Thunderfist12
2013-09-16, 05:11 PM
The accounts of the World of Karoem as follows are taken from the tongue of the Keeper of the Chronicle, as spoken in the year 582, in the Age of the Fallen Moon.
"The Great Three look down upon you with favor, for one would need such guardianship in these dark times.
"And to my young apprentice, Shyldar: you had once asked of the history of this realm, and I had told you in turn that it would one day pass into your hands when I sung my Dying Litany, and the Chronicle became yours to possess. But, whether it is by the lingering of your impatience, or by the softness of my old age, I have decided to pass on some of my knowledge.
"But not all of it.
"Let us start with the beginning of the Realms - the beginning is always the best place to start, as I have often told you. In the beginning, there was Void. And from Void was born the first of the Great Three: Father Night.
"Now, like all things that came after the Void, Father Night became lonely. So, with a fraction of his creator's power, he made for himself a new home - and a bride. This world, Faerie, would soon become the worlds we know today, and his bride Mother Morning.
"After a time, the two made for themselves a child, whom we on Karoem name Lord Dusk. After the Third Great One was begotten, Mother Morning spent much of her time with this new god. Not wishing to share the love of his bride with his son, Father Night took his great scythe and slaughtered him in his own grove. This was the First Harvest, where the blood of Dusk fell from Faerie to create the world of Karoem - and the Firstborn of all peoples, the Shadar-kai, whose name means 'Half-Fallen'.
"After the Harvest, Mother Morning separated her grove from Father Night's. Hers would soon become the Great Seelie Court, where Angels dwell and Holy Sidhe sing, and Father Night's would become the Realm of Unseelie, where demons lurk in the shadows and spriggans drink the blood of children.
"Mother Morning could do but one thing with Lord Dusk's grove. Stealing it away from Father Night while he slept - for it is from him that all mortals get the need to sleep - she placed it away from all other realms, and raised Lord Dusk into a half-life, to watch over the dead and ferry them to the land he would guard forevermore.
"Furious at the theft of this grove, Father Night created a new people, warped and twisted creatures much like the hounds he himself had placed to serve his old mistress. Thus were born the enemy of all, the Gnolls - Secondborn of all peoples, whose name means 'Mockery'.
"Seeing the devastation of the Shadar-Kai, Lord Dusk gave his people a new power - magic. With such power, his people bound spirits, raised the dead, and changed the fabric of reality with but a whim. But such power came with great cost. Over time, these mages became more and more like the dead they consorted with, for harnessing the spirits of the dead takes more than any mortal man can hold for too long - and most would go mad in their Apprentice Years.
"Seeing that, even with these mages, Father Night's Gnolls were still free to ravage the land of Karoem, Mother Morning wept. From her tears were born the race of Man, the Youngest, and it is they who govern Karoem today.
"For the sake of these peoples, granted they had not mustered their Power for the same intentions, the Three created the Moon. In the time before the Fall, it hung above Karoem, changing its face with the seasons.
"In the Green Season, it would be a pleasant, pale green colour. This was called the Life Moon. Beneath its warm glow, everything living grew faster and healthier. Children born under the Green Moon were always blessed, being better-developed and healthier than those born in other seasons. The Green Moon represented fertility, joy, and nature.
"As the Green Season waned and the Fire Season waxed, the moon darkened until it became a beautiful deep green. The Summer Moon was a time of bounty. Those who saw it felt uplifted, overjoyed. Also called the Mother's Moon, it nurtured and cared for those it watched over, making them calmer and wiser. Those born in the Fire Season would be wiser than others and natural diplomats and healers. The Moon brought peace to the Fire Season, leaving even the Gnolls in a far calmer and less frenzied state.
"As the leaves changed colour and the air grew crisp, the Moon would darken to a deep orange. The Harvest Moon was a time of bounty. It was also called the Father's Moon for it gifted those beneath it with strength, allowing them to hunt better, faster, and bring in larger bounties, also allowing for easier harvesting of the fields. Children born in the Harvest Season are stronger and hardier, being able to work longer and carry more. However, it also made those beneath it more aggressive, paranoid, angry, and jealous, those qualities embodied by Father Night.
"And as the year died, the moon turned black. Son's Moon, it was called, or Dreamer's Moon. During the cold months of the Dying Season, it was hard to nurture the body. Those who were born during the Dying Season were often weaker of body, but strong of mind, nurturing their magical talent as a strength to hold above all others. Spending such time studying the Arts has sharpened their senses and intellects. Beneath the Dream Moon, all creatures are craftier, smarter, and better able to think. They are also sometimes blessed with dreams of prophecy and other bursts of magic.
"The Tale of the Moon told of this, once long ago, but now the Tale is long forgotten, bound within the pages of the Chronicle. This is the origin of the four great seasons: the Green Season, the Fire Season, the Harvest Season, and the Dying Season.
"And the Moon guided the people on their courses for many generations.
"After a thousand years, the Gnolls had finally been repressed. But, with casualties high, Man began to despise the Shadar-kai. In an act of madness, the Forgotten King turned to Father Night for an answer to his prayers, for a means of vengeance for the deaths, for the sorrow - for the curse this foul magic had brought upon his land, and upon his people. He wished to slaughter the King of Crows and his people.
"The Father Night was delighted with such blind treachery. He gave the Forgotten King the designs he had held for eons and eons, a design for warriors that could be silent as the grave, that could be still as the stones, and yet never, never age. The Forgotten King fashioned the first of these from the briars of the forest, and from the wicker of the basketweavers - and he called it the Scarecrow.
"After years of needless war, the Empire split under the weight of famine, drought, and rebellion. The king's four children - Boric the Strongheaded, Mystyra the Beautiful, Pukkid the Weak (who we today call the Scarecrow King), and Shalan the Deceiver, took their own thrones in what remained of the Empire - and thus were the Four Kingdoms first created.
"Five hundred and eighty-two years ago today, this was. It was the day when the moon fell to the world of Karoem. An odd people was seen about on the day of the Great Falling, a people Void itself created to oversee the balance of his squabbling children. With the moonfolk came a new magic, the magic of the Moon-Crystals. Thus was born the Order of Dark Magi, and Black Magic was born on the world. Father Night had made his mark.
"This was not the only effect of the Great Falling. With it, the world was plunged into an age of cold days and colder nights. The Harvest-Time came earlier each year, and in the pitch-black nights the screams of children could be heard, and many claimed to have seen the red caps of spriggans, and the golden-brown eyes of trolls.
"And that brings us to somewhere around today. Not much has happened in the way of the gods - wars have raged between the Four Kingdoms, lands have changed hands, and Gnolls and Shadar-Kai have battled under their Imperial Flags for hundreds of years. But the kingdoms and empires have not broken over the ages.
"Nor will they ever in the days to come.
"May the Mother Morning bring to you peace, the Lord Dusk preserve you, and Father Night wait until the Last Harvest to reap your soul from Karoem."
Recorded by Shyldar Whiteraven, the Writer of the Tome, in the year 582, five bells before the death of Glaron Nightbane, Keeper of the Chronicle.
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An Introduction from the Great Atlas of the Chronicle, in the year 588.
"Our world is a vast, wild place. Foul creatures from the Unseelie slink in its darker reaches, and its native creatures grow to monstrous proportions in places unseen by the eyes of its more understanding folk.
"And yet, in the midst of such peril, an abundance of peoples thrive. From the Four Great Kingdoms to the Kingdom of Blackraven, their cities rest upon the stones of the World Between, shining stars of knowledge in the savage lands of Faerie.
"Within this Atlas are details pertaining to the civil lands between Faerie, for the Realms themselves are nigh upon uncharted."
