Welcome to TiddlyWiki created by Jeremy Ruston, Copyright © 2007 UnaMesa Association
*When we become to complacent Ch’dar reminds us of our fragility.
*The creatures of the ocean feed us, so we in turn can feed them.
*A hard days work deserves a hard days play.
*Sing, dance, make merry, and at all times keep a wary eye on the horizon.
*Belaying pins make handy weapons.
*Love is nothing but trouble.
*Whale spouts on the horizon mean great joy, a baby will be born soon.
*Courage comes from acting, not thinking.
*A fire left unattended is like a dolphin at play, unpredictable.
*Never wish for the future, it will be here in but a moment.
*Laugh at the sliver, laugh when the shark bites, laugh at your enemy, and your life will never be empty.
*Know yourself to know others.
*Be yourself, for you can be no one else.
*A sharp hook catches many more fish than a dull one.
*Trouble is on it’s way when the ship’s cat turns up it’s nose at
fish guts.
//-- contributed by <nowiki>ThePointyOne</nowiki>//
As of standard year 593, Kady is the [[Oltan]] of clan [[Arrowlfight]], a fierce fighter known for her superior horse riding skills.
Literally, <nowiki>"gathering place of the people."</nowiki> It is the spot on the northern banks of [[Lake Torogan]] where all the clans gather for the annual summer festival.
[[Bak'Tiar Factbook]]
[[The Bak'Tiar People]]
[[The Horses of Bak'Tiar|Horse, Bak'Tiaran]]
[[Bak'Tiar Society and Culture]]
>[[Horselord]]s
>[[Sealord]]s
>[[Riverrunner]]s
[[Ch'dar]]
[[Ecology of Bak'Tiar]]
[[Pol'tiar]]
[[Bak'Tiar Packages]]
[[Istane Map]]
''The Land''
*Location: Continent of [[Istane]]
*Geographic Coordinates:
*Map References: [[Istane Map]]
*Area:
*Area comparative:
*Land boundaries:
*Coastline:
*Climate:
*Terrain: vast flat plains, rolling hills, grasslands. Some forested areas.
*Elevation extremes: Lowest point: [[Lake Torogan]], 25 below sea level; Highest Point: [[Kelandor Pass]], altitude 7283 feet
*Natural resources: Cattle and cattle by-products. The Bak'Tiaran horse.
*Land use: Forested land, 10%; range land, 90%
*Irrigated land: None by man-made means
*Natural hazards: dust storms, wild fires, tornadoes, drought, flash floods, snow and blizzards in the far north during winter.
*Known predators/menaces: lions, jackals, hyena, cheetah, rattlesnakes, water moccasin, wyverns. See [[Ecology of Bak'Tiar]] for a complete list.
''The People''
*Population: Unknown. Estimates range from 500,000 to 1.5 million.
*Age Structure: 0-14 years, 28%; 15-84 years, 67%; 85 and over, 5%.
*Population growth rate: 1.2%
*Sex ratio: 51% male, 49% female
*Infant mortality: 13.5 deaths per 1000 live births
*Life expectancy at birth: 93 years on average
*Ethnic subsets: [[Horselord]]s (land-based) 70%; [[Seaord]] (sea-based) 20%; [[Riverrunner]]s, 10% (all based on rough estimates)
*Religions: worship of [[Ch'dar]], though there are no churchs.
*Languages: [[Pol'tiar]], [[TradeSpeak]], smattering of the Istani statelet languages
*Literacy: (//defiinition: age 15 and over can read and write//) 25%
''The Government''
*Government: Clan autonomy, gerontocracy
*Capitol: Tiran
*Administrative divisions: none, though the differing ethnic subsets might replicate <nowiki>"administrative divisions."</nowiki>
*National Holidays: The semi-annual clan gatherings, //Payr-al-kidret// in the winter and //Kum-al-kidret// in summer.
*Legal system: Council of Elders for each clan arbitrates all disputes. Inter-clan disputes typically arbitrated by the Grand Council which meets twice yearly at the seasonal festivals.
*Diplomatic relations with other nations: Minimal. Bak'Tiar maintains informal embassies in [[Cascadia]], [[Miruvor]], [[Sudaan]], [[Numenore]], and [[Vin-Nore]].
*Flag: Golden Horse on Green background
''The Economy''
*Currency: Barter (no proprietary coin)
*Economic overview: Most economic activity based on herding cattle. Secondary activity occurs with world trade conducted by the sea-going clans. Bak'Tiar produces most of the beef for [[Cascadia]], the [[ACSK]], and a fair share of [[Balkland]]'s. Secondary markets for leather goods and other products make up a fractional percentage of Bak'Tiar's economy.
*Taxes: Collected in [[Tiran]] when each clan brings its cattle in for slaughter. 2% of the sales of cattle products partially fund the city and its government, the rest is collected from foreign business interests who maintain a commercial presence there.
''Transnational Relations''
*Treaties: None
*Disputes: Ongoing dispute with [[Dhakkur City]] regarding kidnapping of clansmembers, smuggling, piracy, etc. Objects to the current government of [[Sun-Ya]], issues exist over the steady stream of refugees pouring into Bak'Tiar through [[Kelendor Pass]]. Good relations with [[Balkland]], [[Cascadia]], [[Miruvor]], [[Numenore]], [[Sudaan]], [[Vin-Nore]], and the [[ACSK]].
As with every other collection of humans, the [[Bak'Tiar]] have developed their particular social structure in response to basic requirements for survival in environments that too easily kill the wary or reckless. Likewise, their culture derives from basic human needs to thrive, procreate, and find some joy between birth and death. The [[Bak'Tiar]] have become who and what they are (the most successful species on the plains, specifically) by responding to environmental and biological imperatives with individual human ingenuity and collective cohesion.
The Bak'Tiar as a people are subsected into clans, family groups living and wandering together for protection and socialization. The most numerous are the herding land-wanderers who are also known as the [[Horselord]]s. The secondmost numerous are the sea-going clans, sometimes known as the [[Sealord]]s. The least numerous but also the glue that holds these disparate clanworlds together are the [[Riverrunner]]s whose knowledge and expertise of the inland waterways is unsurpassed.
There are many, many clans wandering the endless golden plains and restless seas, but all trace their lineage back to one of the [[First Twelve Clans]], said to have been created by [[Ch'dar]] Himself. A clanmember takes pride in his knowledge of his clan's history and can usually trace it back to what is known as the [[Year of Chaostide]], when a deadly, virulent plague (brought in by the sea clans) was followed by a land-sweeping wildfire. Tracing one's clan history past the Chaostide is a matter of guesswork, at best.
There are two times in a year (summer and winter) when chosen members of each clan gather. In summer for the [[Kum al kidret]] they meet at [[Bak'Kachina]], the gathering place on the shores of [[Lake Torogan]]. In winter, for hte [[Payr al kidret]], they meet in [[Tiran]]. Clans typically choose two elders to lead the group, with perhaps twenty adults and whatever young people must marry out of the clan.
These are major festivals which serve many purposes in Bak'Tiaran society: The introduction of <nowiki>"marriageable"</nowiki> young people to other clans; the trading of cattle and horses to strengthen the breed; to settle inter-clan disputes via fair hearing by the Grand Council of Clan Elders; to conduct games and competitions to hone skills and accrue clan honor; lastly, for the gathering and dissemination of all news, great and small. The festivals are a kind of cultural lubrication that keeps the scattered tribes and clans together, sharing a common language, history, and goals for the future.
*''Family Relations''
Throughout the remainder of the year, the clans are autonomous, each responsible for the areas they happen to occupy at the time, and their own defense. Such government necessary is retained by the Elders of each clan, who are usually the ultimate authority. The Elders are those who can no longer sit ahorse all day and ride with the herds, but whose skills and knowledge are still invaluable to the clan groups. Elders can, and do, live many years in such positions of authority and respect <nowiki>-- </nowiki> but when their faculties start to fail, they commit [[al-dishrom]] (ritual suicide) rather than be a burden to their people. Such an act is not a mark of disgrace or shame, but is instead celebrated with honor.
Monogamous marriage is unknown among the clans. When a young person marries, they marry into the entire clan, and become clanhusband or clanwife. A clanwife who desires to have children (it is not always required) is expected to conceive each of them with different husbands. It is also expected that a new clanhusband will cooperate with as many of his clanwives who wish to have children by him -- [[Ch'dar]] Himself is said to have spoken about the need for genetic diversity, and the Bak'Tiar took him very, very seriously.
This isn't to say that more traditional, one-on-one romances don't occur. They most certainly do! The [[Bak'Tiar]] are human, after all, and romance is certainly an inherent part of the human emotional landscape. Such romances are at least tolerated among the clans if not warmly encouraged so long as they don't jeopardize the internal structure or harmony of the clan.
Which of a clan's young people are permitted to stay within the clans and which must marry out of the clans is decided by the Elders of each. The person's geneology is recited, and the amount of consanguinity determines whether they can safely stay (contributing to the clan's gene pool), or must seek another clan to prevent in-breeding. The negotiations for such out-marriage are complex and sometimes quite lengthy, but culminate in the joining of the two clans by bonds of blood and honor. The newlywed must then learn the history and honors of his or her new clan, as well as retaining the knowledge of their own.
Once weaned, children are raised communally, with the Elders responsible for their health and education while the parents are working among the herds. This has served to tighten the emotional bonds of the Clan as a whole; a child learns to address all clan members in terms of family -- mother, father, grandparent, brother, or sister. Those from other clans are sometimes addressed as uncle, aunt, cousin, etc., especially if there is a significant degree of intermarriage between them.
*''Clan Laws and Traditions''
Clan law is largely governed by tradition, which in turn was set down for the [[Ull'Bak]], roughly translated as "[[Progenitors]]," by [[Ch'dar]] Himself. The traditions regarding clan marriage, outbreeding, maximum clan size, length of time to remain encamped in one place, the rules of gathering for festivals,
It is not unknown for clans to go to war with one another, but this is rare, indeed. The extensive intermarriage among the clans makes the entire concept of clan warfare distasteful. Most disputes are settled formally, by challenge or contest or by formal arbitration among the [[Grand Council of Elders]].
