Anansian Schism

## Welcome to Pelys, A.D. 1594

> *When the Sea gave up the dead which were in it; and Death and Hell delivered up the dead which were in them. There was judgment. Death and Hell were cast into the lake of fire; this is the second death.*
>
>

War unlike anything ever seen resounds throughout the mountainous tundras of Pelys. An ancient imperial alliance of over-elves, dwarves and gnomes guide their mindless automatons along the roads snaking the chilled landscape. Their adversaries, the under-elves and their many imperial defectors, emerge from the Underworld armed with monstrosities and mage-artillery to rain destruction upon their bitter foes. The reason for the conflict, an obscure religious split called the Anansian or Imperial Schism, ravages whole countrysides and renders them barren, gray and lifeless no-mans-lands.

Some have become casualties in a greater war: the under-elves have annexed and enslaved the multitude of human kingdoms to fuel their war machine, and nothing of the halfling realm remains at all. These however form only tertiary issues of the larger scope engendered by battle. Others have taken up arms and rekindled old feuds, seeing this time as a rich opportunity. Wood elf and sea elf sects rebel across the land seeking to reclaim their ancestral homes. Orcs lend their services as mercenaries to both sides, and goblinoids fortify their historically contested borders. Yet something far worse has been awakened by the dreadful quakes of the elven war, a lingering conspiracy locked beneath the labyrinth of the Underworld.

You are among those who wish to take advantage of the war's precious spoils. The scale and might of both sides has left many a derelict battlefield, littered with the dead; the fallen however bear incredibly valuable arms and magic items that fetch high prices at auction. The profiteers who scour these hellscapes are called prospectors, gambling with destiny in the hopes of striking it rich. However, your first prospecting job is not so typical, and you may be bound for a fated meeting... *when the abyss gives up its dead*.

### Two-Minute Primer

You are a native of the continent of Pelys, or you have recently arrived there. You know a few things about this sphere of our Earth—its peoples claim to predate the Great Flood, the continent-spanning Imperium roots itself in the rights conferred by the patriarchs of that period. Magic is used for everyday activities by the innate spellcasting faculties of the elves, and the wilds abound with fairies and monsters. The "outside world" is our own, and Pelys is hostile to it for many reasons, not least of which is how human visitors tend to bring with them swords, diseases and ideas that efface their own glorious past.
Pelys lies in a far-flung corner of the Earth sometime during the Age of Discovery. It is boundaried by a very old Imperium ceremonially in the hands of the elves and bureaucratically managed by dwarves and gnomes. The Imperium itself is uncertain of whether or not it has collapsed. A third of it split off due to an obscure religious schism, severing its economic security. The once serene mountains echo the constant sound of mage artillery and the hulking clockwork abominations. The decaying society desperately tries to regain what it has lost, though in lucid moments looks upon previous millennia and sees grander, more civilized, and certainly better days. Progress seems on the decline—skills and lore that people possessed just a few hundred years ago are lost now. The magic that once promised to liberate the elves now impede their daily lives and consume their ever-scarcer resources.

In the shadow of an unnaturally tall Tower atop a glacier in the capital city of Heru (its own origins unknown), lights shine in the overcast skies plumed with volcanic smoke and presciently show a future cut from the cold lowlands and dry highlands. As the Imperium wanes and fails, its people are quickly becoming the center of something much larger than themselves. Something in the deep stirs. No one yet knows exactly what, but something is happening in Pelys. Something new stirs in the continent . . . and something else that is very, very old.

## Pelys Quickstart

What does the average person know about Pelys? Whether you are a native to the continent or come from a faraway land, you are bound to know a few things if you spent more than a day in Imperial lands. Consider the points below as a summary of the setting and the basics you'll need to get going on your character concept.

* Elves are by far the most common race on Pelys. They speak Elvish primarily but the surface-elves, the *uberelfen,* adopted Common for state affairs (Common being Latin).
* The elves that dwell in the subterranean Underworld, the *unterelfen,* only speak Elvish or Undercommon, a butchered form of Latin. They are culturally, religiously and legally isolated, and if they ever appear on the surface they generally wear masks.
* Humans come close to elves in number but are isolated in their own territories, outside the reaches of the Imperium. Humans enter into elven dominion for work and trade, and so are not uncommon though resented by elves.
* The year has 366 days, with twelve months and a seven-day week. The year starts in March, the week starts on Sunday (Domingo), the day starts at dawn (6am).
* The climate is cool or cold, the air is dry and rain is infrequent. Volcanic activity sometimes billows smoke and ash into the sky making it overcast more often than not. It is environmentally akin to the Andes.
* The common person is fond of caico, a variant of the coca leaf that prevents fatigue and facilitates life at elevation and in the cold.
* The common man typically wears a modest woolen tunic with intricate patterns. Headgear and headwraps are often worn. They usually keep their hair long and brushed, and their faces clean shaven. Short hair and beards are considered a human thing--*barbas* (beards/barbarians).
* The common woman wears a modest woolen tunic with intricate patterns, often extending past the knee. They keep their hair very long in complex styles or braids, more often down than up.
* The common person does not earn a wage. They grow their own food and offer up the excess to the Imperium. In exchange, the Imperium delivers trade goods and supplies like clothing to the community.
* If a person does earn a wage, they are usually very skilled and hired by nobility or the Imperium for a specific task. They can expect to earn a platinum coin per week.
* The Imperium historically only issued platinum coins for currency, called *qapaqs* (royals). Since the Schism, they have issued electrum coinage as well, *tikus* (clinkings).
* Various tribes such as orcs and goliaths issue copper coinage (graybands), anti-Imperium elves issue silver coinage (feybands) and only human issue gold coinage (roses).
* There are no banks, and storing valuables may prove to be challenging. You might as well hire someone to guard it full-time.
* Buildings usually do not have windows, but rather allow open air throughout. Windows may be found in certain religious sites or underground, and usually have symbolic purpose.
* Most buildings, but not all of them, have indoor plumbing thanks to widespread knowledge of magic. Public privies pump in hot water in via hand pumps and drain it into septic facilities, where it is destroyed.
* Don't expect to get things done on Sundays or on holy days. Trying to travel around these times can be a hassle as well.
* You can hire a messenger to carry notes and packages almost anywhere in Pelys.
* Travel by road through the mountains is common, and caravan services are widely available for hire to take you wherever you want to go safely.
* Magic and monsters are not unknown in Pelys, but the common person fears most the undead. Fears mount all the more for brigands, warclock automatons and plague.
* Weapons and armor are permitted at all places except at holy sites, which often extends throughout most of Pelyssian cities.
* Each town has a judge to manage the law, and he usually has several deputies to handle any transgressor. Legal codes therefore can vary from place to place, and often treat breaches of decorum as criminal.
* The mountain roads used to be quite safe, but since the war began many splinter factions, opportunists and hostile forces have become restless and fortified at important junctions.
* Identification is usually accomplished by reading a person's tunic, which details where they come from and who they are.
* You won't find stores to buy goods in any village or town, but rather will need to find a traveling merchant on the road.

