Oramis: The Shattered World - Recently Updated Pages

Humanoids in the Shattered World

WizardofOwls — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 16:32:25 CDT

Half-orcs and half-ogres do not exist in the Shattered World. This is because - in Oramis - humanoids (orcs, kobolds, ogres, goblins and hobgoblins) are not true races... they are people who have been horribly, magically changed and twisted by the evil mages of the enemy into these new forms to serve the Nameless One. A kobold, for instance, is actually a Twyll (Halfling) that has been irrevocably altered. Here is a chart demonstrating which humanoid creatures are created from each race:

Twyll (Halfling) - Kobold
Gnome - Goblin
Dwarf - Hobgoblin
Elf - Orc
Human - Ogre

This change is achieved through the use of a dark spell called Corrupt and its sister spell, Mass Corruption.

Moon Sphere

WizardofOwls — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 16:24:47 CDT

[Note: This sphere was originally designed for use with 2nd edition rules. I hope to update it to 3.5 as soon as I can get a copy of the Spell Compendium.]

MOON SPHERE:

1st Level:
Moonglow
Moonmotes

2nd Level:
Defense Against Lycanthropes
Moon Rune
Moon Shield
Moonfire
Scent of Vengeance

3rd Level:
Detect Lycanthrope
Moon Blade
Protection From Lycanthropes, 10' Radius

4th Level:
Hand of Selene
Moon Rising
Summon Lycanthrope
Summon Moon-horse
Wall of Moonlight

5th Level:
Moon Path
Moonbeam
Moonbow
Mooncloak
Moonfire
Moonweb

6th Level:
Force Werechange
Revenance
Summon Moon Dog

7th Level:
Summon Moonstone Dragon

Moon Domain

Granted Power (Su): You can Turn Lycanthropes as a good cleric Turns Undead. You may do this a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma Modifier.

Moon Domain Spells:

1 Faerie Fire: Outlines the subject with light, canceling blur, concealment, and the like.

2 Moonbeam: Forces Lycanthropes to regain human shape.

3 Moon Blade: Creates sword that does 2d8 damage +1/two caster levels, scrambles magic

4 Fear: Subjects within cone flee for 1 round/level.

5 Moon Path: Creates invisble stair or bridge.

6 Permanent Image: Includes sight, sound and smell.

7 Insanity: Subject suffers continuous confusion.

8 Animal Shapes: One ally/level polymorphs into chosen animal

9 Moonfire: Cone of light damages creatures, reveals hidden things, negates electricity damage.

Selene

WizardofOwls — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 16:19:56 CDT

A NOTE:
Selene was created by me for a previous incarnation of Oramis, one in which the world had NOT been shattered. In order to use her in The Shattered World, she will need some slight modification.

SELENE'S ORIGIN:
Agata (goddess of lies, secrets, and deception) is the wife of Khaine (god of war without purpose, needless bloodshed, mayhem, destruction, and slaughter). Khaine is very busy, and is often away from his wife for long periods of time. During these absences Agata gets bored and lonely, and often seeks out other male companionship. During one such prolonged absence, Agata decided that she wanted to spend some time "getting to know" Elbron (lord of the oceans) a little better. Disguising herself as a beautiful mermaid, Agata visited Elbron in his undersea palace and seduced him. No sooner had they finished when Agata was struck with terrible pains in her abdomen which caused her to drop her disguise. Moments later she gave birth to a full-grown daughter named Selene. Elbron, infamous for his blinding rages, picked up his daughter and hurled her into the night sky before venting his anger at being deceived on Agata.

Selene was devastated. She became withdrawn and began to cry. In her grief she was unable to hear the approach of Qoleth (god of darkness, night, and thieves), who crept up on her and began raping her. Her father Elbron, who had calmed down from his rage, came to see her and apologize and found Qoleth raping her. Once more, a towering rage came over Elbron and he attacked Qoleth, who fled into the night. Afterwards, Elbron comforted Selene and apologized for taking out his anger at Agata on her. During this talk, Elbron discovered that he truly liked his daughter and offered her a place in his underwater kingdom. Selene, touched by her father’s concern and genuine expressions of love, decided that she liked her father as well but declined his offer. She wanted to remain in the sky as a beacon of hope to women in need and to ward off the darkness of Qoleth. Even though Selene declined his offer, he gave her control over the tides as a token of his love for her.

It is said that Selene is still on very good terms with her father Elbron, has made friends with Sehanine Moonbow (the elven moon goddess), that she still loathes Qoleth, and is neutral toward her mother, Agata. It is also said that Selene later got her revenge on Qoleth. Popular Selenite myth says that Selene somehow tricked Qoleth into taking female form. While in this form, Luris (god of lust, depravity, and sex without love) with whom Selene had made a deal, raped Qoleth.

TEMPLES:
Selene's churches serve two purposes. As with other faiths, her temples function as places of worship. These churches, however, also serve a second, more important function: as hostels. Any woman in need may seek sanctuary in one of Selene's churches and receive it for as long as it is needed. Here they will receive room, board, and protection in exchange only for help with the chores, such as cleaning, gardening, and cooking. They may also receive lessons in self-defense if they desire to do so. Some hostels serve as schools, educating women who wish to learn how to read and write as well as teaching other skills. Midwives are available for pregnant women.

THE CLERGY:
Selene's clergy are divided into two distinct groups. The first group is known as the Daughters of the Moon. These are specialty priestesses (See PRIEST ABILITIES) and are considered mission clerics. Their duties include traveling far and wide seeking women in need, rooting out evil lycanthropes, righting wrongs, and - when possible - starting new churches in areas where they are needed. Daughters of the Moon are ALWAYS female though they may be of any allowed race.

The second group is the Sisters (and Brothers) of the Moon. Sisters are clerics as described in the Player's Handbook. Brothers are monks as described in both Faiths and Avatars and Player's Option: Spells and Magic. It is the duty of the Sisters and Brothers to staff and operate the churches started by the Daughters. Sisters and Brothers rarely leave the churches they are assigned to except when they are transferred to a new church or when a Daughter asks for help.

Daughters and Sisters are on equal footing in the hierarchy of the church. Female members of either branch may become Voice of the Lady (the highest office in Selene's church). Brothers, while welcomed into the church with open arms, may never assume the position of Voice.

VOWS AND DUTIES OF THE PRIESTHOOD:
The clergy of Selene have several vows they are expected to keep. Daughters of the Moon must remain chaste to prevent conflicts in priorities. Sisters and Brothers are not expected to keep this vow (though many do). All females (both Daughters and Sisters) may never cut their hair (in reverence to the long silver tresses the Lady is said to possess). No female in need, regardless of alignment, may ever be denied help if it is truly needed (though women of evil alignment will be viewed with suspicion). Selene considers all evil lycanthropes to be abominations who draw upon her power to commit evil acts (though good lycanthropes, such as werebears and wereowls, are accepted). Clergy are expected to deal with these foul creatures, through curing (if possible) or death (if necessary). Please note that while the church is mostly focused toward aiding women they may also help men and children, though men may be charged for services rendered and cannot receive shelter at hostels except in life-and-death circumstances. The church does NOT promote lesbianism (despite persistent rumors to the contrary), though such women are not discriminated against.

HOLY SYMBOL:
Selene's holy symbol is a silver crescent moon. This is not an actual object a priestess can hold in her hand. Before attaining 1st level, all potential priestesses (referred to as "hopefuls") must undergo an induction ceremony. If the goddess approves of a hopeful, a silver crescent moon is divinely implanted on the new Initiate's left cheek. This is a painless process. Because this symbol is divinely affixed, only Selene herself can remove it. A priestess does not have to worry about misplacing or losing it (except through transgressions against the church), but neither can she hide nor disguise it. Daughters, Sisters, and Brothers of the Moon (see THE CLERGY) all receive this mark upon induction into the clergy.

THE BONES:
The Bones are divinatory devices (much like tarot cards or runes) used by Selene's clergy in predicting the future and divining the Lady's wishes through the use of the Soothsaying non-weapon proficiency. The Bones are the bleached bones of an owl (a creature often associated with Selene), hunted and slain by the priestess who is to use them. They must be hand-carved with symbols and runes holy to the Lady, and Blessed by a priestess of at least 8th level under the light of a full moon. They must be treated with the utmost respect by the priestess and never used in jest or abused through overuse. They may only be cast under moonlight or, in emergency situations, under the light of a Moonbeam spell.

RAIMENT:
As mentioned in the CLERICAL REFERENCE CHART (q.v.), the colors black, gray, white and silver are holy to Selene. It is also noted that priestesses are free to wear any head and body raiment they desire. While this statement is true in most circumstances, it changes during rituals. At these times, it is tradition for priestesses to wear robes of a color normally associated with their position (read "level") in the church. For instance, Initiates (priestesses of levels 1-3) normally wear black robes (signifying the Lady’s new moon phase), Priestesses (priestesses of level 4-6) wear gray (signifying the waxing/waning phases), High Priestesses (priestesses of 7th level and above) normally wear white (signifying the full moon), and the Voice of the Lady wears silver (signifying her lofty status). Outside of rituals, priestesses of any level may wear any clothing they desire as long as it is black, gray or white. Silver clothing (not including jewelry and ornamentation) is always reserved for the Voice.

MOON-HORSES:
Despite the connection of moon-horses with elves on some worlds, this link does not exist here. Instead, they are linked to the church of Selene. Some especially favored clergy are said to receive these beautiful animals as permanent mounts and companions as tokens of Selene's appreciation for faithful service. Moon Dogs, Moonstone Dragons, and Moonfish (see MOONFISH) are also said to be bound to the service of Selene.

MOONFISH:
According to Selenite legend, Selene sometimes visits her father in his undersea realm. This is said to be the cause of the moon phases. When Selene is preparing for this aquatic journey or preparing to return from it, the moon is in its waxing/waning phases. While she is gone, a new moon prevails. When Selene returns to her home in the sky it is said that her father, Elbron, misses her intensely, so much so in fact that he created a new species of fish called moonfish. These fish are extraordinary in only one respect: during the full moon, they gather near seashores and "sing." This haunting song is not something one hears with his ears - he hears it with his mind. The telepathically-projected song of the moonfish has no words. It is merely a long series of notes that sound like sad, mournful music. Some people of less-than-noble ethics enjoy capturing moonfish and keeping them in tanks (which is said to incur the wrath of both Selene and Elbron). Still others (most notably humanoids such as orcs and goblins) consider the meat of the moonfish to be a delicacy. Moonfish (both alive and dead) command high prices on the black market. (Interesting Side Note: It is said that pearls - small representations of Selene - were a gift from Selene
to her father to remind him always of her love for him.)

OTHER NOTES: Other animals commonly associated with Selene include owls (common varieties as well as giant owls, talking owls, and wereowls - see below), and wolves (any non-evil variety).
(From FR7 Hall of Heroes, pgs. 36-37: Wereowls: These Neutral Good beings are the first known avian lycanthropes. They transform at night into man-sized great snowy owls. Wereowls, which are highly intelligent, can speak common in this form. They attack with their claws (1d3 each) and beaks (1d2 each). They fly at a rate of 18 and are maneuverability class C. Wereowls are the natural enemies of harpies.)

CLERICAL REFERENCE CHART:
Deity: Selene, the Bright Lady
Mythos: Oramian
Portfolio: The Moon, Just Vengeance, Protector of Women, The Tides
Allies: Elbron (Oceans), Sehanine Moonbow
(Elven moon goddess)
Enemies: Qoleth (Night/thieves)
Holy Symbol: Silver crescent moon
Holy Animals: Wolf, Owl, Moon-horse,
Moon Dog, Moonstone Dragon, Moonfish
Other Holy Items: Silver, Moonstones, Pearls
Head Raiment: Any (Ritual: Headband)
Body Raiment: Any (Ritual: Robes)
Colors: Black, Gray, White, Silver
Holy Days: Full moon, spring/fall equinoxes,
eclipses, particularly high tides
Sacrifice Frequency: Holy days
Sacrifice Form: Burnt stag meat, herbs and incense; music, song, and dance
Places of Worship: Temples, groves, seashore
Tithe Percentage: 10%
Vows: Chastity (Daughters only), never cut hair, aid to women in need

PRIEST ABILITIES: (Similar to Crusader class from Player’s Option: Spells and Magic)
THAC0 as Warrior / May specialize in one weapon
May use any armor / any weapons (scimitar and bow preferred)
Level advancement / saving throws / hit dice as Priest
May choose NWPs from Warrior group at no extra cost
May use Priest or Warrior magic items
Cannot turn undead / Do not receive Warrior’s Str./Con. bonuses
Receive bonus spells for high Wisdom / Bonus NWPs: Religion, Ceremony, Astronomy
Abilities are affected by the phases of the moon as follows:

Moon	Saving	Additional	Effective
Phase:	Throws:	Spells:	Level:
New Moon	-1	None	-1
Waxing	Normal	+1	Even
Full Moon	+1	+2	+1
Waning	Normal	None	Even

(Note: Additional Spells may be of any level the priestess can cast.)
(Note: Effective Level bonuses and penalties apply only to spellcasting. Thus, an 8th level priestesscasting a spell during a full moon would cast the spell as though she were 9th level, while at new moon the same spell would be cast as though the priestess were only 7th level.)