Some major clan names, translated to [[TradeSpeak]]. (L) denotes land-based clans, (S) denotes sea-going clans, (R) denotes river clans:
Arrowflight (L)
Bloodblade (L)
Clearsky (L)
Cloudsong (L)
Daggerstrike (L)
Dolphinfin (S)
Eagleclaw (L)
Freefoot (L)
Goldensun (R)
Goldenhorn (L)
Heartfire (R)
Jackalbane (L)
Prairieleaper (L)
Prairierunner (L)
Rapidrill (R)
Riversong (R)
Seabird (S)
Silverplain (L)**
Stormsail (S)
Sharktooth (S)
Skydancer (L)
Skysinger (L)
Swiftwater (R)<nowiki>*</nowiki>
Wavecrest (S)
Whalefin (S)
Windrider (S)
<nowiki>*</nowiki> Creativedv8tion's contribution
<nowiki>**</nowiki> Aaronymous' contribution
The array of talents and abilities known as the bardic gift is the rarest of all the [[paranormal gifts]] on [[Menelon]]. Manifesting in humans, [[elves]], and [[dwarves]] in about equal proportions, the gift can express itself in many forms of performance art, i.e. Music, Dance, and Drama. Through her art, a bard can draw an entire audience into a reality of her own creation, which has as much or as little to do with mundane reality as she sees fit. The
depth and intensity of the performance is largely dependent upon the bard's skill, of course, but relies upon their ability to visualize and project those visions into the minds of the audience.
The talent has been studied and analyzed by some of the finest minds in [[Menelon]]'s history. Though those within the audience can see and hear, taste and smell everything the bard manifests, those standing just outside that effect see and hear nothing out of the ordinary. Within the audience, anyone who wishes to withdraw from the performance may do so by simply forcing themselves to think of something, anything else. But they cannot then return to the bard's show until or unless the bard begins a new song, set, dance, or scene. New audience members are likewise left out until the bard begins a new phase of their performance.
The finest bards undergo many years of formal training and education in order to make the best use of their gifts. Their minds and abilities are honed and disciplined to the highest degree while in training, and the teachers at the schools take that opportunity to warn and instruct their students on the more dangerous aspects of their power. For if a bard focuses his mind upon the mind of a single foe, he can draw that mind into a reality of his making from which it is nearly impossible for the victim to extricate himself. Locked into that reality, the victim can suffer damage and perhaps even die from the wounds he suffers there!
Rare and potentially dangerous, bards are sometimes greeted with apprehension in the cultures of [[Menelon]], but always with a great degree of respect and awe for the powers they can bring to bear.
''BASIC CONSTRUCTION''
Musician/Storyteller:
|!Cost|!Ability|!AP|!End|!Adv/Lim|
| 27 |multipower reserve|40| |-.5*|
|5m|6d6Mental Ill.|60| 6|+1/-1.25**|
|5m|See below***| | |
|37|Multipower Cost| | |
| | | | |
|5 |Immune to Illusions, mental and magical| | |
|3 |Perfect Pitch| | |
|3 |PS: Bard****| | |
|3 |Scholar| | |
|2 |KS: Music| | |
|2 |KS: History| | |
|2 |KS: Legends & Lore| | |
|2 |KS: Musical Instrumentation| | |
|1 |WF: Choose any one| | |
Total Cost: 54 points
<nowiki>*</nowiki>must use performance art (- 1/4), Concentrate 1/2 DCV (-1/4)
<nowiki>**</nowiki> Concentrate throughout 1/2 DCV (+1/4), Gesture both hands (-1/2), Incantation (singing or speaking) (-1/2), (6 END)
<nowiki>***</nowiki>Choose ONE 5 pt slot from the following list: 8d6 Mind Control; Retrocognition, 10d6 Dispel Magic; 4d6 Ego Attack, applying appropriate limitations until it reaches the "5pt" slot value.
<nowiki>****</nowiki>Includes one musical instrument
''Amplifer Crystals''
An astute reader will note that a 4 hex radius is not enough of an area to take in an audience in a big hall. Bards add to the "Area of Effect" advantage as they progress in experience, but still -- how does one manage to affect large concert-type halls?
The answer is, he has to get rich and famous enough to afford the magical power enhancers that will allow him to do just that. These crystals are about 3.5' tall, ten inches in diameter, and specially grown just for that purpose. It takes at least two to extend a bard's area of effect enough to take in a decent sized hall (about 250 people). Four will triple that range (750), and five of them set up correctly will allow for a maximum audience size of perhaps a 1200 <nowiki>--</nowiki> certainly as much as would ever attend a normal concert or performance on [[Menelon]].
The price tag on a matching set of five, however, is more money than is in some royal treasuries. A set of two is all most bards will ever afford, and even then the cost would bankrupt all but the most filthy rich of merchants.
There are only a few performance halls on [[Menelon]] that have these crystals built right into the structure of the building:
*Bishop-Florian Memorial
*Centre for the Performing Arts, Varsant Park in Fernwall
*the Tinuviel, in Vin-Nore
* the hall in the Emperor's Palace in [[Shanakra]], [[Sudaan]]
* the Subra-al'Iliar in [[Orahn]], [[Sudaan]],
Needless to say, playing one of these halls is considered to be the ultimate mark of prestige and success in the bardic profession.
''The State of Art on Menelon:''
''MUSIC''
Before and during the [[Great War]] (470 - 568), musical styles and technology mirrored those of Earth's Classical and NeoClassical eras, roughly encompassing the late 17th to mid-18th centuries. The modern piano had been invented at the start of the current millenium, descendent of the harpsichord, clavichord, and pianoforte. Great bards have produced stacks and stacks of musical scores for performance by soloists and groups, and the nobility of various countries supports all the arts by the patronage system. That system fell out of use during the Great War, however, and was not resumed after it.
Local music, commonly known as <nowiki> "folk music" or "country music"</nowiki> thrives away from metropolitan centers, and any wandering bard had better have a solid repertory of such native ballads, polkas, waltzes, and drinking songs to keep the locals in a backwater establishment entertained. Legends and epic tales also abound from [[Menelon]]'s long history, and the better a bard tells those tales the more likely she will make enough money on which to live.
After the Great War, the locals still like their native music, but the larger, international music arena is progressing in large, rapid jumps. The Romantic Era of Earth's late 1700s, and through the first two decades of the 1800's was encompassed in a mere twenty years, and then Menelon's musical history veers away from Earth's profoundly. Travel between worlds by several influential bards greatly influenced the development of musical theory on [[Menelon]], introducing so many new concepts and instrumentation that the common layman could not keep up. As of the year 586, most nobility still prefer the euphonious harmonies of the previous era, and the rural folk still ask for their polkas. The working people and young folk of the cities, however, support the upsurge of what is known as <nowiki>"modern music," </nowiki> keeping the demand for new music high.
The <nowiki>"gesture or incantation"</nowiki> limitation on a music specialist's power is in playing an instrument or singing, of course. If the instrument is taken away or the voice silenced, the illusions thus crafted begin to fade as per the rules written in the Hero rulebook.
''THEATRE''
The theatre flourishes in all its forms, from the sideshow puppeteers in remote villages to the great theatre houses of [[Fernwall]], [[Khor-kir]], and [[Shanakra]]. From comedies almost vaudevillian in nature to the most austerely philosophical recitative, Menelon's many peoples enjoy the art of the play, and a troupe of players entering a town or village is sure to cause a spontaneous holiday to be declared for the performance.
For a bard-dramatist, the play is definitely the thing, to paraphrase the playwright now known to history only as the [[Great Bard]], or the [[Immortal Bard]] (yes, this was [[William Shakespeare]]. The creators of the world of Menelon respect and appreciate his works so much that they've carried them, almost verbatim, from Earth onto Menelon). Scripts for simple one or two man shows, small ensembles, or an entire troupe line the libraries of Menelon's finest galleries, and word of a bard's presence in a troupe is, to coin a phrase, money in the bank.
A bard can save a theatre troupe a tremendous amount of money by simply reducing or eliminating the need for costumes, musicians, and props. His imagination supplies those things, backed by the inexorable force of his power and the willingness of the audience to believe. Those who can afford to pay the ticket prices will flock to the theatre to see the show, and if he's good at his art, the bard can find himself set up in a life-long career, and even arrange to take the show on the road when the current populace becomes slightly bored with it.
Chances are good that the bard will become bored with it first, however. Bards are never satisfied with the status quo, and always seem to be seeking new ways to express themselves and their gift. Those who choose drama and acting as their specialty often have as great a need to create new works as do their musician and dance brethren.
An acting bard's <nowiki>"gesture or incantation"</nowiki> limitation on the power consists of reciting lines of text from a play or poem, with appropriate stage movements to match. If the bard is held or silenced in some fashion, his illusion fades with the normal course of time, as is written in the rules.
''DANCE''
Dance on [[Menelon]] is not as widely supported as some of the other bardic specialties. As of 590 there are no great dance troupes, no ballet companies, nor flocks of [[Chirale]] dancers madly stamping their heels. The common man's exposure to formal dance in most cultures is often quite limited, and the nobility don't fare much better. Those cultures that do support a dance tradition have given the world of [[Menelon]] its sole bardic dancers, and through their art they too evoke an entire world of fantasy and illusion.
Like all the other bardic specialties, a dancer must have a wide base of knowledge from which to draw to invoke her power; perhaps even more, since the movements of a dance seldom leave one free to play an instrument simultaneously. Dancers must learn to emulate the range of sounds every instrument creates, not only singly but in groups, to further enhance the enjoyment of the dance.
Not only the mind must be trained, but the body as well. No athlete ever trained harder than a dancer, and bardic dancers are no exception. Their stamina and endurance are astonishing, since giving a bardic performance requires not only the movements of the body but the exercise of talent and power, too.
A dancer's <nowiki>"gesture or incantation"</nowiki> limitation is the dance, of course. If for any reason the bard's dance is stilled, the illusions created fade as per the rules in the Hero rulebook.
''RACONTEURS''
The art of the storyteller is widespread on Menelon. Literature thrives and abounds on every continent, and has only increased with the widespread use of the printing press developed at the turn of the millenium. Even so, much of Menelonian societies are pre-literate outside of the nobility, and a gifted storyteller will never need miss a meal or go without a warm bed when she's near some kind of civilization.
A bardic storyteller doesn't need to know much about music, or dance, or even drama; but that storyteller will definitely need as wide a repertoire of myths, legends, fairy tales, ghost stories, poems, tragedies, comedies, romances, and histories as he can cram into his head. The right story told at the right time has saved many a raconteur in the past, and probably will again in the future!
Storytellers will often learn some kind of musical instrument, though, as much to keep the hands occupied as to enhance the tale with background music. Players looking for appropriate material for their bardic characters really need look no further than their bookshelves, or work their minds no harder than to remember the fairy tales they heard as children. Rewritten with the proper Menelonian names and places, such a story becomes as timeless and appreciated as it is on our world.
