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[Let's Read] Southlands Campaign Setting
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<blockquote data-quote="Libertad" data-source="post: 7578964" data-attributes="member: 6750502"><p style="text-align: center"><strong>Chapter Five: The Kingdoms of Salt and Steel</strong></p> <p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/7zSd68n.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p>Our past few chapters covered nations with explicitly supernatural means of leadership. Nuria Natal’s god-kings, the Dominion’s elemental rulers, and Kush’s archmage lich and the demonic forces pulling the kingdom’s strings. The nations along the Southland’s western coast depart from this; although no stranger to their own wonders, their rulers are mortal. Magically proficient mortals who may have a divine spark, but the four kingdoms of this chapter are run by humanoids, for humanoids.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><strong>Sebbek Sobor</strong></p><p></p><p>This dwarven-majority country claims descent from the refugees of Haldaheim, a marvellous city brought low by the Green Walker’s ascendance. The refugees fled into the land between Lignas and Narumbeki, and struck a deal with the latter group to provide weapons and armor in exchange for land. Sebbek Sobor’s government is balanced between a pair of elders from each city and the Conclave of Brotherhoods, the latter of which are comprised of noble, clan, and guild leaders. Both groups have checks and balances to temper the other’s power, and neither side is stranger to ambushes and feuds to get some resolution passed. The Brotherhoods representing various artisanry disciplines are the most powerful, while the martial Brotherhood of the Axe provides much of the country’s armed forces.</p><p></p><p>Sebbek Sobor’s world-famous crafting is not solely to the credit of dwarves. The Brotherhood of Embers creates pacts with bound elementals to provide their labor in exchange for tasks, items the elemental likes, and in some rare cases the freedom to roam Midgard to a limited degree. Given the natures of elementals, this results in more than a few angry farmers complaining about damaged crops, but the Conclave hems and haws given how vital the elementals are in powering forges, wind and water-driven devices, and other such technology.</p><p></p><p>Sebbek Sobor’s most popular location for foreigners are the Trade Tents, temporary marketplaces which spring up during the summer months. Coins are not accepted as a viable method of exchange, with all business done via bartering physical goods from metalwork to magical items. We also touch on the dwarven practice of golem-making: although such constructs are primarily used as wardens and sentinels in cities and trade routes, the Brotherhood of the Chisel treats their work as an art form, giving elegant and stylish yet functional forms to their creations. Golemwrights are constantly pursuing new methods of innovation and aesthetics, motivated to stand out among an already-gifted pack.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><strong>Lignas, Land of Serpent Scholars</strong></p> <p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/QhJCnXn.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p>This tropical rainforest kingdom still stands as a center of lore and trade since its founding, although it is not the most hospitable to visitors. Lignas’ capital is the same name as the country and is ruled by a theocratic dictatorship: the Coil of Memory is a public religious spy agency which pursues intelligence and mysteries of the world as a means of divining existence. But this knowledge is not free, for its membership grants access of religious lore based on seniority. It is believed that the Coil’s heart is dedicated to moon worship where members are “gifted” with transformation into monstrous lamia. </p><p></p><p><strong>Divine Spark:</strong> Its aristocratic head has a tradition where one can only ascend to the throne by assassinating the previous ruler. This is because the first queen of Lignas betrayed and killed her own titan ruler, absorbing the spark for herself. The nature of the spark is that only ritual assassination transfers its powers to a successor. Spirits of past rulers are bound to their skulls and serve the current queen, Mwato Yaav, as advisors.</p><p></p><p>The city of Lignas proper contains one of the last preserved remnants of Glorious Umboso’s architecture. Huge cyclopean walls and structures of stone bend and curve in impossible ways as though they were liquid streams frozen in motion. Numerous smaller human structures and dwellings surround these walls. Canals, aqueducts, and barges serve to manage riverbound travel and feed its fertile farms. The mighty Selwheyha River cuts through the metropolis all the way to the sea, but boatmen never travel that far due to legends and tales of a vicious sea monster living at the end.</p><p></p><p>One of Lignas’ two notable locations includes the Tower of the Scaled Fellowship, the headquarters of the Coil of Memory. Libraries, laboratories, classrooms, and vaults brim with jealously hoarded power. Layers of magical, architectural, and physical security make it one of the hardest places in the Southlands to break into, but the repository of magical spells and secrets makes it a tempting target nonetheless.