The Settled Lands

The war-torn continent of Ere is the so-called Settled Lands, a place still recovering from a massive hundred-year long all-out war, and caught in the throes of planar incursions that have reshaped how magic works and introduced many new perils into the lands.

Dragonborn

The dragonborn (who call themselves Finnar, or “Blooded” in their language) are a hardy people, and have always lived in the colder climes. Pushing from their kingdom of Blancrest further into the Heartlands in raids, the Dragonborn have come into confrontation with human settlers, smallfolk nomads and orcish warriors, on whose lands the Dragonborn now share. Their culture is based on oaths of friendship and loyalty and the principal of hospitality, the latter extending even to enemies so long as they obey the age-old customs and laws governing hospitality.

The Finnar are extremely pragmatic clannish folk, and do not waste resources caring for those whose fate is sealed, a habit vital to surviving the wilds. Nor do they offer hospitality to those not capable of looking after themselves. However, if one is able to prove their worth, they can see that the Dragonborn looks past racial differences and treat their guests and neighboors with profound respect. Theirs is a tradition of hospitality and honor, all but required to survive in harsher climates.

Names: (Male) Agdi, Cynric, Frodi, Gorm, Skuli; (Female) Asa, Gerrd, Karli, Skjalf, Yrsa. Traditionally, Finnar surnames are formed by taking the father’s name and adding the A’-prefix for females and O’- for males, such as Geirnfinn A’Ongul. “O/A” simply means “child of.” This practice is slowly falling out of favor, especially in the towns and cities. More folk are adopting their trade as a surname (Smith, Tailor, Weaver), or simply throwing together letters to make completely new names.

 

Dwarf

 

Dwarves (Darvi, or “Gilded” in their own language) are an advanced people of crafters and traders that live predominantly in the scorching sands of the Sa’Alimari desert. Although dwarves trade with the other races, they are mildly xenophobic. Their homes are vast city-states ruled by their caliphs, filled with riches and poverty in equal measure, but a few clans have branched out into more temperate terrain, searching for veins of gold and silver in lands previously considered unsuitable for long-term habitation.

Dwarves usually dress in the exotic, vibrantly colored fabrics and brass armor of their desert home. Male dwarves sport beards. The length one is allowed to wear one’s beard is determined by social status, and the number of braids determines profession. Nobles, for instance, sport five long braids, mages have four, priests three, warriors two, crafters one, and all other dwarves are frowned upon growing beard and aren’t allowed to braid their them at all.

Names: Dwarves are clannish and often reuse ancestral names. Surnames are always that of the dwarf’s clan. Examples of male given names include Aykan, Erten, Muzaffer, Serdar and Ulvi. Female names include Asu, Ceren, Kira, Naime and Zeyneb. Clan names are formed from a descriptor followed by an object, such as Brighthammer, Foeaxe, Goldbeard, or Steelhand.

Elf

 

In the beginning, the elven race consisted only of hearth elves (Aen Sidhe or “Folk of the Hills” in their own language). The elves consider themselves the gods’ first creation, though the dwarves argue this point, and lived in the warm forests, acting as gardeners, caretakers, and guardians over the leafy realms. Here they built great Elfhomes among the forests, building solely of wood both on the ground and high in the trees.

At some point in the distant past, several elven tribes argued that all lands, even the plains and distant desert, should become Elfhomes. After much debate, the race split amicably and a great host headed west, keen to impose elven values on the land. These elves helped shape Reagan culture, and elves became one of the empire’s castes, lending their shipbuilding and magic expertise to the first Reagan emperors. These became known as High Elves (Aen Reigh or “Folk of the Towers”) to the peoples of the Empire. Since the Great War and the weakening of the planar boundaries, many of their ancestral were destroyed, and the Hearth Elves have been forced to move into forests not only bordering, but inside human and orcish lands. 

Names: Elves do not distinguish between genders when it comes to names. Examples include Aeme, Ciarnom, Inlein, Miljan, Niellan, and Tiothum. Elven surnames, when used, are often associated with natural events, such as Boughrunner, Leafrustle, Morningmist, Sharpwhistle, and so on.

