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The Inquisition It should be noted before continuing that among Caldynians, very few embraced magic in the ways that other races did. Humans in general have very few magic practitioners. Those who do so are more akin to alchemists or Artificers, using various magical herbs and items to create potions or magically powered equipment, from the Amethyst Guns to Aetherships. Mana is recognized as a power source, but that's about as far as it goes. Religion, on the other hand, is a cornerstone of Caladynian mysticism. It would be impossible here to discuss all of the gods of the Amethyst Pantheon. Previously mentioned were Pheadra, Nixus and Mithrallon. the conflict between Nixus and Mithrallon (Light vs Dark) is central to the creation of the universe, and the wars of the religious texts. All other gods align themselves in one way or another with the Dark or the Light (Phaedra sacrificed herself to prevent her two children from killing each other). Throughout the reign of the Empire, the state sponsored religion was Mithras (following the edicts of Mithrallon, God of Light and Justice). Anyone suspected of Night Worship was considered an enemy. Under Hirams reign, there was very little outright persecution. Nonetheless, the church of Mithras always had a branch dedicated to the discovery and conversion of anyone suspected of being a follower of Nixus. Such activities were usually non-violent, as long as the subject was not themselves violent. The Lawbringers were a combination judge, lawyer, and bishop. They were charged with meting out the Empires Justice, as well as that of the church, which often required somewhat alternate methods. When Corvus took the crown, the Lawbringers became more extreme. Suddenly, the due process that guided their actions was less important than ferreting out anyone who did not follow their own stringent rules. They became an Inquisition. Corvus himself often selected targets to send the Lawbringers after, targetting political enemies, and those who might reveal his secrets. (Of course, much of this was not known until after the Battle of Caladyn Hall). Once Corvus was revealed, the Lawbringers had a new target: changelings. The royal family was rounded up and tortured. Many were killed on suspicion alone. Those advisors who confronted Corvus in Caladyn Hall were spared most of the worst of it, but even they underwent interrogation. Once the top levels of the palace were secured, and the Lawbringers were reasonably certain that the new Emperor Marinus was trustworthy, the Inquisition began targetting lesser functionaries. Over the next five years, nearly three hundred Changelings were discovered and executed. Hundreds more were killed without sufficient proof of either their guilt or innocence. Among the conscript armies which were being dismantled after the debacle against the dwarves, execution was as high as fifty percent. Most of those were simply people who had been forced to fight because they couldn't pay their dues. Suspicion took hold among the populace. Strangers were treated with distance when possible. Old friends became new worries. Humans had become paranoid. For a century or longer, there had been persecution, invasion, and now it seemed you couldn't even trust that your neighbor was who he said he was anymore. The empire crumbled. The individual states that once united closed their borders and built their own governments, each as wildly different from the Empire and each other as it was possible to be. Modern Amara Today, the number of Changeling-based events is much, much lower than during the time of the Inquisition. Either the race was mostly wiped out, or they have been much better at keeping themselves hidden. The glory days of the Amethyst Empire are but a shadow in a textbook. Each state has its own government, and its people are loyal to the lands they were born in, instead of a crown somewhere far away. Alliances are beginning to be established again, as smaller states realise that they need the help of larger states to patrol their borders and fight crime. Each state officially follows different gods, as well, though all of them from the Pantheon of Light. Modern Audun The Audun colony was almost immediately cut off from the rest of the Empire on the day of the battle. As a frontier world, they received news of the events only slowly. Without the support of their home, they were forced to develop their own means of governing. As an interesting historical note, they embraced two things that Amara wouldn't: Magic, and Changelings. Being farther from home, and not being as constantly barraged by the edicts of the crown or the Lawbringers, the people of Audun found that using natural magic helped in many ways to make up for the lack of support from home. Further, now they were cut off, it meant that there was little reason to actively ship the crystals that they found back home. Now they are a major exporter of the crystals, and their economy is running well. It may not be long before Audun is as wealthy as Amara once was. In Audun, changelings face far less persecution. Initially, this was because the colony was less important to the empire, and so was less of a target for the changeling threat. But as the years passed, more an more people revealed themselves as changelings. In fact, when news of the Inquisition reached Amara, many changelings publicly declared their identities. The changelings in Audun are careful to avoid stirring up trouble, but otherwise are usually average citizens trying to make a living. As such, chagelings are much more accepted in society in Audun than anywhere else. *************************************************** Now that I am back at my keyboard, when I sit to write, It just pours out. More to come!

