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����Chapter One: The World of Bloodlands 2 Cosmology and History 2 World Map 14 Gazeteer 15 Chapter Two: The People of Domaria 27 Character Classes 27 Bounty Hunter 27 Druidic Avenger 29 Duelist 31 Psionicist 33 Tavern Brawler 34 Totem Warrior 36 Races of Domaria 38 Dirdraug 38 Eru’el 39 Morellon 40 Goblins 41 Orcs 42 Rawdír 42 Saurian 43 Chapter Three: New Rules 45 Animal Handling 45 Fatigue and Exhaustion 47 Fighting Defensively 47 Literacy 47 Reputation 47 Psionic Powers 48 Backgrounds 55 Traits 57 Fate Points 65 High-Level Characters 67

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���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ���������������� ���������������� ���������������� ��������������������In the Beginning, there was the Pleroma, which is the Divine Light of Creation at the center of all things. Within the Pleroma resides the One, which is the consciousness upon which all reality depends. The One is perfect and all-seeing, but is not all-knowing. The One knows all paths a being may take, but may not know what path a being will take. Such is the price of Free Will, that which is gifted to all creations of the One. In those early days, the Pleroma was surrounded by a formless, blackened Void. The One looked into this Void and felt alone. The One desired company and companionship. So it turned its thoughts to creation, and the fruit of its labor was Sophia, the mother of Wisdom. The One loved Sophia with all its vast essence, but Sophia did not return its love: at least, not to the same degree. Sophia, being created from the One, was less perfect than the One. While still vastly powerful in and of herself, she had not the capacity to love as did the One. She in turn became lonely and seduced the One into joining with her. The Seed of the One within Sophia produced seven more Archons, all as powerful as Sophia and more powerful than any god we now know. But these Archons, being a generation removed and created of the joining of the One with a Mother Archon rather than of the thoughts of the One, were less pure than Sophia. Within their breasts burned a hunger and lust for more than their existence granted them. At first, the One was angry with Sophia, but as the One looked upon these new children, it came to love them as it did its consort. It saw within them the fires of creation and destruction, and marveled at the chaotic beauty of their souls. At first, their mischief amused the One, and it looked on and laughed. Soon, however, this mischief brought darkness into the Pleroma, and the One was displeased. It created laws that bound the Archons, to keep the wonder of the Pleroma intact. And the Archons became jealous.

����!����������"��������!����������"��������!����������"��������!����������"��������It was the First of the second generation of Archons, Urizen, who rose to prominence among his siblings, challenging the laws of The One. Why, he asked, should the Archons not be allowed to remain free as their spirits demanded? The One responded that the Pleroma was to be free from corruption, and the mischief of the Archons risked destroying that purity. So it was that Urizen turned his sights on the Void. “Why, then,” he said, “can we not go into the Void to make our fun?” “There is nothing in the Void,” replied the One. “It is naught but entropy. If you go there, you risk bringing back decay, and this I cannot allow.” “Then we shall go, and not return,” said Urizen. The One was saddened by this declaration, and forbade its children to leave, but their hearts were set. They stole from the Creator pieces of the Pleroma, so that they might create their own realms in the Void, constructing a universe as grand and chaotic as their own souls, and they departed. So it was that Urizen took his siblings and departed the Pleroma, never to return. And then the One turned to its consort, Sophia. “You, of all my creations, are the most near and dear to my own nature,” it said. “Will you remain here, next to my heart?” A tear ran down Sophia’s cheek at this question, and her soul was split asunder.

To keep sadness from poisoning the Pleroma, she cast the tear into the Void, where it shattered as crystal, forming the stars we now see in the sky. Then she turned to the One and said, “I cannot stay. My children are chaotic and dark. They will need my wisdom to temper that which they form in the Void.”

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With that, Sophia reached into her belly and pulled forth the Seeds of Creation. These she planted in the Pleroma, entreating the One to let them grow and form on their own, that one day they might come forth to restore the balance that would be upset. And Sophia followed her children into the Void. And the One, overwhelmed with sorrow and grief, sealed the borders of the Pleroma so that none who leave that place may ever return, and fell into a deep slumber, where it remains to this very day.

������������������$��%����������������������$��%����������������������$��%����������������������$��%��������And so the Archons came into the Void. They looked into the vast, formless nothing and felt sorrow. Even with the beauty of Sophia’s teardrops scattered throughout the heavens, it was still as the One had warned them: entropy incarnate. This, Urizen declared, would not do. The Archons loved chaos, and change, and upheaval. Entropy is a slow, ordered decline into nothingness. To balance this order, the Archons brought chaos into the Void. They took many of the pieces of the Pleroma they had stolen, and scattered them amongst the stars created by Sophia’s tears, and as Creation met with Entropy, worlds sprang into existence, and life evolved on these worlds and the heavens became wondrous. Yet still Urizen was not satisfied. With the Archons in tow, he rampaged through the Cosmos, driven mad with the feelings of emptiness, of incompleteness that he now suffered. Together the Archons destroyed thousands of worlds and wiped countless young species from existence. Still, they were not satisfied. It was then Sophia came to her son and said, “My Son, might you not be more satisfied creating than destroying? These creations you have made, none of them share any part of you. They are random, generated by a scattering of Pleromic essence. Why not put your thoughts to work, and use what tiny shard of the Pleroma you have left, and create a world of your own?” Urizen thought upon this suggestion and decided it was a good one. So it was that he called the rest of the Archons together and said, “My brothers, I have had an idea. We are incomplete because we have not put any effort into these creations. Together we shall create a world, and populate it, and use it to our own amusement. This world will be our Pleroma. It will be our home.”

The other Archons thought this a good idea, and Urizen sent to work. But try as he might, he could not deliberately fashion a world to his liking, for worlds require laws and systems, and Urizen’s soul was anarchy, the fire of creation without order. So again he turned to his mother. “You,” he said, “Know the ways of creation. Why can I not succeed in making a world of my own?” “You have not the means within you to nurture such,” she said. “You are anger and chaos. Worlds need caring, order, and systems. Worlds are born, not made.” “Then you must help me,” Urizen said. “You alone of all the Archons have the ability to give birth. You must be the mother to my world.” “If I do this for you,” Sophia said, “You will grant me something in return.”

“What is it you wish?” Urizen said. “Whatever you and your brothers set about to create upon this world,” Sophia said, “I am to be given half to mold in my own image.” “I agree,” Urizen agreed.

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“Think on your decision before you agree,” Sophia said. “For you will be bound by this promise, else I will reveal your treachery to your siblings, and it will be your unmaking.” “And who, dear mother, would believe you? My siblings are loyal to me.” “All would believe me, for I am Wisdom and I can not lie.” Urizen thought upon this, and said, “So be it. I accept your terms.” “Bring me all the pieces of the Pleroma that your siblings still have,” Sophia said. “and together we will make a world.” And Urizen went unto other Archons, demanding that they turn over the pieces of the Pleroma that they had stolen. The Archons were not pleased with this demand, and at first refused. They asked why Urizen wanted their pieces. “Because you have squandered yours,” they said, “does not give you the right to take ours.”

“With your pieces,” Urizen said, “I will make a world for us all to share. Mine alone is not enough. It was I who guided you from the thumb of the One. Without my bravery and pride, we would still be enslaved within that realm, rather than masters of the universe. Go, and bring me your pieces of Creation.” But the Archons were treacherous, and in secret they agreed that each would keep a piece of a piece, enough to create beings to serve them alone. Unaware of the agreement between Urizen and Sophia, they presented Urizen with the pieces that he asked for and he in turn brought them to Sophia, who recognized that the pieces were not complete, but knew the wisdom in keeping this information for herself.

Sophia then lay down and allowed Urizen to place the shards within her belly, where she had removed the Seeds of Creation before leaving the Pleroma, and there they grew over eons and eons as mortals reckon years, but mere days by the reckoning of the heavens, and during this time Urizen kept his mother hidden from the other Archons, that they never know the subterfuge he had performed. In time, Sophia gave birth, and Domaria was her child. And in the Pleroma, the One stirred in his fitful sleep, and from that stirring, the seeds Sophia had planted in the Pleroma began to grow. Thus was the world of Domaria created by the Demiurge Urizen and Sophia, mother of nature and Wisdom, in the days before days. The earliest days of the world were dark ones, as Sophia set about teaching her child the means to shape the world, to separate night from day and the growing season from that of death. In time, the world set into a pattern, one of organized chaos. While the world worked upon reliable systems, within those systems were vast, uncounted random events such as earthquakes, tidal waves, and other natural phenomena. The Archons were pleased, but knew that simply watching such a world unfold would become boring in time.