A storyteller's <nowiki>"gesture or incantation"</nowiki> limitation is the tale they're telling. If the storyteller is silenced in any way, the illusions he's crafted fade as per the rules in the Hero rulebook.
This is the generic name for the Hero System talent that allows a character to converse intelligently with various animals. In the [[Bak'Tiar]] this ability is a [[industrial magical talent|industrial mage]] that is usually reflected in three ways among the Bak'Tiar. The first is by [[HorseTalkers|HorseTalker]], individuals who have this ability with horses. The second is by [[DolphinSpeakers|DolphinSpeaker]], those who can converse with the friendly sea going mammals. The third are [[OtterCallers|OtterCaller]], those who speak with the many otters found in the rivers.
As one might expect, each of these talents tends to correspond to each of the three types of clan ([[Horselord]], [[Sealord]], and [[Riverrunner]]) that relate to to those animals which are usually found working (and playing in the case of the otters and dolphins) in among them.
//-- contributed by Foreigner8//
''//A//''
''//B//''
''//C//''
''//D//''
*[[Dragon]]
*[[Dryad]]
''//E//''
''//F//''
*[[Faerie]]
''//G//''
*[[Ghost]]
''//H//''
*Horse
>*[[Horse, Bak'Tiaran]]
>*[[Horse, racing]]
>*[[Horse, riding]]
>*[[Horse, war]]
''//I//''
''//J//''
*[[Juggernaut]]
''//K//''
*[[Karthak]]
''//L//''
*[[Lich]]
''//M//''
''//N//''
''//O//''
*[[Ogre]]
*[[Orc]]
*[[Otter]]
''//P//''
*[[Pixie]]
''//Q//''
''//R//''
''//S//''
*[[Skeleton]]
*[[Sprite]]
''//T//''
*[[Tiamat]]
*[[Troll]]
''//U//''
''//V//''
*[[Vampire]]
''//W//''
*[[War Orc]]
*[[Wyvern]]
''//X//''
''//Y//''
''//Z//''
*[[Zombie]]
As of standard year 593 Corvan is the clan [[Oltan]] for Bloodblade. Despite his clan's ominous moniker he is a soft-spoken man known for his ability to heal rifts and resolve disputes, almost before they've started.
Officially classed a pole arm, a boat hook is essentially a long pole with a hook and spike on one end. It is the traditional tool and weapon of the [[Bak'Tiar]] [[Riverunners|Riverrunner]] where it is used to pole barges and small watercraft as well as a defensive weapon in hostile boarding actions.
|!WPN|!OCV|!Damage|!Stunx|!StrMin|!Body|!DEF|!L|!Notes|
|Boat hook|+1|4d6N or 1d6AP|0|10|5|4|M|2-handed|
The body of the fallen is taken to the lead ship and arranged with honor on the proper Burial Board. There are three boards all painted with the accomplishments of the clan in gold, enamel and jewels. One is for warriors, one is for artists, and the last is for those who dedicated their lives to the service of the clan.<nowiki>*</nowiki>
If the deceased had any treasure that they valued, or the family has something they would like to place with the body this will be wrapped and secured in their hands, over their heart. (Though nothing is taken into the afterlife, many Sealords feel that giving up these items helps them to say goodbye to their loved one.)
With great respect the Burial Board is carried aft by two elders, two adults, and two children who are chosen by the [[Oltan]] and the elders. There the board is placed in the middle of the deck and all onboard gather around it to hear the words of those left behind. The Oltan speaks the lineage of the one who has moved on as well as any achievements of that person. If there are
any present who wish to speak words of love of their clan mate this is the time. Once this is done, all present sing:
//Our mother the ocean she sings to us
She nurtures us
She comforts us
Our father the sky he shelters us
He nourishes us
He laughs with us
Our sister the moon
She guides us
She quiets us
Our brother the rain
He sings with us
He quenches us
Our family together gives life to us
To them we return when we die. //
After a few moments of refection the bell is rung, 3 times for each tens year the deceased lived.<nowiki>**</nowiki> Then the board bearers lift the board to the rail where a stone is then tied to the feet. The Burial Board is levered up to let the body fall to the water. After all signs of their passing are gone, the Oltan says, “So passes (name of departed) from our world to the next.”
<nowiki>*</nowiki>Strangers and children are given the same burial, but place on a simple non decorated board.
<nowiki>**</nowiki>Children under 10 get one ring for every year they lived. Strangers get only 3 rings.
//-- contributed by <nowiki>ThePointyOne</nowiki>//
<html>
<head>
<title>Cady Wyman Cathridge - Hero Designer</title>
</head>
<body>
<font size=+2><b>Cady Wyman Cathridge</b></font><br>
Player: China Pittenger
<p>
<table cellpadding="0" border="0">
<tr><td align="right"><b>Val  </b></td><td><b>Char   </b></td><td><b>Cost</b></td></tr>
<tr><td align="right">15  </td><td><b>STR</b></td><td>5</td></tr>
<tr><td align="right">18  </td><td><b>DEX</b></td><td>24</td></tr>
<tr><td align="right">10  </td><td><b>CON</b></td><td>0</td></tr>
<tr><td align="right">10  </td><td><b>BODY</b></td><td>0</td></tr>
<tr><td align="right">13  </td><td><b>INT</b></td><td>3</td></tr>
<tr><td align="right">10  </td><td><b>EGO</b></td><td>0</td></tr>
<tr><td align="right">18  </td><td><b>PRE</b></td><td>8</td></tr>
<tr><td align="right">10  </td><td><b>COM</b></td><td>0</td></tr>
<tr><td></td><td> </td><td></td></tr>
<tr><td align="right">3  </td><td><b>PD</b></td><td>0</td></tr>
<tr><td align="right">2  </td><td><b>ED</b></td><td>0</td></tr>
<tr><td align="right">4  </td><td><b>SPD</b></td><td>12</td></tr>
<tr><td align="right">5  </td><td><b>REC</b></td><td>0</td></tr>
<tr><td align="right">20  </td><td><b>END</b></td><td>0</td></tr>
<tr><td align="right">23  </td><td><b>STUN</b></td><td>0</td></tr>
<tr><td></td><td> </td><td></td></tr>
<tr><td align="right">6"  </td><td><b>RUN</b></td><td>0</td></tr>
<tr><td align="right">2"  </td><td><b>SWIM</b></td><td>0</td></tr>
<tr><td align="right">3"  </td><td><b>LEAP</b></td><td>0</td></tr>
</table>
<b>Characteristics Cost:</b> 52
<p>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0">
<tr>
<td align="right"><b>Cost  </b></td>
<td><b>Power</b></td>
<td align="right"><b>END</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="right" valign="top">10  </td>
<td>Luck 3d6 (15 Active Points); Only When Serving The God's Purposes (-1/2) </td>
<td valign="top" align="right">0</td>
</tr>
</table>
<b>Powers Cost:</b> 10
<p>
<table cellpadding="0" border="0">
<tr>
<td align="right"><b>Cost  </b></td>
<td><b>Martial Arts Maneuver</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">4  </td>
<td>+1 Ranged Damage Class(es) </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">4  </td>
<td>Ranged Disarm: 1/2 Phase, +0 OCV, +0 DCV, Range +0, Disarm, +4 DC to Disarm </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">5  </td>
<td>Dagger's Eye: Killing Throw: 1/2 Phase, -2 OCV, +0 DCV, HKA 1d6 +1 , Target Falls </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">4  </td>
<td>Assassin's Slice: Killing Strike: 1/2 Phase, -2 OCV, +0 DCV, HKA 2 DC </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">3  </td>
<td>Basic Strike: 1/2 Phase, +1 OCV, +0 DCV, 5d6 Strike </td>
</tr>
</table>
<b>Martial Arts Cost:</b> 20
<p>
<table cellpadding="0" border="0">
<tr>
<td align="right"><b>Cost  </b></td>
<td><b>Skill</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">3  </td>
<td>Lipreading 12- </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">3  </td>
<td>Shadowing 12- </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">0  </td>
<td>+0 with a group of similar Skills </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">3  </td>
<td>Breakfall 13- </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">3  </td>
<td>Lockpicking 13- </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">3  </td>
<td>Riding 13- </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">3  </td>
<td>Sleight Of Hand 13- </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">3  </td>
<td>Stealth 13- </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">5  </td>
<td>+1 with a group of similar Skills </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">3  </td>
<td>Acting 13- </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">3  </td>
<td>High Society 13- </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">3  </td>
<td>Seduction 13- </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">3  </td>
<td>Streetwise 13- </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">5  </td>
<td>+3 with single Characteristic Roll (Custom Adder) [<b>Notes:</b> Perception roll limited to people.] </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">6  </td>
<td>+2 with any three maneuvers or a tight group of attacks </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">3  </td>
<td>Dagger - Fast Draw 13- </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">2  </td>
<td>WF: Blades, Thrown Knives, Axes, and Darts </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">2  </td>
<td>Language (fluent conversation) </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">2  </td>
<td>AK 11- </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">3  </td>
<td>Fast Draw, Daggers 13- </td>
</tr>
</table>
<b>Skills Cost: </b>61
<p>
<table cellpadding="0" border="0">
<tr>
<td align="right"><b>Cost  </b></td>
<td><b>Perk</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">4  </td>
<td>Fringe Benefit: Basic 8- Contact, Basic 8- Contact:, Level 1 Field Agent, Membership: MARCUS Agent </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">2  </td>
<td>Money (base 10 pounds monthly): Well Off [<b>Notes:</b> This is considered "middle income" in Fernwall.] </td>
</tr>
</table>
<b>Perks Cost:</b> 6
<p>
<table cellpadding="0" border="0">
<tr>
<td align="right"><b>Cost  </b></td>
<td><b>Talent</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">12  </td>
<td>Combat Luck (6 PD/6 ED) </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">4  </td>
<td>Custom Talent </td>
</tr>
</table>
<b>Talents Cost:</b> 16
<p>
<b>Total Character Cost:</b> 165
<p>
<table cellpadding="0" border="0">
<tr>
<td align="right"><b>Val  </b></td>
<td><b>Disadvantages</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">5  </td>
<td>Social Limitation: Owes a Marker: (Occasionally, Minor) [<b>Notes:</b> The character owes someone in the game a favor, not just any favor - a big one.] </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">10  </td>
<td>Psychological Limitation: Passionate About the Urilian Church: (Uncommon, Strong) </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">10  </td>
<td>Psychological Limitation: Believes she has Urilia's Favor: (Uncommon, Strong) [<b>Notes:</b> Believes Unwaveringly that she is Protected by Urilia. Overly confident and prone to do reckless and adventurous things because Urilia favors her.] </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">5  </td>
<td>Psychological Limitation: MARCUS Code of Ethics: (Uncommon, Moderate) [<b>Notes:</b> * Agents know only what they need to know.
