Raven Crowking
First Post
General Background
The background of the Middle World centers on a series of divine conflicts, where various groups of deities contested, and replaced, others who came before them. The defeated deities were sometimes slain. Most, however, remain in the world, either active (but with far fewer worshippers) or sleeping until awakened by forgotten and bizarre rituals. The Middle World is old, but it has been shaken by the wars of gods, and is littered with the ruins of elder people.
Thousands of years ago, a race of serpent-men dwelt within the jungles and plains of the Hêtlands (the great southern continent of the known Middle World). They created great burrows and cities where they worshipped strange gods, and in turn the early humans that arose in their lands worshiped them. Hundreds of years ago, their cities fell. Some serpent-men concealed themselves in hidden enclaves, and continued to worship the gods they worshipped of old. Others were thrown into a primitive state, only slowly to arise again. Many of the humans who worshipped them were slain by the same cataclysm, arising again as ghouls that haunt the jungle and plains to this day.
Gnolls came to the area, drawn by the scent of the undead. Elves came as well, who built their dwellings in and among the gigantic trees of the rainforest and made war with the gnolls. Between the predation of the gnolls and the hatred of the elves, the ghouls were driven back into the darkness.
Eventually, more humans moved into the area. Although these humans, who history names the Shaytaru, were relatively primitive, their upper classes – and especially their priesthood and wise men – knew many secret and hidden things. They created homes and temples where they worshipped the Beast Lords. The Shaytaru believed that each animal type had a deity, a natural lord that exemplified a state of perfection for that animal type. The Shaytaru still dwell in the area, as do gnolls and the occasional elf.
Fort Torgmorn was established a little more than 50 years ago by the government of the Scarlet Islands to establish safe trade in the region. Because of its prominence, Rillfane Island was selected as an obviously defensible location. The ruins of the older city were built over, and the remaining bricks used to build the walls.
Fort Torgmorn
Fort Torgmorn (often called simply Torgmorn) is a trading outpost on Rillfane Island in the Untabo River delta. The outpost trades foodstuff, metal implements, and glass beads from more civilized lands for ivory, gold, and furs brought from the interior of the Lasmer Jungle and beyond. Gnolls travel down the Untabo in small boats to trade with Torgmorn, carrying goods from the vast plains beyond the jungle. Beasts collected for private menageries and the gladiatorial arenas of northern cities are bought and sold in Torgmorn’s markets, and ship out of Torgmorn’s harbor. In addition to supplying harbor services and a trading outpost, Torgmorn boasts a small civilian fishing fleet that harvests from the local waters.
The government of Fort Torgmorn is split between a civilian government, run by the Lord Magistrate, and a military command, run by Commodore Sigurd Wolvesbane. In theory, the military command is under the jurisdiction of the Lord Magistrate, but in reality the two governing bodies are often at loggerheads. The main concerns of the military command are to keep the harbor open and keep the fort secure. The main concerns of the Lord Magistrate are trade and profit.
Fort Torgmorn is divided into several portions.
Outside the walls of Torgmorn is a small village of tents, shacks, and animal stalls. This area, officially known as the Outer Market, is called the Cesspit by the soldiery and some civilians. It is a haven for cheap goods and cheaper entertainment, and is the place of greatest racial admixture in Torgmorn. The wall between Outer Torgmorn and Inner Torgmorn is of reinforced masonry, 8 feet thick and 35 feet high. A catwalk along the top of the Outer Wall allows patrols of militiamen to walk the parameter. A standard watch patrol mans the Outer Wall near the gate, and another patrol passes each part of the wall once each 20 minutes.
Inner Torgmorn is divided between the Harbor, the Warehouse District, the Inner Market, the Residential District, and the Crypts. Because Commodore Wolvesbane doesn’t trust the gnolls (with good reason), their numbers and movements are limited within the outpost. No more than three gnolls in a group may pass into Inner Torgmorn, and the soldiery breaks up any congregation of seven or more gnolls. There is a palisade between the Residential District and the rest of Inner Torgmorn. Gnolls are not allowed in the Residential District. This palisade is of wood, 4 feet thick and 20 feet high.
