D&D 3E/3.5 [Kulan] The Lands of Harqual (Updated: Feb 3/2022)

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Krugs replaces the standard Goblin entry from the MM v.3.5 for the Lands of Harqual. The name "krug" comes from the Dungeon Siege video games.

 

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FYI, I'm working on revising my organizations, which includes creating coat of arms for many of them using a web site called Armoria.

 

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I have renamed the city-state known as Tschaja to Chaja.

 

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The Calendars of Harqual​

There are three distinct calendars on Harqual. Each one is described below.

Gabriel Stonn and the New Calendar (or Ariagian Calendar)​

The continent's most widely used calendar, the New Calendar, as it’s called, is Harqual's most important one. Two hundred and fifty two years after the end of the Divinity War, a man named Gabriel Stonn came to power in a city-state, called Ariag, on the Jagged Peninsula on the eastern shore of Northern Harqual. Gabriel was the first man to have a vision of what Harqual’s future should be without also wanting to oppress its peoples.

He reformed Ariag’s failing political and justice systems and introduced widespread change throughout the city’s military to weed out corruption. He put the power of rule in the hands of the citizens of the city-state. Women and even those over the age of fifteen had the right to voice their opinion, although one still had to be at least eighteen to vote. It was a radical change that would reshape Harqual’s history in the region. It was this that brought about the creation of the New Calendar.

Stonn knew his growing kingdom, known then as The Kingdom of the Jagged Peninsula, needed a new calendar to track the seasons and the days. And since Gabriel was a humble man, he refused to name it after himself or the city-state he ruled. He would simply call it the New Calendar and be done with it.

The New Calendar spread through the lands of the eastern coast and eventually to the west and even to the Far South. Only the barbarians of the Northlands have never adopted it fully, as it is not in their nature to write things down. They simply track the passage of time the way they had since Cronn built the Hall of the Northlands. The barbarians of the Northlands do honor Gabriel Stonn for the pious life he lead and honor the celebrations and cycles of the calendar when visiting the southern lands beyond the Greystone Mountains.

As for Gabriel Stonn, the man ruled Ariag and the kingdom that was built around it for his entire lifetime. At his death in 52 N.C., the city and the kingdom were both renamed Stonn in his honor by the people that had grown to love him. Stonn's kingdom still exists and is the oldest human kingdom on Harqual. (The silver elf kingdom, The Kingdom of the Silver Leaves, is the oldest.) Stonn’s birth is celebrated every 100 years from the 1st year after Gabriel’s death to the present. The last celebration was in 752 N.C.

The New Calendar follows a 12 months (365 days) per year cycle. Each month is broken down into roughly 4 weeks made up of 6 days per week. Each month is made up either 30 or 31 days. The year has 4 seasons that follow the same basic seasonal patterns of Earth – Springdawn, Summerfall, Autumnwind, and Winternight.

The New Calendar, Jaeger, and the Honorbound
Jaeger’s death has great religious significance to all of the priests of the Pantheon of the North but none so much as his own. It was Jaeger that brought about the end of the Divinity War by sacrificing his life force and divine power, to the multiverse, to save all of Harqual from Hiisi’s evil.

His former clergy now call themselves the Honorbound and refer him to as Jaeger the Saint. As a result of Jaeger’s sacrifice a new, bright star was born in the heavens above Kulan called Jaeger’s Rest.

In honor of Jaeger’s death and sacrifice the second week of his month is celebrated by every faith in the Pantheon as the Time of Honorbound. Many treaties have been ratified and reworked during this week of celebration and remembrance.

This week is also when all the companies of Honorbound gather for the annual rites of passage for new members and to honor those of the company that have fallen over the last year. It is considered blasphemous to miss your companies gathering unless you are a prisoner of a military power that doesn’t worship the pantheon. All faiths of the pantheon will release a Honorbound to be at his gathering. This helps prevent vendettas and blood feuds between the faiths and independent companies.

 

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The New Calendar and the Divine Children
Gabriel Stonn was a pious man and was true to the gods of the Pantheon of the North when so many others were not. He honored the gods by naming each of the months for one of the Divine Children that fell during the Divinity War against the Pantheon of Swords. Thus, the twelve months of the New Calendar are named Anon, Zealot, Sialic, Thorn, Truce, Hansa, Hela, Seraph, Nesus, Euphoria, Tulle, and Jaeger, in that order. (See below for more details on the structure of the New Calendar.) All, but three, of these Children were lost to total oblivion. Jaeger's legacy is noted above in the section on the Honorbound but more details are needed regarding Hansa and Hela.

