| Latest Posts | Greternesh
What You Need to Know
What is Greternesh? Greternesh is my high lore, high fantasy world. I have been working on the lore of this world for the past 9 years of my life, and have hosted several campaigns within the world. Several people have told me that they feel these are my best games. Where can I read the lore? You can't! There's too much to get down... and I'm paranoid people will steal it before I can write my books. You can though, ask me about anything you want to know! Where can I see a map of Greternesh? There is a scene map. There is also this one: s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/inkarnate-production/ma... Neither is 100% accurate. Use for reference only What basic lore should I be aware of? To be honest, you're probably a peasent who doesn't know much of anything. We can discuss anything related to your character. But... a few basic points. Greter is an all powerful being and It made the world, with the help of fourteen lesser gods It created. There are also several demi-gods. The known world, at this point in time, is dominated by an empire called 'Crowdor' which is ruled by King Nicholas IV and split into several smaller counties. It practices the religion of the god Shinious, who is a god of purity. People who are devote followers of one god may learn that god's magic. This is the only path to magic within the world of Greternesh. Apart from Men, Greternesh is also inhabited by Green-Skins, this race exists in several sub types including Orcs, Goblins and Trolls. Green-Skins were once Elves and Elves were the beloved children of Greter. The Dark Lord, Vorlord, who fell 100 years ago turned all of the Elves into Green-Skins in a horrific genocide. What is the format for this game? This game will be two core-rules Fabletop campaigns, taking place in the same world at the same time, but with different rosters of parties and players. “Party A” will be geared towards new comers to Greternesh and will be hosted every Tuesday. “Party B” will be tailored towards the old-fogies who played Greternesh with me back in the day, and will require more knowledge of the lore. It will be hosted every Friday. Are there any house rules? Yes. Mages cannot be made on CC, magical traits will only be available as level ups from 20xp onwards. Also, the power point does not add 1 star to blocking rolls or healing rolls. How do I get started? Discuss with me what you'd make in a fantasy game with no lore, and we'll work together to shape it to the lore. Then... check out the racial information and the lore with it... and if you're feeling brave or have a desire to learn magic... the god lore!
Character Creation
You will need to do the following things IN ORDER 1) Talk to the GM, discuss your concept and work together to make it fit the lore. No characters will be allowed who begin with magical powers. 2) Make an appropiately named character with base traits adding to 7, and life and power adding 8 with a single custom trait that fleshes out your character's personality and skills. 3) Find your racial trait from the forum below! 4) Add a 2nd custom trait if your racial trait tells you to. 5) Add a description of your character. 6) Talk to Oman, he'll tell you fifteen reasons why step 5 didn't quite meet the lore. 7) Repeat steps 5 and 6 a few times. 8) Complete the following skeleton in your notes, Oman will help if he's feeling nice Party: Full Name: Age: Gender: Species: Sub-Race: Occupation: Place of Origin: Prefered God/Gods:
Racial Traits - Party A
Note: Playable races will depend on the party you play in. There are also 'rare races' I will only be invited ONE player who is a 'rare race' to join each campaign. You are much more likely to be invited along if you make a common race character :) -Common Races: The Men of Nordruth (The Nordreen) Appearance: Essentially Caucasian humans. Light of skin, commonly with blond or brown hair and green, blue or brown eyes. Reference Image: i25.photobucket.com/albums/c63/saxviknorm/svni33.j... History: The Men of Nordruth originate from the northern, icy continent of Halla where they were ruled over by the Pyrotaur Nordruth and the other blue dragons. Several thousand years ago, an amulet containing the sentience of Shadious (the god of shadow) found its way to Halla, and the Nordreen were tempted and given the opportunity to slay Nordruth. They did so, and fled south to the content of Birdmeet on ships, dragons pursuing them. Later, Shinious and a group of Elves found out about Shadious' dark influence and led a crusade against him. The then leader of the Nordreen and owner of the amulet (the Last Lord of Landing) was slain in a battle at the Greatmarsh. Red Dragons from the south took the amulet away from human hands (for a few centuries) and Shinious led the Nordreen to a hill on which he allowed them to build a