Post by WildKnight on Sept 28, 2011 18:30:11 GMT -5
(I know that this is going to de-format horribly, but I'm posting it here as a start. If anybody wants the word file, hit me up with an email address and I'll send it along.
I haven't done a "guide to the classes" yet, and some classes have specific differences in the Jiorkar setting, but... well, again, it's a start)
THE WORLD OF JIORKAR
Setting Information
&
Pathfinder RPG Conversion Document
Original Concept by: Tedd Haas
With Additional Creative Input From: Amanda Haas, Chris Horne, Evan Scarbrough, Scott Foster, Shawn Kerr, Anthony Ptaznik, Dave Kessler, Christopher Mays, Michael Brogan, James DeYonke, and countless others.
Chapter One
A Brief History Lesson
In the time before time, the Gods did not stand alone atop the celestial mountain. They were challenged by great forces. Many of these they tamed and subjugated, giving us the beings we now recognize variously as angels, demons, devils, elementals, and so on. Their greatest challenge, however, came in the form of primal elemental and emotional monstrosities whose power rivaled even that of the gods. Many gods fell in battle with their enemies, but no enemy was as fierce as the titanic Hruthar. Some legends say that Hruthar was the first daughter of the universe, the eldest and most powerful single creature in existence.
Hruthar laid low the champions of the gods, until a young knight in golden armor arrived. He called himself Jordil, which means “The Sun” in the language of the Celestials, and he wielded a shimmering sword and was protected by a shield of fire. He challenged Hruthar and, after a titanic clash, defeated and slew her. As reward for his heroism, Jordil was given the right to create and rule over a world of his own, which he fashioned from the corpse of Hruthar herself. This world he called Jiorkar. Scholars believe there may be many such worlds, but Jiorkar is the first and most ancient.
The first peoples of Jiorkar were the humans, fashioned in Jordil’s own likeness and given powerful capacities for self-determination and self-expression. They wandered the world alone for some time before the other races began to awaken. From the trees came the Halvaen (Elves), and from the very stone itself came the Thwarch (Dwarves). Each of them was accompanied by a companion race; the elves by the halflings, and the dwarves by their diminutive cousins, the gnomes. Despite some conflict (particularly between elf and dwarf), the five races got on well enough. It wasn’t until the first giants began to stir that Jiorkar knew its first taste of true warfare.
Almost from the beginning, the giants were seen as a threat by those they shared the world with. Their enormous size meant that they used an inordinate amount of resources just to sustain themselves. Great herds of giant lizards and mammals once roamed, but wherever the giants went, these populations diminished rapidly. The humans and dwarves separately launched wars against the giants, but found their enormous strength an all but insurmountable advantage.
The gods gifted their mortal followers on both sides with magic for the first time, so that they might better defend themselves and defeat their enemies, and this escalated the brewing problem. Eventually, the five races united their armies under the command of the Council of Nane, which was originally intended to be a temporary alliance maintained until such time as the giant population was reduced to a manageable number. But the Council gave way to the Empire of Nane, ruled by a long line of human Emperors with the consent and advice of a council made up of the leaders of the other member species. The Empire of Nane stood for ten thousand years (more according to some histories).
The fall of Nane came not at the hands of any external threat, but due to their own corruption. As the Giant Crusades wore on, it became evident to Jordil that even with their combined might, the Naneites would not be able to eliminate the giant population, so he gifted them with five living weapons, each forged in the likeness of one of the great primal beasts the gods had fought in the time before time. Their bodies of gold, silver, copper, brass, and bronze forged by Jordil’s brother-in-law, the Master Craftsman Wor, the five Great Spirit Dragons served as Nane’s protectors for generations. With the giants gone, the people of Nane had little to worry about, and they grew complacent and eventually, corrupt. Since the Spirit Dragons represented the soul of Nane, they too were corrupted, their colors burnishing to red, white, green, black, and blue.
The Spirit Dragons launched a war of their own, attacking Nane out of avarice, willing to destroy everything that lived in order to obtain treasure. Wherever their shadows fell, mortal beings were corrupted, and orcs, goblinoids, and countless other evils were born into the world. On the few occasions they were wounded, where their blood fell the corruption ran even deeper. For a time, it seemed as if they would be unstoppable, but then the gods raised more dragons, similar in form and power to the original, uncorrupted spirit dragons, and they turned the tide of the war with the help of the last human Emperor of Nane; a man by the name of Gothrond. Though their defense was valiant, Nane itself was too far gone to be recovered, and the First Empire would never rise again.
The thousand or so years that followed the fall of Nane, collectively known as the Time of Nightmares, is a little known period from which almost no records survive. It is believed that the Orders of Wizardry first arose during this time, and conducted the first and most successful of their purges against those of sorcerous blood.
What is known is that the Time of Nightmares ended primarily as the result of the re-founding of a city known as Daernguard by a small group of men descended from Gothrond himself. Once a prosperous trade hub situated on the Daern River and near the only readily accessible pass through the Drakespine Mountains, Daernguard would serve as a focal point for the rebirth of culture, and a gathering point for all free peoples. While the five races would never again unite under one flag, the Gothrond Empire, the first truly human nation, would serve as a centerpiece for a new alliance between humans and dwarves, and later even the High Elves. But the second great empire was doomed to much shorter life than its predecessor. A group of Imperial Advisors known as the Maygus conspired to bring the empire under their own control, and ultimately brought the empire crashing down, bringing about a second dark age.
Chapter Two
Gods and the Supernal Realms
The gods of Jiorkar are all but omnipotent by comparison to mortals and most of the other celestial beings, but amongst themselves, their power varies widely. Jordil is able to enforce his place as King of the Gods not only because it is the will of the Celestial Hierarchy, but because he is known to be one of, if not the greatest warrior in Jiorkar’s pantheon.
The Pantheon itself has some divisions within it, the chief of which are the Three Courts; the Court of Light, consisting primarily of Jordil and his relations, the Court of Darkness which oversees the evil beings of Jiorkar, and the Court of Shadows which is concerned with maintaining the balance between the other two courts. There is also another way of dividing the Gods; True Gods and Usurper Gods. Mortals tend to be less concerned with this distinction than immortal beings. True Gods are beings who were created at the beginning of time, or the biological children of such, whereas Usurpers are mortal beings who have ascended, somehow, to the divine realm (often, though not always, without dying first). The powers of True Gods are inherent, while the powers of Usurpers are directly related to the number and fervor of their followers.
The master of the three courts have further enhanced their dominance in the immortal realm by erecting the so-called Wall between the Worlds, a mystic barrier that stops travel between Jiorkar and other worlds, and significantly hinders travel even between realms directly connected to the physical reality of Jiorkar (more on this in the chapter on magic).
What follows is a list of some of Jiorkar’s more powerful and important Gods in the time of the second Dark Age. It is by no means comprehensive, as Jiorkar has hundreds of Gods, with some gaining or losing power, or disappearing entirely in different eras.
The Court of Light
Jordil (LG)
Favored Weapon: Longsword (usually paired with a shield)
Cleric’s Alignments: LG, NG
Domains: Glory, Good, Law, Nobility, Sun*
God of the sun, nobility, and leadership, as well a patron God to humans and potentially the greatest warrior in all of the heavens. Jordil is the King of the Gods.
Wor (LG)
Favored Weapon: Warhammer (or Maul)
Cleric’s Alignments: Any Lawful
Domains: Artifice*, Earth, Fire, Protection, Rune
God of craftsmen and patron to dwarves, Wor is the greatest of the Master Smiths. He is also the brother of Miara.
Chakal (LG)
Favored Weapon: Staff
Cleric’s Alignments: LG
Domains: Magic (frequently the Arcane Subdomain)*, Knowledge, Law, Rune, Any Elemental
Recently the Gods decreed that Iluke needed help administering the Orders of Magic. Chakal was one of the Triumvirate chosen.
Miara (NG)
Favored Weapon: Ranseur (used primarily for disarming or breaking opponent’s weapons)
Cleric’s Alignments: Any Good
Domains: Community*, Good, Healing, Protection
The goddess of the Moon and fertility, and patron to communities of all kinds. By contrast to her warlike husband, Miara is largely pacifist in nature, and prefers that her clerics nurture rather than make war.
Ulyneen (NG)
Favored Weapon: Any Spear or the Long Bow
Cleric’s Alignments: NG, N
Domains: Weather*, Animal, Air, Plant
The daughter of Miara and Jordil, and patron goddess to the elves. Ulyneen is the goddess of nature, both in its ferocious and nurturing personas. Ulyneen is known for her wild emotional swings.
Iluke (NG)
Favored Weapon: Dagger or Staff
Cleric’s Alignments: LG, NG, and LN
Domains: Magic (always with the Arcane Subdomain)*, Any Elemental, Knowledge, Rune, Good
The youngest child of Jordil and Miara, Iluke is the god of magic and the founder of the Orders of Wizardry.
Noranos (CG)
Favored Weapons: Great Sword or Great Axe
Cleric’s Alignments: Any Good
Domains: War*, Chaos, Protection, Strength
Noranos is the eldest child of Jordil and Miara. He is a God of war, righteous vengeance (justice), thunder and lightning. Noranos is worshipped by warriors all across Jiorkar, but is particularly revered by the dwarves and the tribes of the Eastern plains, who know him as The Thunderer.
Dornilos (CG)
Favored Weapon: Short Sword
Cleric’s Alignments: NG, CG, and N
Domains: Charm*, Luck, Liberation, Trickery
Another son of Jordil and Miara, Dornilos is the God of joy, laughter, and truth.
Ovram (CG)
Favored Weapon: Any Exotic Weapon (chosen by the individual cleric)
Cleric’s Alignments: NG, CG, and CN
Domains: Liberation*, Travel, Chaos, Luck
The God of freedom and broken bonds, Ovram appears in most imagery as a Halfling. He is also the patron to that race. Like halflings, Ovram seems to prefer the good life, but unlike those diminutive beings, he also has a strong adventurous streak.
The Court of Shadows
Lorne (N)
Favored Weapon: The Staff
Cleric’s Alignments: N
Domains: Knowledge*, Magic (Divine Subdomain only), Rune
Lorne is the Master of the Court of Shadows, responsible for maintaining balance between Light and Darkness. He is a passive observer, relying on others to carry out the actions necessary to maintain the balance. He is also the God of time, specifically its measurement and recording.
Vashara (N)
Favored Weapon: Scythe
Cleric’s Alignments: Any
Domains: Repose*, Death, Nobility (Martyr Subdomain Only), Luck (Fate Subdomain only)
Vashara, the wife of Lorne, is the Goddess of death, and an unwavering foe to undeath in all its forms.
Thelantis (N)
Favored Weapon: Unarmed (Clerics receive Improved Unarmed Strike for free)
Cleric’s Alignment: Any Neutral
Domains: Priests of Thelantis receive no Domains, but gain the Unarmed Damage and AC Bonus benefits of a Monk of equal level, as long as they wield no weapons and wear no armor.
