- OF DWARVES

Journal of Khazrel Nakhu “Journey to the Cities Afar” 32’s93

“To maintain an unbiased account of the great Dwarven society, I have requisitioned Scoki Daeremel, my Human apprentice to note his accounts of our glorious race. Please note that the paragraphs after this will lack my usual charms and technical writing aptitude. Forgive the intrusion by less skilled hands.”

- OF DWARVES, by Scoki Daeremel, apprentice to Cog-lord Khazrel

“As a child growing up in the hinterlands of Plebes, it was a long dream of mine to see the citadels of the great Dwarves. This eventually came to fruitition after two decades of tutelage within the clergy of Vipunen, the Knowing. It was soon after I was invited to make the year-long pilgrimage to the Citadel of Ebbing Waves, or as the Dwarves call it Koti-Kyyneltyä. Therein I discovered the way of the Dwarves and the alchemical-wizardry which they employ.”

“First, let me speak of the Dwarves nature and demeanor. All Dwarves are shorter than men by a several heads at least. They are stout and all have thick and oily manes of hair. Males have oily beards which often drape to their belly. Women’s long hair often drapes down over their face and many leave only one half of their face to show, hiding the rest beneath a black curtain of hair. Older Dwarves usually do not grey as men do, but they appear more grizzled and their hair and bears grow wiry. Extremely old dwarves have hair which turns stark white, in a matter of months. This is usually a sign of extreme knowledge and somewhat of a transcendence among Dwarves. In the entire Citadel of Ebbing Waves only 18 such Dwarves out of thousands have this pure white hair. All Dwarves have black or brown eyes and their skin is dark compared to most men. They have flat faces with ovaloid skulls, protuberant eyes that are faint slits compared to the likes and of men, and flat noses. Their stout build is usually heavily set and most are as least as strong as a man despite their height.”

“Most men, even learned ones as myself know very little about the inner workings of the Dwarven society. It is a complex thing, far more so than the ways of men, so I surmise I will not do it justice. First off, let me start with their homelands. Most Dwarves live in Citadels which operate as hearth and workshop. These Citadels are almost always named after what gives them ‘flow’. In the case of the Citadel of Ebbing Waves, obviously water is the main device to make movement. Mills and vortex lay along a large waterfall in the heights of the Jaunermyst hills which provide the necessarily flow for the Dwarven alchemical-wizardry. Other Citadels are likewise named, here are a few: the Citadel of Circling Leaves, Citadel of Rising Flame, Citadel of Endless Sun, Citadel of Falling Ice – and so forth. In total I know of 21 grand citadels, and many lesser ones. I am told there were once as many as 3000 in the days of yor but this is no longer true. Indeed many ruined Citadel dot the landscape in nearly any climate.”

“The Citadels themselves vary in size, layout, architecture and population as much as Human cities. The Citadel of Ebbing Waves has roughly 6,000 inhabitants, and double that many animals which aid in the toil. The primary terrain is the 250 foot waterfall and the redwood trees that surround cover the hills. Three gates lay along the outer edges of the Citadels which are walled with un-melting glacial ice and one section is backed by granite cliffs. Internally, most buildings are wrought from a mesh of bronze, granite, and a filament material that is akin to very hard sap. No wood is uses and I am told fire in general has very little effect inside of a Citadel. Perhaps this is practical application due to the various mishaps that seem common place.”

“Dwarven Citadels have three primary wings; one for social, one for the workshops and one for the clergy. These are usually harmonious but I am told this is not true in all Citadels. Most Dwarves of working age stay within the Workshops for weeks at a time. A smaller group works in the clergy, which usually includes the Thane, his Daamis and the Dwarven court. The social wing is usually tailored to the upbringing of children, those too old to work, and any ‘broken’ (Dwarves unable to work for whatever reason).”

“Of obvious scrutiny are the mechanical workings of the Dwarven Citadels. They have devices that are well beyond the ways of men, which unfortunately cause envy and strife among the other races. I will cite examples from the Citadel of Ebbing Waves since it is what I am familiar with them most intimately. The three wings of the Citadel are placed upon large cog-plates which shift throughout the day ever so slightly. This can be particularly disorienting to travelers since going from one point to another usually changes depending on the time of day. Water flows through canals and pipes providing most dwelling with heated water and carrying devices for internal commutations. Even food is sealed in bronze jars and sent to and fro through the water ways. Clockwork machines are operated by Dwarves for a variety of tasks; milling grain, creating cloth, smithing metals, even cleaning the street ways. It is no odd occurrence to flee for ones life when a Dwarf is pushing a geared wire-brush sweeping cart and he can not see what is in front of him.”

