recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Switcheroo

Switcheroo is a card game played in casinos around Elderland.

Players play ante bets to buy in, then receive their hands of three cards and place initial bets. Then a card is drawn from the pool. The player to the left of the dealer attempts to trump the card with a higher card, and thus avoid drawing another card. If a lower card or matching card is played, another card is drawn and the played card has no effect. If a higher card is played, there is no draw. There are four effect cards. Three are called option cards, the jack gives the option of forcing all other players to draw (or the player themselves draws one), the queen gives the option of switching one card of choice with another player (or drawing one card), and the king gives the option of switching an entire hand (or drawing one card). The ace is a fallout card, and a player loses immediately if an ace is played.

The goal is to get to zero cards in one's hand. However this goal must be met by trumping the last card played. If a player plays their last card and it does not trump, the player must draw three.

A new betting round begins if a player falls out or folds.

Gameplay revolves around trying to scew over opponents
Jacquoise

Inspector **Jacquoise** is a mendicant of the Sanitarians who chases down the party.

He says he took the Ilmatocratic Oath to relieve suffering wherever it dwells and uphold the law. He has a distaste for vaudeville, theater, opera, any use of magic not for the betterment of society. He values order and hates guildism.

He was born in Chateau La Roche, son of an imprisoned fortune teller and a galley slave, Jacquoise became a Sanitarian out of hatred for bohemians like his mother. He was an elven teen when the Revolution occurred and he did not participate in the rebellion, but later signed on to the navy under Ceruleon. When Ceruleon was exiled, Jacquoise sided with the law in power, the Arboreal Enclave, and studied to become a mendicant.
Crownbridge

**Crownbridge College** is a research, archival, and liberal arts college located in Leonia. Considered the foremost institution of research, historic preservation, and knowledge accumulation in Elderland, Crownbridge houses the largest archives in the world and trains bards, clerics, and wizards.

Unlike the University Mystique in Sylva, Crownbridge does not primarily focus on arcane training, but rather knowledge-based education. And unlike Gristlegrim Academy in Goblindy, it does not teach necromancy or warlock arts. Pyrestein Polytechnic in Zwergandy focuses on training artificers.

Perciva Pindrop is the Librarian General at Crownbridge, leading a near-military order of strict librarians.
Akhetat

"The Eye of Ehram," the historic standard of the Akhetati nation.

**Akhetat** is a country in southern Elderland that is historically home to the gnoll race. It is currently under occupation by the Gargantuan Empire.

Gnolls first emerged on Elderland during the Affliction as servants of Yeenoghu. They attempted to bring forth their demon lord to Tor using ancient pyramids. After the demon lords were halted from appearing in the world, the gnolls were forced to live without a lord and settled in the land of Akhetat.

The Kamelump Mountains stretch through the southeast of the country.

Draconic Prophecy buried in tombs, found during First Ligature.

Black Obelisks enable time travel when activated
Laurier de Bellevue

**Laurier de Bellevue** is a Sylvan merchant who has imported exotic goods into Sylva. He wants to increase his Purity Points enough to become a member of House Guerarme.

Marquis Laurier de Bellevue is very into the llama trade and other imports from far off lands, such as Aljinian salts, Karkatran spices, Ivorian textiles, and Tianese silks. He wants to become a member of House Guerarme like the Margrave of the region, Louis Guerarme. He also wants to become a big enough merchant to be the one to build a canal from the Nubis River to the Sharkfin Sea to make sea travel easier.
Nemja Akrash

**Nemja Akrash** is an Infernian tiefling artificer and jeweler. She has a pony homunculus named Billows who follows her around.

## History

Nemja was orphaned at an early age and at the age of 10 was found lying unconscious beside a creek. A wealthy jeweler named Herumphatil found her and raised her as his own child, teaching her the skills of artifice to manipulate common objects and transform them into powerful tools of magic.

While uncovering the secrets of the Harlequins Brigade in Acqua Vecchia, Nemja discovered she had been captured and had her blood extracted by the Harlequins when she was a child. Her blood was added to a pool of collective tiefling blood, which played a pivotal role in the Harlequins' plot to reopen the planar seals and access the Nine Hells.
Amulets of Exile

The Amulets of Exile are powerful artifacts crafted by the giant god Moradin during his exile from the Voninheid. Together, the amulets are the only tools powerful enough to destroy the Great Anvil.

Vannguld, or watergold, armor made of delicate "droplets" of gold dangling down.

Torlofter, or gatelifter, an intricate skeleton key

Skrekkslag, the flail of fear, a nine-stranded flail

Sturmhorn, the horn of storms

Barhammr, the bear hammer

Dragnbrenn, dragonbrand, the sword forged by dragon fire
Vespra Dominici

**Vespra Dominici** was an Infernian tiefling rogue and a member of House Dominici. Vespra was a noted gambler who often stayed in the city of Acqua Vecchia. She played a prominent role in the Shattering, helping Grimalkin the Great defeat the archdruids and claim the Elemental Chains to reopen the sealed planes. She was revealed to be a vampire and died in a battle involving the party. She was stabbed with an ice stake made by Harrington Hopper.
Incarnum

**Incarnum** is the mythical substance that constituted the primordial deities of Tor. Incarnum was a malleable elemental substance that enabled gods to transform and reincarnate into new forms, thus giving birth to separate religions that worshiped the same type of pantheon. Incarnal gods exist in the Mother Faith, Devic Dharma, Ordnung, and Aslan traditions.
Links of Redemption

The **Links of Redemption** are powerful druidic artifacts forged during the Mythic Age by giant forgemasters. As the legendary Auroral Council dictated through an agreement sealed in blood, the neutral human Weavers would spin the thread of the Weave to partition the planes, spinning a magical golden thread from the holy waters of the Nubis River. The primordial gods would return to their home Elemental Plane, and the dragons would do the same in the Astral Plane. Wishing to still be able to travel to the Parallel Plane and eventually free their gods from imprisonment, the fey/giant compact of the Wildspawn secretly devised a plan to skirt the rules of the treaty.