</p><p></p><p>The other location is the Scroll Market within the city’s outer slums. A network of shadowy doorways and magical huts designed to disappear at the first sign of trouble serve as a black market for untested and smuggled magical contraband of the Coil of Memory’s scribes. Untested alchemical concoctions are also for sale, to varying levels of quality. Merchants and customers alike are expected to arrive masked for anonymity.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><strong>Kingdom of Morreg, Land of the Ancestors</strong></p> <p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/9Kop0aR.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p>One could claim that every inch of Morreg’s countless hills and valleys are being monitored, and it would not be far from the truth. Its tiered, stonework cities and towns contain numerous multi-level excavated rock structures connected by open-air bridges spanning deep trenches. Aside from this architectural uniqueness, the day-to-day operation of settlements appears normal on the surface. But the Morregi have a radically different sense of privacy than most foreigners, for unrestricted use of divination dominates daily life. Auguries are cast before most activities to ensure the favor of the fates, while some citizens scry on their neighbors to keep tabs on them.</p><p></p><p>The reason for this is that the government encourages its citizens to be abreast of their surroundings and on the lookout for threats in the name of national security. Some of Morreg’s elite forces even preemptively interfere against individuals and communities beyond their lands in a <em>Minority Report</em> fashion, their state seers predicting future dangers before they arise. Or so the kingdom claims.</p><p></p><p>Morreg’s government is ruled by a hereditary king known as the High Saaxir as well as 100 officials known as the Mhondoros Council. While technically elected, the Council members are appointed after a complex divinatory process, leading Morregi to believe that their rulers are destined for their roles. But the Council has its own political factions who have mutually conflicting agendas. Currently the major policy on the minds of the heads of state is preparing for war with Lignas.</p><p></p><p><strong>Divine Spark:</strong> The High Saaxir holds the spark of the titan Amhara in a bejeweled orb. Said spark grants the king the ability to create Living Reliquaries, although it is believed that one who absorbs it directly into their body will gain unlimited oracular abilities. Although it is a rumor rather than a mechanical ability set in stone, the book suggests the ability to cast all divination spells at will is a possibility. Besides the potential insanity that would come from unlimited knowledge, there is a difficulty in stealing something when Morreg’s greatest seers already predicted your plan in action.</p><p></p><p>The other notable feature of Morreg is the practice of creating Living Reliquaries known as “ruuxa.” Morregi culture reveres the wisdom of the dead in the belief that they can see things the living cannot; the most valued citizens are chosen for the honor of becoming ruuxa. At the moment of death, the candidate’s skull is removed, their spirit bound to it, and placed into the carved recesses of one of the many obelisks dotting the countryside. They can converse with passing citizens and also strengthen the power of divination spells: this manifests as granting +1 Caster Level on spells of said school cast within the nation’s borders, or +2 (non-stacking) to those cast within 60 feet of an obelisk.</p><p></p><p>Morreg’s capital, Akxuum, holds the Gray Tower. Here wizards and oracles are taught the arts of combat divination and the powers of arcane archery. There is also a black market which sells magical items that protect against divination spells; its location moves regularly to evade the reach of the authorities.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><strong>Narumbeki, Shield of the South</strong></p> <p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/hCNvJKa.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p>Within the vast grasslands northeast of Lignas and southwest of Kush lies one of the Southlands’ mightiest warrior societies. In the era of Glorious Umboso the titan Mwari pitted Narumbeki’s ancestors against simulated armies of other titans for recreational sport. After said empire’s fall the Narumbeki scattered among the savannahs as a warrior culture. The tribes united into a more organized fashion as a counter to Morreg’s ascendance and became experts at organized large-scale warfare.</p><p></p><p>Narumbeki society is highly militarized and analogous to Fantasy Counterpart Zulus. At age six a child is trained in the Legions as a messenger and apprenticed in combat at age twelve. Their society is semi-nomadic, with most settlements being a series of enclosures surrounded by thorn-decorated fences and muddy palisades known as kraal. Larger towns and cities are known as akanda, serving as the headquarters of individual Legion organizations.</p><p></p><p>One of the current campaigns of Narumbeki is keeping the Green Walker’s influence from spreading to the plains, and there are always at least 3 Legions maintaining the border with fire and spell. The literal scorched earth tactics christened the Narumbeki-Kush border the Burning Fields.