Spears of the Dawn

8/16/2019 Spears of the Dawn

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SPEARS OF THE DAWN

BY KEVIN CRAWFORD

ILLUSTRATIONS BYNICOLE CARDIFF LUIGI CASTELLANI

EARL GEIER

ANDREW KRAHNKE

IAN MACLEAN

SARA MIRABELLA

ISBN 978-1-936673-34-6 © 2013, SINE NOMINE PUBLISHING

MIGUEL SANTOS


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IT IS A TIME OF SUFFERINGTe Tree Lands groan under the weight of the past.Te scourge of the half-living Eternal and their undyingmalice was driven back into the east in the time of yourgrandfathers, but in the forty years since that timethe Five Kingdoms have only squabbled, fought, andshunned each other. Some men and women dream of abetter day, of a land of peace and abundance as in thedays of the Old Kings, but there are many who wouldrather buy an age of bitterness if it brings them presentpower. People flee the troubled places in search of saferlands, and the lawless wilderness grows wider each year.

Te Eternal and their cursed immortality were brokenforty years ago, but their remnants still hide in thegloom beneath the earth and brood patiently in theirtomb-houses of slave-carved stone. Tey wait and they

hunger for the flesh of living men, emerging to strikeat wretched villages and beleaguered towns in searchof blood and fresh converts to their hideous existence.Some men and women worship them, either in hopesof being spared their wrath or in the mad lust forthe immortality their undying state offers. Even thegreatest heroes can be seized with fear when faced withtheir final journey to the spirit world, and the Eternalare quick to promise every pleasure of life to those who would share in their frozen eternity.

Yet the half-dead are not the only scourge upon theliving. Te kings of the Five Kingdoms trust each otherbut little, and constant border quarrels and deniable“incidents” flicker like sparks of war’s red flames alongthe edges of their lands. Te obas of border towns andthe chieftains of remote villages no longer heed themessages from the capital and begin to set themselvesup as lords in their own right, answering only to steel.Some do so in desperation as they seek to protectpeople their kings cannot save. Others do so because itis a pleasant thing to make slaves or corpses of all who

dare oppose them.

Caught between the living and the half-dead, thepeople of the Tree Lands must also endure thescourges of the wilderness and the terrible spirits andmonstrous beasts that lair within the bush. Bat-wingedsasabonsams swoop to reap a shrieking harvest fromthe villages, and cruel elokos demand a red and terribleprice from all who dare trespass upon their lands. Andbeneath it all coil the emerald scales of the umthali, the

snakemen who ruled at the dawn of the world. Teircold-blooded malice seethes towards those who daredusurp their rule and cast down their ancient cities ofstone and strange artifice. Some say that there are moreto be found than those in their ruined cities, and thatthey whisper green words into the ears of human lords

Yet even in this time of darkness, the people of theTree Lands are proud. Te sun still gleams on theblades of the Kirsi lancers and the iron-shod hoovesof their steeds. Te great cities of Nyala still dream oflost empire amid their palaces of sculpted stone. Temarkets of Sokone are heavy with goods from everycorner of the Tree Lands. Lokossa’s brooding sorcerer-kings still rule a land of mighty magic, and its grimamazons still stand fast against the bestial Night Men

of the uttermost south. And in the east, the proudMeru cherish their Sun Faith and the defiance theirancestors hurled into the teeth of the Eternal King. TeFive Kingdoms totter, but they have not fallen.

Tere are still those who fight for something better Wandering griots sing of the heroes of the Long Waand the grudges they set aside to stand as one, andmarabouts of both the Sun Faith and the Spirit Way warn their followers that bloody quarrels can onlybring ruin to the living. Masked ngangas appear in

distant villages to drive out evil spirits and break thepower of dark sorcerers before vanishing once moreinto the bush. And everywhere, brave warriors placetheir bodies between their people and the spears ofbandits and corrupt officials. Some of these courageoussouls band together as Spears of the Dawn, heirs tothe last emperor’s charge to seek out and destroy theevil remnants of the Long War. Tey fight in hiddenplaces and often die unmourned, but their sacrifice is aburning brand against the darkening skies.

Yet still, the hour is growing late, and victory remainuncertain. Tere are so many who profit by the presentdecay, so many too bitter or selfish or blind to see thedanger before the Five Kingdoms. And there are those who are worse than blind. Tere are those who are nocontent to let the Sixth Kingdom die with its secretsand who delve in dark places for lore that shouldhave gone down to damnation long ago. What shallstand against these beasts both men and spirit save thecourage of the Spears of the Dawn?


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WHAT IS THIS GAME?Spears of the Dawn is a game that provides classic old-schoolfantasy adventure in an African-flavored setting. Just as manyearly role-playing games created compound worlds of mixedmedieval European elements, so Spears of the Dawn creates an African pastiche built for accessible fun at the table. Tis is nota game about historical Africa any more than early fantasy RPGs were games about historical Europe. Instead, like its predecessors,it tries to use elements of history and legend to build a fun and workable setting for flavorful adventure.

Africa is one of the classically undersampled sources of fantasyadventure in our hobby. With the hobby’s traditional emphasison European sources- with the occasional detour into Asia- it tooeasily overlooks Africa’s fantastic variety of cultures, empires, andlegends. Tere is a wealth of potential fun to be had in exploringthese possibilities, and Spears of the Dawn is meant to provide asmall sampling of the opportunities available to a group.

At a deeper level, this game is meant to be an illustration of pos-sibilities for those with similar interests. Tis game was written in

roughly two months. Its layout was done in ways that could bemimicked with the free Scribus software package, and it was pro-vided to the market through OneBookshelf, a gaming front endthat provides storefront space for both PDF and print-on-demandversions of games. Te raw mechanics of this game are based onthe Stars Without Number RPG, but you could just as easily liftbasic old-school gaming mechanics through the free Open GameLicense. Tere is nothing in this book that could not be equaled orexcelled by someone with sufficient interest and dedication.

Tere are innumerable settings, historical periods, and culturesthat have gone largely ignored by our hobby. Tere is enormouspotential out there for those with the interest required to go out,mine these veins of inspiration, and come back with somethingusable for the rest of us. If you like Spears of the Dawn, go out andfind your own untapped sources of fun. If you don’t like Spears ofthe Dawn, go out and make something better . We now have thetools we need for all of us to participate in creating fresh, inven-tive, usable material for our hobby. If you want more from ourpastime, you have what you need to make it.

WHAT DO YOU DO IN THIS GAME?Te player characters are ambitious young adventurers in adeclining age. In the wake of a generations-long war, the TreeLands have been exhausted of their courage and depleted in bothpopulation and wealth. Te unholy Sixth Kingdom’s invasion wasbroken forty years ago and its Eternal King maimed and left fordead in the eastern mountains, but there remain countless pocketsof cultists and half-living Eternal throughout the western lands. Inmany places these cruel immortals ruled for generations, and theirtomb-houses have yet to be cleared of their brooding remnants.

Supernatural evils are not the only scourges that plague the FiveKingdoms. In this age of exhaustion and weariness, there are manyamong the people who find much profit in trouble- ambitious no-bles, scheming merchants, ruthless mercenary commanders, andthieving bandit chieftains. A season of war feeds the vultures well,and these men and women gladly pick at their people’s wounds.Tey require no occult prompting to do their evil- the shine of

gold and the pleasures of power are ample reason for their deeds.Someone must stop them if the Five Kingdoms are to be savedfrom ruin.

Player characters often take the role of the Spears of the Dawn,those men and women specially charged with combating thelast remnants of the Sixth Kingdom. Spears may go where oth-ers might not be so welcome, and can count upon the supportand gratitude of a weary populace. Tis respect comes at a price; whenever an evil is too great or too unnatural to be answered by

the locals, the Spears are expected to lend their aid. Te mortalityamong these heroes is spectacular, but there is always another rest-less young man or rebellious woman ready to take up the burden.

Characters need not be Spears, of course, if the GM has a differentflavor of game in mind. Most campaigns will at least start withthat role, however, the better to make an easy introduction to therealms of the Tree Lands.

THREE LANDS PRONUNCIATIONMany of the names and titles in this book might look a littledifficult to pronounce at first glance. In truth, the pronunciationrules for words of the Tree Lands are very simple.

A is pronounced as in “saw”E is pronounced as in “hey”I is pronounced as in “machine”O is pronounce as in “hoe”U is pronounced as in “true”Te consonants are pronounced as most American Englishspeakers would expect. Where two consonants appear together ina way that seems difficult to vocalize, such as “nganga”, the firstconsonant is often left silent- “GAHN-gah”, and sometimes vo-calized as in “nn-KEE-see”. Guides will indicate the correct form.

WORDS OF THE F IVE KINGDOMSTe following is a quick guide to the pronunciation of the FiveKingdoms and the less-than-obvious character class names.

Kirsi “KEER-see”

Lokossa “low-KOH-sah”

Meru “MAY-roo”

Nyala “nn-YAH-lah”

Sokone “so-KOH-nay”

Nganga “GAHN-gah”

Marabout “MAHR-ah-boo”

Griot “GREE-oh”


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CONTENTS

CREATING A CHARACTER ..............................................7

SYSTEMS AND RULES .................................................33

MAGIC ................................................................43

THE THREE LANDS ...................................................67

RUNNING A CAMPAIGN .............................................93

CREATING ADVENTURES ............................................105

A BESTIARY OF THE THREE LANDS............................... 123

TREASURES AND THEIR USES ...................................... 139

GAMEMASTER RESOURCES ..........................................156

INDEX ............................................................... 172


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CREATING A CHARACTERBefore venturing into the fearsome wilds of the Tree Lands, twothings need to be done- the players need to create characters, andthe game master, or “GM”, needs to create an adventure. Tedetails of building a sandbox campaign and assembling a goodadventure are dealt with later in this book, but everyone needs toknow how to fashion a suitable hero. Even the GM should takesome time to read through this chapter in order to understand what manner of heroes they will be seeing in their adventures.

