Cadwallon, the Jewel of Lanever
Folk from all over Creation are welcome in Cadwallon, provided they obey the Ducal Laws. Therefore it is common to see newcomers stunned by the cosmopolitan magnificence of the streets and galleries of the City of Thieves. Individuals from all over the continent have established themselves here and live out their lives in relative peace. Even before considering oneself as an elf, a dwarf, a goblin, or an orc, every Cadwë is above all a citizen of Cadwallon.
OOC: The following details are meant to give some extra flavor and suggestion of possible variation to what's written in the core rulebook. Some of these details could be added mechanically with rules provided in the Advanced Race Guide. But for the time being, any character eligible for play should be created solely with the rules-as-written in the Pathfinder core rulebook.
Dwarves
The dwarves have always populated Aarklash, and trace their ancestry back to the forging of Creation itself. They believe that they were conceived and named by the gods before any other people. They share an intimate link with the earth, and have a natural tendency to dwell in subterranean locations or isolated on vast plains. Reluctant to move and distrusting strangers, dwarves possess a keen sense of community. Even though they may come from different regions and meet for the first time, two dwarves feel a mutual trust at once.
Though the dwarves do not like to live far from the Aegis Mountains, Cadwallon is one of the few cities in Aarklash that can boast of having seduced these hardy folk to contribute to their architectural development. Cadwës owe their most modern districts to the dwarves, as well as numerous innovations.
The Possessed
Those dwarves referred to by their kin as the Possessed are a nation bewitched by gruesome necromancers. Their leader, the Despot, originally a dwarf of Tir-Nâ-Bor, has turned his threatening gaze upon his fellow folk. In a dreadful ritual, the soul of a dwarf is removed from their physical body, and their internal organs are collected in a canopic jar. The dwarf's spirit is contained within a prepared artificial form: a golem. So long as their internal organs are preserved, the Possessed cannot die, even if their golem body is destroyed. The Despot's necromancers require a constant supply of fresh blood in order to preserve the organs contained within their canopic jars, or else the golems become lethargic, resembling mere statues. The Despot's Army of the Possessed is small but powerful, and they are greatly feared.
However, the Possessed whom one can meet on the streets of Cadwallon are renegades who have through some means broken their link to the Despot (though this most often means forging a new compact with some devil from the Lower Planes). They are hunted down by their ex-compatriots, who demand conformity and obedience.
Elves
The elves appeared in the western forests of the continent, long after the other peoples began their race to conquer Aarklash. The elves do not generally question their origins, nor why they are inextricably connected to the forest of Quithayran. The nearer an elf is to the heart of the Eternal Forest, the longer their life expectancy and the more resilient their body is to harm. The presence of the Fey, spirits of nature, live in Quithayran; but even the Maalivatë, "those who have left" in the elven tongue, share this fundamental mystic connection to the First World of the Fey.
Whatever their origin, the elves are bound to the history of Cadwallon. Some people believe the city to be cursed; others want to conquer it, and yet all instinctively know that the Free City hides a terrible secret deep inside.
A chaotic and individualistic folk by nature, the elves have splintered into three factions: A'Khaushanas, Cynwäll, and Daïkynei. Aside from culture, these factions are distinguishable from each other by minor morphological differences.
Daïkynei (Sylvan or Wood Elves)
The Daïkynei most closely resemble the original ancestors of the elves who first awakened on the leaf-strewn forest floors of Quithayran. They still follow a sylvan existence, maintaining a symbiosis with animals and plants.
Cynwäll (High Elves)
The Cynwäll tend to be taller and stronger than their fellow elves, but live far from the heart of Quithayran. They are often found inhabiting lofty heights and operating skyships, as they are immune to the fear of heights that other folk often experience.
A'Khaushanas (Dark Elves)
The A'Khaushanas are often capable of seeing in the blackest of darkness. Some rare warriors have received the blessing of their goddess, Llylydd, which come with the outward sign of arachnid features: additional limbs, extra eyes, venomous fangs, and other mutations.
