Start of the game, and character creation
Three hundred and fifty-two years ago, three great human powers formed a trade alliance to explore and gain vast sums of gold. The Farath(Fair-ath), a people set in a desert continent inlaid with rivers that flowed all the way from one end of the landmass to the other. The Metain(Met-ine), a group of a smaller, yet richer forested lands who founded the alliance. And the Zeri(Zer-ie), a conquest-focused empire who held onto many lands and hoped to gain many more. Along with the Zeri were the Upoth(Up-oth), a recently conquered native group who came along less than eagerly.
And so, with dreams of glimmering gold and new lands, these powers sent forth a fleet to explore the ocean. This fleet happened across a set of islands. Yet the islands were not uninhabited, and their residents, despite their lack of human technology, would not willingly allow the greedy encroachers to land on their island. Desperate, one from the Selkies, a normally peaceful race, made a pact with a being from beyond this world for the power to drive the humans out.
Unfortunately, his spell did not work as intended, and instead trapped the humans and others in the eye of a massive storm. Today, more than three hundred years later, this storm has not dissipated. And, after all of this time, the destructive nature of man has broken through and wreaked havoc—pirates, a fallen government, and a rising navy with a fist of iron all are troubles that plague those that live within this unending tempest.
Long ago, the Selkies possessed a magic power drawn from the sea. Once gentle and benevolent, Deepspeaker magic has become twisted and mutated by the eldritch sea into something more potent, yet also more dangerous—both to any whom face its wielder, and to the wielder themself. Krakenslayer (Specialized Offense).
A mad skillset borne of an alliance of human boldness and Nereid magic, Krakenslayers live and die by an enchanted anchor and rope which they utilize to swing above their foes. They mostly combat large creatures while staying just out of reach, prefering ship combat to tight conditions. Marauder (Offense).
Straightfowards, efficient, deadly. Marauders are those who learn the brutal arithmetic of battle and utilize it to swiftly slaughter those in their way. Their knowledge of bloodshed is vast, and while their methods are by no means flashy or spectacular, they get the job down with terrifying efficiency. Savvy (Utility).
Yet not all important skills in this world revolve around bloodshed. Savvies are those who master more conditional skillsets, and have a knack for picking up new ones quickly when they need to. A valuable addition to any team, as force will not always be the best response. Swashbuckler (Offense).
The audacity to try can oft give one the edge to succeed. Swashbucklers hold a special charm in their words and bladework, and are experts in dispatching singular foes through maneuver and swift steel. Their dueling talents are highly sought after for both entertainment and for less wholesome endeavors. Swaying Edge (Offense).
For various reasons, some find themselves unable to parley without first having a chug of something alcoholic first. Is it madness, or is there method to such an unorthodox combat style? The strength granted is unpredictable, yet make no mistake, such individuals can be capable of shocking force should they be able to handle what they put down. Vanguard (Defense).
Many regard the days of heavy plate and strength over finesse as long gone. However, Vanguards would argue otherwise. Utilizing consistent strength and powerful weapons, they make for excellent bodyguards, and an unflinching adversary.
Invaders to the islands, humans are innovative and prone to conquest and control. They possess no innate magic, but are capable of learning it. There exist four human culture-groups in the storm: the Farath, the Metian, the Upoth, and the Zeri. Selkies.
Among the original inhabitants of the islands, the selkies are innately magical, and are first borne as a seal, before turning humanoid. After their transformation, their shed seal pelt can act as a magic conduit, and is said to contain their soul. Selkies are adverse to conflict, and are cooperative with one another. Nereids.
Competitive hunters, who offered far more resistance to the humans within the Storm. Nereids transform in the water, becoming translucent, scentless, and virtually untraceable. They practice magic of storm and tide, and are said to reflect the might of the ocean.
Port Brimsey contains the Capital of the human presence in the Great Storm, holding Austyx's Black Iron Navy as well. It is broken into four districts, with the North Eastern district housing the government and navy headquarters. On the western districts, there also lay mountains, including Mount Thresdon—the greatest in the entire Storm. Brimsey has a fairly even balancing of cultures, though there are notably few Upoth upon the island, and the Ocean-kin generally avoid it also. Horizoncliff.
The green island of agriculture, Horizioncliff contains two towns on the opposite ends of the island. It's the most culturally enclosed island, as most only travel to the island to trade for its produce. Horizoncliff is the most popular inner island among the Ocean-kin, though the high presence of the Metian and Zeri cultures means that it's not the most friendly island to them. The Oasis Skerry.
The hub of trade and business, the Oasis Skerry is an island of circular shape with a hole in the middle. The island is primarily populated by those of Farath culture, though some Upoth and Ocean-kin also like to reside on Skerry, namely in the south-western village of Yamenshi. Those on Skerry tend to be of reasonable wealth, and practice long-standing family trades. Reylux Island.