</p><p></p><p>The Narumbeki Legions proper are organized into hierarchical regiments, with a logistical command structure where smaller forces comprise larger formations. For example, a squad is made of 6 soldiers, while 12 squads form a shield, all the way up to an impi of 864 warriors. Their base ranks have armor and shields made from zebra-hide and spears for melee combat. </p><p></p><p>Beyond foot soldiers the twelve Legions are divided into four groups of three. The Fire Legions use arrows and a unique alchemical poison known as naphtha to soften enemy ranks; the Wind Legions are the fastest warriors capable of traveling great distances; the Stone Legions focus on defensive maneuvering; while the Imbangala are a cavalry supplement of sorcerers who mastered magic to domesticate zebras. Zebras both in real life and in the Southlands are too ornery to be broken like normal horses. These “cavalry casters” know the secret to their domestication and these sorcerers are capable of using a wide variety of spells beyond their discipline, yet another set of mysteries outsiders have not yet solved.</p><p></p><p>Every Legion pays homage to the High Warlord, or Mukani, who settles affairs on a national scale and coordinates military campaigns requiring the alliance of multiple tribes. The current Mukani is Ebo Adashe, whose recent decisions have caused doubt, from expelling Lignan ambassadors on charges of spying to breaking treaties with the gnolls of Dabu. The reality of the situation is that Ebo has been infected by the Green Walker’s spores and is a puppet to a vine lord.</p><p></p><p><strong>Divine Spark:</strong> Each Mukani passes down Mwari’s spark to the next in line. The spark grants the ability to imbue sorcerers with spells outside their normal tradition. Anyone who has the spark would have total access to the spell lists of every class, but will be hunted to the ends of the world by the Legions if they are not first burned alive in an outpouring of raw magic.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><strong>Perilous Sites</strong></p><p></p><p>The Kingdoms of Salt and Steel may have a surplus of well-defended bastions from Narumbeki warbands to Morregi diviners, but it is no stranger to swathes of dangerous territory. The most notable are the temple ruins of Ankrhimari, home to a naga lich known as the Whisperer of Shadows. He is currently excavating the place in search of an artifact known as the <em>Black Crown of Veles,</em> said to grant dominion over the dragonkin races. It is said that Veles the World-Serpent himself created at least three such crowns to allow the “hairy races” some degree of protection from his favorite children.</p><p></p><p>There is also the Dunhumadzi, the largest mountain in the western portion of the continent containing a rumored titan stellar observatory; the shadowy Ezana’s Stone in Morreg’s southern border home to a mage silhouette who answers questions posed by visitors, albeit at the price of only giving answers he believes will cause the most misery possible; the Lost Diamond Caverns home to a clan of crystalline demons; and the Stone Bird Grove, whose eponymous statues come to life to guard a rumored treasure against intruders.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><strong>Character Options of the Kingdoms</strong></p> <p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/r08OzKE.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p>The player-facing options of this chapter are more numerous than the previous chapters. Starting off we have five new archetypes. The Arcane Sculptor (Summoner) trades in their eidolon for the ability to build and maintain animated objects or clockwork creatures.</p><p></p><p>The Cavalry Caster (Sorcerer) trades their bloodline arcana and bloodline spells for the ability to learn a small number (1 spell every odd level) from another class list, not have to roll concentration checks for riding, and gain some mounted combat related features such as being able to summon a supernatural mount or gaining bonuses on ranged touch attacks when you make a mounted charge.</p><p></p><p>The Deep Explorer (Rogue) is the prototypical underground explorer who gains favored enemy against aberrations in place of trap sense, the ability to make a single spelunking-related skill roll (Climb, Heal, Survival, Swim) on behalf of all allies within 30 feet in place of uncanny dodge, and a bonus on Perception and Dungeoneering Knowledge checks equal to half their rogue level in place of improved uncanny dodge.</p><p></p><p>The Jali (Bard) are patriotic Morregi who can read the threads of fate in battle via the use of combat divination. They can learn any sorcerer/wizard spell with a swift or immediate casting time, and they may spend a round of bardic performance to grant a one-use swift/immediate spell they know to every ally within 90 feet as long as they maintain performance.</p><p></p><p>Finally, the unimaginatively-named Tunnel Fighter (Fighter) are dwarves who join organizations of underground guards to defend their homes. They gain class features related to close quarters fighting, replacing their bravery bonus with an equal bonus on Acrobatics and Escape Artist checks, the ability to perform attacks of opportunity against those who try to grapple them no matter the circumstance, fight without penalty when squeezing or sharing a space with another tunnel fighter, flank as long as they and an ally are engaged in melee with the same creature, and a burrow speed of 5 feet at 11th level.