THE LANDS OF KELTIKA SETTING PRIMER (DRAFT)

SPECIAL NOTE - This is the setting primer and map for the world I designed to accompany Heroes of Yore: Advanced (Basic) Rules set I'm kickstarting. I decided to share it, in-process, when it was done enough to show real progress, in case I die or I lose something. I am still very much in danger, from many angles, since I've been abandoned in this city with no friends or family. I want people to 1. Know who I am and what I have done (that I lived and accomplished this, along with other things I love doing); 2. In an attempt to save myself, I think it's a good way to show my potential, skill set as an ad, designer, writer, and world-builder (I designed and wrote this (including the map) in 10 hours - most of the writing in 3-4, tops), in the event someone decides to help me; 3. I want people to know what goes into things like this. This is mostly put together, but, I'll be combing through it, editing it to the best of my ability, so that I can playtest the setting. There will follow, as maps for RE, the maps I am developing for the sandbox (red inset) to make it easier on me, so I can kill two birds and get this done in an expedient manner. Check back, now and again, to find this post updated and edited. Nothing much will change, mostly (light) new material, rules material, and maybe formatting issues resolved. There will be a small primer for that, as well, and a set of POIs, etc. Anywhere rules exist, they represent my own rules set, Heroes of Yore (HoY: BASIC & Advanced BASIC) But, I'm using this platform to walk you through my adventure-writing process, and talk about how I work. So, on that note, enjoy! Have fun, and as always, GAME ON!

Heroes of Yore and all original content © Justin David Russell (Miyamoto Musashi-Odysseus) at Epic Werkes Studio

CHAPTER 1: RACES

PLAYER RACES

ELVES - The elves of Keltika are wild and free. They keep their lands free of entanglement with the other peoples of Keltika, and completely avoid political agenda, even within their own lands. They are isolationist to the extreme, but, their love of beauty, song, art, and magic, and the desire to protect the wilds will drive them from their own lands. They live in small communities led by chieftains located throughout the Wild Wood of Kor. Their homes are dug into complex tunnel systems in hill lands with some outlying wood structures serving as exterior apartments and stables, when necessary. Elves stand between 4 1/2'-5' tall, weigh around 90 pounds, and have lightly pointed ears, almond-shaped eyes, sport lithe frames, and tend not to exhibit very strong musculature, but, do possess good dexterity, which makes them excellent with missile weapons. They are pale in complexion, blonde-haired, and have hazel eyes, almost exclusively. Gray and brown are also known to occur. During war time and in combat, their faces are half-covered with blue woad from straight over their brow-line to the bridge of their noses down to their jaw by their lower ear. They dress in linen or wool, fur, and hide tunics and linen or wool gowns and make intricate beadwork and embroidered knot-work to adorn their clothing and the harnesses of whatever animals they ride. Feathers are a common decoration added to hair and helms. Elves love birds over any other animal. The elves of Kor ride the fierce and wild gryphons common in their magical forest. They are warlike, when necessary, and make beautiful weapons with expert skill. Their iron and bronze weapons and armour consist of scale armour, breast and back plates, and round or conical helms with cheek guards, crests and plumes, greaves and bracers (to protect the arms and legs), round, strong, wood shields covered with bronze or iron hammered with decorations, and short swords, spears (common), and bows.

GNOMES - Gnomes are are industrious lovers of beauty and craft. They are divided into two varieties, hill and mountain gnomes. They are strong for their size, used to hard labour at home and on farms and/or with crafts, and resilient. All gnomes share similar characteristics in that though they are small, they have hands, upper torso/chests, heads, and feet proportional to a standard-sized human, and their hands are strong, like a labourer’s. Gnomish armour and weapons consist of simple chain shirts or heavier clothing, and simple conical helms, circular shields of bright colour, and weapons like swords (classed as short swords due to size), daggers, battle axes, and spears (mountain gnomes), and daggers, hand axes (hatchet), farm implements (polearms), spears, and short bows (one damage category less due to size)(hill gnomes).

Hill Gnomes - Hill gnomes are bright and playful, adventurous when it's fun. They are endlessly cheerful and prefer rolling, verdant hill lands and open woods with swift brooks and idyllic scenery. They prefer simplicity and good, hard work to overindulgence, though there are exceptions. Lively, spirited, spontaneous music is their favourite variety. They live in tribal units centred around rural villages and towns of simple stone and wattle and daub homes with thatching for roofs where goods are traded and mended with great skill. They are renowned for their affinity with smaller animals, especially otters, and the uncanny ability to disappear into the natural world around them to protect themselves from larger threats. They are usually friends with elves, though they rarely meet, will trade with humans, but, they are very wary of them, and generally leave them to their own devices. They avoid their mountain-dwelling cousins. Not given to adventure, they tend to stick to their farms and friendly communities. Hill gnomes are short, standing only about 3'-3 1/2' high, weighing little more than 40 pounds, though lighter and heavier do occur. They look very much like human children, though they possess lightly-pointed ears and bright, twinkling eyes of green, blue, brown, or gray. Their hair can be of any hue (though red is a rarity), though strains of one or two colours tend to run within tribal communities, with little variation. Their clothing typically consists of simple and utilitarian wool tunics or gowns, but, dyed single, bright, strong colours, with heavy embroidery around the hems and neck line. Phrygian caps are common on the farm, and accompany them on adventures, when necessary, to keep their heads clear of dirt and grime and rain.

Mountain Gnomes - Mountain gnomes are much more melancholic, solemn, versions of their hill-dwelling cousins. They are more industrious than their kin, even more distrusting of the other races, and tend to keep to themselves in their mountain, Mynydd Àŵr, in one, massive collective than branching out into groups, though caste-like 'craft tribes' within the city do exist. They are isolationist, like the elves. They have made some of the world's most renowned magical items, which is as far as their interest in magic goes. They love making beautiful objects out of precious metals and minerals, but, gemstones are the lure all mountain gnomes They are usually too busy with craftwork to concern themselves with much else. They keep to themselves within their mountain homes, but, might leave Mynydd Áŵr to dwell alone in the wilderness in simple abodes in old ruins or caves as solitary craftsmen and miners looking for unique gems and minerals to bring back to their city. They stand the same size as their brighter kin, about 3'-3 1/2' high, but, they appear leathery-skinned, and old, even from birth, and never truly seem any younger or older, as they age. Their hair just grows whiter, and they grow more frail. Their ears are slightly pointed, and their eyes, which are almost always a rich, earthy brown, twinkle like the gems they love so much. Hair colour is exclusively black or dark brown. They adorn themselves with rings of fealty and simple adornments, dressing much the same way as their hill-dwelling kin, though in grays and browns embroidered at the hems with brighter colours. They also wear Phrygian hats of the same colour as their clothes. They are slightly more warlike than their cousins, as they will fight fiercely, like badgers defending their warrens, to protect their homes and community.

HALFLINGS - Known collectively as Erämi people among their own kind, the rest of Keltika knows them as halflings, rangers, or half-elves. Erälanders are a group of bold, poetic, and nature-loving nomadic individuals comprised of the descendants of the elf-human hybrids that occurred during the alliance that took place during the days of The First War, when the native Keltic humans and elves of Kor maintained a constant vigil against the goblins of Xoár. Halflings are neither human nor elf, but, something in-between. They are friendly with both, but, tend to be isolationist and live in small, nomadic tribes or settled in forested lake regions where they can fish and hunt in peace. The majourity of Erälanders migrate to the Ironwood Forest in the spring and summer where they live in small camps led by tribal chieftains, to their more permanent abodes in the more open marshy plains lands to the south in autumn and winter. Karhö and Angon are permanent trade centres where business, legal matters, and trade occur. The Erämi are tall, generally ranging from 5 1/2' to 6 1/2' in height, have heavy frames and broad faces (generally hairless due to their elf blood), and sport blonde or red hair they braid or keep loose and long, even among men, and adorn with feathers. Their skin is pale to light tan, sometimes half-covered with blue woad during war time or before a combat, from straight over their brow-line to the bridge of their noses down to their jaw by their lower ear, as the elves do, and they wear long, heavily knot work-embroidered wool tunics and gowns dyed in many rich colours. Women wear hangerocks, a kind of apron from which they hang tools like shears and knives, and pouches for carrying things. The men wear Phrygian caps and women wear shawls to cover their hair in times of inclement weather and heat. Their armour and weapons are simple, mirroring the elves' in many ways. They consist of chain shirts (short, ending at the waist or mid-thigh), scale armour jackets with shoulder protection to hold the front and back together, and round or conical helmets, leather plates (to protect the arms and legs), round wooden shield with or without bosses, and swords (rare), axes, spears (common), and bows. They are at odds with the Caliborians whom they see as wasteful and aggrandising and too political, but, they will work with them for the sake of peace and light trade, if necessary.

HUMANS - The three varieties of humans living in Keltika each have their own culture and habits, live in different climates, and possess different traits.

Ashamites - Ashamites are bright and bold, lively in love, art, and dance, but, economical, serious, vengeful, and shrewd in business. They are not cowards, but, do not foolishly risk their lives, either. They prefer the freedom of the seas, warm lands, and airy, open cities to dark, cold underground spaces and wintry weather. They are equally dangerous as pirates as good men and women seeking to better themselves, which is why the Sea Princes and Princesses of Asham fight so much amongst themselves in fierce, but brief, naval conflicts aboard their swift Sun Ships. There are occasional island and raft communities among the Isles of the Sun following the ways of Law and Chaos where business and politics are done, but, mostly, individual sailors sail the temperate and warmer seas and rivers chasing the salmon, seals, and other aquatic life they use for food, clothing, fuel, and art they can trade with each other and in Dórgon in the summer months, while the more aggrandising Chaotic Ashamites turn to piracy as a way of life to avoid the stricter policies of a more organised society. Among all Ashamites, honour, courage, hospitality, and tribal loyalty are paramount. The Ashamites are dark-haired (often kept long and free, or up in a turban for men and covered by a loose shawl often held in place by a circlet for women), red-skinned, and dark-eyed, though hazel and blue are also common. Men wear loincloths tied at the waist, long or short tunic-shirts, cloaks or mantles, and turbans, headcloth wraps, or tied headbands. Women wear much the same clothing the men do, though their tunics are longer, include gowns, and their headwear, especially among the Sun Princesses, consists of headscarves and veils. Leather sandals are common among both sexes, or going barefoot. Clothing is light linens, cotton, or wool. Less clothing is common in both sexes when aboard ships or working in the sun. Abundant jewellery of gold or bronze accented with bright coins (mostly pirate women), gems, glass, or enamel is common, as is light makeup, even among the men, mostly around the eyes. They prefer lighter armours, like padded or thick wool cloth jerkins and robes accented with metal plates, conical nasal turban helms with attached camail or aventail of leather or chain, round, light radial shields made of thick, moulded leather, or wood with polished metal accents or bosses, or thin-hammered moulded polished bronze or steel, light, long, curved swords, maxes, battle axes, and daggers, spears, and recurve bows.

