recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Nightmare Court

The **Nightmare Court** is an all-sylvari organization that rejects the Teachings of Ventari heralded by The White Lady. Cutting themselves off from the Dream, the members of the Nightmare Court embrace an alternative ideology to those of the White Lady, which they call the Nightmare. This ideology revolves around anarchy and constant destruction - they believe that sylvari are, by nature, slaves to the will of the Lady, and that in order to free themselves they must sever their connection to her. However, this process leads to the sylvari becoming evil and more violent - corrupted, in a sense.

## Organization

The Nightmare Court organizes itself upon a member's strength. The weakest members will typically be a *sklavin* - a caste of sylvari who are used for manual labor, mining and construction tasks, and are generally treated extremely poorly. Despite the Nightmare Court claiming to be against the "slavery of the White Lady," the sklavin - who are the largest caste in the court - are treated much like slaves. Members who are capable of combat or other tasks typically take up the rank of *recke*, the general rank-and-file warrior class. Above this still are the *rektor*, the wardens, directors and captains of the court's soldiers. Yet above this are the three *morrigan*, who are the strongest warriors of the Nightmare Court, often acting on their own accord to sew chaos wherever they can. The actual leader of the Nightmare Court, known only as the *Trauma*, is unknown - however, orders are recieved from them by the rektor and morrigan regularly.

The Nightmare Court holds very few actual settlements under their grasp. Very much a decentralized group, the Court aims to cause chaos and destruction wherever they can - especially against sylvari. While this often takes the form of destroying sacred sites to non-Nightmare sylvari and burning outposts and villages in guerilla attacks, sometimes it will also include sending out assassins against prevalent sylvari who are outside of the Matepieds. By doing this, they destroy valuable knowledge that the White Lady might use.

## Ideology

The Nightmare Court's ideology is strange and alien - the minds of Sylvari who have been disconnected from the Dream are difficult to comprehend at best. However, much of their ideas are strongly against the White Lady and focus on her ultimate destruction. Nightmare Court recruitment points often regard the idea that the sylvari are "slaves" to the White Lady as a result of their connection via the dream; however, the Court often uses the weaker members of its organization as slave labor.

## Tactics

In battle, the members of the Nightmare Court try to attack without being seen. Rather than fight toe-to-toe with their enemies, they prefer to hide in the shadows, setting traps and using guerilla tactics to achieve their victories. Particularly skilled members of the Court - such as the morrigan - are noted for their ability to destabilize entire regions of the world without being noticed.
B'dooga

The **B'dooga** are a species of large, peaceful worm-like creatures who live in a large colony in the Northern Spires. In Northern Elvish, their name translates to "fluffy friend."

## Description

The b'dooga are massive, worm-like creatures that possess the ability of magical flight. While unknown how long they actually are, it is believed they can grow to be hundreds of feet long.Covered with dense white fur, the b'dooga flitter between fog bays and clouds in the Northern Spires for their entire lives. Their large, strange, smiling mouths are actually used for filter-feeding on airborne phytobacteria. Extremely social creatures, b'dooga live in massive colonies of upwards of 1,000 individuals, and oftentimes approach non-b'dooga as well. In these instances, they often try to communicate with the creature and exchange information with them, with some b'dooga even offering the individual a ride on their back.

It is unknown how long b'dooga are can live before dying of old age. However, it is likely that they can live for hundreds if not thousands of years. The oldest known b'dooga, known as Corf, is known to have lived for 923 years - his first documented sighting being in the Second Era, only dying in 3E 655. Corf was well known in his later few hundred years of life for regularly descending on the city of Sortland and befriending the young children there and offering flights on his back, until a child accidentally fell off and died. After this tragic event, upon his next return to the city months later, Corf was killed by the townsfolk while attempting to apologize.

Unlike most animal species, b'dooga are actually semi-sentient. They are capable of speaking a very basic "language" that seems to stem from a mixture of elvish and celestial to communicate with other b'dooga as well as sentient creatures. It is believed that the older a b'dooga becomes, the friendlier and more intelligent it becomes as well. Extremely old b'dooga are known for speaking almost as well as a normal sentient creature, albeit a little slowly, and being very fond of younger humanoids.

Many b'dooga are known for the songs that they sing in their language, which sounds whalelike and graceful and often have different magical effects on humanoids.

## Combat

B'dooga are gentle giants. It is extremely rare that they will ever enter into combat - however, in instances that they do, they do their best to cause no harm. They will usually sing a song that will make any creature except the most enraged to sleep in order to avoid harming them, and then escape into the skies. b'dooga are also capable of singing a song that heals the wounds of creatures, and even is capable of curing certain transformative diseases like lycanthropy and vampirism.