You shouldn’t feel intimidated by the details of this chapter, asthe process is quite simple. You roll up your character’s innateattributes, pick a background from the list provided, choose thecharacter class that best represents their heroic talents, and buyequipment with their initial funds. Experienced players can getit done in five minutes or less, and even your first time throughshouldn’t take more than fifteen or twenty minutes once you’veread the options. Many players find it worthwhile to create two orthree characters at once, the better to have a backup handy in casetheir first choice should happen to make some fatal error in thepresence of enemy spears.

Spears of the Dawn is built to support a style of play commonlyknown as “sandbox gaming”. In such games, it’s the characterand their goals that will determine the ultimate direction of playrather than relying on the GM to build plots and story lines forplayers to experience. If your characters have no goals and no particular motivations, you’re either going to have a very dull gameor you’re going to force the GM to constantly prod you alongtoward adventure. As such, it’s very important that your charactehave some sort of ambition or purpose, even if that’s something aordinary as “Become filthy rich”. Every character needs a reason togo out and interact with the world.

Still, just because your character has a goal doesn’t mean he orshe is actually going to succeed at it. Sandbox games are meant torespond reasonably and coherently to player character actions. If aPC behaves foolishly or recklessly he can expect to have an excit-ing but very brief life. Tere is no plot armor that is going to savehim and no deus ex machina that will reach down and preservehim from the consequences of his gambles. Your character mayhave spent the past five years struggling to overthrow the usurper who massacred his family, but if he bulls in blindly to confront thtyrant before he is ready for the clash, he’s probably going to dieTe players make the story in a sandbox campaign, but sometimethat story is a sad one.

Still, if you show ordinary good sense and prudence in your playand have no more than common degrees of luck, you can expect along and exciting adventuring career. Careful scouting, thoughtfu weighing of risk and reward, and the keen sense of when to throwcaution to the wind will bring your heroes the glory they deserveand the victory they desire. And even if the spirits should decreeagainst them and bitter misfortune drag them down, quick-wittedheroes can often escape an enemy’s jaws that they might returnlater in vengeance and righteous flame.

WORKING TOGETHERIf possible, you should roll up your characters together with theGM and the other players in the campaign. Tat way it is mucheasier to tie your PCs’ backgrounds together and make up a goodexplanation for trusting each other. Such group loyalty is important in Spears of the Dawn, as rogue lions and lone jackals are easyprey for the perils of the Tree Lands. eamwork is vital if a groupis to survive the dangers that they will face, and PCs who do notrust each other are setting the group up for an ignominious end

In the course of play, it’s not uncommon for characters to findthemselves with conflicting motivations- the nganga might wanto plumb the ruins of a prehuman umthali city for ancient ser-pent-magic while the warrior might want to crush the tyrannicaoba who drove the party out of his city several months ago. Whenno easy agreement is to be had, it can be best to let characters taketurns in directing the group’s goals. As in any matter of intra-partydispute, the PCs should take care not to let their quarrels threatenthe good of the whole. Squabbling in a tavern is troublesome, buarguing in a tomb-house can be a fatal distraction.

SPEARS OF THE DAWNIn the wake of the Long War, countless pockets of Eternal andtheir devotees were left behind by the collapse of the SixthKingdom’s army. Even deep into the west, there remainedburied tomb-houses and uncleared ruins teeming with foes thatcould neither be starved out nor waited out. One of the lastmutual acts of the Five Kingdoms alliance was to assign certainelite military units with the responsibility for clearing thesepockets of festering night. Tese grim heroes were known as theSpears of the Dawn.

In the forty years since, these poorly-supported units haveunraveled into a loose mesh of allied groups, freelancers, andself-declared members. Anyone can call himself or herself aSpear, but such men and women are expected to fight evil andpurge pockets of long-forgotten peril. So long as they carryout their old mandate, they are an accepted and respectedelement of society, if viewed with a certain apprehension fortheir unpredictability. Tey stand outside the usual bounds ofcustom and tradition, and minor crimes and broken taboos areoften overlooked by a populace that needs their sacrifices.

Tose who fail to live up to their title are forced to move on

quickly. Te line between Spear and bandit vagabond can bevanishingly thin, and few communities care to risk the dangerof a useless, dangerous outsider lurking within their walls.

By default, adventurers are assumed to have declared themselvesSpears of the Dawn or been appointed to it by an older mentor.It provides an easy explanation for why they might search outadventure, and gives a good excuse as to why a group of wildly-varying young freebooters might work together. Your GM mayhave a different campaign framing device in mind, however, soyou should check with them before assuming too much.


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ROLLING ATTRIBUTESTe first step in creating your character is to determine thecharacter’s six attributes. Attributes describe the character’saptitude in certain aspects- how strong, clever, perceptive, quick,hardy, or charming they might be. Attributes in a human rangeare measured by scores ranging from 3 to 18, with 3 reflecting acharacter barely capable of functioning as an adventurer, and 18indicating remarkable natural gifts.

o generate your character’s attributes, roll 3d6 six times and assignthe rolls to the attributes in the order listed on the table below. Average humans have attributes in the 8 to 13 range; as such, youmay choose to remove points from any attribute above 13 to raiseany attribute up to 8. For example, if you’ve rolled a Dexterityscore of 15 and an Intelligence score of 7, you might choose totake one point from Dexterity and raise your Intelligence scoreup to 8. No attribute so altered can be lowered below 13 or raisedabove 8. Attributes need not be evened out this way if you preferto play the attributes as rolled.

Once you have determined your scores, you should write down

the attribute modifier for each. Te attribute modifier is a bonusor penalty that is applied to rolls related to that attribute. Atmany points in this book you’ll be instructed to add a particularattribute’s modifier to a roll. You should take care to add just themodifier to the roll, and not the entire attribute score. In the caseof a particularly lackluster attribute score, the modifier might evenbe negative, in which case you should subtract it from the roll as apenalty. If your attributes change during the course of play, makesure to adjust your modifiers as needed.

Some characters don’t look to be terribly promising material foradventure. At the GM’s discretion, a character whose total finalattribute modifiers sum to less than zero can be discarded and

their attributes rerolled. Not all GMs prefer to allow this option,however. High attribute scores are nice, but they are by no meansmandatory to make an interesting or playable character. Survivingthe perils of the Tree Lands depends far more on good choicesthan good attributes.

CHOOSING ATTRIBUTESSome players just don’t care for random generation of attri-butes, particularly when the dice produce a character whollyunlike what they wanted to play. Even with the chance to swapin a score of 14 into a prime ability of their class, it’s just no funfor them to randomly roll their adventurer’s attributes. Tis isby no means an unreasonable taste, but such players are encour-aged to give it an honest try. Part of the pleasure of the game issurprise- surprise at the details of your character, surprise at thekind of challenges you’ll face, and surprise at the possibilitiesthat arise from your character’s limits and ambitions.

Still, if you feel strongly about it and the GM doesn’t object,you can simply put a score of 7, 11, or 14 in any given attribute,so long as you don’t have more scores of 14 than you have 7s.If you take this option, you don’t get the “free 14” you wouldotherwise be given in one of your chosen class’ prime attributes.

ATTRIBUTE MODIFIERSATTRIBUTE SCORE MODIFIER

18 +2

14-17 +1

8-13 No Modifier

4-7 -13 -2

THE SIX ATTRIBUTES

STRENGTH

Physical might and ability to carry heavy loads. Characters withhigh Strength are fearsome in hand-to-hand combat, smashingthrough enemy defenses with brute force.

INTELLIGENCE

Memory, logic, and the capacity to think quickly. Characters with high Intelligence are well-suited to coping with complexintellectual skills and handling the enigmatic mysteries of theoccult.

WISDOM

Perception, strength of will, and judgment. A high Wisdomshows that the character is keenly aware of his or hersurroundings, has a strong willpower, and a healthy fund of

common sense.

DEXTERITY

Hand-eye coordination, agility, and reaction speed. HighDexterity is the sign of a nimble, quick-handed character witha lot of natural aptitude for archery and stealth.

CONSTITUTION

Hardihood, stamina, and the ability to withstand pain, sickness,

and injury. High Constitution indicates a character that cantake a lot of abuse before keeling over, whether or not they havean impressive musculature.

CHARISMA

Charm, persuasiveness, and capacity for leadership. Not everyhigh-Charisma character is handsome or beautiful, but all ofthem have a way of making others take them seriously.


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CHOOSING AN ORIGIN With your general concept chosen, you need to decide on yourcharacter’s origins. Te great majority of PCs will come from oneof the Five Kingdoms, hailing either from one of the great citiesof the west or one of the countless scattered villages that lie in the wilderness of the Tree Lands. A few heroes might come from aminor tribe or lesser statelet left behind in the chaos of the Long War, but even these places often share many of the same customsand traits as their neighboring nations.