There is a second palisade between the Crypts are the rest of Inner Torgmorn. This palisade is of wood, 2 feet thick and 10 feet high. The Crypts contains both the above-ground graves and mausoleums of Fort Torgmorn’s fallen, but also access to underground crypts and tunnels where some of the outpost’s dead are interred. Rumors claim that the crypts intersect old passages from long before the fort was built. Indeed, grave workers in the Crypts have claimed to come across whole alien streets, submerged and seemingly forgotten, but possessed of a feeling of inhuman watchfulness.
There is another wall between Inner Torgmorn and the Fort Proper. This wall is of hewn stone, 3 feet thick and 15 feet high. Few civilians are allowed within the Fort Proper, and no one of a non-standard race.
Racial Admixture
In the Middle World, humans are not a homogeneous group. The racial groups in the Middle World are fantasy races, and are not meant to relate directly to any real world current or historical ethnic group.
There are other racial groups in the Middle World, and many admixed people. Human PCs need not belong to one of these groups.
Indrus
The Indrus are a tall, willowy people whose tan to brown skin has a noticeably olive cast. They have dark, curly hair and blue eyes. They prefer brightly colored robes of ornamental cloth. The Indrus are the remnants of the Old Avlantean people, who survived the sinking of Avlantar long ago. It is said that, in ages past, the Indrus once wielded great powers of magic and mind, and had greater knowledge of alchemy and metallurgy than any beings now living. There was a time when Avlantean rule of the Middle World stretched as far north as the southern slopes of the Trollshanks, and as far south as the Mountains of the Moon. Their rule ended when Avlantar sank, and the Parthelonians rose to power.
The Indrus still speak Avlantean, though few understand the Old High Avlantean of their forefathers. They write with brush or quill using the ornate Avlantean script. Noble Indrus consider calligraphy, poetry, and painting to be important arts, for Indrus culture cultivates all powers of the mind. They worship many gods, good and evil – it is said that some Indrus have dealings with diabolical powers. Mostly the Indrus are concerned with gods associated with magic, secrets, and power.
Indrus names come from the Hindi and Japanese traditions, and include both a family name and a given name. Given names are typically from Japanese, while family names are Hindi. The family name always comes before the given name, so that Chidambaram Michi would be Michi of the family Chidambaram. Indrus given names include (male) Arkira, Botan, Haru, Hiroshi, Jiro, and Kisho, and (female) Mai, Miyoko, Nozomi, Ren, and Sakura. Family names include Krishnan, Kaliyana, Nambiar, Patankar, Joshi, and Gowda.
Lakelanders
The Lakelanders are the result of generations of admixture, being the descendents of the ancient Parthelonians, Hak, and Esk peoples. They are light-skinned, ranging from deep tan to fair, with hair from sandy blond to light brown. They tend toward average height and build, although an individuals particular ancestry may alter any of the common characteristics.
The Lakelands covers a huge, lightly populated area. At one time, the villages found here formed a number of free cities and city-states, many of which were often at war. Although unused territory was easy to come by, other governments were seen as threats, and it is always easier to take over cultivated land than to subdue a wilderness. Indeed, for a long age the Lakelands were as barbarous as the lands surrounding them. Then, with the signing of the Treaty of Brentkirk, the Lakelanders drew together as a unified force against a hostile world. So successful was the Treaty that, eventually, it was signed by some groups of humanoids that sought the protection of the Lakelander Kings.
Lakelanders of high descent tend to use Germanic personal names, whereas Lakelanders of lower descent use Celtic or Old English ones. Names of high descent include (male) Amalric, Guntram, Hengist, Sigismund, and Theodoric, and (female) Agnes, Clotild, Gisela, Ingunde, and Mathild. Names of lower descent include (male) Anlaf, Cadda, Druce, Dylan, and Eanmund and (female) Bridget, Gwyneth, Maeveen, Rowena, and Yseult.
Panthassi
Panthassi are a short, dark-skinned people with dark, curly hair, often worn close to the scalp, and dark eyes. Within warm environs, they favor loincloths and sandals. In colder areas, they wear subtly embroidered robes of earth tone hues. They keep slaves, which are marked with a brand upon either cheek, to indicate family ownership. Slaves do change hands, and may have multiple brands. In the event that a slave is freed, he is branded with a mark of freedom and can choose his own name.