����������������'������������������'������������������'������������������'��������!�����(��������!�����(��������!�����(��������!�����(������Thus, it came time to introduce life to the world. Alas, the shining shards from the realm of the One had been spent in the creation of the world, and the Archons lamented, going to their mother Wisdom to ask, “What shall we do? We have nothing of the Pleroma left with which to create life on this world.” Sophia saw the lie in the declaration, for she knew each of the Archons had kept some tiny shard of Creation when they turned it over to Urizen, but she smiled to herself and did not contest them. “Go unto the world,” she told her children. “There you will find all the materials you need to build life from the world your brother has made.”

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And each of the Archons went forth into the world and saw that Sophia was right. From the building blocks of life they began to experiment with creation, building animals resembling their own faces. Thus the first creatures set foot in the world: felines, serpents, reptiles, fish, equines and bovines, canines, and apes. And with each fierce and vicious creature the Archons created, they marveled at the mysterious appearance of docile and beautiful creatures that bore resemblance of those creatures they made, for they were still unaware of the price Sophia had demanded in exchange for birthing the world. Of all the Archons, two failed at these early attempts to create. Try as he might, the flame-headed Sabaoth could not create a creature to match his own visage, and succeeded only in introducing the purity and destruction of fire into the world. Saddened and enraged at his failure to make life, he went to his mother, who had already claimed the warmth and lightness of fire and began work on her own version of his efforts. She instructed him to use the air currents created by fire, its ability to lighten the air and cause it to rise above the world. She instructed him to combine that power with the softness of the clouds and the sharpness of shale, and go to work. Thus were the first birds introduced to the world. Unlike his brother Sabaoth, the Archon called Eloeus found affinity only with decay and the realms of shadow, and, too prideful to approach his mother for help, sat brooding in the dark places of the world, dreaming of the day when his own powers might be useful in the corruption of the races of Domaria.

������������������*+��������������������*+��������������������*+��������������������*+������As these animals were fruitful and multiplied, the Archons marveled at the ordered chaos below. But there was little long-term enjoyment to be had in creatures ruled by instinct and survival. The Archons desired creatures they could manipulate and use to their amusement. So they returned to the world and began again to dabble in creation. And with each idea they tried, Sophia deftly claimed half of the material to form her own pure versions of the Archons corrupt vision. And since Sophia was the mother of the world, her knowledge outstripped that of the Archons, enabling her often to create her own children before the Archons completed theirs. The first race, it is told, created by Sophia was the gnomes. An industrious race, who loved nature and beauty and who had their mother’s lust for creation burning in their breasts, they exist to this day, a wise and cursed race who alone remember the beginning of days. Alas, knowledge without true wisdom is the first of the gnomes’ curses. They know the truth of creation. They know the secrets of making and unmaking life. But they have not the wisdom to apply these secrets, being not of the celestial realms. If they could share this knowledge with a wiser race, like the elves or the dwarves, may hap mortals could ascend to greater things than even the gods. Alas, the second curse of the gnomes prevents this from happening. It is said that any gnome to this day who speaks the secrets of creation will immediately return to the stone from which he was crafted,

along with the one to whom he speaks this forbidden knowledge. Why this curse was levied upon the gnomes, none know, but Sophia is Wisdom, and must have had a reason. From the gnomes, Sophia began experiments to amuse herself. She separated the gnomes into their three aspects, creating a race from each. The love of nature and beautiful things, Sophia combined with the spirit of the forest to craft the elves, to whom she gifted her great wisdom and a lesser knowledge of creation, the secrets of magic. From the industrious, hard working nature of the gnomes combined with the rock of the mountains, Sophia crafted the stout and hardy dwarves, whose brews and crafts are coveted the world over to this very day. And from the innocence and joy of the gnomes, Sophia created halflings, gifting to these small folk an innocent wonder, and the desire to experience the world, which is why halflings are possessed of such wanderlust to this day. The Archons, seeing these goodly races come into the world, began to suspect their mother’s treachery, but Sophia, unable to lie, merely sat quietly and neither acknowledged nor denied their accusations, pointing out merely that many of the creations of the Archons had evolved on their own since the earliest days. And the Archons returned to work. The first to be successful in his endeavors was Oreus, who stole and corrupted the dwarves’ affinity with the halls of the underworld to twist and corrupt them into the orcs. Next, Oreus stole from the elves their affinity with nature, and a corruption of the halfling wanderlust, creating a mockery of their purity in the goblins. He spread orcs and goblins across the world, where they became the scourge of the elves, dwarves, and other goodly races, and proclaimed himself supreme among

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his brothers for his creations. Urizen and Astaphaeus would not have such bold claims made; the two of them thought long and hard and decided to make a contest of winning the race of creation. Each went to his own creation and raised them up on two legs. Urizen’s creatures were the Rawdîr, who still roam the plains to this day. Sophia looked upon the Rawdîr and was touched that her son could create something so beautiful, and so she gifted to them Free Will, to choose between light and darkness. For his part, Astaphaeus created the gnolls, twisted, humanoid versions of his prize creation the hyena. This, Sophia did not like and so she took half the gnolls and re-crafted them into the Dirdraug, to whom she also gave Free Will. As she looked upon the Rawdîr and Dirdraug, she saw that Free Will was good, and gifted it to all the races of the world, even those created by her sons to be evil and dark. She laughed quietly, knowing that she was using the very chaos her children loved so much against them. The other Archons, too, dabbled in creation, and each of their creations Sophia gifted Free Will and created her own mirrors that would share and compete for the fate of the world. From Iao came the hydras and sea serpents, which Sophia turned into all the great serpentine creatures of the world. From Adoneus came the dragons, great creatures with the power to rule the world, which Sophia forced balance through the split into metallic and chromatic, and from whom she created the Saurians. Thus it was that The Archons gave life to all beings in the world, and taught magic, art, and science, but also brought evil into the world, to torment the goodly races for no other reason than their masters’ cruel amusement. The two exceptions were Sabaoth and Eloeus, who failed to create life like that of the other Archons and turned their sights to darker pursuits. Sabaoth went about teaching elves, dwarves, orcs, and others more powerful and darker magic, strengthening their connection with fire and darkness, until they rose above mortals and became demons, tormenters and tempters of the goodly races. In this manner, Sabaoth spread his influence throughout the world. Taking a cue from his brother, Eloeus, who also failed to create sentient life of his own, taught to the races of the world the secrets of necromancy, that they might live on beyond death and serve him for all eternity. Thus did the first liches and zombies enter the world.

�������������-��������������-��������������-��������������-�����For eons, the Archons ruled over all sentient life on the world, taking worship and tribute as they desired, and accepted sacrifices constantly. The sole exception to this is the lady Sophia, the matron of wisdom and sad virgin mother of Urizen. Eventually, Sophia tired of this constant game of war and constantly changing rules, and tired of having to make her own races in secret, never able to take open pride in her creations, and she came forward, challenging her children that she could create a race that would come to rule over all others in the world. Laughing at her presumption, the Archons agreed, and Sophia set to work. But this time Sophia did not begin with the blocks of creation contained within the world. This time she began with what she considered her greatest accomplishment: these new creatures would be made from Free Will itself. From Free Will Sophia molded the essence of what would be her masterpiece. But she needed a shell for this essence. So she looked down onto the world and found a creature that was strong, agile, and adaptable, with a higher intelligence than many of the lower animals. She looked to the apes, and began to mold them, raising them to stand on two legs, stripping their fur and replacing it with skin that had the strength of dwarven skin and the supple softness of the elves, and altered their facial features to look more like those of the First Races. Into this primate shell she placed her essence matrix, and humanity was born. To humanity, Sophia gave a shortened life span, so that mankind would always strive to better himself, having so few years to leave his mark upon the world. She took fire from Sabaoth and placed it in the souls of man, that they would ever be driven to greater conquests and victories, and so that the more adversity they faced, the hotter and faster they would burn,

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until they consumed this adversity and stood above all other races. From every race, she took qualities, and placed them into humanity. The dwarves’ skill, the elves’ wisdom and power, the gnomes’ diplomatic skill, and the halflings’ lust for adventure; all of these were placed into man. Unlike the early races, though, Sophia did not give these to man as gifts, but as potential. Each human was to find their own path in the world, which would guide them to spread across the world and achieve greatness in their individual fields, becoming masters of the very tasks that were so innate to the other races.