</p><p></p><p>Next up we have a few new <strong>feats:</strong> a pair of item creation feats known as Master Sculptor (create constructs even if you’re not a spellcaster) and Master Carver (put 1/day spell-like ability hieroglyphic symbols on constructs) are neat, but the feat with great potential is Foresight Alacrity which allows you to perform up to two swift <em>and</em> two immediate actions per turn. This is really great, potentially overpowered even, if you are making use of the Path of War sourcebook or similar reaction-based classes and abilities. The only trade-off is that you suffer a -2 penalty on all rolls for that round, and the penalty increases by 1 for every consecutive round you use this feat’s benefits.</p><p></p><p>In a section all on their own, <strong>Tactical Feats</strong> are associated with the Narumbeki Legions. They are akin to teamwork feats in that they impart benefits for the whole party. They have a base Legion Training feat, and most have a hefty +8 Base Attack Bonus requirement, but they are overall pretty good. For example, the base Legion Training grants you a +2 bonus to your Combat Maneuver Defense; but you can also elect to have a +1 bonus and share the other half with all allies within 30 feet. If two or more characters have this feat, they can stack the “shared bonuses” on each other but the maximum amount is limited by said recipient’s character level.</p><p></p><p>This really simulates the “coordinated Zulu Warrior” feel of soldiers who are greater than the sum of their parts in that every other Tactical feat has more or less the same share-based fractional mechanics. The Tactical Step feat can grant a bonus 5 foot step, Accurate Thrust grants a base +2 on attack rolls with piercing weapons and can be split akin to Legion Training, Legion’s Fortification grants 20% chance to negate critical hits or sneak attack damage, and Legion’s Balm grants <em>fast healing 5!</em></p><p></p><p>The rest of the section pre-magic has miscellaneous information, including the ability to teach new tricks to serpent-based creatures with Handle Animal, the dwarven-brewed naphtha alchemical admixture which is a poison that deals fire damage and can be detonated in large quantities, new poisons from Lignas and stats for war zebras (like horses but gain concealment when among others of their kind in close quarters), and a host of new African-themed familiars from lemurs to scarab beetles.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/eBkN9vC.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p>The <strong>Magic of the Kingdoms</strong> includes a host of cool new items and spells. We have magic items such as an Eggshell mask which can perform a suggestion spell as a gaze attack twice per day, a Narumbeki Mudzimu Figurine which can detect thoughts for hostile intent and transform into a stone giant to attack said threat, and rituals and incantations such as the ability to conjure Venomous Rain of Retribution to deal poisonous fire damage on a wide area, or Bind the Unwilling Adviser which is used by Lignas’ queens to bind spirits of the departed to your service along with all their non-physical skills and knowledge.</p><p></p><p>We have new generic spells, which are alternate versions of more conventional spells: Blood Pact calls an outsider to make a deal and you gain their damage reduction and vulnerabilities in addition to their service; Swarmshape Summon spells are like Summon Monster, but they summon monsters two levels lower on the latter spell chart who burst into swarms should they be “killed;” and Vipershot imbues your arrows with the ability to turn into vipers after they hit a target.</p><p></p><p>But the lion’s share of new spells are in a section of their own: the fabled Morregi art of <strong>Combat Divination!</strong> I should note that this is one of my favorite mechanics from the Southlands, both in concept and rules and how it covers a traditional weakness of the spell school in Dungeons & Dragons. You see, conventional divination spells are limited in use when the din of battle starts; the most iconic spells either require maintenance (detect magic and clairvoyance) or have long casting times (augury and clairvoyance). Combat divination spells are swift or immediate actions which allow the user to foresee enemy actions and movements in an “I saw that coming” style of foresight. They can be learned by many classes, even the less-arcane types such as bards and rangers get a few!</p><p></p><p> I won’t list all of them, but some of the cooler ones include Anticipate Attack ( take a 5 foot step to avoid an attack if you get out of its reach/AoE), Anticipate Arcana (gain Spell Resistance against an oncoming hostile spell), Distraction Cascade (cause an enemy to become flat-footed against an ally’s incoming attack on a failed Will save), Scry Ambush (can be cast during a surprise round to act normally and not be flat-footed) and Targeting Foreknowledge (cast after you make a successful attack but before damage, granting you +2d6 bonus damage and increase the critical multiplier by x1).</p><p></p><p><strong>Thoughts So Far:</strong> The four countries were relatively brief in length, but I did not mind that as much on account that they more than made up for it with cool fluff and new mechanics. The divine sparks are starting to make more frequent appearances now, and just about every nation has its own tricks and local traditions to make PCs from that region stand out. Morreg has potentially the greatest difficulty in adventuring opportunity, as the huge amount of divination-capable citizens requires some unorthodox thinking by Game Masters to implement.