The Caladyns The human cultures of Arrylon collectively refer to themselves as Caladyns, after the largest, most long lasting human empire to ever exist. Of course that Empire is long gone. Shortly after the defeat of Tiberion (with the Alliance of Irenier), many of Caladyns citizens wanted to chase after the fleeing elves and seek retribution. Others were content to have won the war and wanted to settle down to the process of rebuilding. Emperor Hiram, chose the latter course. The war had been very expensive for both sides. He did not see the value in engaging in a long-distance war with the routed enemy. Hiram held the peace for two decades. Then he became ill. It would later be found out that he was poisoned. When he died, his son Corvus took the throne. Peace continued to reign for a while after that, but Corvus was not like his father. His edicts were aimed at putting Amara on a war footing, and many whispered that he meant to chase the Elves after all. The truth was even more shocking. Corvus instituted new taxes that filled the royal coffers at an unprecedented rate, but unless you were favored by the crown, you very quickly found yourself headed for poverty. When you proved unable to pay your new taxes, you were arrested. Corvus built an army out the newly poor, conscripting them into harsh training to prepare for an invasion. Corvus new conscript army was loaded onto ships and finally given their orders. Instead of aiming at the Elves in retribution, Corvus had decided to take the wealth of the Dwarves instead. Eight years after taking the throne, Corvus sent forces to Irenier, breaking the treaty and starting a new war with a foe that had proven very capable in battle against Tiberion. It was a decidely short war. It did not go well for the Caladynian force. Six months after the navy set sail, in Caladyn, Corvus advisors took him to task for his reckless actions. They tried to take the crown from him. It was to be a military coup. The goal was to send a message to recall the fleet, end the hostilities and sue for peace with the Dwarves. Corvus, however, was not finished with his surprises. When his war council stated their case, and drew weapons against him, Corvus sprang his trap. His attendants and servants in the throne room threw off their disguises, and drew arms too. He had surrounded himself with like-minded loyalists. They pretended to be servants, hiding in plain sight. The Battle of Caladyn Hall is still sung about to this day. In the end, Corvus had the upper hand. But he was shot during the battle with one of the few new Amethyst Guns. It was a new device, but a small squad had been training with them. The commander of the squad, Lucius Helm, fired the fateful shot, killing Corvus immediately. Corvus still had a surprise. As he died, his form changed. Corvus was not Hiram's son. He was a changeling. This would shake the very foundations of life on Amara, and on the colony planet Audun. No one knew where the changeling came from. No one knew if there were others. How many of the Royal family were corrupted? The realisation that changelings existed and had made their way into the highest levels of the government began the fall of the Caladynian Empire.

I'm back! It's been an interesting week around here (and not all of it has been national news stuff...there have been a couple of shake-ups just within the household here. Nothing major, I'll spare the details. We don't know each other that well.) I have had time to think long and hard about creating "cultural" templates for each of the houses (and then by extension the various human countries, later), but in the end, I don't wanna do it. For one, I can't decide what I would add to each of them. I plan and expect to be with each player as they make their characters anyway, so I can guide them toward anything that might make sense at the time. Besides, not every member of every house takes the same path. To be sure, they'll be encouraged to, but just because you come from the house of miners, that doesn't automatically mean you'll know a whole lot about mining. Each house has people from all path within them. Also, while I won't put them down now, there are other details in my head about the Elves. I'm not going to go into detail here (I have a lot of notes about funerary rituals, for example). In addition, I have finally finished the chapter on magic, and have started taking notes about what will work best for me. So let's move on to the next topic: The Caladynian Empire (The Amethyst Empire). This section will be largely made up, as I wasn't the one who did most of this writing, I've lost touch with the guy who did, and at any rate, it left no room for conflict, and therefore no stories. The solution I've come up with is to advance the timeline (in part to add in the new crystal powered tech, and in part to make it easier to retcon anything I got wrong. So away we go!

Anyone see the news about the Atlanta area? I've been busy dodging hurricanes and chemical explosions down here. I promise, more info about Arrylon is on the way.

I have made it through Fantasy Hero to the end of the chapter on magic. There were a lot of useful ideas in there, and now I'm ready to go back through it with a notepad and pen and start taking notes. I think I want to mold it to somewhat resemble DnD magic, with a few differences, so my new players aren't completely lost.

