The Far World
The Far World is home to a native population of noble, triablistic humans (the Gaurahni tribe), and several humanoid races including the reclusive Saurials, the curious Tabaxi, the ingenius Aarakocra and the evil Yuan-Ti.
For centuries, the Gaurahni and their humanoid neighbors co-existed in peace with one another. That peace ended not long ago when the Yuan-Ti, allied with a race of shape-changing beasts known as Jagres, began a march to conquer the entire continent. They took three Gaurahni cities before their advance was halted by the combined forces of the Gaurahni, Saurials, Aarakocra and the colonials from the islands. A tenuous cease-fire is presently in effect, though none are sure whether the snake-men are satisfied with their spoils, or if they will eventually seek to finish their conquest.
Geopolitical Background
The Gaurahni and their allies were first introduced to the outside world as the initial settlers of Caraca and the islands arrived centuries ago. Viewed by many outside cultures as technologically primitive, the Gaurahni leadership has often found it difficult to deal in good faith with nations like Ghed, Doria or Capitol.The Gauhrahni have excellent relations with Captain Red Magnus, one of the Pirate Lords of Greenton, as well as several of the more benevolent governors of the Far World Islands. The Gaurahni are also closely allied with Padre Luis, the Mon Signor of the St. Michael Mission. Gaurahni leadership does not trust Don Hugo de Chavez, the dictatorial governor of Caraca.
Some Gaurahni fear that if the Yuan-Ti do not conquer them, the men-of-ships eventually will.
Internal Background
The native Far Worlders are divided up into four distinct nations/tribes: the Gaurahni humans, the Saurials, the Aarakocra and the Yuan-Ti. The Gaurahni, Aarakocra and Saurials are allied very closely with one another, but the Yuan-Ti are the enemies of all races not of their own. Once human themselves, they turned to worship of Merrshaulk, and as the snake-cult spread its practicioners became more and more snake-like. Eventually the snake-cult was banished from larger Gaurahni society, and they fled east into the deep jungle. They found remnants of the old werebeast civilization, and they established the Temple of Snakes. Ever since, Gaurahni and Yuan-Ti have been at war.The Temple of the Sun is the capital of the Gaurahni civilization. Here, principle homage is paid to both Ometeotl and Quetzacoatl, then to the rest of the Aztec pantheon after those two. The leader of the Gaurahni, a powerful Jaguar Knight named Manco Capac, makes his home here.
Teotihuacan is the most prosperous of the Gaurahni city states, being situated in the especially fertile Riverlands basin. The city's wealth is further supplemented by access to trade with the Colonies. The city also has a close relationship with the St. Michael Mission. Of all the cities of the Gaurahni nation, this is the one in which foreigners are most often encountered.
Cuicuilco is the southmost Gaurahni city. Cuicuilco is the historic rival of Teotihuacan; prior to the establishment of the Gaurahni nation, the two city states were frequently at war. Cuicuilco also has, in the past, had disputes with the Saurials over hunting and fishing rights in and around the river that makes up the human-Saurial border.
Mextitlan is the home of the Great Ball Court, where the yearly Solar Tournament is held to determine the Far World's champion Ball Game team. This year will be a decidedly somber Solar Tournament, since the champions from last year, the ball team from the city of Payit, were mostly killed or captured when the Yuan-Ti overran their city. All Far World races -- humans, Aarakocra, Tabaxi and Saurials -- have their own Ball teams that compete in the Solar Tournament.
Payit, Tochteotl and Zatal were once the three east-most city states of the Gaurahni nation. Now, they are overrun by the Yuan-Ti, and the serpent men have established military strongholds within the ruined cities.
Motu-Nui is the city of the Aarakocra, built by way of an elaborate series of wood platforms and scaffolding to comprise an upper (built in the canopies of the highest trees) and lower (built on the forest floor) city. Troops from the Gaurahni and the Saurials currently are stationed in the city, because it is precariously close to the battle lines with the Yuan-Ti.
