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

[Knightfall]

DAGHDHA
The Daghdha, The High Druid, The Nature Lord

Greater Deity
Symbol: Celtic shield
Home Plane: Outlands
Godly Realm: Tir na Og (Mag Mell)
Alignment: True neutral
Portfolio: Agriculture, animals, earth, flora and fauna, forests, harvest, nature, weather
Worshipers: Dragons, druids, elves, firbolgs, farmers, gnomes, half-elves, halflings, rangers, anyone who lives in a rural community
Cleric Alignments: LN, NG, N, CN
Domains: Animal, Forest, Plant, Renewal, Weather
Favored Weapon: Spear

The great deity most often referred too as “the Daghdha” is the enigma of the North Gods. The Daghdha, an Old God from the Celtic Pantheon, is an odd sort who is very comical in his demeanor. He neither fits in with the more barbaric members of the pantheon or the ones that gravitate toward order and law. It’s true he is in better company with the chaotic North Gods but even they don’t understand him. His behavior suggests that he would be chaotic in alignment, yet he is true neutral. The Daghdha is a strange bird indeed but Cronn likes him so the High Druid’s place amongst the North Gods is assured.

The Daghdha's Avatar often appears as a tall, lanky human who wears waggish outfits. He’s known for appearing arrayed in multi-colored, frayed garments one minute then in a long, well-kept robe colored in a single primary color. No one ever knows what he’ll look like next, not even his own pantheon members. The one constant is his magical spear, which he calls Little Dragon.

Dogma
The Daghdha teaches respect for the earth and all its wonders. He teaches a balance between the need for agriculture and the natural world. The druids of the Daghdha help farmers with the harvest and teach them how to gather wood for their homes without cutting down tons of trees. They often help communities by predicting dangerous weather patterns and interceding if to many innocents are endangered. They protect nature from those who would abuse it or use it for evil purposes. The tenets of the Nature Lord mesh with the Tenets of the Balance passed down by the clergy of Mirella, for the most part. The Daghdha teaches respect and supplication for The All-Mother and her servants in all cases that endanger the Balance.

Clerics and Temples
The clergy of the Daghdha is made up almost entirely of druids, with a few rangers and shamans as well. The clergy of the Daghdha never accepts evil individuals into the inner circle of the faith, although they are more tolerant towards the masses; who often seek the aid of the Nature Lord. They usually dress in an unorthodox manner to draw attention to themselves and the worship of their god. The Daghdha's clergy tend to keep to themselves, gathering only for important ceremonies and/or festivals.

The Daghdha doesn’t have a strongly organized faith, thus, temples are rarely erected in his honor. More often, the clergy of the High Druid build large, stone circles and monoliths in the Daghdha’s honor. These ‘henges’ are where his clergy gather in the rare times when they do so. More often, one or two high-level druids protect a particular henge from those who would destroy it and watch over those who come to the stone edifice to pray to the High Druid.

The best known location that is a major center for the Daghdha’s faith is the region west of the Kingdom of the Silver Leaves on the edge of the Great Harqual Forest. Known as the Hallowed Lands, the region is a low valley that begins just as the tree line grows thin and the Nameless Hills come into view. The valley cuts through the hills towards the Rilous Mountains and is one of the few locations in that region that wasn’t displaced by the Transformation. The druids believe that the Daghdha saw the danger as it happened and walked the valley from one end to the other, putting a piece of his divinity into the valley so it wasn’t lost to the mists.

The Hallowed Valley is dotted with nearly a dozen henges and is one of the few places where the Nature Lord’s followers gather in greater numbers. These druids make up the largest single circle on all of Harqual. It is said that the entire valley is sacred ground and that the druids can hide the valley from outsiders. Very few have tested this rumor and those that have usually don’t come back.

The High Druid does have one temple-like structure of note. It is a solid wooden building made from deadfalls, moss, and raw stone. The High Druid’s Hall is located between Valeny and Poli in the region known as the Nomad Lands. The structure is hard for non-druids to find, however. As the building magically relocates at dusk every three nights. Only a clergy member of the Daghdha can hope to find the Hall without magical assistance. The bandits of the Lawless Camps give this structure a wide berth, fearing its potent magic and the druid, Kin-Shall (hm / Drd15 (Daghdha) / N), who protects it.

 

[Knightfall]

More Races of Harqual

FEY RACES OF HARQUAL
Fey creatures are rare on Harqual; they most often living in the Great Forest. However, a few fey are steadfast enough to become full-time adventurers. Those with diluted-blood are more likely not to abandon traditional allies or become distracted by something new and/or fun. Fey are also slow to trust outsiders, especially dwarves, humans, rakasta, and tabaxi. However, some fey (like satyrs) are quick to form bonds with elves, the dragontouched, halflings, rockwood gnomes, kitts, and the vonakyndra. Other races are judged on a case-by-case basis.

BUCKAWNS
Buckawns aren't known for being overly friendly or outgoing, so they are the least likely (of those listed here) to leave Faerie and their secluded forest homes to travel the continent of Harqual. Buckawns stand 2 to 2-½ feet in height, have pale complexions, stringy white hair, and black piercing eyes. While they are not evil, they prefer the darkness. Sunlight makes them uncomfortable; although, it doesn't actually hurt them.

A buckawn living on the Material Plane might befriend a clan of elves or family of halflings but these occurrences are extremely rare. Buckawns make solid companions once they overcome their natural xenophobia. Regardless, they will always be aloof and a little cold-hearted.

FEYTOUCHED (Fiend Folio)
Feytouched characters are the most likely to be encountered on Harqual, even more than half-fey and pipers. Feytouched are the result of a family having a fey heritage on one or even both sides. Most often, a feytouched has a humanoid parent and a half-fey parent who grew up on the Material Plane. This is more common amongst feytouched with human ancestry and less common if the character has an elven parent. Other common non-fey parents are halflings, rockwood gnomes, and kitts. Only rarely will a feytouched have a more exotic non-fey parent such as an aarakocra, dwarf, giant, or rakasta. [Those with an aarakocra parent have a chance to be able to fly (25%) or glide (50%).]

Feytouched are often rogues or bards (favored class), but those living a more rural lifestyle are often choose to become druids and/or rangers. They rarely become true clerics; although, those feytouched with a barbarian heritage are often shamans. Those few feytouched who do become clerics, often worship the Daghdha or another nature god.

For more about Feytouched, see D&D Fiend Folio, page 71.

FREMLINS
Fremlins are tiny gremlins with fairy-like wings that are both friendly and mischievous. They are roughly a foot tall and range in color from slate gray to blue green. They tend to be plump and are known for being lazy. They make great companions to those willing to put up with their pranks. However, fremlins will leave any master or companion who mistreats it.

Fremlins are quick and agile and often work with local thieves' guilds, or they live with working class commoners and experts. They help with keeping a home tidy and work up-to-date in exchange for food and fun. A bored fremlin is not something anyone wants, so those with a fremlin living in their home go to great lengths to keep the little creature happy.

Fremlins living on the Material Plane most often do so with gnomes, halflings, elves, and humans. They rarely live with dwarves or other races strongly aligned towards law. They aren't as picky about living with evil races and have been found living amongst orcs, gnolls, and goblins.

Fremlins sometimes worship the North God of Rogues and Illusions, Kuil.

