waterskin, and a torch or lantern; be as specific as possible as well as realistic as possible, I.E. if your character is carrying a ton of stuff their mobility and endurance will be sorely hindered; also keep in mind that magic items are rare, expensive, and difficult to make) (For ideas for notable equipment, and magic items, check out the link below the app):

Weaknesses (If your character has any specific weakness, such as a vampire's weakness to sunlight (among other things) or a Faerie's weakness to iron, list them here):

Supporting Characters (Does your character have a significant other? A mother? A Friend? Who are they, what do they have to do with your character?):

Describe using proper English grammar what you think you can bring to the RPG:

How many times do you intend on posting a DAY IN the RPG:

Do you know how to post pictures on the hype boards:

Sample Post (Minimum Four decent-sized paragraphs containing dialogue):

--------------------

Racial Deities
Dwarves
Elves (The Seldarine)
Drow (Dark Seldarine)
Halflings
Orcs
Gnome
Dragons
Goblins
Giants
Other Racial Deities

Equipment Ideas

Magic Items

 

[G&MRPG]

ROSTER

Champions of Good

Aithne Ó Ciardubháin
(Human/Formorian Water Elementalist)
twylight

“Beardless” Brottor Balderk
(Dwarf Paladin)
SuperFerret

Caed
(Human Minstrel)
trustyside-kick

Dante Giovanni, The Docktore
(Human Scientist)
Byrd Man

Kelvamin the Sword-Winder
(Human Spell Sword)
Catman_prb

Rothgar Skullsplitter
(Human Ranger)
Johnny Blaze


Walking the Line Warriors

Xxymryx
(Half Human/Dark Elf Mystic)
wiegeabo


Lords of Evil

Charaun
(Human Lich Necromancer)
Johnny Blaze


​

 

[G&MRPG]

MAGIC SYSTEM​

There are eight schools of magic, and each spell caster chooses a number of them, limited only by their alignment, and their skill level in each school chosen. Certain powerful entities, such as the Advanced races (Dragons, Demons, and the like) are able to draw more powerful magic from more than one of the eight schools, although they too can have middling powers in the schools that if they spread their talents too thin. That character’s magic will fall within the limits of the chosen schools and none of the others (aside from Divination, as all spellcasters are assumed to have at least minor skill in that school).

Each spell-caster from the basic races has a maximum number of “slots” that will determine their capacity for magical aptitude. Mystics have the most at four slots apiece, while Paladins only get one slot (and must use it to gain Minor skill in the Protective school). Minstrels get two, and they must “spend” at least one to gain some skill in the Enchantment school, but what they do with the other slot is up to them. (The members of the Advanced races get two extra slots, regardless of their Class.)

The slots needed to be spent for each skill level is as follows:

Minor skill = 1 slot

Moderate skill = 2 slots

Mastery = 4 slots

(Examples of what each school can do at which skill level is given after the school’s description. The powers are NOT limited to these examples, and the GMs have final say on what power lies where. Trust us, we know what we’re doing. )

The Schools of Magic are:

Necromancy is power over death and the spirits of the recently deceased. This form of Black Magic manifests itself in ways that come from that power. Snuffing out living essences, raising undead armies, commanding ghostly powers, all are in the Necromancers grasp.

Spoiler

Minor powers include: animating and controlling weak undead such as skeletons and zombies, causing extreme terror to seize the mind of an individual of a basic race, reducing an individuals Strength level temporarily, speaking to the dead, etc.

Moderate powers include: outright snuffing out the life essence of an individual of a Basic race, creating and controlling moderately powerful undead such as ghouls, shadows, and wraiths, creating and spreading magical diseases (no AIDS, you sick bastards), etc.

Master powers include: creating and controlling major undead such as mummies, ghosts and vampires, snuffing out the life essences of a group of individuals of the basic races (or one of the Advanced races, although results may vary), becoming a lich

(Necromancers must be of the Evil Alignment.)

Elemental Magic is power over the four basic elements of the world; fire, water, air, and earth. Elementalists are lords of their chosen element, shaping it within the confines of their imagination, and the most powerful of their number are able to manipulate it to the point of becoming one with the element and wielding its awesome power with the might of a demi-god.

Spoiler

Minor powers include: creating and controlling winds of various normal speeds (Air), turning stone and clay into mud and sand (Earth), emitting flames from your fingertips in a short but wide cone (Fire), breathing underwater, creating liquid water from water vapor (Water)

Moderate powers include: walking on air (not actual flight) (Air), giving the caster’s skin the hardness (and weight) of stone (Earth), fireball, the ever-loving classic (Fire), raising, lowering or parting bodies of water (Water)

Master powers include: creating and controlling powerful winds of hurricane or tornado status, true flight (Air), creating and controlling massive earthquakes, becoming actual living stone (Earth), creating and controlling large infernos, complete immunity to flames and heat (Fire), drawing water out of a living body and controlling it, locating water deep underground and manipulating it (Water)

(Elementalists can be of any Alignment, but must choose one of the four elements to master: Fire, Water, Air, or Earth.)

Protective Magic is the ultimate defensive magic. Mystical shields, curative spells, the power to bring the freshly killed back to life, all this and more is at the fingertips of these White Mages. This magic is most commonly associated with divine powers such as angels, but can also be channeled through other sources.

Spoiler

Minor powers include: creating invisible shields to protect an individual from an attack, healing minor wounds, warding against minor undead such as skeletons and zombies, etc.

Moderate powers include: healing moderate wounds, destroying minor undead and warding against moderately powerful undead such as ghouls, shadows, and wraiths, curing diseases, etc.

Master powers include: healing (would be) mortal wounds, destroying moderately powerful undead and warding against major undead such as mummies, ghosts and vampires, resurrection

(White Mages must be of the Good Alignment.)

Conjuration grants the ability to summon and bind creatures and beings to your location and allow you to exert limited command over them for a short time. Wielding what is potentially the most powerful form of magic, the life of a Conjurer is also wrought with great peril. Summoning and controlling a mundane beast is usually simple task, but a Lord of Demons or a demi-god is a different story, and the hazards of losing control of those situations are great. (Note: the skill levels below give examples of creatures that can be easily summoned and controlled by a Conjurer of that skill level. You can still try to summon something out of your skill level, but may the gods help you if you do lose control. Which you will.)

Spoiler

Minor powers include: summoning and controlling animals and weaker monsters (tritons, azer, small elementals)

Moderate powers include: summoning and controlling members of the Basic races and moderately strong monsters (giant animals, dire wolfs, hell hounds, medium-sized elementals)

Master powers include: summoning and controlling powerful monsters (some minor demons and celestials, large elementals)

(Conjurers can be of any Alignment.)

Transformational Magic can change the world. Literally. Transmuters are able to shape the very fabric of reality, albeit for only a short time. Changing man into beast, mud into rock, lead into gold, sticks into snakes, these are just some examples of a Transmuters power.

Spoiler

Minor powers include: repairing minor damage in inanimate objects, increasing/decreasing a beings size up to 50%, changing the way an individual looks, short distance teleportation (“blinking”, distance up to 30 feet), etc.

Moderate powers include: changing an individuals form temporarily, turning living matter into a stone statue, transforming raw materials into finished products, etc.

Master powers include: permanent changing of an individuals form, disintegration, teleportation

(Transmuters can be of any Alignment.)

Enchantment is a two-fold magic. It grants either the ability to grant magical powers to items and beings, or the power of compulsion (from dominating the mind, to inducing paralysis, to inducing sleep, and much, much more). An enchanter must choose one of those varients of the school to master, they cannot do both.

Spoiler

Minor powers include: charming individuals into thinking you’re their friend, inducing sleep in members of the Basic races, granting a minor magical effect to an object (it glows, blade never dulls, better/different flavor, etc.)

Moderate powers include: arousing a strong emotion in an individual, giving an individual a magical suggestion (“These are not the droids you’re looking for.”), granting temporary magical effects to an object (flaming bladed sword, arrows that seek their targets, rings of invisibility, etc.)

Master powers include: causing insanity in an individual, domination (complete mind control), granting permanent magical effects to an object/being

(Enchanters can be of any alignment, with those specializing in compulsion leaning more towards neutral or evil.)

Phantasmal Magic is the ability to use magic to change others perceptions of the world. Creating illusions, making things invisible, altering one’s own outward appearance; such are the tools of an Illusionist.

Spoiler

Minor powers include: changing the way an individual appears, invisibility, creating and manipulating silent moving images, etc.

Moderate powers include: creating and manipulating moving images accompanied by sounds, smells, and heat, making one type of terrain appear to be another (like a controlled mirage), create and control illusory creatures (not actual physical beings, but it’s like the Matrix, if your brain’s convinced that you die, you die), etc.

Master powers include: creating illusions that are nearly real except they do not have physical mass, create and control illusory creatures (these CAN affect physical beings), etc.

(Illusionists can be of any Alignment, though their deceptive nature causes them to lean towards the Neutral or Evil ones.)

Divination is the only universal school, granting all mystics access to it’s minor powers (essentially limited clairvoyance and clairaudience). However, those who specialize in Divination, the Oracles, are granted the ability to see into the near future as well as the past, or the power to look into someone’s very soul and determine their Alignment.

Spoiler

Minor powers include: detecting secret doors, clairvoyance, clairaudience, understand any language, etc.

Moderate powers include: reading surface thoughts, psychometry, seeing invisible creatures, etc.

Master powers include: seeing a being/object/location’s past or (possible) future, immunity to illusions, etc.

(Oracles must be of the Neutral Alignment, as their power gives them a sort of detachment from the world of others.)

Druidic Magic is the power over the forces of nature itself. Encompassing many minor abilities related to elemental magic, such as manipulating the weather (air), causing tremors (earth), or shifting the tides (water). Druids also command power over the kingdoms of animals and plants, even allowing them to communicate with them (DISCLAIMER: Even though you can ask a tree a question, there's nothing saying that it has the capacity to give a detailed or even intelligent answer. It's still a tree, remember.)

Spoiler

Minor powers include: speaking with animals and plants, nurturing and controlling plant life, creating and manipulating minor weather effects (fog, rain, light winds, etc.), summoning and controlling animals, etc.

Moderate powers include: curing/spreading natural disease, creating and manipulating moderate weather effects (lightning, sleet, hail, etc.), moving instantly between one plant to another of the same species (“tree walking”), etc.

Master powers include: creating and manipulating major weather effects (hurricanes, tornadoes, lightning storms, etc.), reincarnation, causing earthquakes, etc.

(Druids can be of any alignment, but are mostly of the Neutral Alignment.)

 

[G&MRPG]

RACIAL TRAITS​

Whenever a new race becomes playable the racial traits created for them will be listed here for all to see. Certain, high-powered beings are available as playable characters, and these are known as Advanced Races, where as the standard races are known as Basic Races. Only one member of each Advanced race is playable at a time, and they include dragons, demons, celestials (i.e. angels), liches, vampires, and others. A short list of other examples is at the bottom of this post, but there are other races that may apply and the list will change over time.

* = Advanced race(no more than one allowed at any given time)

Dwarves: Darkvision (able to see in the darkness up to 60 feet, but in black and white only); Toxin Resistance (dwarven toughness allows them to resist most standard poisons, but it does not make them immune to them. They are just not as affected as strongly as a man would be, and large doses can still prove fatal); Stonecunning (due to spending most of their lives under the Earth, dwarves have a natural affinity for stone-workings and the like. Thus they are able to notice unusual stonework if they are close by it, such as stone traps, non-magical stone secret doors, unsafe stone surfaces, shaky stone ceilings, etc); Depth-Sense (Dwarves have the innate ability to sense how deep they are underground, but this is not accurate and usually falls in a window of a few miles); average life-span of 300 years
Strength: Slightly stronger than a man
Speed/Reaction Time: Slightly slower than a man
Endurance/Durability: More sturdy than a man
Agility: Less agile than a man

Elves: Low-Light Vision (able to see twice as far as a human can in torchlight, starlight, moonlight and similar poorly lit conditions and is able to distinguish color and detail); Resistant to Magical Enchantment (spells from the Enchantment school of magic do not affect them as well as it would a man); Elves do not sleep but enter a state of deep meditation called Reverie; average life span of 800 years

Dark Elves: The evil dark elves possess the abilities of elves as well as: Darkvision (able to see in darkness up to 60 feet, but in black and white only); Possess the innate magical ability to summon a globe of darkness impossible to see through without magical means (only able to use once a day as it is taxing to the Dark Elf's spirit; the globe is not mobile and must be fixed in a specific spot up to 30 feet away from the Dark Elf; globe is only a 10 feet radius and only lasts for a minute) and to call upon a faerie fire (ghostly blue flames outline an intended target within 30 feet from the Dark Elf, but the flames do no damage; as with the globe of darkness, this is usable once per day and only lasts for a minute); Daylight Sensitivity (Sudden exposure to bright lights (sunlight, a daylight spell, etc) blinds a drow for a few minutes, making them completely vulnerable to attacks. Even after a few minutes, their vision is still impaired enough to the point where their attacks, movements, and all other physical feats are slower due to the pain caused by the bright light and the concentration used to push through it. After a half an hour of exposure, the drow's vision has returned and is able to function normally in daylight)
Strength: Weaker than a man
Speed/Reaction Time: Quicker than a man
Endurance/Durability: Less durable than a man
Agility: More agile than a man

Half-Elves: Low-Light Vision (able to see twice as far as a human can in torchlight, starlight, moonlight and similar poorly lit conditions and is able to distinguish color and detail); Average life span 200 years
Strength: Same as a man
Speed/Reaction Time: Same as a man
Endurance/Durability: Slightly less sturdy than a man
Agility: Slightly more agile than a man

Halflings: Heightened Hearing (The ears of a halfling are more astute than those of a human. As such, they are able to discern sounds that a human might otherwise mistake or not even hear); average life span of 80
Strength: Weaker than a man
Speed/Reaction Time: Slightly quicker than a man
Endurance/Durability: Less durable than a man
Agility: Slightly more agile than a man

Orcs: Low-Light Vision (able to see twice as far as a human can in torchlight, starlight, moonlight and similar poorly lit conditions and are able to distinguish color and detail); average life span of 50 years
Strength: Same as a man
Speed/Reaction Time: Same as a man
Endurance/Durability: Slightly more sturdy than a man
Agility: Same as a man

Centaurs: Nature Sense (Centaurs are creatures of the wilds, living in tribes in tune with nature. As such, they have a vast knowledge of local flora and fauna in their tribal lands. Even in foreign lands, centaurs can usually tell if a plant is edible or not, or if it might have other properties by the smell, taste, look, or feel of it); Hunter's Stealth (Centaurs are natural hunters, stalking and killing game and animals for their very survival. As such, they have become adapt at moving silently through forested areas, provided they are not overly dense or the forest floor covered by items that would make moving silently impossible, such as thousands of dead leaves that crunch under their hooves); Being isolationists, centaurs are leery of humanoids, especially those who dwell in the cities and the so-called "modern" world. This paranoia is strong enough to keep most tribes as far away from towns as possible; average life span of 350 years
Strength: Same as a man - top half; same as a horse - lower half
Speed/Reaction Time: As fast as a horse; reaction time same as a man
Endurance/Durability: Slightly more sturdy than a man
Agility: Less agile than a man

*Lich: Lichsight (the eerie glowing red-pin points of light in a lich's empty, black eye sockets see much more accurately than any mortal. The lich has darkvision at a distance of 60 feet; the lich cannot be blinded or impaired by any light no matter how bright, even from a magical source; likewise, magical darkness does not hamper a lich's vision either. In the eyes of a lich, it is as though neither light nor darkness exist); Fear Aura (Liches are shrouded in a invisible aura of death and dread. All those withing a 30ft radius are unnaturally shaken to the core and are a bit slower to react because of it; the lich can suppress this aura if it chooses); Paralyzing Touch (with but a simple touch the lich can paralyze a victim by channeling the negative energies coursing through it's body to it's hand. A person who falls prey to this attack will immediately become paralyzed and immobile. So much so that others checking them, even a skilled healer, would think that they are dead. The paralysis lasts for an hour, but can be magically removed as though it were a curse. Due to the touch requiring the focus of negative energies, the lich can only perform this attack once every few minutes.) Damaging Touch (The negative energy flowing through a lich's body is damaging to living creatures; the touch of a lich fills the touched area of a victim with a deathly coldness from the grave that ignites the area in agony equal to the pain caused from any blade strike); Immune to cold attacks, electrical attacks, negative energy attacks, disease, aging, poisons, polymorph, and paralysis & can only be harmed by magic and/or magical weapons; Being undead, the lich does not need to eat, sleep, or breath and is beyond the physical wants and desires of mortals
Strength: Same as base race
Speed/Reaction Time: Same as base race
Endurance/Durability: Undead (does not tire; no need for sleep, food, or air)
Agility: Same as base race

*Vampire: Hypnotic Gaze (A vampire can crush the will of mortals by looking into their eyes. The vampire must concentrate for this ability to work, and those merely looking at the vampire are not affected. Those with strong enough will power can fight off a vampire's dominating gaze, but it is difficult to do and takes all their concentration to do. The longer the vampire goes without blood the weaker and easier to resist this power gets.); Blood Drain (A vampire can suck the blood from a living creature via it's fangs. The vampire must successfully grapple their victim to bite them and begin draining their blood. With the vampire's unnatural strength this is usually not a difficult task to accomplish. The opponent begins feeling their life essense being drained away within a handful of seconds, and within a minute their abilities begin to weaken (physical attributes, racial traits, etc). If the victim is still grappled after a minute of feeding, they grow even weaker to the point of immobility. Once the vampire has completely drained the victim of their blood, they die and rise three days later as a vampire spawn under the yolk of the vampire that slayed them until their master's death. Drinking the blood of a living creature energizes a vampire, empowering their abilities and healing wounds they have sustained. The longer a vampire goes without blood, the weaker they become. After a few days without fresh blood, a vampire's physical abilities begin to weaken, as well as some of their other racial traits. If a vampire goes without blood for over a week, they become extremely weak (movement rates, certain powers, and physical abilities reduced by 3/4). After another few days, the vampire will become immobile and catatonic, and a day later they will die of blood starvation. If the vampire can consume the blood of a living creature before becoming immobile, they will immediately feel refreshed and strengthen. The more blood they consume the better they become until they are back to their normal, vile selves.); Children of the Night (Vampires command the lesser creatures of the world, and, once per day, can control a swarm of rats, bats, or a pack of wolves. The vampire can summon whatever of the three types of creatures are known to be in the area and they will arrive as soon as possible (1 mile radius) and serve the vampire for up to one hour.); Gaseous Form (A vampire can assume the form of mist at will, and can remain gaseous indefinately with a fly speed of 3 mph with perfect manuverability. The vampire cannot perform any physical attack or use it's gaze when in this form, but can still cast spells. Likewise, a vampire in mist form can only be damaged by spells and weapons able to hit incorporeal creatures. A vampire gains this ability after 100 years of unlife.); Alternate Form (A vampire can take the shape of a bat or a wolf once per day. Once the vampire chooses that form, it gains all the attacks and abilities associated with that form, and may remain in that form for the night, or until the vampire reverts back to it's original shape. A vampire gains this ability after 200 years of unlife.); Heightened Senses (A vampire is the consumate hunter in the darkness, and, as such, their senses are much more attuned then that of a human. Their hearing and sense of smell is much more astute than a mortal, as they are able to hear a creature's heartbeat up to 30ft away and smell the fear in a victim that's before them. Their sight is also enhanced, as a vampire can see in the blackness of night as though they were a hunting cat.); Weaknesses (Despite all their powers, vampires have a few major weaknesses. Vampires are extremely allergic to sunlight and exposure to the rays of the sun for even a handful of seconds could be deadly. A daylight spell will also injure a vampire and potentially kill it, though it is not as strong as a reaction as if it were true sunlight. A vampire is highly allergic to garlic and silver, and both materials can severely weaken a vampire if they are injested or come into physical contact with them as both will burn the skin of a vampire causing extreme pain. A large enough exposure to either garlic or silver will kill a vampire. A vampire is helpless when it is at rest during the day, and can be killed by beheading or either completely destroying or removing it's heart from it's chest. The old wive's tale of a stake through the heart will not kill a vampire, but it will immobilize the vampire thus appearing as such. If the stake is ever removed, the vampire will immediately regain it's mobility and woe to any in it's way. The blood of certain races can also have adverse affects on vampires, for instance the blood of fey creatures is said to act as a hallucinegin. Vampires are resistant to the power of a holy man, but, if the priest or cleric has enough faith, they are able to drive the vampire away from the area for a day); Being undead, vampires are immune to cold, poisons, negative energy attacks, disease, aging, paralysis, is highly resistent to polymorph and electrical attacks, and can only be truly harmed by magic or magical weapons
Strength: Much stronger than a man (able to lift up to 1 ton)
Speed/Reaction Time: Reacts much faster than a man in peak condition; Faster than a man (able to run at speeds of 25 MPH)
Endurance/Durability: Undead (does not tire or need to breath, but does need to consume blood and rest during the day. Non-magical weapon damage heals instantly.)
Agility: Much more agile than a man

*Death Knight: Fear Aura (Death knights are shrouded in a invisible aura of death and dread. All those withing a 30ft radius are unnaturally shaken to the core and are a bit slower to react because of it; the death knight can suppress this aura if it chooses); Nightmare Mount (A Death Knight has the unique ability to summon to his side a nightmare loyal to him to serve as his steed. For info on a nightmare, see Bestiary); Dread Inspiration (A Death Knight has the unnatural ability to rally lesser undead creatures to his side. These undead remain obedient to the Death Knight until their destruction and gain a resistance to clerical turning when in it's presence. The Death Knight may only use this ability once per day); Hellfire Blast (The Death Knight has the ability to summon a blast of hellfire within a range of 400ft. The blast explodes in a radius of 20ft and harms even those immune to natural fire. The Death Knight may use this ability once per day); Undead (immune to mind-attacks, cold attacks, electrical attacks, negative energy attacks, disease, aging, poisons, polymorph, and paralysis & can only be harmed by magic and/or magical weapons; Being undead, the death knight does not need to eat, sleep, or breath and is beyond the physical wants and desires of mortals
Strength: Stronger than peak condition of base race
Speed/Reaction Time: Same as base race
Endurance/Durability: Undead (does not tire; no need for sleep, food, or air)
Agility: Same as base race

*Bronze Dragon: Wings of the Wyrm (Being possessed of immense wings, bronze dragons are able to take to the air and fly for great periods of time); Aquatically Inclined (Bronze dragons spend much of their time swimming and hunting beneath the waves, and are able to breathe and use all of their racial traits while submerged); Dragon’s Breath (Bronze dragons have two breath weapons; one, a 100’ line of lightning; and a cloud of magical gas that compels those caught in it to move away from the dragon); Polymorph (Bronze dragons are able to change their form at will to appear as a man or mundane animal); Friend of Beasts (Bronze dragons are able to communicate with animal as they would any other being); Creature of Lightning (Bronze dragons are immune to the effects of lightning and lightning based attacks); Average life span is 1,500 years
Strength: Much stronger than a man (Able to lift 80 tons)
Speed/Reaction Time: Land speed of 50mph, Air speed of 100mph; Quicker than a man (reaction time)
Endurance/Durability: Much higher endurance than a man (Able to sustain activity for a few days)
Agility: Same as an average man (Dragons are large and bulky and therefore aren’t very agile)

Lycanthrope (General): Alternate Form (As an act of will, the lycanthrope may change it's form to that of a animal or a human/animal hybrid. This ability can be used whenever the lycanthrope desires and the lycanthrope retains it's normal intelligence in all forms); Low-Light Vision (able to see twice as far as a human can in torchlight, starlight, moonlight and similar poorly lit conditions and is able to distinguish color and detail. Only available in animal or hybrid form); Scent (The sense of smell of lycanthropes are much more attuned than that of a human. As such they are able to distinguish between specific scents in the immediate area and smells traveling down wind. They may also track others via their sense of smell. This ability is only available in animal or hybrid form); Curse of Lycanthropy (A lycanthrope may pass it's affliction onto others with a simple bite. When a lycanthrope bites a normal human, there is a chance of the disease getting passed on to the victim); Average life span is same as the base race

Werebear: Nature Sense (Werebears are creatures of the wilds, living a life in tune with nature. As such, they have a vast knowledge of local flora and fauna in their homelands. Even in foreign lands, werebears can usually tell if a plant is edible or not, or if it might have other properties by the smell, taste, look, or feel of it)
Strength: Same as base race (same as animal in animal form; much stronger in hybrid form)
Speed/Reaction Time: Same as base race (same as animal in animal form; faster in hybrid form)
Endurance/Durability: Same as base race (same as animal in animal form; more durable in hybrid form)
Agility: Same as base race (same as animal in animal form; same as an average man in hybrid form)

Werelion: Feline's Grace (Werelions have an almost supernatural ability to maintain their balance in even the most hazardous situations, and their claws in hybrid form make them extremely gifted climbers)
Strength: Much stronger in hybrid form
Speed/Reaction Time: Faster in hybrid form
Endurance/Durability: Slightly more durable in hybrid form
Agility: More agile than a man in hybrid form

Advanced Races include: beholders, illithids, powerful undead (liches, vampires, mummies, etc.), demons, dragons, celestials, other planar creatures (slaadi, genies, etc.), elementals and sphinxes.