“I am told that other Citadels are even more fantastic but I find this hard to imagine, even as acquainted with the Dwarves as I am. Many of the older and elaborate machines fall into disrepair and are beyond the knowledge of any living Dwarf. This is unfortunate since I only guess at the great knowledge lost. Still, I have seen such great works as a flying machines, self-powered rail cars, light refectories that can melt steel, and even clockwork golems which walk on their own merit. These are rare, even among the Dwarves and such things are maintained with a near religious doctrine. I deduce that should one break in a major fashion, it would be beyond the knowledge of living Dwarves to repair them.”

“Dwarves are highly spiritual, although there appears to be several deities which vie for their worship. This is oddly diametric to their lawful nature, and I am surprised to find that most wars fought internally among Dwarves are in the name of one deity or another. Most Dwarves serve a deity that has served their family for generations, mostly out of habit. Few Dwarves are overly zealous, but those who are, are often outspoken in many ways. These individuals often climb into power among the clergy and often this is when the seeds of trouble begin. Bitter feuds among rival clergies never appear to be forgotten and they are amicable at best in peaceful times.”

“I suppose this has something to do with the concept of equivalent exchange among the Dwarves. If something is gained, something must be lost of equal value. Likewise if something is lost, something of equal value must be gained. Most of their laws operate under such mandate, and so areas of spirituality are ill-defined therein. It is no wonder such things would eventually cause problems.”

“From what I have read, many citadels have fallen to such spiritual infighting which spread to other Citadels like a plague. Doom eventually follows after many years of internal strife. I can only guess that this is the ultimate cause of the disappearance of so many Dwarven Citadels over the last eon. Today, most Dwarves are very cautious about their spiritual nature and do not speak of it openly. They go about their daily prayers among their family and leave their spirituality behind closed doors. Those zealous few who preach openly are distained by most as a trouble maker, but rarely stopped in fear of inciting their powerful clergy. Luckily the practical minded of their own clergy usually curtails their preaching to a modest degree. Still, I have seen fist fights and even one murder occurred because of such spiritual outrages among rival worshipers.”

“That said, the nature of most Dwarves is that of fantastic hosts to their guests and humble in light of their accomplishments. They are slow to anger in most situations, but are as tenacious as a rabid dog when brought into conflict. Woe to their enemies indeed. I have read ancient books with Dwarven foes which are simply no more.”

Race Detail

As below, I will be detailing some of the races through narration. I will later put forth a guide on the race, the problems they face, and the politics involved with them. I will do something similar to the below for Dwarves, Halflings and Humans as well.

The Rules are getting more solidified which will allow me to write up the setting more. The setting will undoubtedly take much longer and be more intensive as far as a writing excersise. As for the rules, I have a pretty clear idea of what needs to be done; combat wounds, redo spells, bloodlines and powers, and the spell fuck-up table. I have a pretty clear skeleton to go on so the rest should be easy. It will really just be a matter of testing it after that and adpating it towards the setting.

The setting will be more of work under construction, and prototypes may be a bad idea for it. I'll give it a go at least once though, maybe next week or the week after assuming I have some decent content to put down. That said things are progressing about at the pace I intended so I am fairly pleased with that.

The narration below is described as "Journey to the Cities Afar" which will be a location in the setting. A fabled location which will be the human nirvana, far to the South East. The name was originally from B3 (I think) and Otter used it a bit so I am leaning to use it myself. Anyhow, it will be well outside the domain of the three kingdoms, perhaps just as a perpetually mystical place that no one actually sees.

- OF ELVES

Journal of Khazrel Nakhu “Journey to the Cities Afar” 31’s93

- OF ELVES

“I was not entirely sure of what to expect upon my first meeting with the Elves in their own proper home lands. Surely the ones I have met prior to this encounter have been a strange lot of multi-colored fey that seem perpetually more interested in frolic, fine drink and singing than rightful toil and well-reasoned thought. I had pictured their villages nothing short of an orgy of oiled bodies, fine foods, strange animals, and perhaps some fine entertainment between the orgifiying. Naturally I steadied my hands and made sure my iron-banded belt was on particularly tight as we entered the meadows of the Haedegian, a great primeval forest.”

“What I saw therein was quite different from my initial expectations. Wooded dwellings surround the huge trees and some buildings even climb the tree’s heights to a meager extent. These dwelling surrounded a central hold of marbled buildings with open roofs which were cut down the middle with running streams of water. The landscape was quite well kept and to my surprise no debauchery was openly present.”