The island of aristocrats whom manage their lands from afar. Little could be derived from Relux's orange rock and mixed soil, thus the island serves limited practical purpose spare occasional exports of its red stone. Most on the island are either Zeri of noble standing or highly successful Farath merchants, along with the servants of both.
The most inhabited of the outer islands, the Southspire Islands are a pair of nearby islands surrounded by spires of stone. They are self-sufficient, and do not interact with most other islands. The majority of the population on the two islands are Upoth humans and Selkies, as they find the tighter-knit community and lack of military presence to be releiving. Rain Islands.
Else called the “Rumdrop Islands”, the Rain Islands are actually a singular landmass, of which only fractions sit above sea level. The islands are most known for housing an official outpost of the Zeri empire (which has not had communication with aforementioned empire in centuries), along with holding a few tribal clans whom split off from the rest of human society. Artima Bay.
Notorious for the ruling family within its jungle known as the Vandrans, Artima is heavily avoided by the Ocean-kin due to its utilization of “coerced servitude”. Supplies the lumber for the projects of many other islands, most of which is cut down by the hands of bound selkies and convicted prisoners from Brimsey as part of a fifty year old trade deal. The Brigton Strait.
A long, narrow island which spans nearly a third of the radius of the Great Storm's epicenter. Brigton has rather few inhabitants, as it's lack of ecosystem and natural resources renders it ill-suited for much of anything. Nevertheless, there is one singular village on it's sandy shores, which solely gets by via fishing.
Classes
All player characters in this campaign are of a specific class. Each class provides features for a playstyle, though all offer some form of customizability and flexibility. I strongly advise that the party have at least one Deepspeaker, and that each character play a different class. Deepspeaker (Magic/Support).Long ago, the Selkies possessed a magic power drawn from the sea. Once gentle and benevolent, Deepspeaker magic has become twisted and mutated by the eldritch sea into something more potent, yet also more dangerous—both to any whom face its wielder, and to the wielder themself. Krakenslayer (Specialized Offense).
A mad skillset borne of an alliance of human boldness and Nereid magic, Krakenslayers live and die by an enchanted anchor and rope which they utilize to swing above their foes. They mostly combat large creatures while staying just out of reach, prefering ship combat to tight conditions. Marauder (Offense).
Straightfowards, efficient, deadly. Marauders are those who learn the brutal arithmetic of battle and utilize it to swiftly slaughter those in their way. Their knowledge of bloodshed is vast, and while their methods are by no means flashy or spectacular, they get the job down with terrifying efficiency. Savvy (Utility).
Yet not all important skills in this world revolve around bloodshed. Savvies are those who master more conditional skillsets, and have a knack for picking up new ones quickly when they need to. A valuable addition to any team, as force will not always be the best response. Swashbuckler (Offense).
The audacity to try can oft give one the edge to succeed. Swashbucklers hold a special charm in their words and bladework, and are experts in dispatching singular foes through maneuver and swift steel. Their dueling talents are highly sought after for both entertainment and for less wholesome endeavors. Swaying Edge (Offense).
For various reasons, some find themselves unable to parley without first having a chug of something alcoholic first. Is it madness, or is there method to such an unorthodox combat style? The strength granted is unpredictable, yet make no mistake, such individuals can be capable of shocking force should they be able to handle what they put down. Vanguard (Defense).
Many regard the days of heavy plate and strength over finesse as long gone. However, Vanguards would argue otherwise. Utilizing consistent strength and powerful weapons, they make for excellent bodyguards, and an unflinching adversary.
Ability Scores
Character’s base ability scores are rolled using 3d6 + 1d4, drop lowest, to create an array to distribute as the player sees fit. Players should decide on a class prior to setting their ability scores, as each class benefits more or less from certain scores. Generally, though, you don’t want your Constitution to be your lowest score. The suggested ability score distribution for each class are as follows: Deepspeaker: Wisdom (Primary), Constitution (Secondary) Krakenslayer: Strength (Primary), Dexterity (Secondary) Marauder: Strength/Dexterity (Primary), Wisdom (Secondary) Savvy: Intelligence (Primary), Dexterity (Secondary) Swashbuckler: Dexterity (Primary), Charisma (Secondary) Swaying Edge: Strength/Dexterity (Primary), Constitution (Secondary) Vanguard: Strength (Primary), Constitution (Secondary) Note that each ability score has its use. For instance, Constitution boosts a character’s max HP and can cause it to increase further as they level up. Intelligence allows a character to start with more skills. Dexterity saving throws are the most common in the game.Character Backgrounds
Let me be clear: in the present, your character is a mercenary. A sellsword. An individual interested in performing various jobs for the sake of coin. Your character's background should be compatible with such. Wherever they once were, today, they hunt criminals, kill eldritch monsters, and act as spies. There are a total of four “backgrounds” provided. These are not specific, and instead reflect your character's vague socioeconomic status prior to becoming a mercenary. Each comes with advantages and disadvantages.Skills
All player characters gain additional skill proficiencies depending on their Intelligence Score. When doing so, the proficiencies can be for any skill available. Characters do not gain additional skills after character creation through this method, however—only the character's starting Intelligence Score impacts what skills they can unlock. 9 or less Intelligence: no additional skill proficiencies. 10-12 Intelligence: one additional skill proficiency. 13-16 Intelligence: two additional skill proficiencies OR one additional skill proficiency and one additional language proficiency 17 or more Intelligence: three additional skill proficiencies OR two additional skill proficiencies and one additional language proficiencyRaces/Species
Most races in the Player’s Handbook do not exist in Defilar. In fact, outside of the great storm, the only intelligent humanoid race are humans. Inside the Great Storm, however, there are a few others. These other humanoids have varying tales for how they came into existence, with most tracing their creation to be caused by a deity figure known as the Sea-Mother. Humans.Invaders to the islands, humans are innovative and prone to conquest and control. They possess no innate magic, but are capable of learning it. There exist four human culture-groups in the storm: the Farath, the Metian, the Upoth, and the Zeri. Selkies.