A firbolg using his invisibility secretly plunged into the Nubis River and stole some of the golden water thread. Although the firbolg ran into trouble with underwater triton Goldmaiden guards, he escaped with enough gold to forge a powerful artifact made of the same material as the Weave. Giant forgemasters worked tirelessly to smelt seven chain links with the power to break through the barrier. But they did not realize the Goldmaidens had placed a terrible curse on the material, forcing anyone who wished to break the barrier to have to kill themselves.

The Goldmaidens, in an act of duplicity against their primordial creators, told the dragons what had happened in the river, and the dragons learned of the Wildspawn duplicity. In response, they committed an ambush attack before the Weave was finished. This was the Starfall.

In archeologic circles, the Links of Redemption are known as one of the Artifacts of Fate created during the Feud of Fate, which also include the Obelisks of the Ages, and the Deck of Many Things. The Links were made by the primordial side, the Obelisks by the draconic side, and the Deck by the neutral devil side.

The Nine Hells did not really participate in the conflict, instead playing both sides against each other, in classic devil fashion. The Deck of Many Things was created to tempt.
Volcanism

Volcanism was an ancient religion practiced by the tieflings of the Volcan Empire. Followers believed in a supreme god named Pernicus who ruled the world by conquering and subjugating all other peoples and gods. Pernicus was said to have emerged onto the Material plane via the volcano of Mt. Pernicus. From there, he led the Volcan Empire to great power and fortune.
Sorgente

**Sorgente**, colloquially known as the City of Fountains, is a historic city in northern Inferny and the capital of the province of Umberny. Sitting beside the warm waters of Lake Caldo, Sorgente enjoys a mild climate and picturesque views of the nearby Fangs and the city is known for its Arcanaissance architecture, aqueducts, firey cuisine, gaudy fashions, fine art, and lavish hospitality. Sorgente is the home base for the dragonmarked House Dominici, who reside in the Palazzo Cascatello.

Sorgente grew into the wealthiest city of the Arcanaissance era, and the city was home to several feuding merchant families. At the time, the city was also marked by religious conflict, with cults of devil worshipers at one point ruling the city. Many great masters of Arcanaissance art, literature, and culture lived in Sorgente, including Davidiavolo, Giacomo di Fumo, Vittoria Princiapella

## Cityscape

Palace Hill (Collina del Palazzo)

Demonwood

Lake Quarter (Riva al Lago)

Nocturnal Quarter (Notturno)

Fountain Quarter (Fontana)

Sunset Quarter (Tramonta)

Dome of the Eclipse (Duomo dell'Eclissi)

Mirror Trattoria (Trattoria degli Specchi)

The Sultry Sinner

Dominici Gallery

movimento, moving art

The city is guarded by the Braccia.

fire ball, flaming ball sport

whisket in Leonia
Ravenwood Forest

The **Ravenwood Forest**, called Bosco Nero by the Infernian tieflings, is a dense and magical forest of ravenwood trees located in western Corvia near the border with Inferny. Ravenwood, prized for its light weight and naturally magical flotation properties, grows only in the Ravenwood Forest. The true nature of the forest's magic is not well known to outsiders and only a few kenku who live nearby are familiar with it.

## Properties

### Flora

The forest is the only known habitat for ravenwood trees, which share the unique trait of having deep black bark and blood-red leaves. Some ravenwood trees grow small ravenberries, which taste similar to black cherries.

### Fauna

Bears thrive in the deep woods and eat the ravenberries and hunt for fish in the abundant streams that run through the forest. A large number of owls also live in the treetops.

## Landmarks

### Hollow Tree

Home to the treant Crone o' the Woods, the Hollow Tree is by far the tallest, and possibly oldest, ravenwood tree in the forest. Its inner trunk is completely hollowed out.
Afflicted Creed

The **Afflicted Creed**, officially the **Contradox Church of the Afflicted Creed**, is a major religion in Elderland. The holy book of the creed is called the Pentacles.

Creedists worship Asmodeus, Fierna, and Lucina because they believe they can save them from the cataclysmic possibility of a true demonic incursion.

The Affliction saw a smaller demonic infestation but not a full summoning of a demon lord.

After the Affliction, archdevils captured demonic amulets an imprisoned the Abysmal Plane, proving that creedists are partly right about the power of the Nine Hells.

Augustus Bonner started the religion in 1442 amid the Affliction, which eventually ended in 1468. The Creed differs from earlier Volcan religion in that it melds the three-part structure of the Triadic Church with devil worship.

During the early Affliction, there was a crisis among scholars and monks of the Triadic Church to resolve the problem of evil, a branch of study known as theodicy. there was also a debate about eschatology, how the world ends. While the Affliction felt like an apocalypse, there was no sign of Stellas' return, and thus questions came up as to the legitimacy of traditional Triadic eschatology.

