# The Worlds Apart



## Jack7 (Apr 21, 2009)

*Sailing to Byzantium*

That is no country for old men. The young
In one another's arms, birds in the trees
- Those dying generations - at their song,
The salmon-falls, the mackerel-crowded seas,
Fish, flesh, or fowl, commend all summer long
Whatever is begotten, born, and dies.
Caught in that sensual music all neglect
Monuments of unageing intellect.

An aged man is but a paltry thing,
A tattered coat upon a stick, unless
Soul clap its hands and sing, and louder sing
For every tatter in its mortal dress,
Nor is there singing school but studying
Monuments of its own magnificence;
And therefore I have sailed the seas and come
To the holy city of Byzantium. 

O sages standing in God's holy fire
As in the gold mosaic of a wall,
Come from the holy fire, perne in a gyre,
And be the singing-masters of my soul.
Consume my heart away; sick with desire
And fastened to a dying animal
It knows not what it is; and gather me
Into the artifice of eternity. 

Once out of nature I shall never take
My bodily form from any natural thing,
But such a form as Grecian goldsmiths make
Of hammered gold and gold enamelling
To keep a drowsy Emperor awake;
Or set upon a golden bough to sing
To lords and ladies of Byzantium
Of what is past, or passing, or to come.​
*I.* This is a brief description of my D&D game milieu, and how it works. I decided to put it here because the Plots and Places Forum seems to be for campaign and plot development instead of for settings. If you want to discuss this setting in this thread then feel free to do so. I’ll add things to it as I go along.

*Two Worlds:* There are actually two worlds, our world, circa 800 AD, and the setting upon our world is semi-historical. That is most of the things that happen in our world, as the setting for the game, involve real world historical figures, cities, cultures, religions, technologies, societies, military forces, economic systems, and so forth of that era. The exceptions to the historical rule are the introduction of the player characters themselves (who often encounter real people of the time, like Charlemagne, as well as legendary figures like Roland). 

In addition there is another world, geographically identical to our own but inhabited by completely different creatures and operating by different rules. This other world will be described later in this thread but creatures such as Elves and Giants inhabit it (though they do not call themselves that) and only a few human refuges from our world can live there. Most humans who travel to that world do so by accident and become far longer lived than normal humans but most also become sterile over time. A very, very few have over time interbred with the local populations on that other world but it is an extremely rare occurrence when that happens and the offspring sometimes fall prey to strange diseases and fail to mature. Some of the off-spring who do live past adolescence are also naturally sterile or barren. As a result the human population, which never accounted for more than a few hundred individuals is now nearly extinct.

As well as Elves and other such creatures monsters also inhabit that other world. They sometimes escape their own world and come to ours.





*The Setting Upon Earth (Terra):* The City of Constantinople is the center of most activity in the setting on our world. It lies along one end of the Silk Road and Byzantine contacts run throughout Western Europe, Central Europe, and Eastern Europe, as well as into Russia, the Near East, Syria, Persia, and into parts of the Orient, and finally down into Egypt, and into Northern and Eastern Africa. As far as sea travel much of the Mediterranean is open to them as well as the Black Sea. Giving the players and their characters a wide area of territory in which to explore and operate.




The Byzantines are at almost constant war with the Persians, and the Bulgars. At other times they fight with the Muslims (becoming more and more frequent), various barbaric tribes, such as the Goths, are at odds with migrating tribes from the East, face occasional rebellions in Egypt, Syria, and in the Holy Land, and still hope to regain some control of territories in the West, such as some of the early Italian city-states (other than Ravenna).

They are also involved in religious disputes such as the early stages of iconoclasm, as well as suppression of heretics such as in Egypt and in Syria (which makes them very unpopular in certain parts of the Empire, and among certain groups of peoples like the Copts). The Patriarchs of Orthodox Catholicism (although there has been no real schism as of yet) are often at odds with the Pope, who the Byzantines sometimes see as an ally, and sometimes see as a problem.

The main group of players operates out of the city of Constantinople, or New Rome, as their home base.

*Constantinople (New Rome):* It sits upon the Golden Horn (Kera), is the capital of the Byzantine (Roman) Empire, controls the naval trade throughout the empire and into the Black Sea, is the home of the most advanced technology in the world at that time, is immensely wealthy, incredibly well-built and well defended, and is one end of the Silk Road. It is also the center of the Orthodox Church, as well as being one of the most populous cities in the world.

It has contacts throughout Northern and Eastern Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and into India. It is the home base of operations for many of the player parties.

I modified the city somewhat from its true historical analogue. It now includes the Strategion (the Imperial War Offices and College), the Thematic War College (for educating and training Theme Generals and officers), the Stoa Inventi (the official Inventions Laboratory, where Greek Fire was developed, the Inventi being based upon Alexandria's old Museums of invention), the Thaumaturgion (the place of Miracles, where prophets, Church Fathers, and Saints congregate and study, and where relics are accumulated and studied), the Palacial Library of Blachermae (containing the official Imperial records, census, texts, and histories), the Academy of Sagae and Holy Art (where Icons and holy art are created), and the Library of Deoklarion (where a number of unique and unusual texts from the ancient world, and holy writings, are stored and copied). 

I also slightly modified the Imperial Palaces, some of the churches, like the Holy Apostles, and some of the monasteries, like Studios and Myrelaion. 

The city also contains several harbors, the Industrion, the Galatan Naval Reserves and the Galatan Industrion (across the straights), the Garrison of the Imperial Legions, several Forums and markets, Constabularies, Aqueducts, numerous churches and monasteries, several underground cisterns, palaces, the Walls of Theodosius, the Walls of Constantine, the Walls of Septus Severus, the Chalke Gate, numerous other famous Gates and Towers, the Milion, several important streets and highways (like the Mese), the shipyards of Caesarius, various public baths, sections of underground and buried ancient city, artwork and statues, obelisks and columns and stelae from all over the world, the Chain of the Golden Horn, the Lykos River, Hagia Sophia (the largest and most famous church in the world), the Great Treasury, the Acropolis, and of course the Hippodrome which also served as a city-wide public amphitheatre. 




And the city is divided into Demes so on occasion there are Deme riots as well as riots in the Alien (Foreign) Quarter. Of course I don't really need to mention the political machinations since "Byzantine" is an historical watchword for all things politically devious. Though to tell you the truth it wasn't really any worse than anywhere else, and often far better and far more civilized than most places at the time, just usually far more complicated because of the immense number of political players and institutional and organizational interests all simultaneously vying for influence. It was a lot like modern American politics to tell you the truth. Far less bloodshed but far more underground corruption and devious maneuver. And strange ambition.

Constantinople regularly sees foreign visitors, tradesmen, merchants, dignitaries and even would-be invaders, everyone from Arab Bedouins to Viking Raiders to Russian Steppemen to embassies from Charlemagne and from other parts of Europe to traders from the Italian City States to diplomats from Ethiopia and Persia and even India.




The official and state language in the Empire is Latin, but the _“Lingua Franca”_ is Greek and most Byzantines (Romans) and almost all residents of Constantinople, including resident aliens, speak Greek.

In addition there is the other world, like ours, but with native populations of elves, giants, dwarves, etc.  Whenever these creatures come to our world they often infiltrate Constantinople in disguise. And sometimes monsters that have escaped this other world come to the Empire and ravage the countryside surrounding Constantinople. So it is a very interesting place for the players to live in and adventure from.

For information on some of the adventures that take place in this setting then see this thread: *Adventure Ideas*.

For information on some Byzantine Relics and Inventions, as well as inventions, artifacts and relics from the other world see this thread: *Museum*

For information on some of the Monsters of the other world that have come to our world see this thread: *Unique Monsters*


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## Wombat (Apr 21, 2009)

Byzantium/Constantinople/Istanbul is a constantly fascinating subject.  

Let me give you a couple of links (one related to _Ars Magica_, so you need to ignore the system-aspects, one just open), that might give you some wonderful background material.  

Theban Tribunal Sourcebook

Byzantium 1200


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## Jack7 (Apr 21, 2009)

> Jack, you have debauched my sloth.




Womby, I swear I wasn't in town on that date. You can look it up.

Seriously though, thanks for the links. I'll check em out and see what I can make of em.


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## Jack7 (Apr 21, 2009)

Dang that _*Byzantium 1200*_ site is useful. For a wide range of things, including research. XP on the horizon.


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## Jack7 (Apr 22, 2009)

*II. Briefing on the General Setting of Terra Ghantik* - Terra Ghantik is actually two worlds. The first is our world, where most of the gaming activity takes place. The game and campaigns themselves are set primarily in Terra (the Latin term for Earth), the time frame being around 800 AD and the geographical and national setting is the Byzantine Empire. The common base of operations is Constantinople.

Our world, Terra, is as it was in the era of 800 AD, historically, socially, militarily, and so forth. However recently several strange things have occurred which have severely concerned the Emperor and the leadership of the Eastern Orthodox Church. These strange events have prompted the Emperor and the Orthodox Church to band together to form a secret team that is charged with discovering the cause(s) of these weird and uncanny events, and to put a stop to these strange events, if possible. Most of the players play characters in this team, or in one of the related teams. This main team is called the *Basilegate*, or translated, _the Emperor’s Legate._




At about the same time a group of Buddhist Monks (and others) in the Orient has been having visions about these same disturbances and has formed a team of their own to travel to the West and investigate the same phenomenon. That team is called the *Hoshi*, or _The Footbridge_.

What is actually occurring on our world at this moment is that our world is being invaded by beings and creatures from the other world, that world being named Ghantik (though various languages render the term differently), and the people who inhabit it. No one in our world knows how these creatures are coming here or exactly from where they originate, and this information is also hidden from the players, who must discover these events for themselves. At about the same time (slightly later in time frame actually) another group of beings from this other world are also trying to find a way into our world and eventually succeed at their efforts, and are then able to come to earth. These beings are what would normally be referred to in the game as elves, dwarves, giants and others of their kind. None of these people or creatures is indigenous to our world and no humans are indigenous to their world. 

These peoples are collectively called the Eldeven peoples and consist of the *Jukarn* (Dwarves), *Sidelh*, also called the _Caer_ (Elves), *Lorahn* (Eladarin), *Gheriks* (Halflings), *Avafal* (the “New Ones” or “Fallen Ones,” literally the offspring between Men and Eldevens), and so forth. These creatures are more akin to various human races in that they can all intermarry and interbreed (though the rate of intermarriage is no higher than on our world at that time period), than they are to separate species. There are also other beings who are allied with the Eldeven, such as the *Adharma*, who are a race of Demi-giants, and their half-brothers, the *Gabar* (_Renown Ones_, offspring of the Sidelh and the Nephili). Though the Adharma and the Gabar are not considered Eldevens. 

There are two reasons that the Eldeven peoples desire to come to our world, the first is that they are seeking to hunt down and recapture or destroy most of the monsters that have escaped to our world from their world. The second I will explain later. 

The Eldevens come to our world in disguise hoping to accomplish their various missions without being discovered. They encounter humans (us) however, as they must in our world, and eventually some men begin to understand that the Eldeven party is not human. There are various reactions to this discovery, some believe the Eldevens to be demons or devils come to invade our world and that they are somehow allied with the monsters who are also invading our world. Some believe them to be angelic messengers sent from God to assist mankind against the invasions of monsters, and to help stop the plagues and the disasters wracking the world at that time. Some believe them harbingers of the Apocalypse. There is a schism between both those who are in government (the Court of the Emperor), and those in the Church, with either group being divided into two camps, those who oppose the Eldevens and consider them enemies, perhaps even demons, and those who want closer relations with the Eldevens and consider them helpful, perhaps even Agents of God.

The Eldevens themselves send a scouting, expeditionary, research, and monster hunting party called the *Caerkara*, or _the Expeditionary Force_ into our world. Once it is discovered that this party is composed of non-human creatures the decision is made in Constantinople to send out the Basilegate to hunt for and try to make contact with the Caerkara, and to discover the true nature and motives of this Eldeven party.

While these monster invasions are in the process of occurring and shortly before the arrival of the Eldeven team, various plagues, earthquakes, famines and other natural disasters begin to afflict our world. Some people connect these calamities directly to the monster invasions, and some directly to the arrival of the Eldeven party. Still others see the Eldeven group as possible allies with whom they can work to help combat both the monster invasions and the various natural disasters. Eventually the Court at Constantinople comes to believe that the Eldevens may be the people of the legendary Prester John. The Patriarch of Constantinople and the Church remain more skeptical.




*Samarkand (The City of Samarl):* The city of Samarkand sits in exactly the same geographic point as the city of Samarkand on our world. Both cities also share the same name. However all similarities end there. Samarkand was designed by the Sidelh but was built by the Adharma. Both races share a similar view of architecture in that they encapsulate information in material objects. Books or written materials are rare among the Sidelh and completely absent among the Adharma. The giants instead are excellent masters of mnemonics, and therefore pass history thousands of years old down orally with very little variation or embellishment between transmissions. They also weave information into every building, statue, column, piece of furniture and art, and physical device they create. The entire city then is one huge library of historical, arcane, and mythological information if one knows how to read the text. 

Samarkand is the capital city of Kitharia, the most populous and powerful nation known among the Eldeven peoples. Since the Sidelh are slow to reproduce they have invited many other races of Eldevens to dwell in their city and the Sidelh are actually often outnumbered by the non-Sidelh living there. Nevertheless the non-Sidelh are often granted citizenship after a time, as are their families, and so often easily integrate into Kitharian society, to become stout defenders and loyal citizens of their adopted homeland. 

The ruler of the Samarkand, and by extension Kitharia, is the individual known as the Samareül. He is elected by a secret group of individuals and once elected he takes no public name other than his title of Samareül, which means Priest-King. The Samareül is elected for life, and is rarely deposed. The Samareül is the supreme judge, most influential political leader and chief priest of Kitharia, being considered the living representative of Samarl, or God. Strangely enough however the Kitharians and most Eldevens for that matter have no formal religion or religious beliefs, and most seek no relationship with God at all. Instead the relationship between Samarl and the Eldevens is considered the de-facto representative relationship and chief obligation of the Samareül. (The current Samareül is looking to change this state of affairs wishing to make a religious and spiritual relationship among the Kitharians and eventually all Eldevens to be a matter of personal relation between the individual and Samarl. This has led to strained cultural, societal, political, and in some cases racial [such as between the Sidelh and the Lorahn] relationships among some parties, and to the establishment of a strange interlinked alliance between the courts of Samarkand and Constantinople on religious and spiritual matters. I’ll discuss this in more detail in a later posting.)

The city is dominated by an acropolis into which is carved (in the fashion of the Adharma who carve their homes into mountainsides) the Palace and administrative houses of the Samareül. The acropolis is also said to contain numerous secret passages into which the Samareül and his officials keep stored many ancient and secret artifacts and devices, including weird machines which are said to be able to peer into other worlds and through time. This acropolis is called the Jlæthÿlîrel. There is also a rumor that the passages themselves have created a sort of scrying channel and that the channels may be decorated with glyphs of unknown design. This acropolis is sometimes called the onŵl-Samarkando, or, Helm of Samarkand

The city also has numerous districts in which various Eldeven races mix rather freely, but it also has segregated districts. These are most evident between the Sidelh (the elves) and the small enclave of Adharma (who rarely take citizenship) who prefer to live there for periods of time as trusted resident aliens. Politically the situation is stable at most times, except during periods of war. There is a large public gathering area called the Msýthariørl where public elections, entertainments, athletic events, public rites, demonstrations of arcane force and skill, and debated counsels are held. It can hold nearly one-half of the entire population of the city at any given time. 

There are also a number of industrial and manufacturing districts to produce and market goods, the Eldarik Houses, the Armories and Internal Towers, the Plarshoel (or, _Walking Houses_ - the giants built the city so that certain buildings can move around the city on tracks, allowing the city to be reconfigured for both ease of trade and transport, and for periods of war and self-defense – unknown to most the city walls can likewise move allowing them to be “interlocked” in various defensive configurations as needed), the sa-Elturaere (the Temple for the study and practice of Elturgy and Elturael – Arcane magic), various markets and domestic areas, the Jmyatŗ Skella (the Crafting District), the Tĕna (Quarters of the Peace Officers), the Nhil (the Warband Quarterings), and the newly created Praşklyřt (the Hall of Investigation – to study and counteract the creation of monsters, discussed later).

As mentioned above the entire city is also a sort of architectural library. However many believe that actual Elturgy was used by the Sidelh to recast the work of the giants so that a secret code now also lies hidden within the structure of the city foundations. To what purpose no-one is really sure.

The River Qira runs through the city (including partially underground) and the river Qala now runs completely around the city in a near perfect circular moat, and then runs away through artificial channels so that the river approaches the city from the East and leaves by routes facing due West, South, and North.

The city is composed of seven plateaus, or levels, the highest being the Jlæthÿlîrel, and the lowest section being an underground area of hot springs and baths called the Myņil.


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## Jack7 (Apr 22, 2009)

*III. Being a Small Section of the Lay of the Myth of the Eldevens* – Below is to be found a small section of one of the most ancient versions of _the Lay of the Eldeven_.



*EĻDEVÅLAËRAŅE
THE LAY OF THE ELDEVEN

ĦLO’SĶIEŊL
Before All

Being the Account of the Arrival and of the Old World​*
Before all there was another Iÿarlðma (another world, another Ghantik). In those days many ancient and wondrous things visited Iÿarlðma from elsewhere, wandering this world and inhabiting it for brief seasons, yet never long lingering. The world in those days was broad, and deep, and untamed, filled with many archaic and dangerous creatures full of strange life. Many things did creep and crawl and did seek out the untrodden secrets of hidden recess which are now long buried beneath the deep mounds of great age. But none with mind and soul, as we think it now, yet lived to walk upon Iÿarlðma, or to measure out her expanse, or count her passing years. Those days were long, and many, and continued unabated, huge and unknown creatures stalking all the lands both near and far.

