Balmortis - Setting

[Clay_More]

Just wanted to post a short post about the setting I've been working on for some time (well, originally started on it 15 years ago or so, when I started playing the game).

What I am trying to do, is construct a "what if" setting. Originally, the setting was merely a random collection of cities, races and countries, but the last couple of years I've started developing it with a "theme". Even though the original setting worked okay for what it was supposed to do, provide a background for the adventures of the group I DM'ed for, I kinda wanted to have it evolve away from its randomness.

The theme I am working on can be simply explained as "fierce". I decided that the setting should be a lot deadlier and radical than most settings, yet still loosely based on medieval Europe. Now, when a whole setting is more fierce and deadly, what happens? Well, first of all, only races that have some kind of edge would survive, there wouldn't be room for races or countries that can't survive in a more hostile environment. The cute little haflings would perish in the blink of an eye, and other races likes gnomes and elves would struggle hard to survive. Humans would have to be far more militaristic and aggressive. Yet, I found some ways to incorporate the "less aggressive races".

The elves, even though they're always described as being a quite potent race, suffer greatly from their slow rate of reproduction. Even if one elf kills of ten orcs before it dies, it still isn't enough. The orcs will eventually win due to their much faster rate of reproduction. So, how can the elves fit into a setting such as this? Well, the answer is that the elves don't fight their wars themselves. The elves are slave-holders, having large armies and countries populated by various slave-races. The arrogant and hedonistic elves consider themselves above everyone else and as such have no qualms about owning slaves. They use a mix of intimidation, fear and drugs to keep their slaves under control, having an elite cadre of highly indoctrinated orcs to keep the population under control. These "red hand orcs", as they are called, are pet projects of the elven nobility, the result of many years of extensive breeding programs (kinda similar to how some noble families bred hunting dogs, horses or hunting birds). The red hand orcs are far stronger than the common orcs, but few in numbers. They often have small estates of their own, with slaves attending to their needs. Slaves belonging to races that are easily subdued are controlled by their slave-masters and the orcs, while the elves have to use more radical means to keep the more independent slave races in check. These races are often forced to become addicted to drugs which the elves have control over, making it virtually impossible for these races to rebel without severe side-effects.
Still, the elves used to control the majority of the Balmortis world, but have lost most of their lands over the years. The orcs they created to be their soldiers rebelled and decimated the majority of the remaining elven army. Of the original twelve states controlled by the elves, only two remain in elven hands. Naturally, the elves have fortified these states to the extreme, protecting them with a mix of large armies of slave-races, elites units of red hand orcs and constructs, and a matrix of magic wards. The elves, in their arrogance, still appoint nobles to be the "lords" of the ten lost states. They don't consider these states to be legitimate and refuse to deal with them in any way.
In their two remaining states, the elven nobles grow even more hedonistic and decadent. Few things are forbidden in their society, at least amongst the elves.

The humans, beset by older races, have been forced into countless wars. Now, the majority of the human race cling to a small number of very radical faiths. The most dominant deity amongst the humans is Thakulion, the Prince of Scars. Thakulion teaches that only through self-mutilation can you cleanse your spirit of flaws and errors. In some countries, the worship of Thakulion is not an option, but a demand, the church having supreme power that rivals even the power of the king. The militant church of Thakulion demands constant tribute and worship. With the normal clergy attending to the daily operations of the church, the War-Heralds form the military wing of the faith and various monk orders extend their influence into virtually all aspects of daily life. The Dolbartinians make a living by copying and selling books, having an almost exclusive right to reproduce anything written. As scribes, the order also ensures that no book containing heretical material is ever copied. The Theutobites are fierce bare-knuckle fighters, trained as boxers and brawlers. Some make a living traveling across the world to win fist-fighting tournaments, while others have taken up debt-collection as a trade. The Theutob order is considered to be the most efficient institution at getting people to pay back debts. The order sometimes buys up the debt of others just to add 25% to the original amount and claim it. The Dauphin order makes a living by running a number of large farms, farms where the poor can work for food, lodging and a very small pay. Sometimes, if someone is deeply in debt, the Dauphin order will purchase that debt and the person is forced into debt bondage. Even though most countries have laws against slavery, debt bondage is still permitted (sometimes, if the debt is big enough, a person can be bound to another person for "100 years", which means they are basically slaves with no hope of freedom).
In some countries, such as Laumakis, the church and the king constantly feud over the control of the country, with the nobility and powerful guilds occasionally joining the fray. In other countries, such as Cay Adair, the king is merely a pawn. Only a very few and rather unimportant countries are not controlled by religion.

The dwaves also exist, but they are very different from normal dwarves. The dwarves are actually the "ancestors" of a planar traveler. A small group of a race unknown to the world came into Balmortis on an exploration expedition. Unfortunately, the group was torn apart by the rift that gave them access to Balmortis. Only one member of the group managed to "survive", the armorer and engineer Arak Kammon. His body was completely destroyed by the rift, but his spirit manages to survive. A ghost without a body, Arak Kammon tries to find a host that he can inhabit. Unfortunately, he is too weak to take up residence in a living creature and is eventually forced to take up residence in a statue constructed inside a Shim city, a statue made as a mockery of a local Shim noble. Arak Kammon is initially held captive by the Shim, but manages to escape to an island called Cimakath. There, he carves new statues out of the stone and imbues them with a fragment of his spirit to give them life. The race becomes the dwarves, living creatures made of solid stone, all unified by the presence of an ancestral spirit. Initially, the dwarves are relatively peaceful, devoting their lives to industry and growth. After an unmotivated goblin invasion where many dwarves are killed, they alter their society to focus on war and the construction of machines that can aid them in war. The dwarves also adopt a doctrine for their entire society: "Any death will be repaid threefold". Whenever another race or nation manages to kill a dwarf, it is the solemn oath of the dwarves to avenge this death with three deaths. If any dwarf dies while trying to fulfill the oath, they must also be avenged. Over the course of history, the "revenge list" for some races has grown extremely long (the elves, for example, owe the dwarves many thousand deaths). With some races or nations, the dwarves have gotten their vengeance and have been able to take up trade and relatively peaceful negotiations.
The dwarves, just as the elves, have a problem with reproduction. Even though the dwarves don't breed as regular creatures, it takes a long time for them to craft a statue that they can turn into a new dwarf. They consider themselves obliged to only construct statues that are of the finest craftsmanship possible. Even during war, the dwarves will never construct new statues, and new dwarves, of inferior quality. The dwarves survive in Balmortis due to their superior technology. When they go to war, the spear point of the dwarf army are the Juggernauts, elite soldiers clad in steam-powered armor, backed by mechanized siege engines.

