Farwey

This was the plane I started to GM on, so as to get some experience, and a place to play with new idea's. Other GM's are actually welcome to work on it if they wish. It is linked by a portal currently anchored to the 3rd broom closet on the left in the guild basement, though it's initial portal exit was in the middle of The Sweetwater just before it hits Seagate. Guild Security managed to move the exit a few miles, though not with entire stability as evidanced by the portal return to its mid Sweetwater location in the winter 807.

The Portal itself is a 'long' portal though it seems instant to the user, entities traveling the portal will usually be drained of fatigue. It's unknown what will happen if an entity allready out of fatigue attempts transit.

Known Regions

Continent of Gethria.

Map link: [1]

Overview Map	Map of known areas
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The Empire (Empire of the Three)

General Information.

The Empire, or the Empire of the Three as it is starting to be called in some circles, is the central human society in the region. It has a history forged in war 500 years ago with the central three Duchies forming an alliance and conquering the extents of human expansion at that time. The reasons and arguments for this war are lost in the rewriting of history, but what is known for sure is that the primary target was a Necromancer by the name of Wuffa, known to be pacted to Murma now, whom's Castle was located in what is now the middle of the empire, between the three allied duchies.
Since that time, it has existed as a relatively feudal society, with mages having the impact of bringing it's effective technology level up to early renaissance in living conditions.
The language of the region is Common, with most educated people also understanding a smattering of Dwarvish and Elvish. Most people including farmers are literate in common, but only scholars and nobles are literate in the non-human languages.
Approx Population; 8 Million.
(Farwey) Dueling Code; An eccentric dueling code governing the various ways in which magic can & can't be used in duels.

Personages.

• King Lendard of Biltadon.
• Prince Keld of Cryde
• The Duke of Cryde, and the Crown Prince, Keld.
• Duke Grebar of Pircha & Lembach
• Duke Sendra of Hamitkoy.
• Lord Derrick of Colbrok.
• Duke Theobold of Mylton.
• Duke Kenthrys of Oberdorf.
• Duke Atur of Ashe.

Magic.

Magic is well known in the empire, with employment in all facets of life. The most common forms of magic are Bardic & Illusionist, primarily in the performance side of things. Combat Bards & Illusionists are almost unheard of. Illusionists are usually trained in the Illusionists College established near Mylton, while two Bardic colleges exist, one in Helwell, (Dutchy of Mylton), and the other in Baskoy, (Independent). Celestials are also common with the City of Lembach being known as the training place of Celestials, usually specialising in one or two combat spells at high ranks, employed in the various militaries.
Most other colleges are common as mages go, though do not have a centralised training centre like the aforementioned three. Only the colleges of Necromancy, Mind, Binder & Summoner are rare, and adepts known to belong to one of those 4 colleges are viewed with suspicion in all areas. Summoners, be they Greater or Lesser are considered illegal in many parts of the empire.

Religion.

Religion in the empire is a personal affair, with temples to all the 77 powers being locatable, though the less pleasant daemons tend to hide their temples in dark alleys and cellars rather than plain view.
For most of the history of the empire, the powers have generally been in good balance with one another, however between the usual intrigue between the powers through agents, and the recent events, a few of the powers have gained a visible increase in followers above the rest.

• The Faith of Aim.
  
• The Cult of Murma.
  
• The Faith of Sammael.
  

The Dutchy (Dutchy of Petrenco)

Map, with adjacent areas

General Information.

The Dutchy of Petrenco is a break away region from the Empire, starting about 5 years ago. It has had a minor border war since that time, but for the most part enjoys good relations as the common man still regards the two as linked. Trade between the two is slowly diminishing, mainly caused by significant magical events that have severed most of the viable trade links and placed the remaining ones in a precarious position. The Dutchy is currently engaged in rebuilding the northern coast, as well as opening trade routes with the Orcs of the Grey Mounds. The language of the region is Common, with most educated people also understanding a smattering of Dwarvish, Orcish and Elvish. Most people including farmers are literate in common, but only scholars and nobles are literate in the non human languages. Approx Population; 1.5 Million.

Personages.

• Duke Argent.of Petrenco.
• Councilor Marvin of Partridge.
• Councilor Thend of Kipseli.
• Baroness Gertrude of Arta.
• Councilor Nel of Lamia.
• Mayor Limson Cooper of Oldridge.
• Sir Thendree of Skiros.
• Baron Bertran of Zegora.

Magic.