Warning: This post is a long one. But, I did finally get something written. See you at the end... The Elven Houses of Nithallion 1 Valmaris: This house has, by ages long tradition, been the leader of Parliament. It was the Valmaris clan that negotiated the end to the warring clans era. They created the Parliamentary Charter that governs how the various houses bring up issues, vote on resolutions, and with many long negotiations, established the First Parliament nearly two thousand years ago. Today, leadership of Parliament is an administrative position, with little chance for promotion. Most members of House Valmaris, however, do not seek ever more power, and are happy to facilitate the discussions in the Parliamentary chambers during session. Valmaris Elves are more moderate than most, able to look past their differences when needed to deal with other houses, or other races. Valmaris are natural Diplomats, and many are sent as ambassadors to other lands before taking up a more permanent position within the Halls of Parliament. 2 Aerith: This house is in charge of records and history. In the Halls of Parliament, they record the events of each session, they provide the needed documentation and historical context to everything that the Parliament discusses. Outside of Parliament, they maintain the largest, most complete libraries possible. They collect scrolls, books, sculptures, paintings, and oral tales. Anything to help prevent the past from rising up and complicating matters for the modern Parliament. They are the ones who found the corruption of House Tiberion and was able to bring it to an end. 3 Valyun: House Valyun is considered the face of the people within Parliament. Only those with power and influence can even bring issued before Parliament, and as the common Elf rarely has means to do so, Valyun representatives live among the poorer folk. They listen to the complaints of the every day folk, and select the most important issues to sponsor. 4 Caerthynna: When Tiberion wanted to start his war, Xenal Caerthynna was his most strident opponent. Caerthynna warned the other houses what the costs would be of a protracted, lengthy war against anyone. He knew that the lesser races could replenish their losses in a few years, but Elves, with their lengthened lifespans, and slower birthrate would suffer the most from the casualties of war. "Every Elf killed in battle would cost more than any three or four humans", he said in am impassioned speech on the eve of war. He also fought against the need to assemble the Armada to send it more than a month across the void. He stressed how it would strain supply lines, and do nothing "except to resolve the others to band against us." In the end, he lost the vote by the narrowest of margins. Now, Caerthynna is the loudest, strongest voice in Parliament, as the others have learned to listen to Caerthynna Wisdom. 5 Barathir: This house is known as the game keepers of Nithallion. They spend much of their time maintaining the grounds around the various governmental buildings and manor houses. They keep track of the natural resources available to everyone, and make sure that species are not over hunted. An Elf of House Barathir most resembles Elves of other games, being comfortable in the wild. If you need help caring for sick livestock, or tracking a dangerous animal, you'll likely find what you need among the members of this house. 6 Tazolin: Tazolin operates the largest shipbuilding concern in all of Nithallion. They have skilled shipwrights who can create any kind of sea, air or space-going ship. They have a trade alliance with House Brylee, which allows them to rely on a steady stream of the crystals they need to make space-worthy ships. 7 Wrannala: If there were a house full of conniving, thieving, dishonest folk, this would be it. Wrannala encourages stealth in everything. They always seek to find the best deal in trade, even if they have to work with people known to be less than honorable. they enforce their deals through all kinds of underworld activities. However, they are skilled enough at it to keep themselves clean. Many suspect their hands in many different schemes, but evidence either cannot be found, or is quickly silenced. 8 Lethhonel: The only thing to be said about this house is that they resemble many of the other houses, but are less skilled at any one thing. However, they have the resources to be a useful backup if someone needed something that another house was unable, or unwilling, to provide. 