Gnome

Gnomes (who call themselves Loskan, or “fellows” in their language) are an enterprising people who fiercely protect their own clans and families. Though most earn a living as healers, tinkers, and itinerant laborers, they have a reputation for being thieves and ne’er-do-wells. In many instances, this is also well-deserved. Despite being disliked by many peoples, Gnomes are optimistic and high-spirited, even in the face of overwhelming danger. Though they have a strong will, they are far from stubborn, and appreciate those who change their ideas to suit ever-changing circumstances.

After the expansion of the Reaganna Empire, the Gnomes slowly settled from tribal nomads into a clan-based structure in their homeland of Corona. These clans and families control different cities and regions, and their rivalry can be extremely violent, for despite their small stature, Gnomes are fierce fighters and rarely back down from a fight. Most Gnomes identify themselves by brightly colored clothing and facial markings, as the coloration and patterns denotes one’s clan affiliation and allows Gnomes to determine whether a fellow gnome is friend or foe, long before they get into weapon range.

Names: (Male) Bertrem, Dean, Odbert, Rowan, Seán, Tiernan; (Female) Caitlin, Dalla, Fíadh, Nessa, Orla, Rose. Gnomes use nicknames and titles instead of surnames. With clan affiliation being so important to their culture, they always add their clan’s or city’s name afterward.

 

Halfling

 

Halflings (who call themselves Tuomi, or “Ironborn" in their own tongue) tribes once dominated the Heartlands, and stretches as far east as the lands of the orcs. Never a cohesive people, they suffered constant attacks by the Reaganni during the early days of the Empire’s expansion and were all but eradicated in the Ending War. A proud warrior culture, the Tuomi prefer to settle disputes with blood rather than words. Chieftains are typically the best warriors in the tribe. Diplomacy is left to priests.

Both sexes wear their hair long and often dye it with natural dyes. Hair is rarely cut, as the Tuomi believe this weakens the spirit. They also use woad and henna to create elaborate tattoos, some of which hold magical power. Their natural hair color is blonde or light orange, and their eyes are generally green. Today, they are mostly confined to the Heartlands, but their young warriors travel the world in search of fame and fortune, and quite a few find their bravery rewarded as mercenaries or as ship crewmembers.

Names: (Male) Achivir, Arcois, Bili, Brude, Canaul, Gart, Volas; (Female) Aniel, Bannatia, Breth, Cailis, Ila, Olfinecta, Tamia. Halflings have never used surnames, believing that a name holds power. Since it is thus impossible to distinguish one from another on name alone, they consider themselves safe from curses and other evil magics.

Human

The humans of the Settled Lands are town and city dwellers, and consider themselves culturally superior to other people, though their technology is no more advanced. For their part, others see humans as soft and imperialistic. The Reganna Empire once dominated the western continent, and even extended far north. Decadence, hereditary madness in the Imperial family, and the terrible Great War put an end to the great empire, and now humans are a fractured race.

Despite the destruction of the former capital of Regis in the Day of Cataclysm, and the Reaganna Empire no longer being the continent-spanning empire that it once was, it’s still the birthplace of mankind and its people see themselves as such. As for the newly founded Kingdom of Danthel, after generations living far from the empire capital, most human residents would consider themselves nothing alike the Reaganni, but of much tougher stock. Humans have few cultural deities, but most worship the Deities of Civilization, even if individuals generally have their own preferred local names for their gods.

Names: (Male) Argius, Bron, Bovert, Delbaeth, Emeric, Gaidon, Garth, Howel, Patris, Rochad, Serin, Thosa; (Female) Aife, Armide, Branwen, Elianor, Emer, Liaze, Lusiane, Tangwenn Ursanne. Anari surnames are as varied as they are. A few families keep traditional names, while others go with tradenames or by their place of birth.

Orc

 

Although slow to trust, orcs (Kaitan, or “Chosen” in their language) cherish honor and loyalty and thus take great care in their interactions with anyone. They are, however, naturally suspicious of outsiders, considering them unclean, uncouth, and ignorant. It is not an attitude which endears mutual understanding and cooperation, and as such created a rift between orcs and elves, and with that with their human allies as well. Most orcs on the Heartlands are either monks or dishonored outcasts, be them masterless warriors, solitary travelers, or wanderers content to blend into city-states that care more for trade itself than the history of those who do business there.

