Reporters this issue:
Sir Kirkland (knorthrup@vnet.ibm.com)
Eric F. Schetley (onestar+@pitt.edu)
Kyriakos Sgarbas (HA+3) (sgarbas@upatras.gr)
Richard Pugh (rjpugh@aol.com)
Eric L. Boyd (boyd@eecs.umich.edu)
Jim Rothwell (rothwell@strauss.udel.edu)
Vincent Gray (VINCE@sscl.uwo.ca)
Mike Phillips (msphil@birds.wm.edu)
jlsenn@acs.harding.edu
Patrick A. Lovings (5665@ef.gc.maricopa.edu)
DM Bloodglutton (mdmnh@cc.newcastle.edu.au)
Sandy E. Murphy (IO01092@MAINE.maine.edu)
Cat-Twister (MCSSENCT@CLUSTER.CC.DUNDEE-TECH.AC.UK)
Brother Tyrus (tyrus@dragon.hna.com.au)
UPDATE FROM GRANITE PASS
King Gronk and his Fellowship of the Empty Mug are still trying to
hold off the Zhentish army that has taken Daggerdale. In a tactical
move, the Zhentish army sent about 30 troops to cut off the supply
route from Bordertown to Granite Pass. Fortunately, a scout reported
this to King Gronk. King Gronk took his Fellowship down the pass to
where the troops were and found only a couple of sentries. These King
Gronk and Kharos Ironforge took out from range while three other
members of the group were scouting the area from a carpet of flying.
The horses of the group were found, but the vast majority of the
soldiers had gone into a concealed cave at the end of the pass. While
Gronk and Kharos went to take the sentry out at the horses and scatter
the troops' means of travel, the others were scouting the pass.
Laurellin the mage walked up to a very spooked Zhentish soldier to
find out that the rest of his troop was apparently destroyed by
something in the cave. The soldier forced the lone mage to accompany
him back to the cave. Meanwhile, the dwarves were picked up by the
flying carpet and taken back to Laurellin. The dwarves, half crazy as
it is, jumped from the carpet onto the poor Zhentish soldier.
Unfortunately, he did not live through the encounter. The Fellow-ship
decided to explore the cave, if only to understand how it affects the
security of Granite Pass. They found that it is an old base for a yet
living band of adventurers. Somewhere in this cave is the sword
Heartseeker, which whoever occupied this place did not want to fall
into Pergeiron's hands (Lord of Waterdeep). After some encounters
with undead and a very lucky battle against a mummy (Thank the gods
for a wand of conjuring and summoning for the extra cannon fodder),
the party did find the sword Heartseeker, a holy sword. Instead of
being intelligent and leaving immediately, the group went on some
more. Gronk fell down a chute trap to the lair of a red dragon (and a
pile of scorched Zhents). Luckily for Gronk, the dragon wanted a
deal. A mage (one working for the Zhents in Daggerdale, of course)
had stolen two dragon-eggs from this lair, and the dragon demanded
their return. Gronk quickly agreed (to save his hide) to return the
eggs within two weeks but had to leave Heartseeker as insurance of his
return. So, the Fellowship lives another day.
On returning to Granite Pass, they found that around 100 orcs had
attacked the outpost. The enemy forces were climbing the narrow road
up to the outposts and taking heavy losses because of the tactical
advantage held by the post. King Gronk, the Fellowship, and 12 elite
dwarven warriors who had just returned from an earlier mission
attacked the rearguard of the attacking force. After a quick skirmish
with the orcs and some intense individual fights with the leaders of
the force, the dwarves were victorious in the First Battle of Granite
Pass.
Sir Kirkland: knorthrup@vnet.ibm.com
Eric F. Schetley: onestar+@pitt.edu
Eric L. Boyd: boyd@eecs.umich.edu
HALFLINGS REPORTED MISSING!
It appears that several halflings may be missing from the village
near Blackrock alley (between the High Road and Dragon's Way in South
district). Rumors varry as to the exact number, but they seem to
include a priestess of the village, as well some children. It is
speculated that the priestess went in search of the children, but no
one will comment.