9 Gweyir: House Gweyir is known as the premier silversmithing house across all of Nithallion. They compete every year for the various house military contracts, including the Parliamentary Guard, and have won the contract virtually every year for the last two hundred. The quality of a Gweyir produced blade is second to none. 10 Herkrana: Similar to Gweyir, Herkrana has mastered the art of making armor. While any Elven smith can produce fine armor (better than anywhere else in Arrylon), Herkrana armor is lighter, and maintains its shine far better than even the best that Gweyir has to offer. This house has an uneasy truce with Gweyir, and as long as each keep to their specific contracts, the peace remains. 11 Olanan: Under most definitions of "Great House", Olanan would fail to meet requirements. Less a house of nobilty, and more a conclave of magic users, Olanan maintains the largest collection of mystical lore, books, and artifacts known to anyone. The maigcal power they wield is a strong deterrent to conflict, and allows them a space in Parliament that would otherwise go to a more wealthy and prosperous house. When Elves wish to train in the Arts Arcane, they must demonstrate some basic skill before House Olanan, and then accept the training devised for them by Olanan. Of course, there are no end of non-house trained wizards as well, but being able to display the mark of Olanan brings respect other hedge wizards lack. 12 Brylee: House Brylee is the official overseer of all mining operations on Nithallion. Their manor house resides above the largest crystal mine on Nithallion, but they own and operate many other mines across their world. Their trade alliance with Tazolin has increased the power of both houses considerably. 13 Tiberion (stricken): Members of this house are traditionally charismatic leaders, capable of convincing others to follow them into even the most dangerous of situations. They are powerfully wealthy, and would be a major force in Elven politics if they were not banned from the proceedings. Tiberion Elves are also skilled warriors, and if they use magic, it is almost always some form of battle magic that enhances their prowess. A small group of Tiberiuon Elves practice magic designed to influence minds, but they must operate in secret. It was Hevern Tiberion who united a majority of the Parliament and launched a war of extermination against the Caladynian Empire. However, in the aftermath, it was discovered that only a few of the houses joined willingly, and that through back-room dealings, Tiberion had intimidated or blackmailed many of the sitting members of Parliament into doing as he asked. Further, the loss of Elven life in the end was not worth the minor gains accomplished by the war. Some houses are still feeling the pain of reduced numbers, even a century later. In addition, the war sparked several smaller conflicts that eliminated a chain of Elven outposts that forced the remains of the Armada back toward Nithallion. Tiberion's War brought about several changed in Parliament. First, House Tiberion was unceremoniously removed from Parliamentary status, requiring any policies from Tiberion to need a sponsor to be heard. Second, prior to the War, major policies could be decided upon with a simple majority (which is why there were thirteen houses). Now, most policies require a two-thirds majority. Declarations of war (and the attendant requirement for everyone to contribute ships to the war effort) now require a three-quarters majority. Minor Houses There are numerous houses whose status are considered "Non-Parliamentary". These are houses who do not have the resources to support anything widespread, or who cannot provide the dues required of a full member of Parliament each year. They can have a small influence on policy decisions by throwing their support behind one of the major houses. However, in order to have their issues heard by the Parliament, they must have a Parliamentary sponsor willing to bring the issue before the Parliament. ************************************************************** That's a lot to take in, I know. But its the last piece I need before setting up some sort of template to reflect which house an Elven character might belong to. My first thought was to see how many of the options for the elves from fantasy hero would work to differentiate them, but now I think I need to build a full on template for each. Especially since the humans are going to have culture templates, too. I would welcome any ideas anyone wants to put forward. I'll have some ideas noted down in the next day or two myself.