The other Archons looked on in fear as Sophia accomplished exactly what she claimed she could, and then became enraged when she did the one thing that the others could not abide. Sophia had been fashioned of the Pleroma, and so maintained a connection with that place even in exile. Thus, she called out and those shards of Pleromic essence that the Archons had kept back from Urizen flew to her. Sophia in turn placed a tiny spark from the purity of the Pleroma itself into the soul of every man. Within mankind, this spark had the ability to propagate itself, passing from generation to generation. This meant that every last member of humankind had the potential to not only conquer the world, but to transcend it. Within each human is the potential to return to the Pleroma after death, and to join with the One at the perfect center of creation. No other creature in the universe has this potential, not even the Archons. In their rage and jealousy, the Archons turned on Sophia, who was weakened from her efforts, and bound and chained her in a deep cavern in the highest mountain in the world. They then turned their fury on mankind, making humans slaves subjugated to all other races, and issuing a decree that the races of the world were to treat humankind with cruelty and malice for all eternity. It is said that many the dwarves and elves stood against the Archons in this decree, and were in turn subjugated along with humankind. Others among the First Races, the remaining elves and dwarves, and the gnomes and halflings, simply ignored the proclamation and took no human servants. But the dark races of the world, the orcs and goblins

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and gnolls, and the saurians, who had long ago turned from their mother Sophia to worship Adoneus, took humans as work animals, cattle, and tools of pleasure.

�������������0���������������0���������������0���������������0������No one knows exactly how long humankind lived in suffering and squalor. For perhaps thousands of years they cried out to their helpless mother, Sophia, to save them and deliver them from their pain. And while Sophia was bound and helpless in the caves of the world, the cries of humans did not go unheard. In the Pleroma, the cries of humanity stirred the One once again, and his disturbed sleep caused the seeds of Sophia to leap to glorious life. The first gods to come to the world were the twins, Ormazd and Ahriman, who looked down on the suffering of humanity and puzzled. Ormazd was saddened by the plight of mankind, while Ahriman simply desired rule of the world for himself. The two set to debating while their brothers and sisters were born of the Pleroma, and as their debates continued, so did new gods and goddesses join the debate with each new generation born from the light of creation. In the end, it was decided that the two polarized sides agreed on one thing: the Archons had to be driven from the world, and to do that, one of the gods had to be elected as general. This duty fell to Ormazd, for while Ahriman was just as powerful as his brother, he was less ordered of mind and thought, and less able to lead an organized effort. Ahriman knew this, and for the time being subjugated himself to Ormazd. Thus, the gods came from out of the light of the Pleroma, the divine ether to which all humans seek to enter when they depart this world, and made war upon the Archons with powerful magic and weaponry. Still, the Archons with their vaunted might were more powerful than the gods, and the war went badly. Just when it looked as though the gods were to be defeated and banished to the heavens, it was Aka Manah, god of secrets and deceit, who learned of the solution. The god looked into the hearts of the Archons and saw the truth of what they had done to their mother. He brought this knowledge to Saurva, and they in turn recruited from amongst the races of the world a devious and stealthy party to go to Sophia and release her from imprisonment. The details of this quest are lost to the annals of history, but what is known are the names of these heroes, and the reward bestowed upon them by Sophia upon her release. The heroes who rescued Sophia were Eleggua the elf, Orunmila the gnome, Babalu the dwarf, Chango the half-orc, Oggun the Dirdraug, Yemaya the halfling, and Oshun the Rawdîr. Their reward, bestowed upon them by the First Archon was to be granted the powers of the gods, and a portfolio over which each could preside. In exchange for this reward, Sophia took from them their natural racial forms, and gave unto them the forms of her favorite race: humans, though each retained the power to assume whatever form they wished when they walked the world. After granting this boon unto her rescuers, Sophia sent them into the cosmos, to learn to use and harness their powers responsibly, and to wait the time when they would be needed, as the other gods were needed now. After her escape, Sophia came to Ormazd and lay with him in his tent. During their time together, she gave to Ormazd all the secrets necessary to defeat her son and his lieutenants. Through the wisdom of Sophia, the gods harnessed the magic of the world to call upon a powerful incantation that imprisoned the Archons deep within the earth, where they remain in enchanted slumber even to this day, dreaming their revenge through the destruction of that which they have wrought, the world of Domaria. As part of the bargain, Sophia sacrificed herself to the incantation, knowing that her own power would be required to hold at bay the rest of the Archons, and wise enough to know that the temptation to create another offspring would be too much for her to bear, once her first child was defeated. She kept this knowledge to herself, however, aware that Ormazd would not allow her to fall victim to this incantation. When she, too, was imprisoned with her children, Ormazd was heartbroken and withdrew into his great mountain to mourn. It was during this time that Ahriman gathered unto him the Daevas, the gods of darkness and they moved against the goodly gods for control of the world. The goodly gods fought back, but Ahriman was strong, and beat them back time and again, for they were lost without Ormazd’s leadership.

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But all was not lost: deep within the bowels of the world, Sophia’s duty was not done. The time she had spent laying with Ormazd had borne fruit with in her, and her slumbering body gave birth to Vohu Manah, the god of enlightenment and animals, who sprang fully grown from her loins. Vohu Manah clawed his way up through the earth to the surface and came to his father in his tent. “Father,” he said, “I am Vohu Manah, the fruits of your love for Sophia. I come to beg you on mother’s behalf to stand with your brothers against the dark gods, who even now sow destruction throughout the world.” Ormazd took his son into his arms and said, “My son, you have brought a piece of your mother back to me. I can now return to the world.” So it was that Ormazd returned and at the head of the Spentas, the gods of light, and stood against the Daevas. The two pantheons of gods battled fiercely throughout the heavens, until at last they fought one another to a standstill, with neither side emerging victorious. Ormazd and Ahriman met in treaty on the field of battle and agreed that this victory would not be settled by contest of arms in the heavens, but through the acts of mortals. Until the end of days, the gods agreed to cease their eternal war and allow the tides of light and darkness to play out among mortals. As part of the agreement, the gods were forbidden to directly control the affairs of mortals, though they could influence them through certain individuals. Finally, they agreed that humankind, Sophia’s favored of all the races, was to be free from the oppression of the other races, and was to take its place alongside the great races of the world. To this end they chose a great man from the bowels of slavery named Zarathustra, and to him they gave their message of light and darkness, and the battle between good and evil. Zarathustra was to take neither side in the war, but to present both sides to all races, that each might choose his own path. Zarathustra was to live a hard and short life, but his message would spread, and in reward for his service to the gods, their pantheon and faith would be named for this great prophet. Zarathustra went forth among the races of the world and told of the coming of the gods and the fall of the Archons. At first, the races of the world welcomed the gods, who took a much more hands-off approach to governing the world, demanding worship and tribute, but remaining largely in their otherworldly realms, supporting their followers through clerics and the divinely-touched. It eventually became evident, however, that not all the gods were goodly. Some were as dark and power mad as the Archons they’d usurped, and these were deadlocked in an eternal struggle with the gods of light. Human, elf, and dwarfkind were invariably drawn into this struggle as well, and champions of both light and darkness have risen and fallen throughout the ages, until the day comes when Ormazd faces and defeats Ahriman in the final battle. For decades Zarathustra traveled the world, spreading his message of light and darkness, until one day, he simply disappeared. No one knows what happened to the great prophet; some whisper that he ascended to godhood. Others believe that he entered the Pleroma and resides with the One at the center of Creation. Still others believe that he sleeps, and will rise again one day to pass final judgment on the gods when their battles at last reach their climax. Known collectively as the Zarathustrian Pantheon, or simply Zarathustra, the gods of good are the Spentas, while the evil gods are the Daevas. Zarathustra recognizes no neutral gods, save the spirit of Zarathustra himself. While Zarathustra has never appeared or granted power to followers since his mysterious disappearance so many thousands of years ago, there still exist nevertheless cults dedicated to his worship, to spreading the message of all the gods and to maintaining the balance between light and dark, for all eternity. Thus ended the First Age of the World.