Thelantis is a bit of a mystery, even to her fellow Gods. Her temples are not so much places of worship (which she does not seek), but places of learning and enlightenment. Anyone willing to forego worldly matters to seek wisdom may live in one of her monasteries. Once initiated, each Priest seeks his own path
Beccar (LN)
Favored Weapon: The Staff
Clerics Alignment: LN
Domains: Magic (Arcane Subdomain Only)*, Law, Knowledge, Rune, Any Elemental
The (morally) neutral element to the Triumvirate of Magic, Beccar helps Iluke oversee the Orders of Wizardry. She is also the patron to the Black and White Robed Orders.
Raval (LN)
Favored Weapon: Gnome Hook Hammer
Cleric’s Alignment: Any Lawful
Domains: Law*, Knowledge, Rune
Raval is the patron God of the gnomish race. He is also the Keeper of the Celestial Record. He is one of the greatest scribes of the heavenly realm, possibly second only to Lorne himself.
A’cresz (LN)
Favored Weapon: Bastard Sword (does not grant EWP: Bastard Sword)
Cleric’s Alignment: Any morally Neutral
Domains: Destruction*, War, Strength, Protection
Formerly only a servitor spirit (and therefore, technically a Usurper God), A’cresz is the General and chief enforcer of the Shadow Court’s mission to serve as a balance point between the ambitions of the Courts of Light and Darkness.
Kayott (CN)
Favored Weapon: Heavy Flail
Cleric’s Alignment: Any, but anything other than CN is very rare
Domains: Madness*, War, Destruction, Strength
Kayott is known as “The Mad God”, and with good reason. Some tales suggest he was once a berserker in service to the Shadow Court, but if there was ever a time when he served anything other than insanity, it is long past. Still, Kayott is often called upon by warriors entering battle.
Persh (CN)
Favored Weapon: Starknife
Cleric’s Alignment: Any
Domains: Travel (Usually, though not always, the Exploration Subdomain), Trickery, Luck, Liberation
Persh is the Goddess of freedom and travel. Her “priests” are often seen as thieves and conmen.
Varuk (CN)
Favored Weapon: Any Simple or Martial
Cleric’s Alignment: CN
Domains: Any, but may only choose 1
Varuk may actually be more insane than Kayott, but no one can be certain, as he long ago hid himself away. He no longer directly contacts his followers, though servitor spirits claiming to be his messengers do occasionally appear. Varuk’s Priesthood is a loose affiliation of mad visionaries.
The Court of Darkness
Zadekor (LE)
Favored Weapon: Long Sword (usually paired with a shield)
Cleric’s Alignment: LE, LN
Domains: Nobility (Leadership Subdomain Only)*, Law, Evil, Darkness
The King of the Court of Darkness is rumored to be a relative (possibly even the twin brother) of Jordil. Zadekor is in many ways a dark mirror of the sun god. Honorable to a fault, arguably even noble, Zadekor is the God of rulership and domination.
Marron (LE)
Favored Weapon: The Staff
Cleric’s Alignment: LE
Domains: Magic (Arcane Subdomain Only)*, Knowledge, Rune, any Elemental
Marron is the evil component of the Triumvirate of Magic.
Tetrac (LE)
Favored Weapon: Morningstar
Cleric’s Alignment: LE, LN
Domains: Law*, Evil, Charm, Trickery
If Zadekor is the God of Kings, Tetrac is the God of those who stand behind the throne. He is not, as many suspect, a betrayer, but an earnest advisor, however his beliefs regarding what makes a good leader are strictly amoral (but not unethical)
Uthran (NE)
Favored Weapon: Spiked Chain
Cleric’s Alignment: NE
Domains: Destruction*, War, Strength, Protection
Uthran is a skilled warrior with a well-known cruel streak. His followers are few outside his priesthood.
Lurs (NE)
Favored Weapon: Dagger (usually poisoned)
Cleric’s Alignment: NE, CE
Domains: Death (Murder Subdomain Only)*, Darkness (Loss or Night Subdomains only), Luck (Curse Subdomain Only), War (Blood Subdomain Only)
Lurs is the God of murder. His Priesthood is as much an assassin’s guild as a true religion. He is the patron God of many thieves and assassins guilds across Jiorkar.
Dreth (NE)
Favored Weapon: Hand/Throwing Axe
Cleric’s Alignment: Any Evil
Domains: Madness (Insanity or Nightmare Subdomains Only)*, Evil, Destruction, Liberation
Dreth is the Goddess of monsters and nightmares. She is also the wife of Zadekor.
Zur (CE)
Favored Weapon: Trident
Cleric’s Alignment: NE, CE, and CN
Domains: Weather (Storms Only)*, Evil, Chaos, Destruction (Catastrophe Only), Water, Animal, Plant
Zur is the goddess of the sea and storms, and the daughter of Zadekor. She is known for her tempestuous moods and her abject cruelty even to her followers.
Thresk (CE)
Favored Weapon: Whip
Cleric’s Alignment: NE, CE
Domains: Chaos*, Charm (Lust Only), Evil, Madness, Trickery
Thresk is the God of wicked desires, and the chief torturer of the Court of Darkness.
The Red (CE)
Favored Weapon: Scimitar
Cleric’s Alignment: CE
Domains: Death (Undeath Only)*, Chaos, Evil, Knowledge
The Red is a relatively new God on the scene. He is a God of undeath, and a rival to Vashara
* - Clerics of this God must select this as one of their Domains
Other Powers
The Fey Courts
The scholars of the civilized races aren’t exactly certain how the Fey Realms connect to the physical world. What is known is that the Wall between Worlds doesn’t seem to affect fey travel in any way. Legend says that at one time, the elves had friendly relations with the fey, but that doesn’t seem to be the case any longer.
Fey are divide amongst four courts, named for the seasons. The Summer Court is made up of emotional but generally well-meaning (if not always wise) fey, while their mirror court, the Winter Court, is made up of cold blooded and typically cruel fey. The Spring and Autumn Courts hold mixtures of the two.
In general, fey interactions with mortal species are unpleasant things for one or both sides. Fey aren’t (necessarily) evil (though they sometimes are), but their culture and beliefs are strongly dissimilar to those of mortals.
Chapter Three
Races
For the most part, the descriptive entries in the Pathfinder Core Book should be ignored, particularly if it is in conflict with what is found here. Where possible, I’ve tried to use the Racial Traits unaltered from the book, but this was not always possible.
Dwarves
Born of earth and stone, Dwarves occupy great kingdoms beneath the mountains and embody the rugged harshness of their native terrain. Dwarves are considered by many to be dour and humorless, though this is not entirely true, as Dwarves have strong traditions of story-telling, epic songs, and boasting. They are simply reluctant to share these traditions with outsiders. Dwarves are also considered greedy by outsiders, but also honest to a fault.
Physical Description: Dwarves are short, with males averaging only about four feet in height, but stocky. They are renowned for their physical stamina and grit, which keep them working in the mines and at the forge for long hours. Dwarven women are considered unlovely by other races as a general rule (more polite beings might say “handsome”), but some find their gruff demeanors enticing. Dwarven males pride themselves on their beards, and the number of braids in their beard is an indicator of their place in Dwarven society. A Dwarven male with no beard is assuredly either in morning, or the recipient of some punishment meant to bring shame. Dwarven females, lacking beards, sometimes braid their hair for the same reasons, though this is not traditional. Dwarves are also known for their love of ostentatious and even gaudy clothing, but their weapons and armor are typically kept elegant, with only a few simple identifying runes carved into them.
Society: Dwarven society is anchored in traditions that are only broken by the most brazen of Dwarves. They exist in a rigid hierarchal caste system. They call the castes Clans, leading many outsiders to believe that they are large families, but this is not the caste. The Castes, in descending order, are as follows; Adamant (warriors), Mithril (Craftsmen), Gold (Priests), Silver (Physical Laborers), and Copper (Intellectuals). The Caste System is fairly inflexible, but intermarriage between Clans is not unheard of. The children of any such union become members of the lower of their parents’ castes. Those who, for any reason, are banished from their caste are known as outcastes, and they have no rights in Dwarven Society, and can even be pressed into slavery (in effect, they are considered non-Dwarves).
Another “caste” exists in the form of surface dwelling Dwarves who refer to themselves as Clan Sunbone. Not technically outcastes, Sunbones are descended from dwarves who chose to leave the mountain kingdoms as a sacrifice to preserve Dwarven culture (a form of population control since the space underground is necessarily limited). Sunbones are looked upon with pity by most other Dwarves, and are rarely mistreated, even though they aren’t fully trusted and certainly aren’t welcomed as true Dwarves.
Slavery is a strong tradition amongst the Dwarves, and is not seen as evil by them. They enslave other groups that they defeat in war (typically kobolds, their traditional underground rivals). When traveling on the surface, Dwarves are often shocked to learn that other races find slavery distasteful.
Relations: Dwarves have been at war with kobolds for as long as they can remember, and hate them with a deep and abiding passion. They also have a longstanding dislike of Elves, which is mutual, though neither side seems to remember why they started fighting. Dwarves maintain friendly relations with humans and tolerate halflings well enough, but are most at home with the tribesmen of the Eastern Plains, with whom they share kinship due to their strong warrior traditions, and with their cousins the gnomes.
Alignment and Religion: Dwarves tend toward Lawfulness and Good. Non-Lawful Dwarves are extremely rare. While they recognize all of the Gods, they favor the worship of their patron Wor, and faith in Noranos (whom they call The Rumbler) is strong in Dwarven Halls.
Adventurers: For the Dwarf born into a caste not in line with his preferred career, adventure is one way of saving face, of taking up a different occupation without openly rejecting one’s own caste. Additionally, Dwarven greed leads many to wander.
Dwarven Names: When speaking to strangers, Dwarves always give their family name and Clan, as a sign of respect for their ancestors. Jiorkaran Dwarves tend to have Celtic or Gaelic names.
Dwarven Racial Traits: As per normal, except;
Hatred: Dwarves receive their racial bonus to attacks on Kobolds and Orcs (but not Goblinoids)
Elves
(Note that this article refers only to the High Elves. Wild Elves and The Dark Breed are described in the New Races section of this chapter.)
High Elves, or “The Pure Ones” as they refer to themselves, are an elusive breed, few in number outside their forest homelands or the Towers of Wizardry. Dwelling in tree-top cities that few non-elves ever see, they seem to prefer their own company and intrigues over that of the other mortal races.
Physical Description: Despite their towering height, often approaching seven feet, High Elves are extremely thin. Their coloration tends toward the pale, with golden blond or silvery white hair, pale blue or green eyes, and skin that seems as if it has never seen the sun. High Elven flesh will take neither scar nor tattoo, unless they are magically imparted. High Elves typically appear all but ageless, and gender can be difficult to determine. High Elves are incapable of growing facial hair.