</p><p></p><p>The new archetypes and feats were overall stellar choices. I really liked seeing “team player” focused mechanics pop up, from the Deep Explorer’s rolls for the whole party to the Narumbeki Legion feats and the Jali bard’s ability to grant limited spell use to allies.</p><p></p><p><strong>Join us next time as we sail along the eastern Corsair Coast, visiting exotic isles and clashing sword and spell with pirates, slavers, and sealed demons!</strong></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Libertad, post: 7578964, member: 6750502"] [center][b]Chapter Five: The Kingdoms of Salt and Steel[/b] [img]https://i.imgur.com/7zSd68n.png[/img][/center] Our past few chapters covered nations with explicitly supernatural means of leadership. Nuria Natal’s god-kings, the Dominion’s elemental rulers, and Kush’s archmage lich and the demonic forces pulling the kingdom’s strings. The nations along the Southland’s western coast depart from this; although no stranger to their own wonders, their rulers are mortal. Magically proficient mortals who may have a divine spark, but the four kingdoms of this chapter are run by humanoids, for humanoids. [center][b]Sebbek Sobor[/b][/center] This dwarven-majority country claims descent from the refugees of Haldaheim, a marvellous city brought low by the Green Walker’s ascendance. The refugees fled into the land between Lignas and Narumbeki, and struck a deal with the latter group to provide weapons and armor in exchange for land. Sebbek Sobor’s government is balanced between a pair of elders from each city and the Conclave of Brotherhoods, the latter of which are comprised of noble, clan, and guild leaders. Both groups have checks and balances to temper the other’s power, and neither side is stranger to ambushes and feuds to get some resolution passed. The Brotherhoods representing various artisanry disciplines are the most powerful, while the martial Brotherhood of the Axe provides much of the country’s armed forces. Sebbek Sobor’s world-famous crafting is not solely to the credit of dwarves. The Brotherhood of Embers creates pacts with bound elementals to provide their labor in exchange for tasks, items the elemental likes, and in some rare cases the freedom to roam Midgard to a limited degree. Given the natures of elementals, this results in more than a few angry farmers complaining about damaged crops, but the Conclave hems and haws given how vital the elementals are in powering forges, wind and water-driven devices, and other such technology. Sebbek Sobor’s most popular location for foreigners are the Trade Tents, temporary marketplaces which spring up during the summer months. Coins are not accepted as a viable method of exchange, with all business done via bartering physical goods from metalwork to magical items. We also touch on the dwarven practice of golem-making: although such constructs are primarily used as wardens and sentinels in cities and trade routes, the Brotherhood of the Chisel treats their work as an art form, giving elegant and stylish yet functional forms to their creations. Golemwrights are constantly pursuing new methods of innovation and aesthetics, motivated to stand out among an already-gifted pack. [center][b]Lignas, Land of Serpent Scholars[/b] [img]https://i.imgur.com/QhJCnXn.png[/img][/center] This tropical rainforest kingdom still stands as a center of lore and trade since its founding, although it is not the most hospitable to visitors. Lignas’ capital is the same name as the country and is ruled by a theocratic dictatorship: the Coil of Memory is a public religious spy agency which pursues intelligence and mysteries of the world as a means of divining existence. But this knowledge is not free, for its membership grants access of religious lore based on seniority. It is believed that the Coil’s heart is dedicated to moon worship where members are “gifted” with transformation into monstrous lamia. [b]Divine Spark:[/b] Its aristocratic head has a tradition where one can only ascend to the throne by assassinating the previous ruler. This is because the first queen of Lignas betrayed and killed her own titan ruler, absorbing the spark for herself. The nature of the spark is that only ritual assassination transfers its powers to a successor. Spirits of past rulers are bound to their skulls and serve the current queen, Mwato Yaav, as advisors. The city of Lignas proper contains one of the last preserved remnants of Glorious Umboso’s architecture. Huge cyclopean walls and structures of stone bend and curve in impossible ways as though they were liquid streams frozen in motion. Numerous smaller human structures and dwellings surround these walls. Canals, aqueducts, and barges serve to manage riverbound travel and feed its fertile farms. The mighty Selwheyha River cuts through the metropolis all the way to the sea, but boatmen never travel that far due to legends and tales of a vicious sea monster living at the end. One of Lignas’ two notable locations includes the Tower of the Scaled Fellowship, the headquarters of the Coil of Memory. Libraries, laboratories, classrooms, and vaults brim with jealously hoarded power. Layers of magical, architectural, and physical security make it one of the hardest