Anyways, thats a little bit of introduction to the setting, I'm probably going to post some of the "crunch" in the 3E House Rules, already posted the War-Herald of Thakulion, the orc race and an orc PrC, the Glutton. I'm working on many projects in the setting, classes, organizations, orders, gods, races, cities and nations. I think I have a little over 600 pages that I'm revising. as well as 40+ maps. Quite a bit of it isn't really usable though, since some of the oldest material I've written many years ago is quite low standard. Just wanted to hear what people think of the concept!

 

[arcanaman]

sounds great and the dwarf thing is just creepy

 

[Clay_More]

Facts about Balmortis

Gods: Deities exist and few, if any, doubt their existence. The gods don't intervene on behalf of their subjects and it is extremely rare to see a deity walk the earth. Deities also seem to be extremely flexible about who they give divine magic to. Some faiths have a myriad of monkly orders, cults and other fringe movements with very differing and radical beliefs, and appearantly these orders are granted access to divine magic just as easily as the main order of the faith. The only way in which a god directly interferes in the affairs of the mortals is by occasionally promoting especially diligent servants to the rank of Chosen One. Chosen Ones are immortal, empowered by their deity to do his will for eternity. They can be killed in combat, but they don't suffer from disease, aging or other common causes of death. Each faith usually has a special title for those that become Chosen Ones, they are known, for example, as Saints in the Thakulion faith and Enlightened in the Emanuel faith.

War: War is a constant factor in the development of Balmortis. For numerous reasons, virtually all nations are engaged in one type of conflict or another. War isn't a necessarily an all-consuming event as it is sometimes depicted in fantasy settings. Many of the wars in Balmortis are fought on a relatively small scale for political, economic or religious reasons. For example, the war between some of the tribes of the Barbarian Plains and the country of Laumakis is not a war on a grand scale. Usually, the barbarians prefer to engage in military campaigns during fall and winter, raiding isolated villages and hamlets, so that the warriors can return home in time for the harvest. Laumakis is incapable of committing its entire army to the conflict, due to their skirmishes with the goblins in the north, and has therefore adapted an attitude towards the conflict that is more sustainable in the long run. The country relies on allies amongst the barbarian tribes that border Laumakis to provide them with light infantry in the campaigns against the barbarians, forming armies that mix the heavy, disciplined infantry of Laumakis with the more mobile skirmishers of the barbarian tribes. Tribes that collaborate with Laumakis are given favorable trade agreements along with technological and medical assistance.

Military: The many conflicts in Balmortis are not fought by fantastic armies. While there have been grand engagements in the past, many of the current wars are not much more than occasional skirmishes and raids. The normal armies of Balmortis have grown accustomed to operating without heavy support from spellcasters and without aerial support. The majority of battles are fought by massed infantry aided by cavalry and small numbers of spellcasters. Divine spellcasters are a much more common sight on the battlefield than arcane spellcasters, and many faiths send their clergy to escort the resident army when it goes to the field. The clergy provide a number of benefits to the army, ranging from healing and moral support to direct combat assistance.

Examples of armed forces

Laumakis: Laumakis is considered the most potent military factor of northern Balmortis. The army of the country has been formed and trained by some of the best military experts in Balmortis with a small number of very specific opponents in mind. The core of the army is the very well-trained and disciplined heavy infantry, foot-soldiers clad in chain mail and armed with big shields and warhammers. Since the Laumakian army is a permanent army and not a conscript army of peasants that only serve when there is no harvest to attend to, it is rather small compared to other armies hailing from a country of a similar size. The military leadership of Laumakis make up for the relatively small size of their army by rigorous training and improved equipment. Soldiers in the army are volunteers who serve for twenty years, after which they are given a small tract of land to settle down on. The bulk of the army is, as mentioned, the heavy infantry which is aided in the field by a small contingent of cavalry as well as archers. When the army is sent on a campaign, it is commonly escorted by a number of war-heralds from the Thakulion church as well as barbarian auxiliaries that act as skirmishers, forming a skirmisher screen in front of the heavy infantry. When battle is joined, the barbarian skirmishers withdraw, reforming behind the lines of heavy infantry. From this position the skirmishers will either wait for an opening in the enemy lines through which they can attack, or they will attempt to outflank the enemy on either side of the battle lines.

Barbarian Plains: The barbarian plains are not a single, unified country. The area consists of a number of barbarian tribes with different customs and faiths. Some of the tribes are primarily farmers or herders, while others are foragers or hunters. Tribes that sustain themselves primarily by farming have the advantage that they can grow to a greater size compared to the land they inhabit compared to tribes that make a living from foraging and hunting. The farming tribes have a tendency to prefer military engagements during the period of the year where their fields are idle, returning home once it is time to sow. The hunting tribes, while smaller, usually have a more efficient fighting force than the farmer tribes. Sustaining themselves through hunting and foraging, these barbarians are used to being on the move and they use hunting weapons like bows and spears in their every day lives. Many of the hunting tribes rely heavily on horses or other mounts to move across great distances. While the farming and herding tribes have a numerical advantage, the hunting tribes often prevail in military conflicts due to their greater familiarity with their weapons as well as their greater mobility. When the barbarians are fighting foes from beyond the barbarian plains, they often experience problems in joined battle. The barbarians of the plains have never really been able to stand up to an army like the Laumakian army in head-on battle, and they have therefore adopted a tactic of harassment and mobility when facing such a disciplined fighting force. When the Laumakian army invades the barbarian plains, the barbarians usually try to avoid direct confrontation and focus on harassing the logistical support of the army along with isolated pockets of the main fighting force.