Orcs primarily live in small feudal farmsteads and villages where the warrior caste commands the common folk, though a number of orcish towns exist. Most such towns are royal territories, thus housing a court, or trading centers where different clans can meet. Even before the Great War, the Kaitan preferred this existence. Steads house entire extended families, sometimes numbering as many as 70 souls, and are protected by stout wooden fences, making them into mini-fortified villages. Orcs are religious by nature, though they rarely participate in organized ceremonies. Most families have a priest to a single god, and when families meet, the priests of the various gods perform ad hoc ceremonies.

Names: (Male) Brakaw, Druh’sag, Gugong, Okrangur, Tsendur, Xalnosh; (Female) Bhel, Cureel, Jos’let, Qizzu, Saroul, Yula. Proper orc etiquette demands proper surnames, and an orc name is usually followed by the name of their family or clan, as well as the name of the dynasty that they serve.

Planetouched (Aasimar, Tiefling, etc)

 

A century ago, there were no Planetouched. After planar rifts opened up and shook the continent during the Great War, they became numerous, though not to the extent of the other races. Planetouched did not evolve—they simply appeared. By whatever means has afflicted the races, they can be sired by any race, though births through this method are still rare. However, when a Planetouched mates, regardless of whether it is male or female, the child can be one.

All Planetouched share the basic physical form of their parents, but lack any of their racial qualities, possessing instead unique traits. Thus there are Planetouched who resemble dwarves, elves, humans, and other species. In many respects, they are a new race, and one that could grow at a rapid rate. A few Planetouched live happily among their parents’ culture, though do not feel truly at home there. Most become travelers or adventurers.

Regardless of their heritage, all Planetouched have physical traits associated with planar entities, like strange-colored skin and hair, horns, hooves and tail, or strange, fierce eyes. There are many different planar beings, and with that multiple, varied Planetouched as well. What all of them share, though, is an eerie, otherworldly aura that betrays the real nature of even the most normal-looking of the planetouched. Whether any will become a force for good or evil, none can say for sure, but most common folk see them with suspicion at best, or outright hatred at worst.

Names: At birth Planetouched are generally given names from their parents’ culture. Most, however, reject familial names, and instead adopt new names. 

While hearth elves can be found in all the woods of the Heartlands, Elysium is regarded as the center of hearth elf culture. Elves have always lived here. Since the surge of the Planar Tide and the destruction of temperate woods further north, the population has steadily risen as refuges flock here for safety.

Elysium in its current form withstood the waves of Reaganni conquerors like an immovable object. More than once the invaders tried to assault the peninsula, and more than once they suffered terrible losses. Eventually the Reaganni simply gave up. The advance of the Savage Tide was little felt in the deep wood, though the then king did send forth soldiers to aid the other civilized races. Even the Great War, though it destroyed large swathes of forest, could not bring about the downfall of the realm, as the moss-covered skeletal remains of enemies attest.

Elves were never close to the common races, but over the last five centuries, they have withdrawn further from the affairs of other races. The only time the elves are seen outside of their forest is to drive back incursions by Danthel settlers rampaging south from the Ash Coast.

The borders to the forest are watched constantly, both by elf warriors (many of them wood wardens) and animals, which report outsiders to the elves. Intruders are warned just once to turn back, and always from hiding. Those who refuse quickly learn firsthand why elves have a reputation as master archers. 

Kaitan Shogunate

The Kaitan Shogunate is one of the continent’s most prosperous nations. Situated on the east coast of Ere, Kaitan has long been a self-sufficient, isolationist nation, due in part to the rigid social structure among its common farming folk. Also known for its War Colleges; Kaitan produces some of the most skilled warriors in all Ere, from its blademaster samurai aristocratic elite to its bare fisted martial artists.

When most other nations think of Kaitan, they think of either the war colleges or the fabulous Seat of Knowledge, where some of the grandest magical studies in all of Ere still happen, guided by the order or Loremasters. The Seat is not under the emperor’s control, and it does not lend its skills or research to the empire without recompense, but it is nonetheless firmly entrenched in the minds of scholars from other nations as a defining feature of Kaitan.

The Imperial Court of Kaitan does not impose itself on the affairs of other nations, nor is it ever quick to aid in wars or skirmishes. The United Provinces are, however, far from united, and while they are able to maintain their borders in part due to their collective economic resources and highly trained military, in reality each province and local feudal lord is always warring against its neighbors. The Shogun’s lack of political reach is largely the result of geography and a series of secession wars.