WATCHING DOG-TRAINING A TREAT
Those venturing into the snow covered City (of the Dead) in the
late afternoon can usually be treated to the sight of a very large dog
being exercised and trained. Note: the dog is actually a wolf, and is
a familiar to a witch (male) conjurer. The training involves some
combat training, as well as simple exercise. The witch is careful to
disguise his calling.
GRAIN RIOTS CONTINUING!
The grain riots continue, and have spread to include guild
establishments, as well as the few independents who seem to have been
the cause of rising grain prices (and bread prices, beer prices, etc.)
The guard has been called in to diffuse a few situations, as have some
teams from the Order. The riots are still mainly concentrated in Dock
and South wards, though some incidents have happened in Trades and
Castle wards.
Jim Rothwell: rothwell@strauss.udel.edu
The SVG adventuring group (known to foes as the Silly Vicious Goons) has recently experienced some changes in its organization, and has won a series of major successes.
SVG is composed of: Presteria -- human cleric/mage (10/9)
Bombart -- dwarven fighter (9)
Ralf -- dwarven fighter (9)
Janni -- human swashbuckler thief (11)
Ora -- gnome illusionist/thief (8/8)
Arman -- human ranger (7)
Keymil -- human cleric (9)
Trionalas -- elven cleric/mage (8/8)
The organizational changes that have occured concern Ora and
Arman. Ora had been a henchman of Janni; she has been promoted to
full party membership, following constant good service, and a singular
success against carrion crawlers attacking the party. Arman had been
a hireling, charged with protecting Presteria (who is forbidden to use
any weapon...); after a notable success, detailed below, he too
attained full party membership. It is rumoured that SVG is considering
adding a second ranger, one "Galan of the Hills" to their party.
Adventuring to the east of Silverymoon, the party discovered an
abandoned dwarven complex. Abandoned is used advisedly, as it had
been taken over by a band of kobolds; larger areas had been claimed by
a group of trolls. The kobolds were very organized, beyond what would
be expected, and possessed both ballistae and Greek fire. After a
very difficult series of battles, the party managed to clear the
kobolds and disposed of the trolls.
What surprised SVG more than anything else was the level of
organization of the kobolds. After interrogating a captive, it
discovered that there was also a "walking statue" in the area;
investigating, they discovered a secret door behind the statue. In
turn, this discovery led them into another complex off the kobold
lair, which contained living quarters of one of their former opponents
(who had been killed off the coast of Straitguard Island).
This opponent, Corm Alantan, a human cleric of Myrkul (and
formerly an illusionist), had left his area trapped quite adequately.
A particularly painful discovery was the glyph of blade barrier left
behind to guard his living quarters and research centre: Presteria and
Ora died from the experience. The multiple traps on Corm's permanent
spellbooks, although difficult to deal with, claimed no casualties.
The party has since claimed this area as a centre of operations;
authorities in Silverymoon are prepared to allow this. Notices
advertising for an alchemist have been posted in Silverymoon: this to
be a staff position funded by SVG (see copy below). SVG also hopes the
presence of a dwarven shrine in the complex (guarded by iron golems)
will also attract dwarves to follow Ralf and/or Bombart.
Party members were approached by representatives of the Harpers,
with a view to recruiting members; it is unclear whether any SVG
members have joined with the Harpers. It is known, however, that SVG
was instrumental in freeing the ruler of Mirabar: the Red Wizards are
suspected of involvement in his disappearance. However, less reliable
reports indicate that the disappearance might be simply part of an
ongoing contest between the Mage of Shadowdale and a foreign wizard
named Dalamar the Black.
Following this success, SVG attracted two paladins of Torm to
their banner, and set out after a black dragon (led by the nose, by a
sword possessed by Ralf). Arriving at the swamp, the party searched
for a long period of time, and finally managed to locate the dragon
(turned to stone), by what villagers nearby reported to be a medusa.
An apparent movement of a stone claw of the beast was later discovered
to be a illusion cast by Ora: she was severely chastised.
Arriving at the medusa's lair (a deep pit), the party was
horrified to discover that the beast was in fact a beholder: both of
the paladins vanished as they were struck by the beams from the
beholder's eyes.
