Angel of Acheron

Story

The land of Stormwind is just recovering from the last vestiges of yet another war that has shaken countries and races to their feet in battle once again. Ever a wartorn continent, the latest war - an attempt at conquest by the Elven country of Sentara - less than a hundred years prior still has visible scars both on the land and the souls of its inhabitants. Before that, the unnatural horrors called by the Sky Callers cult and the now-extinct Yuan-ti serpentfolk ravaged the lands with phantasmal terrors from the places beyond realities, before the Satyrs of the Dream Shallows banded with the nigh-legendary King Andrew Ozymandias and Sha'ir'harajah Czarina Maeveren to drive back the minions of the incomprehensible Dark Plea. And even prior to that the Heroes of Haven, founders and adventurers, stood against the wrath of the infamous Tarrasque and the original incursion of the Yuan-ti, as well as the banded forces of Baneglaive and Pale Keep.

In this land of legendary wars and even more memorable heroes, there now stand those devoted to the defense of the realm from further incursions and strife, the preservation of all that means well, and the safety of the people of all realms. The Ordo Ulcisor Pietas, or "Order of the Righteous Retribution", is a band of knights, priests, would-be heroes, and well-meaning adventurers whose stated goal is to prevent further assaults by those such as the Sky Callers and their unnatural patron; their codex claims that they will stand fervently in defense of Atlas and Stormwind against even the apocalypse and all evils that precede it. The Quills of Illayn are a group of scholars, alchemists, scientists, and authors whose purpose is to preserve knowledge and lore, uncover lost information of the past, and press constantly forward into the future. The Haven Corps are soldiers and knights errant in the service of Olympia, based in Port Haven and following the military doctrines of two of the Heroes of Haven - Queen and High Knight Amelia Delaer and dwarven dreadnaught Dagus Ironside. The Dervishes are a similar company based in Osira, with their loyalties to the Rajah of Denvushain. Other organizations and guilds as well have their eyes set on making their way in the world.

Whatever your reasons, whatever your association, you now find yourself in the trade city of Port Haven, the southernmost city in the country of Olympia - sea port, train depot, and beginning of the High Road that extends all the way to the Ice Claw beyond the Titans. Here you can theoretically find anyone and buy anything. But why are you here... and what does the road ahead of you lead to?

Setting: Atlas and Stormwind

Atlas is the name given to the world upon which our story begins, a planet of vibrant life and myriad cultures. There are four continents on Atlas: frigid and mostly uninhabited Gnildebar covering the world's south pole, tropical Paziou along the equator, Wachara to its north, and Stormwind to their west and stretching up to the north pole. It is on this last, Stormwind, that our tale is centered.

Stormwind's size and location make it a vast and varied land, but for the most part it is divided into five well defined sections. The eastern quarter of the continent is mostly temperate forest, plains, and hill country ascending into the mountains of the Titans, the range which divides the continent into roughly even thirds; this comfortable climate is primarily known as Olympia, after the Human kingdom that rules most of its land, though not all. To its west beyond the Titans and extending west and south is the vast desert empire of Denvushain. Beyond the place where the desert reaches the ocean further west is the archipelago of the Senkakku Islands. North of both Denvushain and Olympia, the Titans divide into eastern and western forks forming both territories' northern borders; beyond this stony barricade is the frozen wilderness known as the Ice Claw, which extends from coast to coast across most of Stormwind's northern half. And beyond the Ice Claw, as one nears the most northerly points of the compass, is yet one further mountain range - the Mountains of Madness, beyond which lies the north pole and the mysterious realm of Unknown Kadath.

Olympia

Of the five areas, Olympia is probably the most well-traveled, fully explored, and highly populated. Primarily populated by Humans and Elves, it is nevertheless not uncommon to find members of any race within its borders. Most of Olympia is either flat plainsland or gently rolling hills, or thick and lush old forest. The climate is for the most part temperate, and minus a few severe summer storms and the occasional late-winter blizzard rarely violent.

The Kingdom of Olympia contains about two-thirds of the land typically referred to as Olympia in a geographical sense. This territory extends from the capital city of Olympia, halfway up the Titans, and a few outposts to its north to Fort Kresh and Grumbar's Gate, a pass in the Titans near the southern edge of Stormwind, then east to the trade city of Port Haven and along the Haven Coast, then north to Lake Miaabrie and the township of Eriude on its edge, then up to a few miles short of the Everelk Forest.

North of this border begins the kingdom of Sentara and the Everelk Forest, domain of the Elves. Though once grander, recent wars have reduced their territory to simply this woods and a small stretch of the plains and mountains beyond its edges.

Olympia's history has always been a rough and violent one. The Human kingdom arose out of a minor rebellion against the ancient kingdoms of the Dragons, Serpentkind, and Elves in the Age of Ancient Magic many millennia ago. Though much of its grandeur faded when that age passed, Olympia remained for many generations after. Its first fall came during the legendary age of the Heroes of Haven, when the orcish warlock Halaganda Baneglaive and the hobgoblin warblade Ratach of Pale Keep joined forces and massed an army strong enough to topple the ancient kingdom; when their forces were decimated the kingdom was first seized by the Yuan-Ti, under the command of the mastermind Ssnethra, before at last being freed by the Heroes of Haven, led by Ezekiel and Amelia Morwen who would become its new rulers.

Years after the Heroes had faded into legend, Olympia fell once more to the Serpentfolk. During the reign of King Reginald II, long after the line of ascension had passed out of the Morwens' descendants, his wife Vashti conspired with the Yuan-Ti Taisin Sovuske and his consort, the doppelganger petitioner known as Wolf-And-Raven, and betrayed the kingdom into their hands for the chance to become a petitioner herself. Combined with the doomsday cult the Sky Callers, Taisin and Wolf were able to direct an otherworldly horror towards Atlas - the future-tense monstrosity of the Far Planes known as the Dark Plea. While the details are lost to history, these plans were eventually foiled by Andrew Arnes, a young adventurer who was distantly descended from the Morwen line and claimed the throne as King Andrew III Ozymandias alongside Reginald and Vashti's daughter Chloe. Since this defeat the Yuan-Ti have gone almost completely into hiding and are rumored to have fallen extinct, though this was also thought of them before the Heroes' time; the Dark Plea's malevolent influence has thankfully remained mostly confined to the distant north and the Mountains of Madness.

The latest catastrophe to befall the kingdom came not from the reptilian folk but rather from the Elves of Sentara. Though the reasons are left varied and unsure by the passing of time, the Elves after countless generations of internal strife between their various clans and houses and subraces managed to unify and declared war first on Olympia then on all of Stormwind in a violent, swift conquest. They claimed nearly all of the temperate lands and some of the Ice Claw before being stopped and driven back to their forests by a unified coalition of Humans, Dwarves, Denvushani representatives, and myriad adventurers. Though several generations have passed since this war, the Sentarans remain subdued and reclusive and most of Olympia remains exceptionally wary, unfriendly, and distrustful of Elves and Half-Elves.

Port Haven is Olympia's primary trade city and a hub for adventurers, merchants, and travelers of all stripes. One of Stormwind's main two trade routes, the High Road, has its southern point of origin in Port Haven; likewise the great steam train, the Titan Rail, has its southern terminating point near the city. All ship travel in and out of Olympia occurs through Port Haven - even Sentara has no port to rival it. There are even rumors of a place in Olympia where planar travel can be easily made, a semi-mythical place known as the World Serpent Inn that connects to all planes and perhaps even other realities. All are welcome in Port Haven as long as they don't make trouble, and only orckin, goblinkin, and elves are actively disliked. Port Haven also has the notoriety of being the only place in Olympia that has never been conquered by an outside force: between the constant travel from afar and the ever-present throng of adventurers, the city has always been rendered safe from attack by any who would claim this centerpoint of commerce and transit as their own.


Denvushain

The Desert of Denvushain is generally referred to as all of the desert land to the west of the Titans and extending all the way to the ocean, but in truth the Empire of Denvushain only controls about half that great waste. A land of rolling sand dunes, rare but gloriously beautiful oases, and ancient secrets, much of Denvushain's deserts are wild and unclaimable. The majority of its denizens are Painted Elves (who deliberately hold themselves distant from their eastern cousins, though most Olympians wouldn't treat them any better), Humans, Dwarves, Sand Kobolds, Scablands Orcs, and sandswimming Asherati.

The kingdom itself is comprised mostly of the northern and eastern quadrants of the desert and centered around the oasis of Adaiele between the two. Here is found the Sapphire City that shares its name, and from here the Rajahs of Denvushain rule. Beautiful capital city of the Sand Kingdom, Adaiele is known not only for the wondrous Sapphire Palace of the Rajahs but also for its splendorous temples and world-famous Bazaar Street. Passing through the oasis is the other main trade route of Stormwind, the Silk Road, which begins at the unaffiliated port of Osprey Harbor to the southwest and continues up to the northern outpost of Osira at the foot of the Titans before heading up into the Ice Claw where it crosses the High Road.

