Post by irishmagician on Dec 26, 2011 17:33:42 GMT -4
Chaos Rift (Group 2)
Guidelines:
This campaign runs concurrently with the other group session of "Chaos Rift." Overlap and interaction between groups may (and probably will) occur.
Starting Level: 6
Stats: Standard stat rolls (See "Addendum")
Traits: Any 2 traits from the SRD are acceptable, limit 1 trait/type.
Region-specific traits may be chosen, even if the “region” does not apply to the setting, but only if the RP behind the trait fits the character.
Starting Gold: You start with 16,000 gp, which you may spend however you wish prior to starting the campaign. The only restrictions are that you may not purchase anything with an enhancement bonus > +3 (though additional enchantments are allowed, e.g. flaming longsword +3) and you may not purchase anything that allows plane shifting.
Races: All base races are allowed, though you may contact me if you wish to try something else.
Alignment: Any alignment except chaotic evil is allowed. If you wish to choose an evil alignment, your playing experience may be adversely affected.
Classes: No restrictions on any class.
Deities: Same as normal pathfinder ones.
Requirements: You must be enrolled in, associate with, or work at the Oakdale Academy. See "History" below.
Background:
History:
This is information on the history of the world as your characters would know it:
Once, five thousand years ago, the three continents of Dorien, L’Thonriel and Talkanta used to be one larger continent called L’Tanas. L’Tanas was located between two other continents, separated by an ocean on either side. The names of these lands have been lost to the ages, for reasons explained soon. One fateful night, a bright light shone in the heavens above L’Tanas. Many gathered to gaze into the sky at this spectacle, for the light of this “star” in the sky shone so brightly that it almost seemed it was day once again. It was then panic began to gripe the denizens of L’Tanas, as people began to notice it getting closer and brighter. Many people fled, though not in any particular direction, while others just stood and watched this new light in the sky. Nonetheless, this light approached with increasing speed. This went on for one whole day, its light slowly become red and furious as time wore on. By the next night, the light in the sky was now akin to a fiery meteorite in the sky; hurtling straight towards the center of L’Tanas. It struck the ground with unimaginable velocity, cracking the very earth beneath it in twain. It is said that for a moment after the impact, time seemed to stop and the light of the sun seemed to suddenly stop shining; covering L’Tanas in a brief darkness. Shortly thereafter, tens of thousands of people died from the ensuing wave of flames and earthquakes that came from the meteorite, or drowned from the waters from the oceans that poured into fill the crater left by it. The impact of this meteorite splintered L’Tanas into three smaller continents and several islands.
This event was called the “Firefall” by those who survived it, doing what little they could to restore normalcy to the shattered lives they had once lived. Thousands of years have passed, as the various races of former L’Tanas (and the elves) rebuilt their various kingdoms and cities. Much of the books and literature recording the history of events prior to the Firefall had been destroyed upon the impact of the meteorite; so many of the races passed on what they could to the future generations.
Contact was completely lost to the other continents of the world that had previously been around L’Tanas. Ships that were sent out from the various kingdoms sailed endlessly in the oceans around what used to be L’Tanas, but all they could find was an endless ocean. Legend says that if you sail east from Dorien, you could go around the entire world without finding another continent. Assuming the impact of the meteorite had caused them to sink into the sea, the denizens of the remaining three continents continued to live their lives.
In the present day, this story begins in the city of Oakdale; set at the foot of the Ridgeback Mountains in northern Dorien. The Oakdale Academy in the city is renowned throughout the continents as being the finest place to learn a trade; be it swordsplay, wizardry, or even a more civilian craft such as smithing and architecture. Much research on various types of magic is also performed at the Wizard’s Tower, under the direction of a gnome called Erfryn the Sage, who oversees the entire academy.
Addendum:
And with this, your story begins!
The reason for your character's presence at the Academy may vary; feel free to take liberties with the backstory! Develop the background for your character with as much detail as you would like. The more you can give me about the character, the more you will get back as the story develops. I’ll let you know if something needs to be changed. Or ask me for clarification on something, I’ll send you whatever information you need. While I have tried to give as much detail on this world or setting as I can, even I can't cover everything. Feel free to "fill in" details about this world that I have not covered in your backstory, I will let you know if something contradicts.