Gnolls
A wild and intimidating people, the gnolls reign where the "civilized" peoples did not impose their corruption. The origins of the gnolls are lost in the mists of time, but their legends, passed on orally, claim they were born from the union of Yllia, the moon-goddess, and the most powerful of all the hyenas.
Not only are they impressive in size, but it is their heightened predatory instinct which best characterizes the gnolls. Their instinct guides their behavior and the natural environment multiplies their natural abilities. The law of the fittest applies from burrow to barrow: hardly a third of gnoll cubs reach the age of weaning. Their predatory instinct sometimes reaches disturbing extremes.
The great majority of gnolls are organized into nomadic packs which follow prey or plunder the resources needed for their survival. Others keep large protectorates and bitterly defend their territory. Their muscle-mass and coat vary from pack to pack, according to the climate and resources available.
Formerly united under the laws of the moon-goddess, the gnolls are in the midst of an era of unprecedented danger to their peoples. They are torn by religious and cultural schisms. For the youngest, the predatory instinct turns into a murderous impulse; a phenomenon that elders have named "the Spawn of Devastation." A handful of rebels and adventurers leave the wild and go to the cities to find a remedy for this evil that threatens their peoples' survival, to find personal refuge, or to hunt down new prey made soft and unwary by comfortable living.
The vegetation of the Free City bears signs that are interpreted by some gnolls as the supernatural influence of Yllia. Whether this is true or not, one can find gnolls in all the rural fiefs of Cadwallon. They carefully avoid the other districts because their size prevents them from living as comfortably as they do in the wide-open spaces of nature.
Gnomes
It is very easy to overlook gnomes, but those who spend enough time away from the hustle and bustle of the inner fiefs may notice a gnome tending to the wilder places in Cadwallon. The gnomes were the sole inhabitants of the ruins that the Dogs of War conquered, and they did not notice their presence until well after they began their rebuilding efforts. The utter indifference that gnomes generally exhibit toward political and military matters made them unobtrusive gardeners, and for a long time there was debate as to whether they actually existed or were merely the fantasies and urban myths of besotted mercenaries.
Goblins
Most people assume that the goblins come from the swamps of No-Dan-Kar. Scholars with more education claim they lived in the depths of the Aegis Mountains before the dwarves settled there. Some rare loremasters, finally, whisper that the goblins appeared from the void when the world began. Regardless of their origins, there is no place in Creation that exists which has not been marked by goblin footprints. The goblin community in Cadwallon is one of the oldest and most thriving of all.
Goblin ancestry is erratic. No characteristic can be universally verified within their species since mutations first appeared around the year 820. Goblins are relatively puny and cold-blooded, but their humble appearance hides a sharp-witted being with a colorful personality. Goblins are alert, exploiting the resources of their environment despite having some difficulty restraining their impulses. They have great tactile sensitivity, which, combined with innate curiosity and a lack of conventional wisdom, make them innovative inventors and visionaries. Goblins are the primary producers of written material throughout Aarklash, promoting ideas both inspiring and dangerous.
To attack a goblin is to attack their family and their tribe. They will band together to defend themselves against outside forces, but the moment that the external threat is defeated, discord usually sets in and the group disbands.
While individual goblins can and do worship any of the gods -- and are not limited to deities; some worship philosophies, mortal beings, or even inanimate objects -- the majority of Goblins revere the Rat, god of the multitudes.
Halflings
If the halflings have a name for their own folk, they don't speak it to others. "Halfling" was the nickname given to the diminutive people who laid claim to no homeland in Aarklash, mostly due to their short stature and their general status as servants. The halflings, for their part, seem to bear this appellation with acceptance and good cheer. Shortly after the Dogs of War founded Cadwallon, the halflings appeared within it, pledging their services to those who could pay in all manner of domestic roles.
Now halflings are as common a sight in the city as goblins, with whom they have something of an ongoing rivalry. Rare is the household or estate that is not run behind the scenes by a halfling butler or valet, or the kitchen or galley that does not enjoy the skills of a halfling gourmet. Between their ubiquity and clannish relations with one another - every halfling who meets another halfling seems to discover some distant relation binding them together by blood or marriage - halflings also enjoy a dubious reputation as gossips and rumormongers, though they themselves may strenuously deny it. No halfling wishes to harm the reputation of their "hire," as they refer to their masters, but it is undeniable that halflings love to talk.