new settlement. This was the origin of Crow City, and the Empire of Crowdor Trait: Nordreen: 1 - Speech bonus, begin with two custom traits. The Men of Sondrun (The Sondrek) Appearance: Essentially somewhere between Arabic and African humans, racially similar to earthlings from Egypt or the Middle-East. They are dark of skin, with black, white-blond or rosewood coloured hair and typically have grey or brown eyes. Reference Image: upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3c/Gleyre... The Men of Sondrun are native to the southern desert most commonly referred to as 'Dragoncroft'. The full extent of this desert has not been measured or mapped, but is believed to be at least twice the size of Birdmeet, with the main human dwellings in the northern most sections. They lived in this environment under Draconic rule for millennia until the Dragon Wars began. As the Nordreen settled to the north, tensions grew between the the Pyrotaur Sondrun and the Nordreen. The former saw the possibility of being slain the latter the possibility of being enslaved again. Eventually war broke out for several hundred years between the two sides, with Sondrun arming the Sondrek to help in the fight. Eventually the Nordreen won. As the Sondrek had no history of governing themselves, the Nordreen quickly put themselves in command of Dragoncroft, and it became a colony of their empire, with the people highly taxed to help pay for the war damages. This arrangement was not one the Sondrek were in favour of, and there is a history of rebellion against the Nordreen. In general, they are an opposed and impoverished people. Trait: Sondrek: 1 - Heat resistance, Desert survival/navigation begin with two custom traits. Rare Races: The Men of Soloketh (The Solo-Ki) Apperance: Essentially Chinese humans. Racially similar to Earthlings from China, Japan, Korea and the surrounding area. Typically characterised by narrow brown coloured eyes and black hair. Reference Image: thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/nintchdbpi... Far to the West of the contient of Birdmeet (where the game takes place) exists another race of men, still under the rule of Dragons. Soloketh is the kindest and wisest of the Dragon kings, and was unfortunately struck by a foul poison around one-hundred years before the start of the game. The poison weakened his health and left him vulnerable to his subjects, but instead of slaying him, the men of Soloketh tended to the dying king. They teamed with the Dragons to fly to far away lands and search for medicines. Eventually Soloketh was cured, but weakened. In the process, man and dragon had learnt to work together in the Far-West and Soloketh had gained a great deal of trust and love for his citizens. He began to allow the humans more freedom and more control, whilst the Dragons no longer merely policed them and began to help build this society. Now, the Far-West is a land of Samurai, Ninjas and Dragon-Riders. Trait: Soloki: 1 – Knowledge of the Western lands, Knowledge of and interaction with Dragons and their kin. Begin with 2 custom traits. The Incarnate Elves once walked Greternesh, and they were the beloved children of Greter. Original each Elf was a (biologically) genderless, beautiful, perfect being who knew Greter personally and intimately. Then the God of Death came to Greternesh, and the first Elf died. There is no afterlife in Greternesh, so this first Elf was lost forever and broke Greter's heart. To protect himself, Greter came up with a new plan. He could not undo death, as it was against his own rules to directly undo the work of another god, and he could create move Elves, as they had originally been created by accident... so instead he created reincarnation. Very few Elves ever needed to be reincarnated, as their original bodies did not age or decay or suffer from any natural diseases. Elves also did not need food or drink to survive (though they could consume it just for pleasure). There were around 10,000 Elves made originall by Greter, of which 200 – 300 were at some point reincarnated. When the Dark Lord rose, the Elves were destroyed; body, mind, soul and all. And now the Incarnate are all that's left of them. When an Incarnate dies (or when an Elf of old died) it is immediately reincarnated into the next being that is born on the planet. They remember everything from all of their past lives and can be born into any animal, even humans, but not into the bodies of corrupt races (Green-Skins, Vampires, Werewolves, Demons, etc.). Incarnate animals have the intelligence and speech abilites of an Elf. Trait: Incarnate should choose the racial trait of the race they have been reincarnated as. If this is an animal, it should be a custom trait with appropiate abilites relating to that animal. In addition, an Incarnate's base stats add up to 8, but life and power only to 6.