Post your character sheet and background in the "Character Sheet Posting (Group 2)" subforum (surprisingly, in the "Character Sheet" forum for Chaos Rift). Please send it by me first (via facebook or the messaging system on the forum), so I can check to see if any changes need to be addressed. Additionally, you will need to post your ability score rolls under the "Rolls (Group 2)" subforum (same location). You will find more information on how to do so under that subforum. Finally, posting for the RP will be found in the "Play" subforum under "Part 1: The Experiment (Group 2)," available when everyone is finished making their characters.
Please let me know if you have any questions! Additional information regarding the campaign setting can be found below, as well as under the "Maps" portion of the "Other Discussion" subforum.
Geography
Dorien:
-Oakdale: a city that houses the famous Oakdale Academy, one of the best academic institutions amongst the three continents. It is also home to the Temple of Mysteries, which serves as a place of worship for all of the major deities. The Jun Zi Dojo sits just outside of Oakdale, which provides training in all forms of melee and ranged combat. Many outcast elves/half-elves live in the Silverleaf forest (also in the Brynway forest as well) to the east of Oakdale. The Silverleaf Grove has an impressive ring of standing stones that have existed there as long as anyone can remember, in the shadow of an immense silveroak tree that sits in the center of the grove.
-Savanrae Village: an agrarian community, with a large number of halfings mixed with other races. The region is renowned for a large shrine to Sarenrae and Iomedae near the village.
-Talinbrae: a bustling seaside port, home to a melting pot of races from all over L’Tanas. A large shrine to Desna faces the ocean just outside of the port.
-Brynway Village/Castle: capital of Dorien, large human population with various other races.
-Wyrmdown Settlement: a small hamlet with a rather large market, large dwarven population.
Talkanta:
-Orontu: more of a collection of huts and buildings rather than a city, there is bustling trade here as the nomadic tribes and merchants from other continents come here to do business.
L’Thonriel:
-Riversmeet: home to the Grand Court, filled with intricate buildings and spires that stretch to the sky.
-Soniel’s and Sardon’s Gate: these cities sit at the only two entries into L’Thonriel in order to prevent non-elves from entering, serve as centers for commerce with other lands.
-Tal’Silvas: home to the Elven Wizard’s Academy and the Grand Library
-Lirien: a small community of master craftsmen, much of the weapons and arms in L’Thonriel are made here and shipped up/down river to the Gate’s for trade.
-Vas’Lariel: home to the Lariel Military Academy, where training in the higher forms of archery and martial combat is taught.
Races
-Humans:
Humans mainly populate the Dorien and Talkanta continent, though they make up the majority of the races that populate the lands. Even though they are short-lived compared to the elves and gnomes, they are one of the civilized races that has existed on the continents prior to the “Firefall.” However, there are no records or tales of their history prior to the event.
All humans that can trace their lineage to before the “Firefall” are taller than the average human, have more slender/angular features, and have purple eyes (frequently referred to as having “pure-blood”); though those that have mingled their lines with other races do not have any of these attributes. Due to this, there is a certain prejudice against “mixed-bloods” and humans intermarrying with other races. This intermingling still occurs, more frequently in Dorien than anywhere else due to the various races living together in the same communities.
Humans living on the southern continent (Talkantans) are darker skinned, ranging from tan to dark brown; with almost all having the “pure-blooded” attributes, as they live in nomadic tribal communities that refuse almost all interaction with any other race. Other races wishing to trade with these communities for their items that can only be found in Talkanta (e.g. ivory, certain kinds of wood, herbs/medicines, animals, etc) have long since learned to do so through a human intermediary, knowing that to not do so would be equivalent to banging one’s head repeatedly against a wall. There is only one actual “city” in the continent, on the northern side, called Orontu; though most know that it only exists as a favor by the Talkantans to make it easier to trade with the outside world. There is no central government in Talkanta, though occasionally a Council is called by all the tribes to address major concerns that may arise.
Humans living on the northern continent (The Dorene) are fair skinned, and typically live in either small farming communities or in the few towns and cities that span the continent. The Dorene are more “civilized” than their Talkantan counterparts; leading to development of more modern infrastructure, government (monarchy, based in Brynway), and institutions of learning (magic or otherwise).