 

[G&MRPG]

Merfolk: Poseidon's Grace (Merfolk are beings born of the sea and, as such, are at home beneath the waves. Merfolk are able to move a freely through bodies of water as a human would on land, garnering no drawbacks a human might to moving and fighting beneath the waves.); Creature of the Sea (Merfolk are beings bred for life under the waves, and are not fit for life on land. Any merfolk on land is practically immobile due to their fishy bottom half, and their movement is relegated by their hands and upper body strength. As such, their land speed, agility, and reaction timing is severely hampered if not nonexistent. After two hours spent on land, the merfolk will begin to feel dehydrated and drained, and their abilities will be reduced by half (strength, agility, racial traits, etc). If the merfolk does not reach and submerse themselves in a non-polluted body of water before another two hours passes, they will become comatose and too weak to perform any action of their own. If the merfolk does not find a non-polluted body of water within a half hour from this point, they will die. A merfolk in a dying state that is submersed in water will immediately begin to feel rejuvenated, but they must remain within the waters for at least an hour before being fully recovered. Polluted waters act as poison to merfolk, worsening their dehydrated conditions and some can even die outright due to the pollutants.); Aquatic Empathy (Merfolk have a natural ability to empathically communicate with sea life, much as a skilled ranger can communicate with animals on land.); Water Sense (Merfolk have the natural ability to sense if water, be it a body or a simple glass of, is pure and safe to either drink or swim in.); Being creatures of water, Merfolk are unable to focus their talents in any other form of elemental magic save water elementalism, though other schools of magic are available to them; Average life span 80 years
Strength: Same as a man
Speed/Reaction Time: Much faster than a man and capable of reaching speeds of 30mph with bursts up to 60mph (in water); Severely slower than a normal man, bordering to immobile (on land)
Endurance/Durability: Same as a man (endurance); more durable than a man due to having to survive the high pressures of deep ocean life
Agility: Much more agile than a man (in water); Severely less agile than a normal man, bordering to immobile (on land)

 

[G&MRPG]

BESTIARY​

Here is a listing of fantasy monsters that can be used in the game by the PCs, such as Aboleths, Beholders, Dragons, Mind Flayers, Shades, and Wolfweres. This listing is similar to the OU's Character Suggestion Posts and will provide a link to information about each creature or monstrous race. Each link contains a bit of info on the monster or monstrous race and (usually) contains a link to a pic of the creature.
Even though some of these monsters appear in myths, these are the versions of them that will appear in the game as their D&D version is better suited/easier to work with.

NOTES TO READ BEFORE USING A CREATURE​

• Make sure you do a little research on the monster(s) before you use them as some have some special traits that are relevant where combat is concerned. And that goes with any creature you use, be them D&D monsters or creatures of Myth. Either use a search engine, the OGL Stats links within the links below, or simply ask for help.
  
• Keep in mind the climate and terrain a creature or monstrous race favors when using them (I.E. Don't have a frost worm attack you in the Sahara). If you're unsure about a monster's climate/terrain, just ask and we'll be more than happy to help.
  
• If a creature listed has a mythological counterpart then they are native to the region where the myth comes from (I.E. pegasi are native to Greece).
  
• If you have any questions regarding a creature or race (such as special abilities, habitat, etc) ask a GM as we'd be happy to help you any way we can.

Aasimar
Aballin
Aboleth
Allip
Ankheg
Arrowhawk
Assassin Vine
Astral Dreadnought
Athach
Azer
Basilisk
Behir
Beholders
Blink Dog
Bodak
Boneclaw
Brain in a Jar
Bugbears
Bulette
Carrion Crawler
Catoblepas
Cave Fisher
Celestials
Chaos Beast
Chimera
Choker
Chuul
Cloakers (More Cloaker Info
Corpse Gatherer
Crawling Claw
Crimson Death
Dark Tree
Darkmantle
Death Knight
Delver
Destrachan
Demons
Devourer
Digester
Dire Animals
Displacer Beast
Doppleganger
Dracolich
Dragons (All Types)
Dragonne
Drider
Drow (Dark Elves)
Dwarves
Effigy
Elementals
Elves
Energons
Ethergaunts
Ethereal Filcher
Ethereal Marauder
Ettercap
Ettin
Formians
Feyr (Pic)
Frost Worm
Gargoyle
Gelatinous Cube
Genies
Ghast
Ghosts
Ghoul
Giants
Giant Eagle
Giant Insects
Githyanki (Pic - one on left)
Githzerai (Pic - one on right)
Gibbering Mouther
Girallon
Gnolls
Gnomes
Goblins
Golems
Gorgon
Gray Render
Grick
Griffon
Grimlocks
Hags
Halflings
Hangman Tree
Hell Hound
Hippogriff
Hobgoblins
Hook Horror (Pic)
Homunculus
Howler
Illithids (Mind Flayers)
Invisible Stalker
Ixitxachitl (Pic)
Kobolds
Kopru
Krenshar (Pic)
Kua-Toa
Lamia
Lammasu
Leucrotta
Lich
Lillend
Lizardfolk
Locathah
Loxo
Lycanthropes
Magmin
Manticore
Marilith (Demon-type)
Mephits
Mimic
Mohrg
Myconids (Fungus Men)
Nabassu (Demon-type)
Nagas
Neogi (Pic)
Night Hags
Nightmares
Nightshades
Nothic
Ogres
Oozes
Orcs
Otyugh
Owlbear
Peryton
Phaerimm
Phase Spider
Purple Worm
Pegasus
Quaggoth
Rakshasa
Rast
Ravid
Remorhaz
Retriever
Roper
Rust Monster
Sahuagin
Salamanders
Sea Cat
Shades
Shadow
Shadow Mastiff
Shambling Mound
Sharn
Shocker Lizard
Shrieker (paired with Violet Fungus)
Skum (Aboleth created minions)
Slaadi
Sphinxes
Spider Eater
Succubus (Demon-type)
Swanmay
Tendriculos
Thoqqua (Pic)
Thri-Kreen
Tiefling
Tojanida
Treant
Tritons
Troglodytes
Trolls
Umber Hulk (Pic)
Vargouille
Violet Fungus (paired with Shrieker)
Wemic
Will-o-Wisp
Wight
Winter Wolf
Wolfwere
Worg
Wraith
Wyvern
Xill
Xorn
Yeth Hounds
Yochlol (Demon-type)
Yuan-Ti (Pic)

 

[G&MRPG]

PLACES OF INTEREST​

The following is a list of certain fictional spots throughout the world that could hold potential adventure ideas for the PCs. Each spot is listed under a region and given a brief description. When a new location is created, it will be listed here.

NOTE: If you plan to create a location for your story make sure it's well thought out and it fits the area you are placing it in. Your location can then be detailed by yourself or with the help of a GM if you wish. If you choose to detail it yourself, the description must be at least two medium-sized paragraphs in length and contain general information on the location, it's structures, and notable personalities (use previous descriptions as guidelines for writing yours if you are having problems). If you choose to detail it yourself, post the write up in the OOC thread when you're finished with it, and a GM will go over it. Once everything is in order, your Place of Interest will be edited into this post.
Also, keep in mind when you are creating a locale that real life ancient cities and locations (such as Heliopolis in Egypt and Persepolis in Persia) that existed in the old world exist here.

EUROPE

England

Camelot: Located in the southeastern region of England, Camelot was once the court of Arthur, the first King to unite all of the Britons. It had taken designs from the technological and architectural wonders of Greece and Rome-- even improved upon them in some cases. This castle was meant to be Arthur's shining example to the rest of his people, a fortress that valued right over might, and a haven for those who wished to escape the brutality of feudal life. From there, Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, counseled by the powerful wizard Merlyn, set out on quests and adventures that would become the stuff of legend, in the hopes bringing prosperity to all England.

However, every Golden Age must one day end, and though Camelot seemed impregnable to enemies from without, it was brought down by enemies from within. Arthur's betrayal at the hands of his wife Guinevere and his most trusted knight Sir Launcelot all but broke the King's spirit, worsened by the vengeful return of his illegitimate son Mordred. In one final, horrific battle for control of the throne, Arthur and Mordred slew each other, and the lineage of Camelot was lost. Though Guinevere and Launcelot attempted to retain some degree of control, the people's trust had been broken, and the surviving Knights of the Round Table soon disbanded.

Twenty years later, Camelot is now all but ruined, its hallways dark and empty, the only inhabitants vagrants and brigands. As a Dark Age has descended upon England, it must be wondered if Camelot will ever return to the shining glory it once was.

Sherwood Forest: Covering the larger part of Nottinghamshire, Sherwood Forest is a massive wood that was once the home of the legendary Sir Robin of Locksley, known to the world as Robin Hood. From there, he and his band of outlaws known as the "Merry Men" fought the injustice of the wicked Prince John and his lapdog, the Sheriff of Nottingham.

Though decades have passed since Robin Hood's time, it is believed that the forest still contains many pieces of his legacy. The hideout of the Merry Men is said to have been a spanning web of tree-borne keeps, but it has been lost in the passing years. Sherwood also contains the resting place of Sir Robin and his Maid Marian, though these too have long since been forgotten.

As it stands today, Sherwood has become a den for bandits and highwaymen, those who would rob from the rich...and keep for themselves. The morals and ideals that Sir Robin upheld are no longer heeded by the denizens of Sherwood Forest, and it is now a very dangerous place.

Germany

Warlock's Rest: An ancient castle whose origin and original name is lost to time, Warlock's Rest is the home of Charaun, the Athenian lich. Located in the Black Forest of southern Germany, the castle sits high atop the Feldberg mountain. Since being driven out of Athens, Charaun has converted the castle to suit his own needs. The colossal structure may look like it's falling apart from the outside, but nothing can be further from the truth. It has become a veritable fortress filled with deadly traps and even deadlier creatures either under Charaun's thrall or allied with the lich. Most notably of the latter include the undead trio dubbed the Swords of Orcus (Anastasia - female human vampire priestess of Orcus/Conjurer, Hilarion - male human death knight soldier, Kallisto - female elven vampire assassin) and the adult female shadow dragon, Nightshade, that resides in the catacombs.

Warlock's Rest holds many wondrous treasures scattered throughout it's complex, from it's ominous stone spires to it's dark maze-like dungeons. Despite the dangers, these treasures lure many courageous (or foolhardy) adventurers to brave the perils of the Black Forest and of the castle itself. Most who enter though never return. Instead they become permanent residents of the castle, and the ranks of Charaun's undead minions grow just a bit more with each passing year.

Greece

Athenian School of The Art: The Athenian School of The Art is the premiere magic school in all of Greece. Here aspiring mages from all over the land come to learn under some of the most studied masters of arcane lore. Located on the hillside near the steps to the Parthenon, the school is one of the largest structures in the city. It's grounds includes dormitories where the students stay during their time at the school, classrooms for every school of magic, training grounds for mage duels and battle practice, residences for the many instructors, a vault containing many magical items, a grand library filled with old tomes, scrolls, and compendiums, and much more. The school is difficult to gain entry to, and hopefuls are carefully screened by each of the teachers before being allowed to enroll. The price for enrollment is a steep one, but well worth it for the expert training one will acquire.
Even if one passes the master's tests and is proven worthy to attend, there can only be one-hundred students at the school at a given time. Thus many are left looking else where or waiting for a spot to open up in the next group of new students.

The masters of the school are good people who take pride in shaping the minds and skills of the next generation of magic users. Each student will learn from each of the masters during their stay, or can focus on a specific school of discipline if they so wish. The only school of magic not taught here is the dark art of Necromancy.
Some of the more notable personalities at the Athenian School of The Art are the calm and collected elderly Headmaster Kyros (male human wizard/Transmuter), the gruff young summoning instructor Nikolaos (male human wizard/Conjurer), and the terse, battle-hardened combat instructor Essaerae (female elven battle mage/Elementalist).

Recently, the entire city of Athens was destroyed by a Flight of Dragons, and the school was wiped out with it. It is still unknown as to how many survived the brutal attack.

Sweden/Svealand

Tiveden Forest: Tiveden forest is an extremely large deciduous forest in Svealand. Its large size and many natural lakes have made it the perfect hide out for numerous bandits, assassins and other outlaws who call it home. Near the center of the forest, kept secret and guarded by several skilled archers, is the village of Eskanedhal. This elven city is home to several hundred elves, the largest such colony in Svealand. The elves who call Tiveden their home have also made it neutral territory in the Svea-Geats wars. Fiercely protective of their homeland, elven sharpshooters have made it so that warriors from both sides stay to the outskirts of the forest, though it is the natural dividing line between the two sides.

ASIA


AFRICA

 

[G&MRPG]

THE PLANES OF EXISTENCE
​

There are other planes of existence other than the Prime Material Plane (or simply Material Plane), which is the world that we exist in, such as the Nine Hells and the Ethereal Plane. These planes are different realities with interwoven connections to each other. Except for the rare linking points it is effectively it's own universe with it's own natural laws. The planes are home to more powerful variants of familiar creatures as well as unique beings native to the realm.

The Astral Plane: It is the space between everything. It is the road that goes everywhere. It is where you are when you aren't anywhere else.

Spoiler

The Astral Plane is the space between planes. When a character moves through an interplanar portal or projects her spirit to another plane of existence, she travels through the Astral Plane. Even spells that instantaneously move you to another plane touch the Astral, albeit briefly.
The Astral appears as an infinity of clear, silvery sky, both above and below. Large tube-like clouds slowly coil into the distance, some appearing as thunderheads and others as immobile tornadoes of gray wind. Erratic whirlpools of color flicker in mid-air like spinning coins. Some of these color pools are actually portals to other planes, though many no longer function due to unknown reasons. The color of the whirlpool usually reflects the plane it leads to (for example, a blood red pool will most likely lead to the Nine Hells).
There are occasional bits of solid matter here, but those are few and far between. Most of the Astral is an endless, open domain.

Both planar travelers and refugees from other planes call the Astral home. The most prominent denizens of the Astral are the githyanki, an outcast race that preys on travelers throughout the plane. The Astral also collects the flotsam and jetsam of great events that have shaken the foundation of the cosmology itself. The shattered, fused bodies of dead deities can be found here, forgotten by their worshippers and banished from their divine plane. Though some say they are truly not dead, only sleeping. Another deadly resident of the Astral Plane is the astral dreadnought, a gargantuan creature with a single black eye, and a gaping maw filled with razor sharp teeth.

There is no gravity in the Astral, and those traveling through it move by thought by simply willing yourself in a direction (though the speed is as fast as you could travel normally). Objects and beings with no intelligence cannot move on their own and must be pushed along. The Astral Plane is a timeless domain, and as such age, hunger, thirst, poison, and natural healing don't function here. They resume functioning however when the traveler leaves the Astral. There are no real traces of the four elements in the Astral unless brought here, and neither is a dominant alignment to the plane. Travelers may be encountered here in both physical and astral forms. Though if the astral form of a creature is killed on the Astral Plane, it's spirit is just violently returned to it's own body and not destroyed.

There are psychic winds in the Astral, but rarely do they blow stronger than a light breeze. But occasionally, psychic storms explode into an area of the Astral causing travelers to seek shelter, driving them into another plane, or worse. Storms brew up without warning on the plane, save for a quickly growing darkness in one direction. Travelers usually have only a few minutes to find shelter before they are caught in the storm. Those caught in a psychic storm's grasp are blown off course and sometimes suffer mentally for a while due to the storms psychic turbulence. Though vicious in their power, the storm winds are consistent and blow a traveler in a single direction.

The Ethereal Plane: It is a plane out of phase. It is a place of ghosts and monsters. It is right next to you and you don't even see it.

Spoiler

The Ethereal Plane is a misty, fog-bound dimension that is coexistent with the Material Plane. Travelers of the Ethereal Plane describe it as a collection of swirling mists and colored fogs. The Material Plane itself is visible from the Ethereal, but it appears muted and indistinct, it's colors blurring into each other and it's edges turning fuzzy. Ethereal denizens watch the Material Plane as though viewing it through distorted, frosted glass. This drawback does not allow precise details on the Material to be viewed by Ethereal travelers, such as normal writing. It is easy to discern landmarks and faces however. And one is able to hear the Material Plane, though it sounds somewhat garbled and far-off. if one concentrates though, they can understand speech and other sounds in their proximity.

While it is possible to see into the Material from the Ethereal Plane, the Ethereal is usually invisible to those on the Material Plane. Normally creatures on the Ethereal Plane cannot attack creatures on the Material Plane, and vice verse. A traveler on the Ethereal is invisible, incorporeal, and utterly silent to somebody on the Material Plane. This makes the Ethereal useful for spying and general occasions when it's needed to move around undetected.

The Ethereal Plane is mostly empty of structure or impediments. However, the plane does have it's own inhabitants. Some of these are other Ethereal travelers, but the ghosts found here pose a particular peril to those who walk the fog. The Ethereal seems almost a non-plane in that it is tightly joined to the Material Plane. It is sometimes thought of as a fourth physical dimension, or a vibration slightly out of tune with the rest of the universe. The size of the Ethereal if finite and the same as the size of the Material Plane. The Ethereal Plane has no elemental traits whatsoever, even though the Material does. Magic works normally here, but it is impossible to attack or injure a foe on the Material Plane while in the Ethereal (spells cast in the Ethereal have no effect on the Material world whatsoever).

Portals to other planes other than the Material Plane may open on the Ethereal. These portals appear as curtains of shimmering colors though are hard to find. Those entering the Ethereal Plane are trapped unless they have a way out (such as a spell) or are able to find such a curtain portal. Travelers entering a curtain portal always return to solid form when exiting out the other side. Well known curtains may be guarded by creatures or other travelers from the plane they lead to.

The Ethereal Plane is much more inhabited than the Astral. It holds a great variety of natives as well as frequent travelers from other planes. Magical monsters such as the ethereal marauder, phase spider, and the ethereal filcher use the Ethereal Plane. These are not true outsiders, but rather Material Plane creatures that have adapted to use the Ethereal to hunt prey. The greatest danger of the Ethereal are ghosts, which often call this plane home. These undead spirits have a deep hatred for the living, and no love for travelers who impinge upon their realms.

There is a normal atmosphere on the Ethereal, and inhabitants breathe normally (at least the living ones). However there is no food or water save what a traveler brings with them. Those stuck on the Ethereal with no way out risk starvation and dehydration. The Ethereal has it's own eerie light, so travelers observing the Material Plane do not need torches or the like if it is dark in the Material world. Though insubstantial, walls and other objects of the Material Plane will block an Ethereal traveler's view. Of course this can be easily rectified since the traveler can simply pass through the wall that impedes his view as though it were not there. Unlike the Astral, the Ethereal does have a gravity akin to the Material Plane, and time flows normally here as well.

Though movement through the Ethereal Plane is generally unrestrained, there are however permanent objects on the Ethereal that can block ethereal creatures. These objects, called ethereal solids, appear hard to the touch and feel real, even if they have no apparent reality on the Material Plane. Often these solids are the result of activities on the Material Plane and have several types of forms. Force effects extend to the Ethereal Plane (a wall of force spell will block an ethereal traveler as easily as it would a physical one). Objects on the Material Plane can be shunted via magic or divine intervention to the Ethereal, such as treasure chests, a wizard's tower, or even an entire mountain. If a shunted object is forced to return to the Material Plane, it will attempt to reoccupy the spot it previously held. If that spot is taken up by something or someone else, the object will reappear in the closest open area to it's former spot.

For instance, if a powerful wizard shunts a mountain to the Ethereal and then builds his keep where the mountain once stood, he'd not have to worry about Ethereal spies since they would not be able to pass through the mountain. But if the mountain if forced back to the Material Plane then it will occupy a free space closest to where it originally stood, be it next to the wizard's keep...or directly above it.

Areas devoid of magic, or dead magic zones, on the Material Plane appear in the Ethereal as well, but as impenetrable blots of utter blackness. Some heavy metals block ethereal movement as well, such as lead and gold. However to cover an area in these rare metals is extremely costly and thus rarely done.

The greatest natural danger on the Ethereal Plane is a phenomena called ether cyclones. Like the psychic storms of the Astral, ether cyclones are pressure centers of magical force that roll through the Ethereal Plane. They can spring up on travelers with little warning. The only real warning one has is the quickly rising winds and an eerie howling less than a minute before the cyclone hits. Clothing, hair, and unattended objects are blown about, and eventually a traveler is uprooted and spun through the maelstrom to an unknown fate. Travelers can try to run from the cyclone, but it is an impossible act. The only way to flee an ether cyclone is to transport back to the Material Plane before one hits, or to seek shelter somehow (whether it's from a ethereal solid, a magic spell, or some other way). An ether cyclone can scatter a group of adventurers miles upon miles away from each other, and/or seriously injure or kill those trapped in it's fury.

To those on the Material Plane, ether cyclones have no effect beyond a shiver down one's spine or the strange behavior of nearby animals. Most ether cyclones last only as long as a common thunderstorm, but sometimes a more permanent cyclone can develop, lasting for years or even centuries. Some creatures or experienced ether travelers may get the feeling that there is something unusual on the other side if an ether cyclone is nearby on the Ethereal Plane. As such, they may choose to not enter the Ethereal Plane as a result. For some unknown reason, undead creatures are unaffected by ether cyclones, and ghosts that aren't tied to a specific spot may even ride the ethereal winds. Some scholars and mages spend their days studying why the undead are unaffected by ether cyclones in the hopes to create a spell or trinket to make Ethereal travel safer.

Plane of Shadow: It is the toxic plane of darkness and power. It is the hidden place that hates the light. It is the frontier of worlds unknown.

Spoiler

The Plane of Shadow is a darkly lighted dimension that is both coterminous to and coexistent with the Material Plane. It overlaps the Material Plane much the way the Ethereal Plane does, so a planar traveler could use the Plane of Shadow to cover great distances quickly. The Plane of Shadow is also coterminous with other planes as well. With the right spell one could use the Plane of Shadow to travel to other realities. The Plane of Shadow is in many ways the dark duplicate of the Material Plane. Much is similar, but there are significant differences.

The Plane of Shadow is a world of black and white; color itself has been bleached from the environment. It otherwise appears similar (but not exactly identical) to the Material Plane. The sky above is always a black vault with neither sun nor stars. Landmarks from the Material Plane are recognizable on the Plane of Shadow, but they are twisted, warped things (diminished reflections of what can be found on the Material). Despite the lack of light sources, various plants, animals, and humanoids call the Plane of Shadow home. The Plane of Shadow is highly morphic, and parts continually flow onto other planes and slowly change shapes. As a result, precise maps are next to useless, despite the presence of landmarks. Precision is a lost cause on the Plane of Shadow. The terrain of the Plane of Shadow is usually similar to the area in which the traveler enters from the Material Plane. However, as the traveler moves away from their entry point, the terrain of the Plane of Shadow changes dramatically. Though it usually bears some semblance to the corresponding terrain of the Material Plane.