Caliborians - Caliborians are mild-mannered and independent thinkers, loyal, and honourable adherents of Law and good. The modern Caliborian is a mixture of old Caliborian and old Lumenorian stock, after refugees from Strixa were accepted into Caliborian lands. They are stubborn and practical, with a taste for understatement and do not like upsets to their communities. They tend not to risk when the cost is too high, and prefer to stay at home over adventuring for profit or romance, though they will be the first to act when that home is threatened. They are farmers and husbandmen, mostly, though their military and naval force is strong and able. They are not as pale as elves, but, they are lighter-skinned, tending toward olive, with light tans occurring among those working often out-of-doors. Their hair is brown or blonde, rarely dark, and often braided for women, or cut short among men. Clothing consists mostly of tunics and cloaks of any length and gowns of cotton or wool, breeches among men, and some women, and headscarves for women. They are modest with their jewellery, but, choose gold and silver over other metals, usually accented by glass, enamel, garnets, or red stones of one kind or another. Caliborian armour is simple, often either padded or cloth jerkins, scale armour, or, as is common among small communities of Lumenorian mercenaries and villages and lower income soldiers, moulded metal or moulded leather with metal accents. except among the elite who wear more complex, but, simple plate armour and kite or heater shields, mostly among the knights and higher-ranking soldiery. Helmets are simple conical nasal helms among the lower classes, and among the aristocracy conical bascinets with or without visors, with attached chain camails, or, in the case of old Lumenorian helms, open-faced affairs with cheek guards and plume, but, common helms don’t have the plume. Weapons consist of swords, Lumenorian short swords, axes, spears, daggers, and maces. Long bows, reserved for war for their size, as they are difficult to carry and wield in pitched battles, are common weapons of the peasantry. Normal bows are common, otherwise. Caliborian heraldry is somewhat complex and maintained by special order of the aristocracy to prove rank and hereditary right to rule. The Temple of Light is a powerful influence on the crown, though it is not aggrandising and supports the general well-being of the populace, usually more than the elite do.

COMMON MONSTER RACES

DRAGONS - Dragons of Keltica live in all parts of the world. When they are older, they adopt The Forbidden Lands as their place of residence. There are vast forests and endless mountains and plenty of places for them to dwell unmolested. When they’re younger and throughout their lives, they travel widely and may make their way into the various lands occupied by the humanoid races to either seek to destroy them, live alone, or do good. Dragons are serpentine in appearance, with long, sinuous bodies, snake-scale leathery skin. Some are broader or shorter, but, all are possessed of their own agenda, based on the socio-moral axis they adopt (which may change their physical appearance or the way they impact those around them). They change colours and gain different abilities, as they age. They all have wings, spade-like, flat heads and wide mouths filled with short, sharp teeth, long, lizard-like purple tongues, and bulbous, lamp-like eyes  for seeing well at night or in darkness without the need for external light sources, a wingspan twice as long as the body (each wing is the length of the body from head to base of tail). Their long, sinuous bodies sport a ridge of short, yellow or ivory spines down their back, and long, narrow scales along their lighter belly, like a snake. Monitor-like, strong limbs ending in wide, webbed hands and feet with thick, yellowing claws for digging earth. They are all possessed of deep wisdom, curiosity, and large egos, and are as likely to help as be ruthless tyrants. All speak their ancient tongue in sibilant, androgynous, deep voices. Dragons can be bound to a single task, which they must accomplish, if their true name is spoken. All dragons will protect this name over all other things, even abandoning sizeable hoards, if need be, though, being vengeful, will seek to reclaim them. Dragons will never arbitrarily betray another of their kind where true name is concerned, unless they see it as absolutely necessary or valuable, somehow (depending upon their stance on the socio-moral axis), or the reason is good, even if it's selfish. They choose alternate, self-aggrandising names to make themselves seem bigger and more important than they are, or to extol their person and inspire worship or fear among humanoids, which ensures their protection. The danger in revealing their true name is why most dragons tend to live in remote areas, away from foolish, power-hungry, and short-sighted humanoids. When they age, they change where they lair, as the desire comes over them. Usually, adult age and older dragons have a variety of servants or slaves to help them with their hoards.

All dragons swim well. Dragons do not mate, have no gender, and lay eggs as adults which they keep warm with their body until they hatch, then nurture through their time as hatchlings, then leave them to fend for themselves as young dragons. They are solitary and generally do not need company to exist, preferring isolated locations from which to live their lifestyles and feed, though some like to be entertained and may humour those who visit them and enjoy any conversation that may occur. Younger dragons are more likely to seek out others of their kind, if only for the sake of conversation to chase away boredom. They often seek to convince others to live in their lairs and gather wealth for them, which is a common practice. Dragons are strong, and their wings wide enough, they can carry off food and treasure many times greater than one might think. Easily twice their body weight, which isn't exorbitant, considering their bones are hollow. But, heavy enough to carry off a body or two, or a large chest of treasure for the larger dragons, or a small herd animal, like a baby deer, goat, sheep, or single human of no great girth in the smaller dragons.

DRAGON AGE	COLOUR	SIZE*	LOCATION	EFFECT
Hatchling	Brown	1’-5’	Cave of birth	NA
Young	Orange	5’-10’	Plain	NA
Young Adult	Red	10’-15’	Volcano/Desert/Mountain Cave	Fire breath
Adult	Purple	15’-20’	Swamp/Marsh	-
Mature Adult	Blue	20’-25’	Sea/Lake/River	-
Old	Green	25’-30’	Forest/Hills	Poison
Elder	Yellow/Black	30’-40’	Mountains (high/deep)	-
Dead/Undead	Black	NA	Any	-

* Dragon sizes are measured from head to base of tail, just behind the legs.

DRAGON AXES	EFFECT	COMBINATION AXES
Good axis	Aura of comfort	Neutral, Chaos, Law
Evil axis	Aura of fear	Neutral, Chaos, Law
Neutral axis	Calm beasts	Good, Evil, Chaos, Law
Chaos axis	Multiple heads	Good, Evil, Neutral
Law axis	Aura of truth	Good, Evil, Neutral

GIANTS - Giants are large humanoids, of many varieties and temperaments. Evil varieties, who are often cannibalistic, are called 'ogres'. They are not organised in any way, really, but, may exist in small family units, or alone, performing whatever task it is they enjoy. Ogres tend to be villainous and stupid, not very capable of leading anyone, but, will take up residence in a cave or simple dwelling where they will take advantage of whatever opportunity for food they have found, until it is used up, or they are forced to leave. They may have up to three heads. Giants can be anywhere from 10' and larger, rarely growing bigger than 30', however.

GOBLINS - Goblins are evil versions of the goodly races turned to Chaos and evil. They take many forms and live, primarily, in the Traitor's Peaks and beyond it in the Steppelands of Xoár where they fight amongst themselves for power. They have footholds in the wilds and dark places in central Keltika, as well, where they seek to dominate the goodly races. They dwell in rough-hewn earth and cave systems and resort to banditry, tricks, traps, cannibalism, and betrayal, whenever it's convenient. They love the flesh of the other races, specifically human children and the race they are made to be a mockery of.

Changelings -  Elves who turned to Chaos became the changelings. They appear much as elves do, when in their normal guise. Pale, lightly-pointed ears, blonde, and lithe, standing no more than 4 1/2' tall. They are smart and use their power to sow distrust and evil in lands that are not their own. They have no real society and spend their time living with others. They can be found in numbers in the Changeling Forest, but, do their own will, often simply waiting to lure someone in in order to take their place. They are just as likely to go out into the world, somewhere, to take up a place in some forest to wait for someone to wander in in order to replace them and undermine the goodly races.

Kobolds - Evil gnomes who turned to the ways of The Beast. There are two varieties. They hate one another, and live separately, but, can often work together, when organised and forced to. Imps, the enemy and evil variant of hill gnomes, are small (2'-3' tall), humanoid, pig-like tricksters covered in dark, coarse hair, with short, yellowing tusks jutting from their lower mandible, who dwell in small clans in abandoned mines and ruins where they can set traps and play tricks on those who visit them. They like shiny things, but, not often for the sake of wealth or power. They are not aggrandising, are often cowardly, and will serve anyone with enough power to lead them and keep them safe, even goodly creatures, though they can't be counted on if the tide shifts. They often wear greasy, simple shifts and tunics, and don't make their own weapons and armour. They carry whatever they can scavenge and cobble together in meagre attempts at armour. Mountain-dwelling, leathery, skink-like troglodytes are the foil to the mountain gnomes. They are all gray and/or brown with sallow bellies, stripes the colour of their stomachs surrounded by dark brown or gray running down their backs and tail, bright blue tongues, and sharp, small teeth for tearing flesh. They are matriarchal. Females are much larger than males. They hunch, but, when standing completely upright may be 3'-8' tall (males ranging from 3’-5’, while females average 5’-8’, and appear much darker, the larger variety being rare, usually the chieftains or queens), not including their tail, which is the same length as their bodies. They are evil and cunning and simple in their mind-set. Food and power. They have no desire for good, and will betray anyone seeking parley, even if they agree to terms, as long as they can benefit from it, especially if it nets them a meal. They do not care for politics or aggrandising, just eating and dominance, however that occurs. They plan and strategise well, make their own well-made, simple, but, clean tools and weapons and armour (usually just metal breast plates and metal or leather shoulder, forearm, and lower leg protection), but, will scavenge and care for good-quality equipment, if they can find it. They cannot be parleyed with, easily.  Troglodytes live in circuitous mountain caves and tunnels they dig with their short, sharp claws and simple tools, or ruins they can care for easily. Troglodytes give off a musk, but, it is only strong in the females who may overwhelm the senses of those they encounter. This is to encourage males to mate with them. The stronger the musk, the more likely the female has many males to mate with. Females lay many eggs and males protect them until birth, when they are left to fend for themselves.

Trölls - Trölls are cowardly, bestial warriors, humans who long ago turned to chaos. They are evil opportunists and do not enjoy parley with the other goodly races, or even their own, though begging and pleading is not above them. They live in the cold Steppelands of Zoár in mountain caves in the Traitor’s Peaks to hide from the sun. Most trolls stand about 3'-4' tall and have a variety of bestial features. They are humanoid, long and muscular of limb, broad of body, with greasy, bear-like, reddish-brown fur over most of their bodies, bowed, plantigrade lower legs, small, curved, blunt horns that jut from their foreheads, a flat, bear-like visage and nose, which is often runny, black, and wet, a mouth full of yellow fangs, boar-like, short, yellow tusks on their lower mandible, a boar's tail and ears, and short, thick nails for scratching and tearing earth, and any exposed skin. Their skin is sallow and sags around the eyes and mouth, which is often glistening with drool. Their eyes are human, but, wide, large, and wild, saucer-like, bright yellow, and glimmer in the dark. They are messy and often greasy, dirty, and smell like one would imagine them to. They prefer to scavenge and make what comes easiest. They are born and raised in large broods that establish a pecking order quickly. A larger, meaner variety is born, now and again, growing anywhere from 5'-8' tall. These are leaders, typically, but, not always. They wear simple, often tarnished, armour mostly consisting of scavenged parts. Trolls hate the sun and turn to stone when exposed to it. Their bite may paralyse victims, for a time, due to the poisonous, anaesthetic saliva in their mouths, which is stronger in the larger members. They eat their victims while they are still alive.

