The Worlds Apart

[Jack7]

IV-Aa. Compact of the Basilegate

This is the compact or agreement which is signed by every character who wishes to serve in the Basilegate. Of course the requirements to be chosen are rigorous (they were looser in the beginning but became more standardized and more selective over time) and one cannot just join, one must be both sponsored and invited since the very existence of the group is unknown to most people, including most high representatives of the government, military, and church. No one, even the Team Members themselves are absolutely certain who knows of their existence and who does not, and whereas many people know of the group's existence as a Diplomatic Team, this is merely a cover for their far more secretive and covert activities.

There is no such Compact or agreement undertaken by members of other teams though the Hoshi has an oral agreement, the Oro does as well, and the Caerkara has a legal agreement but nothing really similar to the Compact, which details duties, careers, obligations, rewards, and future potential advancements.

Compact Of The Basilegate

By authority of the Emperor Nikephorus, Basileus of New Rome and the Roman Empire, it has been ordered that the Strategion, War Academy of Constantinople, create an official legation known as the Basilegate, the Imperial Legate, to be constituted in the year 805 Anno Domini.

This legation shall be charged with those official duties expressly demanded by Emperor Nicephorus and his representatives. These duties shall include, but are not limited to the following services; Work against the enemies of the empire, internal and external, the suppression of enemy raids and pirating activities, land and seas, the securing of lawless areas and the capture or elimination of criminals, action as official enquirers, action as emissaries and diplomats and as representatives of the Empire and King, and to render whatever other services are deemed fit and necessary by the Empire. That this legation shall swear allegiance to the Emperor and his servants and representatives and shall swear allegiance to the Church in order to serve the Empire as needed.

This legation shall by law and structure be attached to the Strategion and shall receive their orders from the War Academy and from those representatives of the Emperor placed in command of the legation.

The legation shall be initially equipped at Imperial expense, which shall provide arms and armor, and tack, tackle, and gear for their provision. All additional gear and equipment will be provided from War Franchise at reduced cost, as well as reduced cost for training and what additional supplies are as required for the execution of official duties. In addition such travel expenses as are accrued, either by land or by sea shall be compensated as long as those expenses are acquired by conduct of official assignment. Furthermore all additional expenses shall likewise be compensated, whether of travel or of board or equipment or supplies or of food and the legation shall be housed at imperial expense whenever they are stationed in Constantinople.

Whatever additional rewards accrue to the legation shall be theirs to keep and dispense with as they see fit, but the legation shall not be empowered to collect fees or levy taxes in the name of Empire, Emperor, or Church. They shall not levy taxes or fees of any kind while executing official duties but may keep rewards and payments they receive for additional services in the name of the empire as long as such additional services do not detract from or conflict with their primary duties and services.

This legation shall travel and execute their duties with the full approval and official support of Empire and Church, but shall remain a secret legation, unknown to the general populace and civil and military authorities, with the exception of those individuals and authorities who need to be aware of the nature of the legation. The legation will travel as needed in disguise. The legation shall be free to act as necessary to execute their duties and are fully empowered to take whatever actions necessary to execute their duties as long as such actions do not imperil the sacred honor of Emperor, Empire or Christian sanctity.

In reward of six years of honorable service this legation and all of the individuals of this legation shall receive in compensation; farm lands of their own in Anatolia, severance pay upon termination, and their farm lands shall be free from annual land taxes, in perpetua. In addition if the members of this legation shall further continue their service beyond the term of their six years either as a renewed legate, or in order to train their successors, or to teach at War Academy or University then they shall also receive; a small estate built upon their granted farm lands, shall be empowered to levy taxes for the Imperial Theme which they inhabit, and shall be granted a seat with the Emperor in Constantinople during Communions performed on High Holy Days. The enumerations of this contract shall constitute the entirety of the duties and compensations respected by all members of this legation and their superiors and their Emperor.


End of Compact

 

[Jack7]

IV-B. The Consociatio

The Consociatio, or Society, is a group of NPCs who operate throughout Western Europe, North Africa, the Near and Middle East, and parts of the Byzantine Empire. Formed by the Dragoons, and composed mostly of Dragoons or their Agents, the Consociatio has several goals: 1. To hunt down and murder any possible surviving Cavaliers, 2. To hunt down and kill all descendants of the Cavaliers, such as the Paladins, Palademes, Rangers and Vigilantes, 3. To increase their own power and wealth, especially political power 4. To destroy the current Pope and to establish their own Anti-Pope in the Papacy, 5. To enlist every ally possible in the pursuit of their other goals, including if necessary dealing with the Caleedam.

The Society is vicious, murderous, ruthless, cunning, treacherous, conspiratorial, and are expert saboteurs. They see the Paladins and Rangers as their chief adversaries in achieving their goals. In addition most of the members of the Society believe themselves to be righteous in their cause, therefore they are fanatical in the pursuit of their goals. The Society is the chief nemesis of the Basilegate and seeks to eliminate the Legate by any means necessary.

CONSOCIATIO
(The Society)​

Leticus Cambrius Antipaladus - an Ebone Dragoon whose family was wiped out during a Germanic raid into Northern Italy, he was the only member of his family to escape the massacre. He was taken in by an Italian nobleman at Ravenna who was secretly of the Dragoon order. Raising the boy as his own and renaming him he enrolled him under the tutelage of a famous black Dragoon who gave him the nickname Antipaladus after he killed his first Paladin by ambush at the age of thirteen. Since that time Leticus has become a devoted, almost fanatical slayer of Paladins, mainly by treachery.

Seth ben Hamar - an Hellenic Jew and thief from Alexandria, his background is secretive. He seems to hire out his services in a mercenary manner to the highest bidder. He has been in the employ of Leticus for nearly six years. Many also suspect him to be an assassin.

Semius - a Latin Argent Dragoon, Semius is older and more experienced than anyone else in his party, having lived through two wars, several battles and numerous raids. Since the Dragoons are no longer an official or sanctioned group under the pope he has served his masters by infiltration of various military units where he has acted as both a spy and an agent of sedition.

Cedred - a Spanish Negro and former friend of Edomios, who helped free him from slavery, Cedred is also a secret member of the Hispanic clan of the Crimson Dragoons, for whom he has been employed since his first year of freedom. Cedred sees the Dragoons as a method of assuring his freedom for the rest of his life, and fears to detach himself from their service.

Austranul - a young Emerald Dragoon whose distant ancestor, Stranius, helped to establish the original contingent of Dragoons in Rome and who helped to persecute the original Cavaliers. Austranul is determined to make a reputation among his masters as a vicious and ruthless hunter of all of the offspring of the Cavaliers. He most desires to hunt down any direct descendants of the Cavaliers, as he still believes that the Cavaliers exist as a secretive group in exile somewhere in Byzantium or in the Balkans.