The church binds people to contracts that they sign to serve to church in a certain way for however long is determined in the contract.

Asmodeus is about power, lies

Fierna is all about playfulness, avarice, torture and pain

Lucina is viewed as a goddess of grief, darkness, melancholy, and undeath, who can save people from their deaths

Tribulations are deeds that get you a higher ranking in hell

Vindicators

Inquisitors
Matchmaker

**Matchmaker** is a dice game played with personal and public dice. Its play is similar to that of poker, but with dice instead of cards.

## Rules

First, players place blind bets. Then they roll two 12-sided dice, and the results of their rolls are kept private. These are the players' pocket dice. The round beings with a pre-roll betting round running clockwise from the big blind. Then the dealer rolls three communal dice, a move called "the roll." Another betting round commences, followed by a roll of a fourth die, called "the knock." After a third betting round, the final die, "the anchor," is rolled. One final betting round happens, and then players reveal their pocket dice and match them to the communal dice. The player with the highest match value wins the pot.
Elemental Chaos

The **Elemental Chaos**, also known as the Primordial Plane or the Elemental Chaos, is a dimension of pure elemental energy that is said to have existed from the beginning of time.

The name Elemental Chaos is a misnomer because the plane is actually governed by lawful neutral rules, as elements act in accordance with the laws of physics.

A void realm where questions about why the multiverse exists are answered with: "it is the creation that determines the why, not the creator."

The first rule of existence is as above, so below. People are fractal images of the universe. You are as we are. Bad things happen to good people because things happen all the time, and it is up to people to determine whether they're bad or good. In the same way your heart feels and your mind think, you, mortal beings, are the instrument by which the universe cares. If you choose to care, the universe cares, and if you don't, then it doesn't.

The plane is home to Ysgard, the giant afterlife.

The Rainbow Bridge connects the Material Plane with the Primordial Plane.

Undying Pyre

The seven primordials in their original form (before being marked as different gods of different faiths) were the Elders.

Phoenix Fire

Zaratan Earth

Tempest Air

Leviathan Water
Briar the Cunning

**Briar the Cunning** is a Corvian kenku rogue and member of the Black Wing organization. Through a life of thievery and information gathering, she gained a reputation in the Undernest neighborhood of Ravngrad as a skilled and street-smart trickster. She was particularly notorious around the gambling dens of Ravngrad as a devious card sharp.
Rivermeet

**Rivermeet** is a large Leonian city located in the Middle Meads area where the Grymes River meets the Furven River. It is a city noted for its old-world beauty, down-home people, and relatively low artificial footprint compared to other Leonian cities. The city is home to many water mills and wheels.
Tor

**Tor**, also known as the Material Plane, is a planet on which all mortal beings live.

The name Tor is derived from the giant word for gate.

The continents of Tor were formed from the corpses of fallen Blasted Beasts, which were elder draconic monsters, defeated by the primordials and laid across the oceans. Elderland was a great tarrasque. Leonia was a lion beast thing.
Cédric the Great

**Cédric the Great** was a noble from the Sylph tribe who became the first king of elven Sylva after uniting the fey tribes following the demise of the Volcan Empire. His reign is known as the Cedricine era of Sylvan history. This era was marked by the tumultuous Exile of the Drow, an event started by Cédric's fallen heir, Princess Araigne.
Cotton Hood

**Cotton Hood** was a legendary outlaw in Leonian and Connish folklore, depicted as a harengon who stole from the rich and gave to the poor. He was said to have the ability to hop easily between the Feywild and Material plane to evade capture, and legend has it that to evade death he hopped into the Feywild and stayed there forever. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and sneak. He is usually depicted wearing an hourglass necklace, so he can tell how much time he is within the Feywild. His preferred portal to the Feywild was said to exist in a burrow beneath the Old Cottonwood, a tree growing out of the medieval city wall of Hoplin.
Umber Club

The Crescent's Cross, symbol of the club based on Cyclican and elemental origins.

## Basic Information

### Goals

Bring peace to the dead

The **Umber Club** is an underground necromantic order of witches in the University Mystique.

Members of the order are called revenants, as they are usually younger elves who still experience past lives through their trance, and so they act as revenants of their other lives.

They participate in trance communion, engaging in a group meditation that connects them with the gestalt consciousness of many other lives
Chrysandre

**Chrysandre** was the Queen of Sylva in the last years of the Affliction and beyond. Her reign was cut short by abdication after she proposed uniting the elf and drow nations together after the difficulties of the Affliction. Her plan came into contact with differences in religion and old grudges that had not healed.

Following the death of Etienne II during the Affliction, succession was complicated, but a line was drawn from a sister of Cedric the Great down to Chrysandre, who was a sun elf. After her abdication, another succession crisis emerged and another line was drawn down to Etienne III.
Stark Forest

The **Stark Forest** (Dwarven: *Starkwald*) is a large forest region in southern Zwergandy. A thick wood of pine and spruce, the forest is known for harboring dark secrets and ghostly specters. There are a few hill towns interspersed in the region, where the trees have been cut away, and the region is home to the Waldclan.
Drakka

The three-cornered dragon's eye symbol of Drakka, with the national colors of red, blue, and white.