Spells often draw out parts of the Plane of Shadow, in particular some illusions. The Plane of Shadow may be a monochromatic world, but the shadow material pulled from it can be of any color (the spellcaster usually colors, shapes, and shades the shadowstuff to make it more convincing). A shadow evocation that produces a fireball appears like any other fireball to those fooled by the illusion, for example.

The gravity of the Plane of Shadow is as it is in the Material Plane, and time flows as it should here. It is however an infinite place that has no boundaries or end. The Plane of Shadow has no elemental traits, though some small regions, called darklands, are filled with a small degree of negative energy (darklands are detailed below). Spells that have roots in shadowstuff are more powerful on this plane. In contrast, spells that create light and fire are much weaker, if they work at all. Even man-made light sources are weaker in the Plane of Shadow, though fires can be made.

The only sure way to access the Plane of Shadow is through spells or created portals. Though occasionally one can stumble onto a shadow vortex. A shadow vortex is a medium-sized portal between the Plane of Shadow and the Material Plane that randomly appears in places of darkness (they do not appear in solid objects). The vortexes are weak though and slowly fade out of existence withing a few days. They are rarely discovered by Material Plane beings, but are highly useful for creatures of the Plane of Shadow that wish to cross over. It is as if the Plane of Shadow itself if boiling, and the bubbles rise and burst on it's borders with the Material Plane. Larger vortexes exist, but they are extremely rare In theory though, a large vortex could swallow up a castle or an entire city and transport it to the Plane of Shadow.

Travelers on the Plane of Shadow looking back at a vortex see the world with black and white reversed. Meaning that since vortexes only appear on the Material Plane in places of darkness, they look bright from the perspective of the Plane of Shadow.

The Plane of Shadow does not connect with the Ethereal Plane, and spells that use or access the Ethereal do not work here. The Plane of Shadow is however connected to the Astral. The Plane of Shadow also has scattered portals that lead to some of the other planes of existence, with most of the lower plane portals hidden in Darklands.

While the Plane of Shadow is not evil in and of itself, it is home to a myriad of foul creatures that hate the light and the living. The best known denizen of the plane is, of course, the shadow, an undead monster that drains the strength from the living with but a touch. The Plane of Shadow has native versions of many plants and animals found on the Material Plane, but these variants are dark and twisted. More dangerous monsters call the Plane of Shadow home, such as the shadow mastiff, nightshades, and shadow dragons. There have been rumors and stories of ancient cities and castles that have been sucked into the Plane of Shadow over the years. Some have survived, but they have been warped by the toxic nature of the plane. Beings from these castles and cities have been corrupted by the plane over the decades, slowly taking on abilities and vulnerabilities of their new homes. Changes in animals, but humanoids transform into shades, beings who have merged with the essence of the Plane of Shadow.

Movement on the Plane of Shadow is normal, and the cardinal directions are the same (North, South, East, West), however distances are deceptive. Travelers simply move faster on the Plane of Shadow than the Material Plane and can cover greater distances by stepping into this dark realm than they would by simple travel in the Material. For every ten minutes traveling in one direction covers roughly seven miles in the same direction on the Material Plane. It doesn't matter how the person is traveling either, the rate remains the same.

Unlike the Astral or Ethereal Planes, the Plane of Shadow is no more hostile than the Material Plane. Certain regions are perilous, and the natives are definitely hostile, but the plane is not inherently damaging to most who travel it. There is sufficient food (though it is often dark in color and sometimes dripping a black blood-like liquid) and water (though it is ichorous and thick). The air on the plane is normal and a native of the Material Plane can survive for years without ill effect once they get used to the constant darkness and the ever-present slight chill. They would just have to worry about transforming into a shadowy being themselves if their stay is prolonged.

Vision on the Plane of Shadow is the same as it is on a moonless night on the Material Plane. Most of the terrain is dark, save for the occasional pale beacon of a portal or traveler's campfire. Darkvision is unaffected by the plane, but light-emitting objects have their light radius cut in half. Light sources tend to attract travelers and natives of the Plane of Shadow, so encounter chances double for those traveling with a light source.

As mentioned above, darklands are areas of the Plane of Shadow infused with negative energy and that are somehow darker than the rest of the plane around them. Whether these places are created from high concentrations of shadows and other life-draining undead, or bleeding over from the Negative Energy Plane no one knows. Due to this negative energy, darklands suck the life force out of living creatures traveling through them. But the negative energy infused into darklands is minor, and as such one's life force is drained out of them slowly. Still, this can be a curse as it is a blessing. Instead of quickly dying one's life energies are slowly sapped away, meaning it may take some time before a traveler feel ill because of it. By that time it may be too late to turn around and flee the area. Items and spells that protect against negative energy function normally within the darklands. Travelers can identify darklands easily though, as they are more desolate and bleak than the surrounding areas (which are bleak themselves, so that's saying something). Plants in the area are dead and desiccated due to long-term effects of the negative energy.

Natural vortexes do not open in a darkland, and spells usually warn a traveler that a darkland lies ahead by a cold shiver down their spine. Darklands usually correspond with haunted battlefields, unconsecrated graveyards, and lairs of powerful necromancers on the Material Plane, as well as any location dominated by undead.

 

[G&MRPG]

Elemental Plane of Air: It is as open as the eternal sky. It is as solid as a child's breath. It is falling forever.

Spoiler

The Elemental Plane of Air of an empty plane of infinite size, consisting of sky above and sky below. Clouds billow up in bank after bank, swelling into grand thunderheads and dissipating into wisps like cotton candy. The wind pulls and tugs around the traveler, and rainbows glimmer in the distance.

The Elemental Plane of Air is the most comfortable and survivable of the Elemental Planes, and it is home to all manner of airborne creatures. Indeed, flying creatures find themselves at a great advantage on this plane. While travelers without flight can survive here, they are at a great disadvantage.

Natural vortexes connect the Elemental Plane of Air and the Material Plane, usually on high mountaintops or in the middle of severe weather conditions (such as the eye of a hurricane).

Gravity on this plane is a subjective thing. A traveler in the Elemental Plane of Air chooses their own "down" direction, and each traveler can have a different direction of gravity. Travelers unable to fly will simply fall in the direction they choose. There are scattered pieces of mass throughout the plane, but they are very rare to find. If a traveler runs into one, all they have to do is imagine "down" is near their feet and they can travel normally on the solid surface. This effect is very disorienting to unprepared travelers and takes some getting used to. Time, on the other hand, flows normally here.
Creatures of earth find themselves highly uncomfortable here as there is little solid ground for them to cling to.

Spells that create, use, or manipulate the air are more powerful here, and all spells that deal with earth are impeded and difficult to get to work. Flying creatures seem to fly better on the plane then in their natural environment. Atmosphere on the plane is the same as found on the Material Plane. Food and water on the other hand is scarce. Water can be gathered by resourceful travelers from rain clouds, but food if very hard to come by. Most creatures here are elemental in nature and dissipate when slain. The djinn are welcome allies to many travelers because they can create food, water, and wine. Baring cloud and fog banks, rain, or other impediments to sight, visibility is normal here as the entire plane seems to be lined with a pearly while radiance of no definite source.

Most of the life in the Elemental Plane of Air is on the wing, and it is a place where the swift and maneuverable survive. Most common are the elementals that have emerged from the winds and weather of the plane itself. These usually free-willed beings include air elementals of all types as well as half-elemental analogs of many Material Plane animals. Ice and smoke paraelementals dwell in the more extreme parts of the plane, in clouds of ash and raging storms of ice and hail. Such creatures see the Elemental Plane of Air as their home and do not hesitate to harass or destroy travelers who they feel are invading their domain.

A small number of outsiders make their home in the Elemental Plane of Air as well. The best known are the djinn, but scavenging arrowhawks, and dust, ice, and air mephits can be found here as well. Creatures from the Material Plane can be found here, especially those able to fly. But the plane's lack of obvious ground tends to confuse and disorient many Material Plane natives, making them easy prey for the creatures local to the Elemental Plane of Air. The Elemental Plane of Air's intelligent natives (such as the elementals and djinn) have a language all to their own, called Auran, a breathy, leisurely tongue that sounds like a long, slow exhalation.

The Elemental Plane of Air is constantly in motion, ranging from gentle breezes to mighty tornadoes that spiral through the sky. Normally though winds are light to moderate, only in specific situations do they become strong enough to impede, injure, or kill a traveler. Since shelter is difficult to come by, the majority of the time travelers are at the mercy of the winds until they dissipate. Clouds on the plane are think and difficult to see through, making them perfect ambush spots for predators and other travelers. Extreme weather is also common on the plane, including, but not limited to, snow, sleet, hail, dust storms, thunderstorms, blizzards, and even hurricanes. Despite the lack of objective gravity on the plane, rain does occur, falling for miles before dissipating and being swept away into new clouds.

Often the results of long forgotten battles, clouds of choking smoke hang in the calmer regions of the plane, backwaters of the greater air currents. Sometimes they are swept up into great moving walls, but generally the smoke banks remain stationary. Large amounts of fire also generate smoke banks that hover around the source of the flame.

The weightless nature, empty disposition, and hospitable environment makes the Elemental Plane of Air an ideal location for powerful individuals seeking privacy. These individuals include wizards and sorcerers seeking time to further their study uninterrupted, monasteries and libraries whose users seek solitude and reflection, and even grand castles and fortresses of powerful beings from all the planes. Any chunk of rock or mineral large enough to support a building's foundation is the site of some structure, or has been in the past. Given the nature of the subjective gravity of the plane, the rooms of a building may all have the same direction of gravity, or they may be a crazy quilt of rooms with shifting gravitational direction. Often this depends on the needs of the users; those expecting visitors usually provide a common "down" direction for reference. Since food and water are difficult to come by on the Elemental Plane of Air, many strongholds are set up near gates or vortexes to other planes were food and water are more plentiful. In addition, those setting up strongholds must make peace to some degree with the local elemental and creature population, either by negotiation or force. Many travelers through the plane may happen upon an old ruined wizard's tower or a destroyed stronghold that has been utterly destroyed by the local denizens and still contains the shattered bones of it's former occupants.

Djinn are among the most accommodating beings that make the Elemental Plane of Air their home, and set up strongholds on the larger chunks of matter throughout the plane. These strongholds have their own gravity and travelers may move about them freely as though they were on the Material Plane. A typical community usually consists of 20-30 djinn and around 5-10 elemental creatures that act as pets, servants, or guardians. The leader of a stronghold is known as the sheik, who may or may not be a noble djinni. Strongholds are usually nothing more then opulent pleasure domes, but the djinn also raise livestock (usually horses for racing), and maintain gardens and fountains. Djinn gather strongholds into larger confederations. In case of an attack, a stronghold will send a runners to the nearest allied community, and that stronghold will in turn send runners out the their nearest allied communities. Soon the attackers will be facing a horde of angry djinn who have been rallied for battle. As such, attacks on djinn strongholds must be quick and precise to prevent alerting it's allies.

Powerful caliphs rule confederations of djinni strongholds, with each caliph holding titular sway over all strongholds within a two day's flight. These caliphs in turn swear fealty to the prestigious Grand Caliph, who dwells in the Citadel of Ice and Steel, advised by all manner of sheiks, emirs, beys, and maliks. This citadel is a constructed thing, made of magic steel and ice that is cool to the touch, but harder than stone. The Citadel of Ice and Steel consists of level upon level of gardens, courts, and labyrinths. It is a palace without stairs and visitors who can't fly have genie guides to escort them throughout the citadel. Smaller citadels orbit the Citadel of Ice and Steel, each home to a trusted advisor or powerful lesser caliph. Rumor has it that at the heart of the Citadel of Ice and Steel is a prison cell that holds the Grand Caliph's greatest enemy. The being's crime and identity are unknown, and the unlit cell is protected from planar access and magical tampering.

Elemental Plane of Earth: It is a place of hidden riches. It is a wall against all foes. It is a grave for the greedy.

Spoiler

The Elemental Plane of Earth is a infinitely-sized solid place made of rock, soil, and stone. Unwary travelers may find themselves entombed within this vast solidity of material and have their life crushed into nothingness, their powdered remains a warning to any foolish enough to follow. Despite it's solid, unyielding nature, the Elemental Plane of Earth is varied in it's consistency, ranging from relatively soft soil to veins of heavier and more valuable metals. Striations of granite, volcanic rock, and marble interweave with brittle crystal and soft, crumbling chalks, and sandstones. Thin veins of gemstones, rough and huge, can be found in the plane, and these unpolished jewels often lead the greedy to the plane in hopes of gathering them with little effort. Such prospectors often meet their match in the natives of the Elemental Plane of Earth, who feel extremely attached (sometimes literally) to parts of their home.

The Elemental Plane of Earth is a place hostile to life for those travelers from the Material Plane, but it is not actively hostile as the Elemental Plane of Fire is. Rather it is uncaring and unconcerned about the motes of life that move through it and around it. It is solid stone, as patient as the earth itself, and it has all the time in the universe. Gravity on the plane is much as it is in the Material, however it is heavier than it is on the Material Plane. Thus it is much more difficult to balance, run, jump, climb, fight, and perform other physical activities and gestures than it is on the Material. Even the weight of items double under the intense gravity of the Elemental Plane of Earth, and ranged weapons, such as arrows, seem to travel not nearly as far as they would in the Material Plane. Time flows normally as it does on the Material Plane. The air of the caverns and tunnels is normal, but more stagnant and fetid tasting.

Due to the solid nature of the plane, travelers run the risk of suffocation if they don't reach a cavern or other pocket within the earth. Worse yet, travelers without the ability to burrow are entombed in the earth and must dig their way out, which is usually a futile endeavor. Creatures of the air find the tight and claustrophobic nature of the Elemental Plane of Earth highly unsettling, and are rarely found here. Spells that create, use, or manipulate earth or stone are stronger on the plane, and spells that create, use, or manipulate air and winds are much, much weaker.

Much of life on the Elemental Plane of Earth is unknown to those on the material plane save for a few knowledgeable scholars and lorekeepers. Most travelers keep to the caverns and tunnels that snake through the solid world of the plane, so the creatures that live deep in the heart of the plane are unknown and unguessed-at. Elementals are sentient parts of the plane itself. They move effortlessly through the rock and soil that makes up the Elemental Plane of Earth. Earth elementals are uncomfortable with open spaces and, unless driven off or restrained, will collapse caverns, tunnels, and rifts that snake through their realm. Some animals native to the Material Plane reside here, but they are more elemental in nature than their Material counterparts.

Outsiders who live on the plane oppose the elemental's destruction because they seek trade with other planes and want their homes on the Elemental Plane of Earth to remain hospitable. Dao, greedy muscular human-looking genies native to the Elemental Plane of Earth, have outposts on the plane that are ever vigilant against the natural and sentient hazards of the plane, protecting spaces open enough to allow them to deal with their fellow genies and other travelers. Mephits also seek open spaces and are as common as vermin in settlements in the Elemental Plane of Earth. Creatures that have the ability to move through earth, such as xorns, care neither one way or the other about the open spaces of the plane.

The Elemental Plane of Earth is also home to creatures with an affinity for rock and stone, denizens who are comfortable in tunnels of their own carving. Dwarves and dragons live here, as do other creatures such as stone giants and the rare gargoyle (though they rarely get to stretch their wings on this plane). Such creatures need open spaces to survive, so they often ally themselves with the more powerful of the native races. The native tongue on the plane is called Terran, a deep rumbling of a language that seems to vibrate through the listener like a tremor. Those natives who deal with visitors usually speak other languages as well.

For travelers, the greatest danger on the Elemental Plane of Earth is being accidentally caught and suffocated within solid earth. Travelers manifesting in a cavern or other open area are safe from that danger (baring a cave in), but those who manifest randomly runs the risk of suffocation and a speedy burial. Even creatures that do not need to breath can find themselves trapped within the rock and soil, unable to free themselves. In such cases they must wait for rescue from an outside source, or eventually die of starvation or dehydration. Even for those trapped in the open spaces of the plane, starvation and dehydration are serious threats. The native lifeforms of the plane are pare of the plane itself and inedible. The outsiders who make their home here often have their own communities from which to draw sustenance from. Except in such areas, the ever-grinding soil of the plane prevents anything from taking root long enough to blossom, even if it had enough light to do so.

Travelers trapped in the rocky state of the plane are effectively blind until they reach an area large enough to cast a spell or light a torch. Even then, by it's nature, the Elemental Plane of Earth is as dark as the deepest cave; there is no sky or sun here at all. Darkvision functions normally for those who have it, but others must provide their own light source. There are luminous gems and crystals found naturally within the plane that provide that provide some light, though they are no more bright than a small candle. Even large deposits of such gems only give off enough light equivalent to a torch. Such discoveries are usually signs of present or recent occupation near the area by other inhabitants.

As mentioned above, the evil-hearted dao are the most civilized race native to the Elemental Plane of Earth. These genies can be found in a number of communities and are often at odds with the native elemental life because the dao continually desire to deal with extraplanar races. The greatest of the dao communities is called the Great Dismal Delve, also known as the Great Mazework. It is here that the greatest leader of the race makes her home. The Delve itself is a maddening maze of caverns and passageways memorized by the dao, but confusing to other travelers. The dao and their slave races live here in dark splendor mining gems for trade. The slaves, often losers in bets and bargains made with the dao, build and rebuild passages, fend off elemental attack, and are otherwise slowly worked to death by their uncaring masters.

Glowing crystals line the Delve and great vaults are set with them in star patterns unlike any seen on the Material Plane. Food is grown here as well, mostly luminous fungus that smells and tastes terrible and is mainly used to feed the slaves. The dao themselves eat and drink only for the sensation, and can survive as easily on rocks as on anything else. Some dao have such strange tastes that they will willingly consume rare gems thinking them delicacies. The Great Dismal Delve spans a number of large, natural caverns that are tectonically unstable. Earthquakes are frequent occurrences, which keeps the slaves busy within the continent-wide Delve. The connections and passages of the Delve link up with a bewildering array of portals leading to other planes. The dao make these passages open to travelers who crave secrecy in their comings and goings...for a price.

The only thing keeping the Great Dismal Delve from being a more popular location is the dao's own devious nature. The dao assume that everyone else is as untrustworthy as they are, and they keep a long list of grudges against anyone, deity or mortal, who looks at them sideways. As a result many beings avoid the Great Dismal Delve and dealing with the dao in general if they can help it.

The constant motion of the Elemental Plane of Earth is usually a slow, grinding process that gradually fills in tunnels and passages made by travelers long gone. Sometimes though the motion is much more sudden, and far more dangerous. Earthquakes are a frequent occurrence throughout the plane, and are usually localized to areas no bigger than 150 square feet, but some on a much grander scale have been known to occur. Travelers caught in an earthquake while in a cavern or tunnel must have quick reflexes or risk being buried in a cave-in.

 

[G&MRPG]

Elemental Plane of Fire: It is a plane continually ablaze. It smells of burning flesh and ashen dreams. It is flame incarnate.

Spoiler

Everything is alight on the Elemental Plane of Fire. The ground is nothing more than great, ever-shifting plates of compressed flame. The air ripples with the heat of continual firestorms, and the most common liquid is magma, not water. The oceans are made of liquid flame, and the mountains ooze with molten lava. It is an infinite in size crematorium for the unprepared traveler and an uncomfortable spot for even the most dedicated adventurer. Fire survives here without need for fuel or air to burn, but flammables brought onto the plane are consumed readily. The elemental fires seem to feed on each other to produce a continually burning landscape. The gravity on the Elemental Plane of Fire is normal. The ground is comprised of heavier flame, ash, and debris but it provides footing similar to the ground of the Material Plane. Time also flows normally here as it does on the Material.

The plane's extreme conditions are deadly to Material Plane creatures, and those without resistance or immunity to fire are quickly immolated. Unprotected wood, paper, cloth, and other flammable materials catch fire almost immediately, including those wearing unprotected flammable clothing. Every second an unprepared creature spends on the Elemental Plane of Fire is a second spent in pain from the primordial heat and flames. Those unprepared travelers who do not flee the plane quickly usually die within minutes. As expected, the Elemental Plane of Fire is a world where no water-based creature would dare to go as all it would grant them is a quick demise. Spells that deal with flame and heat are more powerful on this plane, and those magicks that deal with water and ice are severely weakened, if they work at all.

Despite being one of the most hostile of the planes, the Elemental Plane of Fire is one of the most vibrant and populated. Fire elementals are sentient pieces of the plane itself, moving with something that resembles volition and purpose. Such elementals normally have no love of fleshy, cool creatures, and many attack travelers merely to burn them and feed on the flames. Likewise, many elemental analogs of creatures found on the Material Plane can be found here as well. Outsiders such as efreet, azers, and salamanders have more organized societies. They often have large settlements, the most famous being the efreeti City of Brass (detailed below). Outsiders usually are more hospitable to other outsiders (at least slightly), and several communities go out of their way to accommodate travelers.

Fire using creatures call the Elemental Plane of Fire home as well, usually residing near portals and vortexes that lead to their native plane of existence. Creatures immune to fire, such as devils, may also be found at such locations; there is regular traffic in information, goods, and prisoners between the City of Brass and the Nine Hells. The native language of most inhabitants of the plane is Ignan, a sharp hissing and clicking language. Those who deal with other planar creatures may speak different languages as well as Ignan (the Infernal and Common tongue being the two spoken the most).

The Elemental Plane of Fire has a relatively firm surface, making ground-based movement akin to walking across flaming coals. The coals themselves are only slightly cooler pieces of elemental fire, and often a traveler will sink ankle deep within the flaming mire of the plane. There air of the plane is thin, and is mostly filled with a hot, toxic smoke that can suffocate those unprepared for it. The surface of the plane moves slowly, flowing like a river of magma would, so permanent structures are few and far between. A traveler might find it wise to hire a native guide to navigate through the changing landscape of the plane.

Despite the toxic air, the extreme heat, and the danger of bursting into flames at any second, those with the proper spells and/or magic items to ward against these dangers can survive here for the short term. Food and drink are difficult to find and starvation and dehydration pose a major problem to those looking to survive on the long term. Elementals as well as most outsider denizens can survive on the flame alone, but some of the latter house some normal foods. But these foods are always burnt to a crisp, charred, or cooked well-done, and any drink is always served piping hot. The plane is continually bathed in light. The ground, the air, the structures, and even some of the natives radiate flame continually. The impediment to vision is not the brilliance, however, but the the effects of the heat and smoke in the atmosphere. The air ripples because of the heat, so mirages dance at the end of a travelers vision often, and the true nature of the land is concealed save for the area closest at hand. Vision is reduced to one-third of what is normally on in this plane unless it is magically enhanced, and even hearing can become problematic due to the constant crackling of the burning plane around a traveler.

The City of Brass is populated by many efreet and is considered by many efreet to be their home and capital. Efreet may be found elsewhere on the Elemental Plane of Fire, but even far-flung settlements owe allegiance and fealty to the Grand Sultan who rules the City of Brass from his burning palace. The Grand Sultan is said to be an efreeti of singular power and prowess, and is advised by all manner of maliks, beys, and emirs. His direct servants, both in the city and hidden in the Material Plane are six pashas of considerable power. The city itself is cradled in a brass hemisphere forty miles across, floating above a plate of cracked obsidian at the heart of the Elemental Plane of Fire. Stairs of burning basalt and rivers of flame stream up from the surface below to the well-armed gates of the city. The city walls may be reached by flying, but the efreet take a dim view of interlopers who refuse to present themselves at one of the main gates.