Janni had met a messy fate prior to the discovery of the beholder.
She had opted to jump into the pit, trusting to Ora's feather fall
spell to arrest her movement: unfortunately, the spell failed against
the beholder's central eye beam, and Janni plunged 120' to lie broken
and bleeding at the bottom of the pit.
Bombart had experienced the same fate, as his cloak of arachnida
catastrophically failed: he maintained his consciousness, only to be
telekinesed up onto a group of stalactites at the ceiling. Managing to
grab hold of one, he attempted to secure his hold by pounding an iron
spike into the stalactite, which shattered and again sent him plunging
to the floor.
Other party members quickly rappeled down into the pit: after
hitting the beholder a couple of times, Ralf was petrified by the
beholder [after successfully making 9 saving throws]; Ora managed to
bind Janni's wounds on the off-chance that she still lived. Hence, the
battle against the beholder was largely left to Arman, Bombart being
unconscious, the paladins gone, and Ralf petrified.
Arman made the hit of his life: taking his time, and swinging very
carefully [called shot], he managed to sever a number of the
beholder's eye stalks. When the beast turned to flee [disintegrate,
CSW, petrification, slow all severed], Arman struck an even more
telling blow, and split the beast in two. For his valour and service
above and beyond the call of duty, Arman was promoted to full party
member.
Returning to the village, SVG was disconcerted to discover that
the inhabitants were freed of charms cast by the beholder, and both
apologetic and thankful for their release.
The party travelled back to Waterdeep and began investigating
Undermountain. It appears that they annoyed someone or some group: one
of their servants was murdered, and a message left on the body. Upon
ignoring the message, SVG was attacked by a band of hireswords, known
as the Band of the Broken Land: after a difficult battle, SVG won the
day. One survivor of the Band of the Broken Land escaped, returning
later to gather up some of the bodies of his fallen comrades. He (and
they) have since departed Waterdeep.
SVG appears to have followed suit: reports indicate that they
visited Mirabar, but are now again in the Silverymoon vicinity.
WANTED
For Hire
One Experienced Alchemist
for an indeterminate period
by the Adventuring Band
SVG
Salary to be negotiated
Equipped laboratory provided
Apprentice negotiable
Contact Presteria at the
Temple of Mystra
Silverymoon
Vincent Gray: VINCE@sscl.uwo.ca
Kyriakos Sgarbas: sgarbas@upatras.gr
Patrick A. Lovings: 5665@ef.gc.maricopa.edu
"The Eternal Wanderer wasss dessstroyed asss part of a commerccccial conflict with the employer of the sscro mercccennariesss."
Little additional information has been found. All that is known
is that a powerful commercial adversary wanted the Eternal Wanderer
destroyed and its crew killed. One should also note that local
authorities found the charred, burned body of a Dizantur near the
sight of the wreck. Apparently this dizantur had orders to
assassinate the Eternal Wanderer's second mate, the famed arcane
inventor and scholar, Blaise Pascal.
The crew of the Eternal Wanderer was last seen in Krynnspace,
where they recently defeated a pirate operation, as reported last
month. They are now using a converted illithid dreadnought, named the
Eternal Wanderer II. It is assumed that the dreadnought is the same
one that was located in the flow near Realmspace some months back.
How the dreadnought was transported and converted in such a short time
has not been adequately explained. The Narrashan Towing and Salvage
Service, which also oversaw certain aspects of the salvage and
conversion, has refused to disclose any details.
Witnesses on Spectre do report seeing Narrashan tradesman making
frequent trips to and from Spectre, carrying lumber, metals, and other
ship building materials. The only non-Narrashan ship involved in this
incident was a kraken-class squidship called the Calla Maraine, owned
by Tiegorus of Maplegrove, a friend of the Eternal Wanderer's crew.
All adventurers are advised to be on the alert for attacks from
pirates and mercenaries, especially if they are carrying powerful
spelljamming equipment.
Additional details will be posted as they become available.
Richard Pugh: rjpugh@aol.com
A DRAGON IN GREYHAWK
by the Shadow Monk
I recently made a trip to the city of Greyhawk with the intention
of investigating reports that dragons, Greyhawk dragons, resided in
the city in secret. I found that the reports are indeed true.
