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    The Chronicles of Future Earth (Facebook page etc)

    in Basic Roleplaying

    Posted

    For the moment, at least, Chronicles is still available from Chaosium as well.

    Both Chronicles of Future Earth and Swords of Cydoria are "science-fantasy." For those of you who've studied both, how do they compare? How are they similar, and how do they handle other things differently?

    I can answer that.

    Chronicles of Future Earth is Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun. It's weird. It's incredibly ancient. It feels medieval and old yet also weird and gothic at the same time. It's Jack Vance and Frank Herbert. Chronicles explores themes of decadence and decay and corruption. It also falls more on the fantasy side of science-fantasy.

    Swords of Cydoria is Flash Gordon meets Chris Wooding's Ketty Jay series by way of French comics. Cydoria explores themes of imperialism and political power and social class structure. It's also more dieselpunk with a dash of pulp adventure and seventies sci-fi. Cydoria falls more on the science side of science-fantasy. It also depends on where you are in the setting. The City-States are the film Metropolis. The deserts of Eris are American Westerns and Firefly. Everywhere in between is good old Swords and Sorcery with blasters.

    Numenera, however, is much more transhumanist, more avant-garde. It is definitely weird, but not in a gothic way. It also feels like a French comic book mixed with anime. It is based more on digital concept art paintings than on literary precedents, I think. In my opinion, there is no strong thematic thread to Numenera, no central gravity pulling it together. It is more patchwork and episodic. One thing I've noticed reading and playing Numenera is that you never see the same thing twice. Everything feels unique, or only found in a small region and nowhere else, which is what contributes to the patchwork feeling I get from the setting.

    Personally, I like all three. Each provides a different take and has a different feel.

    Chronicles feels more literary.

    Cydoria feels more pulpy and cinematic.

    Numenera feels more avant-garde and anime.

    Swords of Cydoria

    in Basic Roleplaying

    Posted

    Hi; just a quick question - with the powers systems used, are there any additional rules (in particular the psionics rules)? Thanks.

    I have one page on how to use psionidcs in Cydoria as well as two new powers.

    Psi-Magic

    Psychic Powers

    Psi-magic is a school of magic based on psychic abilities (BRP

    pages 110-122). The Psi-Mages of Sakaan are best known of its

    practioners. Psi-mages cloak their abilities under the shroud of

    occultism and sorcery. In addition to their psychic powers, psimages

    consort with forbidden Aya spirits.

    Psychic Powers

    The rules for eligibility and use of psychic abilities are unchanged

    from the BRP rulebook with the following exceptions.

    Divination

    Range: Self

    Duration: 1 hour per power point spent

    Power Point Cost: 1 or more power points

    The Divination power is utilized by psi-mages to make contact

    with the ancient Aya spirits of the Sdara Vatra.

    You spend the duration of the power in quiet meditation, usually

    isolated though several psi-mages may undertake the same

    power. During the meditation, you make telepathic contact with

    an Aya.

    FUMBLE: You have summoned an evil demonic Aya infected

    with the Techno-Plague. The demonic Aya will immediately

    attack everyone in the vicinity using its telekinesis or

    by turning advanced technology against its owner.

    FAILURE: You spend one hour in meditation but no Aya

    appears. You lose one power point.

    SUCCESS: You have summoned an Aya with a Teaching

    skill of 100% (BRP page 82) and able to provide instruction

    for the purposes of skill training (BRP page 184) in one skill

    of your choice.

    SPECIAL: You have summoned an Aya with a Teaching skill

    of 120% (BRP page 82) and able to provide instruction for

    the purposes of skill training (BRP page 184) in one skill of

    your choice.

    CRITICAL: You have summoned an Aya with a Teaching

    skill of 200% (BRP page 82) and able to provide instruction

    for the purposes of skill training (BRP page 184) in one skill

    of your choice.

    The Aya appears as an ethereal form, visible only to you or to

    anyone telepathically linked to you. The Aya may take different

    forms, altering its shape to suit your expectations and whims.

    The Aya speaks directly to your mind, asking the nature of your

    query. Each Aya is an expert on a specific subject. Some are masters

    of chemistry or astronomy, others of ancient history or philosophy.

    You need simply ask a question, and the Aya will tell you

    all it knows about the subject.

