’
A Sword and Sorcery Savage Worlds setting

By Umberto Pignatelli
Additional ideas and material: Jonathan M. Thompson, Piotr Koryś Editing: Dave Blewer, Mike Slabon, Bartek Kowalczyk
Cover art: Magdalena Partyka
Dread Dominions Map: Justin Russell
Interior art:  agdalena Partyka, Claudio Pozas, Mario Zuccarello, Kuźnia Gier, Tomasz Tworek, William
M
McAuslands
(Outland Arts), Some artwork copyright Michael Hammes and Philip Reed, used under license. www.
roninarts.com
Layout: winnicki art studio (winnicki.pro)
Special Thanks to: Francesca Viarengo, Marta Castellano (my wife) queen of all the Amazons, Massimo Campolucci
(my uncle), for being the first, real Dhaar, Simone Ronco and Polliotti Yoshi (my friends) for fighting
alone against the Valk’ demons.

Special Pinnacle Entertainment Thanks for allowing the use of the analyze foe, draining touch and legerdemain Powers, originally
appeared in the Fantasy Companion.

Additional thanks to Shane Hensley, David Jarvis and Sean Preston. Without you, it wouldn`t happen. Some artwork copyright
Michael Hammes and Philip Reed, used under license. www.roninarts.com

elcome to the dangerous Dread Sea Dominions, a place where mighty barbarians do

W combat with hideous monsters, dark warlocks whisper terrible sorceries in forgotten
temples and noble amazons duel in the sun scorched arenas of Faberterra, capital of a
decadent empire!

• Thirty new Edges.

• Three arcane backgrounds, Lotusmastery, Sorcery, and the Path of Enlightenment

• Dozens of new weapons, armors, and mounts

• A simple but elegant system to develop your character between adventures and to
manage the enormous riches you’ll find!

• And much, much more!

Gird your lion’s loin, get your broadsword ready and prepare to face the threats of Beasts and
Barbarians, the new sword and sorcery open setting from GRAmel Publishing.

Piotr`s thanks: Shane Hensley, Sean Preston and David Jarvis. For all your help!

This game references the Savage Worlds game system, available from Pinnacle Entertainment Group at www.peginc.com.
Savage Worlds and all associated logos and trademarks are copyrights of Pinnacle Entertainment Group. Used with per-
mission. Pinnacle makes no representation or warranty as to the quality, viability, or suitability for purpose of this product.




Introduction
Shangor looks suspiciously at the dark jungle in front of
him. Born in the forests of the savage north, he is usu-
ally at ease in the woods, but there is something strange
amongst these unfamiliar, vine-covered trees. His nose is
full of the ripe smell of corruption — and of ancient evil.
His skin crawls, as if unseen eyes were watching him.
His hand instinctively caresses the hilt of his axe. The
contact with the wood, polished by use, gives the massive
barbarian comfort. He crouches down to examine the
tracks in the mud. Five men, at least, went this way, car-
rying Korala, the daughter of the caravan master, whom
they took several hours ago. The prints of bare feet are no-
ticeably smaller than those of a full-grown man.
“Pygmy!” Shangor curses, thinking of the stories he has
heard about these vicious, elusive savages. Tales of silent
blowpipes loaded with poison darts, promising a pain-
ful death, and of kidnapped maidens, sacrificed to bestial
gods. Yet, Korala’s beauty — and her father’s gold —
drive his worries away.
As he follows the tracks, he soon becomes aware of a low,
thudding noise — sacrificial drums, and not far away.
His sharp ears lead him unerringly towards them, until
he finds himself in front of a strange, forbidding ruin of
huge size.
His hesitation gone, Shangor immediately readies his
axe, smiling grimly. As always, thought and action are
one and the same in his barbaric, uncivilized mind.
The light of the moon shines on his massive muscles while,
clad only in a loincloth, he sneaked through the dark jun-
gle, as silent as a leopard…
Welcome to Beasts and Barbarians, GRAmel Editions’ set-
ting of sword and sorcery! In the following pages you’ll find
all you need to create powerful barbarians, courageous ama-
zons, cunning rogues, or mysterious warlocks and venture
across the Dread Sea Dominions!
Now grab your sword, flex your mighty muscles and let’s
get started.

About This Manual

This manual is a guide to let you create a sword and sor-
cery hero using the Savage Worlds rules and to start play-
ing right away. In the next few months, GRAmel Editions
will publish several modules, each presenting a complete
adventure and an expansion to the Book of Lore, with in-
depth descriptions of the various regions of the Dread Sea
Dominions, further background, and much more!
 A Brief History of
The Book the World
of Lore The Dread Star
“In the year of the Burning Phoenix, the twenty-fourth
year of reign of his majesty Emperor Domistan — tenth Almost two thousand and five hundred years ago, where the
of his line, Ruler of the Iron Empire, Lord of the Dread Dread Sea stands now, there was a great plain where a mag-
Sea, Guardian of the North, Heir of the Eastern and the nificent civilization flourished - the Keronian Empire. They
Western Empire —, I, Velastios of Syranthia, write this were a noble race of magicians, astrologers, and priests, and
chronicle, so that all my knowledge, gathered throughout under their domination the world knew marvels that to-
a lifetime at the humble service of the Library, will not day are almost impossible to imagine. Despite their powers,
disappear when Hulian, Smith of Words, finally calls me they were not fair minded people, and some scholars say
to his side in the skies…” they were not even humans.

The world described in this setting is called the Dread Sea The strength of the Keronians came from their slaves —
Dominions, by the name of the massive body of water at its thousands of dark-skinned men who constructed their
center, where the most important modern civilization, the marble and alabaster cities, raised their observatory tem-
Iron Empire, has flourished and now is slowly, but unstop- ples, and died on the altars of their ancient gods.
pably, decaying under the pressure of its own size and of the
barbarians pushing on its borders. In that age, the primitive white men lived in caverns in the
north, and took great care not to come near the borders
This is an age in which a brave warrior and his sword can of the Keronian Empire, because the Keronian gods were
carve his name in history. always thirsting for blood, no matter what the race of the
sacrificial victims was.

But one day, in a single moment, the Keronian Empire

ended. A massive mountain of fire falling from the skies hit
the very center of the empire, destroying it and leaving an

6
 A Brief History of the World

enormous crater, soon filled with the waters of the Endless Their recipes are handed down from a master to a disciple in
Ocean. the utmost secrecy and Lotus masters are ready to kill to learn
the recipe of a rival sect member. The greatest Lotus masters
The stories call the falling mountain the Dread Star, and are the Alchemists of the Free City of Gis.
the newly created body of water took the name of the
Dread Sea, because, even today, its waters are of an intense
red color. The Dawn of Civilization
The philosophers and sages debate about why the Keronians, The centuries passed and the climate slowly stabilized. The
mages, and astrologers failed to foresee the destruction that Dread Sea, for some unknown reason, is quite warm, and
was upon them and they did not leave the empire in time. this made the surrounding areas temperate and comfort-
Someone says they foresaw the cataclysm, but only too late; able. No longer fearing the Keronians, the white men of
others say that the Dread Star was a punishment sent by the the north started migrating south, to the warmer regions.
gods for the many evils committed by this cruel race. Some of them abandoned their primitive way of life and
discovered agriculture. The first small villages appeared all
The impact of the Dread Star raised a massive cloud of dust. around the fertile shores of the Dread Sea.
For many years, the light of the sun was dimmed all over
the continent and most of the few survivors died of famine, Another migration happened in that remote era. The ol-
pestilence, and even worse afflictions. ive-skinned slaves of the Keronians, who had survived the
cataclysm because they lived on the outskirts of the empire,
Then strong winds took the red dust south over the north- took to the road. They were following a primeval urge to go
ern part of what today are the Lush Jungles. The trees died, as far as possible from the land of their masters. Some of
their trunks calcified, and the whole area became the so- them reached the vast woodlands of the north-east penin-
called Red Desert. Further south the situation was better, sula of the Dominions and became known as the Caleds,
but the jungle was forced to recede becoming the Ivory Sa- while the southern ones, of a smaller stature, reached the
vannah that still exist today. Lush Jungles and became the progenitors of the present-
day Pygmes.
Climate changes were not the only effects of the Dread
Star. The thin dust filling the air transformed the world in Despite their different appearance and the enormous dis-
many strange ways. Beasts of all types started to appear, tance between them, the two olive-skinned races still share
such as white and black-striped horses in the Ivory Savan- many common features. They are both primitive, very reclu-
nah, and massive flying snakes known as Lhoban Dragons, sive and isolationists, and always live in the forests, perhaps
in the south east, among the highest cliffs of the continent. because the constant sight of the sky reminds them of the
day when the Dread Star fell onto the world.
Mutations caused by the fallen star did not spare the hu-
mans either. Many of them started to become brutish, fe- But let us return to the fertile shores of the Dread Sea, the
ral beings, and the most unfortunate, the primitive people cradle of civilization. In the space of a thousand years, the
from the mountains of the north-east now turned into the small villages became cities which soon expanded their
hulking beasts known as Trolls. boundaries and became small, autocratic city states. Their
numbers were growing and, in a few centuries, they started
With the passing of time, these abominations became rarer, to compete for more fertile areas. Many small-scale wars
but they never entirely disappeared. In remote, unpopulated were being fought in those days, but no city was strong
areas, the monsters dwelling in the old Keronian ruins still enough to conquer the others permanently.
howl at the moon today…
Then Fabron, a priest-smith from the small town of Faber-
terra, the follower of a minor deity named Hulian, discov-
Heros Journal: The Lotus ered a way to melt the strange stones of the Gray River.
One of the most mysterious changes after the
fall of the Dread Star was the diffusion of the Thus, iron was discovered.
Lotus. It is a strange plant with flowers of
intense colors: red, white, purple and many
other. The Lotus appeared all over the continent
in several different forms. In the Caledlands The Iron Empire
the Green Lotus grows, like mistletoe, on the The dwellers of Faberterra were farmers who used to work
branches of ancient oaks. In the Ivory Savannah, flowers of together plowing large fields. The working crews provided
Gray Lotus blossom from the top of tall weeds. In the Brown the basis for the Iron Empire’s war machine: the phalanx.
Sea, the Purple Lotus closely resembles water lily. Whatever The Iron Priests of Hulian were the first generals of the
its form is, the Lotus has great magical powers, armies; they led their troops in Hulian’s name, but they
but it is also very dangerous. If eaten fresh, it is swore loyalty to a Council of wise citizens.
toxic and might lead to death but, if processed
and mixed with other ingredients, it can create Thanks to their iron weapons and armor, Hulian’s follow-
fantastic essences, poisons, and so on. Each type of ers conquered all their immediate neighbors. In a few gen-
Lotus has a different effect depending on the color erations Faberterra became a large state along the eastern
of the plant and the ingredients it is mixed with. coast of the Dread Sea. Yet, these men were conquerors, not
Lotus masters are an exclusive sect of alchemists pillagers: any city surrendering to their might was spared.
specializing in the study of this remarkable plant. After swearing loyalty to the Council of Faberterra, the city

7
 The Book of Lore

was permitted to join the Empire, first as vassal and, after It was not just a political and military defeat, but also a spir-
a period of twenty five years, as a rightful member of the itual one. The Tricarnians went into battle with the stan-
Confederation. dard of their main Goddess, Hordan, Lady of Darkness,
and they took no prisoners because they sacrificed them
This was the fate of the city state of Syranthia which be- all on the altars of their evil deity. In the end, the lost war
came the biggest center of learning of the Confederation. shook the faith of the Confederation: Hulian was accused
of being a false god, the Iron Priests were lynched and, in
The Iron Confederation, as it was then called, continued to the end, the popularity of the cult faded.
expand toward the north and south for two hundred years
until it faced two major threats: the northern Reign of Tri- In the south the situation was not any better.
carnia and the southern Autarchate of Kyros.
The Autarchate of Kyros was a big state with access to two
Tricarnia was a huge reign created by some bastardized sur- seas, the Dread Sea and the Brown Sea. It was ruled by an
vivors of the cataclysm that hit the Keronians. Two thou- absolute monarchy and it managed to stop the expansion of
sand years of breeding with lesser races made them more the Iron Confederacy.
humanlike in appearance, but they maintained the ancient
Keronian way of life. Tricarnia’s massive estates, cultivated Kyros had a tradition of war against the people of the Ivory
by slaves, were governed by small hierarchies of corrupt Savannah. It was a constant struggle between two oppo-
Priest Princes, worshippers of ancient Keronian gods and site ways of living: the nomadic herders of the Ivory Tribes
powerful sorcerers. against the farming communities of Kyros. Through con-
tacts with the Savannah people, Kyros acquired a power-
Slaves also formed the bulk of the Tricarnian army. Al- ful weapon, the bane of the Iron Confederacy: elephants.
though they did not know how to use iron, the sheer They were the only beasts in the world capable of standing
numbers of their slave soldiers, combined with the arcane against the Buffalo Riders of the Savannah.
knowledge of the Priest Princes, were enough to stop the
advances of the Iron Empire toward the north. Many bat- The Iron Phalanxes of the Confederacy fled in front of the
tles were fought, but the dark magic of the Tricarnian sor- mighty charge of the armored pachyderms, and, after a
cerers awoke creatures not seen in the world for eons, and couple of disastrous battles, the generals of Faberterra were
pestilence and misfortune tormented the invaders. again forced to retreat.

In the end, the mighty Iron Phalanxes of Faberterra were Meanwhile, a minor but quite important event happened:
forced to withdraw. the insular city of Ascaia, an early conquest of the Con-

8
 A Brief History of the World

federation, revolted against the local governor. It would be

viewed as one of the strangest rebellions in the history of
the Confederation. This rebellion was motivated, not by
politics, but by the gender of those doing the rebelling. The
women of the city, tired of being oppressed by their men,
took to arms. It was a very bloody war and, within a week,
no man was left alive on the island. At the head of the reb-
els were Galla, the wife of the former governor, and Ilenya,
a female gladiator of the arena. They became the first Sister
Queens of Ascaia.

This was the founding of the Amazon Reign. The Con-

federation tried to regain control of the island, but Ascaia
is surrounded by dangerous reefs, with only one, easily de-
fendable port, and its agriculture is self-sustaining. So, the
Amazons resisted all the attacks and, in a few years, their
reign became a grudgingly accepted reality.

After these three blatant failures, the Confederacy lan-

guished for twenty years.

Then, senator Domestan was elected Masterarkos, High

General of the Iron Confederacy Armies. A former veteran
of the Tricarnian wars, he was a top tactician and a skillful
politician. He made a truce with the Tricarnians and, at the
same time, he allied himself with Khmeros, the younger
brother of the Kyros Autarch, supporting his claim to the
Autarchate’s throne.

Kyros was shaken by a civil war and, in the end; the Iron
Confederacy crushed the two factions, annexing the Land Tricarnia and annexation of the northern reign to the Em-
of the Elephants to its domains. pire but asked for the pillaging to be stopped at once. The
Emperor was very doubtful but the ambassador said there
Domestan used this success to force the Iron Council to was more, and removed the hood of his traveling compan-
give him absolute power. This was the end of the Confed- ion. Thus, Domestan first set eyes on Princess Salkaria of
eration and the start of the Iron Empire, with Domestan I Tricarnia who was to become his bride. Salkaria was one of
as the first Emperor. the most beautiful women in the Dominions.

The following decisions taken by Domestan are unknown. Domestan was utterly bewitched by her beauty.
It is rumored that the High Priests of Hulian came out of
the isolation they had been in since being defeated by the Despite the firm opposition by the priests of Hulian, the
Tricarnians; they visited the Emperor and revealed to him peace treaty was signed, the conditions accepted, and the
a prophecy, which said that Tricarnia and her evil goddess new state of things ratified by the marriage between Em-
would be destroyed, if fought with an army led by a single peror Domestan and Princess Salkaria. From that moment
man. on, the infected blood of the Tricarnians entered the impe-
rial bloodline. Rumors say that Salkaria—a witch of great
The Emperor recognized the figure in the prophecy as him- power—totally subjugated his Imperial Majesty and from
self and, with a unified kingdom under his command and then on the skilled politician and general was only a pup-
the might of the Kyrosian elephants on his side, attacked pet in the hands of the Priest Princes. But this version of
Tricarnia again. the story appears only in the secret chronicles of the High
Temple of Hulian.
A series of terrible battles were fought in the north, the
most famous being the Battle of the Elephants River, where Indeed, misty Tricarnia joined the Empire but preserved a
two hundred of these mighty beasts died. But, in the end, great degree of independence, becoming more an ally than
the Iron Empire crushed the bulk of the Tricarnian army. just a vassal country. The Priest Princes retained their titles
Then, the Phalanxes entered Tricarnia and started pillag- and all their slaves.
ing the land, with the priests of Hulian spurring them to
burn down the unholy temples and observatories dotting Empress Salkaria soon became an important figure espe-
the country. cially on religious matters. She granted her protection Tu-
lemar, chief of a minor faction of the clergy of Hulian, and
But Tricarnia was never truly conquered. In the towers of in a few years they developed a new religious doctrine in
the City of Princes, the capital, the Priests Princes devised a which Hulian and Hordan became a single god with two
plan to save their reign and turn defeat into victory. faces called the Divine Couple.

An ambassador, accompanied by a hooded figure, arrived

at Domestan’s camp. He offered the instant capitulation of

9
 The Book of Lore

The true priest-smiths of Hulian called it heresy but the The Valk were demon worshippers led by female priestess-
Emperor ratified the Divine Couple as official god of the es, the Valkyrie. It seems that their invasion started because
Empire and the Hulianites were forced to go into hiding. of a collective vision the Valkyrie had.

The imperial act was called the Salkarian Reformation, and In that vision, Sha Mekri, the most ancient demon god of
it marked the start of the Imperial Age. The Salkarian Ref- the Valk ordered them to conquer the west. This is an un-
ormation also introduced a new calendar — the Reformed confirmed rumor but the reality was that in ten years two
Salkarian Calendar, which is still used today. million Valk moved west from the eastern steppes.

Since its alliance with Tricarnia, the Iron Empire has been The first to be invaded were the Cairnlords, a barbaric cul-
experiencing a constant growth. It expanded toward the ture living north of the Drowned King Sea. They had long
north taking lands from the savage tribes of Northeim, been the bitter enemies of the neighbors, the Northlanders.
conquering a vast area as far as the Godaxe River.
The Valk displaced the Cairnlords, who were forced to in-
The Empire achieved this goal by using a mix of brute force vade the lands of the Northlanders. The Northlanders did
and cunning politics. Its generals often allied themselves the same with the Empire which, for the first time in cen-
with certain Northlander clans against other Northlander turies, was forced to face an attack on its borders.
clans and then, after eliminating the common enemies,
they subdued their former allies. At the same time, for unknown reasons, the Caleds came
out of their forests and started a ferocious guerrilla war
Nonetheless, they have never tried to enter the Caledlands. against the Tricarnian territories of the Empire showing
The Caleds are reclusive and very dangerous. Their naked that the former slaves still hated their ancestral masters as
spearmen are armed with simple bone tipped lances but much as ever.
they are capable of tremendous feats of savagery, and the
powers of their tattooed druids are feared even by the Tri- But the Empire no longer had the impressive military force
carnian Priest Princes. it had once boasted. The Iron Phalanxes had not been used
in real wars for three centuries and were but a shadow of
In the same period the Iron Empire also expanded east- their former selves.
ward, beyond the Iron Mountains. On the other side, they
found a temperate land populated by a race of farmers and They fought as best as they could but the Empire lost most
herdersliving in a handful of city states. Their territories of the Northern provinces and was not able to reach Tri-
were vast and bordered only by the Drowned King Sea carnia which, let alone to fight against the Caleds who de-
to the north, the Lhoban Mountains to the south and the clared its independence from the Empire.
Tears River and Lake to the east.
Many stories are told of the Tricarnian-Caledan wars. Ter-
The most powerful of these city states was Jalizar and its rible sorceries were used by both sides and since then the
territory was named Zandor. woods of the Caledlands have been even darker than be-
fore. In the end the Caleds withdrew to their woods but
In only two hundred years the whole of Zandor was con- Tricarnia was wounded so deeply that, even today, most of
quered with weapons, cunning politics and the occasional the reign is reduced to ruined shells which are inhabited
subtle use of Tricarnian black magic. only by phantoms and dark creatures.

The Iron Empire reached its apogee which continued for In the meantime, the Northlanders and Cairnlords
two hundred years. swarmed south pillaging and destroying. They reached the
borders of Faberterra before the joint efforts of the Pha-
But that age of peace was not fated to last. lanxes and mercenaries coming from the south threw them
back in the battle of Felantium, a few miles from the El-
ephants River.
The Valk Invasions But it was only the beginning of the Empire’s decline
Three hundred years ago the Iron Empire saw the face of its
mortal enemy: the Valk. Taking advantage of the Empire’s weakness Kyros, where
a new dynasty of Autarchs had seized power, declared its
They came from the endless, unexplored steppes eastward independence. Faberterra’s central government wasn’t able
of the Tears River. The Valk were short, bowlegged men but to react.
they were the best riders in the known world. Their ugly
ponies were sturdier even than the white thoroughbreds of Fifty years later Syranthia, the economic center of the
Kyros and able to travel for a whole day without getting Empire, also declared its independence and was ruled by a
tired. Hence, the Valk were highly mobile mounted archers, group of rich merchant lords. However, Syranthia still bore
not slow, heavy impact troops like the cataphracts of Syra- formal respect to the Imperial government.
nthia.
Yet, the Valk invasion was to bring more terror and destruc-
They used stirrups and curved bows made of bone with a tion. A hundred years later the mounted barbarians reached
range unmatched in the west. the plains of Zandor, the eastern part of the Iron Empire.

10
 A Brief History of the World

Decline of the Empire Centuries of civilizations were wiped out in a few seasons. The
ruins of razed cities soon dotted the landscape of Zandor and,
At this point the Iron Empire was forced to choose: de- despite their treasures; they were infested by Valk demons.
fending the northern territories from the Northlanders and
Cairnlords or use all its forces in defense of Zandor and the In truth, the Reign of Zandor ended when the armies re-
rich east. treated to defend their cities. Each of them became once
again a city state standing alone against the demon wor-
They tried to save both which proved an ill-fated choice. shipping nomads.

To stop the barbarians from taking over in the north, the In the end, Dhaar and his horde reached Jalizar and be-
Emperor created a vast area named the Borderlands includ- sieged it.
ing the parts of the Empire raided by Northlanders.
The siege went on for three years and Ornestan II, king
The Borderlands were small, independent reigns, in the of Jalizar and nephew of the founder of the kingdom, was
hands of capable warlords allied with the Empire. ready to surrender to Dhaar when the unexpected hap-
pened: the Valk leader died.
These warlords and their people were now civilized descen-
dants of previously conquered Northlanders. Yet, they were Strange stories are told about how the mighty nomad ruler
too civilized to be real barbarians and too barbaric to be passed away and about a ship full of treasures that set sail
rightful citizens of the Empire. from Jalizar to Gis, Free City of the Alchemists, and came
back empty, just three days after Dhaar’s death.
Large parts of their territories were in the hands of the ma-
rauders and their rule was often only theoretical. However, Whatever the cause, the death of the incarnation of Sha
the Borderlanders, as they were named, had their own forc- Mekri had a tremendous impact on the Valk invasion. For
es, mercenaries fighting under their banners to keep their a long period, the Valkyrie went totally mad. They babbled
ancestral brothers at bay. incoherently and many of them committed suicide or dis-
appeared in the steppes.
A lengthy, bloody war was fought, but in the end the Bor-
derlanders managed to drive the barbarians away and a Taking advantage of this situation, Dhaar’s three sons started
semblance of civilization appeared again in these lands. a tremendous fratricidal war to gain power over the horde.
In the end, Tukal, the eldest, went north with his followers
The Iron Empire could only send a token force. Emperor and settled in the vast are today known as Valkheim. Juggu,
Domistan XII, doubtful of the Borderlanders’ actual chanc- the second brother, remained in the north of Zandor, while
es of winning the war and fearing an assault from Kyros, Eku, the youngest, moved south and created an independent
didn’t want to leave Faberterra unguarded. monarchy in the city of Ekram, where he learnt the western
customs and became a civilized and decadent man.
Therefore the eastern part of the Empire faced the impact
of the Valk invasion alone. So, this takes use to the present. The Empire is dying, its
customs are in full decadence and the barbarians are ready
In a show of disdain for the Emperor’s cowardice his broth- to quench their thirst for power from the sweet cup of civi-
er Ornestan, Governor of the East and Prince of Jalizar, lization.
declared independence from the Iron Empire — and the
new kingdom of Zandor was born with the barbarians at The Borderlands people have been keeping the Northland-
its doorsteps. ers and Cairnlords away from the heart of the Empire so
far, but their threat is ever present.
Zandor lasted for less than twelve years. The Valk invaders
crossed the Tear River, razed the border city of Collana and The construction of a line of forts on the Godaxe River has
swarmed into the reign. kept the situation under control, but almost every year the
Northlanders attack a fort to test the Borderlands’ defenses.
They were lead by the Valkyrie and by the great warrior It is only a matter of time before one of them falls and the
chief Dhaar, worshipped as the incarnation of Sha Mekri, a barbarians swarm again into the lush lands of the south.
man who managed to gather under his command countless
clans of the steppe. The landscape is dotted with ruins of ancient palaces where
strange beasts and phantoms of past ages roam freely. The
The Valk don’t conquer. They are nomads and herders: they will of local tyrants is often the only law and, in the shad-
raze, pillage and burn what they cannot take away. The ows, evil priests pray to their dark gods so that this troubled
armies of Zandor, despite having been the best in the Iron era may end as an even worse one may start.
Empire, could not withstand the speed and hit and run tac-
tics of the nomads. In a few years, the Zandorian armies This is the era of Beasts and Barbarians.
were forced to retreat to the cities and to protect very small
areas around the major centers, while the barbarians tri- Note that this isn’t the full history of the world, a great num-
umphed everywhere else. The Valk brought with them their ber of events are left out and many lands of minor importance
unholy cult of demons and whole villages were sacrificed to in the Empire’s history aren’t even mentioned. Further in-
Sha Mekri and other demons. formation on the history of the Dread Sea Dominions will be
available in the Gazetteer Chapter and in the Book of Lore,
parts of the series’s future installments.

11
 The Book of Lore

Timeline 2334 Numerous Caleds war bands attack Tricarnia.

Every civilization refers to a different calendar
to date historical events but, for ease of use, the 2335 Tricarnia declares independence from the Iron
Reformed Salkarian Calendar is adopted in this Empire.
manual. It calculates all dates starting from the
2333-2340 Caled-Tricarnia war.
presumed year in which the Dread Star fell (AF
= After Fall, BF = Before Fall). 2350 Battle of Felantium. The Iron Empire armies stop
the Northlanders a few miles south of the Elephants
3000 BF Apogee of the Keronian Empire
River.
0 AF Fall of the Dread Star. End of the Keronian Empire.
2355 Emperor Domestan X founds the Borderlands.
600-700 The dusts of the Dread Star start to dissipate.
2370 Restoration of the Autarchate in Kyros. Kyros
600-610 Survived Keronian Princes found the Tricarnian seceded from the Iron Empire.
reign in the north.
2420 Syranthia peacefully detaches from the Iron Empire.
700-800 Migrations Era: the Caleds and Pygmies go to the
2425 In the Valk Steppes, Dhaar, son of a minor Valk war
forests. The white man occupies the shores of the
chief, is born.
Dread Sea.
2450 The greatest Valk horde seen in history, led by
997 The Great library of Syranthia is discovered.
Dhaar, crosses the River of Tears, attacking Col-
1000 Foundation of Faberterra. lana. The invasion of Zandor begins.
1000-1300 War of the city states around the Dread Sea. 2451 Ornestan, Governor of Zandor, asks the Iron
Empire for support. Domestan XII, the Cautious,
1224 Fabron, Smith Priest of Hulian, discovers iron.
refuses it. Zandor faces the invasion alone.
1300 The Iron Confederacy is created.
2452 Ornestan declares the independence of Zandor from
1397 Syranthia is annexed by the Iron Confederacy. the Empire. Start the Twelve Winters Reign.

1525-1526 First Faberterra-Kyros war. 2464 Zandor fights the Valks on its own soil, but the Zan-
dorian armies are divided and slowly driven back
1528-1529 First Faberterra-Tricarnia war. year after year.
1528 Ascaia’s rebellion. Foundation of the Amazons 2464-2467 Siege of Jalizar. Ornestan II is King of Zandor.
Reign.
2467 Death of Dhaar. The Valk horde shatters.
1532 Domestan becomes Masterarkos of the Iron Confed-
eracy. 2470 Tukal, first son of Dhaar, founds Valkheim.

1535-1538 Second Faberterra-Kyros war. 2470 Juggu, second son of Dhaar, dies. The
Valk clans in Zandor are independent.
1540 Kyros is annexed by the Iron Confederacy. End of
the Confederacy and creation of the Iron Empire. 2471 Eku, third son of Dhaar, marries Yas-
Domestan I crowned Imperator. mine of Ekram. Foundation of the Ekul
kingdom.
1545-1550 Second Faberterra-Tricarnia war.
2510 Today.
1551 Tricarnia capitulates and is annexed by the Empire.
1551 Princess Salkaria of Tricarnia marries Emperor
Domestan I.
1560 Salkarian Reformation. Legitimate priests of
Cultures
Hulian go into hiding.
1562 Death of Domestan I. Domestan II, his son, takes
of the Dread Sea
the crown. Dominions
1570-1650 The Iron Empire expands to the north, conquering
various barbarian tribes.
1660-1860 The Iron Empire expands eastward. Conquest of Ivory Tribes
Zandor. ‘Ivory Tribes’ is a collective name used by the Imperials to
define all the populations living south of Kyros, from the
2060-2300 Empire’s apogee. An era of peace. Reduction in the actual Savannah nomads to the farmers of the Verdant Belt
Iron Phalanx forces. and even the feared Cannibals of the Cannibal Islands.
2327 Start of the Valk invasion. Cairnlands invaded.
There are great differences among them but they all have
2330 The Valk push the Cairnlanders westward of the ebony skin. They tend to be of average height and build and
Gold River. quite strong, but these aren’t universal features. Many Sa-
2332-2350 Northlanders and Cairnlanders, driven away by vannah nomads are as tall as the Northlanders while some
the Valk, attack the Iron Empire. of Verdant Belt dwellers, due to occasional breeding with
Pygmies, are quite short.

12
 Culturesof the Dread Sea Dominions

The Savannah people have harmonious bodies and their once a powerful empire, even more ancient than the Kero-
women especially are very attractive. A common saying nian Empire, but even its name is forgotten today.
claims that a Savannah tribe dancer can melt the heart of a
man with the beauty of her dance and make him die on the The only remnants of that distant past are the massive
spot, if she wants to. Cairns, artificial hills containing the tombs of the so-called
Ancestors. Some of the Cairns are so large that they can be
Sadly, their physical qualities and their lack of technology considered true necropolises.
made them very appreciated as slaves. Caldea, in particu-
lar, a minor white men reign in the south, has an economy The Cairnlanders inhabit them, sleeping, eating, mating
based on capturing and selling Savannah slaves to foreign and generally living side by side with the ancient dead ones.
states, while Kyros often launches slave raids through the They also bury their relatives in the Cairns, so the Ances-
Ivory Savannah. tors’ numbers are always growing.

