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Elethril - The Races
DWARVES
Description:
Dwarves are a short, stocky people who seem to be a part of the earth itself, ranging in shade and hue from a rich earth-red to a granite-stone gray. Dour and with a strong distrust towards magic beyond that which a magical axe can lend, they appear to others as a withdrawn, moody people.
Dwarves come in a wide variety of hair, skin, and eye colours, regardless of their origin. Both dwarven males and females have beards, though the females usually, but not always, shave.
General views:
Dwarves remain deeply tied to their roots and their sense of family and nobility. Dwarven nobles have declined in number with their race, and so are treated with respect by all. Loyalty and perseverance are considered dwarven virtues, and very common among the wanderers. For this reason dwarven adventurers are often welcomed into adventurer companies as a source of stability, solid reason, and battle prowess.
The dwarves have a rather pessimistic view of life. The dwarves were hit hard during the last war with Kul Tiras, losing many good soldiers to the orc shamans and mages. A particularly devastating battle was lost by the dwarves and resulted in the loss of a quarter of their army. This only strengthened their distrust of magic.
The dwarves of Khaz Modan believe that the spirits of the ancestors reside in the Halls of Bentas, a place deep in the earth where the honoured souls reside. Bentas is a place of great wealth where the ancestors mine, refine, and channel the spiritual power of the earth, just as their descendants mine the gems and metals closer to the surface.
The dwarves believe that magic is an extension and focus of the power of the earth. This power can also reside in objects and runes.
On priests:
Since dwarves cannot be mages, priest/mages, or psionicists, priests are the only magic wielding portion of Modan society. Priests are believed to be the receptacles of the earth's energies channeled by the ancestors of Bentas. Priests are the liaisons to the ancestors and gods living in Bentas. They are responsible for maintaining honour in the Modan community, and providing an example for the community for the proper behavior required to achieve a place in Bentas.
Dwarven religion involves a belief in Moradin, the Soulforger, the Great Creator. He is the ultimate craftsman, and is said to have created the dwarven race and the world using his Great Forge.
On mages:
The dwarves do not have any particular liking for spellcasters, especially elves and orcs. The dwarves know full well the damage caused by orcs during the last war. Dwarves prefer to avoid associating with mages.
Since dwarven mages are almost non-existent (perhaps one in 20,000), and none are currently known among any of the dwarven clans (only 4 have been recorded in Modan history), there are no guilds or magical scripts that are distinctly dwarven (with all four recorded mages, their spell books and libraries were burned with them at death).
On divination:
The Modan, like most dwarves, believe that the runes symbolize and actually contain the power of the earth. The runes are sacred and should only be drawn by a priest or elder.
Runecasting is the standard form of divination practiced by most priests. The runes of the dwarves are called the Khal Skan. Any priest with a consecrated set of Khal Skan can use the runes as the material component for spells such as Augury, Omen, Portent, Personal Reading, etc. The Khal Skan will not be consumed if used as the material component of a spell.
Astrology is very rare among dwarves, for obvious reasons. However, it is not unknown. Traditionally, each of the largest clans had one astrologer, and the noble clan had three. Numerology and acrophynology are not unknown, but are rarely practiced (much less than astrology).
The Modan dwarves practice a form of geomancy designed for underground structures. They also practice a form of divination based on minor tremors and other geophysical phenomena.
Lastly, many dwarven priests use the herb ueason during their divination proceedures. All dwarven priests know of the herb. It is a rare grass that grows along the river banks. It is dried and then crushed, and the powder is burned. The smoke that is created has a slightly hallucinogenic effect on dwarves. Priests and clerics often inhale the smoke and go into trances, displaying various gifts including clairvoiyance, prophecy, enhanced spell casting, and other abilities.
Special Kits:
Most dwarven priests with a form of divination besides Rune Casting will devote several extra slots to that form and specialize in it. Otherwise, there are no special kits.
Special Proficiencies:
All divinatory proficiencies are for priests.