## Habitat

Despite their friendliness, b'dooga actually live quite far north in the Northern Spires, flying high among the clouds. Beyond any wildlife and people who might find themselves upon the massive spires, b'dooga rarely will leave their natural habitats.
Exarch

An **Exarch** is a godlike being, that isn't necessarily powerful enough to maintain their own extraplanar realm like a Divine, however powerful enough to maintain a cult of worshippers and gain extreme arcane powers as a result. Exarchs are often the targets of worship of cults or minor religions, such as the Cult of Koth. Exarchs oftentimes are extremely powerful worshippers of deities, uplifted by them to positions of extreme power due to their deeds, and acting as managers of gods on the material planes.

## Notable Exarchs

* The Deep Ones of the Cult of Koth are almost entirely made up of extremely powerful exarchs.
Mage Hunter

A Malkenian mage hunter carrying a matchlock rifle.

*If you are looking for the monster utilized by villains as assassins and spies that hunt down mages, see Mage Hunter.*

The **Mage Hunters**, also known as **Bisque Knights**, are a specialized military force used by the Malkenian Imperium to hunt down magic users, such as Wizards. They are known for their gas masks and extremist aggressive tactics, willing to take down their mark at any cost.

## Description

Mage hunters - also known as bisque knights by Malkenians - are specialized soldiers the Malkenian Imperium utilizes to defeat magic users. Due to the strict anti-magic laws Malkenians enforce, there are no mages within their armed forces. As a result, this puts the Malkenians at a disadvantage - well-trained magic users are capable of levelling battlefields and destroying entire legions, and the only effective counter to them are other well-trained magic users.

To counter this weakness in their military, the Malkenians raised the mage hunters - highly specialized special forces who have the sole purpose of taking down magic users, whether they be in the ranks of an enemy army or independent rogues. Due to the immense technological advancements in the Imperium, mage hunters typically enjoy a 1-in-5 survival rate within their legions against enemy mages.

Mage hunters typically wear gas masks and wear medium armor. A normal mage hunter wields a matchlock rifle or a fire lance, and carries multiple gas bombs.

## Combat

The mage hunters of Malkenia take their attacks carefully and methodically, often employing ambushes and guerilla warfare. Before properly engaging an enemy, mage hunters will typically throw out gas bombs en masse, which flood the area in a choking gas that also makes it difficult to see. Following this, the mage hunters wielding fire lances will charge forwards, fire off their weapons, and then fall back to reload. After this, the mage hunters wielding rifles will begin to fire at will at the enemy mage. In the best conditions, mage hunters are capable of overwhelming their marks and taking them out, making them an extremely dangerous force against magic users.
Shamob

**Shamob** is an orc from Orkfeld. A member of the Rotgut tribe, Shamob comes from one of the more diplomatic orc societies. He is not particularly smart nor particularly skilled with anything but smashing skulls, but he makes up for it with his passion and heart. During his younger years, Shamob was offered attendence to Strixhaven University as a result of a unique situation within his tribe. He is a deeply devout worshipper of Mork, the orcish god of fighting.

## History

Shamob was born in Orkfeld to the Rotgut tribe. Most of his life was relatively normal, until the day his tribe's shaman died before training his cousin - the chosen apprentice - as the new shaman. This shattered the Rotgut tribe, as in the blink of an eye they had lost generations of magic, stories, and more. However, Dean Alkinoth of Strixhaven University, who had been in regular contact with the Rotgut tribe anyways, offered the tribe one scholarship to Strixhaven, so that a member could visit and gain knowledge about magic to translate back to their new shaman every summer.

Most members of the tribe were reluctant, however Shamob agreed to take the scholarship and visit Strixhaven. Though not the brightest, his goals were noble - to provide knowledge for his shaman, and serve his tribe best he could.

## Personality

Shamob's personality is quite one-track. He is either calm, if a little standoffish, or extremely excited. It is not uncommon to hear Shamob yelling, "WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" when he is excited or happy at an event. An extremely loud person, Shamob wastes no time vocalizing his feelings for all to hear - even if they are in quite broken Common.

## Friends and Enemies

Shamob is close friends with W'zene Rhelge, his dormmate while at Strixhaven.

## Abilities

Shamob is not particularly skilled with magic, his most advanced knowledge of it being in orcish tattoo magic, allowing him to convert his heavy weapons into easily-transportable tattoos. However, he is extremely skilled in combat - whether that be because of his immense stature or actual skill remains unknown, even to Shamob.
Scarlet Scourge

The **Scarlet Scourge** is a alchemical gas created by House Featherster alchemists during the Titan's Wars. It was named for it's distinctive scarlet hue and for the fact that it stained the skin and bone of those it touched a crimson color, and was used to great effect against infantry during the Titan's Wars.