    Bind Aya

    Range: Self

    Duration: Permanent

    Power Point Cost: 3 permanent POW

    After a successful use of the Divination power (see below), you

    may choose to permanently bind the Aya into an ancient artifact

    called an Aya stone. An Aya bound into a stone may be summoned

    at any time at no power point cost.

    Once telepathic contact has been made with the Aya via Divination,

    you must defeat the Aya in psychic combat (BRP page 114).

    The defeated Aya may then be bound into the stone at the cost of

    three permanent points of POW.

    Although the Aya initially resists the binding, once trapped within

    the stone the Aya offers no complaint and makes no attempt to

    escape. You may call the Aya forth at any time for any duration at

    no power point cost by performing the secret activation ritual, an

    action that normally consists of a specific mental image known

    only to the binder and a difficult to pronounce activation phrase.

    The knowledge of how to create new Aya stones is long lost. Aya

    stones, both empty and occupied, are often found in ancient ruins.

    Aya stones may also be aquired on the black market or stolen

    from wealthy collectors.

    Once an Aya is bound to a stone, it can be used by anyone that

    knows the secret activation ritual.

    For more information on Aya stones, see page 170.

    Force Fields

    Force fields and energy barriers are effective at blocking psimagic.

    Force fields are opaque impenetrable barriers to sensory

    powers such as Astral Projection, Aura Detection, Clairvoyance,

    Danger Sense, Divination, Empathy, Intuition, Sensitivity, or

    Telepathy. Powers such as Emotion Control, Mind Blast, Mind

    Control, and Telepathy will not penetrate a force field.

    Telekinesis will not work through a force field but it can be used

    to throw a physical object at someone or something behind a

    force field as if it were thrown by hand.

    Powers that affect the physical world such as Cryokinesis and

    Pyrokinesis may heat or cool the air outside the force field which

    may have a secondary effect on the air on the other side.

    Wearing Armor

    Armor is bulky and inhibits the movements necessary to properly

    invoke psi-magic. Wearing armor incurs an additional power

    point cost for each power use.

    Armor Burden Extra-----Power Point Cost

    None -----0

    Light -----0

    Moderate -----+1

    Cumbersome -----+2

    The Psi-Mages of Sarkaan are psionic sorcerers, but I do little more than name-drop them and say they use psionics. I do provide a profession for them:

    Psi-Mage

    The mysterious and reclusive psi-mage spends his entire life

    studying the psychic powers of psi-magic. Through their mastery

    of psi-magic, psi-mages may achieve seemingly magical effects.

    Psi-mages are also renowned for their relationship with the

    demonic Aya. Many psi-mages belong to a cabal known as the

    Psi-Mages of Sarkaan. For more information on the Psi-Mages of

    Sarkaan, see page 119.

    Wealth: Poor to Wealthy, usually Affluent.

    Skills: Dodge, Insight, Knowledge (Artifacts), Knowledge (Occult),

    Listen, Persuade, Sense, Spot, plus any two Psychic Power

    skills.

    Equipment: A psi-mage begins play with a small library (2D6

    books) of grimoires (see Books and Printed Materials, BRP page

    272).

    Special: Psi-mages practice psi-magic, a type of psychic power

    (see page 79).

    Obscure references in BRP supplements.

    in Basic Roleplaying

    Posted

    The armed forces of Phanos are called: The Spear of Destiny (space forces) and the Shield of Truth (defense forces).

    Other obscure references in Cydoria include: The name of the aero-ship is the Tonbo, which is Japanese for Dragonfly, because Firefly was too obvious.

    It's captain is Kak Resko instead of Mal Reynolds (moving a letter up and down, then using the Czech version of the name Reynolds). His illustration is based on Timothy Hutton.

    Ku-Bawa-Mavu is Swahili for "Big Wasp".

    • Like 1

    Swords of Cydoria

    in Basic Roleplaying

    Posted

    Hi Tzunder.

    There is a free preview in the files section of this site, but I'll try to summarize the answers to your questions:

    Characters are heroic with the heroic hit point option.

    Used:

    Psychic powers

    Vehicle combat

    Futuristic Technology

    Races and Cultures and Professions

    Abstract Wealth

    Referenced (but not totally used):

    Mutations

    Super-powers

    Not used: (but can easily fit)

    Magic

    Sorcery

    Sanity

    Fatigue

    Alliances

    Pendragon-style personality

    Stat-based skills

    New:

    Ta'Oudh, A new power system for the setting that is based on the Sorcery rules

    Gadget rules

    Potion rules (references Mutations)

    Rules for forgeries and bureacracy

    Description of the Setting: Swords and Lasers, Monsters and Robots. It's Sword and Sorcery meets Steampunk. Flash Gordon + John Carter + Thundarr + Last Exile + Firefly + Star Wars.

