Empire of Tyrs Sourcebook

Transcription

Empire of Tyrs
When All Is Lost There Will Be Tears
A Mystic Realms® Source Book
Version 2014-03-15
Join the Chronicle of Magic, Murder and Madness
in a Realm on the Brink of Cataclysm
where an Undead Emperor rules a Dying Empire
and the World Rages in Revolution.
Written by Anton Kukal
MYSTIC REALMS is a registered trademark and service mark of Mystic Realms, Ltd. EMPIRE OF TYRS and all Mystic
Realms characters, character names, and the distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks of Mystic Realms, Ltd. This
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work of fiction. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, places, or events is purely coincidental. Copyright 20062014 Mystic Realms, Ltd. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.
Mystic Realms, Ltd.
Written by: Anton Kukal
Illustrated by: Michelle Gish
Photos and Map by: Anton Kukal
Credits
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This book requires you to have the Mystic Realms Core Rulebook. This book contains background information for
the world which players must use to create their player characters. All explanations of rules and skills are found in
the core rulebook. This book only contains a listing of skills assigned to character types which should be looked up
in the core rulebook.
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“Cry your tears of rage and shake yours fists in hate, but
this is your world. Broken, battered and shattered into
fragments by your great grandfathers’ actions and now
only held together by the might of the Empire. Dream
your deluded dreams of revolution, but know they will
only bring greater war, famine, pestilence and death. A
divided world of quarreling nations will never find peace.
I am Peace. I am Compromise. I am your Emperor.”
Tyrs the Terrible
Table of Contents
Imperial History
1
Skills and Training
7
Starting Skills Occupation Skills
7
7
Epoch of Slavery Epoch of Freedom Epoch of Nations Epoch of Woe Epoch of the Empire 1
2
3
3
5
Skills7
Basic Skills
Minor Esoteric Lore
Major Esoteric Lore
Lore Tomes
Learning Skills
7
7
7
8
8
From a Teacher
8
Self-Teaching8
Social Status 8
Malefactor9
Non-Appointed9
Human Denizen
Non-Human Denizen 9
9
Human Appointee Non-Human Appointee 9
9
Appointed9
Approved 7,501
10
Affirmed 12, 501
10
Anointed 20,001
10
Citizenship 25, 001
10
Senator11
General Skills 11
Fabricating11
Feats11
Knowledge 11
Occupations 12
Acolyte 13
Ambassador 13
Animator 14
Apothecary 15
Apostle 15
Archer 16
Artificers 16
Assassin17
Barrister17
Beggar 18
Bounty Hunter 18
Burglar 19
Cabalogist 19
Captain20
Commander 20
Constable 21
Destroyer 21
Duelist 22
Elementalist 22
Enchanter 23
Engineer 24
Explorer 24
Forger25
Gladiator 25
Granger 26
Knight 26
Mechanator 27
Musketeer 28
Obliterator 28
Physician 29
Pilot 29
Prostitute 30
Ruffian 30
Scribe 31
Scholar 31
Scout 32
Seer 32
Spy 33
Terrorist 33
Tinkerer 34
Troubadour 34
Vermin Catcher 35
Wrestler 35
People of the Empire 37
Airadin 37
Aquarian37
Beardon38
Canarrin38
Decidiun 39
Elf40
Ghoul 40
Humans41
Aldar41
Darro41
Exton41
Hosten41
Irristan41
Kelluck42
Lyrea42
Sennay42
Forneare42
Wildar42
Klacton 42
Minotaur 43
Oculus43
Orc44
Pythian45
Rakarrin 45
Satyr46
Weetle 46
Life in the Empire
49
Governments49
Imperial 49
Provincial 49
Colonial50
Community 50
Imperial Camp 50
Imperial Law 51
Statutes51
Punishment51
Local Laws 52
Statute of Limitation
52
Court System
52
Imperial Military
53
Imperial Courthouses
Community Courts
Land Core
Sea and Sky Core
Knightly Orders Military Groups
52
52
53
53
53
54
Joining54
Creating54
Religion in the Empire
55
Bearers of Light
Conventional Orthodox
Counters of the Coin
56
56
56
Creation Story
Father & Mother
Imperial Faiths
55
55
56
Harvestors57
Heart of Humanity
57
Industrialists57
Masters of the World
57
Lesser Faiths
God Emperor Disciples
Followers of Folly
Divine Groups
58
58
58
58
Joining58
Creating58
Politics World Information
Magic Nodes 58
63
63
63
Allotrope63
Blight64
Curst64
Execration64
Hallows64
Miasma65
Mana Substances
Esoteric Skills
65
65
Compounds65
Glyphs66
Runes66
Traps66
Archways66
Slavery67
Slave Statues
Slave Markets
Behemoths 67
68
68
Dragon68
Kraken68
Wyrm68
Blast powder 69
Coins69
Communication69
Postal System
Mana Mirrors
Archway Messenger
69
69
69
Transportation69
Mounts69
Vehicles69
Medical Treatments
70
Mana-Tech70
Machines71
Computers71
Guns71
Other Tech
71
Manufacturing71
Tech Concerns
71
Piracy72
Pirate Brotherhood
The Ghost Fleet
72
72
Nature73
Corruptions73
Demonic 73
Necromantic 73
Profane73
Plagues73
Storms73
Inhabitants75
Supernaturals75
Cults75
Cannibal Cults
Death Cults
Demon Cults
Doom Cults
75
76
76
76
Vampyre 76
WyreBeasts77
Bosks77
Totems77
Pagans78
Bearers of the Bark
Celestial Spiral Sect
Dead One Disciples
Divided Circle
Flesh Burners
Sect of the Sea
Sect of the Suns
Sky Children
Lesser Beings 79
79
79
80
80
80
80
80
81
Cromag81
Ergann81
Imp82
Marynn 82
Saurien82
Troll 82
Beasts82
Carnivorous Worms 83
Crystalteem 83
Fungloid83
Mantid 83
Rat 83
Reanimant 84
Wolves84
Item List
87
Time Line
91
Common Clothing
87
Armor Materials
87
Armor Items 87
Art Object 87
Camping Equipment 87
Climbing Equipment
87
Computers87
Container 87
Doors87
Explosives87
Fine Foodstuffs
87
Locks87
Medical Equipment
87
Navigation Equipment
87
Observation Equipment 87
Protective Gear
87
Restraining Devices
87
Riding Equipment
87
Tools87
Tool Kits
88
Weapons, Melee 88
Wpn. Ranged, Bows
88
Wpn. Ranged Bows (Mtd) 88
Wpn. Ranged Guns
88
Wpn Ranged Guns (Mtd) 88
Wpn Thrown (Reusable)
88
Wpn Thrown (One-Use)
88
Wpn Thrown Wpn Item 88
Composite Weapons
88
Weapon Mod. Add-On
89
Weapon Mod. Upgrades
89
Artifacts89
Artifact Ability Items
89
Artifact Feat Items
89
Artifact Knowledge Items 89
Artifact Armor
89
Mounts89
Personal Vehicles
89
Fortifications89
Epoch of Slavery
Epoch of Freedom
Epoch of the Nations
Epoch of Woe
Epoch of the Empire
91
91
91
91
91
Some say the history of this Realm should be written in blood, but for this document I will settle for ink for there has been far too much bloodshed over the
past one hundred years. The Empire of Tyrs was born of humanity’s hope, but
with dark magic flowing between blighted nodes and tainted flows spreading
across the land, there is little peace and too much war.
Our realm has become a world where demons sow seeds of destruction, hordes
of undead spontaneously rise, ghosts haunt lonely ruins and vampyres hunt the
night. Shape-shifters and magic-using beasts lurk in the wild areas. Behemoth
dragons, kravkens and wyrms threaten cities everywhere. The lesser beings of
the world have never been more numerous; cromags, erganns, imps, marynn,
suariens and trolls are a real danger to smaller towns and villages.
The very fabric of the realm has become tainted by the violence and hate. Fierce
mana-driven storms can destroy whole swathes of civilization. The ground
shakes and tidal waves crash against the coasts. Doomsayers predict a cataclysm
of epic proportion and prophets speak in hushed tones of the end of times.
Many in this world blame humanity. We were once a race of slaves and barbarians, but we fought for our freedom against the cerebrans, leading the entire
world into freedom. We created a proud, peaceful Republic and our nation led
the world, not as slaves as did the cerebrans, but equals. Peace existed for almost
half a millennia until the non-humans sought to carve up our new homeland
for their own. Then, humanity fought the world overcoming the hardships of
invasion and betrayal in the only manner they could.
Our only defense is the Imperial Military and the brave men and women who
keep us safe. Mana-powered war machines spewing steam shake the earth as
they clank along on clunky metal treads shooting flame and solid shot from
their cannon ports. Brass-built underwater-ships prowl the phosphorescent
ocean depths seeking enemies in a surreal world of armor-plated fish, glowing seaweed and tentacle creatures. The sky is filled with ponderous airships
burning mana-imbued ores and massive, steam-powered locomotives belching
smoke and soot pull double-decker troop cars along iron rails that span the
width of the Empire.
And of course, the undead armies of the Emperor march in unison, rank after
rank, in endless column after column, to the beating of the drum and whistling
of the pipes.
Imperial History
The history of the realm is the chronicle of human triumph against constant adversity. Humanity rose from a
people of slaves to be the most powerful people in the
realm, but their position of power is challenged from every corner of the realm and from those discontents within its own borders.
As internal strife threatens to tear the Empire apart, the
non-human races of the realm, beaten but not defeated
are jealous of human success and move against human
civilization whenever possible. Their machinations have
been subtle, but political, economic and military movements can only mean that another great war is coming.
Epoch of Slavery
When the Cerebrans Ruled the World.
Three thousand years ago the only powerful race of the
realm were the cerebrans. The world was united under
their government and was a world of peace and prosperity. The cerebrans are similar in appearance to humans,
but with large bald heads covered with various colored
veins. They were intelligent, wise and in total control of
realm.
The seat of the cerebran government was on the central
continent which they shared with the humans. The humans lived in the far north and the cerebrans controlled
the rest of the land.
Cerebran cities were flowing buildings with spires that
reached the sky and elegant arches that spanned from
spire to spire. Roads flowed with curves looping through
the cities in circles that guided one effortlessly to their
destinations. Greenery and finery was everywhere in
these mana-wrought homes of beautiful construction.
Light illuminated the cities at night like kaleidoscopes.
Throughout the world the cerebrans lived in their spectacular cities connected by a series of roads and floating
sea bridges. Hereditary leaders ruled each of the great
cities. These families were strong in magic and excelled
in trade and diplomacy. Cerebran homes were sprawling
estates of polished stone gilded with gold. Their house
had tall towers adorned with beautiful statues and luxurious gardens with trellises and stone benches along
cobblestone walks.
Since the dawn of recorded history, the cerebrans supported their society by enslaving the world. All the races
of the realm were enslaved to the cerebrans who were
masters of magic and created many strange and wondrous devices. The cerebrans controlled all knowledge,
possessing great magical power. They defended their
civilization with an elite force of magic-using soldiers
whose wondrous powers keep all others beings in awe.
The cerebrans ruled the realm, forcing all to labor in their
service while they lived lives of luxury and learning.
During this time the humans not enslaved in cerebran
homes roamed the northern parts of the central continent as a simple hunter-gatherer people. The rest of the
world’s inhabitants were spread out across the globe in
lands that suited their temperaments. The orcs lived in
lands of flowing magma and spewing lava. The klactons
lived in cool caves beneath a boiling desert. The world’s
highest mountain was the home of the satyrs. The pythians dwell in a rainforest and the minotaurs dwell along
a rocky coast. The elves live in the grasslands while the
oculus live on a mist shrouded island. The beardons live
were minerals are plentiful the deciduin live where the
trees are the tallest. Deep under the ocean is the underwater home of the aquarians and floating high up in the
sky is are the sky islands of the airadin. The rakkarrin,
canarrin and weetles live together on the world’s smallest continent.
1
Playtesting Draft Version 2014-03-15 - For Members Only
History of the Empire
The cerebrans were served directly by the humans, who
acted as cooks, maid, valets, messengers and other house
tasks. The other races were used mostly as a labor force.
For example, the klactons were forced to mine, while the
elves were forced to farm their grassland homes. The orcs
operated founderies pumping bellows and hauling ores so
the cereban crafters could make their wonderous magical
items.
All through this time the cerebran were very careful
not to allow the other being be educated. All advanced
knowledge especially the disciplines that could lead to the
learning of magical skills was kept secret.
Epoch of Freedom
When Humanity inspired the world to rebel
against cerebran rule and lead the world to
victory exterminating the cerebran race.
While serving as house slaves, a few humans learned to
manipulate mana by stealing the knowledge from their
cerebran masters. These humans planned a rebellion freely teaching the skills needed to manipulate mana to all
who would serve freedom.
Humans with the knowledge of magic’s mastery traveled the world recruiting all beings into the rebellion. For
years the rebellion fermented in secret as knowledge of
magic spread through the world. An enslaved world educated themselves, learning all the disciplines necessary to
manipulate the essence of the world.
The nomadic humans of the north rose up first against
their cerebran masters. They assembled a vast host in their
wild lands and declared their freedom with a shout that
echoed around the world. The cerebran army marched to
meet them and a terrible battle was fought on a large river
in the north east of the central continent. The cerebran
force was defeated and inspired by the human victory, the
world rose up in revolt.
Lead by humanity, the realm descended into war. The
cerebrans fought to control the world; the world fought
to be free. The cerebrans were masters of magic, but the
slaves had learned enough to magic to make a difference
and the slaves had great numbers on their side. As the
years passed, the conflict became a war of attrition.
The cerebran soldiers were masters of magic, trained
from birth in the arcane disciplines of death. Their skill
in weapon-use surpassed any and killing one cerebran
2
solder often took the lives of dozens of revolutionaries.
The cerebran soldiers were merciless, slaughtering whole
communities, killing males, females and even children,
intending to force the world back into submission by grief
and loss.
The world responded in kind, by slaughtering cerebrans
wherever they were found, but the revolutionaries did
not kill to force the cerebrans into submission. The world
killed the cerebrans to end their race forever. The war had
become a desperate struggle.
Despite the magical ability and amazing skill of the cerebran soldiers, one by one the wondrous cerebran cities
fell. With honor and dignity the cerebrans fought on to
the bitter end knowing their fate in those final years. The
great cerebran hero-soldiers standing in the streets alone
against the raging hundreds, trying in vain not to stem
the tide of defeat, for their cause was doomed, but only
fighting to give the children cowering behind them a few
more breaths of life.
The last great battle took place on a plain northwest of
the cerebran First City. Here the remnants of the cerebran military made their final stand against the world that
had risen up against them. Here the last of the cerebran
hero-generals took the field not as leaders, but a common
soldiers in the ranks. United they stood as a single solemn
line of shining silver armor, emblazon with glowing sigils
of power against
The army of the world was as it had always been. A raging mass of divergent, arguing folk held together only by
their desire to be free. Fur-clad humans from the north,
stood side by side with burn scarred orcs from the lands
of fire. Elves riding ostritches rode next to pythians soldiers mounted on snakes. Weetles with slingshots, supported aquarians wearing sea-shell armor. The minotaurs
had great bull horns on their heads which they used to
gore and the beardons tucked their long beards safely behind their heavy steel breast plates. The cat-like rakkarrin
cheered with the dog-like canarrins. The tree-leafed decidiuns were thre to heal and the insect like klactons were
there kill. Together this mass of difference formed a wild,
chanting, screaming hord that would not know defeat.
In victory, the world was cruel. The world hunted down
the surviving cerebrans and murdered them. Some people
spoke out against this terrible act, but most people of the
time called the culling a retribution, but it was genocide
on a terrible scale.
The ghouls, who were hated by cerebran and hunted nearly to extinction, rose up to take revenge against the cerebrans. Long used to hiding in crevices, caves and wild
places came out to help the world hunt down cerebrans.
The cerebrans had tried to extinguish the ghoul race and
now the ghouls paid them back. The ghouls knew all the
good hiding places in the realm and they feasted on the
cerebrans who tried to hide.
The ruins of the cerebrans’ wondrous civilization can be
found throughout the world. Occasionally adventurers
still stumble on secret caches of cerebran magical artifacts, treasure troves and long forgotten tombs.
Epoch of Nations
Nations arise throughout the world replacing the cerebran world government. The
Non-Humans war with each other.
The world, free from cerebran influence, grew into separate nations, divided by race and culture. Throughout
the world the humans, orcs, minotaurs, aquarians, beardons, elves, rakkarrin, canarrins, weetles, decidiuns and
the klactons established their nations in their traditional
homelands. The ghouls, few in number, and without a
traditional homeland were unable to claim land and were
forced back into the wild, remote places, hiding again
throughout the world.
Humanity entered a period of rapid growth. The humans,
though divided culturally, realized they need to work
together. The great heroes of the revolution united their
followers into a loose confederation. Town governments
linked with other towns of similar cultures to form provinces. The provinces aided one another and in time the ties
between the Provinces grew closer and the leaders created
the Republic of Humanity where each of the provinces
sent representatives to a ruling body called the Senate.
Life in the Republic was full of prosperity. The right to
Citizenship in the Republic was offered to every man and
woman. There was little poverty and no unemployment.
Everyone had a productive occupation and wages were
fairly set by Unions who assured that each worker had
good training. Union leaders worked with governmental
leaders to assure national success.
The Republic was a glorious time for humanity and they
grew in world influence. The cerebrans had been the leaders of world civilization. The collapse of the cerebran
political organization created a power vacuum that was
filled by the Human Republic. Humans became the traders that brought goods between warring non-human nations. Their cities became necessary centers of commerce
that allowed non-humans to trade with each other. This
trade made most humans wealthy. While non-humans
killed each other, the human politicians became the world
arbitrators and the Republic of Humanity enjoyed unbridled success.
Two of the biggest non human wars occurred between
the orcs and the elves caused by the orcs raiding for food
and the minotaurs and the aquarians which focused on the
right to travel freely without interference. The satyrs and
pythians fought a bloody border war.
Epoch of Woe
The world attacks the Human Republic
desiring the rich lands of the central continent. The battle goes against humanity until
a young human officer embraces the forbidden art of necromancy
As the republic grew more prosperous many non-humans
grew jealous of human success. They felt it was unfair
that the humans controlled the entire central continent
with vast mineral wealth, fertile lands and the mildest climates.
In time the non-humans began to see humanity as manipulative usurpers who sought to replace the cerebran
as the leaders of the realm. Coveting human wealth and
the resources of the central continent the klactons and the
orcs were the first to attack the Humans Republic. They
had secretly entered into a treaty known as the Butchers
Accord and planned to carve out a section of the Central Continent for their own. They landed armies on the
central continent securing the coastline and then moved
inland to take key resources from the humans.
Seeing the success of the orcs and klactons, the rakarrins,
canarrin and weetles entered into their own agreement
and landed an army on the central continent. The aridan,
beardons, oculus and minotaurs joined in the attack and
the last to join in the destruction of the human republic
were the dicidiuns. The entire world came against humanity in a war driven by greed and fear.
The Republic of Humanity was hard pressed to defend its
borders. Assaulted from all sides the lands of humanity
3
were falling fast. The desperate leaders of the Republic
began conscripting soldiers throughout the land. Every
man and woman was called forth to defend the Republic.
The very existence of humanity was at stake and volunteers flooded into training centers, but it was not enough.
After fifty years of war most of the Republic was destroyed, its territories carved up by the non-human races
and its people enslaved to work for the conquerors. Little remained of the Republic, only a few besieged cities
in the Central Continent remained free, but all were besieged. The entrenched Imperial City was a hopeless war
zone where the armies of Humanity were making their
final stand. Here the last vestiges of Human freedom in
the world prayed for salvation.
The salvation of humanity was a young man named Tyrs.
He was born in the north and joined the army after his parents and siblings were murdered by a band non-humans
raiding his farmstead.
Tyrs rose to the rank of officer and proved himself a very
capable soldier. He was with the army defending the Capital City of the Republic in what the world believed would
be the final battle in the war against the beaten republic.
The generals defending Capital City lost heart and fled
from the ramparts of Cambrous twenty miles south of
the capital causing a rout. Tyrs appeared on a black horse
leading his unit forward into the retreating soldiers.
His troops marched in perfect time singing the Battle
Hymn of Humanity. Their armor shone in the sun; their
gideons flapped in the wind. He called out to those retreating asking, “To where are you running?”
The retreating soldiers paused to watch Tyrs and his force
charge a klacton host attempting to ford the River Avarice
which bordered the field of Cambrous. The Klactons were
caught unprepared. Tyrs slaughtered the Klacton host
and the retreating human army returned to the ramparts
swearing to follow Tyrs where he would lead.
That evening Tyrs ordered a captured ghoul offered to
raise the dead corpses of the enemy using the forbidden
lore of Necromancy. Tyrs accepted, and that night Tyrs attacked a large non-human army to his front with the ghoul
by his side. The non-human army was totally unprepared
and the undead ripped through them. Every corpse that
fell in battle added one more undead to serve the Republic.
The world shouted as one, defiantly condemning the hei4
nous crime of using the black arts, but Tyrs would not
stop. He attacked another army and another. Within a
week the siege around the Capital City was broken and
Tyrs was marching to the aid of other human cities.
Human soldiers and resistance fighters from around the
Republic flocked to his banners. The old generals of the
Republic tried to assume command, but Tyrs would not
yield them. He argued that since they had fled the field the
army was now his to command.
Triumph after triumph saw the undead army growing ever
larger. Ghouls came to serve Tyrs, teaching humans how
to use the power of Necromancy. Waves of corruption
spread out from the horde, darkness blackened the sky,
but still Tyrs keep growing the horde, sending parts of it
throughout the Empire to free his people.
The soldiers demanded that Tyrs be made a general of
the army and the leaders of the Republic were forced to
confirm his appointment. Tyrs took up this mantel in his
cold calculating manner exploiting every avenue to save
his people.
Tyrs researched the ancient Cerebran inventions and applied them to war. Tyrs turned jets of flame used to boil
water on enemy soldiers. He used explosive chemical
powders once used to clear stone to shoot fist sized balls
of iron from bronze tubes into the massed troop formations of his enemies. But most of all he used necromancy
to raise every corpse to fight again.
Tyrs would accept no surrender from the non-humans
whose armies had plundered humanity. When he defeated them he slaughtered them and ordered his animators to
raise the corpses into undead.
The use of necromantic magic affected the world. Necromancy was the forbidden dark art - a magic having a corruptive essence - and its use polluted mana nodes turning
them into blights. To the world Tyrs was an aberration,
but to humanity Tyrs was their savior. Many accepted that
it was better to live a free in a harsh in a world, than to live
as a slave making the world beautiful for your masters.
Tyrs the Terrible the world called him. His name was spoken as a curse by every non-human in the world. But
the desperate Senate of the Human Republic invested all
military authority in Tyrs. His control of the army was
complete. His use of undead and Cerebran inventions for
war was terrifying.
Victory after victory drove the non-humans back into the
sea and made Tyrs the hero of the humanity. The entire
central continent was under sole control of humanity.
The non-humans were driven from the continent, and the
Tyrs took the battle across the seas and established colonies in the territories of the non-humans.
The old generals of the Republic tried to murder Tyrs.
They killed him and Tyrs was dead, but he rose again,
some say embracing the necromancy that guides his
armies. In retribution, Tyrs attacked the old generals and
executed them for treason over the objections of the Senate.
After years of fighting the majority of the non-human
nations were substantially beaten. They could not stand
up to the massed undead and war machines, but Tyrs
continued to kill them and many believed he would have
put the world to death if not stopped by his own people.
Many humans were tired of war; five generations of
bloodshed was enough. The non-humans begged for
peace for they were unable to stop the undead armies and
mana-driven war machines of Tyrs. Their nations were
destroyed, their cities leveled, many feared Tyrs would
kill them all as was done to the Cerebrans.
Members of the Senate approached Tyrs and requested
that he stop his war of genocide. Ultimately, Tyrs and the
Senate reached a compromise. War would stop, a large
portion of the undead would be laid to rest, the non-hu-
man nations would become colonies of the Empire. Not
slaves, but free people serving the Empire.
The Senate agreed to proclaim Tyrs “Emperor of the
Realm” gave him the authority to appointing governs
to rule all provinces and colonies and control over the
armies. The Senate would control civilian life and the
Emperor would provide protection and security.
The non-humans ratified the treaty with Humanity, becoming colonies on the same day that the Senate proclaimed the Human Empire founded in the year 1 of the
Imperial Calendar.
Epoch of the
Empire
The last of the non-human nations surrender to humantity and Tyrs rules the world.
The Epoch of the Empire began with the coronation of
Tyrs as Emperor and the division of the government into
the Military sector and the Civilian sector.
The armies of Tyrs controlled the entire continent and
much of the world and all those who fought in the defense of the Republic were granted citizenship in the
Empire of Tyrs. Citizenship was a reward to those who
defended humanity and they were afforded many privileges not available to those who did not serve. Citizens
can vote, hold public office and pay no taxes anywhere
in the Empire.
The Government was divided into the Civilian Sector
which was controlled by the Senate and the Military Sector controlled directly by Emperor Tyrs.
Many in this world desire the destruction of humanity. I
will not deny that our history has been written in blood,
but we have always acted in our defense. The Empire
fights a constant war against the world, a war humanity
was forced to wage by the non-humans.
We hold territories to secure our borders from encroachment. There is no peace for humanity! The war is over,
but the battle rage on as unrest continues. The force of
law so often goes unheeded. Pirates scour the lawless
seas and skies in the search of easy prey, and brigands
and burglars abound wherever the law is lax.
5
People always talk about the old Republic as if they remember the good old days,
but in truth that noble dream ended in fire and flame more than one hundred years
ago when the non-humans invaded our homeland. While it’s true the Empire is
not the Republic; it is also true that in this time of war of humanity is to survive
we must have the Empire.
Life in the Republic was very different from the Life in the Empire. Everyone had
the right to Citizenship in the old Republic. Each town elected representatives to
their provincial governments and they elected representatives to the Senate. There
were no governors lording authority or armies ready to keep the peace.
Life in the Republic was prosperity. Everyone who wanted to work was able to find
work in an occupation. Powerful benevolent Unions assured that each worker had
good training and a fair wage. The most successful and talented people in each
occupation came together in their Union to share their skills and improve their
occupations. Great advances were made in mana-tech. The Unions were one of the
reasons why the Republic became so successful and prosperous.
In the Empire the Unions have lost some of their traditional power. Imperial Occupations have also become the only path to citizenship creating a split within
each of the Unions. Laws prohibit the use of magical lore by anyone not officially
appointed, thus every Union has an underclass of workers who will never advance
beyond menial tasks.
The Unions can no longer assure a fair wage or even good working conditions for
all members. Union leaders are still elected, but much of their power is eclipsed
by Imperial Governors who control much of the economy in support of the war
efforts and civilian leaders seeking to interfere. There is much friction between
Unions and government, a friction that did not exist when the Republic existed.
Many of the Unions have turned to clandestine activities in their efforts to help
support their members. In this world of strife there have even been armed conflicts between Unions as they fight for control of large government contracts which
would allow them to dole out precious jobs.
Many remember the Human Republic fondly, criticizing the Empire of Tyrs for
all its faults and woes, but one must always remember that if not for the brutality
of Tyrs, humanity would be the race of slaves, instead of the rulers of this realm.
Blame not Tyrs for the state of this world, because there would have been no Tyrs,
if not for the sins of those who attacked the Human Republic.
Skills and Training
This section will tell you how to prepare for your adventures in the world.
Skills
A person begins their adventures with 5000 status which
represents their life’s experience up to this point and may
use this status to improve his or her body and mana or to
learn occupation skills, racial abilities or cultural skills.
A person may not start off their adventures as a supernatural.
Body and mana each cost 300 status; the maximum body
is 8 and the maximum mana is 16. The cost of each skill
available is listed after the skill in the appropriate section. General and occupation skills are details in the next
sections. Racial abilities and cultural skills are detailed
in the section on the People. Any status not spent may be
saved as unspent status.
Starting Skills
A person starting out must spend at least 300 status on
body, should learn all the basic skills of their chosen
occupation and may learn any skill off the general skill
list that is appropriate for their background.
Occupation Skills
The entry for each occupation contains a complete list of
all the skills that members of that occupation can learn.
Each occupation is divided into Basic Skills, Minor Esoteric Disciplines, and Major Esoteric Disciplines.
A person must always learn all the prerequisite skills to a
skill before he or she may learn the desired skills (Please
see the skill description for each skill in the core rulebook to determine the prerequisites for the desired skill).
A person does not need to be part of a Union to follow an
occupation, nor do they need to be appointed, approved,
or anointed. They may practice any occupation unlawfully as a Malfactor.
Basic Skills
Every occupation has a list of skills that every member
must know. They consist of useful skills, like bandaging,
climbing and swimming, as well as, specific basic skills
required by that particular occupation. A person must
learn all of these skills before they can learn Minor Esoteric Disciplines. These are also the skills that a person
must master if they intend to advance in the occupation
as an Imperial Appointee.
Minor Esoteric Lore
Minor Esoteric Lore is the basic magical skills of an occupation. When learning Minor Esoteric Lore a person
must be careful to have learned all the prerequisite skills.
A person may start their adventures with Minor Esoteric
Disciplines only if they learned all the basic skills of an
occupation. A person who did not start their adventures
with Minor Esoteric Lore may begin learning the Minor
Esoteric Disciplines after he or she has learned all of the
basic skills.
Major Esoteric Lore
Major Esoteric Lore is the power skills of an occupation.
They require much devotion to learn. Almost all Major
Esoteric Lore has prerequisite skills and a person must
be careful to have learned all that are required..
A person may only learn Major Esoteric Disciplines after
they have accumulated 7,501 status. A person may begin
following additional occupations after they have accu-
7
Skills and Training
mulated 7,501 status.
Lore Tomes
Lore tomes are books that record the esoteric skills which
a person has learned. All skills must be recorded in the
Lore Tome even if they are not esoteric. Lore Tomes are
magical works containing weaves of mana within the
pages, demonstrating the power of performance and perspective, and sharing the drafters own unique vision to
the world.
Lore tomes are works of art, explaining how skills are
performed at the level of action. They do not generally
provide the simple elements of use and effect as this is
common knowledge to all followers of an occupation,
but instead record the personal thoughts of the writer
when using skills. They contain underlying philosophies, incantations, precise movements, and other details
related to the quality of the performance. This personal
lore tome is a repository for all he or she has learned containing personal expression and world view. It is a sacred
book filled with musings and imagination that acts as a
guide when performing skills.
Whenever a person seeks promotion to greater responsibilities within the Empire he or she must present the lore
tome to the promoter who will review the lore tome. It is
not necessary that every skill be listed, but the tome must
present evidence that the person has a solid foundation
in their learning. A person without a Lore Tome cannot
be promoted. When a person prepares to be accepted as
a Citizen they must present their Lore Tome to the Empire for review. The tome must demonstrate principles
of mana manipulation, philosophy and understanding
unique to the petitioner.
Many people refer to their tomes often using them as
an aid. Apothecaries will use their tomes when mixing
complex compounds. It is common to see entertainers
singing from their tomes and hunters setting traps from
rough sketches. Forgers and engineers make use of schematics in their tomes, and all the combat occupations record their varied combat techniques and systems within
their lore books. Casters of spells, prayers and powers
often have the thickest lore tomes as they grapple with
the many ways to cast.
Learning Skills
A person may only learn a skill if he or she has suffi8
cient unspent status, has the proper prerequisite skills to
support learning and has achieved any other requirement
stated elsewhere in this book . Once the criteria has been
met the student may learn the desired skill as follows.
From a Teacher
A person can learn general skills from anyone with the
skill and teach I. All basic occupation skills are general
skills and can thus be learned from anyone with the skill
and teach I.
A person can only learn a esoteric disciplines from a
member of their occupation. The teacher must know the
skill the student wishes to learn, and have the skill teach
II.
The time it takes to a teach to teach a skill varies with the
teacher and the student and is left up to the participants
involved. A group of students may be taught at once
by one person, as long as they are all learning the same
skill. After a skill is taught, the student must take time to
perfect the technique before using the skill. This generally takes one full day of practice for each skill. Persons
perfecting a skill cannot adventure and must be in a safe
environment.
Self-Teaching
A person with teach I may self-teach any general skill
provided they have a lore tome containing the desired
skill. A person following an occupation may self-teach
esoteric disciplines if they have teach II and a lore tome
containing the desired skill. Union members will have
no trouble going to a Union House and reading one of
the Lore Tomes kept there for students. All Unions have
Union Houses in every major city. If one is practicing an
occupation as a Malfactor lore tomes are often very hard
to find.
Self-teaching takes at least one full day of practice for
each skill. Persons self-teaching a skill cannot adventure
and must be in a safe environment. Apprentice skills
cannot be learned by self-teaching.
Social Status
The people of the Empire can also be divided into various groups according to their social status within the
Empire. According to their social status Imperials live
very different life styles. The Citizen has earned a place
Skills and Training
of power and respect, but is required to participate in
the political machines that governs the Empire. The Appointee lives a life of service to the Empire, knowing that
at the end of service there will be the reward of citizenship. The Denizen is a free person who is his or her own
master who does not have the weighty responsibilities of
Appointment and Citizenship.
Malefactor
Malefactors are the lowest members of Imperial Society.
They are humans and non-humans who have illegally
learned esoteric skills. Persons who are Malfactors do
not need to worry about any of the other levels of society.
Malefaction (the act of learning or using skills) is punishable by purgation. Repeat offenders are generally
obliterated. Sometimes malefactors with useful skills are
enslaved by citizens or appointees instead of purgation.
Non-Appointed
The non-appointed are members of an occupation cannot
us Esoteric Skills. They perform menial tasks. Many are
talented persons who do not have the social or political
connections to secure an appointment in the Guild.
Human Denizen
Denizens are freemen who choose not to serve the Empire as Imperial Appointees. Not every person can meet
the rigors of Appointment (or stand the hassles), but they
can lead very successful and prosperous lives within the
Empire.
A denizen is every other human who lives and works in
the Empire who is not a Citizen or an Appointee. Most
denizens follow an occupation. Occupations allow people to perform ordinary feats, set traps and learn the
knowledge commonly available to the world.
Under Imperial Law, denizens are not allowed to learn
esoteric lore. Denizens may learn esoteric lore illegally. Learning esoteric lore illegally is called malefaction.
Denizens found knowing malefaction are called Malefactors.
Non-Human Denizen
Non-human denizen of the Empire are non-humans who
have sworn to serve the Empire. They live in much the
same way as Human Denizens. They arguably have the
same rights as human denizens, but are considered by
many humans to inferior.
Appointed
The appointed members of an occupation are allowed to
learn the Minor Esoteric Disciplines of the occupation.
They are entrusted with the basic secrets of their occupation.
Human Appointee
Human Appointees are persons serving the Empire
through their Appointments. Only Imperial Appointees can legally learn esoteric lore. Thus, only they are
permitted to use extraordinary feats, perform rituals or
procedures, mix compounds, fashion many of the more
complex items found in the realm, scribe runes, draw
glyphs and cast spells, prayers and powers.
Most Appointees live in Imperial towns where they perform services to the community. This can be a military
authority or a civilian authority. Oftentimes the Appointees will find themselves with conflicting orders from
military and civilian leadership and that is just the nature
of the Empire.