In recent years, the aging Emperor Klum, now just over 70 years old, has had to deal with rising separatist sentiments in the west. The bureaucracy blames illegal migrations from the Heartlands, although the more likely truth is that the Kaitan people have a fierce independent streak. In response, the political climate has become increasingly isolationist and separatist, although some members of Klum’s court, including the emperor himself, fear this attitude may result in a new secession war.

The major geographical feature of Kaitan is the Akinomori Forest, a mysterious forest said to be inhabited by the spirits of the land and which lies at the center of its people’s culture. While the common people live on its outskirts and from time to time clash with the few enclaves of native elves, tales and legends from around Kaitan also speak of the fabled spirit courts, where no creature of flesh, not even the Aen Sidhe, dares to tread.

Kingdom of Blancrest

The Northlands of the Blancrest Kingdom were always a great, though never cohesive, Dragonborn-dominated region, which lay north of the Reaganni lands of Aspiria and Chalcis. Whereas the Heartlands were semi-settled by the invaders, their attempts to settle the Northlands met with constant failure. In the end, the Reaganni left the barbarians to their own devices and elected to fortify their border rather than wage costly wars to secure territory sorely lacking in valuable natural resources.

As time passed so the Northlanders (as they prefer to be known) became more belligerent. Several unprovoked wars with Chalcis ended in stalemate. Instead of continuing to hammer at their Southern neighbor the Northlanders turned their attentions east, pushing into the Kaitan borderlands. A series of were stopped in their tracks by stiff resistance from the orc samurai army. They have never tried to settle the Akinomori itself, for fear of mist demons, and the land north of the Frostwood holds nothing of value to these hardy folk.

During the Great War, the native dragonborn fought for and against all sides, both as raiders and as well-paid mercenaries, however that left the lands unprepared for the onslaught that was the Planar Tide. Hundreds of thousands were slaughtered, and the survivors were forced to flee into the mountains. Here they stood with the armies of Apiria and Chalcis and succeeded in halting the advance south. Once the threat had ended, they made their way back to their homeland and began the slow process of repopulating it.

The Northlanders worship the standard pantheon, but always depict the gods as being draconic in appearance. According to ancient legends, the gods mated with certain Dragonborn families (the nobility), passing on a fraction of their power. Though the nobility show no special abilities, they continue to follow this belief. As a result, heraldic crests are always draconic and many nobles have tattoos of dragons on their arms and faces. Unlike in many other realms, the citizens of the Blancrest openly worship The Dark in their as aspects as destructive powers. The Northlanders aren’t too keen dark magic, but they respect power, and the gods of darkness certainly have plenty of that.

Kingdom of Danthel

The Plains of Danthel were once a major province of the Reaganni Empire. The borders once stretched as far north as Mt Aeris, encompassing the whole of what is called the Heartlands, and east into the Goldenbark woods. At least that was what the map showed. In reality the outer regions were never totally pacified and never fell into the emperors’ grip.

The allied territories declared full independence shortly after the Great War, the elector counts declaring themselves Allied Princes after the news of the destruction of the Imperial City reached them. Given that the Princes already controlled the province, the citizens simply saw it as a change in title rather than any sort of coup. Most were simply thankful they had survived the war relatively unscathed.

Although the current border technically encompasses all of the Heartlands, there are few settlers in the inner regions, and no fortifications to speak of. For all intents and purposes, the Eastflow and Westflow rivers mark the true borders and reach of the Princes. In practice, each city state handles its own affairs, and the Princes usually aren’t interested in helping each other if not forced by bonds of diplomacy.

The region always had a problem with savage raiders and monsters, and the villages in the area, which account for a full quarter of the population of the realm, are ruled over by “knights” appointed by their lord. Supposed guardians of the land, they are little more than robber knights, growing rich off the high taxes and profits from the populace. With the shattered armies struggling to defend even the urban regions from elves, brigands and cultists, the Princes are eager to offer land to heroes, churches and organizations that can help keep the peace.

Mael Swampland

The stinking mire known as The Mael is generally considered to be uninhabited by any true civilized races and to contain nothing of any value. But the swamp has a long history, far longer than even the ancient and long-lived elves imagine.

Many millennia ago, the Settled Lands had a more tropical climate. So vast was the swamp during this age that the Goldenbark marked the distant borders. In that distant age, a gatorman empire ruled over the swampland. Their scaly reach extended as far north as Temujin Marsh, and perhaps even further, but the Great Swamp remained their true homeland. Though cruel beyond measure, the gatormen were an advanced race, understanding astronomy and geometry to levels forgotten by humans today, as well as having a deep understanding of a form of magic now extinct in the continent.