places in the Southlands to break into, but the repository of magical spells and secrets makes it a tempting target nonetheless. The other location is the Scroll Market within the city’s outer slums. A network of shadowy doorways and magical huts designed to disappear at the first sign of trouble serve as a black market for untested and smuggled magical contraband of the Coil of Memory’s scribes. Untested alchemical concoctions are also for sale, to varying levels of quality. Merchants and customers alike are expected to arrive masked for anonymity. [center][b]Kingdom of Morreg, Land of the Ancestors[/b] [img]https://i.imgur.com/9Kop0aR.png[/img][/center] One could claim that every inch of Morreg’s countless hills and valleys are being monitored, and it would not be far from the truth. Its tiered, stonework cities and towns contain numerous multi-level excavated rock structures connected by open-air bridges spanning deep trenches. Aside from this architectural uniqueness, the day-to-day operation of settlements appears normal on the surface. But the Morregi have a radically different sense of privacy than most foreigners, for unrestricted use of divination dominates daily life. Auguries are cast before most activities to ensure the favor of the fates, while some citizens scry on their neighbors to keep tabs on them. The reason for this is that the government encourages its citizens to be abreast of their surroundings and on the lookout for threats in the name of national security. Some of Morreg’s elite forces even preemptively interfere against individuals and communities beyond their lands in a [i]Minority Report[/i] fashion, their state seers predicting future dangers before they arise. Or so the kingdom claims. Morreg’s government is ruled by a hereditary king known as the High Saaxir as well as 100 officials known as the Mhondoros Council. While technically elected, the Council members are appointed after a complex divinatory process, leading Morregi to believe that their rulers are destined for their roles. But the Council has its own political factions who have mutually conflicting agendas. Currently the major policy on the minds of the heads of state is preparing for war with Lignas. [b]Divine Spark:[/b] The High Saaxir holds the spark of the titan Amhara in a bejeweled orb. Said spark grants the king the ability to create Living Reliquaries, although it is believed that one who absorbs it directly into their body will gain unlimited oracular abilities. Although it is a rumor rather than a mechanical ability set in stone, the book suggests the ability to cast all divination spells at will is a possibility. Besides the potential insanity that would come from unlimited knowledge, there is a difficulty in stealing something when Morreg’s greatest seers already predicted your plan in action. The other notable feature of Morreg is the practice of creating Living Reliquaries known as “ruuxa.” Morregi culture reveres the wisdom of the dead in the belief that they can see things the living cannot; the most valued citizens are chosen for the honor of becoming ruuxa. At the moment of death, the candidate’s skull is removed, their spirit bound to it, and placed into the carved recesses of one of the many obelisks dotting the countryside. They can converse with passing citizens and also strengthen the power of divination spells: this manifests as granting +1 Caster Level on spells of said school cast within the nation’s borders, or +2 (non-stacking) to those cast within 60 feet of an obelisk. Morreg’s capital, Akxuum, holds the Gray Tower. Here wizards and oracles are taught the arts of combat divination and the powers of arcane archery. There is also a black market which sells magical items that protect against divination spells; its location moves regularly to evade the reach of the authorities. [center][b]Narumbeki, Shield of the South[/b] [img]https://i.imgur.com/hCNvJKa.png[/img][/center] Within the vast grasslands northeast of Lignas and southwest of Kush lies one of the Southlands’ mightiest warrior societies. In the era of Glorious Umboso the titan Mwari pitted Narumbeki’s ancestors against simulated armies of other titans for recreational sport. After said empire’s fall the Narumbeki scattered among the savannahs as a warrior culture. The tribes united into a more organized fashion as a counter to Morreg’s ascendance and became experts at organized large-scale warfare. Narumbeki society is highly militarized and analogous to Fantasy Counterpart Zulus. At age six a child is trained in the Legions as a messenger and apprenticed in combat at age twelve. Their society is semi-nomadic, with most settlements being a series of enclosures surrounded by thorn-decorated fences and muddy palisades known as kraal. Larger towns and cities are known as akanda, serving as the headquarters of individual Legion organizations. One of the current campaigns of Narumbeki is keeping the Green Walker’s influence from spreading to the plains, and there are always at least 3 Legions maintaining the border with fire and spell. The literal scorched earth tactics christened the Narumbeki-Kush border the Burning Fields. The Narumbeki Legions proper are organized into hierarchical regiments, with a logistical command structure where smaller forces comprise larger formations. For example, a squad is made of 6 soldiers, while 12 squads form a shield, all the way up to an impi of 864 warriors. Their base