Racial Traits - Party B
Party B will consist of... TWO or THREE Men of Nordruth, Men of Sondrun or Men of Herrox. TWO or THREE Green-Skins of any of their 9 sub races and ONE Vampire, werewolf or lesser demon. The information for the Men of Nordrtuh or Men of Sondrun can be found above. The Men of Herrox (The Herrox) Appearance: Very similar to the Men of Nordruth, but significantly taller (usually between six and seven foot), more muscular and more hairy. They usually have black, brown or red hair and green or brown eyes. Reference Image: cdn.obsidianportal.com/assets/225758/barbarian_wit... History: The Men of Herrox trace their origin back to Herrox, the god of war, and a human female whose name is forgotten to history (commonly refereed to as 'The Mother'). The Mother was stolen by demons from Halla and taken to The Rift where Herrox slew her captors. As a god often associated with lust, Herrox laid with The Mother, and she gave birth to twins – a male and a female, who some say are the ancestors of all the Men of Herrox. Others say that Herrox had multiple human partners, each of which found the same forest and added to the gene pool. Either way, it is not doubted that the blood of god runs in this strong, brutish people. Trait: Herrox: 1 - Strength, intimidation, resist fear. The following nine races are GREEN-SKINS. Green-Skins were once Elves, but were transformed into the ugly creatures they today by Vorlord (The Dark Lord). When Vorlord was defeated in the Vorlidian War, the Green-Skins were forced to scatter as mankind began to hunt and slay them. They soon formed smaller groups and sub-races. Green-Skins live much shorter lives than humans (with 2 being fully mature and 30 being considered 'old age'). Green-Skins are also genderless (they have only one gender, and breed amongst that gender). Green-Skins are a corrupt race, and by the tennants of the Shinian religion should be removed from the world. Orc Appearance: Green-Skinned and ugly, greasy black hair and red eyes. Athletic build. Reference Image: t pre07.deviantart.net/9b39/th/pre/f/2013/107/a/5/or... History: At the end of the Vorlidian war, when Vorlord disappeared and the Greenskins forced to scatter, some stayed in Vorlidia, honed their military skills, fought to keep humans out their lands, and loyally awaited in hope of the return of their master. This was a path appealing to the loyal, determined and skilled combatants amongst the Green-Skins, and these traits quickly bred in the sub-race. Compared to the other races of Green-Skins, Orcs are very civilised. They are often viewed as the knights of their species Trait: Orc: 1 - Melee combat, discipline, organisation, tactics. Goblin Appearance: Similar to an Orc, but smaller and scrawnier. Reference Image: orig04.deviantart.net/8083/f/2012/233/9/d/goblins_... History: At the end of the Vorlidian war, when Vorlord was defeated and the Greenskins forced to scatter, several thousand Greenskins were taken captive by Crowdor or surrendered. Mostly, they were put to work in the mines of the empire, where they would be out of public sight. They became a slave race, and were selectively bred to be smaller, more timid and afraid of humanity and often fire or sunlight so that they would be able to navigate smaller mine-shafts and not want to leave to go to the surface. Several generations later, some Goblins now even fear freedom. Trait: Goblin: 1 – Small, nimble, hiding, running away. Ogre Appearance: Much larger than an Orc (around eight feet tall) and flabby. Reference Image: tai-segel.com/wp-content/uploads/Ogre.jpg History: When the Green-Skins scattered, some fled West to the Ash Wastes, a cold, desolate landscape. Only the toughest warriors survived that first year to establish a new society. Only those who could find enough to eat, and insulate themselves properly, survived the colds of winter. They settled in small tribes and camps in the ash, and raided the other Ash-Hamlets for food. The environment has made the Ogres tough. They are brutishly strong and unforgiving in combat though, typically, they are not the most intelligent breed. Trait: Ogre: 1 - Large in size, strength, intimidation, stamina Troll Appearance: Similar to an ogre, but often hairier with skin that is a paler shade of green. Reference Image: vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/forgottenrealms/image... History: When the Green-Skins scattered, some fled west, all the way to the Arm of Ri. They settled in the mountains, where people would be less likely to hunt them, there they found the Yeti, a similarly large race, though more simple and peaceful, whom they chose to live amongst. The Yeti taught the Trolls how to survive the mountain climate, and the Trolls taught the Yeti the art of war. The two races are still on good terms. Troll: 1 - Large in