* Agents watch out for one another.
* If one of ours is hurt, we kill one of theirs.
* If one of ours is killed, we kill ten of theirs.
* If you're captured, tell everything you know as soon as you're given the chance.
*If you have to break the law, don't get caught.] </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">1  </td>
<td>Quirk: Cocky </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">1  </td>
<td>Quirk: Doesn't Always Play Fair  </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">1  </td>
<td>Quirk: Impulsive </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">1  </td>
<td>Quirk: Mischeivous </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">1  </td>
<td>Quirk: Sea Sick </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">15  </td>
<td>Hunted: MARCUS Agency 11- (Mo Pow, NCI, Watching) </td>
</tr>
</table>
<p>
<b>Disadvantage Points:</b> 50<br>
<b>Base Points:</b> 100<br>
<b>Experience Required:</b> 15<br>
<b>Total Experience Available:</b> 17<br>
<b>Experience Unspent:</b> 2
</body>
</html>
The following is the calendar used in most human civilized regions of Menelon. The month names originated primarily in [[Fernwall]] and [[Sudaan]], but with the increase in travel among the continents, are now widely accepted throughout the human nations of the world.
The calendar is based on the old elvish/dwarvish calendar, which is a seasonal calendar system synched to Menelon's two moons. [[Silvana]], the larger of the two, has a twenty eight day cycle. Thus, the year was divided up into 12 months of 28 days apiece. [[Thorian]], the smaller moon, has a 91 day cycle. So to each collection of three months of 28 days each, a week (7 days) long festival was added, which is outside any calendar month. (This actually totals 91 days per seasonal period, but allowed the creation of a symmetrical system, which was considered a vast improvement over the rather confusing <nowiki>-- if ancient -- </nowiki> elvish/dwarvish calendar). <nowiki>WinterFest</nowiki> is exception and is 8 days long, day five of <nowiki> Winterfest</nowiki> being New Year's Day. The additional day day was necessary to complete Menelon's 365 day solar cycle.
Writing the dates in numerical form, as we often do in our real lives, corresponds to the manner in which it is done on Menelon. If the date is 6/15/587, then it is the fifteenth day of Laemath, 587 <nowiki>--</nowiki> the middle of spring. 5/3/86 would be the third day of <nowiki>SpringFest,</nowiki> in the year 586.
Now for the ever present exception. Because New Years Day occurs in the middle of <nowiki>WinterFest</nowiki> (literally midnight of the 4th day), 1/4/87 is actually the last day of the year 587, not the middle of the first week of the new year. 1/5/88 would be the first day of the year 588.
The months, and seasonal festivals are:
1 <nowiki>WinterFest (5th day of WinterFest</nowiki> begins the new year)
2 Tuela
3 Celestiath
4 Paelana (1st month of spring)
5 <nowiki>SpringFest</nowiki>
6 Laemath
7 Eldor
8 Uriliana (1st month of summer)
9 <nowiki>SummerFest</nowiki>
10 Amerian
11 Ilian
12 Chadane (1st month of autumn)
13 <nowiki>HarvestFest</nowiki>
14 Clamath
15 B'nath
16 Vilmath (1st month of winter)
All entries marked according to the Menelonian [[Calendar]] and denote the date markings used by most of the civilized world. NOTE that these year-dates don't correspond with Balcheri timekeeping but are listed here in an attempt to provide some background to the current campaign.
''Year 00''
*The two moons, [[Thorian]] and [[Silvana]] form an exact conjunction, an event which concludes the old calendar and begins the next.
''Year 428''
*Bubonic plague diagnosed in [[Shanakra]], [[Sudaan]].
*First plague death in [[Gloredil]], [[Miruvor]].
*Plague deaths detected in [[Bak-Tiar]],[[Cascadia]], [[Vin-Nore]], [[Numenore]], and [[Balkland]] by year's end.
''Year 429''
*Plague devastates large populated areas in [[Sudaan]], [[Korak]], and [[Sylantia]].
*//Laemath:// Port of [[Tiran]], [[Bak-Tiar]] closed and blockaded. All trade suspended.
*//Uriliana:// [[Fernwall]] sealed under quarantine. Port blockaded. All major arteries into the city are closed. Most major cities follow suit by year's end.
''Year 430''
*Civil order breaks down in Cascadia due to plague-related deaths. Eastern and western sections separated, the eastern-most duchy ([[Balinford]]) disintegrates into feuding factions.
''Year 431''
*Order restored in most of [[Cascadia]]. The former duchy of [[Balinford]] repels diplomatic and military attempts to rejoin [[Cascadia]].
*[[Tiran]] reopens, though only Bak-Tiaran ships permitted to resume trade.
''Year 433''
*Bubonic plague cure announced by Sudaani alchemists.
''Year 470''
*[[Great War]] begins. [[Sudaani Empire]] lands troops on [[Ameran-Indi]] to stop military build-up; instead are massively annihilated by a full standing orcish army. [[Confederation]] retaliates and lands troops on a demoralized Sudaani shore, wins an astonishing series of victories throughout the remainder of the year.
''Year 471''
*The Sudaani Emperor, pushed to the brink of defeat by the [[Confederation]], calls for help to the other free nations of the world.
*[[Cascadia]], bound by treaty with the [[Empire]], begins arming for war.
*The human kingdoms of [[Sylantia]] decline to become involved.
*The [[dwarves]] forge an immediate trade agreement with the Cascadian and Sudaani-Imperial interests.
*The [[elves]] on [[Sylantia]], strapped by severe drowish incursions, are unable to respond; but the [[High Elves]] in [[Fernwall]] begin diplomatic missions between the [[Confederation]] and [[Sudaan]]/[[Fernwall]].
*The [[Bak-Tiar]]an elders, alerted by the reports from the sea-going clans, begin deliberations in their councils to determine the positions of the clans in the matter.
''Year 473''
*After a [[Grand Council of Elders]] the [[Bak-Tiar]] publicly announce their neutrality' in the conflict. In late summer diplomats in secret are dispatched to Cascadia, Miruvor, Numenore, Vin-Nore, and Sudaan.
''Year 477''
*Bak-Tiaran clans unite to halt Confederation smuggling into and out of [[Dhakkur City.]] The freeport is essentially blockaded and cut off from resupply.
''Year 478''
*The seven Barons of [[Dhakkur City]] reach a treaty with the Bak-Tiar agreeing to end their function as a Confederate resupply port.
''Year 480''
*Seagoing Bak-Tiaran clans sink a total 43 [[Confederate]] ships in collateral combats.
''Year 528''
*[[Dhakkur City]] resumes trading with [[Confederate]] forces in the month of Celestiath. Is raided by Bak-Tiaran clans in the month of Ilian; all freeport trade driven back underground as a result.
''Year 533''
*Civil war breaks out in [[Sun-Ya]].
''Year 535''
*The rebel forces overcome the hereditary priest-knights of [[Sun-Ya]] in the capitol of [[Sigiri-ya]]. Priest-knights flee into exile.
''Year 547''
*[[Cascadia]]'s King [[Charles VII]] deposed in bloody coup de etat; parliamentary rule established.
''Year 550''
*Continent of [[Sylantia]] completely freed from [[Confederation]]
control.
''Year 568''
*Last battles of the [[Great War]] fought in [[Ameran-Indi]]. [[Alliance]] is victorious.
''Year 570''
*The continent of [[Ameran-Indi]] is quarantined and declared off
limits. [[IMMC]] charged with duty of keeping trespassers clear.
''Year 578''
*//03 Celestiath:// Revolt by disenfranchised Sudaani veterans. Known as the [[Celestiath Revolt]]. End negotiated without major bloodshed.
''Year 587''
*//14 Uriliana:// [[Cascadia]] accepts return of [[Prince Edward]], thereafter King [[Edward IV]] of [[Cascadia]]. Constitutional monarchy established.
*//Vilmath:// War orcs discovered in [[Fernwall]] city sewers. [[Rubiyet Intelligence]], as the responsible agency, is disbanded by royal decree and its cliffside headquarters destroyed by naval bombardment.
''Year 588''
*//04 Amerian:// [[Balkland]]'s capitol under supernatural seige. Captain [[William Terrell]] receives a plea for help from the Balcheri king, [[Olaf II]].
*//20 Clamath:// [[Korzethi|Korzeth]] ships arrive in the port of [[Tiran]]. [[Drow]] ambassadors disembark only to find there is no one central office where they may present their credentials.
*//28 Clamath:// After wandering around unsuccessfully for a week, the [[Korzethi|Korzeth]] resupply their ship and depart the port of [[Tiran]].
''Year 589''
*//5 WinterFest:// Impostor in the [[Korzethi|Korzeth]] diplomatic contingent discovered to have ties to the remnants of the [[Confederation]].
*//1 Tuela:// [[Korzethi|Korzeth]] diplomatic contingent expelled from [[Fernwall]].
*//Paelanna -- Summerfest//: Plot uncovered in the [[ACSK]] to start war among the duchies. A [[Sun-Yani|Sun-Ya]] [[Hunter]], a rich merchant from [[Dunlissford]] and a scion of the [[Camrose]] earldom in [[Cascadia]] found to be responsible.
*//15 B'nath:// Emperor [[Al-Rheni XXIII]] of Sudaan dies. His son Jamal is crowned [[Al-Rheni XXIV]] that same day.
''Year 590''
''A''
*//[[Arrowflight, Kady]]//
''B''
*//[[Bloodblade, Corvan]]//
''C''
*//[[Clearsky, Raziel]]//
*//[[Cloudsong, Jareth]]//
''D''
*//[[Daggerstrike, Cayala]]//
*//[[Daggerstrike, Tazon]]//
*//[[Dolphinfin, Urek]]//
''E''
*//[[Eagleclaw, Zeric]]//
''F''
*//[[Freefoot, Ashrai]]//
''G''
*//[[Goldenhorn, Brynt]]//
*//[[Goldensun, Sabian]]//
''H''
*//[[Heartfire, Adron]]//
''I''
''J''
*//[[Jackalbane, Gallaine]]//
*//[[Johnny Lightning]]//
''K''
''L''
''M''
''N''
*//[[Nightrunner, Elara]]//
''O''
''P''
*//[[Prairiedawn, Rhasc]]//
*//[[Prairieleaper, Kylun]]//
*//[[Prairierunner, Kaia]]//
*//[[Prairierunner, Lonette]]//
*//[[Prairerunner, Tadius]]//
''Q''
''R''
*//[[Rapidrill, Cambrel]]//
*//[[Riversong, Trendon]]//
''S''
*//[[Seabird, Daelin]]//
*//[[Sharktooth, Mikon]]//
*//[[Skydancer, Talan]]//
*//[[Skydancer, Tori]]//
*//[[Skysinger, Jandi]]//
*//[[Stormsail, Mavira]]//
''T''
*//[[Terrell, William]]//
''U''
''V''
''W''
*//[[Wavecrest, Jourdian]]//
*//[[Whalefin, Wylden]]//
*//[[Windrider, Aneeka]]//
''X''
''Y''
''Z''
Ch'dar is known the world over as the God of Wanderers. [[Vor]], nomads, vagrants, travellers all pray for his protection as they journey throughout the known and unknown lands (and seas) of Menelon. Though Ch'dar recognizes all wanderers, the children of men who've earned his special grace are the [[Bak'Tiar]].