## A Canticle for Pelys

The ancients lament the loss of the enigmatic continent called Pelys. The Hellenic historians called it *tou Peloys*, τοῦ Pελoυς; Latin antiquity regarded it as *Peralus;* the Near East knew it as *polory,* բոլորը. The meanings all differ, ranging from *the sea-taken* to *the imperiled* to *the whole*. They all speak in the same rhymes however, a dirge for the continent at the edge of the world where all magic sources form as a stream, the homeland of the fairies and a world lost across a loneliest stretch of sea. The Imperium invites you to learn about the rich history of Pelys.

### The Great Deluge

When humans began to populate the world after the First Wrong, they became subject to the interest of many spirits. Some, such as the fey, merely dwelt among them and studied them - eventually, by proximity, becoming more alike than unalike. These fey became humanoids: the elves. Other spirits, such as the celestials, had no interest in humans at all, fleeing from their presence. Seven mighty spirits however chose to interact with them in an intimate way, taking for themselves human wives. These seven spirits taught mankind the secrets of the natural and supernatural arts, and this arcane knowledge spread throughout all human civilization. In exchange, their human wives bore them many children. The offspring of these illicit unions were the giants, and during this mysterious period before the Flood, they reigned. Many scarcely-understood events were thus set into motion that could not be stopped.

The divine crafts in the hands of humans became perversions, with elemental wars raging for dominance over the land. The giants terrorized much of mankind as they ruled over the Earth. As magic entered the material world, horrifying creatures arose from corrupted human nature as aberrations. When the wretchedness of the world had reached its zenith, dragons finally emerged from the dust of this global bloodshed and initiated a cosmic war against the giants. The two sides, dragons and giants sought their own will for the human soul. The resulting battle threatened human extinction, and the humans that survived often were depraved and wicked, warmongering and unmerciful, driven to great extremes by a world awash in vengeful spirits. The stage was set for the Deluge.

A massive flood rose until it covered the highest mountains, and in only a few weeks the tempest had erased all traces of life from the surface of the Earth. No human boat could withstand the maelstrom, no dragons could endure the fire that rained from heaven, no giant could stand above the waters. Yet the world was yet not lost: a single human family remained in care of the beasts that populated the world aboard a single gopherwood vessel, saving humanity from extinction. What was lost however was the knowledge given by these fallen spirits, drowned in an antediluvian vale.

### The Two Covenants

Some did manage to survive the Flood based on individual merits: the parochial Bottleboots by the mercy of the angels, and the sorrowful Zilleh and her son Geth upon glacial ice. Once the Flood waters had subsided, however only two peoples had survived at large: the Humans by a covenant with Noe, and the Dwarves by a covenant with King Uzbadzirak. Much of the detail is awash in mystery, as indeed the Flood waters were meant to erase the memory of these very things. A few strands of history however remain. Of obscure origin, the dwarves had resisted the rule of the giants but maintained the justice of the one God during their conflict. They were preserved as a reward by being given an isolated complex of caverns in the mountains of Pelys: safe from the Flood waters even when submerged. To ensure their safety, the kings after Uzbadzirak inherited sorcerous authority to resist the tides of the Abyss below. The dwarves extended this patronage to their gnome kindred, whom they cherished, and the muezza, who were directed to dwarven hospitality for their renunciation of the world and repentance on behalf their ancestor Qain. This mercy was abused however: by the end of their sojourn with the dwarves, the muezza prince Heragon left for the surface as a traitor, and his brother King Cobalt was imprisoned and the muezza people enslaved.

The elves survived by an extended covenant with the dwarves, but only by trickery. King Sigir of the elves had taken furtive refuge in the subterranean world of Pelys with the dwarves. Having robbed magical power from the fey to become the first Druid, King Sigir showed the same cunning by fooling the dwarven king into a hasty protection pact, saving them from the Deluge. Sigir and his most trusted leaders, once they found the Deluge had ceased, returned to the surface and began to settle the continent. With his famed companions Ner the Spider and Hinoam the Silent, Sigir rallied his elven people to a new life after the judgment of the world with the promise of a land washed from evil. After a brief martial conflict with the dwarves, Sigir co-founded an empire with them and their gnome compatriots. The dwarves found Sigir a more purposeful ally than the people they had enslaved and, contingent on the release of the former muezza, forged the Imperium with the surface elves. After the founding of their mutual empire, not all elves chose to return to the surface. These *unterelfen* instead wished to continue their refining and exploiting of the vast underground networks which were given to the dwarves, and their labors were prosperous for all. The dark land hidden beneath the mountains of the dwarves became known as the Underworld, a haunt for lost spirits and monstrosities alike.

Sigir founded the capitol of the empire in the shadow of the mysterious Plankspear, a solid glacier topped by a seamless golden Tower built by unknown hands. The *uberelfen* spread across the land, living in the mountains (high elves), the lowlands (wood elves), upon the Plankspear (twilight elves) and the coastlands (sea elves). They expanded over Pelys in time, but two human kingdoms flourished at its marches: sons of Naham and the lordly Ahuae. The two kingdoms deceived and murdered Sigir and his descendents, remaining independent of the elves until Sigir's companions Ner and Hiloam, took the mantle of leadership over the elves and consolidated power under a line of emperors called the Authrandil.