The Panthassi worship several Faerie and Beast Lords. Some follow ancestral cults. Some few now follow the Church of the Seven Good Gods as well. Regardless of the being(s) worshipped, Panthassi religion focuses on the role of death in the cycle of living. They view death and burial as philosophical matters of primary importance, and view determining the proper method of caring for the deceased to be the most important question facing living beings. Some mummify their dead. Others create mass ossuaries. Some forgo burial; disposing of human remains by pyre, sacrifice to scavengers, or even anthrophagy.
Among the Panthassi, it is in theory common to raise children in a communal group. Each Panthassi settlement has a Children’s House, where all children are raised together by slaves. Each child knows who his or her parents are, and has a loving relationship with them. Providing Food, education, and discipline are all communal responsibilities, however.
Every child is expected to spend some time in community service – often in the military – and, in theory, being raised in a Children’s House binds each Panthassi more strongly to others of his or her generation. In recent times, though, the wealthier Panthassi have taken to creating their own private Children’s “Houses” on their own property, creating either smaller sub-communities or even family institutions. These are sometimes no more than mere sets of rooms in a family home. The larger, common Children’s Houses in many communities are now the provinces of the poor.
Panthassi typically have three names: given name, family name, and province name. Panthassi slaves have only one name, a given name with a suffix indicating the owning family. Panthassi given names include (male) Aedinius, Albanius, Bruttius, Calatorius, Claudius, Egnatius, Gallus, Marius, Maximus, Piscius, Quinius, Rufus, Sornatius, Valerius, Verecundius, and Victricius, and (female) Aconia, Aelia, Caecilia, Drusilla, Flavia, Lepida, Marcella, Marcia, Mariniara, Octavia, Orbiana, Porcia, Sabina, Turia, and Valeria.
Ur-Alamen
Favoured by the god Alamen (who they believe is their creator and ancestor), the Ur-Alamen are a dusky-skinned people who dwell in the deserts of southern Faerthalos. Their eyes are dark and their hair is straight and black. Because they come from a hot, dry area, they favour loose robes and turbans. They seldom wear heavy armour, but produce light armour of braided leather, which provides protection without unduly trapping heat. The Ur-Alamen favour curved blades, including curved daggers, scimitars, and khopesh swords.
Alamen demands his children to be courteous in word and deed, charitable in action, and just in disposition. While the Ur-Alamen can be formidable warriors against outsiders, they view open aggression within a social group to be a sign of weakness. Violence in this case does not show strength, merely an individual out of control. The Ur-Alamen emphasize reliance of individuals upon society, and the vulnerability and trust each Ur-Alamen feels toward the others. For example, Ur-Alamen make the doorways to their homes so low that one must crawl on hands and knees into the house. This is intended to make the guest feel his vulnerability to, and reliance on, the goodwill of his host as he enters.
Courtesy is extremely important to the Ur-Alamen. To be known as discourteous is to be excommunicated from family and the extended family group (known among the Ur-Alamen as the gĕnis, pronounced JENN-is). The most important rituals surround the preparation and consumption of food. An Ur-Alamen who brings harm to one he has shared salt with brings shame to his gĕnis. Presenting and serving different types of tea can indicate varying degrees of fealty, romantic interest, and personal respect – it is generally a DC 10 Knowledge (Ur-Alamen culture) check to determine the basic intent, DC 15 to determine rough degree. For example, a tea ceremony might indicate a desire to wed the recipient, with acceptance of the tea taken as agreement. A successful DC 10 Knowledge check allows the recipient to understand that the intent is romantic, whereas if the check meets DC 15 it also indicates the consequences of accepting the drink.
Ur-Alamen list their gĕnis names first, and their given names second. Ur-Alamen gĕnis names include Bissalama, Maxtabeus, Mohandahl, Qahween, Thalanthaan, and Ziydeus. Ur-Alamen given names are devised by admixing ancient Greek and Arabic names. Common Ur-Alamen names include (male) Abbanleos, Abbasgeus, Britoshakurus, Caulhid, Diowaudes, Minyashar, Patrassam, and Xan-jabbar, and (female) Abeonlah, Alhave, Cabiro, Camilla, Cthonshra, Fadianthe, Firhero, Najssa, Soudenia, and Vakootah.