### Currency

Druble

**Drakka** is a country in northeastern Elderland that is home to the dragonborn race and other draconic creatures.

## History

### Kurgan drakes

Drakkan historians hold that the dragonborn did not descend directly from the true dragons of Long Tian, but from lesser drakes who formed a proto-civilized culture around the steppes to the west of the Dragonbone Mountains. These drakes built burial mounds called kurgans, which they used for funeral ceremonies that involved burying their dead with enchanted artifacts and eggs that would lead to the hatching of a child within the mound itself. After a few days, the hatched drakes would emerge from the mound imbued with the powers of their ancestors. Over time, these mound-born drakes became modern dragonborn. The society they formed took the name of their mounds and it was called Kurg. Today the steppe city of Kurgev takes its name from old Kurg.

### Defense from raiders

The dragonborn suffered relentless raids from all sides, from the Orkings who sailed across the Stormy Sea, the goblin Hobs who spread from the south, and the mighty Ungulian khans who torched their way all the way north. Throughout all these raids, the dragonborn clans defended their land and eventually repelled the raiders, thus establishing the famous Drakkan resolve.

## Society

### Clan structure

Kushaks, Yussars, Shashars, Drazhaks, Mordoks, Tyotors, Lazvars, Churtuks

## Religion

Drakka is the official seat of the Orthodox Triad.

## Culture

Faberge eggs, samovars

Drakkans enjoy especially hot drinks like tea, coffee, warm beer, mulled wine, and hot chocolate as well as hot foods like borscht

Ballet, chess, literature
Inferny

## Supreme Judicate of Inferny

Inferny's standard, "The Eye of Sorrow," known in Infernal as l'occhio del dolore--a symbol representing the fall of the mighty Volcan Empire.

### Currency

Corno

**Inferny**, officially the **Supreme Judicate of Inferny**, is a country in central Elderland that is home to the tiefling race as well as other fiendish creatures.

## Government

Since the unification of the Infernian mercantile republics into one state, Inferny has been ruled as a judicate, a government controlled by a council of seven judges. In even decisions of the judicial council, the judex, or high judge, casts the deciding vote. Because the Church of the Triad is headquartered in Volcone, the church has a profound influence on Infernian government and has often been found bribing judges and conspiring to fill vacant judicial seats with church-friendly selections.

## History

Inferny has one of the richest histories of all the countries in Faerope.

It was a land infested with abyssal creatures until the human colonizers arrived and made their deal with the devil to become tieflings. The tieflings conquered the peninsula and took the demon language as their own, Abyssal.

## Society

### Superstitions

Infernians believe strongly in the power of eyes and hold many superstitions and beliefs surrounding them. The most well-known of these beliefs is that of the "curse of the evil eye." If someone gives another the evil eye with bad intent or even unwittingly, great misfortune and injury will come to the receiver, unless steps are taken to ward off the evil, such as giving the sign of the horns or wearing a cornicello.

### Fashion

Wealthy tieflings commonly wear cornulaces, which are like necklaces around their horns, some containing jewels.

### Culture

Opera is a popular artform, especially among the high society of Inferny.

Blood brotherhood and blood compacts common
Fangs

The **Fangs** are mountains that rise high and steep and form a range in central Elderland, spanning the countries of Sylva, Blitzenland, Inferny, Zwergandy, Dustria-Goblindy, and Vlavonia. The Fangine arch creates a spine of nearly impassable rock and ice that divides the continent and its cultures. The Godstooth in Inferny is the tallest mountain in the Fangs.

Because of their steep prominence and volatility, the Fangs have for centuries foiled civilization's attempts to build settlements on them, but many peoples have succeeded in building structures underneath them. Thanks to the ingenuity of races like dwarves and drow, the Fangs contain the most extensive tunnel network in the world.

The Fangs are venerated for their deep primal magic, and the range is home to many magical beings that aren't found elsewhere, including giants, aarakocra, firbolgs, and fomorians.
Stormy Sea

The Stormy Sea is a sea north of Elderland that separates the nation of Orkway from Zwergandy, Sylva, the Halflands, and Drakka. The sea is dangerous and frequently racked by strong tempests. Sailor legend tells that the tempests were created by angry storm giants who saw their ancestral home sunk by the incursion of Lucina Occolor's Volcan Army during the Collapse of the Colossals.
Ungulia

**Ungulia** is a nation in eastern Elderland that is one of the ancestral homelands of the centaur race.

In the Affliction, the Ungul Khanate invaded many places and were aided in their conquest by the great khan Mantys Khan, a kraul warlord who emerged from the Abyss.

Kraul still live in some places in Ungulia, and there are sandworms in the desert and steppe there as well as other insectoid monsters.

