The BIRTHRIGHT(TM) campaign is like no other AD&D(R) setting ever seen. In this setting, the player characters are kings and nobles, prelates and guildmasters, great wizards and royal heralds. They're the leaders of their own kingdoms and domains, wielding the power to wage war or seek peace. At their command, armies march and kingdoms fall.
Most characters in the BIRTHRIGHT campaign are descended from heroes
of old. These ancient heritages are called bloodlines. Scions of the bloodlines
are gifted with abilities beyond those granted to the common folk of Cerilia,
and over hundreds of years they've naturally risen to positions of power.
There is some
quality of kingship, an aura or divine right, that calls to the ancient
blood; most of Cerilia's rulers are blooded scions.
Bloodlines wax and wane in strength with the quality of a king's rule. Hundreds have been extinguished since the earth-shaking wars that shaped modern Cerilia, while others have risen in prominence and power. There are also bloodlines of evil in Cerilia, descended from the forces of darkness that besieged the land in the dawn of history. These powerful adversaries are known as the awnsheghlien (aun-SHEY-lin), an Elven word meaning "Blood of Darkness."
Basic Concepts
Cerilia is home to many peoples, ranging from fierce orogs and goblins to graceful, deadly elves. The BIRTHRIGHT campaign allows players to choose from nine character races: dwarves, elves, half-elves, halflings, and five distinct human cultures (Anuirean, Brechtur, Khinasi, Rjurik, and Vos).
Anuire, Brechtur, Khinasi, elves, and dwarves are the equivalent of Renaissance cultures. The Rjurik and orogs are the equivalent of Middle Ages cultures. The Vos, goblins, and gnolls possess Dark Ages technology.
Dwarves
Dwarves lived in the mountains of Cerilia long before
humans came to the land. Over the years, the dwarven holds have chosen
a defensive strategy, fortifying their approaches and retreating to their
cities under the mountains whenever threatened. Dwarves have a fierce hatred
of orogs (orclike beings), the result of uncounted
wars fought under the earth.
The typical dwarf stands about 4 to 4-1/2 feet in height, with
an exceptionally stocky build and thick, sturdy bones. Dwarves are creatures
of stone, the children of the mountains, and their bodies are twice as
dense as those of other creatures; in this respect they're closely related
to stone giants. Dwarves often weigh as
much as 250 to 300 pounds despite their size. A dwarf's skin is gray,
stony, and cold to the touch. Their eyes are dark as jet, and their hair
and beards are black or dark gray in color and normally cropped short.
Dwarves have infravision out to 90 feet.
The dwarves of Cerilia usually adhere to a friendly neutrality
and are on good terms with most other races, including the elves. They're
masterful traders and craftsmen, and dwarven caravans roam from Anuire
to Vos carrying examples of dwarf-made goods. Dwarven arms and armor are
the best in Cerilia; it's not uncommon to see dwarves selling their own
services as mercenaries. The dwarves of Cerilia are hardly the dour and
grim sentinels that they are in
other worlds. Though they still have the responsibility of keeping
the orogish population in check under the mountain, their lives are filled
with merriment and gaiety.
Dwarven kingdoms are generally organized around the clan,
and clan members are expected to have their loyalty to their clan first
and king second. The clan leaders, in turn, first serve their people and
swear fealty to the dwarven king. The dwarven king must therefore be an
adept negotiator and a shrewd politician to keep
his people together.
Dwarves learn the arts of war at an early age, for they
see their duty as containing the orogs in the caverns under the mountains.
The orogs have, strangely, grown ever more mighty in their years of confinement,
and the dwarves have had become that much better to deal with the orogish
menace. It is partly for this reason that they prefer not to deal with
outsiders--visitors distract the sentries.
In addition to being skilled fighters, the dwarves of
Cerilia are also excellent miners. Each dwarf clan tends to specialize
in a certain sort of mining, so that one clan searches out gems, while
another specializes in ores. The clans within a kingdom tend to complement
one another, so no clan is left with a useless skill.
Elves
The elves of Cerilia are a graceful but reclusive race,
suspicious of humankind. Early in Cerilia's history they contested human
settlement of Cerilia's vast forests, and a strong current of ill will
towards the human nations still runs strong in the elven woods. There is
only one race of Cerilian elves; they call themselves the Sidhelien (SHEE-lin).
The Sidhelien hold court in deep, mist-wreathed vales in the darkest heart
of the ancient Cerilian forests.
Elves stand as tall as humans, but they're far more slender
and graceful. Most average between 5-1/2 and 6 feet in height, but weigh
only 120 to 140 pounds. They are pale, with fair skin and dark hair, and
their features are exquisitely formed. Elves possess an unearthly beauty,
and their perfect voices can hold a mortal
spellbound. Unfortunately, elves are too conscious of their superiority
and treat others with coldness or condescension.
Cerilian elves are creatures of faerie and starlight,
gifted with immortality and powers of mind and body beyond those of humankind.
They're neither a force for good nor a force for evil; an elven wood can
be deadly perilous for human travelers, but even more so for goblins or
gnolls. The elven heart is unfathomable to
mortals; they're moved to wild delight, dark melancholy, or burning
rage with the only the slightest of causes. More than anything else, elves
are unpredictable, doing what pleases them from one moment to the next.
Elves resist aging and normal disease--only magical diseases
such as lycanthropy or mummy rot can harm them. They have no infravision
or ability to see in total darkness, but instead can see by starlight or
moonlight as well as a human sees by daylight. Elves don't need to sleep,
but they can become physically exhausted
and must rest quietly, studying spells or standing watch, for about
as long as a human needs to sleep. Cerilian elves can move over heavy snow,
soft sand, or a mountainside as easily as a human walks across a level
surface.
The elves of Cerilia are not the run-of-the-mill elves
that most might expect. These elves, though civilized enough that their
music can bring tears to the eyes of even the roughest forester, also have
a core of savagery that permeates their being. Having lived with the brutal
humanoids for thousands of years, the elves have had to learn to deal harshly
with those who oppose them. Besides, they've watched everything they built
over the past millennia come crashing down around them with the arrival
of the humans such a short time (about two elven generations) ago.
As such, they harbor deep hatreds in their collective
breast for those who've dispossessed them. This extends to humans or humanoids,
or whoever stands in the way of the elven dominion. However, there are
elves who take a more rational view to the whole thing, seeing the humans
as the next step and a needed catalyst for
change. These elves look to the humans for ways to improve the elven
kingdoms, to teach the elves the realities of living in modern Cerilia.
The Elven Court has fractured from a single large kingdom
into many small ones, just as the human Empire has shattered. Every elven
settlement now has its own version of the Elven Court, but none of them
can match the glories of the original. Like the humans, the elves hope
to reunite the elven lands to recapture the
beauty and grace of the past.
The type of elven ruler varies from court to court, depending
on what the elves of that nation value. The elves of Tuarhievel favor warriors,
while those of the Sielwood prefer mages as their leader. Of course, each
court prefers its type of leader over all others. If elves are to reconcile,
they must first set aside their
differences in taste.
The elves competed with humans for the most beautiful
land in Cerilia. At first, the elves thought they could live in mutual
enjoyment of the forest, with the humans never invading elven lands and
the elves avoiding the humans carefully. It worked for a time, for the
presence of the humans drew the attention of the humanoids
that constantly raided through the forest. Despite the ferocity of
the humanoids, the humans proved to be resourceful enough to stand fast,
and eventually the humanoids were beaten back--and humans began looking
to elven lands as places for expansion.
The elves were fiercely resistant to this, for they had
fought long and hard to keep their lands. When the humans began to force
the elves from their ancestral homes, the elven leaders began the gheallie
Sidhe, or Hunt of the Elves. Elven knights roamed the lands held by the
elves, slaying whatever humans they found
trespassing in their borders. Woodcutters and peasants gathering firewood
were slain as brutally as the warriors would-be kings sent to conquer the
elven realms. It was all-out war between the two races. Still, the elves
were pushed back year after year because of an element they had never seen
before--priestly magic. The elves
could call upon the forces inherent in wood and water, field and air,
but had never worshiped deities and thus couldn't understand this new source
of power. The priests were the deciding force against the elven expertise
in magic and combat; the gods favored humans to such an extent that the
elves found themselves
practically powerless.
Half-elves
From time to time, a particularly handsome or beautiful
human with courage and a gracious manner can walk among the Sidhelien and
return unscathed. There have been humans who have been accepted as equals
in the elven courts. Mortals quickly become lost in the elven spell; the
years reel by in splendor and celebration, while the world outside comes
to a halt or leaps centuries ahead. The mortal may return home to find
that only a single night passed, or that a hundred years have passed him
by. More often than not, his life runs out in an eye blink, like a moth
dancing too close to the flame.
Half-elves are the children of these unusual men and women
and their elven hosts. The elves regard them as Sidhelien, and they're
welcome in elven society. Humans are more suspicious of half-elves, referring
to them as bewitched or changelings; it's rare for half-elves to leave
the elven woods.
Like elves, half-elves are beautiful and graceful, but
their builds are heavier--they're well within the human ranges of height
and weight. They share their elven parent's night vision, but have to sleep
as much as a human.
Halflings
The halflings aren't a numerous people, but they can be
found almost anywhere humans live. Only a handful of humans know the secret
of the halflings' origins: Once they dwelled in the spirit-world, a realm
of faerie enchantment that existed parallel to Cerilia, but this realm
was poisoned by the rise of the Shadow
Lord and they fled to the daylight world to escape his power. In the
early years of the Anuirean Empire, the halflings left their home family
by family, trickling into the human lands.