������+���(����������������+���(����������������+���(����������������+���(��������������The Second Age of Domaria was a period of enlightenment and progress for all the races of the world, lasting for tens of thousands of years. Kingdoms and empires rose and fell, as did heroes and villains. These days were the stuff of legends; there were no great ruins to explore in the early days, no underground dungeons or hidden treasures, for it was in these days that the secrets of the Old World were made and lost. Wizards wielded great and powerful arcane magic rose in those days, and some say that there were sorcerers who held sway over the very forces of life and death, and that the necromancers of today are the shadowy mirrors that hearken back to these great men and women. Individuals took to the gods or goddesses that best suited their own outlooks, though some became patrons of entire races. Vohu Manah and Armaiti became patrons of the elves, while Asha and Ameretat took a liking to gnomes and halflings. Haurvatat became beloved of the dwarves, while Khshathra Vairya was beloved of humankind. Ormazd watched over all the goodly gods.

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The gods of darkness, on the other hand, were drawn to the darker races, with Aka Manah guiding the goblins, and Saurva being worshipped widely by the orcs. Many of the evil gods found followers and entire cults among mankind, who are born of free will and rebellion, and seek the power to better themselves by any means.

As is inevitable with such things, the great achievements of the day were turned to instruments of war, and the day arrived when the dwarves and elves banded together to make war against the orcs and half-orcs. Humans, saurians, rawdîr and dirdraug were widely divided among the battles, with armies showing up on both sides, as best suited the mercenary tendencies of these races, and the halflings and gnomes went into hiding to await the outcome. This was known as the Blood War, and nearly tore the world asunder. In their eternal, fitful sleep, the Archons stirred, and mortals first heard the seductive call of their evil dreams. Of the great kingdoms that rose and were destroyed in those days, only two names remain. The great dwarven paladin Lord Dunnebar, and the Elven lord Azteroth both were seduced by evil in those days, Dunnebar falling prey to the temptations of the god Saurva, and Azteroth being seduced by the calls of the Archon Eleous in his fitful sleep. The two both became cursed with undeath through their black worship, Dunnebar becoming the first of the dread knights, and Azteroth finding immortality as a lich. The two kingdoms turned on each other with a vengeance, Azteroth seeking to conquer the world, and Dunnebar looking to crush this manifestation of the Archons. It was during this vast global conflict that the Orishas, the mortals-turned-gods and beloved of Sophia, felt the stirring of the Archons, and heard the sounds of destruction coming

from the world, and knew that the gods had overstepped their bounds. This Blood War would awaken the Archons if allowed to continue unchecked, and Sophia’s sacrifice would be in vain. The time of the Orishas, as prophesied by Sophia, had come. So they came to the world and intervened, stopping the conflict and wiping away much of the powerful and destructive magic used in the wars. The gods of Zarathustra tried to destroy the Orishas, but since the Orishas were beloved of Sophia, the Zarathustrans found they had no power over these newcomers. So the end of days was delayed, and a new religion rose in the world. The Orishas represent a wild card faction in the struggles of the gods. The dogma of Orisha says that mortals should not be tied up in the struggles of some great heavenly war, and should use the free will and independence granted to them by Sophia to make their own path in the cosmos. To that end the Orisha deities guide and help all mortals who wish to break free of the struggles of the Blood War between Ahriman and Ormazd. The Orisha faith quickly spread among mortal kingdoms, and both the good and evil gods of Zarathustra became concerned, for deities depend upon followers. If their followers turn from them, the gods will quickly find themselves decreasing in power and exiled to the cosmos, deities without followers and without a home. And yet, the innate neutrality of Orisha’s stance in the Blood War, and their status as beloved of Sophia has somehow held the Zarathustrian gods at bay, rendering them mystically unable to move against the Orishan pantheon. The Orisha gods represent a strong middle-ground and balancing force between the good of the Spentas and the evil of the Daevas. As the Blood War came to a stalemate once again, the Orishas sent their followers forth to destroy the great and destructive magic and technologies used, their existence to be wiped from the annals of history. This, they decreed, would restore the balance between the races and allow the world a fresh start. The greatest of these artifacts, however, the Godslayer Sword, could not be destroyed. This weapon, it is said, had the power to slay gods, and transfer their powers to the wielder, but would drive the wielder mad in the process. Using this blade, a mad dwarven smith sought to wipe out the gods and take their place as the One God. Legend has it that he succeeded in using the blade, once, and that the sword’s effect was so powerful that the sword erased the god from existence. The Mad Dwarf, unable to cope with the sudden influx of the powers of the god, went utterly mad and sat quietly gibbering in a cave, where the Purifiers of Orisha found him and simply removed the sword from his lap.

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So it came to pass that the greatest priest of the Orishas came to their temple and presented the Godslayer Sword on the altar and the Orishas took notice. Then a thing happened that has never happened since: all three pantheons of gods came together to debate what should be the fate of this artifact. All agreed that it could not be entrusted to any deity, for the power contained in the blade was too dangerous to be entrusted to any one god, or group of gods, who would quickly fall to warring amongst themselves for possession of the sword. Yet, for all their vaunted power, the gods could not destroy the sword. It was Vohu Manah, the Son of Wisdom, who suggested the solution. The sword could not be destroyed, but it could be broken into its four pieces, cast to the four winds, and a powerful enchantment cast so that even the gods would be unaware of the locations of the blade. Thus it would remain hidden for all eternity. The gods agreed, and the sword was cast away. Alas, the gibbering Mad Dwarf in his cave heard the council of deities, and the power dripping from him in his ravings became a book, chronicling the early days of the Blood War and the breaking and hiding of the sword. This book had the power to unmake the spell and reveal the blade to the world once again. The other gods, unaware of the book’s existence, cast a spell to turn the Mad Dwarf to stone, and caused his cave to be sealed from the eyes of mortals. They then turned their vengeance upon Dunneland and Azteroth, and caused these two great kingdoms to sink deep into the world, to be forever hidden from mortals. Even Saurva could not protect his servant Dunnebar, but he promised the dread knight that one day the kingdom of Dunneland would rise again and take its rightful place within the world. And mortals began to pick up the pieces and rebuild the world. Thus ended the Second Age of Domaria.

���������(������������(��(����������(%���3�����������(������������(��(����������(%���3�����������(������������(��(����������(%���3�����������(������������(��(����������(%���3��4444����The Third Age of Domaria, lasting from approximately 20,000 years ago until a single millennia ago, was an age of high adventure, where intrepid members of every race banded together to delve into the lost ruins of the Second Age, uncovering great treasures, lost magic, and ancient secrets. It is said that many an elf, dwarf, and human in those days became renowned after venturing into lost temples and returning with riches and untold secrets. Alas, the great sins that brought about the Scourge wiped the memory of much of the Third Age from the world, and even today adventurers seek lost books and scrolls that will tell the tale of these days.

�����+�3��������+�3��������+�3��������+�3�������1,000 years ago, legend has it that the Godslayer Sword resurfaced when a halfling found the book of the Mad Dwarf, and a group of heroes undertook a powerful quest to stop the Archons from awakening and devouring the world. It is said that the finding of the book awoke the spirit of the Mad Dwarf, who sent forth his mind to possess a mortal. Along with Druj, the goddess of deceit and betrayal, the two built an army to recover the Dwarf’s lost blade, and so to rule the world as King and Queen of the Heavens. The struggles half-awakened the Archons, who sent forth their own cults to retrieve the blade first, that it might be used to awaken the Dark Ones and bring forth the End of Days. During the Godslayer Wars, agents of the Archons and Daevas were everywhere, and corrupted the minds and hearts of many. It was during this period that the North was re-shaped, and the kingdoms of Dunneland and Azteroth leapt from beneath the Earth. The seeds of ancient enmities were sown, and the elves became envious of the riches of the dwarves. A war erupted between the dwarves and elves. It is said that the elves invoked powerful and dark magic rediscovered in deep caverns in an attempt to overcome their foes, just as the heroes completed their quest. No one knows what the completion of this quest was, but some say the heroes destroyed the artifact by sacrificing their own souls. Others say they merely succeeded in breaking and hiding the blade once again, and that they, like the Orishas before them, were rewarded with godhood for their efforts. No one knows for sure, but there are small sects today that worship a mysterious pantheon known as the Gods of the Blade, and claim these gods are the very heroes who saved Domaria from destruction.

The magical energies released by these two forces altered the entire world, and the elves were forever corrupted by its energies. This was the Scourge. Because of the Scourge, the energies of creation that infuse Domaria were unleashed and corrupted, and undead roam freely over much of the world, a plague upon the living. Unfortunately, most of the records of those days were destroyed in the chaos that followed, and none now live who remember the dark times before and just after

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the Scourge. It was in those days that our fair continent was named Vérfold, which means “land of blood” in the ancient tongue of the North, and the name seems apt. The Scourge marked the end of the Third Age, and a millennia-long darkness that heralded the beginning of the Fourth Age of Domaria, in which we now live.