Within the vast swamp, slaves, primarily lizardmen, worked tirelessly to construct cities of stone, raising temples to the gatormen god, on which many of the slaves would later be sacrificed. Colossal cities, far greater in size than Regis, once stood proud on islands amid the brackish waters and tangled vegetation, their temples shining beacons of the gatormen’s dominance over the southern continent.

As the world naturally cooled, the Great Swamp receded, and the gatormen fell into the age-old trap of decadence and complacency. Thus, when the lizardmen finally rebelled, the gatormen empire could do nothing but crumble before the onslaught from within. All of the major swamps contain testimonies to the gatormen’s former glory and their downfall—vine-covered ruins, headless statues, and crumbling temples exist in abundance, but few have been explored by men, and even fewer humans have the slightest inkling that the ruins were once linked under common rule.

Plains of Danthel

The land now known as Marklands was conquered by the Reaganni. A few townships were built following the major rivers in what is today called the Kingdom of Danthel, but much of the central Plains were settled but never fully conquered (despite claims otherwise). Finding the native tribes of halfling nomads belligerent and prepared to fight to the last man to guarantee their freedom, in the end the Reaganni chose to trade with the natives rather than conquer them, slowly introducing them to the benefits of Reaganni culture. By the end of the Empire, the natives, while no less warlike, were at least willing to treat the Reaganni as near-equals.

The collapse of the Reaganni Empire after the Great War caused only minor ripples through the inner Plains. Humans expanding inward found the wide-open space appealing and settled in large numbers, but the most notable change was the complete abandonment of the shattered towns, an Reaganni innovation, and the return to small, independent villages.

Today, settlements within the Plains retain their independence from each other, and alliances are made and broken as the complex political situation changes on an annual basis. Visitors are urged to be careful whom they call friend, for in one settlement they may be treated as allies based on their friendship with other settlements, while in others this is enough to have them thrown out, or worse imprisoned, for choosing to support an enemy settlement.

About the only thing the settlements agree on is their independence. They may squabble and fight among themselves over village boundaries, but faced with a major exterior force, they are quick to throw aside their differences to defend their realm.

Reaganna Empire

The Reaganni emperors once ruled half of the Settled Lands from Regis. Arriving at Ere from lands further to the West around 1,000 years ago, the Reaganni were far more scientifically advanced than the native people of the Heartlands lands, though perhaps not as developed as the Darvi in their desert homes.

While the natives were experimenting with iron, the Reaganni had already perfected steel. They also had knowledge of astronomy, mathematics, natural philosophy, and elementalism. Back then, their ships traveled the western coast beyond the waters, as well as to the baking hot desert realms to the south. As merchants brought back word of the outside world and the wealth it held, the emperors’ desire turned from exploration to conquest. Within a few centuries, much of what is now the western, southern and central Heartlands were firmly under Reaganni control, and colonies sprouted up as far as the eastern reaches, conquering the natives and stopping only at the native Kaitan. Reaganni supremacy seemed total.

By the time of the Great War, however, things were in serious decline. Numerous revolts in the eastern territories pushed the border west, the northern Winterlands were taken back by the ferocious Finnar, and the conquered natives rose up in the southeast Heartlands in several bloody revolts. The death knell came during the Great War, when the Imperial City of Regis, once the greatest wonder of the world, was devastated on the Day of Catalysm. It’s estimated that the city and surrounding countryside had a population of over a million before the magical tragedy, the entire Imperial family among them.

Since that fateful day, the Mainland became known as the Scarlands, a place where traces of the magical tragedy still ravage the lands. Without a strong, central leadership, the remaining Reaganni lands around the Mainland became semi-autonomous allied but warring states ruled by an Elector Council, while the distant provinces on the Heartlands became independent or fell to the rebellious natives. The once great empire is now just a fable used to warn children about the dangers of greed and the lust for power.

Behind the noble titles, hereditary regalia, and extravagant parties lurks the darker side of the Empire. Peasants are generally treated as property, the militia and guards enforce laws with a rod of iron, taxes are high to maintain both the infrastructure and the luxuries of the nobility, and slavery is once again back in fashion. Not every noble is engaged in such practices, of course, but the overwhelming majority simply has no understanding of the real world and what it means to be a peasant, and without strong central leadership from Counts that are only as powerful as is the support of their vassals, there is very little left to hold the worst of them in check.