Then came the Nephýařla (the Neph, the Other Ones). They settled upon the lands, reshaping the djarńae (ground?) after their own will, planting, growing, hunting, and killing the huge creatures which then freely roamed the world. Still other creatures they tamed or remade according to their own secret intentions, so as to befriend or to belabor that creature as they best saw fit.

With them the Nephýařla brought the H’alel, the forebears and forefathers of the ancient Nephili, the mighty Tardeek. And the Neph made living souls as mates for the H’alel, and to serve them, and they mated and bore forward offspring who became the Nephili, the ancient Tardeek. And even the young Tardeek were as very large, tall, and strong Eldeven, but as they grew they became gigantic, and some became monstrous, and all of them were fearsome to behold. And the Tardeek were great and grave in battle, so that any who saw them watched in awe, and fled from them for fear of their great strength and tremendous height.




And for long ages the H’alel and the Nephili lived together, and the H’alel taught the Tardeeks many useful arts and many cunning and clever things. For the Tardeeks were monstrous and powerful, and being versed in all the H’alel taught them they could move great weights and build many terrible and wonderful monuments and could carve out mountains to build homes in which to dwell. And the H’alel were proud for a season with their offspring, and yet the H’alel were beings of craft and lore, and ever did they seek to know more craft and lore, and as time passed they grew dissatisfied with the labors of their children and grandchildren, and with the crudeness and naïf of their mates. For their mates were not as they, and were more sensual and unrefined, and more like their children, who often disdained subtlety in favor of strength and power. And the thoughts of the H’alel grew dark, and did wander far and wide throughout Iÿarlðma seeking those more like themselves for companionship. And they found none, for the Nephýařla who had brought them into Iÿarlðma had moved into the deep places of the world, and to dwellings far sundered, engaged in their own pursuits, and had left the H’alel to their own devices and pleasures. And the H’alel despaired of finding any like themselves, as mighty as themselves, or as subtle and cunning as themselves. Then in the Spring of the Morning of the faring of the Eldevens upon the earth did the Sidh arrive, and the H’alel were taken unawares.


*AŒSEI-SÎDELHI FĖLĲ
The Tareåsarmãrl of the Felidic Sîdh

Being the Great Tale of the Fate of the Sidelhi, First of the Eldevens​*
Then did the Sidelh appear, the first of the Eldeven folk, and none knew from where, or how they arose. And their appearance was as a shock, and a surprise to the Nephýařla, and to the H’alel, for the Sidh had been foreseen by neither, and neither knew from where they came. And the Sidelh themselves could not explain their lives, for they were living souls, and wise, but knew not how they came to be, or from where, or why.

For a while did the Nephýařla watch the Sidelhi from afar, as they approached the lands in which dwelt the H’alel, and the Nephili. And the Nephýařla sent secret emissaries to the Sidelh and they did converse and parley one with another, each seeking to learn what they could of the other. For the Nephýařla did not know if the Sidelhi came as enemies, or unknown strangers, and the Sidh knew nothing of the Neph, or of any of the peoples of the world. So much in word and deed did pass between them, and yet much went unsaid and unlearned, for the Sidelhi did not know from whence they arose, or how, and the Nephýařla would not say from whence they also arose, nor why. But finally, being satisfied in themselves with the nature and intent of the Sidelhi the Nephýařla returned to their own places and left the Sidh to approach that part of the world then inhabited by the H’alel, and their mates, and their children the Tardeeks.

And when the Sidh did arrive then the young Tardeeks saw the females of the Sidh and that they were very fair and pleasing to look upon. So because of the beauty of the females of the Sidelhi the Tardeeks took many of them as wives, and with some consent did the Sidh in those days betroth the Nephili (for in those days they were not foemen, but new companions one to another), and by some clever means known only to the Sidh did their women-folk bear the giants off-spring. And the offspring of the Sidelhi became the Tardeem, the Adharma. And the Adharma were, and yet still are, the half-giants, larger than the Sidh but smaller in statue and strength than their fathers, the ancient giants. And the Sidh also bore unto the Tardeeks the Gabar, the Deirae, the Great and Renown Ones, terrible in war, firm and fixed in form, and as shrewd and strong as any beast of the field. Yet the Gabar were smaller than their brethren, the Adharma Tardeem, being the same in stance and statue as their parents, the Sidelhi. But both races were also sure and powerful, like their forebears, and neither did fear any that lived. Even their own sires.

Then did the H’alel look with envy upon the Tardeem and the Gabar, for they too wished to possess the females of the Sidh for themselves, as their children did. For they reckoned the Sidelhi to be a people filled with lore and wisdom, and beauty, subtle, like themselves, and in this they did not err. And they thought well that the Sidh would make of them the companions of which they wished, and that the Sidh folk would be naturally inclined with favor towards themselves. Yet in this they were much mistaken. For the H’alel were very different from the Sidh, and although both folk were filled with cunning and craft of their own, they were alien and estranged one to another. And the female Sidh did not desire to be wives to the H’alel, and they could not produce offspring between the two. So some of the H’alel did abduct and steal away some of the Sidelhi and they did many unnatural and dark things to those Sidh they held captive, and to themselves as well in order to make them true for each other. But these things all failed and gravely frustrated the H’alel, and in their foiled lust and desire they took to rape and rapine against the Sidh. And in their anger and jealousy the H’alel forbade the Tardeeks and the Tardeem and the Gabar from taking anymore wives of the Sidh. 

In those days the H’alel had grown great, waxing to the full measure of their craft and their power, and they had taught many arts and skills to their children the Tardeeks, and the Tardeeks in their turn had taught these things to their own children and grandchildren. And the Tardeeks as well had taught their arts to the Sidelhi, and the Sidh learned much that was noble and high, but the Sidh also had secret and unknown arts of their own, and they held these arts unused and unseen. For they had envisioned from afar what was to pass, and they held their craft in cunning abeyance for the day in which their foreknowledge would bloom in blood. As it was foreseen and spoken as a watchword among them;

*Asö læbethl karavądyarcølmed urýl Sîdelhi-ryt gařthe boľgaed, Saêđr jya gűayaţr…*

Which is to say, _*“The secret arts of the Sidelhi are to be held against the day when the spear of naked war is broken by craft, and by guile…”*_


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## Wombat (Apr 22, 2009)

And let me say I would love being in your game -- it looks amazing!


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## Jack7 (Apr 23, 2009)

> And let me say I would love being in your game -- it looks amazing!




Thanks Womby. It does have the advantage of having gone on for a number of years and so the setting is at least well-developed if nothing else.


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## Jack7 (Apr 23, 2009)

*IV. The Main Parties: (Primary Player and NPC Groups)*

Being a brief description of the various parties that adventure in the setting


*The Basilegate - Legate of the Emperor:* Imperial and Orthodox Special Legate Team of the Eastern Roman Empire.

*The Caerkara - The Expeditionary Force:* An Expeditionary Team of mainly Eldeven creatures sent to Terra to study humans and human religion.

*Hoshi - The Footbridge:* A group of Orientals formed by a Shugenja Monk and sent into the West along the Silk Road to discover why the Korreupt have invaded the world.

*The Oro - Moonshadow:* A group of former African Sharpers who have formed a team to go into the Byzantine Empire, Europe and Asia Minor to explore and investigate

*Consociatio - The Society:* An association of Dragoons and their allies who seek the return of their Antipope to the Papal Chair, and who desire to destroy and murder all of the remaining Paladins, Rangers, and Cavaliers/NPC

*The Korreupt - The Twisted, The Terrible:* Those Caleedam (monsters) who have escaped Ghantik and made their way into our world/NPC

*Khomainahas - The Serpent‘s Teeth:* An international syndicate of arms and contraband smugglers, slave and human traffickers, and individual criminals/NPC

*Heires - Glyphers:* A secretive organization of individuals whose purpose is unknown but who use a strange hieroglyphic language with unknown properties/NPC


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## Jack7 (Apr 23, 2009)

*IV-A.The Party of the Basilegate* 

Below you will find the party of the Basilegate.
Rhorric of Capadocia is slightly offset because he did not originally join the group. Rather Rhorric was a Vigilante (Ranger) Sharper who had many contacts within Constantinople, the government and the military.

He discovered of the existence of the _Basilegate_ (though knew few details) through his network of informants and contacts and decided to shadow the Team for some months before finally exposing the fact that he had been serving as an unofficial watchdog and guardian for the group. Generally older, and more experienced than most other group members, he is also famous in the Frontier areas of the Empire as well as among many barbarian tribes and nations, and among the Arabs. He shadowed the Basilegate entirely at his own initiative before finally joining with the support of the Patriarch of Constantinople and recommendation of several generals in the Strategion.



*THE BASILEGATE
(The Legate of the Emperor)​*

*Vlachus* - a former Armenian missionary, who was called by the Patriarch of Constantinople to assist with the attempt to Christianize the Balkans. He attached himself to the Monastery of Myrelaion where he has served as both priest and missionary. Recommended by the Prelate of the Monastery for the Basilegate assignment. Known for his toughness and dogged determination, for his forgiving nature and his amazing success as a missionary to the East. Single, with two younger brothers, Largus, a leatherworker, and Klemis, a smith and soldier of the Armenian theme. Both parents are dead. His insignia is the Holy Star and he is of the Gold Deme.

*Luthemia Casel Venetia* - a Latin nun of Venice, sent to Constantinople as an official delegate and representative of the Pope. Widely rumored to be a Wizard, in addition to being an unofficial Cleric, and appointed to the Basilegate because of her extraordinary reputation as both a Saintly and miraculous nun and a Scientae. Single, an only child, and considered a prodigess as a youth. Her father is dead but her mother Sandra still lives. She was once married but now never speaks of her former husband and it is unknown whether he lives or is dead. Her insignia is the Cross and she is of the White (Foreign) Deme.






*Drakgarm* - a former Viking of Gotar who traveled south into the Russian lands and eventually passed through the Iron Gate into the Balkans. While nearly dead from wounds received on a raid he was rescued by Orthodox monks who healed him and converted him. Upon recovering he traveled to Constantinople where he entered the monastery of Studios and became a fighting monk for the Empire. Recommended by the Abbot of Studios for his devotion and enormous physical strength and power. He had one brother, Braedon, and one sister, Yvette, but their whereabouts are unknown. His parents are both dead. Single and childless. His insignia is the Rose and he is of the Red Deme.

*Larmaegeon* - a Welsh Bard of Caerlean in the British Isles he was trained by the High Bards of Britain, the poetic descendants of the Druids. He was converted when a young boy by Roman Christians, but continued his studies among the Bards in Wales and Ireland. He claims that his mother was Aelfish and that therefore he is Haelfla. He has one half brother, Cimmeus, who considers himself Roman and British, rather than Celtic and Welsh. Cimmeus’ father was killed in battle with the Picts and Larmaegeon was said to have been sired by an unknown person after his mother Eponia became pregnant by a stranger she refused to speak of. Very worldly and unattached he will woo women freely. His personal insignia is the Holly Leaf and he has adopted the Green Deme. Chosen for the Basilegate due to his extensive language capabilities, his diplomatic skill and his knowledge and travels in the West.






*Suegenius “The Dwarf”* - a Galatian Slav, nicknamed the Dwarf due to his small statue and tough disposition. A very hardy man, very skillful in technical matters and an excellent spy and infiltrator. Raised a Christian in Galatia by his mother Yarlas who was also small, he is unaware of who his father was as his mother would never speak of it. He is unaware of any siblings or other relations, and also unaware of any children though it is possible he may have produced children with any number of women. Immigrated to Constantinople, briefly arrested and flogged for theft, escaped, recaptured and offered freedom and pardon for service in the Basilegate. Attached to no Deme, no personal insignia.

*Klura* - sometimes called _“prav Sagae”_ due to her reputed powers of the soul, which she possessed from a very early age. She was a former Rus Barbarian who lived in the village of Kiev until traveling south with a caravan to Constantinople. While in the City she began to attend Mass and became a devout convert and briefly entered an unknown hermitage, where the hermitess there supposedly helped her refine her many gifts. Considered a witch and an outcast by her pagan sister Drexa and by her mother Rulliss, she is nevertheless loved by her father Sergei. Unmarried and childless, though she has a suitor named Theocytio, a Rhodesian sailor. Of the White Deme, her insignia is a White Rose. Chosen by her reputation for psychic gifts and her reputed ability to foresee the future.

*Marsippius Nicea* - originally from Nicea, and from a long line of distinguished and professional soldiers, he served a short time along the Western Frontiers and was then transferred to Constantinople by the Prefect of Nicea in order to honor the service of his father Marsimmius Stratus, a city Consul of Nicea and former Imperator of the Thracian Theme, and to give advancement to the son. Middle Son of a large family including; Marsimmius Duotus, a Centurion of the Thracian Legion and eldest son, Galinda, the eldest daughter, Talera, the youngest daughter, Marsippius, and Darinius an estate farmer and Senator of Adrianople. Both his father Marsimmius Stratus, and his mother, Lucia, still live. His family also consists of many famous cousins, and nephews. Married to the noblewoman Celena they currently have no children. While in the capital he impressed one of the Sub Prefects of the Strategion with his intelligence and capabilities, and was recommended for the Basilegate. Family native of the Blue Deme, his personal insignia
is the Cross.

*Edomios* - a young Paladin who had served the Mayoral line of the Pepins in the West in Barcelona, Spain. Sent East to train and to learn the ways of the Oriental Palademes of the Byzantine Empire and to act as a liaison between the Court of Charlemagne and the Court of the Emperor Nicephorus. The village in which his parents lived was overrun by the Moors and both his father Emus and his mother Chiara are now missing and presumed dead. He has three young teenage daughters; Alisa, Elena and Maria by his wife Doria, a Greek woman. His family is housed in the Venetian Quarter. Raised as a Latin Christian he has sworn his sword and service to the Church and to both Empires, East and West. Adopted the Green Deme, and his insignia is the Anchor.







*Rhorric of Capadocia* - a Vigilante’s Vigilante (Vigilante being the Latin name for a Frontier's Lawmen, or Ranger). For many years Rhorric served the Capadocian and Armenian themes as a Frontiersman, an enforcer of the law, an imperial Scout and a spy. Eschewing life in the cities, towns and villages, Rhorric grew up along the frontiers, intermingling freely with various barbarian tribes, Arab raiders, pirates and mercenaries, many of whom he secretly worked against after seeming to befriend them. His grandfather, Rhomarr, was a Palademe (a Byzantine version of a Paladin) who was eventually hunted down and ambushed by a group of Dragoons and slain after enduring horrible torture. His father, Calandus escaped with the help of his unmarried uncle, Lexemes, a Vigilante, but his father never became a Paladin or Ranger and forbade Rhorric to pursue Paladinhood or Vigilantism. After the death of his father, and his mother Rheda, Rhorric located his elderly uncle who trained him to become a Ranger and made him swear vengeance against the killers of his grandfather and against all Dragoons, but especially against the Antipaladins. Since then he has led a secret and disguised life assisting the empire, hunting criminals, and searching for the murderers of his grandfather. He has one younger brother named Critius, a merchant, and a married sister, neither of whom he has seen in years and both of whom assume he is dead. Of no Deme, but with the personal insignia of a Fish intertwined by a Serpent.


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## Jack7 (Apr 23, 2009)

*IV-Aa. Compact of the Basilegate* 

This is the compact or agreement which is signed by every character who wishes to serve in the _Basilegate_. Of course the requirements to be chosen are rigorous (they were looser in the beginning but became more standardized and more selective over time) and one cannot just join, one must be both sponsored and invited since the very existence of the group is unknown to most people, including most high representatives of the government, military, and church. No one, even the Team Members themselves are absolutely certain who knows of their existence and who does not, and whereas many people know of the group's existence as a Diplomatic Team, this is merely a cover for their far more secretive and covert activities.

There is no such Compact or agreement undertaken by members of other teams though the Hoshi has an oral agreement, the Oro does as well, and the Caerkara has a legal agreement but nothing really similar to the Compact, which details duties, careers, obligations, rewards, and future potential advancements.





*Compact Of The Basilegate*

_By authority of the Emperor Nikephorus, Basileus of New Rome and the Roman Empire, it has been ordered that the Strategion, War Academy of Constantinople, create an official legation known as the Basilegate, the Imperial Legate, to be constituted in the year 805 Anno Domini.

This legation shall be charged with those official duties expressly demanded by Emperor Nicephorus and his representatives. These duties shall include, but are not limited to the following services; Work against the enemies of the empire, internal and external, the suppression of enemy raids and pirating activities, land and seas, the securing of lawless areas and the capture or elimination of criminals, action as official enquirers, action as emissaries and diplomats and as representatives of the Empire and King, and to render whatever other services are deemed fit and necessary by the Empire. That this legation shall swear allegiance to the Emperor and his servants and representatives and shall swear allegiance to the Church in order to serve the Empire as needed.

This legation shall by law and structure be attached to the Strategion and shall receive their orders from the War Academy and from those representatives of the Emperor placed in command of the legation. 

The legation shall be initially equipped at Imperial expense, which shall provide arms and armor, and tack, tackle, and gear for their provision. All additional gear and equipment will be provided from War Franchise at reduced cost, as well as reduced cost for training and what additional supplies are as required for the execution of official duties. In addition such travel expenses as are accrued, either by land or by sea shall be compensated as long as those expenses are acquired by conduct of official assignment. Furthermore all additional expenses shall likewise be compensated, whether of travel or of board or equipment or supplies or of food and the legation shall be housed at imperial expense whenever they are stationed in Constantinople.

Whatever additional rewards accrue to the legation shall be theirs to keep and dispense with as they see fit, but the legation shall not be empowered to collect fees or levy taxes in the name of Empire, Emperor, or Church. They shall not levy taxes or fees of any kind while executing official duties but may keep rewards and payments they receive for additional services in the name of the empire as long as such additional services do not detract from or conflict with their primary duties and services.