Read Khal Skan 1Slot Int
With this skill, a priest gains proficiency in reading the Khal Skan, the sacred alphabet of the Modan dwarves consisting of 18 letters. The Khal Skan can be used to gain insight into most any situation.
The Khal Skan set consists of 18 1"X2"X1/4" stone tines, each engraved with one of the Khal Skan runes. A priest must make his own initial set of runes. Upon the death of a priest, the rune set can either be crushed and sprinkled over the priests body before incineration in a forge, or the set can be passed to a lower level priest. The receiving priest must have this divination skill, and must have raised at least one level since making his rune set. If the runes are passed, the old set must be crushed and thrown in the same furnace where the elder priest was cremated. If one tine is lost or broken, the set must be destroyed and a new one made.
The simple way to read the runes is to say an opening prayer and then quickly reach into the bag and grab and cast a handful. The face-up tines are placed back into the bag, and the face-down tines are flipped over and read. This process takes about 5-15 minutes. For more thorough questions, the runes are randomly selected and placed into special patterns, where each position has a particular meaning.
Geomancy (Kseng Gal) 2 Slots Int -2
This is identical to the standard geomancy proficiency, except it applies to underground structures. For entirely surface structures, the total modifier is -6.
On a roll of 20, the property value decreases by 40%. On a 1, the property value increases by 40%. The material needed for Kseng Gal costs 300 GP.
Seismacy (Skilonvisa) 2 Slots Int (see below)
The dwarven art of skilonvisa is based on the observation of seismic and geophysical activity. It is sometimes called "astrology of the earth." With this, the dwarf uses the strength, location, and relation of geophysical and seismic events to determine events in the future.
This skill is not designed to do personal readings. It predicts events that have a large scale events. The events themselves need not be large scale, the assassination of nobility can have just as much national impact as a war.
A particular advantage of this skill is the prediction of earthquakes and other cataclysms. The diviner is automatically allowed 3 checks, rolled secretly by the DM, to determine an upcoming cataclysm, provided the diviner is monitoring his equipment. The first is made with a -3 penalty a number of hours before the event equal to the diviner's INTX3. The second check is made at par INTX2 hours before. The third has a +3 bonus and is done INT hours before. If any check is successful, the diviner can tell when the even will be. If any check is a 20, the next check automatically fails. If the diviner does not have his equipment, he has a chance to detect such an event a number of minutes ahead equal to his INT, with a -6 penalty.
A great deal of equipment is needed for this, which must be kept in a room with as much wall space (fewest exits) as possible, preferably a good distance from developed areas, definitely far from mining and large machinery. The equipment is also very expensive. The minimum material costs 1,000GP, and this incurs a -3 penalty to the skills rolls. Every 1,000GP more equipment reduces the penalty by one point, up to a +1 bonus (maximum) with a 5,000GP lab. The equipment is consecrated, but is not part of an unbreakable set, and pieces can be replaced with no penalty.
ELVES
Description:
Elves are of human height, but much more slender. Their fingers and hands are half-again as long as a human's, and delicately tapered, and their bones are light and suprisingly sturdy. Elven faces are thinner and more serene, and elven ears are pointed.
The elves are one of the major races of the world, and once ruled large sections of the world before the coming of man. When human-kind began their accent into history, the elves slowly diminished in numbers, leaving their longtime homes for quiter, more secluded areas. With the coming of the Vordak Empire, the elves went into a full retreat, retreating to their last bastion, and their current home, Quel'Thalas. Today, the elves number only a fraction of what they did thousands of years ago.
General views:
All elves are spiritual creatures. They have a belief that all living things have a spiritual energy, called namiesh. To the elves, the entire planet is surrounded by a spiritual energy. Every person, object, and event also has an inherent energy. Whether the energies of people and objects are independant of or an extension of the energy of the earth is a matter of continual philosophical debat.
In order for a person to enjoy continued good fortune and health, his personal namiesh and the namiesh of his environment must be kept cleansed, balanced, and harmonized. Namiesh can be positive, neutral, or negative, and a harmonious balance of all three are needed for good overall health.
