The Orcs of Zeitlos are savage and fearless. Orcs are slightly shorter than Elves, but much stockier and roughly a Dwarf-and-a-half in height. Orcish skin color range from bright to dark green, and the occasional Orc is born with a gray skin tone. Orcish hair color typically ranges from dark brown to black, and their eyes cover a spectrum of greens, oranges, and reds. Orcs are the ruling caste in the Asfaric Sultanates, under the prophet warlord Skazgar. The Greenskin Orcs make up the warrior caste and the majority of the Asfaric army, while Grayskin Orcs make up the cleric caste and are the spiritual leaders of Asfar, under Skazgar. Greenskin Orcs start with a +2 to Endurance and a +1 to Strength, while Grayskin Orcs start with a +2 to Endurance and a +1 to Faith.
Zeitlos Cover Page (watercolor)
Elves
The High Elves of Zeitlos are imperious and proud as a people. High Elves are fair in skin and light in hair color ranging from blonde to white with eye colors ranging from steel to blue. The High Elves are indigenous to the mainland of the Sanctum Imperium and are the majority inhabitants of the Imperium. Most High Elves are devout followers of Deus and have followed him even before he deigned to grace Zeitlos with his corporeal form on Thronum Domini Nostri. Due to conflicting religious beliefs typically High Elves share a mutual hatred with Orcs, Goblins, and Serpentfolk and a dislike of the other races that are not converted to the faith. High Elves start with a +1 to Agility and +2 to Faith.
The Wood Elves of Zeitlos are communal and reclusive to outsiders. They are rarely seen outside of their established lands in Stark Insel and have very strong communities. Wood Elves are a bit darker than High Elves in skin and hair color, ranging from dark browns to bright reds and eyes of many degrees of brown, green, and blue. The Wood Elves are indigenous to the island kingdom of Stark Insel and share it with the Halflings. Most Wood Elves and Halflings are druids and beholden only to the land. Being separated from the other races by water, Wood Elves and Halflings make fast friends, but have little interaction with other races outside of occasional skirmishes with Dwarvish warriors and their longboats. Wood Elves start with a +3 to Agility.
The Moon Elves of Zeitlos are intellectual, mystical, and strange. Moon Elves are a pale white in skin with hair ghost white and eyes of a pink hue. The Moon Elves inhabit lands in Rásújt as well as the kingdom of Asfar but are a minority in the Asfaric Sultanates, as their birth rates are low, especially when compared to the birth rates of the Orcs and Goblins. For the most part, Moon Elves follow Deus or Skazgar, depending on their kingdom. However, they are generally more interested in their mystical studies. Moon Elves are often obsessed with magic and the cosmos. The Moon Elves in Asfar are responsible for helping Skazgar summon and bind djinn to supplement the Asfaric military. Moon Elves start with a +1 to Agility and a +2 to Intelligence.
Some Zeitlos History
The origins of Zeitlos are unknown, no written history details the events and the gods are quiet on the formation of the planet but there is knowledge on the origin of different peoples, most creations of the Asgeiran gods such as the Elves, Dwarves, and Giants, with Humans being the results of long term miscegenation between Elves and Dwarves. Other races origins are less concrete but it is said that the Ratfolk, Shifters, Marshfolk, and Minotaurs were the creations of the Fey, more bestial bipeds to offset the humanoids spreading across the world without much concern for maintaining the woods that the Fey prefer, and still yet the origins of some races are only guessed at, the Gnomes are thought to be natural dwellers of the caverns that evolved on their own, similarly it is thought that the halflings evolved on their own as well. There is no known origin for Orcs and Goblins, or Serpentfolk, the Orcs and Goblins simply emerged from the south in a tide of war and conquest and their confrontational nature has prevented any discussion with possible scholars that may know more of their origins, though there are rumors that they are demon-spawn, based on their use of them in war, whereas Serpentfolk probably know their origins but their secretive nature has kept these facts concealed from outsiders.
As one would imagine, a world inhabited by such vastly different groups of people leads to a lot of conflict, wars are the norm rather than exception and hostilities between the people can vary from rather friendly such as between elves and gnomes or halflings or open hostilities, as it is with orcs and most other people. Adventurers and mercenaries of Zeitlos find that they have no shortage of work in this tumultuous world, merchants need escorts to make it through the bandit strewn paths, towns and villages often need to hire men to deal with incursions of monsters such as trolls or even the risen dead from desecrated battlefields, and if that does not interest, one could always try their hands at working in one of the armies of the various kingdoms.
The upcoming posts will give more detail on the various races of Zeitlos.
The Oracle archetype
The Oracle archetype is the primary choice for people who want to be able to perform miracles granted to them by their deities as well as arcane spells. The Oracle is frail having low wounds and low physical attack statistics but their access to miracles and high casting values is what makes up for this. Oracles start with the lowest wounds shared with Mages and Priests starting with 4 and ending with 30. Oracles also share the lowest accuracy bonus with Mages and Priests starting at d3 and ending at d3+1, they also start and end with 1 attack per round. Oracles share the highest casting values with Mages and Priests starting with d3 and ending with 2d6.