The Ivory Tribes have no common cultural identity and For a Cairnlander the difference between life and death
fierce rivalries exist among different tribes. This is definitely isn’t that big, or that important. He sees them as two only
an advantage for slave traders. They don’t even need fight slightly different states of existence. Even after death, he
for slaves, they simply buy war prisoners sold by rival tribes continues to stay with his family, and his skull may become
in exchange for cheap weapons. This practice has been go- a relative’s favorite pot, his femur a war club or some other
ing on for centuries. useful tool.

Ivory Tribes men and women wear pelts and simple wool They are convinced that the spirits of the Ancestors speak
cloths. They like strong colors, like red and yellow, and are to them, leading and protecting them. Controlling a large
particularly fond of feathers and strange headgears. Women Cairn grants great power, not only because of the ancient
usually are bare-breasted. treasures buried within (the Cairnlanders’ metalworking
techniques are primitive and almost all their metal comes
Typical Ivory Tribes names are short and contain many labi- from the Cairns), but also because of the protection granted
als. For example: Eba, Utu, Ushul, Ngoba, Talindi, Malima. by the newly-acquired Ancestors.

The kingdom of the Ancestors was once so vast that some

Cairns are within the boundaries of the Northlanders’ ter-
Cairn Lords ritories and even of the Iron Empire. However, this does
Cairnlords or Cairnlanders are tall and muscular, with gray- not stop enemy Cairn Lords from fighting savagely to gain
ish skin and usually black or gray hair. control of the major Cairns, near or far though they might
be.
They are a truly remarkable — and slightly disgusting —
race because, well, they are tomb dwellers. Their land was

Cairn
Imperial Tricarnian Valk Jademan Northlander
Lord

Ivory
Tribesman Pygmy

13
 The Book of Lore

The Cairnladers are organized in clans, ruled by a chief or a Jademen

king. They live off hunting, herding, very primitive agricul-
ture, and pillaging. The Jademen are of average build and tend to be quite
small, though not as small as the Valk. They have pale yel-
They usually wear pelts and ancient rags or armor they low or jade green skin, black hair, and almond-shaped eyes.
found in their Cairns. Almost all of them also wear an am-
ulet or some other object belonging to an Ancestor, in the Their ancestral home is Lhoban, a bleak territory of tall
belief that it will grant protection. mountains — the highest peaks in the known world —, so
cold that only a few animals, like the yaks, can live there.
Moreover, they tend to have self-imposed names, more
similar to nicknames than to standard, civilized names. For this reason, the Jademen usually dress in wool gar-
Some examples are Whispering Ears, Goatpaw, Broken- ments. Weaving is very important in their culture, and the
sword, Seven He Killed, Bride of the Dead One, Skeletal wool cloth from Lhoban is among the finest and most fine-
Horse, etc. ly decorated in the world. They have very little facial hair,
and sporting a beard is always seen as a sign of maturity
and wisdom.
Imperials Lhoban is a particular form of theocracy ruled by monks.
The Imperials are the broadest and, therefore, most difficult Their leader, the Enlightened One, is a sort of semi-divine
civilization to define within the Dread Sea Dominions. The figure who provides spiritual guidance to the whole king-
name applies to all the civilized populations once under the dom from his secluded monastery in the City of Clouds.
rule of the Iron Empire. The lesser monks travel the land and ensure that his will is
carried out.
The typical Imperial, living in Faberterra, Syranthia, or
northern Kyros, is of average build and has tanned skin. The Jademen aren’t religious in a traditional way, but their
Manual workers and farmers tend to have a darker com- philosophy is based on the concept of perpetual reincarna-
plexion, while aristocrats and merchants are fairer, but this tion and progressive improvement toward final Enlighten-
is only due to the different lives they lead. ment. This doesn’t mean they don’t believe in the supernat-
ural — in fact, the opposite is true. The Lhoban monks are
Their hair can be of any color, but brown is the most common, aware of the supernatural threats looming over the world
and they usually have dark eyes. Depending on their status of men — demons, alien gods, and so on — and one of the
and wealth, they can have a well-tended beard and mustache tenets of their philosophy is fighting against these abomi-
but the military always shave, a tradition coming from health nations. In particular, they have been fighting a long war in
regulations imposed on the Iron Phalanxes centuries ago. the Lands of Idols (see page 26).

They wear long and short tunics, sandals and cloaks made Due to Lhoban’s very harsh environment, many Jademen
of wool, cotton, or, in the hotter lands, of imported Tricar- left and established large communities in the Dread Sea
nian silk. Dominions, principally in Ekum, Kyros and in Gis, the
City of the Alchemists.
Imperials tend to be sophisticated and civilized. They
shun many other races whom they see, sometimes with The Jademen are very polite and respectful, even ceremoni-
good reason, as barbarians. Centuries of conquests and ous, but this must not be mistaken for cowardice. They can
the accumulation of riches have made them fat, arrogant be deadly warriors, and many of them are trained in deadly
and with a passion for pleasures, an aspect of their culture fighting techniques unknown in the rest of the Empire.
mostly deriving from their contacts with the Tricarnians.
Their names have a Tibetan flavor, as Akar, Amrita, Dhar-
However, they can be dangerous enemies. Civilized people gey, Gu Lang, Jimpa, Lasya, Sangmu.
tend to be schemers and plotters and a concealed dagger
can be more dangerous that an openly shown barbarian axe.

On the bright side, Imperials are cosmopolitan, quite toler- Northlanders

ant of other cultures and religions, generally curious of the The Northlanders are by far the largest and toughest people
world, and open to new ideas. in the Dread Sea Dominions. Many of them are taller than
seven feet and strong enough to wrestle an ox barehanded.
The current ruling system of the Empire is an absolute
monarchy but the Emperor is far away, in Faberterra, so the Both men and women wear their hair long, and married
various parts of the Empire are ruled by governors. In addi- women usually plait it. Men tend to have long beards but,
tion to this, with the progressive decadence of the Empire, especially among the southern tribes, they shave, mainly
many Imperial lands have become independent and have in order to tell their brothers apart from their enemies in
reverted to their previous forms of government, monarchy, battle.
oligarchy and, in some cases, democracy.
They dress primarily in furs and roughly-woven wool
Imperial names generally include a first name and a patro- clothes. The men often walk around bare-chested, even dur-
nymic or family name, such as Tellario Voleskos, Domitio ing cold winters, because this is seen as a sign of strength
Antiokan, Marika Eleucorikos, Irenya Berenantios, etc. while women are dressed in a more traditional way with a
long gown.

14
 Culturesof the Dread Sea Dominions

The Northlanders are fascinated by metal. They are just The other two distinctive traits of this civilization are slav-
starting to learn the art of melting iron and blacksmiths are ery and sorcery.
held in high esteem.
As said before, the whole economy of Tricarnia is based on
They are proud, stubborn and bold, but they fear and loathe slavery. Being only a fraction of the total population, the
the supernatural. Their world view is plain and simple: the High Tricarnians alone cannot keep the masses of slaves
strong prevail over the weak, like the wolf over the deer, and under control, so various levels of slavery exist.
there is nothing strange about it. The world of nature works
like that, just like that of men. The most unfortunate are the humble rice field workers,
the slave miners, and the leech catchers (the medicinal use
They are organized in large families or clans, usually led of leeches is a common practice among High Tricarnians).
by the oldest male members, and they live off hunting and Just above them are the slave warriors and guards, who live
foraging. Quarrels and feuds with neighbors are fairly com- in better conditions. They control their inferiors and are the
mon and often end in bloodshed. bulk of the army. At the top of the slaves’ social ladder are
the eunuchs, a caste of castrated men who are the elite war-
The Northlanders are very individualistic and only a few riors and administrators.
times in their history a charismatic leader has managed to
unite them under one banner usually to fight a major threat, Sorcery is common. Almost all true-blood Tricarnias have
as a Cairnlanders’ attack or an Imperial invasion. some knowledge of sorcery which is necessary to survive
the scheming and plotting of their equals, eager to enhance
Typical Northlanders names are short and sharp-sounding, their power and social standing. Various forms of sorcery
as Shangor, Torm, Uma, Verrik, Gorn, Targar, Beren. are practiced, but corrupting magic and the evocation of
dark creatures are the most widespread. Lotusmastery
They don’t use patronymics, except in very official situa- and drug use in general are common and encouraged, also
tions. For a Northlander it is a man’s sword, not his father, among the slaves. The reason is obvious: a drugged slave is
that makes him important. easier to control.

Tricarnia is divided in Principalities, each of them totally

independent and governed by a single noble family. Schem-
Tricarnians ing, plotting and open warfare among the Princes are com-
Tricarnia is inhabited by two different races: the High Tri- mon. The capital of Tricarnia, the City of Princes, is con-
carnians — who are nobles, priests, top military personnel, sidered as a neutral ground, and no open act of war can be
merchants, and so on — and slaves , who form the bulk of committed there. It is also the seat of the High Prince, the
the nation. ruler of Tricarnia.

Tricarnian slaves are a mix of other races, captured in raids Tricarnians deeply hate (and secretly fear) the Caleds, the
or bought from pirates and slave traders in Caldeia, Kyros descendants of their ancient slaves, who still seek revenge
or in the Independent Cities. for thousands of years spent in slavery.

The High Tricarnians aren’t fully human, because the blood Typical high Tricarnian names have an ancient ring to them
of the old Keronians runs in their veins. They are mostly and are always preceded by title, like Princess Salkaria, Price
very tall and slender, with pale or rarely jet-black complex- Hoolon, Priest Tokariel, and so on. Omitting the title when
ion. They have very smooth skin and no body hair, a feature addressing a Tricarnian noble is considered a mortal insult,
which other cultures find a little repulsive. Despite this de- except among family members.
tail, many of them are very beautiful, with elongated and
sharp features. Some say that the High Tricarnians have
found a way to extend their lives beyond the limits of the
other races, but no evidence has ever been found to confirm Valk
this rumor. The Valk are the shortest of the common races, with the
exception of the Pygmies. Most are slightly over five feet
They usually wear long, elaborated garments of silk, a fairly tall and a Valk surpassing six feet is considered a giant.
ordinary commodity in Tricarnia, since it is produced in
the local silkworm farms, a relic from the region’s Keronian They have black or brown hair, with the exception of the
past. In battle they used to wear exquisite armor made of Valkyrie, their priestesses, who always have white or blonde
bronze, replaced now by iron, and pointed helms. hair (usually dyed). The warriors use long braids, and cut
them only in case of dishonor. The longer the braid the
The Tricarnians tend to be cruel, a natural instinct to them, most powerful and brave the warrior. They have little or no
like that of a cat torturing a mouse. They consider other beard, because one of their rites of passage, the Blood Of-
races inferior, worth using only as slaves, as victims on the fering, consists in self inflicting wounds to the cheeks, thus
altars of their alien gods, or as guinea pigs in gruesome ex- preventing the growth of facial hair.
periments.
The Valk are dressed in leather and both sexes use trousers
They brought decadence to the Iron Empire, but the worst and boots, the most practical garments for a race of horse
vices of the dissolute Imperial nobles or merchants appear riders. They learn to ride even before being able to walk and
quite ridiculous if compared to what happens daily in the are incredibly skilled on their ponies.
citadel of a Priest Prince of Tricarnia.

15
 The Book of Lore

The basis of Valk economy, in times of peace, is herding list includes the major scientific achievements of the Dread
sheep, cows, and, naturally horses. Horse milk and goat Sea Dominions.
meat are their staple and they are particularly fond of fer-
mented milk spirits, which all the other races find disgust- Alchemy: This field overlaps that of magic. The Lotus mas-
ing. ters are experts in drug and poison making, but only from
the Lotus plants. The Alchemists of Gis, instead, are true
They are organized in clans, led by warlords, who share the scientists and know how to use Greek fire, acids, and similar
power with the Valkyrie. Except for the priestesses, who are things. Their concoctions are very costly and seldom sold
respected and feared, Valk women have a very low standing outside the city. Kyros, Syranthia and the Independent Cit-
in society, so much so that marriage is rare and a warrior ies know glass.
simply keeps in his tent the women he wants, in a condi-
tion of semi slavery. Only after the birth of a son, the father Currency: Coins made of metals are used in civilized lands,
becomes responsible for supporting the woman. but their value is determined by the trading value of salt.
Barter is widespread in the remote, uncivilized areas along
The Valk religion deeply influences their way of life. They the borders of the Empire.The Empire adopted the Syra-
are demon worshippers and see demons in many manifesta- nthian Moon as official currency, and this roughly circular
tion of the natural world, such as thunder, the steppe winds, coin is now common in all the ports and markets of the
and the terrible plagues that often decimate the cattle and Dominions.
bring famine onto the clans. They don’t fear the demons, at
least not openly, but recognize and respect their supernatu- Entertainment: Since literacy is rare, minstrels, musi-
ral powers. cians and taletellers are very important as they are actors
and mimes. Especially in the southern lands, dancing is a
Valk names are throaty and with many consonants: Dhaar, very common form of recreation. Many enjoy the “blood
Khull, Dakka, Rigga, Throgg, Vulkat are all good examples. sports”, originally from Tricarnia: shows in the arena where
gladiators slaughter (or get slaughtered by) massive beasts
and other desperate warriors. These violent games are ap-
Hero’s Journal: preciated by both the nobility and the commoners alike,
especially in big cities where the games in the arena and the
Caleds and Pygmies distribution of free food keep the masses at bay and ease the
These races are reclusive and xenophobic, so they burden of living in a decadent Empire.
are not a good choice as player characters. In ad-
dition, very little is known about them except Food Production: Agriculture is the main source of food
for some rumors reported below. in the Empire but outside its boundaries (and in the most
depressed areas, like the Borderlands) hunting and harvest-
The Caleds are a primitive people living in the
ing are by far the most common way of surviving. In the
Caledland. They don’t know metalworking, but
Savannah and among the Valk herding is widespread. In
among them there are very dangerous sorcerers, called druids.
the past, several populations knew how to use the iron plow
They rarely leave their woodlands and, when this happens,
but, in the current period, few have retained this skill, since
it is usually bad news, since they are waging war against
iron must be used for weapons and armors, not for farming.
someone.
Crop rotation is still unknown.
The Pygmies are very short people of the Lush
Jungles. They are primitive, and very skilled in Ground Travel: Most folks travel on foot, while the rich
the use of blowpipes and poisons. They worship have horses or carriages. Many paved roads, named Impe-
cruel gods that periodically ask for the bloody rial Roads, were built in the past but today they are gener-
sacrifices of human victims usually chosen from ally abandoned and infested by bandits. The Valk always
among non-Pygmy invaders. ride; a Valk that cannot ride is abandoned and left to die
by the rest of his tribe. The Cairnlords also uses carriages,
The players will discover more information about sometimes pulled by rams, and the top warriors of the Iron
these races during their adventures. Savannah ride the impressive and savage war buffalos.

Government: The most advanced form of government is

the oligarchy of the merchant lords of Syranthia, but vari-
Way of Life ous forms of monarchy are the standard government in
most lands.

Literacy: ninety percent of the population cannot read and

Technology write these days. The most educated lands are Syranthia,
Differently from other fantasy worlds, the Dread Sea Do- Tricarnia (limited to the nobles), Caldeia, Faberterra, Kyros
minions aren’t dormant. In a few thousand years, they have and Lhoban (limited to the monks).
evolved from the stone age to the current iron age. Yet, this
isn’t true for all the Dominions, since certain populations Medicine: Outside the largest cities, witchcraft, supersti-
(like the Caleds, the Pygmies and the tribes of the Ivory tion and midwifery are the closest things to medical science
Savannah) are still primitive. while in the cities there are medics and barbers. Syranthia
also has an academy of medicine where the anatomy of man
It is hardly possible to provide a comprehensive description is studied. Anatomy is also well known in Tricarnia due to
of all the technologies of a certain world, so the following the traditional use of tortures.

16
 Way of Life

Metallurgy: At the height of its power, the Empire and place there is the irregular barbarian infantry. The terrible
all its subjects knew the use of iron and even started ex- war elephants of Kyros have almost disappeared today and
perimenting with a better, lower-carbon league called steel the Iron Phalanxes are reduced to less than ten legions.
but today it is very rare. The barbaric Northlanders, Cairn
Lords, and the Savannah Tribes know only bronze, but they
can acquire better metal weapons through trading and pil- Hero’s Journal:
laging. The Caleds and the Pygmies don’t use any metal.
Languages of the Dread Sea Dominions
Sea Travel: The ships of the Dominions are quite primitive The common language spoken almost every-
and usually sail close to the coast. The biggest vessels are the where is Imperial Syranthian. Almost all
Tricarnian galleys but the most maneuverable are the Syra- lands have a national language and dozens of
nthian merchant ships, which can be seen in all parts of the dialects, but very few are recorded in writing.
world. The Amazons too are very skilled sailors, and they The major languages of the Dominions are:
use a particular type of sail unknown to the other cultures.
Alchemists’ Code. The Alchemists of Gis
developed this strange language, in truth more of a secret code
Warfare: Nowadays, the strongest warriors are Valk
then a real mother tongue, to protect the secrecy of their dis-
mounted archer with armor of boiled leather, a composite
coveries and potions. The Code is taught only to initiates and
bone bow and a saddle with stirrups. Second bests are the
requires a certain mathematical ability and decryption skills
fully-armored Syranthian cataphracts knights, and in third

17
 The Book of Lore

to understand it. So, only characters with Smarts d8 or more ciple: she is the goddess of emotions, water, and the spoken
can learn this language. It exists only in written form. word. She also protects love, births, seasons, and the arts.
Barbarian Languages. The Northeim people, the Caleds and She symbolizes the night. Statues of the Divine Couple
the Cairnlords speak three different languages (Northern, feature a single head with two sides: a handsome blonde
Caled, and Cairn Tongue). Out of these three, only the Cairn man (Hulian) and a striking black-haired woman (Hor-
Tongue is written using a runic alphabet. dan). The statues are never anchored to the ground, and it is
the priests’ duty to rotate them at dawn and dusk, to show
Ivory Tribes Languages. The Ivory Tribes speak an impres- the face of the divinity currently in charge in a given mo-
sive number of different dialects that are all quite similar. In ment of the day. In the Great Temple of the Divine Couple
gaming terms only one language is considered: the Savan- in Faberterra (the former High Temple of Hulian), an in-
nah’s Tongue. In certain parts of the Verdant Belt the most genious water mechanism slowly rotates the statues in a
advanced tribes speak a bastardized form of Caldeian called shown of technology that always impresses the commoners.
Slavers’ Tongue, used mainly for contacts with Caldeian
slavers. Both languages lack a written form. In truth, the Divine Couple is an artificial divinity, created
Imperial Syranthian. Imperial Syranthian, or simply to unify two very different people, the Tricarnians and the
Imperial, is a simple and rather regular alphabetic language, Imperials, and usually only lip service is paid to them.
originally from Syranthia. Every playing character can speak
it, and, depending on her background, might be also able to In secret, because it is highly illegal, the Iron Priests still
write it. worship Hulian Lord of Fire in the catacombs of Faber-
terra and in other parts of the Empire. In this more real
Tricarnian and Ancient Keronian. Tricarnias and Calde- version of the cult, Hulian is the Smith god, He Who Turns
ians are the descendants of the ancient Keronian Empire. the Darkness Away, lord of the Word, and protector of hu-
They speak a common version of the language in the daily life manity. The priests of Hulian are aware that alien gods and
(Tricarnian) but use a ceremonial, ancient language during their servants are still walking in the world, and it’s the
religious rites and in sorcery (Ancient Keronian). These are priests’ sacred duty to fight them. It is not a secret that they
considered two different languages. are losing, but they will continue until the last fire burns
Lhoban Secrets. The Jademen speak a mountain dialect, but out. Hulian Lord of Fire is represented as a lion-headed
the secrets of the monks must be preserved with great care, so a man, tall and muscular, with the sun painted on his chest
“written” form of communication was devised, called Lhoban and a smith’s hammer in his right hand.
Secrets. The Secrets are lengths of ropes, with particular knots.
Looking at the size of the knots, their distance from each other, Although the Imperial Law forbids it, in Tricarnia, Hor-
and other parameters, the monks can read and communicate dan Mistress of Darkness is still openly worshipped by
their Secrets. the Priest Princes and their minions. Hordan is an ancient
demonic creature adored since the times of the Keronian
Pygmy. The Pygmies speak their own tongue. It is very dif- Empire. She is the goddess of darkness, pain, and unholy
ficult to learn this language, due to the strong isolation of these appetites. Despite her human appearance, Hordan is com-
diminutive people. pletely alien, ever thirsting for blood, violent sex, and other
depraved acts.
Valk. The Valk speak a very weird, totally unique language.
Its peculiarity might be due to the very different origins of the
She is usually represented as a busty bare-chested woman
steppe nomads, but there is a theory among the
of otherworldly beauty. But a closer inspection reveals her
Syranthian sages according to which Valk isn’t
demonic origin: her long braids end in tiny snake heads, her
a human language. A creepy fact supports this
open mouth shows a snakelike tongue, and her nipples are
theory: the demons speak Valk. No one knows
deadly stingers.
whether a written form of this language exists.
Hordan is a generous goddess — as long as she is satiated
with constant sacrifices. Otherwise, she feeds on her own
Religion followers’ bodies and souls.

Religious practices vary greatly across the Dominions and The Northlanders have a rather cold relationship with the
literally hundreds of cults exist, many of them on a local divine. They mainly worship the Lord of Thunder, a distant
basis. In this paragraph only the most important religions god who simply watches the mortals from the skies and
are detailed. shows his rage and power during thunderstorms. The Lord
of Thunder intervenes only when a child is born, blowing
Before the Salkarian Reformation, the Empire was very into the lungs of the infant, giving him strength. What the
open-minded on matters of religion. As long as a land or human will do with his gift does not concern the god.
a city paid the taxes, it was free to worship whatever god it
wanted. The Ivory tribes have a very complex theology, with many
minor divinities, but they mainly worship Etu, the Mother,
With the Reformation a new divinity was introduced, the a female divinity presiding over rains and births, and Uletu,
Divine Couple, Hulian and Hordan, the artificial fusion God of Strength, represented as a lion or bull, either as a
of Hulian, the smith god of Faberterra, and Hordan, the beast or in hybrid human-beast form.
female goddess of Tricarnia. They are seen as the two faces
of the same divinity: Hulian is the male principle, who gov- The Valk worship demons, the most important of which
erns over logic, fire, science and the written word. He also is Sha Mekri, an expression that in their language simply
symbolizes the day. Hordan, instead, is the feminine prin- means “the King”. Sha Mekri is the incarnation of war-

18
 Climate

fare and destruction. He is usually represented as a blaze the nation the aspect of a massive swamp which is always
(as sometimes happens in autumn in the steppes), or as a shrouded by thick fog.
massive black stallion with a fanged mouth, whose hooves
leave a trail of fire. In very rare cases, he is portrayed as a Going south, the climate gets hotter. The area called the
massive man, dressed in metal armor full of spikes and rid- Horn, comprising the Fallen Kingdom, the Red Dunes
ing a metal stallion. Desert and the Ivory Savannah is scorching all year round,
and the highest temperatures are reached in the desert.
The Cairnlords worship the Ancestors, the dead ones. Many With the exception of oases, the vegetation mainly includes
of them don’t need to be depicted, because they still exist, in palms, cacti and other resilient plants. In the Ivory Savan-
embalmed form, in their necropolis. Sometimes, they aren’t nah the main vegetable is the Bone Grass, a sturdy type of
even truly dead. The Northlander warriors who return from herb that in the summer takes on a pale color resembling
incursions in the Cairns tell wild stories of emaciated figures that of bones.
dressed in ancient rags, who were obviously dead and yet
they walked and commanded the living ones. Thanks to its position around the mouth of the Buffalo
River, Caldeia enjoys a mild climate and its vegetation is
As mentioned before, the Jademen don’t worship a god, similar to that of Kyros and Faberterra.
though they recognize the existence of supernatural crea-
tures, some of them good but mostly flawed and evil. In- Going further south, the Lush Jungle and the Cannibal Is-
stead, they believe that every being can reach divinity lands have a tropical climate. Plants of every type and size
through self-improvement and meditation following the grow in these snake-infested lands.
Path of Enlightenment. Death is but a transition within
this process: a creature reincarnates in another being, lesser Moving east, Lhoban is an area of high mountains; it is
or higher, depending on how it behaved in its previous life. quite cold with short, hot summers. Except for some li-
The monks are at the higher stages of the process and the chens, very few plants grow in these lands but the valley
Enlightened One has almost completed it. bottoms are fertile, enjoy a mild weather, and yield excellent
crops.
What is there beyond? It is a secret that will be revealed
only to those who reach the divine. The old kingdom of Zandor, comprising Ekul, Jalizar and
Valkheim, has the most varied climate.
This philosophy, exported by the Jademen who left their
country to live in the Dread Sea Dominions, slowly blend- Ekul is a cold, windswept desert with small oases. Here
ed with the western rites and was adopted by many sects, nothing stops the winds blowing from the Valk steppes.
like the Stylites of the Land of Idols, eremites who lives in The only exception consists in the coastal regions, witch are
constant meditation on the top of tall columns. very fertile.

The divinities of the Caleds and of the Pygmies are un- Jalizar has a continental climate which gets milder and good
known. for the agriculture on the shores of the Drowned King Sea.

Valkheim, actually a part of the steppe, is always exposed to

the winds and except for a short, hot summer, it is frozen
Climate all year round.

The Dread Sea Dominions have not been charted in an ex-

act way (today the science of geometry is practiced only by
some scholar of the Syranthian Library), so it is difficult
to estimate their actual size, but they certainly have a very
Gazetteer:
wide range of different climates.
The Dread Sea
The northern reigns including the Caledlands, Northeim
and the Cairnlands are cold, with winters lasting as long as
six months and wide expanses of forests. The Troll Moun-
Dominions Today
tains, usually considered the northern boundaries of the Here follows a brief description of the most important ar-
world, are in the grip of ice for most of the year. eas of the Dread Sea Dominions as they are today. A brief
summary is presented for every nation, as an example of
On the other hand, the lands facing the Dread Sea enjoy by what the Book of Lore (featured in the future installments
far the best climate. Faberterra, Syranthia and Kyros have a of the series) will contain.
temperate, Mediterranean climate with warm winters, long
autumns and springs and generally hot summers. They have
plants of all species including olive and fig trees, and the
harvest there is always generous. Ascaia, Amazons’ Island
Ascaia is a small island, not far from the mouth of the El-
Tricarnia differs slightly from its neighbors. Despite being ephants River. It has tall reefs and a single port, but the
in the north, it is protected from the cold winds by the Bro- weather is very good and the land fertile making it an excel-
kenchain Mountains, so it has a temperate climate but it is lent place for growing crops and breeding horses.
quite damp. It has large, half-flooded rice fields that give

19
 The Book of Lore

In the years before the foundation of the Empire by Amazons’ Code. The Amazons’ code of honor (see sidebar)
Domestan, the local female population rebelled and elimi- implies that Amazons must help other women in distress
nated all the males from the island. The leaders of the re- but experience has taught them not to push this too far.
bellion were Gella, the wife of the former governor, a very Outside Ascaia, the world is not ready to accept an inde-
cruel man, and Ilenya, a female gladiator of the local arena. pendent woman, and the Amazons face constant mistrust
The two women became the first Sister Queens of Ascaia. without even looking for trouble. But one principle is con-
Since then, very few men have been allowed onto the is- stantly respected: if a woman, whatever her status is, reaches
land, which is now known as the Amazons’ Island. Ascaia and asks to join the Amazons, her request must be
put to the Sister Queens.
The Amazons’ Island is very easily defended and has wide
terraced fields; the island is fairly self-sufficient, only lack- Hero’s Journal:
ing one fundamental resource for their survival: men.
Amazons’ Code of Honor
For the purpose of mating, the Amazons choose slaves, war Amazon characters have the Code of Honor
prisoners and occasional lovers they find while on missions (Amazons) Hindrance. The principles of the
on the mainland. When an Amazon gives birth to a child, Code are as follows:
if it is a female, she can join the Amazons. If it is a male, he * You are free. No man will ever chain you.
is immediately separated from his mother and sent to his
father, if possible, or a foster family is found, but he cannot * No man will defend you. You have your wits,
stay on the island longer than seven days after birth. your strength and your sword. You will defend
yourself.
The Amazons have a martial culture (a necessity to avoid * Aid women whenever you can, but a woman must first help
being re-conquered by males) and they have become skilled herself.
sailors, excellent mercenaries and, under some Queens,
dreaded pirates and slave hunters. Luckily, it is no longer this * Ascaia is your holy land, your mother and your refuge. You
way, at least officially. The current Queens signed an agree- will give your life to protect it.
ment with Emperor Domestan XII accepting to patrol the * Any woman can ask you to be brought to Ascaia and join the
Elephant River and to actively hunt the Pirates of the Fin- Amazons. Accepting or refusing is not your task. You must
gers, a task which they are carrying out the most efficiently. bring her to the Sister Queens.
But there are always some independent Amazon captains
who, while on the open sea, raid and sink merchant ships. As
long as they are not spotted, nothing happens and the Sister Other Amazon Cultures
Queens usually turn a blind eye because such deeds bring Sword and Sorcery worlds are very male-centered and wom-
wealth to the island and help preserve its fearful reputation. en are usually only seen as prizes for the winners or objects of
pleasure. An Amazon can be an interesting character to play
as. Ascaia’s Amazons are the most famous, but they certainly
aren’t the only group of independent females in
the Dread Sea Dominions. The Valkyire are an-
other famous example and in the barbarian lands
it could be that a woman takes up her father’s
sword and shows the world what stuff a heroine
is made of.

Borderlands
“The Borderlands people know the barbarians well because
they are of the same breed”, as the ancient saying goes. And
it is at least partially true. The Borderlands were once part
of Northeim but were taken by the Imperials with war,
treachery and cunning diplomacy and their inhabitants
slowly mixed with the Imperials, thus becoming the Bor-
derlands people. These people have the better of the two
cultures: the knowledge and rationalism of the Imperials
and the energy and vitality of the barbarians. When the
true Northlanders attacked the Empire, the first people to
withstand them were the Borderlands people.

It was clear that the Imperial Phalanxes would not be

enough to defend the land and the Borderlands people did
what they usually do — they defended themselves against
their savage cousins from Northeim.