Varanamen
The Varanamen are a group of tall, dark-skinned people with a decidedly golden cast to their skin (singular and possessive, Varanaman). Their eyes may be of brown, gold, hazel, or green hue. Their hair is straight, and often worn long. They have discovered (and jealously guard) the secret of making silk, which has made them wealthy traders throughout the Middle World. They are notable for their religion, which includes the worship of several Faerie Lords and Infernal Powers, but focuses on anthropomorphized Beast Lords. Many of the Varanaman images of deities have multiple arms, multiple legs, or even multiple heads. Their religion believes in reincarnation, so that evils done in one life may be repaid in another. By performing meritorious actions, a Varanaman may achieve a better existence on his next turn of the Wheel.
For many centuries, the common Varanamen were disallowed the use of weapons, save staves and those required for agricultural work. During this time, the Varanamen had a strong caste system, and only the warrior caste was allowed more obvious weapons. Magicians and Varanaman Priest-Thralls conjured the living images of their gods to walk the land, seeking sacrifices of their own choosing. As a result, the Varanamen excel at unarmed combat, having a long tradition of specialized schools of weaponless combat. They have also devised several unique exotic weapons, designed to appear as nothing more than innocuous common items.
Originally, caste restrictions were supported by belief in reincarnation; one’s actions in previous lives determined the caste (or species) one was reborn into. Contact with other cultures modified this philosophy. Most modern Varanamen believe that it is possible to gain or lose merit within a single lifetime, and thus change caste.
Although the caste system has weakened in the present Age, most Varanamen still believe that the gods will punish them if they strike a Priest-Thrall or other holy man (and perhaps they are right). Martial weapons use tends to be common only among the upper castes – others still carry daggers, staves, and agricultural tools-turned-weapons. While Varanamen may multi-class, each time they change classes (not including gaining prestige classes, or gaining levels in the Varanaman racial “class”), they do not gain Hit Dice, Vitality, or Wounds for the first level of the new class.
Varanaman names are taken from the Hindi tradition. Male names include Badal, Ekagrah, Ikshan, Jagdeep, Omprakash, Tanak, and Udant. Female names include Chiatra, Durga, Kama, Kumuda, Mandini, Narmada, and Sitara.
The background of the Middle World centers on a series of divine conflicts, where various groups of deities contested, and replaced, others who came before them. The defeated deities were sometimes slain. Most, however, remain in the world, either active (but with far fewer worshippers) or sleeping until awakened by forgotten and bizarre rituals. The Middle World is old, but it has been shaken by the wars of gods, and is littered with the ruins of elder people.
Thousands of years ago, a race of serpent-men dwelt within the jungles and plains of the Hêtlands (the great southern continent of the known Middle World). They created great burrows and cities where they worshipped strange gods, and in turn the early humans that arose in their lands worshiped them. Hundreds of years ago, their cities fell. Some serpent-men concealed themselves in hidden enclaves, and continued to worship the gods they worshipped of old. Others were thrown into a primitive state, only slowly to arise again. Many of the humans who worshipped them were slain by the same cataclysm, arising again as ghouls that haunt the jungle and plains to this day.
Gnolls came to the area, drawn by the scent of the undead. Elves came as well, who built their dwellings in and among the gigantic trees of the rainforest and made war with the gnolls. Between the predation of the gnolls and the hatred of the elves, the ghouls were driven back into the darkness.
Eventually, more humans moved into the area. Although these humans, who history names the Shaytaru, were relatively primitive, their upper classes – and especially their priesthood and wise men – knew many secret and hidden things. They created homes and temples where they worshipped the Beast Lords. The Shaytaru believed that each animal type had a deity, a natural lord that exemplified a state of perfection for that animal type. The Shaytaru still dwell in the area, as do gnolls and the occasional elf.
Fort Torgmorn was established a little more than 50 years ago by the government of the Scarlet Islands to establish safe trade in the region. Because of its prominence, Rillfane Island was selected as an obviously defensible location. The ruins of the older city were built over, and the remaining bricks used to build the walls.