Core to all the major religions of [[Menelon]] is the [[Menelindalassie]], the song or story of the creation of all things. Part of it, detailing Ch'dar's creation, is excerpted here:
>//Back in the before-time, before there were things separate from other things, the conscious void that was the [[Father God]] thought its first thought. It was a singularly magnificent thought, full of time indeterminate, beauty, grace, strength, the power to create, and a sense of the truth of eternity.
From that thought, [[Eldar]] came into Being. The fruit of the first thought became a feeling, and Love flung itself out joyously throughout the spiralling void. And as the infant god was also fully grown in the first chaos of time and timelessness, he became fused with (some say "wedded with") this divine Love which ever found its fullest expression in Him.
Out of that pairing came the desire to create as the [[Father God]] had created, to give birth to beauty and joy....
... when all this had come to pass and the stars wheeled in the heavens, the seas rested peacefully between the shores of the lands it was that all of life thus created became unsettled. Even Eldar, the eldest of the young gods, felt that restlessness moving in his heart. At first secret and slow it soon became fiercely yearning, a terrible longing to run, to fly, to swim, to sail, to ''move'' from this place to another place and to keep going even after that. The desire burned within his heart like a flame that would not be put out. It took strength from the Love within his breast and soon shook his whole body like a wild thing in a cage.
The other gods were concerned, for they did not know what could cause their serene elder brother such distress. Finally driven almost to madness, Eldar cast himself into the heavens, moving at great speed toward the constellation of stars known as [[The Reaver]], for whatever was within him could not remain within him while he lived. In the journey itself came the first surcease, for as worlds and suns flew by that yearning in him quieted, and the yearning itself drove him onwward. Farther and faster Eldar flew until [[The Reaver]] loomed before him, massive in scope.
The thought was upon the eldest of the younger gods, and he knew what must be done. Eldar threw himself upon the great stone altar beside [[The Reaver]], breast bared. Impassively, the Reaver's scythe fell, the point burying itself deeply in the god's chest. From that wound sprang forth the god Ch'dar and within him was all the restless yearning contained in every sea on every world imaginable...//
If each of the Gods can be said to embody an impulse, then Ch'dar's is indeed the restlessness yearning that can be found in every human heart.
The tall mountain just south of [[Lake Torogan]]. The name translates to "Guardian of Plains" and in fact the peak is visible for many leagues across the endless plains.
As of standard year 593 Raziel is clan [[Oltan]] for Clearsky. He is half-Bak'Tiar, his father was a Sudaanese historian who visited and traveled with the clan regularly until is death in 585 from natural causes. Dark-skinned Clearsky youths are highly sought after for //jeddan// (marriage) by other clans <nowiki>--</nowiki> Raziel's half-Sudaani heritage makes his bloodline a new and fresh one for clan offspring.
As of standard year 593 Jareth is [[Oltan]] for clan [[Cloudsong]]. Though blind in one eye Jareth is also the clan sharp-shooter and routinely wins far-shooting competitions during the semi-annual festivals.
This file contains an alphabetical list of some of the things the [[Bak'Tiar]] know about, often from the insular and somewhat provincial perspective of the [[Bak'Tiar]]. The information presented here makes no claims to completeness or accuracy -- it's simply "what everyone knows" if they happen to be [[Bak'Tiar]].
''//A//''
*[[Alchemist]]
*[[Alchemy]]
*[[Alliance]], The
''//B//''
*[[Bard]]
*[[Bardic College]], The
*[[BeastSpeech]]
''//C//''
*[[Calendar]]
*//[[Call Me Home|The Last Days of Clan Prairiedawn]] //
*[[Confederation]], The
*[[Crystals]], Magic
''//D//''
*[[D'nem]]
*[[Devara's Disorder]]
*[[DolphinSpeaker]]
*[[Dragon]]
''//E//''
''//F//''
*[[First Twelve Clans]]
''//G//''
*[[Golden Dawn]], The
*[[Golden Dawn II]], The
''//H//''
*[[Healer]]
*[[Hedge Wizard]]
*[[Horse|The Horses of Bak'Tiar]]
*[[HorseTalker]]
''//I//''
*[[IMMC]]
*[[Industrial Mage]]
*[[Industrial Magic]]
''//J//''
''//K//''
*[[Kelendor Pass]]
''//L//''
*[[Lath-atris]]
*[[Legend of the Sea|The Legend of the Sea]]
*[[LightBringer]]
*[[Lost Lake of Fools]], The
''//M//''
*[[Mage]]
*[[Magic]]
*[[Magitech]]
''//N//''
''//O//''
*[[Oltan]]
*[[OtterCaller]]
''//P//''
*[[paranormal gifts]]
''//Q//''
''//R//''
''//S//''
*[[Sea of Alagos]]
*[[Silvana]]
*[[Spine of the World]], The
*[[Svetova Kreye]]
*[[SwordMaster]]
''//T//''
*[[Thesker]]
*[[Thorian]]
*[[Treaty of Amiens]]
''//U//''
''//V//''
''//W//''
*[[World's End]]
''//X//''
''//Y//''
''//Z//''
/***
|''Name:''|CryptoFunctionsPlugin|
|''Description:''|Support for cryptographic functions|
***/
//{{{
if(!version.extensions.CryptoFunctionsPlugin) {
version.extensions.CryptoFunctionsPlugin = {installed:true};
//--
//-- Crypto functions and associated conversion routines
//--
// Crypto "namespace"
function Crypto() {}
// Convert a string to an array of big-endian 32-bit words
Crypto.strToBe32s = function(str)
{
var be = Array();
var len = Math.floor(str.length/4);
var i, j;
for(i=0, j=0; i<len; i++, j+=4) {
be[i] = ((str.charCodeAt(j)&0xff) << 24)|((str.charCodeAt(j+1)&0xff) << 16)|((str.charCodeAt(j+2)&0xff) << 8)|(str.charCodeAt(j+3)&0xff);
}
while (j<str.length) {
be[j>>2] |= (str.charCodeAt(j)&0xff)<<(24-(j*8)%32);
j++;
}
return be;
};
// Convert an array of big-endian 32-bit words to a string
Crypto.be32sToStr = function(be)
{
var str = "";
for(var i=0;i<be.length*32;i+=8)
str += String.fromCharCode((be[i>>5]>>>(24-i%32)) & 0xff);
return str;
};
// Convert an array of big-endian 32-bit words to a hex string
Crypto.be32sToHex = function(be)
{
var hex = "0123456789ABCDEF";
var str = "";
for(var i=0;i<be.length*4;i++)
str += hex.charAt((be[i>>2]>>((3-i%4)*8+4))&0xF) + hex.charAt((be[i>>2]>>((3-i%4)*8))&0xF);
return str;
};
// Return, in hex, the SHA-1 hash of a string
Crypto.hexSha1Str = function(str)
{
return Crypto.be32sToHex(Crypto.sha1Str(str));
};
// Return the SHA-1 hash of a string
Crypto.sha1Str = function(str)
{
return Crypto.sha1(Crypto.strToBe32s(str),str.length);
};
// Calculate the SHA-1 hash of an array of blen bytes of big-endian 32-bit words
Crypto.sha1 = function(x,blen)
{
// Add 32-bit integers, wrapping at 32 bits
add32 = function(a,b)
{
var lsw = (a&0xFFFF)+(b&0xFFFF);
var msw = (a>>16)+(b>>16)+(lsw>>16);
return (msw<<16)|(lsw&0xFFFF);
};
// Add five 32-bit integers, wrapping at 32 bits
add32x5 = function(a,b,c,d,e)
{
var lsw = (a&0xFFFF)+(b&0xFFFF)+(c&0xFFFF)+(d&0xFFFF)+(e&0xFFFF);
var msw = (a>>16)+(b>>16)+(c>>16)+(d>>16)+(e>>16)+(lsw>>16);
return (msw<<16)|(lsw&0xFFFF);
};
// Bitwise rotate left a 32-bit integer by 1 bit
rol32 = function(n)
{
return (n>>>31)|(n<<1);
};
var len = blen*8;
// Append padding so length in bits is 448 mod 512
x[len>>5] |= 0x80 << (24-len%32);
// Append length
x[((len+64>>9)<<4)+15] = len;
var w = Array(80);
var k1 = 0x5A827999;
var k2 = 0x6ED9EBA1;
var k3 = 0x8F1BBCDC;
var k4 = 0xCA62C1D6;
var h0 = 0x67452301;
var h1 = 0xEFCDAB89;
var h2 = 0x98BADCFE;
var h3 = 0x10325476;
var h4 = 0xC3D2E1F0;
for(var i=0;i<x.length;i+=16) {
var j,t;
var a = h0;
var b = h1;
var c = h2;
var d = h3;
var e = h4;
for(j = 0;j<16;j++) {
w[j] = x[i+j];
t = add32x5(e,(a>>>27)|(a<<5),d^(b&(c^d)),w[j],k1);
e=d; d=c; c=(b>>>2)|(b<<30); b=a; a = t;
}
for(j=16;j<20;j++) {
w[j] = rol32(w[j-3]^w[j-8]^w[j-14]^w[j-16]);
t = add32x5(e,(a>>>27)|(a<<5),d^(b&(c^d)),w[j],k1);
e=d; d=c; c=(b>>>2)|(b<<30); b=a; a = t;
}
for(j=20;j<40;j++) {
w[j] = rol32(w[j-3]^w[j-8]^w[j-14]^w[j-16]);
t = add32x5(e,(a>>>27)|(a<<5),b^c^d,w[j],k2);
e=d; d=c; c=(b>>>2)|(b<<30); b=a; a = t;
}
for(j=40;j<60;j++) {
w[j] = rol32(w[j-3]^w[j-8]^w[j-14]^w[j-16]);
t = add32x5(e,(a>>>27)|(a<<5),(b&c)|(d&(b|c)),w[j],k3);
e=d; d=c; c=(b>>>2)|(b<<30); b=a; a = t;
}
for(j=60;j<80;j++) {
w[j] = rol32(w[j-3]^w[j-8]^w[j-14]^w[j-16]);
t = add32x5(e,(a>>>27)|(a<<5),b^c^d,w[j],k4);
e=d; d=c; c=(b>>>2)|(b<<30); b=a; a = t;
}
h0 = add32(h0,a);
h1 = add32(h1,b);
h2 = add32(h2,c);
h3 = add32(h3,d);
h4 = add32(h4,e);
}
return Array(h0,h1,h2,h3,h4);
};
}
//}}}
//Contributed by Aaron Charles (Aaronymous)//
All over the Western plains of Istane, there grows a plant called D'nocken. This stemmy, weedy plaint is mostly left alone by the various herds on the plains as it bears little nutritional value up from the soil. Considered by the clansmen a nuisance weed, it will grow a bulbous seed pod once a summer, and this pod will swell with a thick fibrous material until the pod splits, and these fibers will continue emerge for days, each with a seed at its base. As they appear from the husk of the pod, birds will eat them, or they will spread into the wind, to find purchase in the soil and renew the cycle.
