I also drafted an introductory gazatteer to familiarize the players with the region:
The Empire. The Empire is reminiscent of medieval Byzantium. As a result of civil wars and barbarian invasions in the west, it is a shell of its former self. Nonetheless, even in its reduced state, it remains quite powerful. The city-states of Ib and Mnar both pay annual tribute to the Empire. Its Eastern Marches largely consist of farmland and small towns. Two legions are quartered in Terminus, a military encampment and fortress located on a plateau. The most significant imperial city in this region is the port of Tium.
Magog. Magog is a hobgoblin empire. It stretches from the mountain citadel of Ang in the north to the military towers and fortifications in the south known as The Fangs. Its capital city is Kar-Natai, which houses the emperor and his household. Its next most significant city is Arak-Nul, which is the ancient seat of the priesthood of Nergal. At present, Magog exerts little influence beyond its borders due to an internal cold-war-like power struggle between the priesthood and the military leadership of the empire. Gog nominally is its vassal and pays tribute to the empire.
Gog. Gog is a kingdom of men polluted with goblinoid blood and by their long association with Magog as tributary and vassal. Its capital city is Samarokand. Historically, its influence over its neighboring city-states—Byblos, Put, and Ba’al-Gorod—has waxed and waned. At present, all of those city-states are fully independent. But Gog’s current king is young and vigorous and openly seeks to subjugate its neighbors. Broken Tooth originally was a military outpost of Gog, but the fortress has changed hands several times and now lies abandoned.
- Goblinoid-Blooded. The blood of goblins flows through the veins of the men of Gog; they are a new demi-human race—the half-hobgoblin. Though humanish, they have cruel features and other telltale signs of goblinoid heritage. They must be chaotic in alignment. Half-hobgoblins may be fighters, assassins, thieves, and clerics; they may advance to eighth level as fighters, any level as assassins or thieves, and eighth level as clerics but only of the cult of Molech. Half-hobgoblins can see in the dark up to 60 feet away, receive a +1 bonus to their strength and constitution scores, a +1 bonus to saving throws versus poison, +1 hit point per experience level, and a +1 bonus to hit elves and half-elves in combat. They also receive a -2 penalty to their charisma scores. Half-hobgoblins generally will be ill-treated outside of Gog and Magog.
Khmet. Khmet is reminiscent of ancient Egypt, but the last pharaoh sat on the throne in a capital far to the south long ago. The kingdom fell into disorder and disarray after a protracted war, in which sorcery reduced much of its limited fertile land to desert. Haven is its only remaining city in the north. It was conquered a decade ago by the Temple of Mitra, a crusading religious order that originated in the Empire. The Temple currently rules the city as an independent city-state. Sand Fort is an oasis and desert fortress on the caravan route across the desert.
Quedar. Quedar is reminiscent of pre-Islamic Arabia. It once was a kingdom of forests and lush vegetation. War and sorcery reduced it almost entirely to desert and little or nothing of the old kingdom remains. Its much-reduced population now consists of desert nomads and traders. Stone Trees is a petrified forest in a region of salt flats. Deep Wells is reputed to be a series of natural cisterns with potable water; the nomads nonetheless avoid it. Dustwall Keep originally was an outpost of Khmet; it currently is occupied by a reclusive religious sect of assassins.
Ba’al-Gorod. Ba’al-Gorod—the city of the gods—is devoted to a number of related cults. Its army is significant. Historically, it has been a rival of Put and Haven. But in light of Gog’s resurgence, Ba’al-Gorod has been less belligerent.
Byblos. Byblos is a city-state associated with scholars and wisdom. Its principal deity is Nebo, the god of math and writing. It has a weak army and navy and is the most geographically vulnerable of the city-states subject to Gog’s aggression. But its scholars possess—and closely guard—the secret alchemical formulae for Sagefire, an ancient incendiary weapon reminiscent of Greek Fire. Its vast stores of the substance are a considerable deterrent to would-be invaders.
- Sagefire. Characters who hail from Byblos may do double the amount of damage normally associated with oil as a missile weapon (see page 30 of the rulebook). But regardless of their actual constitution score, they also have a -1 penalty to their hit point modifier and a 50 percent raise dead survival rate (see page 8 of the rulebook).
Croatoa. Croatoa once was a colony of the Kingdom of Ceph to the southeast; during that kingdom’s civil war and dissolution, Croatoa gained its independence. It is a rival of Jub. Most of its dealings are in the south.