The Four Kingdoms
From The Tale of Four Crowns, a common saga told around fires in the Harvest season. The following text is taken, word for word, from the mouth of Alderius Shadowtongue, the Storyteller and Dreamweaver. As a precaution to the reader, he tends to stray from the topic whilst drunk (as he was the night of this uttering).
"Gather, for the night creeps in as swift as the Father's Great Blade. Keep close to the fire - we wouldn't want his Folk to catch us unawares, would we? Ah, but I stray from our focus. Tonight, you shall be enlightened in the History of the Four Kingdoms. The Four Great Thrones, now held by Quarog Shadowmire, by Skythre Highmantle, by Malthos Bonecharmer, and by the Lord of Nightmares himself, the Scarecrow King.
"Alas, I stray once again, for it is only one of those of which you will hear tonight. I grieve to tell you that it will not be Skythre, or Quarog, or even or beloved Lord Malthos, but, indeed, the Immortal One himself.
"I apologize if the mention of the Wicker Warlord strikes fear into your soul. He does so to most of us. And he has earned the right of terror, too, damning the souls of innocent men for his own dark rituals.
"But that is not how he always was. Once, long ago, he and his siblings fought against Father Night himself to stay his hand from our realm. Once, his realm was free and just, before he was corrupted by the King of Shadow. Before he declared his Second War on the King of Crows. Now his kingdom dwells in shadow and fear, unwilling to revolt or ignorant to any hopes of freedom, I don't know.
"The three other kingdoms are much the same as they were in days of old. Quarog rules our lovely swamp-country, our kingdom riddled with advisors and magistrates. He's a puppet-king if you ask me, dancing on the strings of some unseen puppetteer. Our people live in fair condition, though - for the time being.
"Skythre rules the northern realm, and he does so justly and honorably. His people have enjoyed an immense gathering of liberties under his rule - but that is not to say that he tolerates crime. I've known many a thief to enter his kingdom, never to return. It's a sad state of affairs.
"And, finally, I tell you of the realm of Malthos, the Dark Kingdom. Malthos is not the descendant of Shalan, like the kings before him. He is a tyrant, a despot, a black mage who has taken our throne for himself. Their kingdom will suffer, I can tell you that. On the brighter side, he has kept the kingdom safe...
"But the night grows short, and I can no longer stray from my storytelling. So, gather and listen close as I tell you of the Four Children, and their great journey, of the King and his first Scarecrow, and of Father Night and his great devices.
"It began on a dark night, much like this, in the Inn of the Sleeping Dragon..."
The Inn of the Sleeping Dragon, located in the realm of Quarog Shadowmire, is a much-visited inn, and is the starting point of many great tales. It has stood as long as time can remember, granted not always in the same place, serving as a warm beacon for those who travel through the deadly marshes in which it rests. The innkeeper is none other than the Storyteller himself, and he delights in his Harvest-time performances. Surprisingly, he has not been arrested for his speaking out against the king - possibly because the king is ignorant, or mayhaps because the king enjoys his stories.
The Kingdom of Blackraven
The dissertation of Khoron the Aged, Scarecrow Black Mage and veteran of the First War, given to all newly made Scarecrows
"Listen well, for I shall only describe this kingdom once. Do not enter it. If you do, you will be burned on sight. Yes, it may not be fair, but that is how it is. I know this by listening to tales from humans and from a kind Shadar-Kai outcast blademaster. Those heroes taught us much about the society of Blackraven.
"So, you newly made Scarecrows, you think that you can turn things on their head and make peace between here and Blackraven? You think that you will be the one to sneak in and set fire to the cities, to gain revenge for what they did to us? I tell you otherwise.
"The first thing that you must contend with upon trying to enter Blackraven are the guard towers. Practically ringing the realm they are within seeing distance of one another. Patrols of warriors and mages march between the constantly, policing the border. To even cross the border you need to have a letter bearing the seal of one of the nobles or 'travel nobles'.
"If you do not have one and are shadar-kai, you will be punished, maybe even hung. If you are a human, or moonfolk they will take you to the nearest border tower and grant you a temporary travel pass issued by a 'travel lord'. These travel lords may issue a pass for travel that expires in one month, if that long. Before that time ends you must procure a new, permanent travel pass from an actual noble, or leave the country. If you are a scarecrow or a gnoll, well, you will not live to regret trying to enter Blackraven.
"If you managed to get past their guards you must travel across a, supposedly beautiful yet haunting landscape, full of twisted warped trees and surrealistic images. Dotting this landscape are the occasional farmhouse. Tending these farms are both undead skeletons and harvest constructs, tall mockeries of Scarecrows with scythes for arms and baskets on their back. Mockeries because they look like us, are made like us, but do not think, do not move on their own, do not live.
"Being a farmer there is an honour, you know. They who need food get their food from the ones who can provide it with magic and mysticism. Bah. Food eaters. Witches. Bah.
"But where was I? I was saying something or other about the landscape.
Ah, yes, the landscape. If you can manage to pass through the farmland where the harvest constructs and undead have orders to kill any scarecrow that passes you finally, finally may reach a city. Maybe even the city of Blackraven.
"A great city, walled with wood and stone. Towering above the rest of the city is the mighty Blackraven Keep, home of the Blackraven, the King of Crows himself. Attached to this mighty keep are several temples to the Son and one to the Mother.
"They take their religion, their worship of the Son, pretty seriously over there. You don't worship? You can get exiled for that, become an outcast.
"As you get further from the Keep the houses are tall, crowding the sky, cutting off the sky when you walk the streets. Each of these houses, most at least three stories, reaches up to house more families, yet most of them are empty, or only half filled. The streets are filled with people moving, but not all that filled. The city can hold far more than it does now, far more people. The merchant squares are near empty of merchants. Guards stalk the streets, the only ones allowed to carry weapons, and even then only staves, saps, and catchpoles. The mages must wear a green belt inside the city if they can cast harmful spells. Outlander mages are almost always caught, imprisoned, and tried. If they are lucky they only get banished, or else they are strung up.
"Which leads naturally to their forms of execution. Do you know that they execute others like they execute us? It is barbaric I say, simply barbaric.
What they do is take a person and tie their arms and legs to a wooden cross. Then, they bind rags around them with wicker and stuff those rags with briars. Finally, they tie a one-eyed mask over the head of the criminal, meant to mock our own faces. They wheel this contraption out to one of the nearby execution pits, and set fire to this monstrosity. They say that in death each enemy becomes one enemy, each dead kills one of us.
"The barbarians. We did not even fight them of our own free will.
"That is all that I know of the cursed kingdom of Blackraven. Now, if you wish to go out there and get your newly made bodies all torn and burnt, slashed and ruined, then be my guest. You foolish newmade are always rushing off to do such a thing.
"But I, I will stay here where it is nice and cold and damp with an abundance of twigs and hay and sticks. I will be safe and fire-free whilst you burn in the kingdom of Blackraven.
"Now, I tire of this conversation. I have Magic to practice"
Khoron is renowned for his miraculous survival in the First War - he was slashed in two with a scythe, burned with mage-fire and bound with Unseelie Nettlebriars, left to die on the battlefield. He was very fortunate that a kindly old human mage saved him from certain death, whisking him away and repairing his broken body. He has never forgotten his debt to that mage's family - or his hatred of shadar-kai.
The Moonrange
A recounting of the Beginning of the Voyage of Daltar Freemage, by his son, twenty years after the event.
Daltar threw back his head in a long, heartfelt laugh. "No, my son. You cannot go with me to the Moonrange."
"But why not?" asked his son.
The Shadar-Kai chain dancer turned and squatted down to look him in the eye. "Because my son, it is dangerous there. Do you know what the Moonrange is like? No? Then I shall describe it for you, and you can come with me," he tapped his son on the forehead, " in your mind."