In the past four or five years, the wives of Clan Prairierunner have found a use for these fiber seeds. Harvesting them as the pods burst, they will use two curry combs, to straighten and align the fibers, pulling them into long strands, and removing the seeds at the same time. (The seeds are used as flavoring in food, and various other things, as well, but thats another story.) Once the fibers are aligned and thoroughly combed, they can be spun, much like wool. Using the spinning wheel, they can quickly make hundreds of thousands of yards of a coarse, tough thread from the harvest of a decent sized patch of D'nocken.
Once the thread is spooled, it can be woven into a thick, course and extremely durable fabric, that the wives have named D'nem. Using thick needles, and and a hearty thin thread, this cloth can be formed into trousers, jackets, cloaks, anything. It is a process the wives guard jealously, they know that eventually the secret will spread, but for now, it gives them status, and is making the clan prosperous. The going rate for a bolt of the fabric in raw form is three head of Cattle!
But that is not all. Not only does the normally white fiber readily accept dyes and colorings, the clan wives have found that when soaked in the blood of the cattle, some chemical change occurs, or a bonding. Washing the fabric afterwards leaves it rust red, and it sheds water like a duck's back.
Cayala is [[Oltan]] of clan [[Daggerstrike]] as of standard year 593. She is often called //Ana// (mother) by all clan members because she's had 15 babies (the youngest is 3 years old, the oldest 20) including 4 sets of twins -- a clan record.
Tazon was [[Oltan]] of clan [[Daggerstrike]] from standard year 417 to 464. He advocated rolling in cattle dung to prevent plague onset (though in no one's memory hadcattle dung noticeably slowed the last great plague (see [[Year of Chaostide]]). His other notable feature was his insistence upon wearing a fox-skin cap at all times, hence the saying "as foxy as old Tazon" (which means, of course, just a wee-bit crazy).
/***
|''Name:''|DeprecatedFunctionsPlugin|
|''Description:''|Support for deprecated functions removed from core|
***/
//{{{
if(!version.extensions.DeprecatedFunctionsPlugin) {
version.extensions.DeprecatedFunctionsPlugin = {installed:true};
//--
//-- Deprecated code
//--
// @Deprecated: Use createElementAndWikify and this.termRegExp instead
config.formatterHelpers.charFormatHelper = function(w)
{
w.subWikify(createTiddlyElement(w.output,this.element),this.terminator);
};
// @Deprecated: Use enclosedTextHelper and this.lookaheadRegExp instead
config.formatterHelpers.monospacedByLineHelper = function(w)
{
var lookaheadRegExp = new RegExp(this.lookahead,"mg");
lookaheadRegExp.lastIndex = w.matchStart;
var lookaheadMatch = lookaheadRegExp.exec(w.source);
if(lookaheadMatch && lookaheadMatch.index == w.matchStart) {
var text = lookaheadMatch[1];
if(config.browser.isIE)
text = text.replace(/\n/g,"\r");
createTiddlyElement(w.output,"pre",null,null,text);
w.nextMatch = lookaheadRegExp.lastIndex;
}
};
// @Deprecated: Use <br> or <br /> instead of <<br>>
config.macros.br = {};
config.macros.br.handler = function(place)
{
createTiddlyElement(place,"br");
};
// Find an entry in an array. Returns the array index or null
// @Deprecated: Use indexOf instead
Array.prototype.find = function(item)
{
var i = this.indexOf(item);
return i == -1 ? null : i;
};
// Load a tiddler from an HTML DIV. The caller should make sure to later call Tiddler.changed()
// @Deprecated: Use store.getLoader().internalizeTiddler instead
Tiddler.prototype.loadFromDiv = function(divRef,title)
{
return store.getLoader().internalizeTiddler(store,this,title,divRef);
};
// Format the text for storage in an HTML DIV
// @Deprecated Use store.getSaver().externalizeTiddler instead.
Tiddler.prototype.saveToDiv = function()
{
return store.getSaver().externalizeTiddler(store,this);
};
// @Deprecated: Use store.allTiddlersAsHtml() instead
function allTiddlersAsHtml()
{
return store.allTiddlersAsHtml();
}
// @Deprecated: Use refreshPageTemplate instead
function applyPageTemplate(title)
{
refreshPageTemplate(title);
}
// @Deprecated: Use story.displayTiddlers instead
function displayTiddlers(srcElement,titles,template,unused1,unused2,animate,unused3)
{
story.displayTiddlers(srcElement,titles,template,animate);
}
// @Deprecated: Use story.displayTiddler instead
function displayTiddler(srcElement,title,template,unused1,unused2,animate,unused3)
{
story.displayTiddler(srcElement,title,template,animate);
}
// @Deprecated: Use functions on right hand side directly instead
var createTiddlerPopup = Popup.create;
var scrollToTiddlerPopup = Popup.show;
var hideTiddlerPopup = Popup.remove;
// @Deprecated: Use right hand side directly instead
var regexpBackSlashEn = new RegExp("\\\\n","mg");
var regexpBackSlash = new RegExp("\\\\","mg");
var regexpBackSlashEss = new RegExp("\\\\s","mg");
var regexpNewLine = new RegExp("\n","mg");
var regexpCarriageReturn = new RegExp("\r","mg");
}
//}}}
An exceedingly rare set of physical psychological traits that renders a clansmember unable to function as a member of [[Bak'Tiar]] society.
In its milder (and more common) form, a clansmember can move to one of the other two subcultures and find happiness with them. E.g., a [[Sealord]] that is born with incurable seasickness but is able to find a home and comfort on plains.
In it's rarest and most debilitating form, a clansmember cannot function in any of the three subcultures. Some commit //al-dishrom,// or ritual suicide. Others petition head for Tiran and take up a trade there, serving their kin as best they can. A few simply wander off and are never seen again.
In any of its forms Devara's Disorder is characterized by increased isolation; an inability or unwillingness to participate in clan life; irritability; depression; lack of appetite; an overal feeling of sadness or of being lost. These symptoms cannot be ameliorated for long except by complete removal from the culture in which the clanmember feels he does not fit.
//-- the name for this disorder was contributed by Foreigner8//
This is the ability to communicate with dolphins, a highly valued trait among the seagoing [[Bak'Tiar]]. Characters who wish to take this [[industrial talent]] should list it as BeastSpeech, Dolphins only for 6 points plus take KS: Dolphins for 3 points.
Urek is clan [[Oltan]] for [[Dolphinfin]] as of standard year 593. Urek is a [[DolphinSpeaker]] and as such is held in very high esteem by all the seagoing clans.
High up, hidden deep within the mountains called [[Spine of the World]] there remained the very spiritual heart of the overthrown Sun-Yani nobility. A temple fortress known as Domnach Maige Slecht, it was populated by revered masters of the martial arts and religious teachings that had underpinned Sun-Yani life for centuries. A constant stream of young people passed through its massive gates even after the rebellion had obliterated almost everything else. Here the very core of the [[Priest-Knighthood|Priest Knights]] continued to be trained, even if they had to travel across the endless plains of the [[Horselords]] of [[Bak'Tiar]] to get there.
Dragons are known to be huge winged reptiles with voracious appetites, of varying colors and affinities for valuable objects, a variety of devastating breath weapons, and exceedingly rare.
They are also said to be [[Eldar's|Eldar]] own creation, and thus under this god's protection.
Hatches are also quite rare. Infant dragons are provided fresh meat by both parents for the first ten years of their lives.
Young dragons often do not survive their first year of independence, as they are relatively stupid and greedy -- perhaps even evil -- and therefore somewhat easier to kill.
As dragons mature, they gain in wisdom and intelligence. Their appetites slow as does the frequency of the periods of activity. They are less likely to be seen flying in the skies, more likely to be discovered slumbering on their vast hoards of treasure.
Dragon color is a matter of genetics only and not tied to disposition, morals, or ethics.
The mother of all dragons on any given planet is known as the [[Tiamat]], a being of nearly god-like power whose sole concern is the continued existence of dragonkind on her world.