The City of Brass is the best known location of the Elemental Plane of Fire, and is most likely to be visited by travelers from the Material Plane. Within the bounds of the city, vision is normal, and the painful nature of the plane is suppressed by the will of the Grand Sultan. Whether the suppression of the of the plane's great heat comes from the Grand Sultan's natural ability, an arrangement with another powerful force, or a magic artifact is unknown. At the Grand Sultan's whim, the protection can be revoked, exposing the city to the natural traits of the plane. The City of Brass has a naturally evil vibe to it, due to the dark nature of the efreet, the number of free-standing gates leading to the Nine Hells, and the devils who are commonly found within her walls. Despite these facts, good creatures are not barred from here, though they are definitely do not feel comfortable in the city.

At the cities center stand the tallest towers, and the grandest fountains of flame. Here is the Burning Palace of the Grand Sultan of All the Efreet, where he rules from the Charcoal Throne. It is said that within the palace are wonders beyond belief and treasures beyond counting. But here also is found death for any uninvited guest who seeks to wrest even a single coin or bauble from the treasure rooms of the Grand Sultan.

As mentioned above, heated gas and smoke comprise the atmosphere above the surface of the Elemental Plane of Fire, thus clouds of superheated steam billow across the landscape. Steam clouds are hard to discern amid the smoke and shimmering vapors of the ignited atmosphere, so a traveler can become trapped within a cloud without knowing it. Most steam clouds though are high above the surface, so they pose only a danger to creatures in flight. Natives such as the efreet can sense a change in the wind that precipitates a steam cloud and therefor avoid the cloud if they so desire. Steam clouds burn the flesh of unfortunate travelers caught in them, along with the natural dangers of the plane. A steam cloud usually has a radius of 100 feet, but some can be found much larger than that. Though dangerous, steam clouds are quick to disappear, usually forming and dissipating in a few hours.

Rains of hot ash poses a danger to those on the ground just as bad as steam clouds pose to those in the air. Such rains usually appear as a darkening on the horizon that moves in as quickly as a summer thunderstorm. Those caught in the raining clumps of ash are burned severely as the clumps come into contact with their skin. Ash rains are sporadic though and usually last only a few minutes before moving on or burning themselves out.

Most of the Elemental Plane of Fire consists of slow moving, solid flame, but there are faster moving, hotter regions. These rivers of flame and magma pour through the ductile landscape of the plane. Magma rivers are incredibly hot, often melting those foolish enough to enter them without proper magical protection. Even with magical protection, and also for creatures immune to flame, it is possible to drown in the thick rivers of magma. Often these rivers crash over cliffs forming great firefalls that are spectacular to behold. Such falls of liquid flame often breach the barriers of the planes and lead to similar locations on the Material Plane (such as the center of an active volcano).

 

[G&MRPG]

Elemental Plane of Water: It is an ocean without a surface. It is domain of current and wave. It is a bottomless depth.

Spoiler

The Elemental Plane of Water is a sea without a floor of surface, an entirely fluid environment lit by a diffuse glow. It is one of the more hospitable Elemental Planes once a traveler gets past the challenge of breathing in the local medium. The eternal oceans of this infinite plane vary between freezing cold to boiling hot, between saline and fresh. They are perpetually in motion, wracked by currents and tides. The plane's permanent settlements center around bits of flotsam and jetsam suspended within the endless liquid. Even these settlements drift on the tides of the Elemental Plane of Water.

Gravity works just as it does on the Elemental Plane of Air, but a traveler will sink or rise slower than falling in a direction as it is in the Elemental Plane of Air. Time, like on the other Elemental Planes, flows normally here. Being comprised entirely of liquid, those that can't breath under water, or reach the extremely rare pocket of air, run the risk of drowning, Creatures of fire do not travel to this plane, as being submerged in the elemental oceans would kill them outright. Spells that deal with water are much more powerful here, and in contrast those spells that deal in fire are extremely weak, if they work at all.

The Elemental Plane of Water is relatively benign for a plane, and is home to a large number of native elementals and paraelementals, water breathing outsiders, and creatures from other planes that can survive it's watery seas. Even elemental analogs of Material Plane creatures can be found here. Elementals are discrete and separate manifestations of the plane itself, granted sentience and mobility from some magic or natural force. Such creatures appear to be semi-liquid and take the form of seagoing beasts and monsters of the Material Plane. Many water-breathing outsiders make the Elemental Plane of Water their home as well. These include transient beasts as the tojanida and the mephit, as well as more settled groups such as tritons and marid genies.

In general water-breathing creatures from the plane tend to be playful and/or cruel, not hesitating to torment (and drown) interplanar visitors who rely on magic or items to survive on their plane. Finally, water-breathing creatures from other planes may be found here, such as fish, crustaceans, and cephalopods and most seas dwellers. Air-breathing aquatic animals, such as dolphins and whales, are not found in the plane. Monstrous aquatic creatures, such as krakens and aboleths, can be found here. Portals seem to be common between the Elemental Plane of Water and the oceans on the Material Plane, and rarer portals connect to large bodies of water on other planes, such as the great River Styx which flows through the Nine Hells. Tritons and marids make use of these portals, and settlements of the creatures can usually be found near permanent portals.
Natives of the Elemental Plane of Water speak Aquan, a flowing, subtle tongue filled with double meanings and hidden puns. Those dealing with other planes will speak other language, with the Common, Infernal, and Celestial tongues being the most used.

Though a character chooses the "down" direction, as they do in the Elemental Plane of Air, whether they rise or sink depends on whether they would rise or sink normally. Travelers with five pounds of gear or less rise headfirst, where as those with a heavier amount of gear sink feet first. Since the rate of travel in this form is much slower than the falling of the Elemental Plane of Air, travelers do not have to worry about injuring themselves if they strike an object while rising or sinking in the Elemental Plane of Water, unless the object is sharp or jagged of course. In addition to rising and sinking, travelers can swim if they know how. And if they by chance happen upon some debris or a physical surface they can walk.

Since communities and solid masses drift along with the tides and currents of the plane, traveling between them usually requires divination magic of some kind. Or travelers can hire a local guide knowledgeable in the currents and tides to figure out where a community or portal has drifted to. Titons and marids make suitable guides, and they tend to treat fleshy travelers from the Material better than elementals and other outsiders do.

A great difference between the Elemental Plane of Water and other watery domains is a distinct lack of pressure. In most oceans, the water pressure increases with depth, and can become strong enough to crush the life out of some creatures and even bend steel. But pressure in the plane is no worse then being in a few feet of water in a Material Plane ocean, so there are no dire consequences. Long term survival on the plane is fairly simple. Finding water is obviously not a problem, though it's purity and salinity may pose some difficulties in specific areas. The abundance of sea life on the plane is enough to satisfy any traveler with a taste for fish. A vague, dim glow from all sides illuminates the seas of the plane, giving everything a blue-green aura, but limiting clear vision. It is difficult to see past sixty feet in the plane, and clouds of silt, algae, and other detritus may limit vision even further.

The bulk of the Elemental Plane of Water is within a comfortable temperature range, just like the waters of warm tropical seas on the Material Plane. There are no inherent temperature dangers to travelers within this temperature range. However in some spots the temperature changes dramatically. Hot spots raise temperatures to near boiling and can scald the skin right off of travelers caught too close. The warmest hot spots may have vortexes to the Elemental Plane of Fire, and even flames may be seen briefly flickering before being snuffed out by the endless water. Similarly, cold regions, called ice pockets, drift along the currents, some so chilling that they sap the life from those caught within. Unless otherwise protected, creatures begin to freeze in these regions. In the heart of ice pockets solid ice may be found along with cold loving creatures, such as ice paraelementals. Both hot spots and ice pockets are usually no smaller than 300 feet across, with some stretching out for miles. Such areas are near impossible to spot visually, but their temperature change is gradual around their edges. Creatures feeling the temperature start to change usually only have a few minutes before they find themselves in the middle of a hot spot or ice pocket, and must quickly try to swim to more moderate waters.

Most of the currents on the plane swirl with a dizzying tangle, moving the fixed locations about with a slow ease. Some currents are stronger than others and may drag travelers in a certain direction up to 120 feet per minute. Travelers must be able to move faster than the current to make progress in the opposite direction. Whirlpools are another dangerous current effect that travelers must be wary of. Localized counter-flowing currents that suck everything within their radius into a tightening spiral, whirlpools can buffet and jerk a traveler about ferociously causing minor to major injuries. Whirlpools range in size from fifty feet across to gigantic ones hundreds of feet wide, and at least a third of them hold a vortex to the waters of another plane at their base.

The most dangerous currents though are tidal bores, great fluid avalanches that rush through the plane spreading destruction in their wake. Travelers caught in a tidal bore are whipped about in a frenzy that can cause grievous bodily harm as well as throw them miles upon miles off course and lost by the force of the water.

Another natural danger to be on the look out for is red tides, a contagion that has infected patches of water ranging from a small area sixty feet across to areas large enough to comprise an entire sea of pestilence. Those who inhale the deadly water or whose eyes are exposed to it may contract a myriad of deadly pathogens, most common being a blinding sickness. Healing from these diseases is not an option as long as the traveler remains in the infected area.

Balls of seaweed and coral float throughout the Elemental Plane of Water, growing in all directions equally and resembling small planets of living plant life. These spherical beds are often the lairs of creatures native to the plane, especially tritons. The waters around these spheres make excellent fishing grounds, so sometimes marids try to build outposts nearby.

Marids are a fiercely independent race, so their "empire" is really a large collection of semi-independent strongholds, all of which swear fealty in varying degrees to the Padishan of the Marid. Often that fealty depends on the outposts proximity to the Citadel of Ten Thousand Pearls, or the presence of agents of the padishan. All marids claim nobility of some kind, and the plane is filled with shahs, atabegs, and mufti. A typical marid stronghold is tied to a piece of jetsam, usually a bit of solid matter or a weed bed. Usually ten to twenty marids are found in such a community with a variety of elemental servants and mortals who have lost bets, sought favors, been chosen as favorites, or otherwise wound up enslaved to the relatively benign marids. They have little use for evil creatures, even those that breath water, and marids are usually at war with the evil denizens of the plane.

The Citadel of Ten Thousand Pearls is the greatest of the marid communities and the seat of the Coral Throne. From this court emanates the rulership of the Great Padishan of the Marid, the Keeper of the Empire, the Pearl of the Sea, the Parent of the Waves, the Maharaja or the Oceans, Emir of All Currents, and so forth. This citadel, set atop a free floating coral reef, is bedecked with all manner of towers and halls carved from living shell and ringed with luminous, glowing pearls. About two hundred marids make the citadel their home, all of them nobility. Each marid has a set of personal servants, bringing the non-marid population of the citadel to about a thousand. The court of the great padishan is filled with intrigue and espionage because each marid as the heartfelt belief that he or she truly deserves to sit atop the Coral Throne. Assassinations are common, as are palace revolutions and exiles. The marids are individually the most powerful of the genies, but their strong wills and high opinions of themselves prevent them from banding permanently under one leader.

For travelers with less of a taste for palace intrigue, the City of Glass is an ideal gathering spot on the Elemental Plane of Water. Located at a stable collection of portals to other planes (stable in that they move in relationship with each other), the City of Glass consists of a half sphere of unbreakable glass half filled with water. Visitors may enter the city through a great number of openings on the water side, or through portals in the air bubble section. Many building cross the boundary between air and water; there are buildings filled with water in the air half, and buildings stocked with air in the water section.

The City of Glass is a cosmopolitan collection of travelers and expatriates from other planes. It's denizens are primarily the aquatic races of the Material Plane, including merfolk, aquatic elves, kuo-toas, lizardfolk, locathahs, and sahuagin. The city is ruled by a council of longtime residents, no two of whom can be of the same race. The City of Glass is a merchant's freeport and actively encourages trade. Marids may be found within it's borders, along with dao, djinn, and human traders. Several portals lead back to the Material Plane, and it is said that in some secret locations in the city there are portals leading to other planes as well. Historians note that the "unbreakable" glass of the dome has been broken in the past. Without a definite gravity, however, the air remained more or less where it was. The city officials immediately repair any rifts, and put to death the visitors responsible for the break.

 

[G&MRPG]

Negative Energy Plane: It is the blackest night. It is the heart of darkness. It is the hunger that devours souls.

Spoiler

The Negative Energy Plane is a barren, empty place, a void without end, and a place of empty, endless night. Worse, it is a needy, greedy plane, sucking the life out of anything vulnerable enough. Heat, fire, and life itself are all drawn in to the maw of this plane, which constantly hungers for more. To the observer, there is little to see on the Negative Energy Plane. It is an eternal pit where travelers can fall until the plane itself steals away all light and life. The Negative Energy Plane is one of the most hostile of the planes, and the most uncaring and intolerant of life. Only creatures invulnerable to it's life draining nature can survive here, and even they have problems as the negative energy tugs at them imploringly.

Gravity on this plane is exactly like it is on the Elemental Plane of Air, as travelers choose there own "down" direction, with the non-flying travelers continually falling in that direction. Time though flows normally here, in the infinitely large Negative Energy Plane. As mentioned, the main danger a traveler has is the life-draining effect of the plane itself. The Negative Energy Plane is a cold, haunted place, and the winds bear the soft moans of those who died within them. Each second spent on the plane drains the life energy from a living creature. Within the course of a couple minutes, a creature will be drained until dead, but will rise soon after as a ghostly wraith. Spells that use negative energy are much stronger on the plane. Likewise, spells that use positive energy, even cure spells, are severely weakened, if they work at all.

The Negative Energy Plane is relatively empty, but it does have it's own denizens. Outsiders are few and far between, and the plane holds no known native elementals, but undead of all types thrive in this place. The best known outsider found on the plane is the type of energon called the xeg-yi. These alien, otherworldly creatures appear to be sentient, though their nature and purpose remain a mystery for many. Outsiders native to the plane, including the xeg-yi, are immune the the life-draining effects. As mentioned earlier, the Negative Energy Plane is a hospitable home for the undead, especially those that drain life energies from foes. Wraiths, spectres, and wights are all common, and some powerful vampires and liches make their home on the plane as well. The only thing that limits such creatures is the availability of prey, so the undead may be on their way elsewhere when encountered.

There is no atmosphere on the plane, so travelers requiring to breath must somehow bring their own air supply with them. Likewise, flyers with wings or those requiring air to gain lift are unable to fly in the plane and instead travel as a non-flyer does, that is to say choosing a "down" direction and falling that way. Still, despite the lack of air, the Negative Energy Plane is not a true vacuum. Food and drink also don't exist naturally on the Negative Energy Plane, so travelers must bring their own supplies. The Negative Energy Plane is completely and totally black. Even travelers with their own light source cannot see, as the inherent power of the plane drains the color from everything, leaving only gray tones lit by flickering light (before the torch or lantern is sucked dry by the energy draining properties of the plane). Clear vision is limited to only five feet, and light sources beyond that appear as indistinct bits of radiance glimmering faintly against the deeper night. Distance is impossible to gauge without this oppressive environment.

In some areas on the Negative Energy Plane, the collapsing intensity of the plane is so great that the negative energy folds in on itself, stabilizing into solid chunks of utterly black matter. These chunks, called voidstone, might be the building blocks of such items as a sphere of annihilation. Anything that comes within contact with a voidstone is instantly and utterly destroyed. Even the natives of the plane are not immune to the destructive power of a voidstone. Voidstones range in size, and can be as small as a few inches across to hundreds of feet wide.

Certain regions of the Negative Energy Plane are less deadly than others, having less a degree of negative energy (such as the darklands of the Shadow Plane) or even removing it entirely (though this is extremely rare). These areas, called doldrums, are usually found in the form of static mass in the plane, so towers, cities, and other structures can be built at their locations. The perils of such places are two fold. The most obvious threat is the hostile life, or unlife, in the area. The second threat is that the borders of a doldrum may fail, allowing the deadly tides of negative energy to once again wash over the region. Necromancers and powerful undead favor doldrums for lairs.

The best known location within one of the major doldrums is Death Heart, a large spired city constructed within a hollow metal sphere a mile in diameter that drifted in from some long-dead alternate Material Plane. While the exterior of the sphere has a small degree of negative energy, the interior is completely free of the life-draining power of the Negative Energy Plane. Though that protection failed to save the city's inhabitants. The city was founded as an experimental utopian community. Originally called the Heart of the Void, it was designed by it's mysterious masters to be a place untainted by other beings and schools of thought. In reality, it was quickly overrun by the undead, including not only energy-draining creatures, such as Wraiths, wights, and shadows, but other mundane forms of undead as well, such as skeletons, zombies, and mummies. Several liches and powerful vampires claim this sphere as their home.

Rumors persist that usually the evil denizens of Death Heart are engaged in a perpetual war with one another. But, that now a powerful individual, a vampiric minotaur, has brokered a peace between the factions and has encouraged further research into the nature of the city and of the plane itself. Rumors have it that the minotaur vampire's eventual goal is to steer the city to another plane and use his undead legions to wreck havoc their.

Given the number of undead creatures that reside on the Negative Energy Plane, there is less tendency to use the plane as a repository for evil prisoners and dangerous items. However, goodly prisoners and benevolent items are often imprisoned here in towers of pitted iron with sealed gates in the planes doldrums. These prisons are well-trapped and often heavily guarded. Some hold celestials and good aligned artifacts not easily destroyed, while others contain powerful paladin in stasis and other items and individuals baneful to the undead. The presence of these keeps is often the reason that Material Plane travelers (especially those of good alignment) come to this plane.

Positive Energy Plane: It is power incarnate. It is radiance beyond compare. It is life realized to the fullest.

Spoiler

The Positive Energy Plane is best compared to the heart of a star. It is a continual furnace of creation, a domain of brilliance beyond the ability of mortal eyes to comprehend. It's very being wavers and ripples as new matter and energy is born and swells to full power like a bursting fruit. It is a vibrant plane, so alive with itself that travelers are empowered by visiting it. The Positive Energy Plane has no surface and is akin to the Elemental Plane of Air in it's wide open nature and infinite size. However, every bit of this plane glows brightly with innate power, a power dangerous to mortal forms which are not made to handle it.

Despite the beneficial effects of the plane, it is one of the most hostile, as unprotected characters swell with power as positive energy is force-fed into them. Then, their mortal form unable to contain the power, immolates as though a small planet on the edge of a supernova. Visits to the Positive Energy Plane are brief, and even then travelers must be well protected. Gravity function exactly as it does in the Elemental Plane of Air and Negative Energy Planes, where a traveler chooses it's "down" direction. Time flows normally on this plane as it does on the Material.

Do to the life power of the plane, visitors to the Positive Energy Plane are in a constant state of healing due to being constantly filled with positive energy. Even old scars vanish within minutes after arrival on the plane. But this is also a curse as well as it is a blessing. Visitors "heal" even when they have no need to, and after a minute of being in this plane unprotected, the traveler will explode in a riot of energy. Also, due to the sheer brilliance of the plane, visitors without protection become blind, with those who don't get immediate help and protection becoming blind permanently. Spells that deal with positive energy are more powerful here, as are most healing spells. Though spells that cure diseases are not any stronger though, as the positive energy of the plane helps the visitor as well as the living virus in their system. Likewise, spells that deal with negative energy are much weaker, if they function at all.

The Energy Planes are called "empty planes" because they have little in the way of native life. They lack elemental forms, or if they have them they are so unlike life on the Material Plane that they are unrecognizable. Some outsiders make the Positive Energy Plane their home. The best known of these are ravids, which tend to dwell in the quieter areas of the plane. The energon known as the xag-ya are also common, even in the deepest heart of the plane. Denizens of the plane (such as the ravids) are immune to the detrimental effects of the positive energy, though they still benefit from the regenerative nature of the plane. Beings that cannot be healed in a normal manner or do not benefit from positive energy, such as constructs, can survive in this domain as well. Undead do not last long in the Positive Energy Plane, most being destroyed within seconds, though in extremely rare occasions a few might be found in an edge zone (described later).

Like the Negative Energy Plane, there is no air on the Positive Energy Plane, though the plane is not a true vacuum (like the Negative Energy Plane, the energy provides the equivalent of normal atmospheric pressure). As such, suffocation is a great danger for creatures requiring to breath, as well as prevents flying from creatures with wings or those that need air to fly. Travelers needing to breath must bring their own atmosphere or simply forgo breathing while here. Similarly, food and drink do not exist naturally here, and the healing effect of the plane does nothing to prevent starvation or dehydration.

The Positive Energy Plane is a place of brilliant white, where the inherent power of the plane bleaches out the spectrum and leaves an environment of nothing but white and stark shadows. Clear vision is limited to five feet, with objects beyond that range appearing as indistinct blots of darkness against the background white. Distance is impossible to gauge within this brilliant environment.

Even amid the brilliant and deadly radiance of the Positive Energy Plane, some regions are more intense and dangerous than others. These regions erupt like miniature suns, suddenly filling those within the burst radius (usually between 30 and 120 feet) with an incredible amount of life energies that would make any unprotected traveler immolate instantly. Those that do survive usually find themselves blind for days due to the sheer brilliance of the energy burst.

Animating fields are invisible regions on the Positive Energy Plane that are particularly strong in the energies that animate objects. Such an area is usually a sphere with a radius of 150 to 1,500 feet. Within the sphere there is a chance that the objects one is carrying will come to life and attack the traveler; the longer one remains in an animating field the greater the chances are of this happening. Objects remain animated for as long as they remain in the field and even a few minutes after leaving a field.

The edge zones are a reference for quiet areas on the plane, like islands or shores on the seething hotbed of energy. These regions are minimal in the amount of positive energy flowing through them, making them much more hospitable to travelers, and are dotted with bits of flotsam from other planes, including floating citadels, bits of tattered astral haze, and shards of other planes. The more solid pieces of edge zones are used as outposts by creatures powerful enough to weather the changing nature of the plane itself. Such outposts must be well-protected as tides of intense positive energy can sweep over the edge zone at any time.

The most well-known edge zone location is a floating citadel called the Hospice that resides within a large outcropping of rock raised as a shield against the more lethal energies of the plane. The Hospice, and an area of a few hundred yards around it, is only filled with a small degree of positive energy, but the citadel is forced to move from time to time in order to keep it this way. The Hospice is home to a small community of holy knights and healers dedicated to the healing arts. The order is legendary for taking badly wounded individuals and restoring them to health, and the members know spells and procedures that allow the healing of otherwise incurable ailments. Their ability to treat diseases on this plane is limited by the nature of the plane itself, but even then the Hospice community may know of effective treatments that do not involve positive energy. The Hospice is protected by a number of golems in addition to it's humanoid staff. Goodly creatures from many planes staff the Hospice. While they would not turn away an evil individual, such a traveler would be kept locked away in a special ward and guarded.

Particularly powerful individuals can be effectively imprisoned by dumping their physical form or spirit-bonded souls into a prison protected from positive energy and then sent onto the plane. While not a permanent solution, these cells keep powerful evil items or individuals imprisoned for decades and even generations until some witless traveler ignorantly opens them.

 

[G&MRPG]

Limbo, the Ever-Changing Chaos: It is where everything, and nothing, is possible. It is where raw chaos seethes. It is where the elements come to die.

Spoiler

Limbo is a plane of pure chaos. Untended sections appear as a rolling soup of the four basic elements and all their combinations. Balls of fire, pockets of air, chunks of earth, and waves of water battle for ascendancy until they in turn are overcome by another chaotic surge. However, landscapes similar to those found in the Material Plane drift through the miasma: bits of forest, meadow, ruined castles, and small islands. Limbo is inhabited by living natives, most prominent being the githzerai and the slaadi. The godless, mortals that do not believe in a god or gods, end up on this plane when they die, they're spirits taking the form of unthinking, ghostly spheres of swirling chaos.

Limbo has no layers. Or if it does, the layers continually merge and part, each is as chaotic as the next, and even the wisest sage would be hard-pressed to distinguish one from another. The strength of the gravity is the same as it is on the Material Plane, but it is subjective in nature. Much like the Elemental Plane of Air, a traveler chooses their own "down" direction when on the plane. Time, like in most of the planes, flows normally here. Though Limbo goes on forever, it has finite components (including big chunks of stabilized earth and githzerai monasteries and cities). Limbo is a highly morphic and constantly changing dimension, and keeping a particular area stable is difficult. A given area, unless magically stabilized somehow, can react to specific spells, sentient thought, or the force of will. Left alone, it continually changes, but it can be controlled (detailed below). As hinted at above, no one element dominates Limbo. Each element is dominant from time to time, so any given area is a chaotic, dangerous boil as the elemental dominance can change without warning.

