Races and Cultures
Playable
Common Men:
Common
in the Patchwork Lands
Cimer
[sa-MERE]-
Tall, strongly-built; dark hair, fair skin, blue, green, or gray
eyes. Mainly in the East and South. Hillmen, Highlanders, Hillmen,
Rural.
Lomba-
Below average height, slight build; blonde to auburn hair, tan to
ruddy skin; any color eyes. Throughout the region. Urban, Rural,
Woodmen, some Mariners.
Aire-
From the Islands and the coasts. Average height and build; brown or
sandy hair; brown or hazel eyes; tan to fair skin. Mariners,
Littoral, Rural, some Hillmen, some Urban.
From
other lands, but not uncommonly living in the region
Telle-
Average height and build; black hair, brown eyes, fair skin. Urban,
Rural, Hillmen.
Nemedi-
Tall, strongly built; black skin, hair, and eyes. Mariners, Littoral,
Urban, Rural.
Gaal-
Short, wiry; tan to olive skin; any hair and eyes. Rural, Woodmen,
Urban.
From
distant lands, but sometimes visitors to the region
Kurgoi-
Shorter, any build; black hair and dark eyes; yellow to dark tan
skin. Nomads, Plains.
Urgaas-
Average to tall, average to strongly built; red skin; black hair,
dark eyes. Plains, Nomads, Woodmen, Littoral, Hillmen.
High
Men
From
the Patchwork Lands
The
Danae-
Tall, average to braod-shouldered; black or red hair; blue, gree, or
hazel eyes. Fair to ruddy. Found throughout the region, often nobles
or leaders. Urban, Mariners, Rural. Love the stars and lore.
Sometimes
living in the Region
Murgen-
Tall, strongly-built; sandy to fair hair; brown or hazel eyes;
average complexion. Highlanders, Hillmen, Aerial. Love the mountains
and channelling.
From
distant lands, but sometimes visitors to the region
Ska-
Very tall, average build; pale to very pale complexion; any color
eyes. Plains, Hillmen, Desert, Nomads. Love horses, often mentalists.
Altari-
Average height, very strongly built; brown hair and eyes; olive to
dark olive complexion. Mariners, Littoral, Urban. Master sailors and
craftsmen.
Dwarves
Stone
Dwarves-
Found throughout the region, easily the most common. Average height
and build for their race; dark olive to tan skin; black or brown
eyes.
Iron
Dwarves-
Found usually only in the central hills. Slightly below average
height, but even more broadly-built than a Stone Dwarf; tan to fair
skin; blue or green eyes.
Ice
Dwarves-
Rarely from
the region, but sometimes found in the very east. Taller than average
for their race; ruddy skin; red, blond, or platinum blond hair; blue
or green eyes.
Elves
Wood
Elves-
Found in the South, North, and the central hills; the most common in
the region. Dark tan to fair skin; sandy brown hair (red is found,
but rare); brown or green eyes.
High
Elves-
Not as common as Wood Elves, but found throughout the region. Ruddy
skin; black hair, brown or hazel eyes.
Gray
Elves-
Very rarely from the region; can be anywhere. Platinum blond to
silver hair; blue eyes; pale to very pale complexion.
Halflings
Found
mainly in the central hills. Tend to resemble to local Human
populace.
Other
Races
Found
in or near the region
Allies
Gnomes-
Smaller relatives of dwarves, they are scholars and loremasters.
Secretive and quiet, they are allies to Good.
Gnolls-
Masters of magic and mining, these close relatives of gnomes are, if
anything, more shy and secretive. Also allies of Good.
The
Goblins
The
goblin races are a plague on the land. Their raids, assaults, and
outright wars are a constant threat to civilization. Lying, stealing,
murder, torture, and cannibalism are the goals of these foul
creatures.
Kobolds-
The smallest, weakest, and most devious of the goblins.
Goblins-
The most common of the related races, goblins are cruel, vindictive,
and fiendishly good at making war machines, torture devices, and
cunning traps.
Hobgoblins-
Bigger, tougher goblins, they are also meaner and more vicious.
The
Orcs
Looking
akin to even bigger hobgoblins, the orcs are truly a separate race
cut from the same cloth.
Lesser
Orcs-
Squat, ugly creatures that are the vast majority of all orcs.