“Instead I saw small groups of like-minded individuals doing an assortment of bewildering things. Most seem to be in preparation for some kind of revelry. I surmise it is for the breaking of winter and in preparation for the height of spring. A group of woodcarvers were chastising a bear for wrecking a group of tent poles. Women folk practiced dance routines with a lack of music and decorated gowns. Several gardeners milled about their groves, poking and prodding the fruit for ripeness. A few scholarly sorts read aloud to on another on a grassy patch. A few armed women return from a scouting expedition, each mounted upon a large tapir. All of this very different from the machinery, oil and toil of my homeland.”

“The year was 31’s93, thirty one years after the Great Rot, and it appeared to have little lasting effect here as it had in other locations. A few giant toadstools could be seen to and fro, but none of the compost heaps and spore clouds that linger in other areas. It is now spring and the Elves themselves are particularly multi-colored. Many of my kindred are unsure why the Elves are so seemly chaotic in appearance, so let me give my insights.”

“Most Elves appear as lithe humanoids with delicate features and a natural grace beyond that of other humanoids. Their hair, skin color, and eyes are all effected by two things. First of all the season in which they were born, secondly the current season which they are in. The men stand roughly 5 to 5.5 feet. The women a head or two shorter. Elves have long finger which seem inordinately fidgety, constantly kneading, preening, rolling and moving about – as if looking for something to do. The many colors of the elves hair, skin and eye change as follows – at least as far as I can tell.”

“Summer: Skin and hair is of tans, yellows, light yellows, dark pinks and olive. The eyes have a slight glow and tend to be bright emeralds, scalding yellows, and deep oranges.

Autumn: Skins take on a more sullen quality and turn to shades of deep red, oranges, deep yellows and dark muddled brown-greens. The eyes however contrast this with slightly glowing shades of bright red, bright orange, bright yellow and occasionally purple.

Winter: Skin turns a bit ashen and is usually a shade of pale white, light blues, white with a faint shade of purple, and sometimes a dusty gray. The eyes again are slightly glowing and are of a bright sapphire, a darker topaz, a bright purple or even white like a diamond.

Spring: Skin turns shades of creamy pink, light green, dusty yellow and wide assortments of mid-ranges. The hair often contrasts the skin, making them more colorful than they otherwise are, sometimes retaining the quality of a previous season. The eyes likewise vary widely and usually retain a color of a previous season.”

“An Elf born in the winter would have a subtle hint of a whitish-blue all year around, although it is often overpowered by other colors to the non-elf observer. Likewise with Elves born of other seasons. For all Elves this indicator is obvious and they often talk amongst each other with reference to the Elf’s seasonal heritage; ‘sister of the winter’ or ‘autumn brother’ and so forth.”

“Most of my Dwarven kin know that Elves live very long and so I asked many Elves bluntly how long they live. It was most unsettling that almost all Elves do not know when they were born, simply a long-long time ago. Memory seems to be a transitory thing for many Elves, as it appear that their long term memory last no more than 400-700 years. Most Elves are older than this, so it appears, thus we have a conundrum of what has occurred before this time. Few Elves authored books on history, and they are usually heavily slanted towards legends and particularly sever seasons and not much use to me. I have some sinking doubt that some of the great Elves hold libraries of old told knowledge. I am sure some detailed history would lay within but these are unfortunately beyond my reach”

“It is possible the Elves are indeed quite old, spanning to who knows how long in terms of age. If this is true then how come the world is not over run with porridge munching, frolicking Elves? The answer is quite the reverse of their appearance of endless revelry; they simply do not mate often and occasionally Elves do die due to accident, times of war and so forth. In terms of mating it appears the males of the species is genuinely not very interested, much to the irritation of the females which appear to be forever in the throws of lusty passion. Evidentially the males are far more concerned with peace of mind, brotherhood among their kind, the various stages of revelry which their lives seem to be dictated around. The females on the other hand are obsessive about their counter-gender and plot endlessly to seduce one, most often to no avail by the dismissive males. I have learned first hand that one should be very careful when paying attention to a female Elf, as they have the tendency to think things are far more than what they are. I dare say they are all inflicted with some sort of mild insanity driven by passion.”