After tracking the magical emmenations of several hundred
residents, the ones that I supected because of their behavior, I
decided to confront the top ten suspects, and go from there. The
third resident that I confronted responded in the following manner:
I accepted, and later asked him straight out, "Are you of the
species called 'Greyhawk dragon'?" At first he laughed at me, but I
knew that this was no ordinary being.
We had been playing magical manipulation games all evening. I
would try to Know his Alignment, and he would counter by Altering his
Psychic Footprint. I would Shield my Thoughts moments before he
Probed them. I would try to Penetrate his Disguise but find that a
Mental Barrier was in place. All the while, we carried on a
conversation about the artistic value found in the paintings of
Juhlamy, and the like. But he could not hide the fact that he was
much more than he was pretending to be.
When he stopped laughing at my seemingly ridiculous query and
noted that I was quite serious, he asked me some questions which
proved to him that I intended no harm to him or to his kind. He then
agreed to an interview, as long as I respected his privacy.
In the interview that followed, he showed me his true form to
prove to me that he was indeed a dragon, and he told me of his current
status in the city, proving that he was (and had been for a long time)
living in the city of Greyhawk.
I could say more, but I send this report as it stands, to protect
the privacy of "Marcus". I will say this, however: Greyhawk is a much
better place because of the likes of "Marcus" and his kind.
The Shadow Monk: ???@???
DM Bloodglutton: mdmnh@cc.newcastle.edu.au
Richard Pugh: rjpugh@aol.com
As of Dayrise, Martak 14, 2569, the fourth planetary body of
system Omnispace, Sphereworld, disappeared.
The disappearance was first reported by orbital observatory
outpost Tarakalam shortly after dayrise.
Sphereworld has been an interplanetary anomoly since its first
reported observation in 1126. The "planet", an E-size world, is
actually a Dyson's Sphere. Spelljamming vessels have never been able
to land on Sphereworld; it projected a reversal field that none could
penetrate.
The world was colored black and appeared to be of the same
material the Spheres are composed of. This is conjecture, however,
since no ship has ever landed on the surface.
Unable to touch the surface, astronomers, sages, and wizards used
to man observation asteriods. With the use of modified crystal balls,
the surface was mapped and explored. There were two major continents,
one on each side of the "surface", surrounded by water on all sides.
The world was populated by all known races of sentients.
One person was known to escape Sphereworld, the samurai Onestar.
How this was managed is unknown, although divine intervention is
rumored.
Sages have long believed that Sphereworld was the creation of the
gods, for whatever reason they have never revealed. However, since
this has never been proven, it cannot be counted as fact.
Devonshire Tawrn,
Deputy Minister of Interplanetary Affairs,
Omni, Omnispace
Omnispace: Omni,
HARLOK ANDRESSON, SAGE, PREDICTS DEATH, DESTRUCTION, THEN DIES
Omnispace's oldest, wisest, and most controversial sage died today
outside the Spire of Eternal Thought. Andresson predicted that
Omnispace was doomed to a painful death if they did not stop the
Council's attempt of controlling all magic.
While Andresson has been predicting the end of Omnispace for the
past 200 hundred years (quite a long for a human), the crowd gathered
by the Spire today commented after his collapse that he "seemed quite
sincere, even frightened."
Andresson spoke for 15 minutes then died from what appeared to be
heart failure. His body was taken into the Spire after collapsing.
Second Magican Tannenbam Colicor commented to the crowd after
Andresson collapsed that "a great man has left us. No longer will he
share his insight with us...no longer guide us along the correct
path."
This proved to be interesting, since Colicor has been a long-
standing feud between Colicor and Andresson. Andresson, considered
radical for his views and stands, was almost removed from the sphere
on several occasions by Colicor. He might have succeded were it not
for Lord Monitor "running interference."
Andresson had no heirs. He did write up a will, however, and it
is expected to be read next week.
Omnispace: Omni,
COLICOR CONTINUES HIS QUEST FOR ARTIFACTS
Second Magican Tannenbam Colicor has upped the ante on his search
for Artifacts (announced two months back). He is now offering 250,000
GP for each genuine artifact brought to him at the Spire of Eternal
Thought.