Republic of Corona

Before the Great War, what is now Corona was a distant Reaganni trading province, largely separated from the rest of the Empire. The peninsula was the perfect staging point to trade goods to and from the eastern orcish lands. To help foment trade, the native Gnomes were civilized, and the Crown of the East, the great port city of Cinnia was built. Human and Gnome servants spent their lives loading and unloading ships, while the Reaganni nobility grew fat and decadent on the profits.

Though the region Corona survived both the Planar Tide and the Great War, trade died rapidly afterward, and the Loskan, seizing the moment, rose up in revolt. Rather than face destruction, the remaining Reaganni loyalists capitulated immediately. Most of the humans were offered servitude in one of the cities of the new Republic of Corona. Most nobles instead choose to leave the enclave, returning to the lands of their ancestors as freemen.

Many citizens hoped the empire would quickly reestablish trade, but as news of the scope of the disaster and the destruction of the Imperial City reached Corona, its citizens realized their future was less than bright. Corona survived, but only by the skin of its teeth. As trade began flowing along the south coast once more, so it began to prosper.

Far from the bustling port towns, Corona is a very quaint, rural place, reminiscent of days spoken of only in legends. The pace of life is extremely slow, crime is minimal (despite the high gnomish presence), and there are few monsters to trouble the natives. Although gnomes can be found across the Settled Lands, most all consider Corona to be their spiritual home, the place where their ancestor first walked the lands.

Sa’Alimar Caliphate

Dwarven legend claim that the barren wasteland known as the Sa’Alimar Desert was once green and fruitful, governed by arrogant god-emperors, but that a cataclysmic event purged them from the face of the world, leaving but ruins and sand. And from those ruins the Darvi rose new cities, the Sa’Alimar Caliphate. The city states are magnificent cities, easily as large as the largest cities of the Empire and the Shogunate, dotting the deserts where water is to be found, reigning over a precious resource in the otherwise dry and blazingly hot lands.

Their streets are abuzz with dwarven traders offering their wares on busy bazaars, for trade has made the dwarves rich and their wealthy elite into patrons of the arts and sciences. Advancements in medicine, astrology and alchemy are unlike anything found elsewhere. But much of their economy is built on the back of the casteless dwarves, slaves in all but name. The city states are not ruled by nobility, but by wealth. Ruling councils consist of Viziers, ministers each responsible for a different aspect of governing the state, elected from the rich bourgeois. While the Caliph desires to open up to outsiders, most Viziers point that their isolationism never did them any bad, as the Darvi not only survived the Great War, but also profited greatly from it.

Outside of the gilded walls, the Shining Lands remain isolated and are known only as an arid desert by many. Despite having a coastline from which the South wind blows, rain is extremely rare, although ice forms on top of barren sands during periods of very cold weather. Adventurers, drawn here by tales of diamonds lying on the sand, quickly realize that despite the hot temperatures and scarcity of water, the Sa’Alimari is not sterile.

Casteless dwarf wanderers, called the Negev, make the sands and oases their home, and one never know when the varied tribes and warbands might raid a caravan or invite them to stock up on water and supplies. Monsters and desert horrors slither across the sand, ready to snatch the unwary. And further inland, supernatural horrors crawl from the ancient ruins of yonder.

Religions of the Settled Lands

Religions run across themes, and different people give their gods many different names, that can be recognized among the mortal religions. Below are the most well-recognized gods. Variations of these two pantheons, and of the gods in them, form the many religions of the Settled Lands.

The Dark

The Dark represents destruction and other insidious forces of civilization and nature and members of the pantheon are worshiped openly only the most debased of the civilized races as well as savage people. Some believe that The Dark were originally the Orc gods, that the humans adopted as a counter to their Gods of Civilization.

The Devourer: The Sovereign of Wrath and Whelm, The Devourer represents the raw destructive power of nature. The Devourer lords over the wilds and as such travelers of all walks of life often pay them lip service for safe voyages. A number of monstrous races worship them as well.