The elves also believe that they are not natives to this planet. Elven history speaks of the Great Crossing, where the elves came to this planet fleeing a great enemy on thier native home. It is said that this home world of the elves is where the elven gods reside, and where the souls of deceased elves go. Some elves say that during a very specific time during a morning twilight, a gateway opens between this world and theirs, allowing passage between the two. These elves are often considered to be a few apples short of a bushel.
On priests:
The priests of Quel'Thalas are expected to be examples of their fate to all who witness them. Indiscretions are seriously looked down upon, and a strick penance is usually followed by a supervised visit to the temple biri.
The elven pantheon is polytheistic, with Corellon Larethian as the head of the elven pantheon. The elven pantheon is very close. Elves of Quel'Thalas are very pantheistic, believing that devotion to a single divinity can unbalance one's namiesh. While priests are initiated in the name of a single diety, a priest will often participate in a devotion to a divinity he seeks aid from, or may even occassionaly pray to another divinity (one in good standing with his patron) for a needed spell normally outside the priest's useable spheres of influence.
Temples tend to be pantheons of various sizes. The average temple will have a primary chapel devoted to 1-4 divinities, and side chapels of up to eight divinities.
On mages:
Magic is viewed as both a science and an art form. It is a tool by which one can grow and learn. Almost all members are elven society get some rudimentery training in magic and is able to cast cantrips. With magic also comes the responsibility of bettering the life of others in society. Magic is not to be used for personal gain. It is another tool by which society can be bettered. In order to avoid temptation and magical accidents, the mage must be careful not to allow his namiesh to become corrupted.
The mage's guild of Quel'Thalas is called the Thel Nar. It is not affiliated with any other magical guild, even the elven guild in Solian. Membership in the Thel Nar is geared toward native and immigrant citizens, particularly those of elven or half-elven decent. The Thel Nar is very protective of their magical teachings, and the administrators of the Thel Nar are very selective about non-citizen membership. It is very difficult to acquire dual membership with the Thel Nar if one is already, or has been, a member of another guild.
The root script taught in the Thel Nar for magical scripts is Thissam. The Thel Nar officially discourages the teaching of Thissam to anyone without membership in the Thel Nar.
It is rumored that there are secret societies within the structure of the Thel Nar, and that some even use a different root script. There is no conclusive evidence for these rumors, although groups associated with the underground counter-culture may have formed small groups.
Special Kits
The Biri
While most biri do not adventure, the biri kit is available to characters who are priests, mages, or psionicists.
The biri is one who is responsible for the spiritual cleanliness of his clients. He is also a diviner. When a person suspects that his namiesh has become imbalanced or even corrupt from a streak of bad luck, ill health, traumatic incident, or breaking of his namiesh codes, he visits his biri. The biri then divines and analyzes the exact nature of the problem and a remedy to re-harmonize the elf's namiesh.
The remedies are often herbal baths or treatments, alterations to diet, wearing certain colours, or similar treatments.
Most temples and large government departments or buildings have a resident biri. These biri are often required to know Feng Shya. The biri of temples are often low level clerics (usually below third level).
Secondary skills: The biri can have any secondary skill, although few have skills that work with dead animal parts (butcher, leatherworker, etc.)
Weapon proficiency: A biri can have any weapon proficiency allowed to their class, although most use blunt weapons. The biri believe that mastery of a skill promotes good namiesh, and so spend their first three weapon proficiency slots to become double specialized in one weapon. After that, the biri may freely learn other new weapons.
Nonweapon proficiency: The biri automatically learns Namiesh Lore, but must then spend an additional slot to improve it. A biri only requires one slot to improve his Namiesh Lore skill. A biri is also required to learn a form of divination; this only costs one slot initially, but requires the normal amount of slots to improve afterward, and the biri only receives this bonus on one form of divination. A biri can also learn Feng Shya for one slot, but then requires two slots to improve it. A biri must also learn at least one form of craftsmanship or artistic skill (calligraphy is common). Recommended: Herbalism, Healing, Plant ID, Fungus ID, Etiquette, Calligraphy, Spellcraft.