However, reports from the Spire indicate that if you've got an
artifact you're thinking about selling, you'd better make it fast.
Lord Monitor, it has been rumored, has been yelling in Council
sessions at Colicor at his actions.
Lord Monitor, after returning from his years-long journey, has not
been pleased with Colicor's actions. Lord Monitor has not approved of
Colicor's actions, and unrest has occured in Council because of this.
In a related matter, one of the first artifacts brought before
Colicor remains to be determined. New information about this artifact
has been released in hopes that someone might know its secrets.
It is a box approximately 2ft by 2ft by 2ft. Crafted in a dark
bronze, the box radiates magic. There appears to be no way to open
the box, but it also has a large red indentation on the top.
Anyone with knowledge or information about this artifact is
requested to contact Tannenbam Colicor on Omni.
Eric F. Schetley: onestar+@pitt.edu
The Republic of Darokin: Darokin City:
MERCHANT MAKES INSURANCE CLAIM
Bancohr, a merchant dealing in fine porcelaine, placed an
insurance claim on the cargo destroyed in the accident in Akorros.
Lord's of Darokin is said to have insured the cargo for its full
value. Rumor places the claim to be in excess of 100,000 daros (gold
pieces). The merchant has already announced his plans to leave the
mercantile life.
Mike Phillips: msphil@birds.wm.edu
Mike Phillips: msphil@birds.wm.edu
Mike Phillips: msphil@birds.wm.edu
Barsaive:
The players gathered together in a way common to the day, each
seeking the companionship and safety of a group in these dangerous
times, to seek fame and fortune. In the northeastern corner of
Barsaive is the small but growing town of Haven, built on the edge of
the ruined city of Parlainth. Parlainth was a Theran city during the
Scourge. However, to protect itself during the scourge it did not use
the regular Rites of Warding and Protection. Through the use of great
magic, the entire city was removed to a pocket in another plane.
However, it did not escape the horrors. After the scourge, it
reappeared, devoid of inhabitants and in ruins, and far from where it
initially resided. In Parlainth are great treasures and great danger,
both of which attract adventurers, Theran spies, and the people who
provide for them : the vendors and shopkeepers of the bustling town of
Haven.
The group is as follows:
On their journey to Haven, they encounter the small village of
Tureem, where they are mistaken by the villagers as a group of
adventurers who were sent for to rid the village of some kind of
monster that has been coming into the village and killing villagers.
The group finds the town's hospitality on their initial entry
extremely strange and unnerving. In these post-scourge times, most
small villages are wary, suspicious and sometimes blatantly hostile
and violent to travellers, for fear they may be horror tainted. Until
the characters discover the mix up when they are approached by the
village elder, they are extremely edgy. When they tell the elder of
the mix up, he tells them that the other group is two days overdue,
and if the adventurers could do it he would be willing to pay them the
fee, plus whatever else they may find when they slay the monster. The
players agree and track the beast deep into the forest nearby the
village. Unable to find the beast, all the players except for
Tornyphael continue to hack through the forest hoping to draw the
monsters attention. Tornyphael flies back along the trail, believing
the monster to be back that way and that the rest of the group is
looking in the wrong place. Well, he was right. Searching through
the brush, he comes across a tangle of bushes making a dark tunnel
deeper into the woods. About to head back to the rest of the group,
he is surprised by the monster, a Jehuthra. The Jehuthra is a horror
construct, looking like a gigantic spider but with the distorted head
of a humanoid. Tornyphael flees and soon works out he can fly faster
than it can run, as it chases him. He did not know, however, of the
monster's special abilities. A blast of what looks like web comes
from the beast. Tornyphael cries out just before the web like
substance strikes him, enveloping him in the web and sending him
plummeting to the ground. The Jehuthra chases him, and is about to
sink its fangs into him when the rest of the group, alerted by the
cry, charge forward. Mestoph, the obsidiman wizard, starts tossing
spells at the beast while Gotrix and Felix hack at it. After a
pitched battle, the beast dies. The group finds its lair, discovering
an amulet. Tornyphael, through the talent Astral Sight, discovers it
is magical, however a great deal of research must be conducted into
magic items before there powers can be found and used, regardless of
the item. Returning to the village, the group collects the reward,
and heads on to haven.