I feel like G.R.R. Martin... I have a lot of ideas... I load up a word processor to get started... I do everything BUT write... I wish I had more writing done. I opened my word processor first thing this morning. I've been staring at the page off and on all day.

Good Monday, everyone! Oi, the week I had last week... I was able to dig through all of my old work in the hopes of finding an old map i drew. And I did find one. Just not the one I was hoping to find. The original draft of Arrylon is almost 25 years old. Back then, as I was the art major on the team, it fell to me to design the visual parts of the setting. And I love maps. So maps was mostly what I did, though I did also do some banners and flags to go with them. I was looking for the map for Nithallion, which I hoped would still exist and would have had the names of the 13 elven houses, saving me a step or two, and maybe inspiring some more writing. I did not find Nithallion. But I did find the world map for Arrylon, and it does have all of the minor kingdom names that were part of the Caladynian Empire. So when I get to the humans, that'll help there. In other news, a large part of my recent delay in posting anything was getting hip deep in the magic chapter of fantasy hero. I'm about ready to set down notes and ideas for how it'll all work. But first, I'll have to wrap up the elves.

@Ninja-Bear You are correct. I've dialed it back a bit. Especially after re-reading about immortality, and how it means they don't age. They do, it's just insanley slow. I imagine them being roughly middle aged for a long, long time. So here is the updated version of the template, with suggestions included: ELF TEMPLATE Cost Ability 4 +2 DEX 2 +2 INT 2 +2 PRE 5 +1 OCV 5 +1 DCV 4 Elven Swiftness: Running +4m 2 Elven Eyes: +1 Sight Group PER 5 Elven Eyes: Ultraviolet Perception (Sight Group) 3 Elven Sleep: Lightsleep 4 Elven Longevity: Life Support (Longevity: lifespan effectively immortal, but they slowly age) 4 Striking Appearance (Only Affects non-Elves) +2/2d6 Total Cost Of Template Abilities: 40 Value Complications 15 Superiority Complex, all non-Elves (Very Common, Moderate) Total Value Of Template Complications: 15 I do find it interesting that 5 point immortality exists given the rarity of games that last long enough for it to have an effect. But you are right, it would have no real bearing on most games, and so shouldn't cost anything (an aspect of Hero I lost sight of, momentarily). I feel I am getting close to the baseline here. Shortly, I will write up a brief description of the Houses, so I can start working out how they would modify this base.

As soon as I read that, it made perfect sense. There are so many things I've read over the last two months, it's going to be a while before it all sticks. Instead of or in addition to the PRE boost? And thanks for the comment. After several posts, I thought I was talking to myself. (which happens a lot as I get older...)

On balance: While I have played/run a vast number of different ttrpg's over my lifetime, most of my experience has been with some version of DnD. You get kind of brainwashed doing that. Balance is such a big consideration for players and GM's over in DnD land. It wasn't always like that. It really started creeping in with late 2E. Before that, though, your GM was responsible for evaluating an encounter to see if it was likely to kill your party. The players were responsible for running away on occasion, or finding some way other than fighting to take out a powerful monster. These days, though, it's all about making sure no one character is any stronger than another, and that you should expect a certain number of fights between levels and even from day to day. So coming to Hero from that sort of background has been an experience. As such, while I think about how to represent the 13 Elven houses, there is a long-ingrained tendency to try to balance all of them each against the others. I know I don't need to do that. But the inertia is there. In Arrylon, there aren't really multiple sub-species of Elves. Looking at the original Elven template from Fantasy Hero, there is a list of options that allow you to change the default into a different kind of elf. So if you want a high elf, or a wood elf, you spend X points to add X abilities to the base. That could work for the houses, too. But then, so could creating culture templates. If I were to do that, the expectation from my players will become: Choose Race > Choose Culture > Choose Profession. That's three templates to copy out and add up. (And if they decide to 'multiclass' and take more than one profession, something I'm not convinced I need to allow...) In the end, however, I'm pretty sure I'll differentiate the houses through separate templates. It seems more concise to do it that way, than to add a long list of options at the end of the race. Especially since I want to address the concept of everyman skills, which will certainly be different from house to house.

In order to begin the work, let's go back to the Elves. I'm trying to figure out what I want for my elves as a race, and then as members of each of the 13 Houses. To that End, I took the Elven Template from Fantasy Hero, and began tweaking it. This is the first time I've tried to apply the things I've learned, and I have a stack of books next to me as I do this. The Template as presented in Fantasy Hero works pretty well. But I would like your opinions on the changes. Keep in mind their story above: They believe they are better than everyone else, even the gods. So they are most often arrogant. As I went skimming through chapters I haven't read yet for ideas to add to the template to make it my own, I found the "Fascination" talent. But that seemed a bit too powerful for the entire race to have. I started thinking about how I could change it to work better, and thought that maybe just increasing the Elves Presence would be the better way to go. So here is what I have so far: ELF (Nithallion) Cost Ability 4 +2 DEX 2 +2 INT 5 +5 PRE 5 +1 OCV 5 +1 DCV 4 Elven Swiftness: Running +4m 2 Elven Eyes: +1 Sight Group PER 5 Elven Eyes: Ultraviolet Perception (Sight Group) 3 Elven Sleep: Lightsleep 5 Elven Longevity: Life Support (Longevity: lifespan effectively immortal) Total Cost Of Template Abilities: 40 Value Complications 15 Superiority Complex, all non-Elves (Very Common, Moderate) Total Value Of Template Complications: 15 There is just something about an Elf. You may not like them, they are generally arrogant bas*****s, but when you are in the presence of one...you tend to want to listen to what he has to say. So instead of "Fascination" I thought an increase to Presence would be good. Maybe it's too high? There is their superiority complex, which is aimed at anyone they meet who isn't an elf. Their primary instinct is to treat everyone as an inferior, but they are smart enough to know that often they have to put those feelings aside in order to get things done. (Such as administrating a prison colony, or being a diplomatic liaison.) In my setting, Elves could theoretically live forever if they wanted. When an Elf gets tired of life, they can 'pass beyond'. If they are wealthy enough or famous enough (or both), their bodies can be preserved in case they decide to return. The fact that none ever have in recorded history is not something they like to talk about. Otherwise, the template is unchanged, because I feel it works well. I invite comment.