This legation shall travel and execute their duties with the full approval and official support of Empire and Church, but shall remain a secret legation, unknown to the general populace and civil and military authorities, with the exception of those individuals and authorities who need to be aware of the nature of the legation. The legation will travel as needed in disguise. The legation shall be free to act as necessary to execute their duties and are fully empowered to take whatever actions necessary to execute their duties as long as such actions do not imperil the sacred honor of Emperor, Empire or Christian sanctity.

In reward of six years of honorable service this legation and all of the individuals of this legation shall receive in compensation; farm lands of their own in Anatolia, severance pay upon termination, and their farm lands shall be free from annual land taxes, in perpetua. In addition if the members of this legation shall further continue their service beyond the term of their six years either as a renewed legate, or in order to train their successors, or to teach at War Academy or University then they shall also receive; a small estate built upon their granted farm lands, shall be empowered to levy taxes for the Imperial Theme which they inhabit, and shall be granted a seat with the Emperor in Constantinople during Communions performed on High Holy Days. The enumerations of this contract shall constitute the entirety of the duties and compensations respected by all members of this legation and their superiors and their Emperor. 
_

*End of Compact*


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## Jack7 (Apr 23, 2009)

*IV-B. The Consociatio *

*The Consociatio*, or _Society_, is a group of NPCs who operate throughout Western Europe, North Africa, the Near and Middle East, and parts of the Byzantine Empire. Formed by the _Dragoons_, and composed mostly of Dragoons or their Agents, the Consociatio has several goals: 1. To hunt down and murder any possible surviving Cavaliers, 2. To hunt down and kill all descendants of the Cavaliers, such as the Paladins, Palademes, Rangers and Vigilantes, 3. To increase their own power and wealth, especially political power 4. To destroy the current Pope and to establish their own Anti-Pope in the Papacy, 5. To enlist every ally possible in the pursuit of their other goals, including if necessary dealing with the Caleedam.

The Society is vicious, murderous, ruthless, cunning, treacherous, conspiratorial, and are expert saboteurs. They see the Paladins and Rangers as their chief adversaries in achieving their goals. In addition most of the members of the Society believe themselves to be righteous in their cause, therefore they are fanatical in the pursuit of their goals. The Society is the chief nemesis of the Basilegate and seeks to eliminate the Legate by any means necessary.


*CONSOCIATIO
(The Society)*​

*Leticus Cambrius Antipaladus* - an Ebone Dragoon whose family was wiped out during a Germanic raid into Northern Italy, he was the only member of his family to escape the massacre. He was taken in by an Italian nobleman at Ravenna who was secretly of the Dragoon order. Raising the boy as his own and renaming him he enrolled him under the tutelage of a famous black Dragoon who gave him the nickname Antipaladus after he killed his first Paladin by ambush at the age of thirteen. Since that time Leticus has become a devoted, almost fanatical slayer of Paladins, mainly by treachery.

*Seth ben Hamar* - an Hellenic Jew and thief from Alexandria, his background is secretive. He seems to hire out his services in a mercenary manner to the highest bidder. He has been in the employ of Leticus for nearly six years. Many also suspect him to be an assassin.

*Semius* - a Latin Argent Dragoon, Semius is older and more experienced than anyone else in his party, having lived through two wars, several battles and numerous raids. Since the Dragoons are no longer an official or sanctioned group under the pope he has served his masters by infiltration of various military units where he has acted as both a spy and an agent of sedition.

*Cedred* - a Spanish Negro and former friend of Edomios, who helped free him from slavery, Cedred is also a secret member of the Hispanic clan of the Crimson Dragoons, for whom he has been employed since his first year of freedom. Cedred sees the Dragoons as a method of assuring his freedom for the rest of his life, and fears to detach himself from their service.

*Austranul* - a young Emerald Dragoon whose distant ancestor, Stranius, helped to establish the original contingent of Dragoons in Rome and who helped to persecute the original Cavaliers. Austranul is determined to make a reputation among his masters as a vicious and ruthless hunter of all of the offspring of the Cavaliers. He most desires to hunt down any direct descendants of the Cavaliers, as he still believes that the Cavaliers exist as a secretive group in exile somewhere in Byzantium or in the Balkans.

*Galtostelain* - with Christianity under Charlemagne threatening to convert or tame most all of the Germanic tribes and the descendants of the Celts, Galtostelain, a Germano-Frank who considers himself one of the last of the Druids, hopes to both take vengeance on the Christians and most especially the Paladins, and to follow the ancient migration of the Celts to Galatia. Once in Galatia he hopes to lead a new pagan rebirth of Druidism and desires to raise an army to return to the West and crush Charlemagne and the Latin Church.

*Mucheria* - an Italian Stregas (_Witch_) known for her great beauty and cunning, as well as her Ilurgic skill, she has sworn vengeance against all holy men of the Church. While still a small girl she was abducted and violently raped by a traveling heretical monk who eventually tired of her and abandoned her, believing he had strangled her to death. She survived and vowed vengeance. Eventually she located an old pagan witch to teach her Ilcraft and has used her charms to lure many monks and priests into her bed where she has then used magic to kill them and disgrace their parish. She eventually left Italy and briefly became the lover of Seth ben Hamar in North Africa before going to work for Leticus.




*Cargis and Tellos* - two Macedonian brothers and highwaymen, taught to murder and steal by their father and uncles. They have lived most of their short lives as Barbarian mercenaries and robbers and have gained a vicious reputation for torture, rape, and murder.




*Iodamas *- not attached to any particular party this strange creature (who some believe to be a monster form the other world) nevertheless despises Christian clerics and their soldier champions, the Paladins. Said to be the offspring of a woman who was raped and carried away by a hideous and vile, but extremely cunning monster or spirit, she often wanders deserted cliff areas or wilderness caves where she lures men to death with her song and illusions. She is said to be able to use her formidable powers of soul to appear as a ravenously beautiful woman or handsome man until a person is close enough to look into her eyes, and then the person realizes he is looking into the misshapen face of a horrid, daemonic countenance with hair and mouth covered by the tentacles of a sea creature. Some swear that she is none other than the half-sister of the ancient Greek goddess Athena (Iodamas having been born of a strange, vein-laced great stone that Zeus cast away from himself and shattered in agony as Athena sprang from his forehead), and that she was (re)turned to stone when she accidentally saw the head of the Gorgon, Medusa. But that Athena begged Zeus to bring her back to life, and that when he refused Athena went to Plutus who did resurrect her, but only as a hideous monster who could mimic the illusion of her former beauty, not as her real self. Because of this, or perhaps because of the fact that she is said to engorge herself on the flesh and blood of her victims while they still live, eating the hapless soul alive, she is called “the Gorge” by those who know of her.


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## Jack7 (Apr 23, 2009)

*IV-Bb. Political and Organizational History of the Cavaliers, Paladins, Rangers and the Dragoons *


_Being a brief and basic political and organizational history of the Cavaliers, Paladins, Rangers. and Dragoons and a basic Organizational description of Dragoon Commands, Motivations, and Goals._


*General Information/Basic History:* The Cavaliers, Originally _*the Cohort of Holy Cavaliers*_ was formed as a special guard for Pope Boniface I, the Pontiff of Rome in the year 419 AD. The Cavaliers served faithfully and were recruited from famous horsemen and officers drawn from the various provinces of the Roman Empire. 




The Cavaliers were allowed to secretly exist by the emperors, who on occasion also employed them as personal guards or as special agents for various military, political, diplomatic and espionage missions. In time they came to be seen as a very powerful organization and elite military force in their own right. Many began to fear them, especially in the halls of civil government where the Imperial Guards considered the Cavaliers as a threat and a dangerous competition. 




Eventually in the year 498 AD the Emperor Anastasius turned a blind eye to events in Rome as the Imperial Guards, some seditious prelates and the governor of Rome set up their own anti-Pope, Laurentius. This new pope threatened the existing pope Saint Symmachus, whose successor upon Symmachus' death was forced to flee first to Sicily and then eventually into Gaul. Some of the most loyal Cavaliers then at Rome also fled with the newly elected but unordained pope Palladius (after whom the Paladins are named) as he left the city. Many others were arrested in secret by the Imperial Guards at night and executed. Some of the leaders of the Grand Cohort, as the Cavaliers were popularly known escaped initial arrest when the Italian Garrison refused to detain them, and fled the city accompanied by the remains of the Theban Legion (Thundering Legion) who had survived the pagan revival massacre and had continued to exist as an underground organization in service to the pope. Those who fled took ship and made their way first to North Africa and eventually east coming to Alexandria and then to the eastern Capital at Constantinople. Those Cavaliers serving along the frontiers, after hearing of the dissolution of their order and of the fate of their comrades deserted their ranks and melded into the local population or joined mercenary patrols under false names and backgrounds. The anti-Pope then formed his own personal guard of hand-selected Imperial soldiers as well as deserters and traitors from the ranks of the Cavaliers who were eventually to become known as the Dragoons. These Dragoons acted as a virtual Praetorian guard for the anti-Pope Laurentius and for several anti-popes to follow.

*Goals & Ideals of the Dragoons:* The annihilation of the Cavaliers and the destruction of any organization which might be considered a splinter group of the Cavaliers, such as the Paladins of the West, the Palademes of the Eastern Roman Empire, the Rangers of the West and the Vigilantes of the Eastern Empire. They also intend to depose the current Pope and install their own Anti-Pope. The basic history of the group is as detailed above, and their origin as a result of the Cavalier Purge is well known in educated political, military and church officiate circles, and among some few in the higher social classes. The more secretive history, as detailed in the _Inner Workings_ section below is far less well known and is a closely guarded secret known by few. The Dragoons of all ranks and commands are a very secretive group, go to great lengths to hide their activities and have also gone to great lengths to make it appear as if their group has disbanded or simply faded out of existence in the past 100 years or so. Many of the Paladins and Rangers they hunt to death are not even aware of their existence until they are ambushed, poisoned, captured, tortured, or murdered. The Dragoons are less active in the East, being more numerous and driven in the West but do also occasionally send hunting parties into the Eastern Empire and even as far East as the Middle East and Persia. No matter where they operate their goals are the same. 

The Dragoons have also spawned much smaller tactical operation teams and parties such as the _Consociatio_ and often work in partnership with barbarian kings and even with organized crime syndicates such as the *Keishon* (_the Black Hand_) and with pirates and brigands. They tend to support their activities secretly with an underground financial organization of minor nobles, corrupt military and civil officials, and by engaging in various criminal activities, such as arms smuggling, tax interception and theft, and kidnapping/ransom/extortion operations. 

Despite the vicious reputation of the order and despite the fact that by most every objective standard the group is indeed inclined towards evil and self-promotion the members of the Dragoons consider themselves completely justified in their actions and actually think of themselves as working for the good. They consider their Anti-Pope to be an ideal leader and they consider the eradication of the Paladins and Rangers to be a Holy Objective and Divine Purpose. 

*Leadership:* The top ranks of the leadership of the Dragoons remains a secret and is unknown to any except the leaders themselves. Every rank has a leader as does every overall Command. These leaders also operate in secret with assignments and missions being passed down from higher level operatives and leaders through a secretive transmission and code/messenger system. On the local level the Dragoons are divided into small tactical commands which undertake missions, hunt Cavaliers and their descendants, steal tax monies, engage in criminal activities, smuggle weapons, corrupt and bribe officials and surveil any target of interest. The name of the current Antipope is unknown, as his identity is an enigma, however it is believed by some he may be a high church official stationed either at Rome or in Ravenna. 

The names of the leaders of certain splinter groups, such as the _Consociatio_ are known (his name is Leticus Cambrius) and such people and groups are even famous and well respected, however nothing is known about the shadowy and covert activities of these groups and men. The Consociatio is publicly known but is not known to have any ties to the Dragoons and the Dragoons intend that all such aligned groups are fronts for other activities and that their true intentions remain secretive and hidden.

*Inner Workings:* The antipope and the Imperator (Supreme General) of the Imperial Praetorian Guards for the Western emperors were unsatisfied with the initial purge of the ranks of the Cavaliers. Fearing that the survivors who had escorted the pope into exile and that those who had escaped to Africa would rise again to power and take revenge decided upon a hunting pogrom to fully eradicate any surviving Cavaliers and their families and associates. They also intended to capture and imprison the deposed pope. Those Imperial Guards who had best known the habits, training, and numbers of the Cavaliers, along with Cavaliers who had been tortured and disaffected from the pope’s service were formed into a new unit, officially known as the Cavaleem, whose public duty was to apprehend and arrest the outlawed Cavaliers. However their real duties were to hunt down and kill the remaining Cavaliers, as well as kill their families and seize any possessions they might have as tribute, and to capture and imprison the pope in exile. 




The most powerful arm of the Cavaleem were organized at a secret training base in Hispania where they divided themselves into special units devoted to particular kinds of work and assignments. These Cavaleem, who called themselves the Dragoons were to become the most famous of all Cavaleem and eventually, would give their name to all Cavaleem, as the popular name for the Cavaleem soon became the Dragoons.

The Dragoons divided themselves into four Commands; 1) *the Emeralds*, who served as political police for the emperors and various other high officials in the civil government, and as Special Bodyguards for the antipope, 2) _*the Crimson*_ which served as city detachments of political and civil police, both at Rome and in frontier cities, 3) _*the Argent*_ who were a unit assigned to the regular legions as officers and informers to keep the civil authorities and the emperors informed of possible intrigue or insurrection, and 4) _*the Ebone*_, who served as special forces agents, usually operating alone or in small detachments. The Ebone Command were the most well trained unit of soldiers in the secret Cavaleem force, being experts at weapons, horsemanship, tracking and hunting, and unarmed combat. Often they were also trained as assassins proficient at killing men in secret, and in the uses of poison. The Ebone unit was the detachment assigned with the hunting down of and the eradication of the escaped or exiled Cavaliers. Because of their dedication in fulfilling this assignment the Ebone were also called the Cavacaedere, the Cavalier Killers, but they earned their most famous nickname later because of the enmity that developed between themselves and the Paladins. They became most popularly known as the AntiPaladins. After the official line of popes were restored some AntiPaladins, especially the Ebone agents, began to sell their services to others who wished to seize the papal seat and become new antipopes, or to those who wished to seize Imperial crowns or foment rebellions among the barbarians. Some even went to hire for the Arabs, Muslims, Persians, and others in the Orient where their reputations for ruthlessness and for espionage and insurrection were unmatched. A secret core of Dragoons remained in the Western Empire however, operating from Sicily, Hispania, North Africa, and Ravenna, determined to forever eradicate any remains of the Cavaliers and their descendants and to reestablishing an antipope favorable to themselves so that they might rise again to power in the West. 

Those Cavaliers who escaped into exile with the pope would eventually form the basis of the Paladins of the Holy Roman Empire of Charles Martel (The Hammer) and eventually of Charlemagne in the West. Those Cavaliers who escaped to Africa and eventually to the east became the champions of the Eastern Church, the Palademes and War Monks of the Orient. Those frontiers Cavaliers who had deserted their post or who had become mercenaries also became very famous, especially in the Eastern Empire, as the legendary Rangers. The Rangers were often employed by the Eastern Empire and by the emperor as frontiers’ sheriffs, spies, infiltrators, bounty hunters, anti-insurgent operatives, and anti-raiding outpost defenders. Whereas the Paladins gained great public prestige and eventual political power as the servants of the church and the defenders of the civil order, the Rangers, because of their background, preferred to operate alone or in small groups and often in secret and/or in disguise. The Paladins became the new public face of the Cavaliers and were considered the champions of public law and the authorities and of urban life, while the Rangers became the heroes of the poor and the oppressed along the frontiers, the defenders of the land, and the champions of private justice. Eventually the Rangers in the East would take on a new title, the Vigilantes, and would keep law where no official law existed and the hand of no army could reach. 

Whereas the AntiPaladins became almost fanatical in their hatred of and hunting of the Paladins, because they greatly feared the rising political and civil power of the Paladins, the Rangers never forgot the original purge of the Cavaliers and held a fierce and secret hatred for the Dragoons, of all commands, but especially against the Ebone Dragoons. So while the AntiPaladins covertly hunted the Cavalier survivors and the Paladins, the Rangers and Vigilantes, with their own secret plans, hunted the AntiPaladins.


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## Jack7 (Apr 24, 2009)

*IV-C. The Hoshi *

When the invasions into our world from the other world began to occur several mystics and monks in the Orient began to have strange dreams and visions, sometimes while sleeping and sometimes while meditating. Some monsters from the other world appeared in China, Chosen, and Japan, though most wise men believed the invasions to be migrations from the West. Following the monsters were new plagues, natural disruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, and violent storms. Eventually the situation was considered so urgent that an expeditionary party was sent from the East into the West to try and ascertain what might be happening. The party formed to investigate was called the Hoshi. 

The Hoshi party is divided into two groups, _the Eastern Hoshi_, which starts out in the Far East, and _the Middle Hoshi_, which picks up new members as the Hoshi party moves West into India, Afghanistan, Persia, the Middle East, and eventually into the Byzantine Empire.

_*The Eastern Hoshi *_consists of: a Shoensa, a Shugenja Monk, a Shaolin Monk, a Taoist Priest, a Tang Xia, and a Bon/Mantrikai (Shaman/Witch Hunter).

_*The Middle Hoshi*_ consists of: a Yogin, a Hindu Kshatriya, a Persian Zot (Zoroastrian Priest), and a Sufi Mystic.

Both Hoshi parties are posted below. 



*THE HOSHI
(The Footbridge)​*
*THE EASTERN HOSHI*

*Namamitu* - Traveling to China from Japan with a delegation lead by the Bhiksu Kukai, the Japanese Shoensa Namamitu is chosen by Kukai to accompany the newly formed party of the Hoshi into the West, to discover the source of the strange visions and dreams simultaneously seen by Kukai, Saicho and the Shugenja High Priest Shun Lo Tzu. Namamitu escaped from the court of the Lord Kaida as a young boy after having been falsely accused of spying for another Lord, and lived for several years off the land as a wandering robber and laborer before being accepted as a groundskeeper for the Shrine of Tamo. Kukai, having seen the young man and glimpsing his potential had him transferred to the court at Nara where he was instructed in the new legal reforms as a Shoensa. Namamitu was then returned to Kukai to serve as his personal bodyguard and attendant. Assigned by Kukai to travel west with the Hoshi to provide an armed escort for the monk Sentoku Asamura.