Equipment: A biri needs no special equipment beyond what his form of divination requires. A biri usually buys herbs needed for a treatment of a client after being pre-paid, and then prepares the remedy. The remedy usually costs from 4-16 sp.
Special Benefits: The most noticeable benefit of being a biri is respect. Elves always take what a biri says very seriously. A biri with good references can also easily find good employment.
A biri misusing his influence can face serious legal reprimands.
A biri who has devoted two additional slots to Namiesh Lore and one additional slot to his divination system is also qualified to determine the regulations of a person's namiesh code.
A priest or mage biri casts Remove Curse as if four levels higher, and Remove Charm as if two levels higher. A biri also has a +1 save against any sort of Curse.
Special Hinderances: A biri has an even more complex namiesh code than most. A biri who is a priest or mage has one namiesh code for every level of spell he can cast, one at first level, and an additional code for every five levles. Thus a fifth level mage biri has five namiesh crules. Like regular elves, if the biri is multi-classed, the biri gains codes for each class, so a high level priest/mage biri c ould have a very long list of namiesh codes.
Wealth Options: A biri always receives payment for herbs purchased for a client (but only for what that client needs). Beyond that, a biri will usually charage 5-20 sp for the divination and remedy preparation. It should be noted taht most biri will not turn a client away because of being unable to pay; this is considered very bad namiesh.
Races: Most biri are elves of Quel'Thalas, and these do the most business. There are a few of other elven decent and practicing half elves, and these are not considered inferior.
Special Notes: There is no guild or network among biris. As a rule, they do not compete. A biri with too many clients will readily send someone to another local biri he thinks is qualified. Some biri with special skills (Feng Shya, Healing, Herbalism, etc.) will often develope a clientele based on recommendations from other biri.
Special Proficiencies:
Namiesh Lore 2 slots Int Priest, Mage, Psionicist
This skill gives the elf an intricate knowledge of the workings of the different etheric layers of an elf, what is normally called the namiesh. Namiesh lore also trains the elf in how to cleanse an elf's namiesh. Unless a system of divination is known and used, the skill roll has an additional -4 penalty if used on another person, or an additional -1 on oneself. If a divinatory system is used, the roll is at par for another and at +1 for oneself. A successful skill roll indicates the elf has determined the spiritual imbalance and prescribed a remedy. The elf must still purchase the materials required to perform the cleansing, which usually costs 4-16 sp.
This skill can also be used to prepare one's namiesh for special purposes. An elf can prepare his or another's namiesh to succeed at a specific purpose. If no divinatory system is used, the penalties are doubled. If a divinatory system is used, there is a -1 penalty. After a reading and/or analysis, the biri then prepares a remedy costing three time the normal amount. The recipient then receives a special spiritual "blessing", which will apply to the next time the desired task is attempted. The bonus is +1 or +5%, with an additional +1 or +5% for every two times the elf improves his namiesh lore score. This bonus is applied to a predetermined type of roll, such as to hit, saving throw, (pre named) proficiency check, or amor class bonus. It is only applied ot the next roll made. If not quickly used, the blessing will last for one day plus an additional day for each time the elf has improved his namiesh lore skill. Biris often use this on themselves before undertaking a difficult tast of cleansing.
An elf can also cleanse the namiesh of a place. This is standard among temples. If a special cleansing is done on a place, the next attack there will be at -1 to hit, and/or +1 on a saving throw against it. An attempt to turn undead there will be at +1. Like the personal blessing, this blessing only lasts for one event, or for a set of number of days. If done dailing in a sick room (at half cost per day), patients there heal an additional point of damage per week the cleansing is done successfuly, and the chance to incure a disease is decreased 5% per month the cleansing are done (non-cumulative).