Fremlin Traits
Fremlin characters benefit from a number of racial traits:

• -2 to Strength, +4 to Dexterity, +2 to Wisdom.
• Tiny-sized. Fremlins gain a +2 size bonus to AC and attack rolls and a +8 size bonus to Hide checks, but they must use smaller weapons than humans use, and their lifting and carrying limits are one-halve of those of Medium-size creatures.
• Fey: Fremlins are fey, and are therefore immune to spells that only affect humanoids, such as charm person.
  Fremlin base land speed is 15 feet. They can also fly at a speed of 50 ft. with average maneuverability.
• Darkvision out to 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and fremlins can function just fine with no light at all.
• Low-light Vision. Fremlins can see twice as far as a human can in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination.
• Fremlins receive a +8 racial bonus to Listen checks, due to their large ears and keen hearing. Fremlins receive a +4 racial bonus to any one Craft and any one Profession skill. Fremlins may use the Profession skill untrained.
• Sleep (Su): A fremlin has the ability to use sleep as a innate supernatural ability as per the spell cast by a 10th-level sorcerer. The fremlin can use this ability 3 times per day.
• Automatic Languages: Common and Sylvan. Bonus Languages: Elven, Gnoll, Gnome, Goblin, Halfling, Orc.
• Favored Class: Rogue. A multiclass fremlin’s rogue class does not count when determining whether he suffers an XP penalty for multiclassing.
• Level Adjustment: +5

HALF-FEY (Fiend Folio)
Most people on Harqual understand the concept of half-elves, but, if a stranger introduced him or her self as a half-fey most would either stare blankly at the stranger or laugh their butts off. Most common people see fey creatures as either mythical creatures from Harqual's past or pure fiction. This comes from the extreme rarity of true fey creature on Harqual. Most fey actually live on the Plane of Faerie, which is coexistent with the Material Plane. Only rarely do, say spites, for example, settle on the Material Plane. More often fey simply visit during the late evening or during seasonal celestial events. However, the more nature-connected fey such as dryads, fossergrims, nymphs, oreads, and sirines are tied directly to the Material Plane. Other, darker, fey are usually outcasts of Faerie forced to live on the Material Plane (i.e. spriggan).

Thus, half-fey are rarely encountered on Harqual (as well as in the rest of the world). More often a half-fey is born in Faerie living their entire lives there. Only rarely will the sidhe, an elf-like fey race, allow a half-fey to be born and live their lives on the Material Plane. This is done when the non-fey parent is a long-lived race. Thus, half-fey are most often encountered living amongst elves, northern dwarven races, and sometimes rockwood gnomes. The non-fey parent usually goes out of his or her way to raise the child in isolation as not to be tempted by darkness. Of course, maturing half-fey tend to become fascinated by the world around them and slip away in the middle of the might to go adventuring with their more mundane friends (i.e silver and forest elves, hairfoots, hill dwarves, and sometimes half-elves).

Half-fey have a strong bond with nature and magic, and thus, many of them become bards, druids, rangers, or sorcerers. Those with a human parent are more likely to take to being a wizard than a sorcerer, however. Half-fey are treated as half-elves when it comes to whether or not they have a favored class. Half-fey clerics are very, very rare. Most would choose one of the Deities of the Seelie Court (or Unseelie Court if evil) as their patron. Damh the Fey One, a member of the Seelie Court, is also a North God and is the most likely to be worshiped.

Note: While the description of the Plane of Faerie in the D&D Manual of the Planes says that the Seelie and Unseelie Courts are found on that plane, that is not the case in my cosmology. Both the Seelie Court and Unseelie Court are planes unto themselves. The Seelie Court wanders the Outer Planes only rarely moving into the Inner Planes or Plane of Twilight. Titania, Oberon, Damh, Eachthighern, Emmantiensien, Nathair, and Verenestra are the major deities of the Seelie Court. The Unseelie Court is located on Pandemonium and the Queen of Air and Darkness is the only major deity of that godly realm. The Plane of Faerie is home to buckawns, fremlins, satyrs, sprites, and the sidhe. The gema (see below) are one of the few fey races actually native to Harqual.​

SATYRS (MM)
Satyrs are one of the more likely creatures of Faerie to migrate to the Material Plane and live on Kulan. This is common on Harqual. Native satyrs can be found exclusively in the Great Forest and are great friends of elves, half-elves, and the vonakyndra. They are often drawn to hairfoots and humans when they first meet them. They get along famously with kitts, but they find the rakasta too proud. Satyrs don't like dwarves and half-orcs as much; although, they soon respect a dwarf’s ability to drink as much as they can. Most satyrs of the Great Forest have never had contact with the rockwood gnomes of the Far South; although, many of them have heard of the gnomes from visiting satyrs from Faerie.

Native satyrs rarely travel far from the Great Forest. Why this is, no one knows. Most are glad that they don't as they would soon spread across the entire continent. Some sages speculate that native satyrs can't reproduce outside the boundary of the Great Forest and we all know how satyrs behave.

Satyr Traits
Native satyrs have all the racial traits listed in the D&D Monster Manual v.3.5 (pg. 220) with the following changes:

• +4 to Dexterity, +2 to Constitution, +2 to Intelligence OR +2 to Wisdom, +2 to Charisma.
• Fey: Satyrs are fey, and are therefore immune to spells that only affect humanoids, such as charm person.
• Automatic Languages: Elven, Sylvan. Bonus Languages: Common, Giant, Halfling.
• Favored Class: Players may choose either the bard or ranger class as their satyr's favored class. Once the player has made this choice the decision cannot be changed. A multiclass satyr’s favored class does not count when determining whether she suffers an XP penalty for multiclassing.

Faerie Satyr Traits
Faerie satyrs have all the racial traits listed in the D&D Monster Manual v.3.5 (pg. 220) with the following changes:

• +2 to Dexterity, +2 to Constitution, +2 to Intelligence OR +2 to Wisdom, +4 to Charisma.
• Fey: Faerie satyrs are fey, and are therefore immune to spells that only affect humanoids, such as charm person.
• Special Qualities: Damage reduction 10/cold iron.
• Automatic Languages: Sidhe, Sylvan. Bonus Languages: Common, Elven.
• Favored Class: Players may choose either the bard or sorcerer class as their faerie satyr's favored class. Once the player has made this choice the decision cannot be changed. A multiclass Faerie satyr’s favored class does not count when determining whether she suffers an XP penalty for multiclassing.
• Level Adjustment: +3.

Pipers (Bastards & Bloodlines)
Native satyrs often sire children with female forest elves and more rarely with a silver elf female. These half-satyrs are not born half-fey as the power of Faerie isn't as strong in the blood of a native satyr. These half-satyrs are known as pipers and can be either male or female. Also known as pucks, these humanoids are often raised by their elf parent. Rarely will the piper's satyr father raise the child in the wild; more often, they leave the child with a circle of druids.

A piper stands roughly 5 feet to 5-¼ in height and weighs as much as an elf does. Male pipers are sometimes born with cloven hoofs (20% of the time) and grow short goatees by their tenth summer. Female pipers look more elven then males with delicate features and normal feet. Both male and female pipers have sumptuous black to light brown hair and piercing deep green to sky blue eyes.

Pipers are very rare creatures beyond the boundaries of the Great Forest but have been known to adventure in the more northerly reaches of the Eastern Shores and the Wild Plains. Pipers are usually on good terms with rogues, rangers, druids, and bards. They treat sorcerers and barbarians with great respect but have trouble relating to fighters and wizards. Pipers often worship an elven deity, such as Erevan or Melira, or the Fey One.

See the Green Ronin sourcebook Bastards & Bloodlines: A Guidebook to Half-breeds for more details about pipers including racial statistics.