In the end, the Empire lost its authority over this area, and
some small, independent kingdoms were established and
called the Borderlands. Although they are under the for-

20
 Gazetteer:The Dread SeaDominions Today

mal protection of the Emperor of Faberterra, they are on ings of the Ancestors, he ordered his men to build a large
their own, fighting to preserve what they created with such fleet. He meant to use it to raid Jalizar and the City of the
great effort. The biggest Borderland is Felantium, ruled Alchemists and to use the spoils to build his palace. When
by a count, the nephew of the man who, many years ago, summer came, the fleet was ready and his army sailed south.
stopped the barbarians from invading the Empire in an epic But during the first night at sea, a terrible storm caught
battle fought in front of the city gates. the fleet by surprise. All the ships sank and the whole
army, including the king, drowned. From then on, during
The border between the Borderlands and Northeim is the stormy nights a ghost fleet has been haunting the sea of the
Godaxe River, where a line of forts manned by soldiers Drowned King, the man who refused to live in the Cairns.
from the Borderlands stands. These forts are vital since ev-
ery year the Northlanders, Cairnlanders or Nandals launch Hero’s Journal:
violent attacks on them but, so far, no fort has fallen. When
this happens, the barbarians invade Borderlands again and Cairnlanders’ Talismans
it becomes a grim day for all the civilized populations. The Cairnlanders are very superstitious, and
most of them always carry a relic of their An-
There is another nightmare that haunts the lords of the cestors. It might be a piece of bone, a tooth, an
Borderlands — the fact that one day the Drowned King amulet and its function is to protect the wearer.
Sea might freeze as far south as the Godaxe River which If the Game Master agrees, a Cairnlander
would pave the way for a massive invasion of the south. character can take a single back-
ground Edge (as Luck) even after
The Price of Blood. Though the Borderlands are divided creation or take a single Edge, ignoring rank
and ruled by different laws, one rule is applied everywhere: limitations. This Edge is linked to the Ancestors’
if a man volunteers to defend one of the forts and serves relic and works only if the hero has his Ancestor’s
for at least five years, he is rewarded with a piece of land relic with him.
in his Borderland and receives an additional plot for every
extra five years. This rule is called The Price of Blood and it
is only fair compensation for what the soldiers must endure Caldeia
defending their land. However, it is also a way to lure colo-
nists from the south. In the Borderlands, capable men can Caldeia is a city state around the mouth of the Buffalo
carve out a future for themselves. River. It has one heavily defended city, Caldeia of the tall
towers, and some smaller fortified settlements in its sur-
roundings. Caldeia was founded several centuries ago by an
exiled Priest Prince of Tricarnia, Caldaios the Cruel, and
Cairn Lands today it is still a monarchy, de facto ruled by the nobles and
The Cairn Lands are a vast, wild area of deep forests and a cast of priests.
rolling hills. No city or other civilized settlement is visible
because many of the seemingly natural hills are in truth ar- Remarkably, Caldaios the Cruel is still formally the King
tificial mounds built by the ancient dwellers of this region. of Caldeia. He should be more than four hundred years old
The Cairn Lords, today’s inhabitants, live in the Cairns now, but nobody has ever announced his death and, though
which make for excellent houses, stables, and fortresses, he hasn’t appeared in public for at least three centuries,
if you don’t mind living side by side with your dead ones, there are rumors he still lives in self-imposed reclusion in
whom they call the Ancestors. the royal palace of Caldeia City.

This is no wealthy region and the Cairn Lords are not an Caldeia is very rich because it trades the two most pre-
advanced people. They live off hunting, herding, and oc- cious goods produced in the south of the world: Khav and
casional raids on nearby lands. But when darkness falls, slaves.
the Cairnlanders enter their underground tunnels and lock
themselves in, since during the night a strange fog appears The fertile area
and wicked things, best left undisturbed, emerge from the of the Buffaloes
oldest, still unexplored Cairns. River’s mouth
boasts the world’s
The mounds called Cairns do not exist only in the Cairn largest planta-
Lands, although this region has the biggest concentration tions of Khav,
of them. Many are found in Valkheim, the Northlands also known as
and the Borderlands. During the long, cold winters, the Lesser Lotus.
northern part of the Drowned King Sea freezes, giving the This cheap and
Cairnlords access to the Borderlands and Valkheim. This very addictive
is the best time for raids in the south, to look for a big- drug is produced
ger home or simply to stay away from their haunted lands, and refined in
which in winter become even more dangerous. Caldeia and then
sold across the
The Legend of the Drowned King. There is a story about Dominions. The
a powerful king of the Cairn Lords who refused the tradi- Khav plantations
tions. He did not want to live in a Cairn but desired to dwell are tended by
in a palace, as the southerners do. But he needed slaves and slaves who are all
many riches to build such a thing. So, ignoring the teach-

21
 The Book of Lore

heavily addicted to Khav. Many of them die, but Caldeia’s Tricarnians, during the war, and some Imperial Phalanxes,
flesh markets have plenty of replacements. when the Empire was so strong that it considered conquer-
ing the Caledlands. Yet, none of them ever came back. The
Slaves are the second most traded good in Caldeia. Raid- Caleds aren’t invincible — after all they are only naked, tat-
ing parties depart monthly from the Caldeian settlements tooed barbarians, who fight with stone-tipped spears — but
and venture deep in the Savannah to surprise Ivory Tribes their strength lies mainly in their druids, a caste of very
and capture large groups of slaves who are then dragged in powerful sorcerers. During the Tricarnian-Caledian Wars,
chains to Caldeia and sent to the plantations or sold to for- many acts of foul sorceries were committed by both parties
eigners. Many of the slaves in the northern kingdoms and and the part of the Caledian forest bordering Tricarnia is
Tricarnia come from here. now an accursed place, where terrible abominations lurk in
the shadows of ancient trees.
Raids in the Savannah are not the only method the Cal-
deians use to capture slaves. Caravans of slavers periodi- War Drums. The Caleds periodically leave their woods
cally travel the infamous Slave Route, a road that goes from and raid the nearby regions. They do not seek spoils,
Caldeia, across the Verdant Belt, to the far mountains of but a single commodity: humans — who are brought to
Lhoban. Along the way, the slavers trade with the Ivory Caledland and never seen again. Immediately before such
tribes and other barbaric reigns of the Verdant Belt, barter- expeditions, the sound of rolling drums comes from the
ing cheap weapons and Khav for slaves. These slaves are forest. This means that the Caleds are going on a hunt-
often members of the same population they are bought ing spree. Nobody knows what the captives are used for,
from, who are made prisoners during bloody feuds among they are probably sacrificed to the gods or, as many say,
clans. The Caldeian slavers make sure they support differ- they are eaten. The strange thing is that the Caleds’ raids
ent tribes, even rival ones, so that no unity can be achieved do not seem to follow any logic: they are willing to travel
among the Ivory Tribes. hundreds of miles, to some remote village in Northeim or
a farm in the Borderlands, to kidnap a single person. The
Khav Wars. In the last few years, there have been attacks reason why they go to so much trouble to capture a single
on the least protected Khav plantations, causing heavy unlucky individual, while simply butchering everyone else,
economic damage to Caldeia. The raiders are Ivory Tribe is one of the many mysteries surrounding the Caleds.
warriors and mercenaries from the north. They also free
slaves and enact guerrilla tactics on Caldeian soil. Caldeia’s
answer has been strong and violent, but it is hard to defeat
such an elusive enemy: the raiders generally attack along Cannibals Islands
the borders and then rapidly retreat to the Ivory Savan- The Cannibal Islands are a group of medium-sized land-
nah, hiding their tracks. The remarkable thing is that they masses not far from the Lush Jungles. The first travelers
don’t take away any of the precious Khav, but they simply who came here thought they had found a true paradise with
burn it. Someone thinks that the White King of the Ivory pleasant weather, strange fruit plants, colorful birds and
Savannah is behind these attacks, but no proof has been crystal-clear water full of fish.
found so far because, until now, the Caldeian army hasn’t
managed to capture any raider alive. The matter is further In truth, these islands are home to one of the most fero-
complicated by the fact that independent; non-Caldeian cious people in the world, the cannibal tribes. These primi-
Khav sellers have appeared in the northern lands. They tive men attack and eat any stranger they meet, and the
have very competitive prices and they gain a greater share first explorers, caught by surprise, ended their lives in the
of the market every day. A drug war is about to break greasiest of ways.
out…
In addition, a couple of times a year, they sail in their long
Hero’s Journal: war pirogues to the mainland, to hunt their favorite quarry:
man. They usually set ambushes around the mouth of the
Khav Addiction Anaconda River or along the Verdant Belt, but a few times
Khav addiction is a Major Habit. In addition they have gone as far as the Independent Cities.
to the standard addiction rules, Khav has the
following effects: it causes –2 to all Spirit and Cannibals’ God. Some lucky mariners who have man-
Smarts based rolls and eliminates the sense of aged to escape the Cannibal Islands tell stories of a giant
fatigue. A Khav addict does not monster that is the god of the Cannibals. Most of the hu-
receive penalty for Fatigue, but he man prey they catch is sacrificed to appease the monstrous
actually feels it. It is not unusual divinity. Yet, the nature of the god is unknown and these
for slaves addicted to Khav to work to death. The stories might be only a legend or a tale to hide some dis-
price of Khav varies depending on its purity: turbing truth.
a dose may cost from half a Moon to twenty
Moons. It is common throughout the Dread Sea
Dominions, especially in slave-based nations.
Ekul
Ekul, the southern part of former Zandor, is mainly a des-
Caledland ert. The industrious population always fights to farm the
scarce good soil, and great resources are spent in reclama-
Let us be honest: no one has ever explored Caledland. It tion and irrigation. Thanks to this enlightened policy, Ekul
is a vast, ancient forest inhabited by primitive savages, the is now a fairly pleasant place to live and enjoys good trading
Caleds. The only ones who dared enter the forest were the relations with Kyros, Syranthia and Jalizar.

22
 Gazetteer:The Dread SeaDominions Today

In truth, Ekul it is a very young nation. This land suffered Faberterra

the first, tremendous impact of the Valk invasion; many of
its cities were destroyed and the population killed. Then, Faberterra was the heart of the Iron Empire, the place
luckily, the Valk moved north, toward the richest lands. Af- where the destinies of very far countries were decided. To-
ter the death of Dhaar, leader of the Valk, his third son Eku, day, Faberterra is only a shadow of its former glory. The
with a large number of clans went south and invaded this rich countryside, full of large estates and prosperous farms,
land once again. is slowing decaying, because the landowners spend more
time indulging in personal pleasure than looking after their
Rather than facing another war, the locals willingly submit- properties. Commerce is still prosperous, but only because
ted. They opened to Eku the doors of their main city, which Faberterra is at the center of the world. The tide is turning
was renamed Ekul, and offered him the hand of Yasmine, and more and more ships choose Askerios to dock.
daughter of the former Imperial Governor.
“Life is short and the Empire is fading. We are doomed. So,
Eku was still young, and a very curious and attentive per- let’s enjoy ourselves”.
son. He took up his residence in the ex Imperial Palace. He
was truly fascinated by the way of life in the southern lands This is the common way of thinking in Faberterra. So far,
and soon became a civilized man. the state has never been invaded, but no one can forget that
the barbarian hordes were recently stopped at Felantium,
Not all his followers were pleased with his behavior, so he which isn’t that far. So many Imperials have decided to
was forced to crush a good part of them. His remaining fol- spend their last days indulging in orgies, feasts and other
lowers adapted to a semi stantial life. Ekul is a vast territory, exotic entertainments, while others regularly visit the tem-
but only a small part of it, in the coastal region, is farmed. ple of the Divine Couple and pray for the Empire and their
The rest can only be used as pastures, and these were the own soul.
lands assigned to Valk.
Yet, their prayers seem to go unanswered.
After the disaster of Collana (see below), Eku abandoned
the traditional Valk religion. All the Valkyrie were forced Certainly, Faberterra is still the capital of the Empire and
to leave the kingdom or face execution, which caused great its people are haughty, but it is nothing more than a habit.
anger among Eku’s followers and attacks from the Valk of The mighty Phalanxes are reduced to a few units, and their
the north. Yet, Eku’s supporters were ready to face them loyalty isn’t always certain. The Emperor protects his pal-
and came out victorious. Ekul enjoys very friendly relation- ace with a force of mercenaries, while the Phalanxes are
ships with Lhoban, and the king himself has embraced the assigned to patrol the borders. Many believe that sooner or
strange philosophy of the Jademen. Ekul today is home to later a Phalanx commander will try to overthrow the Em-
the greatest community of Jademen in all the Dominions. peror and seize the crown.

But all good things come to an end, and Ekul’s age of en- Gladiators Games. Faberterra City is the biggest settle-
lightenment does not seem to be destined to last. King ment of the known world: almost a million people live there
Eku is ninety years old now and his only heir is his grand- — and the situation is growing tenser by the day. Bad news
daughter. When he dies, a civil war will certainly break out: from the north, less commerce and a stagnating economy
several Valk clan chiefs as well as many noble families of cause turmoil among the people, whom the Emperor tries
imperial origin are ready to claim the throne. At the same to appease by distributing free food and organizing great
time, both Kyros and the still uncivilized Valk hordes of the shows of gladiators in the arena. Today the Arena of Faber-
north mean to attack the country even before Eku’s body terra is greater than the one in the City of Princes in Tricar-
grows cold. nia and its gladiators are real celebrities — all of which has
been achieved by almost depleting the Emperor’s coffers.
The Cursed City of Collana. Collana, the gem of the king- Many wonder how much longer the situation can hold out.
dom, was the center of trade between the western reigns
and the Far East. It was also the first city to face the might
of the Valk hordes. They not only crushed, burned and razed
it, but the Valkyrie did something there — an unholy rite Fallen Kingdom of Keron
of tremendous power that summoned a legion of demons. The Fallen Kingdom of Keron was that part of the Kero-
Yet, when such a terrible force is awakened, it cannot be nian Empire that, being quite far from the center, wasn’t
controlled, so the Valk were forced to leave Collana in the directly affected by the terrible impact of the Dread Star
hands of demons. Some years ago, when Eku was already and its high location on a plateau protected it from being
king, several Lhoban monks, experts in battling these evil flooded.
abominations, asked permission to try and stop the demons
from expanding further. King Eku gave his permission Yet, this doesn’t mean its people survived.
gladly, and now the monks are doing their best to control
Collana, but they are losing their battle. Year after year, the The consequences of the cataclysm, clouds of dusts, earth-
evil things dwelling in the city multiply and grow stronger quakes, famines and pestilences wiped the local population
and, at night, strange terrors infest the roads and the grass- away, and Keron is now only an arid place full of crumbing
lands of the reign. ruins. The Fallen Kingdom is believed to be haunted. The
mariners sailing near its coast report seeing strange lights
at night and hearing the sound of spectral songs. For no
reason will a captain dock on these cursed shores.

23
 The Book of Lore

The Fallen Kingdom is separated from the mainland by the Empire or Tricarnia. The navies of civilized states have often
Keronian Range, a very recent group of mountains created tried to wipe them off, but getting to their base has always
during the cataclysm. Crossing it to reach the Fallen King- been extremely dangerous and costly. The Fingers’ Islands
dom is very difficult, because its peaks are lofty and there are just a few days’ voyage from the Independent Cities,
are only a few passes. In addition, the area is still affected by the perfect place where to sell stolen goods and spend one’s
intense seismic activity, another good reason to stay away looted coins. They are also very close to the Fallen Kingdom
from them. of Keron, but the pirates avoid that haunted land.

Kiramas Folly. A hundred years ago, Kiramas, one of the The Cove. There are rumors of a hidden bay on the Fingers’
most powerful Priest Princes of Tricarnia, decided to ex- Islands which hosts a true piratical city, where crews find
plore the Fallen Kingdom. His intention was to find an- refuge and ships are repaired. This place is called The Cove.
cient relics of the Keronians and, if possible, to create a new The exact location of The Cove is kept secret. Only pirate
Tricarnian base in the south of the world. It was a great captains and the most trusted helmsmen know how to
expedition, with a large numbers of ships, slaves and beasts reach it avoiding the shallows. It is a secret for which many
but, once they entered the Fallen Kingdom, they disap- military authorities would be willing to pay a lot of gold.
peared. Scouts were sent to investigate but they too didn’t
come back. Any further attempt to locate Kiramas was sus-
pended and all that is now left of his expedition are the
hulls of his ships rotting on the shore. Gis, Free City of the Alchemists
There is a legend saying that the day Fabron, the Iron
Priest of Faberterra, discovered iron, on the shores of the
Drowned King Sea a wandering warlock built the first hut
Fingers’ Islands of what, centuries later, would become Gis, the Free City
The Fingers of the Dead Ones, or simply Fingers’ Islands, of the Alchemists. The initiators of the Alchemists were
are a group of islands north of the Fallen Kingdom of a group of foreign mages, probably from Lhoban. Today,
Keron. They were once part of the Keronian Empire, but life in Gis revolves around the business of the supernatural.
the Dread Star disaster separated them from the mainland. Cairnlord relic sellers have their stalls next to those of the
The islands, surrounded by treacherous shallows, are dotted Caldeian Lotus masters, and Valk prophets of the steppes
with ancient Keronian ruins engulfed by the jungle. They offer their visions side by side with ebony-skinned dancer
owe their name to the common practice on Tricarnian gal- witches, worshippers of Etu. There is only one law in Gis:
leys to cut off the pinkie of lazy oarsmen, and “fingers” is all magic is possible, as long as it doesn’t harm anyone and
usually the nickname given to mutineers. isn’t detrimental to the business, of course.

The Fingers’ Islands are indeed a base for pirates, who from Of the many forms of magic practiced in the city, the most
here launch attacks on merchant ships and raid the Iron common is alchemy. The Alchemists, also named Master
Alchemists, are the rul-
ers of Gis. Their skills
are far more powerful
than the knowledge of
Lotus mastered by Lo-
tus masters. They can
produce fire that burns
on the water and cannot
be extinguished, magic
oils that make a barren
land fertile again, and
many other wonderful
things. But their services
are very costly and only
kings and nobles can af-
ford them.

The Alchemists are a

very reclusive corpora-
tion. They live in great
mansions which they
also use as laboratories,
protected by their ser-
vants and apprentices,
and they rarely give audi-
ence to common people,
unless, of course, a large
pile of gold is involved.

The identity of the Al-

chemists is not made

24
 Gazetteer:The Dread SeaDominions Today

public. They always wear long robes, special metal masks raid enemy cities. The hierarchy in the mercenary militia
and gauntlets that bestow them great powers. The Mas- is usually very mobile and a skilled swordsman can start
ter Alchemists have always been twelve and their number the day as watchman of the local latrines and go to bed as
cannot change, because only twelve metal masks exist. The Captain of the King’s Guard. But remember: life is always
rules for succession aren’t very clear. Some say that, when an dangerous in the Independent Cities and, no matter how
old master alchemist dies, the other eleven choose a succes- high a man climbs, he can suddenly fall equally low.
sor from among his apprentices. He will take the mask and
continue to rule the mansion laboratory. Yet, others believe
that the Master Alchemists are immortal.
Islands of the Maimed Ones
Gis is a place of wonders, but it is also full of supernatural This archipelago in the centre of the Dread Sea is usually
dangers. avoided by all mariners. The ground here is red as dried
blood and the waters are hotter than in the rest of the
The Battlefield of Greenmelt. Gis was born as a free city Dread Sea. The islands are covered in a thick jungle, as lush
and no foreign power, not even the Iron Empire, has even as that of the Pygmies’ lands, home to strange beasts un-
tried to subdue it. None except the Valk. After Dhaar’s known in the rest of the Dominions and to weird muta-
death, rumors claimed that the mighty warlord had been tions of common animals. Some very primitive barbarians
killed by the Alchemists’ magic. A great number of Valk live here. They are hideous to look upon — their bodies
clans gathered outside the City of the Alchemists, ready to full of disgusting mutations and their minds twisted and
destroy it to avenge their lord. deranged. There is no reason to willingly visit this accursed
place, except to capture some savage beasts, which fetch a
But that very night a strange, greenish fog spilled from the handsome price if suitable for the games in the arena.
mouths of the metal statues along the walls of Gis. The fog
silently sneaked into the Valk’s camp and everyone envel- Fragments of the Dread Star. The sages say that the Is-
oped by it died in a horrible way, his flesh melted, as if burnt lands of the Maimed Ones are a fragment of the original
by an incredibly powerful acid. At dawn, the Valk camp was Dread Star, and this is the cause of the strange mutations
a cemetery. But the fog never went away. Still today, dozens of its dwellers. Many centuries ago, wondering what type
of years later, there is a large area of green fog, called the of ore could be extracted from this otherworldly ground,
Greenmelt, where the half corroded shapes of the Valk en- a smith priest of Faberterra built a fort and a mine on one
campment can be seen. Nobody knows if the air is still poi- of the islands. The local barbarians were enraged and both
sonous, because nobody is foolish enough to venture there. the priest and his followers were butchered before a single
piece of ore could reach Faberterra. Today, the mine is still
there, abandoned.
Independent Cities
The first Independent Cities were founded by the Syran-
thians in an attempt to avoid the taxes imposed by Kyros Ivory Savannah
on the goods coming from the south of the world. They The Ivory Savannah is an endless land of rolling hills and
were far more successful that the Syranthians had expect- flat plains. It owes its name to a very common herb that
ed. Desert nomads, Ivory Tribes and, occasionally, Calde- takes on a particular gray color while drying in the autumn.
ian merchants started to visit them, selling goods from the The Savannah is a savage place inhabited by lions, gazelles,
south and buying products from Faberterra, Tricarnia and the striped horses named zebras, and even stranger beasts.
other northern reigns. In a few years the Independent Cit- Despite what strangers may think, the king of the savannah
ies increased in number and grew in size, going from small isn’t the powerful lion or the mighty elephant; it is the gnu,
trading posts to large cities. This happened also thanks to a particular type of buffalo.
the adventurers and other shady individuals who came here
from all over the Dominions, lured by the prospect of easy The gnu herds migrate north during the hot summers,
money to be made. reaching the grasslands bordering the Brown Sea, while
in the autumn they migrate south, following the Buffalo
In the end, distant Syranthia lost control over these fiercely River, to the borders of Caldeia.
independent cities.
The Savannah Tribes, who are mostly herders or hunters,
Today, a dozen Independent Cities exist, but the most follow the migrations of the herds that provide them with
important are Hillias, on the Dread Sea, and Teyerana, food. They are organized in clans, some of them small (four
on the shores of the Endless Ocean. The first is ruled by to ten members), others as numerous as five hundred strong.
a merchant league, similar to Syranthia’s, while the other The clans are led by local chiefs and are usually indepen-
is a monarchy, governed with an iron fist by Korr, a former dent, though it isn’t uncommon for several clans to team up
pirate from the Fingers’ Islands. The other cities are either for big hunting raids or on similar occasions. The Savannah
on the coast or in the Red Desert. They are not united and Tribes are constantly fighting the populations of the Ver-
often fight with one another — a state of things that Kyros, dant Belt and their relationships with Kyros are even colder.
Caldeia and Syranthia are very happy to support. In fact, the very fertile lands between the Sword River and
the Buffalo River are coveted both by the Kyrosian farmers
Mercenary Life. The Independent Cities are excellent and by the Savannah herders. The latter take their herds to
places for any individual who is able to wield the sword. feed on the Kyrosian crops, while the Kyrosians not only
The various city lords are always looking for good fighters fight the trespassers but also attack peaceful Savannah
to join the city patrol, protect caravans, and, occasionally Tribes to catch slaves. Caldeia does likewise in the south.

25
 The Book of Lore

The White King. The Ngobi Tribe, one of the most power- will invade Kyros, raze his city and kill him. He constantly
ful of the savannah, has a tradition of taming and using the babbles about removing that threat somehow. In the mouth
buffaloes as battle mounts. These mighty beasts are feared of a common madman, these words would be of no interest.
even by the Kyrosian army. Through endless generations of But, spoken by the king of one of the strongest states in the
tribe wars and wise political treaties, the Ngobi have sub- world, they mean only one thing: impending doom on the
jugated or made alliances with all the major tribes of the horizon.
savannah, achieving a leading position. But it is only un-
der the rule of a charismatic leader, the White King, which
they have managed to bring all the clans together. Very few
strangers have seen the White King in person, and they say Land of the Idols
he is white and not ebony. Under the guide of their new The Land of the Idols is an area west of Lhoban, dotted
leader, the Ngobi have also built a new capital of the reign with ancient ruins of unknown origin. The remnants of pal-
somewhere in the heart of the Savannah. They call it the aces and roads abound, but the most common are the stone
City of Elephants, and rumors say it is a marvelous place. idols — columns shaped to resemble statues, from fifteen
Until now the White King hasn’t waged any war but both to fifty feet tall, representing humanoids, real and fantastic
Caldeia and Kyros are very worried about what the unified beasts and, in some cases, wholly alien creatures. Nobody,
tribes can do in the south of the world. not even the sages of Syranthia, knows who built these idols
and why.

The land is very spooky and animals don’t like it, except rats,
Kyros snakes, and bats. People generally avoid it, because there are
Kyros enjoys an excellent position in the center of the Do- stories of caravans that took a shortcut to Lhoban through
minions as a gateway between south and north, and east the Land of the Idols and never reached their destination.
and west. It is an ancient land with imposing palaces and
well tended gardens. In days of yore, before the Iron Em- The Stylites. The only inhabitants of the Land of the Idols
pire, Kyros was ruled by an Autarch, a monarch with abso- are the Stylites. “Stylus” is an ancient Syranthian word
lute power. meaning column and the Stylites are hermit monks, usually
from Lhoban, who spend their life meditating on the top
In that era, Kyros had the might of elephants which made of an idol column. The Stylites are very wise and sometimes
the Ivory Tribes of the Ivory Savannah tremble and kept can answer questions nobody else can, but their trance is
the ironclad Phalanxes of Faberterra at bay. often so deep that they even forget to eat and drink. The
reason behind their unusual meditation practices is un-
Sadly, those times are long gone and now very few war el- known and, if asked, the monks just say: “we are protecting
ephants survive in Kyros. the world”.

The central government has been fighting an eternal war of

attrition against the Ivory Tribes. All the Kyrosian rulers,
first the Autarchs and then the Imperial Governors, have Lhoban
coveted the rich lands south of the Buffalo River, as they are Lhoban is a land of high mountains and deep valleys.
the most fertile, but the Savannah tribes have always fought Crossing it isn’t easy, because very few passes are open, es-
back to retain control over them. pecially in winter, and only the local guides know them. Ba-
sically, Lhoban is a land of mountain men who live in small
The Kyrosian army constantly patrols the disputed lands, villages and lead a simple, hard life, tending yaks and goats.
where fortified farming villages exist, but the Ivory Tribes’
clever guerrilla warfare seems to be unbeatable. Most likely, In truth, there is much more to Lhoban. First, in the low
if Kyros had surrendered these lands to the nomads and valleys the climate is milder and terraced farming is exten-
focused on trade, it would now be the wealthiest kingdom sively practiced. Second, Lhobanmen love trading and their
in the world. But, as things stand today, profit from trade two main border cities, Heaven’s Door and Lhobanport, are
and farming is barely enough to support the great Kyrosian bustling with activity. Lhobanmen produce excellent wool
army and numerous mercenary forces. and their weaving techniques are the best in all the Do-
minions.
A Psychotic King. The Autarchate was restored when Ky-
ros became independent from the Empire. The first rul- Third, Lhoban is a land of high spirituality. Although each
ers of the second dynasty of Autarchs were men of worth. village is ruled by a council of elders, the monks are the true
Sadly, Ganymedes II of Kyros, the current Autarch, isn’t. ruling class, as well as the cohesive force of this wide coun-
He is quite young, not older than thirty summers, yet he try. Lhoban monks (as explained on page 19) are basically
is as mad as a hatter. He murdered his three older brothers philosophers who follow a doctrine of self-improvement
to seize the throne and barely escaped an attempted poi- and enlightenment. They live in secluded monasteries, but
soning in the troubled times before he took power. Since often visit the villages, protecting the commoners from
then Ganymedes has become paranoid. He thinks that the dangers and bringing the word of their master, the Enlight-
merchant princes of Syranthia have launched a secret trade ened One, the true ruler of the country.
war to impoverish and conquer his lands. He also believes
that Kyros’s border will be attacked by King Eku of Ekul, Indeed, Lhoban has its fair share of strange creatures
although Eku is an agonizing ninety-year-old man. But his (among which the elusive Lhoban Dragons) and dark crea-
worst fear is the White King, the legendary ruler of the tures that only the spiritual powers of the monks can stop.
Savannah Tribes. Ganymedes is convinced that the Tribes

26
 Gazetteer:The Dread SeaDominions Today

In addition, many valleys are isolated or still unexplored, so The Lush Jungle is the ancestral home of the Pygmies, a
nobody truly knows what lurks within them. primitive race of dwarfed men who withdrew to the shad-
ow of the mangroves shortly after the fall of the Dread Star.
Seekers of the Black Light. Several centuries ago, a new According to the Syranthian sages, they are the descendants
philosophy spread among the monks: true enlighten- of Keronian slaves, who came here to find their freedom.
ment cannot be achieved through spiritual purity, but only
through its opposite, perpetual evil. According to this be- Whatever the reason, they are very reclusive and possessive
lief, only in deepest chaos can the true adept find his real about their land. The Pygmies are deceitful, just like the spi-
self. This new sect of monks became the mortal enemy of ders they love so much. They let you go deep into their ter-
the traditional one, following the path of darkness and try- ritory and then they attack you with venomous blowguns,
ing to unleash the forces of evil onto the world. Naturally traps, and so on. Very few of those going on expeditions
the good monks rose against this abomination and a ter- into the Jungle make it back.
rible war was fought. In the end, the Order of Light, as the
monks following the true philosophy are called, triumphed, Why would a civilized man want to go to this wild land?
and the Seekers of the Black Light were defeated. But evil
is resilient and, like bad weeds, the evil monks survived and The reason is simple: greed. The bed of the Anaconda River,
regained strength. They are now a secret order, living in the main stream crossing the jungle, it is said, is littered
hidden monasteries, walking among the common people with gold, ready for the taking by those so bold to dive into
or, even worse, hiding among the good monks to spread it, despite its crocodiles and giant water snakes. The moun-
chaos, corruption, and disorder. Rumor has it that their evil tains are even more appealing, as they are full of precious
schemes are extremely far reaching and even involve far- ore.
away states.
These rumors have lured adventurers and desperate rogues
from all over the Dominions.
Lush Jungle There is also a city, Verazar, founded fifty years ago by a
The Lush Jungle is an enormous tropical forest that marks drunken prospector. It is a place full of diseases, whores, and
the southern border of the known world. Nobody has ex- the scum of the world. It is also the starting point for min-
plored it completely, because it is a very dangerous place. ing expeditions into the jungle. Actually, although a certain
Mortal diseases and beasts like snakes and spiders of any quantity of gold can be found, the expeditions aren’t worth
size and degree of venomousness are only some of the dan- the trouble. Even if someone was lucky enough to find a
gers lurking under its trees. huge amount of gold and come back to Verazar, avoiding

27
 The Book of Lore

the dangers of the jungle, the cutthroats of the city would cious variety of Lotus that lives as tiny spores on the stone
rob and kill him in no time. petals of desert roses. It is also a dangerous place, inhabited
by deadly beasts. Besides scorpions and snakes of small to
But greed makes people optimistic and many are willing to giant size, there are Skull Jackals, very dangerous predators,
try their luck. and the dreaded Ulatisha, The Being That Digs in the Sand,
a semi-mythological monster.
Aurica and the Anaconda Springs. After a few shots of
cheap liquor in a tavern in Verazar, many adventurers will For what concerns its civilizations, the Red Desert hosts
start talking of a city entirely made of gold hidden deep in some Independent Cities and is home to nomads and tribes
the jungle. It is deserted, because its inhabitants died centu- of herders, the only people capable of surviving in this
ries ago, and it is waiting to be found by a lucky prospector! harsh land. They are divided in clans, usually recognized by
Those who have detailed information claim that Aurica — the color of their capes. Brown and green nomads are quite
that’s the city’s name — is located near the fabled springs peaceful, but the red-caped ones aren’t.
of the Anaconda River, which no one has ever found. Many
expeditions set off to find Aurica, but nobody every re- Red Nomads. These desert dwellers aren’t a friendly people,
turned. except when they expose the face, which happens very rare-
ly. Then, they are jovial and amicable. But, if their faces are
covered by the kballa, a sort of heavy veil, they are ready to
assault you, rob you of all your belongings, and leave you to
Northeim die of thirst in the desert, without remorse or good reason.
The lands of Northeim are full of deep valleys, wild rivers Some say that the Red Nomads descend from the survi-
and ancient forests. Northeim is mostly uninhabited, be- vors of the Fallen Kingdom of Keron, because they speak a
cause the Northalders live in isolated clans and don’t farm strange language and worship desert spirits called Djinns.
on a large scale. The Red Nomads sometimes trespass into the Ivory Savan-
nah and engage the Ivory Tribes in bloody battles.
The Northlanders aren’t the only dwellers of this immense
area. The Cairnlanders, the Nandals, and the few inhabit-
ants of Imperial outposts call this place home.
Syranthia
Northeim is a wild land: wolves, bears, mountain lions and Syranthia is a land of low, rolling hills and fertile plains. Ag-
many other creatures roam the land and only the strongest riculture is widespread and it produces mainly vegetables,
of men can endure life in this harsh place. It is also rich in fruit and grapes (Syranthia’s wine is famous throughout the
natural resources, such as wood and excellent stone, but also Dominions). This is why Faberterra conquered Syranthia
copper, iron and gold. Yet, the Northlanders are too uncivi- many years before the Empire.
lized to be skilled in the use of metals. They can barely work
them and have no idea about how to build a decent mine. Its two main cities are renowned for different reasons. Sy-
It is easier for them to buy or steal metal weapons and tools ranthia City, the capital of the reign, owes its fame to the
from the southerners, although some of them are slowly Library, the greatest collection of books, scrolls and tablets
learning the secrets of metalworking, that fascinates them. in the known world. Legions of scholars spend their lives
studying such wealth of knowledge and the city is a place
Mount of Fire. The Smoking Mountain, or Mount of Fire, of learning and trade.
is a big volcano in the heart of Northeim. Fifty years ago,
a group of Imperials came here and built a strange temple, Askerios, almost as old as Syranthia City, is the most im-
called the Monastery of the Hammer. The Northlanders portant economic center of the Empire and the biggest
attacked it, thinking they would find only weak priests de- port in the known world. Slaves from Ascaia, timber from
fending precious artifacts. But they were wrong. The tem- Northeim, and Water Lotus from the Brown Sea are only
ple was inhabited by a horde of metal-clad warriors, who some of the goods that can be found there.
slaughtered the barbarians. Now the Northlanders grudg-
ingly respect their neighbors and some friendly relations Syranthia is ruled by a council of merchant princes, who
are budding. The temple dwellers have revealed themselves managed to become independent from the Empire with-
as the true followers of Hulian, the Smith God, and are out any bloodshed. In truth, Syranthia still pays tribute to
teaching the Northlanders a lot of things, among them the Faberterra, but it is only a very small percentage of its huge
secret of forging iron! riches and certainly a worthwhile investment, if it helps
Faberterra in fighting the northern barbarians.