Successfully completing an Appointment is the only way
to become a citizen. Appointees usually fulfill their full
term of service. An Appointee can officially quit, but all
esoteric skills will be purgated from their minds. Desertion is considered one of the worst crimes and Appointees found guilty without mitigating circumstances are
generally obliterated.
Non-Human Appointee
Non-Human Appointees have the same obligations as
human appointees. Many accept that their nation was
conquered by the Empire and now they are making the
nest of a bad situation. If they complete their Appointment they will be given citizenship in the Empire and
allowed a voice in the ruling of their colony.
Non-humans who are Appointees may still face some
prejudice, but most humans respect the non-human’s
willingness to serve the Empire. Non-human Appointees often suffer the most criticism from their own people who despise the Appointees and see them as traitors
and turncoats.
9
Skills and Training
Approved 7,501
When an Appointee reaches 7,501 status they may be
“Approved” to learn the Major Esoteric Disciplines.
They must petition a Union Leader who will approve
their advancement within the Union. They are entrusted
with more weighty responsibilities within their Union
and maybe included in the governance of the Union.
They have access to learn and master all the skills of
the occupation. Appointees are permitted to learn other
occupations at this level of status.
Affirmed 12, 501
When an approved Appointee reaches 12, 501 status
they may be “Affirmed” by a group of at least five Union
Leaders. An Affirmed member of the Union is a Union
Leader. They may promote an Appointed to Approved
status and also commit their vote to advance an Approved Appointee to the Affirmed status.
Anointed 20,001
When an Affirmed Appointee reaches 20,001 status they
may be “Anointed” by a group of at least seven Union
Leaders. If they are members of multiple occupations the
seven leaders may be of any of the occupations to which
they practice. They are considered hero of the Empire
and are called an “Anointed Appointed” and afforded
great honors wherever they travel. They do not pay for
lodgings. They are given an apartment in the Imperial
City and are allowed to attend all meetings of the Senate
where they will wear white robes of leadership with a
10
black stole.
Citizenship 25, 001
When an anointed Appointee reaches 25,001 status they
may apply for Citizenship. As a Citizen they are entitled
to lead their local community. They are also provided an
estate in the Imperial City and are allowed to attend all
meetings of the Senate where they will wear white robes
of leadership.
Citizens are humans (and theoretically non-humans)
who have served the Empire and are afforded a number
of benefits, such as participation in the government and
freedom from taxes. Citizenship is an honor reserved for
those who swear an oath to serve the Empire.
All persons seeking citizenship must complete their Imperial Appointment by accumulating 25,000 status in the
service of the Empire and 25 Fame Deeds of Renown.
Status is earned by adventuring and attending official
functions of the Empire. Fame Deeds are actions of
Renown credited to the Appointee. Each Infamy Deed
counts against the total Fame Deeds.
A candidate for citizenship must apply directly to the
Senate listing all Fame Deeds. If citizenship is granted
the Appointee will be given the official token of citizenship; if citizenship is not granted the Appointee will be
given a written explanation of why citizenship was denied.
After the Imperial Appointee’s citizenship is confirmed
and he may at any time thereafter retire from official ser-
Skills and Training
vice and enter into business enterprises or other pursuits.
After becoming a citizen the person is expected to participate in the government of their local community and are
required to attend all posted meetings of citizens.
Senator
When a citizen retires from adventuring they may become elected to a term in the Senate. Senators will stay
in the Imperial City at their estate. They will have a vote
on the Imperial Senate and will where the white robes of
leaderships and the golden crown of a Senator.
General Skills
These skills are mundane skills and can be learned by
all people.
Fabricating
The skill to make things is a common thing in the realms.
Constructing and manufacturing are mundane methods
of fabrication used to build everything from small items,
to vehicles, and to castles.
constructing - 200, manufacturing - 100.
Feats
These feats can be learned by almost everyone. They are
do not require the expenditure of heroic effort to perform. They are considered mundane and are not regulated by the Empire.
critical melee I - 200, critical ranged I - 200, dodge I - 200,
evade I - 400, knockback I - 200, parry I - 200, propel I 200, quick aim I - 200, quick load I - 200, strength I - 100,
stagger I - 200, stun I - 200, willpower I - 200.
Knowledge
Instead of providing an alphabetical list of skills, these
skills have been broken down into their groups according
to their use. The skill to regain feats is not considered Esoteric Lore. While these skills can only be used in mana
rich areas, they not proscribed by Imperial Law, because
they technically do not manipulate mana directly.
Athletic Knowledge: balance - 200, climb I - 100, climb
II - 200, coordinate - 200, escape - 200, hold breath - 100,
leap - 300, pratfalls - 300, swim I - 100, swim II - 200
Combat Knowledge: armor I - 200, armor II - 200, armor
III - 200, armor IV - 200, armor V - 200, armor VI - 200,
armor VII - 200, armor VIII - 100, blindfight - 200, compound combat - 400, fatal finish - 100, weapons (shield I)
- 300, weapons (shield II) - 200, Commercial Knowledge: commerce - 100, scrounge 200, wealth I - 200, wealth II - 200, wealth III - 200, wealth
IV - 200, wealth V - 200
Communicative Knowledge: interrogation - 400, language <additional> - 100, performance - 100, politics 100, psychology - 100, resist interrogation - 200
Medical Knowledge: compound handling - 200, first aid
- 100, forensics - 100, medicine - 200, mutilation - 100,
resuscitate - 100, splint - 100, surgery - 400, survival - 100
Observation Knowledge: compound sleight - 300, enigmas - 100, extrasensory perceptions - 200, hypnosis - 400,
mettle I - 400, mettle II - 200, mettle III - 200, navigation
- 100, sense I - 100, sense II - 300, sense III - 200
Social Knowledge: regain feat (appreciation) - 200, regain feat (boasting) - 200, regain feat (calisthenics) - 200,
regain feat (combat training) - 200, regain feat (commune)
- 200, regain feat (contest mental) - 200, regain feat (contest physical) - 200, regain feat (debate) - 200, regain feat
(decadence) - 200, regain feat (divination) - 200, regain
feat (examination) - 200, regain feat (feasting) - 200, regain feat (flirting) - 200, regain feat (gossip) - 200, regain
feast (grievance)- 200, regain feat (innovate) - 200, regain
feat (investigation) - 200, regain feat (jocularity) - 200, regain feat (mediation) -200, regain feat (nefarious rites) 200, regain feat (nostalgia) - 200, regain feat (observation)
- 200, regain feat (prayers) - 200, regain feat (procession)
- 200, regain feat (revival) - 200, regain feat (scheming) 200, regain feat (stealth practice) - 200, regain feat (stomp)
- 200, regain feat (story telling) - 200, regain feat (symbolize) - 200, regain feat (tactical discussion) - 200, regain
feat (target practice) - 200, regain feat (theorize) - 200
Study Knowledge: astronomy - 100, biology - 100, chemistry - 100, computers I - 100, computers II - 300, computers III - 200, embalm - 100, geology - 100, history - 100,
imaging - 100, law - 100, literature - 100, mathematics 100, military - 100, occult I - 100, occult II - 300, occult III
- 200 . physics - 100, teach I - 100, teach II - 100, theology
- 100, tracking - 200
Subterfuge Knowledge: bindings - 100, crime - 100,
disarm trap - 200, forgery - 200, gambling - 200, gaming
- 200, pick locks - 300, pocket pick - 300, pocket place 100, rumors - 100, vermin handling - 100
Technical Knowledge: bindings - 100, electronics I - 100,
electronics II - 300, electronics III - 200, explosives I- 200,
explosives II - 400, fine arts - 100, maintenance - 400, me-
11
Skills and Training
chanics I - 100, mechanics II - 300, mechanics III - 200,
repair - 100
skills are very different, requiring a larger expenditure of
status in order to learn all the required basic skills.
Transportation Knowledge: animal handling - 100, ride
I - 200, ride II - 100, ride III - 100, vehicles I - 200, vehicles II - 100, vehicles III - 100
All occupations allow for an Imperial Appointment-- the
Empire needs dedicated rat catchers, burglars and prostitutes. Generally, a person will join and occupation and
only after proving themselves will Union Leaders allow
the person to be granted an Imperial Appointment. Each
entry describes the duties of a non-appointed person performing the mundane aspects of the occupation, but also
describes the duties of an official Imperial Appointee
who is expected to develop Esoteric Skills in the service
of the Empire.
Weapons Knowledge: weapons (body) I - 300, weapons
(body) II - 200, weapons (body) III - 200, weapons (bow)
I - 200, weapons (bow) II - 200, weapons (bow) III - 200,
weapons (bow) IV - 100, weapons (bow) V - 100, weapons
(chopping) I - 100, weapons (chopping) II - 100, weapons
(chopping) III - 100, weapons (crushing) I - 100, weapons
(crushing) II - 100, weapons (crushing) III - 100, weapons (cutting) I - 100, weapons (cutting) II - 100, weapons
(cutting) III - 100, weapons (gun) I - 200, weapons (gun)
II - 200, weapons (gun) III - 200, weapons (gun) IV - 100,
weapons (gun) V - 100, weapons (throw) I - 100, weapons
(throw) II - 100, weapons (throw) III - 200.
Occupations
There are many ways for people to make their way in the
Empire of Tyrs, but most people choose an occupation.
These occupations are closely supervised by powerful
Unions who set labor standards and prices throughout
the Empire. The Unions are controlled by Citizens who
have earned their citizenship through that appointment.
Occupations allow people access to Esoteric Lore. Esoteric Lore are powerful skills that represent advanced
or specialty training in the occupation. The listed occupations are the only occupations in the world that allow
the learning of Esoteric Lore. A person must learn all the
basic skills of the occupation before they may begin to
learn the Esoteric Lore of the additional occupation(s).
People do not need to follow an occupation. Persons
who do not follow these occupations may still learn the
general skills, but they will not have the ability to learn
any Esoteric Skills that are provided through the occupations. The occupations provide the fundamental knowledge necessary to develop the Esoteric Skills listed under the occupation.
All people can start their adventures with one occupation. As they adventure people can seek to gain admission to additional occupations by applying to a Union,
and convincing Union leaders to accept them. It is easier
to switch between similar occupations because the basic
skills are similar. When the occupations are dissimilar
(for example, a gladiator becoming an apostle) the basic
12
If a person wants to legally learn Esoteric Lore, they
must have an Imperial Appointment in an occupation.
Imperial Appointments are recorded with the Empire
and all Imperial Appointees are expected to act for the
protection of the Empire. If a person without an Imperial
Appointment learns Esoteric Lore through other means
(such as joining a cult) he or she is a malefactor and if
caught will likely face purgation or obliteration.
A Union can remove a member if that member consistently violates Imperial Law or otherwise harms the reputation of the occupation. Union Leaders will generally give warnings to offenders, but particularly heinous
crimes or patterns of antisocial behavior will eventually
lead to dismissal. When a person is dismissed from an
occupation the Union leaders are permitted to purgate all
Esoteric Lore granted by the occupation.
During the Epoch of Nations the human republic made
great advances in magic and science. While the cerebrans
used only magic, the humans embraced aspects of both.
Industry flourished in the Human Republic, developing
alongside and in conjunction with magical marvels. This
lead to the establishment of occupations dedicated to
pursuing a certain set of skills. Occupation groups called
Unions were established to train members in the highly
specialized skills needed to achieve the mastery of magic
and science.
Every member of an Occupation has a status in the Union
that governs the occupation. Each level of status brings
the Appointee greater glory, wealth and power, but also
places on them a greater responsibility. The advancement from one level to the next is accompanied with a
ceremony of advancement.
Skills and Training
Acolyte
Acolytes are trained religious specialists who deal in the
day to day operations of a faith. They handle people, protect temples and work to spread the faith. Religious tolerance is one of the hallmarks of the Empire and so long
as the faith does not encourage the violation of Imperial
laws the faith will be allowed.
Acolytes without an appointment care for temples and
handle the day to day affairs of their religions. Imperial Acolyte Appointees are responsible for creating and
managing their own faiths in the Empire. Imperial Acolytes following Dark Faiths must be careful, because
they often suffer prejudice and are commonly declared
cults by competing faiths so their enemies can seize their
assets.
Occupation Skills
Feat: parry I - 200. Knowledge: astronomy - 100, balance
- 200, biology - 100, climb I - 100, first aid - 100, history 100, occult I - 100, psychology - 100, regain feat (prayers)
- 200, resuscitate - 100, splint - 100, swim I - 100, theology
- 100, weapons (body) I - 300.
Minor Esoteric Disciplines
Feats: critical melee II - 200, deflect strike I - 200, dodge
II - 400, fend I - 200, fend II - 200, knockback II - 200,
parry II - 400, seize I - 400, strength II - 100, strength III
- 200, stun II - 200, stun III - 200. Knowledge: grappling 300. Rituals: bolster body - 200, divine allegiance - 200,
divine body - 200, divine mana - 200, divine shrine - 200,
divine symbol - 200 divine vestment - 300, dome (permeable holy) - 100, embody strengthener (ecclesiastic) - 100,
remembrance (eulogy) - 100, restoration - 300, return 200, send dreams - 100, song (hymn) - 100, spiritquest 400, , talisman (bone) - 100, time reducer (idol) - 200, wall
(permeable holy) - 100.
Major Esoteric Disciplines
Feats: critical melee III - 200, deflect strike II - 400, disarm I - 200, dodge III - 400, evade II - 400, feint I - 200,
fend III - 400, knockback III - 200, knockback IV - 200,
knock out I - 400, knock out II - 400, parry III - 400, pursue
II - 400, seize II - 400, strength IV - 200, stun IV - 200,
tough I - 400.
Rituals: area (holy) - 200, divine altar - 300, divine avatar
- 1000, divine beast - 100, divine benevolence - 100, divine
bond - 200, divine homage - 100, divine mark - 100, divine
prayers - 200, divine reliquary - 300
Ambassador
An ambassador is a diplomat sent by one group of people to represent themselves to another. Ambassadors can
negotiate deals between the nations of the world or simply represent the interests of two local groups having a
dispute. Ambassadors are trained to avoid bloodshed and
the members of this occupation have very strict guidelines for their members regarding honesty and neutrality.
Non-appointed Ambassadors handle local matters. Imperial Ambassador Appointees travel the realm resolving conflicts between Imperial policy and local residents.
They handle the duties of explaining the necessity for a
new tax, but also exciting, dangerous missions like trying to convince a community to abandon their homes
avoid a coming storm.
Occupation Skills
Feat: willpower I - 200. Knowledge: commerce - 100,
compound handling - 200, crime - 100, fine arts - 100, first
aid - 100, history - 100, interrogation - 400, law - 100, navigation - 100, politics - 100, psychology - 100, regain feat
(debate) - 200, theology - 100.
Feats: augment sp&p I - 200, breaking sp&p I - 200, conceal sp&p I - 200, double sp&p I - 200, impacting sp&p
I - 200, negate sp&p I - 400, quick cast sp&p I - 200, recover I - 200. Rituals: dome (permeable psi) - 100, song
(serenade) - 100, subservience I - 1000, wall (permeable
psi) - 100. Spells: amnesia - 200, awaken - 200, bewilder 200, damage specific (psi) - 200, compliant - 400, dazzle 200, distract - 200, emotions - 200, enhance weapon - 100,
fear - 200, fugue - 200, laughter - 200, protest being - 400,
screaming - 200, spook - 200, tremble - 200.
Major Esoteric Discipline
Feats: augment sp&p II - 200, breaching sp&p I - 200,
breaching sp&p II - 200, breaking sp&p II - 200, bursting
sp&p I - 400, conceal sp&p II - 200, double sp&p II - 400,
impacting sp&p II - 200, negate sp&p II - 400, quick cast
sp&p II - 200, recover II - 200, repulse sp&p I - 400. Rituals: area (psi) - 200, subservience II - 200, subservience
III - 200, telepath - 500. Spells: aggression - 400, confuse
being - 400, cower - 200, dominate being - 600, sleep 400.
13
Skills and Training
Animator
Non-appointed Animators specialize in the gathering
of corpses and the maintenance of the undead armies
serving the Emperor. Non-appointee animators are little more than body collectors with dreams of some day
gaining an official appointment and the right to use necromancy legally.
Animators are hated by most races of the realm, because
necromantic energies warp the heart and mind. All animators struggle against the terrible side effects of their
magic, and many succumb to insanity, but the noble ones
make the sacrifice to protect humanity, whereas the less
noble use the magic for the rush of power and awesome
glory of leading armies of undead. In the Empire, the
raising of corpses by anyone other than an Animator in
military service is prohibited by law and carries a sentence of purgation or obliteration.
Imperial Animator Appointees serve in the Imperial military where they raise the dead to reinforce the army. Animators are not allowed to become citizens. When they
retire from military service they are given an estate to
manage. Sometimes Animators will go renegade, especially after they have spent a few years in the boredom
of retirement.
Occupation Skills
Knowledge: astronomy - 100, biology - 100, climb I - 100,
chemistry - 100, crime - 100, fatal finish - 100, first aid -
14
100, forensics - 100, geology - 100, hold breath - 100, military - 100, occult I - 100, regain feat (nefarious rites) - 200,
resuscitate - 100, sense I - 100, splint - 100, survival - 100.
Feats: augment sp&p I - 200, breaking sp&p I - 200, conceal sp&p I - 200, double sp&p I - 200, impacting sp&p I 200, negate sp&p I - 400, quick cast sp&p I - 200, recover
I - 200. Rituals: animate undead I - 300, animate undead
II - 100, conjure haunter - 100, creation circle - 200, dome
(permeable necromantic) - 100, embody construct (revenant) - 200, projectile device (necromantic) - 100, protection - 100, purify blood - 200, restoration - 300, return
- 200, song (hymn) - 100, spiritquest - 400, storage (skull)
I - 200, visage (undead) - 200, wall (permeable necromantic) - 100, wall (permeable wither) - 100. Spells: animate
corpse - 400, animate undead I - 600, damage specific
(necromantic) - 200, call corpses - 200, corpses follow 200, control undead - 400 enhance weapon - 100, feign
death - 100, heal - 400, purify food and drink - 100, rebuke
living being - 200, speaking corpse - 200.
breaking sp&p II - 200, bursting sp&p I - 400, conceal
sp&p II - 200, double sp&p II - 400, impacting sp&p II
- 200, negate sp&p II - 400, quick cast sp&p II - 200,
recover II - 200, repulse sp&p I - 400. Rituals: area (necromantic) - 200, area (undead) - 300, healing (grave) - 400,
storage (skull) II - 200, tap (animating) - 600. Spells: animate undead II - 400, animate undead III - 200, avert all
living beings - 600, corpsify - 600, master undead - 200.
Skills and Training
Apothecary
Apothecaries study the interactions of chemical compounds and material substances. Their knowledge of the
interaction of chemicals on body processes is astounding. Apothecaries often work in civilian clinics and/or
military hospitals. They can also serve governmental
leaders and other important persons within the Empire.
Apothecaries without appointments are limited to using
basic herbs and plants to cure ailments. Imperial Apothecary Appointees mix and brew magical compounds to
heal, cure, manipulate, enhance and deplete body processes. They are also skilled the creation of hazardous
materials.
Occupation Skills
Knowledge: biology - 100, chemistry - 100, compound
combat - 400, compound handling - 200, first aid - 100,
forensics - 100, geology - 100, medicine - 200, psychology
- 100, regain feat (examination) - 200, resuscitate - 100,
splint - 100, survival - 100.
Compounds: curative - 500, hazard - 300, narcotic - 300,
poison - 500. Feats: augment sp&p I - 200, breaking sp&p
I - 200, catch I - 200, conceal sp&p I - 200, dodge II - 400,
double sp&p I - 200, impacting sp&p I - 200, negate sp&p
I - 400, quick cast sp&p I - 200, recover I - 200, willpower
II - 400. Rituals: embody construct (golem) - 200, laboratory - 200, purify blood - 200, restoration - 300, return
- 200, spirit quest - 400. Spells: attenuate - 100, dispel
- 200, harm - 500, heal - 400, mete mana - 200, moving
force - 200, purify food and drink - 100, seal source - 100,
steal mana - 200, squelch - 200.
Compounds: disabler - 500, enabler - 500, infection - 300,
toxicant - 300. Feats: augment sp&p II - 200, breaking
sp&p II - 200, bursting sp&p I - 400, catch II - 200, conceal
sp&p II - 200, double sp&p II - 400, evade II - 400, impacting sp&p II - 200, negate sp&p II - 400, quick cast sp&p
II - 200, recover II - 200. Rituals: healing (bunk) - 400,
preservation - 100. Spells: injure body - 500, injure mana
- 200, mass moving force - 600, shell - 500.
Apostle
Apostles spread their faith around the world. They are
travelers who go into the wildest places in order to convince others to join the faith. They are responsible for
spreading religion throughout the realm.
Imperial Apostle Appointees are allowed to create their
own faiths in the Empire. Religious tolerance is one of
the hallmarks of the Empire and so long as the faith does
not encourage the violation of Imperial laws the faith
will be allowed.
Occupation Skills
Feat: willpower I - 200. Knowledge: astronomy - 100,
biology - 100, enigmas - 100, fine arts - 100, first aid - 100,
history - 100, literature - 100, occult I - 100, politics - 100,
psychology - 100, regain feat (revival) - 200, resuscitate 100, rumors - 100, splint - 100, swim - 100, theology - 100.
I - 200. Prayers: attenuate - 100, damage specific (holy or
profane) - 200, dispel - 200, enhance weapon - 100, heal 400, mete mana - 200, pass exposure - 200, purify food and
drink - 100, seal source - 100, steal mana - 200, squelch
- 200. Rituals: bridge - 200, conjure archon - 100, dispelling - 100, divine allegiance - 200, divine body - 200,
divine mana - 200, divine shrine - 200, divine vestment
- 300, dome permeable (holy or profane) - 100, embody
strengthener (ecclesiastic) - 100, projectile device (holy) 100, restoration - 300, return - 200 send dreams - 100, song
(hymn) - 100, spiritquest - 400, storage (prayer beads) I 200, talisman (bone) - 100, time reducer (idol) - 200, wall
(permeable (holy) - 100.
Feats: augment sp&p II - 200, breaking sp&p II - 200,
bursting sp&p I - 400, breaching sp&p I - 200, conceal
- 200, negate sp&p II - 400, quick cast sp&p II - 200, recover II - 200, repulse sp&p I - 400. Rituals: area (holy or
profane) - 200, area (pious) - 300, divine altar - 300, divine
avatar - 1000, divine beast - 100, divine benevolence - 100,
divine bond - 200, divine homage - 100, divine mark - 100,
divine prayers - 200, divine reliquary - 300, divine symbol
- 200, storage (prayer beads) II - 200, site (monolith) - 200.
Spells: shell - 500.
15
Skills and Training
Archer
Archers specialize in using bows. They are commonly
found in the military of civilian defense forces.
Imperial Archer Appointees train the rank and file archers of the Empire. Veteran archers are some of the best
shots in the world.
Occupation Skills
Feat: critical ranged I - 200, dodge I - 200, parry I - 200,
quick aim I - 200. Knowledge: climb I - 100, first aid
- 100, military - 100, regain feat (target practice) - 200, repair - 100, rumors - 100, splint - 100, survival - 100, swim
I - 100, weapons (bow) I - 200
Minor Esoteric Discipline
Feats: critical ranged II - 200, critical ranged III - 200,
distance drop I - 400, dodge II - 400, double range I - 100,
intercept I - 200, limb pierce I - 200, limb pierce II - 400,
propel II - 200, propel III - 200, quick aim I - 200, quick
aim II - 200, quick load I - 200, quick load II - 200, stagger
II - 200, stagger III - 200. Ritual: coloring (camouflage) 200, replenish ammunition - 200, song (war) - 100.
Feats: concuss I - 400, concuss II - 400, critical ranged IV
- 400, distance drop II - 400, dodge III - 400, double range
II - 100, intercept II - 400, eye pierce - 600, kill pierce 600, limb pierce III - 400, propel IV - 200, quick aim III
- 200, quick load III - 200, strafe I - 600, stagger IV - 200,
vocal pierce - 400.
Artificers
Artificers spend their lives making magical items. Those
without Imperial appointments usually work for Appointees gathering materials, cleaning the workshops and
doing other menial tasks in the hopes of gaining an appointment. Imperial Artificers often find work in the military or as specialists providing unique items for wealthy
citizens.
Occupation Skills
Fabrication: constructing - 200, manufacturing - 100.
Knowledge: biology - 100, chemistry - 100, computers 100, electronics I - 100, electronics II - 300, enigmas - 100,
first aid - 100, geology - 100, imaging - 100, mathematics
- 100, mechanics I - 100, mechanics II - 300, mechanics
III - 100, occult I - 100, occult II - 300, occult III -100,
physics - 100, repair - 100, sense I - 100.
Fabricating: fashioning I - 200, fashioning II - 200, fashioning III - 200, fashioning IV - 200, fashioning V - 200
Fabricating: artificing I - 100, artificing II - 100, artificing III - 100
“I wear the armor of my father. Emblazoned with arcane symbols and
studded with gems of power, this armor gives me great strength and protects me from harm. It is an artifact created by Imperial Artificers and given to my family by the Emperor. I wear the armor with honor serving the
Empire as did my father before me. My sword and shield are his to command.” Imperial Commander of the Second Bar.
16
Skills and Training
Assassin
No other occupation is more universally despised then
the shadowy killer for hire. Legitimized as an official
occupation by Tyrs and used to murder non-human leaders during the Age of Woe many feel that the Assassin’s
Union should be disbanded. Non-appointed assassins
will sell their services to the cheapest bidder, while Imperial Assassin Appointees can demand high fees for their
very selective and personalized methods of killing. The
Union is only supposed to accept assignments against
legitimate threats to the Empire, but in the Union’s clandestine world lives are bought and sold and no one really
knows if any death was truly an accident.
Occupation Skills
Knowledge: balance - 200, biology - 100, chemistry 100, climb I - 100, crime - 100, disarm trap - 200, escape
- 200, fatal finish - 100, first aid - 100, pick locks - 300,
regain feat (stealth practice) - 200, rumors - 100, survival
- 100, swim - 100.
Feats: critical melee II - 200, critical melee III - 200, critical range II - 200, critical ranged III - 200, elude darkness
I - 200, elude woodlands I - 200, evade II - 400, limb cut I
-200, limb throw I - 200, pursue I - 200, surprise strike I 200, surprise strike II - 200, surprise strike III - 200, vocal
cut - 400, vocal throw - 400. Compounds: hazard - 300,
poisons - 500. Powers: awaken - 200, distract -200. Rituals: alertness - 200, coloring (darkening) - 200, conjure
guide - 100, dispelling - 100, locate - 200, mask - 200,
pursuance - 200, smuggle - 200, stealthy - 100, theft protection - 100, time reducer (tool) - 200. Traps: container
traps - 200, door traps - 200, pressure plate traps - 300.
Feats: assassinate I - 800, assassinate II - 800, elude darkness II - 200, elude woodlands II - 200, eye cut - 600, eye
throw - 600, surprise strike IV - 400, waylay I - 400, waylay II - 400, waylay III - 400. Compounds: disabler - 500,
narcotics - 300. Rituals: astray - 200, disguise - 200, invisible - 400, transposer - 300. Traps: hanger traps - 300,
obstacle traps - 400, snare traps - 300
Barrister
Barristers are courtroom advocates who prosecute
and defend accused criminals or represent clients in
non-criminal matters. They are the lawyers of the world.
Trained Barristers are the only persons allowed to interpret Imperial Law and serve in judicial positions or represent clients in the Imperial Court.
Barristers are one occupation when non-appointees can
enjoy great success as litigators using only their natural
social and intellectual skills. Imperial Barrister Appointees serve within the Imperial Court system. They train
Barristers and serve as Judges.
Occupation Skills
Feat: willpower I - 200. Knowledge: crime - 100, enigmas - 100, fine arts - 100, first aid - 100, history - 100, interrogation - 400, law - 100, literature - 100, politics - 100,
regain feat (investigation) - 200, wealth I - 200.
Feats: annoyance I - 100, annoyance II - 100, augment
sp&p I - 200, breaking sp&p I - 200, conceal sp&p I - 200,
double sp&p I - 200, impacting sp&p I - 200, negate sp&p
I - 400, quick cast sp&p I - 200, recover I - 200, willpower
II - 400. Rituals: annoyance I - 100, annoyance II - 100,
dispelling - 100, dome (impermeable) - 200, dome (permeable energy) - 200, glib voice - 100, storage (crystal)
I - 200, wall (impermeable) - 200, wall (permeable energy)
- 200. Spells: amnesia - 200, attenuate - 100, awaken 200, damage generic (energy) - 500, dispel - 200, emotions
- 200, fear - 200, laughter - 200, mete mana - 200, moving
force - 200, pass exposure - 200, purify food and drink
- 100, screaming - 200, seal source - 100, spook - 200,
squelch - 200, steal mana - 200, taunt - 200, tremble - 200.
recover II - 200, repulse sp&p I - 400. Rituals: annoyance III - 100, storage (crystal) II, telepath - 500.. Spells:
aggression -200, cower - 200, mass moving force - 600,
pacify - 200, shell - 500, sleep - 400.
17
Skills and Training
Beggar
Beggars survive by asking others for money, food and
shelter. They are arguably the lowest class of person in
the realm. Begging is allowed throughout the Empire,
but some localities establish beg-free areas of the city.
Imperial Beggar Appointees are clandestine operators.
They travel the underbelly of society searching out malefactors, revolutionaries and criminals.
Occupation Skills
Feat: dodge I - 200. Knowledge: binding - 100, climb
I - 100, commerce - 100, crime - 100, fatal finish - 100,
gambling - 200, psychology - 100, regain feat (decadence)
- 200, repair - 100, rumors - 100, scrounge - 200, survival
- 100, swim - 100, tracking - 200.
Feats: critical ranged II - 200, critical ranged III - 200, distance drop I - 400, dodge II - 400, elude darkness I - 200,
elude woodlands I - 200, evade II - 400, limb throw I - 200,
limb throw II - 400, parry II - 400, propel II - 200, propel
III - 200, quick aim II - 200, surprise strike I - 200, surprise
strike II - 200. Rituals: coloring (darkening) - 200, conjure guide - 100, dispelling - 100, locate - 200, pursuance
- 200, smuggle - 200, stealthy - 100, theft protection - 100.
Feats: critical ranged IV - 400, elude darkness II - 200,
elude woodlands II - 200, eye throw - 600, kill throw - 600,
vocal throw - 400 waylay I - 400. Rituals: astray - 200,
mask - 200
18
Bounty Hunter
Bounty Hunters apprehend fugitives. Imperial Bounty
Hunters Appointees go after criminals that flee the Imperial Courts. They are paid when they bring the accused
in for trial. Bounty Hunters follow their own code of
conduct within Imperial Law.
Occupation Skills
Knowledge: binding - 100, climb I - 100, crime - 100,
disarm trap - 200, fatal finish - 100, first aid - 100, interrogation - 400, law - 100, pick locks - 300, psychology 100, regain feat (investigation) - 200, rumors - 100, swim
I - 100.
Feats: augment sp&p I - 200, conceal sp&p I - 200, double sp&p I - 200, elude darkness I - 200, elude woodlands
I - 200, evade I - 400, negate sp&p I - 400, pursue I - 200,
quick cast sp&p I - 200, recover I - 200. Rituals: coloring
(darkening) - 200, conjure guide - 100, dispelling - 100,
locate - 200, mask - 200, pursuance - 200, smuggle - 200,
stealthy - 100, theft protection - 100, time reducer (orders)
- 200. Spells: attach - 200, impede melee - 200, impede
ranged - 200, impede responses - 200, restrain arm - 200,
slow - 200, stop - 200. Traps: door traps - 200, obstacle
traps - 400, snare traps - 300.
Feats: augment sp&p II - 200, conceal sp&p II - 200,
double sp&p II - 400, elude darkness II - 200, elude woodlands II - 200, evade II - 400, negate sp&p II - 400, quick
cast sp&p II - 200, recover II - 200, repulse sp&p I - 400.
Rituals: astray - 200, disguise - 200, invisible - 400, transposer - 300. Spells: crush - 200, immobilize arms - 200,
immobilize body - 200, immobilize legs - 200, immobilize
vocals - 200, petrify - 200. Traps: container traps - 200,
hanger traps - 300, pressure traps - 300.
Skills and Training
Burglar
Cabalogist
Burglars break into homes and businesses intending to
steal. The gulf between the rich and the poor is great and
getting larger every year. Crime in all of the Imperial
Cities is on the rise, but the Burglars Union makes sure
that thievery never gets out of control.
Cabalogists study the tides of dark magic that flow
through the realm. Their goal is to prevent the corruption of the world, and maintain the natural order. They
specialize in the destruction of undead, conjurations, and
demons.
Imperial Burglar Appointees ensure that criminal codes
are adhered to and that violence does not spill over into
upstanding communities. They also steal from foreign
countries and those who stand against the Empire. They
are sent to rob precious artifacts, scientific documents,
artwork, magical items and other things of value.
The Imperial Cabalogist Appointee protects the Empire
by hunting cultists, harmful secret societies, and creatures spawned by the dark energies of the Dead One.
Occupation Skills
Feat: evade I - 400. Knowledge: climb I - 100, climb
II - 200, commerce - 100, crime - 100, disarm trap - 200,
fine arts - 100, first aid - 100, law - 100, pick locks - 300,
regain feat (scheming) - 200, rumors - 100.
Feats: critical melee II - 200, critical melee III - 200, deflect strike I - 200, deflect strike II - 400, disarm I - 200,
elude darkness I - 200, elude woodlands I - 200, evade II
- 400, feint I - 100, fend I - 200, knockback II - 200, limb
crush I - 200, limb crush II - 400, parry II - 400, riposte
I - 200, stun II - 200, vocal crush - 400. Rituals: coloring
(darkening) - 200, conjure guide - 100, locate - 200, mask
- 200, pursuance - 200, smuggle - 200, stealthy - 100, theft
protection - 100, time reducer (tool) - 200. Traps: container traps - 200, door traps - 200, pressure traps - 300.
Feats: critical melee II - 200, critical melee III - 200, critical melee IV - 400, disarm II - 400, elude darkness II - 200,
elude woodlands II - 200. eye crush - 600, feint II - 100,
fend II - 200, kill crush - 600, limb crush III - 400, parry III
- 400, rend I - 600, riposte II - 400. Rituals: astray - 200,
disguise - 200, invisible - 400, transposer - 300. Traps:
hanger traps - 300, obstacle traps - 400, snare traps - 300.
Occupation Skills
Knowledge: astronomy - 100, climb I - 100, fatal finish 100, first aid - 100, history - 100, navigation - 100, occult I
- 100, regain feat (theorize) - 200, resuscitate - 100, rumors
- 100, sense I - 100, sense II - 300, swim I - 100, theology
- 100, tracking - 200.
I - 200, negate sp&p I - 400, quick cast sp&p I - 200,
recover I - 200. Rituals: dome (permeable energy) - 200,
projectile device - 200, purify blood - 200, remembrance
(eulogy) - 100, restoration - 300, return - 200, send dreams
- 100, song - 100, spiritquest - 400, storage (orb) I - 200,
talisman (polished) - 100, wall (permeable energy) - 200.
Spells: attenuate - 100, damage generic (energy) - 500,
dispel -200, heal - 400, mete mana - 200, pass exposure 200, purify food and drink - 100, rebuke conjuration - 200,
rebuke undead - 200, slow conjuration - 400, slow undead
- 400, seal source - 100, speaking element - 200, speaking
corpse - 200, squelch - 200, steal mana - 200, stop conjuration - 200, stop undead - 200..