The western quadrant of the desert is mostly unclaimed territory. The West Waste is the most unbound, untamable portion of the desert by far: powerful Djinni lords, ancient circles of Desert Druids, and countless other perils await the unready. It was once the hiding place of the nigh-legendary Forty Thieves as well, until the time of Andrew Ozymandias when the kingdom's ruler at that time, the Sha'ir'harajah (ruler who was both Rajah and Sha'ir, an elemental shaman or priest and diplomat to the djinni) Czarina Maeveren, managed to crush their rebellion once and for all; stragglers remain and cling to the name of the infamous legends that preceded them, but none yet have come near the true lethality and brutality of the original Thieves. Still, despite their destruction, the land remains unclaimed and untamable, the true desert frontier.

The southern quadrant of the desert is even more frightening. Some distance south the desert waste gives way to blighted glassand then to cursed blacksand as the Sea of Dust begins. This cursed place, blasted by some ancient catastrophe, serves as the gateway to the Necropolis, a nameless city of the dead populated by undead and cursed things not worth mentioning, ruled by fiends, vampires, and worse. In this place, even in the depths of the desert, the sun never shines thanks to an endless black haze of dust, smoke, and inexplicable ebony mist that hangs over the wretched blasted lands. It is miserably cold, eerily silent, and incomprehensibly deadly and unnatural.

Though Denvushain's history has its blood-splattered tapestries - whatever catastrophe created the Sea of Dust and the generations of devastation wreaked by the Forty Thieves speak well enough on that - it is little compared to the nigh-constant warfare, conquest, and change of ruling hands that Olympia's past contains. Vagrant desert tribes united under one Denvus several thousand years past, who eventually led the expedition that discovered the massive oasis of Adaiele and founded a city there. It is from this seed that Denvushain grew, expanding slowly but strongly to the north and east until all the land between the oasis and the Titans bowed the knee first to the Pharaohs then to the Rajahs that succeeded them.

The first great turmoil of Denvushain did not occur until during the time of Andrew Ozymandias; the Yuan-Ti petitioner, Wolf-And-Raven, had managed to persuade a Denvushani prince named Moordoc Maeveren to betray his kingdom and kill his father Rajah Ahaseurus to join and eventually lead the Forty Thieves; this left the kingdom in the hands of his younger half-elven sister Shaarah, later renamed Czarina when she was given the crown. With the Yuan-Ti conquered Olympia and the Sky Caller cultists to the east and the Thieves led by her brother to the west, Rajah Czarina and her court were caught in the middle and joined forces with Andrew, ex-Princess Chloe, and the countless adventurers and remnants of Olympia's forces that had flocked to their banner. Under Denvushain's flag and alliance with Czarina, Andrew was able to stage the recovery of his kingdom and earn his right to the throne, and - once the Yuan-Ti and the Plea's cultists were beaten back - with his aid the Forty Thieves were eradicated and Moordoc Maeveren slain after temporarily turning himself into an avatar for the demonic serpent Apophis; his petrified corpse still stands somewhere in the west wastes even after decades of exposure to the elements, apparently immune to erosion and wear and certainly immune to damage both from steel and stone and from magic.

The only other such assault that has plagued Denvushain was the assault by an entity known as the Dullahan, who had discovered a secret dwelling deep beneath the sands in the ancient crypts of Denvushain's first pharaohs. When he attempted to tap into this ageless power, he threatened to tear the desert apart from below with the sheer force of this raw energy assault, using the life energy of the countless lives - humanoid, animal, and otherwise - to bolster the ritual required to access the power of the ancient force; had he succeeded, the whole of Denvushain would have become a blackened glassand-strewn husk, reducing all of the desert to the state of the Sea of Dust or perhaps even worse. The Dullahan was revealed to have been acting at the behest of a powerful Vampire Queen of the Necropolis, and a group of brave adventurers and devoted Denvushani soldiers managed to infiltrate into the Nameless City far enough to find her complex and completely eradicate it, destroying her and her coven as well as the Dullahan - semi-immortal as he was, his initial destruction had only returned him to the side of his mistress, but her death meant his as well - and barely managing to escape before the leagues of restless dead in the city claimed them as their own.

During the Sentara War, Denvushain remained mostly uninvolved. The Painted Elves withdrew their tribes into the western wastes, putting as much distance as possible between themselves and their eastern cousins, many of whom had sent delegations to their desert brethren asking or demanding their participating in the conquest. Denvushain strengthened their borders and those willing went to Osira or Fort Kresh or even as far as Port Haven to aid the Olympians and adventurers standing against the Elvish assault.

In the years since, things have continued much the same for the desert kingdom. Trade remains heavy along the Silk Road, exotic spices, perfumes, silk, glass, and rare gems making their way north and east to market with the goods of the Olympians traveling along the High Road or bound for Adaiele and the Bazaar. Adventurers and archaeologists continue to comb the wastes for ancient treasures of the Pharaohs or perhaps older, more strange mysteries.


Senkakku

Save Unknown Kadath itself, none is kept so secret as the hidden things of the Senkakku Islands, a long archipelago located a few leagues off Stormwind's west coast. Truth be told it is all but impossible to truly say how many islands make up the chain that comprises the area known as Senkakku; a combination of the length of the chain and the ocean mists that waft over it, plus the cursed places and Darklands of which most Senkakku residents will not even speak in whispers, leave the number far too variable for a definite count. However, it would probably be safe to say that at least fifteen such islands of varying sizes are actively and heavily inhabited, and another twenty are inhabitable and possibly home to small clans, hermits, exiles, or monstrous tribes, while at least thirty are uninhabitable or avoided for one reason or another regardless of their capacity to sustain life.

Unlike the rest of Stormwind, in which each territory is split into at most three commanding kingdoms with a few smaller or stranger zones existing in the shadows, such as the Deadlands of Denvushain, Senkakku has no such unification. The archipelago is divided into countless tiny fiefdoms, each ruled by a local lord or daimyo and often containing little more than a single clan and their servitors. Some of the larger islands, and a few close clusters of multiple small but near islands, contain actual countries where several daimyos are ruled by an Emperor, but compared to the grand expansive rule of Olympia or Denvushain their claims are small indeed, even including the stretches of ocean each lord commands as their own. Quite often these little fiefdoms are completely self-contained, trading only at ports and almost never letting outsiders past a certain point on threat of execution; some Senkakku residents go their whole lives without seeing anything beyond the shores of the particular island upon which they were born.

Given their secretive, reclusive, and xenophobic nature, very little of Senkakku's history is known to the outside world. Some of its mythology has leaked out over the years though: tales spread by travelers, merchants, or exiles who have for one reason or another made their way east to the mainland and Denvushain or Olympia or perhaps even as far as the Ice Claw. The primary tenent of their history is a claim that at one time, many millennia ago perhaps, Senkakku was its own continent and a unified kingdom grand enough to rival Olympia and glorious enough to shame Adaiele's sapphires into dulling to granite. The land was ruled at that time by a series of "Jade Emperors"; the last of these, or so the legends say, had power that was only rivaled by his own ambition. Whatever he did eventually angered the gods or ancient guardian spirits or ancestors (depending on the telling and the teller) that reigned in the heavens over Senkakku, and in their wrath they struck the grand land so that it shattered into countless islands, destroying the Jade Emperor and his house and splintering his empire into its many fiefdoms and clans. A few speak wistfully of the day when a single remaining remnant of the Jade Emperor's bloodline will step forth and reunite the clans, re-forging the empire - perhaps as much metaphorically as literally, somehow reunifying the archipelago back into the grand land it once was. Of course, such wishful thinking almost always seems to suggest that the future Jade Emperor has been or will be hiding among the teller's own clan or fiefdom rather than one of the myriad others, thus potentially placing the teller in a place of high regard in the mystical, mythical potential future. (If the teller is a Senkakkuan, of course; those who spread the tales who aren't, though, can usually trace back the tale's origin to whichever clan is exalted in their version of the story.)

While all of this myth and legend could be true or could be nothing more than wishful dreams of a splintered culture seeking a unification that never was and never will be, what is known is the one thing that almost all Senkakkuans can agree on - the Shadowlands are evil incarnate. The Shadowlands are a cluster of somewhere between seven and seventeen islands on the northernmost edges of the archipelago, and are among the most obviously inhospitable and uninhabitable parts of Senkakku. The waters around them are even unwelcoming, rigged with sheer cliff walls, vicious hidden rocks, and ancient destructive reefs which all have claimed their fair share of unaware sailors. The weather around the Shadowlands islands is always rougher than the rest of the ocean about Senkakku regardless of the season, as if through a sheer supernatural sense of malice. And if one can persuade a native, as the Senkakkuans are usually quite tight-lipped about the Shadowlands, to share some information on the area they will say that is exactly what is happening.

According to what little information has been shared, the islands now known as the Shadowlands were some time ago - some tales say hundreds of years, some say thousands - not only inhabitable but quite heavily populated and grandly so, with fiefdoms and clans all their own that rivaled some of the greatest Emperors of modern Senkakku. Somewhere, though, these clans turned to the dark ways of the Shadow, the foul and unholy rites that oppose the nature-based magic most of Senkakku's mages use. What became of them is unknown but what is known is that use of the Shadow eventually became so strong and so commonplace that the Shadow came to Senkakku, consuming the islands now known as the Shadowlands in darkness and blight. Those not slain by its arrival were transformed into creatures of darkness, servants of the Shadow now in body as they had been for some time in soul. This dark army proceeded to attempt to conquer the rest of the archipelago and almost succeeded, but great warriors and heroes of Senkakku's past managed to drive them back and cast their king, Fuleng, into the deepest pits of the Underworld where he was imprisoned. Since that day though the Shadowlands are a blighted place, home to only scavengers and vermin and, if the tales be true, demonic creatures not fit to see the light of day. Other than these only the naga - serpentfolk, distant cousins of the Yuan-Ti but much more benevolent-hearted in their culture than the would-be conquerors and destroyers of Stormwind's snake folk - remain sane, and willingly send their tribes' greatest warriors to the border islands to act as sentinels in the event that something from the Shadowlands might one day break free.