THE GEMA
Verminoid fey-spiders of crystalline beauty, the gema are found only on Harqual in the Crystal Cairns near the Cadra Forest, hibernating in the summer and weaving their webs in the spring. Their fur-less bodies can pass for ice and snow to the distracted traveler.

Gema are one of the few native fey races on Harqual and none of their kind exists on Faerie. However, there are gema on the plane known as Serenity. This plane is a demiplane that can only be found by traveling to the deepest parts of the Ethereal. The plane is said to have broken off from Faerie at some points and many planar sages believe some schism between the gema and the sidhe was the reason.

Gema greatly respect the members of the Seelie Court, but they rarely worship one of the Sylvan Gods. More often they choose one of the North Gods or Interloper Gods as a patron (see below). Gema have an innate ability for magic and most are either sorcerers or druids. They also have a love for psionics and many become wilders and sometimes even psions.

A gema's favored class is sorcerer. Gema may also become bards, clerics, druids, rogues, psions, wilders, and wizards. Gema make poor fighters but have been known to become rangers. Gema cannot be barbarians, paladins, monks, or psychic warriors.

Gema druids worship either the Daghdha or Ehlonna. Gema clerics usually choose one of the following deities as their patron: Calphas, the Daghdha, Damh, Ehlonna, Immotion, Kuil, Olidammara, and Xan Yae. They may also choose any dwarf or gnome deity as their patron but cannot take the Dwarf or Gnome Domains respectively.

Gema Traits
Gema characters benefit from a number of racial traits:

• -4 to Strength, +6 to Dexterity, +2 to Intelligence, +4 to Charisma.
• Medium-size. As Medium-size creatures, gema have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• Fey: The gema are fey, and are therefore immune to spells that only affect humanoids, such as charm person.
  Weapon Proficiency. Gema receive the Martial Weapon Proficiency feats for the longspear and shortbow as bonus feats.
• Speed: Base land speed is 20 feet. Gema can also climb at a speed of 10 feet.
• Darkvision out to 60 feet.
• Low-light Vision. Gema can see twice as far as a human can in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination.
• Gema are immune to sleep attacks and abilities.
• Gema gain a +4 bonus to all saves versus mind-influencing effects and spells or spell-like effects from the Enchantment school.
• Racial Hit Dice: A gema begins with two levels of fey, which provide 2d6 Hit Dice, a base attack bonus of +0, and base saving throw bonuses of Fort +0, Ref +3, Will +3.
• Racial Skills: A gema's fey levels give it skill points equal to 5 x (6 + Int Modifier, minimum 1). Its class skills are Climb, Hide, Jump, Listen, Move Silently, Spot, and Survival. Gema receive a +4 racial bonus to Hide and Move Silently checks when in the Crystal Cairns or in any crystal forest.
• Racial Feats: A gema's fey levels give it one feat.
• Reflective Carapace (Ex): A gema's shiny carapace reflects lightning bolts, and other electrical attacks, 10% of the time back at the caster; otherwise they are merely negated. Check for reflection before rolling to overcome the creature's spell resistance.
• Stability (Ex): Gema are more stable because of their multiple legs, gaining a +4 stability bonus against trip attacks.
• Vitrifying Poison (Su): The victim of a successful bite must make a Fortitude save (DC 11). Failure means the victim is slowed, as per the spell cast by a 3rd-level sorcerer. Failing the second save one minute later causes the victim to start vitrifying (turning into glass).
• Web (Su): Gema can attack with its web up to three times per day. This is similar to an attack with a net but has a maximum range of 35 feet, with a range increment of 5 feet, and is effective against targets of up to Large size (see page 119 in the D&D PHB v.3.5 for details on net attacks). The web anchors the target in place allowing no movement. An entangled creature can escape with a successful Escape Artist check (DC 25) or break the crystalline web with a successful Strength check (DC 20). The web has a hardness of 1, 8 hit points and takes half damage from fire.
• Automatic Languages: Sylvan. Bonus Languages: Centaur, Elven, Lumin, and Sidhe.
• Favored Class: Sorcerer. A multiclass gema’s sorcerer class does not count when determining whether she suffers an XP penalty for multiclassing.
• Level Adjustment: +7.

THE SPRITES (MM)
Sprites are, well, sprites. This includes grigs, nixies, and pixies. These fey races very rarely leave Faerie permanently as Harqual is a dangerous place with many dangerous, violent humanoids and worse. Those that do are usually pixies who choose to live in the lands of the Kingdom of the Silver Leaves. A few grigs were known to live with the forest elves of the Knotwood before it fell into evil and darkness. Nixies rarely live on the Material Plane; however, the majority of them that do live on the Material Pane live on the other continents of the world not on Harqual. Their numbers are so few on Harqual due to the chaotic nature of the continent's lakes and rivers.

After the death of Tulle the River God, during the early part of Divinity War, the continents waterways did not have a deity to tame them. Thus, rivers started flowing in all sorts of unnatural directions. However, things are a little better now as their are enough nature deities to tame the waters, and the nixies have started to revisit Harqual but most of them will never risk the chaotic waterways permanently. The death of Tulle as well as many of the other North Gods is what drove away the sprites and why their are so few of them native to the continent.

Pixie Traits
Pixies are available as a PC race and their racial traits can be found in the D&D Monster Manual v.3.5 (pg. 236) with the following changes:

• -2 to Strength, +4 to Dexterity, +2 to Intelligence, +2 to Wisdom, +2 to Charisma.
• Fey: Pixies are fey, and are therefore immune to spells that only affect humanoids, such as charm person.
• Automatic Languages: Elven and Sylvan. Bonus Languages: Common, Giant, Halfling.
• Favored Class: Players may choose either the rogue or sorcerer class as their pixie's favored class. Once the player has made this choice the decision cannot be changed. A multiclass pixie’s favored class does not count when determining whether she suffers an XP penalty for multiclassing.
• Level Adjustment: +4; pixie PCs cannot have access to Otto's irresistible dance.

THORNS (MM 3)
Thorns are the elite warriors of the sprites, but they are not native to the Lands of Harqual; however, often a thorn will be sent to the Material Plane to protect or rescue sprites from the big races. Thorns despise orcs and goblins and they aren't fond of humans either, but they tolerate them as long as they don't get in their way. Thorns greatly respect elves, gnomes, halflings, and the rakasta and have been known to form lasting friendships with them. Thorns consider dwarves to stoic.

 

[Knightfall]

DAMH
God of Poetry, Revelry, and Songs, God of Satyrs, The Dirge of Joy, The Fey One, The Lost Heart

Lesser Deity
Symbol: Satyr's head
Home Plane: Plane of Serenity (demiplane) and Seelie Court (wanders)
Godly Realm: Wanders
Alignment: Chaotic good
Portfolio: Fey, dance, love lost, poetry, revelry, songs
Worshipers: Satyrs, pipers, & korred, bards, forest elves, the gema, gnomes, half-fey, halflings, sprites, separated lovers
Cleric Alignments: NG, CG, CN
Domains: Art, Charm, Fey, Luck, Music
Favored Weapon: Dagger

The Old God known as Damh is the Sylvan God of Satyrs and the North God of Poetry, Revelry, and Songs. He is known by many titles but his most well known one is The Fey One. Since the death of his beloved Euphoria his followers have often referred to him as the Dirge of Joy and the Lost Heart in honor of his fallen love.

Damh’s Avatar most often takes the form of a large satyr caring a flute or mandolin, as well as a bronze dagger he calls Lost Love. When appearing to his non-fey followers he appears as either a tall green-skinned forest elf or a male piper. He always dresses a bard, although the colors he wears are darker, less vibrant, than one would expect from a sylvan deity.