Feats: augment sp&p II - 200, breaching sp&p I -200,
sp&p II - 200, double sp&p II - 400, impacting sp&p II 200, negate sp&p II - 400, quick cast sp&p II - 200, recover II - 200, repulse sp&p I - 400. Rituals: area (energy)
- 200, site (monolith) - 200, storage (orb) II - 200, ward
(conjuration) - 300, ward (undead) - 300. Spells: avert all
conjurations - 400, avert all undead - 400, call corpses 200, destroy conjuration - 300, destroy undead - 300, kill
conjuration - 300, kill undead - 300, protest conjuration 400, protest undead - 400, shell - 500.
19
Skills and Training
Captain
Captains are military leaders trained to sail ships on the
sea or in the sky, but they also serve as land artillery
officers. Captains without appointments serve as aides to
Appointed Imperial Officers, hoping to garner sufficient
distinction to gain their own appointment. Unappointed Captains gain often find employment in the civilian
section. Imperial Captain Appointees are generally military officers serving in the Sea, Sky and Artillery Cores
of the Imperial Military, but can be assigned to specific
non-military duties. A captain will design a specific symbol and uniform for their units.
Occupation Skills
Feat: critical ranged I - 200, dodge I - 200, willpower I 200. Knowledge: climb I - 100, first aid - 100, law - 100,
military - 100, navigation - 100, politics - 100, psychology
- 100, regain feat (tactical discussion) - 200, repair - 100,
resuscitate - 100, splint - 100, swim I - 100
distance drop I - 400, distance drop II - 400, dodge II - 400,
double range I - 100, limb shot I - 200, limb shot II - 400,
limb shot III - 400, parry II - 400, propel II - 200, quick
aim II - 200, quick load II - 200, stagger II - 200, stagger
III - 200, vocal shot - 400. Rituals: alertness - 200, armor clothes- 300, armor hat - 100, bridge - 200, dispelling
- 100, embody strengthener (recruit) - 100, military allegiance - 200, military award - 200, military body - 200,
military mana - 200, military memorial - 200, military uniform - 300, song (war) - 100.
Feats: concuss I - 400, critical ranged IV - 400, double
range II - 100, eye shot - 600, hero stand - 600, kill shot 600, negate sp&p I - 400, propel III - 200, propel IV - 200,
quick aim III - 200, quick load III - 200, Stagger IV - 200,
strafe I - 600. Rituals: military armory - 300, military
barracks - 300, military code - 200, military mark - 100,
military mastery - 100, military retreat - 100, military
shield - 200, military standard - 100, military stronghold
- 100, military tour of duty - 100, military weapon - 200.
20
Commander
Commander lead soldiers into battle. They specialize in
melee combat and are found in the Impetial Land Cor
leading infantry and cavalry soldiers. Commanders without appointments serve as aides to Appointed Imperial
Officers, hoping garner sufficient distinction to gain their
own appointment. Unappointed Commanders not serving in the Imperial Military will often organized mercinary companies. A commander will design a specific
symbol and uniform for their units.
Occupation Skills
Feat: critical melee I - 200, parry I - 200, willpower I 200. Knowledge: climb I - 100, first aid - 100, law - 100,
military - 100, navigation - 100, politics - 100, psychology
resuscitate - 100, splint - 100, swim I - 100.
disarm II - 400, dodge II - 400, eye cut - 600, feint I - 100,
feint II - 100, fend I - 200, fend II - 200, knockback I - 200,
knockback II - 200, limb cut I - 200, limb cut II - 400,
parry II - 400, riposte I - 200, stun II - 200, vocal cut - 400.
Rituals: alertness - 200, armor clothes - 300, armor hat 100, bridge - 200, dispelling - 100, embody strengthener
(recruit) - 100, military allegiance - 200, military award
- 200, military body - 200, military mana - 200, military
memorial - 200, military uniform - 300, song (war) - 100.
Feats: critical melee III - 200, fend II - 200, hero stand
- 600, kill cut - 600, knock back III - 200, knock back IV
200, knock out I - 400, limb cut III - 400, negate sp&p I 400, rend I - 600, riposte II - 400, stun III - 200, stun IV
- 200. Rituals: military armory - 300, military barracks
- 300, military code - 200, military mark - 100, military
mastery - 100, military retreat - 100, military shield - 200,
military standard - 100, military stronghold - 100, military
tour of duty - 100, military weapon - 200.
Skills and Training
Constable
Constables enforce laws and keep the peace throughout
the Empire. Non-appointee constables will generally
work as deputies for the Imperial Constable Appointees
who act as the leader of civilian police forces.
Occupation Skills
Feats: dodge I - 200, parry I - 200, willpower I - 200.
Knowledge: commerce - 100, enigmas - 100, first aid 100, law - 100, military - 100, politics - 100, psychology
sense I - 100, splint - 100, tracking - 200
Feats: critical melee II - 200, critical melee III - 200, critical ranged II - 200, critical ranged III - 200, disarm I - 200,
deflect strike I - 200, dodge II - 400, evade II - 400, feint I 100, fend I - 200, knockback II - 200, knockback III - 200,
limb cut I - 200, limb shot I - 200, negate sp&p I - 400,
parry II - 400, quick cast sp&p I - 200, quick cast sp&p II
- 200, stun II - 200, stun III - 200, willpower II - 400. Rituals: alertness - 200, armor clothes - 100, armor hat - 100,
bridge - 200, dispelling - 100, dome (impermeable) - 200,
dome (permeable energy) - 200, embody strengthener (recruit) - 100, military allegiance - 200, military award - 200,
military body - 200, military mana - 200, military memorial - 200, military uniform - 300, song (war) - 100, wall (impermeable) - 200, wall (permeable energy) - 200. Spells:
fortitude - 400, mete mana - 200, moving force - 200.
Feats: critical melee IV - 400, critical ranged IV - 400
deflect strike II - 400, disarm II - 400, dodge III - 400, fend
II - 200, hero stand - 600, knockback IV - 200, knock out
I - 400, negate sp&p II - 400, repulse sp&p I - 400, riposte
I - 200, stun IV - 200, parry III - 400. Rituals: military
armory - 300, military barracks - 300, military code - 200,
military mark - 100, military master - 100, military retreat
- 100, military shield - 200, military standard - 100, military stronghold - 100, military tour of duty - 100, military
weapon - 200. Spells: mass moving force - 600.
Destroyer
Destroyers are battle mages who specialize in magic
that causes damage, injury, and death. They are usually
wrathful people, often full of anger and eager to cause
destruction. They are the Empire’s whirlwinds of death,
crack casters skilled in martial endeavors and usually
without fear or conscious.
Destroyers seeking Imperial Appointments will often assist Imperial Appointees serving as guards while learning the basic knowledge that will one day allow them
to become and Imperial Destroyer. Imperial Destroyer
Appointees are often found in military units or assisting
civic authorities with remodeling slum neighborhoods.
Occupation Skills
Feats: willpower I - 200. Knowledge: astronomy - 100,
chemistry - 100, climb I - 100, extra sensory perception
- 200, fatal finish - 100, first aid - 100, literature - 100,
military - 100, occult I - 100, mathematics - 100, regain
feat (contest mental) - 200, sense I - 100, sense II - 300,
swim I - 100.
recover I - 200. Spells: deafen - 200, drain - 200, dull
senses - 200, enfeeble - 200, exhaust - 200, fatigue melee
- 200, fatigue ranged - 200, fatigue responses - 200, harm
- 500, hemorrhage - 400, hobble leg - 400, mute - 400,
snuff - 200. Rituals: bridge - 200, dispelling - 100, dome
(permeable harm) - 200, projectile device (wither) - 100,
storage (crystal) I - 200, time reducer (tool) - 200, wall
(permeable harm) - 200
sp&p II - 200, dodge II - 400, double sp&p II - 400, impacting sp&p II - 200, negate sp&p II - 400, parry II - 400,
quick cast sp&p II - 200, recover II - 200, repulse sp&p
I - 400. Spells: blind - 200, death - 200, forestall - 200,
incapacitate - 300, , injure body - 500, injure mana - 200,
kill - 400, maim arm - 400, weakness - 200, weary - 200.
Rituals: area (harm) - 200, storage (crystal) II - 200, site
(monolith) - 200
21
Skills and Training
Duelist
Duelists are professional fighters hired by wealthy persons to settle matters of honor or questions of legality.
The results of a duel can be used as evidence in legal
proceedings. Duelists use swords or pistols.
In the Empire the best Duelists gain an Imperial Appointment and are used to settle matters of honor and
law between citizens so that the citizens themselves are
not injured. This important societal function earns the
few who survive their appointment the right to become
citizens.
Occupation Skills
Feats: critical melee I - 200, dodge I - 200, parry I - 200,
Knowledge: climb I - 100, fatal finish - 100, first aid - 100,
law - 100, military - 100, politics - 100, regain feat (combat
training) - 200, repair - 100, resuscitate - 100, sense I - 100,
splint - 100, swim I - 100.
Feats: critical melee II - 200, critical melee III - 200, critical ranged II - 200, critical ranged III - 200, disarm I - 200,
distance drop I - 400, dodge II - 400, feint I - 200, fend
I - 200, limb cut I - 200, limb shot II - 400, parry II - 400,
quick aim I - 200, quick aim II - 200, riposte I - 200, stagger II - 200, stun II - 200. Rituals: armor clothes - 300,
armor hat - 100, bolster body -200, dispelling - 100, firm
grip - 100, polishing rag - 200, invulnerable limb - 400,
reinforce shield - 200, reinforce weapon - 200, spiritual
(competition) - 100, song (war) - 100.
Feats: critical melee IV - 400, critical ranged IV - 400,
dodge III - 400, eye cut - 600, eye shot - 600, feint II - 400,
fend II - 200, kill cut - 600, kill shot - 600, parry III - 400,
riposte II - 400.
Elementalist
Elementalists are mages that specialize in manipulating
the four worldly elements of fire, water, air and earth.
They create and control elementals. Elements are animated by four elemental powers: earth, air, water and
fire. Non-appointed Elementalists work for Appointees
doing menial tasks and learning the basic knowledge
necessary to use Esoteric Lore. The Elementalist Union
is very elitist and limits the number of newly admitted
each year. Imperial Elementalist Appointees are often
used to support the army or civilian defense forces or in
construction projects.
Occupation Skills
Knowledge: astronomy - 100, biology - 100, chemistry 100, enigmas - 100, first aid - 100, geology - 100, history
- 100, mathematics - 100, occult I - 100, politics - 100,
physics - 100, regain feat (symbolize) - 200, rumors - 100,
scrounge - 200, sense I - 100, splint - 100, swim - 100,
theology - 100.
I - 200. Rituals: assemble elemental I - 300, assemble
elemental II - 100, creation circle - 200, dome (permeable
earth) - 100, dome (permeable heat) - 100, dome (permeable water) - 100, dome (permeable wind) - 100, projectile
device (earth) - 100, projectile device (heat) - 100, projectile device (water) - 100, projectile device (wind) - 100,
protection - 100, purify blood - 200, restoration - 300, return - 200, spiritquest - 400, tap (assembling) – 600, visage (elemental) - 200, wall (permeable earth) - 100, wall
(permeable heat) - 100, wall (permeable water) - 100, wall
(permeable wind) - 100. Spells: assemble corpse - 400,
assemble elemental I - 600, control conjuration - 400, dam-
“Built of iron, wood, sky stone and canvas my ship is sleek and dark. I can
feel the trembling of the propeller as machine sprites turn the shaft. I am
a sailor of the skies. Most sky ships sail by the wind, but I command a war
ship and I can make my own wind. “Forward” I shout and I hear the machine sprites moan, but my forward speed increases. Today I hunt pirates,
and maybe tomorrow I’ll find those airadan revolutionaries on their eagle
mounts and send them plummeting to their deaths.” Sky Captain
22
Skills and Training
age specific (earth) - 200, damage specific (heat) - 200,
damage specific (water) - 200, damage specific (wind) 200, enhance weapon - 100, heal - 400, purify food and
drink - 100, rebuke conjuration - 200, speaking element
- 200.
recover II - 200, repulse sp&p I - 400. Spells: assemble
elemental II - 400, assemble elemental III - 200, conjurate - 600, master conjuration - 200. Rituals: area (conjuration) - 300, area (earth) - 200, area (heat) - 200, area
(water) - 200, area (wind) - 200, ward (conjuration) - 300.
Enchanter
The enchanter is a mage that specializes in enchanting
people and objects. Enchanters without appointments
are regulated to working for the Enchanter Union in the
hopes of learning Esoteric Lore. They will usually work
the counters taking orders and keeping inventory. Imperial Enchanter Appointees are usually shop owners who
will often supervise a number of non-appointed enchanters. Some Imperial Enchanters find employment in the
Military.
Occupation Skills
Knowledge: astronomy - 100, biology - 100, chemistry 100, commerce - 100, electronics I - 100, enigmas - 100,
fine arts - 100, first aid - 100, gaming - 200, geology - 100,
literature - 100, mathematics - 100, mechanics - 100, occult I - 100, physics - 100, regain feat (innovate) - 200,
repair - 100, sense I - 100.
I - 200. Rituals: adornment (keep sake) - 200, alertness
- 200, alter auras - 200, armor clothes - 300, armor hat 100, bolster body - 200, bolster mana - 200, breather - 100,
buffing - 200, buoyant item - 100, conjure attendant - 100,
coloring (blooding) - 200, death awareness - 200, education - 200, embody construct (golem) - 200, embody construct (marionette) - 200, firm grip - 100, glib voice - 100,
heightened sensers - 200, invulnerable limb - 400, locate
- 200, lock - 200, polishing rag - 200, projectile device 200, protection - 100, recover item - 200, reinforce shield
- 200, reinforce weapon - 200, replenish ammunition - 200,
restoration - 300, return - 200, spatial location - 200, talisman (polished) - 100, theft protection - 100, time reducer
(tool) - 200, trans-mutation - 200. Spells: attenuate - 100,
damage generic (energy) - 500, dispel - 200, fortitude 400, mete mana - 200, moving force - 200, pass exposure
- 200, steal mana - 200, squelch - 200.
- 200, negate sp&p II - 400, quick cast sp&p II - 200, recover II - 200, repulse sp&p I - 400. Rituals: bottomless
bag - 300, deform - 300, electroshock - 200, pass lore 400. Spells: seal source - 100, shell - 500, mass moving
force - 600.
23
Skills and Training
Engineer
The engineer is an educated individual who specializes
in building, design and operation of machines. The focus
of the discipline includes the understanding of machines,
and the use of mending and anti-automaton magics. Engineers working towards their appointments will often
spend many hours machining parts on lathes and presses. Giant workshops employ hundreds of hopefuls, but
only a few of the Engineers actually become Appointed.
Once Appointed the Imperial Engineer supervises the
massive imperial factories that churn out war machines
of the Empire.
Occupation Skills
Knowledge: biology - 100, chemistry - 100, computers I
- 100, electronics I - 100, first aid - 100, geology - 100,
mathematics - 100, mechanics I - 100, mechanics II - 300,
occult I - 100, physics - 100, regain feat (innovate) - 200,
repair - 100, scrounge - 200, sense I - 100, vehicles I - 200.
I - 200. Rituals: bridge - 200, dispelling - 100, dome (impermeable) - 200, dome (permeable energy) - 200, legacy
(schematics) -100, projectile device - 200, purify blood
- 200, restoration - 300, return - 200 send dreams - 100,
song - 100, spiritquest - 400, storage (orb) I - 200, talisman
(polished) - 100, wall (impermeable) - 200, wall (permeable energy) - 100. Spells: attenuate - 100, damage (energy) - 500, dispel - 200, fortitude - 400, heal - 400, impede
melee - 200, impede ranged - 200, impede responses - 200,
protest machine - 400, mete mana - 200, pass exposure 200, purify food and drink - 100, moving force - 200, seal
source - 100, rebuke machine - 200, restrain arm - 200,
slow machine - 400, speaking machine - 200, steal mana 200, stop machine - 200, squelch - 200.
recover II - 200, repulse sp&p I - 400. Rituals: area (energy) - 200,site (recharger) - 200, storage (orb) II - 200, ward
(machine) - 300. Spells: assimilate corpse - 400, avert all
machines - 400, crush - 200, destroy machine - 300, disrupt
machine - 400, immobilize arms - 200, immobilize body 200, immobilize legs - 200, immobilize vocals - 200, kill
machine - 300, mass moving force - 600, shell - 500.
24
Explorer
Explorers press civilization into the deep wilderness
and unchartered areas of the world. They seek out new
mineral wealth, undiscovered fertile lands and old ruins.
They lead settlers into these areas and help to establish
colonies for the Empire. Explorers without appointments
do much of the actually looking. In fact the quickest way
to an appointment is to make some great discovery. Imperial Explorer Appointees are in charge of exploiting
new areas of historical or economic interest.
Occupation Skills
Knowledge: astronomy - 100, climb I - 100, commerce
- 100, crime - 100, disarm trap - 200, fine arts - 100, first
aid - 100, law - 100, navigation - 100, occult I - 100, pick
locks - 300, regain feat (scheming) - 200, repair - 100, rumors - 100, splint - 100, swim - 100.
Feats: critical melee II - 200, critical melee III - 200, critical ranged II 200, critical ranged III 200, dodge II - 400,
deflect strike I - 200, disarm I - 200, distance drop I - 400,
double range I - 100, fend I - 200, feint I - 200, knockback
II - 200, parry II - 400, propel II - 200, quick aim II - 200,
quickcast I - 200, quick load II - 200, limb cut I - 200, limb
shot I - 200, strength II - 100, stun I - 200, stun II - 200.
Rituals: breather - 100, bridge - 200, conjure guide - 100,
death awareness - 200, dome (impermeable) - 200, dome
(permeable energy) - 200, dispelling - 100, firm grip - 100,
invulnerable limb - 400, locate - 200, polishing rag - 200,
smuggle - 200, time reducer (tome) - 200, storage (crystal)
I - 200, wall (impermeable) - 200, wall (permeable energy)
- 200. Spells: attenuate - 200, dispel - 200, mete mana 200, squelch - 200, steal mana - 200. Traps: hanger traps
- 300, obstacle traps - 400, snare traps - 300
Feats: critical melee IV - 400, , critical ranged IV - 400,
disarm II - 400, dodge III - 400, evade II - 400, fend II 200, knockback III - 200, limb cut II - 400, limb shot II
- 400, parry III - 400, propel III - 200, stun III - 200. Rituals: alertness - 200, alter auras - 200, area (energy) - 200,
bridge - 200, dispelling - 100, dome (impermeable) - 200,
firm grip - 100, heightened senser - 200, invisible - 400,
projectile device - 200, site(monolith) - 200, spatial location - 200, storage (crystal) -200, transposer - 300, wall
(impermeable) - 200. Spells: fortitude - 400, seal source
- 200, shell - 500. Traps: container traps - 200, door traps
- 200, pressure plate traps - 300.
Skills and Training
Forger
Forgers are the item makers of the Empire. They work in
vast factories manufacturing weapons, armor and equipment for the soldiers Empire. This is one of the largest Unions and one of the most difficult as well. Hours
working on lathes, drill presses and grinding wheels
means for exhausting days. Imperial Forger Appointees
manage the vast factories of the Empire. They preside
over the massive foundries with their thousands of laborers and non-appointed forgers.
Occupation Skills
Fabricating: constructing - 200, manufacturing - 100.
Knowledge: chemistry - 100, commerce - 100, maintenance - 400, mathematics - 100, mechanics I - 100, mechanics II - 300, mechanics III - 200, physics - 100, regain
feat (innovate) - 200, repair - 100, scrounge - 200, weapons
(crushing) I - 100
Fabricating: fashioning I - 200, fashioning II - 200, fashioning III - 200, fashioning IV - 200, fashioning V - 200.
Feats: augment sp&p I - 200, bash I, critical melee II 200, double sp&p II - 200, feint II - 100, fend I - 200,
knockback II - 200, limb crush I - 200, limb crush II - 400,
negate sp&p I - 400, parry II - 400, strength II - 100, stun II
- 200. Powers: form tool - 400, form melee weapon - 400,
form ranged weapon - 200, form shield - 200, mend - 600,
unbreakabable item - 200, weight decrease - 200. Rituals: dome (impermeable) - 200, embody construct (simulacrum) - 200, reinforce shield - 200, reinforce weapons
- 200, wall (impermeable) - 200, work station - 200.
Feats: Feats: critical melee III - 200, critical melee IV 400, disarm I - 200, fend II - 200, knock back III - 200,
knock back IV - 200, knock out I - 400, knock out II - 400,
limb cut II - 400, parry III - 400, propel III - 200, riposte II
- 400, stun III - 200, stun IV - 200. Powers: drop all - 200,
impervious item - 200, weight increase - 400.
Gladiator
Gladiators fight in local games for the entertainment of
the common people. Most are non-appointed gladiators
are just bare melee brawlers participating in cruel, bloody
spectacles where men and women fight at the bequest of
chanting crowds. The Union only advances though truly
successful fighters and most who attempt this brutal profession end up crippled or dead long before they reach an
Imperial Appointment. A few great fighters have become
known throughout the Empire, but most meet tragic ends
in the pursuit of glory.
Occupation Skills
Feats: critical melee I - 200, parry I - 200. Knowledge:
climb I - 100, fatal finish - 100, first aid - 100, grappling 300, military - 100, performance - 100, regain feat (combat
training) - 200, repair - 100, rumors - 100, splint - 100, survival - 100, swim I - 100, weapon (body) I - 300, weapon
(throw) I - 100.
Feats: critical melee II - 200, critical ranged III - 200, disarm I - 200, deflect strike I - 200, dodge II - 400, - 200,
feint II - 100, fend I - 200, knockback II - 200, limb chop
I - 200, limb crush I - 200, limb cut I - 200, limb throw I
- 200, negate sp&p I - 400, parry II - 400, propel II - 200,
quick aim II - 200, seize I - 400, strength II - 100, stun II
- 200, tangle limb I - 200, tangle limb II - 400. Rituals:
armor clothes - 300, armor hat - 100, bridge - 200, dispelling - 100, dome (impermeable) - 200, firm grip - 100,
invulnerable limb - 400, song (bawdy) - 100.
Feats: critical melee III - 200, critical melee IV - 400,
critical ranged III - 200, critical ranged IV - 400, constrict
I - 200, disarm II - 200, distance drop I - 400, dodge III
- 400, evade II - 400, fend II - 200, knockback III - 200
knockback IV - 200, knock out I - 400, knock out II - 400,
limb chop II - 400, limb crush II - 400, limb cut II - 400,
limb throw II - 400, parry III - 400, propel III - 200, seize
II - 400, seize III - 600, stun III - 200, stun IV - 200, tangle
body I - 400.
25
Skills and Training
Granger
The Grangers Union admits all farmers or herders and
is the largest Union in the Empire. A large majority of
non-citizens practice this occupation. Most work communal properties or the properties of a wealthy citizen, but there are a fair number of old money families
that own vast estates with hundreds of slaves. Imperial
Granger Appointees are those farmers and herders who
have an amazing aptitude for agriculture. They travel the
land helping farmers and herders improve their holdings.
Occupation Skills
Knowledge: animal handling - 100, astronomy - 100, biology - 100, climb I - 100, disarm trap - 200, first aid - 100,
forensics - 100, geology - 100, navigation - 100, regain feat
(commune) - 200, sense I - 100, splint - 100, survival - 100,
swim I - 100, tracking - 200, vermin handling - 100
Feats: augment sp&p I - 200, breaking sp&p I - 200, conceal sp&p I - 200, double sp&p I - 200, evade II - 400, impacting sp&p I - 200, negate sp&p I - 400, quick cast sp&p
I - 200, recover I - 200. Rituals: beast skin - 200, call familiar - 200, call vermin - 100, conjure guide - 100, dome
(permeable swarm) - 200, empower beast - 200, harden
hands (chopping) - 200, harden hands (crushing) - 200,
harden hands (cutting) - 200, heightened senser - 200, perimeter - 100, restoration - 300, return - 200, song (beast)
- 100, talisman (natural) - 100, wall (permeable swarm) 200. Spells: befriend beast - 400, damage generic (swarm)
- 500, heal - 400, protest beast - 400, pass exposure - 200,
purify food and drink - 100 rebuke beast - 200, slow beast
- 400, speaking beast - 200, stop beast - 200. Traps: obstacle traps - 400, snare traps - 300.
sp&p II - 200, double sp&p II - 400,evade III - 600, impacting sp&p II - 200, negate sp&p II - 400, quick cast
sp&p II - 200, recover II - 200, repulse sp&p I - 400.
Rituals: area (natural) - 300, area (swarm) - 200, healing (garden) - 400, morph beast - 300, purify blood - 200.
Spells: avert all beasts - 400, beastify - 400, call beasts
- 200, command beast - 600, devolve being - 400. Traps:
door traps - 200, hanger traps - 300.
Knight
Knights compete in the tournament circuit, which starts
as soon as the spring rains end and lasts until the harvest.
The tournaments are gala affairs in which the knights
compete in jousting, archery and grand melees on specially prepared tournament fields. Knightly tournaments
are the entertainment of the wealthy and privileged, and
attendance is often restricted to the upper class. Non-appointed knights will fight in bouts to entertain the masses, sometimes even fighting in gladiatorial matches, but
these affairs are looked down on as inferior displays. A
true night only fights on a tournament field.
Some knights outfit themselves, but many are supported by wealthy patrons. The most famous knights found
Knightly Orders. These are teams of knights and other
appointees that dress in fancy uniforms and adorn themselves with heraldry. They will fight against other Orders in spectacular clashes.
In the Empire all of the best tournaments are only open
to the Imperial Knight Appointees and their Orders.
Only an Imperial Knight Appointee can found an Imperial Knightly Order which is recognized by the Empire
and allowed to participate in the best tournaments.
Occupation Skills
Feat: critical melee I - 200, parry I - 200. Knowledge:
climb I - 100, fine arts - 100, first aid - 100, history - 100,
law - 100, literature - 100, military - 100, performance 100, politics - 100, regain feat (feasting) - 200, repair - 100,
resuscitate - 100, splint - 100.
Feats: critical melee II - 200, critical melee III - 200, deflect strike I - 200, disarm I - 200, dodge II - 400, feint
I - 200, fend I - 200, fend II - 200, knockback II - 200,
knockback III - 200, limb crush I - 200, limb cut I - 200,
parry II - 400, riposte I - 200, strength I - 100, strength
II - 100, strength III - 200, stun II - 200, stun III - 200.
Rituals: armor clothes - 300, armor hat - 100, dispelling 100, embody strengthener ( recruit) - 100, firm grip - 100,
invulnerable limb - 400, military allegiance - 200, military body - 200, military mana - 200, military memorial
- 200, military uniform - 300, polishing rag - 200, reinforce
shield - 200, reinforce weapon - 200, song (war) - 100.
Tend your fields with love and the flows of mana will give you a bountiful
harvest. Tend your fields with hate and you will reap what you sow!
Imperial Granger
26
Skills and Training
Feats: bash I - 200, bash II - 400, critical melee III - 200,
critical melee IV - 400, deflect strike II - 400, disarm II
- 400, dodge III - 400, feint II - 400, fend III - 400, hero
stand - 600, knockback IV - 200, knock out I - 400, knock
out II - 400, limb crush II - 400, limb cut II - 400, negate
sp&p I - 400, parry III - 400, riposte II - 400, strength IV
- 200, stun IV - 200. Rituals: glib voice - 100, military
armory - 300, military barracks - 300, military code - 200,
military retreat - 100, military shield - 200, military standard - 100, military stronghold - 100, military tour of duty
- 100, military weapon - 200.
Mechanator
The mechanator specializes in the creation and control
of machines. These mechanical constructs are powered
by the arcane mechanical principles empowered by the
forces of physical order.
Mechanators seeking appointments will work in Union
shops trying to impress Union leaders sufficiently to gain
appointments. Imperial Mechanator Appointees specialize in the animation of corpses through mechanical processes. They are primarily used as a cheap labor force,
but have been proven effective in military engagements.
Occupation Skills
Fabricating: fashioning I - 200. Knowledge: biology 100, chemistry - 100, electronics - 100, fatal finish - 100,
geology - 100, maintenance - 400, mathematics - 100, mechanics - 100, physics - 100, regain feat (theorize) - 200,
repair - 100, sense I - 100, weapons (crushing) I - 100.
recover I - 200. Rituals: assimilate automaton I - 300,
assimilate automaton II - 100, creation circle - 200, dome
(permeable acid) - 100, dome (permeable electric) - 100,
mana storing (orb) I - 200, projectile device (acid) - 200,
embody construct (simulacrum) - 200, projectile device
(electric) - 100, protection - 100, purify blood - 200, restoration - 300, return - 200, song (work) - 100, spiritquest
- 400, storage (orb) I - 200, visage (machine) - 200, wall
(permeable acid) - 100, wall (permeable electric) - 100.
Spells: assimilate corpse - 400, assimilate automaton I 600, control machine - 400, damage specific (acid) - 200,
damage specific (electric) - 200, enhance weapon - 100,
heal - 400, mend - 600, purify food and drink - 100, rebuke
machine - 200, speaking machine - 200.
- 200, negate sp&p II - 400, quick cast sp&p II - 200, recover II - 200, repulse sp&p I - 400. Rituals: area (acid) 200, area (electric) - 200, area (mechanical) - 300, healing
(apparatus) - 400, storage (orb) II - 200, tap (assembling) 600. Spells: assimilate automaton II - 400, assimilate automaton III - 200, machinate - 600, master machine - 200.
27
Skills and Training
Musketeer
Musketeers train with firearms. The guns of the world
operate with explosive powder. Some are muzzle loading, but cartridge pistols are becoming more common.
Humans use guns extensively, but many other races do
not. The Musketeer Union requires all soldiers and sailors using a musket to become a member. Imperial Musketeer Appointees train the rank and file musket-using
soldiers and sailors of the Empire. Veteran musketeers
are some of the most accurate marksmen in the world.
Occupation Skills
Feats: critical ranged I - 200, dodge I - 200, propel I - 200.
Knowledge: climb I - 100, fatal finish - 100, first aid - 100,
regain feat (target practice) - 200, repair - 100, resuscitate
- 100, rumors - 100, splint - 100, survival - 100, swim I 100, weapon (guns) I -100, weapon (guns) II - 100.
distance drop I - 400, dodge II - 400, double range I - 100,
double range II - 100, intercept I - 200, limb shot I - 200,
limb shot II - 400, propel II - 200, propel III - 200, quick
aim I - 200, quick aim II - 200, quick load I - 200, quick
load II - 200, stagger II - 200, stagger III - 200, vocal shot
- 400. Rituals: replenish ammunition - 200.
Feats: critical ranged IV - 400, concuss I - 400, concuss
II - 400, distance drop II - 400, dodge III - 400, eye shot 600, intercept II - 400, kill shot - 600, limb shot III - 400,
propel IV - 200, quick aim III - 200, quick load III - 200,
stagger IV - 200.
Obliterator
An obliterator has the power to send a person’s soul
into the void. It is universally agreed, by humans and
non-humans alike, that the skills of obliteration and purgation should only be learned by government officials.
All national governments will purgate individuals who
have those skills.
All Obliterators work for the Imperial Court. The
non-appointed obliterators act as guards and servants to
the Appointees as they learn their profession. The sole
task of and Imperial Obliterator is to destroy the spirits
of criminals punished by the Imperial Court. They commonly purge malefactors of their skills. They often travel
with Barristers. Obliterator Appointees can only legally
perform an obliteration or purgation with a Writ of Authorization from the Empire.
Occupation Skills
Knowledge: astronomy - 100, biology - 100, embalm 100, extrasensory perceptions - 200, fatal finish - 100, first
aid - 100, interrogation - 400, law - 100, mathematics 100, occult I - 100, regain feat (grievance) - 200, sense
I - 100, sense II - 300.
Feats: augment sp&p I - 200, breaking sp&p I - 200,
breaking sp&p II - 200, conceal sp&p I - 200, conceal
sp&p II - 200, impacting sp&p I - 200, impacting sp&p
II - 200, negate sp&p I - 400, quick cast sp&p I - 200,
quick cast sp&p II - 200, recover I - 200. Rituals: afflict
I - 100, afflict II - 200, bridge - 200, dispelling - 100, dome
(impermeable) - 200, dome (permeable energy) - 200, remembrance (effigy) - 100, send dreams - 100, spiritquest
- 400, storage (crystal) - 200, time reducer (tome) - 200,
wall (impermeable) - 200, wall (permeable energy) - 200.
Spells: anchor spirit - 200, attenuate - 100, damage generic (energy) - 500, dispel - 200, fortitude - 400, mete
mana - 200, moving force - 200, pass exposure - 200, seal
source - 100, sever soul - 400, shell - 500, squelch - 200
steal mana - 200.
bursting sp&p I - 400, bursting sp&p II - 400, recover II
- 200. Rituals: afflict III - 100, area (energy) - 200, area
(spirit bane) - 400, conjure attendant - 100, curse - 200,
obliteration - 400, purgation - 600, site (monolith) - 200,
storage (crystal) II - 200. Spells: damnation - 400, exodus
-200, mass moving force - 600, soul sear - 400, soul wrack
- 400.
28
Skills and Training
Physician
The Physician’s Union ensures a high standard of care
throughout the Empire. Physicians without an appointment care for the sick using mundane medicine and
surgical practices. These will be mostly country doctors practicing medicine in small towns or slum doctors
working in the many impoverished city areas. The lucky
non-appointed will work as attendants to Imperial Physicians. These are on a fast track to their own appointments, whereas the doctors on the country and the slums
will likely never advance in the Union. Many Imperial
Physicians treat wealthy clients, some serve in the military, and a few travel around trying to bring help the sick
wherever they are found.
Occupation Skills
Knowledge: bindings - 100, biology - 100, chemistry 100, fatal finish - 100, first aid - 100, forensics - 100, history - 100, medicine - 200, mutilation - 100, politics - 100,
psychology - 100, regain feat (examination) - 200, resuscitate - 100, sense I - 100, splint - 100, wealth I - 200.
recover I - 200. Rituals: dispelling - 100, dome (impermeable) - 200, healing location (bunk) - 400, infirmary - 200,
purify blood - 200, restoration - 300, return - 200, spiritquest - 400, storage (crystal) I -200, wall (impermeable) 200. Spells: attenuate - 100, damage generic (harm) - 500,
dispel - 200, deafen - 200, dull senses - 200, heal - 400,
harm - 500, hemorrhage - 400, mete mana - 200, moving
force - 200, purify food and drink - 100, seal source - 100,
snuff - 200, squelch - 200, steal mana - 200.
recover II - 200, repulse sp&p I - 400. Spells: blind - 200,
hobble leg - 400, injure body - 500, injure mana - 200,
kill - 400, mass moving force - 600, maim arm - 400, mute
- 400, shell - 500. Rituals: site (monolith) - 200, storage
(crystal) II - 200, time reducer (orders) - 200,
Pilot
The pilot drives vehicles which can range from small
personal vehicles to the massive war machines and transportation vehicles of the Imperium. This powerful union
controls most of the shipping in the world. All vehicles
used for commercial purposes in the transportation of
goods or people must be operated by a trained pilot.
The pilot’s union deals harshly with those who attempt
to circumvent this rule. Imperial Pilot Appointees learn
espteric lores in order to augment his or her capacity to
control, fix and repair the vehicle.