*Sentoku Asamura* - A Shugenja Monk assigned by Saicho to accompany him to China to study Chinese Buddhist scriptures. His two brothers died in the two ships that foundered on the trip from Japan to the mainland. Seen by many as Saicho’s most loyal attendant and most faithful friend, when the visions and rumors begin about monsters invading the World from the West Sentoku Asamura is asked to lead the secret Hoshi expedition into the West to find out what might be the cause for the invasions. Reluctant to leave his master Saicho and anxious to stay in the Orient he nonetheless consents to be the overall spiritual leader of the party and to go West as far as is necessary to determine the cause of the invasions. Known as particularly powerful spiritually and magically he is reputed to be able to speak with animals and to understand what they think and know. 




*Han Shu* - As a young boy Han Shu lived near the Eastern Trade routes for the Silk Road. He spent many hours among Greek traders from the West and became fascinated by their culture and their peculiar religion. Eventually he learned the Greek language and spent many hours reading any material he could locate in Greek, including Christian scriptures. As he aged he applied for and was accepted into a Shaolin monastery as a Monk where he quickly gained a reputation as a brilliant linguist and scholar, as well being very good at hand to hand combat. He learned to speak several Chinese dialects, and learned to read Hindu scriptures in Sanskrit, as well as to read and speak both Japanese and Greek, among other languages. When his master Po learns from his friend Shun Lo Tzu of the party to be sent West he recommends Han Shu as a translator. Han is anxious and eager to accompany the Hoshi into the West, wanting both the see India as the birthplace of Buddhism, and because he knows that the original Buddhist missionary efforts went West instead of East, which only increases his curiosity to see the West. He hopes eventually to travel as far West as Greece and to meet Christians he has read about in Greek stories.

*Dama* - An older man when he decided to give up court life in Vietnam and move into China, he became attached to an old hermit and shortly thereafter himself became a Taoist Priest. For many years afterwards he remained the devoted disciple of his hermit-master and after his master’s death he rejected his given name of To-bah and took the new name Dama. Dama wandered from place to place living off alms and begging as if a monk, but occasionally he would offer priestly assistance to any whom might obviously need it. He never provided assistance if asked to however; he would only spontaneously volunteer assistance. Gaining a reputation as a sort of people’s champion, and as an old sage, he was also said to have strange visions and would often sit in meditation for days unmoving. At the age of nearly fifty he wandered into the presence of Shun Lo Tzu, announced he knew all about the mission of the Hoshi party and demanded to be allowed to accompany the party. Lo Tzu consented without debate and Dama joined the group becoming an instant friend and mentor to Han Shu. 

*Wu Lee* - The middle son of a famous Chinese military hero Wu Lee distinguished himself only by his reputation as a womanizer and as a drunkard. Often in trouble with both his family and his superiors he was considered reckless, a ne’er do well, and a braggart. Sent to the capital to study under a famous sword master and weapon smith he was nearly killed when he fell from his horse in a riding accident, which left him mildly paralyzed in his left leg. At first he seemed completely paralyzed but after months of convalescence, he recovered. Suddenly serious he became the most devoted and favored pupil of his master and after returning to arms he gained a new reputation as both a fanatical fighter and an honorable and heroic champion at war, being honored with the new title, Tang Xia. Considered handsome by women, he is nevertheless very self-conscious about his lameness of movement. Impressing his father, however, with his new studiousness he was sent to study for one summer at the Sho Lee temple where he was so impressive at self-discipline that he was sent onwards to the Shugenja. Recommended for the Hoshi party by Lo Tzu’s master of discipline, Hong. 




*Sumisara* - Sumisara’s father was a wandering Bon shaman, reputedly from Tibet, and her mother was a minor Korean courtesan. Sumisara began to display unusual powers when very young which were nurtured by her father who taught her both Shamanic arts and to be a Mantrikai, a Witch Hunter. While still young her father wandered away into the forest and never returned, Sumisara and her mother uncertain if he was killed, lost or had simply abandoned them. Because Sumisara knew that her father was a shaman and witch hunter she refused to believe he had simply abandoned the family. As Sumisara grew she impressed local officials with her skill at poetry, some of which was often bizarre, and for her ability to tell other people very accurate details about their long dead ancestors. She gained the title Winter Blossom Maiden for her strange abilities and poetic skill. Possessing very unusual and striking features she also gained a reputation for physical beauty. After becoming an adult she went into China to look for any trace of her father. While in the capital she learned of an expedition headed West, which needed servants, cooks and porters for the supply train. She applied for and was accepted as a cook and porter for Dama, but secretly she is in search of her father, who once predicted that strange beasts and creatures would come from the West and that he would have to go and meet these creatures because some of them would be dangerous Witches and Demons. So Sumisara acts as a cook and servant while leading a secret life in search of her father, and while acting covertly as party Shaman and Mantrikai for the people she accompanies.


*THE MIDDLE HOSHI*

*Paravasi* - Considered a great sage and spiritual leader in addition to being a Yogi, Paravasi was raised to be a Brahmin but decided to forgo family precedent in order to become an aescetic and practice Raja Yoga. At the age of fourteen he retreated into the local forest and found a Yogin under whom he could study and learn. Years into his practice Paravasi began to exhibit strange powers that his guru told him to suppress as being a distraction in the pursuit of Samsara. Paravasi could not suppress these abilities however and one night while in meditation he had a vision of a Deva who visited him and told him that he was to use his Yogic powers in the future for a great mission to the West. Paravasi continued to try to suppress manifestations of his abilities and to hide them from his guru but as time passed he continued to fail to do so, and the vision of the Deva continued to recur. His guru finally told him he had to leave and seek out the reason for his strange powers and the source of his visions. Moving north he studied ever more deeply, at this time from written works and scriptures rather than under the guidance of a guru. Hearing of a strange desert monastery along the Silk Road he decided to head into the desert. While bathing along the headwaters of the Indus River in Hindu Kush Paravasi happened upon the Eastern Hoshi and was able to converse with Han Shu in the Sanskrit language. Discovering the destination of the party and that they have come West in search of supernatural events Paravasi abandons his idea of visiting the Silk Road monastery and instead joins the party in hopes of discovering the purpose of his own visions.




*Sraddnayar* - Raised in the Warrior Caste the Kshatriya, Sraddnayar served with distinction in parts of Northern and Western India. Often employed on diplomatic missions due to his loyalty and intelligence he began to desire more and more solitude as he aged. By his twenties Sraddnayar had gained a reputation of service which included the ability to operate alone, and in difficult conditions far from support and far from shelter. Eventually he gained a reputation as an outpost runner, serving as a lone messenger between posts scattered from each other by great distance. The more dangerous the assignment or position the more enjoyable Sraddnayar found the work and in time he began to operate as a scout into distant and foreign lands; Nepal, Sri Lanka, north as far as Tashkent, and west as far as the Persian-Afghan border. Into almost every land he traveled he learned the local languages, at least well enough to communicate with the natives, and could soon speak Pali, various Indian dialects, Afghani, Persian and various tribal tongues. He worships Vishnu and considers himself a lone defender of the helpless, especially against criminals and highwaymen. By his thirtieth year Sraddnayar gave up his official caste position, becoming a wandering warrior, and turned East deciding to explore in that direction as far as he could possibly reach. Turning north around Tibet he made it as far as Lop Nur where he was attacked at night by a strange and vicious creature, which almost killed him, leaving him all but mortally wounded. Greek merchants following the Silk Road west discovered his body and rescued him from death. Three weeks later the Greek merchants sold the still recovering Sraddnayar to the party of the Hoshi who desire an Indian guide to help them with their progress through unknown lands.




*Namahra* - As a young boy Namahra was raised among a nomadic tribe in Persia. Every night his tribe would build a huge bonfire for purposes of warmth, with which to cook and for religious fire ceremonies. Often the tribe would linger in mountainous areas, where Namahra would explore what by even that time were ancient ruins left by the original Zoroastrians. One night while exploring by himself in these ruins the boy fell into a pit, which led him into an underground area, which had obviously been sealed for some time. Severely injured with a badly broken shoulder and elbow the boy could not escape and fell into a stupor. Namahra’s family searched for him for two days but finding no trace of him they eventually abandoned the search assuming he had been killed by mountain lions. On the third day he was discovered by an heretical Christian hermit from Syria named Prolistus who lived in the ruins and had moved east into Persia where he had discovered an unknown sect of fire worshippers. The hermit rescued Namahra and raised the boy as his own son, teaching him both the Nestorian Christian heresy and how to perform the rituals of the Zoroastrian religion, making him a Zot Priest. After the death of Prolistus Namahra cremated his stepfather’s body and began to travel from ruin site to ruin site in Persia seeking answers about his past, his lost family and about the secrets of both Christianity and Zoroastrianism. Eventually while exploring ruins near Mount Ararat Namahra met the Sufi Mystic Dab-al ar Zaid who was himself traveling north from Baghdad and was also in search of ancient secrets. Forming a strong bond of friendship the two eventually traveled to Persepolis in search of ancient manuscripts and ruins to help them with their various endeavors. It was at Persepolis that the two friends encountered and joined the party of the Hoshi.




*Dab-al ar Zaid* - Dab-al ar Zaid was born Said Massa, a peasant boy from a small family of carpenter craftsmen. Firstborn, and well loved among his family, he gained a personal reputation as a precocious lad, extremely intelligent and inquisitive. Possessing enormous mechanical skill he also soon gained a popular reputation as an inventor, able to create small devices and mechanical contrivances that earned him a certain degree of wealth. As a young man, and pooling the money he had made from inventing he was able to become a moneylender and became even wealthier. Known as a scrupulous and fair man, by his mid-thirties he was able to purchase a merchant caravan and was able to profit immensely from trade along the Silk Road, trade with India and trade with the Byzantine Empire. Eventually moving to Baghdad he helped use his money to establish a large library and center of learning. Hearing of Wise Men named Sufi he went to meet one, a certain Bali-al Gwazi and started studying under him. Soon Said became a very serious mystic himself and received the new name Dab-al ar Zaid, or Dabal as he is called for short. Hearing many fantastic stories of the past from his master Bali, Dabal soon began to finance missions of exploration, hiring special agents to accompany his caravans wherever they went. After having had delivered to him several artifacts from various parts of the world Dabal decided to undertake his own personal missions of exploration. Learning over time that it is often easier to penetrate foreign lands alone, and dressed as a beggar in disguise, Dabal came to travel alone, gaining the nickname, Beggar of God. On one personal mission near Mount Ararat Dabal met the priest Namahra and the two became fast friends due to common interests. By the age of forty Dabal found himself in the city of Persepolis where he encountered and joined the party from the Far East, the Hoshi.


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## Wombat (Apr 24, 2009)

Just want to give this a friendly bump


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## Jack7 (Apr 24, 2009)

Thanks. I'm gonna keep working on this as I can. Right now I'm slowing down a little to recover from a back and side injury, and if I feel up to it I'm gonna ride out to the lake and do a little fishing.

But I'll keep posting here, bit by bit.

See ya.


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## SteveC (Apr 24, 2009)

Jack,
Fantastic stuff...I really like this. Pretty much any time someone starts with Yeats, I'm hooked. My only thing to add is that whenever I read that piece by Yeats, I always think of Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold. I like this part from "Stanzas from the Grande Chartreuse":

Wandering between two worlds, one dead
The other powerless to be born,
With nowhere yet to rest my head
Like these, on earth I wait forlorn.

Ah, the lit major in me raises a glass to ya! Should you ever find yourself in the Wisconsin area, I'd love to take a stab at this game.

--Steve


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## Jack7 (Apr 25, 2009)

> whenever I read that piece by Yeats, I always think of Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold. I like this part from "Stanzas from the Grande Chartreuse":
> 
> Wandering between two worlds, one dead
> The other powerless to be born,
> ...





I know what you mean Steve. Something has gone out of poetry in the past fifty years or so. Something vital and meaningful. I'd like to see it return.

I think it's because so many modern poets are so self-absorbed and consumed with _"little worlds" and "little things."_

Funny you should mention two worlds though in the lines you quote. 
It fits.


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## Jack7 (Apr 25, 2009)

*IV-D. The Oro *

*The Oro*, or _Moonshadow_, is a group of African Sharpers (I’ll explain that in a later posting) who originated in Eastern and Northern Africa, mainly, and then migrated north into the Byzantine Empire eventually landing in Constantinople, becoming allies and friends of the _Basilegate_. Though they tend to frequent places like Syria, the Holy Land, and Egypt more frequently, and they usually operate out of Alexandria (one of my very favorite ancient cities). 

Some of my players thought it would be interesting to play some African characters and since I had recently been involved in historical research regarding the Cushites and the Ethiopians I thought it a pretty good idea. Plus I wanted to help develop some characters other than the typical Western Caucasoid (though I reckon the Eastern Romans and Greeks are not the typical D&D type characters either) and some characters that would be unusual in other ways. This is a small party though they are all Sharpers which gives them a natural advantage when either adventuring as a group or operating alone. They all make good spies. Addo is sort of a shamanic African witch-doctor with strange psychic abilities and it is interesting to watch him being played. Erasto is one of my very favorite characters (for me to watch being played, and I helped write his background – then again I helped write the background of Marsippius as well and I really like Marsippius too – unfortunately Marsippius was gravely wounded on more than one occasion which led him to eventually being killed in action) in the game.  

Below you will find the four initial members of the Team. Previous to forming into a party or unit they were all individual Sharpers in one way or another. 



*THE ORO
(Moonshadow)*




*Addo *- born and raised among the tribes of Ghana it was noticed early among family members that the name Addo fit well with the boy’s personality and his desire to travel. Often family or friends would discover Addo as a small boy out late at night, wandering by himself, sneaking off from the village or silently stalking animals that he loved to track and follow, but would not kill. Even from a young age the boy refused to eat any kind of meat, saying it was still inhabited by the spirit of the dead animal and he absolutely refused to touch or drink blood. At the age of seven Addo began to have strange visions, often seeing spirits or ghosts floating in the air at night, and he would speak of these experiences to his friends who would often flee in fear. At the age of ten Addo fell gravely ill, from no known cause and lay comatose for nearly six days, unable to eat, drink or move. He could not be forced to eat but his mother poured water down his throat every few hours. On the evening of the sixth day of the coma a strange old man appeared and roused Addo, then asked his parent’s permission to train the boy as a Shaman, saying the boy had called to him while sick. After three days of recovery, and debate with his parents, Addo was allowed to go live in the mountains to the north in order to train with the old man. The old man, Chewe, trained Addo in how to hunt, live off the land, see and speak with spirits, how to steal, how to track, how to speak to men and how to be a powerful Shaman. On the day after Addo’s sixteenth birthday Chewe died, and after burying his teacher under a tree Addo lived alone for four days. On the fifth day he had a dream that instead of returning home that he should head east towards unknown lands. Eventually Addo reached Karnak and there he joined the Moonshadow.




*Erasto Qwara* - born in Axum, the third of six children, Erasto grew up following his family tradition of soldiering. At fifteen he became a Christian Soldier and rose quickly through the ranks, so that local officials were soon sending him as an escort and emissary to foreign lands, such as to the courts at Egypt. Smart, driven, and self-educated Erasto learned six African tongues and was soon able to read and write Koptic, Greek and Latin as well. Because of his linguistic skills and general education by the age of nineteen Erasto was made commander of a unit formed to escort diplomatic missions throughout the Nubian kingdoms, along the coast of east Africa, into the tribute states of the Arabian Peninsula, into the Near East, and also into Egypt. The farther afield Erasto roamed the more types of people he encountered and he soon discovered that he loved to mix freely with people of different nations and races. Developing a personal interest in trade Erasto also was soon gaining experience as a trade representative in addition to his diplomatic and military skills. Born into a devout Christian family Erasto nevertheless had no interest at all in religious matters until traveling in Egypt he discovered an early copy of some of the works of the Philokalia written in Koptic. Reading it eagerly Erasto became a devout Christian and returning to Axum began to study under Aksumite Christian Masters. Erasto remained a soldier but also developed a strong interest in interpreting scriptures from a Monophysitic point of view, and became such a skillful writer, fluent interpreter, and powerful debater on Christian doctrine that he soon earned the nickname, Qwara, the Cushite Christian. At the age of 25 Erasto was assigned to escort a trade and diplomatic mission to the Byzantine Empire by way of Egypt and the Mediterranean. At sea his ship, along with several others, was attacked by Sicilian pirates and many on his ship were killed. Erasto was severely injured in combat and had to return to Egypt, where as a result of his injuries he was retired, but allowed to retain the rank of Commander as a Christian Soldier. While recovering in Egypt he studied with Kopts in Alexandria to become a Christian Cleric and within two years was ordained. After ordination he was returning to Axum but stopped at Karnak where he met Addo and the other members of the Moonshadow. 