Senkakku, given its secluded and xenophobic nature, has been far slower to accept technology than the rest of Stormwind; even Denvushain is more advanced than the islands, which still operate mostly based on what they call the Old Path, among other names. However, Senkakku manages to keep strides with the rest of the world as far as magic goes, and their lack of technology has not inhibited their capacity for travel - their ships, though still wind-driven and mostly wooden in construction, are as sturdy and swift and durable as most armor-clad vessels from Stormwind's mainland, and are generally aided both in speed and in defense by their mages. Despite even this, most Senkakku ships are either patrols guarding the oceans about the archipelago or transport vessels bound from one island to another and not to the mainland or one of the other continents, and the fact still remains that the only time most people ever see a Senkakkuan in Stormwind proper is when he or she is a rare enterprising merchant or, far more commonly, an exile.


The Ice Claw

North of the wastes on the west, marked at about the point where the Silk Road passes through the outpost city of Osira, and north of Everelk Forest on the east, the Titans mountain range splits in a vast pair of arches that stretch towards the shore before sloping into mountainous peninsulas, then a few rocky islands before at last dropping beneath the waves for good, only popping up again when a particularly tall peak pokes above the water and forms an island. North of this arching "Y" of mountains is the barren frostfell known as the Ice Claw. Stretching from coast to coast across the entirety of Stormwind's width, the Ice Claw is a wild land of bitter winters, cold summers, rocky and icy tundra terrain, and brutal wildlife. It is a harsh and rugged land, unwelcoming and unforgiving, but beautiful in its own bleak way.

There are few settlements in the Ice Claw. The most hospitable of these is the city of Jasper, located in the middle of the arching "Y" of the Titans' divide, nestled in the rocky mountains enough that the majority of the Claw's brutal weather cannot reach it. Jasper is a town of trade above all else, and has a perfectly good reason to be so: all three main roads of transport - the High Road, Silk Road, and Titan Rail - pass through Jasper as they exit the north side of the Titans and intersect in the center of what began as a trading post and is now a fair-sized city. North of Jasper, continuing to follow the High Road or ride the Titan Rail, one comes to the mining and quarrying city of Grendar, the largest settlement in the Claw, located in the heart of the vast icy plain known as The Barren that fills the center of the Ice Claw. Here the Rail ends and the High Road splinters off into various smaller trails that have been worn through time and travel but nowhere near as much or as thoroughly as the trade road itself. Beyond Grendar is Fort Ragnarok, headquarters of the Knights of the Iron Glacier - a group of knights and priests seeking to bring order and peace to the wilds of the Claw. If you follow the Silk Road, though, you end up in the mercenary fortress of Luminienne, where a vagrant albino Painted Elf known as Ripley the Scarlet left her home in the burning sands to try her strength against the vicious cold and now tries the might of any who would seek to join her band of warriors-for-hire.

To the west, beyond The Barren, lies the Razor Coast - a peninsula-riddled stretch of rocky, frozen beach studded with countless small port towns; viewed from the mountains, it's said, the coastline looks like a monstrous clawed hand reaching out into the sea, and it is from these peninsulas that the Ice Claw gleaned its name. Seemingly-innumerable fishing and trading boats come and go from the many ports at all times of the year save the deepest months of winter, where the oceans freeze over and the weather becomes brutal enough to sink even the most hardy Senkakku galleon. Several small islands are scattered off the side of the coast, but for the most part they only have local titles that vary from town to town; the one exception is the largest and farthest-out of these, which all the villages refer to as the Isle of Sunken Death or Isle R'lyeh in the tongue of the Diaboli of the north. None who go there return, it is said.

To the east, the Barren continues unabated until it nearly reaches the eastern coast before it is stopped suddenly by the springing up of a dense evergreen woods. Known alternatively as the Frozen Forest and the White Woods, local tales claim it's ruled by a powerful winter witch or ice fey, who regularly takes men from local tribes or villages as either slaves, warriors, or consorts. What is known for sure is that the woods are thick and mazelike, and riddled with rocky, cave-studded hills and low mountains covered by the towering evergreens.

As far as culture and history goes, the Claw has very little. There is no unified government; each town or outpost tends to keep its own territory and lacks the resources to stretch far beyond a short border. Most of the tribal collectives of the Neanderthals and Uldra had their own mythologies and legends, but those have faded as those races have either faded into the wilds away from civilization or meshed with colonists from the south. The Diaboli are present as well, come down from their city to the north, but usually only as merchants or visitors, or occasionally exiles.


The Mountains of Madness and Unknown Kadath

The Ice Claw is bordered on both north and south by mountains: to the south, the divided arms of the Titans; to the north, the towering Mountains of Madness. Black, dark, wretchedly inhospitable rockly slopes and unforgiving cliffs stretch to impossible heights with only a few navigable trails winding their way through the bleak stone into the plateau of Unknown Kadath beyond that unearthly natural barricade.

Only one culture dares make a home in these mountains, and they stay firmly on the south slopes of the Mountains, far from the high peaks leading into Kadath. The town of Zadar-Lune was founded by the Diaboli some few decades after the interference of the Yuan-Ti and the Sky Callers turned the attention of the Dark Plea to Atlas. Native to the Demiplane of Dream, the Diaboli were driven onto the Prime Material when the Dark Plea's spawn used the Shallows of that world to pass through nightmares on their way to our reality, leaving the taint of the Far Planes in their wake. Unknown Kadath, already tainted with that foul essence, called to them and the Pleaspawn swarmed into it like insects, and the Diaboli could only flee ahead of them, escaping out of the boundaries of cursed unnatural Kadath and making their home on its borders, both out of its reach safe from its taint and close enough to stand against the incomprehensible assault as the first line of reality's defense.

Beyond Zadar-Lune the Mountains of Madness rapidly ascend to dizzying heights at unbearably steep angles, creating sheer cliffs that appear to have been impossible to form through any natural process no matter how much time was allowed. Here reality is thin as the essence of the Far Plane and the Dark Plea draws near. Nevertheless mortals can still traverse here, should they dare: a few navigable paths and tunnels wind amidst the ancient bleak stone, allowing passage upward and onward toward the cursed plateau. Those with mechanical flight at their hands, generally requiring a well-equipped and properly insulated airship, can usually make the attempt if they know the Low Points in the Mountains for which they must aim; attempting to ascend above some of the Mountains is impossible, as their peaks seem to rise higher even than the air, rendering flight impossible not to mention breath.

As for Kadath itself, there are only scattered stories and vague rememberances gleanded from the ramblings of those who returned, quite often driven insane by the horrors of the Beyond that lay in wait there where the Plea's power is strong and the presence of the Far Plane is oozing through. What is known is that there is a city, or cities, of some sort constructed from materials and designs unfamiliar and disturbing to mortal eyes and minds. These cities are either inhabited by alien lifeforms anathema to our reality, using the essence of the Plea or the Far Plane to make the Prime in this location habitable to them and seeking to spread their taint so as to survive elsewhere, or completely abandoned save for some sort of formless hunting horror. Every journey that manages to make it to any sign of civilization in Kadath and return alive comes back with a different story and a new variant of madness.

Port Haven: Heroes Walk These Streets

Port Haven is the southernmost actual city in all Olympia and second-most so in all Stormwind, only trumped by Denvushain's Osprey Harbor (third, if you count the Necropolis of the Sea of Dust as well). It is also Olympia's second largest city, dwarfed only in size and population by Olympia itself, and its primary city of trade and commerce. It could be reasonably argued that no city, not even Olympia, is more important to Olympia than simple Port Haven on the southern coast.

Port Haven was founded approximately eight thousand years ago, but it was only about two or three hundred years after that - in the wake of the war with the Baneglaive Orcs, the Yuan-Ti insurrection, and the awakening and subsequent return to slumber of the Tarrasque - that it truly became more than just a port and fishing village. Amelia Delaer-Morwen, Ezekiel Morwen, Jack Fleming, Kallan Rhindanon, and Dagus Ironside - the surviving five Heroes of Haven, who had headquartered themselves in the small town during their adventures - poured much of their resulting wealth into the city upon their retirements, and the town prospered long and well under their influence and leadership until the final two at last passed on. In the years since it has suffered a few setbacks but for the grand majority remained strong, and continues to this day despite two wars since to be the only city in Olympia that has never fallen to an enemy.

Though its face has changed over the centuries, the shape and layout of Port Haven has remained a steady constant, and one could skip a stone across the years and land in the same location nearly every time, or but a few steps off at most. A city primarily of trade and mercantile, its layout is simple and straightforward. Port Haven is divided into five roughly even districts: Docks, Merchants, Temples, Towers, and Gates.