Despite being mainly farmers, merchants and scholars, the

Red Desert Syranthians know how to defend themselves. Their military
The sages say that the Red Desert was created by the dusts fleet is impressive and, on the mainland, they boast a tradi-
raised by the fall of the Dread Star and it had once been a tion of cataphracts cavalry, the heaviest mounted troops in
great forest. Seeing it today, it is hard to believe the sages. the Dominions, usually made up of the younger sons of the
Rocks and thin reddish sand stretch for hundreds of miles merchant elite.
in every direction, interrupted only by the occasional oasis.
Despite its appearance, the Red Desert hides several trea- Secret Cults of Syranthia. Syranthia represents civiliza-
sures and marvels, like great forests of petrified trees, plains tion in its most opulent form. Syranthian merchants are fat
lined by veins of precious ore and dotted with gems surfac- and greedy, their women snobbish and full of jewelry. Many
ing from the ground and, finally, the Red Lotus, a very pre- upper class Syranthians indulge in strange pleasure coming

28
 Gazetteer:The Dread SeaDominions Today

from the south, or even follow the unholy Tricarnian reli- cannot imitate. However, the center of all important de-
gion. The latter use the arts of mages and warlocks to gain cisions is the Prince’s palace, which includes all the most
an advantage over their competitors. Seemingly rich and important parts of the city. So, for example, the merchant
happy, Syranthia is actually home to much evil. houses are located in the courtyard of the palace, like the
temples and other major facilities. This is something that
Hero’s Journal: strangers must be aware of: entering a Tricarnian city means
entering the Prince’s palace. Everything in it belongs to
The Sea Guardian of Askerios him and is only temporarily used by the slaves and servants.
Askerios is famous for its massive Sea Guard-
ian, a fifty-yard tall bronze statue of a man The two major social classes are nobles and slaves, but a very
holding a torch. The statue is hollow and small group of middlemen exist. They are freed slaves or the
doubles up as a lighthouse: its torch is the light children of freed slaves and work as traders and specialized
that leads the ships to the haven of Askerios. artisans. They are called freemen and their freedom is by
There are various stories about the origin of no means guaranteed — they can easily be forced back to
the Sea Guardian. Some say it was built by slavery.
an ancient king of the city and represents a now forgotten
divinity, others say it is a gift from Hordan, fallen from the Tricarnia has faced quite a number of harsh wars on its land,
sky along with the Dread Star. A third theory claims that it is mainly against the Iron Empire and the Caleds, but also the
a Keronian relic, found while digging the city’s foundations. Northlanders have occasionally attacked its borders. This is
The Askeronians, however, usually believe either of the first why large parts of it are not inhabited and crumbling ruins
two theories. Whatever its origin, the Askeronians know that, dot the land.
as long as the Sea Guardian protects its port,
Askerios will be prosperous. Another strange Brokenchain Mountains. Not all the slaves are content
fact about the statue is that, after centuries of with their condition, but for many of them there is no other
being exposed to the elements, it is still intact, choice. The few who manage to escape from their cruel
with no trace of rust on its smooth surface. masters go north, crossing dangerous deserted areas, and
take refuge in the mountains, where free communities of
runaway slaves exist. Here life is hard for the former slaves,
Tricarnia but they do not mind because here they can be masters of
themselves. The Tricarnian Princes know of these com-
Tricarnia is a land of vast plains, crossed by a web of small munities but do not destroy them. The reason is simple:
rivers. The climate is mild and the crops abundant. As said free men are usually stronger and more intelligent than
before (see Tricarnians on page 15), Tricarnia is divided in the average slave and the mountains are a good source of
Principalities, each ruled by a Priest Prince, although the manpower. Every now and then, a Tricarnian Prince takes
day-to-day business is usually supervised by eunuch slave- his army and goes hunting for men in the Brokenchain
bureaucrats.

Tricarnians have
greatly developed their
farming techniques.
In the last few centu-
ries, they have used the
many rivers of their
land to create a great
network of irrigation
canals for their main
food production: rice
fields.

The rice crops are so

abundant that they
can feed the masses of
slaves who live in this
land.

Tricarnia is what is left

of the great Keronian
Empire and the Priest
Princes think with the
grandiosity of their
ancestors. Their cities,
usually quite small,
have such beautiful
and complex architec-
ture that even the best
masons of Faberterra

29
 The Book of Lore

Mountains. This is both business and pleasure, because few Valkheim is a land of grassy plains and rocky hills. It is
things excite the Tricarnian nobles more than hunting men. largely uninhabited, except for some villages of fisher-
But lately something has changed. The runaway slaves of men and farmers on the shores of the Drowned King Sea.
the Mountains don’t simply flee, they fight. Someone has This population is a mix of Cairnlanders and more civi-
taught them how to defend themselves and, even worse, lized men from Zandor and, generally, they are pacific and
has given them weapons. The army of last Priest Prince who quite superstitious. Shortly after coming to Valkheim, the
went to the Mountains to hunt for slaves was butchered Valk warriors, full of rage over the death of their leader,
and the Prince himself barely managed to escape. This out- razed these villagers and butchered their inhabitants. Af-
rageous behavior cannot be tolerated and will be harshly ter a while, Tukal, who wasn’t a fool, understood that these
punished. people could be used as slaves by the Valk, so he spared the
lives of the survivors. The Valk call them “the Cows”, since
they aren’t able to fight.
Trolls Mountains The Cows are fairly good craftsmen and can build boats,
The Troll Mountains mark the northern border of the which the Valk are not familiar with. Tukal’s idea was to
world. What lies beyond these tall, snowcapped peaks is a create a fleet of ships to transport his men and horses to the
mystery even to the sages of Syranthia. What lurks among Borderlands and invade Faberterra, the heart of the Em-
the mountains, instead, is well-known: Trolls — big furry pire. But this was a short-lived dream: the boats were too
creatures, with a really bad attitude and a taste for human primitive, had room for no more than a dozen horses each,
flesh. Many other incredible beasts live in the Trolls Moun- and could not sail too far from the coast.
tain, such as giant bears, elks, and vicious snow vipers.
So the plan was abandoned, but the Cows were allowed
When the winter is harsh and hunger torments their bel- to live in independent communities and pay tribute to the
lies, the trolls leave the mountains and go hunting for men Valk lords. Today, the Valk live in the eastern part of the
in Northeim and the Cairnlands. country, leading their traditional, nomadic life, while the
Cows continue to live on the coast. The Cows are quite
There are two species of trolls. The great trolls, or true trolls, content with the situation: the Valk are harsh masters but
are five-yard tall hulking brutes with razor sharp claws protect them from the Cairnlanders, who periodically raid
and they require dozens of fearless warriors to be stopped. their lands.
Luckily, they are barely smarter than animals and clever
tactics, complemented by a lot of luck, are enough to deal The Valk threat is still looming. Rogal, son of Tukal and
with them. current leader of the Valk, is using Valkheim to gather men
whom he summons from friendly clans out of the deep
The small trolls instead, also named Nandals, are a race of steppe. When he has a big enough army, he plans to invade
primitive cavemen. The shape of their throat makes them the Dread Sea Dominions again to finish the work of his
unable to speak; they can only emit low sounds and grunts, grandfather.
so they are named Nandals, which in the Northeim lan-
guage means ‘mute’. Despite being smaller than true trolls, Dhaar’s Tomb. On a hill, deep in the steppe, the Valk made
the Nandals are more vicious, because they are gifted with the Cows build a massive stone construction. It is the tomb
brutish force and a certain degree of intelligence. They usu- of Dhaar, the greatest ruler of the Valk. His body lies with-
ally hunt men for food or kidnap women to mate with in, perpetually tended by a special group of Valkyries. For
them. unknown reasons, the corpse is still intact, as if the mighty
warrior were asleep and not dead. The Valkyries believe that
The Nandals are less geographically stable than great trolls. the spirit of Sha Mekri dwells in Dhaar’s body and that,
When they migrate, entire clans come down from the sooner or later, he will wake up to lead the Valk horde once
north, sometimes as far as the entire Borderlands or in the more.
Iron Mountains. A Nandal invasion is always a major threat
to a civilized race, because the cavemen don’t parley and
don’t give quarters. They simply kill, pillage, and rape.
Valk Steppe
Ancestors of Men. It is said that the Nandals were once This land is only the first, little chunk of the Far East, where
common white men, who had the misfortune of being ex- whole hordes of Valk clans and other strange populations
posed to massive amounts of the dusts from the Dread Star, live. Very little is known about them.
which mutated them into the aggressive creatures they are
today. Some Northeim warriors who ventured into the Troll
Mountains to hunt or simply to show their courage claim
to have seen ancient paintings representing white men in Verdant Belt
the caves inhabited by the Nandals. The area of the Verdant Belt could be a true paradise on
earth. It is a fertile land, where farming is easy and the cli-
mate mild.
Valkheim But it is surrounded by vultures.
Valkheim is the new home of the Valk. The clans faithful to
Tukal, first son of Dhaar, followed him here and established It is threatened from the north by the Savannah Tribes,
a new Valk reign. who often trespass into the Belt with their herds. To the
south there are the dark Lush Jungles, from where the Pyg-

30
 Gazetteer:The Dread SeaDominions Today

mies and other dark things occasionally come looking for the nearby territories. The Valk, instead, wander the region
prey. But the greatest evil comes from east in the shape of freely, following their nomadic customs.
Caldeian slave traders, who travel down the Slave Route
ending in Heavensdoor, in Lhoban. They smile a lot, and In truth, nobody is capable of ruling over Zandor.
bring drugs and precious metal weapons, but in exchange
they want a huge amount of slaves. Jalizar, City of Thieves. The city Jalizar was the best at
withstanding the Valk invasion. Its mighty walls stopped
The Verdant Belt is inhabited by farmers of the Ivory Tribes. the nomads, but its citizens suffered greatly. Famine, theft
They mainly grow bananas, the basis of their diet, and live and all types of crimes were common during the three-year
in fortified villages. They use a particular farming technique siege.
called “fire and plant”: they burn large parts of the rainforest
and then cultivate the deforested area for four-five years. Af- Today the situation isn’t much better. The city has undoubt-
ter this period, the soil is depleted, so the area is abandoned edly recovered some of its order and still is the major trad-
and a new village is founded somewhere else. ing center of the northeast. Heavily guarded caravans arrive
from and depart for Faberterra and Ekul weekly, while mas-
The Verdant Belt tribes are fiercely independent, but in the sive ships transport their cargo across the Drowned King
last few years some of them have been subjugated by the Sea. But the wealth isn’t evenly distributed: the immensely
White King of the Ivory Savannah. They pay tribute in ex- rich merchants control all the revenues from trade, while
change for the King’s protection and are starting to trade the masses starve. Even the King of Jalizar, nicknamed the
vegetables for cattle, a business that is mutually profitable. Ragamuffin King, is forced to beg the merchants for gold to
Obviously, Caldeia doesn’t look kindly on the new peace preserve a semblance of order in the city.
spreading across the Belt and, wherever possible, it tries to
bring war to the area. Besides the merchants, the major force in the city is the
thieves. At least three major guilds of criminals exist, and
Flesh Eaters. There is a legend among the Belt Tribes they exert strong control over the territory. Even the mer-
about a cursed race of Jaguar Men, who live in the thick of chant houses are forced to do business with them. Life in
the Lush Jungles and leave only to hunt the Ivory Tribes. Jalizar is corrupt and almost everything, love and faith in-
There is no evidence of their existence, but lately entire vil- cluded, is for sale. But it is also a place of great opportuni-
lages along the border have been found empty of their in- ties for those with a sharp mind and a quick sword.
habitants. Is the legend true or is something even darker
stretching its fingers over the Belt?

Zandor
Zandor is the rotten remnant of what was once the flower
of the eastern Iron Empire. Before the Valk Invasion, Jali-
zar, its capital, was the biggest city in the world, rivaling
Faberterra in beauty and riches. During the Empire, the
Governor of Jalizar had a power greater than that of most
kings.

Then the Valk arrived and destroyed everything.

The immense region of Zandor — once full of prosperous

towns, rich villages and well tended fields — is now a mass
of crumbling ruins, inhabited only by coyotes and by the
unholy beasts summoned by the Valkyries. The fields have
reverted to forests and rocky plains, only good as pastures
for the Valk’s herds, and twisted trees grow in the deserted
palaces.

At the death of Dhaar, the Valk warlord, the clans faithful

to Juggu, Dhaar’s second son, remained here, believing they
could conquer the whole land in a few months.

But Juggu wasn’t a lucky man. He died after three months

of an infected wound and the various clans, driven by age-
old rivalries, soon lost their short-lived unity.

Today, the Zandorian Valk are too divided to conquer the

whole region, but they are strong enough to be a constant
threat, so control over the land is virtually shared. The Zan-
dorians live in isolated, independent settlements, with a
strong militia and draconian laws, and they can only protect

31
Heroic Concepts
The world of Beasts and Barbarians is full of interesting
characters, but you might be a little overwhelmed or simply
out of ideas, so here is a list of character types you can use
or tweak to create your outstanding hero.

Adventurer. The typical jack-of-all-trades, an adventurer

comes from all walks of life and has abilities in various
fields. He can be a treasure hunter, a traveler with great
wanderlust or a clever scoundrel. Whatever his past, adven-
tures are his daily business.

Amazon. The Dread Sea Dominions are a very chauvinistic

world and women are usually seen as objects for pleasure or,
even worse, as breeding machines. An Amazon is a woman
who has emancipated herself; she fights and lives exactly
like a man. The Ascaian Amazons are the only Amazon
culture of the Dread Sea Dominions, but also outside As-
caia a courageous woman can leave her place in society, take
up the sword and prove her worth.

Assassin. An Assassin can find employment in any place

and among any culture. He might be a shady lone wolf,
a member of the powerful assassin guild of Jalizar, or an
executioner following one of the dark cults in the decadent
cities of the Iron Empire. Whatever his background, this
individual is very skilled in one task: killing.

Bandit. The Empire, the law, and civilization itself are

crumbling, and the world is full of wolves ready to take
advantage of the situation. This character is one of them.
He usually earns his living sacking, pillaging and stealing.
Most Bandits are ruthless bastards, but the more sympa-
thetic ones steal from the rich to give to the poor. These
individuals are usually liked by the commoners and become
the subjects of stories and ballads.

Barbarian. Barbarian literally means “one who stutters”

and the word identifies all the people who don’t speak the
Imperial language fluently. Today the term refers to all the
uncivilized populations beyond the boundaries of the Iron
Empire. Traditionally, barbarians have been represented in
two ways: as hulking brutes with none of the traits of civi-
lized people, living only by the law of the sword, or as good
savages, living peacefully in communion with nature — an
ability that the civilized men have lost. Most barbarians
don’t perfectly fit either archetype, but are a mix of both.

Courtesan. A courtesan can be an exotic dancer at the

court of a prince, or a simple tavern wench. Whatever her
origin, she is usually beautiful and, besides her erotic skills,
she is quite capable of manipulating the stupid males with
her beauty.

Entertainer. Poets, bards, acrobats, mimes and every type of

showmen are common in the Dominions. They tell stories,
report news and entertain people with their performances.
Some of them, as court poets, can be firmly rooted in a
single place, but many are wanderers, taking their songs and
show wherever they can find an audience.

Gladiator. Gladiators are fighters who combat in the arena

for the delight of the crowds. They can be rich celebrities, at
whose sight women sigh and faint, but there are also des- of them still possess a glint of honor and humanity, but for
perate toughs who wrestle with rabid dogs in back alleys the greatest part they are only a bunch of criminals.
for a few copper coins. In many places gladiators are slaves,
though they usually lead a better life than a free man, con- Priest. There are many gods in the Dread Sea Dominions,
stantly pampered and well nourished by their master. At hence a great number of priests. Despite sharing the same
least until they meet their end in the arena. name, there are many differences among them. A depraved
priest of Hordan, for example, is very different from a pious
Lotus master. Skilled alchemists, poisoners and healers, Sheppard of the Divine Couple or from a midwife priest-
these feared individuals know how to use the Lotus to heal ess of Etu. Remember that, in the Dread Sea Dominions,
a wound, kill a man in a horrible way, or summon strange priests have no supernatural powers. If they want them,
visions from the air. They are a reclusive sect and very jeal- they must devote themselves to sorcery, a very dangerous
ous of their secrets. path.

Mercenary. Some fight for an ideal and some for self de- Sage. Although the world is in the hands of warriors, bar-
fense, but a mercenary fights only for loot and money. Usu- barians and other men of the sword, there are some who ac-
ally, but not always, he is a skilled warrior. A big mouth tively seek, protect, and preserve knowledge, in all its forms.
and impressive appearance might be the only weapons a These individuals are Sages. They might be archivists at the
mercenary possesses and it is difficult to understand before Library of Syranthia or enlightened aristocrats with a pas-
the battle if the man you hired is a real fighter or just a sion for books. Whatever their origin, knowledge is what
windbag. But remember, regardless of his skill, a mercenary they seek and protect.
is first and foremost loyal to his purse.
Sailor. A wanderer of the seas, a sailor feels more at his ease
Monk. Monks are people in search of enlightenment and on the deck of a ship than on solid ground. He has seen a
self perfection. Through meditation and contemplation lot of places and kissed women of very different complex-
they learn how to perform amazing feats impossible for the ions, and he wants more of both. He isn’t against a little
common man. Some of them can endure thirst and hun- piracy if it keeps his purse fat, but mainly he is a traveler
ger for months, while others can kill a man and an adventurer.
with a single bare-handed blow. The most
famous monks come from faraway
Lhoban, but several other monastic
groups exist, like the Stylites of the
Land of Idols. Some of them are
pacifists, philosophers, sages, and
men of knowledge, while others,
usually martial artists of great prow-
ess, actively fight the evil of the world.

Noble. Decadent princes of Tricarnia,

merchant lords of Syranthia, North-
lander tribe chiefs, all these people are
nobles, born to rule the people, and re-
sponsible for their subjects’ safety. They
mostly lead a stable and pampered
life, but some of them decide, or
are forced, to choose the path of
adventure.

Nomad. Nomads are con-

stantly on the move. Some of
them, like the Valk, are herd-
ers, so they are forced to
move to let their beasts graze,
while others are hunters that
follow the migrations of their
quarries, like the Ivory Tribes
hunting gnus in the Ivory Sa-
vannah. Some nomads move
on foot but a great part of
them have horses and are excel-
lent riders.

Pirate. The scourge of the seas,

these men don’t know any lord
beside the captain of their
ship, and hunt and prey on
any vessel they find. Some

34
 Heroic Concepts

Slave. Sadly, slavery is very common, so it is no surprise if a van guard or whatever you want, but his main feature is his
hero is born in chains or made a slave. Slaves come from all ability in the art of war.
social classes, and a slave, or an ex-slave, can be a very moti-
vated character and have a very wide array of skills. He can
be a lowly servant, but also a warrior slave of the Tricarnian Tweaking and Mixing Concepts
army, or a sage or a scribe kept alive for his unusual abilities. Characters, like real people, have a past and
Remember, anyone can fall into slavery. are the result of their past experiences. This is
particularly true for sword and sorcery heroes.
Sorcerer. Magic is a dangerous business that requires con-
So you can create a more vivid hero by mix-
stant application and a strong mind. The very soul of the
ing and tweaking the concepts. For example,
practitioner is involved in the dark rituals necessary to bind
by merging together a Monk and a Bandit,
the arcane forces to the caster’s will. So mages of all types
you can create a hero that, grown up as a monk in faraway
must be aware of the risks they run when they whisper their
Lhoban, has become corrupted by vice while traveling in the
forgotten spells. A sorcerer is a generic term for all those
western countries and turned to bandit life to satisfy his new
wizards, warlocks and petty practitioners involved in magic.
needs. He could be trying to regain his former purity or fully
Although many of them are only charlatans, the few in-
enjoy his current state.
dividuals truly gifted with magical powers are among the
most powerful, and most dangerous, individuals of all the Whatever his choice, this hero can make for an interesting
Dominions. character.

Thief. Wherever there is wealth, there is someone ready to Similarly, you can combine a Barbarian and a Slave. Your
snatch it. A thief is an expert in stealing property, and no hero is a former Ivory Tribe barbarian who was
safe, wall, or guard can stop him. She can be a member of captured by Caldeian slave hunters and sold as
a powerful thieves’ guild, like those of Jalizar, or a freelance, a slave in Tricarnia. When the adventure starts,
but her skills are not in question when it comes to stealth he has just managed to free himself and is trying
and break-ins. to return south to his land…
When you grasp the technique, it is easy to create
Warrior. The sword rules the world in this troubled age. interesting characters in no time.
This individual can be a clan warrior from the savage north,
a slave fighter of Tricarnia, an elegant cataphracts knight of
Syranthia, a member of the Iron Phalanxes, a simple cara-

35
 Character Driving
This skill is used to drive chariots, carts, and other similar
vehicles.

Creation Stealth
The creation of a playing character for Beasts and Barbarians Beside its other uses, Stealth is used to deliver venom while
follows the standard Savage Worlds rules. All the playable going unnoticed. Pouring poison into a tankard while no
races are humans, so the heroes begin with a free Edge. one is looking, for example at a feast or in a crowded tavern,
requires a Stealth roll. In case of failure, someone notices
Normally, Beasts and Barbarians heroes are more experi- the attempt. In a one-to-one situation (like two people
enced than standard fantasy adventurers and start the game drinking together) or when someone is explicitly paying at-
at Seasoned Rank (20 Experience Points). tention, delivering poison requires an opposed roll between
the poisoners’s Stealth and the observer’s Notice.

Literacy and Reality Check

The Dread Sea Dominions are a very illiter-
ate world. So, as per the standard game rules,
almost all the characters should have the Illiter-
Forbidden Hindrances
ate Hindrance. Yet, this would cause a generic The following Hindrances aren’t used in this setting: All
flattening of the heroes. Hence, the Hindrance Thumbs, Doubting Thomas, and Illiterate.
is ignored and each player is allowed to decide
if his hero knows how to read and
write or not (depending on the hero’s back-
ground). Illiterate characters have an extra Skill
point, to be spent on a Smarts based skill.
Modified Hindrances
Characters can become literate during the game
by spending a leveling option. Poverty (Minor)
Besides starting with half the amount of money, a Poor
hero also halves his Savings (see page 62).

Skills
The following skills are modified or extended to fit the set-
ting.
New Hindrances
Some new Hindrances are available in this setting.

Knowledge
The following are the most useful areas of knowledge Skills Carouser (Minor)
in this setting. The hero usually puts himself in danger while relaxing and
feasting. Whenever he decides to draw a card for the After
Arcana. It covers the vast field of magic, the occult and the the Adventure Events, he draws two cards and the Game
supernatural. Master chooses which of the two is to be considered (usu-
ally the worst).
Battle. Useful for mass combats.

History. It covers the knowledge of the past. Damsel in Distress (Major)

The world of Beasts and Barbarians isn’t inhabited only by
Legends and Lore. From common folklore to knowledge of muscular warriors, witty rogues, or powerful sorcerers. It
myths and fantastic creatures and places. is also a world of beautiful women who, sometimes, put
themselves in danger and are hopefully saved from such
Religion. It covers all the religious matters. In some cases, it perils by valiant heroes.
can also be used, with a penalty, to cover Arcana, Legends
and Lore matters. A Damsel in Distress is one of these unfortunate wom-
en. She is totally unable to defend herself, so she has –2
Specific Area. Its focus can be the Empire, North Reigns, to Fighting, Fear rolls and to resisting Test of Wills. She
South Reigns, Eastern Lands, or a specific city or country. appears very vulnerable and this makes her a favorite tar-
get for slave hunters, evil magicians and other bad guys,
who have in mind a “fate worse than death” for her. Hungry
Piloting monsters might also attack her to satiate their craving for
This skill isn’t used. human flesh.

Conversely, neutral or good characters like her and feel pro-

tective toward her tender body. For these reasons, she gains

36
 Forbidden Edges

+2 to Charisma and receives an additional Bennie. This

Bennie can be used as normal or, once per session, she can Champion
freely give it to a friend (as for the Common Bond Edge). Requirements: Novice, Arcane Background (Enlight-
ment), Enlightment d6+, Spirit d8+, Strength d6+, Vigor
A Damsel in Distress can learn how to cope with the harsh- d8+, Fighting d8+
ness of the world. Every time she gets an advancement she
is allowed a Spirit (–4) roll. In case of success, she loses Apart from the different requirements, it works as usual.
one of the three penalties above. Once all the penalties are
removed, she loses the additional Bennie and the possibility
to share it but retains her Charisma bonus. Holy/Unholy Warrior
Requirements: Novice, Arcane Background (Enlight-
Damsels in Distress are generally females, but nothing ment), Enlightment d8+, Spirit d8+
prevents a male from taking this Hindrance, except for the
constant mockery by his companions. Apart from the different requirements, it works as usual.

Irascible (Minor) Noble

The hero cannot stand insults of any kind and is ready to See Rich and Filthy Rich for monetary changes. For the
react to them. Besides effects on role playing, he also suffers rest, it works as usual.
–2 to resisting Taunts or Smarts based Tricks. As partial
compensation, a hero with the Berserk Edge can apply a –1
to the Smarts roll to go into the berserk state. Soul Drain
Requirements: Novice, Arcane Background (Sorcery),
Sorcery d8+, Knowledge (Arcana) d8+
Fear of Magic (Minor/Major)
Magic is always mistrusted in the Dread Sea Dominions, Apart from the different requirements, it works as usual.
but the hero is a particular case: he truly dreads it. He tries
in every way to avoid the supernatural and even friendly
magic. In case of the Major Hindrance, his revulsion also Rich and Filthy Rich
prevents him from using magical objects, Lotus potions in- For adventuring heroes, these Edges grant respectively five
cluded. Whenever forced to face or use magic, the character times and ten times the starting funds, but they bestow no
must make a Fear roll. regular income. For NPCs they work in the customary way.

Forbidden Edges
These Edges aren’t used in this setting: MacGyver, Mental-
ist, Mr. Fix It, and Wizard.
New Edges
Modified Edges Background Edges
Ace
This Edge is slightly modified to work on chariots (Driv- Brute
ing), ships (Boating) and mounts (Riding). Each of these Requirements: Novice, Strength d6+, Vigor d6+
“vehicles” requires a related Edge (to be taken only once).
Said Edges are: Charioteer (Driving), Quartermaster This Edge represents the bad side of barbarism (while Sav-
(Boating), or Born in the Saddle (Riding). age represents its good side). This hero has the strong, feral
attributes of a beast and looks with open disdain at the dec-
A hero with one of these Edges adds +2 to Driving, Boat- adence of civilization. His philosophy is simple and clear:
ing or Riding rolls. In addition, he may also spend Bennies the strong survive, the weak succumb.
on soak rolls for any vehicle, vessel or mount he controls.
This is a Driving, Boating or Riding roll at –2 (canceling In combat, he unleashes his primitive nature; this causes
the usual +2). Each success and raise soaks a wound and any all melee attacks to be made at an additional +1 to damage
critical hit that would have resulted from it. rolls.