Granted Powers:
At 3rd Level: Detect Lycanthrope 3/day (as Shukenja spell Detect Shapechanger)
At 5th Level: Protection from Lycanthropes 2/day (as Scroll of the same name)
At 7th Level: Force Werechange 1/day (as Shukenja spell Force Shapechange)
At 9th Level: May use a Remove Curse spell to cure lycanthropy (instead of at 12th level as stated in the spell description)

Available Spheres of Access:
May cast spells from the following spheres: (with some changes; see spell list)
Major: All, Charm, Combat, Divination, Guardian, Healing, Moon, Thought
Minor: Elemental (Water), Necromancy, Protection, Travelers

Dubh-dùn

castlewrks — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 21:08:38 CDT

Dubh-dùn (Dark/Black Fortress) is a collection of 16 separate shards that have been welded together by giant chains that are stretched taunt between shards that do not belong together. The join points are bridged by massive bridges that allow the steud-ridir (Black-knights) of the briste-biatach (Broken-raven) clan to roam freely between the shards.

The method of joining the shards of the Dubh-dùn are by the use of huge chains fabricated from base materials readily available from the lower portions of the shards. The chains are composed of links caste as whole components. They measure 10 feet in diameter, 60 feet in length and are 30 feet wide. Each one of these links weigh in excess of 100 tons.

The briste-biatach is the primary clan whose warlord ruling class achieves its supremacy over the shard populations by brutal and unbending dominance. The steud-ridir are the feared army of the clan and are split into two factions that together carry out their objectives. The steud-anail-ridir (Black-Air Knights) are the equivalent to sea marines. Using air ships, they subdue any resistance that may arise from defenders using the same methods. The steud-fonn-ridir (Black-Land Knights) are land based troops that are proficient riders, that quickly ride across the targeted shard’s land areas and subdue the populations there.

Once a shard has been captured and bound to the collective, the shard surface is subdued and its shard-key-holder is sought out and found. Once this individual is under their control, the shard is considered subdued. In some instances, the shard-key-holder is successful in destroying themselves or their key.

Specialty engineers of the briste-biatach carry out the construction of the chains in specially constructed caverns at or below the gravity line of the shard. There are several under construction on the existing shards that are in a variety of stages of preparedness. At the same time, operations are underway on any number of candidate shards to prepare the caverns and engines that will be required to pull up the chains and hook the two shards together.

The casting of each link is a process that entails building a massive packed earth form in the shape of the new link. The link to which it is attached is rotated at 90 degrees and passes through the center of the form and is separated from the new link by a portion of the mould. When the new link has cooled sufficiently, all the packed earth is removed and the new link rotated to allow another link to be set up for pouring.

As the links are created, they are shifted into the weightless void of the ways and are accumulated until they are deployed. Smaller chains are also formed to be used in bridging the gap and pulling the large chains into position. Once the large chains have been pulled into position and the shards have exerted their negative repulsion on the chains to pull them tight, spells are used to imbed their ends in the stone and fabric of the two shards.

In general, if a shard’s owners know that they are drifting too close to the briste-biatach domains, they will do their best to move away as quickly as possible. The present age has had no new additions to the briste-biatach collective in quite some time. A number of shards have the scars of the chain caverns to show that they almost became part of this trap.

The current warlord of the briste-biatach clan is Horgaru Hawknose. He is a burly, gruff man prone to outbursts of anger and violence. The steud-rider are lead by an equally violent man named Jaquar Pieutte. Both have publicly spoken about adding yet another trophy shard to the Dubh-dùn collection. As ruthless as these men are, many do not doubt that they will achieve their goal.

The history of the briste-biatach and the Dubh-dùn is not documented in any publicly available histories or documents. It is sufficient that their efforts began shortly after the shattering and has grown and waned over the years since. The people who inhabit these shards are subdued and have grown accustomed to the iron rule of whoever holds the warlord position. Off the shards, the steud-rider are feared and known for their capture of people who are brought back and become slaves within the confines of the Dubh-dùn.

The briste-féill (Broken-fair) is where warriors are recruited. They are sought from a young age. The people have been conditioned to welcome the annual festival associated with choosing youngsters to join the elite forces. While not a festival that is generally liked by the population, the opportunities that make themselves available during the festival to escape a life of servitude attract many to try.

For Allen's Review

castlewrks — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 21:05:06 CDT

The following pages are for Allen's review.
Dubh-dùn

Banner Version 1: 1024x200 JPEG.

Kite's banner 1:

I made this for the front page:

Kite

Dragons of Oramis

WizardofOwls — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 18:54:36 CDT

The dragons of Oramis are vastly different from those of other worlds. Loners by nature, dragons often have very little to do with others of their own kind, unless they share a common interest. Capricious and eccentric, many of them enjoy meddling in human affairs and (since all Oramian dragons gain the ability to change shape into human form at will in the mature adult stage) often remain in human form for long periods of time.

Dragons may breed in either form but females must lay eggs in draconic form. A week before her due date, a female will seek out a shard root and build a nest there. A dragon female will give birth to a large clutch of eggs which she then abandons. As the young dragons begin to hatch from their eggs, those which are quicker and stronger begin to break the other eggs and eat their siblings. As the survivors grow, they leave the nest and begin to congregate with other immature grays (so-called because their hide has not yet developed a color and appears as a neutral gray) in flocks. Dragon coloration is much like bird or fish coloring, primarily a mating display, though a dragon who has come into its coloring is fully intelligent and self-aware. However some colors - white, blue, gold and silver in particular - are more rare than others and are highly prized and sought after. Flocks of grays are a common sight. At this point they have no more than animal intelligence. Grays also can emit a damaging screech. When they reach adulthood, their hide begins to take on its color, intelligence begins to develop, and they become able to assume human form. Also at this time, the screech ability is lost and a breath weapon develops.

The dragons of Oramis do not follow the same patterns of those of other worlds. Skin color is NOT indicative of alignment or of breath weapon! It is entirely possible to have a chaotic evil gold dragon with a flame breath weapon! Each mature Oramian dragons is unique and, as such, these regal creatures will NEVER be found as random encounters!

When a female human mates with a male dragon, there is a chance that she will become pregnant. If so, the child will be a half-dragon. Half-dragons are live-born, not hatched from eggs.

One of the greatest secrets of Oramis is that dragons are the primary components used in the manufacture of windskiffs and windriggers - magical conveyances which resemble normal boats and ships but have the ability to fly, making travel from shard to shard possible. Dragons are heavily hunted for this purpose, and living specimens can command high profits on the black market. The Ship Builders’ Guild is the group which is responsible for the control and regulation of the creation and sale of windriggers. To achieve this end, it often employs dragon lancers - special windrigger crews who actively hunt down and capture living dragons to sell to the Ship Builders’ Guild. The Guild keeps this information secret in order to maintain a monopoly on inter-shard travel. They don't want others to know. If the means for creating windriggers was common knowledge, then others might try to devise their own ships. Rumor has it, however, that one of the mages who first learned how to create windriggers has gone rogue, and is helping the Sky Pirates of Gao-Den to create an armada of pirate windriggers. Also if it was common knowledge that these ships were living creatures who had been changed and enslaved to be used in this way, there might be a back-lash from some good-aligned factions. The Guild is rumored to be a branch of RASAMA. The Guild is completely neutral, and will sell windriggers to most anyone who has enough money to buy one.

Dragon lancers bring the captured creatures to the Guild's headquarters where mages magically shape the dragon's body into a ship (an extremely painful process), then capture its mind and shape it into a shipstone - a smaller, much less powerful version of a shard-key. It is this object which somehow provides a windrigger with gravity. The shipstone emits a Navigator illusion to which the ship's captain directs his orders. To the uninformed public, navigators appear as strange and mysterious beings who are present on all windriggers. No one seems to know exactly who or what they are. Rumors persist that navigators are diviners, using their magic to know exactly where any given shard is located at any given time. Navigators appear as faceless humanoids wearing midnight-blue hooded robes and have never been known to speak. The navigator, however, is not really there at all: it is merely an illusion projected by the ship itself. Windriggers are actually living sentient beings - young gray dragons - magically shaped by mages to look like ships. Somehow, possibly through a natural homing instinct or a natural magical ability, they are aware at all times of exactly where each shard is at any given moment and whether or not there are any other shards blocking a given route. Navigators recognize the holder of a shipstone as captain and will obey only the holder’s commands. The "navigator” illusion is used simply so that windrigger captains may have somewhere to direct their orders for destinations.

When a captain purchases a windrigger, the shipstone is magically bonded to him. The death of the captain is the only known way to end this bond. If this happens, however, the ship becomes uncontrolled (a mad ship) and often rebels against those creatures which are currently inhabiting its body, intentionally trying to kill those aboard. A mage from the Ship Builders' Guild will be needed to bring the ship back under control and bond it with a new captain. In order to prevent this, a captain may appoint up to two seconds - persons whom the ship recognizes as “next in command” and whose orders the ship will obey in the case of the captain’s death. Sometimes a ship captain will not appoint seconds - a very effective means of discouraging mutiny.

The process that transforms a gray into a windrigger is so horrible that sometimes the gray does not survive the experience. When this happens, the gray’s corpse is used to make a windskiff - a small flying boat designed to accommodate no more than six people. Because it was created from the corpse of a dead dragon, a windskiff has no navigator, and therefore the pilot is on his own when determining direction, routes, etc.

Dragons are aware of all of this. To the human mind, it would seem that mature dragons would be shocked and outraged by all of this, however the opposite is true. Dragons are indifferent to this process. As far as they are concerned, it is just another means of weeding out the weaklings, thus insuring that only the strongest of dragons survive.

World Premise

WizardofOwls — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 22:46:56 CDT

In the mist-shrouded ages of times gone by, Oramis was a much different place. Myths and legends tell us that the world was whole and solid then, a sphere of unimaginable proportions. They say that the world would turn its face away from the sun every day so that a great darkness called “night” would fall, dividing time into alternating days and nights. In this darkness, or so the legends run, one could see lights in the sky - small lights called “stars” as well as a greater light the ancients called the “moon”. The followers of Selene say that this is true and that this moon and their Lady are one and the same. But if that is true, who supplies their powers now that the moon is gone?

They also say that great sections of our world were covered in water. Vast “oceans” of water so great that one could not see the other side, and so deep that one could not see the bottom. Ships plied their trades on the surface of these oceans and great monstrous beasts filled their depths.

Then came the Dragon Lords. From whence did they come? What did they want? What was their purpose? No one seems to know for certain save, perhaps, the elves and dragons - and even they do not have the answers... or so they claim. For ages the Dragon Lords ruled, setting up stone circles and monoliths. Only they knew the purpose for them. Their servants, the elves and dragons, provided the labor, while the native peoples of our world - human, dwarf and twyll - could only watch in awe. Great magical powers the Dragon Lords had, and watching them we learned. We learned about building, about power, and ultimately, about magic. Through their servants, the elves, they began to teach our peoples the ways of magic, and our peoples learned well and true. Many of the people began to worship them, turning their backs on the True Gods. In return the Gods, in their jealousy and rage, turned their backs on us.

If only we had known what was coming....

Everything seemed peaceful according to the stories. Yes, the True Priests and the Followers of the Dragon Lords bickered and fought, but everything else, it seemed, was fine. Then one day the True Priests began to cry, “The end is coming! The Tapestry unravels! Turn away from the false ones and return to the True Faith! Bring their blessings back upon us before it is too late!” But few heeded their warnings.