Dogma
Damh is the patron of satyrs, pipers, and korred, thus his faith is dedicated to protecting these creatures from harm. However, Damh is much more on Harqual and his faith teaches growth through expression, especially art and dancing. Most fey who worship him are natural inclined towards having fun and celebrating, while his non-fey worshipers must work at it. Many of Damh’s faithful have begun to explore the idea of celebrating the impending death of a loved one instead of fearing and dreading it. Damh teaches to be respectful of those who are to pass on, but also to celebrate their lives with song and poetic verse. He teaches that one should always comfort those who have lost love to death or are separated from a loved one for any reason.

Clerics and Temples
The clergy of Damh are as chaotic as their god is. Thus, temples to Damh don’t exist. Instead, the followers of the Fey One often gather in a natural glade or local tavern to celebrate the glory of their god. Clerics of Damh often work with clerics of Hades to make sure a dying person’s journey to the next one isn’t filled with sadness. The clerics of Hades perform the late rite while the clerics of Damh sing songs of happiness and contentment. They are responsible for helping the living continue on by comforting distraught family members. Clerics of Damh also attend many yearly festivals and celebrations. They sing songs, dance around, and amuse the crowds in the name of The Fey One.

While there aren’t any true temples to The Lost Heart, there is always a shrine to the sylvan god near or in any major forest where satyrs and korred live. The Great Harqual Forest and the Cadra Forest are the two main regions in the north with such shrines, as fey creatures from Faerie often visit those forests.

The Great Forest is home to hundreds of native satyrs and it is there where the God of Satyrs faith is strongest. Many pristine glades are hallowed in his name, although many have been corrupted by the blood elves of the Knotwood. Those still in existence, and not in danger, are located near or within the borders of the Kingdom of the Silver Leaves or the Wild Treelands.

The Cadra Forest is connected directly to Faerie, thus almost any sort of fey, including satyrs & the sidhe, are commonplace in that forest as well. The elves that make Cadra their home are descended from Faerie and usually worship Damh before any of the other Gods of Harqual. Also, directly southeast of Cadra is the land known as the Crystal Cairns. Here, many crystalline creatures live including the gema, a race of anthropomorphic, crystal spider-like fey. They are a favored race of the Fey One and he will protect them as he would satyrs or korred. The gema do not build shrines to Damh, instead the build crystalline henges and monuments in his honor (as well as many of the other sylvan gods).

While satyrs aren’t native to the Heverkent Forest, many of the fey race known as the korred are. Thus, there are dozens of shrines dedicated to the Fey One in that southern forest. These shrines are usually also dedicated to Emmantiensien, the Sylvan God of Treants.

Shrines to Damh are very rare in human lands. Only the Monarchy of Avion, on Harqual’s west coast, and the High Forest (part of the Eastern Shores) have more than two or three shrines dedicated to The Dirge of Joy. Other known lands with at least one shrine dedicated to Damh include Acheos, the Highlands, MaShir, Minar, Shadowood, and the Verdalf Forest.

 

[Knightfall]

THE RACIAL MISCY
The Lands of Harqual are home to a very diverse base of sentient beings. The ones talked about so far are the most common and/or visible with a few minorities. However, many other races play a part on Harqual whether they live in isolated regions, live a nomadic existence, live deep underground, or are settlers from other continents and worlds who now live on Harqual.

PART ONE: THE GOBLINOID RACES
Traditional goblinoid races are uncommon on Harqual. The other intelligent races most often refer to orcs as goblins and goblinoids as krugs. Two other minor races, usable as PC races are the bhuka from D&D Sandstorm and the snow goblins from D&D Frostburn. The baklath, while technically a goblinoid race, have little in common culturally with goblins and hobgoblins; therefore, they are listed under the Avian Races section at the beginning of this document.

Note: Krug is a name of a humanoid from the Microsoft game known as Dungeon Siege. If you’ve played that game then you can imagine how the goblinoids of my world look and behave. (Ur! Ur!)

THE BHUKA (Sandstorm)
The goblinoid race known as the bhuka can be found through the entire World of Kulan and is a well-known race on such continents as The Fallenlands and Triadora. However, on Harqual, they are a very rare race, that is completely unknown anywhere north of the southern most regions of the Great Expanse. The bhuka is unusual for a goblinoid race in that they tend towards a lawful society and most individuals tend towards good. They are also known for having a highly developed art and social-based society. Bhukas worship a World Goddess known as Kikanuti, and they are a peaceful race, for the most part.

Bhukas, on Harqual, have been, in the past, restricted to the region known as the Shuntlands. More specifically, they lived exclusively in The White Desert, which sits between the Kail and Halaian mountain ranges on the Varan Peninsula. However, pressure from the surrounding city-states has pushed the bhuka out of that region. Many have migrated west through the Relaini Bay Region to the Great Expanse. Others migrated south and west too settle in the wide-open spaces of the Savanna of the Mist while others made a much harder journey across the Karmine Sea to the island of Frey (see under Other Variant Goblinoid Cultures).

Those that found their way to the Great Expanse have been the luckiest as they have found a kindred spirit in the desert elves that dominate the Expanse. Those that migrated to the Savanna of the Mist have had troubles with both the zebranaurs and the rakasta but have found some acceptance from the Torin. Those that made the crossing to Frey were unlucky in that the city-states of the Domain of Frey are not known for being accepting of outsiders. The few bhuka bands that survived the first forays against them by the Freyans quickly moved into the harsher parts of the island where even the Freyans fear to tread.

It is important to note that the bhuka haven’t completely abandoned The White Desert and the remaining “phratries,” as they call their communities are known to be more likely to fight their enemies (LN). The White Sands is the strongest phratry in the region and they help protect the region from interlopers wishing to exploit the salt karsts of The White Desert.

The bhukas of Harqual have the same racial traits as noted for Bhukas listed in D&D Sandstorm: Mastering the Perils of Fire and Sand.

BUGBEARS (MM)
Bugbears are the most common type of goblinoid encountered in the northern parts of Harqual. They live throughout the region known as the Eastern Shores with most living in the Sunus Mountains. Bugbears are known for starting wars with other races with little provocation. They are found mainly in the more temperate mountain ranges including the Sunus, the Kul Moren Mountains, and the few bands living in the Thunder Mountains. The mountain range surrounded by the Storm Jungle is too warm for bugbears to live there and the Greystone Mountains are too cold.

The bands living in the Sunus Mountains are the largest are most likely to cause trouble – so much so that travel through those mountains without an armed escort is not recommended. The largest band in the mountain range is known as the Sunus Bugbear Tribe. It has twice the normal numbers for bugbears listed in D&D MM v.3.5, including noncombatants. It used to have three to four times that number but a recent military campaign against Minar and the Barony of Wolffire has left the band dwindled in size.

The war was fought due to the conceit of the tribe's vicious leader, King Brulok. Long has this bugbear king wished to conquer the fertile lands of Minar and enslave the humans and elves that dominate there. He would have succeeded if not for the resiliency of Minar's citizens and for the timely action of the Baron of Wolffire who came to the aid of the beleaguered Duke of Minar. The war has made the two countries strong allies, which has put severe pressure on the Sunus Bugbear Tribe. King Brulok still rules the tribe with an iron fist but some believe that his rulership might come to a violent end, and soon.