-Elves/Half-Elves:
Despite the fact that elves have longer-life spans than most of the other races, they are not native to the three continents. After the “Firefall,” thousands of elves appeared in Dorien through a gate set in a grove deep within the Silverleaf forest. It was later known that these elves had come from their homeland on another plane, and were attempting to travel to a certain destination using their network of Elf Gates. But the magic of the gate had been twisted awry in transit, dumping them in Dorien instead. All of these elves had no memory or recollection of where they had been going, nor memories of anything else that happened longer than 100 years prior to their arrival. Quite fortunately, they retained their knowledge of crafts, combat, and magic; which they used to make a home of the forest-covered continent of L’Thonriel. Since their arrival, the presence of any other race on the continent has been forbidden upon punishment of death. Their mages raising mountains to encircle the continent, the elves live in relative security and seclusion from the outside world. Two cities exist on the edges of L’Thonriel as the only viable access to the continent; being the only places on the continent where other races are permitted to step foot on the land, and then only for the reason of trade and commerce. However, elves from L’Thonriel have been known to leave their haven; usually for trade, politics, or academic purposes. Each non-outcast elf must attend either the Wizard’s Academy or the Lariel Military Academy when they reach 50 years of age to receive an education. Most leave when they finish their schooling at 100 years of age.
Many elves remained behind on Dorien, choosing to live with the other races that populated the continent. Those that chose to stay behind were viewed as outcasts by the elves that went to L’Thonriel, and were marked by a curse before the elves left. Those so cursed have a mark, shaped like a crescent moon, somewhere on their body. If a marked elf should step foot on L’Thonriel, the curse triggers; all non-marked elves within 5 miles of the outcast instantly become aware of his/her presence, as long as he/her remains on the continent. Needless to say, most marked elves do not remain or live long on L’Thonriel. This curse is passed onto any children an outcast may have, so it is not uncommon to see a half-elf with a cursemark in Dorien. To this day, no spell has been able to remove this curse.
The elves of L’Thonriel are governed by the Grand Court, held in Riversmeet, which is ruled by representatives from each of the major elven cities. The representatives hold their position for a century term, and are chosen by the governor of their respective city. The major exports of L’Thonriel include intricately designed crafts and weapons and magic items.
-Gnomes:
Gnomes existly mainly in Dorien and Bantforth, wherever they can find a nice hill to dig into and call home. The gnomes were also one of the races that originally existed on the continents prior to the “Firefall,” though the majority of their race was killed during the event. The ones that survived came from Bantforth, where the hills and valleys of the island are filled with bustling communities of gnomes.
The Bantforth gnomes are a curious and inquisitive race, almost to a fault (and more frequently, resulting in various explosions/accidents/arrests). It is an unusual day when one encounters a gnome, and not to see them either engrossed in an archaic book, stuck upside down in a barrel, or rummaging around in your sock drawer. But somehow, they manage to live their lives like any other race; though one can say that their lives are certainly more eventful than most.
The government of Bantforth is ruled as a democracy; though it quite a while for anything to get done, as each gnome has a different idea of how things should be run (with a 100-page thesis explaining their exact plan of how to do it). Their capital is based out of the academic town of Bantforth College.
Gnomes can be found in Dorien as well, though some communities eventually grow weary of the various antics that result from their very presence. Due to this, some towns may have separate portions where only gnomes reside. The gnomes are reknown for their developments in technology, magic, and other forms of learning. Their discoveries, tools/implements, and magicks are highly sought after by the other races (even the reclusive elves of L’Thonriel). It is a gnome’s dream to be accepted into the Oakdale Academy in northern Dorien, where knowledge from all of the three continents is gathered, taught, and researched.
-Halflings:
The halflings also were one of the original races prior to the “Firefall.” Most halflings live in agrarian communities around the Savanrae Expanse in Dorien, spending most of their time doing honest, good work in the fields and the community. Halflings from this portion of Dorien place much emphasis on the importance of community and hard work, since they rely on sheer numbers and co-ordination to make up for their lack in physical stature/strength. Even a rampaging ogre has thought twice about charging a halfling village, for larger monsters have been brought low by a swarm of 200+ halflings with knives and pitchforks. When approached with challenges they cannot handle, all of the halflings in the community disappear like smoke; hidden expertly in every crevice and nook until trouble passes by.
