[Information] Encyclopedia Aurandia

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Have a question about the game world? Likely the answer is below.

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The world of Aurandia has seven continents – Cheimos, Xanir, Tuthmi, Feilam, Garund, Beira, and Heamu.

Cheimos – A frozen land that caps the north of the world, Cheimos is home to few settlements – those belonging to fisher folk and primitive barbarian tribes. The rest of the landscape is a polar tundra populated by beasts and monsters. There is no unified government. Ruins found on the continent indicate that a civilization once existed there but only the ruins remain.

Xanir – This landmass caps the south of the world and is relatively small in comparison to the other continents. Perpetually shrouded in darkness as the sun never rises on Xanir, the land has no civilized inhabitants. Things best left to darkness occasionally find their way out of Xanir on dark wings.

Tuthmi – A continent united under the rule of the Empire of the Dragon Kings, Tuthmi has little contact with the rest of the world, doing only minimal trade with the outside and then only at a select few ports. Visitors to Tuthmi are not allowed out of the ports which are highly monitored by the local law enforcement. While the Empire seems to not need trade with the outside - the land providing much of what is needed – Tuthmi seems to be metal poor. Instead, the people of Tuthmi developed a way to harvest wood from the Kaembra tree and combine it with a specially mixed resin to create implements which are as strong as steel and can be honed in a similar fashion to metal but which is extremely light. Kaembra tools and weapons are sought after as status symbols the rest of the world over. Tuthmi is also the only known source of essentia, a rare reactive substance which enables arcane wielders to manipulate space and time (required for spells that have teleportation effects).

The civilized races of Tuthmi are Human (70%), Elves (15%), Serpenti (5%), Dragonblooded (3%), Other (7%)

The main port city known and used by visitors is Xen-Shoufa.

Feilam – Feilam is a wild land considered by the people of Garund as the new frontier. Girded about its coast by wild currents, treacherous shoals, strange tooth-like rock outcroppings, and shrouded in a fog which never burns off, Feilam has rested undisturbed by man. A city has been founded on the coast, Shoalpike, by the Searunner mercantile consortium as a way of staking claim to the land and trying to export its untapped resources. Feilam appears to be rich in gold, a fact which draws prospectors and those who prey on them in droves. The lethality of the lands plants and animal denizens does little to deter the adventure seekers. There are rumours that persist of a civilization hidden in the fronds of the tropical jungle.

Shoalpike has a population of Humans (85%), Dwarves (10%), Other (5%)

Beira – This continental landmass is the second smallest of all the lands of Aurandia. It is an artificially created continent ruled over by a council of arcanists known as The Six. Beira was conjured by a ritual known only to the rulers two hundred years ago and, to the best of everyone’s knowledge, the Six haven’t changed in all that time. The land is divided like a wheel with a massive tower in the centre which can be seen from the farthest coast. Otherwise, Beira is a pastoral land, peopled by farmers who produce a vast amount of grain and other foodstuffs for export to the land of Garund. Each of the members of the Six controls one sixth of the land and has customized the land to suit their own needs and wants which is why mountains can sometimes appear to have simply erupted out of the flat land without the normal foothills and other terrain features common to other lands. The effect is somewhat unsettling to non-residents.

As the land is divided in six pie pieces, each section bears it’s the name of the member of the Six that rules it and has its own unique composition of peoples.
Unatra is a land of plains and rivers. The people grow grains and are known as fine bakers. Halfling (80%), Human (18%), Other (2%).
Sarathis is a land of woodlands and orchards. The people are known for their fine and exotic fruits which are, unlike the other foodstuffs imported to Garund via the Searunners, teleported to their destinations – the expenditure of essentia this costs never seems to be an issue though. Serpenti (50%), Human (20%), Elves (20%), Other (10%).
Baeliel is a land filled with lakes and rivers and has the most hospitable coast on Beira. Its people are fisher folk and sailors and the Searunners consortium has its main chapterhouse in the aptly named city of Port. Human (90%), Other (10%).
Merandin is a land of mountains capped in snow and it provides all the ice needed to keep the foods of Beira fresh during transit to the other lands. The people do a brisk trade in stone sculpture as well, with pieces being displayed in the castles of royalty the world over. Dwarf (50%), Dromite (40%), Other (10%).
Pescolae is a pastoral land with gentle hills and its people are herdsmen. Halfling (80%), Human (20%)
Thiranis is a land of deep woods, its people producing fine papers and silks for the rest of the world. Elves (75%), Serpenti (25%).