Arcane Background Buffalo Rider

Three new arcane backgrounds are used in Beasts and Bar- Requirements: Novice, Riding d6+, Vigor d6+, Ivory
barians: Lotusmastery, Sorcery, and Enlightment. All the Tribes origins
other arcane backgrounds are banned. See the Arcane
Background chapter for further details. This hero is one of the feared Buffalo Riders of the Ivory
Savannah. He begins the game with a War Buffalo and a

37
 CharacterCreation

Buffalo Lance. Usually Buffalo Riders are Loyal to their life

companions. The Buffalo is a Henchman and a Buffalo Rid- Hoplite Training
er can spend advancement, at Veteran Rank, to promote his Requirements: Novice, Strength d6+, Vigor d6+
mount to full Wild Card status. If the buffalo dies, it isn’t re-
placed unless bought again from the Ivory Savannah Riders The hero spent a long time wearing heavy armor. Maybe
he trained as a Hoplite, the phalanx soldiers, or in a similar
military corp. When calculating encumbrance, he considers
Fallen Noble only half of the weight of the armor and shield he wears.
Requirements: Novice
In addition, he has +2 to Vigor rolls to resisting fatigue
A staple of heroic fantasy is the fallen noble, an important caused by long marches and by wearing armor in hot en-
man or woman who has somehow lost his or her birth- vironments.
rights. This is a reworked version of the Noble Edge, to be
used with this type of background.
Savage
A Fallen Noble has +1 Charisma. He has a certain amount Requirements: Novice, Survival d8+
of social importance, but not as much as if he occupied his
rightful position. In addition, he can choose one of these This hero was either born in the bitter mountains of north,
three advantages. or lived in the Ivory Savannah or in the insidious Lush Jun-
gle. Whatever his origin, he is the typical “noble savage”,
Follower. A servant of some type accompanies the hero. He perfectly at ease in the nature. He perceives incoming dan-
can be a faithful retainer, a sworn defender, a teacher or ger by smelling the air, climbs cliffs and tall trees with the
whoever the character wishes. He is a Henchman and his agility of a monkey and instinctively recognizes the right
stats are set by the Game Master. If the follower dies, he herbs to cure wounds and diseases.
isn’t replaced. When the hero reaches the Veteran rank, he
can promote the follower to Wild Card status by spending While in a natural environment (so this Edge doesn’t work
advancement. in ruins, cities or underground), he has the two following
advantages when using the Healing, Notice and Climbing
Bag of Gold. The hero has lost his privileges but he has saved skills.
some money, at least. He starts with three times the stan-
dard amount of funds. First, if his skill is lower than his controlling attribute, he
can roll using the attribute value instead of the skill val-
Heirloom. The hero owns a minor relic, decided by the ue (so Agility instead of Climbing and Smarts instead of
Game Master. Healing and Notice). If the skill is equal or higher than the
controlling attribute, he gains +1 to the skill roll.
If the Fallen Noble manages to regain his status, this Edge
is replaced by the standard Noble Edge, but the character Second, he never suffers penalties for lack of equipment on
maintains the follower, money, or heirloom he chose when these skills.
taking this Edge.

Former Gladiator
Requirements: Novice, Agility d6+, Fighting d8+, Intimi-
Combat Edges
dation d6+
Armor Use
The hero is a veteran of the sun scorched arenas of the Requirements: Wild Card, Novice, Fighting d6+, Vigor
Dread Sea Dominion – he doesn`t know the meaning of d8+
the words “fair fight”, but he knows how to scare opponent’s
to death. If he succeeds in an Intimidation test against an This hero is very skilled in using armor to absorb the impact
adjaced opponent, he receives a free Fighting attack. This of blows. Before rolling to soak a wound, he can activate
attack does not incur a Multiaction penalty. this Edge. In this case, the current Armor value is added to
the Soak roll. To keep the game fast, furious and fun, the
torso armor value is always considered, regardless of called
Ghoulblood shots targeting specific body parts of the character.
Requirements: Vigor d6+, Must be a Cairnlander
This rough treatment ruins the armor and it loses one Ar-
During long and moonless nights, Ancestors sometimes mor point after each use of this Edge, but a warrior consid-
visit the beds of young Cairnlander women. Children born ers it a good bargain, if it helps him stay alive!
of these strange unions have grayish complexion and are
not totally human. They have +2 to any rolls against undead Damaged armor can be fixed with a Repair roll. Each roll
magic powers and undead creatures don’t generally threaten requires 1d4 hours and returns a single Armor point, two
them, unless attacked. In gaming terms, a Ghoulblood hero with a raise.
can make a Reaction roll when meeting an undead. With
a Neutral or better result he isn’t attacked. In addition, a Armor dropped to zero Armor Bonus becomes useless junk
Ghoulblood hero tends to heal very fast. He is allowed a and cannot be repaired.
Natural Healing roll every two days0.

38
 Combat Edges

While bare-chested, your hero is rarely threatened by minor

Distract attacks. As long as unarmored, the sheer power of his cool,
Requirements: Novice, Fighting d8+, Smarts d6+, Taunt barbaric appearance raises his Wild Die by one step when
d4+ soaking wounds (usually from d6 to d8). In addition, once
per session, he can add his Charisma, if positive, to a single
This fighter knows how to distract an enemy during melee, Soak roll.
at the cost of temporarily decreasing the effectiveness of his
attacks. Once per round, before attempting a Fighting roll
against an opponent, he can make a free Trick against the One Hand and a Half
same opponent. It doesn’t count as an additional action, but Requirements: Seasoned, Agility d6+, Fighting d8+,
it causes –2 to all the hero’s damage rolls until his next turn Strength d6+
(so the penalty applies also if he uses First Strike or other
similar Edges before his next turn). This Edge cannot be Your heroine has mastered the technique of fighting with a
combined with a Wild Attack. one-handed weapon using two hands. This versatile fight-
ing style allows her to strike harder blows or perform nim-
ble defenses. When fighting with a one-handed weapon at
Loincloth Hero/Bikini Heroine least of medium size (Str+d6 damage or greater), she can
Requirements: Wild Card, Novice, Agility d8+, Vigor d6+ use it two handed. In this case, she cannot use a shield but
gains one of the two following benefits: +1 to damage rolls
Comics, movies and books always depict bare-chested bar- or +1 Parry. The character can switch from a bonus to the
barians fighting hordes of enemies without suffering the other with a free action, but she must decide this at the
slightest scratch. They also show scantily dressed amazons beginning of her turn.
engaging in savage melees with bug-eyed creatures and fin-
ishing their fight with no more than tousled hair.
Strong Arm
This Edge allows you to emulate this cinematic way of Requirements: Seasoned, Strength d6+, Shooting d6+ or
fighting. So, a hero or heroine with this Edge can make A Throwing d6+
free soak roll for each attack while unarmored. To get the
bonus, a character must have no torso armor on (shields Your character has an exceptionally powerful arm and this
are allowed). If he wants, he can wear bracers, greaves or a influences how far he can throw spears, sling projectiles,
helm, but these are only cosmetic, granting no armor bonus. daggers, and other muscle-propelled distance weapons. This
Edge applies to every ranged weapon that deals damage
based on Strength, as a throwing axe or a sling. It doesn’t
Loincloth God/Bikini Goddess work with fixed damage weapons, like bows.
Requirements: Wild Card, Heroic, Dodge, Loincloth
Hero/Bikini Heroine, Vigor d8+

39
 CharacterCreation

It increases the range brackets of these weapons by 50%

(round fractions down). Chemical Tradition
Requirements: Seasoned, Lotusmastery d8+, Knowledge
To keep the modified ranges consistent with the other (Arcana) d8+, Smarts d6+
weapons, first calculate Short range and then multiply it
by 2 and by 4 to obtain Medium and Long ranges. So, a For many, Lotusmastery is an art, like painting, poetry or
throwing axe (Range: 3/6/12), used with this Edge will cooking, and the real master knows how to make each po-
have range brackets of 4/8/16, not 4/9/16. tion different.. A chemist, instead, follows the opposite ap-
proach, using accurate amounts of ingredients and a precise
procedure that allow for a more standardized product and
less wasted material. When scoring a success on a roll to
make a potion, the Lotus master can create two batches of
Tooth and Nail a Power, spending the Power Points only once. This can-
Requirements: Veteran, Nerves of Steel cels the additional effects of scoring a raise, unless the Lo-
tus master scores two raises, in which case he creates two
No matter how hard you punish this hero, each wound batches, both with the raise effect. To regain the Power
inflicted is only another reason to stand up and grin. The Points spent, both batches must be used.
character receives +1 to damage rolls for each Wound he
currently has, up to +2. Example. Kurasta, Lotus master with the Chemical Tradition
Edge, creates a lotus concoction imbued with the healing Power.
He rolls 7, so he creates two concoctions capable of healing a sin-
gle Wound. Later, he tries again, rolling 8 and scoring a raise.
Power Edges This time too he creates two concoctions curing a single Wound.

Several months later, thanks to the bonus granted by a labora-

Being Like Water tory, he produces another healing potion, rolling a mighty 13!
Requirements: Novice, Enlightment d6+, Fighting d6+, Two raises! This time Kurasta produces two batches of healing
Spirit d8+ Lotus, each of them capable of curing two Wounds.

For monks and other Enlightened individual the practice

of martial arts is a true meditation technique that allows Demon Hunter
them to focus their inner powers at best. A few individuals Requirements: Seasoned, Enlightment d8+, Holy Warrior
reach a particular state in which certain fighting moves per-
fectly blend with one’s inner concentration. Monks call this This character is devoted to fighting the undead. He has
condition Being Like Water. A character taking this Edge learnt ancient techniques to defeat spirits and to imprison
must choose a particular Monk Weapon (unarmed attacks a defeated demon, so that its energy can be used against
are considered a weapon for the purposes of this Edge) and other creatures of the same type.
a single Power he knows. When the hero is wielding this
weapon and he scores a raise on the Enlightment roll ac- Whenever a Wild Card with the Undead or Demon Mon-
tivating the chosen Power, he reduces by one the cost of strous Ability dies within 6” of the Demon Hunter, as a free
Power Points (as for the Wizard Edge). action, he is allowed an opposed Spirit roll between his own
Spirit and the creature’s Spirit. If the Demon Hunter wins,
If he wants, every time the character gets an advancement, he manages to capture the demon’s soul and store it inside
he can choose to change the affected Power or weapon for an object (usually a weapon, an amulet, or something simi-
free (but not both at the same time). lar), called the Vessel. The Vessel can be used by the Demon
Hunter or sold to someone else.

Binding Ritual The owner of the Vessel gains a special Bennie that can
Requirements: Heroic, Knowledge (Arcana) d10+, Sorcery be used only against creatures with the Undead or Demon
d10+, Smarts d10+ Monstrous Ability. This Bennie is conserved between ses-
sions, until it is spent. Once the Bennie is spent, the trapped
Through long incantations, a sorcerer with this Edge can demon’s energy is used and the vessel loses all its supernatu-
make the effect of a spell of his choice permanent. He must ral powers.
choose a spell that can be maintained, like summon ally, ar-
mor or Boost trait, and then perform a Sorcery (–4) roll to A Demon Hunter can bind a single imprisoned soul at any
successfully cast and bind the spell. He pays twice the basic given time, plus one every two Ranks above Seasoned (so,
cost of the spell. Casting such a spell is a very long proce- two souls at the Heroic Rank).
dure, requiring one hour per Power Point of the spell. Also,
if the caster is interrupted, he must start from scratch.
Impressive Aura
The bound spell is considered permanent until the caster Requirements: Seasoned, Sorcery d6+, Spirit d6+
dies or decides to drop it. It isn’t dropped when the caster
loses concentration, falls unconscious or sleeps. As long as Sorcery is widely feared in the Dread Sea Dominions and
the Ritual of Binding is active, the caster doesn’t recover the the simple threat of evoking the dark forces is often enough
Power Points used to cast the spell. A sorcerer can have only to make a strong warrior tremble.
one actively bound spell at any given time.

40
 Professional Edges

A character with this Edge can let her magical powers An Amazon has +1 Parry and, whenever an opponent at-
emerge for a brief moment, in order to scare an enemy. For tacking her rolls 1 on the Fighting die, regardless of the
example, her eyes might glow or she might cast a curse in Wild Die, she is entitled an immediate free Fighting attack
the name of old, forbidden gods. The character is encour- against him. The additional attack can only be used once
aged to describe how her magic nature surfaces and how per round.
she uses it to scare others.
These advantages only work against male opponents and
In gaming terms, whenever she wants, she can use Sorcery this Edge can only be taken by women.
instead of Intimidation but, if a 1 is rolled on the skill die,
regardless of the Wild Die, the action costs 1 Power Point. The GM has the final judgment on when this Edge applies.
Note that the skill substitution only refers to actual rolls, it For example, it can work against a giant ape but not against
doesn’t affect Edge requirements. So, if an Edge requires a man-shaped living statue, because the statue isn’t a real
Intimidation d6+, the character must have that Intimida- “male” and doesn’t consider women as being weaker.
tion skill level in order to take the new Edge.

Dancing Witch/Warlock
Improved Impressive Aura Requirements: Novice, Agility d8+, Arcane Background
Requirements: Heroic, Impressive Aura, Sorcery d8+, (Sorcery), Vigor d6+, must be of Ivory Tribes origin
Spirit d8+
Rhythm runs in the veins of the ebony skinned people from
The curses of the sorcerer and the sheer force of her ma- the south of the Dominions. A dancing witch (or warlock)
levolence are now strong enough to affect the world and is capable of fueling her magic with the rapture of her savage
to actually harm enemies. When winning an Intimidation- dance. In gaming terms, instead of paying the Power Point
based Test of Will with a raise, the Shaken result inflicted cost of maintaining a spell, she can dance. In this case, danc-
is considered as actual damage (so two Shaken results cause ing counts as an action (causing a multiaction penalty to
a Wound). The use of this Edge always costs a Power Point, every other action performed in the meantime) and adds the
but only if she manages to win the opposed roll with a raise “the caster must dance” trapping to the Power. A Dancing
(or rolls 1 on the Sorcery die, as per the Impressive Aura Witch can only dance to maintain a single Power at a given
Edge). time. The dance can last indefinitely but it is usually very
tiring, so a Dancing Witch must make a Vigor roll when
she stops dancing and for every hour of continuous dancing.
Lotus Reserve In case of failure, she suffers a level of Fatigue. When she
Requirements: Seasoned, Knowledge (Arcana) d6+, Lo- becomes Exhausted, the spell is obviously broken.
tusmastery d8+, Smarts d8+

Once per session, a Lotus master can spend a Bennie and Lowlife
declare that he has “just the right potion” for the situation. Requirements: Novice, Smarts d4+, Streetwise d6+, Stealth
In gaming terms, it means he can create a Lotus concoction d4+, Persuasion d4+
as a free action and ignoring the normal preparation time.
In story terms, he has prepared the potion before and he This character is a professional criminal. He can be a thief,
only has to take it out of his bag. a beggar, a smuggler, an assassin or whatever other type of
criminal. He always knows where to find the right people,
He performs the arcane roll when activating the Edge and, information, or pieces of equipment in the shady world of
if the Power doesn’t work or he fumbles, the effects are ap- crime. He gains +2 to Streetwise and Persuasion rolls in
plied immediately (the potion seemed good when prepared, a criminal environment. In addition, he can look for two
but it turns out to be faulty or dangerous when used). The additional Rare Items instead of one between sessions (see
hero spends no Power Points for the potion and the Power Gear section).
only has the basic duration. This Edge cannot be combined
with the Chemical Tradition Edge.
Monk
Requirements: Novice, Enlightment d8+, Spirit d8+

Professional Edges Monks are men of faith and humble followers of the Path
of Enlightenment. They take vows of poverty, so a character
taking this Edge automatically acquires the Poverty Hin-
Amazon drance. Monks are usually respected, gaining +1 to Persua-
Requirements: Novice, Fighting d6+, Notice d6+, Strength sion rolls.
d6+, Must be female
Monks can embrace either the contemplative philosophy or
A woman is usually physically weaker than a man and this the militant philosophy. A character taking this Edge must
is why she is underestimated by men in close combat. This is choose a philosophy and cannot change it later.
the first lesson an Amazon learns, and the most important
one: be opportunistic and turn your apparent weakness into Contemplative. To these monks violence is the last resort
strength, using all the opportunities your opponent gives. of the incompetents and they shun it in all its forms. They
automatically receive the Pacifism (Major) Hindrance. If
duly followed, their beliefs give them strong and pure souls.

41
 CharacterCreation

Contemplative monks gain +2 to the Dispel and Banish So, a Seasoned hero with Smarts d8 has 4+2=6 Power
Powers. Their deep wisdom also allows them to use Spirit Points, which can only be used for the poison Power.
instead of Smarts for Common Knowledge rolls and Spirit
instead of Vigor for Soak rolls.
Sage
Militant. A militant monk works exactly as an Adept Edge Requirements: Novice, Scholar, Investigation d8+, Smarts
from Savage Worlds, but it works with Monk weapons and d8+, must be literate
unarmed.
This hero spent years studying in the Great Library of Sy-
ranthia or another great center of learning, where he read a
Priest/Philosopher lot of books and became acquainted with various fields of
Requirements: Novice, Knowledge (Religion) d8+, Smarts knowledge, including very obscure ones.
d6+, Spirit d6+
When fighting a creature, he can make a Common Knowl-
Priests are ministers of the gods. They are very different, edge roll to remember one of her Special Abilities.
depending on the divinities they worship. A wicked priest-
ess of Hordan, for example, has nothing in common with In addition, once per session, the player can invent a use-
a pious follower of the Divine Couple or a militant Iron ful piece of knowledge, remembered from her studies, that
Priest of Hulian. helps her or the group in the current situation. This knowl-
edge cannot contradict the consolidated background.
A character must choose a specific deity when taking this
Edge. The deity can be one of the major gods described in If the piece of information is accepted by the Game Master
the Book of Lore or a minor one invented by the player. In and doesn’t disrupt the plot, it grants a bonus of +4 to a
the latter case, the player must provide the Game Master single roll or automatically solves a specific problem (GM’s
with a brief description of the cult, but this is only back- decision). Particularly good ideas should be rewarded with
ground information, as the type of god doesn’t affect the a Bennie too.
Edge’s mechanics.
Example 1. Clamides of Askerios, a Sage woman, is in the thick
A follower of the Path of Enlightenment can also take this of the jungle with her close friend, Shangor the Barbarian.
Edge. He doesn’t worship a specific deity but is a sincere Shangor is Incapacitated, due to various wounds suffered while
disciple of the ancient doctrine. He is called a Philosopher fighting a giant snake. Clamides has a meager Healing d4 skill
and his Edge works in the same way. and no adequate equipment, so she fears she won’t be able to
patch up her friend up.
Whatever faith they follow, priests share some similarities.
They are well versed in theology, so they have +2 to Knowl- This is the time to remember some useful knowledge. Martha,
edge (Religion) rolls and, as they are respected figures, they who plays as Clamides, states that her heroine has spotted a
have +1 to Persuasion rolls. patch of violet mushrooms, that, as she remembers from her past
studies, are perfect for healing wounds. The Game Master ac-
As said before, the gods don’t grant their worshippers su- cepts the statement, and Clamides receives +4 to a single Heal-
pernatural abilities. To possess such abilities, they must take ing roll.
the dangerous path of sorcery. Yet, prayer itself might prove
useful. Maybe the gods really exist and sometimes hear the Example 2. Clamides and Shangor are travelling in the south-
pleas of their followers or, even if they don’t exist, the act of ern deserts, when some hostile Red Nomads appear on the ho-
praying brings consolation and inspiration to the mortals. rizon. There are a dozen of them; surely too many even for the
mighty barbarian. So it is time to make another statement.
As a free action, a Priest can pray his god for help. This re- Martha declares that Clamides knows that Red Nomads con-
quires a Spirit roll. In case of success, he is rewarded with a sider blind men holy figures. So the learned woman quickly tells
Bennie. This can be done as many times as the caster wants, Shangor to tear a piece of his loincloth and cover his eyes with it,
but every attempt after the first, in the same session, suffers pretending to be blind. The Game Master deems the stratagem
a cumulative –4. If a 1 is rolled on the Spirit die, regardless worthy of resolving the situation, avoiding a dangerous fight
of the Wild Die, the gods are annoyed by the prayers: the that isn’t fundamental for the plot. The nomads approach the
character immediately loses a Bennie and cannot use this heroes and, spotting an apparently blind man, leave an offering
Edge again during the current session. Also, the gods don’t of water and food, before departing quickly. Martha receives a
forget: if the hero has no Bennie left and owes the gods one, Bennie too.
he starts the next session with one Bennie less.

Trained Thrower
Poisoner Requirements: Novice, Agility d6+, Shooting or Throwing
Requirements: Novice, Healing d6+, Smarts d6+, Stealth d8+, Vigor d6+
d6+, Streetwise d6+
Crossbows aren’t a common weapon in the Dread Sea Do-
This character isn’t a real Lotustmaster but he studied al- minions, so the standard ranged troops are bowmen, sling-
chemy enough to be able to make poisons. He can use the ers, and javelin throwers. The effective use of these weap-
poison Power with Smarts as arcane skill, and has a number ons requires long and intensive training and can be usually
of Power Points equal to half his Smarts die plus 1/Rank. learnt only by professional militaries.

42
 Weird Edges

A character taking this Edge must choose from among a

bow, sling or javelin, which from now becomes his profes- Temptress
sional weapon.
Requirements: Novice, Charisma 4+, Persuasion d8+,
His training is intensive, so his muscles are perfectly used Smarts d8+
to the task they must accomplish: stretching the bowstring,
swinging the sling or delivering the javelin. The charac- There are women who make empires fall with their beauty
ter’s Strength is considered a step higher in relation to the and who can make a man’s blood boil with a single glance
minimum requirements of his professional weapon, but this from their long-lashed eyes. Your heroine is one of these
doesn’t affect damage. striking personalities and has no remorse in using her beau-
ty to influence others.
A Trained Thrower keeps his cool even in the direst situ-
ations. He knows that, when his arrow breaks in his hand In gaming terms she has the boost/lower trait Power but
and the charging cavalry is only one hundred paces away, can use it only on members of the opposite sex, friends or
the right thing to do is to take another arrow and shoot enemies.
it — not to escape and die trampled by the enemy’s horses.
She uses Persuasion as arcane skill and has Charisma + 1/
For this reason, when using his professional weapon, when- Rank Power Points. So a Seasoned Temptress with Cha-
ever he rolls 1 on the Shooting die, regardless of the Wild risma +4 has 4+2=6 Power Points.
Die, he can freely reroll the Shooting or Throwing die (but
not the Wild Die). This isn’t true magic, but only the effect of the temptress’s
behavior on others. She can make a man feel like a god or
In addition, the character receives the following free gear: a worm, influencing his ego, so her power doesn’t register
leather armor and his professional weapon (a bow, a war as magic, but it can be dispelled with the dispel Power. The
sling, or 5 javelins). Characters who want a composite bow Temptress must be visible and interact in some way with her
or a Valk bow must pay the difference. target: speaking or giving him a long, eloquent look is enough.

This Edge is usually taken by women but nothing prevents

Treasure Hunter males from choosing it.
Requirements: Novice, Agility d8+, Notice d6+, Lockpick-
ing d6+, Smarts d6+, Streetwise d6+
Watch Your Back!
This hero is an expert in exploring ancient ruins to retrieve Requirements: Novice, Agility d6+, Notice d6+, Spirit d8+,
precious artifacts and other valuables, so she knows how to Pace 6+
avoid the terrible traps put in place to guard these treasures.
This heroine is used to being chased. Maybe she is an Out-
She gains +2 to Notice rolls to spot traps, to Agility rolls to law with the city guards permanently at her heels, or she
avoid them, and to rolls to disarm these dangerous mecha- is running from a powerful Enemy. Whatever the reason,
nisms. In addition, she always knows how and where to when the situation requires the character to get away quick-
sell her loot, obtaining better prices than others. Hence, her ly, she knows what to do.
maximum Savings are increased by 25%.
At the start of every Chase sequence, regardless of whether
she is pursuing or being pursued, she receives a free Bennie.

Weird Edges As a professional fugitive, she has also developed a knack

for finding the nearest exit of a building. When she is in
a labyrinth, dungeon, ruin, cavern, house or any enclosed
Helper area, she is allowed a Spirit (–2) roll to instinctively find
Requirements: Seasoned, Notice d8+, Persuasion d6+, her way to the nearest exit. Be warned: the shortest path is
Smarts d8+ necessarily the safest. The ability to find a way out doesn’t
work outdoor.
Some people are particularly good at helping, supporting
and coordinating others. As an action, this character ob-
serves a friend within 6” and makes a Notice (–2) roll. If
successful, she gives her fiend a useful hint. The next Trait
roll of the friend, if performed before the end of the next
round, receives a +1 bonus. This Edge cannot be used on
arcane or knowledge skill rolls, unless the Helper also pos-
sesses that skill.

If the Helper rolls 1 on the Notice roll, she gives bad advice
or simply her clever remarks unnerve the friend, who has
–2 to his next action.

In addition, a Helper always gives +1 to the lead character

in cooperative rolls (if she isn’t the leading hero).

43
 The Lotus cannot be used in its pure form: it is toxic and,

Magic in some cases, even lethal. Instead, it must be refined and

mixed with other ingredients, and special rites and spells
must be recited to produce a batch of powder, a vial of elixir,
The magic of Beasts and Barbarians isn’t of the high fantasy pills, or other alchemical concoctions.
type. In the Dread Sea Dominions you won’t find wizards
throwing fireballs or turning into dragons. Magic tends to be To create a concoction, a Lotus master needs his Lotus bag,
more subtle, and usually dark, but by no means less powerful. a sort of miniature lab containing raw materials and basic
tools. The process requires one hour per Rank of the Power
In this section you’ll find all the rules you need to create he wants to imbue (so a Seasoned Power requires two hours
a Lotus master, a sorcerer, or a follower of the Path of the of work).
Enlightenment. In addition, a new Power, specific for this
setting, is described. At the end of the preparation time, the Lotus master rolls
on the Lotusmastery skill and pays the necessary Power
Powers and creatures marked with a (N) are new, and they Points. These Power Points aren’t recovered until the potion
are found later in this chapter. is used or destroyed (burnt, dispelled and so on). Then, the
Lotus master regains his Power Points at the normal rate.
Game Master’s Advice:
If the skill roll is successful, a Lotus potion is prepared. It
A Sword and Sorcery World lasts indefinitely, until used, can be taken by any living be-
Beasts and Barbarians is a setting that leans ing with an action. So a Pearly Lotus of Relief, a sweet po-
heavily on swordplay. Magic is powerful and tion that cures wounds, works exactly as the healing Power,
feared, and must cause wonder when used. For while a Gray Lotus of Hollow Dreams, a powder with ter-
this reason, each party should include no more rible hallucinogenic effects, induces fear in the individual
than a single hero with the Arcane Background. targeted with it.
Magic can be very powerful but the true
masters of the mystical arts are sorcerers and monks, who are Raises work as normal, increasing the effects of the Power.
several hundreds of years old and more suitable as adversaries
and patrons of the party rather than as playing characters. Before a scenario starts, a Lotus master can choose to pre-
pare as many Lotus potions as he wants, ignoring time re-
Heroes can certainly be mages, but they are prac- quirements. It is assumed he had enough time to prepare
titioners, not real masters. This is why the New what he wished.
Power Edge is limited and can be taken only once
per Rank. Range: The Lotus must come into contact with the target
If you want to create more traditional fantasy to work. So spells with a range of Attribute (as Smarts x2),
stories, feel free to ignore these restrictions. Sight, Self or Touch require the Lotus to be ingested, in-
jected, or delivered with a Touch Attack.

Ingestion is self explanatory: the potion must be drunk or

Arcane Backgrounds eaten (not necessarily as a voluntary action).

To inject a Lotus potion, the target must be at least Shaken

by damaging attack (a dagger scratch, or something simi-
Lotusmastery lar).

Arcane Skill: Lotusmastery (Smarts) Touch needs a Touch Attack (+2 to the Fighting roll).

Starting Power Points: 10 Despite being more difficult to accomplish, ingestion or in-
jection are more potent, especially for offensive Powers. The
Starting Powers: 3 skill roll receives a +2, but only on opposed rolls.

Available Powers: barrier, blast, blind, boost/lower trait, The exact mode of administration is decided by the Lotus
burst, confusion, detect/conceal arcana, dispel, entangle, envi- master upon creating the concoction.
ronmental protection, fear, healing, invisibility, light, obscure,
poison (N), puppet, slow, slumber, smite, succor, stun, warrior Powers with range brackets mean that the Lotus must be
gift, zombie. put into a vial to be thrown at the target. It is done with a
Throwing roll and the ranges are reduced to 3/6/12. Alter-
Lotus masters are skilled men who spend their life studying natively, a concentrated quantity of Lotus can be delivered
the incredible effects of Lotus, the strange plant appeared with a blowgun dart (a Shooting roll using the blowgun
in the Dominions after the fall of the Dread Star. Many ranges: 5/10/20).
Lotus varieties exist: Gray, Red, Green and so on. The color
usually identifies a particular type, but different parts of the Duration: Extra Points can be spent as usual to increase
plant (flower, root, pollen and so on) are used in potions to duration.
achieve different effects, allowing a virtually endless num-
ber of combinations. Laboratory: A Lotus master with access to a good labora-
tory, something bigger and better stocked than his basic

45
 Magic

Lotus bag, gains +2 to his rolls. Access to an even bigger Sorcery

facility, like the House of an Alchemist of Gis or another
fully equipped workshop, grants a +4 bonus. Arcane Skill: Sorcery (Smarts)

Backlash: A Lotus master rolling 1 on the skill die dur- Starting Power Points: 10
ing the creation of his concoction inhales dangerous fumes
or poisons himself in some way. He suffers an automatic Starting Powers: 2
Wound.
Available Powers: armor, barrier, beast friend, blast, boost/
Hero’s Journal: lower trait, bolt, confusion, darksight, deflection, disguise, drain
power points, draining touch(N), detect/conceal arcana, divi-
Lotus Concoctions nation, entangle, fear, havoc, intangibility, invisibility, obscure,
The Pharmacologia Segreta, the traditional puppet, slumber, smite, speak language, stun, summon ally.
book of Lotus recipes studied by every Lotus
master, states the names of concoctions accord- Sorcery is a very dangerous type of magic. The sorcerer,
ing to the standard convention: “Color Lotus of through arcane invocations and unholy rites, asks the in-
Something”, e.g. Orange Lotus of the Phoenix, tervention of forgotten divinities and powers that man
Violet Lotus of the Wailing Widow, and so on. isn’t meant to know. These entities are usually generous to-
This is the common way to define Lotus potions, ward the sorcerer, but they are also very demanding. Many
but several outstanding Lotus masters deliberately give non- of those who meddle with dark magic end up with their
standard names to their elixirs to leave their mark. So there minds destroyed and their souls eaten by creatures of un-
might be potions called Giscamon’s Vendetta or Food for the imaginable horror.
Orphans.
Savage Worlds’ use of trapping lets you create a virtually lim- Evil entities are always eager for nourishment, so a sorcerer
itless number of Lotus potions. Here are some examples but can decide to willingly give them a little of his living energy
the players and Game Masters can obviously create their own. in exchange for extra power. This is done by self inflicting a
Wound to gain 2 Power Points or +1 to a Sorcery roll. These
Mode of Delivery. Ingestion, injection, and touch are the wounds represent energy sacrificed to dark powers, cannot
most common ways. See the Lotusmastery description for be Soaked and can only be healed naturally. The penalty
further details. caused by these wounds applies after the Sorcery roll they
Inhalation. An inhaled power must be breathed in. It affects are inflicted for.
all targets in a Small Burst Template. Holding your breath is
usually enough to avoid it, so opposed rolls to resist it have +1. Sorcerers also have access to the Soul Drain Edge, with
lower requirements than usual.
Venom based. Venom based concoctions are very subtle, but
don’t affect non-living targets. For example a venom based Backlash: A sorcerer who rolls 1 on the Sorcery roll has
Blast can’t be used to destroy door. somehow displeased the evil entities he works with to gain
Explosive. A Lotus concoction can be explosive, dealing +1 his powers. He must roll on the Sorcery Critical Failures
damage or acquiring the Heavy Weapon Special Ability. Table to discover what happens to him.
However, it is quite dangerous to handle. If a roll is required
to deliver it (for example a Throwing roll for a vial) and a 1 is
rolled on the skill die, regardless of the Wild Die, the concoc- Sorcery Critical Failures Table (d20)
tion explodes before use causing damage to the user. 1  Evil Twist. The character’s body is permanently twisted.
His nails become long and claw-like, his teeth elongated
Examples of Lotusmastery Trappings Use and sharp, or whatever the Game Master decides. He
Smite (Yellow Lotus of the Demons). When poured onto a permanently loses 1 Charisma point. On the plus side,
weapon’s blade, this foul-smelling liquid covers it in a persis- his unarmed attacks deal +1 damage from now on. If the
tent flame. hero is exposed to this effect more than once, he only loses
another Charisma point, but receives no further damage
Burst (Purple Lotus of Pain). This dangerous powder, made bonus.
to be thrown at targets, is a strong acid that, when in contact
with the skin, lungs or other organic material, corrodes it. 2-4  Dark Energies. The caster’s body is overwhelmed by an
otherworldly force. He is Shaken for 1d6 rounds and loses
Dispel (Gray Lotus of Panacea). This sweet potion can one step of the Sorcery die for 24 hours.
eliminate almost all the effects of other Lotus concoctions and
foul magic, if drunk in time. 5-8  Energy Sap.  The caster must make a Vigor roll or be
Incapacitated. Even in case of success, he suffers a level of
Lower trait (Smarts) (Wine of the Merchant). An odorless Fatigue, which is recovered after an hour.
and tasteless liquid. The merchants from Jalizor
mix it with wine and give it to potential custom- 9-12  Not For The Human Mind. The caster has a brief
ers during transactions. glimpse of what the entity he is contacting REALLY is,
and this can shatter the hardest of minds. He must make a
Warrior gift (Berserk) (Blood Lotus of the Sa- Fear (–4) roll.
vannah Warriors). A foul-tasting potion made
by the Lotus masters of the Ivory Tribes before a 13-15  Devils’ Joke. The spell works as if cast with a raise,
major battle. but the evil entities change target: a positive spell affects
an enemy; a negative one affects the caster or an ally.

