In the Old World there are many destinations that are slowly becoming endangered due to the expansion of civilization. Working to combat the deforestation of the mystical Giant Protea Rainforest, the O'naaj peoples dedicate their lives to guarding the entrances, restoring the land, and conserving its creatures.
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The O'naaj are an amphibious race of humanoids who primarily live in warm, humid environments. They find now comfort in wearing clothes as they have highly sensitive chromophores that allow them to reflect their environment and better blend in. With these chromophores is a fluorophore that is ejected violently when these amphibian humanoids are startled, enraged, or excited.
Bastions of reefs, sea life, and ocean waters.
Giant protea are renowned for their healing properties, but the waters that they cling to are rife with poisonous water pads. These protectors ward off unworthy travelers and guide the deserved.
A legendary warrior and curious soul, Skarthbrawp travels all the land to spread the word of his dying people. The Hu'un are peaceful, primitive, and find no convenience in technology. Preserving the old traditions and taking pride their unique tribes, the Hu'un rarely leave their homelands. Every decade, each Hu'un tribe elects their most powerful warrior to compete in games of strength, intelligence, and spiritual resilience.
Skarthbrawp, the strongest and most clever, was chosen to lead a quest to legendary status. This would be the last election of the Hu'un peoples. This was the journey that would lead the Hu'un people to be recognized as integral and no just antiquated.
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The Hu'un are a beast humanoid with tough hides and small, sharp quills along their arms and backs that resemble those from hedgehogs. These tribes are deeply spiritual and aim to achieve peace before all else. Hu'un do not believe in eating any living thing that has a conscience. Practiced in cultivating their land with almost mystical permacultural abilities, the Hu'un Tribes are the source of many traveling merchants seeking premium ingredients and spices.
Only the eldest and most adept Hu’un are tasked with traversing the world and spreading their message of the All Father. This warrior tribe dedicates their lives to training until their Rite of Travel.
Orcs are no stranger to the city of Wurmwall. Having played perhaps the largest role in the construction of the city, the Orcs are a well-founded race. Despite having helped build the city alongside Humans and Dwarves, Orcs find themselves a hot subject of prejudice amidst elves and goblins. Tensions have been steadily rising between the working class Orcs, Humans, and Dwarves against the aristocratic Elves and Goblins.
The natural armor of Orcs' thick skin and calloused exteriors make them ideal workers in construction, boiler yards, quarries. Exploited for their natural abilities, Orcs find it hard to find work anywhere other than manual labor--even if they have particularly excellent green thumbs, knacks for brewing, and keen eyes for design and architecture.
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Coming to the city of Wurmwall from a farming community, Okanar had intentions of finding work as an engineer and settling down. The politics of the city never bore much weight in Okanar's mind; it wasn't until he found himself in the middle of a jobless economy that the discrimination began to become evident. Early on he found his fists more diplomatic and lucrative as a merc for hire. His mysterious history keeps him well departed from sobriety. It is in drunken stupor that he fights--void of feeling and inhibition, but deep inside is the young Orc-boy that came to the city to build structures that broke the clouds.
These orcs are respected and revered for being hard to kill and extremely lucky. Spontaneous and stealthy, urban mercs are ideal for bounty hunting.
A lot has changed since the interdimensional portals opened up around Earth. One of the greatest changes was the introduction of highly intelligent rat folk. With their technology and contributions to science, humans were able to grow a space expedition. This expedition features intergalactic trade and space expansion. But with any expedition, there are dangers.
One such danger is the rebellion of rat folk for equal recognition and pay. These people seek to have their names recognized in their contributions to space exploration. Unfortunately, the fear of rat folk and the intimidation of their intelligence led many humans to undermine their efforts and leave them out of the textbooks.
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Rhea is a space rat of extraordinary intelligence and exceptional wit. She uses her skills conduction high-stakes heists in space. These include heists of massive shipments. Her intradimensional portal guns allow her to transport these goods within her dimension. What she doesn't know is that there is a dark secret behind the use of intradimensional travel...
Dwarves are formidable humanoids. Although short in stature, these humanoids boast a a nigh God-like aptitude in battle. Many dwarves find themselves linked to an earth element that the channel their strength from. In the instance of Orn, he channels the powers of stone in his veins. This allowed him to transform his left arm into an indestructible stone shield.