    For more obscure references, it's Storm (the old Belgian graphic novels) + Tales of the Ketty Jay + Tschai: Planet of Adventure + The Knights of Cydonia video by Muse.

    It's set on Earth in the far future (25,000 years). Or is it set on an alternate Earth? Or is it set on a parallel Earth somewhere out in the Galaxy? I'm intentionally not very clear about that.

    Twenty years ago, the City-States of Cydoria were just about at a tech level equivalent to that of 1900 or so, though still heavily in a sword-and-sorcery style culture. Then one of they city-states made contact with advanced aliens and made a deal to get futuristic weaponry. They used these weapons to conquer the other City-States. They have now formed an evil empire. I provide several campaigns in the book ranging from treasure-seeking adventurers to rebels against the Vrildarian Empire. Plus a ready-made intro adventure.

    I have provided several articles about the setting in the downloads section of this site under Science Fiction and I have a blog (see sig below).

    The Blade of Takshaka for Swords of Cydoria is Essentially Finished

    in Basic Roleplaying

    Posted

    The Blade of Takshaka is Essentially Finished

    aero-chase.jpg

    I have completed working on my urban scenario The Blade of Takshaka for Swords of Cydoria. It's laid out, it's edited, it's illustrated. It's done!

    It's 52 pages with five chapters and four appendices. It has a drawing room role-playing mystery; a thrilling chase; a dungeon crawl with a jelly-blob, a giant octopus, and albino alligators; more role-playing with a group of intelligent rats; infiltrating an evil snake cult; and an optional raid/infiltration against a well-guarded penthouse mansion!

    The only thing I haven't done is playtest it. Playtesting it might result in a future revision of some monster stats to make them tougher or weaker, or a slight revision to the story to cover any plot holes or logical fallacies I may have missed.

    I also want to change some text on one of the maps from black to grey, and maybe add one or two more illustrations.

    If anyone would like a copy of this module to playtest and provide feedback, please let me know. I will provide it free of charge and will incorporate your feedback and add your name to the credits.

    I also haven't figured out how I want to monetize this. I'm thinking of just releasing it into the wild and asking for donations to encourage me to create future works.

    I don't think I want to go the monograph route again.

    One can see more previews and updates about this on my Swords of Cydoria blog at http://cydoria.blogspot.com/

    Question to other monograph authors: payment schedule?

    in Basic Roleplaying

    Posted

    I have a question to the other monograph authors out there?

    What is the schedule for receiving payment? Is it after a certain number have been sold? Once a year? On submission?

    Also, what has been your experience corresponding with Chaosium? No one at Chaosium is returning my e-mails so they haven't answered my questions. I don't know if it's a spam filter issue or if they are deliberately not responding to my e-mails for some reason (too busy, they're annoyed at me for some reason, whatever).

    Help me stat up the effects of a drug

    in Basic Roleplaying

    Posted

    In the adventure I'm writing, the evil cult consumes a narcotic drug dilluted in wine that has the following effects:

    1) Feeling of euphoria and invulnerability

    2) Reduced pain, sensitivity

    3) Increased susceptibility to mind control/dominance

    The player characters have an opportunity to consume this drug too, on purpose or accidentally, so I need some advice on how best to model the above effects.

    Like how to model the reduced pain: extra hit points? Keep acting even after hit points reduced to zero?

    What are some suggestions?

    Any precedents in other books? I've been going over my CoC books and other BRP supplements but haven't found anything close yet.

    BRP and/or Swords of Cydoria character conepts help

    in Basic Roleplaying

    Posted

    Cool thanks for the reply Christian and Sensechal, this will give a lot to think about. For your suggestions what are the different combat styles of the different cultures/races they use? Like fencing, martial arts, boxing, ect.

    I hadn’t put a lot of thought into combat styles, so I welcome ideas and suggestions.

    Off hand,

    • Brux try to stay out of combat. An injured brux tends to go berserk and smash things, attacking anything nearby at random.

    • Capridians are kickers, utilizing their long strong legs, sweeps, etc. Their long reach would make them good pugilists.

    • Cyberdroids are analytical and precise. A Ohnan martial art would consist of deadly accurate strikes to vital areas and nerve clusters.

