I will post handouts here on various topics to add depth to the game world.

God of the Sun

Alignment: Neutral Good
Spheres: Good, Healing, Strength, Sun
Weapon: Mace




In the four god pantheon of the Triplefang, Pelor is first and foremost.  He is commonly acknowledged as the leader of the gods.  He has more followers than any of the other three gods and shrines to Pelor are found in every Triplefang town, village, and settlement.  Pelor created the Sun, thus lifting the darkness that covered the world, but leaves it in the sky for only half the day to remind the world of that infinite darkness that once enveloped it.  At birth, Pelor provides humans with a soul, and gives their bodies the ability to heal.  As they grow Pelor increases their strength until the reach their potential at which point they must slowly return his gifts.  Pelor grants magical powers to healing and cure disease to his priests and clerics.  He considers the power of healing so import that he even allows the other three gods to grant these powers to their priests.

A great temple called Goldenpoint was built on a tall hill overlooking the Ventash river near the center of the Triplefang lands to pay tribute to the leader of the gods.  This is the crossroads of the land.  The bridge at Goldenpoint is the best place to cross the river.  It is said that all paths lead through Goldenpoint.  Healing potions, potions of strength, holy water, and excellent Goldenpoint port can all be purchased there.  The guardian Arkus can also create enchanted weapons and armor for the battle against evil.

Tales have been told of a cathedral and monastery, called the Crest of Illumination, high in the mountains where two ranges meet.  The truest of followers travel north and follow the morning sun east in pilgrimage.  Those who return bring back the wisdom and knowledge to become clan elders.  However only those of good alignment may enter the cathedral.

Notable followers: Eldress Elana, High Priest Halfgan, Father Bardi Triplefang, Arkus
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:23, Tue 27 Mar 2018.

Goddess of the Woodlands

Alignment: Neutral Good
Spheres: Animal, Good, Plant, Sun
Weapon: Longsword



Ehlonna is not the Earth Mother figure many outsiders assume her to be.  She is a stern protector of good and the balance of nature.  She is rarely seen by followers, but tales of encounters with Ehlonna circulate through the ranks of those who aim to harm nature.  She is said to be unaturally tall, slim, and inhumanly fast and graceful.  Her attacks are instantaneous and leathal with one exception.  She often leaves a sole survivor to spread the word.

Elhonna's greatest acheivement was bringing the chaotic forces of weather, birth, death,  light and dark into harmonious cycles.  This stroke of brilliance proppeled her from unknown entity to full fledged goddess.  Elhonna is unusual among gods in that she is not foremost in any one area.   She is second to Pelor in bringing life, light, and holy purity of purpose, and even though she created the great balance of nature, she shares the duties of its maintainence and protection equally with Obad-Hai.  Never-the-less, her qualities are highly admired within the Triplefang clan.  Nearly as many farmers and ranchers follow Ehlonna as do Pelor.  She even has a few strictly warrior followers.

Notable followers: Glumr Triplefang, Elder Baywald
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:23, Tue 27 Mar 2018.

God of Battle

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Spheres: Chaos, War, Strength, Travel, Water
Weapon: Battle Axe



Strong, tough, extremely aggressive, and wildly unpredictable, Harix is a powerful wildcard.  His battle style favors hand-to-hand, but has been known to hurl weapons to the horizon and beyond.  Harix will never back down from a fight, but he sometimes becomes distracted and moves on.  He is a wanderer who prizes his freedom, and seizes what he wants.  It is said that when Harix had roamed all the land he created a boat and took to the sea.  When he had roamed all the sea he created an airship and took to the skies.  When he roamed all the skies he created a chariot to roam the Heavens.  Of these inventions, it is the boat he is most famous for.  Triplefang naval prowess has kept invaders from their lands for centuries.  Followers of Harix are often skilled at marine raids and ship to ship combat, which consists mostly of brash boarding tactics.  Raids into other lands have brought food, wealth, glory, temporary slave labor, and new blood to the Triplefang clan.  It is the vocal minority of Harix followers who fuel the Triplefang's expansion.  They seek to explore the world and defeat all enemies.  Harix's warriors have a strong sense of honor, but their code is not rigid. This sense of honor is generally Good and balances out the Evil, destructive nature of their raiding and warfare.  It leads them to be charitable and helpful to their clan and non-enemy outsiders.

