Oeridian

Oeridian skin tones range from tan to olive; brown and auburn hair are common, though some individuals have hair as light as honey or as dark as coal. Likewise, eye coloration is highly variable; brown and gray are seen most often. Oeridians tend to have square or oval faces and strong jaw lines.

After inhabiting what is now Ull for generations, ancient Oeridians were driven east by orcs and goblins employed as mercenaries by the Baklunish and Suel. The migrating Oeridians were able fighters and battled their way across the Flanaess, driving the Suel before them and allying with the Flan, elves, dwarves, and other peoples. Nearly pure Oeridians are seen in Perrenland, Furyondy, North Kingdom, Sunndi, and Onnwal.

The most powerful empire in the modern Flanaess was created by a conquering tribe of Oeridians, the Aerdi, who subjugated and assimilated all who opposed them. Ancient Oeridians were fierce warriors, yet they also were self-sacrificing and loyal. These traits are not as evident today, but many Oeridians do remain temperamental and prone to violence. They have a preference for strict social order, usually fitting themselves at the top, and their military traditions are strong. Aggression is often channeled into political conflict and subterfuge. The Oeridian skill at warfare is unsurpassed, and many folk have a hard-learned respect for it. In peacetime, they are practical, hard working, and not inclined to intellectual pursuits.

Oeridian dress normally consists of a short tunic and close-fitting trousers with a cape or cloak, tailored for ease of movement. Aerdi and Nyrondal Oeridians favor plaids and checks, with ovals or diamonds in the south and west. Colors and patterns once showed clan allegiance, but this practice is fading in favor of personal color preference.

Following their warlike tendencies, magic-using Oeridians focus on battle-oriented spells, as well as the enchantment of magic items useful in combat. Spellcasters have a hard-nosed, practical attitude, and they are generally hawkish and outgoing. Many strive to be leaders or masters. Magic is often used for pragmatic purposes, too, such as construction, irrigation, and iron-forging.

## Common Oeridian Regional Feats

**Badge of Bondage** *North Kingdom, Onnwal--* Your experiences as a slave have made you more resistant to torture and mental manipulation, granting you a bonus on Fortitude and Will saves, as well Bluff checks.

**Blooded** *Furyondy, Nyrond, Oeridian, Onnwal--* You know what it means to fight for your life, and the value of quick wits and quicker reactions when blades are bared and deadly spells chanted. Enemies find it difficult to catch you off guard, granting you a bonus to Initiative and Spot checks.

**Border Watch** *Furyondy, Nyrond, Sunndi--* Your experience watching the horizon for enemy troop movements has made you a better soldier, granting you a bonus on Spot and Profession (Soldier) checks.

**Born Follower** *Oeridian--* You excel when directed by a natural leader, granting you a bonus on attack rolls and saving throws against fear when within 30' of an ally with the Leadership feat.

**Celestial Scion** *North Kingdom--* You are a member of one of the noble houses of the former Great Kingdom, granting you benefits depending on which precise house you hail from.

**Defensive Expert** *Sunndi--* You excel at entrenched fighting, granting you a greater bonus to AC when benefitting from cover, and a greater dodge bonus when fighting defensively.

**Driftwalker** *Perrenland--* You aren't slowed by snowy terrain, and know how to disguise your movements in the snow, and leave no tracks in it unless you wish to.

**Elflore** *Sunndi--* You've memorized epic poems, histories and songs of the elven people, gaining insight into Oerth's history and magic, granting you a bonus on Knowledge and Spellcraft check.

**Exercises of Arnd** *Furyondy,* *Nyrond,* *Oeridian--* You follow the teachings of the legendary ancient Oeridian general-priest Arnd of Tdon, practicing a rigidly defined set of physical exercises every day to maintain peak fighting effectiveness, granting you special bonuses in combat based on the specific exercise you've performed that day.

**Fiendsign** *North Kingdom, Perrenland--* Your body bears a readily identifiable mark of your traffic with fiends, chosen from the list of physical signs of Fiendish taint. You bond to the denizens of the Lower Planes grants you some measure of control over your fiendish associates, meaning that Outsiders with the evil subtype take a penalty on their saves against your spells, and granting you a bonus to your caster level check to overcome their spell resistance.

**Mercantile Background** *Onnwal--* You come from a family that excels at a particular trade and knows well the value of any kind of trade good or commodity, granting you a bonus on Appraise checks and the Craft or Profession check of your choice.

**Mercenary Background** *Perrenland--* You've traveled across the Flanaess as a hired mercenary, learning a smattering of local flavor on every mission in a foreign land. Because you've known so many fellow mercenaries from distant lands, you have little difficulty picking up foreign languages, making Linguistics a class skill for you, and granting you a bonus on Kn. Local checks. Additionally, there is always a good chance that you will run into people you know from your time in the mercenary companies.

**Mountain Fighter** *Perrenland--* You know how to make the most of terrain-inspired advantages when fighting in mountainous terrain, granting you a dodge bonus to AC in such terrain.

**Noble Soul** *Furyondy, Oeridian--* Your strength of spirit and forthrightness bolsters your resolve and draws others toward you, granting you a bonus on Will saves and Diplomacy checks.

**Orc Blooded** *North Kingdom--* Somewhere in the shadowy boughs of your extended family tree is an orc. The person's influence on your heritage isn't enough to make you a half-orc, but it is enough to slightly influence your features and make you a bit more easy to anger than others, granting your darkvision, making Barbarian a favored class for you, and allowing you to count as an orc for effects related to race.

**Rustic Charm** *Furyondy, Nyrond, Sunndi--* Others tend to underestimate you due to your rural upbringing, meaning you do not suffer penalties Diplomacy checks related to social class, and others suffer a penalty on Sense Motive checks against you.

**Sagacious Method** *Nyrond--* You learned magic from the Sagacious Society of Nyrond, a loosely organized assembly of scholars, sages and mages who trade arcane information in an effort to improve the defensive strength of the Kingdom of Nyrond, granting you a bonus to Spellcraft checks to decipher scrolls, caster level checks to successfully cast a scroll spell with a caster level higher than your level, and, if a wizard, a broader breadth of feats to spend your wizard bonus feats on.

**Wastri's Blessing** *Sunndi--* You are a "servant" of Wastri, the hopping prophet, meaning you can hold your breath longer than normal, and do not leave a trail in swampy terrain unless you choose to.

**Well-Read** *Nyrond--* Your readings have granted your extensive general knowledge about a wide range of affairs, making all Knowledge skills class skills for you.

**World Weary** *North Kingdom, Onnwal--* Your crushed spirit makes you difficult to scare or intimidate, granting you a bonus on saves against fear, and allowing you to treat fear conditions as one rank lower.