The Fury: The Sovereign of Rage and Ruin, represents passion driven to extremes. A patron to any who let their passions drive their motivations, they watch over barbarians everywhere as well as artisans, craftsmen, and bards. They are known in some circles as The Betrayer and was once a member of the triumvirate of combat deities with The Herald and The Warden; their betrayal led to their flaying and banishment from the The Gods of Civilization.

The Keeper: The Sovereign of Death and Decay, represents greed and gluttony. Them are seen as the hunger in the dark, grabbing hold of anyone straying too far from the light. They alone are able to waylay dead souls on their way to afterlife and it is said that once in the Keeper's clutches a soul may never escape. Because of their association with souls and the afterlife they have become almost the default deity of necromancers.

The Shadow: The Sovereign of Betrayal and Bloodshed, represents ambition, lies and dishonorable combat, and is believed to be a supreme shapeshifter and trickster, a virtuoso of deceit and craftiness. Their worshipers include assassins, rogues, and spies, who amuse it with their schemes. However, it is also said to be impulsive and unpredictable, and their favor easy to lose.

The Traveler: The most mysterious of all the gods, the Traveler is a collector of things and a bringer of knowledge and dark magic, the patron of warlocks and many monstrous races throughout the world. The Traveler is thought to look favorably on those who use their wits or are resourceful, and to disapprove of those who begged for safety and care or for unearned gifts.

The Gods of Civilization

The Gods of Civilization is the dominant religion of the Settled Lands. The Divines are directly related to The Dark, whom the faithful believe were kicked out of the pantheon for various transgressions in an event referred to as the Schism.

The religion claims that Civilization is one name, and speaks with one voice. Thus the Gods should be treated as a pantheon rather than merely a collection of deities. As such, most worship the Gods as a whole rather than just an individual close to them.

The Child: The Sovereign of Feast and Fortune, the patron of entertainers, gamblers, and risk-takers. They bestow luck and spreads joy. They are worshiped by bards, rogues, gamblers, hedonists, merchants and any who seek good fortune. Even their most devout Vassals cannot come to grips with why they choose to bless or curse on a whim.

The Father: The Sovereign of Hall and Hearth. He is guide and protector of family and community and encourages folk to work together for the good of all. He is the god of hearth and home standing watch over the individual homes, as well as the community at large. When the savage wild presses against the safety of community he is there to protect it. Together with the Mother he forms the backbone of most of the religion’s worship.

The Scion: The Sovereign of World and Wealth, guide and protector for traders and travelers and supporter of fair negotiation. They are the only Divine said to be a second-generation member of pantheon. This is fitting since trade and commerce only come into play once the other elements of civilization have been established.

The Herald: The sun that drives away darkness. They represent wisdom in battle and is patron of those who seek justice, fight with honor, and make sacrifices for others. The Herald is the light, not only of the sun, but also of the good aspects of the mortal soul. The patron of paladins, diplomats and all who seek justice, as well as explorers who bring light to dark and forgotten places, they oversee all those who fight with wisdom as well as weapons.

The Mage: The Sovereign of Law and Lore. Believed to be the first wizard, they revealed the secrets of magic to the world. They are the patron of mages and a figure venerated by scholars and librarians. They are the god of magic as a tool for mortals to use. Although all Divines are considered equal it is typically written that the Divines follow their guidance due to their vast wisdom.

The Maiden: The Sovereign of Horn and Hunt, the patron of those who follow the border between nature and civilization, day and night. They guide hunters and wild beasts alike, represents the embodiment of nature and taking what is needed from the bounty of nature, and the cool shroud of darkness that brings rest.

The Master: The Sovereign of Fire and Forge. They inspire all who create, aids and are revered by artificers, craftsmen, and smiths. They introduced tools and weapons to the mortal races and continue to encourage people to improve upon them. Legend also states that it was them who gave fire to the mortals to help them through the cold winters.

The Mother: The Sovereign of Life and Love, the patron of fertility. She represents the benign side of nature and brings good weather and bountiful harvests. She is revered by rangers, druids, farmers, sailors and any who value fertility and good weather, and is generally considered neutral.

The Warden: The Sovereign of Strength and Steel, the patron of the ordinary soldier. They represent bravery, strength, skill at arms, and aids those who wield weapons. They are the patron of any who fight for a living, such as fighters, gladiators, or athletes, It’s said that it was them who purged The Dark from amongst their ranks long ago. They despise those who would shed blood for greed or power, but blesses those forced into combat by the hands of a despotic ruler, honoring their sense of duty.