Each origin page includes a brief description of the culture,common details of appearance, and some likely ways in whicha character from that background might become an adventurer.Te descriptions are brief by necessity, and if you want moreinformation you should check the Tree Lands setting chapter toget a more detailed description. As in all things, the informationgiven in the briefings should be taken to describe only the usualor most common facets of the culture. Individuals can vary widelyeven within the most rigid and tradition-bound societies.

Every origin also offers a selection of backgrounds. You shouldpick the one that best describes the PC’s past before they acquiredthe special skills of an adventurer. Backgrounds reflect where yourcharacter has come from- they do not limit the class you mightlater choose for them. Just because a Lokossan was raised as anganga’s apprentice doesn’t mean he can’t later become a mightyswordsman.

Each background package gives a list of skills. You should writethese down on your character sheet as being “level-0”, implyinga basic, workmanlike familiarity with the skill. You’ll later gainadditional skills when you pick a class. Where the two lists overlap,the skills will rise to “level-1”, indicating a long professionalexpertise.

Once you have an origin culture, you should think about a namefor the PC. By convention, most names in the Tree Lands consisof a personal name followed by a surname or clan name. In regiondominated entirely by one clan, descriptive terms such as “the Wise”, “the Smith”, “One-Leg” or other such are often appendedto the personal name. Some souls driven to abandon theirformer lives take entirely new names descriptive of some physicacharacteristic or mighty deed, such as the famed Lokossan nganga

en Skulls or the Meruan Spear-hero known as the Fist of the SunTe Resources chapter in this book contains example name tables

Family and tribe are both very important in the Tree Lands, buit’s likely that your PCs will soon travel far beyond contact withtheir kinsmen. If you are playing a more geographically restrictedcampaign, however, take care to be aware of your responsibilitiesas a member of the family. Tose men and women who fail tocome to the aid of their kinsmen often suffer more than socialshame for their neglect.

CUSTOM ORIGINSIf you see an origin that looks interesting in one culture but wouldprefer to play a character from a different kingdom, you can always just change the details of the background to suit your preferredculture. Some of the backgrounds are specific to a particularpeople, but even in those cases your GM should be able to giveyou the equivalent of what you want to play.

In the same fashion, if you’re comfortable with the setting and want to make your own background you can simply pick any sixskills from the Skills section and tie them together with a suitableexplanation. Provided it sounds plausible to the GM, it will serveperfectly well.

CHOOSING A CONCEPTOnce you’ve rolled your attributes, you’re ready to pick a conceptfor your character. Your concept is a brief, general description of what your aspiring hero is about: “He’s a Lokossan warrior wholeft his village to find adventure.” “She’s an olabon’s apprenticefrom Meru who seeks Sun Faith relics.” “He’s a simple Kirsi maizefarmer run off his land by a grasping lord.” “She’s a runawayNyalan noblewoman who refuses to be married off for her family’s

advancement.”

If you’re uncertain as to which concepts might suit the game, youcan consult the origin pages that follow to get an idea of some ofthe more common adventurous roles that exist in the Tree Lands.In most new Spears of the Dawn campaigns, it’s assumed that yourcharacter has somehow ended up as a Spear, whatever his or herformer life, and you’ll want to keep this in mind unless your GMhas specified a rather different kind of game.

Part of choosing a concept is also choosing a motivation. Somethingmade your character abandon their former existence and take upthe potentially lethal role of a Spear or roaming adventurer. Does

he lust for gold and the pleasures of a rich man’s life? Does she

crave ancient secrets and the lore of long-dead ngangas? Perhapshe seeks justice for the downtrodden and oppressed- or he meansto do a little creative oppressing himself once he’s able to seizecontrol of his natal city.

In the same vein, not every freebooter planned to have a lifelike this and many of them find themselves forced to take to

the roads when their old life comes crashing down about themTese disasters can provide powerful motivations as the PC striveto avenge whatever injustice forced them out of their homelyexistence.

It’s not necessary that your motivation be grand or implacablyset, but you need to pick at least one. In a sandbox game likeSpears of the Dawn your character needs to have some self-directedambitions if they don’t mean to be left at a loss by the open worldthey encounter. Your character needs to have a reason to go ouand accomplish something, and if your motivation isn’t somethingthat can give you quick and easy direction you may want to rethinkyour choice.


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KIRSITe people of Kirsi (“KEER-see”) are warriors, the sons anddaughters of the hard border lords that rule what was once theeastern frontier of the Nyalan Empire. Teir armored lancers arefamous throughout the Tree Lands, and their iron-shod cavalrythundered through seas of Eternal soldiers in the days of the Long War. Even the least Kirsine peasant knows something of how tohold a weapon, and even the lords of Kirsi do not dare attempt to

take the swords from the hands of the common people.

Since the Long War ended forty years ago the Kirsi have beenembroiled in an endless succession of civil wars, internecinesquabbles, and usurpations. Te nominal king, the Dia, rules onlythe land beneath his horsemen’s hooves, and the common peoplesuffer bitterly from the feuding of their lords. Many peasants havebeen driven from their villages by the fighting, and noble familieshave been left impoverished or scattered among the hills.

Te Kirsi dwell in the north-central part of the Yellow Land, in thedry hills and scrubland that abut the Mountains of the Sun. Teircities are of adobe and scrub-oak, simple and square and sun-

baked. Te fortresses of the nobles are built of quarried stone, andsome date back for centuries, back when Kirsi was still the easternfrontier of empire and its lords still had the wealth to afford Nya-lan architects and artists. Ancient estates and ruined monumentsstill litter the hills.

Te Kirsi are very dark-skinned, as dark as the Lokossans to the farsouthwest. Teir features are straight and sharp, and their straightblack hair is worn long by both men and women. Te men braidit to better cushion their helmets or wear it up in colorful clothturbans, while the women decorate theirs with bright ornamentsand veils of dyed cotton. White robes split for riding are commonto all, often worn over tunics and trousers for both sexes. Te rich-

ness and color of the underdress is a sign of the wearer’s wealthand importance.

Te Kirsi are proud, contumacious, and fierce. Tey recognizeonly their chosen lord, and that only so long as he continues toadvance his warriors’ interests. Unlike some other lands, any peas-ant with the will and ferocity to stake out his own glorious namein the dry hills may come to be counted as noble as any otherlord, if only he can hold his fame against those who would takeit from him.

Most Kirsine adventurers are warriors in the tradition of theirpeople. Many such soldiers are knocked loose from their lands

after ending up on the wrong end of a war or from the suddencollapse of their patron noble house. Marabouts and griots arenot unknown either, with the Sun Faith strong in the Yellow Landand every noble clan needing at least one griot to pronounce theirvirtues and mighty deeds. Ngangas from Kirsi are even rarer thanusual, as few with the gift for manipulating ashe ever have the op-portunity to learn the necessary skills to wield it. Tose who doare often deep in the bush, far away from warriors who understandonly steel. Some find it best to depart their home before they arecondemned by some paranoid noble or mobbed by witch-fearinglocal peasants.

KIRSINE BANDIT

Whether an actual marauder or simply a soldier obliged to gofreelance in unorthodox ways, the fast-riding bandits of Kirsiare a scourge on their neighbors. Tey strike swiftly on theirsturdy hill-country horses and sweep away before the locals canmuster a defense. Some bandits repent of their thieving ways

and seek a more noble life, and others simply find the typicalactivities of a Spear to be more or less the same as their formeremployment.

Skills:Combat/Any, Culture/Kirsi, Perception, Ride, Stealth,Survival

KIRSINE NOBLE

You were of a noble clan once... you still are, really, if you wantto be precise. But they lost a fight they couldn’t afford to lose,or you did something they couldn’t ever forgive, and now you’recast upon your own resources in the world. It’s up to you toavenge their fall, redeem your name, or just forget what you

once were.

Skills:Combat/Any, Culture/Kirsi, Leadership, Perception,Persuade, Ride

KIRSINE PEASANT

Warriors must eat, and the retinues of the nobles are too proudto till the earth, even if they weren’t constantly fighting. Tepeasants of Kirsi are tough, cynical, and often veteran warriorsfrom their days as conscripts in a local lord’s army. Many tire ofthe endless struggle, and some decide to act on their weariness.

Skills: Any One Skill, Athletics, Combat/Any, Culture/Kirsi,

Survival, rade/Farmer

KIRSINE SCHOLAR

Kirsi is not famous for its scholars, but some historians havethe patience and personal courage to track the constant shift ofnoble clans and borderlines within the kingdom. Others salvagethe histories that would otherwise be lost to indifference, andremember the songs and chants that praise heroes long sincegone down to the dust.

Skills:Combat/Any, Culture/Kirsi, Language, Medicine,Scholar, Occult

KIRSINE SCOUT

A sword must be directed to be of use, and the armored fist ofthe lancers is useless when a target is not to be found. Teselight-clad scouts cross the hills with speed and silence, capableof surviving unaided for long periods in the hills as they searchfor enemy troops. Tey are not expected to engage the foe di-rectly, but only to find him and get away in time to alert theirallies.

Skills:Combat/Any, Culture/Kirsi, Navigation, Ride, Stealth,Survival


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KIRSINE SOHANKIT

Te sohankit are the home-grown spirit healers, sorcerers andcharm-makers of the Kirsi, most often found in remote villagesand in the darker corners of the adobe cities. Teir actions caneasily be construed as “harming others through witchcraft”, andso most find it necessary to avoid the official notice of nobility,even if they fashion charms for them under the cover of night.Most have no actual magical abilities, though they often havesome measure of occult learning.