Society: High Elves talk at great length about personal freedom, but their society is almost as stratified as that of the Dwarves. They serve the Sun King, a supposedly ageless Elven Mage. High Elves consider themselves to be universally of noble blood, inherently more honorable and worthy than other races (including Wild Elves). High Elves divide themselves into Houses, and intrigue between the Houses is the normal state of affairs. Although there are over a dozen Houses (with Houses sometimes merging or splitting), only the 7 Houses deemed most worthy by the Sun King are allowed seats on the High Council, so jockeying for the Sun King’s favor is the aim of much of the gamesmanship.
Relations: Despite their haughty attitude, High Elves have good relations with most of the other common races, with the exception of Dwarves. Goblinoids are particular enemies of Elven-kind.
Alignment and Religion: High Elves tend strongly toward Good and on the lean more towards Law, but Chaos is a common Ethical choice as well. High Elves worship the gods, particularly the Court of Light, but have unique elements of their own spiritual beliefs as well. High Elves claim that a single enormous tree grows at the center of the Forest of Slumbering Dreams, which they call The Life Tree. High Elves do not die of old age, but instead grow weary of life and go to sleep eternally within the heart of the tree, from which their souls are eventually reborn as their own descendants.
Adventurers: High Elven adventurers are rare, and most that do exist come from the Orders of Wizardry. A much more rare circumstance is the children and other household members of High Elven ambassadors living in foreign lands.
High Elven Names: High Elves tend to have long, flowery names. Given names are always in two parts, separated by an apostrophe. The part before the apostrophe identifies an ancestor whom the parents wished the child to emulate, while the part after the apostrophe is their unique name. High Elves have family names, based on the House from which they descend, but they do not typically give them when asked their name.
Example: An elven boy whose parents hope he will emulate his famous warlord Great Grandfather Pesdaban’Kratelios might be named Kratelios’Benesdariad. Humans, of course, would likely call the fellow Ben or something.
High Elven Racial Traits: As per the core book.
Gnomes
Even stouter than their cousins the dwarves, gnomes are a diminutive race known primarily for their dull personalities and excellence as book keepers and archivists. Gnomes rarely make communities of their own, instead choosing to dwell with the Dwarves, with whom they form a symbiotic relationship.
Physical Description: Shorter but less stout than dwarves, with ashen skin and gray or brown hair and eyes, gnomish appearance strongly hints at their unassuming demeanors.
Society: Even though they live with Dwarves, gnomes are not very rigid within their own communities. They have no castes, and success is usually a matter of competence. Gnomes marry whom they like, and have even been known to fall in love with members of other races (though they can produce children only with humans, dwarves, and other gnomes). When asked about existing alongside the rigid dwarves, gnomes tend to shrug and go back to whatever they were reading.
Relations: Outsiders are often bewildered by the relationship between gnomes and dwarves, but the system works for them. The dwarves handle the fighting, the craftsmanship, and the physical labor, and the gnomes make sure the bureaucracy keeps on working like clockwork. Gnomes don’t have any hereditary enemies, as their nature is off-putting to many, but rarely raises the ire of anyone.
Alignment and Religion: Gnomes aren’t typically given to strong feelings on most subjects, and ethics, morals, and religion are no exception. They seem to have a preference for Gods with an intellectual bent.
Adventurers: Gnomes seem to prefer intellectual pursuits to physical ones, but gnomish adventurers aren’t as rare as one might think. Their clever minds and intellectual curiosity make them skilled companions.
Gnomish Names: As with other aspects of their culture, Gnomes are pretty loose on naming traditions, and often borrow from other cultures freely.
Gnome Racial Traits:
Gnomes receive a +2 bonus to Constitution and Intelligence (not Charisma), and a -2 Penalty to Strength.
Gnome Magic: This ability is based on training Gnomes receive, and based on Intelligence rather than Charisma.
Half-Elves
Born of the union of Elf and Man, Half-Elves are blessed with many of the best traits of both, and have long been considered a blessing to communities where they dwell. Half-Elves are the ancestors of the respected Gothrond line of humans, as evinced by the elf-like coloration of the Gothrond peoples, and the Gothrond respect them more so even than the other races. Today, most Half-Elves are born of two half-elven parents, rather than a direct elf and man pairing.
Physical Description: Half-Elves tend to be between humans and elves in height and weight, but their coloration runs the same range as that of humans. Half-Elves have pointed ears like their elven ancestors, but can grow facial hair like humans.
Society: Once, Half-Elves had no culture of their own and typically emulated the human cultures surrounding them, but as time progresses and the number of half-elves grows, they may develop a unique culture of their own.
Relations: Half-Elves are well-respected by the other common races, and are implacable foes of evil races.
Alignment and Religion: Like humans, half-elves range widely in their beliefs, but they seem to share to some degree the elves love of nature and magic.
Adventurers: Half-Elven adventurers are almost as ubiquitous as humans in the same profession.
Half-Elven Names: Half-Elves tend to be named in keeping with the traditions of the area where they are born. The rare Half-Elf raised amongst High Elves is not given an ancestral name, as it is considered disrespectful, and their names begin with an apostrophe.
Half-Elf Racial Traits: As per the Pathfinder Core Book
Half-Orcs
Usually born of violence, Half-Orcs are fairly rare in any given generation. In civilized lands, they are sometimes found working as gladiators or in other violent professions. Amongst the orcs they are wickedly abused because they are weaker than their orcish kin. Only amongst the tribes of the Eastern Plains do they find true acceptance.
Physical Description: Half-Orcs tend to be slightly larger than their human ancestors, but less physically daunting than orcs. Their skin is rough and shows a slightly greenish tint, and many half-orcs have protruding fangs from the tops or bottoms of their mouths, or both. Their hair is dark and coarse, and their eyes are small and often coal black.
Society: Half-Orcs have no societies of their own.
Relations: Half-Orcs tend to view others with suspicion or even outright hostility; a reflection of how others tend to see them.
Alignment and Religion: Half-Orcs tend strongly toward ethical Chaos, and moral neutrality or even outright evil. Religion rarely appeals to half-orcs, but those who do embrace it tend to do so with great fervor. Noranos, in particular, has directed his temples to take in half-orc infants and care for them.
Adventurers: As a percentage of the whole of their race, Half-Orcs have far and away more adventurers than any other race, simply because so few other options are available to them.
Half-Orc Names: Half-Orc names tend to be simple.
Half-Orc Racial Traits: As per the Pathfinder Core Book
Halflings
Small humanoids that enjoy the finer things in life, halflings are found in nearly every corner of Jiorkar. They prefer a life of ease over hard work, and are notorious homebodies. Like humans, however, they often find themselves compelled into difficult and dangerous occupations by circumstances beyond their control. Because of their natural agility (and lack of rigid moral standards) they are known to make good thieves, and are even sometimes assumed to be such. Halflings have a profound love of mental games, from simple puzzles to complex riddles.
Physical Description: Shorter even than gnomes, but often rotund due to their laziness, halflings have a distinctive appearance. Thinner halflings have been known to be mistaken for elf children at distances, but their ability to grow facial hair and rounded, rather than angular facial features tend to give them away.
Society: Even where they share living space with other races, halflings tend to group together. Highly adaptable, they can live just about anywhere, but they seem to prefer the countryside. Halflings tend to excel at professions that complement their taste for simplicity and ease; gardeners, cooks, and vintners are all common. Halfling politics might be described as leadership by popularity, where those who are most respected within a given community are those most likely to be heard.
Relations: Halflings can live peaceably with just about anyone, but not everyone wants to live peaceably with them. In communities dominated by other races, halflings frequently take up less-than-legal professions (but typically, non-violent ones), which leads to many viewing them as an undesirable element.
Alignment and Religion: Halflings are typically neutral, both ethically and morally. Their cultural devotion to the Gods is often relaxed, but they do show proper respect for nature gods, and are fond of invoking the names of various Gods.
Adventurers: Most halflings would prefer to never leave their comfortable homes, but this is not always possible. In point of fact, they often decide that a short career as an adventurer is an acceptable way to procure a lifetime of comfort.
Halfling Names: Halflings tend toward simple one or two syllable names. They have family names, and place about as much importance on them as humans do on average.
Halfling Racial Traits: As per the Pathfinder Core Book
Humans
The most numerous, widespread, and arguably successful of the common races, humans dwell or have dwelt all across Jiorkar’s surface and once, erected great castles that rode the skies on enchanted clouds. Humans have a natural drive that pushes them ever onward.
Physical Description: Humans stand in-between dwarves and elves in height, with tall humans standing 6 feet or slightly more. Their physical builds range widely, but they are never as thin as an elf or as stout as a dwarf. Human coloration is equally diverse (see subraces, below)
Society: Humanity does not have one culture, but many. Broadly speaking, humans embrace the full range of ideas and ideals, and often seem to be a chaotic lot, but somehow they get things done.
Relations: Humans have courteous, but often strained, relations with all of the common races, and are perpetually at war with the dark races. Of course they’re usually at war with themselves most of the time too.
Alignment and Religion: More than any other race, humans embrace the full range of systems of belief, and are constantly creating new ones.
Adventurers: The most common adventurers are human, but that is no surprise given they are far more numerous than any other race. Human reasons for adventuring as diverse as everything else for humans.
Human Names: Human names are chosen for cultural reasons, to honor allies or ancestors, or just on a whim. As such, they could be just about anything.
Human Racial Traits: As per the Pathfinder Core Book
Human Sub-Races
Gothrond: Taller by 3 to 6 inches on average than other humans, with golden blonde hair and fair skin that marks them as having elven blood, Gothronds are a small but noble-blooded group. They tend to be amongst the wealthiest humans in a community, though this is not always true. Gothronds tend toward Lawful and Good alignments.
Iparan: Xenophobic natives to the island of Ipara (known to most Jiorkarans as The Shogunate), the culture of Iparans are inscrutable to outsiders. They are shorter on average than other humans, with dark hair and eyes, and sun-kissed golden skin. Iparans are obsessed with both personal honor and their societal mores, and tend toward Lawful Neutrality.
Southron: Native to the southern coastlands, Southrons are dark skinned, with dark, curly hair and usually dark eyes. They are natural sailors and sea traders, more concerned with personal reputation than with the law. They tend toward Chaotic alignments.
Eastern Tribesmen: Called “barbarians” by some, the Eastern Tribesmen live in nomadic Tribes bearing animal names on the great unsettled plains on the eastern portion of the continent. The Eastern Tribesmen are often dark haired, with blue or grey eyes, but their willingness to accept anyone into their tribes who can prove their worth means that their blood is mixed. Tribesmen tend toward Chaotic Good.
New Races
Minotaurs
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Physical Description: Minotaurs are hulking creatures, standing over 7 feet tall, with brown, red, or black fur covering their entire bodies. Their bodies appear mostly human (despite the fur), but they have the head of a savage cow with razor sharp teeth (Minotaurs are strict carnivores, and prefer their meat raw). Minotaurs have a distinctive body odor, and are highly reluctant to bathe, as they believe it reduces their potency. Minotaur females have no horns, and are traditionally not allowed to fight under any circumstances.