Shrines to Harix are often erected on battle sites.  When a new shrine is built near an older shrine, the older one is often forgotten and neglected.  This is not a sign of disrespect, but an indication of the temporary nature of things.  The armory at Silvergate is a notable exception.  This fortress within a fortress was built to stand the test of time.  There is a great monastery at The Rocks of Chaos.  Surrounded by treacherous water and jagged rocks this location was chosen for its mystery and danger.  The Rocks of Chaos have spawned several mythical beasts which Harix has sent to the mortal realm to do his bidding.

Harix has fewer priests than any of the other four major religions, since his followers train first, fight second, and worship third.


Notable followers: Heinrich, Tora Triplefang
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:24, Tue 27 Mar 2018.

God of Nature

Alignment: Neutral
Spheres: Air, Animal, Earth, Fire, Plant, Water
Weapon: Quarterstaff





Obad-Hai is the oldest of the gods.  Some say that he has always been.  There is no doubt that he existed before any of the other gods, which leads to speculation among Obad-Hai's priests and followers that he created the other gods.  Priests of Pelor deny this, claiming that he is merely the sole survivor of the old gods of the dark age.  Either way Obad-Hai is keeping the truth a secret, as is his nature.

Long before Elhona created nature, or Pelor created man, Obad-Hai created the animals, plants, and elements.  Many of his creations are gone, which does not disturb Obad-Hai so long as some basic balance is maintained.  At first he tampered and interfered repeatedly to keep this balance, but since Elhona crafted the cycles of nature he has been content to take a less active role.

Obad-Hai has the fewest followers of the four Triplefang gods.  His followers are often loners.  They are very secretive.  Most mysterious among them are the enigmatic druids.  This ancient order guards great wisdom and incredible power.  Their true motives are rarely known, even within the order.  Few druids know more than a few other druids.  Unlike priests (Obad-Hai has very few priests) the druids draw their magic directly from secret places where Obad-Hai hides power.  Priests of Obad-Hai are respected for their divination powers and thus are sometimes refered to as oracles.

Because there are so few priests, there are also few shrines.  The most notable shrine known to our heroes is located somewhere close to the Essential Spring in the east.  It is made entirely of live plants.  Rumors claim there are other shrines, each guarded by an elemental.

Notable followers: Mord Triplefang, Hollykhan Triplefang, Snow Triplefang
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:24, Tue 27 Mar 2018.

The Triplefang lands are predominantly grasslands and low rolling hills. The land is bordered on the west by the sea, by mountains to the north and east, and by swamps to the south. Lightly forested areas are common, with a few uncommon, small, densely forested areas.  Ponds and streams are found everywhere.  The Ventach river splits the northern lands from the southern lands.  It is the only river large enough for serious water travel.  It flows slowly east to west, and is mainly used for transporting goods to Silvergate.  If you want to get around, you will almost certainly travel by land.



Even though there are few roads, the vast majority of the land is easily traversed either on foot, by horse, or by cart.  You can cover about 50 miles a day unencumbered on a fast horse.  Normal horseback travel can cover about 30 miles a day.  An average, medium, encumbered person  on foot can cover about 15 miles a day.  Heavy snow, thick forest, difficult hills, or swamps all reduce movement to about half these speeds, but these terrains are rare (with the exception of snow in winter).  Traveling in the mountains is even tougher, and is often compounded by snow.
Water is easy to find during all seasons.  The many streams and ponds that provide fresh water do little to slow travel.  Food can be foraged three seasons a year, but it also slows travel to about half the normal rate.  Finding food in winter will require hunting.



