Background

Political

Prefectia. Rich and vast, Prefectia's history spans ten centuries. It has been rewritten so many times after various coup d'etat that few scholars can agree on all the specifics.

Prefectia is currently in the early throes of a new Revolution, or Resotoration as its proponents call it. As the capital city-state Myriad attempts to exert stronger and tighter control over its principalities, many of them, with Freeport leading the charge, are resisting, openly defying the commands of Empire and withholding taxes. A few skirmishes have been fought and hostilities are heating up.

Ul-ulthra, the people of a faraway desert land. Prefectia is at war with the Ul-ulthra, for as long as anyone can remember. The Ul-uthra are clanish and secretive, but some have managed to integrate into Prefectian society. These people are called Nulls, because they have no connection with their greater racial heritiage, but also seem to have no place in a very hostile, rascist Prefectia.

The Restoration, or Revolution, started some 25 years ago when the then-Mayor of Freeport, June Goodbloom, funneled Prefectian tax monies into city projects such as schools and care for the poor instead of filling the Imperial vault. She was brutally murdered, and an attempt was made to frame a famously greedy Dwarf merchant named Owall, but it became known that the local Locked Eye clergy (and by proxy the Prefectian government) were the real culprits. This prompted a riot that drove most of the Prefectian officials out of Freeport, and tensions have been high since. In the last few years Freeport has grown from a small town into a burgeoning city as outlaws and dissidents have flocked there from everywhere, adding fuel to the fire. Freeport's open defiance to Prefectian law has inspired other towns and communities to a tax revolt, and the Empire is stepping up enforcement and threatening military takeover of Freeport.

Deities

Locked Eye is the god of protection, righteousness and Good. The Holy Order of the Locked Eye are the state-sanctioned religion of Prefectia. Their symbol is a an eye , sometimes closed in reverence and prayer, within a radiant pyramid. Locked Eye is sometimes referred to as simply the Father by clergy, or just 'Lock' by peasants. A common phrase that most say without even thinking about is "Lock to you."

Locked Eye grants his priesthood fabulous powers of Sorcery, as well as Clerical powers. Indeed, many of the high-ranking church officials are more Sorcerer than Cleric. There are some Locked Eye Paladins, although most do not progress very far in the Paladin class, instead choosing a route of Sorcerer. The Paladin/Sorcerers of Locked Eye are the elite of the priesthood.

Eris is a primary power of Gnostica. She is often worshipped as a five-fold deity: Girl, Lover, Queen, Mother and Crone. Eris is the Goddess of Chaos and Freedom, Strife and Truth. Some say Eris is the Creator of Gnostica.

Pan, Keeper of Nature and Procreation, has many followers, but only a small clergy. In cities, he is seen as a genteel conductor of souls, shepherding spirits into the vessels of children, while his more mirthful, sometimes sinister, and wild nature is revered by country-folk. Pan has Druids and Clerics scattered across the lands, but they tend to work individually, only banding together when necessary.

Trismegistus (also Tris) is the god of the Arcane and the Occult. He is the keeper of secrets and author of destiny, some say. Primarily worshiped by scholars and wizards, Tris has a small clergy that often learn wizardry as well.

Paxus is the god of peace, justice and good. His power is on the wane, but a dedicated clergy continue his just works on Gnostica. Paladins of Paxus, called the Society of True Paladins, or the Society, are legendarily powerful, but their numbers are small.

Paxus is also the deity of Half-Elves, being the offspring of Eris and Saelunin, he himself is half-elven.

Strahd is the deity of nobility, wealth, and hospitality. While Strahd is a minor deity, his church is quite powerful, as its members are made up of some of the richest people in all of Gnostica.

Saelunin is the Mother-Father of all Elves, and the power of Nature. Male and female clergy worship Saelunin separately as representing their own gender (and there is some faction-fighting between the genders), but in truth Saelunin is both. She is more closely linked and revered by Thorn elves than Crown elves, and it would be fair to say each Subrace also has its own vision of Saelunin (also known as Sael).

Kili is the goddess of Dwarves, Good, Healing and Family. So beloved and benevolent is Kili that she is worshipped by many humans, particularly peasant-folk. On the other hand, many Dwarves also worship Paxus, and represent him in their myths as a Dwarf.