In Haven, they seek the wizard Heinmor to fathom the purpose of
the magical amulet. He agrees to do it, however it will take two
weeks, and he requests in payment the group to deliver a package to
the Elven Court in Blood Wood. The group shudders, for all of
Barsaive knows of the corruption of Blood Wood. During the scourge,
the elves in Blood Wood refused to make regular kaers like everybody
else. Instead, they wove the forest itself into a kaer, twisting the
plants through magic into the wards of protection. However, after two
hundred years, the kaers were gradually breached by a certain type of
horror, one that thrives on inflicting pain on people. Seeing the
imminent downfall of the elves in the wood, the Elven Queen ordered
her wizards to find a solution. The solution was terrible indeed.
The spellweavers of the court cast a spell that would change them
forever. From the skin of all the elves within the court grew thorns,
leaving the elves in constant, excruciating, almost unbearable pain.
The horrors, unable to feed by inflicting pain, left and thus the
elves were saved, but at a high price. The woods themselves began to
reflect the corruption, being, as like the elves, beautiful in its
terror.
In Haven the group is spied upon by Therans, for they know Hiermon
has an artifact from the ruins of Parlainth, and they want it badly.
Their movements are tracked, and once they leave Haven they are
attacked 2 days down the trail on the 2 week journey to Haven.
Overcoming the enemy, but failing to capture the spies, they continue
onward, stopping halfway at the Midland Trading Post. Here, in the
evening they are set upon again while they sleep by orcs. Defeating
the foes again, the spies only barely make their escape by slaying the
group's horses.
Finally, the group arrives at Blood Wood, marvelling at its terror
and beauty, and that of the elves, as they are granted safe passage
through due to a rune stick Hiermon gave to them. They report to
Blood Warder Takaris, and deliver the box. Unfortunately, the item
they have to take back to Hiermon has not been collected (blood ivy),
so Takaris asks/forces the group to perform a task for him while the
ivy is collected. They are to find a slaver, one Fegis Kul by name,
and free the slaves.
The last heard of the group, they had exited Blood Wood, and were
searching for the slaver.
Brother Tyrus: tyrus@dragon.hna.com.au
Sandy E. Murphy: IO01092@MAINE.maine.edu
Cat-Twister: MCSSENCT@CLUSTER.CC.DUNDEE-TECH.AC.UK
First, the preliminaries, including races and disciplines (classes for
you AD&D freaks).
[hey, hey, no name calling ;-) -- Mike]
(EARTHDAWN and BARSAIVE are Trademarks of FASA Corporation. Copyright (c) 1993 FASA Corporation. All Rights Reserved.)
Archer: An Archer learns the art of the bow. This Discipline stresses
accuracy, and to a lesser extent, speed. Most Archers show great
perceptive powers, often noticing things that others miss.
Racial limit: Can't be Obsidimen.
Beastmaster: Beastmasters have a skill for working with animals. Most
Beastmasters feel uncomfortable in large cities or towns, and prefer
to live in the wild, far away from other people.
Racial limit: Can't be Obsidimen or T'skrang.
Cavalryman: Cavalrymen are fierce, mounted warriors. They train with
their mounts and form an empathic bond with them. A Cavalryman often
respects his mount more than other characters or people, excepting
other Cavalrymen. This Discipline emphasizes emotion and empathy for
the character's mounts.
Racial limits: Can't be Obsidimen.
Elementalist: An Elementalist is a spellcaster who learns about and
gains power over the five magical elements: air, earth, fire, water,
and wood.
Racial limit: None.
Illusionist: Illusionists cast spells that work through deception.
Some illusionist spells have real effect, however, because
illusionists learned long ago that if everything they did was an
illusion, people caught on. Now they balance real magic, illusions,
and sheer trickery or sleight of hand.
Racial limits: None.
Nethermancer: Nethermancers are spellcasters who specialize in the
magic of the netherworlds. Their magic focuses on other planes, and
they can access the spirits and creatures that inhabit those planes.