Humans
At the dawn of the Age of Rebirth, the Human peoples of the continent of Kel sailed to find new horizons to be conquered and arrived upon Aarklash. No sooner had they arrived than they split into countless factions, each building their own civilizations under the shared light of the Sun. As with the orcs, a drive for conquest and a fratricidal instinct govern the human destiny; they do not share an instinct of immediate kinship as dwarves and halflings do, nor do they enjoy the intimate connection to nature that influence the elves' behavior. Humans toil to bend the world to their desires, shaping the land to suit their purposes.
The Free City of Cadwallon is the symbol of the diversity of humans. Travelers and diplomats of all horizons rush there to serve their secular hatreds. The human Cadwës, descendants of this noble and murderous people, are proud of the wealth of their lineages, but the question remains: will they inherit the curse of their forebears, marching into death for vainglory and personal riches, or will they look beyond their differences and create prosperity for all?
Ogres
The ogres are native to the Aegis Mountains, where they lived in families loosely spread about their ancestral birthplace. The coming of the Ragnarök claimed many members of their race; their wild appetites and brutal customs did not allow them to adapt and assimilate into the invading nations, and one after another, their communities were exterminated. The last surviving ogres, led by the warrior Khaurik, took refuge in Cadwallon where Duke Vanius offered them a new homeland. Some clans of wild ogres still survive in the most secluded sanctuaries of Aarklash, notably in Bran-Ô-Kor and on the island of Zoukhoï, but the majority live in Cadwallon.
The ogres possess no instinct for self-preservation, which makes them unpredictable and terrifying when angry. On the other hand, they are naturally loyal and faithful to the causes they choose to embrace, which makes them particularly difficult to corrupt. Therefore, the Khaurik Guard, exclusively consisting of ogres, is an elite unit dedicated to the protection of the Duke.
Ogres have a limited life expectancy in comparison to other peoples; however, they can delay their aging by consuming the flesh of other species in considerable quantity, something they attribute to their god Harffüd as a "gift," and dedicate disgusting feasts to him in thanksgiving. Although they can deny this urge without much difficulty, this voracious instinct leads their more traditionalist kin to devour defenseless victims. In order to avoid the temptation to devour other thinking peoples (including their own offspring!), the ogres entrust themselves to "godparents" from other races. Being the godparent of an ogre child is an expensive and difficult task, but is a source of prestige in Cadwallon. To benefit from the sincere and loyal friendship of an ogre family is also an invaluable guarantee of safety.
Orcs
The orcs were created in 808, in the cloning tanks of Shamir, capital of the Empire of Syharhalna. Conceived by crossing goblin and human genetic material, the orcs turned out to be more intelligent and powerful than their alchemist fleshcrafters expected. Khorda, first of the orcs, led a rebellion in 852 that carved a bloody swath across Syharhalna. They sought to take refuge in Bran-Ô-Kor, though a handful of them settled in the Behemoth Mountains.
Since then, the youngest peoples of Aarklash have prospered. The most reckless amongst them left their kin to venture along the continent's roads and highways. Cadwallon now contains the second largest community of orcs in the world; many followers of the Jackal long to unveil the secrets of the City of Thieves.
The orcs bear war within them. Muscular and durable, maturing physically at a young age, and remaining fertile until the end of their days, the fecund orcs possess the goblins' adaptability with the humans' craving for conquest. Though orc mages are known, few have thus far had the opportunity to be taught by the masters of the arcane arts, and have thus sought magical power through other means. Due to some quirk of their birthing, some orcs naturally develop these powers as a mutation.
The orcs are generally not city-dwellers; their instinct urges them toward the vestiges of the Jewel of Lanever. Many dream about the groves in the gardens of desire along the way, which lead them into the ruins of the old city. The community of orcs who have collected there have developed a belief that the spirits of the city will deliver unto them the secrets of Cadwallon in their dreams.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:11, Wed 21 Apr 2021.