STRIXIANS - Strixians are vile, cannibalistic, and tyrannical humans. They are cult-minded and aggrandising, zealous people who turned to evil and open worship of The Witch Queen, Strixa, and The Beast during the days of the Strixian Apocalypse. They are not typically playable, as no one likes them or their way. They are political and do not much that isn't motivated by personal gain. They are lazier than other people, generally, but, will work to get what they need, if the need is great, or the reward is big enough. They are mercenary, to the extreme, and can often be seen in monster or enemy armies filling ranks or leading the charge, or simply as mercenary companies the desperate or evil hire when the need for men is present. They are led by the undead Witch Lords in their own lands, various individuals who sold their minds, hearts, or lives for prolonged life and/or power. They rely on slaves to do their labour, and hardly lift a finger, if they can help it, and even the lowest of them have a sense of entitlement over others, as that is their goal, if they can manage it. They are pale of complexion, dark of hair and eye, and wear their hair short for men, or up in complex arrangements of braids among women. They wear long cotton tunics and gowns, usually of white, black, red, or raw cotton fabric (especially among the poor), cloth cloaks of the same colour(s), and high-laced leather sandals. Red and black is a common colour arrangement. Their armour and weapons are blackened and usually painted or moulded to depict fierce monsters or symbols of their various undead leaders. Their weapons are usually curved or wavy in design, comprised of swords, spears, axes, bows, and daggers. Their armour is often moulded leather with metal accents for the common soldiers. Higher-ranking warriors wear fully metal versions of the same armour. Their shields are painted, leather-wrapped wood, large, and round, or round, moulded iron or steel, both depicting fierce monsters and visions of evil to inspire fear and loathing. 

LANGUAGES

The languages of Keltika are as follows:

KELTIC LANGUAGE	Written?*	Spoken?
Ancient Languages
Akian	Yes (Logographic)	Yes
Ancient Aelŵydirian (dialects - elven, gnomish, goblin, etc.)	Runic, when written (not always)	Yes
Ashamite, Old	Yes	Yes
Caliborian, Old	Yes	Yes
Draconian	No	Yes
Erämi	No	Yes
Hexapyxian	Yes (Pictographs)	Yes
Iopan	No	Yes
Lumenorian/Strixian, Old	Yes	Yes
Mezokian	Yes (Cuneiform)	Yes
Runes	Yes	No
Taryŵnish	No	Yes
Ūzhūzkrit	Yes (Abugida)	Yes
Zamazian	Yes (Pictographs)	Yes
Modern
Ashamite	Yes	Yes
Caliborian	Yes	Yes
Common Trade Tongue	Yes	Yes
Pirate’s Cant	Yes (Pictographs)	Yes

* Unless stated in parentheses, any writing is alphabetic.

CHAPTER 2: EQUIPMENT

The equipment available in Keltika is a mix of ancient world to about 1200, in Earth terms.

COINS

Characters can buy equipment using coins minted in Calibor, in Dôurgon. Weights and measures are consistent between all lands in the League of 4 Crowns. Other coins may be found during play, their value can be determined through appraisal. Silver is the League Standard.

COIN WEIGHT - Copper coins weigh 1 pound per 200 count; gold coins weigh 1 pound per 50 count; silver coins weigh 1 pound per 100 count.

STARTING SILVER - To determine starting silver to buy equipment with, roll 2d12x10.

CURRENCY

Coin*	Copper Granum	Silver Cockerel	Gold Lumenaureus
Copper Granum	1/1	10/1	100/1
Silver Cockerel	1/10	1/1	1/10
Gold Lumenaureus	1/100	1/10	1/1

* Granum is a Lumenorian word meaning seed or small nut, the smallest coin, or unit of measure - coins depict an acorn on the reverse; cockerel is Lumenorian for rooster - chosen in lieu of the lumenargentum (Lumenorian for ‘silvery light’) popular during the Age of Empire, it depicts a cockerel bull on the reverse; lumenaureus is a Lumenorian word for ‘golden light’.

GEAR

ITEM	COST	WEIGHT (IN POUNDS)	NOTES
CLOTHING
Belt	2	1/2
Boots, plain	1	1
Boots, riding	5	1 1/2
Cloak	1	1 1/2
Clothes, plain *	5	5	Simple, cheap cloth, linen, wool, etc., very little dyes, no complexity
Clothes, middle-class *	10	5	More dye, better quality, cloth, linen, wool
Clothes, fine *	50	5	High-quality, dyes, wool, silk, furs, cloth-of-gold (samite)
Clothes, extravagant *	100	10	Highest-quality, wool, silk, furs, cloth-of-gold (samite), brocade, exotic dyes, lightly bejewelled
Hat or cap	2	1/3
Pouch, large	1	1	10 lb. capacity
Pouch, small	5 cc	1/5	5 lb. capacity
Shoes/sandals	5	1
GEAR
Backpack	5	2	40 lb. capacity
Candle, beeswax (6)	5 cc	1/10	10’ radius, burns 1 hour
Hammer (small)	2	1
Healing kit	20	5	Herbs, salves, balms, sutures; heals +1 TGH with successful bind wounds contest.
Holy symbol, silver	25	1/5
Holy symbol, wood/stone	15	1/10
Holy water (1 phial)	25	1/10	10’/20’/30’ range
Iron spikes (12)	1	5 ea.
Lamp, oil	5	1/2	15’ radius, burns 4 hours
Lantern, candle (shuttered)	10	3	10’ radius (5’ wide cone), burns 1 hour, can be shuttered against wind
Lantern, candle	5	3	10’ radius, burns 1 hour
Mirror, small steel	5	1/2
Oil (1 flask)	2	1	4 uses in a lamp
Rations, iron	15	7	1 week preserved food
Rations, standard	5	20	1 week fresh food, can spoil
Sack, small	1	1/10	20 lb. capacity
Sack, large	2	1/2	60 lb. capacity
Thieves’ tools	25	10
Tinder box	3	1/2	Flint, steel, tinder (wood shavings), starts fire on 1-4 on 1d12
Torches (6)	1	2 ea.	30’ radius, burns 3 hours
Waterskin (1 quart)	1	1/5	1/2 lb. when filled
Wine (1 quart)	1	3	1/2 lb. when filled
TRANSPORT
Cart (2 wheels)	100	-	Pulled by 1-2 draft horses, or mules (2 mules = 1 horse); 400 lbs. (1-horse) and 800 lbs. (2-horse, full speed; 1-horse, half speed); cannot travel desert, forest, mountains, or swamp w/o a road; 80’/60’/80 yds./16 miles**
Horse, draft	400	-
Horse, riding	7,500	-
Horse, war	10,000	-
Mule	30	-	2 mules = 1 horse
Saddle & bridle	25	30	20 lb. capacity
Saddle bags	5	10	80 lbs. capacity
Wagon (4 wheels)	200	-	Pulled by 2-4 draft horses, or mules (2 mules = 1 horse); 1,500 lbs. (2-horse) and 2,500 lbs. (4-horse, full speed; 2-horse, half speed); cannot travel desert, forest, mountains, or swamp w/o a road; 80’/60’/80 yds./16 miles**
TREASURE
Coins, copper	10/1	200/1
Coins, gold	1/10	50/1
Coins, silver	1/1	100/1
Gem	Varies	100/1
Jewelry	Varies	1/2
Potion (phial)	Varies	5/1
Scroll	Varies	50/1
Rod	Varies	1
Staff	Varies	2
Wand	Varies	1

* Clothes include: undergarments; tunic and pants; gown; robe; or equivalent. All regular clothes assumed to weigh 5 pounds.

** Speed - Speeds listed are given in dungeon/fighting/town/overland arrangement.

WEAPONS

WEAPON	COST	WEIGHT	SIZE	NOTES
LIGHT (1d4)
20 arrows (+quiver)	5	1/3 (w/ quiver)	S
30 quarrels (+case)	100	2/4 (w/ case)	S
Axe, hand	30	3	S
Dagger	10	1	S
Bow, long	100	3	L
Bow, short	50	2	S
Sling (+25 stones)	5 cc	5	S	1 round to reload
Sword, short	20	3	S
MEDIUM (1d6)
Axe, battle	100	6	M
Club	5	3	M
Crossbow	300	4	S	1 round to reload
Javelin	50	2	M
Mace	100	4	M
Spear (lance)	100	2	M
Staff	50	4	M
Sword, normal	300	4	M
War hammer	150	4	M
HEAVY (1d8)
Sword, large	300	8	L
Polearm	150	20	L

* Ranged attack distances made with most melee weapons depend upon their size category, except for bows and select melee items.

WEAPON RANGES

WEAPON	SHORT	MEDIUM	LONG
MELEE WEAPONS
Very Light	15	30	45
Light	10	20	30
Medium	10	15	20
Heavy	5	10	15
RANGED WEAPONS
Bow, short	50	100	150
Bow, long	70	140	210
Bow, cross	60	120	180
Javelin	20	40	60
Sling (stone)	40	80	160
Spear	10	20	30

* Short = advantage; Medium = NA; Long = disadvantage

MELEE WEAPONS - Ranges in feet

RANGED WEAPONS - Ranges in yards

ARMOUR

ARMOUR	COST	WEIGHT	DEFENSE	MAX. DOD	NOTES
MISC.
Barding (for horses)	150	60	3	NA	Leather and metal plates
Breastplate	10	5	(+1)	-1	Metal or boiled leather; wear over clothes and armour, except plate; breastplates only protect against front attacks
Helm	5	1	-	-	Disadvantage to awareness skill contests; protects against head shots
Shield	10	5	(+1)	NA	May be used to guard adjacent targets in combat
VERY LIGHT
Heavy clothes	5	5	1	NA	Hot, heavy, doesn’t protect legs
Padded jerkin	10	2	1	NA	Spoils easily, doesn’t protect legs
LIGHT
Chain shirt	25	10	2	8	Doesn’t protect legs
Leather armour	30	15	3	8	Hard, boiled leather plates, includes helm
MEDIUM
Ring armour	45	20	4	7	Includes helm
HEAVY
Chain armour	300	30	5	6	Includes helm
Scale armour (splint armour)	400	45	6	6	Includes helm

CHAPTER 3: GAZETTEER

NOTE: Next to each entry is the cognate culture on Earth, for easy reference. Some are referenced loosely, other almost exactly. There is an underlying Celtic influence throughout the world's cultures.