Read Afalo 2slots Int Priest, Mage
The Afalo are a set of runes used in Quel'Thalas. The Afalo is an alphabet of 26 letters which is believed to date back to the time of the Great Crossing. It is unknown whether the Afalo was originally a sacred alphabet, or a mix of the alphabets used by the five kingdoms that sent the elves.
The Afalo can be used to divine information on any subject. To be read, the Afalo tines are selected individually and placed in traditional patterns, where each position represents an spect of the situation. Someone skilled with Afalo may known 20 or more patterns.
The Afalo must be made by the elf out of wood (metal, stone, and bone sets exist) after a special blessing from a biri, and the set must be blessed by a priest after completed. A priest cannot bless his own Afalo. If a set is damaged, the elf must visit a biri to cleanse his namiesh and the namiesh of the remaining set, which must then be ritually destroyed before a new set can be made.
Feng Shya 2 slots Int -1 Priest, Mage, Psionicist
This is the elven equivilent of geomancy, and is used as such.
Note that with elves being very superstitious, property value bonuses or penalties are doubled. Also, if the practicioner of feng shya knowns namiesh lore, the skill roll is made at +2, with an additional +1 for every time the namiesh lore skill has been improved.
GNOMES
Description:
Gnomes are a small, friendly race of humanoid creatures. They are smaller and less stocky than dwarves, and are thought to be distant relatives of dwarves (though only gnomish men have beards).
The faces of gnomes, regardless of age, are lined as if with centuries of smiles and frowns, making these people appear to be carved from wood. Their natural colouring, from a light ash colour to maple to the colour of varnished and buffed oak, increased the tendancy to think of gnomes as woods folk.
General views:
The gnomes of Misor are polytheistic, worshiping a small pantheon which is led by Garl Glittergold, the Wise One. Recently a worship of the human god Gond has evolved. The gnomes believe that Gond is a gnome god, and the humans have it all wrong when they think he is human.
Gnomes are generally passive and friendly. To them, killing is a waste. However, gnomes are not likely to stand by and let you walk all over them. They have learned to specialize in a form of magic which is just as effective in dealing with enemies but is not as harmful: illusion.
On Priests:
The majority of gnome priests are devoted to Garl Glittergold. A smaller number of priests are devoted to the other gods in the gnomish pantheon. All gnome temples have a shrine devoted to Garl, and 1-3 shrines devoted to the other gods.
On Mages:
Magic is something viewed by the people as a way to make public life easier. A mage is rated by his service to the community. The government uses minor magical items regularly. The police and militia of Misor also make extensive use of gnomic illusionists. Most gnomic mages and illusionists have more than a few spells with purely utilitarian function and may have spend time working for one or more government agencies.
The mage's guild of Misor is called the Piema. Gnomes have a smaller magic-using population than humans or elves, and thus members of the guild are not quantiful. Gnomes are also one of the few races to have practicing mystics within their magic-using population.
The root magical script taught by the Piema is Komal.
On Divination:
In Misor the main form of divination is Elosi Theka, which is based upon the Esina. Other forms of divination are rare.
Special Kits:
None
Special Proficiencies:
Read Lapida 1 or 2 slots Int Priest, Mage, or General
The Lapida is an old form of divination. It does not have the respect of other forms of divination, especially Elosi Theka. Still, having a Lapida reading is considered good luck, and is a tradition on a gnome's birthday or other important events. Because of this, Lapida readers, called Lapidabrade, are very popular at large parties (hiring a Lapidabrade for a party is a good way for a host to flaunt influence, good taste, and money), fairs, and other special public functions.