"When you walk towards it all you can see are mountains. As you climb higher, and higher, and higher on these mountains, up one of the paths the air gets thin and hard to breathe. These mountains were thrown up when the Moon fell."
"Finally you will reach the top. There the air is so thin that for us living being it is nigh impossible to breathe."
"But, there where the air is so thin you have a breathtaking view. On top of the world, you can see for miles and miles. Below you spreads out the Moonrange as the sky turns a blood red above you, the scar, the mark of Death, the mark of the Void."
"When you look out at the Moonrange you can see the endless nothing. Just a barren, rocky landscape with pinkish greeny ground. Those are moonrocks. I shall bring one back for you."
"The only things to be seen on this plain are the few small cities and settlements where the Monnfolk live, and the great Crystal forests. These Crystal forests are filled with trees. But, these are not normal trees. Gnarled, twisted rocky stalagmites grow up from the ground. And, for leaves they sprout fabulous arrays of spun Crystal. Sometimes, if you are lucky you may be there in time to see a metamorphosis. When that happens the beautiful crystalline web curls back in on itself, and begins to glow."
"When it is done, it has fused into a single Casting Crystal. Each tree produces one Casting Crystal a year. These are what Moon Mages use to cast their spells, which are far stronger in the Moonrange, while our magic is much weaker."
"Once you get down into the Crater of the Moon the air gets easier to breathe again. But, you are now in danger of Dark Fey and Aberrations. The Dark Fey often linger in the Crystal Forests, or elsewhere, but the Aberrations live only in the centers of the Crystal Forests, or in the great Core Chasms."
"Let me tell you of the Core Chasms my son."
"When the Moon fell, it cracked the earth. It cracked and injured it.
Do you know what happened? It almost split before the Mother sewed it back together while the Son held it."
"That is why you get the great Crystal Bridges. These are like the Crystal Trees and span the Core Chasms."
"But I digress. The Core Chasms. This is where the Aberrations live. Horrible beasts with tentacles for eyes and cilia for skin. That is what we go to hunt my son, to make the world safer for you and the other children."
"When you get to the edge of the Core Chasm the wind howls and screams as it is sucked down into the depths. Passages and stairways are cut into the sides, and you can climb down. These are the only ways by which you can get to the Undervault. Down there there is a labyrinth of tunnels and caverns. These are where the Aberrations live, along with in the Chasms themselves."
"Now, let me tell you about the Undervault..."
"Daltar Freemage!" He had not even noticed his wife storming into the room. "Don't you dare tell our son tales of that horrid place. Do you want to give him nightmares?" Haia bustled up (very few Shadar-Kai bustle, but she managed to) and shook Daltar "Bad enough that you are leaving to that horrible place. I don't want you bringing tales of it home with you!"
"But mom..." the son whined.
"No buts"
"Ok...What about the cities da?"
"I would tell you of the fantastic cities of the Moonfolk if I could son, but I have never visited them" Daltar ruffled his sons hair, and kissed is wife on the cheek.
"Now, you be good while I am gone, and maybe I'll bring you back a piece of Moonrock, or a piece of a Crystal Bridge"
These were the last words spoken to his son by Daltar Freemage, the Shadar-Kai Chaindancer and Aberration Hunter. What follows is a recounting of the Inheritance, by the same teller.
Haia stood, stoic and unmoving at the funeral ceremony for Daltar. Her son stood by her side, and kept a brave face although tears glistened in his eyes.
The shroud bearers danced down the aisle, a solemn sad dance, evoking feelings of loss and pain. Long of limb and pale of skin they danced. Their black eyes glistened in the center of the web of eye tattoos, and their faces were painted with the traditional funeral markings, replacing the every day paints.
When they reached Daltar's corpse they danced around him as magic raised him into the air. As they danced they wove the shroud around him tighter and tighter until he was just a bundle, then danced away.
The gravekeeper began intoning "And so as another brave firstborn dies so his soul may pass on to be by the Son's side. There he shall feast and dance the days and by night watch down on our world as a glowing star"
As he continued his ritual Haia stepped forwards and accepted the torch from one the dancers. With measured steps she walked forwards and lit the bundle on fire.
As the flaming bundle began to soar up through the hole in the roof, the entire assembly began singing, a wailing keening howling song. Haia held Dalta's hand tightly, and wept silently as her son did.
Later that night she took him by the hand and led him into a room that he had never seen before.
"My son. Dalta. From this day forth you are no longer little Daltar. You are Daltar the Inheritor. I give to you, as is tradition, your fathers chain and sword. When you are ready, we may start your training in the art of chain dancing"
Daltar sniffed and nodded.
After he had been put to bed Haia went outside and looked up at the sky above them. She was looking for one particular star in a sky of thousands. But, she finally found it. In the constellation of the Chain a new star had appeared at the tip of one of the blades.
"Goodbye my love. May you find solace and happiness in the grove of the Son and may you look down on your son and wife with pride. I hope that I can do well by him"
With that she turned and walked back inside.
Gnolls
"Hush my child. Do you hear? That sound is the sound of the Gnolls, the laughing ones. Hear now, how they cackle? It is not with joy, as you and I think of it. Gnolls take pleasure only in the sound of tears, the smell of fear, the crack of bone, and the rending of flesh. I pity the poor soul in their clutches now. Pray, my love, that you never look apon them, their faces the faces of great dogs, but the flesh rotted, the bone showing through in places. The great teeth gleam as cruel as the light of their eyes. If you ever are, The Mother forbid, bitten, my love, you must straightway run to a healer, for if you do not, the Laughing Plague, which all of the Secondborn carry within them, would take hold, and you would laugh till your lungs bled, and then more. But do not worry, Love, the Gnolls are far away, and the thick castle wall, with it's many guards, will shield us."
May Oldsfallow, telling her daughter, Alice, about Gnolls.
"Silence. You asked to hear me, and now I speak. You fools, in your castles, tell tales of us, of the way we kill, raid, and destroy without hesitation or mercy. And yes, we are a warlike people, and I do not ask you to condone our crimes.
"However, we are not without honor. We are not without courage. My father, a chief, as the Death-wolf was circling in the corners of his soul, sought out the demon, six arms and five faces, and faced it without fear, without hesitation, where ten of your knights would have fled. Could you have done the same?
"That is all. I will go now,back to my clan of 'cowardly assasains.'"
-J'akfor curvefang,lecturing a council of knights.
(Humans)
(Scarecrows)
Shadar-Kai
"Do you know what it is to face fear?
"Do you know what it is to look the Father in the face and spit in his eye?
"Do you know what it is to have nobody to rely on but yourself?
"The Son did. And he imparted that in us. You weaklings made by the Mother, blessed though she may be, you weaklings corrupted by the Father, cursed he be in his realm of shadow, you weaklings, who sought to create only to destroy, you do not deserve to face us. We are Shadar'Kai! We are the Us'breven, the Nightsiblings, the Wa'machi, the Firstborn. We are the Half-Fallen!
"You pitiful humans. You face us now on the field of battle with your knights and your battlelines and your orders. Do you not see the beauty of war? The beauty of battle, of the dance? Do you not see the chaos that will be unleashed?
"There is no room here for your marching orders, for your barely restrained chaos. Here you must give in to chaos and dance the dance of shadows.
And, if you dance very very well you may live to fight another day.
-Magelord Donev to Highknight Samuel Harken on the eve of the Battle of Sorrowdale in The Last War
The Shadar Kai are a highly spiritual people. As the Firstborn, they had time to develop higher factulties before any others, time to develop philosophy and music, art and literature.
When the Gnolls arrived the Shadar Kai tried to befriend them. They fell in droves before they began to organize to fight back. Being philosophers did not lead well to beings warriors, but they eventually adapted. They used their natural grace well in battle, performing what many know as 'The Dance of Nine Chains', which is known as such because of the Shadar Kai's penchant for spiked chains and cat o' nine tails'.