Occupation Skills
Knowledge: astronomy - 100, climb I - 100, commerce 100, first aid - 100, geology - 100, navigation 100, regain
feat (tactical discussion) - 200, repair - 100, rumors - 100,
sense I - 100, splint - 100, survival - 100, swim I - 100,
tracking - 200, vehicle I - 200, vehicles II - 100
I - 200. Rituals: bridge - 200, dispelling - 100, dome (impermeable) - 200, dome (permeable energy) - 200, legacy
(schematics) -100, projectile device - 200, storage (crystal)
I - 200, talisman (polished) - 100, wall (impermeable) 200, wall (permeable energy) - 100. Spells: attenuate 100, damage (energy) - 500, dispel - 200, fortitude - 400,
protest machine - 400, mend - 600, mete mana - 200, moving force - 200, seal source - 100, rebuke machine - 200,
slow machine - 400, speaking machine - 200, steal mana
- 200, stop machine - 200, squelch - 200, weight decrease
- 200, weight increase - 400.
recover II - 200, repulse sp&p I - 400. Rituals: area (energy) - 200, ascertain - 200, site (recharger) - 200, storage
(crystal) II - 200, ward (machine) - 300. Spells: avert all
machines - 400, destroy machine - 300, disrupt machine
- 400, kill machine - 300, mass moving force - 600, shell
- 500.
29
Skills and Training
Prostitute
Prostitutes ply the oldest trade known to the realm; they
give love for money. From the poorest street-walker to
the most exclusive escort, the prostitute can always find
ready work. The Prostitute’s Union is a powerful organization protecting prostitutes from harm and taking action
when harms occur. With the influence of the Union all
prostitutes live very well. The most charismatic prostitutes act as consorts to citizens and other high governmental officials. This kind of success will lead to an Imperial Appointment and all the entitlements thereof.
Occupation Skills
Knowledge: bindings -1 00, biology - 100, blind fight 200, climb I - 100, commerce - 100, crime - 100, escape
- 200, first aid - 100, history - 100, performance - 100,
politics - 100, psychology - 100, regain feat (flirting) - 200,
rumors - 100, scrounge I - 200.
Feats: augment sp&p I - 200, bypass I - 200, conceal sp&p
I - 200, double sp&p I - 200, negate sp&p I - 400, quick
cast sp&p I - 200, recover I - 200, surprise strike I - 200,
surprise strike II - 200. Compounds: narcotics - 300, poison - 500. Rituals: afflict I - 100, alertness - 200, coloring (painting) 200, dance (alluring) - 100, dispelling - 100,
dome (impermeable) - 200, smuggle - 200, song (serenade)
- 100, stealthy - 100, storage (musical instrument) I - 200,
theft protection - 100, time reducer (tool) - 200, wall (impermeable) - 200. Spells: amnesia - 200, awaken - 200,
bewilder - 200, compliant - 400, dazzle - 200, distract - 200,
emotions - 200, fugue - 200, laughter - 200, taunt - 200.
Feats: augment sp&p II - 200, bypass II - 400, conceal
sp&p II - 200, negate sp&p II - 400, quick cast sp&p II
- 200, recover II - 200, surprise strike III - 200, surprise
strike IV - 400, waylay I - 400, waylay II - 400. Compounds: disabler - 500, toxicant - 300. Rituals: afflict II
- 100, afflict III - 100, laboratory - 200, preservation - 100,
site (luxurious seat) - 200, storage (musical instrument)
II - 200, subservience I - 1000, talisman (polished) - 100.
Spells: aggression - 400, confuse being - 400, dominate
being - 600, pacify - 200, protest being - 400, sleep - 400.
30
Ruffian
The ruffian can be found in many different employs.
They are often soldiers or act as bodyguards for important persons or leaders. Sometimes they work in the
underworld running protection rackets, intimidate other
criminals and generally serve as muscle. Some ruffians
take to brigandry. Brigands rob travelers along the highways. Most brigands form into bands and follow a brigand leader. In the wilder areas of the world some of these
bands can have three or four score members. Brigands
are more common in the rustic provinces of the Empire.
Many of the large groups of brigands are rumored to be
supported by non-human governments. Often, an Imperial Legion needs to be dispatched to destroy the band of
brigands. The Ruffian’s Union is the most disorganized
of all the Unions. Imperial Ruffian Appointees serve as
press gangs and as intimidating personal body guards for
Imperial governmental officials. Imperial Appointees often travel to foreign countries where they operate clandestinely as highway robbers in an effort to disrupt civil
affairs within that nation.
Occupation Skills
Feats: critical melee I - 200, knockback I - 200, parry I
- 200, stun I - 200. Knowledge: climb I - 100, fatal finish 100, first aid - 100, military - 100, navigation - 100, regain
feat (combat training) - 200, repair - 100, resuscitate - 100,
splint - 100, swim I - 100.
feint I - 200, fend I - 200, knockback II - 200, limb crush
I - 200, limb crush II - 400, parry II - 400, riposte I - 200,
stun II - 200, vocal crush - 400. Rituals: armor clothes 300, armor hat - 100, coloring (camouflage) - 200, embody
strengthener (recruit) - 100, firm grip - 100, invulnerable
limb - 400, polishing rag - 200, reinforce shield - 200, reinforce weapon - 200, replenish ammunition - 200, song
(war) - 100.
Feats: critical melee III - 200, critical melee IV - 400, disarm II - 400, eye crush - 600, feint II - 400, fend II - 200,
kill crush - 600, limb crush III - 400, parry III - 400, rend
I - 600, riposte II - 400.
Skills and Training
Scribe
Scribes are found wherever documents need to be copied.
In some parts of the world, scribes set printing presses,
but in others all documents are copied by hand. They are
experts at exactly drawing the letters, and this perfection
allows them to store power in drawings. Imperial Scribe
Appointees write and copy imperial documents. They
specialize in scripting runes of protection and drawing
powerful glyphs.
Occupation Skills
Knowledge: astronomy - 100, climb I - 100, enigmas 100, extrasensory perceptions - 200, fine arts - 100, first aid
- 100, history - 100, literature - 100, occult I - 100, politics
- 100, regain feat (appreciation) - 200, rumors - 100, sense
I - 100, sense II - 300, swim I - 100, theology - 100.
Feats: augment sp&p I - 200, conceal sp&p I - 200, double sp&p I - 200, negate sp&p I - 400, quick cast sp&p
I - 200, recover I - 200. Glyphs: glyph I - 200. Rituals:
dispelling - 100, dome (impermeable) - 200, site (lettered
post) - 200, talisman (lettered) - 100, time reducer (quill) 200, wall (impermeable) - 200. Scripts: rs&s I - 300, rs&s
II - 300, rs&s III - 300. Spells: attenuate - 100, dispel
- 200, mete mana - 200, moving force - 200, seal source 100, squelch - 200, steal mana - 200.
Feats: augment sp&p II - 200, conceal sp&p II - 200, negate sp&p II - 400, quick cast sp&p II - 200, recover II
- 200. Glyphs: glyph II - 200. Rituals: engraved shield 200, engraved weapon - 200. Scripts: rs&s IV - 300, rs&s
V - 300. Spells: mass moving force - 600, shell - 500.
Scholar
Scholars are the keepers of the knowledge in the world
of the world. They write and read books to preserve and
pass on the wisdom of the ages. They preserve knowledge and can place skill in scrolls. Imperial Scholar Appointees are the caretakers of the Imperial Libraries, the
researchers and the writers of history.
Occupation Skills
Knowledge: astronomy - 100, climb I - 100, enigmas 100, fine arts - 100, first aid - 100, geology - 100, history
- 100, literature - 100, mathematics -100, occult I - 100,
politics - 100, regain feat (theorize) - 200, rumors - 100,
sense I - 100, sense II - 300, swim I - 100, theology - 100.
Feats: augment sp&p I - 200, conceal sp&p I - 200, double sp&p I - 200, negate sp&p I - 400, quick cast sp&p I 200, recover I - 200. Knowledge: read sp&p I - 400, read
sp&p II - 100, read sp&p III - 100. Rituals: dispelling
- 100, dome (impermeable) - 200, education - 400, site (lettered post) - 200, talisman (lettered) - 100, time reducer
(quill) - 200, wall (impermeable) - 200. Spells: attenuate
- 100, dispel - 200, mete mana - 200, moving force - 200,
seal source - 100, squelch - 200, steal mana.
Feats: augment sp&p II - 200, conceal sp&p II - 200, negate sp&p II - 400, quick cast sp&p II - 200, recover
II - 200. Knowledge: read sp&p IV - 100, read sp&p V
- 100. Rituals: enscroll sp&p - 200. Spells: mass moving
force - 600, shell - 500.
“The world is littered with cerebran ruins. They were masters of this world
for many millennium and left their mark everywhere. Their mastery of
magic allowed them to conceal their burial vaults, secret workshops and
private homes from the world. Now ages later we are finding cerebran
structures intact and preserved by cerebran magics.” Imperial Explorer
31
Skills and Training
Scout
Scouts perform reconnaissance duties. They range out
from the main body of a group to gather information
about the route ahead. Imperial Scout Appointees are often assigned to a military unit or merchant caravan.
Occupation Skills
Knowledge: astronomy - 100, bindings - 100, biology 100, climb I - 100, crime - 100, disarm trap - 200, fatal
finish - 100, first aid - 100, military - 100, navigation - 100,
pick locks - 300, regain feat (stealth practice) - 200, rumors
- 100, splint - 100.
Feats: critical strike II- 200, deflect strike I - 200, dodge
II - 400, elude darkness I - 200, elude woodlands I - 200,
evade II - 400, parry II - 400, pursue I - 200, surprise
strike II - 200. Rituals: conjure guide - 100, disguise 200, dispelling - 100, locate - 200, mask - 200, pursuance
- 200, smuggle - 200, stealthy - 100, theft protection - 100.
Spells: rebuke beast - 200, slow beast - 400, stop beast
- 200. Traps: hanger traps - 300, obstacle traps - 400,
snare traps - 300
Feats: disarm I - 200, dodge III - 400, negate sp&p I 400, riposte I - 200, surprise strike I - 200, surprise strike
II - 200, surprise strike III - 200, surprise strike IV - 400,
waylay I - 400, waylay II - 400. Rituals: astray - 200.
Spells: avert all beasts - 400, protest beasts - 400, hurt
beast - 200, kill beast - 300. Traps: container traps - 200,
door traps - 200, pressure plate traps - 300.
Seer
Seers specialize in divination and scrying. They are often consulted before any important decision can be made.
Imperial Seer Appointees serve military or civilian leaders as advisors.
Occupation Skills
Knowledge: astronomy - 100, chemistry - 100, extra sensory perception - 200, fine arts - 100, first aid - 100, forensics - 100, law - 100, literature - 100, mathematics - 100,
occult I - 100, politics - 100, psychology - 100, physics 100, regain feat (theorize) - 200, repair - 100, rumors - 100,
sense I - 100, splint - 100.
Feats: augment sp&p I - 200, breaching sp&p I - 200,
breaking sp&p I - 200, conceal sp&p I - 200, double sp&p
I - 200, impacting sp&p I - 200, negate sp&p I - 400,
quick cast sp&p I - 200, recover I - 200. Rituals: adornment (luck charm) - 200, annoyance I - 100, annoyance II
- 100, ascertain - 200, conjure attendant - 100, curse - 200,
dome (impermeable) - 200, dome (permeable disintegrate)
- 200, dispelling - 100, purify blood - 200, remembrance
(augury) - 100, restoration - 300, return - 200, send dreams
- 100, spiritquest - 400, storage (crystal) - 200, talisman
(polished) - 100, time reducer (tome) - 200, wall (impermeable) - 200, wall (permeable disintegrate) - 200. Spells:
anchor spirit - 200, attenuate - 100, damage generic (disintegrate) - 500, dispel - 200, heal - 400, mete mana - 200,
moving force - 200, purify food and drink - 100, seal
source - 100, squelch - 200, steal mana - 200.
Feats: augment sp&p II - 200, breaking sp&p II - 200,
bursting sp&p I - 400, conceal sp&p II - 200, double sp&p
II - 400, impacting sp&p II - 200, negate sp&p II - 400,
quick cast sp&p II - 200, recover II - 200, repulse sp&p
I - 400. Rituals: annoyance III - 100, area (disintegrate) 200, site (monolith) - 200, seance I - 400, seance II - 200,
storage (crystal) II - 200. Powers: mass moving force
- 600, shell - 500.
32
Skills and Training
Spy
Spies are paid informants. They are generally household
servants, military personnel or government administrators, but occasionally a flamboyant figure becomes an
unlikely spy. Spies need to learn a unique set of athletic
skills, such as how to climb up walls to listen at windows, or to sneak across moats. Imperial Spy Appointees
conduct clandestine operations to further the goals of the
Empire.
Occupation Skills
Knowledge: balance - 200, biology - 100, chemistry 100, climb I - 100, crime - 100, disarm trap - 200, escape
- 200, fatal finish - 100, first aid - 100, pick locks - 300,
regain feat (stealth practice) - 200, rumors - 100, survival
- 100, swim - 100.
Feats: augment sp&p I - 200, double sp&p I - 200, elude
darkness I - 200, elude woodlands I - 200, evade II - 400,
pursue I - 200, recover I - 200, surprise strike I - 200, surprise strike II - 200, surprise strike III - 200. Compounds:
disabler - 500, narcotics - 300. Powers: amnesia - 200,
attenuate - 100, awaken - 200, dispel - 200, distract -200,
emotions - 200, laughter - 200, mete mana - 200, squelch
- 200, steal mana - 200. Rituals: ascertain - 200, alertness - 200, coloring (darkening) - 200, conjure guide - 100,
dispelling - 100, locate - 200, mask - 200, pursuance - 200,
smuggle - 200, stealthy - 100, theft protection - 100, time
reducer (tool) - 200. Traps: container traps - 200, door
traps - 200, pressure plate traps - 300.
Feats: assassinate I - 800, augment sp&p II - 200, double
sp&p II - 200, recover II - 200, surprise strike IV - 400,
waylay I - 400, waylay II - 400, waylay III - 400. Compounds: hazard - 300, poison - 500. Rituals: astray - 200,
disguise - 200, invisible - 400, transposer - 300. Spells:
aggression - 200, pacify - 200, seal source - 100, shell 500, sleep - 400, taunt - 200. Traps: hanger traps - 300,
obstacle traps - 400, snare traps - 300
Terrorist
Terrorists use acts of violence to compel people to acquiesce to their desires. They often have a political, cultural or religious belief as their motivations. Terrorist are
becoming more popular in the world. Imperial Terrorist
Appointees conduct terrorist attacks against any group
resisting the Empire.
Occupation Skills
Knowledge: biology - 100, chemistry - 100, climb I 100, crime - 100, disarm trap - 200, escape - 200, fatal
finish - 100, first aid - 100, pick locks - 300, politics - 100,
psychology - 100, regain feat (grievance) - 200, rumors 100, survival - 100, swim - 100.
Feats: critical melee II - 200, critical ranged II 200, dodge
II - 400, double range I - 100, elude darkness I - 200, elude
woodlands I - 200, evade II - 400, parry II - 400, surprise
strike I - 200, surprise strike II - 200. Compounds: narcotics - 300. Rituals: alertness - 200, coloring (darkening)
- 200, dispelling - 100, locate - 200, mask - 200, smuggle
- 200, stealthy - 100, theft protection - 100, time reducer
(tool) - 200. Spells: amnesia - 200, awaken - 200, bewilder - 200, compliant - 400, dazzle - 200, distract - 200,
emotions - 200, fugue - 200, protest being - 400. Traps:
container traps - 200, door traps - 200, pressure plate traps
- 300.
Feats: critical melee III - 200, critical ranged III - 200,
double range II - 100, surprise strike III - 200, surprise
strike IV - 400, waylay I - 400. Compounds: poison 500. Rituals: astray - 200, disguise - 200, invisible - 400,
transposer - 300. Spells: confuse being - 400, dominate
being - 600. Traps: hanger traps - 300, obstacle traps 400, snare traps - 300
33
Skills and Training
Tinkerer
Troubadour
The tinkerer likes to work on items. The sphere of their
magic includes enhancement of items and item affecting
magics. Mechanical computers are all the rage in the
world.
Troubadours are entertainers. They are proficient jugglers and acrobats who are trained in songs and oral histories of the world. Imperial Troubadour Appointees are
specialized entertainers of the Empire.
Occupation Skills
Occupation Skills
Fabricating: Fashioning I - 200. Knowledge: chemistry
- 100, commerce - 100, electronics I - 100, first aid - 100,
geology I - 100 mathematics - 100, mechanics I - 100, mechanics II - 300, occult I - 100, physics - 100, regain feat
(innovate) - 200, repair - 100, rumors - 100, splint - 100.
Feats: augment sp&p I - 200, breaking sp&p I - 200, conceal sp&p I - 200, double sp&p I - 200, evade II - 400,
impacting sp&p I - 200, negate sp&p I - 400, quick cast
sp&p I - 200, recover I - 200. Rituals: adornment (keepsake) - 200, buoyant item - 100, dispelling - 100, dome
(permeable disintegrate) - 200, embody strengthener ( laborer) - 100, restore item - 200, talisman (polished) - 100,
time reducer (tool) - 200, trans-mutation - 200, work station - 200. Spells: damage (disintegrate) - 500, disable
item - 400, disenchant item - 200, deteriorate - 400, find
items - 200, form tool - 400, form melee weapon - 400,
mend - 600, open lock - 200, unbreakable item.
sp&p II - 200, double sp&p II - 400,evade III - 600, impacting sp&p II - 200, negate sp&p II - 400, quick cast
sp&p II - 200, recover II - 200, repulse sp&p I - 400. Rituals: area (disintegrate) - 200, bottomless bag - 100, bridge
- 200, buffing - 200, locate - 200, lock - 200, projectile
device - 400, recover item - 200, theft protection - 100,
wall (permeable disintegrate) - 200. Spells: alter melee
weapon - 200, alter ranged weapon - 200, drop all - 200,
form ranged weapon - 200, form shield - 200, fragment 400, impervious item - 200, weight decrease - 200, weight
increase - 400.
34
Feats: willpower I - 200. Knowledge: climb I - 100,
crime - 100, extrasensory perceptions - 200, fine arts - 100,
first aid - 100, history - 100, literature - 100, occult I - 100,
performance - 100, politics - 100, psychology - 100, regain
feat (story telling) - 200, rumors - 100, swim I - 100, theology - 100.
Ballads: anchor spirit - 100, awareness - 100, body healing
- 200, conscious - 100, convalesce - 100, corpse call - 200,
item fixing - 200, juggernaut - 100, life - 100, miss shots 100, miss strikes - 100, omni-sensing - 100, pass exposure
- 100, poison pausing - 100, returning - 100, robustness
- 100, shielding - 200, spatial location - 100, stay healthy 100, stop bleeding - 100, strength - 100, unbreakable items
- 100.. Feats: deflect strike I - 200, dodge II - 400, negate
sp&p I - 400, parry II - 400, surprise strike I - 200, surprise strike II - 200. Rituals: alertness - 200, annoyance
I - 100, annoyance II - 100, conjure celestine - 100, dance
- 100, dispelling - 100, dome (permeable sound) - 100, embody strengthener (muse) - 100, glib voice - 100, legacy
(artistic endeavor) - 100, remembrance (dirge) - 100, send
song - 100, song - 100, storage (musical instrument) I 100, time reducer (baton) - 200, wall (permeable sound)
- 100. Spells: -damage specific (sound) - 200, enhance
weapon - 100, flee sound (boom) - 200
Ballads: bolster will - 100, hovering - 100, resist [specific]
damage - 200. Feats: disarm I - 200, dodge III - 400, evade
II - 400, riposte I -200, stun II - 200, parry III - 400, waylay
I - 400. Rituals: annoyance III - 100, area (musical) - 200,
area (sound) - 200, storage (musical instrument) II - 200.
Spells: mass flee sound (boom) - 600
Skills and Training
Vermin Catcher
Vermin catchers patrol the streets and sewers of cities
and larger towns hunting the rats and other vermin that
infest the realm of the world. Rats of all sizes are a major problem. They carry all sorts of disease, and some
can be as big as a man. Keeping the rat population down
to a manageable level is a constant struggle for the rat
catcher. The Imperial Vermin Catcher Appointee is an
expert rat catcher who supervises the rat catching of the
city.
Occupation Skills
Feats: dodge I - 200, parry I - 200, Knowledge: climb
I - 100, crime - 100, disarm trap - 200, fatal finish - 100,
first aid - 100, military - 100, navigation - 100, regain feat
(boasting) - 200, repair - 100, resuscitate - 100, sense I 100, splint - 100, swim I - 100.
dodge II - 400, fend I - 200, feint II - 200, knockback II
- 200, knockback III - 200, limb chop I - 200, limb chop
II - 400, parry II - 400, riposte I - 200, strength II - 100,
stun II - 200, stun III - 200, vocal chop - 400. Rituals: armor clothes - 300, armor hat - 100, bridge - 200, dispelling
- 100, firm grip - 100, polishing rag - 200, invulnerable
limb - 400, reinforce shield - 200, reinforce weapon - 200,
song (bawdy) - 100. Traps: hanger traps - 300, obstacle
traps - 400, snare traps - 300.
Feats: critical melee IV - 400, disarm II - 400, evade I 400, eye chop - 600, feint II - 400, fend II - 200, kill chop
- 600, knockback IV - 200, limb chop III - 400, parry III
- 400, strength III - 200, stun IV - 200. Traps: container
traps - 200, door traps - 200, pressure plate traps - 300.
Wrestler
Wrestling is the most popular sport in the Empire. Formal meals will almost always include entertainment
and a bout of wrestling is an exciting addition to any
meal. Wrestlers seeking an appointment work as training partners for Appointed Wrestlers. Wrestling Matches
will included exhibition bouts will include up and coming non-appointed wrestlers. Sometimes non-appointed
wrestlers will compete in gladiatorial matches or in the
home sof less distinguished people, but this practice is
frowned on by the Wrestler’s Union and will often ruin
a wrestlers chance for appointment. The Imperial Wrestler Appointee is an expert wrestler who entertains in the
household of the Citizens, wealth merchants and ancient
noble families.
Occupation Skills
Feats: dodge I - 200, knockback I - 200, parry I - 200,
strength I - 100. Knowledge: climb I - 100, fatal finish 100, grappling - 300, first aid - 100, history - 100, regain
feat (contest physical) - 200, resuscitate - 100, splint I 100, swim I - 100.
Feats: critical melee II - 200, critical melee III - 200, deflect strike I - 200, dodge II - 400, evade I - 400, knockback
III - 200, fend I - 200, fling I - 400, knockback II - 200,
parry II - 400, seize I - 400, strength II - 100, strength III
- 200, stun II - 200, stun III - 200. Knowledge: Grappling
- 300. Rituals: bolster body - 200, harden hands (chopping) - 200, harden hands (crushing) - 200, harden hands
(cutting) - 200, song (war) - 100.
Feats: bash I - 200, catch I - 200, catch II - 200, constrict
I - 200, deflect strike II - 400, disarm II - 400, dodge III
- 400, evade II - 400, feint I - 200, fend II - 200, fling II
- 400, knockback IV - 200, knock out I - 400, knock out
II - 400, parry III - 400, seize II - 400, strength IV - 200,
stun IV - 200, tough I - 400. Rituals: dispelling - 100,
invulnerable limb - 400
35
Fifteen difference races of beings share the world of Meredia, each having very
different faces and ideologies and each living in their traditional homelands
since before the recording of history. The sixteenth race, the cerebrans who once
ruled the realm was exterminated by the others and their homelands claimed
by humans allowing Humanity to control the largest portion of the realm, the
entire central continent.
During the Epoch of Nations the human Republic settled the central continent
and the vast distances allowed humanity to break down into different cultures.
The people in each province have their own styles of dress, mannerism, patterns
of speech and their own unique ideology. But each cultural group is woven
together into the complex fabric of the Empire and bound together by these
desperate times.
There are nine provinces of the Empire. Aldar is the wealthiest Province. Exton is the industrial heart of the Empire with sprawling factories. Hosten is a
province of hearty farmers and herdsmen. Irristan is the sparely settled desert of
shifting sand and sparlking oasis. Kelluck is home to the proud kilt wearing folk
who love to celebrate. The province of Lyrea is steeped in traditions of honor
and family lineage. The forested lands of Sennay are home to a spiritual people
who dwell in pointed, conical tents supported by lengths of wood. The coastal
province of Forneare is the home to a sea-faring people. Wildar is the northernmost province and his home to the wild horse clans of the frozen north.
The Darro are a wandering people without a Province making their home in
caravans of painted wagons.
The world is even more diverse than the Provinces and the founding of the
Empire has bound the peoples to human rule as colonies. On the largest of the
continents is six colonies. The orc lands of flowing magma and spewing lava is
called Vulcrea. The klactons live under the deserts of Eremus. The high mountain homes of the satyrs is the colony of Dorsi. The pythians dwell in the rainforests of Lutea. The coastal colony of Labyrin is the home of the minotaurs.
The elves live on the grasslands of Arvea.
The mist shrouded mountains of islands of Nubisae are where the oculus dwell.
The beardons live on the island of Holden and in the colony of Silvae live the
deciduin. Deep under the ocean dwell in the underwate colony of Mare dwell
the aquarians and high in the sky of Aethrae live the airadin. The smallest of the
continents is the colony of Benivus where the rakkarrin, canarrin and weetles
shared a common homeland.
People of the Empire
The Realm of Tyrs is populated by numerous different
types of beings which are race races. Since the dawn of
time the races of the realm have dwelled in specific geographic areas.
tiful sky islands of Aethrae which float three miles above
the sea. They use eagles and albatrosses as flying mounts
and construct long rope and metal cable bridges to connect their sky islands together.
During the Epoch of Slavery the Realm was ruled by
the cerebran overlords. The humans lived in the northern
part of the Central Continent while the mighty cerebran
civilization spanned the southern portion. With the defeat of the cerebran overlords the humans expanded to
control the entire central continent.
When Tyrs attacked the Airadin during the Epoch of
War he used sky ships bristling with cannon and bombed
them into submission. The Airadin surrendered when
one of their smaller sky islands cracked in half and spiraled down into the sea. The beaten Airadans became
scouts for the airships and many still serve today even
though they have become Denizens of the Empire instead of slaves.
In the Epoch of Nations all of the races rose to prominence, but none were so great as the human republic.
This lead to the Epoch of Woe which gave us the Empire.
Now all of the subjugated races of the realm exist as colonies of the Empire.
Airadin
Abilities: fly I - 800, fly II – 600, fly III - 600
Cultural Knowledge:
Appearance: Airadins appear similar to humans, but their
facial features are more angular and instead of hair they
have small feathers. All Airidin have wings protruding
from their shoulder blades.
Attitude: Airadins are thought to be wise and most will
carefully deliberate every decision before committing
themselves to action. Perhaps this caution comes from
flying where one error of judgment could send them
plummeting to the ground.
Airadins are sometimes described as aloof and remote.
They do not easily share their private thoughts and do
not often display emotions, but most are caring individuals. While they may take a long time to make friends,
they have a reputation for being fiercely loyal and devoted to their allies.
History: Airadins dwell in the clouds living on the beau-
Homeland: Aethrae are the Sky Lands, floating islands
above the sea. It rarely rains, but vegetation is keep lush
and green by the cloud banks rolling through depositing moisture and soaking everything. The skylands are
kept aloft by a mineral called eather (or sky stone) that
is lighter than air, about as strong as lead and has strong
magnetic properties. Imperials mine the sky lands using
the mineral to counter weight ironclad sky ships.
Aquarian
Abilities: aquatic - 100, body increase I - 100, respiration
(liquid) - 100
Cultural Knowledge:
Appearance: Aquarians are water dwelling beings with
humanoid forms and facial features. Their skin has a
blue tone and is covered with fine scales. Their hair is a
complementary shade of green or blue.
Attitude: Aquarians are perceived as intuitive, sensitive,
emotional and nurturing, and like a river, they run deep.
How an aquarian feels about a subject is often what matters and they usually base their actions on emotion, rather than on logic or intellect.
They are attuned to waves of emotion and often seem
to have sonar capable of reading another’s mood. This
37
People of the Realm
gives them a special sensitivity in relationships. At their
best, aquarians are able to bring people together, but at
their worst they are able to manipulate and control. Emotional Aquarians are often susceptible to mood swings.
One moment they can be calm like the sea, but in the
next they can possess the force of torrential rain.
Appearance: Beardons have a human-like appearance,
but have three to five ridges on their nose and both men
and women have abundance of facial hair on their cheeks
and chin. The ridges run across the bridge of the nose
from cheek to cheek and appear as brown groves with
some being deeper than others.
Aquarians make good diplomats, because they can take
in the feelings of others, process them, and put forth a
plan or solution that will be conscientious to all. They
also make great artists, often having an appreciation for
aesthetic beauty and the ability to recreate that beauty in
many forms.
Attitude: Beardon are generally highly intelligent beings
devoted to invention and construction. They are excellent engineers, craftsmen, miners, smiths and builders,
adept at embracing mana-tech. Some Beardons will specialize in one type of building, but most can build using
any material at hand. Beardon inventions are often composites of wood, metal, and stone, using each building
material for the strengths it will provide to their creation.
Aquarian homes are works of art often constructed to incorporate natural items, such as coral, drift wood and sea
vegetation creating beautiful shelters that protect from
underwater currents, storms and predators.
Aquarians generally develop good relations with other
sea dwelling species and will often domesticate sharks
and other water dwelling beasts.
History: The aquarian homeland is deep in the ocean
between the central continent and the eastern continent.
While the Aquarian did not invade the Republic their
constant attacks on human shipping lead Tyrs to attack
them.
The aquarian believed themselves safe so far underwater, but in the Epoch of Woe Tyrs used large casks of
mana-imbued explosive powder with slow burning fuses
as depth charges. This attack collapsed the ocean shelf
on which the aquarian capital city was built. Their ancient city of cyclopean edifices and towering monoliths
collapsed into the deep ocean trench along which it was
built. The loss of life was staggering and the aquarian
civilization will likely never recover. Many aquarians
are still eager for revenge, but all understand that they
must remain a colony of the Empire or suffer the wrath
of Tyrs.
Homeland: Mare is an undersea world light by glowing
plankton and luminescent vegetation. Huge coral reefs
carefully cultivated for centuries provide homes for the
aquarian people.
Beardon
Abilities: body increase I - 100, mana increase I - 100,
mana increase II - 100
Cultural Knowledge:
38
While most beardons are content with their inventive undertakings, there are some who have little patience for
invention and building. These beardon have quick tempers and fly into passionate rages, tending to smash more
projects than they finish. These beardons often find solace in a military life, where they become brutal killers.
History: The small island nation of Holden was the first
to succumb to armies of humanity. Tyrs enslaved the inventiveness of the beardons to his cause forcing them to
build the war machines his mind conceived. Throughout
the Epoch of War the beardon people suffered working
day and night to produce machines of war which were
commanded by rager beardons. Since the founding of
the Empire the beardon people have been able to return
to their own pursuits building more than just war machines, but their whole land is carefully supervised by
Imperial inspectors who catalogue and control all mana-tech advances.
Homeland: Holden is a rocky island of great wealth. Deposits of diamonds, silver, mercury, gold, and many rare
and exotic minerals and metals are found in this rocky
landscape.
Canarrin
Abilities: body increase I – 100, body increase II - 100,
heightened senses I - 200, heightened senses II - 300
Cultural Knowledge:
Appearance: Canarrins are canine-appearing humanoids.
They are covered in fur with colors and patterns dependent on their breed. Canarrin faces appear more dog-like
than human reflecting the protruding shape and coloring
People of the Realm
of a dog’s the mouth and nose. The head is fully covered
with fur and the ears are depend on the breed and can be
long and floppy or erect and pointed.
Attitude: Canarrins are often seen as tough, practical and
confident, while others claim them to be aggressive and
domineering. Either way most will agree that the canarrin
no-nonsense attitude and don’t mess with me approach to
life makes them good to have as a friend and bad to have
as an enemy.
Many attribute the canarrin’s hard line posture to their
evolution from pack oriented animals. Canarrins typically organize themselves into pack-like communities with
a strict hierarchy that requires each member to perform
specific duties. This ranking often necessitates a constant
need to seek out their rightful place within the social hierarchy.
Canarrins are not always rough and ready for a fight. In
fact many canarrins earn reputations as being out-going
and social, gaining distinction rowdy party-goers and
amiable drinking companions.
History: The canarrins dwell with the weetles and rakarrins in the nation of Benivus. For many centuries the three
races dwelled in peace, but during the Epoch of War the
canarrins pushed for the ill-fated invasion of the Human
Republic. The bloody conquest of Benivus and the subsequent years of slavery has led to hard feelings between
the three groups. As a colony of the Empire the canarrins,
rakarrins and weetles struggle to overcome their resentment against each other.
Homeland: Benivus is the perfect mixture of deciduous
forest, open fields and rolling hills. The canarrin prefer
the forests living among the trees, building homes alongside streams and cities in broad valleys.
Decidiun
Abilities: hindered mover I - 200, hindered mover II 100, hindered mover III - 100, regeneration I - 200, regeneration II – 400, regeneration III - 400
Cultural Knowledge:
Appearance: Decidiun are plant humanoids with deciduous leaves growing instead of body, facial and head hair.
The broad leaves are shades green, but as a Decidiun ages
the leaves will often turn golden or red.
Attitude: Decidiun are generally seen as solitary and re-
served, preferring to live in small family groups or with
close friends. They are often viewed as shy or withdrawn,
but when comfortable with their surroundings decidiun
are witty and companionable.
Sunlight, clean water and fresh air are important to a
decidiun and they will always live close to the natural
world, adapting to its rhythms and protecting its resources. It’s rare to see a decidiun abusing nature and much
more common to see them actively attacking those who
would pollute or otherwise damage the environment.
Their knowledge of the natural world is often astounding.
History: While not a war-like people the decidiuns moved
against the humans because they believed Republic was
abusing the natural world by over-farming, strip mining,
pollution, and so forth. They hoped to preserve the central continent but in the end they brought ruin to their
own homeland.
When the Tyrs attacked his plan was simply to level the
forests and use the wood to build his war machines. The
decidiuns were crushed right after the Beardon’s and the
ever practical Tyrs shipped the wood across the channel
from Silvae to the newly-built factories in Holden.
The Decidiuns could not be enslaved to cut down their
own forests, so Tyrs brought them onto the continent
and used them as agricultural laborers. Decidiuns are the
most common non-humans found in the Empire and almost all help to run the Imperial Farms.
After the Epoch of War ended many of the Decidiun
slaves were freed to return to Silvae where they found
much of their homeland had be raped by human axes.
The decidiun people harbor deep feelings of loss and
tragedy, some blaming them Empire, but others blaming
themselves for invading.
Homeland: Silvae is a beautiful tree-covered,
mist-shrouded island. On sunny days the wind whistles
gently through the trees and light reflects through the
branches. Even under grey skies and rain the island is
beautiful with water dripping down broad leaves and falling with the sound of peace.
Of course the parts of Silvae destroyed by the human invasion are jagged torn landscapes of mud, dead butchered branches and jutting rotting stumps. It is a testament
to the cruelty of Tyrs and one cannot gaze on the destruction without horror.
39
People of the Realm
Elf
Abilities: mana increase I - 100, mana increase II - 100,
mana increase III - 100.