Docks District

Docks District is rather plainly put: it's the southernmost portion of the city, where the ports are and most things associated with them. It's also one of the largest districts: only Merchants District is larger or more heavily populated. In addition to the docks themselves one can find the fisheries, the shipwrights, several guide or mercenary guilds, and the poorest residential sectors of the city in Docks District. The crowning jewel, though, is the Smashed Orc Tavern. A ramshackle building on the seaward side of the district just in from the docks it's likely the first establishment any seaman will see upon their arrival and disembarkation onto land, and its temperament - and more importantly, its product - seems designed to draw in the rough-and-tumble kind of customer most sailors tend to be.

The Smashed Orc is owned and operated by one Graine, an eight-foot-tall stone slab of a man... quite literally, to be precise, as Graine himself is a Stonechild. The Orc seems to cater to this sort of crowd, not just the rougher customers but the stranger, and this is reflected in its staff: in addition to Graine the bar has two bouncers, the half-black dragon Zeike and a dwarven berserker named Dakkon Bloodbeard, and a minstrel named Merody, who appears to be Graine's adopted daughter but of what race she is no one can really tell, though guesses range anywhere from human or elf or both to something fey or fiendish. Just about anyone can be expected in the Orc, and not just the rougher, lower-class sorts or adventurers; though they usually take pains to conceal themselves, nobles and higher-born merchants and the like can rather regularly be seen skulking about the Orc, and almost always they are there to see the fifth member of its staff.

Either by going through a certain door behind the bar or through a certain harder-to-find door in the alley behind the Smashed Orc, one may find their way into the office of The Informant. Like Merody, it's all but impossible to find anyone who can say conclusively what The Informant is, though some will argue one way or the other, and no tales are conclusive; unlike Merody, though, given The Informant's nature and her business this is likely quite intentional. Guesses range likewise, from the mundane - some sort of rare species of elf, or a human with a certain disease or exposed to some kind of taint - to the fantastic - some sort of fey, devil, spirit, or stranger assumptions. What is known is that The Informant is a woman of slightly shorter than average height with dusky blue-grey skin, pale silver-white hair usually held up in a short ponytail, and strikingly golden yellow eyes. She dresses finely, almost always in blacks or dark greys or purples. She does not appear to be a mage but apparently has access to magic. And she is heavily guarded by something, though what this something is seems to be a large collection of guesses... except for The Enforcer, a massive golem of pure Crystal that stands sentinel in her office at all times and answers only to her voice, regardless of which language she uses. What is also known is that The Informant does not come by her name lightly - she knows much, and everything she knows is for sale. Her prices vary, though, and she has the unique business position of allowing the customer to suggest the price then either approving or rejecting the payment before following through. And she is always paid. Always.

The Informant's existence seems to be an open secret - despite anyone in Port Haven being able to tell you who she is, where she can be found, and how she operates, she is rarely spoken of and even more rarely spoken about. She seems to be a non-person as far as legal issues go, as any attempt to turn official systems on her for one reason or another seems to become entangled and strangled by itself. The question becomes whether or not this is a symptom of her amassed knowledge or simply having influence in the right places and knowing where to apply pressure as necessary. Likely this is a question that would never be answered save by The Informant herself, and she has made no secret that information about herself comes at exceptionally high prices.

Minus the Smashed Orc and its crafty neighbor, much of the rest of Docks District is businesses and low-income residential, the grand majority of these employed by those same businesses, though a few do work in Merchant or Towers Districts instead. Rumors abound of the darker things that go on in Docks District, starting from simple things like a hidden shrine to some thieves' god to an ancient pirate's cove and ensuing treasure lost under the growth of the city to such fantastical nonsense as an elaborate assassin's guild operating out of the shadows of Docks District alleys and controlling perhaps even Olympia from their humble-seeming abode. What of these are true and what are not, of course, remains to be seen.


Merchants District

Port Haven's largest district is by far Merchants District, the center of its sprawling metropolis. Located north of Docks District, any of the districts can be reached from Merchants, but for the most part there is no need to go anywhere else as - as any Haven native or regular visitor would tell you - "you can find everything you need in Merchants District".

The district is aptly named. For the most part, the massive area is little more than one sprawling, varied store. Open-air markets, booths, and doors opening into stocked shops line every street and sometimes spill out into the roads, though never enough to block traffic. Almost anything one can imagine can be bought in Merchants District for the right price; quite often the problem is not finding the object in question but rather being able to afford it and getting it before someone else does. An endless, near-constant bazaar of mercantile madness, save for the few short hours each night when an eerie stillness settles over the district as the shops close one by one for the evening.

Though the shops are the primary attraction, they are for the most part too unstable to serve as landmarks. Only a few have lasted under the same name, same location, and same product for longer than a few months at most, and many change one or the other as swiftly as every two or three days, especially the open-air markets. Steel's Armory is one of these few: it's run by Talitha Steel - a former adventurer whose leg was badly wounded by a creature she calls a Behemoth - whose name suggests she was destined for this sort of business all her life. She has several smiths working under her, but despite the damage to her leg her arms remain as strong as ever and she has yet to slack off from the business despite her deep brown hair starting to go grey.

While a few other such shops may have neared the reknown of Steel's enough to serve as landmarks, it is not they that most remember, especially those not native to Port Haven. The other true landmark of Merchants District is the mansion of Jericho Chross, and it is such for three distinct reasons. Firstly, Chross is not a merchant, and has no intent to become one; he claims that his family has had the mansion here since before Merchants District was full of merchants, and history confirms at least that it has been there as long as has ever been bothered to be recorded. Secondly, Chross is a mage, as nearly everyone in his family has been, which is all the stranger as most mages prefer to live in Towers District. And thirdly, because Chross's mansion is still regularly visited despite the constant assertion that he's not a merchant, and only about a quarter of the visitors are those who mistakenly think he is. Most of these visitors are adventurers, and they come to test their wits against the Chross Family's legacy: the Labyrinthine tunnels that wind endlessly below Port Haven, descending to depths which even Jericho himself claims are truly unexplored, crafted ages ago by one of his ancestors in a fit of magical genius mingled with sheer unparalleled insanity. The Chross clan has taken up the mantle of both keeping Port Haven safe from, or at the very least aware of, whatever lunacy might bubble up out of those ancient pits, and seeing to anyone who dares delve down into the winding blackness to face whatever might be waiting down there. The Labyrinth holds both monsters and treasures, as previous excursions have repeatedly proven, and whatever magic Archmage Kedizech spun to create it may still be active as the Labyrinth has been known to change over time.

Given its nature, there are almost no residencies in Merchants District; those few that are, minus the Chross Mansion, are usually the upper floors of shops, simply as a convenience to their owners. Depending on their social status and pay, most workers in Merchants typically live in either Docks or Towers Districts, though a few live in Gates as well.


Temples District

West of Merchants District is Temples District, which much like its easterly neighbor is rather straightforwardly named and thusly designed. It's the smallest district, consisting of a simple circular zone ringed by various small temples, shrines, and places of worship. Though not every god or entity of power ever worshiped in Olympia is revered here, there are several unmarked shrines designed specifically for the purpose of supplanting those whose worship is not provided for directly. A few small houses line the walls behind the ring of temples and shrines; these are mostly residences for clergy and the occasional worker.

The true point of rememberance in the district is the center of the circular design of the district. In the middle of this is a simple rectangular block of purest white marble, worn with age and exposure but still visibly beautiful and well-maintained, about ten feet long and four feet tall and wide. Carved into the block's top is a depiction of a beautiful female elf in flowing robes, lying with eyes closed as if in sleep, arms crossed over her middle with a mage's wand held in one hand and a moonflower in the other. This is the grave of Shanlilima Eoryllias, the sixth and final member of the Heroes of Haven, who perished during the battle with the Tarrasque that marked the Heroes' greatest and final triumph though at such great cost. She was actually buried outside of Port Haven at the time, and this monument built over the burial site a few years after, but in time first other graves then the rest of Temples District sprung up around her memory, hence the district's circular shape. The remains of the graveyard have been relocated beyond the ring of temples now, but the walk to the graveyard is a short one and still within the district's walls.


Towers District

Towers District - sometimes referred to as Mages' District, Nobles' District, or Lords' District by non-natives - lies to the east and northeast of Merchants District. It is so named for the many towers that stand high throughout it: homes of influential mages, powerful nobles, exceptionally wealthy merchants, and the like. Interestingly perhaps, the most important and noteworthy parts of Towers District are not towers at all.

The first is the Naughty Nymph. Despite the rather suggestive name, the Nymph is the finest inn and tavern in Port Haven. Founded and originally manned by Jack Fleming himself, the Nymph caters to a far higher quality than the Smashed Orc or some of the smaller "watering hole" taverns scattered about Merchants District that change hands, names, and locations every few months. The common room of the Nymph, for example, is dressed in fair, fine, thick and soft rugs imported from the farthest reaches, draped with the highest caliber Denvushani silk, and every window fitted with meticulously carved and carefully colored Denvushani glass, all meals are served with china and dishware of either Grendar's best ivory or the finest Senkakku seashell craft. All the construction came from the best timber of the Sombersong and all of it deepest darkest heartwood, and only once - after a particularly vicious hurricane about three hundred years past - has it ever needed to be replaced or repaired. Fleming's descendents still hold the inn as their own; its current proprietor is Elemara Taskarrin, a bardess of quite some repute who made an exceptional reputation for herself - doubly so given her ancestor's reputation - before coming home first to marry then to claim the reigns of her heritage from her father in his old age.