Estimated Distances

Volge - Silvergate    36 miles  road
Volge - Goldenpoint   40 miles  road
Volge - Crim          90 miles  grasslands
Goldenpoint - Pliffa  65 miles  road or grasslands
Goldenpoint - Gollag  70 miles  grassland
Gollag - Kammarra     85 miles  grasslands, hills
Gollag - Crim         56 miles  grasslands
Crim - Kammarra       50 miles  grasslands, hills
Kammarra - Utsk	      30 miles	dark swamps, hills
	              10 miles	water
Utsk - Rankor Heights 45 miles	road

This message was last edited by the GM at 21:24, Tue 27 Mar 2018.

With rare exceptions goblinoids are a constant threat to the Triplefang, other human clans, and even the dwarves.  They are usually evil and also tend towards chaos.  They can be found literally everywhere, but are concentrated in numbers in the swamps and dark forests to the south.


Goblins

By far the most common and numerous of the goblinoids, these small creatures breed and mature very quickly.  They make up for with numbers what they lack in power.  Even the largest goblin is rarely larger that 3'6" or 50lbs.  Their skin varies in shade from blood red to mustard yellow to a pale white (mostly encountered in the mountains).  They are crafty, cunning, devious, and cowardly.  Goblins prefer to use ambushes or overwhelming odds in combat, and often panic and flee when things go poorly.  They have the uncanny ability to see in the dark and will nearly always use this to their advantage, attacking at night or luring enemies underground.  Goblins are as adept with shamanic magic as humans and excel at arcane magic, likely exceeding human abilities.  However, they are short lived and rarely become truly powerful, magically.  Goblins will eat nearly anything and are excellent farmers in their own way, though much of their food is disgusting or inedible to humans.


Hobgoblins

Hobgoblins are larger, stronger, and tougher than goblins.  Unlike goblins, hobgoblins are disciplined, brave, and very warlike.  They have a strong grasp of tactics and strategy, but lack the goblins' general cunning and magical abilities.  Goblins typically fear and obey their larger cousins, who press this advantage to bully and dominate them.   Hobgoblin raids also tend to take place at night to take advantage of their ability to see in the dark, but are much better organized and dangerous than goblin attacks.

Hobbes

These fat, physically twisted albinos are nearly as large as hobgoblins.  They are more petty, cruel, and malicious than either goblins or hobgoblins.  They are also more rare and are found alone or in small groups.  It is said that Hobbes originally taught magical craft to the goblins.  This is certainly possible.  They live longer than any other goblinoid race and have an aptitude for all types of magic.  However, they are disliked or even hated by humans and goblins alike.  Nobody likes a Hobbe.

Bugbears

Larger and stronger still than Hobgoblins are the dreaded Bugbears.  These large, hairy, often feral goblinoids are true terrors of the night.  Moving silently and unseen, they attack without warning or provocation.  They are the basis of legends of The Boogieman, and their name is actually derived from boogieman (bug) and their hairy resemblance to bears.

Trolls

These giant, lumbering creatures are said to be created by a ritual in which a goblin is buried alive and his spirit called up by dark magic to inhabit a body made of the very earth itself.   They are hugely strong and durable and are able to slowly repair themselves as long as they are in contact with the ground. Despite rampant rumors, trolls are not overly vulnerable to fire or acid.  Trolls have very little intelligence and follow the commands of their creator.  Trolls are very slow and can easily be outrun.  In fact, running is strongly suggested.
Trolls are only partially related to goblinoids.  Rangers receive only half their normal favored enemy bonuses against trolls.