When I said I had notes for Two more Major races, and then some minor ones, what I really mean is that I have one more fairly well developed race, but its rare, and two more that I only have sketches of. And as one of the sketches is the primary antagonist of the only developed one...they were listed as major by default. So some notes on all of them: The Murovai. These are people who live on a southern continent that is largely savannah. I pictured them as resembling lion-folk. they are matriarchal, the females rule, they hunt, and so on. The thing about these people is that when they enter a battle rage, they physically transform into a larger, more cat-like version of themselves. This gives them better speed and better melee abilities. The Murovai who best serve their queen are baptised in the blood of a kill. The magic permanently stains their fur red, and these red-furred warriors become the queens personal guard. The Fan-Chi Empire: Across the Fan Sea from the Murovai, is an island culture that was designed to mostly resemble any typical Asian group as represented in most ttrpg's. By which to say, they are largely a mish mash of incorrect stereotypes, who are trying to expand their empire into Murovai lands. The Drakiiri Federation: The Drakiiri are the newest invention for the setting. And they aren't yet well developed. I am from Illinois originally, and a few years ago, I moved to Georgia. I met a wonderful woman, and am now married. She had never gamed before, certainly no rpg's. Now she does, she loves them, and she loves dragons. So the Drakiiri Federation exist on the far edges of the map of known worlds. They are the reason we talked briefly about kobolds earlier. They will be dragon-folk of some kind. Likely they'll have wings, possibly they'll have dragon's breath. They are a mostly peaceful civilization, but they have recently expanded out in the direction of the others, and found mostly conflict. They are careful in their approaches to the others, and are mostly gathering information before the federation starts sending diplomatic overtures. They aren't sure if they want to deal with the rest yet, so they mostly wait and bide their time. *********************************************************************************************** That's the list of "must have" races. As you can see, I have some work ahead of me. I now get to design the racial templates for all of these. then I get to decide what cultural templates I want to create. Some are obvious, and the humans need a massive amount of writing because there were several countries in the original Amara, but that wasn't my area to develop, and now I'm working on it alone. As for where I am at the moment in my reading: I finally got through the core books, plus some additional references. I looked into the Martial Arts book because I thought I might use the rules there to create a special sword school just for the Elves to practice. I still might, but its not a priority at the moment. I read the Advanced Players Guide, read the crucial bits from the equipment guide and bestiary. I have Fantasy Hero and Star Hero, as well as the grimoire. I am reading Fantasy Hero, currently about profession templates. In other words, the Hero design work begins in earnest.