As time passed and the wars continued, the fighting became such an element of their culture as to be irremovable. They began to train new fighters from a very young age. However, they did not train them as warriors, but rather as dancers. This dancing allowed them to hone their grace and poise that would later be used on the battlefield.
After a time the dancing became an art form as well, with different dances meaning different things. There are now dancers at weddings, dancers a funerals, and at every occasion in between.
Another ever-present element of their culture is the painting of faces.
These face paints are used as the dances; with different types for different occasions. For example, war paint is black with coloured streaks that transform the face into a nightmare mask, all jagged edges and sudden cuts.
Mages wear a different kind of warpaint. Two stripes perch atop their head (if they have hair, it recedes into it, and if they do not, it continues on their pate), and stripes come from under the eyes to below the jawline.
They have other paints for other occasions, and only when they march to war do the paints cover their entire faces. Once a Shadar Kai reaches a certain age they begin to wear face paint at all times. This paint is their 'Age Paint'. It shows that they have come of age, and are not yet married. They must wear this paint whenever they are in public. If it is somehow removed, they must reapply it.
This is not to shame those who are young, but to advertise that they are available for marriage. It is a practical matter, allowing for easier matchmaking and partnering. When they find someone who has engaged their interest they may add more colours to the paint to signify that they are not yet committed, but that they may be soon. When they find a suitable partner, they may remove their age paint and apply betrothing paint, to show that they have been betrothed. Finally, when they get married they may wash the paint from their faces and go without paint in public again. However, most Shadar Kai choose a unique paint style for day to day use and wear it, keeping their paint-free face for their family and lover, as a sign of respect and devotion.
Shadar Kai are tall and lithe. Universally skinny to the point of being gaunt, it is near impossible for Shadar Kai to gain weight, although most try to as they see it as a sign of influence, well being, and wealth. After all, if one can afford enough food to become fat when no Shadar Kai is fat, how rich must he be? This is also why it is impolite to eat large amounts when you are a guest, as to become fat from another's charity shows that you are nothing but a thief and a layabout.
Shadar Kai have long thin limbs that serve only to accentuate their gauntness. They are wiry and fast, and extremely agile which comes from centuries as dancers.
They have dark eyes, always black, grey, or brown, and have light grey hair that is almost silver in the light. They wear this long if they are a warrior and often adorn their long braids with blades that they whip around in combat, and wear their hair short if they are a mage. The only ones allowed to shave their heads are archmages and the King (who is by tradition a mage).
A Shadar Kai's hair will never stop growing, and none go bald naturally. Their hair continues to grow until they die.
Their skin when not adorned by paint is a slate grey, like the Son himself.
The Shadar Kai worship the Son as the one who gave them life, and the epitome of their way of life. He is often portrayed as a stern looking Shadar-Kai with a mage's warpaint, often in red or violet. He is bald, not merely shaved, which signifies that he is the ultimate leader of them all, and the ultimate mage. He wears warpaint because he "Marches against his Father, marches even against death itself, in our name".
He is often also portrayed with red or black-and-silver mourning paint on. Why he is depicted as being in mourning none can say; he has been depicted this way since the beginning.
Moonfolk
"Listen boy, and listen well. I won't repeat myself, and you've wasted enough of my time already. You want to know of the Kiiroks, or moonfolk? Well, they aren't like us,in their shape or ways. Not like the Firstborn, the Gnolls, or even the Wicker Men, the Scarecrows, and not at all like us, the youngest, for the moonfolk, my boy, are made of crystal.
"Don't leave your mouth open like that boy, you'll attract flies. What was I saying? Ah, yes,the Crystal. Their bodies orbit a central sphere, like a small version of their fallen home. It's light permeates their bodies, and fills space near them with a glow. Nearest to the central sphere, in their chest,their bodies are in constant motion. Further away from the Crystal, motion occurs rarely, only when agitated.
"The Moonfolks faces are smooth broken only by spires of crystal, resembling the surface of their long gone home. Indeed, their faces change monthly, becoming larger and smaller, as the books tell us the moon did many ages ago.When the Moonfolk are giddyy or excited, the crystal composing their body, usually clear, becomes spring green. When content or relaxed, the green darkens to the color of summer leaves. When whistful or frightened, the moonfolk a orange/yellow, and when deep in thought, their color darkens to black.
"So you see boy, the moon is a fascinating topic of study, and well worth your time. Are you listening boy? Boy?"
William Shadowmind,trying to persuade a pupil to pay attention.
Populating World...
Spawning Monsters...
Character Races
Human
No Change
Gnoll
Ability Scores: +2 Strength, +2 Constitution, -2 Intelligence, -2 Charisma
Size: Medium
Speed: Normal 30ft.
Monstrosity: Gnolls are Monstrous humanoids of the Shapechanger subtype.
Blood Fury (Ex): Whenever a gnoll is lowered to half his total hit points, he enters a blood fury. He gains a +1 dodge bonus to AC and CMD, as well as a +1 morale bonus to all saving throws. He may not withdraw from combat while in this state, unless he makes a DC 20 Will save.
Scent (Ex): A gnoll has the Scent special ability.
Mockery (Su): A gnoll can use this ability for one minute per Hit Die per day. He calls forth the inner beast, changing his shape into that of a hyena. In this form, he may not use abilities that require hands or speech, and gains a base land speed of 50ft. Any class ability that enhances his speed still applies.
Moonfolk
Ability Scores: +2 Intelligence
Size: Medium
Speed: Normal 30ft.
Living Construct: Moonfolk are Constructs of the Living Construct subtype.
Natural Armor: Moonfolk have a +2 natural armor bonus.
Spellweaver (Sp): Moonfolk can cast one spell, at will, from the Black Mage's Least Incantation list. The caster level for this spell is equal to half his Hit Dice. At sixth, he may add another one to his repertoire. The moonfolk uses his Intelligence score for these spells.
Crystalbound (Su): Moonfolk may not use Dusk Magic, but they need not carry a casting crystal for Black Magic. They are also immune to one type of energy, which cannot be sonic damage.
Crystalline Form (Ex): Moonfolk are vulnerable to sonic damage.
Unbound (Su): Becoming Unbound is a full-round action. When a moonfolk becomes unbound, he deals damage to any one creature equal to his total hit points. The unfortunate side effect is that he shatters and dies, leaving only a casting crystal.
Scarecrows
Ability Scores: +2 Strength
Size: Medium
Speed: Normal 30ft.
Living Construct: Scarecrows are Constructs of the Living Construct subtype.
Natural Armor (Ex): Scarecrows have a +1 natural armor bonus.
Silent as the Grave (Su): Once per day, as a swift action, a scarecrow can us this ability. He makes no noise, and leaves no tracks or scent, for 5 rounds/level.
Undying (Su): Scarecrows gain a +2 bonus to saves against all spells of the necromancy school, and is not affected by aging effects.
Frightening (Su): Scarecrows gain a +1 bonus to the DC of any fear effects they cause, as well as a +2 bonus to Intimidate checks.
Shadar-Kai
Ability Scores: +2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom, -2 Constitution.
Size: Medium.
Speed: Fast 40ft.
Sons of Dusk: Shadar-Kai are Fey of the Dusk subtype.
Bound in Chains (Sp): Shadar-Kai are automatically proficient with the spiked chain.
Dance of Dusk (Ex): Shadar-Kai gain a +2 bonus to Perform (dance) checks. Perform (dance) is always a class skill for the Shadar-Kai.
Emulated Counterspell (Ex): Shadar-Kai gain a +2 bonus to saves against spells, incantations, and spell-like abilities.
Dark Disciple (Su): A shadar-kai gains a +1 bonus to the DC of all Dusk Magic spells he casts.