Society: Minotaur culture is centered on war and combat prowess. When not actively engaged in warfare, for which they hire themselves out as mercenaries, Minotaurs are constantly involved in games designed to test their strength or skill. Females are not allowed to participate in these games, but are encouraged to pursue more intellectual past times, and to serve as the Priesthood for their people. Minotaurs have no respect for those who are not constantly testing themselves, and will frequently attempt to draw non-Minotaur companions into confrontations by way of testing them. Minotaurs also boast competitively, a habit they picked up from the dwarves.
Relations: Minotaurs often seem hostile to everyone around them. This is not truly the case; in general, if a Minotaur bothers talking to a non-Minotaur, it is a show of respect, but they have a funny way of expressing friendship. Minotaurs like to be at war constantly, but do not take war personally. Minotaurs who find themselves on opposite sides of a battle take pride in fighting one-another directly.
Alignment and Religion: Minotaurs are difficult to pin down within the context of traditional alignments. By and large, they respect and follow their own code and traditions without fail, but they have little respect for the laws of others. They enjoy destruction and killing, but rarely do so for personal reasons.
Religiously, Minotaurs usually follow warrior Gods, the only Gods they can respect. Oral tradition that survives from their original, long lost homeland suggests that their Gods destroyed one-another in a glorious confrontation.
Adventurers: Minotaurs adventure for two reasons; either as mercenaries, or because they’ve been cast out of Minotaur society for some reason. Minotaur outcasts have their horns shaved and their teeth filed flat, so that all will see their shame.
Minotaur Names: Minotaur males are named for their Father, unless their Father was shamed, in which case they take a new name. This means that all male Minotaurs of a single line will have the same name. Minotaur females are typically given names meant to imply their suitability as mates.
Minotaur Racial Traits:
+2 Strength, +2 Wisdom, -2 Charisma. Minotaurs are physically powerful and have keen senses, but their social skills leave much to be desired.
Medium: Minotaurs are medium sized
Normal Speed: Minotaur speed is 30 feet
Scent: Minotaurs gain a +2 Racial Bonus to Perception Checks in instances where their sense of smell can be used. They also gain this bonus to Sense Motive if they are trained in that skill, and the creature in question has body chemistry to give them away.
Intimidation: Minotaurs can use Strength for Intimidation, rather than Charisma.
Natural Attacks: Minotaurs can deliver a natural attack with their horns. This attack does 1d6 damage (plus Strength Modifier), and does double damage on a charge.
Hafted Weapon Mastery: Minotaurs are trained from birth to fight with hafted weapons, and are proficient with all Pole Arms and Spears (see Core Book, Pg. 56)
Natural Armor: Minotaur skin is tough, providing them with a +1 Natural Armor Bonus
Languages: Minotaurs speak Taurun and Common. Minotaurs with high Intelligence can select Dwarven, Gnomish, Barric, and Elven.
Savage Drow (Telabreg)
Far removed from their mysterious relatives dwelling deep beneath the surfaces of Jiorkar, Savage Drow are an insular group of raiders and bandits. According to their legends, they fled the oppression of the underworld empire ruled by their kin long ago.
Physical Description: Like true Drow, Savage Drow are short, typically around 5 feet tall, with dusky skin and white hair. Because of their thin, angular features and pointed ears, they bear a passing resemblance to elves, but both Drow and Elf alike deny any common ancestry. Drow can grow facial hair, and Savage Drow frequently do. Drow eyes are typically pink, red, or lavender.
Society: Savage Drow, who refer to themselves as the Telabreg, have an insular society, and often work in small groups, but always return to the main body. The culture of the Telabreg is dominated by the central belief that the strong have the right to rule, and the weak are obliged to follow. They are also strongly patriarchal, and savagely oppress females, not allowing them to learn to read, write, or fight under any circumstances. The Savage Drow typically live in small groups (no more than a couple hundred in an area), traditionally in surface caves, but some have moved their familial homes to cities. They survive through various sorts of crime, particularly banditry and raiding.
Relations: Savage Drow only maintain business contacts outside their own kind, and will betray anyone at any time. This fact is well known, so few choose to deal with them. Luckily, the Telabreg are too few and too internally divisive to be much of a large scale threat.
Alignment and Religion: Telabreg lean strongly towards Chaos and Evil. They worship the demon lord Shathahn exclusively.
Adventurers: Some might say that by virtue of their violent professions, all Savage Drow are adventurers, but few if any have ever taken up traditional adventuring.
Savage Drow Names: Savage Drow do not differentiate between male and female names. All Telabreg names consist of two syllables, the first is a personal name, and the second identifies the grouping to which they belong. A Telabreg of the Dur Clan might be named SeiDur, for example.
Savage Drow Racial Traits
+2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma, -2 Constitution. Savage Drow are nimble and have strong personalities, but lack powerful builds.
Medium: Drow are Medium creatures, and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Normal Speed: Drow have a base speed of 30 feet.
Darkvision: Drow can see in the dark up to 120 feet.
Keen Senses: Drow receive a +2 racial bonus on Perception checks.
Opportunist: Savage Drow are experts at taking advantage of their enemies. When flanking a foe or attacking an enemy denied their dexterity bonus to defense, Savage Drow do an additional 1d6 damage. This stacks with the Rogue Sneak Attack ability
Poison Use (Ex) Drow are skilled in the use of poison and never risk accidentally poisoning themselves
Weapon Familiarity: All Savage Drow are proficient with the rapier and the light and heavy crossbows.
Light Aversion: Savage Drow take a -1 penalty to attack rolls and perception checks in areas of bright light.
Languages: Savage Drow speak Savreg (the Drow Tongue), and may also take Common, Elven, Dwarven, Goblinoid, Orcish, and Fiendish.
Wild Elves
If the High Elves are the Pure Ones, the Wild Elves are most certainly the Lowly Ones. Oddly, however, they don’t seem to chafe in this position. Certainly, they don’t fully accept the High Elves claim to the leaders of the Elven race by virtue of pure blood, but neither have they ever tried to position themselves as leaders, or even to elevate themselves beyond the position given them by their taller kin.
Physical Description: Wild Elves are shorter than their “pure blooded” kin, shorter even than humans on average, but they maintain the lean physique of their kin. Unlike High Elves, the skin of wild elves tans and scars, and Wild Elves pride themselves on both their tattoos and their scars (both ritual and from battle). Wild Elves are also set apart by their hair, typically dark in color. Wild Elves are not averse to wearing or using metal should they find it, but they make none of their own, instead using a technique known only to their craftsmen to shape wood as resilient as any metal. Even wealthy Wild Elves seem to prefer simple clothing made from leather or fur.
Society: Wild Elven culture is based around the the dual pillars of community and duty. In their homeland, they live simple lives where most of their time is occupied with battling the enemies of the elven peoples and finding sustenance. They are too numerous, and the elven lands too small for them to be truly nomadic, but they never build permanent settlements save the one at the base of The Life Tree, that exists primarily for purposes of defending their most sacred sight. Wild Elven families are large, extended affairs led by a mated pair, with the patriarch being the eldest warrior in the group, and the matriarch being the spiritual leader.
Relations: Wild Elves are often seen as aloof, even hostile, but the truth is that they don’t have any real animosity toward anyone aside from orcs, whom they hate passionately. They simply take their duty to defend the elven homeland very seriously. Outside of their lands, Wild Elves can make excellent allies, and some of them are even congenial.
Alignment and Religion: Wild Elves believe strongly in individualism, and are ethically Chaotic. Morally, their philosophies vary widely. Wild Elves do have some few priests, but their faith is largely nature oriented, and druids are much more common.
Adventurers: Wild Elves are unlikely to adventure; their home lives provide them with plenty of opportunities for violence, but there are exceptions, for a variety of reasons.
Wild Elf Names: Wild Elves typically have flowing given names coupled with a family name that references nature in the common tongue.
Wild Elven Racial Traits
+2 Constitution, +2 Wisdom, -2 Intelligence
Medium: Elves are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Normal Speed: Elves have a base speed of 30 feet.
Low-Light Vision: Elves can see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light.
Elven Immunities: Wild Elves are immune to magic sleep effects
Poison Resistance: Due to the number of enemies they face with naturally occurring poisons, Wild Elves gain a +2 Racial Bonus to Saving Throws against poison
Woodland Expertise: Wild Elves gain a +2 Circumstance Bonus to Stealth, Perception, Handle Animal, and Survival skills in naturally wooded settings.
Keen Senses: Elves receive a +2 racial bonus on Perception skill checks.
Weapon Familiarity: Wild Elves are proficient with the Kukri and all forms of spears, as well as the short bow and bola.
Languages: Wild Elves speak Elven and Common. Wild Elves with a high Intelligence score may also select from Orcish, Halfling, Barric, and Sylvan.
Index One
The Magic of Jiorkar
The Orders of Wizardry
Founded by the Mage God Iluke in the wake of the fall of Nane, in order to curtail massive abuses by some arcane magic users, the Orders of Wizardry are a the only way a potential Wizard can receive training in Jiorkar. The Orders are a single organization made up of eight smaller fraternities (and two lesser ones), theoretically working toward the single goal of policing and advancing the understanding of Arcane Magic. From their nine massive, fortress-like towers spread throughout the continent, the Orders of Wizardry are a potent political force.
The eight most significant fraternities within the Orders are divided by their magical specialties. Each group wears specific colors to specify the Order to which they belong; Brown (Abjuration), Orange (Conjuration), Yellow or Gold (Divination), Purple (Enchantment), Blue (Evocation), Green (Illusion), Red and later Gray (Necromancy), and Maroon (Transmutation). In addition, the Orders recognize the White Robes (functionaries) and Black Robes (internal security). White and Black robed mages are Universalists, and not well-respected by their fellow mages. They are forbidden by charter to hold any special status within the Orders.
The Orders of Wizardry are the only places in Jiorkar to learn Arcane Magic through study (rather than natural talent), and their rules are myriad. Members of the Orders may not wear armor of any kind, and may only carry staves and ceremonial daggers. Many wizards choose to forego the Order’s rules, but doing so costs them their standing within the Order. A Wizard who defies the Order too much might find himself declared Apostate, and hunted by the Black Robes (who also hunt sorcerers and other “rogue magicians”). The Black Robes are, themselves, the sole exception to this rule; they often wear armor and carry a wide variety of weapons.
Altered Magics
Due to the existence of a magical barrier created by the Gods known as the Wall Between Worlds, travel between the planes in Jiorkar is all but impossible. The wall also interferes with some specific magics (those that involve transportation, or bringing creatures from other planes). These effects tend to be somewhat random and unpredictable, but the Orders of Wizardry (and specifically the Order of Conjuration) have catalogued some specifics. Spells that allow short-distance teleportation tend to have reduced ranges, whereas spells that allow for long-distance teleportation are less accurate.