Skills:Combat/Any, Culture/Kirsi, Medicine, Perception,Stealth, Occult

KIRSINE SOLDIER

Some commoners are “fortunate” enough to find a place in thepermanent retinue of a Kirsine lord. Tese men- and a few steel-hard women- trade a lifetime of border skirmishes and suddenambushes for the bread and beer of a soldier. Sometimes theloss of a lord or some unendurable mistreatment sends themlooking for a different life. Teir services are prized in other

lands, though the climate and horse-sickening parasites of thesouthern kingdoms make it difficult to muster large bodies ofcavalry beyond the northern lands.

Skills: Athletics, Combat/Any, Culture/Kirsi, Leadership,Ride, actics

KIRSINE SUNRIDER

Paladins of the Sun Faith, the Sunriders are stern-minded war-riors for justice. Many of them are former soldiers who havesickened of the endless fighting and seek to defend the commonpeople from noble depredations. Others are raised from youthto join the order, trained by older Sunriders who have settledin their villages or towns. A few are even cast out for some sin.

Skills: Athletics, Combat/Any, Culture/Kirsi, Leadership,Ride, Priestcraft

KIRSINE SUN TEACHER

Te great majority of Kirsine are faithful devotees of the SunFaith, revering the Sun as the supreme deity and following theFour Corners of the Mountain laid down by the prophet. Notevery Sun eacher is gifted with the talents of a marabout, butthe people require teaching, prayer, and guidance all the same.

Skills:Combat/Any, Culture/Kirsi, Leadership, Persuade,Scholar, Priestcraft

KIRSINE URBANITE

Te cities of Kirsi are not so vast as the sprawling metropoli ofNyala or the teeming market-towns of Sokone, but they are cit-ies all the same. Te people who dwell there must all have someuseful trade to call their own if they are to earn their bread.

Skills: Any One Skill, Business, Combat/Any, Culture/Kirsi,Ride, rade/Any


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LOKOSSATe grim Lokossans (“low-KOH-sah”) dwell in the thick southern jungles of the Green Land, standing fast against the constantincursions of the bestial Night Men from across the Akpara River.Teir warriors are armed for battle by their mighty ngangas, andthe greatest of these sages is enthroned as the Ahonsu, the sorcerer-king of Lokossa. No other land is so wound about with witchcraftas is Lokossa, and even the greatest of the Nyalan emperors could

not overcome the sorcery of its mysterious lords.

Te Lokossans live bleakly regimented lives. Commoners farmpatches of cleared land within the jungle or harvest its fruits,game, and fish. Every village is the property of a noble clan, andits inhabitants are little better than slaves to the will of their lords.Some are literally so- slavery is more common in Lokossa thanin any other land, not least because of the grim yearly rites ofhuman sacrifice required by many of the most powerful ngangas.Te “raditions”, as they are called, are said to provide the ngangas with the strength they need to hold back the Night Men fromoverrunning the country. Te people dread being chosen for suchan offering, but most accept it as a sad necessity for their common

survival.

Te Ahonsu rules with a hard hand over his people, expressing his will through the numerous noble clans, each of which is markedby a magically potent bloodline. Commoners who show the talentfor manipulating ashe are married into a noble clan and elevatedto a higher rank, while the great majority of the clan that lacksmystical aptitude are set to officering in the army or serving asclerks and officials in the villages. A noble may have unquestionedcommand over his people, but even he is but a slave to the serviceof the Ahonsu, and none dare defy the witch-king’s commands.

Only in wandering is freedom. Tose who flee their villages or

noble palaces can live long lives free of another’s will, but theymust keep moving. oo long a residence in one place will markthem as the property of whichever lord owns that land. Te needfor freedom has driven many Lokossans into pilgrimage far fromtheir homes- and many more to leave their bones beneath the jungle’s eternal green.

Te Lokossans are a very dark-skinned people, with dark eyes andtightly-curled hair that is often cropped short or kept in elaboratebraids. Teir features are more lush and rounded than those of theother Five Kingdoms, and many among them incise delicate linesof ritual scarification on their bodies as part of initiation rites ormagical practices. Some among the nobles endure the excruciating

use of certain rare plant dyes to give their scars brilliant, jewel-bright hues, both to announce their rank and to demonstrate theirindifference to suffering. In the humid heat of the southern jungles,clothing ranges from minimal to near-nonexistent depending onthe work that is to be done, though men and women not engagedin war or labor favor chiffon-light wraps of woven leaf fibers dyedin beautiful patterns and rich colors.

LOKOSSAN APPRENTICE

Some are born with the gift to channel ashe , the magical forcethat fuels the nganga’s arts. Tis gift may come from a strongbloodline, from a supernatural mark at birth, from a life-changing event, or from the touch of a great spirit, but whateverits source it is prized in Lokossa. Every noble house is eager

to gather as many potential ngangas to them as they are able,the better to enhance their sorcerous might. Not all apprenticesprove suitable for mastering the nganga’s red arts, however, andsome students decide to take a different path to glory- whetheror not their master approves.

Skills:Culture/Lokossa, Language, Leadership, Medicine,Occult, Scholar

LOKOSSAN HUNTER

What cannot be grown from the unwilling earth or drawn fromthe rivers must be hunted beneath the jungle’s boughs. Lokossarelies more upon game and jungle provender than do the other

kingdoms of the Tree Lands, and most Lokossans who are notpeasants are hunters. Tese practiced souls are skilled at stealthand the downing of big game, but many find employment inthe regiments of the Lokossan army to scout out the movementsof Night Men warbands. Few such military scouts live longenough to retire to their richly-deserved honors.

Skills: Athletics, Combat/Any, Culture/Lokossa, Perception,Stealth, Survival

LOKOSSAN LAGREDI

In the Tree Lands, those who defy the boundaries of custom

or nature touch upon a dangerous power. Te lagredis are thosemen who have partaken of certain potions and rituals, assumingthe social and sometimes physical role of women. Te processis believed to grant them unusual magical potency, and it isnot uncommon for male nobility to seek them for wives. Te Ahonsu himself is expected to have several such spouses, com-monly entrusted with the subtle oversight and monitoring ofimportant matters.

Skills:Business, Culture/Lokossa, Occult, Perception, Per-suade, Stealth

LOKOSSAN NOBLE

Not every noble is in perfect harmony with their clan. Someprove... problematic, for one reason or another. Sometimesthey incur the sorcerous anger of a more powerful kinsman, orfail in some great duty, or are simply an obstacle in the ascentof a more ambitious relative. Tese nobles retain their prideand their learning, but have little else when cast forth uponthe world. Some families prefer not to have such disgraces sullytheir clan’s name with continued life, and hunt them still.

Skills: Athletics, Combat/Any, Culture/Lokossa, Leadership,Occult, actics


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LOKOSSAN

PEASANT

Tere are those with worse lots in the Tree Lands than thepeasants of Lokossa, but there are not many of them. Tesepeasants labor as virtual slaves under their masters’ rule, theironly route to glory running through military service againstthe Night Men or talent as a nganga’s apprentice. Some seekto make a different way for themselves in a more distant land.

Skills: Any One Skill, Athletics, Culture/Lokossa, Stealth,Survival, rade/Farmer

LOKOSSAN PRIEST

Te great majority of Lokossans are followers of the Spirit Way,

giving particular reverence to the shades of dead Ahonsus intheir palace-tombs. Others are servants of the spirits of the jungles, the rivers, or the sky, enlisting such aid as they canagainst the enemies of their people. Few have any true magicalpower, but their encouragement and their understanding ofcurses and magical afflictions make them useful to their people.

Skills:Culture/Lokossa, Leadership, Medicine, Occult, Per-suade, Priestcraft

LOKOSSAN REAPER

Just as the lagredi is thought to gain mystical power by

transgressing the boundary between male and female, theReaper is said to obtain great martial ferocity by abandoningher femininity for the masculine role of warrior. Among theseamazons number restless farm girls, dissatisfied wives, convictedcriminals, and ambitious young noblewomen, and togetherthey are some of the most feared warriors in all Lokossa. Teyhave all the rights of men and an honored place in Lokossansociety, but they buy it with fearsome bloodshed and their skill with the two-handed “great razor”.

Skills: Any One Skill, Athletics, Combat/Blade, Culture/Lo-kossa, Survival, actics

LOKOSSAN

SOLDIER

While the armies of Lokossa are officered by nobles, it is thecommon folk who make up the rank and file of their swords-men. Te short-bladed ida sword is the weapon of choice amongthem, the better to clear away brush and deliver brutal chopsand thrusts in the close quarters of the jungle. Most are simplevillage conscripts raised by noble levies, but even those forcedto the work recognize the importance of their duties. Withoutthe armies of Lokossa to hold them back, the bestial Night Menof the south would be burning Nyalan temples within a year.

Skills: Any One Skill, Athletics, Combat/Any, Culture/Lo-kossa, actics, rade/Any

LOKOSSAN RUNAWAY

Slavery is disturbingly common in Lokossa. Criminals, the im-poverished, war prisoners, and even disgraced nobles all facedegradation to slavery, and from their number are first chosenthe sacrifices to be made at the yearly raditions. Most slavesremain obedient out of hopelessness, fear, or family bonds, butsome have the will to flee their oppressors.