Heamu is a vast desert and wasteland. In the ancient past, the land was ruled by psionic wizard kings who grew jealous of each others power and destroyed the land in a rain of fire and ash that fell for a decade. Now the land is still scarred by the aftermath of that conflict and very little grows there. Its people are nomads who travel from one oasis to another and scavenge the ruins for relics. They must remain cautious though, for elementals, golems and powerful undead remain from that long ago war. The human population of Garund can trace its descent to survivors who fled the land of Heamu during the war; transplanting the indigenous races with their exodus.

Garund is the most diverse of all the lands of Aurandia, containing as it does the homelands of the Elves, Dwarves, Serpenti, Goblinoids and the Dromites, as well as the kingdoms of Men.
The Realm of Kanadaran
The largest of the human kingdoms, Kanadaran is ruled by King Karand, the only psionic wizard king of Heamu who did not participate in the wars that devastated that ancient land. A millennia ago, he transformed himself into an undead being of incredible power so that he could continue to benevolently guide his people. Kanadaran occupies the south western quarter of Garund, claiming mountains, forests, and vast plains in its territory – all of which allows it to maintain its strength. The kingdom also has a strange relationship with the Dromites, who have their main cavern and home of Delara below the Kanadaran capital of Karand. The Dromites are staunch allies of the Kanadarans. The Riftwalkers have their main chapterhouse in Karand, allowing the extra-legal guild to have access to high levels of resources for the use of protecting the world from the planar rifts.

Human (50%), Dromite (40%), Other (10%)

The Forest of Eldreach
With graceful spires of quartz and glass rising above the giant trees, Eldreach is home to the Serpenti; an ancient race of beings who once ruled over much of Garund before the coming of the humans. The Serpenti were persecuted by man due to their snake-like nature and detached outlook on life until a détente could be reached. The Serpenti are arcanists without peer, as a race each individual possesses some small measure of potential and protection from magic and they favour the maintenance of the natural world in their land. They are sought after as scholars and seers due to their high level of education and long life which lends them to be natural historians. The Forest lies near the heart of the continent in a valley surrounded by high mountains. The Serpenti name for the forest is hard to pronounce for those without a working knowledge of the Serpenti tongue.

Serpenti (90%), Elves (8%), Other (2%)

Krumhadach Monadh
The mountainous realm of the Dwarves bisects the land of Garund from north to south, and encompasses the Forest of Eldreach within its borders. The Dwarves are known for their gem cutting and forging and have the richest mines in the land. Because their lands bisect the world, the Dwarves are often called on to mediate disputes between differing nations.

Dwarves (95%), Other (5%)

Finrier
At the north of Garund lies a tundra enclosed by the mountains of the Dwarves. This land is populated by tribal humans who worship totem animals and nomadic bands of predatory Orcs. There is little love lost between the two groups and war is a near constant.

The human tribes are the Wolf, Eagle, Fox, and Bear – the Bear is the largest tribe. Each tribe has different ways to deal with the threats of the land. Bear has fortifications which protect its land and its warriors favour heavy axes and hammers. Eagle likes to ambush and boasts excellent archers. Fox has riddled their lands with traps and deadfalls and they favour short range weapons which can be used in tight hand to hand. Wolf likes to dance around their enemies, pulling them one way and then another before striking the throat. Wizards are unknown in Finreir as there are no centers of learning.

Human (45%), Orc (50%), Half-Orc (5%)

Jaralan Wood
On the southern edge of the continent, bordering the mountains of Krumhadach Mondah, a trackless primeval forest looms. Dark with foreboding, this woodland is the home of the Elves and is forbidden to all outsiders. There are tales that the Elven city within is beautiful beyond compare, but the dangers of the woods prevent non-Elves from penetrating far. Powerful undead guard the wood, killing all who might come under its boughs. This fact has led to a prejudice among the other races that all Elves are evil and powerful necromancers.