Zel Nagash and Zel Pehehteb: The two, great elven nations of Zel Nagash and Zel Pehehteb are formidable foes capable of fielding extremely large armies compared to the other nations of Balmortis. The elves rely on huge numbers of slave infantry to form the bulk of their army, aided by very small elite units of silver archers, red hand orcs or elven spellcasters. The large regiments of slave infantry are usually equipped with cheap equipment, clad in leather armor and armed with pikes or clubs. While these large regiments have a numerical advantage over their foes, they suffer from bad training and morale. The elves try to make up for the very low quality of their slave army by fielding very heavy, elite units of silver archers and red hand orcs behind the main battle lines. The silver archers are constructs created by the elven wizards to accompany the elven army and they are usually considered the most efficient ranged infantry fielded in large numbers. The red hand orcs are a sub-species of orcs bred by the elven nobility to act as heavy infantry. The red hand orcs are usually deployed on chariots that they use to move across the battlefield on, disembarking before they engage the enemy. The elven generals have actually adopted a simple tactic that takes into account the low standard of their slave infantry, a tactic that involves keeping the red hand orcs as a reserve behind the lines until a slave regiment eventually falters at which point the red hand orcs are employed to the weakened regiment as backup. When the elves are fighting against an opponent that is trying to invade their lands, they will rely heavily on the mesh of magic wards that clutter the borderlands of both elven nations, using the elven army to lure opponents into the more deadly wards.

Montelival: Montelival is one of the oldest human nations and a significant factor in the politics of Balmortis. The island-nation of Montelival is not accustomed to fighting land battles, and when it does it relies on very heavy, nobleman cavalry. It is at sea that Montelival prefers to fight its enemies as the country has the most capable navy of any nation in Balmortis, a navy only rivaled by the sea people with whom Montelival has a peace treaty. Since the Montelival navy is widely considered to be unbeatable, the country has begun utilizing a new class of ship, the monitor. The monitor is a relatively small class of ship, lightly armored and quite slow compared to its size. The monitor is equipped with a great number amount of artillery pieces for its size, artillery used primarily to bombard unarmed ships or shore targets. If Montelival is engaged in a conflict with another nation, it will use its fleet of monitors to bombard coastal cities and forts in an attempt to subdue the opposition. Since the country is largely unopposed at sea, no country is able to construct a fleet that could battle the rather vulnerable monitors, as they usually travel under the protection of the Montelival fleet. While a formidable seafaring nation, Montelival lacks a potent land army, making most conflicts in which the country is engaged a rather odd affair. Montelival is incapable of invading any country that opposes them, but the opposing country also remains incapable of transporting their army to the island of Montelival.

Cimakath: Cimakath is a rather small country compared to most other nations in Balmortis. While the country resides on an island just as Montelival does, it has never built a large fleet. The dwarves of Cimakath disdain fighting at sea and prefer to use the vast system of tunnels found beneath Balmortis for transportation. The dwarves have a problem similar to that of the elves. They have a rather low rate of reproduction and are therefore at a disadvantage when fighting a prolonged conflict. The elves have solved this problem by using slaves to fight their battles. The dwarves have taken another approach to warfare than the elves, relying instead on technology and craftsmanship to make up for their smaller numbers. Being the only nation in Balmortis to effectively utilize gunpowder and steam engines, the dwarven army is infamous for its efficiency, especially when the size of the army is taken into consideration. The Cimakath army consists of very heavily armored dwarven infantry spearheaded by the juggernauts, an elite cadre of fighters clad in steam-powered armor. The army is always accompanied by a great number of siege engines. When the dwarves engage in battle, they usually fight very defensively, relying on the greater range and power of their siege engines to obliterate their enemy while the infantry keeps the enemy at bay.

These were a few examples of some of the armies of Balmortis. While some nations duplicate the tactics of the armies mentioned above, you will always find variations and differences between the various countries. War is a constant factor in the evolution and history of Balmortis and it has shaped not only the nations of the land, but also the mentality of its people.

Levels: There is a general tendency in Balmortis for people to be of slightly higher level than in most fantasy settings. While the vast majority of commoners are 1st level, soldiers and guards tend to be a little higher. A common soldier, guard or tribesman will typically by 2nd level, while heavy infantry such as that fielded by Cimakath or Laumakis will be 3rd level. Elite infantry, such as the red hand orcs or dwarven juggernauts will typically be 5th level or higher. The setting is grim and rugged compared to most other settings and the players can't expect to easily subdue others just because they have gained a few levels. Even high-level players will face problems if they try to always fight their way out of conflicts.

Magic: As mentioned, divine magic is far more common than arcane magic. While wizards exist, they try to keep their powers a secrecy. In some countries, such as Laumakis, arcane spellcasters are hunted and killed by the Thakulion church while in others, such as Montelival and Cay Adair, they are forced to serve in the army or navy. As a result, pursuing a career of arcane magic is far less tempting than it is in other settings and arcane spellcasters who choose to learn magic will often migrate to small, secret enclaves of wizards found in the less civilized regions of Balmortis. The only nations capable of fielding efficient numbers of wizards are the elven nations and the Black Kingdoms.

Politics: Politics in Balmortis are often convoluted and tainted by religion. Many nations have a great number of factions existing within them, factions that have agendas and goals of their own. Even the religions of the setting are not unified as they are in most other worlds, they often consist of a main faith constantly battling for control against a great number of splinter cults and orders. The common people, especially the middle class, of Balmortis have a tendency to organize themselves in guilds, to ensure that their interests are not being overlooked in the Machiavellian schemes being played between the nobility, the royalty and the religions. If one faction in a country gains the upper hand, there is a tendency for stagnation and decadence to incur. A prime example of this tendency is Cay Adair where the nobility have seized almost complete control over the country after the coronation of King Marchivald, the son of the former King Clement, a man so impaired by his idiocy that he is incapable of running the country and fighting the nobles. The inbreeding in the royal family has always been a problem in Cay Adair, but never has it been so problematic since the birth of the deformed and mentally unstable King Marchivald. Without the king to keep the nobles in check, the country has plummeted into a state of being a virtual aristocracy in which the nobles have unlimited power. Instead of using this power for the betterment of the nation, the nobles have grown decadent, arrogant and hedonistic, indulging in grand parties, heavy drug abuse and sexually deviant behavior, behavior so abhorrent that it is only rivaled by the elven nobility. In the meanwhile, the peasantry of the country are suffering from the high taxes, only kept in check by the military of Cay Adair that is forced to spend more time controlling its own population than patrolling the borders of the country.