Skills: Athletics, Culture/Lokossa, Navigation, Perception,Stealth, Survival

LOKOSSAN URBANITE

Lokossa is not abundant in cities, but it has its share of themfashioned of hard jungle woods and laboriously-quarried stone.Most such places exist as commercial and craftwork centers forthe country, taking in the noble-gathered tribute of the coun-tryside and transforming it into the host of goods and militarysupplies necessary to sustain society. Private commerce is morelimited, but every citizen must be skilled at something if he is toescape the displeasure of the city’s lord.

Skills: Any One Skill, Business, Culture/Lokossa, Language,Perception, rade/Any


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MERUIn the golden seas of grass that cover the southern Yellow Land theMeru (“MAY-roo”) are the masters of the land. Teir great herdsof cattle tread paths laid down by their forefathers in generationspast, pausing only until the pasture is depleted. Teir villages aretemporary affairs of thatch, sticks, and piled thornbush walls, butthese people maintain many secrets long since lost to others.

Te Meru did not exist as a people until the start of the Long War, when their Sun Faith ancestors fled the kingdom of Deshurafter the martyrdom of their prophet. Tey refused to bow to theGods Below and preferred escape to the savannahs to the forced worship that was demanded of them. Once on the plains, the in-digenous tribes recognized their need for allies in the war to come,and taught the Meru’s ancestors how to herd and live in their newhome. Intermarriage and assimilation of the far-fewer indigenes was swift, and now their culture exists only in a few isolated fami-lies and a small strain of Spirit Way faith among the otherwiseuniformly Sun Faithful Meruans.

Te Eternal King sent legion after legion into the savannah to kill

the rebels, but the nomadic lifestyle and ceaseless wandering of theMeru kept them constantly ahead of the Deshrites. Tey learnedthe use of special weapons suited to crushing the bones of the im-mortals, and their siare throwing-clubs and great runku war stavesare still symbols of defiance against the Sixth Kingdom. Tey areproud of their freedom, and the wandering families of the Meruare only loosely ruled by an elected Elaigwen, a “city-chief” cho-sen from among the patriarchs of the greatest Meru clans.

Te Meru are a nomadic people. Teir history has led them toshun lasting settlements, and many clans meet only at appointedtimes and places to trade, find wives, and renew old pacts. A fewmakeshift market towns and farming settlements of thatch and

thornbush dot the savannah, but these settlements last only solong as the water and pasturage endure. In the days of the OldKings the Nyalan Empire laid claim to the Yellow Land, but theirlegions often failed to even find the indigenous dwellers in thegrass sea, let alone exact tribute from them.

Te Meru resemble their Sixth Kingdom ancestors, with cop-pery, golden-brown skin and features less severe than their Kirsineneighbors. Tose families with strong native influence tend to bemuch darker-skinned, though they usually retain the straighterblack hair of other Meru. As with the other people of the FiveKingdoms, eye colors are varying shades of dark or hazel hues.Tose with different hues are usually considered marked by the

spirits in some way.

Meruan adventurers are most often young men and women who wish to make a name for themselves before starting a family. Tegold they gather can buy them a bride-price or a herd of their own,or earn a girl the glory she requires to chart her own life. Teir warriors are famed for their hardiness and courage in the face ofEternal foes, and their olabons preserve many secrets that theirDeshrite ancestors brought out of the Sixth Kingdom. Te SunFaith also gives rise to many young marabouts who feel the needto spread the faith beyond the boundaries of the yellow grass sea.

MERUAN ARTISAN

Te vast majority of Meru’s adult men are herders, and muchof the craftwork and other necessary professions are carried onby women and those men without the strength to run withthe herds. Tese artisans provide almost all of the leatherwork,bone-carving, woodwork, weaving, and other skills vital to any

clan. Even these “sedentary” Meru are often marked by superbconditioning and hardy strength from their long journeys.

Skills: Any One Skill, Athletics, Business, Combat/Any, Cul-ture/Meru, rade/Any

MERUAN HEALER

Te Meru retain many of the secrets of Deshrite medicine andknow sophisticated techniques for dealing with the woundsand contagions inflicted by the Eternal legions. Teir healershave cause to use their arts, not least on the precious cattle thatare the great support of the wandering clans. Many healers are women, as Meruan custom credits them with a greater power

to purify tainted spirit and flesh. Even when clans are feudingat their hottest, only the most degenerate will dare to harm ahealer.

Skills: Athletics, Combat/Any, Culture/Meru, Medicine, Oc-cult, rade/Herder

MERUAN HERDER

Where the common folk of other lands are peasant farmers,the people of Meru are herdsmen. Teir lives are bound up with their cattle- they drink their blood, eat their flesh raw inmemory of their ancestors who had no time to kindle fires when

they escaped the Sixth Kingdom, and make their clothing andtools from leather and bone. Tey eat no plant food they cannotgather while herding or take from the small gardens planted intheir temporary villages and market-towns. Herding is tradi-tionally a male role, but there are times when loss of men in waror simple necessity require a sturdy young girl to go out andprotect the herds from lions and thieving strangers.

Skills: Athletics, Combat/Any, Culture/Meru, Navigation,Survival, rade/Herder

MERUAN OLABON

Despite their lack of great cities or sophisticated physical tech-

nology, the Meru guard much ancient lore passed down fromtheir Sixth Kingdom ancestors. Much of what they know haslong since been lost beneath the black sands of the east, andthey protect this knowledge carefully as a token of their ances-tors and their right to be counted the true and faithful heirsof Deshur. Olabons often deal with supernatural conundrums whether or not they have the power of a full-fledged nganga.

Skills: Athletics, Culture/Meru, Language, Occult, Percep-tion, Scholar


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MERUAN OUTCAST

Within the roving families of the Meru, the patriarch’s word islaw. Execution is almost unknown as a punishment, but exile ismore common. Tese outcasts have done something unforgiv-able or incurred the anger of a tyrannical elder, and are nowcondemned to walk the savannah alone. Other clans might bepersuaded to accept them only after they have proven that theircondemnation was no true measure of their worth.

Skills: Athletics, Combat/Any, Culture/Meru, Navigation,Stealth, Survival

MERUAN SCOUT

Te clans must know what awaits their herds, and whether thegrass is good or the water has dried beneath the Yellow Land’ssun. Meruan scouts can run for hours without flagging andknow every pace of the golden grass sea. Teir skills are prizedby those generals fortunate enough to have them in service.

Skills: Athletics, Combat/Any, Culture/Meru, Navigation,Stealth, Survival

MERUAN SPIRIT PRIEST

Te Meru are overwhelmingly followers of the Sun Faith andfiercely proud of their piety. Te remnant are often those de-scended from the original inhabitants of the savannah, those who consider themselves Meru but who refuse to abandon thecustoms of their ancestors. Tese spirit priests serve the godsof grass and cattle and rain, appealing to the unseen powers tobring abundance and help for their people.

Skills: Athletics, Combat/Any, Culture/Meru, Leadership,Occult, Priestcraft

MERUAN SUNSTAFF

Meru does not raise armies as the other kingdoms do. Everyclan’s herdsmen are expected to be able to defend both theirpeople and their cattle as the need arises. Some Meruans aremore skilled than others at war, however. Tese “sunstaves” takethe great two-handed runku as their symbol, a weighted staff wielded by their ancestors to crush the bones of the Eternal.

Skills: Athletics, Combat/Club, Culture/Meru, Leadership,

Occult, actics

MERUAN SUN TEACHER

Te priests of the Sun Faith have few fixed rites compared to theintricate rituals of the Spirit Way. Te long wanderings of theMeru have discouraged them from requiring temples or specificedifices of worship. Instead, they provide prayer, example, andguidance to their fellow religionists, and are trusted for theirsuperior understanding of the Sun Faith’s holy scriptures. Teydo not lead the clans, but every patriarch is expected to have atleast one as a trusted advisor.

Skills: Athletics, Culture/Meru, Medicine, Perception, Per-suade, Priestcraft

MERUAN TRADER

Te Meru are not a mercantile people, especially compared totheir Sokone neighbors, but they have need of goods from the wider world all the same. Teir blacksmiths must have iron to work, their herbalists must have distant extracts to cure, andevery clan seeks word from its neighbors in between their sched-uled meetings to trade brides, cattle, and news.

Skills: Athletics, Business, Combat/Any, Culture/Meru, Nav-igation, Persuade


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NYALATe northwestern corner of the Tree Lands is a rich and fertiledomain of rolling hills, broad-leafed forests and well-wateredmeadows. Te griots tell of many ages long past in which menfought over this good land, but in the age before the Long War it was the home of the Nyala (“nn-YAH-lah”) and the throne of theirmighty empire. It was their inexorable advance that finally drovethe Deshrites into the eastern mountains and goaded their king

into pacting with the powers he found there. Teir neighbors re-member this, and the Nyalan Empire is not praised in their songs.

When the Eternal marched out of the black deserts of the east, theNyalans were cast into confusion. For generations, they struggledmore to hold their querulous provinces to obedience than to driveback the Eternal, and it was only in the reign of the final EmperorKaday that their efforts to regain Kirsi and Sokone were aban-doned and diplomacy was tried instead. Te last emperor boundtogether an alliance that broke the Eternal at last, but he died inits doing, and since then the Nyalans have only dreamed of whattheir ancestors once ruled.

Te cities of Nyala are famed for their massive walls and exquisitestonework, and the Nyalans are proud of their heritage of art andbeautiful craftsmanship. Much was learned from the giants of theMountains of the Sun, but since these titans turned in anger towards humankind the Nyalans have elaborated upon their owntastes and fashioned marvelous works of masonry and wroughtmetal.