Elves (100%)

Delara
Delara is both the name of the Dromite home cave under the city of Karand and the name for the subterranean lands the Dromites call home. Based in a massive natural cavern, the home of the Dromites is somewhat alien in appearance to those not of an insect nature. In the darkness of the underworld, the Dromites and their warriors the Thri-Kreen try to carve out a peaceful home in a hostile land where life giving resources are scarce.

Dromite (47%) Thri-Kreen (47%) Other (6%)

Tarant
A human kingdom which violently carved itself out of the northern reaches of Kanadaran a millennium ago when another group of refugees came to Garund from Heamu, Tarant is known as a dangerous place. A haven for criminals and ne’er-do-wells, Tarant has devolved from a land of strong central authority to a mix of independent city states and esoteric cult holdings each concerned with eliminating its rivals; uniting only when trying to dislodge Kanadaran holdings along its southern border. It is speculated that the higher occurrence of planar rifts which appear in Tarant is due to the ancient magic unleashed by Vael in his attempt to destroy Karand a millennium ago.

Human (80%) Other (20%)

Velguk
The home of the Goblins forced over Krumhadach Monadh by the immigration of the Kanadarans, Velguk is a militaristic society ruled by a council of the most powerful Hobgoblin generals of the tribes – twelve in all. It also is the home of the Ginjik Bank; the major economic lending power in Garund which is run by the Goblins and whose current head makes up the thirteenth seat on the council. The Goblin nation holds a grudge against the humans and border clashes and outright war are common; only the fact that the Dwarven mountains stand between the two races allow for the peace along the frontier to be maintained. The Hobgoblins are renowned as warriors without peer and, while they detest Humans for an ancient wrong, they are often found as hired mercenaries all over Garund and beyond.

Goblin (30%) Hobgoblin (60%) Bugbear (10%)

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Humans: As per the Pathfinder rules set.

Halflings: As per the Pathfinder rules set. Halflings are formed when a Negative Energy Planar rift touches a human child without destroying them; its draining energies stunting the growth of the child but strangely making them resistant to fear. They are an offshoot of humanity.

Dwarves: As per the Pathfinder rules set. As a whole, the race gravitates to the Lawful Neutral alignment.

Half-Orcs: While Orcs are blood enemies in the wilds of Finrier, children born of rape are not unheard of and are looked on with pity in the tribes of the north where children are a rare joy. Gifted with the strength of their Orcish sires and the more stable temperament of their Human mothers, Half-Orcs tend to become very well regarded warriors in their communities. As per the Pathfinder rules set.

Elves: As per the Pathfinder rules set. As a whole, the race of Elves hailing from the Jaralan Wood gravitates to a Neutral alignment with evil tendencies.

Elan: As per the Psionics Handbook. Elans are created when a planar rift with the essence of Logos touches a young child.

Maenad: As per the Psionics Handbook. Maenads are created when a planar rift with the essence of Fire touches a young child.

Githyanki: As per the Psionics Handbook. These planar reavers come from planar rifts to the Astral Plane and are sometimes left behind when the rift closes. Most Githyanki do not survive long and are mostly killed on sight.

Githzerai: As per the Psionics Handbook. Planar refugees from planar rifts to Anarch, most people mistake them for Githyanki and kill them on sight. For an unknown reason, the majority of Anarch rifts are found in Tuthmi and, as such, there is a higher proportion of Githzerai in the Empire where they are welcomed as patient teachers.

Dromites: As per the Psionics Handbook. Dromites are residents of Delara which is, for all intents and purposes, a client kingdom of Kanadaran.

Xeph: As per the Psionics Handbook. Xephs are created when a child is touched by the essence of a planar rift to the Plane of Shadow.

Half-Giant: As per the Psionics Handbook. Young children exposed to the essence of planar rifts of Earth become Half-Giants.

Thri-kreen: As per the Psionics Handbook. The Thri-Kreen are the warrior caste and sub-species of Dromite and live in Delara.