I haven't done a "guide to the classes" yet, and some classes have specific differences in the Jiorkar setting, but... well, again, it's a start)
THE WORLD OF JIORKAR
Setting Information
&
Pathfinder RPG Conversion Document
Original Concept by: Tedd Haas
With Additional Creative Input From: Amanda Haas, Chris Horne, Evan Scarbrough, Scott Foster, Shawn Kerr, Anthony Ptaznik, Dave Kessler, Christopher Mays, Michael Brogan, James DeYonke, and countless others.
Chapter One
A Brief History Lesson
In the time before time, the Gods did not stand alone atop the celestial mountain. They were challenged by great forces. Many of these they tamed and subjugated, giving us the beings we now recognize variously as angels, demons, devils, elementals, and so on. Their greatest challenge, however, came in the form of primal elemental and emotional monstrosities whose power rivaled even that of the gods. Many gods fell in battle with their enemies, but no enemy was as fierce as the titanic Hruthar. Some legends say that Hruthar was the first daughter of the universe, the eldest and most powerful single creature in existence.
Hruthar laid low the champions of the gods, until a young knight in golden armor arrived. He called himself Jordil, which means “The Sun” in the language of the Celestials, and he wielded a shimmering sword and was protected by a shield of fire. He challenged Hruthar and, after a titanic clash, defeated and slew her. As reward for his heroism, Jordil was given the right to create and rule over a world of his own, which he fashioned from the corpse of Hruthar herself. This world he called Jiorkar. Scholars believe there may be many such worlds, but Jiorkar is the first and most ancient.
The first peoples of Jiorkar were the humans, fashioned in Jordil’s own likeness and given powerful capacities for self-determination and self-expression. They wandered the world alone for some time before the other races began to awaken. From the trees came the Halvaen (Elves), and from the very stone itself came the Thwarch (Dwarves). Each of them was accompanied by a companion race; the elves by the halflings, and the dwarves by their diminutive cousins, the gnomes. Despite some conflict (particularly between elf and dwarf), the five races got on well enough. It wasn’t until the first giants began to stir that Jiorkar knew its first taste of true warfare.
Almost from the beginning, the giants were seen as a threat by those they shared the world with. Their enormous size meant that they used an inordinate amount of resources just to sustain themselves. Great herds of giant lizards and mammals once roamed, but wherever the giants went, these populations diminished rapidly. The humans and dwarves separately launched wars against the giants, but found their enormous strength an all but insurmountable advantage.
The gods gifted their mortal followers on both sides with magic for the first time, so that they might better defend themselves and defeat their enemies, and this escalated the brewing problem. Eventually, the five races united their armies under the command of the Council of Nane, which was originally intended to be a temporary alliance maintained until such time as the giant population was reduced to a manageable number. But the Council gave way to the Empire of Nane, ruled by a long line of human Emperors with the consent and advice of a council made up of the leaders of the other member species. The Empire of Nane stood for ten thousand years (more according to some histories).
The fall of Nane came not at the hands of any external threat, but due to their own corruption. As the Giant Crusades wore on, it became evident to Jordil that even with their combined might, the Naneites would not be able to eliminate the giant population, so he gifted them with five living weapons, each forged in the likeness of one of the great primal beasts the gods had fought in the time before time. Their bodies of gold, silver, copper, brass, and bronze forged by Jordil’s brother-in-law, the Master Craftsman Wor, the five Great Spirit Dragons served as Nane’s protectors for generations. With the giants gone, the people of Nane had little to worry about, and they grew complacent and eventually, corrupt. Since the Spirit Dragons represented the soul of Nane, they too were corrupted, their colors burnishing to red, white, green, black, and blue.
The Spirit Dragons launched a war of their own, attacking Nane out of avarice, willing to destroy everything that lived in order to obtain treasure. Wherever their shadows fell, mortal beings were corrupted, and orcs, goblinoids, and countless other evils were born into the world. On the few occasions they were wounded, where their blood fell the corruption ran even deeper. For a time, it seemed as if they would be unstoppable, but then the gods raised more dragons, similar in form and power to the original, uncorrupted spirit dragons, and they turned the tide of the war with the help of the last human Emperor of Nane; a man by the name of Gothrond. Though their defense was valiant, Nane itself was too far gone to be recovered, and the First Empire would never rise again.
The thousand or so years that followed the fall of Nane, collectively known as the Time of Nightmares, is a little known period from which almost no records survive. It is believed that the Orders of Wizardry first arose during this time, and conducted the first and most successful of their purges against those of sorcerous blood.
What is known is that the Time of Nightmares ended primarily as the result of the re-founding of a city known as Daernguard by a small group of men descended from Gothrond himself. Once a prosperous trade hub situated on the Daern River and near the only readily accessible pass through the Drakespine Mountains, Daernguard would serve as a focal point for the rebirth of culture, and a gathering point for all free peoples. While the five races would never again unite under one flag, the Gothrond Empire, the first truly human nation, would serve as a centerpiece for a new alliance between humans and dwarves, and later even the High Elves. But the second great empire was doomed to much shorter life than its predecessor. A group of Imperial Advisors known as the Maygus conspired to bring the empire under their own control, and ultimately brought the empire crashing down, bringing about a second dark age.
Chapter Two
Gods and the Supernal Realms
The gods of Jiorkar are all but omnipotent by comparison to mortals and most of the other celestial beings, but amongst themselves, their power varies widely. Jordil is able to enforce his place as King of the Gods not only because it is the will of the Celestial Hierarchy, but because he is known to be one of, if not the greatest warrior in Jiorkar’s pantheon.
The Pantheon itself has some divisions within it, the chief of which are the Three Courts; the Court of Light, consisting primarily of Jordil and his relations, the Court of Darkness which oversees the evil beings of Jiorkar, and the Court of Shadows which is concerned with maintaining the balance between the other two courts. There is also another way of dividing the Gods; True Gods and Usurper Gods. Mortals tend to be less concerned with this distinction than immortal beings. True Gods are beings who were created at the beginning of time, or the biological children of such, whereas Usurpers are mortal beings who have ascended, somehow, to the divine realm (often, though not always, without dying first). The powers of True Gods are inherent, while the powers of Usurpers are directly related to the number and fervor of their followers.
The master of the three courts have further enhanced their dominance in the immortal realm by erecting the so-called Wall between the Worlds, a mystic barrier that stops travel between Jiorkar and other worlds, and significantly hinders travel even between realms directly connected to the physical reality of Jiorkar (more on this in the chapter on magic).
What follows is a list of some of Jiorkar’s more powerful and important Gods in the time of the second Dark Age. It is by no means comprehensive, as Jiorkar has hundreds of Gods, with some gaining or losing power, or disappearing entirely in different eras.
The Court of Light
Jordil (LG)
Favored Weapon: Longsword (usually paired with a shield)
Cleric’s Alignments: LG, NG
Domains: Glory, Good, Law, Nobility, Sun*
God of the sun, nobility, and leadership, as well a patron God to humans and potentially the greatest warrior in all of the heavens. Jordil is the King of the Gods.
Wor (LG)
Favored Weapon: Warhammer (or Maul)
Cleric’s Alignments: Any Lawful
Domains: Artifice*, Earth, Fire, Protection, Rune
God of craftsmen and patron to dwarves, Wor is the greatest of the Master Smiths. He is also the brother of Miara.
Chakal (LG)
Favored Weapon: Staff
Cleric’s Alignments: LG
Domains: Magic (frequently the Arcane Subdomain)*, Knowledge, Law, Rune, Any Elemental
Recently the Gods decreed that Iluke needed help administering the Orders of Magic. Chakal was one of the Triumvirate chosen.
Miara (NG)
Favored Weapon: Ranseur (used primarily for disarming or breaking opponent’s weapons)
Cleric’s Alignments: Any Good
Domains: Community*, Good, Healing, Protection
The goddess of the Moon and fertility, and patron to communities of all kinds. By contrast to her warlike husband, Miara is largely pacifist in nature, and prefers that her clerics nurture rather than make war.
Ulyneen (NG)
Favored Weapon: Any Spear or the Long Bow
Cleric’s Alignments: NG, N
Domains: Weather*, Animal, Air, Plant
The daughter of Miara and Jordil, and patron goddess to the elves. Ulyneen is the goddess of nature, both in its ferocious and nurturing personas. Ulyneen is known for her wild emotional swings.
Iluke (NG)
Favored Weapon: Dagger or Staff
Cleric’s Alignments: LG, NG, and LN
Domains: Magic (always with the Arcane Subdomain)*, Any Elemental, Knowledge, Rune, Good
The youngest child of Jordil and Miara, Iluke is the god of magic and the founder of the Orders of Wizardry.
Noranos (CG)
Favored Weapons: Great Sword or Great Axe
Cleric’s Alignments: Any Good
Domains: War*, Chaos, Protection, Strength
Noranos is the eldest child of Jordil and Miara. He is a God of war, righteous vengeance (justice), thunder and lightning. Noranos is worshipped by warriors all across Jiorkar, but is particularly revered by the dwarves and the tribes of the Eastern plains, who know him as The Thunderer.
Dornilos (CG)
Favored Weapon: Short Sword
Cleric’s Alignments: NG, CG, and N
Domains: Charm*, Luck, Liberation, Trickery
Another son of Jordil and Miara, Dornilos is the God of joy, laughter, and truth.
Ovram (CG)
Favored Weapon: Any Exotic Weapon (chosen by the individual cleric)
Cleric’s Alignments: NG, CG, and CN
Domains: Liberation*, Travel, Chaos, Luck
The God of freedom and broken bonds, Ovram appears in most imagery as a Halfling. He is also the patron to that race. Like halflings, Ovram seems to prefer the good life, but unlike those diminutive beings, he also has a strong adventurous streak.
The Court of Shadows
Lorne (N)
Favored Weapon: The Staff
Cleric’s Alignments: N
Domains: Knowledge*, Magic (Divine Subdomain only), Rune
Lorne is the Master of the Court of Shadows, responsible for maintaining balance between Light and Darkness. He is a passive observer, relying on others to carry out the actions necessary to maintain the balance. He is also the God of time, specifically its measurement and recording.
Vashara (N)
Favored Weapon: Scythe
Cleric’s Alignments: Any
Domains: Repose*, Death, Nobility (Martyr Subdomain Only), Luck (Fate Subdomain only)
Vashara, the wife of Lorne, is the Goddess of death, and an unwavering foe to undeath in all its forms.
Thelantis (N)
Favored Weapon: Unarmed (Clerics receive Improved Unarmed Strike for free)
Cleric’s Alignment: Any Neutral
Domains: Priests of Thelantis receive no Domains, but gain the Unarmed Damage and AC Bonus benefits of a Monk of equal level, as long as they wield no weapons and wear no armor.