Then He came. He Who Has No Name. The Incomprehensible One. The Destroyer. The Unraveller. The people cried out to the Dragon Lords to save them, but they could not be found. They and their followers, the Mages, had vanished, deserting the peoples in their time of need. The True Priests gathered their strength and stood up to him, but ultimately it was no use. The Unraveller struck. Without the Gods to protect us the world was shattered like a glass ball into ten thousand pieces.

But the True Priests did not give up. They cried out to the Gods, “Save us!” And thankfully the Gods, in their divine mercy, responded. They drove away the Nameless One, and created a sphere to keep the pieces of our world from drifting away.

Only after the world had shattered and the Nameless One defeated did the mages return saying that they had saved the world for us. The Guild (some of whom were diviners) claimed that it had been able to foresee this disaster months before it actually happened and was prepared. They said that - though unable to completely prevent this event now referred to as the Shattering - they were able at least to save the world from total destruction. After determining how the world would be shattered, the Guild - working feverishly - claimed it had devised magical devices called shard-keys and placed one of them on each piece of land which would someday become a shard. These devices maintain each shard's gravity, atmosphere, climate, and stability. If a shard-key were ever to be removed from the shard it was designed to protect, that shard would lose all of these things and would pose a hazard to other shards as it spun out of control. All of these shards were suspended inside a large envelope of air and set to floating within it in random, ever-shifting patterns.

Millions of people died in the ensuing chaos which followed the Shattering. Common people, blaming the cowardice of the mages for the destruction and death, hunted down and slew many wizards. Much knowledge of magic was lost. Modern mages have yet to duplicate many of the marvels that have been accredited to those ancient wizards - including the magic which created shard-keys!

For centuries mundanes - those who don't practice magic - persecuted those who do, blaming them for the catastrophe that was the Shattering, despite the fact that they were instrumental in saving the world from total destruction - or so they claim. However times and people change. As society began to rebound, people became more and more dependent on those who use magic for trade. There is now a grudging acceptance of mages in most places. However there are a few shards - even today - that still stubbornly cling to the old beliefs, that remain suspicious of those who use magic and continue to support the witch hunters who help to "rid the world of those dangerous people."

RASAMA (the Royal Academy for the Study and Advancement of the Mystic Arts - also known as the Mages' Guild) was originally conceived as a means of controlling and monitoring mages in light of the general public's distrust of them. All mages were required to register with the Guild, and those who did not were shunned and hunted down by witch hunters - betrayed to them by their own brother mages. Today the registration of mages with the Guild continues, despite the general shift in attitudes and the changing views of most people. In many places a mage will not be hired for work unless he is a registered Guild member, and since the Guild still brands those who practice forbidden schools as rogue mages, often those who are not registered will be viewed with even greater suspicion.

Undaunted by the prejudice and persecution they have been the victims of in the past, however, mages have continued to be of great service to man - their greatest accomplishment being the creation of windriggers, flying ships which provide transportation from shard to shard.

A Lexicon of Common Oramian Terms and Phrases

WizardofOwls — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 05:44:21 CDT

A.S.: After the Shattering (used in dates). (See also: Shattering, The)

Achoite: A spice made from the the seeds of the Achoite cactus, which is found only on the shard Oriolis. It's incredibly expensive to obtain and is very popular among rich Oramians. (See: The Gazetteer of Shards: Oriolis)

Airship: See Windrigger.

Alliance, The: See Kusaran Alliance.

Ancients, The: The pre-Shattering peoples of Oramis. (See also: Oramis; Shattering, The)

B.S.: Before the Shattering (used in dates). (See also: Shattering, The)

Cabal, The: A group of rogue wizards who study the art of necromancy. They have banded together for the sole purpose of self-preservation, and are believed to have a covert shard base hidden somewhere. The name of this shard and its location are kept secret by members of the Cabal. They believe that the Restoration is a hopeless goal, a fool's errand, and are more interested in their own studies and goals - primarily the destruction of RASAMA. (See also: RASAMA; Restoration, The; Rogue Wizard; Shard)

Circle, The: A group of rogue wizards (mostly demonists, diabolists, wild mages, and necromancers) who believe in the goals of RASAMA, but believe that the solution to the problem of the Restoration lies within the forbidden schools of magic (since the Guild has obviously had no luck using the more widely accepted schools). This group desires a shard-key to study in order to unlock its secrets in the hope of achieving this goal, and will pay HANDSOMELY to get their hands on one. (See also: Demonist; Diabolist; RASAMA; Restoration, The; Rogue Wizard; Shard-Key; Wizards' Guild)

Compass: A portable magical device which can be used to locate nearly any given shard from anywhere in the world. They are very expensive. (See also: Shard)

Darkfall: Oramian term for the brief periods of twilight-like semi-darkness resulting from one shard passing between another shard and the sun, temporarily casting its shadow on the other shard. Darkfall may also occur when an individual shard’s rotation causes it to briefly turn away from the sun. Darkfall can last anywhere from a few minutes to several days, depending on many factors. At least one shard, the shard called Dark Haven, is known to remain in darkness all of the time because it is somehow linked to another, larger shard, which always blocks it from receiving sunlight. (See The Gazetteer of Shards: Dark Haven. See also: Shard)

Death Vision: When an elf dies, any elf who has shared communion with him will receive a death vision. That is, when dying an elf can by some means project his or her final thoughts unto another elf. It is a traumatic blow unto the recipient, for elves are immortal, and for one to die means that a virtually unthinkable event has occurred to a loved one. A death vision is the final message of the dying elf, and it often contains visions as well as the elf's last words. (See: Races of Oramis: Elves and Half-Elves)

Demonist: A type of Thaumaturgist who specializes in the summoning of demons. Demon conjuring is considered a forbidden art, and all such conjurers are considered rogue wizards. (See also: Rogue Wizard)

Destroyer, The: See Unraveller, The.

Diabolist: A type of Thaumaturgist who specializes in the summoning of devils. Devil conjuring is considered a forbidden art, and all such conjurers are considered rogue wizards. (See also: Rogue Wizard)

Dragon: Dragons of the Shattered World are vastly different from those of other worlds. Dragon females give birth to large clutches of eggs which the mother then abandons. As the young dragons begin to hatch from their eggs, those which are quicker and stronger begin to break the other eggs and eat their siblings. As the survivors grow, they leave the nest and begin to congregate with other immature grays in flocks. At this stage, grays have a sonic blast ability which can be quite destructive. Flocks of grays (so-called because their hide has not yet developed a color and appears as a neutral gray) are a common sight. At this point they have no more than animal intelligence. When they reach adulthood, their hide begins to take on its color, intelligence begins to develop, and the sonic ability is replaced with a breath weapon. At the mature adult stage all Oramian dragons gain the ability to polymorph self into humanoid form at will. The dragons of Oramis do not follow the same patterns of those of other worlds. Skin color is NOT indicative of alignment or of breath weapon! It is entirely possible to have a chaotic evil gold dragon with a flame breath weapon! Each mature Oramian dragons is unique and, as such, these regal creatures will NEVER be found as random encounters! (DM'S NOTE: The following information is NOT considered general knowledge, and as such it should not be made available to the players unless and until they discover it on their own. In the Shattered World, dragons are the primary components used in the manufacture of windskiffs and windriggers. Thus dragons are heavily hunted and can bring high profits on the black market.) (See Dragons of Oramis. See also: Windrigger; Windskiff)

Dragon Lancers: Windrigger crews who actively hunt dragons to sell to the Ship Builders’ Guild. It is unknown what purpose these creatures are used to accomplish. (See also: Dragon; Ship Builders’ Guild; Windrigger)

Dragon Lords: An ancient, powerful, and mysterious race that has now vanished from the world. Ruins of Dragon Lord cities as well as monoliths and stone circles which they erected have been found on several shards. The Dragon Lords were not native to Oramis, though where they came from and where they have now gone is not known. This is a topic of much discussion and debate amongst Oramian sages, mages, and scholars. Also of particular interest to scholars is the fact that the Dragon Lords were last seen only a month prior to the arrival of the Unraveller, the evil being who sparked the Shattering. Another topic for much debate is whether or not the Dragon Lords will ever return to Oramis. Elves and dragons were introduced to Oramis by these beings. (See Races of Oramis: Elves and Half-Elves. See Dragons of Oramis. See also: Oramis; Shard; Shattering, The; Unraveller, The)

Dragoneers: Special windrigger crew members who specialize in protecting windriggers from dragon attacks. They often use special harpoons and lances especially enchanted for this purpose. Unlike Dragon Lancers, Dragoneers are only concerned with the protection of the windrigger they are currently working on, not with the capturing of dragons. (See Dragons of Oramis. See also: Dragon Lancers; Windrigger)

Dwarven Breeding Experiments: As a result of the Dwarven Plague which ran through the dwarven clans in the year 497 A.S, dwarves were in danger of dying out as a race. In an attempt to undo the damage done by the plague, the dwarves began experimenting with the possibility of cross-breeding with the other species of Oramis. The experiments, which officially began in the year 512 A.S., had mixed results. (See Races of Oramis: Dwarves. See also: Dwarven Plague; Oramis)

Dwarven Dirigible: Along with the Gnomish Clockwork Ships, Dwarven Dirigibles are one of the greatest challengers to the windriger for superiority of the Wind Ways. Utilizing a system of hot air and dwarf-driven propellers, these ships are a wonder to behold. (See also: Gnomish Clockwork Ship; Wind Ways; Windrigger)

Dwarven Plague: A devastating plague that ran through the dwarven clans in the year 497 A.S. Unfortunately the disease proved fatal. Even worse, it only affected dwarven females. As a result, today only 1/4 of all dwarves are female. (See Races of Oramis: Dwarves)

Edge Monster: Oramian myth. Mothers on many shards threaten their children with this creature in order to frighten them into staying away from the shard-edge. For example, a commonly overheard saying is: "If you stray to close to the edge, the edge monster will get you!" While the creature does not actually exist, the legend does serve as a useful means of deterring children from straying to close to the shard-edge from whence one could easily fall off the shard to be lost in the Wind Ways.(See also: Shard; Shard-edge; Wind Ways)

Fey: There are no drow in the Shattered World, only the fey - elves every bit as evil as the drow, but not restricted to darkness. The fey have powerful necromancers, and seek to conquer the world. Fey elves do not have the black skin and white hair common among the drow of other worlds. A fey is indistinguishable from other elves - at least by non-elven eyes. An elf can easily spot a fey. Despite the obvious fact that the fey are brothers of the elves, elves will not tolerate anyone of any race remarking on the fact. Elves become angry, even violent, if the relationship is mentioned, even in a casual way. The fey are not ever discussed amongst the elves themselves. (See: Races of Oramis: Elves and Half-Elves)

Followers of the Way: A militant organization composed of extremist Lawful members who are fanatically driven to further their own alignment. They use inquisition-like tactics to find and convert those who are not Lawful to their own system of beliefs. It is rumored that the radical group called the Witch Hunters is in some way connected to this organization, since the Followers condemn mages and all things magical in nature. Based on the shard called Altwaal. (See: The Gazetteer of Shards: Altwaal. See also: Shard; Witch Hunters)

Fragments: There are seven of these shards which are actually almost large enough to be called continents. One of these is even large enough to enclose a large inland sea. (See also: Shard)

Globe: A difficult puzzle/game popular with Oramian children. A three-dimensional glass ball which, when disassembled, becomes miniature models of all of the shards. Curiously, when the ball is reassembled, it is hollow. Magical versions of this game have been created which can be used as oracular devices. To use one the holder simply drops the solid ball on a semi-hard surface. The pattern the pieces land in is said to be able to predict future events. However, with ten thousand pieces, the possible permutations are endless. It is nearly impossible to use an oracular globe without first consulting a Pattern Book. (See also: Pattern Book; Shard)

Gnomish Clockwork Ships: Along with the Dwarven Dirigibles, Gnomish Clockwork Ships are one of the greatest challengers to the windrigger for superiority of the Wind Ways. These massive ships use clockwork mechanisms to provide thrust, enabling them to traverse the 'Ways. They have no gravity, however, so the gnomes have invented special boots which prevent the wearer from being lost. (See also: Dwarven Dirigible; Wind Ways, The; Windrigger)

Gnomish Migration: Gnomes were born as a result of the Dwarven Breeding Experiments. A result of dwarven/elven cross-breeding, the first gnomes were raised among the dwarven clans. However being that gnomes are hyper-fertile, they soon began to overrun the dwarven holds. In the year 710 A.S. the gnomes, with the help of the dwarves, left in search of an uninhabited shard to call their own. This new shard was called Shinnsa by the gnomes. (See: The Gazetteer of Shards: Shinnsa. See: Races of Oramis: Dwarves, Gnomes. See also: Dwarven Breeding Experiments; Shard)

Governor: See Shard Lord.

