A slight change

After thinking things over and doing some calculations, I've decided to give turéhu a climb speed and switch up their skill bonuses a bit.  Because it just makes sense.

That said, keep in mind that until I've actually got the text of the book into some sort of order, the material here is subject to change.

Just a minor update, to let everyone know I'm still alive

This blog may or may not be moving to another provider (Dreamwidth and/or Wordpress, most likely) in the near future.  When I make a decision, I'll announce it.

I've got an idea for the style in which the official book will be written.  That is going to mean doing a bit more research.  But once I've got the basic idea puzzled out, and gotten a few reference sketches compiled, I may just be able to officially start getting the ball rolling.

That said: the blessing of asking relatives for concept sketches is that they'll usually work for free.  The curse of asking relatives is that there's not much you can do if they decide to be flaky.

Bonus post: Téku-milkshake-duck

This was originally a memorial post. In the face of certain details that have come to light: I no longer feel comfortable commemorating that individual.

Bonus post: DunDraCon!

Yeah, I know; it's been way too long since I've updated. But this year at DunDraCon, I will be running a Southlands Pathfinder adventure!

I've run a couple of D&D games with the same basic concept, but have decided to do something different this year. Still working out the exact details, though...

Another (brief) delay.

So here, to hold you over for the time being, are a character sheet and a spell record sheet, both of my own devising, for Pathfinder.  They're still something of a work in progress, but should be functional nonetheless.

Personal use only, please.  Thank you!

Clerics of the Southlands

The faiths of the Tirin Peninsula are diverse, and the enmities and allegiances between them are many.

While divine spellcasters and spiritual leaders certainly exist within the Dellumean tribes, most are not clerics as such.

In Kalretia, faith is as divided as the culture. Amareth and Ki'ahaara command the most reverence among the civilized islanders. In the swamps, by contrast, worship—or at least lip service—is most commonly paid to Juratei.

The faiths in Ta'Araen are incredibly diverse. Some clerics pay homage to deities found nowhere else. It is unknown whether their magic is provided by the greater deities, or if they have actually tapped into divine sparks that have not yet been fully stoked.

Ravana dominates Tahvaair. While Dejunath has a small but loyal following, no other cult has been able to assert itself in the face of the Tyrant's.

The churches of Surya and Sulaudhra are the most common, or at least the most widely acknowledged, among the human population in Velakhura. The turéhu usually follow Khernos or Arevashti.

Still out here.

Life got in the way.  Additionally, I've actually been attempting to knuckle down, finalize some game-mechanical details, and work out some of the finer points of geography and culture for the Tirin Peninsula. 

But unless something really silly happens, count on a new official entry by no later than next Saturday.

Sorry for the delay.

Real life reared its not-so-ugly (this time, anyway) head.  Rest assured that the project is still in the works.

Oh, no, not another bonus post...and possibly controversial this time!

Ideally, this project will see publication within the next year or so.  And so, ideally, I'll eventually be needing illustrations.  And I've come to the realization that a certain common trope of the fantasy art genre could open up quite the can of wiggly worms.

So consider yourself forewarned.

Bards of the Southlands

Bards in the Southlands are as diverse as they are versatile.

In Dellumea, tribal skalds keep histories and legends alive.  In Kalretia, a reliable courier is often needed—by islander and swamper alike—to carry messages between the islands.  In Tahvaair, a neutral party is often needed to negotiate between rival nobles or those seeking allegiances.  The bards of Ta'Araen and Velakhura may be entertainers, messengers, spies, or any combination of the above.

Barbarians of the Southlands

When most people of the Southlands hear the word "barbarian," they inevitably think of the tribal peoples of Dellumea. While many Dellumeans do take up the path of rage and power, they are not the only ones.

In Taahvaair, the half-ahvaiyru feiyin typically serve as warriors of varying kinds. Whether they are janissaries in the ahvaiyru armies or gladiators in the arena, fighting is often a way of life for these half-breeds. While some gladiators fight with skill or cunning, there are those who channel their anger and frustration at their captors into a powerful fighting form.