## Synthesis

The recipe for scarlet scourge is strictly hidden away by House Featherster, with only a handful of the House's most trusted alchemists having access to it. While the exact ingredients for the scarlet scourge are hidden from the public, what is common knowledge is that red poppy flowers are one of the necessary plants required to synthesize scarlet scourge. The process of synthesizing the gas is known to be long and arduous to even produce a small amount of the substance, requiring many different steps and careful procedures to avoid catastrophic failure.

## Effects

The scarlet scourge is relatively dense and inert on it's own, so long as it does not touch oxygen. Once it reacts to oxygen, however, the gas becomes much more energetic, rapidly expanding and spreading across an area in mere seconds. As such, even a small vial of scarlet scourge can cover an area hundreds of feet wide if broken.

Scarlet scourge is an extremely toxic substance, and once breathed in or touched, causes an entire host of wounds. Mild exposure to scarlet scourge often results in burns to the lungs and skin, whereas longer term exposure often would result in the body breaking down, not disimilar to rotting away to the bone. The coloration of the gas also had a tendency to stain the skin and bone of those it touched. Battlefields where scarlet scourge was used were often covered in half-rotten skeletons and corpses dyed a crimson red color.

## Historical Usage

The scarlet scourge was utilized primarily during the Titan's Wars against infantry forces. While steelbound titans would not be effected by the gas, the vast swathes of infantry forces that fought during the wars *would.* It was typically released by Featherster steelbound titans using grenades or cannons to fire shells imbibed with scarlet scourge at their opponents. House Featherster regularly used scarlet scourge in huge quantities against their enemies until their eventual defeat by House Roshinner and absorption into the Empire of Roshinner.

After the Titan's Wars, the recipe for scarlet scourge was hidden away by House Featherster under the pretense of being too dangerous a weapon to see the battlefield again. However, this has not stopped individuals from attempting to steal the recipe or find a way to synthesize it themselves, either out of evil motivations or morbid curiosity.
Reaper

A Catfolk Reaper wielding a scythe, their Pestis hovering in the background.

A **Reaper** is a person who has been chosen by a spirit of decay (known as a Pestis) to act as their emissary. Typically chosen from adventurers who pick up a weapon in which the Pestis resides, Reapers trade their "services" of claiming souls for the Pestis in return for the powers of the damned. Due to the limited number of Pestis, Reapers are also relatively rare, typically with only a handful being active at any given time. Despite this, Reapers are well-known in the cultural memory of Rosenwelt, with many legends and stories circulating about them.

## Culture

While the limited number of reapers prevents any unified culture between different reapers, they certainly create an impact wherever they go. Living avatars of the cycle of life and death, the exploits of reapers often are told in the songs of bards and writings of poets for centuries since the reaper passed through. Though they are hailed by different names throughout different societies, and the exact details of their exploits vary, almost every culture has a story of a reaper who travels through the land and solves some problem by ushering their foes to the afterlife.

Despite their cultural prevalence, some cultures - particularly Inverhond and other extremely religious nations - hold spite towards reapers. Rather than see them as heralds of the infinite cycle of life and death, many of these cultures simply focus on the relation to death that a reaper holds, and see them more as devils in the skin of men.

## Abilities

Reapers gain their abilities through making a pact with a Pestis, a spirit of decay, that inhabits their weapon. In return for killing enemies on their adventures, the reaper gains powers from the Pestis that make them stronger, and thus further feed the Pestis. This cycle allows a reaper to continuously grow in power and strength as time goes on, as their abilities are directly tied to the strength of their pestis.

While each Pestis is different and hence different appearances manifest for each reaper's abilities, the general jist of the abilities are similar. A trademark ability of the reaper is known as their "death scythe," in which they bring a creature closer to their inevitable demise by directly using their Pestis to attack them - whether that be through claws, biting, or a literal scythe.
Shattered Isles

The **Shattered Isles** are a region that makes up roughly thirty percent of the New World. Located in the northwest of the continent, the Shattered Isles are a series of floating islands that can only be reached via airships and are populated by a unique variety of wildlife. The region was first created as a result of the Shattering. Only a small portion of the Shattered Isles are inhabited by sentient life, due to their dangerous ecologies - the portion of the isles that are away from civilized areas are called the Shattered Frontier. The original inhabitants of the Shattered Isles are the leonin, but in the years since the discovery of the isles, many other races have flocked there - particularly elves and humans.

## Geography

### The Frontier

The Frontier consists of the vast majority of the Shattered Isles. Outside of the more settled parts of the territory, the Frontier consists of an extremely dangerous ecosystem and lawlessness on its borders that makes it difficult to survive in. However, the vastly untouched resources make it a popular place for settlers and pioneers from Eukitia to set up homesteads. The majority of the Frontier is built around the savannah and plains layers of the Shattered Isles, however it sometimes slips up into the alpine layer.