“With this in mind, it vaguely reminds me of my youth, when my beard was first reaching length. Oh the games the women-kin would play to gain the attentions of a strong-bearded Dwarf such as myself! Naturally such games eventually end when we become more serious of mind, but this does not seem to be the case with Elves. Few Elves are of serious mind to commit to a serious cause. Those few who do often create a large impact upon their kind and the world in general. Those few who take to magic use, the arts of learned reason, and other great crafts are among the best in the world. It is of no surprise that these Elves take the reins of leadership and usually direct the passions of their kind to the greater good. Oddly enough this is diametric to the nature of the rest of their people, so such great Elves are often uncomfortable in their own homelands. Perhaps this is why so many of the great Elves travel endlessly or seek hermitage.”

“Elves do not have standing armies and often avoid conflict when possible. The males are far too self-interested for such things, and far too intent of saving their own skin to start swinging a sword at the local evil spirits. The females are more inclined to be martial and often make up the ranks of rangers and scouts which patrol their lands. I suspect the males arrange this to some extent get the females out of their daily business. Only in times of great peril will the Elves truly stand together”

“I have ask many Elves of their opinions on other races. Oddly enough they seem to think the Humans are actually divergent Elves from a 20-year summer many millennia ago. I find this hard to believe but I have heard this from more than one respected Elf, which gives me pause. Most Elves prefer to stay out of the affairs of men but do enjoy their company, their games, and their oddly primitive trade goods. Elves however dislike their violence, their propensity towards crime and politics.”

“Elves and Dwarfs have always been amicable but distant. I will tell you first hand that very few Elves travel to Dwarven citadels and the reverse is true as well. The Elves seem to think Dwarfs are the kin of stars, and gained their great knowledge from the celestial bodies. I find this hard to be true but I humor the ideas regardless.”

“The Elves seem most unsure about Halflings and seem a bit unsettled about their ability to see the future. I can relate to this, as it is difficult to not think every action a Halfling takes is towards some other unseen motive. Still, most Halflings are content to live their lives in peace and seem to prosper best when left alone in some prairie. The Elves appear to think the presentience is unnatural, and it is not how the Halflings should be. Unfortunately they did not elaborate beyond this.”

“Other races were eluded to as being important to the Elves. Most notably the divergent races which occur when a great season is particularly severe. It is rumored that in a 32 year long winter that a coven of sullen elves never recovered, and stayed the deepest of purples with coal eyes and stark hair. Other rumors elude to winged fey being the origin of long stints of Spring time and the Elves of that age. It is difficult to tell what may indeed be fact and what is simply legend or some odd-ball deduction by the self-important Elves. I will not outright dismiss these tales, but all can not possibly be true. Especially since it is common knowledge that the Dwarven ingenuity created most of the natural world.”

Rules Draft 1 up

Between the CEO at my work leaving today, meetings and putting some meat on the Rules I have not had as much time as I would like to hash out the rule details or post here. But here is what I have. The highlighted areas are completing missing. Other stuff like spell, combat and gear is simply filler for now. All at under .25 meg.

An updated version will be posted on the right column as I go. The iterations of released drafts I expect in the area of once a month. Same with the setting book as well.

Blood and Seasons

I have yet to think a whole lot about bloodlines so some brainstorming in the near future is needed. Off hand I wanted to involve the World Tree and perhaps the seasons. It could be something like a freaking acorn fell from the World Tree unto the world and those few who partook in its goodness became something more than men. Generations later this became the bloodline families that they are today. Okay, but nothing special in terms of ideas.

Another one would be to involve the severity of season. Lets say the 4 seasons ebb and flow as far as length. Once a generation a particularly severe season would come across and cause a big mess. A 7 year Winter would certainly suck. For our case though since 'eyes' are involved perhaps a 10 year summer a couple hundred years ago really jacked the ecosystem, and perhaps changed the human survivors rather drastically, at least those that stayed out in the endless bright sunlight. That sounds more interesting to me. As for the other prolonged seasons:

* The endless Spring would essentially be a paradise, forever blooming.
* The endless Autumn would start out timid and serene but would eventually become a great rot with forests of mushrooms and compost.
* The endless Winter would suck ass, probably the closest thing to a cataclysm this world has.
* The endless Summer would be a mixed bag. The bright light and heat would eventually tear things up. Trees and critter would grow into huge sizes and so forth.