Living in the shadow of their larger neighbors, halflings
don't see the sense in a government larger than a small village or extended
family, and are happy to count themselves citizens of whatever human land
surrounds them. It's not unusual to find a handful of halfling farmers
near a human village, or a neighborhood of halfling craftsmen in a larger
town.
Halflings usually adopt the language, culture, and customs
of the Big Folk around them, while keeping a few aspects of their own culture
intact. They'll never take up arms against each other--halflings feel free
to use weapons in the defense of their homes or families, but consider
fisticuffs the only acceptable form of violence against other halflings.
Cerilian halflings stand about 3-1/2 feet tall and resemble
small humans. They tend to be plump, and are fond of creature comforts.
Halflings can see into the Shadow Land by concentrating for one round.
This allows them to detect evil>, detect undead, or detect necromantic
magic with a 75% chance of success.
Halflings may also note places where the barriers between worlds are
thin, using their innate power to either dimension door or shadow walk
up to three times per week. Their chance of success depends on the closeness
of the Shadow Land, ranging from 10% on sunny summer days in civilized
regions to 100% on cold winter
nights in wild areas or crypts. Halflings avoid revealing these abilities
to people they don't trust.
Humans
Humans are the most numerous people of Cerilia, inhabiting
every part of the continent. There are five human nationalities or cultures:
the Anuireans, the Basarji, the Brechtur, the Rjurik, and the Vos.
Anuireans (an-WEER-ee-ans) are native to the southwestern
portion of Cerilia. The ancient Anuireans were a fair-skinned, red-haired
people, but over centuries of extensive contact with other cultures Anuireans
have lost any defining physical characteristics.
Anuirean society is semi-feudal, founded on a class of
free farmers and craftsmen. (Slavery is an offense to the Anuireans.) Regents
are usually titled nobles. Anuireans respect nobility, and look to their
leaders to protect them from the barbarians and savages who surround the
states of the old empire. Commoners
strongly identify with "their" lords, and the dealings and alliances
of the noble families is a topic of constant discussion throughout Anuirean
lands.
The Anuireans were once the overlords of nearly the entire
continent. Following the lead of Emperor Roele, they dominated the other
cultures of the land, and it seemed certain that they would be the ones
to bring the disparate bloodlines together and unite the land forever.
However, the death of Michael Roele (the last
ruler of a 1,000-year dynasty) changed all of that. The Anuireans as
a whole are now no more and no less powerful as the other peoples of Cerilia.
Still, the Anuireans have the advantage over their comrades,
in that they have the lushest part of Cerilia to work from. The weather's
temperate, the fields yield a bountiful harvest, and there's a plentiful
supply of goods coming through the former capital of the Empire. It's no
wonder that the Anuireans were able to dominate Cerilia for centuries.
Anuirean kings are usually warriors, or at least cultivate
a warlike aspect. After all, the chief god of Anuire is Haelyn, the god
of war. Also, every Anuirean ruler knows that Roele established his Empire
by taking over one kingdom at a time, and every regent thinks she can duplicate
the feat. This means that the Anuireans'
advantage over the neighboring cultures is wasted as the small kings
spend their time squabbling among each other.
Brechtur (BREK-tur) folk inhabit north-central Cerilia.
They tend to be short and stocky, with dark hair and eyes. Early in their
history, they were under the rule of Anuirean governors, and the nobility
declined drastically in power and importance. When the Anuirean Empire
fell and the Brechtur gained independence, the guilds and merchants came
into power.
The Brechtur believe in free enterprise, and Brecht society
revolves around wealth. The nobility is weak in Brechtur, and several states
have declared themselves republics. The Brechtur have a fierce love
of independence and a tradition of self-reliance; they don't wait for their
lordlings or rulers to solve problems for them. Commerce and trade are
expressions of this belief, and Brecht commoners owe their first loyalty
to guilds and companies.
The Brechtur are sea-faring traders, plying their ships
through the frozen Krakennauricht to reach foreign ports. Though they have
the most exposure to other continents and cultures, they are, strangely,
also one of the most insular of peoples. They've seen how other people
live, and while they don't necessarily disapprove,
they're far more comfortable with their own way of life.
Brechtur leaders are typically of the rogue class, though they
call themselves merchants. Their patron deity is Sera (called Sarimie by
the Anuireans), goddess of fortune and commerce, and so the Brechtur base
their lives on living up to her ideals. Therefore, the merchant class is
the highest rank one can gain in Brechtur society, and many sailors give
their lives trying to achieve it. Money, not nobility or knowledge, is
the driving force behind the Brechtur society.
The Brechtur are, above all, pragmatic. They generally
won't fight a battle they're sure to lose, instead preferring to bargain
their way out of it. Most of them won't betray friends for the sake of
a profit, but it has been known to happen. This is not to say that they're
entirely cold to the needs of others, but they do tend to weigh the costs
and benefits of their actions.
Brechtur lands are surrounded by mountains on one side
and the sea on the other. Now that they've been beaten once by a land-bound
army, they're determined not to let it happen again. The passes through
the mountains are now well guarded, and the Brechtur see themselves as
unbeatable at sea. Combine this with their skill at commerce, and they
become somewhat full of themselves, viewing their position as unassailable.
Khinasi (kih-NAH-see) characters are native to the
region known as Khinasi. They're descended from the Basarji (bah-SAR-gee)
and speak a language known by the same name. The Basarji didn't come to
Cerilia with the other human tribes; they colonized the southern shores
of Cerilia from lands across the Bair el-Mehire. They are tall and lanky,
with aquiline features and dark eyes. They range from a light coffee to
a dark brown complexion.
Unlike the other human cultures, the Khinasi have no fear
of magic. The study of magic is considered the noblest of callings, and
the universities of Khinasi are the finest in Cerilia. Like the Brechtur,
common Khinasi are traders and merchants, but a person's decorum, hospitality,
and conduct are far more important than gross
wealth.
The Khinasi, like the Brechtur, make much of their living
by trade. While the Brechtur tend to trade to the north and west, as well
as to the Vos and Rjurik, the Khinasi practice their commerce with the
Anuireans and their ancestors across the Sea of Dragons. Unlike the Brechtur,
the Khinasi assimilate the aspects of other
cultures they find valuable, while still maintaining a core of being
that is Basarji in origin.
The Basarji became known as the Khinasi because of their
most famous leader in times past. The mage-king el-Arassi rose during the
Anuirean occupation of Basarji lands, and forced the Anuirean Empire to
grant a measure of independence to the Basarji city-states through his
skillful manipulation of politics and magic.
In gratitude, the Basarji named themselves "Khinasi,"
or "people under the protection of el-Arassi." Though they still retained
their tribal name of Basarji, they became known as the Khinasi through
the rest of Cerilia.
The Khinasi live in city-states scattered about their
lands. Each kingdom tends to hold only one city of any importance; the
king rules the surrounding provinces, which provide livestock and other
goods, from the comforts of the city. In most city-states, the people are
free to travel from the provinces to petition the king.
Khinasi rulers are usually wizards, for the Khinasi value
intelligence in their people above all else. It's known that there are
regents of other professions, but their reigns are usually unsuccessful.
(One city-state is governed by paladins.)
The Basarji were a dark-skinned people from beyond the
Sea of Dragons. They were thought to be descended from the same stock as
the six tribes, for their gods were the same (or at least remarkably similar)
as those worshiped by the fleeing nomads. The humans were now seven tribes,
and they set to dominating Cerilia
with a desire never before seen on the continent. The Basarji worshiped
the god Basaia, and established themselves in the sunny southeastern corner
of Cerilia.
The Rjurik (RUR-ick) inhabit the taiga and highlands
of northwestern Cerilia. They're a tall, broad-shouldered people with blond
or red hair and fair complexions. Both men and women wear their hair in
long braids. The Rjurik are stubborn individualists who don't swear fealty
to anyone besides their own kin; the family is most important part of Rjurik
life.
Most Rjurik follow the god Erik, a druidical power, and
druids are revered throughout Rjurik society as teachers, leaders, and
advisers. Common Rjurik have a deep respect and love for Cerilia's wilds,
and carefully avoid over-hunting or clearing virgin forest.
Living in the wind-swept land north of Anuire, the Rjurik
make their living by hunting across the hills and moors of their territory.
The Rjurik rely on individuality to see them through, yet they also place
a strong bond on the clan. They are nomads in the summer, but return to
their halls at first snowfall, there to keep the cold at bay with feasts
and roaring fires in the mammoth hearths. They venture out into the cold
in hunting parties, replenishing their larders as necessary. Because of
the harshness of the landscape and the ever-present danger of monsters,
the Rjurik almost never travel alone.
Though the Rjurik have jarls to lead them, and can demand
the jarls step down if they fail to do a good job, the true rulers of the
people are the druids in their groves. They bend the Rjurik opinions, and
conduct the rites that keep the Rjurik mighty. The jarls seek out the druids
in the oaks and taiga, searching for words of wisdom to guide their people.
There's little war in Rjurik. For one thing, the Rjurik
people don't see the need to glorify themselves through massive battles.
For another, the nearest clans are usually a good distance away, making
the logistics of battle uncertain. Finally, the Rjurik prefer to face off
in one-on-one challenges when an insult is dealt or when an upstart seeks
to become the new jarl, rather than wasting precious lives.