The Dragonwall was built by the hadozee between the Dragonbone Mountains and the Aavatara Mountains to hold back the invasions.
Timeline of multiversal history

Tor

Primeval Age

* The Beholding

Metallic Age

Mythic Age

* The height of extraplanar influence on Tor
* The Feud of Fate splits Tor's civilizations on either side of the conflict
* Heroes and gods, legends abound
* The Auroral Council is convened to broker peace
* The forging of the Links of Power
* The Starfall leads to the murder of the primordial gods
* The Vanishing ends the age

Imperial Age

* Marked by the influence of the Volcan Empire, which began during the Mythic Age but gained more power after the Vanishing
* Divine magic is significantly reduced due to the primordial gods dying
* Because Asmodeus had made a contract with the dragons, the Volcans gained a lot of power as a result of the Feud of Fate
* With the Occlusion, the empire trampled other lands who could not rely on their gods' power to save them
* The stories of Stellas Lambent and Lucina Occolor intertwine
* Lucina commits suicide and sends the empire spiraling into civil war, Antiquine takes over
* As a republic, the Volcans' power weakens steadily and eventually their civilization is overtaken by dwarven, goblin, and minotaur raiders

Age of Dusk

* The elves regain some power after leaving the Volcan yoke, with Cédric the Great uniting the tribes and establishing the Kingdom of Sylva
* Other feudal kingdoms emerge as well
* Life in general is bleaker and poorer than it was under the Volcans, and technological advancements are few
* With the exception of the Aljinian Caliphate, which emerges alongside the new religion of Rumam, worshiping the supposed dead primordial gods
* The Triadic kingdoms consider the caliphate to be heretical and they organize the Ligatures to reclaim the Holy Land

Magisterial Age

* Begins with the First Ligature, which was successful in taking Jezebelem
* Ligating families discover the dragonmarks hidden in ancient tombs in Ehram, and the marks fuse to them giving them incredible powers and enabling them to dominate society as nobles. The dragonmarks are draconic symbols spelling out the words within the secret Draconic Prophecy, which was buried in Ehram during the Starfall. The marks bound the dragonmarked nobles' will toward that of the astral dragons, in spite of the Partition. They are a subtle form of mind control, as the subjects never truly knew they were bending toward the fulfillment of the prophecy, but in the amassing of power, the acceleration of arcane innovation, and the subjugation of the druids, they were doing what the dragons wanted to breach the Partition once again.
* Arcane magic grows in power and influence, and arcane colleges are established

Arcanaissance

Radiant Age

Age of Artifice

* Artificers learn to synthesize the power of dragonmarks into vessels called dragonshards, which instill magical properties onto objects and situations not possible with normal arcane magic
Zwergandy

The Grand Anvil (Dwarven: der Große Amboss) is the symbol of the forged union of the dwarven clans.

### Currency

Mark

**Zwergandy**, officially the **United Citadels of Zwergandy** (Dwarven: ***Vereinigte Zitadellen von Zwerganz***) and sometimes referred to by the dwarven acronym ***VZZ***, is a country in central Elderland that is the traditional home of the dwarven race.

In a historical context, Zwergans take pride that their people have never been fully conquered, attacked by Volcans many times, and Hobs almost took them over, but the Zwergans always stood ground and fought back. Their only true defeat was the Ceruleonic elves' empire, which the dwarves have never forgotten. Their motto is "Fire and Forge".

The uniting of the dwarven clans was a huge deal and led to even higher dwarven strength. It was such a big deal because dwarven culture holds tradition high and shies away from change. But they united and embraced artificial magic and from changing they have become stronger.

The previous society was made of seven clans ruling seven separate citadels

The leader is called the Krieger (warrior) and he rules with an iron fist, absolute fealty and familial bonds, no immigration.

The Iron Spyglass is the VZZ's state security agency, and an infamously skilled spy network. The Iron Spyglass maintains a 1984-like watchfulness over citizens.

There is a faction that believes the vanished humans to be a race of ubermensch that all peoples should strive toward, they are involved in occult practice of Creedism and searching for ancient Ehramite artifacts.

Many dwarves hold that gnomes and halflings are dwarven clans that did not assimilate. They are the Kleinclan (halflings) and the Marschclan (gnomes).

Large cities in Zwergandy include Hammerberg, the capital; Karlgar; Ürlich; and Wulfstrand

Foremen (Vorarbeiter) are industrial factory/clan leaders

quarries over much of the landscape

In 19th century, the clans moved to the Factory Model (Fabrikmodell)

Mithral

Riftclan

Bartclan

Unterclan

Waldclan

Meerclan

Hugelclan
Capricornia

Capricornia is a country in western Sunderland that is home to the vedalken. It is a land of beauty and ugliness, with roiling tar pits, enormous trees, and land damaged by artificial experiments. Homes are often built into large meteor craters that pockmark the landscape.

Zilikon

Vos Aetheres

Meteor Mountains

Vedalken migrated from the moon and sometimes call themselves moonwalkers.

They worship the ether and are a science minded people, kind of like Vulcans.
Signora Burlona

**Signora Burlona** is the enigmatic leader of the Harlequins Brigade, a powerful entertainment guild. She appears often at her favorite entertainment operation, the Lucina's Palace casino in Acqua Vecchia.

When Burlona sees the look in Nemja's eyes, she realizes she was an Extraction who escaped. She has the lost gaze of the vanished humans in her eyes. The Eye of Ehram, the all-seeing eye, the malocchio.

"Those eyes. You could turn anyone to your cause. You could drum up any crowd. You would make the most incredible entertainer. You will be our Lucina Occolor. Greeting the people who come to the casino and dazzling them with the spectacle of those eyes."

She tries to involve
Forge of War

The **Forge of War** is an adventure set in Elderland during the Endwar. The adventure follows a cast of five intrepid adventurers who try to make their way through a perilous land beset by a horrific war while seeking answers to mysteries of the known and unknown world.