Galtostelain - with Christianity under Charlemagne threatening to convert or tame most all of the Germanic tribes and the descendants of the Celts, Galtostelain, a Germano-Frank who considers himself one of the last of the Druids, hopes to both take vengeance on the Christians and most especially the Paladins, and to follow the ancient migration of the Celts to Galatia. Once in Galatia he hopes to lead a new pagan rebirth of Druidism and desires to raise an army to return to the West and crush Charlemagne and the Latin Church.

Mucheria - an Italian Stregas (Witch) known for her great beauty and cunning, as well as her Ilurgic skill, she has sworn vengeance against all holy men of the Church. While still a small girl she was abducted and violently raped by a traveling heretical monk who eventually tired of her and abandoned her, believing he had strangled her to death. She survived and vowed vengeance. Eventually she located an old pagan witch to teach her Ilcraft and has used her charms to lure many monks and priests into her bed where she has then used magic to kill them and disgrace their parish. She eventually left Italy and briefly became the lover of Seth ben Hamar in North Africa before going to work for Leticus.

Cargis and Tellos - two Macedonian brothers and highwaymen, taught to murder and steal by their father and uncles. They have lived most of their short lives as Barbarian mercenaries and robbers and have gained a vicious reputation for torture, rape, and murder.

Iodamas - not attached to any particular party this strange creature (who some believe to be a monster form the other world) nevertheless despises Christian clerics and their soldier champions, the Paladins. Said to be the offspring of a woman who was raped and carried away by a hideous and vile, but extremely cunning monster or spirit, she often wanders deserted cliff areas or wilderness caves where she lures men to death with her song and illusions. She is said to be able to use her formidable powers of soul to appear as a ravenously beautiful woman or handsome man until a person is close enough to look into her eyes, and then the person realizes he is looking into the misshapen face of a horrid, daemonic countenance with hair and mouth covered by the tentacles of a sea creature. Some swear that she is none other than the half-sister of the ancient Greek goddess Athena (Iodamas having been born of a strange, vein-laced great stone that Zeus cast away from himself and shattered in agony as Athena sprang from his forehead), and that she was (re)turned to stone when she accidentally saw the head of the Gorgon, Medusa. But that Athena begged Zeus to bring her back to life, and that when he refused Athena went to Plutus who did resurrect her, but only as a hideous monster who could mimic the illusion of her former beauty, not as her real self. Because of this, or perhaps because of the fact that she is said to engorge herself on the flesh and blood of her victims while they still live, eating the hapless soul alive, she is called “the Gorge” by those who know of her.

 

[Jack7]

IV-Bb. Political and Organizational History of the Cavaliers, Paladins, Rangers and the Dragoons


Being a brief and basic political and organizational history of the Cavaliers, Paladins, Rangers. and Dragoons and a basic Organizational description of Dragoon Commands, Motivations, and Goals.


General Information/Basic History: The Cavaliers, Originally the Cohort of Holy Cavaliers was formed as a special guard for Pope Boniface I, the Pontiff of Rome in the year 419 AD. The Cavaliers served faithfully and were recruited from famous horsemen and officers drawn from the various provinces of the Roman Empire.

The Cavaliers were allowed to secretly exist by the emperors, who on occasion also employed them as personal guards or as special agents for various military, political, diplomatic and espionage missions. In time they came to be seen as a very powerful organization and elite military force in their own right. Many began to fear them, especially in the halls of civil government where the Imperial Guards considered the Cavaliers as a threat and a dangerous competition.

Eventually in the year 498 AD the Emperor Anastasius turned a blind eye to events in Rome as the Imperial Guards, some seditious prelates and the governor of Rome set up their own anti-Pope, Laurentius. This new pope threatened the existing pope Saint Symmachus, whose successor upon Symmachus' death was forced to flee first to Sicily and then eventually into Gaul. Some of the most loyal Cavaliers then at Rome also fled with the newly elected but unordained pope Palladius (after whom the Paladins are named) as he left the city. Many others were arrested in secret by the Imperial Guards at night and executed. Some of the leaders of the Grand Cohort, as the Cavaliers were popularly known escaped initial arrest when the Italian Garrison refused to detain them, and fled the city accompanied by the remains of the Theban Legion (Thundering Legion) who had survived the pagan revival massacre and had continued to exist as an underground organization in service to the pope. Those who fled took ship and made their way first to North Africa and eventually east coming to Alexandria and then to the eastern Capital at Constantinople. Those Cavaliers serving along the frontiers, after hearing of the dissolution of their order and of the fate of their comrades deserted their ranks and melded into the local population or joined mercenary patrols under false names and backgrounds. The anti-Pope then formed his own personal guard of hand-selected Imperial soldiers as well as deserters and traitors from the ranks of the Cavaliers who were eventually to become known as the Dragoons. These Dragoons acted as a virtual Praetorian guard for the anti-Pope Laurentius and for several anti-popes to follow.

Goals & Ideals of the Dragoons: The annihilation of the Cavaliers and the destruction of any organization which might be considered a splinter group of the Cavaliers, such as the Paladins of the West, the Palademes of the Eastern Roman Empire, the Rangers of the West and the Vigilantes of the Eastern Empire. They also intend to depose the current Pope and install their own Anti-Pope. The basic history of the group is as detailed above, and their origin as a result of the Cavalier Purge is well known in educated political, military and church officiate circles, and among some few in the higher social classes. The more secretive history, as detailed in the Inner Workings section below is far less well known and is a closely guarded secret known by few. The Dragoons of all ranks and commands are a very secretive group, go to great lengths to hide their activities and have also gone to great lengths to make it appear as if their group has disbanded or simply faded out of existence in the past 100 years or so. Many of the Paladins and Rangers they hunt to death are not even aware of their existence until they are ambushed, poisoned, captured, tortured, or murdered. The Dragoons are less active in the East, being more numerous and driven in the West but do also occasionally send hunting parties into the Eastern Empire and even as far East as the Middle East and Persia. No matter where they operate their goals are the same.

The Dragoons have also spawned much smaller tactical operation teams and parties such as the Consociatio and often work in partnership with barbarian kings and even with organized crime syndicates such as the Keishon (the Black Hand) and with pirates and brigands. They tend to support their activities secretly with an underground financial organization of minor nobles, corrupt military and civil officials, and by engaging in various criminal activities, such as arms smuggling, tax interception and theft, and kidnapping/ransom/extortion operations.

Despite the vicious reputation of the order and despite the fact that by most every objective standard the group is indeed inclined towards evil and self-promotion the members of the Dragoons consider themselves completely justified in their actions and actually think of themselves as working for the good. They consider their Anti-Pope to be an ideal leader and they consider the eradication of the Paladins and Rangers to be a Holy Objective and Divine Purpose.