### From Sigir to the Schism

The Authrandil emperors practiced a conservative form of druidry and philosophy, and the Authrandil ruled for many thousands of years without great ambitions of leaving Pelys, content to repel Ahuae ambassadors from the north or Nahamite envoys from the south. Things changed suddenly when the powers of druidic rites and magic in general was forever stunted. Across Pelys, the rich powers of magic suddenly became unreliable or even dissipated entirely. Astrology ceased to be an effective science, many branches of alchemy no longer worked and magic became no longer a function of sheer will but reduced to a formulaic routine. This event, the Great Panic, forever changed civilization on Pelys. Somewhere and somehow in the world during that fated year, magic became a shriveled shell of what it had once been, and the great works of the past were over. Soon also would human contact become more regular and less resistable.

More humans arrived at the continent, the Skao, some hundreds of years later, who settled in the already human regions. From here the primitive Skaro invaded elven lands for plunder and sustenance. At the zenith of the Imperium, the rights of the lesser princes and diminishing aid from the Imperium led to serious civil conflict. This culminated after some decades with another, separate group of human invaders, the Farsians: these sophisticated warlords splintered apart the empire into regional territories. The Farsians imposed a new religion upon the elves and forbade magic, and brought at this time their foreign measures, calendars, language and governance. The Farsians however were not effective leaders, and when dragons suddenly reappeared from the wounds of the Earth, the humans could not counter the reprisal. Only a renewed coalition of dwarves and elves, under the Authrandil heir Vasserin and his knights, overcame the dragons and Farsians alike. Together they finished conquering most of Pelys, leaving a handful of rudimentary human societies. This elven rebellion reinstated a "return to glory" under the Authrandil, with dwarves and gnomes at helm in the management of the Imperium. Humans were thereafter relegated to a mostly nomadic though peaceful life, isolated but content in the lowlands; elven animosity for human existence became all the greater.

For several hundred years the Authrandil Imperium ruled and shut out all outside interaction, while *unterelfen* and *uberelfen* chafed over their respective differences. Eventually an *unterelfen* monk named Anans, at an imperial conference, lambasted the *uberelfen* religion on major points including their *credo,* instated to protect the elves from human religion. The debates lasted for many years until a penultimate calamity struck. Yet another group of humans, the Spaniards, arrived and introduced terrible diseases in their first contact. The piling of dead coincided with an outbreak of an undead plague that ravaged the land. When the stench and mass of the dead could go no higher, orc tribal rites designed to raise the dead precipitated the arrival of their evil lord, Orcus. Orcus rampaged, setting sights upon the Tower, until the Last Authrandil Empress destroyed the spirit and banished it forever. The Imperium mourned the loss of the Authrandil line, and many tragically sought to replace the Authrandil Emperors with new and illegitimate claimants. Yet by great ingenuity the marriage of the predominant claimants to the throne, the sun elf Emperor Poitacal and moon elf Empress Rilya, ended the contest for the throne. The *unterelfen*, displeased and ever envious of the *uberelfen*, for many more decades steamed at the regained flourishing of the Imperium and surface culture, and now have launched an all-out war against the surface over the misguided philosophy of Anans.

## Everyday Pelys

The world around Pelys seems to move much faster than the esteemed ancient world under the Imperium. For good reason, the elves and dwarves have little interest in forging connections with the vast civilizations across the seas: every contact with humans has been to some extent disastrous. While communications and occasion travelers find their way into Pelys (or make their way out of it), it is hardly ever convenient. For this reason, while many mainstays of human development have overtaken the elven, including their calendars and units of measurement, many aspects of elven society remain peculiar to life in Pelys. Notably, almost all of *uberelfen* life is dominated by the use of the spell *prestidigitation*. The chores and labors of everyday existence, including sewing, writing, cooking, cleaning, making fires and even effective communication are rendered more or less trivial for the high elves. They can instantly warm their clothes, inscribe tablets with messages, wash and dry their living spaces instantly, light fires without effort, produce immediate sensory effects to demonstrate ideas and much more. As a result most of high elf culture is dominated by leisure and minimalism, with little need for the superfluous or instrumental.

### Altitude and geography

*Full article: Regions*

A fact of life in Pelys is the wide range in altitudes and climates. Pelys can be divided into two realms: Cold Pelys and Dry Pelys, with a notable exception in the center of Pelys: the Sylvanys, a place treated with severe suspicion. The peoples of Pelys intuitively understand their altitude. The lowest altitudes in Dry Pelys features steppe plains with sparse lakes of fresh and brackish water. At higher altitudes this gives way to more abundant vegetation and animal life. The high rainfall in Cold Pelys makes its lowlands frigid and humid, home to ice fields and glaciers. Up to around two or three miles above sea level, Dry Pelys becomes rife with warm and usually frostless valleys where a majority of agriculture occurs. Cold Pelys at the same altitude remains hilly, wind-rapt and generally scarce in life. At higher elevations, both sides of Pelys become more alike then unalike. Up to four miles above sea level, the highlands can only support potatoes and maize; beyond that the scattered grass-patched mountains see no cultivation. Pelys natives have adapted to high-altitude living, having slower heart rates, better lung capacity and shorter stature.

Across much of Pelys, especially Cold Pelys, volcanoes litter the landscape. Deep magma flows rise to the surface in fumaroles, vents that spew extremely poisonous gas that smells sulfuric. Hot springs as a result also dot the mountain ranges. Hazardous ash plumes from volcanic activity cause massive amounts of ash to be spewed and coat the sky, at times bringing an early night and delayed dawn. Harsh winds at the edge of the continent constantly blow storm-force winds, freezing out most life. Because of altitude and its location, direct sunlight in Pelys reflects off the mountains and can be blinding.