Greater
Orcs-
Almost identical in appearance and outlook, greater orcs are capable
of fighting in sunlight.
Gray
Orcs-
Fortunately very rare, these creatures have all of the evil of a
lesser orc, but a keen mind and the ability to use magic.
Rare
Races
Some
are from distant lands, some are vanishingly rare, some may be only
legends.
Troglodytes-
Legends of primitive ape-men living in deep caves who kill and eat
all intruders are found throughout the region.
Mermen-
Sailors of the deep sea speak of the mermen; aloof and shy, they will
ally with the Good races against evil.
Shuikmar-
The same sailors speak of the vicious 'shark men' who live in the
ocean and use trained sharks to hunt men.
Gratar-
Tales around tavern fires speak of the frog men – the size and
shape of men, but resembling frogs. They come in various colors and
the colors (red, gree, gray, etc.) indicate their power. Rumored to
be from other dimensions!
Urloc-
Legends say that on the lonely shores of distant seas you can find
huge, ancient towers, towers older than any elven kingdom. And within
them you sometimes find an Urloc. The Urloc are, according to the
legends, as superior in knowledge and magical prowess to the elves as
the elves are to kobolds and they can sometimes be convinced to teach
a member of other races some of their lore.
The
Giants
From
Ogres to Trolls to the various Giants. Some few are allies, but most
are evil.
Languages
of the Patchwork Lands
Ethne-
the “common speech” of the area. Essentially a universal language
within the region.
Cimmerian-
Spoken by the Cimer people, especially in remote areas.
Airu-
Common in rural Aire communities, sometimes with sailors. Sometimes
used in rural fairs to overcome the various strong accents of Ethne.
Danaa-
Language of the Danae, effectively the 'high speech' – commonly
used by nobles and in formal settings like meeting a king. A sign of
breeding, wealth, etc.
Altarii-
Mother tongue of the Altarian Empire and the Altari. Effectively the
“common tongue” of sea trade.
Thornung-
The language of the dwarves. There are a number of dialects, but they
are mutually intelligible.
Arstelle-
The language of the Elves. Like dwarvish the many dialects are
distinct, but intelligible.
Blurg-
The mutual language of the various goblins. Commonly also spoken by
orcs and other evil beings capable of speech as a 'common tongue' of
evil creatures.
Kru'kar-
the orcish language. Also sometimes spoken by evil giants and trolls.
Montan-
Language of giants and trolls.
Eckel-
Used by the Holy Church as a 'universal tongue' for good priest,
theologians, and diplomacy. Also the language used by (non-evil)
casters of Channelling magic, including semi- and hybrid casters.
Moloni-
Rumored to be the ancient tongue of the gnolls, now the de facto
language of essence users, including hybrid & semi- essence
casters and elementalists.
Ran'Dai-
Akin to Eckel and (especially) Moloni, but for Mentalism.
Sharshuck-
Sometimes called 'the Black Speech' or 'the accursed tongue' this
language is common among evil spellcasters, such as warlocks and
necromancers, of any realm. Derived from ancient languages of great
age, very ancient tomes (usually of forbidden lore, but rarely of
general knowledge), grimoires of demon knowledge, etc. are often in
Sharshuck. Commonly spoken by demons.
The
Sky and Calendars
The
Moons
Selenn- A
large pale orange moon with a regular 40 day cycle. Completes a
transit (orbit) once every three days.
Morlenn-
(Sadhya to the gray elves). A small silvery blue moon with a regular
52 day cycle. Transits once a day.
Urtha- Small
bright white moon that transits three times a day. Irregular cycles
with its phase and brightness following no known pattern.
Toruun-
Blue-green moon with variable features and a semi-regular cycle of
about 30 days. Sometimes appears smaller or larger.
Balenn-
(Commonly called Blackmoon). A glittering black/gray moon with no
discernible cycles, Not on the same transit as the other moons and
can appear everywhere from overhead to on the horizon at its height.
Transits 3 times every five days.
Other
Lights Between the Ground and the Stars
Talenna-
A bright spark of light that slowly circles Selenn each day.
Sometimes casts a shadow on the surface of Selenn.
Faerie
Lights-
Appear to be 'below the moons and above the mountains'. White, blue,
green, or red lights of various hues that appear in the night sky.