"The Great Three look down upon you with favor, for one would need such guardianship in these dark times.
"And to my young apprentice, Shyldar: you had once asked of the history of this realm, and I had told you in turn that it would one day pass into your hands when I sung my Dying Litany, and the Chronicle became yours to possess. But, whether it is by the lingering of your impatience, or by the softness of my old age, I have decided to pass on some of my knowledge.
"But not all of it.
"Let us start with the beginning of the Realms - the beginning is always the best place to start, as I have often told you. In the beginning, there was Void. And from Void was born the first of the Great Three: Father Night.
"Now, like all things that came after the Void, Father Night became lonely. So, with a fraction of his creator's power, he made for himself a new home - and a bride. This world, Faerie, would soon become the worlds we know today, and his bride Mother Morning.
"After a time, the two made for themselves a child, whom we on Karoem name Lord Dusk. After the Third Great One was begotten, Mother Morning spent much of her time with this new god. Not wishing to share the love of his bride with his son, Father Night took his great scythe and slaughtered him in his own grove. This was the First Harvest, where the blood of Dusk fell from Faerie to create the world of Karoem - and the Firstborn of all peoples, the Shadar-kai, whose name means 'Half-Fallen'.
"After the Harvest, Mother Morning separated her grove from Father Night's. Hers would soon become the Great Seelie Court, where Angels dwell and Holy Sidhe sing, and Father Night's would become the Realm of Unseelie, where demons lurk in the shadows and spriggans drink the blood of children.
"Mother Morning could do but one thing with Lord Dusk's grove. Stealing it away from Father Night while he slept - for it is from him that all mortals get the need to sleep - she placed it away from all other realms, and raised Lord Dusk into a half-life, to watch over the dead and ferry them to the land he would guard forevermore.
"Furious at the theft of this grove, Father Night created a new people, warped and twisted creatures much like the hounds he himself had placed to serve his old mistress. Thus were born the enemy of all, the Gnolls - Secondborn of all peoples, whose name means 'Mockery'.
"Seeing the devastation of the Shadar-Kai, Lord Dusk gave his people a new power - magic. With such power, his people bound spirits, raised the dead, and changed the fabric of reality with but a whim. But such power came with great cost. Over time, these mages became more and more like the dead they consorted with, for harnessing the spirits of the dead takes more than any mortal man can hold for too long - and most would go mad in their Apprentice Years.
"Seeing that, even with these mages, Father Night's Gnolls were still free to ravage the land of Karoem, Mother Morning wept. From her tears were born the race of Man, the Youngest, and it is they who govern Karoem today.
"For the sake of these peoples, granted they had not mustered their Power for the same intentions, the Three created the Moon. In the time before the Fall, it hung above Karoem, changing its face with the seasons.
"In the Green Season, it would be a pleasant, pale green colour. This was called the Life Moon. Beneath its warm glow, everything living grew faster and healthier. Children born under the Green Moon were always blessed, being better-developed and healthier than those born in other seasons. The Green Moon represented fertility, joy, and nature.
"As the Green Season waned and the Fire Season waxed, the moon darkened until it became a beautiful deep green. The Summer Moon was a time of bounty. Those who saw it felt uplifted, overjoyed. Also called the Mother's Moon, it nurtured and cared for those it watched over, making them calmer and wiser. Those born in the Fire Season would be wiser than others and natural diplomats and healers. The Moon brought peace to the Fire Season, leaving even the Gnolls in a far calmer and less frenzied state.
"As the leaves changed colour and the air grew crisp, the Moon would darken to a deep orange. The Harvest Moon was a time of bounty. It was also called the Father's Moon for it gifted those beneath it with strength, allowing them to hunt better, faster, and bring in larger bounties, also allowing for easier harvesting of the fields. Children born in the Harvest Season are stronger and hardier, being able to work longer and carry more. However, it also made those beneath it more aggressive, paranoid, angry, and jealous, those qualities embodied by Father Night.
"And as the year died, the moon turned black. Son's Moon, it was called, or Dreamer's Moon. During the cold months of the Dying Season, it was hard to nurture the body. Those who were born during the Dying Season were often weaker of body, but strong of mind, nurturing their magical talent as a strength to hold above all others. Spending such time studying the Arts has sharpened their senses and intellects. Beneath the Dream Moon, all creatures are craftier, smarter, and better able to think. They are also sometimes blessed with dreams of prophecy and other bursts of magic.
"The Tale of the Moon told of this, once long ago, but now the Tale is long forgotten, bound within the pages of the Chronicle. This is the origin of the four great seasons: the Green Season, the Fire Season, the Harvest Season, and the Dying Season.
"And the Moon guided the people on their courses for many generations.
"After a thousand years, the Gnolls had finally been repressed. But, with casualties high, Man began to despise the Shadar-kai. In an act of madness, the Forgotten King turned to Father Night for an answer to his prayers, for a means of vengeance for the deaths, for the sorrow - for the curse this foul magic had brought upon his land, and upon his people. He wished to slaughter the King of Crows and his people.
"The Father Night was delighted with such blind treachery. He gave the Forgotten King the designs he had held for eons and eons, a design for warriors that could be silent as the grave, that could be still as the stones, and yet never, never age. The Forgotten King fashioned the first of these from the briars of the forest, and from the wicker of the basketweavers - and he called it the Scarecrow.
"After years of needless war, the Empire split under the weight of famine, drought, and rebellion. The king's four children - Boric the Strongheaded, Mystyra the Beautiful, Pukkid the Weak (who we today call the Scarecrow King), and Shalan the Deceiver, took their own thrones in what remained of the Empire - and thus were the Four Kingdoms first created.
"Five hundred and eighty-two years ago today, this was. It was the day when the moon fell to the world of Karoem. An odd people was seen about on the day of the Great Falling, a people Void itself created to oversee the balance of his squabbling children. With the moonfolk came a new magic, the magic of the Moon-Crystals. Thus was born the Order of Dark Magi, and Black Magic was born on the world. Father Night had made his mark.
"This was not the only effect of the Great Falling. With it, the world was plunged into an age of cold days and colder nights. The Harvest-Time came earlier each year, and in the pitch-black nights the screams of children could be heard, and many claimed to have seen the red caps of spriggans, and the golden-brown eyes of trolls.
"And that brings us to somewhere around today. Not much has happened in the way of the gods - wars have raged between the Four Kingdoms, lands have changed hands, and Gnolls and Shadar-Kai have battled under their Imperial Flags for hundreds of years. But the kingdoms and empires have not broken over the ages.
"Nor will they ever in the days to come.
"May the Mother Morning bring to you peace, the Lord Dusk preserve you, and Father Night wait until the Last Harvest to reap your soul from Karoem."
Recorded by Shyldar Whiteraven, the Writer of the Tome, in the year 582, five bells before the death of Glaron Nightbane, Keeper of the Chronicle.
http://i955.photobucket.com/albums/ae33/thunderfist12/karoem_zps8362750d.png (http://s955.photobucket.com/user/thunderfist12/media/karoem_zps8362750d.png.html)
An Introduction from the Great Atlas of the Chronicle, in the year 588.
"Our world is a vast, wild place. Foul creatures from the Unseelie slink in its darker reaches, and its native creatures grow to monstrous proportions in places unseen by the eyes of its more understanding folk.
"And yet, in the midst of such peril, an abundance of peoples thrive. From the Four Great Kingdoms to the Kingdom of Blackraven, their cities rest upon the stones of the World Between, shining stars of knowledge in the savage lands of Faerie.
"Within this Atlas are details pertaining to the civil lands between Faerie, for the Realms themselves are nigh upon uncharted."