## History

Insert Shattering History Here Plz

Insert Early Colonization/Discovery Here Plz

After the discovery of the Shattered Isles and the settlement of the territory by Old World pioneers, the Shattered Isles became home to quickly advancing firearms technology. In 854 3E, the first six-shooter revolver weapon was constructed on the frontier. The reasoning for the advancement in weapons technology in the region was as a result of the hostile ecology on the frontier, and the constant threat of behemoths that settlements faced. As well, the relative lawlessness of the region (outside of the well-legally-regulated leonin territory) became prime opportunity for pirates, raiders, and bandits to take advantage of the frontiersmen. Gunslingers - individuals who wielded firearms as their weapons - became common on the frontier, taking up jobs as lawmen and monster hunters to defend the townsfolk.

## Notable Settlements

The Shattered Isles are home to a number of settlements, consisting of both New World natives and Old World immigrants.

* **The Ironsides**, a human settlement on the island of Pairley established in 814 3E as a trading colony.
* **Ram's Gate**, a settlement of many various races established on the frontier, where various mercenaries and hunters make their home to hunt the strange wildlife and many miners and entreprenuers come to seek their fortune.
* **Breaksprings,** a popular settlement for gunslingers and adventurers seeking work on the frontier.
* **Aery**, a large city established by both leonin and settlers from the Old World. Aery is perhaps the most important city in the Shattered Isles, where most ships will come and go from.
Material Planes

The **Material Planes**, also known as the **Rosenwelt System** to those outside of it, is a Wildspace System home to Rosenwelt and many other planes. Unique to this system is the fact that all of its planes orbit along two similar planes. This, as well as the incredibly high amount of Focus concentrated here, causes each of the planes to have immense sway over each other. As a result, the magic in the wildspace system is extremely volatile and focused on the elements of the other planes.
Nus

**Nus** is a star in the Lobrek system. It is a brown dwarf and orbits Lobrek at an average distance of 927 Gm (6.19 AU), and its mass consists of about 1.1% of the total mass of the Lobrek system. It is the second-brightest object in Cerstenum's night sky, only slightly dimmer than Muun, and has been observed since antiquity, playing a large part in many cultures as a counterpart towards Muun.

Nus has at least 22 known moons including six large moons: Ko, Naphis, Aurea, Peoz, Oxil and Hozoic. Ko and Naphis are about the size of Muun, while Aurea is much more massive (the most massive moon in the Lobrek system) and Oxil and Hozoic are much smaller.
Austin Amadeus

**Austin Amadeus** is a Maldoarvan human who lives in the city of Scholar's Spire. A former sage, he was instrumental in the defense of the Pirate Incursion of Refuge, despite still training at the time. Eventually, he retired and started working a small cafe in Scholar's Spire, taking T'imah Dovah under his wing and teaching her the art of the sage.

## History

Austin was born in Scholar's Spire, and lived there most of his life. When the noulith was first invented and began to be used, he was a child, and quickly gained an interest in the art after meeting a woman who saved his parents from a wayward thief attempting to mug them. Eventually, this sage took him under her wing and trained him. He spent most of his early life practicing the nouliths and studying at Strixhaven. When pirates attacked Refuge during their famous pirate incursion, Austin was called to action and assisted in the combat, being instrumental in the defense of Scholar's Spire - however, his mentor ended up dying in the ensuing melee.

As a result of this, Austin felt like a failure and left Scholar's Spire for many years. He travelled across most of southern Eukitia for two decades, helping those he could in his travels and joining various different adventuring parties. Eventually, he ended up back in Scholar's Spire, putting up his nouliths and opening a cafe. In order to continue on the practice, he took T'imah Dovah under his wing as an apprentice during her time at Strixhaven.

## Personality

Austin is extremely reserved and calm, holding a strong sense of duty. While he is certainly talkative at times, he prefers to keep to himself and his coffees. He is an introvert at heart, and while he comes off as harsh and antisocial at first, he actually cares quite deeply about others.
Imperator-class Airship

The Carnifex, the Imperator's personal airship.

The **Imperator-class Aiship** is a Malkenian airship powered by hyperil. Closer to a floating city than a conventional airship, the Imperator-class is designed to be able to comfortably carry and attend to the needs of a full Imperium Legion. Introduced in 732 3E, the Imperator-class program was a significant resource sink for the Imperium, draining their production capability for decades, preventing them from expanding as much during the period of planning and production. However, a fully-operational Imperator is capable of attending to an entire legion of Imperial forces, and supporting them from the air with their cannons and bomb bays. The Imperator functions as the headquarters of every legion and are often treated as the personal homes of a legion's Legatus.

## Design

The Imperator-class is designed to carry massive amounts of troops and all of their related equipment across vast distances, and then support them once the forces touch the ground. As such, they are equipped with a multiple barracks, armories, medbays, and cafeterias in order to support their troops. On top of this, they are equipped with massive vehicle bays that can carry hundreds of tanks, warmachina, and even steamships.