Gray: A young dragon. (See: Dragons of Oramis)

Guild, The: See Wizards’ Guild.

Guild Mages: The general public is fearful of mages. As a result, the Wizards’ Guild has had to become an underground organization. Even so, the Wizards’ Guild is a powerful organization. One of the main purposes of the Guild is to seek out new mages and try to convince them to join the Guild. There are two main reasons for this. First and foremost, it allows the Guild to keep tabs on all Guild mages. If these mages do anything to jeopardize the Guild or any of its members or goals (by the open use of magic, following forbidden schools of magic, etc.), they may be dealt with by the Guild. Second, in return for joining the Guild, a mage gets certain benefits. He has a place to go to get supplies and training if they become needed. He may recruit other mages to help in an adventure or other endeavor. He is welcome to use the Guild’s laboratories and libraries to further his own studies (as long as these do not interfere with the Guild’s objectives). One of the conditions of joining the Wizards' Guild is that the mage must agree under a binding oath that he will not create any new spells or magic items without the expressed approval of the Guild. Also, any magic items found by the mage must be viewed and approved by the Guild before they may become anyone's personal property (thus the Guild may weed out any items deemed too powerful or dangerous for use). Any mage who refuses to join the Guild is branded a rogue wizard, and is actively hunted by Guild mages. The term "The Wizards’ Guild" is somewhat misleading. It is actually just another name for RASAMA. It is rumored that the Guild will sometimes sell information pertaining to particularly dangerous wizards to the Witch Hunters. (See also: RASAMA; Rogue Wizard; Shattering, The; Witch Hunters; Wizards’ Guild)

Half Blood: A common term referring to a half-dwarf. (See: Races of Oramis: Dwarves)

Halfling: A name which refers to anyone of the Twyll race. Twyll find this term to be highly degrading and insulting, and take great offense at its usage. (See: Races of Oramis: Twyll)

He Who Has No Name: See Unraveller, The.

High Magus: The leader of RASAMA. The current High Magus is a female human named Salandra Norfressa. (See: Who’s Who in the Shattered World: Salandra Norfressa. See also: RASAMA)

Holy Order of the Skywyrm Riders: An order of paladins who are dedicated to the protection of the mages of RASAMA. These men and women believe in the possibility of the Restoration and have dedicated their lives to ensuring that the mages have the opportunity to continue work that the Order believes is vital to the survival of Oramis. Each Skywyrm Rider is chosen at dedication by a dragon and spends all of his or her training time with that wyrm. By the time the Rider is ready to join the Order, the two have developed a telepathic bond. The greatest threats facing RASAMA today include (but are not limited to): The Cabal, The Followers of the Way, The Circle, the Sky-Pirates of Gao-Den, and the Witch-Hunters. (See: Dragons of Oramis. See also: Cabal, The; Followers of the Way; Circle, The; Oramis; RASAMA; Restoration, The; Sky-Pirates of Gao-Den; Skywyrm; Witch-Hunters)

Incomprehensible One, The: See Unraveller, The.

Key: See Shard-Key.

Key-Holder: See Shard Lord.

Keystone: See Shard-Key.

Kusaran Alliance: An alliance of four shards: Kusara, Carbuncle, Sheranda, and Tartassos. Guild mages from RASAMA have found a way to magically bind these four shards together so that they are always near each other. The four shards that make up the alliance are probably the most accepting of mages of all of the shards. (See: The Gazetteer of Shards: Carbuncle, Kusara, Sheranda, Tartassos. See also: Guild Mages; RASAMA; Shard)

Library at Tartassos, The: The legendary Library at Tartassos is a mysterious place. It is large beyond belief and so old that it is believed to predate even the Dragon Lords. (See: The Gazetteer of Shards: Tartassos. See also: Dragon Lords)

Lost Ones: See Wind Wraith.

Mad Ship: A windrigger whose captain has died without appointing a second. When a captain purchases a windrigger, the shipstone is magically bonded to him. The death of the captain is the only known way to end this bond. If this happens, however, and the captain has not appointed a second for any reason, the ship becomes uncontrolled (a mad ship) and often rebels against those creatures which are currently inhabiting its body, intentionally trying to kill those aboard. A mage from the Ship Builders' Guild will be needed to bring the ship back under control and bond it with a new captain. (See also: Second; Ship Builders' Guild; Shipstone; Windrigger)

Mageslayers: See Witch Hunters.

Masladh: A dwarven term term implying shaming and disgrace that is often associated with traitors. A male dwarf who kills another dwarf without just cause is branded masladh. Such criminals can be slain on sight by any dwarf. Female dwarves branded masladh are not slain, but are shunned and treated as prisoners. (See: Races of Oramis: Dwarves)

Moon: Before the Shattering, Oramis - like many other worlds - had a moon called Selene. It is theorized that when the world "exploded," the sudden loss of gravity and the force of the explosion hurled it into space, leaving Oramis moonless. If this is true, then it becomes difficult to explain why the priestesses of Selene still revere the moon and - mysteriously - still retain their spell-casting ability and other granted powers! Some sages have theorized that this can be explained in one of two ways. First, perhaps some other power has adopted the moon’s portfolio and has "adopted" the priesthood as its own under the guise of Selene. Second, perhaps the moon was not lost at all, it just isn’t visible now because of the fact that there is no longer a true night. (See Deities and Myths of Oramis: Selene. See also: Oramis; Shattering, The)

Mundane: Wizard slang for anyone who is unable to harness the power of magic.

Nameless One, The: See Unraveller, The.

Navigator: Navigators are strange and mysterious beings who are present on all windriggers. No one seems to know exactly who or what they are. It has been rumored that navigators are diviners, using their magic to know exactly where any given shard is located at any given time. Navigators appear as faceless humanoids wearing midnight-blue hooded robes and have never been known to speak. (DM'S NOTE: The following information is NOT considered general knowledge, and as such it should not be made available to the players unless and until they discover it on their own. Navigators do not really exist. They are merely illusions projected by the ships themselves. Unknown to the general public, windriggers are actually living sentient beings - young gray dragons - magically shaped by mages into the forms of ships. Somehow, possibly through a natural homing instinct or a natural magical ability, they are aware at all times of exactly where each shard is at any given moment and whether or not there are any other shards blocking a given route. The "navigator" illusion is used simply so that windrigger captains may have somewhere to direct their orders for destinations. Please note that a ship's navigator can only help with direction. It is up to the captain and crew to operate the sails.) (See also: Dragon; Shard; Windrigger)

Night: A pre-Shattering myth. Supposedly when the world was solid, it would undergo periods of complete darkness, resulting from the world turning away from the sun. Sages say that such a thing is possible, but it is difficult for most Oramians to imagine such a concept. (See also: Shattering, The)

Ocean: A pre-Shattering myth. According to legends, much of the world was once covered with great bodies of water which were only separated by areas of land. These bodies of water were referred to as oceans. Supposedly, the bodies were so large that one could travel for days, even weeks before encountering dry land. (See also: Shattering, The)

Oramis: Setting for the Shattered World campaign. Once a solid world, Oramis was blown apart as the result of an attack from a previously unknown, ultra-powerful being known as the Unraveller. Due to divine interference, as well as a great deal of foresight and Foresight by diviners of the Wizards’ Guild, Oramis was saved but forever changed. Today, Oramis is composed of ten thousand floating islands (called shards) suspended within an envelope of air, called the Sky Sphere, which revolves around the Oramian sun in approximately the same position formerly occupied by the pre-Shattering world. True night is now unknown in the shards, though some shards experience brief twilight-like hours of semi-darkness (known as darkfall). Unfortunately, the moon is believed to have been blown from its orbit and is now nothing more than a fondly-remembered legend. (See also: Darkfall; Moon; Shard; Shattering, The; Sky Sphere, The; Unraveller, The; Wizards' Guild)

Ostoria: Lost capitol city of the dwarves. Before the Shattering, Ostoria was the greatest of the underground dwarven cities, well-known for its beauty and finery. When the Shattering occurred Ostoria was ripped apart. With their caverns and tunnels collapsing all around them, the dwarves were forced to retreat to the surface. Dwarves have been searching for Ostoria since the Shattering, but its current location has not yet been discovered. (See: Races of Oramis: Dwarves. See also: Shattering, The)

Pattern Book: Used in combination with a globe to predict the future. (See also: Globe)

Proxy: A person who temporarily fills the role of Shard Lord should a Shard Lord ever need to leave his shard. Without appointing a proxy, a Shard Lord cannot leave his shard. Both Shard Lord and Shard-Key must approve of a proxy before he can receive charge of its care. (See also: Shard ; Shard-Key; Shard Lord)

RASAMA: An acronym which stands for The Royal Academy for the Study and Advancement of the Mystical Arts. This is the formal name of the Wizards’ Guild. The Guild formally and openly receives the endorsement of the shards comprising the Kusaran Alliance, since its main goal is the Restoration of the world to its former solid shape. Branches of RASAMA, also known less commonly as the Wizards’ Guild, are known (at least to mages) to exist on many shards, however most -except for the University on Tartassos - exist in secret owing to the paranoia most mundanes feel toward mages. (See: The Gazetteer of Shards: Tartassos. See also: Kusaran Alliance; Mundane; Restoration, The; Shard; University on Tartassos; Wizards’ Guild)

Restoration, The: The name applied by Guild Mages to the major goal of RASAMA - the restoration of Oramis into a solid whole. (See also: Guild Mages; Oramis; RASAMA)

Rogue Wizard: A wizard who has refused to join the Wizards’ Guild. Such mages are hunted by Guild mages. It is rumored that the Wizards’ Guild sometimes sells information concerning known rogue wizards to the radical organization known as the Witch Hunters. Certain types of magic are also forbidden and those who practice them are automatically considered rogue mages. The forbidden types of mage are: Necromancers, Wild Mages, Demonists and Diabolists. (See also: Demonist; Diabolist; Guild Mages; Witch Hunters; Wizards’ Guild)

Seas: The seas of Oramis have changed, as has the rest of the world. When the Shattering occurred, seas and lakes which were not land-bound flooded off the shards into the Wind Ways. Today, the seas (and there are seven of these) resemble large, free-floating, amorphous globs of fluid. There are also several fresh water "lakes." Some aquatic life still remains in the seas of Oramis, supported at its most basic level by plankton. Seas appear bluish-green from a distance, while lakes are blue. (See also: Oramis; Shattering, The; Wind Ways, The)

Second: A navigator will only obey the commands of a windrigger's captain. However there may be times when the captain needs to be off-ship or becomes incapacitated by some mishap (including death) and is unable to issue commands. For this reason, a windrigger captain may appoint up to two seconds - persons whom the ship recognizes as “next in command” and whose orders the ship will obey. A captain's bond with his ship can only be permanently severed by the captain's death, so once he is able to resume command, the ship will cease to respond to the second. Sometimes a ship captain will not appoint seconds - a very effective means of discouraging mutiny since without a Second, an uncaptained ship will go mad and attempt to kill all aboard. (See also: Mad Ship; Navigator; Windrigger)

Selene: See Moon.