The Four Kingdoms
From The Tale of Four Crowns, a common saga told around fires in the Harvest season. The following text is taken, word for word, from the mouth of Alderius Shadowtongue, the Storyteller and Dreamweaver. As a precaution to the reader, he tends to stray from the topic whilst drunk (as he was the night of this uttering).
"Gather, for the night creeps in as swift as the Father's Great Blade. Keep close to the fire - we wouldn't want his Folk to catch us unawares, would we? Ah, but I stray from our focus. Tonight, you shall be enlightened in the History of the Four Kingdoms. The Four Great Thrones, now held by Quarog Shadowmire, by Skythre Highmantle, by Malthos Bonecharmer, and by the Lord of Nightmares himself, the Scarecrow King.
"Alas, I stray once again, for it is only one of those of which you will hear tonight. I grieve to tell you that it will not be Skythre, or Quarog, or even or beloved Lord Malthos, but, indeed, the Immortal One himself.
"I apologize if the mention of the Wicker Warlord strikes fear into your soul. He does so to most of us. And he has earned the right of terror, too, damning the souls of innocent men for his own dark rituals.
"But that is not how he always was. Once, long ago, he and his siblings fought against Father Night himself to stay his hand from our realm. Once, his realm was free and just, before he was corrupted by the King of Shadow. Before he declared his Second War on the King of Crows. Now his kingdom dwells in shadow and fear, unwilling to revolt or ignorant to any hopes of freedom, I don't know.
"The three other kingdoms are much the same as they were in days of old. Quarog rules our lovely swamp-country, our kingdom riddled with advisors and magistrates. He's a puppet-king if you ask me, dancing on the strings of some unseen puppetteer. Our people live in fair condition, though - for the time being.
"Skythre rules the northern realm, and he does so justly and honorably. His people have enjoyed an immense gathering of liberties under his rule - but that is not to say that he tolerates crime. I've known many a thief to enter his kingdom, never to return. It's a sad state of affairs.
"And, finally, I tell you of the realm of Malthos, the Dark Kingdom. Malthos is not the descendant of Shalan, like the kings before him. He is a tyrant, a despot, a black mage who has taken our throne for himself. Their kingdom will suffer, I can tell you that. On the brighter side, he has kept the kingdom safe...
"But the night grows short, and I can no longer stray from my storytelling. So, gather and listen close as I tell you of the Four Children, and their great journey, of the King and his first Scarecrow, and of Father Night and his great devices.
"It began on a dark night, much like this, in the Inn of the Sleeping Dragon..."
The Inn of the Sleeping Dragon, located in the realm of Quarog Shadowmire, is a much-visited inn, and is the starting point of many great tales. It has stood as long as time can remember, granted not always in the same place, serving as a warm beacon for those who travel through the deadly marshes in which it rests. The innkeeper is none other than the Storyteller himself, and he delights in his Harvest-time performances. Surprisingly, he has not been arrested for his speaking out against the king - possibly because the king is ignorant, or mayhaps because the king enjoys his stories.
The Kingdom of Blackraven
The dissertation of Khoron the Aged, Scarecrow Black Mage and veteran of the First War, given to all newly made Scarecrows
"Listen well, for I shall only describe this kingdom once. Do not enter it. If you do, you will be burned on sight. Yes, it may not be fair, but that is how it is. I know this by listening to tales from humans and from a kind Shadar-Kai outcast blademaster. Those heroes taught us much about the society of Blackraven.
"So, you newly made Scarecrows, you think that you can turn things on their head and make peace between here and Blackraven? You think that you will be the one to sneak in and set fire to the cities, to gain revenge for what they did to us? I tell you otherwise.
"The first thing that you must contend with upon trying to enter Blackraven are the guard towers. Practically ringing the realm they are within seeing distance of one another. Patrols of warriors and mages march between the constantly, policing the border. To even cross the border you need to have a letter bearing the seal of one of the nobles or 'travel nobles'.
"If you do not have one and are shadar-kai, you will be punished, maybe even hung. If you are a human, or moonfolk they will take you to the nearest border tower and grant you a temporary travel pass issued by a 'travel lord'. These travel lords may issue a pass for travel that expires in one month, if that long. Before that time ends you must procure a new, permanent travel pass from an actual noble, or leave the country. If you are a scarecrow or a gnoll, well, you will not live to regret trying to enter Blackraven.
"If you managed to get past their guards you must travel across a, supposedly beautiful yet haunting landscape, full of twisted warped trees and surrealistic images. Dotting this landscape are the occasional farmhouse. Tending these farms are both undead skeletons and harvest constructs, tall mockeries of Scarecrows with scythes for arms and baskets on their back. Mockeries because they look like us, are made like us, but do not think, do not move on their own, do not live.
"Being a farmer there is an honour, you know. They who need food get their food from the ones who can provide it with magic and mysticism. Bah. Food eaters. Witches. Bah.
"But where was I? I was saying something or other about the landscape.
Ah, yes, the landscape. If you can manage to pass through the farmland where the harvest constructs and undead have orders to kill any scarecrow that passes you finally, finally may reach a city. Maybe even the city of Blackraven.
"A great city, walled with wood and stone. Towering above the rest of the city is the mighty Blackraven Keep, home of the Blackraven, the King of Crows himself. Attached to this mighty keep are several temples to the Son and one to the Mother.
"They take their religion, their worship of the Son, pretty seriously over there. You don't worship? You can get exiled for that, become an outcast.
"As you get further from the Keep the houses are tall, crowding the sky, cutting off the sky when you walk the streets. Each of these houses, most at least three stories, reaches up to house more families, yet most of them are empty, or only half filled. The streets are filled with people moving, but not all that filled. The city can hold far more than it does now, far more people. The merchant squares are near empty of merchants. Guards stalk the streets, the only ones allowed to carry weapons, and even then only staves, saps, and catchpoles. The mages must wear a green belt inside the city if they can cast harmful spells. Outlander mages are almost always caught, imprisoned, and tried. If they are lucky they only get banished, or else they are strung up.
"Which leads naturally to their forms of execution. Do you know that they execute others like they execute us? It is barbaric I say, simply barbaric.
What they do is take a person and tie their arms and legs to a wooden cross. Then, they bind rags around them with wicker and stuff those rags with briars. Finally, they tie a one-eyed mask over the head of the criminal, meant to mock our own faces. They wheel this contraption out to one of the nearby execution pits, and set fire to this monstrosity. They say that in death each enemy becomes one enemy, each dead kills one of us.
"The barbarians. We did not even fight them of our own free will.
"That is all that I know of the cursed kingdom of Blackraven. Now, if you wish to go out there and get your newly made bodies all torn and burnt, slashed and ruined, then be my guest. You foolish newmade are always rushing off to do such a thing.
"But I, I will stay here where it is nice and cold and damp with an abundance of twigs and hay and sticks. I will be safe and fire-free whilst you burn in the kingdom of Blackraven.
"Now, I tire of this conversation. I have Magic to practice"
Khoron is renowned for his miraculous survival in the First War - he was slashed in two with a scythe, burned with mage-fire and bound with Unseelie Nettlebriars, left to die on the battlefield. He was very fortunate that a kindly old human mage saved him from certain death, whisking him away and repairing his broken body. He has never forgotten his debt to that mage's family - or his hatred of shadar-kai.
The Moonrange
A recounting of the Beginning of the Voyage of Daltar Freemage, by his son, twenty years after the event.
Daltar threw back his head in a long, heartfelt laugh. "No, my son. You cannot go with me to the Moonrange."
"But why not?" asked his son.
The Shadar-Kai chain dancer turned and squatted down to look him in the eye. "Because my son, it is dangerous there. Do you know what the Moonrange is like? No? Then I shall describe it for you, and you can come with me," he tapped his son on the forehead, " in your mind."