��������������������������������������������5�+����5�+����5�+����5�+��������No one knows how long the Fourth Age will last, but it is prophesied that at the end of this age, the gods of Zarathustra are destined to clash in a final battle. On this day, some claim, Ormazd will finally defeat Ahriman once and for all, but that their cosmic battle on the material plane will free the Archons, who will rise up and renew their war upon the gods who defeated them. How this final battle will end is uncertain. Some sages insist that it will spell the end of the world; others say that great cataclysms have shaken the world in the past, and humanity and her allies and enemies have always survived. The world, these sages say, will be irrevocably altered as it has been before, but that a new age of peace and prosperity will arise, where men, elves, dwarves, and their allies will at last be free of the rule of the gods for all eternity. The only thing that all agree upon is that a great reckoning approaches, one which will in some way be the End of Days, at least as we currently reckon them. Until that day, the Archons speak to their followers in dreams, granting them power and corrupting their minds and souls in ways that even Ahriman cannot comprehend. These cults of the Archons are perhaps the deadliest threat to the world today, for if a worshipper of the Demiurge or one of his followers becomes corrupt enough, the Archon can create within the cultist a near-godlike avatar to sow chaos and destruction throughout the world. As the races of the world slowly crawl forth from the Millennia of Darkness and rebuild civilization once again, these Archonic cults are perhaps the greatest threat to the world at large, made worse by the plots of the Daevas cults, who occasionally are used as pawns of the Archons, and whose own selfish ends often threaten to reawaken the demiurge and his lot.

����6�7��3�������6�7��3�������6�7��3�������6�7��3�������In the early days of this new Fourth Age, several new and quite notable cults have been gaining prominence among the youth of the world. These cults are dedicated to the Archon Sophia, and to the One, the Creator itself, at the center of all things. Most cults choose to worship one or the other of these two powerful, divine figures, but there are those who worship the pair as the King and Queen of Creation; hence, cults to Sophia, cults to the One, and cults of the Mother and Father exist throughout the world. Followers of these religions claim that Sophia, the One, or both, have awakened from their eternal slumber since the Millennium of Darkness and have decided to take a direct hand in the affairs of the world. For the most part, members of these faiths thus far seem concerned with helping people, healing, justice, and the spreading of the good word, and are viewed as mostly harmless by the majority of people in the world. However, their message is spreading quickly, to the point where several of the larger cities in the world have allowed small temples to be erected to one or both of these figures, and more than a few villages and hamlets have been dedicated to the Lady of Wisdom, or the Lord of the Earth, Sea and Sky. The deities are referred to colloquially as the All-Mother and All-Father by their followers, denoting their proper place as the two responsible for the creation of all things. For the past several decades since these cults first appeared, they seemed harmless and ineffectual; their clerics were skilled healers without real mystical power, who traveled from place to place, spreading their message of justice, faith, and order to the world, and rarely causing any real sort of stir. Recently, however, reports have filtered in that clerics of the All-Father and All-Mother have begun to exhibit magical power, akin to clerics of the other deities. This means that some force, be it the real Sophia and One, or some other deity, has begun paying attention to these clerics. In addition, the cults of the All-Father have revealed what they claim to be the name of the One: Panádar. Is this a clue to the true identity of the deity granting these powers, or has the One truly taken on a name and a hand in the affairs of the world? Such questions are of great concern to the clerics of the Great Faiths of the world, as either option is troubling to the gods. If this Panádar and his consort are in fact the true Sophia and One, what does this mean for the behavior of the gods? Have they failed in their appointed task, or have the All-Father and All-Mother simply decided to take delight in their creation? If they have failed, does that mean that terrible retribution is on its way? Perhaps most troubled by this development are clerics to Ormazd, who have for time immemorial presumed that one day Sophia would return to the world, to be reunited with her true love, Ormazd. If Sophia has returned at the side of this

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Panádar, what could that mean for their own beloved father? Will he, heartbroken, again leave the world to the mercies of the Daevas? Some clerics of Ormazd simply presume (and in fact preach) that Ormazd and Panádar are one and the same deity, and that eventually the followers of the All-Mother and All-Father will enter the fold of Zarathustra, under the umbrella of the Spentas. Regardless of the truth, this new faith clearly has a role to play in the developments of the world. Time will tell exactly what that role is. Besides these cults to Sophia and Panádar, a new faith that is gaining fast prominence and acceptance among young adventurers are the Gods of the Blade. Those who follow the tenets of this warrior-oriented religion believe that the deities in the pantheon are none other than the Seekers of the Blade, those great heroes whose many exploits resulted in the Scourge, but saved the world from total destruction in days past. As they tell it, there was another great pantheon of gods involved in that war, gods of dragons raised to deific status who were destroyed in the final battle to destroy the Godslayer Sword, and that the Gods of the Blade were raised to the heavens in the place of this noble pantheon. As with most histories of the Third Age, the Faith of the Blade is unable to provide concrete details, as these have been lost to history. They claim that the Gods of the Blade speak to them in dreams and portents, and that they represent the courage, pluck, ambition, and nobility of adventurers. The Pantheon of the Blade contains no evil gods, and their followers claim that they stand against the Archons, and the evil goddess Druj of the Daevas. More recently, in an effort to present a more balanced view of the cosmos, some sects of the Faith of the Blade have incorporated Saurva and Aha Manah into their ranks. Without fail, all view the Archons (save Sophia) and the goddess Druj as enemies of the faith, and seek to destroy their followers wherever they may be encountered. Generally speaking, the Faith of the Blade has good relations with the Orishan faith, but views the Zarathustrian faith with antipathy or even outright contempt; citing that the gods of these faiths simply use mortals as pawns, when the fate of the universe will one day rest in the very hands of those pawns.

Table: The Spentas Deity AL Portfolio Ormazd LG Creator of all that is good and father of the gods Vohu Manah NG Son of Ormazd and Sophia, god of enlightenment and

animals Asha LG Spiritual wealth, healing, keeper of divine law Khshathra Vairya CG Promoter of the Divine on earth, god of wealth Armaiti CG Goddess of love, goodness, and reverence Haurvatat NG Strength on earth and spiritual perfection Ameretat NG Immortality in the afterlife, growth and wholeness

Table: The Daevas

Deity AL Portfolio Ahriman CE Creator of death and all evil beings Aka Manah NE God of secrets and decay Druj CE Goddess of deceit, wickedness, betrayal Saurva LE God of darkness, destruction, power, and inevitability Taromaiti LE Goddess of heresy, hatred, intolerance, and cruelty Taurvi NE God of plague, famine, and pestilence Zairicha NE God of entropy, drought, despair

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Table: The Orishas Deity AL Portfolio Eleggua LN God of Justice and Fate Orunmila N God of Wisdom and Divination Babalu N God of Disease and Healing Chango CN God of Power, Glory, and Battle Oggun LN God of work and warfare, strategy and tactics Yemaya N Goddess of Life, Death, and the Sea Oshun CN Goddess of Wealth, Love, and Ambition

Table: The Gods of the Blade

Deity AL Portfolio Eibon LG God of dwarves, honor, strategy and paladins Xaron CN God of fire, air, sorcery, and elves Karlo NG God of warriors, sailors, the sea Klieg LN God of minotaurs, gladiators, battle Rasha N Goddess of nature, druids, earth Trillian CN Goddess of rogues, shadow

Table: The Archons Archon AL Portfolio Urizen CE Lion-headed, Creator and King of Cats Iao CE Seven serpent heads, Lord of Hydras Sabaoth CE Flame-headed Father of Demons Adoneus CN Dragon-faced Father of Dragons Eloeus CE Mule-headed Lord of Undead Oreus CN Ape-faced Father of orcs and goblinoids Astaphaeus CE Hyena-faced Lord of carrion-eaters Sophia LN Crowned with a halo, Mother of Nature and Wisdom