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At Orn's Last Stand, Orn and his companions were assailed by some of the world's most loathsome creatures. In a moment of consequence, Orn sent away his friends and committed his life to the Stone element. His body began to transform into a stone golem that was impervious to the attacks of the Neath's beasts.
It's been 90 years since the Goblins have been given the rights and privileges the other humanoid species were granted by birth. Goblins were long seen as an intelligent species of animal or a primitive race of humanoid. Although there have been efforts in the last 2 and a half decades to give Goblins a fighting chance, the social mobility of Wurmwall has stagnated.
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Skwee is a young Goblin who lives life with panache. He prides himself in his brightly colored hair (changing it every week) and particular fashion sense (yes, that is an authentic gold Gu-tji scarf). Despite his flamboyant life style, Skwee loves the quiet bustle of the city.
Ever since his father's death while working in the sewers, Skwee promised his mother he would never work as a manual laborer. And Skwee has truly done well for himself! It took many years of charismatic and hard work for Skwee to achieve his status as the aide to Ladrys, the city's Mayor. Skwee will often run errands for the Elf-lord in exchange for an allowance. This allowance is generous and provides for Skwee's single mother and young sister. Whatever is left-over, Skwee saves to eventually afford a house in the country for his hard-working family.
Avagantamos is a young adult human who grew up orphaned, but never alone. From early childhood she found herself always accompanied by fractal of her self. Remarkably sweet, kind, and forgiving, Ava was always too nice. It seemed that horrible accidents would always occur around her. No one could understand how a child, so loving and pure, could be surrounded by so much misfortune.
Ava always seemed preternatural in her intuition and foresight. Many would be put-off or disturbed by her innocence that had a foreboding aura. Little known to them, Ava is haunted by a dark half. All the vitriol, malice, and impure thoughts would be contained here. The more Ava would be put-down, bullied, and harassed, the more powerful her dark half would become. Ava, constantly unaware of its power, naively trusted in it as her protector and guardian--the only constant in a life of tragedy.
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Psychics are powerful beings. Often deemed as crazy or insane, these individuals range from fortune tellers to telekinetics. Avagantamos was a young psychic when she suffered a horrific trauma that resulted not only in the death of her esteemed family, but also in the fracturing of her mind. Ava lives life in the mindset of her 8 year old girl self. Her dark half harbors all her negativity and remains consistently unstable. Many psychics with similar stories often go missing with little to nothing remaining of who or what they were.
Sin Eaters are peculiar creatures whose souls are created in dimensions unknown. It is in the consumption of sins in these otherworldly places that they grow stronger. After their soul is established, it is awoken inside a vessel of suitable purity and innocence. Typically it is within infants that these souls are hosted. It is a benign possession, and these children grow to be near angelic in adulthood. It is usually after a traumatic experience that the Sin Eater is awoken. For some, their Sin Eater is never awoken and they continue to live wholesome lives.
After a Sin Eater awakes, they are sought for their ability to consume sins.
These angelic humanoids often find themselves employed by various houses of worship. Sin Eaters are respected and feared humanoids who are capable of providing transcendent relief or excruciating pain. Individuals who seek vindication of their wrong doings must be earnest in their efforts; otherwise the Sin Eater banishes their conscious mind to an extra-dimensional purgatory. This purgatory continues until the afflicted finds a renewed sense of purpose. Those who do find their sins absolved live in a blessed state that leaves them feeling lucky for days, sometimes weeks. This is a strong incentive for high-rollers and mercenaries to seek out Sin Eaters despite the risks of poor intentions.
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Asa is a Sin Eater who found himself accompanying a small band of aspiring heroes. Having a propensity to be cold and detached, Asa quickly found himself growing fond of his companions. It was only when all their journeys came to an end that Asa could finally call himself a hero. In their last moments as a group, Asa absolved all the sins of his friends and immortalized their memories forever.
Traveling the seas of Valmorda, Swashbuckling Rats are the primary purveyors of exotic spices, rare textiles, and precious stones. They are well known for their aptitude on rough seas, and revered by many sailors. Not to be confused with pirates, Swashbuckling Rats are of a noble and brave creed. Known to dispose of warmongers at sea, the Swashbcukling Rats are feared by any pirate.