Serpenti:
- +2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, -2 Constitution, -2 Charisma.
- Serpenti take double damage from bludgeoning weapons due to their fragile bones
- Serpenti have a tail attack that has 10' reach and deals 1d6 bludgeoning damage. Using this attack causes the Serpenti to forgo other attacks that round.
- Serpenti are Large size due to their length. This does not impose the standard bonuses or penalties for being Large and is used for space (length) calculations. A Serpenti, given their flexible skeleton can fit into small sized tunnels by adjusting where their “foot” is.
- Serpenti can cast the following spells. At will Read Magic, 3/day Detect Magic, Comprehend Languages, 1/week identify. These function as spell-like abilities with a caster level of the Serpenti's HD and the DC's (if applicable) are Intelligence based.
- All knowledge skills are class skills for Serpenti. A Serpenti may make a knowledge check even if they have no ranks in the relevant skill.
- Favoured class wizard or psion
- Languages: Ssthis (Serpenti), any other, non-secret language.

Serpenti are essentially snake-men, with the upper bodies of hairless but handsome Humans and the lower bodies of large snakes. Serpenti move about on their tails with a slithering motion, but most do so by creating a “foot” upon which to stand upright. Serpenti used to rule over the continent of Garund before the coming of Humans with the collapse of Heamu and were harsh masters to the other races. Most races have not forgotten this period and treat the Serpenti with hatred or contempt despite their value as teachers and seers. Humans, while aware of this history, do not share the contempt of the other races and treat with the Serpenti with comfort. Serpenti are considered master arcanists.

Dragonblooded:
- +2 Charisma, -2 Wisdom, +1 Strength, +1 Constitution
- Dragonblooded have +2 racial modifier to spot reality through illusions, including invisibility
- Outside of Tuthmi, Dragonblooded suffer a -4 penalty to all social skill cheques, Dragonblooded are off-putting and different
- Languages: Tuthmi, Draconic, Common, Elven
- Dragonblooded are bound in honour and tradition and have a code of ethics they must adhere to based on their heritage. Failure to adhere to this code causes the magic enhancing the bloodline to be ripped from the body painfully and ending the Dragonblooded’s abilities, rendering them Human without the benefits of being Human. Below is not an exhaustive list of the taboos for all the bloodlines possible.
Gold – Dragonblooded of the gold line must always tell the truth and can never attack unprepared or defenseless opponents.
Silver – Silvers are forthright and can never assist others in duplicitous tactics, including flanking maneuvers.
Bronze – Members of this bloodline are fastidious about ownership rights and can never own an item that they did not pay for, if they cause the death of an individual they bury them with all their possessions.
Copper – These individuals cannot go outside in inclement weather and need to always sleep in clean environments, like high quality inns. Coppers cannot rest outdoors or in caves.
Brass – Brassies are unable to partake of the fruits of crime and vehemently oppose crime and criminals, going out of their way to pursue those on the outside of the law above most other causes.
Red – Members of this bloodline are bloodthirsty and feel an overwhelming urge to eat the flesh of those they vanquish raw.
Blue – Haughty and imperious, Dragonblooded of the blue line constantly feel the need to assert their superiority, feeling the need to order about their perceived lessers. Blues must order someone about and they must meekly accept and perform the task once a week.
Black – These individuals are caustic in temperament and are never gifted socially. Members of this bloodline can never have ranks in social skills. Furthermore, these people are never polite.
Green – Duplicitous to the point of pathology, Greens can never tell the truth.
White – Members of this bloodline behave more like animals than people and fly into berserk rages when they enter combat. They must always move towards an enemy if available and can never attack or cast on the defensive.

Goblinoids: Players can choose to play as either a Goblin or a Hobgoblin using the monsters as characters conversion rules in the DMG 3.5. The favoured classes are Rogue and Fighter, respectively.

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The religions here are not exhaustive of the world of Aurandia.
Human: The humans have differing Gods and pantheons depending upon their realm of origin.
Finreir
The humans of the wastes worship totemic spirits which symbolize their view of the world. Druids are more common than clerics but both are part of the same loose affiliation of clergy known as Sha-men that shepherd the barbarians of the wastes. Sha-men also count sorcerers and warlocks among their numbers as the barbarians don’t differentiate between the magics; calling all magic “Sha”. Those who wield magic are thought to be wise people in the tribes. Paladins are rare as the harsh conditions of the north tend to blur the lines of idealistic good that path follows.
Wolf: (N) Considered the most in tune with the natural world, followers of wolf are often rangers and guides. The favoured weapon of wolf is the longsword and his domains are Plant, Animal, and Water.
Bear: (LG) Bear is the protector of the tribes and favours strength. His favoured weapon is the battleaxe and his domains are Protection, Strength, and Earth.
Eagle: (NG) Eagle is the sign of spring’s renewal and the healing of the land after a hard winter. Her favoured weapon is the shortbow and her domains are Air, Healing, and Sun.
Fox: (CG) The good natured trickster of the Spirits, Fox guards the travelers and knowledge among the tribes. Her favoured weapon is the dagger (preferably used in a two-weapon fighting style) and her domains are Trickery, Travelling, Fire, Luck, and Knowledge.
Snake: (NE) Snake exemplifies the evils of the north and is not openly worshipped, although there are many ceremonies to appease his wrath. His favoured weapon is the longspear and his domains are Death, Destruction, and Evil. His clergy (such as they are) are always evil.