## Sessions

1. "Meeting at the Grand Cove"
2. "Traveling with Turnips"
3. "The Curious Case of Drvo"
4. "Digging for Clues"
5. "Water and Smoke"
6. "Tunnels of Fire"
7. "The Crone o' the Wood"
8. "Riding the Wind"
9. "A Trip up the Mountain"
10. "Rage of the Giants"
11. "The Balance of Power"
12. "Glacial Labyrinth"
13. "What Happens Here, Stays Here"
14. "The Hunt for Serena"
15. "Lucina's Palace"

"Blackmire"

"Three Days' Grace"

"Devil's Grotto"

"Pandemonium at the Piazza"

?? "Once Bitten, Twice Shy"

?? "Vengeance of the Vampire"

?? "Calamity at the Clocktower"

"Apocalypse Now"

"Draconic Dealings"
Scuttle

**Scuttle** is a popular dice game that involves counting dice rolls and reaching a designated high score. The game traces its origins from sailors on the Trade Sea. The name of the game derives from a naval term "scuttle," to sink one's own ship.

## Rules

Each turn, a player rolls two six-sided dice until either a 1 is rolled or the player decides to hold.

* If a player rolls a 1, they score nothing and it becomes the next player's turn.
* If a player rolls any other number, it is added to their turn total and the player's turn continues.
* If a player chooses to hold, their turn total is added to their score, and it becomes the next players turn.
* If two 1s are rolled, the player's entire accumulated score is lost, and the turn ends.
* If a double is rolled, the point total is added to the turn total as with any roll but the player is obligated to roll again.

The first player to score 100 or more points wins. In casinos and at sea it is standard to place bets on the outcome of one's own score, and side betting is also permitted once a player reaches 50, with onlookers or other players wagering on who will most likely reach 100 first.
Greta von Webbe

**Greta von Webbe** was a Solstician of the druidic order who resealed the planes and ended the Affliction.

Greta was imprisoned in a Domain of Dread within the Shadowfell as punishment for resealing the planes. Her punisher was the lich Lucina Occolor, who had sent her god-lover Bane unto the Material Plane to cause destruction while she rebuilt her body that was still recovering from its sundering on her entering the planes long ago.
Harlequins Brigade

The **Harlequins Brigade**, also known by other names like the Mad Menagerie, is the most famous entertainment guild in Elderland. It is the only guild that operates both in Triad and Affliction territory during the Endwar, claiming that everyone needs entertainment in times of war. But behind the scenes, the Harlequins are really trying to open a portal to the Infernal plane because the leaders at the very top are part of the Cult of Hell's Awakening.

Harlequins like to use Shar masks as props.
Feywild

The **Feywild**, also known as the Mirrorverse, the High Parallel, or *Eille* in Sylvan, is a dimension that makes up one half of the Parallel Plane, a naturalistic dimension that exists out of synchronization with material time. In the Feywild, the Occlusion has felt like a relatively short time. Sometimes spending time in the Feywild can push you forward or backward in time.

The Feywild has a very free spirit, drug-taking, hippie dippie culture, like music festival vibe

Florid Court is an organization of good fey creatures

Witherwood Coven is an organization of evil fey creatures

Nymril

After the Shattering, the matriarchs sent out riddleguards to the fey crossroads in Tor.

Fey gates enable access to the Parallel Plane via a magic mist, also known as the veil or in Sylvan, the *faeth fiada*.

Like Tir Na Nog the land of the young.

Avalon
Quorlin

**Quorlin** is the Mother Faith goddess of air, storms, birds, and breath. She is known for her tempestuous demeanor and her proclivity to fall into depression for she is always looking down from above.

Quorlin became trapped in the Nevermoor Domain of Dread after making a bad deal with the god Bane. An organization known as the Order of Occlusion conducts seances and tries to speak with her spirit in the Shadowfell.

Nostalgium is the ancient site in the Material plane that portals to Nevermoor.
Jaws of the World

The **Jaws of the World**, also known as **the Mandibles**, are islands that form a chain separating the Majestic Ocean from the Trade Sea. The islands are claimed by Serpegal but have changed hands often in history and have an extremely diverse population of species. Most of the islands are craggy and uninhabitable, but the larger islands are home to popular trading ports.

Caveira, Serpeguese for "skull", is the most populous island and the busiest port.

Many of the islands are run not directly by the Serpeguese government but by yuan-ti pirate companies who battle each other for supremacy.
Académie Sanitaire

The Académie Sanitaire is the principal place for the study of healing magic in Elderland. Located in Lutece, it is the training ground for the Sanitarians, a medical police force that enforces the laws of health in Sylva. Their symbol is the caduceus.

The main branch of the academy is in Lutece, and there are smaller branches throughout the nation called lyceums.
Halflands

The **Halflands** is an island nation in northern Elderland that is home to the halfling and gnome races. Two main islands make up the nation—Nebbels, where a majority of gnomes live, and Hobbels, where a majority of halflings live.

Halfling pipeweed is extremely popular

There is a proud tradition of Rumpsringe for young adult gnomes and halflings.

The gnomish coastal engineers are renowned for crafting canals and dikes in marshlands to stave off the breakers of the Stormy Sea.

Humberdum is the co-capital of the Halflands and its largest city.

Tinkertwee is the largest city on Nebbels and co-capital.

Pastoras is a large pastoral farmland and fields area

The government is divided between the two capital cities.