Thelantis is a bit of a mystery, even to her fellow Gods. Her temples are not so much places of worship (which she does not seek), but places of learning and enlightenment. Anyone willing to forego worldly matters to seek wisdom may live in one of her monasteries. Once initiated, each Priest seeks his own path
Beccar (LN)
Favored Weapon: The Staff
Clerics Alignment: LN
Domains: Magic (Arcane Subdomain Only)*, Law, Knowledge, Rune, Any Elemental
The (morally) neutral element to the Triumvirate of Magic, Beccar helps Iluke oversee the Orders of Wizardry. She is also the patron to the Black and White Robed Orders.
Raval (LN)
Favored Weapon: Gnome Hook Hammer
Cleric’s Alignment: Any Lawful
Domains: Law*, Knowledge, Rune
Raval is the patron God of the gnomish race. He is also the Keeper of the Celestial Record. He is one of the greatest scribes of the heavenly realm, possibly second only to Lorne himself.
A’cresz (LN)
Favored Weapon: Bastard Sword (does not grant EWP: Bastard Sword)
Cleric’s Alignment: Any morally Neutral
Domains: Destruction*, War, Strength, Protection
Formerly only a servitor spirit (and therefore, technically a Usurper God), A’cresz is the General and chief enforcer of the Shadow Court’s mission to serve as a balance point between the ambitions of the Courts of Light and Darkness.
Kayott (CN)
Favored Weapon: Heavy Flail
Cleric’s Alignment: Any, but anything other than CN is very rare
Domains: Madness*, War, Destruction, Strength
Kayott is known as “The Mad God”, and with good reason. Some tales suggest he was once a berserker in service to the Shadow Court, but if there was ever a time when he served anything other than insanity, it is long past. Still, Kayott is often called upon by warriors entering battle.
Persh (CN)
Favored Weapon: Starknife
Cleric’s Alignment: Any
Domains: Travel (Usually, though not always, the Exploration Subdomain), Trickery, Luck, Liberation
Persh is the Goddess of freedom and travel. Her “priests” are often seen as thieves and conmen.
Varuk (CN)
Favored Weapon: Any Simple or Martial
Cleric’s Alignment: CN
Domains: Any, but may only choose 1
Varuk may actually be more insane than Kayott, but no one can be certain, as he long ago hid himself away. He no longer directly contacts his followers, though servitor spirits claiming to be his messengers do occasionally appear. Varuk’s Priesthood is a loose affiliation of mad visionaries.
The Court of Darkness
Zadekor (LE)
Favored Weapon: Long Sword (usually paired with a shield)
Cleric’s Alignment: LE, LN
Domains: Nobility (Leadership Subdomain Only)*, Law, Evil, Darkness
The King of the Court of Darkness is rumored to be a relative (possibly even the twin brother) of Jordil. Zadekor is in many ways a dark mirror of the sun god. Honorable to a fault, arguably even noble, Zadekor is the God of rulership and domination.
Marron (LE)
Favored Weapon: The Staff
Cleric’s Alignment: LE
Domains: Magic (Arcane Subdomain Only)*, Knowledge, Rune, any Elemental
Marron is the evil component of the Triumvirate of Magic.
Tetrac (LE)
Favored Weapon: Morningstar
Cleric’s Alignment: LE, LN
Domains: Law*, Evil, Charm, Trickery
If Zadekor is the God of Kings, Tetrac is the God of those who stand behind the throne. He is not, as many suspect, a betrayer, but an earnest advisor, however his beliefs regarding what makes a good leader are strictly amoral (but not unethical)
Uthran (NE)
Favored Weapon: Spiked Chain
Cleric’s Alignment: NE
Domains: Destruction*, War, Strength, Protection
Uthran is a skilled warrior with a well-known cruel streak. His followers are few outside his priesthood.
Lurs (NE)
Favored Weapon: Dagger (usually poisoned)
Cleric’s Alignment: NE, CE
Domains: Death (Murder Subdomain Only)*, Darkness (Loss or Night Subdomains only), Luck (Curse Subdomain Only), War (Blood Subdomain Only)
Lurs is the God of murder. His Priesthood is as much an assassin’s guild as a true religion. He is the patron God of many thieves and assassins guilds across Jiorkar.
Dreth (NE)
Favored Weapon: Hand/Throwing Axe
Cleric’s Alignment: Any Evil
Domains: Madness (Insanity or Nightmare Subdomains Only)*, Evil, Destruction, Liberation
Dreth is the Goddess of monsters and nightmares. She is also the wife of Zadekor.
Zur (CE)
Favored Weapon: Trident
Cleric’s Alignment: NE, CE, and CN
Domains: Weather (Storms Only)*, Evil, Chaos, Destruction (Catastrophe Only), Water, Animal, Plant
Zur is the goddess of the sea and storms, and the daughter of Zadekor. She is known for her tempestuous moods and her abject cruelty even to her followers.
Thresk (CE)
Favored Weapon: Whip
Cleric’s Alignment: NE, CE
Domains: Chaos*, Charm (Lust Only), Evil, Madness, Trickery
Thresk is the God of wicked desires, and the chief torturer of the Court of Darkness.
The Red (CE)
Favored Weapon: Scimitar
Cleric’s Alignment: CE
Domains: Death (Undeath Only)*, Chaos, Evil, Knowledge
The Red is a relatively new God on the scene. He is a God of undeath, and a rival to Vashara
* - Clerics of this God must select this as one of their Domains
Other Powers
The Fey Courts
The scholars of the civilized races aren’t exactly certain how the Fey Realms connect to the physical world. What is known is that the Wall between Worlds doesn’t seem to affect fey travel in any way. Legend says that at one time, the elves had friendly relations with the fey, but that doesn’t seem to be the case any longer.
Fey are divide amongst four courts, named for the seasons. The Summer Court is made up of emotional but generally well-meaning (if not always wise) fey, while their mirror court, the Winter Court, is made up of cold blooded and typically cruel fey. The Spring and Autumn Courts hold mixtures of the two.
In general, fey interactions with mortal species are unpleasant things for one or both sides. Fey aren’t (necessarily) evil (though they sometimes are), but their culture and beliefs are strongly dissimilar to those of mortals.
Chapter Three
Races
For the most part, the descriptive entries in the Pathfinder Core Book should be ignored, particularly if it is in conflict with what is found here. Where possible, I’ve tried to use the Racial Traits unaltered from the book, but this was not always possible.
Dwarves
Born of earth and stone, Dwarves occupy great kingdoms beneath the mountains and embody the rugged harshness of their native terrain. Dwarves are considered by many to be dour and humorless, though this is not entirely true, as Dwarves have strong traditions of story-telling, epic songs, and boasting. They are simply reluctant to share these traditions with outsiders. Dwarves are also considered greedy by outsiders, but also honest to a fault.
Physical Description: Dwarves are short, with males averaging only about four feet in height, but stocky. They are renowned for their physical stamina and grit, which keep them working in the mines and at the forge for long hours. Dwarven women are considered unlovely by other races as a general rule (more polite beings might say “handsome”), but some find their gruff demeanors enticing. Dwarven males pride themselves on their beards, and the number of braids in their beard is an indicator of their place in Dwarven society. A Dwarven male with no beard is assuredly either in morning, or the recipient of some punishment meant to bring shame. Dwarven females, lacking beards, sometimes braid their hair for the same reasons, though this is not traditional. Dwarves are also known for their love of ostentatious and even gaudy clothing, but their weapons and armor are typically kept elegant, with only a few simple identifying runes carved into them.
Society: Dwarven society is anchored in traditions that are only broken by the most brazen of Dwarves. They exist in a rigid hierarchal caste system. They call the castes Clans, leading many outsiders to believe that they are large families, but this is not the caste. The Castes, in descending order, are as follows; Adamant (warriors), Mithril (Craftsmen), Gold (Priests), Silver (Physical Laborers), and Copper (Intellectuals). The Caste System is fairly inflexible, but intermarriage between Clans is not unheard of. The children of any such union become members of the lower of their parents’ castes. Those who, for any reason, are banished from their caste are known as outcastes, and they have no rights in Dwarven Society, and can even be pressed into slavery (in effect, they are considered non-Dwarves).
Another “caste” exists in the form of surface dwelling Dwarves who refer to themselves as Clan Sunbone. Not technically outcastes, Sunbones are descended from dwarves who chose to leave the mountain kingdoms as a sacrifice to preserve Dwarven culture (a form of population control since the space underground is necessarily limited). Sunbones are looked upon with pity by most other Dwarves, and are rarely mistreated, even though they aren’t fully trusted and certainly aren’t welcomed as true Dwarves.
Slavery is a strong tradition amongst the Dwarves, and is not seen as evil by them. They enslave other groups that they defeat in war (typically kobolds, their traditional underground rivals). When traveling on the surface, Dwarves are often shocked to learn that other races find slavery distasteful.
Relations: Dwarves have been at war with kobolds for as long as they can remember, and hate them with a deep and abiding passion. They also have a longstanding dislike of Elves, which is mutual, though neither side seems to remember why they started fighting. Dwarves maintain friendly relations with humans and tolerate halflings well enough, but are most at home with the tribesmen of the Eastern Plains, with whom they share kinship due to their strong warrior traditions, and with their cousins the gnomes.
Alignment and Religion: Dwarves tend toward Lawfulness and Good. Non-Lawful Dwarves are extremely rare. While they recognize all of the Gods, they favor the worship of their patron Wor, and faith in Noranos (whom they call The Rumbler) is strong in Dwarven Halls.
Adventurers: For the Dwarf born into a caste not in line with his preferred career, adventure is one way of saving face, of taking up a different occupation without openly rejecting one’s own caste. Additionally, Dwarven greed leads many to wander.
Dwarven Names: When speaking to strangers, Dwarves always give their family name and Clan, as a sign of respect for their ancestors. Jiorkaran Dwarves tend to have Celtic or Gaelic names.
Dwarven Racial Traits: As per normal, except;
Hatred: Dwarves receive their racial bonus to attacks on Kobolds and Orcs (but not Goblinoids)
Elves
(Note that this article refers only to the High Elves. Wild Elves and The Dark Breed are described in the New Races section of this chapter.)
High Elves, or “The Pure Ones” as they refer to themselves, are an elusive breed, few in number outside their forest homelands or the Towers of Wizardry. Dwelling in tree-top cities that few non-elves ever see, they seem to prefer their own company and intrigues over that of the other mortal races.
Physical Description: Despite their towering height, often approaching seven feet, High Elves are extremely thin. Their coloration tends toward the pale, with golden blond or silvery white hair, pale blue or green eyes, and skin that seems as if it has never seen the sun. High Elven flesh will take neither scar nor tattoo, unless they are magically imparted. High Elves typically appear all but ageless, and gender can be difficult to determine. High Elves are incapable of growing facial hair.