This is not to say that they will not fight wars. When
foreign armies invade the tundra, the Rjurik can mobilize better and faster
than nearly any army in Cerilia. Since they know their land well, they
can travel across it far faster than their enemies, and reinforcements
seem to arrive at supernatural speeds.
The Rjurik themselves are a hardy race of foresters, hunters,
and warriors. Their jarldoms and clan-holds are scattered along the forbidding
coasts of the Mhiere Rhuann and the icy Thaelasian passage, although a
few small holds can be found as far east as the Krakennauricht. The Rjurik
are a free-minded people who place
little importance on titles or rulers; a Rjurik jarl reigns by the
consent of his folk and can be replaced if they don't like the way he's
doing his job.
The Vos (VAHS) are a barbaric race from the cold
mountains and forests of northeastern Cerilia. They are tall, thick-boned
people with flat features, light eyes, and a sallow hue. Male warriors
are fond of shaving their heads and wearing long, drooping mustaches.
The Vos have a rigid code of face and honor that demands
blood for even unintentional insults. Their leaders are war-chieftains
known as tsarevos, advised by the priests of the grim Vos gods. Almost
all Vos men are warriors and hunters--any other profession is considered
unmanly. Vos women are greatly limited in their freedom by custom, although
a few women have succeeded as warriors or tsarevas.
The Vos are by far the most brutal and misunderstood of
the humans. They live in the area of Cerilia known as the Land of Darkness,
the Brutal Lands, or the Lands of Midnight Sun. It's populated heavily
by humanoids and monsters. Their gods are evil, and the Vos themselves
have a reputation for being nearly as cruel
as the humanoids they hunt.
Though all these things are true of the Vos, there's also
something about them that most people don't take into account: The Vos
live in the harshest part of Cerilia, surrounded by inhuman creatures.
Though they once worshiped the god of the moon and magic, they've found
little solace in his teachings. Small wonder,
then, that they turned to gods more suited to their land, gods of cold
and rage.
The Vos rulers are priests of the Ice Lady and the Terror
God. They earn the Vos their reputation, for they are the ones constantly
warring on each other and those surrounding them. Those who are not priests
rarely have power in Vosgaard, for one of the few threats the Vos leaders
unite against is a leader whose visions
don't come from the gods.
Taken individually, the Vos are actually decent people.
Though they don't believe in mercy, they understand compassion. While they're
savage in battle, they have a firm code of honor. And while they hunt their
enemies ruthlessly, their friends are their most treasured possessions.
The other human races of Cerilia are inclined to view
the Vos as evil barbarians, savages, and marauders, but this isn't an entirely
truthful assessment. The Vos have their cities and kingdoms, and there
are heroes of noble bearing among them. It's important to remember that
by their own standards Vos warriors are acting with
honor when they raid and pillage the lands of the Brecht or the Basarji.
And while no one will ever accuse a Vos of subterfuge or subtlety, it's
also true that a person always knows where he stands with a Vos warrior.
The code of courage and violent tendencies of Vos warriors
and rulers have made north-eastern Cerilia a battlefield for the settling
of their differences and feuds. The Vos hold "weaker" cultures in contempt
and view the other peoples of Cerilia as potential slaves or enemies, but
they absolutely hate each other. Travelers in Vosgaard should go to great
lengths to avoid associating themselves with any particular chieftain or
baronet--it's dangerous to take sides, even by placing oneself
under a chieftain's protection.
Class Notes
There are more fighter regents than there are regents
of any other class. Since they don't gain any special benefit for controlling
temples, guilds, or magic, blooded fighters often set out to expand their
kingdoms by main force.
Cerilia is a magical land, and a mage with both the right
and the knowledge can create wonders and terrors with the power the land
provides her. But true mages and high sorcery are quite rare in the BIRTHRIGHT
campaign, and each one is a figure of mystery and destiny. In all of Cerilia,
there aren't more than six or seven
score true mages, and less than half that number are actually regents
capable of wielding realm magic.
Cerilian mages recognize three orders of magic: lesser
magic, true magic, and realm magic. Any person of sufficient intelligence
and training can comprehend lesser magic--the art of creating illusions
and casting divinations. True magic includes all other schools of wizardry,
but only elves, half-elves, or scions of the blood can command its arcane
power.
The most powerful enchantments are known as realm magic;
they are woven from the power of the land itself. Only regents may use
these spells, since a wizard who dared to cast such a spell without the
energy provided by a sorcerous domain would destroy herself utterly.
Languages
The five human tongues act as de facto Common in each
respective area of Cerilia. Some of these languages have ancient or archaic
forms which scholars often learn in order to read ancient writings. Elven
is the oldest language of Cerilia, and has remained remarkably unchanged
in thousands of years.
A History of Cerilia
Contrary to popular belief, Cerilia wasn't always dominated
by the humans. The true natives of Cerilia were the elves and dwarves,
the keepers of the forest and the guardians of the mountain. They lived
peacefully together, neither side intruding on the other's terrain. Besides,
both had enemies to contain, and had precious
little time to spare for the other. Those enemies were the humanoids,
earth-spawned creatures that quickly multiplied. Gnolls, goblins, orogs,
and kobolds swarmed through Cerilia.
Creatures of night and darkness, the humanoids lived where
the elves and dwarves chose not to dwell. Yet they constantly raided, traveling
through the dwarven mountains and the elven forests to take treasure and
lay siege to the demihuman encampments. Matters continued in this vein
for hundreds, even thousands of years.
Little civilization arose during this time. The elves
built slender towers and the dwarves constructed their stonewrought wonders,
but these marvels eventually fell to one marauding tribe or another. In
return, the elves slaughtered villages of gnolls and goblins, while the
dwarves drove the orogs deeper and deeper into the recesses of the mountains.
It seemed that this stalemate would continue forever, and all sides longed
for a way to break it. Had they known what was in store for them, they
might have realized that their existence was not so bad after all.
For then came the humans. Six tribes, fleeing from the
domination of decadent empires and the wrath of an evil god, crossed a
land-bridge into Cerilia from the southern lands, and began making new
homes here. A seventh joined them in Cerilia, from the lands beyond the
Dragon Sea. The wilderness was touched by man,
and nothing was ever again the same.
The Tribes
The ancestors of the humans now living in Cerilia were
seven tribes, six living on the continent to the south of the island, and
one living far to the east. The seven peoples, while their cultures varied
widely, venerated a common pantheon. Each worshiped a particular god above
the rest. These gods each favored a particular
tribe over the others, lending their attributes to those who followed
them.
The gods included the head of the pantheon, the god of
nobility and war, Anduiras; the god of the woods and streams, Reynir; the
goddess of commerce and fortune, Brenna; the lord of moon and magic, Vorynn;
Masela, the lady of the seas; the prince of the sun and overlord of reason,
Basaia; and finally, the face of evil,
Azrai the Shadow.
Those who followed Anduiras called themselves Anuireans.
They sought the path of conflict and honor. Those who followed Reynir were
called Rjurik, and they communed with nature as best they knew how. The
Brechtur venerated Brenna, and cultivated sharp wits and nimble fingers.
The Vos were diviners and illusionists, seeking a deeper magic. The Masetians
were sailors, braving the seas.
Though the tribes occasionally squabbled among each other,
their true enemy lay to the south, in the decadent empires of the continent.
Mythology among the tribes held that the Shadow led the emperors along
paths of corruption and destruction. Thus, when the empires turned their
attentions to the people in the northern
lands, the leaders of the Six Tribes knew it was time to flee that
land--into the realms dominated by the faerie folk and the monsters--into
Cerilia.
The Flight from the Shadow
The trip across the land-bridge was arduous--many of the
people attempting the journey did not arrive at their destination, falling
to disease and sickness, natural hazards, and, sometimes, pure human stupidity.
Still, despite the perils of the journey, the nomads at last arrived in
Cerilia, and found a land open to conquest. They also found the Basarji.
The Basarji were a dark-skinned people from beyond the
Sea of Dragons. They were thought to be descended from the same stock as
the six tribes, for their gods were the same (or at least remarkably similar)
as those worshiped by the fleeing nomads. The humans were now seven tribes,
and they set to dominating Cerilia
with a desire never before seen on the continent. The Basarji worshiped
the god Basaia, and established themselves in the sunny southeastern corner
of Cerilia.
The Conflict
The dwarves, concentrating on holding back the orogish
forces, had little time or inclination to deal with the humans. The humans,
likewise, had little desire to brave the mountain passes the dwarves called
home. The two races eventually developed an unspoken agreement with the
other, namely, that humans were welcome in the
mountains as long as they had something to contribute. Otherwise, they'd
have to go.
The elves, on the other hand, were competing with the
humans for the most beautiful land in Cerilia. At first, the elves thought
they could live in mutual enjoyment of the forest, with the humans never
invading elven lands and the elves avoiding the humans carefully. It worked
for a time, for the presence of the humans drew the attention of the humanoids
that constantly raided through the forest. Despite the ferocity of the
humanoids, the humans proved to be resourceful enough to stand fast, and
eventually the humanoids were beaten back--and humans began looking to
elven lands as places for expansion.
