Mythic Vistas: SpirosBlaak - Property Is Theft!

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in the faith of the Shining Cavalier. Games and sports (although very rarely those of the gladiatorial variety) are held here on a monthly basis. No other arena in the Archduchy can compare with the Coliseum of Devotion’s splendor. Conundrum Hall SpirosBlaak’s thieves are notorious for their love of puzzles, and so their large guildhall is like a maze. Traps, most of which can be bypassed by solving a puzzle, pepper these corridors, protecting the guild’s secrets. Rumor has it that all applicants to the guild of Conundrum Hall must find their way through a harrowing, multileveled labyrinth in the building’s depths to gain membership. Failure, of course, means death. People of Note The following are people of note in SpirosBlaak. Archduchess Ailea Baedabin I Female rakshasa 12 HD, AL appears as LG. The only child of the late duke, Ailea assumed her father’s title at age 23. Almost a decade later, following years of masterful political maneuvering, Ailea is the youngest and one of its more competent leaders the Archduchy has ever known. She rules fairly, and she’s shown a great deal of care for her people by taking a direct involvement in their lives, more so than any other ruler in living memory. She initiated sweeping social reforms that have unfortunately failed thus far to affect the nation’s many hardships…or so the public believes. Truthfully, a power-mad rakshasa, less than a month aer the true Ailea’s elevation to Archduchess, killed and replaced the archduchess. The rakshasa, Lulust Miregrim, uses powerful magic and artifacts to hide her secret, especially from her suspicious aid, Lord Blackwater. “Archduchess Ailea” uses her innovative ideas in conjunction with the momentous events she contrives as a smokescreen to cover her true, selfish goals, most of which actually work to oppose the pretense of her good deeds. Chief among her current designs is unseating the Pontiff of Spiros and usurping the church’s power and wealth to serve her needs. Uik Diffdek Male bakad 12th-level expert, CE. Head of the largest bakad house in the city, and therefore probably the most powerful of SpirosBlaak’s hagglers, Uik is a capable merchant specializing in cloth and foodstuffs. This is a front. In truth, the head of House Diffdek maintains his wealth by being a notorious cheapskate, liar, and smuggler. If you need something (or someone) in or out of the city unnoticed, or if you’re looking for someone or something that doesn’t want to (or can’t) be found, then Uik is the goblin to see—if you can afford his services. Lord Deacon Blackwater, Court Thaumatologist Male Spiran 19th-level wizard, N. A wizened human who lived several centuries and survived many adventures before seling down into his current position, Lord Blackwater served the rulers of SpirosBlaak for over five decades. He was a former student of Rector Arphias, so Blackwater is no fool. He suspects there is something awry with his charge, the Archduchess. He has thus far been wise enough to keep his suspicions to himself until he can act with certainty, but it is likely only a maer of time before circumstance forces his hand. Tuskadeen Protectors Fearing assassination at the hands of fanatics during Vas’ crusade against Kirvos, the duke of that time formed the Tuskadeen Protectors. Consisting of Rilgoth barbarians of the Tuskadeen clan, Chapter Four: Customs, Communities, and Geography 35 these mercenaries are surprisingly loyal, and they viciously defend their charge, the current duke or duchess of the city, gladly giving their lives in his or her defense. The Moon Claws and Predators These two rival kav gangs dominate aspects of crime in the city too minor for the thieves’ guild to take notice of or care about. The Moon Claws, a gang of rough kavbroed, claim the east side as their turf, whereas the Predators, a slick and underhanded band of kavraen, hold a smaller territory encompassing the docks and a few nearby blocks. Other gangs, kav and otherwise, exist, but these two are by far the largest and most dangerous. Taervas Sheriff Obron Uktonikis Symbol: A gauntlet holding alo a rose on a violet circular field. Population: 300 (15% human, 45% half-orc, 20% half-ogre, 7% orc, 13% other). Special Population:100 to 500 Archducal legionnaires and/or mercenaries, 20 constables, 20 to 200 student warriors. Religions: Any is welcome but Shivanos and Sri Senn Sindh are both very common. Imports: Steel and firearms. Exports: Mercenaries, cale, leather, weapons, and armor. Languages: Orc, Giant, Common, and Goblin. Alignments: Neutral, neutral evil, and chaotic evil. Located upon the road between Monvas and Vas, this small village was founded during the Era of Blood and has since oen been the victim of both orcs and humans alike. One would think such a history would tear apart Taervas’ citizenry, each person siding with its own race, but instead the opposite has occurred. Taervas is a community of ruthless acceptance and unforgiving compromise. The villagers that all individuals are responsible for their own survival and should be either accepted or denied based on their ability to maintain that goal. In short, it doesn’t maer who or what you are, so long as you are strong enough to keep yourself alive. Such a philosophy acts as a bridge between the contrary societies of mankind and the Roaming Plains, allowing the various peoples calling Taervas home to coexist without the usual racial boundaries. The village itself is sparse, with blacksmithing, weaponsmithing, and armorsmithing being the more common trades, and other military fringe trades, such as