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Sidebar 4: Pronouncing the Different Names of the Months​

Anon (eh-‘nän)	Truce (‘trüs)	Nesus (‘nes-ahs)
Zealot (‘zel-eht)	Hansa (‘han(t)-sah, ‘hän-(,)zä)	Euphoria (you-‘for-ee-ah)
Sialic (si-‘al-ik)	Hela (‘hel-ah)	Tulle (‘tül)
Thorn (‘thό(eh)rn)	Seraph (‘ser-ehf)	Jaeger (‘yeh-gar)

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Hansa was buried under the earth during a battle with Hiisi’s godsons, Deltum and Enduma. It was the cat god Tu that sent Hansa spiraling down into ground forming what (some say) would become the Twilight Valley. To this day, he struggles to free himself from his underground prison, which causes seasonal earthquakes that plague Harqual. The third week of his month is known as The Shaking due to high number of quakes that occur during that time period. Clerics of Hansa gather in the Twilight Valley during this time to pay homage to their god.

Hela’s tragic tale, of Thera binding Hela's essence to the sea of the Sword Gulf so that the Peace Goddess could never rest, is honored during on the first day and last day of her month. Her clergy gather on the shores of the Sword Coast, on the first day, throwing peace blossoms into the sea and singing sad dirges for the release of their goddess. On the last day, they come again along with the faithful masses, this time in brightly colored clothes, to sing and dance and feast in Hela’s name, to bring the Peace Goddess love and merriment.

Also, when the violent storms of Autumnwind begin to break against the Sword Coast near Gillian and Avion, it is said they are the storms of Hela’s sorrow, raging to be free of her torment. This time is also sacred to her followers and to sailors of all faiths, up and down the Sword Coast.

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Sidebar 5: The New Divine Children of the North Gods​

While the gods of the Pantheon of the North grieved a long time for the fallen Divine Children, many of them found comfort in each other. The god Rel and his wife Ramara soon beget another godson who they named Draven.​

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After Bast lost her last godson, Truce, she fell into despair. Without a husband or any children to tie her to the pantheon, the North Gods worried she might leave them. The god Cull was chosen to watch over her and protect the interests of the pantheon, in keeping her from leaving. What resulted was a tryst between the two deities, which resulted in the birth of their first child, Brenna. The goddess Casiia was beget soon after, as the two deities formalized their union.​

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These new Divine Children have been a godsend, if you’ll excuse the pun. They have kept the North Gods close and in recent years the deities have begun to feel like a family again. The other North Gods have yet to beget new children, as Larea is deciding if she really wants Ullr to be her new husband, and Cronn and Inanna are unwilling to bring more children into such a dangerous universe, for now. It is wildly known that the Daghdha has recently been visiting Persana’s Godly Realm, Shelluria, in the Outlands. Whether or not something will come of this is still unknown.​

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As with the Sword Gods, there are rumors that some of the Divine Children may have had children of their own. If so, these births would have most likely been among mortals, as the Divine Children were very close to mortals in all respects.​

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The most interesting rumor is that Hansa had a relationship with a mortal silver ‘wild’ elf and that a child was born of the union. The interesting part of this rumor is that this half-god is still alive and often visits the Twilight Valley to be near Hansa.​

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Not a rumor, but now a known fact, is that Anon had a secret relationship with Dike. They were fast friends and may have been more. Dike is now a well-known Interloper God, as her followers are seeking a way to restore her companion. It is doubtful that Dike has had a child by Anon, however, as their relationship was more soldierly then anything else.​

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Another group of deities, related to the North Gods, are those children beget by the Old Gods in their traditional pantheons. These include the Nine Daughters of Aegir and Ran, and Lokun’s sons, Narvi and Vali, beget by his Asgardian wife, Sigyn. These other gods are the adopted Divine Children of the North Gods, although they aren’t truly bonded by blood. In reality, knowledge of these gods is less known beyond the Aegir and Lokun’s Godly Realms on Kulan.​