Leadership: The top ranks of the leadership of the Dragoons remains a secret and is unknown to any except the leaders themselves. Every rank has a leader as does every overall Command. These leaders also operate in secret with assignments and missions being passed down from higher level operatives and leaders through a secretive transmission and code/messenger system. On the local level the Dragoons are divided into small tactical commands which undertake missions, hunt Cavaliers and their descendants, steal tax monies, engage in criminal activities, smuggle weapons, corrupt and bribe officials and surveil any target of interest. The name of the current Antipope is unknown, as his identity is an enigma, however it is believed by some he may be a high church official stationed either at Rome or in Ravenna.

The names of the leaders of certain splinter groups, such as the Consociatio are known (his name is Leticus Cambrius) and such people and groups are even famous and well respected, however nothing is known about the shadowy and covert activities of these groups and men. The Consociatio is publicly known but is not known to have any ties to the Dragoons and the Dragoons intend that all such aligned groups are fronts for other activities and that their true intentions remain secretive and hidden.

Inner Workings: The antipope and the Imperator (Supreme General) of the Imperial Praetorian Guards for the Western emperors were unsatisfied with the initial purge of the ranks of the Cavaliers. Fearing that the survivors who had escorted the pope into exile and that those who had escaped to Africa would rise again to power and take revenge decided upon a hunting pogrom to fully eradicate any surviving Cavaliers and their families and associates. They also intended to capture and imprison the deposed pope. Those Imperial Guards who had best known the habits, training, and numbers of the Cavaliers, along with Cavaliers who had been tortured and disaffected from the pope’s service were formed into a new unit, officially known as the Cavaleem, whose public duty was to apprehend and arrest the outlawed Cavaliers. However their real duties were to hunt down and kill the remaining Cavaliers, as well as kill their families and seize any possessions they might have as tribute, and to capture and imprison the pope in exile.

The most powerful arm of the Cavaleem were organized at a secret training base in Hispania where they divided themselves into special units devoted to particular kinds of work and assignments. These Cavaleem, who called themselves the Dragoons were to become the most famous of all Cavaleem and eventually, would give their name to all Cavaleem, as the popular name for the Cavaleem soon became the Dragoons.

The Dragoons divided themselves into four Commands; 1) the Emeralds, who served as political police for the emperors and various other high officials in the civil government, and as Special Bodyguards for the antipope, 2) the Crimson which served as city detachments of political and civil police, both at Rome and in frontier cities, 3) the Argent who were a unit assigned to the regular legions as officers and informers to keep the civil authorities and the emperors informed of possible intrigue or insurrection, and 4) the Ebone, who served as special forces agents, usually operating alone or in small detachments. The Ebone Command were the most well trained unit of soldiers in the secret Cavaleem force, being experts at weapons, horsemanship, tracking and hunting, and unarmed combat. Often they were also trained as assassins proficient at killing men in secret, and in the uses of poison. The Ebone unit was the detachment assigned with the hunting down of and the eradication of the escaped or exiled Cavaliers. Because of their dedication in fulfilling this assignment the Ebone were also called the Cavacaedere, the Cavalier Killers, but they earned their most famous nickname later because of the enmity that developed between themselves and the Paladins. They became most popularly known as the AntiPaladins. After the official line of popes were restored some AntiPaladins, especially the Ebone agents, began to sell their services to others who wished to seize the papal seat and become new antipopes, or to those who wished to seize Imperial crowns or foment rebellions among the barbarians. Some even went to hire for the Arabs, Muslims, Persians, and others in the Orient where their reputations for ruthlessness and for espionage and insurrection were unmatched. A secret core of Dragoons remained in the Western Empire however, operating from Sicily, Hispania, North Africa, and Ravenna, determined to forever eradicate any remains of the Cavaliers and their descendants and to reestablishing an antipope favorable to themselves so that they might rise again to power in the West.

Those Cavaliers who escaped into exile with the pope would eventually form the basis of the Paladins of the Holy Roman Empire of Charles Martel (The Hammer) and eventually of Charlemagne in the West. Those Cavaliers who escaped to Africa and eventually to the east became the champions of the Eastern Church, the Palademes and War Monks of the Orient. Those frontiers Cavaliers who had deserted their post or who had become mercenaries also became very famous, especially in the Eastern Empire, as the legendary Rangers. The Rangers were often employed by the Eastern Empire and by the emperor as frontiers’ sheriffs, spies, infiltrators, bounty hunters, anti-insurgent operatives, and anti-raiding outpost defenders. Whereas the Paladins gained great public prestige and eventual political power as the servants of the church and the defenders of the civil order, the Rangers, because of their background, preferred to operate alone or in small groups and often in secret and/or in disguise. The Paladins became the new public face of the Cavaliers and were considered the champions of public law and the authorities and of urban life, while the Rangers became the heroes of the poor and the oppressed along the frontiers, the defenders of the land, and the champions of private justice. Eventually the Rangers in the East would take on a new title, the Vigilantes, and would keep law where no official law existed and the hand of no army could reach.

Whereas the AntiPaladins became almost fanatical in their hatred of and hunting of the Paladins, because they greatly feared the rising political and civil power of the Paladins, the Rangers never forgot the original purge of the Cavaliers and held a fierce and secret hatred for the Dragoons, of all commands, but especially against the Ebone Dragoons. So while the AntiPaladins covertly hunted the Cavalier survivors and the Paladins, the Rangers and Vigilantes, with their own secret plans, hunted the AntiPaladins.

 

[Jack7]

IV-C. The Hoshi

When the invasions into our world from the other world began to occur several mystics and monks in the Orient began to have strange dreams and visions, sometimes while sleeping and sometimes while meditating. Some monsters from the other world appeared in China, Chosen, and Japan, though most wise men believed the invasions to be migrations from the West. Following the monsters were new plagues, natural disruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, and violent storms. Eventually the situation was considered so urgent that an expeditionary party was sent from the East into the West to try and ascertain what might be happening. The party formed to investigate was called the Hoshi.

The Hoshi party is divided into two groups, the Eastern Hoshi, which starts out in the Far East, and the Middle Hoshi, which picks up new members as the Hoshi party moves West into India, Afghanistan, Persia, the Middle East, and eventually into the Byzantine Empire.

The Eastern Hoshi consists of: a Shoensa, a Shugenja Monk, a Shaolin Monk, a Taoist Priest, a Tang Xia, and a Bon/Mantrikai (Shaman/Witch Hunter).

The Middle Hoshi consists of: a Yogin, a Hindu Kshatriya, a Persian Zot (Zoroastrian Priest), and a Sufi Mystic.

Both Hoshi parties are posted below.