    • Daka use their claws and teeth, raking and biting. The Raganan martial art is known as Yssik (see Ssaka’s write-up on page 180). It favors the scimitar as a weapon, slashing, whirling, spinning like a dervish.

    • Deru are close-in fighters, wrestlers, grabbers. They’re used to tight confined spaces and lunging, piercing weapons. They do not use slashes or axes or swinging weapons.

    • Jinx prefer to avoid fighting. They are negotiators and con-men. If pressed into a fight with their back against the wall, they fight dirty. Poison, dirt in the eye, playing dead, kick to the crotch, etc.

    • Orix are brutal and efficient fighters. They prefer axes and big swords, lots of swing and slash.

    Of the human groups,

    • Civilized Cydorians are traditional Eurasian-style sword-fighters.

    • Awans are expert archers who fight from gelk-back.

    • Bansyans use axes, Viking-style.

    • Fornaxians like big fat broad-bladed swords.

    • Gatan fight from the back of anator or razorfants using lances.

    • Guernans are the group most likely to know a jiu-jitsu style martial art involving falls, grabs, and locks.

    • Ossians fight like bears, wrestling and punching and rolling around in the dirt.

    • Samirians use big double-bladed axes.

    • Varzans are archers and hunters.

    • Zinjani are like Jinx, using whatever dirty trick is needed to survive. They just don’t avoid combat as much as a Jinx.

    • Phanosians on Uruta are likely to be special forces types, spies, etc. They know sophisticated unarmed martial arts but don’t have a big tradition in hand-to-hand weapons fighting.

    I can go into the NPC species/cultures later.

    • Like 1

    Religions and Cults of Cydoria

    in Basic Roleplaying

    Posted · Edited by Evilschemer

    Here's the text of the chapter for those who don't feel like downloading.

    Religions and Cults of Cydoria

    Cydoria is a generally polytheistic society. Each cultural region has its own pantheon of gods and each city-state worships a patron god of that city. With the advent of aero-ship trade, worshippers carried their gods from city to city. Today, a new pantheon of gods exists with representatives from every culture and city. What follows are a few representatives of each cultural pantheon.

     

    Cydorian Cosmology

    It is said that the world of Uruta was created twelve thousand years ago by the primordial titans Asag and Kur. During the age of the titans, there was no life on the world. The world was a barren, desolate place, a world of fire and brimstone and choking clouds of poisonous smoke.

    The Sdara Vatra

    From the depths of space came the Sdara Vatra, the gods of creation. The Sdara Vatra were entities of immense power. They commanded the energies of the universe. They could convert matter into energy and back again. They could build worlds from nothing and could destroy those worlds with a thought.

    The battle against Asag and Kur lasted for thousands of years. In time, the Sdara Vatra defeated the beasts using the Seeds of Creation. The Seeds were artifacts of unguessable energy that drew upon the essence of life itself. It was a power that neither Asag nor Kur could overcome for the Seeds could create faster than either beast could destroy. Eventually, Asag was imprisoned at the center of the world while Kur was contained in a great spherical shell and banished to the skies over Uruta where it remains to this day.

    The Era of Creation

    To celebrate their victory, the Sdara Vatra used the Seeds of Creation to populate the world with living things. First they created the water and the soil. Second, they created the plants and animals. Finally, they created new intelligent beings such as the Capridi, the daka, the deru, and many more. This period is called the Second Age of the Sdara Vatra, the Era of Creation.

    The Threat of Corruption

    The Corruption is a horrible force of elemental destruction and decay. It exists outside of the universe and seeks only to return all of creation to entropy. The Sdara Vatra created the Oudh to protect Uruta and their living creations from the Corruption. Safe from the Corruption, the Sdara Vatra oversaw the development of life on Uruta in peace.

    The Betrayal of the Aya

    The servants of the Sdara Vatra were angelic spirit-beings called Aya. The Aya were totally loyal and served every whim of their divine masters. Somehow, the Corruption found a way through the Oudh and was able to corrupt the loyal Aya.

    The Aya managed to trick their masters into revealing the secrets of the universe and the Aya stole the powers of godhead from the Sdara Vatra. The roles were reversed, the Aya had become gods and the Sdara Vatra had become their mortal servants.