Among the original inhabitants of the islands, the selkies are innately magical, and are first borne as a seal, before turning humanoid. After their transformation, their shed seal pelt can act as a magic conduit, and is said to contain their soul. Selkies are adverse to conflict, and are cooperative with one another. Nereids.
Competitive hunters, who offered far more resistance to the humans within the Storm. Nereids transform in the water, becoming translucent, scentless, and virtually untraceable. They practice magic of storm and tide, and are said to reflect the might of the ocean.
Island of Origin
All characters came from an island within the Great Storm, as it is impossible to either enter or exit the Storm's eye. While some may have been borne upon a ship, almost all spent much of their lives on one island or another.Inner Islands
The inner islands within the Great Storm are ruled over by the Black Iron Navy and central government. They are wealthier and have less eldritch activity, though also are more regulated. Port Brimsey.Port Brimsey contains the Capital of the human presence in the Great Storm, holding Austyx's Black Iron Navy as well. It is broken into four districts, with the North Eastern district housing the government and navy headquarters. On the western districts, there also lay mountains, including Mount Thresdon—the greatest in the entire Storm. Brimsey has a fairly even balancing of cultures, though there are notably few Upoth upon the island, and the Ocean-kin generally avoid it also. Horizoncliff.
The green island of agriculture, Horizioncliff contains two towns on the opposite ends of the island. It's the most culturally enclosed island, as most only travel to the island to trade for its produce. Horizoncliff is the most popular inner island among the Ocean-kin, though the high presence of the Metian and Zeri cultures means that it's not the most friendly island to them. The Oasis Skerry.
The hub of trade and business, the Oasis Skerry is an island of circular shape with a hole in the middle. The island is primarily populated by those of Farath culture, though some Upoth and Ocean-kin also like to reside on Skerry, namely in the south-western village of Yamenshi. Those on Skerry tend to be of reasonable wealth, and practice long-standing family trades. Reylux Island.
The island of aristocrats whom manage their lands from afar. Little could be derived from Relux's orange rock and mixed soil, thus the island serves limited practical purpose spare occasional exports of its red stone. Most on the island are either Zeri of noble standing or highly successful Farath merchants, along with the servants of both.
Outer Islands
More prone to both lawlessness and strange, otherworldly occurrences, the outer islands experience more freedom at the cost of security. Many of the residents of the islands are either outcasts, or in some way dissatisfied with the Black Iron Navy. Southspire Islands.The most inhabited of the outer islands, the Southspire Islands are a pair of nearby islands surrounded by spires of stone. They are self-sufficient, and do not interact with most other islands. The majority of the population on the two islands are Upoth humans and Selkies, as they find the tighter-knit community and lack of military presence to be releiving. Rain Islands.
Else called the “Rumdrop Islands”, the Rain Islands are actually a singular landmass, of which only fractions sit above sea level. The islands are most known for housing an official outpost of the Zeri empire (which has not had communication with aforementioned empire in centuries), along with holding a few tribal clans whom split off from the rest of human society. Artima Bay.
Notorious for the ruling family within its jungle known as the Vandrans, Artima is heavily avoided by the Ocean-kin due to its utilization of “coerced servitude”. Supplies the lumber for the projects of many other islands, most of which is cut down by the hands of bound selkies and convicted prisoners from Brimsey as part of a fifty year old trade deal. The Brigton Strait.
A long, narrow island which spans nearly a third of the radius of the Great Storm's epicenter. Brigton has rather few inhabitants, as it's lack of ecosystem and natural resources renders it ill-suited for much of anything. Nevertheless, there is one singular village on it's sandy shores, which solely gets by via fishing.
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