Setun is the god of Might, Battle and Time, and father of the Orcs. Priests of Setun have a close relationship with the Orcfather, and are said to "Walk with Setun."

Loki is the god of Trickery and Evil, and is also revered to a lessor extent as the god of Birthdays, Feasts and Celebrations.

Tiamatrix, or the Dragon Mother, is the Goddess of Destruction, Despair and Dragons. Most scholars recognize Tiamatrix to be the mother of all Dragons, even the Good ones, and it is believed that her most faithful followers return to life as powerful Evil dragons. Legend has it that Tiamatrix was not always Evil, but was driven insane when trapped by Loki.

Sha'lum is the monotheistic deity of the Ul-ulthra and has very few worshippers outside of the land of Maskus. Sha'lum represents all spheres of influence in this culture, but is often represented as Kosmos, or simply "everything."

* Clergy Alignments above highlighted orange represent the predominant alignment(s) of that particular faith.

In addition to the above major religons, there are smaller cults of demigods, devils, demons and new powers that are scattered across the world to a much lessor extent. Much is scripted around the pantheon above, so you are strongly encouraged to pick one of the above Deities. No need to do this upon character creation; it is best to chose your Deity in the Sacred Sanctorum in Freeport so as to avoid spelling errors. If you make a mistake, you can reset your Deity field to blank with the RPW.

Races

Humans

Prefectians. As most Humans have lived in the melting-pot of Prefectia for so long, most have lost their original racial identity and mores. Prefectians have the typical skin color range expected of Humans of most planes, from light and fair to dark brown and all colors in-between.

The Ul-ulthra live in faraway Maskus, and have a stronger racial cohesiveness. Most Ul-ulthra have dusky complexions and dark eyes. The men favor large beards and long hair.

All Humans have a natural lifespan of about a 120 years, but few see such a ripe old age.

Location: Everywhere. Humans breed quckly and often get wanderlust, spreading their influence all around Gnostica. They can be found in great numbers in Myriad, Apathica, Apocalypse and Freeport.

Halflings

Haflings are the second most common race of Gnostica after Humans, and share skin tones with both Humans and Thorn Elves. Halflings commonly live a bit past 150 years, with a few recorded cases of as many as 200 years.

Location: Freeport, which started centuries ago as a small Halfling fishing village, Myriad, and even the Thorn Elf homeland of Xenolalia

Elves

Thorn Elves make up the majority of Elves in Gnostica, and are what most think of when one says "Elf." Spread across the world, Thorn Elves prefer to dwell in small villages, and sometimes live in treetops. Their culture has a profound respect for nature, and, to a lessor extent, the Arcane - many of their leaders are Druids or Wizards. Most Thorn elves eschew cities and civilization.

It is said among the Elves that the land of Gnostica is their birthright; and they trace their lineage all the way back to Saelunin, the mother/father. Elves are not particularly fertile, and bear two children at most in a lifetime, many remaining childless. This is partially a circumstance of genetics, and partially a result of their mores. Thorn Elves take a vow to preserve the legacy of Saelunin carefully, and do not hastily make children. This is particularly why Half-Elves are abhorred by most Thorn Elves, and also why the race is not more prolific.

Thorn Elves have a wide-variety of skin tones, from pale, almost-human tones with a light sheen of green all the way to a deep emerald. Thorn Elves have hair that sometimes follows these hues as well, but is more often white, black, or a very vibrant, unusual color (pinks, purples, and blues are not uncommon). All Half-Elves must be of Thorn Elf stock, and they sometimes carry the Elven parent's exotic hair color, if not the skin tone. Thorn Elves can live to be over 700 years old, but Half-Elves rarely live past 150 years.

Location: Xenolalia, Freeport (particularly Half-Elves)

Crown Elves appear to be what some from other planes might call the Drow, at least in appearance. They have midnight black complexions with silver or white hair. Rarely, an albino is to be found, and often they are powerful sorcerers.

Crown Elves are far rarer than Thorn Elves, and have little respect or liking for their brethren, preferring the company of Humans - although they never inter-marry with Humans, and it is said that such a union cannot produce children.