THE SIX LANDS OF AELŴYDIR

THE BLACK CONTINENT (MESOAMERICA, MESOPOTAMIA, ETHIOPIA)

Once buried beneath the waves, the land only known as The Black Continent (because all who know of it fear to name it, lest they summon what dwells there) was raised up by the petty god, Krell, Lord of Black Waves, in order to seek dominance over the minds of the people of the world. Krell was defeated by the Kelts and Lumenorians during The Age of War, trapping the continent over the water where the formerly human slaves of Krell's children were able to settle as the land thrived under the sun. But, the years under Krell's rule made them mad, and zealous, and weak, especially in Mezok. They now fill the armies and temples of whatever petty god deems it meet to settle there, including their old masters, unwilling to wrest their own wills free enough to fight back or be themselves. The Zamaz went the other direction, and reclaimed their wills so fully it made them cruel and forceful, but, spiritless. Their jaguar god, Ocēlōtlek, is a ruthless hunter and killer, like his people now are. His influence led them to a new sense of reclaimed self-hood that is proud and aggrandising, hubristic. They are so like him now, they become jaguars to hunt, and even retain cat-like features, when in humanoid form. Other gods of various kinds settled the jungle, but, the people of Ocēlōtlek are the most outwardly savage and live near the northern edge. where most enter the jungle. The land as a whole is still named 'The Black Continent', but, not because of the tide of evil issuing from it, but, the name now refers to the various dark-skinned and dark-haired tribes of humans now living on it, but, primarily, to the rich, black soil that can be found all over its surface. Soil dense with nutrients and minerals that, once fed by the sun, helped the place spring to life faster than it might otherwise have. Iopa, a richly diverse land of ebon-skinned human tribespeople led by queens live like lions on the prairies, was not a part of The Black Continent, but, was forced next to it by its violent return to the surface world.

HEKAPHYX, LAND OF TOMBS (EGYPT)

A land of ancient power and war, Hekaphyx, of old, was a powerful and god-riddled land. Split between the three petty gods whose territories now bear their names, the two of them suffered under their contentious rule, while the third faught ardently to protect the sanctity of the place they lived in. Their children fought one another, bitterly. The Chaotic and evil piratic jackal men of Qûrs A and their allies, the snake men of Thûls A, fought hard and angry wars with the Lawful white vulture goddess, Shen-Ra, and her watchful white vulture men. They all now live among the ruins of their long-dead societies, protecting the wealth of their deceased from fortune-hunters and each other. Their gods have left the world and forgotten their servants, leaving them to struggle in a parched and barren land burnt by power-gone-mad. The gods' fight now takes place in the lands beyond, where their influence won't damage the world around them.

HRIM, LAND OF ICE (NORSE, INUIT)

Hrim is home to the terrible ice giants, and their tyrannical king, the Ice King, Hrimgrimar. They are not fond of other places, as the world is too warm for them, but, in days long past, they attempted to wash over Aelŵyd and claim it for Chaos. The gods stopped them by severing their land from Keltica through which they could have had access to the rest of the world. The diminutive hill gnomes of Mŵmŵk live here in fierce, settled tribes of hunter-gatherers, unlike their agrarian kin from the lands of Keltika. However, they are much hardier people, and appear slightly tanner and dress in furs and skins and make scrimshaw weapons and jewellery from the animals they hunt from the seas in their small canoes.

THE JADE ISLE (INDIAN+SHAOLIN, JAPANESE)

A mysterious and spiritual place, The Jade Isle is home to the fierce warlords of Aki, and the peaceful warriors of Ūzhū. The Jade Isle once included the drowned Land of Z. The people of Z were the slaves of the tyrant sorcerer emperor, Zi, the Mind-Flayer, and they fought hard to win their independence, but, at the last, as the warlords of Aki and Ūzhū were making an exit for the refugees and standing guard over the boundary between the lands, rather than see his people free, Zi summoned a tsunami so great, born on the back of a dragon wearing scales of the sea, it took all of the people of Z, and their land, down into the depths where they were lost. Many Ūzhū and Akian warriors were taken with the land that Zi sank with his great dragon. The people of Aki are aggrandising and courageous, strong of spirit, and good. They are devoted to their dragonfly goddess, Akizu of the Four Winds. The people of Ūzhū are also equally as devoted to their defiant warrior elephant god, Indru, They fight amongst each other, the two cultures, only because they have to maintain strict codes of conduct that demand satisfaction, when honour is in question. Mostly single duals, there are occasional wars, when leaders grow too aggrandising with one another and their way. Many philosophers have risen in that land to try to solve the problem of war and peace, which has given the Jade Island the reputation of 'The Isle of Sages'. Much peaceful and strategic wisdom comes from Ūzhū and Aki.

KELTIKA, LAND OF WAR (FINNISH, WELSH, NATIVE AMERICAN)

Keltica is the birthplace of humanity on Aelŵyd. Some tribes of humans migrated from the Land of War to all other place humans exist. The land is a staging ground for human defiance and heroic sentiment only rivalled by the tribes in Iopa, the sailors of Asham, and the fierce warriors of Aki. Elves and gnomes and humans share space on Keltika, and get along to varying degrees of success. The setting takes place here, in The Misty Bay area.

THRÖLL, CONTINENT OF SAVAGES (SCYTHIAN)

Thröll is a lush, dense forestland full of goblins. The Beast made this the home of his twisted creations. They fill the woods and hollows and dark places, warring amongst themselves and with the elves, and trying eagerly to overcome the elf-watched Emerald Palisade erected to keep the goblins back where they belong, in their own lands. One massive group of goblins left, and made its way to Keltica, but, the elves were able to stop any more from descending upon other parts of the world. The seas and lands north are too ice-choked and treacherous to traverse for long. South is the only economical way.

LEAGUE OF 4 CROWNS 

ANTŴRA (WELSH) - Antŵra is the home of the hill gnomes. It's nearly entirely covered in hills and and It is not very involved in trade with the other lands, but, it is part of the loose League of 4 Crowns, along with the Kingdoms of Calibor, Eräland, and Asham. They mostly keep to their own little hill communities, traveling between them trading goods and services they might need. They do not war with one another, generally only minour skirmishes, and murder is almost unheard of. They rely on their ability to blend into nature to save them from harm. Their settlements are few and far between, mostly farming villages led by male or female chieftains, all overseen by petty kings living in small towns like city-states. The high king or queen lives in Cánmor, City by the Sea. They generally do not like either Erälanders or Caliborian persons crossing their borders, but, permit light trade in rare border towns and along The Road, all heavily patrolled by spear- and shield-wielding police forces known as hedgepigs, often referred to individually as quills, just inside the Antŵran border. Cánmor is where the bards of Antŵra live and train to remember and relive the greatest moments in Keltik history. They travel freely throughout the lands entertaining others with their songs and deeds. Marŵ, City of Merchants, is a large yearly gathering place for Antŵran merchants and traders to honour their best craft achievements and show off their skill, but, year-round, every month there is a fair, and the best craftspeople are said to live there. The Dungeonwood Forest is where some of the tribes of hill gnomes live, only on the outskirts, where hedgepigs wander the edges. It’s a wild forest where evils and dark things hold sway the hedgepigs keep at bay. New hedgepigs are sent there to train by overcoming the dangers within, and extremely violent offenders are sent to live there for an amount of time suiting the crimes they committed, away from the peaceful lives of others. If they don’t return after that time, they are not retrieved. It is assumed the forest claimed them, somehow. 

Gods/Goddesses - The Lady of Light, and the petty gods Lady of Earth & Lord of Stone, though they favour and honour the bountiful, life-giving soil of the Lady of Earth, specifically.

Leader(s) - King Braŵn the Otter King & Queen Rhianna the Salmon Queen

Symbol(s) - A circular motif of an otter chasing a salmon (hill gnomes use metal-topped standards with cast animal motifs, and often use bronze horns in the shape of those totems)

Capital(s) - Cánmor, City of Songs

ASHAM (PRE-ISLAM ARABIC+MOORISH) - Asham is home to the fierce mariners of the Sun Sea. The sea reaches from the shores of Keltika to the Fire Coast of the Black Continent in the south where deep, savage jungles and tortuous desert breed hard people living in tribes led by wild chieftains and shamans. The region is comprised of the 12 tribes of Asham, ruled over by the Caliph of the Sun Goddess and Pirate Queen. The more settled Lawful towns located on the various Islands of the Sun are bound together in a theocracy ruled by 6 tribes, each overseen by a princess beholden to the Caliph of the Sun Goddess ruling from the City of the Sun, Ayún Asham, while the more Chaotic pirates are also divided into 6 tribes ruled by princes beholden to the Pirate Sultana, each operating from island and raft communities, while the Sultana herself lives aboard a ship and never settles, but, visits the various communities to dispense her justice and collect ‘tribute’ for her continued protection. The pirate princes practice slavery by taking male members of the opposing 6 tribes and men from the communities they raid, and sell them to the highest bidder, as well as keep them for themselves to be used in labour and crafts work aboard ships and in towns. The more settled towns overseen by the Lawful mariners are strict adherents of codes of honour and they do not deal lightly with the pirates, when caught, though the old loyalties from the days when they were one people ensure they do not kill one another, but, sell prisoners back for ransom, and maybe punish them severely. The princes and princesses are always trying to convince the other side to see the value of the other, and the cycles continues like that… The Pirate Sultana stays moving to evade the forces of the Caliph of the Sun Goddess who is always seeking her whereabouts. If she is caught, she is brought to the Citadel of the Sun where she is promptly killed in the hopes this will convince the other pirates to see the sense in way of Law. The princesses are ransomed, typically. When the Sultana dies, a new ruler is chosen from among the eldest of the children the Sultana's concubines produce. The Sun King is chosen the same way. Life in the City of the Sun is advanced and often ahead of its time. Medical knowledge and the sciences are cutting edge and men & women of learning gather there to debate. The names of each tribe are derived from the first prince or princess to have led it.

Gods/Goddesses - The Lady of Light (lawful); The Beast and The Sage (pirates)

Leader(s) - Caliph of the Sun Goddess Imramu & Sultana Baz’ Abba

Symbol(s) - A stylised radial gold sun ringed by gold on a round white field (individual princesses and their tribes have their own symbols) for the Caliph of the Sun Goddess; A gold closed right eye and open left eye surrounded by a silver ring on a dark round blue field (individual princes and their tribes have their own symbols). The open and closed eye is a common motif used by pirates to mark territory or send messages.