Humberdum houses the Gildenrad, or Council of Guilders, the merchants who decide trade issues such as stocks and economy

Tinkertwee houses the Knutenrad, or Council of Tinkers, the builders and inventors who decide engineering and infrastructure issues such as dams
Gyorgograd

**Gyorgograd** is the capital of Drakka and its largest city.

Based on Ravnica

Guildpact

Nikolai Krimzin is the guildist leader

The Zhizny Tree, or Lifegiver, was planted during the Affliction and grew very rapidly to a great size. Its pollen cured the afflicted dragonborn

The Rubblebelt is an area of devastation

Nov Pravda, a converted Triad church (which was once known as Basilika Pravda) that is used as the seat of guildist communist government

Reclamation Zone, site of an artifice experiment gone haywire
Seven Heavens

The **Seven Heavens**, also known simply as **Heaven**, **Elysium**, and the **Celestial Plane**, is a heavenly realm of good. Archaically, the plane was called **Nyx** by the humans who engaged in Mythicism.

Heaven is mostly attended on by AI-like modrons, so that mortal beings don't have to do work.

The law in Heaven is you can't do work. You can't do anything that could be considered work.

The Celestial Plane is actually chock full of infighting among angels, it's like a shitty reality resort show, with no work to do people just start rumors and act shitty to each other, feeling ultimately unfulfilled

"The crappy thing about living eternally in a palace of endless pleasure is that it's kind of unsatisfying existentially.

The gods Lathandar and Selune were fallen dragons from the Astral Empire who left evil behind to pursue goodness, safety, and peace. They shaped a new realm of the Celestial Plane to rule over mortals of the Material, supplanting the ancient primordial titan gods that were worshiped in various sects around that plane, such as the fey Celdarine and the giant gods, the Ivorian devas. The celestials took aspects of primordial worship and shaped them to their own pantheon, becoming like Greek god type mythic beings.

Asmodeus and Fierna were fallen angels who became distasteful of the lifestyle of Heaven and established a new realm based on work ethic, survival through pain, and malevolent nature. They argued that celestials could not ignore their deep draconic origin and become wholly good.

The Infinite Staircase is how you ascend to the plane.

The celestial language was spoken in Ehram.

The seven heavens are:

* Mt. Martyrdom, where Magus Tryst preaches, Magus wishes his dad would hang with him but he's lazy

* Solace, the throne room of Lathandar, is like a tropical beach paradise with angelic hosts waiting on you, Lathandar is like a fat vacationing guy with a big cellphone he answers when called, Lathandar is very lackadaisical and doesn't like doing work, hates showing up in court at the Elysian Tribunal

* The Holy Shoals, a moonlit lagoon of ever changing tides

* Zodiac, a realm of animal constellations, where animals go when they die

* Ashrama, the ashram-like world soul of devas, aasimar ascended
* Garden of Goodness, where the first humans are said to have been created, full of ancient ruins of humans
* Palace of Pearls, where celestials first enter heaven and receive word that they are in or not, also where trials occur

seraphs
Gargoman Empire

The Gargoman Empire is a large imperial state run by the goliath race that encompasses much of southern Elderland.

## History

The empire was founded shortly after the Affliction, when various goliath tribes banded together to conquer more territory in the mountains of Gargantua. Quickly the new empire, headed by a strong-willed and powerful sultan, conquered the Satyrnine city of Antiquinople.

## Culture

### Religion

Most educated and urban-dwelling Gargomans worship the Affliction pantheon, but the older goliath religion of Primalism is predominantly worshiped by the mountainous tribespeople of the hinterlands. Primalism is a nature-based faith that Gargoman scholars claim was derived from an earlier Giant elemental faith. The Primal deities are powerful genies who remain sealed in the Elemental Plane but nevertheless influence the Material Plane through acts of trickery, magic lamps, and other arcane deeds.

Kavaki the Ram-Lord, the genie of death and guardian of the afterlife

Theleya the Fertile, the genie of life

Kuliak the Springbound, the genie of water

Manethak the Hunter, the genie of earth

Naki-Uthai the Climber, the genie of air

Vanua the Woe-Sower, the genie of fire

Primalists believe that through noble deeds the genies may come to them and grant a wish.
Church of the Affliction

The Church of the Affliction is an organization dedicated to the macabre worship of the deities said to have cause the Affliction. Followers claim all living beings must succumb to the mortal conditions of suffering, despair, and loss. Afflictionists worship the chief deity Bane, god of tyranny, terror, and hate. Bane's mistresses Shar, goddess of death and mourning, and Loviatar, goddess of torture and suffering, are both revered alongside Bane.

## History

### Church origins

The Zwergan dwarf Augustus Bonner argued against the legitimacy of the Triad after the many plagues of the Affliction had devastated Elderland while the gods seemingly sat on their hands. Bonner argued that instead of worshiping the weak Triad gods, people should instead pay penance to the powerful progenitors of the Affliction.
Vincent Corsaire

**Vincent Corsaire** is a Sylvan elf actor and a member of House Guerarme by marriage to the famous actress Daria Guerarme. Corsaire is a suave man who is the life of any party. He maintains a home on the Cote Petite near Azule called Chateau Corsaire, a castle sitting on a rocky cliffside. The troubled relationship between Corsaire and his wife has been a hot topic in the Sylvan tabloids like *The Pointed Ear.*
The Scar

