Note: This is a guide to playing characters that are ethnically Aeillan, from Aeilla, or orinally employed primarily in Aeilla. Tips presented here are not strictly speaking hard and fast rules for gameplay. Instead they are to be treated as a rough guideline. Individual players and game masters may decide to follow, none of these rules, all of them, or select which to follow or ignore on their own merits.
5th Edition Dungeons and Dragons
Races
The Aeillan Civilization has long been known as one of the pre-eminent Human civilizations. As a result most people from Aeilla are Humans. There are however, a significant number of Gnomes (primarily of the Forest Gnome variety, with a small Rock Gnome minority), Dwarves (predominantly Hill Dwarves), and various kinds of Half-Elves that live in Aeillan society, penetrating most layers of society from slavery up to the ranks of the lower nobility. Additionally, there are fairly large numbers of Half-Orc and even full blooded Orcs living as recently freed or currently enslaved peoples. Many of these former slaves are eager adventurers, seeking thrills and wealth long denied them by their masters. There are smatterings of other peoples in the country, but these are a comparatively small percentage of the population. There is a, proportionally speaking, large population of planetouched people living in Aeilla, largely as a result of the efforts of the nobility to incorporate planar blood into their family lines, this has a resulted in a disproportionately large number of planetouched peoples (primarily Aasimar) among the nobility. Changlings, due to their ability to impersonate and disrupt societal function are generally killed or expelled whenever they are uncovered, though this is dependent on the society in question. Above all however, as a rule, underrepresented peoples tend to disproportionately find themselves in the adventuring profession.
Common Races of Aeilla
Backgrounds
Aeillan society is highly organized, and well developed with a clear division of labor, and is, for all intents, "civilized". As a result, there are professions and backgrounds that exist in Aeilla, but in few other places, academics such as Archaeologists, Anthropologists, Cloistered Scholars, and Sages are present in the cities, and some adventure out into the world to obtain more knowledge. Skilled professionals are also present in comparatively large numbers, Entertainers, Guild Artisans and Merchants, Sailors, and religious Acolytes. The profession of arms is also quite strong in Aeilla, with Soldiers, Marines, Bounty Hunters, and Mercenaries. The criminal underground is also quite lively with Spies, Faceless Agents, Pirates, and otherwise normal Criminals. At the top of society lies a network of Nobles and Courtiers. Peoples of other backgrounds (aside from of course, farming) are quite rare, except possibly among emigres and slaves, or stuck in urban workhouses.
Common Backgrounds
Classes
There are a fair number of adventurers in Aeilla, of broad background and skill types. As a general rule however, Aeillan adventurers, or at least those commonly from Aeilla tend to have "civilized" professions, with little access to psionics or the art of unarmed combat.
Artificer: Rather common, though not to the extent that it can be found in nearby Grecci, and Cyrenic socities. They are particularly often found urban areas, artificers are often of the educated and professional classes. Artificers most commonly follow these paths;
Alchemist,
Armorer,
Artillerist,
Battlesmiths
Barbarian: Exceptionally rare, at least among native Aeillan populations, barbarians are often found in gladitorial pits, or mercenary bands, if at all. Those barbarians who do exist as part of the local population are overwhelmingly
Religious Zealots.
Bard: Bards are highly sought after, and for adventurers, common class of people who travel the trade lanes of the region trading performance for food and shelter. Aeillan bards are a diverse lot, and can commonly be found treading these paths;
Eloquence,
Lore,
Swords,
Valor,
Whispers
Cleric: Among the most common types of adventurers in Aeilla, clerics are often drawn from the large and organized temples, or are nobles trained by the temples but with no formal rank. Aeillan Clerics draw their domains from the gods they worship, and generally take up the following paths;
Ambition,
Arcana,
Death,
Forge,
Grave,
Knowledge,
Life,
Light,
Nature,
Order,
Solidarity,
Strength,
Tempest,
Trickery,
War,
Zeal
Druid: Relatively uncommon in the more civilized realsm of Aeilla, and with little to no formal religious support, there are a few small, old school circles of astrologers, that are considered part of the wider
Circle of Stars.
Fighter: Those who take up the profession of arms in Aeilla tend towards skill and technique over fancy eldritch power, though the occasional studied warrior-mage is not unheard of. Aeilla is also home to an almost uniquely large number of skilled gunslingers in their midst. Common fighter paths include;
Arcane Archer,
Banneret,
Battle Master,
Cavalier,
Champion,
Eldritch Knight,
Gunslinger
Monk: For the most part, monks aren't commonly found in Aeilla. With no monastic schools nearby, Aeilla's monks are almost entirely from overeas. The only notable group of monks is a small group of strange plague doctors that follow what they call the
Way of Mercy.
Paladin: Paladins, warriors belonging to a number of Holy Orders, are heavily concentrated as a group, in areas in and around the Holy City of Thibaia, and in smaller concentrations around major temples. Common paths for Paladins are;
Crown ,
Devotion,
Glory,
Redemption,
Watchers
Ranger: In the settled lands of Aeilla, there is little need for watchers of the wild, or at least, the material wild. Instead, most trained in the ways of Rangers, are recruited by conclaves dedicated to exploring the outer worlds, though there are some who are trained specifically to hunt and kill any large intruding monsters. Common ranger paths include;
Fey Wanderer,
Horizon Walker,
Monster Slayer
Rogue: Rogues are often people who have long been underprivileged, meaning that most often lack formal education, and therefore have only limited access to magic or other, stranger supernatural abilities at best. Assassins are quite common, and indeed highly sought after for their ability to dispose of problematic persons. Rogue paths taken frequently in include;
Assassin,
Inquisitive,
Mastermind,
Scout,
Swashbuckler,
Thief
Sorcerer: Sorcerers are a strange lot in Aeilla, oftentimes the result of experiments by the nobility to integrated planar markings, and planetouched blood into their families, many sorcerers are actually given formalized training at the hands of other, more experienced sorcerers. Common Sorcerer paths include;
Clockwork Soul,
Draconic Bloodline,
Divine Soul,
Shadow Magic
Warlock: Warlocks are quite rare in most classes of society, those who make as pacts with entities seen as "evil" are persecuted by Aeillan authorities, and those that are deemed a threat to society, if found out are killed without mercy. Rather, pacts are largely among the nobles, usuaully to secure planar blood. Common Warlock paths include;
Celestial,
The Genie
Wizard: As Aeilla is host to a major mage's college and turns out more trained wizards than nearly any other regions of Galisea. Wizards can be trained in any school of magic, with the specialized training for war magic and scribes. Necromancy is tolerated in Aeilla, but is tightly controlled. Wizards can be found in numbers (for wizards), for any of the these paths;
Abjuration,
Chronurgy,
Conjuration,
Divination,
Enchantment,
Evocation,
Graviturgy,
Illusion,
Necromancy,
Order of Scribes,
Transmutation,
War Magic