Shard: Any of the ten thousand floating remnants of what was once the world of Oramis, resembling free-floating islands. They are composed of three parts: topside, shard-edge, and shard-root. A shard’s stability, atmosphere, climate, weather, and gravity are all maintained by magical devices known as shard-keys - the existence of which is a closely kept secret. Windriggers must approach a shard at the shard-edge. Otherwise, the shard’s gravity could possibly pull them down and result in shipwrecks. Due to the lack of a large, solid world to block the sun’s rays, there is no true night on Oramis. Most shards will occasionally experience temporary periods of twilight-like darkness (called "darkfall") as another shard’s path prevents it from receiving the sun’s rays, or, if the shard rotates, it may turn "upside-down" away from the sun. Otherwise, the shard-world is stuck in a perpetual state of never-ending day. Obviously telling time is much more difficult here than on other worlds. Luckily, all of the inhabitants of the world of shards have developed strong internal clocks which lets everyone know when it is time to sleep. How this works is unknown, but it may be a side-effect of the same magic which provides each shard with its gravity and atmosphere. Magic varies from shard to shard. Some shards have normal magic, some have wild magic areas, and still others have dead magic areas, all of which are residual effects from the unleashing of the powerful magicks which caused the Shattering. Pre-Shattering national borders have - for the most part - been forgotten, and are treated as little more than footnotes in the history of the world. After 1,000 years, such things seem really unimportant to Oramians. The people living on a shard cannot remember a time when they were ever a part of another nation. All that they are aware of is their current situation, and generally regard the edges of their shard as being the borders of their nation. (See also: Darkfall; Night; Oramis, Shard-Edge; Shard-Key; Shard-Root; Topside; Windrigger)

Shard-Edge: The rim of a shard; the point from which - if one continues walking - one will fall off the shard into the Wind Ways. (See also: Shard; Wind Ways, The)

Shard-Key: Magical devices which exist on each and every shard. These devices maintain a shard’s gravity, climate, atmosphere, weather and stability. If a key is ever destroyed or removed from the shard it was designed to maintain, the shard will become unstable and could pose a threat to other shards as it becomes uncontrolled and uncontrollable. No two shards’ keys are exactly alike, their forms being disguised so that you would not know what you were looking at even if you saw one. On shards which have ruling families, it is usual that this family will have the shard-key under its protection, since the possession of a key would basically give the holder complete control over the shard and its inhabitants. (An old Oramian proverb says, "He who holds the ability to destroy a thing controls a thing.") In the hands of a tyrant or other person with less than pure motives, the possession of a shard-key would be equivalent to holding the entire shard - and everyone on it - hostage, since simply by breaking it he would be sentencing everyone and everything on the shard to death. Also known as "keystones," or simply as "keys." (DM'S NOTE: The following information is NOT considered general knowledge and as such should not be made available to the players unless and until they discover it on their own. Shard-keys are actually sentient, intelligent artifacts that bond with their owners. They will not bond with anyone of chaotic or evil alignment. If such a person gains possession of a shard-key, the key will attempt to take over the mind of its new owner. If this fails, it will attempt to change the person’s alignment to something more fitting. It is up to the DM to decide what powers each individual key possesses, but each should have powers designed to prevent them from falling into the hands of the wrong person, as well as defensive powers in case they do. As a sentient artifact, a shard-key's sole purpose is to maintain a shard as closely as possible to it's pre-Shattering state. It can cast certain spells as needed to insure the preservation of the shard, such as Control Weather to summon rain if needed. A shard-key can operate independently of its owner to ensure a shard's safety) (See also: Shard)

Shard Lord: The holder of a shard-key. The Shard Lord, quite often, is the ruler of a shard. Shard Lords are immune to spells which affect the shard for which they hold the key, (Hide Shard, Obscure Shard and Close Borders), and can break these spells as well as shard-affecting spells (such as Bind Shards and Move Shard) if they did not cast them. Typically, a Shard Lord cannot leave his shard. However should the need to leave ever arise, he may appoint a proxy who will serve as temporary Shard Lord in his absence, and will assume the role of Shard Lord should something happen to him while he is gone. A proxy must be approved by both the Shard Lord and the Shard Key. Sometimes referred to as a Key-Holder or Governor. (See also: Proxy; Shard; Shard-key)

Shard-Root: The underside of a shard which hangs down much like the root of a tooth. Shard-roots are popular nesting spots for dragons. (See: Dragons of Oramis. See also: Dragon; Shard)

Shattered World, The: See Oramis.

Shattering, The: The event which shattered the world of Oramis into ten thousand pieces called shards. (See also: Oramis; Shard)

Ship Builders’ Guild: The group which is now responsible for the creation and sale of windriggers. This Guild is rumored to be a branch of RASAMA. The Guild is completely neutral, and will sell windriggers to most anyone who has enough money to buy one. (See also: RASAMA; Windrigger)

Shipkey: See Shipstone.

Shipstone: A shipstone is a smaller, much less powerful version of a shard-key. It is this object which provides a windrigger with gravity. Navigators recognize the holder of a shipstone as captain and will obey only the holder's commands. Also called "shipkeys." (See also: Navigator; Shard-Key; Windrigger)

Siesta: See Slumber.

Sky Merchants' Guild: Guild of merchants responsible for most inter-shard commerce. (See also: Shard)

Sky-Pirates of Gao-Den: Plague of the Wind Ways, they are known to harry caravans of the Sky Merchant’s Guild. It is believed that one of the Guild mages who first learned how to create windriggers has gone rogue, and is now helping the sky-pirates to create an armada of pirate windriggers. (See: The Gazetteer of Shards: Gao-Den. See also: Guild Mages; Rogue Mage; Sky Merchants’ Guild; Wind Ways, The; Windrigger)

Sky Sphere: The large air envelope which the True Gods erected to surround the Shattered World and keep its atmosphere intact. Shards cannot run into or pass through the sky sphere, as the sphere gently repels errant shards, nudging them away from its borders. The sky sphere is not clear, it is opaque. (See also: Shard)

Skyship: Alternate name for a windrigger. (See also: Windrigger)

Skywyrm: Oramian term for a dragon. (See also: Dragon)

Slumber: Oramian term for the periods in which the peoples of Oramis simultaneously begin to feel the need to rest. Slumber is universally agreed upon as the dividing period between Oramian days. The slumber period lasts eight hours of each 24 hour day, and is regulated by the shard-keys. Sometimes referred to as siesta. (See also: Oramis; Shard-Key)

Stars: A pre-Shattering myth. Supposedly, when the world was still sold, the sky would periodically go completely dark, a condition the ancients referred to as night. During these periods of night, it is said that one could see small sparkling objects in the sky which were referred to as stars. (See also: Ancients; Night; Shattering, The)

Three, The: According to Oramian myth, the Three are the goddesses who are believed to have been responsible for the creation of the the world. They are also believed to have been the Creators of the gods. (See: Deities and Myths of Oramis: Creation; Three, The)

Topside: The upper portion of a shard. (See also: Shard)

True Blood: A common term referring to a dwarf with no human blood in his ancestry. (See: Races of Oramis: Dwarves)

University on Tartassos: Home of RASAMA. (See: The Gazetteer of Shards: Tartassos. See also: RASAMA)

Unraveller, The: According to Oramian history, the Unraveller was an ultra-powerful being whose attack on the world of Oramis ultimately resulted in the devastating event referred to today as the Shattering. According to Oramian myth, this being was a deity of equal status to the Three. Whether or not he was actually destroyed is a topic of much debate amongst theological scholars, as is the possibility of his return. Sometimes referred to by other names, such as He Who Has No Name, The Nameless One, The Incomprehensible One, and The Destroyer. (See: Deities and Myths of Oramis: Creation; Three, The)

Voice: See Voice of the Lady.

Voice of the Lady: Leader of the Church of Selene. Sometimes referred to simply as Voice. The current Voice is Serena Tarsellis. (See Who's Who in the Shattered World: Serena Tarsellis. See also Deities and Myths of Oramis: Selene)

Ways, The: See Wind Ways, The.

Wind Ways, The: The space that exists between the shards. A chaotic, wind-filled area dominated by strong air currents and buffeting winds. Sometimes referred to as simply as "the ‘Ways." There is no gravity in the ‘Ways, so anything which falls into the ‘Ways without some means of self-propulsion will be buffeted haphazardly by the winds. It is nearly impossible to determine time and direction in the ‘Ways unaided. (See also: Shard)

Wind Wraith: It IS possible to fall off the edge of a shard. Doing this is a terrible way to die. Unless one is rescued by a windrigger or other benevolent inhabitant of the Wind Ways, crash-lands on a shard, is devoured by dragons, or meets his demise in some other way, one drifts aimlessly about the ‘Ways with no control over direction or speed. One simply floats about until one dies of thirst or starvation. Many of those who die in this fashion become Wind Wraiths. These horrid undead creatures have no fear of the sun. Being formless entities like ghosts or common wraiths, they are immaterial, and can pass through the walls of a windrigger. They are most often identified by their terrible moaning which is often mistaken for the sound of the wind blowing. Sometimes called "Lost Ones." (See also: Dragon; Shard; Wind Ways, The; Windrigger)

Windrigger: Magical conveyances which resemble normal ships but have the ability to fly, allowing travel from shard to shard. Most windriggers may also land on water. All windriggers have a mysterious figure known simply as the Navigator on-board. Creation and sale of windriggers are controlled and regulated by the Ship Builders’ Guild. Rumor has it, however, that one of the mages who first learned how to create windriggers has gone rogue, and is helping the Sky Pirates of Gao-Den to create an armada of pirate windriggers. (DM'S NOTE: The following information is NOT considered general knowledge and as such should not be made available to the players unless and until they discover it on their own. Windriggers are magically constructed from the living bodies of young dragons called Grays.) (See Dragons of Oramis. See also: Dragon; Navigator; Rogue Wizard; Shard; Ship Builders’ Guild; Shipstone; Sky Pirates of Gao-Den; Wind Ways, The)

Windsailor: Sailors who are trained in the operation of windriggers.(See also: Windrigger)

Windship: See Windrigger.

Windskiff: A windskiff is a small flying boat designed to accommodate no more than six people. Unlike windriggers, a windskiff is a man-made vessel. Because of this, it has no navigator, and therefore the pilot is on his own when determining direction, routes, etc. A compass is a necessity. (See also: Compass; Navigator; Windrigger)

Windtamer: Windtamers are a special type of mage which can often be found on Windriggers. They have focused their abilities into harnessing and taming the Wind Ways, making travel therein much easier. (See also: Wind Ways; Windrigger)

Witch Hunters: Because of the suspicion with which the general public views wizards, Witch Hunters have become very popular. These men and women seek out and slay known mages, even Guild mages if they can do so without getting caught. Witch Hunters have an innate magic sense which they use to track down and slay wizards. It is known that the Wizards’ Guild often sells information about particularly dangerous rogue wizards to the Witch Hunters. It is rumored that the Witch Hunters are a branch of the Followers of the Way. Also referred to as Mageslayers. (See also: Followers of the Way; Guild Mages; Rogue Wizard; Wizards’ Guild)

Wizards’ Guild: Unlike the guilds of most worlds, the Wizards’ Guild is a secret organization. Because of their disappearance during the Shattering, the general public is suspicious of wizards. As a result, all wizards MUST be Guild mages. Those who are not are branded rogues and are hunted down by Guild mages. The primary goal of the Guild is to find a way to reunite the shards back into a solid, whole world once again, and thus regain the confidence of the general public (referred to as "the Restoration"). The term "Wizards’ Guild" is misleading. The Wizards’ Guilds are actually local branches of RASAMA, a magical university based on the shard Tartassos, a member-shard of the Kusaran Alliance. It is believed that the Wizards' Guild sometimes sells information pertaining to particularly dangerous rogue wizards to the Witch Hunters. (See: The Gazetteer of Shards: Tartassos. See also: Guild Mages; Kusaran Alliance; Oramis; RASAMA; Restoration, The; Rogue Wizard; Shard; Shattering, The; University on Tartassos; Witch Hunters)

Wyrm: See Dragon.

Elves and Half-Elves

WizardofOwls — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 17:36:01 CDT

Elves: The elves of Oramis, like dwarves, are similar to, yet different from the elves of other worlds. They are a very secretive race, and seem always to be preoccupied with thoughts of other things. At an early age most elves experience a wanderlust which draws them out into the world at large. The length of time this lust may last varies from elf to elf. It can last only a few years or it could last indefinitely. Because of this lust, young elves are never let in on the secrets which occupy an elder’s thoughts. Once the lust ends, however, that quickly changes.