Cultural Knowledge:
Appearance: Elves are differentiated from humans only
by their long pointed ears. In all other respects the two
types of beings are physically similar.
Attitude: Elven society is full of ancient heritage and traditions. They value their past, reliving it in the form of
stories, dances, games and other social activities. Their
customs pass from one generation to the next with great
reverence, and remain unchanged for hundreds of years.
Elves value learning and education and though their culture is rooted in the past, their minds are quick to grasp
new concepts. Though they show and aptitude toward
magical endeavors they are capable of accepting mana-tech.
Many see elves as calculating and manipulative. They
are usually careful, meticulous planners, who are eager
to debate the benefits and deficits of any decision. Their
tendency to be nature leaders often places them in positions to further their own goals and as social beings they
come together often among themselves and with other
beings. Many are natural diplomats and ambassadors.
Their deliberate nature makes them excellent military
leaders who embrace strategic planning and bold maneuvering.
Elves do not generally exploit the natural world and often get along well with decidiun. Both races often work
to protect and enhance their environment by ensuring the
world remains rich with vegetation and animal life.
History: The elves were the second most powerful race
when the Cerebrans ruled the realm and assumed that
they would become the new world leaders when the
Cerebran rule ended, but the achievements of the human
quickly eclipsed the accomplishments of the elves. The
humans with the vast resources of the central continent
at their disposal become the economic and political leaders.
The elves were jealous and many believe that it was the
elves who conceived the plan to attack the human Republic and convinced the orcs to join them in the war that
would usher in the Epoch of War. Skilled in the arts of
magic and ready to embrace mana-tech the elven armies
40
fared well indeed conquering large chunk of the Central
Continent and making their orc allies jealous. When the
tide of war turned against the non-humans the elves were
the first to abandon their newly gained holdings and offer
peace to the humans. Tyrs would give no peace to those
who he believed to be the architects of the Epoch of War.
He invaded the grasslands and the powerful elven nation resisted. Of all the battles, the elven was perhaps
the most deadly for both sides. The elves had not yet
been defeated when the world bowed before Tyrs, and
they grudgingly surrendered knowing peace to be more
practical. The elves were the last of the non-humand to
became an Imperial colony.
The elves hate the Empire. They blame humanity for the
state of the world, accusing the humans of causing the
formation of demons, the spontaneous rising undead,
and all the other ills of the world.
Homeland: Arvae is beautiful endless field of swaying
golden grass with a sky so wide and blue that it seems
to stretch onto eternity. Fluffy white clouds dot the sky
and when the wind blows they dance across the heavens
taking on the shapes of animals.
Although since the Epoch of War there have been an
ever increasing number terrible storms that turn the sky
black with broiling clouds. Lightening crashes, thunder
booms and the winds howl tearing apart the landscape.
Sometimes hailstones larger than a man’s hand fall to the
ground leaving deep indentations after they melt away.
Ghoul
Abilities: feeding (body) - 200, body increase I - 100,
body increase II - 100
Cultural Knowledge:
Appearance: Ghouls are humanoid in appearance with
pale white skin and deep shadows under their eyes. Their
hair is dark in color, favoring blacks and browns. Red
hair in a ghoul is very rare, and blond is even less common than red. Some ghouls like to shave their head.
Ghouls are natural necromantic beings. The processes
that give them existence flow in opposition to the vitalic
energies of living beings. They have all the processes
of life, but are not alive. They eat, drink, breathe, and
reproduce. Ghouls have children through the union of a
male ghoul and female ghoul and babies are born from
the female.
People of the Realm
Most people see ghouls a secretive, sneaky and conniving. They are known for their ability to manipulate others and for undermining their enemies through subterfuge. Most ghouls would rather run than fight, but there
are aggressive, brutal ghouls who relish in destruction.
Ghouls most often live in dark recesses and lonely wild
places. They live primitive existences sheltering under
trees or in caves when n the wild. In civilized areas they
will choose abandoned buildings or sewers. A ghoul’s
favorite home is of course a catacomb full of rotting
corpses.
Ghouls generally travel in packs with groups of families or close friends traveling together. The pack will
scavenge for food and supplies sharing and helping each
other. Ghouls are happy being hunter gatherers and even
happier living off the scraps of another. Begging and
stealing seem to be a ghoul’s favorite activities.
History: Ghouls have never had a homeland or at least
not since the recording of history began. The Cerebrans
tried to exterminate the ghouls, but exterminating cockroaches and rats are easier than ghouls and thus ghouls
continue to exist in the realm.
All other beings look down on the unliving ghouls and
treat them as abominations, but Tyrs befriended a ghoul
who showed him the power of Necromancy which Tyrs
used to save his people and build his Empire.
While most humans still hate ghouls and treat them as
third class citizens (after the other non-humans), the
laws of the Empire afford them the same rights as everyone else.
Many ghouls feel that humans owe them much. They
argue that “if not for the help of the ghouls Humanity
would be slaves,” but most humans would rather not
hear this.
Homeland: None
Humans
Humans are versatile and adaptable, and can make their
homes in any climate or terrain. They have varied cultures, traditions and ideologies which can be traced back
to the time of the early Republic.
Aldar
Cultural Knowledge:
The densely populated Province of Aldar is an area of
affluence and wealth. The people of Aldar live in manor
huses on sprawling estates wearing velvet and other fineries. The men commonly wear doublets and breeches.
The woman wear fancy gowns on formal occasions, but
for traveling their wear breeches and waist length jackets.
Darro
Cultural Knowledge:
The Darro are a people without a Province. They are the
wanderers traveling the realm in brightly colored caravans of painted wagons pulled by horse and oxen. These
caravans are rolling communities with each family having their own wagon. The Darro people dress in brightly
colored clothing wearing many colored scarfs and vests
with no real desire to have the colors match. They also
wears small bells and as much dangling jewelry as they
can.
Exton
Cultural Knowledge:
The province of Exton is the industrial heart of the Empire. Great factories and founders are found throughout
Exton. Their massive brick structures are soot blackened. The rivers and lakes are filled with pollutions. The
people who dwell here wear dark clothing to hide the
stains of soot and dirt. Breaches and jackets are are worn
by the men and women. Top hats and long black coats
are common.
Hosten
Cultural Knowledge:
The province of Hosten is located on the richest farmland in all of the Empire. Understandably, the people of
Hosten are mostly farmers and herdsmen. Most of the
realm’s agricultural food products come from Hosten as
well as its supplies of meat and poultry. Men and women traditionally wear light colored earth toned shirts and
breeches. Narrow belts and light colored hooded capes
are common. Castles are very common in Hosten. They
were built using the stones of the Cerebran civilization
the heart of which existed in Hosten.
Irristan
41
People of the Realm
Cultural Knowledge:
The people of the Irristan Province are bedouins. The
clothing of the bedouins reflect the harsh climate of the
desert province. Men and women typically wear long
gowns, which are either open down the front, or split
to the waist and again at the ankles for mobility. This is
ornamented with braid, and worn over a tunic and wide
pantaloons. Men usually cover their heads with either
with a turban, or a scarf and headband. Women usually
wear a veil on their head, and attach gold and silver dowry coins to the front to frame the face.
Kelluck
Cultural Knowledge:
The mountainous province of Kelluck is home to proud
independent people who raise sheep and goats and who
to drink and to dance. Traditionally, men and women
dress very similarly. Both sexes wear kilts, which are
pleated “skirts” made from a tartan or plaid pattern.
However, men’s kilts reach to their knees, whereas women’s skirts were lower. On top, men and women usually
wear a light-colored tunic, often with puffy sleeves. The
kilt is made from wool, and the tunic from linen.
Cultural Knowledge:
Lyrea
The people of the coastal province of Lyrea are steeped
in traditions of honor and family lineage. The province
has many rainforests and is very damp, the primary crop
is rice. The people of Lyrea generally dress in pants and
shirts with overlapping fronts tied at the waist with a
belt or held together by cloth frogs. The colors are often
bright with much embroidery often displaying dragons,
military scenes or floral patterns.
Sennay
Cultural Knowledge:
The plains and forests of Sennay are home to a tough
spiritual people who dwell in pointed, conical tents supported by lengths of wood. Their clothing is made from
animal skins, primarily mountain sheep and deer. Their
clothing consists of a shirt, leggings, breechcloth and
moccasins. Ornamentation of the body and clothing is
common. Jewelry comprises of fringe pendants, ribbon
trim, porcupine quills, bear claw necklaces and earrings,
42
shell earrings and drops and body paint derived from animals, soils, plants and minerals.
Forneare
Cultural Knowledge:
The coastal province of Forneare is a wild land of craggy
coastlines with shallow bays and tall oak forests. They
are a sea-faring people. Men and women wear heavy
thigh length jackets with long sleeves and wide cuffs.
They wear tri-corner hats, turned down boots, wide belts
and puffy long sleeves shirts.
Wildar
Cultural Knowledge:
The province of Wildar encompasses the wild plains of
the north a broad expanse of grass-covered, rolling hills
where the winds always blow and the sky is blue and
large. In this inhospitable landscape, dwell the Wild
People, an ancient culture with a proud heritage and
timeworn traditions. The Wild People were never subjugated by the Cerebran who cared little for these roving
bands of nomads. The Wild People value their freedom
and acknowledge the power of the Emperor only loosely. They understand the benefit of a unified Humanity,
pay their taxes, perform their civic duties and generally
follow Imperial law when dealing with outsiders, but the
Wild People will never surrendered the sovereignty of
their clan leaders. They live by their own codes of honor,
justice and hospitality. The wild people dress in furs to
ward of the icy winds that blow down from the north.
They are viewed by many as uncivilized barbarians.
In the northern part of the Provence the wilder people
travel by horseback and most are nomadic in nature. In
the south the wild people have cities with great log forts
built on high hills.
Klacton
Abilities: body increase I, body increase I, body increase
I, hide, robust - 500
Cultural Knowledge:
Appearance: Klactons of the evolve variety are insect-appearing humanoids with two arms and two legs.
Their heads are insect-like with mandibles and antenna.
A chitinous shell covers their torso and limbs.
People of the Realm
Attitude: Klacton are a warm-blooded insect-like
hive-oriented society. The hives are ruled by fertile
queens, who lay eggs to populate the hive. Most klacton larvae grow into a lesser form of klacton that have
specialized duties in the hive. These do not have independent thought and perform their hive duties instinctually as part of the hive mentality. However, some larvae
can grow into an independent form of klacton, known as
evolved klactons.
Evolved klactons are intelligent and autonomous; however, they remain emotionally tied to the hive mind, and
long periods of separation from the hive may cause feelings of loss, guilt and homesickness.
Evolved klactons who operate away from the hive for
extended periods of time must learn to overcome these
feelings. If enough time passes, evolved klactons will
become more independent in thought and can separate
completely from the hive mind.
History: The klactons never feared the cerebrans, believing their deep tunnels were unassailable. When they
war against humanity turned against them the klactons
withdrew to their homeland, but Tyrs pursued them. For
years the war was at a standstill until the humans developed their own digging machines. Iron clad tunneling
vehicles with rotating claws on caterpillar tracks belching smoke and fire and flame chewed their way through
rock and soil downward to the queen’s chamber and egg
vaults. Whole generation of klacton’s died before even
being hatched and these terrible attacks forced the klactons to make peace. Eremus was the last land to become
an imperial colony.
Homeland: Eremus is a desert of shifting sand dunes
and cactus-filled watering holes. Vast herds of foot lone
lizards abound eating the cactus as they migrate from
oasis to oasis. The lizards are a major food source for
the klactons. There is water under the desert and the
klactons tunnels reach the water table where they find
underground lakes lighted phosphorescent lichens and
populated by schools of cave fish.
Minotaur
Abilities: body increase I -100, body increase II - 100,
strength II - 400
Cultural Knowledge:
Appearance: Minotaurs have human facial features,
brown skin-tones and two sturdy horns growing from
either side of their forehead. Generally the males have
larger horns than the females. Minotaurs have sturdy
physiques and make powerful fighters. They also have
a thick hide that provides additional protection from injury.
Minotaurs are an honorable race of beings who tend
to be solemn, deliberate, calm, persistent and often serious. Minotaurs can also be intolerably stubborn and
bull-headed, but this makes them very reliable.
A minotaur typically plays by the rules, has a strong
moral character and holds others to the same criteria.
Judgmental, practical and fastidious, a minotaur is not
one to offend.
Minotaurs make excellent judges, law enforcers and soldiers. Since minotaurs also have a great love of travel
and adventure they make good explorers and surveyors.
History: The minotaurs paid heavily for their invasion of
the Republic. Tyrs shelled their coast cities to dust with
his fleet of iron clad sea ships. The minotaurs retreated
inland but the relentless armies of humanity pursued.
Homeland: Labyrin is a rocky coastline full high cliffs
and maze-like canyons formed by ancient streambeds.
Weather patterns moving west from the ocean strike the
high mountains and then drain down to the coast creating
deep canyons in the high plateau. The minotaurs live
in the canyons along the rivers building their beautiful
stone homes up the sides of the ancient cliffs. Many of
the inland canyons have immense arches spanning the
rivers.
Oculus
Abilities: extra body part (eye) I - 300, heightened senses
– 200, heightened senses II - 300, mana increase I – 100,
mana increase II - 100
Cultural Knowledge:
Appearance: Oculi have a human appearance, marked by
a third eye in the center of their foreheads.
Attitude: The oculus are seen as peaceful, intellectual
thinkers who are well-known for their contributions to
art, music, literature and philosophy. They are closely
connected to the magical world, highly attuned to mana
and the creation of arcane devices.
The oculus tend to be a very spiritual people eager to
43
People of the Realm
embrace the world as a whole. They build their homes
and other structures without sharp angles or straight lines
so as not to impede the flows of mana.
History: The oculus did not attack the humans, but Tyrs
landed an army on the island of Nubisae when large deposits of mana substances were discovered on the mystical isle. Rather than fight the oculus agreed to surrender
so long as no undead were brought to the island. Military
leaders sent the hordes elsewhere and the oculus withdrew up into the cloud-shrouded mountains leaving the
Empire to strip mine for mana substance. The oculus pay
homage to the Empire, accepting Imperial Governance,
but try to avoid humans as much as possible.
Homeland: Nubisae rests on the convergence of ancient
and powerful mana flows and because of the sacrifice of
the oculus it remains one of the only uncorrupted spots
of mana in the realm. The nodes here remain untainted
by violence. Necromantic, demonic and profane energies have not polluted the island. This place is one of
the few locations left in this tortured realm where storms,
earthquakes and other natural catastrophes do not rage
out of control.
Orc
Abilities: body increase I - 100, body increase II - 100,
rage - 500
Cultural Knowledge:
Appearance: Orcs are green-skinned humanoids. Living
in their brutal homeland with constant volcanic eruptions, magma fires, streams of boiling water and bursting
vents of steam, many orcs are covered with horrible burn
scars.
Attitude: Orcs are often seen as a barbaric people, quick
to anger and ferocious in their capacity for violence. But
beneath these casual observations, one can discern a rich
culture filled with stories of heroism and honor. Orcs believe that the strong survive to lead and the weak survive
to serve, if they survive at all.
Many see orcs as war-like and quarrelsome and there is
much truth to this view. The orc is rarely satisfied with
his or her lot. As a people the orcs always seem to want
more and more. They’re always eager to encroach on
their neighbors, but luckily for the rest of the world orcs
fight amongst themselves as much as they fight outsiders.
44
Orcs rarely agree with each other. Outsiders view them as
a society of stubborn, opinionated individuals, but they
see themselves as a free people speaking their minds. It’s
very rare to have sufficient unification in orc communities and thus neighboring non-orc communities are able
to resist the frequent orc attacks, but of course when orcs
do unite under a common leader they are capable of momentous action.
Much of the constant bickering is due to a seemingly inbred desire to be better than others. Central to the essence
of being an orc is the principle that the strong survive to
lead and the weak survive to serve, if they survive at all.
Orcs think nothing of taking what they want. Many in
their culture do not see this as a criminal act, but instead
embrace the taking as their right as the stronger. If a person cannot protect their things they do not deserve to
have them.
A redeeming aspect to orc culture is that orcs are rarely subtle or underhanded. They are not manipulative,
sneaky or dishonorable. They would look down on an
orc who would steal a person’s things when the person
was absent. A true orc would walk up to the person and
take what they want in full view and with their victim’s
full knowledge and complete capacity for defense.
History: The humans invaded the orc nation with stunning efficiency meeting the wild ferocity of the orc soldier with discipline, training and tactics. No one in the
world believed that humans could beat orcs in their own
lands, but Tyrs brought his war machines. The orcs threw
their blood and flesh against Imperial steel. The orcs unified like they had never unified before, but even this was
not enough. The Orcs won many battles, but they could
not win the war. Tyrs bombed their population centers
into oblivion. He destroyed their farms starving the orc
people and eventually the orcs laid down their weapons
and the world realized that humanity was destined to become the new overlords.
Homeland: Vulcrae is a rough, rocky land of magma
spewing volcanoes and bursting geysers of boiling water. Areas of sparse soil cling to ancient lava flows and
the sky is full of ashen plumes of smoke and dust. This is
a land of dormant volcanoes waiting to explode, of jagged cracked craters and of wide expanses of up jutting
razor sharp obsidian slabs.
People of the Realm
Pythian
Abilities: body increase I - 100, mush mover I - 200,
mush mover II - 100, mush mover III - 100
Cultural Knowledge:
Appearance: Despite their lizard-like appearance, pythians are warm-blooded humanoids that walk upright.
Their bodies are covered with greenish scales and a
brightly colored hair, shades of red or yellow, which
crests the top of their heads.
side.
Rakarrin
Abilities: body increase I - 100, dangersense - 400, mana
increase I - 100, mana increase II - 100
Cultural Knowledge:
Attitude: Pythians are seen by most as reticent isolationists. They often keep to themselves and fiercely repel any
transgression into their lands with vigorous enthusiasm.
They are not warlike, but are excellent hunters and very
capable soldiers.
Pythians have a great respect for the elders of their people. They have developed a culture which honors learning and wisdom and gives the educated a revered place in
their society. They value wisdom and rarely act rashly.
Many pythians are deeply religious, often to the point of
becoming overly focused on their religious duties. The a
particularly susceptible to religious motivations.
Colors are important to most pythians. They normally
wear brightly colored clothing which covers most of
their bodies. They do not like patterns but favor solid colors. For adornment many pythians attach brightly
dyed feathers to their color and their weapons. Headdresses are common, but rarely obscure the face.
Pythian do not generally embrace mana-tech. Their
villages are built on or close to water. Their homes are
made of wood or mud bricks with woven grass roofs.
The wooden homes are built on pilings above the water,
while the mud houses are built on the bank of lake or
rivers. Most pythians prefer simple life style. If left to
themselves they will eat a plain diet of fish and collected
nuts and berries.
Appearance: Rakarrins are cat humanoids, whose bodies are covered in fur with colors and patterns reflecting their pride. Rakarrin faces appear more cat-like than
human reflecting the shape of a cat’s mouth and nose.
The head is fully covered with fur the pattern of which
depends much on the species of cat from which the rakkarrin evolved.
History: The pythians suffer under the yoke of Tyrs toiling in diamond mines and .
Attitude: Rakarrins typically live nomadic life styles.
They are seen by many as artistic dreamers who can never settle down. The enjoy music and dancing and social
occasions. Their villages are always on the move, even
when they are settled in one place.
Homeland: Lutea is a land of damp rainforests, beautiful tropic flows and high waterfalls dropping down
into secluded pools. Animal life teems everywhere with
monkeys chattering, insects clicking, and the melodious
chirping of multicolored song birds. Jungle vines, broad
leaved plants and trees towering into the sky with trunks
wider than the arm spans of two people standing side to
Rakarrins value family and social status, but do not place
to much weight on monetary wealth. Traditional rakarrin
culture revolves around a family usually called a pride
which is essentially a group of mothers, daughters, and
sisters, plus their young. Female rakarrins generally hold
great social power. The females do not pursue the males,
rather, the males come to them to prove their worth and
45
People of the Realm
fight for the right to have their offspring born of the pride
that the females have built.
Rakarrins are known for their graceful athletic ability.
They are known to be excellent dancers, runners and acrobats. They are curious people, always wondering and
seeking new experiences. To most rakarrins every day is
a new opportunity to discover.
History: The rakarrins dwell with the weetles and canarrin in the nation of Benivus. For many centuries the three
races dwelled in peace, but during the Epoch of War the
canarrins pushed for the ill-fated invasion of the Human Republic. The rakkarrin went along with the invasion, sending troops to fight alongside the canarrin. The
bloody conquest of Benivus and the subsequent years of
slavery has led to hard feelings between the three groups.
As a colony of the Empire the canarrins, rakarrins and
weetles struggle to overcome their resentment against
each other.
forest, open fields and rolling hills. The rakarrin prefer
the fields living among the wide prairies, constantly traveling to new locations, where they set up their large tents,
build corrals for their animals and enjoy the open air.
Satyr
Abilities: body increase I, hindered mover I - 200, hindered mover II - 100, hindered mover III - 100, mana
increase I - 100, mana increase II - 100
Cultural Knowledge:
Appearance: Satyrs are humanoids with short, nubby
horns on their forehead heads and fur-covered legs. Male
satyrs often grow little chin beards, but female satyrs
have no whiskers.
Attitude: They are seen as lighthearted people who enjoy feasting and celebrations. They have a passion for
storytelling and singing songs. They are often excellent
musicians and drummers. Most people embrace satyrs as
natural entertainers.
Some people see satyrs as overly flirtatious, but this
could merely be a misrepresentation of their friendly
open manners. People also accuse satyrs of being mischievous. It’s true that some satyrs have a penchant for
practical jokes, but this can be said of any people. Satyrs
like to laugh and to see others laugh.
46
It’s rare to see a satyr get mad. They’re usually an easy
going people and it takes a lot to push a satyr to violence,
but once pushed beyond their capacity of tolerance they
will fight and can be quite brutal.
History: The satyrs never invaded the Republic, but with
gold, silver and other wealth to be found in their lands,
the humans were bound to come and when the Empire
did march their armies north into the satyrs’ mountainous home the heavily armed humans were met by satyrs
with musical instruments, instead of weapons.
The satyrs played songs, offered food and drink, all the
while acting the part of a gracious host welcoming a guest
into their land. The satyrs had seen the folly of fighting
Tyrs and decided to allow the Empire access to all the
minerals they wanted. Tyrs was merciful. He brought in
slaves to work the mines and allowed the satyrs to have
relative freedom. He even compelled the mining companies to pay for some of what they took.
There is a growing resentment among some satyrs and
a rebellion may be brewing. The usually peaceable satyrs are unhappy with how their lands are being abused,
especially since they took no part in the war against the
Republic. They have always been neutral to the Empire.
They have given freely to the humans who they see as
their guests, but these guests are not being respectful.
Homeland: Dorsi is a mountainous land with great mineral wealth.
Weetle
Abilities: mana increase I - 100, mana increase II - 100,
pliant - 500
Cultural Knowledge:
Appearance: Weetles are nimble and dexterous humanoids, with shiny black noses and whiskers on an otherwise human-looking face. Extending from their lumbar
region is a long vestigial tail.
Attitudes: Weetles are often seen as collectors. They fill
their pockets and pockets with little items of interest.
Books, maps, writing tools and similar things fascinate
them. Most weetles can the unique items he or she collects for hours as each has a particular adventure behind
it. Many of these items are of obscure origin, in fact the
more obscure the better. It is common to find a Weetle
running an antique shop or curiosity store.
People of the Realm
Weetles are also insightful. They will often have truly
original thoughts. Many people will seek out a weetle
if they need a creative solution to their problem. Some
weetle develop remarkable theories that serve as a basis
for academic debate, but others have a less serious side
and their solutions fall well outside of practicality.
Weetles are also well known for their fondness of shiny
items, which is more an instinctual attraction than a real
desire for wealth. Weetles will often proudly wear their
shiniest tokens. A Weetle’s nest, or stash, is an extremely
personal thing and the starting of one’s own nest is a sign
of maturation, while sharing one’s nest with another is
the equivalent of a pledge of marriage.
karrins in the nation of Benivus. For many centuries the
three races dwelled in peace, but during the Epoch of
War the canarrins pushed for the ill-fated invasion of the
Human Republic. The Weetles objected to the fight and
only sent a token force. The bloody conquest of Benivus and the subsequent years of slavery has led to hard
feelings between the three groups. The Weetles feel the
greatest hostility to the canarrin who they blame for their
current suffering.
forest, open fields and rolling hills. The weetles prefer to
live in the rolling hills where they dig cozy little homes
into the hillsides.
History: The canarrins dwell with the weetles and ra-
47
The laws of the Empire may seem inequitable to some and various policies may
even be untenable to certain individuals, but the common weal requires that
we support the status quo. The survival of all depends on the stability of our
government and the unity of our society.
The Emperor controls the military might stationed throughout the Empire,
while the Senate controls the civilian infrastructure; together, in theory, the
Emperor and the Senate provide the checks and balances necessary to allow the
Empire to exist without fragmentation.
Revolutionaries rage against the Empire seeking a return back to a time when
each race was its own nation, but that was a time of war between the nations, a
time of bloodshed and pain. National rule was a harbinger of doom and folly.
The end of the republic and the great world war was the price of national rule.
The Empire will assure peace.
In this world where the dead rise, demons spawn and natural catastrophes occur with alarming frequency mana has gone mad! The flows and nodes have all
be tainted by violence and war. The only way to save us now it to have peace.
The Doom-Sayers predict that our troubles will become worse before they get
better. Earthquakes, plagues, volcanic eruptions, tidal waves and worse are coming. Our fate is sealed so say the prophets. There will be naught but destruction
and death.
The survival of this world lies in the cooperation of the races. The strength of
the Empire has always come from the people. From the lofty Citizen to the
rabble of society all have their part to play.
Supporters of the Emperor, senate supporters, rebellious revolutionaries,
non-human agents and even criminals heed my words or it will be too late.
We must lay aside our personal differences and join together once again in the
common defense or all will be lost.
Life in the Empire
The Empire of Tyrs is a government driven by political
diversity. The Empire is a vast melting pot of beliefs,
cultures and ideologies. Geographically, the wild lands
of the north are home to the nomadic barbarian tribes
who barely acknowledge the Empire. The southern parts
of the Empire are dotted with fortified small towns governed by local leaders pay allegiance of the Empire only
for its protection. The great heartland of the Empire contains the sprawling industrialized cities of humanity. Life
in the main provinces of the Empire is fairly stable. Life
in the outer provinces is difficult and sometimes lawless.
Life in the colonies is hard and fraught with danger.
Governments
The Empire is composed of the Imperial City, the original Provinces, a number of additional Provinces added
in the years after the Empire was founded and an ever
changing number of colonies as the Empire works to expand its reach. Many colonies are destroyed by the enemies of Humanity, but some fail for economic or social
reasons.
Imperial
The Empire is ruled by the Emperor and an elected body
called the Senate who meet in the great Imperial City
located near the center of the continent. The Emperor
serves as the nominal head of the Senate and acts as the
chairperson of the Senate when the Senate is in session.
The Senate is an elected body of composed of citizens
from throughout the Empire. Each province sends four
to two Senators to the Senate. Each colony sends two
to six Senators. There is always some conflict between
the Provincial Senators and the Colonial Senators as the
former see the latter as less important.
The relationship between the Emperor and the Senate
is tenuous at best. The Emperor controls the Imperial
Military. The Senate controls the government, its infra-
structure and is responsible for collecting taxes, funding
agencies, road building, entertainment, construction and
so forth.
The Senate and Emperor have been at odds since the coronation. There have been a few occasions where the Senators have conspired to overthrow the Emperor and there
have been times when the Emperor has openly slaughtered Senators who were suspected of conspiring to undermine his authority, but the balance of power remains.
The truth is that the Empire needs both to survive. The
Senate maintains society, but the Emperor protects the
people. Both sides know that an interruption of the status quo could mean destruction for humanity. Both sides
maneuver against each other, but neither can gain the
upper hand because there are enough people to realize
the truth.
Provincial
Each Province is ruled by an Imperial Governor who is
appointed by the Emperor and serves a five year term.
The governor must be a citizen. In addition to controlling
the military of the Province the Governor acts as the
chairperson of the Provincial Council
Every Province has a Provincial Council to handle
non-military aspects of governing. Members are called
Provincial Councilors and they are elected by residents
of the Province each December and serve for three calendar years unless they are removed. A person must be
a citizen and a resident of the Province to serve on a
Provincial Council.
Each Province is represented in the Imperial Senate by
Senators who must be confirmed citizens living in the
Province. Senators are elected for three year terms by
the Councilors of the Province. Each province has four
to twelve Senators depending on the population of the
Province.
49
Life in the Empire
Colonial
The Empire of Tyrs governs the conquered non-human
territories as Imperial Colonies. The government of a
colony is very similar to that of a Province.
An Imperial Governor is appointed by the Emperor and
serves a five year term. The governor must be a citizen.
In addition to controlling the military of the Colony the
Governor acts as the chairperson of the Colonial Council
Every Colony has a Colonial Council to handle non-military aspects of governing. Members are called Colonial
Councilors and they are elected by residents of the colony each December and serve for three calendar years
unless they are removed. A person must be a citizen to
serve on the Council.
Each Colony is represented in the Imperial Senate by
Senators who must be chosen from confirmed citizens
living in the Colony. Colonial Senators are elected for
three year terms by the Councilors of the Colony. Each
Colony has two to six Senators depending on the population of the Colony.
Community
Each Imperial city, town or village is governed a Citizens Congress. A Citizens Congress is composed of all
Citizens who own property in the local area. Citizens
are automatically Members of the Congress which will
have regular meetings to discuss the health and welfare
of their community.
The day to day operation of a community is run by nine
town officials and answers directly to the Citizens Congress. The Officials are appointed and removed by a majority vote of the Citizens Congress. Officials serve until
removed. Officials who are not available to perform their
duties must be removed.
A Community will have the following officials: Mayor
(runs the town meetings), Magistrate (impartially tries
crimes), Constable (hunts down criminals, presents evidence against criminals, and carries out sentences of the
colonial court), Commander (leads the volunteer militia), Recorder (publishes newspaper for the town) and
Chef (supplies the food). The remaining three positions
are called Representatives. They are important people
who live in the town and are chosen by the Citizen’s
Congress for their contributions to the community.
50
Every community must conduct regular meetings to disseminate and discuss information, to set policy and to
address concerns of the Denizens. A community meeting is conducted by the Mayor. Decisions are decided
by democratic process. Each Official, except the Mayor,
is entitled to one vote and each member of the Citizens
Congress has one vote. The mayor may only vote to
break ties.
Each town has an Autocrat who is an agent of the Empire. Autocrats go through extensive training in military,
civilian and judicial matters as part of the Autocracy. The
Autocrat has the power to veto any decision of the Town
Assembly in the name of the Empire.
Imperial Camp
Imperial camps are the loosest form of government, if
they can even be called a government at all. They are
nothing more than a conglomeration of tents and pavilions. One or more people get together to found a camp
and act as the Camp Organizers. These organizers are the
money behind the expedition and they hold much power
in the camp. Camp Organizers will appoint five people
to handle the issues of camp leadership, security, adjudication, information and food.
Long ago camp followers gave slang terms for the five
appointed officials. The “Boss” is the person who oversees the camp. The person handling security is called the
“Tough,” as in “The Tough will save us!” The “Referee”
or “Ref” is the person charged with the task of enforcing Imperial Law. The “Ref” sorts out problems between
people in the most effective ways possible. They can hold
an ad hoc court and enforce imperial law. Their decisions
can be appealed to a Justicon. The person in charge of
printing the camp newspaper is called the “Gossip.” And
finally everyone’s favorite person is the “Cook” who is
responsible for serving tasty camp meals and drinks.
Camps form quickly usually in areas of economic interest. The discovery of ancient cerebran ruins, mineral
deposits, precious metals, and so forth will cause people
to rush to a camp from around the world. Anything creating the possibility for instant wealth, fame or power
will draw people.
Often camps will grow into towns. Citizens moving into
the area will generally organize a Citizen’s Congress
which will begin to control aspects of the developing
community. Of course the original Camp Organizers will
Life in the Empire
begin to see their power slipping away and there are often violent confrontations between the original founders
of the camp and the newly arriving Citizens who bring
with them their own retainers and guards.
cial uses the political or legal processes of the Empire for
personal gain or self interest. Corruption is punished by
restitution and purgation.
Imperial Law
The Empire outlaws the teaching and use of magical
skills by all human and non-human denizens within its
boundaries. The unlawful use of these skills is called
Malefaction and the offenders are called Malefactors.
Possessing the knowledge of how to use a magical skill
is not criminalized only the teaching and/or actual use of
the skill is a crime. The practice of necromancy to cause
harm or to create and control undead by any person other
than an Animator serving the Imperial Military is criminal. The practice of deamancy to cause harm or to create
and control daemons by any person is criminal. Using
illegal lore is punished by purgation.
Maintaining peace in the Empire is often difficult. There
are so many different people with conflicting cultures
and ideologies. The administration of the Empire is only
possible by an adherence to the legal system. Without a
universal respect for the laws the entire Empire would
break down into squabbling factions unable to function
together. This would mean an end to stable communities
and all organized social gatherings.
Statutes
The vast legal system of the Empire can be distilled
down into the following broad-reaching laws.
Citizenship
All persons will have to earn their Citizenship through
Imperial Appointments in the Empire. Wealth and family name no longer guarantee Citizenship. All must earn
the right to citizenship by humble service to the greater
good. Only Citizens may serve in the Senate.
Taxation
All Citizens of the Empire shall be excluded from taxation. Imperial Appointees may be taxed at the discretion
of the government body levying the tax.
Criminal Acts
The Empire prohibits violent crimes (murder, robbery
and assault), non-violent theft (burglary and fraudulent
or deceptive practices) and inchoate crimes (conspiracy
or attempted crimes). Imperial law prohibits bribery of
government and court officials. Sedition or treasonous
acts against the Empire is also criminalized, as is unjust
treatment of slaves. All of these crimes are punished by
restitution and purgation. Repeat offenders are punished
by obliteration.
Corruption
Government and Court officials are entrusted with preserving the common good. Government and Court officials who fail to perform their duties break this trust and
can be charged with criminal neglect of duty. A more
serious offense occurs when a government or court offi-
Mana-Manipulations
Nonhuman Restrictions
Nonhumans outside of their traditional homelands must
have in their possession official Traveling Papers listing
all personal information. These papers allow the nonhuman to legally travel around the Empire. Non-humans
who do not have Traveling Papers are subject to relinquishment and/or enslavement by any human discovering unauthorized traveling. The term of enslavement
must end when the nonhuman provides Traveling Papers.
Supernatural Restrictions
All supernaturals must be registered with the Empire and
have in their possession official Registration Papers listing all personal information. These papers allow the supernatural to legally exist. Supernatural who do not have
Registration Papers are subject to relinquishment and/or
enslavement by any human discovering the unauthorized
existence. The term of enslavement must end when the
supernatural provides Registration Papers.
Punishment
Imperial Laws are enforced by all local authorities and
punishments are meted out as fairly as possible. A justicon or magistrate may assess a fine to pay for court costs
of not more than five imperials
Restitution requires the victim to be paid back for any
losses suffered by the unlawful action. Purgation is the
removal of skills. Obliteration is the forcing of an offenders spirit into the Void.