"When you walk towards it all you can see are mountains. As you climb higher, and higher, and higher on these mountains, up one of the paths the air gets thin and hard to breathe. These mountains were thrown up when the Moon fell."
"Finally you will reach the top. There the air is so thin that for us living being it is nigh impossible to breathe."
"But, there where the air is so thin you have a breathtaking view. On top of the world, you can see for miles and miles. Below you spreads out the Moonrange as the sky turns a blood red above you, the scar, the mark of Death, the mark of the Void."
"When you look out at the Moonrange you can see the endless nothing. Just a barren, rocky landscape with pinkish greeny ground. Those are moonrocks. I shall bring one back for you."
"The only things to be seen on this plain are the few small cities and settlements where the Monnfolk live, and the great Crystal forests. These Crystal forests are filled with trees. But, these are not normal trees. Gnarled, twisted rocky stalagmites grow up from the ground. And, for leaves they sprout fabulous arrays of spun Crystal. Sometimes, if you are lucky you may be there in time to see a metamorphosis. When that happens the beautiful crystalline web curls back in on itself, and begins to glow."
"When it is done, it has fused into a single Casting Crystal. Each tree produces one Casting Crystal a year. These are what Moon Mages use to cast their spells, which are far stronger in the Moonrange, while our magic is much weaker."
"Once you get down into the Crater of the Moon the air gets easier to breathe again. But, you are now in danger of Dark Fey and Aberrations. The Dark Fey often linger in the Crystal Forests, or elsewhere, but the Aberrations live only in the centers of the Crystal Forests, or in the great Core Chasms."
"Let me tell you of the Core Chasms my son."
"When the Moon fell, it cracked the earth. It cracked and injured it.
Do you know what happened? It almost split before the Mother sewed it back together while the Son held it."
"That is why you get the great Crystal Bridges. These are like the Crystal Trees and span the Core Chasms."
"But I digress. The Core Chasms. This is where the Aberrations live. Horrible beasts with tentacles for eyes and cilia for skin. That is what we go to hunt my son, to make the world safer for you and the other children."
"When you get to the edge of the Core Chasm the wind howls and screams as it is sucked down into the depths. Passages and stairways are cut into the sides, and you can climb down. These are the only ways by which you can get to the Undervault. Down there there is a labyrinth of tunnels and caverns. These are where the Aberrations live, along with in the Chasms themselves."
"Now, let me tell you about the Undervault..."
"Daltar Freemage!" He had not even noticed his wife storming into the room. "Don't you dare tell our son tales of that horrid place. Do you want to give him nightmares?" Haia bustled up (very few Shadar-Kai bustle, but she managed to) and shook Daltar "Bad enough that you are leaving to that horrible place. I don't want you bringing tales of it home with you!"
"But mom..." the son whined.
"No buts"
"Ok...What about the cities da?"
"I would tell you of the fantastic cities of the Moonfolk if I could son, but I have never visited them" Daltar ruffled his sons hair, and kissed is wife on the cheek.
"Now, you be good while I am gone, and maybe I'll bring you back a piece of Moonrock, or a piece of a Crystal Bridge"
These were the last words spoken to his son by Daltar Freemage, the Shadar-Kai Chaindancer and Aberration Hunter. What follows is a recounting of the Inheritance, by the same teller.
Haia stood, stoic and unmoving at the funeral ceremony for Daltar. Her son stood by her side, and kept a brave face although tears glistened in his eyes.
The shroud bearers danced down the aisle, a solemn sad dance, evoking feelings of loss and pain. Long of limb and pale of skin they danced. Their black eyes glistened in the center of the web of eye tattoos, and their faces were painted with the traditional funeral markings, replacing the every day paints.
When they reached Daltar's corpse they danced around him as magic raised him into the air. As they danced they wove the shroud around him tighter and tighter until he was just a bundle, then danced away.
The gravekeeper began intoning "And so as another brave firstborn dies so his soul may pass on to be by the Son's side. There he shall feast and dance the days and by night watch down on our world as a glowing star"
As he continued his ritual Haia stepped forwards and accepted the torch from one the dancers. With measured steps she walked forwards and lit the bundle on fire.
As the flaming bundle began to soar up through the hole in the roof, the entire assembly began singing, a wailing keening howling song. Haia held Dalta's hand tightly, and wept silently as her son did.
Later that night she took him by the hand and led him into a room that he had never seen before.
"My son. Dalta. From this day forth you are no longer little Daltar. You are Daltar the Inheritor. I give to you, as is tradition, your fathers chain and sword. When you are ready, we may start your training in the art of chain dancing"
Daltar sniffed and nodded.
After he had been put to bed Haia went outside and looked up at the sky above them. She was looking for one particular star in a sky of thousands. But, she finally found it. In the constellation of the Chain a new star had appeared at the tip of one of the blades.
"Goodbye my love. May you find solace and happiness in the grove of the Son and may you look down on your son and wife with pride. I hope that I can do well by him"
With that she turned and walked back inside.
Gnolls
"Hush my child. Do you hear? That sound is the sound of the Gnolls, the laughing ones. Hear now, how they cackle? It is not with joy, as you and I think of it. Gnolls take pleasure only in the sound of tears, the smell of fear, the crack of bone, and the rending of flesh. I pity the poor soul in their clutches now. Pray, my love, that you never look apon them, their faces the faces of great dogs, but the flesh rotted, the bone showing through in places. The great teeth gleam as cruel as the light of their eyes. If you ever are, The Mother forbid, bitten, my love, you must straightway run to a healer, for if you do not, the Laughing Plague, which all of the Secondborn carry within them, would take hold, and you would laugh till your lungs bled, and then more. But do not worry, Love, the Gnolls are far away, and the thick castle wall, with it's many guards, will shield us."
May Oldsfallow, telling her daughter, Alice, about Gnolls.
"Silence. You asked to hear me, and now I speak. You fools, in your castles, tell tales of us, of the way we kill, raid, and destroy without hesitation or mercy. And yes, we are a warlike people, and I do not ask you to condone our crimes.
"However, we are not without honor. We are not without courage. My father, a chief, as the Death-wolf was circling in the corners of his soul, sought out the demon, six arms and five faces, and faced it without fear, without hesitation, where ten of your knights would have fled. Could you have done the same?
"That is all. I will go now,back to my clan of 'cowardly assasains.'"
-J'akfor curvefang,lecturing a council of knights.
(Humans)
(Scarecrows)
Shadar-Kai
"Do you know what it is to face fear?
"Do you know what it is to look the Father in the face and spit in his eye?
"Do you know what it is to have nobody to rely on but yourself?
"The Son did. And he imparted that in us. You weaklings made by the Mother, blessed though she may be, you weaklings corrupted by the Father, cursed he be in his realm of shadow, you weaklings, who sought to create only to destroy, you do not deserve to face us. We are Shadar'Kai! We are the Us'breven, the Nightsiblings, the Wa'machi, the Firstborn. We are the Half-Fallen!
"You pitiful humans. You face us now on the field of battle with your knights and your battlelines and your orders. Do you not see the beauty of war? The beauty of battle, of the dance? Do you not see the chaos that will be unleashed?
"There is no room here for your marching orders, for your barely restrained chaos. Here you must give in to chaos and dance the dance of shadows.
And, if you dance very very well you may live to fight another day.
-Magelord Donev to Highknight Samuel Harken on the eve of the Battle of Sorrowdale in The Last War
The Shadar Kai are a highly spiritual people. As the Firstborn, they had time to develop higher factulties before any others, time to develop philosophy and music, art and literature.
When the Gnolls arrived the Shadar Kai tried to befriend them. They fell in droves before they began to organize to fight back. Being philosophers did not lead well to beings warriors, but they eventually adapted. They used their natural grace well in battle, performing what many know as 'The Dance of Nine Chains', which is known as such because of the Shadar Kai's penchant for spiked chains and cat o' nine tails'.