Nyalans are often a haughty people. Teir nobles cherish grand ti-tles to domains that were lost a hundred years ago, and every peas-ant farmer in the realm can claim relation to some long-vanishedprince. Te griots of Nyala are renowned for the depth of theirmemories and grace of their art, though of late they have had little

to praise. Te king of Nyala is called the Mai now, and the Mai isa tired old man who knows he is not his father’s equal.

Te Nyalans are slim-featured, tall, and straight-haired, with skinthe color of polished mahogany. At times their line throws sportsof coloring, most often among the nobles- white manes, jewel-toned eyes, or strange patterns upon the skin like brightly-coloredtattoos. radition says that such marks show giantish blood fromthe ancient days in which Nyala learned the secrets held by thetitans of the Mountains of the Sun. In clothing they make con-cessions to work by wearing dyed trousers and tunics, but preferto be seen in intricate layered robes of rich brocade and delicatedyework, with sleeves flaring wide above the wrist. Te wealthiest

wear robes of native silk, a cloth that can be manufactured no- where else in the Tree Lands.

Nyalan adventurers are often forced into it by necessity. Te Nya-lans are proud, but their pride does not always match their purse-many families slump into ruin over the generations as they losethe lands they once depended upon. Te commoners who remainare weighted with heavier and heavier taxes and find themselvesdriven by need to seek life elsewhere. And there are always those who can no longer tolerate the slow, sad decay of their homelandand seek to spark it into new life with their courageous deeds.

NYALAN ARTISAN

Te crafters of many lands have grace and beauty in their work,but the artisans of Nyala are too proud to let even the humblestof their workings go unadorned with well-worked art. Whetherexpressed in elegant, simple lines or intricate engravings, theNyalans insist on finding beauty all around them, and honor

those who bring it forth with artistry and power. Bitter rivalriesare quick to develop in such a climate, however, and belongingto the wrong artistic school of influence can be a potentiallyfatal error in the overheated confines of Nyalan politics. Somesuch artists find it wiser to seek inspiration abroad until matterscool at home.

Skills: Any One Skill, Artist, Business, Culture/Nyala, Per-suade, rade/Any

NYALAN CLERIC

While the Sun Faith is present in Nyala, the majority of itspeople are followers of the Spirit Way and revere the old gods

of empire and their ancient fanes. Te clerics of Nyala are allindividually devoted to particular gods and spirits, but are ex-pected to be able to perform other rites when necessity demandsit. Few have the special friendship with the divine that marks atrue marabout, but all of them have a solid grounding in theduties of a priest and the administration of a temple.

Skills:Business, Culture/Nyala, Leadership, Medicine, Per-suade, Priestcraft

NYALAN COURTIER

Te court of the Mai orbits a weary old man with little person-

al influence beyond the capital city, but the deals struck thereamong the great magnates can echo to the very borders of thekingdom. Even common-born men and women can aspire toprofit by becoming useful ornaments to court or officials in theservice of some great clan. Unfortunately for such climbers, thenobility is much more inclined to expend them than suffer theconsequences of a failed scheme, and so many courtiers find itnecessary to make sudden and drastic changes in their careers.

Skills: Any One Skill, Artist, Culture/Nyala, Perception, Per-suade, Stealth

NYALAN HISTORIAN

Te griots of every land sing the great deeds of past heroes andvanished kings, but the historians of Nyala make a less aestheticeffort at remembering. Tey once charted the surging advanceof the Old Kings, and now they record the slow dwindling ofNyala’s glory. In the former times every noble house was expect-ed to have its dry historian as well as its inspiring griot, but inthese days compromises are made in supporting such luxuries.Some scholars are compromised right into a life on the road.

Skills: Any One Skill, Artist, Culture/Nyala, Language, Per-suade, Scholar


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NYALAN HOLLOW PRINCE

Nyala teems with “noble” houses that have nothing but a glori-ous past. For some, their land claims were abandoned by Em-peror Kaday in buying the alliance that ended the Long War.For others, the collapse of trade and rise of banditry turnedtheir farms and fields into wastelands. Some lost their titles tothe grasping of greater nobles, and some simply drifted into adreaming solitude that refused to acknowledge the truth untilthe last trade ingot was spent. Many of these “hollow princes”must grub their living beside their former peasants.

Skills: Any One Skill, Combat/Any, Culture/Nyala, Leader-ship, Survival, Stealth

NYALAN NOBLE

When Emperor Kaday abandoned Nyala’s claims on the break-away provinces of Kirsi and Sokone, entire swaths of nobility were ruined overnight. Tey could no longer support them-selves on subsidies to help them reclaim their land or claim theglory of domains that would never again be theirs. Tose noblesthat remained were left to fight over a suddenly-straitened do-main, and beneath their Nyalan elegance is raw red savagery.

Skills:Business, Combat/Any, Culture/Nyala, Language, Per-suade, Leadership

NYALAN PEASANTIn every land there must be someone to support the elite, andthe peasants of Nyala are the base upon which rests the wholetottering edifice of the nation. Te rich valleys and rivers ofthe northern Green Land fed an empire in the time of the OldKings, and the peasants of Nyala are richer and more profit-minded than most. In these days, it only means that there ismore to be peeled from them by rapacious nobles.

Skills: Any One Skill, Athletics, Business, Culture/Nyala,Survival, rade/Farmer

NYALAN PLOTTER

No land is so thick with schemes as is Nyala, where the plots often generations coil and turn on themselves. Tey do not lackfor schemers, secret agents, members of hidden societies longsince forgotten by most of their own members, and partisansof causes that were hopeless in their grandfather’s youth. Somecauses are noble and just, such as the extirpation of slavery orthe advance of their nation. Others have purposes of more pri-vate benefit, and are willing to do whatever they must to satisfylong-forgotten vows.

Skills:Combat/Any, Culture/Nyala, Perception, Persuade,Security, Stealth

NYALAN SAGE

Te learned of Nyala are wide-ranging in their interests, andmany delve into the subtleties of the spirit world and the strangepaths of the occult. Tese sages often vaunt of magical powers,but the number among them with the genuine arts of the ngan-ga are few. Even those who understand the truth rarely have thegift necessary to manipulate ashe . Still, their limited knowledgeremains useful to the desperate.

Skills:Culture/Nyala, Language, Medicine, Occult, Percep-tion, Scholar

NYALAN SOLDIERTe legions of Nyala are not what they once were. In the formerdays they were a serried sea of armored spearmen, the iron ofKirsi and the gold of Sokone allied with Nyalan elan to form thespine of empire. Tose that remain in this lesser age are oftenthe mere playthings of some wealthy noble. Not all are contentto live such a life, and some quit their former legions for braver work.

Skills: Athletics, Combat/Nyala, Culture/Nyala, Leadership,Survival, actics


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SOKONEBetween Nyala in the green northern hills and Lokossa in the hotsouthern jungles dwell the merchants and tradesmen of Sokone,(“so-KOH-nay”) thick along the banks of the mighty Iteru River.Te Sokone are the richest of all the Five Kingdoms, and their dar-ing pursuit of gold and precious trade has made them exemplars toevery merchant in the land. Tose who have no hope in their ownland come to Sokone to find riches. Some even succeed.

Sokone’s cities teem with artisans and traders, chaffering beneathdyed canopies in the shadow of domed buildings painted in redsand blues and golden yellow hues. Pungent spices from the hillplantations are heaped high on woven mats, and the cattle of Meruare sold next to exotic birds from the deepest Lokossan jungle. Allthings can be found in the cities of Sokone for those who have adiscerning eye and a bulging purse.

Sokone was one of the first provinces of the Nyalan Empire tobreak away from the old rulers when the Eternal armies marcheddown the banks of the Iteru. Something about the free-flowing water was hateful to them, and the reed barges of Deshur were

abandoned in favor of dry-shod legions. Te Sokone were ravagedby their attack, but the Nyalan emperor was more concerned withsuccoring the border marches of Kirsi than defending their south-ern tributaries. In fury, the Sokone abandoned their fealty anddetermined to fight the Eternal without Nyala’s aid.

Teir battle was long and bitter. Te former capital was overrunand transformed into the Silent City that still squats by the Iteru’s waters, filled with remnant Eternal that no kingdom has yet daredto root out. Te merchant-princes of Sokone duel each other with words and gold and sometimes knives in the dark, and some arebeginning to find profit in the trade of human lives. Cults of ahundred fantastic varieties hawk their spirits in the markets, and

some promise things that ought not to be promised from gods that

should never be named. All things can be found in Sokone, butsome of them would prefer not to be discovered by the righteous.

Te people of Sokone share traits of all the Five Kingdoms. Te jewel-colored eyes of Nyalan noble clans can be seen on men withthe ebony skin of Lokossa, and every other mix of nations has itspresence in the markets. Clans form about businesses and trades

rather than strict matters of lineage, and the Sokone think noth-ing of marrying outsiders if the strangers are capable and strong. Without the rigid decorum of Nyala, the grim oppression of Lo-kossa, or the clannishness of the Kirsi or Meru, the people of So-kone are by far the most cosmopolitan and individualistic of theFive Kingdoms.

But by the same token, those of Sokone are also least likely to aidtheir kinsmen and associates. Men and women are expected tostand upon their own feet, and if they cannot, it is a pity ratherthan a problem for their relations to solve. Many adventurers goforth for no more exalted reason than to make a living in a waymore fascinating than spice-selling or a peddler’s pack. Some of

them even live to glory in the wealth their bold choice brings.