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It isn’t widely known but Sanh fancies one of the Nine Daughters. As of yet, Aegir has refused to let the Stormmaker court his daughter. Narvi and Vali often fight over who should have the right to court Cronn’s daughter, Mayela, but the truth is the Lady Judge find them both lacking.​

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In the last ten years since The Transformation, there are rumors of another god child being born. They say this new godling is named Eachann. Some say he is a risen mortal or might be an adopted Transformation God.​

 

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New Calendar and the Elements​

The elements are also linked to Harqual’s calendar by way of the names of the days of the week and the moons of Kulan. The days in order of first to last are Moonsday, Earthday, Fireday, Seaday, Windday, and Starday. The four middle days are of course directly linked to each of the four Prime Elements - Air, Earth, Fire, and Water. (Other elements exist, such as the Para-Elements and the Element of Wood, but they aren’t linked to the New Calendar.)

Elementalists all across Harqual perform special rites and prayers, each week, on their associated day of the week. If this is not done, then the elementalist loses one spell level for the remainder of the week. If the rites are missed again the next week the elementalist incurs a –1 penalty when casting any spells from their Elemental School (this continues each week until the elementalist performs the rites on the proper day (this is cumulative, –2, –3, etc.).

The first and last day are also linked to the elements but hold less daily significance to elementalists.

Moonsday, of course, refers to Kulan’s two moons – Novan and Lithe. Novan is a Water World and is considered the source of power for Water and Air Elementalists. Lithe is a bare, mineral rich airless void that is considered the source of power for Earth Elementalists.

Starday is named for both the stars and Kulan’s sun. It is considered a special day for astronomers, especially during an eclipse or other celestial event (such as a comet). This day is also important to Fire Elementalists as it denotes the sun and the source of their power. Solar eclipses are considered ‘bad’ by these elementalists as this lessens their power for the duration of the eclipse [reduced by one level for 1d4+1 minutes before eclipse, full duration of eclipse (including partial), and 1d4-1 minutes after the eclipse].

 

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Calendar of Swords​

Before the time of Gabriel Stonn and the calendar he created the only method of tracking the days and seasons of the years was by using the archaic Calendar of Swords designed by the Imperium. The CoS, as it was abbreviated, was designed for recording historic and military achievements of the Imperium. It was never used to track the birth dates of the masses, festivals, or the changing seasons. The only birth dates ever recorded on the CoS were those of the King-Priests and a few of the more ambitious Dead Emperors.

Another problem with the calendar was that only a few individuals on Harqual knew how to decipher it. The CoS was written with strange archaic symbols that are still etched into the ziggurats. (The current year is 2,470 CoS.)

The Third Calendar​

The third calendar is not really a physical calendar at all. The abbreviation DW refers to the time that passed from the end of the Divinity War to the Year of the Dawn. Thus, it only spans from 1 DW to 1001 DW No one ever uses it to refer to events before or after these years and most never use it regardless.

This abbreviation only came into use after the tabaxi returned to Harqual in 749 N.C., the Year of the Return. After that had occurred, there was finally a way for scholars to note when the Divinity War actually ended and important DW dates are usually noted on The New Calendar. (The 1,001 years correspond to -252 N.C. to 749 N.C.

 

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The Dragons of Kulan​

The dragons of Kulan are a little different than dragons on other worlds. Now, you’re probably saying “I’ve heard that one before!”

Ah, but you see, they are.

You see dragons are linked to the gods and the elements. Dragons epitomize the four Prime Elements and the union of the beneficial powers of these elements. They also represent the paradox at the heart of being the mutual dependence of light and dark, creation and destruction, male and female. Dragons are the unifying force underlying these opposites and symbolize magical energy, neither good nor evil, that supports the physical world and which can be used for either good or evil purposes.

All this makes the dragons of Kulan an important part of the cycles of life and passing seasons. Dragons are considered part of the natural world just like any other intelligent race or member of the animal kingdom. Thus, they are not hunted as monsters and are even considered special children of the gods. Druids will help dragons fit into the Tenets of the Balance and will even teach abandoned newborns, of any color, to live in the bounds of the natural world. It is considered a great honor to have a dragon as a patron or to be given the title of Dragon Friend.