Bugbear Traits
Bugbears benefit from a number of racial traits:

• +2 to Strength, +2 to Constitution, -2 to Intelligence, and -4 to Charisma. Bugbears are muscular and tough but they are lacking in intellect and personality.
• Medium-size: As Medium-size creatures, bugbears have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• A bugbear's base land speed is 30 feet.
• Darkvision out to 90 feet.
• Racial Hit Dice: A bugbear begins with three levels of humanoid, which provide 3d8 Hit Dice, a base attack bonus of +2, and base saving throw bonuses of Fort +1, Ref +3, and Will +1.
• Racial Skills: A bugbear's humanoid levels give it skill points equal to 6 x (2 + Int modifier). Its class skills are Climb, Hide, Listen, Move Silently, Search, and Spot.
• Racial Feats: A bugbear's humanoid levels give it two feats. A bugbear gains Stealthy as a bonus feat.
• +3 natural armor bonus.
• +2 racial bonus on Hide and Move Silently checks.
• Automatic Languages: Goblin and Undercommon. Bonus Languages: Common, Draconic, Elven, Giant, Gnoll, and Orc.
• Favored Class: Fighter. A multiclass bugbear's fighter class does not count when determining whether she suffers an XP penalty for multiclassing.
• Level Adjustment: +1.

GOBLINS (MM)
The rarest of the goblinoid races are the goblins, often referred to as krugs. They are considered a dying species on Harqual, as they cannot hope to compete with gnolls, orcs, and bugbears. The odds of a kurg PC would be 1 in a 100 (roll percentile dice). Goblins have all the racial traits as per that listed on page 134 of D&D Monster Manual v.3.5, except that they don't speak Common or Draconic.

DM's Note: I've completely revamped my goblins. See here.​

HOBGOBLINS (MM)

DM's Note: I'm in the process of revamping my hobgoblins for the Lands of Harqual.​

Hobgoblins are another race of goblinoids on Harqual, and are often referred to as high krugs or hobkrugs. Most in the North believe that hobgoblins are extinct on Harqual, and while that's a myth, hobgoblins are indeed rare on Harqual (but nowhere near as rare as goblins). Hobgoblins only exist in great numbers in the Far South. They live amongst the other races having gone urban, and they are even considered somewhat civilized by the other races of the southern lands.

Note that there is no such thing as a hobgoblin band or tribe anywhere on Harqual or on any of the islands surrounding it. Most groups of hobgoblins in the Far South are either gangs of thieves in the worst parts of the cities or tactical war bands that act more like mercenaries throughout the more rugged terrains of the region — most notably in the Paian Hills and the foothills surrounding the Kail and Halaian mountain ranges.

Hobgoblins are somewhat common in the following cities and are considered full citizens with equal rights and obligations: Cutte, Deyinir, Evanes, Ferinmal, Fyrdin, Greol, Hyadin, Jyl, Rhid, Salubia, Siafox, Sulinon, Stenheuve, Tulsax, Waile, and Xcellian. In all other cities they are uncommon or rare.

Hobgoblin Traits
Hobgoblins benefit from a number of racial traits:

• +2 to Dexterity, +2 to Constitution, -2 to Charisma. Hobgoblins have a natural agility and resiliency but they are lacking in social graces.
• Medium-size: As Medium-size creatures, hobgoblins have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• Darkvision out to 60 feet.
• Low-light Vision. Hobgoblins can see twice as far as a human can in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination.
• A hobgoblin gains Stealthy as a bonus feat.
• +2 racial bonus on Hide and Move Silently checks.
• Automatic Languages: Goblin and Suar. Bonus Languages: Axiomatic, Draconic, Dwarven, Giant, Orc, and Rakasta.
• Favored Class: Scout. A multiclass hobgoblin's scout class does not count when determining whether he suffers an XP penalty for multiclassing.
• Level Adjustment: +1.

Half-Hobgoblins (Bastards & Bloodlines)
Since hobgoblins are more common than humans in the Far South, it should come as no surprise that there are more half-hobgoblins than half-elves, half-orcs, or other half-breeds throughout the region. These half-krugs, as they are often called, result from having a dwarven parent and a hobgoblin parent. Such couplings are often violent but sometimes love (or lust) can produce half-hobgoblin children, especially when Torin dwarf and a hobgoblin adventure together (a common occurrence in the Far South).

In most cases, a half-hobgoblin is raised by its hobgoblin parent, if possible, or is abandoned on the doorstep of an orphanage. A half-hobgoblin child's early life is usually hard. For while hobgoblins are generally accepted as citizens in many places, half-hobgoblins are not. Hobgoblins are surprisingly tolerant towards half-hobgoblins since their race's population is in danger of becoming “endangered.” Torin dwarves are known for their tolerance toward other races so half-krugs often find kinship amongst the dwarves of the Far South.

Note that it is possible for half-hobgoblins to result from the coupling of a hobgoblin with a human, as well. However, there have only been a handful of known half-human hobgoblins ever born. Humans tend to react violently towards half-human hobgoblins, especially those from the northern lands.

Half-Hobgoblin Traits
Half-hobgoblins have all the racial traits listed on page 30 of Bastards & Bloodlines: A Guidebook to Half-Breeds except for the changes noted below:

• +2 to Dexterity, +4 to Constitution, -4 to Charisma. (Half-human hobgoblins have the following ability score adjustments: +2 to Constitution, -2 to Charisma.)
• Darkvision out to 60 feet. (Half-human hobgoblins have darkvision out to 30 feet.)
• Low-light Vision. Half-hobgoblins can see twice as far as a human can in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. (Half-human hobgoblins don't have this ability.)
• Half-hobgoblins have Survival as a class skill, regardless of their class, and gain a +4 racial bonus on Survival checks made to discern direction.
• Automatic Languages: Dwarven and Goblin. Bonus Languages: Axiomatic, Draconic, Giant, Orc, Rakasta, and Suar.
• Level Adjustment: +1. (Half-human hobgoblins: +0.)

SNOW GOBLINS (Frostburn)
Snow goblins, or 'froggies' as they're sometimes called, are only found in the northern lands of Harqual. There they have out-competed goblins and bugbears for living space since they are more adaptable to Harqual's cold climate. The northern lands of Harqual are known for having harsh winters, which is the perfect environment for snow goblins.

In fact, if left unchecked, this race would likely spread everywhere in the north.

The elves and dwarves of the northern lands will never let this happen. They consider snow goblins to be a menace almost as bad as orcs and gnolls. The dwarves of the Greystone Mountains spend a great deal of time and energy exterminating snow goblins from the hills surrounding the mountain range, which tends to drive the snow goblins into the Northlands where they come into conflict with the barbarian tribes. (The snow goblins know better than to travel south into the forested lands of the silver elves.)

Regardless, new snow goblin troupes are always popping up somewhere, and these goblinoids can be found as far north as The Blighted Lands of the North, as far west as the Old Sword Lands, as far east as the Jagged Peninsula, and as far south as the Thunder Lands. Actual snow goblin tribes are usually limited to the areas around the Greystone and Rilous mountain ranges; however, it is rumored that one huge snow goblin tribe lives in the eastern hills of the Aragar Mountains near the western shore of Lake Desinon.

Snow goblins have all the racial traits listed on page 137 of D&D Frostburn: Mastering the Perils of Ice and Snow except that they don't speak Common or Draconic and may speak Barbarian, Dwarven, and Elven as bonus languages.

OTHER VARIANT GOBLINOID CULTURES ON HARQUAL
There are a few other distinct cultures of goblinoids on Harqual. These distinct cultures are similar enough to one of the goblinoid races detailed in the D&D Monster Manual v.3.5 or the bhuka from D&D Sandstorm that the differences are negligible. The main exception to this are the Goblins of Maran.

A few of these distinct cultures came into being after The Transformation but not all of them.