Halflings in more urban settings and major cities find themselves right at home, where a quick head and hand will save the day more readily than brute strength. They fill all kinds of odd jobs and tasks, always getting them done with incredible attention to detail and speed. It is important to supervise tasks relegated to halflings closely, for when they run out of things to do they will start “fixing” things; while they may work the way a halfling thinks it should, but it may not be the same as you left it.
Due to their focus on physical tasks and chores, it is more uncommon to see a halfling being involved with more magical/intellectual activities; though when the occasional halfling does pursue such activities, one can expect it to be done more precisely and efficiently than anyone else.
Halflings have no central government, choosing to live in peace under whatever country they are currently living in.
-Dwarves:
The dwarves are another one of the races that were established prior to the “Firefall.” They were probably closest to being the dominant race amongst the others; having established a wide network of dwarven holds in the mountains on the main continent before it splintered. After the event, practically all of them sank into the Sea of Tears. The Ironhammer Clan stand as the last remnants of a proud civilization, living in Drake’s Tooth Keep on the Isle of Teeth. The Ironhammer dwarves are reknown for their smithing abilities, having made many items of quality and power used all over the lands. There is a slight rivalry between them and the elves, if only because the elves are impeding their grip on the arms market.
The Ironhammer dwarves do venture outside of the Keep on the Isle of Teeth, in order to gather better materials for their smithing. They frequently make trips up to the Ridgeback Mountains in Dorien to mine for ore and other precious materials. Their base in Dorien is on the eastern side of the continent, called the Wyrmdown Settlement. All dwarves are governed by the patriarchy from Drake’s Tooth Keep, even if they live in other lands. The dwarven king, cunningly arranging political treaties to allow it, frequently sends agents/tax collectors to other countries to keep a census/eye on these individuals.
-Half-Orcs:
There are a small number of half-orcs in Dorien, mostly resulting from raids from roving orc bands amongst human settlements. There are more of them in Talkanta, where the populace of orcs is higher; though they usually travel in groups in Talkanta, since none of the human tribes there will accept them. While the resulting offspring can usually live in peace in any of the continents (except L’Thonriel), there is stigma that follows them if the human parent was of “pure-blood” origin. Even though half-orcs usually result to mercenary work, they have been known to pursue other goals/activities as well. Half-orcs have no central government, living under the governing body of the country they reside in.
Guidelines:
This campaign runs concurrently with the other group session of "Chaos Rift." Overlap and interaction between groups may (and probably will) occur.
Starting Level: 6
Stats: Standard stat rolls (See "Addendum")
Traits: Any 2 traits from the SRD are acceptable, limit 1 trait/type.
Region-specific traits may be chosen, even if the “region” does not apply to the setting, but only if the RP behind the trait fits the character.
Starting Gold: You start with 16,000 gp, which you may spend however you wish prior to starting the campaign. The only restrictions are that you may not purchase anything with an enhancement bonus > +3 (though additional enchantments are allowed, e.g. flaming longsword +3) and you may not purchase anything that allows plane shifting.
Races: All base races are allowed, though you may contact me if you wish to try something else.
Alignment: Any alignment except chaotic evil is allowed. If you wish to choose an evil alignment, your playing experience may be adversely affected.
Classes: No restrictions on any class.
Deities: Same as normal pathfinder ones.
Requirements: You must be enrolled in, associate with, or work at the Oakdale Academy. See "History" below.
Background:
History:
This is information on the history of the world as your characters would know it:
Once, five thousand years ago, the three continents of Dorien, L’Thonriel and Talkanta used to be one larger continent called L’Tanas. L’Tanas was located between two other continents, separated by an ocean on either side. The names of these lands have been lost to the ages, for reasons explained soon. One fateful night, a bright light shone in the heavens above L’Tanas. Many gathered to gaze into the sky at this spectacle, for the light of this “star” in the sky shone so brightly that it almost seemed it was day once again. It was then panic began to gripe the denizens of L’Tanas, as people began to notice it getting closer and brighter. Many people fled, though not in any particular direction, while others just stood and watched this new light in the sky. Nonetheless, this light approached with increasing speed. This went on for one whole day, its light slowly become red and furious as time wore on. By the next night, the light in the sky was now akin to a fiery meteorite in the sky; hurtling straight towards the center of L’Tanas. It struck the ground with unimaginable velocity, cracking the very earth beneath it in twain. It is said that for a moment after the impact, time seemed to stop and the light of the sun seemed to suddenly stop shining; covering L’Tanas in a brief darkness. Shortly thereafter, tens of thousands of people died from the ensuing wave of flames and earthquakes that came from the meteorite, or drowned from the waters from the oceans that poured into fill the crater left by it. The impact of this meteorite splintered L’Tanas into three smaller continents and several islands.