### Government

The *Imperium Primum,* the "Primal Empire" or simply the Imperium is an extremely centralized network of three different parallel institutions centered in the capitol of Heru, a spiraling city at the base of the Plankspear glacier topped by the Tower. The principal institution is the priestly, autocratic class of rulers dominated by the high elves called the *Princeps Civitatis,* the "Princely City" or commonly the Princeps. The day-to-day management of laws, paperwork and adjudication is headed by the dwarves of the *Petra Tabula,* the "Stone Tablet" or the Petra. The last sphere is populated by the gnomes, and their reclusive branch is known as the *Novum Collegium,* the "New College" or simply the Collegium. The interaction between the Princeps, the Petra and the Collegium can vary between competitive and outright hostile, though when in concert the Imperium is unstoppable in accomplishing what it wishes. Anyone who has or wishes to exert political power usually needs to be in the capitol to make it happen; there are no princes or rulers that are not participating in the daily life of the Princeps. Conversely, the Petra is based in the dwarven mountains to the north and its imposition is often more thorough: anywhere that belongs to the Imperium belongs to the Petra, and their ambassadors or enforcers are common throughout the roads of Pelys. Finally the Collegium has little presence aboveground, nestled in the subterranean Academy located in the Kinginon.

Because irrigation is critical for agriculture, the Imperium manages networks of aqueducts and terraces needed for farming across Pelys. The harsh conditions in the mountains has made the centralized government a natural and necessary part of life to keep these systems from toppling. While the Imperium indeed has strict control over the lives of its people, they are often materially vacant apart from what they give to or receive from the average settlement. Local authority often boils down to a local judge, a *yukshak* (sole-source) with a few deputies to act on his behalf, the *qipya* (threads/whips). The byzantine laws of the Imperium cash out at the level of the *yukshak,* whose interpretation sets forth the standard for the law in the immediate area unless the Petra catches wind of an improper implementation.

Crime is difficult to estimate in Pelys. Obvious crimes include murder, theft and casting harmful/manipulative spells on the innocent. Many laws also enforce decorum however, so openly brandishing weapons in a holy site or speaking to a ruler without invitation is lumped under illegal activity. Most illicit activities receive a commensurate penalty at the discretion of the *yukshak*, though it is rarely a monetary fine. One can expect to pay a corporal cost for wrongdoing.

### Infrastructure and communication

A complex and well-maintained system of roads allows for quick on-foot movement for the imperial armies, wrapping thousands of miles around the high-altitude terrain. Army gatehouses called *othos* (sevens) are manned by two individuals at all times to supply armies on campaign or dignitaries from the capitol with food and clothing; they are all built one day's travelling distance (6-7 miles) from one another. The Imperium also builds structures called *ortos* (wellsprings) in every single village, providing them all the things they need including food, clothing, shawls, shoes and of course caico at no cost to the village - provided they keep the *othos* maintained and manned. Rather than taxes, a strict hierarchy is enforced by the Imperium which requires offering what is not used to superiors. Social mobility is obviously therefore nonexistent, though the provision of necessary goods leaves few with complaint. Alpacas and llamas have endured as the best pack animals in Pelys, given that they not only easily traverse difficult terrain, but they also graze which means that travelers do not need to bring food for them when on the road. In colder environments, humans have trained axe-beaks to cover long distances quickly, suitable for the tundra environment.

The Imperium has a sophisticated form of record-keeping using knotted strings, known as *lanya* (knots). These can only be decoded by traditional *lanya* scribes and cross over between mnemonic devices to semi-enchanted equipment. The Imperium also operates a mail service called the Imperial Couriers, carrying messages and packages across Pelys by alpaca and by road. Sending a letter by mail is inexpensive (1cp per mile); sending a package or a message by way of a courier is more secure but more expensive (1sp per mile). If security is particularly important, Imperial Couriers can protect written messages using magic, such as *illusory script* or a *glyph of warding*. The gnomes maintain a network of speaking stones to facilitate instantaneous communication across long distances, but this is at the sole discretion of the Collegium.

Because cities do not contain markets, the best way to acquire or barter off goods is to encounter a traveling merchant called a *mishpi* (bumblebee). The *mishpi* caravans buzz about so to speak from town to town in Pelys along its many roads by alpaca, and usually operate under an agency owned directly by a ruler in Heru. Because of their direct tie to the Princeps, harming a *mishpi* is harming a representative of the Imperium.

### Caico and sageglasse

Virtually all the races of Pelys, with the notable exceptions of goliaths, dwarves and gnomes, revere a variant of the coca plant called caico. This blue-leafed plant has inherent magical properties, which when used sparingly can provide great benefits to living at altitude, lessen hunger and pain, increase magical abilities and promote general wellbeing. Chewing caico leaves is a regular pastime, though it is most often associated with its religious use.

Caico has been bred over time for increased potency, with modern caico being up to forty times stronger than wild varieties. The strongest form of intake however is a purified kind of caico called sageglasse. It is primarily produced in the Underworld for religious purposes, its production methods a secret. It is extremely addictive and induces prolonged euphoria and adrenaline. At room temperature it forms solid and gritty shards, though it is most often liquefied and evaporated, inhaled in a special pipe. Sageglasse is seen as an *unterelfen* innovation and is not smiled upon in the Imperium, with local ordinance forbidding its distribution. For those less inclined for caico, tobacco is also a commonly used substance preferred by dwarves and gnomes.

 **Tobacco** | Trade good
 **Sageglasse** | Poison

### Religion and culture

The majority of Pelys is monotheist, basing their philosophy and religion on a very ancient kind of monadic thought centered on individual contemplation and magnified by communal sacrifices. Doctrinal purity underpins much of imperial concern, enforced through various professions of belief called *savin* or *credo,* which ensures conformity and the prevention of missionary work by humans. Professional Imperial Inquisitors often amount to mercenaries acting as priest-, rabbi- and imam-hunters. The dominant religion of the Imperium is a monadic-enneadic philosophy that traces all existence to a single principle called the One, *Eruere*. While the common folk have a rudimentary grasp of the concepts behind it, the aristocratic and scholarly elite treat it with grave seriousness. The Savintur or Credo Victor is the official creed of the Imperium, and is as follows:

*I believe* [savin] *the One* [Eruere] *is the source **and summit** transcendent, causing all, sustaining all, end of all, of which all things participate. All multiplicity, alike and not one and not the One becomes one in the One, for all multitude follows the One: multitudes in multitudes united in unities, duplicate by imposition. I believe what **makes** is higher than the **made**, what is aseitic in energy and nature is more perfect, what is perfect **necessarily** generates generating what is like unto itself: abiding in what is generated; for all moves by motion of another, unless it moves of itself in prime, and what moves itself returns to itself, and what returns to itself is spirit. All that is prime in nature is self-same and present, according to one logic, **one reason,** one spirit: the soul below mind, the mind below One, the One below none. I believe the Prime Good is the One, superior to all things and **simply Good,** principle of all **by way of goodness** and that all good unites **by its same power** and all union is good, for union returns from multiplicity, multiplicity returning to One, the transcendent source causing all, sustaining all, end of all. Blessing upon blessing.* [Laita-laita] ... (N.b. that what is bolded is disputed by Anans and he alleges was removed, and thus re-added in the under-elves', *credo*)

There are four universal festivals observed by the Imperium, though more can be practiced locally. The largest festival, Fortuntide, takes place in Heru on the first full moon after the winter solstice and elves from all over Pelys make a pilgrimage to participate. The mummified emperors of the past are brought out to celebrate and bless the people, and ritualized use of caico takes preeminence. The other annual festival, Virtutide, takes place on April 30th each year and marks the beginning of the harvest. Two weeks of severe fasting precedes it and the actual feast includes a share of the firstfruits of the harvest. Every new moon marks a locally recognized festival called Purus. Weddings and burials are only permitted during Purus. The dead are honored with a day of fasting, followed by the burial of the newly mummified dead and the marriage of the community's couples. Finally, once a week a day of rest is recognized for all people. Though it was probably introduced by human settlers, this practice is still observed to this day.

Imperial cities are not for built around markets but are for the dwelling of only priests and kings. They are only ever visited by common people during festivals or pilgrimage; otherwise there is no reason to make the arduous journey. Architecture is the most important of the elven arts, with even elven clothing reflecting architectural motifs. Most know the capitol of Heru, which stands at the base of the Plankspear. The main structures are made of white-stone or andesite blocks that fit together so well that parchment cannot be fitted through the stonework. These constructs have survived for thousands of years with no use of mortar to sustain them. Even during frequent local earthquakes, the stones merely "dance" in place and never become loose or displaced. Much of the art adorning or complementing the architecture adds to a precise, intentional feeling of immersion throughout Pelys society. These range from complex geometric patterns to motifs of natural and fey origin, reflecting a broader communication than what language could share. A tunic can be read for identification by looking at any 3x3 section of the tunic, which details a person's place of origin and individual status.

Tunics are weaved by skilled artisans for easily-warmed clothing, made from pack animal wool that can be strung into complex patterns and designs. These convey information about order, both in elven society as well as the universe, symbolizing one's relationship to ancient rulers or important ancestors. These textiles are frequently designed to represent the physical order of a society, for example, the flow of tribute within an empire. Many tunics have a "checkerboard effect" which regards commonality, and, ultimately, unity of all ranks of people. Rulers wear various tunics throughout the year, switching them out for different occasions and feasts. Tunics are also sometimes fringed with rubber, especially the matte ebionite treated from volcanic sulfur.

Because of the rich supplies of ore found in the Underworld, gold and silver are plentiful and ubiquitous as accents in architecture, and platinum is the preferred currency of the empire. Gemstones like emerald and precious stones like lapis lazuli see more exclusive use in temples and holy sites. Seashells and marine gemstones have the most common place in Pelys culture, at one time forming the basis for currency. Mother-of-pearl, tortoiseshell, precious coral, whalebone and baleen all form an important mainstay in Pelys culture, and their sale has been the main source of wealth for humanity. Royalty can be identified by iridescent ammolite affixed with an appropriate sunstone or moonstone, and priests by polished bezoars. Black, latex-like solids made from processed pearlwort also proliferates in fashion such as canes and weapons.

Because of the elven motifs regarding their past glory and continuity with the original empire founded by Sigir, lords often dress as they did, as well as repurposing their structures, their naming conventions and their iconography. Some of the original iconography can still be seen on the sides of mountains or in the flatlands, untouched by time, lines and drawings that depict intricate patterns from afar. The most important symbols for the Imperium and high elves include this abstract geometry as well as images of light, stone and lakes; other *uberelfen* prefer original fey-inspired icons. The *unterelfen* represent themselves using religious symbols most prominent of which is the spider, as well as complex philosophical heraldry depicting the ennead or nine-framed monad.

While the different races in the empire have unique preferences, most do not eat meat or at least eat it regularly. Dwarves and gnomes prefer their own mushroom concoctions and the *uberelfen* universally consume only what can be grown, and sometimes what can be fished. The most popular crops include potatoes, avocados, peanuts, squash, beans, peppers, sweet potatoes, maize, guavas, pineapples and yucca. Commonly eaten seafood includes trout, catfish, icefish, squid, octopus and clam. Human societies moreso emphasize meat consumption which begins with easily farmed meat such as the cavy or reindeer, to hunted animals like tapirs and ultimately to ambitions of whaling. However this comprises only a small portion of the food eaten in Pelys. The principal foods eaten are whatever can be easily stored and transported; freeze dried food, including fish and meat, can last for almost a decade without issue. Alcohol is produced from a variety of crops: caico-liqueur, maize-beer, yucca-beer, guava-rum, potato-vodka and agave-mezcal.

### Pelyssian customs

The most common greetings or farewells in Pelys usually regard travel, party size and purpose. A short benediction or blessing (*alle*, "Health" or *paz*, "Peace") before asking *pequ?* ("Where are you from?") or *puqe?* ("How many are with you?"), precedes most social interactions between strangers. Departures always close with a benediction (again, *alle* or *paz*). Visiting someone's home requires a gift appropriate to the social status of the host, almost always a bundle of caico though food and beasts of burden are also equally acceptable.