Black Head Krugs
Work in Progress

Goblins of Maran
Work in Progress

Old Salts
Work in Progress

Sandbar Krugs
Work in Progress

 

[Knightfall]

HADES
Lord of the Dead, The Dark Merchant, The Underworld of the Olympians

Greater Deity
Symbol: Black ram
Home Plane: Gray Waste
Godly Realm: Hade’s Underrealm
Alignment: Lawful neutral
Portfolio: Death and the underworld, commerce, earth, wealth
Worshipers: Elementalists (earth), merchants & traders, rogues
Cleric Alignments: LG, LN, LE
Domains: Earth, Law, Repose, Trade, Wealth
Favored Weapon: Longsword

The Olympian Hades is known throughout the Great Ring and many worlds of the Material Plane. Few view the Lord of the Dead a god dedicated to his followers and to the betterment of the living. But then few beyond those living on Harqual have seen Hades ‘lighter’ side. True, he is still a dark and some would say foreboding deity whose name bears both fear and respect. However, on Harqual, Hades is a North God first, an Olympian second. (He is worshipped as an Olympian in the lands known as Aegis on Kanpur.) The North Gods consider him ‘family’, and he has Cronn’s respect and gratitude. It was Hades who helped lay to rest the souls trapped in undeath by the ravages of Tok’s initial madness. For this, he will always be one of them.

Hades acts as the North God of Death and Wealth, as he does for the Olympians. However, he is more often referred to as the Lord of the Dead or The Dark Merchant, by the citizens of the continent. His Avatar appears much as he would as an Olympian – a large, powerful man with grayish skin. However, his North God Avatar appears with long dark brown beard and braided hair (i.e. dreadlocks), as well as silver eyes. He wears some jewelry, which is less exotic in appearance, which pays homage to the simpler beginnings of the North Gods. He appears draped in dark, martial-like robes of cured animal hides and trimmed in white fur. He carries a simple longsword in the style of the barbarians of the Northlands. (The sword functions as that listed for his Avatar in D&D Deities & Demigods, page 117. He calls it Death’s Grace.)

Dogma
Hades teaches that death is not something to be feared, but something that is inevitable to all living things. Even the gods can die. He teaches his followers to respect the dead, especially the Divine Children that died during the Divinity War. Death is not to be avoided as Necromancy perverts true death, and one should not try to cheat death by becoming one of the undead. As a God of Wealth, he teaches fairness in trade and that one should know the rules of mercantilism if one is going to make a living at it. Cheats should be punished harshly whether one is cheating death or a customer and/or a rival.

Clerics and Temples
Hades is a popular deity on Harqual and his clerics are accepted almost everywhere where law prevails. His clergy are dark somber people but once in a while a cleric of Hades will show his or her dry wit. After all, life is to be lived to the fullest before the inevitability of death comes to take you to Hade’s Underrealm. Clerics of Hades are almost always a given at funerals. A clergyman will often give a somber sermon of the deceased’s life, while acolytes pass around a collection plate for the deceased’s family.

Wealth is to be shared and treasured, even in the afterlife. A token amount of a deceased person’s wealth is buried with him or her while the rest is divided amongst the members of the deceased’s family. If the person was family rich and wealth poor, the Church of Hades will donate a Stipend of Life to the deceased’s relatives, as well as an amount to be buried with the deceased.

A family that asks the clergy of Hades to attend a dead love one’s funeral has obligations, though. They must swear to obey the laws of burial set down by the Church of Hades. The main two points of these laws are that the body be buried on holy ground and that it is protected from the risks of rising as undead. Also, the family must promise not to try and have the deceased brought back to life by magic if the family member didn’t die from natural causes. The Church of Hades is very strict about this. (Those buried under the watch of the Pantheon of the North must not be affected by evil Necromantic spells, as it is the North Gods highest law.)

The clergy of Hades often function as moneylenders to those in need (i.e. wishing to start a business). They charge a ‘fair’ return in interest, as the law dictates in the land a particular church is built. Rarely, if the client is a foreigner, they will charge interest per his or her land of origin, as long as a local authority figure vouches for them (i.e. a barrister).

Due to the fact that the Church of Hades is so well known for its work as Minister’s of the Dead and as moneylenders, every lawfully aligned land has at least one temple dedicated to the Lord of the Dead. These temples are quiet, somber places where the old go to die in peace (if they don’ t have any living relatives). A temple of Hades rarely has the resources to help adventurers and the clergy of the Dark Merchant often are heard to say ‘such a life is full of danger, you should accept death as a possible consequence’. There are exceptions however. If a dying character was fighting in the service of the North Gods for an important cause then the clergy might consider it. This ‘healing’ always comes in the form of potions or scrolls acquired from the Churches of Issek or Jalivier in trade. (Usually for potions or scrolls related to the Repose Domain.)

The largest temple dedicated to Hades is the Retreat of the Dying in the Kingdom of Stonn. Located in the capital city, also known as Stonn, or Stonn City, the Retreat is a grand two-story building with a central temple and four wings that spread out from the center. Two wings are for clergy members and acolytes, while the other two wing act a home for the old and terminally ill. The world has many natural and magical diseases that resist the healing powers of the clergy of Issek and Jalivier. It is here that one comes when all hope is lost. The clerics of Hades make their charges as comfortable as possible and make sure family members visit on a regular basis. (The dying should not be left alone as they travel to Hade’s Underrealm.)

=========================================
Sidebar: All followers of the North Gods pass through Hade’s Underrealm in the Grey Waste before being allowed to continue on to their home planes as petitioners. Those that are lacking in their faith are given penance, to perform, for as long as the Lord of the Dead demands. Followers of the Sword, Interloper, and World Gods are not judged in this way regardless of where they live on Harqual. Also note that clerics of the North Gods cannot cast evilly aligned Necromancy spells, as well as those Necromancy spells designated as ‘gray’, with one or two exceptions (see below).

Thus, the above clerics can cast the only following Necromancy spells from the PHB v.3.5: astral projection, death ward, disrupt undead, gentle repose, halt undead, hide from undead, horrid wilting (Water Domain clerics only), mark of justice, speak with dead, and undeath to death.

Clerics of Hades can also cast the following ‘gray’ Necromancy spells from the PHB v.3.5: blindness/deafness, cause fear, deathwatch, destruction, doom, slay living, and wail of the banshee. Clerics of Aegir can also cast the spells above that are part of the Repose Domain but not the others.

Druids dedicated to a North God may cast death ward, blight, and poison but not contagion or finger of death.
=========================================

 

[Knightfall]

HANSA
God of Soldiers, God of Tremors, The Buried Soldier, The Tabaxi Hunter

Demigod (Trapped)
Symbol: Longsword and flint spear crisscrossed
Home Plane: Material Plane
Godly Realm: Not applicable
Alignment: Chaotic neutral
Portfolio: Combat, earthquakes, soldiers, the earth
Worshipers: Avengers, barbarians, druids, dwarves, elementalists (earth), fighters, half-elves, militiamen, soldiers, warriors
Cleric Alignments: CG, CN, N
Domains: Chaos, Courage, Earth, War
Favored Weapon: Longsword

Hansa is most often referred to as the North God of Soldiers. Near the end of the Divinity War, Tu knocked Hansa from the sky over Harqual, causing the North God to slam into the ground so hard it left a huge crater near the northern wastes known as the Cold Barrens, buying him. Hansa has been trapped under the earth, ever since, for over a thousand years.