46
 Arcane Backgrounds

16-17  Manifestation of Unholy Gods. The evil gods ap- devoured by insects. The air from the mage’s lungs turns into a
pear in all their terrible might, releasing a wave of pain swarm of hungry locusts (a small Swarm).
and terror! Put a Large Burst Template on the caster.
Boost/lower Trait (Corrupt). The sorcerer can temporary
Whoever is within the template, caster included, suffers
infect the target with the dark taint of the supernatural
3d6 damage and must make a Fear roll.
creatures he serves. Every boosted or lowered trait manifests
19  Satiate My Hunger! One of the evil forces the sorcerer is itself as a horrid physical mutation (such as bulging muscles
contacting decides to take away some of the character’s liv- for raised Strength, suckers on the hands for raised Climbing,
ing energy. His Vigor die drops by one step. Every week the festering wounds for lowered Vigor, and so on). This causes the
sorcerer is allowed a Vigor (–4) roll to regain it. In case of target to receive the Ugly Hindrance while under the effect of
critical failure on one of these rolls, the loss is permanent. the spell.
20  Soul Drain. A part of the sorcerer’s soul is snatched and Entangle (Hands of the Dead). The sorcerer encourages the
devoured by evil entities. His Spirit die drops perma- spirits of the dead to bring the poor victims of this spell to their
nently by one step. dark kingdom. Cold arms surface from the ground and grab
the targets, restraining them. Their touch is so cold and ter-
Hero’s Journal: The Art of Sorcery rifying that the victims suffer an additional –1 to Spirit rolls
Sorcery powers, usually spells or incantations for the duration of the spell.
of some sort, tend to be quite different from one
Deflection (I am not here!). The sorcerer using this spell
another, depending on the source of the magic.
seems to have been hit by his enemy’s blow but he is actually
A Tricarnian demon evoker’s Bolt, for example,
a yard away, staring at the attacker with magnetic eyes. It
is quite different from the Bolt of a Ivory Tribe
is a sort of hypnotic suggestion that prevents the attackers
dancer witch. For this reason, trappings are
from hitting the target. After each failed attack, the target
very important in defining sorcery spells.
can freely move 1” away from the attacker. As a drawback,
Always consider the basic rule of sorcery: the evil entities that the power has only a Self range and can be avoided by simply
grant their power to the warlock ask for something backing closing one’s eyes (so, the Blind Hindrance applies). As it isn’t
return (adoration, pain, entertainment or sacrifices) and their a “real” Deflection, the defensive bonus doesn’t count as armor
gifts always have a hidden cost. bonus against area attacks.
As a rule of thumb, every sorcerer knows a single trapping Fear (Unspeakable Name of Hordan). The
for each of his spells. New trappings for known spells are good caster knows the real name of the evil deity Hor-
rewards for sorcerer player characters. A hero can master a dan, so abominable that hearing it is enough for
new trapping of a spell he already knows with a Smarts roll, the people to fall into an abyss of primeval fear.
if he finds a teacher or a book of some sort explaining it. If the caster cannot speak or the name cannot be
heard, the spell doesn’t work.
Here are some examples of trappings fitting the sword and
sorcery style as well as related rule modifications, when
needed. You should feel free to add others of your creation.
Dark Taint. The power is inherently evil and somehow
Path of Enlightenment
corrupts the recipient. In addition to the normal effects, the Arcane Skill: Enlightment (Spirit)
target suffers a Minor Hindrance for the duration of the spell.
Starting Power Points: 15
Fearful. Simply seeing the spell in action can make a strong
man tremble. The target and all those witnessing the spell suf- Starting Powers: 1
fer –1 to Spirit rolls for the duration of the spell.
It is Only a Clever Trick. For primitive cultures, as those of Available Powers: analyze foe(N), armor, banish, Boost trait,
the Dread Sea Dominions, anything unknown is classified as darksight, deflection, detect arcana/conceal arcana, dispel, envi-
magic. This is why ventriloquism, hypnosis, higher technology ronmental protection, farsight, fly, invisibility, legerdemain(N),
and very good sleight of hand are usually considered super- pummel, quickness, smite, speed, telekinesis, wall walker, war-
natural powers. A power that is only a clever trick usually has rior’s gift.
a weak point of some type.
The followers of the Path of Enlightenment are usually
Object Required. The power is linked to an object of some monks from the far country of Lhoban. Through discipline,
type. The object must be quite easy to replace (maximum cost: intensive training and meditation, they are capable of in-
10 Moons/Power Rank) and without it the spell cannot be credible feats. They maintain that their powers aren’t truly
cast. As compensation, spells that require an object have their magical and any man, with the right training and true de-
basic duration increased by one round. votion to self improvement, can achieve the same abilities.
Verbal. The magic requires the caster to speak. So, the spell
cannot be used if the sorcerer cannot speak or wants to remain But, in truth, many years of training are necessary to follow
inconspicuous. the Path of Enlightenment. That’s why very few of these
skilled individuals exist.

Examples of Sorcery Trappings in Use The Path of Enlightenment Powers usually manifest them-
Here follow some examples of Powers with their trappings. selves as personal abilities, not as true spells. So, all the
powers, except banish, detect arcana, dispel and pummel have
Summon ally (Call of the Eaters). This evil spell requires
a range of Self.
the sorcerer to blow into a horn made with the bone of a beast

47
Backlash: An Enlightened One who rolls 1 on the En- by simply stomping his foot. Before releasing this terrible
lightment Skill dies, regardless of the Wild Die, tempo- blow, the Enlightened One must concentrate for a full round.
rarily loses his spiritual balance. He is Shaken and all his
Enlightenment rolls suffer –2 for an hour.

Hero’s Journal: The Way of Light

Modified Powers
The followers of the Path of Enlightenment Summon Ally
usually gain powers consisting of incredible
martial art techniques and amazing feats of Rank: Novice
the mind, achieved through endless hours of
concentration and careful training. Power Points: 3+
Here are some examples of trappings adequate Range: Smarts
for the Path of Enlightment.
Increased Awareness. Perception is the key to this power. Duration: 3 (1/Round) or Special
The Enlightened One is capable of seeing and manipulating
very subtle energies. A power based on an increased aware- Trappings: Evocation, burning herbs, sacrifices.
ness trapping grants +1 to the first Notice roll made during
the duration of the spell. This Power allows the caster to summon a powerful Extra
loyal to him. In Beasts and Barbarians this power works in a
Martial Moves. This Power is linked to a special combat slightly different way from to the one in the Savage Worlds
move that must be performed by the caster in order to activate Deluxe.
it. The Power requires the caster to be able to move freely; so,
in certain cases, it cannot be activated in an inconspicuous On a success, the ally is placed at any point within the range
way. of the power. On a raise, the ally is more durable and is a
Meditation Required. The Enlightened One needs to be Henchman.
deeply focused to awaken this power. It means that the Power
requires a round of intense concentration before it can be cast. A summoned ally acts on the initiative card of the caster
As minor compensation, the character receives +2 to avoiding and gets an immediate action as soon as it is summoned.
loss of concentration while maintaining the Power.
A character may learn this spell while of Novice Rank, but
Past Lives. The source of this Power is the inner, unconscious he cannot summon more powerful allies until he attains
knowledge gained by the character during his past lives, the appropriate Rank. The cost in Power Points depends on
which are usually inaccessible. If the character scores a raise the type of ally the character wishes to summon. Use the
casting the spell, he sees a glimpse of his past incarnation, Summon Ally table as a guideline for unlisted creatures.
gaining +1 to Smarts and Smarts based skills in the current By taking this Power, a caster learns the ritual to summon
and next round. a single type of creature, and automatically learns another
one each time he achieves a new Rank. Rituals for evoking
additional, very powerful creatures are usually contained in
Examples of Enlightenment Trappings in Use ancient, forbidden tomes, and finding them might be the
Here follow some examples of Powers with their trappings. goal of an adventure.
Fly (Move of the Air Warrior). Through this ancient tech- A caster of sufficient Rank to summon more powerful allies
nique the Enlightened One is capable of violating the laws of may choose to summon additional lower Rank allies instead,
gravity, performing incredible jumps and similar feats, but at the same cost. For each decrease in Rank, he gains one
at the end of the round he must always be on solid ground. As additional ally. For example, a Veteran caster could spend 5
minor compensation, if attacking an enemy on the ground Power Points to summon one Veteran-Rank-allowed ally,
from a flying position, he gains +1 to Fighting rolls. two Seasoned-Rank-allowed allies, or three Novice-Rank-
Boost trait (Healing) (Gentle Pressure). The Enlightened allowed allies. Allies summoned by a single casting must all
One is capable of perceiving the altered flow of energy in a be of the same type.
wounded being and to refocus it with the simple touch of his
hands, thus helping the healing process. The altered state of A Backlash on the summon ally power, in addition to the
perception caused by the Power also grants +1 to Notice rolls. roll on the Sorcery Critical Failures, causes the creature to
be evoked, but it is free from the caster’s control and usu-
Warrior gift (Memory of the Past Lives). Each life is only ally malevolent toward the sorcerer. In this case, the evoked
the prosecution of a past life, through an infinite chain of creature doesn’t disappear when the spell ends and it must
reincarnations that end only with the final Enlightenment. be killed or banished.
Most cannot remember their past lives but the Enlightened
One can, and through this power he “awakens” an ability pos- Special: When not in combat, the caster can summon an
sessed in one of his previous incarnations. If he scores a raise ally and ask it to perform a single, non-combat task. The
on the activation roll, he gains +1 to Smarts and Smarts based task must be related to the creature’s nature or abilities. So,
skill rolls in the current and next round. a Shadow Bat can be asked to act as a mount, a Twisted
Pummel (Stomp of the Master). Through the sheer strength Servant to dig a passage through a blocked tunnel, a De-
of his soul, the Enlightened One can make the ground tremble monic Mastiff to track someone, and so on. The task cannot
take more than a day per caster’s Rank to be completed.

48
 Magic

When the task is accomplished, the creature disappears

and the spell ends. Casting the spell in this way requires Draining Touch
five minutes per Rank of the creature summoned, and costs Rank: Seasoned
double the basic cost. The spell doesn’t need to be main-
tained, but the caster doesn’t recover the Power Points spent Power Points: 3
until the spell ends.
Range: Self
If during the task the creature is forced into combat, the
spell switches to standard mode and the caster must pay Duration: 3 (1/round)
the maintenance cost for the rounds of combat the creature
is involved in. Trappings: Dehydration, poison, black crackling energy
around hand, disease.
Summon Ally
Mages have more ways to kill a foe than blasting him with
Cost Rank Ally balls of fire. The most insidious mages can kill with a casual
3 Novice Fighting Bird (N), Keronian Imp touch.
(N), Twisted Servant (N), Wolf
This spell makes the touch of the caster deadly. After cast-
4 Seasoned Dire Wolf, Spirit of the Betrayer
(N), Snake (Venomous), Swarm ing the spell, the mage delivers his draining touch on a suc-
cessful touch attack (+2 Fighting). Victims must make a
5 Veteran Ancestor Ghost (N), Demonic Vigor roll (at –2 if the mage scored a raise when casting)
Mastiff (N), Snake (Constrictor), or suffer a level of Fatigue. Normally, these Fatigue levels
Giant Spider
recover at one per 5 minutes, but if the target rolls a 1 on
6 Heroic Fanged Ape (N), Shadow Bat his Vigor die, regardless of the Wild Die, he must recover
(N), Bear as “normal” based on the trappings of the power (dehydra-
7 Legendary Giant Worm, Singer Demon (N) tion requires water, poison/disease may require healing, and
so on). If the trapping has no specific recovery, it takes one
hour to recover a Fatigue level.

New Powers Legerdemain

Rank: Novice

Analyze Foe Power Points: 1

Rank: Novice
Range: Smarts
Power Points: 1 – 2
Duration: Instant
Range: Smarts x 2
Trappings: Mimicking action, briefly summoned spirit, as-
Duration: 3 (1/round) tral bi-location.

Trappings: Mystical sense, spiritual advice,gestalt knowl- Legerdemain allows the character to perform a single action
edge. at range he would normally be capable of doing in person.
If the action would require a Trait roll, then the caster rolls
Knowledge is power. Being able to judge the strength of a the lower of that Trait or his arcane skill to both activate
foe before engaging him in combat can be highly advanta- the power and determine the results of the action. If the
geous. action does not require a Trait roll, then his arcane skill is
used normally.
The character makes an arcane skill roll opposed by the tar-
get’s Spirit. On a success, he gains a +1 bonus to Trait rolls Casting legerdemain is a normal action, but the action per-
to directly affect the target, and the target suffers a –1 pen- formed through the use of it is considered a free action (ex-
alty to Trait rolls to directly affect the caster. With a raise, isting free actions like speaking are unchanged). However
the effect is increased to +2 and –2 for both. In addition, the caster is still limited to not duplicating the same action
for 2 Power Points, a success allows the caster to learn of a in a round, so it is impossible to cast another spell via leg-
single Immunity, Invulnerability, or Weakness of the target erdemain.
(if one exists), and araise allows the knowledge of two.
The power does not create or duplicate the effects of any
gear or magical effects upon the caster, but in all other ways,
the action is treated exactly as if the caster were performing
the action himself at the location.

For example, a Fighting attack does his normal unarmed

Strength damage, even if the caster is holding a dagger with
smite on it.

50
 New Powers

Mode of Administration: The most common ways to admin-

Poison ister venom are ingestion, touch, or injection (see the Lo-
Rank: Novice tusmastery Arcane Background description on page 45 for
their effects). Other methods (such as inhaling) can be used
Power Points: 2 or more but they cause –4 to the Arcane Roll to create the poison,
double the Power Points cost, and must be approved by the
Range: Self Game Master on a single case basis.

Duration: Special Non lethal poisons: The caster can decide that the poison is
non lethal, causing Fatigue instead of a Wound. Fatigue is
Trappings: Lotus potion. recovered as normal.

Poisons are the most notorious and probably most insidious Healing: A skilled medic can help a poisoned friend. First,
weapon of the Lotus masters. A poisoned target must make he must recognize the venom used, with a Lotusmastery or
a Vigor roll, opposed to the Arcane Skill of the poison Healing (–4) roll. If he is successful, the rolls to contrast the
maker, for every Time Interval (see below). If the Arcane poison can be made using the highest between the victim’s
skill roll is higher, the victim suffers a Wound and, in case Vigor and the medic’s Healing skill.
of a raise, he suffers two.
Example. Kurasta, wicked poisoner with Lotusmastery d10,
If the victim wins the roll, he suffers no damage but the decides to create a powerful poison to kill his hated cousin. He
venom continues to work and he must repeat the procedure wants to be sure that nobody can blame him for the man’s death,
for the next Time Interval. If he wins with a raise or more, so he prepares a concoction with Very Slow Time Interval,
he manages to defeat the poison, which ceases to cause which must be ingested to take effect (+2 to opposed rolls).
damage.
It costs him 2 Power Points.
Time Interval: This is the frequency of the roll to check for
the poison’s effect. It can be Very Fast (1 round), Fast (1 Then he puts the concoction, the Black Milk of the Widow, into
minute), Normal (1 hour), Slow (1 day), and Very Slow (1 his poisoner’s ring and goes to a banquet with his hated relative.
week). The poisoner assigns a Time Interval to his concoc- He spikes his cousin’s wine and, seven days after, when Kurasta
tion when he creates it. is far away, his cousin starts feeling ill. A few weeks later, he
dies of a mysterious fever, leaving Kurasta the only heir of the
family’s wealth.

51
 Gear
The common currency of the Dread Sea Dominions is the
Syranthian Moon. A Moon is equal to $1, so you can pick
items from the Savage Worlds core rules without any need
to do mathematical conversions.

The characters start with 500 Moons, plus 100 for every
rank above Novice.

After the equipment has been purchased, all the unused

money goes into the characters’ Savings (see Setting Rules).
During the creation phase, the players can ignore the Rare
(see below) feature, as long as they justify strange items
with their background.

This section presents the pieces of equipment available in

Beasts and Barbarians. It isn’t a comprehensive list. You can
always refer to the Savage Worlds core rules for missing
items.

Here follows a brief description of the special abilities and

features of the gear in Beasts and Barbarians.

Monk Weapon. This type of weapon is traditionally used

by monks, characters with the Monk Edge who receive a
particular ability when using them (see the Monk Edge on
page 41 for details). For non Monk characters they have
no other ability. They are readily available only in Lhoban,
while in other lands they are Rare.

Rare. A rare item isn’t available unless the hero makes a

Streetwise (–2) roll. As a rule of thumb, each hero can try
to locate a single rare item between a scenario and the next.
The roll can be cooperative.
 Gear

Melee Weapons Table

Type Damage Wgt Cost Notes

Unarmed

Iron Fists Str+d4/+1 1 25 See notes, may be a Monk Weapon

Poisoner Glove Str - 100 See notes

Blades

Amazon Blade Str+d6 4 300 +1 Parry, See notes

Dagger Str+d4 1 25

Great Sword Str+d10 12 400 Parry –1, 2 hands

Lhoban Sword Str+d6 6 900 Monk Weapon, +1 Parry, see notes

Long Sword Str+d8 8 300 Includes scimitars

Short Sword Str+d6 4 200 Includes sabers

Axes and Mauls

Axe Str+d6 2 200

Club Str+d4 2 5

Battle Axe Str+d8 10 300

Great Axe Str+d10 15 500 AP 1, Parry –1, 2 hands

Maul Str+d10 20 400 AP 2 vs. rigid armor, AP 1, Parry –1, 2 hands

War Club Str+d8 12 200

Warhammer Str+d6 8 250 AP 1 vs. rigid armor

Exotic Weapons

Combat Net Special 2 200 Reach 2, See Notes

Whip Str+1 1 100 Reach 2, allow Tricks at reach.

Flails

Three-Piece Rod Str+d6 8 200 Monk Weapon, Ignores Shield Parry and Cover Bonus

Pole Arms

Barbed Spear Str+d6+1 5 250 +1 Parry, Reach 1, 2 hands, see notes

Buffalo Lance Str+d8 10 300 AP 2 when charging, Reach 2, 2 hands when
used while dismounted

Moon Blade Str+d8 12 400 Monk Weapon, Reach 1, 2 hands

Staff Str+d4 8 10 Monk Weapon, +1 Parry, Reach 1, 2 hands, see notes

Sorcerer’s Staff Str+d4 8 500 +1 Parry, Reach 1, 2 hands, see Notes, Rare

Spear Str+d6 5 200 1 hand: Reach 1, 2 hands: +1 Parry

Whispering Staff Str+d4 8 400 Monk Weapon, +1 Parry, Reach 1, 2 hands, see notes

54
 Gear

Ranged Weapons Table

Type Rng Dmg Cost Wgt Str Notes

Amazon Blade 6/12/24 Str+d6 900 4 d8 AP 2, see notes

Atlatl Special - 200 2 d6 1 action to reload, see notes

Axe, throwing 3/6/12 Str+d4 7 5 2 -

Blowgun 5/10/20 Special 50 1 - See notes

Bow 12/24/48 2d6 250 3 d6

Combat Net 1/2/4 Special 50 4 d6 See notes

Composite Bow 12/24/48 2d6 500 5 d8 AP 1

Valk Composite Bow 15/30/60 2d6+1 300 6 d8 AP 1, See notes

Chakram 4/8/16 Str+d4 100 1 - See notes

Javelin 6/12/24 Str+d4 100 1 -

Knife/Dagger 3/6/9 Str+d4 25 1 -

Severed Head 4/8/16 Str+d4 200 2 - See notes

Sling, hunting 4/8/16 Str+d4 10 1

Sling, war 8/16/32 Str+d6 100 1 d6

Spear 3/6/12 Str+d6 200 3 d6 1 hand: Reach 1, 2 hands: +1 Parry

Ammunition Table
Ammo Weight Cost Notes

Arrow 1/5 1/2 -

Sling stone 1/10 1/20 Stones can also be found for free with a Notice
roll and 1d10 minutes

Sling bullet, lead 1/5 1/2 AP 1

Sling bullet, hollow 1/3 5 –2 to Shooting rolls, see notes

Armor Table
Type Armor Weight Cost Notes

Bikini/Loincloth 0 - 0 See notes

Light Armor Suit +1 15 50 Covers Torso, Arms, Legs

Light Armor Shirt +1 7 30 Cover Torso

Light Armor Bracers/Greaves +1 4 10 Covers Arms or Legs

Medium Armor Suit +2 25 300 Covers Torso, Arms, Legs

Medium Corselet +2 13 200 Covers Torso

Medium Bracers/Greaves +2 6 50 Covers Arms or Legs

55
 Gear

Heavy Armor Suit +3 60 800 Covers Torso, Arms, Legs

Heavy Corselet +3 34 400 Covers Torso

Heavy Bracers/Greaves +3 13 200 Covers Arms or Legs

Pot Helm +3 4 75 50% vs. head shot

Half Armor Special -25% -25% See Notes

Reinforced Armor Special +50% +50% See Notes, Rare

Shields

Small Shield - 8 25 +1 Parry

Medium Shield - 12 200 +1 Parry, +2 Armor vs. ranged shots

Tribal Shield - 12 250 +1 Parry, +2 Armor vs. ranged shots,

see notes

Large Shield - 20 300 +1 Parry, +2 Armor vs. ranged shots

Mundane Items Table

Item Cost Weight Note

Special Adventuring Gear

Armorer Kit 100 10

Healer Kit 50 3

Lock Picks 200 1

Lotus Concoction 200/Rank - Rare

Poisoner Ring 300 - Rare

Refined Lotus 50/PP - Rare

Silk Rope (10”) 50 1 Rare

Tiger’s Claws 200 2 Rare

Lotusmaster’s Bag 100/Rank -

Animals and Tack

Horse, Cheap 150 -

Horse, Common 300 -

Horse, Good 750 - Rare

Fighting Bird 500 - Rare

Fighting Bird’s Barding 200 - +1 Armor, for Fighting Birds

Fighting Bird’s Talons 200 - +1 damage, for Fighting Birds

Mule or Donkey 100 -

56
 Weapons Descriptions

Saddle, Common 10 -

Saddle, Elaborate 200 -

Steppe Pony 500 - Rare

War Buffalo Not Sold - Rare

Special

Alchemical Laboratory 1500/300 50 Rare

Vehicles Table
Vehicle Acc/TS Tough. Crew Cost Notes

Cart 1/5 10(2) 1+6 500

Chariot (2 horses) 5/15 8 1+1 1K+

Chariot, war (2 horses) 5/10 10(2) 1+1 3+

Scythed wheels - - - +1K See Notes

Rowboat 1/2 8(2) 1+3 500

Small Merchant ship 2/10 13(2) 4+10 20K

Large Merchant ship 2/8 15(4) 8+10 80K

Trireme 2/8 19(4) 20+100 150K Heavy Armor

Amazon Hawk Ship 2/16 15(4) 10+50 100K Heavy Armor

Weapons Descriptions at amazing distances and with incredible strength. It con-

sists of a piece of wood or bone, as long as the thrower’s
forearm, with a cup or a spur in which the butt of the pro-
Amazon Blade. A twenty-inch wide Chakram (see below) jectile rests. It is held near the end farthest from the cup,
with several metal spikes protruding from the borders. It and the projectile is thrown by the action of the upper arm
is a very dangerous melee weapon, and if you have the and wrist. In gaming terms, it grants the Strong Arm Edge
strength to throw it, it can deals terrible damage at dis- to the user. If the thrower already has this Edge, the effect is
tance. It is a very old gladiatorial arm, also named spiked increased and the ranges are incremented by 100%.
Chakram, even if today is always called Amazon Blade.
The origin of this name date to the Ascaia rebellion: one of In addition, the wielder’s Strength is considered a step
the two first Sister Queens, Galla the gladiator, is always higher for the purpose of damage calculation. Placing and
depicted using this weapon, so it is common believed it properly balancing the javelin is a long task, hence the in-
was her weapon of choice. For this reason, it is only is- creased reload time. It is a Rare weapon outside the Ivory
sued to high rank Ascaian Amazons (must have the Noble Savannah and the Verdant Belt.
Edge). An Amazon seeing an Amazon Blade in the hands
of someone different from an Ascaian noble suffers –4 to Barbed Spear. This particularly vicious weapon is used by
reactions. It is Rare outside the boundaries of the island of the Cairnlanders and is usually stone or bone tipped. For
the Amazons. this reason, it automatically breaks when the user scores a
1 on the Fighting or Throwing roll. It is Rare outside the
Atlatl. An Atlatl or spear thrower is a clever device that Cairn Lands.
uses the principle of leverage to throw javelins and spears

57
Blowgun. A hollow pipe, up to three feet long, used to touching the target. The wielder is considered to be armed
shoot small darts. The projectiles are too small to deal any when dealing Touch Attacks.
real damage and are normally used to deliver poisons or
other Lotus concoctions, where a mere scratch is enough to Severed Head. One of the wickedest habits of the Cairn-
poison the target. Hence, a Shooting roll is enough against landers is to cut the heads of their fallen enemies. These
an unarmored target to deliver the poison (no damage roll prized trophies are then mummified and several metal
is required), while against armored ones (+1 armor or bet- spikes are stuck through them, turning them into spiked
ter) a called shot (–4) is required to pierce exposed skin, but balls, used with a length of rope to hurl them. They are usu-
also in this case no damage roll is needed. ally thrown at enemies to provoke fear. Besides damage,
hitting someone with a Severed Head allows a free Intimi-
Buffalo Lance. This bronze-tipped heavy spear is used dation roll. Luckily, these items cannot be found outside
by the feared buffalo riders of the Ivory Savannah as they the Cairn Lands, where they are fairly common.
charge their enemies. It is quite cumbersome in dismount-
ed combat, so it must be used with two hands. Sling, War. This weapon is a longer version of the typi-
cal hunting sling and it is used in battle. It requires more
Chakram. A Chakram is a flat hoop, from five to twelve strength than a normal sling but, in the hands of a skilled
inches wide, with a sharp edge. It is usually made of met- user, it is potentially deadlier than a bow.
al, but bone and polished wood are also used. It is both
a weapon and art object. The women of the Ivory Tribes Spear. This entry applies to spears, tridents, and other simi-
often wear engraved Chakrams as bracers, so that they are lar weapons. You can use a spear one handed, taking ad-
always armed against the unwanted attentions of potential vantage of its long reach, or you can use it two handed for
suitors. It is mainly a throwing weapon, used like a Frisbee, enhanced defense.
but it can also be used in melee with –1 to Fighting rolls. In
the hands of a skilled user, it can be thrown with an arced Sorcerer’s Staff. These staves are usually carved and deco-
trajectory to hit targets concealed around corners or behind rated in strange ways. Some of them are topped with skulls,
partial cover. Hence, when a Chakram hits with a raise, it gems, or other weird amulets. Each is crafted in a peculiar
gains AP 2 against targets in Cover, as the disk hits the way — for example from the wood of an ancient tree and
target from an unusual angle. It is Rare outside the Ivory soaked in the blood of a virgin during a Moonless night —
Savannah and the Verdant Belt. which explains its very high price. When it is bought, the
player must invent a background story for the staff in order
Composite Bow. The composite bow is usually made of to obtain it. It has minor magical power: in the hands of a
laminated wood and sinew, and it is stronger than the com- character with the Sorcery Arcane Background it can deliv-
mon bow known in the western countries. Composite bows er a Touch Attack, exactly as if the caster touched the target
are actually copies made by the civilized races of the Valk with his bare hands. Sorcerer’s staffs can also be shorter, in
Composite Bows but they are by no means comparable to which case they are called rods (treated as a club).
the traditional weapon of the steppe nomads. They are Rare
in all the Dominions, except in Ekul, Valkheim, and Zan- Staff. A long wooden stick, the most humble weapon a
dor. man can imagine. Given its length, in Beasts and Barbarians,
a staff wielder is considered as having two separate weapons
Combat Net. This heavy net, usually fitted with tiny metal dealing Str+d4 each. It means he can use his staff for two
hooks and little weights, is a gladiatorial weapon. It grants attacks, one with his main hand and the other with his off
+2 to Grapple rolls and it is usually used off-hand, with a hand, as per the standard rules, but in this case he lose the
trident (treat as a spear) in the main hand. +1 Parry bonus.

Iron Fists. This definition includes brass knuckles, cestus, Three-Piece Rod. This peculiar weapon is made from three
the infamous Elephant Horn used by Syranthian gladia- pieces of reinforced wood, connected by two lengths of
tors, and any other similar weapons for unarmed combat. chain. It was originally a farming implement used to beat
It also includes special fist weapons used by Monks, like grain, but the monks found a martial application for it.
metal prayer beads (in this case, the item is considered a
Monk Weapon). Characters with the Martial Artist Edge Valk Composite Bow. The main weapon of the Valk no-
granting Str+d4 damage add +1 to their unarmed damage. mads. This curved bow made of bone, sinews and wood is
Fist weapons deal lethal damage. the best ranged weapon in the known world. Young war-
riors construct their bows with their own hands, usually
Lhoban Sword. This highly decorated sword is typical of under the guidance of an uncle or another relative skilled
the monk warriors of Lhoban. It is made with particularly in this craft. A Valk bow is stronger and has a greater range
flexible metal that makes it ideal for parrying blows. It is than any other composite bow. They cannot be bought and
very Rare outside Lhoban, and Streetwise rolls to locate it losing one’s bow is always considered shameful (–2 to Cha-
suffer and additional –2. risma), inferior only to losing one’s horse. Valk bows are
always Rare outside the Valk tribes. The listed cost is for a
Moon Blade. A staff ending with a long, moon-shaped Valk character and refers to the raw materials rather than to
blade. This elegant weapon, something in between a spear the finished product. The Valk never sell them and buying
and a halberd, is also called the Blade of the Maiden, for one from third parties costs three times the listed cost. Only
reasons unknown in the western countries. Valk heroes can start the game with a Valk Composite Bow.