No group of people can be declared as friends in any even informal capacity until they have shared a communal sacrifice together, a *yaymuna* (covenant/union). This sacrifice is usually divided into four segments: a spiritual chant, a ritualized sacrifice, a festive meal and a contemplative (if not informal) group meditation. The chant is delivered by either the host or the guest depending on mutual agreement, with the better orator or mystic delivering one of their incantations. The sacrifice may vary in *uberelfen* culture as something symbolic, such as a bouquet of flowers between prospective lovers or a hunting trophy between warriors making peace. It however cannot be something manufactured, it must be from the natural world. The *unterelfen* retain older customs of sacrificing animals, believing only blood can sanctify the *yaymuna*. Once the sacrifice is burned, broken or otherwise offered, the *yaymuna* moves into the feast, consisting of a shared meal. At some point during the meal the group meditation begins, which can be as informal as a discussion about philosophy or interpreting one's dreams. The *yaymuna* ends at the behest of the guest or before 2 hours have passed. Everyone that partakes in the *yaymuna*, at its conclusion and after the benediction, gains the benefit of *guidance*.

Men and women share a majority of their tasks and can expect equal reputation and fluid roles in society. Men typically enjoy greater political autonomy and are preferred in positions of authority; women make all the decisions over managing the household and owning property. Both men and women engage in tasks we may otherwise ascribe as gendered, with women digging irrigation trenches or men weaving baskets as needed. Both pass on their surname to their descendants: women to women, men to men.

On Pelys, it is almost universal to bury the dead by mummification which occurs naturally at elevation. After desiccation and consecration, the dead are enclosed in egg-like coffins and brought to the highest point in a village, usually a temple-like structure reserved for such a purpose, and the dead are interred until the end of the world. Mysticism, shamanism and oracles are universally practiced even at the individual level. The communal aspect is emphasized for discovering its meaning or bringing blessings to a tribe, so dream interpretation and observing omens can be key for the average person's daily life.

### War and warfare

The Imperial army mandates public service from all citizens and trains them for combat in a highly rigid caste-based army. By the end of their tour, a veteran knows how to both fight in an armed division and operate independently on current orders in special operations. Every able bodied person, male or female, must take part in war in some capacity at least once, and be prepared for battle again when needed. Every section of the empire contributes in setting up an army for war. Historically bronze has been readily accessible thanks to rich copper mines throughout *uberelfen* territory and tin found in the Underworld. After the Farsian invasion and restoration of the Authrandil however, steel production escalated and now forms the backbone to most weapon manufacturing, with more aristocratic members of the army using impregnated bone or obsidian weapons that can penetrate solid rock. Because of the mountainous terrain, the preferred weapons are bows and javelins, though ceremonially the sword is the emblem of combat; sword proficiency is expected of all. Yet druids and wizards are the most important warriors in any army, as a bulk of ranged confrontations are settled by fire or lightning from their hands.

Gnomish and dwarven architects have in recent years rapidly deployed clockwork automatons and devices specifically meant for combat, which in tandem with magicians can devastate entire regions. *Unterelfen* production has also discerned new methods of cultivating war-ready monstrosities and weaponry, though the extent to which these can be leveraged in other spheres of life is unclear and yet to be observed.

## World Mechanics

### Piety

Piety is a standard for good and evil actions. Piety in this world, as a reputation system, is binary: a creature is either favored in Heaven, or not. Piety is a measure of your fulfilling religious obligations as you know it, a conduct-based quality of the soul. Piety checks are based on your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma modifier, whichever is lowest. You can gain positive or negative modifiers due to your specific relationships with creatures, items and locations. You cannot benefit from positive Piety modifiers while in a mortal state.

A **mortal state** is a condition of clouded consciousness and moral condemnation. It is incurred when a creature, particularly a humanoid, commits an unambiguously evil act. The DM is obligated to inform a player when an action may put them in a mortal state, but not when they are in, or enter into, a mortal state. The action must concern something grave in matter (life or death), it is willful (not coerced) and done in full knowledge (the reasons for the action are impious). Creatures in a mortal state are considered friendly to normally hostile creatures e.g. fiends, though they are also now licit targets for certain effects, e.g. *possession*. Be careful not to enter a mortal state for too long, as attempts to raise those who died unrighteous will often fail.

Piety can be used when your understanding of a situation is murky and the righteous action is unclear. It can also play a role when interacting with spirits and otherworldly beings. You might need to make a piety check to influence someone else based on their Piety, navigating a complex situation in line with your religious instruction, trying to determine another character's piety or remembering specific prayers and devotions.

You might need to make a piety saving throw on occasion, such as if you are resisting temptation, recognizing temptation or accidentally committing a mortal sin.

### Tower-Lights

The most prominent landmark of Pelys is its featureless gold tower, looming from its perch in the northern mountain range. Supernatural events referred to collectively as the Tower-Lights have occurred in part from this inhuman artifact of the past. The Tower-Lights emit from the base of the Tower and shine upon certain locations, often bringing disaster. These events occur infrequently and devastate the region when they do transpire. This mysterious cycle is seen as a portent for many world events, and are minded by the most powerful supernatural entities in contact with humans. It possibly signals divine judgment, but its mysterious origins befuddle even the most contemplative or studious. The known types of Tower-Lights are listed below, from most frequent to least frequent, from shortest duration to longest duration and from smallest area affected to largest area affected.

* **Medalus**
	+ Spans a small, localized area rarely more than a mile north-south
	+ The place becomes a perverse mockery of itself, becoming warped due to the presence of some evil force
	+ Effects on the location vary widely, from mass psychosis to the earth itself eating its inhabitants
	+ Lasts up to one year
* **Mehacus**
	+ Spans the immediate region, about 10 miles north-south
	+ A red mist settles on the ground, and harrowing storms gather and disperse in week-long tempests
	+ The air becomes bitterly chilled, and the heavy rains cause widespread flooding and crop failure
	+ During this storm, magic that has a chance of failing will always fail, and magic failures will cause madness
	+ Those in a mortal state cannot be cured of curses, poison, diseases or foul conditions while in the region
	+ Lasts up to 50 years
* **Anartus**
	+ Spans a large contiguous region, usually the size of a small nation
	+ The afflicted area becomes suffused with the severe wounds felt in the region by a traumatic event such as war
	+ Trees, rocks, rivers and other natural phenomena will awaken and take on a mind of their own
	+ Depending on the cause, people in the region will experience painful headaches or other types of mental anguish
	+ Lasts over a century, though more intense events can extend to several hundred years
* **Titanartus**
	+ Spans a large contiguous region, usually the size of a small nation
	+ The afflicted area produces a dragon, a manifestation of severe wounds felt in the region by a traumatic event such as war
	+ Dragons are an oppressive force that terrorize people who dwell in close proximity to its lair
	+ Depending on the cause, the region will experience unexplained weather events or far worse
	+ Lasts until the dragon is destroyed or forced to depart, sometimes up to 500 years
* **Nelamehacus**
	+ Spans the entire continent
	+ The afflicted area rapidly cools over the course of a few decades as the heavens diminish their light
	+ Rainfall increases and becomes debilitating, with widespread flooding in lowlands
	+ Famine is a constant and at best a recurring phenomenon
	+ Winters become treacherously cold, and frozen bodies of water are more common
	+ The movement of glaciers destroys settlements in more polar regions
	+ Lasts half a millennium, lightly easing over this period until it finally returns to warm conditions