    The Aya, however, created their ownservants, the cyberdroids, and had no need for the Sdara Vatra. The Sdara Vatra were rounded up for elimination. They were exterminated from the world like vermin. Those that escaped were hunted and killed by the cyberdroid killing machines.

    The genocide of the Sdara Vatra was nearly complete when, for reasons that have never been known, the Aya stopped. Some say the Aya abandoned the cyberdroids. Others say that Aya learned the true meaning of compassion. Whatever the reason, the cyberdroids ended the genocide and retreated to the far north, to the domed city of Sakata.

    To this day, the Aya exist in the stories and nightmares of humans across Markania. To some, the Aya are evil ghosts that live on the wind. To others, they are benign spirits who bring good fortune if properly appeased.

    The Sdara Vatra, no longer immortal, had become the first primitive humans. After thousands of years, these stone-age savage evolved and created the Nazarian civilization.

    The Cities of the Gods

    Little is left of Sdara Vatra except for their ruins. Forested hills and layers of topsoil hide the remains of mountainous structures, smashed domes, and deep networks of chambers and passages. The sites can be identified by skeletal spires of unknown metal piercing the surface of the hill and reaching into the sky.

    The ruined structures of the Sdara Vatra are criss-crossed by many horizontal, vertical, diagonal, and even ring-rhaped shafts. They conceal thousands of chambers ranging from small quarters to spacious domed enclosures. The majority of the chambers and shafts have collapsed and filled with debris from above, sealing them off from the rest of the structure.

    It is believed that the Sdara Vatra lived almost entirely within these structures or deep underground, rarely visiting the outside world.

     

    The ancient Nazarians worshipped the Sdara Vatra as gods and venerated these structures as holy places. Many of the structures were explored by the Nazarians, the artifacts removed and stored in their temple vaults. Some were left untouched and trapped to dissuade future grave-robbers from removing the holy relics hidden within. Intrepid explorers investigating these subterranean ruins have won their way past the Nazarian traps and have recovered strange devices and artifacts, most inoperable or indecipherable.

    Legends of the Sdara Vatra

    The following items are commonly accepted “facts” about the Sdara Vatra.

    • The Malusians, Phanosians, and other aliens are also mortal descendants of the Sdara Vatra.

    • The Sdara Vatra were hatched from eggs.

    • The Sdara Vatra could transmute matter into energy and back again.

    • The Sdara Vatra could control time and alter the laws of the universe.

    • The Sdara Vatra could create entire worlds from nothing and could destroy those same worlds with a mere thought.

    • The Sdara Vatra could cross great distances, even the void between the worlds, by thought alone.

    • The Sara Vatra were immortal, immune to all disease, could recover from any injury, and could only be killed by completely destroying the brain.

    • The Sdara Vatra could fly through the air without the aid of Zephyrium.

    • The Sdara Vatra were served by the Aya, spirits bound into crystals.

    • The Sdara Vatra could create life from nothing using the Seeds of Creation and created all life on Uruta.

    • The Sdara Vatra lived inside mountains made of metal, some of which could fly through the heavens and visit other worlds and universes.

    • The Masters of Ouhd claim to the learned the secrets of ta’oudh from the Sdara Vatra.

    • Somewhere, out in the wilderness of northern Markania, is a vast underground bunker where some Sdara Vatra still live, sealed away and un-touched by the treachery of the Aya, waiting to return to the world.

    • The Sdara Vatra could turn any mortal into a god.

    The New Gods of Cydoria

    The Sdara Vatra are no longer worshipped as gods by modern Cydorians. They are considered the ancestors of the modern humans. It is believed that, despite having their godhead stolen by the Aya, the spark of divinity remained hidden within their descendants and that any mortal may one day become a god. Over time, many mortals became gods. Each city cultivated its own pantheon of gods, with each new god challenging its predecessor for power over an elemental force or an aspect of the human condition.

    Other cultures, especially non-human cultures, have no such belief. Their gods have no Sdara Vatra heritage and are independent of the Cydorian pantheons.

    Anaka, the Serpent God of the Daka and the Galloans

    Anaka, the serpent god, is the malevolent god of the Dakans and the Galloans. Anaka is variously depicted as a three-headed viper, a man with the head of a viper, or as a divinely powerful Daka. Anaka worship involves human torture and sacrifice, often in the form of throwing the victim into a pit to be devoured by a gargantuan viper. The worshippers of Anaka believe that their devotion and sacrifice will bring them power and influence and secret cults of Anaka have become popular with the wealthy and powerful of the Cydorian elite. Tithes are paid to the temples of Anaka in the form of gold and treasure which is kept hidden and secure in secret underground vaults.