*Guedado* - born of an unwed mother, there were strange rumors surrounding the birth of Guedado. It is said that she was raped by a strange man, slim and tall, very muscular who had jet-black skin, white eyes, and strange, straight long hair. Some believe that the father of Guedado was a malevolent ghost. In addition the boy was born with a withered and malformed right hand, which meant that as he grew he had to use his left hand for nearly every action. Because of these bizarre circumstances few people would associate with the child, or even his mother Sali, and so she named the boy Guedado, “Wanted by Nobody.” Like his purported father Guedado’s hair grew straight but it also grew white, only adding to the strangeness of his appearance. His eyes were gray, his skin dark and almost glistening, and he appeared slimmer, taller, and more lean than most of his family and village members. He was also possessed of almost animalistic capabilities of sight and hearing which further alienated most people. Born a Mali in a small village he was never accepted by the other villagers and after the death of his mother he moved to Jenne. Even there however he was considered an outcast and so after spending nearly twelve years in Jenne he wandered away again and settled on the banks of Lake Chad. There an old woman told him that he must travel north and become strong for what he must later do in other parts of the world. The old woman also spent three years instructing Guedado as a Griot and her son taught Guedado to fight with wild, barbaric abandon. After this Guedado went north and eventually reached Libya where by determined and relentless physical training and by constant boxing and wrestling became immensely strong and an excellent combatant, despite his withered hand. After several attempts by Arab slave traders to enslave him Guedado eventually wandered east far enough to reach Karnak, having heard of an African Christian kingdom near Egypt where he would be safe from slavery. While in Karnak and Luxor he visited the legendary Temple of Amon and was immensely impressed by the huge hall, colonnade and hypostyle columns. While standing near the huge Obelisk which still stood guard over the temple, out of impulse Guedado struck the obelisk with his withered hand. He heard a strange, melodic hum and ringing, like a bell striking underwater, which continued to vibrate for several minutes. Few other people seemed to notice the sound but three other people approached the spot and spoke with him, eventually forming the Moonshadow.

*Aza Zahra* - born deaf and mute Zahra was the child of a Chinese father and an Azani Swahili mother. Unable to speak until she was ten years old because of her inability to hear, Zahra nevertheless was taught to control her voice and to speak by the patient efforts of her mother. In time Zahra learned to speak Chinese, Swahili and Arabic. At fifteen her father sailed back to China with a merchant fleet, promising to return within a year. He never returned. By the age of seventeen Zahra’s mother had died of plague and the same plague nearly killed Zahra as well, who fell ill for over two weeks but managed to live. After fully recovering Zahra was given the nickname Aza, or Powerful, for her ability to survive. Known for her great physical beauty, almond shaped eyes and long straight, jet black hair she was also easy to distinguish as being of mixed heritage so that many people considered her of possible noble birth. In time she went to work for an Arab shipping, mining and merchant concern, inventorying and tracking cargo. Because her father had been Buddhist she was allowed to live as a Buddhist minority and was not forced to work as an Arabic slave. At night and on her free time she began to Vad throughout the port of Mombasa and in other trading or port cities such as Zanizibar, Kilwa, Kismayu and Barawa. Because of the contacts she made in these cities and because of her ability to speak Swahili, Arabic and Chinese she was often employed as a sort of free agent for interpreting and trading affairs in various cities. At the age of twenty Zahra became the lover of a Greek Vigilante named Costos who came to love her very much. At her insistence Costos trained her as a Vigilante (Ranger). Like Zahra’s father, Costos sailed out with a merchant fleet and failed to return. While she waited Zahra learned the art of Nyama from a young female Nyamakalaw immigrant from the West. By twenty three Zahra was fully trained as a Nyama and had given up waiting, and next moved north, hoping to find word of her former lover in one of the other coastal port cities. Unable to gain any information she continued north into Axun territory and encountered Christians. Knowing that Costos had also been a Christian she searched throughout the Axun territories and then discovered information on the Byzantine Empire. Desiring to go there to search for Costos she made her way through Egypt, stopping at Karnak where she heard the ringing of the Obelisk struck by Guedado. Being the first real sound she had ever heard in her life she was confused by what the sound was or where it came from but eventually discovered the obelisk along with two men and a boy who stood nearby. Following their conversation by reading their lips she eventually asked if she could join them when she discovered they intended to head north. They all agreed to travel together as far as they could and noticing that they had talked throughout most of the night so that the obelisk now blocked the light of the late risen full moon, she called the group Oro, or Moonshadow.


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## Jack7 (Apr 26, 2009)

*IV-E. The Caerkara* 

When the Eldevens began to realize that monsters were being accidentally created through the use of Elturgy (Arcane Magic) they began to track down and capture many of these monsters and isolate them in various places where they could be studied and hopefully cured. However the alterations caused by exposure to (especially) high level Elturgy seemed irreversible.






Eventually the Eldevens also realized that Elturgy itself seemed to be “_mutating_” some of their own kind, as well as other creatures, into monsters, or the Caleedam. Many at the Court of Samarkand came to understand that some of these monsters were completely rogue and out of control and could not be held or captured, that once transformed certain monsters would have to be killed due to their new and vicious nature. The Eldevens in Samarkand formed secret teams of “monster hunters” that traveled throughout the Known World (and sometimes to places in their world beyond their explored knowledge) to capture or kill monsters. At the same time the Samareül began a project that lasted for many decades that attempted to “repair” elturgy so that it no longer created monsters. But the deterioration only seemed to increase and worsen and no means was discovered to return Elturgy to a reliably benign state of operation.

Some monster hunter teams soon discovered that monsters were disappearing right before capture. The reason was a mystery until it was discovered that these monsters were fleeing to another world, through means unknown. The Samareül put his best Sages and Elturgists upon the problem and eventually the Drüidect was discovered, which allowed travel between their world and Terra, though the means by which “the Weirding Road” operates is still a mystery.

The Samareül formed a secret and elite team of Monster Hunters to go to Terra and either recover or kill the monsters that had escaped to that world. While there agents of this team met human beings and discovered human ideas about religion as well as information about Miracles (Thaumaturgy). When this team returned home and reported on their findings the Samareül decided that these events were not coincidental at all but fated, and that Thaumaturgy, God, and religion might just be the long sought answer to either repairing or replacing the troubled nature of Elturgy. 




Since then the Samareül has been carefully studying humans, their society, religion, thaumaturgy, God, and other related matters. He has sent his elite Expeditionary Team into Terra on numerous occasions. Ostensibly it is the job of this team to hunt down and capture or kill the escaped monsters from their world, but secretly this team also studies humans, religion, thaumaturgy, etc. and gather intelligence to return to the Samareül for further study and research. This secret team or Expeditionary Force is called the Caerkara. Over the course of their expeditions to Terra they have spent much time in the Byzantine Empire (where many of the odd events affecting both worlds, as well as the escaped monsters, seem to tend to congregate) and humans have become aware of their existence, though not their true nature and point of origin. They have also become uneasy allies on occasion with the Basilegate, and as a result of this interaction a relationship has developed between the Court at Constantinople and the Court at Samarkand. 



*THE CAERKARA
(The Expeditionary Force)​*



*Dora, also known as Larunfahl* - Larunfahl was born the only daughter in a family of six children. At an early age two of her brothers were killed in action overseas in war against Tardeek giants. Another brother was lost in a shipwreck and both her parents and her youngest brother were killed in an earthquake and the resulting fire. Both Larunfahl and her last remaining brother Garaenth were adopted by their uncle Srumairthu and sent to the Capital of Samarkand in Kitharia. At the age of twelve Larunfahl was separated from her brother and apprenticed to the Order of Samarkand Konnachts (Knights) where she so distinguished herself as a tactician that she was eventually promoted to lead a detachment of the Samarlean Guard. At the age of 30 she was awarded full Knighthood and became an attendant in the Court of the Samareül of Samarkand. When it was determined that a group of Eldeven peoples should undertake an expedition to the World of Men to discover more about human beings and their thaumaturgy it was decided that Larunfahl should be military leader of the group expedition which would be known as the Caerkara. Adopting the Greek name and disguise of Dora, Larunfahl agreed to help protect and defend the Caerkara, to help discover all she could about the human world and their thaumaturgy and to help locate and return any monsters which had escaped from Ghantik to the human world.

*Lingenus, also known as Tholrom* - Abandoned as a child due to his small statue, Tholrom was later discovered on the side of a volcano on the island of Kragelar in the Massunelia chain. Adopted by a mixed group of Jukarn and Tardeems who lived in a commune and who called the island home, Tholrom grew quickly and was well liked. He became renown for his ability with projectile weapons and became an accomplished hunter, especially in jungle terrains. As he grew he took to hunting sharks and with fearless abandon often dove into the shallows in order to attack them with knifes. He therefore earned the nickname Baragu, which means Shark Bane. Considered small for his size, growing to an eventual height of 7’ 3”, Tholrom was nevertheless extremely agile and fast for his size, which only sharpened his hunting and shooting abilities. At the age of 23 he entered and won a local artillery contest and thereafter competed professionally in many matches. At the age of 27, being restless and desiring to see the world, he joined the Traemarian Navy and served three years as shipboard Bhiur (Artillerist) and Master of Naval Arms. In his naval travels around the world Tholrom served with distinction and earned many honors. At the end of his enlistment he decided to settle in Samarkand where he became an advisor to the Kitharian Army on Tactical artillery Tactics. Volunteered for the Caerkaran group by his Army Commanders he was made their artillerist and also a technical advisor on Human military forces. Trained for one year in Latin and Human military operations prior to being accepted into the Caerkara. Adopted the human name Lingenus.




*Pumillio, also known as Fhe Fhissegrim* - Born blind, Fhe Fhissegrim was the youngest child of a family of six Jukarn brothers. Fhe remained blind for most of his youth, and only learned to speak late, at the age of nine. Feared to be badly malformed and incapable, maybe even the victim of an Elturgic accident, he was hospitalized at age six as a possible Korruhn (one mutated by exposure to Elturgical powers). His parents refused to concede that he might be Korruhn however and his mother and father took turns nearly every day reading to the boy on a wide range of subjects. Possessed of formidable oratorical capabilities, once he actually learned to speak, Fhe could recite whole passages orally from materials his parents had read to him. As far back as the boy could remember however he had suffered from strange dreams in which he would see vivid scenes in how mind, full of ugly, bizarre colors and usually containing some horrific or terrifying omen. Often these dreams came true. Fearing to ever speak of what he could see only in his own mind Fhe would not speak until he grew much older, but even then he withheld his strange visions and dreams from others, even his parents. At the age of sixteen however Fhe was chosen by the ward of the hospital where he lived to undergo an experimental treatment mixing certain Elturgical rituals with newly obtained Thaumaturgical treatments from the human world. The treatment was a partial success, temporarily granting Fhe his sight, but the effects wore off again after about six months. Since then Fhe has had to undergo periodic treatments to restore his sight whenever it wanes. When his treatments are not kept then he once again slips into blindness which is a state immediately followed by new and ever more horrible and prophetic visions and dreams of doom and disaster. These dreams greatly disturb Fhe and he prefers to retain his eyesight at all costs because the same treatments that restore his sight also seem to suppress his visions. After first receiving his sight he went to live on the Isle of Wight with the human immigrants Gawain, Galahad, and Parsifal to try to repay them for their help in assisting with the Thaumaturgical portion of his treatment. Living ten years with the human Knights, in the hermitage as they lived, he gained their respect and a human nickname, Pumilio, the Dwarf. After his return to Kitharia he was asked to accompany the Caerkara as party Vinfarra (Mystic), as an expert in human relations, because of his knowledge of Thaumaturgy, because he had learned Latin so well from the human Knights, and because he is popularly considered a gifted though bizarre psychaec. Taking the human name Pumillio, Fhe actually has reasons of his own for joining the party. He hopes to disprove that Elturgy is a danger to his world or any other, as many Eldevens are coming to believe. 




*Sueva, also known as Esabel* - Esabel was an only child, born in northeastern Avalon, and deeply loved by her family. Considered extremely beautiful and delicate, she also displayed great intelligence and inventiveness at an early age. Often while playing by herself she would invent small devices which would amaze her family and friends. Often also reclusive she spent a great deal of time reading and engaging in solitary athletic training to develop her small frame. Medically inclined she often experimented on small injured or sick animals seeking methods of treating or curing their ailments. As she aged her reputation as a healer of animals grew to the point that she soon discovered she had Eldeven patients seeking her advice and ministrations. Finding that she was often able to treat or heal those for whom all other practices proved useless, she came into high demand as a healer, and became quite wealthy. Encouraged by her peers and former teachers to move to Kitharia she did so after turning thirty years old. After the death of her parents she immigrated eastwards and settled in the Capital. In the Capital she spent part of her fortune in the study of Elturgy, even though she was considered too old to begin training. She astounded most of her teachers by excelling in the arts of Eltrugy in a short period of time and due to her reputation as both a healer and Elturgist was soon approached by the government of Kitharia to become the Nockma (Magi) of the Caerkaran party. Adopting the human name Sueva she agreed to join the party as healer and Nockma.




*Helmarcinius, also known as Telanisil Elyu* - Telanisil was born the older of two siblings, having only a younger sister to keep him company in his youth. Born in the high mountains of Clariy his family preferred their privacy and he grew up many miles from the nearest neighbor. Farmers and simple trades-folk the family made a modest living farming, raising livestock and bartering with the skills they possessed. Telanisil received no formal education, but he and his sister were schooled by their parents. Once a month the family would descend the mountain and use any surplus monies they had made for the purchase of books and art supplies. A very close knit family, Telanisil was especially attached to his little sister Elyu. Telanisil read as much as he could, spent many free hours roaming the mountainside, became an expert mountaineer and survivalist and drew and sketched everything his eye fell upon. In time he became an incredibly good artist and thanks to his uncanny and incredible memory he was able to reproduce on paper scenes, objects, and events which he had seen weeks or even months before, with such accuracy that his drawings were considered almost Elturgical. As he aged he often camped away from home, spending the night roaming about and sketching animals and the flora of the mountainside. One morning, after spending all night away from home he was returning to his family when he chanced upon a strange figure standing motionless. Even from a distance this figure seemed dangerous and out of place to the young boy so he took a hiding place and briefly sketched the figure as best as he could see it. After a few minutes Telanisil started on his way but the sound of his movements alerted the strange figure, that turned to look, and seeing the boy suddenly bolted away as if frightened. Telanisil then noticed that the figure had been standing above an object on the ground and ran to investigate. He came upon the body of his own sister, brutally raped, mutilated and murdered. In horror he ran home for help but nothing could be done for the girl, she was long dead. After the burial Telanisil received another shock when his parents confessed to him that his father was not his real father, that Telanisil had been born of an affair between an unknown party, whom no one would speak of, and his mother, and that there was a possibility that Telanisil might be Deirae. The next day Telanisil ran away from home, spent three years wandering in Ytlai, and then hearing of a special force of monster hunters in Kitharia moved to Samarkand. At Samarkand Telanisil took the surname of Elyu, his sister’s name, and vowed to retain the name until he found her killer and avenged her death. Joining the Tennants (Peace Agents), the legendary Law Force and Caleedam Hunters he spent ten years traveling the world, often by sea, hunting down criminals and Caleedam who had proven themselves dangerous by attacking or killing others. So good was he at his duties and so single minded in his pursuit of criminals and monsters that his comrades called him Lasu, the Stranger, because he rarely spoke on the hunt, turning all his energies to absolute concentration. In the service of the Tennants he eventually discovered that his sister’s murderer was likely one of the Caleedam Goblins, the most notorious of the Eldevenoid Caleedam criminals. He has never forgotten the face he saw standing above his sister's broken body nor has he ever put aside the sketch he made of his sister’s probable killer. After ten years of service he was promoted to Tennant Ghaner and recalled to Samarkand where he was offered the chance to serve in the Caerkara. Hearing rumors that some of the Goblins may have escaped to the human world he eagerly accepted the assignment, learned Greek, took the Greek name Helmarcinius and joined the party as their chief investigator and monster hunter.



*In later entries I will discuss:*

The Nature of Miracles and Magic
God and Religion
Basic History
Politics
The Societies
Connections between Our World and the World of Ghantik
Character Professions (“Classes”) and Experimental and Variant Classes
New Spells
The Races 
Important Organizations
Terminology
Authentic Weaponry and Armor
Warfare
Guerilla Operations
Monsters and Elturgy
Adventures and Missions
Psychic and Mental Powers
Equipment
Artifacts and Relics
Campaigning
Languages
The Vadders
Special Abilties
Inventing
Travel Between Worlds
Eldeven-Human Interactions, and other such subjects.

I'll continue this outline later in more detail when I can.
Anyone who wishes is certainly free to comment on what I have constructed thus far.


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## Jack7 (Apr 29, 2009)

*Some Basic Information on the Developmental Background of this Setting:* This setting, _*Terra-Ghantik*_ is several years old. (Parts of it decades old in development.) It began as an experiment in world design spurred on by some friends of mine.

In my early twenties I stopped playing games altogether and got on with many other things in my life. In my mid-thirties, after having gotten married and returning home some friends asked me if I would DM for them. (Most of my older friends had either gone into service and been stationed elsewhere, in other parts of the world than me, or had moved after attending college. But eventually I made new friends after returning home and some of them had interests in gaming. And my own children were getting older as well and had expressed interest in gaming.) So with these various requests I said I would try and develop a new playing world (my old ones had been burned in my twenties) but that I wanted some time to develop a world setting and milieu that we would all like. So I asked them what they wanted and they told me, and I likewise thought about what I wanted to do and experiment with, and taking all of that information into consideration I set about designing a stable, consistent world for them to play in.