teamsters and tanners, coming in second. Taervas also includes an inn, six taverns, a crude sporting arena, a pavilion-style marketplace, a meeting lodge, a jail, a postal outpost, and housing enough to accommodate roughly a third of the village’s citizens, with the remainder living on outlying farms. Relations Most of the Archduchy would like to forget Taervas and its warrior code of racial equality exists, but even the purists of Vas hire Taervastrained soldiers from time to time. The other duchies also look towards Taervas’ soldiers to train and complement their own forces. Locations of Note The following are locations of note in Taervas. Taervas School of Arms Although not as big and not nearly as refined as most of the other militant academies of the Archduchy, the school of Taervas is one of the best, and its graduates are some of the most capable officers and mercenaries to be found. All manner of arms, including black powder firearms and siege weaponry, are taught here, as are tactics,
36 strategy, and logistics, along with troop morale and psychology, and any number of other skills valuable to a warrior. Noble birth doesn’t maer so far as the instructors are concerned, nor does one’s ancestry. All that counts is the shine of your coin. For the right amount of silver or gold, anyone can register for as many lessons as desired, although the full treatment takes about eight years and usually begins at as early an age as possible. Mound of Shivanos Beneath a wide, lone hill just outside the village is a guarded temple dedicated to the crazed god of war, Shivanos. This subterranean complex, protected by a cadre of bale priests, warrior monks, and pet guardians, is probably the heart of the Haed Doom’s faith in the Archduchy. It is even rumored the god himself resides here when he isn’t stirring up trouble. Many of the duchies have tried to bring legal and/or military action against the mound for its suspected complicity in the orc rebellions of the Roaming Plains, but a lack of evidence, coupled with the sanctity of a holy place, even one devoted to blood, has thus far thwarted all such efforts. People of Note The following are people of note in Taervas. Sheriff Obron Uktonikis Male half-ogre 7th-level fighter, LN. A gigantic, homely warrior with a fair share of common sense and brains (especially for a half-ogre), Sheriff Obron “Ob” Uktonikis is charged with keeping the peace and does so with a surprising lack of violence. He is reasonably fair, regardless of race or politics, and his great strength combined with the skills he learned as a graduate of Taervas make him ideal for his position. Vas, City of the Righteous Nominally Duke Killian Zapodys XII, actually His Divine Voice Rafael XIII Symbol: A winged heraldic shield bearing the sword and helm of Spiros with a silver crown above. Population: 170,000 (80% human, 5% dwarf, 8% halfling, 7% other). Special Population: 3,500 priests of Spiros, 200 Crimson Company guardsmen, 2 Archducal infantry legions, 1 Archducal cavalry cohort, 1 Archducal artillery cohort, 2 Vasian infantry legions, 1 Vasian cavalry legions, 1 Vasian artillery cohort, 1 Vasian siege legion, 2 Anointed of Vas Holy legions, 300 Sentinels of the Homeguard, 500 city guardsmen, 10,000 house slaves. Duchy Population: 375,000 (84% human, 1% dwarf, 6% halfling, 9% other). Duchy Boundaries: With lands stretching as far east as the lowest of the Crypt Hills, into the north towards Taervas, and east to the Roaming Plains’ periphery, the Duchy of Vas has more land— most of it lush and fertile— than it can adequately populate. Religions: Spiros. Other religions are allowed, but are openly discouraged—sometimes with zealous outrage. Only the Church of Spiros is permied to operate places of worship within the city’s walls. Imports: Textiles, luxury goods, and grain. Exports: Religious texts, icons and implements, fruit, wine, and fish. Language: Common and Old Rilgoth. Alignment: Lawful good, lawful neutral, and lawful evil. Chapter Four: Customs, Communities, and Geography Known almost as well for its architecture as it is for being the seat of the Church of Spiros, Vas is a thriving seaside metropolis whose columned designs and marble edifices inspired similar designs all over Dracos. The protective walls once encircling the city were never repaired aer the Witch Lords’ invasion, leaving the white marbled beauty of this great city bare to the farms and renowned vineyards of the surrounding countryside. Instead, strategically placed strongholds within the city’s limits defend the citizenry and their whitewashed homes and businesses. At first glance, a stranger to Vas sees only the stately columns, arches, statues, and tiled mosaics that are as elegantly decorative as they are functional. The flagged streets strike out from the city’s heart, the See of Spiros, like spokes on an immense wheel, and lined with cheerful merchants, sympathetic clergy, and helpful locals. The streets are clean, free of beggars, and virtually without crime. The buildings are scoured to their purest white, and the blessings of Spiros are upon all. To everyone else, the City of Righteousness wears a different face. Vas presses the unemployed into the military or sends them to state farms or work crews to clear any debts, and criminals are punished by mutilation or worse cruelties. All visitors are meticulously (although discreetly) scrutinized by church agents, arcane spellcasters or those who flaunt magic are detained and exiled (or worse), non-humans (especially kav, elves, and goblins) are regarded with disdain, and those who don’t follow Spiros are seen as being just one step shy of evil. What’s more, the