Kanadaran
As the residents of this land are descendents of the refugees of Heamu, religion in Kanadaran is thought to be much as it was in that ancient land and is centered around the worship of the wizard King, Karand (LG). It is unsure how Clerics of Karand obtain clerical magic, but they somehow do have real power and can choose from the domains of Good, Magic, and Law. Their favoured weapon is the heavy mace.

Rumours of other cults worshipping evil devils and demons are present in the land, but more disturbing to the clergy of Karand is the appearance of cults devoted to once powerful wizard kings of Heamu long thought turned to dust.

Tarant
The humans of Tarant worship above all the departed wizard king Vael (LE). Demonic cults are also common. Cults devoted to long dead wizard kings are not unheard of but, unlike in Kanadaran where they are repressed, these cults often flourish for a time in Tarant.

Tuthmi
The residents of the Empire of the Dragon Kings are ancestor worshippers. As such, clerics of the ancestors are free to choose any two domains that fit their personal ethos and have no alignment restrictions. The favoured weapon of clerics in the Empire is the scythe.

Dwarves
The Dwarves of Krumhadach Monadh have a dualistic religion worshipping the Maker and the Unmaker equally as two necessary facets of life. While the priests of the Dwarves are called Druids, there are no druid class members among them, being entirely clerics.
The Maker, Morag: (NG) Morag is the font of creativity, the regeneration of life, the good in all things. Her favoured weapon is the warhammer and her domains are Good, Healing, Law, Protection, and Knowledge.
The Unmaker, Gauna: (NE) Morag is the wife of Gauna and his opposite. He governs the forces which pull down order and unmake all things. While considered to be evil by most standards, Gauna is openly worshipped by the Dwarves as a necessity to balance all life. His favoured weapon is the sickle and his domains are Chaos, Evil, Death, Destruction, and Magic.

Serpenti
The Serpenti of the Forest of Eldreach do not worship a god, they worship knowledge (LN) as an abstract idea. As such, they value divine casters who espouse the divine truth of knowledge and logic. Serpenti clerics (following their racial 'deity') have the favoured weapon net and can choose from the domains of Knowledge, Law, and Magic.

Elves
The Elves of Jaralan Wood are very secretive and dour and their religion is mostly a mystery. What is known about them is that the seem to put great stock in rites of death and that they revere the sun – an odd contrast to their shadowy home. Elves seem to fear their Gods more than revere them and the rites witnessed by outsiders seem to be more acts of propitiation than anything else. Elves never refer to their gods by name, fearing that in doing so they would draw their attention. Clerics are considered a necessary evil in Elven society; working to shelter the Elves from their Gods' attentions. Elven Clerics worshipping the Elven Gods do not need to remain within one step of their deity's alignment.
Fealthas: (LN) God of the Sun, known as the Stern Lord, Fealthas is the leader of the Pantheon. His favoured weapon is the javelin and his Domains are Sun, Law, and Fire
Marishka: (LG) Goddess of the Moon and wife of Fealthas, Marishka governs the realm of the dead. She is known as the Silent Widow. Her favoured weapon is the flail and her domains are Death, Air, and Traveling.
Vaelkyn: (LE) As the Elven God of war, it is Vaelkyn's job to protect the Elves from outsiders. He is known as the Bloody-Handed One. His favoured weapon is the falchion and his domains are War, Protection, and Destruction.
Sidhen: (NG) The Crying Maiden, Sidhen walks behind Vaelkyn and cleans up after him. Her responsibility is to shepherd the people from their last, painful moments to death but her followers have also learned to stave off Marishka's embrace for as long as possible. Her favoured weapon is the quarterstaff and her domains are Healing, Good, Water.
Oromandias: (N) The Sleeper forms the foundation of the Earth and is responsible for all growing things. His worship is centered around keeping him asleep for, were he to waken, the world would shift catastrophically. His favoured weapon is the heavy pick and his domains are Animal, Plant, and Earth.
Zatanix: (CE) The Liar is the source of the current fear in Elven religious practices as she tricked the race into rebelling against Fealthas. In punishment, Fealthas cursed the Jaralan Woods with their current evil and undead as he turned away from his children lest they anger him more. By doing this, Zatanix caused many Elven hearts to harden and turn to evil. His is the predominant religion in the Wood. His domains are Evil, Trickery, and Chaos; his favoured weapon is the whip.