 

[Clay_More]

This is the one of the nine "brothers" in my campaign setting Balmortis. Thakulion is inspired by a brutal version of medieval Christianity while some of the elven legends of the deity have roots in animism. My goal in regards to the deities in my campaign is to have a rather small number of thoroughly described deities. As mentioned, there are nine deities, and three of those are hardly "deities", but more akin to representations of three basic forces of nature (life, death and magic). The remaining six deities are divided into three "good" deities and three "evil" (even though, in my campaign, alignment has very little influence). As you might see below, the description of the deity is quite big (and a few more things are actually coming a bit later). I apologize (well, I apologize to those who actually take the effort to read the darn thing).

Thakulion
Prince of Scars

Thakulion is the Prince of Scars, the first-born of the three holy brothers and the guiding light. Thakulion stands for a world in which everything is well-ordered, where everyone knows their place. Thakulion also stands for pain and suffering and his worshipers firmly believe that pain hardens their soul so that they might better serve both their god as well as their king. Of all of the gods, Thakulion is the one that supports the nobility the most and his worshipers are always encouraged to adhere to the law of the land as long as that law is not opposed to the actions of the church of Thakulion.

Legend
The legend of the birth of Thakulion seems to follow a pattern found in many elven myths, in that it gives the god traits inherited from animals. According to the elven legends, Thakulion was born from the corpse of a wolverine and raised by a boar with golden tusks. According to the legend, the boar is supposed to have wounded and maimed the infant god when it found it before it accepted to raise the child. The elven legends of the god tell of many stories in which Thakulion defeats various foes, many of them through pure persistence. In virtually all stories, the god is badly wounded but still manages to survive and prevail. The modern church of Thakulion has rejected the majority of elven legends as fabrications. The only legend which the church has canonized is the legend of the five wolverines (five is a sacred number in the worship of Thakulion and it is repeated in many rites and rituals).

Five years after the birth of Thakulion, on a night where five stars shine in the sky in a perfect arc, the man meets a small pack of wolverines while wandering in the forest. The wolverines demands to know the name of the god. The god tells the wolverines that he is Thakulion, the maimed son. The wolverines tell Thakulion that he is the heart of one of their kin, that he must be killed so that the spirit of the wolverine may be set free. Thakulion immediately flees from the pack, hoping to make it back to the boar. In a small cave, Thakulion finds his guardian and tells him of the wolverines that are pursuing him. The boar, fearing that the wolverines will take his golden tusks, tells Thakulion that he has no intention of fighting the pack, that he intends to flee. The god-child grabs the boar and rips out the golden tusks, telling the boar that if he wont fight, at least he can give him weapons with which to defend his life. From the tusks, Thakulion crafts a mighty spear with which to defend himself. When the wolverines arrive, the god immediately attacks them and kills all except five. The five surviving wolverines are thrown into the sky, each of them thrown into one of the five stars forming the arc in the sky.

On the first star, the wolverine Lupius is shackled to an enormous boulder. The boulder rests on the bottom of an infinitely big ocean on the star, the pressure of the water squeezing the body of Lupius with such enormous force that his blood is transformed into hardened gemstone, jasper, also called "Blood of Lupius". On the second star, the wolverine Daemic lives in a cage. Every morning, the cage is lowered into a cauldron of boiling water and the wolverine is cooked until all his flesh is gone. When the cage is raised at nightfall, the wolverine comes back to life and spends the night howling profanities at the moon. The steam rising from a boiling cauldron is therefore called the "Breath of Daemic". On the third star, the wolverine Caperis resides in a beautiful mansion. Here, he lies on a magnificent bed surrounded by the most juicy and exotic fruits on can imagine. On every single piece of fruit, a voracious crab lives, a crab that tears out the claws of Caperis whenever he attempts to take a piece of fruit. The claws plunge from the sky, burrowing through the soil of Balmortis until they emerge from the ceiling of the caves beneath the ground, forming stalactites, known as the "Claws of Caperis". On the fourth star, the wolverine Siman sleeps. Every day, the wolverine sleeps and dreams of the five most beautiful women any man can imagine. The women play and sing with Siman in his dreams. Every night, Siman awakes to find five skeletons around him on the barren star, the remains of the five muses that Thakulion used to punish him with. Every night Siman cries at the loss of the muses, cursing his lonely fate. The tears of Siman fall to the ground during night, and when day comes they grow into weeping willows, called the "Tears of Siman". On the fifth star, the wolverine Papan is imprisoned. Chained to a pillar, Papan is exposed to the vile storm of the star on which he lives. The storm is everlasting and instead of water the sky rains shards of glass. The storm tears away the flesh of Papan, flesh that falls to the ground in bloody chunks. The flesh eventually forms a small hill, called the "Mound of Papan", located just near the Spire of Repentance.

The legend of the five wolverines is the only elven legend accepted by the present church of Thakulion. The rest of the holy texts used by the church deals exclusively with the actions of the many saints and holy people of Thakulion that have lived throughout history. The church has rewritten the old tome which contains the edicts of the faith, the "Benedictem", removing many of the ancient elven passages. Despite the efforts of the church to remove the elven influence on the religion, the most famous saint remains the old elven warrior Ra Amoon and his mace, the fabled Agonus, remains the most powerful and revered artifact of the faith.