This event was called the “Firefall” by those who survived it, doing what little they could to restore normalcy to the shattered lives they had once lived. Thousands of years have passed, as the various races of former L’Tanas (and the elves) rebuilt their various kingdoms and cities. Much of the books and literature recording the history of events prior to the Firefall had been destroyed upon the impact of the meteorite; so many of the races passed on what they could to the future generations.
Contact was completely lost to the other continents of the world that had previously been around L’Tanas. Ships that were sent out from the various kingdoms sailed endlessly in the oceans around what used to be L’Tanas, but all they could find was an endless ocean. Legend says that if you sail east from Dorien, you could go around the entire world without finding another continent. Assuming the impact of the meteorite had caused them to sink into the sea, the denizens of the remaining three continents continued to live their lives.
In the present day, this story begins in the city of Oakdale; set at the foot of the Ridgeback Mountains in northern Dorien. The Oakdale Academy in the city is renowned throughout the continents as being the finest place to learn a trade; be it swordsplay, wizardry, or even a more civilian craft such as smithing and architecture. Much research on various types of magic is also performed at the Wizard’s Tower, under the direction of a gnome called Erfryn the Sage, who oversees the entire academy.
Addendum:
And with this, your story begins!
The reason for your character's presence at the Academy may vary; feel free to take liberties with the backstory! Develop the background for your character with as much detail as you would like. The more you can give me about the character, the more you will get back as the story develops. I’ll let you know if something needs to be changed. Or ask me for clarification on something, I’ll send you whatever information you need. While I have tried to give as much detail on this world or setting as I can, even I can't cover everything. Feel free to "fill in" details about this world that I have not covered in your backstory, I will let you know if something contradicts.
Post your character sheet and background in the "Character Sheet Posting (Group 2)" subforum (surprisingly, in the "Character Sheet" forum for Chaos Rift). Please send it by me first (via facebook or the messaging system on the forum), so I can check to see if any changes need to be addressed. Additionally, you will need to post your ability score rolls under the "Rolls (Group 2)" subforum (same location). You will find more information on how to do so under that subforum. Finally, posting for the RP will be found in the "Play" subforum under "Part 1: The Experiment (Group 2)," available when everyone is finished making their characters.
Please let me know if you have any questions! Additional information regarding the campaign setting can be found below, as well as under the "Maps" portion of the "Other Discussion" subforum.
Geography
Dorien:
-Oakdale: a city that houses the famous Oakdale Academy, one of the best academic institutions amongst the three continents. It is also home to the Temple of Mysteries, which serves as a place of worship for all of the major deities. The Jun Zi Dojo sits just outside of Oakdale, which provides training in all forms of melee and ranged combat. Many outcast elves/half-elves live in the Silverleaf forest (also in the Brynway forest as well) to the east of Oakdale. The Silverleaf Grove has an impressive ring of standing stones that have existed there as long as anyone can remember, in the shadow of an immense silveroak tree that sits in the center of the grove.
-Savanrae Village: an agrarian community, with a large number of halfings mixed with other races. The region is renowned for a large shrine to Sarenrae and Iomedae near the village.
-Talinbrae: a bustling seaside port, home to a melting pot of races from all over L’Tanas. A large shrine to Desna faces the ocean just outside of the port.
-Brynway Village/Castle: capital of Dorien, large human population with various other races.
-Wyrmdown Settlement: a small hamlet with a rather large market, large dwarven population.
Talkanta:
-Orontu: more of a collection of huts and buildings rather than a city, there is bustling trade here as the nomadic tribes and merchants from other continents come here to do business.
L’Thonriel:
-Riversmeet: home to the Grand Court, filled with intricate buildings and spires that stretch to the sky.
-Soniel’s and Sardon’s Gate: these cities sit at the only two entries into L’Thonriel in order to prevent non-elves from entering, serve as centers for commerce with other lands.