THE HOSHI
(The Footbridge)​

THE EASTERN HOSHI

Namamitu - Traveling to China from Japan with a delegation lead by the Bhiksu Kukai, the Japanese Shoensa Namamitu is chosen by Kukai to accompany the newly formed party of the Hoshi into the West, to discover the source of the strange visions and dreams simultaneously seen by Kukai, Saicho and the Shugenja High Priest Shun Lo Tzu. Namamitu escaped from the court of the Lord Kaida as a young boy after having been falsely accused of spying for another Lord, and lived for several years off the land as a wandering robber and laborer before being accepted as a groundskeeper for the Shrine of Tamo. Kukai, having seen the young man and glimpsing his potential had him transferred to the court at Nara where he was instructed in the new legal reforms as a Shoensa. Namamitu was then returned to Kukai to serve as his personal bodyguard and attendant. Assigned by Kukai to travel west with the Hoshi to provide an armed escort for the monk Sentoku Asamura.

Sentoku Asamura - A Shugenja Monk assigned by Saicho to accompany him to China to study Chinese Buddhist scriptures. His two brothers died in the two ships that foundered on the trip from Japan to the mainland. Seen by many as Saicho’s most loyal attendant and most faithful friend, when the visions and rumors begin about monsters invading the World from the West Sentoku Asamura is asked to lead the secret Hoshi expedition into the West to find out what might be the cause for the invasions. Reluctant to leave his master Saicho and anxious to stay in the Orient he nonetheless consents to be the overall spiritual leader of the party and to go West as far as is necessary to determine the cause of the invasions. Known as particularly powerful spiritually and magically he is reputed to be able to speak with animals and to understand what they think and know.

Han Shu - As a young boy Han Shu lived near the Eastern Trade routes for the Silk Road. He spent many hours among Greek traders from the West and became fascinated by their culture and their peculiar religion. Eventually he learned the Greek language and spent many hours reading any material he could locate in Greek, including Christian scriptures. As he aged he applied for and was accepted into a Shaolin monastery as a Monk where he quickly gained a reputation as a brilliant linguist and scholar, as well being very good at hand to hand combat. He learned to speak several Chinese dialects, and learned to read Hindu scriptures in Sanskrit, as well as to read and speak both Japanese and Greek, among other languages. When his master Po learns from his friend Shun Lo Tzu of the party to be sent West he recommends Han Shu as a translator. Han is anxious and eager to accompany the Hoshi into the West, wanting both the see India as the birthplace of Buddhism, and because he knows that the original Buddhist missionary efforts went West instead of East, which only increases his curiosity to see the West. He hopes eventually to travel as far West as Greece and to meet Christians he has read about in Greek stories.

Dama - An older man when he decided to give up court life in Vietnam and move into China, he became attached to an old hermit and shortly thereafter himself became a Taoist Priest. For many years afterwards he remained the devoted disciple of his hermit-master and after his master’s death he rejected his given name of To-bah and took the new name Dama. Dama wandered from place to place living off alms and begging as if a monk, but occasionally he would offer priestly assistance to any whom might obviously need it. He never provided assistance if asked to however; he would only spontaneously volunteer assistance. Gaining a reputation as a sort of people’s champion, and as an old sage, he was also said to have strange visions and would often sit in meditation for days unmoving. At the age of nearly fifty he wandered into the presence of Shun Lo Tzu, announced he knew all about the mission of the Hoshi party and demanded to be allowed to accompany the party. Lo Tzu consented without debate and Dama joined the group becoming an instant friend and mentor to Han Shu.

Wu Lee - The middle son of a famous Chinese military hero Wu Lee distinguished himself only by his reputation as a womanizer and as a drunkard. Often in trouble with both his family and his superiors he was considered reckless, a ne’er do well, and a braggart. Sent to the capital to study under a famous sword master and weapon smith he was nearly killed when he fell from his horse in a riding accident, which left him mildly paralyzed in his left leg. At first he seemed completely paralyzed but after months of convalescence, he recovered. Suddenly serious he became the most devoted and favored pupil of his master and after returning to arms he gained a new reputation as both a fanatical fighter and an honorable and heroic champion at war, being honored with the new title, Tang Xia. Considered handsome by women, he is nevertheless very self-conscious about his lameness of movement. Impressing his father, however, with his new studiousness he was sent to study for one summer at the Sho Lee temple where he was so impressive at self-discipline that he was sent onwards to the Shugenja. Recommended for the Hoshi party by Lo Tzu’s master of discipline, Hong.

Sumisara - Sumisara’s father was a wandering Bon shaman, reputedly from Tibet, and her mother was a minor Korean courtesan. Sumisara began to display unusual powers when very young which were nurtured by her father who taught her both Shamanic arts and to be a Mantrikai, a Witch Hunter. While still young her father wandered away into the forest and never returned, Sumisara and her mother uncertain if he was killed, lost or had simply abandoned them. Because Sumisara knew that her father was a shaman and witch hunter she refused to believe he had simply abandoned the family. As Sumisara grew she impressed local officials with her skill at poetry, some of which was often bizarre, and for her ability to tell other people very accurate details about their long dead ancestors. She gained the title Winter Blossom Maiden for her strange abilities and poetic skill. Possessing very unusual and striking features she also gained a reputation for physical beauty. After becoming an adult she went into China to look for any trace of her father. While in the capital she learned of an expedition headed West, which needed servants, cooks and porters for the supply train. She applied for and was accepted as a cook and porter for Dama, but secretly she is in search of her father, who once predicted that strange beasts and creatures would come from the West and that he would have to go and meet these creatures because some of them would be dangerous Witches and Demons. So Sumisara acts as a cook and servant while leading a secret life in search of her father, and while acting covertly as party Shaman and Mantrikai for the people she accompanies.


THE MIDDLE HOSHI

Paravasi - Considered a great sage and spiritual leader in addition to being a Yogi, Paravasi was raised to be a Brahmin but decided to forgo family precedent in order to become an aescetic and practice Raja Yoga. At the age of fourteen he retreated into the local forest and found a Yogin under whom he could study and learn. Years into his practice Paravasi began to exhibit strange powers that his guru told him to suppress as being a distraction in the pursuit of Samsara. Paravasi could not suppress these abilities however and one night while in meditation he had a vision of a Deva who visited him and told him that he was to use his Yogic powers in the future for a great mission to the West. Paravasi continued to try to suppress manifestations of his abilities and to hide them from his guru but as time passed he continued to fail to do so, and the vision of the Deva continued to recur. His guru finally told him he had to leave and seek out the reason for his strange powers and the source of his visions. Moving north he studied ever more deeply, at this time from written works and scriptures rather than under the guidance of a guru. Hearing of a strange desert monastery along the Silk Road he decided to head into the desert. While bathing along the headwaters of the Indus River in Hindu Kush Paravasi happened upon the Eastern Hoshi and was able to converse with Han Shu in the Sanskrit language. Discovering the destination of the party and that they have come West in search of supernatural events Paravasi abandons his idea of visiting the Silk Road monastery and instead joins the party in hopes of discovering the purpose of his own visions.