size, strength, intimidation, cold resistance, mountain climbing Shaman Appearance: a slimmer build that most Green-Skins, often robed. Reference Image: img00.deviantart.net/f19f/i/2012/146/1/9/orc_shama... History: Vorlord himself learnt the dark arts in a secret location in the Greatmarsh. When fleeing Green-Skins found this place, the secret location also revealed itself. Here they found the lost tools of the mages who trained their lord (and were destroyed by him) and the magical artefacts they'd left behind. They took up the tradition anew, living in the swamp, and became the Shamans. The Shamans know a lot about the plants and animals of their swamps and how to heal, and also practise the magics of shadow and death. The Shamans are a magical order with many traditions, including a naming tradition. Every Shaman drops the last syllable or two syllables of their name when they begin their magical training, and the rest of the name is followed by 'Lyte' (for Acolyte) 'Vice' (for Novice) 'Earl', 'Lord' (the rank Vorlord rose to), 'Elder' or 'Master' ( of which there is only one at a time). Player characters should usually be of the first three ranks. Trait: Shaman: 1 - Plant knowledge, swamp knowledge, herbal healing, knowledge of black magic Gremlin Appearance: Shorter and lankier than an orc – built for speed, not strength! Reference Image: forums.wesnoth.org/download/file.php?id=38995 History: When the Green-Skins scattered, many chose to hide in plain site, in the woods and abandoned settlements of Crowdor. Some were little more than common criminals, others saw the war as on-going and did all they could to disrupt trading routes and fight a gurellia war. 'Gremlin' became the general term in Crowdor for thse Green-Skinned thieves, as these bands were seen as more of a mischievous nuisance than an actual threat. Trait: Gremlin: 1 - Speed, mobility, stealth, social manipulation, sabotage, guerilla warfare. Wanderer Appearance: Much darker (but still green) skin, rarely seen from under their cloaks Reference Image: s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/51/7f/3a/517f3ad... History: The desert dress of the most southern parts of Dragoncroft covers the entire body to shield it from the sun... and makes for an excellent disguise. The Sondrek are more sympathetic to the Green-Skins than the Nordreen as well, so many Green-Skins chose simply to wander the deserts, often living and working in disguise amongst its people. They quickly learnt the secrets of the desert, how to disguise oneself, and how to flee when necessary! Trait: Wanderer: 1 - Heat resistance, stealth, disguise skills, desert knowledge, desert survival Savage Appearance: Large and muscular Green-Skins, often with beards, loose, wild hair, tattoos and piercings. Reference Image: s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/eb/0b/7c/eb0b7ce... History: When the Green-Skins scattered, some headed to the forest of Darkwood as this was a place where the Crowdorians seldom went. To begin with, the Men of Herrox were reluctant to accept these new comers, but soon grew to respect their skill in battle. This respect turned to admiration and acceptance as the Green-Skins used their natural bond with wolves to tame the giant Great Wolves of Darkwood, an ability previously only acomplished by the greatest warriors of the Herrox tribe. The turning point for Barbarian relations were the Barbarian wars, in which the Savages joined the six human tribes of Darkwood to raid Crowdor for food during a great famine. After this, Savages intergrated into all six tribes. Trait: Savage: 1 - Melee combat, bravery, interaction with wolves. Greenbeard Appearance: Very similar to Orcs, usually dressed in pirate clothing. Often missing a limb or an eye, renown for having the yellowed skin, missing teeth and sunken eyes of scurvy (though this is not technically a biological trait) Reference Image: img12.deviantart.net/e276/i/2014/036/c/2/pirate_or... History: When the Green-Skins scattered, a few were able to scramble aboard Vorlidian naval vessels and escape the sea. Many ships were lost to the enemy, but those who broke through the Crowdorian Fleet found themselves relatively safe at sea. These crews soon found their way to Redrum, and began lives of piracy and smuggling. It was soon discovered that scurvy is not as likely to kill or incapacitate a Green-Skin; they can continue working even with the disease, this has made them a very efficient people to crew your ships with. Some ships have only Greenbeards aboard, whilst other ships are ran by humans and employ Greenbeards in their crew. Greenbeards are named for a single Green-Skin, who managed to navigate the largest of the fleeing ships through the enemy blockades. Upon reaching Redrum, he did not speak a word of common tongue to express what his name was, so the