The first thing I wanted to do was create an historically based milieu, because we all have large and long term interests in history, and because real cultures, societies, military matters, people, and events interest most of us far more than purely fictional things. The next thing I wanted to do was create a setting in which the players could explore real moral and religious themes. Some of my would be players had expressed major disappointment at D&D and most fantasy game approaches to religion, and how shallow most religious and spiritual affairs were in-game. I couldn’t have agreed more, especially regarding *the Cleric. *





So after some experimentation I decided to ditch the D&D approach to religion altogether and instead let people play their own religion. If they were Christian then their character could be that as well, or they could be Jewish, Buddhist, whatever they chose. (Indeed one of my original goals of the setting had been to develop a _*“Christian version of D&D,”*_ but over time I came to realize that this would be counter-productive, for reasons that might not initially seem obvious. If everyone in a game is Christian then Christianity is never challenged because there is nothing really in the background of the setting to challenge Christianity. [Monsters and evil would be available to challenge the morality of character action, but that would be a reflexive challenge, not an interesting or demanding or evolutionary challenge.] It would be the same as if a Moral or Religious Monopoly existed in the game world. Or let me put it this way, just imagine if everyone in our world were Christian. It might seem a sort of ideal situation in some way, especially for Christians. But would it be? In actuality? Such a monopoly, as with any monopoly would likely lead to complete and total stagnation of the evolution of Christian ideals and behavior. Without allies Christianity would not grow wiser, without opposition Christianity would not evolve and improve; I am not talking so much about the ideals of Christianity, many of which I think should remain stable and unchanging, but about the expression and behavior of those ideals as evidenced by how Christians act. Therefore I strongly suspect and believe that competition from friendly or allied religions does Christianity good, as it causes and promotes self-reflection, as does outright opposition from hostile opponents, as this forces the religion to grow, develop, and adapt in this world. Every force or organization in existence needs a reactionary force to push against, as well as allied forces with which to operate in conjunction in order to reach cooperative objectives. When a thing remains unchanging and unchallenged it cannot grow and is not motivated to grow. In other words competition promotes a nature of both striving and thriving, whereas everyone inflexibly and uncritically accepting the same ideals and motivations for every action in the world can in time only likely lead to stagnation and quite possibly a state of slow corruption and decay. Therefore in the game world I wanted this setting to be Christian friendly, and I wanted the players to feel free to play their own religious beliefs, but I did not want to dictatorially limit the religious expression of this setting to Christianity, as I felt that would not bring out the best in any player or situation, Christian or otherwise. Furthermore I also didn’t think it likely to allow the setting to raise and wrestle with difficult and dangerous real world moral questions if the religious context were inflexibly set beforehand. An inflexible context leads to inflexible and non-innovative answers to difficult dilemmas. And one goal for this setting was definitely as a background in which to present difficult real world moral dilemmas in-game. So instead I opted for a Christian-influenced, but not necessarily Christian dominated setting that nevertheless allows as much religious choice for the player as does our own world.) 




Therefore the players were free to play their own religious background, but they could also if they wished play a character from another religion. As far as religion goes I wanted the players to have as much freedom of religious exploration and expression as in the real world, but not be limited to artificial and unreal religious pantheons and organizations to which they would likely feel no real association, sympathy, or interest. But whatever the particular case of their choice they would be free to play a character with a real religion, given the time frame of the setting. It wouldn’t be an artificially created stick-man religion in which the player would have no real stake, or no real set of core beliefs at all, instead he could be playing something real which made real moral, ethical and spiritual demands of the player and his or her character, within the structure of the game setting.




Because of the religious background of the setting I also wanted analogous real historical cultural ties that the player could associate with his character. For instance if a player were going to have a character that had a real religion, it seemed to me that he should also have a real culture, and that this culture should both place demands upon the character and should give the player a feeling of real association and sympathy with the society, nation, and world that his character inhabits. For instance, imagine you are playing a character who is American, if you are American, or Japanese, if you are Japanese, or Irish if you are Irish, and how much more likely you are to instinctively and deeply associate with your own culture than that of let’s say, the entirely fictional _Thorodium Excellency of High Somersault_. Truth is the best the Thorodium Excellency of High Somersault can do is poorly and palely approximate some real culture, and the likelihood of that culture or government exciting any real loyalty or sense of association with a player within the setting is very remote indeed. So I expanded upon the idea of both the religious and cultural associations of the setting to give the players things they could instinctively and personally relate to within the setting almost as if they were real associations in our real world. (If the Thorodium Excellency of High Somersault is obviously based upon a real culture then it can very well evoke in the player feelings of natural association and sympathy, but probably not to the degree of the associations already evident in his mind and experience as invoked by his real culture, present or past.)

I call this type of resonant relationship between the player and the setting he explores _*“Sympathetic Association.”*_ I think it is an important idea behind fictional world creation that transforms a setting from being a mere plastic stage backdrop into a milieu that the player can become excited about and can personally relate to. The setting becomes important when the background is something that the player can naturally understand and associate with, and his sympathies are stimulated when it is enough like his own real world culture, religion, background, and interests, to seem “more real, and more important” to him. He can recognize aspects of himself within the background world and he can sympathetically associate with those aspects in the setting. When his gaming country is attacked in war it is like he has a personal stake in the matter. When his hometown is attacked and burned, he associates with that in an almost personal rather than merely imaginative way. In other words places in a game setting do not remain mere geographical points of vague interest with funny names, or bases out of which the player disinterestedly operates, but rather the setting becomes a far more _“real place”_ with real interests, concerns, and obvious risks

However I also didn’t want to create merely another version of the Western European Medieval Milieu. I wanted to create a setting that would evoke natural Sympathetic Association with the players, but a setting that was also new and unique and unknown in many ways compared to most settings. Something out of the ordinary and generally unexplored as both a game and fantasy setting. The reason is obvious. I wanted something new, creative, stimulating, and provocative. 

I originally considered Eastern Europe, Russia, and Japan as possibilities, and a friend of mine also suggested Malta (which I seriously considered for a long time as the base of operations out of which the characters would adventure). But after about a year of historic research I finally settled upon the idea of the Byzantine Empire and Constantinople (a favorite historical place of personal interest for me) as the likely setting, and after discussing that idea with my potential players they all agreed that it sounded like a very good possibility. That only left the exact era to be decided and after a bit of more research I decided that the era of about 800 AD would offer a number of interesting historical, background, campaign, and adventure possibilities. It was close enough in time and nature to cultures most all of the players were familiar with to seem welcoming and to evoke sympathetic association (indeed much of Western Culture is derived from Greek, Latin, and Byzantine societies, not to mention the Judeo-Christian religious background of Byzantium), but alien and unexplored enough as a game setting to place along the _*“frontier of the world,”*_ so that one could always find _“new and unfamiliar things”_ to explore. 




In designing any setting for any reason or purpose, mythological, gaming, literary, etc I always desire to create places that are both well-explored and civilized (and the Byzantine Empire was probably the most highly civilized culture in the world at that time) and areas that are “frontier,” wild, untamed, and unexplored. The Empire had various barbarian tribes to the East, West, and North (some of them very powerful), the Persians, Muslims, and Indians to the Farther East, and much of unexplored Africa to the deep South.  They were surrounded by both highly evolved and ancient civilizations, and by cultures and societies that were barbaric and new and on the fringes of the known world. The potentials of the milieu seemed nearly inexhaustible to me. So I set about constructing the setting based upon my historical research (which I had been conducting for a long time, not just for gaming purposes), and by including augmented elements of my own design.

I’ll continue this later…


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## Jack7 (Apr 30, 2009)

For the moment I intend to turn aside from further discussion of the Developmental Background of *Terra Ghantik* and instead to discuss the _Vadders_.


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## Jack7 (Apr 30, 2009)

*Note:* For those of you unfamiliar with the term Vadding, it is a real world skill set or avocation practiced around the world. The Vadders described below were developed or based upon real Vadders, plus my own experience at Vadding, which began when I was but a teenager.

Vadding helped me become a much, much better infiltrator, and investigator, and Intel analyst, and I found the skills I learned through Vadding invaluable in certain situations later in life. For instance Vadding is certainly a useful skill or set of skills to know when operating undercover. The pictures included in this section come from real Vads and real Vadders.

Nowadays Vadding is often called _"Urban Exploration."_

If you would like more information then see these links:

*Infiltration

opacity.us - Abandoned Photography and Urban Exploration

Abandoned Stations

Fallout Urban Exploration*


Here is a link to a few of my recent Vads and Ruds though I rarely have time to Vad much anymore:

*The Missal: Humours of Idleness - Rudding Expedition to Ruins

The Missal: The Secret Mission - New Expedition: Rudding the Cedars Along the Falls*

*The Missal: Going Vadding*


As I said the Vadders in my game are based on real world Vadders.

As anyone can see Role Playing Games like _Dungeons and Dragons_ that require sneaking into or infiltrating dangerous places and ruins is obviously a form of imaginary Vadding. I've always thought of D&D as _*Vadding for the Mind*_, or a form of mental Vadding. There is a natural correlation and intersection between the two activities.

At some later point when I have the time I'm going to write a thread and article on _The Elements of Vadding and Survivalism in D&D and other Role Playing Games._


*The Vadders *​

*Name:* The Vadders, also known as _The Infiltrators_.

_*A description of the Vadders.*_ A very small minority of Player Characters are also Vadders, (though they do not readily reveal their identity as Vadders to anyone else, including family members, or the party with which they adventure), with a slightly greater number of Sharpers being Vadders as well, due to their backgrounds. It is even possible for certain Types such as the Nyedry, Onsrof, Lhuylel, etc. to be Sharpers, and with training to become Vadders on Earth.




*General Information:* The Vadders could be said to exist as a type of Guild organization, though one of a very unusual type. They have no strict rules of membership, no basic organizational structure and no common purpose or goal. What is known about the Vadders, or Infiltrators, as they are often also called, is that they usually, but not always exclusively, exist in medium to larger urban areas. Vadders are far more common in the West than the East, but some vadders can be found almost anywhere in the world. 

Since Vadders have no common organizational structure they also have no localized or central meeting place of their own, no group meeting house, no place at which they congregate as a large group, no known common method of communication or contact. It is thought that one may only find a Vadder by knowing what or whom to look for and that they will only be discovered as individuals, not as a group or party. The solitary nature of the Vadder is an assumption by those who are not Vadders, it is not a known statement of fact.

*Goals & Ideals:* Vadders have many separate and divergent reasons for why they Vad. Some Vad because it is a compliment to their already developed skills of thievery, vandalism, and spying. Others Vad for the sheer thrill of exploration and for the pleasure of knowing things few others do. Some vad to learn secrets and to trade in secrets. Some vad for military or law enforcement reasons. Some vad because they enjoy the activity. Some vad as training. And some vad because they love the sensation of danger involved. No single reason exists for Vadding. No single type of individual or class need be, or need not be, a Vadder. 

*Leadership:* There is no known leadership since no hierarchy of any kind exists. Leaders sometimes emerge among small parties of Vadders or in a particular location, but no larger structure of leadership or command or discipline can be said to exist.




*Inner Workings:* Vadding is the art of Infiltration. It is usually, though not always, a set of specific skills practiced in urban environments. Vadders are sneakers, stealthily making their way into and out of and around areas without drawing attention to themselves or alerting anyone to their presence. If discovered most vadders will flee. If cornered they will have an already well developed cover story and will try to talk themselves out of trouble rather than fight. 

Vadding involves infiltrating both occupied and unoccupied areas of an urban environment where people are not usually allowed to go, and escaping again without being detected or apprehended. Between the time periods involved in the first infiltration and the escape almost anything else can happen, and often times will happen. 




A typical set of Vadding skills might include: Buildering (the climbing, penetration of, and exploration of buildings), Roofing (reaching and exploring rooftops and moving from roof to roof without being detected), Subterranean (the exploration of subterranean areas of a city; building foundations, waterways, sewer systems, underground storage and merchant routes, old tunnels, etc), Lockpicking and Lock-cracking, Hacking, Surveillance, Cover Story and Negotiation, Archaeological (exacavation and ruins) and Architectural Exploration, Exploitation, Sneaking around places quietly, the art of Urban Camouflage, and Urban Espionage, and so forth. This is not necessarily an exhaustive listing of Vadding skills. 

Most vadders carry tools and are expert tool-users and/or toolmakers. Most are also adaptive toolmakers, constructing their own tools in the field if necessary. Most will carry a small set of survival and escape tools with them, often in a small backpack. Some wear a belt with tools attached, and most wear dark or camouflaged clothes to hide their infiltration of an area. Commonly carried tools include: small thieves picks and tools, special tools such as cones for amplifying sound, Vadding keys, disguise kits, colored lenses, light sources, mapping tools, survival gear, and often individually created tools and devices which are unique to a particular vadder. 

A Vadder can be practically anyone although certain classes of people gravitate towards the art of vadding, while other classes eschew Vadding and think it beneath them. Those classes and individuals which normally consider vadding beneath them are Nobility, Paladins, most Clerical Types, most Fighters and Soldiers (excluding Scouts), some Wizards, Tradesmen, Craftsmen, Rulers, Bureaucrats, Administrators, and the Academic Classes (excluding students who often make fantastically good Vadders). 

Those classes and individuals which naturally gravitate towards Vadding include Rogues of all kinds, Thieves, Assassins, Scouts, and Agents, as well as Rangers and Vigilantes, Law Enforcement, some Merchants, Spies, some Clerics and Missionaries (such as those who work among the poor or who adventure), some Monks, the Bard, naturally inquisitive individuals who love to explore, children (mostly young boys), street urchins and orphans, anyone who loves to know and/or trade upon secrets, and natural loners. Sharpers and acers also often make excellent Vadders. Theses are of course generalizations, and no absolute hard or fast rule can be developed about who or what will become a Vadder. Anyone who has an interest or is so inclined may take up Vadding. It is even rumored in some areas that certain rulers will disguise themselves and vad among the lower classes and more troubled areas of their city to better understand the common opinions of their subjects, and to gain information about the undergorund activities at work within their area of command or influence. 

Two player classes, the Barbarian and the Druid make excellent Rudders, a special type of Vadder who tends to vad in outdoor or rural environments. Rural Vadding is called Rudding and rudders tend to vad by infiltrating farms, villages, country houses and manors, outposts, trade routes, caravan routes, mountainous areas, and abandoned ruins found far from any present day or known urban setting. Rangers, Scouts and Vigilantes often make excellent Rudders as well, and will often infiltrate and explore fontier criminal hide-outs as well as enemey outposts. 

Vadders are well known as being secretive infiltrators and guides into troubled areas of a city, often helping people enter areas through commonly unknown passages or by unique means, such as through climbing and roofing techniques. They are also often known to have many "underground contacts" and can use these contacts to help others infiltrate areas of an urban environment that most people could never reach, or even come to know of, by legal means. Vadders, being very secretive are not well known, nor even well known of, but can prove invaluable in situations requiring infiltration. 

Finally, most Vadders are loners, preferring to operate alone, and to keep their vadding activities a secret to most everyone except their very most trusted friends. However sometimes one may encounter a small party (usually of no more than five individuals) of people who vad as a group. Even in player parties it is not unknown for one or more members of a group to be covert vadders, while the rest of the group is totally ignorant of the vadding skills of the secretive vadder in their midst.

*Game Mechanics:* May be employed by the DM as NPCs, as allies or as enemies to the playing party. A playing party, or an individual character, may attempt to find a Vadder to train them in the art of infiltration or may simply attempt to learn the skill and art of infiltration by simply taking up Vadding, or learning by trial and error. A particular DM may decide for themselves how to exactly structure the skills of the Vadder and what types of vadders are allowed and how they may interact with the player characters.

And of course any player character that desires to do so and can find a Vadder to train or sponsor him may become a Vadder. A lengthy training process is usually involved however, as well as a certain degree of expense, although the expenses required to train as a Vadder are considerably less than that required to become a Sharper or Acer.


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## Wombat (Apr 30, 2009)

Oh man!  I haven't thought about _Infiltration _'zine for a couple of years now    A great read!


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## Jack7 (May 1, 2009)

So then I take it you're a vadder Wombat?

Not many outside of Vadders and Urban Explorers have heard of it.


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## Wombat (May 1, 2009)

Oddly, no -- I am just utterly tied into the 'Zine scene ... from back into the APA 70s


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## Jack7 (May 6, 2009)

> Oddly, no -- I am just utterly tied into the 'Zine scene ... from back into the APA 70s




That's good enough for me.


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## Jack7 (May 6, 2009)

*The Sharpers and the Acers:* being a brief description of two of the Variant Character Profession Types of Terra (our world).

The Sharpers and the Acers are two special types of variant Professional Career paths that can be undertaken by a player in Terra Ghantik. Both, as do the Amaconoi, follow an unconventional or unorthodox career progression that is sometimes very different from those who follow more normative adventuring career paths (though it is somewhat of a misnomer to call adventurers “normal”). 

To become either a Sharper or an Acer places more extreme demands upon a character than even those demands forced upon a more normal “adventuring professional,” and therefore the expense in time, money, resources, dangerous training, and so forth dissuades many from the attempt. Nevertheless some adventurers decide to pursue these career paths despite the danger and cost.


*The Acers, also known as The Amateurs*​
*The Acers* are a group of individuals who eschew the typical adventuring career path and who seek to avoid the strict and regimented professional path of advancement taken by most adventurers. 

Instead of taking a career in a single profession (or class) the Acer prefers to learn skills and capabilities of as many professions as he or she has interest in. Therefore the Acer might decide to learn certain skills possessed by Rogues, decide to learn the fundamentals of science and related technical skills like a Wizard, may learn some of the combat capabilities of the Soldier, and may even learn the meditational or prayer techniques of a Hermit, or the rhetorical or instrumental skill of a Bard. 

The Acer does not attempt to be any one thing. Furthermore he does not seek to be an expert on anything in particular, but rather he is a type of what would later be called, _The Renaissance Man_, or the Polymath. He can do a bit of everything (or rather a little of everything he desires to do) and usually does those things quite well (especially in comparison to the general public). 

He will never be the expert combatant that the Soldier becomes, but then again, he has no desire to be a Soldier, but merely to know how to fight better than most other men. He will never be the proto-scientist that the Wizard is, but if he wishes he will come to understand far more about the fundamental nature of the universe than the great majority of people. Acers are usually highly valued for their wide range of skills and capabilities (depending upon personal interest, training, and experience of course) among adventuring parties, but to the general public they are often referred to as the Jack-of-All-Trades, either derisively, or admirably. A minority of adventuring professionals (especially many Rogues, though ironically enough to the general public Acers and Rogues are often synonymous terms) through look upon the Acers as Amateurs and are distrustful of them. Hence, their second and more common appellation to the general public, the Amateurs. The Acers, however, have adopted the term amateur as a sign of respect among themselves, and Acers will often excitedly discuss their own peculiar and individual capabilities with others of their kind, each anxious to learn of some new skill or capability in the other. Some believe that there is a sort of Guild or group association among the Acers, but this is unknown for certain. 