The chaotic nature of Limbo leaves travelers prescribing to law and order in a disheartened mood. As if a mystical nature of the plane itself, such travelers wits are dulled a bit, leaving them slower to react to situations on the plane. In opposite though, creatures of chaos find themselves much more at home in Limbo, and in peak condition, both mental and physical. Spells in Limbo function in wildly different ways. They function normally within permanent structures or on permanently stabilized landscapes. But any spell used in an untended area of Limbo, or an area temporarily controlled, has a chance to go awry. This wild magic can have a number of ill effects, such as the spell rebounding on the caster, a small pit could open up underneath the caster, the spell fails, but the targets are pelted by small objects (such as flowers or rotten fruit) which disappear upon striking, the spell affects a different target or area at random, the spell does not function and instead the caster, and possibly those within a 30 feet radius, is subjected to the affect of another spell (anything from a heal spell, to silence, to even a death dealing spell), the spell functions normally, but any material components are not used up, the spell doesn't function at all, but material components are used up, the spell is weakened, the spell is empowered, or the spell could actually function as intended.
These are just some of the strange things that can happen if magic is used within the wild areas of Limbo.

Permanent portals exist between Limbo and various other planes. However, a huge ball of fire, a pile of boulders, or a terrible windstorm could surround the Limbo side of a portal making entering Limbo quite dangerous to those unprepared for the chaos of the plane. There are three different kinds of terrain on Limbo: uncontrolled raw areas, controlled areas, and stabilized areas. Raw areas make up most of the plane, while the controlled areas (also called tended areas) and stabilized areas are tiny islands by comparison.

Raw areas of Limbo are dangerous, but most sentient creatures can exert a localized calming influence (detailed under controlled Limbo below). But, sometimes there's no control, such as when a visitor first enters Limbo, is knocked unconscious, or simply loses control. While nobody is controlling a given area, it exhibits chaotic qualities. Elements swirl and mash together in a chaotic jumble. An area could erupt in a blaze of fire one minute, and then become drenched in frozen water the next. Sometimes the elements even mix together to form bizarre hybrid effects, such as liquid flame and solid air. Occasionally though, the elements will swirl to a balance point, and all will be calm for a few minutes until reverting back to the boiling madness.

Controlling a raw area of Limbo is an exercise of the mind. One must have sufficient force of will to take control over a small area of the plane, as well as the strength of will to keep hold of an area (if the character falters enough, then the chaotic nature will once again return to the area). But, if a traveler is able to take control over an area, they can reshape it as they desire, allowing a specific element, or a combination of elements, to become dominant. Most Material Plane travelers simply opt for a chunk of earth surrounded by an atmosphere of breathable air. If a traveler leaves their controlled area, then the area returns to the chaotic nature of the rest of the plane. Also, another creature could wrest control of an area from the traveler if their will is stronger. Controlled areas drift in the chaotic currents of Limbo, usually at a speedy pace.

A section of Limbo becomes stabilized if a creature of sufficiently high will-power creates it within a controlled area via powerful magicks. The stabilized area in the center of the area of control retains it's traits even if the controlled area around it reverts back to chaos. It drifts at the whim of Limbo's chaotic currents and, if left unprotected, will eventually erode by repeated immersions in the elemental surges.

Slaadi and githzerai are commonly associated with Limbo. Of the two, only the slaadi have been natives since time began. The githzerai arrived far later, seeing the plane as a challenge to their indomitable spirit. Limbo is also a harsh proving ground for their harsh ethos, "Pain is weakness leaving your body." Even though they're natives, the slaadi control Limbo just as travelers do. However, a slaad's control never falters, even if the slaad is unconscious, and the area of control surrounds the slaad tightly. To viewers, it seems as though the slaad lolls unhurt in a bath of fire. The few githzerai who follow a monastic calling also follow the dictates of law, and such monks are particularly challenged by the chaos of Limbo. However, the strong chaotic traits of Limbo is neutralized by the walls of githzerai monasteries. Most githzerai do not follow a monastic calling and congregate in large cities.
The petitioners of Limbo (dead spirits) are of mortal beings who believed in no deity. As such they are punished for eternity to exist in the chaotic madness of Limbo. Over time, some of these spirits come to embody the plane, while others exist as insane spirits composed of shifting Limbo-stuff. Chaos beasts are also found frequently in Limbo, and are always more powerful and larger in the plane than on the material.

Atmosphere in Limbo varies depending on which element is dominant at the time, and can instantly shift from a breathable atmosphere to none at all. As such, most travelers of Limbo move by taking control of an area and giving it a breathable atmosphere, then moving to the edge of the controlled area and taking command of the next area, and so on. Food is hard to come by on the plane, and either must be brought with the traveler or taken from settlements and strongholds throughout the plane. Water can be found in any area that happens to be dominated by it at a given time. Still, the purity of the water varies, and one could find their gathered water is saline or even tainted. Maps are useless in the chaotic mess of Limbo, and the time it takes for travelers to get to a specific area depends on how familiar they are with the area in question. Even if they are very familiar with an area, it could still take days to reach it.

Limbo is filled with wonders beyond count, some of which are mentioned below. Random surges of elemental fire light the plane. Some are far off and visible only as a dim glow spreading through floating seas, while others are bright, too-close suns. The random boil of Limbo sometimes limits vision to nothing (as in earth dominated areas), but other times vision can go on for miles (as in continuous air dominated areas). There is no day or night on the plane of Limbo.

Githzerai who call the plane of Limbo home congregate in cities and monasteries. Those githzerai who congregate in cities do not follow the monastic traditions the race is most known for. Instead, they revere straight forward martial prowess and the deadly arts of a fighter or spellcaster. However, even city-born githzerai look with favor on those githzerai who have the strength of spirit to leave the city behind and train in a free-floating monastery adrift in chaos.

The largest githzerai city is called, Shra'kt'lor and is ruled over by a warrior mage called the Great Githzerai who is revered as a deity-king. The city is an austere place with massive iron gate houses piercing seven concentric rings of high, thick granite walls. Quarters inside the city are rather cramped, though an open market is broad and filled with produce grown on stabilized earth as well as other items both mundane and wondrous.

One of the better known githzerai monasteries is the Monastery of Zerth'Ad'lun. Zerth'Ad'lun follows the teachings of Sensei Belthomais, a powerful monk. Belthomais teaches a specialized martial art (as do many monasteries), and those students who fully embrace his teachings are also called Zerth cenobites. Those who practice Zerthi ("Zerth's teachings" in the githzerai tongue) claim to peer a moment into their future in order to aid their martial expertise.

From the exterior, the monastery appears as though a small glade of stone spires and towers layered around a sphere about a quarter mile in diameter. Taking full advantage of the subjective gravity of Limbo, the monastery's interior features possesses winding stairs that connects "floors" to "walls" or "ceilings." All the surfaces are really floors for those who don't mind adjusting their own subjective orientation. Vast halls provide room for mass martial arts training, while hundreds of tiny cells lighted by dim candles provide privacy for individual meditations. The schedule of a monk at Zerth'Ad'lun is strict and harsh, but the rewards of the spirit are considered sufficient compensation. The monastery welcomes visitors and may put them up for as long as a week in quarters set aside for hospitality. Non-githzerai who are interested in studying at the monastery are allowed to do so, although a supplicant must be willing to spend a few months in the monastery learning the basics and abiding the schedule of a cenobite.

Slaadi freely roam the length and breadth of the chaos of Limbo, unharmed by all but the most severe chaos storms. Generally, slaadi range in nomad gangs of two to five or larger packs of six to ten slaadi. They hunt the drifts of chaos for food, and they are ready to fight off other predators (mostly other slaad gangs). The Spawning Stone is the primordial home of the slaadi and is located in a realm of their greatest dominion. Each race of slaad converges on the spawning stone for a season of mating. The hermaphroditic slaadi mate at the stone in turn, fertilizing each other's internal egg sacks. When the next slaad race in the cycle wrests the Spawning Stone from the previous group, the slaadi carry around these seed-like fertilized eggs for later implantation into host bodies. Sometimes, however, young slaad are produced right there at the stone because the slaadi implant each other in their mating frenzy. Thus, dead adult slaads routinely float about the stone until destroyed by the chaos of Limbo.

Though the Spawning Stone drifts from place to place, currents of chaos-stuff always flows away from the stone. Slaadi can recognize these currents and follow them "upstream". The currents grow into tsunamis and give birth to chaos storms when the stone changes hands among the slaadi. One death slaad guards the stone at all times against potential non-slaad visitors. This sentinel, called the Guardian of the Stone, is a death slaad of unspeakable power and a highly skilled sorcerer.

Some rumors say that powerful Slaad Lords named Ssendam, Ygorl, and Bazim-Gorag are representatives of true slaadi. As the story goes, slaadi are beings of ultimate chaos, and their forms follow no set pattern. But when the Slaad Lords rose to power long ago they did not want to face a slaad spawned by random mutation greater than they. Thus they altered the Spawning Stone to limit future slaadi generations to the handful of "races" they are today. Burning white runes that gird the Spawning Stone speak of these limitations, although no slaadi but the Slaad Lords know their true purpose. However, because of the inherently chaotic manner in how the slaadi breed, sometimes slightly and occasionally greatly mutated slaadi are born. The greatly mutated slaadi look absolutely nothing like the base slaad for.

 

[G&MRPG]

The Nine Hells of Baator: It is Hell, where sympathy withers, and malice blooms. It is home to devils and demons. It is where morality crumbles and ethics perish.

Spoiler

The Nine Hells of Baator, sometimes simply called Baator or even Hell, best satisfy the imagination of travelers, the greed of treasure seekers, and the battle-fury of paladins. It is the ultimate plane of evil, the epitome chaotic and crafted cruelty. The devils of the Nine Hells all obey a higher law than themselves, but that really means they just chafe and rebel within their caste. Most undertake any plot or action, no matter how foul, to advance themselves. At the very top of the hierarchy is the ruler of the plane, Asmodeus, who has yet to be bested. That is the law of the Nine Hells.

The devils of Baator are more cunning, more subtle, and more dangerous a foe than most will ever meet. They range in temperament from simple revelers of slavering, insane, evil power, to the more dangerous ones: creatures with a vile agenda, a plan of attack, and a carefully conceived plot for retribution if necessary. Baator consists of nine layers, like ledges stepping down into an ever-deeper pit, that seem to go on forever. Each layer descended gives a traveler a better view of the Nine Hells as a whole; the layers fit together like puzzle pieces, and each new descent allows a traveler greater understanding of how the puzzle comes together. It is an evil enticement.

The Nine Hells are home to minor, major, and noble demons, as well as deities of evil and the dead (for example, the god Hades, the goddess Hela, and the Celtic god Balor) who have their domains in the plane. Each layer is ruled by one of the Lords of Nine, eight powerful demon lords or dark deities who rule over each layer, and each answerable to Asmodeus, who rules from Nessus, the bottom layer of the Nine Hells. Unlike a few of the other planes, Baator has a gravity much like the one found on the Material Plane, and the flow of time is identical as well. The landscapes of the Nine Hells are stable, but they can be altered at the whims of the Lords of Nine and of the deities who dwell here. The elements are found here in balance, save on two of the layers that will be detailed later. The evil that permeates the plane fills most mortals with a feeling of dread and despair. Good creatures are very uncomfortable in Baator, as it feels as though the evil energies of the plane are permeating their very souls, leaving their reaction timing, both physical and mental, off. Magic functions normally here as it does on the Material Plane.

The great River Styx begins in the uppermost layer, Avernus, and magically winds it's way down through all the layers of Baator. Portals to other plans are fairly common. Usually such gates appear as free standing hoops of reddish light. A well known gate, called the Cursed Gate, is in the town of Ribcage in the outlands of Avernus and leads to every layer of Baator. Travelers usually must have permission from a Lord of Nine to pass through the Cursed Gate, though Paracs the gatekeeper, a mighty pit fiend, can be bribed.

The largest population of the Nine Hells is made up of various devils: barbazu, cornugons, succubi, gelugons, hamatula, narzugons, osyluths, pit fiends, spinagons, and countless other forms of demon. Devils of all sort delight in making complex deals with travelers and with mortals on the Material Plane. Those dealing with a devil often live to regret it, even if they only live for a little while. Devils always seek ways to increase their own power and thus gain promotion into a higher form of demonhood. Besides devils, such creatures as hellcats, hell hounds, imps, kytons, nightmares, infernal dragons, undead, and even rakshasas call the Nine Hells home. A few hardy mortals have set up permanent residence in the Nine Hells, living in mighty fortresses defended by lesser devils lawfully bound to short-term contracts.

The souls of the wicked and evil beings of the Material Plane are found in great abundance throughout the Nine Hells, and can take many forms. Most of these souls take the form of ghostly white shades, shells of their mortal forms, which devils cruelly mold and shape into twisted, agonized forms of horror. Only when the soul is so twisted and molded that it is truly, finally slain does it's essence merge with that of Baator itself. Often, devils and deities of a particular hellish realm mold souls in their realm to conform to a specific, macabre aesthetic. Many souls are molded into a small, larvae-like blob, which is used as a kind of currency in the Nine Hells. Larger forms of larvae exist and are usually devoured by certain demon lords with evil delight.

Connection points between layers are always found at the lowest point of the higher layer, and at the highest point of the next layer down. Usually mountain tops, high fortress spires, and other tall objects contain access points where travelers can either climb or walk down to the next layer. The layers of Baator are nine and each layer has it's own ruler. All other rulers answer to the lowest, Asmodeus, in the Pit. Each of the nine layers has it's own unique environment, but they're all inhospitable and possibly outright deadly. Travelers to the Nine Hells best know how to get back out, or they might find themselves waylaid by a gang of demons or other horrifying creatures. But, even a small chance of survival in battle is better than becoming a slave in the Nine Hells for eternity.

The politics of the Nine Hells has rocked back and forth over the millennia, often accomplished by artful rhetoric or subtle poison as much as outright conflicts of devil armies warring against each other. The city of Dis, on the second layer, has withstood siege more than once from the hands of an aggressive and ambitious demon lord. However, in all the time that Asmodeus has ruled from below, no revolt has ever succeeded in overthrowing the lord of the ninth layer with a different devil, despite a ploy by Asmodeus that once allowed his rivals to think that he had been dethroned. Though the Nine Hells are governed by devils, some sages believe that the devils commandeered the Nine Hells from a far older, stranger race now called simply the ancient baatorians. It's possible, if these theories are correct, that remnants of this mysterious race still inhabit isolated portions of the Nine Hells.

Avernus, the first layer of Baator, is a wasteland of charred, rubble-strewn plains, with mountains and talus-sided foothills breaking up the monotony. Legions of mail-clad devils are always on watch here, perpetually assembling for some new cross-planar sortie. Blood red light suffuses the air, and fiery balls flit randomly across the sky, sometimes detonating to terrible effect. Travelers not protected by artificial structures or caves are likely to find themselves and ground zero of a massive fireball. Runnels of blood flow in streams across Avernus, finally joining the River Styx, which is at it's largest here than on the other layers. The origin of the blood is unknown, though devils say it is likely the blood of all Avernus' past victims. The Greek god of the dead, Hades, rules this layer from the Bronze Citadel.

Hades wrested control of the layer from it's former ruler, a devil prince named Bel. Bel's arrogance provided his undoing, and Hades moved in quickly to expand his domain and take control of Avernus. In a large keep in the center of the Bronze Citadel, Hades rules the layer from his ebony throne, his mystical golden scepter always in hand. His pet, the demonic dog Cerberus, has been moved by Hades to guard the gates of his throne room, only allowing in those the god sees fit to parlay with. For one-third of every year, Hades is joined by his consort, Persephone, who is bound to his domain due to eating the fruit of Hades' realm. It is rumored that Hades keeps the still living form of Bel hidden deep within the Bronze Citadel so that he may siphon his hellish power into himself, increasing his own abilities while slowly reducing Bel to nothingness.

What may have once been a citadel constructed of bronze, the Bronze Citadel is now a brutish, unimaginative city covering dozens of square miles and featuring twelve concentric ring walls, each bristling with war machines. The city is filled with the twisted souls under the control of Hades, and hundreds of thousand of demons all under the god's command and all ready to fend off any attempt to wrest control of Avernus from their lord and master. Because Avernus is the beachhead from any other-planar attack, fortifications are always being added to the Bronze Citadel. Work gangs of souls, imps, and lesser devils constantly expand and repair the city. The construction is so pervasive that bone scaffolding is as likely to be supporting a given wall as not.

The Pillar of Skulls, a massive landmark of actual skulls represents devilish trophies taken in planar wars over countless millennia. Most of the trophies are the skulls of goodly creatures, varying in size from minuscule to the size of a house, though demon skulls are found in abundance as well. The pillar rises in height to more than a mile. The pillar stands near part of a ledge where access to the next lower layer is an easy walk down a particularly tall metal spire of the city of Dis reaching up through the haze between layers. This spire sees a lot of traffic from demons, souls, and other creatures and has quite a few accidental and non-so-accidental falls. However, a massive cave mouth near the base of the Pillar of Skulls holds a particularly terrible sentinel of the ledge: Tiamat.

Tiamat, called the Queen of Chromatic Dragons, is an evil draconic goddess with long necks, each ending with the monstrous head of one of the five chromatic dragons (red, blue, green, white, and black). She enjoys such wretched pastimes as torture, bickering with certain travelers, and destruction. Tiamat's lair's location is close enough that she is considered the guardian of the access between Avernus and Dis at the Pillar of Skulls. She usually stays within her cavernous realm however, only coming out when the foolish travelers with goodly hearts are close by the pillar. Five consorts, powerful male great wyrms of each color (red, blue, green, white, and black) attend her at all times. Hades, a Lord of Nine and ruler of Avernus, makes it a point to keep the Queen of Chromatic Dragons happy and on his side, for Tiamat is an enemy the Greek god does not need. The horde of Tiamat, hidden deep within her cavern system, is said to equal the treasuries of a hundred worlds.
Tiamat is the mortal enemy of the Metallic Dragon King, Bahamut, and she has attempted to destroy the Platinum Dragon for countless millennia.

Another deity who makes their home on Avernus is the Spider Queen, Lolth. The goddess worshiped by most of the dark elves, Lolth was once a member of the elven pantheon called the Seldarine, but was cast out after an attempt to take control from the pantheon's head, Corellon Larethian. Cast out of their domain and into Baator, Lolth quickly carved for herself a kingdom on the layer in the form of an intricate, spiderweb-shaped cave system, called the Demonweb Pits. Lolth rules her domain from an iron palace shaped in the form of a spider that crawls around the cave system, and is served by her personally created demon breed, the yochlol. Lolth has many forms, from that of a giant spider to that of a beautiful dark elf maiden. Ever the schemer, Lolth is already plotting to take control of the layer from Hades. Hades knows of Lolth's machinations and it was these plots which forced Hades into a shaky alliance with Tiamat. Lolth is still trying to figure out a way to turn Tiamat against Hades and dispose of the Greek god as ruler of Avernus in a way that Asmodeus will not object to.

Dis, the second layer of the Nine Hells, is a burning city of iron. The red glow of the infernal heat burns within the scorched iron walls, and a pall of smoke rises up to form a general dark haze over the entire layer. For the city is the layer, and the layer is the city of Dis. Some claim that if a traveler who walks far enough can leave the city behind, concealed within a great ring of mountains. Ranks of red, glowing buildings extend to every horizon, rising and falling according to the hidden terrain. Palatial mansions of particularly important devils and officers in the demonic armies break the cityscape here and there. Every iron wall glows with heat, and casual contact with the walls will burn the flesh of any creature not immune to fire. Even the iron cobblestones glow with heat. Without iron-shod boots or magical protection, visitors soon writhe on the streets as their feet begin to burn. Screaming damned souls and mortals kidnapped from the Material Plane fill subterranean prisons beneath the streets. The sound of their agonized laments is usually audible from small vents in the city walls.

Some sections of the city host markets and bazaars where creatures from a variety of different planes meet. Most seek to buy and sell questionable wares, or hire a bloodthirsty band of mercenaries for work that only a devil could love. Crowds fill the streets. Parades of devilish nobility attended by lesser demons and horribly sculpted souls vie with countless work gangs who sally forth to repair, extend, or remodel the city at the behest of Graz'zt, the Dark Prince and Lord of the Second Layer. The Dark Prince rules Dis from the Argent Palace, a grand structure of sixty-six ivory towers and one-hundred cold, mirrored halls. The palace is a sterile, echoing space where those seeking Graz'zt's audience room must wend their way through the mirror and portal maze in which ravenous bodaks roam. The Argent Palace is the largest structure on Dis and is visible in some fashion throughout the entire layer.

Graz'zt, a tall darkly handsome demon with shiny black skin and green, glowing eyes, is one of the most powerful Lords of Nine. The Dark Prince loves to dress in regal finery, but the slightly pointed ears and yellow fangs mark him for the demon he is. Most striking of all are his digits: he has six ebony fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot. He is a deviant devil prince and visits the Material Plane often when summoned by witches and sorceresses, granting them sexual favors and magical powers in return for their mortal souls. A deeply sexual and erotic being, Graz'zt never goes anywhere without a retinue of female monsters, usually lamias, succubi, and mariliths. He is dangerously charming and seductive, and speaks with such eloquence and grandeur that captivates most listeners.

Graz'zt has ruled Dis for many millennia, having wrested control of the layer from it's previous lord, Dispater. Dispater fell out of grace with Asmodeus and the ever-scheming Graz'zt used the opportunity to strike. His armies surprised and easily overtook Dispater's forces, and the Dark Prince finished off Dispater himself with the use of his acid-spewing great sword. Graz'zt tore down Dispaters Iron Fortress and created his Argent Palace in it's place, a grander, more noble structure than what Dispater ruled from. The Dark Prince and the Lord of the Seventh, Orcus, are bitter rivals, with both secretly trying to assassinate and over throw the other. Their hate for each other is so legendary that it has even erupted into open warfare every few centuries.

The third layer of the Nine Hells is a fetid swamp of mire and pollution called Minauros. Acidic rain, bitter winds, and flesh-slicing hail rule the bog. The waters of the march are so cold in some places they have iced over. In other locations, the dank waters boil and steam with infernal heat. Terrible slime creatures with no names swim the murky waters of Minauros, and even devils fear to stray too far from their various cities. Where the layer is lowest, a constant dribble of slimy water sluices into a long fall to the fourth layer. Many a lost traveler has accidentally been caught up in that long, lethal fall to Phlegethos.

The City of Minauros, a metropolis of devils, gives it's name to the layer. The city is also called The Sinking, because it's stony weight is forever slipping beneath the cesspool waters. Only the eternal effort of a stream of souls and slaves keeps it from finally succumbing to the swamp, but still, the city sinks a little farther into the mud ever year. Ruins below the city are said to contain vast riches.

Unlike the City of Minauros, the City of Chains hangs suspended above the bog from thick metal links and is ruled by kytons. The lowest portion of the city just grazes the rolling swamp, but the strength of the chains keeps the mire from drawing the city down where so many other cities have drowned. No one knows to what structure the suspended chains are finally connected, though a good bet is that they somehow pierce the layer boundary and connect to the underside of Dis above. The hail-laden clouds hide the truth of the matter. Though kytons often consider each other equal, they often defer to a particularly clever kyton named Quimath. Quimath resides in Panos Qytel, a cathedral-like triple-towered structure at the heart of the City of Chains.