Poisoner Glove. This heavy leather glove is usually coated War Club. This nasty weapon is a heavy club reinforced
with poison, and is used to deliver Lotus concoctions by with sharp pieces of wood, stone, or even metal. It is as ef-

58
 Ammo Descriptions

fective as a battle axe in the right hands, but considerably Medium Armor. So many types of armor designs exist in
cheaper and heavier. It is usually found among the Ivory the Dread Sea Dominions that it’s impossible to list all
Tribes warriors, the most primitive Cairnlander clans, and of them, so broad definitions are used here. Medium ar-
the Nandals. mor usually has a layer of leather, stiff cloth or, more rarely,
wood, covered by plates or disks of metal, usually bronze.
Whispering Staff. This strange weapon, only used by It is the most common armor among professional soldiers.
trained monks, is a fighting staff with two carved fissures
at both ends. Quickly moving the staff produces a strange Reinforced Armor. Armor can have extra layers of protec-
sound, like a whisper. Those skilled in wielding this weapon tion, additional plates and so on. It costs much more and
(must have Fighting d8+ or the Monk (Militant) Edge) can is more cumbersome to use, but it has its advantages. If a
produce an intense, high-pitched sound that stuns nearby character doesn’t have the Armor Use Edge, he can use the
enemies. It counts a Smarts Trick affecting all the targets in Edge once for free. After the use, the armor deteriorates as
a Small Burst Template centered on the wielder of the staff. usual. Only if the Repair roll to patch up the armor is made
with a raise, the free Armor Use Edge is restored, otherwise
it is lost forever.

Ammo Descriptions A character that already possesses the Edge has more ad-
vantages from the reinforced armor. The first time he uses
Sling Bullet, Lead. Metal sling bullets are very deadly be- the Armor Use Edge, its use is free and doesn’t reduce the
cause they deform on impact without losing their momen- Armor value of the cuirass. Every following use is handled
tum. in the normal way. As for the untrained use described be-
fore, if the roll to Repair the armor scores a raise, the free
Sling Bullet, Hollow. These peculiar bullets are made of use of the Reinforced armor is restored. Every type of ar-
very thin earthenware and can hold a single dose of a Lotus mor suit can be bought in the Reinforced version. Armor
concoction. They are used to deliver poison from a distance. cannot be both Reinforced and Half Armor. Reinforced
They are only produced in Gis and are issued to the Red Armor is a Rare item.
Slingers, the elite mercenary troops protecting the City
of Alchemists. They are quite big, so the shot tends to be Tribal Shield. The members of the Ivory Tribes are used to
less precise (–2 to Shooting rolls). They are Rare items. A painting and decorating their shields with demon faces or
Streetwise roll allows finding a batch of five. even with the skins of their enemies. Alternatively, some of
them use the hides of the fiercest beasts they hunt (usually
lions or rhinos). A tribal warrior can choose how to paint
his shield. It gives him a +1 bonus to one of these rolls:
Armor Descriptions Intimidation, Taunt or Persuasion. The modifier is decided
when the shield is built. This object is Rare outside the Ivo-
Armor can be bought in full suits (a faster option) or in ry Savannah and the Verdant Belt.
parts, for players who want to choose their gear more ac-
curately. Usually the sum of the parts is equivalent, in price
and weight, to a full suit.

Half Armor. To avoid being too encumbered or simply to

Mundane Items
save some money, many warriors choose to use a stripped
down version of a suit of armor. It is a common option Descriptions
among many gladiators. They may choose to wear only the
front part of a cuirass or armor that covers only the parts of Alchemic Laboratory. It is a well equipped laboratory,
the body not protected by the shield. Half armor costs and which grants +2 to Lotusmastery rolls to prepare concoc-
weighs a quarter less than a standard armor but, if the char- tions. The first price refers to buying the lab, the second to
acter is hit with a raise, he is considered to have –1 Armor. renting it for three days. It is a Rare item.
Only armor suits can be bought as Half Armor.
Armorer Kit. A basic assortment of smith tools to fix ar-
Heavy Armor. This armor is entirely made of metal, usu- mor. Trying to patch up some armor without this basic
ally bronze or iron. It was the standard gear of the Iron equipment causes –2 to Repair rolls.
Phalanxes and other heavy infantry troops, but today it has
almost fallen in disuse, given its cost and the training re- Healer Kit. Depending on the culture and type of healer, it
quired to use it without collapsing for the weight (see the can contain bandages and some rudimentary surgical tool,
Hoplite Training Edge). It is a Rare item. or dried leaves and amulets (good luck with that!). Trying
to heal a wound without this basic equipment causes –2 to
Light Armor. By far the most common armor in the Dread Healing rolls.
Sea Dominions, this broad category includes leather armor,
gladiator outfits, Valk cuirasses of boiled skin, and many Lock Picks. The tools of the trades of every respectable
other types. thief. Trying to force a lock without lock picks cause –2 to
Lockpicking rolls.
Loincloth/Bikini. A minimal piece of cloth or animal skin
that protects no more than the wearer’s modesty. It allows Lotus Concoction. A Lotus potion, imbued with a Lotus-
the use of the Loincloth Hero/Bikini Heroine Edge. mastery Power. They are always Rare Items and the Game
Master can limit their availability at his discretion.

59
 Gear

Lotus master Bag. This is the bag that every Lotus master available in the Ivory Savannah and it is never sold. A hero
carries to brew his potions. A character with the Lotusmas- must have the Buffalo Rider Edge to own one of these
tery Arcane Background has it for free, and can replace it mighty beasts.
for free between adventures. It must be bought only if the
character loses it during a scenario and wants to replace it
before the start of the next one.

Poisoner Ring. This hollow ring can store a single dose

Vehicles
of an alchemic concoction, and can be opened with light All the Dread Sea Dominions ships are designed to sail
pressure or some other nimble movement. It grants +2 to inshore, except the Amazons’ ships (see below). So, when
Stealth rolls to deliver poisons. Rings are the most com- a ship is forced to sail in open sea, it suffers –2 to Boating
mon form of these devices, but other items can be crafted rolls. The Amazons, an island population, are skilled mari-
to store poisons, granting the same bonus. It is a Rare item. ners and have developed a particular type of sail, which al-
lows them to sail in open sea without problems. Very few
Refined Lotus. Doses of ready-to-use Lotus. Each dose sailors except the Amazons know how to effectively use the
can be used by a Lotus master instead of spending a Power “Amazon Sails”.
Point. They are normally sold in batches of 2d6 doses. They
are Rare items. Amazon Hawk Ships. The common Amazon warship is
long, thin and with reduced draft, so that it can navigate
Silk Rope. Another tool of the trade of expert burglars, this in shallow waters, like rivers. The figureheads of these ships
rope is very light, but extremely resistant. It can be made in usually resemble a bird of prey, and the bow is painted to
silk, or other exotic material, like women’s hair. It is a Rare resemble a bird’s plumage. Amazon Hawk Ships are very
Item everywhere except in Jalizar. maneuverable, don’t suffer penalties in open sea and gener-
ally grant +1 to Boating rolls to the helmsman.
Tiger’s Claws. These peculiar crampons are used by Jalizar
thieves to climb up walls. They give +2 to Climbing rolls, Cart. A common farmer’s cart or, for a higher price, a no-
and are considered Iron Fists. They are Rare items. ble’s coach.

Chariot. A fast vehicle used by rich aristocrats for recre-

ation, by imperial couriers, and generally by those who need
Animals great speed in traveling. It is usually pulled by two horses,
but four or six horses can also be used —or even eight in
Fighting Bird. The habit of hunting or even fighting with races in the arena. For every two additional horses the ve-
hunting birds is very old, dating back to the Keronian Em- hicle gains +5 Top Speed. A chariot with six or more horses
pire. In the Dread Sea Dominions various types of birds are is less maneuverable, causing –1 to Driving rolls. A chariot
used for these tasks, such as hawks, giant crows, and certain with eight horses doubles the Acceleration value. Horses
species of vultures. aren’t included; they must be bought separately.

Fighting Bird Barding. This light but protective harness Chariot, War. A chariot built for battle. It is driven by a
covers the bird’s throat and chest, granting a little extra pro- charioteer and has space for a passenger, usually an archer
tection. or a slinger. War chariots follow the same rules as chariots,
but they usually don’t have more than four horses. When a
Fighting Bird Talons. These minuscule, sharp metal talons horse pulling a chariot is killed, the driver must immedi-
are usually applied onto the fighting bird’s own talons to ately roll on the Out of Control table. Ranged attacks from
deal extra damage. Fighting birds are trained from birth in a chariot suffer the Unstable Platform modifier but, if the
using these special “gauntlets”. driver has both the Steady Hands and Charioteer Edge,
the Steady Hands Edge applies to the passenger too. War
Horse, Cheap. A standard horse, with the same stats as chariots are commonly used in Syranthia, Kyros and among
a common horse, but Vigor decreased by a die step, or –2 the Cairnlanders (where they are pulled by trained goats
Pace, or a single Hindrance decided by the Game Master. instead of horses).
Identifying a cheap horse requires a Riding roll.
Galley. The biggest ship of the Dread Sea Dominions,
Horse, Common. A standard riding horse, as for the Sav- propelled by oars. The most common ones are triremes, so
age Worlds core rules. called because they have three rows of oars. Galleys are very
common and used mostly as slave ships. The most impres-
Horse, Good. A worthy beast. It can be a War horse or a sive fleets of galleys are those of Tricarnia and Syranthia,
common horse with +2 Pace, Vigor increased by a die step, followed by those of Caldeia and Kyros. Many galleys are
or a useful Edge. armed with catapults, ballistae, or similar weapons.

Steppe Pony. An ugly, furry pony of Valk breeds. It might Merchant ships. The most common type of ship, used by
not be very pretty, but it is gifted with incredible stamina sailors all over the world. It usually has a lateen sail.
(see Game Master Appendix for Stats). It is a Rare item
outside Valk controlled lands. Scythed Wheels. A chariot can be fitted with a set of two
scythed blades. On the tabletop, any target within 3” of the
War Buffalo. A mighty buffalo trained as a mount for chariot suffers 2d8+1 damage unless he makes an Agility
combat (see Game Master Appendix for Stats). It is only roll. When using the Chase rules, a scythed chariot gains

60
 Vehicles

+4 to Force attempts (in truth, it is only skimming the A weapon made of steel has AP 2, while armor
enemy chariot). gains +1 Armor and weighs 25% less. They are
almost priceless but, as a general guide, steel
Hero’s Journal: Quality of Material weapons and armor cost from ten to twenty
times their standard cost, provided that the hero
In the Dread Sea Dominions the science of met- can find some for sale.
allurgy is still in its infancy and many cultures
use primitive materials to build weapons and
other tools.
The most common materials, in descending
order of hardness, are: steel (see below), iron,
bronze, stone, bone, wood.
Iron weapons and armor are common only in the Iron Em-
pire (Faberterra and Zan-
dor). In the other lands they
are Rare and cost double.
Bronze is common in the
most of the Dominions.
Only in the Caledlands,
Lush Jungle, and Ivory
Savannah it is Rare and
cost double.
A character buying a tool
made of a material weaker
than the current standard
in that land (so, for example
a bronze dagger in Faber-
terra) pays 20% less.
The effects of having weap-
ons of different grades of
hardness are the following:
When a fighter rolls 1 on
the Fighting Die, regard-
less of the Wild Die, and
his opponent is using a
weapon, shield or armor of
harder material, the fighter’s
weapon breaks. The Game
Master should not abuse this
rule and use it only when it
fits the story.

Hero’s Journal:
The Magic of Steel
Steel, in truth high-carbon
iron, is the magical metal
of Beasts and Barbarians.
Steel was produced in small
quantities at the height of
the Empire by the priest
smiths of Hulian, but the
technique to smelt it is lost
today, especially because
very few forges can achieve
the necessary temperatures.
So, steel objects are prized
relics and treasures.

61
 Setting Rules

below) or something happens during the game (e.g., the

Setting Rules heroes are robbed).

In this section you’ll find the specific rules to make Beasts After the Adventure Events
and Barbarians a setting of real sword and sorcery action. After calculating her Savings but before making any pur-
This setting use Blood and Guts, Born a Hero and Joker`s chases, each player can draw a card from the Action Deck
Wild rules from Savage Worlds Deluxe. to check how she has passed her time after the last adven-
ture, by consulting the After the Adventure Events Table.

Note that drawing a card is purely optional and the player

Henchmen is free to decide whether to draw it or not, since it might
bring some useful advantage or some unwanted misfor-
Some characters — such as the right hand man of a power- tune.
ful sorcerer or the captain of the Priest Prince’s guard — are
stronger than Extras but they don’t qualify for the Wild The table is willingly very generic. The Game Master, or
Card status, hence they are classed as Henchmen. Hench- the players themselves, should invent a brief, entertaining
men have three Wounds levels, exactly as Wild Cards, but story of what has happened in the meantime. Very colorful
neither Wild Die nor Bennies. descriptions or hilarious ones should be rewarded with a
Bennie at the start of the next session.

Alternatively, the Game Master can use the results of the

After the Adventure table to create a nice introduction to the next scenario.

A word of advice: despite fitting the setting well, the fol- At the Game Master’s discretion, some characters, or even
lowing rules might not be suited to all groups of players. the whole group, can decide to share the same card and
They can be ignored and the Game Master will simply re- face the same consequences, but this decision must be
duce the loot of the various adventures to keep the game’s made before drawing the card.
economy balanced.
After the Adventure Events Table

Savings Card Effect

Sword and Sorcery heroes usually find enor-
mous riches in their adventures — and dilapi- 2 Ouch! The hero was arrested, imprisoned, robbed
date them just as fast. At the start of their next or something similar, but he managed to save his
adventure they are often almost penniless and skin and escape. He loses all his money, including
desperate enough to embark on another mis- his Savings, and all his equipment except one item
sion. per Rank. As partial compensation, he is very en-
raged now, and this gives him +1 to Soak rolls for
To simulate this cliché, after replenishing their the entire duration of the next adventure.
basic equipment (repairing armor or stocking
up on arrows — note that buying a lost 3 A Life of Excesses. The hero has
weapon is free), the characters are sup- had too much of booze, food, Lo-
posed to spend all the money on booze, tus, courtesans or whatever pleasure
courtesans or other recreational activi- he prefers. Reduce by half the hero’s Sav-
ties suited to their background (even ings. If the card is red, the effect of all his
books for learned characters!). partying is positive and the hero has +1 to
Toughness for the next adventure. If the
They only keep a small sum for emer- card is black, all the carousing has given
gencies and for purchasing new equip- him a bad headache or another similar
ment, i.e. their Savings. The Savings are consequence, and he starts the new ad-
usually 100 Moons multiplied by the venture Fatigued. This fatigue lasts for the
hero’s Rank, but the GM can change entire first session after this event.
the amount as he sees fit.
4-6 Carousing. The hero has indulged in the
Logically, Savings cannot be higher than the usual adventurer’s things: drinking a lot, meet-
money the hero earned in the previous adven- ing courtesans, and so on. But, besides wasting
ture. So, if a Seasoned character only gained 30 money, nothing particular has happened to
Moons in his last adventure, that is what he him.
owns — and he will likely be very sad, since
he has no money to spend on courtesans and 7 So Booored! The hero hates being idle.
wine… She has become so bored that she has taken up
a distraction of some type. If the drawn card is
Savings can be stashed between adventures, un- red, the distraction is positive and constructive,
less an After the Adventure Event interferes (see like training, and she gains a temporary
Edge of her choice, respecting

62
 After the Adventure

all the requirements. If the card is black, she has ac- hero has lost the most valuable item in her posses-
quired a bad habit or gotten into trouble. She gains sion, with the exclusion of Valuable Possessions (see
an additional Minor Hindrance. Alternatively, she the Joker entry) and Trademark Weapons. Recover-
can take a Major Hindrance, gaining an extra Ben- ing them might be the aim of an adventure.
nie as compensation. Both the Edge and the Hin-
drance last till the end of the next adventure. 10 I Am Rich! Strangely the hero has managed not
only to keep his saving but also to increase them.
8 Enemy/Friend. The character has done something Maybe he has had a stroke of luck at the gambling
that has earned him the friendship or hate of some- table or wisely decided to invest them in some lucra-
one. If the card drawn is red, the hero has acquired a tive business. Whatever the reason, the hero imme-
new friend. He gains the Connections Edge, limited diately doubles his total Savings!
to three uses. If the card is black, he has displeased
someone and suffers the Enemy Hindrance, in the J Blessed/Cursed. The hero has, willingly or unwill-
Minor version, for the next adventure. ingly, done something that has displeased or ap-
peased the supernatural powers. Alternatively, he has
9 Item. The character has managed to put her hands received a particularly good or bad omen. Whatever
on a valuable object or, alternatively, lost a precious the way, this affects his destiny. If the card drawn is
possession. If the card drawn is red, she acquires a red, the effect is positive and the character gains the
single mundane item (taken from the Gear section) Luck Edge for the next adventure. If it is black, a
that can cost no more than twice her current Sav- malevolent curse of some type lingers on him and he
ings. It can be a Rare item. Note that she acquires it suffers the Bad Luck Hindrance for the following
without spending any money. If the card is black, the

63
 Setting Rules

adventure or until he manages to lift it during the skills by one step, up to d6, to represent the experi-
game. ence he has gathered in his sabbatical period. But,
on the flipside, his adventuring skills are quite rusty.
Q Fame. Thanks to his heroic feats during the last ad- The GM picks up to one skill per Rank of the hero
venture or in the downtime, the hero has acquired a and marks it with a dot on the character sheet. Until
certain reputation. If the card drawn is red, his repu- the player spends a Bennie on a roll on that skill, he
tation is positive, granting him +2 Charisma. If the doesn’t have the Wild Die on it.
card is black, his reputation is negative and he suf-
fers –2 to Charisma. The modifier lasts for the entire Joker A Worthy Possession. The hero has invested all her
duration of the upcoming scenario. money (so his Savings drop to zero) in an excep-
tional product. Depending on the character’s Rank
K “I have heard of you.” A follower joins the hero. It and background, it can be a weapon, a set of clothes,
may be a slave the hero has freed, an old friend or a horse, a ship, a laboratory or even a minor magi-
relative or even an animal companion. It is an Extra cal relic, decided by the Game Master. She is totally
and its stats are decided by the Game Master. When enamored of it and persuaded of its goodness. The
this card is dealt, the Game Master draws another object is actually good and bestows +2 to one of the
card and doesn’t show it to the players. If it is red, following: an attribute roll, a skill roll, Damage, Ar-
the follower is truly loyal to the character; if it is mor, Pace or Charisma. Alternatively, it grants +1 to
black he has a hidden agenda or brings some dan- Toughness or Parry, or a free Edge!
ger with him. To avoid having too many followers, if
this card is dealt when another follower is already in Example. Shangor the Barbarian, a Seasoned hero, finished his
the group, the player who draws it can choose to use last adventure with a bag full of opals (2,000 Moons value).
it to promote a current follower to Henchman status After finding a replacement for his trusted battle axe, lost dur-
or to give him a free advancement. ing a battle (for free), he decides to relax for a while in Kyros
City, to get a taste of the fabled pleasures of civilization.
Ace Taken a Break. The hero has temporarily quit the
adventuring life. He might have married, gone Daniel, Shangor’s player, decides to draw a card for the After
through a religious crisis, or simply decided to get the Adventure Events table and picks the Eight of Diamonds.
another, more stable job for a while. But adventure
runs in his blood and so, in the end, he comes back The Game Master informs him that Shangor earned a Connec-
to action in the incoming scenario. He gains a free tion Edge that can be used up to three times.
d4 in one skill of his choice or can raise one of his
Daniel decides that Shangor met and fell in love with Symiria,
the favorite courtesan of a powerful noble. He spent all his mon-
ey on gifts (except a single opal well concealed in his right boot,
value: 200 Moons) for the capricious girl and, in the end, his
manly charm won her over.

Symiria will use her connections to get favors for her new bar-
barian lover, but she is a very fickle girl, so this romance will not
last for very long.

Symiria is a new NPC that the Game Master can use. For ex-
ample, he might decide that the next scenario starts with the
kidnapping of the fascinating courtesan…

64
 Setting the Mood

creatures, or chasing elusive acrobat thieves across the city’s

Game Master rooftops.

Savage Worlds has an excellent chase system. Use it to spice

Appendix up a scene and give your players an adrenaline rush.

This last chapter is a small guide for the Game Master to Not Only Combat: Exploration
run Beasts and Barbarians, so the players should not read it. Many places the heroes will visit are extremely dangerous:
temples full of traps, deep jungles, merciless deserts, haunt-
ed forests, and so on. Exploring and understanding them is
a nice thing for many players and sometimes finding water
Setting the Mood and food in a desolate place or avoiding a lethal trap with
skill and brains is more rewarding than bashing monsters
Beasts and Barbarians is explicitly a Sword and Sorcery set- with sword and bow.
ting, quite different from the standard high fantasy worlds.
Here follow some keywords related to the main features of
this world. Not Only Combat: Interaction
The world doesn’t include only people who kill and peo-
ple who sell weapons. The heroes should meet at least one
Pulp interesting personality in each adventure. And remember,
Bare-chested heroes fighting ugly, multi-eyed monsters! these characters have their motivations and feelings. For
Beasts and Barbarians is a setting that falls squarely into the example, a prince who hires the heroes to stop a bandit lord
pulp genre, complete with larger than life heroes. It should will not be happy at all if, when the group comes back with
be visual and colorful. the severed head of the outlaw, he discovers that the bandit
chief is in truth his son, bewitched by evil magic. He might
condemn the heroes to death, creating an unsuspected twist
Heroic in the adventure.
Pulp worlds and characters tend to be magnificent, with
great dangers and equally great rewards. So the heroes don’t Swords and Sorcery personalities tend to be excessive: an
explore a small goblin cave to find 12 copper coins. Instead, evil tyrant is extremely evil, a charming courtesan is incred-
they venture through an ancient, moss covered temple, ibly fascinating, a vengeful warrior is obsessively vindictive.
where frog-shaped worshippers of a forgotten god guard
a gold idol big enough to pay the ransom of a king! It can In addition, don’t forget the characters’ background: some-
be worth 10 thousand Moons, but it really doesn’t matter: time an NPC coming back from the hero’s past can add a
the characters will spend most of their money on booze, so lot to the story.
there is no need to be stingy.
Similarly, don’t forget to use the NPCs the players create
during the After the Adventure phase and, if you think your
Gritty players are responsible enough, give them some control over
Beasts and Barbarians is a harsh word. So, don’t be soft on their NPCs.
your heroes: slavery, treachery and being stripped of every-
thing are common occurrences.
Combat! Combat! Combat!
When combat breaks out, it must be interesting. Even if
you don’t use miniatures (but we suggest you do it), try to
put a twist in every fight.

No combat should happen in an empty, colorless space. Let

Fearful Magic the players invent cool props for tricks, but try to always in-
Beasts and Barbarians isn’t a world where you buy a magical clude in the scene something to inspire them. For example,
sword from the local smith. Magic is present, but it is hid- a fight in a jungle ruin will have vines which the characters
den, rarely fully understood and, most importantly, it must can use to jump and half broken columns that they can let
not be trusted. Even a skilled sorcerer must feel shivers fall onto their opponents, and so on. Try to be open to the
down his spine as he summons an otherworldly creature. players’ ideas and don’t be shy with Bennies, if it helps to
keep the game cinematic.

Not Only Combat: Chases Also remember that not every combat must be won, and
Fighting monsters is important in Sword and Sorcery, but not all victories come from pure strength in battle. Some
it must not be abused. There are a lot of other interesting monsters have immunities the heroes must discover, or
things to do, while remaining focused on the action. must be tricked in some way to be overcome.

Think of action movies: the actual fighting scenes are only

a small part of the story, but the heroes are pursued by en- Minimal
emies, risking their life running at breakneck speed on un- The scenario doesn’t necessarily have to involve saving a
stable bridges, trying to get away from impossible-to-beat kingdom or destroying a powerful demon. Some good sto-

65
 Game Master Appendix

ries have a very humble beginning and setting and are very 2. The heroes automatically benefit from the Common
limited in space and time. Imagine the heroes stopping at Bond Edge
an inn in a remote area. One of them chats with a boy, the
local stable hand. During supper, a terrible scream is heard 3. Use the Heroic Healing rule (see below).
coming from the stable. The innkeeper, customers and
heroes run to the stable and find that some rotten planks If you use these rules for published scenarios, consider the
broke, revealing an old well, into which the young boy has group as made of four characters in order to determine the
fallen. Nobody knew about it. The boy is wounded, but still number of opponents.
alive. The heroes are about to fetch their ropes to save him
when the lad screams in terror! What is happening below,
in the darkness? The Lone Wolf
The lone barbarian hero is a staple of many heroic fantasy
It is a very humble and minimal situation, but nevertheless stories. So, a Game Master and a single player can play a
interesting. satisfying game even in a one-to-one situation, with the
following rule changes:

Non Linear 4. The Lone Wolf begins his career with 20 extra Experi-
There is nothing more boring than replaying the same ence Points (usually 40 Experience Points).
adventure over and over again. If the last scenario was a
fight to defend a village from Valk raiders, don’t propose 5. The Lone Wolf starts each session with an additional
a second battle adventure, unless there is a strong hook in Bennie.
it, but try something different. So, for example, if the Valk
raiders were successfully driven out, start the next adven- 6. Halve (rounding down) gang up bonuses against the
ture with the heroes taken prisoners by a Valk warlord, who Lone Wolf.
ambushed them as they were leaving the village.
7. Use the Really Heroic Healing rule (see below).
To punish them for interfering with his campaign, the evil
warlord leaves the party chained and stripped of all their If you use these rules for published scenarios, consider the
equipment in an old ruin by the sea, which is flooded by group as made of three characters in order to determine the
the tide every day. Then, with an evil laugh he bids them number of opponents.
farewell and leads his horde to the village, to finally destroy
it. The heroes must free themselves before the tide rises and
run back as fast as possible to save the village once again. Alternative Healing Rules
The following Healing rules should be used only
Also, if you feel the players are annoyed by the Savings rule, in really cinematic games or when the size of
allow them to keep all the money after an adventure and the group is very small.
propose a very strange purchase, such as a merchant ship or
Heroic Healing
a remote estate, totally changing the mood of the campaign.
After a fight, each hero is allowed an unmodi-
Whatever the way, try to be non linear. fied Vigor roll. With a success, he recovers a
Wound (or a Fatigue level, player’s choice), two with a raise.
This represents the character “shrugging off ” wounds and acts
in addition to the normal Healing rolls.
Group Size Really Heroic Healing
The best number of players to play a RPG is usually be- Like the Heroic Healing, but the character
tween four and six players with a Game Master, and four is automatically recovers one Wound with a failure,
often seen as the “perfect” number. If you play the scenarios two with a success, and three with a Raise. Only
proposed in the next installments of this series, you’ll find with a critical failure he recovers no wounds.
they are designed for a group of four characters, but easily
scalable for bigger or smaller groups, because the number of
opponents is usually presented in the “X bandits per hero”
format, where X is a number.
Tweaking the
Nonetheless, very small groups require a little more tweak-
ing, detailed below. Setting
If played “out-of-the-box”, Beasts and Barbarians is a dark
The Heroic Duo Sword and Sorcery world, with low magic. If you want, you
Sword and Sorcery works very well with only two play- can tweak the setting to fit your party’s taste and gaming
ing characters. To keep the game balanced but heroic at style. Here are two examples of how to tweak the setting.
the same time, if your group includes only two heroes, you
might consider doing the following:

1. The heroes begin their career with 10 extra Experience

Points (usually 30 Experience Points)

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 Relics

But, besides true magical items, a hero can find various mi-
Law of The Sword nor objects, such as trusted swords, masterwork armor, and
This is the “hardcore” mode of Beasts and Barbarians for so on.
players who like a hard game and dark, pseudo-horror sto-
ries. The main difference is magic. No playing character is Not every relic is magical — sometimes it is only a very
allowed to take Arcane Backgrounds and the pure sight of peculiar object. The players won’t find relics easily; ideally, a
magic — good as well as evil — is so strange and alien that single relic for each rank of the hero is enough. Remember,
the heroes must make a Fear roll every time they witness a the real stars of Beasts and Barbarians are the heroes and
spell or other supernatural act. In this version of the game their mighty muscles, not the shiny trinkets they wear!
the Brave Edge can be taken even after character creation.
After these general guidelines, let’s look at some basic rules
for relic creation.
Humorous Game
This is the most lighthearted type of gameplay. It is mostly
a question of setting and general attitude: evil characters Relic Idea
aren’t that evil or, if they are, they have very stupid reasons You should start with a general idea of the item, and of
for being so. The Imperials are lazy and snobbish, while the what its peculiarities are. Is it a sword, a book, a hat? Write
barbarians are rowdy fellows who only like drinking a lot a brief description of what it looks like and of its powers
and mixing with women of ill repute. The Amazons are and background story.
hysterical ladies and the wizards are lecherous old coots.

With these small modifications you can play the game as Relic Rules
it is, or you might consider adding a couple of “silly” Edges One or more of these bonuses can be applied to a relic:
that set the mood of the campaign, like the ones listed in
the sidebar. • +2 on an Attribute or Skill roll
• +1 Parry or Toughness
• +2 Pace
Silly Campaigns Edges • +2 Charisma
The following are example Edges only used in • +1 Armor Penetration
Humorous Games. There is no need for a full • +1 Damage
plethora of silly Edges; a couple are usually • One additional Edge
enough to set the mood of a campaign.
• One or more powers, used with arcane skill of d6
Barbarian Belch (Combat Edge) and 10 Power Points
Prerequisite: Novice, Vigor d8+ • A single ability devised by the Game Master
The listed bonuses are more or less equivalent, except the
Many barbarians have a soft spot for alcohol, but this hero is a unique ability invented by the Game Master. When creat-
true professional at swallowing enormous quantities of booze. ing a weak relic choose one bonus, two for an average relic,
This causes him some digestion problems, but also grants him three or more for a very powerful item. Remember that
a powerful belch, very similar in sound and intensity to the Savage Worlds is a low numbers system, so a +2 modifier is
love call of the Northeim elks. As an action, the hero can belch a very good one, and +4 almost secures automatic success,
at a nearby enemy, stunning him with the powerful fumes so it should be avoided. When you create relics, try to give
of his alcoholic belly. This is an opposed Vigor roll, and if the them circumstantial bonuses (so they work only in certain
hero wins the enemy is Shaken. The hero has +2 to the roll if he cases) or give them low bonuses in different fields. The table
drank at least a tankard of alcohol in the last ten minutes. below shows some examples of relics suited to a Beasts and
Running in High Heels (Combat Edge) Barbarians campaign.
Prerequisite: Novice, Agility d8+, Charisma 1+ Cursed Relics. Magic is inherently dark and evil. So, it
This Edge is the female warriors’ favorite, since is no surprise that, instead of granting advantages, some
they always want to look their best. And what magical items limits and hinders a character by giving her
looks better than exploring dangerous ruins in a penalty (use the same list before changing the sign of the
high heels? The character gains +1 Pace and +1 modifiers). You can push this concept further and decide
to the running die but, if she rolls 1 or 2 on the that certain relics give the wielder a positive modifier in
running die, she trips and falls. In addition, certain fields and a negative one in others.
she can make nasty kick attacks dealing Str+d4
damage.
Give them a Twist
Relics, especially powerful ones, should not work like mass-
produced high tech gadgets — after all they are imbued
Relics with magic. So, give them a twist, an interesting trait, or a
narrative feature that makes them unique.