Second is the House of Lords, the true center of Port Haven's government. Mostly it serves as a meeting house for local people of high influence: servitors to the king or queen, high-ranking military and local milita officers, the most influential local nobles and merchants and mages, foreign diplomats, and the like. The building is a single-story stone mausoleum that appears dwarfed by the countless towers jutting above it, but is quite wide and has many rooms, mostly designed for housing dignitaries only temporarily in the area and seeing any inn - even the Nymph - as unsuitable. In front of this building is a grand monument of the Heroes of Haven, all six standing in full battle regalia as they were said to stand in the fields of Greenhaven Plains north of Port Haven, standing ready to hold back the charge of the Yuan-Ti and the Tarrasque's final assault. An inscription adorns the pedestal upon which they stand: "LET NOT VALOR EVER BE FORGOTTEN."


Gates District

Gates District stands north of Temples, Merchants, and Towers Districts, but contains little of note. A few guilds make their halls here, and some residencies of middle-class Haveners; likely if the same district were located elsewhere it would be called something like Residential District or Homes District. Gates District is named such due to its position farthest north in Port Haven and thus home to the great gates that lead out of the city, immediately out onto the High Road. On the west side of Gates District is the Station, where the Titan Rail winds its way down out of the mountains and makes its final stop before turning around and heading back to Grendar. Other than these few things, there is little in Gates District to catch the attention of the traveler, merchant, or adventurer. But to many of Port Haven's citizens, it is home.

Character Creation

Characters will be created using D&D 3.5/Paizo Pathfinder rulesets. Any class(es) are available except psionic classes (Psion, Wilder, Psychic Warrior, Soulknife, Lurk, Ardent, Divine Mind, or any other class that uses the Power Point system). House rules on classes will be posted at a later date. Don't forget to note what your character's favored class(es, in the case of Half-Elves) is(/are)! Character creation uses 30-point point buy for stats: please consult the chart here for point-buy rules. Yes, 30 points is high. This is Final Fantasy - you are playing heroes, you will be statted like heroes. So will the monsters.

Character races are limited to the following: Human, Elf, Half-Elf, Dwarf, Orc, Halfling, Freyrkin, Satyr, Naga, Ael'varan, Moogle. (Full stat blocks for each race will be posted below.)

You begin the game at level 2 - we are using the Slow Experience Total progression from this page, so this means you begin the game with 3000 XP and will gain a level when you reach 7500 XP. 1st-level characters are simply too fragile. Characters will ALWAYS gain Maximum Hit Points when they level - we will NOT be rolling for HP gain every time you level. Example: if you are a wizard, you will gain 6 HP plus 1 per point of Constitution bonus every level.

You begin the game with 1500 GP plus your maximum possible gold for your class. Any equipment out of the 3.5 PHB or DMG, Magic Item Compendium, or Pathfinder Core Book is legal if you can afford it; anything else, please request approval from the DM.

All skills, feats, and spells are legal if they have been printed in an official WotC D&D 3.5, Paizo Pathfinder, or Malhavoc Press book. Anything from 3rd-party sources other than Malhavoc Press please request approval from the DM. (The answer will probably still be yes you can use it, but I want to have a look-over first, there is some really crazy stuff out there.) The one exception is spells with the summoning subtype - due to a custom summon system designed to more properly emulate FF summons, summon spells will not be used.

Feel free to post/PM me with questions.

Classes

Classes will be used based on the Paizo Pathfinder versions. Classes from 3.5 or from third-party sources are allowed (third-party stuff requires DM approval) except for Psionic classes, but will be house-ruled to meet Pathfinder standard. For those who do not have Pathfinder material, the classes can be found here:

The Eleven Core Classes: Barbarian, Bard, Cleric, Druid, Fighter, Monk, Paladin, Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer, Wizard.
Five of the Six APG Base Classes: Alchemist, Cavalier, Inquisitor, Oracle, Witch. Summoner is not allowed for PCs in this campaign (too dissimilar from FF Summoner to work for the setting).
Approved 3rd Party Base Classes: Artificer, Priest, Shaman. Witchhunter is not allowed for PCs in this campaign.

If you want to play a 3.5 class from an official 3.5 book that is not converted in one of the links above, contact me and I will give you the appropriate changes. If you want to play something from a 3rd-party source, submit it for approval; if it needs to be converted to Pathfinder standard I will do so after giving approval.

Races

The following races are available for play in this campaign:

Human
Humans are among the most populous of races on Atlas, and certainly the most widespread; there are few places on all the explored world where human settlements have not been made and flourished, whether by friendly welcome or violent conquest. Remarkably adaptable and suited to almost any skillset, humans easily compose the grand majority of adventurers of all stripes.

Human Stat Modifiers:

• +2 to One Ability Score: Human characters get a +2 bonus to one ability score of their choice at creation to represent their varied nature.
  
• Medium: Humans are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
  
• Normal Speed: Humans have a base speed of 30 feet.
  
• Bonus Feat: Humans select one extra feat at 1st level.
  
• Skilled: Humans gain an additional skill rank at first level and one additional rank whenever they gain a level.
  
• Languages: Humans begin play speaking Common. Humans with high Intelligence scores can choose any languages they want (except secret languages, such as Druidic).

Elf
Kin to the fey creatures of the wild world and reclusive long-lived denizens of distant places, the elves are an ancient people who have existed since the fall of the reptilian races that reigned over Atlas in eons past. Once one unified people, their people have since separated into three distinct clans: the secretive, solitary Wood Elves of the Sentara Forest of northern Olympia; the Painted Elves of Denvushain's desert; and the Frost Elves of the evergreen woods of the Ice Claw. Wood and Frost Elves united a short time ago in the Sentara War attempting to conquer all of Stormwind under elven rule; though some time has passed since this the elven race is still looked upon poorly by many of the other races of Atlas.

Elf Stat Modifiers:

• +2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, –2 Constitution: Elves are nimble, both in body and mind, but their form is frail.
  
• Medium: Elves are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
  
• Normal Speed: Elves have a base speed of 30 feet.
  
• Low-Light Vision: Elves can see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light (see low-light vision).
  
• Elven Immunities: Elves are immune to magic sleep effects and get a +2 racial saving throw bonus against enchantment spells and effects.
  
• Elven Magic: Elves receive a +2 racial bonus on caster level checks made to overcome spell resistance. In addition, elves receive a +2 racial bonus on Spellcraft skill checks made to identify the properties of magic items.
  
• Keen Senses: Elves receive a +2 racial bonus on Perception skill checks.
  
• Weapon Familiarity: Elves are proficient with longbows (including composite longbows), longswords, rapiers, and shortbows (including composite shortbows), and treat any weapon with the word “elven” in its name as a martial weapon.
  
• Languages: Elves begin play speaking Common and Elven. Elves with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Celestial, Draconic, Gnoll, Goblin, Moogle, Orc, and Sylvan.

Half-Elf
The result of a pairing between a human and an elf, half-elves have several traits of both their ancestors but truly belong to neither's culture. With many of the physical and magical advantages of elves and the adaptability of humans, half-elves often serve as natural diplomats and interlopers, but excel in almost any capability.

Half-Elf Stat Modifiers:

• +2 to One Ability Score: Half-elf characters get a +2 bonus to one ability score of their choice at creation to represent their varied nature.
  
• Medium: Half-elves are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
  
• Normal Speed: Half-elves have a base speed of 30 feet.
  
• Low-Light Vision: Half-elves can see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light (see low-light vision).
  
• Adaptability: Half-elves receive Skill Focus as a bonus feat at 1st level.
  
• Elf Blood: Half-elves count as both elves and humans for any effect related to race.
  
• Elven Immunities: Half-elves are immune to magic sleep effects and get a +2 racial saving throw bonus against enchantment spells and effects.
  
• Keen Senses: Half-elves receive a +2 racial bonus on Perception skill checks.
  
• Multitalented: Half-elves choose two favored classes at first level and gain +1 hit point or +1 skill point whenever they take a level in either one of those classes.
  
• Languages: Half-elves begin play speaking Common and Elven. Half-elves with high Intelligence scores can choose any languages they want (except secret languages, such as Druidic).

Dwarf
Miners, mountaineers, and master craftsmen, the dwarves originally dwelt in deep cavernous cities below the earth, living in the hewn stone of their ancient halls beneath the Titans. In the past few centuries they have made their way to the surface and come among the other races, but still their connection to clan, hall, and stone remain the strongest bonds of their kind.

Dwarf Stat Modifiers:

• +2 Constitution, +2 Wisdom, –2 Charisma: Dwarves are both tough and wise, but also a bit gruff.
  
• Medium: Dwarves are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
  
• Slow and Steady: Dwarves have a base speed of 20 feet, but their speed is never modified by armor or encumbrance.
  
• Darkvision: Dwarves can see in the dark up to 60 feet. (see darkvision).
  
• Defensive Training: Dwarves get a +4 dodge bonus to AC against monsters of the giant subtype.
  
• Greed: Dwarves receive a +2 racial bonus on Appraise skill checks made to determine the price of nonmagical goods that contain precious metals or gemstones.
  
• Hatred: Dwarves receive a +1 bonus on attack rolls against humanoid creatures of the orc and goblinoid subtypes due to special training against these hated foes.
  