So the past history would something like so:

24 year - 7 year Spring (sapphiron) - 22 years - 4 year Winter (hibernel) - 28 years - 6 year Autumn (leafenfel) - 33 years - 9 year Summer (Estaoculus - the summer of eyes) - 32 years - 4 year Spring (sinchola) - 41 years - 3 year Spring (vaunderfel) - 21 years - 4 year Autumn (the great rot) - 31 years - present year

So, the Summer of Eyes, which brought forth the bloodlines was 145 years ago, plenty of time for a political culture to develop around the bloodlines it brought (think how quickly the Kennedys, Bushs and Clintons became mega-powers). The other prolonged seasons would have similar impact upon the world, although I have nothing in particular in mind for them at this point. The elves on one hand revel in these prolonged season and indeed plan their lives around them in some extent, perhaps creating divergent species if the process gets messed up (ei Hibernel creating the Drow?). Dwarves, they see nothing but problems and randomness in these long seasons, and probably sneak away in their deep workshop dens. Halflings, probably an opportunity to set in motion a great change and are very mobile during these times.

So now it seems like a good origin for the bloodlines to me. Creating the actual bloodline trees should be fairly straight forward and something for another post. The descriptor should be in terms of the power it gives such as; Eyes of Thoughtless Acts, Eyes Chaos Unbound, Eyes of Just Fate and so forth. Or perhaps I will make them more vague with named based upon the original member who had the bloodline.

Holy Men

Cleric will be pretty much along the lines as written in B/X. The notable exception will be turning undead which will effect not only undead but most supernatural creatures, effects and general occurrences. The various supernatural spirits and beings in the world can be warded by the hand of the cleric, thus protecting a person, a dwelling or a place. The length and strength of the effect will be based on the turning undead roll, so Cleric level will be the primary moving factor.

Anyhow, most of the population is aware of the Cleric's power so it would not be uncommon for, lets say, an innkeeper to offer free room and board to a Cleric in hopes to gain this warding effect. Of course most such holy men are charlatans but you never know when you will come across the real deal.

The actual effect of turning will be primarily as written in B/X. That is a turned foe will be warded and can approach no farther. Most will flee. Foes that are much weaker than the Cleric can be outright destroyed. The same goes for warding a building or location, although this ritual affair takes longer and is somewhat more draining on the Cleric. Limitation on the size of the ward will be something like 10 cubed meters per level. A level 4 Cleric thus should have no issues warding an Inn or small temple. A level 10 Cleric can probably ward an entire keep.

All Cleric will have a patron deity though I admit I will probably end up doing my deity list last. I like this list a lot and I am sure I will use a version of the Finnic Deities as well. Different races will have different lists of course and will likely have a vastly different dogma. I will not however spell it out and leave it for the most part in the hands of the players. I may limit Cleric armor to chain so it has a definate roll in the game rather than a use-at-level-1-only type of thing. It seems more natural to me for some reason, and it will give the Paladin something else good.

Multiclass

Multi-Classing will be a fairly important part of the game as it will be open to anyone, even after the PC is generated and into his starting levels. It will be fairly easy to work so let me elaborate while its fresh in my head. Let say Grobo the Invincible is a level 4 Fighter with 14,000 experience. He wishes to advance his Magic User level. In this case Grobo the Invincible moves 2,500 xp from his Fighter class to his Magic user Class.

Grobo now has 11,500 in Fighter and 2,500 in Magic User. New experience gained can be placed in either class, or a new one for that matter. He gains the full benefits and limitations of his new Magic User Class. There are some limitations in gaining new classes: a 5 level spread must be present when gaining a new class and you can not drop a level in a class to gain a level of another class. In the above, if Grobo had been at 8,000 xp and just hit level 4, he could not gain a level in Magic User. Likewise if Grobo was level 8, he could not level in Magic User unless he did so previously and the Magic User level was at least level 3.

As far as benefits of the new class, the new level grants all normal benefits of that class. New hit dice, new spells, new thief abilities and so forth. The limitation also apply however, namely in armor. A Fighter in plate can not cast Magic User spells or use Theif abilities unless he removed thier armor (or wear leather for a the Theif levels). The same goes for edged weapons and Clerics. The player will be the best of his available Save Throws. Attack bonus will likely be his best available. In this sense there are advantages to sticking with one class. A strict Magic User will have the best spells available, a strict Fighter will fight better than any multi-class and so forth. However the advantages to multi-class will be luractive enough I think to warrant some messing with.

I will probably use a infomal class trainer for the classes and class titles to level up. That the PC has to learn from a Mage to gain Magic User levels. He has to learn from a Paladin to gain his Paladin status. This is informal though and will not cost gold or a specific time, just DM fiat.

I am probably capping progression at level 15. Level 5 will be hero quality where normal people will be in awe of such a person. Level 9 will be name level, and will grant followers and open up running realms. Level 12 will be in living legend domain, a once in a generation type of fellow for his race. Level 15 is practically a demi-god. Theoretically a PC could get 15/15/15/15 but it would be something like 4 million xp which is quite ridiculous.