## Backgrounds

*Full article: Backgrounds (new)*

You are most likely a native of Pelys, but you may be a human that has come to the continent from elsewhere. If you are a native, think about what region you grew up in and where you live now. Think about some of the organizations and institutions in Pelys, and decide whether you have any affiliation with them. You most likely have an opinion on . . .

* the Imperium itself
* the Anansian Schism and its generation of war
* the three main races on Pelys (elves, dwarves and humans)
* the underelves, as well as their enslavement of humans from the Malpais
* what climates or regions of Pelys you prefer
* the role of magic in Pelys

## Thoughts on Alignment

Alignment holds an important place in the role-playing aspect of this game and as such, requires a bit of modification with the change of setting. I am drawing much of these ideas from virtue ethics and its concepts of tradition, rationality, goods and justice, which I believe describe our world in an intelligible way and as such can be fit for this purpose.

**Law and chaos** describe a sense of self either tied to shared histories and traditions or a self that exists outside and irrespective of definition. Think of it like this: what do you owe and who do you owe? Law demands that a person has obligations to their relationships, and must fulfill them. If you are a man, you are also a husband, a son, a brother, a friend and a citizen. As such, the law motivates you to fulfill your duties as each of these, given that all that you are resides in these relationships. Conversely, chaos prescribes that the self is a sort of spirit or transient thing that owes nothing to any but itself. Before a chaotic man is a husband, a son, a brother, a friend or a citizen he is himself. Another way to contrast the two is to think of how the two might process information. The lawful look into the context and history of things to understand a thing, as they understand that relationships define a thing. Yet the chaotic will use only their own relationship to the thing and their perspective to evaluate it.

**Good and evil** are respective of moral excellence and moral failure. That something has the faculties of will, by extension, requires that it also understands its own good and the highest good. No single action makes one good or evil, it is the direction and inclination of the self that directs one toward good or evil that defines us. A person who takes pains to pursue excellence for its own sake can be therefore called good, and evil is anything less. This can only be really understood in the context of law and chaos. The lawful pursue good for their communities and collective relationships, and their failure to do so results in their being evil. The chaotic pursue good for the intangible self and that they are unwilling to do so renders them evil.

### A footnote on levels and magic

Levels and experience in Pelys function both an abstract and concrete development. One can surmise the reputation of an individual based on their level. Most people are commoners, and low level at that. By 5th level you will be recognizable in whatever regions you frequent, and you may be called upon by nobility for aid. By 10th, you’re an active power in Pelys and are anticipated as a rival claimant to the privileges of rulers. By 15th, you truly stand among your generation's history-makers, and can expect the bards to still sing songs about you. Beyond that, you may well be among those who shape the world for all generations to come, for good or ill. The material mechanics of leveling up are not entirely abstract however. As you shall likely learn in the campaign, certain activities like overcoming foes or questing the land allow an individual to participate in a deeper underlying reality, a "theandric" reality that governs not the moment to moment world but the world as a complete whole.

Not surprisingly, magic is prevalent in Pelys. It is only accessible to the common man by limited means, and certainly well within his observable world. One can say the same of monsters—while not everyone’s seen a dragon, there’s certainly no one who “disbelieves” in them. And most people have seen many other types of horrible creature in their lives, be it a werewolf or an angel or a dreaded icemaiden. They’re just far too common for locals to remain unfamiliar with them. In a world this old, with magic having been common throughout history, there are literally thousands of magical traditions, theories, and methods. To reflect this heritage, all players with spellcasting characters should name their own spells and be able to describe the appearance of their effects fairly freely. One wizard might know *magic missile* as “Orcus' flurry” and cast it as several ethereal orbs that pummel the target, while another calls it “conjureglass” and causes it to manifest as white-hot shards of glass flying through the air. Further, players creating spellcasting characters should be aware that a few spells—mostly of a planar nature, such as astral projection or banishment, function a bit differently in Pelys. Your DM can provide you with details, should you need them.

## Playable Races

*Full article: Playable Races*

*You are most likely among the elves, dwarves or humans in this world.* Those called the *uberelfen* live on the surface, usually in Thangendor or Victorskell as commoners or in the capitol of Heru as noble. They receive the most favor of the Imperium since their kindred comprise the priestly class. The **high elves** live throughout Thangendor and Victorskell on inherited lands extending back thousands of years, back to the conquests of Sigir. They often occupy permanent townships. The **wood elves** as well as the **sea elves** have been more itinerant, ranging from the outskirts of Victorskell and the northern borders of Thangendor to less established, poorer communities in comfortable terrain. The **twilight elves** are rare and might be found on the Plankspear in religious communes. Lastly the *unterelfen* or **dark elves** inhabit the Underworld and are at war with the Imperium. They almost never live outside of the Faeriedark, taking residence in outposts or installations securing the paths to the central cities where there rulers dwell.

The dwarves and gnomes almost all live in Vulcenhorn or its underground, the Kinginon. They maintain the institutional mechanisms of the Imperium and have strong predilections for their own. **Mountain dwarves** occupy the ancient fortresses of Vulcenhorn and keep to old rites of dwarven culture; the **hill dwarves** are not exactly cosmopolitan but do mesh better with the rest of Pelys, since they spend a considerable amount of time among other races in Thangendor, Vulcenhorn or Victorskell. They are both friendly with **rock gnomes** who mainly live in the Kinginon or in Vulcenhorn citadels. The gnomes that venture out and find settlements in Thangendor, the **forest gnomes**, are just as skittish as their underground brethren though they can stand the sunlight better.

