Inspired by the Inquisitor Prestige Class by Atlas Games. Portions of this post are governed by the OGL.
INTRODUCTION
An inquisitor must be completely dedicated to the Church and must possess the skills required to wring the truth from those who would lie to him. As the Church of the Thirteen Gods and the Colleges of Kynafir are diametrically opposed in outlook and practice, those with Paranormal: Magic need not apply. All Inquisitors have a Read More
Image via Wikipedia
Senet is an ancient board game and probably the oldest existing one. The game board is a grid of thirty squares, arranged in three rows of ten. A senet game has two sets of pawns and is a race game for two players, with moves determined by tosses of dice. Some versions have special squares on the board such as places the pawns must land on the way to the end, a square pawns could be sent back to and a square pawns may only leave on a roll of 3.
It’s widely played by people of all social standings and spectators often gamble on the outcome of the game although it’s considered rude for the players to do so. The more superstitious player believes that his skill at a game of Senet affects Read More
Image via WikipediaBeast men believe that the spirits of the dead, sentient and otherwise, haunt the killer for eternity unless appeased. Bone witches are the people who do this. Whenever a beast man kills something whether it be man, dwarf or deer, he tries to retrieve a small bone to take back to his tribe. Then he gives the bone to the witch, who adds it to the myriad already attached to her in jewelry and clothing, speaks to the spirit of the dead being and makes peace with it so the spirit will move on instead of haunting the beast men. Since beast men are nomadic, she could have bones from dozens of different kinds of sentient beings and animals.
The tribes believe that whenever something bad happens, Read More
Image by buck82 via Flickr
The priesthood of the Church in Kynafir has a far reaching and deep history, rooted within the traditions of the Thirteen Gods. Unlike the orthodox priesthoods usually found within Western society on Earth, the role of the cleric is vastly different within the society as a whole. Rather than seek the divine and develop a rapport with the gods, the role is akin to an everyday job. The mystical attributes of the cleric take on a secondary role, when one considers the heightened role religion plays within Kynafir. Not only is religion a way to attain the ethereal and basic needs of the people, but it also serves as a mechanism to order society, to create a hierarchy, and to preserve the culture for future generations. As such, the role of the priests and priestesses is both functional and mystical on both levels.
A cleric either attains their post by Read More
From MadBrewLabs, Uncle Bear, Games of State
and finally from me to you!T’was the night before Christmas,
And all though the house,
Not a creature was stiring,
Not even a mouse,
Except up in the rafters,
Sat a lone geek,
Tapping away while coding php.Though cold outside,
In his mind it was warm.
He dreamed of comments and code
and hardcore porn.
The dread-lord Cthulhu rose in his mind,
Han, Chewie and Leia lagging behind,
As a high elf warlord drove his sword home
Splitting Cthuhlu right to the bone.The code once compiled,
The website displayed,
The geek sitting down,
Started to sway.
He slowly slumped down,
Embracing deep sleep,
Fantasy worlds beneath his feet.
T’was the night before Christmas…
Image by Getty Images via Daylife
Most people believe disease is spread due to sin, evil spirits or imbalances in the “humors” or elements of the body. This means that doctors in Valiant are Read More
Image via WikipediaThe most popular religion of Valiant follows some variant of the pantheon of the Thirteen Gods. These gods between them are responsible for almost everything that happens in the world from creation to forest fires to hurricanes. What none of them is responsible for is disease and the deliberate evil perpetuated by those with intelligence. That is the purview of Read More
Image by Madasor via Flickr“Orthodox Kynafirs don’t take part in some of the merry fun, viewing the bonfires and dancing as savage rites that don’t belong in modern holiday observances. They contend that reversals are the true representation of the day but that the remaining customs are just an excuse to indulge in licentatious behavior not sanctioned by the Books. … One heretical sect, the Benignos, broke from the Church over the issue of holiday observances but was stamped out fairly quickly and took no real foothold in the minds of the people.” Excerpt from Rithision - A Holiday.
Adherents of this sect are Read More
Image via Wikipedia Rithision is on the 4th of Ufand in the dead of winter. By this time everywhere, even lands on the equator, has gotten very much colder than the rest of the year although the following month is actually lower in mean temperature. Everyone is already tired of the snow and rain and fights and arguments are much more common as people are holed up with each other more than they think they can stand. (Mean tropical temeratures drop to as low as 40 degrees Farenheit in Umbrand. Contrast this to Earth where tropical temperatures rarely drop below 70. While 40d F isn’t really cold for most people in the Western World, it’s pretty chilly to people who see over 100dF averages in summer.)Early peoples on Valiant celebrated this day by building huge bonfires with as much extra fuel as they could find. Later, they included “reversal” moments - a manor lord comes and works in the local tavern for the evening, a peasant is invited to the Lord’s table for breakfast, a merchant pays someone to take one of his wares, a sculptor poses for his model, etc.
Over time, the one day event grew and in larger cities might last as long as 7 days while in most other places it’s 4 or 5 days long. Cities are better able to sustain the break in labor a long festival creates than a smaller town or village. Kings and Lords have sometimes tried to shorten it, especially if they don’t want to participate in the “reverse” events, but the people always carry on with their fun. Decorations include evergreens and other things that live or thrive in winter like the pelt of the blue lynx.
Classical literature in Kynafir includes writings by Ercilia, who uses the setting of Rithision for a discussion between a peasant, a manor lord and a merchant on the merits of a variety of economic choices. One part of the Book of Morals is a series of proverbs about generosity and gift giving which most people take to mean that “reverse” events should be taken with good humor.
Orthodox Kynafirs don’t take part in some of the merry fun, viewing the bonfires and dancing as savage rites that don’t belong in modern holiday observances. They contend that reversals are the true representation of the day but that the remaining customs are just an excuse to indulge in licentatious behavior not sanctioned by the Books. The official Church stance is the merry-making is all in good fun if indulged in moderation, no harm to the souls of the Faithful. One heretical sect, the Benignos, broke from the Church over the issue of holiday observances but was stamped out fairly quickly and took no real foothold in the minds of the people.
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