<html>
<head>
<title>Duras Swiftwater - Hero Designer</title>
</head>
<body>
<font size=+2><b>Duras Swiftwater</b></font><br>
Player: Creativedv8tion
<p>
<table cellpadding="0" border="0">
<tr><td align="right"><b>Val  </b></td><td><b>Char   </b></td><td><b>Cost</b></td></tr>
<tr><td align="right">13  </td><td><b>STR</b></td><td>3</td></tr>
<tr><td align="right">20  </td><td><b>DEX</b></td><td>30</td></tr>
<tr><td align="right">15  </td><td><b>CON</b></td><td>10</td></tr>
<tr><td align="right">12  </td><td><b>BODY</b></td><td>4</td></tr>
<tr><td align="right">15  </td><td><b>INT</b></td><td>5</td></tr>
<tr><td align="right">12  </td><td><b>EGO</b></td><td>4</td></tr>
<tr><td align="right">13  </td><td><b>PRE</b></td><td>3</td></tr>
<tr><td align="right">10  </td><td><b>COM</b></td><td>0</td></tr>
<tr><td></td><td> </td><td></td></tr>
<tr><td align="right">3  </td><td><b>PD</b></td><td>0</td></tr>
<tr><td align="right">3  </td><td><b>ED</b></td><td>0</td></tr>
<tr><td align="right">3  </td><td><b>SPD</b></td><td>0</td></tr>
<tr><td align="right">8  </td><td><b>REC</b></td><td>4</td></tr>
<tr><td align="right">30  </td><td><b>END</b></td><td>0</td></tr>
<tr><td align="right">27  </td><td><b>STUN</b></td><td>0</td></tr>
<tr><td></td><td> </td><td></td></tr>
<tr><td align="right">9"  </td><td><b>RUN</b></td><td>6</td></tr>
<tr><td align="right">3"  </td><td><b>SWIM</b></td><td>0</td></tr>
<tr><td align="right">2 1/2"  </td><td><b>LEAP</b></td><td>0</td></tr>
</table>
<b>Characteristics Cost:</b> 69
<p>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0">
<tr>
<td align="right"><b>Cost  </b></td>
<td><b>Power</b></td>
<td align="right"><b>END</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="right" valign="top">1  </td>
<td>Swimming +1" (3" total) </td>
<td valign="top" align="right">1</td>
</tr>
</table>
<b>Powers Cost:</b> 1
<p>
<table cellpadding="0" border="0">
<tr>
<td align="right"><b>Cost  </b></td>
<td><b>Skill</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">2  </td>
<td>WF: Blades and Thrown Knives  </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">2  </td>
<td>Trading 12- </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">3  </td>
<td>Teamwork 13- </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">3  </td>
<td>Riding 13- </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">3  </td>
<td>Penalty Skill Levels: +2 vs. Sweep modifiers with Quarterstaff </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">2  </td>
<td>Navigation (River) 12- </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">3  </td>
<td>Acting 12- </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">3  </td>
<td>Bribery 12- </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">3  </td>
<td>Persuasion 12- </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">3  </td>
<td>Fast Draw 13- </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">10  </td>
<td>+2 with all PRE-based skills </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">2  </td>
<td>Language: TradeSpeak (fluent conversation) </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">3  </td>
<td>Gambling 12- </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">3  </td>
<td>Sleight Of Hand 13- </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">3  </td>
<td>Stealth 13- </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">3  </td>
<td>Lockpicking 13- </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">3  </td>
<td>Find/Remove Traps 12- </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">5  </td>
<td>+1 with all DEX-based skills </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">5  </td>
<td>1d6 Luck  </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">10  </td>
<td>Two-Weapon Fighting (Thrown knives)  </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">  </td>
<td>  </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">  </td>
<td>EveryRiverRunner </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">0  </td>
<td>1) WF: Staffs </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">0  </td>
<td>2) TF: Small Watercraft </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">0  </td>
<td>3) Survival (River) 8- </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">0  </td>
<td>4) Stealth 8- </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">0  </td>
<td>5) Shadowing 8- </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">0  </td>
<td>6) Rope Use 8- </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">0  </td>
<td>7) Persuasion 8- </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">0  </td>
<td>8) PS: Boatwright (Everyman Skill) 11- </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">0  </td>
<td>9) Navigation (Marine) 8- </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">0  </td>
<td>10) Native Language: Pol' Tier (idiomatic) </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">0  </td>
<td>11) Deduction 8- </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">0  </td>
<td>12) Conversation 8- </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">0  </td>
<td>13) Concealment 8- </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">0  </td>
<td>14) Chirurgery 8- </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">0  </td>
<td>15) AK: Bak'Tiar Waterways 8- </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">  </td>
<td>  </td>
</tr>
</table>
<b>Skills Cost: </b>74
<p>
<table cellpadding="0" border="0">
<tr>
<td align="right"><b>Cost  </b></td>
<td><b>Talent</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">3  </td>
<td>Supreme Balance (no penalties when on narrow, rolling or swaying surfaces) </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">3  </td>
<td>Physically Attractive </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">12  </td>
<td>Combat Luck (6 PD/6 ED) </td>
</tr>
</table>
<b>Talents Cost:</b> 18
<p>
<b>Total Character Cost:</b> 162
<p>
<table cellpadding="0" border="0">
<tr>
<td align="right"><b>Val  </b></td>
<td><b>Disadvantages</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">15  </td>
<td>Psychological Limitation: Loyal to Clan (Common, Strong) </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">20  </td>
<td>Psychological Limitation: Seeks Twin Sister (Very Common, Strong) </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">15  </td>
<td>Psychological Limitation: Sucker for a Pretty Face (Common, Strong) </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">0  </td>
<td>Normal Characteristic Maxima </td>
</tr>
</table>
<p>
<b>Disadvantage Points:</b> 50<br>
<b>Base Points:</b> 100<br>
<b>Experience Required:</b> 12<br>
<b>Total Experience Available:</b> 12<br>
<b>Experience Unspent:</b> 0
</body>
</html>
As of standard year 593 Zeric is [[Oltan]] for clan [[Eagleclaw]]. The oltan of this clan inherits a preserved eagle's claw from the clan [[Shaman]] when he or she takes over the responsibility of the post.
Dry Gorge, to the NW of the Kelendor Pass.*
*//contributed by Aaronymous//
This is an alphabetically ordered list of all creatures known to live in the lands of the [[Bak'Tiar]] with details where they are known.
''//A//''
*[[Ankheg]]
*[[Antelope]]
''//B//''
*[[Badger]]
*[[Bat]]
*[[Bear]]
>*[[Black]]
>*[[Brown]]
*[[Boar]]
>*[[Giant Boar]]
>*[[Warthog]]
''//C//''
*[[Giant Catfish]]
*[[Cattle, Wild]]
*[[Centaur]]
>*[[Mountain]]
>*[[Heathen]]
*[[Cheetah]]
*[[Crocodile]]
''//D//''
*[[Dragon]]
*[[Dryad]]
''//E//''
*[[Eagle]]
*[[Ettin]]
''//F//''
*[[Faerie]]
*[[Faerie Dragon]]
''//G//''
*[[Giant]]
>*[[Mountain Giant]]
*[[Gnoll]]
*[[Goblin]]
*[[Green Hag]]
''//H//''
*[[Harpy]]
*[[Hawk]]
*[[Hobgoblin]]
*[[Horse]]
*[[Hyena]]
''//I//''
''//J//''
*[[Jackal]]
''//K//''
*[[Kelpie]]
''//L//''
*[[Lion]]
*[[Lynx]]
''//M//''
''//N//''
''//O//''
*[[Ogre]]
*[[Orc]]
*[[Otter]]
''//P//''
*[[Pixie]]
''//Q//''
''//R//''
''//S//''
*[[Scorpion]]
*[[Skunk]]
*[[Snake]]
>*[[Coral Snake]]
>*[[Pal-ra]] (Constrictor)
>*[[Rattlesnake]]
>*[[Water Moccasin]]
*[[Spider]]
*>[[Giant Wolf Spider]]
*>[[Giant Trapdoor Spider]]
*[[Sprite]]
''//T//''
''//U//''
''//V//''
''//W//''
*[[War Orc]]
*[[Wolf]]
>*[[Dire Wolf]]
>*[[Grey Wolf]]
>*[[Timber Wolf]]
*[[Wolverine]]
*[[Wyvern]]
''//X//''
''//Y//''
''//Z//''
The original twelve [[Bak'Tiar]]an clans. They are:
Arrowflight (L);
Brightblade (L);
Dolphinfin (S);
Eaglewing (L);
Goldensun (R);
Kingfisher (R);
Meadowdancer (L);
Nightrunner (R);
Prairiesong (L);
Seabird (S);
Skyflight (L);
Waveglider (S)
S -- Seagoing
L -- Landbased
R -- River
Ashrai is the [[Oltan]] for clan [[Freefoot]] as of standard year 593. He lost his arm in a roping accident 10 years previous. No longer able to fire a bow, he's become adept at throwing knives instead.
This is the background information file for the Horselords of the Endless Plains, a game set in Bak'Tiar on the planet of Menelon. This entry (also called a "tiddler," in the [[TiddlyWiki|http://tiddlywiki.com]] vernacular) is here to give you some tips and hints about navigating through this wiki to learn what you need to know as a player in the Horselords game.
Look to the left. In red you'll see a list of other tiddlers with information in them, usually in lists. These "metafiles" are categories that hold specific types of information.
The one listed at the top is [[Bak'Tiar]] which is a list of tiddler-links to most of the information you'll need to know to play any of the three Bak'Tiar subcultures.
[[The Atlas]] is a list of places, mostly within Bak'Tiar's borders or along its coasts, which will be familiar to all Bak'Tiar characters. These are included for color and player offerings are encouraged.
[[The Bestiary|Bestiary]] is a list of animals and monsters known among the Bak'Tiar, even if only by reputation.
The [[Cast of Characters, Bak'Tiar]] tiddler contains a list of better-known <nowiki>NPCs </nowiki>your character //may// know, or have heard about, plus a little information on each, where applicable. If players wish to contribute to the sometimes colorful Bak'Tiar population, their contributions will be most welcome.
The [[Codex, Bak'Tiar]] is an encyclopedia of useful knowledge which makes no claims to being exclusive -- the Codex is updated regularly, so be sure to update your copy of this Wiki (if you saved one) often.
A [[Campaign Timeline]] is included for your convenience, to place your game in the known history of Menelon.
The [[Pol'tiar Dictionary|Pol'tiar]] is a list of known words and phrases in the native language.
[[House Rules]] is just what it sounds like -- eccentric modifications made by yours truly to reflect the kind of game I like to run.
I left the [[Istane Map]] and the [[Menelon Map]] as separate listings for ease of reference. Though most Horselords never leave the Endless Plains on the continent of Istane, the Sealords have travelled all over the globe and so have knowledge of the rest of the world and its peoples.
The [[Player Characters]] tiddler is our list of //Dramatis Personae.//
Lastly, when you're ready, you can always click [[Back to Lost Coast Gaming|http://lostcoastgaming.com]] to take you back to the site's front page.
As of standard year 593 Brynt is clan [[Oltan]] for [[Goldenhorn]]. The newest of the land-side clans, Goldenhorn split off from the prosperous and prestigious [[Goldensun]] clan in 588.
[[Goldensun]] is the only land-side clan still in existence that can claim straight-line descendence from one of the [[First Twelve Clans]] of the [[Bak'Tiar]]. Its [[Oltan]] is Sabian, a persuasive, highly charismatic leader.
Among the Bak'Tiar, it is the eldest healthy members of each tribe who constitute what little "government" the clans possess. Each clan is largely autonomous and does not interfere in the affairs of the others, thus each clan's elders hold a great deal of responsibility for right and just management of all the clan's personel and assets.