SOKONE ARBITER

With so many traders, there must be law, and the arbiter is oneexpected to support such a need. He or she is versed in the com-plex body of Sokone mercantile law, and is hired by merchantsto advise them and to arbitrate in matters of disagreement. Oncean arbiter is mutually chosen, their decision is final, and thereis often much pressure on them to choose “wisely” for the morepowerful party. Some arbiters find it necessary to decamp in theface of potentially fatal disappointment from such a merchant.

Skills:

Business, Culture/Sokone, Language, Perception, Per-

suade, Scholar


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SOKONE ARTISAN

Te craftsmen of Sokone make many things. Perhaps they donot make them so beautifully as the Nyalans, or with such ex-pertise in armory as the Kirsi, or with so many secret sorceriesas the Lokossans, but they make up in abundance what otherkingdoms claim in excellence. Sokone artisans often work to-gether in large workshops, each taking part of a task to speedthe completion of the whole. It is profitable work, but tedious,and not all can bear the thought of such a life.

Skills: Any One Skill, Artist, Business, Culture/Sokone, Per-suade, rade/Any

SOKONE ENTERTAINER

Where there is free-flowing wealth, there are those ready tohelp in its spending. Entertainers can be found singing in themarketplace, dancing for rich merchants, performing feats of jugglery or clever storytelling, or conducting more carnal com-merce beneath the shadowed eaves of painted buildings. Tegreatest are acclaimed as peerless artists or universally-desiredcourtesans; the rest make do on what their wit or body brings.

For some, necessity leads them to seek the more illicit pursuitsthat clever hands and daring make possible.

Skills: Artist, Athletics, Combat/Any, Culture/Sokone, Per-suade, Stealth

SOKONE PEASANT

All must eat, and the Iteru’s waters cannot bring so many bargesof rice and mealies as to feed an entire kingdom unaided. So-kone’s peasants are often cruelly shorn by their merchant-princepatrons, but they also have access to goods and specializedequipment unknown in other lands. Teir valleys and river-banks are not quite so fertile as Nyala, but they get by- at least,

those who do not decide to hurl down their hoes and find workless redolent of manure.

Skills: Any One Skill, Athletics, Business, Culture/Sokone,Survival, rade/Farmer

SOKONE PRIEST

Te marabouts of Sokone are notorious for their... versatility inspiritual matters. Just as the land is filled with every descriptionof people, so it also teems with every variety of faith, and a priest who wishes to have a patron must often demonstrate a certainecumenism in their beliefs. Sterner-minded Sun Faith partisansand Spirit Way devotees disapprove of this syncretism, but theSokone give it little mind. So long as the gods are appeased, itdoes not especially matter what they are called. Sometimes apriest promises more than his god can deliver, however, or iscalled to bring a new spirit’s glory to those ignorant of its sacredpower. Such a life promises adventure, if not longevity.

Skills:Business, Culture/Sokone, Language, Medicine, Per-suade, Priestcraft

SOKONE RIDER

One of the most precious commodities to a merchant is in-formation- knowledge of distant prices, of far market condi-tions, and of new opportunities to be discovered before a rivallearns of them. Many rich merchants employ riders to makeregular journeys throughout the land, monitoring their affairsand watching for new possibilities. It is a more exciting life thansome, but some of these riders find their talents more useful foradventurous ends. Others betray their patrons and feed hints toa rival’s servants in a form of treachery that can be quite profit-able, if unhealthy for a rider who is discovered in it.

Skills:Business, Combat/Any, Culture/Sokone, Culture/raveller, Navigation, Ride

SOKONE RIVERFOLK

Te mighty Iteru river is the spine of Sokone’s commerce, andmany men and women make their living on the barges andtrade villages that rely upon it. Others dwell in the deep swampsof the coastal delta until need or ambition drives them forth.

Skills: Any One Skill, Combat/Any, Culture/Sokone, Naviga-

tion, Stealth, Survival

SOKONE SOLDIER

Te Sokone do not have a famous martial tradition like the Kir-sine or the Lokossams. Instead, they have money- much, muchmoney. Even their common foot soldiers are better-equippedthan the veterans of some other nations, and if much of their wealth is expended in useless ostentation, enough of it goes topractical ends to make them a dangerous enemy.

Skills: Athletics, Combat/Any, Culture/Sokone, Perception,Survival, actics

SOKONE THIEF

Where there are merchants, there are thieves, and the thieves ofSokone are notorious for their insolent daring. Even the mostvigilant guards and most ingenious traps do not deter themfrom their ends, whether pilfering the merchant-princes’ palacesor snatching a mango from a peddler’s stall. While such deeds ofdaring make good stories in the marketplace, the harsh punish-ment for thieves in Sokone can drive many to seek lands wherethey are not so well known.

Skills: Athletics, Combat/Any, Culture/Sokone, Perception,Security, Stealth

SOKONE TRADER

Te merchants of Sokone are famous for their willingness togo anywhere and deal with anyone in pursuit of mercantilesuccess. Te most cautious ones work mundane trades in thesettled lands, brokering a bit of this for a bit of that. Te moreambitious plunge into far lands to discover such wealth as mustbe theirs.

Skills:Business, Combat/Any, Culture/Sokone, Culture/raveller, Persuade, Survival


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CHOOSING A CLASSPlayer characters are exceptional. Tey have yet to become trueheroes or figures of renown, but they have the potential to be morethan their peers can dream of becoming. From simple warriors,half-trained apprentices, tentative teachers, and beardless griotsthey may yet become the legends of a later age... assuming theysurvive their education.

Player characters each have a class, unlike most other people. Mostmen and women simply are what they are- soldiers, peasants,herdsmen, or others in the great mass of society. Not every soldierhas the gifts of the warrior class, and not every village teacher hasthe divine friendship that empowers a marabout. Even at theirmost rudimentary level, those with classes have something specialabout their training or potential.

Tere are four classes- griot, marabout, nganga, and warrior. Youmust choose one of these to represent the unique abilities pos-sessed by your PC, the special edge that sets him or her apart fromordinary souls. Each class has certain special abilities unique to it,and while anyone may learn swordplay or occult secrets or delicate

musicianship regardless of their class, the unique martial gifts ofthe warrior or incantations of the nganga cannot be acquired bythose who have turned their dedication to different ends.

Some origins naturally lend themselves to certain classes, but itis not necessary that they complement each other. A scholar maytake up the spear in bitter fury after his school is destroyed by raid-ers, or a nganga’s apprentice might turn from his studies to seekthe friendship of the Sun instead of the mysterious powers of ashe . You may choose any class for any origin, though you will likely wish to think of a reason why your character’s gifts have expressedthemselves in such a novel direction.

Griots are the praise-singers, counselors and historians of theTree Lands. While they have ample artistry to entertain and de-light, their greater purpose is to guard the societies they serve.Tey remember the customs and the laws, judging the deeds ofthe small and great alike by their praise-songs or castigations. Ifyour concept has to do with defending ideals or a surpassing skillat music and speech, the griot class is a good choice.

Marabouts are the friends of the spirits, those souls touched witha special relationship with the divine world. Whether the soberteachers of the Sun Faith or the fervent devotees of the Spirit Way,these believers can call down favors from the gods they serve andact as channels of enlightenment to their people. If you wish to

wield magic related to the spirit world, you should pick this class.

Ngangas are sorcerers, wielders of that subtle force known as ashe . Ashe is the potential within all things, the quality that makes itenact its substance upon the world. Ashe is the heat of fire, the wetness of water, the way through confusion to make a desire real.Ngangas wield dark and dangerous rituals and incantations to callup ashe and direct it to their will. If you desire to be a sorcerer reli-ant only upon your own powers, you should pick this class.

Warriors are the heroes of their people, the valiant swordsmen,

canny rogues and brash adventurers who use their physical mightto defend their chosen cause. Warriors are the toughest, hardiestclass, capable of enduring the most hardship and suffering beforethey fall. As they grow in expertise, they do not acquire magicalabilities, but instead learn idahuns , “replies” that are special mar-tial techniques. If your character concept has nothing to do withmagic or a griot’s eloquence, you should pick this class.

CLASS SKILLS AND PRIME ATTRIBUTESOnce you’ve chosen your class, add its listed bonus skills to yourcharacter sheet at level-0 proficiency. If you’ve already acquired theskill as part of your background, increase the skill from level-0 to

level-1. You can use your “Any Skill” picks to choose a skill thatalready exists on your list, raising it to level-1, but a novice adven-turer’s skills cannot be raised higher than that.

You may also substitute a score of 14 for a single one of your primeattributes. Tus, if you choose to become a griot, you may replaceeither your Intelligence or Charisma score with 14. If you havebeen so fortunate as to roll higher than 14 on both of your primeattributes already, you need not use this option.


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GRIOT

Every society needs its guardians- not only those who bear swordand spear, but also those who maintain the traditions and memoryof the people. In the Tree Lands, the griots are these guardians,those men and women who stand responsible for judging thegood and the shameful. Trough their praise-songs and castiga-

tions, they elevate the righteous and scourge the wicked, confirm-ing the timeless truth of the virtues their people hold dear.

Most griots (pronounced “GREE-ohs”) are employed by noblehouses or sheltered by their chosen village. Tey earn their keepby their memories, their praise, and their counsel. Tey rememberall that has gone before and all that was once decided, and a chiefor nobleman without a griot to advise him is sure to stumble. InKirsi and Nyala, a noble family dares not show itself in ceremoniesof state without a troupe of griots to sing their virtues, and a king without a griot vizier is no king at all.