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Rous was born to the sea by Swashbuckling parents. She is a stong, independent spirit with preternatural gunslinging skills. Having a disdain for all pirates, she has become known as the most fearsome Swashbuckling Rat. Not only is she skilled at sea, Rous is very talented in wayfaring through any terrain when seeking treasures for her clients. Finding no pleasure in material goods, Rous continues to live a wealthy life at sea on the coin of the clients that entrust her to acquire their heart’s desire.
The shrine to Kaia of the Sheltering Fist was erected approximately 20 years after the events of the Shattering. Her canonization was inspired by the rumors of her appearing as a divine archon throughout the city, often in the wake of a mysterious beggar that wandered the streets of the suffering city. Her worship has increased dramatically as the fortunes of Wurmwall has changed for the better and she is one of the more popular of the Dimunae worshiped in the city.
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Wilson slept best in the shadow of the statue of Saint Kaia of the Sheltering Fist. He would often dream of her in dream-wanderings and she would always greet him with an easy smile and warm embrace. They would catch up in these dreams; Wilson telling her of the developments in Wurmwall since her passing. He remembered how in the early years after her passing her smile was less easy and she would often sob into her hands while he comforted her. She felt that she had failed the world and ins spite of his protestations to the contrary she remained incosolable. With time, however, her demeanor changed in these dreams and she became the old Kaia, then she became something even more. This night in his dreams she came to meet him as always and accompanying the shine of her smile was the shine of tears upon her cheeks.
“Why do cry old friend” his brow furrowed with sorrow to see her usually happy face so sad.
She hugged him as she always did but did not let him go “I and others have kept you whole and safe all these years but the time for your self induced exile is over. Old friends are coming for you Wilson. It’s time for you to be whole again.”
She broke off her embrace and looked deep into his eyes, “I weep because I will miss your visits dearest of friends, but I will always be here for you and in your heart.” She kissed him on the cheek and he felt as though a great spark traveled through his body. The reverie was broken as he felt another jolt go through his body, though this was not the kiss of the divine so much as the kiss of a hard boot to his ribcage.
Elves are humanoids of distinction in the city of Wurmwall. Having lost their colony city of Queloss in the madness following the Shattering what remained of these proud beings were given a place to settle in the sheltering arms of Wurmwall. The elven exclave of Syjul was established and they began to make themselves an important part of the city’s survival almost immediately. To this day they successfully walk a fine line of interacting with the citizens of Wurmwall while maintaining their elven refuge. Dreams of reclaiming Quelloss remain a distant dream, but there is always hope to someday walk among the stones, cut by their own hands, of their lost colony.
Ladrys had always valued practicality. Items and other beings were judged solely on their usefulness to further his ends. A long lifetime spent in a self-serving quest to become…he knew not what anymore. Personal power was what he had sought to accumulate once upon a time, but that was before Wurmwall, before that damnable encounter with Wilson, Skarthbrawp and the others. Now, a hundred years later, with those old companions, some made martyrs, some descended into villainy, he found his old ways had slowly changed. For better of worse he had finally found himself attached; even, dare he say, in love with this damnable city. He had helped to nurse it through those horrible decades after the coming of Baletide, the Shattering and the Plague of Gates. Now Wurmwall was thriving again and he found himself still evaluating, still assessing the value of things and beings as tools but no longer for personal gain. Wurmwall was his city now and after seeing her through the chaos he would see her through to her golden age. The time had come for him to move on and play a larger game for his city. In order to do that he needed to drag a friend out of the muck of guild and self-loathing the old comrade now found himself adrift in. He had sent men to fetch him at the shrine of Saint Kaia of the Sheltering Fist. He could have easily gone himself but he had not set foot in the shrine since the stature of Kaia was erected. In spite of the century since her passing, the wound was too raw for his elven soul.
Learned in the ways of High Society and all things occult and arcane.
Necromancers dedicated to the dark arts.
Lives dedicated to desert touchstones, these elves and their steeds are undying protectors.
God-like spirits, these creatures are capable of miraculous healing, catastrophic devastation, or magnificent displays. Vessels not only contain the spirits of these creatures, but their companions. Those who possess the vessel are accompanied by the companions and may ask minor tasks or favors to be completed. And should the individual ask too many favors, he may see his luck dwindle at exponential rates. Equally unfortunate, should the owner of the vessel use his three wishes, he may find himself sacrificed to feed the Djinn with his spiritual energy. Formidable and insidious, Djinn are not creatures to be trifled with.