Magic in the Duchy is still similar in most respects to the Empire of Three. It is well known, and used in most facets of life. Bards, Illusionists and Light Celestials are all common, and all see use in some area of the Military also. Most other colleges see limited use, with only Mind mages & Summoners being considered rare. Binders of Skill are also rare, but a number of apprentice Binders have been trained recently.
No Colleges of magic are specifically considered illegal however most acts of summoning are considered illegal as is animation of the dead.

Religion.

Religion in the Duchy is still a personal affair for the most people, however due to recent events, open worship of the 'nasty' demons is generally being discouraged. In particular, worship of Murma, Crocell, Astaroth and Forneus has been specifically declared illegal, on grounds of the attacks on the Duchy. Underground worship of these powers is still in existence, but most of their followers have been lost in the attacks that have occurred, so the cults of these four are considered isolated and weak.
For the remainder, most are in balance, though two have achieved an advantage in recent times due to the events.

• The Faith of Aim.
• The Faith of Sammael.

The Elvish Forests (Estates of Quin-Ther the 2nd)

General Information.

Little is known of the Elvish forests. Rumour places them east of the mountains, but their exact location is still a mystery.

Personages.

• Quin-Ther-Dar-Nal the 2nd.

Magic.

Unknown, presumed high.

Religion.

Unknown.

The Gray Mounds (Clans of Keth)

General Information.

The gray mounds are believed to be an artificial creation, consisting of six hill sized mounds arranged evenly around one large mountain sized mound. The Orcish tribes of Keth inhabit one of these mounds, living in a fortified city in a cave into an outer mound. Oddly enough, the predominant fortifications in this city are not focused outwards, but inwards into the deeper tunnels.
Shades of some sort are known to live in the deeper tunnels into the mounds, and rumours abound of an ancient dragon, long presumed dead as it hasn't been seen in the history of the tribes of Keth, living beneath the central mountain.
The Clans of Keth are currently pursuing an alliance with the Dutchy of Petrenco, and in some human civilizations, would be one of the most civilized nations around.
Approx Population; 225,000

Personages.

• Lord Kar-Cle-Na-Lor-Keth.
• Chief Sen-Na-Tor-Keth.
• Shaman Nel-Tor-Na-Sa'Keth.

Magic.

Little is known of the Orcish views on magic, nor their colleges, however they certainly are well aware of magic, and practice it with skill where their mages have been seen.

Religion.

Unknown

The Crystal Mountain (Aire of Matriach Meln)

General Information.

The Crystal Mountain is rumoured to be a shard of a much larger Mount that was shattered eons ago in one of the early ages of this plane. It is defiantly not a natural mountain, rising suddenly out of the plain in which it rests, and being comprised of a mix of obsidian and other similar rocks. In residence on the mountain is a group of nesting Griffons, whom control the area for at least 100 miles around the mountain.
Climbers on the mountain face severe natural hazards with rock splinters, falls of razor edged pieces, and the sudden fracturing of the rock under strain being common. It would take a skilled climber to be able to ascend the mountain as high as even the lowest nest of the Griffons known to be nesting there.
Approx Population; 40 Griffons.

Personages.

• Matriach Meln Glitterwing.

Magic.

The Crystal Mountain's peak is a high mana zone, in addition to being an air place of power. It is however a wild high mana zone, and spells are more prone to backfire in this area. The Griffons nesting on the mountain have a number of air mages amongst their number, however mages of other types are not reported amongst them.

Religion.

Unknown.

The Swamps of Despair.

General Information.

The Swamps of Despair are the magical creation of a titanic battle 500 years ago, that marked the end of the Unification wars. They are a generally stagnant swamp, hostile to human life, and home to swarms of Greater Undead known as Blight, as well as usual stagnant swamp life.
Scouts have never penetrated far into the swamp, and scrying is difficult due to the vapours & mists that hang about it, so little is known about the interior and any structures, however the exterior is reportedly a dangerous place, with Blight attacks common as well as the standard swamp hazards.
It is believed that the Swamps are also the residence of Lord Wuffa, though in exactly what form opinion is divided, but astrologies indicate that Lord Wuffa survived the battle and cataclysmic creation of the swamp.
Population: Unknown, presumed in the tens of thousands of Blight.

Personages.

• Lord Wuffa.

=Magic.

Unknown, but Blight have been seen to exhibit a number of colleges, with varying levels of skill.

Religion.

Unknown, believed to be exclusively Murma worship based on history.

Central Peaks (Lord Deths Caverns)

General Information.