The elves were fiercely resistant to this, for they had
fought long and hard to keep their lands. When the humans began to force
the elves from their ancestral homes, the elven leaders began the gheallie
Sidhe, or Hunt of the Elves. Elven knights roamed the lands held by the
elves, slaying whatever humans they found
trespassing in their borders. Woodcutters and peasants gathering firewood
were slain as brutally as the warriors would-be kings sent to conquer the
elven realms. It was all-out war between the two races.
Still, the elves were pushed back year after year because
of an element they had never seen before--priestly magic. The elves could
call upon the forces inherent in wood and water, field and air, but had
never worshiped deities and thus couldn't understand this new source of
power. The priests were the deciding force against the elven expertise
in magic and combat; the gods favored humans to such an extent that the
elves found themselves practically powerless.
The fair folk conceded the plains, the hills, and the
coasts to the upstart humans, and withdrew to the sanctity of their forests,
concentrating their efforts on destroying any human foolish enough to venture
there. The only ones who did were those seeking elven knowledge or seeking
revenge on the elves for their atrocities. Neither kind ever returned from
the woods.
The Shadow's Arrival
For a time, the humans were free to do as they would in
this new land. Though there was still the ever-present threat of elven
retaliation and humanoid incursion, the humans found themselves mostly
unopposed in their efforts. Kingdoms rose and fell as everyone sought to
earn the right to rule. It was a vital, dangerous time, when the land was
still relatively untouched.
And then the Shadow came to Cerilia. Following the trail
of the fleeing humans, the god of evil made his way to the new land. When
he found that they had prospered in the new land, he realized that it would
take more than simple battle to destroy them--it would also take subversion
and deceit. Of course, these things came naturally to the Shadow.
First, Azrai took his teachings to the goblins and gnolls
of northern Cerilia, in the land called Vosgaard. By inclination, they
had always believed in the power of the Shadow; now he granted them priestly
abilities to prove it. Naturally, those of greatest evil inclined toward
Azrai's priesthood, and they rose to power quickly
among the tribes of humanoids.
Next, the God of Evil went to the Vos, the humans of the
area. Not realizing that Azrai was the Shadow from whom they had fled hundreds
of years ago, they took his words of strength and power and made them their
own. In the land of darkness in which they lived, the Vos had little reason
to appreciate the niceties of divination and illusion; the creatures around
them understood the way of the mace and the sword far, far better, and
so the Vos fell.
When the Vos had been thoroughly corrupted by the very
teachings they had escaped to Cerilia to avoid, Azrai traveled to the elves
and dwarves, whispering to them of revenge against their enemies, the destruction
of all things unclean, and the restoration of Cerilia as it had once been.
He sought out the demihumans in dreams and omens, signs and portents, and
spoke to them of the excellence of the past, when no humans defiled the
surface of Cerilia. The dwarves found nothing in Azrai's
words to provoke them, and so they steered clear of his temptations. The
elves, on the other hand, had been burning with the desire for revenge
ever since their exile to the deep woods. They took to the teachings of
Azrai and prepared for war.
In the meantime, the southern emperors had been busy.
Their armies, after conquering the lands vacated by the six original tribes,
began the arduous march toward Cerilia. The kings of the new nations saw
their danger and marshalled their forces to combat the evil growing on
all sides of them.
The War of Shadow
Nations united and kings set aside their petty differences
to face the threat of the Shadow. Priests in their temples ceased their
squabbles, and raised their voices not in heated argument, but in supplication
to their gods. Rogues and merchants brought their resources to the war,
setting aside personal rivalries to combat the evil of Azrai. Even the
dwarves came into the war, for though they did not care about the human
presence on the continent, they most certainly cared about the power the
humanoids stood to gain.
The armies of the Shadow pushed into Cerilia, dominating
and destroying everything they came across. The armies of the Cerilians
were hard-pressed by the forces marching under the serpent banner, and
it seemed certain that the Cerilians would be crushed beneath the heel
of the Shadow.
The gods knew the final victory of Azrai was at hand.
In a desperate attempt to prevent him from realizing goal of annihilating
the Cerilians, they gathered their people's armies at the land bridge to
Cerilia. Each god chose a champion or two from among their tribes, a champion
that exemplified what the god loved
best in humanity. All of them withdrew to wait on the slopes of Mount
Deismaar. The armies of the Shadow followed, with Azrai himself at their
head.
The clash on the slopes of Deismaar was an epic battle,
man and monster struggling against each other in the vain attempt to triumph.
Nonetheless, despite the bravery and skill of the Cerilian warriors, it
seemed certain that the humans would end the day by lying dead on
the slopes of Deismaar.
It was then that the elves came across to the human side
of the battlefield, slaughtering the Vos and southern warriors as they
came. The elven generals had seen Azrai for what he was, and realized they
had been deceived. There were elves who didn't care about Azrai's evil,
who sought only to rid their land of the
humans, and these elves remained with the Shadow. There were far more
who cast aside the blindness of hatred, and they helped even the odds considerably.
It was then that Haelyn, champion of Anduiras and the
Anuireans, stepped forward to do battle with the most powerful of Azrai's
champions--Haelyn's half-brother, Raesene the Black Prince, a man
who had sold himself to the god of evil. All across the Mount, the gods'
champions squared off against Azrai's henchmen. On the slopes of Deismaar
above, the gods took physical form to try to defeat Azrai once and for
all. They poured everything they had into the
effort to destroy the shadow that had fallen across Cerilia.
All around was chaos as the ensuing explosion destroyed
the landscape, leveling Deismaar and the lands around the mighty mountain.
Yet despite the force of the explosion, there were still a few who had
survived. Most, however, had been scattered to the four winds, including
nearly all the Masetians and good-aligned
Vos. In a final bid for freedom from Azrai, the deities had given their
very existences. Their essences dissipated and the old gods died in the
smoking crater of the mountain.
The Birth of the Abominations
The survivors of the battle on Mount Deismaar were, with
few exceptions, those who best exemplified the qualities the gods strove
to uphold. Yet the champions for the gods were conspicuously absent. Standing
so close to the gods, they had taken the brunt of the divine essence washing
across the land--and the champions,
closest to the ideals of the gods, took the place of the vanished deities.
The new gods were: Haelyn, the noble warrior; Erik, the
druid; Sera took the place of Brenna as the goddess of fortune; Avani took
the mantle of Basaia, and became the matron of the Basarji; Kriesha and
Belinik absorbed the energies of Azrai and became the Ice Lady and the
God of Terror; Nesirie absorbed the power of Masela and controlled the
power of the sea; and Ruornil felt the magic of Vorynn flow into his bones.
Others who did not so perfectly mirror the old gods still
absorbed some of their energy. Power flowed through them and about them,
reflecting the natures of the gods who had given it to them. Abilities
they had never possessed before were suddenly at their fingertips, aching
to be used.
Of course, certain members of this group were anxious
to try out their new abilities, and they did this promptly on the other
dazed survivors. A brief but bloody battle ensued as Azrai's chosen fought
their way free from the children of the other gods. In doing so, they discovered
that they could rip the godly power from the
dead ones and make themselves that much stronger. They called this
bloodtheft.
Some of the minions fought, but most of them escaped to
remote hiding places. They emerged occasionally throughout the following
hundreds of years to kill those who bore the bloodline of the gods' chosen,
using the power this provided to keep themselves alive and twist themselves
ever further from their former humanity. Among them were the Kraken, the
Hag, and the Raven.
The elves were the first to notice the change, and to
realize the cause of it. They called the abominations the awnsheghlien
(aun-SHEY-lin), or "blood of darkness." In time, only the uneducated referred
to these creatures as abominations.
The mightiest of the awnsheghlien was the Gorgon, the remnant
of humanity that once was Raesene, the half-brother of the god Haelyn and
Roele, the man who was destined to unite Cerilia. The Gorgon's hatred of
his brothers drove him to acts of destruction far greater than his fellows,
and thus his power increased more rapidly than theirs. Even so, the other
awnsheghlien were not to scoffed at--their power still came from Azrai
himself, and they knew how to use it.
However, they were not the only ones who learned of the
power of their gifts. The children of those who'd been infused with divine
essence also grew in stature. They, too, gained vitality from their fallen
foes--provided their enemies were also of the blood of the gods. The children
who used this power could make themselves into powerful giants, but even
as they grew in power, their appearances changed to reflect this. The power
came with a price.
Those of the blood who established themselves as lords
learned that they could also gain even more might from their populace and
the earth itself, as well as increase the power of their kingdoms by pouring
the blood back into it. Those with native intelligence, brute strength,
or a combination of the two learned how to increase their power through
wise rule and the knowledge of when to pound their neighbors into submission.
So it was that the next struggle for domination of Cerilia
began. Would-be conquerors now sought the takeover of a kingdom and the
death of the previous king, both to ensure the legitimacy of their claim
to the throne and to consume the bloodline. The land was torn asunder yet
again, this time by power-hungry people of the
blood seeking the ultimate power--rule of Cerilia by absorbing the
blood of the gods.
It was also around this time that the Shadow World made
its first appearance. Its landscape was eerily similar to Cerilia's, and
what happened in Cerilia was mirrored in the Shadow World. The main difference
was that it was populated by undead creatures, with skeletons and zombies
taking the places of peasants laboring, while ghouls ran towns and ghosts
controlled whole kingdoms. It was discovered that there were "weak spots,"
places of death and destruction that allowed the Shadow World to press
in on Cerilia. At these weak spots, undead could travel through to wreak
terror on the living--or the living could stumble through to a land of
terror. Still, the Shadow World posed little threat to those who knew of
its dangers, and no one could find a way to destroy it, and so the rulers
continued on their quests for domination.