Oramian elves are not just long-lived, they are true immortals who never die unless slain by weapon or mischance. They also cannot be affected by aging attacks. In addition, they receive one other ability: the elven death vision. When an elf dies, any elf who has shared communion with him will receive a death vision. That is, when dying an elf can by some means project his or her final thoughts unto another elf. It is a traumatic blow unto the recipient, for elves are immortal, and for one to die means that a virtually unthinkable event has occurred to a loved one. A death vision is the final message of the dying elf, and it often contains visions as well as the elf's last words.

Elves of one of the royal houses have one other ability: Asperii have forged a special bond with those of royal lineage. If an elven royal whistles loudly with the intent to summon an asperii, one will arrive within 2 rounds. This is because asperii have one additional ability not common to those of other worlds: they somehow know weeks ahead of time when an elf will summon them, and will begin heading toward them as soon they become aware of this need. This foresight is so exact that the asperii will even know exactly how many asperii will be needed to outfit the royal's entire party and enough asperii will arrive to make sure that all elves in the party will have a mount.

The slightly haughty elves live in tree homes. All elves have platinum white hair, ice blue eyes, and pale skin. They are taller than elves of other worlds, taller even than the average human, standing around 6'0", though they are still very thin. They tend to dress in leathers while on duty, but for formal occasions dress in brightly colored almost gaudy robes decorated with feathers from their bond birds.

All elves begin play with a bond bird (treat as a Wizard familiar). The elf can see through the bird’s eyes, communicate telepathically with the bird, and knows health and location at all times. Bond birds are larger than normal birds of the same species.

Oramian elves do not possess the low-light vision common to the elves of other worlds.

Please note also that there are no drow in the Shattered World, only the fey - elves every bit as evil as the drow, but not restricted to darkness. (See also: Fey.)

Fey: There are no drow in the Shattered World, only the fey - elves every bit as evil as the drow, but not restricted to darkness. The fey have powerful necromancers, and seek to conquer the world. Fey elves do not have the black skin and white hair common among the drow of other worlds. A fey is indistinguishable from other elves - at least by non-elven eyes. An elf can easily spot a fey.

Despite the obvious fact that the fey are brothers of the elves, elves will not tolerate anyone of any race remarking on the fact. Elves become angry, even violent, if the relationship is mentioned, even in a casual way. The fey are not even discussed amongst the elves themselves.

Also unlike the drow, the fey are not a separate race breeding only amongst themselves. All that is required for an elf to become fey is a change toward any evil alignment. Such a loss is mourned amongst the elves and is referred to only as “being lost to the darkness,” and the “lost” elf is mourned as though he had actually died. This means, however, that a fey may also repent of his evilness and become a normal elf. This rare event is referred to by the elves as being “brought over,” and is marked in elven society by great feasts.

Half-Elves: The half-elves of Oramis are identical to those of other worlds, though they tend toward fair hair and skin. They receive a +3 bonus to saves vs. attacks which cause aging. Oramian half-elves do not possess the low-light vision common to the half-elves of other worlds.

Twyll (Halflings)

WizardofOwls — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 17:06:58 CDT

I have always hated the name Halfling. The Halflings of Oramis consider it a derogatory and very insulting name. They prefer to be called by their own racial name for themselves.. the Twyll. The twyll have a natural homing sense which is similar to the Loacte Shard spell. This ability is usable 3 times per day. Each use of this ability has a duration of 24 hours unless it is interrupted by a subsequent use, at which point the knowledge is lost in favor of the location of the new taget shard. This ability will locate any shard whose name is known unless the target shard has been magically hidden from divination. A new class/prestige class is available for twyll - the Twyll Wayfinder.

Unlike the other races, twyll cannot cross-breed with dwarves. Any progeny which may result from such a pairing is invariably stillborn. Tywll cannot crossbreed with humans either. Conception simply won't happen. Whether or not twyll can cross-breed with elves still remains to be seen.

Classes and PRCs

WizardofOwls — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 14:29:06 CDT

CLASSES:
Mages and Sorcerors

Upon creation, all players must decide if their magic-using characters will be Registered Mages or Rogue Wizards. Each has its own benefits and drawbacks. There are 4 groups which are automatically considered rogues: Necromancers, Wild Mages, and Demonist and Diabolist Thaumaturgists.

Monks

I am not a fan of the monk. When I hear the word "monk," two specific images are called to mind (and, yes, I am intentionally leaving out the character in the television series of the same name): 1) Catholic monks who are basically priest-sages - decidedly NOT walking fighting machines, and 2) the Buddhist monks of Tibet. Personally, I do not like the mixing of eastern and western flavors in a D&D campaign, and I feel that the monk class does just that - adding a flavor that I find unsavory to the campaign mix. Therefore, for the most part, Monks will not be allowed as PCs in an Oramian campaign without DM consent, and such consent will not even be considered unless the character's history specifically states that the character comes from a shard with an Oriental culture.

PRESTIGE CLASSES:
The following are some prestige classes that I intend to add in the future.

Bounty Hunter: With no police force to enforce laws, it is difficult for some shards to find those who have committed crimes, yet flee the shard. Bounty Hunters seek these people out and bring them to justice... for a price.

Dwarven Death Seeker: When a dwarf commits a dishonorable act, he starts to seek his own death, hunting out creatures that can help accomplish this.

Gladiator: There are those who are willing to fight, even kill, for pay. Gladiators have specialized skills to help them in surviving until payday.

Gnomish Tinker: Gnomes love inventing things. This PRC helps them to gain skills to make this easier for them.

Inquisitor: The Children of the Light use "special methods" to enlighten others to the error of their ways. The Inquisitor is master of those methods.

Justicar: There are roughly 10,000 shards. That means a possible 10,000 different justice systems. Some don't even have a militia large enough to enforce their laws, and there is no police force to protect the Wind Ways. Justicars are followers of Prias, the god of law, and have appointed themselves the duty of policing the Ways, becoming judge, jury and executioner of the Shattered World. They will bow to the will of local shard law, but where no law exists they claim jurisdiction.

Sky Pirate: Terrors of the Ways, sky pirates make a living off the goods of others.

Sybil: Past, present and future are open books before the power of the sybil, mistress of divination.

Treasure Hunter: The Shattering occurred over 1,000 years ago, and until recently there has been little inter-shard traffic, so there are many unexplored shards. Many of those have unexplored ruins, which could reveal much treaure to anyone willing to seek it out. Treaure Hunters have skills to help them in this.

Twyll Wayfinder: With their homing sense, Twyll are natural guides. This PRC will allow them to excel at this.

Wind Sailor: There are those who find work manning the sails onboard a windrigger. Wind sailors excel at this.

Wind Tamer: There are wizards who are willing to hire out their services to windriggers, helping to avoid potentially devastating storms. Wind Tamers are experts in controlling storms.

Witch Hunter: Because of ancient prejudices against mages, there are those who feel that the only good mage is a dead mage. Witch Hunters help in accomplishing this goal.

The Gazetteer of Shards

WizardofOwls — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 09:05:37 CDT

Altwaal: Home shard of the Followers of the Way.

Callendula: A wealthy shard. Many of the inhabitants are either supporters or members of the Witch Hunters.

Carbuncle: One of the four shards in the Kusaran Alliance. The city of Carbuncle fills the shard completely, from shard-edge to shard-edge, with buildings and streets filling nearly every available space. To anyone approaching Carbuncle by windrigger, it appears so full that the buildings close to the shard-edge look as if they are in danger of falling off into the Wind Ways. In fact, some buildings have actually been built so that they DO hang over the edge. Carbuncle is considered a holy city to almost every deity in the large Oramian pantheon. Thus, Carbuncle’s major economic income is derived from tourism and pilgrimage. Despite the fact that it is considered such a holy city, several deities (mostly those of evil alignment) are denied temples here, though it is rumored that priesthoods of several of these banned gods have underground congregations anyway.

Crescent: A fragment the size of real-world Australia.

Dark Haven: A mysterious shard about which little is known. Because it is somehow linked to another shard, Dark Haven remains in a perpetual state of darkfall. Observers from windriggers have noted that almost all of the space on the shard is filled by a huge, Gothic-style castle. The name of the creator of this castle - and whether or not he or she still lives there - is not known. The name of Dark Haven is often brought up when possible locations of the Cabal's hidden base are discussed.

Gao-Den: Base of operations for the sky-pirates who plague the ‘Ways. It is believed that one of the Guild wizards who first leaned how to create windriggers went rogue, and is now helping the sky-pirates to create an armada of pirate windriggers.

Kallidan: Home of the dwarves.

Kusara: The governing shard of the four shards which comprise the Kusaran Alliance and home of the Kusaran King.

Magus: (DM 'S NOTE: The very existence of this shard, much less its purpose, is NOT considered general knowledge and as such should not be made available to the players unless and until they discover it on their own. One of the best kept secrets of Oramis, this shard is believed to be a "graveyard" for those magic items the Wizards’ Guild has branded too powerful for use. Its location is known only to the High Magus of RASAMA and his (or her) appointed successors. Magus is one of the most highly guarded and shielded locations in the world. Obviously its very existence is not known to the general public. It is rumored to be a desert shard and an area of "dead" magic. No known spell or magic item will work here. How it retains its gravity and atmosphere are not known, since obviously a shard-key won’t (or at least shouldn’t) work here.)

Oriolis: A shard covered in a sandy desert, Oriolis is a scarcely visited location. Most people in Oramis dismiss the shard as unimportant and uninhabited. Actually the shard is populated by a small community of Humans and Twyll who survive by trading the one valuable resource they have, Achoite seed. The Achoite is a type of cactus that only grows on Oriolis, and its seeds make an incredibly strong spice. The main reason the shard is believed to be unpopulated is that it's movement within the Sky Sphere is restricted to the outer reaches, causing it to come near other shards only on rare occasions. This also helps keep the price of Achoite seeds high.

Sheranda: The only shard of the four which comprise the Kusaran Alliance which was not originally a part of the Kusaran Empire. An agricultural shard with few fighters and little protection, the Sherandans petitioned for entry into the alliance for this purpose. In addition, they now have a ready market for the agricultural products which they produce, which obviously was one of the deciding factors for the Alliance in permitting them to join.

Shinnsa: Home shard of gnomes.

Spindrift: Spindrift is an humble shard located far off the main traffic routes, a frontier community inhabited mostly by rogue wizards, sky pirates, and other 'fringe' elements.

Tartassos: Home of RASAMA (The Royal Academy for the Study and Advancement of the Mystical Arts). Tartassos is an ancient site with a mystical and mysterious history. Home of the legendary Library at Tartassos, which was known to exist even before the coming of the Dragon Lords!

Tir Nam Briagha: Legendary home shard of the elves. Its existence is denied by elves. Also referred to simply as Tir.

Welcome!

WizardofOwls — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 07:12:56 CDT

Hello everyone! Oramis, the Shattered World, is a setting that I created for use with Dungeons and Dragons. It is very loosely based on a fantasy duology by Michael Reaves, The Shattered World and its follow-up, The Burning Realm. These are excellent novels and are highly recommended. Oramis was originally created for use with the 2nd edition rules, but I am in the process of trying to update it for 3.5. At the moment, there are 4 contributors. If you would like to be allowed to add to this Wiki, please let me know and I will consider adding you. Thank you for your interest in Oramis: the Shattered World! Let me know what you think!

Deities and Myths of Oramis

WizardofOwls — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 09:35:56 CDT

Oramis has a huge array of deities and myths. As I create new stuff I will be posting it here.

At one point I had a well-thought out list of about 30 deities, however that list now appears to be lost, unfortunately, so I will begin working on a new list. Here are the only deities for which I currently have any info at all:

The Creators (All are Lawful Neutral):
Res: The Spinner; Goddess of birth, conception, the life spark, inspiration. Symbol: Spinning Wheel. Animal: lamb.
Teven: The Weaver; Goddess of life, fate. Symbol: Loom or Tapestry. Animal: spider.
Mor: The Widowmaker; Goddess of natural death. Symbol: Shears. Animal: raven.
(Note: The Creators are seen as being cosmic entities, far beyond the cares of mortal men, and thus have few worshippers. They are the gods who created the gods.)

The Unraveler, The Nameless One: (Chaotic Neutral) God of Chaos, Ultimate Destruction, Mayhem, Madness

The Elements:
Elbron: Lord of Water, fluidity (Before the Shattering, Elbron was also God of the oceans)
Oramis: Lord of Earth, stability, strength
Sarasine: Lady of Air, sky, storms
Miaka: Lady of Fire, hearth and forge
(Note: These four deities were the first gods The Creators made. All others are children or grandchildren of these four.)

