Player Handbook

The weeping pox ravages the countryside, and decimates the poor, sick and old indiscriminately. And yet, it is those who use it to profit that the children fear the most.   What about the wars that men rage, from Olstenburg to Morencia? They claim a piece of everyone they touch. Fathers, burying their sons for the power struggles of so called "noble gentlemen".   However, humanity does not act on this. Instead they cling to their false idols with blind faith, like a child clings to their mother. They turn a blind eye to all the horrors and atrocities they commit, telling themselves it's all in the name of survival.   Our gods were supposed to guide us. Our ever-vigilant guardians of justice and righteousness. They too, abandoned us. They left us to fight alone. To die alone.   Only a few warriors remain. Defenders of humanity against the horrors of the dark. Their numbers dwindle with every new moon. You see, this world belongs to the darkness, and darkness will not give it up easily.

  Etharis is a world of dark fantasy where monsters, both human and inhuman, prey on the weak. The following information provides a snapshot of the world as a whole:  

• The gods are gone. Just over two decades ago, the Four Divines led the Burach nations into a bloody civil war. At the end, the Emperor lay dead, and the gods fell silent. The Godsfall, as it was called, corrupted the lands around the great city of Drakkenheim. The divine powers of the worshippers of the Four Divines are greatly weakened, and fading further. In the gods absence, the Arch-Seraphs, powerful servants of the Four Divines, have descended to Etharis to protect their new worshippers. The Arch-Daemons also emerged from the shadows to attract mortals to their service.
 
• Magic is rare, dangerous and distrusted. Most commonfolk have never seen magic first hand, and arcane magic is blamed for many of the world's ills. The Arcanist Inquisition has arisen to stamp out magic and those who practice it.
 
• Non-humans are uncommon, and often hated. The humans of Etharis have led many bloody wars against the elder races. The elves, dwarves and gnomes were driven close to extinction, both now surviving as vassals of human kingdoms.
 
• The world is broken. From the sunless lands of Ostoya, to the Coldfire of Grarjord and the unnatural, ever-spreading Pox, the natural order of the world has been shattered.
 
• Survival is difficult. In the wilds, folk must survive through sheer will alone, as the world itself tries to break them.

 

Character Creation

The night is darkest before dawn. But fear not, Dawn is coming.   The darkness has taken this world from us. How much more will we let it take before we have nothing left?   We dream at night of a kinder world, only to find it slip from our grasp when we wake, leaving us broken. However, this is not a nightmare we will simply wake up from. Salvation is within all of us. All you have to do is fight. Fight for the ones we love. Fight for who we are. Fight against the darkness that seeks to enslave us all.   For while there is still breath within us, Etharis is not truly lost.  

— Hearthkeeper Ivodra of Vernis

    Characters in Etharis are defined through the following steps:

Step 1. Choose a Heritage

This is based on your parentage, or in some rare cases, a past event which has changed your very nature.

 

Step 2: Choose a Culture

Where or how you were raised, your childhood. A human raised among the elves of Tol Leyemil would have a vastly different life experience to one raised in the icy wastes of Grarjord.


Miscellaneous - For those who live outside the relative safety of society

 

Step 3: Choose a Profession, Subprofession and Profession Talent

This is your day-to-day life in more recent terms. This provides not only your skills, but also your resources.

Step 4: Choose a Class

This is your calling, defining your primary abilities.

Auxilary Levels

Step 5: Choose a Destiny

Every hero has something that drives them forward, an inner spark or outward goal that compels them to risk everything for a life of adventure.