Many griots are content to be fed and to say what their patrons

wish them to say. Tese are small and careless men, quick to re-member but slow to speak what they should. Others are less eas-ily managed. Tey insist on naming the wicked and praising thegood, whether or not it suits the great lords. Nobles fear suchtruth-tellers, for the words of a master griot can whip a city into afrenzy or raise a rebellion in the bush. Te greatest of their numbercan strike a man dead with the blazing fury of their castigation.

GRIOT SONGS As griots increase their skill and fame, their words gain an almossupernatural power to inspire and compel those who hear themTese songs may take the form of actual chants or lays or be per-formed as spoken oratory. Whatever the form, listeners soon recognize that something remarkable is being uttered and that the

griot’s words are more than mere entertainment or idle opinion.

Griots begin play with the knowledge of any two minor songslisted in the Magic chapter. Every time they gain an experiencelevel, they may add one song of a type they can use as a product otheir own creativity. Other songs must be learned from other griots or from suitable ancient lore, and a griot cannot learn a song heis yet unable to use. At first level, griots may learn minor songs. Afourth level they may learn great songs, and at seventh level theymay utter the mighty verses of the ancient songs of their elders.

Griots can learn songs they are skilled enough to use, acquiringthem from other griots or from rare, exhaustive tomes. Most NPC

griots will only teach good friends and proven allies. Mastering anew song requires one week for a minor song, one month for agreat song, and three months for an ancient song. Te griot mayadventure normally while perfecting his or her mastery of a song.

Griots may sing or speak any song they know, but finding theright words for them is difficult. Expressions must be fresh, musicmust be suitable for the occasion, and wit must be sharp and well-aimed. A griot has a pool of Inspiration points that increase athey level. Each song costs a certain number of Inspiration points1 point for a minor song, 3 points for a great song, and 5 pointsfor an ancient song. When the pool is exhausted, the griot can nolonger find the right artistry to invoke their supernatural arts. A

good night’s rest will restore all Inspiration.

Te greatest of praise-singers are perfectly inspired that they mayutter their most familiar songs without hesitation or effort. At10th level, the griot may choose any two minor songs known tothem. Tey may use these songs at no cost in Inspiration, as oftenas they desire. Once chosen, these songs cannot be changed.

GRIOT CLASS DETAILS

LEVELHIT DICE

XPNEEDED

CLASS POWERSINSPIRATION

POOLATTACK BONUS

PHYSICAL EFFECT

MENTAL EFFECT

EVASION MAGIC LUCK

1 1d6 0 Learn Minor Songs 2 +1 14 12 13 16 15

2 2d6 2,000 3 +2 13 11 12 15 143 3d6 4,000 4 +2 13 11 12 15 14

4 4d6 8,000 Learn Great Songs 10 +4 12 10 11 14 13

5 5d6 16,000 12 +4 12 10 11 14 13

6 6d6 32,000 14 +5 11 9 10 13 12

7 7d6 64,000 Learn Ancient Songs 22 +5 11 9 10 13 12

8 8d6 128,000 26 +7 10 8 9 12 11

9 9d6 256,000 30 +7 10 8 9 12 11

10 10d6 512,000 Song Mastery 34 +8 8 6 7 10 9

PRIME ATTRIBUTES

Intelligence and Charisma

GRIOT CLASS SKILLS

Artist, Business, Combat/Any, Culture/ Any, Language, Navigation, Perception,Persuade, Ride, Security, Scholar, rade

BONUS SKILLS FOR NEW CHARACTERS

Artist, Scholar, Any One Class Skill, Any One Skill


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MARABOUT

Every village has its elders and holy men, its people versed in theservice of the spirits. Whole communities often partake in theserituals, as the maintenance of good relations with the gods is con-sidered to be the duty of an entire village rather than the sole bur-den of a few specialists. Still, there are times when specific knowl-

edge is necessary to guide the correct rituals and propitiations, andfor these things a priest of some kind is needed.

Marabouts (pronounced “MAHR-ah-boos”) are more than simplepriests. Tey are the friends of the spirits, those men and womengifted with a special relationship with the divine. Some labor their whole lives to attain this unity only to fail; others are born with itand do not even recognize the source of their own miracles. Mar-abouts can draw upon this bond to invoke wonders and marvels,and their powers are greatly esteemed by the people.

Most marabouts make their living as religious specialists, consult-ed by the common folk for advice and magical assistance. Few of

them ever rise to any great power, but even their simplest invoca-tions are wondrous to the common people, and useful in manycircumstances. Tose who attain a deep bond with their patronscan perform marvels to astound even heroes.

Some marabouts prefer a more active life, and go out into the world to do the work of their patrons. Te marabouts of the SunFaith honor the ideal of missionary work, and the Spirit Way

commends those brave souls who go from place to place aiding

the needy and demonstrating the might of the spirits. Other mar-abouts simply want to see the world, and find their powers anexcellent passport to a new and more exciting life.

Marabout powers are based upon their “friendships”, the powers with whom they have allied themselves. Different powers have dif-ferent portfolios, and as a marabout grows more potent, they can

PRIME ATTRIBUTES

Wisdom and Charisma

MARABOUT CLASS SKILLS

Artist, Combat/Any, Culture/Own, Leadership,Medicine, Persuade, Priestcraft, Scholar, rade

BONUS SKILLS FOR NEW CHARACTERS

Persuade, Priestcraft, Any One Class Skill, Any One Skill

MARABOUT CLASS DETAILS

LEVEL HIT DICE XP NEEDED CLASS POWERSATTACK BONUS

PHYSICAL EFFECT

MENTAL EFFECT

EVASION MAGIC LUCK

1 1d6 0 Pick two Spheres +1 15 14 16 13 12

2 2d6 2,000 +2 14 13 15 12 113 3d6 4,000 Pick additional Sphere +2 14 13 15 12 11

4 4d6 8,000 +3 13 12 14 11 10

5 5d6 16,000 +4 13 12 14 11 10

6 6d6 32,000 Pick additional Sphere +5 12 11 13 10 9

7 7d6 64,000 +5 12 11 13 10 9

8 8d6 128,000 +6 11 10 12 9 8

9 9d6 256,000 Pick additional Sphere +7 11 10 12 9 8

10 10d6 512,000 Signature Miracle +8 9 8 10 7 6


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befriend more powers. Marabouts of the Sun Faith always firstbefriend the Sun, but may later learn to channel different aspectsof his celestial power much as do those of the Spirit Way.

Very few marabouts outside of the Sun Faith have an exclusiverelationship with a single spiritual power. Tey may be primarily

devotees of a particular god or spirit, but to neglect other powersof importance would be considered folly rather than fidelity. Tespirits and gods require particular prayers and rituals. So long asthey receive them, they are unconcerned about other offerings themarabout might make.

SPHERES OF SPIRITUAL POWERTe gifts of the spirits are divided into several spheres of spiri-tual power. Each marabout may choose two spheres of power atfirst level. Tese spheres will determine which miracles they areallowed to work, and usually relate to the dominant characteristicsof their favored gods or spirits. Variance in this is not unknown,

however- the spirits are deep and sometimes self-contradictory,and the gods may grant what marvels they choose to grant. Asthe character grows in power, they will gain access to additionalspheres, one at 3rd, 6th, and 9th level. Marabouts of the Sun Faithmust choose Sun as one of their first two spheres.

Each marabout then chooses one of their two spheres as a favoredsphere, one characteristic of their most important spiritual rela-tionship. Tis close bond grants an additional special ability basedon that sphere. Relationships change and grow with time, andSpirit Way marabouts may change their favored sphere whenever

they rise in experience level. Sun Faith Marabouts must alwaysmaintain Sun as their favored sphere.

When invoking a miracle, the marabout may choose it from anysphere known to them, without any special preparation or prayerbeforehand. Each marabout has a limit to the number of miracleof any given level they can invoke each day, but they may choosefreely among their known spheres. Te focus and discipline of theSun Faith allows their marabouts to use their power more freelythey may invoke an additional daily miracle of every level they areable to cast. Spiritual energy refreshes after a night’s sleep and amorning prayer.

Te greatest marabouts attain such closeness with their spirituaallies that they may call upon their most familiar powers freely. A10th level, the marabout may choose one first level spell known tothem as a signature miracle. Tis spell cannot be one that causes apermanent effect, such as a healing spell, but it may be cast when-ever the marabout desires without requiring any expenditure ospell slots.

Marabouts are gifted in their powers of maintaining spirituafriendships, and the gods are far from this world. Marabouts can

not imperil their spiritual powers by bad behavior. Some theolo-gians say that powers of darkness sustain the marabout who turnfrom the right paths and give him the strength that his formerfriends no longer grant.

CHOOSING SPHERES AND PATRONSTe table below provides a list of the most common spheres ofspirit magic and a brief description of the spell and gift grantedby each. More detailed descriptions are available in the Magicchapter. For convenience, you should make note of a spell’s effectsomewhere on your character sheet to as to spare yourself from theneed to look it up in the middle of play.

Some players might also wish to choose a specific god or spirit asa patron for the marabout. For the Sun Faithful, this is already agiven, but Spirit Way practitioners often have their own favoritedeities and patron spirits to follow. A description of the religionand the gods of the Tree Lands is given in the setting chapter.

Choosing a patron is not mandatory for those who follow

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Spears of the Dawn