Relinquishment allows a human who discovers a
51
Life in the Empire
non-human or supernatural without traveling papers to
demand all weapons and valuables from the violator. Enslavement allows a human who discovers a non-human
or supernatural without traveling papers to enslave the
violator. A slave must be treated well, being given time
to eat, rest, and take care of personal needs.
Local Laws
Local governing bodies are permitted to make up laws
within their local areas of control. These laws must be
written and publically posted. Local laws may not prohibit an accused from hiring a barrister to help in his defense. During a trial a Barrister is allowed to use all of
his skills to the advantage of his client.
Statute of Limitation
A person who commits a crime is entitled to a speedy
arrest and trial. To encourage prompt action all legal systems have a statute of limitations which is a time period
for which a person can be charged with an offense. After that time period has elapsed the person cannot be arrested and tried for that crime. The statute of limitations
during cerebran times was five years. During the Republic the statute of limitations was dropped to three years,
mainly due to the ability of law enforcement to effectually gather the truth though use of magical compellation.
The Empire sets the Statute of Limitations to 66 days.
This was the amount of time it took Tyrs to capture, try
and execute all those responsible for his murder. Thus, if
a crime is not discovered within 66 days of the offense
charges cannot be brought against the criminal. There is
a movement in the government to return the Statute to a
three or five year period.
Court System
There are two kinds of courts in the Empire, the powerful
and majestic Imperial Courthouse and the less majestic,
often ad hoc, community courts which are established to
handle local disputes.
Imperial Courthouses
The Empire establishes an Imperial Courthouse in every
major city in all Provinces and Colonies of the Empire.
Imperial Judges are called Justicons. They are always
senior barristers with years of judicial experience. Each
Justicon is responsible for their entire court, which includes a host of bailiffs, torturers, goalers, informants,
52
executioners, clerks and so forth.
Justicons derive their power directly from the laws of
the Empire. Their interpretations of the Laws are binding
on all persons in the Empire. Their commands on legal
matters supercede all authority possessed by senators,
governors, democratic councils, consuls and military
leaders, even the Emperor must follow Imperial Laws.
Imperial Courts are not generally corrupt. Justicons cannot normally be bribed or blackmailed. They are for the
most part honest and well-intentioned; however, most
zealously prosecute the laws of the Empire and not lenient in their sentencing.
Imperial Justicons will hear cases arising in any jurisdiction with the Empire.
Community Courts
Most towns will have a community court run by a magistrate who is empowered to enforce the laws of the Empire. Every decision of a Community Court magistrate
can be appealed to the closest Imperial Justicon. Local
courts are not generally corrupt as Magistrates are held
liable for any “mistakes” of law though the laws against
corruption.
Life in the Empire
Imperial Military
The Imperial Military is organized into the Land Core,
the Sea Core and the Sky Core. Each has its own designations and military officers. Land officers are called
Commanders while sea and sky officers are called captains. There are five ranks in each core.
All Cores augment their fighting capacity through inductions into their military units. Most soldiers and sailor
are extremely proud of their unit and moral is very high
in all of the Cores. The enchanted uniforms provide extra
protections, their banners protect them from magics that
will disrupt their formations and their physical capacities
are increased.
Non-human units are common in all the services.
Non-humans were conscripted after their nations surrendered to Tyrs and lead by human officers and staff. Since
the founding of the Empire non-human officers are becoming more common in the non-human units.
The Emperor has great many war machines to support
his world-wide conquest. These are all powered by mana-tech and contain enslaved machine sprites. Tanks are
iron-clad machines rolling on continuous tracks and possessing a long barreled cannon mounted on a rotating
turret. Treads are upright walking machines operated by
a man standing in the torso. Artillery cannons larger than
buildings can fire shells capable of punching holes into
the most powerful spell-wrought walls. Submarines patrol the ocean depths, sea ships secure the ocean’s surface and sky ships sail the air. All battle is dominated by
Imperial war machines making resistance against Empire a futile endeavor.
Land Core
Imperial Commanders are all Appointees. They are
ranked by silver bars which indicate their grades and the
type of unit they control. An officer with one bar is a
called a Commander of the first grade and leads a File
which is approximately 100 soldiers. All of these soldiers
will be armed with similar weapons. Usually swords and
shields, pikes, bows, muskets or cavalry with swords and
pisrols or lances.
An officer with two bars is a Commander of the second
grade and leads Regiment of 1000 soldiers. The regiment
is the main fighting unit of the Empire. A regiment will
contain ten files with each file being of a certain troop
type. Regimental commanders are able to decide the
troop composition of their regiment.
A Commander of the third grade has three bars and commands a corps of 10000. A fourth grade Commander supervises a Division of 100,000 soldiers. The Empire has
seven divisions. This deivisons are used to control brad
areas of territory by spreading out the regiments. Five
bars designates the Core Commander.
Non-appointee Commanders serve as section leaders
within a File or as aides to Appointed Commanders.
They will work hard to earn their Appointment.
Sea and Sky Core
The sea and sky core are organized around the ship. Imperial Captains are all Appointees. They are ranked by
silver bars which indicate their grades and the number
of ships they control. A Ship’s Appointee with one bar
is a called a Captain of the first grade and leads his ship.
The ship may be a small scout vessel or a massive dreadnaught with hundred of sailors and marines.
An officer with two bars is a Captain of the second grade
and leads Squadron of 5-10 ships. The squadron is the
main fighting unit of the Empire’s Sea and Sky Core. The
squadron contains varius types of ships that serve special
functions. For example, a squadron will usually contain
scout ships, supply ships, carrier ships that launch smaller gun boats, iron clad battle ships bristling with guns
and a dreadnaught which is the back bone of the squadron and serves as the squadron captain’s headquarters.
A Captain of the third grade has three bars and commands a flotilla of squadrons. A fourth grade Commander supervises a Division a fleet composed of
flotillas. The Empire has seven sea fleet and three sky
fleets. Five bars designates the Core Commander.
Non-appointees serve as junior captains supervising a
ship’s departments such as port or starboard gun crews, a
ship’s complement of marines and the sailors who raise
and lower the sails. All non-appointed junior captains
hope to one day gain appointment to a Ship’s Captain.
Knightly Orders
Knightly Orders are through-backs from cerebran times
when the cerebran overlords assigned people to look after certain sections of the world. Under the orders of the
cerebran, the knights built fortified castles and trained
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Life in the Empire
Knightly Orders to protect the lands assigned to them.
The cerebrans encouraged competition between these
knights in lavish tournaments which became widely attended sporting events.
During the Epoc of Nations the knightly tournaments
continued with the various nation’s knights competeing
against each other in friendly comptetions. During the
Epoch of Woe, the Knights enjoyed special treatments.
Most Non-human knights respected the human knights
with whom they had competed with for many generations. The non-human knights did not let their people
sack castles and the castles became refuges for people
trying to escape the war.
When the Wars turned against the non-humans, the human knights shielded their counterparts from the brutal
armies of Tyrs. And so the knightly orders continue,
proud and tall, many able to trace their ancient lineage
back to the Epoch of Slavery. The Kinghly Order of the
Empire still participate in great tournaments, but the
tournaments are seen as entertainment for the wealthy.
The masses prefer wild combats offered by the gladiators in the coliseums around the realm.
Knightly Orders are always lead by a Knight. All the
knights serving the knight leading the order are called
squire knights or just “squires.” A knight can use the military rituals to provide augmentations to the members of
his Order. There are many Orders of Knighthood, but all
are devoted chivalry and honor. All true knights follow
righteous knightly codes.
When a person joins an Order, they must be inducted
into the Order. These members must memorize the
codes, motto and tenets of the order. They will wear the
surcoat and the symbol of the Order and be trained in
military procedure and planning as they learn to fight as
part of the Order.
Military Groups
Military leaders in the Empire use a set of esoteric disciplines to create military groups. These powerful skills
allow them to augment their soldiers with amazing enchantments.
Joining
The leader of a military group is at the top of the command structure of the unit. A person may join a military
group only if the leader of the military group gives permission. If a military allegiance is performed without the
required permission no effect is produced.
Creating
Only persons with the skill military allegiance (a ritual or
procedure) can create a military group. Persons wishing
to start a military unit, mercenary company or knightly
order are required to submit a one page description of the
unit to their communities Autocrat for inclusion in the
Imperial records.
The description should include a description and drawing of the symbol, a write up of the code and motto, the
colors of the uniforms and an outline of the military
command structure. The military unit will be approved
as long as the paperwork is complete. The creation of the
unit takes place at the moment the creator inductions the
first member through military allegiance.
My life is sweat and tears. Every day I toil in this factory making shoes for
the Empire. Every night I go to sleep on my bed of dirty straw with barely
another to eat. My body aches and my heart is broken, but I am alive, fed
and sheltered, and that is all the law requires. I am property and I should
never dream of being anything more, because thoughts of freedom only
bring me pain.” Weetle Slave.
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Life in the Empire
Religion in the
Empire
All religions contributing to the stability of the Empire
are allowed. Those who lead each religion are called
Reverends. Under Imperial Law no religion can be practiced unless it is registered with the Empire. Once registered the faith is entitled to land grants for temple complexes and other benefits once it has a sufficient number
of followers.
Whether they practice a religion or not most people in
the world believe the following creation story to be a true
factual description of how their world was formed. The
name Meredia is the old name for the Realm of Tyrs. The
name of the world name was changed by Imperial decree
during the coronation of the Emperor.
Creation Story
The Father and Mother are responsible for the creation
of life. The twin realms of Meredia and Maladon were
born from the Mother’s womb. Meredia was full of life,
but Maladon was born dead. His lifeless body hangs
in the night sky above this world. Rain is the mother’s
weeping as she mourns the death of her child in her eternal anguish.
Maladon’s birth name is never spoken instead he is referred to in whispers as the “The Dead One.” People
may whisper, “When the Dead One rises we had best
be indoors” or “The Dead One will be full tonight is the
militia ready to stand guard.” It is said in the Empire that
only Malfactors and madmen will invoke the birth name
of Maladon, because doing so can hex the person drawing dark energies to them.
The Dead One exudes a negative energy that can be easily harnessed to facilitate evil. His power waxes and
wanes, but when he is at her full the world suffers the
most; undead spontaneously rise from their graves, arcane beasts become more viscous and can rampage even
in civilized areas, the power of hauntings increase and
demons spawn from the immoral thoughts and actions
more easily. Cultists always hold their dark rites when
Maladon is fully facing the realm.
Maladon’s energy is not evil, he cannot help his nature.
Some say he is responsible for having corrupted the
world, but this is not true. Maladon only provides the
energy to bring evil into being, it is the immoral actions
and thoughts of people in the world who give form to
the things that result. If all people were good, Maladon’s
energies would wash harmlessly over the world.
The duty of laying these Evils to rest falls to the Imperial
Appointee.
Father & Mother
There is only one major religion in the world and its
practice dates back to prehistory. All the races of the
world have a set of common beliefs regarding the Father
and the Mother.
The Mother teachers one compassion love and acceptance. The Father teaches strength, courage and fortitude.
Both demand good behavior, honor, truth and peace. Of
course, the different races put different emphasis on the
individual aspects so temples to the Mother and Father
often encourage different approaches to life.
Followers of the Mother and Father follow a pattern
called the Wheel of the Year. This represents the cycle
of nature and the seasons. The eight holidays are spread
through the Wheel of the Year, representing both the
changing of the seasons.
Dec 20-23 – The Winter Solstice is the longest night of
the year and is the start of winter. Sacrifices, feasting,
and gift giving are common elements of Midwinter festivities. Bringing sprigs and wreaths of holly, ivy, mistletoe, yew, and pine into the home and tree decorating are
also common during this time.
Feb. 2 - Life Day is a celebration of light and life. It
is time for purification and spring cleaning in anticipation of the year’s new life. This is the traditional time
for pledges and re-dedications for the coming year. Huge
bonfire are lighted on Life Day.
March 20-23 - The Vernal (or Spring) Equinox is a celebration of burgeoning fertility. Spring has begun in full
force, and the world is beginning a cycle of renewal. The
egg and rabbit are both traditional symbols of spring.
Egg hunting and decorating is a very common tradition.
May 1 - Love Day is a celebration of sacred joining. The
vast majority of plants are in flower, and for many animals this is mating season. Observances include spring
pole dances, bonfires, and making flower wreaths and
bouquets.
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Life in the Empire
June 20-23 - The Summer Solstice is the longest day of
the year. This day is day of work, generally lasting from
dawn to dusk, this day of work is meant to remind us of
the labor of life.
July 31 - Harvest Day is the first of the harvest festivals.
It is the time to begin to realize the results of our efforts
throughout the year. Traditional foods this time of year
include berries and bread made from the first grain harvest.
Sept 20-23 - The Autumnal (or Fall) Equinox is a second
harvest festival. Most of the harvest is in and counted;
the people know what they will have to survive through
winter. With the first signs of winter beginning to show,
people are beginning to finish their tasks for the year.
Oct 31 - Death Day marks the end of the harvest for the
year. The barriers between the worlds of the living and
the dead are thinner than at any other time of the year.
Death is a time to celebrate and remember those who
have passed on from this world.
Imperial Faiths
There are seven major religions among the people of the
Empire which developed during the Epoch of the Nations and continues today. Each has ideas about the major issues of Imperial government and each is favored by
a different element of Imperial society. Both humans and
non-humans practice these faiths.
Despite the Emperor’s statements condemning the practice, the different religions have become rallying points
for various political factions that contend for power
within the Empire. Their political differences have become entwined with their doctrinal differences resulting
in a deepening rift between factions.
Worshiping traditional Imperial faiths will not grant abilities.
Bearers of Light
The Lightbringers, as they call themselves, preach that
the Mother and Father provide day to end the night.
They give illumination to remove ignorance and love to
end heartache.
The Lightbringers believe their purpose is to cleanse Evil
and bring love and learning. The Lightbringers will not
hesitate to arrive with their burning torches and condemn
someone for immorality or Malefaction.
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The followers of this faith range from simple people to
highly educated persons. All are trained in the use of
weapons and military tactics.
Emperor: The divine defender of morality and right.
Senate: The wealthy that are often corrupted by power.
Slavery: An acceptable means of punishment for those
doing Evil.
Non-humans: All must be converted to the Light or
burned in the Pyres of Absolution.
Undead: The creation of undead is wrong.
Demons: A symbol of moral decline within the world
that must be rectified.
Conventional Orthodox
Followers of the Conventional Ways, called Orthodox,
see human society as intimately connected to traditional
values and morals.
Members of this faith see the Empire as one large family.
They believe the Mother and Father created humanity to
guide the world in a positive direction.
This faith is typically followed by lower and middle
class working people of the Empire. They are generally
conservative persons who have high morals and place
great importance on the family unit.
Emperor: A father figure who protects the Empire.
Senate: The senate mothers the Empire.
Slavery: A way to punish crime and the enemies of humanity.
Non-humans: We are all part of the family.
Undead: A divine judgment on those who ignore tradition.
Demons: The embodiment of people’s lack of faith in
the Father and Mother.
Counters of the Coin
Since gold is the metal of the Father and the Mother,
those who collect the most of it could be considered the
most divine.
The Counters of the Coin have long tried to establish
trade agreements with non-humans. It is rumored that
the Brotherhood of Pirates will not attack ships owned
Life in the Empire
by the Counters of the Coin.
Typical followers of this faith are wealthy merchants,
powerful Citizens and members of the upper class.
Emperor: He should keep the trade routes safer.
Senate: They should pass more laws favoring trade.
Slavery: Their use lowers the cost to produce goods.
Non-humans: Potential customers.
Undead: Causes interruptions to trade and commerce.
Demons: Distract people from spending money.
Harvestors
The Harvestors are an agriculturally based religion.
They preach that all life on the world is born from the
elements and must be nourished and cared for or it will
grow wild.
Harvestors are concerned with morality and right, but
are not overly fond of laws or intrusive governmental
policies. As a general rule they prize self-reliance and
individual freedom.
Typical followers are elementalists, farmers, herders and
others who labor to produce food, clothing and products
derived from plants or animals. They often use slaves to
harvests their corps or produce their wares.
The harvestors were created by the canarrin, rakarrin and
weetles.
Emperor: The divine guardian and defender of humanity.
Senate: The voice of the people to be heeded by the
Emperor.
Slavery: An acceptable necessity for the survival of the
Empire.
Non-humans: All lands must be protecte.
Undead: Terrible, but no threat to the prepared.
Demons: Horrors spawned by vice and depravity.
Heart of Humanity
The Peacemakers favor peaceful solutions rather than
advocating the use of violence. They preach that individuals should be given the afforded to opportunity to
accept peace.
Peacemakers try to establish missionaries in non-human
lands. They often end up murdered or as hostages needing rescue by Imperial Servants.
Typical followers of the Peaceful Heart are generally
highly educated persons especially Civilian Appointees.
Emperor: Forced to do terrible things to save his people.
Senate: Overly concerned with simple material matters.
Slavery: A sad condition, but one from which we can
gain spiritual strength.
Non-humans: Vast populations of potential converts.
Undead: A result of violence in the world.
Demons: Corruptions of the soul and enemies to peace.
Industrialists
The Industrialists believe in mana-guided industry. Massive foundries and factories belching black smoke and
consuming vast amounts of natural resources produce
mana-driven machines to serve the empire.
They predict in time in the future when filament globes
will end all darkness and that brass, man-like, mechanical clock-work machines will free people from all work.
Typical followers include forgers and mechantors. This
faith was created by beardons.
Emperor: The architect of industry
Senate: Benefactors of the machine.
Slavery: A very cheap factory worker.
Non-humans: Many are backward and superstitious, but
mana-tech will show them the benefits of the Empire.
Undead: Wayward magic to be ceased.
Demons: Horrors spawned by a world overly reliant on
magic.
Masters of the World
The Masters preach a militaristic world domination.
They believe in manifest destiny and that humanity will
eventually dominate the entire realm.
The Masters base their claims in on ancient grievances
when the Cerebran and their Elven allies kept humanity
in chains. They argue that when humanity broke those
chains humans became a force of righteousness in the
world.
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Life in the Empire
The typical followers of this faith are high-ranking military leaders and government officials. Non-humans following this faith see a need for a strong world government.
Emperor: The salvation of the world, whose word must
be obeyed.
Senate: The Emperor’s best servants, who have a duty to
make his plans happen.
Slavery: A way to make violent non-humans suitable servants of the Emperor.
Non-humans: They need to be guided. Their war-like
conflicts in the Epoch of Nations proved they can not
have self rule
Undead: Undead should be used exclusively by the Imperial Military.
Demons: Their energy should be exploited when possible.
Lesser Faiths
Into this grouping falls the countless religions that do
not have large congregations through the Empire or that
have been created in the past hundred years. Many of
these faiths are practiced locally and have only a few
followers. Some non-traditional faiths have become
very popular in the Empire. They are created by Apostles who use their divine energies to bestow blessing on
their followers. Worshiping non-traditional faiths will
not grant abilities.
God Emperor Disciples
The Emperor appeared among Humans as a sign from
the heavens that they are blessed and saved. The blessing they received, has given humanity the mighty Empire and the right to rule the realm. This right carries a
weighty responsibility to the world. They must unite all
the peoples of the world under one banner to oppose and
destroy forever the horrors of the Dead One.
Followers of Folly
This small sect has been trying to convince the world that
in times of prehistory all of the races voluntarily gave
the cerebrans control of the world. Before this time, the
races of the world were fighting in a bloody world war
that seemed to have no end. These battles were pushing
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the world to the bring of destruction. In a desperate act
to save themselves the beings of the world all agreed that
the cerebrans, the only race who stayed neutral, would
become caretakers of the realm. The cerebran would
control all knowledge of magic and work to restore a
balance to the mana flows. All of the beings agreed to
work under the guidance of the cerebrans to build a Utopian world where no one would go hungry and everyone
would have enough to live a pleasant life.
Divine Groups
Religious leaders in the Empire use a set of esoteric disciplines to create religious groups. These powerful skills
allow them to augment their followers with amazing enchantments.
Joining
The leader of a divine group has total say over membership. A person may join a divine group only if the
leader of the divine group gives permission. If a divine
allegiance is performed without the required permission
no effect is produced.
Creating
Only persons with the skill divine allegiance (a ritual or
procedure) can create their own divine group. Persons
wishing to start an Imperial faith are required to submit a
one page description of the religion to their community’s
Autocrat for inclusion in the Imperial records.
The description should included all the pertinent information of the religion, such as the faith’s name, ideology,
commands, holidays, colors and symbol. The divine faith
will be approved as long as the paperwork is complete.
The creation of the faith takes place at the moment the
creator performs the first baptism of a member through
divine allegiance.
Politics
The Empire of Tyrs has become divided by various political ideologies. Almost every member of society has
an opinion on which point of view is correct and some
hold them very strongly. Most average people just have
an idealistic leaning, but those who seeking to impact the
world will have a greater attachment and be willing to
act on their ideologies.
Human and Non-humans belong to political factions.
Life in the Empire
“A machine sprite is formed during the creation of mana-tech. The sprite
is safely secured within a mana-wrought housing that is augmented with
incantations and engraved with symbols of protection. Vehicles and items
with machine sprites can be operated safely and will only explode violently
if the housing is breeched.” Imperial Forger
Politically the people of the Empire are grouped into two
main political factions: the Imperialists And Senatists.
Diametrically opposed both groups maneuver against
each other for power and prestige. Other political factions such as the Abolitionists, Anarchists, Individualist,
Purists, and Secessionists increase the complexity of
government.
Imperialists advocate the destruction of the Senate. They
argue that the democratic body acts to harm the unity of
the Empire. They blame much of the corruption and the
inability to stop cults and Malefactors on the bureaucracies created by the Senate.
All Political Factions have secret societies that support
them. These societies are often run by powerful citizens
who secretly recruit member and solicit funds. Members
of Political Factions will receive political missions from
local secret societies. Completing these missions will
gain the member renown.
Purists demand the extermination of all races other than
their own. They see other beings as less than themselves
and argue that the world will never be peaceful so as long
other beings are allowed to walk the realm. They were
the prime movers behind the genocide of the Cerebrans.
Abolitionist
Abolitionists want to free all of the slaves within the Empire. They preach peace and equality between all beings.
They blame the Emperor for continued hostilities with
the rest of the world and the Senate for allowing commerce in slavery to continue.
Anarchist
Anarchists want to destroy all world governments. They
have allies throughout all of the races. Their goal is to
undermine the central government of every nation so
that the people can live with each other in peace. They
blame the leaders of the national governments for the ills
of the world.
Individualist
Individualists believe that intrusive governmental policies should be avoided at all costs. They are not against
the Emperor or the Senate and see the necessity of both,
however, they speak out against laws that limit individual freedom. They generally do not like conscription of
non-criminals, limits on land use, seizure of personal
property or the use of taxes to support people who can’t
support themselves.
Imperialist
Purists
Secessionist
Secessionists want to withdraw their city, province or
colony from the Empire. They believe that taxes, tariffs,
military conscriptions and other laws or policies inequitably impact on various areas within the empire. They
argue that these areas would be better off standing alone
and seeking their own peace with various non-human
races.
Senatist
Senatists advocate restoring the Republic and removing the Emperor. They believe many of the Emperor’s
policies are outdated and prevent peace accords with the
non-humans. They argue that non-humans would cease
their hostilities if humanity became less of a militaristic
threat. Some suggest relegating the Emperor to a more
religious or spiritual role and assigning control of the
military back to Senate; others demand the Emperor’s
obliteration at secret rallies.
Unaligned
The unaligned have no allegiance to a political faction.
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Life in the Empire
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Life in the Empire
61
We are not a sinless people, and kindness is not in the doctrine of the Empire.
We have subjugated the world to protect ourselves, but though our armies have
conquered those who would have enslaved us there is no peace in this world.
The Empire is troubled by the continued violence of rebellion and terrorism.
Throughout the Empire the non-humans are aided by human sympathizers
who seeking to undermine our government and free the non-human lands from
Imperial control.
We do not understand why humans would betray out Empire for we believe it
is that last hope of a dying world. There have been too many years of hate. Every
race has problems with every other race. The years of war have left us with deep
prejudices. The elves hate the orcs and the satyrs hate the pythians. Even the
three races who were once so close, the rakarrins, canarrins and weetles, blame
each other for their defeat and deep rivalries are brewing. The minotaur have
always fought the aquarians and the oculi and the beardons disagree over magic
and more.
There can be no peace without the Empire; there can be no peace with the
Empire. It is clear that some non-human nations would renew their wars of
conquest if given the opportunity, while others do want to live in peace. There
is no easy answer and the non-human question divides humanity.
All of the world is troubled by Cultists. In this time of war and suffering many
people, both human and nonhuman have embraced demonic entities in hope
of gaining power or protection. The Empire has no solution. Murderous villains
hide behind happy smiles.
The roads are not safe. Resources are stretched thin and everywhere there are
bandits and thieves. The Criminal Unions cannot keep crime in check, and the
law is just as powerless.
Honest people stand aghast, horrified at the state of the world, hoping that
things will soon get better, but knowing that each passing year just brings more
hardship and decay. Some say the world is dying because of the magic is corrupted, others say that people are corrupted and the magic is only bad because
of them. Others say its destiny, that the dark forces of Maladon, the Dead One,
has finally overwhelm all that is good and pure.
World Information
Magic
The realm is permeated with magic; invisible currents
of mana flow over the realm in ever changing patterns.
Mana comes from the sky, sun, moon, stars and also from
within the earth. Mana flows through the universe and
across the surface of the earth and within every single
living thing. But much of the increased mana activity on
the world can be related to the presence of the two highly
magically charged stars that mark the center of the solar
system. The suns are so close together that they almost
always appear as one star.
Traditional world religion established by the cerebrans
worship the suns. The larger is Father and the smaller is
Mother. The world is said to be born of their union. The
moon is the world’s twin that died in the womb.
The presence of two suns affect the mana flows washing
over the world. The gravitational pulls and exuded forces cause great natural catastrophes to occur at irregular
intervals. Astronomy can be used to detect these stellar
mana tides and to predict the possibility of catastrophes.
of magic. All of their cities were built to guide and focus
mana flows centering them into beneficial pools of energy. This focusing increased the amount of mana present
in the world making the land full of energy.
When the cerebran civilization was smashed the world
lost the knowledge to focus and control mana flows.
Cities sprang up around the world that were not built to
preserve and protect the flows. This imbalance was not
dangerous in itself, because nodes exude a neutral balanced energy and the peace during the early Epoch of
Nations allowed the flows to resettle without long lasting
detriment or harm to the world.
The problems with mana arose when the non-humans
began fighting among themselves at the end of the Epoch
of Nations and was compounded when they attacked the
humans republic. The following centuries of war have
poisoned the nodes and flows, tainting the magic of the
world.
Traditional teaching identifies stars in the sky as other
realms, but otherworldly contacts are infrequent because
the world is generally inaccessible by interstellar portal
travel except in rare moments. Cosmology is used to
predict portal openings.
Humanity’s violent struggle to gain their independence
and the wars fought to stay free has seriously harmed the
landscape. The continued inner turmoil within the Empire has tipped the scale towards destruction. The world
tetters on the brink. Allotropes are Miasma less common.
Hallows are very rare. Blights, Execrations, and Cursts
are very common. And many believe a magical cataclysm is happening, and the worst is yet to come.
Nodes
Allotrope
The force of mana permeates all things running like
unseen rivers through the landscape. Mana collects in
certain areas saturating the plants, beasts, soil, minerals
and ore. These points of collection are called Nodes. The
tone of nodes change with their environment. Nodes surrounded by good, wholesome activities will develop a
positive demeanor, whereas nodes that are exposed to
dark thoughts or violence develop negative energies.
Cerebran civilization was designed to enhance the flows
Allotropes are nodes connected to the elemental forces
of earth, wind, water, and fire. The color of an allotrope
varies from medium green, light yellow, medium blue,
and red depending on the primary elemental force. Allotropes are often associated with natural places (waterfalls, volcanos, rock formations) and natural calamities
(eruptions, earthquakes, floods). They can also interact
with various kinds of beasts. The name allotrope comes
from the different physical forms in which an element
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World Information
can exist.
Execration
Blight
Nodes where the primal energy is necromantic are called
blights. These nodes exude a spooky, pernicious energy that makes the world seem dreadful, dying place.
The trees and plants are often dead, or dying. There are
plenty of insects, living and dead, with insect husks all
around. Blights attract undead who can usually remain in
a blight unaffected by daylight.
Blights are identified by dark grey energies. They form
from dark thoughts or acts derived from anger, lust, jealousy, hate and so forth. Generally, death is involved in
the creation of a blight. Mass murders will trigger commonly trigger blights, sometimes a killing by a jealous
lover or even a tragic accident will create a blight.
Curst
A curst is a node infused with demonic energy. The primary color of a curst is maroon. Cursts are associated
with nightmarish visions and chaotic thoughts. They exudes feelings of chaos, oppression and wantoness. Cursts
can develop from hedonist or decadent activities, as well
as psychotic violence and extreme brutality. They are
gathering places for insane persons, criminals and demon worshipers.
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Execrations are nodes of profane energy. They are identified by faint silver and black sparkles, flecks or lines.
These nodes exude a dangerous force that compels people to prejudice, denunciation and the complete detestation of others. People entering an Execration feel subtle
anger and growing hate. Execrations can be used to motivate people against others. Dark faiths will use them for
religious buildings. Immoral military leaders will give
briefings on Execrations to raise the bloodlust of their
troops to uncontrollable levels. The landscape almost
always exudes a loathing power. The name execration
come from the pronouncement of great loathing and hate
created by the unholy energy.
Hallows
Hallows are nodes of holy energy. They are identified
by faint silver sparkles, flecks or lines. These nodes exude a peaceful energy that makes the world around them
seem to sparkle with goodness. People entering hallows
feel a great reverence. Hallows are often used for religious buildings and cemeteries, hence the term hallowed
ground. The landscape almost always feels serene. The
name hallow comes from the feelings of peace and love
created by the holy energy.
World Information
Miasma
Miasmas are negative energy nodes where the primary
mana flow is withering magic. These are areas of enervation, sucking the life out of people. The light in a miasma is never bright enough and everything has a withered
appearance. A miasma is often marked by gnarled trees,
browning grass, the smell of stagnation and a feeling of
loss. The primary color of a miasma is beige. Miasma
form from acts derived from guilt, sorrow, fear, unrequented love and so forth. Miasmas commonly form
over time. The feelings of an abused woman or child, the
betrayal of cherished trust, or unfulfilled desires can all
help turn a node into a miasma.
Mana Substances
Mana imbued substances are used for almost everything
in the world. Metals with mana are pounded into iron to
give more strength. Spices with mana are added to food
to improve the taste. Wood with mana is used burned
to get hotter files or used to make more beautiful wood
carvings.
Mana imbues everything to some degree and those persons with the ability to sense mana can perceive how
much is there. Usually the amount of mana in a substance is just a tiny bit, enough to make a small difference, but nothing more. However, when mana concentrates heavily in a substance the substance is give a rating
from one to five.
In order to use the esoteric skills of compounds, fashioning, glyphs, rituals, runes, and traps the practitioner must
have special kinds of mana-imbued substances. Each is a
unique ore mined from the ground having a power rating
from one to five with five being the most powerful.
Each mana substances is uniquely attuned to a specific skill. They can be used for that skill at their power
level. They can be used for any other skill at one less
their power level. These bases can be readily purchased
around the Empire by Imperial Appointees and Citizens.
Culfiod - Compound
Farium - Fashioning
Gerriod - Glyphs
Ristium - Rituals
Runifiod - Runes
Tazium - Traps
One more mana substance is known and it is called Al-
dium and is the rarest of the mana substances. Aldium is
a universal substance and can be used at its listed power
level for all skills. However, Aldium is rare and is not
readily sold.
All base substances deteriorate when moved out of the
nodes and flows that created them. Most last less than
a week so they must be used quickly. Also care must be
taken when mining these ores as removing too much ore
too quickly can destroy the node or flow.
Esoteric Skills
During the Epoch of Nations everyone was allowed to
follow any occupation they wanted. The world was highly educated and even the lowest farmer learned a few
esoteric skills.
During the Epoch of Woe the terrible wars and strife reduced the world down to a dark age. Much learning was
lost and the average person had no way to learn esoteric
skills.
When Tyrs began his conquest of the world he collect
all forms of knowledge, because for him knowledge was
power. The humans were lucky becuase they had organized skills into Unions and these Unions preserved
much knowledge which he used granted onto to Imperial
Appointees.
While anyone following an occupation can learn esoteric
lore after they have learned the required skills, such an
act is unlawful in the Empire and they do so at the risk of
being labeled a Malfactor. The following esoteric skills
are available to people in the realm.
Compounds
The following is a list of compounds known in the realm
of Meredia
Curative: anti-narc, antidote, coagulate, cure disease,
dispel, energy, free thought, regrowth, vitality
Disabler: anti-regen, atrophy, blindness, deafness, disinfectant, disorient, fatigue, insulate, irritant, lame, lethargy, mana bane, mind mute, nausea, softness, solidify,
slicken, surface stay.
Enabler: adhesion, ambulate, anchor spirit, dangersense,
fortitude, heightened senses, hover, insight, invisibility,
oxygenate, spatial location
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Hazard: acid, cold, demonic, earth, electric, heat, necromantic, vitalic, water, wither, wind
Infection: body-loss, compulsion, fungloid, mana-loss,
reanimation, rotting, skill-loss
Narcotic: altruism, amnesia, bliss, bloodlust, clumsiness,
contrariness, extroversion, generosity, greed, hallucination, heroism, histrionics, honesty, introversion, paranoia, remorse, reticence, romance, sleep, stuttering
obey and serve effects.
RS&S Rank V: Naudhiz - injury (vital & die), Othala
- injury (vision), Perdhro - injury (hearing & vocals &
smell and taste), Odin - injury (body & mana), Raido injury (limb).
Traps
The following is a list of traps available to trap setters.
Poison: death(day), death(hour), death (minute), destroy
form (day), defoliant, insecticide, injure body, injure
mana
Box Traps: adhesive box, alarm box, damaging box,
damaging box (burst), deadly box, destroying box, gas
box, injuring box (arms), movement box
Toxicant: burn-out, magefare, warfare
Door Traps: adhesive handle, alarm door, damaging door
handle, damaging door jam, knock-out door jam, gas
door jam, injuring door hand, injuring doorstep
Glyphs
The following is a list of glyphs that may be drawn.
Glyphs I: deafen, drain mana, drain body, lame, move
[direction], maim, mute
Glyphs II: blind, destroy beast, destroy conjuration, destroy machine, destroy undead, kill
Glyphs III: destroy being, destroy formation, destroy
items, destroy weapons, nullify
Runes
There are twenty five runes in the Realm of the Meredia.
Twenty four runes are pictured left and the twenty-fifth
rune, known as Odi is a circle. It represents the blank
rune stone.
RS&S Rank I: Ansuz - ritual detection, Dagaz - fatal
finish & feeding, Berkana - infections & disease, Kenaz
-compel exodus effects, Wunjo -distracted & feinted &
stunned effects.
RS&S Rank II: Eihwaz -any glyph effect, Elhaz -flee
effect, Inguz -counters generic damage from falling up
to 25 feet, Ehwaz - move effects, Fehu - feat (pursue) &
pursuance.
