Players' Guide

Collected below is all the information needed to create an Aotran player character.

Races

Aotra is, on a grand scale, a relatively homogenous world: the vast majority, nearly 80%, of the population is made up of humans. The remaining portion mostly consists of two races, elves and orcs, and permutations thereof, like half-elves and half-orcs. These two races share their lineage with humans generations past; subtle influence of the Other thousands of years ago twisted groups of humans into elves and orcs. Having lived between and amongst humans for thousands of years, elves and orcs live in tenuous peace with humans.
A tiny percentage of the population are the people known as Otherborn. These people are born among mortals but gifted, or cursed, with a strong connection with the Otherworld, a connection that is equal parts mysterious, powerful, and volatile. Though Otherborn are incredibly rare and each is unique, patterns of the manifestations of power within them have emerged over time, and Otherborn can be sorted into a handful of categories. The following races are the sorts of Otherborn known to Aotra:

• Tieflings, born from humans, elves, or orcs and gifted with fiendish power.
• Aasimar, born from humans, elves, or orcs and gifted with celestial power.
• Genasi, born from humans, elves, or orcs and gifted with elemental power.
• Firbolgs, born from orcs and gifted with fey power.
• Changelings, born from elves and gifted with fey power.
• Kalashtar, born from humans, elves, or orcs and gifted with power of unknown origin.

A more comprehensive guide to the folk of Aotra is available here.

Classes

All classes have a place within Aotra. In the present day, three years after the Severing, the world is a very different place for spellcasters than it was a few years past, and spellcasters are very, very rare; the adventurers with the ability to use magic are an anomaly. Nevertheless, magic remains fundamental to Aotran culture, and the system of beliefs and values that surround it are fundamental to the roles that certain classes play within society.
Arcane magic is without question the most prestigious magical practice in the culture. Arcana, the magic of artificers, sorcerers, warlocks, and wizards, powered Aotran society, and true archmages stand at the helm of their lands. At the pinnacle of arcane achievement are the wizards, second to none among arcanists due to the deep respect held for their carefully-honed magical ability. Before the Severing, schools for wizardry existed in nearly every major city in Aotra. To even gain acceptance to one of these schools was an honor, but to advance to the status of archmage granted lifetime recognition. After the Severing, many wizards lost their ability to control arcane magic, and most urban wizard schools were destroyed in the cataclysm. Now, with little place to learn the craft, very few wizards exist in Aotra. Held in similar regard for their intellectual approach to arcana are artificers, whose works were vital in shaping Aotran cities and advancing technological progress. Similarly devastated by the Severing, the practice of artifice is all but extinct in most of Aotra. While sorcerers and warlocks also tap into arcane magic, they receive less of the respect and admiration that wizards and artificers do, for their abilities are given to them, not learned through time and study. Additionally, as the Otherworld is the source of power for many sorcerers and warlocks, to be one openly tends to draw suspicion; to willingly draw upon the powers of the Other is treason to one's mortal nature.
While not as fundamental to Aotran culture, divine magic receives no less respect within Aotran society. Devoted theists like clerics and paladins are rare enough to be seen as remarkable signs of a deity's favor. The clerics and paladins devoted to the main faith, Dichotomism, are universally accepted, while those devoted to other faiths may encounter a little less of a welcome among those that do not share their faith, finding their divine powers respected but distrusted.
The druidic magic of rangers, witches, and, of course, druids is rare in most parts of Aotra. Where it is most commonly found is among orcs; a long-standing stereotype associates druidic magic with orcish culture, an association not by any means unfounded. While human and elvish practitioners of druidic magic exist, they are much fewer and farther between than orc druids. A notable exception to the rule are the dark elves of the desert; many desert elves have ancient druidic traditions crucially important to their survival in their harsh world. Regardless, the affiliation of orcs and druidic power holds significant weight in Aotran public opinion. Similar to the public opinions surrounding orcs themselves, druidic practices are seen by many Aotrans as old-fashioned and outdated, eclipsed by the raw power of arcana.
An ancient cousin of arcane magic, bardic magic has a strong connotation in the minds of many Aotrans as the magic of elves. Many elvish cultures, especially high elvish cultures, place great importance in bardic traditions. Interwoven with human stereotypes of elves as being deceptive, tricky, and hedonistic are these traditions; even for non-elven bards, the concept that bardic magic is charlatans' magic is hard to shake off. Altogether, bardic magic occupies an uneasy place within the culture, between an arcane sensibility and a distinctive reputation. Furthermore, bards face restrictions against enchantment enacted as law within the cities of the Circle of Nine, which tends to impact bards far more than most other magic users.

Religions and Faiths

Most Aotran player characters are at very least familiar with, if not faithful to, Dichotomism, the most widespread religion in Aotra and the official faith under the Circle of Nine. Dichotomism permeates the culture of the vast majority of Aotran locales, and worship of the faith is near-universally acceptable.
For those that are not adherents of Dichotomism, there are two other widespread religions: one an ancient druidic faith, and the other a newer religion dedicated to the worship of a fire goddess. The former, called the Old Faith, is a peaceful religion centered around a mythology of four great elemental beasts and a fundamental respect for the natural world. The latter, the Cult of Istha, has a rapidly-growing population of worshippers passionate about spreading the wonders of their faith throughout Aotra, much to the chagrin of the Dichotomist government. Adherents of the Old Faith most often don't seek to proselytize, a fact that keeps the religion in the good graces of the government; the actively-evangelizing Cult of Istha runs into much more trouble with the law.
For more information about the major religions of Aotra, see here.

Languages

Because of the unique nature of Aotra's planar cosmology, Aotra lacks planar languages like Infernal, Celestial, and Primordial. Common is the standard language throughout Aotra, and Elvish and Orc exist as racial languages spoken by those of elf and orc descent. The language spoken by the Other is referred to as Othercommon; as an eldritch language spoken only by the terrible Other, to attempt to learn Othercommon is a dangerous act.
If your background or race grants you a language other than Common, Elvish, or Orc, you can replace it with a tool proficiency of your choice. If you have two languages granted by your background or race that you can trade out, you can trade those two for a proficiency in a skill of your choice.