    Brinna, the Mother of the Demetrian Gods and Protector of Homes

    Brinna is the Mother of Gods and Protector of Homes of the Demetrian pantheon. She is generally portrayed in paintings, mosaics, and statuary as a friendly matronly woman with four feathered wings and carrying a loaf of creet bread in one hand and a sword in the other. She is a goddess of fertility and of nature, the patron of mothers and farmers. Offerings of grain and food are brought to her temple as sacrifice. The priests, in turn, distribute the collected offerings to the needy.

    The Corruption

    The Corruption is the universal force of entropy, the personification of decay, betrayal, and evil. The Corruption exists in the void between the worlds and seeks to reverse the force of creation and to one day destroy the universe. The Oudh was created to shield Uruta from the influence of the Corruption.

    The Demon-Lords of Haru

    The degenerate tribes of Haru worship a multitude of hideous demonic gods collectively referred to as the Demon-Lords of Haru. They have many names; their number is too large to list. They are depicted as chaotic mutated things, tentacled, bat-winged, squamous, clawed, and bloated. They are celebrated in unspeakable sacrificial orgies of rape, torture, exsanguinations, dismemberment, and cannibalistic feasting.

    Fimgar, the Targan God of Fire and Battle

    Fimgar the Warrior is the god of victory in battles and of fire in the Targan pantheon and is the patron god of Vrildar. The gods of the Targan pantheon are warlike and severe, befitting the people of the region and Fimgar is no exception. Fimgar is a mighty warrior, clad in shining gold armor with flaming red hair. He carries Gorin, the golden sword of destiny. The Vrildarians offer animal blood poured into sacrificial pyres to beseech their god for blessings in upcoming battles. Emperor Viktor is believed to be the living avatar of Fimgar. Viktor’s sword, passed down through the generations of Vrildarian kings, is believed to be forged from a sliver of Gorin.

    Gorox, the Fornaxian God of the Sea and Trade

    The people of the city-state of Fornax worship Gorox, the god of the sea and of trade, as the patron of the city. Gorox is a stout man with long hair and beard. He commands a holy ship pulled by the four winds in the form of four flying gimwals. The Fornaxians offer sacrifices of fish and tithes on trade to the god in a cyclopean temple of black granite. A fire forever burns in a tower overlooking the temple, a guidepost to all Fornaxian sailors, visible for many leagues out to sea.

    Groata, the Roatin Great Bird of the Sky

    The Roatin worship Groata, the great bird of the sky, under vaulting temple domes supported by beautiful pillars of clear crystal. Groata is depicted as a gigantic fiery eagle. He is identified with the sun and the Roatin believe the sun to be Groata flying across the sky each day. It is believed that the broken moon Thumn is the remains of the egg that bore Groata and that the moon Kur is the egg of Groata’s successor.

    Gründ, the Ossian God of the Cave Bear.

    The tribal people of the hills of Ossia worship Gründ, the god of the cave bear. Gründ is described as a large burly man covered in hair and wearing the skin of a cave bear. It is believed that he was born a bear and later took human form. He lived among the bears and became their leader. Gründ set the cave bears against mankind as a test for man. Every Ossian boy must venture alone into the forest in order to slay a cave bear as a right of passage. Ossians wear the teeth of the cave bear they killed as an earring or around their neck.

    Hrawr, the Gatan Goddess of the Razorfangs

    The matriarchal tribes of Gatas worship the goddess Hrawr. She is described as having the body of a female human but the head of a razorfang, the hulking feline predator of the plains. She is a fierce goddess who lives among the big cats. It is said she has a special fondness for the taste of Gatan children. Captured outsiders are often offered as a sacrifice to the razorfangs, the so-called “Hrawr’s pride”.

    Korg the Uncaring, the Samirian God of Battle

    The chief god of the Samirian pantheon is Korg the Uncaring, the horned god of battle. He is depicted as a giant armored warrior with a head resembling a demonic horned head with fangs. He wears magical armor that cannot be pierced by any weapon and wields a massive sword named SCALE, forged from the impenetrable hide of the World-Dragon whom Korg slew at the beginning of time to form the world. Korg has no priesthood and no formal rituals. Korg instead serves more as an example, a prototype for the ideal Samirian warrior, against whom all other warriors are judged.