Barbarians also exist among the swampers who call Kalretia home. These powerful warriors face the harsh environment head on rather than learning to cooperate with it as rangers and druids do. Among the pirates and scoundrels that raid on the Velakhuran coast, there are a number of them who display astonishing power and incredible ferocity in their attacks on other ships. In Ta'araen, there is a saying that goes "You can accomplish more with a big stick and a kind word than you can with a kind word alone." However, there are some in that country who forgo the kind word altogether and simply wield very big sticks.

Ki'vali aren't orcs.

They're the "stouts" of the setting, and should have something of a "proud warrior race" feel going on.  But they're not orcs.

Apsuri aren't halflings.  Nor are they gnomes.  The way that they look—or rather, the way that they used to look before I changed some details—was slightly influenced by hobbit knock-offs created by an author I don't even particularly like.  But that's about it.

Ahvaiyru are not elves, although they may be something of a deconstruction.  Neither are turéhu, although one could probably stretch a point and call them wakyambi.

Tíraleth are...well, they're just purposely weird.

And yes, I did decide to elaborate somewhat upon the subject matter here.

*Cue Portal Theme Song*

I'm still alive, and I certainly haven't run out of ideas.  However, compiling my ideas into a presentable format is proving a slightly bigger task than I'd predicted.

Rest assured that there will be new material here in the near future.

Velakhura

Velakhura makes up most of the eastern coast of the Tirin Peninsula, sharing borders with both Ta'Araen and Tahvaair.  It takes its name from a human tribe that migrated north from Dellumea, from whence most of its human inhabitants are descended.

Much of Velakhura is forested or mountainous, making travel by foot or by the usual conveyances dangerous or impossible in some regions.  Crops and livestock tend to be those that thrive in the shade or on hillsides.  The native turéhu, with whom the humans have a truce, have the final say on logging and quarrying throughout most of the nation.

Velakhura's capital city, Martauthri, is also its main seaport.  Any rumors that the King of Velakhura—who was also among the nation's founders—has extended his lifespan by way of necromancy should be ignored as the basest slander.

Tahvaair

Tahvaair, to the west of Ta'Araen, is ruled by an unknown number of ahvaiyru families; all non-ahvaiyru in Tahvaair are slaves of one clan or another.  These clans are known to feud amongst themselves in a manner said to be all the more vicious for being so genteel.  

Of more concern to outsiders, however, are regular sorties against neighboring Ta'Araen, by the ahvaiyru and their feiyin janissaries, in attempts to annex parts of it.  As diplomatic relations and legitimate trade with Tahvaair are nonexistent, little else is known.

Ta'Araen

Ta'Araen is the most diverse, and in many ways the most cosmopolitan, nation in the Tirin Peninsula.   Most of its human denizens are the descendants of several different tribes known collectively as Tirins, and the vestiges of many distinct cultures still survive.  

Approximately half of the nation—centered roughly around the capital, Araenkeep—is given over to farming.  Further south, along the border mountains that separate the peninsula from Dellumea, mining for various metals predominates.  The remainder of the nation is prairie and light forest.  Here, due to all-too-frequent attacks from Tahvaair, there are few settlements aside from military garrisons.

Kalretia

Kalretia (or, more formally, the Kalretian Archipelago) is located to the northeast of the Tirin Peninsula.  Its thirteen islands have approximately the same total area as Ta'Araen.

The true natives of the islands are apsuri and lizardfolk.  But in recent generations, humans from a northern continent have established a colony on the largest island.  As a result, two distinct major cultures have sprung up:  "Islanders," centered around the main seaport on the largest island, are primarily influenced by the human colonists; "swampers," denizens of the brackish swamps of the northeastern islands, are primarily influenced by the apsuri.

Dellumea

The Tirin Peninsula is separated from the rest of the southern continent by a steep and treacherous mountain range.  Few safe passes exist through these mountains.