• Hardy: Dwarves receive a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against poison, spells, and spell-like abilities.
  
• Stability: Dwarves receive a +4 racial bonus to their Combat Maneuver Defense when resisting a bull rush or trip attempt while standing on the ground.
  
• Stonecunning: Dwarves receive a +2 bonus on Perception checks to potentially notice unusual stonework, such as traps and hidden doors located in stone walls or floors. They receive a check to notice such features whenever they pass within 10 feet of them, whether or not they are actively looking.
  
• Weapon Familiarity: Dwarves are proficient with battleaxes, heavy picks, and warhammers, and treat any weapon with the word “dwarven” in its name as a martial weapon.
  
• Languages: Dwarves begin play speaking Common and Dwarven. Dwarves with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Giant, Goblin, Orc, and Terran.

Orc
Brutal, powerful humanoids normally organized into loose nomadic tribes, Orcs are few and far between among civilized society, and those few who are usually are exiles or rebels against their tribe's leaders who have no recourse than to become adventurers. Often considered as monstrous and violent as their tribal kin, they struggle often for acceptance among the other races while seeking their own goals.

Orc Stat Modifiers:

• +2 Strength, +2 Wisdom, –2 Intelligence: Orcs are brutal and savage, but tend to have strong personal wills.
  
• Medium: Orcs are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
  
• Normal Speed: Orcs have a base speed of 30 feet.
  
• Darkvision: Orcs can see in the dark up to 60 feet.
  
• Intimidating: Orcs receive a +2 racial bonus on Intimidate skill checks due to their fearsome nature.
  
• Ferocity: An orc remains conscious and can continue fighting even if its hit point total is below 0. It is still staggered and loses 1 hit point each round. A creature with ferocity still dies when its hit point total reaches a negative amount equal to its Constitution score.
  
• Light Sensitivity: Orcs are dazzled as long as they remain in an area of bright light.
  
• Weapon Familiarity: Orcs are always proficient with greataxes and falchions, and treat any weapon with the word “orc” in its name as a martial weapon.
  
• Languages: Orcs begin play speaking Common and Orc. Orcs with high Intelligence scores can choose from among the following bonus languages: Abyssal, Draconic, Dwarven, Giant, Gnoll, and Goblin.

Halfling
Halflings are an odd conundrum of a race. Immensely devoted to hearth and home and possessed of an intricate and complex clan system, they are nevertheless possessed of an extravagant tendency for vagrancy and wanderlust. During this phase of their youth, halflings generally go so far as to leave their native homeland - the distant continent of Pazoiu - and wander as far as the greatest reaches of Stormwind.

Halfling Stat Modifiers:

• +2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma, –2 Strength: Halflings are nimble and strong-willed, but their small stature makes them weaker than other races.
  
• Small: Halflings are Small creatures and gain a +1 size bonus to their AC, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, a –1 penalty to their Combat Maneuver Bonus (CMB) and Combat Maneuver Defense (CMD), and a +4 size bonus on Stealth checks.
  
• Slow Speed: Halflings have a base speed of 20 feet.
  
• Fearless: Halflings receive a +2 racial bonus on all saving throws against fear. This bonus stacks with the bonus granted by halfling luck.
  
• Halfling Luck: Halflings receive a +1 racial bonus on all saving throws.
  
• Keen Senses: Halflings receive a +2 racial bonus on Perception skill checks.
  
• Sure-Footed: Halflings receive a +2 racial bonus on Acrobatics and Climb skill checks.
  
• Weapon Familiarity: Halflings are proficient with slings and treat any weapon with the word “halfling” in its name as a martial weapon.
  
• Languages: Halflings begin play speaking Common and Halfling. Halflings with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Dwarven, Elven, Goblin, Moogle, and Sylvan.

Freyrkin
Also known as the Feline Folk, Freyrkin are descended from the Freyar clan of Halflings; long ago the clan was lost to the neighboring realms of the Fey and did not make their way back to the Prime Material for several generations. During that time the strange magics of Faerie worked their mysteries on the Freyr halflings, changing them in subtle ways akin to the cats that had always been kept as companions and pets by the halflings. Now possessed of an innate ability to shapeshift between a halfling appearance and that of a cat, they have returned and reclaimed their place among their kin, forever changed. Their tendency to wander in youth has not left them, however, and much like the halflings they once were the freyrkin are prone to vagrant lives for many years before finally returning to their ancestral homes to settle.

Freyrkin Stat Modifiers:

• +2 Dexterity, –2 Strength: Freyrkin are nimble but weak like their halfling cousins; however, their slightly feral feline nature makes them less forward and more aloof.
  
• Small: Freyrkin are Small creatures and gain a +1 size bonus to their AC, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, a –1 penalty to their Combat Maneuver Bonus (CMB) and Combat Maneuver Defense (CMD), and a +4 size bonus on Stealth checks.
  
• Slow Speed: Freyrkin have a base speed of 20 feet.
  
• Humanoid (Feytouched, Shapechanger): Freyrkin are humanoids with the Feytouched and Shapechanger subtypes. They react to magic in many ways similar to the fey of the realm that made their ancestors what they are.
  
• Darkvision: Freyrkin can see in the dark up to 60 feet.
  
• Keen Senses: Freyrkin receive a +2 racial bonus on Perception skill checks.
  
• Sure-Footed: Freyrkin receive a +2 racial bonus on Acrobatics and Climb skill checks.
  
• Feline Transformation: Freyrkin can, at will as a standard action, transform into a cat. In cat form, the Freyrkin's size becomes Tiny, doubling the bonuses received due to its Small size. Their speed increases by 10 feet. While in cat form the Freyrkin suffers a -8 penalty to Strength (minimum 3) but gains another +2 to Dexterity. The freyrkin gains two claw attacks and a bite attack while in cat form; the claws deal 1d2 damage each while the bite deals 1d3 damage. With a full attack, the freyrkin can attack twice with the claws (once with each) at full attack bonus and a third attack with the bite at a -5 penalty. The freyrkin does not gain extra attacks from a high attack bonus while using their natural weapons. They also gain the Scent ability while in cat form. Transforming back into halfling form is a full-round action; after reverting the freyrkin must wait 1 hour before they can take cat form again.
  While in cat form, the freyrkin's weapons, shield, armor, and/or robes become inactive, melding with their body and vanishing during the transformation. Other items remain active, shrinking to fit the freyrkin's cat form and taking shapes appropriate (a ring becomes a paw bracelet, an amulet becomes a collar, etc.). While in cat form the freyrkin is unable to speak or use their paws to manipulate fine objects. They cannot cast spells with a verbal or somatic component, use scrolls, or otherwise activate magic items.
  A freyrkin slain in cat form reverts to its halfling form after one round. Any spell that reveals the true nature of a shapechanged creature (such as true seeing) reveal the creature's humanoid nature while in cat form; spells that detect magical auras but cannot pierce shapechanging powers reveal nothing as the transformation is innate rather than magical. While in cat form a freyrkin is almost indistinguishable from an actual cat.
  
• Languages: Freyrkin begin play speaking Common and Halfling as well as Feline, a language spoken by them in their cat forms as well as any animal in the cat family with an intelligence of 3 or higher. Freyrkin may use Feline to make checks requiring verbal interaction (such as Diplomacy) with these creatures. This language is part of their racial heritage and cannot be learned by other races save those with similar transformations (such as werecats). Freyrkin with high Intelligence scores can choose any languages they want (except secret languages, such as Druidic).

Satyr
Satyrs, or Diaboli (singular Diabolus) in their own tongue, are an alien race, only recently arrived to Atlas. These creatures are vaguely humanoid, with horned heads, long shaggy hair, furred lower torsos with goat-like legs and hooved feet, and sharply barbed whiplike tails. Native to the Demiplane of Dreams, these creatures enjoyed a peaceful if anarchic society until the tendrils of the malevolent force known as the Dark Plea infiltrated their world through the Shallows of the neighboring realms of Nightmare. Fleeing farther and farther through their own world to escape the Plea's encroachment and the madness of the Far Planes that accompanied it, they eventually found their way to the Prime when the Plea's mortal servants there opened the channels between Atlas, Dream, and Nightmare to bring their unfathomable monstrosity to this world. Satyrs have been on Atlas for only a few thousand years and for the most part live in loose, vaguely tribal communities in the northern reaches of the Ice Claw and the foothills of the Mountains of Madness; their single only city is the northern town of Zadar-Lune. However, occasionally a satyr will seek their fortune or follow their curiosity to the south, making their way through the other lands of Stormwind and sometimes beyond.

Satyr Stat Modifiers:

• +2 Constitution, +2 Charisma, –2 Dexterity: Satyrs are hardy and have fierce personalities, but their body structure makes them sometimes clumsy.
  
• Normal Speed: Satyrs have a base speed of 30 feet.
  
• Outsider [Native]: Satyrs are Outsiders with the [Native] subtype, not Humanoids.
  
• Darkvision: Satyrs can see in the dark up to 60 feet.
  
• Phase Resistance: Satyrs receive a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against spells and spell-like abilities. Satyrs are originally from a demiplane slightly out of phase with our reality, which gives them some resistance to magical effects.
  