sailors and pirates of the isle took to calling him 'Greenbeard' due to his skin colour, scraggly beard with chunks of mouldy food in it and in parody of famous Greterneshian pirate Captain Barnabas 'Red Beard' Crum. Trait: Greenbeard: 1 - Sailing skills, knowledge of seas and ports, naval combat, disease resistance. -Rare Races Vampire Appearance: Almost human, but very pale. Typically black haired. All vampires have red eyes. Reference Image: lh3.googleusercontent.com/rY8fuuaA4PKS0Wbgwoh6zM9S... A creation of the god Shadious, Vampires are an unholy fusion of Elven immortality with human bodies and minds. Vampirism is not a curse, but a race. It is not spread by bites, more Vampires are made in the same way new humans are. Young vampires gain all the advantages of the Elven fusion; Good looks, increased speed and vitality. Shadious even gifted them enhanced strength and affinity for the dark arts. Unfortunately, the process is corrupt and flawed and weakens over time. Older vampires have less advantages, and slowly gain more weaknesses. Holy symbols, holy places, silver, garlic and sun light quickly become abhorrent to them. Very elderly vampires can even become weak to running water, light in any forms and wood. The process of loosing one's powers can be delayed by drinking human blood, and slightly reversed if Elven blood should be found. Trait: Boost to all actions shorlty after drinking blood. Speed, strength, dark magic, persusasion, stealth. Loose access to this trait in direct sunlight or when exposed to holy symbols, magic or places. Werewolf Appearance: Werewolves are descendants of Nordreen humans, and as such appear very similar... until they change. Reference Image: orig13.deviantart.net/74ab/f/2012/009/a/1/werewolf... An unholy fusion of man and dog, created as punishment for treachery by the dark god Shadious. Werewolf is a race, not a curse, and new werewolves are made in the same way new humans are made and not through bites. Werewolves do not change at will, or when angered or even during the full moon. All Werewolves have their own 28 day cycle where they drift between a full human on day 1, a full wolf on day 14 and back to a full human on day 28. The process is very fluid and exists in every stage in between. Trait: Werewolf: 1 - Sense of smell, combat with claws and jaws, wolf interaction. When in full-wolf mode, this trait becomes a +3 but you loose access to all other traits. Lesser Demon Appearance: Demons exist in all sorts of forms. From words and maggots, to humanoids with horns, to more skeletal beings, to giant 40-foot monsters. They have no set appearance. Demons were originally created by Necra'an, the god of Death to help him fight a war against Greter and Herrox. They were made by changing and misshaping worms, flies, maggots and other flesh eating creatures. After Necra'an died, seven demons ate the flesh of the god and rose to Arch-Demon hood. These arch-demons have continued to produce and shape new demons ever since. Trait: Lesser Demon: 1 - wrath, glutony, greed, sloth, envy, lust, pride. Please log in to add a comment. |
“They are saying this is the best time in the history of Greternesh to ever have lived.
The Barbarian Wars are 30 years past, the economy is booming, people in industry are working less hours in better conditions, people are living longer, making more money, eating better, enjoying more luxuries... crime is down and mead is plentiful. Yes, since the Dark Lord fell, all seems right with the world.
The Empire of Crowdor stands firm, 100 years on from it's hard fought victory with the Dark Lord it has easily recovered, it stands proud. Walls of white stone, Knights in bright steel with blue shields, priests of the God of Pure Light, Shinious, wandering the streets of its many cities and a peace-loving king ruling over an empire that has all but run out of land to grab.
Yet... recently, things have begun to change.
The North Wolves creep further south, with their black fur and red eyes. There was a sighting of a band of Barbarians crossing Fertillia at night, the road to Ravenhill is under constant attack from Gremlins, the rebels in Dragoncroft will not stay silent and seemingly, in every tavern, men meet in black cloaks to whisper foul secrets.
Last week, a symbol appeared in the sky above the ruins of Old Vorlidia, the past seat of the Dark Lord himself. The Right Honour The Lord Protector Sir Pole has assured me, as King Nicholas IV has in turn assured him, it was merely a band of Orcs practising black magic. I pray that they are right, but I fear that our long time of prosperity may be coming to a close. I pray, to Shinious and to Greter that these incidents are separate, and insignificant.”
-From the Journal of Knight Captain Igery, Most Noble Order of the Crow. Twenty-second of La'an's month. Sixteen-Sixty-Six