The Faceless Lord, Juiblex, rules over the entire layer as Minauros' Lord of Nine. A loathsome demon of slime and ooze, Juiblex is shunned by most other demons, and the other Lords of Nine are said to refer to him as the "Lord of Nothing." Juiblex is often appearing as a nine-foot tall cone of jelly and slime striated with black, green, and a disgusting mixture of brown, yellow, and gray. At other times Juiblex is nothing more than a seething pool of animate ooze. In any form, pulsating red eyes that look in all directions cover Juiblex completely. Juiblex was once a handsome archdevil until his failed attempt to dethrone Asmodeus. Asmodeus transformed him into a creature of slime to resemble his layer of Baator, but allowed him to keep his position as the ruler of Minauros. Juiblex no longer resides in any city on the layer, instead dwelling in the expansive, foul swamp of the entire layer, always accompanied by slimes and oozes. Juiblex hates Asmodeus for what has become of him, and plots to one day take the throne of the Nine Hells and regain his true form.

 

[G&MRPG]

Nine Hells Continued:

Spoiler

The fourth layer of the Nine Hells, Phlegethos, is a place of fire and pain much like the Elemental Plane of Fire. Rivers of liquid fire rule the land, and the air is consumed with dancing flame. Creatures without resistance or immunity to the fires are quickly immolated. Abriymoch is the largest city on the layer. Made of hardened magma, obsidian, and crystal, the city squats in the caldera of an almost extinct volcano. Abriymoch's foundation is said to be the grave of a ancient deity slain by Asmodeus. The city offers some protection from the layer's fiery environment, but even so, certain quarters are open to the raging flame. A legion of more than five thousand hamatula devils reside here, a force kept in reserve should an outer-planar attack piece this far into the Nine Hells. A pit fiend named Gazra commands the horde, but is answerable to the Lord of the Fourth, the Queen of the Succubi, Malcanthet.

Malcanthet was one of Baator's first succubi and quickly rose to power by eliminating her competition using her intelligence and guile. Malcanthet is described as a incredibly beautiful humanoid female with bat-like wings, a pair of small horns on her head, a long, prehensile tail ending with a spike-like stinger, and is always dressed in a revealing silken gown. Her lips are the color of a bright ruby, and her eyes are smolder with a dangerous sensuality. Her stinger at the end of her tail can sap the will of a victim, completely enthralling them under her yolk. It is even said that her gaze can dominate the minds of beings, forever enthralling them for all eternity. The Succubus Queen wields a silver scepter of frightening magical power that is said to be carved from the bones of the layer's previous ruler who's name has been forgotten to time.

She is the ultimate seductress and rules Phlegethos from her castle, Shendilavri, in the city of Abriymoch. Always attended by lesser succubi and enthralled mortals, the Succubus Queen is a cunning adversary and those dealing with her are always alert and wary, even her fellow Lords of Nine. Graz'zt has disdain for Malcanthet due to some ages past transgression the Succubus Queen performed upon him. Though his hate for her is no where near as strong as it is for Orcus, Graz'zt none-the-less uses any opportunity he can to bring down her power base little by little, with the Queen of the Succubi executing the exact same machinations towards Graz'zt.

Malcanthet has small cults in the Material Plane, but they are so disorganized that they pose no major threat to the good of the realms. Most are nothing more than brothels run by one of her succubi followers, or a magic-wielding woman of one of the fairer races. Men in her cults are very rare, but the ones that are part of the Succubus Queen's Earthly minions are treated as nothing more than lowly servants or convenient muscle power with no hopes of advancing higher into the cult's hierarchy.

The fifth layer of the Nine Hells, called Stygia, is a realm of cold and ice. Most of the plane is drowned in a crushing see of ice flows and icebergs. The only open water is the rushing River Styx, though icebergs and fiendish sharks make navigating it quite dangerous. Lightning constantly rips through the sky, so flying creatures are particularly rare, save those immune to electricity. The ice flows serve as the foundation for many devilish cities and castles.

Called the City of Ice, Tantlin is the largest city of the layer. Like the smaller cities, it is built on an ice flow, but it has a "harbor" bordering on one side of the nearby River Styx. The city is run by a pit fiend, though she rarely stirs from her citadel. This "hands-off" approach leaves the city open to various gangs interested in dispensing their own law at the expense of each other. The gangs are a motley assortment of devils, though a few planar mortals with evil dispositions also run with the packs. Despite the disarray in the streets, Tantlin actually serves as a cross-planar trading stop. The residents can't long forget the ruler of the layer, the Persian god of evil and darkness, Ahriman.

The layer of Stygia was once a sweltering landscape of dark fearsome forests and dank fetid jungles, but the scheming Ahriman attempted to wrest control of Baator away from Asmodeus ages ago, and failed miserably. As punishment, Asmodeus transformed Stygia into a frozen wasteland, making it a "hellish" domain for the reptilian Ahriman. Ahriman dwells in his frozen fortress, Ghestal, that floats in the middle of the Tantlin harbor. It's thirteen dark, fang-like spires jut high into the freezing sky and are visible from anywhere within the city. Inside, Ghestal is perpetually bathed in darkness, and it's halls are filled with undead and demonic thralls to the dark god that defend the fortress with their lives. Ahriman himself is rarely seen and rarely gives anyone an audience, even if they happen to be devoted worshipers of him. Though when he does make an appearance, Ahriman is truly a fearsome sight to behold. His upper body is that of a scaly, muscular humanoid with clawed hands, and bears the head of a viper with the mane of a great lion. The eyes of Ahriman are large and reptilian in shape, and blaze with an eerie yellow light. The god's lower torso is that of a mighty constrictor serpent, with the tail forking off into two separate thirteen-foot, whip-like tails that end with a slender barb that constantly drips venom.

The underwater realm of Sheyruushk is accessible from a crack between two icebergs not far from Tantlin. The icy waters are dark, but that does not bother the shark-like sahuagin who live here. The sea devils cavort in the court of the demon lord whom they revere as a deity, Sekolah. Awful rites pay homage to the brutal shark demon in which captive devils feature prominently in sacrifices. Sharks of every size and type constantly roam the waters of Sheyruushk, though both the sharks and sahuagin often swim up into the River Styx to sink boatmen and merchant crafts, and to capture beings for sacrifice. Sekolah's blessing is sufficient enough to render the raiders immune to the influence of the waters of the Styx for a short time.

The sixth layer of Baator, Malbolge, has seen some drastic changes in the course of the past few centuries. It was once ruled by the arch-fiend, Maloch, and was a realm of endless rocky slopes and jagged mountains. But Maloch took bad advice from his consort, the Hag Countess, Malagard, and attempted to take Asmodeus' place as ruler of the Nine Hells. Like all those who tried before him, Maloch failed to topple the Lord of the Nine. But, unlike past punishments, Asmodeus' hatred for the bumbling Maloch led to Malbolge's ruler to be utterly destroyed by Asmodeus' dreaded ruby wand. As was her plan all along, Malagard took control of the layer.

Malagard's reign was short lived however, as she was disposed of by Glaysa, the daughter of Asmodeus. Glaysa used her magic and the body of the Hag Countess to form a brand new layer out of Malbolge, one that would be her own. Thus the sixth layer of Baator is now nothing more than the Hag Countesses innards and bones. The once mountainous layer is now a diverse landscape of dark forests (the Hag Countess' hair), large ivory deposits ripe for mining (Malagard's teeth), large patches of dry wastelands (the Countess' flesh), jutting spires of black obsidian mountains (Malagard's finger and toe nails), underground labyrinths (the Hag Countess' intestines and innards), milky dark clouds (the Countess' brains), and lakes and rivers of blood and bile (Malagard's vile ichor and organs). The Hag Countess is dead, but her life force lives on throughout the layer.

Rumors describe ancient places built underneath the slopes of Malbolge's great mountains where creatures older then the devils themselves might still roam. A certain hard to find cave leads to a cavern, called Maggoth Thyg, whose walls glow with a brain-numbing grayish light. Boulder falls and often clog the cave's entrance, but somehow the cavern is reopened time and again. Devils sent by the Lord of the Sixth to investigate have never returned. Terrible cries sometime issue forth from the cavern, echoing across the slopes of Malbolge. Strangely, the souls of the damned and most travelers on the layer cannot hear them. But devils can, and the sound is innately terrifying to them.

Laduguer, the dwarven deity of evil and black magic, resides in his domain of Hammergrim, a large fortress carved into the slopes of a mountain in Malbolge. Laduguer was cast out of his place among the dwarven pantheon for reasons long forgotten, and is has a deep running hatred for Moradin and the dwarves that follow him. He takes great pleasure in twisting and corrupting dwarves to his dark path and turning them against the principles of the dwarven gods of good. Laduguer is attended by another deity, Abbathor, the dwarven god of greed, who aids him in his quest to subjugate the entire dwarven race away from Moradin.

The current Lord of the Sixth is the daughter of Asmodeus and Bensozia, Glaysa, who rules from her citadel of bone, Ossiea, in the middle of the city of Tartach. Tartach is a newly created city formed by Glaysa's molding of the Hag Countess' bones with Malagard's skull as her keep. The buildings of Tartach are grizzled and formed in a twisted manner with no two looking the same. It is slowly turning into the main place of trade on the layer, and holds a few well-guarded portal to the Material Plane. Ossiea is formed from the hideously enlarged skull of Malagard, complete with ruby glass windows in the eye sockets, and five floors of luxurious chambers inside the skull act as Glaysa's well-guarded play rooms.

Glaysa appears as a tall (nine feet) being of incredible beauty, with copper-colored skin and dark red hair. She appears human save for bat-like wings, horns that hold her long red hair from her face, and a forked tail. She and her father never really saw eye to eye and she seemed to discredit him whenever the opportunity presented itself. On the other hand she liked her mother quit a bit and often would root for her and aid her when she could. However, when the archdevil Geryon attempted to drive Asmodeus from his keep by killing Bensozia he earned every ounce of her hatred. Despite this action, Asmodeus did not kill Geryon, he instead gave him as a gift to his daughter. Glaysa took her revenge on Geryon and rumors persist that the archdevil is still alive in a state of eternal torment in the bowels of Glaysa's citadel. Glaysa and her father have since settled their differences, at least for the moment, and she enjoyed his blessings in taking over Malbolge from the Hag Countess. Glaysa is a sadist through and through, and her very touch can bring forth horrible diseases that will rot the body of a being in minutes.

Hel, the Norse goddess of death, has her realm, Helheim, protected by a ring of insurmountable mountains on Malbolge. The goddess, Hel, has a striking appearance of a beautiful woman from the waist up and a shriveled undead thing from the waist down. As such, she is usually seen in long gowns that hide her lower half when the need to parlay with others arrives. The walls of her great hall, Sleet-Cold, rise up high into the sky. The entrance into Helheim is a large iron gate, called Nagrindr, adorned with many runes. It is at this gate that Garm, guards the entrance to Hel's domain where the souls of the unworthy and the wicked roam in agony. Unlike the rest of the layer, Helheim is a place of cold, and Hel's hall of Sleet-Cold is surrounded by the localized river, Gjoll, a frozen river of ice shaped like razor sharp daggers. Some believe that the goddess taps into the magical nature of Stygia's biting chill and channels some of it to her domain, though this has yet to be proven.

The seventh layer of the Nine Hells, Thanatos, is dotted with ruined, abandoned cities. Under the blood-black sky, undead creatures roam this layer as much as demons and damned souls do. Cold winds sweep across the layer, chilling travelers to the bone. The air of Thanatos is much thinner than the other layers, making mortal travelers not used to it tire quicker than usual. Dark caverns and pits and brackish canals cover the land like sores. Tombstones of every imaginable and unimaginable type dot the landscape, sometimes standing alone and other times grouped haphazardly as if in small cemeteries. Undead range everywhere and appear to be more plentiful on Thanatos than even demons.

Naratyr, called the City of the Dead, is a cold realm carved into the surface of a large frozen lake. Naratyr's icy architecture is a frigid necropolis of tall mausoleums, towering funeral obelisks, crypt parapets, and carpets woven of hair removed from the thousands of unquiet dead that reside in the city. Naratyr's warlike legions include retrievers, vampiric giants, and liches of all types. The rank and file of the population is mostly zombies, ghouls, wights, and other decaying corpses that move with a dark purpose. Several evil deities have their domains on Thanatos, but they all answer to the ruler of Naratyr, Lord of the Seventh and the Demon Prince of the Undead, Orcus.

Orcus is a massive, bloated demon prince (bloated on spite, bile, and contempt), who was once murdered ages ago by a rival devil named Baalzebub. But Baalzebub's rein over Thanatos did not last long. Within a century of his "death", Orcus rose from the grave and brutally killed his usurper. Now having reinstated himself into his former position and gained more power as being an undead demon, Orcus has focused his hate on the absolute destruction of his enemies and spreading misery and woe on the mortal realm. Truly a demon reborn, Orcus is more terrible and dangerous than ever.

Orcus hates both Graz'zt and Demogorgon, the Lord of the Eighth. He resents them for their power and wishes to annihilate them completely. Orcus commands a host of undead as well as an army of devils that ravage anything they cross. One interesting fact is that Orcus is worshipped as a god more so than any other demon lord, save of course Asmodeus. And it's a fact that Orcus hopes can lead to godhood. Orcus, along with Demogorgon, is one of the only two devils who have not made a play for Asmodeus' throne...at least, not yet.

Standing fifteen feet tall, Orcus is a massive demon. His head bears the striking resemblance to that of a demonic ram, and his legs end in cloven hooves. Bat-like wings complete the picture of the archetypal demon. In fact, when commoners think of a demon, they most likely think of Orcus they once saw somewhere. Orcus is best known in some circles for his wand, an artifact of malefic might. This wand, more accurately described as a rod, is made of black iron and obsidian and topped with a human skull. It has terrible powers and if a horrific weapon in it's own right. The black, skull-topped rod also serves as Orcus' symbol.

Balor of the Evil Eye, a Celtic god of evil, resides here in his realm of Fomoria. Despite having his one eye always closed, the cyclops-esque deity can see all that transpires around him. And when he chooses to open his eye, beware. Anyone who makes eye contact with Balor as the god gazes at them will die instantly. He is waited on by his servants, the Fomorian giants. Larger than the standard giant, and much crueler, the Fomorians, along with a contingent of demons, make up Balor's elite forces that he sends out to smite his foes and defend his realm.

Another deity who makes their home on Thanatos is Amatsu Mikaboshi. Little is known of the dark god's realm as it is covered in a state of impenetrable darkness, and the only entrance is fiercely guarded by a host of demons under the command of the August Star of Heaven (the title of Mikaboshi). Mikaboshi usually keeps to himself in his domain, but, when the need to travel arises, the god takes the form of a large humanoid, usually dressed in fine Japanese robes and wearing a tengu mask. In his true form, Mikaboshi is an amorphous shapeshifter comprised of utter darkness blacker than his domain. Supposedly born of the blackness from before the universe came into being, Mikaboshi is not technically a member of the Japanese pantheon. Whether this rumor is true or not is unknown, but the August Star of Heaven is still seen as a god of evil and darkness in the country.

 

[G&MRPG]

Nine Hells Continued:

Spoiler

The eighth layer of the Nine Hells, called the Cania, is a realm of briny waters and rocky prominences used as rookeries by flying demons. Aboleths, kraken, and ixitxachitl war in the depths, but all bow before the might of the Lord of the Eighth, Demogorgon. It is a primal tropical realm that reflects the bestial elements of chaos and evil, attracting feral devils and crude humanoids from throughout the Nine Hells. A massive, primeval continent covered in dense jungle houses these demons and mortals who serve Demogorgon as a force of strength and brutality, while the briny oceans surrounding the land mass hide other less humanoid denizens.

The two opposing serpentine towers of Abysm, Demogorgon's fortress, emerge from the sea about a hundred miles off the shore just South of the continent. Each spire ends in a minaret resembling an enormous fanged skull. Demogorgon stalks the halls and winding stairs of Abysm, pondering the myriad of mysteries of the Nine Hells and setting grand plans in motion from his grand redoubt. The stone towers extend so far below the surface of Cania, that they open into the sky of the ninth layer, Nessus. Many vile creatures and twisted experiments walk the halls of Abysm, all hungering to serve their master.

Demogorgon, self titled Prince of Demons and Lord of all that Swims in Darkness, is one of the most powerful beings on the plane, both physically and magically, after Asmodeus himself. Despite his power, the self-styled Prince of Demons wages war, both open and subtle, with two other Lords of Nine, Graz'zt and Orcus. Demogorgon is a vile and fearsome sight to behold and is bizarre by even devil standards. The Lord of Nine stands eighteen feet tall and has two heads, each like that of a hyena. His body is long and serpentine, covered in dark, blue-green scales. His necks are long and snaky. Rather than arms, Demogorgon has two long, sinuous tendrils not unlike the tentacles of an octopus. His legs are lean and muscular, and his tail long and forked.

The low sea bed surrounding the Cania mainland, called the Brine Flats, provides shelter from the otherwise intense tides of this layer's ocean, resulting in miles of shallow, salt-rich flats that make perfect habitat for the ixitxachitl, whom Demogorgon has chosen as his favored mortal servants. The thoroughly evil aquatic rays inhabit wide-spanning coral reefs just below the surface, carving out enormous tunnel complexes that occasionally hold lore, magic items, or prisoners crucial to Demogorgon's machinations.

The pit fiend, Belcheresk, honored agent of Demogorgon, dwells withing one of the largest pinnacle systems of the Gaping Maw, the continents sole and colossal mountain range. The upper portions of his domain teem with flying demons and monsters of all kind, while the balconies of the Maw are filled with succubi, kytons, cornugons, gelugons, and many other kinds of demons who serve as Demogorgon's main armies. Belcheresk bear a large conch-like shell known as the Horn of the Sea Mother, whose dolorous calls are capable of enraging all the layer's aquatic inhabitants.

The largest city of Cania's continent, Lemoriax, holds wide, overgrown avenues and crumbling ziggurats that echo with the screams of tens of thousands of savage demons. Travelers expecting the relative stability of other Baatorian cities do not last long in Lemoriax, where the slightest provocation can explode into a whirlwind of vicious mob violence. Demogorgon rules the city himself from his fortress, Abysm, and ventures to the city to climb to the top of the tallest step-pyramid to stoke his follower's passion and bestial rage. Demogorgon's blasphemous declarations and the chorus that follows them can be heard throughout the jungle for miles.

Despite the dangers, Lemoriax boasts the largest slave market of all the Nine Hells, drawing buyers and sellers from not only all of Baator, but from other planes as well. Mortal searching for demonic muscle can take their pick of the brutes of Cania provided they're willing to pay a price that isn't always measured in coins. Finally, Demogorgon's investigations into the deep mysteries of the Nine Hells ensures a great flow of historical and magical objects from remote reaches of the plane. While most ends up in the treasure vault in Abysm, the surplus or misidentified items usually end up in the hands of the rank and file of Lemoriax.

Massive storms, some reaching hurricane status, continually form over the mighty brine ocean and destroy the ships of infernal boatmen and traders alike. Some storms reach the mainland on occasion, and tear through the jungle with savage fury. One location of such raging storms is a location out in the ocean of Cania called the Stygian Eye. The Eye is a persistent and large swirling maelstrom that draws in ships that get too close to it's churning whirlpool waters. Incredible storms blast the region with hurricane force gales and massive bolts of lighting and waterspouts.

The Egyptian god of evil, Set, makes his home in Cania in his realm called the Twelve Hours of Night. Set has the body of a muscular man, but, like the other deities of his pantheon, has an animalistic head. But, unlike the other gods, Set's head is not of a true animal, but a bizarre mix of an aardvark and a jackal with red, matted fur. Set is a cunning and crafty deity, and has gained more power from absorbing the power of the demonic entity, Apep. Set sometimes appears in animal form as a large hunting dog, a dire hippopotamus, or a wild boar with huge, bloodied tusks when visiting the mortal realm. Set commands a force of demonic scorpion centaurs, infernal nagas, yuan-ti, and a few demons who patrol his domain, which is perpetually covered in magical night. Set is not foolish enough to challenge Demogorgon, and gives the Lord of Nine a wide berth and has formed a tenuous alliance with the Prince of Demons. As such, Demogorgon leaves Set to his own devices and stays away from his realm, though the Lord of the Eighth is always watching the Egyptian god.

Gruumsh, the demonic deity of the orcs, resides in Cania as well. His kingdom is a small territory carved out in the Northern area of the continent, and it's borders are guarded by demonic orcs and a legion of narzugon calvalry that was given to him by Asmodeus for a long forgotten favor. Brooding in his iron fortress, Nishrek, Gruumsh hates the elven gods with a dark passion and wants nothing more than to see them and their followers die a horrible death. Part of this is due to Gruumsh losing his right eye in direct battle with Corellon Larethian, the chief deity of the elven pantheon. It is this injury that has given him the nickname of Gruumsh One-Eye. Like Set, Gruumsh stays clear of Demogorgon and, in return, the Prince of Demons allows Gruumsh to control his territory on his own. Gruumsh himself appears as a giant orc, standing at twelve feet tall, whose long black hair is blooded and matted. His eyes burn with a fiery orange-red light of hate for the elves, a stark contrast to his ebony skin, and a pair of pure white tusks that jut out from his lower jaw.

The ninth and final layer in Baator is Nessus. The deepest realm in the Nine Hells, Nessus is a blasted plain shattered by rifts deeper than the deepest ocean trench that floats in a swirling crimson void. It's roughly ovoid, jagged edged land mass extends for approximately 2,500 miles from East to West, and 1,100 miles from it's Northernmost and Southernmost points. Many of the ravines and canyons here reach thousands of miles into undifferentiated, dead stone. Most of the trenches seem natural, but some appear as if they were cut or blasted into the land. The largest of these crevasses are miles wide and dozens of miles deep. Rumor has it that an offshoot of the Styx flows here and there, dropping into trenches and trickling it's way across the layer. Few know how to reach this tributary, if it exists at all. the absolute flatness of Nessus allows a traveler to see miles in all directions. The layer is devoid of trees, structures, and changes of elevation, giving it's desolate landscape little to no cover. Beings moving across it's surface can be seen for hours before finally closing into weapons range.

The denizens of Nessus live in canyons, either in caves carved out along the walls, or on the crevasse floors. Although the surface of Nessus is finite, it's twisting canyons and runnels contain an effectively infinite amount of space. The canyons intersect confusingly across the surface of Nessus. In a few places they weave around each other, sculpting towering mesas. To reach a specific destination, a traveler must be able to tell one gorge from another, a difficult task for any who do not dwell on the layer. In keeping with the layers utter hostility to travelers, the canyons and crevasses are unmarked. Maps of the surface have been cobbled together from sketches created by generations of suicidally brave cartographers. Even when accurate, these maps are difficult to match with conditions on the ground.

Few bridges span the canyons, and those that do exist are either heavily guarded or trapped. Any seemingly unguarded bridge is ready to hurl travelers to the canyon floor below if the correct password is not spoken when they reach the midway point. Flightless devils are expected to remain in their home crevasses, but, in case of emergency, they can climb out up the treacherous walls or via rope ladders. Most with poor climbing skills only venture out of the caves when their lives depend on it. Even still, the floors of most canyons are littered with the bones and bodies of demons who fell to their deaths.

The ruler of Nessus is Asmodeus, the King of Hell, Lord of the Nine, the Grand Duke of Baator, and the Archfiend. Asmodeus commands all devilkind, rules over the Lords of the Nine, and is the undisputed master of the Nine Hells. Even the deities that reside in Baator pay Asmodeus a great deal of respect. Asmodeus is certainly older than any devil in Hell, although some say he was not the plane's first ruler. On the other hand, some claim that he is indeed the original, primal force of evil in the universe and creator of the demon race as every drop of his blood spawns a new devil. The actions of Asmodeus are often mysterious to outsiders, but that is due to the short-sighted and dim-witted view most beings have. The Archfiend's machinations are labyrinthine and insidious. They work on a grand scale, although when it suits his needs he is willing to focus his attention even on the status of a lowly mortal soul. Throughout countless millennia, Asmodeus has shown that he can take on virtually all other archdevils in Hell and arise triumphant when the smoke clears. His will alone dictates who rules the various layers of Baator. Once a year, he gathers the other Lords of Nine together in his home on Nessus, the fortress called Malsheem. None have ever refused this call.