After initially being trapped, he tried to escape his earthen tomb for several centuries. Through the years, the barbarians of the Northlands and the dwarves of the Greystone Mountains began referring to Hansa as the God of Tremors. This new addition to his divine portfolio has kept him alive, and he has become content to wait until he gains back enough strength before attempting to break free. The North God tends to shift around, deep under the earth, causing earthquake and tremors, which can now be felt as far away as the Kingdom of the Silver Leaves and the cities of Ciros and Baermos in the Wind Plains.

Unfortunately, thousand of years of isolation have been hard on Hansa’s mind and he has shifted to chaotic neutral. Cronn worries that Hansa might still perish or go insane. Countless times over the centuries, one or more of the North Gods has tried to free Hansa, without success. Something more powerful than any of the Gods of Harqual keeps him trapped there. Because of the nature of his entombment, Hansa is only able to manifest, by causing small, controlled quakes or by causing the shouting of many soldiers to be heard to the listener. He cannot form a godly realm in his current state.

Dogma
For countless centuries before his entombment, Hansa was only known as the God of Soldiers. He taught his followers the righteousness of combat and what it meant to be a soldier in the service of the North Gods. As he was chaotic good, his faith was less about structure and more about the unpredictability of the battlefield. Since the end of the Divinity War, his followers have more become more bent towards chaos and the thrill of combat. They are less concerned with good and righteousness, although the church still doesn’t refuses to accept the evil side of chaos amongst their ranks. Since his entombment, his faith has adjusted to track and warn others about the dangers of earthquakes and respect for the earth that holds the god steadfast.

Clerics and Temples
The clergy of Hansa are a loose group of clerics, druids, and multiclassed earth elementalist/clerics. Hansa’s faith is now less structured than it was an era ago. More and more the druids that worship his earth aspect of worship are gaining strength amongst the faithful. Many clerics either became disillusioned or became avengers in Hansa’s name. These chaotic holy warriors protect the area around the Crater of Hansa, as it now called.

With the return of the tabaxi to Harqual, many of them have traveled southwest to the Storm Peninsula to battle the followers of the cat god who buried their patron. Clerics and druids of Hansa are common amongst the barbarian tribes living in and near the Cold Barrens. They often make pilgrimages to the Crater and throw trinkets and coins into it, sacrifices to the Buried Solider. (Anyone who tires to enter the Crater and take these sacrifices don’t live long. Even if they escape, an avenger will hunt them relentlessly.

Since his entombment in the Crater, several castles and temples in his honor have been built on the edge of it. These structures rarely survive the earthquakes caused by his shifting, yet his worshippers refuse to give up on building monuments and places of worship in his honor. The oldest standing temple in the region, the Rock of the Buried Soldier, was built 75 years ago and is the only permanent structure to withstand the most recent quakes caused by the shifting deity.

Many shrines and temples are springing up in the lands of Avion and Nasundria, as well as the lands surrounding the Storm Jungle. The City of Ilasi in the Monarchy of Avion has the largest temple dedicated to Hansa. The Hall of the Tabaxi Hunter is a simple stone and earth building that stands two stories tall. It is always a constant buzz of activity, as avengers prepare to make excursions into the Storm Jungle to ‘give the tabaxi some payback’. The City of Nasundria has several shrines dedicated to Hansa within its walls, as do Anthmoor, Hutmallia and Eversink. The only other temple to Hansa is in the City of Tallawan. He is considered one of that city’s patron deities.

 

[Knightfall]

HELA
Goddess of Peace and Healing, The Flowing Peacebringer

Demigod (Trapped)
Symbol: Dove over the rolling sea
Home Plane: Material Plane
Godly Realm: Not applicable
Alignment: Chaotic good
Portfolio: Healing, peace, the Sword Gulf
Worshipers: Druids, elementalists (water), good swashbucklers & sailors, healers, merfolk, monks, pacifists, shoal elves
Cleric Alignments: NG, CG
Domains: Chaos, Healing, Ocean, Peace
Favored Weapon: Net

Hela is the North Goddess of Peace and Healing. However, sailors and the aquatic races living near the Sword Gulf often refer her to as the Flowing Peacebringer. Near the end of the Divinity War, Thera separated Hela’s godsoul from her divine form and bound her to the waters of the Sword Gulf. Hela’s consciousness and morality remains intact, if not her original alignment (NG). She has given up the idea of escaping her watery tomb and has come to love the denizens of the Gulf.

Hela is able to manifest herself as a wispy, watery woman walking along the shore of the Sword Gulf or on the rolling sea as a dove, flying close over the waves. She is only able to manifest over waters of the Sword Gulf, in this way, and cannot form a true Avatar. The watery woman on the shore cannot speak but she can gesture and/or flow with the water to provide clues to her faithful.

Dogma
Hela teaches her followers that peace will bring true joy to their lives. She does this by example. It would have been easy for her too have become violent and wicked after being trapped, but she prevailed in her own morality. She teaches that even the roughest pirate can be swayed towards the healing process of peace. She teaches respect for those living in and on the waters of the Sword Coast and the need to bring the healing arts to such individuals.

Clerics and Temples
Hela’s aquatic clergy and cultist bring the concept of peace and the healing arts to the merfolk, shoal elves, and any other aquatic race that accepts them. Her land born clergy have adapted to a sailing way of life in order to be closer to her essence. They try to bring her love for peace to rough living sailors of the Sword Gulf, which has been hard, to say the least, but not impossible. After a thousands years of living by example, they have won over many converts. Even a few roguish swashbucklers have been swayed by her faith’s influence.

As with her brother, Hansa, Hela’s faith has changed to include druids as well. Surprisingly, the Flowing Peacebringer attracts many monks into her faith, who live by and teach a form of martial arts that uses non-violent movements to overcome ones foes without hurting them. This martial art is called Dove Hands over Water and has become quite popular amongst the citizens of the Monarchy of Avion and, more recently, the Kingdom of Ahamudia.

Temples to Hela are quite common through those lands that are on the coastline of the Sword Gulf. These temples are always against the shoreline, just above where the tide comes in, built on solid islands out at sea, or floating on the waters of the Sword Gulf. These temples often act as lighthouses as well for sailors to find their ways. However, the floating temples are different in that they are mobile platforms that travel from place to place. Under the waves, many natural caves and coral reefs have been hallowed in Hela’s name and are gathering places for her peaceful aquatic followers.

The most famous temple of Hela is the Lighthouse of the Peacebringer. It sit along the coastline near the City of Gillian, also known as the City of Sailors. The city can be a hard place at time but the clergy of the Goddess of Peace and Healing have nothing to fear from the rough and tumble sailors. Indeed, the populace of Gillian considers it good luck to have a peace cleric on board any ship putting out from port. As a result, Hela’s clergy are often protected from those not in the know by ‘a sort of man whom you wouldn’t expect it’. A citizen of Gillian would never hurt a cleric of Hela, ever!

 

[Knightfall]

IMMOTION
Patron of Magic, Goddess of Purity and Cleansing

Intermediate Deity
Symbol: Crossed longsword and staff surrounded with blue aura
Home Plane: Elysium
Godly Realm: Soul of Magic
Alignment: Neutral good
Portfolio: Cleansing, magic, purity, rune magic, spellcasters, spells
Worshipers: Bards, elementalists, monks, paladins, sorcerers, warmages, wizards, the gema, any good or neutral arcane spellcaster
Cleric Alignments: LG, NG, CG
Domains: Good, Magic, Purity, Rune, Spell
Favored Weapon: Longsword or quarterstaff

Immotion is the North Goddess of Purity and Cleansing and the Patron of Magic. She is wife of Jalivier, North God of the Sun. Her brother Xuar, known as the Jealous Arcane, stole some of her arcane power by attacking her with his spear and drinking some of her blood. It was Jalivier who saved her by raising the Greystone Mountains up to the sky and by using the power of the sun to heal her.