Lord Deths' caverns are a network of tunnels and cave cities under the main spine of Mountains on the continent, extending most of the length of the Empires borders. It is believed that initially they were smaller but that with the expansion of the Empire, the Dwarves have been steadily expanding.
Trade with the Dwarves is the primary source of high quality metals in the Empire, with small quantities of Mithril and other similar precious metals coming out of their mines, in addition to high quality steels.
The Language of the region is Dwarvish, with all Dwarves who have contact with the outside world also speaking fluent common. Dwarves are known to be generally literate in any language they speak.
Approx Population; 600,000

Personages.

• Lord Deth Kal Dron.

Magic.

Unknown

Religion.

Unknown.

Religion

An interesting place, the plane of Farwey, or at least the known Region pays their respects to the 77 powers(Both light & Dark) known on Alusia. However unlike Alusia no one power, or group of powers hold dominance, with worship instead being given when a person is interested in gaining, or avoiding, a powers attention & blessing in a venture. Offerings to Water & Air Powers are common among sea folk to avoid the attention of sea monsters, and gain favourable winds. Most farmers make an offering in the spring to the Earth powers for crops to grow well and not suffer from blight.

This aside though, open worship to most of the powers of dark isn't seen. Offering will be made at small shrines, but few actually take up dedicated worship of a specific power.

Magic

Magic is not an unknown to the people of the empire, and most Barony's employ mages in some or all aspects. The most common mages are illusionists and bards, working as performers, and are usually skilled troubadours as well. Several Schools which teach performance arts incorporating these two colleges can be found in the empire, however these are regarded as performers, rather than adventurers, and their usual spell choices reflect this. A larger than normal proportion of people also employ Celestial Magic, this being the favoured college for the military forces for support of the troops. All standard colleges are known of, though some are uncommon and frowned upon. Mind Mages will be looked on with suspicion while summoners(greater and lesser) are often arrested.

Alternative Training

While fairly similar to Alusian magics and skills, they have developed a number of small differences to a few things, and have offered up this training in limited amounts as payment in some cases.((GM's note: These are minor trial skills, if people like them and want to see them on a wider basis I'm happy for that to happen))

Two Handed Casting Talent

EM: 100
This talent allows greater focus in casting as well as precision through utilising two hands. It adds 1+1% per rank to concentration checks, as well as a 1% per 2 ranks in the talent(Min 0%) to Spell Cast Chances. The Adept may also cast, and apply these bonuses, to casting done with a prepared Quarterstaff or Mage staff. If the Adept is only using 1 hand to cast with due to prepared weapons or other objects this talent has no effect.

True Form Talent

Range: Self
Experience Multiple: 200
Base Chance: Special
Resist: Special
Target: Self
Effects: A shapechanger ability, this was developed after generations of attempts resulting in many becoming lost in their forms. Originating from a derivation of the True Shape form it has become more refined now. Every (21-Rank) hours, the Shapechanger may attempt a magic resistance check to revert to their native form if they wish. This applies to returning from a polymorph based effect, becoming stuck in one of their alternate forms, being petrified or any similar state. This check is made at a penalty of (20-rank).

Extra Healer Abilities

To learn. 1 week & 1000ep per Healer rank required.

Ranged Stabilization.

Healer rank required: 2(2 weeks, 2000ep)
Non Tactile Empathy required.
Range: 5'/Healer rank.
Base Chance: 2*WP+5/healer rank
The healer may as a magical fire action attempt to stabilize an unconscious or bleeding entity. This if successful will negate any bleeders the target is currently under the effects of, and will also raise their endurance to 0 if currently below, provided that the adept is not alive solely through a trollskin spell, or similar magic that prevents death regardless of how much endurance has been lost.

Rapid Restoration.

Healer rank required: 4(4 weeks, 4000ep)
Non Tactile Empathy required.
Range: 5'/Healer rank.
Base Chance: 2*WP+5/healer rank(Special backfire, see below)
The adept may attempt to cure another entity as a magical fire action. If successful the target will be cured of Healer Rk Endurance damage. This ability can never be used to cure fatigue damage. Should the attempt to heal fail by less than 30%, the target will still be cured of Healer Rk Endurance damage, however the Healer will in response take that much damage to endurance(which can stun) as the wounds transfer rather than heal.

References

• Escorting A Lord - Winter 03
• Hunt For The Maiden - Spring 03
• Rings of Deception - Winter 04
• The Ghoul Preservation Society - Summer 05
• Oh Not another Bard - Summer 06
• Storm To Port - Winter 07
• Chasing White Elephants - Autumn 08
• Delving Too Deep - Summer 09
• Ghost Town - Summer 810