• Otherworldly Presence: Satyrs take a -2 racial penalty on Diplomacy, Handle Animal, Perform, and Sense Motive checks and a +2 racial bonus to Intimidate except against other satyrs or beasts from their home plane or raised among their colonies. Their unusual appearance and mannerisms make it difficult to interact peaceably with native humanoids and animals, but exceptional at inspiring fear or coercion.
  
• Barbed Tail: Satyrs can make a secondary natural attack with the stingers on their tails at a -5 penalty to the attack roll. The tail deals 1d4 points of damage and injects its target with a mild poison (DC 10 + 1/2 level + CON Modifier). The poison causes the victim to become sickened for 2d4 rounds. A satyr produces 3 + CON Modifier doses of poison for its tail per day.
  
• Weapon Familiarity: Satyrs treat tridents as simple weapons rather than martial weapons.
  
• Languages: Satyrs begin play speaking Common and Satyr, also known as Diabolian. Satyrs with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Abyssal, Draconic, Infernal, and Sylvan.

Naga
A race of guardians, Naga resemble humans or half-elves from the waist up and gargantuan serpents of all patterns and colors - which usually identify the clan from which they hail - from the waist down. Native to the most northern islands of Senkakku, they stand sentinel against the darkness that haunts the islands further north. Occasionally though one will be sent away, either due to a mission of some sort or exile, and find their way to Stormwind's mainland. While outside of Senkakku, most Naga disguise their presence through their innate shapechanging abilities. Naga are distantly related to the Yuan-Ti, serpentfolk native to Stormwind's mainland, but of a far more benevolent bent than the megalomaniacal creatures that have been behind much of the suffering in Stormwind's past.

Naga Stat Modifiers:

• +2 Constitution, +2 Wisdom, –2 Charisma: Naga are a wise and hardy people, but are reclusive by nature and often have difficulty interacting with those not of their race.
  
• Large Size: Naga are larger than other creatures - though their humanoid torsos are the same size as those of a human, elf, or half-elf, their tails make them much larger. Due to their size Naga take a -1 size penalty to AC and Attack rolls and a -4 to Stealth, but gain a +1 size bonus to their Combat Maneuver Bonus and Combat Maneuver Defense.
  
• Swift Speed: Naga have a base speed of 40 feet. The sinuous motion of their coils allows them to move more swiftly than two-legged humanoids.
  
• Racial Link: Naga gain a +2 racial bonus to any Charisma or Charisma-based checks when interacting with other Naga. The Naga share a loose racial consciousness called the akasha that allows them some small level of mental communication.
  
• Wilderness Lore: Naga gain a +2 racial bonus to Survival checks.
  
• Taint Immunity: Naga are immune to Taint.
  
• Aversion: Naga take a -4 racial penalty on Handle Animal and Ride checks unless dealing with reptiles or amphibians. Animals generally react badly to the naturally predatory appearance and reptilian scent of Naga.
  
• Venom: Naga produce venom from their fangs and can make a natural bite attack as a secondary attack at a -5 penalty to the attack roll. The bite deals 1d6 points of damage and injects its target with a mild poison (DC 10 + 1/2 level + CON Modifier). The poison deals 1d2 points of Dexterity damage. A Naga produces 3 + CON Modifier doses of poison per day.
  
• Humanoid Form: At will as a full-round action, a Naga can transform into a humanoid shape, dividing their tail into a pair of functional legs. While in humanoid form, the Naga drops to Medium size, losing the bonuses and penalties of its larger form and reducing its base speed to 30 feet. Naga cannot use their bite attack or deliver their venom while in humanoid form. Returning to Naga form is also a full-round action.
  
• Languages: Naga begin play speaking Common and Nagani. Naga with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Aquan, Auran, Celestial, Draconic, Giant, Ignan, Infernal, Sylvan, and Terran.

Ael'varan
Like the Freyrkin, the Ael'varan are a result of the effects of fey magic on mortal races; in their case the original is humans, wood elves, and half-elves who became lost in the ancient winding forest labyrinths of Sentara's oldest woods and wandered into fey lands. When their descendants returned to the Prime, they were no longer either human or elf or anything in-between; rather they had gained many of the traits of birds of prey, including feathered wings growing from their backs and shoulders and sharply taloned feet. Now known also as birdfolk or raptorans, these clans have confined themselves for the most part to Olympia's forests, living in secluded tribes and remaining uninvolved in the world at large. They are most closely connected with elves, and are one of the few creatures welcomed as a whole into the deepest hearts of Sentara. Ael are easily the rarest race to see anywhere outside their home woods and have possibly the smallest population of any race on all Atlas, but still from time to time one will be seen as far as Port Haven, Grendar, Adaiele, or even the ports of Senkakku or the other continents beyond.

Ael'varan Stat Modifiers:

• +2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, –2 Strength: Ael are agile, swift, and possessed of keen minds, but their birdlike bodies are fragile and have little raw muscle save their wings.
  
• Normal Speed: Ael have a base speed of 30 feet.
  
• Humanoid (Feytouched): Ael are humanoids with the Feytouched subtype. They react to magic in many ways similar to the fey of the realm that made their ancestors what they are.
  
• Wing-Aided Movement: Ael can use their wings to help with movement even if they can't truly fly yet. The extra lift from their wings gives an ael'varan a +10 racial bonus on Acrobatics checks to jump.
  
• Gliding: An ael can use their wings to glide, negating damage from a fall of any height and allowing 20 feet of forward travel for every 5 feet of descent. Ael glide at a speed of 40 feet (with average maneuverability). Even if an ael's maneuverability improves, they cannot hover while gliding. Ael cannot glide while carrying a medium or heavy load.
  If an ael becomes unconscious or helpless while in midair, their wings naturally unfurl and powerful ligaments stiffen them. The ael descends in a tight corkscrew and takes only 1d6 points of falling damage, no matter what the actual distance of the fall.
  
• Flight: When an ael reaches level 5, they become able to fly at a speed of 40 feet (with average maneuverability). An ael cannot fly while carrying a medium or heavy load, or while fatigued or exhausted. Ael can safely fly for a number of rounds equal to their CON modifier (minimum 1). They can exert themselves to fly for up to twice as long, but then are fatigued at the end of the flight. They are likewise fatigued after spending a total of more than 10 minutes per day flying. Because ael'varan can glide before, after, and between rounds of actual flight, they can remain aloft for extended periods (even if they can only use flight for 1 round at a time without becoming fatigued). When they reach level 10, an ael'varan has enough stamina and prowess to fly for longer periods. They can fly at a speed of 40 feet (average maneuverability) and flying requires no more exertion than walking or running.
  An ael'varan with flight can use the run action while flying, provided they fly in a straight line.
  
• Flying Dive: An ael'varan with flight can make a Dive attack. A dive works like a charge, but the ael must move a minimum of 30 feet and descend at least 10 feet. The ael can make a dive attack only when wielding a piercing weapon; if the attack hits, it deals double damage.
  
• Touched by the Wind: Due to the magic of Faerie that made them what they are, ael'varan are naturally in tune with the air and wind. Ael spellcasters cast spells with the [Air] descriptor at +1 caster level.
  
• Unerring Direction: Ael'varan have an instinctive sense of which direction is north, even when they are underground or otherwise unable to see the sky or other visual cues. Beyond the Material Plane, this ability does not function.
  
• Low-Light Vision: An ael can see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light (see low-light vision).
  
• Weapon Familiarity: Ael'varan treat the footbow as a martial weapon rather than an exotic weapon.
  
• Keen Senses: Ael receive a +2 racial bonus on Perception skill checks.
  
• Nimble: Ael receive a +2 racial bonus on Climb checks.
  
• Languages: Ael'varan begin play speaking Common and Sylvan. Ael with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Draconic, Elven, Gnome, Goblin, and Orc.

Moogle
Unlike the native races of the humans, elves, dwarves, orcs, naga, and halflings (who have been present on Atlas somewhere in some form as far back as recorded history reaches) nor the later-arriving races such as the freyrkin, satyrs, or ael (whose appearances and origins have all been thoroughly researched and documented), no one to this day is truly sure from where or when the Moogles came. Slightly shorter than halflings, moogles are furry, bat-winged and antennaed demihumanoids with an innate penchant for magic unmatched by any other race. Though their origins are a mystery, they themselves are anything but - moogles are, almost as a rule, friendly and outgoing to any creature not actively attempting to do them harm. There seems to be no centralized location nor homeland moogles call their own, but rather they have an attraction to civilization and the bigger the city the more moogles will call it home or at least be seen meandering through its streets and alleys.

Moogle Stat Modifiers:

• +2 Constitution, +2 Charisma, –2 Strength: Moogles are physically weak but surprisingly hardy, and their attitude makes them naturally agreeable.
  
• Small: Moogles are Small creatures and gain a +1 size bonus to their AC, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, a –1 penalty to their Combat Maneuver Bonus (CMB) and Combat Maneuver Defense (CMD), and a +4 size bonus on Stealth checks.
  
• Slow Speed: Moogles have a base speed of 20 feet.
  
• Low-Light Vision: Moogles can see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light (see low-light vision.)
  
• Moogle Magic: At character creation, all Moogles choose a spell school they are particularly attuned to. Once chosen, this cannot be changed. Moogles add +1 to the DC of any saving throws against spells that they cast from their chosen school. Moogles with a Charisma of 11 or higher also gain the following spell-like abilities: 1/day each dancing lights, ghost sound, prestidigitation, and speak with animals. The caster level for these effects is equal to the moogle's level. The DC for these spells is equal to 10 + the spell's level + the moogle's Charisma modifier.
  
