Erudite

## Erudites - Seekers of Arcane Boundaries

### **Background**

Though descended from normal Humans, Erudites eschew all ties to their less intellectual ancestry. Disciples of the great mage Erud, they long ago left Antonica and headed west to the barren coast of Odus. It was here that they founded the city of Erudin as a bastion of intelligence and culture. Some years after the founding of the City of High Men, an Erudite sect began practicing the art of necromancy, obtaining the knowledge from Dark Elves. Labeled Heretics, these outcasts rebelled against their own people and a terrible civil war broke out upon Odus. Magical forces took a horrible toll on all involved, and in a final epic battle a great hole was torn into the ground that touched the fringe of the Underfoot itself.

Realizing the price that further warfare would incur, the Heretics retreated and built their own city on the edge of the Hole. Paineel, city of the Heretics, equals Erudin in elegance of design, but is built of darker stone to match the evil practiced within. In the centuries before the Shattering, Erudites became more and more isolated from the outside world, cutting off ties with their neighbors in Qeynos to ensure their own purity of thought. During this time, they entered a period of advanced magical study to attain even higher levels of arcane power. These efforts to tap into the primal mystical forces of the universe reshaped the physical form of the Erudites, to the point where they are barely distinguishable as Human.

Their gray skin adorned with glowing runes gives them an unearthly appearance, inspiring distrust among others. If the Erudites touched a power great enough to cause such a visible transformation, what other changes lurk below the surface? Concentrating on intellectual pursuits, they are adept at all forms of magic. Their focus and dedication to their cause make them skilled Crusaders, and despite relatively slight builds they also study as Monks. While they consider themselves above most Scout duties, a few have embraced the intellectual purity of music as skilled Bards.

### **Faith**

Citizens of Erudin are devout followers of Quellious the Tranquil, whose doctrine of inner peace fits well with the discipline necessary for intellectual pursuits. An ancient order of Paladins called the Deepwater Knights remains devoted to Prexus, seeing the rise of the oceans as proof that their god will soon return. The Heretics of Paineel worship CazicThule, applying the power of Fear as a means of controlling lesser beings.

### **Effects of the Shattering**

The Erudites are naturally distant and cold. Most of the race was unwilling to leave the isolation of Odus, even in the face of the devastating cataclysms that struck the world. The ones who did flee to the cities of men fall into two groups: in the case of good Erudites, those who clung tightly to the worship of Quellious and the Prophecy of the Avatar went to Qeynos; among the evil Erudites, those who went to Freeport are most interested in self-preservation. In both cases, Erudites consider all other races to be inferior, and have no qualms about saying so. This will be particularly true of the Kerra, whom the Erudites see as little more than animals.

### **Pros and Cons**

#### **Pros:**

* Erudites make excellent Mages with their amazingly high (30) intelligence. This high INT value means that Erudite Mages will hit hard and have lots of Power.
* Erudites also make great Priests. high Wisdom promises high damage/heal rate as well as more Power.
* With their high Intelligence and special racial skills, Erudites make very good crafters, especially Alchemists or Sages.

#### **Cons:**

* Erudites have very low Strength, meaning that they don’t hit very hard in melee and they can’t carry as much.
* Stamina is another area in which Erudites suffer, meaning lower Hit Points. This is a big hit to any class … magic draws the attention of enemies, and you need Health to survive that attention!