Sraddnayar - Raised in the Warrior Caste the Kshatriya, Sraddnayar served with distinction in parts of Northern and Western India. Often employed on diplomatic missions due to his loyalty and intelligence he began to desire more and more solitude as he aged. By his twenties Sraddnayar had gained a reputation of service which included the ability to operate alone, and in difficult conditions far from support and far from shelter. Eventually he gained a reputation as an outpost runner, serving as a lone messenger between posts scattered from each other by great distance. The more dangerous the assignment or position the more enjoyable Sraddnayar found the work and in time he began to operate as a scout into distant and foreign lands; Nepal, Sri Lanka, north as far as Tashkent, and west as far as the Persian-Afghan border. Into almost every land he traveled he learned the local languages, at least well enough to communicate with the natives, and could soon speak Pali, various Indian dialects, Afghani, Persian and various tribal tongues. He worships Vishnu and considers himself a lone defender of the helpless, especially against criminals and highwaymen. By his thirtieth year Sraddnayar gave up his official caste position, becoming a wandering warrior, and turned East deciding to explore in that direction as far as he could possibly reach. Turning north around Tibet he made it as far as Lop Nur where he was attacked at night by a strange and vicious creature, which almost killed him, leaving him all but mortally wounded. Greek merchants following the Silk Road west discovered his body and rescued him from death. Three weeks later the Greek merchants sold the still recovering Sraddnayar to the party of the Hoshi who desire an Indian guide to help them with their progress through unknown lands.

Namahra - As a young boy Namahra was raised among a nomadic tribe in Persia. Every night his tribe would build a huge bonfire for purposes of warmth, with which to cook and for religious fire ceremonies. Often the tribe would linger in mountainous areas, where Namahra would explore what by even that time were ancient ruins left by the original Zoroastrians. One night while exploring by himself in these ruins the boy fell into a pit, which led him into an underground area, which had obviously been sealed for some time. Severely injured with a badly broken shoulder and elbow the boy could not escape and fell into a stupor. Namahra’s family searched for him for two days but finding no trace of him they eventually abandoned the search assuming he had been killed by mountain lions. On the third day he was discovered by an heretical Christian hermit from Syria named Prolistus who lived in the ruins and had moved east into Persia where he had discovered an unknown sect of fire worshippers. The hermit rescued Namahra and raised the boy as his own son, teaching him both the Nestorian Christian heresy and how to perform the rituals of the Zoroastrian religion, making him a Zot Priest. After the death of Prolistus Namahra cremated his stepfather’s body and began to travel from ruin site to ruin site in Persia seeking answers about his past, his lost family and about the secrets of both Christianity and Zoroastrianism. Eventually while exploring ruins near Mount Ararat Namahra met the Sufi Mystic Dab-al ar Zaid who was himself traveling north from Baghdad and was also in search of ancient secrets. Forming a strong bond of friendship the two eventually traveled to Persepolis in search of ancient manuscripts and ruins to help them with their various endeavors. It was at Persepolis that the two friends encountered and joined the party of the Hoshi.

Dab-al ar Zaid - Dab-al ar Zaid was born Said Massa, a peasant boy from a small family of carpenter craftsmen. Firstborn, and well loved among his family, he gained a personal reputation as a precocious lad, extremely intelligent and inquisitive. Possessing enormous mechanical skill he also soon gained a popular reputation as an inventor, able to create small devices and mechanical contrivances that earned him a certain degree of wealth. As a young man, and pooling the money he had made from inventing he was able to become a moneylender and became even wealthier. Known as a scrupulous and fair man, by his mid-thirties he was able to purchase a merchant caravan and was able to profit immensely from trade along the Silk Road, trade with India and trade with the Byzantine Empire. Eventually moving to Baghdad he helped use his money to establish a large library and center of learning. Hearing of Wise Men named Sufi he went to meet one, a certain Bali-al Gwazi and started studying under him. Soon Said became a very serious mystic himself and received the new name Dab-al ar Zaid, or Dabal as he is called for short. Hearing many fantastic stories of the past from his master Bali, Dabal soon began to finance missions of exploration, hiring special agents to accompany his caravans wherever they went. After having had delivered to him several artifacts from various parts of the world Dabal decided to undertake his own personal missions of exploration. Learning over time that it is often easier to penetrate foreign lands alone, and dressed as a beggar in disguise, Dabal came to travel alone, gaining the nickname, Beggar of God. On one personal mission near Mount Ararat Dabal met the priest Namahra and the two became fast friends due to common interests. By the age of forty Dabal found himself in the city of Persepolis where he encountered and joined the party from the Far East, the Hoshi.

 

[Wombat]

Just want to give this a friendly bump

 

[Jack7]

Thanks. I'm gonna keep working on this as I can. Right now I'm slowing down a little to recover from a back and side injury, and if I feel up to it I'm gonna ride out to the lake and do a little fishing.

But I'll keep posting here, bit by bit.

See ya.

 

[SteveC]

Jack,
Fantastic stuff...I really like this. Pretty much any time someone starts with Yeats, I'm hooked. My only thing to add is that whenever I read that piece by Yeats, I always think of Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold. I like this part from "Stanzas from the Grande Chartreuse":

Wandering between two worlds, one dead
The other powerless to be born,
With nowhere yet to rest my head
Like these, on earth I wait forlorn.

Ah, the lit major in me raises a glass to ya! Should you ever find yourself in the Wisconsin area, I'd love to take a stab at this game.

--Steve

 

[Jack7]

whenever I read that piece by Yeats, I always think of Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold. I like this part from "Stanzas from the Grande Chartreuse":

Wandering between two worlds, one dead
The other powerless to be born,
With nowhere yet to rest my head
Like these, on earth I wait forlorn.

I know what you mean Steve. Something has gone out of poetry in the past fifty years or so. Something vital and meaningful. I'd like to see it return.

I think it's because so many modern poets are so self-absorbed and consumed with "little worlds" and "little things."

Funny you should mention two worlds though in the lines you quote.
It fits.

 

[Jack7]

IV-D. The Oro

The Oro, or Moonshadow, is a group of African Sharpers (I’ll explain that in a later posting) who originated in Eastern and Northern Africa, mainly, and then migrated north into the Byzantine Empire eventually landing in Constantinople, becoming allies and friends of the Basilegate. Though they tend to frequent places like Syria, the Holy Land, and Egypt more frequently, and they usually operate out of Alexandria (one of my very favorite ancient cities).

Some of my players thought it would be interesting to play some African characters and since I had recently been involved in historical research regarding the Cushites and the Ethiopians I thought it a pretty good idea. Plus I wanted to help develop some characters other than the typical Western Caucasoid (though I reckon the Eastern Romans and Greeks are not the typical D&D type characters either) and some characters that would be unusual in other ways. This is a small party though they are all Sharpers which gives them a natural advantage when either adventuring as a group or operating alone. They all make good spies. Addo is sort of a shamanic African witch-doctor with strange psychic abilities and it is interesting to watch him being played. Erasto is one of my very favorite characters (for me to watch being played, and I helped write his background – then again I helped write the background of Marsippius as well and I really like Marsippius too – unfortunately Marsippius was gravely wounded on more than one occasion which led him to eventually being killed in action) in the game.