Formation of Empire
There were those who decided to use a little more reason
than the edge of their sword when going conquering. There were also those
who had a bit more of an advantage when it came to dealing with their power.
The new god Haelyn's brother Roele was one of these.
Though the new gods had made a pact that they would never
interfere physically in the world again, they were not above giving advice
to their people, for they were still human enough then to feel ties to
their old ways of life. Haelyn walked with his brother in dreams, and promised
Roele support if Roele would only try to
bring peace to Cerilia.
Thus, unlike most of his contemporaries, Roele chose to
use his new powers not to glorify his own station, but to forge together
an empire that would stand against time. He had the intelligence and nobility
of his brother, and was able to set aside his honor when his vision of
empire depended on it.
First, Roele gathered together friends of his who had
stood at the battle of Deismaar with him, and with them by his side, he
united the southwestern corner of the continent, using his divine power
and by killing half a dozen kinglets. Those who saw his power flocked to
his banner. The number of these was sizeable. Those who
disagreed with Roele held their peace, hoping to avoid his notice and
keep their heads.
Roele called his kingdom Anuire after those who had first
settled the land. Granting lands to those who had first supported him,
he ensured their loyalty and thus the loyalty of their vassals. With a
core of power behind him, he felt confident enough to try to take the rest
of Cerilia.
Next, he looked to the east and north, seeking to dominate
the Brechtur and Rjurik. His success with the Rjurik was limited, for the
warriors of the frozen tundra knew the terrain far better than his knights
could. He retreated from Rjurik lands, and won the leaders over with kind
words and gifts.
Despite the initial defeat, Roele pressed on. He found
the sea-faring Brechtur a much easier target than the Rjurik--if one simply
closes off a sailor's port, where does the sailor have to return? The Brechtur
eventually capitulated to the Anuirean forces, and Roele was free to move
on to the Basarji.
Though the Basarji mages were formidable, enhanced as
they were with the power of the gods, Roele's stratagems and power were
enough for the Basarji to be brought under the Anuirean heel. They did
not go down without a fight, but they did eventually go down.
After the Basarji, Roele turned his attention north, to
Vosgaard. The other kingdoms did not deserve his hatred--they were merely
lands to be added to the Anuirean Empire. The Vos, however, had allied
with Azrai and the humanoids, and had shown themselves (in Roele's eyes)
unworthy of life.
Perhaps his hatred clouded his thinking, or perhaps the
new Vos gods helped their people in ways unseen. The annals of the war
in Vosgaard are lost, but it's said that the Vos gods forced the awnsheghlien
into the fight against the Anuireans. It's known that the humanoids, whose
tribes continued to grow ever larger in the
Vosgaard wastes, were instrumental in defeating the Anuirean forces.
This is also the last time that the Vos and their inhuman neighbors cooperated
on anything.
Despite the fact that Roele had not conquered the entire
continent, he had still done a fair job of uniting it. When Roele died,
his heirs continued to rule the Empire wisely and well, even granting some
measure of independence to the various people within it. Those who possessed
bloodlines continued to squabble with each
other, challenging each other for the right to rule and the right continue
a bloodline, but the Empire stood strong, with Roele's line dominant above
all--until, one day, disaster befell the continent.
Ruins of Empire
This prosperity lasted until Michael Roele, the last of
the line, became so sure of his power that he had the audacity to challenge
the Gorgon. Slipping into the Gorgon's citadel, Michael braved untold dangers
to face his kinsman, the most powerful of the awnsheghlien. Naturally,
he was slain by the Gorgon. With his death
the Empire fell, and the lands within were suddenly up for grabs. Instead
of trying to make the Empire cleave together, the power-hungry dukes and
lords sought to take it for themselves.
Naturally, with so many seeking the Throne, the Empire
fell apart into so many warring kingdoms. The subjugated people threw off
the Anuirean shackles and reclaimed their own destiny. Every ruler sought
only his or her greater glory, ignoring the needs of the Empire as a whole.
The regents and kings sought each other's
heads and kingdoms.
After a few hundred years of this chaos, all eventually
settled enough that roughly stable borders could be drawn. Bloodlines emerged
from this new chaos, as did new kings.
Still, the land is unsettled and divided, and even peaceful
kingdoms must watch their borders against aggressive neighbors. The people
yearn for peace, but every ruler believes that he, and only he, is the
one to bring it to Cerilia. Because of this, the land continues its needless
strife, and will until a true leader emerges from the many bloodlines.
The Geography of Cerilia
Cerilia is a troubled land. A chaotic patchwork of nations,
cultures, and religions is scattered throughout the land. Wars and feuds
are common; even peaceful lands must vigilantly defend their borders against
expansive neighbors and the plots of awnsheghlien. There can be no lasting
peace until the Bloodlines stand united and
end their eternal conflict.
Yet even though the history of Cerilia is a tragic one,
there are glorious moments too. Strong kingdoms and rich cities stand from
the Sea of Storms to the golden waters of the Dragonsea. It would be the
labor of a lifetime to create an exhaustive list of Cerilia's divided realms,
its towns and villages, and every dark forest or vine-covered ruin.
In the Royal Observatory of old Anuire, cartographers
traditionally divided Cerilia into five regions: Anuire, Rjurik, Brechtur,
Khinasi, and Vosgaard. Each was named after the principal people who dwelled
there. Of course, over the years the boundaries of kingdoms shift and fail.
In many places, the lands have fallen
wild, or been claimed by one of the awnsheghlien. Despite this, these
five regions make a good starting point for discussing the lands and sites
of Cerilia.
Anuire
The southwestern corner of Cerilia is the home of the
ancient Anuirean Empire. Anuire is a green and fair land, with broad and
fertile river valleys, rolling hills and highlands, and the most favorable
weather of Cerilia. Given the richness of their homelands, it's no surprise
that the Anuireans dominated the whole of the continent. Now these beautiful
lands are home to dozens of rival baronies, duchies, and free cities. The
borderlands of old Anuire are largely abandoned in these darker days; goblinkind
and bandits prosper there.
The greatest city of all Cerilia is old Anuire, the ancient
capital of the Anuirean Empire and the heart of modern Anuire. While the
Iron Throne still stands empty, the rulers of the wreckage of the Empire
still scheme and maneuver for ascendancy in the city. Anuire is a great
center for trade and diplomacy, even if it is no longer the center of the
world.
The city itself straddles the mouth of the Maesil. It
is built on both sides of the river, which is more than a mile wide here.
A great sea-wall guards the Maesil's harbor and dozens of Venice-like
island neighborhoods divided by narrows and canals. A great rocky tor near
the center of the bay is home to the Imperial Palace.
Many of the old Imperial bureaucracies and universities
still survive in Anuire. It is the cultural center of the lands of Anuire,
and many great temples and important schools thrive here. For example,
the Royal College of Sorcery is the only known gathering of mages in the
Anuirean lands.
The city of Anuire lies in the principality of Avanil.
Avanil was known as the Imperial Province in the days of the Empire, but
with the end of Roele's line it came under the control of the Avan family.
Prince Darien Avan is the ruler of Avanil, and the first among equals inside
Anuire's walls. Darien aspires to the Iron Throne, and has launched a campaign
of reunification that has brought Taeghas and Brosengae under his banner.
Brechtur
Northern Cerilia is divided by an arm of the Thaelasian
Sea that runs between the jagged peaks of the Spearmarch Range and the
ice-crowned Drachenaur Mountains of eastern Cerilia. This great gulf is
called the Krakennauricht (KRAH-ken-NOW-rikt, Old Brecht for "Kraken's
Reach"). Hemmed in by high mountains on both its western and eastern sides,
the Kraken's Reach extends to the shores of Kiergard and Massenmarch in
central Cerilia.
The rocky shores and narrow fjords of this region are
home to the Brecht, a seafaring people who make their living by sealing,
whaling, and trading in these icy northern waters. For many centuries the
Brechtur states were governed by Anuirean viceroys, when the great southern
empire was at the peak of its power. When
the Gorgon killed the last of the Roeles, Anuirean influence in this
region rapidly waned, and the old Brecht bloodlines resurfaced.
Brechtur doesn't enjoy Anuire's mild climate or rich,
prosperous farmlands. Consequently, the Brecht nations and city-states
are smaller than the powers of the south. Goblins, bandits, and orogs may
only be a nuisance in Anuire, but they're a dire threat to the Brecht.
Even in "civilized" regions such as Muden or Grevesmuhl,
the lands between towns are wilder and more dangerous than they are
in the heartlands of old Anuire.
The sea is vital to the city-states that dot the shores
of the Krakennauricht. Without fishing, sealing, whaling, and trade, these
lands would quickly starve. Winters are hard in northern Brechtur--the
straits between Kvigmar and Grabentod ice over, and the miserable weather
drives even the boldest ship-captains to port to wait for spring. In summer,
Brecht ships venture to the Anuirean ports of the Mhiere Rhuann and the
Straits of Aerele or dare the Leviathan's Reach to call on mysterious eastern
ports in the fantastic Dragon Isles.
Khinasi
The southernmost portions of Cerilia are the lands of
the Khinasi. This area stretches from the Harrowmarsh, home of the dreadful
Hydra, all the way to the shores of the Dragon Sea. Protected from the
bitter winters of Brechtur by high mountains and warm ocean currents, Khinasi
enjoys more sun and longer growing seasons than any other region of the
land. In fact, large regions of the Khinasi interior are arid steppes that
border on desert.