Most people consider Nethermancers to be a little "off" in an eerie
sort of way, and most followers of this Discipline are unlikely to win
any popularity contests.
Racial limits: Can't be Windling.
Sky Raider: Sky Raiders form a potent force in Barsaive. Their sky
ships raid all over the kingdom, most frequently targeting Therans or
their vassals. Sky Raiders are proud, and show great loyalty to other
Sky Raiders, unless that raider belongs to an enemy clan or moot.
Racial limits: Can't be Elf, Obsidimen, or Windling.
Swordmaster: Swordmasters learn the value of a well-handled sword,
training to demonstrate quickness and flash in a fight. Swordmasters
often swagger a bit.
Racial limits: Obsidimen.
Thief: Thieves learn early to be self-reliant and how to steal. They
draw power from their self-confidence and the knowledge that they must
depend only on themselves. The abundance of rumors governing thief
guilds means such groups do, in fact, exist, but the proof or disproof
of their reality remains a secret.
Racial limits: Troll, Obsidimen.
Troubadour: Troubadours serve as entertainers, storytellers, actors,
and songsmiths. They represent the closest thing to a historian or
scholar that common people usually see.
Racial limits: None.
Warrior: Warriors are fighters trained to use magic to enhance their
techniques. They often join other Warriors in groups called orders,
living in seclusion in self-sufficient settlements similar to monastic
orders.
Racial limits: None.
Weaponsmith: A Weaponsmith trains to gain an iron will and a very
critical eye. Weaponsmiths borrow a bit from elemental magic, and a
bit from wizardry as well. Weaponsmiths help identify and create
legendary weapons. Nearly every community in Barsaive values
Weaponsmiths.
Racial limits: None.
Wizard: Wizards are spellcasters well trained in the theoretical
aspects of magic. Those who follow other spellcasting Disciplines
sometimes disparage Wizards as "book magicians," but very few have the
guts to call a Wizard that to his or her face.
Racial limits: None.
* please note that all these races are available to PC's, and do not conform to the stereotypes in other systems, for example there are orcs and trolls running shops, in positions of government, etc etc.
Racial descriptions:
Dwarf: Stocky build; ~4 ft. tall; ~120 lbs.; skin is pinkish-white to
ebony; hair is abundant and in all colors; physically mature by 10
yrs.; live to 100 yrs.
Elf: Slim build; ~6 ft.; ~150 lbs.; skin is pure white to jet black -
rarely a pale green; hair is fine but luxuriant, abundant o nhead but
sparse elsewhere, ranging in normal colors including violet, blue, and
metallic/iridescent; physically mature in 20's; live to 300 yrs.
Human: Do I really need to explain this one?
Obsidiman: Bulky build; ~7 ft.; ~900 lbs.; skin appears in all stone
colorations (from individual to individual, of course) - a rare few
have veins of rich stones running through them; hairless; physically
mature by their first century; life span unknown; associated and
rarely stray far from their Liferock - the place or more specifically
the "rock" from which they were born.
Ork: Powerful build; ~6 ft.; ~225 lbs.; skin can appear olive-green,
beige, pinkish, tan, ebony; coarse black or grey hair, physically
mature in their teens; live to 40 yrs.
Troll: Huge build; ~8.5 ft.; ~500 lbs.; skin from olive to mahogany;
normal hair coloration, but thick - esp. on head; physically mature in
their teens; live to 50 yrs.
T'skrang: Lithe and wiry build; ~6 ft.; ~200 lbs. - 40 of which is the
tail; skin tones from green, green-yellow, green blue, aqua, to
sunset-red; hairless; physical mature by 10; live to be 80 yrs.
Windling: Small build, wings (like dragonfly); ~18 inches; ~13 lbs.;
chameleon-like skin that changes color slowly (over a period of
months) to match the Windling's surroundings; hair colors are normal,
but abundant and luxuriant; physically mature at age 30; live to 170
yrs. - do not show signs of aging.
Editor's note: see also the NEWS FROM BARSAIVE section for one of his adventures
Brother Tyrus: tyrus@dragon.hna.com.au