Below you will find the four initial members of the Team. Previous to forming into a party or unit they were all individual Sharpers in one way or another.

THE ORO
(Moonshadow)

Addo - born and raised among the tribes of Ghana it was noticed early among family members that the name Addo fit well with the boy’s personality and his desire to travel. Often family or friends would discover Addo as a small boy out late at night, wandering by himself, sneaking off from the village or silently stalking animals that he loved to track and follow, but would not kill. Even from a young age the boy refused to eat any kind of meat, saying it was still inhabited by the spirit of the dead animal and he absolutely refused to touch or drink blood. At the age of seven Addo began to have strange visions, often seeing spirits or ghosts floating in the air at night, and he would speak of these experiences to his friends who would often flee in fear. At the age of ten Addo fell gravely ill, from no known cause and lay comatose for nearly six days, unable to eat, drink or move. He could not be forced to eat but his mother poured water down his throat every few hours. On the evening of the sixth day of the coma a strange old man appeared and roused Addo, then asked his parent’s permission to train the boy as a Shaman, saying the boy had called to him while sick. After three days of recovery, and debate with his parents, Addo was allowed to go live in the mountains to the north in order to train with the old man. The old man, Chewe, trained Addo in how to hunt, live off the land, see and speak with spirits, how to steal, how to track, how to speak to men and how to be a powerful Shaman. On the day after Addo’s sixteenth birthday Chewe died, and after burying his teacher under a tree Addo lived alone for four days. On the fifth day he had a dream that instead of returning home that he should head east towards unknown lands. Eventually Addo reached Karnak and there he joined the Moonshadow.

Erasto Qwara - born in Axum, the third of six children, Erasto grew up following his family tradition of soldiering. At fifteen he became a Christian Soldier and rose quickly through the ranks, so that local officials were soon sending him as an escort and emissary to foreign lands, such as to the courts at Egypt. Smart, driven, and self-educated Erasto learned six African tongues and was soon able to read and write Koptic, Greek and Latin as well. Because of his linguistic skills and general education by the age of nineteen Erasto was made commander of a unit formed to escort diplomatic missions throughout the Nubian kingdoms, along the coast of east Africa, into the tribute states of the Arabian Peninsula, into the Near East, and also into Egypt. The farther afield Erasto roamed the more types of people he encountered and he soon discovered that he loved to mix freely with people of different nations and races. Developing a personal interest in trade Erasto also was soon gaining experience as a trade representative in addition to his diplomatic and military skills. Born into a devout Christian family Erasto nevertheless had no interest at all in religious matters until traveling in Egypt he discovered an early copy of some of the works of the Philokalia written in Koptic. Reading it eagerly Erasto became a devout Christian and returning to Axum began to study under Aksumite Christian Masters. Erasto remained a soldier but also developed a strong interest in interpreting scriptures from a Monophysitic point of view, and became such a skillful writer, fluent interpreter, and powerful debater on Christian doctrine that he soon earned the nickname, Qwara, the Cushite Christian. At the age of 25 Erasto was assigned to escort a trade and diplomatic mission to the Byzantine Empire by way of Egypt and the Mediterranean. At sea his ship, along with several others, was attacked by Sicilian pirates and many on his ship were killed. Erasto was severely injured in combat and had to return to Egypt, where as a result of his injuries he was retired, but allowed to retain the rank of Commander as a Christian Soldier. While recovering in Egypt he studied with Kopts in Alexandria to become a Christian Cleric and within two years was ordained. After ordination he was returning to Axum but stopped at Karnak where he met Addo and the other members of the Moonshadow.

Guedado - born of an unwed mother, there were strange rumors surrounding the birth of Guedado. It is said that she was raped by a strange man, slim and tall, very muscular who had jet-black skin, white eyes, and strange, straight long hair. Some believe that the father of Guedado was a malevolent ghost. In addition the boy was born with a withered and malformed right hand, which meant that as he grew he had to use his left hand for nearly every action. Because of these bizarre circumstances few people would associate with the child, or even his mother Sali, and so she named the boy Guedado, “Wanted by Nobody.” Like his purported father Guedado’s hair grew straight but it also grew white, only adding to the strangeness of his appearance. His eyes were gray, his skin dark and almost glistening, and he appeared slimmer, taller, and more lean than most of his family and village members. He was also possessed of almost animalistic capabilities of sight and hearing which further alienated most people. Born a Mali in a small village he was never accepted by the other villagers and after the death of his mother he moved to Jenne. Even there however he was considered an outcast and so after spending nearly twelve years in Jenne he wandered away again and settled on the banks of Lake Chad. There an old woman told him that he must travel north and become strong for what he must later do in other parts of the world. The old woman also spent three years instructing Guedado as a Griot and her son taught Guedado to fight with wild, barbaric abandon. After this Guedado went north and eventually reached Libya where by determined and relentless physical training and by constant boxing and wrestling became immensely strong and an excellent combatant, despite his withered hand. After several attempts by Arab slave traders to enslave him Guedado eventually wandered east far enough to reach Karnak, having heard of an African Christian kingdom near Egypt where he would be safe from slavery. While in Karnak and Luxor he visited the legendary Temple of Amon and was immensely impressed by the huge hall, colonnade and hypostyle columns. While standing near the huge Obelisk which still stood guard over the temple, out of impulse Guedado struck the obelisk with his withered hand. He heard a strange, melodic hum and ringing, like a bell striking underwater, which continued to vibrate for several minutes. Few other people seemed to notice the sound but three other people approached the spot and spoke with him, eventually forming the Moonshadow.