The Gods:
Agata: Goddess of Lies, Secrets, Deception and Illusion
Alanna: Goddess of medicine, mercy and healing
Alura: Goddess of the arts, music, bards, festivity
Arwyn: Goddess of Purity, Innocence and Protector of Children
Belissa: Goddess of fortune, luck, gambling, chance
Calastos: God of Agility, athletics, fitness, sports, running
Festos: God of wine, drunkeness, revelry, wild abandon, brawling
Gwyneth: Goddess of farming, gardening, agriculture, fertility, childbirth, domesticated animals, abundance
Illyana: Goddess of Passion, Love, Meaningful sex, Beauty, Vanity (Is one of Luris' many daughters)
Jesper: God of Magic, Arcane Secrets, Foresight, Prophecy
Kern: God of hunting, wild animals, the Wild Hunt, woodlands
Khaine: God of War without purpose, Needless bloodshed, Mayhem, Destruction, Slaughter, Murder
Luris: God of Lust, Depravity, Rape, Sex without love
Mortanos: God of Death, the underworld
Okaru: Goddess of community, family, loyalty to kin, home, hearth
Prallix: God of Strategy, Tactics, Planning, Battle, Mapmaking, Communication
Pryas: God of Law, Order, Judgement, Justice
Qoleth: God of Thieves, Shadows, Trickery, Stealth, Spies (Qoleth was once also god of night and darkness)
Selene: Goddess of Just Vengeance; Protector of women (Before the Shattering, Selene was also the Moon goddess)
Sissirus: God of sickness, diease, pestilence, filth, rot
Solaris: God of the Sun, Valor, Courage, Strength, War
Uther: God of Knowledge, Wisdom, Learning, Writing
Velanis: Goddess of trade, commerce, travel, distance, wealth, merchants, travelers
Vordax: God of industy, invention, blacksmith to the gods, mining, the forge
Xerix: God of Watchfulness, Sight, Hearing, Protection, Sentries, Guards

Races of Oramis

WizardofOwls — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 08:07:59 CDT

Here is the current official list of races that will be permitted in an Oramian campaign:

Standard Races:

Human
Elf
Half-elf
Dwarf
Gnome
Twyll (Halfling)

Other Races:

Hadozee (from Stormwrack)
Mul (Half-dwarf modified from the Dark Sun setting)
Planetouched (Aasimar and Tieflings)
Raptoran (from Races of the Wild)
Winged Folk (as Avariel in the Forgotten Realms setting, but not an elven subrace)

With the possible additions of:

Aarakocra
Half-dragons/Dragonborn (If I can get them to a LA of +0)
Irda (from the Dragonlance setting)
Niomus (from Mythic Races by Fantasy Flight Games)
Phanatons (from the Mystara setting)

I am also considering the addition of an original race which would be useful on windriggers:

Arachnids (Humanoid spiderfolk with 4 arms)

I have decided against the Kalashtar since I don't have a copy of either the Psionics handbook or any of the Eberron books. Thanks for the suggestion, though, Artifact. I have also decided against the Karsites for now...pretty much the same reasons. I also think I have decided against the Shifters. I wanted a shapeshifting race though, so I think I'm gonna go with a race similar to the Irda from Dragonlance.

I may include a list of optional races for those who have the necessary books. This list would include:

Kalashtar (from Eberron - recommended by Artifact)
Karsites (from Tome of Magic - recommended by Mr. Kite)
Shifters (from Eberron - recommended by Arifact)

If I get the necessary books later, I may update these to official races.

Half-orcs and half-ogres are not allowed since, on Oramis, humanoids (orcs, kobolds, etc.) are not true races... they are people who have been horribly changed and twisted by the evil mages of the enemy. A kobold, for instance, is actually a halfling that has been irrevocably altered. Orcs were once elves, and so on.

Player characters may not be evil, thus they cannot be fey or evil tieflings.

Dwarves

WizardofOwls — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 22:18:18 CDT

The dwarves of Oramis are similar in most respects to the dwarves of other worlds, yet vastly different in others. As a result of the Shattering which resulted in the destruction of their underground kingdoms, the dwarves have been forced to live on the surface for the past 1000 years. This has taken a heavy toll on the stout folk. The dwarves have become a very dark, somber, and brooding folk who spend much of their time drinking and telling sad tales of the glories of their lost kingdoms, especially Ostoria which was considered to be the crown jewel of the dwarven race. Today the dwarves have taken to other means of finding their place in the world. Many have become prospectors, traveling the Wind Ways in windskiffs, searching the shards for traces of gold and other metals. Others have turned to commerce, and many have become members of the Sky Merchants’ Guild. (A popular Oramian saying is, “If you want the best, buy dwarven.”)

The life of an Oramian dwarf is very much tied up with the concept of honor. A dwarf must try to live as honorably as possible, and insults to a dwarf’s honor can have dire consequences to the offending party. If a dwarf somehow manages to dishonor himself, he becomes suicidal. Such dwarves often seek out their own deaths by hunting down and trying to slay powerful creatures. Their honor demands that they try to win such a fight, but in their hearts they are hoping to die. Such dwarves become Death-Seekers. A dwarf who kills another dwarf without just cause is branded Masladh, a dwarven term implying shaming and disgrace, that is often associated with traitors. Such criminals can be slain on sight by any dwarf. Female dwarves branded Masladh are not slain, but are shunned and treated as prisoners.

Female dwarves are slender and ALWAYS wear veils. No non-dwarven male has ever seen a female dwarf unveiled. Male dwarves consider it rude to discuss a female dwarf's appearance, especially among non-dwarves. Rumor has it that dwarven females are bearded but this has yet to be proven, and the males will neither deny nor confirm this rumor. (DM’S NOTE: This rumor is false. Female dwarves of Oramis have no beards despite persistent rumors to the contrary. It is common among other settings for female dwarves to have beards, but here such a thing is unheard of. Legends do tell of distant worlds where the women have beards, but such a concept seems strange and utterly alien to Oramian dwarves.)

The tragic ‘secret’ of the dwarves is their low birthrate. The low dwarven birthrate is thought to be due to low fertility among dwarven women. To complicate matters even further, a devastating plague ran through the dwarven clans around 500 years ago. Unfortunately the disease proved fatal. Even worse, it only affected females. Today only 1/4 of all dwarves are female. Males are VERY protective of their females (perhaps overly so). Because of this dwarven adventurers will always be male except in extremely rare cases (DM’s approval). Rumor among non-dwarves has it that female dwarves have “harems” of husbands, in the belief that the more husbands a female has, the better her chances are of getting pregnant, and bolstering the waning number of dwarves. (DM’S NOTE: This rumor is true. Should a female get pregnant, all the males in a female’s “harem” of husbands will act as fathers to the newborn child, since there is usually no way of knowing which of the males in the harem fathered the child.) The birth of a female child is especially celebrated.

Human women will sometimes voluntarily live with the dwarves, some simply in an attempt to help the dwarven race to survive, while others do so in return for payment for their services. But volunteers are not always available. When this happens, fear of clan extinction sometimes drives dwarves to raid other settlements or even to deal with slavers in search of human women for mates. These women are typically treated as little more than harlots. However should a human woman give birth to a female half-blood, she is awarded special status. A human woman will never be allowed to see dwarven women unless she vows to never leave the dwarven clans.

The offspring of a human and a dwarf is usually (95%) dwarven enough to pass for a true dwarf (although it may be a foot taller than other dwarves). Any offspring it may in turn have with a dwarven mate will be fully dwarven reverting back to usual dwarven height. A small percentage of human-dwarf pairings (5%) will result in a Mul, a sterile half-dwarf which inherits some traits from both parents. Since they are sterile, muls are generally viewed with scorn and ridicule by dwarves and treated like failures. Female muls are treated even worse, but thankfully - like female dwarves - they are very rare. Only one in four muls is female. (See Races of Oramis: Muls) The taking of human mates is the “secret salvation of the race” referred to by some dwarven elders.

Dwarves are also cross-fertile with elves, however the results were not as good as those that resulted from dwarf-human unions. Dwarf-elf unions always result in gnomes. This is a sore spot with dwarves who had hoped that such crossbreeds would help to save their race. To make matters worse, gnomes breed like rabbits. It is known that no gnomes or muls existed before the plague. Twyll and dwarves are not cross-fertile. All progeny resulting from such unions are stillborn.

Dwarves of Oramis do not cut their beards. Ever. They find the mere thought of doing so to be repulsive. Tradition within the dwarven community states that the length of the beard is the measure of the dwarf. A dwarf with a short beard or no beard at all is either shunned or pitied.

HALF-DWARVES

There is very little difference between half-dwarves and true dwarves. Half-dwarves stand about a foot taller than a true blood, and they are fertile. That's it. Thus, in game terms, half-dwarves are treated as though they are true dwarves. Half-dwarves who mate with a dwarf will produce a fully dwarven child, but those who mate with another half-blood or a human will produce a human child. Thus it is vitally necessary for half-bloods to mate with a true blood. This is typically not a problem for the true blood males, who often find it exotic to be with a half-blood female, even though true blood males are virtually guaranteed a dwarven mate if that is their desire. Half blood males, however, must earn a spot in a true blood female's harem by demonstrating that they deserve such an honor. Such half-dwarves often adventure in order to prove themselves worthy of being accepted into a family unit by gathering for themselves fame, prestige and riches.

Muls

WizardofOwls — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 21:59:56 CDT

Muls are the mixed breed offspring of humans and dwarves. They combine the height and adaptable nature of humans with the musculature and resilience of dwarves. Muls enjoy traits that are uniquely their own, such as their robust metabolism and almost inexhaustible capacity for work. The hybrid has disadvantages in a few areas as well: sterility, and the stigma of being a “failure.” The term mul is derived from "mule" which are sterile hybrids, and as such the word is meant to be pronounced in the same manner (rhyming with "rule" rather than "mull").

Humans and dwarves are not typically attracted to each other, however unusual circumstances have forced the dwarves to take drastic measures. The tragic ‘secret’ of Oramian dwarves is their low birthrate. The low dwarven birthrate is thought to be due to low fertility among dwarven women. To complicate matters even further, a devastating plague ran through the dwarven clans around 500 years ago. Unfortunately the disease proved fatal. Even worse, it only affected females. Today only 1/4 of all dwarves are female. However all is not lost. Dwarves and humans are capable of interbreeding. The taking of human mates is the “secret salvation of the race” referred to by some dwarven elders.

The offspring of a human and a dwarf is usually (95%) dwarven enough to pass for a true dwarf (although it may be a foot taller than other dwarves). A small percentage of human-dwarf pairings (5%), however, will result in a Mul, a sterile half-dwarf. Unfortunately, women who give birth to muls often die in childbirth. Conception is difficult and impractical, often taking months to achieve. Even once conceived, the Mul takes a full twelve months to carry to term; fatalities during this period are high. Women who survive bearing a Mul are often considered pariah, and will be denied any futher opportunities for carrying dwarven children.

Fertile half-dwarves are accepted and treated as full dwarves. Muls, however, are treated differently. When a Mul comes of age, he must make a choice - stay with the clan or leave permanently. Those who stay are expected to work - either as laborers, guards, military, or they may even be allowed to work as gladiators. Those who decide to leave are tatooed and never allowed back in.

Muls are the best of both the human and dwarven worlds, combining a dwarf's love of hard work with a human's knack for mastering a variety of talents. They are often stronger than either parent, inheriting the size of the human and the heavy frame of the dwarf, but have a reputation (sometimes deserved) of a weak intellect, as well as the hard-headed nature of the dwarf. The stamina of a Mul is legendary; Muls can literally work or march for days nonstop.

Personality: Being sterile, and thus outside of the typical chain of reproduction, Muls often suffer from a sense of meaninglessness. This is compounded by the fact that they are often viewed as failures by their dwarven fathers who were hoping for a fertile female child to help repopulate the dwarven race. This tends to make Muls into bitter people, full of distrust and hate. Stoic and dull to pain, muls are not easily intimidated. Female Muls are treated even worse. However, Muls that are able to escape the bonds of their bitterness almost always make the best of warriors. Many small armies are headed by Mulish captains, as their fighting prowess and unusual ability to empathize render them superior leaders. When living among the dwarves, muls are expected to dedicate their lives to the clan, as they are unable to breed. Most are set to work as laborers or soldiers. Some choose to work as gladiators.