Crown Elves are among the genteel classes of the Prefectian Empire, and as such dwell in Myriad and other Empire cites, and eschew the wilderness and nature. They have are natural lifespan of 500-600 years, although many age prematurely, and only live for about 300 years.

Location: Primarily Myriad and Apathica, although some have recently chosen to live among the Half-Orcs in Apocalypse

Star Elves (also "Glimmer Folk") are the ancient ones, the first beings to walk Gnostica. The Star Elves have transcended the earthly plane. They exist partially in the Ethereal, in their own realm. Star Elves are tall and lightning quick, immortal and supernaturally beautiful. Some churches of Saelunin have deified certain Star Elves, and worship them alongside the Mother/Father. Star Elves' skin, eye, and hair- color include all the hues of the rainbow. Extremely rare and even said not to exist by non-Elves, Star Elves are not a PC playable race, but some say it is possible to "Ascend" to the status of Glimmer Folk.

Location: Unknown

Dwarves (also Dwurfolk)

Dwarves are even rarer than Elves in Gnostica, and have forsaken most trade and contact with the other races. It is a common legend that the Dwarves have left and hollowed out a new world inside the center of Gnostica, and as such shall never be seen again. The Dwarves that do mingle with the other races tend to hold much prestige for their skill with metals and mining. Dwarves can live a bit past two centuries, but most fall to battle before old age.

Dwarven skin varies from a dusky gray, to a ruddy brown, and sometimes includes pale Human-like skin tones. There are a some that are as black as Crown Elves.

Location: The hidden Dwarven City-State of Von Beulow, Myriad, Apathica, Freeport

Gnomes

On many worlds, Gnomes are thought to be most closely related to Dwarves. Not so on Gnostica; Gnomes are said to be most closely related to Fey, and indeed consider themselves, like Elves, to be the children of Saelunin.Gnomes have mostly assimilated into Prefectian society, even marrying into notable Halfling families. Perhaps it is because Gnomes are such hybrids that they now produce such odd offspring: Male gnomes tend to have dusky-yellow skin with blue hair, while female Gnomes have light-blue skin with yellow-orange hair. Indeed, Gnomes tend to be so androgynous, that the pigmentation is the easiest way to tell the genders apart. Most gnomes live about 300-400 years, and are only fertile every 7 years, and then only for a period of a week, so they do not produce large families.

Location: Everywhere. Being small in numbers, Gnomes assimilate into just about every society, forming neighborhoods or areas of cities, rather than having a place of their own.

Half-Orcs (Also Tallkind)

A race made up of the mating of Humans and Orcs, Half-orcs are as tall as humans, but their brutish features betray their lineage. Half-Orcs, or Tallkind as they call themselves, are a distinct race and not just the single offspring of a mixed marriage. Tallkind can take partners from either pure Humans or Orcs, even sequentially for many generations, and their unique features will remain intact.

Half-Orcs have blotchy gray to black skin, sometimes pale gray or gray-green, and usually have dark eyes and dark hair.

Location: The jungle-city Apocalypse is where most Tallkind spring from, although there are many Half-Orcs (and human families struggling to breed the Orc out of them) in Myriad, as well as in Freeport.

Note: these are the accepted 'norms' of the primary races of Gnostica. As your character could be originally from anywhere, you may create your character with any appearance you like, even outside of these guidelines, but be prepared to compared to racial standards by the people you meet.

Magic

Magic is fractionalized on Gnostica, with a wide gulf between Wizards (High-, or Rune- Magic) and Sorcerers (Low-, or Blood- Magic). Although there are a few who practice both forms of magic, for the most part Sorcerers and Wizards shun the other's company, seeing the other as an inferior, corrupting influence.

It is important to note the difference between Rune Magic and Blood Magic; although the spells may be similar in effect, their use and discipline is quite different. In many respects, High Magic is concerned with transcendence and things astral, while Low Magic is more concerned with practical, physical effects.

In addition, magic-use is highly regulated and controlled in parts of Prefectia, particularly in the capital city of Myriad. High magic use is adminstrated by the ancient Conclave of wizards, which has recently started allowing Sorcerers to join, as long as they have no other affiliations (such as Locked Eye Sorcerers, which claim their sorcerous power comes from the Locked Eye).

(To be continued..)

Back to top