Society: High Elves talk at great length about personal freedom, but their society is almost as stratified as that of the Dwarves. They serve the Sun King, a supposedly ageless Elven Mage. High Elves consider themselves to be universally of noble blood, inherently more honorable and worthy than other races (including Wild Elves). High Elves divide themselves into Houses, and intrigue between the Houses is the normal state of affairs. Although there are over a dozen Houses (with Houses sometimes merging or splitting), only the 7 Houses deemed most worthy by the Sun King are allowed seats on the High Council, so jockeying for the Sun King’s favor is the aim of much of the gamesmanship.
Relations: Despite their haughty attitude, High Elves have good relations with most of the other common races, with the exception of Dwarves. Goblinoids are particular enemies of Elven-kind.
Alignment and Religion: High Elves tend strongly toward Good and on the lean more towards Law, but Chaos is a common Ethical choice as well. High Elves worship the gods, particularly the Court of Light, but have unique elements of their own spiritual beliefs as well. High Elves claim that a single enormous tree grows at the center of the Forest of Slumbering Dreams, which they call The Life Tree. High Elves do not die of old age, but instead grow weary of life and go to sleep eternally within the heart of the tree, from which their souls are eventually reborn as their own descendants.
Adventurers: High Elven adventurers are rare, and most that do exist come from the Orders of Wizardry. A much more rare circumstance is the children and other household members of High Elven ambassadors living in foreign lands.
High Elven Names: High Elves tend to have long, flowery names. Given names are always in two parts, separated by an apostrophe. The part before the apostrophe identifies an ancestor whom the parents wished the child to emulate, while the part after the apostrophe is their unique name. High Elves have family names, based on the House from which they descend, but they do not typically give them when asked their name.
Example: An elven boy whose parents hope he will emulate his famous warlord Great Grandfather Pesdaban’Kratelios might be named Kratelios’Benesdariad. Humans, of course, would likely call the fellow Ben or something.
High Elven Racial Traits: As per the core book.
Gnomes
Even stouter than their cousins the dwarves, gnomes are a diminutive race known primarily for their dull personalities and excellence as book keepers and archivists. Gnomes rarely make communities of their own, instead choosing to dwell with the Dwarves, with whom they form a symbiotic relationship.
Physical Description: Shorter but less stout than dwarves, with ashen skin and gray or brown hair and eyes, gnomish appearance strongly hints at their unassuming demeanors.
Society: Even though they live with Dwarves, gnomes are not very rigid within their own communities. They have no castes, and success is usually a matter of competence. Gnomes marry whom they like, and have even been known to fall in love with members of other races (though they can produce children only with humans, dwarves, and other gnomes). When asked about existing alongside the rigid dwarves, gnomes tend to shrug and go back to whatever they were reading.
Relations: Outsiders are often bewildered by the relationship between gnomes and dwarves, but the system works for them. The dwarves handle the fighting, the craftsmanship, and the physical labor, and the gnomes make sure the bureaucracy keeps on working like clockwork. Gnomes don’t have any hereditary enemies, as their nature is off-putting to many, but rarely raises the ire of anyone.
Alignment and Religion: Gnomes aren’t typically given to strong feelings on most subjects, and ethics, morals, and religion are no exception. They seem to have a preference for Gods with an intellectual bent.
Adventurers: Gnomes seem to prefer intellectual pursuits to physical ones, but gnomish adventurers aren’t as rare as one might think. Their clever minds and intellectual curiosity make them skilled companions.
Gnomish Names: As with other aspects of their culture, Gnomes are pretty loose on naming traditions, and often borrow from other cultures freely.
Gnome Racial Traits:
Gnomes receive a +2 bonus to Constitution and Intelligence (not Charisma), and a -2 Penalty to Strength.
Gnome Magic: This ability is based on training Gnomes receive, and based on Intelligence rather than Charisma.
Half-Elves
Born of the union of Elf and Man, Half-Elves are blessed with many of the best traits of both, and have long been considered a blessing to communities where they dwell. Half-Elves are the ancestors of the respected Gothrond line of humans, as evinced by the elf-like coloration of the Gothrond peoples, and the Gothrond respect them more so even than the other races. Today, most Half-Elves are born of two half-elven parents, rather than a direct elf and man pairing.
Physical Description: Half-Elves tend to be between humans and elves in height and weight, but their coloration runs the same range as that of humans. Half-Elves have pointed ears like their elven ancestors, but can grow facial hair like humans.
Society: Once, Half-Elves had no culture of their own and typically emulated the human cultures surrounding them, but as time progresses and the number of half-elves grows, they may develop a unique culture of their own.
Relations: Half-Elves are well-respected by the other common races, and are implacable foes of evil races.
Alignment and Religion: Like humans, half-elves range widely in their beliefs, but they seem to share to some degree the elves love of nature and magic.
Adventurers: Half-Elven adventurers are almost as ubiquitous as humans in the same profession.
Half-Elven Names: Half-Elves tend to be named in keeping with the traditions of the area where they are born. The rare Half-Elf raised amongst High Elves is not given an ancestral name, as it is considered disrespectful, and their names begin with an apostrophe.
Half-Elf Racial Traits: As per the Pathfinder Core Book
Half-Orcs
Usually born of violence, Half-Orcs are fairly rare in any given generation. In civilized lands, they are sometimes found working as gladiators or in other violent professions. Amongst the orcs they are wickedly abused because they are weaker than their orcish kin. Only amongst the tribes of the Eastern Plains do they find true acceptance.
Physical Description: Half-Orcs tend to be slightly larger than their human ancestors, but less physically daunting than orcs. Their skin is rough and shows a slightly greenish tint, and many half-orcs have protruding fangs from the tops or bottoms of their mouths, or both. Their hair is dark and coarse, and their eyes are small and often coal black.
Society: Half-Orcs have no societies of their own.
Relations: Half-Orcs tend to view others with suspicion or even outright hostility; a reflection of how others tend to see them.
Alignment and Religion: Half-Orcs tend strongly toward ethical Chaos, and moral neutrality or even outright evil. Religion rarely appeals to half-orcs, but those who do embrace it tend to do so with great fervor. Noranos, in particular, has directed his temples to take in half-orc infants and care for them.
Adventurers: As a percentage of the whole of their race, Half-Orcs have far and away more adventurers than any other race, simply because so few other options are available to them.
Half-Orc Names: Half-Orc names tend to be simple.
Half-Orc Racial Traits: As per the Pathfinder Core Book
Halflings
Small humanoids that enjoy the finer things in life, halflings are found in nearly every corner of Jiorkar. They prefer a life of ease over hard work, and are notorious homebodies. Like humans, however, they often find themselves compelled into difficult and dangerous occupations by circumstances beyond their control. Because of their natural agility (and lack of rigid moral standards) they are known to make good thieves, and are even sometimes assumed to be such. Halflings have a profound love of mental games, from simple puzzles to complex riddles.
Physical Description: Shorter even than gnomes, but often rotund due to their laziness, halflings have a distinctive appearance. Thinner halflings have been known to be mistaken for elf children at distances, but their ability to grow facial hair and rounded, rather than angular facial features tend to give them away.
Society: Even where they share living space with other races, halflings tend to group together. Highly adaptable, they can live just about anywhere, but they seem to prefer the countryside. Halflings tend to excel at professions that complement their taste for simplicity and ease; gardeners, cooks, and vintners are all common. Halfling politics might be described as leadership by popularity, where those who are most respected within a given community are those most likely to be heard.
Relations: Halflings can live peaceably with just about anyone, but not everyone wants to live peaceably with them. In communities dominated by other races, halflings frequently take up less-than-legal professions (but typically, non-violent ones), which leads to many viewing them as an undesirable element.
Alignment and Religion: Halflings are typically neutral, both ethically and morally. Their cultural devotion to the Gods is often relaxed, but they do show proper respect for nature gods, and are fond of invoking the names of various Gods.
Adventurers: Most halflings would prefer to never leave their comfortable homes, but this is not always possible. In point of fact, they often decide that a short career as an adventurer is an acceptable way to procure a lifetime of comfort.
Halfling Names: Halflings tend toward simple one or two syllable names. They have family names, and place about as much importance on them as humans do on average.
Halfling Racial Traits: As per the Pathfinder Core Book
Humans
The most numerous, widespread, and arguably successful of the common races, humans dwell or have dwelt all across Jiorkar’s surface and once, erected great castles that rode the skies on enchanted clouds. Humans have a natural drive that pushes them ever onward.
Physical Description: Humans stand in-between dwarves and elves in height, with tall humans standing 6 feet or slightly more. Their physical builds range widely, but they are never as thin as an elf or as stout as a dwarf. Human coloration is equally diverse (see subraces, below)
Society: Humanity does not have one culture, but many. Broadly speaking, humans embrace the full range of ideas and ideals, and often seem to be a chaotic lot, but somehow they get things done.
Relations: Humans have courteous, but often strained, relations with all of the common races, and are perpetually at war with the dark races. Of course they’re usually at war with themselves most of the time too.
Alignment and Religion: More than any other race, humans embrace the full range of systems of belief, and are constantly creating new ones.
Adventurers: The most common adventurers are human, but that is no surprise given they are far more numerous than any other race. Human reasons for adventuring as diverse as everything else for humans.
Human Names: Human names are chosen for cultural reasons, to honor allies or ancestors, or just on a whim. As such, they could be just about anything.
Human Racial Traits: As per the Pathfinder Core Book
Human Sub-Races
Gothrond: Taller by 3 to 6 inches on average than other humans, with golden blonde hair and fair skin that marks them as having elven blood, Gothronds are a small but noble-blooded group. They tend to be amongst the wealthiest humans in a community, though this is not always true. Gothronds tend toward Lawful and Good alignments.
Iparan: Xenophobic natives to the island of Ipara (known to most Jiorkarans as The Shogunate), the culture of Iparans are inscrutable to outsiders. They are shorter on average than other humans, with dark hair and eyes, and sun-kissed golden skin. Iparans are obsessed with both personal honor and their societal mores, and tend toward Lawful Neutrality.
Southron: Native to the southern coastlands, Southrons are dark skinned, with dark, curly hair and usually dark eyes. They are natural sailors and sea traders, more concerned with personal reputation than with the law. They tend toward Chaotic alignments.
Eastern Tribesmen: Called “barbarians” by some, the Eastern Tribesmen live in nomadic Tribes bearing animal names on the great unsettled plains on the eastern portion of the continent. The Eastern Tribesmen are often dark haired, with blue or grey eyes, but their willingness to accept anyone into their tribes who can prove their worth means that their blood is mixed. Tribesmen tend toward Chaotic Good.
New Races
Minotaurs
.
Physical Description: Minotaurs are hulking creatures, standing over 7 feet tall, with brown, red, or black fur covering their entire bodies. Their bodies appear mostly human (despite the fur), but they have the head of a savage cow with razor sharp teeth (Minotaurs are strict carnivores, and prefer their meat raw). Minotaurs have a distinctive body odor, and are highly reluctant to bathe, as they believe it reduces their potency. Minotaur females have no horns, and are traditionally not allowed to fight under any circumstances.