-Tal’Silvas: home to the Elven Wizard’s Academy and the Grand Library
-Lirien: a small community of master craftsmen, much of the weapons and arms in L’Thonriel are made here and shipped up/down river to the Gate’s for trade.
-Vas’Lariel: home to the Lariel Military Academy, where training in the higher forms of archery and martial combat is taught.
Races
-Humans:
Humans mainly populate the Dorien and Talkanta continent, though they make up the majority of the races that populate the lands. Even though they are short-lived compared to the elves and gnomes, they are one of the civilized races that has existed on the continents prior to the “Firefall.” However, there are no records or tales of their history prior to the event.
All humans that can trace their lineage to before the “Firefall” are taller than the average human, have more slender/angular features, and have purple eyes (frequently referred to as having “pure-blood”); though those that have mingled their lines with other races do not have any of these attributes. Due to this, there is a certain prejudice against “mixed-bloods” and humans intermarrying with other races. This intermingling still occurs, more frequently in Dorien than anywhere else due to the various races living together in the same communities.
Humans living on the southern continent (Talkantans) are darker skinned, ranging from tan to dark brown; with almost all having the “pure-blooded” attributes, as they live in nomadic tribal communities that refuse almost all interaction with any other race. Other races wishing to trade with these communities for their items that can only be found in Talkanta (e.g. ivory, certain kinds of wood, herbs/medicines, animals, etc) have long since learned to do so through a human intermediary, knowing that to not do so would be equivalent to banging one’s head repeatedly against a wall. There is only one actual “city” in the continent, on the northern side, called Orontu; though most know that it only exists as a favor by the Talkantans to make it easier to trade with the outside world. There is no central government in Talkanta, though occasionally a Council is called by all the tribes to address major concerns that may arise.
Humans living on the northern continent (The Dorene) are fair skinned, and typically live in either small farming communities or in the few towns and cities that span the continent. The Dorene are more “civilized” than their Talkantan counterparts; leading to development of more modern infrastructure, government (monarchy, based in Brynway), and institutions of learning (magic or otherwise).
-Elves/Half-Elves:
Despite the fact that elves have longer-life spans than most of the other races, they are not native to the three continents. After the “Firefall,” thousands of elves appeared in Dorien through a gate set in a grove deep within the Silverleaf forest. It was later known that these elves had come from their homeland on another plane, and were attempting to travel to a certain destination using their network of Elf Gates. But the magic of the gate had been twisted awry in transit, dumping them in Dorien instead. All of these elves had no memory or recollection of where they had been going, nor memories of anything else that happened longer than 100 years prior to their arrival. Quite fortunately, they retained their knowledge of crafts, combat, and magic; which they used to make a home of the forest-covered continent of L’Thonriel. Since their arrival, the presence of any other race on the continent has been forbidden upon punishment of death. Their mages raising mountains to encircle the continent, the elves live in relative security and seclusion from the outside world. Two cities exist on the edges of L’Thonriel as the only viable access to the continent; being the only places on the continent where other races are permitted to step foot on the land, and then only for the reason of trade and commerce. However, elves from L’Thonriel have been known to leave their haven; usually for trade, politics, or academic purposes. Each non-outcast elf must attend either the Wizard’s Academy or the Lariel Military Academy when they reach 50 years of age to receive an education. Most leave when they finish their schooling at 100 years of age.
Many elves remained behind on Dorien, choosing to live with the other races that populated the continent. Those that chose to stay behind were viewed as outcasts by the elves that went to L’Thonriel, and were marked by a curse before the elves left. Those so cursed have a mark, shaped like a crescent moon, somewhere on their body. If a marked elf should step foot on L’Thonriel, the curse triggers; all non-marked elves within 5 miles of the outcast instantly become aware of his/her presence, as long as he/her remains on the continent. Needless to say, most marked elves do not remain or live long on L’Thonriel. This curse is passed onto any children an outcast may have, so it is not uncommon to see a half-elf with a cursemark in Dorien. To this day, no spell has been able to remove this curse.
The elves of L’Thonriel are governed by the Grand Court, held in Riversmeet, which is ruled by representatives from each of the major elven cities. The representatives hold their position for a century term, and are chosen by the governor of their respective city. The major exports of L’Thonriel include intricately designed crafts and weapons and magic items.