Capital(s) - Ayún Asham (City of the Sun), and the current ship of the Sultana, Âsifatun (The Tempest)

Princes (Lawful)

1. Âras (Prince Castañon) (G) - The Musicians of Âras (musicians and thespians, sometime dervishes, but, in pantomime, only)
2. Dandán (Prince Hazam) (N) - The Fisherfolk of Dandán (skilled sailors and fishermen)
3. Karka Dán (Prince Razon) (N) - The Nobles of Karkadán (isolationist warriors who put pride in their purity of spirit and bloodline; famous for their Dervishes of Litahdia)
4. Kyūthā (Prince Almanzor) (G) - The Unbreakable of Kyūthā (known for their brute strength and large size)
5. Noor (Prince Aban) (N) - The Scholars of Noor (tend to be scholars and scientists)
6. Rūk (Prince Ontañon) (G) - The Guardians of Rūk (sail around policing the waters of the Sun Sea, doing good, rescuing sailors).

Princesses (Chaotic)

1. Anka (Princess Amira) (N) - The Hawks of Anka (far-sighted and shrewd).
2. Bamut (Princess Bazzu) (N) - The Dragons of the Sea (fierce raiders, slavers, and warriors)
3. Hinn (Princess Amat) (E) - The Hounds of Hinn (ruthless and violent, usually mercenaries)
4. Lat (Princess Hulla) (E) - The Navigators of Lat (the best navigators).
5. Palis (Princess Saja) (E) - The Ghûls of Palis (known to be open worshippers of The Beast, but, still human - slightly cannibalistic, slavers)
6. Qareen (Princess Satara (N) - The Shadows of Qareen (often hired as assassins or spies, acquire more from subterfuge and shady dealings than raiding)

The 13th Tribe (G)

Muḡara (G) - The Exiles of Muḡara (mysterious and never encountered - cast out by both sides of the tribal schism for not trying to dominate, either way; their poetry is a mainstay, though it is often panned as fanciful and frivolous).

CALIBOR (EARLY ROMAN+WELSH) - The people of Calibor are egalitarian and cosmopolitan in their way, especially being a blend of the old Taryŵns and the much more urban Lumenorians. Though there is no real difference between men and women and the struggle between them not as difficult as other cultures, they are stratified some by the roles they tend to play. Men mostly do the fighting, though it is not unheard of for women to, when the need is great enough, or the home is threatened. Home life is simple, the hearth a symbol of good and logic over drama and chaos. They are adherents of Law and good and do not stand for the evils of the world to show their face in their lands, though it is often the heroes who stand up to face such darkness, rather than the lower classes who keep the fields and tend the livestock. However, if the aristocracy fails to uphold its side of the bargain and abuses the lives of the people, they will rise up and take their lands back and put new lords and ladies from among them on the throne. There is a sense of respect between the people and their rulers. In a world where agrarian and subsistence farming is hard, and skills and crafts are hard-won, theft is heavily punished, and stolen good are watched out for. The people watch out for one another, and know each others’ work, in the small communities common in this land. Knights work the fields with their peasants and aid in the grooming of the land for survival, and march to war and good deed in times of duress. Adventure-seekers are seen as trouble, in many ways, as they threaten the status quo and upset the balance, even when they are up to good. Such things are left to the knights and the soldiery of the land. Poetry abounds about brave knights and warriors chosen by The Lady of Light, endowed with luck and skill to fight the darkness, wooing princesses and beautiful maidens. No one really abuses this system, which can be a problem, when things go awry in the lands, as the peasantry waits for the officials to show them the way or fight for them. Their primary concern is comfort and aggrandising their heroes, rather than being heroes themselves, especially after the last age. The lives of Caliborians is broken into three classes: the Priests of Light, the warriors, and the labourers, which is an influence the Lumenorians brought with them. More complex than the much more basic agrarian Taryŵnish lifestyle. And often those who labour sit and pray with the priests waiting for those who fight to show up. Often adventurers are needed, as darkness still exists, and the forces of evil rampant in the world. The monarch, the king or queen, sits at the top of this structure, obeying their role in the hierarchy, as well. There is trade with the Lawful tribes of Asham, and little tension exists between them. The need for the League of 4 Crowns puts the blended Caliborians at peace with the other powers, but, they find the Erämi uncouth and chaotic and the hill people of Antŵra too idyllic and weak-willed. The civil strife that exists between the holdout Lumenorians and Taryŵnish takes place mostly in the outlying country, where the old traditions are hard to overcome or compromise around. The Lumenorians find the rural Taryŵnish brutish and simple, like their old symbol, the bull, and the Taryŵnish find the holdout Lumenorians too elitist and aggrandising, like the cockerel they represent. The nearby elves are viewed with suspicion and seen as too sorcerous and chaotic. Their primary concern is maintaining watch over the boundary with the Witchlands of Strixia, of which they strictly adhere to. They would tolerate monsters over undead, and might allow some monsters to live in their lands, if they don’t cause any trouble for anyone, even making occasional sacrifices to ensure peace.

Gods/Goddesses - The Lady of Light

Leader(s) - King Oraxus III and Queen Ilda

Symbol(s) - A red cockerel bull on a field half white, the other half with checkered blue and yellow, in the shape of a heater shield

Capital(s) - Dôrgon, City of Light

ERÄLAND (FINNISH) - Eräland, home of the Keltic forest nomads of old, is where the elves and humans met in mutual agreement to fight the forces of evil and Chaos during The First War. Afterward, they stayed in the same land and blended together to create the courageous Erämi. They are still friendly with the elves of The Wild Wood of Kor. Those were the elves who did not agree with the blending of cultures and preferred their own isolation and protected woods to the aggrandising human world that often overlooked the land around them and preferred to live in artificial environment over the house of nature. The Erämi have inherited this love of nature and wander the lands in search of salmon, elk, and acts of courage. Some few are settled, like those living in the cities Karhō and Angon, and the forest people of Lakewood, who fish The Five Lakes region, but, the majority are wanderers, traveling from the southern marshy plains in the winter to the Ironwood Forest in the north in the winter time. They are excellent hunters, preferring the bow and spear to sword and axe, but use both as weapons as much as tools. During the Strixian Apocalypse, the Erämi resisted tooth and nail and made it impossible for the Empire to conquer them, totally by establishing a second city, Angon, where they met Strixian invasion where they thought they could sneak in using the old road the once goodly imperial Lumenoria, built to facilitate trade. They were instrumental in throwing off the yoke of Strixian rule, as the Taryŵnish, for all their stubborn heroism, were at first content to allow the chains of empire to tame them. When it was revealed the ambitions of that empire led the people to The Beast and immoral zeal for evil, then the Taryŵnish rose up and rallied the 12 Tribes of Asham and overthrew the necromancer Empress, with help from the hill gnomes, elves of Kor, and mountain gnomes of Morwill, at the last. For years after, the entirety of Keltika was dedicated to the eradication of Strixian influence. It was in this spirit the League of 4 Crowns was born, in the event another catastrophe like the Apocalypse should take place and another evil rise under the noses of the goodly people of the land. The practical and simple Erämi fear the classicist Caliborians will allow some other war to take place on their doorstep, despite the infusion of Lumenorian clarity and foresight. Erämi chieftains owe their allegiance to the King and/or Queen dwelling in Karhō whom they respect and serve out of friendship, not fear or fealty. Moots are held in Karhō to organise land deeds and deal with any politics there may be. The lands are mostly left to the chieftains to run. There is light war between them, mostly to settle land debts, and the Lakewood people are very clannish and do not want the other Erämi involved in their ways. It is said these Erämi are more elf than man, but, they will trade with the nomads and visit the King’s Moot, yearly, for their say in the running of the land. Primarily, now that the Strixian threat is all but removed, the Erämi can turn their attention again to the Steppelands of Xoár and The Forbidden Lands. Erämi taste for adventure, song, and great deeds is satisfied in their land, as it is not totally settled, and in need of policing. The wanderers have the benefit of visiting old sites, yearly, to see any changes, anything out of place, and may deal with any incursions, which they relish, as it allows them to stay active and enjoying the physical act of being alive.

Gods/Goddesses - The Lady of Light, The Sage, The Vale Walker

Leader(s) - King Arhonen & Queen Satu, and the princess errant, Ainada 

Symbol(s) - A black bear playing a harp on a round green field (Karhō), and a broken spear over a black boar on a round yellow field (Angon); the semi-nomadic chieftains carve large wooden animal totems they place on wooden spears, and paint, with attached animal tails, or feathers, representative of the animal totem of the tribe.

Capital(s) - Karhō, City of the Bear

OTHER LANDS

KOR (FINNISH+NATIVE AMERICAN) - The elven land of Kor is ancient. One of the first lands to be established in Keltika by the gods. They honour The Lady of Light, The Sage, and the more responsible form of The Beast, which many find objectionable. He wasn’t always bad, they say, because they remember when he wasn’t, being so long-lived. And they know that facing the darkness inside is what amounts to balance. They feel that, somehow, by remembering who he was, they stand a chance at resisting the same fate, which is what they think permits such evils among the other races among their own kind. Forgetting the good when evil is present. The elves are not very reactionary, and act slowly, when events are escalating, preferring to weigh contents in the situation rather than act prematurely or immodestly. They value their own integrity, and the integrity of their own land and the forest, over fast action, which may lead to ruin. Their gryphons are much the same way. They have far-reaching vision and do not brook fools or allow guilt to sway their opinion. They have no king or queen, ruling over them all, but, instead, live in small kingdoms of hunters and gathers, much like the tribes of Erämi. They only gather in times of great need and respect the boundaries of each tribe , immensely. They may bicker and fight, occasionally, but, they do not war with one another. Their wood is rife with adventure and even evil, as they lands is too big to police, and the ancient magics there too numerous to contend with, so they pick out their plots and do the best they can to support one another in times of need, and have no problems leaving some evils to sleep, while they deal with more pressing concerns, despite the fact they do not like that evil in their lands. They can abide it for momentary focus on other problems. They enjoy life, feasting and riding on hunts, often, in equal parts male and female parties, and enjoy strong drink, art, and festivities, immensely. Despite their stoic natures, they take life lightly, and honour the dragonfly, most, of all forest creatures, as it reminds them to think and feel lightly, and stay moving lest the evils creep in and take control. As The Beast’s current predicament teaches them. They often see him as a child, and treat his brood accordingly, like they, too, are children to be chided for bad behaviour. The various tribes honour the gods differently, and some not at all, while others deal with petty gods or creatures of the wood. There are even tribes of elves elsewhere, like in the Catswood, and Ravenhöl, and the Willow King’s Wood, though these are more or less friendly with men, and have no dealings with the Wild Wood elves of Kor, their progenitors. The gryphon riders are a special, wandering police force, a tribe that has watch points throughout the Wild Wood. They permit no one of human ilk to enter. Even the Erämi, whom they tolerate. The elves are the children of The Vale Walker, called Erä by the elves and the Erämi, and The Lady of Light. 

