This is a strong metal which has come into more common use in the fourth age. It is moderately rare and expensive, but is not as rare as amarnium. It takes a master blacksmith to work with this metal. Its color is a lustrous silver, and resists corrosion and damage. It does not interfere with magic.
HP: 40 per inch (armor or weapons made of tritium have x2 normal HP)
There are many churches throughout the lands, but the one most are familiar with is the Unelesian Church, or Church of the One. The Unelesia Church rose in favor after the Great War. The world was suffering, and it gave hope. It told people that with faith and good deeds, your afterlife would be better than life on Uteria. It grew in power and influence swiftly, and became opulent and ritualistic. Then, as the plagues began to ravage the lands, its centralized power weakened and the Church became regional, with each sect having its own set of beliefs.
The Valetta region of the Church saw evil and Kaldrath around all dark corners and persecuted those who they saw as colluding with evil. The Endamas Church was separated from the more strict northern sects and became tolerant and open to the populace.
Now that magic has reemerged, each branch of the Church is struggling to cope with something that complicates their views of faith and spirit.
In the Endamas region of the world, the Unelesia of those regions has welcomed in some of the “blessed.” In Ferryport, they have even opened up part of their school to devote to those given the gifts of the Creator.
Unsere, the “Red Moon of Magic,” disappeared at the same time that magic left Uteria. The red moon’s return predated the return of magic by roughly 100, or three generations.
The moon has become associated with magic, not because of a direct, measurable affect on magic, but because it is on nights that the red moon is full that the strangest happenings occurs.
The red moon has little noticeable effect on the tides, leading many scholars to believe that the moon exists in both Uteria and the Navirim. This, they claim, could explain its red appearance, its gravitational weakness, and its association with magic and strangeness.
Talents: Advantage, Expanded Critical, Over-extended Attack, Stunning Strike, Take a Hit
Special Qualities: Damage Reduction 1 (Talent), Fast healing 5, memories of the past; mindless victims; immortal; Spell-like abilities – haste, spider climb, alter self, gaseous form
An upir can drain the energy from a victim. It must make a successful Heroic Action to pull the energy from its victim. It is an opposed Will save roll vs CHA ability mod. If the upir is successful, the victim takes 1d8 damage and the upir gains 1d8 health. The victim also must roll a Sanity Check (1/1d6)
Dominate
A upir can crush an opponent’s will just by looking onto his or her eyes. This is similar to a gaze attack, except that the upir must use a standard action, and those merely looking at it are not affected. Anyone the upir targets must succeed on a Will based Heroic Action vs Persuasion or fall instantly under the upir’s influence. The victim gets to make a Heroic Action check once per round if under the upir’s influence. After three fails they are under their influence for 24 hours.
Create Spawn
An upir can feed upon a victim and through an arcane ritual turn its victim into an upir.
Special Qualities
Fast healing
An upir regains 5 HP per round, unless in full sunlight.
Memories of the Past
As an upir drains its victims life, they slowly gain the memories and thoughts of the victim.
Mindless Victims
If an upir drains enough from its victim, the victim loses all sense of being and becomes a mindless slave of the upir.
Immortal
An upir is immortal and can not be slain, unless it is taken to zero HP, a wooden stake put through its heart, and its head cut off with a silver weapon. An upir’s corpse can also be brought out into the sunlight which turns it to ash.
Uthgard is the kingdom of the North East lands of Atheles.
It is currently ruled by a young king, Gundram Baleband, who has aligned himself with the Unelesia Church, through the Ministry, and the Orovari. The cold winters have left his people starving, and he looks to expand his powers to the South to gain farmlands and taxes.
Uthgard is a rich nation. The mountains of the north are rich in iron ore. The people of Uthgard did not suffer from the plagues as much as those in the south, so the nation is also prosperous in population. The rulers have used this populace well, creating goods that are traded via sea to Zhou or the neighboring Tiren.
Old Thoneland – the reclaimed land of Pardalor, now Capital of the Kingdom.
Seaview – Duchy of Kuhlharbor
Economics
Uthgard was a feudal system during the time of the Warlock King. It slowly transitioned to capitalism as the merchant class grew, though the feudal lords all quickly transitioned into powerful economic houses as the kingdom changed. These days the lord and ladies of Uthgard are also the richest citizens.
Draks ( weight = 1.5 grams) are used as a measure for gold, silver, and copper.
The General at Arms in Kowal is Vilgo Corman, known as the Lion. He is brutal in his views and life. He is a competent leader, though he values efficiency over all else. He believes the Ministry is intelligent and powerful, but he distrusts them and hates that they hold such power.
Obey or Be Conscripted
Uthgard sees loyalty as the most important. If you disobey, you can be conscripted. In Kowal the prisoners serve in the iron mines. If they view you as more dangerous, you are sent to the frozen giant lands to serve in the tundra to work the oil fields.
Leadership
Ruled by a king and his council, Uthgard is a dynastic oligarchy.
The oligarchy follows old feudal traditions in its naming conventions, save that the nobles actually own their lands and owe taxes to their king rather than the king owning all and loaning out land to the nobles or the clergy.
The war against the giants of the north. Ended by Gundram Baleband.
– The Tiren War 5707-?
Uthgard had already been upset at the pirate raids along the coast of Seaview, but after the Giants War and Gundram’s rise to power, Uthgard turned to securing its border with Tiren. Gundram felt that Tiren had long abused the borders of Uthgard and he intended to reclaim the old empire’s lands.