## Armament

The Imperator-class is equipped with a number of weapons that allow it to support its legion once the ground forces are disembarked. Most of these weapons are designed specifically to target opposing ground forces, however the Imperator still maintains substantial ability to defend itself from other airships. Some of these weapons include:

* **High caliber anti-airship cannons**, designed to defend the Imperator against enemy airships. While only armed with two - one fore and one aft - one round from a cannon of this size is capable of downing just about any airship.
* **Medium caliber anti-airship cannons** line the broadsides of the Imperator-class, offering substantial defense in a broadside attack.
* **Bomb bays** line the underside of the ship, capable of loading and dropping numerous different bombs on opponents, ranging from gas bombs, fire bombs, and anti-armor bombs. Some Imperators are even equipped to drop bombs that stick in the ground and function as landmines.
* **Anti-personnel cannons** and **anti-armor artillery** are established on the underside of the airship and are used to target opposing ground forces. While the anti-personnel cannons are relatively short range, the anti-armor artillery equipped on the Imperator is capable of firing on targets from over two kilometers away. These cannons can be equipped with various different types of ammunition, ranging from high explosive or shrapenel rounds for personnel and armor piercing shells for the heavier artillery.
* Various other weapons may be mounted on an Imperator, depending on the legion's Legatus and their preferences.
Knuckle-Horse

A farmer riding his prized knuckle-horse.

The **Knuckle-horse**, sometimes called a **sloth-horse**, is a creature often used as a mount across southern Eukitia, where they are more acclimated than normal horses to the more humid climates of countries like Marland and Brynsia. Rather than being actual horses, they are actually the only surviving successor of a line of giant sloths, which were domesticated and bred into the modern-day knuckle-horse.

## Description

Knuckle-horses are large creatures that appear like a mix between a giant ground sloth and a horse. They possess manes of different length based on their breed, and large forearms with semi-dextrous hands ending in sharp claws. These claws are used for cutting through branches of trees to remove fruits and leaves. Their heads are relatively horse-like, however the rest of their body resembles that of a ground sloth. Their fur patterns tend to vary between those of normal horses, ranging from sable browns to light grays and ebony blacks.

Most knuckle-horses are domesticated, but there are a few groups of wild ones scattered across Eukitia. Often used as mounts, they will commonly be found with saddles strapped to their backs and reigns in their mouths to help their riders guide them. Sometimes, they will be hooked up to carts or agricultural equipment. While not as fast as horses or other mounts, they are stronger and more capable of surviving in extremely humid environments, and are able to traverse dense forests and jungles with ease. This has led to them being a preferred mount in southern Eukitia, especially around heavily forested areas and swamplands.

Knuckle-horses take up a number of roles in societies that use them, ranging from normal travelling mounts to agricultural use. Their claws make for natural scythes, and many are trained for use on farms to swipe chaffs of grain or corn for harvest, or to harvest fruits from the vine. Due to their strength, they are sometimes used to carry carts full of goods.

## Combat

While not inherently violent creatures, knuckle-horses will defend themselves if needed. Their front claws make perfect weapons to swipe down threats in their way, although they are relatively cumbersome which limits their agility in battle. Despite this, knuckle-horses have been used in combat on many different occassions, however typically only to carry supplies and for scouting.

## Habitat

Natives to marshlands and dense forests, knuckle-horses are adept at traversing cluttered and humid terrain. However, they struggle to survive in areas apart from this, rarely being seen in large, flat and arid locations.
Coffing

**Coffing** (/kɑfɪŋ/) is a sexual activity that involves the ingestion of coff off of someone's feet. The practice is believed to have originated in Keurig Machines in the early 20th century, around the time when the production of coff was nationalized. Its popularity has varied since then, with a spike in the early 2000s. The 2020 Keurig Machines Census showed that around 8% of the population ranked coffing as "mildly arousing" or "very arousing", making it the country's 3rd most popular sexual activity. Coffing is usually done by dipping toes (usually wet from previous sucking) into a pile of coff and sucking the resulting coat of powder off of the toes.
Astral Orrery

An **astral orrery** is a device that is built to represent the various Material Planes and their relative positions around Solus. Typically, these orreries are enchanted in such a manner that they can be utilized to transport a vehicle into a plane of an operator's choice, however it requires significant recharge time when doing this.
Aurea

**Aurea** is the largest moon of Nus and the largest natural satellite in the Lobrek system. It is the only moon known to have a dense atmosphere, the only astronomical body besides Cerstenum known to hold liquid water on its surface and the only other body in the universe known to harbor life.