Gods/Goddesses - The Lady of Light, The Sage, The Beast, The Vale Walker

Leader(s) - Various

Symbol(s) - Various, but, they tend toward artistic representations of animals as totems per tribe, that they decorate their armour (in the form of moulded boiled leather, and formed metal shields and cuirasses and crest-holders on helmets) and persons with in the form of jewellery.

Capital(s) - Various

MORWILL (WELSH) - Living deep within the mountain of Mynydd Aŵr in the city of the same name, deep in the heart of the Misty Forest, the mountain gnomes are even more isolationist than the elves of Kor. They maintain a strict boundary around their land and patrol their portion of the Cloud Mountains, regularly, to ensure their peace is protected. They have not involved themselves in the affairs of the world since the days of The First War. Mountain gnomes are rigidly disciplined and play little role, if any, in the affairs of any society. Long ago, their expert craftsmanship benefitted even the gods. Today, they serve no one and nothing, but their own whims. They might be helpful toward others in times of great need, but, their clan leaders are fiercely independent and might exact a heavy price for such help. Occasionally, other tribes and individuals may find their way to other parts of the world to seek out and bring back special materials to share with their kin. Such clans are rare and when discovered may be more likely to interact with others, as they know they are at greater risk and may need supplies and/or information to help them survive the rigours of Keltika’s landscape. They are enemies of Chaos and will fight it, whenever possible. Another reason they may involve themselves in human or elfin affairs. But, only these errant clans may partake in these events, and would never bring that drama with them back to Mynydd Aŵr. The gnomes were the first to find the runes left by The Sage. They use them in their enchantments and carve them deeply into stone and wood to make powerful wards against danger, and strong magics to fight the forces of Chaos. Male gnomes are the workers in the forges and the guardians of their realm, while the women tend the hearth, protecting it fiercely and loyally from outside forces. It is said female mountain gnomes are fiercer at home than any mountain gnome on the field. Hill gnomes have similar claims among their own kind, but, in a kinder way.

Gods/Goddesses - The Lady of Light, The Sage, The Lord of Stone and Lady of Earth

Leader(s) - King Manaŵydd and Queen Eiraŵyn

Symbol(s) - The mountain rune, Hŵrmynydd, inside a square. It's common for mountain gnome tribes to associate with runes or combinations of them in ways that represent ideas, protection, etc., artistically depicted inside geometric shapes. Squares are for royalty, triangles for merchants, and circles for warriors, the three majour classes of society. Any others use the runes by themselves, no geometric shape. They don’t use standards in battle, but, might paint their clan rune on a shield and carve runes into various materials for protection, luck, and other intentions, etc. Almost everyone has a rune to represent themselves to mark areas and leave messages

Capital(s) - Mynydd Aŵr

STRIXIA (EARLY ROMAN) - Strixia is the home of the aggrandising Strixian Witch Lords and their vile brood. Once good and helpful, extremely disciplined and organised Lumenorians responsible for bringing good and law into the world, they fell into the chaotic ways of The Beast, and collapsed from the inside out during the reign of the undead monarch, Empress Vampyra, and her ruthless Witch Lords, after she established the Cult of Strixa, The Witch Queen, which signalled the arrival of the tragic Strixian Apocalypse when Vampyra and her closest generals took oaths of service to become the aggrandising Witch Lords. Ever since, even the people who remained turned their attentions to acts of necromancy and power grabs concerning the lands of central Keltika. Their own considerable territory became a barren and lifeless, haunted landscape where shadows and other evil creatures from the darkest nightmares lurk in every shadow. The current imperial leader is Empusa, a powerful undead creature descended from Vampyra, herself. She is cruel and cunning, and she does not like that her people had to leave the lands of Keltika by force. She particularly hates the rangers of Eräland, and the militant Dawn Patrol, whose interference spelled the end of her predecessor’s reign, and the ruin of many plans set in motion and planned for millennia. The one thing the undead have is time. Time to plan, patiently, and sedately, as they slumber or rest while the time to act approaches. Strixians practice slavery of every kind in their lands, preferring others perform their labour for them, instead of doing it, honestly. They are not fond of The Beast’s goblin children, but, tolerate them to get work done in a hurry, and to spread the rule of Chaos throughout the lands of Keltika. Often, particular Witch Lords, generals in the Emrpess’s army, are sent to gather forces or supplies, using old ruins and caves as bases of operation, where they know the chances of discovery are less.

Gods/Goddesses - The Beast & The Witch Queen (Strixa)

Leader(s) - Empress Empusa

Symbol(s) - An owl skeleton with a human skull with red eyes and fangs, wings outstretched, on a black or red square field (standards include a bronze representation of the Strixian Owl with the human skull set atop it over the flag) and painted on shields to create fearsome visages. The Strixian skull or owl is a common motif painted on shields and moulded or painted on cuirasses or breastplates.

Capital(s) - Nekrosia, City of the Dead (formerly Luxia, City of Light)

XOÁR (SCYTHIAN) - There is little to say of Xoár that hasn’t already been said. It is a land of constant warfare and aggrandising as the goblins war for power and influence. They are mostly concerned with themselves, but will got out of their way to cause trouble for the goodly races. There are no kings, just chieftains leading clans of barbaric warriors awaiting their chance to crush the mainland Kelts. The Xoárians exist in small numbers outside the Traitor’s Peaks, looking for any foothold to help them break the forces of good and light. There is an occasional Goblin King, but, that is rare, and usually only lasts a short time, as they frequently die in challenges or other foolish gambles.

Gods/Goddesses - The Beast and/or one or more other evil, bestial petty gods.

Leader(s) - Various

Symbol(s) - Various

Capital(s) - None

CHAPTER 4: THE GODS

THE TRIAD

THE BEAST (CHAOS) 

Portfolio - Darkness, chaos, evil, tyranny, destruction, ignorance, chance

Other Names - Alanid (‘The Wilful’, Ashamite Pirates), Kahyun (‘The Betrayer’, Ashamite Caliphate), Angŵyl (‘The Beast’, gnomes), Tuhö (‘Ravager’, elves), Fordonen (‘Destroyer’, Erämi), Malgönŵr (‘The Beast’, Caliborians), Ulaisar (‘The Twin God’, Strixia), The Master (goblins and evil beings)

Symbol(s) - A gold coin, generally with two busts facing different directions, one a man with curly hair and gentle smile, the other a man’s face with bestial features, like fangs and horns; a black wolf, rat, snake, or bat with red eyes, monsters

Location - The Beastlands, The Fortress of Shadow

Appearance - The Beast appears as either a handsome, clean-shaven, red-skinned man with black hair and brown eyes, white teeth, and strong physique, dressed in a black or gray tunic, gold jewellery, and sandals, or a savage, black-furred wolf-like man with goat horns and fangs, the tusks of a boar, and red, burning eyes filled with lust and rage; or a black, shadowy version of any of the animals that symbolise him, all with red burning eyes

Temples/Shrines - The Red Temple (Strixia), unholy shrines everywhere else.

Priests - Priests of The Beast have a variety of names and orders, but, generally, they all dress in black or red robes, carry special weapons or daggers for sacrifice, wear sandals or shoes on their feet, wear or bear some symbol of The Beast representing savagery. Militant priests wear a black or red tabard or robe with the symbol of The Beast somewhere on it, on a shield, etc., and carry weapons appropriate for their order, usually blackened or wicked-looking, in some way.

THE LADY OF LIGHT (LAW)

Portfolio - Light, law, good, travellers, justice, prophecy

Other Names - Asham Aladi (‘The Sun of Justice’, all Ashamites), Gŵardra (‘Guardian’, gnomes), Sueliä (‘Protector’, elves & Erämi), Ilumiŵra (Lady of Light, Caliborians), Eversora (‘Destroyer’, Strixia), She Who Reveals (goblins and evil beings)

Symbol(s) - A sun, primarily, or balanced scales, a shield, an arrow, sparrows, hawks and falcons, and eagles

Location - The Isle of Wonder, The Palace of the Sun

Appearance - The Lady of Light is a pale-skinned, beautiful woman with golden blonde hair braided and bound up in loose arrangement, clear blue eyes, white tunic, leather sandals, an aegis of gold with a sun boss upon the breast, a white cloak, bearing a golden bow that shoots flaming arrows of light, and a gold shield that can produce light akin to that of the sun.

Temples/Shrines - Temples of Eternal Light (Calibor), Temples of the Sun (Asham), simple shrines in other lands.

Priests - Priests of Light (Calibor), Priests of the Sun Goddess (Asham). Priestly garments are yellow tabards over whatever armour the character is wearing. When not in armour, priests wear long loose robes cinched at the waist, and sandals or shoes. The exact style depends on the priest. The Caliphate’s priests wear light, linen robes, while the Caliborians wear wool. Otherwise armour remains the same for each culture, when priests are militant.

THE SAGE (NEUTRALITY)

Portfolio - History, knowledge, magic, writing, time

Other Names - Ālim (‘The Scholar’, Ashamite Pirates), Kafiramadi (‘Grey Infidel’, Ashamite Caliphate), Téthŵyr (‘Traveler’, hill gnomes), Harŵn (‘Rune Sower’, mountain gnomes), Harmatku (‘Gray Wanderer’, elves & Erämi), Pelerin (‘Wanderer’, Caliborians), Magus (‘The Magician’, Strixia), Old Wise One (goblins and evil beings)

Symbol(s) - An open eye surrounded by the runes of knowledge, or an open eye inside a white circle, a quill and scroll or book, ravens, owls, and crows

Location - The Hall of Time

Appearance - The Gray One, as he is often called, appears in various guises, young and old, and anything in-between, in gray, as an observer and occasional active participant.

Temples/Shrines - Only shrines, wherever there is learning taking place.

Priests - None, though wizards worship the ground he walks upon, because they think he will grant them knowledge eternal, though the truly wise know not to seek too ardently, and to be wary of learning too much, lest madness take you… As the saying goes, ‘If you want to learn, he will teach you…’

OTHER POWERS

A variety of powers, the children of The Lady of Light and The Beast, as well as children of other lesser beings, live in the world and beyond it in the realms of the gods. They become the targets of cults or look for servants, themselves, in order to draw on the favour of their worshippers to gain power in the world. Demons are petty gods, but, petty gods can also be saints or other lesser powers operating in the world, such as unicorns, and other beings capable of bestowing power and miracles, even just occasional blessings, upon devoted followers. A few common lesser powers are listed below.

