To Limbo
Race: Kadmoni (also: Kadmodi, Qadmodi)
Nomenclature: Homo sapiens primordium.
Frequency: Extremely rare
Climate/Terrain: Any (mostly Limbo)
Organization: Family/Nation
Intelligence: Variable (see Humans)
Lifespan: Demi-immortal (no decay in old age, can be killed)
Appearance: The Kadmoni (sing. Kadmon) all have either pure red or white hair, and either black or hazel-blue eyes. They largely resemble Humans save for their wings--which are similar to a bird's, and tails-- approximately as long as the forearm and ending in a cluster of spines, which are unfolded when the Kadmon is frightened or angered. Many Kadmoni have their tails surgically removed as a matter of convenience when sitting down. (Yeeow!!!!) Because of the rather otherworldly appearance these features give them, most Kadmoni are mistaken for lesser magical creatures such as angels, demons, devas and erinyes. The Kadmoni are also adept at shapeshifting (roll a Con. check), and while there are no restrictions for mass, they can only take the shapes of living beings, and when they do so, they retain their own strengths and weaknesses. If a Kadmon shifts into a dragon's shape, for instance, s/he does not gain any strengths or breath weapons with the shapeshift.
Abilities: In addition to flight and shapeshifting, all Kadmoni can travel freely between planes of space and time though their aim is rather weak. A Kadmon usually does not have enough control to teleport to a specific point on a plane; the exact location of the player after traveling to a specific plane is up to the DM. Also, they all have at least one wild psionic talent, usually telepathy, telekinesis, or hypnosis (roll Int.-Wis. average to enact). Some with very powerful psionic talents become Seers. These prophets always have clairvoyance and also, due to the burden of such a power have variable Intelligence and Wisdom (varies from 1 to 20, due to flip of a coin and DM's discretion) and either commit suicide or are assassinated. (Clairvoyance is enacted the same way as other psionic talents.) All Kadmoni fighters, assassins, and rangers are urged to become magic users as well, and do so quite easily.
Restrictions: Bluntly put, the Kadmoni are completely nuts. Because they lack an ability to focus, they cannot become psionics despite their wild talents. Nor can they become clerics, since all Kadmoni worship Chaos (whom they call The God or Infinite), and in accordance with Chaos, neglect to form a religion. (Chaos Himself also found this particularly amusing.) When rolling prime characteristics for a Kadmon, the highest roll must be used for Wisdom, and the lowest roll for Constitution. Being primordial and therefore not knowing good or evil, neither law nor chaos, a Kadmon's alignment must be neutral. Also, any Kadmon being run before the Second Limbo War must be a Firstling, since the race couldn't procreate until the war's end. (Duhhh)
History: The origin of the Kadmoni is rooted in legend and mostly
oral, due to the destruction of records in the Second Limbo War. According
to a tale that is now largely obscure and even doubtful to some species,
the Kadmoni are primordial Humans, direct descendents of the first man,
Adam Kadmon, and his first wife, Lilith (see Genesis 1 of the Bible). After
Adam and Lilith's quarrel- which the Kadmoni claim was manufactured by
Shai'tan- Lilith fled from her husband to Limbo, where she then bore 1
billion Kadmoni children. (Trust me, she's a magical creature, this is
Limbo, it can happen.) This first generation of Kadmoni is now called,
obviously, Firstlings.
As Lilith's children matured, a learned and prosperous
civilization arose with them in a time now referred to as the Free Ages
(i.e., the first seven Ages; 1 Age=10,000 years). When the First Limbo
War broke out at the dawn of the 7th Age, the Kadmoni, siding with Gaea
and Death, were trampled by ArkHed and Shai'tan's armies; their numbers
were reduced to 100 million by the war's end. In the twenty-four ages after
war's end, the city and military forces were gradually rebuilt, but the
feel of optimistic innocence and heterogeny that permeated the Kadmoni
society had vanished. The few institutions the Kadmoni did have (guilds,
military, Council) staggered under the depleted population and resources--
despite the offerings of help by the Icren, who were busy trying to reconstruct
their own all-but-destroyed civilization. ArkHed, too, living across the
River Lethean(?) from the Kadmoni citadel, still posed a threat.