To use the Lapida, a gnome must make or buy a Lapida set. If bought, a real Lapidabrade reader must consecrate the set, but this is one of the few forms of divination where the tool can be purchased. A cheap set (useful for a Lapidabraki, see below) costs 8-15gp. A real set costs 30-50gp. A set consists of a pouch containing a small, smooth pebble and several small faceted disks of coloured fine glass, with three disks per colour. To read the Lapida, the Lapidabrade swirls his hand in the pouch unitl the pebble is found, grasps the pebble and any surrounding disks, and pours the contents of his hand onto a table or flat surface, allowing everything to scatter. Many Lapidabrade use a large circle of rope or cloth to avoid loosing disks, placing any disks that touch the border back in the pouch. The pebble represents the querente, and the colour of each disk has a specific symbolism. The position of the disks determines whether it is a psychological influence, physical event, or underlying external influence, and whether it is past, present, or future. Sometimes, especially at parties, the querente will give the Lapidabrade a coin to represent himself in the reading, which the Lapidabrade returns after the reading as a good luck piece. The coin is not a part of the payment, and is usually a half silver piece.
If a piece is lost, all pieces of that colour must be crushed, and only that colour replaced before the set is re-consecrated.
There are two ways of learning this. The first takes one proficiency slow and is a general proficiency. It is not a true form of divination, but is similar to the Fortune Telling proficiency, except the gnome can only use the Lapida, and suffers a -2 penalty when reading for non-gnomes. These readers are sometimes called Lapidabraki. It is Lapidabraki who often read at parties or social occasions. In order to be able to actually use the Lapida for divination, the Lapidabraki must spend an additional three slots (four total, only 2 needed if priest or mage), at which point the gnome becomes a regular reader. Because many gnomes do not take the Lapida seriously to begin with, Lapidabraki are rarely viewed as con men, but instead as entertainers. Mages and especially priests rarely become Lapidabraki, except some illusionists and priests who specifically advertise as entertainers.
HALFLINGS
Description:
Halflings are the smallest of the major races. They tend to resemble small street urchins, wise beyond their years. The halflings have a light covering of hairy down over most of their bodies that is most noticeable on the backs of their hands and the toes of their bare feet. Often their faces are bare, thought there are more than a few full-bearded halflings as well.
Halflings appear to be small, human children, and have all the same skin, hair, and eye colours of their human counterparts. They tend to respect their families as groups not to steal from (though borrowing is permitted), and they show a strong loyalty to friends and those who have stood up for them.
Halflings have a saying "First there were dragons, then dwarves, then elves, then humans. Then it's Our Turn!" This attitude that all things will turn out for their benefit is typical of the halfling mindset-cocksure, confident, and with more than a streak of larceny to it.
Halflings are delighted by the concept of money, which they consider a human invention that redeems the race. They enjoy gathering bunches of it, but unlike the dwarves with their ancient hordes, they see no point in keepint it, and fritter it away on gifts, parties, and purchases. Money is a way of keeping score on how well one is doing against the world and all its clumsy, lumbering races.
General Views:
Halflings are fascinated by magic and the fancy, strange effects that it causes. However, halflings do not have a nack for magic, nor the attention-span necessary for one to be a mage. This does not prevent them from collecting magical items much like they collect money.
Halflings are very polytheistic, so much so that they worship divinities from several different races including their own. Except for priests, halflings tend to worship whichever divinity happens to be the most effect in his life at a given moment.
On Priests:
Most halfling priests are devoted to a single divinty, whether that divinity is a halfling, human, dwarven, or other deity. While devoted to a single divinity, halfling priests are often very familiar with the religion of other divinities, especially those which are the most common among the halfling populous.
Temples are devoted to a single divinity, and may have up to 4 small chapels for other divinities.
On Mages:
Halflings do not have the apptitude to be a mage. However, this does not prevent them from being fascinated by magic. Halflings have no guild nor a magical script.
On Divination:
Like magic, halflings have a particular fascination with divination, but do not practice it themselves.
Special Kits:
None
Special Proficiencies:
None
HUMANS
Description:
The most populous and strongest of the races, humans are considered the dominant race in Elethril. Humankind comes in all shapes, sizes, and colours. Individuals sometimes shows the height of halflings, the stockiness of the dwarf, or the slenderness of the elf, yet remain completely human. Human skin colour ranges from pale, almost translucent to a black almost as dark as night, with all shades in between.