It is one of six gravitationally rounded moons of Nus, and the third-most distant from the dwarf star. It is often described as a planet-like moon, as it is three times larger (in diameter) than Muun and nearly thirty times as massive. Its surface gravity is 0.496 *g*, the highest of any moon in the Lobrek system, and its magnetic field is nearly as strong as Cerstenum's, ranging from 18 to 52 μT at its surface. It has a mostly nitrogen-based atmosphere and its oceans are known to be salty, with potassium chloride making up most of the salts. Its similarity to Cerstenum has made it an attractive candidate for extraterrestrial colonization, though this is met with controversy by the scientific community due to disruption of native lifeforms this would cause.
Kade

**Kade** is a gator and a member of the Tobyverse. He is friends with Toby, Skittles, Floppa, Ronin, and Rocko.

## Trivia

* He loves lawn mowing more than the average guy. In fact, he treats it like it's a nice car, so don't touch it. It's his baby.
* He spends 90% of his time outdoors in the warm months because that dude loves heat and humidity as long as he has some sweet tea (make sure it has critical levels of sugar or else he WILL call you a yankee)
* If you're on a fishing trip with Kade and he just up and eats the fish right after catching it, yeah he does that sometimes.
* The most likely thing Kade would get arrested for is riding his lawnmower down main street.
* He abstains from alcohol, as sweet tea is so much better.
* He enjoys country and bluegrass music.
* He likes to grill and hold backyard barbecue parties with friends
Uktena

An uktena, curled around a tree.

The **Uktena** is a monster native to the New World. They are typically found in the springs and creeks of particularly warm and steamy forests.

## Description

Uktena are long, serpentine creatures. It is as large as a tree trunk, with long, devilish horns on its head. Their scales are mostly reddish-brown, and sometimes green, however they have a bright, diamond white crest upon their heads. This crest, called the *Ulun’suti,* can reflect light at the uktena's will, and can be used to blind those looking at it. It is a prized item, often used to create powerful magical items.

Though animalistic, uktena are actually sentient, and can speak New World Common. However, it is rare they show this side due to their territorial and solitary nature.

## Combat

When hunting, uktena prefer to ambush their prey. They typically hide under the water or high up in trees before suddenly approaching their prey, allowing them to see them before blinding them with their crest. They then proceed to constrict them before eating them.

## Habitat

Most uktena live in warm forests, with plenty of wooded cover and typically around bodies of water. They prefer very steamy environments.
Wensu

**Wensu** (Ibarklan: 温苏) is a major city and is the most populous city in Ibarkla. It is the world's third-most populous city and the most populous city in Ibarkla, with a population of over 19 million residents as of the 2020 census. It is located in northwestern Ibarkla, and is governed as a province due to its size; accordingly, it has representation in the People's Assembly and Republican Chamber. It is mostly surrounded by Hentou Province except for its border to the Grarante Ocean to the west.

Wensu was founded in the 10th century BD by the Jian Dynasty. Originally a fishing community, it grew to be an important center for trade and industry in ancient Ibarkla due to its natural deepwater harbor and proximity to the Kang River. It is one of the oldest cities in the world and was one of the largest cities by population for much of recorded human history, and has been the largest city in Ibarkla since 650 BD. It was the capital of Ibarkla beginning in the Yang dynasty due to the capture and colonization of parts of southern Ibarkla by Doge Wonderlandian forces, and remains an important political, cultural and economic center to the present day.

## History

### Ancient history

Wensu has been inhabited since at least 3000 BD. It was given its modern name in 977 BD by Jian dynasty noble Lord Wangwu. Under the Jian dynasty, it grew in size and began expanding the fishing trade.

## Culture

As the capital of Ibarkla for over six centuries following the cession of Caparce, Wensu has long influenced Ibarklan national identity and culture.

## Government and politics

Nationally, the city tends to elect nationalist and isolationist representatives to the Ibarklan Parliament.
Pestis

A Pestis taking the form of a tall, deerlike creature.

A **Pestis** is a being as old as time itself. They are spirits of decay - beings that act as the wardens of life and death. Pestis are what keeps nature turning safely, and ensuring that there is enough life to live, and not too many corpses to litter the ground. A Pestis is typically attached to some kind of weapon, usually a scythe, that allows them an anchor point in the physical world.

Pestis are known to convince mortals to become reapers, and are the source of a reaper's supernatural powers. They use reapers to continue the cycle of decay, allowing them to kill living things in order to ensure that the cycle of life and death continues.

Typically, Pestis are totally invisible, except to their reapers who can see their true forms. Sometimes, a Pestis will manifest as a strange, dark miasma to those who are not reapers, typically when it feels comfortable among the mortals - for example, in the adventuring party of a reaper. Most Pestis take upon very animalistic or bestial forms, oftentimes with heads reminiscent of deer or goats.
First Brood

The **First Brood** are a collection of five ancient dragons, the first and last of their kind to reach Rosenwelt through interplanar travel from their long-destroyed home plane, Nathrost - what is now The Bleak. Reaching Rosenwelt in the late First Era, the First Brood became worshipped as gods by ancient civilizations following their arrival. Their worship continued until the end of the Second Era, the Draconic Cataclysm sending much of sentient civilization back hundreds of years and cementing their place as enemies of most races. During the Third Era, the First Brood each hide among remote places of the world, avoiding contact with civilizations or their dragon children and grandchildren that have been born since the First Era.