Asmodeus stands at just over thirteen feet tall, with lustrous dark skin and dark hair. He is handsome in the same way that a thunderstorm is beautiful. His red eyes shine with the power of Hell, and his head is crowned with a pair of small dark-red sharp horns. The robes he wears are of the finest red and black material of all the planes, and they are studded with black diamonds and fiery rubies. Asmodeus carries with him always a rod that appears to have been carved from a single ruby that radiates with the infernal power of the plane itself. Dubbed the Ruby Rod of Asmodeus, this artifact of terrible power is one of the most deadliest devices in existence.

Asmodeus' concerns are simple. First, he wants the power structure of Baator to remain in place, with him in charge. To meet this end, the Lord of the Nine has spies on every layer, plants in every court. No fiend knows for sure which of it's minions actually serves Asmodeus, so the climate is one of justified paranoia. the second is the expansion of evil. Asmodeus directly opposes celestials and goodly deities. His minions combat the agents of Celestia, murdering them whenever and wherever they can. Finally, Asmodeus covets that which other devils seek: godhood. To attain godhood, Asmodeus has discovered that it not only takes rituals both ancient and foul, but also a base of mortal worshippers. As such, Asmodeus has slowly instituted one of the largest cults of evil on the Material Plane, quietly corrupted those with weak minds and tainted hearts. His cult is larger than those of all other devils combined. He influences all levels of society and has followers of nearly every race, even within the strongest bastions for good.

Asmodeus is aware of every plots hatched against him. Older than the oldest archdevil, Asmodeus has seen rise and fall of other archfiends far craftier than his current contemporaries. He keeps to himself letting his minions stew in fear of what he will do next. Of course, few have forgotten that Asmodeus has emerged from every attempted coupe unscathed, proving to all that he is their better. The court of Asmodeus is comprised of a select few dukes and archfiends, most notably Andramalech, the Chancellor of Hell, and Phongor, the Inquisitor of Hell. Asmodeus once had a wife in the devil, Bensozia, a beautiful, wingless, red-skinned humanoid with long white hair, and completely black eyes with a cold, haughty, yet polite, demeanor. From this unholy union, Glaysa was born. She was murdered though by the archdevil Geryon in an attempt to get to Asmodeus. Asmodeus has yet to take another consort as he did with Bensozia since her death.

Asmodeus' origins are shrouded in mystery, and many legends and stories claim to hold the truth behind the Archfiend's past. In the most famous of these legends, Asmodeus began as a servant to the lawful gods. He was said to be the "bravest, toughest, fiercest, and most beautiful" of the goodly servants of the gods. It was said that he and his fellow servants were created to battle the yugoloths, an ancient race of evil creatures that resided in an unknown dimension long before the dawn of man, so that the gods could focus their attention with creating the world and sentient beings.

After eons of fighting the yugoloths, Asmodeus and his fellows began to change, growing similar in appearance and methods to the yugoloths they fought. Afraid of his power and the changes he had under gone, the gods put Asmodeus on trial and demanded he and his ilk be cast out of Celestia. However, Asmodeus argued effectively (and correctly) that he and his fellows had not violated the law. Asmodeus and his followers successfully sued for access to Celestia and all the honors to which they were entitled.

Once the gods created the world and sentient beings, the yugoloths attacked them too. The gods created mountains, oceans, and wastelands to seal up the gates to the yugoloth's home dimension, but their creations defied their orders and explored their world, accidentally unsealing the gates. The gods could not understand why their creations did not follow their instructions, until Asmodeus explained to them that their system did not work because it relied solely on voluntary compliance. Asmodeus explained that the only way to ensure obedience was to threaten mortals with a disincentive; hence, Asmodeus invented the concept of punishment.

Asmodeus convinced the gods to sign a contract called the Pact Primeval. Which allowed Asmodeus and his follows to take up residence in the abandoned realm of Baator, to punish the souls of wicked mortals, and to extract magical energies from the souls under their care in order to fuel their powers. Otherwise, Asmodeus reasoned, they would have to be granted the status of godhood to do their job, which the current deities would fine unacceptable. At first, the gods found this arrangement agreeable. However, they eventually realized that fewer and fewer mortal souls were ascending to Celestia, and that Asmodeus and his followers were deliberately tempting mortals to damnation. When they arrived in Baator, the gods found Asmodeus had turned it into a nightmarish world of endless suffering, filled with countless new devils. When called to account for his actions, Asmodeus uttered the famous words, "Read the fine print."

This is but one of many legends concerning Asmodeus' origins. Most of the myths tell that he was cast out of the Upper Planes, and fell and fell and fell until he crashed into Baator, shattering the plane into nine layers and tearing his flesh open into gaping wounds, until coming to rest at the bottom most layer. Another tells that Asmodeus' true form is that of a giant serpent-like creature who was cast out of Celestia before the creation of the gods, and who's fall into Baator created the eighth and ninth layers of the plane. It is said that he is still recovering from his wounds in the pits of Nessus, and that his devil form is just an avatar of the real Asmodeus. Nobody who tells the story of the true form of Asmodeus survives more than twenty-four hours after it's telling. Whether any of these or the other stories about Asmodeus' origins are true remains to be seen, if it will be revealed at all as the one being who does know, Asmodeus, isn't telling.

Two famous gorges of Nessus are Hell's Lips and Reaper's Canyon. Mortals traveling through Hell's Lips become unnaturally hungry and thirsty, consuming their supplies in a matter of minutes. Travelers entering Reaper's Canyon always shudder as if in the presence of death itself. Wounds sustained in Reaper's Canyon are much worse than they would normally be, and bleed more profusely. It is here, at the junction of these two canyons, that Asmodeus' citadel of Malsheem rests. The main structure, built of stone and Baatorian green steel, stretches in an "X" shape for miles along the floors of both gorges. Additional chambers and garrisons have been created by digging deep within the canyon walls. If Malsheem ever collapsed, millions of devils would die in the crush of rock, but since the fortress was designed by Asmodeus himself, such fears seem foolish.

Malsheem houses Asmodeus' vast army, which grows in number every time he sheds a drop of blood. These forces are restricted for his personal use, when the moment comes to storm the heavens. The citadel and it's connecting tunnel complexes are so large that a map of them would run thousands of pages. Adventurers occasionally find documents purporting to map small portions of it, but these are undoubtedly bogus.

Jutting from the side of Reaper's Canyon is a magical citadel called Tabjari that is accessible only from the tunnels inside the earth. These tunnels are elaborately trapped and guarded, as Tabjari contains a treasure which Asmodeus must protect at all costs. No devils patrol the halls of Tabjari, as the treasure exerts a disturbing influence over them. Tabjari's deepest vault holds Asmodeus' copy of the Pact Primeval, struck between himself and the primal deities of law. It's divine energy suffuses the entire complex, radiating an overwhelming aura that is both ineffably good and unspeakably evil. Mortals that enter Tabjari are subjected to this aura that defies all metaphysical principles, and loose their minds to confusion and insanity. The other copy of the Pact Primeval resides somewhere in Celestia, under similar guard. Both copies are said to be indestructible.

 

[G&MRPG]

The Mounting Heavens of Celestia: It is the land of splendor. It is where ultimate goodness is idealized. It is law and good, understanding and mercy.

Spoiler

As if in defiance of Baator, the Mounting Heavens of Celestia rise high into the eldritch sky from a never ending sea of crystal-clear holy water. Each layer of Celestia is home to a single pantheon of gods and goddesses, and is the planar home of their worshippers who paid homage to them in their mortal lives. Celestia is a home of all things beautiful, and is a bastion of all that is good and just in all the planes of existence. Even non-human deities reside in their own layer on the plane, such as the Platinum Dragon, Bahamut, and the god of the elves, Corellon Larethian.
All throughout the plane, watchful eyes hold the rampart against evil in all it's forms.

Gravity on Celestia is as it is on the Material Plane, and time flows normally here. Each layer of Celestia is infinite, though each layer is but one portion of the greater mountain, with each being higher than the last. The landscape of Celestia functions as one normally would in the real world, but the Sky-Fathers, lords of each pantheon, have the ability to shape and mold their layer as they see fit. Atmosphere is normal here, but access to food and water depends greatly on the layer being visited as some hold these staples in greater abundance than others. Evil creatures are completely revolted by the plane, it's goodly energy seeming to seep into their very being. As such, their reaction time is greatly reduced, and their thoughts are usually dominated with the desire to leave as quickly as possible. Magic works normally on Celestia as it does in the Material Plane.

The Mounting Heavens are home to many creatures of good, such as aasimars, devas, planetars, archons, and solars. The planes primary inhabitants are the celestials, who are to Celestia as the devils are to the Nine Hells: natives of the plane and purveyors of it's ideals. Celestials roam the entirety of the Mounting Heavens, not under the sway of any single pantheon, but aiding them when needed. Celestials can also be found on the Material Plane defending the helpless from demonic attacks and schemes.

There are many layers that make up the Mounting Heavens of Celestia, with each layer comprised of a different environment ideal to the gods and beings that inhabit them. Listed here are a few of the major layers of the plane...

The first layer of Celestia is the heroic domain of Asgard, home to the pantheon of Norse gods. The plane itself is a huge expanse of forests, mountains, and cities. The Aesir, the Norse gods, live within the city of Asgard, the grandest in the entire layer, and are ruled by the All-Father, Odin. Odin is an ambivalent deity who sacrificed his eye to Mimir's Well to gain the wisdom of the ages. Odin is a god of battle, death, poetry, prophecy, and magic. His hall of Valhalla is the greatest of all the realm, and is the home of the einherjar, fallen warriors who were slain in glorious battle. The beautiful battle maidens of the All-Father, the Valkyries, scour the battlefields of the Material Plane and gather the souls of fallen warriors devoted to their pantheon and take them to Valhalla where they will await the day of Ragnarok and fight alongside the gods. Asgard has many realms, the most notably being Jotunheimr and Muspelheim.

Jotunheimr, the land of the giants, is a place of bitter cold and dangerous terrain. Consisting mainly of stone and frost giants, the Jotun, as they are called, are the enemy of the Aesir and are often in battle with the Norse gods. Despite this animosity, Jotuns do mingle with and some even marry the gods. In some stories it is said that Loki, the Norse god of Mischief, is the son of giants taken by the All-Father and raised as one of the Aesir. Odin's son, Thor, often ventures into the land of Jotunheimr to slay as many giants as he can.

Muspelheim is a realm of flame, and is home to the fire giants, and their master, Surtr. Muspelheim is a barren land, made of burning hot earth, rivers of lava, and great volcanoes. It is similar in traits to the Elemental Plane of Fire in that creatures and items without proper protection risk catching fire. It is said that when the day of Ragnarok arrives, Surtr will lead his fire giants out into the world and burn it to ash.

Asgard is the most accessible of the heavenly plains, as portals appear throughout the Material Plane in the form of great rainbows. Heimdall, the guardian of the Rainbow Bridge which leads into Asgard, has the eyes of an eagle and a sense of hearing that could hear the very grass of the world grow. Nothing escapes his notice. It is said that Heimdall's blowing of the great Gjallarhorn will herald the beginning of Ragnarok.

The fourth layer of the plane is Olympus, home to the Greek gods.Olympus is a place of splendid beauty and grandeur, with rolling fields of bright green grasses and a large, looming mountain where the gods of the Greeks reside. High atop the mountain that bears the name of the layer, crystal mansions, golden walkways, and breath-taking fountains and statues adorn this divine domain. Zeus, god of sky and thunder, is the lord of the Olympians and rules over the layer as a just though somewhat aloof leader.

Surrounding Mount Olympus are the rolling Elysian Fields, vibrant fields of glorious majesty where the souls of the brave and virtuous believers of the Olympic gods go when they die. The spirits of the dead seem as bright versions of what they looked like in the mortal realm, but dressed in fine, white garments and are well groomed. Wild game can be found in the layer, from boar to fowl, and small rivers of fresh spring water flow constantly down and around the mountain. Portals to Olympus are rare, but they can be found on the Material Plane usually atop the highest peak of a mountain or range.

In an remote location on the Mount rests the doors to the demi-plane of Tartarus, the vast realm of nebulous darkness where the Olympians confined their forebears, the Titans, to constant punishment and imprisonment. Tartarus is a bleak void of nothingness and sorrow, and quickly saps the will from any being who is cast into it's dark depths. The door is constantly guarded by a pair of powerful solars who let none near the Tartarian doors unless they are sent by Zeus himself.

The seventh layer of Celestia is Arvandor, home of the elven deities. It is a layer comprised of great open spaces beneath glades of trees. Within these canopied clearings lie the settlements of the chosen of Arvandor, the souls of goodly elves and their allies, who live an idealized elven life. The cycle of day and night matches that of the Material Plane, with a golden sun beaming over the treetops in the day, and a white moon nestled among milky rivers of stars at night. The days are filled with hunts and friendly challenges of competition, while the warm nights of Arvandor are a time of great feasts, celebration, and tales told around the fire.
The most prominent feature of Arvandor is the grand Elven Court of the Seldarine, the name of the elven pantheon. Lit by great fireflies, and composed of expertly grown colossal oaks and lindens, the Elven Court is where the gods reside and discuss matters of great importance.

Corellon Larethian, First of the Seldarine, is the primary deity and rules the pantheon with a mind of justice and mercy. The rest of the Seldarine is made up of the Erevan Illesere, god of mischief and luck, Hanali Celanil, goddess of love and beauty, Labelas Enoreth, god of knowledge and longevity, Rillifane Rallathil, god of nature and the woodlands, Sehanine Moonbow, goddess of mysticism, dreams, and journeys, and Solonor Thelandira, god of hunting and war. Corellon and the Seldarine despise the orc god, Gruumsh, and the goddess of the dark elves, Lolth, opposing them and their followers wherever they find them.

The eight layer of the Mounting Heavens is Mercuria, home to Bahamut, ruler of good dragons.It is a place of thin air and high hopes, where golden light suffuses everything. Here, the slopes are tame, the valley's lush, and the streams fast-running. Great tombs and wondrous mausoleums on Mercuria grant a final resting place for the noblest of Bahamut's servants, be they dragon or humanoid. Built entirely from the treasure horde of Bahamut the Platinum Dragon his palace is a glittering wonder that is visible throughout the layer. The palace's windows are gemstones in settings of gold and silver, it's walls are inlaid with copper and jade, and it's floors are beaten mithral.

Within, seven great wyrms attend Bahamut, the Lord of the North Wind, amid treasure gathered over eons, and the bones of thousands of failed thieves. Bahamut is the lord and patron of the goodly metallic dragons, and is enemy of the chromatic dragon deity, Tiamat. Bahamut appears as a colossal wyrm with shining platinum scales and eyes that glow with a different color to suit Bahamut's mood (usually a deep blue, but turn a bright, blazing gold when angry).

The tenth layer of the Celestia is Tuat, home to the deities of the Egyptian people. Like the layer of Asgard, Tuat consists of a few smaller domains. The Solar Barge, home to the pantheon's head, Ra-Horakhty, sails across the sky illuminating the entire layer. Underneath the tremendous mountains of the West lay the Offering Fields, a place of peace and prosperity for the souls of the righteous. Seven enormous gates provides passage to the Seven Halls, each of which is a cavern large enough to hold several cities. Osiris, Judge of the Dead, rules this area from the Hall of Truth, where he and the gods judge the souls of mortals and deems if they are worthy to live in the eternal bliss of the Offering Fields.

Anubis guides each of these souls from the Mountains of the West to the Hall of Truth to be judged. There the soul is weighed on a balance against the Feather of Ma'at, while the judges considers the dead person's deeds. Righteous souls are allowed entry into the Seven Halls and the Offering fields, while the souls of the damned are consumed Am-mit, a hideous monster with the head of a crocodile, body of a hippopotamus, and the claws of a lion.

The thirteenth layer of the plane is Erackinor, home of Moradin and the dwarven gods. The layer is comprised huge mountain whose slopes are deeply tunneled with a vast dwarven mansion. None but dwarves and dwarven souls are allowed to within. Those that enter and return speak in hushed tones of stonework and craftsmanship unlike any seen on the Material Plane. When Moradin fires up the Soul Forges, deep within the roots of the mountain, all the halls rush with the noise of the bellows. Dwarven priests say that Moradin uses the Soul Forges to temper the spirits of his people and their weapons. The Forges may have other uses as well, but they are unknown to all but the gods. The armories of Erackinor are second to none, and the combat veteran dwarves and dwarven souls make the mansion nigh impregnable.

The rest of the dwarven pantheon, called the Morndinsamman, consists of Berronar Truesilver, the goddess of safety, truth, home, and healing, and the consort of Moradin, Clanggedin Silverbeard, dwarven god of strength and battle, Dugmaren Brightmantle, dwarven god of scholars, Dumathoin, dwarven god of mining and underground exploration, Muamman Duathal, dwarven god of wanderers and expatriates, and Vergadain, dwarven deity of wealth and luck.

 

[Johnny Blaze]

Screen Name: Johnny Blaze

Character you have created (include known alias or nicknames here as well): Charaun

Race (What race is your character) (GMs must approve of any race not part of the big 4): Human Athenian (Greece) Lich (Undead)

Racial Traits (triats specific to your race; list can be found in the second post of the OOC thread) (For races not listed, GMs must create traits for that race first before player approval): Lichsight (the eerie glowing red-pin points of light in a lich's empty, black eye sockets see much more accurately than any mortal. The lich has darkvision at a distance of 60 feet. The lich cannot be blinded or impared by any light no matter how bright, even from a magical source. Likewise, magical darkness does not hamper a lich's vision either. In the eyes of a lich, it is as though neither light nor darkness exist); Fear Aura (Lichs are shrouded in a invisible aura of death and dread. All those withing a 30ft radius are unnaturally shaken to the core and are a bit slower to react because of it; the lich can surpress this aura if it chooses); Paralyzing Touch (with but a simple touch the lich can paralyze a victim by channeling the negative energies coursing through it's body to it's hand. A person who falls prey to this attack will immediately become paralyzed and immobile. So much so that others checking them, even a skilled healer, would think that they are dead. The paralysis lasts for an hour, but can be magically removed as though it were a curse. Due to the touch requiring the focus of negative energies, the lich can only perform this attack once every few minutes.) Damaging Touch (The negative energy flowing through a lich's body is damaging to living creatures; the touch of a lich fills the touched area of a victim with a deathly coldness from the grave that ignites the area in agony equal to the pain caused from any blade strike); Immune to cold attacks, electrical attacks, negative energy attacks, disease, aging, poisons, polymorph, and paralysis & can only be harmed by magic and/or magical weapons; Being undead, the lich does not need to eat, sleep, or breath and is beyond the physical wants and desires of mortals


Character Class (Somewhat similar to the classes in the CAH RPG, but with some differences) (Choose One): Mystic (wizard)

Patron Deity (only required for those under the Paladin heading or who are a priest, cleric, or other divine agent; others may choose one if they wish to flesh out their character more) (Your Patron Deity MUST be from the pantheon significant to your character's culture, I.E. no Odin worshipping Egyptian Priestess): None, but pays hommage to the demon lord, Orcus

Magic (if your character is a Mystic, choose one of the following schools of magic to specialize in. NOTE: A player will only be able to cast spells that deal with their school, forsaking all others, so choose carefully) (Descriptions of the schools and notes on magic can be found in a reserved post in the OOC Thread): Necromancy

Speech Color and/or Font (actually say what you're using, don't go "Like this", or what not): Dark Red, Impact

Character Alignment (Good/Evil/Neutral): Evil

Character Personality(Give information on how your character acts, what he/she believes in, how they handle situations): Charaun is powerful lich who has been alive for centuries. As such he is a very arrogant being, convinced that his power and status cannot be bested. He is only out for his own ends, and cares nothing of any lives that get ruined along the way. Coming from wealth in his days as a mortal, Charaun is an articulate creature and is well-versed in the ways of regal protocal and etiquette. Charaun is not fond of the company of the living, prefering to surround himself with undead minions, monsters, and demons. Despite this quirk, he is not above interacting with mortals. A consumate schemer, Charaun is constently hatching dark plots and nefarious acts.

Charaun is obsessed with power and is constantly searching for more. He is an intelligent being, and loves to play the role of manipulator, often getting adventurers to do his dirty work for him. He has been known to enter towns magically cloaked as a normal man of prestige, and hire adventurers to find items of great value for him. Despite this fact, Charaun is not above getting his hands dirty. He'd just rather not waste his precious time if he can help it.
Charaun is a hateful being and is able to hold a grudge for many years, as evidence from his continued hatred of the families of the men who were behind driving him out of Athens.

He has also grown quite fond of being a corrupter of goodly folk, especially holy men. He enjoys twisting their hearts and minds and turning them from the righteous path and towards the darkness. This trait is one Charaun must have picked up from his dark master, Orcus.

Origin Info/Details (don't be blunt, be as thorough as possible): Once a mighty sorcerer in the City-State of Athens, Charaun's lust for power knew no bounds. Coming from a wealthy family in high standings of the city, Charaun's father was able to send him to study at the Athenian Academy of The Art, one of the most prestigeous schools of magic in all of Greece. There he learned under some of the best wizards in all the land and proved to be a quick study. After many years of hard, never-ending work Charaun graduated at the head in his class and soon after joined a rather infamous group of adventures called the Swords of Ares.

The Swords of Ares were a band of morally challenged mercenaries who took any job that paid well enough, no matter how vile. All that mattered to them was the rewards, and that was not lost on Charaun. In fact it was a sentiment he whole-heartedly agreed with. The Swords adventured for many years, and sometime during those years Charuan fell under the sway of the Demon Prince of the Undead, Orcus. Under the tutelage of Orcus and his minions, Charaun became a master of the necromatic arts, learning many long forgotten evil rituals.
Including a ritual long forgotten on the mortal realm: the secret path to lichdom.

Charaun left the Swords and returned to his family's estate, murdering his parents and siblings and sacrificing them to Orcus. Now in control of the entire family fortune, Charaun went about collecting the necessary items required for his transcendance into unlife. At the end of his search Charaun employed his old company, the Swords of Ares, to find for him the final item he would need. The Swords completed their task, and returned with the item. Upon receiving the item, Charaun delivered his payment...a swift death.
Charaun completed the ancient, infernal ritual that took his own life, but arose moments later as a creature of undeath.

Charaun spent the next few decades locked away in his secluded manor, furthering his studies of arcane lore. To protect his interests, Charaun brought his former adventuring troupe back as undead minions under his command, renaming them the Swords of Orcus. Eventually though, Charaun's twisted experiments brought the wrath of all of Athens down on him and he was forced to flee.

Now Charaun makes his home in the ominous castle of Warlock's Rest, hidden deep within the Black Forest of Germany atop the Feldberg mountain. Here in his fortress, Charaun continues to seek out knowledge and artifacts. He is occasionally confronted by foolish adventurers who have heard tale of the vaste treasures he has aquired and come to seek them out. Most fall prey to the myriad of traps and monsters which inhabit his castle, though the truly skilled ones are honored by being slain by the lich himself. Those that fall in the castle are soon brought back as undead servants, slaves to Charaun's will.

Charaun does not leave the Rest often, but when he does it is always for a purpose (searching for a new knowledge, getting revenge on a hated foe, manipulate/inlist others to his causes, etc). Most of the time however he can be found deep in the Castle's catacombs inside his laboratory, or in his grand library filled with hundreds of anceint tomes and scrolls, continuing his dark experiments and plotting, always plotting, for more power.