Fort Torgmorn
Fort Torgmorn (often called simply Torgmorn) is a trading outpost on Rillfane Island in the Untabo River delta. The outpost trades foodstuff, metal implements, and glass beads from more civilized lands for ivory, gold, and furs brought from the interior of the Lasmer Jungle and beyond. Gnolls travel down the Untabo in small boats to trade with Torgmorn, carrying goods from the vast plains beyond the jungle. Beasts collected for private menageries and the gladiatorial arenas of northern cities are bought and sold in Torgmorn’s markets, and ship out of Torgmorn’s harbor. In addition to supplying harbor services and a trading outpost, Torgmorn boasts a small civilian fishing fleet that harvests from the local waters.
The government of Fort Torgmorn is split between a civilian government, run by the Lord Magistrate, and a military command, run by Commodore Sigurd Wolvesbane. In theory, the military command is under the jurisdiction of the Lord Magistrate, but in reality the two governing bodies are often at loggerheads. The main concerns of the military command are to keep the harbor open and keep the fort secure. The main concerns of the Lord Magistrate are trade and profit.
Fort Torgmorn is divided into several portions.
Outside the walls of Torgmorn is a small village of tents, shacks, and animal stalls. This area, officially known as the Outer Market, is called the Cesspit by the soldiery and some civilians. It is a haven for cheap goods and cheaper entertainment, and is the place of greatest racial admixture in Torgmorn. The wall between Outer Torgmorn and Inner Torgmorn is of reinforced masonry, 8 feet thick and 35 feet high. A catwalk along the top of the Outer Wall allows patrols of militiamen to walk the parameter. A standard watch patrol mans the Outer Wall near the gate, and another patrol passes each part of the wall once each 20 minutes.
Inner Torgmorn is divided between the Harbor, the Warehouse District, the Inner Market, the Residential District, and the Crypts. Because Commodore Wolvesbane doesn’t trust the gnolls (with good reason), their numbers and movements are limited within the outpost. No more than three gnolls in a group may pass into Inner Torgmorn, and the soldiery breaks up any congregation of seven or more gnolls. There is a palisade between the Residential District and the rest of Inner Torgmorn. Gnolls are not allowed in the Residential District. This palisade is of wood, 4 feet thick and 20 feet high.
There is a second palisade between the Crypts are the rest of Inner Torgmorn. This palisade is of wood, 2 feet thick and 10 feet high. The Crypts contains both the above-ground graves and mausoleums of Fort Torgmorn’s fallen, but also access to underground crypts and tunnels where some of the outpost’s dead are interred. Rumors claim that the crypts intersect old passages from long before the fort was built. Indeed, grave workers in the Crypts have claimed to come across whole alien streets, submerged and seemingly forgotten, but possessed of a feeling of inhuman watchfulness.
There is another wall between Inner Torgmorn and the Fort Proper. This wall is of hewn stone, 3 feet thick and 15 feet high. Few civilians are allowed within the Fort Proper, and no one of a non-standard race.
Racial Admixture
In the Middle World, humans are not a homogeneous group. The racial groups in the Middle World are fantasy races, and are not meant to relate directly to any real world current or historical ethnic group.
There are other racial groups in the Middle World, and many admixed people. Human PCs need not belong to one of these groups.
Indrus
The Indrus are a tall, willowy people whose tan to brown skin has a noticeably olive cast. They have dark, curly hair and blue eyes. They prefer brightly colored robes of ornamental cloth. The Indrus are the remnants of the Old Avlantean people, who survived the sinking of Avlantar long ago. It is said that, in ages past, the Indrus once wielded great powers of magic and mind, and had greater knowledge of alchemy and metallurgy than any beings now living. There was a time when Avlantean rule of the Middle World stretched as far north as the southern slopes of the Trollshanks, and as far south as the Mountains of the Moon. Their rule ended when Avlantar sank, and the Parthelonians rose to power.
The Indrus still speak Avlantean, though few understand the Old High Avlantean of their forefathers. They write with brush or quill using the ornate Avlantean script. Noble Indrus consider calligraphy, poetry, and painting to be important arts, for Indrus culture cultivates all powers of the mind. They worship many gods, good and evil – it is said that some Indrus have dealings with diabolical powers. Mostly the Indrus are concerned with gods associated with magic, secrets, and power.