AKIZU OF THE FOUR WINDS - A powerful healer and warrior, Akizu fought on the side of Law for a long time, until she decided she wanted to rule a land of her own and train her own warriors of virtue and responsible behaviour. The land is ruled by honour-bound swordswomen, Shōbushi (‘flying warrior’), under fierce female warlords, the Shōkizu (‘flying dragonfly’). Honourless wanderers, former Shōbashi known as Bōkizu (‘dead dragonflies’) wander the land as villains or heroes. All are devout followers of Akizu. Her wings represent the four elements, the four winds, and the four classes of society (rulers, warriors, merchants, and labourers).

ÁLBORŴN, LORD OF EMERALD LEAVES - King of the Enchantians, also called Faerie King. He rules on Enchantia and presides over the world and maintains its peace from his Emerald Court and Emerald Throne.

AMALTHEA, THE HEALER - A single-horned horse-fish petty god of horses, sea creatures of good quality, and healing. She contends directly with the Lords of the Sea. Her symbols are the sea unicorn and land unicorn.

APSKYLLA, THE TREACHEROUS - A fish petty god who controls predatory animals of the oceans with her will. Her children are the various fishman tribes located deep beneath the earth and waters.

ASHTAR, THE WATCHER - A fierce, bold, half-rock pigeon, half-man with wings. He is watchful and proud, a protector of love and familes, and harbinger of death by old age.

BORSHŴVU, THE ARCHER - The fierce sparrow god of the Enkŵ, a fiercely territorial sparrow people living in lower mountain forest regions where they build small, warlike bands of familial tribal communities, called ‘nests’.

ERÄ, THE VALE WALKER - A large bear man who is said to visit those in need. A great warrior from the days of old who served the gods of light and law.

GNARL, THE LIGHT-EATER - The nasty and brutish troll god, Gnarl, is a hater of all things bright and cheery, and possessed of an insatiable gnawing hunger and desire to dominate others. He is not smart, but, cunning enough. He rules through fear and utter tyranny.

GRYGAXIS, THE DOMINATOR - An octopus demon from another world. His purpose is to enslave all of Aelŵydir, not for chaos or law or neutrality, but, for himself. He cares nothing for the natural order of things, and only for his own designs. He is the enemy of all life. He wants to rebuild his lost empire, and bring an entire world to its knees.

HRIMGRIMAR, THE LIVING MOUNTAIN - Or simply Hrim, the living mountain, Hrimgrimar is a massive glacial mountain whose children, the ice giants, were born from calving parts of himself that fall into the Hrim’s Ring, the moat of water that surrounds The Ice King.

INDRU, THE DEFIANT - The elephant-headed Indru stayed behind on Aelŵydir for the same reason Akizu did. To try to influence humans and make them see that peace, though it must be fought for, occasionally, is paramount, especially from within.

KŌDEMAK, THE PROUD - A lion-headed warrior who fought on the side of Law. His ways are courage and honour, despite all opposition, and he brooks no fools. The Iopians like him for his directness and strength, but, fear him for his temper and demanding nature. He is a champion of women, who, for ages, had no rights or place in the society, until Kōdemak arrived with his pride of lionesses who keep him company and protect his temple. Women now rule strongly in Kōdemak, and lead the armies as fierce warriors with spear, sword, and bow.

THE LADY OF EARTH & LORD OF STONE - Inseparable, known as Madara and Taderrig, respectively, to the gnomes, they are their mother and father. They have no symbols, but likenesses of them are carved and depicted in small shrines and art.

LORDS OF THE SEA - 3 sea demons born to The Beast and the Sea Witch, Apskalla the Treacherous.

• KARKUS, LORD OF THE SAND - A giant crab/lobster monster demon warrior who serves the forces of chaos. He and his humanoid, crab-like brood are eaters of dead things, but, also hunters of the living, and servants of Chaos and evil.
• KRAXIS, LORD OF THE DEEP - A cephalopod monster servant of Chaos and evil who has humanoid cephalopod followers who control the mind through suggestion, but, are themselves weak and vulnerable to attacks, so they have their victims do it for them.
• KRELL, LORD OF BLACK WAVES - A giant black sea monster servant of Chaos and evil in the shape of a jellyfish. His people control humans by turning them into slaves. The jellyfish beings float in and above water using their magic, can crawl using their stinging tentacles, and come to rest on top of the head, and gain control over the minds of their victims. His brother is The Lord of the Deep.

OCĒLŌTLEK, THE DEVOURER - The savage jaguar god, and god of jungle cats, in general, is a powerful and violent tyrant and hunter. He is ruthless and cunning predator, patient and calculating, and forceful.

PHANG, THE POISONER - A vile lizard demon, the father of troglodytes, is a treacherous and cunning villain. He is smart, and aggrandising, ambitious, and political.

STRIXA, THE WITCH QUEEN - A vampiric, power-hungry goddess of the undead who has the power to bring corpses back to life as ghoulish servants.

YARK, THE IMP KING - Yark is a simple and quiet dog to Gnarl who uses him to fill his armies with his children. Yark appears pig-like, acts like a coward, and uses his cunning to play others against one another to avoid doing anything himself. His children, the imps, are the same way, relying on others to lead them than leading themselves, though they resent it.

CHAPTER 5: BRIEF TIMELINE OF EVENTS & COSMOLOGY

THE STRUGGLE BETWEEN LAW & CHAOS - The Sage wrote them into being, the law and chaos, and has been chronicling the events ever since. The Lady and the Beast are old lovers, and famous enemies. They created the world together, but, are constantly at odds. They do not like or listen to one another, yet, cannot resist each other. It is said, just as at the beginning of the world, the end will come when they rejoin and come together to give birth to a new universe.

THE 10 AGES

1. THE AGE OF TIME - ‘The Emptiness was vibrating, so full of potential… So, I decided to write about it…’ The Sage awakens in the darkness and knows he is lonely. He takes up his quill and scroll and begins a story to keep himself entertained, writing into being first company. The Lady of Light and The Beast are born.
2. AGE OF CREATION - Immediately, The Lady of Light and The Beast create the world of Aelŵydir together. The Lady and Beast each provide the light and dark the world needs, in equal measures.
3. THE AGE OF GODS - The Lady of Light gives birth to many petty gods and other lesser beings of some power. They go forth and begin populating that world with life.
4. THE AGE OF MADNESS - The Beast was known to continually fall prey to his own ego and pride. He begins to exhibit physical changes when he experiences these moods. To control them, The Lady of Light plays a magical harp every night to soothe him and prevent him from falling into complete darkness and changing completely into a beast. To further help with this, The Lady has the mountain gnomes make two orbs to place in the sky. One, the golden Sun, to provide light when she is absent, and the bright silver Moon, tied to the phases of The Beast’s moods, to draw off some of his power, and vent it by allowing it to spill slowly over the world and cause a very little madness to balance the light. It is not enough, however, for, one night, The Beast steals the Harp and flees to a place of darkness where his transformation is able to complete.
5. THE AGE OF DRAGONS - The first and oldest dragons are born, brought into existence by their creator, the powerful dragon god and favoured son of The Beast, Drákōn. They begin devouring everything to satisfy their voracious appetites. The gnomes make The Lady of Light, the other gods, and the elves beautiful objects of magic to fight the dragons, but, the fights were individual, and rare, because the gods’ power was too great. The gods decided to leave the world, lest they destroy it, seeing what power they possessed at work against powerful forces like the dragons could do. The Lady of Light knew she had to capture The Beast, but, also knew that to protect the world, she would have to separate from him, and her chances of recovering The Harp ruined, for awhile. She and the various forces joined The Beast in The 4 Realms in their various places of interest or belonging, and there remained.
6. THE FIRST AGE OF HEROES - The elves and gnomes had been created by Erä and Madara and Taderrig during the Age of Gods, but, The Lady of Light seeded the planet with a mewling race of beings she hoped would rise up to do battle with the forces of darkness. Imbued with good, strong, and stoic, allies for good, she’d hoped they would be the weapon she needed. But, The Beast thwarted her, and touched them, making them more likely to be controlled by their feelings and urges, and made them more fragile, and in need of watchfulness to make sure they did not stray from themselves. The Lady of Light made herself known to the humans, and guided them in efforts to keep them good, for the basic tendency was in them, and just needed reminders, and perspective in the face of cruelty and evil. Still, some of them strayed and joined the forces of darkness. This age lasted many years, as the good in humanity still outweighed their evil. They fought small skirmishes with one another, went out to do great deeds, like slaying monsters and dragons, and loved and made peace for the world. This was the age Keltika was established and the original Keltic human tribes flourished throughout the lands.
7. THE SECOND AGE OF HEROES - The Beast continues creating, twisting the things he created with his counterpart into unbearable, monstrous copies meant to challenge and vex and eventually destroy the good in the world. These new beings overrode whole kingdoms and for a time took over many good lands and destroyed much beauty, overwhelming the goodly races with their sheer voracious hunger and ferocity, empowered by the maddening moon, when it was full. The end of this age was marked by The First War, when the forces of elves and gnomes and the human Kelts stopped the hordes of goblins and drove them back to the plains northwest of the Keltic lands. It was now The Lady of Light deemed it right to intervene. Unable to visit the world without blinding and burning everyone with the use of her power, she sent some to raise the land between the forces of good and evil, creating the Traitor’s Peaks. The plains were thrust upward into the cold atmosphere.
8. THE AGE OF WAR - This age saw regular war with the forces of evil, as the Keltic tribes grew apart and traveled over the world and eventually became the modern lands, after many rose and fell fighting one another, monsters, and other horrors of the old world. By the middle of the age onward, The Erämi fought with incursions from Xoár and dragons, the Ashamites warred amongst themselves. The pirates occasionally invade the other islands for resources, including slaves, while the Lumenorians defend their lands from the aggrandising Lord of the Black Waves, a creature of the deeps, a demon of horrible power and enmity for good. His sea people nearly overcame the kingdom, if not for the intervention of the Taryŵn, who, until that time, had mostly been dealing with giants and goblins, the occasional dragon, and the power of a dark sorcerer, The Necromancer, whose mountain stronghold and magical slaves took years to overcome and destroy. Once freed of the sorcerer, a selection of warrior chieftains and soldiers of the Tarŵn, Lumenorian soldiers, Erämi warriors, and even a handful of elves and gnomes sailed to The Black Continent, which had risen above the water enough to invade Keltika, and dealt the fatal blow to the Lord of the Black Waves, locking his land above the waters where it eventually turned to lush jungle and arid desert, and the old slaves of the Lord of the Black Waves settled there and prospered.
9. THE AGE OF EMPIRE - The Lumenorians grow to prominence. Eventually, one of their queens invades the other kingdoms with the intention to unify them under the protective banner of Lumenoria and build a massive road through all the lands. Taryŵn, thinking their old friends meant them well, allowed it, and convinced the gnomes of Antŵra to follow suit, as they were old allies. The elves flat out refused. All of them. And no one wanted to fight those old heroes. The Erämi also refused and fought briefly with the Lumenorians and Taryŵns before finally allowing The Road to help facilitate trade with the other lands, as their ultimate goal was good relations with their fellow Kelts, even if they didn’t agree with them, but, nothing more. And they would monitor and own that portion of road, but, the other lands could use it to trade, only. For a time, a long time, there was peace, as the Lumenorian presence actually enhanced relations with the other lands. But, at the end of this age, the Empress Vampyra introduced Strixa to her people and demanded they follow her, thus ushering in the Strixian Apocalypse. Those Lumenorians who did not wish to join were either forced to as undead, or fled to Taryŵn where they were taken in as refugees. Calibor, today, is a contentious mix of the two.
10. AGE OF APOCALYPSE - This age did not last long, but, long enough to do damage and end in outright warfare that devastated all the lands of Keltika. Even the elves and mountain gnomes fought, which was a rarity. By the time Vampyra was eventually destroyed, the whole world was in ruin, and no one wanted to join forces, any longer. The forces of The Beast thrived some and heroes were spent or dead, from years of conflict. Priests and mercenary warriors roamed the realms, removing any remaining Strixian influence from their lands, individually. The fact that the threat came from within, the Strixians had access to The Road, and used it well, was a wound that felt physical for everyone involved. The sickness came from within, and they had all allowed it.
11. THE AGE OF RESTORATION - This was the end of the 10 Idyllic Ages, and the beginning of the the Age of Restoration, when The League of 4 Crowns was established by the union of The Cockerel, the last King of Lumenoria, Calibor IV, and his wife, the Taryŵnish Queen, Aryŵ the Good, and much was healed, but, even still, the peace of old was shattered, and relations between the Kelts was strained, for the first time. The world is healing from the aftermath of The Strixian Apocalypse, and the people of the various lands are happy to remain in their homes, licking their wounds, taking care of the hearth, and staying out of much trouble. Despite the need to heal, however, there is still the threat of invasion, as the Strixians were not destroyed, just stopped, and the hordes of goblins remain, as do occasional visits and trouble from evil dragons and other monsters… The world is far from safe… The League ensures the Kelts are unified by trade and commitment to aid the others in times of duress, but, nothing more. The Antŵra, being most like humans, are the only ancient magical race to become a part of the League. Tensions in Calibor are high between the refugee Lumenorians and the native Taryŵns.