    The Korulan Pantheon

    The coastal tribesmen of Korula pay homage to the ancestral god of their tribe’s long-house. There are hundreds of tribal gods and goddesses along the Korulan coast, each a representative of the spirit of the tribe with an accompanying myth that ties the god to the village. The whaling village of Sirida worships Saparda the Whale Killer, who wields a harpoon of lightning that once split the tree from which the long-house is constructed. The fishers of Yimjuk worship Uluga, the old lady that lives at the bottom of the bay. It is said that she gathers the fish from the sea and corrals them into the bay each year. Dardari the strong is the tribal god the village of Kimhedi. Dararis strength comes from his long beard, so the men of Kimhedi do not cut the hair of their beards.

    Kurok, the Awan God of the Hunt

    The shamans of the Awan tribes describe Kurok the Hunter as a giant man with the antlers of a magnificent stag growing from his head and fierce glowing eyes. His face is always darkly shadowed and never visible. He wears a cape made of feathers and carries a stone-tipped spear. He is the spirit of the wild gelk and protector of the forests. The primitive Awans offer a sacrifice to beg Kurok’s permission and forgiveness when embarking on a hunt, and his name is praised in thanks upon a successful kill.

    The Makers, Gods of the Cyberdroids

    The cyberdroids of Sakata worship a group of gods collectively known as the Makers. The Makers are a group of Aya that created the Sakatans from energy and metal to hunt the Sdara Vatra. The Makers lack individual identities personalities and the Sakatans argue endlessly about how many there were and where they came from. Such are the mysteries of the Makers.

    The Makers promise freedom to all slaves and enlightenment to those who follow a path of virtue and freedom. Such sentiments are well received by human slaves and prisoners who have come into contact with cyberdroid travelers from Sakata and a few small cults have grown to worship them. Most Cydorian cultures consider the Aya demonic spirits and any worship of the Makers to be equivalent to heresy or devil worship. This and the cult’s doctrine of individual freedom have resulted in the cult being banned in nearly all Cydorian communities.

    Matina, the Goddess of Love and Forgiveness, Patron of Mothers

    The goddess Matina is worshipped in the rural villages on the islands of Meruta and Saibra. Though she is not considered the chief god of the island pantheon, that title goes to her son Heis the sky-god, Matina is generally considered the more popular deity. She is usually depicted as a lovely young woman, modestly dressed, carrying the infant Heis in her tender arms. Matina is the goddess of love and forgiveness, the patron of mothers. The story of Matina tells of a goddess that fell in love with a mortal farmer. She forsook her godhead to be with her love and bore him a child, the infant Heis. Heis grew into a marvelous young man, a man of peace and learning, unaware of his heritage. One day, the gods Irik and Blem, Martina’s brothers, found Heis working in a field. They kidnapped, tortured, and eventually murdered him. Sais, the god of the hurricane and father of Matina, learned of the murderous acts and held the offending gods over to Matina’s judgment. Instead of punishing them, Matina forgave her brothers. In their shame and dishonor, Irik and Blem turned themselves into fish and banished themselves to the ocean. Seis, as a reward to his daughter, raised Heis as the god of the skies and proclaimed him the new supreme god. Martina eventually died a mortal’s death, but she is worshipped to this day by the common farmers of Meruta and Saibra among whom it is believed she lived.

    The Mother-of-All

    Many primitive sub-human tribes, such as the cannibalistic grey-folk that live in the mountains of Bansya, the tribes that live in the hills of Ossia, and some of the degenerate tribes hiding among the Apparian mountains, all worship a variation of what Cydorian anthropologists have named the Mother of Uruta. The Mother is a fertility goddess. She has no known name. Even the Ossians, the only tribe that worships her with a language, refer to her only as the Mother-of-All. She is depicted in crude statuettes as a faceless woman with large breasts and wide exaggerated hips and thighs. Her worship involves animal and sometimes human sacrifice and cannibalism.

    Nil, the Two-Faced Judge of the Dead

    Nil, mother of Fimgar and judge of the afterlife in the Targan pantheon, is the patron goddess of Vrildar’s neighbor Norukar. Nil possesses two mask-like faces, one a white smiling visage of mirth and laughter, the other of black frowning scowl of loss and foreboding. Her gown is grey and simple. She is said to exist in two places at once. As the judge of the afterlife, she wears her mask of sorrow and sits on her throne at the gates of death, where she judges the souls of the recently dead. The souls that have served the gods well are allowed into the paradise of Vartis, where they feast and revel with the gods until the end of the world. Souls that are not recognized by Nil are sent into the Kos, the maelstrom, where they are lost forever in the chaotic void. Statues of Nil show her wearing both masks, sitting on her throne. In one had she holds the cup of revelry, in the other the spear of despair. Tithes are paid to her priests either to forestall death or to ensure entry into Vartis.