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Description: This realm is one of volcanic ash and evil. Overrun by demons and undead, and named for the powerful and ancient Lich who rules the land, Azteroth’s armies are held at bay by the waters surrounding them and the tenacity of their enemies. Most civilized beings avoid this place at all costs. Time and again great heroes have ventured into Azteroth with the intent of assassinating its lord and pacifying the region. Nobody has yet returned from such a mission intact. In the Second Age of Domaria, the great elven wizard Azteroth fell pray to the dream-whisperings of the Archon Eloeus and fell into darkness. He spent decades in his dank laboratories, conducting the worst kinds of necromantic experiments on orc and goblin slaves, under the guidance of his unholy master, until finally he emerged, an immortal lich with the powers to call upon the legions of the Abyss to

bolster his vaunted might. With this massive army at his command, Azteroth made war upon the world. His forces swept over much of the world, an earthly mirror to the Blood War in the heavens amongst the gods. In the end, the arrival of the Orishas and the end of the Blood War saw Azteroth and his entire kingdom break away from the continent proper and sink beneath the Blood Sea. Alas, during the Scourge, as the world was reshaped, Azteroth leapt forth from the oceans once again, but the lich king found the world quite a different place than the one he had left behind. He has taken to his old ways again, sending his forces in the West to batter the eastern coast of Vérfold in an effort to take the human kingdom of Lightwolfe and again stage a campaign to conquer as much of the world as he can. To date Lightwolfe, bolstered by forces from Dwarfholme and Dunneland, has held strong against these incursions. Azteroth is inhabited and boasts a population of roughly 8 million humans, orcs, goblins, dwarves, gnomes, and halflings. Most of these were prisoners taken in Azteroth’s many raids upon Lightwolfe, or foolhardy adventurers unable to escape the island kingdom. The humans, dwarves, gnomes, and halflings in Azteroth generally live in squalor and misery, as Azteroth is not a kind or benevolent ruler and in his corrupted state prefers the company of the less-civilized monster races and demons. Alas, in a society with very little social mobility, few have the option to leave. Those that attempt to leave often find themselves at the hands of Azteroth’s border guards, who do not tolerate emigration. After all, without subjects, Azteroth becomes insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Even those who find a way to bypass Azteroth’s security forces face the challenge of acquiring a ship to take them off the island. Since the soil of Azteroth is less than suitable for extensive crops, the country turns its resources to industry, mining the precious ores that exist within the volcanoes of the region. These resources Azteroth then trades with the various independent city-states of the Coastland Collective in exchange for food, water, and other necessities. Added to this is a renowned wizards’ college that is open to any who wish to attend. This college teaches courses on all schools of wizardry, and in necromancy, with the latter being the most advanced, prized, and at the same time feared and despised school of study on Domaria. The price of tuition is seven years’ service using magic to provide the necessities of life to the inhabitants of the kingdom. Magi are the only folk ostensibly allowed to come and go in Azteroth as they please, for the lich has no desire to propagate potential rivals to the throne; however, all magi in Azteroth are subject to wearing a special bracelet that allows the lich king to remain continuously aware of their goings and dealings while within the borders. The penalty for failing to wear one of these bracelets, or to obscuring its magic, is death by torture. There are, of course, rumors that many magi who risk studying at the college on Azteroth never returning to the mainland. As mentioned previously, for the last several decades, Azteroth has been engaged in a brutal war with the small human kingdom of Lightwolfe, in an effort to invade the continent of Vérfold from the east, and most of its resources are geared towards this conflict. For this reason, combined with the number of demons that Azteroth has running rampant in his land’s borders and under his command, few nations have seriously contemplated any attempt to invade, conquer, or destroy the country. Most feel it is best to leave Azteroth to his own devices, but to prepare defenses in case the day arrives when he defeats or treats with Lightwolfe and turns his sights to the rest of the world. Recently, however, there have been secret talks between the peoples of the Coastland Collective and dark mystics from the desert kingdom of Khem, which point to a buildup of military along Azteroth’s own Eastern border. Rumor has it that Azteroth has decided it is no longer happy with trade agreements between it and the Coastland Collective and seeks to conquer that land and add its resources to Azteroth’s own. As of now, these rumors are unconfirmed speculation. What effect this redirecting of Azteroth’s military will have on

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the world, from its attempts to send troops from its western border through Lightwolfe’s east, to massing troops along its own eastern border facing the Coastland Collective, remains to be seen. People of Azteroth Population by Age: 0-14 years: 2 million 15-64 years: 5 million 65 years and over: 1 million Racial Breakdown: 80% human, 1% Dwarf, 5% drow, 5% morellon, 1% gnome, 5% goblin/orc, 1% halfling, 2% other Religions: Spentas: less than 1% Daevas: 20% Orishas: 50% Archon Cults: estimates are that at least 10% of the folk in Azteroth worship Eloeus, and an additional 5-10% worship another Archon (including Sophia cults). Other: 5-10% Languages: Tradespeak 95%, Ancient Elven 6%, Elven 10%, Dwarven 10%, Infernal/Abyssal 30%, Orcish 20%, other 5% Government Type: Tyrannical monarchy Capitol: Azteroth Holidays: Resurrection Day, a festival celebrating the raising of Azteroth from the bowels of the earth, occurs at Midautumn. This holiday is celebrated with all manner of debaucheries, drunkenness, promiscuity, and human sacrifices (determined by lottery) to Eloeus, the Lord of Undead at the darkest hour of the night. All citizens are required to participate in the revelry, adding to the breakdown of moral compasses of the population. Legal System: Criminals are brought before Azteroth himself, who it is said looks directly into the soul of the accused to determine the truth of the claims. Azteroth then either releases the criminal (which is so rare as to be unheard of) or declares him a threat to society, to be eliminated. Crime and Punishment: The only crimes in Azteroth are treason, sedition, attempted flight from the country, and failure to live up to civic duties (serving in the military, work the mines, provide food and necessities if a mage, participate in Resurrection Day festivities). Those evils that are considered criminal in other countries, such as murder, theft, robbery, even rape are tolerated and encouraged in Azteroth. Such encouraged behavior breeds the kinds of social misfits who remain within the borders of Azteroth because they are incapable of existing in other societies. The only punishment for any crime in Azteroth is death by slow torture. Heraldry: A crimson flag with a scythe and black rose crossed, a medallion in the shape of a split heart wrapped around the nexus of the scythe and rose crossing. Military: All men aged 14 and over are pressed into service as part of Azteroth’s military. Most of the population that leaves the country comes from military deserters, though any who attempt to desert and are captured face a long and torturous death. On the other hand, soldiers who distinguish themselves with skill and cruelty in battle might well find themselves landed by Azteroth, who rewards fealty as a means of keeping his most powerful supporters loyal. Women are not disdained, though they are not required to serve. Any woman wishing to serve in Azteroth’s military (and who can withstand the abuse of her fellow male soldiers) is welcome to join, and some of Azteroth’s most brutal and feared military commanders (and landed gentry) are women. Azteroth holds drow and morellon in high regard, and many of his highest ranking warriors are from these two races.

��������������������������������Similar in size to Lightwolfe, Bartalaith is an elven kingdom that occupies a small continent across the Goddessmeet Seas from Dunneland, and a peninsula on the continent to the south of Bartalaith proper. It is a heavily forested area, and rumors abound of vast crystalline cities hidden by powerful glamours and illusions. Few enter the kingdom of Bartalaith, and most who do never find the legendary cities. The elves engage in trade relations with the humans of Lightwolfe, but always