Hanger Traps: capture body hanger, damaging hanger, deadly hanger, eye snag hanger, knock-out hanger,
spiked hanger, strangling hanger, tongue trap hanger
Obstacle Traps: adhesive strand, alarm, caltrop, damaging strands, pit, pit spike, razor wire
Pressure Plate Traps: adhesive plate, damaging plate,
damaging plate (burst), deadly plate, destroying plate,
gas plate, injuring limb plate, trap door plate
Snare Traps: capture body snare, damaging snare, deadly
snare, gas snare, injuring arm snare, injuring leg snare,
knock-out snare, spiked snare
Archways
In cerebran times the plentiful amounts of mana substances made it economically feasible to use magical
archways as a means of instant transportation. These
portals constructed in the Epoch of Slavery were used
by cerebrans to travel around the realm. They once connected every major cerebran city throughout the world.
When the cerebran were defeated they took the secret of
the Archways into the void with them.
RS&S Rank III: Sowulo -compound (poison or narcotic) effect, Teiwaz -compound (disabler or hazard) effect,
Uruz- damage, [specific], Laguz - feat (all surprise feats),
Mannaz - feat (swallow/seize).
During the final years of the Republic the humans rediscovered how the portals worked and they started using
the portals again. The humans did not share this information with the non-humans and this was one more reason
for the attack against the Republic.
RS&S Rank IV: Hagalaz- any trap effect, Thurisaz - no
responsive feats effect, Jere - restrain effects & turn to
statue, Isa - immobile effects & turn to statue, Gebo -
In modern times the skill to open archways is a closely
guarded secret of the Empire and known only to a secret
society of humans devoted to humanity, called the Arch
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Adepts. The members of the society are fanatically loyal
to Emperor Tyrs and their only skills in life are to open
archways. They are the only ones capable in the world
and they are chosen for their loyalty to the Empire and
their commitment to keep portal opening a secret. They
will go into the Void before disclosing any information
on portal use.
the Empire of Tyrs is not like the slavery of the cerebran times when whole races were slaves. In the Empire
slavery is much more limited. One person owns another person as a piece property. A brand, tattoo or even a
magical deformation mark is placed onto a slave and the
owner holds matching registration papers for each of his
or her slaves.
He corruption of the mana flow in the world has made
using the Archways are fraught with peril. While always
dependant on mana flows during cerebran times the
flows were carefully tended and extremely stable. The
past 100 years of war has wrecked havoc on the flows
and many archways no longer work on regular intervals.
The Arch Adepts are able to predict openings but their
predictions are not totally accurate.
Humans are not allowed to be held as a slave unless they
are a malfactor, so most of the slaves are non-humans.
However, humans do not own all of the slaves. It is very
common for wealthy non-humans to own other non-humans as slaves.
Slavery
There is no subject in the Empire more controversial and
confusing than slavery. The word slavery was the word
that destroyed the cerebran civilization, but this word
has had different meanings over the millennia.
In the much maligned Epoch of Slavery the cerebran
overlords ruled the world and all peoples bowed down
before the might of cerebran magic. The world called
themselves slaves, but there were no papers of ownership and the cerebran overlords did not lay claim to individual persons. Instead, the cerebrans simply dominated
the world in total, forcing all to their whim. Every race
was given a role to serve the world and each labored for
the betterment of all. Of course this denied all the freedom to have any other purpose to their live and it was
from this “slavery” that the world rebelled.
There was no slavery in the Epoch of Nations, but in the
Epoch of Woe when battles raged it was common for the
victors in a battle to carry away the vanquished survivors as slaves. Many humans became slaves, but when
conflicts arose between the non-humans many non-humans were taken as slaves by other non-humans.
When Tyrs began his war many non-human became
slaves of the Imperial Military and there are still slave
camps today which are used to build military fortifications. Around the Empire there are many factories
staffed entirely by non-human slaves as well as farms
worked by non-human slaves.
While slavery is common in the world, the slavery of
While many in the Empire would like to outlaw slavery,
there are many in the Empire whose livelihoods are dependent on their slaves. Many labor intensive businesses
such as factories, farms, and mining operations are run
in part with the use of slaves for the worst jobs.
Slave Statues
Slavery was a major issue for many and the following
represents a compromise between slave holders and abolitionists which left neither side satisfied, but at least
allowed for the founding of the Empire. The slave laws
in the Empire of Tyrs are as follows:
No human shall be held as a slave anywhere in the world
(except practicing malefactors as stated below).
No non-human may be held as a slave in their traditional homeland. No non-human may be removed from
their traditional homeland to be brought into slavery. No
non-human with travelling papers shall be brought into
slavery.
Any person (human or non-human) proven to be a malefactor may be made a slave instead of suffering purgation. A Citizen or Appointee may hold a malefactor as
a slave and that slave may be ordered to use their malfaction skills in the service of the Empire. A malefactor
whose skills are purgated must be freed if they do not
meet the other requirements for being held as a slave.
All slaves shall be marked by their owner. The owner of
a marked slave must have a legal slave certificate proving ownership of the slave. Any slave whose owner cannot prove ownership through matching of the mark with
the production of a legal slave certificate can be freed
from slavery.
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The children of any legally owned slave shall be the
property of the slave owner who shall receive a slave
certificate at birth and be required to mark the child.
Slaves may be sold as property. The sale is effectuated
by a transfer of the slave certificate and a remarking of
the slave. The new owner’s mark is placed beneath the
previous owner’s mark. The slave certificate will show
all the transfers of ownership.
Slave Markets
The slave laws do not allow humans to ever be enslaved.
Non-humans can only be made into slave if they are
traveling illegally outside of their traditional homeland.
But slave markets are very common everywhere in the
Empire. This is because slavers illegally raid non-human
nations to capture persons and force them into slavery.
Ironically, humans are rarely successful at slave raiding.
Non-humans are always suspicious of humans and watch
them carefully which prevents humans from easily capturing potential slaves. The best slave raiders are non-humans who travel into the lands of other non-humans and
carry away unsuspecting persons.
The most famous example of slave raiding was the minotaur sea captain who purportedly operated a pleasure ship
promising to take non-humans on a cruise to ice fields of
Surrland. Charismatic and dashing the minotaur captain
easily charmed his patrons. Wealthy non-humans would
pay exorbitant amounts of money to go on his promised
cruise. Of course, every non-human who boarded the
ship was sold as a slave and the minotaur captain moved
on to a different port and repeated the scam.
Behemoths
There is no word that evokes more terror in the realm
than the strangled cry of “Behemoth!” These are immense creatures capable of destroying whole cities and
ravaging the countryside. They are believed to be evolving because of the corruption of the mana flows. Many
people believe that worse creatures are coming, but right
now there are only three kinds of behemoths dragons,
kraken and wyrms.
When a behemoth is sighted in a settled area the villages
empty of people who run for their lives, hiding in small
groups and trying to make themselves as inconspicuous
as possible. Thousands of soldiers and dozens of military
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vehicles are often dispatched to the location. While the
goal is to kill the behemoth, most often the creature can
only be driven away, with some believing that the creature merely departed after eating sufficiently.
Dragon
A sudden flashing shadow flowing across the ground
drawing eyes to the sky is generally the first sign of a
Dragon’s attack. These large reptilian creatures will
swoop down landing in the center of a village destroying homes and feasting on the occupants. Dragons are
the scourge of the sky and will not hesitate to snack on
airships.
Dragon lairs are found on small floating islands of sky
stone. Dragons often carry corpses back to their lairs
and the meals consume later. Dragon lairs contain great
wealth, not because the lizards care about money, but because the gluttonous beasts will digest items of value on
their rampages through the villages. Precious metals and
gems are not destroyed by stomach acids and pass from
the dragon’s bodies. Treasure hunters who don’t mind
getting their hands dirty can often find great treasures
amid the dung found in a dragon lair.
The four common varieties of dragons expel fire, ice,
earth or electrical damage from their mouths. These are
called elemental dragons and their skin is tinges with the
color of their mana capacity.
Kraken
The kracken is an immense squid that is the terror of
the ocean depths. Krakens attack without warning. Ships
sailing on calm seas or sleepy coastal villages are suddenly assaulted by this tentacle monstrosity. Capable of
pulling ships to the bottom or dragging down towers the
kraken is a seemingly unstoppable predator of the sea.
Wyrm
A slight tremor in the ground is the first indication of a
wyrm attack. The tremors will increase, the ground will
heave and shake, and moments later the wyrm will burst
forth from the ground in a shower of rocks and earth.
Wyrms are believed to be attracted to heavy vibrations
on the surface. Wagons rolling over cobblestone streets
often provoke wyrms into bursting up through the busy
intersections and traveling through the streets and build-
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ings scooping people into their maws. Factories with
heavy machinery are also common sites of work attacks
with the whole building often being consumed.
Blast powder
Blast powder was is a creation of Humanity. It uses a
mixture of mana-imbued minerals to create a propellant.
Humans use blast powder the most of all races. Wealthy
humans carry flintlock weapons as a badge of social position and the military makes extensive use of cannons,
especially on ships. Blast powder sees its greatest use
among the Brotherhood of the Pirates who use its power
in their cannons to cripple ships. The pirate’s wealth allows them to purchase blast powder and use it to increase
their wealth.
Coins
The primary coin of the Empire is called the Imperial which is struck in solid gold. Before the founding of
the Empire there were many different currency systems.
Some cities, every province and all the non-human nations had their own monetary system, but all currency has
been standardized into Imperials. It is rare to find coins
from local money systems as most have been melted
down.
Communication
The Empire has three means of communication. Two
are available to the common person, but the last is only
available to Imperial Appointees and Citizens conducting
Official Business
Postal System
The Empire maintains a postal system where letters and
parcels can be transported throughout the realm. A Postal
Office is located in every major community.
Mana Mirrors
Mana mirrors are mana-imbued mirrors that are connected to a realm-wide web of mana energies. Some mirrors
are large and sit on desks, while others are small handheld mirrors. The smaller mirrors are very fragile and
easily lost.
The mirror has many different applications. Mirrors can
be used to store information, such as books. They can
also be used to capture images reflected in the mirror,
some have the capacity to capture moving images. Mirrors can also be used to have voice only conversations.
They can be used to send textual messages, or even to
have face to face conversations depending on the capabilities of the mana mirror.
Mana energies allow the linked mirrors to create places where messages and pictures can be posted and read.
When a person posts on these sites all people who are
members of the site receive the correspondence.
Archway Messenger
Important letter and parcels can be transported throughout the realm using the Archways. Adepts of the Arch
will escort messenger through arches.
Transportation
Getting around in the empire is easy for the wealth, but
not so easy for everyone else. The poor have to make do
with walking overland or riding a mount. The rich can
hire a vehicle to take them anywhere. All public passenger vehicles are operated by pilots. The Pilots Union prohibits non-union members from operating vehicles and
will brutally remove the offender.
Mounts
Each of the races have a preferred mount. These are the
animals available for riding. Aquarians ride sharks, aridans ride eagles, elves ride ostriches, humans ride horses,
klactons ride centipedes, orcs ride boars, pythians snakes,
satyr goats, oculi ride ravens, and decidiuns ride wolves.
Vehicles
The Empire of Tyrs makes use of many magical marvels to transport people on land sea and air. Sky ships
are ships lined with sky stone and able to fly through the
air. Air ships are used by the Imperial Military or by
extremely wealthy Citizens. The military uses massive
ironclad airships with rails lined with cannon or ballista
and held aloft by the use of sky stone.
Locomotives run on mana-imbued coal or wood used
to feed non-sentient mana forged entities that move the
internals of the locomotives. The locomotives travel on
iron rails pulling massive two story rail cars. People in
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ing the rails.” Fiery wrecks are common as terrorists and
other discontents often pull up rails. The cases holding
the machine entities will explode under the incredible
pressures created by burning mana-imbued materials.
Usually the rails are used for shipping replaceable things
such as goods and imperial troops.
Exodus: Most spirits go into the void immediately after
exodus, and it is very rare for a spirit to be able to stay in
the realm. These are people with heroic potential, strong
beliefs and/or unwavering devotions. [All player characters have heroic potential and are thus able to remain in
the realm as spirits if they chose.]
Sea Ships travel the oceans which are dangerous places
due to frequent storms, pirates and the renegade aquarian. The empire has a large fleet of Submarine Ships to
augment its war power. Some of the older submarines
have found their way into the private sector being used
as pleasure crafts and exploration vessels. There are a
few pirates using submarines as well.
Spirit Quest: The base chance to spirit quest is dependent
on the person’s status total. Less than 7,500 status has 90
percent base chance to spirit quest. 7,501-12,500 status
have 80 percent, 12,501-20,000 status have 70 percent,
20,001-25,000 have 60 percent, and greater than 25,001
have a 50 percent base chance to spirit quest. Certain
locations and skills will affect this chance.
Medical
Treatments
The field of medicine is surprisingly advanced in the
Realm and is blend of herbal lore, anatomical knowledge
and mana manipulation.
Medicine: Physicians practice successful medicine by
using natural herbs, bleeding the sick and chemical remedies the physician can heal most mundane diseases. The
can also treat arcane infections (see cure rating below).
Surgery: The surgeon can perform complex surgeries
affecting the limbs and organs within the chest cavity.
These procedures require the necessary tools and machines. For example, most advanced surgeries require
a respirator and these would be made with cloth bellows
and wooden parts. The most advanced respirators will be
powered by machine sprites.
Psychology: Psychological treatments are diverse and
reflect a deep understanding of cognitive processes.
Life Granting Skills: Bringing a person back to life is
not easy. Sadly, most people stay dead. Only persons
with strong connect to the realm are able to be restored
to life. These are people with heroic potential, strong beliefs and/or unwavering devotions. [All player characters
have heroic potential and are thus able to be resuscitated
or restored to life if they chose.]
Dead persons meeting the above requirements of heroic
potential can be resuscitated or restored to life so long as
spirit remains in the body. Sometimes resuscitate or restoration, if started within 5 minutes of death, will restore
life to a normal person.
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Cure Rate: The cure rate for a compound infections
is either 50 percent chance, 75 percent chance or 100
percent chance. When a compound is made the creator
selects how hard it is to cure. There are terrible natural
infections and diseases in the realm that are much harder
to cure.
Mana-Tech
Mana-tech is the descriptive term describing the science
used to create mana-driven machines. While the average
person still uses man-power or animal-power to accomplish most tasks the world is moving away from these
simple times. Wind blades or water wheels are used for
mill work only in the poorer sections of the world, in all
other places people can afford to mana-tech.
The science of mana-tech is based on the use of conjured machine sprites to move mechanical parts within
a machine. Placed safely within a mana-wrought housing these immensely powerful entities will drive pistons, turn wheels and rotate cogs on command. They are
semi-sentient and can remember information in the form
of data streams.
Machine sprites are created by the use of arcane processes. Imperial Appointees wielding estorteric lore create
and bind these entities into their housing. Arcane symbols are emblazoned onto the housing and gemstones are
used to focus the intensity and power of the sprites. If the
mana-wrought housing should break the machine sprite
will explode outward destroying itself and all around it.
The power of mana is fast becoming the driving force in
the world. Mana is being used for more and more every
day. The possibilities seem endless. Steam power, water
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and wind power are seen as primitive methods of machination. The machine sprites can accomplish the tasks
with much more precision and strength.
The traditional scientific disciplines of astronomy, biology, chemistry, forensics, geology, mathematics and so
forth are developed at an exponential rate driven by the
Imperial war effort. The social disciplines such as theology, history and law are also changing.
The discipline of mechanics is only understood through
its interaction with machine sprites. The semi-sentient
machine sprites can use basic mechanical principles
such as levers, pulleys, screws, springs and gears to maneuver complex machines. Machine sprites can follow
simple commands.
Machine sprites must receive mana imbued substances
to remain in existence. The substances are place into the
housing through a special port that does not allow the
machine sprite to escape.
Machine sprites cannot live outside of the environment
of their housing. They are pure mana energy given sentience, form, and power through the arcane processes
which place them in their housings.
Machines
The development of mana-driven machines has proliferated in the Empire. Mana-driven machines started in
the imperial military but over the past decade they are
expanding into civilian use. Machine sprites are being
used to power all sorts of machines from skyships, to
submarines, to insect-like metal walkers, to massive rolling tracked vehicles mounting cannons of all sorts.
These semi-sentient creations are housed within special
cases that prevent their powers from exploding outward.
A machine’s wheels are turned by axles that pass through
the sprite’s housing. This allows the sprite to turn the
wheels forward or backward on command by the operator. Other sprites control the facing of the wheels allowing for turning. The commands are often loudly shouted
verbal commands. Complex machines may have hundreds of cases all with entities that act on command to
allow the machine to accomplish its task.
Computers
Computers are machines that house the most intllegent
machine sprites. These semi-sentient entities can execute
programs. Most mana computers are operated by voice
and the machines will speak back to the operator. Simple
mana computers function with text communication.
Guns
Guns are a specially designed form of mana-tech. Basic
guns just operate with blasting powder, but recent advances in mana-tech is allowing the creation of multishot weapons. Small machine sprites bound in tiny housings rotate barrels allowing weapons to fire at faster rates.
Cheaper versions of these guns sometimes explode. The
thin housing allow the scream of the trapped machine
spirits to be heard even above the firing of the rounds.
Other Tech
Mana-driven sound systems are developing which allow
music and voice to be transmitted and amplified. Imperial war machines often blare loud instrumental music as
they roll over the enemies of the Empire.
Mana-based photography is being used to capture moving images with lenses mounted on wooden boxes with
a special machine sprite housed inside a mana-wrought
gemstone.
Manufacturing
The Engineers and the Forgers of the Empire are mastering the art of interchangeable parts for use with their mana-tech. The major resources available for manufacturing processes are metals, natural rubbers, hides, wood,
stone and natural fibers. Most of the manufacturing in
the realm takes place in immense factory cities that belch
smoke and poor pollution into the environment.
Tech Concerns
There are always those who fear progress. Some people
do not trust the machine sprites. Others complain about
the dangers of explosion. Another common complaint is
the drain of resources as the sprites do need to receive a
constant supply of mana imbued substances to exist.
Perhaps the chief complaint is the cruelty of the tech.
These small semi-sentient entities are given life and then
forced to work day and night, laboring in the confines of
their small housing. When the strain become great the
machine sprites can be heard screaming. Their horrible
wails of pain will increase as they are forced to comply
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with the demands of their operator. The life of a machine
sprite is a life of endless pain and torture.
Sometimes the semi-sentient entities of a machine can
develop a gestalt like sentience which will allow the
machine to act under its own free will. Many of these
machines run amok doing great harm. There have been
some instances where machines gaining sentience have
come to aid of their operators, but since most machines
are driven hard, the sprites are more likely to become
brutal killing machines.
Piracy
The high seas are fraught with peril. Pirates and privateers abound. The shallow waters and rock shores of the
obsidian isles make for perfect pirate hideouts.
Pirate Brotherhood
The brotherhood of the pirates is a multi-racial organization devoted to personal gain through acts of piracy.
Members of the brotherhood forsake their own race and
nation swearing eternal allegiance to the brotherhood.
Members of the brotherhood live by a democratic code
whereby captains and officers are elected by the crew
and the shares of spoils are divided according to rank on
board the ship.
The symbol of the pirate brotherhood is the simple skull
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and crossbones on a black flag. When flown this marks
the ship as a predator of merchant shipping and undefended coastal towns. Most pirate captains modify and
personalize their own version of the brother’s crest. Every pirate has this symbol of the brotherhood tattooed on
their body as proof of allegiance.
The brotherhood of pirates mints their own coins which
bear the symbol of the brotherhood. By agreement between thieves, these coins are not shaved or counterfeited and can be trusted as holding their full value and as
a result honest folk will gladly take these coins. On the
few occasions when persons did break the brotherhood’s
trust and try to alter the coins the brothers handled the
situation in a manner that deterred similar acts.
The Ghost Fleet
For nearly two hundred years a fleet of ghostly pirate
ships have been the scourge of the western seas. Every
year the fleet seems to grow larger and the Empire seems
powerless to stop its growth.
The Republic Navy and now the Imperial Navy has tried
to destroy the fleet, but efforts have been met with dismal failure and defeat. When the ships of the Ghost Fleet
are encountered the Imperial Navy usually ends up on
the losing side unable to stem the tide of undead flowing
from the ships hold.
The Ghost Fleet is protected by a large bank of billow-
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ing fog that is laced with powerful necromantic energy.
Oftentimes navy personal who are killed will rise up as
undead and be pressed into service by the powerful undead captains. Sometimes when the Dark One is full
navy ships sent to the bottom have risen again as ghost
ships in the fleet.
can even appear just like a normal person. Demon worship is very common in the world as people are corrupted
by errant flows of demonic mana form in the chaos of
battle and the aftermath of sorrow.
Small coastal villages and merchant ships are in the most
danger. Attacks of the Ghost Fleet always come at night
and are preceded by an eerie fog. The necromantic energies surge forward and are quickly followed by the undead crews.
Necromancy is a perversion of the natural cycle of death
and life and its use leads to the formation of necromantic flows which cause spontaneously rising undead. The
large undead armies used by Tyrs has left a landscape
littered with Blights and many who die under tragic circumstances are apt to come back as ghosts or even more
powerful accursed undead. Cemeteries are abodes of terror where no one goes after sunset.
The few survivors of these terrible attacks tell stories
of skeletal pirates smelling of the sea, dressed in rotting
clothes and armed with rusting cutlasses and flintlock
pistols and muskets. They speak of horrible atrocities
in hushed whispers with twitches and stammers. Clearly, their minds were ravaged by the horrors of what they
witnessed during the attacks.
Nature
Many agree that the violence in the Epoch of Woe tainted
the world. The hordes of undead and people serving demonic forces and evil gods are tearing this world apart.
Errant mana energies are spinning out of control affecting the nature throughout the world.
The protectors of nature stand against the all the evils of
the world,but they can do little to stem the tide.
Corruptions
Mana flows change the world for either good or ill depending on the type of flows. The violence of the past one
hundred years has twisted the mana flows of the world
making it so that Meredia lacks sufficient positive mana
energies. For example, years ago there was sufficient vitalic energy in the world to be tapped and used to heal,
but these skills no longer function as there is insufficient
restorative magic to allow such skills to work.
Demonic
Demons are manifestations of evil malevolence that seek
to cause death and destruction. They are drawn to cursts
and the corruption caused by the dark mana energies. Demons have varied appearances. Some demons are little
more than deleterious clouds of reeking sin, others have
red skin, bat-like wigs and walk on hoofed feet and some
Necromantic
Profane
Profane magics embrace the darker aspects of life. In a
world of war, many people become discourage, angry
and bitter. The loss of loved ones and the accumulations
of a life turn people away from good ideals. A population
filled with hate gives rise to the kinds of dark thoughts
that lead to a profaning of the mana flows. Of course as
this leaking corruption spreads others are affect and the
cycle of spirals downward toward societal destruction.
Plagues
Terrible plagues appear throughout the realm. People
die of pestilence and flesh consuming disease, but there
are other sicknesses that cause true terror. Lycanthropy
infections change people into rampaging beasts and reanimating viruses transform the infected into shambling
brain eating corpses.
Storms
The wild flows of mana traveling unseen and undetected through the world give increased power to weather
phenomena. The world experiences tremendously powerful rain and snow storms and have a fair number of tidal
waves, earthquakes, droughts, whirlpools, tornados and
other spontaneous weather conditions on good days. The
tidal washes of mana exuded by the twin suns at irregular
intervals contribute to these phenomena. These storms
make sea travel very dangerous and the wealthy prefer to
travel by using portals.
73
Under the appointed Emperor and the elected members of the Senate humanity controls the world, protecting our home through the conquest of those who
tried to destroy us. The Empire of Tyrs is the only national power in the realm.
All other nations have been forced to become colonies of the Empire. Their own
traditional leaders replaced by Imperial Governors appointed by the Emperor.
Their populations are kept in line by iron-clad war machines and the endless
ranks undead soldiers.
Ironically, though our economy drives the world market and our soldiers are
stationed around the globe, many warn that the Empire of Tyrs is in dire danger
of collapse. Our population is split between those supporting the Emperor and
those devoted to the Senate. Many people regret the decision to anoint Tyrs as
the Emperor, but just as many still see him as the hero that saved humanity and
justify his brutality as necessary for the continued protection of our people.
Violence boils just under the surface as friends and families are divided by political loyalties. And there are other factions struggling within the Empire to further
their own personal agendas weakening the foundations of our society. These days
it seems that too many people are keeping secrets.
Despite the efforts of law and righteous citizens, too many decadent people are
turning to heretical cults and demon worship, practicing human sacrifice, cannibalism, ritualistic sadism and other heinous rites to gain strange abilities. Too
many people are willing to look the other way when crimes are committed, because they do not want to draw attention to themselves and their own questionable dealings.
The survival of humanity lies in the cooperation of our race. Where are the cerebrans? Gone. The entire race was exterminated after their fall as overlords. What
will become of Humanity should the Empire falter? We must have strength as
a people if our children are to survive in this harsh brutal world, but to have
strength humanity must be united.
From the lofty Citizen to the rabble of society all have our part to play. Supporters of the Emperor, senate supporters, rebellious revolutionaries, non-human
agents and even criminals heed my words or it will be too late. We must lay aside
our personal differences and join together once again in the common defense.
Inhabitants
In addition to the major races of people there are many
other sentient beings and beasts living in the realm.
Supernaturals
Supernaturals are people (humans and non-humans) who
have gained additional abilities and skills because of a
permanent physical change to their true form. No person may begin their occupation as a supernatural being.
All persons must become a supernatural in the course of
their adventures
All beings have a certain set of abilities that they can
perform which are innate to their physical form. For
example, humans can breath air, walk on two legs, manipulate their environment with their hands. These are
the abilities of a “normal” human. When people somehow go beyond what they can normally do they are
called “supernatural.” For example, if a human gains
the ability to fly he is called supernatural. Supernaturals
in the world of The world include cultists or pagans who
have learned abilities and people who have changed into
vampyres and wyre-beasts.
Research by Imperial scholars have determined that
supernaturals have additional abilities because of subtle changes to their physical form. These changes can
occur through various processes, including a necromantic changes, religious worship and biological mutations.
These changes are generally permanent, but in some cases they have been removed.
Most supernatural beings are hunted in the Empire. Supernaturals that can prove they bear no animosity to the
Empire are allowed to exist, but they must register themselves in the Empire in a fashion similar to non-humans.
They are not allowed to be Imperial Appointees, nor can
they become citizens. Registers supernaturals may learn
estoteric skills, provided the skills they know are listed
on their traveling paper.
All supernaturals must possess the negative abilities listed under their descriptions. However, the supernaturals
must develop the listed positive abilities like normal
people learn skills. The negative abilities are listed in
italics and must be taken.
Cults
There is a fine line between legitimate religion and a cult.
Generally, the religious leaders of a legitimate faith empower their followers to better themselves, while cults
tend to empower only the religious leaders and often at
the expense of the cult followers. Legitimate religions
support the moral underpinnings of their society, while
cults encourage immoral or anti-social activity.
Cults in the Empire practice heinous immoral rites which
gain them certain abilities. Human sacrifice, especially
the sacrifice of innocent infants, children and virgins,
is prevalent in many cults. Cannibalism is sometimes
found, as well as sexual deviance.
Mass suicides are common ways to turn cult leaders
into Avatars. The cult leaders convince their follows
of some impending doom and use their belief to become
immortal deities while their congregations goes into the
Void.
The worship of cults is illegal in the Empire, but sometimes cults masquerade as legitimate religious hiding
their decadence from view. It’s often hard to distinguish
between the two, but since cultist gain abilities form
their heinous practices Imperial Appointees often search
for cultists by testing for abilities.
For example, many cultists gain the ability to breath water. Appointees will “swim a cultist” by holding them
underwater until they die. If the accused breathes water
then they are proven to be a cultist. Similarly, invulnerability to fire is a common cult ability so appointees often
burn suspected cultists to see if they are injured.
Cannibal Cults
Members of cannibal cults eat the flesh of other human
75
Inhabitants
“I love killing elves. They ride right towards me on those stupid birds and
I open fire with my big mounted gun. Shock waves vibrate may hands as
slugs speed out, the spinning barrels and exploding powder with white
smoke everywhere, the high-pitched screaming of machines sprites is like
music to my ears. And the best thing ever is watching those birds explode
into balls of bloody feathers.” Imperial Gunner
and non-human beings. They often believe that consuming the flesh will give them the power of the person they
are eating.
The cults preach that the end of the world or some other
great catastrophe is coming. Their cult practice generally revolves around preparation for this event.
Cannibal cults are very social and have a secluded gathering place that is usually a dark cave, remote ruins or
even a basement. They decorate their gathering place
with the bones of their victims.
Some doom cults are mere shams where the cult leader is
trying to trick his followers into committing mass suicide
to steal their life energy so he may ascend to become an
avatar.
Members of the Cannibal Cults gain their abilities from
eating flesh. The needs to subsist on a continued diet of
flesh from human or non-human beings. They cannot
maintain their powers. Cult members with multiple abilities must eat from multiple victims each day.
Death Cults
Members of death cults relish in killing their victims.
The slower the death the better. They often use suffocation to kill their victims. They like to cause extraordinary amounts of pain to their victims before they grant
the release of death.
Members of death cults need to kill specific beasts or
beings every day . If they do not satisfy their need for
this senseless killing they will not be able to use their
abilities. Cult members with multiple abilities must kill
multiple victims each day.
Demon Cults
These are by far the most common cults. Demons form
from immoral thoughts and grant their followers all kinds
abilities provided they act in the service of the Demon.
Demon Cults require the cultist to have a permanent visible deformity or immoral need that must be fulfilled every day or they may not use their abilities.
Doom Cults
76
The Cultist
Cultists serve dark powers and demons. Cultists can
gain abilities from their inhuman practices, such as human sacrifice, especially the sacrifice of innocent infants,
children and virgins, is prevalent in many cults. Cannibalism is sometimes found, as well as sexual deviance.
Cult members can gain the abilities that their dark practices can offer them, but only after years of devotion.
They will gain one physical debility or deformity when
they learn their first ability. Cult members who pursue
power through abilities can degenerate into crippled, insane persons.
Imperial Appointees often search for unregistered cultists by testing for abilities by such methods as “swimming the suspect” or “branding the suspect.”
Basic Abilities: debility (sunlight, moonlight or water),
deformity (visible physical deformity), increase body I,
increase mana I, invulnerability (one type), regeneration I, respiration (water)
Vampyre
Vampyres are undead supernatural beings that consume
the blood of the living. They have retractable pointed canine teeth and dress in the clothing style popular during
their life. Those who become vampyres fall under the
Inhabitants
supernatural registration statute and must register their
status and skills and carry papers at all times.
The history of vampirism is filled with tales of terror
regarding the vampyres unquenchable thirst for blood
and their mad rampages through the countryside. During
the time of the Cerebrans and the Republic vampyres
were hunted by specialized vampyre hunters. When
Tyrs gained control of the military these necromantic
meta-beings offered him their service and they were allowed to exist so long as they aided the military effort.
IN fact some of Tyrs soldiers embraced the augmentations of vampyrisms to gain additional advantage.
While they served Tyrs a different side emerged, and
people learned that of all the necromantic creatures,
vampyres tend to retain most of their humanity. There is
a deeply romantic side to the Vampyre. All vampyres experience a deep desire for life, called the Yearning. Most
vampyres hate what they have become and yearn to live
again. A vampyres feelings are heightened as well as his
physical prowess, and they can be very emotional.
All vampyres are subconsciously rooted to their past and
revere the age in which they lived. They cling to the
memories of their life by retaining their dress, behaviors,
mannerisms and beliefs. Many try to hold onto morality
and struggle against their dark, necromantic nature.
A vampyre only becomes a danger when their yearning
for life is replaced by an emptiness of the heart. In this
condition the vampyre becomes disconnected from the
memories of his life and experiences perdition. Perdition is the opposite state of the Yearning where vampyres
have no regard for life. Vampyres in Perdition become
the vicious killers well known in the folklore of the Empire.
WyreBeasts
In ancient history people once worshiped beasts drawing from them certain attributes and skills they needed to
survive in the world.
These primitive people danced around bonfires to the
beat of ceremonial drums, drank the blood of beasts
and wore on their bodies the pelt of the totem beasts. A
some point during this heathen ceremony the spirit of
the totem animal would enter their bodies and the pagan
would gain the ability to wear the skin of that beast.
The traditional wyrebeast mythology tells that eighteen
totem beasts came to the people of The world and offered to merge spirits. Shape-shifters of various races
do tend to share a common ground, but this is often not
enough to make peace.
Bosks
The beasts were worshiped in magical groves located
within a forest or other wooded area, called a bosk. The
trees of ancient bosks had faces on them and contained
spirits that could speak to the shamans who lead the ceremonies.
Every bock contains a totem pole that represents all the
wyre-beasts in the local area. When all fifteen beasts are
represented in the bosk their circle of the bosk is said to
be complete. All aspects of survival will be offered.
Totems
The following eighteen beasts have offered their totem
spirits to beings who seek to become wyre-beasts.
Bat: The nocturnal scout, hearing rather than seeing, the
bat is a guide through the darkest times.
With the founding of the Empire vampyres remain suspected, but being a vampyre is no longer a death sentence, although in some areas they can be killed and the
law will turn a blind eye to the muder. The practice of
vampyrism is still looked on with disdain, but not so
much as before and even a few citizens have explored
the life style.
Bear: Honorable, proud and capable to inspire, the bear
is known for his thoughtful guidance.
Classification: undead
Coyote: The cunning trickster who always finds a way,
the coyote is the ultimate scavenger.
Abilities (Additional): debility (sunlight), feeding, increase body I-II, increase mana I-II, need (blood), unaging, vulnerability (holy).
Boar: Powerful in short bursts, the boar is known for his
unbridled ferocity.
Cheetah: Fastest of the animals, the cheetah knows when
to run, but also when to fight.
Crow: Prophet of death, guide to spirits and the seer of
one’s fate, the crow is a dark and foreboding bird.
Eagle: Proud, majestic, with sharp eyes, the Eagle em77
Inhabitants
bodies decisive leadership.
Hound: Loyal and protective of loved ones, the hound
guards and defends.
Hyena: As part of the team the Hyena lives closely with
pack mates embracing cohesion and unity.
Monkey: Graceful, nimble and quick, the monkey is an
agile provider.
Lion: A natural, charismatic and courageous leader, the
lion inspires action.
Owl: As a wise mediator the owl is a voice of reason.
Panther: The silent, stealthy, remorseless killer, the panther is secret death hidden in the shadows
Rat: Plague bearer, spy, thief, the rat is adept at many
things, but master of none.
Raven: At home in the tempest, a bird of battle and death,
the raven is will fight on long after the cause is lost.
Tiger: Strong bones, powerful muscles and sharp teeth
and claws, make the tiger an opponent to be feared.
Vulture: A scavenger, a survivor against all odds, the vulture has no shame.
Wolf: Stealthy and cunning, the wolf is a social beast and
ceaseless hunter.
WyreBeast
Wyrebeasts have gain the ability to shift into the form
of certain beasts by worshiping a totem beast. They are
closely connected to nature and generally do not live
happily in civilized areas. Some wyrebeasts can shift to
multiple forms. Those who become wyrebeasts fall under the supernatural registration statute and must register
their status and skills and carry papers at all times.
The nature of a wyrebeast is a blending of intelligent being and instinctual beast. Both become one mind sharing a singular connection and bleeding into each other.
The freedom of running wild and the power of the hunt,
competes with the capacity to appreciate reason, art and
philosophy. All wyrebeasts must always carry the pelt
of the beast which they use to effectuate their transformation.