ranks have armor and shields made from zebra-hide and spears for melee combat. Beyond foot soldiers the twelve Legions are divided into four groups of three. The Fire Legions use arrows and a unique alchemical poison known as naphtha to soften enemy ranks; the Wind Legions are the fastest warriors capable of traveling great distances; the Stone Legions focus on defensive maneuvering; while the Imbangala are a cavalry supplement of sorcerers who mastered magic to domesticate zebras. Zebras both in real life and in the Southlands are too ornery to be broken like normal horses. These “cavalry casters” know the secret to their domestication and these sorcerers are capable of using a wide variety of spells beyond their discipline, yet another set of mysteries outsiders have not yet solved. Every Legion pays homage to the High Warlord, or Mukani, who settles affairs on a national scale and coordinates military campaigns requiring the alliance of multiple tribes. The current Mukani is Ebo Adashe, whose recent decisions have caused doubt, from expelling Lignan ambassadors on charges of spying to breaking treaties with the gnolls of Dabu. The reality of the situation is that Ebo has been infected by the Green Walker’s spores and is a puppet to a vine lord. [b]Divine Spark:[/b] Each Mukani passes down Mwari’s spark to the next in line. The spark grants the ability to imbue sorcerers with spells outside their normal tradition. Anyone who has the spark would have total access to the spell lists of every class, but will be hunted to the ends of the world by the Legions if they are not first burned alive in an outpouring of raw magic. [center][b]Perilous Sites[/b][/center] The Kingdoms of Salt and Steel may have a surplus of well-defended bastions from Narumbeki warbands to Morregi diviners, but it is no stranger to swathes of dangerous territory. The most notable are the temple ruins of Ankrhimari, home to a naga lich known as the Whisperer of Shadows. He is currently excavating the place in search of an artifact known as the [i]Black Crown of Veles,[/i] said to grant dominion over the dragonkin races. It is said that Veles the World-Serpent himself created at least three such crowns to allow the “hairy races” some degree of protection from his favorite children. There is also the Dunhumadzi, the largest mountain in the western portion of the continent containing a rumored titan stellar observatory; the shadowy Ezana’s Stone in Morreg’s southern border home to a mage silhouette who answers questions posed by visitors, albeit at the price of only giving answers he believes will cause the most misery possible; the Lost Diamond Caverns home to a clan of crystalline demons; and the Stone Bird Grove, whose eponymous statues come to life to guard a rumored treasure against intruders. [center][b]Character Options of the Kingdoms[/b] [img]https://i.imgur.com/r08OzKE.jpg[/img][/center] The player-facing options of this chapter are more numerous than the previous chapters. Starting off we have five new archetypes. The Arcane Sculptor (Summoner) trades in their eidolon for the ability to build and maintain animated objects or clockwork creatures. The Cavalry Caster (Sorcerer) trades their bloodline arcana and bloodline spells for the ability to learn a small number (1 spell every odd level) from another class list, not have to roll concentration checks for riding, and gain some mounted combat related features such as being able to summon a supernatural mount or gaining bonuses on ranged touch attacks when you make a mounted charge. The Deep Explorer (Rogue) is the prototypical underground explorer who gains favored enemy against aberrations in place of trap sense, the ability to make a single spelunking-related skill roll (Climb, Heal, Survival, Swim) on behalf of all allies within 30 feet in place of uncanny dodge, and a bonus on Perception and Dungeoneering Knowledge checks equal to half their rogue level in place of improved uncanny dodge. The Jali (Bard) are patriotic Morregi who can read the threads of fate in battle via the use of combat divination. They can learn any sorcerer/wizard spell with a swift or immediate casting time, and they may spend a round of bardic performance to grant a one-use swift/immediate spell they know to every ally within 90 feet as long as they maintain performance. Finally, the unimaginatively-named Tunnel Fighter (Fighter) are dwarves who join organizations of underground guards to defend their homes. They gain class features related to close quarters fighting, replacing their bravery bonus with an equal bonus on Acrobatics and Escape Artist checks, the ability to perform attacks of opportunity against those who try to grapple them no matter the circumstance, fight without penalty when squeezing or sharing a space with another tunnel fighter, flank as long as they and an ally are engaged in melee with the same creature, and a burrow speed of 5 feet at 11th level. Next up we have a few new [b]feats:[/b] a pair of item creation feats known as Master Sculptor (create constructs even if you’re not a spellcaster) and Master Carver (put 1/day spell-like ability hieroglyphic symbols on constructs) are neat, but the feat with great potential is Foresight Alacrity which allows you to perform up to two swift [i]and[/i] two immediate actions per turn. This is really great, potentially overpowered even, if you are making use of the Path of War sourcebook or similar reaction-based