Teachings
- Pain. Pain is the feeling of weakness leaving the body. Pain removes fear and doubt from the soul. The followers of Thakulion believe that pain is the greatest sacrament of their god, that it has a holy power to deliver them from evil. All followers are expected to inflict pain upon themselves in one form or another. Normal worshipers only follow this teaching once a year, when the Five-Fold Festival is held. Pain is divided into five types according to the type inflicted on the five wolverines (or the five herexia, as they are normally called).

The Lupius pain is also called the pain of weight, and it is usually administered by placing something heavy on the subject for a prolonged period of time. A normal Lupius rite would have the practitioner lying on a flat surface with a "benedictem stone" on his belly. The benedictem stone is a stone carved to resemble the holy book. The Daemic pain is called the pain of heat, and it is administered by burning the subject. A normal worshiper of Thakulion will use boiling water to burn himself, while the more zealous clergy usually use iron rods. The Caperis pain is called the pain of hunger and it is practiced as simple fasting. A period of fasting can last from as little as sunrise to sunset, to as much as three months. The Siman pain is known as the pain of loss. The Siman pain is considered one of the more tricky types of pain to administer, as it involves the subject being separated from his loved ones for a long period of time. Usually, the normal worshipers simply administer the Siman pain by spending a day apart from their family. The Thakulion clergy, especially the War-Heralds, apply the Siman pain by never seeing their family again after they join the church. The last pain is the Papan pain, or the pain of cutting. It is normally administered through self-mutilation of some kind. The normal way of applying Papan pain is by make small cuts, usually along the top of the lower arms. Holy texts of the Thakulion religion sometimes have very elaborate diagrams depicting the safe places to cut during a Papan ritual. The clergy, especially the War-Heralds, have a number of more severe practices used during a Papan ritual. The "Egad" practice has the worshiper pulling out his fingernails and burning himself across the fingertip to prevent the nail from growing out again while the "Kiss of Thakulion" practice consists of the worshiper being struck three times in the teeth with a heavy silver hammer. The Kiss of Thakulion is rarely practiced anymore, only a very few War-Heralds have been known to still perform the rite. According to legend, elven Thakulion worshipers would sometimes travel with a special slave after having been subjected to the Kiss of Thakulion, a slave responsible for chewing the food of their toothless master before spitting it out and feeding it to him.

- Scars. Scars is history engraved in skin. Scars are greater signs of determination and power than any medal. The teachings about scars are closely related to the teachings of pain. Since scars form after a wound heals, they are memories of pain. It is considered heresy to create a scar without pain, for example by administering a sedative or pain killing drug before inflicting the wound. Children who are born with a scar are considered blessed, unless the scar is shaped like one of the five heretic symbols (the symbols of herexia), in which case the child is considered to be possessed by the wolverine spirit. A legend exists within the church of Thakulion that there is a secret symbol called the Epiphanos. According to legend, a faithful can speak directly with Thakulion if he possesses a scar shaped exactly like the Epiphanos. If he is true and devout, Thakulion will grant he bearer of the Epiphanos great power while he walks on Balmortis and a vast empire with many servants will be reserved for him in the afterlife.

- Respect. Respect is the foundation of society, an echo of the glory of the afterlife. Respect is circular and infinite. A very vital part of the Thakulion faith is respect and the adherence to the hierarchy of the land. A true believer must respect those above him. Older people must be respected for their wisdom and the work that they have done. The nobility and the king must be respected for their providence and the heavy burden of leadership that they bear. The church and the clergy must be respected for their knowledge and their task of bringing the word of the Benedictem to the faithful. The Thakulion church believes there is a strict hierarchy that binds all things together and that you must respect all things above you in the hierarchy. Plants are above the soil and the rain, animals are above the plants, sentient races are above the plants and the faithful of Thakulion are above all sentient beings with Thakulion being above everyone. Since people who do not believe in Thakulion are outside the hierarchy, the respect spoken of by the church does not extend to them.

- Protocol. The Benedictem describes a huge number of rites that a true faithful must perform in the daily life at special events. These rites are said to promote order and reverence, constantly reminding the worshipers of Thakulion about his existence and power. The most common rite is the five-fold kiss performed before a follower enters a building for the first time. The side of the door is kissed five times, and the name of a wolverine is whispered before each kiss. This rite is performed to clear away the ghosts of the herexia before entering, to purify the building. Another common rite is the five-fold blessing, performed five times per day at specific times by the devout. The rite consists of a symbolic application of the five pains, first the worshiper places his left hand on top of his right hand to symbolize weight, then he breathes on the hands to symbolize heat, then he takes a grain of rice or a pinch of wheat (usually carried around in a purse by Thakulion believers) and throws it on the ground to symbolize fasting, then he touches his holy symbol to symbolize absence from his family and finally he pinches the palm of his hand to cutting pain of Papan. A skilled worshiper can perform the five-fold blessing in mere seconds.

Titles
The church of Thakulion is divided into a strict hierarchy and adherence to the hierarchy is one of the foundations of the religion. The following titles exist within the church and some of its branches.

Grand Patriarch: The grand patriarch is the absolute head of the church of Thakulion. Currently the position is held by Saint Neopaul, a chosen one of Thakulion who has lived for six hundred years so far. Grand patriarch saint Neopaul resides near the high cathedral in Castle Laumakis.

Patriarch: Beneath the grand patriarch are the common patriarchs. Each branch of the Thakulion church in other countries have a patriarch appointed to lead all the activities of the church in that country. Even though the patriarchs are supposedly above the archbishops in power, in reality there are some archbishops inside Laumakis who have greater influence and power than some patriarchs, since Laumakis is considered the base of the religion. While an archbishop might count tens of thousands of members amongst his flock, some patriarchs, such as the patriarchs of Rosvald or Emerik, count only a few hundred members of their branch of the church. Nine patriarchs are currently denominated.