Goblinoids
The Goblinoids of Velguk have their own pantheon of deities which they revere.
Kreepka: (NG) Goddess of Fertility, Kreepka is depicted as immensely pregnant, with several pairs of breasts and enlarged hips. Responsible for replenishing the populations of the Goblinoids which are often decimated by battles and war, Kreepka is prayed to by women trying to conceive. Her favoured weapon is the shortspear and her domains are Healing and Water.
Qinch: (LE) God of Wealth, depicted as a wizened old Goblin with a set of gold scales, Qinch is the patron of the Ginjik Goblins and the supposed reason for their success in the banking industry. His role is in keeping the economy moving through both legal and illegal means; as such he is also the Goblin god of thievery – this does little to reassure those who do business with the Ginjik Bank. Oddly enough, because of his association with vaults and security, Qinch also is the god of protection. His favoured weapon is the dagger and his domains are Trickery and Protection.
Mung: (CE) God of Violence, Mung is the Goblin God most familiar (after Qinch) to the outside world since prayers to him are heard on the lips of Hobgoblin mercenaries the world over. Mung doesn’t care if the blood spilt comes from a war or from a tavern brawl, only that it is cut from the veins of a living being. He is depicted as an overly muscled, blood-drenched Hobgoblin with wild, red eyes and carrying a bloody skull in one hand and a notched axe in the other. His favoured weapon is the Great Axe (most of his faithful learn to use this one handed) and his domains are Strength and Destruction.
Haqqa: (N) Goddess of Death, Haqqa is shown standing behind Mung and the two are often worshipped together. Haqqa takes the Goblin souls to the breeding pits for Kreepka to weave back into life as a new baby. Her role as shepherd also consists of her erasing the memories of the dead. To the Goblins, Haqqa is a force of good, erasing the traumas of the previous life and preparing it for the new. Her favoured weapon is the Quarterstaff and her domains are Death, Travel and Knowledge.
Burk: (NE) God of Anger, Burk is the brother of Mung and the two often work together, as Burk’s portfolio often leads to Mung’s. Burk governs more than anger (the correct translation from Goblin is passions), but he is most commonly invoked for anger and his identification with anger has become commonplace, particularly when grudges are concerned. Burk also presides over marriages in Goblin life, the passion for another and the anger that two can cause each other when they are intimate are strong emotions which the God drinks like a fine wine. His favoured weapon is a club (the simplest weapon which can be made while enraged) and his domains are Fire and Sun (both things blaze hotly, like emotions).

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Riftwalkers:
Members of this organization are often called “rifters” and are seen as heroes of the people. The goal of the organization is to close the planar rifts which open on Aurandia and threaten to destabilize the fabric of reality. Its members come from any race, class and background as all skills are helpful when dealing with things from other realities although there is a high percentage of Dromites within their ranks. While based in Kanadaran, the Riftwalkers have chapterhouses scattered across the world, even within secretive Tuthmi, each of which is free to act in the best interests of the area as a whole. Since the organization claims no political allegiance, its members are free to go where they please in theory but are often detained on suspicion of being spies – a fact which has often been true. The Rifters maintain their considerable wealth by selling curiosities, reagents and other strange artifacts from what is recovered when they act to close a planar rift.

The Searunner Mercantile Consortium:
Created by a group of shipping captains from Beira who were interested in ensuring that they maximized profit for the transportation of goods through a cooperative agreement to regulate the prices charged to merchants. It started with a bit of piracy to enforce the price fixing with the independent traders but, over a hundred years, the consortium has established a monopoly on trade – and it is rumoured, piracy.