The move at various speeds, may change direction, appear out of
nowhere and vanish. Last moments or hours. Many believe they are
related to Essence flows.
Calendars
The
Solar Year-
The planet completes a year every 364 days.
High
Elven/Human calendar-
Developed millennia ago it is the 'default' calendar. Based on the
cycles of Selenn most years have 9 months of 40 days each. Each month
is divided into 4 'rides' (weeks) of ten days. Every tenth year an
“extra” month is added to account for the difference between the
solar and lunar calendars. Names for months and days of the ride vary
from region to region, but in the Patchwork Lands the months are
usually;
Newlight;
Coldstill; Lambing; Stormsky; Firstfruits; Highsun; Shearing;
Harvest; Firestrike; and on the tenth year Jubilee (which is added
between Firstfruits and Highsun).
Days
of the ride are usually;
Moonday,
Twoday, Threeday, Fourday, Fiveday, Sixday, Fairday, Kingsday,
Massday, Restday.
Gray
Elven Calendar-
Based solely on Sadhya (Morlenn) the year begins in Spring and has 7
months of 52 days each with no lesser division. Sometimes used in
legal records for clarity.
Dwarven
Calendar-
Purely solar with a simple count of days. Traditionally every day
evenly divisible by 5 is a rest day and the 4 days leading up to the
Winter Solstice are a festival.
People
and Places Beyond the Patchwork Lands
Groups
The
Holy Order of the Golden Eagle-
An order of paladins of proven mettle.
Society
of the Shroud-
A group of necromancers, sorcerers, warlocks, and other evil people
dedicated to murder, destruction, and undeath.
The
Cousins-
Assassins and murderers for hire.
The
Bright Order-
An alliance of adventurers dedicated to protecting civilization from
monsters and the forces of evil.
The
Brotherhood of the Quatrefoil Banner-
A secret society dedicated to magical research; opposes evil.
The
Guild of Making-
Alchemists and such of all sorts.
The
Order of the Purple Star-
Seers, Mystics, Astrologers, and Mythics.
The
Academy of War-
An alliance of warriors that focus on warfare, especially against
humanoids and evil forces.
Places
The
Shadowlands-
East of the Black Mountains, the remains of the Empire are full of
ruins, fell beasts, undead, and unsavory characters.
The
Greatwood-
A massive forest north and northeast of the Patchwork lands, with the
Sea of Grass beyond. Home to enclaves of elves and gnomes in the
south, less saavory things to the north.
The
Sea of Grass-
Stretching vast distances beyond the former Empire, the Sea of Grass
is home to various nomads, scattered trade cities, and strange
creatures.
The
Hot Sea-
The strait between two continents is flanked by 2 active volcanoes
(the Pillars of Fire) and surrounded by the Hot Sea where magama,
deep sea hot springs, and elemental actions heat the sea to the point
is steams.
Starspire-
A massively tall mountain with an observatory near its peak; a focal
point for astrologers.
The
Plain of Shimmering Lights-
One a far continent is a remote mountain plateau. On certain nights
when the moons are right faint lights shimmer over its surface. It is
said that when the stars are aligned gateways to other worlds open.
The
Sorcerers' Isles-
Far to the South are islands ruled by foul spellcasters who use their
magic is lure in the unwary.
Cen'Lu
Ur'thaa-
In a hidden alpine vale is a massive city carved into the circling
mountains. Once the capitol and pride of a High Elven empire, it is
now home to terrible monsters.
Arbathan-
Once the tallest peak on the drowned continent of Altaris, it is now
the island home of the descendants of the royal family of the Altari.
Arzha
Teleri-
Altari city-state on a southern continent.
Eresh
Kagol-
Last city of the High Elves.
Cirda-
Island home of Lord of the Gray Elves.
Black
Mountain-
(Called Durthon by the dwarves). Home to the King of the Iron Dwarves and seen as the last remnant of the Dwarven Empire.
People
Sepultar
the Vile-
Semi-mythical leader of the Shadow Lands.
The
Grand Sorcerer-
Leader of Sorcerers' Isle.
Ka'Marg
the Fierce-
Ruler of an Orcish kingdom on a western continent.
Orion
the Doughty-
Rumored to be the most powerful living magician.
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