The First Limbo War was nearly a death stroke upon
their neighbors the Icren, but it was the Second Limbo War (900th year
of the 33rd age to 903rd(?)) that completely devastated the Kadmoni. In
DraKar and Armagon's last stand against ArkHed's assault, the Kadmoni citadel
was completely obliterated by the CirKad armies, and Lilith, the Matriarch,
was killed in a showdown with seven Prokatar (sp?) generals. Meanwhile,
and all during the war, Kadmoni scouts and soldiers missing in action were
subjected to horrendous experiments at the hands of ArkHed, who, in attempt
to create a race of perfect fighting creatures, created the Krad, the Prokatars(?),
and the CirKad. During that last battle, fewer than 2000 Kadmoni escaped
with their lives down the River Lethean; those that did remain in a hidden
fortress in Limbo, which they refer to as "the Stand."
With Lilith's death, however, came a faint hope:
several Kadmoni females, who were originally unable to breed while the
Matriarch was alive, were found to be pregnant after her death. Basically,
after the Matriarch died, the Kadmoni could procreate. Their population
began to increase, slowly but steadily, and by the time of the Last Battle
they numbered at least 50,000. These 2nd, 3rd, and so forth generations
are referred to as Followers.
Racial Characteristics/ Known Habits: The only racial enmity
among the Kadmoni is their aversion to demons and their ilk; they are blamed
for the destruction of Limbo and the Second Limbo War along with ArkHed.
As worshippers of Chaos, the Kadmoni have no religion. (Go figure.)
Seers, who are nearly always female (male Seers were born only after Lilith's
death), are the closest thing known to priestesses; they preserve, interpret,
and elaborate on both written and oral records of their race's history.
Because they also are "gifted" with clairvoyance and prophecy, their mental
states are more volatile than their siblings- all Seers die prematurely,
either by suicide or murder. There have been 25 Seers in all of Kadmoni
history. Only three of them were male.
Politically as well as spiritually, Kadmoni society
tends to be matriarchal and extremely centralized. There is only one Kadmoni
settlement, from which all Kadmoni are. (Again: duhhhhh) Though the position
of Matriarch (head of the Council) died with Lilith, vague prophecies made
in the 37th Age hint at the coming of a second Matriarch. Even the Kadmoni
themselves, however, think this unlikely. The Council of fourteen randomly
selected citizens (seven male, seven female including the Matriarch), chosen
every 10 years, decides common law and disputes within the community. Penalties
for crimes are severe; since the Kadmoni consider betrayal or falsehood
of any kind to be the most heinous of acts, the death sentence is required
for not only murder but treason, fraud, rape, conspiracy to commit a crime,
and adultery.
A Kadmon reaches physical and relatively mental
maturity at the age of 500. Female Kadmoni, whose pregnancy period is 10
years, can bear children only once in their lifetimes, and their young
are always fraternal twins. Young Kadmoni are often encouraged to leave
Limbo and gather information about other worlds, and thus bringing new
ideas and technology back to their race, can better ensure their survival
overall. Many hire themselves out as messengers to Gods or become bards
or wanderers.
(My Notes: If you have any questions contact me ([email protected])
and I'll relay them to Jenny. Krad, Icren, DraKar & Armagon will all
be explained later (hopefully) when I get those pages up *again, hopefully*(in
the case of DraKar and Armagon, see Sarpand). These pages are intended
as a resource; but if you wish to use this info for roleplaying purposes,
either online, or whatever, please let us know. (Though we can't pretend
that we wouldn't be pleased if you wanted to). Thanks! ~The Management)