Ginjik Bank
Formed by the Goblins to facilitate trade in Garund following the collapse of the Serpenti Empire, the Goblins were instrumental in facilitating trade among the races. The Goblins amassed a vast fortune through this facilitation and this led them to wield power among their own people despite their non-military nature. The head of the bank occupies the thirteenth seat of the Goblinoid council and is often considered the swing vote in parliamentary proceedings; a fact they use to their advantage to wring further concessions from their Hobgoblin cousins and to become even more wealthy. The bank has a holding in every major city and will trade with anyone. Using magics known only to their own spellweavers, the Goblins maintain up to the minute financial records of everyone who conducts business with the bank and can transmit those records to other bank holdings across the world.

Cloven Jaw Mercenaries
The Cloven Jaw tribe of Hobgoblins is the largest and strongest of the Hobgoblin tribes in Velguk. They are renowned for their fighting abilities and loyalties to a contract and their tribesmen are found acting as mercenaries for a variety of causes the world over. The only stipulation in the contract is that they are never to harm another member of the Tribe in the course of their contract. This has led to interesting wartime encounters when armies would find themselves staring across a plain at each other because both sides had hired Cloven Jaw Mercenaries and neither side would engage. Other tribes have avoided adopting this practice, which has only allowed their power to be diminished as they lose their warriors in squabbles where they fight themselves for two employers.

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Humans arose on the continent of Heamu several millennia ago. They built, over time, a large, flourishing civilization in the steppes of Heamu and extended their influence to eventually encompass the entire continent. The power that the Humans drew upon was advanced magical and psionic abilities beyond those of their neighbours and those neighbours were exterminated, leaving the land to the Humans. As the sphere of influence of the Kingdom of Heamu grew, the difficulty in administering the vast land became apparent and, as a measure of coping with the administrational nightmare, the lands were parceled out to the most powerful wizards at the time. These wizards were tasked with administering the economic districts to which they were assigned but, over centuries, the unity of the kingdom fell apart and these districts fell to squabbling independent kingdoms of their own. As each land became further estranged and the lists of grievances grew, the wars began to erupt and the fall of Heamu dawned. The rise and fall of the Humans of Heamu took five thousand years. As the wars wracked the continent and lands became despoiled, polluted, or blasted from the face of Aurandia, a young king was born who chose exile for his people rather than a death at the hands of a jealous rival; that king, Karand, led his people over the Western seas and found the land of Garund.

Garund had emerged from its own civil wars only a few centuries ago. The Serpenti of Garund, based in the Forest of Eldreach, had – with their own eldritch abilities – imposed their own empire over the continent but, unlike the Humans of Heamu who had exterminated all other races who fell before them, the Serpenti chose to enslave their defeated enemies. As the eons passed, some of the slaves grew to learn the abilities wielded by the Serpenti and they taught others of their kind until pockets of rebellion began to form within the other races; the Elves, Dwarves, Dromites, Orcs, and Goblins. In a few short years, the rebellion cast off the shackles of their Serpenti overlords and forced the snake-men back to their forest. Surrounded by the mountains of the Dwarves, the Serpenti thought they would be exterminated by their rebellious slaves until a Dwarf Thane, called afterwards Vraxis Bladesheath, convinced the Dwarves that the utter destruction of the Serpenti ran counter to their beliefs and that the world would suffer for the loss of a race as potent as the Serpenti were. His words slowly convinced the Council of Thanes to sign a treaty between the Serpenti and the other races. The Serpenti agreed to never attempt to subjugate another species and the other races were left to their own devices. The unity of purpose they had found in fighting the Serpenti evaporated and Garund splintered along racial lines. When the Humans found the Eastern shore some centuries later, they found a land lacking central unity and the races there too weak to oppose their flood.

Swiftly, the Humans spread out to seize as much land as they could, travelling far in order to claim territory suited to their needs. Some left the auspices of Karand entirely, choosing to pass over the mountains and into the north in search of a spiritual homeland – the young king sorrowfully let them go. The rapid expansion of the Human sphere displaced the Goblins who were living in the region and forced them over the mountains of the Dwarves – the Goblins are still resentful of the loss of their land to this day – and into the West, forming the realm of Velguk. War has continued to be waged between the two races since, sometimes limited to flare-ups and skirmishes and other times into mass battles. Despite this, the Humans eventually settled and made peaceful contact with the other races, forming trade links and alliances as necessity called.