- Patriarch Samuel, head of the church in Cay Adair
- Patriarch Jocelyn, head of the church in Rosvald
- Patriarch Farafra, head of the church in Zel Nagash
- Patriarch Majkal, head of the church in Sayomore
- Patriarch Enok, head of the church in Montelival
- Patriarch Gerrik, head of the church in Malmark
- Patriarch Sindes, head of the church in Cay Nogulh
- Patriarch Leonidas, head of the church of Emerik
- Patriarch Lindevahl, head of the church in Laumakis

The nine patriarch are summoned once every fourth year to attend a conference in Laumakis where matters of the faith are discussed. It is rare for Patriarch Farafra from Zel Nagash to attend, but the remaining eight patriarch always attend the conference. Traditionally, only the patriarchs and grand patriarch attended the conference, but with the rise to power of some of the arch-bishops, a special rule has been made that allows a few select arch-bishops to attend.

Archbishop: The archbishop title is a somewhat curious title in the church since it carries one of several meanings. Some archbishops have been appointed their title because they are the leaders of a region inside a country, a region considered so important to the church that a mere bishop title would be insufficient for its leader. Many of the regions of Laumakis have had arch-bishops appointed, as well as a very few of the regions in Cay Adair and Montelival. In addition to being the leader of a region of a country, some archbishops have been given their title to denote their importance to the church. For example, the head of the cathedral in Castle Laumakis has the title of archbishop, the head of the holy library has the title, the captain of the Epiphany has the title and the two secretaries under grand patriarch saint Neopaul have the title of archbishops. Some of the leaders of the various monk orders or the war-heralds have also been given an honorary archbishop title. Unlike the patriarch title that has a very fixed meaning, the power and duties of an archbishop vary widely.

Bishop: The bishop title is given to the heads of a regional church. Most countries in which the Thakulion church operates have been further divided into a number of regions, over which either a bishop or archbishop resides.

Vicar: Beneath the bishops are the vicars. A vicar is a member of the faith who has been appointed leader of a single church.

Abbot: Abbot is a title given to the leader of an abbey. An abbey is different from a church by the fact that it is not open to the public as a church is.

Priest: Priest is the title for the common servant of the church who has not been appointed to the leader of a church or abbey. All members of the church are classified as priests, but it is customary to refer to someone by their highest title. Even though a bishop is also a priest, he is hardly ever called priest.

Acolyte: An acolyte is a priest in training. It takes seven years for an acolyte to finish his studies to become an ordained priest.

In addition to the formal titles noted above that indicate a priests formal rank in the hierarchy of the church, a number of additional titles exist to denote special functions.

Dean: In a church, abbey or cathedral, the dean is responsible for the internal management of the institution. While the institution itself is run by the archbishop, bishop, vicar or abbot, a dean is always appointed to answer to the formal leader of the institution. In smaller churches or abbeys, the dean also acts as treasurer, while larger institutions usually have a priest especially appointed to the title of treasurer to handle the economical management of the institution.

Preceptor: The preceptor title is given to members of the faith that are responsible for teaching acolytes during their training.

Precentor: The precentor is a title only given to a special member of the largest institutions of the faith. The precentor is responsible for the music of a cathedral, including the training of a choir and the maintenance of the music instruments.

Theurgist: The theurgist is a special advisor appointed to serve under higher-ranking members of the church. The theurgist is responsible for advising their master on matters relating to arcane magic or the workings of other religions.

Inquisitor: The inquisitor is responsible for the faith of the members of the clergy. Unlike all other functions of the church which all have some contact with the parish, the inquisitor deals solely in internal matters of the faith. The inquisitor is responsible for rooting out priests who have faltered in their faith to either remove their position or execute them. Execution is only an option with priests who have violated grocely against the edicts of the faith, while removal is the standard method for dealing with a faithless priest. The inquisitors are a bit special in the hierarchy of the church, as they are permitted to question any member of the church disregarding rank.

In addition to all of the titles noted above, the various orders of the church have titles of their own (the monk orders and the war-heralds).

Ceremonies
There are a number of ceremonies performed by the Thakulion faith on special days. The members of the parish are expected to attend most if not all these ceremonies.

Boar's Feast: The Boar's Feast is held on the first Monday of April to celebrate the birth of Thakulion from the carcass of the wolverine and the death of the boar five years later. In the afternoon of the boar's feast, the clergy of the church will don a special costume reserved specially for this celebration, a costume resembling the wolverine from which Thakulion was born, the Opus Lupine. The service celebrates the martyrdom of the Opus Lupine to give birth to Thakulion. The members of the parish are expected to donate miniature gold or silver tusks to the church. These gift tusks are said to symbolize how the member of the parish denounces himself of the greed exhibited by both the boar and the wolverine. In the evening of Boar's Feast, it is customary for all members of the parish to celebrate the day by having a dinner party where they serve roasted boar or pig. In some of the regions of the world where boars or pigs are not to be found, it is common for the faithful to construct special dishes made to resemble boars. Usually, these dishes are boar figures made from mashed potatoes or corn. After the dinner, the children are given special treats, candy made from honey and roasted almonds, shaped like small boars. It is strictly forbidden to eat any remains of the feast after the day has ended, including the candy.

Five-Fold Festival: The Five-Fold Festival is a celebration of the five pains of the herexia, held in the last week of November. During each day of the festival, the members of the parish must subject themselves to one of the five pains in a fixed order. On the first day, the pain of Lupius is administered. The worshipers go to their local church and sit in front of the altar with a benedictem stone placed on their hands. On the second day of the festival, the pain of Daemic is administered. The worshipers again go to their local church where a small, silver cauldron with water is boiling all day. The worshipers are expected to quickly put one finger into the boiling water. On the third day, the pain of Caperis is administered. The third day is simply a day of fasting where the worshipers are expected to refrain from eating between sunrise and sunset. On the fourth day comes the pain of Siman. The local church is separated into sections by scarlet curtains and the worshipers are expected to split up into the different sections so that they are separated from their family from sunset to sunrise. The entire day is spent inside the church in prayer. On the fifth and last day, the pain of Papan is administered. The parish are again expected to go to their local church, where the vicar or bishop will be responsible for a ceremony that end with the worshipers going up to the altar to receive three small cuts to the palm of their hand. On the fifth day of the festival, it is customary for the worshipers to hold a big feast, usually in the street, to celebrate the end of the festival. Everyone attending the feast brings a number of dishes to donate to the feast, and it is considered rude to deny anyone access to the food. It is the only day of the year where the worshipers are expected to give to the poor.