The eastern portion of Khinasi rises into a region of
warm forest and low mountains collectively called the Dochandragh, an Elven
phrase meaning 'Heart's Wonder.' It is a beautiful, wild land of frequent
rainfalls, hidden lakes, and magnificent cascades.
The plains and forests of Khinasi are home to a people
known as the Basarji. Like the Brecht, the Basarji are seafarers, merchants,
and explorers. They didn't come to Cerilia from the lands to the south,
as the Anuireans, Brecht, Rjurik, and Vos did; instead, the Basarji colonized
these coasts about fifteen hundred years ago, arriving from mysterious
lands beyond the Sea of Dragons.
While Anuire dominated the rest of Cerilia, the Basarji
nations united under the leadership of the great mage-king el-Arrasi, maintaining
their independence throughout centuries of Anuirean preeminence. The phrase
khinasi is a corruption of khir-aften el-Arrasi, or 'lands under the protection
of el Arrasi.' It became
the common name for the Basarji nations in other lands. Today the Khinasi
don't even bother to correct visitors anymore.
The Basarji realms are strong but small, concentrated around
a few fortified cities and ports. Basarji culture is exquisitely advanced,
with an articulated code of sayim, or face, and respect for art and literature.
Unfortunately, for hundreds of years the Basarji city-states have been
enbroiled in a tangled net of feuds, duels, and rivalries that have created
a highly political society.
Rjurik
The northwestern region of Cerilia is called Rjurik. Most
scholars and cartographers mark the River Ruide as the southern boundary
of Rjurik, despite the fact that the Anuirean realm of Dhoesone lies north
of the river. The eastern boundary are the slopes of the Spearmarch Ranges
of Brechtur. Most of this vast region is cold forest, downs, and mountains,
sparsely inhabited.
Rjurik bears the brunt of the fierce Cerilian winter.
Both spring and autumn are long, wet, and cold, while the brief summer
is over in a matter of weeks. The forests of this region are hardy taiga,
or northern pine forest; the mountains remain capped by glaciers the entire
year round.
The Rjurik themselves are a hardy race of foresters, hunters,
and warriors. Their jarldoms and clan-holds are scattered along the forbidding
coasts of the Mhiere Rhuann and the icy Thaelasian passage, although a
few small holds can be found as far east as the Krakennauricht. The Rjurik
are a free-minded people who place
little importance on titles or rulers; a Rjurik jarl reigns by the
consent of his folk and can be replaced if they don't like the way he's
doing his job.
The Rjurik are suspicious of the Anuirean lands to the
south. They view Anuire as a sleeping giant who could wake up hungry any
day now. In the past, the southern Rjurik lands were incorporated into
the Anuirean Empire despite a series of heroic campaigns to resist Anuire's
advance.
An even greater concern to the Rjurik lies in the wild
forests and foothills in the central part of this area. Large numbers of
goblins, trolls, and giants inhabit these wild lands, and they frequently
attack the Rjurik domains.
The scions of the Rjurik bloodlines hold to an uneasy
truce most of the time. Unlike the endless war and competition of the bloodlines
in other lands, the heroes of Rjurik find survival challenge enough.
Vosgaard
The most desolate and remote region of Cerilia is called
Vosgaard. It lies in the north-eastern reaches of the land, beyond the
Drachenaur Mountains and north of the Rhuannadaraight. The cold waters
of the Leviathan's Reach form the northern border of Vosgaard, and to the
east lie the stormy waters of the Sea of Dragons.
Vosgaard is a land of stark natural beauty, with impassable
mountains and glaciers, vast belts of northern taiga, and bitter wind-swept
plains. Much like the Rjurik lands, Vosgaard suffers from extremely cold
winters and is haunted by monsters of all varieties. Life is difficult
and violent in the lands of the Vos. Consequently, they are a fierce people
who believe that might makes right.
The other human races of Cerilia are inclined to view
the Vos as evil barbarians, savages, and marauders, but this isn't an entirely
truthful assessment. The Vos have their cities and kingdoms, and there
are heroes of noble bearing among them. It's important to remember that
by their own standards Vos warriors are acting with
honor when they raid and pillage the lands of the Brecht or the Basarji.
And while no one will ever accuse a Vos of subterfuge or subtlety, it's
also true that a person always knows where he stands with a Vos warrior.
The code of courage and violent tendencies of Vos warriors
and rulers have made north-eastern Cerilia a battlefield for the settling
of their differences and feuds. The Vos hold "weaker" cultures in contempt
and view the other peoples of Cerilia as potential slaves or enemies, but
they absolutely hate each other. Travelers in Vosgaard should go to great
lengths to avoid associating themselves with any particular chieftain or
baronet--it's dangerous to take sides, even by placing oneself
under a chieftain's protection.
Bloodlines
You can choose for your character to begin play as either
a commoner or as a scion of one of the ancient bloodlines. Only blooded
characters can become regents and rule their own domains, but there are
also hundreds of blooded characters who don't run kingdoms. These scions
are cousins, second or third heirs, or other
relations who aren't in danger of suddenly becoming the ruler.
If your character has a common origin, she isn't automatically
a peasant just because she doesn't possess an ancient bloodline. She can
come from any level of society. In fact, there are great numbers of high-born
nobles, courtiers, advisors, and government officials with mundane heritages.
There are two good reasons to
play a common character: first, the character won't have the additional
responsibilities of running a kingdom; secondly, it's fun to role-play
a squire, advisor, or captain in the service of another player character.
Blood abilities gained by characters include these: Alertness,
Alter Appearance, Animal Affinity, Battlewise, Blood History, Bloodmark,
Character Reading, Courage, Detect Lie, Detect Illusion, Direction Sense,
Divine Aura, Divine Wrath, Elemental Control, Enhanced Sense, Fear, Healing,
Heightened Ability, Iron Will,
Persuasion, Poison Sense, Protection from Evil, Regeneration, Resistance,
Shadow-form, Touch of Decay, Travel, Unreadable Thoughts.
Regency
While many scions and awnsheghlien wander Cerilia with
noble heritages and potent blood abilities, their powers have little significance
without a domain of their own. Blooded characters who control kingdoms
are blessed with a mystical connection to the land, a right to rule that
infuses them with supernatural power and
responsibility.
No one knows for certain how this bond between ruler and
domain comes to pass, but it's thought that it might have something to
do with the power of confidence and belief--in effect, the power of the
ruler is derived from the fealty of his subjects. Something in the semi-divine
blood of a noble scion responds to the allegiance
of the character's followers in the same way that a true divinity gains
strength from worshipers.
Kings and nobles aren't the only rulers blessed with this
mystic ability. Charismatic priests derive the same kind of power from
the confidence of the people who follow their faith. Merchant-princes and
guildmasters enjoy the confidence of those who work for them or pay them
tribute. And even wizards gain power from the recognition of the masses.
Because there are as many different types of ruler as
there are rulers, the people of Cerilia simply refer to these characters
as regents. In this sense of the word, they're stewards of power who hold
the trust of the people and responsibility for the land. The mystic power
that regents derive from their stewardship is known as
divine right, karma, or nobility--but it's most often called regency.
In game terms, regency is measured by a score of Regency
Points (RP), just like hit points or bloodline strength. Only regents can
amass a Regency Point score. Blooded scions who choose not to rule kingdoms
never gain Regency Points, nor do common characters without a divine bloodline.
The ruler's Regency Points can be used to increase the power of his or
her bloodline (possibly gaining new blood abilities) or to increase the
success of various domain actions.
Usurpation (Bloodtheft)
When two blooded scions meet in battle and one falls,
his slayer gains a part of his bloodline power. The scions of Cerilia discovered
this unpleasant fact soon after the events at Mount Deismaar. The betrayals
and feuds of Cerilia's scions have fueled more than a thousand years of
ceaseless war.
In the BIRTHRIGHT campaign setting, each player can choose
to play a regent--a character who rules his own domain. He can be the lord
of a kingdom or barony, the patriarch of a temple, the leader of
a thieves' guild, or a master of the magical arts. Whatever his position,
he's powerful and influential; his actions affect the shape of the world
and the direction of the campaign.
Regency is the mystical power associated with blooded rulers
and leaders. It's a blend of nobility, honor, and kismet that a true king
carries like an invisible crown. If a character rules well and exemplifies
the qualities of his alignment, his regency is strong--an unseen aura of
power that helps him to do things that lesser mortals couldn't even contemplate.
But if a king rules poorly, his regency dissipates.
Not every character is a king. You can decide if your
character is a ruler, or free of the crown's burden. This means that there
are three types of characters in a BIRTHRIGHT campaign: regents, blooded
scions, and unblooded adventurers or commoners.
Regents are blooded characters who hold domains of any kind.
Domains can be kingdoms, guild networks, temple sects, or collections of
magical power. If you wish, your character has a title such as king,
duke, count, prince, patriarch, guildmaster, or whatever. Regents accumulate
Regency Points by controlling domains,
and their bloodline strengths may change with successful reigns.
Scions or blooded characters are descended from one of
Cerilia's heroic bloodlines. A blooded character may be a relation of a
regent or part of a bloodline that doesn't hold any domain. Scions have
a bloodline, but since they don't hold a domain they don't accumulate regency
points--if they held a domain, they'd be
regents.
Unblooded characters make up 99% of Cerilia's population.