What is known is that the path of the Acer is often an expensive proposition. They must find different individual experts in any skill or capability they wish to master to instruct them and the training process is often quite expensive. Thankfully, due to the wide and varied range of skills and knowledge possessed by most Acers, especially as they age and gain life experience, they often require no more, or even less, time than non-Acers to master specific skills or capabilities. Most of those who train an Acer however will not reveal higher-level professional knowledge to the Acer, considering that proprietary to their profession. For instance a Soldier might very well train an Acer to fight very well, but not train the Acer for combat as well as he would another Soldier under his command. However some Acers develop a bartering system of “favors” with which they can trade for more advanced training, and some develop long-term relationships with their trainers and masters and eventually some masters are willing to teach some Acers even their most advanced techniques, skills, training, or knowledge. Acers however are not limited to gaining the skills and capacities of the various “adventuring professions.” They may seek to become trained in, and proficient in, any profession, from bookbinding to philosophy to banking and money lending to hunting. Anything an Acer desires to learn he can pursue, given the proper training and trainer, and given the necessary time and expense to master the subject, skill, or capability. Some Acers even become de facto Sages, the type of Sage who has an encyclopedic range of knowledge and skills. Though most Acers, even into old age prefer the active life to the sedentary or academic life.

Most Acers, however, compensate for their lack of more sophisticated expert knowledge regarding any given specialty or profession they train in by mastering a wide and sometimes even staggering array of knowledge and capabilities in a variety of different, complimentary, or related subject matters. In addition many Acers are superb toolmakers and tool-users, making them very useful in a number of circumstances.

Acers are often highly valued as “independent agents” or lone operatives, and sometimes Acers become Vadders as well, so that they also become excellent infiltrators and spies. For this reason, many Agents and Scouts (_Rogue Types_) often consider the Acer a sort of direct and dangerous competition towards their livelihood and are therefore generally hostile towards Acers. However many Bards consider Acers excellent and fascinating companions, as do Wizards and Monks. Vadders often think of Acers as some of the most proficient of their kind.


My next post will discuss _the Sharpers_


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## Jack7 (May 6, 2009)

*The Sharpers, also known as The Cryptoi*​
*The Sharpers* are not to be confused with the _Amaconoi_ (the Polyprofessional or the Multiclassed) as they are a different type of individual altogether.

The Sharper is not an individual who chooses two professions to pursue simultaneously, nor is he an Acer who chooses to pursue many different skills and capabilities from a wide range of occupations but concentrating upon none. Rather he is an individual who chooses to pursue a single occupation or profession but also has an interest (or interests) in other subjects of personal concern which he then seeks to add to his overall repertoire of skills and capabilities.

In this sense then the Sharper is like a normal adventuring professional who also chooses to pursue some skills and capabilities of other professions in basically the same way as does the Acer. The Sharper however, unlike the Acer, does choose a single profession upon which to concentrate and never changes his profession, nor does he seek to pursue any other profession to the same degree of intensity as he does his given profession, but he rather seeks to enhance his own professional capacities with skills and capabilities from other classes. Generally speaking the sharper usually limits his cross-classed repertoire to those skills normally associated with the “professional adventuring classes” because of the time and expense involved in becoming trained in these _“outside capabilities.”_ It is, however, not unheard of to discover a Sharper who knows how to dye silk or how to farm or how to make candles or whittle a flute from a Fir branch.

Sharpers may come from or originate from any class or profession, and then learn certain skills and capabilities from any other class or profession, though usually in the same basic way as does the Acer, including the time and expense devoted to the acquisition of whatever they desire. As is the case with the Acer many other professions are sometimes leery and suspicious of the Soldier who wants to learn how to pick a lock or the Agent who desires to know how to mix chemicals together to create a toxic cloud of chlorine. Indeed sometimes the expense and training requirements for Sharpers are even more exorbitant than that of the Acer due to this lack of trust on the part of distrustful trainers. And sometimes the suspicion is even justified. For this reason many Sharpers often seek training in disguise, or under a false or assumed name and occupation.




Sharpers often spend less time directly “in the field” than many other adventuring professionals due to the time they spend training in “unusual” capabilities. Sharpers after all must spend time “sharpening” themselves. However, when Sharpers do take to the field to go adventuring they are called Sharpers for a very good reason. They are often at a very real and practical advantage in comparison to their non-Sharping associates. Sharpers are often the very most capable professionals in any team of adventurers, as well as often being the most versatile and adaptable in any given situation. Sharpers wear their un-official title as a badge of honor and many others respect their remarkable array of practical capabilities. When a Sharper also becomes a Vadder he or she usually develops over time a “clientele” of powerful and wealthy individuals or organizations who tend to employ the Sharper for secret or clandestine missions.

Oddly enough because of their tendency towards secretiveness and to spending time away from their adventuring group pursuing their individual training interests many Sharpers are also looked upon as being loners, outcasts, anti-social, eccentric, or are even viewed with mild suspicion by their own comrades. Sharpers rarely discuss with anyone what skills or capabilities they are trained in (this is often a requirement imposed upon them by their trainers) until such time as their skills and training are needed. Therefore, to many of their friends, associates, and companions they are simply “away again pursuing their own private interests.”




Because of this tendency to engage in enigmatic and unexplained behavior, and because Sharpers sometimes disappear without warning for large periods of time to pursue secret training, they are occasionally referred to by their underground name, _the Cryptoi_.


Next, _the Amaconoi_


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## Jack7 (May 8, 2009)

*The Amaconoi, or the Polyprofessionals*​
*The Amaconoi* appear in both our world (Terra) and in the Other World (Ghantik), though usually in different forms, or ways. The Amaconoi are simply characters who at one time or another, or through one means or another, have pursued more than one adventuring profession (a character may pursue any number of non-adventuring professions and still not be considered Amaconoi, though such professions may yield character benefits beyond that of a normal adventuring character, but in this case I refer specifically to what is often called the “multi-classed”).




In our world, the Amaconoi is called _Polyeoma_. In Ghantik the Amaconoi character is called *Endeilr*, meaning, literally, _the Opportune_.

A character may become Amaconoi in one of three ways. 

*1*. He may begin his adventuring career in any profession. At any time after first level he may then take on a new profession, assuming he can find someone to help him train for his new career. He may then continue on, devoting himself to whichever career at any given time he so desires. For instance, a character may begin as a Barbarian in our world and later become a Bard. For one adventure, or campaign, he may concentrate all of his efforts and training upon his profession as a Barbarian, and for another campaign or adventure concentrate all of his efforts and training upon being a Bard. He may continue in this way building up proficiency and levels in any manner he chooses for either profession and at any rate of progression he so desires.




*2*. He may begin as described in the first pathway, or example cited above, but once he takes upon himself a second profession then all gained experience, as well as advantage gained from training or from any other means is then split evenly between his two various professions.

*3*. He may begin his adventuring career with two separate professions from the outset, and as he gains proficiency and experience then all advantages are evenly split between the two various professions.


The exception to the three ways or paths for becoming Amaconoi is on Ghantik where the third way (or starting with two professions) is the common practice. Though the Adharma (giants), do sometimes follow the first and second way of becoming Endeilr.


The Amaconoi never become Acers or Sharpers, they are considered a type unto themselves. However, any Amaconoi may become a Vadder given time, training, and proper expense.


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## Jack7 (May 16, 2009)

*Elturgical Items and Weapons*

This post was inspired by *this thread*. I had planned to talk about magical items in a later post but I found the thread I referenced interesting and so I thought I’d go ahead and describe how magical items work in Terra Ghantik.

I should note that some of these ideas I borrowed from already existing games, some are of my own invention, and many are personal modifications of ideas derived from famous myths, legends, and fantasy material (non-gaming material). In other words I took ideas and incidents from famous myths, legends, fairy tales, and stories and converted those ideas into a form suitable for my setting and game.


First of all, in our world (Terra- or Earth) there are no magical items because Arcane magic, known as Elturgy, does not exist upon our world. Rather a form of supernatural magic does, referred to as Sorcery, and Divine “magic” does as well, referred to as Thaumaturgy, but thaumaturgy, taken from the Greek term, really refers to Miracles, and not the typical form of arcane-related magic normally found in fantasy game settings. And Miracles work in a very different way from magic, which I’ll describe in detail in a later posting, though I have already alluded to it in previous posts in this thread.


Relics and items of minor sorcery work in ways quite similar to those described below as regards Elturgy. But the sources of sorcerous and relical powers are very different from those of Ghantikan Elturgy, and even from one another.

To briefly summarize Sorcery, or Ilurgy, as it is described in Ghantik, is created when Sorcerers and Warlocks and Witches (not to be confused with witches who are old women sometimes known as “wise women”) make pacts or agreements between themselves and nefarious and evil supernatural agents or beings, such as demons and devils. The supernatural beings grant Sorcerers and Warlocks and Witches, on our world, limited use of their own capabilities (the capabilities of the demonic force or being) for awhile, to achieve certain ends, or in exchange for extended periods of service. So items of Sorcerous power are ensorcelled by the demon, devil, supernatural agent, or Sorcerer or Warlock or Witch that creates said items. Items created by sorcery or by pacts with demons usually transfer some type of curse, great or subtle, to the owner or user, and such items usually exact a cost for use or ownership.

Relics on the other hand are the remains of famous persons, usually a Saint or a Martyr. The power or powers of said relics originate and draw from the spiritual power passed on through the item by the original possessor. There is no pact or agreement between the Saint or Martyr and a particular item or individual, but rather the spiritual and/or psychological force of the original owner embues or imprints or becomes transferred to the item (usually one the owner had possessed for a long period of time, or during an important and numinously potent or miraculous event) in a more or less permanent manner. In addition to whatever thaumaturgical power the relic possesses it also usually passes a benefit or blessing to the owner or user, and sometimes these blessings become long lasting or even permanent, depending upon the power of the relic itself.

Relics of great power (usually the bones of famous Saints and Martyrs) are handled differently and usually possess powers that are not only different in kind from lesser relics, but also far greater in degree of power and potential than that of lesser relics. I will detail these types of Relics in a later post, when I also discuss powerful Elturgical Artifacts and Devices. Relics are not indigenous to Ghantik.




As for magical items in Ghantik, (items that have been transformed in nature due to intentional and direct exposure to Elturgy, or through powerful but indirect contact with Elturgy) I shall now describe their nature.

Elturgy can and does alter inanimate objects and items in some ways that are vaguely similar to the effects it has upon living things on Ghantik. It can cause subtle transformations in inanimate objects, or it can radically transform such objects rendering capabilities no normal matter possesses.

In describing such objects and items I should make it clear that in the setting of Terra Ghantik combat is not an activity that is anywhere nearly as common as in many other D&D or fantasy settings. Combat is a more rare but deadly serious business, and is often lethal to one or more characters. Therefore characters do not engage in combat unless really necessary because when one does it is an extremely dangerous affair. And even if everyone survives it often leaves wounds and scars and injuries that have dramatic and life-long effects. So it is not an activity to be undertaken lightly. For that reason typical Weapon and Item features of a + 1, or +2, or +3 (or whatever the case may be) combat to hit or damage advantage are downplayed in favor of far more versatile combat, and non-combat advantages. The advantages that even weapons possess as a result of Elturgical “force” and enchantment tend to be far less of a direct numerical game-combat advantage and far more of a wider range of unusual potential capabilities. This is also true, or perhaps especially true, of items which are not weapons, and which by nature possess an even wider range of other, non-combat functions. However it is also common for even weapons of an Elturgical nature to possess non-combat advantages.

First of all I should state that many items perform Elturgically according to the skill and capabilities of the possessor or owner. An Elturgical weapon or item may yield no seeming advantage at all to the inexperienced owner. In game terms this means no +1 (or whatever the number may be) to hit or damage bonus. However as a user gains skill (sometimes level advancement, sometimes simple familiarity with the weapon or item) and experience an item may show definite and previously undisplayed advantages. Both combat and non-combat advantages. In this sense many weapons and items, especially more potent items and weapons act as if _“Items of Legacy,”_ similar to the _*Weapons of Legacy*_ book. The powers inherent in the item, and the capabilities they can transfer to the owner increase over time. However unlike Items of Legacy such Elturgical items do not follow a prescribed or a necessarily proscribed path of “empowerment” which unfolds level by level, but rather the powers and capabilities each item possesses and can transfer tend to be unique, a_nd can transform over time_. (Relics can sometimes, though more rarely, do likewise, according to the nature of the owner.) Which I’ll discuss the implications of in a moment.




So as the skill and capabilities of the user increase, along with his or her familiarity with the item, the item becomes more and more *“Resonant”* in regards to that owner. The items begin to resonate with the nature of the possessor. This can have several different effects simultaneously, or many different progressive effects. These effects are usually dependent upon the nature and intensity of the Elturgy that created or transformed the item. Lesser or less powerful items have fewer resonant capabilities than higher-level items. 

For instance in the case of Elturgical weapons the general course of development followed in Terra Ghantik for such items is as follows:

*Low Level Weapon* – renders one combat advantage, and two non-combat advantages.

*Mid Level Weapon* – renders two combat advantages, one of which may, or may not, be a bonus to hit or damage as skill increases, and yields two or three non-combat advantages

*High Level Weapon* – renders three combat advantages, one of which will be accuracy and/or damage related, and three or four non-combat advantages.

_*A combat advantage*_ may be a bonus to hit or damage as is normal with standard D&D, or it may greatly increase the odds or effectiveness of a Critical Hit, or the weapon may “lead towards vulnerabilities” - always striking the most vulnerable area on an opponent, or it may be especially potent against a particular enemy, or it may greatly frighten, horrify, sicken, or even enchant an enemy or opponent. Other combat advantages may be to increase the inherent combat skills of the user, to assist in the ability to parry, or perform more complicated combat strikes or maneuvers, to increase the strength or dexterity or constitution of the user, to yield temporary resilience to the user, to assist with “saving throws,” to encourage and embolden allies, and so forth and so on. No two weapons tend to have the same exact properties. For instance the Holy Avenger Durandal and the Holy Avenger Excalibur do not possess the same capabilities merely because they are both Holy Avengers. Many factors, including the nature of the wielder, go into the formulation of what capabilities an item or weapon may possess, and what capacities it or the owner may manifest as a result of these factors. 

*Non-combat advantages* may include, but are not limited to, such things as rendering skill advantages to the user (multiplying skills that the user already possesses or sometimes rendering skills the user has never previously possessed), creating illusions, finding water or increasing survival capabilities, knowing direction, scrying, amplifying intuition, repelling evil or Korruhn (monsters), increasing Charisma or Charm, enchanting others, creating music or poetry, assisting with memory or useful as a mnemonic aid, intensifying Elturgy, or augmenting magical power, giving a comprehension of other languages, or yielding clairvoyance, granting a resistance to toxins, purifying food and water by touch, etc, etc. And as with weapon combat advantages no two weapons or items possess exactly the same non-combat capabilities. _*As a result of this every magical item and weapon is Unique. Unique not only as to its own nature but unique in how this nature interacts with any particular user or owner at any given time.*_

*Transformational Nature* - Because of the fact that every item and weapon is unique such objects may transform over time. For instance just as a weapon may become more powerful over time as the wielder becomes more skillful in its use and more familiar with its nature, so the object may change and alter in power and scope of power. A _Transforming Weapon_, for instance, may change or transform by becoming more powerful, or unique (thereby changing it’s Wyrd), or may transform so that it becomes attached to a particular individual and thus can only be wielded by that individual (more thoroughly ascribed by Destiny). And as time progresses and the nature of the wielder changes (e.g. if he takes upon himself a new Profession, or if he becomes a Sharper or a Vadder) then the weapon or item may itself change to reflect the altered nature of the owner. This property of the weapon or item is called its _*Transformational Nature*_. Most Elturgical items of a mid to higher level possess this capability, as do some relics.

*Radiance, or Seepage* – An item or weapon may begin to radiate or seep Elturgical power that can then be employed by both the owner and sometimes by allies. Such radiance allows a “flow” into the surrounding environment that can then be tapped by user or allies for different effects, such as to amplify or augment or extend spells, charms, or enchantments. It can also be used to augment or enhance other powers, or to concentrate Elturgical force in both strategic and tactical ways. Usually this occurs as result of great power being expended suddenly, (radiance) or as a result of long and strenuous effort or due to exposure to tremendously powerful fields of Elturgical energies (seepage).

*Resonance* – An item or weapon may under certain conditions resonate in the presence of Elturgy and in the presence of other effects. For instance resonance is similar to radiance and seepage and may be triggered by the same types of circumstances, such as sudden, violent, and strenuous effort, or due to exposure to a very powerful Elturgical field of force. However resonance is the opposite of radiance in the fact that the item or weapon does not seep or radiate Elturgical energy, rather it begins to either entrain to the forces around it, or the item or weapon begins to absorb Elturgical energies into itself, which then augments the capabilities of the item or weapon. This “resonance” can then be used by the wielder or the item to augment already existing capabilities, or sometimes it can produce entirely unique, one-time effects (see below, Unique Effects). Resonance can also be created by the wielder. For instance if the wielder takes some particularly heroic, or ingenious action, then this will sometimes create a “resonance” within the item or weapon which will greatly amplify the Elturgical force already inherent within the object. In higher-level items and weapons extreme acts of heroism, bravery, genius, self-sacrifice, etc on the part of the character will often create a sense of sympathetic harmony with an item so that it creates a sudden and intense release of energy, capability, or Unique Effect.

*Unique Effect(s)* – Some items or weapons, especially higher level ones, will sometimes display entirely unique or one-time effects. Sometimes these are user-desired effects, and sometimes they display spontaneously from the weapon or item itself. Unique effects are tremendously powerful actions or reactions that result from extremis and acute danger and are usually preceded either by Elturgical Radiance or Resonance, though this is not always the case. Unique effects usually only occur in situations where the life of the wielder or owner is directly, violently, and mortally endangered. In such cases sometimes the wielder can “call upon” all of the stored Elturgical reserves of a weapon or item in order to create a situation or circumstance that defeats death or staves off defeat. In such cases however the weapon or item usually becomes “exhausted” and either shatters or loses all Elturgical power and becomes magically inert. Lesser Unique Effects sometimes occur seemingly as a result of the actions of the weapon or item itself. In such cases the item or weapon usually survives the Unique Effect, though sometimes in a form of diminished capability or capacity. Unique Effects such as these are usually manifested through the appearance of some capability that the item has never demonstrated before (or which may even be antithetical to its nature) and will never demonstrate again.