Fort Tyrano is the fortress-capital of the Saurials. The Saurial nation is ruled by a body known as the Triassic Cabal, comprised of high-level representatives from the four Saurial races: a Finhead Fighter, a Hornhead Mage, a Bladeback Cleric and a Flyer Thief. The Cabal deliberates on all matters concerning the Saurial nation, and the decisions they hand down are always unanimous.
The Temple of Serpents is a werebeast ruin that was commandeered by the Yuan-Ti after their exile from human society. Here the Yuan-Ti priesthood offers sacrifices to Merrshaulk, and conducts other dark rituals in the name of the snake god. No one has laid eyes on the temple since the current conflict with the Yuan-Ti began.
The Werebeast Ruins are the remains of the largest city of a civilization of lycanthropes that thrived in the Far World before Quetzalcoatl forced them to leave. Now, according to pirates and smugglers from the Far World Colonies (who had the misfortune of scouting too far south into the jungle), these ruins have been taken over by the Jagre, a race of Jaguar-shapechangers allied with the Yuan-Ti.
The native humans of the Far World were once several disparate,
competing city-states: from the prosperous Teotihuacan in the
Riverlands, to the savage warrior city of Zatal in the far Eastern
rainforest. About half a century ago, the six city-states were
unified by the priesthood of Quetzalcoatl, thus establishing the
Gaurahni Nation as it presently exists. From the Western capital at
the Temple of the Sun, the Gaurahni union has brought peace and
stability to the Far World, and allowed mankind to establish friendly
relationships with their various human neighbors.
Recently, the peace brought by the establishment of the Gaurahni
Nation was shattered by the Yuan-Ti invasion. The cities of Payit,
Zatal and Tochteotl have been destroyed and conquered by the
snakemen, and the remaining three city-states are swelling with
refugees and frantic defending warriors. Some hope that the snakemen
are satisfied with the conquest of three human cities. Others fear it
is only a matter of time before the Yuan-Ti set out to finish what
they started and eradicate the remaining three cities. Still others
plan for the day of mankind's vengeance against the evil
serpents.
Ability Score Adjustments: None.
Class Restrictions:
Multi-Class Allowances: None. Humans, as standard, may dual-class instead.
Kit Allowances: The kits below are from the Complete Fighter's and Priest's Handbooks.
Hit Dice: By class.
Natural Armor Class/Move Rate: 10; Humans move at rate 12.
Bonus Languages: Common. Gaurahni gain one bonus language at first level, since the human nation has taken such an interest in their humanoid allies. Gaurahni can learn Aarakocra, Tabaxi or the sign language used to communicate with Saurials.
Special Advantages:
None.
Special Disadvantages:
None.
The Aarakocra are a race of ingenious bird-men, believed to be descended from the werebeasts who long ago ruled the Far World. Aarakocra legend itself seems to suggest they could be descended from a tribe of wereravens who cross-bred with giant eagles. These bird men build their villages in the dense canopies of the Far World's rainforests. Their capital is the treetop city of Motu-Nui, just across the river from the human city of Teotihuacan and the Saurial city of Saur. The Aarakocra are presently allied with the Saurials and the Gaurahni against the Yuan-Ti.
Ability Score Adjustments: +1 Dexterity, -1 Strength and Constitution.
Class Restrictions:
Multi-Class Allowances: Fighter-Shaman, Fighter-Thief.
Kit Allowances: The kits below are from the Complete Book of Humanoids.
Hit Dice: By class.
Natural Armor Class/Move Rate: 7; Aarakocra move on land at speed 6 and fly at speed 36 (C).
Bonus Languages: Common.
Special Advantages:
•Natural Attacks: Aarakocra can attack with a beak attack
when they are unarmed (1d3 damage). When airborne, Aarakocra can also
attack with a pair of talon-swipes (1d3 each). An armed Aarakocra can
still make a beak attack in addition to a weapon strike.
•Aerial Missile Combat: Aarakocra do not receive
penalties for firing missile weapons while flying. They cannot use
bows or crossbows or slings in this way, but can hurl javelins and
throwing spears.