The first battle of the war was in the small town of Belisov, known only for its larger chicken and dove farms. Raiders, who were sanctioned by the Raji of Yevren, often came and demanded tribute. Gundram sent a small force of Uthgard regulars to dissuade the ruffians. It is unknown what exact orders they were given, but the two forces engaged in battle, a small skirmish, but the Tiren forces were completely wiped out. It was given a mocking name in Tiren, the Siege of Feathers, though Uthgard took that as another slight against the seriousness of its sovereignty. Uthgard demanded an apology and when a Uthgard diplomat arrived in Yevren for the tribute and apology, he was instead captured and slain. This was determined to be an act of war by the king and the Ministry. They approved in late 5707 for bordering lords to launch raids against Tiren, though they did not outright declare war.
The Siege of the Feathers Octro 5707
A company of soldiers, archers, and horseriders marched out against the company of Tiren raiders. The battle was engaged on a field outside of Belisov. The Uthgardians had the advantage of a hill. They rode down and engaged the tight-knit company. The battle was short but fierce. The tiren almost wiped out the small battalion of foot soldiers, but the horse riders and archers slowly cut them down. While there was a victory, the Uthgard were not proud of their heavy losses.
Battle of the Cross Novro 5707
Uthgard sent their first force to capture Yevren and end the life of Raji Emelian. The Raji sent a small force to intercept them at the river crossing, which they most likely would use. The Sultas forces had not arrived (nor would they), so they had a lack of cavalry. So they put up large wooden stakes, which looked like crosses all along the ford. For Uthgard, they had a mage of the Ministry with them, using fog and weather magic to hide their numbers and movement. Baron Ugslovik’s forces had not arrived yet, but they were coming. Count Venoray led the forces himself. He sent a group of horsemen to ride south to the next crossing and sneak up behind the Tiren force.
The Cross
The Uthgard calvary arrived early and did not see the defensive crosses until too late. As they crashed through the crosses they took heavy damage. They were quickly surrounds and they took more casualties. As they rode away, they were cut down by the tiren archers.
With the horsemen gone, the man forces advsnced. The knights squad was lagging as they crossed the river. Nalodhir runs into battle, his magic sword flaming as he swung at the soldiers. He caused massive damage to while flanking the end of the line. Nalodhir was surround and when the knights came in, his faste was sealed. While on the defensive, he and his squad pushed back, but finally, fully flanked, he fell to the onslaught, arrows protruding from him like a porcupine. Sir Gotze picked up the blade and began to march at the footsoldiers wielding the blade of their leader. After locked battle, the Tirens started to retreat as their numbers dwindled, but soon all their soldiers were down. The archers and men at arms of Tiren retreated, and tuhgard shot arrows as they fled. The Battle of the Cross had been won by Uthgard
An ancient lost island kingdom. It’s people came from the east. They were short with dark hair and broad shoulders.
They fought against the Eldar and elves for years as they advanced, and their glass like weapons and armors rivaled the elvesamarnium. The Valantians left their unnamed lands in far east and sailed to find an archipelago of islands away from the Eldar armies. There they flourished. Their counterpart mainland were subjegated and crushed by the Eldar.
They named the island Valantia and they lived their many years. But the never forgot the Eldar and revenge burned hot in their cultural heart. When they felt they had advanced enough, they sought revenge against the Eldar. They built large temples and fortresses among the coasts of neighboring continents, expanding their own empire. They sent large armies into the underground cities of the Eldar.
They were successful for a while, until the Eldar discovered dark and terrible magics which allowed them to cast down the sky and whole settlements turned to dust.
The Eldar sought out their homeland and cast the island down into the sea, the Valantian Empire was lost, leaving behind only scattered ruins and myths of the strange teran race of people.
The Vale is the home of the Alfiren, or Elflings. It is located in the Westlands, southwest of Ferryport. Long ago it was considered part of the kingdom of Bordon, but as the kingdom slowly divided, the Vale became its own land.
In the Third Age the Vale was the easiest way of travel from the city of wizards in the west southwards. The Elflings were discovered then (and named such as to their resemblance of their larger “cousins”). The wizards were uninterested in them from the start and the King of Bordon named Terrin Vinestock the first lord of Vale. Not knowing or caring what his new title bestowed them from the larger people, they Vale continued much as it had, save that the roads had to be widened and some inns along the way had to be built to allow for bigger folk.
The population of the Vale and its size does not increase much, though it would be hard to tell, since due to expanded roads, the Elflings have been able to indulge in their favorite pastime of traveling more than ever. Some theorized among the Elflings that better roads would make it easier for those who left to find their way back, but it has only seemed to allow them to travel further away. Some other speculate that another great gathering of Elflings has occurred somewhere, which is why many have not returned.
Many of the peoples of the world are welcome within the Vale, though they have become a little more cautious as time has gone on.
Alfiren homes are built in the stands of trees that dot the landscape of the Vale, separated by hills and open fields. They often build these simple but sturdy structures right up against the trunk of the tree and use the roots as stairs or even furniture inside the home. This is not merely done out of convenience, but is borne of what they call a “respect for the chaos that is nature herself.” Their construction reflects this chaos of nature rather than distorting it into the straight lines and perfect angles of human construction.
They are an agricultural society, but they eat so little that their stores rarely run low, and excess is shared freely with any needy outsider willing to transport it home. They have large fields of shared honey bee colonies and partially domesticated cows. Their fields are rampant with berries which the Alfiren harvest and turn into various berry wines, of which they drink often. Their honey mead is well known throughout the Westlands, though the supply has often fallen far short of its high demand.
All of this lends itself to a very unusual, yet beautiful, landscape. Immense open fields are dotted with cows meandering aimlessly. Large wooden boxes house thousands of bees, which can be seen flying from flower to flower across the multicolored hills. Large patches of trees spring sporadically from the ground, surrounded by honeysuckle and wild berries. Mixed among all this beauty, young Alfiren play among the flowers, and the older ones watch over them with a caring eye while going about their daily business.