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arrange meetings on a tiny island in the middle of the strip of ocean known as the Pertalaf. This island is so small it does not appear on a world map, being less than a mile in diameter, but is a constantly open outdoor market and bazaar, where all manner of entertainments, goods, and supplies can be found. It is, in many ways, a deadly and violent no-man’s land; with no country claiming rulership of the island, no country sees the need to defend or police it. Still, those who commit crimes against Bartalaith can be brought up on charges by the elves, and those who commit crimes against Dunneland can be brought on charges by Dunneland, so generally folks endeavor to maintain some semblance of manners and behavior. The reclusive elves of Bartalaith also engage in trade relations with tribes of humans, centaurs, and other races who inhabit the coastal regions of the Celbeneru continent. Such trade relations are held on the elves’ lands on the plateau known as Enurta’s hammer. Indeed, for those wishing to visit a real elf city, there is an open city located on this plateau, though as any who have been fortunate enough to spend time in the forests of Bartalaith and have been subject to the elves’ hospitality will testify, this city pales in comparison to the true communities hidden in the forests. As with Vérfold, Dirdraug, Rawdîr, and other wilderness races also roam freely through Bartalaith and act as dignitaries and intermediaries between the Morellon and human kingdoms. Alas, even those of other races who emerge from Bartalaith to adventure in the outside world cannot claim to have visited one of the magnificent elven cities that lay hidden within the forests, and those who have speak of wonders and splendor unimagined, but could not find their way back no matter how hard they tried, for the cities are protected by glamours that allow only those of elven blood to find their way home. Population: Unknown. Anywhere from 100,000 to several million. Racial Breakdown: It is estimated that the elven population of Bartalaith is roughly 60% high elf, 30% morellon, and 10% other subraces of elf, but no one save the elves themselves know for certain. Religion: Most known elves from Bartalaith claim to worship the Mardukkian gods, and these are as such assumed to be the national patron religion of the kingdom, though there are persistent rumors that the morellon in particular may worship the Daevas or even the Archons. The drow, for their part, are well-known to be in league with the Daevas and Archons. In addition, elven druids have been known to worship mystery cults of Sophia and the One, to adopt earth and mother goddess figures from all pantheons, and even to follow strange faiths no other country recognizes, with gods sporting names such as Danna, Morrigan, Branwen, Brighd, and others, and collectively known as the Tuatha de Dannan. These mysterious deities wouldn’t be much of a concern to the other races (and deities) of the world, except that their worship seems to be spreading among druidic communities throughout the world like wildfire. Indeed, the simple fact that these mysterious deific figures seem to be actually granting spells and power to their followers speaks to the suspicion that there might be more going on than meets the eye with the elves of Bartalaith… Languages: Tradespeak 70%, elven (various dialects) 100%, other 5% Government Type: Unknown Capitol: Unknown. Trade relations are conducted on Enurta’s Hammer (population 20,000) and on the Pertalaf island market (Population approx. 2,500 at any given time). Holidays: Unknown. The druids celebrate the four major holidays of the Vernal and Autumnal Equinoxes, and the Summer and Winter Solstices. Legal System: Unknown. Crime and Punishment: Unknown Heraldry: No heraldry has been seen from the elves of Bartalaith Military: Unknown. No one ever sees their attacks coming.

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��������3���������������3���������������3���������������3�����������An arid bowl of little vegetation and less water, the Celbeneru Desert is a harsh region nevertheless populated by minotaurs, reptilian races, nomadic humans and a savage breed of leathery-skinned, deserrt-dwelling Elves called the Eru’el. It is rumored that one or more Archons lie trapped beneath this desert, and that the desert was created when the Celebeneru Mountains sprang into existence after the Scourge. The mountains surrounding the Desert are the home of another, smaller clan of dwarves, the Mountaincutter clan, a large population of gnomes, and a roving tribe of minotaurs, as well as various monsters. As the Celbeneru continent is a wild and untamed

place, and difficult to enter and exit to boot, due to the mountain ranges forming a barrier enclosing the entire region, the vast majority of its inhabitants are nomadic, and tribal conflicts and wars are continuous as the natives fight for food, water, and other resources. It is impossible to give a clear picture of the population or culture of this region, as it houses every type of nomadic society from those resembling Arabic nomads in the north, to Cossacks on the steppes of Russia in the frigid south. The coastal areas are dotted by primitive fishing and hunter/gatherer communities which often engage in trade relations with the elves that inhabit Enurta’s hammer.

����������������+��%�����������������+��%�����������������+��%�����������������+��%�����This is an arrangement of human, elvish, and even a few civilized orcish and goblin city-states who maintain trade, diplomatic, and military relations, coming to one another in time of common need. They defend each other from raids by “barbarians” from Khem (technically, an untamed area within Khem’s borders called “the Empty Space”) and non-allied towns, and their navy is feared throughout the world. Each city-state is independent, but decisions for the Collective are made by a council of elders from the various city-states involved. Currently, the Collective, which is largely an agricultural and fishing community, maintains important trade relations with Azteroth for industrial goods, and with Khem for crafts, clothing, and other goods. Unfortunately, there have been signs recently that Azteroth, whose war with Lightwolfe has reached a long-standing stalemate, has turned its sights on the Collective. Azteroth has been diverting military forces, creating a buildup on its eastern shores, facing the Collective, which is quickly outfitting large fishing vessels with weaponry, as its engineers work on constructing powerful warships with advice from mysterious dark mystics from Khem. There are also whispers of cults worshipping the Archons and the Daevas in secret black rituals throughout the Collective; these cults may be in league with Azteroth, waiting to strike at the Collective from within. As of yet, no witch hunts have resulted from these whisperings, but tensions grow as the citizens of the collective trust one another less and less. Population by Age (Human Standards): 0-14 years (infant to adolescent): 1 million 15-64 years (young adult through middle age): 4 million 65 years and over (elderly): 3 million Racial Breakdown: 50% human, 20% elf, 20% orc/goblin, 10% various other races Religions:* Spentas: 58% Daevas: 5% Orishas: 30% (broken down: 10% Lucumi, 10% Annunaki, 5% Mardukkians, 5% Saiva) Archon Cults: 5% Other: The remaining 2% follow the Pantheon of the Blade, the Khemite pantheon, or a Mystery Cult *The high percentage of Daevas and Archon worship is due to the proximity of Azteroth and the Misty Isles. Languages: Tradespeak 98%, Westspeak 60%, Elven 40%, Orcish 40%, Goblin 30%

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Government Type: Independent city-states with a representative council Capitol: None. Holidays: Planting and Harvest festivals take up a week in early spring and fall, respectively. Legal System: Representative council Crime and Punishment: Crime and punishment are simple and direct, with each town enforcing its laws individually, and penalties for crimes range from restitution for petty theft, to the death penalty for murder, to exile in the deserts of Khem for conspiracy and sedition. Heraldry: The Coastland Collective has no identifiable heraldry Military: Each town maintains a standing militia, which can be combined as an army in time of war. They also enjoy peaceful relations and a defense agreement with Khem, though it is feared that should the Colletive ever need to call upon its eastern neighbor for help, that Khem would quickly subjugate the city-states as part of its empire. Still, it would be a far more preferable fate than subjugation by Azteroth, in the end.

9���9���9���9�������For detailed information on Khem, please see Gary Gygax’s Necropolis, published by Necromancer Games / Sword and Sorcery Studios. Khem is a renamed version of the society presented in that work. For those unable or unwilling to acquire this book, Khem could be a mirror of the Hyborean Age Stygia, as presented in Mongoose Publishing’s Conan roleplaying game, or simply use ancient Egyptian history as a guide to developing this region. The only accepted faith in Khem is the Khemite pantheon of Orishas, though Archon and Mystery Cults exist. Most civilized societies in Khem are situated along the wide river that cuts through the continent along the western edge of the desert. This river creates something of a fertile area, where irrigated crops are possible, enabling civilized growth. Perhaps the most mysterious area of Khem is a large, untamed area in the mid-west portion of the desert, known as the Empty Space. This area is rumored to be the sleeping place and prison of one of the Archons, and men who enter here seeking to learn its secrets often come out quite mad, or not at all.

��������-����� ��������-����� ��������-����� ��������-����� ��������The rumored prison of yet another Archon, these islands are always shrouded in thick mists. They are known to be overrun with undead and lycanthropes, and ruled by a coven of powerful dragons. It is also suspected that a band of pirates makes their cove in this region. As the Misty Isles has no civilized society inhabiting it (at least, none that any have recorded) no demographic information is needed. It is suggested that if information about this island chain is needed, that the Archduchy of Spirosblaak as presented in Green Ronin’s Spirosblaak be located here, though take caution with introducing black powder weapons into a standard fantasy world.

:3�������3�����:3�������3�����:3�������3�����:3�������3����� ����Thick rainforest populated by exotic animals, barbaric pygmy humans, and savage goblins and orcs. Most civilized folk don’t venture here, though rumors persist of a kingdom of yet another subrace of Elves lives within the forest, and indeed citizens of the small fertile coast on Celbeneru’s eastern side insist that these jungle elves have come to their aid during minotaur, orcish and goblin raids on more than one occasion, sailing forth from Quartoth in magnificent green ships that move with impossible speed across the waters. Travelers in Quartoth have also insisted that these strange elves with long ears and greenish skin have saved them from assaults by cannibalistic pygmies, jungle goblins, trolls and other jungle-dwelling menaces. Unfortunately, no real contact has been established, because the elves always flee back across the ocean and/or into the jungle immediately after the battle is won.

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Population by Age: Unknown. The jungles are known to be densely populated by various creatures both friendly and hostile. Racial Breakdown: Unknown. Religions: Unknown. An Archon is rumored to be imprisoned beneath the jungles of this small continent. Languages: Unknown Government Type: Presumably varies among different societies, but likely tribal.

Capitol: n/a Heraldry: None. Military: The jungle elves seem to use guerilla tactics when fighting.