Aza Zahra - born deaf and mute Zahra was the child of a Chinese father and an Azani Swahili mother. Unable to speak until she was ten years old because of her inability to hear, Zahra nevertheless was taught to control her voice and to speak by the patient efforts of her mother. In time Zahra learned to speak Chinese, Swahili and Arabic. At fifteen her father sailed back to China with a merchant fleet, promising to return within a year. He never returned. By the age of seventeen Zahra’s mother had died of plague and the same plague nearly killed Zahra as well, who fell ill for over two weeks but managed to live. After fully recovering Zahra was given the nickname Aza, or Powerful, for her ability to survive. Known for her great physical beauty, almond shaped eyes and long straight, jet black hair she was also easy to distinguish as being of mixed heritage so that many people considered her of possible noble birth. In time she went to work for an Arab shipping, mining and merchant concern, inventorying and tracking cargo. Because her father had been Buddhist she was allowed to live as a Buddhist minority and was not forced to work as an Arabic slave. At night and on her free time she began to Vad throughout the port of Mombasa and in other trading or port cities such as Zanizibar, Kilwa, Kismayu and Barawa. Because of the contacts she made in these cities and because of her ability to speak Swahili, Arabic and Chinese she was often employed as a sort of free agent for interpreting and trading affairs in various cities. At the age of twenty Zahra became the lover of a Greek Vigilante named Costos who came to love her very much. At her insistence Costos trained her as a Vigilante (Ranger). Like Zahra’s father, Costos sailed out with a merchant fleet and failed to return. While she waited Zahra learned the art of Nyama from a young female Nyamakalaw immigrant from the West. By twenty three Zahra was fully trained as a Nyama and had given up waiting, and next moved north, hoping to find word of her former lover in one of the other coastal port cities. Unable to gain any information she continued north into Axun territory and encountered Christians. Knowing that Costos had also been a Christian she searched throughout the Axun territories and then discovered information on the Byzantine Empire. Desiring to go there to search for Costos she made her way through Egypt, stopping at Karnak where she heard the ringing of the Obelisk struck by Guedado. Being the first real sound she had ever heard in her life she was confused by what the sound was or where it came from but eventually discovered the obelisk along with two men and a boy who stood nearby. Following their conversation by reading their lips she eventually asked if she could join them when she discovered they intended to head north. They all agreed to travel together as far as they could and noticing that they had talked throughout most of the night so that the obelisk now blocked the light of the late risen full moon, she called the group Oro, or Moonshadow.

 

[Jack7]

IV-E. The Caerkara

When the Eldevens began to realize that monsters were being accidentally created through the use of Elturgy (Arcane Magic) they began to track down and capture many of these monsters and isolate them in various places where they could be studied and hopefully cured. However the alterations caused by exposure to (especially) high level Elturgy seemed irreversible.

Eventually the Eldevens also realized that Elturgy itself seemed to be “mutating” some of their own kind, as well as other creatures, into monsters, or the Caleedam. Many at the Court of Samarkand came to understand that some of these monsters were completely rogue and out of control and could not be held or captured, that once transformed certain monsters would have to be killed due to their new and vicious nature. The Eldevens in Samarkand formed secret teams of “monster hunters” that traveled throughout the Known World (and sometimes to places in their world beyond their explored knowledge) to capture or kill monsters. At the same time the Samareül began a project that lasted for many decades that attempted to “repair” elturgy so that it no longer created monsters. But the deterioration only seemed to increase and worsen and no means was discovered to return Elturgy to a reliably benign state of operation.

Some monster hunter teams soon discovered that monsters were disappearing right before capture. The reason was a mystery until it was discovered that these monsters were fleeing to another world, through means unknown. The Samareül put his best Sages and Elturgists upon the problem and eventually the Drüidect was discovered, which allowed travel between their world and Terra, though the means by which “the Weirding Road” operates is still a mystery.

The Samareül formed a secret and elite team of Monster Hunters to go to Terra and either recover or kill the monsters that had escaped to that world. While there agents of this team met human beings and discovered human ideas about religion as well as information about Miracles (Thaumaturgy). When this team returned home and reported on their findings the Samareül decided that these events were not coincidental at all but fated, and that Thaumaturgy, God, and religion might just be the long sought answer to either repairing or replacing the troubled nature of Elturgy.

Since then the Samareül has been carefully studying humans, their society, religion, thaumaturgy, God, and other related matters. He has sent his elite Expeditionary Team into Terra on numerous occasions. Ostensibly it is the job of this team to hunt down and capture or kill the escaped monsters from their world, but secretly this team also studies humans, religion, thaumaturgy, etc. and gather intelligence to return to the Samareül for further study and research. This secret team or Expeditionary Force is called the Caerkara. Over the course of their expeditions to Terra they have spent much time in the Byzantine Empire (where many of the odd events affecting both worlds, as well as the escaped monsters, seem to tend to congregate) and humans have become aware of their existence, though not their true nature and point of origin. They have also become uneasy allies on occasion with the Basilegate, and as a result of this interaction a relationship has developed between the Court at Constantinople and the Court at Samarkand.

THE CAERKARA
(The Expeditionary Force)​

Dora, also known as Larunfahl - Larunfahl was born the only daughter in a family of six children. At an early age two of her brothers were killed in action overseas in war against Tardeek giants. Another brother was lost in a shipwreck and both her parents and her youngest brother were killed in an earthquake and the resulting fire. Both Larunfahl and her last remaining brother Garaenth were adopted by their uncle Srumairthu and sent to the Capital of Samarkand in Kitharia. At the age of twelve Larunfahl was separated from her brother and apprenticed to the Order of Samarkand Konnachts (Knights) where she so distinguished herself as a tactician that she was eventually promoted to lead a detachment of the Samarlean Guard. At the age of 30 she was awarded full Knighthood and became an attendant in the Court of the Samareül of Samarkand. When it was determined that a group of Eldeven peoples should undertake an expedition to the World of Men to discover more about human beings and their thaumaturgy it was decided that Larunfahl should be military leader of the group expedition which would be known as the Caerkara. Adopting the Greek name and disguise of Dora, Larunfahl agreed to help protect and defend the Caerkara, to help discover all she could about the human world and their thaumaturgy and to help locate and return any monsters which had escaped from Ghantik to the human world.

Lingenus, also known as Tholrom - Abandoned as a child due to his small statue, Tholrom was later discovered on the side of a volcano on the island of Kragelar in the Massunelia chain. Adopted by a mixed group of Jukarn and Tardeems who lived in a commune and who called the island home, Tholrom grew quickly and was well liked. He became renown for his ability with projectile weapons and became an accomplished hunter, especially in jungle terrains. As he grew he took to hunting sharks and with fearless abandon often dove into the shallows in order to attack them with knifes. He therefore earned the nickname Baragu, which means Shark Bane. Considered small for his size, growing to an eventual height of 7’ 3”, Tholrom was nevertheless extremely agile and fast for his size, which only sharpened his hunting and shooting abilities. At the age of 23 he entered and won a local artillery contest and thereafter competed professionally in many matches. At the age of 27, being restless and desiring to see the world, he joined the Traemarian Navy and served three years as shipboard Bhiur (Artillerist) and Master of Naval Arms. In his naval travels around the world Tholrom served with distinction and earned many honors. At the end of his enlistment he decided to settle in Samarkand where he became an advisor to the Kitharian Army on Tactical artillery Tactics. Volunteered for the Caerkaran group by his Army Commanders he was made their artillerist and also a technical advisor on Human military forces. Trained for one year in Latin and Human military operations prior to being accepted into the Caerkara. Adopted the human name Lingenus.