AN ACCOUNTING OF TIME

THE 12 KELTIC MONTHS (THE CALIBORIAN CALENDAR)

The year is divided into 2 halves, as is custom among the Kelts. The light and dark halves. The light half is from mid-spring through mid-autumn; the dark half is from mid-autumn through mid-spring. The first of the year is the first day of spring. There are 12 months, in the way of the Lumenorians, of 30 days each, equaling 360 days a year. There are 3 months per season. The moon waxes (waking) and wanes (slumbering) 12 days, each, then each new and full moon last approximately 3 days each, when they are at their peak. The 12 Caliborian months are named with the old Erämi in mind, but, changed, some, by Calibor, himself, with the aid of his wife, in an effort to appease those people while establishing both a trade language and calendar everyone could use:

KELTIC MONTH*

SEASON	EARLY	MIDDLE	LATE
SPRING	Myrskalun (Storming)	Kukivalun (Flowering)	Liekelun (Flaming)
	The Golden Harp	The Rose of Renewal	The World Tree
SUMMER	Sadonkorlun (Harvesting)	Keskipälun (Midday)	Hämäränlun (Twilight)
	The Lady of Light	The Shield	The Sword
AUTUMN	Elonkorlun (Reaping)	Mesästylun (Hunting)	Iltalun (Evening)
	The Gryphon	The Sage	The Dragon
WINTER	Mustalun (Black)	Keskiyönlun (Midnight)	Sarastalun (Dawn)
	The Torch	The Quill	The Beast

* Below each month is the constellation that becomes visible during that month, until it ends.

The Scroll of Time - The aurora, which is viewable from anywhere is referred to as ‘The Scroll of Time’ and attributed to The Scribe.

The holidays are as follows:

SEASON	EARLY	MIDDLE	LATE
SPRING	Spring Equinox (Myrskalun 21)	Fool’s Day (Kukivalun 1)	Flame Festival (Liekalun 1)
SUMMER	Summer Solstice (Sadonkorlun 21)	Midday Festival (Keskipälun 15)	Twilight Festival (Hämäränlun 1)
AUTUMN	Autumn Equinox (Elonkorlun 21)	Death Day (Mesästylun 30)	Eventide Festival (Iltalun 1)
WINTER	Winter Solstice (Mustalun 21)	Midnight Festival (Keskiyönlun 15)	Dawn Festival (Sarastalun 1)

THE KELTIC WEEK

The Keltic week is broken up into seven day periods, much like our own:

WEEKDAY	ACTIVITY*
Boraday (Morning)	Work
Mintinday (Midmorning)	Work
Meriday (Midday)	Work
Abarday (Evening)	Work
Nocday (Night)	Rest
Krísnocday (Midnight)	Rest

* The way of old Kelts of an agrarian lifestyle is to attend to certain duties during different times of the week, to compartmentalise and make easier different labours necessary around the farm and land. Husbandry one day, washing, the next, mending, the next, raking, etc.

CHAPTER 6: THE WORLDS ABOVE AND BEYOND

THE HEAVENS

THE SUN - The Shield of The Lady of Light, or just ‘The Shield’, the Sun reminds all that the world is watched by the light and offers hope to all that darkness will end, and the world returned to goodness and happy times for all. But, it is also a reminder that truth reveals all, and that light can burn.

THE MOON - The Eye of The Beast, or simply, The Eye, is a constant reminder that even though The Shield may ride high in the sky during the day, The Beast wakes, and should, to maintain the balance, but, such times are difficult, for the hordes of goblins thrive. They can be active in a light that doesn’t destroy or annoy them, and feel empowered by the watchful eye of their creator.

THE STARS - The stars are the tears of light The Lady of Light shed for her partner, when he turned into a monster. She was so saddened at the loss that she could not contain here grief. She saved them all, as they were solid diamonds of all colours, and she cast them into the sky to become extra points of light in the dark to guide the lost… and to provide beauty and inspiration to those enduring the night, when the world is at rest. Over the years many constellations have been created to help the people of the world see the changing of the seasons, and tell their stories in the dark. There is a central star, the Lamp, or Hope Star, fixed to guide navigators, in case they lose hope.

ECHANTIA - The green, lush world of Enchantia, the home of all magical, enchanted beings, circles Aelŵydir as a safe-haven for them. The Faerie King rules here, on a world covered by lush forests, broken only by pockets of other landscapes. The centaur plains, the bogs and marshes full of sinister and good things to lure and help lost travellers, alike. One might find various petty gods and demons, beings of evil, good, law, chaos, and neutrality, all living together. The immortal unicorns, the grü bears, hummingbears, dragons, the wisp lights of the marshes, the faeries of the glades, along with the playful faerie dragons. The satyrs, centaurs, dryads, and nymphs, selkies, and more… The Faerie King, the powerful petty god, Álborŵn, Lord of Emerald Leaves, rules over them all. The planet can be seen twinkling like an emerald jewel in the sky during the spring and summer months, which is when the creatures of enchantment can make the journey from Enchantia to Aelŵydir. They can only return during the autumn, on the one day when the boundaries between all the worlds is thinnest, Death Day. The portal remains open from midnight to midnight.

THE 5 WORLDS

THE REALM OF LIFE - The place where all the material elements function as one, where things go to be born. The physical world of existence, where the five senses thrive, and life can be experienced and the best way to thrive in it is to be good, as it makes survival easier, but, evil exists, and it is necessary to fight it to make life well, again, so it remains peaceful for everyone. 

THE BEASTLANDS - A land of Chaos incarnate where The Beast rules, and where all powerful beings of Chaos have gone, if they have left the world. It is a place of heat and wild abandon, destruction, and untameable fury. Not much can thrive there, except for gods. It is, where it touches the Realm of Life, where all things break down and begin to end, come loose leading finally to death… It is destruction. Things happen fast, here, even though the world outside may seem to only crawl by… You may live your life here, and only seconds pass in the world of the senses…

THE REALM OF DEATH - The antithesis of life, the Realm of Death is where all things go when they break down, to rest, then move on to The Isle of Wonder to recombine. This is the deepest area of the world, where no light reaches, unless brought there, which can be risky, as it highlights the visitor. Nothing good can come of it, they say. Things that remain dead stay there. And nothing feels pain, and nothing tastes like anything, or smells, or hears, or sees, or eventually becomes that way… It is a cold place, and necessary. It is where life goes to heal so it can be reborn. Everything that stays, beyond what is good, consumes itself, here, withers, and dies without renewal…

THE ISLE OF WONDER - The Land of Law, where the beings who dwell there focus on replacing the old with the new. Nothing ages, here, and the gods dwell on it, in the Palace of the Sun. The weather is always pleasant, and the food always fresh, reborn every day to ensure nothing goes to waste and nothing ages… However… one should be careful, as time passes differently, here… You may not age, but, the world of the senses does…

THE HALL OF TIME - The place where all realms meet… where The Sage dwells and writes The Scroll of Time… No time passes, here, yet all time passes, and no mortal can visit long… Lest they come unraveled and vanish into the eternal void from which all things were born… as they become young and old at the same time. Only gods may visit this place with any reliability.

© JUSTIN DAVID RUSSELL (MIYAMOTO MUSASHI-ODYSSEUS) AT EPIC WERKES STUDIO

CHAPTER 7: MAGIC (WIZARDRY), PATH OF THE GRAY WANDERER

The Father of Time appears in various guises dressed in gray as an observer and occasional active party. He sprinkled the runes of magic down upon the world to see what the races would do with them. ‘Ware the Gray Infidel, The Gray Wanderer, The Gray Warrior, etc.’, is a common warning to watch out for wizards and The Sage, himself, as he may intervene in a way one does not like, just to balance the scales. The pirates like The Sage, but, the lawful Ashamites do not. He is both liked and disliked among the other kingdoms. ‘If The Gray One is with us, then we may have some luck,’ is a common saying among the Caliborians. ‘Bah! He just wants something to write about. Pay him no mind…’, is an Ashamite saying when things go badly, as a reminder that drama may be The Sage’s doing, and to look at problems as something interesting, not tragic or as some kind of impediment. Wizards are like him. Ambivalent, caring about their magic and observances over anything else. That’s why most view wizards with suspicion and disdain, and a little envy and a lot of fear. They may be good or evil, but, often watchful and/or meddling less to cause trouble and more to make plans move forward or change the situation in a way that may make a favourable outcome for all involved. Thus, they make great diplomats, but, then, again, the parties involved may not like a meddling wizard, whose power is strange and eldritch, anyway, judging their affairs. In general, it’s bad form for a wizard to involve himself, if he hasn’t either been invited or hasn’t asked to be.