Great groups of wyrebeasts once populated the wild
lands of Meredia. In primitive times embracing an animal totem allowed a person to more easily survive in
the wild. Becoming a meta being was reserved for the
78
greatest hunters and the heros of the tribes. As the world
matured a new agriculture-based city-dwelling lifestyle
arose among all the beings of the realm and the wyrebeasts were seen as part of a primitive pre-civilized
world. As cities grew it was only natural for conflicts to
develop between the wryebeasts and the city dwellers.
To a developing world wyrebeasts were seen as a primitive people, throw-backs from older times best forgotten.
When the cerebrans began recording history early record
show major conflicts with the wyrebeasts as the cerebrans expanded civilization into all areas of the realm.
Great battles were fought with primitive wyrebeasts losing almost everyone. Wyrebeasts were hunted into near
extinction.
During the Epoch of the Nations, wyrebeasts made treaties with most of the newly developing nations which
allowed the primitives to embrace the beasts outside of
civilized areas. The numbers of wyrebeasts had resurgence, but most people still feared them for being different.
With the founding of the Empire wyrebeasts there is a
developing conflict with the wyrebeasts as the Empire
expands into wild lands seeking resources and settling
area that had become primitive again during the year following the cerebran fall. Being a wyrebeast is not against
Imperial Law, but there are some Citizens who hunt them
for sport and some areas where people will drive them
out if they are discovered. The practice of Wyre Worship
is still looker on with disdain but not so much as before
and even a few citizens have explored the worship of
animal totems.
Classification: Beast
Abilities (Additional): increase body I, skin I-II (<totem
beast>).
Pagans
Pagan practices are the name given to the ancient traditional faiths of the various different races in the world.
Mostly everyone honored the Father and Mother and
feared the dark apparition of Maladon. But unique practices developed among the ancients which epitomized
aspects of their cultures.
Into this grouping falls the old faiths practiced by people
in ancient times up until the present. Many of these pagan practices are still practiced in secret places through-
Inhabitants
out the Empire. Most people think they are regulated
to the wild lands, but Imperial Appointees and Citizens
know they are alive and well in civilized areas.
There is a great power in these ancient pagan religions
and each can grant abilities to the worshiper. Paganism
is permitted in the Empire and so long as a Pagan is registered and carries papers.
All of the pagan faith requires one to commit themselves
to practicing rites and observing traditions which include
honoring the winter and summer solstices and the spring
and fall equinoxes. Most pagan faiths worship natural
forces found in world. These are earthy practices having
ceremonies outside under the sky using monoliths and
altars of stone. Rhythmic drumming and loud chanting
almost always accompanies practice of these faiths.
Pagan faiths have evolved through time and the practices of individual groups within a pagan faith often differ
greatly. There is no central person controlling thie faiths
and groups will commonly have radically different interpretations of the same idealogy. For example, there
are Fleshburners who still practice the sacrifice of people into volcanoes, but must Fleshburners only decorate
their own bodies or the bodies of will participants with
burn scars.
Bearers of the Bark
This ancient faith started in the decidiun territories, but
has since spread throughout the Empire. While not as
popular as many of the other pagan faiths the Bearers of
the Bark make up for their lack of numbers with fanaticism.
The Bearers of the Bark are religious zealots devoted
to protecting old growth forests and secluded wooded
glens. They build their homes amid the trees using magic
to shape the trees into living homes, never cutting living
trees or harming any plant with bark.
The Bearers of the Bark seek out woodland spirits worshipping them and honoring them with offerings of soil
rich in nutrients and filled with nitrogen which they create by using ancient recipes. The Bearers commune with
the nature spirits, asking for advice and performing tasks
for the spirits.
The Bearers of the Bark are at odd with the Empire’s use
of machine sprites. They see the use of these energies as
an enslavement of the nature the spirits that exist in the
world. The symbol of the bears of the bark is the rough
patches of skin and bark armor growing out of their flesh.
Long time devotees of the Bark gain tough bark like
skin. In time their skin can become hide and act as natural armor.
Abilities: deformity (broad leaves tattooed on their skin),
hide (represented by body prosthetic), increase body I
Celestial Spiral Sect
The Celestial Spiral Sect worships the positive movement of mana energy through the world. They teach
that all beings and all realms are interconnected though
the force of magic. They are a peaceful sect embracing
cooperation and opposing charge. They are against the
practice worshiping demonic energies as they see this as
a base corruption of the realm.
Members of the Sect mark their entire bodies with spiraling tattoos which is the symbol of their faith. Massive
towering monoliths of stone with a large spiral chiseled
into the stone mark locations of ancient power.
Long time practitioners of the Celestial Spire gain protections from demonic energy.
Abilities: deformity (at least 5 five inch or larger spiral
tattoos over torso and limbs), increase mana I, invulnerability (demonic, necromantic, profane)
Dead One Disciples
This faith originated from the ghouls. The Disciples are
said to control the power of Maladon the dead twin of the
world and are rumored to be able to channel its negative
energies into positive use for the world. The Disciples’
holiest days are when the Dead One fully faces the realm.
Old legends claim the caretaking ways of the Disciples
helped keep the dark powers of the Dead One in check.
Some modern scholars believe if the true practices of the
Disciples could be regained the world could be protected
again form the energies of the Dead One. This is belief
is reinforced by the knowledge that long time Disciples
gain the ability to avoid harm from necromantic magic.
The Disciples have traditionally been hunted for their
use of necromancy, but since Tyrs harnessed the power of necromancy to fuel his armies the Disciples of the
Dead One are more tolerated.
Disciples of the Dead One tattoo the symbol of the Dead
79
Inhabitants
One on prominent parts of their body, often the forehead. The symbol of the Dead One is a circular black
disk placed in the center with a waxing and waning face
placed to either side so the crescents point out.
Long time worshipers of the Dead One can protection
from necromantic energies.
Abilities: deformity (phases of the Dead One tattooed
on body or forehead), increase body I, invulnerability
(necromantic)
Divided Circle
The Divided Circle is the ancient pagan faith of humanity. The faith strives balance and neutrality in opposing
forces. The symbol is a circle divided into four equal sections by two sinuous lines with the two opposing quarters
being black and white. The divided circle represent the
endless cycle of existence that is broken into parts. The
stages of life are represented by birth, youth, adulthood,
and death. The four seasons of spring, summer, winter,
and fall. Long time worshipers of the divided circle.
Abilities: deformity (symbol tattooed on body), increase
body I, increase mana I
Flesh Burners
This ancient sect originated in orc lands where the orcs
live amid the volcanoes. This barbaric sect punishes
criminals by throwing them into volcanoes and large
bonfires. Old persons will often commit themselves to
the fire. All Flesh Burners practice self mutilation of
their flesh of their body, face and hands by burning and
branding. Long time worshipers of the fire gain the ability to avoid harm from heat. The symbol of the flesh burners is a burning torch.
Abilities: deformity (burn scars over body and face), in-
crease body I, invulnerability (heat)
Sect of the Sea
The pagan faith was founded by the minotaurs. Rites of
eating sea weed an drinking salt water. Speak charms
against summer squalls and winter storms. Ceremonies
in this faith must be performed on the water or at least
close to the edge of a stream or pond. The ceremonies always have lots of drumming and other noise. The symbol of the sect of the sea is the rippling of waves on the
water. Long time devotees gain the ability to breathe
water and to avoid harm from water.
Abilities: deformity (symbol of the faith tattooed on
body), increase body I, invulnerability (water), respiration (liquid)
Sect of the Suns
Members of the Sun Sect worship the two the suns at
the center of the solar system. The revere light above
all other things. They see the nighttime as a horror to be
banished and work to create bright lights that drive away
the darkness
They worship in a large stone circle that is oriented to the
seasonal movements of the Suns. Their holiest days are
when the suns shine the longest and on those rare days
when the two suns can be seen as separate entities.
The symbol of the sect is two golden circles abutted so
that they overlap. Long time worshipers of the sect gain
protection from vitalic energy.
body), increase body I, invulnerability (vitalic)
Sky Children
This ancient pagan sect started in the airadin territory,
“I will never yield to the Empire. My people are strong. We are mightier than the humans who win battles using their mana-tech and explosive
powders. If the humans fought us, steel against steel, we would be the rulers of this realm. I hate the humans. I hate their weakness. I will fight on.
Never surrender!” Orc Revolutionary (ranting just before being squashed
by an Imperial tank)
80
Inhabitants
but has become quite popular with sky sailors. The children of the sky worship the ever changing winds. They
dedicate their lives to freedom and change. Like the
winds there serve they believe people should have the
right to change.
world resources. So while some may criticize Tyrs for
his apathetic stance on lesser beings, others are thankful
for his mercy.
Ceremonies in this faith must be performed up in the sky.
Observances can be performed on floating sky islands or
on sky-borne vehicles. The ceremonies always have lots
of drumming and other noise. The symbol of the sky
children is a fluffy cumulus cloud. Long time devotees of
the sky gain a protection from wind energies.
Cromags are ferocious human-looking beast-people
who live in Nordus. They drift south on flows of ice
terrorizing the northern coasts. Cromag settlements are
often found deep within the wilderness. Despite their
human-like appearance they are easily identified by
their long wild long hair and heavy eye brows. Their instinct-driven intellect is just above that of an animal and
they are classified as both beings and beasts.
body), increase body I, invulnerability (wind)
Lesser Beings
Lesser beings can be found on every continent living
in terrains suitable for their lifestyles. Erganns live underground, imps live in treetops, marynns live in water,
sauriens live in swamps, and trolls live in shallow caves
or deserted ruins. The cromags live in the frozen north
and have a fairly well established civilization that has resisted even the attempts of the cerebrans to settle. None
of other lesser beings have homelands and they live in
relatively small communities in the remote places.
The lifestyles of lesser beings do not generally conflict
with each other and it is very common to find them all
living in peace. All are peace, except for the cromags,
who rarely live in peace with anyone. The cromags are
often little more than vicious raiders.
Imperials founding towns or camps in remote areas will
often find thriving communities of lesser beings coexisting and ready to aid each other against the encroachment
of greater beings into their lands. The cromags will fight
anyone.
Imperial law places all lesser beings in the same category
as beasts. Lesser being shave no rights and can be owned
by greater beings. There are some local laws against ill
treatment of lesser beings passed by various communities living in close proximity to lesser being lairs, but
most of these local laws are enforced about as well as
laws preventing cruelty to animals.
The lack of Imperial laws protecting lesser beings may
seem harsh, but the in the Epoch Slavery the cerebran
overlords attempted to exterminate all lesser beings
because they felt that the lesser beings were a drain on
Cromag
Cromags use grunts and gestures to communicate, but
may learn a few words of a civilized language. They
are prone to violence and are extremely territorial. They
generally use thrown weapons to initiate an attack, and
then charge in with clubs, torches and stone axes.
Some cromags are known to resist magic, while others
have gained some control of the natural world. Most
beast-people can train beasts and are often accompanied
by hounds and large mammoth elephants which they use
as mounts.
Ergann
Erganns have mottled pale-white skin. They have round,
broad faces with sloping foreheads and bushy eyebrows.
Their mouths are filled with thick flat teeth and their bald
heads have sharply pointed ears. Erganns have one normal hand with five fingers, but the opposite arm ends in
a large digging claw. The claws vary in shape, ranging
from a hand with longer nails, to a lobster-like claw, to a
shovel-like appendage.
Erganns dwell deep underground in subterranean labyrinths. Their diet consists of moss, phosphorescent lichens and cave fish. They train ferrivores, stone beasts
and other underground beasts using them for various
chores, including construction and defense.
Ergann society is divided in castes. The main castes are
the priestly and soldier castes. The castes are generally determined by physical characteristics. The size and
shape of the claw is important to their society. The closer the claw is to a normal hand, the more likely the ergann is to be accepted into the priestly class; while those
with sharp or serrated claws are more likely to become
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Inhabitants
soldiers.
Some communities will enter into peaceful relationships
with Erganns trading surface goods for minerals and
metals mined by the Erganns.
Imp
Imps are red-skinned beings with pointy ears, beady little eyes, short sharp teeth and bat-like wings. They are
intelligent, speak using large vocabularies and are very
knowledgeable about many things. However, for all their
smarts they lack common sense and tend to accumulate a
lot of useless knowledge and meaningless facts.
Imps are social creatures and prefer living in small
groups sharing knowledge and ideas with other imps.
However, they do not like to socialize with other beings
and are often seen as secretive and rarely trust anyone
who is not an imp.
Imps are highly magical and very interested in the occult. They are attracted to powerful nodes where they
will bask in the flows of mana. Imps love to live in high
locations. They will build homes in the tops of tree or
up on cliffs. They will fill their homes with libraries of
heavy tomes and stacks of ancient artifacts.
Marynn
Marynns are water dwelling lesser beings who make
their homes in lakes, rivers and lagoons. They have
dark-blue skin tone with thick knobby scales. Their
hands and feet are webbed. Their heads are narrow with
large round fish eyes. They have sturdy jaws with many
rows of sharp teeth. They have a natural sonar which
allows them to sense their environment through emitting
sounds.
Stereotypical Marynn culture revolves around the religious worship of a single deity. These pious people gather each morning and evening in the square to pray as a
group. Daily life revolves around pleasing their god and
performing the various duties necessary to feed the community. Tasks are assigned by religious leaders, workloads are shared and all property is communal.
Marynns will often work with communities of greater
beings trading fish and edible seaweeds for metal tools,
weapons and other implements.
82
Saurien
Sauriens are bi-pedal lizard-like lesser beings. They
have green, scaled skin and a large ridge-like fin down
on top their heads. Both of their hands and feet have talons and are webbed. Their heads are long with narrow
eyes and sturdy jaws that can unhinge like those of a
snake to swallow large prey.
Sauriens live in swamps, salt marshes and bogs. Their
small communities are by elder tribal leaders who are
advised by a wise one.
Sauriens are not generally approached by communities
of greater beings as the the areas where the sauriens live
can provide little natural resources. Tyrs experimented
with conscripting saurien into the military. They proved
to be formidable fighters, but were unable to exist for
long period of time outside of their natural habitate.
Troll
Trolls are muscular beings with reddish brown skin.
They are extremely strong and exceptionally resilient
to injury. Trolls living wild form into extended family
groupings. They prefer to live in caves or abandoned
stone structures. They are sometimes found living under
bridges or even in the little-used cellars of a great estate.
Trolls communities are common and grow quickly into
a formidable force. Enslaved trolls are raised as body
guards, construction laborers, gladiatorial combatants
and used by the military as special expendable units.
Trolls make excellent combatants because of their physical prowess. In addition, they remain fiercely loyal if
treated properly. Trolls that are dominated or controlled
will always leave their physical form, if ordered against
their masters.
Trolls are hard workers who enjoy building with their
hands, but they do not possess the intelligence necessary
to design elaborate structures. As laborers they need supervision to perform complicated tasks, such as leveling,
arch building and other more precise forms of construction.
Beasts
The wild lands are full of strange beasts that have developed magical powers. There are far to many to list
here, but the following in a small sampling of the kinds
Inhabitants
of creatures that populate the Empire and terrorize its inhabitants.
Carnivorous Worms
These vicious people-eating worms burrow just beneath
the surface of the soil. They never live lower than ten
feet from the surface. Their lairs are often small hollows
just underground. They prefer to live in rich agricultural
soil and prey on farm laborers.
The footsteps of land-dwelling beings cause vibrations
that can be sensed by the worms. The worms follow
the vibrations and dig themselves out a short distance
away. They attack aggressively, but if their prey is not
dispatched quickly they will retreat beneath the surface
to recuperate before launching another attack.
Crystalteem
Crystalteems are animated masses of precious and
semi-precious gems connected by articulated crystalline
structures, organs formed with rubbery membranes and
internal fluids composed of silicon oils. They form deep
under the surface in areas of extremely high pressure and
heat where they siphon energy needed to survive from
their environment.
Crystalteems do not eat, breath or reproduce. They do
not speak or reason at a high level. They have simple
intelligence and a limited awareness. They understand
pleasure and pain, but not much else. They are non-aggressive and peaceful until harmed.
Crystalteems are motivated by a desire to reach the surface where they bask in the rays of the sun. The light
reflecting through their crystal structure is believed to be
extremely pleasurable. After a few weeks on the surface the crystalteem begins to dry out and flake apart.
Eventually only the gem stones and a fine white powder
remain.
These nonthreatening life forms are hunted throughout
The world for their gem-encrusted forms. When attacked
their crystal structure can produce harmful harmonics as
well as causing injury when it is struck.
Fungloid
The realm is full of terrible infections and diseases.
Many believe the world is rotting away in sickness and
death. The proliferation of fungus field have contribut-
ed to this terror. Huge beds of fungus form and must be
burned away less they spread fungloid infections capable
of wiping out whole communities.
Fungloids are beasts and beings that have been transformed by infection or other process. They are identified
by the mushroom like stalks sprouting from their arms,
legs, or head. As they age, the fungloid will sprout more
mushroom-like stalks and will grow in power, often becoming a sentient fungloid with the ability to infect others with the fungloid infection.
Fungloids have no memory of their former selves. They
are a blank empty slate, devoid of all feelings except the
desire to serve the colony. Sentient mushrooms bringing
food to the mushrooms in the colony that transformed
them. They will not attack other fungloids, but will attack all warm blooded mammals with the intent to bringing their bodies to the mushrooms in the colony that
transformed them. Sentient fungloids will often infect
beast and beings, supervising groups of fungloids.
Mantid
The Mantid is a common are arcane insect in the world.
Mantids are narrow bodied, green-colored insects with
triangular faces and powerful fore claws. They are
sometimes called praying mantis because the insect usually holds its front legs as if it were praying. Most mantids live in tropical or warm climates, but can survive in
cooler climates. It is not uncommon to find these giant
insects in civilized areas.
Mantids prey on other insects, including other mantids.
Man-sized mantids will attack anything smaller than itself, including animals and people. Mantids generally
blend into the vegetation in which they hunt. A mantid
uses its arm-like forelegs to grasp and capture its prey.
The forelegs have sharp spines and hooks that hold captives.
A female mantid will sometimes devour her own mate,
but the male is able to continue mating with the female
even after his head and brain have been eaten. Female
mantids lay their eggs in masses. The eggs can be found
attached to trees and shrubs during the winter when
leaves no longer hide them. The eggs are light brown
and ribbed.
Rat
83
Inhabitants
Rodents are a plague on the world. Imperial cities and
larger towns are filled with all sizes of rats ranging from
small vermin to man-sized brutes. In the country farmers fear rat swarms that descend on their crops.
Cadaver rats live in graveyards, morgues and mausoleums, where they eat dead human flesh. This diet makes
them extremely aggressive and causes them to mass into
hordes. They are identified by the reddish cast to their
eyes.
Plague rats are the harbingers of disease. They live in
slums, refuse piles and sewers. They are vicious beasts
and will not hesitate to attack anyone approaching their
lairs. Plague rats are marked by their swollen eyes that
drip a yellowish puss. They will transmit a variety of
diseases.
Water rats dwell along the edges of moving water. They
are found on river banks and in sewers. They have
blueish membrane which glide down over their eyes and
allows them to swim in dirty, moving water with their
eyes open.
Reanimant
The waves of dark energy exuded by the Dead One can
cause the reanimation of dead flesh. Reanimants are
corpses that are animated by a necromantic infection,
which activates the body’s muscles and nervous system
after death. They are not intelligent and do not remember their past lives. Reanimants moan constantly and
can only speak short phrases. They are driven by an instinctual desire to consume living cranial tissue which
contains the neurotransmitters they need to survive.
Reanimant bodies continue to rot and, as time passes, appear more corpse-like and have less motor coordination.
Older reanimants have mottled skin, shadowed eyes and
blueish lips. Reanimants with constant food supplies
can survive for up to one month, but eventually they will
cease to function.
Wolves
Wolves are very aggressive and have no fear of civilization. They will hunt any kind of beast or being. Wolves
group into large packs and they communicate by howling as they track their prey. Day or night, wolf packs
have been known to descend on travelers with unrelenting ferocity.
Arcane wolves, such as dire or winter wolves, will
sometimes join with normal wolves as the alpha of their
pack and the whole pack will rage through settled areas.
These wild wolf packs are known to enter homes and
pull victims from their beds.
“I hear the hull creaking as we drift down deeper and deeper into the undersea chasm, floating through the phosphorescent black surrounded by
glowing fish and tentacle things with the water pressure increasing. The
arcane symbols inscribed on our hull will only protect us for so long. I’ve
silenced the machine sprites, their wailing klaxon cries were only scaring
my crew. I have a mission. I will succeed.” Sea Captain
84
Inhabitants
85
When Tyrs the Terrible first conceived the idea of self-powered war machines
people thought he was mad. Siege towers needed to be pushed, cannons needed
to pulled and ships moved only by the wind, but Tyrs was a visionary. He could
see that if magic could create corpses into undead, elementals and machines,
then magic could be used to power other things. Bodies he said were just flesh
machines.
Tyrs gathered the greatest minds of his generation, brilliant engineers, powerful
forgers, and mechanators of great repute. He brought in elementalists willing to
see beyond the basic forces and seers willing to reduce their visions to practical
application. He sought the best in every Union and forced them to contribute to
his project. He wanted to bring life to machines as he had brought life to corpses.
There is nothing that Tyrs cannot accomplish and he found success in this endeavor like all others. He created semi-sentient entities formed from the essence
of mana weaves and called them sprites. These sprites were conjured in magic
wrought metal housings and could be used to perform all kinds of work.
Wheels could be turned by placing an axle into the housing and ordering the
sprite to turn the axle. Wheels got stuck in mud, so Tyrs invented the continuous
track with driving sprites all along its length turn the wheels that drove the tracks.
Sprites in housings powered propellers in sea ships and underwater submarines.
Sky ships were guided by sprites moving wings by levers and pulleys which ran
through their sealed housings. Massive locomotives powered by sprites pulled
mile long trains of cars.
What are sprites you ask? They are two dimensional entities with minimal intelligence. Most can only understand simple commands like forward, backward,
left, right, up, down, and stop. Effects that affect machines will the affect sprite
through their housing because the spirit senses the world through the housing,
but damage will not harm the sprite the mana-wrought housing is impervious
to damage. Of course, if the housing is cracked by sufficient force the machine
sprite will burst forth with great explosive power and be destroyed.
Tyrs is the god of the modern world. Just as the Father and Mother created us.
Tyrs created the sprites that usher in our new age. Pay homage to the machine
entities.
Item List
The following is a list of common
items found in the Empire of Tyrs.
They are readily available and can
be possessed by any person. All mana-tech items must have an appropriate appearance.
Common Clothing
Boots
Coat, winter
Shirt, dress
Shirt, work
Shoes
Skirt
Spectacles
Trouser
Armor Materials
Bark
Bone
Chitin
Leather
Metal
Armor Items
Armor Item, Arm (Left)
Armor Item, Arm (Right)
Armor Item, Back plate
Armor Item, Breastplate
Armor Item, Helmet
Armor Item, Leg (Left)
Armor Item, Leg (Right)
Art Object
Book
Obelisk, 3 feet
Obelisk, 4 feet
Obelisk, 5 feet
Painting
Rod
Statue
Wand
Camping Equipment
Backpack
Fishing Tackle
Fire Starting Kit
Tent
Thick-wall Tent (Mana-Tech)
Climbing Equipment
Rope
Rope, Sturdy
Rope, Unbreakable
Descender
Grappling Hook
Piton
Ascender
Rappel Harness
Computers
Laptop Computer (Mana-Tech)
Tablet Computer (Mana-Tech)
Container
Container, Normal
Container, Sturdy
Container, Unbreakable (Mana-Tech)
Doors
Door
Door, Sturdy
Door, Unbreakable (Mana-Tech)
Explosives
Fuse
Explosives
Depth Charge (Mana-Tech)
Focused Bomb (Mana-Tech)
Radius Bomb (Mana-Tech)
Suicide Bomb (Mana-Tech)
Fine Foodstuffs
Aphrodisiac Foodstuff
Intoxicating Foodstuff
Locks
Basic Lock
Computer Lock
Mechanical Lock
Occult Lock
Medical Equipment
Bandage
Cane
Crutch
Poultice
Splint
Splint, Sturdy
Syringe
Navigation Equipment
Compass
Map
Sextant
Observation Equipment
Candles
Camera (Mana-Tech)
Light Source (Mana-Tech)
Spyglass
Telescope, Mounted
Time Piece
Protective Gear
Breathing Device (Mana-Tech)
Exposure Wear (Mana-Tech)
Flotation Device (Mana-Tech)
Restraining Devices
Ball and Chain
Gag
Manacle, Arm
Manacle, Leg
Rope
Rope, Sturdy
Rope, Unbreakable
Stockade
Riding Equipment
Harness
Saddle
Tools
Axe
Bar
Battering Ram
Block and Tackle
Broom
Chisel
Crowbar
87
Item List
Communicator (Mana-Tech)
Fire Extinguisher
Hammer
Handcart
Ladder
Music Box (Mana-Tech)
Parachute
Scale
Shears
Shovel
Torch
Wrench
Writing Implement
Tool Kits
Construction Tools
Laboratory
Lock Picking Tools
Mechanic’s Tools
Occult Paraphernalia
Procedural Accouterments
Repair Tools
Surgical Tools
Trap Tools
Weapons, Melee
Axes: axe, great axe, hand axe, small
axe, war axe
Axe-Blunt Combos: axe-blunt, great
axe-blunt, hand axe-blunt, small axeblunt, war axe-blunt
Brooms: broom, big broom, great
broom, hand broom
Clubs: club, great club, hand club, small
club, war club
Flexible: weapons (chain, flail, whip)
Hammers: hammer, great hammer, hand
hammer, small hammer, war hammer
Maces: mace, great mace, hand mace,
small mace, war mace
Poles: bladed staff, blunt staff, blunt/
bladed staff, broom staff, chopping pole
arm, crushing pole arm, cutting pole
arm, lance, thrusting spear, walking
staff.
Shields: Striking and Non-Striking.
Shield I (non-round held and round
held), Shield II (non- round strapped
and non-round held), Shield II (round
strapped and round held), Shield II
(rectangle), Shield II (round)
Shovels: shovel, great shovel, long
shovel, short shovel, small shovel
Swords: sword, great sword, short
88
sword, small sword, war sword
Torches: torch, great torch, short torch,
long torch
Wrench: wrench, great wrench, short
wrench, small wrench, long wrench
Wpn. Ranged, Bows
Bow
Bow, Military
Bow, Pulley
Bow, Short
Crossbow
Crossbow, Hand
Crossbow, Military
Crossbow, Pulley
Crossbow, Repeater (one handed)
Crossbow, Repeater (two handed)
Sling Shot
Sling Shot, Military
Sling Shot, Pulley
Wpn. Ranged Bows (Mtd)
Ballista, Heavy
Ballista, Heavy, Repeater
Ballista, Light
Ballista, Light, Repeater
Ballista, Medium
Ballista, Medium, Repeater
Catapult
Wpn. Ranged Guns
Most guns are one-shot muzzle
loaded weapons that shoot balls using smoky explosive powers. Multishot weapons mechanical contraptions powered by machine sprites
and smoky explosive powder. All
guns are made of wood, brass,
bronze or other metals. Since they
work on mana-tech principles they
must be adorned with crystals and/
or arcane symbols.
Blow Gun
Burst Gun
Dart Gun, One-Handed
Dart Gun, Two-Handed
Hand Gun (1 shot)
Hand Gun (5 shot)
Military Gun (1 shot)
Military Gun (10 shot)
Multi-Barrel Gun, Heavy
Multi-Barrel Gun, Light
Multi-Barrel Gun, Medium
Rocket Gun, Heavy
Rocket Gun, Light
Rocket Gun, Medium
Spray Gun (One handed)
Spray Gun (Two Handed)
Sniper Gun
Sub-Automatic Gun (10 shot)
Wpn Ranged Guns (Mtd)
The common cannon is a one-shot
mounted weapon that shoots using explosive powder. Multi-shot
mounted weapons mechanical
contraptions powered by machine
sprites and smoky explosive powder. All guns are made of wood,
brass, bronze or other metals. Since
they work on mana-tech principles
they must be adorned with crystals
and/or arcane symbols.
Cannon (1 shot)
Machine Gun, Heavy
Machine Gun, Medium
Machine Gun, Light
Spray Gun (10 shot)
Wpn Thrown (Reusable)
Balanced Thrown, Large
Balanced Thrown, Medium
Balanced Thrown, Small
Bola
Javelin, Large Shaft
Javelin, Medium Shaft
Javelin, Small Shaft
Lasso
Net
Natural Thrown, Large
Natural Thrown, Medium
Natural Thrown, Small
Over-sized Object
Spirit Tether
Wpn Thrown (One-Use)
Grenade (3”, 6”, 9”) (mana-tech)
Grenade, Impact (3”, 6”, 9”) (mana-tech)
Wpn Thrown Wpn Item
Atlatl
Grenade Launcher
Mounted Mortar
Sling
Composite Weapons
Item List
Handgun Bal Throwing
Hand Gun Short Club
Hand Gun Short Sword
Military Gun War Club
Military Gun Staff
Sling Staff
Weapon Mod. Add-On
Carriage
Mounted Weapon Cover Plate
Scope
Pintle and Mount
Turret
Weapon Mod. Upgrades
Buoyancy Compensator
Critical Dam Increaser (Melee)
Critical Dam Increaser (Ranged)
Damage Dampener
Depletor
Inertia Increaser (Melee)
Inertia Increaser (Ranged)
Powered Grip
Surprise Dam Increaser
Unconscious Upgrade (Melee)
Unconscious Upgrade (Ranged)
Artifacts
The following items are mana-tech
items able to be made by artificing.
These are the kind of tools used by
the cerebrans to augment their great
soldiers. These items must be made
of shiny expensive-looking materials. They are encrusted with gems
and adorned arcane symbols to ensure easy recognized as a magically
empowered artifact. They take many
days to create. The process will fail
if the item is not of sufficient aesthetic appearance.
Artifact Ability Items
Adhering Bands
Bounding Bands
Extender Stilts
Flight Tubes
Hovering Bands
Invul (Spec Dam) Disk
Life Disk
Liquid Tubes
Movement Bands
Respiration Band
Secrets Band
Strength Band
Wound Block
Artifact Feat Items
Assassinating Weapon, Melee
Killing Weapon, Melee
Killing Weapon, Ranged
Knocking Out Weapon, Melee
Knocking Out Weapon, Ranged
Parry Disk
Dodge Disk
Negate Disk
Phase Disk
Shell Disk
Toughness Disk
Artifact Knowledge Items
Information
Medical Examination
Technical
Power Items
Beast Aversion
Beast Dominion
Conjuration Aversion
Conjuration Dominion
Damage
Depletion
Health
Immobilization
Injury
Item
Machine Aversion
Machine Dominion
Mana
Mental Dominion
Mental Manipulation
Mental Terror
Spirit
Undeath Aversion
Undeath Dominion
Artifact Armor
Arm Armor Items
Back Armor Items
Chest Armor Items
Head Armor Items
Leg Armor Items
Mounts
Ant, Centipede, Eagle, Boar, Goat,
Horse, Lizard, Raven, Rhinoceros,
Scorpion, Shark, Snake, Spider, Wolf
Personal Vehicles
Airboat, Balloon Basket, Bicycle, Boat
(Row), Boat (Sail), Broom, Canoe,
Chariot, Flying Carpet, Raft, Wooden,
Submersible, Wagon
Fortifications
Fence, Battlement, Gate House, Moat,
Pitch Pot, Tower, Trench
89
Many people believe that life as an Imperial Appointee is about going on missions
in the service of the Empire, but its so much more than that. Imperial Appointees
fill many roles in the Empire, the most important role is that of mediator. An
Appointee is the person who bridges the gap between Citizen and Denizen.
Since the Empire now allows Non-Humans to become Appointees and Citizens
there are those who believe that the Empire will grow to become a world government superior to that of the cerebrans who controlled all without allowing any
person a say in their own welfare. The Senate of the Empire is a representative
democracy giving power to the people.
The Imperial Military can be compared to the cerebran military only by comparison of its differences. Non-humans can serve in the Imperial Military. In fact
many of the colonial armies are composed almost entirely of native troops. The
leaders of these units are working to become citizens and when they gain this
distinction they will represent their lands in the senate.
All Citizens live a life of luxury. Most Denizens do not have enough to survive
from day to day. There is a great disparity of wealth and many people believe that
the next great conflict will be a conflict of class with the poor rising up against
the rich.
Of course there are many who cannot let go of the non-human versus human
conflicts. There are many humans still holding grudges against the non-humans
for their brutal invasions more than 100 years ago. And there are many non-humans who harbor a great hatred against Tyrs for his brutal retaliation. These
non-humans will never accept the Empire and they continue to fight against
every aspect of Imperial rule.
Many say the greatest danger to the stability of the Empire comes from a decline
in morality. There is a large deviant element within the population. The temples
grow empty and brothels and mead halls are full.
Time Line
Dates before the founding of the Empire count down to
the founding of the Empire, whereas the dates after the
coronation count upwards
Epoch of Slavery
Since history was recorded the Cerebran had ruled the
world forcing all other races into slavery to their life of
luxury.
Epoch of Freedom
This is when humanity rose up against the Cerebrans and
with the help of the non-humans destroyed the Cerebran
overlords of the world.
800
first human rebellion is put down by cerebrans
705
The great insurrection occurs
698
the non-human races join in the rebellion
680
the first cerebran city falls
650
central continent is free and human help the
non-humans throughout the world
Epoch of the Nations
All the major beings of the world establish their own
governments. The Human Republic lasted for just
over 500 years becoming wealthy and powerful. Many
non-humans grew envious of the wealth possessed by
the Human Republic.
625
human provinces are established
600
human republic founded on central continent
575
the non-human have established their own leadership and government systems
Epoch of Woe
The republic is torn down and the human people are enslaved, but they are saved by Tyrs who uses undead and
mana-tech driven machines to save Humanity.
125
The orcs and klactons attack the republic shattering world peace
123
The rakarrin, canarrin and weetle attack
121
The beardon and oculus attack
120
The aridan and minotaur attack
117
The decidiun attack
85
Trys is born in a northern farmstead
75
Tyrs family is killed by non-human raiders
70
Tyrs joins the resistance
65
Tyrs become officer in the human army
58
Tyrs wins the battle on River Avarice
50
Tyrs free the central continent and brings his
army into the non-human lands where he establishes colonies
47
The generals murder Tyrs, but he arises as an
undead to continue the war
41
The last orc army is defeated and its capital city
fall to Tyrs.
05
The airidins, the last of the non-humans, are
defeated and Tyrs orders the occupation of their capital
city.
500
the last cerebran is executed
400
wars between non-human nations begin
03
The world begins to hammer out a peace treaty. The non-human nations become colonies of the Empire where its people are free denizens of the Empire.
Non-human slaves currently held are to remain property.
200
violence escalates between non-humans
Epoch of the Empire
150
terrible war between minotaurs and aquarians
01
Tyrs is crowned Emperor
91
Time Line
07
Gold is discovered on Pyre Island
12
Rebellion in orc lands put down
14
The current year of the Empire
The history of the Empire is the story of humanity’s
92
struggle to survive against outside forces and themselves. The tale is full of betrayal, murder and assassination, but also great nobility, sacrifice and devotion.
As the greatest achievement of humanity, the Empire of
Tyrs is both the best and the worst of humanity. May the
glory of the Empire remain.

Empire of Tyrs Sourcebook

Transcription

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