*Enhancements: Dipped in Blood, Hammered in Quicksilver* – Certain items and weapons are made more potent through unique methods of creation, recreation, or enhancement. For instance an item might be dipped in the blood of a unique creature that thereby renders it some of the unique properties formerly possessed by that creature. Or the eye of a monster may be interwoven into an item so that it allows the user to see in the dark or see magic, or evil. Or an item might be created or forged using rare and precious and arcane materials that also render to the object unique properties. In any case no two items will possess exactly the same enhancements as a result of unique exposure or creation. For instance one sword, forged using Elturgical Quicksilver may be extremely dexterous and nimble, another sword forged in the same way and using the same Quicksilver may produce an “intemperate weapon,” or one that glows hot when used, and becomes cold and icy when sheathed. The properties exhibited by enhancement, as with all of the other properties of Elturgical items and weapons are limited only by the imagination. In addition some items and weapons may be continually enhanced throughout their life cycle. However the more powerful an item or weapon becomes, and the more often it is enhanced, the more difficult it becomes to add new enhancements. To do so requires greater cost, energy, and Elturgical force. And some enhancements will cancel each other out. 

These are some of the capabilities and properties possessed by items, weapons, and other devices set in Terra Ghantik. Some of these properties and capabilities were created as a result of the needs of the setting itself, and some for my game (which I am still writing) called _*Transformations*_, and which takes into account the background milieu of Terra Ghantik. In any case I did not wish to create the standard and easily anticipated items and weapons of a typical D&D game. I wanted unique creations more similar to myth than an “industrial mode of magical mass-production” of items. There are no +1 swords and no wands of fireball. Instead each thing is a force unto itself, and this is how I see magic. As a unique force prone towards expressing itself in unique and individualistic ways.

Because of these properties and capabilities players and characters often spend much time, energy, and sometimes research and capital (in-game) discovering things about the items they gain possession of. And because such items tend to become more and more “resonant” over time (towards the owner or user) and because such Elturgical items tend to become Transformative over time players rarely abandon magical items. Such items usually become life-long or career long possessions and are often handed down by characters to their progeny or to their closest and dearest friends.




Artifacts, extremely powerful Devices, and Major Relics I handle in a somewhat different fashion that I’ll describe and detail in later posts.


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## Wombat (May 16, 2009)

Nice to see some more material here


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## Jack7 (May 17, 2009)

> Nice to see some more material here




I've been really busy lately Wombat. My oldest daughter is join the CAP, in the exact same squadron in which I used to serve. I may even put back on my uniform and do some teaching. It's interesting because soon we will have both an air show and a national cyber-warfare exercise (which I'm looking forwards to helping the red team with, if I'm allowed). And some SAR and survival work in which I am well trained.

My youngest daughter has been performing in both choral works and plays, and I've been trying to help my wife with her new business. I'm now on the nominating committee at church which is a lot more work than I' thought it would be, cause they also now want me to be their official writer. So I've been jumping. Happily engaged at a lot of things, but tired and heavily involved.

But I'm gonna keep working this project as I can because I plan to tie this setting directly into *Transformations*, the fantasy-game I'm writing. So I'm gonna keep at it, and I do appreciate your patronage. And the patronage of the others who are reading it. Hopefully it is enjoyable to some, and helpful and/or interesting to others.

Later.


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## Wombat (May 17, 2009)

No slams intended -- just like seeing the stuff go up  

And luck to your daughters!  (CAP = Civil Air Patrol?)


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## Jack7 (May 17, 2009)

No Wombie, assuming you were being serious, I certainly didn't take it as a slam. I'm not easily offended at all nor do I usually assume the other person is trying to imply something negative. That's just not my natural way of looking at things.

I just wanted everyone to know that every now and again I'll be so busy with work or other matters I won't have time to participate in threads, even my own, the way I might like to. This is kinda relaxing and recreational to me, it allows me to "get away" from work, cases, family and church affairs, and other matters, and sort of relax a bit. I do appreciate the interest though.

By the way, while you made me think of it, if you, or anyone else has some question about some aspect of the setting, or some part of the setting or how I've constructed the game you wish me to write or talk about, then feel free to suggest what you wanna hear about.

I'd be happy to let you or the other readers hear about anything they want to hear about, so it's more interesting to them.

See ya.

*P.S.:* Yeah, my daughter, who just became a teenager is entering the same Civil Air Patrol squadron I was in as a kid. It's a much bigger and better squadron now. Far less drill, back then we were directly associated with the Air Force, but now it's a lot looser and more academic and science oriented. Back then it was sorta like ROTC training for the Air Force, or pre-Air Force for kids. Still heavy Air Force in some ways though. (My old man had been Army Air Corp.)

Yeah they still drill and test and have to physically qualify to earn rank, but it's a lot looser now and they build hovercars, and conduct aerospace projects (back in my day I ranked mostly in Civil Defense and space program projects), and cyber-warfare, and scientific experiments and so forth. I hope that like me she'll get involved with NASA. They also do a lot of SAR work, which I did too, and next to Civil Defense and flying was my favorite thing. They'll also do Disaster Relief (the new Civil Defense), and I hope to help instruct them in counter-terrorism training. The other day I actually found my old radiological training instruction manual form one of my CD courses and my old commander found some of our old Geiger Counters. They're antiques now. Back in my day we only had a couple of girl cadets. Now they're quite a few of them. One of em even took a national merit award. I think she'll like it. It'll teach her a lot about discipline and self-discipline.


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## Jack7 (May 28, 2009)

This *Thread* has really interested me. A lot. For a number of different reasons. Not least of which is game development.

I recommend the discussion over there.

It has led me to consider the idea of professions or "classes" specifically for females. In addition I am developing two "Types" for female characters in Terra Ghantik (as well as for my game _*Transformations*_, linked to, but independent of this setting) which I'm calling for now the _Lady_ and the _Maiden_ (working terms). There may also be a couple or more of _*Types*_ for non-human female characters. This may become more like a non-combat Role, but may not. I have some non-combat "Role" ideas as well.

I'm also now considering a couple of Types for male professions as well, the *Nobleman* and the *Gentleman*.

And I'm also toying with the idea of different _"Careers,"_ independent of chosen profession, that a character can undertake over the course of their life.

For instance every character could have an adventuring profession, or in some cases more than one adventuring profession, but also have a number of different _"Civil Careers"_ over the course of their life which are either compliments to their Adventuring Professions, or are simply unrelated careers that may help them in other ways, such as politically, religiously, or just with personal interests.

I'll return to all of this later _after I've thought more on it_, and studied some things.

I also like Mal's idea of a wide range of capabilities outside of "adventure type skills" which I may just write into the Career Paths. Or it may end up being a sort of additional set of options for character development.


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## Jack7 (May 28, 2009)

I'll be honest with ya YSIM, I'm not an especially big fan of approaching every new type of character idea as a class either (see *the Vadder*).   

I do though see people inventing or modifying classes all of the time, especially for particular settings.

And I get your point I think about the Lady not being so much a Class, as a Type (or maybe you were implying a Career).

Classes though are basic archetypes in D&D, and so common and ideas and easy to understand.

I've though, because of this thread and because of other ideas I have previously had, begun to consider the possibility of developing things outside of and independent of class, which would function similarly to class in some ways, but would be very broadly free and subject to open-ended role-play in other ways. So that players would be free to role play more easily and to develop their characters in a much broader, and perhaps far deeper, fashion.

The things I am considering for character development include things like:

*1. Professions or Vocations* - adventuring Professions or "Callings,' or what is commonly called class, though profession would operate in a little more open and less regimented fashion

*2. Roles* - both Combat and Non-Combat roles. These roles would be to establish roles within the group, team, or adventuring party itself. 

*3. Types* - as per what I discussed above, these would be mainly very broad social and cultural and gender types. Things like the *Lady*, *Maiden*, *Nobleman*, and *Gentleman* (and their opposites) that I mentioned before. In some ways these things would be "social roles" and in other ways social and cultural types.

*4. Classes* - in this case I mean actual and real social and political and economic classes, including the ability to take on those responsibilities appropriate to your "station" in life if you wish. This would include Kingmaking, the ability through personal and Heroic action to gain a reputation and to advance to become a publicly acknowledged Leader, or Leader in your field.

*5. Avocations* - such as *the Vadder*

*6. Variant Professions *- such as the *Acer* and *Sharper*

*7. Poly-Professionals* - characters with more than one adventuring profession 

*8. Civil Careers* - such as I am considering from the game you mentioned. These would be careers that you undertake over the course of your life that are not adventuring professions and may or may not be helpful in adventuring situations, but are definitely helpful in the broader society and culture. You could have a number of careers and career paths over your life.

*9. Real World Skills and Abilities* - skills and abilities that the player possesses that he would like his character to possess as well, as long as they are setting appropriate

*10. The Great Man or Woman (the Maestro)* - I need perhaps to settle upon a different term for this but it would similar to the political idea behind Kingmaking, but it would carry no overt police power. Instead it would carry great social, cultural, and perhaps religious, academic, and organizational prestige. Over time a character could work his or her way up to being Great. Great as in considered great for and within his culture, society, people, or group (or perhaps the world) - becoming an acknowledged Hero, Genius, Doctor (not necessarily medical doctor, but as in Doctor or PhD, the acknowledged expert), or Saint.

*11. Civic and Organizational Interest(s)* - these could be anything from a Guild membership to being the civil defense or militia leader of the local town to assisting the local hospital and church rescue and treat survivors after an earthquake.

(*12. Personal Interests* - sort of developing on Mal's idea of developments regarding a "wide range of activities," interests, skills, or hobbies, that a character might undertake but which would not necessarily have any direct adventuring (using the term adventuring to mean dangerous infiltration or expedition) benefit or relationship, but could be of real benefit in other ways. And example would be a guy who studies etiquette customs of other cultures because it interests him and is therefore occasionally called upon by the emperor as a court-advisor. He could get paid for such activities or rewarded in other ways, as well as receiving experience or "favors" from time to time. Or it may just be that such activities add to his "reputation" and the way in which he is viewed favorably by others. I may just work this idea into the Civil Careers paths though, but it would be considered more of an amateur career than a professional one.)


You put all of these things together and you have a lot of opportunities for role play over a very broad spectrum of activities (it would also be very hard for the DM not to have something to play), and you make characters far more like Real People, many of whom, if not most of us, have a wide range of professional, civil and civic, religious, political, cultural, societal, and amateur interests. Characters could then branch out and practice far more in the way of role play than hack-hack/slash-kill (though I got nothing against outright physical heroism and gritty adventure in and of itself) and dungeon crawl, and could instead also pursue numerous other in-game (and out of game) interests.

Such a system, if that's what you wanna call it, of *"Complex Character Development"* would both help to develop far more well-rounded characters and allow DMs so inclined to develop far more interesting and varied adventures that also help to develop "in-depth" their particular world setting. Instead of their world being just a storehouse for ruins and dungeons (I like dungeons and ruins, I explore ruins as much as I can, but no world could really function if it's main or only product was "ruins") it can then become far more a "real-world" with diverse and distinctive cultures, societies, religions, peoples, etc. And the charters could be more that way too.

Because they have avenues of interest to pursue and advance in other than just the _ruin-adventure path_.


If anyone wants to comment about any of these things I'll be happy to listen to what you have to say.


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## Jack7 (Jun 8, 2009)

*The Process of Invention:* Real World and In-Game Inventing, and how it affects some of my real work, as well as my setting.

_*The Silkârjen*_ – in the *Museum Thread* I discuss the artefact of the Silkârjen.

Briefly, in this thread entry, I’m going to describe how I developed the Silkârjen and the idea for the Silkârj. The other day I was working upon an invention regarding radio. As many of you may know old radios used crystals that vibrated at certain frequencies in order to function. While working on my invention the idea occurred to me, what if a crystal already possessed the necessary energy within itself to both intercept and translate radio waves without the need for the corresponding electromagnetic (interpretive) machinery? The idea occurred to me to either miniaturize the necessary machinery and then insert it directly into the crystal (the machinery inserted into the crystal rather than the crystal inserted into the machinery) or transpose all functions of the machinery and then wrap that around the crystal like a net. You could then shape and insert such a crystal directly into your ear like a hearing aid and if necessary it could use biological (probably electrochemical) energy as a power source. Though my initial idea was simply to either A.) use the enwrapping net to gather energy, or B.) set the crystal vibrating and then allow it to continue vibrating at necessary frequencies through sympathetic entrainment (in this way maybe even the human body could act as either an radio amplifier, a radio in and of itself, or as a biological antenna). In any case if it worked you could shrink an entire radio down to the size of a crystal (it would be extremely durable and hard to break) that you could insert into your ear like a hearing aid. Perhaps even small enough to go unnoticed. The Intel gathering value alone would be enormous as such radios could also be modified to be used as hearing aids and to intercept encrypted signals and scrambled frequencies (it wouldn’t have to descramble such frequencies, just intercept and record, or intercept and retransmit to a different receiver). It would have numerous communications and perhaps even decryption applications.

After working on these ideas and sketching them out some I started thinking, well, how would I interpret the same sort of device for my gaming world? As a non-technological device or artefact? I like these kinds of exercises because by comparing and contrasting the process of real invention with that of imaginary invention I often develop ideas, inventions, and systems that cross-pollinate and cross-fertilize each other.

I already had the basic outline of what I wanted to create with my real world invention-idea; so then it was just a matter of reverse-engineering the process for the same sort of artefact for Ghantik and Samarkand. Then I had to decide who would build it, how it would be discovered and developed, and who would be best equipped to make the most efficient use of it. Since in this particular case it would be a magical and non-technological device I thought about how it would function in confusing or unknown ways, and how it might malfunction and what the danger of that would be. I am still developing the potential of the device however, as is the case with my real world idea. However the in-game invention is much, much larger in scope and function, and based more upon the Echelon System in how it operates. It is not in this case a small piece of personal technology, but rather a large-scale sort of magical version combination Echelon communications surveillance network and DEW line. Although I’m considering this “system” as the basis for another real world invention, a netted and skinned radio telescope which would be in orbit and the entire “skin” of which would be a dual reception/amplification scope. Anyway the result of those ideas in game terms was the Silkârjen.


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## Jack7 (Jul 12, 2009)

I haven't had much time to work on this thread (or anything else leisure or entertainment centered) lately. But I thought I would post some cross-linked material from other threads that also cover how things work in, or on, Terra-Ghantik so that related materials could all be discovered in one place. Not all of these links deal exclusively with matters concerning Terra-Ghantik but most, for the most part, are about Terra-Ghantik in some respect.

I'll get back to contributing to this and some of the other threads when I can.


*Tactics and Combat

Adventures and Missions

Game Design

Monsters and Chimeras

Non-Fiction Inspiration Source Materials

Invention

War!

Magic and Nature

Playing God

Dreaming DM

History, the Characters, and the World

The Imagination of the Game

Alternative Fighting Methods

The Easter Eggs

*


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## Jack7 (May 23, 2010)

*THE THIRD WORLD* – I have decided to add a Third World to the Terra-Ghantik World system. Making it now the Terra-Ghantik-Ĩoħarml System.

_*Terra*_, our world and the world of Men, is a semi-historical world, based upon real world events and principles. It is the human world, circa 800-850 AD, which is occasionally invaded by forces or creatures from Ghantik.

_*Ghantik*_, is the world of what might be thought of as Elves, Dwarves, Giants, and so forth. It is a basically mythological world. As can be seen from previous entries in this thread.

_*Ĩoħarml*_, will be the Third World. Ĩoħarml means _“long sea-sprays.”_


In Terra the players play as human characters and variants I invented on various RPG classes with an emphasis on different versions of the typical D&D classes. 

In Ghantik the players play as demi-human characters, and as variants I invented on various RPG classes, with an emphasis on 4th edition D&D classes.

In Ĩoħarml the players will play both demi-human and human characters, using primarily the classes derived from the AD&D version of the game. Emphasis will be on simplicity of play and character class, and older style methods of play and magic.

Whereas Terra is primarily a world of human effort, technology, military force, government, culture and religion, and Ghantik is a world of mythological creatures, beings, racial groups, cultural and religious conflict, and highly sophisticated magic, Ĩoħarml will be a world of mixed races and species, fabulous creatures, fantastic magic, and strange supernatural beings and forces.

Players will enter Ĩoħarml from one of the other two worlds. Once players get there they will continue to “be themselves” but they will become different, AD&D versions of their former character type, race, and class. In addition their armor, weaponry, personal possessions, capabilities, etc. will become AD&D versions of their former characters. Ĩoħarml will be filled with strange creatures, devices, supernatural forces, and magics typical of the AD&D and older versions of the D&D game, plus some variants adopted from other games and gaming systems. 




Ĩoħarml will be a world of oceans, seas, and islands, some large, many small, and the typical means of transport will be by ship. Trade will usually be plentiful, and the number of islands will be great. Piracy will abound. However most islands still live in basic isolation from one another (except for matters of trade and occasional warfare – and few have the large military fleets necessary for protracted amphibious or naval warfare), and so each island will have given birth to uniquely different cultures, governments, and societies. In addition each island will have unique types or expression of magic, technology, science, or supernatural forces. And some very few islands will have developed sophisticated expressions of all of these kinds or modes of lifestyle. 

In some places resources will be plentiful and/or trade vigorous and the inhabitants will live in virtual luxury and security. In other places resources will be sparse and life will be harsh, cruel, and difficult. 




Ĩoħarml will be more of the typical Fantasy World of the three worlds, whereas Terra is the Historical or Semi-Historical World, and Ghantik will remain the Mythological World. 

I will make other entries in the future about all three worlds, how they differ, and how they are in some ways similar.


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