Note that not all Chromatics are evil and not all Metallics are good. In fact, most dragons of Kulan are either neutral in alignment (or leave the world, if possible). Many of the more radical aligned dragons (such as Black, Gold, Red and Silver) don’t even exist in great numbers. Those that do are either young neutral dragons in the company of druids or older dragons that are hiding from the outside world. However, all colors of dragons do exist on Kulan, even Gem, Shadow, Yellow, etc. Almost all of them follow the Tenets of the Balance and it is considered a good omen to spot one soaring through the sky.

 

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Alignments for Kulan Dragons​

The tables below shows the difference in alignment between the dragons of Kulan and the dragons on most other D&D worlds. It also shows the typical alignments for a rogue dragon of each species. For example, a black dragon that lives within the boundaries of the Tenets of the Balance is normally chaotic neutral but could be any other alignment that is partially neutral (i.e. LN, NG, N, or NE). Thus, even a neutral evil black dragon that lives within the Tenets of the Balance is considered an honored child of the gods. Clerics of Mirella do not take kindly to self-righteous Paladins, Blackguards, and Clerics who take it upon themselves to hunt down dragons living within the Tenets of the Balance.

Note that this protection doesn’t apply to rogue dragon. Thus, if that same black dragon had an alignment of chaotic good or chaotic evil then it would be considered a rogue dragon living beyond the boundaries set down by the Tenets of the Balance. Clerics of Mirella have been known to petition evil mercenaries or adventurers to hunt down lawful and chaotic good dragons living outside the Tenets of the Balance, just as often as they petition good characters to hunt down lawful or chaotic evil dragons. This can, and often does, lead to open conflicts between Mirella’s Church and those faiths that follow ‘extremism’ thinking.

Table: Dragon Alignments (Part One)

Dragon Type	D&D Standard	Kulan Standard	Rogue Dragon
Chromatics	—	—	—
Black	Always CE	Usually CN	Usually CG or CE
Blue	Always LE	Usually LN	Usually LE
Green	Always LE	Usually NE	Usually CE or LE
Orange (1)	Always NE	Usually NE	LE, CE
Purple (1)	Always NE	Usually NE	LE, CE
Red	Always CE	Usually NE	Usually CE
White	Always CE	Usually N	LG, LE, CG, or CE
Yellow (1)	Always LE	Usually LN	LE, NE
Metallics	—	—	—
Brass	Always CG	Usually CN	Usually CG or CE
Bronze	Always LG	Usually LN	Usually LG
Copper	Always CG	Usually NG	Usually LG or CG
Gold	Always LG	Usually LN	Usually LG
Silver	Always LG	Usually N	LG, LE, CG, or CE
Gem Dragons	—	—	—
Amethyst	Always N	Usually N	LG, LE, CG, or CE
Crystal	Always CN	Usually CN	Usually CG or CE
Emerald	Always LN	Usually LN	Usually LG or LE
Sapphire	Always LN	Usually LN	Usually LG or LE
Topaz	Always CN	Usually CN	Usually CG or CE

1. A dragon described in DRAGON Compendium, Volume 1.

 

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Table: Dragon Alignments (Part Two)

Dragon Type	D&D Standard	Kulan Standard	Rogue Dragon
Felldrakes	—	—	—
Crested	Always NG	Usually NG	Usually LG or CG
Horned	Always NG	Usually NG	Usually LE or CG
Spitting	Always NG	Usually NG	Usually LG or CE
Wrack (1)	—	—	—
Firewrack	Always LE	Usually LN	Usually LE or CE
Seawrack	Always NE	Usually N	LG, LE, or CE
Woodwrack	Always NE	Usually N	LE, CG, or CE
Other Types	—	—	—
Brown	Usually NE	Same	Usually LE or CE
Deep	Always CE	Usually CN	Usually CG or CE
Dragon Turtle	Usually N	Same	LG, LE, CG, or CE
Fang	Always CN	Usually CN or N	CG, CE
Half-Dragon	Varies by color	Usually N	LG, LE, CG, or CE
Psuedodragon	Always N	Usually N	LG, LE, CG, or CE
Sand	Always CN	Usually CN or N	CG, CE
Shadow (2)	Always CE	Same	Same
Wyvern	Usually N	Same	LG, LE, CG, or CE

1. A dragon described in Creature Collection Revised.
2. Shadow dragons are always rogue dragons. In World of Kulan’s Cosmology they make their home on the Shadowstar Sea.