-Gnomes:
Gnomes existly mainly in Dorien and Bantforth, wherever they can find a nice hill to dig into and call home. The gnomes were also one of the races that originally existed on the continents prior to the “Firefall,” though the majority of their race was killed during the event. The ones that survived came from Bantforth, where the hills and valleys of the island are filled with bustling communities of gnomes.
The Bantforth gnomes are a curious and inquisitive race, almost to a fault (and more frequently, resulting in various explosions/accidents/arrests). It is an unusual day when one encounters a gnome, and not to see them either engrossed in an archaic book, stuck upside down in a barrel, or rummaging around in your sock drawer. But somehow, they manage to live their lives like any other race; though one can say that their lives are certainly more eventful than most.
The government of Bantforth is ruled as a democracy; though it quite a while for anything to get done, as each gnome has a different idea of how things should be run (with a 100-page thesis explaining their exact plan of how to do it). Their capital is based out of the academic town of Bantforth College.
Gnomes can be found in Dorien as well, though some communities eventually grow weary of the various antics that result from their very presence. Due to this, some towns may have separate portions where only gnomes reside. The gnomes are reknown for their developments in technology, magic, and other forms of learning. Their discoveries, tools/implements, and magicks are highly sought after by the other races (even the reclusive elves of L’Thonriel). It is a gnome’s dream to be accepted into the Oakdale Academy in northern Dorien, where knowledge from all of the three continents is gathered, taught, and researched.
-Halflings:
The halflings also were one of the original races prior to the “Firefall.” Most halflings live in agrarian communities around the Savanrae Expanse in Dorien, spending most of their time doing honest, good work in the fields and the community. Halflings from this portion of Dorien place much emphasis on the importance of community and hard work, since they rely on sheer numbers and co-ordination to make up for their lack in physical stature/strength. Even a rampaging ogre has thought twice about charging a halfling village, for larger monsters have been brought low by a swarm of 200+ halflings with knives and pitchforks. When approached with challenges they cannot handle, all of the halflings in the community disappear like smoke; hidden expertly in every crevice and nook until trouble passes by.
Halflings in more urban settings and major cities find themselves right at home, where a quick head and hand will save the day more readily than brute strength. They fill all kinds of odd jobs and tasks, always getting them done with incredible attention to detail and speed. It is important to supervise tasks relegated to halflings closely, for when they run out of things to do they will start “fixing” things; while they may work the way a halfling thinks it should, but it may not be the same as you left it.
Due to their focus on physical tasks and chores, it is more uncommon to see a halfling being involved with more magical/intellectual activities; though when the occasional halfling does pursue such activities, one can expect it to be done more precisely and efficiently than anyone else.
Halflings have no central government, choosing to live in peace under whatever country they are currently living in.
-Dwarves:
The dwarves are another one of the races that were established prior to the “Firefall.” They were probably closest to being the dominant race amongst the others; having established a wide network of dwarven holds in the mountains on the main continent before it splintered. After the event, practically all of them sank into the Sea of Tears. The Ironhammer Clan stand as the last remnants of a proud civilization, living in Drake’s Tooth Keep on the Isle of Teeth. The Ironhammer dwarves are reknown for their smithing abilities, having made many items of quality and power used all over the lands. There is a slight rivalry between them and the elves, if only because the elves are impeding their grip on the arms market.
The Ironhammer dwarves do venture outside of the Keep on the Isle of Teeth, in order to gather better materials for their smithing. They frequently make trips up to the Ridgeback Mountains in Dorien to mine for ore and other precious materials. Their base in Dorien is on the eastern side of the continent, called the Wyrmdown Settlement. All dwarves are governed by the patriarchy from Drake’s Tooth Keep, even if they live in other lands. The dwarven king, cunningly arranging political treaties to allow it, frequently sends agents/tax collectors to other countries to keep a census/eye on these individuals.
-Half-Orcs:
There are a small number of half-orcs in Dorien, mostly resulting from raids from roving orc bands amongst human settlements. There are more of them in Talkanta, where the populace of orcs is higher; though they usually travel in groups in Talkanta, since none of the human tribes there will accept them. While the resulting offspring can usually live in peace in any of the continents (except L’Thonriel), there is stigma that follows them if the human parent was of “pure-blood” origin. Even though half-orcs usually result to mercenary work, they have been known to pursue other goals/activities as well. Half-orcs have no central government, living under the governing body of the country they reside in.