## History

The First Brood once lived among the thriving plane of Nathrost, a vibrant and lively plane with many races and species upon it. They acted as the stewards of this world, protecting it from harm and overseeing its needs as its immortal overlords. However, this did not last - when The First caused the beginning of the end of their world, they attempted to fix it by diverting the Focus of Nathrost to Pandaemonium in an attempt to balance out their mistake. This, however, only sped up the destruction of their world - and led to the collapse of all life on Nathrost and its inevitable change into the Bleak.

Saddened at the loss of their world, the First Brood left their destroyed home and travelled to Rosenwelt. This journey took thousands of years, in which time life began to erupt on Rosenwelt. Upon reaching the world, they were revered as gods and saviors. The First Brood enjoyed this, as it reminded them of their home, and settled in as the rulers of this world, ushering in the Second Era - the era of dragons. During this time, the First Brood would protect their peoples, and took a particular liking to the elves, who worshipped them fervently. As a result, they would gift the elves with immortality, so they could worship the dragons forever.

However, this, too, would come to an end. An uppity elven summoner from Thynosia would believe he could capture a member of the First Brood in his summoning stone, and hence be able to control them. Unfortunately, they couldn't have been more wrong - they were swiftly killed by the dragon, but this transgression would not go unpunished. If one summoner thought he could control the First Brood, what of the rest of the world? As a result, the dragons ushered in the Draconic Cataclysm - a near-apocalyptic event in which the flow of Focus across Rosenwelt was forever altered, elves were stripped of their immortality, and the dragons retreated into the far corners of the world, only ever rarely being seen again. While the world recovered and the Third Era began, the mortals have never again trusted dragons, and the dragons never again trusted mortals.
Aarakocra

An aarakocra cleric.

**Aarakocra** are a race native to the region of Amonkhet in Bardish. The founders of the ancient Amonkhet theocracy, the aarakocra are a proud desert race. Humanoids covered in feathers with two wings on their backs, aarakocra are not disimilar in appearance to a humanoid bird.

## Description

Aarakocra are, simply put, birdmen. They stand around the same height as humans, but possess birdlike feet and hands, and two large wings on their backs that allow them to fly. Their bones are fairly light to permit them this ability, however, which can impact their constitution. Aarakocra have birdlike heads complete with beaks, and despite often hawklike appearances, live a mostly pescatarian diet. While they can consume most meat like other creatures, their taste pales in comparison to fish to an aarakocra.

## Society

### Amonkhet

The aarakocra are the original founders of the nation of Amonkhet, an ancient state that has held control over western Bardish for millenia. Their people fill all castes within the highly-regimented Amonkhet society, however they are the only race that are permitted to fill the castes of clerics, known as *viziers*, and most importantly, the God-Emperor. Aarakocra are proud of this fact, and many - even those who live outside of Amonkhet - will commonly worship the God-Emperor.

### Scholars and Clerics

Aarakocra are intelligent, and hold knowledge in high regards in their culture - evident by how Amonkhet limits access to their libraries and chapels. Many of the higher ranking members in aarakocra society seek to become scholars and clerics, and aarakocra mages are some of the most proficient on Bardish.

### Flight

It is no secret that aarakocra are able to fly. They are one of the few intelligent races with the capacity to do so, and one of the only ones on the continent of Bardish. The wings of an aarakocra are of great importance to them, and they will regularly preen and clean them to ensure they are as beautiful as possible. To an aarakocra, the sheen and beauty of their wings is a great deal, and can even help determine one's social status.

## Combat

In combat, aarakocra regularly use their ability to fly to their advantage. They will perform attacks from above with spears and javelins. Overall, aarakocra prefer ranged combat and magic, owing to their weak bones.
Suli

A Suli bladedancer.

The **Suli**, sometimes called **Suli-jann**, are a human-like race native to Toroszek. The descendants of mixing between humans and genies, the suli are known for their prowess over elemental earth in magic and unique culture acting as a mix between the human world and the tricky genies. Their mixed heritage often leaves many suli in a perpetual identity crisis, and despite having a fully fleshed out culture of their own, their people often feel torn between two worlds - neither of which they fully fit into.

## Description

Suli are short humanoids, typically standing a little over four feet tall. Strong, brawny, but short-witted and emotional, the Suli are known for their deeply emotional culture and practices of grounding themselves with the earth. For the most part, they appear similar to humans, however possess naturally rough skin and typically have darker hair colors.