Attributes (Select one from each category) (some races are greater or weaker than a human in specific catagories and will be noted below):

Strength Level: Normal Human

Speed/Reaction Timing Level: Normal Human

Endurance at MAXIMUM Effort/Durability: Undead Lich (He does not tire, he does not feel pain the way humans do, and is suceptable only to magic weapons and spells)

Agility: Normal Human

Intelligence: Super-Genius

Fighting Skill: Trained

Resources: Extreme

Notable Equipment (Items your character has on them of relevance, such as thieving tools if they're a rogue, holy items if they're a priest, magic weapons and/or armor, magic items, etc; we assume you're character has basic stuff, like rations, waterskin, and a torch or lantern; be as specific as possible as well as realistic as possible, I.E. if your character is carrying a ton of stuff their mobility and endurance will be sorely hindered; also keep in mind that magic items are rare, expensive, and difficult to make) (For ideas for notable equipment, and magic items, check out the link below the app): Bone Staff (staff carved out of the blackened rib bone of a red dragon and adorned with an onyx human skull with a pair of rubies in the eye sockets; able to loose a cone of fire from the skull's eyes akin to the breath weapon of a red dragon with a range of 60ft); Ring of Freedom of Movement (allows bearer to move and attack normally through areas and spells that would otherwise impede movement, such as being underwater and walking through a bog, and spells such as web and solid fog); Ring of Mind Shielding (protects against detection of thoughts, detection of lies, and detection of alignment); Amulet of Teleportation (a golden necklace worn around the neck with a rune carved stone in the shape of a small circle; allows the wearer to teleport to a location up to ten miles away. The location in question must be visually known by the wearer or the magic will not work.); Phylactery (magical artifact used to hold Charaun's soul. If his body is ever destroyed, Charaun's spirit will immediately return to his phylactery, no matter where Charaun in upon his "death." The phylactery is protected by powerful magics and is impossible to destroy by conventional means. If the phylactery is ever destroyed, the next time Charaun is killed he will be gone forever. What Charaun's phylactery is remains unknown to all but the lich himself.)


Weaknesses (If your character has any specific weakness, such as a vampire's weakness to sunlight (among other things) and Faerie's weakness to iron, list them here): If his body is destroyed, Charaun is not dead. Instead his spirit will return to his phylactery, a magical artifact used to house the lich's soul. Here it will wait until a new body is within range, be it dead or living, and then will attempt to take possession of it. If the phylactery is destroyed then the next time the lich is killed the lich is destroyed forever.
Being a lich, only magical weapons and spells may truly harm him. A normal weapon striking a lich would be akin to a weapon striking a piece of cold, hard stone.

Supporting Characters (Does your character have a significant other? A mother? Friend? Who are they, what do they have to do with your character?): The Swords of Orcus (Anastasia - female human vampire priestess of Orcus; Hilarion - male human death knight soldier; Kallisto - female elven vampire assassin); Nightshade (adult shadow dragon ally); various other minions and monsters under his thrall

Describe using proper English grammar what you think you can bring to the RPG: Experience in role-playing, a castle filled with amazingly tempting treasures, and a truly evil villain that will be a bane to heroes all throughout the known world and beyond.

How many times do you intend on posting a DAY IN the RPG: As many as need be, life permiting.

Do you know how to post pictures on the hype boards: Yes

Sample Post (Minimum Four paragraphs containing dialogue):

The man waddled through the old library, adorned in the robes of a beggar, large shelves of dusty books and scrolls surrounding him. The library's elequent design work shined in the moon light beaming in from the great windows, and of the flickering flame of lanterns hanging along pillars and walls. The beggar was alone in the library as it was closed for the night hours ago. How he got in was a mystery, but, nevertheless, the beggar was perusing a section of books on ancient Babylonian rituals when a voice cut through the silence of the library like a blade.

"So, it would appear are assumptions were correct."

The beggar turned to regard a rather plump, clean-shaven human male dressed in fine robes and holding an iron staff.

"Yes", came another's voice from the other side of the room, "it seems as though our trap was a successful one."

The beggar spun to regard another human, more lithely built than his comrade, with a full graying beard, but still dressed in fine robes.

The beggar put the down the tome he had taken out and looked at both men, recognizing them as the mages they were.

"You're time is at an end, vile one", stated the corpulent one as he clutched tightly his staff.

The beggar looked at both of his would-be killers and laughed loudly, an inhuman laugh that sent shivers down the mage's spines.

"So", said the beggar with a smirk, "you thought to lure me out and trap me, eh?"

"Yes", the slender man calmly replied, "we are not foolish enough to challenge you in your lair where you are nigh invincible. So, with the promise of ancient knowledge, we lured you out to where we would be on even terms."

The beggar reared his head back and laughed loudly once again, in a mocking manner.
"Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! You pathetic little creatures!"

"Do you honestly have the audacity to think that you are equal to me", roared the beggar as he tore off his ragged cloak to reveal regal, yet tattered robes, and ripped off the human flesh used to disguise his face and arms, revealing him to be a shriveled, decaying, dead thing.
The need for disguise gone, the lich revealed his true form.

The fat man visibly wavered at the sight of the dread creature as it stared at him with it's hateful eyes...eyes as black as the deepest abyss, yet burning with small pinpoint pyres of crimson.

"Do not be afraid", shouted the slender man to his chubby companion, "together we have the might to defeat the lich once and for all!"

"HA! You are a fool, Andreas", replied the lich, the man seemingly not rattled that the lich knew his true name.
"Both you and your fat friend will die here tonight. Even in the unlikely chance that you were to destroy me here, I will return, and my vengeance will be terrible."

"What are you talking about creature", asked the portly one as he took a small step forward.

"Why, Andreas did not tell you", questioned the lich as he grinned a disgustingly evil smile towards Andreas before turning to regard the fat one, "this body is but a vessel. It matters not if you destroy it, I will return."

"Now enough of this babble", sneered the lich, "I have more pressing matters to attend to than to waste time dealing with a witless hunter and his hapless lackey. It was a mistake to allow you to live those decades ago, Andreas, a mistake a shall now rectify."

"You slaughtered my comrades, creature, and left me alive to tell the tale. I have had years to remember that horrid night and to plot your downfall", Andreas spoke as he glared at the lich with contempt, "no, it is you who will be destroyed this night."

 

[Byrd Man]

Gods & Men: The Ancient Myths RPG: SEASON I

Screen Name: byrd_man

Character you have created (include known alias or nicknames here as well): Prince Darius The Bold

Race/Culture: Centaur (greece)

Racial Traits

Centaurs: Nature Sense (Centaurs are creatures of the wilds, living in tribes in tune with nature. As such, they have a vast knowledge of local flora and fauna in their tribal lands. Even in foreign lands, centaurs can usually tell if a plant is edible or not, or if it might have other properties by the smell, taste, look, or feel of it); Hunter's Stealth (Centaurs are natural hunters, stalking and killing game and animals for their very survival. As such, they have become adapt at moving silently through forested areas, provided they are not overly dense or the forest floor covered by items that would make moving silently impossible, such as thousands of dead leaves that crunch under their hooves); Being isolationists, centaurs are leery of humanoids, especially those who dwell in the cities and the so-called "modern" world. This paranoia is strong enough to keep most tribes as far away from towns as possible; average life span of 350 years.


Character Class (Somewhat similar to the classes in the CAH RPG, but with some differences) (Choose One): Fighter (the quintessential melee masters and weaponed warriors; fighters include soldiers, barbarians, gladiators, martial artists, rangers, and all general warriors)


Speech Color and/or Font (actually say what you're using, i.e. Arial Black; don't go "Like this", or what not): Blue, Tahoma, and Bolded

Character Alignment (Good/Evil/Neutral): Neutral to all humans and every other race excluding his fellow Centaurs.

Character Personality (Give information on how your character acts, what he/she believes in, how they handle situations): Darius has a certain smugness that comes with being royality, he's often seen as cold and calculating. But, infront of family and close friends. He tends to lighten up and show his insecurities. With his time with Chiron,he has learned to embrace human culture more and enjoys the human's music and human works of art.

Origin Info/Details (don't be blunt, be as thorough as possible):

Born to King Phillip of the centaurs a 125 years ago, Darius quickly earned his title "bold" Darius wasn't even 20 when he and his friend, David, were caught by human horse traders. It was Darius who fought the traders off and killed every last one of them, saving himself and David from death in the process. When he turned 50, Phillip sent him off to northen Greece to learn with one of the world's greates teachers, a fellow Centuar named Chiron. Darius learned much from Chiron, battle, death, life, love, and art. Darius returned at age 100 a diffrent colt that had left. 25 years later, King Phillip is on his deathbed. The centaurs, one a proud race, are now dying away slowly. There only hope rest on Darius' broad shoulders as he and his friend David venture out into the world, there mission: Find more of there kind to make sure the race lives on to see another day.

Attributes (Select one from each category) (some races are greater or weaker than a human in specific categories and will be noted below or in the racial traits section of the OOC thread):

Strength Level: Same as a man - top half; same as a horse - lower half

Speed/Reaction Timing Level: As fast as a horse; reaction time same as a man.

Endurance at MAXIMUM Effort/Durability: Slightly more sturdy than a man and the endurance on par with a horse.

Agility: Less agile than a man and a bit clumsy in close spaced areas such as towns built for men.

Intelligence: Above average. As a pupil of Chiron Darius became well versed in battle strategies, combat, human culture, and even art.

Fighting Skill: Expert in sword play and close quarters combat, master of the longbow and archery

Resources: Minimal

Notable Equipment

A broadsword, a battle axe he recived from Chiron, a wooden log bow passed down in his family from generation to generation, a quiver containing two dozen arrows.

Weaknesses: He's vunerable to swords, arrows, and a host of other things.

Supporting Characters (Does your character have a significant other? A mother? A Friend? Who are they, what do they have to do with your character?): Darius' bodyguard and childhood friend, David.

Describe using proper English grammar what you think you can bring to the RPG: I can bring a halfway decent storyteller with a growing intrest in the fantasy genre.

How many times do you intend on posting a DAY IN the RPG: As much as needed.

Do you know how to post pictures on the hype boards:

Sample Post (Minimum Four decent-sized paragraphs containing dialogue):

"Darius, we must hurry. Time is of the esscence."

I look back at the small villiage one last time, every candle has gone out as daylight fast approaches through the woods. I hear a cry of a young foal go out from one of the houses and my heart aches with grief. I know that foal's cry, I held him in my arms the day he was born. He's third in line for the throne.

"Little Marcus, but David. I cannot leave my wife and son like this, Marcus hasn't even gotten his first winter coat yet."

David gives me a solom look as he looks back towards the woods.

"If we don't go, sir. The Centaurs will cease to exsist. Many a young foal wiill be without winter coats..."

"As always, you have found the right words. Come then, let's go."

With that, the two of us head into the woods and northward towards man's world and the unkown.

"Ya hear that? Sounds like horses. Get the ropes ready."

Horse wranglers. They kidnap our half-brothers and use them like common slaves. If there is one thing I can do without shame or remorse. It's kill horse wranglers.

"No human. You will not take another life."

An arrow flys through the air and strikes the human dead in his chest. That's when David draws his spear and charges.

"Ahhh!"

Most of the wranglers run in fear. One of them stays with his sword drawn.

"Come on, ya freaks!"

I put the bow aside and draw the axe.

"If that is what it takes."

My four legs gallop in full sprint as the human gets ready to defend me.

"Ahh!"

I don't know if it's fear or nerves, but his sword misses me entirely. But my axe, she never misses.

Thunk!

I go back to the human's body and remove the axe from his skull.

"Come, David. We still have miles ahead of us."

 

[Johnny Blaze]

Just expand on the sample post and you're approved, Byrd.

So others don't think otherwise, Ferret and I did the racial traits for centaurs a few weeks back for him. So there's not a violation to any rules, or what not.

 

[Johnny Blaze]

For those interested...

Pic of Charaun...

Pics of his chief servants...

Anastasia, the vampire priestess...

Hilarion, the death knight...

Kallisto, the vampire assassin...

Nightshade, the shadow dragon...

And a pic of his castle, Warlock's Rest...

 

[Kaboom]

Gods & Men: The Ancient Myths RPG: SEASON I

Screen Name: Kaboom

Character you have created (include known alias or nicknames here as well): Roorish,The Lost Elf, The Ghost of Golden Glade,

Race/Culture (What race is your character, and, if human, what culture does your character hail from, for example is your character Roman, Athenian, Celtic, Norse, Spartan, Persian, etc) (GMs must approve of any race not part of the big 5: Human, Elf, Dwarf, Halfling, and Orc): Elf

Racial Traits (traits specific to your race; a list can be found in the second post of the OOC thread) (For races not listed, GMs must create traits for that race first before player approval):

Roorish has all the same traits as a regular elf, save he bears a distinct birthmark on th eback of his neck usually covered by hair. All those who have seen it have seen refuse to speak of its existence.


Character Class (Somewhat similar to the classes in the CAH RPG, but with some differences) (Choose One):

Rogue (the classic cutthroat, rogues excel at the underhanded arts; rogues include thieves, highwaymen, assassins, smugglers, pickpockets, and general scoundrels)


Speech Color and/or Font (actually say what you're using, i.e. Arial Black; don't go "Like this", or what not):
Verdana 2 Indigo

Character Alignment (Good/Evil/Neutral): Neutral

Character Personality (Give information on how your character acts, what he/she believes in, how they handle situations):
Roorish was an adventurer whos goal in life was to escape the Elvish Glade and explore the world at large. His parents were hesitant of this believing the world held great dangers to him. They forbade his search for knowledge of other cultures and races, which only fueled his intense desire to learn about them.

As such, Roorish is something of a bragart, having lived among many different people, but also friend and foe to none. He is one the most knowledgable elves, by virture of his considerable experience, but not necessarily the smartest.

Still he has no home, and wanders the world living on the road, always searching for the next great adventure.


Origin Info/Details (don't be blunt, be as thorough as possible):

Everything as previously mentioned. His first adventure was the aiding in the slaying of a grendel monster that was attacking a tribe of norse people. After that he journied to Rome where he spent time in the Roman Legion teaching them elvish combat techniques and eventually offered a spot in the Sacred Tabernacle of the Righteous and Innocent Knights Errant. Choosing to no longer fight for anyone other than hemself, he left the Tabernacle and lived in Roman Africa for a short time before heading North to Spain. He is pursued by the Knights Errant for a particular piece of parchment that he stole from the library of the Tabernacle's ruling council.

With little resources he lives on the road, and has resorted to thieving that which he needs to survive.


Attributes (Select one from each category) (some races are greater or weaker than a human in specific categories and will be noted below or in the racial traits section of the OOC thread):

Strength Level: Weak, but Peak for an Elf

Speed/Reaction Timing Level: Peak

Endurance at MAXIMUM Effort/Durability: Weak Human,

Agility: Peak Human

Intelligence: Above-Average

Fighting Skill: Mastered

Resources: Minimal

Notable Equipment:

Apart from his his standard elvish gear, Roorish has collected a few notble items that he keeps in his possession at all times.

First, he posseses the Celestial parchment. An ancient document that the Knights Errant have been commissioned to retrieve at all costs. The contents of this parchment are unknown to anyone other than Roorish and the Head of the Tabernacle himself.

He has a spanish Stallion he named Viento, a black steed that is said to be the fastest horse that ever lived.

He also wields the norse dagger that was used to kill the grendel moster. As such its blade has been dipped in the monsters blood and is unbreakable.

He wears the eye of Arcane Norum. An egyptian artifact that casts a circle of protection around its host protecting him from magic spells, which further enhances his already natural resitance to magic.

A leather bracelet signfying his membership (although it is stolen) in the Sacred Tabernacle of the Righteous and Innocent Knights Errant granting him certain rights to lodging, banking, safekeeping, and other amentities. It also requires him to perform errantry if requested.

Lastly, he posses The Nail. A small nail, taken from the Olympic Pantheon, it grants its user the gift of "luck." Due to its thievery, Roorish has been forbidden from entering Celestia by all of the pantheons, despite the fact that the Nail grants him the ability to enter Celestia at his fancy.

Weaknesses (If your character has any specific weakness, such as a vampire's weakness to sunlight (among other things) or a Faerie's weakness to iron, list them here): none.

Supporting Characters (Does your character have a significant other? A mother? A Friend? Who are they, what do they have to do with your character?):

He has a horse he rides called Viento. His main adversary is head of the Knights Errant who pursues him constantly

Describe using proper English grammar what you think you can bring to the RPG:

I had a similiar idea to this called the age of Arthyr. This was more thought-out and I jumped at the opportunity to play. I am capable of handling complex plots as well as character moments. I think i can bring fun.

How many times do you intend on posting a DAY IN the RPG: alot

Do you know how to post pictures on the hype boards: yes

Sample Post (Minimum Four decent-sized paragraphs containing dialogue):

I kept my dark hair over my ears so as to not betray my elvish heritage as I approached the Spanish Inn. It was dimly let, and out of the way and I figured I could rent a room for a half floring. I didn't have much money on me and while I generally loathed currency, I recognized that it had its uses. The inn keeper was a stout man, his belly abnormally large and he twirled his dark mustache as I approached.

"One Florings or the horse," he said without hesitation.

"I have but half a floring," Roorish replied. "And I have had a long journey. Could you please reduce your rate?"

" One floring or the horse," he replied steadfastly. Roorish pursed his lips. Could the age of hospitality and chivalry be so dead that a room could not be spared for being minus half a floring!

Roorish lifted his arm and showed his bracelet to the inn keeper. "This bracelet requires you give me lodging for one night gratis under order of the Sacred Tabernacle of the Righteous and Innocent Knights Errant. To deny me a room is to rescind the Kinights' assitance for the rest of your days, your sons days, and your son's son's days."

The inn-keeper looked at him and then his bracelet. "I suspect it a forgery," he finally said.

"Would you rest you rlivlihood on a suspicion," Roorish replied.

"Here's the key...free of charge."

"Half a floring doesnt sound so bad now does it?"

 

[G&MRPG]

Gods & Men: The Ancient Myths RPG: SEASON I

Screen Name: Kaboom

Character you have created (include known alias or nicknames here as well): Roorish,The Lost Elf, The Ghost of Golden Glade,

Race/Culture (What race is your character, and, if human, what culture does your character hail from, for example is your character Roman, Athenian, Celtic, Norse, Spartan, Persian, etc) (GMs must approve of any race not part of the big 5: Human, Elf, Dwarf, Halfling, and Orc): Elf

Racial Traits (traits specific to your race; a list can be found in the second post of the OOC thread) (For races not listed, GMs must create traits for that race first before player approval):

Roorish has all the same traits as a regular elf, save he bears a distinct birthmark on th eback of his neck usually covered by hair. All those who have seen it have seen refuse to speak of its existence.


Character Class (Somewhat similar to the classes in the CAH RPG, but with some differences) (Choose One):

Rogue (the classic cutthroat, rogues excel at the underhanded arts; rogues include thieves, highwaymen, assassins, smugglers, pickpockets, and general scoundrels)


Speech Color and/or Font (actually say what you're using, i.e. Arial Black; don't go "Like this", or what not):
Verdana 2 Indigo

Character Alignment (Good/Evil/Neutral): Neutral

Character Personality (Give information on how your character acts, what he/she believes in, how they handle situations):
Roorish was an adventurer whos goal in life was to escape the Elvish Glade and explore the world at large. His parents were hesitant of this believing the world held great dangers to him. They forbade his search for knowledge of other cultures and races, which only fueled his intense desire to learn about them.

As such, Roorish is something of a bragart, having lived among many different people, but also friend and foe to none. He is one the most knowledgable elves, by virture of his considerable experience, but not necessarily the smartest.

Still he has no home, and wanders the world living on the road, always searching for the next great adventure.


Origin Info/Details (don't be blunt, be as thorough as possible):

Everything as previously mentioned. His first adventure was the aiding in the slaying of a grendel monster that was attacking a tribe of norse people. After that he journied to Rome where he spent time in the Roman Legion teaching them elvish combat techniques and eventually offered a spot in the Sacred Tabernacle of the Righteous and Innocent Knights Errant. Choosing to no longer fight for anyone other than hemself, he left the Tabernacle and lived in Roman Africa for a short time before heading North to Spain. He is pursued by the Knights Errant for a particular piece of parchment that he stole from the library of the Tabernacle's ruling council.

With little resources he lives on the road, and has resorted to thieving that which he needs to survive.


Attributes (Select one from each category) (some races are greater or weaker than a human in specific categories and will be noted below or in the racial traits section of the OOC thread):

Strength Level: Weak, but Peak for an Elf

Speed/Reaction Timing Level: Peak

Endurance at MAXIMUM Effort/Durability: Weak Human,

Agility: Peak Human

Intelligence: Above-Average

Fighting Skill: Mastered

Resources: Minimal

Notable Equipment:

Apart from his his standard elvish gear, Roorish has collected a few notble items that he keeps in his possession at all times.

First, he posseses the Celestial parchment. An ancient document that the Knights Errant have been commissioned to retrieve at all costs. The contents of this parchment are unknown to anyone other than Roorish and the Head of the Tabernacle himself.

He has a spanish Stallion he named Viento, a black steed that is said to be the fastest horse that ever lived.

He also wields the norse dagger that was used to kill the grendel moster. As such its blade has been dipped in the monsters blood and is unbreakable.

He wears the eye of Arcane Norum. An egyptian artifact that casts a circle of protection around its host protecting him from magic spells, which further enhances his already natural resitance to magic.

A leather bracelet signfying his membership (although it is stolen) in the Sacred Tabernacle of the Righteous and Innocent Knights Errant granting him certain rights to lodging, banking, safekeeping, and other amentities. It also requires him to perform errantry if requested.

Lastly, he posses The Nail. A small nail, taken from the Olympic Pantheon, it grants its user the gift of "luck." Due to its thievery, Roorish has been forbidden from entering Celestia by all of the pantheons, despite the fact that the Nail grants him the ability to enter Celestia at his fancy.

Weaknesses (If your character has any specific weakness, such as a vampire's weakness to sunlight (among other things) or a Faerie's weakness to iron, list them here): none.

Supporting Characters (Does your character have a significant other? A mother? A Friend? Who are they, what do they have to do with your character?):

He has a horse he rides called Viento. His main adversary is head of the Knights Errant who pursues him constantly

Describe using proper English grammar what you think you can bring to the RPG:

I had a similiar idea to this called the age of Arthyr. This was more thought-out and I jumped at the opportunity to play. I am capable of handling complex plots as well as character moments. I think i can bring fun.

How many times do you intend on posting a DAY IN the RPG: alot

Do you know how to post pictures on the hype boards: yes

Sample Post (Minimum Four decent-sized paragraphs containing dialogue):

I kept my dark hair over my ears so as to not betray my elvish heritage as I approached the Spanish Inn. It was dimly let, and out of the way and I figured I could rent a room for a half floring. I didn't have much money on me and while I generally loathed currency, I recognized that it had its uses. The inn keeper was a stout man, his belly abnormally large and he twirled his dark mustache as I approached.

"One Florings or the horse," he said without hesitation.

"I have but half a floring," Roorish replied. "And I have had a long journey. Could you please reduce your rate?"

" One floring or the horse," he replied steadfastly. Roorish pursed his lips. Could the age of hospitality and chivalry be so dead that a room could not be spared for being minus half a floring!

Roorish lifted his arm and showed his bracelet to the inn keeper. "This bracelet requires you give me lodging for one night gratis under order of the Sacred Tabernacle of the Righteous and Innocent Knights Errant. To deny me a room is to rescind the Kinights' assitance for the rest of your days, your sons days, and your son's son's days."

The inn-keeper looked at him and then his bracelet. "I suspect it a forgery," he finally said.

"Would you rest you rlivlihood on a suspicion," Roorish replied.

"Here's the key...free of charge."

"Half a floring doesnt sound so bad now does it?"

Question though, is the Eye of Arcane Norum a necklace, ring, brooch, etc?

 

[Kaboom]

Question though, is the Eye of Arcane Norum a necklace, ring, brooch, etc?

The eye is a precious stone. As such it can be fastened into any manner of holding, ring, neclace, etc. Currently, it is attached to a gold pendent and fastened to the inside of Roorish's tunic.

 

[G&MRPG]

Sounds good.

Now, perform your duties, AGM, and approve me.