Immotion’s Avatar always appears in one of two forms. Either as a huge human female cleric/paladin dressed in silver plate armor wielding a huge +5 spell storing disruption holy longsword or as a medium-sized human or elven wizard/sorcerer wielding a +5 staff of power (no charges required). In either form she is both beautiful and fierce to behold, with long hair, shimmering both golden and fiery red, and silver skin.

An aura of radiant blue light surrounds her at all times and her Avatar cannot hide its divine nature from mortals. If Immotion chooses to manifest on the Material Plane it is in the form of either a floating longsword with a blue aura or the audible effect of any well-known spell.

Dogma
Immotion teaches her followers the tenets of purity, magic, and cleaning rituals. Purity of heart is more important than the power of magic. One shouldn’t use magic for evil or destruction even when fighting evil. Purity of body is also important and her clerics must remain chaste until after marriage. Magic is to be protected from those who would use it for evil. She teaches the concept of crusading to capture and destroy evil artifacts, especially those of Xuar. Evil magic is forbidden. [Immotion’s followers may only use the Necromantic spells listed in the Sidebar after the Hades entry (see above), regardless of class or specialty.] Cleansing rituals often involve water but it isn’t required. Cleansing of ones’ magical aura is important in order to keep the magic pure. (Natural running water is best.)

Clerics and Temples
Spellcasters of all sorts including both divine and arcane spell-casters worship Immotion. Her clergy is made up mostly of cleric/sorcerers and cleric/wizards. Almost any type of spellcaster can join her church and be considered members of the clergy. Thus, good-aligned adapts, bards, elementalists, paladins, warmages, and most specialty wizards can all be considered ‘clergy’ if members of her faith. However, assassins, blackguards, hexblades, necromancers, and all other evil spellcasters are excluded from her faith, as most of these types of spellcasters worship her dark brother or an Interloper God.

Most of her arcane followers are sorcerers and elementalists, as wizards tend to worship the Interloper known as Boccob. Many monks also join her faith, as masters of the cleansing and purity aspects of her portfolio. Immotion has many Paladin Orders across Harqual that pay tribute to her, as well, but these Orders only accept female members. However, most are on good terms with her more mainstream church members and, generally, the Paladin Orders of Jalivier.

Immotion is a popular deity in the region known as the Eastern Shores. She has many temples in the lands of Minar, Stonn, the Highlands, Shadowood, Ambra Coast, and the Wind Plains. However, recent changes in the Kingdom of Thallin have brought about the persecution of her followers in that land. (As well as the followers of the other North Gods.) Her temples have either been destroyed or striped of all their wealth and adornments. The new king of Thallin hates arcane spellcasters and is quite mad. He is a devote follower of Nether, the Sword God of Hate and Tyranny.

As a result, many of her followers have been killed or managed to escape to one of the other lands in the region. The lucky ones escaped to Minar where good magic is welcomed. (The ruler is a bard.) Near that land, on a remote island of Lake Qualitian, the College of Wizardry, formerly of Fruen, has relocated by magical means. (Fruen is the Kingdom of Thallin’s capital city.) The main structure, known as Mathghamhna, is both a school and temple to Immotion. It is the most famous structure dedicated to her.

Japheth Arcane (hm / Wiz9, Guildmage10 / CG) is Mathghamhna’s headmaster and the Chancellor of the Arcane Order. He refused to let Mathghamhna be captured or destroyed by the Mad One of Thallin. Thus, he had the man known as The Sorcerer, Heward Tallinson (hm / Sor10, Wiz 10 / LN), help move the structure to its present location. It is said that Mathghamhna is directly linked to the realm of the goddess.

Her realm, the Soul of Magic, is located on Eronia, the second layer of Elysium. It appears different to each mortal that beholds it. To an arcane spellcaster, it is a colossal wizard’s tower made of pure silver and etched with magical runes. To a divine spellcaster, it is a colossal temple also of made of silver and etched with runes. To a monk, it is a beautiful, yet peaceful monastery made out of pure, simple material with dozens of rivers and waterfalls surrounding it. Those that do not worship her or at least pay her homage cannot see nor enter her realm.

There are dozens of other unique temples and/or magical schools dedicated to Immotion. However, only a few of these are dedicated solely to her. Most are temples dedicated to more than one magic god or to one type of magic specialty. Regardless, the Church of Immotion never allows its faith to be located in the same place as that of Xuar or Math Mathonwy. The church is less strict about mixing its faith with that of the Elven Gods and the following deities: Apollo, Baravar, Garl, Heward, and Mirella.

Temples dedicated both to Immotion and to her son, Kuil, are quite common throughout the lands of Harqual. The largest of these temples is the one that is least known about. The Hall of Magic and Illusion is said to exist somewhere north of the City of Arkhangel, near Calla Island, on the northeastern side of the continent. Those that know of its existence, outside the faith, say it is somewhere between Arkhangel and the Holding of Acheos.

Immotion’s church is strong on Calla Island, as well. The Kingdom of Navirosov controls the entire island and the fortress known as Meira Castle, on the western side of the island, has the largest temple dedicated to both the Patron of Magic and, her husband, Jalivier. The castle is the headquarters to an Order of knights known as The Shining Swords of Light and Magic. Many of these knights are paladin/sorcerers, as well as Sky Riders of Navirosov (prestige class).

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Sidebar: The name of this goddess and the purity and cleansing part of her portfolio originally come from the AD&D Accessory, College of Wizardry by Bruce Cordell. I have adapted and expanded what is presented in the book (a few lines) to fit Immotion into my World of Kulan campaign setting.
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[Knightfall]

A long time friend of mine, Daniel Schenström, did several images for my campaign world including the this one. He even did the nifty border. I added the text in photoshop. Hmm, now if I could just get somebody to color it. Heh.

Cheers!

KF72

 

[Knightfall]

ANOTHER GAZETTEER ENTRY

Ambra
Proper Name(s): The Principality of Ambra, The Ambra Coast
Ruler: Princess Ionela Sandulescu [LN female human Ftr10]
Government: Principality
Capital: Sunwater
Major Towns: Ambratown (pop. – 856), Burchfield (pop. – 675), Sunwater (pop. – 10,539), Tamra (pop. – 4,379).
Provinces: One principality and three lordships (knight-holds).
Resources: Amber, fish, sailors, stonework, and timber.
Coinage: Sunwater (gp), Moonsilver (sp), Fisherman (cp). The citizens of Ambra must also accept the coins of Stonn, at twice value, as per the trade alliance between the two lands.
Population: 234,986 – Human 87%, Halfling (hairfoot) 7%, Elf (urbanite) 4%, Other Races 2%.
Languages: Axiomatic, Common, Denila, Elven, Maviun, Halfling.
Alignments: LN *, NG, N, NE, CG
Patron God: None.
Major Religions: Ahto, Bast, Boccob, Cull, Dike, Hades, Inanna, Kuil, Math Mathonwy, Persana, Ptah, Sanh, and Wee Jas.
Minor Religions: Apollo, Brenna, Draven, Druaga, Halmyr, Heward, Immotion, Mussin, Narvi, Ramara, and Valkar.
Cults: Aerdrie, Enduma, Euphoria, Manannan mac Lir, Nessus, Santè, Thorn, Urogalan, Velit, Vespin, Yeathan, and Zell.
Alliances: Trade alliance with the Kingdom of Stonn.