(Wolf Fighting)

Faol Batte is a style of non-lethal fighting with lethal weapons.  It is well known among the clans and avoids most deaths in conflicts between clans that are not at war.  The rules are quite simple.  Attack and defense are just as they would be in a normal fight, but a seriously wounded fighter falls and surrenders before he receives mortal wounds.  Since both sides are using their full skill and power the outcome of Faol Batte is said to be the same as a full fledged fight.
After a Faol Batte the losing side is left with their weapons, armor, and other belongings including food and water.  They must, however, leave the area and not return until they have fully healed.  (It is presumed that this recovery takes place normally over about a week or longer, not by magic.  Thus, you cannot be defeated and return quickly after quaffing potions or receiving clerical healing.)  The winning side is allowed to take certain spoils and trophies, but this is poorly defined.  Suffice it to say that the losers are typically in no condition to argue without escalating to lethal combat.
Breaking the honor based rules of Faol Batte will certainly put a black mark on an individual's reputation.  They can even become outcast by their own clan.  If an entire group is seen to break the rules, this will strain relations between the clans and could even be an excuse for clan warfare.

Game rules:
When you get to half HP or below you have been seriously injured and must drop your weapons and drop to the ground.  (Exception - Raging barbarians.)  You have surrendered and may subsequently leave the battlefield after lying in place for 5 second or more.  You also may surrender before you reach half HP if you so choose.  If you are knocked down or fall over due to clumsiness or bad luck you may recover with a DC 12 tumbling roll.  Otherwise you should accept your situation instead of risking accusations of false surrender.  Though the battle continues, opponents may not attack someone who is treating a unconscious warrior.  Certain deadly attacks such as rogues' Sneak Attacks, fighters' Power Attacks, use of poisoned weapons, and critical hits are not allowed.  All critical hits except for 20-20 rolls are ignored other than being an automatic hit.  Some very confident warrior use only subdual attacks in Faol Batte.  This will not cause serious injury and opponents will usually battle until knocked out.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:03, Thu 21 Apr 2011.

West - The Open Seas

Sailing west from Silvergate will take you to the very edge of the Empire.  For generations mighty Triplefang raiding parties have attacked the lightly guarded costal towns and villages returning with wealth, valuable supplies, and slaves.  Raiding is the most glorious endeavor Triplefang males (female raiders exist, but are rare) can participate.  Successful raiding brings power and status within the clan as well as material gain.
Empire merchants and travelers also come to Silvergate from the west.  The Triplefang are not pirates and these vessels are not attacked.  Trade with the Empire has been good for the Triplefang, making them stronger and more prosperous than the nomadic clans.  The Empire's agricultural techniques may be the single most important factor for change in Triplefang society.


North - The lands of the Dwarves

The mountains North of Pliffa are home to the dwarves.  Relations between dwarves and men are good.  Triplefang are welcome in dwarven cities and dwarves are welcome in Triplefang cities.  Everyone has met dwarven travelers, especially in Pliffa where they are common.  Their merchants speak the tongue of the human clans fluently, but distrust the Empire.  They prefer to trade with the clans instead.


South - The Dark Woods

The Dark Woods are home to goblinoid hordes.  For generations horrible bands of evil creatures have spilled forth from these woods threatening to wipe the human clans out of existence.  The Triplefang lived in fear of the goblins, managing to survive thanks to the bravery of generation after generation of warriors.  But things have changed.  The Triplefang have grown strong and have held back the disorganized waves of endless creatures that pour from The Dark Woods.  It is a prosperous time, but the true strength of the goblin hordes is unknown and they remain a constant threat.


East - Hills and Mountains

The east is lightly populated by humans and dwarves.  It has been the domain of the Ferisedan clan.  They are a smaller clan than the Triplefang, but they have been quicker to embrace the ways of the Empire and have grown strong because of it.  With Gollag possibly changing over to Triplefang control the region's mostly untapped natural resources look to benefit the Triplefang greatly.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:55, Tue 24 Jan 2012.

Dwarves love a feast of fresh meat and bread as much as anyone, but there are several harsh realities involved with living in the rugged mountain lands of the north.  Dwarves have become masters of preserving food to be stored for months or more commonly years.  Their techniques include drying, the addition of various minerals (such as salt), and pickling in alcohol or vinegar.  Dwarves make much less use of freezing food to preserve it than you might expect in such a cold region.  They find this process unreliable as it is often subject to the whims of nature.