The world of Beast and Barbarians isn’t of the high magic

type, so true magical relics should be rare and precious. Relic Examples
The following table lists some relics that you can use as
ideas for your own devices. Otherwise, roll on it when you

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 Game Master Appendix

need a quick item to be given to the heroes. Some of these which can be kept between adventures. When the
objects are actually magical, others are simply remarkable. Bennie is spent, the money disappears.
8. Imp’s Mandible. This scary mandible bone full of
Roll a d20 and read the following table: strange, sharp teeth, belongs to Xarigas, one of the
1. Helm of Koramos. This elegant metal helm is very most powerful Keronian Imps of the past. While in
ancient. It belonged to Koramos, a famous general possession of this item, a sorcerer gains the summon
who died in a terrible way, and now his spirit haunts ally power, cast with Sorcery d8 and 15 Power Points.
this relic. The possessor constantly hears the general’s The power only allows summoning a specific Keronian
voice whispering in his mind, providing advice and Imp, Xarigas, a Wild Card. Characters that already
teaching. It grants the Knowledge (Battle) skill at know the summon ally power can choose, instead of
d8, Command, and another Leadership Edge (Game Sorcery d8, a +2 to the arcane roll to summon Xarigas.
Master’s choice). But, in stressful situations, the When Xarigas is banished or killed, the mandible
possessor can be overwhelmed by the strength of the crumbles to dust.
general’s mind and experience flashbacks of Koramos’s 9. Cup of Sacrifice. This old cup of polished bronze
memories. Whenever the character is dealt a deuce belonged to an old Cairnlander priest. Once a month,
from the Action Deck, he must make a Spirit (–2) roll the owner can spill some of his own blood into the cup
or be Shaken. and drink it as a sacrifice to the Ancestors. If he does
2. Blood of Kalephon. A legend says that a rider went so, he can use the divination Power, with arcane skill
from Kenaton to Kyros City in a single day to warn d10. The only cost of the spell is the spilling of blood,
the king of an attack by the Ivory Tribes. The rider’s which cause a Wound that cannot be soaked and heals
name is forgotten, but not that of his incredible only with natural recovery.
mount: Kalephon, the white horse of the Savannah. 10. Armor Plate. This ancient and sturdy metal plating,
This horse (cannot be a pony) has some of Kalephon’s engraved with strange runes, can be added to an
blood in its veins and gallops like the wind. It receives individual’s armor with a Repair roll. The user of the
+2 Pace and its running die is increased by one step. In armor can decide to add +4 to a Soak roll. The decision
addition, the rider can spend Bennies for the horse, as can be taken after the roll. After one use, the armor
for the Beast Bond Edge. plate breaks and becomes useless.
3. Blood Tear. This strange deep red crystal comes from 11. Steel Short Sword. This old, plain sword is made of
the Red Desert. When held in the hand, in contact the strongest material civilized men know: steel! It
with bare skin, it seems to come alive and emanates deals Str+d6+2 damage and has AP 2.
a faint, red luminescence, as for the light spell. The 12. Tome of Forbidden Secrets. This ancient book of lore
strange glow lasts indefinitely until the crystal stays in contains magical knowledge (usually a single Power
contact with the skin. Every hour of use, a Vigor roll is
required and, in case of failure, the individual holding
it suffers a level of Fatigue.
4. Holy Quipus of Lhoban. These strange ropes full
of minuscule knots, were made with the hair of old,
sage monks and are true books, written in the strange
secret language of Lhoban. They contain aphorisms,
metaphors and religious teachings that are always
a point of meditation for monks. An Enlightened
character, with Smarts d8+ and capable of reading
them, gains the Rapid Recharge Edge when wearing
these Quipus.
5. Noble Garment. This remarkable piece of clothing,
typical of the higher echelons of the society, makes its
wearer (man or woman) look very fine. It grants +2 to
Charisma as long as the character behaves in a way
appropriate to his standing.
6. Ring of Xaladu. This beautiful ring, with a black stone
encased in it, belonged to the famous Syranthian lord
Xaladu, also known as the Bane of the Alchemists, for
the ruthless repression enacted against practitioners
of Lotusmastery during his reign. This ring grants
excellent protection from poisons. The wearer gains +2
to Vigor rolls when contrasting the effects of poison,
both natural and magical. As a minor drawback, the
wearer receives –2 to all Lotusmastery rolls.
7. Lucky Money. A very ancient coin which has passed
through so many hands that is impossible to discern
the engravings on it. It isn’t an obvious magical object,
so a Spirit roll is required the first time a character
puts her hands on it. If the roll is successful, the
character perceives something particular in this
object; otherwise she discards it as worthless junk. She
receives an additional Bennie as per the Luck Edge,

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 Relics

from the Sorcery arcane background list). A mage Mastiff appear and attack him within a week. Even if
reading it risks his very soul, because the dusty pages the mastiff is killed, it continues to appear and, at every
hold secrets not intended for a human mind. He must additional apparition, it brings along an additional
devote at least a full day to studying the book to gain Mastiff (an Extra). The curse stops if the wielder gives
some advantage. At the end of this period, he must back the ring to the Mastiff.
make a Fear (–2) roll. If successful, he is allowed a 15. Colorless Lotus of Past Dreams. This transparent
Smarts roll. If he succeeds in this roll too, he learns Lotus concoction is one of the most feared, as well
the Power contained in the book. If he fails any of the as sought-after, potions in the entire world. It has the
rolls, he is allowed to try again once he gains a new power of letting a person remember his past lives! The
Rank. drinker falls into a strong lethargy that leaves him
13. Metal Scales Bikini. Nobody knows who crafted unconscious for three days, after which he wakes up
this strange metal bikini but, although all barbarians and makes a Spirit roll. In case of success, the past
say it is completely worthless, warrior women with memories aid him by permanently increasing an
Charisma 2+ can wear it, gaining +2 Armor, without Attribute by one step. In case of failure, his mind is
renouncing the use of the Bikini Heroine Edge. broken and he permanently loses a Spirit die step.
14. Ring of the Mastiff. This ring is made of a strange 16. Bronze Staff. This fighting staff is made of bronze and
bone and has bizarre engravings on it. After a few days, its construction dates back to a very ancient era. It
its wielder feels his senses, especially smell, becoming has passed through the hands of many Lhoban monk
sharper. In gaming terms, an Extra gains the Wild warriors who have used it to defeat demons and other
Die on Notice rolls, while a Wild Card has his Wild terrible creatures. It has the same stats as a standard
Die increased by one step. But this item is cursed! It staff but deals Str+d8 damage. It is very heavy (40 lbs)
is made with the tooth of a Demonic Mastiff (a Wild but in the hands of a character with Enlightenment
Card beast, see page 70) that wants it back! Every time d8+ it weights like a normal staff.
the user rolls 1 on the Notice roll, the GM can let the 17. Valkyria’s Bowstring. This bowstring was made with

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 Game Master Appendix

the hair of a Valkyria, Raksa, who was believed to

be the daughter of a demon. When the bowstring is
Ancestor’s Ghost
pulled, it sometimes cries with the voice of the dead These ethereal creatures are the ghosts of men and women
Raksa, terrorizing the enemies. A character whose who lived thousands of years ago. Sorcerers evoke them be-
bow is fitted with this string can use the fear power, cause they are free from the constraints of existence and can
with arcane skill d8 and 5 Power Points. The first time perceive the world in a way that living beings can’t.
the character rolls a 1 on the Shooting die, regardless
of the Wild Die, the bowstring breaks. Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d10, Strength d6,
18. Maneater’s Cloak. This impressive cloak was fashioned Vigor d6
from the hide of one of the foulest beasts in the Skills: Fighting d6, Intimidation d12+2, Knowledge (spe-
Savannah: an old lion that, too old to chase gazelles, cific era) d10, Notice d10, Stealth d12+2.
developed a taste for human flesh. The wearer gains +2 Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 5
to Intimidation and Fear rolls while wearing it, but he Special Abilities
also receives the Habit (major) Hindrance of always • Anchor: Ancestor’s Ghosts cannot leave the place that
craving human flesh. The Habit persists even while not they haunt or, if summoned by a sorcerer, cannot go farther
wearing the cloak. The cloak must be destroyed and than 12” from their evoker.
banish or dispel must be used on the character to free • Ethereal: Ancestor’s Ghosts are immaterial and can only
him from the curse. be damaged by magic.
19. Snake Bracer. This beautiful, ornamental bracer is • Ghost Powers: An Ancestor’s Ghost can use these Pow-
made to resemble a coiled snake. In truth, dark magic ers, using Spirit for arcane skill rolls: divination, detect ar-
animates it and the bracer can turn into a Venomous cana, darkness, fear, and telekinesis. It has 15 Power Points
Snake (see Savage Worlds core rules). It counts as the and, when they run out, the ghost disappears.
summon ally Power, cast with an arcane ability of d8 • Spirit Precognition: An Ancestor’s Ghost can perceive
and 5 Power Points. The snake is a creature of Novice dangers as per the Danger Sense Edge.
rank. A legend says that this bracer somehow always
manages to kill its owner.
20. Mark of the Smith. The Smith Priests of Hulian used Demonic Mastiff
to put a flame-shaped mark on weapons made to fight These impressive beasts are doglike creatures, the size of a
evil. This weapon (of the Game Master’s choosing) pony, with a cruel beak and a mane of black thorns. They
bears the mark and grants the Holy Warrior and come from another dimension, and the wise men say they
Champion Edges to the wielder. But Hulian can’t leave are the hounds of a terrible race of demons. Demonic Mas-
such power in mortal hands for long: if the weapon is tiffs are incredible hunters and can track any type of prey
used against a demon, the Mark wears off at the end tirelessly, so sorcerers evoke them when they have to find a
of the adventure. fugitive or guard a place.

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6(A),Spirit d8, Strength

Temporary Items d8, Vigor d8
Non-permanent items are usually a good idea. Lotus con- Skills: Fighting d8, Intimidation d10, Notice d8, Tracking
coctions that heal or give the hero a temporary boost are ok, d10.
because they can be easily controlled by the Game Master. Pace: 3; Parry: 5; Toughness: 8(1)
Also, the Game Master should consider giving the heroes a Special Abilities
very powerful relic only for some time. • Armor +1: Thick hide.
• Beak: Str+d8. Their saliva is acidic, so this attack has AP 1.
• Demon: +2 to recovering from being Shaken; Immune to
poison and disease;
Creatures Primer • Mane of Thorns: The Demonic Mastiff can shoot a vol-
ley of black spines. It is a ranged attack with range 3/6/12,
This section presents some of the creatures the players will dealing 2d6 damage in a Small Burst Template, and uses
find most interesting. It includes mounts, summonable Agility as shooting die. The Mastiff can shoot up to three
beasts, and so on. It is not to be considered an extensive volleys each day.
bestiary, but only a taste of the foul monsters you may en- • Size +1: Demonic Mastiffs are the size of a pony.
counter in Beasts and Barbarians! • Supernatural Tracker: The Demonic Mastiff ignores all
Tracking penalties for bad light and old tracks.

Modified Monstrous Abilities Fanged Ape

The Demon monstrous ability, introduced in the Fantasy These giant creatures aren’t native to this world, although
Companion, is slightly modified in the Beasts and Barbarians some of them today live in the Lush Jungle and in various
world, so it is reported below. deep forests. They are the offspring of specimens escaped
from the control of sorcerers. They are big, grayish apes,
they are completely mute and have impressive fangs. They
Demon are very violent and magicians usually evoke them when
• Demon: Demons are immune to poison and disease. They they want to beat someone to death. Fanged Apes are also
have a +2 bonus to recovering from being Shaken. excellent climbers. A Fanged Ape can move with impres-
sive ability among trees and even along the roofs of build-
ings.

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Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6(A), Spirit d8, Strength • Claws: Str+d4.
d12+3, Vigor d10 • Spooky: Characters seeing a Shadow Bat for the first time
Skills: Climbing d12+2, Fighting d8, Intimidation d8, No- must make a Fear roll.
tice d6, Stealth d8. • Flight: Shadow Bats fly at a rate of 6”, with a Climb rate
Pace: 7; Parry: 5; Toughness: 10 of 2”.
Special Abilities • Size +2: Shadow Bats are equivalent in size to a warhorse.
• Fangs: Str+d6. • Weakness (Light and Sound): Shadow Bats are very sus-
• Fists: Str+d4. Fanged Apes usually attack by smashing ceptible to strong sounds and flashes of light. They sub-
their enemies with their massive fists. When they hit with tract 2 to opposed rolls against light or sound based attacks
a raise, it means they grab their opponent with both hands and have the same penalty to recover from Shaken effects
and give him a massive bite, gaining a free attack with caused by light or sound.
Fangs.
• Jungle Lord: While among tree branches or on rooftops,
the Fanged Ape can move like on normal ground, as long as
it has something to grab onto (at most 3” from one branch Singer Demon
to the next). A totally alien creature, a Singer Demon resembles a gi-
• Size +3: Fanged Apes are 12 feet tall. ant scorpion, with a human face of incredible beauty and a
strange, resonating stinger. Both sexes exist but males seem
to be very rare.
Fighting Bird
This name applies to several creatures: combat and hunt- Differently from normal scorpions, Singer Demons’ sting-
ing hawks, giant crows, fighting vultures, and all the other ers are hollow and make a strange hypnotic sound when
small-sized birds used for hunting or war in the Dread Sea shaken, like a snake’s rattle. Singer demons are highly intel-
Dominions. They are sometimes evoked by sorcerers for de- ligent and love being surrounded by a plethora of adoring
fense, as scouts, or to deliver small packages. Fighting Birds slaves that double up as a tasty snack when they are bored.
evoked via the summon ally spell have Smarts d8(A) and Sorcerers are rarely willing to evoke Singer Demons, be-
can speak a rudimentary language that only their evoker cause these creatures always try to remain in our world and
can understand. subdue their evoker.

Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d4(A), Spirit d6, Strength Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d10, Spirit d10, Strength
d4, Vigor d6 d10, Vigor d8
Skills: Fighting d8, Notice d10, Stealth d8. Skills: Fighting d8, Knowledge (Arcana) d10, Notice d6,
Pace: -; Parry: 5; Toughness: 3 Persuasion d10, Stealth d6.
Special Abilities Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 9
• Flight: Fighting Birds fly at a Pace of 12 and have a Climb Special Abilities
rate of 4. • Claws: Str+d4
• Size -2: Fighting Birds are quite small. • Demon: +2 to recover from being Shaken; Immune to
poison and disease;
• Small: Attack rolls against these creatures suffer –2 due to • Rattle: A Singer Demon’s stinger rattles, making an en-
their diminutive size. thralling sound. It counts as the stun Power and uses the
• Talons or Beak: Str+d4. Demon’s Spirit as arcane skill. The Demon can use the rat-
• Threaten: Fighting Birds are trained to fly around enemies tle any time he isn’t attacking with the Stinger.
to hinder and distract them. This counts as an Agility Trick • Size +3: Singer Demons are the size of a horse.
with a +2 modifier. • Stinger: Str+d6. The stinger of a Singer Demon contains
• In the eyes! A fighting bird that scores a raise on a Fight- highly toxic poison. Any character who suffers a Wound
ing attack hits its target in the eyes. The target must make from the stinger must make an opposed roll against the
an Agility roll. In case of failure, he suffers the One Eye Demon’s Spirit or be controlled as for the puppet spell. The
Hindrance. If he scores a 1 on the Fighting die, regard- effect lasts until the Demon is banished or slain. A Singer
less of the Wild Die, he is affected by the Blind Hindrance Demon can control a number of creatures not higher than
instead. his Smarts die (so, usually ten). Extras who fail the Spirit
roll aren’t Incapacitated but only Shaken, and under the
control of the Demon.
Shadow Bat • Supernatural Beauty: Singer Demons have extremely
Shadow Bats are huge beasts, reaching twelve yards in beautiful faces and voices. They have +4 Charisma.
wingspan. They live in abandoned ruins and wherever there • Tricky Creature: An evoked Singer Demon actually wants
is enough food (they are omnivores). Sorcerers sometime to stay in the Dread Sea Dominions, so she tries in every
evoke them as mounts. A Shadow Bat can travel up to one way to break free of her evoker’s control. If evoked for more
hundred miles per night but must rest in a dark place dur- days, she is allowed an opposed roll between her Spirit and
ing day. They can be evoked only outdoors and at nighttime. the evoker’s Arcane skill to free herself immediately after
being summmoned. She makes the same roll when the evo-
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4(A), Spirit d6, Strength cation ends.
d12+3, Vigor d8
Skills: Fighting d6, Notice d6
Pace: 3; Parry: 5; Toughness: 8 Spirit of the Betrayer
Special Abilities According to a belief shared by many cultures, from the
• Bat Sight: Shadow Bats ignore all darkness penalties. Cairnlanders to the Ivory Tribes, a man who betrays and

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 Game Master Appendix

kills a friend cannot find his way to the afterlife when he • Mutated Aspect: Twisted Servants are truly
dies until he has saved the life of another human to repay hideous to look upon, so they have the Ugly
his debts. Such creatures actually exist and appear as gray- Hindrance.
ish humanoids dressed in ragged cloths and armed with
old weapons, bearing insignia of forgotten realms. Sorcerers • Size +1: Twisted Servants are bigger and more
summon them to use them as bodyguards. muscular than men.
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, Strength d6,
Vigor d6 Keronian Imp
Skills: Fighting d8, Notice d6, Stealth d6.
Pace: 6; Parry: 8(2); Toughness: 7 These small demons were kept as pets by great sorcerers of
Gear: Short Sword (St+d6), Large Shield (+2 Parry, +2 the Keronian Empire. After the fall of the Dread Star, the
Toughness vs. ranged attacks). rituals to perpetually bind them to their masters were lost,
Special Abilities but they can still be summoned and controlled for a short
• Guardian: Spirits of the Betrayer can intercept a blow time. Keronian Imps are servile and apparently respectful
aimed at a friend within 3” from her. In this case, the Spir- towards the master, but, in truth, they have a twisted mind,
it suffers the damage instead of the original target. If the ready to betray as soon as the chance arises. They are perfect
Spirit of the Betrayer suffers a Wound saving a friend, it is for spying purposes and they know a lot about magic and
freed and disappears forever, his debt repaid. the old traditions of the Keronian Empire.
• Hovering Pace: Spirits of the Betrayer don’t really walk,
rather they hover over the ground. So, they are never hin- Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit d8, Strength d4,
dered by difficult ground and gain +2 to Stealth rolls; Vigor d8
• Protector: The Spirit of the Betrayer can use the Total Skills: Fighting d6, Knowledge (Arcana) d8, Knowledge
Defense action to protect a friend within 3” of him. The (Ancient History) d8, Notice d8, Stealth d8, Taunt d10.
action works as normal, but the friend benefits from the Pace: 3; Parry: 5; Toughness: 5
Spirit’s Parry, shield bonus included. Special Abilities:
• Undead: +2 Toughness; +2 to recovering from being • Demon: +2 to recover from being Shaken; Immune to
Shaken; immune to poison, disease and called shots. poison and disease;
• Flight: Keronian Imps fly with leathery, bat-like wings at
a rate of 6” with a Climb rate of 4”.
Steppe Pony • Size -1: Keronian Imps are quite small, the size of a cat.
An ugly, furry, but extremely resistant pony of the steppe. • Small: Attack rolls against these creatures suffer –2 due
The favorite mount of Valk warriors. their diminutive size.
• Tail Stinger: Str+d4.
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d4(A), Spirit d6, Strength • Try to Impress: Keronian Imps always try to impress their
d12, Vigor d10 masters with their awesome abilities. For this reason, they
Skills: Fighting d4, Notice d6 have the Helper Edge.
Pace: 8; Parry: 4; Toughness: 8
Special Abilities
• Fleet Footed: Steppe Ponies roll a d8 instead of a d6 when War Buffalo
running. War buffalos are the most impressive battle mounts of the
• Kick: Str. Dread Sea Dominions. Only the Buffalo Riders, brave war-
• Run all The Day: Steppe Ponies gain +2 to Vigor rolls to riors from the Ivory Savannah, are bold enough to ride
resist fatigue. them. The taming of a war buffalo starts by capturing a
• Size +1: Steppe Ponies are smaller than normal horses. wild specimen, when it is only a calf, and the process lasts
for several years. War buffalos are extremely intelligent and
loyal to their master. They let nobody else ride them and,
Twisted Servant when the master dies, the mount usually follows his fate.
Twisted Servants are primitive humanoids, somehow They are trained to fight and attack with their horns every
similar to Nandals, whose bodies and minds have been round their riders do not perform a Trick maneuver.
deformed and mutated by evil magic. They are the typical
creatures summoned by sorcerers. The sages have a strange Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6(A), Spirit d8, Strength
theory about them: they might have been ancient slaves of d12+3, Vigor d12
the Keronians, snatched from their age to the present era by Skills: Fighting d8, , Notice d6
the power of magic. Twisted servants aren’t very intelligent, Pace: 7; Parry: 6; Toughness: 11
but they are perfect when the only requirement is killing Special Abilities
people or doing heavy physical work. • Faithful Steeds: War buffalos have the Loyal and Death
Wish Hindrances toward their master. If their rider dies,
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d6, Strength d8, they stop eating and let themselves starve to death in
Vigor d8 1d10+10 days.
Skills: Fighting d6, Intimidation d6, Notice d6, Stealth d4. • Gore: War buffalos charge to gore their opponent. If they
Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 7 can move at least 6” before attacking, they add +4 to their
Gear: Stone axe (Str+d8). damage total.
Special Abilities: • Horns: Str+d6.
• Claws: Str+d4. • Size +3: War buffalos are very large creatures.

72
 Index

After the Adventure 36, 62, 64-65, 73, 76 Etu 18, 24, 34, 73
Alchemist 46, 73 Faberterra 2, 7-8, 10-12, 14, 16, 18-19, 21,
Alchemists of Gis 16-17, 73 23-26, 28-31, 61, 73, 75
Amazon 9, 20, 33, 41, 54-55, 57, 60, 73 Fallen Kingdom of Keron 23-24, 28, 73, 75
Amazons’ Island 19-20, 73, 75 Felantium 10, 12, 21, 23, 73
Ancestor 14, 21, 50, 70, 73, 76 Fingers’ Islands 24-25, 73, 75
Animals 56, 60, 73, 76 Ganymedes II 26, 73
Arcane Backgrounds 45, 67, 73, 76 Gear 41, 53-56, 63, 72-73, 76
Ascaia 8-9, 12, 19-20, 28, 33, 57, 73, 75 Greenmelt 25, 73
Askerios 23, 28-29, 42, 73 Group Size 66, 73, 76
Aurica 28, 73 Healing 38, 42, 48, 51, 59, 66, 73
Ivory Tribes 8, 12-13, 18, 22, 25-26, Henchmen 62, 73, 76
28, 31, 34, 37, 41, 46, 58-59, 68, 71, 73, 75 Heroic Concepts 33, 73, 75
Borderlands 11-12, 16, 20-22, 30, 73, 75 Heroic Duo 66, 73
Brokenchain Mountains 19, 29, 73 Hindrances 36, 72-73, 76
Caldeia 15-16, 19, 21-22, 25-26, 31, Hordan 8-9, 18, 29, 34, 42, 47, 73
60, 73, 75 Hulian 6-10, 12, 18, 28, 42, 61, 70, 73
Caled 12, 18, 73 Humorous Game 67, 73
Cannibals Islands 22, 73, 75 Imperial 9-10, 14-18, 20, 22-23, 26, 28, 33, 73
City of Princes 9, 15, 23, 73 Independent Cities 15-16, 22, 24-25, 28, 73, 75
Collana 11-12, 23, 73 Iron Empire 6-15, 23-26, 29, 31, 33, 61, 73, 75
Cove 24, 73 Iron Phalanx 12, 73
Cows 30, 73 Islands of the Maimed Ones 25, 73, 75
Creatures 70, 73, 76 Ivory Savannah 7-8, 13, 16, 19, 22, 25-26,
Currency 16, 73 28, 31, 34, 37-38, 57-61, 72-73, 75
Demon 40, 50, 70-73, 76 Jalizar 10-12, 19, 21, 23, 31, 33, 35, 60, 73
Dhaar 2, 11-12, 16, 23, 25, 30-31, 73 Kenaton 68, 73
Divine Couple 9-10, 18, 23, 34, 42, 73 Keronian Empire 6, 12-13, 18, 23-24, 29, 60, 72-73
Domestan I 9, 12, 73 Khav 21-22, 73
Domestan II 12, 73 Khav Wars 22, 73
Domestan X 12, 73 Kyros 8-17, 19, 23, 25-26, 60, 64, 68, 74-75
Domestan XII 12, 20, 73 Land of Idols 19, 34, 74
Dread Sea 2, 5-8, 11-12, 14, 16-17, 19-20, Languages 17-18, 74
22, 25, 30, 33-34, 36-38, 40, Lhoban 7, 10, 14, 16, 18-19, 22-24,
42, 45, 47, 53, 59-61, 71-73, 75 26, 31, 34-35, 47, 53-54, 58, 68-69, 74-75
Dread Sea Dominions 2, 5-6, 11-12, 14, Library of Syranthia 34, 42, 74
16-17, 19-20, 22, 30, 33-34, Literacy 16, 36, 74
36-37, 40, 42, 45, 47, 53, 59-61, 71-73, 75 Lord of Thunder 18, 74
Dread Star 6-7, 12, 23-25, 27-30, 45, 72-73, 75 Lotus 7, 16, 21, 24, 28, 34, 37, 40-41,
Drowned King 10, 19, 21, 24, 30-31, 73 45-46, 50-51, 56, 58-60, 62, 69-70, 74
Edges 2, 37-41, 43, 67, 70, 73, 76 Lotus Concoctions 46, 74
Eku 11-12, 23, 26, 73 Lotusmastery 2, 15, 37, 40-41, 45-46,
Ekul 12, 19, 22-23, 26, 31, 58, 73, 75 51, 59-60, 68, 74, 76
Elephant 20, 58, 73 Lush Jungle 19, 27, 38, 61, 70, 74-75
Enlightment 37, 40-41, 47-48, 73-74 Magic 35, 37, 45, 61, 65, 67, 74, 76

73
 Index

Mount of Fire 28, 74 Steel 40, 61, 68, 74

Mundane Items 56, 59, 74, 76 Sword River 25, 74
Nandal 30, 74 Syranthia 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18-19, 23, 25-26,
Northeim 10, 18-22, 28, 30, 67, 74-75 28-30, 34-35, 42, 60, 74-75
Northlander 10, 15, 19, 34, 74 Talismans 21, 74
Order of Light 27, 74 Technology 16, 74-75
Path of Enlightment 48, 74 Timeline 12, 74
Pygmy 16, 18, 74 Tricarnia 8-10, 12, 15-16, 18-19, 21-25, 29, 34-35,
Powers 2, 42, 45-48, 50, 70, 74, 76 60, 74-75
Price of Blood 21, 74 Tricarnian 8-10, 12, 14-15, 17-18, 22, 24, 29-30, 35,
Red Desert 7, 25, 28, 68, 74-75 47, 74
Relics 67, 74, 76 Troll 19, 30, 74
Religion 18, 36, 42, 74-75 Trolls Mountains 30, 74-75
Rogal 30, 74 Tukal 11-12, 30, 74
Salkaria 9, 12, 15, 74 Uletu 18, 74
Savings 36, 43, 53, 62-64, 66, 74 Valk 2, 10-12, 14-19, 23-25, 30-31, 34, 43,
Sea Guardian 29, 74 55, 58-60, 66, 72, 74-75
Setting Rules 53, 62, 74, 76 Valkheim 11-12, 19, 21, 30, 58, 74-75
Setting the Mood 65, 74, 76 Valkyrie 10-11, 15-16, 23, 74
Sha Mekri 10-11, 18, 30, 74 Vehicles 57, 60, 74, 76
Skills 36, 70-72, 74, 76 Verazar 27-28, 74
Slave Route 22, 31, 74 Verdant Belt 12, 18, 22, 25, 30-31, 57-59, 74-75
Sorcery 2, 15, 20, 37, 40-41, 45-48, 58, Weapons 54-55, 57, 63, 74, 76
62, 65-66, 68-69, 74, 76 White King 22, 26, 31, 74
Sorcery Critical Failures 46, 48, 74 Zandor 10-12, 19, 22, 30-31, 58, 61, 74-75
Sorcery Trappings 47, 74

74
 Table of Contents

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .     5 Caledland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   22

The Book of Lore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .     6 Cannibals Islands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   22

A Brief History of the World . . . . . . . . . . . . .     6 Ekul . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   22

The Dread Star . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    6 Faberterra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   23

The Dawn of Civilization . . . . . . . . . . . . .    7 Fallen Kingdom of Keron . . . . . . . . . . . . .   23

The Iron Empire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   7 Fingers’ Islands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   24

The Valk Invasions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   10 Gis, Free City of the Alchemists . . . . . . . . .   24

Decline of the Empire . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   11 Independent Cities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   25

Cultures of the Dread Sea Dominions . . . . . . . .   12 Islands of the Maimed Ones . . . . . . . . . . .   25

Ivory Tribes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   12 Ivory Savannah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   25

Cairn Lords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   13 Kyros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   26

Imperials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   14 Land of the Idols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   26

Jademen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   14 Lhoban . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   26

Northlanders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   14 Lush Jungle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   27

Tricarnians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   15 Northeim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   28

Valk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   15 Red Desert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   28

Way of Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   16 Syranthia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   28

Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   16 Tricarnia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   29

Religion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   18 Trolls Mountains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   30

Climate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   19 Valkheim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   30

Gazetteer: The Dread Sea Dominions Today . . . . .   19 Valk Steppe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   30

Ascaia, Amazons’ Island . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   19 Verdant Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   30

Borderlands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   20 Zandor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   31

Cairn Lands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   21 Heroic Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   33

Caldeia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   21 Character Creation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   36

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 Table of Contents

Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   36 Vehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   60

Forbidden Hindrances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   36 Setting Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   62

Modified Hindrances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   36 Henchmen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   62

New Hindrances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   36 After the Adventure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   62

Forbidden Edges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   37 Game Master Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   65

Modified Edges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   37 Setting the Mood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   65

New Edges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   37 Group Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   66

Background Edges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   37 Tweaking the Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   66

Combat Edges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   38 Relics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   67

Power Edges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   40 Creatures Primer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   70

Professional Edges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   41 Modified Monstrous Abilities . . . . . . . . . .   70

Weird Edges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   43 Ancestor’s Ghost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   70

Magic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   45 Demonic Mastiff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   70

Arcane Backgrounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   45 Fanged Ape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   70

Lotusmastery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   45 Fighting Bird . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   71

Sorcery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   46 Shadow Bat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   71

Path of Enlightenment . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   47 Singer Demon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   71

Modified Powers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   48 Spirit of the Betrayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   71

New Powers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   50 Steppe Pony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   72

Gear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   53 Twisted Servant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   72

Weapons Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   57 Keronian Imp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   72

Ammo Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   59 War Buffalo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   72

Armor Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   59 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   73

Mundane Items Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . .   59 Table of Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   75

Animals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   60

76