Church of Spiros, as it exists in Vas, is more concerned with worldly power and dominating the human spirit by means of its doctrine than adhering to the Shining Cavalier’s true principals. The See of Spiros is now as much a symbol of oppression and human supremacy as it ever was an icon of justice and benevolence. In fact, the dukes of Vas have been lile more than feeble figureheads for the Pontiffs, the true rulers of the city, for centuries. Relations Although the seat of the nation’s largest religion, Vas has very fragile associations with almost all the other duchies, especially SpirosBlaak. Even the most rudimentary and necessary of relations with the capital are stressed due to SpirosBlaak’s election as the Archduchy’s hub of power, a concession of the nation’s founding that has vexed every Pontiff since. The other duchies recognize this tension and either avoid it entirely or manipulate it to their own ends, whatever the current political atmosphere requires. Only Hiltaenos remains on good terms with the holy city. Vas also has no love of outsiders, including followers of other faiths. At best, such “non-believers” can expect a cool reception in most shops and taverns; worse results, however, are not uncommon. The city’s long history of invasion and aacks from the Roaming Plains has also made Vas’ occupants very introverted and untrusting towards non-humans. The local constabulary or, more likely, agents of the Inquisition of Swords (see page 41), constantly watch large groups of non-humans—even hagglers or those beings recognized as allies of the Archduchy—from the shadows to ensure they do nothing to interfere with Vas or the Church’s affairs. A city of brotherly love, Vas is not. Locations of Note The following are locations of note in Vas. The See of Spiros A grand testament to the wealth and authority of the Church of Spiros, the See is a small city unto itself. Filled with many buildings of worship from vaulted cathedrals to simple shrines, the most magnificent of all is the soaring Cathedral of the Gilded Sword, the
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Page 46 and 47: Dire Hawk Small Animal Hit Dice: 3d
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Page 72 and 73: Kavbroed Racial Traits by Type •
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Some pirates head to the sea to esc
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Table 8-4: The Prophet Background M
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At 14th level, and every six levels
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thereaer (a total of +1d6 at 3rd, +
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make a check for any Knowledge skil
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Power Points/Day A 3rd-level Gavrin
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the shapechanger, it must succeed o
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A Motith Farr simply knows his powe
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Special: The character must be a st
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ability to backfire. To do so, the
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This chapter presents modifications
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inflexible language. Faedic is a ve
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Table 10-2: Feats (continued) Item
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penalty. In addition, you only need
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• Tennefron: You may cast fear th
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Benefit: Speak Language is always a
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Special: This feat must be taken se
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Table 11-1: Melee and Ranged Weapon
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Table 11-2: Black Powder Firearms F
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engravings. Aesthetics aside, the m
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Firearm and Artillery Accessories A
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Table 11-8: Alternate Materials for
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Table 11-12: Explosive Stunning thr
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4 Summon Monster IV: Calls extrapla
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8 Antipathy: Object or location aff
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5 Freedom of Movement: Subject move
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Blindness/Deafness: Makes subject b
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Bull’s Strength: Subject gains +4
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targets as being of an artificial h
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A useful aid for craing mundane or
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Spell Resistance: Yes The true pass
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Divine Armor It is possible to bind
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Table 12-5: Firearm, Artillery, and
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and readied to fire by the user’s
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although no more than 30 ounces may
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(Faedian). He sometimes travels wit
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Saviors of the Twisted Fang: A high
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Speed Loader 116 Speed of the Hunte
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