The balance of power in Garund shifted again when another influx of Humans came to Garund from Heamu just a century after the landing of Karand’s people. These humans were led by another wizard king of Heamu, the last one who had survived the conflicts which had destroyed their homeland. Called Vael, this king was cut from a different cloth than the peaceful Karand, and he drove his followers to violence and dominance when they landed on the north east coast of Garund. Vael’s followers butchered and killed the humans who lived in the area and claimed it for their own, using the arcane might of Vael to crush all organized resistance to the invaders. Karand, now over a century old and his health failing, realized that his people could not withstand the depredations of his brother king and enacted an ancient, fell magic; transforming himself into an animated corpse in order to safeguard and shepherd his people from the followers of Vael. A rough border grew up between Kanadaran and the newly formed realm of Tarant to its north. After several decades, frustrated at having found a remnant of Heamu’s ancient power which stymied his conquest, Vael tried to obliterate the Kanadaran capitol city with new magic; sadly, the spell backfired and turned Vael’s capitol city into a smoking crater – apparently killing Vael in the process. The spell also had the side effect of causing the first planar rifts to form sporadically around the world. Tarant as a realm and antagonistic power remained, but the driving, malignant will behind it was lost.

It was the formation of these rifts which led to the creation of the Riftwalker society. A band of adventurers found themselves trapped in a rift and witnessed how its unstable nature began to fray the edges of reality; allowing things which should not be to leak through and threatening permanent harm to Aurandia. The leader of those adventurers was a wizard named Philias, an enchanter and scholar of some renown, and he developed a device which could be used to close the planar rifts and contain the reality warping energies. His team spent the rest of their careers hunting down and closing the rifts, and they inspired others to follow in their wake; spawning the creation and creed of the Riftwalkers.

In the millennium that has passed since the end of the Vael War, the realm of Garund has remained stable other than flare-ups between Kanadaran and Tarant in the north or between Kanadaran and Velguk in the West. The only other event of note was the formation of the Six two hundred years ago and the raising of Beira from the depths, creating another continent not ruled by the conflicts of Garund.

[Uruz]

The calendar of Aurandia is roughly analogous to that of earth, except that there are more days in a given year. There are eight (8) days a week in Aurandia and four weeks a month, for 416 days over 12 months. Due to their relative cultural superiority, the world has adopted the use of the Kanadarian calendar for keeping track of time. The years are measured since the reign of the king - which has not changed in Kanadaran for over a milennia.

The months are:
Frost (January) - comprising of 35 days
Bitter (February) - comprising of 32 days
Melt (March) - comprising of 35 days
Muster (April) - comprising of 34 days
Sew (May) - comprising of 35 days
Crown (June) - comprising of 35 days (the 19th is the day of King Karand's apotheosis and a holiday in Kanadaran)
Scorch (July) - comprising of 35 days
Dew (August) - comprising of 34 days
Reap (September) - comprising of 34 days
Feast (October) - comprising of 35 days
Chill (November) - comprising of 34 days
Nightfall (December) - comprising of 38 days (the 16,17, and 18 are practically fully night in the northern clime of the Garund continent)

[Uruz]

The Kanadarian military makes use of massed troops to overwhelm their enemies with numbers rather than with skill - the bulk of the army being made up of drafted pesants and criminals not set for the death penalty. While there are some standing troops which remain on active duty as a career, this career is one of policing the cities and roads of Kanadaran or sedate guardpost work rather than one of active military engagements.

The lowest army grouping is the Dathabam - a group of 10 men led by a Dathapatish

A group of 10 Dathabams (100 men) is the Cenzarabam, led by a Cenzarapatish

A group of 10 Cenzarabams (1000 men) is the Hazarabam, led by a Hazarapatish.

A group of 10 Hazarabams (10,000 men) is the Baivarabam, led by the Baivarapatish.

Further, some groups were specialized in either cavalry or archery (at the Dathabam level). Units of these types were led by Apswargan Salarh or Tirbodh respectively.

The commander of a fort or castle was known as the Argbadh.