Retribution: Fifteen days after the Boar's Feast comes another special celebration called Retribution. On this day, the Thakulion worshipers celebrate their freedom and their duty to fight against anyone who tries to hinder their faith. On this day it is customary for the local ruler to hold a number of parades, and the Thakulion worshipers themselves often have special parades in the street where they wear scarlet uniforms and carry weapons. According to legend, Retribution is the best day to atone for your sins by inflicting pain upon yourself. Some Thakulion worshipers even commit ritual suicide on Retribution day by tying themselves to a horse or mule that is then walked around the city throughout the day at the head of parade. Someone committing suicide on this special day is called a "Piet". When the crowd learns that a piet will be heading a parade, they arm themselves will small silver needles. If you can get blood on your needle from the piet, it is considered good luck and the needle will give you a good life for five years.

 

[Clay_More]

Okay, just wanted to share some of my thoughts and ideas about the first country I ever came up with in my Balmortis setting. It has actually been the country of origin for my players throughout many years of playing, but it has changed dramatically over these years. Since I started when I was quite young, naturally my initial ideas were somewhat childish, the country being a very dull, straight-forward, medieval-inspired country. It had goblins in a swamp and barbarians to the south, it had a king and some nobles and a lot of pan-flutes and merry damsels. It was basically medieval England, Cormyr, Gondor, whatever.

It did though have one idea that I enjoyed, the idea that it was a rather young nation compared to most others. I expanded upon this idea and decided, since the country has always been firmly based on the worship of a deity called Thakulion, that it should be the result of a crusade.

The church of Thakulion can be found in virtually all human countries in Balmortis, it even exists in some orcish societies. Thakulion is a very strict deity, called the Prince of Scars. His church believes that pain is the great sacrament, that it prunes the soul. The faith is extremely hostile towards other faiths, even the faiths dedicated to the two deities that are Thakulion's brothers. I will post a long description of Thakulion at some point. Some seven hundred years prior to the present day, the church embarked on a campaign to gather followers from virtually all countries of Balmortis. After a council held by the patriarchs of the church (the head of the church in a country is a patriarch), it was decided that a country should be formed that could be shaped according to the teaching of Thakulion. After careful consideration, it was deemed that the most appropriate location would be Laumakis, a peninsula in northern Balmortis that has been in goblin hands for centuries. Starting from the southernmost nations of Balmortis, a crusade was formed, calling all the faithful under its banner to wage war against the goblins so that a new nation might be formed. The patriarch of Achlein was responsible for starting the crusade, with the blessing of the council of patriarchs. The small army started moving north through other nations which had congregations of Thakulionites. It even moved through the Barbarian Plains just south of Laumakis, even though these lands have virtually no Thakulion worshipers. At this point though, the army had grown to such a size that it was almost impossible for the local, fractured tribes to resist the invasion.
At the border to Laumakis, the army made camp. The majority of the army consisted of poorly trained commoners who would be a poor match against the goblin hordes of Laumakis. Fortunately, the council of patriarchs had planned for this and had hired a number of professional mercenaries along with a small fleet of ships that would provide a steady flow of goods to the camp. In addition to the Thakulionites themselves, the army was escorted by a large following of auxiliaries, a mix of slaves and mercenaries that it had picked up along the way. Using these auxillary troops, the camp was also successful in establishing a logistics line back to some of the nations that supported the crusade. Some nations were actually happy to see the exodus of the most hardline Thakulionites, as they have a tendency to be very zealous in their practices compared to most religious people. The army spent four years in the camp south of Laumakis, time spent training the commoners into a well-disciplined army. Since only rather radical Thakulionites had joined the crusade, the army already had a moral quite uncommon in an armed force, and the extensive military training only improved this morale when it was also supplemented by "esprit de corps".

The crusader army, hailing from a variety of nations, didn't have a uniform fighting style. A gathering of the most competent professional mercenaries hired by the army worked together to develop a fighting style that would be potent against the massed, loosely-organized goblins. The core of the army would consist of heavy infantry in tight formations. Equipped with a chainmail, a large shield and a warhammer, this infantry was drilled extensively to work in a number of dense formations that would provide mutual protection. A smaller number of troops were trained to be archers, meant to accompany the heavy infantry to provide ranged support from the rear. An even smaller number of men were trained to be heavy cavalry protecting the flanks of the heavy infantry. The auxillary troops were trained to act as skirmishers, light infantry moving ahead of the army to harass and hinder the enemy, armed with a mix of light armor, melee and ranged weapons. While this composition has a number of weaknesses, it was deemed that none of these weaknesses would come to play when fighting the goblins.
After the four years, the army marched across the border to Laumakis along with its huge host of auxiliary units. As expected, the goblin tribes raised armies of their own and constantly fought the crusader army as it made its way north. The crusader army proved to be highly efficient at dealing with the goblins, despite suffering occasional setbacks. When the army took a goblin village, it would burn it to the ground, killing all residents. The army eventually took over the vast majority of the Laumakis peninsula, with the exception of the Black Swamps located to the north-east. An especially ferocious tribe of goblins managed to survive the onslaught of the army by hiding in the swamp. An army consisting mainly of heavy infantry, while potent, has a great weakness when it is confronted by rugged terrain, as it has a tendency to break up the dense formations, making them far more vulnerable to enemy raids. Eventually, the crusader army had to settle with the land that it had conquered. One of the commanders of the army, General Latiff, oversaw the construction of a series of forts that would box in the goblins while the remainder of the army could focus on building up the holy nation of Laumakis. These forts, later named the "Bird Forts", since they were all named after common birds, would become the main line of defence against goblin incursions. In relative safety, the country could be built up from the ground. Villages, cities and castles were built by siege engineers across the country.