General views:
With humans being the most populous race on the planet, the human view on magic is as varied as there are cultures. For the most part though, humans do not particularly like magic, unless it causes direct personal benefit. Using magic makes a person different and more powerful than everyone else, which humans naturaly dislike.
This is not the case, however, in Neir, which is a culture who's very existence is based on magic. The reverse of this can be seen in Gareth, who completely shun all forms of magic and have been known to kill mages or priests using magic.0
On Priests:
Most of the human cultures practice a polytheistic religion. Most temples are devoted to a single god or a few gods from specific pantheons. Some temples are even devoted to gods from other races turned into human gods. For most humans, spiritual devotion is toward whichever divinity has been the most help in his life, and frequently changes from day to day.
Of notable except to this rule is the priest of Vordak. The people of Vordak are primarily monotheisitic, following a religion called Eos. The primary divinity is called Es, and is viewed as an omnipotent being by the gnomes. Es, however, rarely participates directly in mortal affairs. Instead, there is a large and elaborate hierarchy of spirits, called Esina (singular Esinas), each of which presides over a specific function or type of function, depending on rank. Most Esina also command over groups of lesser Esina, each of which may also preside over other Esina, and so on. When a person prays for a specific task, he prays to Es to send the appropriate Esinas, which he will name if known.
All priests of Eos (which is most priests) are considered priests of Es. While Esina are respected and their help is often requested, only minor devotions are performed for them, usually out of thanks, and always in the name of Es. Worship of the Esina is considered sacrilege.
Large temples are always to Es, often with small shrines devoted to a few Esina (up to 12). Small temples usually have shrines to 1-4 specific Esina. Some chapels exist devoted to the Esina. In these chapels, the central shrine is always to Es, with an additional 4-20 small shrines to specific Esina.
Most Vordak homes have a small shrine to Es and small shrines (perhaps a symbol and candle) to 1-3 Esina.
On Mages:
Humans have a natural distrust for anyone secretive and powerful, which succinctly describes a mage. Most humans view the value of magic in terms of personal gain, or gain and protection for the community. Mages showing green or other evil tenancies quickly become ostracized from society, and even exiled.
Humans are the only race that have wild mages. Whether that is a blessing or a curse is a hotly debated topic among scholars.
Most of the different human nations have some form of a magical guild. The largest is the SpellWeaver's Guild of Neir. Others are the United Mages of Lordaeron, and the Mage Corps of Celentra.
On Divination:
Humans have a natural fascination with the future. Because of this, fortune tellers, authentic and charlatans, can make a comfortable living in human settlements. Humans regularly practice Astrology, Numerology, Acrophynology, and the use of a tool known as the Dakyesha. Some humans also practice forms of divination praticular to other races. Geomancy is not a native art, and is primarily used by the social elite to show their concern for their contemporaries' well being (and flaunt their own money; most humans wouldn't know a geomancer from someone who moves the furniture, opens the windows, and hangs up a mirrow).
Special Kits:
None
Special Proficiencies:
Read Elosi Theka 2 slots Int -1 Priest/Mage
With this form of divination, the Vordak priest attempts to determine which Esina are involved in a situation. This enables the trained priest, known as an Eloskio, to know how to better respond to the situation, or even to change it. It can be used for personal readings or prophetic readings. (Every new year's day the government's top Eloskio divine the Esina that will preside over the new year.)
This is not a "portable" form of divination. To be used, the gnome needs two things. One is a large book, or set of books, called the Losu Thekam. The Thekam is an alphabetical listing of hundreds of Esina, possibly with others glossed in. Some Thekam are four or five volumes. A Thekam can be purchased, costing a minimum of 100gp (averaging 150gp).
The other object is a device used to randomly produce letters. This can range from complex multiple castings of coins or counters, to mechanical devices like tapkeys, often whirring, whizzing, puffing steam and ready to explode. The device used must be the inspiration of, and created by, the Eloskio himself, and will vary greatly in form across Misor.