Pumillio, also known as Fhe Fhissegrim - Born blind, Fhe Fhissegrim was the youngest child of a family of six Jukarn brothers. Fhe remained blind for most of his youth, and only learned to speak late, at the age of nine. Feared to be badly malformed and incapable, maybe even the victim of an Elturgic accident, he was hospitalized at age six as a possible Korruhn (one mutated by exposure to Elturgical powers). His parents refused to concede that he might be Korruhn however and his mother and father took turns nearly every day reading to the boy on a wide range of subjects. Possessed of formidable oratorical capabilities, once he actually learned to speak, Fhe could recite whole passages orally from materials his parents had read to him. As far back as the boy could remember however he had suffered from strange dreams in which he would see vivid scenes in how mind, full of ugly, bizarre colors and usually containing some horrific or terrifying omen. Often these dreams came true. Fearing to ever speak of what he could see only in his own mind Fhe would not speak until he grew much older, but even then he withheld his strange visions and dreams from others, even his parents. At the age of sixteen however Fhe was chosen by the ward of the hospital where he lived to undergo an experimental treatment mixing certain Elturgical rituals with newly obtained Thaumaturgical treatments from the human world. The treatment was a partial success, temporarily granting Fhe his sight, but the effects wore off again after about six months. Since then Fhe has had to undergo periodic treatments to restore his sight whenever it wanes. When his treatments are not kept then he once again slips into blindness which is a state immediately followed by new and ever more horrible and prophetic visions and dreams of doom and disaster. These dreams greatly disturb Fhe and he prefers to retain his eyesight at all costs because the same treatments that restore his sight also seem to suppress his visions. After first receiving his sight he went to live on the Isle of Wight with the human immigrants Gawain, Galahad, and Parsifal to try to repay them for their help in assisting with the Thaumaturgical portion of his treatment. Living ten years with the human Knights, in the hermitage as they lived, he gained their respect and a human nickname, Pumilio, the Dwarf. After his return to Kitharia he was asked to accompany the Caerkara as party Vinfarra (Mystic), as an expert in human relations, because of his knowledge of Thaumaturgy, because he had learned Latin so well from the human Knights, and because he is popularly considered a gifted though bizarre psychaec. Taking the human name Pumillio, Fhe actually has reasons of his own for joining the party. He hopes to disprove that Elturgy is a danger to his world or any other, as many Eldevens are coming to believe.

Sueva, also known as Esabel - Esabel was an only child, born in northeastern Avalon, and deeply loved by her family. Considered extremely beautiful and delicate, she also displayed great intelligence and inventiveness at an early age. Often while playing by herself she would invent small devices which would amaze her family and friends. Often also reclusive she spent a great deal of time reading and engaging in solitary athletic training to develop her small frame. Medically inclined she often experimented on small injured or sick animals seeking methods of treating or curing their ailments. As she aged her reputation as a healer of animals grew to the point that she soon discovered she had Eldeven patients seeking her advice and ministrations. Finding that she was often able to treat or heal those for whom all other practices proved useless, she came into high demand as a healer, and became quite wealthy. Encouraged by her peers and former teachers to move to Kitharia she did so after turning thirty years old. After the death of her parents she immigrated eastwards and settled in the Capital. In the Capital she spent part of her fortune in the study of Elturgy, even though she was considered too old to begin training. She astounded most of her teachers by excelling in the arts of Eltrugy in a short period of time and due to her reputation as both a healer and Elturgist was soon approached by the government of Kitharia to become the Nockma (Magi) of the Caerkaran party. Adopting the human name Sueva she agreed to join the party as healer and Nockma.

Helmarcinius, also known as Telanisil Elyu - Telanisil was born the older of two siblings, having only a younger sister to keep him company in his youth. Born in the high mountains of Clariy his family preferred their privacy and he grew up many miles from the nearest neighbor. Farmers and simple trades-folk the family made a modest living farming, raising livestock and bartering with the skills they possessed. Telanisil received no formal education, but he and his sister were schooled by their parents. Once a month the family would descend the mountain and use any surplus monies they had made for the purchase of books and art supplies. A very close knit family, Telanisil was especially attached to his little sister Elyu. Telanisil read as much as he could, spent many free hours roaming the mountainside, became an expert mountaineer and survivalist and drew and sketched everything his eye fell upon. In time he became an incredibly good artist and thanks to his uncanny and incredible memory he was able to reproduce on paper scenes, objects, and events which he had seen weeks or even months before, with such accuracy that his drawings were considered almost Elturgical. As he aged he often camped away from home, spending the night roaming about and sketching animals and the flora of the mountainside. One morning, after spending all night away from home he was returning to his family when he chanced upon a strange figure standing motionless. Even from a distance this figure seemed dangerous and out of place to the young boy so he took a hiding place and briefly sketched the figure as best as he could see it. After a few minutes Telanisil started on his way but the sound of his movements alerted the strange figure, that turned to look, and seeing the boy suddenly bolted away as if frightened. Telanisil then noticed that the figure had been standing above an object on the ground and ran to investigate. He came upon the body of his own sister, brutally raped, mutilated and murdered. In horror he ran home for help but nothing could be done for the girl, she was long dead. After the burial Telanisil received another shock when his parents confessed to him that his father was not his real father, that Telanisil had been born of an affair between an unknown party, whom no one would speak of, and his mother, and that there was a possibility that Telanisil might be Deirae. The next day Telanisil ran away from home, spent three years wandering in Ytlai, and then hearing of a special force of monster hunters in Kitharia moved to Samarkand. At Samarkand Telanisil took the surname of Elyu, his sister’s name, and vowed to retain the name until he found her killer and avenged her death. Joining the Tennants (Peace Agents), the legendary Law Force and Caleedam Hunters he spent ten years traveling the world, often by sea, hunting down criminals and Caleedam who had proven themselves dangerous by attacking or killing others. So good was he at his duties and so single minded in his pursuit of criminals and monsters that his comrades called him Lasu, the Stranger, because he rarely spoke on the hunt, turning all his energies to absolute concentration. In the service of the Tennants he eventually discovered that his sister’s murderer was likely one of the Caleedam Goblins, the most notorious of the Eldevenoid Caleedam criminals. He has never forgotten the face he saw standing above his sister's broken body nor has he ever put aside the sketch he made of his sister’s probable killer. After ten years of service he was promoted to Tennant Ghaner and recalled to Samarkand where he was offered the chance to serve in the Caerkara. Hearing rumors that some of the Goblins may have escaped to the human world he eagerly accepted the assignment, learned Greek, took the Greek name Helmarcinius and joined the party as their chief investigator and monster hunter.



In later entries I will discuss:

The Nature of Miracles and Magic
God and Religion
Basic History
Politics
The Societies
Connections between Our World and the World of Ghantik
Character Professions (“Classes”) and Experimental and Variant Classes
New Spells
The Races
Important Organizations
Terminology
Authentic Weaponry and Armor
Warfare
Guerilla Operations
Monsters and Elturgy
Adventures and Missions
Psychic and Mental Powers
Equipment
Artifacts and Relics
Campaigning
Languages
The Vadders
Special Abilties
Inventing
Travel Between Worlds
Eldeven-Human Interactions, and other such subjects.

I'll continue this outline later in more detail when I can.
Anyone who wishes is certainly free to comment on what I have constructed thus far.