Haven. Haven is a cosmopolitan city-state associated with trade due to its location. It formerly was ruled by the priesthood of a frog cult. The cult was suppressed by the Temple of Mitra—a crusading religious order from the Empire—when it conquered the city a decade ago. Their grip on the city is fragile and they have little control beyond its borders. The men of Sand Fort are friendly with the city. The Pyramid is one of many within Khmet; dark rumors swirl about it.
Ib. Ib is a city-state associated with the farmlands of the surrounding countryside. Its principal deity is the agricultural god Attis. Its crops are traded far and wide in the region. It in an independent tributary of the Empire. Its relationship with the Empire is a friendly one.
Jub. Jub is a wealthy, independent city-state associated with trade, without regard to legality and morality. In particular, it is known for its vast slave market, lotus trade, and brothels, which are typically staffed by temple prostitutes in houses of worship. Jub’s principal deity is Mammon, a god of gluttony, greed, and lust.
Mnar. Mnar is a city-state associated with the vineyards of the surrounding countryside. Its principal deity is Comus, a god of wine, drunkenness, and revelry. Other regions produce wine, but Mnar’s are exquisite.
- Exquisite Wines. When imbibed for the purpose of healing under the Liquid Courage house rule, a bottle of Mnarian wine restores 1d6+3 hit points. Mnarian wine is always more expensive than other wines when it is available for purchase. Determine availability at the time of purchase by rolling a d6; it is available on a 1 or 2.
Put. Put is a city-state associated with mariners and fishermen. Its principal deity is the sea god Dagon. It has a very strong navy and a credible army. Its population is regarded as less than fully human by its neighbors. Put’s citizens often have webbed digits, bulging eyes, and even gills; a fishy odor sometimes accompanies their appearance. The Shield Wall—the mountains between it and Gog—afford it some measure of protection. Put is Haven’s principle rival.
- Fishy Lineage. Characters from Put are human, but have some fishy heritage. They add 25 feet to any swimming movement rate specified in the house rules, attack underwater without penalty, and may hold their breath for one additional round per character level than their constitution score would permit. They have a -2 penalty to charisma due to their fishy appearance (e.g., bulging eyes, scaly skin, webbed fingers or toes, gills).
Thar. Thar is all that remains of the fabled kingdom of Hyrcania that once governed the mountainous land to the south of the sea that still bears its name. Once a colony of Hyrcania, Thar is a small independent city-state. Its dealings mostly are in the north beyond the region depicted on the map.
Ulthar. Ulthar is a city-state primarily famed for its religious cult devoted to the cat goddess Bastet, a deity associated with joy, dance, and music. In Ulthar, the killing of felines is a crime punishable by death; so the city teems with them. The city’s population consists of a new demi-human race—Cat People—whose statistics are specified below.
- Cat Folk. Cat Folk are demi-humans who resemble humans but have lither bodies, more delicate features, and piercing blue, golden, or green eyes. They must be neutral in alignment. Cat Folk may be fighters, magic-users, or thieves. They usually may advance to the sixth level as fighters, but seventh with a strength score of 17 and eighth with a strength score of 18. They may advance without level limits as magic-users or thieves, but they may not cast spells beyond those of fifth level as the former. They can squeeze through any opening they can fit their head into; if questionable, roll a d6 and on a roll of 1–3 they succeed. They can traverse narrow ledges, tightropes, and the like with the same percentage chance that thieves have to climb walls (see page 24 of the rulebook). Cat Folk reduce all falling damage by rolling 1d2+1 for each level of experience.
- Optional Rule: Nine Lives. Under this optional rule, Cat Folk who are slain may reduce their constitution score by one point and be rendered unconscious instead. Cat Folk may use this mechanic nine times over the course of the life of the characters, subject to their constitution score, and may not be raised from the dead by other means (e.g., a raise dead or wish spell). Once a character using this optional rule has risen from the dead nine times, he may not be raised again by any means; he gets nine lives and no more.
Iron Spires. Though there are other dwarven holds in the north and east, none is as well known and magnificent as the Iron Spires, a series of mountainous towers that stand watch over mines and a subterranean city. The Spires seldom admit outsiders. The dwarves maintain a semi-permanent settlement on the lands above the surface for trading purposes.