Readings using Elosi Theka are very long, often taking 2-5 hours.
While the exact format of the reading may vary between Eloskio, the essence of the procedure is that random letters are produced in a series to home in on a name of an Esinas in the Thekam. These are the Esina relevant to the situation, even if only in a symbolic sense. This allows the Eloskio to convey a deeper understanding of the situation, and give advice on how to deal with the situation and possibly change it.
A character with the proficiency Moder Religion: Eos gains a +1 bonus when using this skill.
The Losu Thekam can be purchased and replaced with a better Thekam. A gnome using a new Thekam has a -1d6 initial penalty, that lessens by two points each week the Thekam is studied. The device must be made by the Eloskio, and if damaged, he must make a new one, or fix the old one.
Read Dakyesha 2 slots Int Priest, Mage
The Dakyesha are a from of divination used by humans across the Great Sea.
The Dakyesha are a set of divinatory dice. A set of nine dice are used. One dice is blank, representing the querente, and each other die has a particular symbolic colour. The dice are normally made of wood, each die from a different branch of the same tree, and painted by the reader, and kept in a leather or fine cloth pouch. To be read, the querente holds the pouch, mixes the dice, and scatters the dice on a table. The reader immediately gathers the dice into a vertical line. The dice are then read lineraly, with the top being past and the bottom being future. This style of reading and the traditional designs used are strongly affected by the local human language and culture.
The Dakyesha is usually used for readings on a specific person or group.
If a die is lost, the entire set and pouch must be burned, the ashes buried at the foot of the tree to be used for the next set, and after a nine day wait, an entire new set carved from branches of that tree.
ORCS
Description:
Orcs are a species of aggressive humanoid creatures which band together in tribes. Orcs believe that in order to survive they must expand their territory, and this has resulted in them becoming the largest empire in the world. Orcs are fiercely loyal to their tribe, but individual loyalty is limited. Orcs are more than willing to backstab a friend if it means greater glory for the tribe and a higher ranking for himself within the tribe.
Orcs vary widely in appearnce. Generally orcs resemble primative humans with grey-green skin covered with coarse hair. Orcs have a slightly stooped posture, a low jutting forehead, a snout instead of a nose, and pointed ears.
General views:
Little is known about the Orcs and their beliefs. What is known is that the Orcs are a warrior society that puts great emphasis on strength and honour. Orcs are a clannal society and each clan has a specific coloured sash that they wear.
On Priests:
Almost nothing is known about Orc priests. During the many years of war, an Orc priest has never been captured, atleast not alive. It is thought only a small fraction of the populous are priests, and that the Orcs follow one main diety, though several smaller divinities are worshiped but to no great degree. Evidence has shown that it appears Orcs greatly respect thier priests, and more than likely fear them to some degree.
What little that is known is that the head of the orc pantheon is Gruumsh. He is said to be the greatest warrior, and is a battle-scared, one eyed orc who leads the pantheon through force.
On Mages:
Magical ability is rare in Orcs. Orcs perform magical testing on all of their young, and those found to have the ability are taken from their parents and sent to training. The training is strenuous and deadly, only about 5 in 10 survive the training. It is not known where the training takes place.
Orc mages give up alliegance to their clans, and exist outside of the clans. Orc magi, called Great Ones, can go anywhere, to any clan, without fear of being attacked. Great Ones do not belong to any clan, but belong to the Empire. Great Ones, it is thought, are the only orcs allowed to wear a grey sash. They have their own heirarchy, and it is believed they have a council of elders that make the decisions for the society.
The specifics on Great One magic is not know, though it appears that even the Great Ones suffer from the Orc prejudice to strength. Most Orc spells appear to deal with death/damage spells. Illusion and Conjuration spells appear to be very rare.
On Divination:
Again, little is known about this practice in Orc society. It is thought that Orc priests practice some type of divination that requires the blood of an enemy. Nothing else is known about divination.
Special Kits:
None
Special Proficiencies:
None
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