•Dive Attack: With 200' of diving room, and when armed
with a javelin or other long piercing weapon, the Aarakocra receives
a +4 bonus to hit and deals double damage.
•Elemental Ritual: An Aarakocra Shaman of at least 7th
level can join with four other Aarakocra (of any class or level) to
summon a friendly Air Elemental. The process takes three rounds, and
consists of aerial chanting and dancing. The Elemental will perform
favors and even fight for the Shaman who summons it, but does not
take kindly to being abused or asked to recklessly endanger
itself.
Special Disadvantages:
•Claustrophobia: Aarakocra are claustrophobic. Whenever
they engage in combat in an enclosed area (indoors, underground,
etc.) they suffer a -3 penalty to hit.
Saurials are four distinct races of creatures descended from
dinosaurs. Both Saurials and Dinosaurs used to inhabit many other
places on Kulm, but various climatological phenomena have reduced the
Saurian domain to a swath of jungle in the far south of the Far
World.
Hornheads are the largest of the four Saurial races, and are
often looked to as community leaders for their strong talent for
sorcery. They resemble ten-foot-tall reptilian humanoids with the
heads of triceratops.
Bladebacks are the next-largest, resembling seven-foot tall
reptilian humanoids with the spiked-tail and spine-plates of a
stegosaurus. They often fall naturally into the roles of spiritual
leaders in Saurial communities, and are among the Saurial races' most
gifted priests.
Finheads are man-sized creatures, looking something like
lizard men with pronounced crests coming off the backs of their
heads. The core of the Saurials' warrior caste is made up of
Finheads, who seem to excel at combat (due, perhaps, to a lineage
descended from predatory therapods).
Flyers are the smallest of the four races, standing usually no
more than three feet high. They resemble small pteranodons, and as
their name suggests, they are the only Saurials capable of flight.
They are also the most agile of the Saurials, and tend to make the
best rogues.
Presently the Saurial nation is allied with the Gaurahni and the
Aarakocra against the Yuan-Ti. The Yuan-Ti have not dared to cross
into Saurial territory yet, perhaps out of fear of the Saurials and
their command over the jungle's fearsome Dinosaurs.
Ability Score Adjustments: Bladebacks: +1 Wisdom and Charisma, -2 Dexterity. Finheads: No adjustment. Flyers: +2 Dexterity, -1 Strength and Constitution. Hornheads: +1 Strength and Intelligence, -2 Dexterity.
Class Restrictions:
Multi-Class Allowances: None. Saurials may dual-class instead.
Kit Allowances: The kits below are from the Complete Book of Humanoids.
Hit Dice: By class. Bladebacks receive 2 bonus hit points at first level, and Hornheads receive 4 bonus hit points.
Natural Armor Class/Move Rate:
Bladebacks: 4; Move 10.
Finheads: 5; Move 12.
Flyers: 6; Move 9, Fly 24 (C)
Hornheads: 4; Move 10.
Bonus Languages: Saurial. The Saurial language is unique in all the world, in that it comprises sounds beyond the range of human hearing, and also pheremonal scents and body language. Demihumans and most humanoids are not able to hear or learn to speak the Saurial tongue; Lizard men, Lupins and Werewolves can learn to understand it (due to enhanced senses of smell, hearing or both), but cannot replicate it. Saurials have devised a sign language for use in trade with their human neighbors, and Saurial characters begin play with knowledge of this. In addition, Saurials learn to understand Common speech (even if they cannot themselves speak it).
Special Advantages:
•Increased Level Limits: Saurials who are eligible to
earn an experience bonus due to a high prime requisite score in their
class (e.g. Fighters with Strength 16 or better) increase their level
limit by one level. This is applicable to all Saurial races, though
it means nothing to a Saurial in a class with unlimited
advancement.
•Infravision: All Saurials have Infravision to 60'.