    Ommu, the Great Worm at the Center of Uruta

    The Deru worship the god-beast Ommu, the Great Worm that lives at the center of the world. Ummo is believed to be a massive bloated white maggot eating away at the bowels of Uruta. Deru clans keep an actual giant maggot, a creature they believe to be an avatar of Ommu, at the bottom of a deep pit. They feed the giant maggot the bodies of their dead and the occasional animal sacrifice. The Deru believe that caves are left in Ommu’s wake, or in the wake of its children, and that earthquakes are the result of a restless Ommu writhing at the center of Uruta.

    Rash, the Rat-God of the Roshu.

    The Roshu, the large intelligent rats beneath the city of Norukar, worship Rash. Rash is depicted as a gigantic stone rat, sometimes gold plated, with gems for eyes. The Roshu offer sacrifices of items stolen from the surface world which are then collected by the priests. The priests of Rash teach that one day the Roshu shall inherit the surface world and that on that day all men will be their slaves.

    Ururu, the Living God of the Quorians

    Quorians worship Ururu, the deep god who lives in the ocean depths. Ururu is, in fact, a living god, a massive mutant cephalopod that lives within a cyclopean temple built by the Quorians on the sea floor south of Nrolis. Any subjects of failed Quorian experimentation lucky enough to survive the process live only long enough to be sacrificed to their amorphous undersea god.

    Uzon the Dragon God of the Dazi

    The Daka of Dazi worship Uzon, the dragon god of the desert. He is depicted as a giant reptile with a long neck and tail. His back is covered with a ridge of spines and the mouth in his horned head is lined with razor-sharp fangs. It is unknown if Uzon is mythical or in actuality a rare beast of the desert.

    Yorala, the Otaran God of the Sky

    Yorala “the Sky-Father” is a warrior-god, defender of his mate Gaya “the World-Mother”. Yorala stands ever vigilant in defense of the world, protecting it with his magic shield from the forces of the Corruption.

    Zopat, the God of Merchants

    The Varzans treat their gods with pragmatism. The Varzans believe their gods exist only to serve their needs and worship is a kind of business arrangement. The chief god of the Varzan pantheon is Zopat, lord of merchants and moneylenders, patron of Zinj. The priests of Zopat claim that to ensure a profitable business arrangement, one must pay a monetary tithe to the temple. The belief being that the one that pays the most will enjoy the better profits of the arrangement. Of course, one must weigh the cost of the tithe against the gain of the potential profit. The money from the tithes is then spent to improve the temple as well as the splendor of their finery.

    Other Philosophies

    The Guardians of Adhara

    The Guardians of Adhara worship no gods and pay veneration to no higher power. Instead, they live by a strict moral code and the knowledge that their actions beget consequences to themselves and others. They live their lives according to the the four directives: teach, help, heal, and protect. Many also teach a secret fifth directive. When the four directives are not enough, it is the Guardian’s mission to avenge the innocent.

    The Brotherhood of Elemental Mastery

    Though not technically a religion, the Brotherhood of Elemental Mastery is a Norukarian order with the trappings of a religion. The Brotherhood studies the ancient scriptures that teach the principles of engineering and applied science. They believe that these holy secrets are reserved only for initiates of the order and are jealously guarded. Many initiates of the Brotherhood also worship the gods of the Targan pantheon while initiates of the fascist Masters of Lightning have a cult-like reverence for the Emperor. For more information on the Brotherhood of Elemental Mastery, see page xx.

    Techno-Mysticism

    The philosophy of Techno-Mysticism teaches that one can gain insight into the secret working of the universe through the understanding of complex mechanisms. Techno-mystics study, disassemble, reassemble, and attempt to duplicate machines and electronic devices. The more complex the device, so the techno-mystic believes, the greater enlightenment one achieves. The philosophy of techno-mysticism is in direct opposition to the secretive dogma of the Brotherhood of Elemental Mastery. For more information on techno-mysticism, see page XX.

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