In the early years of Laumakis, a flaw was noticed in the plan of the patriarchs. While they had recruited the most capable military leaders they could find, they had little experience in the daily management of a country. The church leaders naturally did their best to lead the people, but not all of the people living in the country were devout Thakulion followers. Many of the axillary troops that had come along on the crusade were of different faiths and as such, had problems respecting the somewhat inept leadership of the church elders. Even though the church banned virtually all religions from operating inside the country, it still didn't help on the problem of lacking leadership. Eventually the patriarchs had to swallow a bitter pill and request assistance from the nearby island nation of Montelival. Montelival is a very old nation with a long history of a powerful nobility. Essentially a meritocracy, the nobility of Montelival are trained from birth in the arts of economics, politics and different sociological studies. A number of Montelival nobles were invited to Laumakis to form a nobility which could manage the country. The nobles would be given a large tract of land in the country if they only swore to adhere to the edicts of the church. A fair number of nobles agreed and were given lands to manage in Laumakis. The son of the monarch of Montelival, Thaddeus Loreas, was crowned as the king of Laumakis. Despite his title, the king of Laumakis holds far less sway over the country than a king normally does. The vast majority of the power is held by the extremely powerful church.

While zealous and aggressive, the church of Thakulion has grown a bit more defensive over the years. Right after the country was formed, it experienced several centuries of almost constant warfare. First there were a number of campaigns aimed at the goblin tribe inside the Black Swamps. After the goblin wars came several military campaigns against first the barbarians in the south and then the dwarves on Cimakath island and the trader nation on Rosvald island. Despite occasional successes, the Laumakian forces never saw any decisive victories that managed to provide them with additional territory, with the exception of some colonies they were able to establish on the shores of the Aukmar continent to the north. After an invasion from the south which almost resulted in the loss of the capitol of Laumakis, it was decided that the country would work on establishing a number of "buffer regions". The skilled diplomats of the nobility started an intense campaign of negotiations, intimidation and promises to assure the loyalty of the countries in the immediate vicinity of Laumakis. The plan was to create a number of buffer regions around the country which would provide a first line of defence against possible invaders. A few barbarian tribes to the immediate south of the country agreed to mutual protection pacts. To the west, the country has an arrangement with the merchants of Rosvald island who command a sizeable fleet, and to the east the country has an alliance with Saymore and to some extent Montelival.

This is the basic history of the country. I tried as much as possible to create alot of opportunities for adventure inside the country. There are a number of factions all squabbling over control, the strongest being the Thakulion church naturally. The royal family, while powerful, is not fully trusted by neither the church nor the nobility. It does though have a decent amount of popularity amongst the inhabitants of the country, especially amongst the lower class. The nobility, even though they virtually all hail from Montelival, have become "native" over the course of several centuries and are not a unified mass. Most of the southern nobles, who are used to constant skirmishes with barbarians and other invaders, are hardliners who constantly argue that the country should commit more of its armed forces to aggressive campaigns. The majority of the northern nobles, on the other hand, have stuck to their Montelival heritage and pursue the scholarly education that granted them their position in the country to begin with. The northern nobles have a greater tendency to adhere to old traditions native to Montelival. The Thakulion church is by far the most powerful factor in the country as it controls not only a large portion of the populace, but also the majority of the armed forces. Unfortunately, the church is also fractured, even though it always works towards presenting a unified front to the nobles and the populace. In addition to the church itself, there is an order called the War-Heralds who are the military arm of the church, along with various orders of monks. In addition to the publically known orders, there's two secret orders formed by the church, both of whom has an agenda of their own. The least secret of the two orders are the Vanquishers, a special sect of fanatical War-Heralds that hunt down and eliminate all arcane spellcasters and clerics of other deities inside Laumakis. The other order is the Brothers of Herexia, a very clandestine and sinister order that has only one purpose; to find and implement new weapons to aid the church against its enemies. The Brothers of Herexia have in their arsenal a number of potent diseases that can be employed against a civilian population, a small cabal of powerful psychics, several ancient artifacts of less than good origins, various trapped beasts and other potential weapons. In addition to all of the above mentioned organizations are naturally the various guilds of the country as well as several spy networks from other dominant nations.


To wrap it up, my basic idea was to create a country vaguely based on a combination of a standard medieval nation and a zealous religion. Thakulion is partly based on the bad parts of historical Christianity (and no, I'm not an anti-Christian, I always thought that Christianity has a good and positive social impact in contemporary society) mixed with some more mythical, fantastic elements. The whole concept should create ample opportunity for adventures taking place inside Laumakis itself, with many factions all fighting a subtle battle for dominance. The country also has possibilities for some more outwardly adventures, ranging from skirmishes with goblin tribes around the Seven Stones in the Black Swamps or with the barbarians of the southern plains, to more sinister operations inside traditional enemies of the Thakulion church, such as the Black Kingdoms or the two elven nations.

Anyways, just wanted to hear how my ideas ring in the ears of others (and geez I hope I didn't go overboard on the description).

 

[Ebonyr]

sounds great and the dwarf thing is just creepy

I really think the dwarven backstory is awesome. Great Idea. *yoink*

 

[Clay_More]

Thanks Ebonyr! I'm working on the racial description of the dwarves at the moment actually, going to put it up in the 3.5 House Rules forum once I'm done. Currently I'm waiting for a friend of mine who's painting two pictures for me of the dwarves.

Finished the basic rules for mechanics as well as a bit of the rules about steam engines, they can be found here:

http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?t=237131

They're a little bit complex. The friend who's drawing the dwarves (and the paintings are looking pretty sweet so far) is doing one dwarf clad in Bombardier Mechanized Armor, armed with a Mortar, and another of a dwarf clad in Juggernaut Mechanized Armor, armed with a Razor Shield and a Piston Sword. Should end up quite good, and I'll post them both together with the description of the dwarves once he's done.

 

[arcanaman]

can't wait to see more of your religions

 

[HDTVDinner]

I must say I've never been one for settings other that those included with core rules, but this is awesome!

 

[Knightfall]

Clay_More, interesting stuff you've got here. I haven't read the Thakulion post yet or the stuff after it, but I'm liking everything I have read.

BTW, you might want to put some spaces between some of those paragraphs in the later posts. From skimming them, they look awkward to read.

Just my opinion...

KF72