Society: Minotaur culture is centered on war and combat prowess. When not actively engaged in warfare, for which they hire themselves out as mercenaries, Minotaurs are constantly involved in games designed to test their strength or skill. Females are not allowed to participate in these games, but are encouraged to pursue more intellectual past times, and to serve as the Priesthood for their people. Minotaurs have no respect for those who are not constantly testing themselves, and will frequently attempt to draw non-Minotaur companions into confrontations by way of testing them. Minotaurs also boast competitively, a habit they picked up from the dwarves.
Relations: Minotaurs often seem hostile to everyone around them. This is not truly the case; in general, if a Minotaur bothers talking to a non-Minotaur, it is a show of respect, but they have a funny way of expressing friendship. Minotaurs like to be at war constantly, but do not take war personally. Minotaurs who find themselves on opposite sides of a battle take pride in fighting one-another directly.
Alignment and Religion: Minotaurs are difficult to pin down within the context of traditional alignments. By and large, they respect and follow their own code and traditions without fail, but they have little respect for the laws of others. They enjoy destruction and killing, but rarely do so for personal reasons.
Religiously, Minotaurs usually follow warrior Gods, the only Gods they can respect. Oral tradition that survives from their original, long lost homeland suggests that their Gods destroyed one-another in a glorious confrontation.
Adventurers: Minotaurs adventure for two reasons; either as mercenaries, or because they’ve been cast out of Minotaur society for some reason. Minotaur outcasts have their horns shaved and their teeth filed flat, so that all will see their shame.
Minotaur Names: Minotaur males are named for their Father, unless their Father was shamed, in which case they take a new name. This means that all male Minotaurs of a single line will have the same name. Minotaur females are typically given names meant to imply their suitability as mates.
Minotaur Racial Traits:
+2 Strength, +2 Wisdom, -2 Charisma. Minotaurs are physically powerful and have keen senses, but their social skills leave much to be desired.
Medium: Minotaurs are medium sized
Normal Speed: Minotaur speed is 30 feet
Scent: Minotaurs gain a +2 Racial Bonus to Perception Checks in instances where their sense of smell can be used. They also gain this bonus to Sense Motive if they are trained in that skill, and the creature in question has body chemistry to give them away.
Intimidation: Minotaurs can use Strength for Intimidation, rather than Charisma.
Natural Attacks: Minotaurs can deliver a natural attack with their horns. This attack does 1d6 damage (plus Strength Modifier), and does double damage on a charge.
Hafted Weapon Mastery: Minotaurs are trained from birth to fight with hafted weapons, and are proficient with all Pole Arms and Spears (see Core Book, Pg. 56)
Natural Armor: Minotaur skin is tough, providing them with a +1 Natural Armor Bonus
Languages: Minotaurs speak Taurun and Common. Minotaurs with high Intelligence can select Dwarven, Gnomish, Barric, and Elven.
Savage Drow (Telabreg)
Far removed from their mysterious relatives dwelling deep beneath the surfaces of Jiorkar, Savage Drow are an insular group of raiders and bandits. According to their legends, they fled the oppression of the underworld empire ruled by their kin long ago.
Physical Description: Like true Drow, Savage Drow are short, typically around 5 feet tall, with dusky skin and white hair. Because of their thin, angular features and pointed ears, they bear a passing resemblance to elves, but both Drow and Elf alike deny any common ancestry. Drow can grow facial hair, and Savage Drow frequently do. Drow eyes are typically pink, red, or lavender.
Society: Savage Drow, who refer to themselves as the Telabreg, have an insular society, and often work in small groups, but always return to the main body. The culture of the Telabreg is dominated by the central belief that the strong have the right to rule, and the weak are obliged to follow. They are also strongly patriarchal, and savagely oppress females, not allowing them to learn to read, write, or fight under any circumstances. The Savage Drow typically live in small groups (no more than a couple hundred in an area), traditionally in surface caves, but some have moved their familial homes to cities. They survive through various sorts of crime, particularly banditry and raiding.
Relations: Savage Drow only maintain business contacts outside their own kind, and will betray anyone at any time. This fact is well known, so few choose to deal with them. Luckily, the Telabreg are too few and too internally divisive to be much of a large scale threat.
Alignment and Religion: Telabreg lean strongly towards Chaos and Evil. They worship the demon lord Shathahn exclusively.
Adventurers: Some might say that by virtue of their violent professions, all Savage Drow are adventurers, but few if any have ever taken up traditional adventuring.
Savage Drow Names: Savage Drow do not differentiate between male and female names. All Telabreg names consist of two syllables, the first is a personal name, and the second identifies the grouping to which they belong. A Telabreg of the Dur Clan might be named SeiDur, for example.
Savage Drow Racial Traits
+2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma, -2 Constitution. Savage Drow are nimble and have strong personalities, but lack powerful builds.
Medium: Drow are Medium creatures, and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Normal Speed: Drow have a base speed of 30 feet.
Darkvision: Drow can see in the dark up to 120 feet.
Keen Senses: Drow receive a +2 racial bonus on Perception checks.
Opportunist: Savage Drow are experts at taking advantage of their enemies. When flanking a foe or attacking an enemy denied their dexterity bonus to defense, Savage Drow do an additional 1d6 damage. This stacks with the Rogue Sneak Attack ability
Poison Use (Ex) Drow are skilled in the use of poison and never risk accidentally poisoning themselves
Weapon Familiarity: All Savage Drow are proficient with the rapier and the light and heavy crossbows.
Light Aversion: Savage Drow take a -1 penalty to attack rolls and perception checks in areas of bright light.
Languages: Savage Drow speak Savreg (the Drow Tongue), and may also take Common, Elven, Dwarven, Goblinoid, Orcish, and Fiendish.
Wild Elves
If the High Elves are the Pure Ones, the Wild Elves are most certainly the Lowly Ones. Oddly, however, they don’t seem to chafe in this position. Certainly, they don’t fully accept the High Elves claim to the leaders of the Elven race by virtue of pure blood, but neither have they ever tried to position themselves as leaders, or even to elevate themselves beyond the position given them by their taller kin.
Physical Description: Wild Elves are shorter than their “pure blooded” kin, shorter even than humans on average, but they maintain the lean physique of their kin. Unlike High Elves, the skin of wild elves tans and scars, and Wild Elves pride themselves on both their tattoos and their scars (both ritual and from battle). Wild Elves are also set apart by their hair, typically dark in color. Wild Elves are not averse to wearing or using metal should they find it, but they make none of their own, instead using a technique known only to their craftsmen to shape wood as resilient as any metal. Even wealthy Wild Elves seem to prefer simple clothing made from leather or fur.
Society: Wild Elven culture is based around the the dual pillars of community and duty. In their homeland, they live simple lives where most of their time is occupied with battling the enemies of the elven peoples and finding sustenance. They are too numerous, and the elven lands too small for them to be truly nomadic, but they never build permanent settlements save the one at the base of The Life Tree, that exists primarily for purposes of defending their most sacred sight. Wild Elven families are large, extended affairs led by a mated pair, with the patriarch being the eldest warrior in the group, and the matriarch being the spiritual leader.
Relations: Wild Elves are often seen as aloof, even hostile, but the truth is that they don’t have any real animosity toward anyone aside from orcs, whom they hate passionately. They simply take their duty to defend the elven homeland very seriously. Outside of their lands, Wild Elves can make excellent allies, and some of them are even congenial.
Alignment and Religion: Wild Elves believe strongly in individualism, and are ethically Chaotic. Morally, their philosophies vary widely. Wild Elves do have some few priests, but their faith is largely nature oriented, and druids are much more common.
Adventurers: Wild Elves are unlikely to adventure; their home lives provide them with plenty of opportunities for violence, but there are exceptions, for a variety of reasons.
Wild Elf Names: Wild Elves typically have flowing given names coupled with a family name that references nature in the common tongue.
Wild Elven Racial Traits
+2 Constitution, +2 Wisdom, -2 Intelligence
Medium: Elves are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Normal Speed: Elves have a base speed of 30 feet.
Low-Light Vision: Elves can see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light.
Elven Immunities: Wild Elves are immune to magic sleep effects
Poison Resistance: Due to the number of enemies they face with naturally occurring poisons, Wild Elves gain a +2 Racial Bonus to Saving Throws against poison
Woodland Expertise: Wild Elves gain a +2 Circumstance Bonus to Stealth, Perception, Handle Animal, and Survival skills in naturally wooded settings.
Keen Senses: Elves receive a +2 racial bonus on Perception skill checks.
Weapon Familiarity: Wild Elves are proficient with the Kukri and all forms of spears, as well as the short bow and bola.
Languages: Wild Elves speak Elven and Common. Wild Elves with a high Intelligence score may also select from Orcish, Halfling, Barric, and Sylvan.
Index One
The Magic of Jiorkar
The Orders of Wizardry
Founded by the Mage God Iluke in the wake of the fall of Nane, in order to curtail massive abuses by some arcane magic users, the Orders of Wizardry are a the only way a potential Wizard can receive training in Jiorkar. The Orders are a single organization made up of eight smaller fraternities (and two lesser ones), theoretically working toward the single goal of policing and advancing the understanding of Arcane Magic. From their nine massive, fortress-like towers spread throughout the continent, the Orders of Wizardry are a potent political force.
The eight most significant fraternities within the Orders are divided by their magical specialties. Each group wears specific colors to specify the Order to which they belong; Brown (Abjuration), Orange (Conjuration), Yellow or Gold (Divination), Purple (Enchantment), Blue (Evocation), Green (Illusion), Red and later Gray (Necromancy), and Maroon (Transmutation). In addition, the Orders recognize the White Robes (functionaries) and Black Robes (internal security). White and Black robed mages are Universalists, and not well-respected by their fellow mages. They are forbidden by charter to hold any special status within the Orders.
The Orders of Wizardry are the only places in Jiorkar to learn Arcane Magic through study (rather than natural talent), and their rules are myriad. Members of the Orders may not wear armor of any kind, and may only carry staves and ceremonial daggers. Many wizards choose to forego the Order’s rules, but doing so costs them their standing within the Order. A Wizard who defies the Order too much might find himself declared Apostate, and hunted by the Black Robes (who also hunt sorcerers and other “rogue magicians”). The Black Robes are, themselves, the sole exception to this rule; they often wear armor and carry a wide variety of weapons.
Altered Magics
Due to the existence of a magical barrier created by the Gods known as the Wall Between Worlds, travel between the planes in Jiorkar is all but impossible. The wall also interferes with some specific magics (those that involve transportation, or bringing creatures from other planes). These effects tend to be somewhat random and unpredictable, but the Orders of Wizardry (and specifically the Order of Conjuration) have catalogued some specifics. Spells that allow short-distance teleportation tend to have reduced ranges, whereas spells that allow for long-distance teleportation are less accurate.