The Dwarves do NOT beleive in gods. According to their myths and legends, they were part of the living rock. They took the form they have now, and as immutable as stone is, have kept that form ever since. There are two distinct groups of Dwarves today: Irenier and Bresdelen. Irenier is a world of lush forest and majestic mountains. Dwarves live under the mountains mostly, though they do have a few cities above ground that serve as ports of trade for other races to visit. Dwarves pride themselves on the skill of their smiths, and their prices are often high to reflect this. Gnomes can create even better quality items, but its best not to let a dwarf hear you say that. (And thankfully, gnomes are mostly too busy creating wierd devices to really compete). Dwarves are more or less what you would expect from any other RPG system. Somewhat shorter than men, broader, tougher, long hair and bears. They live in a complex clan system, and they are ruled by a Thane who oversees most of the interactions from clan to clan. They threw their lot in against the elves when Tiberion began his invasion, and it was a dwarven army that met Tiberion in the mountains outside Caladyn, eventually leading to his defeat. In this new version of Arrylon I am building, the Dwarves operate most of the crystal mines that enable ships and other items to be built (such as guns and swords that inflict different kinds of damage). The crystal in question primarily being native to Irenier. This puts them in a strong position in regards to trade and travel, as it is possible to send ships across the gulfs of space without the crystals, but building such ships takes a much longer. Non-crystal ships require a lot of raw magic and many rituals. A lot of their trade is with the gnomes, who are feverishly working on new ways to use the power stored in the crystals. Conflicts between clans are relatively frequent. Dwarves who have issue can take the issue to their clan leader, and if the issue is between two clans, they can take it to the Thane. Usually a ritualized form of combat is used to resolve the issue. It is rare that a dwarf dies during this fight, but anything short of that is normal. The loser admits his mistake, and the Thane assigns reparations. The Thane does have the ability to call on all of the clans to assemble an army, and he has rarely had to do so. Bresdelen is a dwarf colony, given space in a mountain range on Audun. Dwarves are not given to colonization much, finding it just as easy to delve deeper down when they need more space. However, Bresdelen the First, took a grievance before the Thane. He was not satisfied with the outcome. So he took as many of his clan as would follow him, and left Irenier. Arriving on Audun, they negotiated a parcel of land, and set down roots. In the centuries since, the Bresdelen Dwarves have established themselves as consumate merchants. They had few resources, and their new mountain home did not provide as many useful ores as back home, so they had to learn the art of trade. These days, Bresdelen is divided into multiple "Families", each of which claims dominion over a particular kind of trade good. All Bresdelen Dwarves will trade for anything, but depending on the back alley deals a specific Bresdelen has accumulated, they have wide and varied access to many different kinds of goods. The Families of Bresdelen are proud of their fortunes, and are always looking for ways to increase their copfferes. Some of the families even speculate on mercenaries and explorers, making them a good source of patrons for groups looking for a bit of funding (though the contracts are very long and very intricate). While it would be difficult to tell a Bresdelen Dwarf apart from an Irenier Dwarf if they were both standing in front of you, and had nothing but their clothes on, it is not difficult to tell them apart. An Irenier Dwarf keeps his long hair and beard in intricate braids, often with bits of metal worked in. They will often wear heavy armor (if a warrior) or thick leather (if a smith). On the other hand, Bresdelen clothes are more brightly colored, easy to move in, and even ostentatious. They keep their faces shaved, or at least their chins, and their hair is often died unnatural colors. As for hair styles...Bresdelen is unique. The colors and style of cut are often a way to determine one family member from another, but unless you are from Bresdelen, the number of combinations is extremely difficult to understand. Two more major races to go, and then some notes about some minor races. Then a bit of history. Soon, it'll be time to start making templates.

Today, the Gnomes of Durenor: As mentioned in earlier posts, the gnomes were creations of Nixus, god of Darkness. He created a race of clever minded people to create numerous war machines that he thought would help him in destroying any creature of Light and Good. His definition of 'creature of Light and Good' was essentially anything that wasn't himself or something he created. In that far early time, they followed his rule because they didn't know any better. However, as they started to encounter other races and cultures, they very quickly realized they were on the wrong team. They rebelled, turned their inventions against Nixus' creations and joined the side of Light. That of course was ages ago. Now they are content to stay on their island (actually now Arrylon's Moon in this new version of the setting), and build their inventions. They are happy to work as smiths, and every gnome household has at least one forge alongside a workshop. In the original setting, Durenor was an island volcano, and they had tunneled and dug and brought the volcano under their control. They used its heat to power their forges. Given that this is fantasy, I see no real reason to not make the moon of Durenor volcanically inactive. So it can stay much as it was originally written. Then Tiberion came to Arrylon to invade and eliminate the Caladyns. His initial plan was to land a beachhead on Durenor first, and then use it to strike at the Northern shores of Amara. He did not count on the gnomish resistance. The gnomes defended their shores with the very kinds of machines (though with ages of advancement and development) that turned away Nixus' original tide of darkness. In fact, the tales tell of a machinethat was built by the gnome named Latchbuilder that was instrumental in preventing the initial landing. Canonically, in the original setting, Latchbuilder created a tank, and was able to turn Tiberion away. This tank still resides in Latchbuilder's Hall, where young up and coming gnomish engineers are allowed to study and learn. So, yes, at the time of the original writing, I was enamoured of the 'Tinker' gnome as it was appearing in gaming and other media at the time. I still like them. I'm keeping them. My gnomes, though, are not always great at invention. Clever, yes. Creative, yes. Well thought out? Not always. This is a group that tried to create the first internal combustion engine. With gunpowder. Their national sport is gnome flinging, invented after one gnome created an automatic extending ladder, and stood at the top of it when the springs released. They go invention with gusto. If one of them says "I have just the thing!" It's a one of a kind item. And it will likely explode. But don't worry. They are usually more of a threat to themselves than anyone else. Just don't stand too close when they activate their machine.