Twice yearly at the major festivals, ([[Payr al kidret]] and [[Kum al kidret]] for winter and summer, respectively) representatives from the elders of each clan meet (land, sea, and river)and form themselves into a "grand council of elders." This council is typically responsible for: Disseminating important events, messages, and other information among themselves; receiving the ambassadors from such countries as wish to maintain some kind of diplomatic relations with the clans; reviewing the latest information on incursions from [[Dhakkur City]] and [[Sun-Ya]]; serving as a neutral body to arbitrate disputes between and among the clans.
This council serves other functions in times of crisis, but typically has little enforceable authority among the [[Bak'Tiar]] themselves. At the end of the festivals the elders return to their respective clans with what they've learned and do their best to use that information to advise and guide their clans throughout the remaining months. What authority the Concil of Elders has is vested in the deep respect the Bak'Tiar have for those among them who've managed to live long and active lives, who've survived with some wisdom and a vast knowledge of clan tradition and lore.
A gifted Healer is one who draws on his or her knowledge of healing lore and paranormal power to heal injuries and illnesses in another.
What follows are the rules for assembling a Bak'Tiar Healer who has not gone to an outlander's medical college. The PCs training will have been as an apprentice to another gifted Healer in the clans, who will have taught the character everything he or she knows.
''Powers:''
Healing is built on a Multipower. Real cost is 17 points.
12 Healing: Multipower, 40-point reserve, (40 Active Points); all slots Concentration, Must Concentrate throughout use of Constant Power (0 DCV; -1), Extra Time (Extra Phase, Takes 2 Full Phases; -3/4), Requires A Paramedics Roll (Penalty is -1 for every 3 BODY the healer is trying to heal.; -1/2)
3m 1) STASIS: Drain STUN 4d6 (40 Active Points); Concentration, Must Concentrate throughout use of Constant Power (0 DCV; -1), Extra Time (Extra Phase, -3/4), Requires A Paramedics Roll (-1/2) [Notes: Is used to put patient into an unconscious state for surgery or other painful procedures.]
2m 2) Healing BODY 3d6 (30 Active Points); Extra Time (Extra Phase, Takes at least 2 full Phases (for the Healer); -3/4), Concentration (0 DCV; -1/2), Requires A Paramedics Roll (Roll is -1 per 3 Body in Damage; -1/4)
''Skills Required:''
7 Paramedics 13-
3 KS: Herbalism And Healing-Lore (INT-based) 11-
3 Deduction 11-
3 Forensic Medicine 11-
3 SS: Anatomy, Human: Anatomy (INT-based) 11-
3 SS: Biology, Human: Biology (INT-based) 11-
3 PS: Healer: Medicine (INT-based) 11-
--
Skills cost 25 pts.
''Total Package Cost: 42 points.''
Adron is clan [[Oltan]] for [[Heartfire]] as of standard year 593. Adron has a melodious voice that draws listeners whenever he sings and an incredible vocal range of three octaves. He also possesses an uncanny ability to mimic any sound or voice he hears.
Characteristic Minimums:
>*INT: 15
>*EGO: 15
>*DEX:13
Skills required:
>*Magic Skill Roll, INT-based, 3 pts.
>*KS: Herbalism, INT-based, 3 pts.
>*KS: Minerals and Stones, INT-based, 3 pts.
>*KS: Essence Magic, INT-based, 3 pts.
>*Choose one from the following:
>>*KS: Divination, INT-based, 3 pts.
>>*KS: Illusion, INT-based, 3 pts.
>>*KS: Conjuration, INT-based, 3 pts.
52 point Multipower reserve, Real Cost 21 points
The following limitations are on the Reserve itself and must apply to every spell constructed in the Multipower:
>*Gestures, both hands at least to activate (-1/2)
>*Incantations, (-1/4)
>*Extra time, at least delayed Phase (-1/4)
>*Requires a Magic Skill Roll (-1/2)
>>*//Active Point penalty to skill roll is -1 per 10 Active Points.//
The player may construct spell slots for the multipower with additional Limitations, but the above Limitations //must// be present.
*The Limitation "Spell" may //not// be applied to any spell in the multipower.
*//Charges// may be used to reflect the need for material components.
*No spell may be bought with the Power Advantage "Reduced Endurance/0 END."
>*All spells built upon powers which do not normally cost END must be built with the Limitation: Costs 1 END/Pha -- (-1/4)
*No spell can have an Active Point Value greater than 50 points.
*All spells must have GM approval before game play begins.
Characters can have as many slots in the multipower as they have points to spare. Adding new spells can only be done by spending Experience Points.
Among the finest four-footed friends mankind has bred, the Horses of the [[Bak'Tiar]] are known throughout most of [[Menelon]] for their intelligence, fierce courage, endurance, and their loyalty to their two-legged herdmembers. If one crossed Earth's finest quarterhorses with thoroughbreds and threw in a generous smattering of Arabian stock, the Bak'Tiaran horse might thus be physically recreated.
"Statistics" -- represents the "average" horse.
STR: 28
DEX: 18
CON: 22
BODY: 17
INT: 18 or 15*
EGO: 8
PRE: 15
COM: 15
PD: 6
ED: 4
SPD: 3
REC: 10
END: 45
STUN: 33
OCV: 5
DCV: 3
(15 pts. Growth, 0 End, Persistent, Always On; (-2DCV, +2 to other's sight PER, +1" Reach, -4"KB); 1/2d6HKA w/Red. Pen=2x 1pipHKA (2x1/2 d6 w/ STR), bite; +3d6 HA, kick; Armor: +1PD/+1ED; +12" Running (18" total); Hearing PER +4; Telepathy with horses only, surface thoughts only, limited range.
*INT -- a Bak'Tiaran Horse in a herd of its own kind has the 18 INT score. Once away from their herd, the INT score drops to 15. Also, the presence of a Bak'Tiaran Horse among other kinds of horses will raise the general INT scores of the herd by as much as 2 points.
This is the ability to communicate with horses by speaking their language, a highly valued trait among the land-based [[Bak'Tiar]].
Bought as BeastSpeech, Horses only for 6 points plus KS: Horse psychology for 3 points.
This file gives a more detailed description of the plains-roaming Bak'Tiar, often called the Horselords. Please see also [[The Bak'Tiar People]] and [[Bak'Tiar Society and Culture]] to learn more about the world of the [[Bak'Tiar]].
>[[Horselord Package]]
The Horselords are the most numerous of the [[Bak'Tiar]], on average about 70% of the total population which is estimated to be as high as 1.5 million humans. A million souls may not seem like much to be rattling around that vast land, but the million humans are actually in the minority, outnumbered by their cattle and horses by an estimated 20 to 1.
The land-based clans move slowly over the rolling plains in modular wagons pulled by tremendously large draft horses which are specially bred for the purpose and trained to work in harness with three others to pull the wagons. Young children and elders typically ride in the wagons while adults range about on horseback, some with the herds, others with the wagons, all on guard to protect the clan (two-legged and four-legged).
Every Horselord knows how to ride and care for a horse. A child of the clans learns to ride at the time he's weaned and thereafter spend much of their childhood caring for these indispensable members of the clan. Typical plainsland [[Bak'Tiar]] develop deep emotional attachments to their equine friends, who are highly intelligent, loyal, and devoted in return. It is a symbiotic relationship for both races, one that has benefitted both in terms of survival.
The other four-legged creature the Horselords live in symbiosis with is the [[koolee]], an all purpose herding dog with tremendous stamina capable of moving with the vast cattle herds all day. Koolees are sometimes also employed to watch after the youngest children of the clan when the adults and elders are taken up with other tasks. In the absense of cattle nearby a [[koolee]] is just as happy to herd children, employing a gentle nudge with its muzzle to urge the younglings to stay in a group.
The clans of the Horselords move with the herds but typically use well-established sites to set up their wagon-towns while the herds graze the lands nearby. The modular wagons are constructed to stand alone or to be joined with other wagons to form huge communal eating and sleeping halls. The walls are double-thicknesses of cowhide treated to stand up to the weather and are supported by interlocking wooden poles so that no matter how big the combined floorspace is, the ceiling hides will cover it. The cooking tents of the clans support woodstoves and chimneys, and much care is taken to see that no sparks escape to land in grass that, in summer, will function as efficient tinder. In fact, in order to reduce the use of fire on the plains the Horselords have wholeheartedly embraced certain [[Magitech]] items like [[light crystal]]s when they became more widely available, and the clan members born with an "industrial-level talent" in magic are often trained to be [[LightBringers]] for just that reason.
>//All the land clans and the [[Riverrunner]]s fear wildfire, and with good reason. A typical Horselord will face down a pack of hungry lionesses without a qualm, but the hint of smoke on the horizon will raise an alarm that no one dares ignore.//
The biggest single resource the Horselords have is their cattle herds. Cows and steers provide much of the things the clans need day-to-day, and also provide the buying power to purchase those things the clans can't manufacture for themselves. The clans take turns herding a portion of their herds to the capitol, [[Tiran]], for slaughter. The accounts of each clan are kept in the offices there, and goods are "purchased" against the totals on the books. Most clans slaughter much more than they purchase, and so their wealth accumulates over generations until it is necessary for a part of that clan to split off and form its own new sub-clan. Part of that accumulated wealth goes with the new clan as "seed money," though of course the Horselords don't really use money at all.
>Sometimes a disease or catastrophe will occur to a clan or clans, causing a die-off of a signficant portion of their cattle. This can be a serious event and clans have died off as a result. Usually this only happens after a series of poor slaughters, and only if the [[Grand Council of Elders]] doesn't intervene. The Council has little direct authority over the clans as a whole but can act to urge the whole to act in favor of the survival of a given part, if it seems needful.
Most adults of both sexes will ride with the herds, working shifts as outriders at the far reaches (which can be many kilometers away from the main encampment). Women in late pregnancy or lactating are by clan law not permitted to undertake such strenuous duties, but there is always plenty of work to be done in the encampment. The life of the Horselords varies according to season and need, but can be best characterized by days of ease and relaxation while the herds graze, followed by long hours on horseback to move the herds to new grazing, punctuated by periods of enforced inactivity (due to blizzard or dust storm, for example).
If you ask any given clansmember, they'll tell you they've been blessed and they truly believe it. A Horselord //is// lord of all that he sees from horizon to horizon and has a good horse beneath him to take him there when he chooses. He has an extensive family to fall back on in hard times, and children who will carry on after him. When he gets tired of looking at cows (and everyone does, sometimes), he kisses his clansfolk goodbye and heads out for a week or a month or even a year and is welcomed back wh