Farwood—the Sea of Leaves. The Farwood is a vast forest to the east to which the elves withdrew after the cataclysmic ancient war that destroyed Khmet and Quedar. It is unknown whether they remain there in strength to this day or have withdrawn further. It is said that none who enter the wood return. Refuge is rumored to be a woodland city of elves and their woodland allies. Standing Stones is a set of gigantic abandoned menhirs.
Halflings. Though there are some small halfling communities within the Empire and they can be found in most of the cities in the west, halflings have no nation of their own in this region.
Black Pools. Hyrcanian scribes long ago wrote of a land of dark pools in the north. Corrupted translations of the texts have rendered the nature of these pools a mystery. Various translations report pools of oil, restorative springs, entrances to a subterranean sea, and otherworldly portals.
Remnant. The ruins now known as Remnant once were the city-state of Kition, a significant naval power and tributary of the Empire. Formerly, it sat on a peninsula rather than an island. A massive earthquake in the ancient world sank part of the peninsula and destroyed the city.
Shadowwood. The Shadowwood is so named because it sits beneath and in the shadows of the mountains to its east. Bandits lurk within its borders, and it is said that even more dangerous creatures slink into it from the surrounding mountains. Previously, its wood was used for shipbuilding by the fallen city-state of Kition.
- elves and hobgoblins are descended from the same ancient progenitor race; the latter fell under the sway of dark gods and became corrupt and wicked and abandoned elvish ways
- when the races of men were in their infancy, the elves sought to tutor them in the ways of civilization; the hobgoblins sought to tempt men to evil and enslave them
- the goblinoid-blooded men of Gog were born of the subjugation of men by the hobgoblins; half-elves were born of the partnership between men and the elves
- the ancient world was brought to a close by a cataclysmic war known as the Great Goblinoid Crusade in the chronicles; Magog, Gog, and their allies waged war on all others
- Khmet and Quedar were destroyed outright; each marshalled destructive sorceries in defense of their realms that shattered the kingdoms and rendered them desolate
- the city-states south of Gog were defeated and occupied for a short while; they and the Empire ultimately prevailed over the goblinoid host after Khmet and Quedar’s destruction
- the Empire’s position in the east has never fully recovered from the war; several city-states that formerly existed south of Gog were destroyed outright and never rebuilt afterward
- the dwarves allied with the Empire against the goblinoid armies and their allies; their losses were appalling and their population has never recovered
- though decisively defeated in the field, remnants of the goblinoid armies returned home; Gog and Magog have been far weaker ever since, but were never destroyed or occupied
- in the wake of Khmet’s and Quedar’s self-destruction, the elvish council decided that its partnership with men had been a mistake and retreated to the forests of the east
- some elves remain behind out of disagreement with the council, love for the humans and half-elves, or as watchers to keep an eye on the affairs of men and the goblinoid races
The Empire has resorted to recruiting northmen mercenaries to combat the barbarian tribes of the west. The northmen, who are reminiscent of dark-age Vikings, have steadily made their way into the east ever since. Players may opt to play two modified types of fighters.
Berserker. Berserkers relinquish the standard fighter abilities stated on page 14 of the rulebook (multiple attacks, parry, and strength bonuses). In their place, berserkers gain:
- battle rage: on a roll of 1–2 on a d6, they gain +2 to attack/damage rolls and suffer 1 less hit point of damage/die for 1d6 +1/level rounds; during this time, they are immune to fear, cannot retreat, and must attack
- shape-strong: once reduced to 0 or fewer hit points, they may make a saving throw each round; if successful, they continue fighting; they become unconscious or drop dead when they fail a saving throw or when battle ends
Valkyrie. Valkyries relinquish the standard fighter abilities stated on page 14 of the rulebook (multiple attacks, parry, and strength bonuses). In their place, valkyries gain:
- shield maiden: they receive a +2 shield bonus to armor class, which they may confer on another; once per day, they may sacrifice a shield to absorb 1d6+1 damage from any attack made against them or against a nearby ally
- mead of poetry: once per day, a valkyrie may confer a +1 bonus to hit and damage upon 1d6+1 allies for as many rounds as the number of people who are inspired by her verse
All northmen—whether berserkers, valkyries, or otherwise—receive a +1 bonus to saving throws against cold, frost, or ice-based conditions, effects, and spells. They receive a -1 modifier to their charisma scores and a -1 penalty to reactions rolls due to their foreign manner and appearance and unfamiliarity with local customs.
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