Dwarven breake is a typical and very common example of dwarven preserved food.  These hard, dry blocks of food are a staple food of lower and worker class dwarves.  Once cooked, breake remains edible for so long that no effort is made to keep track of its age.   It is stored dry, and if it is accidentally moistened it can be rebaked.  Breake contain a mix of approximately one third meat, one third grain, and one third earth.  Each block contains enough substance and nutrition for a full day and is quite filling if eaten in one meal.  Breake is eaten by soaking it in water or alcohol.  Eating breake dry is not only unpleasant but will also accelerate dehydration.  Breakers are dwarven cooks who produce mass quantities of breake day in and day out.



Another common dwarven food is cheese.  It is the only dairy product dwarves will touch and it is nearly always made from goat milk.  There are thousands of varieties, most of which are very sharp.  Flavors of cheese are named after the regions of caves where the cheese was pressed or aged.  Dwarves favor extremely strong flavors that humans may find overwhelming, stinging the mouth and throat.  Much like breake, dwarven cheese contains a substantial amount of minerals and can be stored nearly forever.  Dwarven cheesemakers are called curders and are considered somewhat more skilled than other food preserving craftsmen.

Dwarves do not enjoy many vegetables outside of grains and eat nearly no fruit at all.  They cannot stand the rotted state of ripe fruit.  They do however love all manner of fermented beverages such as ale, mead, cider, and wine.  Brewers favor quantity over quality as dwarves consume far more alcoholic beverages than water.  Dwarves build up amazing tolerances and occurrences of drunkenness among dwarves are extremely rare.  While humans may drink alcohol to get drunk or due to a lack of sufficiently clean water, dwarves consume it more for it's taste and hardy filling qualities.

The most common dwarven sweetener is honey.  Honey is added to well over half of all dwarven dishes and many of their beverages.  Beekeeping is common among farmers.  Dwarves harvest not only the honey, but also the wax, and a mysterious magical ingredient.  Even the bees themselves are eaten.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:22, Tue 27 Mar 2018.

Two of our new players asked for details about the game world background. I have compiled the answers here for both new and old players.

The Clans
Generations ago all the clans were nomadic.  Occasional winter lodges were the only permanent structure.  The dwarves had little contact with the humans.  Battles between the clans and goblins were common as they shared the same lands.  The only contact between the clans and the empire were clan raids on frontier settlements.  After the goblins were beaten back a few of the clans began to better organize.  They absorbed smaller, weaker clans, took slaves, and conquered.  Within the last generation or two some of the clans have made contact with merchants, travelers, theologians, and others from the empire.  They built villages and towns.  They took to agriculture.  Farming and ranching were the first major changes and life improved greatly.  There are still many smaller, nomadic clans, but the Triplefang and Ferisedan both grew to thousands.  Other minor nomadic clans mentioned in the game so far include the Beastamers, Plains Eagles, Winterleaves, and Woe-be-tide clans.

The Triplefang are still led in the traditional way, by a small group of elders spread evenly around their lands.  The clan's warchief rules over military issues and is looked at as the de-facto leader of the clan, wielding more power than any elder.


Occupations
The Triplefang are farmers, ranchers, raiders, warriors, hunters, craftsmen, and priests.  They have access to plentiful surface silver and some other minerals.  They are excellent woodsmen, hunters, herders, and warriors, but they are mediocre farmers, and miners.  They trade silver and crafted goods with the dwarves to the north and with the empire to seas to the west.


Gender roles
Women have a very slightly lower place in Triplefang society than men, but it's subtle and not really talked about.  From the character's perspective men and women are equals.  There are many examples of highly respected females in the Triplefang clan - The party's home village of Volge is watched over by Eldress Elana and a group of southern Triplefang warriors is led by the incomparable Tora Triplefang, to name two.  However, most of the raiders and warriors are male, and there has never been a female warchief.  Brawn is a highly prized asset within the Triplefang clan.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:51, Tue 24 Jan 2012.