While the tundras and boreal forests that lie beyond may have any number of names among their inhabitants, most of the Tirin Peninsula knows the land only as Dellumea.  It's the home of tribal humans—some friendly and some much less so—wild beasts, and things largely unknown in the Tirin Peninsula.

Pantheon of the Tirin Peninsula

Amareth, called Dame Justice, is the goddess of justice and righteousness.  Her symbol is the couatl, and her favored weapon is the bastard sword.

Arevashti, called the Ancient Mother, is the primal over-goddess, said by some to represent the world or even the universe.  Her symbol is the ouroboros (the serpent that devours its own tail), and her favored weapon is the quarterstaff.

The Dagger in the Night, whose true name name has been forgotten, is the god of murder and treachery.  His symbol is a dagger—his favored weapon—that drips with blood or venom.

Dejunath, called the Magelord, is the god of magic and invention.  His symbol is an ornate wand, and his favored weapon is the crossbow.

Eresh, called the Reaver, is a deity of random mass destruction.  Its symbol is a tearing claw, and its favored weapon the morningstar.

Ertrael, called the Plague, is the god of the less gentle side of nature.  His symbol is a wolf’s skull, and his favored weapon the scythe.

Juratei, called Lady Luck, is the goddess of good fortune, the wind, and the sea, and said to be the patron deity of the apsuri.  Her symbol is a scallop shell, and her favored weapon the trident.

Khernos, called the Stag Father, is the god of the wild and the hunt, said to be Ertrael's more pleasant twin.  His symbol is a leaping stag, and his favored weapon the spear.

Ki’Ahaara, called the Fierce Mother, is the goddess of protection, said to be the patron deity of the ki’vali.  Her symbol is a shield marked with a double-bladed axe, and her favored weapon the greataxe.

Ravana, called the Tyrant, is the god of domination and conquest.  His symbol is the crown, and his favored weapon the whip.

Skatha, called the Warqueen, is the goddess of luck in battle.  Her symbol is the falchion, which is also her favored weapon.

Sulaudhra, called the Lady of Dreams, is the goddess of sleep, dreams, and peaceful death.  Her symbol is a cat’s eye, and her favored weapon the unarmed strike.
 
Surya, called the Lord of Light, is the obligatory sun god and the consort of Sulaudhra.  His symbol is the sunburst, and his favored weapon the mace.

Question for the readers:  Any comments, complaints, or suggested additions?

Bonus Post Three: Bog-Standard Fantasy Bogs Down Fantasy

As most if not all of you will have noticed by now:  The Tirin Peninsula is not the standard Tolkienian (or Gygaxian) fantasy setting.  Unless you're house-ruling, you're not going to find elves, dwarves, orcs, gnomes, or halflings here. 

Now, mind you, this wasn't always the case.  But the more I thought about it, the more it seemed to me that the standard fantasy setting came with altogether too much baggage.  For all that writers may go out of their way to put a twist on the standard, there are stereotypes attached to just about every aspect of it:  Elves must behave this way, orcs must behave that way, and nothing can be any too far removed from the works of Tolkien.  If the rules get bent too far, the readers complain—or jump to conclusions based on how things are in The Lord of the Rings.

Long story short?  Although I know that you can't really blame the setting for what the readers infer, I didn't want that baggage or those stereotypes.  And I really didn't want people jumping to Middle Earth-based conclusions about the Tirin Peninsula, because the Tirin Peninsula is not Middle Earth.  It's also probably best not to presume that what applies to medieval Europe (or some idealization or exaggeration thereof) necessarily applies to the Tirin Peninsula, either.

I'm aware that, in light of this, it may be a bit odd that I intend to make it Pathfinder-compatible.  Pathfinder, after all, is a D&D spin-off with a loosely Tolkienian core setting.  But it’s also got three strong points in its favor:  The basic rules are open content (meaning that I won't have to pay any fees or get written permission to use them).  I'm sufficiently familiar with the system to write for it with some degree of confidence.  And last but not least, it saves me the (tremendous) hassle of designing my own system.