•Sound Resistance: All Saurials receive a +2 bonus to
saving throws against sound-based attacks (Harpy's song, a Shout
spell, etc.).
•Natural Attacks: Each Saurial race has its own natural
weaponry.
Bladebacks: two claws (1d4 each) and a tail-mace (1d6). When armed, the Bladeback can attack with weapon and tail in the same round.
Finheads: two claws (1d2 damage each) and a tail-slap (1d2). When armed, the Finhead can attack with weapon and tail in the same round.
Flyers: two claws (1d2 damage each) and a beak-peck (1d2). Flyers can attack with weapon and beak in the same round.
Hornheads: two claws (1d4 damage each), and tail-slap (2d4). Like other Saurials, Hornheads can attack with weapon and tail in the same round. If the Hornhead forgoes all other attacks, it can charge with its horns for 2d6 damage.
Special Disadvantages:
•Strength Limitation: Saurials never use exceptional
strength ratings. Maximum strength for all Saurial races is 18.
•Magic Limitation: Saurial wizards cannot use other
races' spellbooks or scrolls without a successful Spellcraft
proficiency and the Read Magic spell.
•Weapon Limitation: Saurials using non-Saurial weapons
suffer a -1 attack penalty, in addition to any non-proficient
penalties. Only Saurial warriors may become proficient in non-Saurial
weaponry.
•Olfactory Weakness: Gas or scent-based attacks, such as
poison gas or stinking cloud spells, have a greater effect on
Saurials. Saurials take a -2 penalty to saving throws against these
attacks.
•Large Size: Bladebacks and Hornheads take damage as
large creatures.
•Cold Sleep: If exposed to prolonged cold, Saurials fall
into cold sleep. Saurials can resist this for a number of turns equal
to their size in feet (round up). Times can be doubled if they wear
insulated clothing, and the effect can be resisted with applications
of the Resist Cold spell. More than a day exposed unprotected to the
cold results in death.
A race of jaguar-men who live in tribes alongside the Gaurahni humans. According to legend, they are descended from Werejaguars who were allowed to remain on the mainland when the rest of the Lycanthropes were exiled by the Gods. Tabaxi are not "civilized" by the human definition of the term; they are semi-nomadic and live in temporary lairs throughout the jungles that humanity calls home. Tabaxi are allies of humans, and sometimes dwell within their cities.
Ability Score Adjustments: +1 Strength and Dexterity, -2 Wisdom.
Class Restrictions:
Multi-Class Allowances: None. Tabaxi may dual-class instead.
Kit Allowances: The kits below are from the Complete Book of Humanoids.
Hit Dice: By class.
Natural Armor Class/Move Rate: 6; Tabaxi move at rate 15 and can swim at rate 9.
Bonus Languages: Common, Tabaxi. Tabaxi can communicate innately with any cat.
Special Advantages:
•Natural Attacks: Tabaxi can fight with claws (1d3 damage
each, 2 attacks) and bite (1d3 damage) when unarmed. If both claws
hit, the Tabaxi can rake with its rear claws, gaining two extra
attacks for 1d4+1 damage each. An armed Tabaxi cannot use natural
attacks and weapons.
•Stealth and Surprise: Tabaxi are surprised only on a
roll of 1. Their natural camouflage and instinctual stealthiness
allows them to impose a -2 on opponents' surprise rolls.
•Natural Swimmers: Tabaxi are surprisingly capable
swimmers. They receive a +1 bonus to hit and to AC whenever they
grapple with a foe in the water.
Special Disadvantages:
•Tabaxi Lords: When confronted with a Tabaxi Lord,
anything the Lord says to the Tabaxi is treated as though it were a
Suggestion spell. The Tabaxi must make a saving through in order to
resist the Tabaxi Lord's suggestions, though the Tabaxi receives a +2
bonus to save if the suggested action goes against the Tabaxi's
alignment (and +4 if the suggestion would require the Tabaxi to
attack friends or loved ones). Tabaxi cannot attack or harm a Tabaxi
Lord unless the Lord attacks or directly harms them first.