Indrus names come from the Hindi and Japanese traditions, and include both a family name and a given name. Given names are typically from Japanese, while family names are Hindi. The family name always comes before the given name, so that Chidambaram Michi would be Michi of the family Chidambaram. Indrus given names include (male) Arkira, Botan, Haru, Hiroshi, Jiro, and Kisho, and (female) Mai, Miyoko, Nozomi, Ren, and Sakura. Family names include Krishnan, Kaliyana, Nambiar, Patankar, Joshi, and Gowda.
Lakelanders
The Lakelanders are the result of generations of admixture, being the descendents of the ancient Parthelonians, Hak, and Esk peoples. They are light-skinned, ranging from deep tan to fair, with hair from sandy blond to light brown. They tend toward average height and build, although an individuals particular ancestry may alter any of the common characteristics.
The Lakelands covers a huge, lightly populated area. At one time, the villages found here formed a number of free cities and city-states, many of which were often at war. Although unused territory was easy to come by, other governments were seen as threats, and it is always easier to take over cultivated land than to subdue a wilderness. Indeed, for a long age the Lakelands were as barbarous as the lands surrounding them. Then, with the signing of the Treaty of Brentkirk, the Lakelanders drew together as a unified force against a hostile world. So successful was the Treaty that, eventually, it was signed by some groups of humanoids that sought the protection of the Lakelander Kings.
Lakelanders of high descent tend to use Germanic personal names, whereas Lakelanders of lower descent use Celtic or Old English ones. Names of high descent include (male) Amalric, Guntram, Hengist, Sigismund, and Theodoric, and (female) Agnes, Clotild, Gisela, Ingunde, and Mathild. Names of lower descent include (male) Anlaf, Cadda, Druce, Dylan, and Eanmund and (female) Bridget, Gwyneth, Maeveen, Rowena, and Yseult.
Panthassi
Panthassi are a short, dark-skinned people with dark, curly hair, often worn close to the scalp, and dark eyes. Within warm environs, they favor loincloths and sandals. In colder areas, they wear subtly embroidered robes of earth tone hues. They keep slaves, which are marked with a brand upon either cheek, to indicate family ownership. Slaves do change hands, and may have multiple brands. In the event that a slave is freed, he is branded with a mark of freedom and can choose his own name.
The Panthassi worship several Faerie and Beast Lords. Some follow ancestral cults. Some few now follow the Church of the Seven Good Gods as well. Regardless of the being(s) worshipped, Panthassi religion focuses on the role of death in the cycle of living. They view death and burial as philosophical matters of primary importance, and view determining the proper method of caring for the deceased to be the most important question facing living beings. Some mummify their dead. Others create mass ossuaries. Some forgo burial; disposing of human remains by pyre, sacrifice to scavengers, or even anthrophagy.
Among the Panthassi, it is in theory common to raise children in a communal group. Each Panthassi settlement has a Children’s House, where all children are raised together by slaves. Each child knows who his or her parents are, and has a loving relationship with them. Providing Food, education, and discipline are all communal responsibilities, however.
Every child is expected to spend some time in community service – often in the military – and, in theory, being raised in a Children’s House binds each Panthassi more strongly to others of his or her generation. In recent times, though, the wealthier Panthassi have taken to creating their own private Children’s “Houses” on their own property, creating either smaller sub-communities or even family institutions. These are sometimes no more than mere sets of rooms in a family home. The larger, common Children’s Houses in many communities are now the provinces of the poor.
Panthassi typically have three names: given name, family name, and province name. Panthassi slaves have only one name, a given name with a suffix indicating the owning family. Panthassi given names include (male) Aedinius, Albanius, Bruttius, Calatorius, Claudius, Egnatius, Gallus, Marius, Maximus, Piscius, Quinius, Rufus, Sornatius, Valerius, Verecundius, and Victricius, and (female) Aconia, Aelia, Caecilia, Drusilla, Flavia, Lepida, Marcella, Marcia, Mariniara, Octavia, Orbiana, Porcia, Sabina, Turia, and Valeria.
Ur-Alamen
Favoured by the god Alamen (who they believe is their creator and ancestor), the Ur-Alamen are a dusky-skinned people who dwell in the deserts of southern Faerthalos. Their eyes are dark and their hair is straight and black. Because they come from a hot, dry area, they favour loose robes and turbans. They seldom wear heavy armour, but produce light armour of braided leather, which provides protection without unduly trapping heat. The Ur-Alamen favour curved blades, including curved daggers, scimitars, and khopesh swords.