• Keen Senses: Moogles receive a +2 racial bonus on Perception skill checks.
  
• Obsessive: Moogles receive a +2 racial bonus on a Craft or Profession skill of their choice.
  
• Wing-Aided Movement: Moogles can use their wings to help with movement even if they can't truly fly yet. The extra lift from their wings gives a moogle a +10 racial bonus on Acrobatics checks to jump.
  
• Gliding: Moogles have small batlike wings with which they can glide, negating damage from a fall of any height and allowing 20 feet of forward travel for every 5 feet of descent. Moogles glide at a speed of 20 feet (with average maneuverability). Even if a moogle's maneuverability improves, they cannot hover while gliding. Moogles cannot glide while carrying a medium or heavy load.
  If a moogle becomes unconscious or helpless while in midair, their wings naturally unfurl and powerful ligaments stiffen them. The moogle descends in a tight corkscrew and takes only 1d6 points of falling damage, no matter what the actual distance of the fall.
  
• Flight: When a moogle reaches level 5, they become able to fly at a speed of 20 feet (with average maneuverability). Moogles cannot fly while carrying a medium or heavy load, or while fatigued or exhausted. Moogles can safely fly for a number of rounds equal to their CON modifier (minimum 1). They can exert themselves to fly for up to twice as long, but then are fatigued at the end of the flight. They are likewise fatigued after spending a total of more than 10 minutes per day flying. Because moogles can glide before, after, and between rounds of actual flight, they can remain aloft for extended periods (even if they can only use flight for 1 round at a time without becoming fatigued). When they reach level 10, a moogle has enough stamina and prowess to fly for longer periods. They can fly at a speed of 20 feet (average maneuverability) and flying requires no more exertion than walking or running.
  A moogle with flight can use the run action while flying, provided they fly in a straight line.
  
• Languages: Moogles begin play speaking Common, Moogle, and Sylvan. Moogles with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Draconic, Dwarven, Elven, Giant, Goblin, and Orc.

Okay.

So after three months of attempting to get a game started, I think I'm going to bypass the campaign idea and move on. My original plan was to run a group through a D&D campaign, building the characters and story off their PCs, then once that was completed turn around and make a playable, fan-made FF game out of it. Since I can't seem to get a fair-sized group of players together, I'm going to skip ahead to the game idea.

I have most of the NPCs and a general story outline in place. Which, if this is going to be a forum project, I need to actually type out and post. I would, however, like suggestions for PCs and any other tidbits you guys think would be cool to add. Taking suggestions all around.

Also if anyone knows a good sprite designer, that would be great :D I can cobble FF6 sprites halfway decently in Paint, but it takes forever and would rather not do it if someone else who's better at it/has better skills and/or methods is willing.

Also, Soundtrack thus far!!

DISK 1
1. Prelude
2. Port Haven I
3. Overworld: Stormwind
4. Battle Scene I (Battle of Atlas) ~ Rose at Dawn
5. Victory!
6. Defeat...
7.

NPCs and Villains post! These are (some of) the major faces encountered through the storyline. Not at all final, subject to addition and editing.

NPCs and Allies

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Villains

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Possible rename for the Burning Cult: Familia Ardens (rough Latin for burning family). Still seems a bit off, but it's a little more ...cultish, I guess. For the witch, I can just throw out random names at you till something sticks, but I kinda like Iolanthe.

As for PCs...possibly someone who has run afoul of the cult; I could easily see him being a cleric of some sort, possibly a summoner class. This could be the same character or someone different, but I'd be intensely amused if there was a character named Kilroy who had a side goal of always leaving a distinctive piece of graffiti wherever he goes...

RE: The Burning Cult is just what I call them because in the first town their rites consist of throwing captured travelers into wickermen then burning them. An animated Wickerman is actually the first boss fight of the game. Their main function in the story is as a cult worshiping the Dark Plea and assisting the Vandans in their invasion, kicking up strife to draw Acheron closer to Atlas. They've gone by various names in the past based on whatever their cover was - for example, the Sky Callers when they were focusing a lot on meteor strikes.

Wickermen?

...The Cult of Cage. Their holy chant: OH GOD BEES

*snerk*

Okay. Ideas for PCs.

8 is probably the best number IMO, that gives plenty of different characters to swap in and out, two full parties' worth. (4 PCs at a time is my personal favorite for FF party arrangements, 3 always felt too restricting).

1. Main character. Probably a low- or mid-ranking member of the Order. Possibly an Elf in disguise, otherwise Human. Nothing else really decided.
2. A Moogle Bard, following #1 around because she has "a feeling" that he/she will provide interesting inspiration for stories. Based on a PC that was going to be played for the campaign, and I liked the idea too much to pass up.
3. Possibly Iolanthe the Witch. Probably going to be a Half-Elf, unless the main character is an Elf in which case she'll be Human.
4. Possibly a Dwarf or Orc, likely male. Picked up as the group travels through the mountains headed north to Olympia. Alternatively, the ex-cultist on the run. Or could be both. An Orc Alchemist might be fun - a smart orc! (I actually played a half-orc alchemist named Galvanar Sciarmighn; might be fun to make this character after him.)
5. Someone from Denvushain: either a dervish warrior/rogue type (or a spellcaster, if #4 isn't one). If the main character is human, would suggest this one be a Painted Elf.
6. Someone from the Ice Claw, possibly a Satyr.
7. Someone from Senkakku, possibly a Naga. Might use Hishari, the Naga White Mage/Archer I was going to play in the RP version, for this spot.
8. Veran.

Kilroy, the more I think about it, would be an interesting side character if not a PC; alternatively he could be #5 and not exactly be from Denvushain, that simply be where he joins up with the party. I can't help but see him as a rogue/thief.

The above, in simple outline format.

Spoiler:

Based on the FF games I've played, probably safe to assume there's two party members of our eight unavailable till Act Two or Three. Probably want your satyr in Act Two because the only obvious magic user you have is Iolanthe, who I see as being more aligned to White magic/Summoning. Generally speaking, Black helps you out a lot.

Classwise I was thinking something along these lines:

#1: Fighter. Possibly advance to Knight, Dragoon (this would be a cool diversion IMO), or Paladin. As much as the "main character is always a Fighter" schtick bugs me, I can't see any alternate options. Maybe make him a Ranger/Archer instead? Would work perfectly if he's an Elf. Bugs me less if we go Dragoon though ;) Or perhaps player's choice? Train under a Knight, Dragoon, or Paladin NPC and gain that class as your advancement?
#2: Bard, obviously.
#3: Witch, which I agree best comes down to White Mage. Advance to Summoner when you start encountering Phantasma.
#4. Alchemist. If we go with the Orc idea, make him stronger and tougher but slower speed than your standard Alchemist, and capable of using meaner weapons (say, axes).
#5. Thief.
#6/7. One is the Mystic Knight/Monk combo, the other undecided. Given the lack of one thus far (unless we alter #4) may make the Naga a Black Mage instead of White. Also, may swap the positions they join the party.
#8. Blue Mage. Veran (as The Informant) is present from early on in the game but does not become a PC for some time - until after the group first sets foot on Vanda, is what I was thinking.

The main character is not always a fighter! I refer you back to VI (I'm calling Terra a black mage) and IX (Zidane the thief). But I see the point. Maybe a monk?

Most of the time though, that's only two exceptions out of 10 (though 1, 2, 3, and 5 could get a pass as they're whatever you set them to be :P) And Terra was more Mystic Knight, given her combat ability, but that's nitpicking. ;)

Monk I'd say no, given that we already have the Satyr going down that route. I like the idea of starting as a Fighter and branching into different classes depending on what choices the player goes with - apprenticing to various NPCs and picking up their class. Alternatively, we could reorder/swap the classes and characters some.

Here's the list I'm using, for reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Fantasy_character_jobs

Start as a Dark Knight, name is Bruce I like the Ranger idea.

Think it might be interesting to have the main character be an Elf, in that case, and start in the reclusive parts of the forest; the Elves pretty much keep to themselves, and finding out the Cult has made its way even into their villages is all the more disturbing, and thus our main character has to venture out of the safety of Elven lands into the Human kingdom of Olympia - which, due to the war of the past century or two which our main char may have been alive for depending on how old an Elf he is, forces him to disguise himself as a Human - to investigate further.

Which puts us in the interesting situation of the first three party members being a Ranger, a Bard, and a White Mage/Summoner. The tiny Moogle is the closest thing the initial party has to a tank :D

Wait


We seriously get to use the bard as a meatshield? Eris would approve.

Archers and Mages are backrow :D

I always put bards in the back row, too...

True. But between the option of the three Bards are best armored and best melee-offensively, heh.

Character concept pictures!

Iolanthe

Spoiler:

Char #4 suggestion (Galvanar, Orc Alchemist)

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Char #7 suggestion (Hishari, Naga Mage)

Spoiler:

Veran

Spoiler:

Cid

Spoiler:

Graine

Spoiler:

Zeike

Spoiler:

Dakkon

Spoiler:

Merody

Spoiler:

Wolf-And-Raven (true form)

Spoiler:

Culex

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Alzir

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Final Battles

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