For every blooded king, there's a whole court full of advisors, servants,
guards, and attendants. Some of these personages can be skilled adventurers.
Unblooded characters don't have a bloodline (obviously), and cannot be
regents.
The Basics of Rulership
Domains take many forms. Typically, a domain is associated
with the class of the character who stands as its regent. Warriors are
usually titled nobles who rule nations. Priests control clerical hierarchies
and occasionally hold lands under theocratic rule. Thieves control the
guilds and underworlds of their domain, and
wizards' domains are any place where they have magical influence. A
ranger or druid might not govern at all, but rely on networks of allies
and contacts.
A character's domain consists of the provinces he rules,
holdings in his own provinces, and holdings in provinces ruled by other
characters. While provinces are the most important component of a domain,
the character's armies and alliances are also critical to his success as
a regent.
Guilds are usually the building blocks of thief domains,
although any kind of regent may control a guild holding. In Cerilia, hundreds
of craftsman guilds and merchant companies control trade. A regent
who controls a guild is either a merchant prince, an investor, or an underworld
figure.
Law holdings are most important to warriors, who are usually
titled rulers. They reflect the ruler's ability to control a province and
the loyalty of his government servants, including bureaucrats and constables.
Sources are magical holdings, representing the magical
power of the province. Untouched land holds the most magical power, as
the clearing or altering of the land weakens the natural forces of the
area. Unlike the other kinds of holdings, only wizards may control sources.
A wizard must control a source in order to cast realm
spells.
Temple holdings are monasteries, shrines, temples, or
cathedrals of the character's faith. Naturally, they're vital to priest
characters. Temple holdings can be controlled by any regent character,
but priests can use temple holdings to cast realm spells.
Other Holdings
Armies are the military forces at the character's disposal.
Generally, the regent can raise armies, draft a levy, or create a militia
as he sees fit as long as he rules at least one province. Regents who only
control holdings can raise armies only if the province ruler allows them
to, but they can get around this restriction by hiring mercenaries or using
their treasury to support the military actions of an allied domain.
Armies are composed of units, companies, or musters. The
terminology isn't real important--the basic unit is about 200 men. In Anuire,
a powerful kingdom can maintain a standing army of about 3,000 to 6,000
men, or 15 to 30 companies. Militant regimes can increase that figure by
as much as 200%, but an army that large
couldn't be supported for long.
Battles can be resolved in several ways: DM fiat, by role-playing,
or by use of the War Cards. The War Cards are the best method except in
small engagements, such as a party of PCs fighting a company of enemy soldiers.
Courts are centers of power, a setting where the regent
can engage in the business of the realm. Each Domain Turn, the regent can
decide how large (and xpensive) he wants his court to be. Courts
affect the difficulty of using the Diplomacy action; no one's impressed
by a miserly overlord.
Fortifications make a province more difficult to attack.
There are two types of fortifications: castles and fortified holdings.
Castles protect an entire province, while a fortified holding simply makes
one holding resistant to physical destruction. Fortified holdings might
be defensible monasteries or cathedrals, secluded wizard towers, or hidden
bandit strongholds.
Ley lines are conduits created by wizards to carry magical
power from one province to another. Realm spells require enormous magical
power, and a wizard who wants to cast one in a low-magic area can forge
a ley line to bring magical power from a pristine area to the place he
wants to use it.
Trade routes are money-making assets that generate extra
income for a domain. Like fortifications, trade routes are rated by level
to reflect their importance. Trade routes can be created between two provinces
of different terrain types, or in just one province if that province is
a coastal province of level 4 or higher; in this case, the trade route
represents overseas trade arriving at a port. Trade routes must be supported
by roads and guild holdings.
The domain's treasury is critical to a regent's success,
since building castles or keeping armies costs money. While most regents
have extensive lands and properties under their control, a treasury proper
only consists of coinage and other hard assets. A regent would be very
wise to keep a close eye on the state of his treasury--it's embarrassing
to start a war and then run out of money to pay the troops.
The Domain Turn
Each Domain Turn, the regents involved must determine
the state of their nation, the resources they have available, and whether
or not any unusual events have developed that require their attention.
Once the domains have been updated, both PC and NPC regents will probably
have a variety of actions they'll want to take with their domains (see
below).
Random events for domains include many challenges, such
as these: Blood Challenge, Assassination, Festival, Feud, Natural Event,
Diplomatic Matter, Corruption/Crime, Monsters, Brigandage, Trade
Matter, Intrigue, Unrest, Revolt, Justice Matter, Heresy, or Magical Event.
Players are free to discuss any plans or issues they wish
to before the Action Rounds begin, but unless their characters are actually
in the same place, it's assumed that these conversations are taking
place through routine messengers. These messages can be intercepted by
means of a successful Espionage action. Therefore,
any time the players are discussing something by messenger, the DM
can ask them to reveal what they were planning or discussing.
Communicating routine threats, offers, or remarks to NPC
regents doesn't require the use of the Diplomacy Action, but if the player
wishes to role-play the diplomatic encounter or try to force a concession
from the other party, he'll have to use an Action to perform Diplomacy.
Similarly, if a player receives a routine
communication, he can make a brief response--i.e., accepting or declining
a proposal--without forfeiting an action.
Typical domain actions for regents include the following:
Adventure: The character takes part in an adventure.
Agitate: Increases or decreases target province loyalty
one grade. Priest regents may do this once per turn as a free action.
Build: Builds roads, bridges, etc. Cost varies; 10 MP
of road costs 1 GB.
Contest: Contests a holding or province; target provides
no gold or regency until Ruled.
Create Holding: Creates a holding (0) in an eligible province.
Declare War: Allows regent to move armies into foreign
domains.
Decree: Issues a decree with several possible results.
Diplomacy: Creates or breaks alliance, opens trade agreement,
forces concessions, etc.
Disband: Character disbands army units or holdings.
Espionage: Reveals troop movements/ positions, investigates
plots or intrigues, launches assassinations, etc. Thief regents get one
free Espionage action per turn.
Finances: Character converts Gold Bars to/from personal
wealth, takes out loan, or sells off assets.
Fortify: Creates or enhances castle or fortifies a holding.
Grant: Character dispenses largesse, titles, or patronage.
Variable effects and cost.
Hold Action: Delays action until later in the Action round.
Investiture: Arranges transfer of domain, regency, or
bloodline. Requires the use of a priest realm spell.
Lieutenant: Creates a lieutenant for regent's domain.
Ley Line: Wizard regent forges ley line between two provinces.
Move Troops: Relocates troops within domain. Troops can't
enter provinces not ruled by regent.
Muster Troops: Creates new army units. Cost varies with
unit type.
Ply Trade: Character uses personal skills to make a living.
Realm Spell: Priest or wizard regent casts realm spell.
Research: Priest or wizard performs spell research or
creates a magical item.
Rule: Regent increases level of province or holding.
Trade Route: Regent creates a trade route.
Training: trains for level advancement, improves proficiency
scores, or gains 1 hp.
Gods and Priests
The pantheon known by the humans of Cerilia is not the
original pantheon of the ancient tribes who came to Cerilia before the
War of Shadow. The old gods gave up their own existences in order to destroy
their evil brother Azrai at Mount Deismaar. Their essences imbued hundreds
of champions and common soldiers with the
beginnings of Cerilia's bloodlines, shaping history ever since. More
importantly, those mortal champions closest to the old gods inherited the
portfolios and powers of their patrons, rising to the heavens in one glorious
divine ascension.
At first, the new gods worked closely together, but as the centuries
have gone by rivalries and arguments have divided the Cerilian pantheon.
Wars and feuds between their mortal followers have naturally followed,
and the powers work constantly to increase the prestige and well-being
of their worshipers. Despite these rifts, all of the powers of the new
pantheon have held fast to one firm pact: Never again shall the gods do
battle in physical form.
The new powers are known by different names in different
parts of Cerilia. Most are worshiped in one aspect or another in several
of Cerilia's cultures. For example, Sera is the heir of the old goddess
Brenna, the patron of the Brechtur. But she is also revered in Anuire as
Sarimie, and in Khinasi as Sarma.
It's important to note that the temples of these powers
are divided. There are at least 10 different faiths devoted to Haelyn in
Anuire alone, and the rivalry can be fierce.
Monsters and Awnsheghlien
Cerilia is plagued by dangerous natural predators, bandits
and pirates, tribes of humanoid marauders, and the dark forces of the awnsheghlien.
Naturally, these perils are only a distant threat to people residing in
the Anuirean heartland or in a Khinasi city-state, but wild mountains and
deep forests--and their dangerous denizens--are no more than a week's ride
from even the most civilized parts of Cerilia.
While there are hundreds of different species of dangerous
creatures present in Cerilia, not all are common enough or malign enough
to pose a threat to the human lands. However, other monsters can and do
destroy human settlements whenever they can. Only 40 years ago the Brechtur
city of Adlersburg in Wierech was stormed by an army of goblins and ogres
out of the Gorgon's Crown and left a smoking ruin. Similar incidents on
a smaller scale have occurred even more frequently in recent years, as
the former states of the Anuirean Empire have fallen to civil war and the
strength of arms along the northern frontiers has diminished.
Dragons
Dragons are legendary creatures in Cerilia. Fewer than
two dozen have ever been known to exist, and only six are alive today.