classes and abilities. The only trade-off is that you suffer a -2 penalty on all rolls for that round, and the penalty increases by 1 for every consecutive round you use this feat’s benefits. In a section all on their own, [b]Tactical Feats[/b] are associated with the Narumbeki Legions. They are akin to teamwork feats in that they impart benefits for the whole party. They have a base Legion Training feat, and most have a hefty +8 Base Attack Bonus requirement, but they are overall pretty good. For example, the base Legion Training grants you a +2 bonus to your Combat Maneuver Defense; but you can also elect to have a +1 bonus and share the other half with all allies within 30 feet. If two or more characters have this feat, they can stack the “shared bonuses” on each other but the maximum amount is limited by said recipient’s character level. This really simulates the “coordinated Zulu Warrior” feel of soldiers who are greater than the sum of their parts in that every other Tactical feat has more or less the same share-based fractional mechanics. The Tactical Step feat can grant a bonus 5 foot step, Accurate Thrust grants a base +2 on attack rolls with piercing weapons and can be split akin to Legion Training, Legion’s Fortification grants 20% chance to negate critical hits or sneak attack damage, and Legion’s Balm grants [i]fast healing 5![/i] The rest of the section pre-magic has miscellaneous information, including the ability to teach new tricks to serpent-based creatures with Handle Animal, the dwarven-brewed naphtha alchemical admixture which is a poison that deals fire damage and can be detonated in large quantities, new poisons from Lignas and stats for war zebras (like horses but gain concealment when among others of their kind in close quarters), and a host of new African-themed familiars from lemurs to scarab beetles. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/eBkN9vC.png[/img][/center] The [b]Magic of the Kingdoms[/b] includes a host of cool new items and spells. We have magic items such as an Eggshell mask which can perform a suggestion spell as a gaze attack twice per day, a Narumbeki Mudzimu Figurine which can detect thoughts for hostile intent and transform into a stone giant to attack said threat, and rituals and incantations such as the ability to conjure Venomous Rain of Retribution to deal poisonous fire damage on a wide area, or Bind the Unwilling Adviser which is used by Lignas’ queens to bind spirits of the departed to your service along with all their non-physical skills and knowledge. We have new generic spells, which are alternate versions of more conventional spells: Blood Pact calls an outsider to make a deal and you gain their damage reduction and vulnerabilities in addition to their service; Swarmshape Summon spells are like Summon Monster, but they summon monsters two levels lower on the latter spell chart who burst into swarms should they be “killed;” and Vipershot imbues your arrows with the ability to turn into vipers after they hit a target. But the lion’s share of new spells are in a section of their own: the fabled Morregi art of [b]Combat Divination![/b] I should note that this is one of my favorite mechanics from the Southlands, both in concept and rules and how it covers a traditional weakness of the spell school in Dungeons & Dragons. You see, conventional divination spells are limited in use when the din of battle starts; the most iconic spells either require maintenance (detect magic and clairvoyance) or have long casting times (augury and clairvoyance). Combat divination spells are swift or immediate actions which allow the user to foresee enemy actions and movements in an “I saw that coming” style of foresight. They can be learned by many classes, even the less-arcane types such as bards and rangers get a few! I won’t list all of them, but some of the cooler ones include Anticipate Attack ( take a 5 foot step to avoid an attack if you get out of its reach/AoE), Anticipate Arcana (gain Spell Resistance against an oncoming hostile spell), Distraction Cascade (cause an enemy to become flat-footed against an ally’s incoming attack on a failed Will save), Scry Ambush (can be cast during a surprise round to act normally and not be flat-footed) and Targeting Foreknowledge (cast after you make a successful attack but before damage, granting you +2d6 bonus damage and increase the critical multiplier by x1). [b]Thoughts So Far:[/b] The four countries were relatively brief in length, but I did not mind that as much on account that they more than made up for it with cool fluff and new mechanics. The divine sparks are starting to make more frequent appearances now, and just about every nation has its own tricks and local traditions to make PCs from that region stand out. Morreg has potentially the greatest difficulty in adventuring opportunity, as the huge amount of divination-capable citizens requires some unorthodox thinking by Game Masters to implement. The new archetypes and feats were overall stellar choices. I really liked seeing “team player” focused mechanics pop up, from the Deep Explorer’s rolls for the whole party to the Narumbeki Legion feats and the Jali bard’s ability to grant limited spell use to allies. [b]Join us next time as we sail along the eastern Corsair Coast, visiting exotic isles and clashing sword and spell with pirates, slavers, and sealed demons![/b] [/QUOTE]
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