The Scar is a large region of volcanic rock and magical devastation stretching from the source of the Shattering in Acqua Vecchia down the Bollente Valley to the lake and across the Ravenwood Forest into Corvia. The apocalyptic devastation of the Shattering destroyed both opposing armies on the Bollente Line during the war, and a new front was opened across the Scar.
Antiki Mountains

The **Antiki Mountains** are a mountain range running from the Nubis River north through Gargantua. They are also known as the Elder Range, and legends claim the birth of the Material Plane from the Primordial occurred there as a result of volcanic activity. The volcanism within the range has long been dormant. The Triadic prophecy says that someday the Antiki volcanoes will erupt again with the return of Stellas.
Druid

A **druid** is a type of spellcaster who is able to magically manipulate nature and the elements and, in some cases, transform into beasts. Druids across Tor practice many religions but most often are associated with religious practices founded in ancient primordial myths. The Celdarine pantheon of the Mother Faith is one such practice, and there are also Rumamic druids based in primordial elemental genie worship. In eastern Elderland, the Brobding druids worship the Giant pantheon. Many druids hold all primordial pantheons to be equally relevant and worship depending on season or location.

There are several known druid enclaves in Tor:

Sacred Sanctum, also called the Western Heathens, originally from the Sacred Forest in Sylva and now found over western Elderland, worshiping the Celdarine

Behemoth Sanctum, also called the Eastern Heathens, from the Stark Forest in Zwergandy, worshiping the Ordning.

Sacred Sanctum druid legends and locations:

Arsamor, the tree at the center of the world

Sweetspring, the well from which all water is born

The Weavers, who share traits with the Fate, controlling destinies and seeing futures, they wove the threads that sealed the planes

wish trees

Irish mythologies

Holidays: Seedstart, Everlight, Harvesthalt, Deepnight

Celdarine; Corellon (Time/Change), Eldath (Life), Talona (Death), Carnyx (earth), Hanali (fire), Syrania (water), Erevan (air)

Arvandor tribal druidism

human sacrifice of criminals in the wicker man

Headhunting and displaying of heads

Venerating head as symbol of divinity and the seat of the soul. The body is burned but the head is embalmed and displayed in shelving inside burial mounds.

Behemoth Sanctum has more Germanic/Norse elements:
Feud of Fate

The **Feud of Fate** was a protracted war, philosophical struggle, and general disagreement between the two purported creator races, the dragons and the primordials, over who should control the seven planes of existence. The feud was fought between the growing Astral Empire of the dragons and the loosely organized communal entity of the fey known as the Wildspawn.

To negotiate peace, the Auroral Council was convened in Ehram in a pyramid in the desert beside the Nubis River. There the Treaty of the Seven Seals was brokered.

The Wildspawn had a Greek/Theros like society based in nature, with the Celdarin gods, dionysian rites kind of thing

Wildspawn believed in the fey founding myth, that life began from the divine soul that pervades all things, life is a higher form of that soul, closer to godhood

Astral empire believed in the draconic founding myth, that life sprung from the mere interaction of star particles

The dragons said that the Ehramite humans had betrayed them because they were told that Lathander and Selune were actually originally dragons who took the Celestial Plane for themselves and called themselves gods. The humans would not hear this truth and considered it heresy and so decided to reject their neutral stance and fight the dragons. The dragons did not envision this, thinking that the humans would actually take their side and worship them. So their planned Starfall came down to a tighter conflict than the dragons thought, and while they were able to kill the primordial gods and devastate the land, Nekertephe and her humans were able to use the Links of Power to seal the planes and end the battle.
Harrington Hopper

Harrington Hopper, commonly known by the stage name "The Great Haredini", is a Leonian harengon sorcerer and a traveling stage magician. As a skilled sorcerer capable of harnessing powerful Feywild magic, Harrington has made a name for himself performing acts of illusion and spectacle in a traveling magic act.
Toroña

**Toroña**, known officially as the **Ardent Dominion of Toroña** is a country in western Elderland that is home to the minotaur race.

magical realism

Dali

dadaism

mazelike badlands

dry area generally

passion in many things

Toroñan cuisine is famously vegetarian, while Serpeguese cuisine is famously carnivorous. Minotaurs are often hungry and they eat as many as 10 meals per day. Toroñan culture surrounds these mealtimes.

Horn polishing and oiling, as well as gilding and covering in brass and silver

Wind instruments made of dead minotaur horns. It is a great honor to have an instrument carved from your horn. Music is big in Toroñan society, and horns are accompanied by lutes, drums, and lyres

Or it is a pure theocracy run by the church of the triad. The organization is labyrinthine, no one knows where laws begin or end, nor who is the leader. Some say the laws make themselves and appear out of the ether.

There is a rebellion brewing against the church.

The theocracy is especially concerned with prophecies and maintains the most augurs of any nation. It is led by the Oracular Triumvirate, a council of three oracles who compete with each other to produce the most popular prophecies.
Guildmasters

Guildmasters are wealthy and politically powerful merchant lords dedicated to trading natural and magical resources and manufacturing products. Organized into guilds, they control and monopolize the manufacture of different products and compete with smaller, disorganized traders and manufacturers for wealth.

In order to prevent one guild from monopolizing the others, the most powerful guilds formed the Guildpact to secure their power. However, the Endwar has led to the breaking of the Guildpact due to the inability to distribute goods across warring borders.

Currently the guilds make deals with the dragonmarked houses to use their dragonmarks for products, but the guilds want to create dragonmarks themselves, which the noble houses will not allow.