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����The nations of Dunneland, Dwarfholme and Lightwolfe, and the community of Hilldale are all positioned on the continent of Vérfold. Vérfold is the largest continent on Domaria, and boasts three of the most powerful nations in the world, as well as the largest organized community of halflings and gnomes anywhere. It is generally viewed by the rest of the world (sometimes with disgust) as the continent that defines the benchmark against which civilization is measured. The communities positioned on this continent share very close ties, and for a thousand years no nation on Vérfold has engaged in open warfare with another. Certainly there are minor skirmishes between individual nobles and landholders, but since the days of the Scourge, Vérfold has not known war within its borders. Even the constant assaults by Azteroth on Vérfold’s eastern coast are resisted by the combined might of all four major communities that live here. Money: Vérfold uses a universal monetary standard agreed upon by all the nations living here, though prices of items may vary from place to place depending upon local economy. This standard of coin is equivalent to that found in the core rulebook, where ten copper pieces (stamped with the image of a halfling or gnome) equals one silver piece (stamped with a gnome or dwarven visage), and ten silver pieces equals one gold piece (stamped with the face of a human), and ten gold pieces equals one platinum piece (stamped with the face of an elf). Higher denominations exist, these being small platinum bars or mithral pieces, equaling ten standard platinum pieces and stamped with the faces of all the races of Vérfold, being overseen by Ormazd, but such large denominations are rare and many places simply cannot make change for such an amount of money. Calendar: The calendar year of Domaria is based upon the Vérfold standard, as this standard simply makes the most logical sense. The revolution of Domaria around its sun, and the revolution of its twin moons around the world, is regular. Thus, the calendar year is one of twelve months, divided into four seasons with each season spanning three months, and each month being divided into four weeks of seven days each, with each week representing a single phase of the moons. The months of the calendar, as defined by its Dunneland founders, are as follows. While most of the world uses the same calendar standard, many countries have varying names for the months, based on the dominant pantheon of gods in the region. In addition, the seasons associated with varying months differ based on the hemisphere one currently occupies. Vérfold’s calendar remains named for the Zarathustran gods, despite the rise in popularity of Orisha faiths.

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Table: The Domarian Calendar Month Season Holidays or Festivals (Country) Ahura Spring Rebirth Haurva Spring n/a Asha Spring Founding Day (Dunneland) Meret Summer Longday Arma Summer n/a Vohu Summer Proclamation Day (Dunneland) Khsha Autumn Harvest Manah Autumn n/a Zairi Autumn n/a Saurv Winter Longnight Taur Winter n/a Zair Winter Year’s End

�3������3������3������3���������Representing the largest human-dominated kingdom in the world, Dunneland was forged from an alliance of many free cities and towns to stand against the onslaught of orcs, goblins, and undead that ravaged the world after the Scourge. Given its human population dominance, it is ironic that the founder of Dunneland as a kingdom was a great dwarven knight named Lord Dunnebar. As the community’s tradition holds, Dunnebar, once a great and noble hero, fell to temptation and darkness through the machinations of a succubus named Eliriel, who seduced the dwarf into deep love for the demon. When this happened, Dunnebar became a Dread Knight, an undead mockery of his former self. While his fall from grace was tragic, it did not, however, cost Dunnebar his honor, and he ruled over his realm for hundreds of years with an iron fist, his armies and police forces bolstered by devils from the Nine Hells, but none can say that Dunnebar was dishonorable or unfair. Indeed, his sense of justice was rigid and unflinching, and those who obeyed his laws to the letter were left largely alone. But torture and death at the hands of Eliriel and her infernal servants awaited even the smallest infraction. Eventually, Dunnebar’s rule waned and passed away, though none know for certain what happened to Dunnebar himself. One day, his seneschal, a

herald demon from the seventh level of Hell, held a public address where he read to the people from Dunnebar’s will, which officially renounced his lordship of the realm and passed it to the people, who were ordered to establish a democratic monarchy, which would cycle every seven years, the new monarch to be elected by representatives from every free town and city in the land. Following the reading of this will, all devils summarily departed Dunneland with no questions asked, and left the town in the hands of its shocked and joyous citizens. Elections were immediately called for, and a charismatic young paladin named Lord Falcor became the first ruler of the new Free Kingdom of Dunneland. Dunnebar City was renamed Dunfalcon, to represent the combination of the founder of the kingdom, and its new ruler who represented a bright and hopeful future. Immediately Lord Falcor established a High Council made up of a single elected representative of every city within the kingdom’s borders that would both advise the monarch and be required to ratify his proclamations. In this way, it was hoped, it would be a long time before corruption would rear its ugly head and tear down the kingdom. Dunneland boasts large populations of almost every race, and has trade agreements with the dwarves of Dwarfholme, and has signed a mutual defense treaty with both Dwarfholme and the kingdom of Lightwolfe, ensuring that almost the entire continent of Vérfold is united in friendship and free of war. Much of Dunneland and Dwarfholme’s military is currently supporting Lightwolfe, as the small kingdom is engaged in a brutal war with the Lich-king Azteroth who seeks to invade the continent from the East and expand his evil empire. Tribes of savage barbarians range through the wildernesses in the eastern buffer between Dunneland and Dwarfholme, and have posed problems for Dunneland’s outlying settlements from time to time.

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Population by Age (Human age equivalency): 0-14 years (newborn through adolescent): 5 million 15-64 years (young adult through middle age): 10 million 65 years and over (elderly): 3 million Racial Breakdown: 75% human, 5% elf, 5% dwarf, 5% gnome, 5% halfling, 5% other Religions: Spentas: 55% Daevas: 2% Orishas: 35% Archon Cults: 1% Other: 7% follow the Pantheon of the Blade or a Mystery Cult of Sophia and/or The One Languages: Tradespeak 99% (closer to 85% in the outlying thorps and hamlets); Westspeak 99%; Dwarf 60%; Elf 60%; Eastspeak 40%; other 20% Government Type: Representative Democratic Monarchy Capitol: Dunfalcon (Population 70,000) Holidays: There are seven major holiday festivals in Dunneland, five consisting of standard one-day feasts celebrating the changes of the seasons, held at the solstices and equinoxes and celebrating Rebirth, Harvest, Longday and Longnight; a Year’s End celebration on the last day of the year; and two special week-long festivals celebrating the city itself. The first of these days is the Founding Day Festival, celebrating the day when Lord Dunnebar drove out the monsters plaguing the country during the Scourge and united the lands under one banner, and the second is the Proclamation Day Festival, which celebrates both Dunnebar’s abdication and the election of the first Free Lord of Dunneland, Lord Falcor. Founding Day Festival is held during the first week of the third month of the year, and Proclamation day during the last week of the sixth month of the year. Legal System: Each town (over 1,000 citizens) in Dunneland has magistrates elected by the town or city council, who hear all claims of criminal activity or civil suits seeking damages. Each community keeps its own militia and town guard, charged with keeping the peace and enforcing the laws and statutes of the region. For more on legal systems, crime and punishment, see Castle Zagyg, Vol. 1, Appendix B: Crime and Punishment Crime and Punishment: see Castle Zagyg, Vol. 1, Appendix B: Crime and Punishment Heraldry: A gray phoenix rising from an anvil on a field of jewel blue Military: Dunneland maintains a standing army of nearly 100,000 loyal cavalry, archers, infantry, and specialists, including magi, spread throughout its various communities. This is in addition to local militia and guard patrols maintained by each individual city-state. Currently, military service is voluntary, but carries excellent benefits and pay. In times of war, however, conscriptions can be called in, requiring each community to contribute 10% of its able-bodied men to enter the armed service.

�7�������7�������7�������7����������The expansive mountain range to the east of Dunneland, which ranges almost 1500 miles across, is home to the largest Dwarven kingdom in Domaria. Dwarfholme traces its history back tens of thousands of years, to the Second Age of the world, though most of the ancient historical records of the place were sadly lost during the Scourge, when the vast majority of the original inhabitants were wiped out by the dark elf magics that spawned the morellon. During the thousand years between the Scourge and the dawning of the Fourth Age, representatives from the Stonegrinder Clan of Dwarves came to the ruins of Dwarfholme and vowed to rebuild their race’s ancient homeland. It was from this clan that Lord Dunnebar, the eventual founder of Dunneland, emerged with his knights to explore and cleanse the western regions of Vérfold from goblinoid threats while the majority of his kin cleared the tunnels beneath the mountains of orcs, demons, goblins, trolls, ogres, undead, and various oth