As for **humans**, they divide neatly into three main regions: the Malpais, the Spanish Pan and Fuegesecristo. The settlers of the Malpais, descendants of the fair-haired Skao and swarthy Ahuae, were largely enslaved by the *unterelfen*, though some pockets have resisted long enough to thrive. The Spanish Pan is home to mainly the intermingled Ahuae, Farsians and Spaniards who adopted much of the Spanish culture that was imported in the past few centuries. Lastly, the unforgiving landscape of Fuegesecristo is only really inhabited by the extremely religious, or at least the hard-nosed settlers that wish to remain beyond any speck of the Imperium. The humans there are also mainly Spaniards with some Ahuae and remnants of the ancient Nahamite people. Their close relatives, the **half-men**, once held to a lush strip of earthly paradise in southwest Thangendor by the Plankspear, though the Anansian Schism has leveled their home and cast them out at nomads. **Lilithids** and **changelings**, however rare they are, blend in as humans and give more reason for the elves to distrust mankind.

The mountains throughout Pelys, especially in Thangendor and Astrandor, are home to the **goliaths**, whose fearsome tribal legacy makes them generally hostile to outsiders. Their lowland counterparts are the **orcs**, who similarly share enmity with elves and humans alike though they are not opposed to lending their battle prowess for coin, unlike the goliaths. In the Sylvanys dwell the **goblinoids**, whose incursions against the fey that dwell there acquire them many riches to trade in Victorskell. **Beastfolk** situate themselves on the glacier of the Plankspear in small tribal communes that detest to interact with anyone but pilgrims to the Tower. *Any other races not listed are not known to the average person.*

## Campaign Concept

*Whether by a run of bad luck or shrewd enterprising, you have decided to abandon your attempts to prospect battlefields on your own and have enlisted for a retrieval sponsored by a selective guild. As a novice profiteer during this war, having matured during the Anansian Schism and eager to start your career, you set out to rendezvous with your benefactor. The job itself, as you consider it, does however seem abnormal. There was a strange emphasis on vetting you for connections and possible espionage, even related to the Imperium. The actual location to prospect was not disclosed until you were committed* en route*, and it seems far out of the way of the current theater of battle to actually have been attacked. In fact, you can't recollect hearing about an attack on that location.*

*Your suspicions are confirmed when you produce your forged travel documents at an Imperial checkpoint miles from any border. "Thank you for your service, Povertine," the sun-elf sentry says as he returns your papers. "Stay safe when it happens."*

### Setting tone and motifs

The *Anansian Schism* campaign and its setting are based on four motifs: the unforgiving cold, the breathtaking mountains, the ever-deeper abyss and the clockwork mechanism of empire. These motifs correspond in some sense to the four equal pillars of the campaign itself: dungeon-delving, wilderness-exploring, ocean-fare and urban-politique. You will plunder the great ruins cruelly bowed by their age, frozen in time. You will traverse incredible landscapes and overcome the brutal but beautiful environments. You will plunge into the frigid waves as well as venture by boat to discover what lurks in the untold depths. You will disturb the routine political machine and invent it for yourself. The campaign is also one that is deeply interwoven into unraveling mysteries, confronting horror and gaining civil power. You can expect some urban adventure and intrigue, involving a surprising array of organizations and of individuals that live in this strange land of the elves. While early Renaissance culture provides one building block of the setting, as much as is assumed by the rulebook, it actually depends most upon the environment of the Andes and culture of the Inca. Some of this may be foreign, especially regarding deeply held convictions by the people regarding caste, religion and money, though I do not believe it will be foreign for long.

Pelys ought to shine as a world lost in its own mythos. Elves see themselves as inheriting the fragments of a glorious civilization, trying to ascend back into their rightful thrones among the fairies. Humans, even those who lived in Pelys for millennia, cannot shake their despondency and their feeling as aliens. Dwarves and gnomes feebly try to maintain what is present in order to try and rebuild to what has already been lost. Most everyone pursues what they are feel they are owed, while resenting those they see as obstructing their goals. The recent acceleration into chaotic warfare dripping with magic and futuristic fantasy-technology is not wholly out-of-place. Pelys is based strongly in historical reality, though many notions from the modern world that often hold true in other campaigns (towns have local militias and markets, most adults don’t believe in monsters, magic is bewildering, lizardmen are a strange sight, social mobility is facilitated by gold) are not present here. Our urban comforts are scarce even in the largest city. What we call monsters are not uncommon encounters in the wilderness. Magic is the basic building block of elven society, wizards are its architects after all. Humans are more the anomaly than the elves, dwarves, gnomes, orcs and even more fantastic beings. Money is hardly a currency in Pelys when compared to influence, security, esteem and most of all birthright. This campaign is a fantasy that could be labeled “dark” fantasy, although it's more about what it takes to challenge it and overcome it even if that means living in it.

## Character Quick-start

**First, choose a character class.** Work with your DM to decide on what class you'd like to play, or if you want to try a Theandric subclass. Remember that playing one of these "primeval" subclasses results in a special starting bonus kept hidden until Session 0.

**Now, choose a player race.** Each player race has a secret regarding the current status of that race, so after you choose your race you will understand the "current events" for that race and can begin constructing a backstory. You can also ask to play a new race not listed in the setting.

**If required or desired, determine your faction.** Factions are a great way to bond yourself to the world around you and set up motivations for the rest of the game.

**Next, roll on the backgrounds table**. This should help you get a sense for your character and obtain a better feel for what your character is going to be like at the table. It also comes with some bonuses for starting the game which is great for this kind of setting. You will also roll for a character secret regarding your hidden motivations and bonds.

**Then, pick up your loot.** You begin the game having at least one magic item and one spell scroll thanks to your previous prospecting. You'll roll for this in your Session 0 in front of the group.

**Finally, get your stats**. You will be able to point-buy and roll for stats with your DM in the Session 0.