Oracle classes include, the Runecaster with the ability to speak runes that create a wide variety of effects and powers, including buffs, debuffs, damage, and crowd control. The Loremaster which has access to many spell-modifiers making them larger, more selective, longer-lasting as well as having the most ways to increase their casting bonuses. The Witchdoctor that uses their special pet wisp and soul manipulating abilities to destroy enemies, heal, and raise spectral undead. The Hedge-Witch that creates magical groves across the battlefield through-out a fight that hinder enemies while granting special benefits to the Hedge-Witch. The Redeemer that has access to the strongest healing magics, resurrection, buffs, and decent access to both fire and divine damage spells.
The Zealot archetype
The Zealot archetype is a mixture of the Scout and Priest archetypes and the primary choice for people who want access to miracles with mobility and martial ability. Zealots start with 4 wounds and end with 40, start with a d3+1 accuracy bonus that ends at d6+d3, a casting bonus starting at d2 and ending at d6+1, starting with one attack per round and ending with 3, in addition to a mobility bonus starting at 0 but ending at 4.
Zealot classes include, the Inquisitor which uses his faith in Deus to bring righteous judgement on a chosen enemy, see through diguises and illusions, and the ability to shrug off many negative effects. The Woodland Sniper, a follower of the druidic faith that is practiced in the arts of hit and run sniping, camouflage, and long ranged attacks from stealth. The Stormborn which are those that are born with the spirit of Wotan within them and innate powers of lightning and ice, switching between the two to create unique effects with their warhammer and axes, a combination of all things Asgeiran. The Seeker, the secret assassins of Yasshka, they are guided by Yasshka dealing extra damage with their faith score as well as some protective and other means of damage provided by their lord. The Dervish, the art of blade-dancing honed by Moon Elves that served under Skazgar, using twin weapons to dance through enemies blinding them or meditating to hone their focus to unleash devastating attacks.
The Sentinel archetype
The Sentinel archetype is a mixture of the Scout and Warrior archetypes and the primary choice for people who want to have high mobility and martial ability. Sentinels start with 12 wounds and end with 50, start with a d6 accuracy bonus that ends at 2d6, starting with one attack per round and ending with 4, in addition to a mobility bonus starting at 0 but ending at 4.
Sentinel classes include, the Halberdier which uses polearms to control the battlefield stopping enemies from moving and defending allies with your wide range. Vanguard rushes into the fray and gains bonuses for outmaneuvering enemies and charging through them. Duelist combines mobility with a tight focus on a single target allowing the Duelist to bring down high priority enemies quickly. Bounty Hunter has a lot of tools available to them such as specialized grappling chains, flashbangs, and more depending on which specialized foes they decide to focus on such as Vampires or Mages.
The Spellslinger archetype
The Spellslinger archetype is a mixture of the Scout and Mage archetypes and the primary choice for people who want access to spells with mobility and martial ability. Spellslingers start with 4 wounds and end with 40, start with a d3+1 accuracy bonus that ends at d6+d3, a casting bonus starting at d2 and ending at d6+1, starting with one attack per round and ending with 3, in addition to a mobility bonus starting at 0 but ending at 4.
Spellslinger classes include, the Bard which is the travelling musician that has access to a wide variety of songs that grant bonuses to your allies with lingering effects that you can merge buffs together with careful timing. Nightblade combines illusion and enchantment magics with a focus on stealth granting them the ability to remain hidden in most situations. Witch-Hunter which has a swath of anti-magical abilities, making them a nightmare to enemy mages and priests. Arcane Archer that uses a proficiency with ranged weapons as a way to deliver powerful offensive magics directly into the enemies ranks.
The Battlemage archetype
The Battlemage archetype is a mixture of the Warrior and Mage archetypes and the primary choice for people who want access to spells without sacrificing martial ability and wounds. Paladins start with 8 wounds and end with 50, start with a d3+1 accuracy bonus that ends at d6+d3, a casting bonus starting at d2 and ending at d6+1, starting with one attack per round and ending with 3.
Battlemage classes include, the Spellsword which is the archetypical melee fighting spellcaster with a wide variety of features and abilities that allow them to channel spells through their weapons into their foes. Transient Blade is a class that focuses on having high mobility through their magic, having abilities that include teleporting their-selves and allies as as enemies. Aegis Warrior which is focused on using abjuration magic to make their-selves and allies protected or using force magic to disperse foes. Blood Warrior that uses necromantic magics to self-heal through damage, create bone shields, and raise golems. Warrior of Many Forms focuses on using a wide variety of transformations in battle to achieve different ends, claws to attack, wings to fly, or salamander skin to breathe underwater and help grapple and many more.
The Paladin archetype
The Paladin archetype is a mixture of the Warrior and Priest archetypes and the primary choice for people who want access to miracles without sacrificing martial ability and wounds. Paladins start with 8 wounds and end with 50, start with a d3+1 accuracy bonus that ends at d6+d3, a casting bonus starting at d2 and ending at d6+1, starting with one attack per round and ending with 3.
Paladin classes include, the Crusader’s which are the warrior followers of Deus have access to a variety of defensive measures and abilities that allow them to protect their allies along with a focus on healing and fire miracles. The Korsfarer’s are the ice giant’s champions of the Asgeiran pantheon have access to a large variety of movement impairing abilities and a focus on ice and lightning miracles. The Warden’s are the guardians of the druidic faith and have access to rejuvenation miracles and abilities. The Guardian’s are the assigned protectors of the secret lores of Sezz’sarak and have abilities to help them protect a chosen ally and control the field of battle with their polearms. The Ankath are the warrior clerics of Skazgar and have access to unholy miracles that can draw upon their own lifeforce to gain supernatural speed and strength.
Silver Isle 