The dragons of Cerilia don't fall into the chromatic or metallic species
of other game worlds; instead, each is a unique and highly intelligent
creature. The dragons are neutral in Cerilia's wars, preferring to be left
alone in their high retreats in the Drachenaurs. Legends tell of dragon
lore and sorcery unknown to men, and the brave and the foolhardy often
seek out a dragon's lair in search of knowledge or power.
Giants
The giants of Cerilia are elemental creatures, closely
tied to the earth. They tend to be solitary, reclusive creatures who aren't
terribly interested in human affairs. Stone, hill, forest, and mountain
giants all fall into this category. They're unlikely to attack humans unless
the humans are trespassing in their territory or building settlements where
they shouldn't be. Unfortunately, the ice giants of the distant north
and the evil fhoimorien are much more dangerous, since they're fond of
launching raids into the surrounding lands.
Gnolls
Wandering marauders and brigands, gnoll tribes have troubled
the peoples of Cerilia since before the coming of humankind. Even the Anuirean
heartland can be harassed by gnollish marauders, although it's a rare event.
Gnolls are nomads and plunderers, moving constantly and existing from day
to day with little thought of what tomorrow holds.
Goblins
Goblin-kind includes goblins, hobgoblins, and bugbears.
In fact, in Cerilia the term "goblin" refers to any one of these species,
since they all are part of goblin society. The only real variations are
in size and strength. Goblins hold extensive realms, from Thurazor and
Markazor to the great khanate of Kal Kalathor.
Goblins aren't considered monsters or pests, although
no one would want them for neighbors. Their kingdoms are strong and stable
enough to stand as nations, with laws, borders, and courts. They engage
in trade with the lands around them, hire themselves out as mercenaries,
and occasionally strike deals with bordering lands. However, goblins are
short-tempered, avaricious, and violent; it's not a good idea to trust
one too far.
Goblin society is loosely organized by tribes or clans.
For example, the kingdom of Kal Kalathor consists of no less than 37 distinct
tribes. Most goblin kings are weak figures, unable to control their contentious
supporters; however, from time to time a particularly powerful, intelligent,
and dangerous individual can forge an army from his squabbling subjects.
Goblins live by herding livestock, mining, selling their
services as mercenaries, and raiding. They are slave-holders, and the weak
among them do most of the labor.
Orogs
The orogs are a dangerous and cunning race of warriors
who live in caverns and fortresses beneath Cerilia's mountains. They consider
all other races of Cerilia to be their enemies, but especially the hated
dwarves. The orogs are well-equipped, fierce fighters led by powerful shamans
and spellcasters, but they're almost helpless in sunlight.
In recent years, the orogs have been creating subterranean
passageways to mount raids into lands far from their strongholds beneath
the mountains. Orog activity has increased drastically, imperiling several
Brechtur trade routes and making the mountains unsafe for travel. Some
people suspect that a new leader is coordinating orog armies throughout
Cerilia--a frightening thought indeed.
The Shadow World
There is a dark side to Cerilia, a parallel world of cold,
eternal twilight that exists when night falls over the land. The intangible
border between Cerilia and its sinister twin can only be breached by powerful
magic, but thin places exist where great evil has been done, or in the
darkest winter nights. Cerilians refer to this evil place as the Shadow
World, and believe that any supernatural evils such as undead or fiends
come from there.
Those who have crossed over to the Shadow World report
that it resembles a dark and distorted version of Cerilia itself. There
are mountains and rivers where similar features exist in the daylight world,
but the land is cold and empty. A musty old barrow may hold nothing but
moldering bones in Cerilia, but if one were to enter the same barrow in
the Shadow World--or even on a night when the Shadow World was near--he
might find wights, spectres, or worse.
Time flows differently in the Shadow Land, and many dimensional
magics such as dimension door or dimension walk use this property by creating
a short-lived passage through the Shadow World. Wizards should be very
careful of over-using these spells; more than one mage has vanished and
never returned from the Shadow World.
The halflings are said to have come from this place at
some point in the past, fleeing a terrible danger. Common folk everywhere
tell terrifying stories of a Shadow Lord who rules the Shadow World with
an iron fist. He's known by many names throughout the land--the Rjurik
call him the Night Walker, while the Khinasi
know him as the Darkling. In any event, the borders between the Shadow
World and Cerilia have been growing weaker in recent years, and strange
things have been happening in the frontier-lands and wild places.
The Awnsheghlien
The awnsheghlien (aun-SHAY-lin) are the monstrous inheritors
of evil bloodlines, just as the player characters and most of their neighbors
are heroic scions of good bloodlines. Some of the awnsheghlien were even
present at the battle of Mount Deismaar, more than 1,500 years ago. Others
came into their power much later. Whatever their origin, the awnsheghlien
are the greatest danger facing Cerilia today.
Many of the awnsheghlien were once human, but the dark
power running in their veins has warped and transformed them. The Gorgon
and the Raven are excellent examples. To some degree, the power seems to
create an outward shape or form that matches the awnshegh's blighted spirit.
The Gorgon, with a heart of stone, has
become more and more stone-like over the years. This dark power is
as much a curse as it is a reward; most awnsheghlien are tortured creatures,
despising themselves as much as they do others.
Some of the awnsheghlien were monsters who served in Azrai's
armies. The Kraken, the Manticore, and the Chimaera are examples of these.
In the years since, they have become even more monstrous. Others such as
the Hydra or the Minotaur came into their dark power through misfortune
or accident. And from time to time, new awnsheghlien are created when bloodlines
tainted by Azrai's derivation happen to breed true. The Boar of Thuringode
is one of these monstrosities.
An awnshegh doesn't always conform to the standard AD&D
version of the monster. The Gorgon isn't the bull-like creature described
in the MONSTROUS MANUAL(TM) tome; he is a stone-skinned humanoid with horns,
hooves, and giant-like strength. Since he was once a great human warrior,
he's skilled in the use of most weapons and specialized in his favorites.
Some awnsheghlien have created life, servants that reflect
the awnshegh's name. Thus, the Hydra has spawned multitudes of multi-headed
creatures, while the Manticore allows its smaller children to run rampant
through the Land of Darkness. Those who would fight the awnsheghlien should
be aware that killing a
manticore is nothing like killing the Manticore.
To some degree, the physical enhancement of the awnsheghlien
are their blood abilities. The manifestations of divine heritage are different
for monsters than they are for heroes. However, any awnshegh might possess
blood abilities commonly associated with heroic lines.
A number of powerful awnsheghlien control domains as regents
do. Most are considered to be Warriors for purposes of collecting regency
and running a domain, but there are representatives of other classes as
well. The awnshegh use their kingdoms to increase their own bloodline power,
trying to find lesser lines to absorb or
simply investing themselves with Regency Points whenever they can.
However, a few with more patience and cunning pursue a campaign of slow
expansion, building their strength for future conflicts.
The BIRTHRIGHT(TM) Campaign
Running a BIRTHRIGHT campaign is a serious challenge for
a Dungeon Master. In addition to the considerations of how imaginary
characters interact with each other, you'll also have to keep track of
a dozen or more entire kingdoms. How do you determine what a particular
NPC is up to? How will the shape of the world be changed by player character
actions?
For starters, keep in mind the one DM axiom that's always
true: Do what you think best. If a player wants to try an action that hasn't
been described, but you think it makes sense, then let the player go ahead
and worry about the letter of the rules later. Use Domain Turns and adventures
where and when you think they're
appropriate for advancing the story.
Since players aren't required to create characters who
actually rule domains, you have a great deal of flexibility in setting
up a BIRTHRIGHT campaign. Sit down with the players when the campaign begins
and ask them how they want to proceed. Some of the basic options are described
below.
Collective Rule
In this campaign, all of the PCs are concentrated in a
single realm of "overlapping" domains, sharing responsibility for governing
it. The PC priest is the head of the temple in the land. The mage is the
court wizard, the thief is the master of the guilds, and one or more characters
hold the throne, possibly sharing power. Other players may play non-regent
courtiers or minor nobles in the kingdom.
This is a good option, since it allows the DM to involve
every player in each Domain Turn. You don't have to work very hard to get
the players to cooperate or join forces; anything that seriously threatens
one character's domain threatens everyone else's.
The High King
One character holds supreme power as the High King, and
the other characters swear fealty to him. The kingdom is broken up into
smaller chunks, each under the rule of a single vassal character who can
run his provinces as he sees fit. In fact, the High King might even be
a figurehead NPC! This option allows the players to
concentrate their efforts in a single kingdom and keeps them in the
center of action
It's Lonely at the Top
Only one player character is a regent in this set-up;
all the others are supporting cast, acting as lieutenants, bodyguards,
and advisors. Since there's only one regent in the PC party, no other players
have to worry about maintaining a domain. This scenario has the advantage
of concentrating the PC party in a single place, and
some fun role-playing opportunities for players who don't mind taking
a supporting role.
Common Heroes
Who wants to be a regent, anyway? All that responsibility
and paperwork gets in the way of adventuring. In this type of campaign,
nobody is a regent. This set-up runs exactly like any other AD&D campaign,
except that it's set in Cerilia.
Each to His Throne
This is the most complicated scenario for a BIRTHRIGHT
campaign, but also the most rewarding. Each player creates a regent character
and his own domain. You'll need to define a center of action for any adventure
you wish to run, and the player whose regent is most concerned with the
adventure gets to address the issue. Uninvolved players may create common
characters to aid the lead character for that adventure. Watch out for
PC rivalry in this option.