Alamen demands his children to be courteous in word and deed, charitable in action, and just in disposition. While the Ur-Alamen can be formidable warriors against outsiders, they view open aggression within a social group to be a sign of weakness. Violence in this case does not show strength, merely an individual out of control. The Ur-Alamen emphasize reliance of individuals upon society, and the vulnerability and trust each Ur-Alamen feels toward the others. For example, Ur-Alamen make the doorways to their homes so low that one must crawl on hands and knees into the house. This is intended to make the guest feel his vulnerability to, and reliance on, the goodwill of his host as he enters.
Courtesy is extremely important to the Ur-Alamen. To be known as discourteous is to be excommunicated from family and the extended family group (known among the Ur-Alamen as the gĕnis, pronounced JENN-is). The most important rituals surround the preparation and consumption of food. An Ur-Alamen who brings harm to one he has shared salt with brings shame to his gĕnis. Presenting and serving different types of tea can indicate varying degrees of fealty, romantic interest, and personal respect – it is generally a DC 10 Knowledge (Ur-Alamen culture) check to determine the basic intent, DC 15 to determine rough degree. For example, a tea ceremony might indicate a desire to wed the recipient, with acceptance of the tea taken as agreement. A successful DC 10 Knowledge check allows the recipient to understand that the intent is romantic, whereas if the check meets DC 15 it also indicates the consequences of accepting the drink.
Ur-Alamen list their gĕnis names first, and their given names second. Ur-Alamen gĕnis names include Bissalama, Maxtabeus, Mohandahl, Qahween, Thalanthaan, and Ziydeus. Ur-Alamen given names are devised by admixing ancient Greek and Arabic names. Common Ur-Alamen names include (male) Abbanleos, Abbasgeus, Britoshakurus, Caulhid, Diowaudes, Minyashar, Patrassam, and Xan-jabbar, and (female) Abeonlah, Alhave, Cabiro, Camilla, Cthonshra, Fadianthe, Firhero, Najssa, Soudenia, and Vakootah.
Varanamen
The Varanamen are a group of tall, dark-skinned people with a decidedly golden cast to their skin (singular and possessive, Varanaman). Their eyes may be of brown, gold, hazel, or green hue. Their hair is straight, and often worn long. They have discovered (and jealously guard) the secret of making silk, which has made them wealthy traders throughout the Middle World. They are notable for their religion, which includes the worship of several Faerie Lords and Infernal Powers, but focuses on anthropomorphized Beast Lords. Many of the Varanaman images of deities have multiple arms, multiple legs, or even multiple heads. Their religion believes in reincarnation, so that evils done in one life may be repaid in another. By performing meritorious actions, a Varanaman may achieve a better existence on his next turn of the Wheel.
For many centuries, the common Varanamen were disallowed the use of weapons, save staves and those required for agricultural work. During this time, the Varanamen had a strong caste system, and only the warrior caste was allowed more obvious weapons. Magicians and Varanaman Priest-Thralls conjured the living images of their gods to walk the land, seeking sacrifices of their own choosing. As a result, the Varanamen excel at unarmed combat, having a long tradition of specialized schools of weaponless combat. They have also devised several unique exotic weapons, designed to appear as nothing more than innocuous common items.
Originally, caste restrictions were supported by belief in reincarnation; one’s actions in previous lives determined the caste (or species) one was reborn into. Contact with other cultures modified this philosophy. Most modern Varanamen believe that it is possible to gain or lose merit within a single lifetime, and thus change caste.
Although the caste system has weakened in the present Age, most Varanamen still believe that the gods will punish them if they strike a Priest-Thrall or other holy man (and perhaps they are right). Martial weapons use tends to be common only among the upper castes – others still carry daggers, staves, and agricultural tools-turned-weapons. While Varanamen may multi-class, each time they change classes (not including gaining prestige classes, or gaining levels in the Varanaman racial “class”), they do not gain Hit Dice, Vitality, or Wounds for the first level of the new class.
Varanaman names are taken from the Hindi tradition. Male names include Badal, Ekagrah, Ikshan, Jagdeep, Omprakash, Tanak, and Udant. Female names include Chiatra, Durga, Kama, Kumuda, Mandini, Narmada, and Sitara.