As time passed and the wars continued, the fighting became such an element of their culture as to be irremovable. They began to train new fighters from a very young age. However, they did not train them as warriors, but rather as dancers. This dancing allowed them to hone their grace and poise that would later be used on the battlefield.
After a time the dancing became an art form as well, with different dances meaning different things. There are now dancers at weddings, dancers a funerals, and at every occasion in between.
Another ever-present element of their culture is the painting of faces.
These face paints are used as the dances; with different types for different occasions. For example, war paint is black with coloured streaks that transform the face into a nightmare mask, all jagged edges and sudden cuts.
Mages wear a different kind of warpaint. Two stripes perch atop their head (if they have hair, it recedes into it, and if they do not, it continues on their pate), and stripes come from under the eyes to below the jawline.
They have other paints for other occasions, and only when they march to war do the paints cover their entire faces. Once a Shadar Kai reaches a certain age they begin to wear face paint at all times. This paint is their 'Age Paint'. It shows that they have come of age, and are not yet married. They must wear this paint whenever they are in public. If it is somehow removed, they must reapply it.
This is not to shame those who are young, but to advertise that they are available for marriage. It is a practical matter, allowing for easier matchmaking and partnering. When they find someone who has engaged their interest they may add more colours to the paint to signify that they are not yet committed, but that they may be soon. When they find a suitable partner, they may remove their age paint and apply betrothing paint, to show that they have been betrothed. Finally, when they get married they may wash the paint from their faces and go without paint in public again. However, most Shadar Kai choose a unique paint style for day to day use and wear it, keeping their paint-free face for their family and lover, as a sign of respect and devotion.
Shadar Kai are tall and lithe. Universally skinny to the point of being gaunt, it is near impossible for Shadar Kai to gain weight, although most try to as they see it as a sign of influence, well being, and wealth. After all, if one can afford enough food to become fat when no Shadar Kai is fat, how rich must he be? This is also why it is impolite to eat large amounts when you are a guest, as to become fat from another's charity shows that you are nothing but a thief and a layabout.
Shadar Kai have long thin limbs that serve only to accentuate their gauntness. They are wiry and fast, and extremely agile which comes from centuries as dancers.
They have dark eyes, always black, grey, or brown, and have light grey hair that is almost silver in the light. They wear this long if they are a warrior and often adorn their long braids with blades that they whip around in combat, and wear their hair short if they are a mage. The only ones allowed to shave their heads are archmages and the King (who is by tradition a mage).
A Shadar Kai's hair will never stop growing, and none go bald naturally. Their hair continues to grow until they die.
Their skin when not adorned by paint is a slate grey, like the Son himself.
The Shadar Kai worship the Son as the one who gave them life, and the epitome of their way of life. He is often portrayed as a stern looking Shadar-Kai with a mage's warpaint, often in red or violet. He is bald, not merely shaved, which signifies that he is the ultimate leader of them all, and the ultimate mage. He wears warpaint because he "Marches against his Father, marches even against death itself, in our name".
He is often also portrayed with red or black-and-silver mourning paint on. Why he is depicted as being in mourning none can say; he has been depicted this way since the beginning.
Moonfolk
"Listen boy, and listen well. I won't repeat myself, and you've wasted enough of my time already. You want to know of the Kiiroks, or moonfolk? Well, they aren't like us,in their shape or ways. Not like the Firstborn, the Gnolls, or even the Wicker Men, the Scarecrows, and not at all like us, the youngest, for the moonfolk, my boy, are made of crystal.
"Don't leave your mouth open like that boy, you'll attract flies. What was I saying? Ah, yes,the Crystal. Their bodies orbit a central sphere, like a small version of their fallen home. It's light permeates their bodies, and fills space near them with a glow. Nearest to the central sphere, in their chest,their bodies are in constant motion. Further away from the Crystal, motion occurs rarely, only when agitated.
"The Moonfolks faces are smooth broken only by spires of crystal, resembling the surface of their long gone home. Indeed, their faces change monthly, becoming larger and smaller, as the books tell us the moon did many ages ago.When the Moonfolk are giddyy or excited, the crystal composing their body, usually clear, becomes spring green. When content or relaxed, the green darkens to the color of summer leaves. When whistful or frightened, the moonfolk a orange/yellow, and when deep in thought, their color darkens to black.
"So you see boy, the moon is a fascinating topic of study, and well worth your time. Are you listening boy? Boy?"
William Shadowmind,trying to persuade a pupil to pay attention.
Populating World...
Spawning Monsters...
Character Races
Human
No Change
Gnoll
Ability Scores: +2 Strength, +2 Constitution, -2 Intelligence, -2 Charisma
Size: Medium
Speed: Normal 30ft.
Monstrosity: Gnolls are Monstrous humanoids of the Shapechanger subtype.
Blood Fury (Ex): Whenever a gnoll is lowered to half his total hit points, he enters a blood fury. He gains a +1 dodge bonus to AC and CMD, as well as a +1 morale bonus to all saving throws. He may not withdraw from combat while in this state, unless he makes a DC 20 Will save.
Scent (Ex): A gnoll has the Scent special ability.
Mockery (Su): A gnoll can use this ability for one minute per Hit Die per day. He calls forth the inner beast, changing his shape into that of a hyena. In this form, he may not use abilities that require hands or speech, and gains a base land speed of 50ft. Any class ability that enhances his speed still applies.
Moonfolk
Ability Scores: +2 Intelligence
Size: Medium
Speed: Normal 30ft.
Living Construct: Moonfolk are Constructs of the Living Construct subtype.
Natural Armor: Moonfolk have a +2 natural armor bonus.
Spellweaver (Sp): Moonfolk can cast one spell, at will, from the Black Mage's Least Incantation list. The caster level for this spell is equal to half his Hit Dice. At sixth, he may add another one to his repertoire. The moonfolk uses his Intelligence score for these spells.
Crystalbound (Su): Moonfolk may not use Dusk Magic, but they need not carry a casting crystal for Black Magic. They are also immune to one type of energy, which cannot be sonic damage.
Crystalline Form (Ex): Moonfolk are vulnerable to sonic damage.
Unbound (Su): Becoming Unbound is a full-round action. When a moonfolk becomes unbound, he deals damage to any one creature equal to his total hit points. The unfortunate side effect is that he shatters and dies, leaving only a casting crystal.
Scarecrows
Ability Scores: +2 Strength
Size: Medium
Speed: Normal 30ft.
Living Construct: Scarecrows are Constructs of the Living Construct subtype.
Natural Armor (Ex): Scarecrows have a +1 natural armor bonus.
Silent as the Grave (Su): Once per day, as a swift action, a scarecrow can us this ability. He makes no noise, and leaves no tracks or scent, for 5 rounds/level.
Undying (Su): Scarecrows gain a +2 bonus to saves against all spells of the necromancy school, and is not affected by aging effects.
Frightening (Su): Scarecrows gain a +1 bonus to the DC of any fear effects they cause, as well as a +2 bonus to Intimidate checks.
Shadar-Kai
Ability Scores: +2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom, -2 Constitution.
Size: Medium.
Speed: Fast 40ft.
Sons of Dusk: Shadar-Kai are Fey of the Dusk subtype.
Bound in Chains (Sp): Shadar-Kai are automatically proficient with the spiked chain.
Dance of Dusk (Ex): Shadar-Kai gain a +2 bonus to Perform (dance) checks. Perform (dance) is always a class skill for the Shadar-Kai.
Emulated Counterspell (Ex): Shadar-Kai gain a +2 bonus to saves against spells, incantations, and spell-like abilities.
Dark Disciple (Su): A shadar-kai gains a +1 bonus to the DC of all Dusk Magic spells he casts.