## Society

### Locations

Natives of Toroszek, the Suli have built many cities in their history. Once the founding race of the proud Toroszek Empire, a kingdom of their people that survived for over a thousand years, they were inevitably conquered by the Malkenian Imperium. As a result of the hostile Malkenian war strategy, most of their major cities were scorched to the ground. However, the ancient Toroszek capitol - Kashika - still stands, where their religious monument of Mi still stands.

### Bladedancing

Suli are known for their style of combat unique to their culture, known as bladedancing. Bladedancers are trained to dual-wield scimitars, and are commonly women. Their art is a mixture between graceful, beautiful dancing and battle - effective both as an art and in warfare, the suli bladedancers are both admired and feared.

### Culture

The suli culture is one of strong connections to the earth. Due to their genie heritage, suli have close elemental ties to the earth around them, and as a result, their religion tends towards the worship of it. Many suli will pray in the direction of Mi, their religious monument to Dao Djinni, supposedly a monument built by the genies themselves. Due to their close connections to elemental earth, suli magicians will often practice arts closely tied to the earth. Suli culture is defined by its parties - nearly every night, regardless of social status, communities will hold parties to relax the day away.

## Combat

In combat, suli are known for their bladedancers - female warriors equipped with two scimitars who cleave through enemy ranks with their artistic battle stances. However, outside of these elite battledancers, suli often utilize bows and spears in their combat. In suli culture, the scimitar is reserved for those of warrior status - and as a result, many suli soldiers and guards will forgo it and instead use polearm weapons.
Half-Elves

**Half-Elves** are the result of a pairing between humans and elves. Relatively common in places where elves and humans regularly interact, they combine the curiosity, inventiveness and ambition of humans tempered by the refined senses and tastes of the elves.

## Description

Half-elves are humanoids that sit roughly in the same height and weight range as humans. However, they possess the pointed ears and natural gracefulness of elves, and typically have brighter colored hair due to their elven heritage. Unlike elves, male half-elves are able to grow facial and body hair, which is often a telltale sign of their human heritage. As well, while they walk with the graceful air of elves, they possess the muscular builds of humankind. Many half-elves will adopt human names.

## Society

### Locations

There are few locations that are important to half-elves, due to their sporadic nature and appearance only where humans and elves mix. Common in places such as Thorland and the Frontier of the Shattered Isles, half-elves became increasingly common during the Third Era, when monoracial nation-states started dwindling wildly.

### Culture

Half-elf culture is typically similar to that of wherever their human and elven parents are.
Ratfolk

A ratfolk grenadier.

The **ratfolk** are a race of small humanoids who closely resemble rats and are wonderful merchants. They are native to Wistone on the continent of Malkenia, particularly the cave systems of the area.

## Description

Ratfolk typically stand between three to four feet tall, covered head to toe in fur that ranges from dark natural tones like black and brown. They have ears that allow them to hear better than other races. Their tails are usually about half as long as their height, and are pink and fleshy compared to the rest of their furred bodies.

Most ratfolk possess a natural disposition towards mercantalism and salesmanship. Whether they are selling things honestly or scamming others, ratfolk are an important part of Rosenwelt's economic system when it comes to trade. Ratfolk also are amazing sailors, and used this skill to colonize the world from Wistone - hence, in the Third Era, ratfolk warrens can be found all across the globe.

## Society

### Locations

Ratfolk often live most of their early lives in their warrens, hence making them important locations to their people. Warrens are the home of ratfolk - entire communities crammed into small spaces where they feel safest and happiest, whether that be a cave along a trade route or a particularly dry section of the sewers of a megaopolis.

### Warrens

The vast majority of ratfolk live in warrens - networks of interconnected, underground holes that can span many miles at times. There is typically one warren for any civilized location, such as a city or town, that ratfolk reside in. Typically quite crowded, warrens are next to impossible to navigate for non-ratfolk. Whether these are caverns, sewers, the undersides of docks or other strange, covered locations, these warrens act as nocturnal cities for the ratfolk. There are often entire shops, taverns and other retail locations in these warrens made specifically for ratfolk and ran by them.

### Culture

Ratfolk culture is one that focuses on the community. Most ratfolk are very fond of other ratfolk, and have various relations with the warrens of locations they frequent. Their culture is also heavily mercantile - it is believed that the ratfolk that sells the most, earns the most and scams the most is the most successful of them. The "kings" of warrens are often those who have accumulated the most wealth. Ratfolk are also particularly effective sailors - many of them live their lives on sailing ships, acting as floating warrens as they sell goods overseas.

## Combat

The majority of ratfolk try to avoid combat when possible, being more physically frail than other races. However, they often find themselves having to defend their warrens from underground beasts or goblin raiders. As a result, ratfolk will typically carry daggers, shortswords, or various other sharp implements they can use with minimal training to defend themselves. Some ratfolk are known for their alchemical skills, creating powerful concoctions to defeat enemies en masse.