Physical Description: Physically, Muls bear most of the bulk of their dwarven parent, being extremely strong and rugged. Most of the height and cunning of their human ancestry is preserved as well. Muls grow as high as six feet, weighing upwards of 250 pounds, but carry almost no fat at all on their broad muscular frames. Muls are born without any body hair whatsoever. Skin tones may be of any human or dwarven shade, from light tan to copper to greys and even blues to dark browns. A Mul's eyes may be of any color.

Relations: Muls, like other half-races, have a hard time fitting in. Dwarves tolerate them if they follow dwarven ways. Muls are often considered to be outcasts in dwarven society, branded “failures” for their inability to breed. Humans get along fairly well with Muls provided that they don't know of their dwarven ancestry. Once this is discovered however, humans tend to distrust them. Gnomes find Muls to be interesting, and seek to study them (possibly to the extent of dissecting a Mul). Twyll are interested in them at first, although they soon get bored with their dark depressing nature. Half-elves and Tieflings empathize with Muls and often get along with them quite well. Raptorans have no opinion one way or another, or do not consider them to be of any consequence.

Alignment: Muls tend towards neutrality with respect to good and evil, but run the gamut with respect to law and chaos.

Mul Lands: Muls have no lands to call their own, though they are welcome in human cities and, grudgingly, in dwarven lands.

Religion: Muls have no set religion. Even if muls were to create a religion of their own, as sterile hybrids, they would have no posterity to pass it on to. Mul clerics tend to be drawn towards the strength of elemental earth, worshiping either the dwarven gods or Oramis, the Lord of earth.

Magic: Muls dislike what they fear, and they fear wizards. They also resent that a wizard’s power comes from without, with no seeming effort on the wizard’s part, while the mul’s power is born of pain and labor. Mul wizards are unheard of.

Language: Muls automatically speak Common and Dwarven.

Names: Mul names are typically dwarven, though occasionally one might have a human name. Almost without exception, Muls are born on shards primarily occupied by dwarves, however should a Mul’s mother survive childbirth, she might be allowed to take her sterile child to be raised among humans, and thus a Mul might have a human name.

Adventurers: Muls find themselves in all manner of adventures. Most muls take advantage of their strength and tireless nature, working as soldiers, gladiators or guards. Some turn to crime, adding rogue skills to their repertoire. A few muls follow other paths, such as priesthoods. Mul bards are rare, as the Mul personality tends to be too dark and somber to allow them to be successful in this trade.

Role-playing Suggestions: Born to a life of scorn and ridicule, you never knew love or affection. As far as you have seen, all of life’s problems that can be solved are solved by sheer brute force. You know to bow to force when you see it. You tend towards gruffness. You are capable of affection, trust and friendship, but camaraderie is easier for you to understand and express - warriors slap each other on the shoulder after a victory, or give their lives for each other in battle. You don’t think of that sort of event as “friendship” - it just happens.

Mul Racial Traits:

+2 Strength, -2 Intelligence, -2 Charisma. A Mul’s starting Intelligence score is always at least 3. If this adjustment would lower the character’s score to 1 or 2, his score is nevertheless 3. Combining the human height with the dwarven musculature, muls end up stronger than either parent race, but their status as failures makes them insecure in their dealings with others.

Medium-size: As Medium creatures, Muls have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.

Mul base land speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision: Muls can see in the dark up to 30 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and Muls can function just fine with no light at all.

Dwarven Blood: For all special abilities and effects, a mul is considered a dwarf. Muls, for example, can use dwarvish weapons and magic items with racially specific dwarven powers as if they were dwarves.

Tireless: Muls get a +4 racial bonus to checks for performing a physical action that extends over a period of time (running, swimming, holding breath, and so on). This bonus stacks with the Endurance feat. This bonus may also be applied to savings throws against spells and magical effects that cause weakness, fatigue, exhaustion or enfeeblement.

Extended Activity: Muls may engage in up to 12 hours of hard labor or forced marching without suffering from fatigue.

Damage Reduction 1/Lethal-. Muls are difficult to subdue, and do not notice minor bruises, scrapes, and other discomforts that pain creatures of other races.

Automatic Languages: Common and Dwarven. Bonus Languages: Any (other than secret languages, such as Druidic). See the Speak Language skill.

Favored Class: Fighter. A multiclass Mul’s fighter class does not count when determining whether he takes an experience point penalty for multiclassing (see XP for Multiclass Characters on page 60 of the Player's Handbook).

Gnomes

WizardofOwls — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 21:48:50 CDT

Gnomes - like muls - are an infant race when compared to the other races of Oramis, having only been in existence for around 500 years. The origin of the gnomish race has its roots in dwarves.

Dwarves have always been few in number, due to the fact that they suffer from low fertility rates. However in the year 497 A.S. this problem was greatly compounded by a devastating plague of unknown origins that swept through the dwarven clans. Now referred to as the Dwarven Plague, the plague was fatal to all who contracted it. Even worse, it only affected dwarven women. Today only 1/4 of all dwarves are female.

Realizing the adverse implications that this could have on the probability of the survival of dwarves as a race, the dwarves pursued drastic measures - they explored the possibility of cross-breeding with other races. Around the year 512 A.S., the great Dwarven Breeding Experiments began. These had mixed results. The most successful of their experiments was in dwarf/human crossbreeding, which resulted in the production of fertile half-dwarves as well as a few sterile muls. Dwarven attempts to breed with twyll did not work at all - the progeny of all such attempts were stillborn. Attempts to breed with elves, however, had a completely unexpected result - the birth of the species which would come to be known as gnomes.

The first gnomes were treated as curiosities. There were 12 of them - six males and six females. The dwarves had no idea what to do with them, and the elves had no time for them. Thus, for the most part, they were left on their own to explore their surroundings with very little help from others. As they matured, it became obvious that they were an incredibly intelligent race, able to learn very quickly, and to retain knowledge with uncanny accuracy. Another thing also became very apparent - gnomes are unbelievably fertile and multiply like rabbits.

By the year 707 A.S., only around 200 years later, the dwarves began to realize that if something were not done, the gnomes would soon overtake them in number and push them out of their own homes. Gnomes had begun to feel restless among the dwarves anyway, feeling like outsiders, not quite fitting in, and wanted a place of their own. The dwarves were more than happy to oblige them. Thus began the Gnomish Migration of 710 A.S.. Utilizing a handful of prototype dwarven dirigibles designed especially for this purpose, the dwarves helped the gnomes to relocate to an uninhabited shard which the gnomes promptly named Shinnsa.

Today Shinnsa is a booming metropolis. Ruled by the remaining 7 of the original 12 gnomes - all of whom are obviously nearing the end of their lifespans - Shinnsa is a mecca for all of those who pursue knowledge. Gnomes are the creators of the primary competition for windriggers - Gnomish Clockwork Ships.

Personality: Gnomes are incredibly curious about how things work, and enjoy taking things apart and putting them back together for the sheer fun of it. To other races, they seem very childlike in their youth, innocence and excitement. They also have a great sense of humor, and enjoy puns, jokes, and games as well as intricate tricks.

Physical Description: Gnomes combine the slim graceful build of their elven mothers with the smaller stature of their dwarven fathers. They stand about 3 1/2 to 4 feet tall, and weigh about 40-45 pounds. Their facial features are also a combination of those of their parent races. They have the upswept, pointed ears of the elven race as well as the trademark bulbous dwarven nose. Male gnomes prefer to wear short, carefully trimmed beards. Their skin ranges from dark tan to woody brown, their hair is fair, and their eyes can be any shade of blue or green. Gnomes love to dress in bright yet tasteful colors in elaborate styles. Gnomes reach adulthood at about age 40 and have an apparent lifespan of about 450-500 years. Multiple births are common among gnomes.

Relations: Gnomes get along well with humans and twyll - at least with those who are able to tolerate their practical jokes. They enjoy spending time with dwarves, however the sentiment is not returned as enthusiastically. Dwarves had hoped that gnomes would be the solution to their fertility problems, and the fact that they are hyper fertile when compared to dwarves is a sore spot in gnomish/dwarven relations. Gnomes are a little intimidated yet awed by elves and raptorans, and suspicious of tieflings. They are, however, rarely hostile or malicious.

Alignment: Gnomes are almost always good, though they are equally divided between lawful, neutral and chaotic. Those who are lawful tend to be tinkers, sages, researchers and scholars, while those who are chaotic tend toward illusionists, minstrels, tricksters and wanderers. Neutral gnomes tend to enter the priesthood. Evil gnomes are as rare as they are frightening.

Gnome Lands: Gnomes may be found almost anywhere throughout the shards, though they are most numerous on the gnomish homeshard of Shinnsa. A fairly large number of them can also be found on the four shards which comprise the Kusaran Alliance: Kusara, Tartassos, Carbuncle and Sheranda.

Religion: The chief gnome god is Garl Glittergold. His clerics teach that gnomes are to cherish and support their communities. Pranks are seen as ways to lighten spirits and to keep gnomes humble, not as ways for pranksters to triumph over those they trick.

Language: The Gnome language blends elements of Dwarven, Elven and Common in an elegant yet practical tongue. It uses the Dwarven script and is renowned for its technical treatise and its catalogs of knowledge about the natural world. Human herbalists, naturalists and engineers commonly learn Gnome in order to read the best books on their chosen topics of study.

Names: See the section on gnomish names in the PHB page 17.

Adventurers: Gnomes are curious and impulsive. They may take up adventuring as a way to see the world or for the love of exploring. Some take up adventuring as a quick - if dangerous - path toward wealth, which is often needed in order to purchase supplies for their experimenting and inventing. Gnome adventurers are occasionally forced to begin a life of exploration after being stranded far from home by a flying machine gone wrong. More often, though, a gnome character chooses to travel among the other races of Oramis as tinkers and craftsgnomes, selling minor inventions and masterwork objects to finance exploration into their own personal interests.

Gnome Racial Traits

+2 Intelligence, +2 Dexterity, -2 Wisdom, -2 Strength. Gnomes are brilliant creatures who are quite adept at creating and manipulating machinery. However their innocence and naivete often cause them to make faulty and questionable decisions during the construction process.

Small: As a small creature, a gnome gains a +1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +4 size bonus on Hide checks, but he uses smaller weapons than humans use, and his lifting and carrying limits are three quarters of those of a Medium character.

Gnome base land speed is 20 feet.

Low Light Vision: A gnome can see twice as far as a human in torchlight and similar conditions of poor illumination. He retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.

Weapon Familiarity: Gnomes may treat gnome hooked hammers (see PHB page 118) as martial weapons rather than exotic weapons.

+2 racial bonus on saving throws against illusions: Gnomes are innately familiar with illusions of all kinds.

Add +1 to the Difficulty Class for all saving throws against illusions cast by gnomes. Their innate familiarity with these effects makes their illusions more difficult to see through. This adjustment stacks with those from similar effects, such as the Spell Focus feat.

+2 racial bonus on Listen checks: Gnomes have keen ears.

+2 racial bonus on Craft (Alchemy) checks: A gnome's sensitive nose allows him to monitor alchemical processes by smell.

+3 racial bonus against all effects that cause aging: A gnome's elvish blood resists aging.

+2 racial bonus on Knowledge, Craft and Profession skill checks involving large and complicated machinery, mechanics or tinkering.

+1 racial bonus to Reflex saving throws: Gnomes are used to ducking for cover when things explode.

Automatic languages: Common and Gnome. Bonus Languages: Draconic, Dwarven, Elven, Raptoran, Twyll. Gnomes deal more with elves and dwarves than elves and dwarves deal with one another.

Favored Class: Tinker. A multiclass gnome's tinker class does not count when determining whether he takes an experience point penalty (see XP for Multiclass Characters, page 60, PHB).

Introduction

WizardofOwls — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 00:04:48 CDT

Welcome, weary travelers, to the world of Oramis! Oramis is a world unlike any other you will ever visit. It is not a solid sphere like most worlds. Rather, it consists of ten thousand floating islands (called shards), suspended in an envelope of air. Travel between shards is accomplished by flying ships known as windriggers.

DM Comment Example

castlewrks — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 20:03:00 CDT

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